Yerevan /Mediamax/. By decree of the President of the Republic, Dikran Izmirlian was awarded with the Order of Motherland.

During the award ceremony on April 4, President Vahagn Khachaturyan, presenting the highest award to his son Sarkis Izmirlian, noted:

"The purpose of our meeting today is to award the cherished and grateful son of the Armenian nation Dikran Izmirlian with the highest award of the Republic of Armenia - the Order of Motherland.

It is difficult to overestimate Mr. Izmirlian's contribution to the preservation of the Armenian nation, education, healthcare and many other spheres. Throughout his career, he was guided solely by humanism and by the principles of demonstrating love for the motherland by working, creating and building.

It will take us a very long time to list the programs and initiatives implemented by the Izmirlian Foundation since 1990, which are evidence of the mentioned.

The Armenian people have already highly appreciated the patriotic activities of the Izmirlian family, honoring them with their warm and undeniable love and respect.

But at the same time, our state and we, the state officials, have a special duty to pay tribute, appreciate and reward great friends and dignified sons of our country and nation.

Today, it is with great joy and gratitude that I hand over the highest award of our state to its dignified owner. I am sure that all the activities of Izmirlians have been a source of inspiration for Armenians all over the world for decades.

I am also convinced that we shall witness broader, real and measurable results of this activity in a variety of fields".

President Vahagn Khachaturyan also received Sarkis Izmirlian and his wife Katherine Izmirlian.

Expressing his gratitude for the reception, Sarkis Izmirlian said:

"It is a great honor for me to meet with You. My family is extremely grateful for the award that my father received today. He always says that Armenians should help Armenians. No matter what part of the world we are in, we are primarily Armenians."