Garo Paylan, Armenian Member of Turkish Parliament, to Speak in Belmont

BELMONT — Garo Paylan, one of three ethnic Armenians in the Turkish Parliament, will engage in a discussion of recent developments in Turkey and the Armenian community on Tuesday, October 4, 2016, at 7:30 p.m., at First Armenian Church, 380 Concord Ave., Belmont, MA. The program is sponsored by the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR)/Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation Lecture Series on Contemporary Armenian Issues, with the co-sponsorship of the Kaloosdian-Mugar Chair in Armenian Genocide Studies at Clark University, Hamazkayin Armenian Cultural and Educational Society, Society of Istanbul Armenians of Boston, and Tekeyan Cultural Association.

In this presentation, his first in the Boston area, Mr. Paylan will discuss recent developments in Turkey and the region, the challenges faced by Turkey’s Armenian community, Turkish-Armenian relations, and the Kurdish issue. Mr. Paylan will speak in English. A reception will follow across the street at the NAASR Center.

Garo Paylan is a founding member of the People’s Democratic Party and is a deputy representing the 3rd district in Istanbul. Mr. Paylan is also a member of Turkey’s Armenian community and has long been an activist on human rights, Kurdish, and Armenian issues. Prior to joining the parliament, Mr. Paylan served on the central committee of HDP and also served on the management of Armenian schools in Istanbul. He has long promoted bilingual education and minority rights in Turkey and has been actively engaged in raising awareness on discrimination towards minorities, the rights of the Armenian community in Turkey, Turkish-Armenian reconciliation, and especially on the Hrant Dink murder case. Mr. Paylan is from a family originally from Malatya and was elected to the Turkish parliament in 2015.

For more information about Paylan’s talk contact, NAASR at 617-489-1610 or hq@naasr.org.