SOAR-Budapest Chapter
SOAR-Budapest joined the SOAR family in May 2014. Hungarian-Armenian relations go back more than 800 years. A charter from the 13th century testifies the existence of the Armenian Village Terra Armenium. Those who arrived later settled down in Transylvania, most of them endeavoring in manufacture and commerce. After the 1915 Genocide, many Armenian refugees fled to Hungary. In April 1920, the Association of Hungarian Armenians was founded under the name of Maszisz (Ararat) and the first Armenian-language journal Nor Tar (New Century) was published. In 1924, the Armenian Catholic Church of Hungary was established and the Hungarian-Armenian Trading Company was created, aimed at boosting commercial relations.
In 1987, the Hungarian-Armenian circle of friends, Arménia, was created. By 1992 the circle transformed itself into the Arménia Cultural Association of the People, an organization aimed at preserving Armenian educational, religious and cultural identity. In 1997 the Transylvanian Armenian Roots Cultural Association was created to hold together the Transylvanian Armenian community, to preserve their identity, and cultural and religious traditions. The members of the association declare themselves to be Hungarian-Armenians with their mother tongue being Hungarian, but being proud of having Armenian roots.
The Armenians do not have their own educational network. The Armenian language education is realized in the framework of Sunday schools in Budapest, Debrecen, Szeged, Gyor and Szekesfehervar. The Eötvös Lóránd University offers ongoing Armenian language and culture training. Approximately 90% of the Armenians living in Hungary belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church. The Armenian Catholic Church functions as only Armenian Catholic ministry. Approximately, two thirds of Hungary’s Armenians population is found in Budapest and the surrounding Pest County. There are approximately 5,000 Armenians in Hungary today.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
Anna Muradyan
President
Anna Muradyan holds a Master’s degree in Gender Studies from Central European University (Hungary) and a Master’s degree in Physics from Yerevan State University (Armenia). Currently based in Budapest, she has been working in the IT field for over 7 years. In addition to her professional experience in tech, Anna has been practicing as a certified life coach for more than a year and a half, helping clients grow through self-awareness and personal transformation.
Before moving to Hungary, Anna worked as a journalist in various Armenian media outlets and was actively involved in cross-border peacebuilding projects. She is a former Hrant Dink Fellow and conducted research on Armenian women migrants during her fellowship year in Istanbul, Turkey. As a journalist, her work focused on human rights, including issues affecting women, children, the LGBTQI community, and other vulnerable groups.
Anna speaks Armenian, Russian, English, and has basic knowledge of French and Hungarian.
Hasmik Margaryan
Hasmik earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Management from the French University in Armenia in 2013. She is currently working on her Master’s Degree in International Economy and Business at the Andrassy Gyula German Speaking University in Budapest. Hasmik has worked as an Intern at the Hopital Privé Nord Parisien in Sarcelles, France and has been a member of both the SPFA (Solidarité Protestante France-Arménie) and the DAV (Deutscheakademische Armenische Verrein) since 2011.
Hasmik speaks Armenian, English, German, French, and Russian.