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Constitution Day Panel Discussion at AUA: The Legacy of Mkhitar Gosh and the
Rule of Law

Yerevan- 7 July. The AUA Department of Law, on the occasion of
Constitution Day of Armenia, hosted a panel discussion celebrating
Mkhitar Gosh and his Legacy of Law in Armenia, entitled "Lessons from
Mkhitar Gosh: 800 Years of Legal Tradition."

Panel participants included Tom Samuelian (Dean, AUA Law Department),
who presented Mkhitar Gosh as a legal pragmatist, and Fr. Sasoon
Zumrookhdian of the Armenian Apostolic Church and Vicar for Tavush
Marz, who spoke on the topic of "Mkhitar Gosh: A New Tradition." Also
present were Prof. Garnik Safaryan from the Institute of Law and
Politics of the National Academy of Sciences, who described Mkhitar
Gosh’s legacy, and Gagik Ghazinyan, Dean of the YSU Law Department,
who presented Mkhitar Gosh’s "Datastanagirk".

"800 years ago, Mkhitar Gosh studied international best practice
and compiled an exemplary law code based on the real needs and
Christian values of Armenia. It was such a good compilation that
it was translated into other languages and used by Armenian and
non-Armenian communities in Europe and elsewhere for nearly 500 years.
While times have changed, the value of Mkhitar Gosh’s insights into
the methods of creating good laws has not. Today’s Seminar at AUA
is being held in conjunction with two important national holidays:
RA Constitution Day (July 5) and Sts. Trdat and Ashkhen Day (July 8),
whom we honor this week as the founders of Armenia’s Christian state
along with St. Gregory the Illuminator in 301. The festivities
will culminate in the blessing of civil servants and jurists during
a pilgrimage to Goshavank on Saturday, July 8, under the auspices of
the Gugark Diocese of the Armenian Church"- stated Tom Samuelian.

The event was free and open to the public. Approximately 50 people
attended the panel discussion, included students, members of the
press, judges, and advocates, as well as representatives from bar
associations and the National Assembly.

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