PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Chris Zakian
Tel: (212) 686-0710; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
September 29, 2009
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DIOCESE HOSTS DINNER FOR ARMENIA’S VISITING FOREIGN MINISTER NALBANDIAN
On Saturday, September 26, 2009, Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern) and the President of the
Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR), hosted a dinner in honor of Dr. Edward
Nalbandian, the visiting Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of
Armenia.
Minister Nalbandian was accompanied by Ambassador Tatoul Markarian,
Armenia’s Ambassador to the United States; Ambassador Garen Nazarian,
Armenia’s new Permanent Representative to the United Nations; and other
members of the Armenian delegation.
The dignitaries met with leaders of the Armenian American community in the
formal reception room of the Diocesan Center in New York.
In his opening remarks Archbishop Barsamian welcomed Foreign Minister
Nalbandian and his colleagues, who are in the United States to pursue the
delicate and sensitive issues surrounding recent Armenian diplomacy.
In greeting the guests, Oscar Tatosian, chairman of the Diocesan Council,
and Randy Sapah-Gulian, chairman of the FAR Board of Directors, stressed
that the entire Armenian American community has been following with serious
attention the initiatives of the Armenian government, in its effort to
"normalize" diplomatic relations with the Republic of Turkey.
"Armenians around the world express their views and concerns about it-and
that is natural, since so much is at stake. However, we hope that your
visit and meetings here will shed light on the protocols signed recently
with the Turkish authorities, and give more comfort to our communities in
supporting the realistic and future-oriented policies of the Armenia
government," said Mr. Tatosian.
Dr. Nalbandian thanked the Primate and dinner guests for a warm reception,
and acknowledged the Diocesan Center as a "bridge between Armenia and the
diaspora," where dignitaries from Armenia’s political, cultural, and
scientific arenas are always welcomed. "This is a house of all Armenians,"
he said, "and all visitors feel proud at this center."
The Foreign Minister proceeded to share his views on the most sensitive
aspects of the protocols, which have generated a great deal of reaction
around the world. He recounted in considerable detail the negotiation
process with Turkish counterparts, which eventually led to the signing of
the "groundbreaking" documents.
"In the course of the extensive public discourse around the protocols, some
allegations are being made that are either inaccurate and do not represent
reality-or, which is worse, [they] are distorting the essence and the letter
of the signed protocols," said the Foreign Minister.
According to Mr. Nalbandian, the entire negotiating process and the final
documents were generated at the initiative of the Armenian government, and
not imposed on the Armenian side, as some have claimed.
* Negotiations without any precondition
"The history of diplomatic relations proves that all sensitive issues
between countries could be better resolved at the negotiating table, in the
framework of mutual respect and trust," stated Minister Nalbandian in his
address to the guests at the Diocesan Center.
"We have never shied away from declaring on any possible occasion, from any
international podium, that Armenia does have unresolved issues with our
neighbor, including the recognition of the Genocide," he said. "We have
made it absolutely clear to our Turkish counterparts, and no preconditions
were ever discussed or agreed upon in the process of preparing the
protocols."
He continued: "The establishment of diplomatic relations between our two
states will set the start for a long-term dialogue between the diplomats and
representative authorities, during which the two countries will seek a
resolution to many historic, and new, bilateral problems."
An open and cordial question-and-answer session followed Mr. Nalbandian’s
formal remarks. Guest at the dinner, representing a cross-section of the
American Armenian community, raised their own concerns and asked the Foreign
Minister to clarify numerous matters that had been circulated about the
protocols.
On an admittedly sensitive subject, Mr. Nalbandian fielded every question,
and even shared intimate details about the documents and the processes and
negotiations behind their preparation.
"Some critics-either not deliberately, or with an obvious political
intent-are claiming to see things that are not in these documents, and have
never even been discussed in the negotiations," Mr. Nalbandian said.
"Contrary to what is being speculated, no one-sided concessions, no hidden
or open preconditions, were made by the Armenian side. The documents have
clearly stated what has been achieved at the negotiating table: All issues
of bilateral relations would become agenda items of further negotiations
between the two governments, after the diplomatic relations between Armenia
and Turkey are established, and the borders are open." said Mr. Nalbandian.
Following the meeting, Sarkis Jebejian, an international lawyer who attended
the gathering as a member of the Armenian General Benevolent Union’s Central
Board of Directors, said: "We applaud the initiative of the President of the
Republic of Armenian and the entire government to commence these
negotiations without any precondition."
Mr. Jebejian added: "The AGBU stands ready to assist the government in any
way necessary, and calls upon the entire diaspora to unite in support of
this complex and important mission."
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PHOTOS ATTACHED
Photo1: Dr. Edward Nalbandian, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic
of Armenia, visits the Diocesan Center on Saturday, September 26, 2009.
Photo2: Foreign Minister Nalbandian delivers his remarks about recent
developments between Armenia and Turkey.
Photo3: The Primate presents Foreign Minister Nalbandian with a gift on
behalf of the Diocese.