YEREVAN. – Armenia’s national postal operator, has issued on Monday a new international postage stamp dedicated to the winner of the Aurora Prize 2017 Tom Catena.

Armenian Transport Minister Ashot Hakobyan, US Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills, General Director of Haypost Trust Management Juan Pablo Gechidjian were present.

“When this letters go out of Armenia to all corners of the world, they will spread the ideas of humanism, tell about people who risk their lives and help others,” said 100 LIVES and Aurora Prize Project CEO Arman Jilavyan while opening the ceremony.

According to the head of HayPost marks department Margarita Hakobyan, the Aurora stamp is also a fundraising stamp. The stamp, valued at 350 AMD, is attached by donation coupon for 150 AMD. Together, the 500 AMD is equal to approximately US $1.00. The Armenian Post will deduct 150 drams from this amount to the Aurora humanitarian initiative to support the Aurora.

 “In addition to historical and cultural significance, this stamp has a spiritual significance: it will promote humanist ideas all over the world,” Hakobyan said.

Tom Catena, in turn, noted that he was a huge stamp collector in his childhood and he never thought that a stamp dedicated to him would be issued once.

“My wife is here. We live in the mountains of Sudan which is one of the most remote places in the world and I was so excited that I say ‘Nasima, these people are to put me on a stamp’ but she has no idea what I was talking about. She’s never seen the stamp before as there is no postal service in Sudan,” he said.

“I would like to say that the work Tom does, the values of compassion and caring that he’s brought to the people of South Sudan is a uniquely American value but it isn’t. These are Armenian values, these are Chinese values, these are values all around the world,” said the US envoy.