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Address:  Vagharshapat, Republic of Armenia
Contact:  Rev. Fr. Ktrij Devejian
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July 4, 2007

His Holiness Karekin II Receives President
of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

On July 4, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All
Armenians, received Rene van der Linden, President of the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).  This is President van der
Linden’s second visit to the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the first
occurring in August 2005.

His Holiness welcomed the PACE president to the headquarters of the Armenian
Church and reflected on their past meetings, in Armenia as well as in
Astana, Kazakhstan, last year during the Second Congress of the Leaders of
World Religions.  Van der Linden expressed his appreciation to the Armenian
Pontiff for his ongoing efforts at creating and maintaining a conducive
environment and positive climate aimed at benefiting the stability and peace
of the region.

The Catholicos of All Armenians and the PACE president discussed the
continuing efforts directed to the peaceful resolution of the Nagorno
Karabagh conflict which would insure the free and secure life of the
Armenians of Artsakh, the willful and deliberate destruction of Armenian
cultural monuments in the region, and the status of the Armenian Church in
neighboring countries.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress