Gyumri Will Face Collapse If I Am Arrested, Says Deputy Mayor

"Anything can happen, we do not exclude anything, but we also resist, we fight; we do not back down from our struggle," said Avetis Arakelyan, the Deputy Mayor of Gyumri, during a conversation with journalists. He was referring to the possibility that the measure preventing him from leaving the country could be changed and that he could also be arrested.

"There is no governance crisis in Gyumri, but if such a step is taken by the authorities, it will lead directly to a governance crisis, and Gyumri will face collapse," he said.

Commenting on the event that took place on December 7 at the Seven Wounds Church in Gyumri, where clergy brought in from outside held a service, Avetis Arakelyan stated, "I completely agree with our clergy from the Shirak Diocese, and as a follower of the Armenian Apostolic Church, I always stand with the Catholicos and the Bishop. I believe that the persecution against the Armenian Apostolic Church should cease."