Who will be the Armenian Catholicos? Who is Ankara supporting?
Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan has repeatedly stated that he wanted to replace the country’s religious leader, the Catholicos. But the real question is, who would replace him. According to sources close to the Turkish Presidential Palace, this decision will be made not by Etchmiadzin, the religious center of Armenia, but by Ankara and Istanbul.
By ERKIN FEYYAZ EŞLİ
Aydinlik.com
Turkey is preparing to achieve its greatest foreign policy victory since Atatürk. President Tayyip Erdoğan is about to remove the last obstacle to Armenia’s direct rapprochement with Turkey.
The last obstacle was Catholicos Garegin II, the head of the Armenian Orthodox Church. He forms the basis of Armenian fervent nationalism. His removal would transform Armenia into a friend of Turkey. The secular government in Yerevan will not resist Ankara’s demands.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has already abandoned the fundamental principle of Armenian politics, namely the “genocide” propaganda. This move weakens Armenia’s ties with its large diaspora in France and Russia.
Pashinyan is pursuing a policy close to the Turkey-Azerbaijan line on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. After losing the war, Armenia ceded the region to Azerbaijan, evacuating its entire population.
Only one issue still caused Armenia to maintain some distance. Pashinyan had repeatedly stated that he wanted to replace the country’s religious leader, the Catholicos. But the real question was who would replace him. Now, according to sources close to the Turkish Presidential Palace, this decision will be made not by Etchmiadzin, the religious center of Armenia, but by Ankara and Istanbul.
My sources say that Turkey and its allies are considering a candidate.
The same sources report that President Erdoğan and his advisors have discussed the candidacy of Sahag II, the Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul. Sahag is likely to receive support from Turkish authorities and Armenian clergy in Antelias and Lebanon.
Regardless of which candidate wins, Erdoğan will have gained a significant advantage in Armenian religious circles. From the perspective of Turkish politics, this will represent a significant achievement.
