Farewell message from Artak Apitonian

Dear members of The FUTURE ARMENIAN family,

With the end of my two-year tenure as the CEO of The FUTURE ARMENIAN Development Foundation, I fulfilled my mission here.

2022-2024 was a time of great upheaval and loss for all of us. During this period, the fund tried to do its best by bringing together the pan-Armenian potential in developing a common agenda to alleviate the deepening polarization among Armenians, to bring together our compatriots from both the Homeland and the Diaspora to collaborate on addressing the crisis collectively.

In March 2023, we managed to organize an exceptional event – a pan-Armenian citizens’ assembly – where representatives of all strata of Armenians from all over the world gathered in one hall. This replica of the nation discussed ways to jointly build the future of our people. The Convention of the Future Armenian was not only the first event of its kind in the Armenian reality with the participant composition and agenda, but also introduced innovative approaches to hosting citizens’ assemblies globally. It underscored pan-Armenian priorities and outlined clear, forward-thinking actions for the future.

Unfortunately, new external obstacles emerge on the way of the implementation of many ideas directed toward our collective future, and our people continue to go through cataclysms, with the most tragic being the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh. There is no alternative, however: the problems of the present can only be surmounted by setting a shared vision for the future and exclusively by collective efforts.

Having completed my mission as the CEO of The FUTURE ARMENIAN Development Foundation, I extend my gratitude to the founders of the Initiative – Noubar Afeyan, Ruben Vardanyan, Artur Alaverdyan, and Richard Azarnia – for their enduring trust and unwavering support.

Once again, I express my support to Ruben Vardanyan and his family members. I will continue to be by your side during this difficult trial.

I thank all partner organizations and individuals in Armenia and the Diaspora for believing in and supporting the ideas of The FUTURE ARMENIAN and our efforts to unite Armenians.

I am grateful to more than a hundred experts in Armenia and the Diaspora, who selflessly invested their experience and knowledge in the work of building a shared future for our people.

I extend my thanks to the more than 120,000 Signatories of The FUTURE ARMENIAN for joining and supporting us.

As a dedicated signatory of The FUTURE ARMENIAN, I wish the initiative an uninterrupted and lasting journey. I firmly believe that we will accomplish all the goals we’ve set, and collaboratively, we will forge the future our people aspire to.