Yerevan: Chargé d'affaires Zoran Marinković attended the award ceremony for “Medal for Literary Merit” to the Honorary Consul

A solemn awarding of the “Medal for Literary Merit” to the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Serbia to the Republic of Armenia and the distinguished Armenian poet and translator Babken Simonyan was organised in the premises of the Writers' Union of Armenia on the occasion of his 70th birthday.

President of the Union Eduard Militonyan, Director of the Historical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of Armenia Ashot Melkonyan, Corresponding Member of the Academy of Sciences of Armenia and Historian of Ancient Armenian Literature Aelita Dolukhanyan, Secretary of the Armenian Writer's Union Petros Demirchyan, as well as charge d'affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia to Armenia Zoran Marinković spoke about the importance of Babken Simonyan's literary work, especially contribution of his capital translations in bringing Serbian and Armenian culture closer.

In his address, chargé d'affaires Zoran Marinković particularly emphasised the pioneering contribution of Babken Simonyan in bringing our cultures and peoples closer, which he has been undertaking for decades as a translator, and since 2006 as Honorary Consul of Serbia in Armenia, for which he was awarded numerous literary and state awards of Serbia and Armenia.

In his presentation, Babken Simonyan thanked the Writers' Union of Armenia, the Embassy of Serbia in Armenia and the speakers, who presented his literary work in the finest way and thoroughly.

In the end, Babken Simonyan read to the audience in Serbian the song “My Sweet Armenia” by great Armenian poet Yeghishe Charents.