On May 25, at the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Society, Embassy of Armenia to Lithuania and the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Society initiated and organized a concert dedicated to the Centenary of the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Lithuania. The concert performed by the Lithuanian National Symphonic Orchestra led by conductor Robertas Šervenikas with world-famous musicians Sergey and Lusine Khachatryans as soloists.
Vytautas Landsbergis, the founder of the newly independent state of Lithuania, Lithuanian government officials, politicians, parliamentarians, Ambassadors accredited to Lithuania, prominent intellectuals, representatives of the Armenian community of Lithuania were among 800 guests present at the event.
Tigran Mkrtchyan, Armenian Ambassador to Lithuania, made opening remarks in which he particularly noted: “It can sometimes seem misleading that we are marking just centennials, given the long, often painful, sometimes glorious route of history our countries can look back to. Nevertheless, it was indeed 1918, when Armenia regained independence after 650 years of lack of statehood. The newly established independence came at a crucial point in the history of the Armenian people. We had to win or disappear from the face of Earth. And a century ago, just on these days, between May 22 and 29, the Armenian armed forces, consisting of people from all layers of Armenian society, from priests to peasants, was victorious in the battle at Sardarapat. The victory and the ensuing establishment of the Republic of Armenia signified the rebirth of the Armenian nation.”
Ambassador also mentioned that back in May 1920, Republic of Armenia appointed a special representative of Armenia to Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland, Simeon Akopian. Unfortunately, he was not able to complete his missions, as Armenia lost its independence soon after his appointment.
Turning to the current stage of bilateral relations, Tigran Mkrtchyan highlighted the importance that Lithuania was the first country in the world to recognize Armenia’s independence and one of the first with which Armenia restored diplomatic relations in 1991.
Concluding his speech, the ambassador expressed special gratitude to the Lithuanian Seimas and all the political parties for ratifying the new Armenia – EU framework agreement hours before the concert. After Estonia and Latvia, Lithuania became the third EU member country that ratified the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement between Armenia and EU.
The concert included performances by well-known composers Aram Khachatryan, Alexander Harutyunyan, Alan Hovhannes and Maurice Ravel. At the end of the event, a reception was held.