YEREVAN. – The Olympic Torch for the third time in history will arrive in the UK on Friday and the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay will begin its 70-day journey around the UK.

And to mark the start of the Olympic Torch Relay, the British Embassy in Yerevan opened graffiti on the wall of the embassy. The author of the graffiti is artist Edgar Amroyan. “This is my first order to make graffiti in Yerevan,” he said.

The Torch is a symbol of peace and an embodiment of the Olympic Truce, which promotes the ideals of peace and conflict resolution and the premise that individuals—not countries—compete against each other in peaceful competition and without the burden of politics, religion, or racism. Eight-thousand inspirational people will carry the Olympic Flame, as it travels the length and breadth of the UK and also makes a trip to Ireland. 

The flame, which was lit from the rays of the sun in Greece on May 10, will arrive in the Olympic stadium in Stratford for the London 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony on July 27.