PANEL TO DISCUSS RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN KARABAGH AND ARMENIA-TURKEY RELATIONS

Dr. Levon Chorbajian, Dr. Asbed Kotchikian, and Dr. Henry Theriault will take part in a panel discussion entitled “Armenia’s Foreign Policy on Two Fronts: Recent Developments in Nagorno-Karabagh and Turkey-Armenia Relations” on Thursday, August 6, 2009, at 7:30 p.m., at the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR) Center, 395 Concord Ave., Belmont, MA. The event will be co-sponsored by NAASR and The Armenian Review.

Since the presidential elections in Armenia in February 2008, there has been an increase in the number of events registered in Armenia’s foreign policy ledger. The administration of President Serzh Sargsyan has clearly started a new phase of Armenia’s foreign policy dealing with the two major issues that Yerevan faces: the negotiations over Nagorno-Karabakh and relations with Turkey.

This event will discuss these two issues based on recent developments. Building upon a conference held in Stepanakert in early July 2009 in which the three speakers participated and which dealt with Turkish-Armenian relations and the issue of Nagorno-Karabagh, the panel will attempt to provide nuanced and multi-disciplinary approaches to the latest developments in these two interrelated policy fronts.

Dr. Levon Chorbajian is Professor of Sociology at the Univ. of Massachusetts-Lowell. He is the co-author of The Caucasian Knot: The History and Geo-Politics of Nagorno-Karabagh and the editor of The Making of Nagorno-Karabagh. Dr. Asbed Kotchikian is Lecturer in the Global Studies Department at Bentley University and the editor of The Armenian Review. His book The Dialectics of Small States: Foreign Policy Making in Armenia and Georgia was published in 2008. Dr. Henry Theriault is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Worcester State College. His scholarly work focuses on genocide and human rights, with particular emphasis on denial, the ethical and political implications of genocide, reparations, and mass violence against women.

Admission to the lecture at NAASR is free (donations appreciated). The NAASR Center is located opposite the First Armenian Church and next to the U.S. Post Office. Ample parking is available around the building and in adjacent areas. The lecture will begin promptly at 8:00 p.m.

More information about the lecture is available by calling 617-489-1610, faxing 617-484-1759, e-mailing hq@naasr.org, or writing to NAASR, 395 Concord Ave., Belmont, MA 02478.

Marc