On September 19, the Polish Senate held a conference to celebrate the 650th anniversary of the Armenian community in Poland. The event was held in collaboration with the Polish Academy of Arts and Science and the Armenian Cultural Association.
The Armenian community is one of Poland’s officially recognized minority group. Armenians first arrived in central Europe and Poland in the 11th century, following the fall of the Armenian Kingdom of Ani. In 1367, the Polish king Casimir III the Great, granted a special status to the Armenians.
The Speaker of the Polish Senate Stanisław Karczewski; the Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia Edgar Ghazaryan; AGBU Europe President Nadia Gortzounian and President of the European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy Kaspar Karampetian delivered welcome speeches. Karczewski said that the centuries-long Armenian presence in Poland shows the country’s openness and tolerance towards other nations. In his speech, Karczewski acknowledged the contribution of some of the well-known Polish artists of Armenian descent to Poland’s culture, including painter Teodor Axentowicz, composer Krzysztof Penderecki, poet Zbigniew Herbert, film director Jerzy Kawalerowicz and actress Anna Dymna.
Gortzounian emphasized the significance of Poland’s Armenian community as one of the oldest communities in Europe. “In the age of migration, diversity and conflict, I am convinced that the Armenian experience is worth learning from,” she said.
The conference brought together Polish and Armenian scholars, including professor Claude Mutafian from University of Paris 13; Dr. Tatewik E. Sargsyan from Simferopol’s Crimea Research Centre, professor Krzysztof Stopka, Dr. Paweł Skibiński from Warsaw University and others. The academic discussion focused on the Armenian cultural and religious heritage in Poland.
Also, AGBU Europe and the Foundation of Culture and Heritage of Polish Armenians signed a partnership agreement. “I very much look forward to our center-the Nubar Library in Paris-working closely with the Foundation of Culture and Heritage of Polish Armenians in the future for the benefit of research and understanding of the Armenian experience,” said Gortzounian.
AGBU Europe coordinates and develops the pan-European activities of the Armenian General Benevolent Union. AGBU Europe runs numerous programs in fields relating to academic research, the preservation and promotion of heritage, education and culture as well as awareness raising, advocacy and leadership training.
Established in 1906, AGBU (www.agbu.org) 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 touching the lives of some 500,000 Armenians around the world.
For more information about AGBU and its worldwide programs, please visit www.agbu.org.