“Armenology is Not Only a Scientific-Theoretic Field, But Also a Practical”,H. Hovhannisyan
2018-10-15
Today, at the Matenadaran, the Mesrop Mashtots Scientific-Research Institute of Ancient Manuscripts, a three-day international conference titled “From Baltic to Black Sea; Armenians in Cultural, Economic and Political Processes” has been launched, to which more than 60 researchers attended from Austria, Argentina, Belarus, Bulgaria, Hungary, Germany, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Serbia,the USA, the Ukraine and France.
The Deputy Minister of Education and Science of the Republic of Armenia Hovhannes Hovhannisyan welcomed the participants of the conference and added that such scientific events are of vital importance for Armenia and, in particular, for Armenology. “The field of Armenology has an important place in the system of scientific disciplines. Although for many years it has been at the center of attention of the country, financial support was lacking. Armenology differs from other disciplines because it is not only a scientific-theoretic discipline, but also practical, from the standpoint of the Armenian identity, the preservation of the Armenian identity, and it’s appreciation of the past and the new interpretation in this new era. The assessment of the role of Armenology and particularly the role of Armenians in the political, cultural, and social lives of different countries is a bottomless abyss, the study of which is not only an important scientific mission, but also a scientific pleasure. I remember when I was studying archival documents and every time when I was doing a scientific analysis of a new fact, my joy was so great that neither the scientific explorations nor the time spent on them were in vain”, mentioned Hovhannes Hovhannisyan in his speech. According to him, the evaluation of the role of the different Armenian communities and individuals is of great importance in terms of the new perception of the relations between the Diaspora and Armenia. “Although the conference is titled "From Baltic to Black Sea", it’s worthwhile to mention the important mission of the Armenian communities in such countries as Lebanon, Iran, India, China, the United States, Brazil, Argentina, etc. Surprisingly, the first translation of the Bible from English into Chinese was made by Armenians”, mentioned the Deputy Minister of Education and Science, and emphasized that no matter where the Armenians lived, they first created two important institutions, a church and a school, which provided the cultural, religious and educational unity of the Armenians on a foreign land. “I am greeting you once again in New Armenia and wishing you effective discussions and an active exchange of thoughts in the light of free thought and free criticism”, noted Hovhannes Hovhannisyan.
During the conference it is planned to explore the experience of the interaction of Armenians with other peoples of the region from the Baltic to the Black Seas, study the relations between Armenia and the countries of the region in the historical and geographical context and assess the role of Armenian communities in the history of the region. The ceremony was organized by the "Aniv" Armenology Research and Development Foundation.
