Monday, March 4 2019 14:21

ArmInfo.On March 2, a khachkar was established and opened in the Ayrum community of Lori region in tribute to the memory of the victims of Sumgait pogroms, in late February 1988, which claimed the lives of dozens of Armenians.  Khachkar in Ayrum was established with the assistance of the Union of  Armenians of Ukraine (UAU), the author of which was Yerevan sculptor  Artak Hambartsumian.

, "spokesman for the self-propelled  guns Ruben Makaryan said in an interview with ArmInfo. In this vein,  he noted that in recent years, the organization has established over  30 khachkars in different cities of Ukraine, in particular, in the  territories of churches and in parks. "Each khachkar, each event  symbolizes the Armenian footprint in a particular country," he  stressed. In particular, according to Makaryan, the first khachkar in  Ukraine dates from the eleventh century.

"I hope that after the opening of this khachkar between the Armenian  community of Ukraine and the Ayrum community, relations will further  strengthen, and in the future we will be able to be useful in other  issues," a UAU spokesman said at the opening ceremony.

Head of the municipality Akhtala Arkady Tamazyan attended the event.  Expressing gratitude to the UAU he noted that the establishment of a  khachkar in Ayrum is a symbolic and memorable event, since most of  the inhabitants of this settlement are refugees from Azerbaijan, in  particular Sumgayit.

After the ceremonial opening, a khachkar consecration ceremony and a  memorial liturgy were held on the victims of the Sumgait tragedy,  which was held by the senior priest of the Church of the Holy Mother  of God in Akhtaal Ter Yetum Tarverdyan and Ter Mikayel Shagoyan. , said Ter Etum.

The event was also attended by Honorary Consul of Ukraine in the Lori  region Sahak Gudratyan, chairman of the Ukrainian Federation of  Ukrainians Anna Harutyunyan with representatives of the Ukrainian  Diaspora of the Republic of Armenia, as well as residents of the  Ayrum community.

To note, the khachkars of Artak Hambartsumian are represented in more  than 30 countries of the world, including Argentina, Ukraine,  Bulgaria and others. From above 200 works of the sculptor are devoted  to the Armenian Genocide, the Artsakh liberation movement, various  events that are set not only outside the country, but in different  regions of Armenia.  The Union of Armenians of Ukraine is an  all-Ukrainian non-governmental organization uniting the existing 20  Armenian organizations in Ukraine, which was established in 2001. The  chairman of the UAU is Vilen Shatvoryan. The goal of the Union of  Armenians of Ukraine is the integration of Armenians into Ukrainian  society and their consolidation for the preservation of national  identity, the restoration and preservation of historical and cultural  values. According to the latest official data, about 500 thousand  Armenians live in Ukraine.