Thursday, 14 July 2005
Today RA Prime Minister A. Margaryan has received His Holiness Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II at the Office of Government.
Discussed were a number of issues bearing on the furtherance of State-Church relationship. In particular, they have touched upon the free transfer to the Armenian Apostolic Church of the ownership of such State-registered plots of land as had previously been forwarded to the Apostolic Church-owned monasteries and churches for free use and management. The interlocutors have also referred to the progress made in amending the RA law on the freedom of belief and religious organizations. The Prime Minister and His Holiness exchanged information on the outcome of their recent visits abroad, including, in particular, the Catholicos's pastoral visit to the United States and the Prime Minister's working visit to Georgia. The Prime Minister briefed his guest on the results of the discussions held with his Georgian counterpart and the Speaker of Georgian Parliament over the problems facing the Armenians of Javakhk, the preservation of the Armenian historical-cultural monuments in Georgia, the streamlining of the activities of the local diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church etc.
