YEREVAN. – Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II, accompanied by the members of the clergy, visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan. They were maintaining a social distance.
The clergy, led by the Catholicos, sang the Lord's Prayer at the Eternal Flame, incensed, and then the Catholicos of All Armenians offered a prayer to God.
Live piano music is played at the Genocide memorial from the morning.
The political and spiritual elite are laying wreaths at the memorial, and then red roses—at the Eternal Flame.
Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his wife Anna Hakobyan, President Armen Sarkissian, National Assembly speaker Ararat Mirzoyan and his wife and, and Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) President-elect Arayik Harutyunyan have so far visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial.
The memorial will not be full of people this year, for the first time. All the roads leading to it are closed due to the COVID-19 epidemic, until 10pm Saturday.
Starting at 8am on Friday, however, people can send an SMS to the number 1915 from Armenia, and 0037433191500—from abroad. The names of the persons who send an SMS will be reflected on the columns of the memorial, thus announcing their symbolic participation and respect for the Holy Martyrs of Armenian Genocide.
