A MEETING IN "NORAVANK" FOUNDATION

"Noravank" Foundation
14 July 2008

On July 4 of the current year the "Noravank" Foundation’s experts
hosted the RA Foreign Ministry head of the Committee for Diaspora
Hranush Hakobyan. The subjects discussed at the meeting concerned
to the urgent issues of organizing the Armenians people all over
the world.

Beginning from October 1 the above mentioned committee will be
reestablished into a Ministry for Diaspora affairs, which will make
a serious ground to realize the practical steps directed to solve
these problems.

The director of "Noravank" Foundation, Gagik Harutyunyan, mentioned
that it was already a year that in the framework of the Foundation had
been working Armenological Systemizing- Information center which was
engaged in organizing Armenological researches, establishing ties
with Armenological centers, organizing and realizing researches
and practical works in Armenian communities. He accentuated the
significance of forming Pen-Armenian joint information field,
exchange of current information by means of using all the advantages
of network capacities.

Representing the works carried out in the following direction
G. Harutyunyan also mentioned that within the framework of its
resources Foundation had also held an International Conference in
Yerevan devoted to the problems of Armenian communities (June 2007)
and organized field research works in the Armenian20communities. Both
the above mentioned Conference and field researches to study the
communities are the first events realized during the years of the
RA independence.

The head of Armenological coordination-information center of "Noravank"
Foundation, Phd Harutyun Marutyan was brief while touching upon the
works carried out in the framework of the center programs, especially
accentuating the issues concerning the policy of Armenian memory.

Some attempts have been made to outline practical ways of political
usage of memory about genocide, to inform the people inhabited in
Armenia about the attempts of foreigners (especially Jews) of putting
forward and looking for ways of solution of the Armenian Question
issues within a certain framework.

And that attempts suggest that it is necessary to undertake the work
of wording, motivating and representing claims raised to compensate
material damages caused by the Genocide taking into consideration the
fact that this process has been lasting for tens of years. The best
way to give solution to this problem is founding a non-governmental
organization which will not be constrained by the laws of the
interested state. This body may also be a structure carrying out
research-legal activity which is granted some competence by the
state and works within this framework at the same time representing
the interests of heirs of the Genocide victims spread all over the
world. Such a body has officially20been founded: the "Organizing
committee for preparations of the congress of representatives of
those Armenians saved from the Great Armenian Genocide." It makes
steps to strengthen its organizational capacities. One of the latest
initiatives of the organization is the scientific-practical conference
"Claims of western Armenians in the context of the Armenian Question"
held in Nikosia in April 2008.

The next problem, which is included in the program of the foundation’s
activity, concerns studying the experience of other states (in
particular Israel) in working with Diaspora communities and organizing
repatriation.

This experience has come to show that the ideology of repatriation
means not only realization of certain steps to return them to their
native land, but, first of all, to establish close ties with the
Diaspora communities, with separate people and families, involving
them into the common cause for the welfare of the native land, and
in the practical aspect – creation of mighty structures in the format
of state and non-governmental organizations.

The experience of other countries is quite multiform and edifying;
it is improved all the time and needs to be studied periodically
and carefully.

The head of "Noravank" Foundation’s Armenological program of "Security
of the Armenian people: research of communities" PhD Tamara Vardanyan
mentioned that it had already been establishe d constant relations
with a number of Armenian communities of the CIS countries and with
people engaged in preserving the Armenian identity.

According to her, continual exchange of information about problems
and events in the communities is circulating. Much attention is
devoted to the problems of the Armenian community in Tbilisi, and at
present active work is carried out together with the local Armenian
non-governmental organizations to work out and introduce mechanisms
of preserving the Armenian language and culture with the help of
national potential of public organizations. From this standpoint it
is important that in the Foundation it is well known the problems
connected with the condition of once powerful but at present day by
day weakening Armenian communities.

It was mentioned that today it had not only been established
motherland-community relations, but also direct intercommunal ties
aiming at establishing mutual cooperation and furthering effective
exchange of experience. T. Vardanyan also noticed that the process of
the Armenians’ assimilation on the post-Soviet plane was quicker than
in the other regions, for example, in the Middle East, as up till
now had been preserved the memory about our once being the citizen
of a united powerful state. Besides, Russian culture and language
are closer to us by nature, and these factors in their turn weaken
mechanisms of self-protection (immunity) and vigilance in us and the
abil ity to distinguish and appreciate real threats.

It was also discussed the problems of teaching the Armenian
language. It was mentioned that in the communities of the post-Soviet
plane the Armenian children were foreign language speakers (especially
Russian language speakers), accordingly, it was necessary to raise the
interest to their native language and create additional stimulus for
teaching, for example, organizing Armenian language and literature
Olympiads and competitions, distance courses of studying, that’s to
say, doing everything possible to stimulate the Armenian youth to be
introduced to the Armenian civilization and become the carriers of
national values.

The participants of the meeting were unanimous that to solve the above
mentioned unhealthy and actual problems it was necessary consolidation
of active and healthy powers of Armenia, NKR, Javakhk and Diaspora.

The head of "Noravank" Foundation’s Armenological center, PhD Ruben
Melkonyan mentioned that the problem of Islamized Armenians of Turkey
was very multilevel and was to be treated adequately. At present
certain processes occur among Armenians which were forcedly Islamized,
for example readopting Christianity. Some attempts are made to protect
historical-cultural monuments, and interest is stimulated to the native
language etc. It was especially mentioned that "Noravank" Foundation
had organized field researches (scientific-research business trips)
to the eastern districts of Turkey within the framework of the work
carried out to study the "apostate" Armenians.

One of the most important shades of the problem is the issue of
perception of apostate Armenians by the other groups of Armenians. As
an example of barrier among these groups were mentioned cold
relations among the Islamized Armenians inhabited in Germany
(Europe) and the local Armenian community, which is quite a serious
problem. P. Melkonyan accentuated the importance of perception
of the fact that as a result of different historical reasons it
had been formed a stratum of Armenians and people of Armenian
origin which differd from us by their religion, culture and way of
life. The existence of this stratum is a fact which must be taken
into consideration and it is necessary to work out ways and methods
to reestablish relation with them.

In his speech H Hakobyan mentioned that up-to-date information
technologies had made a good ground to put forward the above mentioned
problems. H Hakopian singled out four basic directions one should
adhere to while carrying out the work: organizational, ideological,
financial and legal.

"Diaspora’s attention is to be concentrated on Armenia," she mentioned
adding that the native land must be a magnet attracting to it.

At the end of the meeting "Noravank" Foundation’s director G.

Harutyuntan added that the Foundation would continue

scientific-research and scientific-Practical works in the above
mentioned directions and was ready to cooperate with the new
ministry. In her turn H.

Hakopyan mentioned she was impressed by the meeting and hoped that the
Foundation would make its contribution on working out the ministry’s
conception and the process of specification of its further plans
and priorities.

Â"21-st CenturyÂ" "XXI Century" N 2, 2008

In the second issue of "21st Century" of the current year are presented
articles devoted to the RA information security and actuality
of pen-Armenian plane formation (G.Harutyunyan), the necessity to
introduce theories and principles of network-centric wars and military
spheres of Armenia (H.Arzumanyan), stability of national broadcasting
(G.Khumaryan).

Here are also considered the problems of institutional system
of ensuring the RA national security (S.Tadevosyan), regional
developments etc.

(S.Sarukhantyan, S.Harutyunyan, N.Lazarian).

"21-st CENTURY" N 1, 2008 (English language edition)

In the first issue of the English language journal "21st SENTURY"
of the current year are spoken about a variety of problems including:
mutual influence of the new epoch imperatives and transformation of the
Armenian state (T.Sargsyan) and army (H.Arzumanyan), the issues of the
Republic of Armenia’s information security (S. Martirosyan), principles
and mechanisms of decision making in international organizations (S.

Movsisyan), the role of the oil factor of the power states’
South-Caucasian policy. In the issue are also analyzed the problem
of Islamized Armenians in Turkey…

Â"BulletinÂ" Bulletin of Noravank Scientific Educational Foundation
N 21, 2008

"Bulletin" â~D-21 of "Noravank" Foundation includes articles
devoteded to variety of problems concerning to economic developments
and globalization. The issue also includes current world economic
tendencies, perspectives and challanges.

Publications CONVERSATIONS ABOUT ARMENIAN CULTURE "Collection of
interviews"

This collection of interviews, the author and interviewer of which
is the research worker of RA AS Institute of Oriental Studies
H. Hmayakyan, is devoted to a number of branches of the Armenian
art and culture (mythology, carpet making, ancient Armenian music
and folk song, medieval miniature and architecture, contemporary
Armenian literature, film and ceramics as well as the problems of
preserving monuments). The interviews were held with different well
known specialists in this or that field.

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