Armenian clergy have played an important role in the life of world Armenians for centuries. They sowed hatred for the Turks and Azerbaijanis and brought up the flock in the spirit of territorial claims to neighboring states. At the dawn of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the Armenian clergy actively recruited young people to be sent to war with Azerbaijan and organized a fundraiser for the Karabakh separatists. Even with weapons in their hands, Armenian priests took an active part in the occupation of the territories of Azerbaijan and the killing of peaceful Azerbaijanis.

It has always been so. For example, the role of the former Catholicos of All Armenians Vazgen the First in fomenting the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict cannot be overestimated. The current Catholicos of all Armenians, Garegin II turned out to be a "worthy" successor to Vazgen. But the most notorious nationalist (and not a man of God) turned out to be the Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram the First.

Recently, the Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram the First expressed his concern over the processes taking place in Armenia.

"The processes taking place in Armenia in recent days, especially the negotiations between Armenia and Turkiye, as well as the ban on entry to Armenia of a member of the ARF Bureau Murad Papazyan, cause concern," the Catholicos said on Facebook.

He believes such phenomena can have negative consequences, especially concerning Diaspora-Armenia relations. "It is necessary to convey clear and complete information to the public," said Aram the First.

Armenia and Turkiye have appointed their special representatives to establish bilateral relations, who have already held four meetings. On July 1, 2022, the parties agreed to ensure the crossing of the Armenian-Turkish land border as soon as possible for citizens of third countries visiting Armenia and Turkiye. An agreement was also reached to start negotiations on the establishment of direct air transportation of goods between Armenia and Turkiye.

Faktyoxla Lab. tried to find out why Aram the First makes such statements.

Aram the First is the pastor of the Armenian dioceses of Lebanon, Syria, Iran, the countries of the Persian Gulf, Greece, the US, Canada and Cyprus. The first head of the Great House of Cilicia who was born in Lebanon.

In 1995, Bedros Keshishyan was elected Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia as Aram I. And he always promoted utopian goals. In particular, in the issue of the so-called genocide, Aram I sees his own task in declaring rights to all the property of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Turkiye: churches and monasteries.

On April 7, 2016, the Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II and the Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I visited the then-occupied territories of Azerbaijan. They arrived then to console the invaders after the defeat in the four-day war. They also visited Shusha.

Like other representatives of the Armenian Church, Aram I has always declared his claims to Azerbaijani lands and now openly does so.

For example, at the end of May 2019, Aram the First gave a " testament" to the Armenians, which should lead them to "strengthening, prosperity and eternity." The communion with eternity, according to the " testament ", had to occur as a result of miatsum, that is, the annexation of the then-occupied territories of Azerbaijan to Armenia.

In the text of the appeal posted on Facebook, Aram I warns against any concessions in the Karabakh settlement since Karabakh is "the native land returned by the blood of our heroes."

Aram I even called for the unification of "Artsakh" with Armenia on the way to the restoration of a united Armenia.

In 2013, a meeting of the all-Armenian commission for the coordination of events dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the "Armenian genocide" was held in Yerevan. This commission was established in Armenia in 2011 and included the leaders of Armenia and the separatist "Nagorno-Karabakh Republic", religious leaders and representatives of the leading political, charitable and cultural organizations of the diaspora. Local committees have been formed in various countries. And in Yerevan, they gathered to develop special programs to be presented at the meeting of the all-Armenian commission.

From the speeches of the speakers at this meeting and the statements of some Armenian public figures, one can draw definite conclusions about the strategy of Armenians for 2015 and 2023.

Thus, Aram I, the Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, who chaired the meeting, formulated this strategy in three words: "Remember, remind and demand." Speaking about the need to focus on claims and compensation, Aram I reminded those present of the international forum on the theme "From recognition to compensation", organized in 2012, where legal ways of putting pressure on Turkiye were discussed.

And on April 24, 2013, two Armenian spiritual leaders - Garegin II and Aram I- demanded the return of Armenian church property from Turkiye for the first time.

In October 2009, speaking to the Armenians who gathered in the Cathedral of Antelias (Lebanon), Aram I stated that he remained committed to the testament and memory of the "martyrs", the victims of the so-called "genocide", allegedly committed by the Ottoman Empire at the beginning of the 20th century. The Catholicos stressed that the fact of the so-called "genocide" of Armenians is not subject to discussion and bargaining. He is convinced that all advanced world must recognize this "crime" against humanity and call Turkiye to account.

Now, after the 44-day war, as a result of which Azerbaijan was able to liberate its territories from the Armenian occupation, the Armenian Church, represented by Aram the First, supports revanchist sentiments, seeking to prevent the establishment of peace and stability in the region.

So, Catholicos Aram I of Cilicia expressed concern about possible negotiations between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, which, according to unofficial information, were to be held on January 11 in Moscow.

"We demand that Yerevan does not jeopardize the sovereignty, statehood and territorial integrity of Armenia by signing any agreement," Aram I said in a statement posted on Facebook.

In his opinion, the Trilateral Statement on Karabakh, signed on November 9 last year, contains clauses that could jeopardize Armenia's security, independence and territorial integrity. In this regard, the Catholicos believes that the points of the Trilateral Statement should be clarified at the request of Armenia and with the support of Russia.

As you can see, Aram I directly interferes in politics and does not contribute to the stabilization of the internal political situation in Armenia, which has aggravated due to the military capitulation of Yerevan. Instead of calling for peace and harmony, as required by the postulates of the Christian religion, Aram calls for a revision of the Tripartite Statement. He did this right after the statement was signed.

"The world must know that Artsakh is ours in all conditions and will remain ours today and forever," he said.

Does he realize that with these statements he only exacerbates the political crisis in Armenia? Or does he know how Armenia can achieve peace and development that others do not know about?

But, apparently, Aram I has a different understanding of "peace."