Hye Sharzhoom Armenian Action
Staff Report
The Honorable John M. Evans, U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Armenia was a guest at a reception held at Fresno State on Friday, February 18, hosted by Dr. Jeri Echeverria, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. Invited guests included faculty, administrators, and students on campus who had visited Armenia over the past several years as part of various Fresno State projects.
Ambassador Evans was visiting Fresno as part of a nation-wide visit to a number of Armenian communities in the United States and engaged in an open conversation with the faculty and students in attendance at the Fresno State reception.
The ambassador’s visit to Fresno State was arranged by Bill Erysian, Executive Director of the Armenian Agribusiness Education Fund, which is housed on the university campus. The AAEF is a non-profit, independent foundation that was established to help sustain educational initiatives in agriculture in the Republic of Armenia.
According to Ambassador Evans, the primary mission of the United States in Armenia is three-fold: to bring greater stability and security to the South Caucasus, to build up the economies of the region in a broad-based and sustainable way, and to foster democratic institutions.
Ambassador Evans spoke openly about the many challenges faced by the Armenian people in transforming their society, based on the old Soviet Union, to a more open and democratic society. He also discussed some of the progress Armenia is making both economically and politically.
Dr. Dickran Kouymjian, Berberian Professor of Armenian Studies at Fresno State and Director of the Armenian Studies Program engaged in a
conversation with the Ambassador about Armenia’s role in the South Caucasus.
Ambassador Evans (left) with Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Jeri Echeverria
Barlow Der Mugrdechian of the Armenian Studies Program introduced the Ambassador to the College/University Partnership Program between Yerevan State University and Fresno State, which he has directed for the past five years. Many of the faculty in attendance at the reception had visited and worked in Armenia as part of the Partnership Program.
Interim Dean of the College of Arts Humanities, Dr. Vida Samiian, Dean of the School of Agriculture, Dr. Dan Bartell, and Dean of the College of Math and Sciences Dr. K. P. Wong were also in attendance. ASO President Hakop Tataryan and Vice-President Zhanna Bagdasarov represented the Armenian Students Organization.
Mr. Robin Phillips, mission director of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Armenia, introduced the guests to his agency’s mission and work in Armenia. The reception provided an opportunity for guests to interact and to discuss many interesting ideas about Armenia.
Later the same evening, Ambassador Evans was interviewed by Barlow Der Mugrdechian of the Armenian Studies Program for the “All Things Armenian” radio program, which airs on Saturdays from noon until 1:00Pm on KFSR 90.7. In a wide ranging discussion, Ambassador Evans candidly discussed the major areas of cooperation between the United States and Armenia.
Ambassador Evans then attended a town-hall meeting at the Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church, where he presented a video “Report from Armenia-2005,” and held a frank discussion with community members. The Ambassador fielded many questions which are of vital importance to the community: recognition of the Armenian Genocide, opportunities for investment in Armenia, and current conditions in Armenia. He mentioned the important role that Diaspora Armenians can play in establishng joint economic and educational projects in Armenia.
The Ambassador stated that he was impressed by the Fresno community and by the warm welcome that he received in all of the Armenian communities that he had visited. Ambassador Evans was confirmed by the Senate on June 25, 2004 and was sworn in as the U.S. Ambassador to Armenia on August 11, 2004.
A native of Williamsburg, Virginia, Ambassador Evans studied Russian history at Yale (B.A., 1970) and Columbia, where he began a Ph.D. before joining the Foreign Service.
His role in coordinating the American response to the Armenian earthquake of 1988 earned him a medal and statement of appreciation from the Armenian government.
On his return to Washington in 1999, Mr. Evans assumed the direction of the State Department’s Office of Analysis for Russia and Eurasia, winning a Meritorious Honor Award and the CIA Director’s Exceptional Performance Award. From May 2002 until his appointment to Yerevan, he directed the Office of Russian Affairs at the State Department.
Ambassador Evans was accompanied by his wife Mrs. Donna Evans, former President of the World Affairs Council of Washington D.C.; Mr. Robin Phillips, Mission Director in Armenia for USAID; and Mr. Aaron Sherinian, the Embassy’s Political Officer and Assistance Coordinator in Yerevan.