Another year is going down in history as a year of many hardships and tribulations for the Armenian nation. The Armenians, Armenia and Artsakh and the Armenian Diaspora resisted the invasive and insidious policy of the enemy, and thanks to the will and courage of our young men, our borders remained impregnable at the expense of the lives of many of them. Syria, which is being bombarded for the past six years; Aleppo, which has perhaps suffered the most from the war, and Kessab became our open and bleeding wound. It was the almighty hand of the Lord that helped establish peace in Syria, particularly in Aleppo and Kessab.

…By God’s will, Pope Francis set food on our sacred land. His mission to Armenia will go on to become a symbol and leave a trace in our history and in our lives. The Aurora Awards were launched in Armenia, the RA Ministry of Diaspora launched the Pan-Armenian Forum of Journalists and the “What are YOU doing for Karabakh?” pan-Armenian movement, and numerous pan-Armenian programs and projects were carried out throughout the year. Armenia had its ups-and-downs that would leave a trace in the year of 2016.

…There were many moments of joy and sadness in the passing year, but we will always remember the Four-Day Artsakh War in April…Many children were born and named after the heroes of our days, and many others will be born. On this planet, there are symbols for ARMENIA, and the only thing left for us to do is to live with the earthly and heavenly values of HOPE, FAITH AND LOVE. May the year 2017 be a year of peace, health, kindness, success and achievements in the spheres of science, culture, sports, arts, economy and other spheres for all Armenians around the world! May my familiar and unfamiliar brothers and sisters and my colleagues live well, make our lives meaningful with their patriotic acts, and may we all maintain our sweet Homeland with love and in love! May the year 2017 multiply the joys of Armenia with the formulas for mathematical calculations and may we be able to create goods and spread the kindness.

Poet, journalist Karine Avagyan