On July 17, 125 scouts and camp correspondents participating in the 7th Scout Camp of the Armenian Youth Association of the AGBU visited the RA Ministry of Diaspora under the leadership of the AYA Managing Director Kevork Santurian and had a meeting with Minister Hranush Hakobyan.
The 7th Scout Camp (14 July-4 August) has brought together 125 young scouts from Lebanon, Syria, Georgia, Bulgaria and the United Arab Emirates.
AGBU President Berge Setrakian undertook the initiative of organizing the first Scout Camp with the support of the AGBU Central Board in 2007.
Throughout the past six years, nearly 2,000 scouts from several countries (Armenia, Artsakh, the USA, Argentina, Uruguay, Georgia, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Iran) have participated in the “Antranik” Scout Camps.
Minister Hranush Hakobyan greeted the participants of the Scout Camp and mentioned: “I’m pleased with the fact that you decided to spend your summer at the AGBU AYA Scout Camp this year. For most of you, the dream of visiting the Homeland has come true. Over the past couple of years, Armenia has become a center for the scout movement.” The minister also called on the scouts to stay true to their slogan (love the homeland, the nation, the religion), speak only Armenian in Armenia and preserve, develop and disseminate the native language upon their return to their countries of residence.
Managing Director of the AYA Kevork Santurian mentioned that the members of the AYA participate in the “My Armenia” Pan-Armenian Festival and “Ari Tun” Program organized by the RA Ministry of Diaspora every year and expressed gratitude to the ministry for the close collaboration.
During the meeting, the scouts watched a film devoted to the RA Ministry of Diaspora.
The scouts expressed their gratitude to the ministry for the warm reception, shared their impressions of Armenia and presented their activities with great enthusiasm.
The annual scout camps provide Diaspora Armenians with the opportunity to visit the Homeland, as well as get acquainted and communicate with each other. The scout camps also include excursions, lectures, meetings and other events.
Established in 1931 in Lebanon, the AGBU Armenian Youth Association carries out athletic, cultural, scout and other programs and has offices in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Argentina, the USA, Canada, Cyprus and other parts of the world.
