A group of activists in Armenia staged a demonstration on top of Mount Hatis, and expressed their protest against the initiative of Prosperous Armenia Party leader—and business tycoon—Gagik Tsarukyan and the Armenian government to build a giant statue of Jesus Christ on the mountain.

Also, they showed a video of the Bronze Age monuments that are already destroyed as a result of the construction work for the aforesaid statue.

The Ministry of Environment of Armenia had announced that the aforementioned construction on top of Mount Hatis had been stopped, and the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports had considered any construction on the mountain inadmissible.

The Armenian Apostolic Church had spoken against the installation of this statue, and urged Tsarukyan not to implement such an initiative, as it goes against the practice of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Tsarukyan, however, did not call off the project.

And Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced at Thursday’s Cabinet meeting of the government that they had received the respective documents and positively assessed the installation of a giant statue of Jesus Christ on top of Mount Hatis. According to him, this will promote tourism in Armenia.