International conference: "Europe, Armenia and Diaspora" (Valence, France)

The event was held as part of a Europe-wide awareness raising campaign on EU policies concerning Armenians. It was held in conjunction with a European seminar for Young Professionals.

Speakers at the conference included the Ambassador of Macedonia to the Council of Europe, Ms Elena Petrova, who introduced to the (mostly Armenian) audience the Council of Europe’s draft white paper on Intercultural Dialogue. This policy document suggests that Europe is confronted with a “multicultural reality” which must re acknowledged as “a fact, a right and an asset”. The policy’s purpose is to help reconcile this reality with the need to preserve social cohesion. Ms Petrova further suggested that Europe’s intercultural dialogue was of great significance to its Armenian Diaspora.

The Head of Armenia’s Mission to the European Union, Ambassador Viguen Tchitetchian, also addressed the conference to outline the developing relationship between his country and the European Union, which he likened to the development of a person: “in its infancy, immediately after independence in 1991, Armenia was assisted by the EU through generous humanitarian contributions. Later on, throughout childhood, it benefited from assistance and advice. Now that Armenia is a 15 year-old teenager, it enjoys a relationship based on mutual respect and dialogue with the European institutions”. The Ambassador went on to formulate a range of valuable suggestions regarding ways Diaspora Armenians might contribute to the relationship between Europe and Armenia, generally emphasizing the values of excellence, education, investment and creativity.

Ara Toranian, journalist and Chief Editor of Nouvelles d’Arménie Magazine and the conference’s third speaker, analysed for his part the effects of Turkey’s ongoing negotiations to join the European Union for European Armenians and voiced the concerns of many Armenians, particularly in France, that Europe risks lowering its ambitions in the course of Turkey’s accession process. In the end, Toranian fears, far from changing Turkey, as the optimists have it, Turkey might end up changing Europe.

The debate that followed was of a very high standard and dealt with the prospects which the European Neighbourhood Policy provides Armenia, the EU’s role in promoting regional cooperation and conflict resolution in the region, Turkey’s accession process and its effects on relations between Armenians and Turks, on legislation against racism in Europe, as well as on the Diaspora’s expected participation in consultations on the Council of Europe’s White Paper on the Intercultural Dialogue.

The Conference was chaired and introduced by Nicolas Tavitian, Director of the Inside Europe resource centre. Emphasizing the importance of constructive engagement with the European institutions, he added that “it is up to us [EU citizens of Armenian origin], and to our organizations to engage in a dialogue with European leaders. There is no shame in getting involved in European policy-making. It is up to us to educate our members in the European Parliament, our Commissioners and our Ministers and to formulate timely proposals.”

The conference was part of a project implemented jointly by the magazine les Nouvelles d'Arménie (Paris), the Inside Europe information centre and the magazine Orer and was organised jointly with AGBU in Valence. It was supported financially by the European Commission’s Directorate General for Education and Culture and by the AGBU and was also supported by the city of Valence.

Similar conferences have been held or are planned in London, Paris, the Hague, Sofia, Stockholm, Budapest and Prague. For more information or to take part in the project, please write to: contact@insideeurope.eu.

Links:

- AGBU: www.AGBU.org

- EC Directorate General for Education and Culture: ec.europa.eu/dgs/education_culture/index_en.html

- Les Nouvelles d'Arménie: www.armenews.com

- Orer magazine: www.orer.cz

- Inside Europe: www.insideeurope.eu