On Wednesday, September 20, 2023, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel, the Primate of the Romanian Orthodox Church, welcomed His Excellency Sergey Minasyan, the outgoing Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia, at the patriarchal residence for a farewell visit at the end of his diplomatic mission in Romania.
The Ambassador thanked for the warm welcome and stressed that during his nearly six years of diplomatic service in Romania, he observed the significance of the Romanian Orthodox Church’s role in Romanian society and in fostering good ties between the Romanian and Armenian peoples, and in particular between the Romanian Orthodox Church and the Armenian Church.
In this regard, His Excellency was particularly impressed by the devotion of the Romanian Orthodox faithful to their Church and by the beauty and spiritual wealth of the monasteries in Romania, which he visited in their large majority.
His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel thanked for the appreciation and expressed the hope that the traditional relations between the two peoples and Churches will continue and develop in the future, considering their common experience, both during the Ottoman Empire and the communist period.
The Patriarch of Romania highlighted the remarkable personality of the former Patriarch and Catholicos of all Armenians, Vazken I, born and educated in Romania, who promoted for nearly four decades (1955-1994) close relations between the Romanian Orthodox believers and the Armenian believers, between Romania and Armenia.
Ambassador Sergey Minasyan wished to express his gratitude to the Romanian people and the Romanian Orthodox Church for their hospitality and friendship extended to the Armenian community in Romania.
The Patriarch of Romania admired the Armenian people’s experience in preserving their ethnic and religious identity despite historical difficulties, including the contemporary difficulties in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
In this regard, His Beatitude expressed his optimism that solutions will be found for resolving such conflicts, as well as methods to demonstrate solidarity and support for those affected.
Department for External Church Relations
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