Armenia, Jordan against any changes in status quo of Old City of Jerusalem
ArmInfo. On May 15 political consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia and The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan were held in Yerevan. The consultations from the Armenian side were led by Vahan Kostanyan, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia. The Jordanian side was represented by Majed Thalji Al-Qatarneh, the Secretary General for Diplomatic and Expatriate Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
The parties commended the current high level of political dialogue
between Armenia and Jordan, both highlighting the important role of
high-level visits and regular contacts on international platforms.
The interlocutors exchanged views on the prospects of developing
cooperation between the two countries in the spheres of trade and
economy, IT and AI, tourism, science, education and culture, as well
as on deepening the partnership within the framework of international
organisations.
The sides expressed their concerns regarding the tense situation
around the "Cows' Garden" territory in the Armenian quarter of
Jerusalem, refuting any action that would lead to a change of the
Status Quo of the Old City of Jerusalem.
Deputy Minister Vahan Kostanyan presented to the Jordanian delegation
the efforts of the Armenian side towards achieving sustainable peace
in the South Caucasus, the "Crossroad of Peace" project recently
developed by the Government of Armenia emphasising the key principles
of sovereignty, national jurisdiction, reciprocity and equality,
which are the basis of the reopening of communications
He expressed gratitude to his counterpart regarding the statement of
Jordanian Foreign Ministry on the border delimitation agreement
between Armenia and Azerbaijan on the basis of 1991 the Alma-Ata
Declaration.
The Jordanian Secretary General Ambassador Al-Qatarneh, in turn,
presented security issues in the Middle East, particularly, the
vision of official Amman in solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
On April 3, 2024, at approximately 11:00 local time, the Israeli
police began an illegal eviction from the territory of the "Cow
Garden" of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, destroying the
property of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, as well as
attacking the clergy and local Armenians. Let us add that this is not
the first attempt to forcefully seize the property of the Armenian
Patriarchate in the Old City.
These actions of the Israeli police have already been condemned by
the French Consulate General, which called on the Israeli authorities
to refrain from unilateral actions in the Armenian Quarter of
Jerusalem and the Jordanian Foreign Ministry.
The Armenian community of Jerusalem has been protecting its property
24/7 since November 5, 2023. In the last 150 days alone, its
representatives have faced a barrage of unpunished attacks.
The Save the Garden movement calls on all international organizations
to put pressure on the Israeli government to resolve this situation,
which threatens the 1,700-year-old presence of Armenians in the holy
city of Jerusalem.
In July 2021, the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem signed an
agreement with an Israeli company, giving it the right to build a
luxury hotel on the Cow Garden site, with the right to demolish
several historical buildings. The Patriarchate canceled the deal
after protests from the Armenian community, as well as the
authorities of the Palestinian Authority. Following this, attacks
began against the Armenian community, with the latest attack
occurring on December 28, 2023, when about 30 armed men attacked the
site, injuring several Armenian activists on duty there, including a
priest and seminary students.