WASHINGTON–DC–On December 3–heeding the call of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF)–the Armenian community of Washington–DC expressed its support for ARF’s pan-Armenian activities by collecting $65,000 at a fundraising reception at the home of Gourgen and Margaret Assaturian.
Along with many ARF supporters and benefactors–Armenia’s Ambassador to the US Dr. Arman Kirakossian–and Mrs. Kirakossian–ARF Bureau members Vicken Hovsepian and Garo Armenian–and representatives of the ARF Central Committee attended the reception.
The evening commenced with a welcoming by Gourgen Assaturian–who thanked the guests’ enthusiastic response to attend the fundraising function–and encouraging the ARF in its continuous struggle for the world-wide recognition of the Armenian Case.
He was followed by Armenian–who spoke of the many challenges Armenia’s face and the necessity to unite in facing those challenges; he also stressed the importance of turning the scattered communities of the diaspora into an effective political force–dedicated to the strengthening of Armenian national statehood.
As the main speaker of the day–Hovsepian expressed his appreciation for the moral and financial commitment of the Washington community to the work of the ARF and their zeal to make their success possible. Hovsepian comprehensively presented the voluminous work of the ARF in both Armenia and the diaspora–stressing that these advancemen’s would be impossible to even conceive without the dependable contribution of supporters devoted to the mission of ARF.