Armenian Ambassador: It is encouraging to see that the new generation is taking initiatives to preserve the memory of WWII participants and to pass it on to future generations
ArmInfo.Historical memory is of special importance for Armenia. Ara Sahakyan stated this in an interview with Armenian journalists on April 28 in the fields of the International Forum of Winners "Great Victory, reached through unity: the courage of the front - the resistance of the rear". According to him, the preservation of historical memory is a natural human aspiration.
The diplomat noted that historical memory is of special importance for the Armenian people, since more than 100 years ago there was a great tragedy (the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire - Ed.). "And we do not believe that time can erase it from memory or be forgotten. This also applies to the high price paid by the Armenian people, their exceptional participation in this war and the contribution. Names and figures are known to everyone, but for me today it is very gratifying to see that the new generation is taking initiatives to preserve the memory of the participants of the Great Patriotic War and pass it on to future generations," the Diplomat said.
The Armenian Ambassador also said that in 2015, on the eve of the 70th anniversary of the Victory in the Second World War, they learned that a hero of the Soviet Union of Armenian origins Ishkhan Paribekyan, a native of the Armenian city of Ijevan, who had decided to move to live in Kazakhstan after the war, was buried in Kazakhstan. The diplomat said that he managed to talk with those who knew Paribekyan. "He left behind a good memory. He was treated with great respect, even close neighbors did not know about his heroic past. Only after his death became aware of his services. Local authorities installed a decent tombstone, where there is also a record that he was a hero of the Soviet Union. Last year, we visited his grave. It is in a satisfactory condition, however, we have already initiated measures to ennoble the grave of our compatriot. We also managed to post information about him in the memorable book of the heroes of Kazakhstan. We are proud not only of his heroic military past, but also of the kind memory he left where he lived thanks to his work. Memory of him, an important contribution to our common historical memory," summed up the Armenian Ambassador.
The forum was organized by the Political Center "North-South" and the Development Fund "The Institute of Eurasian Studies" with the support of the Interstate Fund for Humanitarian Cooperation of the CIS member states.