August 28, 2007 U.S.-Armenian Relations Is Subject of 13th Annual Vardanants Day Program on Sept. 28

Former ambassadors to Armenia Harry Gilmore (1993-95), Peter Tomsen (1995-98), Michael Lemmon (1998-2001), John Ordway (2001-04) and John Evans (2005-06) will discuss their roles in establishing U.S.-Armenian relations following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Titled “U.S. and Armenian Foreign Relations, 1991-2006: A Conversation with the First Five U.S. Ambassadors to Armenia,” the program will be held at the Library from 9 a.m. to noon on Friday, Sept. 28, in the Mumford Room, located on the sixth floor of the James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C. The event is free and open to the public. Reservations are not required, but space is limited. Following individual statements, the panelists will participate in a group discussion moderated by Levon Avdoyan, the Library’s Armenian and Georgian area specialist. This historic opportunity to hear from the distinguished men who have shaped U.S.-Armenian diplomacy will be taped and retained in the Library of Congress for future research as primary source documentation. The Vardanants Day lecture series has been sponsored by the Near East Section of the Library’s African and Middle Eastern Division since 1994. It is named after the Armenian holiday that commemorates the Battle of Avarayr (A.D. 451), which was waged by Armenian Gen. Vardan Mamikonian and his com1patriots against invading Persian troops who were attempting to reimpose Zoroastrianism on the Christian state. As a religious holiday, it also celebrates Armenia’s triumph over forces of assimilation.