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PRESS RELEASE
Date: April 29, 2008
Armenian National Committee of New York
69-23 47th Avenue, Woodside, NY 11377
Contact: Doug Geogerian
Tel : 646-468-9061
ANC OF NEW YORK COMMEMORATES 93RD ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARMENIAN
GENOCIDE
New York, NY - On April 25, 2008, the Armenian National Committee
of New York (ANC of NY) and Friends of ANC presented a genocide
commemoration at New York's City Hall. Co-sponsored by City
Council Speaker Christine Quinn and City Council member Melinda
Katz, this year's program highlighted the need for collaborative
activism.
The program opened with singer/songwriter Hooshere Bezdikian
singing the national anthems of the Republic of Armenia and the
United States of America. ANCA Eastern Regional Board member Anahid
Ugurlayan, who acted as the evening's Master of Ceremonies,
followed with welcoming remarks, which called upon the community to
be proactive in ensuring genocide activism by educating non-
Armenians, particularly Turks, about the genocide, and to fight for
justice for the survivors of the genocide in Darfur.
His Eminence Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, Prelate of the Eastern
Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America, delivered the
evening's invocation, calling for renewed determination to achieve
justice and to ensure that the Armenian community continues to
thrive through its church, its schools and its culture.
Reporting on the current state of Hai Tahd was Karine Birazian,
Eastern Regional Executive Director of the ANCA. Ms. Birazian
detailed the ANC's advocacy efforts on a variety of issues, from
genocide recognition to maintaining military aid parity for
Armenia. She noted that after the House Foreign Relations
Committee recommended that the full House pass H.Res. 106, the
media published over 3000 news articles, including front page
coverage in the New York Times, informing millions of individuals
around the world about the Armenian genocide.
New York City Council Member Melinda Katz, who is long time friend
of the Armenian community in New York, addressed the audience and
called upon Congress to recognize the Armenian genocide once and
for all. Ms. Katz was followed by Ambassador Armen Martirossian,
Permanent Representative of the Republic of Armenia to the United
Nations, who expressed the need for genocide recognition and called
upon Turkey to create stability in the region by normalizing
relations with Armenia without preconditions.
The evening's keynote speaker was Dr. Henry Theriault, Associate
Professor of
Philosophy and Coordinator of the Center for the Study of Human
Rights at Worcester State College. Theriault provided a detailed
historical perspective on genocide, which he noted has been ongoing
for thousands of years. Dr. Theriault called upon Armenia,
particularly at the United Nations, to become more proactive in
speaking out against the genocide in Darfur and to work with other
nations impacted by genocide.
Vagharshak Ohanyan accompanied two of his most promising students,
Ms. Jenny Bagdasarian and Ms. Elen Ohanyan, who sang beautiful
renditions of traditional Armenian songs. Duduk player Ruben
Vardanyan performed as well, accompanied by his daughter, Armine
Vardanyan.
Many community leaders were present at the commemoration. Dr.
Svetlana Amirkhanyan, President of the St. Gregory Mission in
Brooklyn, which has helped scores of Armenian immigrants from
Armenia and Azerbaijan settle into New York, spoke about the need
for the Armenian community to be united in its efforts and to never
lose its identity.
Dimitris Molohides represented the Pan-Pontian Federation of USA and
Canada, which speaks for approximately 200,000 Greek-Pontians living
in North America. Molohides, whose grandparents survived the
Pontian genocide, expressed his organization's solidarity with the
Armenian community, discussed his organization's efforts to achieve
recognition of the Pontian and Assyrian genocides and urged the
Armenian and Greek communities to work together to achieve their
common goals.
Dr. Aram Cazazian, co-chair of the commemoration and chairman of the
Board of Trustees of St. Sarkis Armenian Apostolic Church in
Douglaston, NY, spoke on behalf of the Friends of ANC and stressed
the need for more volunteers to join the Friends of ANC to support
their advocacy work. Maria Nercessian, a member of the New York
Armenian Youth Federation's Hyortik chapter, urged younger members of
the community to become involved in genocide recognition and to make
their voices heard by participating in Armenian advocacy.
####
Photo Caption #1: New York City Council Member Melinda Katz
presenting Governor proclamation to ANC of NY Chairman Doug
Geogerian
Photo Catption #2: Keynote speaker, Henry Theriault addressing the
crowd
Date: April 29, 2008
Armenian National Committee of New York
69-23 47th Avenue, Woodside, NY 11377
Contact: Doug Geogerian
Tel : 646-468-9061
ANC OF NEW YORK COMMEMORATES 93RD ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARMENIAN
GENOCIDE
New York, NY - On April 25, 2008, the Armenian National Committee
of New York (ANC of NY) and Friends of ANC presented a genocide
commemoration at New York's City Hall. Co-sponsored by City
Council Speaker Christine Quinn and City Council member Melinda
Katz, this year's program highlighted the need for collaborative
activism.
The program opened with singer/songwriter Hooshere Bezdikian
singing the national anthems of the Republic of Armenia and the
United States of America. ANCA Eastern Regional Board member Anahid
Ugurlayan, who acted as the evening's Master of Ceremonies,
followed with welcoming remarks, which called upon the community to
be proactive in ensuring genocide activism by educating non-
Armenians, particularly Turks, about the genocide, and to fight for
justice for the survivors of the genocide in Darfur.
His Eminence Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, Prelate of the Eastern
Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America, delivered the
evening's invocation, calling for renewed determination to achieve
justice and to ensure that the Armenian community continues to
thrive through its church, its schools and its culture.
Reporting on the current state of Hai Tahd was Karine Birazian,
Eastern Regional Executive Director of the ANCA. Ms. Birazian
detailed the ANC's advocacy efforts on a variety of issues, from
genocide recognition to maintaining military aid parity for
Armenia. She noted that after the House Foreign Relations
Committee recommended that the full House pass H.Res. 106, the
media published over 3000 news articles, including front page
coverage in the New York Times, informing millions of individuals
around the world about the Armenian genocide.
New York City Council Member Melinda Katz, who is long time friend
of the Armenian community in New York, addressed the audience and
called upon Congress to recognize the Armenian genocide once and
for all. Ms. Katz was followed by Ambassador Armen Martirossian,
Permanent Representative of the Republic of Armenia to the United
Nations, who expressed the need for genocide recognition and called
upon Turkey to create stability in the region by normalizing
relations with Armenia without preconditions.
The evening's keynote speaker was Dr. Henry Theriault, Associate
Professor of
Philosophy and Coordinator of the Center for the Study of Human
Rights at Worcester State College. Theriault provided a detailed
historical perspective on genocide, which he noted has been ongoing
for thousands of years. Dr. Theriault called upon Armenia,
particularly at the United Nations, to become more proactive in
speaking out against the genocide in Darfur and to work with other
nations impacted by genocide.
Vagharshak Ohanyan accompanied two of his most promising students,
Ms. Jenny Bagdasarian and Ms. Elen Ohanyan, who sang beautiful
renditions of traditional Armenian songs. Duduk player Ruben
Vardanyan performed as well, accompanied by his daughter, Armine
Vardanyan.
Many community leaders were present at the commemoration. Dr.
Svetlana Amirkhanyan, President of the St. Gregory Mission in
Brooklyn, which has helped scores of Armenian immigrants from
Armenia and Azerbaijan settle into New York, spoke about the need
for the Armenian community to be united in its efforts and to never
lose its identity.
Dimitris Molohides represented the Pan-Pontian Federation of USA and
Canada, which speaks for approximately 200,000 Greek-Pontians living
in North America. Molohides, whose grandparents survived the
Pontian genocide, expressed his organization's solidarity with the
Armenian community, discussed his organization's efforts to achieve
recognition of the Pontian and Assyrian genocides and urged the
Armenian and Greek communities to work together to achieve their
common goals.
Dr. Aram Cazazian, co-chair of the commemoration and chairman of the
Board of Trustees of St. Sarkis Armenian Apostolic Church in
Douglaston, NY, spoke on behalf of the Friends of ANC and stressed
the need for more volunteers to join the Friends of ANC to support
their advocacy work. Maria Nercessian, a member of the New York
Armenian Youth Federation's Hyortik chapter, urged younger members of
the community to become involved in genocide recognition and to make
their voices heard by participating in Armenian advocacy.
####
Photo Caption #1: New York City Council Member Melinda Katz
presenting Governor proclamation to ANC of NY Chairman Doug
Geogerian
Photo Catption #2: Keynote speaker, Henry Theriault addressing the
crowd