Parliamentary elections should be held in Armenia next summer.
Political analyst Mahammad Asadullazade told Medianews.az that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is taking large-scale steps at this juncture to prevent Russia's provocations inside the country: “The arrest of Vardan Gukasyan, the pro-Russian mayor of Gumri, Armenia's second largest city, is part of this process.
It is known that Moscow has planned to create chaos and riots during the elections through the church and political opposition in Armenia in order to weaken Pashinyan’s government. The center of this plan is the city of Gumri. The Russian 102nd military base is located in the city, and the local political elite have been consistently elected with Kremlin-oriented positions for many years.
Pashinyan has already started the process of cleansing the army and security structures of individuals affiliated with Russia. In the next phase, the target will be the Catholicos II Garegin of the Armenian Apostolic Church and his close circle.”
According to M. Asadullazade, before next year’s elections, the Russia-oriented opposition and the church will be removed from the political influence sphere: "The arrest of several bishops and the testimonies they give to the investigation may be sufficient to accuse II Garegin of participating in a coup plan. This could further highlight the fact that the church is interfering in politics and create grounds to force II Garegin to resign.
Pashinyan's main goal is to completely neutralize Russia's “fifth column” influencing the country both through the church and the political opposition. I note that the Armenian Apostolic Church has also long acted in the direction of Kremlin’s political interests.”
Naile Gasimova,
Medianews.az
