OUR DEMAND IS PERPETUAL, OUR MEMORIES – UNFADING: 95 TREES FROM WESTERN ARMENIA PLANTED IN TSITSERNAKABERD "MEMORY ALLEY"

Panorama.am
22/04/2010

The Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets
and VivaCell-MTS Company established today a "Memory Alley" near
Tsitsernakaberd Genocide Memorial. 95 trees brought from Western
Armenia were planted in the alley for memory and peace.

The Chairman of the Foundation Ruben Khachatryan said these trees
are the green bridge of the past of the Armenians, as well as the
"living future".

"The Tsitsernakaberd territory is a sanctuary for all Armenians and
this is the place where uniting everyone’s potential, we should build
the powerful future of our country," R. Khachatryan said.

VivaCell-MTS General Manager Ralf Yirikian noted the tree-planting
carried out in the sidelines of the Earth Day events aims at sending a
precept to all the people and nations, particularly who don’t believe
the Armenians exist as a nation.

He highlighted that Armenians preserve their past in minds and working
for today, they are "getting prepared for a stronger and more powerful
future…"

R. Yirikian signified that the trees were brought from Western Armenia
and said it should come clear to everyone that the trees symbolize
the soil that belongs to us.

The director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute Hayk Demoyan,
also participant of the tree-planting, said the trees brought from
Western Armenia have two missions.

"Today two pieces of soil are being united and this unification is
not accidental since it should give birth to an ever-green tree to
symbolize that our demand is perpetual, our memories – unfading," H.

Demoyan said.

Archbishop Navasard Kchoyan blessed the tree-planting with a prayer.

Prominent culture figures, ministers, scholars, foreign scientists
participating in the International Conference on the Armenian Genocide,
underway in Yerevan these days, partook at the tree-planting ceremony.

All participants stuck ribbons reading "I remember" to the trees they
planted and made notes in the memory book.

Note that the conference also symbolized the opening of the
International Conference on the Armenian Genocide, to be held in the
Museum-Institute, with participation of over 20 outstanding scholars
from different corners of the world.