PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Karine Abalyan
Tel: (212) 686-0710; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
November 20, 2009
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PRIMATE WELCOMES NAGORNO-KARABAGH DELEGATION TO DIOCESAN CENTER
On Tuesday, November 17, a delegation from the Republic of Nagorno-Karabagh
visited the Diocesan Center in New York, where they met with Archbishop
Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Eastern Diocese; the Rev. Fr. Mardiros
Chevian, dean of St. Vartan Cathedral; Garnik Nanagoulian, executive
director of the Fund for Armenian Relief; Oscar Tatosian, chair of the
Diocesan Council; and Michael Haratunian, secretary of FAR’s Board of
Directors.
The delegation was led by Archbishop Barkev Martirossian, Primate of the
Artsakh Diocese, and NKR Prime Minister Ara Haroutyunyan.
The visit began at St. Vartan Cathedral, where Archbishop Barsamian greeted
Archbishop Martirossian, Prime Minister Haroutyunyan, and other guests –
including David Babayan, assistant to the NKR president; Robert Avetisyan,
NKR representative to the U.S.; Garen Nazarian, the Permanent Representative
of the Republic of Armenia to the United Nations; and Irina Lazarian,
executive director of ArmeniaFund USA – and gave them a brief tour of the
Eastern Diocese’s spiritual center.
Representatives then met at the Diocesan Complex to discuss recent
developments in Nagorno-Karabagh, the diaspora’s contributions to Karabagh’s
growth, and the annual international ArmeniaFund Telethon, which will raise
money for the NKR city of Shushi. The delegation is visiting Armenian
communities across the U.S. to encourage participation in the telethon,
which is scheduled to be broadcast live on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday,
November 26.
Archbishop Martirossian said that Shushi is currently the focal point for
development in the mountainous republic. Plans are underway to rebuild homes
and schools, improve infrastructure, and relocate several government offices
from the republic’s capital in Stepanakert to Shushi. He added that the city
is expecting significant investment in the coming years.
Archbishop Martirossian and Prime Minister Haroutyunyan thanked the Eastern
Diocese and FAR for their continued support of projects in Nagorno-Karabagh.
The Eastern Diocese and FAR have shared a warm relationship with the Artsakh
Diocese and the local government since the region’s independence movement in
the late 1980s.
FAR has implemented a number of programs in Karabagh, including the
Humanitarian Assistance Program, which was completed last year. With a $15
million grant from the United States Agency for International Development
(USAID), FAR teams rebuilt houses, hospitals, and clinics throughout
Karabagh. The money was also used for the installation of new pipelines to
provide water for irrigation and drinking.
In the past, FAR has organized shipments of medicine and medical supplies
and equipment to Karabagh, and helped local doctors receive advanced
training in Yerevan as part of FAR’s Continuing Medical Education Program.
Archbishop Barsamian said NKR representatives should always feel at home at
St. Vartan Cathedral and the Diocesan Center, and added that he was pleased
with the signs of growth and progress in Karabagh. He said it is especially
encouraging that the two dioceses have fostered a strong partnership and a
spirit of collaboration in the past two decades.
This fall, the Artsakh Diocese marked the 20th anniversary of its
re-opening. His Holiness Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of
All Armenians, traveled to Karabagh to preside over the celebration. As the
region continues to cast off the burdens of its years of Soviet rule,
efforts go forward to restore ancient churches and erect new houses of
worship.
Prime Minister Haroutyunyan said that the upcoming ArmeniaFund Telethon is
important not only as a fundraiser for Shushi, but also as a way to raise
awareness in the diaspora about developments in Armenia and Karabagh, and to
help Armenian communities worldwide establish closer ties with each other,
and with their homeland.
The annual telethon, which is broadcast live for 12 hours, has helped raise
funds for Armenian and Karabagh for more than a decade. Archbishop Barsamian
serves on the Board of Trustees of ArmeniaFund USA.
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Photos attached.
Photo 1: Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Eastern Diocese, gives
a brief tour of St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral to the delegation from the
Republic of Nagorno-Karabagh.
Photo 2: NKR Prime Minister Ara Haroutyunyan presents Archbishop Khajag
Barsamian with a book about the Republic of Nagorno-Karabagh, during a visit
to the Diocesan Center in New York.
Photo 3: Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Eastern Diocese;
Archbishop Barkev Martirossian, Primate of the Artsakh Diocese; and NKR
Prime Minister Ara Haroutyunyan on the plaza of St. Vartan Armenian
Cathedral.
Photo 4: Members of the delegation from the Republic of Nagorno-Karabagh and
representatives of the Eastern Diocese pose for a group photo on the steps
of St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral.