On April 6, marked the 100^th anniversary of Gagik Sargsyan, one of the eminent scholars in Armenian studies and Armenian oriental studies, academician and the founder of the Institute of Oriental studies of NAS RA. 

Gagik Sargsyan was formed as a scholar at one of the most famous academic centers of the Soviet Union, Saint Peterburg State University, however he devoted his whole life to the development of Armenian Oriental studies.

In 1971 he appointed Director of the newly Institute of Oriental Studies at the Academy of Sciences, during which the institute enriches with new and promising scholars. It was under his leadership that key research directions were established that served, and continue to serve, the humanities sector of Armenia. Sargsyan served as Vice President of the Academy from 1988 to 1990, and from 1994 to 1998 he held the position of Academician-Secretary of the Department of Social Sciences.

The distinguished orientalist and Armenologist, Academician Gagik Sargsyan, belonged to the category of multidisciplinary scholars whose research was not confined to narrow or isolated problems. His excellent education, personal qualities, broad intellectual horizon, and open-mindedness were the guarantees that allowed him, over time, to become an unquestioned authority in the field of Armenian studies.

Gagik Sargsyan was one of the leading representatives of Armenian Oriental studies, whose scholarly activity combined deep theoretical approaches with a broad global perspective, contributing to the internationalization of Armenian studies and the formation of an independent school of Oriental studies in Armenia. He was the author of numerous monographs and hundreds of academic articles, and he also supervised postgraduate students, shaping a new generation of highly qualified Armenologists and Orientalists.

The Institute of Oriental Studies preserves with deep reverence the memory of its distinguished figures.