Category: 2023

AW: The Future is Bright

Elizabeth Jabejian
 Zoryan Institute Diaspora, Announcements 0

TORONTO—The Zoryan Institute and the editors of Genocide Studies International (GSI) have selected two winners of its inaugural High School Student Essay Contest focused on the prevention of genocide. First place was awarded to Arlington High School grade 10 student Soline Fisher, and second place was awarded to grade 11 student Zepure Merdinian of Belmont High School. 

The essay contest, which provided an opportunity for students to make their voices heard and contribute to the ongoing work of preventing genocide, had three prompts for students to address and develop their own original arguments:

  1. How will you lead your generation in preventing genocide?
  2. What obligation does the global community have to prevent genocide, and what form(s) should these prevention efforts take?
  3. How should your nation respond to genocide that takes place in another nation?

The essay contest was open to high school level students worldwide, and while we received many quality submissions, the two winning essays were selected for their academic rigor, personal narrative and persuasive argument addressing their selected prompt.

Soline’s essay explored the contemporary challenges faced by the global community in tackling genocide and proposed three concrete steps to help prevent genocide and future atrocities.  Zepure’s essay titled, “Quality Genocide Education in American Schools: An Armenian Lens for Hope” took on a personal approach, exploring how her own experiences with genocide and genocide education will help her to lead her generation in preventing genocide.

Both submissions left the editors of Genocide Studies International and the Zoryan Institute hopeful for the future generations who will help lead the way in promoting human rights, equity, tolerance, peace and reconciliation. 

“It was a privilege to read all of the outstanding contributions to this first student essay contest! The pieces submitted by Soline and Zepure are thoughtful, engaging, well-crafted – and very different from one another. When taken on their own, they are excellent; when taken together, they point to a brighter future,” commented co-editor of GSI Dr. Jennifer Rich.

When asked to comment on the significance of this contest, Soline spoke to the importance of genocide prevention for today’s youth: “It is so important that young people be made aware of pressing international developments and grasp the complexity of the issues involved so as to be able to take an informed position on those issues. While some scholars are bent on reassuring us that the world we live in is less violent than at any time in the past, this argument to me underestimates the latent potential for violence on a large scale enabled by extremist politics and advanced technology. Therefore, we must remain vigilant for the prospects of the emergence of new forms of genocide. I hope that my essay makes some small contribution to this understanding.”

In her comments, second place winner Zepure highlighted the importance of genocide education: “I hope my essay shows the extent to which genocide education varies in quality and inspires educators worldwide to improve their teaching approaches when it comes to heavy topics such as genocide.”

As first place winner, Soline will receive a cash prize of $250 USD, and both Soline and Zepure will have their essays published in issue 15.2 of Genocide Studies International. Soline and Zepure were both presented certificates from the Zoryan Institute from their respective schools. 

The 2024 High School Student Essay Contest is now open for submissions. As we embark on this new academic school year, we encourage high schools, educators and teachers around the world to share this opportunity with their students and peers, and even incorporate it into their 2023-2024 curriculum. The deadline to submit is June 2024.

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Zoryan Institute and its subsidiary, the International Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies, is a non-profit organization that serves the cause of scholarship and public awareness relating to issues of universal human rights, genocide, and diaspora-homeland relations. This is done through the systematic continued efforts of scholars and specialists using a comparative and multidisciplinary approach and in accordance with the highest academic standards.


RFE/RL Armenian Service – 10/18/2023

Sonya Jalatian 
                                        Wednesday, 


Armenian Policy Towards EU ‘Unchanged’

        • Tatevik Lazarian

France - Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian addresses the European 
Parliament in Strasbourg, .


Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s latest calls for closer ties between Armenia 
and the European Union do not herald any major change in his government’s 
foreign policy, senior Armenian officials insisted on Wednesday.

Pashinian told the European Parliament on Tuesday that “Armenia is ready to get 
closer to the EU as much as the EU finds it possible.” He also took aim at 
Russia, underscoring a deepening rift between Moscow and Yerevan.

Deputy Foreign Minister Paruyr Hovannisian downplayed the geopolitical 
implications of Pashinian’s speech, saying that the premier only reaffirmed 
Armenia’s commitment to the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement 
(CEPA) with the EU signed in 2017.

“Our relations with the EU have always been aimed at promoting reforms, human 
rights, the country’s transformation,” Hovannisian told journalists.

“The EU remains Armenia’s most important partner in terms of reforms, and this 
message only reaffirmed our policy of deepening and expanding our relations with 
the EU as much as possible,” he said. “There is no sensational news in the 
context of our relations with the EU.”

Arman Yeghoyan, the chairman of the Armenian parliament committee on European 
integration, similarly said that the CEPA will continue to form the basis of 
Yerevan’s relationship with the 27-nation bloc in the coming years.

“We still have room for developing the scale and quality of our relations with 
the EU within the existing legal framework,” Yeghoyan told RFE/RL’s Armenian 
Service.

In his speech, Pashinian did not indicate a desire to seek Armenia’s eventual 
membership in the EU or negotiate another alternative to the CEPA. He made clear 
last week that he has no plans to pull his country out of the Russian-led 
defense and trade blocs. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov publicly noted 
that.

Still, Pashinian launched thinly veiled attacks on Russia when he addressed the 
EU legislature in Strasbourg. In particular, he accused Armenia’s “security 
allies” of using the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict to try to topple him. This 
prompted a stern rebuke from Moscow on Wednesday.

Armen Rustamian, an Armenian opposition parliamentarian, deplored what he 
described as Pashinian’s conflicting foreign policy statements and lack of a 
cohesive foreign policy strategy.

“One day he sounds pro-Russian, the other day pro-Western … This way we will 
only lose all our friends,” claimed Rustamian.




Karabakh Suspects Freed During Exodus To Armenia

        • Ruzanna Stepanian

Nagorno-Karabakh - An abandoned vehicle is parked in front of a closed shop in 
Stepanakert during an Azeri government organized media trip, October 2, 2023.


About a dozen individuals accused or convicted of various crimes in 
Nagorno-Karabakh were set free late last month as the region’s ethnic Armenian 
population fled to Armenia following the Azerbaijani military offensive, a 
Karabakh official said on Wednesday.

Armenian law-enforcement authorities did not arrest and transfer them to the 
country’s prisons or detention centers. They now claim to be unaware of the 
whereabouts of these Karabakh Armenians. Six of them had been charged with 
spying for Azerbaijan.

Karabakh’s sole prison is located in the town of Shushi (Shusha) captured by the 
Azerbaijani army at the end of the 2020 war. Its inmates were transported to 
Armenian prisons after the six-week war. The same was also true for subsequently 
arrested Karabakh suspects.

Such transfers became impossible when Baku blocked the Lachin corridor last 
December, forcing the authorities in Stepanakert to open a makeshift detention 
center. According to a senior Karabakh law-enforcement official who has also 
taken refuge in Yerevan, the facility housed one man convicted of theft and ten 
others accused of high treason and other crimes when the Azerbaijani offensive 
began on September 19.

The official said that the authorities set them free on September 28 at the 
height of exodus. “Keeping them locked up there was no longer right,” the 
official told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.

Armenia’s Office of the Prosecutor-General declined to comment on the fate of 
these individuals and the six spy suspects in particular. It is thus not clear 
whether the Armenian authorities regard them as a national security threat and, 
if so, are keeping track of them and planning to take them into custody.




Armenia Becoming ‘Another Ukraine,’ Says Moscow


Russia - A view shows the Kremlin in Moscow, April 20, 2020.


Russia drew parallels between Nikol Pashinian and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr 
Zelenskiy on Wednesday, responding to the Armenian prime minister’s fresh 
criticism of Moscow voiced at the European Parliament.

Addressing the European Union’s legislative body in Strasbourg on Tuesday, 
Pashinian accused Armenia’s “security allies” of using the Nagorno-Karabakh 
conflict to try to oust him from power. Also, he again blamed Russian 
peacekeepers for the mass exodus of Karabakh’s ethnic Armenian population that 
followed Azerbaijan’s September 19-20 attack on the region.

Russia’s main state news agency, TASS, cited a “high-ranking source in Moscow” 
as strongly condemning Pashinian’s speech.

“We regard Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s speech in the European 
Parliament on October 17 as absolutely irresponsible and provocative, especially 
with regard to Russia and Russian-Armenian relations,” said the unnamed source. 
“We see how they are trying to turn Armenia into Ukraine No. 3 -- if we consider 
Moldova as Ukraine No. 2 -- and Pashinian is following in the footsteps of 
Volodymyr Zelenskiy by leaps and bounds.”

Tensions between Moscow and Yerevan already ran high prior to his speech, 
aggravated by the Azerbaijani takeover of Karabakh acquiesced by the Russians. 
The Russian Foreign Ministry accused Pashinian late last month of seeking to 
ruin Russian-Armenian relations and reorient his country towards the West. 
Earlier in September, it deplored “a series of unfriendly steps” taken by 
Yerevan.

Pashinian insisted on October 10 that Armenia still has no plans to leave the 
Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) or other Russian-led blocs. 
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov seemed encouraged by these assurances on 
October 12.

President Vladimir Putin appeared to downplay Russia’s rift with its longtime 
South Caucasus ally the following day. Putin said that he and Pashinian “remain 
in touch” and that he will visit Armenia again despite Yerevan’s acceptance of 
jurisdiction of an international court that issued an arrest warrant for him in 
March.

The Armenian parliament ratified the founding treaty of the International 
Criminal Court (ICC) on October 3 despite stern Russian warnings. The move was 
welcomed by the West but denounced as reckless by the Armenian opposition. 
Opposition leaders say that by setting Armenia on a collision course with Russia 
Pashinian is heightening the risk of another Azerbaijani attack on Armenian 
territory.

Pashinian acknowledged that risk in his speech at the European Parliament. He 
urged Western powers to prevent Baku from “provoking a new war in the region.”



Reposted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2023 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

Armenia ready to sign peace treaty with Azerbaijan by yearend – PM

Zhanna Nahapetian

 16:15,

STRASBOURG, OCTOBER 17, ARMENPRESS. Armenia is ready to sign a peace treaty with Azerbaijan by yearend, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in his speech in the European Parliament.

“We are ready to sign a treaty on peace and normalization of relations with Azerbaijan by the end of the year,” Pashinyan said, adding that Azerbaijan’s refusal to attend the planned Granada meeting “did not make our work easier.”

Signing a peace treaty by yearend would be strongly realistic if the principles adopted during the Brussels meetings are officially reaffirmed, the PM said.

Armenia ready for closer ties with EU, says PM Pashinyan

Lilit Nahapetian

 16:17,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 17, ARMENPRESS. Armenia is ready to have stronger ties with the EU, PM Nikol Pashinyan has said.

“The Republic of Armenia is ready to be closer to the EU, as close as the EU would consider it possible,” the Armenian Prime Minister said in his speech to the European Parliament on October 17. “Our joint statement with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen says ‘in these difficult times, the EU and Armenia stand shoulder to shoulder.’ Let’s continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with a commitment to make the times better. As I said, I am convinced that democracy can ensure peace, security, unity, prosperity and happiness. Let’s prove this together,” Pashinyan said.

He said that the EU has become one of the key partners of Armenia in the past years.

Central Bank of Armenia: exchange rates and prices of precious metals – 17-10-23

Markos Nalchajian

 17:05,

YEREVAN, 17 OCTOBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 17 October, USD exchange rate up by 0.41 drams to 401.63 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 1.36 drams to 423.88 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.01 drams to 4.13 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 0.78 drams to 488.34 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price up by 139.44 drams to 24767.21 drams. Silver price up by 6.94 drams to 291.76 drams

Azerbaijan contradicts Alma-Ata Declaration, maintains ambiguity over maps for delimitation, warns PM

Hagop Kamalian

 16:32,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 17, ARMENPRESS. Baku’s claims that the Armenian-Azerbaijani border doesn’t exist contradicts the Alma-Ata Declaration signed by itself and the recently reached agreements, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in the European Parliament.

He said that Azerbaijan is keeping ambiguity in the issue of adopting the most recent Soviet maps as the basis for border delimitation, which some experts believe indicate that Azerbaijan could be plotting new aggression and territorial claims.

Pashinyan said that Armenia and Azerbaijan have both unequivocally reiterated commitment to the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration as the political framework for border delimitation. The Alma-Ata Declaration recorded that the USSR ceases to exist and that the republics are recognizing each other’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, inviolability of existing administrative borders, and therefore the administrative borders that existed between the republics of the USSR became state borders.

Armenian Prime Minister meets Council of Europe Secretary General in Strasbourg

Parkev Tvankchian

 17:31,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 17, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has met with Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejčinović Burić in Strasbourg.

The humanitarian situation resulting from the forced displacement of over 100,000 Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of Azerbaijan’s policy of ethnic cleansing and future steps of international assistance for solving the existing issues were discussed.

The ongoing developments in the region, issues pertaining to the Armenia-Azerbaijan normalization process were also discussed. The continuity of the normalization process was highlighted.

The Prime Minister then laid flowers at an Armenian cross-stone in front of the Council of Europe headquarters.

 



2,000 US troops put on deployment alert amid Middle East crisis

Tatoyan Vazgen

 17:35,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 17, ARMENPRESS.  The United States military has put 2,000 troops on deployment alert, the Pentagon said Tuesday, in response to the escalating conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. 

''US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin placed the personnel and a range of units "on a heightened state of readiness through a prepare to deploy order," the Pentagon said in a statement, to be able "to respond quickly to the evolving security environment in the Middle East."

Prime Minister had a meeting with a group of MEPs

Paul Hambardsumian

 17:57,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 17, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a working lunch with memebers of the European Parliament.

The Prime Minister’s Office said among them were Chair of the Security and Defense Subcommittee of the European Parliament, Nathalie Loiseau,  co-rapporteur on Armenian affairs in the European Parliament, Viola von Cramon-Taubadel, Chair of the European Parliament Delegation for Relations with the South Caucasus, Marina Kaljurand,  the permanent rapporteur on Armenian issues in the European Parliament, Andrei Kovachev, and others.

During the meeting the current humanitarian situation resulting from the forced displacement of over 100,000 Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh by Azerbaijan, the regional situation, the further assisting steps by the international community, the developments taking place in the region, the process of regulating Armenia-Azerbaijan relations were discussed.

Thoughts were exchanged on Armenia-European Union cooperation and further development.

 



Impact Hub Yerevan announces the winners of SIA Award Armenia 2023

Kanayan Tamar

 18:01,

On October 17, Impact Hub Yerevan hosted a pitching day event as well as a humble award ceremony for the participants of this year’s Social Impact Award Armenia.

The Social Impact Award, a prestigious platform supporting young social entrepreneurs, took place for another year of honoring innovative business solutions aimed at addressing pressing social challenges. Under the umbrella of the Collaborate for Impact program, funded by the European Union in Armenia and executed by the European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA) in partnership with Impact Hub Yerevan, this year's awards have seen a significant contribution from Ararat Bank.

The mission of the Social Impact Awards is to guide and empower early-stage social entrepreneurs on their journey to create meaningful and sustainable change. Since its inception in 2009, the program has inspired and supported young visionaries across more than 25 countries.

The spotlight this year fell on ten exceptional participants of the Incubation Program, featuring enterprises such as Gyugh.org, ContestsLAB, Refill App, reuZe, Science Cube, Adapteon, Young Doctor, Dilijanian Strawberry Greenhouse, Bio Cycle, and EcoTught. On Tuesday, October 17, from 11 AM to 1 PM, these promising ventures gave business pitches for their ideas to a distinguished jury including Gevorg Poghosyan (Impact Hub Yerevan), Arman Khachatryan (Codeex), Diana Chobanyan (EcoHub Foundation), Silva Mesropyan (Institute of Management Consulting of Armenia), Korioun Khatchadourian (H. Hovnanian Family Foundation), Shoushan Keshishian (HUB Artsakh) and Suren Babajanyan (Head of Marketing and Banking Services Sales Department).

“SIA is a unique program that motivates creative and innovative youngsters to build a business model for the social challenges they think the society is facing and I think this is the right path for how we can build a better and much kinder world,” said Gevorg Poghosyan, Executive Director of Impact Hub Yerevan.

Three winners were selected for the coveted Jury Award, receiving an award of 1500 EUR in seed funding and an exclusive invitation to participate in this year's Social Impact Award Annual Summit, scheduled for November 27- December 1  in Serbia. A fourth winner was selected based on the results of online Community Voting on their video pitch.

Thus, the winners of this year’s Social Impact Award Armenia are:
Jury Award Winner – Adapteon
Jury Award Winner – Contests Lab

Jury Award Winner – Gyugh.org

Community Vote Award Winner – Refill

This year, the Social Impact Award money of 1,500 EUR per winner, a total of  6,000 EUR, has been financed by Ararat Bank.

“The Social Impact Award reminds us of the importance of collective well-being, and we are only happy to be part of this one-of-a-kind initiative. Together, we can create an environment where social entrepreneurship will thrive, where innovative solutions to social challenges will be supported at a larger scale, and where the power of business will work for the welfare of the society,” commented Anna Allahverdyan, the Advisor on Public Relations to the Executive Director of AraratBank.

Participating in the official award ceremony were the Advisor on Public Relations to the Executive Director of AraratBank Anna Allahverdyan, Head of the Marketing and Banking Services Sales Department of AraratBank Suren Babajanyan, EVPA Representative in Armenia Nazareth Seferian, and the Executive Director of Impact Hub Yerevan Gevorg Poghosyan.

“Initiatives like SIA are very important because they encourage innovation and help build a future pipeline for new social enterprises in Armenia. Several past SIA participants have grown into social businesses that have a real positive impact on the ground. So SIA is not just about receiving an award,” said Nazareth Seferian, Armenian Representative of EVPA.

— — — — — — — — — — — — —

** Impact Hub Yerevan, founded in 2016, is a representative of a network of 110+ Impact Hubs operating around the world. It provides its member entrepreneurs and innovators with a wide range of community innovation resources, educational programs, and events, all in a very stimulating and empowering workspace. Impact Hub is also a social innovation incubator and has many years of experience in designing and implementing incubation and acceleration programs. Since its establishment, Impact Hub Yerevan has designed and implemented 40+ programs, more than 500 educational courses, and events, and now hosts more than 350 members implementing over 100 projects representing almost all sectors operating in Armenia.

** The "Collaborate For Impact: Development of social entrepreneurship and social investments towards economic and social cohesion in the Eastern Partnership" is implemented by the European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA) with the financial support of the European Union. The Armenian component of the project was developed jointly with the Delegation of the European Union to Armenia and is implemented by Impact Hub Yerevan.

*** Social Impact Award supports young, early-stage social entrepreneurs in developing and implementing innovative business solutions tackling societal challenges.