Armenians of New Julfa mark 400 years of community historyOctober 25, 2014 - 11:36 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A three-day conference dedicated to the 400 years of Armenians living in New Julfa was held at the Ararat Community Hall in New Julfa neighborhood in Isfahan, Iran. The conference opened on Oct 21 in the presence of the Governor and Vice Governor of Isfahan, the Head of Religious Affairs, the President of Isfahan University, and professors from Yerevan University, according to Asbarez. In his opening message, His Holiness Aram I congratulated the organizers for the timely event on the theme, “New Julfa: Symbol of Conviviality amongst the Three Monotheistic Religions.” Addressing the presence of Armenians in New Julfa, the Catholicos spoke of the rich experience of Armenians, which he said has been well documented in the region’s literature. He added, however, that more scientific research should be encouraged in order to highlight the mutually enriching experience of the two peoples. Referring to the theme of the conference, His Holiness added, “the historical experience of the three monotheistic religions should now move from coexisting together to working together.” The three day conference concluded with the celebration of the 350th anniversary of the Holy Saviour Monastery of New Julfa, in the presence of His Holiness Aram I and the Prime Minister of Armenia Hovik Abrahamian, accompanied by seven ministers. In his closing message His Holiness Aram I said that nations are enriched and sustained through their inherited legacies: the Church, the Nation, the Culture and demanding justice for the memory of the victims of the Genocide. He then elaborated on the theme of the Armenian Genocide and said that “irrespective of the circumstances and the time, we shall continue to demand justice for our martyrs.” He then added that there were two different approaches: one, that of the Armenian government and, two, the diaspora. “While approaches differ, the goals should remain the same because we owe justice to our martyrs,” Aram I said. Top stories Six total incidents have burned 19 old-growth trees. Friday night 8 trees were torched along the beautiful main entrance. The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. Hikmet Hajiyev has said that there is no place for USAID operation in Azerbaijan any longer. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. Partner news | Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. Freedom House concerned by mounting reports of police violence in Armenia Freedom House urged Armenian authorities to investigate this pattern of excessive force and inhumane treatment. CSTO recognizes Armenia’s sovereign right to withdraw Tasmagambetov has said that if Armenia decides to leave the organization, “it will be the sovereign right of Armenia.” |