WATERTOWN—Armenia’s Diaspora Minister, Hranoush Hakopyan, Tuesday visited the ARS, Inc. International Office in Boston. She was accompanied by Armenia’s Ambassador to the US, Tatoul Markarian.
The guests were welcomed at the ARS, Inc. International Office by ARS Central Executive secretary Mayda Melkonian and office staff. Central Executive chairwoman Vicky Marashlian, Vice-Chairwoman Maro Froundjian and Board Member Graciela Kevorkian joined the meeting via video conference respectively from California, Canada and Argentina.
During the hour long meeting the details of some of the ministry’s projects as well as the details of the ARS Centennial events, to be held next year, were discussed. Minister Hakopyan underlined the necessity of encouraging especially the diasporan youth to visit Armenia as often as possible. The ARS Central Executive members detailed the Society’s Centennial events, which will be launched in 2010 in New York and concluded in Armenia. Also discussed was the possibility of organizing young and retired Armenian professionals to reside and work in Armenia for specific periods, allowing the country to benefit from their knowledge and expertise.
Minister Hakopyan advised the ARS, Inc. to formalize all these ideas and she expressed her willingness and readiness to assist in their implementation.
At the end of the meeting Melkonian presented the Diaspora Minister and the Ambassador each with a publication of ARS entities. In her turn, Minister Hakopyan presented a gift to the ARS, Inc.
“Also discussed was the possibility of organizing young and retired Armenian professionals to reside and work in Armenia for specific periods, allowing the country to benefit from their knowledge and expertise.”
It is long overdue, the expertise and the knowledge of educated (western universities) Armenian professionals is not being utilized and capitalized. You can’t give price for that, it is like an intellectual property. The potential can be monumental for Armenia, especially when we are competing with hostile neighbors. We don’t have oil or gas to sell but we have other means to survive and why not even thrive. The solution has to be in our combined intellect in Armenia and in Diaspora. And whether we can Timely regroup and organize to see the fruits of that labor.