From October 26 to 29, the 7^th Armenian Culture Days Festival will be held in Stuttgart, and this year’s title is “Meeting and Dialogue of Cultures”.

The topic wasn’t selected by chance since this year marks the anniversary of the Reformation (1517-2017), and the project is devoted to the activities of Martin Luther.

The great reformer is the founder of literary German and was the first to translate the Holy Book into German. Archimandrite Mesrop Mashtots has almost the same significance for the Armenian people since he created the Armenian alphabet and translated the Bible into Armenian in the 5^th century.

A parallel is also drawn with the special role of Christianity in the history and culture of the two countries. Armenia is the first nation that adopted Christianity as a state religion in 301, and to this day, Christianity remains an integral part of the nation’s culture. The religion is also a part of European culture.

Mashtots and Luther were great reformers and freedom fighters and fought for the rights of their compatriots. Consequently, topics such as collective identity and the fundamental values of Christianity (unity, freedom and peace reflected in books) will be in the focus of artists and historians.

The concerts, book presentations, speeches and performances, lectures, exhibitions and the encounters with renowned artists and scholars will be devoted to the similarities and differences between the German and Armenian nations. We believe the meetings of the representatives of different cultures and their cultural exchanges are equally important.

The program for the Armenian Culture Days Festival is accessible to the public at large and is aimed at enhancing dialogue, as well as preserving and strengthening the national and cultural identity of Armenians scattered across the globe. Whereas Martin Luther and Mesrop Mashtots are the general figures of our past, our children and young people are the ones who will shape our common future. We are trying to establish a bridge between the past and present. Consequently, we are paying special attention to the contacts between youth and support in terms of culture.

The Armenian Culture Days Festival in Stuttgart wouldn’t have been made possible without the financial support of the Municipality of Stuttgart, the Baden-Württemberg, the Ministry of Diaspora of the Republic of Armenia and several benefactors, as well as the dedicated efforts of our honorary members. The assistance allows us to make the events more accessible to the public at large, providing us with the opportunity to show how valuable the activities of the Armenian community of Germany are.

We are more than grateful to the above-mentioned individuals and organizations.

Like every year, the Armenian Community of Baden-Württemberg expects to see several cultural figures and partners of Stuttgart at the festival this year as well. We also express our gratitude to them. We would be pleased to see you among our guests and greet you in person.

We wish you all have a good time.

With love,

Priest Tiratur Sardaryan and

Armenian Community of Baden-Württemberg