Former USHMM Council Member Diane Asadorian, USHMM Chief of Staff William S. Parsons, and his wife Sylvia Parsons at the ANI Conference “The American Response to the Armenian Genocide” in 2000. WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) mourns the loss of William S. Parsons, who passed away on the morning of December 23. He worked at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) for 25 years where he served as chief of staff and director of education

Assembly Executive Directory Bryan Ardouny and Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) Armenian Caucus Vice Co-Chair Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Armenian Assembly Executive Directory Bryan Ardouny WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, as the 115th Congress convened, Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) Board Member Annie Totah, along with Executive Director Bryan Ardouny, were on the Hill meeting with legislators in both the House and Senate. Ardouny congratulated Arm

(Armenpress) – For the 2016-2017 academic year, 70% of tuition fees for 436 Syrian-Armenian students were paid for by the Armenian government, AGBU, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, and the Fund for Armenian Relief, Armenian Diaspora Minister Hranush Hakobyan noted at a year-end press conference. “There are three main directions of work with the Diaspora. We continue working in the direction of preservation of Armenian identity. That is, we do everything for the Diaspora t

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last week, Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) Executive Director Bryan Ardouny responded to a biased article posted in The Hill earlier this month.  Ardouny wrote: “Christina Gathman’s ‘Armenia’s Russia problem’ in The Hill’s Congress Blog published on Dec. 13, 2016 goes to some length to catalogue the extent of Russian investments in Armenia and raises the question whether the degree of economic cooperation between the two countries affects its foreig

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia released the following statement on December 29, 2016: We condemn in the strongest terms today’s diversionary incursion attempt by Azerbaijan on the state border with Armenia, which resulted in human loses. We express our deepest condolences to the relatives and fellow servicemen of the fallen soldiers. While the most serious damage caused to the settlement process in the result of the Azerbaijani aggression against Artsa

The first six minutes of The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC editorialized a prescripted hit piece on Armenians instead of reporting on the devastating assassination of the Russian Ambassador to Turkey by a Turkish police officer. This is unfair and irresponsible journalism. Join the Armenian Assembly of America by contacting Rachel Maddow, The Rachel Maddow Show, and MSNBC to voice your objection to the distasteful and misleading introduction of her segment. Armenian Assembly Co

(News.am) – The Stockholm District Court on Wednesday made a formal judgment on the case of former Deputy Chairman of the Turkish National Association of Sweden, Barbaros Leylani, who had made several xenophobic and anti-Armenian statements containing clear expressions of incitement to violence, hatred, and racial discrimination, at a demonstration of the Azerbaijani, Turkish, and Turkmen communities of Sweden, in capital city Stockholm on April 9. Pursuant to Chapter 16 Sect

(L-R): Artsakh Representative to the U.S. Robert Avetisyan, Rev. Fr. Hovsep Karapetian, Artsakh Prime Minister Ara Haroutyunyan, Diocesan Legate of the Armenian Church of America Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues Co-Chair Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Armenian Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny, and Armenian National Institute Director Dr. Rouben Adalian. WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) joined the Congressio

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Monday, the United States pledged to fund concrete measures designed to improve confidence in the election process and help prevent fraud in next year’s Armenian parliamentary elections. The Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) strongly encouraged the U.S. government to support this initiative considering its importance to strengthening the democratic process in Armenia. U.S. funding will support agreements signed by the Armenian government and three

On November 16, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian met with United States European and Eurasian Affairs Deputy Assistant Secretary Bridget Brink and discussed U.S.-Armenia relations, trade partnerships, and a peaceful settlement for the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh. Nalbandian commended the friendly bipartisan relations between Armenia and the U.S., emphasizing the considerable progress that has been achieved through joint efforts in recent years. In return, Brink t

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following the 2016 elections, 97% of Members of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues seeking re-election won, the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) reported. While Caucus candidates were resoundingly successful at the ballot box this cycle, 11 members will not return to Congress due to retirement, resignation, or because they sought other office. Three of the Armenian Caucus members who ran for another office won their races: Reps. Janice Hahn

Armenian Caucus Members are Successful WASHINGTON, D.C. – After a long, close, and hard fought presidential race, Republican nominee Donald J. Trump, early Wednesday morning, surpassed the requisite number of Electoral College votes needed to win the presidency over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, reported the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly). In addition to the White House, Republicans retained their majorities in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Sen

Be Part of the Assembly’s 40th Summer Internship Class WASHINGTON, D.C. – Applications for the Armenian Assembly of America’s (Assembly) summer internship programs are available, and the deadline for this upcoming summer is fast approaching. The 2017 Terjenian-Thomas Summer Internship Program applications in Washington, D.C. are due on December 1, 2016 and candidates for the Yerevan Internship Program in Armenia will be accepted through January 10, 2017. This upcoming summer

Armenian Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Hratchia Taschian and his wife Bella Tashchian, Armenian Embassy Special Assistant Anita Issagholyan, MLI Founder and Chairman General (Ret.) Gordon R. Sullivan, Armenian Assembly of America Board Member Annie Totah, Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny, Armenian Embassy Second Secretary Nazeli Hambardzumyan, and Leo Sahakian. On October 26, Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) Board Member Annie Totah and Executive Director Br

Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) Board of Trustees Co-Chair Anthony Barsamian, President Carolyn Mugar, Board Member Raffi Kassarjian, and Regional Director Arpi Vartanian met with Armenian Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan, where they discussed economic development and the diaspora’s participation. The Prime Minister welcomed and praised the Assembly’s activities of strengthening Armenia-Diaspora ties and bolstering U.S.-Armenia relations. Congratulating Karapetyan on

(Armenian news-News.am) – The Málaga city council of Spain has unanimously adopted a statement, formally recognizing and condemning the Armenian Genocide. The statement describes what occurred at the turn of the 20th century defined as a crime against humanity, resulting in the formation of the large Armenian diaspora, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia informed Armenian news-News.am. In addition, the Málaga city council expressed its support to Armenians worldwide, a

The two heads of the Statue Of Humanity lie in a municipal dump on the outskirts of Kars. By Amos Chapple (RFE/RL) – It was intended as a gesture of friendship. But in 2011, a Turkish statue symbolizing reconciliation with Armenia was labeled a “monstrosity” by then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and torn down. Today, a visit by RFE/RL to the eastern Turkish city of Kars reveals the statue dismantled and dumped among rusting vehicles 50 kilometers from the closed border

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As concerns are raised of Russia attempting to influence the U.S. presidential election by hacking campaign emails, one purloined record also reveal another country, namely Azerbaijan, doing the same. After reviewing emails on WikiLeaks, the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) discovered correspondence among campaign staffers discussing the legality of accepting donations from foreign governments, such as Azerbaijan, by Foreign Agents Registration Act (

As fighting continues in Syria, the situation grows more dire by the day. Contact your Member of Congress and URGE THEM TO SUPPORT $15 MILLION TO HELP SYRIAN REFUGEES FLEEING TO ARMENIA RESETTLE. In the Assembly’s testimony, we urged Congress to support aid for Syrian refugees resettling in Armenia. Given the ongoing unrest and daily accounts, now more than ever, we need to make our voices heard. Contact your Member of Congress now! #Armenia #Syria #SyrianRefugees

Member of the People’s Democratic Party of Turkey Garo Paylan, a Turkish lawmaker of Armenian origin, announced he is initiating a lawsuit against Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Paylan posted on Twitter. In addition to the announcement, Paylan posted footage on Twitter showing a crowd cursing Armenians during an Erdogan speech from October 15. The audience was shouting “Armenian scums,” while Erdogan was smiling. “The crowd which gathered in Trabzon for President Er