Yerevan—The Armenian Center for National and International Studies (ACNIS) hosted a special reception today to mark the publication of a new book, “The Key Issues of Building a Constitutional State in Armenia.” The 208-page, Armenian-language book was edited by ACNIS Senior Analyst Manvel Sargsian and is composed of a set of commentaries and analyses prepared by a group of five contributing analysts. The reception was attended by nearly fifty guests, including prominent Armenian political scientists, experts, analysts, civil society representatives, social and political figures, as well as journalists. Welcoming the guests, ACNIS Director Richard Giragosian briefly presented the new ACNIS publication, noting that this book “offers new insight into the key aspects connected to the building of a constitutional state in the Republic of Armenia, starting from the 1990s.” He added that “in addition to its significance in terms of contributing to the body of literature on this important topic, this book also reflects the Center’s mission of investing in Armenia’s future through capacity-building, and supports our broader effort to prepare a new generation of analysts in Armenia.” The ACNIS Director then introduced the coordinator and editor of the book, ACNIS Senior Analyst Manvel Sargsian, who praised the work carried out by the young contributing analysts in collaboration with the Center. According to Sargsian, the publication serves as “a clear example of profound and objective analysis,” explaining that “we attempted to present a unified approach toward current issues in Armenia, based on an objective recognition of past mistakes and present shortcomings, as reflected in the absence of a democratic country based on the rule of law in Armenia today.” Sargsian then introduced the team of contributing analysts, Artur Avtandilyan, Armen Grigoryan, Arayik Harutiunyan, Saro Saroyan and Edgar Vardanyan, with each analyst expressing his view of the project, stating that the new publication represented “a serious new look at post-war developments, the relationship between the army and civil authorities, and the fusion between economics and politics.” They also noted “the impossibility of forming a government through elections in Armenia, the emergence of oligopoly, and the Armenian society’s perception of legal ideas and democracy.” In his closing remarks, ACNIS Director Richard Giragosian also welcomed prominent Armenian-American historian and scholar Richard G. Hovannisian, Professor of Armenian and Near Eastern History at the University of California, Los Angeles. In turn, Professor Hovannisian congratulated the authors and added that “this study includes several key issues whose solution, I am confident, will be beneficial for the future of the young Armenian state,” and wished its contributors continuing creative success.

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