His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, received in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin Francois-Xavier Bellamy, Member of the European Parliament, and his colleague Giselen Frnacville, accompanied by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the French Republic to Armenia Jonathan Lacotte.

In the morning the French guests attended an Easter liturgy at the Gregory the Illuminator Mother Church in Yerevan.

His Holiness brought his blessings and best wishes to the guests and expressed his appreciation to the French authorities for supporting the friendly people in all difficult times.

The Armenian Patriarch also expressed hope that the support of friendly countries would contribute to the stabilization of the situation in the region and the restoration of justice.

Mr. François-Xavier Bellamy thanked His Holiness for the blessing of Easter wishes, emphasizing that this is his first visit to Armenia, and considers it a great honor to be in an ancient Christian country whose people carry the victorious values ​​of the resurrection.

The MEP also presented the purpose of his visit, that is to get acquainted with the post-war situation, the current problems, the preservation of the Armenian spiritual-cultural values in Artsakh.

Introducing the damages caused by the recent war in Artsakh, as well as the current challenges, the Catholicos of All Armenians expressed hope that the aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan and the subsequent developments would receive a proper reaction by the international community and the European Parliament.