Honorary Consul of the Republic of Armenia Andy Armenian, right, is shown during the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the Honorary Consulate of Armenia with U.S. Rep. Joe Heck, R-Nev., left, Consulate General of the Republic of Armenia in Los Angeles Sergey Sarkisov.
Also in the picture are Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Henderson Mayor Andy Hafen, and Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian in Henderson on Saturday, April 18, 2015.
About 100 Armenian Americans, politicians, and others from the Las Vegas Valley gathered Saturday in Henderson to celebrate a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the United States’ first Honorary Consulate of Armenia.
The honorary consulate, at 1013 Whitney Ranch Drive near Patrick Lane, joins Armenia’s Consulate General in Los Angeles as the only two such offices in the U.S. representing the country.
The office will serve as a cultural center for the nearly 20,000 Armenian-Americans in the valley and eventually offer passport and visa services for both visiting Armenians and American travelers, according to Honorary Consul Andy Armenian.
Armenian, who works as a real estate broker, will run the honorary consulate as an unpaid volunteer. “This is a great accomplishment for us, and it’ll contribute to the development and growth of Southern Nevada,” Armenian said.
The opening came less than a week before the 100th anniversary of the mass genocide of Armenians. Starting April 24, 1915, nearly 1.5 million Armenians were systematically exterminated in the Ottoman Empire — a genocide that cost Armenia 70 percent of its population, he said.
The remaining 30 percent emigrated to neighboring countries, and thousands went as far as the western United States, where their families remain today, he said.
“It brought many people here to start a new beginning,” Armenian said.
The genocide, which ranks among the largest of the 20th century, according to the United Nations, was the result of a political and religious struggle in the Ottoman Empire between the ruling Turkish government and Armenian citizens.
During the height of World War I, the Islamic “Young Turks” government clashed with a majority Christian Armenian population, Armenian said.
Fearing its Armenian population was supporting Russia, also a Christian nation, the Young Turks, who allied with Germany and Austria-Hungary, began exterminating Armenian men of military age. The genocide lasted through 1923 and eventually included Armenian women and children.
To this date, the Turkish government does not acknowledge the genocide. But Armenian has worked with both state and local officials to recognize what happened.
Earlier this month, Gov. Brian Sandoval issued a proclamation declaring April 19-26 “Days of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide.”
And Friday, the Armenian American Cultural Society of Las Vegas will host a groundbreaking ceremony at Sunset Park for a permanent Las Vegas memorial.
“It’s important for our community as well as the general public to know this story,” Armenian said. “We’re very grateful to the state of Nevada for giving us hope and opportunity.”
Among the politicians attending the ribbon-cutting were Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., Rep. Joe Heck, R-Nev., and Henderson Mayor Andy Hafen.
Who is the Andy Armenian the Honorary Consul of Armenia in Las Vegas?
In A special announcement, the Consulate General of Armenia in Los Angeles shared the following:
The announcement by the Consulate General of Armenia in Los Angeles
By a decree of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia HE Mr. Edward Nalbandian, on March 24th Andy Armenian (Adroushan) was appointed as the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Armenia in Las Vegas.
Born in Beirut, Lebanon Adroushan immigrated to the USA in 1976 to continue his university studies at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts.
Upon obtaining his Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Marketing he joined the International Division of Procter & Gamble Co. in the field of Sales & Marketing where he held a series of assignments of increasing responsibility as Sales Manager, General Manager, and Vice President which relocated him to Switzerland, England, Russia, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia and the United States of America.
In 2005 Adroushan settled in Las Vegas, Nevada to focus on his family’s Commercial Real Estate business which he manages alongside his wife, Nora Armenian.
Together they have two daughters; Hera Armenian is an attorney practicing law in Las Vegas, and Carnie Armenian is an architect currently working in Boston, Massachusetts.
Mr. Armenian has always had a passion for his heritage but became most actively involved with the Las Vegas Armenian-American community upon his latest move.
In Las Vegas, Adroushan was instrumental in the construction of the St. Garabed Armenian Apostolic Church, the first Armenian church built and consecrated in the State of Nevada in 2013.
As a board member of the Armenian-American Cultural Society of Las Vegas, Mr. Armenian serves as the chairperson for the construction of the Armenian Genocide Memorial Monument, which in January 2015 obtained unanimous approval by the Las Vegas – Clark County Board of Commissioners to build at Sunset Park, the largest park in the City of Las Vegas.
Mr. Armenian also serves as the City of Las Vegas Commissioner for the Parks and Recreation Department Advisory Commission.
As an Honorary Consul of the Republic of Armenia in Las Vegas, Mr. Armenian vows to serve the interests of the Armenian-American community and promote the Armenian culture, history, and heritage in the State of Nevada. Also to develop trade and economic ties between the Republic of Armenia and the State of Nevada.
