Russian Orthodox Patriarch Visits Armenia

Patriarch Kirill (Gundyayev) of Moscow has completed his second visit to Armenia as head of the Russian Orthodox Church. During his time in Armenia Patriarch Kirill met with Catholicos-Patriarch Karekin II (Nersessian) of the Armenian Orthodox Church and Armenian President Serzh Sargsian. He also participated in meetings with other Transcaucasian religious leaders and in a session of the Interreligious Council of the Commonwealth of Independent States. More here and here.

Catholicos Karekin Visits Moscow, Blesses New Cathedral

This past Sunday Catholicos-Patriarch Karekin II (Nersessian) of Echmiadzin visited Moscow to bless the crosses of the large Armenian Orthodox cathedral under construction there. Bishop Ezras (Nersisyan) of Novo-Nakhichevan participated in the service with Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Volokolamsk of the Russian Orthodox Church also in attendance together with Armenian President Serzh Sargsian and other representatives of the Armenian government and the Armenian Diaspora in Russia. More here.

Armenia Frees Opposition Leaders

The Armenian Parliament has approved a general amnesty that will free most members of opposition parties currently being detained in Armenia's jails. The move comes as part of a dialogue between Armenian President Serzh Sargsian and opposition movements in the country. More here.

Armenia Seeks Ties with Turkey "Without Preconditions"

Armenian President Serzh Sargsian has reiterated his government's desire to establish normal diplomatic relations with neighboring Turkey "without preconditions." More here.

Armenian President Meets with Patriarch Irinej of Pech

During his state visit to Serbia President Serzh Sargsian of Armenia has met with Patriarch Irinej (Gavrilovich) of Pech in the Serbian capital Belgrade. During the meeting the two discussed church life in Serbia and Armenia and President Sargsyan noted the role of Armenian peacekeepers in Kosovo in protecting its ancient churches and monasteries. More here.

Armenian President Greets Assyrians with New Year

Armenian President Serzh Serzh Sargsian has greeted his country's small Assyrian minority with their New Year, which began today. In addition to wishing them the best in the New Year, President Serzh Sargsian also wished that Armenia's Assyrians would see "new success and new achievements...so that the inheritors of the ancient and great Assyrian cultural heritage in Armenia not only preserve it, but also further develop and enrich their native tongue and culture." More here.

Armenia, Artsakh, and Abkhazia in the News

President Serzh Sargsian of Armenia has repeated Armenia's intention not to recognize the independence of South Ossetia, Abkhazia, and Kosovo until the status of the Armenian Republic of Artsakh on the territory of what was Nagorno-Karabakh and southwestern Azerbaijan. Although the governments of Armenia and Artsakh are close the former does not formally recognize Artsakh's independence from Azerbaijan in the hope of resolving the dispute between Azerbaijan and its former region peacefully. More on President Sargsian's statements here.

In other news, representatives of Abkhazia's Armenian minority recently met with President Sergey Bagapsh of Abkhazia to discuss the role of the community in developing the country. More on that here. The Armenian government, despite its reluctance to recognize Abkhazian independence, is active in supporting that country's Armenian minority, as evidenced by its recent donation of Armenian-language books to Abkhazia's Armenian schools.

And lastly, the Russian government has given Abkhazia a loan of $67 million to rehabilitate its railway system, which was damaged during the country's war for independence with Georgia. More on that here.