Tekeyan Center Fund celebrated its 20^th anniversary with splendor. The Center was established through the close collaboration between Armenia and Diaspora and serves as one of the symbols of the unity of Armenians around the world. Established in 2001 as Tekeyan Center Fund, and liked its founding Tekeyan Trust London, it is important in terms of national preservation.

Through educational, cultural, social and various other humanitarian programs, Tekeyan Center Fund fosters the preservation and dissemination of Armenian national identity and heritage and the strengthening of Armenia-Diaspora relations. Since 2010, the issues of Armenian schools and pupils in Armenia and Artsakh have been in the Fund’s focus. The Fund is also active in the cultural sector, organizing multi-genre exhibitions and introducing contemporary Armenian artists to the public at large. The Fund actively collaborates with state and non-governmental organizations of Armenia and abroad, as well as several Armenian organizations of the Armenian Diaspora.

As reported the Fund to Hayern Aysor, the event at Tekeyan Center was attended by representatives of state organizations and the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, as well as benefactors and supporters from Armenia’s provinces, Artsakh and the Diaspora.

In his opening remarks, President of the Board of Trustees of Tekeyan Center Fund Vartan Ouzounian congratulated the attendees on the beautiful occasion and expressed his gratitude to all the benefactors, supporters and partners of Tekeyan Center from Armenia and the Diaspora thanks to whom the Fund was established and grew. The President presented the idea of the Center, its past and current programs. All this was also presented briefly in a slide show.

Talking about the Center’s future actions, Director Armen Tsulikyan particularly expressed concern about the preservation of Armenian schools in the Diaspora and added that the Fund is ready to work closely with the RA Ministry of Education and Science and develop a serious strategy on prevention of the closure of schools.

In her speech, Head of the Department for Relations with Pan-Armenian, International and Ecclesiastical Organizations at the RA Ministry of Diaspora Knarik Petrosyan touched upon the longstanding cultural and benevolent activities of Tekeyan Center Fund and Tekeyan Trust London for preservation of the Armenian identity, the development and dissemination of Armenian culture and for being useful to the Homeland. She also attached importance to the pro-Armenian program of the Fund that provides the young generation with a spiritual and cultural upbringing. Highly appreciating the pro-national cooperation with the RA Ministry of Diaspora, Petrosyan granted the certificate of appreciation of Minister Hranush Hakobyan “on the occasion of the 20^th anniversary of Tekeyan Center and for the significant contributions to the development of cultural ties between Armenia and the Diaspora”.

Tekeyan Center Fund also received a certificate of appreciation from Director of the Museums of the City of Shushi SNCO Lusine Gasparyan “for close collaboration and the implementation of cultural programs, maintenance of a healthy spiritual and cultural environment in Artsakh and development of the aesthetic taste of future generations”.

Head of the Division for Relations with the Diaspora at the RA Ministry of Education and Science Karen Mnatsakanyan valued the participation of Tekeyan Center Fund in educational processes and also stated the Fund’s active participation in and great contribution to the construction of schools. Touching upon the issue of Armenian schools in the Diaspora, he said the following: “One of the current concerns of the RA Ministry of Education and Science is the preservation of Armenian schools. If we all consistently become engaged in this process, then the issue of preservation of the Armenian identity in the Diaspora can be considered solved to a certain extent.”

Head of the Department of Culture and Tourism at Yerevan Municipality Ruben Hovhannisyan conveyded the congratulatory message of Mayor Taron Margaryan in which the mayor particularly appreciated the road that Tekeyan Center Fund has taken in the intricate process of preservation and popularization of the type of Armenians. “I am certain that the organization’s cultural, educational and scientific programs are of great strategic significance in their nature since they help form a type of Armenian who will score victories and make achievements in the future.”

The welcoming remarks and congratulatory message of Director of the Museum of History of Yerevan at Yerevan Municipality Armine Sargsyan were read after the speech.

On behalf of the British-Armenian community, Patriarchal Delegate and Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Great Britain and Ireland, Fr. Hovakim Manoukian congratulated Tekeyan Center on the occasion of the anniversary and specifically mentioned that the organization is one of the first to strengthen Armenia-Diaspora relations. Talking about Tekeyan Trust London, His Holiness particularly touched upon his honorable secretary and President of the TCF Vartan Ouzounian, whom His Holiness considers an “ambassador” in London and who empowers Tekeyan’s structures in Amrenia and England. “It would be very nice, if all organizations of the Armenian Diaspora were this connected to the Mother Homeland.”