Invisible sides of Armenian and Azerbaijani spiritual leaders’ meeting (video)
Current spiritual leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan will meet for already the 6th time. The meeting of His Holiness Garegin II and Allahshukur Pashazadeh is planned in Moscow with the initiative of Patriarch Kirill. “I think this meeting is necessary for Russians,” says Levon Shirinyan. The main topic of the meeting will be Artsakh issue. Similar meeting was held on April 26, 2010 in Baku. After World Summit of Religious Leaders, Garegin II met with Ilham Aliyev, which was preceded by the meeting of religious leaders of Azerbaijan and Russia on Artsakh issue. After the meeting Garegin II said in Baku, “Peace is our route, our way. War is not only evil for humanity, but is also evil before God.” All over the world religious leaders often try to contribute to the resolution of conflicts using their reputation. Pope uses every chance to make calls for stopping war in Syria. Levon Shirinyan says, “In the politics church has no role, I mean Artsakh issue. Vice versa, there is an inner need to raise the spirit of the people, arrange the state.” The political expert is surprised by the participation of Armenian church in the political processes. That participation was welcome only when Armenians didn’t have an independent state. Levon Shirinyan says, “Now when we have a state, what is Catholicos supposed to do? Supreme Patriarch had better deal with problems of the people, which he doesn’t do.” Whether it is spiritual leaders’ meeting or resumption of negotiations on presidents’ level, Artsakh issue resolution isn’t close. It is another matter that any meeting between Armenians and Azerbaijanis serves concrete purpose. Political expert Sergey Minasyan says, “Even when you know that the adversary is going to resume military activities at any time, [meetings] are meaningful, because if there are no meetings, the possibility of different level military escalation, starting from diversion to large-scale war, is increasing.” Religious leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan will meet at the permission of presidents.
