Author: Garnik Tadevosian

Ambassador Arsen Avagyan presents credentials to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi

Garnik Tadevosian

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 19:47,

YEREVAN, APRIL 25, ARMENPRESS. On April 25, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia to the Islamic Republic of Iran Arsen Avagyan presented his credentials to the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ebrahim Raisi, ARMENPRESS reports Foreign Ministry of Armenia informs that welcoming the Armenian Ambassador, President Raisi expressed hope that during his activity significant progress will be registered in different directions of the relations between the two friendly countries, such as economic relations, trade and other spheres.

Thanking for the reception and good wishes, Ambassador Avagyan noted that he will make maximum efforts for the continuous development of relations between the two countries.

The President of the Islamic Republic of Iran also asked to convey his warm greetings to the leadership of the Republic of Armenia.

UC Davis community remembers the Armenian Genocide

Garnik Tadevosian
The Aggie – UC Davis

Students share what the day represents to them and how they acknowledge it

By ALINA ISSAKHANIAN — [email protected]

Content Warning: This article contains descriptions of violence which some readers may find disturbing.

marks the 107th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. For many, including first-year international relations major Ani Jamhotchian, it is a day of remembrance, grief and working for justice. 

“Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day is a day to honor those who were lost during the genocide, remember the hard work we as a people have put into creating our thriving communities, and continue to fight against those who try to conceal the truth of what happened to our ancestors,” Jamgotchian said. 

To remember the day, many Armenians and those who support the day’s recognition, join marches, hold vigils and spread their knowledge of the genocide. Leah Tahmassian, a second-year political science major and the social media chair of UC Davis’s Armenian Students Association, shared how she honors the day.

“I usually attend a memorial or march for justice,” Tahmassian said. “I also posted about it on my Instagram as a reminder for my friends and family. Remembering the genocide is not only important — it is essential in order for Armenian heritage to survive.” 

According to the New York Times, before the year 1915, there were two million Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, but by the year 1922, there were fewer than 400,000. Around 1.5 million Armenians were either killed or forcibly removed from the empire during that time, as well as more people not of Armenian ethnicity in the Ottoman Empire, including Christian minorities, like Greeks and Assyrians.

Elisa Gevorgian, a first-year biology major, said that people march to the Turkish Consulate in Los Angeles every year on April 24 to remind people of the genocide and encourage the U.S. to do more to acknowledge it’s impact.

“To remember the day and fight for justice, we go to the March For Justice in front of the Turkish consulate,” Gevorgian said. “It is important so that something like this will not be as likely to happen again.”

While Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day is acknowledged by the state of California, the U.S. does not recognize it federally. In 2019, the U.S. legislature passed a resolution officially recognizing the massacres that took place as a genocide, but first-year mechanical engineering major Diana Jabagchourian said that she believes the U.S. should do more to support the Armenian community.

“I believe that the Armenian people will never heal completely,” Jabagchourian said. “I don’t believe that enough has been done.” 

Tahmassian said that though more could be done, recognizing the acts of 1915 as a genocide is a strong symbol by the U.S. 

She also said that on Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day and throughout the year, individuals can support Armenian communities by educating themselves on the history of the genocide and supporting the communities around them.

“People need to recognize the pain that Armenians have gone through in order to better understand the Armenians in their life, and bring them to a safer state of mind,” Tahmassian said. “Armenians cannot do this alone. We need the general public to come out and help us since without them we do not have the numbers we need for global recognition.”

Geopolitical gamble extremely dangerous to Armenia – Ara Aivazyan

Garnik Tadevosian
ARMINFO
Armenia –
Marianna Mkrtchyan

ArmInfo.Talking to reporters in Yerevan’s Liberty Square, Armenia’s former foreign minister Ara Aivazyan said no requirement of Artsakh’s lower status was laid down  when he was Armenia’s minister of foreign affairs. 

“If we act with prudence, we could ensure a minimum,” he said.  

The diplomat said that he agreed to the post of foreign minister  being sure Armenian diplomacy would succeed in reaching certain  agreements and ensure Armenia’s national interests. 

“I would not like to make assessments now, but I think much was done  and we managed to ensure certain accents by the international  community,” he said.  

Commenting on the developments during the last year, Mr Aivazyan  said: 

“It was not so when I was minister. You will recall the co-chairs  made several statements – on December 3, April 13, and the accents of  the statements were in full conformity with our national interests.”

According to him, peoples’ self-determination was among the  priorities. 

Mr Aivazyan is sure that after analyzing the situation one can see  the process would have never ended in war. 

“Can you see what is going on around us? The ongoing geopolitical  processes are involving not only Armenia and Azerbaijan. It is much  more serious. Armenia could appear the weakest state in the South  Caucasus, but much depends on Armenia’s position in the context of  the region’s geopolitical future,” Mr Aivazyan said. 

As to the Azerbaijan-proposed five points, he said:  “I am sure that  by diplomatic means we can ensure a minimum if we take reasonable  steps – even in this grave situation. We have human resources, former  foreign ministers with great experience. I think we must mobilize all  our national potential.” 

As regards withdrawal of troops on both sides, Mr Aivazyan is sure  that the process was a tactical blunder committed by the Armenian  side. He said that the issue was first raised on May 27, and he  resigned a few hours later.  “There was theorizing about border  delimitation and demarcation. I had a negative opinion. I think the  mutual withdrawal of troops was a tactical blunder on our part  because, you will recall, specifically addressed statements had been  issued before May 27. And the last statement by the U.S. Department  of State was a strong-worded one. It was preceded by statements by  France, the EU, Germany, Canada, India and Iran,” he said.  As to  whether effective solutions to the Artsakh problem could be found  through removal of Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his  team, Mr Aivazyan is confident that the situation can be remedied by  diplomatic means. However, it is a long and hard process. 

“I say again, a geopolitical gamble is extremely dangerous to us  now,” he said. As regards the concerned over the so-called Zangezur  corridor, which could be a precondition for a peace agreement with  Azerbaijan, Mr Aivazyan said he is not involved in the negotiations. 

“At least, when I worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, no  document or idea was proposed to us. I only heard on regular  occasions that Azerbaijan was stating it had proposed peace,” he  said.  As to normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations, Mr Aivazyan  points out a need for a dialogue, but not by setting preconditions. 

If the regional and other nations are interested in peace and  stability, they should reject such categories as “winner” and  “loser.” “I do not see the forcing supporting Turkey and Azerbaijan  are thinking so,” he said.  

Asked if he is supporting the Armenian premier’s removal from power,  Mr Aivazyan said he stated his opinion by resigning from the post of foreign minister.  

Ara Aivazyan was appointed to the post on November 18, 2020, and  resigned on May 27, 2021.

MP Taguhi Tovmasyan dismisses peace agenda as ‘dangerous trap’

Garnik Tadevosian
Panorama
Armenia –

POLITICS 15:26 18/04/2022 ARMENIA

Armenian MP Taguhi Tovmasyan from the opposition With Honor faction dismissed the Armenian authorities’ peace agenda as a “dangerous trap” amid Azerbaijan’s policy to erase traces of the Armenian heritage in Artsakh.

Below is the full statement issued by Tovmasyan on Monday, 18 April marking the International Day for Monuments and Sites.

“Today marks the International Day for Monuments and Sites.

For decades, we have been witnessing how Azerbaijan, in blatant violation of international law and its committeemen’s within the UN and the Council of Europe, has been deliberately destroying the Armenian cultural heritage and carrying out cultural genocide by various means.

Barbaric destruction of churches, monuments and cemeteries is taking place, while attempts are being made to ascribe Armenian monuments to the Albanian culture.

During and after the 44-day war in 2020, these crimes gained new momentum and reached enormous proportions. Steps to eradicate the Armenian identity and Christianity in Artsakh go to show once again that the peace agenda is only a dangerous trap for us.

At various meetings on the sidelines of my visit to the United States, I passed on to congressmen the reports of the Artsakh ombudsman about Azerbaijan’s destruction of Artsakh’s cultural heritage and the hate propaganda. The civilized world must respond to Azerbaijan’s genocidal actions.”

U.S. "encourages" further Armenia-Azerbaijan peace talks

Garnik Tadevosian
PanARMENIAN
Armenia – April 6 2022
April 6, 2022 – 10:36 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev on Tuesday, April 5 and expressed his encouragement for further peace negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

According to two separate statements from the Department of State, Blinken cited Pashinyan and Aliyev’s planned meeting with European Council President Charles Michel on April 6.

“He reiterated the United States stood ready to help by engaging bilaterally and with like-minded partners, including through our role as an OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair, to help the countries find a long-term comprehensive peace,” the statements said.

Pashinyan’s office said in a statement of its own that the PM presented the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) caused by the actions of the Azerbaijani units, the humanitarian issues, and attached importance to a targeted reaction from the United States.

Azerbaijan has broken into Nagorno-Karabakh, and the incursion has left three Armenian soldiers dead and at least 14 others injured. On March 24, Azerbaijan stormed into the zone of the responsibility of the Russian peacekeepers stationed in the area and is refusing to completely withdraw its forces from strategic heights.

the two exchanged views on the demarcation and delimitation of borders between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the possibility of unblocking communications in the region, as well as the ongoing dialogue between Armenia and Turkey.

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 04/06/2022

Garnik Tadevosian 
                                Wednesday, April 6, 2022
Armenia, Azerbaijan Make Progress Towards Peace Deal
April 07, 2022
Belgium - European Council President Charles Michel, Armenian Prime Minister 
Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev begin a trilateral 
meeting in Brussels, April 6, 2022.
The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed to start drafting a bilateral 
“peace treaty” and set up a joint commission on demarcating the 
Armenian-Azerbaijani border during fresh talks in Brussels hosted by European 
Council President Charles Michel.
“We have decided all together to launch a concrete process, to prepare a 
possible peace treaty and to address all necessary elements for such a treaty,” 
Michel told reporters on Wednesday night after his trilateral meeting with 
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev 
that lasted for more than four hours.
“I am confident that tonight we took an important step in the right direction,” 
he said. “It doesn’t mean everything is solved. But it means that we made 
progress.”
In a written statement issued shortly afterwards, Michel said Aliyev and 
Pashinian pledged to “move rapidly” towards the comprehensive treaty meant to 
resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. They will instruct their foreign 
ministers to “work on the preparation” of such a deal, added the head of the 
European Union’s main decision-making body.
The Armenian government’s press office confirmed these instructions in a 
statement on the late-night talks.
Baku wants the peace deal to be based on five elements, including a mutual 
recognition of each other’s territorial integrity. Pashinian has publicly stated 
that they are acceptable to Yerevan in principle, fuelling Armenian opposition 
claims that he is ready to recognize Azerbaijani sovereignty over Karabakh.
Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said last week that Yerevan will also raise the 
issue of Karabakh’s status with the Azerbaijani side. The Armenian government 
statement on the Brussels talks made no mention of the issue.
Michel said after the talks that the two sides now have a better understanding 
of possible parameters of the deal. But he did not elaborate.
The top EU official also announced that Aliyev and Pashinian agreed to “convene 
a Joint Border Commission by the end of April.” “The mandate of the Joint Border 
Commission will be to delimit the bilateral border between Armenia and 
Azerbaijan and ensure a stable security situation along and in the vicinity of 
the borderline,” he said.
The Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders already agreed to set up such a commission 
during their November 2021 talks in Sochi hosted by Russian President Vladimir 
Putin. It was expected that Russian officials will actively participate in the 
commission’s work.
It was not immediately clear whether Yerevan and Baku decided to exclude any 
Russian involvement in the border demarcation.
Armenian Death Toll In Ukraine Revealed
April 06, 2022
        • Marine Khachatrian
UKRAINE - An armoured vehicle of pro-Russian troops drives along a street past a 
residential building destroyed during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the besieged 
southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine March 31, 2022.
At least 23 ethnic Armenian citizens or residents of Ukraine have been killed 
since the start of the Russian invasion, according to leaders of the country’s 
Armenian community.
Davit Mkrtchian, the deputy chairman of the Union of Armenians of Ukraine, said 
on Wednesday that 18 of them were civilians while the five others served in the 
Ukrainian military.
“We pray that the real number [of Armenian deaths] is not higher,” Mkrtchian 
told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service. “Once in every two or three days we hear about 
people getting killed here and there.”
Estimates of the number of ethnic Armenians who lived in Ukraine before the war 
vary from 100,000 to 400,000. Many of them are said to hold Armenian passports. 
The European Union has allowed them to enter Ukraine’s EU neighbors without 
Schengen visas.
Like millions of Ukrainians, many local Armenians have fled the country since 
the start of the conflict on February 24. But even their approximate number 
remains unknown to both the community leaders and Armenia’s government.
The Foreign Ministry in Yerevan said last month that it has not organized 
charter flights for such refugees because few of them are willing to relocate to 
Armenia.
Mkrtchian disputed that claim, saying that many Armenians expressed a desire to 
take refuge in Armenia at the start of the devastating war.
UKRAINE - Fire and smoke light up the night sky east of Kharkiv, March 30, 2022.
According to the Kyiv-based activist, a large number of Armenians remain trapped 
in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, the epicenter of fierce fighting, and, in 
particular, the regional city of Mariupol besieged and partly occupied by 
Russian troops.
Karen Ghulian, an Armenian-born man, lived in Mariupol for over two decades. 
Ghulian said that he, his family and a group of other local Armenians risked 
their lives to flee the war-torn city late last week.
“I realized that if we don’t get out I could lose my family,” he told RFE/RL’s 
Armenian Service. “We got caught in crossfire.”
Ghulian said he and his family members moved to a friend’s apartment weeks ago 
after their house was destroyed by shelling.
“Conditions there were terrible,” he said. “There was a lack of food, water, 
everything. There were no working shops. They all were empty, looted or bombed.”
Blinken Urges ‘De-Escalation’ In Karabakh
April 06, 2022
U.S. - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks after viewing the "Burma's 
Path To Genocide" exhibit at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 
Washington, March 21, 2022.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for a de-escalation of tensions in 
Nagorno-Karabakh in separate phone calls with the leaders of Armenia and 
Azerbaijan on Tuesday.
Blinken spoke with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani 
President Ilham Aliyev the day before their talks in Brussels hosted by European 
Council President Charles Michel.
“The Secretary underscored that now was not the time for further escalation in 
the region,” the U.S. State Department spokesman, Ned Price, said in written 
comments on the call with Pashinian.
“The Secretary expressed his encouragement for further peace negotiations 
between Armenia and Azerbaijan, including Pashinian’s and Aliyev’s planned 
meeting April 6 with European Council President Michel,” he said.
“The Secretary called for restraint, de-escalation, and renewed diplomacy,” 
Price said in a separate statement on his conversation with Aliyev.
The trilateral meeting in Brussels was scheduled a week after Azerbaijani troops 
seized a village in eastern Karabakh and tried to push deeper into the 
territory, sparking deadly fighting with Karabakh Armenian forces.
The U.S. State Department deplored the Azerbaijani troop movements, calling them 
“irresponsible and unnecessarily provocative.” Baku rejected the criticism.
Aliyev and Pashinian decided last week to meet in Brussels as Azerbaijan pressed 
Armenia to accept its proposals on a “peace treaty” between the two nations. 
Aliyev was reported to discuss those proposals with Blinken.
According to Price, Blinken told both leaders that the United States is ready to 
help Yerevan and Baku reach a “long-term comprehensive” peace accord by 
“engaging bilaterally and with like-minded partners, including through our role 
as an OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair.”
It was not clear whether Washington will continue to work with Russia, another 
co-chair of the Minsk Group, in seeking an end to the Karabakh conflict.
Price cited Blinken as condemning Moscow’s “heinous war crimes in Ukraine” and 
reaffirming Washington’s commitment to “hold the Russian Federation and its 
enablers accountable for the unprovoked and unjustified war against Ukraine.”
Armenia’s Food Inflation Remains In Double Digits
April 06, 2022
        • Sargis Harutyunyan
Armenia - Shoppers at a food supermarket in Yerevan.
Food prices in Armenia rose by an average of 12.1 percent in the first quarter 
of this year despite the authorities’ pledges to curb inflation.
Data released by the Armenian government’s Statistical Committee shows that they 
were up by nearly 13 percent year on year in March, translating into an overall 
inflation rate of 7.4 percent.
Annual inflation reached 7.7 percent in December, well above a 4 percent target 
set by the government and the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA) for 2021. A sharp 
rise in food prices, which reflects a global trend, was the key factor behind 
the increased cost of living in the country.
In an effort to curb rising inflation, the CBA has raised its benchmark interest 
rate for nine times since December 2020.
The bank most recently hiked the rate in mid-March, citing fallout from Western 
economic sanctions imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
The government likewise predicted that the escalating conflict further push up 
the cost of food staples in Armenia. The South Caucasus country imports a large 
part of its wheat, cooking oil and other basic foodstuffs from Russia.
Also contributing to higher-than-projected inflation are recent increases in the 
prices of electricity and natural gas approved by utility regulators.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2022 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

16 new COVID-19 cases confirmed in Armenia

Garnik Tadevosian

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 11:12, 6 April, 2022

YEREVAN, APRIL 6, ARMENPRESS. 16 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the last 24 hours, bringing the cumulative total number of confirmed cases to 422,610, the Armenian Ministry of Healthcare said.

No new deaths were recorded and the death toll remains 8619.

23 patients recovered (total recoveries: 410,252).

2479 tests were administered (total tests: 2,988,475).

As of April 6 the number of active cases stood at 2060.

Statement of European Council President Charles Michel after the Second Trilateral Meeting with PM Pashinyan and Aliyev

Garnik Tadevosian

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 10:20, 7 April, 2022

YEREVAN, APRIL 7, ARMENPRESS. European Council President Charles Michel released a statement following the Second Trilateral Meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Brussels.

“The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, hosted the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, for a continuation of their discussions on the situation in the South Caucasus region and the development of EU relations with both countries.

President Michel reiterated the EU’s commitment to deepen its cooperation with Armenia and Azerbaijan to work closely in overcoming tensions and promote a South Caucasus that is secure, stable, peaceful and prosperous for the benefit of all people living in the region.

The leaders took stock of developments since their last meeting in Brussels in December 2021 and their videoconference, together with President Macron, in February 2022. They reviewed progress on the implementation of undertaken commitments. They discussed the recent reported tensions and reiterated the necessity of adhering fully to the provisions of the 9/10 November 2020 trilateral statement. They welcomed the meeting of senior representatives from Armenia and Azerbaijan on 30 March 2022 under EU auspices in Brussels and agreed on the necessity to continue this engagement to ensure adequate follow-up to agreements reached at leaders’ level.

President Michel emphasised the importance of humanitarian gestures by both sides to promote confidence and peaceful coexistence. He stressed the need for the full and speedy resolution of all outstanding humanitarian issues, including the release of remaining detainees and comprehensively addressing the issue of missing persons, and stated that the EU is ready to support this endeavour. The EU will likewise continue to support confidence building measures between Azerbaijan and Armenia as well as humanitarian de-mining efforts, including by continuing to provide expert advice and stepping up financial assistance, and assistance to conflict-affected populations, rehabilitation and reconstruction.

President Michel noted both President Aliyev’s and Prime Minister Pashinyan’s stated desire to move rapidly towards a peace agreement between their countries. To this end, it was agreed to instruct Ministers of Foreign Affairs to work on the preparation of a future peace treaty, which would address all necessary issues.

The delimitation and demarcation of their bilateral border will be essential; to this end, in line with the Sochi Statement of 26 November 2021, it was also agreed to convene a Joint Border Commission by the end of April. The mandate of the Joint Border Commission will be to:

  • delimit the bilateral border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and
  • ensure a stable security situation along, and in the vicinity of, the borderline.

President Michel also stressed that ensuring the appropriate distancing of forces is an essential element of incident prevention and tensions reduction. President Michel reaffirmed the EU’s readiness to provide advice and support.

The leaders also discussed the restoration of communications/connectivity infrastructure between Armenia and Azerbaijan in particular and in the South Caucasus more broadly. President Michel welcomed the steps towards the restoration of railway lines, while encouraging Armenia and Azerbaijan to also find effective solutions for the restoration of road links. The EU is ready to support the development of connectivity links, including in line with its Economic and Investment Plan and by utilising the proposed economic advisory forum to identify common projects.

The leaders agreed to follow-up on outcomes of their meeting and to stay engaged,” reads the statement.

At EU meeting, Armenia and Azerbaijan agree to start peace talks over Nagorno-Karabakh

Garnik Tadevosian
euronews
April 7 2022
By AFP  with Euronews  •  Updated: 07/04/2022 – 18:57

Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed to start preparations for peace talks to resolve three decades of conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met in Brussels on Wednesday alongside European Council President Charles Michel.

Michel said in a statement that both leaders “have expressed their willingness to move quickly towards a peace agreement”.

The announcement came after a resurgence of tensions in March. The latest war in Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020 left an estimated 6,500 people dead.

After their talks in Brussels, Pashinyan and Aliyev ordered their respective foreign ministers to “start preparations for peace talks between the two countries,” Armenia’s foreign ministry said on Thursday.

“An agreement was reached at the meeting […] to set up a bilateral commission on border demarcation issues,” it added.

The commission will ensure security and stability along the border between the two countries.

Last week, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry announced that work was underway to start peace negotiations.

Russia has welcomed the “very positive” news, but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has stressed that “it is clear that the process will take a long time”.

In November 2020, a Kremlin-mediated ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan ended a six-week war between the two former Soviet republics.

The conflict ended in defeat for Armenia, which was forced to hand over large areas of the breakaway region it had controlled since the early 1990s.

Russia had accused Azerbaijan in late March of violating a ceasefire negotiated by President Vladimir Putin to end the 2020 conflict.

Last month, Armenia accused Azerbaijani forces of firing on residents inside Nagorno-Karabakh and said three people had died.

Yerevan has also accused Baku of cutting off the gas supply to Nagorno-Karabakh during the winter. Azerbaijan has dismissed these accusations, insisting on its sovereignty over the region.

On the eve of the meeting between Pashinyan and Aliyev, thousands of Armenians marched through the capital to protest against further possible concessions.

PM Pashinyan receives participants of "iGorts" program

Garnik Tadevosian

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 18:08, 5 April, 2022

YEREVAN, APRIL 5, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met at the Government with the participants of the “iGorts” program for the involvement of Diaspora specialists in public administration bodies of Armenia, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Miister.

Welcoming them, the Prime Minister noted. “I am glad that we continuously implement this program, despite all the difficulties and complications. I am also glad that we can state that the program has recorded concrete results in terms of achieving the goals we have set. And here we are talking about the involvement of the Diaspora potential in the public administration system of Armenia.

As you may already know, we have high-ranking officials from the program participants, in the person of the Deputy Minister of Economy and the Chairman of the Tourism Committee, which shows the seriousness of our intentions. Of course, first of all, the seriousness of the the program participants in their intentions was expressed, to which we responded accordingly.

I hope that we will continue this process, because we want the involvement of the potential of the Diaspora in the public administration system of Armenia and in solving the problems facing our country to be more and more tangible. We also want our esteemed representatives of the Diaspora to see the problems from the inside, to participate in their evaluation, and to offer concrete solutions, which may be left unnoticed by the ordinary everyday view.

Of course, I think we will continue this process. I also see from your eyes that you are really serious in your intentions, and I am sincerely happy for that, because you know that we are facing unprecedented challenges, and addressing and solving those unusual challenges requires unusual approaches. We hope that you will bring with you those unusual approaches, and that you will help us, that you will enrich us with your knowledge, skills, abilities, and if you will be able to take something useful from what has already been done, of course we will be happy.”

The Prime Minister emphasized the importance of cooperation with the Diaspora in this format – through the programs of the Office of the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs.

“Maybe I am not well informed, I do not rule out, but I do not remember the leadership of Armenia to have ever cooperated with the Diaspora in this format before. I think it is an important result of that institutional change: the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs is himself a representative of the Diaspora, although like many, he was a representative of Armenia before being a representative of the Diaspora. This topic is peculiar just for that reason. And we want those borders not to exist. In today ‘s global world, sometimes it does not meven matter where you are in the world. In the modern world, distance is more psychology than space. And, consequently, I do not want to underestimate space at all, but I do not want to underestimate psychology either. We must overcome psychology through space and space through psychology. I think this program is one of the most important platforms for the implementation of this vision.

Of course, I talked about specific cases, but I am convinced that the participants of the “iGorts” program have done a lot of work in different ministries, participated in the development and implementation of various laws, government decisions, programs. I apologise for that I can’t list them all right now, but I know that really a lot of work has been done. And I hope that the participants and the initiators of this program, we all will be satisfied with the end result. Even if we do not have the opportunity to talk about very tangible results as much as we would like, this communication, this contact itself is very important and useful. I welcome you again, thank you for your readiness shown during this difficult period and express my readiness to answer, to address all your questions and, of course, to continue the cooperation.”

According to Zareh Sinanyan, High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs, the program, which was launched in 2020, can be considered successful. In the first year, in 2020, iGorts received 800 applications from 27 countries․ As a result, 52 Diaspora Armenian specialists from 19 countries worked in 19 different departments. By the end of the program about 70% of the first stage alumni decided to stay in the Motherland. By the completion of the program, 16 of them remained in the state system, 9 of which are financed through the Hovnanian Foundation. In 2021, 350 applications were received from 30 countries․ As a result, cooperation agreements were signed with 50 Diaspora Armenian specialists. At present, 47 specialists from 14 countries work in 25 different departments: the National Assembly, ministries, committees, inspection bodies, etc. Diaspora Armenian specialists have arrived from different countries of the world: Russia, USA, Lebanon, Belgium, Germany, Syria, France, Cyprus, Switzerland, etc.

During the meeting, the participants of “iGorts” thanked the Government of the Republic of Armenia for such an opportunity and presented their work carried out in various state agencies.

Prime Minister Pashinyan also answered a number of questions of the meeting participants, which referred to the reforms of the public administration system of Armenia, Armenia’s international cooperation, economic stimulation, realization of the Diaspora’s potential, problems of education, science and other spheres and the government’s steps to solve them.

“iGorts” aims to involve Diaspora Armenian specialists with higher education, 3 years of professional experience in the field of public policy with a master’s degree or a bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 5 years of professional experience in the public administration of Armenia, whose professional and expertise skills will contribute to the implementation of innovative ideas and conducting large-scale research. One of the goals of the program is to apply the work experience and skills of the participants in the work and programs carried out by the public administration bodies of the Republic of Armenia and Artsakh, which will give an opportunity to promote professional repatriation, to support the processes of improving the public administration system.