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PRESS RELEASE

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Americans for Artsakh Delivers Capacity Building to Karabakh Government
With AGBU’s Support

Americans for Artsakh recently completed a training project in good
governance at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Stepanakert, Karabakh.
The project focused on two primary subject areas: communications and
conflict resolution. It took place from February 26 to March 7, 2009,
and was conducted by Mr. Garbis Korajian, who is an expert in governance
training and has run similar courses in several other countries. Funding
was provided by the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU).

There were a total of twenty-two participants in the course,
representing not only the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but also
including four members from the Office of the President, two from the
National Assembly, and two from the government staff. The subject areas
covered are the first two of six planned components. Although the course
as a whole was primarily intended for staff members at the Ministry,
participants were also invited from other governmental offices because
of the wide applicability of these fields to many aspects of governance.
Special support was provided by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr.
Vardan Barseghian, and First Secretary, Mr. Karen Kostandyan.

The goal of the communications portion of the training was to give the
participants hands-on experience in critical communication skills, from
making public presentations to dealing with the media. The emphasis was
mostly on the practical aspects of communication. At the end of the
course, the participants selected topics to present to the group as a
whole, each of which had a specific, pre-determined intended audience.
Some of the topics included "The Role and Importance of Creating a Just
Society," "The Problem of Unemployment in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic:
Causes," and "The Role and Structure of Standing Committees in the
Parliament of Artsakh." The broad range of subjects generated lively
discussions among the group, and allowed the participants to fully
appreciate the overall purpose of the exercise.

Several of the students commented upon the essential nature of this type
of skills acquisition during this critical period in Karabakh’s history.
Artak Nersissyan, a staff member at the Ministry, was extremely pleased
with the outcome of the course. "We took many classes in public
presentations in university, but I do not think I learned or benefited
from [all of] them as much as I did in the last two weeks. I would like
to thank all of you, friends and colleagues for making this learning
experience an enjoyable one, and also our instructor, who gave us an
excellent lesson in communications. Please let’s continue with more
topics in the future. We do not want to see our capacity building
training end here."

In the second portion of the workshop, which was titled "Understanding
Conflict and Conflict Resolution Methods," the participants were
introduced to the concepts of negotiation, mediation, arbitration,
consensus building, and reconciliation. In addition, they were given the
opportunity to simulate negotiations over the conflict in the region. In
this simulation, roles and fictitious titles were assigned to specific
members of the group, creating an atmosphere that was as close to
reality as possible. Although some noted the psychologically strenuous
nature of this task, the fact that it was presented in such a realistic
manner proved rewarding in the end as it brought home the importance of
solving the conflict.

Mr. Korajian, an ethnic Armenian who grew up in Ethiopia and currently
lives in Canada, found the course both professionally and personally
enriching. Upon its completion, he commented, "I can say from the bottom
of my heart that this was one of the most interesting trainings that I
have conducted in my career. The participants were wonderful and had a
strong desire to learn. I also felt that the workshops were very
important and a necessary tool for the senior staff to have at the
Ministry."

AFA plans to expand upon its series of training courses for the
government and eventually offer courses in several governmental offices
in a variety of areas, including law, public administration, management,
and other fields.

Americans For Artsakh is a non-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization
established to preserve freedom, strengthen democracy, foster economic
development, protect the cultural identity and promote the heritage of
the people of Artsakh. For more information, contact Sarah Ludwig,
Executive Director, at info@americansforartsakh.org.

Established in 1906, AGBU () is the world’s largest
non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City, AGBU
preserves and promotes the Armenian identity and heritage through
educational, cultural and humanitarian programs, annually serving some
400,000 Armenians on five continents.