Panarmenian.net

Four Armenian and international organizations have issued a joint statement condemning remarks by OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioğlu during a conversation with Russian pranksters, while emphasizing the Catholicos’ role in defending the rights of Armenians.

They said Sinirlioğlu “has failed this test” and must now clarify his position and engage in dialog with the Catholicos of All Armenians to ensure full protection of the rights of the Armenian Apostolic Church, its clergy and faithful, Aysor.am reported.

The statement was signed by the Armenian Center for Political Rights, the Helsinki Committee of Armenia, the Forum for Religious Freedom Europe and Christian Solidarity International. The organizations expressed deep concern over and condemned the recorded remarks by Feridun H. Sinirlioğlu, a Turkish national who serves as Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

According to the organizations, the remarks effectively indicated his willingness to offer support from his office to the Armenian government in an initiative to remove Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II, head of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

“The fact that the most senior official of an organization whose core commitments include the protection of human rights expressed, even tentatively, a willingness to assist such a request is deeply troubling and demands immediate and public clarification.

We recognize the circumstances in which these statements were made. They were obtained by Russian pranksters who posed as Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during a telephone conversation. The conversation was published on July 8. The pranksters in question have a documented history of targeting politicians and public officials in order to elicit statements on sensitive public issues. We do not condone the use of such deception. And while we recognize that the conversation was elicited through a ruse, the Secretary General’s words nevertheless reveal a position incompatible with the responsibilities of his office.

During the conversation, the Secretary General accused the Catholicos of politicizing the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church. He then agreed to ‘look into’ how the OSCE could support the person posing as Armenia’s prime minister in removing the Catholicos from office. When the Secretary General asked whether he could ‘change the Catholicos,’ the person impersonating the Armenian prime minister replied that he was ‘considering all possible ways.’ He asked for the Secretary General’s support if such a move drew public criticism, to which the Secretary General responded: ‘OK, I’ll do my best, I’ll try.’ At no point during the conversation did the Secretary General object that the forced removal of a religious leader by the state would violate the very fundamental freedoms the OSCE is mandated to protect,” the statement said.

The organizations noted that Principle VII of the 1975 Helsinki Final Act establishes the OSCE’s fundamental commitment to “respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief.” This commitment has been repeatedly reaffirmed and is binding on all 57 OSCE participating States, including Armenia. The autonomy of religious organizations and their freedom to independently regulate their internal and canonical affairs are key components of that guarantee. The statement also noted that, because the Secretary General bears responsibility for upholding this commitment, he should not offer even tacit support to a government seeking to remove a church leader.

“These statements cannot be viewed in isolation. Since May 2025, the Armenian government has pursued a systematic and sustained campaign against the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church as part of a broader assault on democracy and the rule of law. Prime Minister Pashinyan has publicly called for the removal of Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II, published a ‘roadmap’ for steps to remove him, and made unfounded allegations against the Catholicos and senior clergy. Travel restrictions have been imposed on the Catholicos and several bishops, while senior clergy have been detained on criminal charges that appear politically motivated. Taken together, these actions constitute a state-organized effort to subordinate the Church to the government’s will, endangering the principle of separation of church and state enshrined in Armenia’s Constitution.

The Armenian Apostolic Holy Church is not an ordinary party to a political dispute. Since Armenia adopted Christianity as the state religion in 301, the Church has played a decisive role in preserving the Armenian people’s language, culture and national identity. Article 18 of Armenia’s Constitution recognizes this role as its ‘exclusive mission.’ Contrary to the Secretary General’s assertion that the Catholicos is politicizing the Church, he has in fact sought to fulfill precisely that constitutional mission by defending the rights of the Armenian people, including Armenians subjected to ethnic cleansing from Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023. Therefore, any attempt by the state to remove the Catholicos violates not only Armenia’s international obligations on freedom of religion but also the country’s constitutional order.

Accordingly, we call on Secretary General Sinirlioğlu to:

● publicly clarify and withdraw any suggestion that the OSCE could support the removal of the Catholicos of All Armenians or otherwise interfere in the internal governance of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church;

● reaffirm the OSCE’s commitment to protecting freedom of religion or belief in Armenia, in accordance with its human-dimension commitments;

● engage in dialog with the Catholicos of All Armenians to ensure full protection of the rights of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church, its clergy and faithful.

We stand ready to meet with OSCE representatives to provide further information and explain our concerns, and we will continue to closely monitor the conduct of the organization’s leadership. The head of the OSCE must serve as a bulwark against violations of religious freedom, not as their willing facilitator. Judged by the published remarks, Secretary General Sinirlioğlu has failed this test and is now obliged to clarify his position,” the statement said.

The statement was signed by Christian Solidarity International President John Eibner, Forum for Religious Freedom Europe President Ján Figeľ, Armenian Center for Political Rights President Rafael Ishkhanyan and Helsinki Committee of Armenia President Siranush Sahakyan.