Your Holiness, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia!

Your Excellency, Mr President, Russia!

Venerable fathers, dear brothers and sisters in Christ!

With prayer of thanksgiving on my lips We arrived in Moscow - the glorious capital of Russia to participate in an awards ceremony and receive from the hands of our beloved brother in Christ, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Kirill Award International Foundation for Unity of Orthodox Peoples, which is another expression of the friendly relations between the our people in faith, church and state. We accept this award as evidence of high importance that the Russian Orthodox Church attaches to the mission of the Armenian Church in the life of the Armenian people in the Christian world. With a sense of spiritual gratitude thank you, Your Holiness, President of the Fund and members of the Board of Trustees. We are particularly delighted and honored to receive such a high premium, together with President of Russia, honorable, Dmitry Medvedev. The prize is dear to us also that the approved name venerable Patriarch Alexy II. Shone in our hearts the memory of a worthy and deserved the ministers of the Altar of the Holy Sepulcher, have made a great contribution to the revival of the spiritual life of Russia and to the strengthening of fraternal ties and cooperation between our Churches.

By the will of God blessed brotherhood of our Churches, based on a pillar of the love of Christ, blessed by the friendship of our peoples, and common interests of our countries have become. Centuries of Russian-Armenian friendship was forged and tempered in the common struggle of our people, they were shoulder to shoulder, forged and tempered in the co-creation. She is certified by the spiritual, cultural, political, economic ties, intellectual and scientific achievements, irreversible and constantly evolving collaboration, she entered the family home. Indeed, geographical distance does not become an obstacle and not an obstacle to the inviolability of the Union of our countries, whose borders are built on the cornerstone of friendship same faith of our people.

Today, our nations are at a historic reform, confident and optimistic about creating one new life with the hope of a brighter coming. The rich traditions of friendship to help unite our efforts for the strengthening of our countries, the welfare and happiness of our peoples. We should further strengthen the mission of our churches, their interaction, because now more important than the revival of spiritual life. Only the power of faith in God, the power of spiritual and moral values in the hearts of the people approve an irreversible commitment to the common good, and the fundamental principles of peace, justice, the right to live freely bestow their good fruit. Truly, life-giving Word of God and enduring Act, written by "the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts" (2 Cor. 3:3) will lead people to the irrigated world Bank and the blessed refuge.

Beloved brother in Christ, we welcome all the initiatives that Your Holiness has for adoption in public life, spiritual values and Christian upbringing of the younger generation, the development of Christian responses to the questions that concern the life of modern man - as well as your efforts to build interfaith relations for the sake of peace and harmony between peoples.

On this bright day, renewing the soul gospel Christmas, once again express our gratitude for the award us a prize, and pray to God our Savior, so that the shadow of His grace and blessings bestowed upon you, Your Holiness, longevity and success of primatial service for the prosperity of our Christian faith and the Russian Holy Orthodox Church.

Asking for blessings and gifts of our Lord for you, dear Dmitry, and wish you many years in good health, brave deeds and victories in the name of Russia and its God-loving citizens.

May the love and guidance of God ever accompany our people, statesmen of our country, faithful to the clergy of our churches, so that our lives and deeds glorified God, improving our homeland so that our friendship has remained strong and everlasting.

At the end of glad to report that initiated the construction of a new Russian Orthodox Church in Yerevan, in connection with what we ask the board of trustees of the Fund to transfer our prize fund construction of the temple.

Yes abide grace, love and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ with us now and forever!

Amen.