As the dust settles... Armenian Diaspora in the Aftermath of the Riots in Yerevan.
An article from USA ARMENIAN LIFE Magazine.
Ter-Petrossyan's Glendale Surrogates Reject Dialog
By APPO JABARIAN
Executive Publisher/Managing Editor
USA ARMENIAN LIFE Magazine
Over 200 community members attended and actively participated in a free
Intellectual Forum on the post-February 19 presidential election events in
Armenia. This unique, first-of-its-kind event intended to create a forum
of open discussions between the various groups regarding the importance of
stability and security of the independent Armenian state. The event took
place at the Glendale Central Library, and was organized by a group of
Armenian intellectuals in Los Angeles.
Several days before the event, invitations were mailed and e-mailed to all
concerned groups. The result: the number of the supporters in attendance of
the failed presidential candidate Levon Ter-Petrossyan - nearly 8% - was
dwarfed by the non-partisan supporters of stability and security of the
Armenian state - with over 90% of the participants.
Dr. Edward Azizian delivered the opening remarks. He outlined the current
political climate in Armenia and the Diaspora and then declared that
according to the rules set by the organizers, anybody who was interested in
delivering remarks was free to register with the volunteer secretary and
wait for his/her turn to speak.
Regardless of the registrants' political orientation or alliance, all were
free to participate. The second ground rule was that each registered speaker
was allotted three minutes. The third: anybody that interfered with or
disrupted the free speech of any speaker would be ejected from the
conference hall. To the credit of the local law enforcement authorities,
several members of the Glendale police force were stationed outside the hall
in order to maintain the peace, and to apprehend if need be, the disturbers
of law and order.
Several speakers condemned candidate Ter-Petrossyan for igniting the riots
in Yerevan. They pointedly criticized pro-Ter-Petrossyan supporters for
making a major misrepresentation in Washington DC by presenting to the U.S.
State Dept. fraudulent petition signatures and for boasting to have "the
authority to speak on behalf of Los Angeles Armenians."
The speakers poignantly condemned the pre-meditated televised disinformation
campaign by certain Ter-Petrossyan cohorts in Los Angeles. They also
demanded that these wrongdoers be brought to justice by way of being held
accountable for their perfidious acts.
Furthermore, they expressed deep disappointment for Ter-Petrossyan's
supporters' refusal to participate in any kind of dialog, noting that this
was in line with Ter-Petrossyan's rejection of dialogue with any and all
competitors in the Armenian political arena.
On the other hand, there were individuals in attendance who were previously
misled by Ter-Petrossyan. Although they continued to have legitimate
complaints about social and economic issues in Armenia, they privately
expressed relief to this writer for having freed themselves from the yoke of
misleading anti-Armenia propaganda.
Among the speakers and/or audience were several active community members
such as Dr. Noobar Janoian (Author, Medical Practitioner), Appo Jabarian
(Managing Editor, USA Armenian Life and Hye Kiank Armenian Weekly; TV
commentator), Hakob Mkrtchyan (Kamarak newspaper), Roza Arvahi (Writer,
Doctor, Biochemical Engineer), Arthur Armen (Writer), Haig Aharonian
(Producer/General Manager New Vision TV), Dr. Stepan Markarian (Activist,
Dentist), Prof. Sona Haroutunian (Armenian Studies Chair at the University
of Venice, Italy; Author of several books), Arushan Badasyan (Computer
Engineer, Veteran Commander in the Artsakh Liberation War), Gayane
Varteressian (Artist, Businesswoman), Kevork Farajian (Activist), and many
others.
The organizers of the Forum must be commended for their timely effort to
create a genuine dialogue. By successfully completing a project like this,
the Los Angeles Armenian community made an important contribution toward
creating a culture of open communication and reconciliation despite severe
differences between the various groups that make up the Armenian political
landscape.
They also set an example of breaking through the political barriers and
coalescing around healthier ideas that can help Armenia consolidate her
existence, and assist her in further fueling her journey toward stability,
security and prosperity.
Does this mean, that at some point 8% of LTP supporters managed to silence the other 92% of the community by their agressive propaganda campaign?
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ahousekeeper) wrote,
