Oleg Shestinsky On the Contribution of Armenians to World History

Many national cultural centers — centers of social thought, education, science, art, and printing — were formed far beyond the borders of the historical homeland of the Armenian people.

Nor Jugha, Istanbul, Calcutta, Madras, Moscow, Venice, Vienna, Marseille, Paris, Lviv, Astrakhan, Grigoriopol, and Nakhichevan-on-Don. This is not a complete list, but it also includes the cities of two parts of the world – Asia and Europe. Each of these centers was distinguished by its unique originality, and each played a positive role in the development of Armenian culture.

In one of the issues of the magazine “Literary Armenia” from 1990, the essay of the poet and writer Oleg Shestinsky “To Know Armenia” was published. Speaking about the contribution of Armenians to the history of other nations, the author points out:

“How many examples can be given of the active participation of Armenians in the life of other nations, good, useful participation! Even in Singapore, I stood, stunned, in the center of the city near the Armenian church, near the graves of Armenians with the dates of death at the beginning of the 19th century – and they, these Armenians, have built up Singapore!”

Hripsime Galstyan