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Nikol Pashinyan issued a message on the 100th birth anniversary of legendary singer Charles Aznavour marked on May 22. The prime minister’s full message is provided below.

"Dear people, dear compatriots,

Today marks the 100th anniversary of Charles Aznavour, one of the greatest Armenians. This is a jubilee that awakens emotions in the soul and mind of each of us, because everyone in the Republic of Armenia knows the name of Charles Aznavour, and that name is dear to all and everyone.

In the Republic of Armenia, even those who are not music lovers know Charles Aznavour as a great Armenian, as a person who ensured his presence in the lives of each of us. He is the National Hero of Armenia for his invaluable services to the Republic of Armenia, but he is also a universal hero who united humanity around his art, being loved in all corners of the world.

Charles Aznavour created himself, being a man of indescribable hard work, who was able to develop his talent and turn it into a universal value, to create a musical manuscript that is unrepeatable. To be and remain in the firmament of world art for more than half a century, to be in demand on all the leading stages could only be a person who has something to say to the world, and Charles Aznavour said it fully and unreservedly, which is primarily about love.

That saying will live for a long time, that saying will still inspire millions of fans, and that saying should inspire us, because in the midst of fame and world respect, Charles Aznavour suffered from the pains of the Republic of Armenia, and rejoiced for the achievements.

Being a National Hero of Armenia, an artist of world greatness, he accepted the citizenship of the Republic of Armenia, and eventually assumed the state position of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Armenia, and held office until the end of his life, thus perhaps symbolizing the taking asylum of his emigrant lineage under the roof of the state, the Republic of Armenia. Today Charles Aznavour's family lives in the Republic of Armenia and this is more than symbolic. His grandson, little Misak, who went for a walk in the streets of Yerevan, is for me an epoch-making symbol of the fact that the search for the homeland of the Armenian people is over, because that homeland has been found in the form of the Republic of Armenia.

Today is the 100th anniversary of Charles Aznavour, citizen of the Republic of Armenia, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia. Long live the Republic of Armenia!"