Armenia is attentive to its citizens anywhere in the world and reacts appropriately if their rights are violated. This was stated by Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan at the budget discussion in the parliamentary committees, commenting on the situation around the Armenian neighborhood of “Koveru Partez” (“Cow Garden”) in Jerusalem.
“If the need for evacuation arises, we evacuate. At least, this has happened several times during the short period of my leadership of the ministry,” Mirzoyan said.
The Foreign Minister explained that as far as the “Koveru Partez” part is concerned, the problem is that the Jerusalem Patriarchate, a legal entity, leased its land plot but later changed its mind. At the moment there is a lawsuit in progress.
How did the conflict at Coveru Partez begin?
In July 2021, AAC Patriarch of Jerusalem Nurhan Manukyan and two monks signed an agreement with XANA on behalf of the Armenian Patriarchate, giving it a 99-year lease on a plot of land in “Koveru Partez” (“Cow Garden”), located in the Armenian Quarter. The plot was given for the construction of a luxury hotel, with the right to demolish several historical buildings.
However, the fraternity of patriarchy stated that the transaction was invalid because Patriarch Nurhan Manukyan did not have the right to make a sole decision. He was obliged to convene a Dispensational Assembly and ratify the document at the General Meeting of the Congregation. The monks who signed the document also had no authority to do so. Moreover, the original discussion was about leasing the territory for 25 years, not 99. The dubious deal sparked protests among the local Armenian community and clergy.
Under public pressure, as well as after the calls of Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II and Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I, on November 1, 2023, Manukyan canceled the deal, and the community's lawyers appealed to the court to recognize it as illegal.
After that, a number of attacks were launched against the Armenian community. Without waiting for the court's decision, Israeli settlers, with the support of the police, periodically invade Koveru Partez, where they provoke clashes with Armenian activists and representatives of the Armenian clergy.
Reprinted from https://am.sputniknews.ru/
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