State Minister of Artsakh Artak Beglaryan Holds Discussion with Fresno State Students and Faculty

Natalie Agazarian
Staff Writer

Artak Beglaryan, State Min-ister of Artsakh, has conducted a significant amount of research and dedicated much of his time serving the people of Artsakh. Mr. Beglaryan, who was in Fresno to speak at the annual meeting and banquet of the Armenian Missionary Association of America, held a conversation with Fresno State students on Friday, October 22, 2021. He provided an update to the situation in Artsakh and insight into the political climate and security situation in Artsakh today.

Mr. Beglaryan graduated from Yerevan State University and completed a public policy and administration program at Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy near Boston. He has also served as a Human Rights Ombudsman for Artsakh during the 2020 war, Press Secretary of the Prime Minister, and Chief-of-Staff of the President.

In September 2020, Azerbaijan attacked Artsakh with the support of Turkey. The war deliberately targeted cultural monuments with the intent to eradicate evidence of Armenian roots. The use of internationally banned weapons, such as phosphorus and cluster munitions, had disastrous effects on Artsakh society as a whole. During the war, at least 250 civilians have been confirmed missing and forty hostages have not been returned after the war.

According to Mr. Beglaryan, the war directly targeted 80% of the territory of Artsakh, whether deliberately or indiscriminately, through attacks on schools, hospitals, or infrastructure. Overall, thousands of people were displaced during the war and many are still displaced today.

Both Mr. Beglaryan and his advisor Davit Akopyan noted the strategy behind the timing of the war and how events in the world provided Turkey and Azerbaijan the perfect opportunity to strike Artsakh. Azerbaijan took advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic, internal problems in the European Union, and the 2020 presidential elections in the United States, to attack Artsakh.

Both Mr. Beglaryan and Mr. Akopyan mentioned that security is essential to guaranteeing an international presence, economic development, and housing for displaced families and individuals. Artsakh is currently striving to build housing for the displaced families. Artsakh has little or no international humanitarian support, as most of finances for the war recovery (an estimated $250 million US dollars) has been raised by the Armenian Diaspora.

Mr. Beglaryan’s visit to Fresno State provided students with a better understanding of the ongoing conflicts in Artsakh and Armenia.

Mr. Beglaryan gave the students clarity and knowledge about the reality and severity of developments in Artsakh, and how the Armenian diaspora, humanitarian aid groups, and the world as a whole can support the right to self-determination of the Armenian people.