“New Armenia, New Diaspora” Conference

Assembly of Armenians of Europe, 1 February 2020

Honorable compatriots,

We hereby invite you to participate in a two-day conference organized by the Assembly of Armenians of Europe, scheduled for May 23, 24 of this year in Köln, Germany.

Today, as a result of the mercenary and short-term policies of global superpowers and international corporations, the world is on the brink of new problems and disasters.

On the other hand, there are also the visible efforts and struggles of a variety of progressive forces acting as the conscience of the international community and striving for world peace, solidarity, human rights and freedoms, and the elimination of injustice and inequality.

The Armenian people have been through many catastrophes and, particularly as tensions in the region continue to escalate today, in the need of unity, solidarity and organization more than ever.

Thanks to the Velvet Revolution that took place in spring 2018, a path is being paved toward a just and law-abiding sovereign state, where every individual and organization is open to serve the homeland and there are no obstacles and barriers. The opportunity has been created, in parallel to the transformation in the homeland and the creation of a new Armenia, to embark in the Diaspora as well on a range of constituent and structural reforms, in order to create a union that can face the challenges of the 21^st century.

On the path to achieving the goals of the Velvet Revolution, we all consider it our conscious duty to gather our forces, unite, coordinate and self-organize, in the name of the homeland and the Diaspora, for the sake of realizing the aspirations of all Armenians.

It is necessary to unite and restructure the currently divided Diaspora through a vision of a powerful and new Diaspora.

Armenian communities in different regions of the world should use their local conditions to adopt the most appropriate and effective organizational model to ensure the unity and future development of their community and society.

We believe that all the necessary conditions and resources are available in Europe along with a suitable political and social environment, making it possible to unite the Armenians of the continent and achieve a higher and more effective level of self-organization, including even the establishment of a representative and democratic system.

The development and implementation of such a system can be made possible first with the active involvement of Diaspora forces and then in close cooperation with the Office of the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs and other relevant Armenian authorities.

Based on the above-mentioned common ideas and approaches, the Assembly of Armenians of Europe is initiating some organizational preparatory work in this direction and is calling on interested organizations, public figures, intellectuals and individuals in the Diaspora and the Motherland to join this initiative.

The Assembly of Armenians of Europe (AAE) is an independent non-governmental political organization operating in the Diaspora, which has been working and striving for unity and pan-Armenian aspirations since its establishment (2003).

We believe that the Assembly of Armenians of Europe will certainly play a positive role in the unification, organization, consolidation and empowerment of Armenians, particularly those living in Europe.

We therefore invite you to attend and participate in this two-day conference, which will be held in Köln (Cologne), Germany, on May 23 and 24.

We will keep you updated on further developments. We also attach great importance to the reaction and suggestions of our compatriots.

Honorable compatriots,

The time for words and praise is over, it is time for action.

“Fortune favors the brave!”

For further information you may contact

Dr. Raffi Bedikian (Germany) 00491714579813, 0049 208665009 [email protected]
Garo Akopian, President of AAE, Sweden (Viber, WhatsApp) +46 707258593 [email protected]