Report on the April 4, 2008 conference in Paris

On Friday, April 4, the Tchobanian Institute, in partnership with the UGAB, organized the first of a series of conferences with Dr. Armen Ayvazyan on “Armenia’s Security Predicament and the Ways Out of It”. Mr. François Thual, a prominent French geopolitologist and the Diplomatic Counselor to the Speaker of French Senate, was also invited as a Distinguished Speaker.

The large room of the Alex Manoogian Cultural Center was full to capacity (approximately 125 people) and about thirty spectators have to follow the conference from the mezzanine.

After the welcoming remarks from Bruno Knadjian (Secretary of UGAB-Paris), Varoujan Sirapian, President-Founder of the Tchobanian Institute, promptly presented the latest issue of the Europe&Orient Review. He told about the projects of the Institute concerning the various publications and also the cultural actions, in particular the active participation in the organization of the 1st Festival of BD (comics) and the event in Yerevan planned for October 2008.

Then he passed the word to Dr. Armen Ayvazyan who presented compellingly the strategic situation and the challenges of the national security of modern Armenia (including the Republic of Nagorno-Karabagh/Artsakh). Then Mr. Varoujan Sirapian, the moderator of the event, passed the floor to Mr. François Thual, who, as usual, knew how to captivate the attention of the attendees with a methodical and substantiated speech.

The attendees demonstrated their acute interest by posing questions both about the subject of the day and the tense political situation after the Armenian presidential elections. The two speakers brought their answers to these questions. Present in the room was Mr. Alexis Govciyan, president of the CCAF and also President of UGAB-Europe, who also contributed his views with a synthesis of what was developed by the speakers.

The audience included noted personalities such as Mrs. Nelly Tardivier-Henrot, the Commissar of the Armenia’s Year in France (held in 2007), the persons in charge for the UGAB-Paris and various French Armenian associations, the clergymen and, perhaps most important, many young people.

At the end of the conference and accompanied with hearty applause, Varoujan Sirapian passed a Tchobanian Institute’s Member of Honor Certificate to Mr. François Thual, one of its first and devoted partners.

The evening continued very late at the lounge around a glass of friendship.

Source. Read also in French: Institut Tchobanian

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