From 18 to 22 August 2025, the thematic Summer School for young scholars from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) was held in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Soviet peoples’ victory in the Great Patriotic War. The event was organised under the initiative of the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus and the Interstate Humanitarian Cooperation Fund of the CIS participating countries.

The Republic of Armenia was represented by staff members of the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia: Cd. Hist. Sci. Gagik Zhamharyan, Cd. Hist. Sci.  Gayane Ghazaryan, Jenny Tamaryan, Cd. Hist. Sci. Mariam Grigoryan, and Cd. Hist. Sci. Henrik Khachatryan.

The Summer School programme was intensive. Field seminars were organised for participants at the Belarusian State “Khatyn” Memorial Complex, the Masyukovshchina (Stalag-352) Memorial Complex, the State Museum of the Great Patriotic War of Belarus, and the National Archives of the Republic of Belarus. Within the framework of the school, a presentation was also held for the collective monograph authored by leading scholars from the CIS countries, entitled “The Peoples of the Soviet Union and the Great Victory (1941–1945)”.

During the event, delegations from various countries delivered presentations relating to the history of the Great Patriotic War. Gagik Zhamharyan presented a report on “The Memory of the Great Patriotic War in the Republic of Armenia”, addressing the participation of the Armenian people in the Great Victory and the contemporary practices of its commemoration.

The 2025 Summer School in Minsk not only had significant educational and scholarly value but also contributed to the establishment and strengthening of academic ties and cooperation among young historians from CIS countries.