RA Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan had a meeting with the participants of the 5^th Conference of Writers of Armenian Origin Composing in Other Languages on July 15^th.

The conference was organized on 11-15 July by the RA Ministry of Diaspora and the Union of Writers of Armenia and is called for contributing to the consolidation of the potential of Armenian writers composing in other languages, making their works more popular and strengthening the Armenian writers’ bonds with the Homeland.

Greeting the participating writers, Minister Hranush Hakobyan attached special importance to the role of writers composing in other languages in recognition of the Armenian Genocide and the impact of 7 writers in that process. “If every one of you writes one book or conducts one study in his or her country of residence about the Great Genocide before 2015, especially novels and essays about the survivors and make those books and studies accessible to foreign readers, we will have taken a step forward for recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide,” mentioned the RA Minister of Diaspora.

President of the Union of Writers of Armenia Levon Ananyan expressed his words of gratitude, after which the participants of the conference participated in the solemn opening ceremony of the 4^th stage of the “Ari Tun” Program.

RA Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan granted the William Saroyan Medal to renowned U.S.-based writer Peter Surian and Canada-based Kate Gharibian, who was marking her 70^th anniversary on that day.

The RA Minister of Diaspora urged the participants of the “Ari Tun” Program to learn from the poets and writers who have taken shelter in foreign countries, but have always preserved their Armenian identity.

The participants of the conference were also introduced to the activities organized by the RA Ministry of Diaspora for Syrian-Armenians.

Renowned Armenian American writer Peter Surian expressed his words of gratitude and particularly said: “I thank the Armenian people who have always been sincere with me. I love the United States, but my ultimate love is the Homeland-Armenia. What I saw today was simply marvelous.”

After the meeting, RA Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan donated the “Literary Diaspora” and “Diaspora” Yearbooks, as well as other works released by the order and under the initiative of the RA Ministry of Diaspora to the participants of the conference.