In the name of the President of Lebanon an official dinner has been given in honor of President Sargsyan and Mrs. Rita Sargsyan

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS. In the name of the President of Lebanon President of Lebanon Michel Suleiman an official dinner has been given in honor of President Sargsyan, who paid an official visit to Lebanon, and Mrs. Rita Sargsyan.

The Press Office of the President of the Republic of Armenia informed "Armenpress" that during the dinner Serzh Sargsyan expressed his gratitude to the President of Lebanon, her wife, the Chairman of the National Assembly, the Prime Minister and all other officials for warm reception in Lebanon, which is so dear for the Armenians.

Among other things Serzh Sargsyan referred to the historical past of the two ancient fraternal nations, the high level of political dialogue of Armenia and Lebanon, as well as the mutual willingness and wish for the development and strengthening of the comprehensive intergovernmental relations. The President of the Republic of Armenia wished peace, welfare and steadfast national union to Lebanon and the Lebanese people.

The President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan stated:

"The relations of our nations date back to times immemorial, as to the Armenian presence in Lebanon it counts centuries. To my opinion it's not accidental that the first Armenian Catholic Catholicos have resided in Lebanon more than two centuries ago. The Armenian contribution to the struggle for the liberation of Lebanon from the Ottoman reign is also undeniable. During World War I the last leader of the Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate was Armenian Ohannes Pasha Kouyoumdjian, who was fighting to keep safe the people of the region form the repressions of the Young Turks. After his retirement and abolishment of the autonomy the Ottoman Empire initiated a wave of massacres in Lebanon.

I am more than sure that the Armenian and Lebanese people are more than just good friends. At the most drastic moment of the Armenian history Lebanon became a saving beacon for the Armenian people, which was deprived of its motherland. How can I qualify these relations, if not fraternal?

Current peaceful and creative existence of the Armenian community in Lebanon is to prove my words. And it’s beyond any doubt that I am proud of my compatriots, which are now present in this hall. I am very grateful to you, dear compatriots. A number of great spiritual, cultural and educational centres have been established in Lebanon. They are playing an important role for the preservation of the Armenians abroad. One can recall the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia, Armenian Catholic Patriarchate, the sole Armenian university out of Armenia - Haykazyan University, and a row of other of spiritual and cultural values, which have been preserved and cherished in this land for centuries, have linked us and out peoples to each other."