Author: Paul Hambardsumian

Greek Defense Ministry ready to assist Armenia in overcoming existing challenges. Nikolaos Chardalias visits Mother See

Paul Hambardsumian

Save

Share

 17:50, 2 June 2022

YEREVAN, JUNE 2, ARMENPRESS. His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, received Deputy Defence Minister of Greece Nikolaos Chardalias and his delegation, accompanied by Deputy Defense Minister of Armenia Karen Brutyan, օn June 2 at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Mother See, the Catholicos of All Armenians expressed satisfaction with the close cooperation between the Defense Ministries of the two countries.

Referring to the difficult situation in the region, His Holiness expressed concern over Azerbaijan's encroachments and incessant threats on Armenia and Artsakh. On this occasion, the Armenian Patriarch expressed confidence that the Armenian Armed Forces will be able to show spirit and will to prevent Azerbaijan's militaristic aspirations.

The Catholicos of All Armenians, in the person of Nikolaos Chardalias expressed gratitude to the Greek authorities and people for their brotherly support to Armenia during the difficult days of the Artsakh war.

The Deputy Minister of National Defense of Greece, thanking His Holiness for the warm reception, emphasized that the friendship of the Armenian and Greek peoples comes from the depths of centuries. Touching upon the Armenian-Greek military cooperation, Nikolaos Chardalias noted that the Greek Ministry of Defense is ready to make every effort to deepen it and assist Armenia in overcoming the existing challenges.

During the conversation, inter-church relations were referred to. On this occasion, the Catholicos of All Armenians conveyed his fraternal greetings and best wishes to Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens and All Greece.

His Holiness wished that under the protection of God, the Armenian-Greek relations will have new accomplishments for the benefit of the prosperous and peaceful life of the two fraternal peoples.

Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan accuses opposition in coordinating work with Azeri President

Paul Hambardsumian

Save

Share

 11:57,

YEREVAN, MAY 31, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan accused the opposition in coordinating their actions with Azeri President Ilham Aliyev.

Simonyan said the opposition’s conduct is in line with Aliyev’s actions.

“It is obvious that these actions are carried out jointly. At least it is obvious for me,” Simonyan said. 

Both opposition factions of the Armenian parliament are holding demonstrations in Yerevan for already a month demanding the resignation of PM Nikol Pashinyan. 

Speaking on the upcoming June 3 extraordinary session of parliament that is to be convened at the initiative of the opposition, Simonyan said convening the session is the opposition’s attempt to find a way out of the current situation.

“The fact that Ishkhan Saghatelyan is voicing some timeframes, saying that days are left, hours are left, don’t they understand that with their words they are entering a deadlock and are now facing a deadlock? And now they are trying to find some way out of the deadlock, but every time I look at their marches, protests and speeches I get astonished how one can fall into the cycles of mistakes of 20-30 years and repeat it all the time. I wish them good luck, they need it,” Simonyan said.

Simonyan said the June 3 emergency session of parliament is a fake process by which the opposition tries to save its face because they had announced that they are taking to the streets and won’t return.

The June 3 emergency session of parliament will be convened at the initiative of the opposition, which seeks to adopt a resolution on Artsakh. However, the ruling Civil Contract party announced that it won’t participate in the session. If Civil Contract doesn’t take part, there will be no quorum and the session won’t be convened.

The opposition’s draft resolution of parliament states, among others, that “Armenia will support the full exercise of the right to self-determination of the people of Artsakh, Artsakh will never be part of Azerbaijan, there must be reliable land connection between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh: Artsakh will not be an exclave, the delimitation and demarcation must be carried out with the precondition of Azerbaijan withdrawing its troops from sovereign Armenian territory, Armenia is the guarantor of security and the right to self-determination of the people of Artsakh, the breach of the territorial integrity of Armenia is ruled out as a result of delimitation and demarcation, any agreement in the Armenian-Turkish normalization process that would question the Armenian Genocide is ruled out, and that the unblocking of roads with Azerbaijan and Turkey cannot happen in the logic of a corridor.”

Ararat Mirzoyan reaffirmed Armenia`s position on Karabakh and called for immediate return of Armenian POWs

Paul Hambardsumian
ARMINFO
Armenia –
Naira Badalian

ArmInfo.During a meeting of FMs of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan on May 12 in Dushanbe, RA Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan stressed the importance of a speedy  settlement of the humanitarian issues resulting from the 44-day war,  including the need for immediate repatriation of the Armenian  prisoners of war. The press service of the RA MFA reports.  

Thus, according to the source, "the process of implementation of the  commitments undertaken within the Trilateral Statements of November  9, 2020, January 11, 2021 and November 26, 2021 was discussed.

The sides exchanged views on the unblocking of regional  communications and economic ties, the establishment of the commission  on delimitation and border security, and the agreement on  normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.  Minister  Mirzoyan reaffirmed the position of the Armenian side on the  guarantee of security, rights and freedoms of the Armenians of  Artsakh, as well as on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh within the  framework of the comprehensive settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh  conflict." 

Prospects for Peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan Have Improved: President Aliyev

Paul Hambardsumian
May 4 2022
By

 Rachel Avraham

 -

 3 Iyyar 5782 – May 4, 2022

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev in late April delivered a speech in Shusha, in the war-tormented region of Nagorno-Karabakh, proclaiming that the issue of Armenian-Azerbaijani normalization is on the agenda now. “Despite all the painful moments, despite the occupation, and despite all the atrocities committed, we believe that this is necessary for the future of the region,” Aliyev said, “So, we came up with a peace agenda.”

He explained: “We put forward a proposal consisting of five specific principles, and Armenia has accepted these five principles. Thus, the Armenian leadership has officially stated that it recognizes the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, has no territorial claims regarding Azerbaijan, and will not have any in the future. This is a crucial moment for the post-conflict period, and we intend to conduct further negotiations based on these five principles.”

“At present, the foreign and other ministers of both countries are setting up working groups, and I think concrete talks should be initiated soon,” the Azerbaijani president noted. “The talks should not be delayed, because a peace agreement will be signed based on these five principles. Therefore, the text of the agreement can be prepared and signed soon. Thus, diplomatic relations can be established between Armenia and Azerbaijan.”

Azerbaijani Rabbi Shmuel Simantov commented that “for 29 years, the Armenians did not build anything. They stole gold teeth from graves. They destroyed homes and mosques. They tried to erase the history of Azerbaijanis from Karabakh.”

“Now, Azerbaijan is doing everything to return everyone to their homes,” he continued. “After all these years, Azerbaijan’s president wants to do everything through peace and not war. So far, the Armenians did not give him the opportunity to do it. He said that we have strength, but we want peace. This is our message to Armenia and the international community.”

Turkish Jewish journalist Rafael Sadi concurred that Aliyav’s speech “shows the strength of Azerbaijan versus Armenia, maybe also Iran. It shows the Azerbaijani people how strong their president is.”

Sadi also believes the timing of the speech has significance for promoting the Azerbaijani-Israeli friendship, coinciding as it was with Israeli finance minister Avigdor Liberman’s April 24 visit to Azerbaijan, as well as the anniversary of the death of Albert Agarunovich Agarunov, who was among the defenders of Shusha. Agarunov left his vehicle to remove the bodies of dead Azerbaijani soldiers and was killed by sniper fire on the road connecting Shusha to Lachin on May 8, 1992.

“Albert Aqarunov is the most important name promoting the friendship between Azerbaijan and Israel and between the entire Jewish world and Azerbaijan. And the Azerbaijanis know to honor this Jewish soldier better than many other countries in the world,” Sadi noted.

Tarlan Ahmadov, the founder of the Azerbaijan Society of Maine, declared in April: “I believe the gathering of the Azerbaijani Diaspora and the historic speech of President Aliyev will make Mr. Liberman’s visit exceptional as the State of Israel is considered a close ally in the Middle East and beyond. In my opinion, the restoration of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity changed the balance of regional power, and Azerbaijan became not only a transportation hub and a trans-Caspian energy resource hub, but also a political power that controls not only the South Caucuses but beyond. Azerbaijan has the potential to produce grain and transport it from Kazakhstan and Central Asia using the Caspian Sea corridor, and, hopefully, by soon opening a railroad via the Zangezur region to Turkey. This will play a large role in food and energy stability in Europe.”

Azerbaijani journalist Elnur Enveroglu noted that “this year marks the 30th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Israel and Azerbaijan,” and pointed out that Liberman and Aliyev discussed expanding economic and trade relations as well as cooperation in the field of energy, and signing several important contracts.”

“Obviously, Azerbaijan has been a close partner of Israel and this partnership has emerged in many important aspects,” Enveroglu said.

As for the Armenians, he opined: “Armenia has changed a lot after the latest political developments, especially the recent signing of the agreement between Moscow and Baku in February. The agreement sent a clear message to the Armenians that it is better to improve relations with Azerbaijan and Turkey. I also think that the latest events have caught the attention of regional countries including Russia, Iran, Armenia, Turkey, and Israel.

FM Mirzoyan presents Armenia’s position on NK conflict’s peaceful settlement to US Senator Menendez

Paul Hambardsumian

Save

Share

 11:16, 6 May, 2022

YEREVAN, MAY 6, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan met with US Senator, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Bob Menendez during his working visit in Washington D.C., the foreign ministry said in a press release.

Member of the Committee, Senator Jim Risch also attended the meeting.

The sides touched upon the agenda of the Armenian-American relations, as well as the security situation around Armenia and Artsakh, and a number of issues relating to regional security.

The sides praised also the achievements registered in the Armenian-American diplomatic relations over the past 30 years. The Armenian FM highlighted the importance of the US support to Armenia’s ongoing reforms, strengthening of democracy, economy development, as well as touched upon the significance of the agreements reached during the visit.

At the meeting FM Mirzoyan also highly valued the contribution of Senator Menendez to the adoption of the Senate resolution on the recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

The Armenian FM also presented the humanitarian situation in Nagorno Karabakh and the position of Armenia over the peaceful settlement of the NK conflict. In this context the impermissibility of provocation of tension by Azerbaijan was emphasized.

The sides stressed the necessity for repatriation of Armenian prisoners of war and civilian captives held in Azerbaijan.

Ararat Mirzoyan also presented the latest developments in the Armenia-Turkey normalization process.

Ararat Mirzoyan handed over the Friendship Order to Bob Menendez, who was awarded on the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Armenia-US diplomatic relations, for his significant contributions to the development and strengthening of the Armenian-American friendly relations.

Luys Foundation: SIPRI data on Armenia`s military spending is illogical

Paul Hambardsumian
ARMINFO
Armenia – May 2 2022
Marianna Mkrtchyan

ArmInfo.In recent days, the pro-government media, telegram channels and some members of the ruling party, citing the database of the Stockholm Institute (SIPRI),  have been spreading the thesis that allegedly more weapons were bought during the four years of the current government,  than during  the 10 years of the rule of the second and third presidents.

In the message received by ArmInfo from the Luys Foundation, was the  analysis of the data published on the SIPRI portal carried out.

"It should be noted that the 'Trend Indicator Value' (TIV) of arms  imports and exports is represented by a unit developed according to  the SIPRI methodology, which reflects not the price of weapons, but  their value. Therefore, it cannot be unequivocally stated that in  terms of price it coincides with the dollar value of weapons. Even if  we assume that these units correspond to the dollar value of weapons,  a very interesting picture will emerge.  According to SIPRI, in  2009-2018 Armenia imported $247 million worth of weapons, of which  only $110 million was in 2016. It turns out that Armenia in 2011-2015  imported weapons for only $21 million, which is ridiculous, given  that according to the same SIPRI, in 2018, compared to 2007,  Armenia's defense spending increased by about 83%, from $280 million  to $513 million.

Based on SIPRI data, it turns out that before the 44-day war, in  2018-2020, out of the $248 million spent, 141-211 million or 57-85%  turned out to be ineffective (120-190 million were allocated for to  known "SU" systems, 21 million for "OSA-AK" systems). In general, out  of 280 million dollars spent in 2018-2021, 120-190 million dollars or  43-68% were spent on "Su" systems.

It is also clear that the bulk of the $248 million deliveries in 2019  are those provided under the $200+$100 million arms loan signed with  Russia in 2015-2017, part of which was simply delivered in 2019.

In addition to credit funds, arms imports continued at the expense of  defense spending. As a result, it turns out that, in fact, the RA  Armed Forces began to acquire an unprecedented amount of weapons in  2015-2017 within the framework of a loan signed with Russia and by  increasing defense spending.

According to SIPRI, in 1991-2021, Armenia imported only $948 million  worth of weapons, while Azerbaijani President Aliyev says in almost  every speech that they destroyed $4-5 billion worth of weapons during  the war, and according to expert estimates, armaments losses of the  Armenian side are estimated at 2-3 billion dollars.

According to SIPRI, after the 44-day war, Azerbaijan increased its  military spending to $2.7 billion in 2021, about 21% more than $2.2  billion in 2020 and about 46% more than in 2019. At the same time,  Armenia reduced military spending to $619 million in 2021, which is  about 2% less than in 2020 and 5% less than in 2019.

This is an illogical picture, since it turns out that after a  devastating war, Armenia reduces the burden of its military spending,  and Azerbaijan, being the winner, having captured a huge amount of  Armenian military equipment, nevertheless increases its spending,"  the Foundation's publication says.

It should be noted that the expenditures of the state budget of  Armenia in January-February 2022 amounted to 231.2 billion drams,  which is 47.6% of the adjusted figure for the first quarter. At the  same time, 16.4% or 38 billion drams out of the indicated 231.2  billion drams was directed to cover the costs of the defense sector,  which is 45.1% of the adjusted figure for the first quarter.  It  should be noted that according to the RA Law "On the State Budget for  2022", Armenia's GDP will amount to 7% by the end of the year (the  other day, the Central Bank and the IMF adjusted their forecast to  1.6%, Fitch Ratings – to 1.3% – ed. note). Budget revenues in 2022  will amount to 1 trillion 947.8 billion drams (24.7% of GDP) or 17.5%  (289 billion drams) more than in 2021, expenditures – 2 trillion 184  billion drams or 27.7% GDP (184 billion drams more than the figure  adjusted for the current year and 334 billion drams more than the  approved figure for 2021), and the state budget deficit is 236.2  billion drams.  At the same time, current expenditures will amount to  23.2% of GDP or 1 trillion 843 billion drams (81 billion drams (4.6%)  more than the indicator set for 2021), and capital expenditures will  amount to 352 billion drams or 4.5% of GDP. At the same time, the  expenditures of the defense sector of Armenia this year will increase  by about 11%, or by 33 billion drams, amounting to more than 345.4  billion drams (about 15.8% of the expenditure part of the state  budget).

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 05/02/2022

Paul Hambardsumian 
                                        Monday, May 2, 2022


Yerevan Denies Plans For Armenia-Turkey Border Demarcation

        • Tatevik Sargsian

Turkey -- The Church of Tigran Honents at the ruins of Ani, the capital of a 
medieval Armenian kingdom, on the Turkey-Armenia border, 11Sep2008


Armenia on Monday denied Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu’s claims that 
Ankara and Yerevan have agreed to re-demarcate their closed border.

Cavusoglu said over the weekend that the issue will be on the agenda of the next 
round of Turkish-Armenian normalization talks which will be held in Vienna on 
Tuesday. Turkish and Armenian negotiators will discuss practical modalities of 
the demarcation process, he said, adding that the two neighboring states may set 
up a bilateral commission for that purpose.

“There have been no discussions or agreements between Armenia and Turkey 
regarding the border re-demarcation,” said Vahan Hunanian, the Armenian Foreign 
Ministry spokesman.

“There is no such issue on the agenda,” Hunanian added in written comments.

Cavusoglu said last month that sections of the Turkish-Armenian border marked by 
the Arax river need to be demarcated again because over the past few decades the 
river has changed its course as a result of floods.

Turkey -- A Turkish army watch tower on the border gate with Armenia, in Akyaka, 
province of Kars, 15Apr2009

Ruben Galchian, an Armenian cartographer, insisted on Monday that the changes 
cited by Cavusoglu are insignificant. He suggested that Ankara simply hopes to 
use a re-demarcation process to get Yerevan to formally and explicitly recognize 
the existing frontier.

“I think that those minor border changes are simply a pretext [for the Turks,]” 
Galchian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.

Turkey has for decades kept the border closed and made its opening conditional 
on a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict acceptable to Azerbaijan. 
Cavusoglu has repeatedly made clear that Ankara is coordinating its ongoing 
dialogue with Yerevan with Baku.

At their two meetings held earlier this year, Armenian and Turkish envoys 
discussed prospects for normalizing bilateral relations. According to the 
foreign ministries of the two countries, they agreed to “continue the process 
without preconditions.”



Iran Reaffirms Support For Armenian Control Over Transit Roads


Armenia - Iranian Ambassador Abbas Badakhshan Zohouri (center) meets with senior 
officials in Syunik province, Kapan, April 29, 2022.


Iran remains strongly opposed to the opening of any exterritorial corridors that 
would pass through neighboring Armenia, according to a senior Iranian diplomat.

Armenia and Azerbaijan are to reopen their border to commercial and passenger 
traffic under the terms of a Russian-brokered ceasefire that stopped their 
six-week war for Nagorno-Karabakh in November 2020. The deal specifically 
commits Yerevan to opening rail and road links between Azerbaijan and its 
Nakhichevan exclave.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly claimed that it envisages an 
exterritorial land corridor that would pass through Armenia’s Syunik province 
bordering Iran. Armenian leaders deny this, saying that Azerbaijani citizens and 
cargo cannot be exempt from Armenian border controls.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi backed Yerevan on the issue in a January phone 
call with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian. He said Tehran supports Armenian 
sovereignty over all roads passing through the country.

Iran’s ambassador to Armenia, Abbas Badakhshan Zohouri, reportedly reaffirmed 
that stance when he visited Syunik and met with the provincial governor, Robert 
Ghukasian, and other local officials late last week.

“Statements made about transport corridors are unacceptable to us,” Ghukasian’s 
office quoted Zohouri as saying. “We believe that Armenia must preserve its 
territorial integrity.”

Armenia/Iran - The Arax river separating Armenia and Iran.

Some Iranian officials accused Aliyev last fall of seeking to effectively strip 
Iran of a common border with Armenia. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein 
Amir-Abdollahian likewise warned against any “changes in the region’s map.”

The Islamic Republic underscored its interest in Syunik when it announced last 
December its decision to open an Iranian consulate in the provincial capital 
Kapan. This was the main focus of Zohouri’s talks with the Syunik officials, 
according to a statement released by the provincial administration.

The statement said that while in Kapan Zohouri and other Iranian diplomats 
accompanying him “considered possible locations for the consulate building.”

The Syunik officials were cited as telling the diplomats that they are “ready to 
do everything” to help deepen Armenian-Iranian relations. Kapan Mayor Gevorg 
Parsian announced in that regard that Persian will be taught in local schools 
starting from the next academic year.

Armenia’s new ambassador in Tehran, Arsen Avagian, reportedly told Raisi last 
week that Yerevan would like to upgrade bilateral ties to the “level of 
strategic relations.”



Armenia Completes Three-Year Loan Deal With IMF


U.S. - A man walks past the International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo at its 
headquarters in Washington, U.S., May 10, 2018.


The International Monetary Fund has disbursed a fresh $35 million loan to 
Armenia, completing a three-year lending program designed to bolster 
macroeconomic stability in the country.

The IMF’s “stand-by arrangement” was worth $248 million when it was first 
approved in May 2019. The Washington-based fund increased it to $415 million a 
year later to help Armenia cope with economic consequences of the coronavirus 
pandemic.

Announcing the latest installment of the program at the weekend, the IMF said 
the Armenian authorities have carried out “important structural reforms” in the 
last three years. It cited their efforts to improve tax collection, “strengthen 
governance” and combat corruption.

“The authorities have also developed an ambitious medium-term reform program 
that, if successfully implemented, could lead to stronger and more inclusive 
growth,” it added in a statement.

“Armenia’s economy continued to recover in 2021 and early 2022, largely thanks 
to the authorities’ economic management efforts,” added the statement.

Still, the IMF again predicted that economic growth will slow down to about 1.5 
percent this year due to the fallout from the war in Ukraine. It said inflation 
in Armenia will remain “elevated” for the same reason.

The World Bank likewise forecast last month that the Armenian economy will 
likely grow by just 1.2 percent in 2022 because of its dependence on Russia hit 
hard by Western sanctions.



Hundreds Arrested In Anti-Government Protests In Armenia

        • Marine Khachatrian

Armenia - Riot police arrest an opposition protester in Yerevan, May 2, 2022.


Armenian security forces made at least 244 arrests on Monday as they clashed 
with protesters blocking streets in Yerevan as part of an opposition campaign to 
oust Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.

The country’s leading opposition groups launched the “civil disobedience” 
campaign after rallying thousands of supporters in a key square in the city 
center and setting up a protest camp there on Sunday. They pledged to bring 
other parts of Yerevan to a standstill.

Groups of activists mostly led by opposition lawmakers began blocking three 
dozen busy streets and street intersections in the Armenian capital early in the 
morning. Riot police reinforced by special police units used force to unblock 
them.

A statement released by the national police said traffic through those streets 
was fully restored by noon. The police reported later in the afternoon that 244 
protesters were detained in scuffles with security forces.

Opposition leaders condemned the use of force and said the arrests will not 
deter them from continuing their push for regime change.

“We have many cases of violence, including against parliament deputies,” one of 
them, Ishkhan Saghatelian, told reporter. “But you know, all this is secondary. 
Everything is alright. People have risen up and the objectives set up by us are 
being methodically achieved.”

Armenia - Riot police clash with opposition protesters blocking a street in 
Yerevan, May 2, 2022.

Security forces did not attempt to disperse protesters camped out at the 
intersection of four central avenues forming Yerevan’s France Square. The 
opposition Hayastan and Pativ Unem alliances were due to hold another rally 
there on Monday evening.

The opposition campaign was sparked by Pashinian’s recent statements on the 
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Addressing parliament on April 13, the prime minister said the international 
community is pressing Armenia to scale back its demands on Karabakh’s status and 
recognize Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. He signaled Yerevan’s intention to 
make such concessions to Baku.

Opposition leaders and other government critics say Pashinian is intent on 
helping Baku regain control of Karabakh.

Pashinian’s political allies say that he did not call for the restoration of 
Azerbaijani control of Karabakh. They have accused the opposition of exploiting 
the issue in a bid to seize power.

Vahagn Aleksanian, a pro-government lawmaker, said on Monday that the opposition 
forces are now trying unsuccessfully to replicate mass protests that brought 
Pashinian to power in 2018. He expressed confidence that they will fail to 
topple the current government.



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.

Armenian military denies Azerbaijani accusations on border shelling

Paul Hambardsumian

Save

Share

 11:45, 2 May, 2022

YEREVAN, MAY 2, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian military denies Azerbaijani accusations on opening fire at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

“The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense has again released a false statement accusing the Armenian military units in opening fire from small arms and grenade launchers on May 1 in the direction of Azerbaijani military positions deployed in the eastern part of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border,” the Armenian Ministry of Defense said, adding that the situation at the border is relatively stable and is under the Armenian military’s control.

Armenia’s technological dream

Paul Hambardsumian

Larisa Hovannisian, Founder and CEO, Teach For Armenia

 


Gor Nazaryan, Managing Director of Talent Initiatives, Teach For Armenia

As the world continues to face challenges and Armenia’s position becomes even more precarious, many of us are asking ourselves this question: why has the world turned away from Armenia and Artsakh? As the war rages on in Ukraine, many are grappling with a seeming sense of a shift in the world’s order. Of course, this shift has been in the making for a while, but it feels now we’ve reached a tipping point. The war in Ukraine has also demonstrated that no matter how important and resource-rich the country is, the will to invest in the periphery is much weaker than it was thought previously.  Thus, instead of asking “why doesn’t the world care about Armenia and Artsakh (the periphery)”, we suggest another question “How do we, the people of Armenia,  begin to care about Armenia and Artsakh”.

 

Over the last 30 years, Armenia has been unable to build any kind of leverage, not for the world and not even to our only security guarantor – Russia. Instead, we’ve excelled in privatizing and selling for personal gain whatever limited resources we already had to begin with to individuals, companies, and foreign governments with no long-term plans of building up our national leverage within the region or the world. As we all know, we do not have an impressive list of natural resources to offer the world. But, what we do have, and always have had, is people.

 

What Armenia needs to focus on today, now that it’s a matter of our survival, is catalyzing a technologically innovative and creative nation. In the past decade, we have nurtured ourselves with the idea of a developed technological industry. If this is our national vision, then we have to become an innovative nation that can build leverage for the world by building a robust, strategic technological industry. This doesn’t mean creating yet another tech company for outsourcing. Instead, creating a technological industry that sustains the world. Could you imagine if the world stored a big part of its data in Armenia? Just like Switzerland stores the world’s money? Of course, a future attack by our friendly neighbors would still be possible, but there would be a lot more at stake, rather than just pity. And maybe, just maybe, the world will begin to speak up because they depend on Armenia, and not because they pity us for our tragic history. We need to make the world want Armenia to thrive.

 

Of all the sectors in Armenia, the technology sector is slated for the most growth in the coming years, taking a 7% share of our economy in the coming 5 years. Therefore, it falls fair and square on the shoulders of our technology sector to alter the future of Armenia and Artsakh. Nevertheless, the sector itself is facing a huge challenge – a narrow talent pipeline and a lack of a cohesive vision for our nation’s technology center. While the initial tech talent helped to boost the growth of the IT industry, step by step it also became its Achilles heel. The shortage of professionals and increasing competition of salaries and headhunting may take away the comparative advantages of the sector in Armenia and hinder its growth. With more and more large companies focusing on creating training and development opportunities for their employees and even candidates, the talent shortage and the short knowledge-base of the new entries  guides us to take a deeper look – to the schools, where the foundations of our knowledge and personalities are being formed.

 

To this day in Armenia, thousands of children graduate school without basic numeracy skills, as well as knowledge in physics, understanding of information technology, and other STEM subjects. There are communities that have been missing a math teacher for almost a decade, and the shortages will continue to grow because of our aging teacher population, the majority of who are nearing retirement. Moreover, the shortage of teachers decreases the number of school students who will graduate school and enter universities in STEM areas. Because of the lack of admissions, universities continuously lower the admission requirements coupled with a mismatch between the education provided at universities with the needs of the labor market.

 

And so, it’s our turn to answer the question - how do we care about Armenia and Artsakh? We urge the technology sector to think beyond their short-term KPIs and revenue models about the future of the country that is home to them now and hopefully will be for generations to come. We also urge donors, investors, nonprofit and for-profit organizations, to invest heavily in public education, so that there is a robust talent pipeline to support the growth of our country in general and technological industry in particular.

 

Now is the time to nation-build, to invest time, energy, money, and talent into building up the capacity of our people and creating solutions that can help our country build leverage. Since 2013, Teach For Armenia has contributed to this vision by enabling young people to transform the lives of thousands of children and communities across the country. Recently, Teach For Armenia extended an offer to the IT community of Armenia to join the Tech4Armenia coalition. Through our adjusted program, we enable which with the permit of employers would allow tech professionals to work remotely from our communities and teach core STEM subjects in public schools and fight educational inequity. Tech4Armenia is not a short project to demonstrate Corporate Social Responsibility. It’s a commitment of at least two years during which the companies themselves may engage school students from regions in their projects, as interns, as well as support their career development in formal and non-formal educational formats.

 

It is time for us to be victorious, not victims. You can lose, and you can still be triumphant. This is something no one can take away from us – our mental ability to feel victorious and leverage this to build back better and stronger. This we need to cultivate within ourselves and our children – the innovation generation of Armenia. And it is perhaps this generation of children that will alter the trajectory of our nation and will question the idea of being “periphery” for the world centers.