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 On June 26, 2017, the presentation of the book “They Drive them into the Desert” by Armenologist, translator Dora Sakayan, took place at YSU Academic Council Sessions’ hall. The book is the Armenian version of the German original published by the Limmat Publishing House in Zürich, in 2016. The book is based on diaries collected from Swiss archives by Dora Sakayan, which include the testimonials of Swiss couple’s Clara and Fritz Sigrist-Hilty, who were eyewitnesses of the Armenian genocide. The book is consisted of three chapters: The first two are dedicated to the Swiss couple, and the third to Haig Aramian, the Armenian who survived the massacre thanks to the Sigrist-Hilty couple.

At the presentation of the book, YSU Rector Aram Simonyan, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Republic of Germany to Armenia, Bernhard Matthias Kiesler, Director of YSU Publishing House Karen Grigoryan, literary critic Avik Isahakyan, as well as the deans of different faculties, lecturers, students and others.
Rector Simonyan started his opening speech by saying that in recent years the cooperation between YSU and Dora Sakayan has been ongoing and very productive. According to the Rector, the years pass by, but Sakayan keeps producing new works with youthful vigor and most of her latest books refer to the Armenian Genocide. “It is worth mentioning that Mrs. Sakayan is one of the alumni of our university who continues to hold strong ties with her Alma Mater. Of course, our collaboration has yielded plentiful fruits, one of which is the book being presented today”, - stated Rector Simonyan. 
Afterwards, the editor of the book, Meri Hovhannisyan presented in detail the structure and the content of the book. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Republic of Armenia, Bernhard Matthias Kiesler, welcomed the participants of the launch and went on saying that the Armenian Genocide has today become a topic of wider discussion in Germany, with growing awareness among the public: “Testimonies of eyewitnesses are very important for genocide studies. They give us a clearer picture of the suffering experienced by the Armenian people in 1915 and beyond. Such publications are a step forward to help those who want to understand and study the Armenian Genocide.”
The author of the book, Dora Sakayan announced that the original version of her book has been very positively received in Switzerland; it received 8 positive reviews within 4 months. “I have not seen such an appreciation for any book”, said D. Sakayan. She also expressed her amazement and joy about the speedy preparation and publication of the Armenian version of the book, for which she thanked the creative team of the YSU Publishing House. She thinks that the book is not only about genocide and suffering, but also of benevolence and self-sacrifice. At the end of the presentation Mrs. Sakayan pledged that her next book would not last long.

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