I Will Be Here for a Maximum of One Month, I Will Return to Dadivank: Father Hovhannes Details

Father Hovhannes Khachaturyan, the abbot of Dadivank, has been temporarily relocated to the Holy Trinity Church by the decree of His Holiness Garegin II, Catholicos of All Armenians. In an interview with NEWS.am, Father Hovhannes emphasized that his move is due to health issues.

"I have previously served in this church, I will be here for a maximum of one month, and after that, I will return to Dadivank. As soon as I recover, I will immediately return there," he noted.

Currently, Father Hovhannes is being replaced at Dadivank. He pointed out that he cannot specify how many people are there but assured that there are many clergy members present. "I was warmly welcomed here; the people know me and are very happy, but I do not intend to stay here. I must go back to Dadivank; I serve in the Artsakh Diocese. They arranged my leave so that I could come and address my health issues. I will recover and leave because I had been taking care of Dadivank day and night for two months with the boys," added the abbot of Dadivank.

It is worth noting that according to a joint statement by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan, Armenia was supposed to return the Kelbajar region to Azerbaijan by November 15, 2020. However, according to media reports, the handover was delayed by ten days at the request of the Armenian side. On November 11, Father Hovhannes stated that the President of the Artsakh Republic, Arayik Harutyunyan, had called him and said, "Do not touch Dadivank, do not touch the crosses, we will not give Dadivank."