2026 APRI Forum

Sketching the Architecture of Change

Yerevan, Armenia

  • September 23-25, 2026

The best way to predict the future is to design it. 
— R. Buckminster Fuller

Amidst the chaotic fractures of the global order, Yerevan’s figurative and physical landscape is changing. A new layout is emerging. And, paradoxically, in this volatility, Armenians’ reliance on crisis management is being replaced by a more forward-looking confidence. The time to sketch the first drafts of our future has come.

The theme for APRI Armenia’s 2026 Yerevan conference is “Sketching the Architecture of Change.” It will provide a platform for engagement on the fundamental building blocks required to boost Armenians’ agency and secure a sovereign future. 

The 2026 APRI Forum will bring together policy, diplomatic, private sector, civil society leaders and engaged Armenians to investigate the way forward for Armenia in key areas of development. The program will feature multidisciplinary discussions and in-depth keynote sessions with officials and foreign guests throughout the three days.

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Preliminary Program

09:25

Welcome and Opening Remarks

  • Lara Setrakian, President, APRI Armenia

10:00

Fireside Chat: Armenia–US Relations 3.0

Armenia–US relations have reached a new level, entering a particularly dynamic phase in 2025. What Armenia, a small and remote South Caucasus country, has achieved in furthering its partnership with the US in a short time is notable. In this fireside chat, two Armenian thinkers with years of engagement in advancing Armenia–US relations will reflect on efforts to consolidate recent gains and explore a timely question: where does the partnership go from here?

10:30

Fireside Chat: Armenia–Russia Relations: Looking for a Modus Vivendi | Supported by the Alexander Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Fund

Amid the growing Russia–West confrontation, Armenia is pursuing Western-focused diversification of its foreign relations, expanding relations with both longstanding and new partners while seeking a safe and constructive transformation of its relations with Moscow. Yerevan’s expanding relations with Washington and particularly with Brussels are viewed negatively by Moscow and have led to economic restrictions on segments of Armenia’s trade. But a new modus vivendi is necessary for both countries to move forward. What can the two countries achieve? What should the new configuration of the relationship look like, considering the changing geopolitical environment, past relations, and geography?

  • Ruslan Pukhov, Director, Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies
  • Moderator: Sergei Melkonian, Research Fellow, APRI Armenia

11:00

Coffee Break

11:30

Fireside Chat: Armenia and Iran: Morphing Relations in a Changing Strategic Environment

The ongoing Iran–US–Israel war has reshaped the Middle East. For the South Caucasus in general, and Armenia in particular, the conflict raises questions about the risk of spillover, the feasibility of regional connectivity projects currently under development, and how to navigate Great Power competition. The session will examine Iran’s strategy toward the South Caucasus and the future of Armenia–Iran relations, as the two countries continue to expand economic, energy, and diplomatic cooperation.

12:00

The Armenia–Azerbaijan–Türkiye Triangle: Breaking the Impasse

Consolidating peace with Azerbaijan, normalizing relations with Türkiye, and unblocking regional communications remain central to Armenia’s foreign policy agenda and to the region’s peaceful future. Yet the momentum generated by the 2025 Washington Summit has slowed, amid Azerbaijan’s insistence on constitutional amendments as a precondition for signing the peace agreement, and Türkiye’s continued linkage of normalization with Armenia to progress in Armenia–Azerbaijan relations. Between Baku’s precondition and Ankara’s Baku-first policy, is there a way to break the circle and bring lasting stability and security to the South Caucasus? And if not, what does the future look like?

  • Ambassador Mehmet Fatih Ceylan, President, Ankara Policy Center and Turkish Atlantic Council Association
  • Vasif Huseynov, Head of Department, Center for Analysis of International Relations and Multiculturalism (AIR Center) (Zoom)
  • Benyamin Poghosyan, Senior Research Fellow, APRI Armenia
  • Moderator: Anahide Pilibossian, Vice President, Strategy and Development, APRI Armenia

12:45

Strengthening Agency for the South Caucasus Countries Amid Great Power Competition

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the South Caucasus has been a theater of geopolitical and geoeconomic rivalry among multiple external powers. Ethnopolitical conflicts and the differing foreign-policy orientations of Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan have contributed to a deeply fragmented region. Today, the South Caucasus is undergoing unprecedented change amid a profound transformation of the global order, the weakening of multilateralism, and a renewed emphasis on hard power. How will Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan fare given their complex geography? How can the three countries claim greater agency and play a more decisive role in shaping their own trajectories, rather than being driven by the interests and rivalries of external powers?

  • Rusif Huseynov, Director, Topchubashov Center (Zoom)
  • Alex Petriashvili, Senior Fellow,  Georgian Foundation for Strategic & International Studies (GFSIS)
  • Benyamin Poghosyan, Senior Research Fellow, APRI Armenia
  • Moderator: Anahide Pilibossian, Vice President, Strategy and Development, APRI Armenia

13:30

Networking Lunch

14:15

Armenia’s Economic Resilience in an Era of Geopolitical Uncertainties

In the context of rapidly changing geopolitical realities and global financial fluctuations, ensuring economic resilience and swiftly responding to newly emerging challenges have become key prerequisites for Armenia’s steady development. In his keynote speech, Martin Galstyan, Governor of the Central Bank of Armenia, will address ways to ensure the stability of the country’s economic system, mechanisms for absorbing external shocks, and long-term perspectives on economic growth, sketching the foundation of our economic future.

  • Martin Galstyan, Governor, Central Bank of Armenia
  • Moderator: Anahide Pilibossian, Vice President, Strategy and Development, APRI Armenia

14:45

Defining and Driving Armenia’s Economic Security

The Washington Peace Summit gave Armenia new momentum for economic development by promoting foreign direct investment and fostering economic empowerment. At the same time, it posed fundamental questions about the future of industries operating in Armenia and their alignment with Armenia’s long-term national interests, as laid out in the government’s Doctrine published in January 2026. This cross-industry panel will bring together speakers to discuss how their respective sectors can contribute to strengthening Armenia’s economic security.

  • Hakob Avagyan, President, SME Cooperation Association
  • Vardan Jhanyan, First Deputy General Director, ZCMC
  • Bakur Melkonyan, Co-founder, Art Lunch LLC
  • Moderator: Eduard Mkrtchyan, Vice President, Operations, APRI Armenia

15:30

Growing our Talent, Trees, and Civic Space 

Talent, trees, and civic spaces take time to grow, and their results often become visible only years after the seeds are planted. Yet patiently nurturing talent, creating spaces, building communities, and developing infrastructure are essential to Armenia’s prosperous future. This session is about the patient side of building a country: raising skilled people, greening our cities, and creating public spaces. It is about how investment in people, sustainability, urban development, and innovation can work together to create an environment in which talent can grow, communities can connect, and civic life can flourish—and what it takes to keep doing so in a fast-changing and uncertain world.

  • Vanane Ararktsyan, Executive Director, Keron Development Foundation
  • Katerina Danekina, Chief Executive Officer, Green Rock
  • Aram Salatian, Chairman of Board, Engineering Association 
  • Moderator: Seda Arzumanyan, Vice President, Donor Relations, APRI Armenia

16:15

Reading the Waterscape of Araks: When Borders Become Bridges

“Borders are often seen as lines that separate us. But what if they could instead become spaces of connection? Art, architecture, ecology, and landscape can shape how we experience borders: as barriers or shared spaces. Shifting our outlook on spaces can open new possibilities for bringing people and communities closer, helping us sketch new possibilities for the future in Armenia and the region. Nairi Khatchadourian revisits her talk “Sharing a River, or the Poetics of Relation” and its vision of a bridge connecting Armenia and Iran along the Araks River, in light of the 2026 APRI Forum.

  • Nairi Khatchadourian, Founding Director, Curator, AHA collective

16:30

Coffee Break

16:45

Global Defense Reindustrialization: The Role of Small States and Firms

Growing security challenges are driving countries worldwide to expand defense production, strengthen supply chains, and accelerate innovation. These efforts are not limited to major powers or large defense companies. Smaller states and specialized firms can also contribute through niche manufacturing, software, maintenance, testing, and AI-enabled, autonomous, and data-driven systems. Drawing on lessons from Ukraine, South Korea, and Armenia, the panel will explore how smaller defense industries can identify competitive niches, overcome barriers to finance, procurement, and market access, and become credible partners in broader defense ecosystems.

  • Yeongkyun Jang, Senior Researcher, Korea AI Safety Institute
  • Michael Kofman, Senior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment
  • Leonid Nersisyan, Senior Research Fellow, APRI Armenia
  • Moderator: Anahide Pilibossian, Vice President, Strategy and Development, APRI Armenia

10:30

Fireside Chat: Understanding the EU to Understand Our Future with the EU

2026 has been a landmark year for EU–Armenia relations, starting from the signing of the Strategic Partnership Agenda in December 2025 and continuing with the EU–Armenia bilateral Summit in May 2026 and the launch of the EU Partnership Mission in July. Political will on both sides has driven these achievements, along with broader geopolitical developments affecting regional stability and prosperity. In this fireside chat, Ambassador Delcorde will reflect on the evolving nature of the European project and opportunities for further expanding Yerevan’s relations with Brussels.

  • Ambassador Raoul Delcorde, Ambassador (Ret.), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belgium
  • Moderator: Anahide Pilibossian, Vice President, Strategy and Development, APRI Armenia

11:00

Bridging Disconnections: The South Caucasus and the New Logistics of Eurasia

Growing geopolitical rivalries, the disruption of supply chains, and the need for economic resilience and diversification have made connectivity a critical feature of the emerging global order. The South Caucasus, a crossroads of East–West and North–South transit routes, is one of the active theaters where these dynamics are playing out. This session will discuss what needs to happen in the South Caucasus for it to facilitate connections between Central Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.

  • Ambassador Mehmet Fatih Ceylan, President, Ankara Policy Center and Turkish Atlantic Council Association
  • Alex Petriashvili, Senior Fellow,  Georgian Foundation for Strategic & International Studies (GFSIS)
  • Moderator: Shant Arzoumanian, Macroeconomist, Central Bank of Armenia

11:45

Coffee Break

14:15

Beyond the Headlines: What Do AI Factories Bring to Armenia?

The establishment of Firebird’s flagship AI factory in August 2026 in Hrazdan, followed by the Eleveight AI factory operating in Gagarin, has been a breakthrough moment for Armenia’s economic development. These big investments come with the promise of a more prosperous future for Armenia’s technology sector and society at large. This intersectional panel will debate what these factories can bring to Armenia—from technological, environmental, and social perspectives—as well as the challenges that must be addressed to realize their full potential. The discussion will help the audience gain a broader, more holistic understanding of the implications of AI factories for Armenia and Armenians.

  • Tigran Jrbashyan, Partner, Director of Management Advisory Services Ameria CJSC
  • Irina Seylanyan, CEO, Afeyan Initiatives for Armenia
  • Tigran Tshorokhyan, Innovation and Sustainable Finance Portfolio Manager, UNDP Armenia
  • Moderator: Nazareth Seferian, Board Member, Impact Hub Yerevan

15:30

Why Armenia? Building a Competitive Technology Nation | A panel in partnership with UATE

Overcoming its small size and structural constraints, and leveraging both its engineering Soviet past and diasporans working in Silicon Valley, Armenia has built a well respected ecosystem of high-tech engineering talent and able technicians. That ecosystem is transitioning from a services-based model toward a more product- and innovation-driven one in line with global shifts driven by artificial intelligence. This raises questions about Armenia’s positioning in the tech landscape. What is distinctly Armenian in high tech? What makes our talent and firms globally competitive? How can the current trajectory be converted into sustained competitiveness, economic value creation, and diplomatic leverage for the country at large? This eminent panel will address these questions and explore the elements of a strategic national vision for building a competitive technology nation.

  • Syuzanna Azoyan, Managing Director, Sada Armenia
  • Armen Kocharyan, CEO & Founder, Spark.work
  • Suzanna Shamakhyan, Executive Director, Foundation for Armenian Science & Technology 
  • Moderator: Edita Ghazaryan, Executive Director, Union of Advanced Technology Enterprises (UATE)

16:15

Coffee Break

16:45

Institutionalizing AI Strategy: The Case of the Korea AI Safety Institute

The Korea Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute represents the Republic of Korea in international partnerships aimed at building global AI governance frameworks. It helps Korean AI companies enhance their global competitiveness while strengthening international cooperation and standards for AI safety. This fireside chat will offer an exclusive window into how the Republic of Korea built and institutionalized its AI strategy through the Korea Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute, and what lessons the Armenian government can draw at a time when it is honing its National High Tech Strategy and seeking to build synergies with its diplomatic endeavors.

  • Yeongkyun Jang, Senior Researcher, Korea AI Safety Institute
  • Moderator: Anahit Budaghyan, Tech diplomacy advocate

17:15

Unleashing the Power of Diaspora–Country Connection

This fireside chat will host a conversation between representatives of Armenian diaspora foundations and the founder of the Diaspora Institute, a Dublin-based organization championing diaspora empowerment, to discuss diaspora–homeland connections. In the Armenian context, such debates often center on questions of identity and the nature of ties between the homeland and diaspora communities, with less attention paid to lessons from other diasporas and to the agency diaspora individuals can exercise in contributing to their home country. This panel will explore the role of diasporas as strategic assets for national empowerment and transformation, drawing on lessons from the Irish experience.

  • Vicken Cheterian, Director, Diasporan Perspectives, Gulbenkian Initiative on Armenian Issues, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (Zoom)
  • Martin Russell, Co-Founder The Diaspora Institute
  • Moderator: Vasken Yacoubian, President, AGBU Armenia / Member, AGBU Central Board

10:00

Public Administration Reforms: Can Armenia Build its Own Good Governance Model? | Supported by the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

It is imperative for Armenia to translate its recently announced and ambitious public administration reform (PAR) agenda into reality with measurable results. Doing so requires more than policy commitments and a strategic management framework. It also means addressing fragmented inter-agency coordination, limited capacity for evidence-based policymaking, and weak institutional ownership. Drawing on relevant international experience and adapting lessons to Armenia’s institutional context, this panel will explore how to strengthen good governance, strategic management, civil service performance, and accountability in practice, and how stronger local ownership of the planned PAR strategy can help deliver lasting results.

  • Viktorya Aydinyan, Head of the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office, Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia
  • Vache Gabrielyan, Dean, College of Business and Economics, AUA
  • Nane Harutyunyan, Public Sector Specialist, World Bank
  • Moderator: Armenak Minasyants, Senior Research Fellow on Public Administration Reforms, APRI Armenia

10:30

Smarter Services, Stronger State | Supported by the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Digital transformation can improve policy design, public service delivery, and citizen–state interaction. Yet digital tools create value only when they address clear governance needs, protect data, build public trust, and support institutions and civil servants. This panel will explore how responsible digital and artificial intelligence-enabled solutions can help build more citizen-centered, responsive, and resilient public services, while ensuring safe, ethical, accountable, and locally owned implementation through cooperation between public institutions and the private sector. It will consider what Armenia needs to do to make digital transformation work for citizens and the state.

  • Andres Kütt, CTO, Proud Engineers
  • Nayiri Shorjian, Governance and Policy Innovation Lead, UNDP Armenia SDG Innovation Lab
  • Nerses Yeritsyan, Chairman, Information Systems Authority
  • Moderator: Armenak Minasyants, Senior Research Fellow on Public Administration Reforms, APRI Armenia

11:15

Coffee Break

11:45

Beyond the Stereotype: Armenian Youth as Civic Stakeholders

Conventional wisdom loads expectations on the young generation as agents of positive change. But this stereotype hides a complex reality for Armenian youth, with a mix of emerging civic leaders and evidence of political apathy. This panel, drawing on the advocacy and research work of its speakers, will explore how Armenia can move beyond symbolic inclusion and create spaces where young people are heard, trusted, and empowered to contribute to civic thinking.

  • Arpy Manusyan, President and Researcher, Socioscope
  • Yuri Movsesyan, Project manager, Restart Civic-Youth Foundation
  • Narek Ohanyan, Climate & Environmental Researcher, AUA Acopian Center for the Environment
  • Moderator: Greta Avetisyan, National Communications Lead, APRI Armenia

12:30

Rethinking Armenian Civil Society Organizations’ Watchdog Function

Civil society organizations (CSOs) play an important watchdog role in advancing civic debate, encouraging public engagement, and holding public institutions accountable to reforms. In Armenia, this role has been important since independence and remains so as the government works to meet international commitments requiring transparency, monitoring, and effective implementation. Bringing together perspectives from education, the environment, justice and anti-corruption, this panel will explore the evolving role of CSOs in civic debates and relations with state institutions, and the ways in which CSOs can monitor reform implementation, identify gaps, engage constructively with institutions, and build public trust—especially as civic space faces growing pressure.

  • Shamam Gevorgyan, Founding Director, 405 Educational Alliance
  • Marina Mkhitaryan, Director for Strategic Partnerships and Impact, Armenia Tree Project
  • Hasmik Harutyunyan, Lawyer, legal expert, Protection of Rights Without Borders
  • Moderator: Anahide Pilibossian, Vice President, Strategy and Development, APRI Armenia
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Speaker Name
Yeongkyun Jang
Affiliation
Senior Researcher, Korea AI Safety Institute
Bio
Dr. Yeongkyun Jang is a Senior Researcher at the Korea AI Safety Institute specializing in AI national security policy, research, and governance. His expertise spans the proliferation of AI-related risks and threats, assessment of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats, AI security and AI-enabled cyber threats, and the analysis of AI arms race dynamics and nuclear escalation risks. A former Republic of Korea Army officer with over a decade of service, he taught at military academies on the theory of war, hybrid warfare, military strategy, and North Korean studies, and holds a PhD in Engineering from KAIST and a Master’s degree in Military Strategy from Korea National Defense University.
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Yeongkyun Jang
Senior Researcher, Korea AI Safety Institute
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Speaker Name
Michael Kofman
Affiliation
Senior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Bio
Michael Kofman is a Senior Fellow in the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he focuses on the Russian military, Ukrainian armed forces, and Eurasian security issues. Prior to joining Carnegie in 2023, he served as Director of the Russia Studies Program at the Center for Naval Analyses, where he led a team conducting research on the capabilities, strategy, and military thought of the Russian Armed Forces. Widely recognized as one of the leading authorities on the Russian military, and the Russo-Ukrainian War, Kofman has led foundational work in the field, and is routinely cited in major publications.
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Michael Kofman
Senior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
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Speaker Name
Ruslan Pukhov
Affiliation
Director, Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies
Bio
Ruslan Pukhov is the Founder and Director of the sole Russian for-profit think tank working in the area of international relations and defense studies. He is an author, editor and publisher of numerous books and edited volumes on security and defense in Eurasia and South Caucasus.
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Ruslan Pukhov
Director, Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies
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Speaker Name
Hakob Avagyan
Affiliation
President, SME Cooperation Association
Bio
Hakob Avagyan is a Co-Founder of the SME Association, serving as Chair of its Board in 2014–2019 and again from 2024 to the present. In 2019–2022, he was Head of the Health and Labor Inspection Body of the Republic of Armenia and in 2018–2019, Deputy Minister of Economy of the Republic of Armenia. From 2002 to 2014, he worked in the private sector, serving as Co-Founder, Director, and Chief Accountant of consulting and accounting firms.
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Hakob Avagyan
President, SME Cooperation Association
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Speaker Name
Raoul Delcorde
Affiliation
Ambassador (Ret.), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belgium
Bio
Ambassador Raoul Delcorde has been a member of the Belgian diplomatic service since 1986. He was posted to Islamabad, New York the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Secretariat in Vienna, and Washington, DC, and served as Belgium’s Ambassador to Sweden (2003–7), Poland (May 2010–August 2014), and Canada (2014–18). At the Belgian Foreign Ministry, he was Deputy Director General for Multilateral Affairs, and later Director for the Middle East and North Africa. Since retiring from the foreign service in April 2020, Ambassador Delcorde has been a Guest Professor at several universities, including the Université Catholique de Louvain (Belgium), Carleton University, York University and the Université de Montréal (Canada), and Georgetown University (US). He is the author of numerous books and articles on international affairs, and a Member of the Royal Academy of Belgium and the Académie des sciences d’outre-mer in France. Specialties: EU affairs, multilateral negotiations, Middle East, and the evolution of Western diplomacy.
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Raoul Delcorde
Ambassador (Ret.), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belgium
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Speaker Name
Michel Mossesian
Affiliation
Founder and Creative Director, Mossessian Architecture Ltd.
Bio
Michel Mossessian is a world-class architect delivering acclaimed projects in London and internationally. Through mossessian architecture, he has designed landmark buildings globally, including 5 Merchant Square in Paddington, buildings S1 and S2 in King’s Cross, 26 buildings in Doha’s Msheireb regeneration scheme including the Main Square, and the ExxonMobil Technology Centre in Shanghai. He collaborates with organizations such as UNESCO and the Millennium Challenge Corporation on projects including the Fez Medina World Heritage site in Morocco. Leading every aspect of the design process, Mossesian works directly with clients using his pioneering Journey Through Time method to ensure shared visions and the best results. He embraces cultural localism and views public space as a presence. Helectures at architecture schools and cultural institutions, and is a Visiting Professor at Imperial College London focusing on the impacts of architecture on well-being.
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Michel Mossesian
Founder and Creative Director, Mossessian Architecture Ltd.
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Speaker Name
Ambassador Mehmet Fatih Ceylan
Affiliation
President, Ankara Policy Center and Turkish Atlantic Council Association
Bio
Career Ambassador(R) Mehmet Fatih Ceylan is the President of the Ankara Policy Center and the Turkish Atlantic Council Association. Following post-graduate studies at Rutgers and Princeton universities in the USbetween 1980 and 1982, he joined the Turkish Foreign Ministry in 1979 and served in Turkish posts and missions in Islamabad, Deventer, NATO, Brussels, and the EU before being appointed to Khartoum and Turkish Delegation to NATO as Ambassador. His last appointment in Ankara was Deputy Undersecretary in charge of Bilateral Affairs. He received state orders from Sudan and Kazakhstan respectively. He is a prolific writer on Turkish foreign and security policies, focusing on NATO and European security. He retired from the Ministry in February 2019.
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Ambassador Mehmet Fatih Ceylan
President, Ankara Policy Center and Turkish Atlantic Council Association
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Speaker Name
Ambassador Alex Petriashvili
Affiliation
Senior Fellow, Georgian Foundation for Strategic & International Studies
Bio
Ambassador Alex Petriashvili is a former State Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and a career diplomat with extensive experience in public-sector and diplomatic service, with more than 20 years of service representing Georgia in bilateral and multilateral settings at the highest level. Since January 2020 Ambassador Petriashvili has been a Senior Fellow at the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies (GFSIS), researching NATO/EU integration and global and regional (Black Sea, South Caucasus, Central Asia, Middle East) security issues. Petriashvili delivers lectures to high-school children and university students in the regions of Georgia, as well as to journalists, civil servants, and various youth organization representatives.
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Ambassador Alex Petriashvili
Senior Fellow, Georgian Foundation for Strategic & International Studies
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Speaker Name
Arpy Manusyan
Affiliation
President and Researcher, Socioscope Research Center
Bio
Arpy Manusyan is the President of the Socioscope Research Center. She is a scholar and social researcher whose work examines civil society, activism, civic agency, and human rights through critical and public sociology. Her research focuses on dominant forms of collective knowledge on power, sexuality, culture, and questions of war and peace.
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Arpy Manusyan
President and Researcher, Socioscope Research Center
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Speaker Name
Narek Ohanyan
Affiliation
Climate & Environmental Researcher, AUA Acopian Center for the Environment
Bio
Narek Ohanyan is a global climate leader, climate and environmental researcher and Project Lead at the AUA Acopian Center, as well as a Guest Scientist at the Swiss Federal Institute WSL. His research spans climate analytics, sustainability governance, and ecosystem resilience. He authored the book The Overshoot: Life After the 1.5°C Limit. Across 6+ years of dedication, he has managed more than 50 projects, securing $10,000s in grants. He is also a Certified Trainer in Non-Formal Education. Ohanyan advises the Ministry of Environment and UNICEF’s Youth Climate Council, and collaborates as a climate expert with UNICEF, ATP, and various NGOs. He previously served as a UNFCCC COP27 Party Delegate and UN High-Level Climate Champion for Central Asia and Europe. Nationally, he drives systemic mobilization as Executive Lead Organizer for LCOY Armenia ’25 & ’26, the official UNFCCC youth climate conference.
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Narek Ohanyan
Climate & Environmental Researcher, AUA Acopian Center for the Environment
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Speaker Name
Nazareth Seferian
Affiliation
Chief Executive Officer, Impact Hub Yerevan
Bio
Born in Canada to Lebanese-Armenian parents and brought up in India, Seferian moved to Armenia in 1998, where he has been living ever since. His work is at the crossroads of business and impact and he was one of the professionals that shaped the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Armenia from 2008 onwards. An independent consultant since 2015, working with corporations on sustainability, and with tech startups and non-tech small/medium enterprises to help them develop their impact visions and strategies, he has been closely involved with the development of Impact Hub Yerevan since 2021, where he has co-founded VIA Fund, Armenia’s first impact investment fund for social enterprises. Seferian has an Executive MBA from the European School of Management and Technology (ESMT) in Berlin and a post-graduate certificate in sustainable business from the University of Cambridge. He also holds the Certificate in Impact Investing qualification from CFA UK.
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Nazareth Seferian
Chief Executive Officer, Impact Hub Yerevan
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Speaker Name
Armenak Minasyants
Affiliation
Senior Research Fellow on Public Administration Reforms, APRI Armenia
Bio
Armenak Minasyants is a Senior Research Fellow at APRI Armenia, focusing on good governance, public administration reform, institutional capacity-building, and policy design. Previously, he served as Deputy Chief of Party and Objective Lead with the USAID/Armenia Justice Sector Support Project (2022–2025). He also spent more than 13 years at the Constitutional Court of Armenia, including as Assistant to the President and Head of the External Affairs Department. Minasyants has worked as a national and international expert for the Council of Europe and EU-funded projects in Armenia, Ukraine, and Moldova. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Relations and Diplomacy from Yerevan State University and completed an advanced certificate program in public policy and public administration at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, as well as in European law at the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna.
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Armenak Minasyants
Senior Research Fellow on Public Administration Reforms, APRI Armenia

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