WATERTOWN, Mass.—Members of the Armenian Youth Federation-Youth Organization of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (AYF-YOARF) joined a group welcoming President of the Republic of Armenia Serge Sarkisian to the Hairenik Association building in Watertown on March 26.
Members of the AYF-YOARF with President Serge Sarkisian
The president was hosted by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Eastern U.S. Central Committee. Guests included representatives of a number of Armenian-American organizations, including the Armenian Relief Society (ARS), the Homenetmen Athletic and Scouting Union, the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), as well as the publishing staff of the Hairenik and Armenian Weekly newspapers.
Sarkisian was joined by Minister of Education and Science Levon Mkrtchyan, Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan, and Armenian Ambassador to the United States Grigor Hovhannissian, as well as other dignitaries. Together, they visited the archives of the First Republic of Armenia, which are housed in the Hairenik Association building. There, Sarkisian was able to see Armenia’s first Declaration of Independence from 1918 for the first time.
The Hairenik Association building—a historical and integral part of the Armenian-American community—was one of Sarkisian’s first stops on his four-day trip to the Greater Boston area, which also included talks at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University, and visits to the Armenian Museum of America, the Armenian Heritage Park, the St. James, St. Stephen’s, and Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Churches, as well as an official arrival ceremony at the Massachusetts State House.
As an organization that strives to strengthen the ties between the homeland and the diaspora with its many programs and initiatives, the AYF-YOARF was honored to welcome President Sarkisian to the Greater Boston Area—the headquarters of the organization—in order to introduce him to the work and achievements of the AYF-YOARF and the Armenian-American community in general.
Source: Armenian Weekly
Link: AYF-YOARF Welcomes Sarkisian to Hairenik Headquarters