Michael Doran, Who Rejected Claims of Ethnic Cleansing Against Artsakh Armenians, Hosts Armenia's U.S. Ambassador
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
Armenia's ambassador to the United States, Narek Mkrtchyan, appeared at the Hudson Institute on Wednesday for a discussion on the future of U.S.-Armenia relations, joining one of Washington's most influential foreign policy think tanks at a time of growing American engagement in the South Caucasus.
The event, titled "The U.S.-Armenia Relationship and the Future of the South Caucasus," was moderated by Michael Doran, director of the Hudson Institute's Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East and a former senior official in President George W. Bush's administration. Although Doran's work focuses primarily on the Middle East, he has become a prominent voice on Armenia, Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh through articles, interviews and policy discussions over the past several years.
Doran has consistently argued that Armenia should strengthen its partnership with the United States while reducing its reliance on Russia. In a May 2023 Wall Street Journal opinion piece, he wrote that the Kremlin had used the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to keep Armenia within its sphere of influence and urged Washington to support a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
His views came under intense scrutiny after Azerbaijan's military offensive in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) in September 2023. In a series of posts on X, Doran argued there was "no evidence" Azerbaijan had forcibly expelled the region's Armenian population and rejected claims that the mass displacement amounted to ethnic cleansing. Those statements sparked widespread criticism from Armenian organizations, analysts and human rights advocates, who pointed to the flight of more than 120,000 Armenians following Azerbaijan's assault and the conditions that left residents with little practical alternative but to flee.
Beyond those remarks, Doran has repeatedly argued that Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan and that Armenia should pursue normalization with Baku. He has also maintained that U.S. policy in the South Caucasus should be shaped primarily by the goal of limiting Russian and Iranian influence while strengthening regional connectivity and Western engagement.
Against that backdrop, Doran and Mkrtchyan discussed the current trajectory of Armenia-U.S. relations, regional security and opportunities to expand bilateral cooperation. The conversation reflected Washington's growing interest in Armenia as Yerevan continues to diversify its foreign policy and deepen ties with Western partners after years of heavy dependence on Russia.
The event also showed the range of views shaping the debate over the South Caucasus in Washington. While Armenia and the United States have significantly expanded cooperation in recent years, Doran remains one of the most closely watched American policy voices on the region because of his outspoken positions on Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia-Azerbaijan normalization and the broader geopolitical competition involving Russia, Iran and the West.
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