IRANIAN-ARMENIAN SCIENCE UNIVERSITY EXPECTED TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 YEREVAN 000549

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/CARC, NEA/IR, AND NEA/ARPI

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/18/2016
TAGS: PGOV PHUM IR AM
SUBJECT: IRANIAN-ARMENIAN SCIENCE UNIVERSITY EXPECTED TO
OPEN IN YEREVAN


YEREVAN 00000549 001.2 OF 002


Classified By: DCM A.F. Godfrey for reasons 1.4 (b, d).

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SUMMARY
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1. (C) Iran's largest state-sponsored university -- with
branches in Afghanistan, Central Asia, and correspondence
courses on-line -- recently partnered with Yerevan State
University (YSU) to establish a private "Armenian-Iranian
Science University" in Yerevan, according to YSU's Caucasian
Center for Iran Studies Director Garnik Asatrian. Classes at
"Aria University" would start in September 2006 in Yerevan,
Asatrian asserted, mainly funded by tuition (about USD 2000
each year) from the 300 Iranian graduate and doctoral
students Asatrian expected to initially attract. Iranian,
Armenian, and other academics from across the CIS will focus
Aria's curriculum on international relations and political
sciences, religion, oriental studies, renewable energy and
ecology, and radio physics. Asatrian told us he had already
been named rector of the university, had located facilities
in Yerevan, but that he would not disclose the location and
had not yet identified the source of financing for start-up
expenses at the new university. End Summary.

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IRANIAN STUDIES CHAIR SLATED TO FORM NEW UNIVERSITY ...
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2. (SBU) Dr. Garnik Asatrian, Director of the Caucasian
Center for Iran Studies at Yerevan State University (YSU),
announced April 10 that he had partnered with Iran's largest
state-sponsored university "Payame Noor" (Herald of Light),
to form the first "Iranian-Armenian scientific educational
and cultural center." The establishment of Aria University
"is a proud event that demonstrates the high level of
interrelation between Armenia and Iran," Asatrian told the
press. "I think Aria University will become a center for the
concentration of scientific thought in the region," and an
important tool to re-engage Armenia's "unemployed scientific
cadre," Asatrian said.

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... THOUGH SOURCE OF FUNDING REMAINS UNCLEAR
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3. (C) On April 14, Asatrian told us that Payame Noor
University (Iran's "largest state-sponsored university" with
regional campuses throughout Iran, branches in Afghanistan,
Central Asia, and correspondence courses on-line) would
furnish professors and students to Aria University. Asatrian
said, however, that he would not seek Iranian funding as he
wanted to "avoid politics." Asatrian also claimed he would
refuse private Armenian funding sources for the same reason,
but noted that several "wealthy businessmen" including Hrant
Vardanian, the founder of the Grand Holding empire (candy,
tobacco, and light bulbs),had expressed interest in
investing in the private university. "At this point,"
Vardanian had only provided "moral, not financial" support,
Asatrian said. Asatrian evaded questions about the source of
funding for start-up operations, noting only that he "could
take care of it."

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GETTING STARTED: IRANIAN-ARMENIAN EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP
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4. (C) Asatrian asserted that he could rent campus
facilities, finance start-up university operations, and
attract graduate and doctoral level students in time to open
Aria by September 2006. A network of Asatrian's former YSU
Iranian Studies Department students now teaching in
undergraduate universities across Iran (including Payame
Noor),Asatrian claimed, would serve as his main recruiters.
"No one is idle in Iran, every family looks to send children
to university; it doesn't matter where," Asatrian said. "The
average cost of higher education in Iran is about USD 3000
annually, we can charge USD 2000 here, which would make Aria
University competitive," Asatrian said. (Note: Payame Noor
University's website claims the university, which is a
registered "legal body under the Ministry of Science,
Research and Technology," "enrolled about 431,840 students in
59 degree programs at 257 study centers. Asatrian said he
would have no problem recruiting 300 graduate and doctoral
level students from this population for studies at Aria. End
Note.)

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YEREVAN 00000549 002.2 OF 002


HIGHER ED NEGLECTED IN ARMENIA? IRAN FILLING THE VOID?
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5. (C) "Not a single country, not even America, has invested
in higher education in Armenia," Asatrian claimed.
Well-educated and under-utilized, Armenian scientists are
"living in poverty," while the rest of the world "stands
idle" ignoring our problems here, he asserted. (Comment:
Asatrian's assertions are incorrect and we challenged;
private and public US sources have generously supported
programs in Armenia at all levels of education. It is
striking that Asatrian could make such allegations on the one
hand and admit that his son is a scholarship recipient
currently attending Yale University on the other. End
Comment.) When asked what Armenians were doing to improve
the condition of higher education in their own country,
Asatrian responded that he had partnered with Payame Noor to
"give Armenia another chance."


6. (SBU) Asatrian said he foresees Iranian, Armenian, and
other academics from across the CIS focusing Aria's
curriculum on international relations and political sciences,
religion, oriental studies, renewable energy and ecology, and
radio physics. Studies in sciences would be of "a
theoretical nature" only, "without expensive laboratory
experimentation," he said.

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COMMENT: ASATRIAN HAS WILL, SKILL TO ESTABLISH UNIVERSITY
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7. (C) It is very likely that the Iran-Armenia University
will open for classes in September as Asatrian claims. A
benchmark step in the continuing Iran-Armenia courtship, Aria
University could provide a new venue for exchange (this time
cultural, scientific and educational),beyond traditional
Armenia-Iran energy and economic relations.
EVANS