10 Macquarie Street
Chatswood NSW 2067
AUSTRALIA
Contact: Laura Artinian
Tel: (02) 9419-8056
Fax: (02) 9904-8446
Email: [email protected]
27 March 2006
ARCHBISHOP RETURNS FROM REGIONAL INTERFAITH CONFERENCE
Sydney, Australia – At the invitation of Australia’s Foreign Affairs
Minister, the Hon Alexander Downer MP, His Eminence Archbishop Aghan
Baliozian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of Australia
and New Zealand was one of a ten person delegation to represent
Australia at the “Dialogue on Regional Interfaith, Cooperation for
Peace, Development and Human Dignity” in Cebu, Philippines from
14-16 March.
Other members of the Australian delegation included Rev John Baldock
(Anglican), Cardinal George Pell (Catholic), Rev John Henderson
(National Council of Churches of Australia), Ms Peta Jones Pellach
(Jewish), Most Venerable Van Canh Tran (Buddhist), Ms Wendie Wilkie
(Uniting Church), Sister Trish Madigan (Catholic), Dr Abdul Ameer Ali
(Muslim), Dr Appupillay Balasubramanian (Hindu).
On the evening of 13 March, the Australian delegation met with
the Australian Ambassador to the Philippines, His Excellency Tony
Hely and Australian government representatives headed by Mr Andrew
Robb, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Immigration and
Multicultural Affairs.
The conference was officially opened on 14 March by President Gloria
Macapagal Arroyo of the Philippines with her keynote address. New
Zealand Prime Minister, Mrs Helen Clark then addressed the participants
of the Conference which led the delegates into four working parties
each to consider one of four themes in the context of interfaith
cooperation that included regional peace and security, human dignity
and development, the role of education and promotion; and the role
of media in promoting interfaith cooperation. Australia led the
workshop on “Interfaith Co-operation for Regional Peace and Security”.
After a consultation process that lasted two days, the reports of
the four working groups were presented and the spirit of the reports
composed the “Cebu Declaration on Regional Interfaith Cooperation on
Peace, Development and Human Dignity” which was drawn on 16 March.
During the course of the three days, delegates had the opportunity
to explore parts of Cebu province and get acquainted with the local
culture and lifestyle of the Philippines. On Tuesday evening, the
Governor of Cebu, Gwendolyn Garcia hosted a dinner for the 150 plus
delegates who were later entertained with a cultural performance.
Delegates to the Dialogue came from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos,
Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia,
New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste, Malaysia and Fiji Islands.
On his return journey to Sydney via Hong Kong, Archbishop Baliozian
visited with the small Armenian communities in Hong Kong and
Guangzhou, China. He was met in Hong Kong by Mr and Mrs Jack Maxian who
accompanied the Primate to Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton to the
western world), the provincial capital city of Guangdong. Presently,
there are three Armenian residents in Guangzhou with business interests
finding them in this remote part of the world. Warm hospitality
and sincere camaraderie is ever-present when two or more Armenians
gather. This was indeed the case when the Archbishop was so warmly
welcomed by the Armenians of both Hong Kong and Guangzhou.