On October 1, with the support of the RA Ministry of Diaspora, Merited Artists of the Republic of Armenia Zaruhi Babayan and Hamlet Gevorgyan gave a concert dedicated to the 25^th anniversary of Independence of the Republic of Armenia in the ceremonies hall of the St. Maria Church in Stockholm, Sweden.

In an interview with Hayern Aysor, singer Zaruhi Babayan said she was visiting Sweden for the first time ever and was charmed by the consolidation and feeling of patriotism of the Armenian community.

 “The concert was held in a very warm atmosphere, and I could feel the spirit in the air. Everyone in the audience knew my and Hamlet’s songs and were singing along and dancing. They could even guess what the next song was, and we were very happy,” the singer stated, adding that she and Gevorgyan performed pop, national, patriotic and ethnographic songs and received rounds of applause until late at night.

The singers were invited to meet with RA Ambassador to Sweden Artak Apitonyan, and Babayan said the following about the meeting: “I was also very impressed with the meeting with the Ambassador. I realized that he cares a lot about the Armenians of Sweden and is ready to help them with anything. I could feel that I was in an Armenian environment at the embassy as well, and it was more than pleasant. When the members of the community found out that we had met with Artak Apitonyan, they immediately praised the embassy’s activities and the Ambassador and assured that the embassy quickly and generously solves all of their problems.”

In closing, Zaruhi Babayan expressed gratitude to the RA Ministry of Diaspora for providing opportunities to perform in various Armenian communities of the Diaspora from time to time and emphasized that the Ministry contributes to the strengthening of cultural relations between Armenia and the Diaspora with its activities and provides Armenian artists with the opportunity to meet with Armenians around the world.

Hamlet Gevorgyan told Hayern Aysor that it is always a pleasure for him to perform abroad and meet with his compatriots.

 The singer says this concert also helped him convey the air of the Armenians to the audience through songs and considers the preservation and dissemination of Armenian culture through cooperation with the RA Ministry of Diaspora important.

“The concert in Sweden was one of the best concerts that I have given. Everything was organized wonderfully. Everyone was in a great mood, and I got the impression that we were in a “small Armenia”. There were Armenians of all ages in the audience, and they were listening to all the performances with excitement,” Hamlet Gevorgyan said.

As the Merited Artist of the Republic of Armenia mentioned, after the concert in Sweden, he and Babayan became convinced once again that Armenian songs and music are not only becoming more and more interesting for Diaspora Armenians, but are also developing and flourishing. They were glad to see that the Armenians of Sweden were organized and preserved Armenian traditions and that they raise their children to become dignified Armenians.

“This is the third time that I am giving performances in various Armenian communities of the Diaspora at the initiative of the RA Ministry of Diaspora. Before leaving for Sweden, I had given concerts in Australia and Canada. I highly appreciate the efforts that the RA Ministry of Diaspora is making to establish strong cultural ties between Armenia and the Diaspora and wish the Ministry success in its future patriotic acts and activities aimed at preserving the Armenian identity,” Hamlet Gevorgyan concluded.

Let us add that the concert was attended by RA Ambassador to Sweden Artak Apitonyan, Patriarchal Delegate of the Patriarchal Delegation of Central Europe and Sweden, Fr. Archimandrite Yeghishe Avetisyan, representatives of different Armenian community organizations and other guests.

The concert also featured performances by singers Hovik Manukyan, Levon Tujaryan and Murad Manukyan from Armenia.

Gevorg Chichyan