PARIS—On 21 November, the President of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic Bako Sahakian arrived in Paris for a working visit, the Office of the President reported.

On the same day, the head of state visited the main office of the European Phonethon, organized under the framework of the “Hayastan” All-Armenian Fund’s Telethon 2013.

President Sahakian expressed his gratitude to the whole staff of the French office of the “Hayastan” All-Armenian Fund, headed by director of the Fund’s local body in France, Petros Terzyan. He also thanked all the volunteers directly involved in the Phonethon, underlining that the Armenians of Europe always stood by Artsakh, supporting the republic in every possible way.

In Southern California, the Telethon will air live on KSCI Channel 18 for full 12 hours on Thursday, November 28, 2013, 8:00AM-8:00PM PST as well as on all Los Angeles based Armenian television networks. The entire telethon will be webcasted on www.armeniafund.org. Donations can be made over the phone by calling 1-800-888-8897 or through a secure server connection at armeniafund.org/donate beginning now.

Proceeds from Telethon 2013 will benefit the construction of the strategically important Vardenis-Martakert Highway, spanning 72 miles and directly benefiting 30 villages along its way. The project is expected to cost $30 million and upon completion will link the northeastern regions of Armenia and Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) – giving a dramatic boost to the economy, tourism and trade. The project will be Armenia Fund’s 3rd major highway project, joining the Goris-Stepanakert and North-South Highways (finished in 1998 and 2004 respectively) and creating an integrated highway system that connects close to 300 towns and villages in Armenia and Artsakh.

“Hayastan” All-Armenian Fund is a non-profit, tax-exempt corporation established in 1994 to facilitate large-scale humanitarian and infrastructure development assistance to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. Since 1991, Armenia Fund has rendered more than $250 million in development aid to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.