PRESS RELEASE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of Australia & New Zealand
10 Macquarie Street
Chatswood NSW 2067
AUSTRALIA
Contact: Laura Artinian
Tel: (02) 9419-8056
Fax: (02) 9904-8446
Email: [email protected]
12 March 2006
ARMENIAN PRIMATE AMONG A TEN-PERSON DELEGATION FROM AUSTRALIA ATTENDING THE
REGIONAL INTER-FAITH DIALOGUE IN CEBU, PHILIPPINES
Sydney, Australia – No sooner has the Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian
Church of Australia and New Zealand, His Eminence Archbishop Aghan Baliozian
touched down in Sydney after participating in the World Council of Churches
9th General Assembly in Porto Alegre, Brazil from 13-24 February followed by
the Meeting of the Supreme Ecclesiastical Council in the Mother See of Holy
Etchmiadzin from 1-3 March, he will head off to Cebu in the Philippines on
13 March, 2006 as part of a 10 person delegation representing Australia.
The Conference will be co-hosted by the Governments of the Philippines,
Indonesia, New Zealand and Australia.
The Dialogue on Interfaith Cooperation began as a joint Australia-Indonesia
initiative between the Foreign Ministers of the two countries, the Hon
Alexander Downer MP and HE Dr Hassan Wirajuda at the ASEAN meeting in July
2005. The broad objective of the Dialogue is to convene discussion among
world denominations and to foster greater understanding and cooperation
between the various faith communities in the region, to potentially resolve
the challenges that face communities today.
As a member of the Australian Delegation to the first Dialogue held in
Yogyakarta, Indonesia in December 2005, Archbishop Baliozian’s valued
contribution to the forum has initiated a second invitation from Mr Downer
to be included in the upcoming Australian delegation that will meet with
participants from fourteen other countries in the Asia-Pacific region in
Cebu, Philippines from 14-16 March.
Entitled “Cebu Dialogue on Regional Interfaith, Cooperation for Peace,
Development and Human Dignity” will build on the first Conference –
“Dialogue on Interfaith Cooperation: Community Building and Harmony”.
Workshop sessions at the Conference will consider four themes in the context
of interfaith cooperation: including regional peace and security, human
dignity and development, the role of education and promotion; and the role
of media in promoting interfaith cooperation.
It is expected that the number of participants from the Asia-Pacific region
contributing to the Dialogue will be about 150.
In the present world climate, with a myriad of diverse attitudes, values and
ideals, Dialogues such as this provide opportunity to foster better
understanding and tolerance at a regional level with the ultimate goal of
ensuring peace and harmony to blend societies and nations. There is no
better disseminator, leader or promoter of such important principles within
communities than interfaith bodies and faith groups.