Armenia's ambassador to the United States Grigor Hovhannissian presented certificates of appreciation from the government of Armenia to Ambassador Esther Coopersmith and Rear Admiral Susan J. Blumenthal for their invaluable support to the Republic of Armenia.

Hovhannissian paid a visit to Coopersmith – a prominent member of the DC community, a great humanitarian and prominent advocate for women’s rights, who held several key posts in the Carter, Reagan and Clinton administrations (including serving as U.S. Representative to the UNESCO). Among numerous global awards, received from foreign governments and international organizations, Ambassador Coopersmith was awarded the Humanitarian Award by the Government of Armenia in 1991 for her continuous support to the newly-independent Republic.

Coopersmith was a source of inspiration for the Armenian-American Wellness Center (AAWC) in Yerevan (former Mammography Center), founded by Armenian-American benefactress Rita Balian in 1997. A one-of-a-kind diagnostic and treatment center in the region, the AAWC has provided primary health care services to hundreds of thousands of women and men in Armenia through early detection of cancers.

As part of a year-long celebrations of the 20th anniversary of the AAWC, Ambassador Hovhannissian, presented certificates of appreciation from the Government of Armenia to Ambassador Coopersmith and Rear Admiral Blumenthal, M.D., M.P.A. (an internationally recognized medical expert, Former US Assistant Surgeon General, First Deputy Assistant Secretary for Women’s Health) for their invaluable support to the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian-American Wellness Center.