Armenian Apostolic Holy Church The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin

On April 16, in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; received Mr. Markus Ritter, the Head of the EU civil observation mission in the Republic of Armenia. The Catholicos of All Armenians welcomed Mr. Markus Ritter's visit to the spiritual center of all Armenians, noting that this meeting is an opportunity to get acquainted with the problems facing the EU observation mission. His Holiness expressed his concern regarding the current tension and the security of the people of the border settlements, stressing that Azerbaijan's encroachments and demands are putting Armenia in front of new security challenges, as well as jeopardizing the peace negotiation process.

Recent developments leave no doubt that the Armenian authorities, in the conditions of complete depopulation of Artsakh and occupation of RA territories, yielding to threats from Azerbaijan, are preparing to hand over territories from Tavush region to the latter before the supposed delimitation and demarcation. With this defeatist approach, with successive painful territorial concessions, in fact, Azerbaijan's false claims and reprehensible ambitions to the territories of Armenia are legitimized by the international community. The Church welcomes all reasonable efforts and processes aimed at achieving peace. It is indisputable that the policy adopted by the Armenian authorities to create an "era of peace" with unilateral concessions is not only unrealistic but also disastrous. Bargaining over the homeland and unjustified continuous concessions can never provide a safe environment for our people.

Regarding the project "Amendments to Law on Prevention of Domestic Violence, Protection of Victims of Domestic Violence and Restoration of Family Solidarity" We were very surprised to be informed that the controversial draft of the law "Amendments to Law on Prevention of Domestic Violence, Protection of Victims of Domestic Violence and Restoration of Family Solidarity" is being discussed again in the National Assembly. The Church welcomes every initiative, including a legal document, designed to exclude violence both in the family and in any other social environment. Any manifestation of violence is reprehensible, and all people are under God's unchanging care, because the Holy Scripture testifies the word of the Lord that: "I will be God to them, and they will be sons to me" (Revelation 21:7). However, some formulations and concepts in the project are highly unacceptable.