On May 28, the Mekhitarist Congregation in Vienna hosted a solemn ceremony dedicated to the 100^th anniversary of the First Republic of Armenia. The event was organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia in Austria. Among the attendees were Members of the Parliament of Austria; high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other government agencies; the heads and diplomats of diplomatic representations accredited to Austria and to international organizations in Vienna; representatives of Austria’s public, cultural and scientific circles; clergymen of the Mekhitarist Congregation and the Armenian Holy Apostolic Church and members of Austrian-Armenian organizations.

As reported the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia to Hayern Aysor, the official part of the ceremony began with the ceremony of homage to the national flag of the First Republic of Armenia that has been kept for almost a century in the Museum of the Mekhitarist Congregation in Vienna. Afterwards, a ceremony of joint blessing of the Republic of Armenia was conducted by the clergy, under the direction of Patriarchal Delegate of the Armenian Apostolic Church for Central Europe and Scandinavia, Archimandrite Tiran Petrosyan and Abbot of the Mekhitarist Congregation, Archbishop Boghos Kojanian.

In his opening speech following the blessing ceremony, Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to Austria and Permanent Representative to international organizations of Vienna Arman Kirakossian touched upon the endeavor that the people of Armenia made exactly a century ago and the amazing unity of all layers of society that not only helped the Armenians give the enemy the counterattack it deserved, but also made it possible to restore statehood.

The Ambassador expressed words of gratitude to the Fathers of the Mekhitarist Congregation for preserving the Armenian spiritual and cultural heritage for two consecutive centuries and for always supporting Armenian statehood. The Ambassador also touched upon the diplomatic contacts that the official Yerevan and Vienna had between the years 1918 and 1921.

Members of the Federal Parliament of Austria, including Head of the Austria-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship Group Gudrun Kugler and member of the Group Reinhold Lopatka also gave speeches in which they touched upon the centuries-old contacts between the Austrians and Armenians and the need for deepening the future cooperation between the two nations, highlighting the fact that in spite of the role that Austro-Hungary played in the tragedy that happened to the Armenian people during the First World War, the Parliament of Austria will make every effort to make sure the friendly relations and cooperation between the two nations grow stronger and deeper.

The official speeches were followed by performances of the works of Armenian, Russian and European composers by Armenia’s teen musicians, who are giving concerts in Vienna.

At the end, the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia in Austria hosted an official reception for the guests. Afterwards, for the first time, the guests had the opportunity to view the materials of the “Armenia-Austria: Official Contacts between 1918 and 1921” exhibition organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia at the Museum of the Mekhitarist Congregation and dedicated to the 100^th anniversary of the First Republic of Armenia.