Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I has urged the Vatican to use all possible means to secure the release of Artsakh’s illegally detained leaders in Baku, Azerbaijan, while also calling attention to Azerbaijan’s treatment of Armenians, the safeguarding of Armenian churches and cultural monuments, and the misrepresentation of Artsakh’s history in international forums as Vatican–Azerbaijan relations deepen.
During a meeting with Cardinal George Jacob Cuvacat, Pope Leon XIV’s envoy and head of the Vatican’s department for inter-religious relations, held on September 18, 2025, in Astana, Kazakhstan, on the sidelines of an international summit, Aram I raised urgent concerns regarding Artsakh’s Armenians and their heritage.
The Catholicos emphasized that alongside strengthening inter-church relations, cooperation between the Vatican and the Catholicosate of Cilicia should also expand into broader interfaith dialogue. He warned that as ties develop between the Vatican and Azerbaijan, the approach of Azerbaijani authorities toward Artsakh’s Armenians, their churches, and cultural monuments remains in clear contradiction with both historical truth and current realities.
Aram I recalled that earlier this year, during a conference at the Gregorian University in Rome, Artsakh’s Armenian presence had been misrepresented with claims far removed from historical fact. He stressed that such distortions further highlight the urgency of Vatican engagement on this issue.
The Catholicos presented two specific proposals to the Vatican representative: first, that the Vatican must consistently remind Azerbaijan and the international community of the vital importance of safeguarding Armenian churches and historical-cultural monuments in accordance with international law; and second, that the Vatican should pursue, by all possible means, the immediate release of Artsakh’s illegally imprisoned political and national leaders currently held in Baku.
These include former Presidents Arkadi Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, and Arayik Harutyunyan, former State Minister Ruben Vardanyan, Parliament Speaker Davit Ishkhanyan, former Foreign Minister Davit Babayan, former Defense Minister Levon Mnatsakanyan, and former Deputy Commander of the Defense Army Davit Manukyan, who, along with other Armenian prisoners of war and civilian captives, face fabricated charges and sham trials in Azerbaijan.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Aram I expressed satisfaction that Pope Leon XIV will soon visit Lebanon, where he will have the opportunity to personally raise these issues with the Pope.
The meeting was also attended by Archbishop Mesrob Sarkissian, Primate of the Armenian Diocese of the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and the surrounding region.
