Category: 2020

                                        Wednesday, March 11, 2020
Armenia Confirms 3 New Coronavirus Cases
March 11, 2020
Armenia reported three new cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, bringing the total 
of confirmed cases to four as the World Health Organization declared the 
outbreak of the disease a pandemic.
In a Facebook post Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said that two of the people 
testing positive for the coronavirus infection known as COVID-19 are citizens of 
Armenia aged 45 and 27 and one is a 51-year-old Italian who works in Armenia.
“All three had arrived from Italy,” he said, adding that authorities are 
currently looking to determine the scope of their contacts for further 
quarantine, which, “according to preliminary data, is not large”.
According to the Armenian premier, the Italian citizen and one of the citizens 
of Armenia do not have any complaints, while one of the citizens of Armenia is 
suffering from pneumonia. The patients, according to Pashinian, were registered 
as soon as they arrived in Armenia.
“Anticipating criticism as to why no decision had been made to stop flights from 
Italy, I’d say that we have discussed this possibility several times, arriving 
at the obvious conclusion that potential carriers could come to Armenia from 
countries neighboring Italy -- France, Austria, because no borders are used 
inside the EU. That is to say, we would have to shut down other European 
destinations following the same logic, especially since the coronavirus 
infection is spreading to other European countries as well. Now the airlines 
have decided to stop flights from Italy,” Pashinian wrote.
Armenia reported its first coronavirus case on March 1. A 29-year-old citizen of 
Armenia who had been evacuated from coronavirus-hit Iran along with scores of 
others had tested positive and was hospitalized. Thirty-one other citizens who 
may have had close contact with the infected person had also been placed under a 
two-week quarantine in a disused hotel in Armenia’s resort town of Tsaghkadzor.
Pashinian said that those quarantined in Tsaghkadzor and the first diagnosed 
patient feel well and have no complaints. At the same time, he called on people 
to remain calm and follow recommendations of the Ministry of Health regarding 
basic protective measures against the new coronavirus.
Since the first confirmed COVID-19 case in Armenia authorities in Yerevan 
tightened controls at the border with Iran and re-introduced entry visas for 
Iranian citizens.
On March 10, Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged Armenian citizens to 
strictly refrain from visiting Italy, which appears to be the country hit by 
COVID-19 the hardest outside of China, with the number of infected exceeding 
10,000 and 631 confirmed deaths.
The Ministry also urged Armenian citizens who are already in Italy to “urgently 
suspend their trips and return to Armenia.”
That same day budget airline Ryanair announced suspension of all flights from 
Yerevan to Italy and back until April 8.
Armenia’s Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinian announced later today that a 
charter flight from Rome to Yerevan will be organized on March 15 to evacuate 
Armenian citizens from Italy. He said that the Armenian government, the Armenian 
airline, Atlantis European Airways, and the Armenia International Airports 
company will cover the financial expenses connected with the flight.
“The time of the flight and the airport from which it is to be operated will be 
reported additionally through Armenia’s embassy in Italy,” Avinian said on 
Facebook.
“I urge Armenian citizens who are in Italy for short-term visits, study and 
business trips to contact our embassy within the shortest possible time,” he 
added.
‘Large-Scale’ Constitutional Reform Discussed In Armenia
March 11, 2020
        • Tatevik Lazarian
Daniel Ioannisian, Coordinator of the Union of Informed Citizens, March 11, 2020
Beyond the constitutional amendment concerning seven judges of the 
Constitutional Court that Armenians are going to vote on in next month’s 
referendum, Armenia also considers carrying out a ‘large-scale’ reform of its 
basic law, according to an expert.
Coordinator of the Union of Informed Citizens Daniel Ioannisian, who represents 
civil society in the commission set up to draft constitutional amendments, said 
the body has already held two meetings, outlining the scope of changes.
“My impression is that we are going to deal with not just some minor changes, 
but with quite large-scale ones,” he said on Wednesday.
The expert said that four working groups have been formed for more frequent 
meetings. All meetings are held behind closed doors, and, according to 
Ioannisian, the range of issues discussed is large – from expanding 
opportunities for holding referendums to restoring direct presidential 
elections, changing the provision on ‘stable parliamentary majority’ and 
lowering the age of voters.
Ioannisian found it difficult to say what outcome the current discussions will 
have. “We are still at a stage where we are discussing what should be 
discussed,” he said.
The commission, which was formed at the beginning of the year, is chaired by 
Armenia’s representative to the European Court of Human Rights. It also includes 
the minister of justice, the head of the parliament’s standing committee on 
legal affairs, the ombudsman, one representative from the General Assembly of 
Judges, two representatives from non-governmental organizations, as well as six 
lawyers and one representative from each of the three parliamentary factions.
Initially it was thought that a referendum on large-scale constitutional changes 
could be held at the end of 2020, but then Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian 
expressed the opinion that the referendum could be combined with the next 
parliamentary elections, which are due in 2023. But Ioannisian believes it would 
be good to have a constitutional referendum preceding parliamentary elections.
“The Commission is also discussing issues related to the formation of the 
National Assembly, such as the issue of so-called stable majority. Naturally, 
these are issues that must be resolved before elections to the National Assembly 
and cannot be resolved simultaneously with these elections,” he said, adding 
that the constitutional referendum and subsequent changes in the election laws 
should be completed at least one year before the elections.
According to the prime minister’s decision, the concept of constitutional 
amendments should be ready by April, and the draft amendments themselves should 
be prepared by September 1. Ioannisian hopes that these deadlines will be 
revised to give the Commission more time for such a “large-scale” draft.
Taron Simonian, a representative of the opposition Bright Armenia party in the 
Commission, agrees that while constitutional changes should be drafted as 
quickly as possible, their quality should not be jeopardized because of that.
From the outset Bright Armenia stated that they will seek to have changes of 
fundamental importance to them included in the draft, including the abolishment 
of the ‘stable majority’ provision and ending what it describes as the 
“super-prime-ministerial system”, in which the incumbent prime minister, as the 
opposition believes, wields disproportionately broad powers.
“We participate in the meetings of the Commission with our agenda… We will 
continue to promote this agenda and expect serious changes in the Constitution. 
But if we see that our partners want rather superfluous changes, we will 
naturally express our negative position,” Simonian said.
Armenian PM Apologizes For Snubbing Villager
March 11, 2020
        • Artak Khulian
        • Karine Simonian
34-year-old resident of the village of Kurtan Mekhak Arakelian said he bore no 
grudge against the prime minister
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has offered his apology to a 34-year-old 
man whom he snubbed during a recent trip to the Lori province where he also 
campaigned ahead of next month’s constitutional referendum.
Addressing a rally in Sisian in Armenia’s southern province of Syunik on 
Wednesday, Pashinian referred to his March 7 conversation with Kurtan village 
resident Mekhak Arakelian, who had approached him and asked for assistance in 
improving his housing conditions.
Pashinian then told the man: “You are a healthy person and you should solve your 
housing problems yourself. You should work and solve this problem. I am sorry to 
say this, but it is also a matter of dignity. Is it right for one healthy man to 
be asking another healthy man to solve his housing and livelihood problems? Get 
a job and solve your family’s problems.”
Earlier this week one of the local news sites published a story about Arakelian, 
a father of two who has multiple health problems and has lived in dire 
conditions in a makeshift house after losing his ancestral home in a 1988 
devastating earthquake.
The man speaking humbly about his plight admitted that approaching Pashinian was 
an embarrassing experience for him. “He beat me. He said what he was going to 
say and I couldn’t say anything back.”
“I wish I had the health to have a job and maintain my family,” Arakelian added.
Pashinian acknowledged on Wednesday having made a misjudgment.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian addressing a rally in Syunik province, 
March 11, 2020
“I admit two mistakes that I made. First, I overestimated my ability to assess a 
person’s health condition by his appearance. And secondly, I underestimated the 
circumstance that a citizen may get overwhelmed when talking to the prime 
minister and may fail to speak about his health problems. I want to apologize to 
Mekhak [Arakelian] and all citizens of Armenia for these two mistakes,” the 
prime minister said, drawing applause from the rally crowd.
Arakelian later told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service (Azatutyun.am) that he accepted 
Pashinian’s apology. “I bear no grudge against him,” he said.
Also on Wednesday pro-government lawmaker Sipan Pashinian, who is the prime 
minister’s cousin, visited Arakelian and told him that after watching the video 
some people, including in the Diaspora, expressed their readiness to assist his 
family. He did not specify what kind of assistance would be provided to the 
Arakelians lest it should be viewed as a voter incentive in the ongoing 
referendum campaign.
Pashinian Unveils Draft Referendum Manifesto
March 11, 2020
        • Artak Khulian
        • Anush Mkrtchian
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian reads out a draft referendum manifesto 
during a campaign rally in Goris, March 11, 2020
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has made public a draft manifesto ahead 
of a constitutional referendum slated for April 5 in which citizens will be 
asked to approve the termination of powers of several High Court judges.
Pashinian and his political team accuse Constitutional Court Chairman Hrayr 
Tovmasian and six other judges of maintaining ties to Armenia’s former 
leadership and impeding reforms that they say are aimed at creating an 
independent judiciary.
They believe that the Constitutional Court members elected before the 2015 
constitution was fully enforced in April 2018 must be removed from office and 
new judges must be elected to replace them.
Opposition parties accuse the prime minister of seeking to gain undue control 
over the Constitutional Court. They have refused to engage in campaigning 
against the proposed amendment, rejecting the referendum as unconstitutional.
Speaking at a public rally in Goris in Armenia’s southern Syunik province, 
Pashinian read out the draft of the ‘Yes’ campaign’s manifesto that he said is 
open for proposals to be elaborated before being finally adopted and published 
several days before the referendum.
It says that by approving changes to the constitution the people are “closing 
the page of the presence of illegitimate state bodies and officials in Armenia.”
The text of the proposed manifesto, in particular, states that “in the period 
from 1995 to 2018 when the non-violent, velvet people’s revolution took place, 
the official results of all nationwide elections did not reflect the free will 
of the people, except for the results of the 1999 parliamentary elections that 
were nullified by the October 27, 1999 terrorist attack on parliament.”
According to the draft manifesto, “along with the process of rigging elections 
in Armenia a corrupt system was being formed leading to systemic corruption.” 
Pashinian emphasized that systemic corruption existed in Armenia until the 2018 
revolution and was expressed by “widespread bribery, the vicious system of 
kickbacks from government spending, the establishment of artificial economic 
monopolies, the fusion of business and presidential, legislative, executive and 
judicial powers.”
“Under this system, the presidential, legislative, executive and judicial 
authorities, including the Constitutional Court, largely served their own 
personal and group interests, ignoring the national and state interests of the 
Republic of Armenia and the Armenian people and principles of rule of law in the 
country, hindering Armenia’s progress and the well-being of its people. As a 
result, many senior government officials have illegally accumulated enormous 
amounts of wealth,” Pashinian continued.
The restitution of wealth “illegally accumulated by high-ranking state 
officials”, according to the draft manifesto, is “an inalienable right of the 
Republic of Armenia and its people.” “This process should take place exclusively 
in a legal way, with the formation of an effective law-enforcement system in the 
Republic of Armenia, an independent judiciary, including an independent and 
legitimate Constitutional Court,” the prime minister underscored.
Pashinian also called for the formation of effective mechanisms for separating 
business from power. “Power cannot be a means for accumulating wealth or 
preserving the accumulated wealth,” he said.
According to the document, “only an electoral system that ensures the free 
expression of the will of the people can be a guarantee of a state 
administration system with effective mechanisms of checks and balances.” 
“Therefore, the people of Armenia will not tolerate any illegal influence on the 
will of voters, any falsification, misrepresentation or neglect of the ballot 
results.”
Pashinian took a vacation on March 10 to kick off a series of public rallies in 
Armenian provinces and capital Yerevan ahead of the referendum.
By contrast, the ‘No’ campaign represented by a group of lawyers has said it 
will not be holding any public rallies, but will limit its campaigning to 
Facebook posts about alleged violations and reports to the Central Election 
Commission.
Its representatives have criticized the Pashinian-led campaign for allegedly 
using administrative resources. Officials have rejected the criticism.
Head of the Central Election Commission Tigran Mukuchian told RFE/RL’s Armenian 
Service (Azatutyun.am) on Wednesday that the election body has not yet received 
any formal complaint regarding any violations during the campaign. He said that 
according to their observations, in general the campaign is taking place in 
accordance with the principles stipulated by the legislation concerning the 
holding of elections and referendums.
The Prosecutor’s Office, meanwhile, said that out of 19 reports of 
administrative violations related to the referendum campaign they are currently 
probing only two, with the rest having been dismissed after no evidence of any 
violations has been found.
In December, Constitutional Court Chairman Tovmasian was charged with abuse of 
power while he was serving as justice minister in 2010-2014. He has denied the 
accusation as politically motivated.
Earlier in December, a controversial law gave Tovmasian and the six other 
Constitutional Court members financial incentives to resign before the end of 
their mandates. None of them has accepted the offer.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2020 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
 

AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Website: 
 
  
PRESS RELEASE
  
Thursday, March 12, 2020
  
AGBU WOMEN SHAPING THE WORLD CONFERENCE ADDS UNIQUE VOICE TO THE FEMALE 
EMPOWERMENT MOVEMENT
New York, NY: In celebration of International Women's Day 2020 and the 100th 
anniversary of the ratification of the women's right to vote in America, over 
200 attendees from across the region, as well as from New England and 
California, spent the day in the company of exemplary female leaders who are 
making transformational change through their careers, philanthropy and volunteer 
work.
 
The sold-out Inaugural AGBU "Women Shaping the World" (WSTW) conference, held in 
downtown Manhattan on March 7, 2020, was organized by a committee of 
distinguished women with three goals in mind: to provide a forum for sharing 
insights and ideas on challenges and opportunities facing women socially and 
professionally; create a space to work in solidarity towards gender equality and 
women's rights at home and abroad; and give women a platform for networking and 
exploring career development strategies, with guidance from industry 
specialists. 
The diversity and scope of the conference attracted a mix of co-sponsors, 
including Seta Nazarian and the Englestad Foundation as primary contributors, as 
well as global names such as Citi® Private Banking, We Work,® and Loréal® Paris, 
in addition to Congès fine jewelry and Keremo cakes.
 
In her welcoming remarks, advisory committee co-chair Claudia Nazarian set the 
tone for the three-part agenda, promising a day in which "women of all ages and 
a few brave men will come together to share their stories and leave feeling 
enlightened, inspired and challenged to do more." She assured guests that the 
conference was the first of many more to come. 
THE AGBU LEGACY OF FEMALE EMPOWERMENT 
AGBU Central Board member and Co-Chair of the AGBU Global Women's Empowerment 
Initiative Ani Manoukian presented a brief overview of AGBU's century-old 
commitment to the elevation of Armenian women in society. She highlighted how, 
as early as 1917, AGBU women mobilized a multi-national clothing drive in behalf 
of child survivors of the Armenian Genocide of 1915. AGBU also opened women's 
shelters, orphanages and trade schools as well as took up the daunting task of 
rescuing abducted Armenian women from Turkish homes. By the 1940s, women were 
serving on the organization's Central Board of Directors. The early 1990s saw 
Louise Manoogian Simone as AGBU's fifth president, during the critical years of 
Armenia's independence. Manoukian further noted that today 40% of AGBU chairs 
worldwide are women and, when looking solely at its Young Professionals 
leadership, the rate increases to 55%. She made a compelling case that Armenian 
women's voices do matter. 
"We can balance the conversation; we add value to the pool of visionaries and 
creators of our male counterparts. We are listeners, we are problem-solvers, we 
are collaborators," Manoukian stated. 
WISDOM AND PERSPECTIVE
The guest speaker segment opened with keynote remarks by Suni Harford, the 
president of UBS Asset Management. Long known for her advocacy in support of 
women leaders in finance and business, Harford described her own career path as 
mostly unplanned, and more a succession of opportunities that opened doors to 
others. She emphasized the importance of women as consumers and drivers of 
change, underlining that female empowerment is connected to the bottom line and 
there must always be an economic component to the movement. 
She also shared her "four pearls of wisdom" beginning with Visibility within the 
company's power structure by taking positions or getting involved in special 
projects that allow access to key decisionmakers in the organization. Next, was 
Don't Opt Out Early, when considering leaving the work world to start a family.  
"You don't know what lies ahead, and you don't know what your companies are 
going to look like," she noted. Third on her list was to Take Risks, saying, "I 
do believe women have as many opportunities as men, but too many women wait for 
these opportunities and don't raise their hands to take that risk." Her final 
token of advice was to Speak Up; recounting the time she applied for a 
leadership position in Tokyo to the surprise of her colleagues. "Everyone 
assumed I would never take that role, but I had never let anyone know that I 
wanted it." Though Hartford's big move never happened, she recalled that 
advocating for herself started an important dialogue in her workplace and opened 
other unanticipated doors in her career.
 
Picking up the threads of Harford's speech, panel moderator Alexis Alexanian, an 
independent producer and former president of the New York Women in Film & 
Television, opened the discussion with two high-powered Armenian-American women 
who exemplified the "shaping the world" concept: Mary Ellen Iskenderian, 
President and CEO of Women's World Banking, the world's largest network of 
microfinance institutions and banks; and Carineh Martin, a leading luxury brands 
executive who co-founded RAD, which partners with celebrity talent and brands to 
use the Red Carpet for advocacy and social good.
 
On the subject of using professional platforms to advance social progress, 
Martin made the case that good marketing can be authentic while creating social 
change, "Status and good design don't cut it anymore. Who you are and what you 
believe in can have a purpose and create social progress." 
Iskenderian's insights on empowering women financially were also instructive, 
"Finance can be a tool for change. When women are in control of resources, they 
play a much bigger role in household decision making, and money is spent 
unequivocally on saving towards goals." She noted that study after study showed 
that, women who are lifted out of poverty and are in charge of the purse 
strings, spend disproportionately on educating their children. She also stressed 
the need for financial literacy, explaining that having a bank account, and even 
buying insurance, can be just as important as receiving a micro-loan.
This theme prompted consensus among the speakers that education is paramount to 
female empowerment and each of them owed much of their own success to their 
academic experiences.  Martin mentioned that attending an all-girls high school 
led her to believe that women could do whatever they set their mind to, as the 
girl students assumed roles otherwise filled by boys.  It wasn't until she 
entered university that she understood that gender imbalance was real. 
Each discussant spoke with great passion about the reward of giving back to 
others through their professional expertise, which provided them with the 
resources, tools, exposure and access to forge their own paths to uplift others. 
"We can take our platforms and use them to make people aware of what is 
happening in the world," said Martin. "Shifting the culture is instrumental in 
creating change, and how we work together to change the culture in little ways 
can be impactful." 
On that point, Iskenderian-taking stock of the sea of Armenian women 
assembled-uttered a truth that resounded with many nodding heads throughout the 
room. "That ian/yan is like a secret handshake wherever you are. It's something 
ineffable we all share."
Alexanian expressed how impressed she was with the quality of the questions and 
issues raised, saying, "I've never been in a room with this many Armenian women, 
and it makes me emotional to be here today." She continued, "We all need a forum 
like this, we need to talk about the things that bind us, our similarities, and 
we need to talk about the differences. This is how we define our network." 
 
The conversation continued over lunch, where attendees could talk shop with 
peers and make new social and professional connections. An hour later, they were 
back in their seats for the unveiling of AGBU EmpowerHer, presented by AGBU 
Central Board Member and Co-Chair of the AGBU Global Women's Empowerment 
Initiative Arda Haratunian.
 
LAUNCH OF AGBU EMPOWERHER
EmpowerHer is a multi-dimensional initiative designed to promote gender equality 
in the Republic of Armenia, a country in which women (who represent over half 
the country's population) are still struggling for a seat at the table in 
business, economy and politics. They are also still grappling with outworn 
cultural norms that undervalue females in society and subject them to 
intergenerational household pressures that impede their personal growth. 
Thanks to the early support of donors across the diaspora, the AGBU EmpowerHer 
model has the capacity to combine education, training, institutional support, 
mentorship, and expertise from program partners and collaborators worldwide, 
including AGBU Hye Geen Centers for pregnant women and the Women's Support 
Center in Armenia for victims of domestic violence and abuse. 
 
Haratunian highlighted multiple ways that EmpowerHer can help Armenia's women 
gain social and economic independence, including learning workplace fundamentals 
and enrolling for trainings from Coding and IT to entrepreneurship and community 
leadership, along with a cycle of support through alumni services. 
She also invited the attendees to get involved in the EmpowerHer initiative 
through volunteering, connecting, mentoring, fundraising, donating, and other 
ways to help enhance the role of Armenia's women in business and society. 
"When you transform the life of a woman, it will change their communities, the 
organizations they work in, and the nation they create. You are empowered to 
EmpowerHer," said Haratunian. 
 
INDUSTRY BREAK-OUT SESSIONS
The remainder of the day was dedicated to networking and advice-gathering 
through small roundtables grouped by industries. Each was led by a specialist in 
the category, including Mary Ellen Iskenderian (Finance), Alexis Alexanian (Film 
& Entertainment), Sara Anjargolian (Armenia Current Affairs); Ani Aydin 
(Medicine & Health); Tamar Donikyan (Law); Houry Geudelekian (Gender & Women's 
Issues); Arda Haratunian (Communications and Marketing); Kris McGarry 
(NGO/Education); and Seta Nazarian (Philanthropy and Volunteerism). 
The sessions allowed participants to explore industry-specific issues and 
questions. For example, the Finance group, representing entrepreneurs, small 
business owners, and leaders in global companies like PayPal, PWC, IBC, and the 
World Bank, discussed topics from creating informal female support systems in 
male dominated offices to asking for the same opportunities and responsibilities 
as men. "Being the only woman in the finance department used to be the 
narrative" said Elizabeth Akian. "But now we have women running departments and 
it's fulfilling to see others grow." Others also noted the importance of having 
female leaders. "We have a gift as women in the way we nurture relationships," 
said Oriona Nikaj. "We can see that here today in this conference."
The Medicine and Health group shared insights on how to approach mentors in 
their field and how best to offer their skills in the Armenian world, 
considering EmpowerHer's new healthcare initiative. In the Armenia Current 
Affairs group, participants agreed with Sara Anjargolian, the chief of staff of 
Armenia's Office of the High Commissioner of Diaspora Affairs, who said "nation 
building is not a spectator sport." They discussed the changes in the country 
since the Velvet Revolution, and how unprecedented programs like "iGorts," which 
invites Diaspora Armenian professionals to work in Armenia's state institutions, 
are tapping Diaspora talent throughout the world. 
The heavily attended Film, Television and Entertainment session explored ways 
for aspiring creative types to build their personal brands and profiles on 
social media, recognizing the power of digital media to increase visibility and 
exposure of their work. Meanwhile, the Communications and Marketing group 
discussed the benefits of finding mentors and proactively reaching out to 
established professionals without the fear of rejection. The Philanthropy and 
Volunteerism session weighed the pros and cons of starting a non-profit 
organization from scratch versus partnering with more established organizations, 
thereby ceding some of one's decision-making power. 
INSIGHTS AND TAKEAWAYS
Positive feedback from the sessions was consistent among the groups. "I really 
got something out of this discussion today, said Katia Ariyan. "I expanded my 
network of Armenians in my industry, made connections, and learned more about 
how to put myself out there toward what I want to do." 
  
Her sentiments were echoed by attendees, speakers, and organizers, alike. "Being 
at an event like this, I now feel like I could push my Armenian world one step 
further into a more career-driven, professional, and inspiring place," said 
participant Shushan Sargsian. "I am so inspired by all of the amazing things 
Armenian women are doing here, in Armenia and all over the world, and this has 
given me a lot of ideas on how to get involved." Another participant, Lernik 
Essayei chimed in, "This is why we all need to be connected at least once a 
year, to remind ourselves why we are doing what we are doing." 
At the close of the day, Alexanian made an astute observation, saying, "I think 
we identified an underserved audience that needs this forum for empowerment, 
bonding, 'what Armenian means to me' and inspiration. It's so obvious. It was 
very impressive to see how many people are committed, passionate, want to 
network and connect."  
Nila Festekjian, the woman who first planted the seed of holding an 
International Women's Day conference over a year ago, characterized the event as 
an "unqualified success" and invited attendees to email their thoughts, ideas 
and suggestions for future forums to [email protected].
The Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) is the world's largest non-profit 
organization devoted to upholding the Armenian heritage through educational, 
cultural and humanitarian programs. Each year, AGBU is committed to making a 
difference in the lives of 500,000 people across Armenia, Artsakh and the 
Armenian diaspora.  Since 1906, AGBU has remained true to one overarching goal: 
to create a foundation for the prosperity of all Armenians. To learn more visit 
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