MISSION OF SOLIDARITY; ARMENIAN LEADERS ARRIVE IN L.A.Byline: Deborah Sullivan Daily News Staff Writer Armenian President Robert Kocharyan arrived Saturday at Van Nuys Airport Van Nuys Airport (IATA: VNY, ICAO: KVNY, FAA LID: VNY) is a public airport located in Van Nuys, California in the San Fernando Valley, within the Los Angeles city limits. on his first trip to Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , joined by the two top leaders of the Armenian Apostolic Church The Armenian Apostolic Church (Armenian: Հայ Առաքելական Եկեղեցի, Hay Arakelagan Yegeghetzi), sometimes called the Armenian Orthodox Church or the . The event marked the first time three top spiritual and political leaders appeared together outside Armenia since the country formed in 1991, officials said. ``This is a great moment of joy, which expresses the solidarity of the Armenian Church Armenian Church, autonomous Christian church, sometimes also called the Gregorian Church. Its head, a primate of honor only, is the catholicos of Yejmiadzin, Armenia; Karekin II became catholicos in 1999. and solidarity with Armenia, and the love and affection we have toward our Armenian Church, our ancestral homeland and toward the president,'' said Archbishop Vatche Hovsepian of the church's Western Diocese. The visit celebrates seven years of Armenian independence and the 100th airdrop air·drop n. A delivery, as of supplies or troops, by parachute from aircraft. tr. & intr.v. air·dropped, air·drop·ping, air·drops To drop or be dropped from an aircraft. Noun 1. of humanitarian aid Humanitarian aid is material or logistical assistance provided for humanitarian purposes, typically in response to humanitarian crises. The primary objective of humanitarian aid is to save lives, alleviate suffering, and maintain human dignity. to the fledgling republic since its devastating dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. 6.9 earthquake in 1988 killed 25,000 people. Armenian independence day was Sept. 21, and the 100th airdrop took place in July, said Teni Melidonian, a special assistant to the Armenian ambassador to the United States. An estimated 300,000 to 400,000 Armenians live in the Los Angeles area, with 40,000 to 60,000 in Glendale alone. Kocharyan, who was visiting the United States for a session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , arrived at Van Nuys Airport on a Boeing 727 around 2 p.m. Saturday. He delivered a brief speech in Armenian in an airport hangar before departing in a limousine. ``He said today is a day of unity for Armenians, and today it should go in history that all the leaders of Armenia, lay and clergy, are together for the first time outside of Armenia, and that all Armenians should show their support of their homeland with concrete action, not just words,'' Harut Sassounian, executive director of the United Armenian Fund, explained after the event. With Kocharyan was Catholicos Karekin I, spiritual leader of the Armenian Church worldwide, whose status is similar to that of the Roman Catholic pope, and Catholicos Aram I of Lebanon, leader of the church in the Middle East. About 150 people greeted them, some of them Armenian expatriates who helped elect Kocharyan in March at polling places set up by the consulate in Glendale and Beverly Hills. Nine-year-old Teveen Demirjian of Northridge, dressed in a vivid turquoise, traditional gown, handed Kocharyan a bouquet of red roses. Her cousin, Harout Markarian, 14, visiting from Lebanon, donned a purple velvet tunic tu·nic n. A coat or layer enveloping an organ or a part; tunica. tunic a covering or coat. See also tunica. abdominal tunic see tunica flava abdominis. to present bread and salt to the spiritual leaders for blessing. Tonight, Kocharyan will celebrate Armenian independence at a free community forum at the Universal Amphitheater. On Saturday, Kocharyan also attended a dinner celebrating the 100th airdrop of medical and technical supplies to the earthquake-ravaged country. Armenian-Americans and other donors have shipped more than $250 million worth of essential supplies to Armenia during monthly cargo flights, Hovsepian said. The president will attempt to take the country's recovery a step further by forging economic ties with the United States, said Armenian Consul General Armen Melkonian. Also during his trip, Kocharyan will attend a business breakfast hosted by Mayor Richard Riordan, meet with Armenian-American business owners and speak at a World Affairs Council World Affairs Council may refer to:
``He will talk to them about ties between Armenians and the Armenian diaspora and the role that Armenians in California can play in deepening the economic cooperation between Armenia and the United States,'' Melkonian said. CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO Armenian President Robert Kocharyan, front, and Catholicos Karekin I, with the cross on his hood, arrive at Van Nuys Airport. Tina Gerson/Daily News |
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