Author: Jagharian Tania

On December 18, 2023,  in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; received Reverend Fr. Abraham Malkhasyan, Pastor of the Armenian Church of the Holy Martyrs of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America (New York), who received the doctoral degree from Fordham University in the USA.

With the blessings of His Holiness Karekin II, Father Abraham continued his studies at the Department of Religion and Religious Studies of Fordham University, defending his doctoral thesis on the topic “Understanding Disaffiliation in the Armenian Church: A Study of Older and Younger Millennials. Fr. Abraham is also teaches at St. John’s University in New York as a professor of Theology.

Presenting his doctoral work to His Holiness, Father Abraham emphasized that the purpose of the work is to identify the current challenges, as a result of which young families find it difficult to participate in church life, and to find ways to overcome them.

The Catholicos of All Armenians reflected with satisfaction about the academic achievement of Father Abraham, emphasizing that this work is an important contribution in the field of pastoral theology and an opportunity for the clergy to familiarize themselves with the issues related to youth.

The Armenian Pontiff noted with joy that the clergymen are engaged in scientific activities in parallel with the pastoral service, enriching their knowledge for the benefit of the spiritual service.

At the meeting, His Holiness, as a token of appreciation, granted a beautiful Pectoral Cross.

At the conclusion, the Reverend Father presented His Holiness his thesis work and the doctoral diploma.

A wonderful Christmas program was presented Sunday, January 7th in the church hall. For information, contact Lara Ciamcian on Facebook.

“THE CURRENT STAGE OF THE DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION IN THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA” is a book co-authored by  sociologist Armen Khachikyan, historian Mikayel Malkhasyan, and Fr. Dr. Abraham Malkhasyan. The publication highlights the Republic of Armenia’s demographic policy, historical demographic trends, the impact of the 2020 Artsakh War, the coronavirus pandemic, and other factors on demographic processes. The trend of birth and death rates is analyzed, as well as the impact of migration and population distribution system on the demographic situation. Visit Fr. Dr. Abraham Malkhasyan on Facebook.

Why should Greek Americans learn about the Armenian contribution to their history? The nation played a  unique contribution to Eastern Orthodoxy and Hellenism. Few people know that they carried a lantern of light in the Byzantine Empire throughout its history.

The Byzantine Empire was multi-cultural. Nations and races were united under the Greek language, civilization, and Orthodox faith, calling themselves ROMANS. “Due to centuries of foreign domination, much of Armenian history has been neglected and surpressed,” according to” peopleofar.wordpress.com/2011/10/24/armenians-of-byzantium-part-1/.

“As such much of the influence Armenians had on the Byzantine Empire has been swept under the rug by the Ottomans and later the Soviets. Nevertheless, the contributions of Armenian people to the Byzantine Empire have been more than significant. As the historian P. Charanis (1959) says: “The important role played in the history of Byzantium by that talented minority, the Armenians, has been generally unrecognized.” Even though Armenia was only in part a vassel of Byzantium, many Armenians became successful in the Byzantine Empire. From bishops, architects, important military figures and even Emperors, Armenians were represented in all walks of Byzantine life. In fact, one out of five Byzantine emperors and empresses were ethnically full or in part Armenian.”

“The best example of this is Emperor Heraclius, whose father was Armenian and Mother Cappadocian. Emperor Heraclius began the Heraclean dynasty (610-717 A.D.).,” according toen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantine_Armenia .The Akathistos Hymn sung during Orthodox Lent commemorates his victory and saving of Constantinople with the help of Our Lady, Virgin Mary.

Basil, “The Bulgar Slayer “became one of the strongest Byzantine emperors, winning territory in the Balkans, Mesopotamia, Armenia, and Georgia,” according to encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Basil+II+The+Bulgar-Slayer.  “He was noted for his victory (1014) in the war with Bulgaria, which ended with his blinding all the soldiers in the defeated Bulgarian army. He increased his domestic authority by attacking the landed interests of the military aristocracy and of the church.” He was of Armenian descent.

The Armenian military power, to some scholars, was the basis of the stability and longevity of Byzantium. A strong army was needed. Armenia was the source. “From the 5th century forwards, the Armenians were regarded as the main constituent of the Byzantine army,” states en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantine_Armenia.

In the article, “Armenia, Byzantium, and the Byzantine Armenians” (www.looys.net/byz_arm.html), “another example of the impact of Armenians within the Byzantine Empire is the Great Church known as Hagia Sophia. As  Rummel explains, ‘After 
the great earthquake of October 25, A.D. 989, which ruined the great dome of Hagia Sophia, the Byzantine emperor Basil II asked for the Armenian architect Trdat (or Tiridates), creator of the great churches of Ani and Agine, to repair the dome. The magnitude of the destruction in the church caused reconstruction to last six years. The church was re-opened on May 
13, 994.’ The magnificent, reconstructed dome designed by Trdat in the tenth century remains aloft the “Great Church” to this day.” We must not only remember the 100 year genocide, but the unique contribution of Armenians as carriers of the Greek language, civilization, and Eastern Orthodoxy.

All photos by permission of Fr. Dr. Abraham Malkhasyan.

The Armenian tech scene is bustling with innovation and potential, showcasing a diverse range of startups that are making strides in their respective fields.

From AI-driven platforms to cutting-edge software solutions, these ten startups are not just reshaping the Armenian tech landscape, but also making an impact on a global scale. Here’s a closer look…

SoloLearn has emerged as a premier mobile platform revolutionising how individuals learn coding. Launched in 2013, it now boasts over 30 million users, offering courses in 13 programming languages including Python, Java, and C++. What sets SoloLearn apart is its blend of education and social interaction; users not only learn but also share knowledge within a thriving community.

The app’s evolution from offering diverse courses to focusing solely on programming demonstrates its commitment to specialising in coding education. Recognised as the FbStart App of the Year in 2017, SoloLearn is a testament to innovative, accessible learning.

krisp is a noise-cancelling app that has transformed digital communication. Utilising advanced machine learning and digital signal processing, Krisp efficiently filters out background noise from calls on platforms like Skype and Slack. What makes krisp stand out is its ability to process both incoming and outgoing audio, delivering a clear conversation experience with minimal sound delay.

Its adoption by large companies for call centre operations shows its effectiveness and growing necessity in professional and personal communication environments. krisp represents the forefront of audio technology, enhancing communication clarity in an increasingly noisy digital world.

OnePick is redefining social media management through its AI-powered platform. This innovative startup assists in creating compelling social media content by generating tailored text and selecting relevant images based on page and market data analysis.

The AI software not only crafts a content plan but also streamlines the entire content creation process. OnePick stands out for its ability to understand and adapt to evolving social media trends, ensuring that the content remains fresh and engaging. This makes OnePick an invaluable tool for businesses and individuals looking to maintain an impactful and efficient social media presence.

Payva offers a solution in payment and expense management for enterprises, particularly targeting the complex systems used in the U.S. and Europe. Their SAAS & AI-based platform simplifies the organisation, processing, and management of corporate expenses, especially in travel and entertainment.

By addressing the inefficiencies in existing systems, Payva has become a vital tool for over 5 million companies, helping them save costs and streamline their financial operations. Their technology not only enhances expense management but also represents a significant leap in financial technology, providing a more intuitive and efficient approach for businesses.

Vineti is at the forefront of healthcare technology with its personalised Therapy Management platform, designed to simplify the complex process of cell and gene therapy and personalised cancer vaccines.

Serving as a central ecosystem, it connects all stakeholders – from medical professionals to drug manufacturers and logistics providers. The platform enhances operational efficiency, reduces human error, and ensures compliance with regulations. Recognised as a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum in 2019, Vineti’s platform accelerates the delivery of life-saving therapies, making it a critical innovation in personalised healthcare and medical treatment.

ServiceTitan, founded in 2012, provides a comprehensive platform tailored for businesses offering plumbing, HVAC, and electrical services. It’s more than just a management tool; it’s a growth catalyst, streamlining operations, improving customer service, and enhancing business performance. ServiceTitan’s platform integrates various aspects of service business management, including scheduling, billing, and customer relations, in a user-friendly interface.

This focus on ease of use and efficiency makes ServiceTitan a go-to solution for service-based businesses seeking to optimise their operations and expand their customer base, marking it as a leader in business management solutions.

UCAR is changing the transportation and logistics industry in Armenia. This technological platform simplifies the process of sending parcels and finding truck drivers for various transportation needs. It’s an invaluable resource for both businesses and individuals, providing a seamless way to estimate costs, locate appropriate trucks, and manage logistics.

UCAR’s platform demonstrates the power of technology in optimising logistics, making it easier to move goods across Armenia and the surrounding regions. Its user-friendly interface and efficient service model make it a standout choice for those seeking reliable and straightforward transportation solutions.

Destination Armenia is an innovative online platform designed to showcase Armenia’s tourism potential. This comprehensive aggregator collects all relevant information and resources about Armenian tours, culture, and unique characteristics of the region. It’s a valuable tool for tourists and travel enthusiasts, offering insights into the best experiences Armenia has to offer.

By bringing together diverse aspects of Armenian tourism in one location, Destination Armenia makes trip planning more accessible and informative, effectively promoting the country’s rich cultural heritage and natural beauty to a global audience.

 9. Podcastle: AI-Powered Audio Content Creation

Podcastle stands at the cutting edge of audio content creation, powered by AI technology. This platform is a haven for podcasters, bloggers, journalists, educators, and content marketers, enabling them to effortlessly transform text into high-quality audio. Podcastle’s editing tools allow for seamless content modification, achieving professional-grade sound within seconds.

Its user-friendly interface and advanced features make it an indispensable tool for anyone looking to create or enhance audio content, highlighting the transformative impact of AI in the realm of digital content production.

IntelinAir is changing the agricultural landscape with its analytics platform. By analysing aerial imagery along with other indicators like soil temperature and humidity, IntelinAir provides farmers and insurance companies with valuable insights for crop management. This technology, driven by machine learning and computer vision, identifies problem areas and offers forecasts, enhancing decision-making in agriculture.

Available through a mobile application, IntelinAir operates on a subscription model, tailoring its services to the specific needs of its clients. With an estimated annual revenue of $4 million, IntelinAir is a leader in agricultural technology, offering innovative solutions for modern farming challenges.

In conclusion, these ten Armenian startups are not just innovating within their industries; they’re setting trends and redefining their sectors. As they continue to grow and evolve, they’re worth keeping an eye on in 2024 and beyond, as they represent the dynamic and promising future of Armenia’s tech sector.

Euphoria in Washington and Brussels about Armenia’s reorientation towards the West should be welcomed. Armenia attended the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) heads of state and Eurasian Economic Union meetings in Moscow on December 26. Armenia will chair the Eurasian Economic Union in 2024.

At the same time, euphoria is premature; to reach the West, Armenia must first leave the east which would be only possible if Russia was militarily defeated by Ukraine. As witnessed by Russia’s invasion of Georgia in 2008 and Ukraine last year, the Kremlin is not a supporter of ‘Brexits’ from its Eurasian sphere of influence.

History and geography constrain a country’s foreign policy and geopolitical orientation. And no more so than in the case of Armenia, which lies in the South Caucasus neighbouring Azerbaijan and Turkey. Armenia has no common border with its traditional Russian ally.

Armenia has aligned with Russia since becoming an independent state following the disintegration of the USSR. A brutal war in 1988-1992 led to Turkey closing Armenia’s western border in 1993 while its eastern border with Azerbaijan lay through occupied territory. After winning the First Karabakh War, Armenia occupied a fifth of Azerbaijani territory which included the symbolically important Karabakh region.

In May 1992, with the war just over, Armenia, Russia, and four Central Asian states – all former Soviet republics – signed the Tashkent Treaty. A year later Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan signed as well but they did not renew their participation in 1999, opting instead to align with Ukraine and Moldova in the pro-Western GUUAM (named after the first letter of its five members) group.

A decade later the original six members of the Tashkent Treaty became the CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organisation). Although promoted by Russia as a Eurasian response to NATO this was a misnomer as NATO did not launch its first enlargement in the post-communist era until seven years later. Since then, NATO has enlarged on five further occasions while the CSTO has remained static.

CSTO members joined for diametrically different reasons. Belarus is a Russian satellite state and, like Russia, is xenophobically anti-Western. Four Central Asian states do not feel threatened by their neighbours and have looked to the CSTO to defend their regimes. Armenia built security partnerships with Russia and Iran to counter Turkey and Azerbaijan with whom it had poor relations and occupied territory of Azerbaijan.

Armenia’s pro-Russian security policy was deepened by bilateral military relationships with Russia signed in August 1992 and March 1995. Russia has two military bases in Gyumri and at Yerevan airport. Armenian officers train at Russian military academies and most of Armenia’s military equipment is Russian. Prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine there were rumoured to be plans to expand the number of Russian bases in Armenia. In February 2021, Armenian Defence Minister Vagharshak Harutyunyan raised the possibility of ‘redeploying some military formation of the [102nd] Russian base to the eastern part of Armenia.’ The possible location was the Vardenis region, southeast of Lake Sevan.

In August 2010, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed an agreement extending these Russian military bases until 2044. Serj Sargsyan and Robert Kocherian, who have played musical chairs with the positions of president and prime minister and who were dubbed the ‘Karabakh clan,’ are solidly pro-Russian in their foreign policy orientation.

Russia’s military involvement in Armenia goes even deeper.

Uniquely in the former USSR, Armenia’s borders are controlled by Russian border guard troops based on a treaty signed in September 1992. Russian border guard troops are based in Gyumri, Armavir, Artashat, Meghri and at Zvartnots airport. Russia’s border guard troops are under the control of the FSB, Russia’s Federal Security Service whose responsibility is internal Russian security but also stretches to cover the entire former USSR. In the USSR, the border guards came under the control of the KGB.

After the ceasefire following the 2020 Second Karabakh War, Russia expanded the presence of FSB border guard troops to five locations in Armenia, including two on the border with Nakhichevan, two on the border with Iran, and one in Tegh.

Russia’s military control of Armenia goes even further. In 2016, Armenia ratified an agreement with Russia to create a joint air-defence system which includes the entirety of Russia’s Air Force’s capabilities, including reconnaissance and surveillance, fighter jets and bomber planes.

On the economic front, Russia expanded its control over Armenia stealthily over the course of the last three decades. Armenia’s gas, and nuclear power sectors are controlled by Russia. Nearly as many Armenians live and work in Russia as do in Armenia, sending home remittances that are important for the government budget.

The EU included Armenia alongside five other Soviet republics, in the Eastern Partnership unveiled in 2010. The Kremlin viewed the Eastern Partnership as a threat to its Eurasian sphere of influence and created the CIS Customs Union as its response. After coming back as Russian president in 2012, Russian President Vladimir Putin applied pressure on Ukraine and Armenia to not sign Association Agreements with the EU. In 2013, Ukrainians rebelled against President Viktor Yanukovych’s withdrawal from the Association Agreement while Armenians accepted President Sargsyan’s decision to do so. Armenia joined the Eurasian Economic Union, as the CIS Customs Union had been renamed.

Nikol Pashinyan came to power in 2018 following a popular revolt against corruption and undemocratic practices undertaken by the ‘Karabakh clan’ which dominated Armenian politics since the early 1990s. Pashinyan has no love for the CSTO because it failed to intervene in the 2020 Second Karabakh War. Russia claimed there was no military action on Armenian territory and the CSTO did not intervene because the war was fought on territory internationally recognised as Azerbaijani. Pashinyan also condemned Russian peacekeeping forces for not intervening on Armenia’s side during the short-lived Azerbaijani retaking of Karabakh earlier this year.

Pashinyan has boycotted recent CSTO summit showing how Armenia has become a de facto passive member. Nevertheless, despite the prime minister’s criticism, Armenian government officials have been at pains to say that there are no plans to withdraw from the CSTO or close Russian military bases. The only discernible difference has been Armenia’s interest in balancing countries with whom it conducts military cooperation. Nevertheless, this has been on a small scale, the Eagle Partner peacekeeping training exercise held in Armenia in September included only 85 U.S. and 175 Armenian soldiers.

Pashinyan and other Armenian officials have never raised the question of withdrawal from the Eurasian Economic Union. In 2016, the UK held a Brexit referendum using article 50 of the Treaty on the European Union; the charter of the Eurasian Economic Union does not include such a mechanism.

Countries can only be in one customs union. In 2014, Ukraine signed the Association Agreement and is part of the EU customs union. Armenia cannot re-join the path to signing an Association Agreement until it leaves the customs zone of the Eurasian Economic Union which it joined in January 2015.

Washington and Brussels should encourage Armenia to pursue a more balanced multi-vector foreign policy. This may gradually reduce Russia’s influence in Armenia. With the decline of the ‘Karabakh clan’ following the formerly occupied territories returning to Azerbaijani sovereignty, Russia has lost its main source of influence in Armenia.

While Pashinyan’s heart would like to steer Armenia towards Europe, his head understands realities on the ground. There is no easy mechanism for Armenia to withdraw from the CSTO or Eurasian Economic Union – even if the Kremlin were to accept this step, which is unlikely.  It is also unclear what would be the Kremlin’s response if Armenia unilaterally abrogated Russian military bases.

Ironically, Armenia’s best chance of moving west is if the east is militarily defeated by Ukraine. As Russian history has shown in the mid nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Russian leaders have traditionally not survived the domestic turmoil brought about by military failures.

Taras Kuzio is a professor of political science at the National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy and an associate research fellow at the Henry Jackson Society. He is the author of Fascism and Genocide: Russia’s War Against Ukrainians.

The views expressed in this article belong to the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect those of Geopoliticalmonitor.com.

https://www.geopoliticalmonitor.com/armenia-cannot-go-west-until-russia-loses-its-war-against-ukraine/