Conf̩rence IT/ AYVAZYAN РParis 4/04/2008

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Report on the of April 4, 2008, Paris

On Friday, April 4, the Tchobanian Institute, in partnership with the
UGAB, organized the first of a series of conferences with Dr. Armen
Ayvazyan on "Armenia’s Security Predicament and the Ways Out of It".
Mr. François Thual, a prominent French geopolitologist and the
Diplomatic Counselor to the Speaker of French Senate, was also invited
as a Distinguished Speaker.

The large room of the Alex Manoogian Cultural Center was full to
capacity (approximately 125 people) and about thirty spectators have to
follow the conference from the mezzanine.

After the welcoming remarks from Bruno Knadjian (Secretary of
UGAB-Paris), Varoujan Sirapian, President-Founder of the Tchobanian
Institute, promptly presented the latest issue of the Europe&Orient
Review. He told about the projects of the Institute concerning the
various publications and also the cultural actions, in particular the
active participation in the organization of the 1st Festival of BD
(comics) and the event in Yerevan planned for October 2008.

Then he passed the word to Dr. Armen Ayvazyan who presented
compellingly the strategic situation and the challenges of the national
security of modern Armenia (including the Republic of
Nagorno-Karabagh/Artsakh). Then Mr. Varoujan Sirapian, the moderator
of the event, passed the floor to Mr. François Thual, who, as usual,
knew how to captivate the attention of the attendees with a methodical
and substantiated speech.

The attendees demonstrated their acute interest by posing questions
both about the subject of the day and the tense political situation
after the Armenian presidential elections. The two speakers brought
their answers to these questions. Present in the room was Mr. Alexis
Govciyan, president of the CCAF and also President of UGAB-Europe, who
also contributed his views with a synthesis of what was developed by
the speakers.

The audience included noted personalities such as Mrs. Nelly
Tardivier-Henrot, the Commissar of the Armenia’s Year in France (held
in 2007), the persons in charge for the UGAB-Paris and various French
Armenian associations, the clergymen and, perhaps most important, many
young people.

At the end of the conference and accompanied with hearty applause,
Varoujan Sirapian passed a Tchobanian Institute’s Member of Honor
Certificate to Mr. François Thual, one of its first and devoted
partners.

The evening continued very late at the lounge around a glass of
friendship.

The next conferences

The next conferences that Dr. Ayvazyan and Mr. Varoujan Sirapian will
attend are scheduled in Marseilles (April 8), Valence (April 9) and
Lyon (April 10).