The following remarks were delivered by Elizabeth S. Chouldjian, communications director at the Armenian National Committee of America, at the Diaspora Mobilization Conference held April 11-12, 2026, in Paris, France.
To survive, the global Armenian nation must act as sovereign master of its own destiny — a thriving homeland partnered with and powered by its diaspora — itself a geopolitical force, the Armenian nation’s “Second Army.”
The strategic depth of the ANC global network represents a diasporan force multiplier to defend Armenian interests, preserve heritage and advance Armenian aspirations across six continents, a vital sword and shield of the nation, working to complement constructive elements of state-level diplomacy while elevating Armenian issues, asserting Armenian rights and expanding the playing field of Armenia’s possibilities in ways that remain beyond the reach of state-driven diplomacy.
Before we discuss the Armenian diaspora’s political role, strategy or policy, we must answer a fundamental question: Do we envision an Armenia and an Armenian nation that is the master of its own destiny, or the servant of foreign masters?
Will we be the sovereigns of our just rights, or servants who act as mere tenants on our own soil? Will we stand as a sovereign global nation, or will we accept the role of a servant reduced to life on a “reservation” — nominally sovereign, but with our development, our direction contingent on the interests of Turkey, Azerbaijan, or other foreign powers?
The choice is stark.
We can accept the vision of a “Real Armenia” — a landlocked survivor-state in a geopolitical cage, existing only by the permission and hostile whims of its neighbors while our history, culture and very identity are slowly stolen from us or, worse, surrendered voluntarily. Or we choose to be the sovereign master of our future — a global nation that refuses to be a tenant on its own land and instead stands as the owner of its just rights.
If we strive to define our destiny, then the collective “we” — both state and nation — must recognize and embrace the Armenian diaspora for what it is: a sovereign power on the global stage.
The Armenian Diaspora, today, is a geopolitical force in its own right — in numerous respects, more influential than many governments. We are shaping pro-Armenian realities across an international arena characterized by intense competition between nation-states and, increasingly, among transnational networks. We exist as an end unto ourselves, across generations and around the globe — but also as an inseparable component of the Armenian nation, devoted — at our core — to the security and survival of the Armenian state.
The Armenian diaspora is the strategic partner of the Armenian state; the Armenian state, in turn, the existential ally of the Armenian diaspora. This is our unbreakable bond: two pillars — the state and the nation spread across the world — working in harmony. We do not seek to manage, and we refuse to be managed. We act as global custodians of the Armenian Cause, understanding that a strong Armenia represents the key to our national aspirations.
We are our strongest when our state and national agendas are complementary — parallel pathways guided by the same North Star — our security and long-term survival, our sacred place at the table of nations. Those who seek to drive a wedge between the diaspora and the republic are doing the work of our enemies — are, in fact, our enemies. There is no surer test. No better way to judge friend from foe. For divided we cannot stand. But united we can withstand even our fiercest enemies.
In a world of predators, a landlocked state cannot survive on hope and hearts alone. Survival requires strategic depth. It requires understanding the Armenian diaspora’s role as a force multiplier that can help transform a small, blockaded territory into a global power center.
This starts with rolling back destructive foreign narratives that create false choices between diaspora aspirations and homeland interests, between our devotion to the past and our hopes for the future, assertive global advocacy and more nuanced state-level diplomacy. We must not let these values be turned against each other — in the interests of others, at our expense. Rather, they must be aligned with one another to advance our shared national agenda.
On the political front, the ANC global network is the operational infrastructure of this sovereign force. It is a synchronized alliance of global practitioners, policy experts and local political leaders spanning dozens of countries, each adapted to its own political landscape while building broad coalitions with both Armenian and non-Armenian allies.
In the United States, the ANCA provides the definitive example of this machine. We don’t just ask for influence; we create political reality through a twofold infrastructure. First, through grassroots power: with over 50 chapters nationwide, we ensure the Armenian Cause is a permanent priority at every level of government. Second, through human capital: the fuel for this engine is our professional pipeline. Through programs like the Leo Sarkisian Internship and the Hovig Apo Saghdejian Capital Gateway Program, we are training the senior stakeholders of our future — professionals who bring the best to their careers and, with them, ensure the Armenian nation rises.
This structure is how we manifest sovereignty where the state cannot reach. Our agenda is not measured in 29,743 square kilometers alone. When we mobilize to protect the Cows’ Garden in Jerusalem, we are defending 1,600 years of Armenian soil. When we stand with the Armenians of Javakhk in their struggle for dignity and the preservation of their heritage, or ensure the security of our historic community in Iran, we are acting as the sovereign shield of a global nation. When we safeguard our communities in Syria and Lebanon, we are defending the soil, the spirit and the survival of the nation on every continent.
This is the Diaspora as the “Second Army.”
The diaspora and the state must work as independent actors toward the same North Star. When the State is pressured to “bend,” the Nation must remain unyielding. We work independently to bypass policies that compromise our long-term security. In the U.S., our focus remains on the hard deterrence and political accountability necessary to protect our people:
- Opposing dangerous elements of the TRIPP project that risk turning our homeland into a foreign-controlled transit zone;
- Securing the immediate release of Armenian hostages and ending Azerbaijan’s hostage diplomacy.
- Enforcing Section 907 to ban all military aid and weapons financing to Ankara and Baku;
- Holding Azerbaijani officials accountable through Magnitsky Sanctions;
- Pressing for a U.N. resolution for the safe return of the people of Artsakh and the protection of our sacred cultural heritage;
- Pressuring Turkey to end its denial of the Armenian Genocide, its obstruction of justice for this crime against all humanity.
We must ensure that our nation’s very survival is not bartered for a false and fragile peace.
The “Real Armenia” strategy of surrender is not a path to peace. It is a strategy of managed decline, endlessly lowered expectations and — ultimately — national suicide. It fails to guarantee security today and, more tragically, it closes the door on any prospect of a real peace based on justice in the future. We are told to “bend” to avoid trouble. But we know that a nation that defines itself by the limits set by others has already lost its sovereignty.
We reject the mindset of submission. We must stand firm in that resolve — regardless of the pressure from our enemies, the caution of our friends or even the counsel of state-level officeholders.
We leverage the power of the diaspora to face the geopolitical challenges in our own day. We choose the wisdom of Thomas Paine, an American revolutionary thinker, who said:
“If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace.”
A lasting peace rooted in freedom and justice.
