Vartan Kamalian departed untimely, leaving his family and friends grieving. Vartan’s patriotic activities were well-known in Iran, Armenia, Artsakh and in remote countries. He was born in a traditional family, had nine children who, following their father’s death, were left under their mother’s care. Vartan grew up in one of the districts of Tehran, densely populated by Armenians. Easy-going and considerate, he soon became the Armenian families’ favorite. After finishing the general school, Vartan attended the evening classes in Armenian studies at the Armenian Diocese of Tehran, and as a teacher of the Armenian language and an active member of Sipan, he preached the youth patriotism, civil consciousness, dignity, physical exercise, love for reading. Many people in Sasoun, a district in Tehran, remember the groups he organized for mountain climbing, light athletics or boxing, where he was presenting the spirit of the heroes from Awakening, a revolutionary novel, trying to keep the youth away from vain and bad habits. He inspired great fear in drug addicts and people leading rakish lives. And owing to his great love of his nation, he had earned a nickname of Armenian Vartan. Vartan became better known among the Iranian Armenians during the days of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, when he was actively engaged in the self-defense of the Armenian quarters of Tehran, tried to be elected a member of the parliament and took a more active part in the life of the community. He also spent a few years in France and tried to materialize his crystalized socialist ideas and experience in Iran, by establishing Hayasa Workers’ Union. Endangering his own life, Vartan was saving the lives of drug addicts and the poor. With the help of the priests of the Armenian Diocese of Atrpatakan and the youth from Tebriz, Vartan established a Center for Saving Drug Addicts at the St. Stephanos monastery. During the days of the slogan “To The Homeland,” Vartan with his wife was among the first to join the self-defense groups in Artsakh. Thanks to his excellent military skills, he became Monte Melkonian’s assistant and participated in a number of battles, the most prominent of which was the liberation of Kelbajar. Vartan grieved heavily the death of Monte, who fell before his eyes, and the tough years of war shattered his health. Vartan was a hero of Artsakh Republic and an honorary citizen. Everyone knew Vartan-Kevork in Artsakh and, particularly, in Martuni region. After the ceasefire in Artsakh, he once again devoted himself to his socialist ideas. This time he imported agricultural machinery from Iran to Artsakh and established a cooperative in Martuni to ease the reaping and the sowing of the harvest. Since 1965, when the 50th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide was being marked in Armenia and the Diaspora, Vartan was in the avant-garde of the demonstrations or arrangements devoted to April 24, as an organizer, public speaker or as a security. Vartan was always optimistic about the realization of the longings of the Armenian people and was able to charm everyone with his romanticism, speckles romanticism, which had nurtured generations, inspiring them by the bright future of our nation. It was thanks to his revolutionary spirit that together with his friends he was undertaking bold initiatives since 1970s. Inspired by the Armenian youth abroad, they were taking certain steps, as well. As I write these lines, I recall our last meeting in Yerevan. Unfortunately, I didn’t know it was the last. Even though he was in poor health and was getting ready for yet another check-up, he resembled that young Armenian Vartan, talking about his new projects, perhaps unlikely to materialize. Nevertheless, He was able to inspire me, to a certain degree. The untimely loss of Vartan and the likes of him is an enormous pain for our people and partially irreplaceable. We express our deepest condolences to all of Vartan’s family members and those who mourn his death. May you rest in peace, my beloved brother. The land of Artsakh sanctified by the blood of our fighters is waiting for you.