Yerevan Mayor Hayk Marutyan has congratulated on the occasion of the 2801st anniversary of “Erebuni Yerevan.”
Below we present the Yerevan Mayor’s message.
“Dear Yerevanites, today I want to once again confess my love to our city. And since a city is, first and foremost, its residents, I want to speak about the people of Yerevan:
Among us there is that half-joking, half-serious debate about who is a true Yerevanite. One says that a Yerevanite is one who was born in the city, one whose parents or grandparents were born here, or one who is half or a quarter Yerevanite, and so on. People of my generation say that one cannot be considered a Yerevanite if they did not swim in the Hrazdan Gorge in their youth, or did not eat the 11-kopeck ice cream from the kiosk in the Poks neighborhood, or did not watch Indian films at the “Sevan” cinema in the Third District, and so on. For a slightly younger generation, the “certificate” of being a Yerevanite is the memory of riding hanging from the city’s last tram, or a photograph against the backdrop of the “Gnawed Corn” statue. The new generation of Yerevanites is perhaps more practical: for them, the Yerevan “baptism rite” is participation in the civic struggle and the awareness of the need to stand up for one’s own rights.
But in the end, who is the true Yerevanite? In reality, everything is very simple: a Yerevanite is one who loves Yerevan, loves it like a caring parent and a responsible friend.
And on this festive day, I want to greet and congratulate all Yerevanites, regardless of whether they were born here or have recently moved to Yerevan. I want to especially greet our Diaspora Armenian brothers who have come to Yerevan and ask them to delight us with their presence as often and as long as possible. I also greet the staff of foreign diplomatic missions and international organizations in Yerevan, and even our guests who have come for just a few days as tourists:
Because I am confident that whoever has lived in Yerevan for a few days, even enjoyed Yerevan’s sun for a few hours, will forever keep Yerevan in their heart, and will therefore become our companion and friend.
Congratulations, Yerevanites, congratulations on the feast of our eternal city”»
