The U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Richard M. Mills Jr. presented the Armenian Cultural Preservation Projects in Gyumri and Dashtadem, funded by U.S. State Department.

Having visited Gyumri and Dashtadem on Monday, November 9, Mills unveiled two of the latest projects funded by the U.S. Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation.

“We are all connected by our shared history, our shared human story. By understanding and respecting Armenian history, we can celebrate our present connections and build our common future,” Ambassador Mills said.

This year, three major projects selected by the U.S. Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) were completed: the renovation of Rafayel Atoyan’s “On the Way to the Watermill” mural, the excavation and restoration of the Dashtadem Fortress complex, and the project of protection of significant archeological finds in the Areni Cave. In total, the AFCP provided around $200,000 for all three projects.

“It has been more than a year of painstaking, detailed restoration work at all three sites,” said Ambassador Mills as he unveiled the Atoyan mural and opened the Dashtadem complex. The work at Areni Cave will be unveiled later.

The public presentation of these AFCP sites coincides with Ambassador Mills’ month-long focus on rural development. By preserving such sites, he said, tourists will be more likely to visit areas outside Yerevan and help build a more diverse rural economy.

“There are so many great examples of cultural and historical heritage in rural Armenia. By working with our Armenian partners to preserve these sites and this mural, in particular, we are boosting the development of tourism in the provinces, which brings to economic development,” Ambassador Mills said.

The renovation of Hakob Hakobyan’s “In the Mountains/Milkmen” will be funded by AFCP this year to be showcased in Gyumri’s Achemyan Drama Theater afterwards.