YEREVAN, OCTOBER 29, ARMENPRESS. Pope Francis awarded President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian with the Grand Collar of the Papal Order of Pius IX for his contributions to the development of the relations between the Holy See and Armenia, as well as for being the first Ambassador of Armenia to the Vatican, the Armenian Presidential Office reports.

“The Pope instructed me to hand over to you the highest order of Vatican. This is a testimony to the unique relations existing between our countries. By opening an Apostolic Nunciature in Yerevan, we want to establish high-level relations and show to the world the importance of the first Christian nation in the history for us”, Substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State at the Holy See Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, who has recently visited Armenia, said.

He informed that President Sarkissian is the first both in Armenia and the region who receives such an order.

“I accept it as an appreciation of my modest work and also as a recognition of the fact that I have been Armenia’s first Ambassador to the Holy See. I have always worked for the close relations between Armenia and Vatican. Therefore, I accept this, promising to do more”, the Armenian President said, adding that it’s a great honor for receiving such an award.

The President proposed to mark the 30-year-old diplomatic ties between Armenia and the Holy See with a new exhibition, aimed at once again highlighting the rich historical and cultural heritage. “That would be one more way of telling about the relations between our states and an occasion to talk about the future”, Armen Sarkissian said.