According to the “Basic Principles of the State Protocol of the Republic of Armenia” (2002), during official visits to Armenia by foreign heads of state or other representatives, a ceremony of laying wreaths (flowers) at the Monument, a visit to the Genocide Museum, and a commemorative planting of evergreen spruce trees at the Remembrance Grove must be planned on their agenda.
Evergreen spruce trees symbolize eternal life, which indicates that respect and remembrance for the genocide victims is timeless. More than two hundred evergreen spruce trees have been planted in the Remembrance Grove at the Armenian Genocide Memorial Park. The first tree was planted on October 14, 1997, by former United States Republican Senator Robert (Bob) Dole, in memory of Hambardzum Kelikian, an Armenian Genocide survivor and orthopedic surgeon, who treated Bob Dole’s hand during World War II.