FIRST CONVENTION OF EUROPEAN ARMENIANS TO TAKE PLACE AT THE EUROPEAN
PARLIAMENT
BRUSSELS, August 9,(Noyan Tapan). The first Convention of European
Armenians will take place at the European Parliament, Brussels, on
October 18-19. According to the European Armenian Federation, this
pan-European meeting will be a forum for sharing ideas and concerns on
topics of importance to the Armenian communities across Europe.
European citizens of Armenian descent now number more than two
million, stemming from three large waves of immigration that resulted
from the Genocide perpetrated by Ottoman Turkey (1915), war in the
middle-east (1975) and the fall of the USSR (1991). Though well
integrated in the economic, social and cultural life of their new
countries, they have kept their identity and their interest in
Armenian issues. The topics to be discussed at the convention are as
follows: Armenian culture and identity in Europe – Relations between
the European Union and Armenia – The Stakes involved in European Union
Enlargement. “With this first European Convention, we are not aiming
to establish any superstructure that would replace the various
organisations dealing with Armenian issues in Europe. Rather, we aim
to create a framework for free expression that will enable the shared
positions and opinions of the European communities to emerge,” Hilda
Tchoboian, Chairwoman of the European Armenian Federation, stated.