FORUM OF FAUE TO BE HELD IN BRATISLAVA

Noyan Tapan
March 5, 2008

YEREVAN, MARCH 5, NOYAN TAPAN. A forum of the Forum of Armenian
Unions of Europe (FAUE) will be held in Bratislava (Slovakia) on
May 28 – June 31, the chairman of the FAUE, head of the Armenian
community of Slovakia Ashot Grigorian announced at the March 5 press
conference. According to him, the forum will be dedicated to the
90th anniversary of establishment of the First Republic of Armenia
and 10th anniversary of foundation of the FAUE.

It was stated that the political goals of the FAUE will be discussed
on the first day of the forum, while on the second day the forum
will be conducted in the sections for lawyers and businessmen. The
lawyers section will elect its chairman and hold discussions on
presenting the issue of the Armenian Genocide to the UN and the
Hague court and finding a pro-Armenian solution to the Karabakh
problem. The businessmen section will discuss issues of setting up
a fund on financing Armenian lobbyists and lawyers seeking solutions
to pro-Armenian problems promoted by these lobbyists.

In the words of A. Grigorian, "we intend to make the coordination
work more active because European communities work without programs,
whole some communities – those in France, the UK and Slovakia have
achieved great results. First of all, activities on the recognition
of the Armenian Genocide are underway, all the communities consider
the solution of this problem to be their duty. Work on the Artsakh
problem is weak."

He added that many in the world believe that the Armenian lobbyist
structures are the most powerful. However, Azerbaijani structures
receive considerable funds in order to promote the Artsakh problem’s
solution in favor of Azerbaijan. There are no Azerbaijani communities
in Europe but there are lobbyists who have actively joined Turkish
ones.

The speaker said that the FAUE was founded in Geneva in 1998 by
Swiss Armenian Toros Sakerian. Its activities has become passive in
recent years.

A. Grigorian called on all Armenian organizations of Europe to take
part in the union’s work.

According to him, in particular, an attempt is being made by the
Turkish-Azerbaijani lobbyists abroad to present the so-called Khojalu
genocide and the denial of the Armenian Genocide "in one block".