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19
01, 2011
In Greece President Sargsyan met with the His Beatitude Hieronymos II, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece
In the framework of his state visit to Greece, President Serzh Sargsyan met today with the His Beatitude Hieronymos II, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece and Primate of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Greece. At the meeting the parties spoke about the Armenian-Greek relations, which have been successfully developing after Armenia’s independence, centuries-long friendship of the two peoples, which according to President Sargsyan, are also nourished by the ties between the two Churches.
“The world is evolving, times are changing, however the import of Church, the import of faith stay unchanged; even if they change, they only become more important. Being deprived of statehood for ages, the Armenian nation relied on its faith, its Church; the Armenian Apostolic Church assumed many functions of statehood and the state and preserved our language, culture, and national identity,” said President Sargsyan, stressing the significant role of the Armenian Church in our people’s present-day life.
The President of Armenia conveyed to Archbishop Hieronymos II the invitation of the His Holiness Garegin II and noted that such a visit would greatly promote brotherly relations between the Armenian and Greek Churches.
Archbishop of Athens and All Greece and Primate of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Greece said that he was elated to meet with Serzh Sargsyan because he was hosting the President of a friendly state. He also spoke about similar historical destinies of the Armenian and Greek peoples, full of hardships and pain.
“We have all read about and are familiar with the tragedy of the Armenian people. I am sure that you too have been following the history of our nation and know about sufferings of our compatriots in the neighboring country, but this is the history as it is. The Armenian people were able to survive after so much suffering. It was the nation who overcame the hardships, and the Church overtook functions of the state. Exactly the same happened in this country. However, all this belongs to the past. Mr. President, now we live in modern times with new challenges. I am confident that our cooperation, our ties with the Orthodox faith, will help us overcome present day difficulties,” the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece said during the meeting with the President of Armenia. He wished Serzh Sargsyan successful and efficient negotiations with the political leadership of his country.
After the meeting, the President of Armenia visited the Memorial of the Unknown Soldier and laid a wreath.
In Athens, President Serzh Sargsyan held meetings with the Chairman of the New Democracy opposition party and representatives of the traditional Armenian political parties.
“The world is evolving, times are changing, however the import of Church, the import of faith stay unchanged; even if they change, they only become more important. Being deprived of statehood for ages, the Armenian nation relied on its faith, its Church; the Armenian Apostolic Church assumed many functions of statehood and the state and preserved our language, culture, and national identity,” said President Sargsyan, stressing the significant role of the Armenian Church in our people’s present-day life.
The President of Armenia conveyed to Archbishop Hieronymos II the invitation of the His Holiness Garegin II and noted that such a visit would greatly promote brotherly relations between the Armenian and Greek Churches.
Archbishop of Athens and All Greece and Primate of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Greece said that he was elated to meet with Serzh Sargsyan because he was hosting the President of a friendly state. He also spoke about similar historical destinies of the Armenian and Greek peoples, full of hardships and pain.
“We have all read about and are familiar with the tragedy of the Armenian people. I am sure that you too have been following the history of our nation and know about sufferings of our compatriots in the neighboring country, but this is the history as it is. The Armenian people were able to survive after so much suffering. It was the nation who overcame the hardships, and the Church overtook functions of the state. Exactly the same happened in this country. However, all this belongs to the past. Mr. President, now we live in modern times with new challenges. I am confident that our cooperation, our ties with the Orthodox faith, will help us overcome present day difficulties,” the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece said during the meeting with the President of Armenia. He wished Serzh Sargsyan successful and efficient negotiations with the political leadership of his country.
After the meeting, the President of Armenia visited the Memorial of the Unknown Soldier and laid a wreath.
In Athens, President Serzh Sargsyan held meetings with the Chairman of the New Democracy opposition party and representatives of the traditional Armenian political parties.