KHACHATUR ABOVYAN ARMENIAN STATE PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY

On September 22, the Faculty of History and Law of Armenian State Pedagogical University (ASPU) hosted Zbigniew Szmurło, Rector’s Advisor for International Collaboration at the University of Security in Poznań, Poland, a specialist in Armenian Studies, who delivered a lecture entitled “Perception of Armenia and Armenians by the Poles.”

The guest was welcomed by Edgar Hovhannisyan, Dean of the Faculty of History and Law, who said ‘it has become a good tradition to host [at the University] lectures by guest scientists, which enables students to learn about the studies and opinions of foreign scholars about our country.’ The dean added that such initiatives bring leadisng scientists to the Faculty and create an opportunity for establishing and strengthening ties.

Speaking about issues related to the Armenian community in Poland, the visiting specialist emphasized the key role of Armenians in his country, stressing that royal family members used to hire Armenian teachers for their children. In his speech, the Polish guest also referred to the Armenian Genocide, Artsakh liberation war, as well as the views and opinions of the Poles about the Armenian culture. He assured everyone that Armenians have been actively participating in the cultural life of Poland since ancient times.

“The Armenian Diaspora in Poland is divided into two major sections: the first one is historical and is much like Poles, while the second is comparatively new and was formed in 1991, during the years of independence,” Zbigniew Szmurło said. He called on the youth to love their homeland and history.

In his speech, Professor Ashot Philiposyan, Head of the Chair of Armenian History, stressed the importance of similar lectures, which, he said, contribute to the expansion of international contacts and ties, acquisition of new knowledge and development of cooperation between different countries.