To physically and mentally empower amputees to live fulfilled lives – that is the goal of the Armenia-based NGO Oqni. The organization, which is committed to developing prosthetic technology in Armenia, was founded in 2021 by an interdisciplinary team of Diaspora Armenians.

The year 2022 has been yet another challenging one. Unprecedented pressures, including direct military aggression against Armenia and dramatic shifts in global security architecture make this year’s outcomes something that hardly an observer by the end of the year could have predicted.

On December 19, when the short-term monitoring mission of the European Union on the border of Armenia and Azerbaijan ended, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell informed that a ground is being prepared for a longer term EU mission in Armenia.

Baku continues pursuing a genocidal policy towards the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan announced at the UN Security Council on December 14.

President of the Nagorno-Karabakh Arayik Harutyunyan has signed a decree on a number of measures being taken in the conditions of martial law announced in the territory of the Artsakh Republic since 1992.

On December 14, the National Assembly of Armenia called on Russia to ensure the implementation of the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020, which guarantees uninterrupted functioning of the Lachin Corridor between Armenia and Artsakh.

Nagorno-Karabakh has switched to energy saving mode due to the closure of the Lachin Corridor and the shutdown of the gas supply, the State Minister of Artsakh Republic Ruben Vardanyan announced on Wednesday December 14th.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan discussed the blockade of the Lachin Corridor in a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on December 12.

People as well as nations tend to remember their victories, while trying to forget defeats. Yet there are defeats which are impossible to forget and analysis of such catastrophes crystallize into lessons for the future.

Levon Boyadjian grew from a young passionate photographer working out of his living room to becoming one of the world’s foremost pioneers in the field of photography of the 20th century. Thus, the legacy of Van Leo was born and with that legacy comes the story of a near-forgotten cultural icon of Egypt.

REGIONAL POST continues its series of interviews on psychological assistance and integration of those affected by the war. We interviewed US Armenian psychotherapist Arpe Asaturian who has extensive professional experience. She is the founder and director of the nonprofit organization Frontline Therapists in Armenia, delivering psychological assistance to soldiers who have had to suffer different psychological traumas.

The recent G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia with extensive three-hour talks between Xi Jinping and Joe Biden against the background of Russia’s low-key presence tell a lot about tectonic moves in the global order. Russia is being treated as a strong and influential, yet regional power – albeit in a quite vast region.

Two years after the 44-day Artsakh War, many soldiers are still healing not only from physical injuries, but also psychological trauma. Armenia still needs a functioning licensing unified system of psychological assistance for soldiers to cope with that task. In the interview, Davit Gevorgyan, Director of Yerevan State University’s Centre for Applied Psychology, talks about what kind of psychological help is currently provided to soldiers, what projects are being planned and how to reduce the mental health stigma in society.

Protests in Iran erupted on September 16, after a 22-year-old woman of Kurdish ethnic background, Mahsa Amini, died in hospital reportedly due to torture at the hands of religious morality police officers. There were 326 dead during the mass protests in Iran as of Nov 12, according to the Oslo-based Iran Human Rights organization. Western political figures point out the human rights problems in Iran, and Iranian authorities on the other hand blame the West for inciting the demonstrations. Meanwhile, the instability in Iran contains challenges for the region and Armenia as well.