High Commissioner Sinanyan’s visit to the United States concluded with a visit to the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. There, Mr. Sinanyan and Anais Astarjian, the office’s U.S. Diaspora Relations Coordinator, met with various organizations to discuss the office’s programs and to further engage the Diaspora in Armenia’s development. 

High Commissioner Sinanyan met with RA Ambassador Lilit Makunts, followed by a meeting with Georgetown Armenians Students’ Association members. With attendees in various fields of study, he emphasized the importance of youth involvement in their communities and Armenia and the vast opportunities available through our office’s programs, such as iGorts and the Diaspora Youth Ambassador Program. 

In Washington, D.C., Ms. Astarjian met with the Armenian Assembly of America’s Executive Director Bryan Ardouny. She then visited the Museum of the Bible, where she met with CEO Harry Hargrave, Chief Curatorial Officer Jeffrey Kloha, and their team. They toured the museum, specifically viewing the Armenian artifacts, and spoke of their online exhibition entitled “Ancient Faith: The Churches of Nagorno-Karabakh” and plans for a future exhibition. The Museum’s team expressed the importance of the preservation of and education on Armenia’s rich Christian history. 

Ms. Astarjian later visited the Library of Congress and met with Dr. Khatchig Mouradian, the Armenia and Georgia specialist. He gave a tour of the library, showing the ancient Armenian manuscripts and various Armenian publications they possess.