On the occasion of the 100^th anniversary of the Pontifical Oriental Institute, on 11-13 November, Rome hosted an international conference entitled “Damascus: Prism of Hopes” (Damasco. Prisma di speranze) and organized by the Institute, based on the idea of the State Secretariat of the Holy See and the Northern Congregation. The RA Embassy at the Holy See also participated in the organizational efforts. The goal of the conference was to view the current problems in Syria and particularly in the Near East from different perspectives and indicate the paths to solving those problems, reported the press service of the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Hayern Aysor.

Among the speakers were Catholicos Aram I of the Great House of Cilicia; Prefect of the Assembly of Oriental Churches, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri; RA Ambassador to the Holy See Mikayel Minasyan; Apostolic Administrator of the Armenian Archieparchy of Istanbul, Bishop Boghos Levon Zekiyan; Secretary of the Middle East Council of Churches Michel Jalakh, as well as representatives of various Christian churches and universities in the Near East.

State Secretary of the Holy See, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, as well as political figures and diplomats also participated in the conference.

In his speech entitled “Geopolitics of Remembrance”, RA Ambassador Mikayel Minasyan stated that the terrorists in Syria are trying to distort the existing cultural diversity at any price. The Ambassador called on fighting against such manifestations of vandalism, indifference and the systematic eradication of Christianity and Christian values in Syria since it is impossible to imagine the Near East without Christians.