On June 16, RA Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan granted the passport of the citizen of the Republic of Armenia to honorable member of Homenetmen, former member of Homenetmen Central Committee Koko Balian during a grand ceremony held at the RA Ministry of Diaspora.

By permission of the RA President, the right to grant the passport of the citizen of the Republic of Armenia to renowned Diaspora Armenian figures is reserved for the RA Ministry of Diaspora.

Koko Balian was born in 1948 in Lebanon. Currently, he is based in the United States and is an interior designer. He has served as a member of the Homenetmen Central Committee (1995-2003) and later as vice-chairman of the Homenetmen Central Committee (2007-11). Since 2009, he has been vice-president of the Hayastan All Armenian Fund’s U.S. West Coast affiliate.

Koko Balian read the text of the oath, after which Minister Hranush Hakobyan granted him the passport. The minister attached importance to Balian’s pro-Armenian activities, particularly within the Homenetmen. Praising Koko Balian’s pro-national activities for preservation of the Armenian identity of Diaspora Armenian youth over the past 40 years, the minister also presented Koko Balian with the Gold Medal of the RA Ministry of Diaspora. “Koko Balian is one of the exceptional Armenians who participated in the war in Vietnam. He is known in the Homeland and the Diaspora, and granting the Armenian passport to the great Armenian will connect him to the Mother Homeland for eternity,” the minister mentioned.

Koko Balian thanked the RA Ministry of Diaspora for the high appreciation and expressed willingness to continue his efforts for preservation of the Armenian identity with the same spirit.