Wednesday, January 13 2016 09:56

The Foreign Ministry of Armenia reports that Yerevan sees no need for additional comments following the Russian Orthodox Church's clarification on the statement of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, RFE/RL Armenian Service reports. 

To note, the Christmas interview of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, in which he said that the Christian minorities were not annihilated in Ottoman Turkey, caused serious discontent in the public and political circles of Armenia.  

Afterwards the Russian Orthodox Church made clarifications saying that the stand of the Russian Orthodox Church on the matter of the Armenian Genocide remains unchanged.

"Our church's stand on the issue of the Armenian Genocide has repeatedly been expressed in numerous official statements and addresses of the Patriarch. The vivid evidence of our stand is the Russian Orthodox Church's participation in the important events of the Armenian Apostolic Church at the highest level - the Patriarch's participation in the consecration of the Armenian cathedral in Moscow, the visit of the Russian Church's delegation to Yerevan and participation in the Armenian Genocide Centenary events last year," the head of the patriarchal press office said. 

The head of the press office of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Vahram Melikyan, said that the clarification was issued in response to the request of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. "The Russian Orthodox Church has always supported the process of recognition of the Armenian Genocide. One thing is clear - one should not politicize the issue, because one cannot judge about the stand of the church by one statement taken out of the context, especially as that Church has repeatedly expressed its stand and supported Armenian people, Armenian church and our motherland," he said.