The working visit of RA Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan to France and the Kingdom of Belgium continues. On November 29, Hranush Hakobyan will have several meetings in Mechelen and Brussels where she will grant awards to representatives of the Armenian community of Belgium.

During a meeting with the students and administration of the Levon Shant Armenian School in Mechelen, RA Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan will grant certificates of RA the Ministry of Diaspora to two of the school’s teachers, including Liana Melkonyan and Hripsime Harutyunyan.

In the evening, Minister Hranush Hakobyan will have a meeting with members of the Armenian unions and organizations of Belgium in Brussels. During the meeting, based on the results of the Pan-Armenian Awards “For notable contribution to the preservation of the Armenian identity” declared by the RA Ministry of Diaspora and the World Armenian Congress, Hranush Hakobyan will grant the third prize to Head of Arax Armenian Cultural Center Hermine Azaryan, while Lusine Nersisyan will receive the second prize in the Best Armenian Family in the Diaspora category.

The Armenian community of Belgium was established in the early 1920s. In 1920, over 1,000 Armenians having escaped the Turkish yataghan settled in Belgium. In 1922, the Armenians set up the council of the Armenian community of Belgium, which exists to this day.

Currently, based on estimates, there are nearly 20,000 Armenians living in Belgium and are based in Brussels and Antwerp, while some Armenians are based in Gent, Liege and Mechelen.

Throughout the years, the Armenians of Belgium have established youth, cultural and charitable unions and organizations, the main goal of which is to preserve the Armenian identity. Since 1980, the Armenian Home (the main place for Armenians of Belgium to gather) has played a major role in the Armenian community of Brussels. The Armenian Home hosts charity and cultural events. The AGBU Chapter, the Arbak Mkhitaryan Public Center, the Belgian-Armenian Women’s Union of Antwerp and several other cultural and non-governmental organizations are based in Belgium, including Ardia, Arax, Haik, Progress, Levon Shant, the Union of Democrats, the Armenian Youth Association of Belgium, Nuard Union and others. There are 16 Armenian schools in Belgium.