What you have done is of great value to our architecture. President Armen Sarkissian presented a high state award to Honoured Architect Sashur Kalashyan

By the decree of the President of the Republic Armen Sarkissian, architect Sashur Kalashyan was recently awarded the Medal of Anania Shirakatsi for his significant contribution to the development of architecture and urban-planning.

Today, President Armen Sarkissian hosted the honoured architect and handed over the high state award to him. "It is a great honour for me to award you this medal on behalf of our people and the state, as your contribution to our culture and architecture is enormous," said President Sarkissian. "The architecture that you have presented and propagated throughout your life is very harmonious with our national architecture. So, what you have done is of great value."

Sashur Kalashyan expressed gratitude for the appraisal and acknowledgement of the road he passed. "Architecture is the face of the national culture, and preserving this culture and architectural heritage is a priority to us," he said.

President Sarkissian and Sashur Kalashyan touched upon the issues of preserving historical and cultural heritage, among them architectural monuments, stressing the importance of showing a caring attitude to and agreeing that the preservation of a unique national heritage is also a culture.

Honoured Architect Sashur Kalashyan is one of the authors of the Genocide Memorial Complex and the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute building in Tsitsernakaberd. With his co-authorship, the Kumayri State Historical-Architectural Reserve-Museum, Museums of Sergey Merkurov and of Aslamazyan Sisters, the Centre of Children’s Art, Puppet Theatre, the Dzitoghtsyans’ House-Museum, and the buildings of the Tsaghikians’ Beer Plant were designed and built in Gyumri, the chief architect of which he was for many years.