After 14 years, ARF Panagoum returns with powerful message of unity
After a 14-year hiatus, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) relaunched its 12th pan-Armenian youth and summer camp, Panagoum, held July 15-23, 2025. The opening ceremony, near the Nemesis monument in Yerevan, drew nearly 400 participants from 17 countries.
The program began with a procession to the statue of Aram Manukyan, founder of the First Republic of Armenia, and a march through the city center. Participants also visited the Yerablur Military Pantheon and the Armenian Genocide Memorial at Tsitsernakaberd.
Carrying the powerful motto, “Death or Freedom,” the young Armenians in attendance embodied a shared commitment to their nation’s future. In his opening remarks, ARF Bureau member Hovsep Ter-Gevorgyan emphasized that only a united global Armenian mobilization can overcome the serious challenges facing Armenia today. While Armenian authorities seek to distance the diaspora from Armenia, this event actively strengthens those ties. Hundreds of young Armenians have returned to support their compatriots at a time when some youth face political hostility.
“It is through collective pan-Armenian effort that we can confront looming threats and difficulties,” Ter-Gevorgyan declared.
Under the slogan, “We Will Return,” the Panagoum affirmed Armenian solidarity and reinforced an unwavering dedication to the Artsakh cause.
During his opening speech, Mher Garagashyan, an organizer and participant of the first Panagoum, reminded the crowd that Armenian identity in diaspora is not an end in itself but a call to unite and strengthen sovereignty in the homeland—the irreplaceable home of the Armenian people.
“There will be a return—a return to our values, which now seem upside down; a return to our essence and traditions,” Garagashyan said. “We must restore hope and faith to our people. Then will come the return of the people of Artsakh to their homeland and the release of our prisoners of war. We will bring hope and faith back to our nation.”
Most of the Panagoum took place in Hankavan, where participants attended lectures, took part in cultural events, engaged in group exercises and went hiking.
Arqina Muradyan, 21, from the United States, was completing a medical internship in Armenia during the Panagoum. Attending for the first time, she said she was struck by how participants from different backgrounds were all connected by a shared Armenian identity.
“Our identity is Armenian, and here, we try to share our diverse experiences for the benefit of Armenia,” she explained.
Muradyan also appreciated the special day dedicated to Artsakh, which helped participants connect with its rich culture, despite being physically far from Artsakh. The day featured lectures, discussions and Q&A sessions on Artsakh and the preservation of its cultural heritage.
As part of the events, a photo exhibition titled Let Us Rise to Shushi showcased the nearly 40 works of Shushi-born photographer Vladimir Gevorgyan. Organized by the Artsakh office of Hamazkayin, the exhibition captured the spiritual significance of Artsakh’s fortress city. Under an open sky, viewers gazed at the images that documented the soul of the city and its people over the years.
“Let us never stop rising to Shushi with our thoughts, our goals and every path within us,” said Hermine Avagyan, head of the Artsakh office of Hamazkayin, in her opening speech. “The clearer we keep the path inside to Shushi, the closer we will be to realizing our pan-Armenian dream.”
Gevorgyan shared the story behind his images, reflecting on how he had captured the city’s many moods through its seasons, people and daily rhythms. His greatest dream, he expressed, is to once again photograph the sunrise over Shushi. Through his exhibition, he hoped that everyone could “visit” the city, even if only through memory–a memory that evokes not just sadness and longing but a vibrant life and hope for the future.
Several ensembles affiliated with the Center for the Preservation of Artsakh Culture also performed at the Panagoum. The lineup included the state song and dance ensemble “We Are Our Mountains,” the Artsakh State Dance Ensemble, the National Folk Instrument Orchestra of Artsakh and soloist Lilit Avanesyan—all of whom highlighted Artsakh’s rich cultural heritage.
Simultaneously, the Artsakh Tourism and Culture Development Agency, dedicated to preserving Artsakh’s cultural heritage following the forced displacement of its inhabitants, brought together displaced Artsakhtsi artisans and organizations. Participants and guests explored pavilions displaying traditional Artsakh dishes, handmade crafts, embroidery and artworks by local masters—each display conveyed the warmth and uniqueness of life in Artsakh.
These exhibitions and sales are crucial for the organization, as they provide displaced artisans with a platform to showcase their crafts and earn a stable income.
The Panagoum brought together young Armenians from around the world, showing their strong commitment to protecting their culture and building a better future. Despite the challenges they face, these youth prove that Armenian identity and unity remain not only strong and resilient—but alive.
All images by the author unless otherwise noted.
It is well possible that Pashinyan will persecute and proscribe the ARF, which he sees as an obstacle to his selling-out of Armenia, in order to appease and please the Turks and Azeris. Levon Ter-Petrosyan persecuted the ARF too, but Pashinyan will very likely go futher against the ARF. On top of that, it is well possible that he could demolish the Nemesis monument and other related monuments – especially those associated with the ARF, again in order to appease and please the Turks and Azeris, who like him, criticised the erection of this monument. While even he wouldn’t dare to touch Tsitsernakaberd and other Armenian Genocide memorials, he is already downplaying the biggest tragedy and calamity to ever hit the Armenian nation, again in order to appease and please the Turks and Azeris. So many people in Armenia seem to have resigned to the potential territorial mutilation of Armenia and to its possibility of becoming a satellite state of Turkey and Azerbaijan. The cowardice and appeasement of Pashinyan has also contributed to this demoralization. The ARF and other Armenian nationalist organizations, are the only ones left who put up a robust opposition against Pashinyan, and who regularly protest and denounce the cowardice, appeasement and potential selling-out of Armenia and its territory by Pashinyan. Even expressing patriotism and the right to protest, are regarded as anathema by Pashinyan and his sycophants.
Our youth is the future, bravo in listening and acting
PS: It’s time to end leaders personally benefiting in the name of homeland
I hope the leadership of the ARF has prepared plans for its cadres to go underground should Pashinyan ban it.
Pashinyan cannot be trusted so every contingency must be planned for.