Author: Ani Tigranian

Armenia stuck between ‘strategic ally’ and ‘another Ukraine’

Ani Tigranian
EURACTIV
Jan 25 2024

By Anna Pambukhchyan 

Armenia’s recent attempts to diversify its security partnerships have left it with increased narratives of the country’s “Ukrainisation”.

In recent months, Armenia’s volatile security situation has motivated it to diversify its traditionally Russia-dependent security alignments and seek new cooperation with India and EU member states France, Greece, and Cyprus.

This new turn in foreign policy has made the country a target of Russian propaganda, and the official Kremlin has repeatedly accused Armenia of becoming yet another “unfriendly regime.”

Armenia, a member of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) since 1992, has started to question its security alliances following the 2020 44-day Armenia-Azerbaijan war.

The CSTO, which also includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Belarus, is, theoretically, supposed to come to the aid of a member state when it is attacked per Article 4 of the Collective Security Treaty.

However, the organisation has repeatedly shown reluctance to support Armenia in its renewed conflict with Azerbaijan over the past years.

It has instead taken the role of a neutral observer, leading to open criticism of CSTO by Armenian officials.

According to Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, the CSTO, contrary to its obligations, has not adequately responded to threats to Armenia’s security.

As a sign of protest, Armenian officials have systematically boycotted CSTO high-level meetings in recent months as a response to the bloc’s inaction in the face of Azerbaijani attacks while nominally continuing its membership in the organisation.

Armenia’s boycott of CSTO was followed by regular statements by Russian officials and state-controlled media, in which the country’s leadership has been portrayed as a “puppet” of the collective “West,” while the boycott of CSTO meetings was named an “an initiative” of the collective “West,” which has been trying to distance Armenia from Russia.

In November, Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova blamed the West for Armenia’s refusal to attend the CSTO summit.

“The West is obviously behind it [Armenia’s decision to skip the summit]. The West, whose plans in Ukraine have failed, is now gripping Armenia, trying to tear it away from Russia,” she told reporters.

In the aftermath of the September 2023 attack on Nagorno-Karabakh and the forced departure of its Armenian population from their homes, Kremlin and Russian State-affiliated media launched a renewed campaign against the Armenian government.

The campaign allegedly aimed to save the image of the Russian peacekeeper contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh by shifting the blame for its inaction on the Armenian government.

In this regard, Russian officials have repeatedly claimed that the government of Nikol Pashinyan bears full responsibility for Azerbaijan’s victory in Nagorno-Karabakh due to its rapprochement with the West.

The Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, moved to suggest on his Telegram channel that Armenia’s “fate” was predictable, as Pashinyan, who considered himself “a stranger” to Russia, first lost the war, but “strangely kept his position. Then, he decided to blame Russia for his useless defeat. Then, he refused part of the territory of its country. Then he decided to flirt with NATO…”

In media guidelines created and distributed by the Kremlin to Russian Media outlets in September 2023, while covering the Azerbaijani attack on Nagorno-Karabakh, Kremlin-affiliated media were advised to stress that the assault was precipitated by Armenia and its Western “partners.”

To justify the inaction of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh, the Kremlin suggested media outlets, blaming Pashinyan, who, together with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, made mutual assurances of each country’s respect for the other’s sovereignty in October 2022.

“The Armenian Premier was probably pushed to make these remarks by his Western “partners,” who should now fully share the responsibility for their consequences,” read the guidelines.

The guidelines that were obtained and publicised by Russian language independent news outlets were followed mainly by both Russian media outlets and allegedly Russia-affiliated Armenian media outlets,

In parallel with attempts to blame the West for Armenia’s recent boycott of CSTO and to present Armenia’s government as a puppet of the West, in recent months, the Russian propaganda machine has accused Pashinyan of “actively following in the footsteps of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky.”

These claims made headlines in Russia following the visit of Anna Hakobyan, the wife of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, to Kyiv, where she attended the “Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen” in September last year. The visit was the first open pro-Ukrainian move of the Armenian government since the start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine in February 2022.

On October 17, Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, while speaking at the European Parliament, openly criticised Armenia’s allies for not supporting the country during the 2023 Azerbaijani campaign in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Pashinyan’s speech triggered a new wave of the “Ukrainisation” narratives in the Russian media.

“We [Russia] see how Armenia is trying to turn into Ukraine No. 3, if we consider Moldova as Ukraine No. 2, and Pashinyan is following in Vladimir Zelensky’s footsteps by quantum leaps,” Russian state agency TASS wrote, citing an unnamed high-ranking official.

The narrative of the “Ukrainization” of Armenia has also been systematically spread by allegedly Russia-affiliated Armenian language media outlets.

Some of them have in recent months regularly claimed that Pashinyan’s attempts to distance itself from Moscow is a Ukraine-style open confrontation with Russia and will turn Armenia into a shooting range and a battlefield for military activities between Russia and the West, with the inevitable “loss of Armenian statehood.”

Amidst growing Russian criticism and anti-Armenian media campaigns of Kremlin-affiliated actors, Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has repeatedly denied claims of an imminent change in his country’s foreign policy vector.

These reassurances of the Armenian government, however, have not stopped Russian officials and media from generating targeted attacks on the country, which many in Armenia are expecting to increase in the coming months.

[Edited by Alexandra Brzozowski/Alice Taylor]

This article is part of the FREIHEIT media project on Europe’s Neighbourhood, funded by the European Media and Information Fund (EMIF).


A visit to Kond with LikeLocal

Ani Tigranian
 Paul Vartan Sookiasian Travel, Culture 0

Tourism to Armenia reached an all-time high of 2.3 million visitors in 2023, as more people from around the world continue to discover this hidden gem. While group bus trips will always be an easy and efficient way to see the country’s sights, an increasing number of travelers are looking for ways to connect more deeply with the places they visit. Enter the latest travel trend, known as experiential or immersion travel, which creates meaningful engagement between tourists and their destination through interactions with locals and cultural activities. Catering to these adventurous travelers is an Armenian company LikeLocal.io, which offers experiences not just in Armenia but Vietnam and Cambodia as well, with more countries coming soon. 

Co-founder and CEO Gevorg Babayan grew up in a mountain village during Armenia’s cold and dark days of the 1990s, hearing tales from his uncle who worked on a cruise ship of far off places he could only imagine. He developed a fascination with seeing the world, and as an adult got into the travel industry, working at Yerevan’s first hostel Envoy Hostel and developing its spin-off Envoy Tours. In 2008, Envoy Tours had an idea – rather than take its guests to restaurants, guests could have lunch at the homes of ordinary people, starting with Babayan’s own family in Byurakan village. At first, Babayan was confused to discover how, despite all the wonderful sightseeing spots he’d take them to, the tourists would routinely mention the family lunch as the highlight of their day. “Then I understood that authenticity is a power that I can’t fight against,” Babayan told the Weekly.

Babayan expanded on this principle and, fast forward to 2022, he rolled out LikeLocal after a two-year delay due to COVID-19. Travelers can select from numerous experiences with locals across Armenia, including Arus, an artist who makes art out of the food she serves; Arman, a simple man living in the village of Teghut known for its natural beauty; and the family of Maran, who were displaced from Artsakh and now reside in Dilijan. While sharing a meal is a common activity to connect over, there are numerous other possibilities, such as tending a village garden, art therapy and horseback riding, along with personal enrichment activities like lessons in traditional cooking and crochet. The Armenian Weekly went along on one of LikeLocal’s immersions to experience it for ourselves. 

The Avetisyan family

The Avetisyan family has deep roots in one of Yerevan’s most historic neighborhoods, Kond. It’s a place like no other, right in the city center but with a village atmosphere that makes it feel like a world away. The centerpiece of the visit is their home itself, a structure over 200 years old built in the Persian style from when the area was ruled by Qajar Iran. Right next door are the remains of the district’s mosque and other similarly old buildings; you can’t find a historic cluster like this anymore anywhere in Yerevan. Visitors are taken into the basement to see the building’s foundations, with stones reminiscent of those found in medieval churches, leaving the family to believe the building was Armenian prior to the Persian era. Inside the house, the modern drywall hides centuries-old clay walls, which due to their great thickness keep the building cool in the summer and warm in the winter. 

Just as interesting as the structure are the people who live inside it, multi-generational residents of Kond like many of their neighbors. The father Armen’s family moved from Van about 130 years ago, while the mother Lusine’s ancestors were Genocide refugees from Kars. Their son Nikolay is a lead actor at Yerevan’s Dramatic Theater. He can regale you with his fateful encounters with the legendary actor Sos Sargsyan, who encouraged him to take the stage. His wife Karina is a journalist for a major local outlet, and as she speaks English, often acts as translator between the family and their foreign guests. They’ve been with LikeLocal for the past year, but have been welcoming tourists who find their way to Kond for almost a decade. Their homemade gata was always a main draw, which led them to open a cafe in their yard called ‘Kondi Hyatt’. While they all have other jobs, the family members always make sure someone is home to run the cafe and consider hosting guests to be an enjoyable hobby. Not surprisingly, Russians are their biggest demographic, as they make up almost half of Armenia’s total tourists. Italians and Germans come next, as well as quite a few Australians, as LikeLocal is popular with them. Indicative of Armenia’s expanding tourist profile, they’ve also had guests from Japan and China. 

In their living room, the family laid out a table in front of their Christmas tree with food full of personal touches. The dolma leaves came from their mulberry tree outside, the delicious pork came from a friend’s farm, the wine was homemade, and the pasuts (cabbage) dolma was hand-rolled by Lusine’s mother. The family is also open to requests if guests have something special in mind, such as the famous Armenian khorovadz (roast meat). They enjoy meeting people from other countries, but even more important is the chance it provides them to introduce foreigners to Armenia. “We love telling others about our culture, because Armenia needs to be advertised,” Nikolay said. “We want to spread the word about our culture, share this historical place with them and protect it.”

Despite Kond’s fascinating history and rustic charm, the fact it even still exists is a wonder of its own. According to Karina, “The government wants to destroy Kond, but people live here and love this place. That’s why they can’t do anything. The people are holding it together.” With Yerevan property valuations through the roof, Kond’s proximity to the heart of the city makes it an extremely lucrative place to build. This situation has replayed itself many times in Yerevan, from the evictions in the early 2000s to build Northern Avenue to the recent controversy over the redevelopment of the 19th-century Firdusi neighborhood. In fact, according to Armen, successive governments going back to Soviet times have had their eye on destroying Kond, and residents had to rely on communal toilets and a lack of running water until the mid-2000s. Nobody bothered to create the infrastructure, as the intention was to knock it all down anyway, Armen said. 

Offers are made regularly to residents to sell their homes, which can be enticing, as many of the residents are impoverished. Yet they are also very wary, as they’ve seen others get taken advantage of in the past. Armen figures the developers will eventually get their way, but Karina has hope: “I think some will remain like us who don’t want to sell, and we will do everything to protect this place. While people in other places of Armenia are already becoming strangers to each other, Kond is a place where everybody still knows each other and helps each other out. Its people are also getting better educated, more cultural and are producing talented people.” 

While some of the development discussions have shifted to making Kond a tourist center, its residents don’t buy it. “Tourists want to see Kond as it is now, not some new artificial one, and to get to know the people who live here. Everybody here has their own story to tell,” said Karina. This brings us back to the very reason Babayan created LikeLocal in the first place. Babayan said, “Travelers are tired of regular tourist traps, the displays the travel industry creates for everyone. They showcase the best of the best, but it’s not the reality. It’s not the real life of the people of that country. LikeLocal brings needed diversity to the field in Armenia and gives other options and choices to travelers. And most of all, we open the locals’ doors to travelers while bringing the world to the locals, and that is big!” 

  •  Bio
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Paul Vartan Sookiasian is a writer and editor based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has worked in Armenia as the English language editor at CivilNet and as a project associate for USAID programs. More recently he served as one of the organizers of the World Congress on Information Technology 2019 Yerevan. He is also a historian who researches and brings to light the long and rich history of Philadelphia's Armenian community.


Asbarez: French Senate Adopts Resolution Calling for Sanctions Against Azerbaijan

Ani Tigranian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 

 

in Armenia, Artsakh, Featured Main, Latest, News, Top Stories

By a vote of 336 to 1, French Senate urges sanctions against Azerbaijan


The French Senate on Wednesday adopted a resolution demanding sanctions against Azerbaijan with 336 votes in favor and one against.

The resolution, introduced on December 1, also condemned Azerbaijan’s military offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh and called for preventing further attempts at aggression and violations of the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia.

The resolution also supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Armenia. It condemns the military attack carried out by Azerbaijan, with the support of its allies, on September 19 and 20, 2023, in Nagorno-Karabakh, the Armenian Embassy in France said.

French Senate, in a vote of 336 to 1, calls for sanctions on Azerbaijan

The resolution further calls on Azerbaijan to guarantee the right of the Armenian population to return to Nagorno-Karabakh, with conditions that will ensure their safety and well-being.


The measure calls for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Azerbaijani troops and its allies from the sovereign territory of Armenia.

It states that “Armenia has the right to protect its territorial integrity and possesses the means to ensure its security, including through military measures.”

The resolution also condemns the arbitrary arrests of political leaders in Nagorno-Karabakh, and calls for the exclusion of Azerbaijan from the intergovernmental committee for the protection of cultural property in armed conflict.

The measure highlights the establishment of an international group of experts at UNESCO and its mission to Nagorno-Karabakh to prepare an informative report on the state of cultural and religious heritage.

The resolution also calls for the strictest measures, including the seizure of the assets of Azerbaijani leaders and an embargo on the import of gas and oil from Azerbaijan as a sanction against military aggression by Azerbaijan.

The resolution was co-authored by the leaders of all political factions in the Senate, Bruno Ratayo, Marise Carrere, Cécile Soucierman, Guillaume Gontard, Patrick Kanner, Herve Marcel, Claude Mallure and Francois Patria, as well as the head of the France-Armenia friendship group in the Senate, Gilbert-Luc Devinaz.

The session was chaired by the vice president of the Senate, Sophie Primas. Stephane Sejourne, the newly appointed Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, was also present at the meeting.

Armenian ambassador to France Hasmik Tolmajyan and Nagorno-Karabakh representative Hovhannes Gevorgyan were present at the resolution adoption session as guests of honor.

Council Of Europe Urges Armenia, Azerbaijan To Focus On Rights, Safe Return Of Karabakh Refugees.

Ani Tigranian
UAZMI
Jan 13 2024

The Council of Europe's commissioner for human rights, Dunja Mijatovic

The Council of Europe's commissioner for human rights, Dunja Mijatovic, has urged Armenia and Azerbaijan to focus in their ongoing peace talks on ensuring rights for everyone affected by the conflict between the two Caucasus rivals.

In a statement on January 12, she said her visit to the Nagorno-Karabakh region in late October — the highest-profile rights visit to the Nagorno-Karabakh region in decades — highlighted the plight of more than 100,000 Karabakh Armenian refugees.

Following decades of control by ethnic Armenians, nearly all of the residents fled Nagorno-Karabakh after Baku wrested control of the internationally recognized Azerbaijani region in a lightning offensive in September.

Mijatovic said "Karabakh Armenians found themselves abandoned without any reliable security or protection guarantees by any party, and…leaving home was the only reasonable option available."

She said those former residents must be allowed to return with their properties intact.

Ethnic Armenians have accused Baku's forces of retributive attacks and other abuses, including the widespread destruction of property.

Mijatovic welcomed "the steps taken by the Azerbaijani government to facilitate the return of internally displaced persons to the Karabakh region" but "expressed the hope that all internally displaced persons who so wish will be able to return as soon as possible in safety and dignity."

She said that "pending a possible return, ways should be promptly found, including by establishing security guarantees, for Karabakh Armenians to temporarily access their homes or places of habitual residence, and visit graveyards where loved ones are buried."

She said the Azerbaijani authorities were responsible for ensuring the protection of property and the prevention of looting.

"The few ethnic Armenians who have stayed in the Karabakh region should also benefit from all human rights protection, including by having their freedom of movement secured," she added.

She encouraged both sides to build trust.

Mijatovic's statement was a follow-up to her visit to the region from October 16-23.

As international officials have pressed peace talks, the leader of Nagorno-Karabakh separatists ousted from the region in September, Samvel Shahramanian, said in December that a decree he signed on the dissolution of separatist institutions was no longer valid.

The United States in January put mostly Muslim Azerbaijan on a watch list for engaging in or tolerating “severe violations of religious freedom” since Baku retook Nagorno-Karabakh from mostly Christian ethnic Armenians.

Greek FM pays tribute to the memory of Armenian Genocide victims

Ani Tigranian
Jan 10 2024

He also laid flowers at the Eternal Flame and paid tribute to the memory of the 1.5 million victims.

The top diplomats of the two countries then held a tête-à-tête meeting at the Foreign Ministry.

George Gerapetritis will also be received by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

https://greekcitytimes.com/2024/01/10/greek-fm-pays-tribute-to-the-memory-of-armenian-genocide-victims/

Archbishop of America met the primate of the Eastern Diocese of America in the Armenian Church

Ani Tigranian
Jan 4 2024
Jan 04, 2024 | 08:09

 

in Archdiocese of America

On Wednesday, January 3, 2024, Archbishop Elpidophoros of America warmly welcomed Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan, the primate of the Eastern Diocese of America in the Armenian Church, to the Archdiocesan Headquarters.

Bishop Mesrop, consecrated to the episcopacy on October 8, 2023, by Catholicos Karekin II in Etchmiadzin, Armenia, made his first visit to the Archdiocese, extending heartfelt Christmas wishes to Archbishop Elpidophoros.

During their meeting, the two hierarchs delved into the rich spiritual ties and historical proximity shared between the Greek and Armenian communities. They also discussed the imperative of ministering to the youth and the challenges associated with preserving faith, culture, and language. In closing, Archbishop Elpidophoros extended his warmest wishes for a Merry and Blessed Christmas to Bishop Mesrop, who would be celebrating the occasion on January 6, following the Armenian tradition.

https://orthodoxtimes.com/archbishop-of-america-met-the-primate-of-the-eastern-diocese-of-america-in-the-armenian-church/

First European Universities Winter Championships: Armenian team wins bronze

Ani Tigranian

 15:17,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian team won bronze in the first European Universities Winter Championships skiing tournament in Val Di Zoldo, Italy. Athletes Gleb Mosesov and Zhirayr Arakelyan represented Armenia at the event from the Armenian State University of Economics. 

Mosesov won silver in the slalom.

The inaugural European Universities Winter Championships and the EUSA Winter Forum saw more than 200 participants attending and witnessing the first time Winter Sports being put on EUSA Championship programme featuring three sports: Alpine Skiing, Snowboarding and Snow Volleyball.

On 19th of December, the races in the first Alpine Skiing category – Slalom took place on the Cristelin Alta slope, bringing already the first champions in both men’s and women’s competition.

After some spectacular races, in the women’s competition the three winning places on the podium were taken by: Maja Chyla, from Jagiellonian University (POL) holding the gold medal, followed by Julia Zlatkova from Technical University Sofia (BUL) with the silver medal and Anna Rech from University of Udine (ITA), winning the bronze.

In the men's competition the first place went to Kamen Zlatkov, from Technical University Sofia (BUL), while the silver medal went to Gleb Mosesov, Armenian State University of Economics (ARM), followed by Jan Sanitrar from Technical University in Zvolen (SVK) who won the bronze medal.

In the men’s competition, the best three teams were:

  • University of Bern (SUI)
  • University of Grenoble Alpes (FRA)
  • Armenian State University of Economics (ARM)

Iran supports opening of communication routes in Caucasus based on sovereignty, territorial integrity of all countries

Ani Tigranian

 11:19, 21 December 2023

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 21, ARMENPRESS. President of Iran Ebrahim Raisi, during the December 20 phone call with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, expressed support to "any type of action and platform to open communication routes and infrastructures with the Caucasus region, while respecting the principle of respect for the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries", the Iranian presidential office said in a readout.

According to the Iranian readout, President Raisi extended greetings on upcoming Christmas holidays and “expressed satisfaction with the process of developing relations and implementing agreements between the two countries.”

“In response to the Armenian government's plan to develop road and rail communication routes between the two countries as well as the countries of the region, the President said, “The Islamic Republic of Iran supports any type of action and platform to open communication routes and infrastructures with the Caucasus region, while respecting the principle of respect for the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, and evaluates it as an effective step in the direction of consolidating peace and securing the interests of its neighbours.
Dr Raisi described the Caucasus as an important region in need of peace and added, “The foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran towards the Caucasus is fixed and care must be taken that the Caucasus region does not become a field of competition for extra-regional countries and that its issues are handled by the countries of the region and without the interference of outsiders.
The President described and clarified the successful holding of the 3+3 meeting in Tehran as a constructive step to strengthen regional relations and cooperation and normalise the relations of the countries of the region with each other, adding, “Developing neighbourly relations and strengthening relations in order to ensure mutual benefits and the interests of the countries of the region are the fundamental policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the Iranian presidential press service said in the readout.

It added that the Armenian Prime Minister, “while reviewing the latest economic cooperation between the two countries and the latest developments in the region, as well as the actions of the officials of the two countries in line with the implementation of agreements and the promotion of joint cooperation, described the continuation and increase of relations between the high-ranking officials of Iran and Armenia witness to the will of the two countries to comprehensively develop bilateral relations.”

The Armenian church was looted and vandalized in Sodertalje, Sweden, Swedish media report.

Ani Tigranian
Dec 21 2023

Valuable items, which have both financial and spiritual value, were stolen from St. Mary’s Armenian Apostolic Church.

The Armenian church was looted and vandalized in Sodertalje, Sweden, Swedish media report. 4

The police are investigating the incident.

Lusine, a member of the Armenian community in Sweden, had written on X that earlier there were a series of attacks on Armenian graves in Sweden, also on her, and now—on the aforesaid church.

The Armenian church was looted and vandalized in Sodertalje, Sweden, Swedish media report. 5

This is not a chain of coincidences. This is deliberate targeting and intimidation, Lusine had added.

https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/12/21/the-armenian-church-was-looted-and-vandalized-in-sodertalje-sweden-swedish-media-report/

Asbarez: TUMO Expands Initiative to Digitally Preserve Armenian Cultural Heritage Sites

Ani Tigranian
by Contributor

 

 

 

in Armenia, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories

Teams at TUMO Center for Creative Technologies have carried out high-resolution 3D scans of 46 historical monuments in Martuni, Martakert, Askeran and Berdzor


The TUMO Center for Creative Technologies is expanding its multi-year initiative to capture detailed 3D scans of hundreds of Armenian heritage sites.

In 2018 and 2019, TUMO students made their first 3D scans of Armenian historical and cultural heritage monuments in a series of special learning labs. They used laser scanning and photogrammetry to document sites including the Matosavank monastery in Dilijan National Park, Amberd Fortress on Mount Aragats, the Dadivank monastery in Karvachar, and Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shushi. Since then, the number of scanned sites has reached 230, and will now expand to include all of Armenia’s important monuments over the coming years.

A team from TUMO using laser scanning and photogrammetry to document sites

TUMO’s digital preservation initiative includes a large number of important monuments in Artsakh. In the weeks immediately following the 44-Day War in 2020, TUMO teams carried out high-resolution 3D scans of 46 historical monuments in Martuni, Martakert, Askeran and Berdzor. These included archeological sites such as Tigranakert, churches and monasteries such as the Tsitsernavank monastery, and historic monuments such as the Hak bridge. In November of 2022, TUMO scanned over 30 additional heritage sites in Artsakh and on Armenia’s borders.

The resulting high-resolution 3D data sets and visualizations make it possible to document and study cultural monuments in detail, contributing to long term preservation. They also provide material for educational and cultural activities as well as digital media production. Just as importantly, they allow scholars and institutions to monitor cultural heritage sites and eventually carry out preservation and restoration projects as needed.

The initiative is now continuing in Armenia at a rapid pace, with multiple sites being scanned every month, both through laser scanning and photogrammetry. It is expected to cover a total of 300 major monuments over the next two to three years. In parallel, the captured data is being processed to produce high-resolution, full-color 3D renderings that users can interact with, walk through, measure, and examine in detail. These interactive renderings, along with historical overviews and other associated data, will be made available on an open-access online platform to be launched in 2024 and continuously updated thereafter.

“It is very important that this digital archive will be available to the public and that it includes detailed documentation of the sites both in Armenia and Artsakh,” said TUMO CEO Marie Lou Papazian. “This will allow experts in the field to better monitor cultural and historical heritage monuments that are at risk of damage and destruction, and will help them in any future work of restoration and reconstruction.”

TUMO will continue to announce project developments, including updates on the publication of the online platform.