Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II congratulated Berge Setrakian for his two decades of serving as the president of the AGBU on October 12, the final day of the charitable organization’s general assembly in New York.

The Armenian Apostolic Church Supreme Patriarch said he is confident that incoming AGBU President Sam Simonian will continue to lead the organization with the same zeal and effectiveness.

Catholicos Karekin II emphasized that the AGBU has made a great contribution to the progress of Armenia, both during the Soviet years and after the re-establishment of independent statehood and has implemented praiseworthy projects for the building and strengthening of the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh.

He noted the AGBU’s assistance to support Armenians displaced from Artsakh.

Commenting on the security challenges facing the Armenian people today, Catholicos Karekin II said: "In such a situation, the disunity and division in our national life are worrying, which are an obstacles to the consolidation of the national potential of the motherland, the normal development of Armenia-Diaspora relations, confronting the most serious problems and preserving the national identity, which have always been the priorities of the Armenian Benevolent General Union.”