On Sunday, July 20, 2014, after the Divine and eternal Liturgy, Catholicos Aram I granted the St. Mesrop Mashtots Medal to Syrian-Armenians Huri Azezian (Aleppo) and Hagop Adamian (Latakia) for their contributions to the Syrian-Armenians and culture during a ceremony held at the residence of the Catholicos. Among those attending the ceremony were intellectuals, representatives of cultural and educational unions and relatives of the award recipients. Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Aleppo, Archbishop Shahan Sarkisian introduced Huri Azezian as an intellectual, her merit for the nation and in education, and Jirair Danielian talked about Hagop Adamian’s contributions to culture and literature.

Touching upon the difficulties that the Syrian-Armenian community has faced due to the Syrian crisis, the Supreme Patriarch said: “Our Syrian-Armenian community experienced and survived the horrors of the Armenian Genocide planned and perpetrated by the Ottoman Turks. After the Armenian Genocide, the Armenians reorganized themselves and made church and community life thriving, becoming an inseparable part of the Syrian society. Alongside their Arab brothers, they made significant contributions and continue to make contributions to Syria. Today, we are well aware of the situation in Syria. However, the Syrian-Armenians stay clung to their roots and national values amid the crisis and the damages that it has caused.”

Afterwards, the Supreme Patriarch expressed his appreciation of the spiritual and community leaders of the Syrian-Armenians, the charity unions and all the communities, state, religious and community representatives who continue to support the Armenians in Syria. The Supreme Patriarch also stressed: “The reinstatement of the Syrian-Armenians is an imperative, and this is a pan-national issue, as we have often mentioned. We expect to see the Armenians participate in the recovery efforts of the Syrian-Armenians with commitment.”

In the end, the Supreme Patriarch appreciated Huri Azezian and Hagop Adamian for their contributions to the national, church and cultural life of the Syrian-Armenians and granted them the St. Mesrop Mashtots Medal. Afterwards, the recipients expressed their heartfelt words to the Supreme Patriarch.

Aztag