On August 2, the Polytechnic Camp for Education, Sports and Health in Hankavan hosted 210 students of state and non-state universities of the Republic of Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic who are in Hankavan to participate in the 2^nd “Power of Unity” Student-Youth Meeting.

As reported the press service of the National Polytechnic University of Armenia to Hayern Aysor, among the attendees of the official opening ceremony were the leadership of the University (Rector Vostanik Marukhyan, Deputy Rector, President of the Student Council and manager of the meeting Gor Vardanyan, Pro-Rectors, as well as lecturers and professors). Among the guests were RA Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Hrachya Rostomyan; Deputy of the RA National Assembly, coordinator of the Board of Trustees of the Youth Foundation of Armenia Karen Avagyan and the participating presidents of the Student Councils representing the higher education institutions of the Republic of Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

Rector of the National Polytechnic University of Armenia Vostanik Marukhyan welcomed the attendees and expressed his kind wishes to the participants of the first “Power of Unity” Student-Youth Meeting.

“Dear attendees, relatives of Karot, Karen and Aram, I consider the fact that we are turning the “Power of Unity” meeting into a tradition at the camp for sports and health in Hankavan symbolic. Last year’s meeting was a success. I think these traditional meetings will become ongoing. Generations of students will come and go, but the ideological basis of this meeting will remain the same ideological basis that was established today at the initiative of the “NATION-ARMY”, and I must also emphasize that our group of students, especially the students from the Polytechnic University will make their special contribution. It is through such events that we are launching the events dedicated to the 85^th anniversary of our University,” Marukhyan said. The Rector also touched upon the heroic students of the Polytechnic University who fought in the Artsakh war and the Four-Day Artsakh War and stated that the three brigades have been named after them. “I respect Karot, Aram and Karen.  Our students have made their contributions to the government and the army, and we are proud of them. Besides Karot, there were two other students of the Polytechnic University who sacrificed their lives during the Four-Day Arstakh War. I would like to set aside Karen and Aram among those students. They simply did what our people and State had expected them to do. They served loyally and fulfilled their duty to the people and State,” Marukhyan said.

The Rector concluded by assuring everyone that the meeting would be ongoing.

Coordinator of the Board of Trustees of the Youth Foundation of Armenia Karen Avagyan noted that the program is special in that the representatives of all the universities will not only become friends, but will also work together as specialists of various fields to promote our country’s development and advancement. “Knowing that these meetings are named after the heroes of the Artsakh war, the young people are participating in these kinds of programs with a higher sense of responsibility. It is thanks to military and patriotic upbringing that our young people are so good.

The component of the quality of education is not only knowledge, but also upbringing, and based on that upbringing, the Four-Day Artsakh War showed that young Armenians are not like other young people. At this moment, we can’t say if military and patriotic upbringing can be seen in the program, in the family and in the school, but it is an irrefutable fact that these programs have an impact on our youth.”

According to Karen Avagyan, after replacing military and patriotic upbringing programs with the nation-army concept, such programs are more favorable since they have become more goal-oriented.

The manager of the meeting, Deputy Rector of the National Polytechnic University of Armenia and President of the Student Council Gor Vardanyan solemnly heralded the start of the meeting and presented the features of this year’s meeting. “The Four-Day Artsakh War was a lesson for all us Armenians. All the eras in the history of the Armenian people have taught us that the security of the Armenian people lies in the power of unity. The heroes of the Polytechnic University-Karen, Aram and Karot-represent the image of the right kind of young Armenian, and the young people of our days have the opportunity to be like them. It is the exemplary image of a young person who sacrificed his life to keep the border safe.”

The goal of the “Power of Unity” Student-Youth Meeting is to turn the idea of unity of smart young people into a priority in the country due to the military and political situation that has existed in Armenia in all times.

The meeting was made possible through the combined efforts of the Youth Foundation of Armenia and Deputy Rector of the Polytechnic University, President of the Student Council Gor Vardanyan. To organize the meeting, a managing/steering committee was set up, and it developed the entire ideological and advertisement package for the meeting. For months, the committee worked on the square for the meeting, the accommodations, the look of the stage and other necessary components.

The “Power of Unity” Student-Youth Meeting is a powerful ideological event with the slogan “We are strong when we are together”, with a logo that looks like two young people aspiring to reach the top and where one of the young people (in the color blue of the Armenian national flag) looks like the letter “P” in Armenian, symbolizing the student of the Polytechnic University, while the other young person represents the students of the universities and the young members of youth organizations.