YEREVAN — Riley Barnes, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, toured the museum accompanied by Matenadaran Director Ara Khzmalyan and familiarized himself with Armenia’s manuscript heritage.
Special exhibitions were organized for the high-ranking guest, featuring masterpieces of Armenian manuscript art, ancient specimens from Matenadaran’s cartographic heritage, as well as the results of the project “Restoration and Promotion of Written Heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh”, a project supported by the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP).”
At the conclusion of the visit, Riley Barnes made the following entry in Matenadaran’s guestbook:
“What an incredible visit to a historic place I will never forget. Thank you for preserving the amazing, millennia-old history of Armenia, and so much of the world. We are in your debt!
All the very best,
Riley Barnes
Asst. Secretary
US Dept. of State
10-2-2026”
