On June 28, the opening ceremony of the 17th conference of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy was held in RA National Assembly.

More than 70 delegates from 16 countries are participating in the conference, the Mother See of Holy Etchmiatzin press service informed NEWS.am.

In his welcoming speech, His Holiness Karekin II spoke of Armenian-Georgian relations, pointing out the significance of granting a proper status to the Armenian dioceses in Georgia. He also touched upon the problem of returning Armenian churches to the Armenian diocese, as well as disagreement between Armenian and Greek patriarchates in Jeruslaem. Karekin II expressed hope they will be solved through dialogue and mutual understanding.

“We are also concerned over the problems of regional and ethnic minorities, the protection of peoples’ right to self-determination, which are reflected in the Assembly’s official documents on Serbia, Cyprus and other issues. While no international organization dares to recognize Nagorno-Karabakh as an entity, the Assmebly was the first to include the Karabakh delegation among the participants in the conference,” Karekin II stressed.