DIRECTOR OF THE HERMITAGE MICHAEL PIOTROVSKY VISITS YEREVAN ON MARCH 21

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
March 20 2006

YEREVAN, March 21. /ARKA/. The Director of the State Hermitage,
Corresponding Member of Russian Academy of Science Michael Piotrovsky
visited Yerevan on March 21, 2006.

According to the “Caucasian Institute of Democracy” Development
Fund, opening ceremony of memorial desk on the house, where lived
Pietrovsky’s parents, famous archeologist, Director of the Hermitage
from 1964 to 1991 Boris Pietrovsky and archeologist Hripsime
Janpoladyan, is organized within the bounds of the visit.

Meetings with the President of Armenia, RA Ministry of Culture,
as well as Russian Ambassador plenipotentiary and extraordinary in
Armenia are scheduled during the visit of Pietrovsky. He also intends
to meet with the All-Armenian Patriarch Garegin the IInd and visit
the Depository of Treasures in Echmiadzin.

In Yerevan Pietrovsky is going to read a lecture in Russian-Armenian
(Slavonic) University and meet the teaching staff of the Yerevan
State University (YSU). Pietrovsky is to be given a rank of Honorable
Professor of the Slavonic University and awarded a golden medal of
the YSU.

The program of visit of Pietrovsky includes visit to “Matenadaran”,
depository of ancient Armenian manuscripts, National Picture Gallery
and History Museum as well as Garni and Geghard Armenian complexes.