ANTELIAS. – Catholicos Aram I of the Armenian Church Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia—in Antelias, Lebanon—, arrived in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

After a brief meeting at the airport, Aram I headed for the UAE capital city of Abu Dhabi, and then returned to Dubai on the same night, the Catholicosate informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

And a dinner reception was held Friday in honor of the Catholicos.

At the event, Aram I explained about the Great House of Cilicia’s lawsuit, which was first filed with the Constitutional Court of Turkey and then with the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), with a demand that the territory of the Armenian Catholicosate of Sis—which is in  modern-day Turkey—be returned.

He noted that this lawsuit is the first judicial step along the lines of Armenian national claimancy.

In April 2015, the Armenian Church Catholicosate of Cilicia and Catholicos Aram I filed a petition with the Constitutional Court of Turkey, and demanded the return of the historical estate of the Catholicosate of Sis. The court, in turn, petitioned to the Turkish Ministry of Justice, which, however, dismissed this lawsuit, stating that it is beyond the scope of the jurisdiction of the Constitutional Court of Turkey. As a result, the Armenian Church Catholicosate of Cilicia petitioned to the ECtHR.