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PRESS RELEASE

Friday, October 19, 2007

Gonzalo H. Guarch of Spain Awarded 2007 AGBU Garbis Papazian Award

On October 5, 2007, Spanish intellectual, writer, architect, and urban
planner Gonzalo H. Guarch became the fifteenth recipient of the AGBU
Garbis Papazian Award in a ceremony that took place at the Calouste
Gulbenkian Hall adjoining the St. Hripsime Armenian Church in Vienna,
Austria. Under the high patronage of Dr. Ashot Hovakimian, Ambassador of
Armenia to Austria, and in the presence of Garbis Papazian himself,
among other religious and lay dignitaries, the event acknowledged
Guarch’s literary and academic work pertaining to the Armenian Genocide,
including his novels "El Arbol Armenio" (Armenian Tree) and "El Armenio"
(The Armenian), about the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire and the
reasons behind the Armenian Genocide.

Opening remarks were delivered by longtime AGBU member Razmik
Hartunian-Tamrasians, member of the Award Committee and authorized
representative of Garbis Papazian. Bagin Hartunian-Tamrasians, a student
in the faculty of law of Vienna State University, spoke highly of
Guarch’s professional accomplishments, mentioning other awards bestowed
upon him and focusing on his efforts in connection with the Armenian
Question.

The musical portion of the program began with a rendition of Komitas’
"Krunk," played by violinist Shushanik Aleksanian, a graduate of Yerevan
State University doing post-graduate study in Vienna, followed by Arno
Babadjanian’s "Elegy," played by pianist Nareh Arghamanian, a student at
Vienna State University.

Congratulations were offered by Ashot Aleksanian, Envoy of the Republic
of Armenia to Austria, in Ambassador Hovakimian’s absence. Bagin
Hartunian-Tamrasians, in turn, read the congratulatory letter of Berge
Setrakian, AGBU President.

The program concluded with musical performances by Shushanik Aleksanian,
Nareh Arghamanian and Mariam Arghamanian.

The AGBU Garbis Papazian Award was established in 1988 through the
initiative and with the financial resources of Garbis Papazian, for the
purpose of recognizing non-Armenian intellectuals who contribute to an
increase in awareness of Armenian history, culture and the Armenian
Question.

Established in 1906, AGBU is the world’s largest Armenian non-profit
organization. Headquartered in New York, AGBU preserves and promotes the
Armenian identity and heritage through educational, cultural, and
humanitarian programs, annually serving some 400,000 Armenians around
the world. For more information on AGBU, please visit

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress