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 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 | Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. Azerbaijan must respect human rights, Scholz tells Aliyev German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for greater respect for human rights in Azerbaijan. Armenia: Defense Ministry warns against involving army in political processes The Ministry’s statement came after a video surfaced online, showing soldiers joining the protests in Tavush. |