Category: 2017

ANTELIAS, Lebanon—Under the presidency of His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia, the World National General Assembly convened at the Armenian Catholicoate with the participation of around 130 clergy, lay delegates, and invited guests representing the prelacies of the Holy See of Cilicia across the world.

The assembly, which convenes every four years, and its delegates will meet for four days for an in-depth examination and evaluation of the activities of the Catholicosate, discuss the concerns and challenges of its churches and people, and establish directives for Prelacies to enact in the coming years. The meeting will conclude on December 8.

The main agenda item of the morning session was the address of His Holiness Aram I. His Holiness urged delegates to focus on ways to strengthen and grow the Armenian Church as a place where one can carry out its faithful Godly mission and serve the Armenian nation and its people. His Holiness stressed that the church has to go beyond its walls, think in different, and work in new ways to strengthen its mission. Along those words, His Holiness highlighted five areas of priority concern that require careful attention and continued development, which are Spiritual and Moral Values, Religious Upbringing and Service, Youth Participation in the daily life of the church, Armenian Cause and Diaspora.

In his address, His Holiness Aram I stated that by strengthening the spiritual and moral values of our people, incorporating the beliefs and rituals of Christian life in our daily lives become promising. Speaking about the youth, His Holiness stressed that youth involvement in the Armenian church is important because the will being, priority and future of the Armenian Church is dependent on our agenda to include and encourage youth to be active participants. He underlined that we have to truly listen to them, understand their expectations and needs, expand our ways of thinking and working, and be inclusive of their thoughts and suggestions.

One of the important agenda items of the Armenian Church is the continued representation of the demands and rights of the Armenian people and nation. Two years ago, the Armenian nation marked the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and the same year the Holy See of Cilicia took the bold action and filed a lawsuit demanding the return of its seat in Sis. This unprecedented action garnered world attention. Despite careful work and attention on this matter, the case finds itself at a difficult political crossroads. However, regardless of the difficulties, the Armenian Church continues its efforts for the demands of the rights of the Armenian people.

Finally, His Holiness stated that strengthening the development of the growing Diaspora is imperative. Last July, the Catholicosate convened a special meeting to review the concerns and needs of the Diaspora and Armenian Identity and open the channels for the renewed engagement in Armenian life.

In his conclusion, His Holiness made special note that 2018 will make the 100th anniversary of the First Republic Armenia. The Holy See of Cilicia will commemorate this occasion by convening a conference in Antelias, Lebanon scheduled for March 2018.

The Assembly continued its first day of business by reviewing and responding to the Religious and Lay Councils reports.

STEPANAKERT—In an interview with the Iranian “Shargh” daily newspaper, Artsakh Foreign Minister Masis Mayilian praised Iran’s balanced position on the Karabakh conflict and expressed hope that one day the common border shared by Iran and Artsakh can be opened.

“The fact that Iran acted as a mediator in this conflict in the first half of 1992 is a testament to the fact that the country is interested in maintaining peace in the region. This is further supported by Tehran’s willingness to again take up a mediating role in the settlement process,” said Mayilian.

He voiced regret that the border between Artsakh and Iran remains closed and pledged his country’s willingness to have open borders and good-neighborly relations with all countries in the region. “I think will be in the best interests of all stakeholders in the region,” he said.

Speaking of his experience as Foreign Minister of an unrecognized country, Mayilian said the country, which proclaimed independence in 1991, has all the features of state, primarily aimed at creating conditions conducive to secure development.

He added that while there is not international recognition of Artsakh, the republic is “an important military-political factor in the region,” saying the efforts to attain that recognition were already underway.

Asked about the possibility of “giving away certain territories” in case of signing a deal with Baku, Mayilian said, “Our current state borders do not exceed those of historic Artsakh. Furthermore, some territories of the Artsakh Republic, including the Shahumyan region, parts of Martakert and Martuni, which form 15 percent of the republic, are still under Azerbaijani occupation.”

“The areas under Artsakh jurisdiction are secured by the Artsakh Republic Constitution adopted by a popular referendum, which expresses the will of our people,” he added.

Speaking about the negotiations under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group, the Foreign Minister said “today there is no negotiation process in its classical sense. Since 1997 the mediators have been using shuttle diplomacy to work with parties to ensure consensus on certain issues, which will form the basis for continuing the talks.”

Minister Mayilian said the war unleashed by Azerbaijan in 2016 was a blow to the peace process, which further postponed the prospects of reaching a final solution to the conflict.

“The main objective today is to reinforce peace and stability in the region, and this is what the mediating efforts are targeted at,” he said.

The Foreign Minister said Artsakh is interested in the soonest settlement of the issue” and believes that it will allow to ensure stability and prosperity for all peoples in the region.