Arab, Indian and Persian students also recited Armenian poems
On February 21, the employees of the RA Ministry of Diaspora, under the leadership of RA Deputy Minister of Diaspora Serzh Srapionyan, visited Oshakan and laid flowers at the tomb of Mesrop Mashtots. The visit was organized as part of the events dedicated to International Mother Language Day held at the initiative of the RA Ministry of Diaspora. Among those attending the event were Governor of Aragatsotn Province Sargis Sahakyan, Director of the Hrachya Atcharyan Institute of Language at the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia (NAS RA) Victor Katvalyan, Head of the State Language Inspectorate adjunct to the Government of the Republic of Armenia Sergo Yeritsyan, as well as linguists, teachers and others. A concert dedicated to International Mother Language Day was held at the theological seminary adjunct to the local church. Greeting the gathered, RA Deputy Minister of Diaspora Serzh Srapionyan mentioned that this year’s events dedicated to International Mother Language Day are unique in that all the efforts that Armenians have been making to preserve the Armenian national identity for the past century are being reinterpreted. In his speech, Srapionyan particularly said: “Ottoman Turkey’s plan to eliminate the Armenian people and their culture a century ago, failed because the only pillar for the Armenians deprived of their homeland was the powerful pillar that they were able to use, and that is our mother language. It was with that awareness that one of our great Armenians, French-Armenian writer Shahan Shahnour sounded the alarm, saying, ‘The language is declining, the language is declining, the language is declining, pardon, Ararat”. His concern was justified because Armenians named Petros became Pierre, and the “Hair Mer” (Lord’s Prayer) was said in French. Today, thanks to Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan and the Ministry of Diaspora, a movement has been launched for the preservation and eternity of the Mother Language. Speak in Armenian! Pray in Armenian! Sing in Armenian! That is the guarantee for our eternity and is the duty of every Armenian to respect the memory of the innocent victims of the Armenian Genocide.” Sergo Yeritsyan also greeted the gathered and expressed his gratitude to those who are devoted to the preservation and the dissemination of the Armenian language. The head of the State Language Inspectorate praised the events dedicated to International Mother Language Day that are organized by the Ministry of Diaspora and have already become a tradition, as well as the several programs and events that have been carried out in Armenia and in the Armenian Diaspora, contributing to the preservation and the dissemination of the mother language. The attendees were especially impressed by the Arab, Indian and Persian students of Yerevan State Medical University after Mkhitar Heratsi who recited Armenian poems. Syrian-Armenian boys and girls recited poems and sang songs devoted to the Armenian language. The event included performances by students of Khrimyan Hairik Middle School in the Voskehat village of Aragatsotn Province. Afterwards, the participants of the event visited the Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts (Matendaran) and laid flowers near the statue of Mesrop Mashtots, after which members of the Mesrop Mashtots Speech Culture Center recited poems devoted to the Armenian alphabet.
