Forbes Armenia launches with Kirk Kerkorian

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 5, ARMENPRESS. The November launch of the Armenian edition of Forbes is the biweekly's 30th overseas, and if the nation's ancient alphabet is difficult to read, the face is easy. As reports “Armenpress” citingminonline.com, Kirk Kerkorian is recognizable in Forbes circles because his investments present and past in movie studios, automobile companies and nearly everything "Las Vegas" gave the 96-year-old a Forbes-calculated 2013 net worth of $3.9 billion. He ranks 118th in the magazine's "400 Richest Americans."

Technically, the Fresno, Calif.-born Kerkorian is not among the richest Armenians. But his being on Forbes Armenia's debut is indicative of the reverence towards a man who has donated millions of dollars to his family's homeland, which lies in the Caucasus mountains and was unhappily part of the former Soviet Union during much of the 20th century.

Forbes Armenia editor-in-chief is entrepreneur and Harvard University graduate Gagik Yeghiazarian. Licensee is Media Partners, Armenia, which also publishes the two-year old Forbes Georgia.

Forbes becomes the second U.S. magazine export to Armenia after Cosmopolitan (March 2011). That was personally important to publishing director (since Aug. 1995) Donna Kalajian Lagani, whose four grandparents were born in the country.