After a weeklong pontifical visit to Greece, His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia met with the newly-elected President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides on March 20.
According to the Holy See of Cilicia, the two leaders discussed issues relating to the Armenian community of Cyprus, the blockade of the Lachin corridor of Artsakh Republic by Azerbaijan, the challenges facing the Republic of Armenia, the Lebanese Presidential candidacy, and the role of Cyprus in the Middle East and Europe. The meeting was held at the Presidential Palace in the capital city of Nicosia.
After winning 51.92 percent of the popular vote in the second round of elections, President Nikos Christodoulides assumed the Presidency of Cyprus on February 23. He was previously Minister of Foreign Affairs and now the first president of the nation to be born in an independent Cyprus. He has held longstanding ties with the Armenian community of Cyprus.
The visit to the Republic of Cyprus by Aram I follows a six–day visit to Greece, wherein His Holiness held a meeting with Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic, Kyriakos Mitsotakis on March 16. In Greece, the Catholicos presided over the Divine Liturgy at St. Jacob’s Church in Athens and also presented a public lecture on St. Nerses the Gracious at the University of Athens.
The Catholicosate of Cilicia continues its service to the formation and organization of the Armenia diaspora. It holds a principled position as a center of Armenian life around which it helps strengthen the religious, cultural, social, and education fabric of the Armenian nation.
