On July 27, RA Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan hosted Lebanese-Armenian artist and collectioner Harutioun Torosian and his wife.

Harutioun Torosian was born in 1933 in Beirut. He studied at the National High Arts School of Paris and later the Julien Academy. He paints, sculpts and creates graphic works, and his works have also been showcased at the National Gallery of Armenia.

Harutioun Torosian recently donated an exclusive collection of 168 samples of old Armenian coins and bills to the State Historical-Geological Museum of Artsakh. The collection stands out with the rare coins dating back to the reigns of King Tigran the Great, King Artavazd II and the Kingdom of Cilicia, as well as the agate stone on the ring of King Tigran the Great with the bust of the king on the ring.

Greeting the guests, Hranush Hakobyan expressed gratitude to Harutioun Torosian for his patriotic act and assured that the RA Ministry of Diaspora properly appreciates any deed that Diaspora Armenians do for the Homeland. “In this sense, I highly appreciate your donation. It can set an example for and inspire other Diaspora Armenians,” the minister mentioned and informed that Harutioun Torosian had been granted the Arshile Gorky Medal of the RA Ministry of Diaspora for his notable contributions to Armenian painting and his patriotic acts.

Harutioun Torosian accepted the award of the RA Ministry of Diaspora with emotions and gratitude and said the following: “We have felt the misery of living far away from the Homeland, but we have always been with the Homeland in our thoughts. Throughout the years, we have followed the struggle for the liberation of Artsakh, have been inspired and have taken pride. At the same time, we have felt pain to see so many young people die. I would always ask myself what I could do for Artsakh, and I thought about donating a rich collection of coins that I had been collecting throughout the years to Artsakh to show how much I love and cherish Artsakh.”

During the meeting, the sides discussed issues related to cultural life within the Lebanese-Armenian community and the Armenia-Diaspora partnership.