In “Before I Forget: A Memoir (and Then Some),” Aram Saroyan remembers his beginnings in Manhattan, Los Angeles, London and Bolinas. The son of the beloved author William Saroyan and stepson of Walter Matthau, he probes the fallout of his father and mother’s broken marriage and lessons gleaned in their wake.

Saroyan paints a series of scenarios that impacted his life: An eight-year-old is cast out on the comic sea of Beverly Hills in the 50s. A young man encounters fame working with photographer Richard Avedon and a revolving list of models, including Marilyn Monroe. A journey to nurture his own authentic, original literary voice finds love and support when least expected, balancing the prickle of critical controversy. Here is a multifaceted artist’s valedictory.

The book includes 20 rare photos from the author’s personal archive and two narrative novellas that frame Saroyan’s life in literature with imaginative reflections and sharp emotional insight.

Reviews

“One of the last living witnesses to the age of Jack Kerouac and the road trips of postwar American performance, Saroyan offers brief essays on the lives and loves of the era. . . . A vivid recollection of an age when every day could be a dream.” — Kirkus Reviews 

“Aram Saroyan bullets the memoir formula the way he busted up poetics with his minimalist poems, on which, not so incidentally, he dallies in this resilient, often hilarious sketchbook of a brilliantly impudent multidisciplinary journey.” — Ellen Sander, author of “Hawthorne, A House in Bolinas and Trips, Rock Life in the Sixties”

Aram Saroyan is a poet and author best known for his minimalist poems. His Complete Minimal Poems received the 2008 William Carlos Williams Award from the Poetry Society of America. He is featured in the documentary film “One Quick Move or I’m Gone: Jack Kerouac at Big Sur,” and his comments appear in the oral biographies “George Being George: George Plimpton’s Life and Salinger.” He is the author of “Still Night in L.A.,” “Trio,” and the true crime Literary Guild selection “Rancho Mirage,” as well as many other books of prose and poetry. He lives in Newport Beach.

Shahé Mankerian is principal of St. Gregory Hovsepian School in Pasadena and director of mentorship at the International Armenian Literary Alliance. A former co-director of the Los Angeles Writing Project, he is the author of “History of Forgetfulness” (2021), a semifinalist for the Khayrallah Prize and finalist for several national poetry awards.

Literary Lights 2026 is a monthly reading series organized by the International Armenian Literary Alliance, the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research, and the Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center. Each event — held online or in person — features a writer reading from their work, followed by a discussion with an interviewer and audience members. Read along with the series by purchasing Before I Forget and more titles at IALA’s Bookshop.org storefront. 

Missed the last Literary Lights 2026 event featuring Naira Kuzmich’s novel Fearcatcher? Watch the full recording here. 

The post Literary Lights 2026 to feature Aram Saroyan  appeared first on The Armenian Weekly.

Titled “A Church Under Siege: Armenia’s Unlawful Campaign to Silence the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church,” the August 2026 report was authored by John Eibner, Ph.D.; Joel Veldkamp, Ph.D.; and Peter Flew, Ph.D., as part of AMISP’s Policy Recommendation Series. 

The 32-page report examines the Church’s status under Armenia’s constitution, domestic law, and the European Convention on Human Rights and assesses recent government actions against those legal standards. It argues that efforts to interfere in the internal governance of the Church, including attempts to remove Catholicos Karekin II, the detention and prosecution of senior clergy and efforts to encourage internal divisions, represent impermissible state interference in religious autonomy. 

“The significance of this issue extends well beyond the relationship between the government and the Church,” the report states in substance. The AAHC remains one of Armenia’s most historically important and publicly trusted institutions, with recent polling cited in the report showing 77.7% of respondents expressing a positive view of the Church. The authors argue that weakening the independence of such an institution has broader consequences for pluralism, civil society, democratic checks on political authority and Armenia’s national cohesion. 

The white paper traces the deterioration of church-state relations back to the early period following the 2018 Velvet Revolution and documents what it calls a gradual progression from the political and rhetorical marginalization of the Church to direct challenges to its leadership and institutional autonomy. It examines the arrests and detentions of prominent clerics and lay supporters and contends that, viewed collectively, these actions constitute a targeted pattern rather than isolated law enforcement matters. 

Of particular concern, the report analyzes the government’s stated national security and political justifications against the standards set out in Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The authors conclude that Armenian authorities have not demonstrated the legal necessity or proportionality required to justify state interference with the internal affairs of a religious organization. European human rights jurisprudence, the report notes, places particular importance on religious communities’ ability to govern themselves without arbitrary state intervention. 

The report also places the dispute within a broader debate over Armenia’s national direction. It examines Prime Minister Pashinyan’s “Real Armenia” concept and raises concerns that efforts to redefine Armenian national identity, revise the constitution and diminish the public role of the Church could weaken institutions that have historically connected the Republic of Armenia with the wider Armenian nation and diaspora. The authors further argue that these developments should be considered in the context of ongoing pressure from Azerbaijan and Turkey, as well as the post-2020 transformation of Armenia’s security environment. 

The white paper is especially critical of the limited response from Western governments and institutions. While Armenia’s democratic development and closer relations with Europe and the United States have received considerable Western support, the authors contend that religious freedom, institutional autonomy and rule-of-law standards must be applied consistently, including when violations are alleged by a government viewed as geopolitically aligned with the West. 

The report also highlights five policy priorities previously advanced by Christian Solidarity International for Armenia’s post-election government: respect the religious freedom and autonomy of the Armenian Apostolic Church; work for the unconditional release of Armenian Christian hostages held in Baku; advocate for preservation of Armenian Christian heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh; release political prisoners in Armenia; and support the Swiss Peace Initiative for Nagorno-Karabakh. 

AMISP’s new report ultimately argues that the question confronting Armenia is larger than a dispute between Prime Minister Pashinyan and the Catholicos. It is a test of whether independent institutions, including those capable of challenging government policy, will continue to enjoy the legal autonomy necessary in a democratic state.

As the report concludes, weakening the Armenian Apostolic Church does not strengthen Armenian sovereignty if the result is the erosion of another independent national institution and the further concentration of political authority. 

The full report, “A Church Under Siege: Armenia’s Unlawful Campaign to Silence the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church,” is available at the Institute’s website.

The post AMISP releases white paper on the separation of church and state in Armenia  appeared first on The Armenian Weekly.

Rodvan’s path to art was not linear. Born and raised in Yerevan, she engaged in diverse activities from childhood — from sports and chess to dance and creative courses. Yet, amidst this variety, art always held a unique and irreplaceable place. From an early age, she filled her notebooks with sketches and drawings.

Still, Rodvan chose a less artistic professional route. She completed the English educational program at the International Scientific-Educational Center (ISEC), receiving a bachelor’s degree in finance and economics. She also earned a certificate from Texas A&M University and later studied programming at the “42” school. 

Despite her busy schedule, her days still began and ended with drawing. The turning point came while reading Austin Kleon’s book “Steal Like an Artist,” where the author quoted Jessica Hische: “The work you do while you procrastinate is probably the work you should be doing for the rest of your life.”

“It was at that exact moment I realized those words were about my sketches. That day was perhaps the first time I honestly accepted that my true path was creation,” said Rodvan. “Although I have not received an academic art education, I have met people along my journey who believed in and were inspired by my work. And indeed, a single word can alter the direction of a person’s life more than long years of education.”

Rodvan in Manchester and Austria

Rodvan’s active creative phase began in 2022 after moving to Manchester, England. There, she participated in several group exhibitions, and in 2023, organized her first solo digital exhibition in Armenia. 

Since 2024, two of her large-scale works, inspired by Martiros Saryan, have been on display at an Armenian restaurant in Manchester. Later, in 2025, her first exhibition and sale was held in Graz, Austria.

Today, Rodvan resides and creates in Austria. She does not yet have a separate studio, but her corner of inspiration is a room with a beautiful view, where she can dedicate hours to her canvases.

Contemporary art is at the core of her work. She works both with acrylic on canvas and digital art, as her artistic journey originally began in the digital medium.

“Contemporary art is closest to me. I especially love creating characters that seem to already have their own story,” she said. “New works are usually born from my own experience, memories or imagination. But often my friends also inspire me.” 

Rodvan notices beauty in people, old buildings, cities and tiny details. She subconsciously stores these impressions, which later unexpectedly appear in her work.

In dialogue with the viewer

For Rodvan, painting is not mere representation; it is a living, unpredictable process where the canvas often begins to live a life of its own.

“I almost always have a certain image in my head, but during the painting process, it starts to change. Sometimes I simply stop controlling everything and just trust the movement of my hand. I don’t like it when art provides ready-made answers. For me, the dialogue is far more important,” she said.

Rodvan intentionally refrains from fully explaining her thoughts. She wants to leave room for the viewer to interpret their own story:

“I love it when someone starts to imagine, continues the story, or even sees something that I haven’t noticed. At that moment, the artwork stops being just a picture and becomes part of that person’s individual experience,” she said.

Rodvan admits that she is her own harshest critic, and often the most difficult moment is not finishing a painting, but stopping in time and realizing that nothing more needs to be added.

“We share the same noses”

One of the works that best expresses Rodvan’s creative identity is the painting titled “We share the same noses.” At first glance, the work appears humorous and lighthearted, but it carries a philosophical subtext.

The canvas depicts a girl and a parrot. Their physical resemblance — the girl’s expressive nose and the bird’s beak — became the basis for the title, yet the true theme of the work is freedom.

“The parrot is already out of the cage, but it hasn’t flown far away; it’s still standing on top of the cage, as if on the boundary between freedom and the world familiar to it. Meanwhile, the girl looks at it not with sadness, but with a bit of envy, hope and faith. In the bird’s freedom, she seems to see what she herself is lacking.”

For Rodvan, the most important element of the painting lies in that gaze and what it holds.

“The girl realizes that a cage doesn’t necessarily have to be physical. We ourselves can keep our own selves within limits — because of fears, habits, the expectations of others or simply the life familiar to us. And sometimes, seeing someone else’s freedom is enough to ask yourself for the first time: what’s keeping me in my cage? In her eyes, I wanted to leave hope and trust in her own strength,” said Rodvan.

Born from observing the free flight of an exotic bird, the parrot in this piece is not merely a subject but a reminder that freedom sometimes starts the moment you believe you can choose it.

An exhibition at Pyunik

An important milestone in presenting her work to Armenian art lovers was an exhibition held in June at the Pyunik Development Center, Rodvan’s second solo exhibition in Armenia. It featured around two dozen canvases, original silk scarves, earrings and other handmade creations. 

The Pyunik exhibition left a warm impression on her: the space offered an inviting environment for people to meet, talk about art and exchange ideas.

Rodvan credits trust in life and in her own decisions for this path she has been on. “It is that very trust that gives me the strength to accept changes, move to new countries, meet new people and continue creating,” she said.

Rodvan is currently working on new artwork and preparing for her solo exhibition planned for 2027 in Austria. Her goal is for her work to continue reaching audiences in different countries and, through the language of contemporary art, to tell the world about Armenian culture and identity.

Follow Anahit Rodvan’s work on Instagram.

The post Anahit Rodvan left finance for art appeared first on The Armenian Weekly.

Although the Armenian Tennis Federation has been active for decades, it is entering a new era with the addition of two top-level female players to the national team: Elina Avanesyan, an Armenian tennis player ranked No. 159 by the WTA, and Alina Charaeva, a Russian tennis player representing Armenia who is ranked No. 108.

The Armenian Tennis Federation and the Keron Development Foundation have partnered to support the integration of Armenian tennis talent into the national team. The collaboration is focused on strengthening Armenia’s presence in international tennis while creating opportunities for the sport’s development and visibility in the country.

Since August 2024, Elina Avanesyan has represented Armenia in international tournaments through the Keron Development Foundation’s Talent Pool Program. She joined the Armenian women’s national team for the first time this year and helped Armenia earn promotion to Group II at the Billie Jean King Cup for the first time in 16 years. 

The national team has also welcomed Alina Charaeva, who recently obtained Armenian citizenship with the support of the Keron Development Foundation. She is set to begin competing internationally under the Armenian flag in 2028. 

Gevorg Karamanukyan, executive director and secretary-general of the Armenian Tennis Federation, also said Avanesyan’s first year representing the national team has already been highly successful. With a strong lineup of local and international professional matches throughout the year, the federation is looking ahead with optimism as the future of Armenian tennis appears increasingly promising. 

During a press conference in Yerevan, Vanane Araktsyan, executive director of the Keron Development Foundation, said, “Although tennis is an individual sport, having these two athletes represent Armenia on the international stage is a significant opportunity for the country.”

From Sept. 3-9, Armenia hosted the two players, marking Alina Charaeva’s first visit to the country. During their visit, the players took part in a series of public and private events and initiatives aimed at inspiring the younger generation while connecting more closely with the country. 

On Sept. 5, a free master class featuring both players was held for young athletes at the main sports complex in Tsaghkadzor. More than 200 children and tennis enthusiasts from Yerevan and regions across Armenia had the opportunity to take to the court alongside the two professional players, receive practical advice, ask questions and gain insight into the world of professional tennis.

The two players also spoke about what it means to represent Armenia on the international stage, describing it as “a pleasure” and emphasizing their goal of honoring the country. They spoke warmly about the master classes held during their visit, which gave them an opportunity to connect with and inspire the younger generation. “It is important for them to have role models they can look up to,” Charaeva said.

Avanesyan echoed this sentiment, adding, “These kids are the future. They could also play in the Olympics in the future and proudly represent their country.” Looking ahead, both players said they are determined to represent Armenia and bring home gold medals from the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Born and raised in Russia, both players are embracing a new chapter in their lives as members of the Armenian national team. They are even learning the Armenian language to take on the role of representing the country on the international stage. 

Having players of this caliber on Armenia’s  national team is about raising the profile of tennis in Armenia, inspiring the next generation and laying the groundwork for a stronger future for the sport. 

Photos courtesy of the Keron Development Foundation

The post Armenian Tennis Federation hopeful about sport’s future appeared first on The Armenian Weekly.

Washington, D.C. — The ANCA Eastern Region mobilized 60 advocates from more than 20 local ANCs for ANCA Eastern Region’s Advocacy Days, held Sept. 14 to 15, coordinating nearly 100 meetings with congressional offices to promote pro-Armenian legislation and discuss the Armenian American community’s priorities. The Eastern Region’s delegation joined a national delegation of over 100 advocates from more than 30 states, reaching all 435 U.S. House and 100 U.S. Senate offices through more than 150 Congressional meetings.

From congressional meetings through the closing Capitol Hill program, this year’s Advocacy Days drew participation from advocates representing Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Southern Illinois/Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

A multigenerational delegation

The two-day program saw the return of alumni from past ANCA programs, including the Kasparian Summer Academy, Rising Leaders Program, the Leo Sarkisian and Maral Melkonian Avetisyan Fellowships, and the Hovig Apo Saghdejian Capital Gateway Program, alongside a multigeneration array of first-time and seasoned advocates from across the Eastern Region, from young Armenian American university students to local ANC and community leaders. Advocacy Days serves to integrate ANCA alumni and first-time participants directly into the ongoing work of their local ANCs and strengthen year-round relationships between Eastern Region communities and their members of Congress.

“As an Armenian American in Florida,” said participant Anie Kasbarian, “meeting face-to-face with my member of Congress was a powerful reminder that our community’s voice carries weight here. These conversations build the relationships that make sure our priorities are followed up on and not just heard once and forgotten.”

Also joining the Eastern Region for select congressional meetings was Siranush Sahakyan, executive director of the Armenian Legal Center for Justice and Human Rights, and president of the International and Comparative Law Center. Sahakyan, who represents the Armenian POWs in international court proceedings, brought her expertise directly into congressional offices.

Getting advocates Hill-ready

Advocates took to Capitol Hill well-prepared, having participated in both virtual and in-person preparation sessions ahead of their congressional meetings. Weeks ahead of the program, a virtual prep session walked participants through the ANCA’s legislative priorities, congressional meeting etiquette and key logistics, giving advocates time to familiarize themselves with the issues and materials and ask questions before heading to D.C. On Monday, Sept. 14, advocates gathered in person for an additional round of briefings and training, reviewing meeting schedules, advocacy materials and talking points ahead of Tuesday’s meetings. Advocates got to hear directly from the ANCA’s national and regional teams, and had time to meet with their state-level delegations and fellow participants before Tuesday. The ANCA Eastern Region organized advocates into coordinated meeting teams, with local team leads and staff serving as resources throughout the day. The structure allowed advocates to draw on one another’s experience, divide up talking points and approach each meeting as a team. For first-time participants especially, it meant arriving on Capitol Hill with the preparation, resources and support to confidently take part from their very first meeting.

“There’s something inspiring about being here in D.C. with dozens of other Armenians all coming together to achieve the same goal,” said Aram Bavoukian of the ANCA Eastern Region, “When you, as a constituent, sit down with your Representative or Senators, the ball is in your court. You get to give them your experiences, stories of your local Armenian community, the facts on the issues, and you lay down a clear ask in the name of accountability and justice. Armenian advocacy doesn’t get much more direct than this, and I take advantage of this opportunity every chance I get.”

Policy and legislative priorities

Across both chambers, a top priority of advocates was urging both Senators and Representatives to sign onto a separate bicameral, bipartisan letter led by Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), addressed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, calling on the Administration to withhold U.S. military assistance to Azerbaijan until Armenian hostages are released, Armenian Christian heritage sites are protected and Azerbaijani forces retreat from within Armenia’s borders.

Similarly, advocates urged members of Congress to cosign the ARMENIA Security Partnership Act (H.R. 6840). Introduced by Reps. Bilirakis (R-FL) and Pallone (D-NJ), the act would withhold the president’s authority to waive Section 907 until certain requirements are met to ensure Armenia’s safety and security: the complete withdrawal of Azerbaijani forces from internationally recognized Armenian territory; the unconditional release of Armenian POWs from Azerbaijan’s military prisons; Azerbaijan’s recognition of the right of return for displaced Artsakh Armenians back to their ancestral homeland; and a cease of all hostilities against Armenians by Azerbaijan. If these conditions are not met, the President cannot utilize the waiver authority, thereby enforcing the restriction of U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan. 

Perhaps the most pressing issue participants raised was Armenian POWs and hostages illegally detained in Baku for over 1,000 days. “These are real people, not statistics,” said advocate Kohar Baronian. “They’ve been separated from their families for over a thousand days, and every day that passes without action is a day too long. We’re asking our Members of Congress to help bring them home.” In their meetings, advocates urged members of Congress to cosponsor the Azerbaijan Sanctions Review Act (H.R. 5369), a bipartisan bill calling for Global Magnitsky sanctions against Azerbaijani officials responsible for human rights violations, including the illegal detention of Armenian prisoners of war and political hostages.

Advocates also pressed House offices to cosponsor the Armenian Genocide Education Act (H.R. 2585), part of ANCA’s September 2026 House legislative agenda, which would allocate federal funds to support public education on the Armenian Genocide.

Reflecting on the importance of the day’s work, participant Alex Vartanian shared, “Our people faced genocide 100 years ago, and we’ve watched Artsakh’s Armenians endure genocidal ethnic cleansing in our own lifetime. That’s why it is so important for us as diasporan Armenians to show up and demand that Congress hold Azerbaijan accountable.”

Accountability | 2026

The day concluded with a reception on the Hill, titled “Accountability | 2026 — Artsakh: Justice. Freedom. Right of Return.” Our community was joined by local and regional ANC leaders, clergy, and a dozen members of Congress, ranging from Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL) to committed allies like Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), who voiced their support for the release of Armenian hostages and called for the right of return for the 150,000 citizens of Artsakh who were exiled from their ancestral homeland. Among the present congressional leaders was Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), representing America’s oldest Armenian community of Watertown, Massachusetts, who called on the US and the international community to hold Azerbaijan accountable for its crimes against humanity in Artsakh. 

ANCA Eastern Region Chair Ara Chalian left the crowd with some words of encouragement, stressing the importance of continuing to advance the Armenian Cause: “Your communities have survived and thrived and educated, motivated and activated for generations. You are not the beginning, you are not the end, you will continue.” 

Take action at home

The Peters-Bilirakis-Pallone letter campaign continues beyond this week’s meetings. Armenian Americans can contact their U.S. Senators and Representatives and urge them to sign the letter at anca.org/enforce907.

The ANCA continues to be one of the strongest voices in Washington and in communities across the nation, advocating for the rights and security of Armenians. The Eastern Region extends our heartfelt gratitude to our determined advocates for the important work and conversations put into strengthening the Armenian Cause this week. From the smallest town to the busiest city, the work we do would not be possible without the dedication of our greater community. 

Read what some of our advocates had to say about their experience

“Events like this matter because they let the Armenian diaspora put direct pressure on the administration, push for accountability and justice for Armenians displaced from Artsakh, and the release of POWs still held by Azerbaijan. Moving forward, I hope to keep showing up to these spaces, advocate, and use my voice for the Armenians who no longer have that opportunity.” — Ani Abrahamian, ANC of Indiana

“To my fellow citizens with Armenian heritage, I say that this advocacy work is necessary and it can only be effective with direct participation and you must become more proactive in petitioning our government to support human rights and to impose sanctions on Azerbaijan until they stop violating the human rights of Artsakhites and stop destroying Christian churches, monasteries and historical heritage sites.” — James Keshishian, ANC of Maine

“Advocacy is an inseparable part of our democracy and as Americans, we play an important role in calling on our elected representatives to take action … A crime was committed against humanity, and Armenian Americans will continue to raise awareness at the highest levels of our government until justice is restored and real and lasting peace is achieved.” — Mannik Sakayan, ANC of Virginia

“Advocacy Days was such an incredible reminder, not just of the power we hold as voting constituents, but of how committed our Armenian American diaspora is to fight for justice… when we show up, speak up and remain persistent, our advocacy can translate into meaningful action.” — Chantelle Nasri, ANC of New York

“Meeting with my representatives and their staffers on Capitol Hill is such a unique and rewarding experience, connecting with people from the same places as me, and as part of the ANCA … I hope to continue coming to D.C. and ensuring that the thousands of Armenians that have worked tirelessly to build America, like the three generations of my family that have worked at the Granite City steel mill, are honored by making sure our history and people are represented and aided by our government.” — Ellie Krikorian, ANC of Missouri

“My great-grandfather escaped the Armenian Genocide and eventually settled in Ohio. Although I am a few generations removed, having this opportunity to honor my family’s history by advocating on Capitol Hill against the modern-day mistreatment of Armenians was deeply meaningful to me.” — Heather Arslanian, ANC of Ohio

The post Eastern Region mobilizes more than 60 participants for ANCA Advocacy Days appeared first on The Armenian Weekly.

The postponement followed an escalating dispute over the presentation of Armenian Christian monuments in Nagorno-Karabakh, including Gandzasar and Dadivank. It also came during a week in which Azerbaijani institutions expanded activities connected with the concept of “Western Azerbaijan,” President Ilham Aliyev continued using the term “Zangezur Corridor,” new questions emerged about Azerbaijani military positions near Armenia’s Aygebar village, and Armenians marked three years since Azerbaijan’s September 2023 offensive and the subsequent mass displacement of the Armenian population of Artsakh.

More than a year after Armenia and Azerbaijan initialed a peace agreement in Washington, the document remains unsigned and unratified. Diplomatic relations have still not been established. Meanwhile, disputes concerning territory, borders, cultural heritage, historical narratives and competing concepts of return remain active.

“Western Azerbaijan” expands from rhetoric into organized research

One day before the planned Yerevan meeting was postponed, Azerbaijan’s state news agency AZERTAC, reported that the Western Azerbaijan Community had established a working group to study what it calls the “Albanian Christian heritage” located across the territory of the Republic of Armenia. The Sept. 22 announcement identified areas described as “historical Zangezur” (Armenia’s Syunik province), “Daralayaz” (Armenia’s Vayots Dzor province) and the “Goycha Lake basin” (Lake Sevan).

According to the so-called “Western Azerbaijan Community,” the work will document churches, monasteries, chapels, inscriptions and other cultural monuments and will also contribute to establishing the historical and cultural foundations for the “safe and dignified return” of Azerbaijanis “displaced” from Armenia.

The announcement demonstrates how the “Western Azerbaijan” concept is increasingly being developed through institutions, research programs and cultural heritage projects rather than existing solely as political rhetoric. The initiative is particularly notable because Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan publicly described the “Western Azerbaijan” narrative only days earlier as a serious threat to Armenia’s security and regional stability. Azerbaijan maintains that the campaign concerns the right of Azerbaijanis formerly living in Armenia and their descendants to return and does not constitute a territorial claim.

Aliyev has nevertheless repeatedly framed present-day Armenian territory through Azerbaijani historical terminology. In January 2025, he spoke of about 300,000 people whom he described as “Western Azerbaijanis” returning to present-day Armenia. In May 2025, Aliyev again insisted that the campaign did not represent a territorial claim while declaring that the issue would remain on Azerbaijan’s agenda until the proposed return was achieved.  For Armenia, the issue is increasingly difficult to treat as a dispute over terminology alone.

A second Azerbaijani announcement published on Sept. 22 concerned Christian monuments in occupied Artsakh and surrounding territories. A project titled “Historical, archaeological and ethnological research in the Christian religious-administrative centers of Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur” received funding through the Azerbaijan Science Foundation’s 2026 grant program. The project covers Gandzasar, Dadivank, Amaras and other monastery complexes.

According to the Azerbaijani announcement, archaeological work at Dadivank began in August, with further research planned at other sites.  The project follows a September visit to Nagorno-Karabakh by about 150 foreign diplomats and representatives of international organizations accredited in Azerbaijan.

During that visit, Azerbaijani presidential adviser Hikmet Hajiyev accompanied diplomats to Gandzasar and Dadivank and presented the monasteries as part of the Christian heritage of Caucasian Albania. Armenian members of the Peace Bridge initiative later warned that the episode had damaged trust and strengthened perceptions that dialogue between the two societies was ineffective. 

Dadivank’s principal cathedral contains an Armenian foundation inscription recording its construction in 1214 by Princess Arzu Khatun. The monastery contains extensive Armenian inscriptions, khachkars and other elements of medieval Armenian ecclesiastical culture.

Amaras has similarly occupied an important place in Armenian religious history. Armenian historical tradition associates Mesrop Mashtots, creator of the Armenian alphabet, with establishing one of the earliest schools teaching the newly created Armenian script there in the fifth century. 

The issue therefore reaches beyond competing academic interpretations of Caucasian Albania. It concerns how monuments with documented Armenian inscriptions, patrons and ecclesiastical traditions are being reclassified within an Azerbaijani state-supported historical framework after the displacement of the Armenian population that had maintained a direct cultural connection to them.

Dadivank artifacts become part of an Interpol dispute

The dispute over Dadivank intensified further this week. Sabina Hajiyeva, head of Azerbaijan’s State Service for the Protection, Development and Restoration of Cultural Heritage, accused Armenians of removing crosses, bells, frescoes, khachkars and other objects from the monastery before the Kalbajar region passed to Azerbaijani control following the 2020 war. She said information concerning some of the frescoes and khachkars had been entered into Interpol’s Stolen Works of Art database in October 2025 and that Azerbaijan would seek their return if they were located abroad. 

The Armenian Church has presented a sharply different account.

The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin announced in November 2020 that prominent khachkars from Dadivank had been removed for preservation before the transfer of the surrounding territory to Azerbaijani control. 

Interpol states that information in its stolen-art database is provided by national law enforcement authorities and authorized organizations and that responsibility for the submitted information remains with those sources. Interpol does not independently guarantee the validity or accuracy of each claim. The episode has therefore added an international law enforcement dimension to an already politically charged dispute

These developments unfolded during the week Armenians marked the third anniversary of Azerbaijan’s Sept. 19, 2023, military offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh. Gagik Baghunts, acting speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh described the September 2023 offensive as the culmination of a deliberate policy of ethnic cleansing against the Armenian population of Artsakh. Baghunts stressed that three years of displacement had not erased the collective right of Artsakh Armenians to return under credible international security guarantees. 

Aliyev continues to invoke the “Zangezur Corridor”

Another unresolved issue concerns the planned transport connection between mainland Azerbaijan and Nakhichevan across Armenia’s Syunik province.

In an official address to security officials from the Organization of Turkic States, Aliyev said Azerbaijan’s victory in the 2020 war had “paved the way” for the realization of the Zangezur Corridor and described it as a historical gateway linking Turkic states economically, logistically and strategically. 

The Armenian government has largely chosen a policy of limited public confrontation with Baku. Its officials have repeatedly argued that immediate retaliatory statements may produce domestic political satisfaction while complicating negotiations. That is a strategic choice rather than a neutral position.

During a period in which Yerevan has sought to remove Armenian territorial claims from official doctrine, Azerbaijani officials and institutions have continued promoting the “Western Azerbaijan” concept.

Aliyev continues to use “Zangezur Corridor” despite Armenia’s insistence that all routes inside its territory must remain under Armenian sovereignty and jurisdiction. Questions remain about fortified Azerbaijani positions near Aygebar.

A civil-society dialogue meeting intended to reduce mistrust was postponed by Baku when tensions over precisely these issues intensified. Pashinyan himself now describes the Western Azerbaijan concept as a security threat. If the government recognizes the threat, what concrete diplomatic, legal, informational and security mechanisms are being used to contain it?

From historical revisionism to political strategy 

Azerbaijan expert Tatevik Hayrapetyan argues that the latest disputes over Armenian cultural heritage should not be treated primarily as a debate for historians. According to Hayrapetyan, Armenian scholars have been documenting the history of the region’s churches, monasteries, inscriptions and cultural heritage for decades, including during the Soviet period, when Armenian historians publicly challenged Azerbaijani attempts to reinterpret Armenian monuments through a Caucasian Albanian framework.

Hayrapetyan argues that the more important question is why Azerbaijani hostility toward Armenia and Armenians continues after Yerevan recognized Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan, after the displacement of its Armenian population and after the Armenian government moved to politically close the Karabakh issue in the name of peace.

“War is not only physical destruction,” Hayrapetyan said. “It is also a struggle against culture, history and identity.”

She rejects the argument that the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict was fundamentally limited to Nagorno-Karabakh, contending instead that the broader dispute concerns the Armenian historical presence in the region and that Nagorno-Karabakh represented only one component of that confrontation.

Hayrapetyan also criticizes the Armenian government’s restrained approach toward Azerbaijani narratives, arguing that hostility does not disappear simply because officials choose not to respond to it.

Hayrapetyan closes her argument by invoking Václav Havel’s “The Power of the Powerless,” citing his warning about political systems that become dependent on the narratives they create: “Because the regime is captive to its own lies, it must falsify everything. It falsifies the past. It falsifies the present, and it falsifies the future.”

The post Baku advances “Western Azerbaijan” on multiple fronts  appeared first on The Armenian Weekly.

A parliamentary hearing on the rights and socioeconomic problems of displaced Artsakh Armenians ended in controversy Sept. 23 after lawmakers from Armenia’s ruling Civil Contract party and several government representatives walked out of the discussion.

The hearing, titled “Socio-Economic and Legal Problems of the People of Artsakh and Their Solutions,” was organized by ARF Bureau member and National Assembly’s Human Rights Committee Chair Lilit Galstyan. Participants included displaced Artsakh officials, human rights advocates, legal experts and representatives of Armenian state institutions.

Artsakh Human Rights Defender Gegham Stepanyan criticized the effectiveness of government assistance programs, particularly housing support. He said about 8,000 displaced Artsakh residents had received housing certificates, but only about half had been able to use them, citing rising property prices and restrictions built into the program. He also raised concerns about student assistance, employment programs and support for vulnerable families.

Civil Contract lawmaker Mariam Poghosyan later said ruling-party representatives had expected a discussion focused on refugees’ social problems but objected after participants were introduced as representatives of the Artsakh National Assembly. Citing the government’s position that a separate state structure cannot operate inside Armenia, the Civil Contract lawmakers and government officials left the hearing. Galstyan responded that the discussion concerned the protection of Artsakh Armenians’ rights and argued that responsibility for those issues belonged equally to the government and opposition.

The hearing also highlighted unresolved legal claims stemming from the 2023 displacement. International law specialist Ara Ghazaryan said 657 applications concerning the property rights of Artsakh Armenians were filed with the European Court of Human Rights in 2025, with lawyers continuing to document homes and property left behind. Former Artsakh Culture Minister Sergey Shahverdyan argued that protecting the region’s Armenian cultural heritage should likewise be understood as an ongoing human rights issue rather than solely as a question of historical preservation.

Iran

Iran has signaled a possible diplomatic opening in its confrontation with the United States, with a senior Iranian official saying Tehran could reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days if Washington begins easing military pressure and lifts its blockade of Iranian ports. The proposal has been conveyed to the United States through intermediaries and comes as Iranian officials use the U.N. General Assembly in New York to pursue consultations through mediating countries. President Masoud Pezeshkian is attending the gathering, although Iranian officials have ruled out a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, previously said Tehran had transmitted its conditions for ending the conflict through Qatar. Among the publicly disclosed demands are an end to hostilities on all fronts, the release of frozen Iranian assets and an end to the naval blockade. Tehran says it is awaiting Washington’s response, leaving the U.N. meetings as a potential channel for further indirect diplomacy.

Tehran’s regional diplomacy is also increasingly focused on Armenia’s southern Syunik province. Newly appointed Iranian Consul General Davoud Yayeji arrived in Kapan and formally assumed his duties Sept. 23. Yayeji has served in Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Russia and China, while his professional interests include South Caucasus geopolitics, Iran’s relations with Armenia and Azerbaijan, developments surrounding Karabakh and their implications for Iranian security. Iran’s consulate said his mission in “the heart of Syunik” could deepen economic, commercial, cultural and local ties between the two countries.

The diplomatic reinforcement comes as Yerevan and Tehran also discuss a potentially significant expansion of regional transport cooperation. Armenia’s ambassador to Iran, Grigor Hakobyan, has called for broader railway and trade ties, arguing that connecting the Armenian and Iranian rail networks could provide Armenia with access to southern maritime routes while giving Iran an additional land connection toward Europe.

Hakobyan discussed the proposal with Jabar Ali Zakeri, Iran’s deputy minister of roads and urban development and head of Iranian Railways. Zakeri emphasized greater Armenian participation in regional transit networks, particularly the International North-South Transport Corridor. A railway connection linking Armenia and Iran through Syunik is among the infrastructure projects under discussion as both governments seek to expand trade and regional transit.

For Armenia, such a route could reduce transport isolation by creating additional access to Iranian ports and international markets. For Iran, Armenia offers another potential northward connection toward Europe. Taken together with the appointment of a new consul general in Kapan, the railway discussions underline Tehran’s continued view of Syunik as both an economic gateway and a strategically important part of the South Caucasus transport architecture.

Russia

Russia intensified its criticism of Armenia’s foreign policy direction this week, openly linking Yerevan’s European integration ambitions to the future of its economic relationship with Moscow and the Eurasian Economic Union.

Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu accused the Armenian government Sept. 17 of pursuing a course aimed at weakening ties with Russia while expanding cooperation with the West and NATO. He characterized Yerevan’s approach toward Russian businesses and Russia-led regional organizations as increasingly hostile, claiming that Russian-funded enterprises and entire sectors were facing what he described as “raider seizures.” 

Shoigu’s remarks came amid an escalating dispute over Russian investments in Armenia, particularly the country’s railway system. Armenia’s rail network has been operated since 2008 by South Caucasus Railway, a wholly owned subsidiary of Russian Railways. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has argued that the existing arrangement risks preventing Armenia from taking advantage of emerging international transport routes and has proposed that Russia sell its concession rights to a mutually acceptable third party. Moscow rejects the suggestion that Russian management prevents Armenia’s participation in regional connectivity projects and has warned that Russian economic interests must be protected. 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Sept. 16 that adopting EU rules while retaining preferential access to the Eurasian market would create an increasingly incompatible economic arrangement. 

President Vladimir Putin has taken a somewhat more measured public position, calling Armenia’s desire for closer relations with the European Union a sovereign and legitimate choice while warning that EU membership would create fundamental difficulties for continued participation in the EAEU. Pashinyan has similarly acknowledged that Armenia could not ultimately belong to both blocs and that the country would eventually have to make a choice. 

Turkey 

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met in New York on Sept. 23 on the sidelines of the 81st session of the U.N. General Assembly, with talks focused on normalizing Armenia-Turkey relations and implementing previous agreements. Both sides said they were ready to give new momentum to the process.

The two leaders highlighted the need to expand trade and economic ties, strengthen contacts between Armenian and Turkish business communities and continue joint work to restore the historic Ani Bridge. They also exchanged views on regional developments.

Pashinyan and Erdoğan also described peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan as an important basis for broader regional cooperation and stressed the implementation of the TRIPP project and the reopening of regional transport links. 

The meeting offered another indication that Yerevan and Ankara are seeking to keep the normalization track active, although the process has yet to produce full diplomatic relations or a comprehensive opening of the Armenia-Turkey border.

The post The Region in Brief appeared first on The Armenian Weekly.

Following the public discourse around the PISA results that showed Armenia’s 15-year-olds have serious difficulties in mathematics, science and reading, I remembered my meeting nearly three years ago in Vanadzor with Mher Davtyan, the co-founder of NorArar Education, an NGO focused on developing foundational literacy and numeracy in Armenia. During our discussion, Davtyan highlighted the importance of reading skills as both a gateway to equitable, public education and a gatekeeper to broader learning competencies, within the context of Armenian schoolchildren’s poor reading skills. I said, “No way, you mean there are children in Armenia who can’t read?”

The latest OECD study involved 760,000 15-year-old students from 91 countries. It turns out that, in this enlightened age, the situation is not particularly good elsewhere in the world either. The test is considered one of the world’s leading benchmarks of educational achievement, and its results are studied in detail by governments and education professionals. Armenia participated in the PISA study for the first time in 2025. 

PISA measures how well students apply what they’ve learned to new situations and real-life problems — not just how well they memorize information.

According to the findings, released on Sept. 8, only around 1% of Armenian students achieved the highest level of performance in mathematics, almost no students reached the highest level in science, and almost no students scored at Level 5 or higher in reading (the scale moves from levels 1 to 6, with Level 2 signaling the baseline proficiency threshold). By these indicators, Armenia ranks last in the region, behind Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey.

Reading is not just about recognizing letters; it is about understanding what is written and going beyond the text, analyzing it, and much more. But it is also about having a good role model of a passionate reader. 

As a child, I remember my father always reading — whether it was a newspaper, a book, or later, a Kindle. When he insisted that I read, it never felt like parental pressure, but rather an invitation to engage in something enjoyable. Reading was a joy, and discussing what I read was even more engaging. Most importantly, my opinion about a book, even when it was not well-founded, was always accepted.

Davtyan, currently a doctoral researcher in education at the University of Cambridge, validated my experience with reading, and said adults can be a strong source of inspiration for young people. The public debate on PISA scores reminds him of the opening lines of Elif Shafak’s novel “There Are Rivers in the Sky”: “Later, when the storm has passed, everyone will talk about the destruction it left behind, though no one, not even the king himself, will remember that it all began with a single raindrop.”

Davtyan, who completed his master’s degree in educational leadership at University College London (UCL) in 2021, co-founded NorArar in the aftermath of the Artsakh war and the global pandemic.

Amid all the noise, with opposing groups blaming one another for the low performance of Armenian students, each person should simply think about their own raindrop, their own share of responsibility in the problem, said Davtyan. Primary school teachers often say: drop by drop, a river is formed. This applies to both positive efforts for the public good and the negative. 

“Work on foundational literacy requires broad cross-sectoral understanding and cooperation,” Davtyan tells the Armenian Weekly. “But I see the arrow of public condemnation being directed at the generalized figure of the teacher. A systemic, socioeconomic, structural problem that has been shaped over decades is once again seen as belonging to a highly generalized and abstracted figure: the Armenian teacher.”

According to Davtyan, the first drop of illiteracy in this public debate on literacy is when those fueling public blame believe what they know is absolute. They cannot accept that 15-year-olds erroneously mixed facts and opinions in the test, yet many treat their own opinions as facts and do not question their assumptions in public. 

“This is worrying because that is precisely where the impact of the literacy crisis becomes visible in social cohesion through public debate,” he said.

“Facts and opinions cease to be distinguished, or as we say in Armenian, ‘the wet and the dry’ become mixed together. It is dangerous because that is where authoritarianism, demagoguery and populism begin and where democracy dies, in those first drops of illiteracy,” said Davtyan. “Literacy is about building democracy and sustaining societal dialogue.”

Through its work, the small team at NorArar has connected with hundreds of teachers who, even under the most difficult circumstances, have been willing to devote their weekends to learning something new about how to teach reading. Davtyan and his colleagues have worked with middle school teachers of different subjects who chose not to blame their primary-school colleagues. Instead, they used their professional agency, which is their collective capacity for addressing complex problems of teaching and learning, to integrate reading skills into their curricula. This way, they helped students approaching the age of 15 close their reading gaps so they could access subject-specific texts.

“Developing foundational learning is the only way to broader and more complex knowledge and skills, and there is no shortcut, no technology or AI that can replace the cognitive, emotional, social and cultural development of a child that reading enables,” said Davtyan. “Focusing on foundational learning therefore requires systemic learning and collective accountability by all stakeholders involved.”

During research and fieldwork, Davtyan and his team noticed that some school principals created opportunities for their staff to continue learning about literacy issues at a time when mandatory professional training was already taking a significant amount of time. In those schools, literacy problems were not seen as deficiencies or inherent traits of students and their family backgrounds; instead, they triggered new ways of learning for all staff to address them through collaborative efforts within and beyond schools. 

In a word, the culture within such schools was different: accountability did not mean “controlling, tick-boxing of mandatory lesson observations or simply complying with external and internal inspections”; it meant holding oneself and others responsible for supporting children, navigating structural and resource limitations to support student learning, said Davtyan. 

Such schools were positive deviants from the norm in the sense that teachers and principals acted with more agency to work on literacy problems: they navigated issues of pedagogical autonomy, restrictions of the school timetable, curriculum demands and work-related challenges that hindered teacher participation in additional and collaborative professional development, respecting teacher autonomy and willingness to participate.

“Neither positive change nor fundamental crisis can be attributed to a single factor, whether the teacher, school leadership or the curriculum itself,” he said. “When problems are more complex, different factors may combine to produce the outcome. Therefore, there is no single fix, but a long commitment to developing teachers and trusting their autonomy and professional judgment.”

 While reforms matter, Davtyan highlighted the importance of enabling teacher agency without turning it into a simple tool for achieving one particular reform outcome. It should be seen as a collective capacity that emerges independently to support student learning, regardless of mandatory demands. Protecting teacher agency matters now because it shapes teachers’ professional judgments and actions, which may also determine how reforms are implemented and how everyday learning problems are solved in schools. In sum, nurturing teacher agency helps us see more in teachers than policy implementers.

When public and personal shaming is involved, it signals the absence of accountability. Students are most affected by this discourse, because by blaming each other, adults are essentially telling the children that they are incapable of being critical of their own work, sharing responsibility and having agency so that they strive to improve learning for the better.

The post Everyone’s problem, nobody’s fault: Armenia’s literacy crisis appeared first on The Armenian Weekly.

“Congress can’t keep underwriting Azerbaijan — subsidizing a corrupt Aliyev government that holds Armenian hostages, bulldozes Christian churches, occupies sovereign land, and blocks the return of Artsakh refugees,” said Aram Hamparian, ANCA executive director. “That message was delivered loud and clear — enforce the Section 907 ban on U.S. tax dollars to Baku, then upgrade the U.S.-Armenian security partnership to meet the regional threats Armenia continues to face.”

The Armenian American agenda

Advocates from Alaska, Florida, Maine and Texas to Wyoming, Arizona and Rhode Island carried a seven-point agenda into those meetings.

They pressed Congress for the release of the Armenian hostages held in Baku, among them the presidents, foreign ministers and parliamentary leaders of Artsakh. They called for the return of Artsakh’s 150,000 forcibly displaced Armenians to their homes under international protection, as the International Court of Justice has already ordered. Both demands are written into the ARMENIA Security Partnership Act (H.R. 6840), which would bar the president from waiving the ban on U.S. military assistance to Azerbaijan until Baku frees the hostages, withdraws from Armenian territory and recognizes the right of return.

They urged lawmakers to confront Azerbaijan for its genocidal ethnic cleansing of Artsakh, the ongoing occupation of over 100 square miles of sovereign Armenian territory and a campaign against Armenian Christian heritage that resulted in the demolition of two Armenian churches in Artsakh’s capital, Stepanakert, in recent weeks. Advocates urged passage of the Azerbaijan Sanctions Review Act (H.R. 5369), requiring the departments of State and Treasury to assess Global Magnitsky sanctions against Azerbaijani leaders responsible for war crimes and grave human rights abuses.

Advocates also sought justice for the Armenian Genocide through federal support for teaching about this crime in American classrooms through the Armenian Genocide Education Act (H.R. 2585), the surest safeguard against a crime that Turkey still denies and Azerbaijan has now repeated. They raised humanitarian assistance for Artsakh’s refugees, congressional oversight of U.S. military sales to Turkey and the protection of Jerusalem’s Armenian Quarter. The full slate of Armenian American policy priorities is available at anca.org/priorities.

Enforcing the ban on military aid to Azerbaijan

Running through every meeting was a single argument: that the U.S. policy of appeasement has emboldened Baku at each step, and that Congress has the standing to stop it. Advocates pressed lawmakers to cut off American arms and aid to Azerbaijan, to hold Azerbaijani war crimes to account and to build out the security relationship with Armenia that the region’s stability now depends on.

The most immediate of those asks was a bicameral, bipartisan letter led by Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Frank Pallone (D-NJ), calling on the Administration to withhold U.S. military assistance to Azerbaijan until demonstrable progress has been made toward the release of all Armenian hostages, the protection of Armenian Christian heritage and the withdrawal of Azerbaijani forces from Armenian territory. The letter follows news of the Trump Administration’s extension of the waiver of Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act, issued despite Azerbaijan’s sentencing of the hostages, its destruction of Armenian churches and its entrenched military presence inside Armenia’s internationally recognized borders. The letter remains open for signature, and the ANCA is working to expand the count in both chambers. Armenian Americans can urge their Senators and Representatives to sign at anca.org/enforce907.

Fifty days to November

Strategic Advocacy 2026 landed 50 days before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, when members of Congress are at their most attentive to the voters who will decide their races. Advocates used that leverage to press their Senators and Representatives for commitments that will carry into the 120th Congress.

“Our advocates walking into these offices made Artsakh real for our elected leaders,” said Gev Iskajyan, ANCA national grassroots director. “The empty houses. The churches standing without their congregations. The families who have waited three years for a door to open. What Baku hoped would stay distant and stay silent, our advocates put on a desk on Capitol Hill. That is real power.”

“Wyoming and Alaska sent advocates to Washington this week, and so did Texas, Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington state, alongside our California delegations,” said Oshin Harootoonian, ANCA Western Region chairman. “Armenian American voters in every one of those states are organized, informed, and paying attention to how their member votes. Every office our delegations met with knows where this community stands going into November, and knows we will hold them to account.”

Those commitments, and the records behind them, feed directly into the ANCA’s electoral work. The ANCA tracks the performance of every incumbent Senator and Representative across a broad range of pro-Armenian legislative metrics, scores and grades each one, and circulates fact-driven, merit-based Report Cards and Endorsements each election cycle as a public service to voters weighing Armenian American concerns among the criteria they bring to the ballot box. Report Card grades and general election endorsements will be released in the coming weeks.

The next generation leads

Students and young professionals made up the bulk of the delegation, drawn from across the ANCA’s programs, including the ANCA Rising Leaders Program, the Leo Sarkisian and Maral Melkonian Avetisyan Internships, the Kasparian Summer Academy and the Hovig Apo Saghdejian Capital Gateway Program. The Armenian Youth Federation Eastern Region and Western Region actively encouraged student leaders from chapters across the country to take part.

“Our students and young professionals led these meetings,” said Michael Tatevossian, ANCA programs director. “Alumni of our programs came back and brought classmates with them, and the AYF Eastern and Western Regions turned out student leaders from chapters across the country. Congressional offices met energized, well-informed young voters who know the legislation, know their member’s record and intend to hold it up against how they vote this November.”

Making the case on Capitol Hill and beyond

Strategic Advocacy 2026 opened on Sept. 14 with an afternoon of briefings and small-group preparation sessions led by ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian, Policy Director Alex Galitsky, National Grassroots Director Gev Iskajyan, Programs Director Michael Tatevossian and ANCA Eastern Region Executive Director Nairi Diratsouian. Advocates worked through the legislative landscape, sharpened their asks and collected the packets they would deliver the following morning.

Advocates worked the two days with the ANCA Advocacy Day Connect app, launched for this mobilization and developed by ANCA Chief Technology and Innovation Officer Nerses Semerjian with the ANCA legislative team. The app gave each advocate a live schedule of their congressional meetings, backgrounders on every member they would meet along with that member’s record on Armenian American issues and a direct channel to report outcomes and commitments as they came out of each office. The ANCA will build on the platform for future Advocacy Days and fly-ins throughout the year.

“The work we did on Capitol Hill this week does not end when our advocates fly home,” said Dr. Ara Chalian, ANCA Eastern Region chairman. “They are already setting up follow-up meetings in their district offices, continuing the conversation — expanding the pressure — until our Armenian hostages are home, until Artsakh’s people can return and until Armenia’s sovereignty and security are assured. We are not the beginning of this work and we are not the end of it. We continue.”

Accountability | 2026

The two days closed with “Accountability | 2026 — Artsakh: Justice. Freedom. Right of Return,” a Capitol Hill program marking three years since Azerbaijan’s genocidal ethnic cleansing of Artsakh, where a dozen members of Congress joined advocates, clergy and international legal experts in demanding the release of Armenian hostages and the protected return of Artsakh’s indigenous population.

Video of the program is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fomNYdeQ_B4

The post ANCA advocates take Armenian American strategic priorities to Capitol Hill appeared first on The Armenian Weekly.

For most children of the diaspora, bedtime is the only Armenian-language moment of the day. The Tunik library holds more than 90 illustrated stories, from the epic of Sasuntsi Davit to Hovhannes Tumanyan’s fables and new originals such as “September First,” a story about a boy’s first day of school released for the new school year.

Read-along for children who speak before they read

Tunik’s newest feature shows the Armenian text word by word as the narrator speaks it, in the manner of karaoke, with an optional Latin transliteration for children and parents who understand Armenian but struggle with the alphabet. It was built for the family that wants their child to keep the language, not only to hear it.

Tunik carries no advertising, complies with COPPA, participates in Google Play’s Families program and places nothing purchasable within a child’s reach. Stories can be downloaded for flights and road trips and a bedtime timer lets the narration fade as the child falls asleep.

Tunik is partnering with Armenian day schools, Saturday schools and church communities in the United States and France. Teachers receive free classroom access and families a partner discount, with the aim of making Tunik the bridge between diaspora children and the language of their grandparents.

“Every Armenian parent living abroad knows the moment. Your child answers you in English, and you realize the language could end with you. We built Tunik for bedtime because bedtime is the one moment every family still has. If a 5-year-old in Los Angeles asks for Kikos by name, we have done our job,” said Tunik founder Mesrop Ishkhanyan.

For more information, visit the Tunik website.

The post Tunik brings bedtime stories to children on iPhone and Android  appeared first on The Armenian Weekly.