THE ARMENIAN APPEAL
By Nadine El Sayed

Egypt Today, Egypt
June 8 2007

Building on centuries of solid bilateral ties,Armenian President Robert
Kocharian visitsEgypt to ink new economic, political, educationaland
cultural cooperation protocols

Although the Armenian community has for years meshed seamlessly
with Egyptian society, with Armenian jewelers, businesses, schools
and clubs found throughout the nation, very few people actually know
that Egypt’s history with Armenia goes all the way back to the days
of the Pharaohs, and that some of the most influential figures in
Egypt’s history were in fact Armenian.

With such a strong history of friendly relations between the two
countries and their peoples, Armenian President Robert Kocharian’s
first visit to Egypt last month was expected to further enhance the
cooperation between the two countries, in areas economic, political,
educational and cultural.

"The visit of the president is the best proof of the existing
cooperation between Armenia and Egypt," Armenian Ambassador to
Egypt Dr. Rouben Karapetian tells Egypt Today. "This is the current
president’s first visit to Egypt and it is an official visit for
negotiations and talks starting with President Mubarak and then
Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif, the speakers of the Parliament and Sheikh
Al-Azhar. It’s a dialogue of civilizations."

Karapetian adds that the president’s meeting with Arab League
Secretary Amr Moussa and the Arab ambassadors "reflects the level
[of cooperation] between [Armenia and] not only Egypt, but also the
Arab world."

The visit also saw the signing of eight agreements in different
fields including tourism, economy and education, with an agreement
inked between Cairo University and a medical university in Armenia,
according to Karapetian. The two nations also agreed to increase
cooperation between their respective ministries of interior in terms
of exchange of criminal suspects and other matters of justice.

The agreements signed are only a few of many pacts and treaties between
the two countries since the beginning of diplomatic relations in 1992,
a year after Armenia was declared a free state. Egypt was one of the
first countries to recognize its independence and since then the two
countries have been initiating mutual cooperation in several fields.

"During these 15 years, we succeeded in establishing excellent levels
of political relationships and close cooperation in practically
all fields," notes Karapetian. And when it comes to "assisting each
other in international organizations, we can claim to be exemplary
for others."

A Marriage of Civilizations

But the history between the two countries goes back significantly
further than 1991, with the Armenian heyday in Egypt peaking during
the Byzantine and Fatimid times, when Armenian politicians reached
prominent positions during the reign of Mohammed Ali.

Armenians have thus always been part of the Egyptian community,
influencing it as much as being influenced by it. "There is a [long]
history between Armenians and Egyptians and as citizens of Egypt, [we
contributed to the history and society of Egypt]," notes Karapetian.

Ahmed Ibn Tulun, who built the Ibn Tulun Mosque, and the three
architect brothers who erected Bab El-Nasr, Bab El-Fath and Bab
Zuwayla, all important historical Egyptian monuments, are examples
of Armenians who came to Egypt and left imprints on its culture
and history.

But Armenian influence goes far beyond building monuments. Armenians
have had a particular impact on Egypt’s educational system, with Ya’cub
Artin Pasha Cherakian, known as El-Ustaz El-Kabir (the Great Teacher),
developing education and establishing the first school for girls in
Egypt as well as the first kindergarten.

The first school in Egypt was established with the help of an
Armenian called Boghos Bey Yusufian. Under the rule of Armenians
including Badr Al-Gamali, a prominent military leader commanding an
all-Armenian army, and his son Al-Afdal, Egypt saw the creation of
the Dar El-Wizarra Palace as well as two public parks boasting exotic
gardens. Armenian-born Shagaret Al-Durr also became the first woman
to sit on Egypt’s throne in the Islamic era.

And what few people know is that Armenian Nubar Pasha, Egypt’s first
prime minister, had a vision of creating Heliopolis. He managed Cairo’s
Water Company, which introduced piped water – this led to the creation
of Heliopolis later on by his son, who invited Baron Empain to build
the district. Nubar Pasha also designed an irrigation plan and is the
only Armenian to have both a lake and a type of long-staple cotton
named after him. Despite his valuable contributions to agriculture,
it was Nubar Pasha’s shrewd legal reforms and his decision to establish
mixed courts that were considered his greatest achievements in Egypt.

With such deep historical roots, it’s no surprise that the relationship
between the countries only grew stronger after Armenia declared its
independence. "When Armenia became independent, we had a good base
for developing relations and it was much easier because for years
Armenia was a part of the Middle East region," says Karapetian.

"Although in 301 AD, Armenia became the first country in the world to
officially adopt Christianity and [while] it is a European country,
it is also part of the Middle East. Thus it has a historical mission
of [interpreting], of creating the link in different areas with its
knowledge of the East and European background. Our relationship with
Egypt and the Arab world is based on other historical experiences too."

A Stronger Future

Today the Armenian community in Egypt remains one of the oldest in
the world, comprising some 8,000 nationals living mainly in Cairo
and Alexandria. Although the number was much higher in 1915 when a
forced migration followed the Armenian genocide in Turkey and Egypt
opened its arms to Armenian refugees, it drastically decreased with
the Nasserite movement and the nationalization of their businesses.

"Armenians have been welcomed in Egypt and were given an opportunity
to contribute while in other countries they were forced to leave,"
notes Karapetian.

At present the community has consolidated ties with the social and
religious organizations nationwide. The Diocese of the Armenian
Apostolic Church serves to guard the community’s assets, and many
other organizations provide support to the Armenian community in
Egypt. There are several Armenian schools still functioning and
although once restricted to just Armenians, they have, for financial
reasons, been forced to accept students from other nationalities.

There are also four cultural clubs in Cairo and two in Alexandria,
providing activities for youth, such as dancing and choirs, three
sporting clubs in Cairo and two in Alexandria. The ambassador notes
that over the years, Armenians have smoothly integrated into the
Egyptian culture and there has been a noticeable harmony between the
two cultures.

"I always say if you want to give an example of exact and real dialogue
between Christians and Muslims, you can give the example of Armenia
and Egypt." et

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