KHACHATUR ABOVYAN ARMENIAN STATE PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY

ASPU’s “Spyurk” (Diaspora) Scientific-Educational Center often hosts representatives of various scientific and educational institutions of the Diaspora.

Recently, the Center hosted Dr. Minas Kojayan, a US-based Armenian intellectual and editor, a distinguished teacher at the Melkonian Educational Institute in Nicosia, Cyprus, and AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School in Los Angeles. He was accompanied by historian Gevorg Yazichyan. Minas Kojayan is the author of the books “History of Chork-Marzban (Dört-Yol): a Town in Cilicia"(2005), “Along the Roads of the Grieving Past: Pilgrimage to Historic Armenia" (2013), and "Phoenician Shores" (2023).

During the meeting, Director of the “Spyurk” Scientific-Educational Center Suren Danielyan presented the activity of the Center he heads and training courses intended for Diaspora Armenian specialists. The sides discussed a number of issues of mutual interest, including preservation of the Western Armenian language and culture, challenges in education and possible ways to overcome the difficulties.

The Center also hosted congregate of the Mekhitarist Congregation in Venice, Supreme Archimandrite Vahan Ohanian who is also assistant editor of “Bazmavep” journal. During the meeting, Reverend Ohanian spoke about the Congregation and its activity, close scientific and educational ties with the Homeland, and got acquainted with the priorities of the Chair of New and Modern Armenian Literature and its Teaching Methods after Vache Partizuni, publications of the “Spyurk” Center and perspectives. Let us add that Vahan Ohanian was recently awarded the "Movses Khorenatsi" medal for his outstanding contributions to the development of Armenian studies and preservation of Armenian identity. Among his important works on Armenology are "Armenian-Italian" (1995) and "Italian-Armenian" (1996) dictionaries, compilation of the three-volume "Collection of Letters" by Ghevond Alishan (2020-2021), as well as the "Armenian Genocide" which summarizes the reactions and response of the American press to the Armenian Genocide during World War I.