EVN Talks

Armenia's Human Rights Defender Kristinne Grigoryan speaks to EVN Report about the consequences of Azerbaijan's blockade of the Lachin Corridor, the violation of the rights of the people of Artsakh as a result of that blockade and the legal instruments that Armenia can and has implemented to counter the consequences.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has been working in Armenia for the past three decades focusing on developing the country’s financial sector, supporting development of value-added industrial companies, improving the business environment and more. Head of EBRD’s Yerevan Resident Office, George Akhalkatsi, speaks to EVN Report about the organization’s activities and plans for the future.

This year, Azerbaijan, along with seven other countries, is under review by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) in Geneva. Tamara Voskanian is the co-founder of the Center for Truth and Justice (CFTJ) and lawyer Talin Hitik is heading up the CFTJ’s delegation in Geneva, presenting the organization’s report based on primary evidence on Azerbaijan’s ongoing violations during the CERD hearing. They spoke to EVN Report about their ongoing efforts to bring to the world’s attention the crimes committed by Azerbaijan and the impact this will have on the Armenia v. Azerbaijan case at the International Court of Justice.

An accomplished businesswoman and philanthropist, Edele Hovnanian, president of the H.Hovnanian Family Foundation speaks to EVN Report about the projects she has supported, incubated and launched in Armenia, including Birthright; her father, Hrair Hovnanian’s legacy and the importance of having a vision and being a fearless dreamer.

David Zakarian, author of “Women, Too, Were Blessed: The Portrayal of Women in Early Christian Armenian Texts” speaks with EVN Report’s editor Maria Titizian about the representation of women in 5th century Armenian literature and historiography; whether women were catalysts in the Christianization of Armenia and more. Zakarian is an associate faculty member in the Faculty of Oriental Studies at the University of Oxford.

The war in Ukraine has caused a wave of migration to Armenia from the countries involved in the conflict. Among them are many Armenians coming from the large diaspora communities those countries host. Ishkhan Saakian, the communications manager at Repat Armenia joins us today to speak about their initiatives to help those Armenians settle in Armenia.

EVN Report’s Editor-in-Chief Maria Titizian speaks to the new section editor of Creative Tech Njdeh Satourian about the importance of placing Armenia on the global tech landscape and to illustrate that Armenia, despite its critical challenges, is a country of potential, with the necessary logistics, human resources and desire to become a regional tech hub.

Is Russia’s escalation of tensions with Ukraine really about Ukraine or is Putin trying to reassert Russia as a regional hegemon? What does this mean for Europe and the South Caucasus? Political Scientist Nerses Kopalyan explains.

Back in 2020, the Paradigma Education Foundation published the “Guidebook on History Teaching: Why, How?” for teachers in Armenia the purpose of which is to develop active historical thinking. This year, they launched another innovative tool for teachers—a gender history pack—called History #5. Co-founder Narek Manukyan speaks to EVN Report about the idea, the journey and the purpose of this new tool.

Seda Grigoryan, the communication coordinator of the DAR Foundation for Regional Development and Competitiveness speaks to EVN Report about the foundation’s new initiative called the Gagarin Project. It aims to create a sustainable model of community development in the villages of Ddmashen, Zovaber, Tsaghkunk, Geghamavan, Varser and Gagarin in the Gegharkunik region of Armenia.

Imagine growing up on a vineyard in Tuscany, surrounded by a millennia-old tradition of winemaking. That’s how Aimee Keushguerian spent 12 years of her life. She eventually moved to Armenia to be part of her family’s growing wine business. Today, she is the Managing Director of Wineworks, a winery incubator offering winemaking and viticulture services as well as strategic winery and marketing management support.

As a serial entrepreneur and passionate technologist, Al Eisaian has over two decades of experience building highly successful teams in areas ranging from computer hardware to data analytics. He speaks to EVN Report about passionate leadership, his engagement with Armenia and the future of the tech industry.

Creative Armenia is an art foundation for Armenians that supports filmmakers, musicians, writers and artists across all creative fields with funding, mentorship, promotion and strategic support. Director of Programs, Anush Ter-Khachatryan speaks to EVN Report about their new initiative called Art Box, a reinvention of the incubator model for the art world.

Founder of TEDx Yerevan, Head of the Leadership Lab at Picsart and author Kristine Sargsyan talks about her newly published book “Pilgrimage to the Brain”. Inspired by her curiosity of how the human brain works, the book is meant for people of all ages to understand the power and potential they have within them.

A professional in environmental management focusing on solar energy and water, Hasmik Barseghyan was part of Armenia’s delegation to COP26, the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow. She says that although Armenia has and continues to face many challenges, it is possible to benefit from the opportunities of Armenia’s geography as the “center of the world”, linking different regions together.

After the 2020 Artsakh War, Arpi Karapetyan, like many others, asked herself a simple question: What now? As a human resources professional and successful businesswoman, she put into action what she knew best and launched a new program called New Page. A social responsibility program, the aim of New Page is to help veterans of the war acquire new knowledge and develop skills to enter the labor market. The program has helped 1000 veterans and the second phase has 700 vets already signed up. To donate to the program, follow this link.

On November 16, 2021, Azerbaijani Armed Forces launched a large-scale offensive along the eastern border of Armenia’s Syunik region, resulting in intense battles. A Russian-mediated ceasefire came into force later that evening. This latest attack was yet another example of Armenia’s ongoing security challenges and vulnerabilities. Azerbaijani expert Tatevik Hayrapetyan and political scientist and international security expert Dr. Nerses Kopalyan of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas talk to EVN Report’s editors about the situation.

After graduating from Yerevan State University with a PhD in physics, Dr. Garik Israelian went on to lead the international collaboration that provided the first observational evidence that supernova explosions are responsible for the formation of Black Holes. Israelian works at the Institute of Astrophysics in the Canary Islands and is a professor at the University of La Laguna. He is also the founding director of Starmus Festival, a global festival of science communication and art.

On September 16, 2021, Armenia instituted proceedings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Azerbaijan on the basis of violations of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD). Yeghishe Kirakosyan, Armenia’s agent at the ICJ and international law expert Levon Gevorgyan who was an advisor and part of Armenia’s legal team at The Hague speak to EVN Report about the landmark case.

Launched in 2005, DigiWeek is the marquee event for Armenia’s technology sector. The anchor event for DigiWeek is the Digitec Expo (the largest tech expo in the Caucasus) and the first ever Digitec Summit, an exclusive conference bringing together technologists from around the world. Raffi Kassarjian, the executive director of the Union of Advanced Technology Enterprises and Nerses Ohanian, founder of HyeTech speak to EVN Report about how the tech sector is turning challenges into opportunities.

Edgar Marukyan, CTO of Renderforest, has launched a consulting and mentorship program that helps startups scale their businesses. He speaks to EVN Report about the challenges and opportunities for small business in Armenia, how more women are venturing into the sphere, the business climate, developing a productive work ethic and more.

The Crowdfunding Formula, is one of the most successful marketing agencies in the world. Co-founder and CEO, Narek Vardanyan, who is also the author of the best selling book “57 Secrets of Crowdfunding” explains how the idea started with a failure that led to identifying a gap in the innovation industry. His message: Have big ambitions, turn knowledge into valuable products that can solve global problems and most of all, eliminate the fear of coming from somewhere small.

The 18th annual Golden Apricot International Film Festival (GAIFF) kicked off in Yerevan on October 3. Varvara Hovhannisyan, head of the festival’s international department and Sona Karapoghosyan, the project manager of GAIFF Pro (a Cross Border Regional Co-Production Feature Film Project and Work-in-Progress Markets for filmmakers from the Lesser Caucasus) speak to EVN Report about the films that are being featured this year and the position of GAIFF in the global film festival circuit.

Simon Maghakyan, who lectures on international relations at the University of Colorado, Denver and is a visiting scholar at Tufts University has been researching Eurasian politics of cultural erasure since 2005. He speaks to EVN Report about the threat of the destruction of Armenian historical monuments that are now under Azerbaijani control.

A specialist in 19th and 20th century Russian and Eurasian history, Dr. Pietro Shakarian speaks to EVN Report about the intricate and complicated history surrounding Soviet Armenian statesman Anastas Mikoyan, how his ethnicity informed his politics, his role in the purges and later in the series of political reforms after Joseph Stalin’s death in 1953 known as de-Stalinization.

After enlisting in the US Army at the age of 17 and serving several tours in Afghanistan, Joe Kassabian returned and published his novel “Hooligans of Kandahar.” Kassabian also hosts a popular military history podcast series called Lions Led by Donkeys. During a recent visit to Armenia, Kassabian spoke to EVN Report about the 2020 Artsakh War, the frustration of the biased coverage of the war, the absence of nuance, and how he plans on never shutting up about the cause of Armenia.

The methodology employed in the teaching of Armenian history must be reevaluated according to historian Zohrab Gevorgyan. An expert on the ancient Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, Gevorgyan says that over time, myths and personalization have become central themes in the teaching and understanding of Armenians’ collective history.

After working at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Aerospace Corporation, Dr. Mary Boghosian moved to Armenia in 2015. She established the Center for Innovation Promotion and Research and also lectures at the American University of Armenia and Yerevan State University. She is passionate about encouraging and promoting innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship.

On August 18, 2021, Armenia’s Prime Minister unveiled the Armenian Government’s 2021-2026 Programme and said that opening an era of peaceful development for Armenia and the region is their most important mission. EVN Report’s Maria Titizian speaks to political analyst Tigran Grigoryan who takes a closer look at the Programme’s vision for Artsakh, security and defense and foreign policy.

A complex set of issues is impacting water resources, from poor management to threats to water security in Armenia and Artsakh. EVN Report’s Maria Titizian spoke to Stepan Khachatryan, a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and water resources specialist, who is also supporting the coordination of the Kaps Reservoir, the largest industrial hydro-engineering project in Armenia.

When Lilit Odabashian puts her mind to something, she makes it happen. Like Armenians all over the world, Lilit was devastated at what was happening during the 2020 Artsakh War. She decided to start a Facebook group called Buy Armenian to encourage people to buy Armenian products as a way of trying to do her part. As the group grew and took on a life of its own, her husband Nishan joined the initiative and they launched the Buy Armenian website that features over 800 vendors.

In the early hours of July 28, 2021, Azerbaijani forces launched yet another attack against Armenian positions, this time in the Gegharkunik region, leaving three Armenian soldiers dead and a number of wounded. Tatevik Hayrapetyan, an expert on Azerbaijan, speaks to EVN Report about the intentions of Baku following the end of the 2020 Artsakh War, the Armenian response and the psychological toll of constant aggression.

Moving from one country to another can be a daunting exercise, not least of which is the cultural dimension. Entrepreneurs and social development practitioners Hiroki Tachiiri and Taiji Notsu, originally from Japan, made that move to Armenia. They talk to EVN Report about their latest venture, which includes a new company that will explore possibilities in the food, tourism and consulting industries, even a manga on Armenia which will be introduced in Japan.

A new exhibition by the History Museum of Armenia entitled “Costume: Fragments of Identity” recently opened in downtown Yerevan. The curator of the exhibition, Vigen Galstyan speaks to EVN Report about how in the conceptualization of the temporary exhibit, it became clear how little scholarly research has been done on traditional Armenian costumes from a theoretical, political or social perspective.

Armenia’s tech sector is the fastest growing branch of Armenia’s economy. In post-war Armenia, expectations are even greater for the sector. Raffi Kassarjian, the Executive Director of the Union of Advanced Technology Enterprises (UATE) talks about the challenges and potential, the role of the Diaspora and more.

Elections in Armenia have usually been marred by vote rigging, voter intimidation and use of administrative resources. Harout Manougian, EVN Report’s staff writer and an election systems expert, speaks about the different types and methods of rigging the vote, the mechanisms in place to mitigate them and the process on Election Day.

A newly released poll conducted by the Armenian Election Study (ArmES) reveals an electorate that is pessimistic and undecided. Director of the ArmES, Rafael Oganesyan and consultant on the poll Nerses Kopalyan present the nuts and bolts of the methodology, the questions and results.

One of the narratives in circulation during the highly polarized election campaign in Armenia is that some democratic values can and should be sacrificed for security. Anna Ohanyan, Richard B. Finnegan Distinguished Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Stonehill College in Massachusetts speaks about the importance of sustaining and building democratic institutions in post-war Armenia.

On the first day of the 2020 Artsakh War, the Government of Armenia submitted its first interim measure against Azerbaijan at the European Court of Human Rights. Since then, the Government has submitted other applications with regard to violations committed by both Azerbaijan and Turkey during and after the war. Yeghishe Kirakosyan, the Republic of Armenia’s Representative before the ECHR, speaks to EVN Report about the ongoing crisis with Armenian POWs and civilian captives, state-sponsored Armenophobia, destruction of monuments, historical revisionism and a global double standard.

Established to provide stable, equal compensation for fallen, missing and disabled soldiers and their families, the Insurance Foundation for Servicemen has already provided over 3700 families with compensation. Fundraising and Donor Relations Manager Sona Baghdasaryan talks about the foundation’s ongoing efforts and provides an accounting of their activities following the 2020 Artsakh War.

Ambassador Nico Schermers of the Netherlands presented his credentials to Armenia’s president four days before the outbreak of the 2020 Artsakh War. He speaks to EVN Report about the importance of being on the ground at a time of war, his recent trip to Syunik with a group of ambassadors from EU countries and his embassy’s mission in Armenia.

Armenia’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout has been comparably slow. To date, just over 30,000 people have gotten vaccinated in the country. Public health specialist Araz Chiloyan who is working at the Ministry of Health focusing on vaccine procurement and distribution, speaks to EVN Report about the available vaccines, the issues and challenges with the vaccination effort.

Narek Manukyan, co-founder of the Paradigma Educational Foundation speaks to EVN Report about how educators approach the way history is taught in the classroom, how teachers design their lesson plans and how this can impact identity and development.

After moving to Armenia from France in 2015, contemporary art curator Nairi Khatchadourian has curated numerous exhibitions and been involved in a number of initiatives with practitioners in different fields of art, design, music and publication. Nairi speaks to EVN Report about the local art scene, the challenges and opportunities and the need for a national cultural policy and strategy.

In a polarized political landscape, how should the media operate or function. Karen Harutyunyan, the Editor-in-Chief of Civilnet and Artur Papyan, a digital security consultant and journalist share their thoughts about the state of the media in Armenia, misinformation/disinformation, the need for media ownership transparency and self-regulation.

Emergency departments are on the frontline of medicine. Delivery of emergency medical services during disasters is critical especially for a country like Armenia. Dr. Sharon Chekijian, who is in Armenia on a Fulbright Scholar Program award from the Yale Department of Emergency Medicine, spoke to EVN Report about the current state of emergency medicine and her work in emergency systems and curriculum development in Armenia.

After a long ratification process, the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) came into force on March 1. Providing a broad framework for cooperation, the ultimate goal of CEPA is to improve Armenia-EU relations. In this podcast, Andrea Wiktorin, Ambassador of the European Union to Armenia speaks to EVN Report about the benefits of the agreement, the EU’s position leading up to the war and its role in Armenia’s post-war reality.

Co-founder and CEO of Expper Technologies Karen Khachikyan talks about Robin, the world’s first emotionally intelligent robot his company developed. Used in a number of pediatric units in Armenian and American hospitals, Robin helps children cope with the stress of having to undergo treatment and has even become a trusted member of the medical staff.

Writer, journalist, author and documentary filmmaker Olivia Katrandjian founded the International Armenian Literary Alliance to support and celebrate writers by fostering development and distribution of Armenian literature in the English language.

Nerses Kopalyan, Assistant Professor-in-Residence at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas argues that in post-war Armenia the political crisis is at the structural-institutional level specific to the political elite and not at the societal level as the lack of widespread support for the opposition has shown.

Last week, Armenia’s Government introduced Bill C-894 on reforming the Electoral Code, a process that had begun in the summer of 2018. Hamazasp Danielyan, a Member of Parliament from the ruling My Step faction and coordinator of the Working Group on Electoral Code Reforms spoke about the importance of ensuring the bill, through consensus, becomes law before the looming snap parliamentary elections in June.

Following the 2018 Velvet Revolution, a group of civic activists came together and formed the Citizen’s Decision Social Democratic Party. Gor Hakobyan, Secretary of the Executive Board of the party says their objective was to be part of the country’s political processes. He talks to EVN Report about the need to change the political culture in Armenia, especially in the current polarized political climate following the 2020 Artsakh War. Instead of finding solutions and devising strategies, the “two sides” are blaming one another, he says.

Inga Harutyunyan is the founder and executive director of Pahapan Development Foundation that implements sustainable projects in borderline regions, primarily in Tavush, to ensure economic prosperity, welfare and safety. She spoke about a number of their projects, including building playground shelters for children. Harutyunyan is also the advisor to the Governor of Tavush and explained how their model of coordinating development aid to mitigate overlaps and duplication has led to more efficient delivery of services.

Amalya Yeghoyan, Project Manager of Enterprise Incubator Foundation (EIF), speaks about a number of their programs including women’s entrepreneurship, programming courses for veterans of the 2020 Artsakh War and the recently launched Armenian Engineering City.

Arthur Khachatryan, a member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation’s Supreme Body says that the Homeland Salvation Movement, an alliance of opposition political parties that came together during the 2020 Artsakh War, will continue applying pressure, holdin

Edmon Marukyan, leader of the parliamentary opposition Bright Armenia Party speaks about the current political crisis in the country following Armenia’s defeat in the 2020 Artsakh War. He says that resolving the political crisis must be a priority before dealing with the humanitarian, social and economic crises.

Armen Orujyan, the founding CEO of the Foundation for Armenian Science and Technology (FAST) speaks about their initiative with Armenia’s Ministry of Defense called UNIT 1991. The program will provide people of conscription age with education and knowledge in data science and AI giving them the opportunity to be employed by the Defense Ministry in respective divisions or in leading high-tech enterprises.

In 2018, writer and journalist Valerie Manteau published a novel in French called “Le Sillon” dedicated to Hrant Dink who was assassinated in Istanbul in 2007 by a Turkish ultra-nationalist. Manteau, who was in Yerevan for the launch of the Armenian translation of her novel, spoke about the journey of finding Dink that took her from Marseilles to Istanbul.

Arman Tatoyan, Armenia’s Human Rights Defender spoke to EVN Report about Azerbaijan’s criminal politicization of the release and return of Armenia POWs following the 2020 Artsakh War; the gross violations of the rule of law and human rights in the demarcation process of Armenia’s borders with Azerbaijan; Armenophobia and hate speech at the state level in Azerbaijan; the fate of IDPs and the threat to Armenian historic, cultural and religious monuments now under Azerbaijani control.

Zara Amatuni, Communications Manager and Spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross spoke to EVN Report about the role of the ICRC during and after the 2020 Artsakh War, including retrieval and transfer of bodies, missing persons, prisoners of war and the challenges associated with these processes.

Haykak Arshamyan, the Executive Director of the Hayastan All Armenian Fund speaks to EVN Report about the Fund’s activities during the 2020 Artsakh War, lessons learned and the vision for the future.

Varujan Avedikian, CEO of the Insurance Foundation for Servicemen spoke to EVN Report about the need to ensure that soldiers and their families live a life of dignity after war. The Foundation’s mission is to insure the social well-being of soldiers injured while on active duty as well as supporting the families of soldiers who died while performing their duties.

HALO Trust is working to clear unexploded ordnance from schools, homes, gardens, fields and public spaces in Stepanakert and other towns and cities following the 2020 Artsakh War. Nick Smart, Regional Director, Europe for HALO Trust talks about the situation, the challenges and needs in the coming years to ensure the land is safe.

Armenia’s post-war recovery will be long and hard. It will be especially difficult for the returning soldiers, the wounded, the families who lost their sons, the families whose sons are missing or in Azerbaijani captivity. Today, more than ever, the mental health of the population needs to be an integral part of the recovery effort and healing process. Lilit Ghaghramanyan, a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist speaks about the programs, the challenges, needs and gaps in Armenia’s mental health care sector.

During the 2020 Artsakh War, Azerbaijani forces violated the rules of war and committed severe war crimes. International human rights lawyer, Ara Ghazaryan, who has taken numerous cases to the European Court of Human Rights, speaks about the nature of these crimes and what steps are being taken.

The past year has been extremely tumultuous for Armenia: from COVID-19 to the 2020 Artsakh War. In recent weeks Armenia's currency has fluctuated to the point that the Central Bank of Armenia was forced to intervene. EVN Report's Harout Manougian talks about his experience with the blips in the exchange rate.

As the Kashatagh region of Artsakh is scheduled to be handed over to Azerbaijan by December 1, people bid their farewell to centuries-old Armenian religious monuments.

This podcast was recorded before the trilateral agreement ending the Artsakh War became public on November 10. It is an honest reflection of what it means to cover a war as a journalist when you are a side to the conflict.

Tatevik Hayrapetyan, a Member of Parliament from the My Step faction and an expert on Azerbaijan spoke about how for the last three decades, the leadership of Azerbaijan has been preparing for war; the scale of direct Turkish military involvement in the war, turning the South Caucasus into a hotbed of terrorism and the very real fear of ethnic cleansing at the gates of Europe.

Irina Safaryan was born in a bunker during the First Karabakh War. Today, she is in Yerevan helping and assisting the women of Artsakh who were forced to flee the war launched by Azerbaijan a month ago. Leaving behind fathers, sons, husbands, brothers and their homes and lives, they are now holding rallies and protests in front of embassies and international organizations in Armenia’s capital demanding to be heard, demanding action, demanding the world’s condemnation. Irina is not only on the front lines with these women, she is one of the organizers.

David Barsamian of Alternative Radio speaks with Noam Chomsky, Institute Professor Emeritus at MIT about the Azerbaijani offensive in Artsakh, how the roots of the conflict stretch back through history when borders were drawn by powers pursuing their own self-interests and the need for international diplomacy. 

In Stepanakert, EVN Report’s Roubina Margossian spoke with Artsakh’s Ombudsman Artak Beglaryan about how the civilian population is being targeted by Azerbaijani forces, recent casualties, local and international journalists coming under fire, human rights violations and atrocities by the adversary and insufficient reaction and silence of the international community.

In Stepanakert, EVN Report's Roubina Margossian spoke with Armine Aleksyan, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh about the implications of Turkey's involvement, the arrival of mercenaries at the gates of Europe, the mandates of international organizations and their inaction and the need to look into history to understand the roots of the conflict.

Andre Gumuchdjian, a Belgian-Armenian philanthropist and entrepreneur was determined to eliminate his carbon footprint. That desire turned into My Forest Armenia, an initiative he launched two years ago with the ambitious mission of helping to increase Armenia’s forest cover by planting 400,000 trees a year.

Haik Kazarian, co-CEO and CMO of Smart Apaga, a private waste management service is filling a need in Yerevan - collecting and delivering plastic, paper and glass waste to a number of private recycling companies looking for recyclable material. Over 1000 households and organizations are currently using the services of Smart Apaga, which is also set to launch an app to ensure an even better customer experience and benefits.

Ani Avagyan, Director of the ROCHEMP Center for Cultural Heritage in Armenia spoke about the importance of the preservation of historic districts in contemporary global cities, the importance of properly restoring and preserving tangible cultural heritage and how education is the key.

Mariam Torosyan, Co-founder and CEO of Impact Innovations Institute speaks about an app they have developed called Safe YOU, which seeks to raise awareness, consult and empower women through community. It assists in the battle against gender-based violence in three important ways: prevention, protection and prosecution. 

Kayaneh Madzounian recently moved to Yerevan from Lebanon a few days after the catastrophic explosion at the port of Beirut on August 4. An expert in education, she spoke about being a child of the Civil War, the state of Armenian schools in Lebanon, living with trauma, preserving Western Armenian and more.

In the ensuing hours following the massive explosion in Beirut on August 4, the Howard Karagheusian Primary Health Care Center in Bourj Hammoud, treated 341 people while half the staff was clearing away the rubble and shattered glass from the damaged building. The director of the center, Serop Ohanian says being resilient is not easy but it is the only choice. And while it is anticipated that many people, especially the young, might leave the Armenian communities of the Middle East, Ohanian says the Center will always be there to take care of those left behind.

Gayane Vardanyan, a Yerevan City Councillor from the My Step faction spoke to EVN Report about some of the biggest challenges that city officials have had to deal with since coming to power almost two years ago from waste collection to replacing elevators.

Korioun Khatchadourian, the Managing Director of Children of Armenia Fund (COAF), spoke to EVN Report about their grassroots approach to development, their work in the border regions of Armenia and their COVID-19 response.

Bishop Bagrat Galstanyan, the Primate of the Diocese of Tavush speaks about the strength, patriotism and resilience of the people living in the border villages and towns along the Armenia-Azerbaijan state border. He says the imperative is to develop and strengthen infrastructure and institutions in Tavush and it is the responsibility of the Armenian nation to support them through investments and not only charity.

After Azerbaijani forces began shelling Armenian positions on the international border between the two countries on July 12, Azerbaijani hackers launched cyber attacks on a number of Armenian state and media websites and vice versa. Digital security consultant and co-founder of CyberHub Artur Papyan explains the logic, history and potential danger of this hybrid warfare.

Narek Manukyan, co-founder of Paradigma Educational Foundation speaks to EVN Report about “EdCamp Armenia” the first general education and teaching conference that took place online with the participation of thousands of teachers from across the country.

Dr. Suren Manukyan, Head of the new UNESCO Chair on Education and Prevention of Genocide and Other Atrocity Crimes at Yerevan State University (YSU) speaks about the establishment of the chair, the goals and objectives in raising awareness about genocides and contributing to the formation of global policies aimed at condemning and preventing genocides. Each year, UNESCO selects a number of projects in various countries to establish chairs that promote international inter-university cooperation and networking to enhance institutional capacities through knowledge sharing and collaborative work.  Since 2017, Dr. Manukyan has been the head of the Department of Genocide Studies at YSU, Institute for Armenian Studies, as well as head of the Department of Comparative Genocide Studies of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute (AGMI) since 2018. He served as Deputy Director of AGMI from 2007-2018 and is an adjunct lecturer at the American University of Armenia. 

Dr. Nerses Kopalyan puts the criminal case against Gagik Tsarukyan, leader of the opposition Prosperous Armenia Party into context and says that knowing the scope and depth of the case against him was serious, Tsarukyan went on the offensive by attacking the government so that once charges were filed, he could claim political persecution.

Egor Zaitsev, the World Health Organization Representative in Armenia says that the Armenian government’s decision to implement a lockdown was timely, however, the issue was with enforcement and lifting the lockdown too soon, especially when cases were increasing.

Boris Navasardyan, President of Yerevan Press Club spoke with EVN Report about the current media landscape, the politicization of the media since independence, challenges of misinformation and fake news especially in the midst of a global pandemic, media regulation and self-regulation and more.

Professor Philip Leach is the lead counsel in the ECHR case of Makuchyan and Minasyan v. Hungary and Azerbaijan. He spoke to EVN Report about the May 26 Chamber judgment, which found Azerbaijan in procedural violation of Article 2 (right to life) of the European Convention on Human Rights. The case involved the 2012 extradition to Azerbaijan of Ramil Safarov, who murdered Lt. Gurgen Margaryan in Budapest, Hungary in 2004. Safarov received a hero’s welcome in Baku, was granted a presidential pardon, received an apartment, was promoted to Major and received eight years worth of backpay. Phillip Leach is a professor of Human Rights Law at Middlesex University and the director of the European Human Rights Advocacy Center.

Founder and CEO of WineWorks, Vahe Keushguerian speaks about the impact of COVID-19 on Armenia’s wine industry and how it revealed trends in the consumption of wine. 

Sara Anjargolian, Chief of Staff of the Office of the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs spoke to EVN Report about how they are helping to pull in the invaluable resources of the Diaspora to assist local medical professionals battling on the front lines against COVID-19 in Armenia, highlighting the importance of a strong Armenia-Diaspora partnership.

While there might be an increasing appreciation in the world for Soviet modernist architecture and some surviving prominent examples in Armenia, the first in depth, multidisciplinary publication on Soviet Armenian modernism is about the city of Metsamor. A conversation with visual artist Katharina Roters and architect Sarhat Petrosyan about what makes Metsamor distinctive not only in Armenia but also in the world. 

UNDP Resident Representative Dmitry Mariyasin speaks about the 2019 Human Development Report, labor market gaps in Armenia, the importance of data collection in designing policy, how technology is changing the way we live, climate change and much more.

Like the rest of the country , EVN Report’s staff have been in self-quarantine for almost a month. We talk honestly about the challenges of working remotely while in isolation and having to be ready at any time of the day or night to report the news.

Tania Chichmanian, Executive Director of the Armenian Volunteer Corps (AVC), speaks about the work of her organization, how attitudes towards volunteerism are changing in Armenia and the impact volunteerism has on communities.

Ruzanna Safaryan, an expert in tech education and ecosystem development and head of the UNDP ImpactAim Accelerator program speaks to EVN Report about tech/IT education, their accelerator programs and about Armenian women in tech.

Egor Zaitsev, World Health Organization Representative in Armenia spoke to EVN Report about the situation of the coronavirus pandemic, what UN agencies in Armenia are doing to assist the government and what we should all be doing as part of our social responsibility to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Karena Avedissian, author of the White Paper, “Retraining Healthcare Professionals: Preventing the Institutionalization of Infants with Disabilities in Armenia” speaks to EVN Report about the necessity of training and working with medical staff in maternity wards to provide them with the proper tools to help parents make informed decisions.

Six women of different generations and backgrounds sit down together and discuss the significance of International Women's Day marked around the world on March 8. And we all work at EVN Report.

Armenia’s Minister of Health Arsen Torosyan speaks with EVN Report about actions and measures the Armenian government is taking to inform the population about the coronavirus, what they’re doing to contain the single case of the virus registered in the country and to ensure new cases are prevented.

Tsovinar Harutyunyan, the Assistant Representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) spoke to EVN Report about the demographic situation in Armenia, low fertility and high infertility rates, gender-based abortions and much more.

Maral Mikirditsian is the project manager of TUMO Studios, a free educational program for university-aged students and young professionals with a passion for craftsmanship and design. The innovative program holds educational workshops in fashion, jewelry, embroidery, pottery, printing, product design and the culinary arts.

Architect and planner Sarhat Petrosyan, the former head of the State Cadastre Committee, speaks to EVN Report about the need for reforms in the current model of construction and urban development governance, transparency, corruption risks and more.

Hayk Mkrtchyan of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports speaks about a new initiative to bring residents of different regions together to preserve and promote tangible and intangible cultural heritage, positioning museums in Armenia as centers of learning and much more.

Susanna Safaryan, head of Armenia’s Tourism Committee speaks about the successes, developments and challenges of the tourism sector, the different types of tourism available in the country, the importance of regional development and much more.

Defining Diaspora-Armenia relations and putting in place a mechanism which would be mutually beneficial to both the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian Diaspora has been a challenge since Armenia’s independence. Dr. Nerses Kopalyan’s White Paper, “Changing the Paradigm in Armenia-Diaspora Relations: State-Centered Institutions and Transnational Governance” deals with this very issue and takes a look at who and in what capacity should organize these multilayered relations.

Poghos Shahinyan, head of the National Road Safety Council of Armenia speaks to EVN Report about the increasing number of traffic accidents, lack of road safety knowledge and a new point system for Armenian drivers.

Emil Gevorgyan, who is a regular contributor to EVN Report, speaks about the government’s new agricultural strategy, the importance of the agricultural sector to Armenia’s development and more.

EVN Report speaks with lawmakers about the challenges and successes parliament has registered this past year. Member of Parliament Maria Karapetyan of the ruling My Step faction reflects on transparency and accountability, reforms and the need for a cultural transformation.

EVN Report speaks with lawmakers about the challenges and successes parliament has registered this past year. Member of Parliament Mane Tandilyan of the Bright Armenia faction reflects on a parliament struggling with lack of experience, the impact of social media and the critical role women are playing.

Information security expert and co-founder of civicert.am Samvel Martirosyan speaks about a new bill that if adopted would oblige all Internet Service providers in Armenia to collect and store data on their subscribers and more.

Ashot Sargsyan, the co-author of EVN Report's White Paper "Volunteering in Armenia: Key Issues and Challenges" speaks about the potential of volunteerism as a community building tool, a force capable of bringing about change and sustaining developmental goals when the country is short of manpower. Sargsyan also speaks about the need to promote volunteerism and establish regulations that will protect the volunteer and acknowledge his/her input. 

Tuomas Tuure is the Advocacy Officer of the Abilis Foundation, a Finnish organization working on development aid for people with disabilities. Tuure, who has worked on international disability rights for over a decade, spoke with EVN Report about self-advocacy for people with disabilities and the need for a holistic approach by all state institutions to ensure accessibility and inclusivity.

Melissa Bilal, an ethnomusicologist and assistant professor at the American University of Armenia spoke to EVN Report about Armenian feminists from the 19th and 20th centuries in the Ottoman Empire. Bilal is an author, co-author and editor of a number of books and publications on Armenian feminist writers. Together with Professor Lerna Ekmekcioglu of MIT, Bilal launched the Annual Feminist Armenian Studies Workshop and founded the Feminist Armenian Research Collective (FemArc).

Philanthropist and entrepreneur James Tufenkian speaks about his work in Armenia since the early days of independence, life after the Velvet Revolution, being active in a democracy and his new project in Armenia’s wine country.

Shushan Doydoyan, president of the Freedom of Information Center talks to EVN Report about the polarized media landscape in Armenia and the need for transparency of media ownership and ethical journalism.

For his PhD thesis at Oxford, Hrag Papazian looked into the understanding of Armenian identity and Armenianness in Turkey, namely the Christian Armenians, the migrant community from the Republic of Armenia and the Muslim and Alevi Armenians. Papazian says the constructs of identity between these three Armenian communities do not coincide and can often be contradictory.

Armen Grigoryan, Secretary of Armenia's Security Council spoke to EVN Report about the ongoing Turkish military operation in northeastern Syria, the situation of the Armenians in the affected area including the humanitarian mission composed of Armenian doctors and deminers and the responsibility of the state. 

Singer/songwriter Alin Demirdjian came to Armenia from Argentina with a mission - to record one song in each province, including the provinces of Artsakh. Alin speaks to EVN Report about her journey.

Anoush Baghdassarian, the co-creator of Rerooted, a digital archive that preserves testimonies of Syrian-Armenians who fled the conflict in Syria, speaks to EVN Report in this week’s podcast.

Dr. Fernando Casal Bertoa, Associate Professor at the School of Politics and International Relations at the University of Nottingham, an expert in political party regulations and Hamazasp Danielyan, Member of Parliament, who is coordinating the Electoral Reform Working Group in parliament speak to EVN Report about political party financing, Electoral Code reform and more.

Hasmik Movsisian had the idea to create an online space that would bring together Armenian musicians and musicians who perform Armenian music or play traditional Armenian instruments. However, the initiative soon grew out of its original concept and now Music of Armenia has gone from organizing festivals, to becoming a production company to joining UNESCO’s International Music Council.

Varant Meguerditchian, the Executive Director of the Mining Legislation Reform Institute spoke to EVN Report about the weak laws regulating mining in the country, the impacts on communities and the environment and the critical need to reform the Armenian mining sector through legislation.

Talin Hitik, a lawyer based in Chicago recently established the Armenia Center for Dispute Resolution, the mission of which is to build capacity in alternative dispute resolution (ADR) in Armenia and establish a state-of-the art ADR hearing center in Yerevan. She and Nayiri Boghossian, partner in Al Owais, an arbitration and commercial dispute law firm based in Dubai speak to EVN Report about the necessity of ADR as a response to the deficiencies in the current functioning of Armenia's judicial system.

Nairi Krafian is the Founder of Oknooshoon (from the Armenian for “help” and “dog”) an organization that has set out to not only challenge the way animals are viewed in Armenia but also help people struggling with different challenges to get the opportunity to benefit from dog therapy. Oknooshoon's mission is also to set the gold standard for therapy dogs that other countries would want to model; Krafian believes the concept of “good enough for Armenia” is not an acceptable approach any longer.

Lusine Saghumyan, the author of EVN Report's White Paper "Future Prospects for Foster Care for Children With Disabilities" speaks about the need to develop policies and mechanisms aimed at providing specialized foster care for abandoned children with disabilities.

A newly released audit report about the Amulsar gold mine sparked protests in Armenia. Anna Shahnazaryan, a member of the Environmental Front Civic Initiative, who took part in the protest in Yerevan today, spoke to EVN Report about their concerns regarding the potential detrimental impact of the mine on Armenia's ecology.

Areg Gevorgyan, CEO of Innovative Solutions and Technology Center (ISTC) speaks to EVN Report about their mission in identifying problems in higher education, modernizing IT curricula and working with different universities to cover the gaps in the technology ecosystem in Armenia. The center also works on challenges facing the IT/High-Tech workforce in Armenia, the creation of viable IT startups and how to transition Armenia into a regional IT/High-Tech center of excellence.

To understand the threats to Armenia’s forests and issues that need to be managed and understood if Armenia wants to rapidly increase its forest cover, EVN Report spoke with Alen Amirkhanian, the director of the Acopian Center for the Environment about policy failures, conservation and protection, reforestation, afforestation and the potential role of protected areas in the development of tourism in Armenia.

Archaeologist Dr. Lori Khatchadourian spoke with EVN Report about her current archaeological and ethnographic research in Armenia that focuses on the afterlife of socialist modernity, focusing on the forces shaping industrial ruination. Khatchadourian is an Associate Professor in the Department of Near Eastern Studies at Cornell University, the co-director of a long-term field project in Armenia called the Project for the Archaeology and Geography of Ancient Transcaucasian Societies (Project ArAGATS), co-director of Cornell's Landscapes and Objects Laboratory and co-founder and co-director of the Aragats Foundation.

Armenia has a waste management crisis. Harutyun Alpetyan, the lead expert for the AUA Acopian Center for the Environment’s Waste Governance in Armenia program, spoke to EVN Report about the development of a national solid waste governance policy, strategy and roadmap based on the principles of a circular economy.

World renowned violinist Sergey Khachatryan and his spouse Angela Garcia Lopez talk to EVN Report about their shared passion for music and Armenia, the need for a change in mentality, education, work ethic and much more.

There are a host of problems and challenges with the healthcare sector in Armenia. Some of those include the double burden of disease, a surplus of doctors and surgeons (including more MRI machines in Yerevan than in some European cities) on the one hand, but poor health outcomes on the other; issues with health infrastructure, human resources, public health, medical education and the fact that less than 1.5 percent of GDP is spent on healthcare in the country. Pediatric surgeon and Assistant Professor of Surgery at UCLA, Dr. Shant Shekherdimian speaks with EVN Report's Maria Titizian about some of these issues and more.

EVN Report editorial board member Sara Anjargolian speaks to Nermine Mitry, a former diplomat turned visual storyteller & food writer about the healing power of food and her experience working with the Syrian-Armenian community in Armenia. Check out Nermine's food blog to learn more.

The first Workshop on Graphs, Combinatorics and Probability took place in Armenia. Mathematicians from all over the world participated in the workshop the purpose of which was to collaborate on solving open problems in mathematics, in particular, in the area of combinatorics and graph theory. EVN Report’s Maria Titizian spoke with two of the organizers, Liana Yepremyan, Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Oxford and Perouz Taslakian, Applied Research Scientist at Element AI and former Chair of Computational Sciences Program at the American University of Armenia.

Board member of the National Democratic Institute and former DNC Chairman Governor Howard Dean speaks with EVN Report's Maria Titizian about the need for idealism in politics, the role of women and the importance of an engaged populace.

Author of EVN Report's White Paper "Transitional Justice Agenda for the Republic of Armenia," Dr. Nerses Kopalyan speaks about the imperative of transitional justice to help heal Armenian society and restore trust and faith in institutions.

 Lab Lead for Armenia National SDG Innovation Lab Stepan Margaryan speaks with EVN Report's Maria Titizian. Created in 2016, the National SDG Innovation Lab is a joint venture of the Armenian Government and the UN Office in Armenia, supported by the UNDP with the mission to accelerate the implementation of the UN's sustainable development goals.