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Abovian Armenian Cultural Association
Address: Weesperstraat 91
2574 VS The Hague, The Netherlands
Telephone: +31704490209
Website: www.abovian.nl
Email: [email protected]
Contact: M. Hakhverdian
PRESS RELEASE
Fridtjof Nansen and the Armenians
Conference dedicated to the 150th anniversary of Nansenšs birth
The Hague, 27 October 2011 - The Abovian Armenian Cultural Association in
the Netherlands has organised a conference to mark the 150th anniversary of
the great Norwegian humanist, scientist, North Pole explorer, the first High
Commissioner for Refugees and winner of Nobel Prize for Peace Fridtjof
Nansen. In his role as Commissioner for Refugees at the League of Nations,
Nansen was engaged primarily in helping Russian, Armenian and Greek
refugees. For this work he received the 1922 Nobel Peace Prize. In July 1922
the League of Nations, on a proposal by Nansen, introduced a so-called
Nansen pasport for Russian and Armenian refugees. From 1925 onwards Nansen
committed himself mainly to the fate of the Armenian refugees fled from West
Armenia and Turkey as victims of the Armenian Genocide during the World War
I and Turkish ill-treatment thereafter. In June 1925 Nansen travelled with a
group of experts to Armenia and made research to settle some 50,000 refugees
in a region west of Yerevan. In 1927 Nansen published the book "Armenia and
the Near East", an account of his travels in the Armenian countryside.
This conference will take place on Sunday, 6 November 2011 at 3 p.m. at
Abovian Cultural Centre in The Hague, the Netherlands. H.E. Ms. Dziunik
Aghajanian, the ambassador of Republic of Armenia to the Kingdom of the
Netherlands, as well as H.E. Ms. Anniken Ramberg Krutnes, the ambassador of
Norway to the Kingdom of the Netherlands will also be present at this event
and will address the audience. The guest speaker at this conferencee is
philosopher-journalist Heiko Yessayan, whose family came to the Netherlands
in 1956 with Nansen passports. Heiko was born in the Netherlands as the son
and grandson of stateless refugees, who had fled from Turkey because of the
Armenian Genocide. Based on documents, letters, newspaper clippings and
pictures, Heiko will speak about his family and about the activities of his
father Nubar Yessayan (1920-2009) in the city of Amersfoort. Nubar directed
his efforts toward relieving the plight of refugees and immigrants of
different nationalities, who came to the Netherlands since 1960.
Address: Weesperstraat 91
2574 VS The Hague, The Netherlands
Telephone: +31704490209
Website: www.abovian.nl
Email: [email protected]
Contact: M. Hakhverdian
PRESS RELEASE
Fridtjof Nansen and the Armenians
Conference dedicated to the 150th anniversary of Nansenšs birth
The Hague, 27 October 2011 - The Abovian Armenian Cultural Association in
the Netherlands has organised a conference to mark the 150th anniversary of
the great Norwegian humanist, scientist, North Pole explorer, the first High
Commissioner for Refugees and winner of Nobel Prize for Peace Fridtjof
Nansen. In his role as Commissioner for Refugees at the League of Nations,
Nansen was engaged primarily in helping Russian, Armenian and Greek
refugees. For this work he received the 1922 Nobel Peace Prize. In July 1922
the League of Nations, on a proposal by Nansen, introduced a so-called
Nansen pasport for Russian and Armenian refugees. From 1925 onwards Nansen
committed himself mainly to the fate of the Armenian refugees fled from West
Armenia and Turkey as victims of the Armenian Genocide during the World War
I and Turkish ill-treatment thereafter. In June 1925 Nansen travelled with a
group of experts to Armenia and made research to settle some 50,000 refugees
in a region west of Yerevan. In 1927 Nansen published the book "Armenia and
the Near East", an account of his travels in the Armenian countryside.
This conference will take place on Sunday, 6 November 2011 at 3 p.m. at
Abovian Cultural Centre in The Hague, the Netherlands. H.E. Ms. Dziunik
Aghajanian, the ambassador of Republic of Armenia to the Kingdom of the
Netherlands, as well as H.E. Ms. Anniken Ramberg Krutnes, the ambassador of
Norway to the Kingdom of the Netherlands will also be present at this event
and will address the audience. The guest speaker at this conferencee is
philosopher-journalist Heiko Yessayan, whose family came to the Netherlands
in 1956 with Nansen passports. Heiko was born in the Netherlands as the son
and grandson of stateless refugees, who had fled from Turkey because of the
Armenian Genocide. Based on documents, letters, newspaper clippings and
pictures, Heiko will speak about his family and about the activities of his
father Nubar Yessayan (1920-2009) in the city of Amersfoort. Nubar directed
his efforts toward relieving the plight of refugees and immigrants of
different nationalities, who came to the Netherlands since 1960.