By Shoghik Galstian
YEREVAN (Azatutyun) — Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, who led massive anti-government protests in May and June, on December 27 apologized to supporters for failing to topple Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and pledged to continue campaigning for regime change.
Galstanyan became the leader of an opposition-backed movement resulting from protests that erupted in Armenia’s northern Tavush province in April following Pashinyan’s decision to cede four local border areas to Azerbaijan. After failing to scuttle the land transfer, he shifted the protests to Yerevan to demand Pashinyan’s resignation.
The outspoken cleric, who until then headed the Tavush Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, attracted fewer people when he resumed the demonstrations in October. He has held no further rallies since then.
“I am not ashamed of apologizing for both what I did and what I didn’t,” Galstanyan told a year-end news conference.
“Responsibility for various setbacks and the failure to achieve the end result [of the campaign] lies entirely with me, while success and victory belong to my beloved people,” he said, adding that he and his allies will try to oust Pashinyan in 2025.
