Armenians always played big role in the life of Egypt

PanARMENIAN.Net - The first groups of Armenians left Egypt in the 1950s when the country came to be governed by Gamal Abdel Nasser. Afraid of the new leader's nationalization policy, most Armenians had to cross the ocean and settle in other countries. Till 1952, there was an estimated 60 thousand Armenian population living in the towns of Cairo and Alexandria, representatives of Egyptian-Armenian community told a PanARMENIAN.Net correspondent.



As noted by Armenian Ambassador to Egypt Armen Melkonyan, Armenians always played a big role in the country's social-political and cultural life. "Outstanding personalities such as painter Hakob Hakobyan and actress Siranush were from Cairo. Besides, the country's first Prime Minister - Nubar Nubaryan Pasha - was also Armenian," he said.



According to Bishop Ashot Mnatsakanyan, the leader of Egyptian prelacy, Armenians have always played crucial role in Islamic states (Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Iran and even Turkey. "Unfortunately, the community has now grown smaller. The total number of Armenians is 2000, but we lead quite an active life. We are now planning to restore the ancient Armenian church on the outskirts of the Old Town," Bishop said.