A few days ago Alan Gogbashian has been announced as the new UK Ambassador to Armenia. He will start working in this position in September of 2019.

The Armenian surname of the newly appointed ambassador has attracted quite a lot of attention.

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Alan Gogbashian was born and educated in the UK, and he joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 2008. There is scarce information about him online.

Mediamax has learned, however, that in 2000 Gogbashian and his friend Stepan Avanesian founded Center for Leadership Development in Armenia, which focused on raising new leaders who would “change things”.

“The efforts of the youth will overcome all social and economic difficulties the country is facing. The youth will change everything. When young people take the power, everything will be different,” the founders said in the interview to the Armenian Missionary Association of America.

Gogbashian and Avetisian wanted to present “a new model of leadership, one based on biblical values and Christian principles of service” to young Armenian professionals.

“We are united by the desire to see change in the country and to do it in a way which will bring lasting transformation,” said Gogbashian.

The center’s alumnus Lusine Grigoryan has told Mediamax that both the center and Gogbashian himself had a notable contribution to development of her professional skills.

“Almost all his students now hold high ranks and contribute steadily to the most important mission – development of Armenia. Alan Gogbashian taught us a good leadership model,” she said.

According to her, Gogbashian consistently invested his diplomatic energy into advancing the Armenia-UK relations.

“He invited many English experts to Armenia to share knowledge and experience with Armenian students. He has much more to do here,” added Lusine Grigoryan.

Asya Darbinyan, who attended the center in 2006-2007, has told Mediamax that it helped her understand her individual abilities, strong and weak points, and work on it.

“One of their priorities was to make sure that young people, who would one day be responsible for the future of the country, are ready to use their knowledge and skills to make Armenia stronger and more prosperous,” she said.

Ms Darbinyan also said that Gogbashian and Avanesian’s center attached importance to having a vision and a clear understanding of how it can be implemented.

This is the first time in history that the United Kingdom assigns an ethnic Armenian to diplomatic work in Armenia. In the language of diplomacy it signifies a new level of trust and special attitude, especially given that Gogbashian has been appointed by the new government.

The factor of Armenian President Armen Sarkissian can be interesting in this context. Recently, the President’s office announced about his working visit to Spain and noted that he “held meetings with a number of high-ranking officials” in London.

It’s worth noticing that on July 30 President Sarkissian met with Christopher Pincher, the newly appointed UK Minister of State for Europe and the Americas. He was the first head of foreign state Pincher met after assuming his new position. In this regard, it is possible that assigning a diplomat of Armenian descent to work in Armenia is not a coincidence but a demonstration of certain attitude.

Taguhi Hovhannisyan