RA Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Vahram Dumanyan received today Chairman of the Council for Cultural Cooperation of India, Member of the Upper House of the Parliament of India Vihai Sahasrabuddhe, and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of India to Armenia Kishan Dan Deval. The meeting was also attended by ESCS Deputy Ministers Arthur Martirosyan and Ara Khzmalyan.

Welcoming Vinay Sahasrabuddhe's visit to Armenia, ESCS Minister Vahram Dumanyan emphasized that the Armenian-Indian cooperation has great potential: “I attach great importance to the cooperation with our friendly countries and I am sure that joint programs in the fields of education, science, culture, sports and youth will contribute to the further expansion and development of bilateral relations. This meeting and discussions are aimed at enhancing and advancing the bilateral cooperation.”

To strengthen the Armenian-Indian cultural ties, the Minister suggested considering the possibility of creating an Indian cultural and educational center in Armenia. According to V. Dumanyan, the center can contribute to the best representation of Indian culture in Armenia and serve as a platform for the exchange of educational and cultural experience. Continuing the topic of cooperation in the field of culture, the Minister proposed to cooperate with the National Film Center of Armenia and implement film production projects with the participation of Indian film producers in Armenia. The Minister also suggested considering the contribution of the state scholarship program for Armenian and Indian students.

The ESCS Minister also highlighted the importance of cooperation between students and lecturers, athletes and coaches in the fields of inter-university, sports and youth, as well as the implementation of programs aimed at developing tourism among the youth.

Thankful for the warm welcome, Vihay Sahasrabuddhe positively responded to the proposals made and stressed that there are no obstacles to the development of Armenian-Indian relations based on civilizational, democratic values. This year marks the 75th anniversary of India's independence. In this context, Vinay Sahasrabuddhe expressed a desire to donate 75 Armenian books about India to 75 Armenian schools. According to the Chairman of the Council for Cultural Cooperation of India, joint cultural and educational programs can be organized within the framework of the 75th anniversary of independence. To have detailed information about the friendly countries, Vinay Sahasrabuddhe also suggested considering printing books in Indian and Armenian languages. The parties also considered the possibility of exchange programs and mutual visits among teachers.

Responding to Vihay Sahasrabuddhe, ESCS Minister V. Dumanyan suggested to create working groups to implement these ideas and foster practical steps.

During the meeting ESCS Minister Vahram Dumanyan drew the attention of his colleagues to the issue of preserving the Armenian cultural heritage in the territories that came under the control of Azerbaijan after the 44-day war in Artsakh, underlining the importance of the international community’s interference in this matter.

“I am hopeful that our friendly and efficient collaboration will be long-standing, and we will be able to jointly achieve tangible results, and raise our cooperation to a qualitatively new level,” concluded Vahram Dumanyan.