On September 2, RA Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan received Iranian-Armenian benefactor, intellectual Avo Hovhannisian.

Since 1953, Avo Hovhannisian has been collecting Armenian cultural assets and transferring them to the homeland. Hovhannisian has donated 400 antique books and books printed in the Armenian Diaspora, 2,000 archival materials (these materials were the notes of the elite of New Julfa) and 65 manuscripts to the Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts (Matenadaran).  Avo Hovhannisian has donated his collection of 5,000 ethnographic materials to the Museum of History of Armenia, has distributed 3,000 books from his personal library to cultural organizations in Armenia and has sponsored the renovation of the library in Koghb village.

The RA Minister of Diaspora praised the benefactor’s efforts to transfer the cultural assets created by the hands of Diaspora Armenians to the Homeland and mentioned that Avo Hovhannisian is doing a tremendous job as he saves the Armenian cultural assets created abroad from perdition and alienation.

“Your generous attitude toward every material reminding one of Armenians is due to your decision to be an Armenian who is devoted to the nation,” the RA Minister of Diaspora mentioned.

Expressing gratitude for the cordial reception, Avo Hovhannisian donated his latest book entitled Return to the Roots to Minister Hranush Hakobyan and mentioned: “This book presents the work that I have done over the past 40 years. It is a description of the materials related to the Armenians of New Julfa that I collected and had trouble transferring to the homeland.”

Hovhannisian also transmitted the latest 3 collections of works by Iranian-Armenian poetess Tsaghkanush Tsaturian and mentioned that the late writer had wanted to transmit her books to the RA Ministry of Diaspora for a long time, but unfortunately, she passed away before being able to.