A memorial fund has been established in honour of our dear friend Armen Kharazian.
Armen’s tragic death has been a shock to his family, friends and beyond. His sudden departure is an irreversible loss for Armenia. A life cut too soon of a brilliant man, readying to launch projects, critical for Armenia’s safety and security. Armenia has lost a devoted soldier, who was unique in his institutional knowledge, strategic thinking, diplomatic skills, and determination to make his country strong and his people victorious. With his passing we lost a diplomat, who was a member of a small team in 1990s, conducting the Artsakh talks, and crafting the foreign policy architecture of the newly independent Armenia. Armen was a rare remaining link to an extremely important and understudied period of Armenia’s history in 1990s. With Armen’s passing, we lost his detailed institutional knowledge. Above all, we lost a brave man who had the courage to share that knowledge truthfully with the rest of us. We lost a decent man, who chose the truth over tribalism, and financial comfort, and did not fear to reveal the mistakes made by all Armenian leaders. Armen never gave up on his homeland, even when at times the homeland turned away from him. Armen dreamt of a strong sovereign Armenia, a worthy player on the international scene, strong enough to defend itself and confident enough to set its own boundaries and draw its own destiny. Armen dreamt of a modern, prosperous, and just Armenia, with its society welcoming all. Armen had the opportunity to enjoy a comfortable life in the US. But he chose to devote himself to his lifelong mission of building the sovereign Armenia he dreamt of. A mission to be carried on, as part of Armen’s legacy too. The memorial fund will be used to contribute to organizing Armen’s archives and for the benefit of his family. Months before his death Armen jokingly wrote this about his legacy: “When I die, I want this on my gravestone-- Armen Kharazian, Diplomat, Linguist, Lawyer, And a Helluva Goodfella.” You were a Helluva Goodfella, dear Armen. Contributions may be mailed to Justice Armenia Inc., 876 Pueblo Drive, Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417 or click here to contribute online. For United States taxpayers, contributions to Justice Armenia Inc. are tax-deductible to the full extent of the United States tax code. Thank you for your support. |