Mikayel Surbazan on Nikol Pashinyan's Statements Regarding Taxing the Church and King Pap

Mikayel Surbazan stated, "He himself is an agent of influence, there are no agents of influence among us," in response to Nikol Pashinyan's accusations that there are agents of influence within the Movement. This was mentioned during a conversation with journalists near the Sardarapat Memorial.

Addressing another statement by Pashinyan, which claimed that King Pap will no longer be killed, Surbazan remarked: "He should not identify himself with King Pap. Where was Artsakh during King Pap's reign? It was in Armenia; what connection does he have with King Pap? He does not even measure up to King Pap's footprint. King Pap is not the embodiment of virtue that one could emulate, but he is still not equal to him. Where was Artsakh during King Pap's time? Ask him this question—where was the historical homeland? It was in Armenia, wasn't it? And I have said, King Pap lived in the 4th century; we are in the 21st century. Does he not know any other hero from the 4th to the 21st century?"

Speaking about the government's announcements regarding taxing the church, Mikayel Surbazan emphasized, "It is terrifying. They have taxed us so much; the Mongols taxed us, the Persians, the Turks, and the Soviet Union taxed us. Are we afraid of being taxed? Their miserable essence and pathetic nature are being revealed." He added that the Armenian Apostolic Church is exempt from the taxes from which all religious organizations are exempt. "We do not have any privileges in this sense. Only in terms of property tax do we have some privileges because taxes are not levied on churches regarded as historical monuments," he explained.