PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:
PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon
Armenian version: nian.htm
HIS HOLINESS ARAM I HOSTS ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION BETWEEN UNITED NATIONS
DELEGATION AND LEBANESE-ARMENIAN COMMUNITY REPRESENTATIVES
The Pontiff Endorses the UN’s "Global Armenia" Initiative
His Holiness Aram I hosted an unprecedented roundtable discussion on March
27. The event was attended by a United Nations delegation headed by Ms.
Consuelo Vidal, UN Resident Coordinator and UN Development Programme
Resident Representative in Armenia, and some 50 representatives of
Lebanese-Armenian community organizations.
The purpose of the roundtable was to share information and exchange ideas
regarding the UN’s development and reform activities in Armenia, and to
unveil and discuss the UNDP’s "Global Armenia" initiative. "Global Armenia"
seeks to establish a multi-faceted partnership between the UNDP and the
Diaspora, in the goal to foster democracy and prosperity in the homeland.
In his opening remarks, as he introduced Ms. Vidal to the guests, the
Pontiff praised the far-reaching work of the UN in Armenia and conveyed his
deep concern in connection with the recent events in Yerevan following the
presidential elections. His Holiness went on to express his trust in the UN
as a positive force advancing democratic institutions and economic
development, and endorsed the world agency’s "Global Armenia" concept.
Ms. Vidal thanked the Catholicos for his national leadership and explained
why the UN has chosen Lebanon as the first stop in a series of planned
roundtable discussions across the Diaspora. "Throughout the years, the
Catholicosate of Cilicia has had an instrumental role in shaping the
Lebanese-Armenian community as the cultural, literary, and moral bastion of
the worldwide Diaspora," Ms. Vidal said. "And throughout the years, this
Catholicosate and its flock have never forgotten about their homeland."
Ms. Vidal added, "Your Holiness, I now invite you, as I invite the
leadership of the Lebanese-Armenian community, to join forces with the
United Nations. Together, we can put our collective resources in the service
of lifting the people of Armenia out of poverty, hopelessness, and the
alarming trend of migration."
Following these remarks, Ms. Vidal made a PowerPoint presentation of UNDP
activities in Armenia. She indicated that the UNDP, which has worked in the
republic since 1993, is committed to helping address its economic, social,
educational, and environmental challenges. UNDP projects, she said, are
based on national objectives embodied in Armenia’s Poverty Reduction
Strategy, as well as the UN Millennium Development Goals.
At the end of her address, Ms. Vidal presented His Holiness Aram I with a
plaque, in recognition of his wise leadership and uncompromising dedication
to educational and cultural excellence, diakonia and social equality,
ecumenical harmony, the Armenian Cause, and international cooperation. The
plaque was inscribed with the words "In reverence and gratitude."
The last portion of the event consisted of a question-and-answer session and
an informative discussion of a broad range of issues, including various UN
programs in Armenia and the prospects of cooperation between the agency and
the Diaspora, the Lebanese-Armenian community in particular.
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View the photos here:
c/Photos/Photos228.htm
http://www.armenianorthodox church.org/v04/doc/Photos/Photos229.htm
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The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
the mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician
Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is located in
Antelias, Lebanon.