AGBU Europe congratulates the Parliament of Sweden for acknowledging the genocides committed against the Armenians, Assyrians/Chaldeans/Syriacs and Pontic Greeks during the First World War.

The Parliament of Sweden ackowledged the Armenian genocide by a vote of 131 to 130 on Thursday 11 March. In response, Turkey withdrew its Ambassador and cancelled Prime Minister Erdogan’s scheduled visit.

“Sweden usually strives to reconcile effectiveness and ethics in its relations with the outside world. We applaud it for its principled and constructive stance on the genocide. The truth will set us all free.” said Nicolas Tavitian, of AGBU Europe.

This vote comes on the heels of another vote, last Thursday (March 4), in the US Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, which also acknowledged the Armenian genocide. The resolution passed in spite of heavy pressure from Turkey; the Turkish government recalled their ambassador to the United States.

Opponents to the resolution in the US most often justified their stance on the basis of Turkey’s strategic importance to the United States. They also argue that Turkey may now refuse to open its border with Armenia.

AGBU Europe believes that it is misguided on the part of European countries or the US to accept to be induced into sacrificing the truth by a fellow NATO member, EU candidate country and self-declared friend. Turkish society is in the process of discovering the truth about their country’s past. We are doing them no favour by obliging in their historic taboos precisely when their own society is challenging them.

Turkey signed a protocol with Armenia on October 10, 2009 that was intended to lead to the normalization of relations between the two countries. The country then reneged on its commitment and subjected ratification of the agreement to further conditions.

The process is widely considered blocked in the Turkish Grand National Assembly. The recognition of the genocide in Sweden and the United States is a useful signal to Turkey that it needs to radically rethink its policy towards the Republic of Armenia and towards Armenians generally and to urgently complete the normalization process.

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The AGBU Europe Board’s first meeting of 2010 was held on January 23 at London’s “Armenian House” - a symbolic place that brings together the entire Armenian community.

In his speech AGBU Europe Chairman Alexis Govciyan said, “The United Kingdom plays an important role in the European Union on both political and economic levels. Its position in favor of Turkey and Azerbaijan should be changed and a balanced policy must be established, taking into account Armenia’s role in the region. This powerful European country should be more interested in the recognition of the Armenian genocide and should support the historical truth. The recent action of the Parliament members from Northern Ireland and Scotland towards the recognition of the Armenian genocide is a very important step. We should work even more actively with the Armenian community in London on various Armenian issues and coordinate our efforts”.

During the days in London, AGBU Europe leaders met with various individuals and organizations including RA Ambassador to UK Vahe Gabrielian, Baroness Caroline Cox, Bi-shop Nathan Hovhannisian, members of the Armenian Community & Church Council of Great Britain, and AGBU Young Professionals of London.

The main purpose of these meetings was to present the goals and the mission of AGBU Europe, exchange views on important issues and explore opportunities for partnership and collaboration.

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AGBU is currently accepting applications for its newly created 2010 Moscow Summer Intern Program.

Already home to the largest community in the worldwide Armenian diaspora, Moscow will be the location of AGBU’s newest summer intern program, which joins the organization’s successful programs in New York and Yerevan.

The first Moscow Summer Intern Program is scheduled to begin on June 26, 2010, and it will continue for five weeks, concluding on July 31.

The program will offer students of Armenian descent from around the world a once-in-a-lifetime professional experience in a global hub of trade, commerce, diplomacy and innovation.

Participating students will experience the exhilaration of the Russian capital, which is home to hundreds of international corporations and leading organizations.

They will stay at the dormitories of the internationally renowned Moscow State University with the best and brightest Armenian students from around the world. They will be immersed in the thrill of modern Russia and discover a world of opportunity they could only dream of.

Like its sister programs in New York and Yerevan, students participating in the Moscow program will explore the Armenian character of the city and meet local Russian Armenians who are a driving force in the revitalization of this former capital of the Soviet Union.

In addition to local outings, educational seminars and cultural workshops, participants will travel to St. Petersburg to explore the cultural riches of czarist Russia. Among the treasures they will encounter during their trip to Russia’s second city will be the famed Hermitage Museum and St. Catherine’s Armenian Apostolic Church.

Students are not required to know Russian to participate as they will be placed in English-language work environments. For more information, please visit, agbu.org/msip, or email, msip@agbu.org.

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The AGBU Armenian Virtual College (AVC) is pleased to announce the opening of its enrollment period for Winter Term 2010.  Courses in Eastern Armenian, Western Armenian, History of Armenia and Introduction to Armenian Architecture are offered in multiple languages, including: Eastern Armenian, Western Armenian, English, French , Russian and Spanish.

The classes for the Winter Term 2010 start on Monday, January 11, and end on March 16. For enrollment, please visit the AVC portal at www.avc-agbu.org, create your log-in and submit your enrollment application.

The enrollment is open until December 27, 2009.

For more details, please contact: enrollment@avc-agbu.org

AVC enables Armenian education anytime anywhere!

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On November 27, in the Alex Manoogian Cultural Center of the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) in Paris, Mr. Hayk Demoyan, Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute (AGMI), presented his new illustrated book entitled “Armenian Sport and Gymnastics in the Ottoman Empire” and other books published by the AGMI.

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After Barcelona in Spain and Frankfurt in Germany, AGBU Europe is continuing its European policy of establishing a new representation office in Brussels.

For Alexis Govciyan, AGBU Europe Chairman, “after the launch of AGBU Europe on January 1, 2008, we needed a physical presence and visibility in Brussels where many European institutions are headquartered. This office will provide a permanent presence and implement AGBU strategies with European institutions.”

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1.   Nagorno - Karabakh. 15 years after the end of hostilities, the conflict that divided Armenians and Azerbaijanis is still simmering, the risk of war is real, and people continue to suffer.

The EU can contribute to alleviating suffering and in preventing war: it should help reduce tensions by sponsoring confidence-building measures between the two sides; it should engage with Karabakh by establishing contact with the territory’s authorities and providing assistance, as it does in all other territories with a similar status, including neighbouring Abkhazia and South Ossetia; and it should send observers to monitor the cease fire.

2.    The Armenian Republic and the European Union. The Republic of Armenia, a member of the Council of Europe, belongs in Europe by virtue to its geography, of its identity and of the aspirations of its people. The EU is an indispensible driver of economic and political modernisation in Armenia and its region, and the Eastern Partnership represents a major opportunity for the country.

We wish to make sure that this opportunity is not missed, that the Eastern Partnership maintains its momentum and effectively deepens relations between the EU’s and Armenia’s peoples and economies. We wish agreements on deep free trade and visa facilitation to be concluded as early as possible. And we also wish to look beyond the short term negotiations and look to Armenia’s future as a Member of the Union.

The multilateral and civil society dimensions of the EaP are particularly important, and should be used to encourage neighbouring countries to cooperate at all levels and in all relevant policy areas.

3.    Armenian culture. There are more than one million EU citizens of Armenian origin live within the EU. Though well integrated, they are usually keen to retain their Armenian identity and culture. We will work with the European institutions, in the wake of the European Year for Intercultural Dialogue, on ways in which Diaspora cultures can be nurtured and acknowledged as an integral part of Europe’s cultural heritage.

4.    Turkey and Armenia. After a blockade of 16 years, Turkey now envisages to normalize relations with Armenia. AGBU has welcomed the prospect, but warned that the international community should press for a quick and effective implementation of the protocol and should hold Turkey to account, should it seek to delay its implementation. The Nagorno Karabakh peace process should remain separate from Armenia-Turkey negotiations. Finally, the recognition in Turkey of the 1915 genocide of the Armenians should not be entrusted to an intergovernmental commission. Rediscovering a long-suppressed truth will be achieved through free public debate and ultimately for political leadership in Turkey.

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From October 31 to November 3, 2009, the third Diocesan Representative Assembly of the Armenian Apostolic Church was held in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin presided over by His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians and with the participation of representatives from the Armenian Patriarchates of Jerusalem and Constantinople; Diocesan Primates from Armenia and the Diaspora; high ranking clergy; Members of the Supreme Spiritual Council and representatives of the laity. President of the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) Mr. Berge Setrakian also arrived in Armenia to participate in the meeting.

On October 31, the opening ceremony of the meeting was held under the presidency of His Holiness Karekin II. In attendance for the opening session were Mr. Bako Sahakian, President of the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh; and Mr. Tigran Sargsian, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia; and Mr. Berge Setrakian, President of AGBU. In his remarks, His Holiness reflected on the current process of development of general guidelines for the Armenian Church.

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“AGBU Levon Zaven Surmelian Printing House” opened at the Writers Union of Armenia. For the first time the Writers’ Union of Armenia has its own printing house

Continuing its traditional support to various cultural programs, particularly its contribution to the development of Armenian literature and book publishing both in Armenia and Diaspora, Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) expands cooperation with the Writers’ Union of Armenia (WUA). During the years with the financial support of AGBU the Writers’ Union of Armenia has published works of Armenian writers and organized pan-Armenian conferences.

With a new initiative to promote book publishing Armenian General Benevolent Union has sponsored the establishment of a printing house at the Writers’ Union of Armenia, which will carry the name of prominent Armenian-American writer Levon Zaven Surmelian. Read the rest of this entry »

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