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PRESS RELEASE
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
AGBU Camp Antranig Opens in Armenia
On July 24, 2008, the AGBU Camp Antranig, which will cater to Armenian
scouts from around the world, officially opened in the forests near
Lermontovo village, between the cities of Vanadzor and Dilijian, in
the Lori region of Armenia. Executive Director of the Armenian Youth
Association (AYA) of Lebanon Kevork Santourian is the director of the
new scout camp.
The opening ceremony, which was widely covered by the Armenian media,
was attended by a number of dignitaries, including Lori Governor Aram
Kocharian; Bishop Sepuh Chuldjian, Primate of the Gugark Diocese of
the Armenian Apostolic Church; Bishop Ararat Galtakchian, Grand Sexton
of the Holy See of Etchmiadzin; Simon Ter-Simonian, President of the
Republic of Armenia’s Humanitarian Aid Committee; Ashot Kirakossian,
Director of the Armenian Social Investment Fund; Ashot Ghazarian, AGBU
Armenian Representation Director; Hovig Yeordekian, AGBU Armenian
Representation Deputy Director; and other Lori region officials.
The event began with a procession of scouts and was followed by
Santourian’s welcome speech. After declaring the opening of the first
scout camp in Armenia as a historic occasion, he thanked all those who
contributed to the success of the camp. Bishop Chuldjian also took
part in the opening and conducted a blessing ceremony for the
facility. Bishop Galtakchian passed on the blessing of His Holiness
Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians.
Lori governor Aram Kocharian and AGBU representative Ashot Ghazarian
also welcomed the scouts and talked about the symbolism of the camp,
which seeks to unite scouts of Armenian heritage around the world
through camping. In addition to the educational activities organized
in the camp, the facility will also organize trips to historic
landmarks throughout Armenia for visiting scouts.
During his visit to Armenia in the fall of 2007, Berge Setrakian,
President of Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU), laid the
foundations for the first scout camp in Armenia, among other national
programs of AGBU. For that purpose, AGBU purchased private land in the
village of Lermontovo in the northern Lori region of Armenia, which is
renowned for its natural beauty. The planning, preparation and
construction was able to be completed in a very short period of time.
Three hundred scouts are expected to attend the two sessions, which
run from July 22-August 5, and August 8-22, 2008. This year’s visiting
scouts hail from cities across the region, including Aleppo, Baghdad,
Damascus, Kamishli, Tehran and various Lebanese locales (Antelias,
Beirut, Zahlé).
Established in 1906, AGBU () is the world’s largest
non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City, AGBU
preserves and promotes the Armenian identity and heritage through
educational, cultural and humanitarian programs, annually serving some
400,000 Armenians on six continents.