The 35th Armenian Revolutionary Federation World Congress officially kicked off at the Elite Plaza Business Center in Yerevan, where delegates and guests from around 30 countries participated in the official inaugurating ceremony, the ARF press office reported.
The World Congress was convened with the singing of the Armenian, Artsakh and ARF anthems.
In his remarks, ARF Supreme Council of Armenia chair Ishkhan Saghateyan said the defense of the homeland must become “our main focal point.”
“We must fight on all fronts and everywhere… Fight for the restoration of the rights of the Armenian people,” Saghatelyan said.
“This is the platform that the ARF can present to the people—a struggle in which we must be both the organizer, the soldier, and the leader, because the fate of the homeland and the ARF are intertwined. The rebuilding, reconciliation, and renewal of Armenia, the restoration of the Armenia-Artsakh-Diaspora trinity have no alternative,” he added.
The public relations director of the Holy See of Etchmiadzin, Archbishop Nathan Hovhannisyan conveyed the blessing of the Mother See, as well as greeting from His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, expressing hope and belief that “this gathering will have its contribution to our nation.”
“If we concede our history today, we will be deprived from our history tomorrow,” added Arch. Hovhannisyan.
The Prelate of United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and neighboring parishes, Archbishop Mesrob Sarkissian, read the message from His Holiness Aram I, the Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia.
“We have found ourselves on the brink of demise. We must adopt appropriate positions, away from all sorts of unrealistic approaches and superficial judgments,” Aram I said in his message.
“The Church cannot remain indifferent, passive and a bystander when our spiritual, moral and national values are in decline… When internal frictions are disrupting the unity of our nation… When the policy of concessions in exchange for temporary and deceptive peace endangers the territorial integrity of Armenia,” Aram I’s message stated.
In his closing remarks, ARF Bureau chair Hagop Der Khachadourian said the ARF’s 35th World Congress is being convened in Armenia at a time when the entire Armenia nation is in crisis and the homeland in is danger.
“It is clear that at the current stage of profound geopolitical, military-political, and domestic transformations, Armenia and all Armenians are facing a crisis and serious challenges,” Der Khachadourian emphasized.
The ARF World Congress is the highest body of the 135-year-old party.
The opening ceremony was followed by a reception. The ARF World Congress is expected to conclude on March 6.
The Armenians of Artsakh should live together in Armenia, and conditions should be created for their rights to be preserved so they do not leave Armenia, Der Khachadourian told reporters before the official opening of the ARF World Congress.
“In the global context, we must work for the right of collective return. This is not a fantasy because a number of countries have already expressed support in this regard. And we see the resolution to the issue by granting an interim status and allowing the people to return to their native lands on the basis of international guarantees,” added Der Khatchadourian.
He said that the ARF is working on the issue of the return of the Armenians of Artsakh and that respective consultations are taking place at the highest levels; for example, in the case of France, with the presidential palace, and in the case of the United States, with the new administration.
“When official Armenia puts into circulation that false premise that issues are finding a resolution organically, our work becomes difficult because we are insisting that the exact opposite is at play,” Der Khachadourian said.
“We are saying no, the Artsakh issue does exists, the negotiation process must be restored, there is an issue of collective return, there is an issue of an interim status, and, ultimately, the final status of Artsakh must be clarified. Fortunately, several countries—the U.S., France, Russia—agree with the reality that the Artsakh issue has not been resolved. Unfortunately, only Armenia and Azerbaijan agree that the Artsakh issue has been resolved,” Der Khatchadourian said.
“There issue of a peace treaty is not real because we do not believe that Azerbaijan wants peace. What is happening is a fabricated peace agenda and an attempt to mislead the people and justify unilateral concessions,” the ARF leader said.
“Turkey and Azerbaijan, with their staements and their positions, have noted that they truly strive for peace. But every time when Armenia proposes to sign a treaty, it receives no response from Azerbaijan. Instead it receives additional demands for additional concessions and new antics, such as the demand for ‘Western Azerbaijan.’ Naturally, we all want peace, but it must be a dignified peace,” Der Khachadourian added.
