PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Tel: (+961- 4) 410001, 410003
Fax: (+961- 4) 419724
E- mail: info@armenianorthodoxchurch.org
Web:
PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

His Holiness Aram I Meets with Members of Church Councils and
Representatives of Community Organizations in the Region

Antelias – Following the consecration of the Armenian Church in Abu
Dhabi, Catholicos Aram I met with around 75 young Armenian men and
women, who shared their concerns and questions regarding the Church. The
Catholicos posed the question of what it means to be a young Armenian in
the diaspora today. He asked them to consider a number of attendant
questions: `How can the youth keep their Armenian identity in
pluralist societies?’ `What is the role of Armenia and the Armenian
church and culture in safeguarding the identity of our youth’ He said,
`It is important for the Church to listen to the voices of the youth
as they discuss the post-100th anniversary Genocide priorities.’

After the meeting with the youth, His Holiness met with members of the
Church Council of Qatar and Abu Dhabi, together with the Catholical
Vicar and the President of the Council, Mr Hrayr Soghomonian. The
representatives informed the Catholicos of their activities and future
plans. They discussed the situation of the Armenian community in Qatar
and the United Arab Emirates, after which the Catholicos recommended
that a church and community centre be built in Qatar and community
centres be constructed in Sharja and Dubai.

His Holiness Aram I Addresses an Interfaith Meeting in Abu Dhabi

Antelias – In between his pastoral meetings, His Holiness was asked to
join a special meeting organized by Religions for Peace to prepare a
statement on religious extremism. The meeting brought together, among
others, the representatives of the Holy See, the General Secretary of
the King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious
and Intercultural Dialogue in Vienna and the representative of the
General Secretary of the United Nations.

His Holiness said that he was glad to address the distinguished audience
as a President of Religions for Peace and reminded them that extremism
contradicts the teachings of all religions. In view of the current
situation in the world, the Catholicos invited Muslim religious leaders
to lead the way and show how the Holy Qur’an is being misinterpreted
and Islam misrepresented as an exclusivist ideology. He then recommended
that all religions promote education for building inclusive communities.

The participants highly appreciated the intervention of His Holiness,
which prompted fruitful discussion.

The Papers of the Conference On “The Armenian Genocide from Recognition
to Reparation” Appear in a Special Issue of Volume 14 of the
International Criminal Law Review

Antelias – The Communication and Information Office of the
Catholicosate of Cilicia announces that the papers delivered at the
momentous conference, held from the 23rd through the 25th of February
2012 in Antelias, Lebanon have been published in a special issue in
Volume 14 of the International Criminal Law Review, 2014.

The conference, which was the first of its kind to be dedicated to the
issue of reparations, was initiated by His Holiness Aram I, assisted by
Dr Nora Bayrakdarian. His Holiness, who presided over the conference,
wrote the preface to the volume.

The volume is a collection of the articles presented during the
conference by internationally known experts, with Henry Theriault as its
guest editor.

The following articles appear in the issue:

`The Armenian Genocide: =46rom Recognition to Reparations,’ Aram I,

`Economic-Legal Perspectives on the Armenian Genocide,’ Dean Susan
A. Karamanian,

`The Consequences of Turkey Being the `Continuing’ State of the
Ottoman Empire in

Terms of International Responsibility for Internationally Wrongful
Acts,’ Dr Patrick

Dumberry,

`Jumping Hurdles Backwards: The Armenian Genocide and International
Criminal

Court,’ Dr Dov Jacobs,

`Establishing State Responsibility for Historical Injustices: The
Armenian Case,’

Dr Marco Roscini,

`The Notion of `Continuous Violations,’ Expropriated Armenian
Properties, and the

European Court of Human Rights,’ Dr Frédéric Mégret,

`Restoration of Historical Memory and Dignity for Victims of the
Armenian Genocide:

A Human Rights Law Approach to Effective Reparations,’ Dr Richard J.
Wilson,

`An Attempt to Recover Armenian Properties in Turkey through the
French

Authorities in Syria and Lebanon in the 1920s,’ Dr Vahé Tachjian,

`Ius Humanitatis and the Right to Reparation for International Crimes
in Foreign

Domestic Courts,’ Dr Marcel Brus,

`The Spirit of the Law: Following the Traces of Genocide in the Law of
Abandoned

Property,’ Dr Taner Akçam,

`Foundations of Non-Muslim Communities: The Last Object of
Confiscation,’ Dr Sait Çentinoglu,

`Compensation and Damages in International Law and Their Relevance for
the

Valuation of Expropriated Armenian Property,’ Dr Irmgard Marboe,

`International Law between the Duty of Memory and the Right to
Oblivion,’ Dr Gabriele Della Morte,

`Reparations for Genocide: Group Harm and the Limits of Liberal
Individualism,’ Dr Henry C. Theriault.

# #

Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
PO Box : 70 317 Antelias – LEBANON
Tel: (+961-4) 410 001 / 3
Fax: (+961-4) 419724
E-mail: info@armenianorthodoxchurch.org