CONFERENCE ON THEME “MESROP MASHTOTS AND ARMENIAN ALPHABET” TAKES PLACE IN OXFORD UNIVERSITY
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
May 05 2006
LONDON, MAY 5, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. A conference of the
theme “Mesrop Mashtots and the Armenian Alphabet” took place on April
28 at the Exeter College of the Oxford University. Theo M. van Lint,
Professor of the Armenology Department functioning by Gulbenkian fund’s
financing at the Oxford University, Dr. Jos J.S. Weitenberg, the Chief
of the Armenology Department of the Leiden University (Netherlands),
Vrezh Nersesian, the head of the Birtish library “Christian Middle
East” department, Erna Shirinian, the head of the ancient literature
department of the Yerevan Matenadaran (Armenian repository of ancient
manuscripts), others made speeches at the conference. As Noyan Tapan
was informed by the RA Foreign Ministry’s Press and Information
Department, RA Ambassador to United Kingdom Vahe Gabrielian made
the opening speech at the conference. He touched upon in his speech
the role of the Armenian letters in the Armenian history and affair
of formation of the Armenian people’s identity, their political
meaning and lessons. The conference followed the medieval literary
men’s exhibition with hand-written and printed copies of the 11-18th
centuries, The exhibition was organized from March 20 to April 30 of
the current year in the exhibition hall of the Bodleian Library of the
Oxford University. The Armenian collection in Oxford has started since
1635. The Armenology Department functioning at the Oxford University
by Galust Gulbenkian fund’s financing was founded in 1965.