This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 07 YEREVAN 001255 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/CACEN, EUR/ACE, EUR/PGI 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV AM
SUBJECT:  DECIPHERING THE ARMENIAN-AMERICAN DIASPORA 
 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED -- PLEASE TREAT ACCORDINGLY 
 
------- 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1. (SBU) The Armenian-American Diaspora continues to wield 
considerable influence upon the foreign and domestic 
policies of the Government of Armenia.  This influence 
ranges from the obvious connection of U.S.-born and/or 
trained GOAM officials, the influence of private and public 
U.S. assistance funding and the more nuanced impact of 
person-to-person relations between the GOAM and the 
Diaspora.  Of the estimated 8-10 million people who consider 
themselves "Armenians" who live outside the Republic of 
Armenia, the GOAM and major Armenian cultural and advocacy 
organizations estimate that 1.5-2 million live in the United 
States.  The Armenian Diaspora community in the U.S. can be 
classified along a number of broad categories that involve 
intersecting political and religious affiliations and 
historical considerations.  The two most visible political 
advocacy groups in the Diaspora, the Armenian Assembly of 
America (AAA) and the Armenian National Committee of America 
(ANCA) dominate policy efforts but still constitute a 
minority of the U.S. Diaspora population.  Their membership 
numbers notwithstanding, most policy makers view the agendas 
of the AAA and ANCA as representative of the Armenian- 
American population as a whole. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
DESPITE RUSSIA TALK, U.S. INFLUENCE STILL STRONG 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶2. (SBU) While the debate continues over whose Diaspora - 
Russia's or the United States' - wields greater influence in 
Armenia, it is impossible to underestimate the impact of the 
Armenian-American community on the GOAM.  A number of 
current and former high-level GOAM policymakers were born, 
raised or trained in the United States with long-term 
connections to the Diaspora community in the U.S.  Current 
examples of this connection include Armenia's Foreign 
Minister, both Deputy Foreign Ministers, various 
Presidential Advisors including the Chief Advisor on 
Economic Issues, the Minister of Trade and Economic 
Development and a number of deputy ministers in other 
ministries.  These policymakers understand the financial and 
cultural impact of Armenian-American organizations on the 
Republic of Armenia (officially through bilateral lobbying 
and unofficially through cultural exchanges, financial 
remittances and historical connections) and nod to it in 
public and private as the driving force among the various 
Diaspora communities. 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
COMPARING THE U.S., OTHER DIASPORA POPULATIONS 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶3. (SBU) Of the estimated 8-10 million people living outside 
the Republic of Armenia who consider themselves "Armenians," 
the GOAM and major Armenian cultural and advocacy 
organizations estimate that 1.5-2 million live in the United 
States.  This number ranks second after the estimated 2 to 
2.5 million Armenians that live most of the year in Russia 
or other CIS Countries.  After the U.S., some of the largest 
Armenian Diaspora populations live in France, Lebanon, 
Syria, Argentina, Syria and Turkey.  The GOAM distinguishes 
the Armenian-American community from the other Diaspora 
populations as the most wealthy (both overall and per capita 
income) and the most diverse in terms of emigration 
patterns.  GOAM assistance figures and information from 
local banking sources confirm that the majority of Armenia's 
public and private assistance funding (including private 
money transfers to families or friends) comes to Armenia 
from the U.S.  The GOAM's MFA Diaspora Relations office 
makes no secret of the Armenian-American community's deep 
organizational structure as its most important 
distinguishing characteristic. 
 
--------------------------------------- 
DECIPHERING U.S. DIASPORA ORGANIZATIONS 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Armenian-American groups boast that the U.S. is 
home to the most organized Armenian Diaspora in the world. 
In terms of numbers of institutions, associations, church 
groups and dedicated media outlets, this assertion is true. 
Roughly fifty Armenian-American organizations claim 
nationwide membership somewhere in the thousands.  These 
organizations tend to maintain a clear leadership structure 
and most engage in regular grassroots activities. 
Naturally, most of these groups' agendas intersect and many 
Diasporans belong to two or more organizations while many of 
the 1.5 to 2 million claim no affiliation.  Embassy sources 
from the membership departments of the AAA and the Armenian 
General Benevolent Union (AGBU) estimate that over fifty 
percent of Armenian-Americans participate in either an 
Armenian religious or political organization but that only 
twenty to thirty percent consider themselves "active in 
Armenian political issues." 
 
¶5. (SBU) The Armenian Diaspora community in the U.S. can be 
grouped along seven broad categories that involve 
intersecting political and religious affiliations and 
historical considerations.  While most Armenian-American 
organizations are anxious to promote themselves as having 
broad-based memberships and as unaffiliated with any single 
group, many within the GOAM and high-level representatives 
within the Diaspora share this view of the U.S. Diaspora 
community.  (Note:  As with all demographic overviews, these 
groupings include multiple exceptions and contradictions. 
While this analysis provides a useful tool for deciphering 
the general orientation of organizations, it should not be 
considered absolute.  End note.) 
 
---------------------------- 
THE AGBU, RAMKAVARS, DIOCESE 
---------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) Three highly visible Diasporan organizations can be 
broadly linked to the Armenian General Benevolent Union 
(AGBU), the Armenian Democratic League (ADL or "Ramkavars") 
and/or affiliation with the Diocese branch of the Armenian 
Church.  The Armenian MFA and Armenian advocacy 
organizations based in the U.S. estimate that this grouping 
captures roughly 30 percent of those active in the Armenian- 
American community.  While often less politically active 
than the two largest advocacy organizations in the Diaspora 
(the AAA and ANCA), the AGBU and its affiliated 
organizations exercise considerable influence upon 
grassroots thinking about Armenia-related issues. 
 
¶7. (SBU) The AGBU is the largest worldwide charitable 
organization in the Armenian Diaspora and constitutes one of 
the three largest groups of Armenians in the United States 
today.  While the AGBU claims a non-political agenda and 
concentrates its programming on educational or humanitarian 
pursuits worldwide, it also touts itself as the "mainstay of 
Armenian liberalism" among Armenian-Americans.  The AGBU is 
the force behind the largest Armenian school program 
worldwide in Diaspora communities.  They currently sponsor 
more than 24 schools in 18 countries.  The AGBU played a 
major role in humanitarian aid to Armenia during the harsh 
economic conditions of 1991-1993 and continues to finance 
high-profile projects in Armenia including the American 
University of Armenia (through a continuing endowment and 
annual support) and the operation of the national opera and 
symphony hall complex in Yerevan. 
 
¶8. (SBU) The membership of the second largest political 
party based in the Armenian-American Diaspora, the Armenian 
Democratic League (ADL or "Ramkavars"), has considerable 
connections with the AGBU.  Historically, the majority of 
AGBU donors and board members were members of or sympathized 
with the Ramkavar Party to some degree.  The Ramkavars 
represent one of the most politically conservative elements 
of the Armenian-American community.  The ADL is still 
loosely associated with the Ramkavar party in the Republic 
of Armenia (which controlled a handful of seats in Armenia's 
first parliament in the early twentieth century and after 
independence during the administration of President Levon 
Ter-Petrossian.  The Ramkavars still reportedly wield 
considerable influence upon the editorial content of the 
Armenian daily "Azg").  While generally less nationalistic 
than some of their ANCA counterparts in the U.S., the ADL's 
political agenda includes a major push for worldwide 
recognition of the events of 1915 as a "genocide."  The ADL 
continues to advocate for USG assistance funding for Armenia 
through political advocacy organizations, most notably the 
AAA. 
 
¶9. (SBU) The Knights and Daughters of Vartan, a service 
organization whose recent activities are based loosely upon 
models such as the Rotary and Kiwanis Clubs, is one of the 
most active Armenian-American fraternal associations based 
in the U.S.  This organization claims membership in the tens 
of thousands and sponsors humanitarian activities in the 
Republic of Armenia including the renovation of schools and 
health facilities in rural communities. 
 
¶10. (SBU) Organizations affiliated with the AGBU (including 
the ADL and Knights/Daughters of Vartan and others) are 
generally characterized by their affiliation with the 
Diocese of the Armenian Church ("The Diocese").  The Diocese 
is the largest branch of the Armenian Church which 
recognizes the Catholicosate of All Armenians (based in 
Etchmiadzin, Armenia) as the apostolic authority of the 
Armenian Church.  Diocese congregations make up the majority 
of Armenian religious groups in the United States.  While it 
would be inappropriate to state that all AGBU or ADL members 
worship as part of a Diocese congregation, there is a 
tendency for these groups to align with one another on 
political issues.  The humanitarian arm of the Diocese, the 
Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR), raises and distributes 
millions of dollars in humanitarian relief aid to the 
Repulic of Armenia each year.  In addition, FAR has won 
contracts to implement international donor community-funded 
projects including the ongoing USG humanitarian programs in 
Nagorno-Karabagh. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
"INDEPENDENT" BUT CLOSE TO DIOCESE/AGBU CLUSTER:  AAA 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶11. (SBU) While claiming to be totally "independent" from 
the other clusters within the Armenian-American community, 
the Armenian Assembly of America (AAA) most often aligns 
itself with the AGBU/Diocese cluster on political policy 
issues.  The AAA claims to be the largest Armenian-American 
advocacy organization.  The AAA's membership is probably the 
most inclusive of Diaspora organizations because it has gone 
to great lengths to involve both the Diocese and Prelacy 
religious communities.  According to Embassy sources, the 
AAA's dues-paying membership totals approximately 3,000 in 
the U.S. with 7,000 to 9,000 AAA "activists" regularly 
volunteering on AAA grassroots advocacy efforts.  These 
advocacy activities include the AAA's annual meetings with 
the U.S. Congress during which the organization lobbies for 
USG Assistance funding and discusses policy issues including 
relations with Turkey and genocide recognition.  While not 
legally registered as a PAC, the AAA's efforts resemble 
those of a traditional issue-based lobbying organization but 
also include programmatic endeavors such as the Armenia Tree 
Project, the Yerevan-based NGO Center and other assistance 
programs.  The AAA maintains offices in Washington, D.C., 
Los Angeles and Yerevan. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
MAJOR DIASPORA CLUSTER 2:  DASHNAKS (ARF), ANCA, PRELACY 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
¶12. (SBU) The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) is a 
worldwide organization that reports affiliates in over 200 
countries including a strong presence in the United States. 
The ARF is widely known by its nickname "Dashnaksutyun." 
The term "Dashnak" is often used to refer to members or 
sympathizers of the ARF.  Active since 1890, the 
organization is the most politically oriented of the 
Armenian Diaspora groups around the world and has 
traditionally been one of the most vocal supporters of 
Armenian nationalism.  ARF groups were active in helping 
establish Armenia's first republic and as a self-proclaimed 
"alternative, nationalistic school of thought" in Armenia 
and the Diaspora during the Soviet era.  The ARF's Diaspora 
groups are linked through a direct organizational chain to 
the ARF "Dashnaksutyun" party that is active in the Republic 
of Armenia today as a member of the governing coalition. 
This link notwithstanding, the majority of the ARF's funding 
and influence has almost always resided within the Diaspora. 
While Diaspora-based groups go to great lengths to defer to 
the ARF's Yerevan offices on worldwide policy matters, it is 
clear that ARF affiliates in the U.S., Canada, France and 
Russia have a majority voice in many issues regarding 
policies on issues such as relations with Turkey and Nagorno- 
Karabakh. 
 
¶13. (SBU) The ARF's U.S.-based political advocacy arm is the 
Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).  ANCA is the 
principal political spokesperson for ARF policies in the 
United States.  ANCA's grassroots activities regarding April 
24 commemoration addresses, U.S. policy vis-a-vis Turkey, 
and advocacy of independent status for Nagorno-Karabakh are 
some of its most visible policy campaigns both within the 
Armenian-American community and to outside observers.  In 
addition to more than 100 locally based chapters, ANCA 
manages regional (East and West Coast) offices and a 
national headquarters in Washington, D.C.  ANCA's strong 
links with the ARF headquarters in Yerevan have up until now 
obviated the need for an independent office in Armenia. 
 
¶14. (SBU) Together with its vocal grassroots campaigns on 
political issues, the ARF has created one of the most 
successful networks of cultural and youth organizations 
among Armenian-Americans.  The Armenian Relief Society (ARS) 
is a nationwide women's auxiliary association that serves as 
the ARF's charitable and educational arm.  The Armenian 
Youth Federation (AYF) coordinates summer camps and 
political education programs for young Armenian-Americans in 
conjunction with worldwide ARF programs. 
¶15. (SBU) For decades, an unofficial link existed between 
the ARF and the Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church 
("The Prelacy").  The Prelacy recognizes the authority of 
the Armenian Catholicos based in Antelias, Lebanon (often 
referred to as the Cilician See).  The ARF-Prelacy alignment 
coincided with the outbreak of the Cold War.  With Diocese 
leaders based in Soviet Armenia, nationalistic ARF activists 
opted to operate through Prelacy congregations in the United 
States which they felt were less susceptible to Soviet 
influences and could best advance their cause for an 
independent Armenia.  Prelacy congregations are by no means 
exclusively populated by ARF supporters.  The perception 
exists among many, however, that "Dashnaks worship with the 
Prelacy."  While there are fewer adherents of Prelacy 
congregations than Diocese congregations in the United 
States, this group remains a significant and active part of 
the Armenian-American religious community.  (Note:  There 
are no liturgical or theological differences between the two 
branches of the Armenian Apostolic Church.  Relations are 
cordial if not warm.  The current Catholicos' predecessor 
had been the Catholicos in Antelias before his election in 
Etchmiadzin, and representatives of Antelias participate in 
the election of a new Catholicos in Etchmiadzin.  End note.) 
 
------------------------------------- 
MAKING SENSE OF THE AAA/ANCA "DIVIDE" 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶16. (SBU) The AAA and ANCA are two of the most visible 
Armenian-American political advocacy organizations in the 
United States.  Both organizations maintain Washington, D.C. 
offices and regional hubs in major U.S. cities.  While their 
platforms are not diametrically opposed to one another, 
their different approaches on key topics such as relations 
with Turkey and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict at times give 
the impression to observers both in and outside the Armenian- 
American community that they are competitors.  While the two 
organizations often pool their resources for joint projects 
(including April 24 commemoration initiatives on the Hill, 
lobbying efforts aimed to increase USG assistance funds 
destined for Armenia et al.), the highest levels of their 
respective membership rosters rarely overlap.  ANCA's 
grassroots strategy often appears to the public as more 
aggressive and politically charged than the AAA's. 
Professional representatives from two groups regularly hold 
informal consultations on key issues, but high-ranking 
representatives agree that significant rifts about where to 
invest political and human capital are commonplace.  (Note: 
While the AAA might at times be critical of ANCA's 
methodology, it appears that AAA often benefits from the 
increased awareness or heightened visibility that ANCA's 
activities offer the Armenian-American community.  End 
note.) 
 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
CLUSTER 3 - ORGANIZATIONS CLOSE TO THE "HNCHAKS" 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶17. (SBU) Activities of the smallest, and yet of the most 
well-known politically based groups of Armenian-American 
organizations centers around the ideology of the Armenian 
Social Democratic Hnchakian (or Hnchak) Party.  Known as 
"Hnchaks," members of these organizations claim to be part 
of the oldest Armenian Diasporan political organization in 
the world.  Founded in 1887, the Hnchak Party originally 
called for an independent, democratic Armenia encompassing 
the historical Armenian territory.  The organization 
flourished among Diaspora communities in the Middle East and 
Europe and established a strong presence on the West Coast 
of the United States.  The party and its affiliate 
organizations in the U.S. (fraternal societies, a women's 
advocacy group and various youth groups) played an 
historically conservative role among Armenian-American 
groups during the second half of the twentieth century. 
Following the Armenian independence movement of the late 
1980s, the Hnchak Party re-established itself in Armenia, 
winning seats in Parliament and carving out a small role in 
domestic politics.  Hnchak organizations in the United 
States claimed to wield considerable influence on GOAM 
policies during this period. 
 
¶18. (SBU) Disputes among party leadership and two subsequent 
splits in the party during the late 1990s weakened the 
party's standing in Armenia and consequently the influence 
of Hnchak-related groups in the U.S.  Hnchak party leaders 
tell the Embassy that the party's aging membership in the 
United States, coupled with the recent internal disputes, 
have seriously weakened their influence as an arm of the 
Armenian-American lobby.  The memory of the Hnchak's 
historically large membership and the roster of influential 
Hnchaks in recent Armenian-American history, however, 
continue to lend the group a certain degree of clout within 
the Armenian-American community.  Hnchak organizations 
support the weekly "Massis" newspaper which claims the 
second-largest circulation among Armenian-American 
publications and posits "traditional Hnchak" views on 
Armenian political developments.  (Comment:  While both the 
Ramkavars and Hnchaks retain organizational structures and a 
public profile, they appear to be fading as significant 
forces in the Diaspora, including in the U.S.  End comment.) 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
SMALL BUT STRONG - THE ARMENIAN PROTESTANT COMMUNITY 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶19. (SBU) While constituting only roughly 10-15 percent of 
the Armenian community in the United States, the Armenian 
Protestant Community is generally considered the oldest and 
one of the most prominent parts of the U.S. Diaspora.  This 
group traces its roots to the first major emigration of 
Armenians to the United States following the surge of 
American missionary activity in Ottoman Turkey in the late 
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.  The Armenian 
Protestant Community's activities center around locally- 
based congregations that sponsor cultural, youth and 
charitable programs.  Embassy sources agree that this 
community's strongest centers of support are in New Jersey 
and central and southern California.  This group, while 
generally active in initiatives related to genocide 
awareness, recognition and study, does not subscribe to a 
specific political agenda on Armenia-related issues. 
 
¶20. (SBU) The Armenian Missionary Association of America 
(AMAA) claims organizational links to the majority of the 
Armenian Protestant churches and operates educational and 
humanitarian programs that benefit Armenian communities in 
the Republic of Armenia and in the Diaspora.  Most experts 
agree that this group, due to its relatively long history in 
the U.S., has one of the strongest financial bases and the 
highest percentage of high profile professionals in the 
United States today.  The Armenian Evangelical Union (AEU) 
represents a smaller portion of the Armenian Protestant 
Community.  Similar to the organizations affiliated with the 
AMAA, AEU congregations sponsor locally based cultural and 
educational initiatives as well as humanitarian efforts in 
the Republic of Armenia. 
 
---------------------------------------- 
ARMENIAN-AMERICAN CATHOLIC ORGANIZATIONS 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶21. (SBU) Armenian Catholics living in the United States 
represent a small portion of American-Armenian community 
(claiming membership of roughly 35,000).  Following efforts 
to widen and strengthen its social and grassroots structure 
in the late 1990s, however, the group emerged as a well- 
organized group espousing conservative political and social 
values in line with the teachings of the Armenian Catholic 
Patriarchate (based in Lebanon).  While the Armenian- 
American Catholic community has ties to the American 
Conference of Catholic Bishops and other U.S.-based Catholic 
structures, it functions as an autonomous branch of 
Catholicism with 10 functioning parishes in the United 
States.  These communities are concentrated most heavily in 
New York (home to the Exarchate, the U.S. community's 
leader), Los Angeles, Boston and New Jersey. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
PROFESSIONAL AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS ON THE RISE 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶22. (SBU) A growing number of professional and cultural 
associations have changed the face of the Armenian-American 
community during the past two decades.  While "independent" 
from the clusters of organizations mentioned above, many 
members of these associations likely belong to one or more 
of the cluster organizations.  Groups like the Armenian 
Network, Armenian Bar Association, Armenian American 
International Women's Association and Armenian Professional 
and Student Association report increasing membership and are 
expanding their activities.  These groups sponsor advocacy 
efforts in the U.S. as well as programs in Armenia ranging 
from technical assistance and exchange programs to 
humanitarian assistance and service trips. 
 
------------------------------------------- 
HUMANITARIAN GROUPS AND PRIVATE FOUNDATIONS 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶23. (SBU) The United Armenian Fund, which sponsors 
humanitarian shipments to Armenia from the United States, is 
in a unique position among Armenian-American organizations. 
Largely funded by Kirk Kerkorian through his Lincy 
Foundation, the UAF is a joint effort of the Diocese, 
Prelacy, AGBU and other Diasporan organizations.  Focused 
strictly on humanitarian projects, it enjoys virtually 
universal support in the community.  The Hayastan-All- 
Armenia-Fund, a public-private hybrid endeavor with 
significant political backing from the GOAM and Diaspora 
groups in the United States and France, has raised funds for 
humanitarian and infrastructure projects in Nagorno-Karabakh 
and Armenia since the early 1990's.  The group was designed 
by advisors to then President Levon Ter-Petrossian as a 
mechanism to mobilize Diasporan financial support.  While 
subject to some internal political intrigue and claims of 
financial mismanagement, the Hayastan-All-Armenia-Fund has 
maintained an extremely high profile among international 
Diaspora organizations and Armenian-Americans from the Los 
Angeles area figure prominently on the organization's 
governing board.  The fund's annual telethon fundraiser is 
carried internationally via cable networks to cities with 
large Armenian communities.  The organization's fundraising 
financed the two major road construction projects in Nagorno- 
Karabakh, the "East-West" and "North-South" highways. 
 
¶24. (SBU) Individual Armenian-Americans continue to wield 
considerable influence in Armenia through private 
foundations and endowments such as the Lincy Foundation and 
the Cafesjian Family Foundation.  Kirk Kerkorian's Lincy 
Foundation (named for his two daughters) has financed over 
USD 170 million in major infrastructure and small and medium- 
sized loans and grants in Armenia since 1999.  The Lincy 
Foundation was a major contributor (USD 45 million) to 
multilateral housing reconstruction efforts in areas 
affected by the 1988 earthquake including the northern 
cities of Gyumri, Spitak and Vanadzor.  The most recent 
tranche of Lincy Foundation projects included refurbishing 
Armenia's major highways linking the country to Georgia and 
Iran, a comprehensive program to restore urban roads and 
sidewalks in downtown Yerevan, rennovation of major cultural 
institutions (including state museums and theaters in 
Yerevan) and the completion of a Soviet-era tunnel project 
connecting Armenia's northern regions to the Lake Sevan 
highway interchange.  Lincy Foundation projects are managed 
jointly with the Government of Armenia, follow World Bank 
procurement procedures, and place the organization as one of 
the most significant foreign donors in the country. 
 
¶25. (SBU) The Cafesjian Family Foundation, sponsored by 
Gerald Cafesjian (of Minnesota and Florida) has donated USD 
40 million to a variety of NGOs and projects within Armenia 
over the past five years.  The most visible of the 
Foundation's endeavors was the 2002 agreement with the GOAM 
for the logistical control and dual ownership of Yerevan's 
Cascade Monument and a large parcel of property adjacent to 
the structure.  This agreement was a unique move for the 
GOAM in relinquishing majority control of one of the 
country's most important public spaces to an Armenian- 
American foundation.  The foundation has refurbished much of 
the public space within the monument complex and has 
announced plans for the construction of a multi-million 
dollar art museum that will sit atop the monument. 
Cafesjian is reportedly already bringing together art works 
from Diasporan collectors that will supplement his personal 
collection once the museum opens.  Cafesjian's projects make 
him and his organization a major player in Armenia's 
cultural and urban planning circles. 
 
------- 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶26. (SBU) As with any community in the United States whose 
membership is based around social or ethnic connections, 
mapping out Armenian-American Diaspora organizations reveals 
as many contradictions as it does watertight theories.  The 
major categories outlined above are quickly changing as new 
generations of Armenian-Americans with different socio- 
economic realities take on leadership roles in these 
organizations and mold their agendas.  Despite the 
contradictions and amorphous borders that divide these 
groups, engaging the U.S.-based Diaspora as a whole remains 
an important aspect of the GOAM's foreign policy, economic 
development and public relations strategies.  The GOAM has 
increased its efforts to partner with the Armenian-American 
community through conferences, outreach products and by 
establishing a specialized office within the Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs.  While most GOAM policymakers recognize the 
distinction between USG policy and Diaspora policy, they 
also appreciate the influence that the latter plays on the 
former.  All indications point to a growing tendency on the 
part of the GOAM to capitalize on this dynamic as the U.S- 
Armenia bilateral relationship evolves. 
ORDWAY