On the evening of May 28, the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin released the full video of the incident at the Sardarapat Memorial Complex in Armenia's Armavir region, where law enforcers prevented Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II and the accompanying clergy from entering the complex. 

Former Armenian Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan stated on social media, "After these shameful actions, false information began to spread in pro-government media that the allegedly supreme patriarch went to the Sardarapat memorial at that time for provocations." Initially, the police did not allow the Catholicos to drive his car to the parking lot at the memorial, so Karekin II and the clergy representatives accompanying him proceeded on foot. However, they were blocked by rows of police officers. After a brief confrontation, the Catholicos and his entourage were permitted to proceed to the memorial and lay a wreath.

Former Yerevan Mayor Hayk Marutyan commented on social media on the evening of May 28, describing the incident as shocking. He wrote, "We can congratulate the government suffering from an obsession to be 'unprecedented' in everything. Today, they registered an unprecedented disgrace. It was inconceivable that on the most important national holiday, the Armenian police could prevent the All-Armenian Patriarch from entering the memorial of the heroic battle (of 1918) in Sardarapat." He emphasized the importance of the Armenian Apostolic Church as "the cornerstone of Armenian cultural identity, our patron and guide in all episodes of our history, a reliable refuge for Armenians living in all corners of the world, the support and guardian of our statehood, and no European expediency can justify dishonorable behavior towards the Church." Marutyan concluded by expressing his support and filial humility to the Holy Apostolic Church.

On May 29, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan commented on the previous day's incident at the Sardarapat Memorial Complex. Pashinyan stated that the Catholicos had arrived at the site of protocol events without an invitation. "The police only tried to clarify whether the Catholicos had come to continue the provocative actions of his supporters and members of the political movement he leads. Once assured that the visit was purely of a protocol nature, the Catholicos were granted access to the memorial," Pashinyan said. He also recalled that before the incident, the movement led by the Catholicos had attempted to prevent protocol events involving the republic's political leadership.

Pashinyan, when asked by journalists whether he was ready to meet with Bagrat Galstanyan (Bagrat Srbazan), leader of the Tavush in the Name of the Motherland protest movement and Primate of the Tavush Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, responded, "Those wishing to stand in line to meet with me can do so freely. I have meetings with citizens and different people, and there are protocols and formats for meetings with me." Pashinyan mentioned that after a rally last Sunday in central Yerevan, the protest leader led his supporters to the government mansion in the Armenian capital, intending to meet with Pashinyan to, in Galstanyan's words, give him "one last chance to leave peacefully." Since Pashinyan was in the disaster zone in the Lori and Tavush regions due to massive flooding on May 26, Galstanyan returned to Republic Square and then announced that it was now up to the authorities to seek a meeting with him.

Opposition MEP Criticizes Armenian Government’s Handling of Protests

Opposition MEP Tigran Abrahamyan criticized Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan’s government for its handling of protests against the land surrender to Azerbaijan and the subsequent demands for the premier’s resignation. Abrahamyan condemned the use of force by police to detain over 200 individuals blocking streets in Yerevan as part of a civil disobedience campaign organized by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan on May 27. In a Facebook post, Abrahamyan accused the police of following orders from the ruling party, which threatened retaliation against those with opposition views. He highlighted the violent detention of his fellow opposition member Ashot Simonyan in Yerevan earlier that same day.

“The ruling regime is ready to sacrifice half of the country and beat up people to stay in power,” the MP stated.

Tigran Abrahamyan further noted: “In their disgraceful activities, the Armenian authorities have picked Turkey and Azerbaijan as their allies, while international actors and organizations tacitly support them by turning a blind eye to the developments in Armenia."

Following this, on May 30, during another civil disobedience action at Yerevan’s Republic Square, a significant police presence was noted. The police, equipped with shields, formed a multi-row human wall to block access to the rear of the main government building. Additional police forces were positioned around the building and in the adjacent park. Several people were detained as a result of the protests.