President of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, issued a congratulatory message to Pope Francis, on his 80th birth anniversary.

“You enjoy a deep respect, great sympathy, and high esteem by the Armenian people, [and] which we had the opportunity to feel in June 2016, during your visit to Armenia.

“Your full-of-warmth visit is an eloquent testimony of the traditional friendly inter-state and inter-church relations between Armenia and the Holy See, and an important message of solidarity to the world in conflict today,” the President’s message reads.