Goris, Armenia – The Tufenkian Foundation celebrated the opening of its new office in Goris on June 13 with a reception attended by representatives from various levels of the local and provincial government, international organizations and Armenian NGOs. This strategic expansion will enable the Foundation to closely monitor and support its new initiatives in the Syunik province, with a particular focus on its revitalization program for the village of Svarants, situated near the historic Tatev Monastery.
The event opened with a ribbon-cutting by Edvin Grigoryan, Tufenkian’s Director of Syunik Operations, who previously led Tufenkian’s office in Stepanakert, Artsakh. Greg Bedian, Director of Tufenkian’s operations in Armenia, then welcomed guests and provided a brief presentation highlighting the Foundation’s work in Armenia and Artsakh during the previous 25 years. He described how, after the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh, the Foundation felt it was vital to bolster Syunik’s resilience and decided to focus many of its efforts there.
Bedian went on to describe Tufenkian’s efforts to support Artsakh’s forcibly displaced Armenians and its most recent undertakings in Syunik. He concluded by presenting Tufenkian’s ambitious Syunik Village Revitalization Program, which combines the resettlement of Artsakh villagers with diverse development initiatives.
He then introduced the new office’s staff Hrayr Tunyan and Aram Harutunyan, who themselves are native Goris residents. Each brings years of construction and agricultural expertise which will be instrumental in driving forward Tufenkian’s new initiatives in the Syunik region.
Following the presentation, Grigoryan asked those present to join him in toasting the opening of the new office and to the start of many years of fruitful activity. Guests included representatives of the provincial and local governments, as well as representatives from international humanitarian organizations and local Armenian and Diasporan NGOs.
"We are gratified to be joined by such an illustrious group of partners for the opening of our new office," stated Edvin Grigoryan, "We look forward to working together to make a real difference for the people of Syunik, fostering sustainable and long-lasting development."
Established in 1999, the Tufenkian Foundation addresses the most pressing social, economic, cultural, and environmental challenges facing the people Armenia and Artsakh. Since its inception, the Tufenkian Foundation has supported various community initiatives as well as civic activism and public advocacy campaigns to help improve life in Armenia, while providing housing, education, social, health, and livelihood support for the Armenians of Artsakh.