The Ministry of Diaspora of the Republic of Armenia regularly hosts many Diaspora Armenians whose pro-Armenian activities are properly appreciated in the Homeland. One of those Diaspora Armenians is Lebanese-Armenian journalist, sincere and hard-working media representative Sarkis Nadjarian, who was recently hosted at the Ministry of Diaspora along with his wife, Zvart Nadjarian. Sarkis and Zvart Nadjarians are well-known within the Armenian community of Lebanon, particularly within the Armenian Catholic Community. For decades, Sarkis Nadjarian has been a member of the editorial staffs of Ararat newspaper (official newspaper of the Social Democrat (Hunchakian) Party) and Masis newspaper (official newspaper of the Armenian Catholic Patriarchate) (during the years of the crisis in Lebanon, he was the only editor of Ararat newspaper), publishing several articles devoted to the issues of national concern in those newspapers and other Armenian newspapers publishing in the Diaspora. He has also been the director of the Armenian Educational Benevolent Union, which owns the Sahagian-Levon Meguerditchian College in the Sin El Fil suburb of Beirut and the clinic located next to the St. George Church in the New Hajn district of Beirut. Our compatriot has also been and still is actively involved in various committees of the Armenian Catholic Patriarchate. During the Lebanese Civil War in the 1980s, he led the committee of Homenmen and undertook restoration of the Homenmen Beirut Club mined by the Phalangist extremists. Nadjarian has received numerous awards for his hard work and unwavering efforts, including awards granted by Pope John Paul II and the former and current Patriarchs of the Armenian Catholics. Sarkis Nadjarian’s kind wife, Zvart Nadjarian has served as part of the administration of the Kevork Harboian Armenian School adjunct to the Holy Cross Armenian Catholic Church in the Zaka suburb of Beirut for many years. In recent years, she has been the director of the Armenian Department of Caritas Charitable Organization of the Catholic Church. This was all about the Nadjarians, and in my interview with Sarkis Nadjarian for Hayern Aysor, I got a complete picture of the merited Diaspora Armenian journalist and public and national figure. Sarkis Nadjarian has a long career. He is very devoted to journalism and loves it unconditionally. Hayern Aysor presents the interview.

Karine Avagyan: Mr. Nadjarian, welcome to the Homeland. I know it is not a place for an ordinary visit, but home. You surely have a lot to do.

Sarkis Nadjarian: I strongly agree. I visited Armenia as a Lebanese-Armenian and as a Lebanese journalist in 1969, and since then, I have visited the Homeland almost every year. In the past two decades following Armenia’s declaration of independence, we visit twice a year because we purchased a home in Armenia. In addition, my wife, Zvart Nadjarian has been the director of the Armenian Caritas organization for a long time, and she visits Armenia more often than I do. She carries out charity acts, even though she is a pedagogue by profession. I have dedicated my entire life to journalism. You might be surprised, but I have not attended an Armenian school. I attended the St. Gregory the Illuminator Lyceum, which pertains to the very pro-Armenian Northern Congregation. The current Pope is also a member of that congregation. All the congregates of the Northern Congregation have been doctors following Golgotha, and they have opened a school or resort wherever we have established ourselves. I have had French and French-speaking teachers and Armenian teachers. Instruction has mainly been in French. We have had notable teachers such as great supporter of the Armenian Cause, Dr. Vazken Aigouni; Father Sahag Keshishian; Father Hovhannes Msirlian (the archimandrite who established the first Chair of Armenian Studies in Lebanon) and others.

Karine Avagyan: Who and what pushed you to become a journalist?

Sarkis Nadjarian: I also have a musical education, but I chose to become a journalist. My first Armenian language teacher was my father, Mihran-Sarkis Nadjarian, who was a pharmacist by profession. I am originally from Tigranakert. My father was not one of the deportees. He had simply gone to Damascus a long time ago to study pharmacology. In 1913, during his internship in Aleppo, he published the “Aghbyur” (Source) newspaper (the first Armenian-language newspaper in Syria and Lebanon), after which, in 1919, he moved to Lebanon where he published the “Zhpit” (Smile) satirical newspaper in 1923. From 1927 to 1933, my father also published the “Sahag-Mesrop” literary, cultural and social monthly in Lebanon, and I have the collection of that monthly. Unfortunately, none of his newspapers and magazines is publishing today.

Karine Avagyan: Mr. Nadjarian, have you ever established a newspaper yourself?

Sarkis Nadjarian: The only magazine that I have established was Ararat Sport Magazine, which is no longer publishing. In 1957, I was invited to work for Ararat newspaper as a journalist. It was my father who guided me to the editorial staff of that newspaper. It was the official newspaper of the Hunchakian Party, and it is obvious that he would guide me to that newspaper since he was a member of the political party, but he would always urge me and my brother to never become a member of the political party, and I was the editor of that newspaper for 44 years as a non-partisan. IN 1965, I was invited to work as an editor for Lebanon’s Aig political daily. There were four political dailies in Lebanon, including Aig, Ararat, Zartonk and Masis, which is still publishing as a monthly. I have been the editor of Masis for 14 years. Aig Daily used to be owned by Dikran Tosvat, who is the most remarkable journalist in Lebanon. He would write in French, and his wife, Lucy Tosvat, who is the sister of Siran Seza, was the person in charge of editing the newspaper. In 1965, when I was invited to work for Aig, I came after Yeghishe Manukya, who was a Lebanese-Armenian journalist. I also edited Aig’s political section for ten years.

Karine Avagyan: You have edited and written articles for various newspapers for many years. What is mainly in your focus?

Sarkis Nadjarian: I have been a journalist since 1957. I prefer the social field because I am sentimental and wouldn’t like to get into political disputes. A couple of years ago, we purchased a home in Armenia, but Armenia has always been a part of our homes abroad. Armenia has always been in our souls. For me, repatriation has become a lifestyle. My focus has been my Homeland. My father, who was also the editor of Ararat newspaper, would make me write his articles due to his problems with eyesight. Every article was like a lesson of patriotism for me. As I said, my first teacher was my father, but I have also had other great teachers in my lifetime, including great Armenologist, bibliographer Hrach Kajarents from Italy and the exceptional intellectual Antranig Kranian.

Karine Avagyan: Mr. Nadjarian, what has been your greatest achievement in your longstanding career?

Sarkis Nadjarian: My achievements are the Great Armenians with whom I have had the honor of interviewing, including William Saroyan, Martiros Saryan, Catholicos Aram, Catholicos Karekin and many more. In 2010, I released my book “Face to Face”, which presents several well-known Armenians. My book “Pray for Me” is dedicated to the anniversary of the election of Pope Francis and his 80^th birth anniversary. The preface is by Fr. Supreme Archimandrite Antranig Kranian. Most of the articles in the book have been released in the Masis newspaper of the Armenian Catholic Patriarchate.

I have faced many hardships. I have experienced two wars with no water or electricity, and my house has been bombed. There were days when I spent the night at the editorial office, hungry, unshaven, without any sleep, but I have never thought of quitting my job. I have always accomplished my mission, regardless of the conditions. For me, journalism is a great mission. There is a good saying: “Journalism will open every door.”

Karine Avagyan: Since you have been in the field for 57 years, you will obviously have your formula for a journalist. How should a journalist be?

Sarkis Nadjarian: A journalist has to love his profession and seek the truth. I don’t believe journalism or the journalist who simply shows me a recorder and a camera and has no principle or conviction. A real journalist needs to do his job with pleasure, sincerity and responsibility. A journalist needs to break through the wall. True, journalists are under pressure in all parts of the world and their lives have been and still are at risk, but a journalist needs to work sincerely. A journalist has to be protected and untouchable. This is very important nowadays. There are good journalists in Armenia and the Diaspora like Shahan Kandaharian and Harut Sassounian. Today, there is a lack of young professional journalists, especially sport journalists. We have writers who send us articles, and most of them are wonderful publicists such as Hagop Balian. He is a linguist, literary critic and the “police” of Western Armenian. However, one can’t live with only journalism. There are many names, but I can’t set aside one person. Few young people aspire to become journalists.

Karine Avagyan: Please, indicate one of your most memorable interviews…

Sarkis Nadjarian: The Ministry of Diaspora of the Republic of Armenia had just been established, and Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan had just assumed office. I was the first to interview the Minister on October 8, 2008. I remember how I almost barged in her office. Recently, I met the Minister and we happily remembered that day.

Karine Avagyan: Do you have a literary pseudonym?

Sarkis Nadjarian: The name on my identification card is Sarkis Anmahouni Nadjarian: Anmahouni was my father’s code name.

In the end, I wish many years of success to this prolific journalist, member of the sentica of journalist/editors of Lebanon, the sentica of media of Lebanon, the International Federation of Journalists and the Union of Journalists of Armenia who has received numerous medals, orders and honorary titles for his longstanding merit in journalism. I wish that he edits more newspapers, writes numerous interesting articles, interviews many interesting people and places new books on readers’ tables.

Karine Avagyan