From June 4-10, the members of the Brotherhood of Holy Etchmiadzin, led by the blessings of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, held a meeting in the Mother See. The Brotherhood has issued a statement on the recent tragic events at the Armenian-Azerbaijan border, which stated:
“We are deeply concerned with the situation at the shared border with the Republic of Armenia and Azerbaijan, and the continued systematic violations of the cease-fire. These have led to the injury and death of soldiers, as well as peaceful civilians. In recent days we have witnessed yet more cease-fire violations, where innocent soldiers, who have brought their service to the RA borders, have become victims of Azerbaijan provocations.
The Armenian Apostolic Church, led by our Pontiff, has always expressed its commitment to a peaceful and just settlement to the Nagorno Karabagh conflict. As the bearers of the Lord’s peaceful commandments, we strongly condemn Azerbaijan’s provocative actions, directed at the disruption of the region’s fragile peace.
We call on the mediating countries involved in the process of monitoring peaceful rule of law against the antagonism of Karabagh; the international community; and the spiritual leaders in the region; to persist in their efforts to cease the militaristic policy of Azerbaijan.
We express our condolences to the families of our soldiers who died in defense of the Homeland, asking that the Holy Spirit console the mourning families and friends. We extend our unified prayer to God for the quick recovery of the injured soldiers, and also for the peaceful and gentle life at the domestic borders. And let the breath and spirit of St. Vartan and the heroes of Sardarapat guide the victorious Armenian Army, who has paid a high price of the loss of many lives, in their defence of the centuries of struggle for independence, the right to live in peace, and the freedom of Artsakh”.
