Catholicos of All Armenians Received the Greek Minister of Defense
On December 17, in the Mother See, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; received Mr. Panos Kammenos, Minister of National Defence of the Hellenic Republic, and his delegation. They were accompanied by Mr. Davit Tonoyan, First Deputy Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia; and His Grace Bishop Vrtanes Abrahamian, Head Chaplain of the Republic of Armenia Armed Forces.
During the meeting, His Holiness welcomed the cooperation between the defense ministries of the two countries, expressing hope that it will be fruitful and contribute to the strengthening of the two armies and the development of skills. His Holiness reflected on the difficulties that befell the Armenian and Greek peoples throughout history, and the challenges of today.
During the meeting, the Catholicos of All Armenians spoke about the warm relations between the Embassy of Greece and the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, through which assistance is given to members of the Brotherhood of Mother See, who are given scholarships to continue studies in the Faculty of Theology at the University of Athens.
Defence Minister Kammenos expressed gratitude to His Holiness for the warm reception. The Minister reflected on the historical past of the two nations and the current close cooperation established between the Defence Ministries, particularly in the military sector.
The Catholicos of All Armenians and the Minister also spoke about the warm relations between the Armenian Apostolic and Greek Orthodox Churches. On this occasion, His Holiness noted with satisfaction of the participation of the Greek Orthodox Church representatives during the events of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and the Blessing of the Holy Muron, and the support conveyed to the Armenian Church and Armenian people.
His Holiness also discussed the activities of the Chaplaincy of the Armenian Army.
The meeting was attended by His Eminence Archbishop Nathan Hovhannisyan, Director of External Relations and Protocol Department of the Mother See.
