Academic: Newcomers trying to appropriate indigenous peoples' territories, toponyms
The YSU Chair of Iranian Studies and the Caucasus Studies Institute at Tehran University on Wednesday jointly organized a roundtable discussion on "The Millennial Friendship between Armenia and Iran and Regional Processes" in Yerevan.
"We consider it our mission also to contribute to the creation of a scientific and cultural atmosphere for Armenian-Iranian relations, because political, diplomatic and economic relations are often built in such an atmosphere," Vardan Voskanyan, head of the YSU Chair of Iranian Studies, said in his opening remarks at the meeting.
According to him, taking all this into account, a decision has been made to deepen cooperation with Tehran University, in particular, with its Caucasus Studies Institute within the framework of academic partnership.
The institute will establish its unofficial permanent representation in Yerevan, ensuring long-term cooperation with the Chair of Iranian Studies, Voskanyan said.
YSU Faculty of Oriental Studies Dean Ruben Melkonyan welcomed such a scientific and “civilizational” event, whose roots trace back thousands of years, adding they continue this millennia-old tradition connecting the indigenous and ancient peoples in the region.
"In the culture and traditions of the two peoples, science and respect for knowledge are of paramount importance. In terms of cultural perception, there is also respect for each other’s history, culture and civilization, which are the core of friendship and peace," the academic said.
He claims the Armenians and Iranians can serve as the best example of peoples living side by side in peace and respecting each other “especially in these turbulent times".
"Not only have the different peoples who came into the region failed to master the rules of the game of friendship and peace, but also they are trying to change and distort the established realities, inciting enmity, war and vandalism,” Melkonyan said.
“The newcomers appropriate or attempt to appropriate not only the culture and literature, but also the territories and even toponyms of the indigenous peoples. Armenians and Iranians are targeted by the newcomers in this regard. Therefore, we ought to continue propagating our centuries-old best traditions also in the academic sphere," he stated.
"I believe knowledge and education will defeat ignorance and enmity it fosters,” Melkonyan added.
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