On April 21, the results of the 2017 Pan-Armenian Awards “For notable contributions to the preservation of the Armenian identity” were summed up and diplomas were granted during a ceremony held at the RA Ministry of Diaspora.

Hayern Aysor’s correspondent sat down for an interview with Lebanese-Armenian teacher Marijan Adourian and London-Armenian cartographer and geographer Rouben Galchian, who received awards during the ceremony.

The Armenian Evangelical Secondary School of Anjar (Lebanon) received the 1^st Prize in the “Defender of the Mother Language” category.

Expressing gratitude for the cordial reception, in an interview with Hayern Aysor, longstanding Armenian language and history teacher of the School Marijan Adourian said that it is an honor for the School to receive such an award in the Homeland and added that this will make them more motivated to preserve the Armenian identity in the Diaspora.

She also stated that Anjar is a little Armenia in Lebanon where Armenians are always in an Armenian environment. They are able to carry out various cultural and educational programs aimed at preserving the Armenian identity without hindrances.

Cartographer and geographer Rouben Galchian, who was born in Tavriz and currently lives in London, received the 1^st Prize in the “Defender of the Mother Language” category. After moving to London, he had the opportunity to examine cartographical materials. Galchian’s first book is devoted to the legacy of historic maps of Armenia (Tauris Publishing House, London, 2004). Over the past 15 years, Rouben Galchian has published seven books in Armenian, Russian, English and Farsi. He has also published two books devoted to Azerbaijan’s falsifications of the Armenian culture.

Gevorg Chichyan