During the 6^th Armenia-Diaspora Pan-Armenian Conference held under the title “Mutual Trust, Unity and Responsibility” at Karen Demirtchyan Sport and Concert Complex in Yerevan, Armenian intellectuals, national, cultural and political figures from around the world gave speeches in which they discussed various issues devoted to Armenia’s development, the current foreign challenges facing Armenia, further development of the Armenia-Diaspora partnership, enhancement of the collective potential of the nation and army, the role of culture in the preservation of the Armenian identity, the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the economic cooperation between Armenia and the Diaspora and other issues. Out of the participants, I managed to interview member of the ARS in New Julfa, member (later chairwoman) of Hamazkayin Armenian Education and Cultural Society, journalist, pedagogue, famous makeup artist in the USA, poet and wonderful intellectual Armine Minasian, who is Iranian-Armenian and lives in New York and is preparing to present her two books “On the Paths of My Homeland” and “Paths of Love” in Armenia. The interview was for Hayern Aysor.

Karine Avagyan: Armine, you are on the paths to the homeland once again. This is the title of your book of poems. Let’s start our conversation with your impressions of and expectations from the conference.

Armine Minasian: I am very glad that this conference was organized. What I am most concerned about is the preservation of Armenian culture in the Diaspora and the current state of young Armenians in the Diaspora. The new generation does not participate in many national and cultural events since the young people don’t want to become engaged in any organization. The role of the Armenian Church and organizations is very important abroad because Armenians can’t preserve culture alone. If you don’t join an organization, you can’t carry out acts for national preservation. I also expect to see the paths for solutions to these issues. The topic of my speech is related to preservation of the Armenian identity in the Diaspora, linguistic issues and culture…I am also concerned about the numerous signs and billboards written in English in Armenia and the titles of English-language TV shows aired on Armenian TV channels. Armenians in Armenia and in the Diaspora need to preserve the Armenian language and maintain its purity. Throughout my life, the most important thing has been to serve for Armenian language and literature and the Homeland. This visit to the Homeland is fruitful since I am participating in the conference and will be presenting my books in the autumnal Yerevan.

Karine Avagyan: During our first interview for Hayern Aysor, we mainly discussed your career, your community service for Hamazkayin and primarily the career of your father, famous Iranian-Armenian bibliographer, meritorious scientific worker of the repository of the Holy Savior Monastery of New Julfa, teacher, writer and painter Levon Minasian. Today I would like to place emphasis on the topics of your two books. Please, tell us what made you write these books.

Armine Minasian: Recently, before the conference, other members of the ARS and I paid a visit to Artsakh to participate in the opening of a Soseh Kindergarten in Stepanakert. On the way to Stepanakert, I would admire the wheat fields and the unmatched views of the nature, and that is exactly when I wrote the poem featured on the first page of my book. Those wheat fields reminded me of the wheat fields in my native Khoygyan village of Peria and the sparrows picking at the wheat grains.

Karine Avagyan: How long did it take you to write the book?

Armine Minasian: The book features not only old poems, but also new poems devoted to patriotism. I compiled all of them in one book. They are poems devoted to the journey to the Homeland and poems that express my love for my Homeland. The book is edited by Director of the Museum of Art and Literature Karo Vardanyan. One of the authors of the preface is writer, publicist Grigor Janikyan, and the preface of my other book entitled “Paths of Love” is by literary critic Felix Bakhchinyan.

Karine Avagyan: You preferred to hold the first presentation of your books in the Homeland. What about New York?

Armine Minasian: Yes, I preferred to present them in my Homeland first. It is a pride for me. I might also hold a presentation in New York. Next year, I plan on integrating my articles published in various newspapers devoted to our community’s activities.

Karine Avagyan: Armine, you are also busy with community service. Tell us about that.

Armine Minasian: I perform the job with pleasure. This year marked the 50^th anniversary of the establishment of Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Society New York Chapter. All proceeds from the anniversary events ($15,000) went to the border guards of Artsakh in order to procure medical equipment that will suspend the flow of blood (3,000 devices have been allocated to soldiers). However, as co-founder of Artsakh’s Fund for Wounded Soldiers Razmik Arzumanyan said, it is necessary to do more, and this effort needs to be ongoing. Dr. Hrant Margaryan and his wife, Janet Margaryan went to Artsakh and transferred the equipment. With this, the ARS responded to the “What are YOU doing for Artsakh?” pan-Armenian movement launched by the RA Ministry of Diaspora. During one of the events of the ARS, Dr. Hrant Margaryan said the following: “There is one major objective for all Armenians today, and that is Artsakh. Artsakh is the guarantee of a bright future for the Armenian nation.” Indeed, we must look towards Armenia and Artsakh. The welfare of the Homeland is our welfare.

Karine Avagyan: Thank you, dear Armine. May God help you carry out all of your patriotic acts! May all your books be devoted to the Homeland, be in the language of the Homeland and in the colors of the Homeland!

 Karine Avagyan