Academic cooperation between the YSU Institute for Armenian Studies and Romania's Dunarea de Jos University of Galati on a prominent international platform
The 12th International Conference "History, Spirituality, Culture. Dialogue and Interactivity" will take place on October 29-30 at the Faculty of History, Philosophy and Theology of Dunarea de Jos University of Galati, Romania. The Institute for Armenian Studies at Yerevan State University (YSU) is among the official organizers and key international partners of the conference.
Vahram Petrosyan, Director of the YSU Institute for Armenian Studies, is one of the conference's co-chairs. He holds a PhD in History, is an associate professor at YSU's Chair of International Relations and Diplomacy, and serves as Editor-in-Chief of the journal Armenological Issues. Sargis Grigoryan, Head of the Institute's Department of Armenian-Kurdish Relations, who also holds a PhD in History and is an associate professor, is a member of the conference's Scientific Committee.
Broad international participation: Armenia sends second-largest delegation
This year's conference stands out for its broad international participation, bringing together 134 scholars and researchers from 10 countries.
Romania accounts for 89 participants (66.4%), while 45 researchers (33.6%) represent other countries.
Armenia has the second-largest delegation, with 19 participants from the YSU Institute for Armenian Studies, representing 14.2% of the total. Other participants come from Moldova (11 participants, 8.2%), Ukraine (6, 4.5%), Turkey and Vietnam (2 each, 1.5% each), as well as Greece, Bulgaria, Spain, the Netherlands and Poland (1 each, 0.7% each).
Research presentations by YSU scholars
Researchers from the YSU Institute for Armenian Studies will contribute to several conference sessions, presenting studies on regional security, history, international relations and cultural heritage.
In the International Relations session, YSU researchers will address geopolitical developments in the South Caucasus, the interests of global, regional and local actors, Iran-Turkey rivalry, logistics optimization in mining supply chains, and the adaptation of Armenians forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh, including government support policies.
The History and Culture session will feature research on the restoration of the Armenian kingdom in the ninth century, the historical and cultural significance of Armenian cochineal, identity, historical memory and the foreign policy of the First Republic of Armenia.
Special issue of Danubius and further academic cooperation
A major outcome of the collaboration between the YSU Institute for Armenian Studies, Dunarea de Jos University of Galati and the Galați History Museum is a special issue of the academic journal Danubius (Scopus-indexed, Q1), devoted entirely to research articles by Institute staff.
To explore opportunities for expanding cooperation and developing new projects, Professor George Enache, Director of the university's Center for East European Historical and Sociocultural Studies (CSISCEE), and Cristian Căldăraru, Director of the Galați History Museum, are expected to visit Yerevan State University.
Vahram Petrosyan on Armenian-Romanian academic cooperation
Ahead of the conference, Vahram Petrosyan, Director of the YSU Institute for Armenian Studies and co-chair of the 12th International Conference "History, Spirituality, Culture. Dialogue and Interactivity," highlighted the longstanding friendship between Armenia and Romania and the high regard in which Romania is held in Armenia.
"Armenia and Romania share deep historical and cultural ties rooted in centuries of mutual respect and shared values. Our institutional cooperation with Dunarea de Jos University of Galati has developed into an active academic partnership, as demonstrated by the special issue of Danubius (Scopus-indexed, Q1).
"I would like to express my special gratitude to Professor George Enache, who has worked tirelessly to establish this cooperation. I am confident that our upcoming meetings in Yerevan will allow us to chart new and ambitious directions for our partnership."
