Correspondent for the Armenian Weekly and editor of Ardziv official newspaper of the Armenian Youth Association of ARF-D Canada Rouben Janbazian, who was one of the participants of the 8^th Pan-Armenian Forum of Journalists (organized on 20-24 October by the RA Ministry of Diaspora under the title “Armenian Statehood: Axis of Unity”), considers his participation in such forums and conferences one of the best ways of visiting Armenia and satisfying his longing for the Homeland.

The young journalist was participating in such a forum for journalists in Armenia for the first time and shared his views on the forum in an interview with Hayern Aysor.

Hayern Aysor: Rouben, is there a story behind your choice to become a journalist? Why did you choose this profession?

Rouben Janbazian: I am not a journalist by profession. I received my higher education at the Department of History and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Toronto.

After graduating, I had decided to get involved in teaching, and that’s exactly how it worked out. I taught Armenian History at the daily Armenian school in Toronto.

I had no plan to pursue a career in journalism. It is safe to say that I found myself in the field by chance. I had had a love for journalism in Middle School. Later, I took my first step in the field as a correspondent for Canada’s Horizon Weekly and TorontoHye magazine.

In 2011, a group of young Armenians and I republished the Ardziv official newspaper of the Armenian Youth Association of ARF-D Canada. Due to various reasons, the newspaper had stopped publishing in 1991.

Now, we publish four 20-24 color page issues a year. Later, the ARF-D Central Committee appointed me the official newspaper’s editor, and I have been generously performing my duties ever since.

Hayern Aysor: Which genre is close to your heart? What articles do you publish?

R. J.: Unfortunately, the Armenian newspapers publishing in the Diaspora today are in a state that makes journalists go everywhere and provide coverage of various events, including community events, life in Armenia, etc.

I love the political field, especially analytical and political journalism. I always follow the events place in Armenia and Artsakh and see what is going on in the social, economic, cultural, educational and other fields. Of course, I also closely follow the situation on the border.

I believe young Diaspora Armenians long for reading news about Armenia.

Hayern Aysor Are there journalists who are a source of inspiration for you?

R. J.: I can’t give an exact name of any specific journalist now. I have loved reading books and writing poems since childhood. I have even printed the poems that I wrote as a child in the yearbook and newspaper of my Armenian school. I especially love to read short novels. William Saroyan has made a great impact on me. I am a great fan of his books. I have also released my book entitled “Saroyan in Armenian: Two Short Stories”, which is a compilation of the translated versions of William Saroyan’s short stories. I must say that Saroyan took his first steps at Armenian Weekly, and now, I am happy and proud that I am working for the newspaper edition where William Saroyan made his attempts in writing.

Hayern Aysor: Rouben, now let’s talk about the 8^th Pan-Armenian Forum of Journalists. Was this your first time?

R. J.: Yes, this was the first time I was participating in the forum. I think the major impetus of the forum is that we are able to identify issues during the discussions in order to solve them together in the future.

What is also important is the fact that the forum helps editors and journalists establish contacts with each other. Before the forum, we would only communicate on the Internet, but now we have the opportunity to meet in person.

Establishing and maintaining those relations is very important for the strengthening of not only the Armenia-Diaspora relations, but also the relations within the Diaspora.

Hayern Aysor: What does the title of the forum (“Armenian Statehood: Axis of Unity”) mean to you?

R. J.: Let me put it this way. If a nation has statehood, that nation automatically becomes its center. If we Diaspora Armenians don’t view Armenia as our state and the final destination, then the life of the Armenian Diaspora will be short-lived and temporary. I always reiterate this. For 70 years, the Armenian Diaspora served as a center for the preservation of the Armenian identity and patriotism, but when Armenia declared its independence, things changed a little.

It is clear that the Armenian communities in daily contacts with Armenia will survive. In his speech at the forum, Editor-in-Chief of Canada’s Horizon Weekly Vahakn Karakashian also touched upon this. We Diaspora Armenians feel the danger of assimilation every day. Every time we come to Armenia, we receive energy from the land and water of Armenia and return to our respective countries of residence with that energy.

I commend the fact that the forum was also organized in Artsakh, which is very symbolic. Being in Artsakh always makes me feel patriotic because the liberation of Artsakh is the great achievement of the Armenian nation in its modern history. Over the past 25 years, Artsakh has become the focal point of all Armenians around the world. The history of the struggle for the liberation of Artsakh has had a great impact on me, and it goes to show that the land of Artsakh remains a Homeland and Armenian territory for the Armenian people. Even the Four-Day Artsakh War didn’t bring us Armenians down to our knees.

The Armenian Diaspora never forgets about Artsakh. We Diaspora Armenians don’t differentiate between Armenia and Artsakh. The Armenia-Artsakh-Diaspora triumvirate is always on our minds. This is what the title means to me.

Interview by Gevorg Chichyan