Armenian Apostolic Holy Church The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin

On March 17, with the blessing of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; the official signing ceremony of the grant agreement allocated by the Japanese government to the museums of the Mother See took place in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

The grant program, through which the necessary equipment will be brought to life, will be implemented through the Armenian General Benevolent Union. On that solemn occasion,  Mr. Masanori Fukushima, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Armenia; Vasken Yakubyan, AGBU President of Armenia; employees of the embassy and AGBU office arrived in Holy Etchmiadzin.

In the Ruben Sevak Museum of the Mother See, the guests were received by His Eminence Archbishop Nathan Hovhannisyan, Director of the External Relations and Protocol Department of the Mother See, conveying the greetings and blessing of the Patriarch of All Armenians. As mentioned by Rev. Fr Asoghik Karapetyan, Director of Museums and Archives of the Mother See, an effective cooperation with restorers from Japan has begun since 2014. During the regularly held seminars, the Japanese side decided to support the restoration department of the museums of Holy Etchmiadzin. This issue was also discussed during the meeting with His Holiness Karekin II, when a high-ranking delegation from Japan visited the Mother See years ago. Since then, the museum directorate has been working with the Japanese Embassy to submit a grant application.

Mr. Masanori Fukushima, Ambassador of Japan to Armenia, noted that the role of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church is invaluable in the life of the Armenian people, and the cultural heritage preserved in the museums of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin is priceless.

In turn, the AGBU Armenia President Vasken Yakubyan noted that the work done by the Armenian Church is very important for our nation, and after being equipped with new equipment, the Rehabilitation Center will best present itself to the world with its historical and cultural heritage. Japan and Armenia have a rich ancient culture and great love towards their national heritage. Friendship between the two countries will be further strengthened through this program.

Let us mention that since 2012, the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin Museums have started the renovations of the ancient objects of the fabric fund. The works of Armenian restoration specialists have been highly appreciated by the master restorers of the relevant departments of the State Hermitage, Japan's Saga University and New York's Metropolitan Museum.