Month: November 2009

GOLDEN GLORY
By Eric Francis

The Toronto Sun
November 22, 2009 Sunday

Returning last month from Pittsburgh where he delivered the
championship rings every NHLer craves, Miran Armutlu fielded a call
from Florida Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria.

"One of his players (Hanley Ramirez) won the league batting
championship so he wants to make him something special," said Armutlu,
a fifth-generation Armenian jeweler who founded and owns Calgary-based
Intergold.

Oh, and it will be special.

The last time Loria, one of the world’s biggest art dealers, ordered
bling from Armutlu it came in the form of a 2003 World Series ring
that featured 250 diamonds, 150 grams of gold and was the weight of
a baseball.

"He also collects watches so he wanted me to make a couple dozen for
him that flipped open to reveal a clock," smiled Armutlu, holding
the ornate flip-top bauble.

"No one had ever tried that before. So we did."

Going where no championship jeweler has gone before is what has put
Armutlu’s small company on the map, landing him contracts to design
and make most of the World Series, Stanley Cup, NBA Championship and
Grey Cup rings for the last decade.

So, in a billion dollar high school, college and championship ring
business generally dominated by three major players stateside —
Jostens, Balfour and Herff Jones — how does a Calgary-based company
with 63 employees become King of the Rings?

"We’re the best," smiled Armutlu, grabbing a national title ring he
made for Florida State’s football team in 1999.

"When we introduced that ring everybody was taken aback because before
that the typical ring had a big synthetic stone and logo and that’s
it. No flare and no uniqueness. The reason for that was that the big
three are not really jewelers — they’re tool and die companies. When
we’re competing against hundred-year history, their size and the fact
they’re American and we’re foreigners, the only way you’re going to
win is by being different. If the competition is fair we have never
lost. When they compare all the rings side by side, we don’t lose."

Armutlu admits he got a big break in 1994 when Michael Jordan quit
hoops to play baseball, allowing the Houston Rockets to ascend to
NBA champs and opening the door for little-known Intergold to woo an
inexperienced winner devoid of ring allegiances. It gave him a solid
reference to add to the long list of Grey Cup winners, leading to a
relationship with the Detroit Red Wings.

"Everything changed when we did the Red Wings rings in 2002 — it
changed the whole industry — the big three had to catch up," he said.

"Custom cut stones, round and princess cut diamonds, 11 custom cut
rubies in the winged wheel — stunning. It was named, along with
the Boston Celtics ring we did in 2008, the best championship ring
every made."

Although obviously biased, Red Wings GM Ken Holland agreed.

"We met with several companies and asked if such and such was possible
and he came back a couple weeks later with the goods," said Holland,
holding the ring intertwining the Wings logo with the Stanley Cup.

"Once we saw it it was a slam dunk. He did some things other companies
couldn’t do. Everyone was blown away."

Armutlu figures Sid and his Kids’ Stanley Cup rings represent the next
step in changing the industry, given he used 23 different dies. The
typical Cup ring involves five or six dies. The Penguins’ rings include
two mottos inscribed inside: "The Pen is in our hand" and "Ya hungry."

Adamantly against providing players rings for anyone else ("Shaq’s
agent didn’t win anything so why should he get a ring?" said Armutlu),
Intergold also does slightly smaller rings for players’ friends and
family members. Kevin Garnett was so impressed he ordered $250,000
worth after his crowning achievement in Boston two years ago.

"NHLers don’t have as much of an entourage — guys are quieter and
more subdued so they take care of family members and people who helped
them get to where they are," smiled Armutlu, whose southeast Calgary
factory outlet will soon open a retail arm.

"Some of them buy rings for their young kids to put away. A common
question is ‘what size should I make for my four year old?’ It’s a
good way for them to get their Christmas shopping out of the way."

The company has also rolled out a fan program allowing teams like
the Penguins to sell a modified version of their Stanley Cup rings
to team diehards. The Calgary Stampeders have a similar program.

While Armutlu relished the challenge of continually going where no
jeweler has gone before, the longtime Calgarian admits one of the
toughest rings he ever had to make was for the Tampa Bay Lightning in
2004. It included 138 diamonds — one for each regular season point and
two for every playoff win — as well as coach John Tortorella’s motto:
"Safe is death and good is the enemy of great."

"That was hard for obvious reasons," smiled the Flames fan who at
least got to include a Flames logo as part of the teams Tampa beat
en route to the crown.

"When I got there the Tampa paper had a story saying ‘the jeweler
from the city that lost the finals is here to deliver the Stanley
Cup rings."

MEMBER OF ARF DASHNAKSUTYUN BUREAU THINKS BAKU STARTED SPEAKING TO YEREVAN IN THE LANGUAGE OF ULTIMATUM

ArmInfo
2009-11-24 16:19:00

ArmInfo. Baku has started speaking to Yerevan in the language of
ultimatum, which is proved by the latest statement of Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev, Head of ARFD parliamentary faction, member
of ARFD Bureau Vahan Hovhannisyan said at today’s press-conference
at Artsakh club, Tuesday.

The MP is convinced that Aliyev’s militant statement is not a simple
statement by Azerbaijan. "One should take this statement seriously,
this is an ultimatum",- Hovhannisyan said. He thinks that after such
statement of Aliyev, President Sargsyan shouldn’t have gone to Munich.

As regards official Yerevan’s statement that if the negotiations are
suspended, Armenia will recognize the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh,
Hovhannisyan said that the problems will not solved by recognition
of the NKR.

"Recognition of the NKR is partial settlement of the problem, the
most important thing is to return Karabakh to the negotiation table",-
Hovhannisyan said.

09112475725127176.html

Tuesday, November 24, 2009
16:46 Mecca time, 13:46 GMT

THE ROAD TO HAJJ
An Islamic revival in Azerbaijan

At the crossroads of Europe and Central Asia, Islam took root in Azerbaijan
in the seventh century

In a series of programmes, Al Jazeera follows Muslim pilgrims from around
the world as they prepare to undertake the Hajj pilgrimage.

It is an ancient land at the crossroads of Europe and Central Asia and is
said to have been the location of the Garden of Eden.

Different cultures and civilisations have met in Azerbaijan for thousands of
years and the country was one of the first to embrace Islam when Arabian
invaders imposed their religion on the region in the seventh century.

But when Azerbaijan fell under the control of the former Soviet Union in
1920, atheism became state policy; many Muslim leaders were exiled or killed
and mosques were closed down or destroyed.

When the country regained its independence in 1991, many embarked on a
journey to rediscover their faith and heritage and to fill the religious
vacuum left by Communist rule.

Painful journey

Thirty-one-year-old Salamova Samira is a mother of two and part of the 95
per cent of Azerbaijanis who consider themselves Muslims. But, more
significantly, she is one of only five per cent who actually practice their
faith and is about to embark on the Hajj pilgrimage.

"I started praying when I was around 12 years old. There was only grandma
[Samira’s great-grandmother] who prayed in our family. She was 115 years
old. She read the Quran," Samira says.

Salamova Samira thought she would have to save for years to go on Hajj
"When I was a schoolgirl, I also took lessons to learn the Quran. This was
difficult then as many people viewed Islam in a bad light, unlike today."

The older generation, like Samira’s mother, lived their lives without
observing the central tenets of their religion and, more often than not, do
not feel any need to start doing it now.

Samira will travel from Baku, the country’s capital where she lives, to
Mecca in Saudi Arabia for the Hajj. But, for her, the road to Hajj has been
a long one marked by pain and hardship.

"I had been praying until I turned 17. Then I got married and stopped
praying. Having a family with children, I just could not find the time.

"My husband was a Muslim too. He was not against the fact that I prayed
regularly. But I just could not do it. I have two daughters, aged 11 and 13
years old," she explains.

Her relationship with her husband soured and after five years of marriage
they divorced.

"As the saying goes, when the world knocks you down on your knees, you are
in the perfect position to pray," she says.

Performing the pilgrimage seemed like an impossible dream for Samira.

Although she earns a decent living as a house-keeping manager at a hotel,
she knew it would take her years to save enough money to go on Hajj.

"Going to the Hajj was my dream. But with my salary, it was not possible. I
always thought it would take a miracle for me to go," she says.

But fate was to intervene for Samira when a friend of her mother offered to
sponsor her pilgrimage.

Islamic revival

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan has witnessed something
of an Islamic revival; hundreds of new mosques have been built, old ones
have been restored and new religious schools have been opened.

For many young Azerbaijanis, like Samira, an interest in Islam is
re-emerging and stronger than ever.

"I can not describe my feelings, the first was fear. At the same time, I
feel happy too," Samira says.

"After the Hajj, you would expect more of yourself. Before the Hajj, you can
make some mistakes, but after the Hajj, you should be more careful in making
your decisions.

"Everyone makes mistakes, commits sin, and lies. After the Hajj, you should
not go back to your old ways. It is easy to go to the Hajj, but after that,
it is as if you are born again, you become clean and innocent."

"And you should keep yourself that way. That is very hard. That is why I am
afraid. But I will go and when I come back, I hope I can manage to do so."

Road to Hajj: Azerbaijan can be seen on Wednesday, November 25, at the
following times GMT: 1030, 1630, 2330.
Source: Al Jazeera

ICRC REPRESENTATIVES VISIT SIX ARMENIAN PRISONERS OF WAR

ArmInfo
2009-11-24 12:08:00

ArmInfo-TURAN. Last week representatives of the International Red
Cross Committee (ICRC) visited six Armenian prisoners of war captured
in February 2009 in the Agjabedi region. The representatives observed
their conditions and spoke with each POW. Nothing is reported about
the content of their conversation, Turan reports.

According to the same source, the ICRC representatives are visiting
Armenian POWs Grant Markosian, Alik Tevosioan, and Arthur Sarkisian
for the fourth time. Other named POWs include Ogan Arutunian, who was
taken prisoner in May in the Geranboy region, and Karen Arutunian, who
was taken prisoner in June 2009 in the Gedabek region of Azerbaijan.

In all cases, the Armenians crossed the front line voluntarily and
surrendered, the Azerbaijani side stated.

ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN IN TALKS ON KARABAKH DISPUTE: REPORT

Agence France Presse
November 22, 2009 Sunday 5:27 PM GMT
France

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his Armenian counterpart Serzh
Sarkisian met in Germany on Sunday for sensitive talks on the disputed
Nagorny Karabakh region, state media reported.

Azerbaijani state news agency Azertaj reported that the two had met
at the French consulate in the German city of Munich.

"The meeting focused on the current state and prospects of the talks
to solve the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorny
Karabakh," the agency reported.

It said the meeting was also attended by the two countries’ foreign
ministers and the French, Russian and US co-chairs of the Minsk Group,
which is mediating peace talks under the auspices of the Organization
for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

The French foreign ministry, which announced the meeting last week,
said earlier that it was to be the sixth meeting between the two
presidents this year for talks on the dispute.

Backed by Yerevan, ethnic Armenian forces seized control of Nagorny
Karabakh and seven surrounding districts from Azerbaijan in the early
1990s, in a war that claimed an estimated 30,000 lives.

The two former Soviet republics have cut direct economic and transport
links and failed to negotiate a settlement on the region’s status.

Armenian and Azerbaijani forces are spread across a ceasefire line in
and around Nagorny Karabakh, often facing each other at close range,
and shootings are common.

Analysts say the Karabakh peace talks have been given a new impetus by
historic efforts at reconciliation between Armenia and Azerbaijan’s
close ally Turkey, who have signed accords to establish diplomatic
relations and open their border after decades of hostility.

FOREIGN MINISTER OF ITALY: RATIFICATION OF THE ARMENIAN-TURKISH PROTOCOLS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE WILL ALLOW TO OPEN THE BORDER BETWEEN THESE TWO COUNTRIES

ArmInfo
2009-11-24 11:39:00

ArmInfo. Foreign Minister of Italy Franco Frattini said at yesterday’s
meeting with his Armenian counterpart Edward Nalbandyan that he
welcomes the process on normalization of the Armenian-Turkish
relations.

As press-service of Armenian Foreign Ministry reported, Frattini
expressed his country’s support as a step towards normalization of
the relations between Yerevan and Ankara. In this context, as he said,
Italy treated with pleasure signing of the Armenian-Turkish Protocols
and expressed hope that they will be ratified as soon as possible
and will create an opportunity for opening the border between Armenia
and Turkey.

GUL: CON L’ARMENIA UNA SVOLTA STORICA IL PRESIDENTE TURCO: "ABBATTEREMO L’ULTIMO MURO DELLA GUERRA FREDDA’
Pellizzari Valerio

La Stampa
21 novembre 2009 sabato
Italia

L’ultima frontiera proibita della Guerra fredda resiste qui, in
Anatolia, tra Turchia e Armenia, ai piedi del monte Ararat, dove un
tempo passava la via della seta. Ma la frontiera chiusa solo l’ultimo
capitolo della questione armena, molto più antica della cortina di
ferro. Tutto scoppiò un secolo fa, negli ultimi anni dell’Impero
ottomano, sullo sfondo della Prima guerra mondiale. Gli armeni
sostengono che nel 1915 il loro popolo fu vittima di un genocidio
brutale condotto dalle truppe del sultano, con un milione e mezzo di
vittime. I turchi hanno sempre respinto quella espressione, parlano di
"guerra tra comunita", di "trasferimenti in epoca bellica", alcuni
intellettuali hanno lanciato recentemente un appello sulla "grande
catastrofe". In questa vicenda la propaganda delle due parti sempre
in agguato, ogni singola parola pesa realmente come una enorme pietra.

Abdullah Gul, presidente della Repubblica turca, membro del partito
islamico moderato, nato a Kayseri – l’antica Cesarea – dove un tempo
viveva una importante comunita armena. Ha deciso di affrontare i nodi
politici più contorti del suo Paese, congelati da troppo tempo.

Procede per la sua strada con passo lento ma regolare. E’ stato lui ad
annunciare un anno fa: "Arriveranno belle cose sulla questione curda.

Non perdiamo una occasione storica". Poi è stato a Baghdad in visita
ufficiale, interrompendo un vuoto diplomatico di oltre trent’anni,
e di proposito ha voluto dormire in citta, mentre i capi di Stato
arrivano e partono frettolosamente nella stessa giornata per ragioni
di sicurezza. Infine lo scorso ottobre ha ricevuto in visita il
presidente armeno Sarksyan, del quale era gia stato ospite un anno
prima, sempre con il pretesto di una partita di calcio tra le due
nazionali. Dietro il folclore sportivo c’era una decisione coraggiosa,
presa congiuntamente da Gul e dal suo ospite: su entrambi incombono
gli integralisti di Ataturk e gli irriducibili della diaspora. Così,
per la prima volta dalla fondazione della Repubblica armena nel
1918, un presidente di Erevan ha compiuto una visita nella terra
dei sultani. Allora, quando i suoi compatrioti e gli armeni potranno
attraversare il confine? "Questa barriera verra cancellata presto, dopo
l’accordo che abbiamo firmato in ottobre a Berna. Certo ci vogliono
i tempi tecnici perchè quel testo sia discusso nei Parlamenti dei
due Paesi. Ma poi arrivera lo scambio di ambasciatori e la riapertura
della frontiera terrestre. Lo spazio aereo è gia aperto da tempo"
. Lei ha detto che non ci sono più tabù nella politica turca.

"Non ci sono più argomenti vietati, come la questione curda o la
questione armena. Se aumenta il livello di democrazia in un Paese
di conseguenza scompaiono i tabù. E se noi vogliamo portare avanti
la nostra diplomazia di "zero problemi con i Paesi vicini" allora
bisogna poter parlare di tutto. Abbiamo proposto una commissione
mista di storici dalle due parti, integrata da studiosi di Paesi
terzi, che studi gli archivi e che poi dia il suo giudizio. Abbiamo
aperto anche gli archivi militari. E abbiamo detto che accetteremo
il giudizio degli studiosi. Ma eliminare i tabù riguarda le idee,
modificare il linguaggio è un processo più lento".

C’è un fatto preciso che ha avviato la svolta politica con Erevan?

"Quando il presidente Sarksyan è stato eletto due anni fa gli
ho mandato un messaggio di congratulazioni sincero, non un testo
formale, e lui ha risposto in maniera altrettanto sincera. Penso
che quello sia il momento in cui è stato rotto il ghiaccio. Poi
ci sono stati gli inviti reciproci, le partite delle due squadre
di calcio, le dichiarazioni di apertura fatte in luoghi e momenti
particolarmente simbolici. Ma più in generale tutto il mondo cambia,
e anche la Turchia cambia". Dentro il suo Paese chi ostacola e chi
favorisce questa apertura storica? "Ci sono quelli che si oppongono,
con posizioni intransigenti. Questo è naturale, perchè si tratta di
un problema che si trascina da quasi un secolo. Ma ci sono anche quelli
che vogliono risolverlo. Per me il fatto importante è che questi siano
più numerosi dei primi". Personalmente quando ha pensato che ormai il
tempo era maturo per una apertura? "Quando è scoppiata la guerra del
Caucaso, nell’agosto del 2008. Quando i problemi non vengono risolti,
quando restano congelati, a quel punto non si possono risolvere
mettendoli nuovamente dentro il frigorifero. E’ molto facile fare
così, non si corrono rischi. Invece in quella regione c’è bisogno di
stabilita, di cooperazione. E l’Armenia ha un posto in quella regione.

Quello che avverra in quel Paese produrra benefici in molte direzioni,
e arrivera lontano". Lei è stato aiutato nelle sue aperture con Erevan
dal fatto di essere nato a Kayseri, di essere un turco dell’Anatolia?

"E’ la prima volta che mi viene fatta questa domanda. Francamente
direi di no". Voglio dire: ha un significato preciso che sua moglie,
la padrona di casa, abbia cucinato per il Presidente armeno a Bursa.

"Diciamo che la tradizione in Anatolia ha le sue regole verso gli
ospiti, e che gli armeni conoscono bene queste consuetudini. Però
per essere esatti il cibo è stato preparato qui ad Ankara, poi
l’abbiamo portato a Bursa, e mia moglie ha voluto controllare tutta
l’organizzazione della cena. Dire che ha cucinato lei è un pò
troppo".

L’Azerbaigian sembra preoccupato per questo riavvicinamento con
l’Armenia.

"E’ un fatto che i nostri due Paesi appartengono entrambi al mondo
islamico, e noi siamo stati dalla parte di Baku con chiarezza quando
i soldati cristiani di Erevan hanno preso il Nagorno-Karabakh.

Naturalmente oggi gli azeri guardano molto attentamente a quello che
succede tra noi e l’Armenia. Ma quando si parla del Nagorno-Karabakh
non bisogna pensare solo agli armeni di quel territorio, ma anche
alle sette province attorno che sono state occupate da Erevan
per farne una zona cuscinetto. Questo è un problema diverso,
perchè da quelle province sono partiti profughi azeri. Credo che
i due Paesi risolveranno il problema della zona cuscinetto. Poi gli
effetti dell’accordo di Berna porteranno vantaggi anche a Baku". Gli
occidentali vi hanno aiutato a sbloccare i rapporti con Erevan? "La
mediazione vera è stata fatta dalla Svizzera, gli occidentali ci
hanno incoraggiato". Incoraggiare a volte significa poco. Si dice
che l’unico ruolo significativo sia stato giocato dalla Russia.

"La Russia ha avuto e ha un ruolo importante per la trattativa tra
Armenia e Azerbaigian". Il riavvicinamento tra voi e gli armeni
nel Caucaso meridionale compensa le tensioni del Nord, in Georgia,
Ossezia, Abkhazia? "Questa è una regione che ha una lunga storia di
instabilita. Ma se le cose si normalizzano allora il Caucaso diventa
veramente una porta aperta vantaggiosa per tutti, considerando le
risorse energetiche che lì esistono. Questa è la ragione per cui la
Turchia ha messo tutto il suo impegno nella zona. Negli anni passati
i problemi di questa regione erano affidati a diplomatici di secondo
livello, questo significava di fatto tenere aperti i dossier senza
risolvere i problemi che contenevano. Adesso invece i problemi sono
sul tavolo dei Presidenti nei rispettivi Paesi, è tutta un’altra
situazione". Ma nel Caucaso, e in Turchia in particolare, c’è un
grande incrociarsi di gasdotti e di oleodotti. Alcuni di questi
progetti sembrano quasi contraddirsi politicamente, come Nabucco
sostenuto da americani ed europei, e Southstream, sostenuto soprattutto
dai russi. "No, non si contraddicono. Dico che si integrano, che
si completano. Non bisogna avere paura se vengono scavate nuove
pipeline. Il gas e il petrolio che transitano sul nostro territorio
non sono un’arma. E’ una tradizione consolidata della Turchia avere
un comportamento affidabile, prevedibile. Si può dire che noi ci
troviamo in una posizione privilegiata per effetto della geografia,
ma questo è un fatto naturale, non è legato alla nostra volonta".

Se la rete di tubi per gas e petrolio continua a crescere voi
controllerete una grande quantita di rubinetti. Controllate anche le
sorgenti del Tigri e dell’Eufrate. Avrete una posizione strategica
più importante di quella militare, anche se avete il secondo esercito
della Nato. "In questo senso lei ha ragione. Ma le ripeto: per noi il
gas in transito non è un’arma. Quando l’Europa ha avuto problemi di
rifornimento, perchè il gas russo passava dall’Ucraina, la Grecia non
ha risentito di alcuna limitazione, le nostre forniture sono arrivate
regolarmente. E poi se vogliamo una politica di "zero problemi" con i
vicini non si possono usare i rubinetti in modo ricattatorio. Ci sono
i contratti, e un Paese serio li rispetta". Per tornare all’Armenia,
questa è una storia ereditata dall’Impero ottomano, e oggi un
partito islamico moderato prova a chiudere con quella eredita. Anche
per questo dicono che siete i neo-ottomani? "Questo è un termine
che hanno inventato gli occidentali, e che poi è entrato anche nel
nostro vocabolario. Se significa avere buone relazioni con i Paesi
vicini, conoscere la loro storia e la loro mentalita, cercare di
risolvere i problemi senza imporre il proprio punto di vista e senza
deformare l’identita degli altri – come avviene invece in Afghanistan
oggi – allora condivido questo termine. Se significa al contrario
allontanarsi da una linea filo-occidentale, dimenticare il nostro
impegno atlantico, mostrare frustrazione verso Bruxelles, rispolverare
la retorica imperiale, allora non lo condivido". In conclusione si
può dire che oggi la Turchia ha definitivamente voltato pagina sulla
questione armena? "Sì, questa è la nostra scelta. Noi facciamo del
nostro meglio. Ma anche gli altri devono avere la stessa volonta".

DAVUTOGLU TALKS TO HIS AZERBAIJANI COUNTERPART ON RESULTS OF MUNICH MEETING

ArmInfo
2009-11-24 12:06:00

ArmInfo. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu talked to his
Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov on the phone and received
information regarding the Munich meeting of Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev and Armenian President Serzh Sargsian, Anadolu reported.

Mammadyarov told Davutoglu that the process will continue in the
upcoming term and that the co-chairs of the Minsk Group may meet in
Athens as part of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in
Europe (OSCE) meeting.

During the phone conversation, Minister Davutoglu welcomed the
developments (between Azerbaijan and Armenia) and renewed his
invitation to Mammadyarov to visit Ankara.

Azerbaijani President Aliyev and Armenian President Sargsian met in
Munich on Sunday.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Director
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

TWO PRIESTS WERE MADE DOCTORS OF THE CHURCH

On Sunday following the Liturgy, upon the authorization of His Holiness Aram
I Father Stepannos Pashayan and Fr. Varant Kortmosian received the title
Vartabed (Doctor of the Church). They received the ecclesiastical honor of
staff after they defended their thesis in front of the jury headed by
Archbishop Sebouh Sarkissian, and confessed their orthodox faith.

##
View the photos here:
tos/Photos418.htm#2
*****
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
the mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician
Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is located in
Antelias, Lebanon.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Director
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

THE HONORARY AMBASSADOR OF ARMENIA TO SYRIA VISITS HIS HOLINESS ARAM I

On Sunday 22 November in the evening H.E. Souren Varatanian, the recently
appointed honorary Ambassador of Armenia to Syria visited His Holiness Aram
I.

During their conversation Catholicos Aram I stressed on the urgency of
strengthening relations between Armenia-Diaspora.

##
View the photo here:
tos/Photos418.htm
*****
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
the mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician
Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is located in
Antelias, Lebanon.