WASHINGTON, D.C. – On October 26, Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) Board Member Annie Totah and Executive Director Bryan Ardouny attended the Marshall Legacy Institute’s (MLI) 19th Annual Clearing the Path Gala where they met with officers, supporters, and activists dedicated to the K9 Demining Corps Campaign. The Assembly invited guests from the Embassy of Armenia to the United States, including Deputy Chief of Mission Hratchia Taschian, Second Secretary Nazeli Hambardzumyan, and Special Assistant Anita Issagholyan to the event.
United States National Security Advisor Ambassador Susan Rice delivered the keynote address and National Public Radio (NPR) News Correspondent Tom Gjelten emceed the event, with presentations from U.S. Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY) and Mrs. Diana Enzi, MLI Founder and Chairman General (Ret.) Gordon R. Sullivan, and Embassy of Sri Lanka Ambassador Prasad Kariyawasam.
“As a beneficiary of the Marshall Legacy Institute’s demining project, the Assembly is committed to help with demining initiatives in Armenia, seeking a safer future for our people in the homeland. We appreciate the ongoing support and dedication of MLI, especially the additional six mine detection dogs (MDDs) that were sent to Armenia over the past year,” Totah stated. “The accomplishments of the Assembly-sponsored MDDs include clearing landmine areas in Armenia along its border with Azerbaijan, so that more land is released for farming, grazing, for transportation needs, as well as for infrastructure projects,” she added.
MLI is a non-profit, humanitarian organization founded in 1997 on the 50th Anniversary Year of the Marshall Plan. MLI works to continue the legacy of U.S. statesman George C. Marshall into the 21st century by providing war-torn, landmine-affected countries with the tools and training they need to help rebuild.
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Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.