With the blessings of His Grace Bishop Vazgen Mirzakhanyan, the Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church in Georgia, and His Grace Bishop Michael Ajapahyan, the Primate of Shirak Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, as well as at the invitation of Rev. Father Ararat Gumbalyan, Pastor of Armenians in Adjaria, Guria, Imereti, and the Surb Prkich Church (Saint Savior), and Sona Hovhannisyan, Director of the Alexander Mantashyants Center, from 12 to 19 July, 2017, 22 students of the Shirak Diocese Social- Educational Center, accompanied by the Center’s Director Karine Jadukyan and the volunteers, visited Batumi.

The residents of Tbilisi were in a happy and festive mood. For a few days in a row many mass media outlets had been promoting the traditional Armenian dolma festival-contest. At the initiative of the Association of Armenian Women in Georgia “Shushanik”, with the support of the Headquarters of the Armenian Diocese in Georgia, the Hayartun Center and private benefactors, the event was held on July 16, 2017, in the courtyard of the Saint Gevorg Cathedral.

On July 8, 2017, a spacious yard at Javakhishvili 37 in Tbilisi hosted the participants of a festive event in the multinational city with rich coloring.

From Glendale to Artsakh – a Cognitive Visit

On July 4, 2017, within the framework of a cognitive visit to Javakheti, Member of Glendale City Council Zareh Sinanyan and General Arshaluys Paytyan arrived in Akhalkalaki. The high-ranking guests were greeted with salt and bread by Very Rev. Fr. Babken Salbiyan, the Prelate of Samtskhe-Javakheti and Tsalka's General Prelacy of the Armenian Diocese in Georgia, the clergy and the Vachian Armenian Dance Ensemble at the local Surb Khach (Holy Cross) Church. The guests laid flowers to the cross-stone commemorating Armenian Genocide in the church courtyard, later they lit candles and raised their prayers in the church, where Father Babken briefed the attendees on the activities of the church and the Prelacy, and the history of the church, conveyed his blessings to the guests and passed out gifts (icons).