On May 17 Ambassador Varuzhan Nersesyan met with Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Marie Royce.

Ambassador Nersesyan briefed Assistant Secretary Royce on the outcomes of recent projects showcasing the Armenian society and culture in the United States, including the 2018 Smithsonian Folklife Festival’s Armenian program, which AS Royce had attended, and the Metropolitan Museum’s landmark Armenia! Exhibition. He also introduced a number of upcoming Armenian cultural initiatives, planned for 2020-2021, including the 2020 “The Color of Pomegranates: an Armenian Odyssey” Armenian Festival with the Washington National Cathedral and the PostClassical Ensemble.

Assistant Secretary Royce and Ambassador Nersesyan discussed Armenia’s involvement in the Department of State’s foreign educational programs (Fulbright Student Program, International Visitors Leadership Program, Future Leaders Exchange Program, etc.) and the ways to increase the number of Armenian citizens studying in the United States, enhance funding and scholarship opportunities and establish a section-driven partnership in certain