Work in academia and activism From 1988 to 2008, Aghabekian was a professor at
Al-Quds University in
Jerusalem. She was initially an associate professor before holding a number of administrative positions, including dean of the faculty of health professions from 1995 to 1998 and dean of graduate studies from 1998 to 2000. It marked the first time an
Armenian had been appointed a minister in the government. After being re-elected US president,
Donald Trump outlined a
plan for the US to occupy the Gaza Strip. In response, Aghabekian reiterated the Palestinian Authority's
de jure authority over the
Gaza Strip, rejected the plan as "unacceptable", and called on other Western countries to do the same. On 23 June 2025, President Abbas approved the reshuffle of the government of Mohamed Mustafa, and Varsen Aghabekian became
minister of foreign affairs and expatriate affairs in place of Mohamed Mustafa. On 15 July 2025, the EU's top diplomat
Kaja Kallas and the foreign ministers of the
EU member states agreed not to take any action against Israel over alleged
Israeli war crimes in the Gaza war and
settler violence in the
West Bank. The proposed sanctions against Israel included suspending the EU-Israel Association Agreement, suspending visa-free travel, or blocking imports from Israeli settlements. Aghabekian criticised the decision, saying: "It's shocking and disappointing, because everything is crystal clear.... The whole world has been seeing what is happening in Gaza. The killing, the atrocities, the war crimes." == Notes ==