The presentation of Grigor Janshyan’s collection Brotherly Help to the Armenians was held with support from the RA Ministry of Diaspora on November 26. The book has been republished after more than a century.

The presentation began with welcoming remarks by RA Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan.

The minister highly appreciated Grigor Janshyan’s efforts aimed at telling Russia’s public at large and circles of government officials the truth about the events that took place in Armenia from 1894 to 1896, as well as shedding light on the centuries-old history of the Armenian people written by academics, identifying the unique cultural assets of the Armenian people and presenting information about the services that Armenians have provided to the world civilization.

The collection was first released in 1898 in Moscow and was described as a “Book-Symphony”, “Book-Encyclopedia” and “Book of Blood and Tears” by Janshyan’s contemporaries. The main motive were the massacres of the Armenians in Ottoman Turkey in the late 19^th century, which led to the annihilation of thousands of Armenian women, children and elderly and left survivors in hunger and on the verge of death.

“With this collection, Janshyan presented the Russians with not only the whole truth about the cruel policy against the Armenians, but also provided all proceeds from book sales (60,000 rubles) to Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople, Archbishop Maghakia Ormanian via the Russian Embassy in Turkey to open orphanages. Twelve orphanages were opened, and Janshyan was granted the title “Father of Orphans”,” Minister Hranush Hakobyan emphasized.

“We thank Albert Isoyan and Aram Karapetyan, who wiped the “dust” of the centuries and managed to properly study and republish this book written by the great Armenian after 115 years,” the RA Minister of Diaspora said in closing.

Founding director of Hayagitak Publishing House Albert Isoyan presented background information about how the publishing house rediscovered and republished Grigor Janshyan’s book precisely through photocopies ahead of the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide.

The author of the book’s preface, Head of the State Education Inspectorate Aram Karapetyan delivered a speech devoted to Grigor Janshyan the man, the figure and his book Brotherly Help to the Armenians. Karapetyan mentioned that Janshyan’s book features images and photos of Armenians and all that is Armenian and refer to Eastern Armenia and Western Armenia, as well as Armenian communities. What also makes the book splendid is that great Armenian painters of the time, Hovhannes Ayvazovsky and Vardges Surenyants also took part in the process of compilation. Ayvazovsky had sent four original paintings to the publisher from Nice to insert them in the book.

Astghik Gevorgyan, Ashot Bleyan and others also expressed their opinions and praised the book.