President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian will pay an official visit to the Holy See along with his wife, Mrs. Nouneh Sarkissian, the Staff of the President of Armenia reports.

During the visit, President Sarkissian is scheduled to hold personal talks with Pope Francis.

President Sarkissian will also have a meeting with Secretary of State of the Holy See Cardinal Pietro Parolin during which the parties will discuss issues related to cooperation in the areas of culture, science and humanitarian issues, as well as inter-church cooperation.

During the visit, Sarkissian will be hosted by the Pontifical Council for Culture of the Holy See and will meet with and discuss the deepening of cultural cooperation with President of the Pontifical Council for Culture Gianfranco Ravasi. The meeting will be followed by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Armenia and the Pontifical Council for Culture of the Holy See in the cultural sector.