On November 5, 2025, the “Diasporan Perspectives” think tank was officially inaugurated at the London office of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.
A Day before Razmik Panossian, Director of the Armenian Communities Department at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, and Dr. Vicken Cheterian, Director of Diasporan Perspectives and Lecturer at the University of Geneva, presented the think tank’s objectives during an online media briefing.
Razmik Panossian explained that the idea of creating a “virtual” think tank had been developing for some time. “After the 44-day war in 2020, it became evident that there was a need for a “space” to discuss national issues, giving equal attention to both pillars: the Diaspora and Armenia”, he said.
Razmik Panossian noted that, following the 2020 defeat, unfortunately, discussions within Armenia remained limited to mutual accusations of “betrayal”.
“Together with Vicken, we will try to approach these issues as objectively as possible, and highlight existing challenges and explore potential solutions,” Panossian said.
Razmik Panossian also noted that the books “Broken Shield: A Comprehensive Analysis of the 44-Day Artsakh War” and “44. Defeat”, published in Armenia in 2025 with support from Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation’s Armenian programs, served, in a sense, as a “prelude” to the launch of the “Diasporan Perspectives” project. These books will be published in English in the coming months.
He added that they have a “treasure” at their disposal – the results of the Armenian Diaspora Survey, which will soon be presented to the public in various formats.
Responding to a question from Mediamax, Razmik Panossian explained that a pilot survey was conducted in 2018, with the main research carried out between 2019 and 2022, involving over 10,000 members from various Armenian communities.
Vicken Cheterian emphasized that global migration trends impact the Armenian Diaspora: the once powerful Armenian communities in the Middle East are shrinking, but new centers are emerging elsewhere.
“We need to confront these processes and understand what risks and opportunities these changes bring,” he said.
Speaking about the research work in Armenia, Vicken Cheterian said that “an external perspective sometimes can add value, as ‘blind spots’ often arise internally.” According to him, the focus of the research will include Armenia’s political system and ongoing debates about independence and sovereignty.
Ara Tadevosyan
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