InternationalPrimate welcomes NKR delegation to Diocesan Center
Published: Monday November 23, 2009
Members of the delegation from the Republic of Nagorno-Karabagh and representatives of the Eastern Diocese pose for a group photo on the steps of St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral.
NKR Prime Minister Ara Haroutyunyan presents Archbishop Khajag Barsamian with a book about the Republic of Nagorno-Karabagh, during a visit to the Diocesan Center in New York.
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New York - On Tuesday, November 17, a delegation from the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh visited the Diocesan Center in New York, where they met with Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Eastern Diocese; the Rev. Fr. Mardiros Chevian, dean of St. Vartan Cathedral; Garnik Nanagoulian, executive director of the Fund for Armenian Relief; Oscar Tatosian, chair of the Diocesan Council; and Michael Haratunian, secretary of FAR's Board of Directors.
The delegation was led by NKR Prime Minister Ara Harutiunian and Archbishop Barkev Martirossian, Primate of the Artsakh Diocese.
The visit began at St. Vartan Cathedral, where Archbishop Barsamian greeted Prime Minister Harutiunian, Archbishop Martirossian, and other guests – including David Babayan, assistant to the NKR president; Robert Avetisyan, NKR representative to the U.S.; Garen Nazarian, the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Armenia to the United Nations; and Irina Lazarian, executive director of Armenia Fund USA – and gave them a brief tour of the Eastern Diocese's spiritual center.
Representatives then met at the Diocesan Complex to discuss recent developments in Nagorno-Karabakh, the diaspora's contributions to Karabakh's growth, and the annual international Armenia Fund Telethon, which will raise money for the NKR city of Shushi. The delegation is visiting Armenian communities across the U.S. to encourage participation in the telethon, which is scheduled to be broadcast live on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26.
Archbishop Martirossian said that Shushi is currently the focal point for development in the mountainous republic. Plans are underway to rebuild homes and schools, improve infrastructure, and relocate several government offices from the republic's capital in Stepanakert to Shushi. He added that the city is expecting significant investment in the coming years.
Archbishop Martirossian and Prime Minister Harutiunian thanked the Eastern Diocese and FAR for their continued support of projects in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Eastern Diocese and FAR have shared a warm relationship with the Artsakh Diocese and the local government since the region's independence movement in the late 1980s.
FAR has implemented a number of programs in Karabakh, including the Humanitarian Assistance Program, which was completed last year. With a $15 million grant from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), FAR teams rebuilt houses, hospitals, and clinics throughout Karabakh. The money was also used for the installation of new pipelines to provide water for irrigation and drinking.
In the past, FAR has organized shipments of medicine and medical supplies and equipment to Karabakh, and helped local doctors receive advanced training in Yerevan as part of FAR's Continuing Medical Education Program.
Archbishop Barsamian said NKR representatives should always feel at home at St. Vartan Cathedral and the Diocesan Center, and added that he was pleased with the signs of growth and progress in Karabakh. He said it is especially encouraging that the two dioceses have fostered a strong partnership and a spirit of collaboration in the past two decades.
This fall, the Artsakh Diocese marked the 20th anniversary of its re-opening. Karekin II, the Catholicos of All Armenians, traveled to Karabakh to preside over the celebration. As the region continues to cast off the burdens of its years of Soviet rule, efforts go forward to restore ancient churches and erect new houses of worship.
Prime Minister Harutiunian said that the upcoming Armenia Fund Telethon is important not only as a fundraiser for Shushi, but also as a way to raise awareness in the diaspora about developments in Armenia and Karabakh, and to help Armenian communities worldwide establish closer ties with each other, and with their homeland.
The annual telethon, which is broadcast live for 12 hours, has helped raise funds for Armenian and Karabakh for more than a decade. Archbishop Barsamian serves on the Board of Trustees of Armenia Fund USA.
