EUROPE DAY 2023
Europe Day 2023 celebrations in Armenia
Europe Day has been one of the most awaited celebrations in Armenia for many years.
It brings fresh ideas, opportunities, and connections to people and regions, tying together the new and old, the European to Armenian. This time, the celebrations of Europe Day in Armenia were particularly enriched with Team Europe Initiative (TEI) and #ResilientSyunik.The campaign was launched with a statement by the Head of the E.U. Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Andrea Wiktorin, on May 11, which was disseminated through online channels of the Delegation.
Watch the video message of the EU Ambassador Andrea Wiktorin on the occasion of Europe Day.
Further, a press conference for the local media with the participation of Hovhannisyan, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, and H.E. Mr. Patrik Svensson. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Sweden took place on May 15 at Aram Khachaturyan Museum, followed by a reception with E.U. member-state diplomatic missions, foreign organisations, government, civil society representatives, artists, and academicians.
The Europe Film Festival, held at the Cinema House on 16 – 23 May, showcased a variety of preselected European films. Thirteen films were screened in collaboration with country representatives from EU-member state embassies, bringing together the culture and values, showcasing the achievements of the film production industry, and developing cultural awareness and empathy.
The week’s face-to-face activities further developed in Aparan, Yeghvard, Kasakh, Gyulagarak, Kapan, Goris, and Gorayk with the help of Young European Ambassadors who engaged in youth activities and made the European Year of Skills to reach even the furthest of the regions. As such, “EuroCamp: Strengthening Civic Competences of Youth and Building Bridges between Communities” for high school students took place from 14-17 in Aparan; “Media Literacy Workshop” on May 17 was held in Yeghvard and Kasakh; “European values through photography”: workshop and digital exhibition took place on May 17 in Gyulagarak; “Europe through photography”: photo exhibitions took place in Kapan, Goris and Gorayk from 18, 19 and 20 May.
As one of the main themes of Europe Day 2023 in Armenia, the Team Europe Initiative (TEI), under the guise of #ResilientSyunik, was built to draw attention to the work being implemented by the E.U. in Armenia and its partners. At the start of the year, the TEI was launched in Yerevan with a formal event introducing the purpose and some highlights of the ongoing and new initiatives.
During Europe Day, these activities and investments were highlighted and visited by TEI members who joined the celebrations on the ground in the Syunik Region, particularly in Kapan and Goris.
A press briefing with local and national media was held, followed by eleven EU-state diplomatic mission representatives’ official visit to the Governor of the Marz.
In the meantime, the TEI project public presentations took place at the Cultural Centre of Kapan city, accompanied by local dance groups presenting their activities to the Syunetsis and guests.
The TEI representatives had a chance to have their talks at the devoted press corner and visit the new TUMO box opening in Kapan.
The celebrations in Kapan were wrapped up by a rock concert of the local band Red Line, bringing together the youth from Kapan, Qajaran, Meghri, Goris, and nearby villages.
The face-to-face activities in Goris started in the morning with a get-together of social workers from the whole region. Improved access to community-based social services is one of the objectives of the Resilient Syunik – Team Europe initiative, in which six social service-related projects are under implementation in Syunik.
More than preliminary registered students gathered at Goris State University to hear the success stories of three students who seized professional growth opportunities in European-nurtured environments, Erasmus+, and representatives of European country diplomatic missions.
The mission to Syunik was then finalized with a friendly visit paid to the village of Verishen in the Goris community for the opening of a hydroponic fodder production facility. The facility was renovated and equipped with necessary equipment by Winnet Goris within an EU-funded regional project implemented by People in Need aiming to address the immediate social and livelihood needs of the most vulnerable groups in the bordering regions of Armenia.
The TEI project representatives left the region feeling overwhelming satisfaction with the work done and symbolic hand-made gifts by local women.