His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians today received newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to Armenia John Gallagher at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

During the meeting, the Catholicos of All Armenians touched upon the second war in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and the dire consequences, and in terms of overcoming the current challenges and putting an end to the recent provocative actions on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, His Holiness also noted the importance of an appropriate response and evaluation from the international community.

The parties particularly discussed the release of Armenian prisoners of war being kept in Azerbaijan and their return to Armenia, as well as issues related to the barbaric acts against the spiritual, historical and cultural heritage of the Diocese of Artsakh in the territories that are now under the control of Azerbaijan and the falsification of pertinence of Armenian shrines.