Ara Papian ( hy, Արա Պապյան; born June 6, 1961) is an Armenian

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

, historian and

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...

. He served as Armenia's Ambassador to Canada from 2000 to 2006. He is currently the president of the "Modus Vivendi" Center for Social Science.

Early years and education

Papian was born in Yerevan,

Armenian SSR The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic,; russian: Армянская Советская Социалистическая Республика, translit=Armyanskaya Sovetskaya Sotsialisticheskaya Respublika) also commonly referred to as Soviet A ...

, then Soviet Union on June 6, 1961. In the 1980s, he served in the Soviet Army in Afghanistan as a military translator. He was decorated seven times with military awards. Papian first graduated from the Yerevan State University in 1984 with a

bachelor's A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ye ...

degree in history. In 1989, he completed postgraduate degree studies in Armenian History at Yerevan State University. Papian graduated from the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation in 1994 and from the NATO Defense College in Rome in 1999. He also completed a course of study in Public Diplomacy (1999, Oxford). Papian also lectured on Armenian language and literature at the

Melkonian Educational Institute The Melkonian Educational Institute (MEI) ( hy, Մելգոնեան Կրթական Հաստատութիւն (ՄԿՀ)) was an Armenian boarding school of high academic standard located in Nicosia, Cyprus. Established in 1926 by the Melkonian bro ...

Nicosia Nicosia ( ; el, Λευκωσία, Lefkosía ; tr, Lefkoşa ; hy, Նիկոսիա, romanized: ''Nikosia''; Cypriot Arabic: Nikusiya) is the largest city, capital, and seat of government of Cyprus. It is located near the centre of the Mesaor ...

, Cyprus and taught Armenian and Iranian history at Yerevan State University from 1987 to 1989 and from 1998 to 2000.

Diplomat career

Papian worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia for many years, holding different positions. He worked as secretary and head of numerous departments of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He also worked in Tehran, Iran and Bucharest, Romania as secretary. Later he was appointed the spokesman and Head of Public Affairs Department. From 2000 to 2006 he was the Armenia's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Canada.

Later activities and vies

After his retirement from his diplomatic career, Papian studied legal aspects of the Armenian Question, the

First Nagorno-Karabakh War The First Nagorno-Karabakh War, referred to in Armenia as the Artsakh Liberation War ( hy, Արցախյան ազատամարտ, Artsakhyan azatamart) was an ethnic and territorial conflict that took place from February 1988 to May 1994, in th ...

, Wilsonian Armenia, etc. He has given speeches in many Armenian communities throughout the world (including Los Angeles) on these issues. Ara Papian is an advocate of minority rights and has stated in his interviews that Armenia should assist nation-less ethnic groups, such as the Talysh and

Lezgin people Lezgins or Leks ( lez, Лезгияр, Лекьер. lezgijar) are a Northeast Caucasian ethnic group native predominantly to southern Dagestan, a republic of Russia, and northeastern Azerbaijan. The Lezgin are predominantly Sunni Muslims and sp ...

, to secede from Azerbaijan. Ara Papian is founder and Head of the Modus Vivendi Center. Ara Papian is a member of the National Democratic Pole.

Personal life

Papian is fluent in Armenian, Russian, English, Persian and Greek. He is married, with two sons: Narek and Taron.

Publications

* Ara Papian, ''Legal Bases for the Armenian Claims'' (Collection of Articles), 2008, Toronto. *''Arbitral Award of the President of the United States of America Woodrow Wilson: Full Report of the Committee upon the Arbitration of the Boundary between Turkey and Armenia, Washington, November 22, 1920'', (Prepared with an Introduction and Indexes by Ara Papian), 2011, Yerevan. * Ara Papian, ''HAYRENATIRUTYUN (Reclaiming the Homeland): Legal Bases for the Armenian claims and Related Issues'' (Collection of Articles), 2012, Yerevan.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Papian, Ara 1961 births Living people Diplomats from Yerevan Jurists from Yerevan 21st-century Armenian historians Ambassadors of Armenia to Canada