Yerevan, Armenia - A seminar attended by 40 participants, including Ambassadors for Peace and new guests, was held at Hotel Ararat in downtown Yerevan on Nov. 30. Three presentations on UPF peace principles were given by Jacques Marion, coordinator of UPF in the Baltics and Caucasus. First, was raised the issue of values that is at the core of all UPF activities; then the principle of human responsibility was discussed, and finally development of heart through the family relationships of parent and child, among siblings and between husband and wife; these are the core of all religious teachings.
This was followed by a discussion of democratic values and the need to strengthen the ideals of freedom, equality and brotherhood with a focus on parental love as the basis for ethical leadership.
Four participants were appointed Ambassadors for Peace by Mr. Hovhannes Barseghyan, UPF representative in Armenia. Mr. Armen Azizian, former vice-minister of culture and youth and an Ambassador for Peace, concluded the seminar with a reflection on Armenia’s family-based and strongly religious society, which should help Armenians to move on beyond its current state of development.