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His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia has addressed a letter to Armenia’s Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan opposing the government plan to shut down the ministry and fold its mission into the Foreign Ministry.

Highly valuing the great work carried out by the institution so far, Aram I expressed hope the new government would stay focused on the Diaspora.

“I believe taking into account the strategic significance of the existence of the Diaspora Ministry which at the same time has symbolic meaning, the latter is sometimes much more vital than the strategic or political ones,” he said in an interview to Yerkir Media.

“It’s important for the Diaspora to have a Diaspora ministry,” he added.

Catholicos Aram I says the dissolution of the ministry may spark negative reactions among the Diaspora Armenians.

“Our approach toward the Diaspora should be different, since if we have around 3 million Armenians in Armenia, the remaining 7-8 million Armenians live in the Diaspora,” Aram I said, stressing during the past years the Diaspora Ministry has carried out enormous work which should be appreciated.