Exhibition in Damascus, Kommunist Newspaper, 1980

Exhibition in Damascus  dedicated  60th anniversary of Soviet Armenia

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For two weeks in the capital of the Syrian Arab Republic, Damascus, there was an exhibition dedicated to the 60th anniversary of Soviet Armenia. During these days, there was a delegation of Soviet Armenia headed by Deputy Chairman of the State Planning Committee of the Armenian SSR Y. Khodjamiryan. Our correspondent asked him to tell about the exhibition.

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“The exhibition dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the establishment of Soviet power in Armenia and the formation of the Communist Party of Armenia,” he said, “received a wide response not only among the local public and members of the Armenian community, but also in neighboring Lebanon. The Soviet cultural center in Damascus, where the exhibition opened, received thousands of visitors. A wealth of information material was presented here - color slides, photographs, diagrams, samples of industrial products, products of folk craftsmen, which gave a broad idea of the progress of the economy and culture of your republic.

On December 7, our delegation arranged a press conference for local journalists, in which representatives of the Syrian and Lebanese press and Soviet correspondents took part. On the same day, the solemn opening of the exhibition was held, which was attended by the USSR Ambassador to the SAR V. Yukhin, the ambassadors of the GDR, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, representatives of the Syrian National Revival Front, Deputy Minister of Planning of Syria George Mrgi, representatives of the Armenian communities in Syria and Lebanon.

The exposition was opened by the Deputy Minister of Culture and National Orientation of the Syrian Arab Republic, Atin Lajami. The cinema hall of the Soviet Cultural Center could not accommodate everyone who wanted to watch a film program dedicated to Soviet Armenia. On the same days, feature films "Nahapet" and "Star of Hope" were successfully shown in the central cinemas of Damascus and Aleppo.

During the days of our stay in Syria, our delegation had a number of meetings with representatives of the local Armenian community, in particular with specialists and those who graduated from higher educational institutions of Soviet Armenia, visited the Tekeyan club, visited a number of other clubs, a charitable union.

At all meetings with Armenians living in Syria, the idea was emphasized that that Soviet Armenia is the motherland of all Armenians scattered around the world, that its successes inspire the sons and daughters of the Armenian people in a foreign land. Particular emphasis was placed on the importance of the recent meeting of representatives of foreign Armenian communities in Yerevan in further strengthening the ties between the Motherland and the Diaspora.

During the visit to Syria, our delegation visited the "School of Translators" in Damascus and handed over to its pupils the gift of Soviet Armenia - the "Komitas" piano. The same gifts were given to the New Generation Armenian school in Aleppo and to a boarding school operating in Damascus where Arab children who are victims of the war study.

At the request of the USSR Embassy, the head of the delegation of Soviet Armenia visited Beirut in Lebanon, where he took part in the celebrations dedicated to the 60th anniversary of Soviet Armenia and gave a lecture. At the same meeting, the writer and public figure Garnik Addaryan spoke about his impressions of the meeting of foreign Armenian figures in Yerevan and the celebration of the 60th anniversary of Soviet Armenia.

On December 10, the Soviet embassy in Syria hosted a reception in honor of the 60th anniversary of Soviet Armenia. It was attended by the heads of state bodies of the Syrian Arab Republic, Secretary General of the Central Committee of the Syrian Communist Party Khaled Baghdash, leaders of the Palestine Liberation Organization, foreign Armenian figures.

According to the Syrian press, the exhibition in Damascus, organized by the Scientific Research Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of the State Planning Committee of the Armenian SSR within the framework of the program of the USSR State Committee for Science and Technology and the Union of Soviet Friendship Societies, was of great importance for the further strengthening of Soviet-Syrian friendship and cooperation, said in conclusion. Y. Khojamiryan.

Syrian specialists showed particular interest in the program of work on the development of saline lands presented at the exhibition,
developed by scientists of the Institute of Soil Science and Agrochemistry of the Ministry  agriculture of the Armenian SSR.