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PRESS RELEASE
Friday, August 31, 2007
AGBU Young Professionals in London Hold Inaugural Conference on
Armenians in Europe
The Armenian community of London has always played a larger role than
their numbers suggest in the European Armenian community and, on March
22, 2007, AGBU Young Professionals of London (YP London) proved their
dedication to that leadership role by holding a special conference for
college academics and politicians on the topic of Armenians and the
European Union.
Under the leadership of Inside Europe Director Nicolas Tavitian and
AGBU YP London Chairwoman Armine Afrikian, the conference on Armenians
in Europe took place under the auspices of the shared project on the
Armenian Diaspora and Europe coordinated by Inside Europe (Brussels),
"Nouvelles d’Armenie" magazine (France), and "Orer" publication (Czech
Republic).
The speakers at the conference reviewed European politics that affect
Armenians, while highlighting the relationship between the EU and
Armenia, and addressed the question of Turkey’s EU membership bid.
Suzan Pattie, Director of the London Armenian Institute and Professor
at the University College London, opened the conference with a
presentation on the European Diaspora. Pattie claimed that the
diasporas play a leading role in the creation of a European identity
and underlined the originality and the importance of the Armenian
network across the European continent, making the Armenian model
"European" in a certain fashion.
Europe in Armenia
Armine Ishkhanian, Director of Conferences at the London School of
Economics (LSE), emphasized the support role that different European
institutions play in Armenia in the reform process, which ultimately
leads towards the establishment of a civil society.
The Member of European Parliament for London, Charles Tannock,
reminded the audience that Armenia, which is deeply impacted by these
political decisions, was at first excluded. It was the European
Parliament which later succeeded in including it. Tannock believes
that Armenia has an important future, being "a country closer to what
Europe represents than most of our other neighbors."
The Ambassador of Armenia to the United Kingdom, Dr. Vahe Gabrielyan,
also emphasized the importance of the contribution of the European
Union towards reforms in Armenia. Eventually, according to Gabrielyan,
it is the identification of Armenian citizens with Europe that serves
as the impetus for reforms and the foundation for relations between
Armenia and the EU.
Turkey in Europe
Journalist Jonathan Fryer, Chairman of the Liberal International
British Group, spoke about his great familiarity with Armenia and its
diaspora, and also mentioned his close friendship with assassinated
editor Hrant Dink. Fryer spoke about his support for Turkey’s
application to join the EU, commenting that the country still needs to
reform before reaching European standards, including the official
acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide. He called on Armenians to
make a pledge to Europe: "As Armenians, you have a pluralistic
identity. You are Armenians, or British, French, Belgians, but you are
also Europeans. Sometimes the diasporas are so much engrossed in their
problems that they forget to subscribe to the European context in
which they live."
While Fryer opened the debate on Turkey, Ara Sarafian continued the
discussion. A historian and editor, he argued for a direct accord with
Turkey, "Turkey is a country in transition, and it is in our interest
to be in accord with it, in favor of democratization."
Hratch Koundardjian, political consultant and parliamentary advisor,
Aegis Trust, stated that utmost importance should be given to European
institutions, which, independent of their power of decision, are
becoming one of the meeting points of international politics. He
insisted that the EU be given more importance by Armenians and invited
each one of the participants at the conference to start making contact
with their elected European representatives. The AEGIS foundation, he
explained, had made efforts to galvanize the Western governments in
favor of the prevention of contemporary genocides. It was the major
organizer of the Rwandan Genocide Exhibit at the United Nations in New
York, which was cancelled at the request of Turkey due to a sentence
mentioning the Armenian Genocide.
Several students and European experts on regional and international
relations initiated the discussions that followed the presentations.
This conference was the first in a series that is being continued in
several European capitals, to follow up on the debate over various
European political facets of interest to the Armenians. The second was
held on May 26, 2007 in Valence, France during a weekend of activities
organized by AGBU. The third took place in Sofia, Bulgaria on June 23,
2007. More conferences will take place in various European locations
in the coming months.
Established in 2006, AGBU YP London is dedicated to preserving and
promoting the Armenian heritage and identity through educational,
cultural, and humanitarian programs. For more information on YP
London, please email [email protected].
For more information about AGBU and its worldwide programs, please
visit