U.C. Berkeley Symposium

On 2 October  2011 a Symposium was held at the U.C.  Berkeley co-sponsored  by the Armenian Studies Program and the Organizing Committee of the Congress of Western Armenians.

Under the title “The presence of the past: Legal dimensions of Armenian-Turkish Relations“ scholars  and specialists of international law from Paris,  Geneva, Washington and Berkeley addressed in a most pragmatic, scientific and methodical way the treaties of Sèvres, Kars and Lausanne as well as the Turkish legislation concerning the  public and private property of Armenians of the Ottoman Empire including the issue of the cultural heritage of this population.

Following introductory  remarks by Prof. Stephan Astourian, the Executive Director of  the Armenian Studies Program, and Dr. Souren Seraydarian representing the Congress of Western Armenians, presentations were made as follows:

• Prof.  Karamanian: “Making sense of Sèvres:  an international legal perspective.”
• Prof. Sur: ”Sèvres Treaty (1920), Kars Treaty (1921), Lausanne Treaty (1923): What relevance to the current Armenian Situation”.
• Prof. Kevorkian: “The fate of the Armenian Cultural Heritage in Turkey: process of spoliation and management of Cultural holdings.”
• Prof. Kessedjian:  ”The Antonym of Oblivion and denial is not memory, but justice”.
• Prof. De Zayas:  “Ex injuria non oritur jus: Genocide and the Non-Applicability of Statutes of Limitations to Claims arising from Genocide.”

The Symposium was organized in anticipation and preparation of the Convention of Western Armenians to be  held in Sèvres/Paris on  10 and 11 December 2011.
The full texts of the presentations will be made available within two weeks.

Souren Seraydarian