23 06 2007 - HRANT DINK AWARDED WITH RA PRESIDENT’S PRIZE POSTHUMOUSLY

Onorificenza resa dal Presidente Robert Kocharian a 13 personalità della scienza e della cultura tra cui Hrant Dink, il capo redattore assassinato del giornale bilingue "Agos" e i Fratelli Taviani giunti appositamente a Yerevan per ricevere il premio di riconoscimento per il film "La masseria delle allodole"............Da asso.armeni@tiscali.it <BR>

HRANT DINK AWARDED WITH RA PRESIDENT’S PRIZE POSTHUMOUSLY

RA President Robert Kocharian handed 13 nominal presidential awards for 2006. Harnt Dink, Agos Armenian-Turkish newspaper editor-in-chief, was awarded posthumously. Paolo and Vittorio Taviani, Italin Film directors, also received the award for their recently shot film "Lark Farm."

The award was for the first time conferred posthumously. "Hrant Dink’s death is a great loss for our people. We will always remember him and I assure his family that Armenia is their home and we will always be glad to see them," Mr. Kocharian said. When receiving the award, Dink’s widow Rakel Dink said that the award of the President of Armenia is honorary and sad for her family. "I believe Hrant wished he could be among us now. He used to say that Armenia is a big Homeland and Diaspora appears as small islands," she said. Awards were also handed to a group of young scientists. "Today we have heard unknown names. But I wish these names to become Armenia’s visit card in future," the RA leader said.

The presidential award has been conferred since 2001 with the assistance of Rober Poghossian and Sons Foundation and Hayastan All Armenian Fund, the RA President’s press office reported.

By Gohar Gevorgian

V.V