Armen Kharazian

Armen Kharazian is the Co-founder and Managing Partner of Global Key Partners LLC, a Washington, DC-based strategic consultancy and public affairs firm. He is an expert and frequent commentator on strategic, security, foreign policy and public affairs in Eurasia/South Caucasus, with focus on infrastructure development, energy security, peace and conflict, and statecraft. In 2005-2008, he was the Director of Research and Analysis at the Armenian Assembly of America.

He is a former member of Armenia’s diplomatic service, and has served as Minister-Counselor and Deputy Chief of Mission in Washington (1999-2001), Director for Political-Military Affairs at theArmenian Foreign Ministry in Yerevan (1997-1999), member of Armenia’s negotiating team on Nagorno Karabakh (1994-1998), negotiator for the CFE TreatyFlank Agreement and Adaptation talks in Vienna (1996), and member of Armenia's delegation to the OSCE and IAEA (1996).

In 1993-1993 he served as the Persian Gulf Desk Officer at the Armenian Foreign Ministry, and in 1991-1993 - on the staff of the Department of Research and Analysis at the Office of the President of Armenia.

Armen holds an MA in Security Studies from Georgetown University Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service (2003), and BA in Middle Eastern (Arab) Studies from Yerevan State University (1990). He is also a graduate of the Language Center at the Kuwait University (1990, Arabic as Second Language), and training courses at the George Marshal Center for European Security Studies in Garmisch, Germany (SEC-1997, National Security Strategy Formulation and Management of Strategic Change), Center for Non-proliferation Studies of the Monterey Institute of International Studies (1998, Washington Intensive Non-proliferation Seminar), Austrian Military Academy (1997, Partnership Information Management Systems), and the Hoover Institution at Stanford University (1994, Economics and Diplomacy).

Armen Kharazian is a recipient of the V Class Order of the Cross of St. Mary's Land, awarded by the President of Estonia (2002).

He is fluent in Armenian, English, and Russian, and has advanced knowledge of Arabic.