Van Z. Krikorian

Education

Adjunct Professor Krikorian has taught Antitrust, International Trade, International Business Transactions, Corporations & Partnerships, International Commercial Arbitration, and Conflict of Laws at Pace Law School. He joined Global Gold Corporation in 2003 as Vice President and General Counsel, is currently the Chair and CEO of this international gold mining, development and exploration company.  He also maintains a private practice.  Previously, Professor Krikorian was a partner in the New York office of Vedder Price Kaufman & Kammholz from 1998-2003 and practiced with Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler from 1993 to 1998. He was Armenia’s Deputy Representative and Counselor at the United Nations in 1992 and served on the Turkish Armenian Reconciliation Commission from 2001 to 2004.   In 2017, he was awarded Armenia's Medal/Order of Honor. He has also been active in human rights issues, initiating and authoring legislation including Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act and Section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act, the Humanitarian Aid Corridors Act.  In 1991, Professor Krikorian was appointed and served as a member of the U.S. delegation to the Moscow CSCE Human Rights meetings. In the 1993 decision Krikorian v. Department of State, the District of Columbia Federal Court of Appeals acknowledged that United States policy historically recognized the Armenian Genocide.  He has testified before Congress on numerous occasions, has been associated with the DC based Armenian Assembly of America human rights advocacy organization (https://www.armenian-assembly.org/) since 1977 (chair and co-chair over 14 years), the academically oriented Armenian National Institute (www.armenian-genocide.org) since formation in 1997 (chair since 2011), and the George Washington University Elliot School of International Affairs Board from 2005 to 2016, and other organizations.