From October 20 to 24, the Union of Journalists of Armenia, the All-Armenian Media Association and the Coordinating Council for Pan-Armenian Forums of Journalists, in partnership with the RA Ministry of Diaspora, will hold the 8^th Pan-Armenian Forum of Journalists entitled “Armenian Statehood: Axis of Unity”.

To discuss the preparations and other issues related to the forum, Hayern Aysor’s correspondent sat down for an interview with Head of the Department of Information and Telecommunication at the RA Ministry of Diaspora Vaghinak Vardanyan.

Hayern Aysor: Mr. Vardanyan, what is the main purpose of the Pan-Armenian Forum of Journalists?

Vaghinak Vardanyan: The creation of a unified pan-Armenian information field and professional networks in the Armenian Diaspora is one of the conceptual provisions for the development of the Armenia-Diaspora partnership approved by the Government of the Republic of Armenia, and the pan-Armenian network of media outlets, which has been established through the Pan-Armenian Forums of Journalists and is expanding year after year, is one of the effective professional networks created at the initiative of the RA Ministry of Diaspora.

The Pan-Armenian Forum of Journalists is held once every two years. Before 2008, it was held by the All-Armenian Media Association. When the RA Ministry of Diaspora was established, the All-Armenian Media Association had already held four forums. Even after the establishment of the Ministry, this major initiative logically continued.

Attaching importance to the objective to create a pan-Armenian network of media outlets, RA Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan undertook the initiative and directly participated in making the Pan-Armenian Forums of Journalists larger in scale and more encompassing.

In the fall of 2010, with the support of the RA Ministry of Diaspora, the 5^th Pan-Armenian Forum of Journalists was held in the Republic of Armenia and in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

After that, all the forums have been held with the direct support and through the direct assistance of the RA Ministry of Diaspora.

Hayern Aysor: What will be the topics of the upcoming forum? Is the program ready?

V. V.: First, I must say that this year’s forum is dedicated to the 25^th anniversary of Independence of the Republic of Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, and it is obvious that the theme of the forum was going to be in line with the idea of strengthening and reinforcing Armenian statehood.

Taking this into consideration, the coordinating council discussed several options and decided to hold the forum under the title “Armenian Statehood: Axis of Unity”.

The forum will be held from October 20 to 24. The opening ceremony will be held in Yerevan. The forum will continue at the sessions hall of the RA Ministry of Diaspora from October 20-22 (3 Vazgen Sargsyan Street, 9^th floor) and at the cultural chamber of the capital of Stepanakert of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic from October 23 to 24.

The forum will end with a final session in Stepanakert on October 24.

Taking the opportunity, I would like to express gratitude to the corresponding bodies of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and the Union of Journalists of Artsakh for their willingness to collaborate.

Those wishing to follow the forum may do so by watching the live broadcast of the forum online in Armenia and Artsakh.

The participants who are unable to attend the forum will have the chance to join us and deliver their speeches via long distance connection.

The participants of the forum will also visit the Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex and the Yerablur Military Pantheon in Yerevan.

During the days of the forum, the RA Ministry of Diaspora will cover the participants’ expenses for food and stay, as well as the transportation from Yerevan to Stepanakert and vice versa.

Getting back to the question, during its September 23 session, the Coordinating Council for Pan-Armenian Forums of Journalists decided that the following would be the themes for discussion:

• Prerequisites and corresponding mechanisms for the unified system of information, information in crises;
• Diplomacy of the Republic of Armenia, Diaspora Armenian organizations and paths for cooperation;
• Use of the potential of Diaspora Armenians in nation-building in the Republic of Armenia;
• The Armenian Diaspora as support to the Republic of Armenia in international recognition of the Artsakh Republic;
• Issues related to the defense systems of the Republic of Armenia and the Artsakh Republic;
• Armenia-Artsakh-Diaspora: Summary of 25-year cooperation and future actions

Currently, we are preparing the program for the forum and will be sending it to all the participants over the next couple of days.

Hayern Aysor: When was the Coordinating Council for Pan-Armenian Forums of Journalists created?

V. V.: The coordinating council was created during the 6^th Pan-Armenian Forum of Journalists with the purpose of specifying the agendas for future forums and solving the issues raised, implementing the proposals made and following the declarations adopted during the forums before the next forum.

The coordinating council holds sessions once every three months. The Department of Information and Telecommunication of the RA Ministry of Diaspora is in charge of convening and organizing the sessions and taking care of technical issues.

Allow me to mention that representatives of Diaspora Armenian media outlets participate in the sessions via the Internet.

Hayern Aysor: Who can participate in the forum? Are there specific criteria?

V. V.: The only criterion for selection is that the invitations are mainly addressed to editors. If they are unable to participate in the forum, they send their authorized representatives. There can be no selection or discrimination. The editors of all Armenian mass media outlets who have applied to participate before 1 October 2016 may participate in the forum. The announcement about the forum was posted on the official website of the RA Ministry of Diaspora, on the “Hayern Aysor” (Armenians Today) electronic newspaper of the Ministry in April of this year and was sent to Diaspora Armenian presses.

Hayern Aysor: Have you already finalized the final results? How are things going? How many people will be participating in the forum and which countries will they be representing?

V. V.: The deadline for submission of applications was October 1^st.

It is nice to see that more and more journalists are participating every year and that the geography is expanding.

Whereas the maximum number of participants used to be 60 in the past, this year, there will be 100 editors and journalists from 30 countries around the world. Representatives of Armenian media outlets of Syria will also be participating in the forum this year.

Hayern Aysor: Mr. Vardanyan, will there be Armenian journalists working for foreign mass media outlets?

V. V.: Of course, we have also sent invitations to 45 Armenian journalists working for foreign mass media outlets, and 20 journalists have already responded. It is very important for Armenian journalists of foreign mass media outlets to participate in this forum because, by working for foreign mass media outlets, they have a bigger opportunity to shape the public opinion of their respective countries about the Armenian reality.

In fact, it was Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan who came up with the idea of inviting Armenian journalists of foreign mass media during the 7^th Pan-Armenian Forum of Journalists held as part of the 5^th Armenia-Diaspora Conference.

I would also like to extend thanks to our respected editors of Diaspora Armenian periodicals and newspapers. With their reputation, they played a role in engaging Armenian journalists of foreign mass media outlets in this forum.

Hayern Aysor: How many media outlets does the RA Ministry of Diaspora collaborate with?

V. V.: Currently, we collaborate with about 320 Diaspora Armenian media outlets. We have sent invitations to all of them. True, the deadline for submission of applications was October 1^st, but there are Diaspora Armenian media outlets that are still sending their applications, and we’re not rejecting them.

I fully hope the participants of this year’s forum also engage in heated debates, hold discussions in an atmosphere of mutual understanding and make many major proposals that will be implemented in the future. The 8^th Pan-Armenian Forum of Journalists will become a new major milestone on the road towards mutual recognition of Armenian editors and journalists, the strengthening of bonds, as well as the establishment and advancement of a unified pan-Armenian information system.

We also intend to gather the materials and print them in a book.

Gevorg Chichyan