Armenian Catholicos meets with Syria's Assad in DamascusJanuary 5, 2017 - 15:26 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, His Holiness Aram I met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Wednesday, January 4 in the Syrian capital, where the pontiff congratulate Assad and the people of Syria for the liberation of Aleppo by government forces, reported Syria’s Sana news agency. During the meeting, Catholicos Aram I offered congratulations to President Assad and the Syrian people over the liberation of Aleppo city after years of suffering from crimes committed by terrorists. "His Holiness offered his sincerest hopes and prayers for the liberation of the entirety of Syria from terrorism so that peace and security would prevail in Syria as soon as possible," the report said. For his part, President Assad affirmed that the terrorist war that has been targeting Syria and the entirety of the Syrian people for years has failed in achieving one of its most dangerous goals which is undermining the Syrian people’s unity and harmony, He asserted that this war has made Syrians more steadfast and more determined to remaining committed to their identity and civilization which is based on diversity and plurality, something what has been a defining attribute of Syrians’ history throughout centuries. As the Great House of Cilicia reported Tuesday, the Catholicos will spend Armenian Christmas eve and day, as well as the upcoming weekend in Aleppo, where he will hold Christmas Mass, meet the community and tour community institutions to assess the situation there. Top stories 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. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. Partner news | Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. Freedom House concerned by mounting reports of police violence in Armenia Freedom House urged Armenian authorities to investigate this pattern of excessive force and inhumane treatment. CSTO recognizes Armenia’s sovereign right to withdraw Tasmagambetov has said that if Armenia decides to leave the organization, “it will be the sovereign right of Armenia.” |