A New Armenian Trauma Unfolds

Malcolm H. Kerr
Carnegie Middle East Center
Sept 29 2023

Life in the shadow of genocide can mean a shattered, even terrifying, existence. For many Armenians, it meant exile after the massacres of 1915, living in poverty as guests in lands not theirs, facing the daily humiliation of being dependent. I lost my roots from my mother’s side when her family fled Adana and settled in Lebanon after the genocide. And now, in light of the Armenian defeat in Nagorno-Karabakh, or what Armenians call Artsakh, I have also lost roots on my father’s side.

I remember how my father used to proudly say that our family was from Akna, or Aghdam in today’s Azerbaijan. It was said that many intellectuals lived in Akna. In the First Century B.C., during the reign of Tigranes the Great, the fortress city of Tigranakert was built in the district of Akna. During the Armenian-Tatar Massacres of 1905–1907 between Caucasian Tatars and Armenians, violent clashes took place in Akna, forcing my grandparents to leave for Agin, in Turkey. They settled there with the hope of a new beginning, and my grandfather opened a horseshoe business. However, during the Armenian genocide, he lost his parents and fled again, this time to Musa Ler, or Musa Dagh, in southern Turkey, before taking the long road to Lebanon, where he settled in the neighborhood of Ain al-Mreisseh. He arrived with his six brothers, all of whom decided to continue their journey to Europe, leaving him alone in the country.

The connection between my grandfather and his six brothers was lost forever, and I still wonder how many cousins I have whom I’ve never met. I can only imagine how beautiful Akna was, with green landscapes and a fortress built on a mountain, surrounded by ancient stones. The air must have been very clean to breathe and the water refreshing to drink, with people on horses riding by peacefully.

In 1921, my father was born in Beirut. As a descendant of survivors of the Armenian genocide, I never thought I would be witness to another major trauma of the Armenian people. Tens of thousands of Armenians, from a population of around 120,000, have been forced out of Artsakh after a nine-month blockade and Azerbaijan’s offensive of September 19–20. Azerbaijan has randomly bombed civilians and is ethnically cleansing Artsakh’s Armenian population. We are living 1915 all over again. Armenian homes are being torn down, and our culture is being rapidly erased in a very brutal way.

Artsakh holds a very sentimental place for all Armenians in the diaspora. It is in the hearts of all Lebanese Armenians who fled the genocide of 1915. As a child I remember the letters we used to send to children in Artsakh to show solidarity, the funds we would gather to help Artsakh remain Armenian and maintain its rich history and monuments, its churches and museums. Now all has been lost. Azerbaijan has disregarded international condemnation, not to mention SOS alerts from the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention warning of the risk of genocide. The world once again has failed the Armenians. When you see a mother having to bury two of her sons, aged eight and ten, and struggling to transport their bodies to do so in Armenia; when you see children writing their names on the walls of their homes so that something will remain of them after they leave, you can understand better what cruelty means. This is what hell must be like.

I didn’t have the privilege of being be born in my ancestors’ lands, but I do have a vase that belonged to my grandmother. During my childhood I would frequently see her crying and praying in front of that vase. I remember thinking how strange the scene was. During my teenage years, my mother would light a candle before the vase every morning and have a conversation with it, as if it could hear her agony. Now, looking at that vase, I understand my mother and grandmother. The vase contains soil from Artsakh, and it has become a part of my home, my heritage, and my identity. It is the only thing close to my heart that I can pass on to my children.

On the monument near Stepanakert depicting tatikpapik, the grandmother and grandfather of Artsakh, there is the line, “We Are Our Mountains.” This story is not over. We will meet again tatik and papik, among those mountains.

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

96 US Senate and House lawmakers call on Biden Administration to sanction Azerbaijani leaders for BK blockade, attacks

 11:18,

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS. A bi-partisan group of ninety-six U.S. Senate and House members have called on Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to apply their discretionary authority under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act to sanction Azerbaijani leaders responsible for the brutal blockade and attacks on Nagorno Karabakh’s 120,000 indigenous Armenian population

POLITICO’s National Security Daily was the first to report on the powerful letter led by Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Representatives Seth Magaziner (D-RI), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), and Frank Pallone (D-NJ).

The 96 lawmakers stress, “in order to hold Azerbaijan accountable for its actions in blockading and assaulting Nagorno-Karabakh, we respectfully request that your departments exercise existing authorities under the Global Magnitsky Act to impose targeted sanctions on the individuals in the Aliyev government that are responsible for or participated in the violation of human rights in Nagorno-Karabakh,” the Armenian National Committee of America reported.

The Senate and House members stated, “These actions represent a gross violation of human rights and the perpetration of violent conflict, which both pose a direct assault on American values and interests. The perpetrators of these human rights violations must be held to account by the United States.”

Joining Senators Whitehouse and Cassidy and Representatives Magaziner, Bilirakis, and Pallone in cosigning the letter to Secretaries Blinken and Yellen are:

Senators: Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Robert Casey (D-PA), Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-NV), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), John Fetterman (D-PA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Edward Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Christopher Murphy (D-CT), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

Representatives: Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), Don Beyer (D-VA), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Julia Brownley (D-CA), Cori Bush (D-MO), Salud Carbajal (D-CA), Tony Cardenas (D-CA), Joaquín Castro (D-TX), Jim Costa (D-CA), Danny Davis (D-IL), Madeleine Dean (D-PA), Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Dwight Evans (D-PA), Charles Fleischmann (R-TN), Jesus Garcia (D-IL), Dan Goldman (D-NY), Jimmy Gomez (D-CA), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Val Hoyle (D-OR), Jonathan Jackson (D-IL), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Dan Kildee (D-MI), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Greg Landsman (D-OH), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Susie Lee (D-NV), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Stephen Lynch (D-MA), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), Tom McClintock (R-CA), James McGovern (D-MA), Rob Menendez (D-NJ), Grace Meng (D-NY), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Donald Norcross (D-NJ), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Katie Porter (D-CA), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Deborah Ross (D-NC), C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD), Linda Sanchez (D-CA), John Sarbanes (D-MD), Janice Schakowsky (D-IL), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), Christopher Smith (R-NJ), Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), Haley Stevens (D-MI), Eric Swalwell (D-CA), Shri Thanedar (D-MI), Dina Titus (D-NV), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Norma Torres (D-CA), Lori Trahan (D-MA), David Trone (D-MD), David Valadao (R-CA), Maxine Waters (D-CA), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), Susan Wild (D-PA), and Nikema Williams (D-GA).

The full text of the bi-cameral congressional letter is provided below and .

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1120707.html?fbclid=IwAR0nTxl4je5u60lCj7I3w_wB9AwP1NV1pZCyISL4JUQbLYYk1lz_vC7hSNM

ICRC evacuates 10 patients from blockaded Nagorno-Karabakh

 12:56, 8 September 2023

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS. 10 patients in Nagorno-Karabakh requiring urgent medical treatment were evacuated on Friday by the International Committee of the Red Cross to Armenia, the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) Healthcare Ministry said in a statement.

Another 3 patients who’ve completed treatment will be transported back to Nagorno-Karabakh by the ICRC later today.

All patients are accompanied by their attendants.

24 children (5 of whom in neonatal and intensive care) remain hospitalized in the Arevik clinic in Nagorno-Karabakh, where hospitals have suspended normal operations due to the Azerbaijani blockade.

Another 92 patients are hospitalized in the Republican Medical Center. 6 are in intensive care, three of whom are in critical condition.

Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia and the rest of the world, has been blocked by Azerbaijan since late 2022. The Azerbaijani blockade constitutes a gross violation of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, which established that the 5km-wide Lachin Corridor shall be under the control of Russian peacekeepers. Furthermore, on February 22, 2023 the United Nations’ highest court – the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – ordered Azerbaijan to “take all steps at its disposal” to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions.  Azerbaijan has been ignoring the order ever since. The ICJ reaffirmed its order on 6 July 2023.

Azerbaijan then illegally installed a checkpoint on Lachin Corridor. The blockade has led to shortages of essential products such as food and medication. Azerbaijan has also cut off gas and power supply into Nagorno Karabakh, with officials warning that Baku seeks to commit ethnic cleansing against Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Lemkin Institute’s new report warns of genocide in Nagorno-Karabakh, alarming evidence Aliyev plans military assault

 11:39, 6 September 2023

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 6, ARMENPRESS. The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention has published a new report on the risk of genocide by Azerbaijan in Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh).

In a statement, the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention said it has released an emergency draft of the report due to the dire circumstances of the blockade and Azerbaijan's military buildup along the borders of Artsakh and Armenia.

“The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention hopes that this report will contribute to global resolve to protect the lives and the identity of the Armenians of Artsakh, prevent a Second Armenian Genocide, pressure Azerbaijan to accept self-determination for the people of Artsakh, and initiate a long-overdue process of transformative justice in the region that allows Armenians and Azeris to voice their historical grievances and find common ground around accountability, peace-building, and human security. The Report uses the United Nations’s Framework of Analysis for Atrocity Crimes to outline and analyze (in detail) the risk factors and indicators for atrocity crimes, with a special focus on the crime of genocide. We have chosen to focus on the crime of genocide because the evidence in this report points to the existence of several serious red flags for genocide, typical genocidal patterns, and evidence of the special intent to commit that crime,” an excerpt from the executive summary of the report reads.

The institute said that the evidence presented in the report suggests that the crime of genocide may already be taking place in the form of the blockade.

“In fact, the evidence presented here suggests that the crime of genocide may already be taking place in the form of the blockade, which is both “Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group” and “[d]eliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part” (paragraphs II.b. and II.c. of the 1948 Genocide Convention). Azerbaijan’s crimes conform to Patterns 5 (Gross human rights violations + mass cultural destruction), 6 (Man-made famine/”Genocide by Attrition”), 7 (Environmental despoliation /”Ecocide” and land alienation), and 9 (Denial and/or prevention of identity) of the Lemkin Institute’s Ten Patterns of Genocide and seem to be headed towards patterns 1 (Gender-neutral mass murder characterized by gendered atrocity) and/or 2 (Mass murder of ‘battle-aged men’ + atrocities against women and children).”

“The deep imbrication of eliminationist anti-Armenian hate within the Aliyev regime and Azerbaijani institutions of government leads us to conclude that Azerbaijan is a genocidal state. This fact must be addressed before there can be any peace in the region,” it added.

The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention warned that “there is alarming evidence that President Aliyev may be planning a military assault on Artsakh in the very near future.”

“A military assault on Artsakh could lead to the mass murder stage of genocide. It would almost assuredly result in the forced displacement of Armenians from Artsakh and the widespread commission of genocidal atrocities, reflecting those committed in the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War of 2020 and subsequent hostilities,” it said.

The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention recommends that members of the international community, including United Nations member states with influence over Azerbaijan, undertake the following actions to prevent the starvation and forced population displacement of Armenians in Artsakh as well as any possible future genocidal assaults on the Armenians of the Republic of Armenia:

  1. Recognize publicly the threat of genocide against Armenians in the Republics of Artsakh and Armenia that is evidenced by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s statements as well as the actions of his regime.
  2. Demand the immediate lifting of the blockade and the opening of the Lachin Corridor linking Artsakh both to Armenia and to the outside world, as stipulated in the Tripartite Ceasefire Statement of 9 November 2020 and ordered by the ICJ in February and July of 2023.
  3. Organize an immediate humanitarian airlift to bring aid to the citizens of Artsakh while political deliberations continue.
  4. Actively intervene to defend Artsakh against an armed attack by Azerbaijan in order to prevent a full-scale massacre against Armenians and the many other international crimes usually committed by the Aliyev regime against Armenians.
  5. Empower and fund an independent investigative team to conduct a thorough documentation of the current situation in Artsakh, including an investigation of the atrocities committed by Azerbaijani military personnel in the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War and afterwards.
  6. Utilize all available diplomatic measures, including sanctions and the withdrawal of foreign aid, to challenge the impunity enjoyed by the Aliyev regime in Azerbaijan.
  7. Pressure Azerbaijan to immediately cease its threats against the people of Artsakh and Armenia and institute a domestic National Mechanism to prevent the crime of genocide as a necessary condition for any foreign aid.
  8. Encourage the reform of the Azerbaijani education and security sectors, which are deeply tainted by genocidal Armenophobia.
  9. Support the Armenians of Artsakh with humanitarian and economic aid, particularly funding for destroyed infrastructure, institution-building and democracy-building projects, and increased security sector capacity.
  10. Address the long-standing and underlying core issue of the right to self-determination of the people of Artsakh as a basic principle under international law and in the recognition that, as facts on the ground prove, Armenians are unable to live under the Azerbaijani authority and power.
  11. Recognize the decades-long efforts of the Artsakh people to establish a State according to the international requirements for statehood, which has resulted in the building of a government based on the division of powers and democratic representation.
  12. Lay the groundwork for an eventual restorative and transformative justice process in the region to address past and current grievances and clear the path for a long-lasting peace.

AW: Barbie could be Armenian

I always thought about Barbie as a controversial symbol of unrealistic body standards for women. Yet the recent surge of Barbie’s popularity following the movie release has opened my eyes to the ways Barbie can inspire. I’ve been reflecting on her diverse range of careers. Barbie’s talents extend to singing, dancing, acting, playing musical instruments, excelling in professional sports and even thriving in the STEM field. She’s navigated low-paying jobs to ascend to self-sufficiency, all while battling crime and fires as a public servant, parachuting from planes as a paratrooper and successfully venturing into entrepreneurship. Impressively, she reportedly held an executive position a full nine years before any woman became a CEO of a Fortune 500 company.

Beyond the glitz and smiles lies a more complex narrative. Barbie may also grapple with the challenges of making ends meet, adapting to a new culture and language as an immigrant, confronting mental health issues, persevering through physical obstacles and caring for her parents and extended family. Does this sound familiar? Armenian women have a history of shattering barriers and persist in achieving the extraordinary every day. They’ve excelled in the arts, business, medicine, science, engineering, politics, public service, transportation, education and sports. Many of their stories remain untold, but their presence is undeniable.

Let’s face it – Barbie could be Armenian. 

She embodies resilience, ambition and intelligence. With her guiding mantra, “You can be anything,” she stands tall as a role model for young girls. The glass ceilings that persist in the United States can be shattered by the young Armenian girls of today, who will become the trailblazing women of tomorrow. 

Join me in a forward-looking conversation as we envision a dialogue with Barbi Marsoobian, the first Armenian American woman to participate in the 2040 all-female spacewalk on Mars.

Barbie magazine, 1986

Me: Greetings and Parev Astronaut Barbi. My feet haven’t touched the ground since I learned we would be speaking. I can only imagine the exhilaration you felt when your entire body lifted off the Earth. It is 2040, and you have reached the summit for many young space enthusiasts, as well as an older generation like me who watched the first moon landing in black & white TV in 1969.  

When I was growing up, girls played with baby dolls and were encouraged to be nurses or teachers. While these are honorable professions, many of us yearned for broader paths. Over the years, we championed the pursuit of diverse careers for both our sons and daughters, instilling the belief that the sky was the limit. Not everyone took this as literally as you did! How would you describe the worldview that shaped your upbringing?

Barbi: I came into this world in 2000 as the 21st century dawned. During that time, the percentage of girls in STEM fields was relatively modest. In 2008, when I was eight years old, I experienced a defining moment – the 25th anniversary of the first American woman’s voyage into space. We watched a video about it at school. The sheer coolness of that event struck me profoundly, and at that precise instant, I resolved to become a space explorer. The astronaut’s name, Sally Ride, was even cool to me. Little did I know then that I would actually “ride” on Sally Ride’s coattails, as the saying goes.  

I wish I could claim that I played with the original, vintage Astronaut Barbie doll. Interestingly, the 1965 “Miss Astronaut” Barbie doll was issued four years before the first man on the moon and 18 years before the first American woman in space.

Me: What does being the first Armenian American in space mean to you?

Barbi: Strangely enough, it didn’t cross my mind until someone pointed it out. Despite being aware of the underrepresentation of Armenians and women in space, I never saw myself as a trailblazer in that sense. I’ll admit, I often struggled with not feeling “Armenian enough.” I’m half Armenian, a dropout from Armenian school, and I wasn’t immersed in the language. My paternal grandparents frequently recounted stories of the 1915 Armenian Genocide, but that seemed like a distant past to me. I lacked a connection until around 2023, during grad school, when I witnessed the generational trauma resurface as my grandparents observed the tragic recurrence of genocide affecting Armenians in Artsakh. The weight of this historical burden haunted me for years.

Much like how I saw myself in Sally Ride, I gradually began viewing myself as a trailblazer embodying all my identities, a role model for those who could relate to me. Recent decades have powerfully demonstrated that representation holds immense significance, extending beyond race and gender to encompass multifaceted identities – and indeed, Armenian identity matters.

Me: What guidance would you offer to the young Armenian girls and boys listening to this conversation?

Barbi: Visualize yourself as an onion, its layers gradually peeled away, or as a rose unveiling its depths. Envision the outermost layers, holding your different identities. Now, peel them back, layer by layer. If you have Armenian heritage, let that identity find a place among those layers. Even if it constitutes a small fraction, recognize its significance in preserving our heritage. If, like me, you need to peel back multiple layers to uncover your Armenian identity, that’s perfectly fine, as long as you eventually embrace it. For those who find their Armenian identity closer to the surface or just beneath it, extend patience to those who are still unraveling their layers. They haven’t yet forged that personal connection. Embrace them, demonstrate your pride and become role models for them.

Me: If you made a wish upon a star, what would it be?

Barbi: My heartfelt wish is for humanity to heed the pressing threat of global warming and acknowledge the fragility of our precious planet. But for the context of this conversation, and to keep it less complex, I’d wish for Mattel to recognize my identity and create a new doll named “Barbi – Armenian Astronaut,” with the headline, “Armenian Woman – First Human to Set Foot on Mars.”

Victoria (Atamian) Waterman is an aspiring author who was born in Rhode Island. Growing up in an immigrant, bilingual, multi-generational home with survivors of the Armenian Genocide has shaped the storyteller she has become. She is a trustee of Soorp Asdvadzadzin Armenian Apostolic Church and chair of the Armenian Heritage Monument in Whitinsville, MA.


Nagorno-Karabakh President vows to rescue kidnapped students

 10:09,

STEPANAKERT, AUGUST 29, ARMENPRESS. President of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) Arayik Harutyunyan has “guaranteed” that the three men kidnapped by Azerbaijani authorities on Monday will “soon” be returned.

“I have some assuring [news],” Harutyunyan said after a meeting with public figures and politicians in parliament. “First of all, I’ll try to establish contact in order to speak with our boys, and get an exact date when they will return. This won’t take long. And they will personally know the name of the official who will bring our boys back to Stepanakert. I guarantee it,” Harutyunyan said.

He called on the families of the kidnapped men to visit his office Tuesday morning.

On August 28, Azerbaijani border guards in the illegally installed checkpoint in Lachin Corridor kidnapped residents of Nagorno-Karabakh Alen Sargsyan, Vahe Hovsepyan and Levon Grigoryan. All three are students who were traveling to Armenia to continue their studies. The transport was agreed upon in advance and was being carried out with Russian peacekeeping escort.

The Foreign Ministry of Armenia called out the Azerbaijani authorities for derailing peace efforts and warned that Baku seeks to perpetrate collective punishment against the entire population in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Azeri fake news campaign again falsely accuses Armenia of border shooting

 10:35,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 23, ARMENPRESS. The Azerbaijani authorities have once again falsely accused Armenia of cross-border shooting in an ongoing disinformation campaign, the Armenian ministry of defense warned Wednesday.

“The statement disseminated by the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan that allegedly on August 23, at around 02:10 a.m., units of the Armenian Armed Forces discharged fire against the Azerbaijani combat positions located in the eastern part of the border, does not correspond to reality,” the Armenian ministry of defense said in a statement.

Armenian FM holds phone call with Russia’s Lavrov, emphasizes need for effective use of mechanisms ahead of UNSC meeting

 20:12,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 16, ARMENPRESS. On August 16, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan had a telephone conversation with Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, the foreign ministry said in a press release.

Ararat Mirzoyan emphasized the imperative to prevent the humanitarian catastrophe resulting from Azerbaijan's 8-month-long illegal blockade of the Lachin corridor and the ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Ahead of the emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, Ararat Mirzoyan emphasized the need for effective use of the existing mechanisms and clear steps aimed at lifting the blockade of the Lachin corridor in accordance with point 6 of the Trilateral Statement signed by the leaders of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan on November 9, 2020, and the Orders of the International Court of Justice of February 22 and July 6, 2023.




Iranian technology delegation to attend Armenia Expo

 TEHRAN TIMES 
Iran – Aug 14 2023
  1. Society
– 15:48

TEHRAN- Iran plans to dispatch a trade and technology delegation to Armenia EXPO 2023 which is scheduled to be held from September 22 to 25.

The Center of International Science and Technology Cooperation (CISTC) will support the delegation, ISNA reported.

Holding B2B meetings is one of the four programs of CISTC to help develop the international market of knowledge-based companies.

So far, more than 900 companies have been dispatched by the center to international exhibitions.

This year, the center plans to send 24 knowledge-based companies to different countries.

The companies will also attend business B2B meetings at the Armenia Chamber of Commerce, attend a joint meeting with unions as well as technology and innovation associations and venture capital companies, meet the directors of the Armenian organization for supporting foreign investment, and visit Armenia's free trade and technology zones.

Iran-Armenia sci-tech co-op

In June 2022, Armenian Ambassador to Iran Arsen Avagyan met with Iranian deputy science minister Vahid Haddadi-Asl, discussing ways to broaden ties in the fields of science and technology.

The two sides expressed readiness to exchange university students, transfer technology, and create research centers, IRNA reported.

Houses of innovation

Last year, it was announced that an Iranian House of Innovation and Technology (IHIT) was to be established in Armenia with the aim of developing the export of Iranian knowledge-based products.

Over the few past years, with the support of the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology, the Iranian house of innovation has been set up in several countries to develop the global market for knowledge-based products.

These centers have already been set up in countries such as Russia, Turkey, China, Syria, and Kenya, and Iraq will soon join them.

By supporting innovative ideas, and holding technological and innovative events, the centers will be a platform for the development and promotion of Iranian knowledge-based companies, startups, and creative industries.

Science diplomacy

One of the indicators of the growth of science diplomacy is conducting joint research between two or more countries, Iran has written more than a third of its articles in Scopus in 2020 with international participation, which is about 30.7 percent.

In 2019, the articles with international participation reached 27.4 percent, so compared to 2019, Iranian researchers increased their international scientific contributions by 3.3 percent.

It should be noted that in 2020 more articles were published internationally by Iranian researchers, but nevertheless, the amount of international participation has increased.

According to the Global Innovation Index (GII 2022) report, Iran is the second most innovative country in the Central and South Asian region and the third among low-middle income countries.

Iran ranked 53rd in the world with 7 steps up compared to 2021.

According to the 2022 GII, Switzerland, the United States of America, Sweden, England, and the Netherlands are the most innovative economies in the world, and China is on the verge of entering the world’s 10 most innovative countries.

MT/MG

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/487906/Iranian-technology-delegation-to-attend-Armenia-Expo