Atlanta
Permanent Mission of the Republic of Armenia
to the United Nations
119E 36th street, New York, NY 10016
Tel.: 1-212-686-9079
Fax: 1-212-686-3934
E-mail: armenia @ un.int
Web: http://www.un.int/armenia/
January 23, 2006
PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Day Opens Annual Rug Fair in Atlanta, Georgia
"Revival of Armenia's Rug Industry" was the logo of the Armenian Day opening the Annual Rug Fair in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 19, 2006. The Fair is one of the most prominent ones in the world.
An Armenian official delegation headed by Mr. Tigran Davtian, Minister of Trade and Economic Development, honored the Opening Ceremony of the Annual Rug Fair. Mr. Davtian spoke on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Armenia and expressed his deep satisfaction and gratitude to the organizers of the event, marking it as of great importance for the Armenian rug industry. The Minister also briefly presented the current economic situation and the development prospects in Armenia. Mr. Armen Martirosyan, Armenia's Ambassador to the United Nations, was among the Armenian delegation participating at the opening of the Armenian Day of the Annual Rug Fair.
The Mayor of the Atlanta City was among the dignitaries attending the opening ceremony of the Armenian Day of the Annual Rug Fair. Leading politicians and representatives of Georgia's business community participated in the ceremony, too.
The local Armenian community was widely represented at the event as well. Dr. Peter Balakian, writer and professor of English at the Colgate University, also famous for his The Burning Tigris, a book devoted to the Armenian Genocide, was the Master of the Opening Ceremony of the Armenian Day.
A number of Armenian rug manufacturers from various countries took part in the Annual Fair and presented their products. "Armen Carpet" and "Tufenkian" companies from Armenia were among the participants, both specializing in hand-made rugs. The main shareholder of "Armen Carpet, the Megerians who own rug production factories in Romania, Pakistan, Egypt and Syria, started their business in Armenia in 2002. Since then the company has established 22 branches in several regions of Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh.
The official opening ceremony was followed by a reception served with Armenian cuisine. Participants of the reception enjoyed Armenian music, the performance of an Armenian-American youth dance group, and a documentary on present day Armenia. The reception was concluded by the presentation on the history and culture of Armenian rug production made by Dr. Lucy Der-Manuelian. She holds the chair of the Armenian art and architecture in the Tufts University.