The roadmap to regime change is a response to conditions that were crystallized by the recently signed protocols which represent the first step in the process of rapprochement between Armenia and Turkey. The ARF has properly viewed these documents as being detrimental to Armenia’s present and future national interests. In response to this assessment, the party has announced its formal opposition to the protocols. In Part I an explanation was offered as to how the ARF can deliver on its roadmap to regime change. Although this is a gargantuan task for which the ARF has the necessary experience to undertake, it is the how of the undertaking that is crucial. The response by the ARF, if it is to be effective, must be multi-faceted in its objectives and multi-operational in its implementation.
‘Yalanci Dolma’ Diplomacy
Yes, it was a meeting, but not a “historic meeting” as posted by the Friends of Hrant Dink, the organizers of an academic event entitled “Closing the Divide.” The event was designed to build cultural bridges between the Armenian Diaspora on one side and the Turkish people on the other, to traverse a colossal gorge, not divide, created by centuries of slavery, abuse, colonization of Western Armenia, and pogroms, which peaked with the infamous genocide of 1915-23.
What Armenian Americans Think about Obama
On May 12, I wrote an article titled “Obama Alienates Armenian Americans,” in which I presented the reaction of Armenian leaders and commentators to what the community views as the continuous stream of blows from the Obama Administration in recent weeks. In the two days following the posting of the article on the Armenian Weekly website, many readers posted their views on Obama’s “betrayals” and their suggestions about the road ahead.
Telling the Truth About the Armenian Genocide
Even before President Barack Obama set off on his visit to Turkey this week, there were the usual voices urging him to dilute the principled position that he has so far taken on the Armenian genocide. April is the month in which the Armenian diaspora commemorates the bloody initiation, in 1915, of the Ottoman Empire’s campaign to erase its Armenian population. The marking of the occasion takes two forms: Armenian Remembrance Day, on April 24, and the annual attempt to persuade Congress to name that day as one that abandons weasel wording and officially calls the episode by its right name, which is the word I used above.
Diaspora Minister Outlines Strategy of New Ministry
BEVERLY HILLS–Armenia’s newly-appointed Diaspora Minister, Hranoush Hakopyan, Wednesday explained that the newly-created ministry aims to consolidate all forces of the Diaspora and homeland to enhance the development of the entire Armenian nation. At a meeting with Armenian press representatives, Hakopyan outlined the four main objectives of the ministry, among them development of programs to strengthen…
Beirut Armenia’s Celebrates 85th Anniversary of the Armenian Evangelical College
BEIRUT–The 85th anniversary celebration of the Armenian Evangelical College, the first Armenian high school of the post-genocide Armenian diaspora, was held on Sunday, October 19, 2008 at the UNESCO Hall under the auspices of the Armenian Evangelical Union of the Middle East, with over 650 guests in attendance. After the singing of the Armenian and…
Diaspora Ministry, UNDP Sign Cooperation Agreement
YEREVAN (Armenpress)–In its first order of business since becoming a full-fledged government ministry on Wednesday, the Armenian Diaspora Ministry signed on Friday a memorandum of mutual understanding and cooperation with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The document, signed between Diaspora Minister Hran’sh Hakobian and the UNDP’s permanent representative in Armenia, Conseulo Vidal, covers cooperation…
AYF Holds Annual Convention
GLENDALE–Delegates from the Armenian Youth Federation’s 14 chapters convened last week at the organization’s camp grounds in Wrightwood for a three day conference to set the goals and direction for upcoming fiscal year. During the course of the convention, delegates discussed increasing member and community activism, establishing new means of outreach to a growing Armenian…