TEHRAN Armenians here celebrated the New Year in their churches, singing hymns and performing other ceremonies on the occasion.

The Armenians in Isfahan came together in the historic Vank Church and celebrated the occasion. During the ceremony Archbishop Krion Papian addressed the audience and congratulated Armenians on the arrival of the Christian New Year.

He prayed for realization of the sublime human ideals, global peace, and an end to the suffering and adversity of peoples of the world.

The archbishop stressed that all religions in Iran are free, and all people of all religions love and respect each other in the country.

Armenians immigrated to Iran in 1605 at the behest of Shah Abbas of the Safavid dynasty.

There are 20 churches in Isfahan.

Also, the year 2001, named the Year of Dialogue Among Civilizations at the initiative of Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, started after midnight Sunday with churches striking their bells in Tehran and elsewhere throughout Iran.

The year 2000 was marked with various human afflictions like wars, poverty, racial and sexual discrimination, abuse of women and children, violation of the human rights and suppression of liberal movements.

Repression and massacre of the Palestinian civilians by Israeli troops and silence of the international community over the issue was the tragedy of the year 2000 which is still continuing.

Three months of clashes which erupted in September have thus far claimed over 390 lives, mostly Palestinians.

The international situation is so worrisome that the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has called for seizing the opportunity for dialogue among civilizations.

During the UN Millennium Summit in New York in early September last year, President Khatami said the tendency of governments to do away with religion and morality in people's lives is a big threat.

He added that the idea of a "dialogue of civilizations" had arisen from the Islamic world to prevent global and regional conflicts.