YEREVAN. – President Serzh Sargsyan on Tuesday issued a congratulatory message to writer, publicist, and Honored Cultural Worker of Armenia, Zori Balayan, on the occasion of his 80th birth anniversary.

“You have had a great contribution to development and enrichment of Armenian publication (…).

“Being an inspiration, leader, and ideologist of the Karabakh Movement (…), you [also] have had a significant contribution to the Artsakh [i.e., Nagorno-Karabakh] struggle for liberation.

“[And] as a traveler and physician, with [your] journeys around the world with the Cilicia and Armenia boats, (…) you have assisted in the internationalization of our struggle,” the Armenian President’s message specifically reads.