ARMENIAN
ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: October 3, 2017

Contact: Danielle
Saroyan

Telephone:
(202) 393-3434

Web: www.aaainc.org

ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
IN ARMENIA CONCLUDES ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL SUMMER

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Armenian Assembly of America's
(Assembly) Summer Internship Program in Armenia concluded in August with
another successful summer. The program featured lectures and discussions with a
wide range of officials and tours around the homeland. The eight-week
internship program in Yerevan was packed with interesting activities including
meetings with prominent individuals from civil society and political leaders,
aimed at helping the participants better understand the socio-political situation
in Armenia and Artsakh.

This year's
summer class included Kyra Chamberlain interning at the International Center
for Human Development, where she researched the status of Syrian refugees in
Armenia; Rachael Minassian interning at the Regional Studies Center, where she
examined gender studies in Armenia under the supervision of its Founding
Director, Richard Giragosian; and Satenik Beglaryan interning at ArmComedy, the
first satiric political news show in Armenia that just completed a tour in the
United States.

"It is
my pleasure every year to meet our summer interns and get to know them,
especially their passions and ambitions, and watch them grow while
participating in the Armenian Assembly's internship program in Armenia. These
dedicated students will be leaving their marks on the Armenian community, both
in Armenia and in their hometowns," Assembly Regional Director Arpi
Vartanian said.

Since its
inception in 1999, the summer program in Armenia has introduced college-aged
students to life in their ancestral homeland, provided valuable international
work experience, and helped participants foster the skills needed to become the
next generation of community leaders.

The Assembly
interns met with U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills, Jr., Founder and
Director of the Yerevan-based Regional Studies Center Richard Giragosian,
Assembly Turkish Regional Analyst Alin Ozinian, and former Assembly intern
Sarkis Balkhian. Balkhian is now the Advocacy Director of the Aleppo
Compatriotic Charitable Organization, which supports Syrian refugees in
Armenia, and a Middle East and North Africa consultant at Human Rights Watch.
Balkhian spoke about his experience participating in the Terjenian-Thomas
Assembly Internship Program in Washington, D.C. in 2007 with the Armenian
National Institute (ANI) and in Armenia in 2008, where he interned at the
Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute and the Middle East Division of the Republic
of Armenia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The interns
participated in local events around the capital, including "The Local
Roots of Global Peace Conference" at Eurasia International University,
where they heard presentations from speakers including USAID-Armenia Mission
Director Deborah Grieser and Giragosian. They also toured the Armenia Tree
Project's Karin Nursery, helped build a home with Fuller Center for Housing in
Geghard Village, participated in a local folk dance lesson, and visited
historical, religious, and cultural sites throughout Armenia and Artsakh. These
sites include Garni Temple, Geghard Monastery, Zvartnots, Khor Virap Monastery,
Areni Cave, Noravank, Karahunj archaeological site, Parz Lake, Dilijan, petroglyphs
at Sev Sar, and more.

"A
large part of discovering my heritage in Armenia has been about this ethereal
experience that comes with soaking up the atmosphere at each cultural site, not
simply visiting the sites or memorizing facts about the history. It may not
happen at first, but it gradually sinks in after a while, and you put together
the puzzle pieces of your own identity," Kyra said after visiting
Vagharshapat, also known as Holy Etchmiadzin, the spiritual capital of Armenia.
She is a student at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

The
participants travelled to Artsakh, where they sat down with President Bako
Sahakyan and Foreign Minister Karen Mirzoyan. Reflecting on her meetings with
Artsakh President Sahakyan and Foreign Minister Mirzoyan, Rachael said:
"For a political science major, this was a thrilling experience. We were
able to ask [President Sahakyan and Foreign Minister Mirzoyan] questions and
hear from them firsthand about their positions on different issues pertaining
to Artsakh and Armenia. This was probably my favorite part of the trip, and
it's something I'll never forget." Rachael is a student at Providence
College in Rhode Island.

While in
Artsakh, the interns visited the ancient cities of Shushi and Tigranakert,
toured Gandzasar Monastery, and met with The HALO Trust staff. HALO clears
landmines in the area and makes Nagorno Karabakh safe. On their way back to
Yerevan, they rode on the 3.6-mile (5,752 meters) Wings of Tatev Aerial
Tramway, recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records in 2010 as the world's
longest non-stop double track cable car, and explored the magnificent Tatev
Monastery.

To find out
more about the 2017 summer interns' experience in Armenia, visit the Assembly's
Intern Blog, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages.

Established
in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based
nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of
Armenian issues. The Assembly is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt
membership organization.

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NR#: 2017-068

Photo
Caption 1: Armenian Assembly Intern Coordinator Mariam Karapetyan, Satenik
Beglaryan, Kyra Chamberlain, Rachael Minassian, and Regional Director Arpi
Vartanian with Mount Ararat in the background

Photo
Caption 2: Armenian Assembly Regional Director Arpi Vartanian, Kyra
Chamberlain, Ambassador Richard Mills, Jr., Rachael Minassian, Satenik
Beglaryan, and Intern Coordinator Mariam Karapetyan

Photo
Caption 3: Armenian Assembly 2017 summer intern class at Ayrivank

Caption 4: Armenian
Assembly Intern Coordinator Mariam Karapetyan, Regional Director Arpi
Vartanian, Artsakh President Sako Bahakyan, Kyra Chamberlain, Satenik
Beglaryan, and Rachael Minassian

Available online at: http://bit.ly/2ylS4CO