ARGONAUT GREEK CENTER OPENS IN ARMENIAN ALAVERDI

Armenpress

YEREVAN, JUNE 14, ARMENPRESS: Greek ambassador to Armenia, Mr. Antonios
Vlavianos, the president of the Federation of Greek Communities of
Armenia, Nikolay Theofanov, a delegation of the World Council of
Hellenes Abroad, members of the Armenian parliament, representatives
of the local authorities and a large number of many representatives
of the Greek community of Armenia attended on June 11 the official
opening ceremony of Greek Argonaut Center in the northern Armenian
town of Alaverdi.

Ambassador Vlavianos, parliament member Vazgen Khachikian and Lori
governor Henrik Kochianin addressed the present with speeches to
reassure strong relations between the two nations. Greeks began
settling in the Southern Caucasus from VI century A.D, but the
current Greek population arrived in Armenia in the second half of the
XVII century, when many the so-called Anatolian Greeks moved to the
Caucasus and Russia from central and northern parts of the Ottoman
empire because of unsteady economic and political situation. The first
group of Greeks established in the northern Armenia, where they started
metallurgical plants. In 1763 about 800 families (approximately 2000
people) moved from Turkey to Armenia starting a copper factory of
Lalvar near today’s Alaverdi.

At the beginning of XIX century part of Greek miner specialists
moved to southern Armenian Syunik to build another mining factory
there. Greeks first established in Alaverdi at the end of 18-th
century and now it has the biggest Greek community together with
Vanadzor and Yerevan.

The Greek Argonaut Center is equipped with a satellite TV, Internet
connection, computers, DVD and video players, library and all other
necessary facilities for language teaching and recreation activities.

The Greek Embassy in yerevan said in a press release the Center is
another milestone in the long-standing Greek-Armenian relations
enhanced already by the activities of the Greek communities in
Armenia and aims to strengthen the cultural relations between the
two countries and to preserve the identity of Greek community in
Armenia. By a decision of the municipal council Ambassador Antonios
Vlavianos was declared honorary citizen of Akhtala.