Trump Calls Catholicos Aram I, Voices Support for Artsakh Issue and Regional Peace

Republican presidential candidate and former president Donald Trump telephoned His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia on Friday and voiced his support for the Artsakh issue and the establishment of peace in the region, the Cilician Catholicosate announced in a statement on Saturday.

“President Trump voiced his great appreciation to His Holiness for his leadership and expressed his full support for the issue of Artsakh and the establishment of complete peace within the region. He also warmly welcomed the Armenians of the United States as an organized, active and powerful community,” the Catholicosate said in a statement.

In his turn Aram I, according to the statement, expressed his appreciation to Trump for his recent public statement in support of the rights of Artsakh Armenians, while, at the same time, emphasizing the importance of the United States’ global role, especially at this critical juncture amid global crises.

According to the statement, the Catholicos voiced his expectations to Trump.

“It is imperative for the new government of the United States to express full support to the just demands of the Armenians of Artsakh to return to their historical lands and to reassert their right to self-determination, while demanding accountability for the genocide committed against the Armenians of Artsakh,” the Catholicos told Trump, according to the statement.

“It is necessary for there to be a suitable person representing the American Armenian community in the new government,” Aram I added.

The pontiff also suggested that it was imperative to consult with the Eastern and Western Prelacies, as well as the Armenian National Committee of America, regarding these issues.

The Catholicosate also announced that, having learned about Aram I’s pontifical visit to Detroit from the media, two high-level Trump officials met with the Catholicos in his hotel and conveyed the former president’s greetings and his readiness to establish ties with the Catholicos.

Reacting to the news of the Trump phone call with the Catholicos, the ANCA, in a social media post, welcomed “the centering of Artsakh in our American electoral arena, including via this recent exchange between His Holiness Aram I & former President Trump.”

“We have also welcomed engagement by VP Harris & look forward to her renewed personal outreach,” the ANCA added.

On Friday, the ANCA said it has consistently engaged with both campaigns to elevate Artsakh to the national policy stage and welcomes statements of support by both candidates on issues of concern to Armenian-American voters.

The ANCA has declined to endorse either candidate, given that the Trump Administration provided military assistance to Azerbaijan in the lead up to the 2020 Artsakh War, and the Harris-Biden Administration’s failure to prevent or respond to Azerbaijan’s blockade and ethnic cleansing of Artsakh last year.

The ANCA stated that it remains engaged with both candidates to ensure they act on their commitments to the Armenian-American community after Tuesday’s elections.