For Immediate Release
July 14, 2009

U.S. AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA VISITS
ARMENIA FUND

NEW YORK, New York — As part of a series of meetings in four major Armenian-American communities in Greater Boston, New York, Washington and Southern California, U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Marie Yovanovitch visited the offices of Armenia Fund in New York on June 22, 2009. Ambassador Yovanoitch met with the members of the Armenia Fund Board, staff as well as young professionals and volunteers.

Mary Yovanovitch in the offices of Armenia Fund USA

The meeting was an opportunity to familiarize the ambassador with the completed and on-going projects that Armenia Fund is implementing in Armenia and Karabakh. Some of the most exciting news in the field of healthcare has been the jump-start in Armenia Fund’s Telemedicine project – the HyeBridge Telehealth program, through which Armenia Fund aims at improving the delivery of healthcare to Armenia and Karabakh on two fronts – digital diagnosis and distant learning and continuous education.

The Ambassador expressed special interest in this innovative program, and took the chance to report on the numerous important and beneficial projects that the U.S. government is pursuing in Armenia on behalf of the American people. In an earlier interview with Armenian-American newspapers, the Ambassador had acknowledged that many in the Diaspora feel very strongly about Armenia and the challenges that face the young democracy. She reiterated some of these issues during the meeting indicating that real efforts are being made on behalf of the State Department in order to get more Armenian-Americans involved in not only participating in State Department sponsored humanitarian initiatives, but also, in investing in public-private partnerships in Armenia.

Mary Yovanovitch in the offices of Armenia Fund USA

The meeting was interactive and presented a chance for the Armenia Fund leadership to express various thoughts on how more effectively the U.S. Government can leverage the good work already being done in Armenia by civil society and non-governmental organizations. “An important conclusion from the meeting is that an economically prosperous Armenia is a shared goal for both the U.S. government and large Armenian-American organizations such as Armenia Fund. The real challenge is how to best assess our strength and make an impact where help is most needed,” said Armenia Fund’s Executive Director in New York Irina Lazarian.

ABOUT ARMENIA FUND USA: Founded in 1992, Armenia Fund USA was one of the first of Hayastan All Armenia Fund’s 16 international affiliates. As a non-profit, non-governmental, nonsectarian organization, the Fund’s goal is to transform Armenia into an economically competitive nation through development of socio-economic infrastructure for education, public health, drinking water, roads and highways. Since its inception, the Fund has invested more than $200 million towards this goal in Armenia and Karabakh. For more information on specific projects and initiatives visit.

To learn more about Armenia Fund USA, please visit our website at
www.ArmeniaFundUSA.org or call us at 212-689-5307.