KHACHATUR ABOVYAN ARMENIAN STATE PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY

A two-day conference headed “Geographical Aspects of Armenian Highlands” was held on the initiative of the Pedagogical University’s Faculty of Biology, Geography and Chemistry, Department of Geography and its Teaching Methodology.

“This undertaking is dedicated to the centenary of the Genocide; the topic is comprehensive and substantial; during the conference the results of physical –geographical, socio-economical, historical and geographical, educational and cultural studies of the Armenian Highlands will be discussed. Besides, this is an expertise platform for the discussion and solution of urgent problems in the country, the aim of which is to upraise the results of corresponding scientific researches, outline their further directions”, the Dean of the Faculty Ms. Svetlana Hovakimyan mentioned in her welcome speech.

Next in turn the ASPU Vice Rector for Research Activities Ms. SrbouhiGevorgyannoticed that on the threshold of the centenary of the Armenian Genocide, Armenians as a nation with an identity and mentality, being a representative of civilization and having their own features and history, nominate the issue of not the acknowledgement but rather the compensation in the shade of new geographical, historical, civil and political situation and new analysis.

“Armenian Highlands form the basis that is expressive with its language and history; and each of the specialists involved in the conference will discuss the new issues that are so much emphasized in us”, she added.

Likewise, the importance of the traditional organization of the conference was highlighted by the Professor of the Yerevan State University, Doctor of Geography Maxim Manasyan. The latter observed that this is a special year for the whole Armenian nation; the geographers have done very little in this perspective yet; there is still a lot of to do, though.

More to the point, the Doctor of Geography, Professor GevorgKarapetyantouched the professional problems and was sorry to remark the lack of geography centers in the country up to now, stating that the subject has been preserved at universities only due to lecturers’ efforts.

“This conference, which is held for already the fourth time, is another undertaking aimed at the importance and preservation of the subject”.

During the plenary session, Doctor of Geography, the ASPU Professor AshotKhoyetsyan together with cartographer TigranBabayan, introduced the report on the topic of “Physical and Geographycal regions of the Armenian Highlands, their Demarcation methods and Principles”. 

Mr. AshotKhoyetsyan spoke about the physical and geographical regions of the Armenian Highlands outlining that Armenian historians and a number of foreign researchers had already provided primary information about the natural elements and natural historical issues.

“There is a lack of involving geography in Armenian studies; all around the world each country is introduced firstly with its geography, population, historical and cultural heritage; while for us Armenian studies are still historiography and linguistics”,  Mr. AshotKhoyetsyan added.

Similarly, the Professor emphasized the creation of a new physical –geographical scheme and called upon to henceforth use the philosophical category of awareness of the area, anticipating for the issue of using and appropriating our lands with more ambitions.

Later on Doctor of Pedagogy, the ASPU Professor ShoghikVoskanyan delivered her report on the subject “Social-Economic and Cultural Life of the Western Armenia on the threshold of the Genocide”. The latter spoke about the NGOs and their role in the social and economic lives of the Western Armenia, educational and cultural issues, schools established during that period and their strong role in preserving the Armenian nationality and surviving.

“Western Armenia was all alone on the stage of the whole World; Europe promised to support nevertheless did not provide any help because of its own interests as a result of which the Genocide happened. It should be highlighted that the local Western-Armenian cultural life made a huge contribution to the cultural treasury; it exists and will remain”, Ms. ShoghikVoskanyan concluded.

Afterwards, the Head of the ASPU Department of Ecology and Sustainable Development, Professor KarineiDanielyan spoke about the role of the United Nations in preventing the Genocide, convicting it, and diminishing ethical and religious conflicts. Additionally, the Professor referred to the civilizations, religious conflicts, after which she noted that the current behaviour of the institution and movement of the office in Turkey was unacceptable. 

In his turn the representative of the RA National Museum of Architecture, Doctor of Architecture, Professor AshotGrigoryan observed in his report about the regional construction development patterns mentioned that the term “civil construction” is much more commonly used among us, but there is a more wide-ranging notion – territorial construction which even though includes the historical and geographical borders of a country, but not always coincides with the country’s borders in the given period”. 

Moreover, the Professor spoke about the backgrounds of residential construction sources of the Armenian Highlands and adjacent regions, the links between the geography parallels, their historical continuation.

“Armenia is not constructed on the basis of territorial construction principles, therefore, we are losing the image of the frontier villages, their historical values, the rules and modern requirements of construction, thus, violating the constructive process of humane existence which is actual. Speaking about the human and cultural Genocide one should never forget the concept of a “regional” genocide; we lost the common construction principles”, he added.

The conference proceeded its activities in four fields- physical and geographical, social –economical, historical and geographical, educational and cultural studies.

More reports were presented not only by the Pedagogical University’s faculty members, but also those from other universities and educational institutions, as well as the employees from the RA Ministry of Territorial Administration and Emergency Situations, representatives of the USA Berkeley University and Embassy of China in Armenia.

 “This was a very effective conference; there were very precise questions with similarly precise responses, analysis and discussions. The discussions also included issues related to the separate regions of the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian Highlands. The reports were multifaceted and interesting; it was recommended to establish an editors’ group and to publish the best articles, as well as to create a scientific newsletter that does not exist yet”, mentioned the Head of the Department of Geography and its Teaching Methodology, Associate Professor AhsotAjamoghlyan, thus, wrapping –up the conference.

And last but not least, the whole conference was accompanied with the demonstration of artistic photographs of the Armenian Highlands showing the maps and charts of famous foreign travelers- researchers of 19-20 centuries.