‘Mkhitar Gosh’ Medal Awarded to Haroian, Astvatsaturian-Turcotte

YEREVAN–On the occasion of the 22nd anniversary of the declaration of independence of the Republic of Armenia, President Serge Sarkisian signed a decree dated Sept. 16, 2013, awarding two East Coast activists, Ani Haroian and Anna Astvatsaturian-Turcotte, the “Mkhitar Gosh” Medal for their efforts to strengthen relations between Armenia and the diaspora.

The Mkhitar Gosh Medal rewards exceptional achievements in the political-social spheres, as well as outstanding efforts in the fields of diplomacy, law, and political science.

Ani Haroian was born in Marseille, France. She is the daughter of Krikor and Nouritza Parseghian, and the granddaughter of survivors of the Armenian Genocide. She immigrated with her family to the United States in 1963. Haroian serves as director of community relations for Providence Mayor Angel Taveras. She held the same position under the former Mayor David Cicilline, who was later elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Prior to returning to the Executive Office of the City of Providence, Haroian served as a senior staff member to then-Attorney General Sheldon Whitehouse and Attorney General Patrick Lynch.

Haroian is a member of the Rhode Island Democratic State Committee and served as a delegate to the National Democratic Convention in Boston. She has worked on numerous campaigns, including those of U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Congressman James Langevin, Congressman David Cicilline, and the gubernatorial campaign of Myrth York. She has also managed the coordination of statewide field operations in General Elections. She serves on the Community Action Partnership of Providence (CAPP) Board of Directors and is the volunteer coordinator for “Feed 1000,” a non-profit that provides over 1,000 Thanksgiving meals to the homeless. She has come through the ranks of the AYF Junior and Senior organization to become a 38-year member of the ARF.

Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte is an Armenian refugee from Baku, Azerbaijan. Anna received Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of North Dakota in 2000. In 2002, Anna received an Outstanding Law Student of the Year by Who’s Who American Law Students for her work on the International Criminal Court (ICC). She received her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Maine School of Law in Portland, Maine in 2003. After graduating from law school Anna was one of the first Americans to clerk at the ICC in The Hague, Netherlands after working on and observing the ICC’s creation at the United Nations.

In 2012 Anna published her book, titled Nowhere, a Story of Exile, which she wrote at the age of 14 as her family settled in North Dakota. The book is based on the childhood diaries she kept as her family was fleeing Baku, Azerbaijan and during life in Armenia as a Baku refugee. Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh, ICC and human rights issues are her life long passions. She currently works in banking regulatory reform and lives in Maine with her husband, John, and their son and daughter.

Astvatsaturian-Turcotte kept a diary during those years, which she published in June 2012 in a book titled Nowhere, a Story of Exile. — Astvatsaturian-Turcotte kept a diary during those years, which she published in June 2012 in a book titled ‘Nowhere, a Story of Exile’.

Electronic or print copies of Anna Astvatsaturian-Turcotte’s book Nowhere, a Story of Exile can be obtained by e-mailing info@hybooksonline.com or through www.amazon.com.

Two French Armenians, Garo Hovsepian and Didier Parakian, also received the Mkhitar Gosh Medal.