"Golden Apricot" 2025


For more than 20 years, the Golden Apricot has been the region's most influential and internationally recognized film festival. It screens films that represent the emotions, actions, and lives of people of different nations and faiths. Art critic Anahit Margaryan spoke with Karen Avetisyan, the artistic director of the Golden Apricot Film Festival, in Artfocus.

The messages of the epic "Sasna Tsrer"


What messages does the most significant work of Armenian folklore, “The Sasna Tsrer,” convey? How does the perception of the epic change over time? What did the people who created it encode in the epic, and how does it encode us today? Hayk Hambardzumyan and Arkmenik Nikoghosyan debate these topics on the “Parallel Readings” program.

The art and law of politics


Why is our society so irreconcilable? Is this a national character or political technology? Who is involved in politics? Can a church member engage in politics? Anna Sargsyan spoke with Doctor of Political Sciences, Professor Artur Atanesyan.

New Strategy for Education and Science: Part 213


Hovhannes Yeranyan discussed the past, present, and future of music education in Armenia with the artistic director of the Komitas Conservatory's opera studio, People's Artist, and renowned soprano Hasmik Papyan. They also spoke about the singer's implemented and upcoming programs at the opera studio.

Samvel Safaryan


Samvel Safaryan was wounded three times in one day. Samvel was serving in the military in the village of Shekher, Martuni region of Artsakh, his birthplace, when the war began. The young commander was in positions with 4 snipers under his command. He was wounded for the first time while observing an enemy trench, when Azerbaijani soldiers attacked his trench and threw grenades. At that time, Samvel's right hand was wounded, the second time on the way to the hospital, and the third time in the head.

The Transient and the Permanent in Gabriel Sundukyan's Dramaturgy


The themes addressed in Gabriel Sundukyan’s plays, although they may seem outdated today, continue to be one of the most staged Armenian playwrights. On the occasion of the 200th anniversary of Gabriel Sundukyan’s birth, literary critics Hayk Hambardzumyan and Arkmenik Nikoghosyan discuss the peculiarities of G. Sundukyan’s dramaturgy in the program “Parallel Readings.”

What does business have to do with the social climate?


The economy and capital, in general, love minimal risks and maximum predictability. In these unpredictable and unstable times, where can capital escape? Anna Sargsyan spoke with Aharon Chilingaryan, a partner at BDO Armenia.

Participants of the AGBU Focus 2025 program planted trees in the yard of the Armenian Youth Center in Malatia


The tree planting was initiated by the AGBU. The trees were provided free of charge by the Armenian Tree Project charitable foundation. Experts had previously studied the area and recommended low-maintenance plants suitable for the local climate.

 

AGBU Focus Program participants met with His Holiness Karekin II, the Patriarch of All Armenians


In about 28 countries, under the auspices of AGBU, Young Professionals Groups operate, implementing community projects, often for the motherland. Young Professionals Groups hold their joint gathering in a different country every two years. The Patriarch of All Armenians has noted that this is how young people love and become attached to their homeland.

 

Catholicos of All Armenians Receives Pilgrims from the Eastern Diocese of the North America


Led by Pastor Hakob Gevorgyan of Philadelphia's Holy Trinity Church, the young men who came on a pilgrimage to their homeland toured Armenia. The pilgrims visited Holy Etchmiadzin with the mission of renewing their vow and strengthening their connection with the Homeland. In accordance with their vow, they also participated in a charity program in Armenia.

Restored fragment of the first layer of frescoes of the Mother Cathedral exhibited at Matenadaran


The newly opened exhibition titled “The Manuscript Secret of the Creator Nature” presented for the first time a restored image from the first layer of frescoes in the Mother Cathedral of Etchmiadzin. At the opening ceremony of the exhibition, Ara Khzmalyan, Director of the Mashtots Matenadaran, stated that the diverse and regular exhibitions and the presented material increase public interest in the treasures of the Matenadaran.

A liturgy was served for prisoners and detainees at the St. Gregory the Illuminator Church in Yerevan


The spiritual fathers urged to pray for the peace and unity of the country. The liturgies served these days are for the freedom of the captives, the spiritual fathers, and social solidarity. On June 5, a liturgy will be served in the Armenian Apostolic Church on the occasion of the feast of the discovery of the relics of St. Gregory the Illuminator. In order to withstand the trials of time and renew the covenant of faith, the spiritual fathers called everyone to prayer.