Yerevan Model United Nations NGO, as always remaining true to its mission, which is to contribute to the development of knowledge about diplomacy, international relations, and political science among Armenian youth, initiated its next brilliant program, “Yere’Diplomacy Week 2026”. A total of 13 students of various ages from high schools, colleges, and universities participated in the program.

Day 1. New adventures

On the first day, March 2, we gathered at Yerevan State University and started with an introductory event, each of us introduced ourselves and told about our preferences, interests, and future plans. This was followed by the “Speech Contest”, which was organized with the support of the Embassy of India in Armenia.

The participants of the program were divided into three topics, which were classified according to the rounds. The participants of the first round, 4 teams with two participants for and against, debated on the topic “Should education be free for all?” The participants who passed the second round were given the topic “Is the economic problem the biggest in the 21st century?”, and the two participants who passed the third, final round debated on the topic “Should governments control social networks and media?”․ The jury consisted of Mr. Vruyr Hlghatyan, President of YereMUN, H.E. Ms. Nilakshi Saha Sinha, Ambassador of India to the Republic of Armenia, and Mr. Manish Tolani, Defense Attaché.

Daniel Bartelsian took first place, Ruzi Mekhakyan took second, and David Zakhrabekyan took third.

You can see the tournament footage at the following link.
Official post by the Indian Embassy.

The contest lasted a total of 3 hours, after which the names of the winners were announced. It is also important to note that Her Excellency the Ambassador shared his impressions with the participants of the program, made some corrective observations, which will help future diplomats better present themselves and defend their positions in the future. We are very grateful to the Embassy of India, led by H.E. the Ambassador, for the effective cooperation.

In the second half of the day, we met with Canadian diplomat Marianne Stintzi, and discussed issues related to diplomatic protocols, meeting formats, cultural-political diplomacy, inter-diplomatic contacts, and formats of relations between states. The speaker presented the procedures of diplomatic meetings at the international level, spoke about the psychological contexts, the importance of reaching a common denominator with people of different personalities, and the responsibility and seriousness of representing a state at high-level podiums. It was really interesting to listen and receive advice from a young diplomat with considerable experience in the field of diplomacy and negotiations.

Day 2. Visits to state bodies

On the second day, our agenda included a visit to the highest legislative body of the Republic of Armenia, the National Assembly. In the parliament, we were introduced to the procedure for organizing sessions, given the opportunity to watch the regular session of the National Assembly from the guest lodge, as well as introduced to the activities of the museum and library.

The program participants met with MP Lilit Minasyan. The topics of discussion were diverse: from political events to cybersecurity mechanisms, from the modernization of social networks to upcoming summits in the Republic of Armenia. We, as representatives, also spoke about the activities of our organization, annual international conferences, diplomatic weeks and other programs. Communication with Ms. Minasyan was open, free and took place in an uninhibited atmosphere. It was truly a pleasure to communicate with such a person and I, in particular, appreciated it very much. We express our gratitude to Ms. Minasyan for the excellent discussion, exchange of ideas, as well as advice.

Photos from Ms. Minasyan’s Facebook page.
You can see the visit footage at the following link.

Day 3. Visit to a diplomatic mission

On the third day, our team had the opportunity to visit the Embassy of Serbia in Armenia and meet with H.E. Ambassador Tatjana Panajotović Cvetković and representatives of her esteemed staff. The visit to the representative office of a friendly country was very important for us, as there were a number of questions related to bilateral relations. The meeting with the Ambassador is always held at a high level, in an extremely warm and wonderful atmosphere. We once again express our gratitude for granting us such hospitality.

At the initiative of the staff, we first watched two short videos about Serbia and its history, culture, and hospitable people, then the Ambassador presented the history and development of Armenian-Serbian relations, the dynamics of current contacts, bilateral initiatives and their progress, and centuries of friendly contacts between the peoples, including in the form of exchanges of youth representatives. The importance of young people making a great contribution to the fields of diplomacy and international relations was also touched upon.

This was followed by an exchange of ideas and questions raised by the participants, which related to the large-scale project Serbia Expo 2027, educational exchanges and opportunities to study in Serbia, commonalities and similarities between Armenia and Serbia, and the religious, cultural, and civilizational connections between the two peoples.

We are grateful to the Embassy of Serbia, led by Her Excellency the Ambassador, for hosting us and for the interesting discussions.

Day 4. Diplomacy, diplomacy and once again diplomacy

Today’s agenda included a visit to the US Embassy in Armenia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia.

The day began with a visit to a foreign mission. After passing through security measures, we were greeted and escorted to the embassy’s meeting room, where we were introduced to the embassy’s activities, history, and the dynamics of the ever-developing Armenian-American relations.

Before the Head of Mission joined the meeting, we had a warm conversation with Mr. Nathan Austin, responsible for educational and cultural initiatives. Then, His Excellency, the US Chargé d’Affaires ai, Mr. David Allen, joined the discussion. It was a great honor for us to meet him and address our concerns to him.

YereMUN President Vruyr Hlghatyan introduced Mr. Allen to the organization’s activities, the youth-led international conferences and workshops, and the opportunities to gain and strengthen knowledge in the field of diplomacy and international relations through seminars and simulation games.

Mr. Allen introduced us to the history of Armenian-American relations, the activities of the US Embassy in Armenia, and other related issues. The program participants asked the head of mission questions about US history, US contributions to the Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement, the August 8 agreement, US involvement in the region, educational and training initiatives, and opportunities to study in the United States of America.

We express our gratitude to the US Embassy in Armenia, its staff, led by Chargé d’Affaires Mr. Allen, for extending us warm hospitality and conducting an interesting, educational meeting and discussion.

The next visit that day was to the RA Foreign Ministry. There, we were met by representatives of the Staff, who organized a tour for our members. First, we visited the press conference hall, talked about diplomatic and state protocols and procedures, and had an interesting Q&A, particularly regarding the organization of meetings, accompanying foreign delegations, and conducting negotiations.

Then we were escorted to the official hall for meetings and negotiations, where, in addition to official meetings with representatives of other states, discussions are also taking place with the ministry’s staff and members of the government.

The next stop was the MFA library, where we were thoroughly introduced to the history of Armenia’s foreign affairs and relations, the creation and strengthening of diplomatic structures, as well as the admission and activities of the Diplomatic School of the Republic of Armenia, and the opportunities provided to students. The participants raised questions related to the topics of diplomatic service, passports, titles, and interstate relations. We, as representatives of the organization, also told about our work activities.

We express our gratitude to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia for the warm hospitality, introduction to the work of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and interesting conversations and contacts.

Day 5. Conclusion

The main event of our final day, March 6, was the diplomatic tournament. The team was divided into two groups, one of which represented the interests of neighboring Turkiye, the other — our state, Armenia. All “diplomatic contacts and discussions” were conducted in a strictly defined order and format, which made it possible to feel the atmosphere of real negotiations.

The participants improved their skills in defending their state-national interests, representing the state at international and bilateral official levels, finding compromise solutions, conducting diplomatic negotiations correctly, respecting the other party and their position, maintaining and using subordination mechanisms, and gained knowledge about the positions of both sides.

This was an extremely important practice to learn all the procedural nuances that can play a decisive role during the negotiation. By participating in such exercises and simulations, young diplomats later apply precise methods to represent their countries and defend their interests in higher bodies, and become more self-confident.

At the end of the “Yere’Diplomacy Week 2026” program, at the initiative of the organization’s president, Vruyr Hlghatyan, a small discussion-sharing of impressions took place with the program participants. The young people shared their feelings, opinions, and impressions, emphasizing the unique features and opportunities of such programs.

Finally, the team visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial, laying flowers and bowing in memory of the innocent victims of the crime that occurred at the beginning of the 20th century.

Thus, this wonderful program has come to an end. The participants certainly and undoubtedly gained new knowledge, got to know each other better, visited the highest, policy-making and implementing bodies of the Republic of Armenia, foreign embassies represented in the Republic of Armenia, and conducted interesting and educational simulation games to develop their diplomatic skills.

I express my deep gratitude to my good friend, the president of the organization Vruyr Hlghatyan and his wonderful team for making me a part of this unique, wonderful adventure. I thank all the participants for the unforgettable memories, productive discussions and debates. I thank all the speakers and diplomats for making our program a success.