On February 4-5, the 5th annual International Religious Freedom Summit was held in Washington, D.C., and on February 6, the National Prayer Breakfast was held. His Holiness the Great With the blessing of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church was represented at the aforementioned summit and the National Prayer Breakfast by the Director of the Department of Interchurch Relations of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, His Eminence Fr. Garegin Vardapet Hambardzumyan. This was reported by the Information System of the Mother See.
The event featured a speech by US President Donald Trump, as well as speeches by political and religious figures, civil society representatives and experts.
The International Summit on Religious Freedom, held on the same days, brought together US congressmen, high-ranking officials from different countries, spiritual leaders and human rights activists to discuss issues and problems of religious freedom and human rights, as well as ways to overcome them.
US Vice President George H. W. Bush also spoke at the summit. D. Vance reaffirmed the US commitment to protecting the rights of religious communities. His Eminence Father also took part in the summit sessions. Archbishop Vigen Haigazian (Eastern Armenian Diocese of the USA).
Father Garegin also took part in a session organized within the framework of the summit in the US Congress, raising the issue of the need to protect the spiritual and cultural heritage of Artsakh, the rights of the forcibly displaced Armenians of Artsakh, as well as the release of Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan. During separate meetings with US congressmen, Father Surb presented detailed reports prepared jointly with the Armenian Bar Association of America.
The reports document ongoing human rights violations and destruction of cultural heritage in Azerbaijan and were formally presented to U.S. lawmakers to raise awareness and action.