Panossian to Discuss Gulbenkian Foundation’s Future Plans at NAASR

BELMONT, Mass.—On Thurs., Feb. 13, in a talk co-sponsored by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR), Dr. Razmik Panossian will discuss the Armenian Communities Department of the Gulbenkian Foundation’s plan for 2014-18.

Launched in December 2013, the plan is based on the department’s mission “to create a viable future for the Armenian people in which its culture and language are preserved and valued.” It is structured around four priority areas: promoting the preservation of Armenian language and culture through education, supporting Armenia by investing in its youth and civil society, helping to improve Armenian-Turkish relations, and preserving the Armenian literary heritage.

Razmik Panossian is director of the Armenian Communities Department at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, which is headquartered in Lisbon, Portugal. He is the author of the critically acclaimed book, The Armenians: From Kings and Priests to Merchants and Commissars (Columbia University Press, 2006) and various other academic publications on Armenian identity, politics, and diaspora. He was the director of policy, programs, and planning at the Montreal-based International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development (2004-10), and has worked for UNDP in NY as an international consultant (2011-12). He obtained his Ph.D. from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 2000, where he also taught.

The talk begins at 7:30 p.m. at the NAASR Center, 395 Concord Ave., Belmont. For more information, call (617) 489-1610 or e-mail hq@naasr.org.