Remarks by President Serzh Sargsyan delivered at the opening of the Days of Armenian Culture in Russia

Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich!

Dear Friends!

It gives me a great pleasure to attend together with the President of the Russian Federation the opening of the Days of Armenian Culture in Russia at one of the world’s largest and most renowned museums - the Tretyakov Gallery.

Today’s event is timed to the 25th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries and the 20th anniversary of the Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance between the Republic of Armenia and the Russian Federation.

These are significant dates that testify to a qualitatively new level of Armenian-Russian relations of strategic partnership, built on centuries-old ties of friendship, which bind the destinies of our two fraternal peoples. We have always been together: both in peacetime and during the years of hard trials. Our fathers and grandfathers often used to fight side by side on the fronts.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude for the opening of the bust to twice Hero of the Soviet Union Marshal Hovhannes Khristoforovich Bagramyan at the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War in Moscow.

Cardinal changes have taken place in the lives of our countries and peoples over time, but the reciprocated warmth and sincerity of Armenian and Russian peoples, imbued with simple human destinies, remained unchanged.

In the last quarter of a century, impressive progress has been made in the development of humanitarian contacts. Committed to traditional values and national identities, our peoples have always been open and deeply interested in interpenetrating cultures.

We have much in common - openness, goodwill, sociability, emotionality and, of course, receptivity to everything new. Russia is rightfully considered to be one of the world’s cultural centers. It is no coincidence that a significant number of Armenian cultural figures - writers, musicians, architects and artists – have not only been graduates of the Russian school of art, but also continued to build on its glorious traditions to multiply the common cultural and spiritual heritage.

Today, the Armenian culture, like the culture of Russia, can not be imagined without such well-known personalities as Hovhannes Aivazovsky, Aram Khachaturyan, Arno Babajanyan, Mikael Tariverdiyev and many other outstanding figures who have become symbols of the Armenian-Russian friendship.

It is not just coincidence that we are inaugurating the Days of Armenian Culture with the exhibition of the works by one of last century’s greatest painters, Martiros Saryan, a courageous innovator who skillfully connected the picturesque traditions of the East with the new trends of Russian and European art of the 20th century. And literally today a commemorative plaque to the great master was unveiled on the facade of the house where he lived in Moscow.

As early as half a century ago, Saryan said, “Art can humanize and bring people closer to the amazing discoveries of science and technology.” This was Saryan’s perception of the world and the understanding of culture, perpetuated in his work by timeless universal values.

I am sure that over time we will have new Saryans and Aivazovskys, Khachaturians and Tariverdiyevs, while our cooperation in the field of culture will be enriched with bright and interesting projects.

Dear Friends!

It is noteworthy that the Days of Armenian Culture are being held not only in Moscow and St. Petersburg, but also in the regions of Russia. This is an excellent opportunity to get even closer to each other, open up the unknown pages of Armenia’s history and culture.

I am confident that this great cultural project will give fresh impetus to the development of bilateral relations and their continued mutual enrichment.

The unique literary and musical heritage of Russian culture, the monuments of architecture of Russia, the traditions of the people of Russia have always been of great interest in our country. I believe that this is reciprocal, and that the events within the framework of the Days of Armenian Culture will be equally interesting both for representatives of culture and art and the general public, and for the younger generation, in particular.

In conclusion, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin for supporting this unique initiative. Initiatives like this help develop the living fabric of our friendship.

Also, I want to extend a special vote of thanks for the return to Armenia of famous Russian painter Mikhail Vrubel’s “The Demon and the Angel with the Soul of Tamara” painting, which was stolen from Armenia in 1995.

I wish to thank our Russian friends for their thoughtfulness of today's exhibition and the series of events that will take place on the margins of the Days of Armenian Culture.

I wish all those present and all the participants of the upcoming events a vivid and exciting experience.