On March 8, RA Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan met in Cairo with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmad Muhammad Al-Tayyeb.

Referring to the Armenian community of Egypt, which has a centuries-old history, the interlocutors agreed that it made an essential contribution to the development of Egypt. Satisfaction was expressed regarding the friendship between the Armenian and Egyptian peoples based on mutual respect and trust, as well as the developing cooperation between the two countries, the best manifestation of which was the first visit of the Egyptian president to Armenia in February.

The implementation of joint initiatives in the direction of the presentation of the rich religious and historical-cultural heritage was emphasized on both sides.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of RA and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar emphasized the inadmissibility of intolerance and discrimination on national and religious grounds and highlighted the efforts to fight extremism and hate speech.

Referring to the security situation in the South Caucasus and the existing challenges, Minister Mirzoyan considered the speculations of the religious factor by Azerbaijan unacceptable, as well as the groundless attempts to disrupt the traditionally warm relations between Armenia and the Armenian people and the Arab world. The minister referred to the humanitarian crisis created in Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of the blocking of the Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan and the imperative of its solution.

Minister Mirzoyan also presented to the interlocutor the latest developments in the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the efforts of the Armenian side to establish peace in the region, and the statements and actions of Azerbaijan in recent days that threaten to destabilize the situation.

In turn, the Grand Imam reaffirmed the position regarding the establishment of peace in the South Caucasus, referring to his statements since October 2020. In the context of calls for tolerance between peoples in the region, Ahmad Muhammad Al-Tayyeb also mentioned the message of the Grand Imam, Sheikh Selim, during the days of the Armenian Genocide to save the Armenians and not participate in the massacres.