Meeting with first participants of Come Home program takes place at RA
Ministry of Diaspora

YEREVAN, JULY 18, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Diasporan Armenian
young people arriving from Turkey, Egypt, France, Russia, Ukraine,
Syria, and Iran became participants of the first stage of the Come Home
program of the RA Ministry of Diaspora.

According to the RA Ministry of Diaspora Press and Public Relations
Department, members of the hosting families, departments participating
in program’s implementation, and representatives of Yerevan
administrative districts were present at the reception.

RA Deputy Minister of Diaspora Stepan Petrosian thanked program’s first
participants for responding with faith to the appeal to visit Armenia
within the framework of the program. He also thanked the families
hosting the young people. Deputy Minister S. Petrosian expressed the
hope that those young people, many of which visit the homeland for the
first time, will leave Armenia with the best impressions and will
become ambassadors of the RA Ministry of Diaspora in their countries
and will pass their home-sickness to persons of the same age.

Artak Zakarian, the Head of the RA Ministry of Diaspora Staff, asserted
that other departments and local self-government structures also passed
a hard way when carrying out the organization work of the Come Home
program. He gave assurance that they will show a considerate attitude
to the participant young people over these two weeks of their stay in
Armenia for these days to be meaningful and the young people from the
Diaspora to be able to get acquainted and love the homeland.

Zhenya Azizian, the Head of the Come Home program and Secretary of the
Interdepartmental Coordinating Council on Program Implementation,
presented the events of the Come Home program’s first stage. Diasporan
young people aged from 14 to 25 participating in them will visit the
Mother See of Holy Echmiadzin, Sardarapat Memorial Complex, Zvartnots
temple, Khor Virap church complex, Saghmosavank, Erebuni
Reserve-Museum, Armenian Genocide Victims Memorial Complex,
Matenadaran, and many other historic-cultural centers of Yerevan. They
will also get acquainted with Armenian national art of singing and
khachkar (cross-stone) art, cuisine, will take part in interactive
study courses on Homeland Study subject, will visit one of Armenian
army’s military units, industrial enterprises, will take part in sports
events. Diasporan young people will take part in the final concert of
Shant TV company’s People’s Dances contest. They will prepare their
performances during a few classes.

It is also planned that first stage’s participants of the Come Home
program will also meet with representatives of Armenian universities
and their student councils. The program of rapprochement with the
homeland will be concluded with an exhibition of works by young people
from the Gegharkunik region on the bank of picturesque Lake Sevan and
with a farewell event.