PRESS RELEASE
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Information Services
Address:  Vagharshapat, Republic of Armenia
Contact:  Rev. Fr. Ktrij Devejian
Tel:  (374 10) 517 163
Fax:  (374 10) 517 301
E-Mail:  ktrij@etchmiadzin.am
March 23, 2006

His Holiness Karekin II Receives Hermitage Director

On March 22, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of
All Armenians, received Dr. Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director of the State
Hermitage Museum (Saint Petersburg) in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. 
He was accompanied by Ms. Armenika Kivirian, Director of the Southern
Caucasus branch of the Caucasus Institute for Democracy.

His Holiness welcomed Dr. Piotrovsky to the spiritual center of the Armenian
people, offering his blessings and best wishes, and stated, `We proudly
utter the `Piotrovsky’ surname from our lips, highly commending the services
that you and your family have provided for our people, contributing greatly
to our national cultural life.’  His Holiness also reflected on the recent
exhibition in Moscow of the `Treasures of Holy Etchmiadzin’, which was
organized under the auspices of the `Year of Armenia’ in Russia programs for
2006.  The Catholicos also expressed his happiness for the continuing
cooperation between the Hermitage and Holy Etchmiadzin, through which there
are ongoing plans to present Armenian national treasures to the world.

Dr. Piotrovsky thanked His Holiness for the warm reception and noted,
`Armenia and Russia have always had close ties, and we are proud that the
exhibition year of 2006 was inaugurated in Saint Petersburg with the
presentation of the sacred museum artifacts of Holy Etchmiadzin.’  The
Hermitage director also spoke of his deep emotional ties to Holy Etchmiadzin
and Armenia, and fondly recalled his past meetings with His Holiness in
Saint Petersburg.

During the meeting, His Holiness also presented the upcoming plans for
renovating and restoring three of the four museums located on the grounds of
the Monastery of Holy Etchmiadzin.