EDITOR’S NOTE: In order to provide a forum for free dialogue between our readers and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, we began a series — a friendly conversation — in late July featuring ARF Western U.S. Central Committee chair Garo R. Madenlian, Esq. Readers may submit their questions to Asbarez and Madenlian will respond in each monthly installment.
The questions for this installment are an amalgamation of queries received from our readers on various topics.
Readers may submit their questions to [email protected] or in the comments section of our social media platforms where the interview will be featured.
How do you view the recent sentencing of Artsakh’s former political and military leadership in Baku?
These sentences are political vengeance, not justice. They are part of Azerbaijan’s continued campaign of ethnic cleansing and an effort to criminalize Armenian self-determination. By targeting Artsakh’s legitimate leaders, Azerbaijan seeks to erase Artsakh’s right to self-governance and justify its forced depopulation.
This aligns fully with Turkey’s long-standing pan-Turkic plan to eliminate Armenian political presence in the region and consolidate a continuous Turkish-Azerbaijani sphere of control stretching east to Asia. We reject these sentences and call for international intervention and the immediate release of all Armenian prisoners.
Many observers believe the Armenian government is targeting the Armenian Apostolic Church. How do you assess the situation?
The Armenian government’s campaign against the Armenian Apostolic Church is unprecedented and deeply concerning. It is systematic and deliberate; aimed at weakening a core institution that helped preserve Armenian identity through genocide, dispersion, and statelessness.
Public slander, pressure on clergy, politically motivated arrests, and attempts to bring the Church under government control echo the tactics of historical oppressors, from Ottoman authorities to Soviet regimes. This is not an internal dispute — it is an assault on a foundational institution at a time when Armenian identity and heritage are already under external attack.
The government has criticized His Holiness Karekin II while elevating a defrocked cleric and holding state-led religious events. What message does this send?
It is contradictory and politically manipulative. Using a defrocked cleric to undermine the Catholicos weaponizes religion for political optics while eroding the Church’s authority. We saw similar tactics before the 44-Day War, when military leaders were discredited and replaced with loyalists. Weakening institutions such as the Church, army, culture, and the Armenian Cause only benefits Armenia’s adversaries.
Weakening national pillars such as our Church, army, culture, and the Armenian Cause (Hye Tad) only serves the interests of those who seek to dominate Armenia.
What do recent arrests of opposition figures and pressure on journalists indicate about Armenian democracy?
These actions reflect a serious and dangerous erosion of democratic norms. Arresting opposition leaders including Gyumri’s elected mayor, and intimidating journalists undermine the rule of law and weaken the foundations of democracy. Instead of fostering unity and accountability, the government is forcibly eliminating dissent.
The current trajectory is an authoritarian shift that threatens Armenia’s political stability and national security.
Do you see a connection between Azerbaijan’s prosecution of Artsakh leaders and the Armenian government’s internal pressure on national institutions?
Yes. These developments are interconnected expressions of the same geopolitical pressure. Azerbaijan is imprisoning Artsakh’s leaders to silence Armenian resistance, while the Armenian government is weakening the Church, military, diaspora structures and national institutions that safeguard Armenian identity and work towards advancing the Armenian Cause (Hye Tad).
Combined, these actions form a two-pronged assault on Armenian statehood and nationhood. They advance Turkey’s pan-Turkish agenda to fracture the Armenian people and leave Armenia dependent on Baku and Ankara.
What role does Turkey play in the pressures Armenians face today?
Turkey is the principal architect of the regional threats facing Armenia. Its centuries-old pan-Turkic ambition drives Azerbaijan’s aggression, the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh, prosecution of Armenian leaders, and the continued destruction of Armenian heritage sites including churches. Turkey also encourages internal trends in Armenia that weaken national identity, diminish the Church, and marginalize an organized diaspora that has maintained communities and worked for the Armenian Cause (Hye Tad) for over a century.
Turkey’s actions are deliberate and coordinated. The only effective response is national unity anchored through our strong national institutions with unwavering service for our national goals.
Do current Armenian government policies align with Turkish and Azerbaijani interests?
Unfortunately, yes. The government’s willingness to accept unilateral concessions under the guise of “peace” terms that favor Ankara and Baku, its weakening of the Church and military, alienation of and belittling the diaspora, portraying Artsakh as a burden, labeling Armenian national institutions as obstacles, and adoption of Turkish-Azerbaijani narratives and rhetoric all mirror the objectives of Ankara and Baku.
This represents a dangerous ideological shift that undermines the foundations of Armenian statehood leaving Armenia increasingly isolated, vulnerable, and dependent on states that have repeatedly demonstrated genocidal intent.
What must be done now, given these escalating threats?
Armenia’s survival requires reversing both the external threats and the internal dismantling of national institutions.
Armenia must strengthen national institutions, protect the Church’s independence, rebuild national security and defense capacities, reaffirm Artsakh’s place in national identity and secure international pressure for the release of Armenian prisoners in Baku, resist Turkish-Azerbaijani dictates and the broader pan-Turkish agenda, and restore cooperation and collaboration with the diaspora.
Since the current government has shown it is unable or unwilling to meet these fundamental responsibilities they should be changed. Armenia needs leadership committed to these national priorities. The ARF remains dedicated to this work across all fronts.
What can Armenians in the Western United States do to support this national effort?
The Western U.S. Armenian community is vital to the Armenia nation and the Cause (Hye Tad) and targeted for that reason. We must strengthen political advocacy through ANCA and stay civically engaged to ensure U.S. policy reflects Armenian security needs, human rights concerns including the release of Armenian political prisoners in Baku and Yerevan, and accountability for Azerbaijan’s crimes. When we are engaged, Washington pays attention.
Support our churches, schools, cultural institutions and community centers to further strengthen diaspora institutions thus safeguarding our identity while encouraging and empowering political action to further assist Armenia.
Aid displaced Artsakh families and prisoners’ families and contribute to rebuilding efforts that restore stability and dignity. Invest in initiatives that strengthen Armenia’s security, economy, technological capacity, and education sectors to secure Armenia’s long-term resilience.
Above all else, we must preserve and strengthen unity, anchored by our national interests, rooted in our historic national institutions, not discouraged or divided by the actions of a temporary government.
The diaspora is not a bystander; our activism directly impacts Armenia’s future. The ARF remains committed to leading this effort politically, diplomatically, culturally, and civically.
