On August 28, 2010, Policy Forum Armenia (PFA) presented its State of the Nation Report on “Armenia-Diaspora Relations: 20 Years since Independence” in Glendale. Inaugurated at a high-profile event in Washington, DC on February 28, 2010, the Report came a few weeks after the signing of the Armenian-Turkish protocols on October 10, 2009. It offers a critical assessment of the 20 or so years of engagement between Armenia and the Diaspora and provides recommendations for the future.

Presenting in Glendale Public Library were Dr. David Grigorian, a Senior Economist at the International Monetary Fund, and Professor Asbed Kotchikian, a Political Science Lecturer at Bentley University, both Senior Fellows at Policy Forum Armenia. The event also featured commentaries on the Report from Dr. Seta Melkonian, president of the Monte Melkonian foundation; Sara Anjargolian, Esq., LA-based attorney and photographer;  and Dr. Joseph Kechichian, editor of the Journal of the Society for Armenian Studies. Presentations and subsequent question and answer session were moderated by Mrs. Sylva Natalie Manoogian, an International library consultant and President of the Shahan Natalie Family Foundation.

Presenters started off by providing a historical excurse into Diaspora’s formation and a background of the relationship between Armenia and the Diaspora. They then discussed the developments in bilateral relations between the two halves of the nation since Armenia’s independence and conjectured that a drift in relations may have started as early as the inception of Armenia’s independent movement in 1988. Having set the stage, the presenters then offered an overview of Diaspora’s engagement in Armenia on three critical dimensions: economic development, governance and public sector reform, and civil society strengthening. While acknowledging the enormous effort required and the sacrifices made to support Armenia during early years of independence, presenters echoed the Report’s criticism of what has been achieved on these important dimensions and provided reasons behind this outcome.

On the direct economic assistance measure, presenters noted that general lack of political will and the state capture in Armenia have prevented a true economic integration between the Diaspora and the republic. Diaspora’s development agenda in Armenia remains weak or non-existent; it has largely ignored the realm of developing independent and credible public policy advice; and its inability to set up institutional vehicles for investment in Armenia is most unfortunate. Presenters went on to argue that not only has the Diaspora not been able to raise any sizable amount of development-intensive money itself to channel to Armenia, it is yet to play a catalytic role in attracting other, non-Diaspora, investments to Armenia.

On indirect economic assistance, presenters produced a chart depicting a declining US government assistance to Armenia on the backdrop of an increasing assistance to Azerbaijan until 2006. They conjectured that while this trend reflects the overall shift in Washington’s attitude away from Armenia and its prioritization of foreign aid, it may also reflect: (1) the preferences of Diaspora lobbying groups, which appear to place more emphasis on Genocide recognition than assistance to Armenia, (2) the perceived need for that assistance on the ground in Armenia, given the Armenian budget’s improved capacity to provide goods and services, and (3) the declining influence of Diaspora lobbying groups.

Presenters then tackled issues related to governance and civil service reform, as key ingredients for development and growth, as well as issues related to strengthening civil society. They found that on these two important dimensions the Diaspora has failed the test by neglecting the importance of these factors for progress and development. The Report’s assessment of the failure on the global scale to bring the two halves of the nation together was perhaps best described in the following statement:

"The successive administrations in Armenia since independence have effectively stripped the nation of the rewards for its victories: the modern-day examples of audacity, perseverance, and success of unseen proportions. Something that could have empowered and served the foundation for the “new history,” has been turned into a liability of major proportions. The Diaspora did not seem to mind that: the “old history” was still too strong in their minds and hearts and they were not about to let that be replaced by something else. An opportunity given to the nation by its best—the Leonids, Montes, Shahens, and Tatouls of the world and countless others, who still carry the wounds of the Karabakh war and the memories of the short but epic reconstruction that followed—was effectively allowed to be lost by politicians in Armenia and largely unsuspecting-but-effectively-complicit Diaspora."

In their closing remarks, presenters discussed the concept of collective action outlined in detail in the Report and what specific application it can have in the context of Armenia-Diaspora relations. They drew a roadmap for formation of a trans-Armenian institution capacble of internalizing problems described throughout the Report and outlined the basic principles and structure for such an organization.

The three discussants whose remarks followed next commented on specific aspects of the report but also offered general observation on the topic form their own experience. Whether it was Anjargolian, showing the poverty facing residents of Armenia; Dr. Kechichian, describing the diversity of the Diaspora as a source of development and prosperity for Armenia; or Dr. Melkonian discussing the deteriorating relations between residents of Armenia and ordinary Diasporans, they all found the Report useful and constructive in its criticism and recommendations. The discussants agreed that while the Diaspora acted as a backbone to the Armenian statehood during the earthquake in 1989 and the Artsakh’s war of Independence, it has subsequently turned a blind-eye on corruption and poor governance practices in Armenia.

Discussants conferred that many in the Diaspora remain committed to building stronger ties between the Diaspora and Armenia. Going forward, political, economic, and cultural ties with the country would strengthen Diaspora Armenians’ sense of identity and belonging. And while true integration requires trust and years of meticulous work, it is time for the nation to take steps in this direction to avoid new dividing lines with potentially devastating and irreversible consequences. As Anjargolian stated, the existing disconnect between Armenia and the Diaspora is preventing the latter from shaping Armenia’s future. Overcoming Armenia’s challenges would require strong efforts by both the state and the Diaspora and the time to act is now.

Question and answer session followed all five presentations and focused inter alia on issues of human rights abuses in Armenia, challenges of economic development, Diaspora leadership problems, the capacity of Diaspora organizations to innovate and promote change, poverty and migration, etc. The discussions continued at a reception at Abril bookstore. Over 80 participants attended the presentation.

The Report’s presentation was sponsored by ARKA International, Ecumenos Design Studios, Fortune Vodka, Shahan Natalie Family Foundation, Veratarts TV and Abril Books. 

Glendale presentation in pictures

Power Point Presentation 

Biographies of panelists

Sylva Natalie Manoogian specializes in information institutions, resources, and services to culturally and linguistically diverse communities in dispersion, with particular focus on international librarianship, Armenian culture and identity - subjects about which she has written and lectured extensively. Her global linkages, varied professional experiences, and innovative approaches to multilingual library and community services have been rewarded with several prestigious local, regional, national and international awards. As an independent library consultant to Armenian libraries in Diaspora and the Republic of Armenia, she has developed and utilized a distinctive practical and critical lens to initiate research, contribute to scholarship, and mentor future generations of information professionals. Mrs. Manoogian is the President and CEO of the Shahan Natalie Family Foundation, a California public benefit corporation (also registered in Armenia), to perpetuate the indomitable ideologue's national, literary, and public legacy through educational, intellectual, and humanitarian activism.

David A. Grigorian is a Senior Economist at the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) Monetary and Capital Markets Department in Washington, DC and a co-founder of, and a Senior Fellow at, Policy Forum Armenia. He received his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Maryland at College Park (2001); MA in Economics, Central European University, Prague (1995); MSc in Industrial Engineering from the American University of Armenia, Yerevan (1994); and MSc equivalent in Systems Engineering, Polytechnic Institute of Yerevan (1992). Prior to joining the IMF, he worked at the World Bank’s Europe and Central Asia region. Dr. Grigorian specializes in macroeconomics, finance, and development and has published refereed articles on growth and institutions, prices and fiscal policy, remittances, capital markets, and banking.

Asbed Kotchikian (Ph.D., Boston University, 2006) is a lecturer in political science at Bentley University and a Senior Fellow at Policy Forum Armenia. Before joining Bentley, he was the Assistant Director of International Affairs Program at Florida State University where he taught courses in Eurasian and Middle Eastern politics. He spent two years (2000-2002) in Armenia and Georgia, where he conducted research and was a visiting lecturer in political science and international relations at local universities. Prof. Kotchikian has written, lectured and organized conferences, and has delivered presentations on topics such as foreign policies of small and weak states, national identity, and regional developments in the Middle East and Eurasia within academic and public venues in the South Caucasus, Middle East, US and Europe. He is currently the editor of the academic peer reviewed journal, Armenian Review.

Seta Melkonian is a Founder and President of the Monte Melkonian Benevolent Organization, a non-profit charity that helps the neediest of the needy in Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh. She holds a Ph.D. in Armenian Literature from Yerevan State University, Armenia. For several years she taught Armenian language at University of Michigan Summer Program and at UC Berkeley. She has translated, edited and published several writings by Monte Melkonian. With Dr. Markar Melkonian she co-authored the book “My Brother’s Road” the life story of Monte Melkonian. She resides in Central California.

Sara Anjargolian is a Los Angeles-based photographer and attorney. She graduated summa cum laude from UCLA with a B.A. in Political Science/Public Policy, and then went on to law school at U.C. Berkeley’s Boalt Hall, graduating in 2000 with a Juris Doctor degree. After admission to the California Bar, Sara joined the Justice Department in Washington, D.C. where she served as a trial lawyer. In 2002, Sara moved to Armenia on a Fulbright scholarship. Sara served as Associate Professor and Assistant Dean at the American University of Armenia law department where she focused on the changing role of women in post-Soviet transitional societies. She published her research in the book "The State of Law in the South Caucasus," a Palgrave Macmillan publication. Since her return to Los Angeles, Sara’s photography has been featured in numerous exhibitions and presentations.

Joseph A. Kéchichian is the editor of the Journal of the Society for Armenian Studies and a syndicated columnist based at Gulf News in Dubai. Dr. Kéchichian received his Ph.D. in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia in 1985, where he also taught (1986-1988), and assumed the assistant deanship in international studies (1988-1989). He is an author of ten books, most recent of which include Faysal: Saudi Arabia’s King for All Seasons (2008), Power and Succession in Arab Monarchies (2008), and Political Participation and Stability in the Sultanate of Oman (2005). The author of numerous chapters in edited books and in refereed journals, his most recent essay is on “Armenia and the Gulf States: Foreign Policy Fundamentals and Choices,” in Marat Terterov (ed.), Russian and CIS Relations with the Gulf States: Current Trends and Economic Dynamics.