Public Council awaits clarification on Patriarch Kirill’s Genocide statementJanuary 15, 2016 - 15:52 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Public Council of Armenia is waiting for clarification on Patriarch Kirill's statement on the genocide against Christians in Turkey which caused a great stir in Armenia. The Patriarch raised some eyebrows in Armenia when he discussed the plight of shrinking Christian communities in the Middle East in a weekend interview with Russian state television. In a clear reference to atrocities committed by Islamist militants, he said Christians in the region are being subjected to genocide. “Nothing similar to the current events had ever happened in the Islamic world,” Kirill said, adding: “Take, for example, the Turkish, Ottoman Empire. Yes, there were Christian minorities there but they were not exterminated.” “We watched Patriarch Kirill’s interview with huge bewilderment,” the president of the association For Sustainable Human Development, Karine Danielyan said. “In response to a question on the essence of the Middle East conflicts, he, as a negative example in the history of relations between Christian and Muslim civilizations, cited the conquest of Christian Byzantium by Muslims. In doing so, however, the Patriarch forgot to mention the ethnicity of those Muslims.” Members of the Public Council expressed hope that the announcement is a misunderstanding rather than a tribute to short-term political interests. “We are glad that that Russian political leadership doesn’t follow such an interpretation of facts, as evidenced by the Armenian Genocide recognition, as well as President Vladimir Putin’s participation in commemorative ceremonies in Yerevan,” the Council’s application reads. Top stories David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. The number of state universities will be reduced from 23 to 8 by 2030, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan has said. From September 21 to November 11, a total of 2,820 Russians registered at a place of residence in Armenia, the police has said. The situation on the contact line between Karabakh and Azerbaijan was relatively stable overnight, the Defense Army says. Partner news | Ucom General Director gives lecture at French University in Armenia The General Director of Ucom Ralph Yirikian delivered a lecture at the French University of Armenia. Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. Aliyev says no need for mediators in Armenia-Azerbaijan process Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev believes that Baku and Yerevan do not mediators in the process of normalizing relations. |