Presided Over By His Holiness Catholicos Aram I

Cilicia Analytical Platform Holds Emergency Meeting on Middle East War

The Cilicia Analytical Platform convened an extraordinary online meeting on the evening of March 5, 2026, presided over by His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC). The sole agenda of the meeting was the war in the Middle East and its consequences.

His Holiness Catholicos Aram I briefed participants on his recent telephone consultations with the spiritual and community leaders of the Armenian dioceses in Iran, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, and Syria. He particularly addressed the situation in the three Armenian diocesan regions in Iran and the increasingly unpredictable situation in Lebanon.

Analysts of the Platform presented military and political assessments of the causes, objectives, and unprecedented scale of the current regional escalation. Discussions focused on the potential implications for Armenians, including the circumstances surrounding the missile reportedly launched toward Nakhichevan, the exploitation of the Kurdish factor, and Turkey’s strategic ambitions. Experts also examined the possibility that Baku might take advantage of the situation to initiate actions against Armenia.

His Holiness Catholicos Aram I emphasized the importance of closely monitoring and objectively evaluating the various dimensions of the ongoing wars worldwide through the analyses provided by the Platform’s experts. The meeting noted that Armenian dioceses of the Middle East—including the three dioceses in Iran, as well as those in Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and the Gulf, Lebanon, and Syria—are operating within regions affected by conflict. It reaffirmed the directive previously issued by His Holiness, urging diocesan leaders in these areas to take all necessary measures to safeguard Armenian communities and to remain attentive to their needs and concerns.

The Platform will continue to convene online meetings dedicated to this agenda in order to monitor the situation affecting Armenian communities across the Middle East and to explore ways to address the consequences of the current crisis for the Armenian people.

This news was originally published on the Website of the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia, Antelias - Lebanon.