President Serzh Sargsyan received Cardinal Kurt Koch, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity

Today, President Serzh Sargsyan received His Eminence Cardinal Kurt Koch, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

The President welcomed Cardinal’s visit to our country, assessing it as strong evidence that relations between Armenia and the Holy See are strengthening and developing. “As the first country which adopted Christianity as a state religion, Armenia attaches great importance and meaning to its relations with Vatican. I recall with great pleasure my meeting last December at the Holy See with His Holiness, when we discussed the agenda of development of the relations between Armenia and Vatican. Bilateral historical ties and relations, rich cultural and spiritual heritage, common system of values compel us to constantly maintain high level of our relations and deepen them further,” the President of Armenia said.

President Sargsyan underscored that excellent relations have also been established between the Holy See of Etchmiadzin and Holy See of Vatican which is quite natural, considering the Christian system of values and ideology which link the two together.

His Eminence Cardinal Koch noted with satisfaction that as a country of rich culture and deep-rooted Christian traditions, Armenia continues to maintain these traditions and develop them even further. He noted that the mission of the Catholic Church is to promote peace, develop dialogue and cooperation among all nations and religions which is the first prerequisite for the establishment of peace in the world.

President Sargsyan attached utmost importance to the Vatican’s role not only in upholding peace in the world, human right and tolerance but also in the promotion of Christian unity.