EVN Talks

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.