A delegation from the ADL Lebanese Regional Board, headed by Central Board member and Lebanese Regional Board chairman Dr. Avedis Dakesian, visited Catholicos Aram I of the Great House of Cilicia on the morning of 14 January at the Antelias monastery.
The delegation conveyed the greetings of the ADL Central Board to His Holiness. The Board highly commended His Holiness’s proclamation of 2022 as the “Year of the Diaspora.” It also declared that it would continue to support all steps aimed at improving the socio-economic condition of the Lebanese-Armenian community. Issues of concern to the Armenian people were discussed, such as Lebanon’s economic conditions, the political situation in Armenia and Artsakh, the start of Armenia-Turkey negotiations, and the internal state of the Party.
His Holiness, for his part, noted that by proclaiming the “Year of the Diaspora,” he wished to mobilise the diaspora to emerge from its stagnant state and to revitalise the structures of the diaspora. He stressed the importance of assisting our nation’s children in remaining attached to the Lebanese homeland, which has given us much and which we must not desert. Rather, by joining hands we must rise and assist our people’s children in securing dignified living conditions for them. In the case of Armenia, the preservation of unity is the greatest guarantee of our success and of weathering this crisis with the least damage. His Holiness stressed the importance of consultation among all national structures, between the homeland and the diaspora, before making fateful decisions.
At the end of the meeting, which lasted one hour, the parties promised to continue communicating in order to overcome all the obstacles facing our people.
Beirut, 14 January 2022
