Country Demographics:

• Population:  3 million
• Religions:  Armenian Christian Apostolic 94%, Other Christian 4%, Yezidi (Zoroastrian/animist) 2%
• Income Per Capita:  $652.95 year/ $1.81 day
• Government Type:  Republic with a presidential governing system
  Chief of State:  President Robert KOCHARIAN (since March 1998)
  Head of Government: Prime Minister Andranik MARKARYAN (2000)

Legal Profession:

• Estimated number of lawyers in Armenia is 6,000
• Estimated number of believers involved in the legal profession is less than 100
• Since May 2002, an informal Armenian Christian Group meets irregularly.  The group is comprised of 10-15 Christian lawyers and is headed by Mr.Alan Gogbashianand Mrs. Hrut Grigoryan. 

Major Activities of Christian Lawyers:

Christian lawyers in Armenia are involved in the following activities:

• Fellowship meetings
• Determining the vision and mission of the legal group
• Coordinating human rights projects
• Working on constitutional matters

Convocation Goals:

• The Global Convocation organized by Advocates International will be of great importance to the Armenian Group because it will offer them a much-needed time of fellowship with experienced Christian lawyers.  The positive examples they come into contact with will give the Armenian participants inspiration and practical advice for establishing a local Advocates International group in the near future.

Prayer Items:

• Higher commitment among Christian lawyers to the vision of the Armenian group
• Unified purpose and agenda among the group’s members
• God’s help in leading the government officials of Armenia towards adopting a peaceful resolution of tensions between the country and its geographic neighbors 

Contact Information:

• Alan Gogbashian alanandranik@yahoo.com
• Hrut Grigoryan hrut@list.ru

ªArmenia In Actionª

In 2002, AI’s Board Chairman, Lynn Buzzard, and the Director of Advocates Europe, Latcho Popov, conducted a judicial seminar on religion issues hosted by the Constitutional and Supreme Courts of Armenia. Justice Alvina Gyulumyan who has participated in three Advocates’ conferences organized the seminar.  Under Alan Gogbashian’s leadership, twenty-four Armenian lawyers took a two-day bus ride each way from Armenia to the Advocates Europe conference in Sofia, Bulgaria in 2002.  This would have been unthinkable and impossible a few years ago.  Alan writes of the trip, “We traveled in the bus 60 hours, day and night, through four countries in sweltering heat, along with 30 ‘shuttle traders’ traveling to Istanbul.  The conference lasted three days and then we had to travel 60 hours back again!  The long journey really helped us get to know each other, and I am sure no one of us will ever forget that conference—especially the bus ride!”