Anthony Barsamian, the co-chair of the Armenian Assembly of America, speaks to CivilNet about the changing strategies of the non-partisan Washington-based lobbying group, and their activities during and since the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war. Mr. Barsamian also discusses the recent news that USAID will provide $120 million in assistance to Armenia, the tactics of the Azerbaijani and Turkish lobbying groups in DC, and the changing nature of the Armenian community in the US.
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Trade war fears grow as Armenian trucks pile up at
Hundreds of Armenian trucks remain stalled at a key border crossing between Georgia and Russia, prompting Yerevan to take the rare step of calling an emergency meeting of a Moscow-led trade bloc. A prolonged closure of the Upper Lars checkpoint would have disastrous effects for Armenia’s economy, experts have warned. Credits: Ruptly
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What will it take to have a landmine-free South Caucasus?
Benyamin Poghosyan is the Chairman of the Center for Political and Economic Strategic Studies, an organization that has been working with the EU-supported Links Europe organization since 2019 to implement their annual Landmine Free South Caucasus campaigns. On November 30, acknowledged as the “day of solidarity with victims of landmines and their communities,” CivilNet spoke with Benyamin about the challenges the initiative faces, especially when it comes to the politicized nature of the landmine issue, which often overlooks the most affected communities.
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Thanksgiving and Mourning
By Skylar Yoder While thanksgiving is traditionally a North American holiday, I had the pleasure of celebrating it in Armenia this year. At CivilNet, several of my colleagues went out of their way to prepare a Thanksgiving feast for the office, which happened to coincide with my last day in Yerevan and a period of deep sorrow for Armenians everywhere. The meal itself was highly impressive, with us somehow collectively supplying in one day’s time: ten kilos of Turkey, rice pilaf, roasted vegetables, cranberry sauce, and even apple pie with vanilla ice cream. While this alone was an experience, what […]
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IWAY: Impactful Work in Armenia’s Rural Communities
In this Interview, host Patrick Elliott sits down with Victoria Kasabyan, the President of Yerevan-based IWAY NGO. Kasabyan shares how their projects provide funding, renovatinos and community building for women in Armenia’s remote border villages. She also discusses IWAY’s upcoming Christmas bazaar fundraiser, the proceeds from which will support the expansion of their initiatives.
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Ilham, Thou Protest Too Much
This week on Insights, host Eric Hacopian analyzes Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s unprecedented eight-hour marathon question and answer session with the public. He discusses what it shows about Armenia’s democratic development and priorities. Eric then looks at the reactions from Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev regarding Armenia’s military acquisitions. Hacopian provides context and insights into the strategic communications behind these political dynamics unfolding in the South Caucasus.
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Poverty in Armenia declines, but so does disposable personal income
By Ani Avetisyan In 2022, the level of poverty in Armenia, calculated according to the average poverty line, was 24.8%, compared to 26.5% of the previous year and decreased by 1.7%. In 2020, the figure stood at 27%. The level of extreme poverty was 1.2%, compared to 1.5% the previous year, falling by 0.3%, according to the Statistical Committee, “Social picture of Armenia and poverty, 2023”. The figure for extreme poverty was more encouraging in 2020 — 0.7%. More poor people live in the rural areas, the report shows. The poverty rate in the urban areas is 22.1%, and 29.0% […]
