EVN Talks

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.