On September 28, NKR President Bako Sahakyan met with Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II who arrived in Artsakh to participate in solemn celebrations dedicated to the 20th anniversary of reopening the Artsakh Diocese of the One Holy Universal Apostolic Orthodox Armenian Church.
A wide range of issues related to relations between the state and the church, socio-economic situation in Artsakh, and the settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict were discussed at the meeting.
The Head of the State emphasized the importance of Supreme Patriarch’s visit to Artsakh, noting that that it would duly contribute to the development of spiritual life in our republic.
The importance of steady deepening the state-church interrelations and carrying out important religious events in Artsakh was mutually underlined.
Touching upon the settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict Bako Sahakyan noted that the official Stepanakert is a proponent of peaceful settlement and the restoration of the full-fledged negotiation format. The President again underlined that independence and security of Artsakh cannot be matters of discussions.
The primate of the Artsakh Diocese Archbishop Pargev Martirosyan, and supreme hierarchs of the Armenian Apostolic Church partook at the meeting, Central Information Department at NKR President’s Office reported.
