President Armen Sarkissian has sent a message of gratitude to Nubar Afeyan and Ruben Vardanyan, co-founders of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, for their efforts in the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide.
“On April 24, the Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, the names of the heroes of the” Aurora Humanitarian Initiative were announced. For the first time since its inception, the Aurora Awards were held without one of its godfathers, our senior friend Vartan Gregorian, co-founder of the Aurora Initiative and a member of the Aurora Prize Selection Committee, who passed away a few days ago,” the President said.
Expressing his deepest condolences on the loss of Vartan Gregorian, the President thanked all the founders of the Aurora Initiative for their participation in the struggle for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide.
“The contribution of our beloved Vartan Gregorian is undeniable. He was a prominent philanthropist, scientist, researcher and consultant at the national and international levels, and played a key role in both the preservation of the Armenian identity and the representation of the Armenians, advocating for the just Armenian cause and making it public,” he said.
“I am sure that you will continue the work you started with Vartan Gregorian with the same vigor, in memory of our great compatriot, his contribution, his struggle and deep national activity, of course, for the goals he did not complete.
President Sarkissian noted that Vartan Gregorian never hid his great love for the Homeland. “We must at least increase that love by working hand in hand for the Homeland, for the Homeland that our compatriots who were massacred in the Ottoman Empire 106 years ago dreamed of, for the Homeland that their generations are thinking about today,” he said.
