Catholicos Aram I receives US Ambassador Michel Issa in Antelias

Catholicos Aram I of the Great House of Cilicia received the United States Ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa, at the Catholicosate headquarters in Antelias on 15 October, Asbarez reports, citing a statement from the Catholicosate.

During the meeting, which lasted about two hours, the two discussed the current situation in Lebanon. At its close, Aram I said it is "a great privilege for Lebanon to have an ambassador of Lebanese origin" who knows the country's issues and is directly connected with the US president, and that Lebanon should make the most of that for its diplomacy.

The visit came weeks after President Donald Trump hosted Armenian religious leaders at the White House.

The Armenian Church has long been part of Lebanon's Christian fabric, and its voice for a stable, sovereign Lebanon with strong Western partnerships carries weight.