WATERTOWN, Mass.—The Armenian Relief Society (ARS) on Dec. 23 inaugurated a new region in Dubai-Sharjah that will serve the Armenian communities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This new addition to the global network of ARS regions is the fruition of ongoing preliminary work started by previous ARS executives and continued under the leadership of present chairperson Vicky Marashlian, who visited the region in 2009.
“Armenian presence in the United Arab Emirates has a history of over 50 years, during which time the community has been able to get established and organized,” said Maro Froundjian, the vice-chairperson of ARS Central Executive Board, who joined the official ceremony. “The creation of an ARS region was a natural outcome of this process.”
“We started to discuss the creation of a Dubai region with five participants, and today, I am proud to announce the existence of an ARS chapter-at-large with 20 members from Dubai and Sharjah,” said Salpi Apelian, the chairperson of the newly established ARS regional executive. “As all ARS groups, we hope to do our best here to enhance the further development of community structures, as well as to bring our share to the global endeavors of the Armenian Relief Society, raising the quantity and quality of involvement by Armenian women in the social and cultural life of our communities,” she said.
With the creation of the Dubai-Sharjah region, there are now 18 ARS chapters-at-large and 27 ARS entities functioning in various countries.
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