Your Namak for Friday, January 7
Armenia and Turkey reestablish economic ties, Armenian servicemen deployed to Kazakhstan and Yerevan strengthens links with Tehran.
Hi there, here’s your weekly briefing of Armenian news in English, curated, reported and fact-checked by journalists Astrig Agopian and Maral Tavitian.
Armenia and Turkey Reestablish Economic Ties
Armenia lifted the ban on Turkish imports established in October 2020 during the 44-Day Nagorno-Karabakh War. The Armenian government imposed the temporary embargo based on what it described as “open and evident promotion and support by Turkey of Azeri aggression against the Republic of Artsakh.” The Turkish airline Pegasus also filed for an Istanbul-Yerevan flight permit, according to a statement provided by the spokesperson to the Armenian Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures. If the application succeeds, twice-weekly direct flights should start operating next month. These decisions come on the heels of an announcement to normalize Armenia-Turkey relations, including the appointment of special envoys by both countries to participate in dialogue.
Armenian and Other CSTO Servicemen Deployed to Kazakhstan
In a statement published on Facebook, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) agreed to send the organization’s collective peacekeeping forces to Kazakhstan after a request by the country’s president Kassim-Jomart Tokayev. Pashinyan is currently chairman of the organization. The decision comes after days of unprecedented anti-government demonstrations throughout Kazakhstan to protest the rise in gas prices. Armenia is one of the founding members of the CSTO, an intergovernmental military alliance that includes Russia and five post-Soviet states. The number of soldiers deployed from each member state has not been officially confirmed. Armenia’s parliamentary opposition party members criticized the move, highlighting that the CSTO did not deploy peacekeepers to Armenia during the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War nor during clashes in the southern Syunik region. At the time, Armenia did not submit a formal request under Article 4 of the Treaty.
Yerevan and Tehran Strengthen Links
Armenia and Iran announced steps to expand diplomatic and economic ties. The Iranian Embassy in Yerevan announced that the country would open a consulate in Kapan, a city in Armenia’s Syunik region. Syunik is at the center of both Armenian-Iranian trade and clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan following the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly stated his intention to create a “corridor” through Syunik that would connect Azerbaijan with its exclave of Nakhichevan, resorting to force if the Armenian side does not comply. In September 2021, Azerbaijan established checkpoints in Syunik to tax Iranian trucks, inflaming tensions between Tehran and Baku. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi also discussed economic ties over a phone call. This month, Iran Airtour Airline launched Tehran-Yerevan flights operating twice per week.
Ari Nazarian: Meet an Armenian-American doctor who participated in the first ever Armenian dating show
“I made the decision that I’m comfortable with who I am.”
Most young doctors do not have to wonder whether a patient might ask if they are “that guy from that show.” Ari Nazarian, an internal medicine resident at the University of Southern California, considered this possibility before deciding to participate in the first season of The Armenian Dating Show.
Ari was born and raised in San Jose, California, where from a young age he sought to pursue a career at the intersection of science and social justice. The 31-year-old studied biochemistry at the University of California, Davis and continued his education at St. Louis University School of Medicine.
"I grew up with this big Armenian community that spans multiple religious and geographic divides and I grew up with my own private Armenian familial community," Ari says.
When the 44-Day Nagorno-Karabakh War broke out during Ari’s final year of medical school, he longed for the tight-knit Armenian community he grew up in. That desire motivated his relocation to Los Angeles, home to one of the largest Armenian diasporas in the world.
Within hours of landing in his new city, a production crew marched into Ari’s hotel room to start filming. The week of shooting coincided with Ari’s last days off before his residency program began.
The show, a creation of the production company Miaseen, follows young Armenians in Los Angeles on their quest to find love. Ari was one of three “main singles” selected to go on blind dates throughout the ten-episode series. The process included an unconventional twist –– before each rendezvous, the candidates met Ari’s family and friends.
Tens of thousands of viewers watched Ari make small talk over coffee and baklava at Urartu Coffee in Glendale, nervously prepare an Aperol Spritz and even trip over a stray bicycle on the sidewalk. But it was these awkward moments and genuine interactions that made the show highly relatable for an audience unaccustomed to seeing its stories highlighted on screen.
“I think the show is unique in that it’s a well-produced piece of work about Armenians and the Armenian lifestyle and the Armenian experience that’s authentic and enjoyable to watch across Armenians of different generations and ages,” Ari says.
Ari came across a casting call for the show on the Armenian dating app Kyank. After learning more about Miaseen’s vision and pitching the idea to friends and family, he decided that it would be a memorable way to kick off his time in Los Angeles.
“I made the decision that I’m comfortable with who I am,” Ari says. “It also seemed like a really fun experience to go on. Everything was lining up for this to happen.”
When the show premiered in November, he watched his on-screen debut alongside the general public. Having avoided any major blunders, Ari jokingly wishes he had gone for a haircut before filming.
“My hair didn’t look as good as I thought it did,” he says with a laugh.
Although the show focuses on matchmaking, its true goal extends beyond providing lighthearted entertainment.
“A friend of mine who is quite versed in world politics and government and knows me very well and how closely I identify with my Armenian roots reached out over text and said how the show helped him understand what the genocide means to Armenians,” Ari says.
The show reflects the diversity of the Armenian diaspora through the unique personalities of its cast members. In some ways, romance is less a fixture than a backdrop to a larger human interest production. But by the season finale, some viewers were craving a bit of flirtation.
Ari answered the call, revealing that he and fellow cast member Maro Oganesyan had continued dating after the show wrapped. In a studio interview, the couple delivered a much-anticipated kiss for the audience. Their relationship has since earned the playful nickname “#MARI.”
“It makes me realize that my relationship with Maro is as much a thing to me as it also is now to other people,” Ari says.
Beyond introducing him to his partner, Ari says the show achieved its broader objective of providing positive media representation of Armenian culture. Following a warm reception from viewers, The Armenian Dating Show is already casting for its second season.
In an earlier version of this profile, Namak mistakenly stated that the first season of The Armenian Dating Show has nine episodes instead of ten.
To watch: Karaberd House. Breathing new life into a Lori village, a video about a group of friends building a shared home in a forgotten Armenian village.
To read: Armenian creativity, culture, and survival, a Harvard Magazine profile on the Armenian Museum of America in Watertown, Massachusetts.
To listen: Haytoug Talks: Armenian Christmas, a podcast unpacking the history of why Armenians celebrate the Nativity of Christ on January 6.
That’s it for today, see you next week!
Questions? Story ideas? An urge to say barev/parev? You can send us a secure email at namaknews@protonmail.com.