An estimated 170 speakers, delegates and guests, including nine Members of Parliament from four countries, an advisor to the President of Lebanon, representatives of Aramaic, Armenian, Assyrian, Hamshin, Kurd, Pontic Greek, Syriac, Yezidi, and Zaza parties, associations and NGOs gathered for a three-day (June 17-19) forum to form an organization which will push for democracy, justice, the rule of law, respect for human rights and cultural heritage in Turkey—the homeland of the above groups.
 
The unprecedented event, which was sponsored by the Paris-based National Congress of Western Armenians (NCWA) and took place at the Tekeyan Cultural Centre in downtown Beirut, was the brainchild of two conferences (in Berlin and Paris) earlier this year and known as the 19 January Initiative Coordination Commission.
 
In his opening statement, Souren G. Seraydarian, chairman of the NCWA, said: “Turkish nationalist, Kemalist or Islamist—have continued to pursue a plan of completing a demographic operation of transforming Asia Minor to the heartland of the Turkish nation without any consideration for the multi-ethnic, multicultural roots and faith of the rest of the population.