On November 5, the sessions hall of the chairmanship of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia (NAS RA) hosted the ceremony dedicated to the 60^th anniversary of Haigazian University in Beirut and the presentation of the 35^th volume of Haigazian Journal of Armenian Studies with the support of the RA Ministry of Diaspora.

RA Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan particularly mentioned the following in her opening remarks: “It is a great joy and pride to state that today we are celebrating the 60^th anniversary of an institution that is based abroad, yet has become one of the most prestigious and high-class centers for Armenian studies in the world. Our compatriots having escaped the Armenian Genocide had so much strength, vigor and love for education and science that they established the Haigazian College with the support of the Armenian Missionary Association of America (AMAA) and the Union of Armenian Evangelical Churches of the Near East (UAECNE) in 1955. As the years progressed, Haigazian College expanded its activities, and in 1966, it was granted the status of a university by the Ministry of Education of Lebanon.”

The minister emphasized that the University has faced many obstacles throughout the 60 years of its existence, but has not only overcome those obstacles, but has also grown and become stronger.

“Today, the University not only provides the knowledge that students need, but also serves as a smithy, a center for the preservation and development of Armenian language, history, culture and faith,” she added.

Minister Hranush Hakobyan praised the University’s aspiration to preserve the Armenian identity, which helps ensure that the students receive the fundamental academic knowledge about Armenian language, literature, history, politics and culture and receive training to teach and serve in the community.

The minister also talked about the close partnership between the RA Ministry of Diaspora and Haigazian University, which helps enhance the Armenia-Diaspora partnership and consolidate all Armenians around the ideas of pan-Armenian significance. “In September 2011, the RA Ministry of Diaspora, Haigazian University and Yerevan State University hosted a conference entitled “Armenia-Diaspora Partnership: Past, Present and Future” in Beirut. The issues discussed during the conference have been included in the upcoming working plans of the Chair of Diaspora Studies at Yerevan State University and the Center for Diaspora Studies at Haigazian University.”

To bring up an example, the minister set aside the fact that in 2014, within the scope of the orders for theme-based research from the RA Ministry of Diaspora, the ministry and the Center for Diaspora Studies at Haigazian University concluded a contract to prepare a study on “The History of the Armenian Community of Lebanon”, which will soon be presented to readers. “I believe such a study will serve as a major contribution to making the history of the community of the Armenian Diaspora most devoted to Armenia and the Armenians, complete,” the minister said.

RA Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan awarded Haigazian University in Beirut with the Gold Medal of the RA Ministry of Diaspora and granted the award to President of the University, the Very Rev., Paul Haytostian for the brilliant work that the University has completed over the past 60 years, for the development of the Armenia-Diaspora partnership, for services provided to the Homeland and the Diaspora, as well as for making notable contributions to the strengthening of relations between Armenia and the Diaspora and within Armenian communities and to the preservation of the Armenian identity.

In his welcome speech, member of the chairmanship of the NAS RA, academician-secretary of the Division for Armenian Studies and Social Sciences Yuri Suvaryan mentioned that Armenia’s centers for Armenian studies need to further strengthen their relations with Armenological centers, particularly the Institutes of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia. Suvaryan assured that the Institutes of the Academy have professionals with the potential to exchange the necessary experience and conduct trainings at Haigazian University.

Pro-Rector of Yerevan State University Ararat Malkhasyan transmitted the welcome speech of Rector of Yerevan State University Aram Simonyan to the participants of the ceremony and granted the Commemorative Gold Medal of Yerevan State University to Paul Haytostian.

Expressing gratitude for the high appreciation and the awards, President of Haigazian University Paul Haytostian first emphasized that the University is known to Armenians in the Homeland due to the RA Ministry of Diaspora and Minister Hranush Hakobyan. “The University has been collaborating with the Ministry of Diaspora for years. As a result, the University has become more presentable and more popular in Armenia,” he mentioned. Paul Haytostian told the attendees that he would be presenting the Commemorative Gold Medal of the RA Ministry of Diaspora as a gift to founder of Haigazian University Armenag Haigazian. The Very Reverend talked about the history of the University and mentioned that it has been best representing the Armenians in the Arab World for decades.

Paul Haytostian granted the Commemorative Medal dedicated to the 60^th anniversary of the University to RA Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan and assured that the minister’s regular visits to Beirut and particularly Haigazian University convey great energy to the university students.

Paul Haytostian also granted commemorative medals to representatives of the NAS RA and the YSU.

The ceremony was followed by the presentation of the 35^th volume of the Haigazian Journal of Armenian Studies.

In his speech, Director of the Center for Armenian Diaspora Studies at Haigazian University Antranik Dakessian talked about the Haigazian Journal of Armenian studies (publishing since 1970) and mentioned the following: “The purpose of publishing the Haigazian Journal of Armenian Studies is to encourage the activities of Diaspora Armenian intellectuals, particularly Lebanese-Armenian intellectuals in the field of Armenology, as well as support their cooperation with Armenia’s scholars. The Journal includes scientific articles devoted to Armenian history and culture, original documents and critiques in Armenian, Arabic and Western European languages. The editors of the Journal have collaborated with Armenologists from Armenia, the Diaspora and foreign countries,” he mentioned.

Among other speakers were Executive Director of the Armenian Missionary Association of America Zaven Khanjyan and Deputy Director of the Institute of History of the NAS RA Karen Khachatryan.

RA Deputy Minister of Diaspora Serzh Srapionyan; Director of the H. Atcharyan Institute of Language of the NAS RA Victor Katvalyan; Director of the Institute of Literature of the NAS RA Vardan Devrikyan; Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Oriental Studies at Yerevan State University Ruben Melkonyan; candidate of philological sciences, historian and film critic Artsvi Bkhchinyan and philologist Mihran Minasyan gave speeches devoted to the presentation of the 35^th volume of the Haigazian Journal of Armenian Studies.