Vartan Oskanian was a guest on the Al Jazeera English Broadcast's weekly Counting the Cost program, hosted by Kamahl Santamaria. The November 26 program was entitled The Euro Trigger and examined Armenia's export woes and challenges of economic diversification, Hungary's dealings with the IMF, and the role of the Eurozone crisis and Russia's economic ups and downs in global economic developments.
Last year, right around this time, Ragip Zarakolu was in Armenia at the invitation of European Armenian Federation. He came to Civilitas and met with fellow writers, publishers and students to speak about his work as a publisher, and a human rights activist. For him, the two have been inseparable. The books that his Belge Publishing House have produced over the last two decades are books which describe the abrogation of human rights for various groups – Armenians, Assyrians, Kurds, and others, who continue to suffer from the Turkish government’s inability to enter the modern era.
Civilitas staff member Greg Bilazarian is featured in an article by Ben Hartman in the August 15th issue of The Jerusalem Post about Birthright Armenia program. Greg began as a Birthright Intern, and is now an invaluable part of the CivilNet staff. Read the full article below.
- You have followed the entire process of the Karabakh conflict negotiations and you know about the processes connected thereto. Do you think that the announcement of OSCE MG co-chair countries’ presidents in Deauville may support the execution of the peace agreement on Karabakh conflict as the Ambassador of France to Armenia Henri Reynaud has said?
- There have been thousands of statements like that. Personally I don’t believe that it will be possible to crack the negotiations because there are disagreements between the parties and it will be difficult to agree upon those issues.
Civilitas analyst Tatul Hakobyan was the guest of the “Question of the Country” (Yerkri Harc) talk show on Yerkir Media TV on Thursday, June 16th. The discussion evolved around the recent developments surrounding Karabagh conflict resolution. Mr. Hakobyan noted that Armenia is now in a weaker position around the negotiation table as related to domestic situation, public support, economy and other factors. He also elaborated on the history of negotiations and provided a brief analysis of what possible concessions entail. “The final agreement should be formulated in a very clear and strong manner so that sides cannot overlook their obligations,” said Mr. Hakobyan.
This week V. Oskanian was interviewed by “Mediamax” news agency and “168 hours” weekly. The interview with “Mediamax” news agency covered the issues relating to the Key West negotiations, the atmosphere and obstacles of the negotiation process, while the interview with “168 hours” weekly was dedicated to the issues of political monopolies, Armenia`s political and economic situation.
Vartan Oskanian was the guest of Aram Abrahamyan’s PS Interview program, on the A1plus internet channel on Thursday, March 31. The interview covered a host of topics including the dangers of political monopoly, Armenia’s economic dilemmas, and the efficacy of Armenia’s political institutions. Oskanian had recently published an article in Aravot Daily, edited by Abrahamyan on the topic, and the discussion revolved around the acute need for newly defined policy to support economic growth and rein in the continuing slump. Other questions, including those from the public included domestic issues, Nagorno Karabakh, genocide recognition, political engagement, and foreign policy.
The recent legislative initiatives undertaken by the government to contain inflation showed that the government is not ready to, or even worse, does not want to implement radical reforms. Inflation is not the only challenge confronting our government today. It is merely a result of a range of economic issues that need to be directly addressed. Four urgent steps should be taken to surpass the current deadlock.
Vartan Oskanian, former foreign minister and president of the Civilitas Board, will be featured in a regular Civilitas interview on issues of the day. Today, he speaks about inflation, the government's new draft law on trade and services, emigration, its effect on economic growth, monopolies, and their adverse effect on the natural development of an open market. The interviews will expose current issues of concern to the ordinary Armenian while offering a thoughtful contribution to the main discussion and highlighting priority areas for the public to deliberate.
Recently, Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobian appealed to Armenian youth around the world to come and serve in Armenia’s army, as is done in Israel. In an interview with Capital Daily, Salpi Ghazarian, Director of the Civilitas Foundation, says that so long as there is no general vision for Armenia-Diaspora relations, and no ideological underpinning, no individual program can succeed.
With the support of Norwegian and German governments, a few months ago the Civilitas Foundation began to conduct polls throughout Armenia. The results of the polls will be made available to the media and will serve as the topic of public discussions.
The project goal is to stimulate the development and transformation of Armenian society into a functioning polity by promoting a healthy political discourse on the key developmental issues of the country, through the creation of a forum of discussions.
The Civilitas Foundation Library -- a collection of political, historic and philosophical works -- open to all who need it. Do you want to donate a volume? See the Civilitas Amazon wish list.
Civil.am - your guide to civil society activity in Armenia - is a project of the Civilitas Foundation. Take a closer look to better understand what is already being done. Identify potential partners and cooperation possibilities. Support existing programs to increase efficiency. Encourage new programs to foster development.