- Shoghik Galstian
- Susan Badalian
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on Thursday acknowledged that he forced the director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute (AGMI) to resign because of what she told and gave U.S. Vice President JD Vance during his recent visit to Yerevan.
The director, Edita Gzoyan, gifted Vance five books after he and his wife Usha laid flowers on February 10 at a memorial to the victims of the 1915 genocide, which is part of the AGMI. Gzoyan also escorted them to other parts of the complex, including cross-stones placed in memory of Armenians killed in 1988-1990 pogroms in Azerbaijan. According to an AGMI press release, she emphasized “the connection between those events and the Armenian Genocide” in Ottoman Turkey.
Gzoyan tendered her resignation earlier this month. Pashinian confirmed that she did so “on my instructions.”
“Yes, I considered [the gift to Vance] an action contrary to the foreign policy pursued by the government, I considered it a provocative action and asked her to write a resignation letter,” he told journalists.
“When the country’s prime minister says there is no Karabakh movement, what does it mean to present a book on the Artsakh issue to a foreign guest? … Foreign policy in Armenia is conducted by the government of Armenia, and any Armenian government official who says anything that contradicts the government’s foreign policy should be fired,” said Pashinian.
Gzoyan has still not publicly commented on her resignation which upset the AGMI staff. The AGMI press release said that the books handed by her to Vance related to “the Armenian Genocide and the Artsakh issue.”
AGMI sources told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service that Gzoyan for years gave the same books and organized the same tours for all foreign dignitaries visiting the Tsitsernakaberd memorial. Pashinian’s protocol service did not give her any instructions ahead of Vance’s visit, according to them. Also, the AGMI has a division on “research on the repression of Armenians in the Armenian-populated regions of Artsakh, Nakhichevan and Azerbaijan.”
The director of the genocide memorial and its research wing is appointed by its board of trustees, rather tan the prime minister or even the Armenian Ministry of Education, Culture and Youth Affairs. Pashinian’s intervention may therefore be portrayed by his critics as abuse of power.
The board’s chairman, French-Armenian genocide scholar Raymond Kevorkian, and several members resigned last week. They included Hranush Kharatian, a prominent historian and sociologist. Kharatian criticized Pashinian’s remarks as a threat to academic freedom in Armenia when she spoke with RFE/RL’s Armenian Service later on Thursday.
“It looks like our prime minister … wants to decide by himself the scope of academic freedoms and what research centers can say,” she said.
Pashinian promptly replaced Kharatian and other board members on March 6. He is expected to install one of his former aides, Hrachya Tashchian, as the new AGMI director on Friday.
Tashchian already occupied Gzoyan’s office on Thursday. He denied that the prime minister is exerting pressure on the AGMI and its scholars.
Pashinian has repeatedly declared that the Karabakh issue is closed for his administration. He recognized Azerbaijani sovereignty over Karabakh even before Baku restored control over the region following the September 2023 military offensive that forced its entire population to flee to Armenia. In a speech at the European Parliament on Wednesday, Pashinian again stated that the Karabakh Armenians should forget about returning to their homeland.
Pashinian has also offered far-reaching concessions to Turkey, which provided Azerbaijan with decisive military support during the 2020 war with Armenia. In particular, he declared last year that Armenians should “understand what happened” in 1915 and what prompted the subsequent campaign for international recognition of the Armenian genocide in Ottoman Turkey. Armenian historians, opposition figures and retired diplomats expressed outrage at the remarks, saying that Pashinian cast doubt on the fact of the genocide officially recognized by over three dozen countries, including the United Staes.
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“Pashinyan is trying to deceive people with a primitive factor. if he stays, it will be p
March: 10, 2026
“If we are talking about serious politics or serious state management, then what the RA authorities are doing today does not correspond to the current reality in any way. We are dealing with a frivolous government, which has already confirmed that it does not conduct its own policy,” he said of 168.am said in a conversation with Chairman of the Democratic Party of Armenia Aram Sargsyanspeaking about the ongoing military operations in neighboring Iran and the internal party campaign by the Armenian authorities.
According to him, no matter how much Nikol Pashinyan talks about sovereignty today and declares that we have just become a state, it does not change anything, he does not rule the country by himself.
“If they talk every day that we are becoming a new state, we should understand exactly the opposite, because the state was formed in 1991, that is, it was continuous, we don’t need to drum up all this now. It is better, let him talk about how to preserve and develop all this.
If we consider this war against Iran, it is still hidden. When the US president came to power, he announced that he had stopped 8 wars, avoided the Third World War, and deserved to be awarded the “Nobel Peace” prize. But less than half a year later, he was transformed,” added Aram Sargsyan.
According to Aram Sargsyan, a very big campaign is underway here, and when Trump kidnapped Venezuelan President Maduro and took Venezuela’s oil, it should have been understood then that he was preparing some new adventure. With all that, Trump insured himself so that he would always have oil in tense situations. These processes were followed by the attack against Iran.
“Iran-US negotiations were going on, and when the United States was preparing for war under the cover of those negotiations, this means that it was preparing for war from the very first day.
Under these conditions, the so-called RA government has started praising itself, going around the villages to convince people that it is completely nonsense that they have brought peace. In this situation, to convince people that this is how it will be today, it will be like this tomorrow, of course, is a big crime, because we cannot say how this aggression against Iran will end. Also, we should not forget that Turkey and Azerbaijan are preparing for continuous processes with Israel in the context of all this, which can be expressed by the implementation of this so-called TRIPP, the formation of “Great Turan” and so on. And the absurdity is that the head of the country appears in all this and says: come and elect me, if you don’t, there will be a war.
Nikol Pashinyan is trying to deceive people on this primitive factor,” emphasized our interlocutor.
According to Aram Sargsyan, in recent years society has been brought to such a level that there is a layer that does not want to hear anything about anything. Therefore, the primitive factor used by Nikol Pashinyan will work for these people. Especially if they take into account the fact that Nikol Pashinyan suddenly decided to increase his pension by 10 thousand drams on the eve of the elections.
“I want to ask Nikol Pashinyan a question, 3 months ago he said that he could not raise his pension, where did he get that money when it was not provided for in the budget?” This means that the 100 million he took will provide 10 thousand drams. If God forbid, he was re-elected, those 10,000 will not work, in the best case it will be 3-4 months. If Nikol Pashinyan is there, there will be both war and Armenia will not exist, and if he is not in power, then the nation will unite, unite its potential and be able to develop in such a way that no enemy will risk attacking Armenia,” Aram Sargsyan emphasized.
Let’s remind that since February 28, the United States, together with Israel, attacked Iran, the military operations in Iran continue.
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How to strengthen the field of emergency management
Armenia is located in a geographical zone with a high risk of emergency situations, and it is necessary to always have adequate preparedness, adequate prevention and response systems.
Within the framework of the “Offer to Armenia” project, we present steps, the implementation of which will allow to significantly strengthen the field of emergency management in a short time.
1. Restore the Ministry of Emergency Situations as an effective system established over time.
2. To significantly raise the status of the rescuer. social guarantees, formation of public respect and esteem for the lifeguard profession.
3. To exclude the use of the rescue service in internal political processes.
4. Return the system to professionals. we are talking about those specialists who for some reason left or were unfairly removed from the system.
5. To emphasize the role and participation of women in rescue services.
6. To exclude unfair allocation of titles.
7. Social security guarantees. taking into account the exceptional importance of the work of rescuers for the state and society, the state (in cooperation with the private sector) should have a housing security program, within the framework of which a set number of employees should receive apartments every year. The same applies to other components of family security.
8. Permanent free courses and trainings for rescue service workers in the best professional centers of the world.
9. Armenia should become a regional leader in the quality and adequacy of rescue service.
10. EMS re-equipment. Rescue services in Armenia must have the most modern, latest technical equipment, with international cooperation and assistance, at the expense of the state budget.
11. Rescue unit of drones. create a small team of drones for forest fire detection, missing people search, mountain rescue and other purposes.
12. Create a network of trained volunteers in regions. They can help in search operations, first aid needs and population evacuation.
13. Constant work on raising awareness and preparation in the field of civil protection should be conducted with all social and age groups of the society. All systems, starting with educational institutions, should be in an active, dynamic preparation process, through special guidelines, awareness campaigns, ready to respond to all possible emergency situations.
“Offer to Armenia” NGO
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168: Samvel Karapetyan, Sitting at Home Wins You. Why am I Munnat Galis, 6?
March: 11, 2026
“Pressing” in the program Satik Seyranyan the guest Public figure, former Governor of Vayots Dzor, RA Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Minister, former RA Ambassador to Poland Edgar Ghazaryan is։
Today, Nikol Pashinyan announced an unprecedented news for the world and the Armenian people. “I don’t know if people like it or not, but it’s a fact that in the last month my Facebook and Instagram pages together have had 120 million views.”
In fact, according to Pashinyan, the Armenian people sleep and wake up wondering how many people have looked at their Facebook and Instagram pages…
The main theses of the interview with Edgar Ghazaryan are below.
- Gluttony is a characteristic that characterizes a person negatively. All people eat bread, but few people draw, show it. It’s vulgar. Nikol Pashinyan and CP do it for propaganda purposes. It’s clear, isn’t it, that Alain Simonyan’s and Pashinyan’s eating kukuruz and perashki in the treacherous plot has that goal, as if it’s normal, we’re human like you… Alen, if you have the opportunity to close a 350,000 dram bill for a few people on the same day in one of the most expensive restaurants in Armenia, who are you deceiving by eating kukuruz and perashki? They deceive the public as if they are one of them, they are so simple that, for example, if they are thirsty, they can drink water from the stream. while the number of cars serving only Pashinyan is huge… Ramzan Kadyrov has such a convoy. And those people make fun of our society.
- Nikol Pashinyan’s eating an apple in Paris, which was placed to decorate the tables, worries me. I’m worried that the floral decoration of the hall might be eaten too… What is the take-all-you-see? Okay, you eat, you eat, what are you drawing and publishing? On the other side, in Moscow, do you remember, he published a picture of black legs, and then he sits and counts the likes.
- Which country’s leader slaps a map of his country on his fist, and comes back? Imagine if the president of China punches the map of China and comes out. There can be no such thing. What are you doing with that brooch? Why are you getting hurt, or is there no one? Say, you came in 2020, you were handing out a booklet in the form of an Armenian passport, with Armenia and Artsakh on it. Where is it? Or why have you come now that after 6 months half of Armenia will be gone?:
- I have never seen such an absurdity. During the 7 years of his rule, there have been 7 wars, he says: I came to bring peace… It was peaceful before them, only the April war happened, in which he participated in May, digging a hole… The May participants of the April war. I say, will it be possible to go with the same squad, sit in that hole, take shelter…
- The Criminal Code says that if you side with the enemy while performing your official duties, it is called high treason.
- Once in a while Pashinyan forgets that he has a microphone on him, starts fighting with people, throws his head, goes to bed… At that moment, when I see the bodyguard, I feel guilty. It’s a dog day. I’m about to say: do something, I’ll get out of this:
- Or, a munnat comes to Maralik and tells people: I gave 600 million money. did you give it out of your father’s pocket? You have made a debt, you have given it, you have added debts to the shoulders of the people, who are you going to blame… But when did you promise us that you will add debt to us? Can you make a list of the kindergartens and schools that you handed over to Aliyev, along with our 6 billion dollar weapons… The buildings built with the help of Hayastan All-Armenian Fund donors that you handed over to Azerbaijan, why don’t you say about them? By the way, the biggest donor of the Fund was Samvel Karapetyan. There was no school in Europe like Shushi’s number one school. He says: I am building houses. Have you counted how many furnished houses you handed over to the enemy?:
- Did you say Sashik was doing 50/50, did you bring something back? Parking cities, you said, is Sashikin’s, but even your KP Gaishnik MP Armen Khachatryan said it has nothing to do with him.
- If you look at their declarations, most of them bought a house in 2023. In other words, the people of Artsakh were deprived of their houses, they started buying houses in new buildings. Perhaps there is no such CP who does not have a house in a new building: They are civil servants, they write money for themselves, they live the life of a businessman. There is no such thing in the world, it cannot be. When a person chooses the path of being a civil servant, he should understand that he should not take advantage of many material goods. Alen Simonyan, is the money low? Go, start the “Sicily” mafia club. Who do you care about or your salary? The money is low.:
- 15-16 banking entities are already dollar billionaires, and the former chairman of the Central Bank is Nikol Pashinyan’s special ambassador. Go ahead, lower the bank interest rates, you promised people that in 2018…
- Armenia is the only country where the Human Rights Defender becomes the head of the power structure, and the head of the power structure is the HRD. Only the Deputy Prosecutor General in Armenia could become the HRD. By the way, Kristinne Grigoryan, the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, was elected as MP after Arman Tatoyan, served for 11 months, got a good job offer and left the post of MP… 3 days after the catastrophic fire at the military accommodation in Azat village.:
- Yesterday, Minister of Internal Affairs Arpine Sargsyan, Chief of Police Kamo Tsutsulyan were hosted at the American Embassy and were awarded with certificates of appreciation. Now imagine if the same people went to the Embassy of Belarus and received the same letters of thanks, what would happen? Our Minister of Justice Srbuhi Galyan was hosted by the US State Department with the funding of the US government immediately after his appointment. An official of Armenia goes on a business trip at the expense of another state. The Americans gave the money, bought the ticket, took it away, kept it as a reward for the time they worked as a deputy prosecutor.
- Daniel Ioannisyan’s organization is financed from outside sources. What they are talking about foreign funding, does it refer to him, Arman Babajanyan? Daniel Ioannisyan, are there any RA citizens among the donors of your organization? Or that you are holding a meeting, you are an organization, right? Can you show us a general photo, let’s see how many people you are, you barely use drones to photograph the rallies of Edgar Ghazaryan and others…
- Samvel Karapetyan, sitting at home, defeats Nikol, sees that there is no money, instructs Kristinne Grigoryan to write, and it is even more uncertain that there are reliable reports that foreign-funded forces are preparing to bring people to Armenia to vote. When I read that statement, it was so bad that I didn’t think that Samvel Karapetyan was being financed from Russia, but I thought that KP was being financed from Azerbaijan.:
- It is the constitutional right of any person to come and participate in elections in Armenia, if he is a citizen of Armenia. In other words, in Kristinne Grigoryan’s opinion, does the RA citizen have no rights? This is a dishonest method, they try to neutralize the main competitor in this way. If you are worried that an Armenian by nationality, a citizen of Armenia is coming to Armenia, why, as the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, are you not worried that Azerbaijanis by nationality are coming to Armenia, making videos, and calling the localities of Armenia with Azerbaijani names?…
- Or the organization of Areg Kochinyan, which has already brought 2 groups of Azerbaijanis to Armenia, doesn’t Kristinne Grigoryan care about where it is financed, who are they? As it turns out, it is a concern. How is it that all the supporters of bringing Azerbaijanis to Armenia are financed by the West? They named it the political society of Azerbaijan… There may be a Caucasian mouflo in Azerbaijan, but there is no political society and there cannot be.
- Since nothing is normal for them, personal relationships are not normal either. That’s why I don’t know what lies beneath their divorce. My version is that Nicole was afraid of Anna. He was the only person with whom Nikol Pashinyan communicated without a bodyguard. Or there are many empty private houses in the government summer houses, the mother of her children said, let her go and live somewhere.
- I want to remind you that the best time to abandon Nikol Pashinyan without elections is now. 29 deputies of the CP from the current composition will not be in the other NA. And for the impeachment to be successful, 21 CP votes are missing. Every CP member knows what will happen to him if he is not a member of parliament. Each of them should understand that he has 3 months left to get rid of Nikol Pashinyan, because, for example, if I understand that Hayk Sargsyan is going to be arrested, he definitely understands it. I believe that the announcement of the RPA Executive Body about the impeachment agenda should be the main issue of the political agenda.:
- If we get to the elections, in order to succeed, there must be consolidation, two large opposition blocs must be formed, so that, for example, on June 6, if they cancel “Strong Armenia” from participating in the elections, it will not be a surprise. Samvel Karapetyan’s rating, in addition to his personality, unprecedented success in his field, and his activities, is also determined by his oppositional position.
Details in the video.
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Putin’s “Mini-NATO” Faces Setback as Armenia Suspends Membership
Russian President Vladimir Putin faces a significant setback as Armenia announces its suspension of membership in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), widely seen as Putin’s response to NATO.
The move comes amid mounting tensions between Russia and its allies, marking a notable blow to Putin’s leadership in the wake of ongoing conflicts and geopolitical challenges.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s declaration during an interview with France 24 on Friday was considered very surprising in diplomatic circles.
“The collective security agreement, in our opinion, was not implemented in relation to Armenia, especially in 2021-2022.
This could not remain without our attention. We suspended our participation in this agreement.
Let’s see what happens next,” Pashinyan said, according to Russian state media TASS.
Despite Armenia’s announcement, Putin has not engaged in discussions with Pashinyan regarding the country’s CSTO membership.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that there have been no formal notifications from Armenian officials, leaving Russia seeking clarification on the matter.
Armenia’s departure leaves the CSTO with only five active member states, highlighting growing instability within the alliance.
Recent years have seen various challenges, including Kyrgyzstan’s withdrawal from joint military drills with Russia and Kazakhstan’s refusal to aid Russia in circumventing Western sanctions.
Tensions between Russia and Armenia have escalated, exacerbated by conflicts and diverging geopolitical interests.
Military drills between Armenia and the U.S. have strained relations further, signaling Armenia’s shift away from Moscow’s sphere of influence.
Is Azerbaijan planning a full-scale war against Armenia?
EU and Armenia to hold Brussels summit to bolster relations DPA
Representatives from the European Union and Armenia are scheduled to meet in Brussels on Tuesday to discuss cooperation between the Caucasus nation and the 27-country bloc.
The summit is the fifth meeting of the EU-Armenia Partnership Council, first held in 2018.
The two sides plan to discuss the potential for a "dialogue" on liberalizing the visa regime between the EU and Armenia. Also on the agenda are political reform, democracy, the rule of law and human rights, as well as economic and trade cooperation.
Leading the talks is the EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan.
The forum is the product of an "Enhanced Partnership Agreement" signed in 2017 to deepen cooperation on a broad array of matters such as security, the environment, energy, migration, and combatting terrorism, money laundering and the illegal drug trade.
In January 2023, EU member states agreed to establish a civilian mission to patrol and monitor the the region of Armenia near the Azerbaijani border, amid hostilities between the two countries.
Armen Yeganyan appointed Armenia’s Ambassdor to Colombia
18:45,
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. At the proposal of the Prime Minister of Armenia, Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan has signed a decree on appointing Armen Yeganyan concurrently as the Ambassador of Armenia to Colombia, the presidency said.
Yeganian is already serving as Ambassador of Armenia to Brazil.
His respective diplomatic residence will continue to be in Brasília , the capital of Brazil.
AW: Why do we fear change and not embrace it?
A popular theme in our communities is relating our challenges to our leadership. As illustrated in my last column, there is certainly a leadership crisis in institutions such as the Armenian church. It is important to distinguish between leaders and leadership. Leaders in our communities are appointed or elected. Leadership is a reflection of their impact and can vary among leaders. Limiting our concerns to leaders would be incomplete and shallow. There are certain behavioral traits and cultural values that are both contributors and detractors. We are a community that lives in fear of change. We confuse retaining critical traditions with an intolerance of any change. The lack of change at times reflects the desire of the elite to concentrate and retain authority. How else can one explain not only the shameful division of our church in North America but also the broader jurisdictional issues that remain frozen with the two Sees? Over time, the faithful have developed a loyalty to either See based on personal experience. We feel attached to our local parishes and are less concerned about seemingly distant divisions. If it doesn’t impact our daily lives, then we tolerate the occasional inconveniences. As long as the faithful accept that role, why would the authority structure in either See be motivated to change? We choose to ignore the long-term impact.
The diaspora has struggled with change for decades. The survivor generation built a community that closely reflected its ancestral upbringing through compatriotic organizations and use of our native language. The succeeding generation, led by American-born Armenians, brought American values into our community as we began to “modernize.” Today it is fair to say that change is a struggle that knocks at our door, yet we often refuse to answer. Denial seems to be a better alternative. Life in the diaspora is a struggle for identity survival. Educational and wealth opportunities are well defined and fuel the sustainability of our community, as long as we are not absorbed by assimilation. This is the major difference between life in the homeland and in the diaspora. Losing one’s ethnic identity is very difficult in a homogeneous homeland where culture, language and personal identity are constants. Armenians who wish to dilute their identity in the homeland find it challenging. In the diaspora, ethnic identity is a choice made personally or by the environment you enjoy. This freedom to choose is the main source of fear. We associate most change with a surrender of our core values. This is particularly true in the church, where change is difficult yet intermarriage and a secular world surround us. Still we cling to the status quo and keep the “lights on” for another generation.
I would like to offer a comparison between today’s diaspora in America and the experiences of our ancestors in historic Armenia. In its long history, Armenia has been invaded, occupied and subdued by nearly every regional force in the Middle East and Eurasia. Invasions brought atrocities and assimilation. The forces of cultural assimilation brought on by invading nations would have destroyed most people. In fact, history is full of former peers of Armenia that did not survive these advances. Yet, Armenia lived to see another day. The greatest catastrophe that Armenians experienced did not destroy the Armenian identity. A majority of the population in the western regions was massacred, a historic homeland usurped and the survivors scattered across the globe. Those scattered seeds built what we today refer to as our powerful diaspora. We have survived through adaptation. In our modern history, when the diaspora was formed, adjusting was not a new behavior. In fact, it was a vital part of our behavior for centuries.
Eleanor Caroglanian and Seda Gelenian performing with the Gayanne Armenian Folk Dance Group at the New York City World’s Fair, 1965 (Photo: Project Save Photograph Archives, Twitter)
Our faith and our ability to adapt have been the key ingredients in our journey for survival. Much has been written about the central value of our faith. Many of us tend to be critical, speaking against the building of too many churches. Our churches have been destroyed by the Turks and others, but our faith was not lost, because it did not simply reside in a building. The invaders could not steal the faith buried deep in our hearts. Adaptation has been a consistent skill that has enabled our continued presence.
Vartanantz is a highly visible example of when our ancestors decided to take a stand for over 34 years against incredible odds to preserve our faith and identity. Clearly, our history would have had a different path or ended were it not for the vision in 451-484. Often, our people made smaller compromises to survive. They understood what had to be retained and what could be expended for the benefit of the long term.
Often, political independence was sacrificed in order for local cultural identity to be secured. The medieval model of Armenian princes operating under foreign conquerors illustrates this point. After the fall of the Bagratuni dynasty in the central highlands and resulting Seljuk Turk invasion, Armenians undertook a mass migration to the Cilicia region in the 11th century. To survive the Byzantine advances and Turkic onslaught, Armenians migrated to a new region and established a thriving kingdom in Sis. It became a cultural and religious center until the Ottoman Turkish genocide in the 20th century. Consider the challenge of moving whole communities and re-establishing viable political, religious and military roots. Does anyone believe that this was accomplished without significant adaptation? Our history tells us that they understood adjusting without capitulating. Armenians are not strangers to the threat of assimilation. They have lived with the impact of Persian, Arab, Byzantine and Turkish invasions yet survived.
Consider the challenge of moving whole communities and re-establishing viable political, religious and military roots. Does anyone believe that this was accomplished without significant adaptation? Our history tells us that they understood adjusting without capitulating. Armenians are not strangers to the threat of assimilation. They have lived with the impact of Persian, Arab, Byzantine and Turkish invasions yet survived.
How? Without sovereignty or freedom, they focused on what was important and foundational to our identity. They accepted the influences of invading cultures but held on to their core. We have different dialects today that reflect various periods of influence throughout our history. It is still the Armenian language. When Armenians from the diaspora go to Armenia for the first time, they are anxious about the eastern versus western dialect. This is a reflection of our political history. Persian Armenians and Eastern Armenians share a common outside influence, reflected in the dialect. When you arrive in Armenia, the anxiety is reduced. The minor inconveniences are forgettable. We are all Armenians. Change reflects adaptation, which enables survival.
Here in the American diaspora, we should not fear change but rather embrace the opportunity. It is far better to manage change rather than allow it to manage us. We are an evolving human species, and Armenians are a part of this world. Change is inevitable and should be encouraged to preserve the core of who we are. Resisting change will accelerate assimilation and cause unnecessary losses. Since last week’s column, I have received many heartfelt comments about the tragic relationship with the Armenian church. Armenians of faith see the church as the primary communal vehicle of our Christianity, yet they are frustrated with its static position in a difficult environment in the diaspora. Instead of addressing our challenges, as our ancestors did when foreigners challenged our identity, we have a tendency to ignore the “elephants in the room.” The impact of intermarriage, for example, is not going away. Our response has essentially been to be “welcoming” to non-Armenian spouses. There is a significant difference between “welcoming” and providing integration programs on church history, structure and canons. Some parishes may need language flexibility based on their demographics, and others may not. We seem to fear change because it could lead to our decline by diluting who we are. My perspective is that ignoring threats is a certain path to decline, and thoughtful change can reverse trends toward decline. We are the stewards of the church. It was given to us by our ancestors when it was brought to these shores.
We are four or perhaps five generations into the U.S. diaspora experience. Clinging to all of the past will accelerate our decline. We must always remind ourselves that identity is a choice in the diaspora. Far too often, discussions on change conjure up perceptions of a radical dismantling of our identity. The people who advocate change also love the Armenian church and our culture. Their intent is to ensure survival by enabling adaptation. This is no different in concept than what our ancestors did for centuries to survive. Certain miracles have happened in our history, when the strain of survival became too great. Prior to the invention of the Armenian alphabet by Mashdots, Armenia was politically divided and as a result culturally fragmented. Although Armenian was a spoken language, written _expression_ was in the dominant regional cultures such as Greek, Aramaic or Persian. This was both limiting and culturally threatening to the national character. St. Mesrob’s gift from God and the following period of the Holy Translators altered the course of our civilization. In 1918, ravaged by genocide with huddled masses cornered into eastern Armenia, the miracle of Sardarabad defied all logic and prevented the erasure of Armenia from the map of the region. These are not coincidences. In our faith, these are blessings from Our Lord. It has been our responsibility, whether in the fourth century, Middle Ages, in Armenia or anywhere in the diaspora, to make wise forthright decisions that protect our history and future. This requires us to identify the core of our identity and protect it.
In the case of the church and its sluggish leadership, the faithful have an equal responsibility to ensure we are moving forward. Blaming leaders may quell one’s conscience, but accomplishes little. It is irresponsible for adherents to complain as victims yet do little with their voices to promote progress. In each parish and diocese, we have an opportunity. Make your voice heard and demand results. The same should be applied to community organizations. Do not let the organizations become more than the mission they serve. Raise the expectations. Adapt to changing needs, so you can continue to serve with relevance. This behavior begins when each of us looks in the mirror and says, “What have I done today to overcome our fear of change and make our future in the diaspora more secure?” Even the best of our organizations are susceptible to becoming stale. You are the check and balance to ensure we remain effective.