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 CSTO budget for the current year requires adjustments due to the refusal of Yerevan to pay their share of contributions. Six total incidents have burned 19 old-growth trees. Friday night 8 trees were torched along the beautiful main entrance. 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. Partner news | EventHub.am is the official ticketing agent for Black Eyed Peas concert in Tbilisi EventHub․am platform has become the official ticketing agent in Armenia for the concert of Black Eyed Peas to be held in Tbilisi. Armenia Security Council chief to attend Ukraine peace summit Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan will take part in the Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland. Armenian govt. approves ratification of EAEU-Iran free trade deal At a meeting on Friday, June 14, the Armenian government approved the ratification of an EAEU free trade agreement with Iran. Armenia recalls Belarus envoy for consultations Armenian Ambassador to Belarus has been called to Yerevan for consultations, a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry reveals. |