President Sargsyan attends opening of Wikimedia Armenia office in Yerevan

President Serzh Sargsyan today attended the opening of the office of Wikimedia Armenia scientific-educational NGO on 2 Arshakunyats Street in Yerevan.

The Armenian president toured the office, familiarized himself with the activities of Wikimedia Armenia and its upcoming development projects. The president was presented that the goal of Wikimedia Armenia, an Armenian branch of the Wikimedia Foundation (WMF), is to encourage the distribution and development of wiki-based projects in Armenia and in the region and to popularize the idea of free knowledge.

At the conference hall of the office, Serzh Sargsyan took part in a discussion of issues pertaining to the development of wiki-based projects in Armenia which was also joined by RA Education and Science Minister Armen Ashotyan, RA Culture Minister Hasmik Poghosyan, the Director of the Intellectual Renaissance Foundation, Hakob Hakobyan, its founder Artur Janibekyan, the President of Wikimedia Hayastan NGO Susanna Mkrtchyan, the Chair of the WMF Board of Trustees, Jan-Bart de Vreede, the Head of WMF Grants and Global South Partnerships, Asaf Bartov, the Manager of Wikipedia Education Program, Anna Koval, GLAM-Wiki Coordinator for Europeana Liam Wyatt, the Director of the Intellectual Veratsnund Foundation Marina Sultanyan and project coordinator Armen Martirosyan.

As part of the opening ceremony of the Wikimedia Armenia Office, the participants watched a video on the results of cooperation between the Intellectual Renaissance Foundation and Wikimedia Armenia scientific-educational NGO.

Emil Lazarian

“I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - WS