Armenian postal operator issues stamps dedicated to legendary soviet intelligent agents
20.05.2014,
16:54
Armenia’s national postal operator HayPost has issued today a series of stamps (40,000 copies) dedicated to a legendary Soviet intelligence agent Gevork Vartanyan.
YEREVAN, May 20. / ARKA /. Armenia’s national postal operator HayPost has issued today a series of stamps (40,000 copies) dedicated to a legendary Soviet intelligence agent Gevork Vartanyan.
Vartanyan was born to Armenian parents. His father was a Soviet intelligence agent as well who was sent to Persia in 1930, where he worked for 23 years under a cover of a wealthy merchant. Gevork Vartanyan was not even 16 when he went into intelligence.
In 1955, he graduated from the Institute of Foreign Languages in Yerevan. He is primarily responsible for thwarting Operation Long Jump, concocted by Adolf Hitler, headed by Ernst Kaltenbrunner, and led by Otto Skorzeny, which was an attempt to assassinate Stalin, Churchill, and Roosevelt at the Tehran conference in 1943.
Four other stamps (20,000 copies) issued today are dedicated to other famous Soviet intelligence agents of Armenian decent –Yakov Davtyan, Ivan Agayants, Ayk Ovakimyan and Ashot Akopyan.
The cancellation ceremony was attended by Gevork Vartanyan’s widow Gohar Vartanyan, Ayk Ovakimyan’s granddaughter Karine Darbinyan, deputy transport and communication minister Arthur Arakelyan, head of the Union of Armenian Philatelists Hovik Musaelyan, director of Haypost Trust Management B.V. Juan Pablo Gechichjian and other officials.
