YEREVAN. – There was a festive mood Friday at the courtyard of the Ministry of Defense (MOD) of Armenia. The children and grandchildren of the country’s military serviceman, civil servants, veterans, and heroes were invited there on the occasion of the International Day for Protection of Children.

Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan welcomed those in attendance, and congratulated the children on this occasion.

“The message is [but] one: that our families be strong, and the children—happy,” he stated.

The event kicked off with the consecration of a cross-stone.

According to Varazdat Hambardzumyan, the sculptor of this cross-stone, it symbolizes the family, and the idea was born in January when he had installed a small cross-stone on the border.

“They asked me there, ‘Why did you bring a cross-stone on the family theme to install on the border?’ I said, ‘So that the soldier will remember that he has a family and it’s waiting for him,’” Hambardzumyan explained. “Our country is family, too, and everything starts from family.”