First time in many years the highest Catholical medal has been bestowed upon a member of the Armenian Church in the UK. His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, awarded St. Nerses Shnorhali medal with an encyclical, “Gontag”, to Mr Vartan Ouzounian for many years of service to the Armenian Church and Armenian people both in the Motherland and the Diaspora.

Born far from Armenia, in Syria, Mr Vartan Ouzounian was brought up and educated with Armenian spirit, patriotism and love to the national culture. At an early age he realized the importance of preserving the national identity, and since his student years Mr Ouzounian has been actively involved in the national and spiritual life of Armenian communities, following the long family tradition of lending a helpful hand to the nation.

Mr Vartan Ouzounian fruitfully served for the benefits of the Lebanese-Armenian community. While at the AGBU Hovagimian Manougian Secondary School in Beirut, he set up an annual intercollegiate cultural festival which continued for over two decades. Over the years it brought together Armenian students from all political factions under the cultural umbrella and established a level of friendship and co-operation between them not seen in the past.

Mr Ouzounian continued his nation supporting efforts in favour of the prosperity of the Armenian community in Ethiopia and Great Britain organising cultural, social & sporting events. He made great contributions to the activities of AGBU, Tekeyan Cultural Association in London, ADL and other national institutions. Vartan Ouzounian is one of the founders and the Hon. Secretary of the Tekeyan Trust in London which supported the Diaspora-Armenia cooperation by bringing theatrical groups, singers, dancers, musicians and other artists from the Motherland to the UK for multiple performances as well as by organizing various exhibitions and lectures.

The TTL included the Institute of Armenian Music, “Arax” Folk Dance group which continued to perform for 7 years, and “Erebouni”, the biweekly and then monthly paper in London which was printed for over 15 years. Being a member of the Church Council for many years and then its Chairman, Mr Ouzounian devoted himself to the prosperity of the British-Armenian Diocese. Mr Vartan Ouzounian is one of the founders and the Chairman of Tekeyan Centre Fund in Armenia which serves as a symbol of unity of the Armenians spread all over the world. The Fund aims at developing the national culture, education and science.

For his appreciable efforts and merits Mr Vartan Ouzounian has been honoured by His Holiness Karekin II. The impressive ceremony of reading of the Catholical Gontag and the bestowal of the medal took place at St. Yeghishe Church in London on November 27. More than three hundred people (leaders of various organisations, long-standing Tekeyan supporters, benefactors, friends and family members) had come to extend congratulations to Mr & Mrs Vartan Ouzounian. Among the dignitaries present at the ceremony and the reception were Mrs Karine Kazinian, Ambassador of Armenia to the UK, Mr Charles Lonsdale, British Ambassador to Armenia, Mr Jonathan Aves, Ambassador-designate of the UK to Armenia who will take over in January 2012.

The Rev Father Dr Nerses Nersessian performed the Badarak on this great occasion. In his sermon, the priest referred to the concept of serving to the community without expecting any rewards and mentioned the fact that he had worked with Mr Vartan Ouzounian for many years for the achievement of major cultural events in the past. At the conclusion of the Badarak the Rev Father read the Gontag. Then His Grace Bishop Vahan Hovhanessian, the newly ordained bishop at Etchmiadzin, who approached His Holiness Karekin II to honour Vartan Ouzounian, fixed the Nerses Shnorhali medals on Vartan Ouzounian and his wife. The Bishop mentioned that the catholicos knew Mr Vartan Ouzounian and his activities very well and he really thought him to be worthy of the honour.

The celebration continued with a reception at Cothorne Tara Hotel in the presence of one hundred invited guests. The evening featured Armenian music, slide show of the TCA, TTL and TCF activities, speeches as well as words of congratulations from high-ranking clergymen and dignitaries. The master of the reception ceremony was Mr Hratch Koumrouyan, a close friend from Lebanon.

Mrs Karine Kazinian, Ambassador to the UK, in her brief speech congratulated Mr Ouzounian on the great occasion and for the work done. She wished him all the best in future endeavours. Then the master of ceremonies, Mr Hratch Koumrouyan, read the message from Mrs Sylva Krikorian, the Chairman of the Tekeyan Trust London (she could not attend because of health reasons). In her congratulatory note Mrs Krikorian also detailed the idea of Tekeyan Centre Armenia which was too hard to realize. And it has become a reality due to the efforts of one person – Mr Vartan Ouzounian, who took the responsibility for the construction of Tekeyan Centre. He sacrificed his health, his time and family to complete the project successfully. For many years acting as the Fund’s Chairman, Mr Ouzounian has been keeping the activity of the Fund under his everyday control and serving for its prosperity. On behalf of TTL and TCA Mrs Krikorian thanked the Fund’s Chairman for his devotion to his nation.

Mrs Taline Avakian, the Trustee of TCF Armenia and TTL, took the podium and after heartfelt wishes to the Ouzounian family, referred to more of the difficulties that the Tekeyan Trust and Mr Ouzounian faced starting the Tekeyan Centre project. Even now when Tekeyan Centre is a reality there are still a lot of difficulties. Besides closing the debt, the funds go to the improvement of the building since at the time of its construction there was a shortage of budgeting, and the quality of some of its area was not good and had to be repaired (like the roof, toilets, sewerage system on the ground floor, etc.).

In his own address to the well-wishers Mr Vartan Ouzounian expressed gratitude to His Holiness for recognising his services to the Armenian communities in Lebanon, Ethiopia, the UK and Armenia. He thanked the Primate, His Grace Bishop Vahan Hovhanessian for his initiative in recommendation, as well as all the supporters of his activities over many years. Then Mr Ouzounian specifically referred to the TCA London work over the past 36 years and mentioned that the TCA activities would recover with a formation of new committee and also establishment of its website (together with the Tekeyan Trust). He also announced that the new committee would get ready to celebrate in a few years’ time the 40th anniversary of the TCA London with a publication which would also include the names and pictures of all the active participants, committee and subcommittee members not only of the TCA but also those of the Tekeyan Trust. At the end of his speech Mr Ouzounian launched the fund raising issue to support the structural needs of the Tekeyan schools in Armenia and Karabagh.

The reception was concluded by Mrs Rosette Ouzounian, Mr Vartan Ouzounian’s wife who has been standing by and encouraging her husband over many years. Mrs Ouzounian expressed her thanks to all their supporters and spoke about their commitment to serve the Armenian people and the Church. She closed the function with her recitation of Vahan Tekeyan’s “Hashvehartar” which was performed so movingly that the guests gave her a standing ovation.