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In Armenia, Law Enforcers Came To The Residence Of The Catholicos

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In Armenia, Law Enforcers Came To The Residence Of The Catholicos

Clashes broke out.

Members of Armenia's National Security Service (NSS) came to the residence of the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC), Echmiadzin Monastery, located near Yerevan. As News.am reports, the security forces, including those wearing balaclavas, showed up at Echmiadzin when a meeting of clerics was taking place there. The publication's correspondent reports that traffic police restricted traffic in the vicinity of the monastery complex for the sake of unimpeded passage of SNB vehicles.

The Novosti-Armenia news agency reports that SNB officers are about to detain the Primate of the Shirak Diocese, Archbishop Mikael Ajapakhyan. "I never hid and I'm not going to hide now. What is happening is lawlessness. Come after me, I will go and I declare that what is happening is lawlessness. I have never been and am not a threat to this country, the main threat is in the government," Ajapakhyan told reporters.

Catholicos Garegin II, representatives of the clergy and believers are on the spot, they are trying to prevent Ajapakhyan's detention. Judging by the footage from the site, the situation is tense, reaching physical clashes. People in the crowd are shouting to the law enforcers, "Shame on you."

"Dear ones, all the clergy of Armenia are ready for arrest: we are all in the Mother See [Echmiadzin]. You have come to the Mother See - from Holy Etchmiadzin you will take either all of us or our corpse," said Priest Asohik Karapetyan, director of the museums and archives of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

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