Co-founder of 100 LIVES initiative and Aurora Prize, U.S.-Armenian entrepreneur and philanthropist Noubar Afeyan was a guest at “Interview” program of Armenian Public TV on April 21.

Mediamax presents some extracts from Noubar Afeyan’s interview.

On Aurora Prize

100 LIVES initiative was created last year, on the account of the Armenian Genocide Centennial. It is a new direction in the lives of Armenian people, and a challenge especially for the Genocide survivors. We exist today because someone helped our ancestors. We didn’t have an appropriate reason to thank them and feel stronger through that for the past 100 years.

Aurora Prize is a gift to the world from the survivors. We want to draw the world’s attention to heroes who don’t spare their lives to help those in real need of it.

True, all Aurora Prize Finalists deserve the award, and we have a difficult decision to make, but there won’t be a winner at our ceremony. We will simply present to the world a person who puts their life in jeopardy to help others. Fortunately, our Committee members, all of them famous people, are very professional and experienced in making such decisions.

What does Aurora Prize give to Armenia?

We want to be perceived as a leading, grateful and devoted nation in humanitarian sphere, ready to invest its strength and capital in the sphere. This is a significant step. It’s important that we begin the new 100 years with this mindset.

Although the Prize won’t be given to an Armenian, it aims to make Armenians feel like a valuable nation on global level.

It’s one thing to know Armenians and another to understand them. It’s difficult to understand psychology of Armenians or sufferings they went through. I am 53 years old, but the subject of the Genocide had massive effect on me for my whole life. I consider myself successful in many spheres, but that pain seems to have become eternal. We should be able to steer the pain of survivors and victims in a good direction. In this regard, we can become an example for others.

Many people ask why we should help others when we should help ourselves first. Ruben Vardanyan, Vartan Gregorian and I spoke a lot about that. We don’t believe that giving such an Award to the world contradicts helping Artsakh and Armenians around the world. We can do both, and the more the merrier.

On the four-day war in Artsakh

The war in Artsakh was unexpected. At the same time, it reminded us that we as Armenians always need the world’s understanding and humanity. We will always be in this region and we’ll live with people who are ready to act barbarically from time to time. Their hatred for us is incomprehensible, but it’s a normal thing in their minds.

We should create ties with the world and become both an example of humanity and a nation that needs that humanity. Hundreds of people will come to Armenia these days and see that we’re trying to spread humanity, but our nation is suffering from atrocities.

We’ll try to become an influential leader despite being a little nation. Gathering on April 24, we should give ourselves account on what our duty to our ancestors is, who sacrificed themselves. It should give us strength and become a goal for us.

We are very concerned by the situation in Artsakh.

Azerbaijan pays media a lot and tries to change the perception of reality, create a different opinion on this issue. However, there are more Armenians in Russia, Europe and America, and they will always contradict the lies. We should find strength in ourselves and unite to overcome these difficulties.

We were very concerned on the first days of April, but now on April 24, renowned people will come to Yerevan, and we are ready to host them and show them the will and strength of Armenians.