President Armen Sarkissian paid tribute to the memory of the Unknown Soldier and visited the ancient Kalemegdan Fortress

President Armen Sarkissian, who is in the Republic of Serbia on official visit, today together with his spouse Mrs. Nouneh Sarkissian visited the memorial of the Unknown Soldier located in the south-western part of Belgrade on Avala hill which immortalizes the memory of the Serb soldiers who fell in the WWI.

The memorial was built in 1938 at the site where the remains of an unknown soldier killed during the World War I were buried.

At the memorial, President Sarkissian and Mrs. Sarkissian, accompanied by the Ministry of Defense of Serbia Aleksandar Bulin paid tribute to the memory of the soldiers killed in WWI, after which President Sarkissian made an inscription in the Guest Book, “At this historic moment, we remember all those who gave their lives for the Fatherland.”

Afterwards, Mr. and Mrs. Sarkissian visited the ancient Kalemegda Fortress located in the historical center of Belgrade. Accompanied by the Mayor of Belgrade Zoran Radojicic and Director of the Fortress Maria Reljici, they toured the Fortress and laid flowers on few Armenian tombs.

The Fortress, which in 1979 was declared a cultural monument of exceptional importance, was built as a castle in 3rd century BC. It had been destroyed many times during different invasions and in the 12th century was rebuilt as a fortress. It has also Armenian traces: In 16-18 centuries many Armenian merchants settled in Serbia and built an Armenian church. The church was not preserved, while the tombs with the Armenian inscriptions were moved to the territory of the Fortress and are kept there.

Mayor of Belgrade Zoran Radojicic said, “The Serb people are familiar with the history and culture of the Armenian nation, value it and appreciate the Armenian President’s visit to this historic site which carries also Armenian footprints.” He noted that would be glad to declare Belgrade and Yerevan sister-cities.