The Armenian General Benevolent Union Young Professionals and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Armen Karo Student Association hosted the Montreal launch of former Armenian foreign minister Vartan Oskanian’s recently published volume: Speaking to be Heard: A Decade of Speeches. The presentation took place at the Montreal Marriott Courtyard Hotel.

The book, a selection of nearly 100 speeches in the United Nations, European Union, Council of Europe, Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), NATO and more than a dozen international think tanks, as well as to Diaspora and Armenia-based organizations.

George Shirinian, Executive Director of the Zoryan Institute spoke about the author, while Professor Emericts Agop Hacikyan presented the book. Mr. Oskanian talked about his experiences during his years in office.

"Oskanian demonstrated his mastery of the topics under issue.  He talked about the policy of complementarity that was introduced into the lexicon of Armenia’s foreign policy (i.e. creating complementary policies that selectively created alliances with Russia, the US and the EU), he talked about making the Genocide Recognition issue a cornerstone of the ROA foreign policy, he talked about the lessons of tolerance that could be taught by Armenia to the world, because even when we are a small nation, we are an ancient people with a vast historical experience."

'Speaking to be Heard' was published in Yerevan, in both English and Armenian. The English language volume is distributed by NAASR in Massachusetts, and the Armenian language volume is distributed by the Yerevan-based ArtBridge Bookstore.