Актуальные аспекты деятельности Русской Православной Церкви в Армении

Abstract

The present research featured the public diplomacy of Russia in Armenia. The paper focuses on the activity of the Russian Orthodox Church as an institute of civil society in the context of Russian public diplomacy. It describes mechanisms and instruments used by religious organizations in Armenia. The research objective was to analyze the presence of the Russian Orthodox Church in Armenia as a special part of Russian public diplomacy mechanism. The authors employed analysis and synthesis to get a complex presentation of the subject, as well as induction and deduction to interpret facts. The historical method was used to study the phenomenon in its development. The network approach was used to study the current state of the phenomenon. The activity of the Russian Orthodox Church in Armenia is represented as part of Russian public diplomacy, which creates favorable conditions for achieving Russian foreign diplomacy goals. The results of the research can be used for studying principles and mechanisms of Russian public diplomacy. In conclusion, the authors claim that involvement of the Russian Orthodox Church in Russian public diplomacy can decrease the tension in Armenian public sphere. The tension is caused by various pseudo-religious movements that interfere with the restructuring of the local confessional space. Therefore, there is a growing need in a closer interaction between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Armenian apostolic church.