On February 25, the RA Ministry of Diaspora and partnering scientific institutions signed agreements on the conduct of topic-based research upon orders during this year. The agreements were signed during a grand ceremony held at the RA Ministry of Diaspora.

RA Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan delivered an opening speech in which she particularly mentioned the following: “Since the very first days of its existence, the RA Ministry of Diaspora has been collaborating with scientific research centers of Armenia and the Diaspora, ordering studies promoting the Armenia-Diaspora partnership and the development of Armenology. One of the first of those scientific research centers was the “Noravank” Scientific and Educational Foundation. I am pleased with the fact that together we have come a long way. Between 2009 and 2015, the RA Ministry of Diaspora has conducted 69 studies with “Noravank” Scientific and Educational Foundation and other partnering organizations and plans to conduct another 12 this year.”

The minister emphasized that this year the occasion to organize the signing of agreements and solemnly conduct the signing of those agreements is the 25^th anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Armenia and the 25^th anniversary of the Independence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, adding that the future studies will be devoted to these holidays. “We not only use the ideas of Armenian scholars in planning and implementing our programs and projects, but also disseminate their works in the Diaspora,” the minister mentioned, expressing gratitude to Academician/Secretary of the Division for Armenian Studies and Social Sciences of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia Yuri Suvaryan for always supporting the scientific and research projects of the RA Ministry of Diaspora.

Yuri Suvaryan delivered a welcome speech at the event. “First, allow me to congratulate you and the entire staff on moving to the new building and having the opportunity to work in suitable conditions. With the orders for these studies, you contribute to the development of Armenian scientific thought and the funding for scholars, which is also important,” he said.

Director of the Institute of History of the NAS RA Ashot Melkonyan stressed that, by disseminating the works of Armenian scholars abroad, the Ministry of Diaspora is helping scholars address their works to the right people. In his turn, Melkonyan presented the new four-volume book entitled “Armenian History” to the RA Ministry of Diaspora as a gift.

Among the speakers were Dean of the Faculty of History of Yerevan State University (YSU) Edik Minasyan; Head of the Chair of Turkish Studies of the Faculty of Oriental Studies Alexander Safaryan; Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Law Karen Gevorgyan; Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Management Hayk Sargsyan; Director of the Institute of Language of the NAS RA Victor Katvalyan; Director of the Institute of Literature of the NAS RA Vardan Devrikyan; Director of the Institute of Informatics and Automation Problems of the NAS RA Vladimir Sahakyan; Director of the YSU Center for Research and Business Foundation Kristine Antonyan and Director of “Noravank” Scientific and Educational Foundation Gagik Harutyunyan.

The leaders and representatives of the academic fields attached importance to the support that the RA Ministry of Diaspora provides to the development of Armenian scientific thought and particularly for identification of the potential of Diaspora Armenians and use of that potential in Armenia. They mentioned that great importance is attached to the preservation and development of Western Armenian and that the annual publications of the “Literary Diaspora” Yearbook help contemporary Diaspora Armenian writers become more recognized in the Homeland.

Academic secretary of the Institute of Philosophy, Sociology and Law of the NAS RA Lilit Ghazanchyan said she was pleased to add that the Institute was going to conduct a study devoted to the key issues facing Syrian-Armenians and that Syrian-Armenians were also included in those efforts.

The RA Ministry of Diaspora signed agreements with the Institute of History of the NAS RA (for a study on “The Armenian Communities in Soviet Republics: 1941-91”), the Institute of Literature of the NAS RA (for the “Literary Diaspora-2016”), the Institute of Language of the NAS RA (for studies on “History of the Study of Western Armenian Literature” and “Paths for Convergence between Western Armenian and Eastern Armenian”), the Institute of Informatics and Automation Problems of the NAS RA (for a study entitled “The Presentation of Grabar (Classic Armenian) in the Dictionaries of the Language of Universal Networks”), the academic secretary of the Institute of Philosophy, Sociology and Law (for a study on “Current Legal and Social Issues of Syrian-Armenians in the Republic of Armenia”), the YSU Faculty of Oriental Studies (for a study on “The Nagorno-Karabakh Issue in Public and Political Discourse in Turkey”), the YSU Faculty of Law (for a study on “Legal Issues on Recognition, Condemnation of the Armenian Genocide and Elimination of Consequences”), the YSU Faculty of History (for a study on “Armenian Women in the Late 19^th Century and in the Years of the Heroic Battle in the Early 20^th Century”) and “Noravank” Scientific and Educational Foundation (for a study on “Internal Mobility in the Armenian Diaspora in 1950-80”).

Expanding the cooperation with scientific institutions, this year the RA Ministry of Diaspora has also signed agreements with the Center for Research on Issues of Western Armenians Scientific Research Foundation to conduct a study entitled “Hamshen and the Current Issues of Hamshen-Armenians” and with the YSU Center for Research and Business Foundation to conduct a study entitled “Paths to Increasing the Potential for Investments from the Diaspora in the Economy of the Republic of Armenia”.