On February 27, Nobel Laureate, Doctors Without Borders co-founder, physician, former French Foreign Minister (2007-2010), member of the Aurora Prize Selection Committee Bernard Kouchner visited Mashtots Matenadaran. During the visit, Kouchner was accompanied by Alain Boinet, founder of Solidarités International, Patrice Franceschi, former Chairman of the Société des Explorateurs Français, and Nicolas Stanisch, executive director of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative.
Accompanied by Matenadaran’s Director Vahan Ter-Ghevondian, the guests toured the museum complex, got acquainted with the manuscript heritage of Artsakh and the Armenian scriptoria.
Concerning his visit to Armenia, Bernard Kouchner noted: “I’m grateful for the opportunity to come to Armenia and Artsakh and show my solidarity to those affected by the war.” He organized humanitarian operations to Somalia, El Salvador, Lebanon and Vietnam. In 2018, Mr. Kouchner joined the Aurora Prize Selection Committee comprised of Nobel Laureates, former presidents, prominent political figures, highly respected humanitarians and well-known human rights activists.