Armenian Consulate celebrates Kurdish-Armenian ties through exhibition

“As you know the Armenian-Kurdish relationship goes back to ancient times; our peoples share a common joy and sadness.”
The Armenian Consulate General held an exhibition of historical documents on Sunday (Photo: Wladimir van Wilgenburg/Kurdistan 24)
The Armenian Consulate General held an exhibition of historical documents on Sunday (Photo: Wladimir van Wilgenburg/Kurdistan 24)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – On the second anniversary of the opening of the Armenian Consulate General, an exhibition of historical documents and photographs of Kurdish and minority communities living in Armenia was sponsored by the consulate and the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Ministry of Culture and Youth.

The exhibition is on display at the Peshawa Hall in the Ministry of Culture and Youth everyday from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm until March 1, 2023. 

“The Consulate General of Armenia in Erbil was opened on this day, in 2021. During this short time, we managed to set up a bilateral multifaceted agenda, which includes political, trade-economic, educational-scientific and humanitarian projects,” Armenia’s Consul General Arshak Manoukian said in his opening speech.

“As you know the Armenian-Kurdish relationship goes back to ancient times; our peoples share a common joy and sadness,” he said and noted that numerous examples throughout history shows the strength of our brotherhood and bilateral relations.

He also explained that during the Ottoman Empire, many Armenian artisans played an important role in the enlightenment movement of the Kurdish people. “Komitas, a prominent Armenian composer, collected and transcribed Kurdish melodies, which became the first publication of Kurdish folk music,” he said.

Moreover, he recalled that during the Soviet era, “Soviet Armenia was the cradle for preserving Kurdish culture. It became a major center for Kurdish publications, including the newspaper Riya Taze. The first Kurdish novel, written by Soviet Kurdish author Ereb Shamilov, was published in Yerevan in 1935.”

He also stated that in 1955, the only radio station broadcasting in Kurdish, Radio Yerevan, had a major impact on Kurds beyond the borders of the Soviet Union, including the Kurdistan Region. It helped develop Kurdish ethnic self-awareness.

Read More: Prominent Kurdish intellectual in Armenia dies at 83

“In addition, it should be noted that the first film about the Kurds named “Zare” was produced by Armenfilm, the Soviet Armenian film studio in 1926. Today, Kurds and other minorities living in Armenia are an integral part of our society. All that I mentioned now and more will be displayed in the exhibition,” he added.

Armenian scholar Gor Yerenyan (Photo: Wladimir van Wilgenburg/Kurdistan 24)
Armenian scholar Gor Yerenyan held a presentation on ancient manuscripts (Photo: Wladimir van Wilgenburg/Kurdistan 24)

Armenian scholar Gor Yerenyan, from the Research Institute of Ancient Manuscripts in Armenia (also known as Matenadaran)—with one of the biggest archives in the world for ancient texts— traveled from Yerevan especially for this event. He gave a presentation about Kurdish heritage in Armenia and ancient Kurdish manuscripts.

“Kurdish manuscripts written in Armenian letters are considered to be the most unique examples of the Armenian-Kurdish social cultural environment,” he said during his presentation.

“They represent the interaction of both nations. I think over time, there will be new additions of Kurdish texts written in Armenian language,” he added.

He also spoke about Armenian-Kurdish books from the Ottoman empire and one of the most ancient manuscripts written in the Kurdish dialect of Kurmanci. Fourteen books were used to teach Armenian to Kurdish speaking Armenians, who had forgotten their language.

He told Kurdistan 24 that it was his first visit to Kurdistan. “This exhibition is important to know each other well and to know the important role Armenians played to reconstruct Kurdish history,” he said.

Mohammed Saeed Ali, KRG Minister of Culture and Youth, commented that the Kurds and the Armenians have lived alongside each other throughout history and have a shared history and destiny. Both nations have been victims of genocide.

He said the most beautiful symbols of the coexistence of the two nations is the story of Aram Tigran, the Armenian singer and songwriter, who died in 2009, and whose father told him that the Kurds had helped the Armenians since ancient times. 

“We have been neighbors since ancient times and there were no enmities between us,” his father reportedly told Tigran.

Read More: Armenia attaches great importance to Iraqi Kurdistan: Armenian Consul

Historical documents on Armenian-Kurdish relations were displayed on Sunday in the Peshawa hall in the KRG's Ministry of Culture and Youth (Photo: Wladimir van Wilgenburg/Kurdistan 24)
Historical documents on Armenian-Kurdish relations were displayed on Sunday in the Peshawa hall in the KRG's Ministry of Culture and Youth (Photo: Wladimir van Wilgenburg/Kurdistan 24)

Tigran’s father wrote poems in Kurdish. “Later, under the rule of the Soviet Union, prominent Kurdish authors, writers, and journalists from Yerevan, thanks to the friendly spirit of the Armenian brothers, were able to publish a Kurdish newspaper and broadcast the voice of the Kurds through Yerevan Radio.”

“Today, the KRG Ministry of Culture and Youth is committed to renewing the promise of friendship and coexistence between the Kurds and the Armenians.”

“We take great pleasure that Armenians live in Kurdistan, have villages in Kurdistan and have special status in the Kurdistan Parliament. The quota system in Parliament has granted our Armenian brothers a seat in the Kurdistan Parliament. Also, there is an Armenian school and an Armenian church in the Kurdistan region. We are trying to open a directorate general of Armenian Arts and Culture within the ministry.”

Earlier, the KRG Minister of Culture and Youth, accompanied by delegation, traveled to the capital of Armenia for the first time and visited the Armenian “Genocide Monument to lay a wreath and pay respects to the victims of the Armenian Genocide.”

They also visited a Yezidi temple. “In the end, all these historical facts pave the way for future partnerships and stronger friendship between the people of Kurdistan and Armenia. I hope we can collaborate on more joint projects to show the true shared history and strengthen our friendship,” the Minister concluded.