Calls for Unity at Diaspora Conference

Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I closed the opening day ceremony with a fiery speech in which he hoped that Armenia would reduce its emigration, reduce poverty and let diasporan and residents of Armenia come together to help the country.
Prime Minister Karapetyan brought his technology savvy vibe to the conference, promising a better future and engendering hope.

He said, “First and foremost, my belief is that Armenia has a huge potential. I am convinced that we have all the chances to become a modern and progressive country and to respond adequately to internal and external challenges. Today’s world, including Armenia, is going through structural reforms. We are implementing reforms in all parts of our country, in all aspects of life, to secure Armenia’s worthy place in the world. That is why our reforms aim not only the settlement and resolution of today’s burning issues, but they also seek to lay the groundwork for making Armenia competitive in a changing world.”
He added, “To become competitive and develop, we need sustainable, long-term growth in all lifeline areas of public life. That is why we need a sharp increase in effectiveness in all spheres, and we need fundamental transformations that can change the way we think and act. This is our team’s ultimate goal, and we do not see any reason why we cannot succeed together.”

He encouraged more active participation rather than passivity.
“We need to straighten our back and continue building together the country we all dream about; the country that wakes up every day with firm determination to build, develop and add something new for the sake of its supreme value – people,” he noted.
In her wrapping up of the conference, Hakobyan stressed that the maintenance of Armenian identity remains one of the most important issues for Armenia and the Armenian Diaspora.

“ One of our major issues remains the maintenance of the Armenian identity since we all understand that the Armenian communities are becoming smaller in a rapidly changing world. But I am convinced that if jointly continue our work, we will be able to bring many Armenians to our territory. We face a problem of self-organization in certain communities. The number of mixed marriages gradually increases, the number of people bearing the mother tongue decreases, Armenian schools and cultural centers are being closed, there are problems of maintenance of Armenian cultural heritage in some countries,” she said. She added that there are Armenian communities in 118 countries of the world, and they have different composition and different legal status. “We have cities, villages that are completely Armenian-populated. It’s typical for Armenians to quickly integrate to a foreign environment and maintain their national features.” She noted that that there are 829 communities, 30,000 Armenian organizations, 38 pan-Armenian organizations, 724 operating churches and monasteries, more than 1,000 schools, 637 cultural centers in the Armenian Diaspora.

One event which delighted many was the swanky gala at the Defense Ministry, in honor of the 26th anniversary of the Republic of Armenia. Arriving at sunset, guests were treated to the sounds of several different bands, several tables of food and the free mingling of many of the country’s leaders, including Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan, Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan and Deputy Defense Minister Artak Zakaryan, among others. Before the festivities began President Serzh Sargsyan addressed those assembled.
The conference coincided with the celebration of the independence anniversary. In honor of the anniversary, a celebratory program was organized for the delegates at the Ministry of Defense on the outskirts of Yerevan. The program featured music, fireworks and a buffet dinner.

President Sargsyan, who was attending the program as did Prime Minister Karapetyan, the two religious leaders and many other guests, addressed the crowd before he and other members of his cabinet mingled with the participants.