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Prince Charles condemned the destruction of the Der Zor Armenian Genocide Memorial during a visit Wednesday to the St. Yeghiche Armenian Church, Asbarez reports.

Prince Charles visited St. Yegiche Armenian Church on Wednesday as part of his efforts to raise international awareness about persecution of Christians in the Middle East, among them Armenian communities, which have been impacted by unrest in Iraq and Syria.

“It is literally heartbreaking to learn of the attacks on Christians and on the churches where they gather, such as the mindless, brutal destruction of the Armenian church in Deir el-Zor earlier this year,” said Prince Charles during remarks at the church.

The London community gathered for this special visit. Also present was Armenia’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom Dr. Armen Sarkisian.

He went on to praise those who’ve suffered for standing up to adversity: “I greatly admire the courage and faith of your flock who are an example to us all of faith quite literally under such grotesque and barbarous assault.”

Earlier this month the Prince gave a video message for the charity Aid to the Church in Need to launch their report into “Religious Freedom in the World.”

At the time he said: “The horrendous and heart-breaking events in Iraq and Syria have brought the subject of religious freedom and persecution to the forefront of the world’s news.

“It is an indescribable tragedy that Christianity is now under such threat in the Middle East; an area where Christians have lived for 2,000 years, and across which Islam spread in 700AD, with people of different faiths living together peaceably for centuries.”

In December 2013 the Prince expressed concern about the current challenges facing Christians in some Middle-Eastern nations and visited the Coptic Orthodox Church Centre in Stevenage and the Syrian Orthodox Church in Acton to find out more.