Russian Book center in Yerevan to promote friendship

ITAR-TASS News Agency
March 25, 2005 Friday

YEREVAN, March 25 — Wife of the Russian president Lyudmila Putin
and wife of the Armenian President Bella Kocharyan opened a Center
of Russian Book in Yerevan on Friday. The book center includes a
library, a video hall and a readers’ hall. The new center is hoped to
be one of the most interesting institutions of the Russian culture in
Armenia. Its task is to maintain and develop traditional Russo-Armenian
contacts in the cultural and spiritual fields.

Lyudmila Putin expressed the hope that the Russian Book Center in
Yerevan will become a place where people can familiarize themselves
with each other’s traditions and culture, learn each other better and
become close friends. “It will be another step towards peace on our
planet,” Lyudmila Putin declared at a meeting with representatives
of the Armenian intelligentsia at the centre’s opening ceremony.

‘Language is an instrument of communications between the people.
Contacts, exchange of opinions, feelings and emotions is one of the
greatest joys that life can give, and that is unthinkable without
language,” she said. Learning a language one learns to understand
the soul and character of the people whose language is studied,” she
said. “People who have once been to Armenia, Yerevan will have a piece
of that country living in their hearts forever,” Lyudmila Putin said.

The new book center is located in one of the most beautiful mansions in
the center of Yerevan that dates back to 1901. The building houses the
Armenian society for cultural contacts and cooperation with foreign
countries for more than 50 years.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress