Trump's week in review: Kennedy Center closure; meeting with Armenian church leaders

5. Trump meets with Armenian Christian leaders 

The Embassy of Armenia to the United States announced Wednesday that a “historic meeting” took place at the White House between Armenian spiritual leaders, the Armenian ambassador to the U.S. and Trump. The meeting was arranged by the Armenian Embassy and the White House Faith Office.

Armenia is one of the world's oldest Christian nations, dating back to the fourth century. The meeting comes on the heels of a peace agreement signed at the White House last year between leaders from Armenia and neighboring Azerbaijan that seeks to end decades of territorial conflict. The agreement came under scrutiny by some Armenians who believed it rewards Azerbaijan after the ethnic cleansing of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh. 

Church leaders in the meeting include Armenian diocese leaders from across the United States. 

“Armenian spiritual leaders have offered a collective prayer and sought God’s blessing for the well-being of the peoples of Armenia and the United States and the future of the friendship between the two countries,” the Facebook post stated. “Spiritual leaders also mentioned in their prayer the efforts to establish peace [...] in Armenia.” 

Topics discussed during the meeting included “relations between Armenia and [the] USA” in addition to “efforts to establish political ties, religious freedoms, as well as peace and stability.”

The Armenian Embassy said the "need for establishing peace and strengthening understanding between peoples [was] emphasized, emphasizing the importance of faith and spiritual values in this process.” 

Images from the meeting show Trump standing alongside a half-dozen Armenian religious leaders and Paula White-Cain and Jenny Korn of the White House Faith Office. The Armenian ambassador was seen standing next to the president at his desk, while spiritual leaders gathered around Trump in prayer.