President Armen Sarkissian sent a letter of condolences on the demise of Vahakn Dadrian

President Armen Sarkissian sent a letter of condolences on the demise of the renowned scholar, Honorary Doctor of the RA Academy of Sciences, foreign member of the RA Academy of Sciences, Director of the Genocide Studies at the Zoryan Institute Vahakn Dadrian. The letter reads:

“I learned with great sorrow the news on the demise of the renowned scholar, acclaimed researcher of the Armenian Genocide, Honorary Doctor of the RA Academy of Sciences, foreign member of the RA Academy of Sciences, Director of the Genocide Studies at the Zoryan Institute Vahakn Dadrian. Vahakn Dadrian was born ten years after the Armenian Genocide, in Istanbul. It is, probably, no accident that he dedicated the major part of his life to genocide and especially the Armenian Genocide studies, making a great contribution to the internalization and the fight against denial of the Genocide through his valuable monographies and publications. Vahakn Dadrian was a scholar in the broadest sense of the word: he studies mathematics at the Berlin University, history in the University of Vienna, international relations at the University of Zurich, and later, sociology in the University of Chicago. Along with his native Armenian, he mastered modern Turkish and Ottoman languages, as well as German, English, and French and through the research in the archives of various countries he put into a scientific circulation new documents pertinent to the Armenian Genocide. Beside other awards, in 2009 he was bestowed RA Presidential Award for his considerable contribution to the area of the Armenian Genocide Studies.

I knew Doctor Dadrian not only as a brilliant scholar but also as an excellent expert of international relations and a person communication with whom was instructive and gratifying. These recollections and memories of him will always stay bright with those who knew him and appreciated his accomplishments.

I express my sincere condolences to the Dadrian family and friends and share their grief.”