Garo Paylan to Discuss ‘Turkey and the Armenians’ at Fresno State

Armenian member of the Parliament of the Republic of Turkey for the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) will participate in a discussion on “Turkey and the Armenians” at Fresno State University on Sept. 27 at 7:30 p.m. The discussion will take place in McLane Hall, room 121, on the Fresno State campus.

MP Garo Paylan at the HDP Parliamentary office in Ankara (Photo: Rupen Janbazian)

The presentation is part of the Fall Lecture Series of the Armenian Studies Program, with financial support from the Leon S. Peters Foundation.

Paylan will discuss recent developments in Turkey and the region, the challenges facing the country’s Armenian community, Turkish-Armenian relations, and the Kurdish issue.

Garo Paylan is a founding member of HDP 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. Previous to joining the parliament, Mr. Paylan served in 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 Hrant Dink murder case. Mr. Paylan is from a family originally from Malatya and is one of the three Armenian deputies in the Turkish parliament.

The lecture is free and open to the public. Free parking is available in Fresno State Lots P20, P21, P22, or P23, near McLane Hall Room 121, Fresno State. Parking is free but you must use code 273707 in a kiosk to receive a permit.

For more information about the lecture please contact the Armenian Studies Program at 278-2669, or visit their website at www.fresnostate.edu/armenianstudies.