ARMENIAN-MEXICAN WORKING GROUP SET UP IN THE U.S.
Noyan Tapan
June 29, 2009
LOS ANGELES, JUNE 29, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. At the June 25
luncheon-reception in Los Angeles, Armenian Consul in L.A. Grigor
Hovhannisian and Mexican Consul in L.A. Juan Marcos Gutierrez-Gonzalez
announced the creation of an Armenian-Mexican Working Group.
The newly-created working group, whose members were presented
at the luncheon, will coordinate cooperation programs of the two
communities in order to establish dialog between the Armenian and
Mexican communities and solve jointly the problems faced by them.
The Armenian members of the group are: Maria Mihranian (health care),
Shahe Mazpanian (business sector) and Patil Aboshian-Gasparian
(education and culture).
Azbarez daily reported that the reception was organized by the
commission, whose honorary chairman is Congressman Adam Schiff. The
commission is also composed of the two consuls, Los Angeles District
Director of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Alberto
Alvarado, and the representative of the Chamber of Commerce of Armenian
Americans Shahe Mazpanian.
More than 200 Armenian and Mexican businessmen and public figures
came to listen to the speech of Mexican Ambassador to the U.S Arturo
Sarukhan who is of Armenian descent. His biography was presented by
Alberto Alvarado.
According to him, the parents of Arturo Sarukhan’s father were Armenian
Genocide survivors who reached Mexico on their way to Canada and
decided to settle there.
At the beginning of his speech the Mexican ambassador used the word
"genocide". However, later when responding to a question of "Hay Kyank"
weekly’s editor Apo Japarian, he said that this definition is his
personal opinion and does not represent Mexico’s official position
on this issue. He added that the truth can overcome everything,
liberating even those who want to hide it.
In his speech the ambassador mainly focused on the current state of
Mexico-U.S. relations, expressing his opinions and speaking about
the ways to improve these relations.
Arturo Sarukhan was appointed the ambassador to the U.S. by Mexican
President Felipe Calderon in 2007.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress