First Republic of Armenia Centennial Conference
WATERTOWN, Mass. (A.W.)—The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Eastern U.S. recently released additional details for its upcoming conference devoted to the First Republic of Armenia.
As reported previously, the conference will be held May 11-12, at Columbia University, in New York, on the occasion of the Republic’s Centennial. The conference will be co-sponsored by the Armenian Center at Columbia University, the Armenian Review, and the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR).
Invitations have been extended to a wide array of scholars, activists, and commentators, representing diverse backgrounds and fields of expertise. Scheduled speakers already include Professors Richard Hovannisian (Los Angeles), Claire Mouradian (Paris), Ashot Melkonyan (Yerevan), Yervant Pamboukian (Beirut), Anahide Ter-Minassian (Paris), and several others, including new voices in the field.
“We are pleased to announce the format and details of this exciting and important initiative,” stated conference chair Antranig Kasbarian. “The conference will start on Friday evening, May 11, with a plenary session titled ‘The First Republic: 100 Years Later,’ and will continue with multiple panels, in Armenian and English, spanning the full day on Saturday, May 12.”
The conference will also feature a luncheon keynote address by Professor Hovannisian, entitled “50 Years of Scholarship on the Republic of Armenia.”
A full listing of speakers and panels will appear during the coming weeks.
The conference is part of a larger series of activities—both region-wide and in Armenia—devoted to the Republic’s Centennial. Such activities will be announced in the next few months, as they become available.
These celebrations will be a painful waste of time and money. At a time when the people of Armenia and Artsakh need all the help they can get, millions of dollars will be wasted to organize celebrations which are of no material value of our long-suffering brothers and sisters in Armenia and in Artsakh. People will fly across continents, attend flag-waving events, watch people receive meaningless medals, listen to inflated but hollow speeches, indulge in lavish dinners, and feel they have done something constructive. And then there are our young men who are being killed by the Azeris. Let’s use part of the centennial budget to equip them with proper weapons. Let’s make sure their shelters are safe and they are well fed and equipped. Let’s get ready for the next Azeri attack rather than bask ourselves in a celebration we can’t afford.