ARMINFO News Agency, Armenia
 Friday


President of Lebanon: Both our people are victims of the idea of
destruction - the Armenian people were killed by the sword, the
Lebanese by the hunger

February 23

Yerevan

Marianna Mkrtchyan. In honor of the Lebanese President Michel Aoun,
who was in Lebanon on an official visit, an official dinner was given
on behalf of the Armenian leader Serzh Sargsyan. The press service of
the RA leader told ArmInfo.

In his speech, the Armenian President noted that the Armenian-Lebanese
friendship stretches from the streets of Beirut to the streets of
Beirut in the heart of Yerevan, and the bust of the world-famous
Lebanese writer, philosopher and cultural figure Gibran Khalil Gibran,
located in the heart of Yerevan.

"Undoubtedly, with all this, the Armenian community of Lebanon, with
its peaceful and creative life, with undivided devotion to Lebanon and
filial love to Armenia, is intertwined in the best way.The Armenian
spirit is present everywhere in the Beirut streets: I am filled with a
feeling of great pride that our compatriots were able to prove
themselves in the best way as worthy and law-abiding citizens in all
spheres of public life, contributing to the development and prosperity
of Lebanon, and I am filled with a feeling of great gratitude to the
people of Li Ana, the leadership of Lebanon, that the Armenians are
given the opportunity to express themselves, "- said the Armenian
leader.

Sargsyan expressed gratitude to the friendly Lebanon for the fact that
in the tragic moments of the history they were close to the Armenian
people, because they hospitably accepted part of the Armenian people
who had escaped from the Genocide. "Unfortunately, today the Middle
East continues to experience all the new tragedies that confirm that
the mindset in the 21st century that reigns during the Armenian
Genocide is still preserved, therefore, our struggle aimed at
overcoming this has not been completed. Armenia to support Lebanon and
express hope that the bearer of the eternal wisdom and patriotic
values of the Lebanese people will overcome all challenges with honor
and cohesion peculiar to it, "Sargsyan said.

At the same time, the Armenian leader expressed confidence that the
issues that were discussed during the visit of the Lebanese President
and the agreements reached in the near future will be implemented in a
new way, enriching the substantive agenda of the Armenian-Lebanese
cooperation. "The well-known Arab wisdom says that a true friend is
one soul in two bodies, I think this best describes the
Armenian-Lebanese relations, where there are no insoluble issues,
where mutual understanding of the parties best serves the well-being
and sustainable development of the two peoples," the Armenian
President summed up. In turn, Lebanon's President Michel Aoun noted
that the encumbered such historical faith and sacrifice the past can
not be traditional and traditional. "We have chosen two memorials,
which are witnesses of this history - visited the Cathedral of
Echmiadzin - one of the oldest churches in the world, where this
feeling of the strength of faith manifests itself in the decorated
walls of the church and the worship of the spirit. This faith made the
Armenian people the leader of nations and nations, officially
proclaiming their identity and faith in the course of the first
centuries. This required courage and sacrifice when Roman persecutions
reached their climax.

The second is a memorial to the victims of the Armenian Genocide,
where before the eternal fire and cruel images of children, women and
men, reflecting heroism, suffering and wounds of the whole people, the
heart begins to beat faster. These horrible pictures reveal the
existence of the idea of destruction, which at the beginning of the
last century engulfed all of our East. This way of thinking in
everyone who is different, saw the enemy to be killed, destroyed his
culture and civilization, and this gave rise to the most terrible
massacres, leaving behind millions of victims. Both our people are
victims of this idea: the Armenian people were killed by the sword,
the Lebanese people - by hunger. Unfortunately, the same way of
thinking emerged in recent years, taking away hundreds of thousands of
victims. I am sure, not to recognize the mass murders of the past and
the lack of an account for them, stimulate the current rout, "the
Lebanese President said.