On July 20, 2010, Prof Dr Yuri A. Petrosyan, a chief researcher at the IOM RAS, celebrated his 80th Birthday.

In 1947, Y.A. Petrosyan was graduated from school in Baku, his native town, and was admitted to the Faculty of Oriental Studies, Leningrad State University, the Department of the History of Near Eastern Countries, and was graduated from it in 1952 as a specialist in the history of Turkey. In December 1956, Y.A. Petrosyan was enrolled to the staff of the Leningrad Branch of the Institute of Oriental Studies, the USSR Academy of Sciences.

Y.A. Petrosyan is the author of about 200 academic papers, including 14 monographs. His major research interest has been in the reforms of the Ottoman Empire and the history of Istanbul. He extensively used the unpublished archival documents kept in Russia, Bulgaria, Romania, the former Yugoslavia, Hungary while studying the activities of the Ottoman reformist politicians. In 1970, Y.A. Petrosyan defended his Habilitation Dissertation on the history of the Young Turks Movement. In 1985, he was given the honored title of professor for the great contribution to the growth of high level academic cadres and important work as a scholar and organizer of academic work.

In 1961, Y.A. Petrosyan was appointed the Deputy Head of the Leningrad Branch of the Institute of Oriental Studies, the USSR Academy of Sciences, from 1963 to 1996 he was its Head. He worked along with the preeminent scholars and academicians such as I.A. Orbeli, B.N. Gafurov, A.N. Kononov, E.M. Zhukov. Under his supervision, the Institute remained one of the centers of classical Oriental studies.

Thanks to his energy and talents as an organizer the Institute survived during the hard time of the early 1990s. In 1992, Y.A. Petrosyan was given the title of the Honored Scholar of the Russian Federation.

During many years, Y.A. Petrosyan has carried on active social work in St Petersburg and was twice awarded by the State, in 1975 and 1981.

The IOM's authorities and scholars congratulate Prof Dr Yuri A. Petrosyan with his Jubilee, wish him strong health and new academic achievements.

Prof Dr I.F. Popova, the Head of the IOM RAS