Certificates of appreciation have been granted to 451 young people who participated in the organizing of the events dedicated to the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide as volunteers. The volunteers representing various universities across Armenia worked hard to properly greet all foreign guests and escort them to hotels, the venue for the global forum, as well as Etchmiadzin and the Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial.

The award ceremony was held in the heart of the beautiful nature of Byurakan. RA Deputy Minister of Diaspora Vahagn Melikyan expressed gratitude to all the volunteers and mentioned that this event marked not only the end, but also the continuation of the events. “I express my deep gratitude to you all for your understanding, dedication, responsibility, patriotism, for being Armenian and for sharing and experiencing all this with us. You laid the foundation for a task that others will continue to do. Once again, we all became convinced that all is not lost. We became convinced once again that victory will be ours and that we won. We took the path victoriously.

On April 25, we woke up feeling proud that we had achieved our aspirations. Everyone worked together for three long months. I’m certain that you will be ready to achieve greater heights,” Vahagn Melikyan said, as “Armenpress” reports. According to Chief of Staff of the RA President, chief coordinator for the events dedicated to the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide Vigen Sargsyan, the volunteers reflected the readiness of the entire society participating in the events dedicated to the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide with their organization, awareness and right approaches.

“First, we thank the Armenian people for their organization, moderation and for ensuring their presence. I hadn’t seen anything like that for a long time. Since I was working at Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial, I had to spend the night there, and I saw how people would come with families and lay flowers near the monument at 3-4 a.m. at night,” Vigen Sargsyan stated. Addressing the volunteers, Vigen Sargsyan mentioned that the youth stood out with not only their readiness and dedication, but also with their smiles, which became a unique “business card” and was something that all the guests remembered.

“Before the events, we met and agreed that we would either do a brilliant job, or we wouldn’t do it at all. I would like to say that what you did, your dedication and consistent efforts were more than what we expected,” the official noted.

Among the attendees was President of the World Committee of the Pan-Armenian Games Ishkhan Zakaryan, who suggested that the youth also provide support during the Pan-Armenian Games with their experiences. As for the heroes of the day, that is, volunteers, they considered it a great honor for them to participate in the events dedicated to the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide.

Arpi Parsamyan, who greeted and escorted high-ranking guests during the Canonization ceremony at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and who studies in the Faculty of International Relations at Yerevan State University, says she’s proud that she participated in and made her contribution to the events that were major events for all Armenians.

“Even now, I’m grateful for the fact that we’re here and are communicating with the children,” she said. When asked about the interesting people she met during her volunteer work, Arpi Parsamyan said: “I’m linked to Ambassadors due to my profession, but I had never had any contact with them. At least we had the chance to see them in person.” Ashot Movsisyan, who was born in Artsakh and represents the Faculty of Oriental Studies at Yerevan State University, had escorted the Norwegian guests to their hotel and was able to establish contacts with them.

“I escorted the mayor of Norway’s Kragerø city, as well as two other Norwegians. We establish cordial ties, and we still keep in touch on social networks. We felt responsible for participating in such a major event. By participating in the event, we were fulfilling our duty to the innocent victims. It was a great joy and pride for every Armenian to participate in such a pan-national event,” Ashot mentioned. Meri Abrahamyan, who is in her first year of studies in the Faculty of Journalism at Yerevan State University, greeted the participants of the global forum at Zvartnots International Airport and worked day and night. According to Meri, she gained a lot of experience by finding solutions very quickly to solve the guests’ problems. While volunteering, Meri met with founder of Reddit, Alexis Ohanian, with whom she had agreed to interview on a social network a month in advance.

“We were waiting for our guests, and suddenly I saw Alexis Ohanian. I managed to talk to him again, and he was happy to see me,” Meri Abrahamyan said. The future journalist sincerely mentioned that she had studied the history of the Armenian Genocide for four days so that she could answer all the guests’ questions.