From October 18 to 19, Brussels hosted the 4^th Congress of European-Armenians. Communication and Public Relations Officer of the ARF-D Armenian National Committee of Europe Harut Shirinyan recapped the congress in an interview with Hayern Aysor.

Hayern Aysor: Dear Harut, let’s try to recap the 4^th Congress of European-Armenians. The goals of any action are specified before the action is taken. What was the goal of this congress and how was it accomplished?

Harut Shirinyan: Like the previous three Congresses of European-Armenians, the goals of the fourth Congress of European-Armenians organized by the ARF-D Armenian National Committee of Europe are the same (to consolidate European-Armenians and more than 150 representatives of Armenian political, civic, religious, cultural and educational organizations and institutions of Europe, providing them with the opportunity to talk, examine and discuss, express ideas and draw conclusions about the current developments of the solutions to the issues facing Armenians in Europe, particularly the struggle for the Armenian Cause and the preservation of the Armenian identity.

The goals are the same, but the issues change during every congress.

Hayern Aysor: Who was participating in the congress? How were the speakers selected?

Harut Shirinyan: During the two-day congress, we heard welcoming remarks from Catholicos Aram I of the Great House of Cilicia; President of the Republic of Artsakh Bako Sahakyan; Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Edward Nalbandyan; Minister of Diaspora of the Republic of Armenia Hranush Hakobyan; Members of the European Parliament Maria Spiraki, Frank Engel and Eleni Theocharus; Chairman of the Central Board of the ARF-D Armenian National Committee Hagop Der-Khatchadourian and Chairman of the Armenian National Committee of Europe Kaspar Garabedian at the Armenian Home in Brussels and in the European Parliament.

The speeches by the guests of honor were followed by five different roundtable discussions, which featured speeches by Armenians and non-Armenians who are experienced specialists in the fields that were addressed, be it politics, diplomacy, law, history, communities or the media.

Hayern Aysor: Messages were conveyed during the two-day congress. Conditionally, the first day was mainly devoted to domestic affairs (preservation of the Armenian identity, the Armenian Genocide and lobbying), while the second day was mainly devoted to foreign affairs. How were the discussions during these two days and what issues were raised?

Harut Shirinyan: The participants of the congress addressed four major topics through roundtables.

The first topic was devoted to the recognition of the Armenian Genocide and the struggle for claims in Europe. During the discussion, the participants considered the opportunities for moving the struggle to the legal field and the importance of restitution for the legal documentation related to the Armenian Genocide.

The second topic was devoted to the right of the people of Artsakh to free self-determination and the impact of the Turks and Azerbaijanis in Europe. During the discussion of this issue, the emphasis was placed on the decisive role that the media and social networks have played.

The third topic was devoted to the relations between Armenia and the European Union. During the discussion, Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to the European Union Tatul Margaryan and Officer of the External Action Service of the European Union Giovanni Cremonini addressed the Comprehensive and Enlarged Partnership Agreement to be signed between Armenia and the European Union.

The fourth topic was devoted to preservation of the Armenian identity within the Armenian communities of Europe. During the discussion, the participants considered issues related to identity, education, language and culture.

Hayern Aysor: What will be the next step of the Armenian National Committee of Europe stemming from the congress?

Harut Shirinyan: As the organizer and the executive body dealing with issues related to the Armenian Cause in Europe, it is the duty of our office to consider all the proposals that were made during the two-day congress and the proposals that can contribute to the struggle for claims for the Armenian Cause that will be led in the months and years to come.

Hayern Aysor: What was the main message that the congress managed to get across and to whom was it addressed?

Harut Shirinyan: First of all, I must say that the European-Armenians showed once again that they can come together and express a unanimous position on the major and weighty issues related to the Armenian Cause and within the European Parliament, which is a symbol of the democratic values of the institutions of the European Union.

I would also like to touch upon the fact that a large number of young Armenians participated in the 4^th Congress of European-Armenians. This means that the ideological struggle for the Armenian Cause will last long. It is only the active participation of young Armenians that will help us confront the new challenges in the pursuit of solution of the Armenian Cause.

I would also like to talk about a major event that took place on the sidelines of the congress. The Armenian National Committee of Europe established two friendship groups with Artsakh (the first one was established in the Flemish Parliament with 11 Dutch-speaking Belgian politicians and civilians, and the other was established in the Valonia-Brussels Federal Parliament with 16 French-speaking Belgian politicians and civilians).

For this major step I would like to thank the authorities of Artsakh, which will participate in the process of helping the people of Artsakh stop Azerbaijan from isolating them.

Lusine Abrahamyan