KHACHATUR ABOVYAN ARMENIAN STATE PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY

The Hungarian Center at the Armenian State Pedagogical University (ASPU) today hosted the opening of an exhibition devoted to the 1848-49 Hungarian Revolution, as well as the active participation and struggle of the Armenians against dictatorship.

As Head of the Hungarian Center Daniel Gadzik noted, the exhibition is not only about the past, but also the future, reaffirming the centuries-old relationship between Armenia and Hungary.

Guest lecturer Daniel Gadzik, who is also a PhD student of the Department of Armenian Studies at Pázmány Péter Catholic University (partnering university of the ASPU), recommended reading the presented books and materials and emphasized that they are a part of not only Hungarian history, but also the history of the Armenian people.

Let us mention that the exhibited posters also feature materials devoted to Transylvania (one of the key communities of the classic Armenian Diaspora), the Armenians of Transylvania, their role in Hungarian economy, their efforts for preservation of the Armenian identity, their rich cultural heritage and more.

ASPU Vice-Rector for HR Management and International Cooperation Marianna Harutyunyan, who was attending the exhibition, welcomed the initiative and underscored the Hungarian Center’s importance in the areas of science and education at the University.

According to her, the newly opened Center serves as a symbol of the restored relations between Armenia and Hungary, and added that, through active involvement, Armenian students can identify the specifics regarding the role that Armenians have played abroad and the trace that they have left in history. “As future pedagogues, it is important that you transmit knowledge of this history to the coming generations. It is important for small nations like us Armenians to preserve our identity not only on the native land, but also abroad,” she said.

Dean of the Faculty of History and Social Science Edgar Hovhannisyan admits that years ago he considered unrealistic the establishment of a Department of Armenian Studies in Hungary and a Hungarian Center in Armenia. Today, it is a reality — 10 students are learning Hungarian and exploring Hungarian history and culture at the Hungarian Center, while the PhD student of the Department of Armenian History, who studied at Pázmány Péter Catholic University, has become the first person in the modern history of Armenia to study Armenian-Hungarian relations at an academic level.

Edgar Hovhannisyan urged the students to not miss the exclusive opportunity and learn a new language for free at the Hungarian Center — something that will help create big opportunities in the future.

Hovhannisyan considered Tatev Arshakyan, who pursued her education for a Master’s Degree at Pázmány Péter Catholic University and is now a PhD student of the Armenian State Pedagogical University, one of the major symbols of the cooperation between the two Universities. Tatev Arshakyan was also attending the exhibition.

She attached importance to the Center’s activities and talked about the importance of participating in international programs and knowing a foreign language from the perspective of being actively involved in academics in the future.