At the initiative of the Department of the History of the Armenian Question and the Armenian Genocide of the NAS RA Institute of History, an international conference entitled “The National Awakening of the Armenian People and the Process of International Recognition of the Armenian Genocide” was held in Yerevan on 22–23 April, 2025. The conference was dedicated to a comprehensive examination of the national awakening and the popular movement that took place in Soviet Armenia and the Diaspora in 1965, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

This national awakening played a pivotal role in shaping the demand for international recognition of the Genocide, the reassessment of Armenian identity, and the pursuit of historical justice. The aim of the conference was to elucidate the moral, psychological, political, and social significance of this historic movement; to highlight the contributions of both the Diaspora and Soviet Armenia to the pan-Armenian agenda of Genocide recognition; and to examine the movement’s influence on subsequent developments, from the Nagorno-Karabakh issue to broader efforts to restore justice on international platforms.

The principal thematic areas of the conference included: the initiation and phased progression of the process of international recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide; the role of Diasporan communities, institutions, and organisations in this process; the manifestations and impact of the national awakening in Soviet Armenia; and efforts to protect the rights of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh within the context of the USSR. Leading scholars and public figures from Armenia and abroad took part in the proceedings.

The panel sessions of the conference featured the presentation of the latest scholarly approaches and analyses, which are expected to enrich the academic discourse surrounding Genocide recognition and the preservation of historical memory.