On August 28th, 2017, Dr. Antonia Arslan flew to Artsakh with her god daughter and CINF President, Dr. Siobhan Nash-Marshall, on invitation from the Tufenkian Foundation. With them also traveled Vittorio Robiati-Ben Daud, a Jewish Rabbi, Christiano Bendin, an Italian journalist, and Luigina Sangiun, the personal chef of Dr. Arslan.
With Tufenkian representatives, Dr. Arslan and Dr. Nash-Marshall visited the village of Hak to appreciate the Tufenkian Foundation’s most recent work in ruined villages along the Artsakh-Azerbaijan border. In Hak, renovations of a school were underway. While in these areas, Dr. Arslan and Dr. Nash-Marshall spoke to villagers about their most essential needs.
In the evening, after their return to Stepanakert, Dr. Arslan met with admirers of her books in the Roots café. She spoke of her writing and her work as the Armenian press recorded the presentation.
On August 31st, Dr. Arslan was presented with the Vachagan Barepasht Medal from the state of Artsakh, to celebrate her contributions as an author.
To conclude their trip, CINF hosted an Italian-Armenian dinner for which risotto and fagioli, in authentic Italian style, were cooked by Luigina Sangiun for 50 guests. Artsakh attendees are invited to bring traditional Armenian dishes to contribute to the meal.