From June 20 to July 8, at the invitation of the Armenian community of Abkhazia, 15 young members (14-17 years old) of the active host families of the 2015 “Ari Tun” Program and young people selected by the Union of Volunteer Land Defenders spent their summer vacation in Abkhazia (they stayed for 18 days instead of 10 due to the closure of the Stepantsminda-Lars road). The young people were accompanied by Lilit Movsisyan, and Yerevan Municipality had covered the expenses for transport from Yerevan to Abkhazia.

The trip was made possible through the combined efforts of sponsor Alik Minosyan and deputy head of the Armenian community of Abkhazia Khachik Minasyan.

In Abkhazia, the youth were hosted at the Karo and Anahit Bostanjyan Home. For 18 consecutive days, director of the Alakhadze stadium and football club, singer, producer, benefactor, businessman Karo Bostanjyan and his wife hosted the youth from Armenia in their homes.

The youth spent very beautiful days in Abkhazia, made new acquaintances and returned with unforgettable impressions. The members of the Armenian community did everything they could to make sure the guests felt safe and happy and enjoyed the hospitality of the Diaspora Armenian family. The youth went sightseeing in Abkhazia and visited the New Afon cave and Lake Ritsa where they were introduced to the lifestyle and traditions of Abkhazians and tasted Abkhazian traditional dishes. They also toured the coastal area of Gagra.

The youth also toured the Old Gagra district where they were introduced to the old places of the city, visited the old railway station, the botanical garden of Gagra and the ruins of the fortress of the founder of Gagra, Prince Oldenburg.

During their visit to Abkhazia, the youth played football with the children of Alakhadze town at Alakhadze Stadium and made new friends.

The youth also visited the newly opened Holy Savior Armenian Church of Gagra and received the blessing of Priest Sedrak.

On the last day of the visit, the youth participated in a farewell bonfire that marked the end of the youth’s unforgettable summer vacation in Abkhazia.

“We have returned to Yerevan with great impressions. For 18 days, we were in a very warm environment, and the hosts tried to do everything possible to make sure the days were interesting. Even the driver, Hakob, who was accompanying us during the excursions, tried to help us in any way,” Lilit Movsisyan mentioned in an interview with Hayern Aysor and expressed gratitude to all those who had been with them during those days.

Due to the closure of the Stepantsminda-Lars road, the youth traveled from Abkhazia to Krasnodar in order to return to Armenia via the Krasnodar-Yerevan flight, and this was made possible through the efforts of Minister of Transport and Communication of the Republic of Armenia Gagik Beglaryan.

In Krasnodar, the youth were greeted by deputy head of the Armenian community of Pashkov Gevorg Serobyan and Director of the Armenian Cultural Center of Pashkov, general dance instructor of Arin Berd Dance Group Alex Devoyan. They hosted the youth for 12 hours with the support of the Armenian community and Andrey Amusov and did whatever they could to make the hours not seem too long.

On July 8, the youth returned to Yerevan with nice memories and great impressions.