President Serzh Sargsyan met with the representatives of the Armenian community of Lebanon

Last night in Beirut, President Serzh Sargsyan met with the representatives of the Armenian community of Lebanon.

In his address, the President noted that he is constantly proud of the strong, viable and creative Armenian community of Lebanon and each time visits Lebanon with pleasure and warm anticipation, and meets gladly with our compatriots living here.

According to Serzh Sargsyan, the Armenian-Lebanese friendship is based on the important principle – respect of the Armenians of Lebanon for the State of Lebanon and respect of the State of Lebanon for the Armenians.

The President of Armenia noted that he is proud that there are ethnic Armenian members of the Parliament and Ministers in the Lebanese Government and called upon them to be united and work together.

“The Armenian Diaspora of Lebanon has been and remains a spiritual, national-political center of Spyurk, a vein nourishing the illuminating mind of the Armenians.

Your community rightly possesses glorious history. We are grateful to all those devotees whose tireless work and persistent efforts have ensured preservation, development and functioning of many Armenian organizations, cultural and spiritual structures, churches and educational centers, youth, benevolent and women’s unions, centers of the Armenian studies.

You are rice – rich in spirit and culture, rich with human potential. In this community, three of the Armenian Church congregations - Catholicate of the Great House of Cilicia, Armenian Patriarchate and Armenian Evangelical Church are acting side by side. Thank you, spiritual Fathers, for conducting in each of your religious communities work dedicated to the nation and preservation of our nation, for promoting national and cultural life of the community, sowing love and devotion for the Armenian nation, Motherland and the Armenian state,” President Sargsyan said.

Addressing spiritual leaders, public figures, teachers and artists present at the meeting, President Serzh Sargsyan expressed gratitude to them for raising far away from the Motherland, under the ongoing economic crisis, the Armenian speaking, Armenia loving and Armenian nation loving generation, a generation whose destiny is tied unbreakably to the destiny of our nation.

The President of Armenia assessed as commendable attitude of the Armenians of Lebanon and Armenian organizations of Lebanon which views the salvation of the Syrian Armenians as a national issue, as well as their position and care for our compatriots from Syria who have settled in Lebanon. Serzh Sargsyan stressed one more time that the Republic of Armenia stands by every Syrian Armenian – in Syria as well as in Armenia.

At the meeting with the Armenian community of Lebanon, President Sargsyan spoke also about great potential of the community, the full and efficient use of which will allow to attain new success in the development of the Armenian-Lebanese relations, recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide and resolution of other all-Armenian issues.

Serzh Sargsyan underscored that the Armenians of Lebanon stood by Armenia’s side through the difficult moments in the twenty-one year old history of independent Armenia. Artsakh’s fight for freedom, earthquake, hard times of calamities - they stood by and supported Armenia and Artsakh, assisted in the formation of our state, and helped in the economic and political development of the Motherland.

“I should mention with pleasure that the Armenians of Lebanon started to show a greater interest in and trust towards Armenia which is proved by the number of the applications for receiving the RA citizenship. In 2010, just over 200 Armenians from Lebanon received Armenian citizenship, while in 2011 that number multiplied by ten and the tendency continues today as well. Of course, receiving the citizenship of Armenia doesn’t directly translate into the establishment of residence in Armenia: the Armenian passport is a legal bond with the state. Passport endows with rights as well as obligations.

I believe you would agree that there is hardly a country in the world which exists free of problems. They exist in Armenia too. However our achievements are not scarce. It is true that today Armenia still needs you; however we are also able to assist and support you. Sustainable and upward development of our beloved country is irreversible. All achievements of our independent statehood are also the results of the ten-million strong Armenian nation’s toiling, fighting, investing, and efforts. Today, the Motherland-Spyurk interaction has acquired a new content and strategic importance,” President Sargsyan said.

Serzh Sargsyan spoke with the representatives of the Armenian community of Lebanon about important issues of Armenia’s internal and foreign agendas, and presented the forthcoming programs.

“We must be able to move in step with the time and create today the Armenia-dedicated future for our generations, the joint future of the Motherland and Spyurk. We must be guided not by the “why me?” but rather by “who, if not me?” motto,” President Serzh Sargsyan said in the conclusion of his meeting with the Armenian community of Lebanon.