The Conference “Shushi: The Pearl of the Caucasus”
On December 11-12, a two-day conference titled "Shushi: The Pearl of the Caucasus" took place at the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations (INALCO) in France. The event was organized by INALCO Foundation and the “Memory” project.
At the opening of the conference, the Director of the Propagation Center of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Father Garegin Vardapet Hambardzumyan, conveyed the blessing and gratitude of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, to the attendees.
Afterward, the Vice-President of the French Senate, Pierre Uzulias, welcomed the participants.
The conference was attended by His Grace Father Grigor Vartapet Khachatryan, the Primate of the Diocese of France, Armenia’s Ambassador to France, Mrs. Hasmik Tolmazyan, Director of the National Institute for Cultural Heritage of France, Charles Personaz, as well as Armenian and foreign scholars, political, public, and cultural figures.
The conference featured presentations on the preservation of the spiritual and cultural heritage of Shushi and Artsakh, as well as the ways for Armenian and French figures to collaborate in this regard.
Father Garegin Vardapet Hambardzumyan spoke on the topic "Shushi as an Educational and Spiritual Center of the Artsakh Diocese and the Mission of Holy Etchmiadzin in Preserving the Cultural Heritage of Artsakh" and presented documented evidence of Azerbaijan's targeting of Armenian shrines and the destruction of cultural values, along with suggestions for actions to be taken by the international community.
