PRESS RELEASE
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Information Services
Address: Vagharshapat, Republic of Armenia
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Trilateral Meeting Held on Sidelines of World Summit of Religious Leaders in
Baku
On April 26, the religious leaders of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the
Russian Orthodox Church and the Caucasus Muslims Committee met on the
sidelines of the World Summit of Religious Leaders in Baku, Azerbaijan. His
Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; His
Holiness Kirill I, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia; and Sheikh ul-Islam
Allahshukur Pashazade, Grand Mufti of the Muslims of the Caucasus, met
privately and discussed issues related to Nagorno Karabagh.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the three leaders signed a joint
declaration. The text of the declaration appears below, in full:
In the name of Almighty God, and for the fulfillment of the cherished
dreams of peace, welfare and happiness of our peoples, we, the spiritual
leaders of the Azerbaijani and Armenian peoples, met in Baku through the
high mediation of His Holiness Kirill I, Pontiff of the Russian Orthodox
Church, to testify to our mutual respect and discuss urgent measures
necessary to secure a true peace and an agreement for our peoples and
governments.
Viewing this meeting as part of the peace-making dialogue between the
Armenian Apostolic Church and the Committee of the Muslims of the Caucasus,
begun through the mediation of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1988, and
faithful to the spirit of previous communiqués, we are hopeful that in the
future as well, we can assist the progress of the principles of peaceful
coexistence for our peoples and the cultivation of mutually acceptable
decisions, exclusively through the path of dialogue. It is pleasing to
witness that meetings of similar formats have significantly contributed to
the cessation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani armed conflict founded on the
issue of Karabagh. Undoubtedly, these meetings have helped to prevent the
conflict from taking on an inter-religious nature.
Today especially, we place importance on the adherence to the spiritual
aspects of collaboration, to overcome the present alienation between our
peoples. The power of religion, which is a calling to goodness, peace,
sympathy and patience, shall become a factor of reconciliation. We believe
that our common efforts will benefit the defeat of inter-ethnic enmity. It
is fundamentally essential to not permit the resumption of military options
as a means to solve the disputed issues. Through our peace-making efforts,
we must support men in their hope to eliminate divisions, barriers and
hostility, since war – if it continues – has no end.
We support international efforts aimed at resolving the conflict. To
attain peace and good neighborly relations, it is necessary to expand lines
of communication, with the goal of reinforcing trust. A lasting peace is
possible only in the presence of good will and honest intentions. By
supporting the efforts of the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia, we
intend to assist them in their aspirations. In this regard, we consider the
continuation of direct dialogue between the religious leaders important,
with the goal of benefiting the resolution of the conflict, which will
provide the opportunity for people to return to those places from where they
were driven out by war. We welcome the good will on both sides to release
prisoners of war, and call upon political as well as religious workers to
increase their efforts in this noble and humanitarian work. Each of us must
demonstrate that good works, service to kindheartedness, and dedication to
peace and justice, can achieve far more than military conflict. We condemn
acts of vandalism and deem important the preservation of our peoples’
religious monuments and holy sites.
The path to reach peace and consensus is not an easy one – it requires
great efforts and a mighty will. However we have sincere hopes to attain
success, and by joining efforts, we hope to triumph over alienation and
prejudices. The responsibility and the debt we have before the Most High
and before our peoples, impels us, religious leaders, to implement efforts
for the sake of peace, the long-awaited triumph of the ideals of goodness
and the just resolution of present issues. May a strong and just peace be
established on the bountiful land of the Caucasus, and may our peoples
inherit goodness and prosperity.
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