WASHINGTON, DC – Republic of Artsakh Foreign Minister David Babayan will hold policy consultations across Washington, DC – including Congressional briefings, think tank roundtables, university lectures and community gatherings – during an upcoming visit to Washington, DC coinciding with an Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Federal Policy Seminar.
Minister Babayan will offer the keynote speech at an ANCA event dedicated to Artsakh security and liberty held at the historic Woodrow Wilson House, the museum honoring the US President who championed efforts to secure a US mandate to support the Armenian Republic in 1918. He will also be the featured speaker at the “Capitol Hill Salute to Artsakh’s Independence,” organized in cooperation with the Congressional Armenian Caucus, which will be held on Monday, September 19. Due to Congressional regulations related to COVID-19, supporters of Artsakh freedom must request to attend the Capitol Hill event.
“We welcome Minister Babayan’s consultations across Washington with US policymakers and foreign policy stakeholders – as well as his remarks on Capitol Hill, at the Wilson House and at our policy conference – as a meaningful contribution to constructive US engagement on Artsakh Republic status and security issues,” said ANCA executive director Aram Hamparian. “Artsakh’s voice – in Washington and on the world stage – represents the unbending resolve, the abiding democratic aspirations, of the Armenian nation to endure, to survive and thrive on the very frontier of world freedom against the forces of darkness and dictatorship.”
The ANCA Federal Policy Seminar – a four-day series of presentations, roundtable discussions and Capitol Hill visits for chapter and community leaders – will focus on targeted initiatives to advance ANCA strategic priorities: saving Artsakh, strengthening Armenia, holding Azerbaijan and Turkey accountable, and securing justice for the Armenian Genocide.
Following his Washington, DC visit, Babayan will be traveling to California for a series of events and meetings with Armenian American community leaders and elected officials.
Born in Artsakh’s capital Stepanakert, Babayan has served as Foreign Minister of the Republic of Artsakh since January, 2021. Prior to that, he has held positions in government ministries of the Artsakh Republic including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2000 – 2001); the Presidential Planning Group (2001 – 2015); Assistant to the President (2005 – 2007); Head of the Central Information Department of the Office President (2007 – 2021). He founded and currently leads the “Artsakh Conservative Party.”
Babayan has received a degree in economics from the Yerevan Institute of National Economy, and master’s degrees from American University of Armenia and the Central European University (Budapest). He holds a doctorate in historical science from the Armenian National Academy of Sciences Institute of Oriental Studies. He has authored more than 300 articles and monographs of scientific research in the areas of the Azerbaijan – Artsakh (Karabakh) negotiations, Caucasus geopolitics, great power competition and Chinese geopolitics.
The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest and most influential Armenian-American grassroots organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters and supporters throughout the United States and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.