Catholicos of All Armenians Receives Director of Moscow State University’s Institute for Asian and African Studies
15.03.2025
On March 15, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, received a delegation led by Professor Alexey Maslov, Director of the Institute of Asian and African Studies of the Moscow State University (MSU), at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. Professor Ruben Melkonyan, Dean of the Faculty of Oriental Studies of the Yerevan State University (YSU), accompanied the delegation.
The meeting was attended by His Eminence Archbishop Nathan Hovhannisyan, Director of the External Relations and Protocol Department of the Mother See, and His Eminence Archbishop Ezras Nersisyan, Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Russia and New Nakhichevan.
Mr. Melkonyan introduced the guests and briefed His Holiness on the established cooperation between the two institutions, which aims to create a Bachelor’s program in Armenian Studies (Armenology) at MSU’s Institute for Asian and African Studies.
The Supreme Patriarch expressed his satisfaction with the cooperation between the two universities, stressing that the proposed program in Armenian Studies will foster collaboration in education, culture, and science, deepen mutual understanding, and strengthen the friendship between the two fraternal nations.
Mr. Maslov expressed his gratitude to the Armenian Patriarch for the warm reception. He discussed the prospects for training Armenologists and promoting the study of Armenian culture, language, and history, emphasizing the importance of close cooperation with the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and the Armenian Diocese of Russia and New Nakhichevan.
In response, His Holiness emphasized that the Armenian Church would offer full support for the successful implementation of the Armenian Studies program.
