THIRD ARMENIA – DIASPORA CONFERENCE CONCLUDED
Pablic Radio of Armenia
Sept 23 2006
The third Armenia Diaspora Conference concluded its activities on
Wednesday, September 20. More than 2,000 people from 40 countries
attended the three-day gathering.
The conference began on September 18 with opening speeches by
President Robert Kocharian, His Holiness Garegin II, Catholicos of
All Armenians, His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of
Cilicia, President Arkady Ghukasyan of Nagorno Karabagh, as well as
the heads of pan-Armenian organizations. They addressed the various
issues on the conference program, as well as the general issues of
Armenia-Diaspora agenda.
The second session, on the same afternoon, focused on Rural Poverty
Eradication – a program launched at the conference to encourage
Diaspora individuals and organizations to sponsor specific villages
and undertake the infrastructure rebuilding and economic development
of Armenia’s border communities. The first speaker at this session
was Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan, who spoke about the impact of
rural poverty on Armenia’s economic development and emphasized the
importance of such a pan-Armenian undertaking. Sitting around the
table were those who had already agreed to sponsor a village, as well
as those individuals and organizations, including international NGOs,
who are prepared to partner with the program.
A decision was taken to create a Council with participation of
the Diaspora Secretariat to oversee the planning, organization and
implementation of the program. Implementation of the rural poverty
eradication program will begin in spring 2007.
Also, during a special meeting in the margins of the conference with
the representatives of organizations and communities, a decision
was taken to create a consultative body (composed of the same
representatives) that would ensure continuity between conferences by
coordinating communication and maintaining ties and links among the
participants, and between the participants and the Armenia Diaspora
Secretariat.
The third session of the Conference began on the morning of Tuesday,
September 20, with the start of a forum entitled ‘New Answers to Old
Questions: Armenians in the 21st Century’. Tigran Torosyan, Chairman
of the National Assembly, made the opening statement.
The Forum consisted of four panels and concluded on Wednesday
morning. Forty speakers and discussants from eight countries addressed
issues of culture and identity, and their application to diasporas,
to cooperation and exchange, and specifically, to Armenia and the
Armenian Diaspora.
During Panel 2 and Panel 3, Armenia-Diaspora relations were discussed
from the practical viewpoint. The participants were seeking answers
to the following questions: What direction can be given to future
cultural and socio-economic relations between Diaspora and homeland,
as well as questions having to do with emigration and repatriation.
The final panel entitled ‘A Look at Diaspora 2020’, featured four
different perspectives on what the Diaspora might look like in 2020,
and how to arrive at more efficient Armenia-Diaspora relations.
Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian delivered the Forum’s concluding
statement.
At the conclusion of the conference, a declaration was adopted.
President Robert Kocharian addressed the participants and thanked
them for their comments and input.