O.BOZHKO: "ANCIENT ARMENIAN-UKRAINIAN TIES BORN ANEW"

YEREVAN, AUGUST 25, NOYAN TAPAN. The Armenian-Ukrainian cultural
ties have many old traditions. As Olexander Bozhko, the Ambassador
of Ukraine to Armenia said in the interview to the Noyan Tapan
correspondent, there are facts that prove that Armenians moved to
Ukraine developed thier national culture there even centuries ago. "We
have thousands of manuscripts which Armenians created on the Ukrainian
land. A performance of the first Armenian school theater took place
in Lviv still in the 16th century. Armenian books were published,
monasteries were built in Lviv, in the Crimea, in Kamenets-Podolskiy
and other Ukrainian cities," the Ambassador continued. He mentioned
that the Ukrainian-Armenian cultural ties very actively developed in
the Soviet period as well.

Numerous translations were published. "I must mention with a pity that
the liveliness that existed in our peoples’ contacts during those
years, reduced at some extent, caused by some reasons," Mr.Bozhko
said. At the same time, in his words, the situation in this sphere
is being improved. Legal bases are being created which will allow to
develop ties in the spheres of culture and education, An agreement
on cultural cooperation was signed still in 1996, agreements on
attestation of scietific and scientific-pedagogical personnel as
well as on cooperation in the medical and health care sphere were
also signed, Bozhko said. Ambassador Bozhko mentioned as an example
of estiblishing ties the fact of opening the Ternopol Academy branch
in Yerevan. As well, in his words, Armenian younth has possibility
to get education in Ukraine. The Ambassador stated that a document
is being prepared owing to which Armenian diplomates will be able to
be re-trained in the Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine. "Just to say,
that for us, Ukrainians, the Armenian culture is very interesting,
would be very little. We consider that for the Ukrainian people,
treasures of the Armenian culture of many centuries must become an
indivisible element of the cultural life of our country," O.Bozhko
stated. In his words, Grigor Narekatsi’s "Book of Tragedies," the epic
"David of Sasun" and other works were in the Ukrainian published in
Ukraine during the recent years. Even more, Ukrainian publishing
houses publish Armenian authors’ books in the Armenian as well,
O.Bozhko said. The Ambassador stated that the Embassy attempts at
present to re-establish the old kind traditions when Armenian writers
participate in the "Taras Shevchenko" annual holiday.