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Fridtjof Nansen's name is intimately connected with the 20th Century history of Armenia and the Armenian people. Born in 1861, in Oslo, Norway, F. Nansen was a man of many facets: scientist, orientalist, diplomat, author, humanitarian, explorer, oceanographer and laureate of the Nobel Peace prize. Human rights became an area of deep concern and firm commitment for F. Nansen; and within this context, the rights of the Armenian people acquired a particular importance for him. In fact, through his persistent and consistent efforts as the League of Nations' High Commissioner for Refugees, "Nansen passport" was granted to stateless persons and the question of Armenian membership to League of Nation was discussed, though with no tangible results. F. Nansen visited Armenia; he helped Armenians to repatriate to Armenia and for some to establish in Syria and Lebanon; he toured Europe and U.S.A. and spoke about the plight of Armenian people and for this purpose initiated fund-raising drives. The present book, Armenia and the Near East, depicts F. Nansen's journey to the Near East and particularly to Armenia, his impressions and eyewitness accounts. This book not only displays a tragic period of the modern history of the Armenian people, it also describes the Armenian massacres which "far exceeds any we know in history, both in their extent and their appalling cruelty". He writes: "No one can study the story of this remarkable people without being profoundly moved by their tragic fate". Armenian and the Near East was first published in Norwegian under the title Gjennem Armenia in 1928; the same year it appeared in French in Paris and in English in London and New York. And this year on the occasion of 150th anniversary of the birth of F. Nansen, the Armenians all over the world pay their deep gratitude to this champion of peoples' rights and the courageous promoter of peace with justice.
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