Member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Bureau Hagop Der Khatchadourian and co-chair of the Green Party of Germany Cem Özdemir were awarded the Mkhitar Gosh Medal by Armenian President Serge Sarkisian on the 26th anniversary of Armenia’s second independence.
During the ceremony, President Sarkisian signed decrees awarding medals and orders of the Republic of Armenia to several individuals, public figures, as well as army and law enforcement officers. Honorary titles were also bestowed upon some for their contributions to science, education, healthcare, economy, arts, culture, and sport, as well as for expanding the relations between Armenia and the Armenian Diaspora. Argentinean-Armenian entrepreneur Eduardo Eurnekian was awarded the title of National Hero of Armenia, becoming the 16th person to hold that title.
Der Khatchadourian, a City University of New York MBA, a graduate of Concordia and McGill Universities in Canada, is a member of the ARF Bureau and has served with the ANC worldwide network in various local, regional, and central-level roles since the mid 1970s.
Özdemir—a German parliamentarian of Turkish descent and the current co-chair of the German Greens Alliance Party—spearheaded the resolution in the German Bundestag to formally classify the 1915-1923 massacres of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire as genocide.
The Mkhitar Gosh Medal is awarded for outstanding state and sociopolitical activities, as well as for significant services in the spheres of diplomacy, law, and political science.