EVN Talks

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.