Addressing a group of ambassadors and diplomats attending a reception organized in his honor by the ambassador of Lebanon to Tehran, His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, emphasized “the necessity of engaging the Arab societies into a transformation process”.

He said that by transformation he means “considering people’s power the basis of the governance and driving force of all initiatives aimed at renewal and democratization”.

According to His Holiness “the changes that are taking place in the Arab world need to be given a clear substance and orientation, otherwise they may generate confusion and disintegration”.

His Holiness challenged the concept of majority-minority and its implications. He said that “such a relation may eventually generate discrimination”. He stated that “Christians are integral part of the Arab societies, they are co-citizens with Muslims and therefore they must bring equal and active participation in the governance and in the life of societies”. His Holiness referred to Lebanon as a country where “unity in diversity and diversity in unity is a concrete reality”, and “dialogue is a quality of life that is manifested in all aspects of Lebanese society”.

Greeting the visit of his Holiness, the ambassador of Lebanon described him as a great ambassador of Lebanon, its values and cause. He highly appreciated the major role of the Armenian community in Lebanon.