On May 12, Primate of the Armenian Diocese of the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia in Tehran, His Grace, Archbishop Sepuh Sarkisian visited the Ministry of Diaspora of the Republic of Armenia where he had a meeting with intellectuals and the personnel of the Ministry.

Greeting the Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Tehran, RA Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan noted that it was a great joy and honor to meet with one of the most prominent representatives of the Armenian Apostolic Church. “Archbishop Sepuh Sarkisian was born in the Armenian-populated village of Tchukha in Syria and continued his education in Antelias, Lebanon. He has served as the pastor of the Armenian community of the Iraqi city of Basra, the Vicar of the Prelacy of the Armenian Diocese of Aleppo, has collaborated with other churches, has been appointed Catholicossal Vicar in Kuwait and in the Persian Gulf countries and has been elected leader of the Assembly of Delegates of the Armenian Diocese of Tehran. He has also edited the official “Nor Drazark” magazine of the Armenian Sunday schools of the Armenian Holy Apostolic Church.”

The Minister attached importance to the contributions that His Holiness Sepuh has made to publishing in Iran and emphasized the fact that he had directly sponsored the publication of over 130 literary and theological books.

“Wherever you have been, you have transmitted the love and warmth of your soul to our compatriots, and they have loved you and accepted you as a relative. Thank you for your existence and for keeping the Armenian community of Iran strong. You are our greatest friend. We love and always wait for you in the Homeland,” the Minister of Diaspora noted.

Minister Hranush Hakobyan awarded His Holiness with the Gold Medal of the Ministry of Diaspora of the Republic of Armenia as a token of high appreciation of his contributions to the development of the Armenia-Diaspora partnership, his services provided to the Homeland and the Diaspora, his contributions to the strengthening of relations between Armenia and the communities of the Diaspora and to the preservation of the Armenian identity, as well as for his charities and active community service.

His Grace, Archbishop Sepuh Sarkisian expressed gratitude for the appreciation and noted the following: “Dear Mrs. Hakobyan, this moment is pleasant and touching. I serve our Church and my people. Blessed are those who serve their nation. Wherever I have been, I have first proudly mentioned the fact that I am Armenian and the son of a nation that experienced and survived the Genocide. Thank God, today we have a free and independent Armenia and Artsakh. The Armenia-Artsakh-Diaspora triumvirate is also a reality today. We Armenians need to believe that we will have a complete Homeland someday.”

Afterwards, the leader of the Armenian Diocese of Tehran answered questions from the attendees.