The head of the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia of the Armenian Apostolic Church Jathliq Aram Keshishian, during a meeting with Abbas Khamehyar, Iran"s Cultural Attaché in Lebanon said I will never forget the support extended to Armenians of Iran by Ayatollah Khamenei and love for the Armenian community in Iran.
AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): The head of the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia of the Armenian Apostolic Church Jathliq Aram Keshishian, during a meeting with Abbas Khamehyar, Iran"s Cultural Attaché in Lebanon said I will never forget the support extended to Armenians of Iran by Ayatollah Khamenei and love for the Armenian community in Iran.
According to the Public Relations Department of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization, Abbas Khamehyar expressed his greeting to the Lebanese Armenians on the Christian New Year and wished them well.
He also expressed his sympathy with the families of the victims of the explosion at the port of Beirut and the great sacrifice endured by the Lebanese people. He said Immediately after the explosion, our compatriots lit candles in front of the Lebanese embassy in Tehran and some parks and sent thousands of messages in cyberspace to express their condolences and the Municipality of Tehran, by lighting the Lebanese flag on the tower of Azadi Square and Milad Telecommunications Tower and playing the Lebanese national anthem, showed their solidarity with the Lebanese people.
Khamehyar also referred to the initiative taken by the Iranian musicians in this regard and said Iranian National Symphony Orchestra performed and played a piece titled" Beirut, your pain is my pain "and conducted by" Andre Alhaj ", a Lebanese Christian. It was shown that it was highly praised and a letter was sent by the Lebanese President thanking him for this unprecedented cultural event.
Iranian Cultural Attache conveyed the written message of the Chairman of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization, on the expansion of bilateral cultural and religious relations and congratulations on the birth of Jesus Christ, and presented a report on the current situation in our country in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic and US sanctions. He said despite the sanctions that did not allow the import of some essential medicines into our country, we were able to meet the needs of patients and the number of patients affected by coronavirus shows a better achievement than many European countries.
Aram I Keshishian, the head of the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia of the Armenian Apostolic Church, expressed his condolences on the martyrdom of Dr. Mohsen Fakhrizadeh and his regret over this event. He Appreciated the efforts of the Islamic Republic of Iran to maintain stability in the region, especially the recent events in Azerbaijan and Armenia, and strongly condemned US pressure and sanctions against Iran. He called it an inhumane act and called the sanctions as more dangerous than virus of occupation and colonialism.
Khamehyar also presented his analysis and views about the conflict between two northwestern neighbors of the Islamic Republic of Iran (the Republic of Azerbaijan and Armenia) and its consequences. Cardinal Aram I also pointed to the good relations of the Lebanese Armenian community with Iran and said we are always by the side of the Islamic Republic of Iran and we will not withhold any help and effort in supporting the resistance. Expressing his memories of the meeting with the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, he added that I will never forget his support and love for the Armenian community in Iran.
During the Meeting of the Iranian Cultural Attaché and Cardinal Aram 1, issues related to holding of the interreligious dialogue between Islam and Christianity, and especially the ninth round of talks between Iranian religious Scholars and the Armenian Church leaders in Lebanon, was also discussed and the necessary decisions were made.
Abbas Khamehyar thanked the Armenian top clergy for his efforts in creating unity among Christians by presenting him with a collection of different books on introducing the culture, art and status of Iranian literature. Then, Cardinal Jathliq Aram Keshishian, wished success for the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Iranian nation and its leadership so that this country could be at the forefront of developed scientific and economic countries. He also thanked the leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran for the attention they pay to Armenian community in Iran and granting all political, cultural, social and economic rights to them. Aram I, also did donate his new book titled "The Armenian Church" to the Cultural Attaché of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This book has been translated into all living languages of the world, including Persian. The meeting also discussed practical steps to hold a preliminary meeting of the Biennial Dialogue Conference between the Armenian Churches and the of the Islamic Culture and Communication Organization.