The World Armenian Church Youth Organization apologizes for the emotional outbursts and personal insults during the discussion on the Istanbul Convention with Minister of Labor and Social Affairs of Armenia Zaruhi Batoyan.

“Today, the Central Office of the youth organization held a discussion meeting devoted to the Istanbul Convention in order to have the voice and opinions of youth heard and accessible. Among the participants were representatives of the public and private sector and young people. We heard the pros and cons, there were also practical proposals and solutions to help the government fight against violence more effectively. There is no place for violence in Armenian society, and it needs to be extirpated. All the participants expressed their deep respect for the statement of the diocesan leaders of Armenia regarding the Convention, calling on the Armenian government not to ratify the Convention.

I express gratitude to all the participants and also apologize for the emotional outbursts and personal insults that we weren’t able to prevent. To avoid speculations, I would like to emphasize that the meeting was the idea of our office, and we call on ruling out any political subtext. We will continue to provide our comprehensive contributions to help shape a stronger homeland,” the statement by the spiritual superintendent of the organization and the director of the Central Office, Archimandrtie Tovma Khachatryan reads.