Archbishop Bagrat: This is our first victory

YEREVAN, May 15. /ARKA/. Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, Primate of the Tavush Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, who leads anti-government protests in Yerevan, told his supporters, who gathered in front of the Opera and Ballet Theater, surrounded by reinforced police units, that their protest movement will win.

Activists of the Tavush for Homeland movement, began a march towards Yerevan from the village of Kirants on 4 May and have been holding rallies and acts of disobedience in the Armenian capital and provinces of the country since 9 May. The supporters of the movement disagree with the Armenia-Azerbaijan border delimitation and demand the resignation of Armenia’s PM Nikol Pashinyan.

On Tuesday Galstanyan called on his supporters to gather in front of the Opera Theater at 4 p.m. on Wednesday to express their protest against the authorities' actions on delimitation and demarcation of the state border with Azerbaijan and convey their protest to representatives of the international community who arrived for the 33rd Annual Meeting and Business Forum of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

“We are here to express our disagreement with one person, his activities. Since the night, information began to reach us that several thousand police officers were brought here to ensure the safety of one man. It means fear, it means being separated from your own people. When we say we want to purify ourselves - that's what they are afraid of, they are afraid of truth, of goodness, because the values they profess have nothing to do with the identity of our people,” Archbishop Bagrat said.

“This is our first victory, which shows that the people are a force and a factor. Feel it. Each of you can influence the processes that will lead us to victory. ” Galstanyan said.0-