PRESS RELEASE
Armenian and Progressive Politics
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APP Conference on Armenia Features Prominent Speakers
NEW YORK – The fourth installment of the `Armenians and Progressive Politics’
conference focusing on `Armenia at 21,’ will be held at Columbia University
on Sept. 28-29. The conference will bring together distinguished activists,
academics, and politicians from Armenia, Europe, South America, and the
U.S.
The Friday night plenary session will consider the Occupy movement and the
revolutions in the Arab world and their relevance for Armenia. The
evening’s confirmed speakers include Sarah Leah Whitson, Director of the
Middle East and North Africa division of Human Rights Watch, and Arpine
Galfayan, President of the Institute for Democracy and Human Rights in
Armenia.
The six panels scheduled for Sept. 29 will examine: the 21-year trajectory
of Armenia’s statehood, economy, and society; rule of law, corruption, and
elections; development of civil society; Armenian-Turkish relations;
foreign policy; and natural resources policy.
Here is a partial list of featured speakers: Larisa Minasyan, Executive
Director of the Open Society Institute; Thomas Samuelian, Dean of American
University of Armenia’s Law Department; Sona Ayvazyan, Project Director at
Transparency International (Armenia); Khatchik Der Ghougassian, Professor
of International Relations at the Universidad de San Andres in Buenos
Aires, Argentina; Markar Melkonian, teacher, writer, and founder of The
Monte Melkonian Fund; Kirk Wallace, Program Director at the Armenian
Environmental Network; and Armand Grigoryan, Visiting Professor of
International Relations at Lehigh University.
There will also be a number of speakers from the ARF leadership in Armenia
(details to follow).
The conference is organized by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF)
Central Committee – Eastern Region and co-sponsored by the Armenian Society
of Columbia University and the ARF Western Region.
The conference will travel to Los Angeles on Oct. 5-6.
For information on previous `Armenians and Progressive Politics’
conferences, visit
From: Baghdasarian