YEREVAN, JUNE 21, ARMENPRESS.  There are approximately three thousand Armenians living in Jordan.

The Armenian community of Jordan is the Diaspora’s traditional community, having its own infrastructure, human, financial and other resources.

The community is comprised of social and denominational layers. The majority are followers of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Armenian Catholics comprise a smaller number.

There are two Apostolic churches – St. Thaddeus and St. Karapet, and one Catholic.

The Yuzbashyan-Gyulbenkian College is operating within the framework of the St. Thaddeus Church.

A conference was held in Lebanon’s Haigazian University, dedicated to the Armenian community of Jordan.

The conference was organized by the Haigazian University’s Research Center of Armenian Diaspora.

Expert of Arabic studies of the Institute of Oriental studies of Armenia, Researcher Araks Pashayan delivered a speech at the conference, and stressed that Armenians of Jordan are full citizens of the country, are freely professing their religion and enjoy the sympathy and support of both the Hashemite Royal Family and the society.

Armenians are actively involved in the social and economic life, having great experience in arts and crafts.

The state acknowledges them as a religious minority.

The majority of Armenians live in Amman. Armenian structures are located in Amman’s Jabal Achrafieh district. The Armenian community is also a factor for the Armenian-Jordanian mutual relations and cooperation issues.

President of the Haigazian University, Dr. Paul Haidostian noted that despite some negative tendencies in preserving Armenian identity and in other fields, it must be tried to understand what beneficial solutions can be found in the interest of the Armenian community in the current situation.

According to Araks Pashayan, all reports of the conference were valuable and stood out by scientific importance, and included different periods of the Armenian community’s history and various issues.

“Majority of the reports were based on archive materials, field research, and even on historic facts of their own families and personal experience. Many of the speakers also presented exclusive photos, which shed light on various aspects of the Armenian community of Jordan, the spiritual, national and material culture which has formed in this territory, and the activities of Armenians”, Pashayan said.