The Armenian Bar Association is very pleased to report that its inaugural "Armenia & Diaspora" town-hall discussion program, which took place at the St. Mary's Church Hall in Glendale, California, in collaboration with the Glendale Youth Center, on November 16, 2012, was a resounding success.

This was the first of a series of community-based meetings which the Armenian Bar will endeavor to co-host periodically with various Armenian organizations and which will center on the theme of "ARMENIA & DIASPORA." The initial meeting was to explore and discuss the critical crossroads facing Armenia and Diaspora and it enthralled and captivated the interested audience. After all, the evening was highlighted by two long-time and noteworthy sons of the Armenian Nation:

Raffi K. Hovannisian, the first Foreign Minister of the Republic of Armenia, founder of the Armenian Center of National & International Studies, a think tank and research center in Yerevan, founder and Chairman of the Heritage Party in Armenia's Parliament, a presidential candidate in the upcoming elections in February 2013, and the founder of the Armenian Bar Association; and,

Dr. Viken Hovsepian, PH.D., Chairman of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, Central Committee, U.S. Western Region, and a former member of the A.R.F.'s Central Bureau.

After being introduced by Ms. Miganoush Ajemian of the Glendale Youth Center, Armenian Bar Chairman Garo Ghazarian addressed the 700 people gathered in the standing -room only church hall. He thanked and acknowledged Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, members of the clergy, and the two-time mayor of Glendale and current council member, the Honorable Ara Najarian. He also expressed his delight and gratitude to all in the audience for their presence in such large numbers.

Mr. Ghazarian's remarks described the initiative of the Armenian Bar in holding the town hall meeting, namely to hear from "two long-time servants of Armenia and the Diaspora, both of whom have dedicated their lives to the Armenian Cause." He also recounted the locations around the world which constitute the Armenian Diaspora, and emphasized the link of the Diaspora to Armenia by invoking parallels between the Holy See of Cilicia to Mayr Etchmiadzin, Stepanakert to Yerevan, and Aleppo to Glendale.

Ultimately, Mr. Ghazarian invited the audience to hear both the optimism and concerns, as well as the vision and the road map, of the two keynote speakers of the evening.

With that, he invited the evening's moderator, the publisher of The California Courier, Mr. Harut Sassounian, to introduce the evening's speakers, after likening him to an ever-ringing church bell echoing the Armenian Cause worldwide. Mr. Sassounian briefly commented on the need to have the Diaspora assist Armenia in a united fashion. Then, he recited parts from the speakers' biographies and invited them both up to the stage.

Dr. Viken Hovsepian was the first speaker slated to address the audience. In his remarks, he challenged the Diaspora to take ownership of the present and future of Armenia. He also emphasized the need for unity in purpose, sorely needed since Armenia's independence 21 years ago. Finally, he provided his vision for moving forward with a national ideology addressing issues based on aspirations of all Armenians and taking into consideration the entire Armenian Nation.

The Honorable Raffi Hovannisian followed Dr. Hovsepian and transported the audience to Armenia with a comprehensive account of socio-economic, political, civic, environmental, military and humanitarian realities and the imperatives facing Armenia today, and in the years ahead, leading to the Armenian Genocide's Centennial in 2015 and beyond.

Interrupted often during his remarks by the many rounds of applause from the audience, Mr. Hovannisian expressed his views, opposition to, and solutions for the harsh realities that continue to afflict the people of Armenia today and since 1991. He heralded the return to Armenia's citizenry the rule of law and the rule of rights. Hovannisian then spoke of the shortsightedness of selling off the key interests in the infrastructures of Armenia, and the strategic and national folly of surrendering control of Armenia's telecommunications, energy and other critical interests. He spoke of his belief that Armenia has yet to realize its full potential in the post-Soviet era, and called on the Diaspora to strengthen Armenia and invest in its people, present and future. In doing so, Mr. Hovannisian stated that those in the Diaspora and Armenia, under one banner, can and must take ownership of their destiny, which when tied to Armenia, and faced jointly with the Diaspora, can be undertaken in a productive and successful manner.

A lively question-and-answer session followed, after which the evening ended with many staying behind to greet and hear further from the evening's speakers.

"We are going to seek and implement innovative ways to continue to assist and to bring Armenia and the Diaspora together. Tonight, we are grateful to Dr. Hovsepian and our founder, the Honorable Raffi Hovannisian, for heeding our call and taking part in this town hall discussion. We hope to have equal success with future volunteer public servants and look forward to helping to bridge the gap between the Diaspora and Armenia," said Garo Ghazarian, the Chairman of the Armenian Bar Association.

"Events like this are critical to the Armenian Nation. Our commitment to our people does not recognize ideological differences. We are interested in exploring a blue-print of advancing our common objectives. We will continue to hold these public forums in different venues and with a multitude of Armenian public servants and experts as part of our Association's efforts to heighten public awareness and to achieve collective Armenia-based success, both now an in the years ahead, " said Armenian Bar Chair Ex-Officio Edvin Minassian.

"I am very proud of the Armenian Bar Association and our Chairman for his tireless efforts in organizing and spearheading this historically-significant event. The speakers delivered an unprecedented analysis of the state of affairs between the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian Diaspora. The solutions they proposed, if implemented, would create an environment where the collective strength of all Armenians would be greatly enhanced. I urge everyone to view the video of the lecture on the link at the Armenian Bar website," said Saro Kerkonian, Chair of the ABA's Armenian Rights Watch Committee.

Armenian Bar Association

11/16/2012