Minister of Foreign Affairs Ara Aivazian had a telephone conversation with the H.E. Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, The Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States.
The Foreign Minister reaffirmed Armenia’s readiness to further deepen and strengthen relations with the Holy See based on historical, deeply shared universal values. They exchanged views on the steps to be taken to strengthen the dialogue and high-level contacts.
The interlocutors also touched upon regional security and stability issues. The Armenian Foreign Minister reiterated Pope Francis’ calls for an end to hostilities and for peace in the post-war period.
The Foreign Minister briefed Archbishop Gallagher on the steps taken to address the humanitarian issues arising from the Turkish-Azerbaijani aggression. The Minister stressed the urgency of safe repatriation of the Armenian captives held hostage by the Azerbaijani side.
Emphasizing the urgency of preserving the Armenian cultural and religious heritage in the territories under the control of Azerbaijan, Minister Aivazian strongly condemned the policy of deliberate desecration and destruction of Christian cultural values by the Azerbaijani authorities. The active intervention of the international community was emphasized in this regard.
