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PRESS RELEASE
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Berdj Terzian’s "Egyptian Armenian Views" Presented at Official
Reception in Cairo
On January 18, 2009, a new Arabic-language book entitled
"Egyptian-Armenian Views on History, Politics and Cultural Heritage"
written by Berdj Terzian, Chairman of AGBU Egypt, was launched on the
premises of the Armenian Embassy in Cairo, under the auspices of His
Excellency Rouben Karapetian, ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to
Egypt.
The reception was attended by a host of Egyptian dignitaries,
representatives of various government ministries, scientific and
cultural institutions, as well as leading members of the
Armenian-Egyptian community.
Ambassador Karapetian introduced Terzian’s collection of forty articles,
which were originally published in the "Arev" Arabic monthly supplement
from 1998 to 2008. The ambassador described the book as "unquestionably
an important contribution to Armenia-related Arabic literature."
In addition to personal memoirs, the book gives a bird’s-eye view of
Armenian history, including the Armenian genocide, and its ongoing
repercussions in contemporary Armenian affairs. The book also discusses
the political situations in Armenia and Karabakh, and contains
reflections on the Armenian Church, important Armenian figures, Armenian
communities in different countries.
In his speech, Terzian thanked the Armenian ambassador for hosting the
book launch and Mohamed Refaat El Imam, who is the editor in chief of
the "Arev" Arabic monthly supplement. He also pointed out the importance
of "Arev" in spreading Armenia-related news to Arabic-language readers
in Egypt and abroad. The publication is a joint project of the Armenian
National Fund and AGBU Cairo.
Berdj Terzian, a prominent Egyptian-Armenian intellectual, has been a
member of the AGBU District Committee of Egypt since 1964 and its
chairman since 1988. He is the honorary chairman of AGBU Cairo, after
serving as chairman from 1992 to 2002. He is also the editorial advisor
of AGBU Cairo’s "Deghegadou" quarterly and the monthly "Arev" Arabic
supplement. Terzian was the Chairman of the Executive Board of the
Armenian Orthodox Patriarchate in Cairo from 2003 to 2006 and has been
an active member of the Diocesan Council of the Armenian Church in Cairo
for several decades.
Established in 1906, AGBU () is the world’s largest
non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City, AGBU
preserves and promotes the Armenian identity and heritage through
educational, cultural and humanitarian program, annually touching the
lives of some 400,000 Armenians around the world.