President receives High Representative of Mekhitarist Congregation, His Eminence Archbishop Lévon Zékiyan

President Serzh Sargsyan received today High Representative of Mekhitarist Congregation of Venice, Primate of the Armenian Catholic Archeparchy of Istanbul, Turkey, His Eminence Archbishop Lévon Zékiyan, who arrived in Yerevan to attend the events dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the Mekhitarist Congregation of Saint Lazarus Island, which will be celebrated on October 20-24 in Yerevan.

Welcoming the delegation, the President of Armenia congratulated them once again on the Congregation’s 300th anniversary. Serzh Sargsyan appreciated the highly valuable and enormous role that the Mekhitarist Congregation has played since its inception as a spiritual, educational, literary, scientific and cultural center.

As the President pointed out, the institution founded three centuries ago by the spiritual genius of Armenian thought Mekhitar Sebastatsi has made an exceptional contribution to the preservation of the Armenian identity since the beginning of its activities on the Saint Lazarus Island as evidenced by numerous manuscripts and records of the Armenian cultural heritage kept in the monastic complex, which are unique samples of human civilization.

Serzh Sargsyan noted that while visiting Italy and Austria, he tries not to miss the opportunity to call at the Venice and Vienna institutions of the Mekhitarist Congregation. The President considered it necessary for the Congregation to continue with their fruitful activities and underscored that challenges and problems could only be addressed through close Homeland-Diaspora cooperation, for which there is mutual willingness.

President Sargsyan highly assessed the noble activities of His Eminence Archbishop Lévon Zékiyan aimed at making the Armenian spiritual and cultural heritage recognizable to the world, preserving the Armenian identity and educating the generations.

His Eminence Archbishop Lévon Zékiyan thanked the President for his kind remarks, stressing the need for having Homeland’s strong backing at every moment. He said to have kept warm recollections of RA President’s visits to different Mekhitarist institutions and expressed the hope that such occasions would be enjoyed in the future as well.

“Together with its members and friends, the Congregation will endeavor under the auspices of Your Excellency and the Supreme Patriarch to properly mark the jubilee year of 300th Anniversary,” Archbishop Lévon Zékiyan said.

The interlocutors availed themselves of the opportunity to discuss issues relevant to Armenian Catholic community in Turkey.