First Armenian church opens in Abu DhabiDecember 13, 2014 - 22:00 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The first Armenian church opened in Abu Dhabi on Friday, Dec 12, with hundreds of Armenian Christians in attendance, Gulf News reported. Previously, Armenians in Abu Dhabi would worship in other churches such as St Andrews Church, or go to Sharjah which has an Armenian church. Father Mesrob, the church priest, said the community was very thankful to the UAE leadership. “Shaikh Zayed gave us land to build our churches and Shaikh Khalifa has continued to help us. We are very grateful to the Abu Dhabi government for the freedom to conduct our church services. Such actions will encourage stronger relations between the UAE and Armenian community.” Pakrad Balabanian, an Armenian who attended the church opening, told Gulf News that “we have up to 1,000 Armenians living in Abu Dhabi so we needed a church to hold our gatherings. We have quite a few buildings on the site, one of which will be used as Sunday school for the children. We will be able to hold other ceremonies here as well. Previously, we had to rent different churches for our ceremonies. We want to thank the government for the land and its generosity.” Another Armenian resident, who did not want to be named, said that the church will keep the Armenian community in Abu Dhabi together. “We also have a school here for Armenian children for them to come weekly, with 5-6 teachers. There is also a building for the priests so whoever is in need of help can come and talk to a priest. Armenian Christians can also get married here instead of travelling to their countries such as Lebanon, Syria, or Iran.” He added that Muslims being free to visit and see the church. “They can come inside and see pictures and photographs. They are more than free to come and take a look.” Related links: Top stories The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. Hikmet Hajiyev has said that there is no place for USAID operation in Azerbaijan any longer. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. London’s Armenian community has been left feeling “under attack” after the city’s Genocide monument was vandalised. Partner news | Fly Arna license suspended, says Armenia official The license of the Armenian airline Fly Arna has been suspended for six months, an official says. President stresses Armenia’s clear position to achieve peace On the eve of the International Francophonie Day, the Armenian President met with French intellectuals. Termination of servicing of MIR cards. IDBank It will not be possible to ensure the full operation of MIR cards in IDBank’s POS-terminals and ATMs Pashinian meets border villagers on possible land transfer to Azerbaijan Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has met with concerned residents of two villages in Armenia’s northern Tavush province. |