O.BOZHKO: "ANCIENT ARMENIAN-UKRAINIAN TIES BORN ANEW"
25-08-2006 13:10:00 | Armenia | Culture
YEREVAN, AUGUST 25, NOYAN TAPAN. The Armenian-Ukrainian
cultural ties have many old traditions. As Olexander Bozhko, the
Ambassador of Ukraine to Armenia said in the interview to the
Noyan Tapan correspondent, there are facts that prove that
Armenians moved to Ukraine developed thier national culture
there even centuries ago. "We have thousands of manuscripts
which Armenians created on the Ukrainian land. A performance of
the first Armenian school theater took place in Lviv still in
the 16th century. Armenian books were published, monasteries
were built in Lviv, in the Crimea, in Kamenets-Podolskiy and
other Ukrainian cities," the Ambassador continued.
He mentioned that the Ukrainian-Armenian cultural ties very
actively developed in the Soviet period as well. Numerous
translations were published. "I must mention with a pity that
the liveliness that existed in our peoples' contacts during
those years, reduced at some extent, caused by some reasons,"
Mr.Bozhko said. At the same time, in his words, the situation in
this sphere is being improved. Legal bases are being created
which will allow to develop ties in the spheres of culture and
education, An agreement on cultural cooperation was signed still
in 1996, agreements on attestation of scietific and
scientific-pedagogical personnel as well as on cooperation in
the medical and health care sphere were also signed, Bozhko
said.
Ambassador Bozhko mentioned as an example of estiblishing
ties the fact of opening the Ternopol Academy branch in Yerevan.
As well, in his words, Armenian younth has possibility to get
education in Ukraine. The Ambassador stated that a document is
being prepared owing to which Armenian diplomates will be able
to be re-trained in the Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine.
"Just to say, that for us, Ukrainians, the Armenian culture
is very interesting, would be very little. We consider that for
the Ukrainian people, treasures of the Armenian culture of many
centuries must become an indivisible element of the cultural
life of our country," O.Bozhko stated. In his words, Grigor
Narekatsi's "Book of Tragedies," the epic "David of Sasun" and
other works were in the Ukrainian published in Ukraine during
the recent years. Even more, Ukrainian publishing houses publish
Armenian authors' books in the Armenian as well, O.Bozhko said.
The Ambassador stated that the Embassy attempts at present to
re-establish the old kind traditions when Armenian writers
participate in the "Taras Shevchenko" annual holiday.