On June 9th, on the occasion of the 25th Anniversary of 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, Ambassador of Armenia to Canada, George J. Furey, Speaker of the Senate of Canada and the author of the statue, famous Canadian-Armenian sculptor Megerditch Tarakdjian.

Following the solemn ceremony, official reception, hosted by the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia to Canada, took place in Canadian Room of the Fairmont Château Laurier Hotel, attended by George J. Furey, Speaker of the Senate, John R. Kur, Ambassador of Canada to the Republic of Armenia, 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, spiritual leaders of the Armenian Apostolic Church, heads of the Canadian-Armenian community organizations, many Canadian-Armenians and journalists.

In his remarks Ambassador Yeganian 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 it is symbolic that the unveiling of the statue on Confederation Boulevard took place in the year marking the 150th Anniversary of Canada’s Confederation and the 25th Anniversary of of the establishment of Armenian-Canadian diplomatic relations. In his speech, the Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia also thanked the 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, 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, Ambassador Yeganian awarded 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, 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 implementation of the Yousuf Karsh Project.

During the evening, young talented representatives 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 diplomatic relations between Armenia and Canada. The sculptor of the bust is Dr. Megerditch Tarakdjian and the project engineer is Souren Hadjian.