Ashot saw the possibility of the church merging with the Orthodox Byzantine Church, due to the Byzantine Empire's influence in the region, and feared that the Byzantine Empire would deny him his claim to the throne.
Ashot viu a posibilidade de fusionar a igrexa coa Igrexa ortodoxa bizantina, debido á influencia do Imperio Bizantino na rexión, e temía que o Imperio Bizantino lle negase a súa reclamación ó trono.