According to media reports, Azerbaijan has applied to the Russian side to replace the Armenian clergy in Dadivank with Russian clergy and hand over the Dadivank to the Russian Orthodox Church in Baku and the Azerbaijani Diocese. Aravot asked the director of the Inter-Church Relations Department of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Fr. Shahe Ananyan, to comment on the topic.
“We do not rule out the accuracy of this information. Nevertheless, we should not forget that the service of the Armenian clergy in Dadivank became possible only due to the mediation efforts of Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus’ Kirill I and the direct intervention of the President of the Russian Federation. At the same time, we have seen the clear position of the Russian Orthodox Church in the basic principles of the church and canon, which was expressed during the numerous trilateral meetings of the leaders concerned for the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict,” Father Shahe told Aravot.
Earlier, the Primate of the Artsakh Diocese, Bishop Vrtanes Abrahamyan, also addressed the topic. The bishop said that the Azerbaijanis are trying to do everything to establish full control over Dadivank. And he thinks that the Azerbaijani side had such intention.
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Gohar HAKOBYAN
