SYDNEY: The Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC Australia) has announced His Excellency Ara Papian, the former Armenian Ambassador to Canada, as its international guest for the second annual ANC Australia Advocacy Week this November.

ANC Australia Advocacy Week, which runs from 16-22 November, will comprise of a series of activities and events designed to raise the profile of Armenia and the importance of international recognition of the Armenian Genocide within the wider Australian community.

Mr. Papian, an expert on the Treaty of Sevres and former Armenian diplomat within the Department of Foreign Affairs, rose to prominence as Ambassador to Canada when the country's government passed a motion recognising the Armenian Genocide.

ANC Australia Advocacy Week will climax at the ANC Australia Annual Banquet on Friday 20 November, when Mr. Papian will be joined by another special guest in Attorney General of South Australia, the Hon. Michael Atkinson MP.

Mr. Atkinson was the chief sponsor of the South Australian Legislative Assembly's motion recognising the Armenian Genocide in April this year.

ANC Australia President, Mr. Varant Meguerditchian, said he was delighted at the news Messrs Papian and Atkinson will add weight to Advocacy Week activities.

"To attract guests of this calibre during a very important week in the advancement for the recognition of historical truths will undoubtedly assist our efforts," Mr. Meguerditchian said.

"We now call on our community to support our activities during ANC Australia Advocacy Week and ensure that our elected representatives are made aware that genocide denial has no place in Australian society."

ANC Australia will release further details of ANC Australia Advocacy Week events in coming weeks.

BIOGRAPHY: His Excellency Ara Papian

Ara Papian was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Armenia to Canada.

Born in Yerevan, Armenia on June 6, 1961, Ara Papian successfully graduated from the Department of Oriental Studies of Yerevan State University in 1984. He completed postgraduate degree course of studies in Armenian History at Yerevan State University in 1989. In 1994, Mr. Papian graduated from the Moscow Diplomatic Academy and in 1998, from NATO Defense College in Rome.

In 1999, he completed a course in Public Diplomacy in Wilton, United Kingdom. His professional experience as a diplomat has been at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia where prior to his appointment to Canada in December 2000, he was the spokesman and Head of Public Affairs Department.

His previous positions with the Armenian Foreign Ministry were a second secretary of the US and Canada Division of the American Department (1991-92), Head of Iran Division of the Middle East Department (1994-95), and Head of Security Cooperation Division of the Security Issues and Arms Control Department (1997-99). Mr. Papian was previously posted to the Armenian Embassy in Tehran, Iran (1992-1993, second secretary) and the Armenian Embassy in Bucharest, Romania (1995-1996, second secretary; 1997, Charge d'Affaires).

Prior to joining the Armenian Foreign Ministry, Mr. Papian was a Professor of the Armenian language and literature at Melkonian Educational Institute in Nicosia, Cyprus In 1981-82 and then in 1984-1986, Mr. Papian served as a military interpreter/translator in Afghanistan. He is fluent in Armenian, Russian, English, Persian.

Mr. Papian is married, with two sons.