Azerbaijani official says Moscow Patriarchy's statement concerning Nagorno-Karabakh church is irresponsibile

Chairman of the State Committee for Work with Religious Associations of Azerbaijan Hidayat Orujov says the statement by Moscow Patriarchy spokesman Philip claiming that the church in Nagorno-Karabakh is an Armenian churches is irresponsible.

Orujov says he regretted about the statement by the Moscow Patriarchy’s official on foreign churches.

“It is irresponsible statement. Nagorno-Karabakh is an Azerbaijani land. Why they put Nagorno-Karabakh church on same line with the Yerevan and Gumru churches? I don’t know a person who have ever made this statement. He used inaccurate, hasty phrase which could be understood differently”.

Orujov said he discussed this issue with Bishop of Baku and Caspian Eparchy Alexander.

“I made serious remarks in a phone conversation with him. He promised to study the issue and inform about that”.

Moscow Patriarchy’s spokesman Philip Ryabikh, who spoke about the upcoming visit of the Russian Patriarch Cyril to Armenian in March at a press conference in Moscow on Wednesday, said “Moscow Patriarch had three churches in Armenia – in Yerevan, in the Russian military base in  Gumru and in Nagorno-Karabakh”, confirming that the Patriarchy considers Nagorno-Karabakh as Armenian territory.

/APA/