Friday, December 8 2017 14:42

ArmInfo. The statement of US President Donald Trump about Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel caused serious concern both on the international scene and in the religious community. T

his was stated on December 8 in the conversation with journalists in Yerevan by the head of the press office of the Holy Echmiadzin, priest Ter-Vahram Melikyan.  "In this regard, the Holy See of Etchmiadzin has already expressed its concern, and spiritual leaders of our sister churches in Jerusalem, including the Patriarch of the AAC in Jerusalem, addressed a letter to President Trump with a call to revoke the decision. destabilization of the fragile peace that exists, as this decision is fraught with new clashes and the outbreak of the  Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "We believe that this decision can give  a new impetus to this unresolved conflict, and we see the danger in  this. In addition, Jerusalem is quite a complex city, and there were  many disputes about its belonging, up to the fact that the UN at one  time made a relevant decision on its status, "Ter-Vahram said. .

In his words, the AAC, in addition to the problem of the conflict,  also sees a lot of issues related to rights, as Christian churches  and other religious groups have different rights, including those  related to estates.  Therefore, according to the representative of  the Armenian Apostolic Church, changes in the status may bring chaos  to this issue. "And until decisions are made between parties, the  detailed steps carry a serious threat and are fraught with  unpredictable consequences. They can be bitter not only for the  Palestinians and Israelis, but also for the churches living there and  constantly fighting for their rights, "Ter-Vahram said." In this  context, he added that the question of the ownership of estates is  already settled, but the change in the status of Jerusalem can lead  to new realities.

The priest also did not begin to assess the policy of Israel  regarding estates. "We have a lot of examples when different Israeli  institutions, we are not talking about state institutions, tried to  take certain steps, and while these estates are many, they  sufficiently large-scale, similar questions will arise. But, our goal  today, at all costs, to preserve and protect our property, for which  we fought for centuries, "- concluded Ter- Vahram.