Galstanian became the leader of an opposition-backed movement resulting from protests that erupted in Armenia’s northern Tavush province in April following Pashinian’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 Pashinian’s resignation.
The outspoken cleric, who headed until then 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,” Galstanian told a yearend 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 Pashinian in 2025.
Commenting on his mistakes, Galstanian cited “organizational” shortcomings and said he put too much trust in groups that supported him. He did not name any of them.
Virtually all Armenian opposition forces joined or endorsed the Galstanian-led movement as it gained momentum in May. But some of them subsequently criticized the archbishop for lacking a clear roadmap to regime change and a determination to achieve it.
Galstanian dismissed the criticism while again refusing to shed light on his next steps. He said that he is now discussing them with members of his entourage. He indicated that they are gearing up for a “prolonged struggle.”
Galstanian faced scathing attacks from senior members of the ruling Civil Contract party when he took over the protests against Yerevan’s unilateral territorial concessions to Baku. Pashinian alleged in May that foreign intelligence “agents” are involved in the protests. Some of his political allies branded Galstanian as a Russian spy. The 53-year-old clergyman, who also holds Canadian citizenship, laughed off the allegations.