President of the Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) Republic Bako Sahakyan met Saturday, May 11, with the Prelate of the Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, heads of Tehran and New Jugha Dioceses of the Armenian Apostolic Church Archbishop Sepuh Sarkisian and Bishop Babken Charian, as well as a group of philanthropists from the Diaspora.

State-church ties, socioeconomic situation in Artsakh and regional trends were in the focus of the meeting.

President Sahakyan underlined the vital role of the Armenian Apostolic Church in preserving Armenian national identity in the Diaspora, noting that the church has had a great contribution in strengthening and the expansion ties with the Motherland.

Both sides emphasized the need of continuous deepening the state-church interrelations, considering it among the most important bases of the Motherland-Diaspora unshakable unity.

Primate of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church Archbishop Pargev Martirosyan also attended the meeting, reported the Central Information Department at the Artsakh President’s Office.