Catholicos Garegin II today received William Parker, President and CEO of the EastWest Institute (New York, USA) at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

The EastWest Institute (EWI) bills itself as a “global network of influential stakeholders committed to and engaged in building trust and preventing conflict around the world.”

Mr. Parker, according to a statement released by the Etchmiadzin See, presented to His Holiness the goals of the Institute's activities and the organization's programs in the fields of cyber security, preventive diplomacy, economic and regional security.

During their meeting, the two discussed the plight of Christian communities in the Middle East, the situation of minorities in Turkey, and the steps taken by the Armenian Church to facilitate a peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

Armenian President Armen Sarkissian is an EWI Vice Chairman, Emeritus.