On September 27, 2017, the Ministry of Diaspora of the Republic of Armenia hosted the presentation of the book “100 Devotees Among the Foreign Friends of the Armenian People During the Days of the Armenian Genocide” by Deputy of the Parliament of the Syrian Arab Republic, Spokesman of the Prelacy of the Armenian Diocese of the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia in Aleppo Jirair Reisian.

RA Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan stated her welcoming remarks. After that, the Primate of the Armenian Diocese of the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia in Aleppo, His Eminence, Archbishop Shahan Sarkisian valued the book.

Afterwards, Jusi Biørn, grandson of Norwegian missionary Bodil Katharine Biørn, who is one of the individuals featured in Reyisian’s book, delivered a speech. Jusi Biørn expressed gratitude to Jirair Reisian for not forgetting his grandmother’s work and her devotion to the Armenian people and including her in the list of the 100 devotees.

The American-Armenian poetess Tamara Hovhannisyan, the Deputy of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia Arman Saghatelyan and the American-Armenian writer, publicist Hovsep Nalbandian have also shared their thoughts.

The meeting ended with a speech by the book’s author Jirair Reisian, who stated that he had dedicated the book to the memory of his grandfather Maruke Sinanian, who was saved from the Ottoman yataghan and eventually settled in Aleppo where he dedicated himself to taking care of Armenian orphans and community service.

Reisian expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Diaspora and Minister Hranush Hakobyan for organizing the book’s publication and encouraging him. “I had no pretension to write this book. With this book, I have done my best to introduce the Armenians to the foreign philanthropists who loved the Armenians and helped the sons of the Armenian nation having escaped the Armenian Genocide”, - concluded Jirair Reisian.

News source: RA Ministry of Diaspora “Hayern Aysor” periodical.