Esteemed guardians of historical and cultural monuments,

On April 18, the world celebrates the International Day for Monuments and Sites as a reminder of the importance of preserving the values ​​of our past. This day is a call to appreciate the monuments and cultural values defining our national identity, and collectively take care of, preserve and transmit them to future generations.

Around 25,000 immovable historical and cultural monuments are registered on the territory of the Republic of Armenia. To protect and promote our rich and diverse heritage, annual efforts are made to strengthen, repair, and restore monuments, based on both increased government funding and collaboration between the State and the private sector. This indicates that the preservation of monuments is the responsibility of all of us, best achieved through state-citizen unity and solidarity. Our specialists are consistently working to register newly discovered monuments and include them in the main list. Thanks to active partnership with international organizations and continuous efforts, our explorers are further enriching our history through major excavations, and applications are consistently prepared to include our monuments of universal significance in the UNESCO World Heritage List. A series of legal reforms continues to be implemented in this field.

It is the joint responsibility of the state and society to preserve our monuments, and especially to advance education for the preservation of cultural heritage and encourage new generations to love and appreciate their history. Every effort we make matters.

Congratulations to all of us on the International Day for Monuments and Sites. I wish the employees of the monument preservation sector productive endeavours and new achievements. The guardians of immovable monuments of history and culture, restorers and archaeologists are the ones who preserve, pass on, and promote our heritage, whose mission is aimed at preserving the national and universal historical and cultural heritage.

Let us recognize, preserve, and pass on to future generations the monuments of our history and culture, which are also part of world culture.

I congratulate you once again, wishing you prosperous and fruitful activities.