PAPOULIAS CONCLUDES STATE VISIT TO ARMENIA

Athens News Agency, Greece
June 28 2007

Greek President Karolos Papoulias on Thursday concluded a three-day
visit to Armenia, meeting in Yerevan with members of the ethnic Greek
community and the Armenian Patriarch.

On Thursday morning, he visited a museum of old manuscripts in the
Armenian capital before receiving a delegation of Armenians of Greek
descent. The latter said their small community far exceeds official
figures of 1,500 and is over 4,000-strong.

Issues on the agenda and the community’s requests were outlined in
a memorandum presented to Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Theodoros
Kassimis, who was present.

Immediately afterwards, the Greek president was received by Catholicos
Karekin II, the head of the Armenian Church, for a one-hour meeting
focusing mainly on support for Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos
(Bartholomew I), following a Turkish high court decision earlier in
the week denying the Istanbul-based Patriarchate’s ecumenical status.

During his three-day visit to Armenia, Papoulias met Armenian President
Robert Kocharian and Armenian Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan, as well
as planting a fir tree at the monument commemorating the Armenian
genocide.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress