Armenian school named after Mesrop Mashtots opens in Volkhov

The Mesrop Mashtots Armenian Sunday School has opened at the A.S. Pushkin Cultural and Information Center in the city of Volkhov, Leningrad region. The event was made possible with the support of various organizations, primarily initiated by the Local Public Organization “Armenian Community “Achtamar” (LPO “Armenian Community “Achtamar”), led by Arutyun Balyan, the chairman of the organization.

The opening ceremony was attended by Alexander Safonov, Deputy Head of the Administration of the Volkhov District; Alisa Arutyunyan, the head of the municipal education of the city of Volkhov; Vagan Babakhanyan, Deputy Chairman of the Armenian National and Cultural Autonomy of St. Petersburg; Agasi Akopyan, the Acting Chairman of the Armenian Youth Association of St. Petersburg, and Elena Ermolina, Deputy Director of the Regional House of Friendship and Chairperson of the Regional Branch of the Assembly of Peoples of Russia. Alexander Safonov read a letter addressed to Alexey Britsun, Head of the Administration of the Volkhov District, from Vasily Piskarev, a member of the State Duma and Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Security and Anti-Corruption. In the letter, the deputy expressed support for the initiative to open an Armenian Sunday school and expressed confidence that, I quote: “In times of hardship, Russia and Armenia have always stood together, providing support and assistance for the sake of preserving peace for our children. Steps in this direction will strengthen security and improve relations between people of different nationalities.”

The first lesson at the school took place immediately after the opening ceremony, the consecration of the classroom, and the blessing of the students and teachers. It was conducted by the archpriest of the Armenian Apostolic Church in St. Petersburg, Gevond Tyomkin. The classes at the school will be taught by Aregnazan Sargsyan and Lena Sarkisyan.

“It is very important to know and respect the culture of one’s own people and take pride in it. Only when we respect our own culture and traditional religion do we develop an understanding of the cultures of other nations. This mutual respect will eventually lead to the eradication of extremism, xenophobia, and other negative biases and social stereotypes. I am confident that in their classes, the children will not only learn about their own culture but also discover a lot about the peoples of Russia,” noted Elena Ermolina, Deputy Director of the Regional House of Friendship and Chairperson of the Regional Branch of the Assembly of Peoples of Russia, in her speech at the school’s opening ceremony.