On March 5, 1927 the first edition of the Aztag Daily newspaper rolled off the presses, providing the Lebanese-Armenian community a crucial outlet for news, information and a forum for critical analysis. Very quickly, Aztag became an inseparable part of the Lebanese-Armenian—as well the Diasporan—reality.
Asbarez salutes and congratulates Aztag on this momentous anniversary and looks forward to continuing its decades-long cooperation with the publishing.
For the better part of its own 114-year history, Asbarez and Aztag have functioned as sister publications as part of vast ARF press family. We have relied on Aztag’s concise and on the ground reporting about issues of importance to Lebanon and its Armenian community, and we have shared those reports with our readers on the pages of Asbarez.
In addition to its news reporting, Aztag has also been an important gathering place for Armenian intellectuals and academicians. As a crucible of the Armenian Diaspora, the commentary and opinion pieces that originated from Aztag set the tone for our Diasporan experience for decades to come. For decades, the newspaper also has also served as an era for free expression and had advanced the principles, ideals and mission of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation.
During the Lebanese Civil War, Aztag served as the most important information medium for the Armenians in Lebanon traversing a challenging reality. But more important, Aztag became the source for the community’s togetherness and growth at a time of complex socio-political developments.
Aztag has been a mirror to the Lebanese-Armenian life, and defined the Diaspora experience.
The editorial board of Asbarez congratulates Aztag’s editor-in-chief, Shahan Kandaharian, and the publication’s staff, who work tirelessly—sometimes in difficult and arduous circumstance—to ensure that the community is informed and, at the same time, empowered to take action to advance the aspirations of the Armenian Nation.
