Commemoration of Sumgait pogroms’ victims in Tbilisi

On February 25, 2024, in Tbilisi, the innocent victims of the Sumgait pogroms were commemorated with the joint events implemented by the Armenian Diocese in Georgia and the "Armenian Community of Georgia" non-governmental organization.

The day started with a march of young Armenians from Tbilisi, with the flags of Georgia, the Republic of Armenia and Artsakh, from the area adjacent to Saint Etchmiadzin Church in Avlabar, Tbilisi, under the leadership of "Armenian Community of Georgia" NGO Artur Mirzoyan, to the Cathedral of Saint George where they joined the Sunday Divine Liturgy offered under the leadership of the Primate of the Armenian Diocese in Georgia, His Grace Bishop Kirakos Davtyan.

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Armenia to Georgia Ashot Smbatyan, embassy diplomats, the editor of "Vrastan" (Georgia) newsletter Van Bayburtyan, Armenian intellectuals from Tbilisi, and community members attended the Divine Liturgy.

In his sermon addressed to the attendees, Diocesan Primate, His Grace Bishop Kirakos Davtyan touched upon the mystery of Sunday of the Lost (Prodigal) Son of Great Lent, urged the Armenian population to wake up from the slumber of inactivity and keep the borders of the motherland inviolable, the statehood unshakable, the mother tongue, and the national values pristine.

At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, under the presidency of the Diocesan Primate and with the participation of deacons and clergy, Response of Souls Service was offered for the peace of the souls of the innocent victims of the mass massacres of the Armenian population organized on February 27-29, 1988, in the city of Sumgait, Azerbaijan.

The events dedicated to the memory of the victims of the pogroms continued in the "Hayartun" Educational, Cultural and Youth Center of the Armenian Diocese in Georgia, which was attended by Rev. Father Kirakos Simonyan and Rev. Father Hovsep Harutyunyan, diplomats of the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia in Georgia Avetik Harutyunyan and Davit Ter Mkrtchyan, President of the "Armenian Community of Georgia" NGO Artur Mirzoyan, representatives of the Armenian community in Tbilisi.

The opening speech of Eugenia Markosyan, Head of the “Hayartun” Center, was the record of the genocide accompanying the Armenian nation throughout its history, to which the crime committed in Sumgait was added at the end of the 20th century because the only "sin" of hundreds of people who were killed with severe brutality was being Armenians.

Arsen Malkhasyan, a former resident of Baku, came to supplement the film presenting the events of Sumgait with shocking documentaries. He also told about the fate of himself and the families he knew in Baku in those days.

February 25 was Andranik Ozanyan's birthday. Historian Yenok Tadevosyan's reference to the description of the character of Andranik Pasha was noteworthy. He expressed hope that next year, the National Hero's 160th anniversary will be celebrated both in the motherland and by Armenians in the Diaspora.

The event was concluded with a call for unity. Rev. Father Kirakos Simonyan’s speech was an encouragement to those present to be close to God and the Church, and to resist evil and injustice with unity and solidarity.