On April 24, in parallel with the more than 100 years of existence of the Armenian Apostolic Church Community in Austria and the 50^th anniversary of the establishment of the St. Hripsime Armenian Church in Vienna, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria, Mr. Sebastian Kurtz received the delegation led by the chairman of the Armenian Apostolic Church Community in Austria. As reported the Community to Hayern Aysor, during the meeting, the Minister of Foreign Affairs expressed his deep gratitude and extended thanks to the Armenian Apostolic Church Community in Austria for the strengthening and deepening of bilateral relations.

We would especially like to mention the role that the late Archbishop Mesrop Grigoryan and the current spiritual leader, Patriarchal Delegate, Fr. Archimandrite Tiran Petrosyan have played in the development of Austrian-Armenian relations and in the establishment of the friendly relations between our nations. These days Archimandrite Tiran Petrosyan and the representatives of several leading media outlets are in Armenia with the mission to prepare a special report on Armenia and the events commemorating the victims of the Armenian Genocide for Austrian state television and radio. The several events organized and implemented by the council of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Austria provided many Austrians with the opportunity to get acquainted with the cultural, church and national values of the Armenian nation.

“Our high-ranking spiritual leaders representing the Armenian Apostolic Church have also played their special role in the establishment and development of the Armenian community in Austria and have helped not only keep the fire of Christianity burning, but have also brought up Armenian children who are loyal to universal values, and not just one generation of Armenians,” chairman of the Armenian Apostolic Church Community in Austria Vahagn Amirjanyan said.

The council of the Armenian Apostolic Church, in partnership with the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia in Austria, carries out various events that are called for fostering the establishment of close ties between Austrian and Armenian businessmen, educators, doctors, cultural, economic and political figures and the creation of the necessary prerequisites for further development of relations.

On behalf of the Armenian nation, Vahagn Amirjanyan expressed his deep gratitude to the Austrian government for receiving and supporting refugees from Syria. Among them there are several Armenians whose ancestors had migrated from the territory of Historic Armenia to Syria during the days of the Armenian Genocide in the early 20^th century and took shelter in Syria. “Unfortunately, their children are also compelled to emigrate, and I would like to mention that the Armenian community of Austria is also taking action to contribute to the integration of Syrian-Armenians by providing the immigrants with free social, legal and medical consulting, free German language courses and more.”

Chairman of the Armenian Apostolic Church Community Vahagn Amirjanyan expressed special gratitude to the Deputies of the Parliament of Austria who, on 23 April 2015 (ahead of the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide), recognized the genocide that took place in the Ottoman Empire in 1915, condemned the crime committed against the Armenians by the Ottoman Turks and proved once again that the Republic of Austria was devoted to universal, European and humanitarian values, as well as to the just and democratic values of state governance.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria Sebastian Kurtz is expected to visit the St. Hripsime Armenian Church in Vienna. Kurtz received the official invitation from Patriarchal Delegate in Central Europe and the Scandinavian countries, Rev. Fr. Archimandrite Tiran Petrosyan.