PRESS RELEASE
Hayastan All-Armenian Fund
Governmental Buiding 3, Yerevan, RA
Contact: Hasmik Grigoryan
Tel: +(3741) 56 01 06 ext. 105
Fax: +(3741) 52 15 05
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
22 June, 2009
Syrian first lady meets with Armenian dignitaries and Hayastan All-Armenian
Fund director
On June 18, Asma Al-Assad, first lady of the Syrian Arab Republic, initiated
a meeting with Ara Vardanyan, executive director of the Hayastan
All-Armenian Fund, to familiarize herself with the work of the organization.
The meeting, which took place in Yerevan, was also attended by Rita
Sargsyan, first lady of the Republic of Armenia; Natalia Nalbandyan, spouse
of Armenian foreign minister Edward Nalbandyan; and the heads of the
Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s Public Relations and Projects departments.
During the hour-long gathering, the Syrian first lady was informed of the
fund’s goals and activities, including worldwide fundraising efforts to
finance vital development projects in Armenia and Artsakh. The attendees
were also shown a short film on the mission of the Hayastan All-Armenian
Fund.
As she commended the fund’s achievements, Mrs. Al-Assad mentioned that her
country with a population of 18 million Syrians, has a sizeable diaspora
too, and that many of the 15 million Syrians living abroad wish to
contribute to the prosperity of their homeland. An organization modeled
after the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund, she said, would play an instrumental
role in enabling diaspora Syrians to be of help to their country.
Mrs. Al-Assad also had high praise for Syria’s Armenian community. Armenians
have deep roots in Syria and continue to make valuable and diverse
contributions to their adopted homeland, as an integral part of Syrian
society, she said.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Mrs. Al-Assad expressed her wish to host
Vardanyan in Syria, in an ongoing effort to support the fund’s emerging
activities in her country.
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Hayastan All Armenian Fund