The priest of Saint Gregory Church in the southern Armenian town of Sisian, Syunik province refused to shake the hand of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Monday, December 21. After the incident was reported, a group of protesters marched towards the church to make the priest leave but couldn't find him there.

One of the demonstrators said they believe the clergymen "had no right to leave Pashinyan's hand hovering in the air."

Dozens of protesters entered the building, one of them claiming that the priest "has no longer the right to access the church."

The incident occurred Monday, when Pashinyan was forced to cut short his visit as residents blocked roads in Syunik, claiming that new border demarcations in the country's south are being drawn at the expense of Armenia's national security.