Minister Hranush Hakobyan presented results of panel sessions under heading “Issues on Preservation of the Armenian Identity” during final session of 6th Armenia-Diaspora Pan-Armenian Conference

On September 20, the participants of the 6th Armenia-Diaspora Pan-Armenian Conference summed up the results of the conference and adopted a declaration.

The plenary session of the conference was moderated by RA Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan.

The Minister of Diaspora stated that the organizational activities had been carried out under the direct care of RA President Serzh Sargsyan.

The Minister of Diaspora stressed that all the proposals, comments and suggestions made during the conference would be examined and that solutions would be given to the issues raised. “All the speeches of the conference will be integrated, after which a book of speeches will be compiled and released,” she stated.

Afterwards, Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan presented the results of the panel sessions under the heading “Issues on Preservation of the Armenian Identity”.

Touching upon the issues on assimilation in the Diaspora, the Minister stated the following: “Most of our compatriots become detached from the community, and this accelerates the process of assimilation. Of course, Armenians are characterized by their ability to integrate into foreign countries easily. Due to that, there are numerous successful Armenians around the world, and we take pride in their achievements. Over the past couple of days, all the participants of the conference were discussing issues on preservation of the Armenian identity. Amid the current process of globalization, the process of assimilation taking place in the Diaspora is taking place at an unprecedented rate. The Armenian national identity has become vulnerable. Armenian schools are closing, the number of Armenian-speaking Armenians is on the fall, and mixed marriages are on the rise. This is breaking the roots of Armenians and destroying the potential of Armenian communities,” the Minister said.

The Minister stressed that the Armenian State is carrying out programs for the preparation and training of specialists, the printing of textbooks in Armenia and their delivery to Armenian communities abroad, the organizing of accelerated courses and the creation of one-day Armenian schools.

Talking about the other programs of the Ministry of Diaspora aimed at preserving the Armenian identity and consolidating the potential of Diaspora Armenians, the Minister mentioned that the active involvement of Diaspora Armenians in those programs goes to show that Armenia is the Homeland of all Armenians around the world. “Brilliant evidence of this are the Armenia-Diaspora Pan-Armenian Conference and the pan-Armenian professional conferences during which various issues concerning Armenians are examined, identified and solved,” she added.

Touching upon the issue of the decline of the mother language in the Diaspora, the Minister highlighted the following: “Language is the basis for preservation of the national identity, and oblivion of the language is the path that leads straight to the loss of national identity. Language is one of the main measures that can help prevent assimilation and the major factor that unites and consolidates Armenians living in different parts of the world since only the Armenian nation and the Armenian state are the ones that bear, preserve and enhance the Armenian language. From whom can we demand? Consequently, today we need to take advantage of all the opportunities to preserve and enrich the mother language and transmit the pure mother language to the generations.”

The Minister of Diaspora stated that the participants of the conference had touched upon the issue of preservation of Western Armenian with special attention. “The absence of teaching of Western Armenian with a unified grammar in Armenian schools, the gradual decline in the number of pupils and the unsatisfactory care for Western Armenian put the existence of Western Armenian and education and communication through Western Armenian at risk. It is necessary to develop a complex program for preservation of the mother language, the development of linguistic thinking and the enlargement of Armenian educational institutions,” the Minister emphasized.

The Minister of Diaspora noted that, for the most part, the teaching methods at Armenian schools are not modern, but conventional and teacher-centered. Teachers don’t apply high technologies, educational programs have practically not been reformed, and school textbooks don’t meet the requirements.  Thus, Armenian schools of the Diaspora must remain open through the collective efforts of Armenians, becoming the bearer of the modern teaching methods. “The issue on the change of generation of teachers and the lack of young teachers of the Armenian language are items on the agenda. Most teachers of Armenian schools have been teaching for 30-40 years, and there is no clear-cut plan to prepare their replacements. Armenian communities don’t send the envisaged number of young people to undergo goal-oriented training within the scope of the state order at universities in Armenia, and community organizations don’t consider it their major task,” the Minister emphasized.

Talking about cultural issues, Minister Hranush Hakobyan stressed that Armenian culture is the greatest spiritual force for helping Diaspora Armenians preserve the Armenian identity. “It is not by chance that choirs, dance groups and cultural centers are established within Armenian communities after the construction of Armenian churches and schools. Choirs, dance groups and cultural centers play a major role in preservation of the Armenian identity. A unique show of the work of Armenian communities is the “My Armenia” Pan-Armenian Festival, which is held in Yerevan once every two years and is aimed at boosting and enhancing the cultural partnership between Armenia, Artsakh and the Diaspora, preserving the national identity, promoting tourism, supporting the formation of the real opinion of Diaspora Armenians about Armenia and creating mechanisms for the partnership between Armenia and the Diaspora,” she added.

The Minister mentioned that the shaping of Armenian identity and the ensuring and deepening of national identity amid globalization, liberalization and the interpenetration of different cultures and civilizations imply daily efforts. “Young Armenians are in the focal point of those efforts since they are the main guarantors for ensuring the continuity of the national identity. So, almost all state programs are aimed at connecting young Armenians to the Homeland, helping them recognize the homeland, instilling in them the love and responsibility for national values and teaching them the other language,” she highlighted.

Minister Hranush Hakobyan also talked about the issues of Armenians in emergency situations and stated the following: “Due to the current escalation of the situation in the Middle East, the once large Armenian communities are on the verge of disbandment and thousands of our compatriots have become refugees. This is a matter of concern for all us Armenians. Armenia received 22,000 Syrian-Armenians, and the Armenian government created all the possible conditions for them to receive an education, find jobs and solve their social issues. Since the first days of the Syrian crisis, various movements were launched with the purpose of helping Syrian-Armenians abroad.” The Minister of Diaspora expressed gratitude to the traditional Armenian political parties of the Diaspora, the AGBU, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, the Armenian Church and dozens of structures, organizations and individual benefactors who worked with the Armenian government and helped and continue to help the Syrian-Armenians who are in need due to the Syrian crisis.

Summing up, Minister Hranush Hakobyan stated that only through the close collaboration of the Armenian government, Diaspora Armenian organizations and especially the Armenian Church and pan-Armenian organizations and through combined efforts will it be possible for the Armenian people to confront all the challenges facing Armenia and the challenges for preservation of the Armenian identity.

“The main goal and dream of our nation must be to build a “Powerful Armenia”, and it is the duty of all sectors of the Armenian nation to develop plans to achieve that, engaging each and every Armenian in that movement. The idea of building a “Powerful Armenia” must become the ideological basis for the activities of the Armenian State and the Armenian people,” Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan said in closing and gave the floor to member of the Central Committee of the Armenian Relief Society Alicia Bejanian (Armenia) to read the text of the Declaration of the participants of the 6th Armenia-Diaspora Pan-Armenian Conference.

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