YEREVAN. - We have not yet expressed our full gratitude to the strangers who saved Armenians during the Genocide.

CEO of Flagship Pioneering, entrepreneur Noubar Afeyan, who is also the co-founder of Aurora humanitarian initiative, said the aforementioned, speaking at the event entitled “Legacy of Komitas”held in Komitas Museum of Yerevan on Sunday.

In Afeyan’s words, during the Armenian Genocide his grandfather and his brother were saved by Germans.

“My grandfather and his brother were famous businessmen, who represented the German bank in Istanbul. During the Genocide, they were deported form the city along with others. They reached a station, which was under the control of Germans. My grandfather was a blue-eyed man and spoke German, that is why the German officers took him to their rows and thereby saved,” Afeyan said.

The co-founder of Aurora humanitarian initiative also noted that he learnt about his family story from a Bulgarian periodical, which published about the Germans, who saved Afeyans. 

Following Afeyan’s speech, her daughter took to the stage and performed one of the works by Komitas.

The event was attended by German Ambassador to Armenia, representatives of Bosch Foundation and other foreign guests.

By the end of the event, the guests will tour the museum.