President of Armenia Begins First Visit to Boston

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan is visiting the city of Boston for the first time in a trip that coincides with the 25th anniversary year of the independence of the country, the Bostonglobe reports.

Sargsyan landed at Logan International Airport on Monday afternoon, said James Kalustian, president of the Armenian Heritage Foundation. Before heading to a Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Sargsyan will spend time in the Greater Boston area.

“People are very excited. It’s an honor to have the president in Boston,” Kalustian said Monday.

“We have of one the oldest Armenian communities [and] one of the most well-organized and active communities,” Kalustian said of Boston.

Sargsyan began his visit Monday by making stops at churches in Watertown, and at the Holy Trinity Armenian Church in Cambridge.

“The Holy Trinity parish is honored to welcome the President of the Republic of Armenia … to our parish,” the church said in a posting on Facebook.

On Tuesday, Sargsyan will attend a 9:30 a.m. Mass at the Old North Church, before participating in a wreath ceremony at the Armenian Heritage Park on the Rose Kennedy Greenway at 10:30 a.m. The event is open to the public.

“Hopefully we’ll see a good crowd,” Kalustian said.

For the rest of his visit, Sargsyan also will give talks at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Harvard Kennedy School, and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

His official welcome will be Wednesday at 1 p.m. at the State House, in an event open to the public, where Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh and Governor Charlie Baker will be there to greet him.

“Leaders around the world are recognizing that Boston is a world class city, and a global leader in the innovation economy,” Walsh said in a statement Monday. “I am proud to welcome President Sargsyan to showcase our city.”