PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Recom Solar
Lannion, France, September 2018-
Advisor to the CEO

Visiting Lecturer, Tufts University
Boston, Fall semester 2018
Course title: “The Politics of Self-Determination and Secession.”

Visiting Lecturer, University of Southern California
Los Angeles, Spring semester 2018
Course title: “Pursuing Independence.”

Member of the National Assembly, Republic of Armenia
Yerevan, 2012-2017

Founder, Chairman of the Board, The Civilitas Foundation,
Yerevan, 2008-2012

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia
Yerevan, 1998-2008

Lead Negotiator for Armenia
The Nagorno Karabakh Peace Process, 1993-2008

First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs
Yerevan, 1997-1998

Visiting Assistant Professor
American University of Armenia, Courses: “Macroeconomics”, “Introduction to International Relations,” “International Economic Relations,” 1996-1998

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs
Yerevan, 1994-1997

Director of the North America Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Yerevan, 1993-1994

Deputy Head of Middle Eastern Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Yerevan, 1992-1993

Founder and Editor
Armenian International Magazine, Los Angeles, California, 1990-1992

Structural Engineer
Lawrence, Massachusetts, 1983-1984

Other Positions:

Vice President, Armenian National Committee of UNESCO, 1994-1997

President, Armenian National Committee of UNESCO, 1998-2008

Chairman of the Armenian Government’s Disarmament Committee, 1997-2002

Member of the Migration Commission, Yerevan, 1997-2002

Member of the Commission for Disabled Affairs, Yerevan, 1997-2003

Member of the Adoption Commission, Yerevan, 1997-2006

Member of the Education Advisory Board of the Yerevan Affiliate
of Quality Schools International, 1997-2005

EDUCATION

Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy
Medford, Massachusetts, MA in Law and Diplomacy, 1992
Fields of Concentration: Economics and Diplomacy
Master’s Thesis: The Politics of European Monetary Union
Master’s Thesis: Determinants of Armenia’s Foreign Policy

Harvard University (extension program)
Cambridge, Massachusetts, MA in Government Studies, 1986
Master’s Thesis: Ethnic Groups and Their Influence on US Foreign Policy

Tufts University
Medford, Massachusetts, MS in Structural Engineering, 1983  

Yerevan Polytechnic Institute
Yerevan, Armenia, BS in Structural Engineering, 1979  

Armenian General Benevolent Union High School
Aleppo, Syria, High School Baccalaureate, 1973

 

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

Harvard Law School, Boston, Mass. April 12, 2018

University of Southern California. Los Angeles, CA, April 9, 2017

Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Moscow, December 5, 2007

Central European University, Budapest, October 30, 2007

Institute of European Affairs, Dublin, February 28, 2007

Cambridge Union Society, Cambridge, February 27, 2007

The Netherlands Institute of International Relations, the Hague, January 29, 2007

Foreign Relations Institute, Tbilisi, June 27, 2006

Eurasian National University, Astana, June 1, 2006

The Carnegie Center, Moscow, April 6, 2006

Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Berlin, February 27, 2006

World Affairs Council, Los Angeles, November 23, 2005

World Affairs Council, San Francisco, November 22, 2005

Institute of International Relations and Political Science, Vilnius, October 18

Genocide Commemoration Conference, House of Lords, London, June 15, 2005

Brookings Institution, Washington DC, June 10, 2005

Royal Institute for International Relations Egmont, Brussels, December 10, 2004

Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington DC, June 14, 2004

Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, London, April 16, 2004

Geneva Centre for Security Policy, Geneva, March 15, 2004

Moscow State Institute of International Relations, Moscow, November 14, 2003

Nixon Center, Washington DC, February 2, 2003
University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, Michigan, September 20, 2002

Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, September 19, 2002

Fletcher School, Medford, Massachusetts, September 18, 2002

TESEV Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation, Istanbul, June 26, 2002

Belarusian State University, Minsk, March 15, 2002

Diplomatic Academy, Madrid, November 14, 2000

Royal Institute, Stockholm, October 25, 2000

Hebrew University, Jerusalem, January 19, 2000

Diplomatic Academy, Beijing, August 25, 1999

Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington DC, June 28, 1999

Massachusetts State House, Boston, April 23, 1999

British House of Lords, Moses Room, London, March 17, 1999

Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, London, March 15, 1999  

Hebrew University, Jerusalem, October 31, 1998

Foreign Affairs Council, Washington DC, June 10, 1998

Heritage Foundation, Washington DC, June 10, 1998

Foreign Affairs Center, Bonn, May 6, 1998

World Affairs Council, Los Angeles, June 1997

University of New South Wales, Sydney, May 1997

 

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS AT CONFERENCES

The Brussels Forum, German Marshall Fund, Brussels, March 15, 2008

Munich Security Conference, Munich, February 9-10, 2008

International Compact on Iraq, Sharm el Sheikh, May 3, 2007

German Marshal Fund: GNF Conference, Brussels, April 26-28, 2007

Munich Security Conference, Munich, February 10-11, 2007

Wilton Park Conference, Yerevan, November 7, 2006

United Nations University for Peace, Conference on Roles of Diasporas, Toronto, October 19, 2006

International Conference on Iraq, Brussels, June 21-22, 2005

Munich Security Conference, Munich, February 11-13, 2005

United Nations Special Session on the 60th Anniversary of the Liberation of the Nazi Concentration Camps, New York, January 2005

Conference on the Southern Caucasus- Political Challenges and Development Perspectives, Berlin, November 12, 2003

European Union Regional Information Technology Conference, Yerevan, April 15-16, 2002

Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the Hague, 1997

 

RANK, SERVICE AND AWARDS  

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, 1994

Founder and Chairman of the Board, The Civilitas Foundation
Yerevan, 2008-2012

President Pan-Armenian Games, Yerevan, 2002-2008

Honorary President Golden Apricot International Film Festival, Yerevan, 2003-2008

Member Armenia Fund Board of Trustees, 1998-2008

Civilitas Award by the Dama Castellana Organization of Conegliano, Italy, for Personifying High Human Values, Tolerance and Solidarity, 2007  

Peter the Great Medal for Personal Contribution to Russia-Armenia Relations, Moscow, 2007

First Class Medal of the President of the Republic for Service to the Country, Yerevan, 2007

The Fletcher School Dean’s Medal, Massachusetts, 2007

The Prime Minister’s Medal in Recognition for Contribution to the Field of Genocide Studies, Yerevan, 2005

The Fondazione Masi Grosso d’Oro Veneziano Award for Contribution to the Cause of Peace and Brotherhood Among Nations, 2005

The Fritjof Nansen International Foundation Award for Humanitarian Service, Yerevan, 2002

Mkhitar Gosh Presidential Award for Diplomatic Service, Yerevan, 2001

The Armenian Assembly of America Deukmejian Award for Public Service, Washington DC, 1998

 

PUBLICATIONS

Two Books

Speaking to Be Heard, a Decade of Speeches as Armenia’s Foreign Minister (English, 2008)
On the Road of Independence, Small Nation, Big Challenges; memoirs (Armenian, 2013)

Columnist at Project Syndicate, Aljazeera English  

Op-Ed pieces for the International Herald Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, European Voice

Articles in Politique Internationale, the Southeast European Yearbook, Transition.

 

LANGUAGES

Armenian, English, Arabic, French, Russian

 

PERSONAL DATA

Born in Aleppo, Syria, February 7, 1955
Married to Dr. Nani Oskanian; Sons Ara and Arman