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Prominent Armenian Eduard Ovannisian dies

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  • Prominent Armenian Eduard Ovannisian dies

    Associated Press Worldstream
    July 22, 2004 Thursday 3:38 PM Eastern Time

    Prominient Armenian Eduard Ovannisian dies

    YEREVAN, Armenia


    Eduard Ovannisian, who became a prominent member of the Armenian
    Diaspora after defecting from the Soviet Union and later returned to
    pursue politics in his native country, died Wednesday, his political
    party said.

    Ovannisian, who was 71, suffered a stroke in Germany two months ago
    and had been brought back to the Armenian capital Yerevan 10 days
    before his death, the leadership of the Dashnaktsutyun party said in
    a statement.

    Ovannisian was "a person whose entire conscious life was dominated by
    concern for the past, the present and the future of the Armenian
    people," the Dashnaktsutyun statement said.

    Ovannisian defected to the West during a trip to France in 1971. He
    headed the Armenia service of Radio Liberty from 1984-1993 and
    directed a center for Armenian issues in Munich.

    He was involved in the publication of a compendium of documents on
    what Armenians say was the genocide by the Turks of up to 1.5 million
    Armenians between 1915 and 1923. Turks dispute the numbers and
    circumstances.

    Ovanissian was a member of the nationalist Dashnaktsutyun or Dashnak
    party, which was outlawed in 1995 but newly legalized in 1998. His
    son, Vaan Ovanissian, is a party member and vice-speaker of Armenia's
    parliament.
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