On June 9th, on the occasion of the 25th Anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Canada and 150th Anniversary of Canada’s Confederation, the unveiling ceremony of the statue of Yousuf Karsh, Canadian-Armenian world-reknown portrait photographer took place in the downtown of the Canadian capital of Ottawa, on Confederation Boulevard. The ribbon was cut by Armen Yeganian, the Ambassador of Armenia to Canada, George J. Furey, the Speaker of the Senate of Canada and the author of the statue, famous Canadian-Armenian sculptor Megerditch Tarakdjian.
After the unveiling ceremony, an official reception, hosted by the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia to Canada took place in Canadian Room of The Fairmont Château Laurier Hotel. George J. Furey, the Speaker of the Senate, John R. Kur, the Ambassador of Canada to the Republic of Armenia, spiritual leaders, Canadian Senators and Members of the Parliament, Ambassadors, accredited in Canada, high-ranking representatives from the Global Affairs Canada and the Department of Canadian Heritage, diplomats, heads of the Canadian-Armenian community organizations, many Canadian-Armenians, journalists attended the event.
In his speech Ambassador Yeganian informed the audience that the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia initiated the Karsh Project three years ago. The Ambassador noted that the presence of the statue of Yousuf Karsh in the downtown Ottawa will always be one of the most beautiful symbols of the Armenian-Canadian friendly relations. The Ambassador underlined that the statue’s unveiling on Confederation Boulevard is a symbolic one at the time when the 150th Anniversary of Canada’s Confederation and the 25th Anniversary of of the establishment of Armenian-Canadian diplomatic relations are celebrated. During his speech, the Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia also thanked all those representatives of the Canadian Government as well as individuals and organizations from the Canadian-Armenian Community who brought this project to its fruition.
Mr. Arif Virani, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage delivered his greetings on behalf of the Canadian Government. Mr. Virani thanked the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia and the Canadian-Armenian community for the hard work and for this unique present to Canada on the occasion of the 150th Anniversary of Canada’s Confederation.
During the event, John R. Kur, the Ambassador of Canada to the Republic of Armenia and Mrs. Alison LeClaire, the Director General of the Department of Eastern Europe and Eurasia of Global Affairs Canada, were awarded by Armen Yeganian with the certificates of honour of the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia, for their contribution to the development of the Armenian-Canadian relations. The certificates of honour of the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia were also presented to a number of the representatives of the Canadian-Armenian community who had a valuable input in the Yousuf Karsh Project.
During the evening, young talents from the Canadian-Armenian community presented Armenian national musical and dance performances.
Reference: Yousuf Karsh (1908-2002), also called Karsh of Ottawa, is a Canadian-Armenian photographer known for his portraits of important and famous men and women of politics and the arts. In 1965, Yousuf Karsh was awarded the Canada Council Medal and in 1968 the Medal of Service of the Order of Canada. He was invested as a Companion in the Order of Canada in 1990. In 2015, Mrs. Maria Yeganian, the spouse of the Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia, initiated the Karsh Project. The Karsh Project, implemented in cooperation with Heritage Canada and NCC, is a gift from Armenian people to Canada on the occasion of 150th Anniversary of Canada’s Confederation and 25th Anniversary of the establishment of Armenian-Canadian diplomatic relations. The sculptor of the bust is Dr. Megerditch Tarakdjian and the project engineer is Souren Hadjian.
