April 13, 2007

NEW YORK – Late Wednesday evening, April 11, 2007, His Eminence Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate (Chief Bishop) of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern) was alerted to a hastily organized "International Conference on Turkish-Armenian Dialogue" being co-sponsored by Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas. Alarmed that of the twelve (12) panelists invited, not a single Armenian academic or Armenian-American leader was asked to take part, except for the Armenian Archbishop of Turkey, Archbishop Barsamian called upon SMU President Dr. R. Gerald Taylor to withdraw the University's support and sponsorship from the conference.

On Friday, April 13, Archbishop Barsamian was notified by SMU Vice President Jim Caswell that the University's Office of the Chaplain had withdrawn its support for the event and had requested that the SMU Turkish Student's Group and other Turkish interest groups and foundations sponsoring the event to remove SMU's name and logo from their promotional materials and web sites.

Speedily organized for Saturday, April 14, 2007, without much notice to the wider academic and greater Armenian communities, the "International Conference on Turkish-Armenian Dialogue" included a panel of twelve (12) academics and religious leaders, including Turkish scholars widely known as Genocide deniers, despite world-wide acceptance that Ottoman Turkey slaughtered some 1.5 million Armenian Christians between 1915-1918, a period President Ronald Reagan, other world leaders and governments refer to as the Armenian Genocide.

The only Armenian invited to participate in the conference panel was His Beatitude Mesrob II Mutafyan, the Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul. The Patriarch, who resides in the capital of Turkey, has a very limited ability to freely to express his true thoughts and concerns because of oppressive Turkish free-speech laws.

Throughout Thursday, the Primate was in communication with leaders of SMU and academics from other schools scheduled to speak at the conference. Additionally, ecumenical partners and their leaders, such as Dr. Bob Edgar of the National Council of Churches, added their voices, calling for SMU to withdraw their sponsorship of the conference that promised to be a monologue, effectively excluding Armenians from the supposed dialogue.

On Friday, Archbishop Barsamian received additional notice that American academics who had learned of how one-sided the panel was, withdrew their names as participants.

Sadly, the SMU Turkish Student's Group, a pro-Turkish foundation and a Turkish run "interfaith" group still plan to go forward, despite the universal academic condemnation of the event's scope and organization.

Responding to the notice of SMU's withdrawal, Archbishop Barsamian said, "We thank the leadership of Southern Methodist University and applaud their understanding of the importance of true dialogue, of helpful discussion, and hopeful relations between the Armenian and Turkish people."

"There are countless Turks who are beginning to uncover the truth of the Armenian genocide. Those Turks are beginning to understand the importance of a true discussion on the issues surrounding the Genocide, and we welcome such open, honest, and heart-felt talks," the Primate added. "However, this conference is not such a dialogue, and, indeed, is no true dialogue at all. It is, rather, an attempt to use the title ‘dialogue' to persuade America's political class that the Armenian Genocide is not worth remembering or recognizing."

Archbishop Barsamian has made clear to SMU, to other Turkish groups and to Turkish academics and intellectuals that he remains ready to engage in authentic dialogue. "I look forward to working with SMU, its student groups and others of good will to organize a truly balanced panel capable of discussing the Armenian Genocide and the future of the Armenian-Turkish relations," added Archbishop Barsamian.

"I trust that saner voices will take up my invitation to engage in real dialogue and this sad affair may come to some good after all," Archbishop Barsamian added.

The text of Archbishop Barsamian's letter to SMU President Dr. R. Gerald Taylor can be found at http://www.armenianchurch.net/pdf/SMU12Apr07.pdf

Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)