AYF Senior Seminar: “With my people, for my homeland”

FRANKLIN, Mass.—The Armenian Youth Federation-Youth Organization of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (AYF-YOARF) held its annual senior seminar over the weekend of September 29-October 1 at Camp Haiastan, with over 60 attendees from across the region. Given the circumstances facing our homeland, the weekend’s lectures, activities and discussions were centered on the current reality and future of Artsakh and Armenia—under the theme: “Ժողովուրդիս հետ՝ հայրենիքիս համար” / “With my people, for my homeland.” This served as an opportune moment to come together, discuss the state of our homeland and figure out ways of moving forward as a people and as a nation. Succumbing to gruesome living conditions imposed by Azerbaijan’s violent and genocidal regime, the Armenians of Artsakh have faced unimaginable realities since 2020, and recent developments have exacerbated the already profound pain. Emboldened by the silence of the international community, funded and supplied by world powers who failed to uphold the very tenets of democracy and freedom they are founded on, and driven by deplorable motives and means, Azerbaijan’s acts of violence and terror against Armenians have been an ongoing testament to their attempts at the ethnic cleansing of our people, all while claiming our lands as their own. With all this in mind, the lectures at this year’s seminar consisted of engaging topics related to Artsakh. The purpose of the weekend was to inspire our membership and to remind ourselves of the resilience of our people, the power in our unity, and the importance of upholding our enduring commitment to Hai Tahd and our fight for a free, independent and united Armenia. The seminar began with a lecture by attorney, author and activist Sarig Armenian on international law and the geopolitical realities of the region. Beginning with the framework of key theories, Armenian introduced important legal and geopolitical ideas and defined them in the context of Armenia and Artsakh. She described the needs of a functioning nation in a hierarchical diagram, in which civil society is founded on national security, followed by economic security, democracy and education, respectively. She explained that national security encompasses territorial integrity, secure borders, relations with neighbors, internal security, military and intelligence – all of which are critical in establishing a functional statehood, which cannot be built primarily on democracy. An important facet of national security strategy that was touched upon was the way in which those in power project ideas to the populace, which we’ve witnessed throughout the reign of Armenia’s current regime. Armenian then focused on the key players in Armenia and Artsakh’s geopolitical situation, including bordering neighbors, regional actors and major powers. She discussed the role of pan-Turkism and pipeline politics as driving forces of the conflict. This sparked a conversation about the likelihood of the construction of the “Zangezur Corridor,” a road connecting Azerbaijan to Nakhichevan through Meghri, and its possible repercussions for Armenia. Armenian concluded her lecture by explaining our role, organizationally and individually, in paving a future for Armenia. She said that we must transform our vision and strengthen our community, by rebuilding a stronger, resilient and antifragile organization. Armenian’s lecture was followed by a pre-recorded interview from September 15 with ANC Artsakh Executive Director Gev Iskajyan. During the interview, Iskajyan shared his on-the-ground experience in Artsakh. He highlighted the sheer strength of our compatriots and the hardships they endured under blockade. He explained the importance of the work carried out in the diaspora and how the responsibility of guaranteeing a future for Armenia and Artsakh falls on each of our shoulders. He emphasized our agency in building and maintaining our nation. Iskajyan’s powerful sentiments were followed by cybersecurity and field medicine activities, in which members had the opportunity to explore two fields and learn ways in which we can professionally dedicate our work to the betterment of our homeland. The next lecture, presented by George Aghjayan, was about the ARF’s vision of peace. He warned against the implications of the defeatist mentality of Armenia’s current leadership, which was solidified by the war in 2020 and most recently, the devastating outcomes of Azerbaijan’s latest acts of aggression. Aghjayan stressed the importance of fighting for the recognition of the crimes committed against our people and the inherent right of our people to live on our homeland. His lecture concluded with a broad discussion about repatriation, maintenance of a strong diaspora and the importance of bridging the gap between diasporans and Armenians living in Armenia. Alex Avaneszadeh concluded the lectures and spoke about solidarity and effective ways of protesting. He touched upon the importance of building networks and legitimizing our narrative in others’ eyes through such channels of support. Avaneszadeh differentiated between positive framing and negative framing – the former focuses on building relations with indigenous groups who experience similar struggles, while the latter focuses on building relations with groups who do not have our same interests at heart. This was followed by a discussion, through which members were given a forum to speak about the current reality our people are facing and our role as diasporans and AYF members in paving a direction forward. We talked about the importance of staying geopolitically informed and educating others, strengthening our communities, increasing engagement among Senior and Junior members, starting dialogue with Armenians in Armenia, spreading political awareness and literacy, and working more closely and frequently with AYF members in other regions. Closing in on the issue of apathy, we brainstormed ways of increasing engagement within the organization – by facilitating conversation and action at chapter meetings. Finally, we spoke at length about prioritizing the work we can carry out for the homeland. We discussed the importance of prioritizing the social and national security of Syunik and helping the families living there to become self-sustaining given the real threat of war they face. We agreed that we should advocate for better social welfare and social security programs in Armenia through our respective networks. Ultimately, the lectures, activities and discussions throughout the weekend provided an outlet for our attendees to express their thoughts, feelings and ideas. The sentiments and takeaways perfectly embodied this year’s theme this year of “Ժողովուրդիս հետ՝ հայրենիքիս համար” (With our people, for our homeland). Ultimately, members walked away feeling inspired and motivated to work together, recognizing that our work is far from over—our struggle continues for as long as we do. It’s our responsibility to help build a stronger Armenia for future generations to come, one that includes Artsakh, Javakhk, Nakhichevan and Western Armenia. “Պայքա՛ր, պայքա՛ր մինչեւ յաղթանակ։”

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