His Holiness Aram I is bringing together a small group of men and women to analyse and discuss the changing landscape of Armenian communities in the diaspora. The participants represent different ages, experience and academic backgrounds.

Sharing his concern, His Holiness stated, “We cannot remain indifferent towards the challenges to our people in the diaspora and Armenia. To safeguard Armenian identity in the diaspora is becoming difficult because of the inability of our institutions to respond to the changing local and global realities.” He then warned, “As we start this new process, we should not jump into quick conclusions; we should take our time, think together and design holistic and long-term strategies.”

The meeting will be held 11-13 July 2017 at St Mary’s Monastery in Bikfaya. It will begin with the opening speech of Catholicos Aram I, during which he will share his concerns and questions. He will be followed by Ms Hranoush Hagopian, Minister of Diaspora of the Republic of Armenia, and Yervant Pamboukian, a diaspora historian. At the end of the meeting the participants will publish a record of their discussions and recommendations.