Author: Karlen Baghdasarian

For Immediate Release

YEREVAN, Armenia —  The American University of Armenia (AUA) has announced the addition of new members to its Board of Trustees: Paul Agbabian, Craig Avedisian, and Paul Boghossian. 

The AUA Board of Trustees is committed to supporting the University and crafting new initiatives that bolster its institutional capacity in higher education. Integral to their mission accomplishment is the Board’s sustained efforts to engage new members and add relevant expertise to further strengthen AUA’s impact in Armenia. 

The new members joining the board bring with them unique approaches that reflect their vast experiences and distinct successes in their respective fields. Below are their brief biographies along with their individual perceptions of their new roles. 

I spend much of my professional life in the Silicon Valley world and it is quite apparent to me that the resources that power the California economy are not what is on the ground but rather what is in the minds of young intellectuals: those people using their education combined with their curiosity to advance our way of life. I hope to help ensure that the education students receive at AUA will be a similar catalyst for the economic and societal advancement of Armenia, and I feel privileged to be able to take some small part in that future.

Paul Agbabian is currently vice president and distinguished engineer at Splunk Corporation in San Francisco. From 2000 to 2020, he held various positions at Symantec Corporation as global chief technology officer and chief architect for its various business units. He holds 15 patents in security and systems management.

His various industry and board affiliations include: board observer, Mocana Corporation; board member, Open Identity Foundation; member, Advisory Board of Standard Bank; and member, Development Committee of the Board of the American University of Armenia. Agbabian holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from UCLA and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mathematics from the California Institute of Technology. 

I am a long-term thinker and hope to help lay the foundation for AUA to grow into a full-fledged, world-class university that will be integral to, and a pillar of, the social and economic fabric of Yerevan and Armenia, all with a view toward supporting Armenia’s most valuable asset, its people. I am looking forward the most to helping expand AUA’s programs and its campus, and doing so in a way that maintains the highest academic standards with respect to its programs and in a responsible and sustainable manner with respect to the campus and its built environment.

Craig Avedisian, J.D., is an experienced litigator specialized in securities and investment fraud. He is the principal at Law Offices of Craig Avedisian, P.C.

Dubbed a litigator with a life-long passion for mass transit and deemed a situational genius by The New Yorker, he is the winner of the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s “genius challenge,” a competition for rendering the subway service more efficient. Avedisian, with no ties to the transit industry, emerged as an awardee for his proposition to ease congestion and delays by deploying longer trains and increasing passenger capacity. 

Avedisian holds a Bachelor of Science with honors from Florida Institute of Technology and a Juris Doctor from Boston University.

At my home institution, New York University, I’ve had the good fortune to have built an academic program of exceptional scholarly quality. I hope to be able to use my experience to contribute toward making AUA a world-class research university.

Dr. Boghossian is a Julius Silver Professor of Philosophy at New York University and has served as chair of the Philosophy department in 1994-2004. He is also the director of the New York Institute of Philosophy and distinguished research professor of philosophy at the University of Birmingham. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2012. 

He has held fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities; Magdalen College, University of Oxford; the School of Advanced Study of the University of London; and the Australian National University (Canberra). He has served on the Strategic Advisory Board of University of London’s School of Advanced Study and serves on the Educational Policy Committee of the Board of the American University of Armenia.

Boghossian holds a Bachelor of Science in Physics from Trent University in Ontario, Canada, and a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Princeton University. 

Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia, affiliated with the University of California, and accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission in the United States. AUA provides local and international students with Western-style education through top-quality undergraduate, graduate, and certificate programs, promotes research and innovation, encourages civic engagement and community service, and fosters democratic values. 

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 18:20, 5 May 2023

YEREVAN, MAY 5, ARMENPRESS. The visit to the Czech Republic was quite productive and meaningful, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said in a meeting with the representatives of the Armenian community in the Czech Republic, summing up his official visit to the Czech Republic.

"The official visit ends. I must say that we had very meaningful meetings. I think that we were able to make our views more understandable to our Czech partners. We were able to understand their understandings and perceptions about us, about the developments in our region. Meetings with Armenians, direct questions and answers with representatives of the community are among the important components of my visits. They are very useful," ARMENPRESS reports, Nikol Pashinyan said.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is on a two-day official visit to the Czech Republic. Nikol Pashinyan met with the Head of the Czech Government Petr Fiala. First, a private conversation between the Prime Ministers of the two countries took place, and then the negotiations continued in an extended format. Then, Nikol Pashinyan and Peter Fiala made statements for mass media representatives. The leaders of the two countries discussed a wide range of issues of mutual interest: regional, security, economic issues.

Next, the Prime Minister had meetings with the President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel, the President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament, Markéta Pekarová Adamová, and the President of the Senate, Miloš Vistarčil.

 21:19, 4 May 2023

YEREVAN, MAY 4, ARMENPRESS. Prime Ministers of Armenia and the Czech Republic Nikol Pashinyan and Petr Fiala signed a joint Declaration on the relations between the two countries after the meeting, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister.

The Declaration reads as follows,

“The Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Petr Fiala (hereinafter referred to as the Sides) upon the completion of the high-level talks conducted in the framework of the official visit of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to the Czech Republic,

In the context of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Armenia and the Czech Republic,

Mindful of long-standing traditions of friendship and cooperation and a strong sense of solidarity between the Armenian and Czech peoples, a rich historical and cultural heritage, common values of democracy, rule of law and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms being in the core of the bilateral relations,

Aiming to raise the bilateral relations to a qualitatively new level as well as to enhance cooperation in multilateral dimensions,

Declare:

The Republic of Armenia and the Czech Republic note with satisfaction a steady development and broadening of the political ties and express their unwavering commitment to further intensify the existing high-level political dialogue and economic cooperation at the bilateral level, as well as in the framework of the United Nations, Council of Europe, OSCE, and other international and regional organizations;

The Sides express their readiness to reinforce and broaden cooperation within the framework of the European Union initiatives, including the Eastern Partnership, and in the context of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA), including but not limited to the Armenia-EU political and security dialogue as well as political, economic and sectoral cooperation, based on shared values and strong commitment to democracy, human rights, media freedom, and rule of law. The Czech Republic supports EU’s strong determination to enhance cooperation with Armenia, commends the progress of Armenia on the chosen democratic path and the principles of good governance, encourages further progress, and reiterates its readiness to assist Armenia in its reform path;

The Sides underline the importance of democratic principles, promotion and protection of human rights and rule of law;

The Sides attach importance to sharing transformation experience and encouraging cooperation of civil society members and engagement of civil society in reform process;

The Sides underline necessity to reach a peaceful and lasting settlement of all outstanding issues between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The Armenian side highly appreciates the continuous efforts of the European Union towards creating an environment conducive to lasting peace in the South Caucasus;

The Sides regard the deployment of the European Union Mission in Armenia along the international border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, launched on February 20, as a substantial contribution to the strengthening of the security in the region; Armenia welcomes and highly appreciates a sizeable personnel contribution of the Czech Republic to the mission.

The Sides recognize the importance of maintaining international peace and security, inadmissibility of threat or use of force, and respect for international humanitarian law;

The Sides are mindful of the fundamental principles of the UN Charter that all states shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state and shall settle their international disputes by peaceful means. They stress the importance of all states inherent right to choose their policy course and alliances;

The Sides are aware that the question of future Visa Liberalization Dialogue between the Republic of Armenia and the EU is of the high importance;

The Sides consider the European Political Community as a useful format for the European Union and its partners. Armenia praises Czech Presidency in the Council of the EU for hosting the inaugural summit for EPC;

The Sides attach special importance to invigorating the activities of the Armenian-Czech Intergovernmental Commission, aiming at strengthening the mutually beneficial economic, financial, and scientific ties between the two countries;

The Sides express their support to the further development of cooperation and regular exchanges between the Parliaments of the two countries, including through the relevant friendship groups;

The Sides attach special importance to invigorating the decentralized cooperation and partnership between local authorities of the two countries, as an additional impetus for the development of bilateral relations;

Toward this end, the Sides express their strong determination to make every effort for effective cooperation in the areas outlined in this Declaration”.

 16:59,

YEREVAN, APRIL 27, ARMENPRESS. Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) President Arayik Harutyunyan held a meeting on April 27 with Colonel-General Alexander Lentsov, the newly appointed commander of the Russian peacekeeping troops deployed in Nagorno Karabakh.

“Welcoming the newly appointed commander, President Harutyunyan emphasized the role of the Russian peacekeeping troops in the [current] military and political situation, ensuring the security of the people of Artsakh and stability in the region,” Harutyunyan’s office said in a readout.

Both sides underscored the need for steady implementation of the provisions of the Tripartite declaration of November 9, 2020.

President Harutyunyan “conveyed the expectation of the Artsakh authorities from the Russian peacekeeping troops that in a short period of time, the removal of all obstacles to the bilateral communication between Artsakh and Armenia and security will be ensured, in accordance with the obligations assumed by the Tripartite Declaration.”

The activities of the peacekeeping troops, the lifting of the blockade of Artsakh, the maintaining of the regime of the Lachin Corridor, guaranteeing the normal functioning of vital infrastructures and other issues were discussed during the meeting.

 12:14,

YEREVAN, APRIL 27, ARMENPRESS. Armenia is a country with a low debt burden with its 46% debt-to-GDP ratio, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at the Cabinet meeting on April 27. 

e in the national currency has increased while the debt in foreign currency has dropped. “This means that our state debt has become more resistant to currency risks within the framework of this process,” Pashinyan said.

The debt-to-GDP ratio decrease is due to the dram appreciation because most of the debt is in foreign currency, and on the other hand it has to do with the progressive economic growth pace. Moreover, the fact that the deficit was lower than projected also had impact.

“We could involve new amounts if the government were to reach that stance. The problem isn’t the debt, the problem is how we use the debt to increase the potential of our economic growth,” the PM added.

Pashinyan highlighted the use of debt for capital investments.

The debt-to-GDP ratio stood at 46,7% in 2022 against the projected 60,2%. The figure is a 13,6% drop compared to 2021. Armenia’s government debt stood at 10 billion 86 million USD as of December 31, 2022.

 13:46,

YEREVAN, APRIL 20, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Defense of Armenia Suren Papikyan held a meeting on April 20 with the Ambassador of Brazil Fabio Vaz Pitaluga to discuss opportunities for bilateral cooperation in the defense sector, the defense ministry said in a press release.

At the request of the ambassador, Papikyan presented the course of the ongoing reforms in the military.

They also discussed issues relating to regional security.