Hai-Tahd Conference Kicks Off in Yerevan
Friday, May 7th, 2010
Asbarez
ARF Supreme Council of Armenia Chairman Armen Rustamian
YEREVAN (Yerkir) – A conference of Hai-Tahd committees of the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation kicked off at the Erebouni business center,
with the participation of representatives from throughout the world.
The conference will conclude its activities in the Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic.
ARF Bureau member Levon Lazarian opened the conference, welcoming
Hai-Tahd representatives from Europe, the Middle East, South America,
North America, Australia and the Commonwealth of Independent States,
as well as Javakhk and the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.
Lazarian explained that the aim of the conference was to unify all
national forces in Armenia, Karabakh and Diaspora in order to tackle
national challenges based on a single national agenda.
In his welcoming remarks, Lazarian warned of Armenia’s `adversaries’
and their efforts to strengthen their voice and presence in different
countries and the imperative to counter those efforts.
The conference will also discuss the international recognition of the
Armenian Genocide, as well as issues of reparations for the families
of Genocide victims.
Also speaking at the conference was ARF Bureau member Hagop
Der-Khatchadourian, who echoed Lazarian’s call to action against
anti-Armenian forces lobbying against Armenian interests.
He noted that the Armenia-Turkey protocol process adversely affected
efforts to attain international recognition of the Genocide. He also
pointed to Turkey’s active engagement of the Arab World, noting that
Genocide recognition efforts there have become complicated.
Der-Khatchadourian stressed the importance of engaging international
analytical centers and think tanks, as well as dissident Turkish
academic, whose opinions differ from official Ankara.
The Bureau member emphasized the need for continued activism to
preserve and protect the right of Armenians in Javakhk, given the
continued anti-Armenian policies of Georgian authorities.
In his remarks to the conference, ARF Supreme Council of Armenia
chairman Armen Rustamian spoke of the evolving geopolitical situation
in Caucasus.
`The dynamically changing geopolitical situation in the region incites
new challenges entailing the following question: how many independent
states will there be in the South Caucasus, (3 states, 3+1, 3+2 or
3+3)?’ said Rustamian, explaining that until the Russian-Georgian war
the South Caucasus were perceived as a three-nation region. With the
addition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia to the mix, that equation
changed to a `3+2′ model. The inclusion of the Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic would make it a `3+3′ equation, which would properly
characterize the current geopolitical reality of the South Caucasus
region.
Rustamian added that Turkey was aspiring to play a larger role in the
region. `If Turkey gets involved in regional developments, Iran should
also be given the chance to maintain the balance,’ said Rustamian.