Author: Ani Basmajian

High Commissioner Zareh Sinanyan opposes stringent citizenship regulations for Diaspora- Armenians

Ani Basmajian

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 13:31,

YEREVAN, JULY 21, ARMENPRESS. High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs Zareh Sinanyan says he opposes the National Security Service’s proposed bill that would set strict requirements for Diaspora-Armenians seeking to become citizens of Armenia.

However, at the same time he said that the changes won’t impact repatriation.

“This won’t impact repatriation. People who have the goal to move to Armenia and haven’t stayed in Armenia for 60 days in the past two years can apply for citizenship only after spending 60 days in the country. It is another matter that overall this is not a positive change in terms of the Armenia-Diaspora relations. Our agency is not in favor of this change. We have expressed our opinion,” Sinanyan said.

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 07/14/2022

Ani Basmajian 
                                        Thursday, 


Armenian Police To Expand Public Video Surveillance

        • Sargis Harutyunyan

Armenia - A control room of the Security Dream company operating speed radars 
and cameras, Yerevan, September 5, 2014.


The Armenian government allowed the national police on Thursday to set up a 
centralized system of video surveillance designed to facilitate the fight 
against crime and improve road safety.

The new surveillance network will comprise all speed radars on Armenia’s streets 
and highways as well as separate video cameras used for collecting street 
parking fees in Yerevan, which have been operated by two private firms for 
almost a decade. It will also be connected to security cameras installed inside 
shops, restaurants, casinos and other private businesses across the country.

The chief of the Armenian police, Vahe Ghazarian, indicated that police officers 
will also view many cameras to be placed in other public areas. He did not 
specify their number or location.

Ghazarian said that the expanded surveillance system will have a “substantial 
positive impact on improving the security environment.” Law-enforcement bodies 
will be in a better position to maintain public order, prevent and solve crimes 
and hunt for fugitive criminal suspects, he told a weekly cabinet meeting in 
Yerevan chaired by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.

Pashinian praised the police initiative. But he said nothing about the amount of 
government funding that will be provided for its realization.

Samvel Martirosian, an independent cyber security expert, cautioned that while 
the new surveillance network will likely make it easier for the police to combat 
crime it could be vulnerable to hacker attacks and information leaks. He said it 
is not clear how the government will protect citizens’ personal data and who 
exactly will have access to it.



New Armenian Army Chief Appointed


Armenia - Major-General Edward Asrian holds a news briefing, Yerevan, May 27, 
2021.


President Vahagn Khachaturian on Thursday appointed a new chief of the Armenian 
army’s General Staff handpicked by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, filling a 
position that has been vacant for nearly five months.

The appointment of Major-General Edward Asrian was announced just over a week 
after the Armenian parliament approved a government bill that made the country’s 
top general directly subordinate to the defense minister.

The previous army chief of staff, Lieutenant-General Artak Davtian, and six 
other senior generals were sacked in February through presidential decrees also 
initiated by Pashinian.

The sackings came one year after Davtian’s predecessor, Onik Gasparian, and 40 
other high-ranking officers issued a joint statement accusing Pashinian’s 
government of incompetence and misrule and demanding its resignation.

Incidentally, Asrian was among the signatories of the February 2021 statement 
welcomed by the Armenian opposition but condemned by Pashinian as a coup attempt.

Some pro-government lawmakers have acknowledged that Pashinian’s administration 
hopes the bill passed by the National Assembly on July 7 will prevent the army 
top brass from challenging them in the future.

Under the bill criticized by the opposition, the chief of the General Staff will 
also hold the post of first deputy defense minister. But he will not perform 
ministerial duties if Defense Minister Suren Papikian is absent from the country.

Pashinian promised a major reform of the military shortly after Armenia’s defeat 
in the 2020 war with Azerbaijan. He has replaced three defense ministers since a 
Russian-brokered ceasefire stopped the six-week hostilities in November 2020.

Opposition forces blame Pashinian for the disastrous war that left at least 
3,800 Armenian soldiers dead. They also say that his administration is doing 
little to rebuild the armed forces.



Ruling Party Holds Back On Ousting Armenian Opposition From Parliament

        • Astghik Bedevian

Armenia - Riot police guard the entrance to the headquarters of the ruling Civil 
Contract party in Yerevan, June 20, 2022.


A senior member of the ruling Civil Contract party said on Thursday that it will 
not strip opposition deputies boycotting sessions of Armenia’s parliament of 
their seats for now.

The leadership of the National Assembly affiliated with the party has 
increasingly threatened in recent weeks to ask the Constitutional Court to take 
such action. It was due to discuss the matter at a meeting slated for Thursday 
evening.

“We have decided not to start such a process at this stage,” Hrachya Hakobian, a 
Civil Contract lawmaker, told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service hours before the 
scheduled meeting.

“But we don’t exclude that one day we will again discuss stripping them of their 
mandates,” he said. “I don’t exclude that the [ruling party’s parliamentary] 
faction will once again organize a discussion on this issue in September or 
October.”

Hakobian, who is also Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s brother-in-law, said the 
parliament’s pro-government majority is giving the opposition lawmakers another 
chance to return to the parliament.

Armenia - Empty seats of opposition deputies boycotting a session of parliament, 
Yerevan, June 14, 2022.

One of those lawmakers, Gegham Manukian, dismissed the explanation, saying that 
the Armenian authorities simply want to avoid another blow to their democratic 
credentials.

“I presume that some smart guy, who is definitely not a parliament deputy, told 
them, ‘Guys you are going way over the top, disgracing the country, destroying 
the last ruins of our democratic bastion,’ and that’s why they came out with 
such a statement,” he said.

The 35 members of the 107-seat parliament representing the opposition Hayastan 
and Pativ Unem alliances began the boycott in April in advance of their daily 
demonstrations demanding Pashinian’s resignation. One of their leaders made 
clear on Monday that they will continue their boycott and hold more 
antigovernment rallies in the weeks ahead.

Under Armenian law, a parliament deputy can lose their seat if they skip, for 
“non-legitimate” reasons, at least half of parliament votes during a single 
semi-annual session of the National Assembly. The final decision to that effect 
is to be made by the Constitutional Court.

The parliament’s leadership said earlier this week all 29 deputies representing 
Hayastan and four others affiliated with Pativ Unem can now be formally accused 
of absenteeism.


Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2022 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

Ex-PM on national currency rise, curbing it: Armenia Central Bank is deceiving the government

Ani Basmajian
NEWS.am
Armenia –
18:10, 13.07.2022

Back on February 24, when the [Armenian] dram had not appreciated yet, we said that the war could bring benefits to Armenia’s economy in the short term, that the Russians would come to us who will bring money; secondly, Russia will start selling [natural] gas and oil in [Russian] rubles, and there we will win again. Former PM of Armenia, chairman of the opposition Freedom Party, and economist Hrant Bagratyan stated this in an interview with Armenian News-NEWS.am.

"As a result, only in the first four months—on the account of the money brought to Armenia by the Russians and economizing it—we [i.e., Armenia] started paying in rubles, as we had a surplus of rubles, whereas the dollar was not enough, we received one billion dollars more than we used to receive. This resulted in the dram’s appreciation. It is a sad thing because of the improper action of the Central Bank [of Armenia]," he added.

Bagratyan noted that dram’s rise in Armenia will not continue for long, it is a one-time phenomenon, and this effect will gradually disappear after the end of the war in Ukraine.

He expressed a conviction that the Central Bank of Armenia could have restrained the increase of the exchange rate of the dram, but did not do so.

When asked how is it that prices in Armenia continue to rise amid the dram’s appreciation, Bagratyan responded: "Inflation continues because they have fake growth, but we have no production. Inflation is not only a monetary phenomenon. Also, that production, those volumes do not exist. On the other hand, yes, the demand has increased because several tens of thousands of additional consumers have come here from Russia."

Commenting on the popular view that after the end of the Russian-Ukrainian war, Armenia could return to the situation of 2019, Bagratyan said: "(…) remittances put pressure on the market; it's a short amount of money that we received."

According to Bagratyan, the Central Bank of Armenia is deceiving the government.

"The government is subject to the Central Bank today. Maybe it seems to the Prime Minister that he is ordering the Central Bank. Today, the Central Bank is making Armenia's economy ‘dance,’" he said.

As per Bagratyan, it is beneficial for the US that its dollar is depreciating against the Armenian dram today.

Golden Apricot International Film Festival opens in Yerevan

Ani Basmajian
ARMINFO
Armenia –
Alina Hovhannisyan

ArmInfo. Last time, the Golden Apricot International Film Festival took place in Yerevan, Armenia, in 2019. Over 2,000 guests visited thee festival, with over 100 films  screened for the Armenian audience. Some of the films were later  prize winners at prestigious international film festivals. 

Karen Avetisyan, Artistic Director of the Golden Apricot festival,  says that over 150 renowned representatives of the movie industry are  coming to the festival this year. Among them are Irish screenwriter  and director Terence George, Michael Goorjian, an Emmy Award winning  actor, filmmaker, and writer of Armenian decent, Albert Serra, a  Catalan filmmaker, Philippe Bober, a leading European producer,  Marina Razbezhkina, a Russian screenwriter, producer, director and  documentary filmmaker.

"We have gone through a hard period and we hop that this year's  festival will mark the opening of a new chapter, especially on the  eve of thee 100th anniversary of Armenian cinema and 20th anniversary  of Golden Apricot," Mr Avetisyan told ArmInfo. 

The festival opened with Amerikatsi (American) by Michael Goorjian. 

"It is most important that the film was fully shot in Armenia by an  international team" he said. 

Terence George, Head of the Jury, told reporters it is his third  visit to Armenia, where he feels quite at home. 

As to the film assessment criteria, he said that independence is one  of the main criteria. The festival will close with Invisible Republic  by Garin Hovannisian. 

For more information visit  

https://arminfo.info/full_news.php?id=70448&lang=3

Armenpress: 33rd International Biology Olympiad launched in Yerevan, Armenia

Ani Basmajian

33rd International Biology Olympiad launched in Yerevan, Armenia

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 22:26,

YEREVAN, JULY 10, ARMENPRESS. Official opening ceremony of the 33rd International Biology Olympiad (IBO) took place in Yerevan’s A. Spendiaryan National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet on July 10.

Student groups from 64 countries arrived in Armenia for the participation to the Olympiad.

Arayik Harutyunyan, Chief of Staff at the Office of the Prime Minister of Armenia, addressed all participants and guests of the Olympiad, stating that the decision to host the event in Armenia was made by the Association of the International Biology Olympiad back in 2018 during the Olympiad in Tehran, Iran.

“We assumed this responsibility with a major willingness and enthusiasm. Serving as Minister of Education and Science that time, I had an honor to sign the memorandum on holding the Olympiad and I am happy that we have been consistent despite all the challenges and problems of the past years, and today the International Biology Olympiad is already becoming a reality in our country”, he said.

He emphasized that education and science are one of the key sectors for Armenia’s sustainable development, adding that the government is committed to ensure the drastic and qualitative development of these sectors. According to him, the development of science will provide an opportunity to resist the challenges of the time and the developed human resource will ensure the development of both education system and high technology and strategic sectors around the world.

“Sustainable development and universal welfare are possible to achieve only thanks to science. The holding of the International Biology Olympiad confirms the importance and priority of science and education sectors in Armenia”, he said.

Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Armenia Vahram Dumanyan also welcomed the participants and stated that he is happy to see students from more than 60 countries of the world in a hall who are the participants of the most leading school event in biology – the International Biology Olympiad.

“Promotion of scientific innovations, development and encouragement of young scientists are one of the key priorities of the Armenian government because we are confident that it is impossible to ensure the society’s prosperous progress without the development of high-quality education and science”, he said.

The minister said that they are running a constant policy to make Armenia a platform of scientific-educational mind, an environment of generating ideas and innovations, and informed that this year Armenia will host STARMUS festival on art and science in September.

“The achievements of biology, which are a source of new development and new technological solutions, are highly important in the 21st century. You are the future owners of the Planet Earth and the future of humanity depends on you. As young biologists, as people who fell in love with science about life, keep and preserve our Planet, take care of it and develop it for the benefit of humanity”, Vahram Dumanyan said.

He wished the participants a productive competition, expressing hope that they will get unforgettable impressions in Armenia and will enjoy the warm Armenian hospitality.

Ryoichi Matsud, Chairperson of the Steering Committee of the International Biology Olympiad, expressed his gratitude to the government of Armenia, the Ministry of Education, the Yerevan State University and the IBO Steering Committee and Science Committee for the support to holding the Olympiad.

“This is the 33rd International Biology Olympiad, and we are proud to see so many participants from all over the world. Dear participants, your significant achievements in the field of biology will be recognized and awarded here today and during this week with the results of your participation to this event”, he said.

Ryoichi Matsud said that the pandemic had a significant educational effect on society. Therefore, he added, biology and biosciences have become strategic tools in fighting all problems.

“Enjoy these difficult and interesting practical and theoretical works, excursions and other interesting activities here in Yerevan, Armenia”, he said.  

IBO Country Coordinator Gayane Ghukasyan in her turn said that they are finally holding the event offline after 2 years of online format. She thanked everyone for assisting the initiative.

The "International Biology Olympiad" (IBO) is the association that organizes the world's premier Biology competition for secondary school students.

In bringing together gifted students, the IBO competition challenges and stimulates these students to expand their talents and to promote their future careers as scientists.

The IBO has been organized since 1990 and has 78 member countries at present. 

Armenia has been a member of IBO since 2009 (in 2008 Armenia participated as an observer country).

Since 2009, 35 Armenian students have participated in the IBO.

During the IBO 2018 Tehran Olympiad, the IBO Association made the decision confirming that the Republic of Armenia would officially host the 33rd International Biology Olympiad on July 10-18, 2022. 

The official authority of IBO 2022 Armenia is the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of the Republic of Armenia. The Olympiad is operated by Yerevan State University.

Team Telecome Armenia is the technological partner of the Olympiad, which has provided the necessary technical and digital solutions for properly holding the event.

Armenpress is the information partner of the Olympiad.




Resistance Movement holding protest in front of EU Delegation to Armenia

Ani Basmajian
ARMINFO
Armenia – July 1 2022
Marianna Mkrtchyan

ArmInfo.The Resistance Movement held a protest in front of the EU Delegation to Armenia, in Yerevan. 

The protesters were holding a big poster with the pictures of Head of  the EU Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Andrea Wiktorin and the  former head of the Judicial Council of Armenia Gagik Jhangiryan.  The  protesters were also holding the photos of the Armenian servicemen  who are in captivity in Azerbaijan now. They were chanting "Armenia  without Nikol!"

One of the Resistance Movement leaders Aram Vardevanyan stated that  the poster is not a mere coincident:  it was Gagik Jhangiryan who was  behind the judicial reforms and arbitrary actions in the judicial  system, with Ms Wiktorin's tacit consent. In particular, she has no  so far voiced her opinion on the scandalous audio record of Mr  Jhangiryan's talk with the dismissed head of the Supreme Judicial  Council Ruben Vardazaryan. 

The opposition MP is indignant at the fact the EU Delegation is not  responding to the lawlessness inside Armenia and disregarding the  processes along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. 

"Over a year and a half our nationals in captivity in Azerbaijan have  been tortured in Baku prisons. Does not Europe have anything to say?  Are these the values you are advocating? And what about human rights  and freedoms?" Mr Vardevanyan said. 

The opposition MP Gegham Manukyan drew the participants' attention to  the fact that the EU ambassador is silently witnessing human rights  violations in Armenia – political persecutions, "violence against  courts." 

Problem of queues at Upper Lars border checkpoint to be solved within next month – Armenian Economy Minister

Ani Basmajian

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 13:32, 7 July 2022

YEREVAN, JULY 7, ARMENPRESS. The clearance capacity of the Upper Lars checkpoint at the Russian-Georgian border has greatly increased in the past one and a half month, Minister of Economy of Armenia Vahan Kerobyan told reporters after the Cabinet meeting today.

“The clearance capacity of Armenian cars has doubled. If two months ago the average daily number of Armenian cars passing through Lars was 130, now it is approximately 250”, he said. “We think that the problem of queues will be completely solved within the next month, the queues will disappear, and we will have no problem until weather conditions worsen”, he said.  

Commenting on the ferry transportation options, the minister said that the issue is expected to be solved in coming days. “If not, we will be able to do the same action via the Batumi port and create an alternative option. The problem is that the Dutch company joined the sanctions against Russia and because of sanctions the permit is being delayed. The company in Batumi is managed by a Philippine company from where it is easier to get a permit. We think the Poti port is a good option, but if it doesn’t work, we will do the second option”, he said.

As for the inflation, the minister said that the Central Bank is fighting inflation with its tools.

“Due to the high prices of food we are facing a danger of increase in poverty, and the government is preparing several actions in this respect. The minimum salaries and pensions will rise, new jobs will be created”, he said.

Azerbaijan attempts to export its policy of Armenophobia to other countries – Embassy of Armenia in Greece

Ani Basmajian

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 15:13, 7 July 2022

YEREVAN, JULY 7, ARMENPRESS. The video broadcasted by CBC TV Azerbaijan on July 5 and spread with Greek translation by the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Greece regarding the village of Mehmana of Artsakh and its historical-cultural heritage is nothing more than an irritating attempt to “export” Azerbaijan’s policy of Armenophobia and hatred against Armenians to other countries, the Embassy of Armenia in Greece said in a statement on social media.

“The village of Mehmana of Artsakh’s Martakert region has been founded by four Greek miners, who, according to their descendants, were Greeks from Pontus who survived the genocide. Before the war Greeks and Armenians have lived here side by side, there have been many Armenian-Greek families.

In 1992, as a result of the large-scale aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan against Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan captured the village of Mehmana together with the entire Martakert region, forcing its Greek residents together with thousands of Armenians to leave their homes”, the statement says.

The statement adds that head of the Greek Community of the Republic of Artsakh NGO and famous TV reporter in Artsakh Sofi Ivanidis, whose parents were from Mehmana, says that during the Artsakh war the Greeks in Artsakh have applied to the Greek government requesting to accept them, and the government approved their request. And in 1992 many Greek-Armenian families of Artsakh moved to Greece. However, her parents decided to stay in Artsakh, despite the fact that they had a document on permanent residency provided by the Greek government. “We stayed in Artsakh, faced with everyone the difficult days of the Artsakh war and won with an honor”.

A year later Mehmana was liberated, and its residents had a contribution to it. The village, that was completely destroyed by the Azerbaijani armed forces, has been reconstructed and some of the Greeks returned back, including the 80-year-old grandfather of Sofi Ivanidis, who died in the village 15 years later.

“The facts of “encroachment” of the Greek orthodox church and the Greek historical-cultural heritage in the video broadcasted on Azerbaijan’s CBC TV channel are also distorted and have nothing to do with the reality because that church is a Russian church located in Gevorgavan in Martuni region, which, has been destroyed during the first war and then during the 2020 war unleashed by Azerbaijan, by not giving a chance to restore it.

The video is deliberately silent on one more orthodox church destroyed by the Azerbaijani authorities, that is the Greek orthodox (Russian) Temple of the Great Martyr George the Victorious in Shushi, where Greeks were also visiting”, the statement says.

The Embassy called the video another attempt of the Azerbaijani propaganda machine to deviate the international community’s attention from the policy of that country.

“With these steps Azerbaijan continues to challenge the entire civilized community, despite the 2021 December 7 decision of the UN International Court of Justice on applying urgent measures, which clearly obliges Azerbaijan to “take all necessary measures to prevent and punish acts of vandalism and desecration towards Armenian cultural heritage, including churches and other places of worship, monuments, landmarks, cemeteries and artifacts”.

In order to protect the historical-cultural monuments of Artsakh and save them from further vandalism, the intervention of the international community, particularly UNESCO, the fact-finding mission of which is constantly obstructed by Azerbaijan, is more than urgent today”, the Embassy said in its statement.

The Diaspora starts with individuals

Ani Basmajian
July 6, 2022 Stepan Piligian In Sight, Columns 0

The Armenian Diaspora was essentially created as a result of oppression. The early communities in the United States formed prior to the Genocide were a result of a lack of economic opportunity in the Ottoman-occupied areas or as a reaction to the massacres under the Sultan Abdul Hamid and the early years of the Young Turks (Ittihad ve Teraki). There were communities in the US prior to the Genocide, but the explosion of infrastructure and population took place after World War I with the forced expulsion of the survivors of the Genocide. Many found their way to the shores of a welcoming America.

My own paternal grandfather was typical of the pre-genocide immigration. He came to Massachusetts as a single man (18 years old) in 1913. His parents sent him here to escape the anticipated induction into the Ottoman army. He worked in Indian Orchard and lived in what amounted to rooming houses with other single Armenian men, many of whom were from his village of Koch Hisar in Sepastia. They all intended to return to the homeland once the risks passed. Armenians were used to weathering these storms created by evil forces bent on their destruction or world events. He returned along with over 5,000 others to fight in the Armenian Legion. His future wife (my Adanatzi grandmother) was forced to live in Egypt for two years at the age of nine to escape the Adana massacres. She returned with siblings to brave the challenges of surviving the horrors of 1915. After the conclusion of the war and the final betrayal of the allies in Cilicia, they did not return. This time it was different. They had been removed from their homeland of centuries and forced to bring what remained of their families and their culture to a new land. Their priority was the survival of their families and the retention of their heritage. For some, the transition was reasonable as family units arrived and went about the tasks of establishing roots. For others, separated by the atrocities, it would be years before their families would be reunited. My wife’s aunt was separated from her mother for several years before they could reunite in Chicago. They persevered and played by the rules with gratitude for the opportunity to live in freedom.

These individuals built families which in turn became communities and collectively became the diaspora of the United States. We have often referenced 1965 as an important reflection point in the history of the diaspora. It was the 50th anniversary of the Genocide and has become known as the “re-awakening” of political and advocacy activism in our communities. The year 1991 also changed the direction of the diaspora in terms of responsibility and focus. The actual transformation occurred from 1988 to 1991. With the tragic earthquake, the diaspora responded with unprecedented support for the still Soviet state of Armenia. In parallel with a growing political movement seeking the independence of Armenia and Artsakh, the diaspora engaged with the homeland on levels unheard of just a few years earlier. Prior to this timeframe, the diaspora in the US had been primarily focused on building its own infrastructure of churches, centers, schools and youth programs. There had been, however. several major efforts to support our brethren in the Middle East, the most noteworthy being the relationship with the Antelias See of Cilicia in Lebanon. With the emergence of the independent states of Armenia and Artsakh, the diaspora took on an additional responsibility—the homeland. While it was not constitutionally mandated and at times the “pull” beyond financial resources was limited, the diaspora has been all in with private and public partnerships to advance all aspects of society in the twin states. Worldwide advocacy has promoted Genocide justice and support for Armenia and Artsakh. It is an almost overwhelming responsibility for the diaspora to see their romantic visions of a free Armenia blurred with a 30-percent unemployment rate, corruption and political isolation. How is this possible from a people scattered to all edges of the world a few generations ago only to blossom with a credible respected presence in virtually every corner of this earth? These are the cards we have been dealt. The balance between investing in the diaspora and the homeland has been the challenge for over 30 years. While the process remains the same with communities in the diaspora and the homeland now an integral part of that equation, the dynamics of that “community” have evolved significantly.

It is interesting to note how certain words have widely varied meanings in our hyphenated life in the diaspora. Take the word “assimilation.” It generally refers to the absorption of one culture into another—a merger of sorts when usually one culture dominates. Assimilation is a key component of American culture. Cultures from all over the world come to the US and engage in something new. It suggests that you will lose some of what you came with as you become a functioning part of American society. It begins usually by periods of isolation and discrimination while the assimilation process reaches some level of critical mass. The Irish were subjected to this for many decades. The Armenians didn’t look like western Europeans and were subjected to disrespect. The Black community and Native Americans have long been victimized. The extent of the struggle seems to relate to how quickly cultures “assimilate,” but the question remains to what extent are they assimilating?

The level of integration into American society, for example economically and linguistically, enables what we have come to call the hyphenated American. When we retain our heritage and embrace this society, we are known as Polish-Americans, Black-Americans and Armenian-Americans. Where is the balance? How is it managed and how does it relate to the dual responsibility of the Armenian community here in America? The term “assimilation” strikes some level of fear in the Armenian community. Although the core definition remains the same, the application and implication are quite different. Armenians in America seem to believe that we are defying sociological norms with the strength of our presence in this country. It is true we have advanced to a level of credibility through talent, financial prowess and education that impact many segments of our society here in America. We are builders and contributors. As a result, we are respected and gain a level of influence.

I always like to look closer at the communities themselves that fuel the emergence of such capability. If we, for the sake of this discussion, count the survivor generation as the first generation in the American Diaspora, then we are currently in the fifth main generation with four born in this country. Our communities and organizations should be filled with American-born Armenians who are at least third generation (my children’s peers), but they are not. The reality is that our communities have been replenished by the immigrant groups of Armenians. The primary influx point was the draining of our Middle East communities; the nationalization impact in Egypt in the late ‘50s and ‘60s; the strife in Iraq and Syria in the ‘60s; the Lebanese Civil War of the ‘70s; the revolution in Iran in the late ‘70s, early ‘80s; the Baku pogroms in the late ‘80s, early ‘90s; and finally the instability and economic issues in Armenia. Each of these difficult events has brought with it the silver lining of talent from these well-established Armenian anchor communities. Our schools, churches and other institutions have been constantly replenished with dedicated people who filled the void. Is there another immigration wave? Many of those born here have become silent victims of assimilation. They are fine people who live productive lives, but that life does not include a functioning Armenian identity. This has been happening for generations. I remember my father telling me of a survivor generation individual who wanted to live only an American life. It is a very personal and emotional issue, but we need to look at this purely from a social and communal perspective.

The job in the diaspora has always been to sustain itself which means focusing on identity building mechanisms. Only through strength can it assist Armenia and Artsakh. It is a very difficult balance to maintain. When our communities were densely built, a church and center worked. With an increasing secular world and Armenian families subject to the same stresses as others, we need new methods to reach the home of Armenians where the family to community to diaspora equation begins. Many of these suggestions have been discussed in previous columns. The idea of a young Armenian kid identifying with his or her heritage is a choice in the diaspora. Our entire family and communal structure should be designed to make that an easy choice, but no matter how many years they go to an Armenian camp or church, they will make that decision one day. An additional “tool” is available to this generation. Help your children develop a relationship with Armenia. That does not mean simply take a family trip. Building an identity relates to their needs being found in Armenia. Once that emotional bond is made, the balance we seek in assimilation will be assured. This is happening today in our communities, but it must be significantly expanded. If the Armenian family is challenged by the dynamics of American society, then you still have an opportunity to make that connection and recapture what was not available here. The Armenian community is not significantly at risk in the immediate short term, but we do not want to evolve into a shell of our former selves that stays afloat with foundation grants and people attending bazaars to satisfy their Armenian “craving.” Fundraising is not an indicator of communal health. As people drift to the outer periphery, donations in lieu of participation become easier and a value taught to their children. There is no substitute for presence. If the methods don’t work, demand change in an appropriate manner. Don’t walk away. The stakes are too high. The chain of sustainability starts with you.

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Stepan was raised in the Armenian community of Indian Orchard, MA at the St. Gregory Parish. A former member of the AYF Central Executive and the Eastern Prelacy Executive Council, he also served many years as a delegate to the Eastern Diocesan Assembly. Currently , he serves as a member of the board and executive committee of the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR). He also serves on the board of the Armenian Heritage Foundation. Stepan is a retired executive in the computer storage industry and resides in the Boston area with his wife Susan. He has spent many years as a volunteer teacher of Armenian history and contemporary issues to the young generation and adults at schools, camps and churches. His interests include the Armenian diaspora, Armenia, sports and reading.


One killed, five injured in an explosion at a bank in Ashtarak, Armenia

Ani Basmajian
Public Radio of Armenia
Armenia – July 6 2022
July 6, 2022, 10:33

 Less than a minute

One person was killed, five were injured as an explosion rocked one of the banks in Ashtarak, Armenia, the Ministry of Emergency Situations reports.

At 09:07 this morning, the regional crisis management center was alerted that an explosion had occurred in one of the banks, causing fire.

According to initial reports, one person is dead, five are injured. They are getting treatment at Ashtarak Hospital.

The fire was contained at 09:25.