At the initiative of the Youth Department of the Armenian Diocese in Georgia (Director: Valery Badalyan) and with the support of the Diocese, on November 12, 2016, the Calouste Gulbenkian hall of the Hayartun Center at the Armenian Diocese in Georgia hosted a meeting with Armenian youth studying at different higher education institutions of Georgia. 100 boys and girls from Tbilisi and other parts of Georgia, who are attending one-year preparatory course and are already studying at the universities, took their seats in the hall.

In his opening remarks, the Cultural Department Head and the Director of the Hayartun Center, Levon Chidilyan referred to the past and the present situation of the Armenian community in Georgia, spoke about the importance of preserving the national values, Armenian heritage, and the mother language, of passing the national traditions to future generations. The Center’s Director urged the youth to get involved with the community life, to be guided by the idea of national unity, to take part in the Georgian-Armenian community’s progress.

Nina Seropova, Students Activities Coordinator, prepared a slide-show presentation to highlight interesting and informative everyday activities of the Youth Department of the Diocese during one year. The speaker spoke on the meetings, visits, sportive events and cheerful games, acts of charity and clean-up activities, excursions and pilgrimages, which had been organized and initiated by the Youth Department of the Diocese. She emphasized the importance of preserving the Armenian identity among foreign students and that every Armenian student’s responsibility is to worthily represent Armenians.

Knowledge of the official language of Georgia, respect for the Georgian national and cultural values is the civic duty of Armenian youth, which is a precondition to integration of Armenian youth into Georgian society, - Giorgi Tumasyan, Founder of The Peace Foundation, noted in his speech.

The meeting was closed with remarks made by Rev. Fr. Virap Ghazaryan, Pastor of St. Etchmiadzin Church in Avlabari. Father Virap transmitted to the attendees the blessings and good wishes from the Primate of the Armenian Diocese in Georgia, His Grace Bishop Vazgen Mirzakhanyan. Emphasizing the importance of praying and church attendance, Father Virap called on the young people to grow closer to the Christian faith, to participate in the Divine Liturgy and other church services, for raising a true Christian uniting the Armenians in Diaspora around the Church is one of the missions of the Armenian Church.

The purpose of the meeting was also to help the Armenian students to get to know each other. A treat on this occasion was organized by the Diocesan Headquarters. The students studying in different universities of Tbilisi shared their problems with sophomore and senior students, who promised to help them in overcoming the issues.