Patriarch Raphael Bedros XXI Menasayan, Catholicos Patriarch of Cilicia for the Armenian Catholics, received the Ambassador of Saudi Arabia, Walid Bukhari, in the presence of Bishop George Asadourian, the Patriarchal Assistant, and the responsible media figures Siobhan Ghrapedian, Aram Saado Abrahamian, and Charbel Bastouri, head of public relations, at the Patriarchate headquarters in Beirut.
At the outset, Patriarch Menasayan delivered a speech welcoming the Ambassador, stating: "It is our pleasure to host you in this ecclesiastical edifice that embraces everyone in the spirit of love, meeting, and human brotherhood, virtues that our church has dedicated itself to since its establishment. Your presence here with us is a testament to the concept of meeting."
He added: "You know well the burdens we carry in Lebanon and are aware of the suffering of the Armenian people in Artsakh. Therefore, we ask for your intervention in the Artsakh issue and to work towards finding peaceful solutions for its peaceful people who love life and others because international and Arab intervention has become necessary to resolve these issues in Artsakh.
We also fully recognize the love of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for our country, Lebanon, and we ask it to work for its recovery."
In response, Ambassador Bukhari expressed his gratitude to Patriarch Menasayan for his kindness and warm welcome, wishing him, the Church, and the nation a joyous birth. He expressed confidence that Lebanon indeed possesses the intellectual and human capacity to overcome crises and remove challenges, affirming his country's commitment to Lebanon's political and security stability and its economy.
The two sides also discussed many topics of interest to Lebanon, including the presidential election issue, which could help Lebanon return to its role and embrace its Arab identity and active neutrality.
