PRESS RELEASE
National Association for Armenian Studies and Research
395 Concord Avenue
Belmont, MA 02478
Tel.: 617-489-1610
E-mail: [email protected]
Contact: Marc A. Mamigonian
FORMER TARC CHAIRMAN PHILLIPS
TO GIVE LECTURE AT NAASR
Perhaps no entity in recent years has occasioned so much comment in
the Armenian community as TARC, the Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation
Commission. It is difficult to find anyone without strong opinions
on the subject – yet the actual participants have kept a low profile
and the exact nature of their discussions is largely unknown to most
of the public.
David L. Phillips, who served as chairman of the commission,
will discuss his experiences with TARC in a lecture entitled
“Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation: Lessons Learned from TARC,” on
Tuesday, February 22, at 8:00 p.m., at the Center and Headquarters of
the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR),
395 Concord Ave., Belmont, MA.
First Lecture to the Armenian Community
Phillips is the first member of the commission to write
extensively about the experience of shaping and participating in
the Turkish-Armenian reconciliation process in the newly published
Unsilencing the Past: Track Two Diplomacy and Turkish-Armenian
Reconciliation. The book will be on sale and available for signing
by the author on the evening of the lecture.
In his first lecture to the Boston-area Armenian community audience,
Phillips will offer a unique insider’s account of the ups and downs of
establishing a dialogue between Armenians and Turks: the obstacles,
accomplishments, and prospects for the future. A question-and-answer
period and refreshments will follow the lecture.
Extensive Background in Foreign Affairs and Conflict Resolution
David L. Phillips is Senior Fellow and Deputy Director of the Center
for Preventive Action at the Council of Foreign Relations and Director
of the Peacebuilding Program at American University, as well as a
Visiting Scholar at Harvard University and an analyst for NBC News.
Previously, he was a Senior Advisor to the U.S. State Department
and the United Nations. Phillips has written more than one hundred
articles and editorials in publications such as the New York Times,
the International Herald Tribune, the Wall Street Journal, and the
Financial Times.
Admission to the event is free (donations appreciated). The NAASR
Bookstore will open at 7:30 p.m. The NAASR Center and Headquarters is
located opposite the First Armenian Church and next to the U.S. Post
Office. Ample parking is available around the building and in adjacent
areas. The lecture will begin promptly at 8:00 p.m. and interested
parties are strongly encouraged to arrive early as space is limited
and a large turnout is anticipated.