EAFJD expresses deep concern and outrage over the upcoming  Armenia  Prayer Breakfast  with support of Armenian authorities

ArmInfo.  The European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD) has expressed its deep concern and indignation over the upcoming Armenian Prayer Breakfast,  scheduled for November 14-15, 2025, with the support and participation of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

In a statement received by ArmInfo, the EAFJD noted that the  promotion of interfaith dialogue is an integral and respected part of  Armenian spiritual heritage. In this regard, the Armenian Diaspora  organization regretfully noted that the event appears to be yet  another example of the current Armenian authorities instrumentalizing  religious traditions for political purposes. "Such actions risk  undermining the genuine spiritual and reconciliatory purpose that  prayer gatherings are meant to embody. This initiative is apparently  intended to distract attention from the government's ongoing  anti-democratic actions and its systematic campaign of pressure  against the Armenian Apostolic Church-the spiritual cornerstone of  the Armenian nation-and to lend legitimacy and credence to its  increasingly authoritarian policies and steps," the organization's  statement reads.

The EAFJD expressed particular concern about the broader context in  which this event is being organized-a context marked by growing state  interference in religious affairs and mounting pressure on the  Armenian Apostolic Church. " This campaign is evidenced by the  politically motivated persecution and imprisonment of high-ranking  church officials and their supporters, including: the primate of the  Shirak Diocese and a prominent clergyman of the Armenian Apostolic  Church, Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan, sentenced to two years in prison  on charges of "calls to overthrow  constitutional order", widely  regarded by his defense and the Church  as politically motivated; the  former primate of the Tavush Diocese and the leader of the "Sacred  Struggle" opposition movement, Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, who has  been in pre- trial detention since June 2025 along with more than a  dozen of his supporters, charged with allegedly plotting a coup  d'etat to overthrow the government; the primate of the Aragatsotn  Diocese, Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan, arrested in October and currently  in pre-trial detention on charges of allegedly "coercing citizens  into taking part in public gatherings" in 2021; philanthropist Samvel  Karapetyan, held in pretrial detention since June 2025 on politically  motivated charges following his public statement in defense of the  Church in the face of government attacks," the Organization added.

The EAFJD calls on all European clergy and dignitaries invited to the  Armenian Prayer Breakfast to approach their participation with due  awareness of these serious concerns. "Engagement such events should  not be seen as tacit endorsement of the government's narrative or as  indifference to the ongoing erosion of democratic standards and  religious freedom in Armenia. Instead, their visit should serve as an  opportunity to demonstrate a genuine commitment to democracy, human  rights, and religious freedom in Armenia," the diaspora organization  asserts.

"Should European representatives nonetheless choose to attend, the  EAFJD urges them to:  Publicly reaffirm their commitment to  democracy, human rights, and freedom of religion; Publicly denounce  the persecution and intimidation directed at the Armenian Apostolic  Church and its clergy; Seek meetings with the detained and imprisoned  high-ranking clergy and political prisoners, including Samvel  Karapetyan, to assess their conditions and the nature of the charges  against them; Visit the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and meet with  His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, to hear  firsthand the Church's perspective on the current state of religious  freedom and Church-state relations in Armenia.

The EAFJD reiterates that genuine partnership and solidarity with the  Republic of Armenia must rest upon on the shared values of justice,  democracy, and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of conscience,  and not on participation in initiatives that risk providing political  cover for repression or inadvertently legitimizing the government's  narrative and its growing authoritarian tendencies," the statement  reads.