Keghart.org Contributors

Khajag Aghazarian is from Lebanon and lives in Montreal. In 2007 Khajag completed his Master’s studies in politics at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario. Along with extensive writing, and research experience, he was also the founder and managing editor of “Umma” magazines that were published in both Arabic and English. He served as editor-in-chief for almost two years in early 2020s.

Melinda Andonyan was born in Istanbul-Türkiye in 1982. She is a Turkish-Armenian whose ancestors have lived in these lands for centuries. She graduated with honors from the Department of Teaching. She studied linguistics in Germany, on a scholarship from the German government. She has been actively involved in educational activities in various countries and worked as a teacher at private schools and universities in Türkiye. In addition to her teaching career, she has been an active translator and interpreter in four languages ​(English, German, Armenian, and Greek) since 2014. She first translated a Turkish book into English, called “Chaldee Letters and The Chaldeans,” (written by Mgr. Francois Yakan) in 2014. This translation has been acclaimed worldwide and has found its place in libraries in many countries. Currently, she is translating books for many publishing companies and also writing articles and texts for various magazines and online platforms.

Dr. Armen Ayvazian is a Senior Researcher in History for the Matendararan Research Institute in Armenia and Director of the “Ararat” Center for Strategic Research, Yerevan. He holds doctoral degrees in History (1992) and Political Science (2004).

David Boyajian’s usual foreign policy focus is the Caucasus.  His work can be found at https://www.armeniapedia.org/wiki/David_Boyajian.  X/Twitter: @Boyajian_Writer

David Davidian is a Lecturer at the American University of Armenia. He has spent over a decade in technical intelligence analysis at major high-technology firms. He resides in Yerevan, Armenia. A compendium of his articles can be seen on shadowdiplomat.com

Dr. Z. S. Andrew Demirdjian In addition to his active academic pursuits, he has devoted his time since high school to researching ideas on how to advance Armenia. Among his published works, he has two books on Armenian unity and hundreds of articles. Since just July 2019, over 105 articles have been published on Armenian affairs. To access his previous articles open the search engine of the website and insert his name.

Ms. Lucy Deukmejian is a repatriate from Lebanon and lives in Yerevan since 2020. She holds a Bachelor Degree in English and English Literature from the Lebanese State University. She is fluent in Armenian, Arabic and English languages, and converses in Turkish and French. Over the past decade she has contributed to Zartonk and Ararat magazines in Beirut, and also to Massis Weekly in Los Angeles. Her first article in Keghart appeared in March 2023. Ms. Deukmejian’s proficiency in languages and skills in journalism were two factors that led her become the publisher of the Armenian Section of Keghart in November 2024, a position that she fulfilled with extraordinary professionalism until March 2026, when the Armenian Section was terminated, because of financial constraints.

Born in Kars  with maternal roots in Yerevan, Nurnisa Erismis now resides in Denizli, Turkey. She is a retired health manager with a degree in sociology. Inspired by the life story of her paternal grandmother, she has dedicated herself to feminism and human rights. She has been active in politics, defending equality among peoples and justice, and opposing racism and xenophobia. She has also been engaged in issues of memory, justice, and reconciliation in Turkey and the Armenian diaspora, with a particular focus on the Armenian Genocide.

Dr. Zaven Kalayjian is an electrical engineer and works in the metropolitan Washington, DC area. He received his BSE in Electrical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Johns Hopkins University. He is a deacon in the Armenian Apostolic Church. Dr. Kalayjian has developed and run religious education and catechetical programs in Yerevan and in Washington, DC. He resides in Virginia and is active in the DC-Metro Armenian community.

Ms. Arusyak Karapetyan is a graduate from the University of Toronto with a degree in commerce. She’s interested in the arts and in writing. Her association with Keghart started in 2018. She initially submitted interviews and brief reports and then she wrote op-ed pieces and longer articles. As of December 2020 she was the publisher of the periodical which she managed exceptionally well until mi-2022.

Lucine Kasbarian is an author, syndicated journalist, book publicist, and political cartoonist who regularly contributes to Keghart.org.

Dr. Minas Kojayan  served as a member of the editorial team (Armenian section) since the inception of Keghart periodical. Kojayan is a philologist with a doctorate from the Yerevan State University. He is an educator of several decades, a public speaker, former editor of AIM (Armenian International Magazine), “Nor Or” and the “Sion” monthly of the St. James Brotherhood of Jerusalem (Armenian Patriarchate). Kojayan is the author and editor of several books. His many skills have enhanced the collective task of the team.

Dr. Robert O. Krikorian retired from the Department of State after more than two decades as an intelligence analyst and senior adviser. He began his State Department career as a diplomatic historian, focusing on the practical and policy-relevant applications of historical knowledge. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Clark University, a Master’s Degree from The George Washington University and received his PhD in History and Eurasian Studies from Harvard University, where he also taught courses on Russian and Middle Eastern History. In addition, he has taught at the Elliott School of International Affairs at The George Washington University and has lectured to hundreds of diplomats at the State Department Foreign Service Institute as part of their training for postings in the South Caucasus and elsewhere. Dr. Krikorian has written and presented extensively on the modern history and politics of Armenia and Eurasia.

Margarita Krtikashyan is a PhD candidate in Turkology at the Faculty of Oriental Studies, Yerevan State University. Her research focuses on cultural policy, the role of music in diplomacy and politics, Armenian-Turkish relations, the issues of Armenians living in Turkey, and the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople. She is also interested in religion, culture, and music. e-mail: [email protected]

Razmig Mardigian, originally from Iraq, is a graduate from The Mekhitarist Armenian College in Venice, Italy. Currently he lives in Los Angeles and frequently commutes to Armenia managing a stone-cutting factory. He has been a dedicated member of the Keghart team since its inception (2007). Mardigian acts as a senior advisor and manages the site’s financial affairs. His advice and timely interventions kept the periodical afloat on several occasions.

Karen Mkrtchyan was born in Massis, Armenia. In his early teens, he studied at the Armenian College and Philanthropic Academy (Հայոց Մարդասիրական Ճեմարան) in Kolkata. He completed his final two years of high school at La Martinière for Boys, where he was appointed School Prefect. Following graduation, he enrolled at New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) where he specialized in languages. He earned his Master of Arts degree (honors) in 2017 and returned to Armenia to engage in public life. Karen joined Keghart in 2020, and was its editor admirably serving for more than a year. He resigned due to his frequent public engagements that could have potentially caused a conflict of interest. He rejoined in mid 2025 as the publisher of Keghart.org.

Asbed Pogarian is the author of Loving Father, Bitter Son, a novel that explores the Armenian diaspora experience through the lens of the Ethiopian-Armenian community. He and his wife have adopted the village of Gosh in Armenia, where they live part of the year, working on empowering the local youth while creating opportunities for diasporans to connect with the motherland.

Varouj Pogharian was born and raised in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. His grandparents were from Van, Arapkir and Urfa. His family moved to Canada when he was 18. He retired from the Canadian federal government following a career that included assignments in South America. Pogharian is the author of “Dancing in a Cemetery: A Novel about Colombia”. Though this book is currently out of print, a new edition is in the works, along with a Spanish translation. He is currently working on a historical novel, which is set in Asia Minor during the tumultuous period that spanned the reign of Sultan Abdulhamid II and the rise of the Young Turks. His narrative is poised to explore the complexities of this historical backdrop.

Edward Tashjian is a historian trained at the American University of Beirut. His work focuses on Middle Eastern and Armenian history and politics. His research engages the public through Badmatidaran, a digital project dedicated to Armenian history.”

Vartan Tashjian is a media professional and editor with almost four decades of experience in Armenian journalism and communications. He has founded and directed numerous publications and broadcast programs in Armenia and Lebanon, including the Armenian Catholic Patriarchate’s Armenology Center and its flagship “Armenian Educator” magazine in Beirut. Throughout his tenure in media, Tashjian has also been instrumental in producing documentary films, educational events, and cultural initiatives, while contributing to political analysis across publications in Lebanon, Armenia, and the United States. Currently, Tashjian serves as Head of the Information Office at Mesrobian High School in Beirut, Lebanon.

Jirair Tutunjian, born in Jerusalem, has lived in Canada for the past sixty years. During his fifty-five-year award-winning career as a journalist, he has edited/managed/published six magazines consumer and business magazines and authored six books: “Convent to Cypresses, A Hill of Bones”, “Three collections of editorials, reviews, columns, historical research articles”,  and “Armenian Greats—Known and Unknown” . His next book, scheduled to be published next spring, is “Do Mice Drink Wine?” It’s a collection non-fiction short stories. Tutunjian was the editor-in-chief of Keghart (2009-2016). During his long career, Tutunjian has reported from 85 countries.

Alan Whitehorn is an emeritus professor at the Royal Military College of Canada and was the first holder of the JS Woodsworth Chair in Humanities at Simon Fraser University in 1994-1996. As an academic, he writes on the topics of genocide, human rights, political parties and elections. As an award-winning poet, he explores the issue of genocide and its impact on Armenian-Canadian identity. Amongst his published books: Poems from the Diaspora: An Armenian Odyssey/Poesie dalla Diaspora: un’odissea armena; The Armenian Genocide: The Essential Reference Guide; Return to Armenia/Veradardz depi Hayastan; Just Poems: Reflections on the Armenian Genocide; Ancestral Voices: Identity, Ethnic Roots and a Genocide Remembered; The Armenian Genocide: Resisting the Inertia of Indifference (co-author with Lorne Shirinian).

Gevorg Natali Yazichyan is a philologist and historian. He is the author of 8 books and booklets. Yazichyan has edited and annotated more than 200 books in various fields of Armenology. He also is a an electrical engineer and holds a Master of Science Degree. Yazichyan is a repatriate from Lebanon and lives in Yerevan, capital of Republic of Armenia. Yazichyan’s contribution as editor-in-chief (2020 – 2026) was instrumental in maintaining the Armenian section of Keghart.org