ARMENIAN PRESIDENT NAMED VISIT OF POPE JOHN II TO ARMENIA AS HISTORIC EVENT

The Armenian President Robert Kocharian termed the forthcoming September 25-26 visit of Pope John II to Armenia as historic. In an interview to the Italian Avvenire daily the President stressed, that Armenia highly appreciates the role of Vatican not only as a spiritual center, but as human rights protector, advocate of keeping up the stability and peace in the world, Robert Kocharian said.

While commenting the Armenian genocide of 1915 in Ottoman Turkey, the Armenian President welcomed the communiquИ adopted in 2000 by the Rome Pope John II and Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II. The President named this communiquИ the evidence of implicit adherence of Vatican to human values. During the past several years parliaments of many of the states, as well as cities adopted resolutions condemning Genocide of Armenia, the president said. "I think that visit of the Pope John II of memorial to the victims of Armenia genocide will again attract the attention of civilized world to this crime against humanity, and prevention of such crimes in the future."