Dr. Raffi Philllipe Kalfayan is a lawyer in international public law, an associate researcher in Paris Pantheon Assas University and the former Secretary General of the International Federation of Human Rights. In this conversation with CivilNet, he shares his professional insights about the legal intricacies of the detention of military and political leaders from Artsakh. He discusses the serious allegations made against these prisoners of war, the violation of their rights, the motivations behind Azerbaijan’s actions, and the international community’s role in influencing their release.
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Foster Families: The Future of Care in Armenia
By Sophie Holloway “Vahan ran up to me, he seemed to think I was his mother,” says Knarik Yesayan, orphanage worker and foster mother to twins, Vahan and Vahe. “And so everything was decided on that very first day.” Foster care emerged as a state-sponsored alternative to institutionalised care in Armenia in the early 2000s as a solution to overcrowding in orphanages. Today, approximately 900 children are looked after by the state. A further 170 children live with foster families – and this figure is expected to grow. Foster care differs from adoption in that it is only a temporary […]
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Unpacking the US-Armenia strategic partnership
During the last days of the Biden administration, the United States has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Armenia. We are joined by Benyamin Poghosyan, senior research fellow at the Yerevan-based APRI Armenia think tank, to discuss what the agreement means for the countries’ deepening relationship. In addition, Poghosyan looks ahead to the incoming Trump administration’s foreign policy and how it could affect the South Caucasus region.
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An Unflattering Charter: The Pashinyan Government Under Scrutiny
Op-ed by Vartan Oskanian, Armenia’s former foreign minister (1998-2008) The signing of the Strategic Partnership Charter between the Republic of Armenia and the United States on January 14 might initially seem like a significant milestone. However, this document is less a celebration of bilateral progress and more an indictment of the Pashinyan government’s shortcomings. The timing of the Charter is particularly questionable. Coming at the tail end of the Biden administration, it appears rushed and largely symbolic, lacking the weight of a genuine commitment to addressing Armenia’s challenges. Rather than presenting a robust blueprint for future cooperation, the Charter reads […]
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Armenia and United States sign historic strategic partnership charter
In a ceremony held at the U.S. State Department in Washington, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan signed the “Strategic Partnership Charter,” marking a significant milestone in bilateral relations. The comprehensive partnership, as outlined by Secretary Blinken, rests on four main pillars: economic cooperation, security and defense collaboration, democratic development, and people-to-people exchanges. A key economic highlight is the upcoming negotiations for a “123 Agreement,” establishing a legal framework for peaceful nuclear cooperation, including transferring nuclear materials, equipment, and technology under strict security protocols. On security matters, Blinken announced that a U.S. Customs and Border […]
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Pashinyan’s one-man rule threatens Armenia’s democratic development
By Aram Tadevosyan Armenia entered a phase of democratic transition in 2018, marking some initial achievements – particularly two nationwide elections that were notably free and competitive. However, the country’s democratic consolidation faces significant challenges, primarily stemming from Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s increasingly personalistic style of governance. Democratic theorists, including Samuel Huntington, consider the peaceful transfer of power between different political forces through free and transparent elections at least twice a key indicator of democratic consolidation. Armenia has yet to achieve even a single peaceful transfer of power through elections. Moreover, in the Armenian context, it’s difficult to envision a […]
