President Vahagn Khachaturyan received Secretary of State of the Holy See Cardinal Pietro Parolin

President of the Republic of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan received Cardinal Pietro Parolin, State Secretary of the Holy See.

President Khachaturyan highly valued Pietro Parolin's personal contribution to the development of relations between Armenia and the Holy See. The President noted that the blessing and support of His Eminence in this difficult period for our people is truly needed and appreciated. "We also highly value the relations between the Holy See and Armenia which have a long-standing history and keep advancing. These relations are based on Christian values, peace, justice, and human rights.

We stay true to our commitment of achieving peace, and we are following that path. I would like to once again thank the Holy See and His Holiness Pontiff for their efforts, urges and prayers for establishing durable peace in our region.
Of course, high-level political meetings are of great importance in the development of our relations, and numerous mutual visits have led to the establishment of a high-level dialogue. I am convinced that your visit will also contribute to the deepening of our relations," the President noted in his welcome remarks.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin expressed his gratitude to the President of Armenia for his hospitality and kind words. "It is a great privilege for me to be in Armenia. My two-day visit started this morning with a visit to Tsitsernakaberd commemorating the victims. I was able to deepen (of course, I was well aware beforehand) the historical information related to the tragedy that befell the Armenian people.

I would also like to highlight the excellent relations that exist between the Republic of Armenia and the Holy See. You rightly noted that there are numerous mutual visits, and this is a sign that good relations are in place, and an effort is made to deepen and advance them," noted the Secretary of State of the Holy See.

During the meeting, the sides touched upon the blockade of Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan for over 7 months. President Khachaturyan noted that the actual isolation of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh has created a humanitarian crisis accompanied by cutting off the gas and electricity supply and telecommunications.

The Secretary of State of the Holy See underscored the need to ensure peace and stability in the region, as well as to create an atmosphere of trust between the parties. In this context, the sides attached importance to ensuring the persistence of negotiations which will enable reaching peace. Both sides highlighted the guarantees for the protection of the rights of Nagorno Karabakh Armenians.