Russian Base In Armenia Signals Role In Possible Karabakh War

GYUMRI — Russian troops stationed in Armenia could openly side with it in case of a renewed Armenian-Azerbaijani war for Nagorno-Karabakh, according to their top commander, Colonel Andrey Ruzinsky.

“If Azerbaijan decides to restore jurisdiction over Nagorno-Karabakh by force the [Russian] military base may join in the armed conflict in accordance with the Russian Federation’s obligations within the framework of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO),” Ruzinksy told the Russian Defense Ministry’s “Krasnaya Zvezda” newspaper in a recent interview.

Ruzinksy answered a question about the mission of the Russian base headquartered in Armenia’s second largest city of Gyumri.

That mission was upgraded by a Russian-Armenian defense agreement signed in 2010. The agreement extended Russia’s basing rights in Armenia until 2044. It also committed Moscow to supplying its South Caucasus ally with more weapons and military hardware.

The Russian base, which numbers between 4,000 and 5,000 soldiers, has since been bolstered with modern weaponry, reportedly including Iskander-M tactical ballistic missiles. The Russian military also plans to deploy combat helicopters there soon. The Russian air force unit in Armenia currently has 16 MiG-29 fighter jets.

The Russian troops in Armenia hold joint exercises and trainings with Armenian army units on a regular basis. Around a thousand soldiers from the two armies, backed up tanks, helicopters and artillery systems, practiced a joint military operation as recently as in August.

According to Ruzinsky, more such war games are planned for next year. “I believe that we need to further develop our field cooperation, if I may put it way,” he said.

The Russian base commander also revealed to “Krasnaya Zvezda” that a group of his senior officers and their Armenian colleagues recently jointly toured “areas of combat engagement.” “We plan to increase such activities next year,” he said without elaborating.

Russian Base In Armenia Signals Role In Possible Karabakh War

Yerevan Transport Activists Again Clash With Police

YEREVAN — A group of young activists in a continuous struggle against the decision on raising bus fares in the Armenian capital have held another act of protest in front of the Yerevan City Hall, during which the protestors and the police clashed. Two activists have been detained.

The police used force to prevent the protesters from entering the municipality building to participate in a session of the city’s Council of Elders. The angry crowd was pushed back from its main entrance. Two activists were detained in the process. They both were released two hours later.

The protesters, who have held a nonstop sit-in in front of the Mayor’s Office for the past three months, sought to attend the session in order to read out a statement condemning the municipal authorities’ renewed plans to raise minibus and bus fares in Yerevan. One of their leaders had to publicize it outside the building.

“It’s been 100 days since our citizens began a sit-in here to demand the ouster of corrupt and criminal officials,” he said. “The Yerevan Council of Elders has not properly reacted to those demands, thereby becoming an accomplice to their crimes.” The municipal assembly dominated by government loyalists can no longer be considered a legitimate body, added the statement.

The incident came amid growing signs that Yerevan Mayor Taron Markarian will again raise the transport fees by at least 50 percent soon. He already tried to do that in July but was forced to back down by an unprecedented campaign of civil disobedience involving street protests.

The activists continuing those protests are demanding the resignation of two senior municipal officials in charge of public transport. Markarian has refused to sack them.

The mayor formed last month an ad hoc commission tasked with looking into the Armenian capital’s transport system and proposing solutions to its problems. The commission is widely expected to conclude that fare hikes are indispensable not least because of a recent surge in the price of Russian natural gas.

Virtually all buses and minibuses in Yerevan run on liquefied gas.

Yerevan Transport Activists Again Clash With Police

“Karabagh: An Historical Perspective”

FRESNO — Dr. Arsen Saparov (University of Michigan-Ann Arbor) and Dr. Ara Sanjian (University of Michigan-Dearborn), will speak on Karabagh at 7:30 PM on Friday, November 15, 2013, in the University Business Center, Alice Peters Auditorium, Room 191, on the Fresno State campus. Dr. Saparov will speak on “Drawing Borders in the Caucasus the Early 1920’s” and Dr. Sanjian will speak on the topic of “Irredentism at the Crossroads of Nationalism, Communism and Diverging Interpretations of the Soviet Experience: The Armenian Diasporan Press on Mountainous Karabagh, 1923-1985”

The lecture is part of the Armenian Studies Program Fall Lecture Series and is co-sponsored by the Armenian Students Organization at Fresno State and is supported by the Leon S. Peters Foundation.

The Soviet leadership often stands accused of deliberately drawing internal frontiers in the Caucasus as to create leverage against union republics. Violent conflicts that broke out in the 1990s in Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh and South Ossetia seem to prove this perception. In his presentation, Dr. Saparov will discuss the logic of the Bolshevik boundary-making in the South Caucasus. Dr. Saparov was educated at Central European University in Budapest and received his Ph.D in International Relations from the London School of Economics.

The formation of the Mountainous Karabagh Autonomous Region within the territory of Soviet Azerbaijan in 1923 coincided with the emergence of the post-genocide Armenian Diaspora. The vast majority of political organizations and political-minded activists in the Diaspora envisaged a future Armenian state, which would encompass within its borders not only Western Armenia but also the Armenian-inhabited regions of Nagorno-Karabakh, Nakhichevan, and Akhalkalak, which had become recently part of Soviet Azerbaijan and Soviet Georgia. In this latter case, the political realities exacted that the demand should be focused on their immediate annexation to Soviet Armenia.

However, because there was a sharp divergence among the Diasporans in the attitude toward Communism as an ideology and in evaluating the Soviet experience in Armenia, the demands for the annexation of Mountainous Karabagh to Soviet Armenia raised in different Diasporan periodicals were pursued at varying degrees of frequency and intensity, and the arguments put forward by these periodicals were at times different.

Dr. Sanjian, Director of the Armenian Research Center at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, will discuss the differing approaches of the news media to the Karabagh issue.

The lecture is free and open to the public.

Free parking is available after 7:00PM in Lots A and J, near the University Business Center. For more information on the lecture please contact the Armenian Studies Program at 278-2669.

“Karabagh: An Historical Perspective”

AMAA Opens West Coast Office in Glendale

GLENDALE — After several meetings and considerable prayer, the Board of Directors of the Armenian Missionary Association of America (AMAA) approved a reorganization of the Association and the expansion of its services.

Effective November 1, the current Executive Director, Levon Filian, will begin the process of opening a West Coast Office of the AMAA in Glendale, CA, and give direction to that office as the West Coast Executive Director. “For some time, there has been discussion about opening a field office in California to improve the work of our organization by its proximity to the large Armenian Community in Southern California. We are hopeful that there will be an official opening of the office in January 2014,” said Dr. Joseph Zeronian, President of the AMAA Board.

The Restructuring Implementation Committee, Co-Chaired by Louis Kurkjian and Thomas Momjian, is now in the process of searching for an Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer to lead the AMAA and give leadership to the Paramus, NJ Office, the West Coast Office, and the Yerevan Office. It is expected that it will take several months to identify and screen candidates and eventually call a person to this important responsibility.

In the interim, the Board of Directors has acted to call Rev. Mgrdich Melkonian as Interim Executive Director/CEO. He will take on that responsibility November 1, 2013. In that capacity, he will direct the activities of all AMAA personnel and be responsible to the Board of Directors. Rev. Melkonian, who is in the United States on his rotation between the U.S. and Armenia, is a well-respected and experienced member of the Armenian clergy and is very familiar with the mission work of the AMAA.

Founded in 1918, the AMAA is a non-profit charitable organization whose purpose is to serve the physical and spiritual needs of people everywhere, both at home and overseas. The AMAA is a nonsectarian Christian organization that renders its services to those in need without discrimination. To fulfill this worldwide mission, the AMAA maintains a range of educational, evangelistic, relief, social service, church, and child care ministries in twenty-four countries around the world and often partners with other relief agencies to aid disaster stricken areas throughout the world. For additional information, visit www.amaa.org.

AMAA Opens West Coast Office in Glendale

SDHP Central Committee Delegation Meetings in Lebanon

BEIRUT — A delegation of the Social Democrat Hunchakian Party Central Committee Board headed by SDHP Central Committee Chairman Hagop Dikranian visited various Lebanese Armenian religious and political institutions.The delegation paid visits to the; Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia; Aram I, Patriarch of the Armenian Catholic Church; Nerses Bedros XIX, President of the Union of Armenian Evangelical Church; Rev. Megredij Karakozian, as well as the Armenian Democratic Liberal Ramgavar party Central Committee.

The topics discussed at the meetings focused on local, regional and national development issues important to the Armenian community including; the current political and social state of affairs in the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh, the preparations for the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, and the state of the Syrian Armenian community within and outside of Syria.

The SDHP delegation included the SDHP Central Committee Vice Chairman and Lebanese MP Sebouh Kalpakian, former Lebanese MP Dr. Yeghia Jerejian, and Mr. Shavarsh Aginian along with Chairman of the S.D. Hunchakian party Executive Committee of Lebanon Mr. Alexander Keushkerian.

SDHP Central Committee Delegation Meetings in Lebanon

Rep. Pallone Urges President Obama to Display Armenian Orphan Rug

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Representative Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) sent a letter to President Obama calling upon the White House “to honor Armenian heritage and allow display of [a] culturally significant Armenian rug,” .

Congressman Pallone has also joined with his colleagues in signing the bipartisan letter currently being circulated by Armenian Genocide resolution sponsors Representatives David Valadao (R-CA) and Adam Schiff (D-CA) to President Obama calling for the “Armenian Orphan Rug” to be exhibited at the Smithsonian Institution as it was originally scheduled for display in December 2013. Pallone’s letter follows Congressman Brad Sherman (D-CA), who sent a similar missive to President Obama last week.

The Valadao-Schiff initiative continues to garner support.

In 1925, Dr. John H. Finley, editor-in-chief of the New York Times and vice-chairman of the congressionally chartered Near East Relief organization, presented a rug made by orphans of the Armenian Genocide to then President Calvin Coolidge. The rug was made in appreciation of America’s generosity in aiding the survivors of the first genocide of the 20th Century. It was previously displayed at the White House in 1984 and 1995, but not since.

Below is the text of Congressman Pallone’s letter to President Obama:

October 30, 2013

President Barack Obama

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW

Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear President Obama:

I am writing to express deep concern over recent news that the White House has refused to loan a rug woven by orphans and presented to President Calvin Coolidge in 1925 to be displayed at an event associated with the Smithsonian. I understand that Paul Michael Taylor, director of the Smithsonian’s Asian cultural history program has informed Armenian American organizations that the White House has refused to lend the rug with no explanation as to the reason.

Rather than hiding this rug, we should be celebrating its origins and how it came to be presented to President Coolidge. The rug, known as the Ghazir rug, was woven by children at the Near East Relief orphanage in Ghazir, Syria, present day Lebanon. The Near East Relief was established in 1915 in response to calls from the U.S. Ambassador, Henry Morgenthau and others to assist in saving refugees from the attempted extermination of the Armenian people by the Ottoman Empire. The Ghazir rug was presented to the White House as an expression of gratitude for U.S. assistance during the mass murder of 1.5 million Armenians resulting in the first genocide of the 20th century.

Considering the White House has refused to give a reasonable explanation for withholding this unique gift to the American people, the suspicion exists that the White House is once again capitulating to pressure from the Turkish government to prevent any discussion of the period in which the Armenian Genocide occurred. It is difficult to express in words how deeply troubling it is that a historical and cultural treasure accepted by President Coolidge on behalf of the people of the United States may be being kept behind closed doors because of Turkish desire to keep discussion of certain historical facts out of the public discussion.

The Ghazir rug would be displayed along with a new book entitled, “President Calvin Coolidge and the Armenian Orphan Rug.” This would be an entirely appropriate and meaningful display of the rug. Yet, the refusal of the White House’s to allow display of the rug without explanation denies the American people access to a national treasure and suggests that discussion of the events surrounding the Armenian Genocide is unwelcome. The Armenian American community continues to make valuable contributions to the United States and our government should be committed to helping the community explore their history, including the Armenian Genocide.

Each year on Capitol Hill we observe the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and reflect on the need to prevent such atrocities in the future. While I remain disappointed that, as President, you have refused to refer to murder of 1.5 million Armenians as genocide, allowing the Ghazir rug to be displayed serves to facilitate academic discourse and commemoration of America’s strong role in saving lives during a dark period of history. We cannot allow the government of Turkey to dictate whether this occurs.

I urge you to allow the Ghazir rug to be loaned out for display. In the event that there are practical challenges that would endanger preservation of the rug, I ask that you explain these obstacles to allowing its display. In the event that failure to loan the rug for display is based on concerns from the government of Turkey, I strongly urge you to side with historical honesty and integrity and reverse course so that the rug may be part of an open and educational dialogue.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

FRANK PALLONE, JR

Member of Congress

Rep. Pallone Urges President Obama to Display Armenian Orphan Rug

Sarkisian Must Go, Says Ter-Petrosian

YEREVAN — Opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian called for President Serzh Sarkisian’s immediate resignation on Wednesday, saying that he has brought Armenia into disrepute and is leading it to ruin with his “adventurist” foreign policy.

In a written statement posted on ilur.am, Ter-Petrosian declared that Sarkisian must be granted legal immunity from prosecution and any asset confiscation if he agrees to step down.

“Armenia needs radical systemic reforms,” said the leader of the opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK). “Expecting Serzh Sarkisian to be able to implement those reforms is tantamount to political blindness. Only ‘idealist’ European bureaucrats could afford the ‘naivety’ of trying to turn that individual into a reformer.”

“Every day of his rule is a loss for Armenia and Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) in the demographic, economic, material, political and moral-psychological senses,” continued Ter-Petrosian.

Armenia, he said, needs a new president “capable of restoring the country’s international reputation as a trustworthy and responsible partner.” Sarkisian has destroyed that reputation with his “adventurist political wanderings” between the West and Russia that could have “disastrous consequences” for Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, he claimed.

Ter-Petrosian, who served as Armenia’s first president from 1991-1998, clearly referred to Sarkisian’s unexpected decision last month to join a Russian-led alliance of ex-Soviet states at the expense of a much closer relationship with the European Union. He said earlier that Sarkisian thus duped the EU and humiliated Armenia. Still, unlike other opposition leaders, Ter-Petrosian stopped short of opposing Armenian membership of the Russian-dominated bloc.

The HAK leader also stated on Wednesday that he would not run for president in the event of Sarkisian’s resignation. He said Robert Kocharian, another ex-president who handed over power to the current head of state in 2008, must also not seek to return to power.

Sarkisian Must Go, Says Ter-Petrosian

“ArmNet 2013” Launched in Yerevan

YEREVAN — “ArmNet 2013” series of IT events will be held in Yerevan, in parallel with the Pan-Armenian web-contest “ArmNet Awards 2013.” “ArmNet 2013” will be jointly organized by Maeutica Branding Agency, Orange Armenia and The Internet Society (ISOC).

“ArmNet 2013” is designed to evaluate the achievements of the Armenian Internet sector and contribute to its further development.

“ArmNet 2013” presents a series of three events aimed at the development of information technologies and especially mobile technologies in Armenia.

First event of the project is “ArmNet Awards 2013” – an Armenian website contest that aims to identify and award the best web-resources of the Armenian Internet sector. Prizes will be awarded in the following categories: Design and Usability, Innovation, Technological Development, Best Content, Breakthrough of the Year, Social impact, Grand Prix, People’s Choice and Special Prize from Orange.

Registration for participation in ArmNet 2013 will start on November 1. The jury of “ArmNet Awards2013?will examine and evaluate all websites submitted for the contest and choose the winners. On the 25th of November the shortlist of websites / mobile applications in each nomination category will be presented by jury members.

In parallel with Jury’s work, an SMS-voting, provided and supervised by Nikita Mobile Company will be carried out. Everyone will be able to vote for favorite websites, by sending an SMS to10-41short number with a special code of participant website. It is allowed to vote only once for any website, but the number of sites for which subscribers can vote from one number is unlimited. This will define the winner in “People’s Choice” category.

The competition results will be announced on the 30th of November at the official award ceremony.

“We plan to make ArmNet a more effective platform for participants, not only in the sense of making new business connections with representatives of global companies, but a platform for achieving vital knowledge in making their startups into real businesses. That’s why we are glad and proud that mentors from SKOLKOVOStartupAcademy will tell our participants about the essence of global startup ecosystem during a whole day. Very often genius business ideas do not reach their first investor,” said Haykuhi Taksildaryan, Maeutica Branding Agency director.

“Web sites are developed each year, offering the most advanced solutions for Internet connection. Today it is almost impossible to imagine our life without websites and mobile applications, many have forgotten about newspapers and even TV programs. Armenia has the greatest potential of young web developers, designers, photographers, who, in our opinion, are able to compete in international markets. The participation of Internet Society NGO to ArmNet project is inevitable and at the same time honorable, I want to wish a good luck to all ArmNet 2013 awards participants, regardless of whether or not they will win the prize, the important aspect is the participation,” – said ISOC Armenia representative Gregory Saghyan.

International and local speakers will deliver their speeches during the annual IT conference, on the 30th of November, within the scope of the ArmNet 2013 theme “Total mobilization – mobile technologies in everyday life.”

For the first time in Armenia on 29th of November ArmNet 2013 will host the Startup Day event. The mentors of SKOLKOVO Startup Academy Lawrence Wright (SKOLKOVO Startup Academy director) and Gary A. Fowler (Fowler International LLC director and SKOLKOVO Startup Academy professor) will lead workshops on “Startup Battle” and guide “Startup Battle” presenting special prize for the winner team.

“ArmNet 2013” Launched in Yerevan

Armenian Genocide Museum Institute and Canadian Museum of Human Rights to Sign Official Memorandum of Understanding

TORONTO — On November 7, Dr. Hayk Demoyan, Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum Institute (AGMI) in Yerevan, will visit Mr. Stuart Murray, President and CEO of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) in Winnipeg, to sign a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

The objective of the MOU is to exchange knowledge and expertise, educational materials, and exhibitions with respect to human rights, share research and advice, cooperate to advance the academic study of human rights and reconciliation, the Armenian Genocide and its effects, and processes seeking justice and reconciliation, and work together to educate people on issues of human rights, in both national and global contexts.

The MOU will be signed in the presence of His Excellency, Mr. Armen Yeganian, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia, officials of the Zoryan Institute, and representatives of the Armenian community.

In March of this year, Zoryan officials accompanied Dr. Clint Curle, the CMHR’s Head of Stakeholder Relations, to Yerevan, to meet with the Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum Institute, the Republic of Armenia’s Minister of Diaspora and other officials, to discuss the significance of the new museum being developed in Winnipeg in relation to the Armenian Genocide. At that time, discussions for formal cooperation between the two museums were held and plans for the formal signing ceremony later in the year made. The International Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies (A Division of the Zoryan Institute) (IIGHRS) has been instrumental in bringing the CMHR and AGMI together to the mutual benefit of both organizations and the Armenian and Canadian people.

While in Canada, Dr. Hayk Demoyan will also be making two public appearances at events hosted by The Zoryan Institute in Montreal and Toronto. Dr. Demoyan will speak about recent research on Aurora Mardiganian, and he will also update the public on the official plans for the commemoration of the centennial of the Armenian Genocide.

The official signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the CMHR and AGMI is the culmination of the Zoryan Institute’s efforts to bring the two institutions together. This agreement will help both institutions in their efforts to use awareness and dialogue as a way to promote enhanced human rights for the Armenian community, for Canadians, and for all visitors to the two museums.

Armenian Genocide Museum Institute and Canadian Museum of Human Rights to Sign Official Memorandum of Understanding

Armenia and Greece Set to Deepen Bilateral Cooperation on Defense

YEREVAN — Armenian Minister of Defense Seyran Ohanyan received on Tuesday the visiting Minister of National Defense of Greece Dimitris Avramopoulos. The two summed up the results of the meeting at a joint press conference.

Dimitris Avramopoulos attached importance to the issue of integration of the defense systems of the two countries. He noted that despite financial difficulties, both countries have managed to maintain the best defense system – one of the best tools to impose peace on the neighbor.

“We have been successfully cooperating since 1996. My visit means we’re opening a new page not only in the field of defense but also in the field of political, cultural, economic cooperation,” Dimitris Avramopoulos said, adding that a defense agreement will be signed in the future during Armenian Defense Minister’s visit to Greece.

The minister also spoke about Armenian-Greek long-term friendly relationship. He underscored that the Armenian-Greek bilateral relations are based on mutual respect, unity and friendship.

The Armenian-Greek defense cooperation based on the friendship of the two peoples, the willingness to help each other and common approaches has a long history, Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohnayan said. He added that the two countries have similar approaches towards reinforcement of regional and international peace.

In this context Minister Ohayna reminded that the Armenian divisions made their first steps in the international peacekeeping with the support of the Greek side.

 

Armenia and Greece Set to Deepen Bilateral Cooperation on Defense

U.S. Embassy and Tumo Center Present American Film Showcase 2013 “Youth Empowerment”

YEREVAN — From October 28 to November 15, the U.S. Embassy is partnering with the TumoCenter for Creative Technologies to launch a “Youth Empowerment” project, which includes an American Documentary Film Showcase, an essay contest, chess with Armenian grand masters, and master film classes for young people. The project was introduced at Tumo during a press conference on October 28, which included the U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John A. Heffern, Tumo Director Marie Lou Papazian, producer/editor Nelson Dellamaggiore, director/producer Katie Dellamaggiore, and independent filmmaker Jay Rosenblatt.

The showcase’s opening film, “BROOKLYNCASTLE”, is the remarkable and improbable true story of Intermediate School 318 in Brooklyn, New York; defying stereotypes, it has the highest ranked junior high chess team in the nation. It tells the stories of five members of the chess team at a below-the-poverty-line inner city junior high school that has won more national championships than any other in the United States. The film follows the challenges these kids face in their personal lives as well as on the chessboard, and is as much about the pain of their losses as it is about the anticipation of their victories. Ironically, the biggest obstacle thrust upon them arises not from other competitors but from recessionary budget cuts to all the extracurricular activities at their school.

BROOKLYNCASTLE shows how these kids’ dedication to chess magnifies their belief in what is possible for their lives. After all, if they can master the world’s most difficult game, what can’t they do?

The film will be shown in Armenia’s three main cities: Yerevan , Gyumri and Vanadzor. The next 23 films will be screened at Tumo, and they all follow the theme of the showcase, “Youth Empowerment.”

In addition to the films, the “Youth Empowerment” project sponsored an essay contest for young Armenians to describe an inspiring teacher in their lives. The contest received over 3200 entries, and was co-sponsored by Dasaran.am. Winners will be announced at the opening film reception by U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John A. Heffern.

Internationally recognized filmmaker Jay Rosenblatt, director/producer Katie Dellamaggiore and three-time Emmy award nominated director Nelson Dellamaggiore will run a series of master classes for a group of young people at Tumo. The filmmakers will work with groups of Tumo students who have been studying scriptwriting, cinematography and editing over the course of the past year at Tumo, in order to produce short films on topics of concern to them.

Armenian grand masters Levon Aroyan and Gabriel Sargsyan will play chess with a select group of boys and girls prior to the premiere. Other VIPs will also be present.

U.S. Embassy and Tumo Center Present American Film Showcase 2013 “Youth Empowerment”

Armenia Fund Launches Telethon 2013 Fundraising

LOS ANGELES — On Friday, October 18, 2013, Armenia Fund U.S. Western Region kicked off the fundraising campaign for the upcoming Thanksgiving Day International Telethon with a logo unveiling reception at the House of Armenia in Glendale, California.

The live 12 hour program is set to air on Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 2013 beginning 8:00am PST. Proceeds from Telethon 2013 will benefit the construction of the strategically important Vardenis-Martakert Highway, spanning 72 miles and directly benefiting 30 villages along its way. The project is expected to cost $30 million and upon completion it will link the northeastern regions of Armenia and Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) – giving a dramatic boost to the economy, tourism and trade. The project will be Armenia Fund’s 3rd major highway project, joining the Goris-Stepanakert (finished in 1998) and North-South Highways (finished in 2004) and creating an integrated highway system that connects close to 300 towns and villages in Armenia and Artsakh.

The evening hosted Armenia Fund’s long time donors and community members who attended the event in record numbers. Sarkis Kotanjian, Executive Director of Armenia Fund U.S. Western Region, welcomed everyone and introduced the newly elected President of Armenia Fund, Mr. Antranik Baghdassarian. Mr. Baghdassarian, President and CEO of Karoun Dairies, serves the Fund in a volunteer capacity.

“Roughly twenty years ago our brothers and sisters returned us 11,000 square kilometers of our historic lands called Artsakh. They couldn’t have paid a heavier price for that land as they paid with their lives. When we sit around the abundant Thanksgiving Day tables on November 28 in the comfort of our warm homes, I want every American Armenian to realize that at that exact moment there are thousands of soldiers 12,000 feet above sea level in the Mrav mountains guarding Armenia’s peace in the freezing cold. We all have a choice every Thanksgiving: to be a bystander, point out all the flaws in today’s Armenia and do nothing or to be part of a solution helping Armenia develop and overcome its many challenges,” said Baghdassarian.

The evening’s guest speaker was Artur Aghabekyan, Deputy Prime Minister of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, who is on visit to the State of California.

“If we want Artsakh to be self sufficient, we must unlock its full economic potential. We have to create jobs. We have to be able to engage our population in labor-intensive spheres of the economy such as agriculture, manufacturing and tourism. This will not be possible without fully integrating Artsakh’s and Armenia’s highway system. The Vardenis-Martakert Highway is that missing link,” said Aghabekyan

The logo was designed by Los Angeles based graphic artist Edik Balaian. It features the highway in the form of a dove, whose wings emblazon the flags of Armenia and Artsakh. The logo was unveiled by Deputy Prime Minister Artur Aghabekyan and long time Armenia Fund donor Mrs. Anahid Kachberouni who recently visited Armenia and Artsakh on the Armenia Fund Donor Trip 2013.

Present at the evening reception were international trustees of Hayastan All-Armenian Fund, Albert Boyajian and Ara Boyajian (Toronto, Canada) and former Presidents of Armenia Fund, Inc. Mrs. Maria Mehranian and Mr. Tomik Alexanian.

In Southern California, the Telethon will air live on KSCI Channel 18 for full 12 hours on Thursday, November 28, 2013, 8:00AM-8:00PM PST as well as on all Los Angeles based Armenian television networks. The entire telethon will be webcasted on www.armeniafund.org. Donations can be made over the phone by calling 1-800-888-8897 or through a secure server connection at www.armeniafund.org/donate beginning now.

Armenia Fund Launches Telethon 2013 Fundraising

Arthur Abraham Dominates De Carolis, Moves on to Stieglitz Trilogy Fight

OLDENBURG, GERMANY — WBO Inter-Continental super middleweight champion “King” Arthur Abraham (38-4, 28 KOs) labored to a lopsided victory shutting down Italian Giovanni De Carolis (20-5, 10 KOs), in a weekend bout that clears the way for him to hold a rematch against WBO super middleweight champion Robert Stieglitz.

Abraham won by a 12 round unanimous decision on Saturday. The final judges scores were 120-108, 119-109 and 119-109.

Abraham is the mandatory challenger for Stieglitz, and the two of them are expected to go at it in early 2014.

If held, that will be the third fight between Abraham and Stieglitz. In the first of the bouts in August 2012 the Armenian won a 12-round unanimous decision to capture the WBO Super Middleweight Championship, which made him a two-division champion. During the rematch last March Abraham’s eye rapidly swelled shut in the second round and he could soon no longer see. The referee waved him off at the start of the fourth round, resulting in his defeat.

Arthur Abraham Dominates De Carolis, Moves on to Stieglitz Trilogy Fight

Hrant Dink Murder Suspect Caught

ISTANBUL — Erhan Tuncel, the main suspect behind the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, has been caught in Istanbul’s Kumburgaz district. He is said to have been hiding in a villa. Dink, the editor-in-chief of Armenian-Turkish newspaper Agos, was shot dead in in Istanbul on 19 January 2007.

“This is the price of having served my country,” Tuncel told reporters as he was taken into custody by police officers.

“It is an honor to be arrested the day Adnan Menderes was hanged,” he also said, in reference to the former Turkish prime minister who was sentenced to death following the Yassiada trials in the sequel to the 1960 military coup.

This development comes after he spent 38 days on the run from the Turkish authorities. Tuncel had previously said he would surrender in 15 days, in an interview that was released by the Star newspaper on Wednesday.

Tuncel was an informant in the Black Sea province of Trabzon ahead of the murder of Dink.

Tuncel stated that there was another organization within the state “higher than Ergenekon [an allegedly shadowy organization accused of planning to overthrow the Turkish government], that is being prevented from shedding light on this murder. I am a little piece of all these.”

He particularly pointed to Trabzon’s police department and gendarmerie.

Hrant Dink Murder Suspect Caught

Armenia's Sport Minister Under Opposition Fire Over Son’s Arrest

YEREVAN — Armenia’s Sport and Youth Affairs Minister Yuri Vartanian faced opposition calls to step down on Wednesday in connection with the recent arrest of his son on drug trafficking charges.

Davit Vartanian was detained by the Armenian police near the Iranian border more than a week ago while allegedly attempting to smuggle a large quantity of narcotics into Armenia. He was charged under corresponding articles of the Criminal Code carrying lengthy prison sentences.

Yuri Vartanian has still not commented on the embarrassing criminal case. He was conspicuously absent from the Armenian government’s question-and-answer session in the parliament on Wednesday.

Lawmakers representing two opposition parties and the opposition-leaning Prosperous Armenia (BHK) said the young man’s arrest is sufficient grounds for the minister’s resignation. Zaruhi Postanjian of the Zharangutyun party said Vartanian should quit for “moral” considerations given the gravity of the accusations leveled against his son. Levon Zurabian, the parliamentary leader of the Armenian National Congress (HAK), said that cabinet members in truly democratic states lose their jobs in such cases.

The BHK’s Naira Zohrabian echoed these calls, saying that Vartanian would have been forced to resign if he had been a member of her party led by Gagik Tsarukian, a wealthy businessman who also heads Armenia’s National Olympic Committee.

Vartanian has been at loggerheads with Tsarukian for some time, blaming the tycoon for Armenia’s poor showing in the 2012 Olympic Games in London. The previous minister of sports and youth affairs was affiliated with the BHK.

The resignation calls were dismissed by the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK). Galust Sahakian, the HHK’s parliamentary leader, said Vartanian bears no responsibility for his son’s alleged crime. “Every minister has sons, relatives and friends. Should he resign if one of them commits a crime?” Sahakian told RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am).

Vartanian, 57, is a renowned former weightlifter who won the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow and several world championships for the Soviet Union. He served as an adviser to President Serzh Sarkisian before being appointed as minister in May.

Armenia's Sport Minister Under Opposition Fire Over Son’s Arrest

Historian Rifat Bali Brings Lecture Series to Montreal: Discusses Jews in Turkey

By Vanik Kechian

As part of Historian Rifat Bali’s tour organized by the Zoryan Institute, Montreal’s Bolsahay Community Centre hosted an event on Sunday October 20th.

Dr. Bali, an expert on Jews in Turkey, addressed topics found in his latest book as well as topics relating to discrimination of Turkish-Armenians to an audience of almost 100 people.

His book “Model Citizens of the State: The Jews of Turkey During the Multi-Party Period” is an in depth analysis of the jewish people’s struggle for rights and fight against anti-semitism in post-1950 Turkey.

Recognizing the significance of Bali’s work, the Zoryan Institute took on the expenses to edit and translate his latest book from Turkish to English.

“He’s been very articulate in explaining complex recent history of the last 50 or 60 years,” said Zoryan Institute Executive Director George Shirinian. “The Jews have tried very hard to be the model citizens that Kemal Ataturk demanded Turks to be, and for all of their efforts they still have not been accepted as equal citizens.”

Bali spoke of joint efforts by the Turkish and Jewish lobbies in the U.S. to block any Congressional resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide. He explained that although Jewish lobbies also know the calamity and hardship of genocide and discrimination, they continue to petition against recognition of the Armenian Genocide because of pressure from the Turkish government and their fear that Jews in Turkey will be subject to increased anti-semitic sentiments.

“Armenians don’t understand why their Jewish brothers have not been more supportive of Armenian Genocide recognition. Bali’s book explains the real politic behind why they have not been [supportive],” said Shirinian. “It helps us understand them better, and through understanding maybe the door to communication can be opened.”

Bali’s week-long tour of the East Coast concluded on Tuesday night in the AGBU Alex Manoogian Centre in Toronto.

Historian Rifat Bali Brings Lecture Series to Montreal: Discusses Jews in Turkey

Attorney Vartkes Yeghiayan Awarded with Papal Medal

Glendale attorney Vartkes Yeghiayan was recently bestowed with a unique papal medal (cavaleri) by the hand of Archbishop Raphael Minassian at the Armenian diocese in Yerevan. The medal had been awarded by the retired and venerable Pope Benedict XVI in recognition for Yeghiayan’s work and endeavors to secure compensation for Armenian Genocide heirs.

Vartkes Yeghiayan is an Armenian-American attorney specializing in international law. Yeghiayan is known for launching several lawsuits against insurance companies for insurance policies issued to Armenians in the early twentieth century during the time of the Armenian Genocide.

After gathering evidence and finding several descendants of the victims of the Genocide, in 1999 he filed a class action lawsuit against New York Life in a case which lasted for four years. In January 2004, New York Life agreed to settle by paying $20 million to the plaintiffs. Since then Yeghiayan, along with colleagues Mark Geragos and Brian Kabateck, have filed suits against other insurance companies, including AXA, which agreed to settle in 2005 by paying $17.5 million.

Attorney Vartkes Yeghiayan Awarded with Papal Medal

WASHINGTON, DC — An Armenian rug woven by orphans in the 1920s was formally presented to the White House in 1925. A photograph shows President Calvin Coolidge standing on the carpet, which is no mere juvenile effort, but a complicated, richly detailed work that would hold its own even in the largest and most ceremonial rooms, The Washington Post writes.

The article says the plants and animals depicted on the rug may represent the Garden of Eden, which is about as far removed as possible from the rug’s origins in the horrific events of 1915, when the fracturing and senescent Ottoman Empire began a murderous campaign against its Armenian population.

In the article Philip Kennicott states that: “There was hope that the carpet, which has been in storage for almost 20 years, might be displayed Dec. 16 as part of a Smithsonian event that would include a book launch for Hagop Martin Deranian’s “President Calvin Coolidge and the Armenian Orphan Rug.” But on Sept. 12, the Smithsonian scholar who helped organize the event canceled it, citing the White House’s decision not to loan the carpet. In a letter to two Armenian American organizations, Paul Michael Taylor, director of the institution’s Asian cultural history program, had no explanation for the White House’s refusal to allow the rug to be seen and said that efforts by the U.S. ambassador to Armenia, John A. Heffern, to intervene had also been unavailing”.

The Washington Post  article

“President Calvin Coolidge and the Armenian Orphan Rug”

The Washington Post: Armenian "Orphan Rug" is in White House Storage, as Unseen as Genocide is Neglected

One Armenian Soldier Killed, Three Wounded in Firing From Azerbaijan

An Armenian soldier was killed, three others were wounded as a result of firing from the Azerbaijani side in the direction of the Paravakar sector of the Berd-Ihevan highway, Press Service of the Armenian Ministry of Defense reports.

The incident occurred between 1 and 2 p.m. today. Both civilian and military vehicles suffered in the shelling.

According to the Ministry, Garik Poghosyan was killed in the attack; Arthur Andranikyan, Arayik Zhamharyan and Martin Petrosyan (all born in 1994) were taken to hospital.

The Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk has been informed of the incident.

The Ministry of Defense declared that this vicious step of the rival will not go unpunished and added that the instigator carries full responsibility for the provocation.

One Armenian Soldier Killed, Three Wounded in Firing From Azerbaijan

Protestors Disrupt International “Hate Crime” Conference in Yerevan

YEREVAN — Activists protesting state sponsored discrimination and intolerance towards women and other minorities in Armenia, greeted participants as they entered Yerevan’s Marriott Hotel this morning for a conference entitled “Combating Racism, Xenophobia and Intolerance in Europe”

The high-level conference is attended by Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs Edward Nalbandian and Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjorn Jagland.

Holding banners accusing the ruling Republican Party in Armenia and its officials as actually fomenting “hate crime”, the activists argued that the government itself should be the focus of the conference.

In particular, they accused senior RPA member Edward Sharmazanov as well as leading representative of the opposition Dashnaktsutyun party Artsvik Minasyan of supporting those who bomb-fired an LGBT-friendly bar in Yerevan in May 2012.

Afterwards, the activists made their way into the conference hall, despite steps taken by local security staff and police to prevent them. The protestors entered the hall just as Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian was making his opening remarks.

The conference is being hosted by the Armenian government as the current chair of Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.

 

Protestors Disrupt International “Hate Crime” Conference in Yerevan

New PFA Report Deconstructs Corruption in Armenia

WASHINGTON, DC — Policy Forum Armenia (PFA)—a Washington-based international think tank—announces today the publication of its State of the Nation Report on “Corruption in Armenia”.

A product of a multidisciplinary team of researchers and practitioners, the report brings to light many peculiarities of both wholesale and retail corruption in Armenia and offers mechanisms to reduce corruption.

The report’s main finding is that corruption’s negative impact on Armenia’s economy is substantial. Focusing on corruption faced by companies, for example, the report finds that “with an estimated cost to large companies of approximately five percent of sales per year—the highest among the comparator countries—corruption in Armenia erodes productivity and competitiveness of firms.” On the policy side, the report makes a compelling case that the design and implementation of public policy in Armenia often serve the interest of the entrenched corrupt elite and not the country or its citizens.

PFA’s Executive Board member, Dr. Zaven Kalayjian, notes: “By its nature, corruption is very difficult to detect, which is why the choice of methods and areas of study was made carefully to maximize the value added of the report. The team employed both quantitative techniques and case studies to help effectively gauge the extent of corruption and bribery taking place in various segments of the economy and public life in Armenia, from the judiciary and military to money laundering and petty crime. The most striking finding was that corruption in Armenia is highly concentrated and puts in place insurmountable barriers for economic development and progress in the country.”

The overarching message of the report is that “an effective handling of challenges facing Armenia should begin by forming a legitimate authority to oversee the new policy course on behalf of the people. This can be achieved only by a political power with incentives and capacity to spearhead a systemic change. At the moment, the feedback mechanism between power and people is broken in Armenia. This makes the country’s ruling regime immune to any pressures from the electorate to perform better and fundamentally changes the incentives of individuals at the top of the ruling pyramid.”

Daron Acemoglu, Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the author of a recent bestseller “Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty” notes: “Some say that Armenia is doomed to fail economically because of its geography or location in the world. But like so many other countries around the world and throughout history, its failure is due to corruption, unscrupulous politicians and weak institutions. It’s not lack of opportunities but squandered opportunities that are at the root of Armenia’s ills, and it can make progress only by confronting this fact and holding accountable those responsible for the failures. This wonderful report is a first step.”

Echoing the same sentiment, Professor AnnaLee Saxenian, Dean of UC Berkeley’s Department of Information notes: “This data-rich study penetrates the realities of governance in Armenia—realities that have long been obscured. It confirms that political reform is essential to the national economic and social development.”

Going forward, the report offers a strategy of reducing corruption in Armenia, which is built on a principle of boosting individuals’ opportunities and freedoms otherwise restricted by corruption. In addition, the report provides detailed recommendations on how to fight corruption and mismanagement in sectors with highest corruption risks. It notes that assistance from the international community and the Diaspora are required for the people of Armenia to improve governance while forcing the entrenched corrupt elite to either reform or leave. Internally, credible actions would be required to prosecute senior level abuses; reform the judicial system; and institute a mechanism for re-claiming stolen assets.

On the latter, the Report lays out a blueprint for the Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative. Modeled on experience of other countries and international laws and regulations that govern this area, the proposed initiative offers a framework for identifying illegally acquired assets held both in and outside of Armenia; seizing those assets; and holding and redistributing those assets (or the proceeds from their sale).

The report is intended to spur a debate on the issue of high-level corruption in Armenia and serve as a warning for corrupt officials that civil society organizations are ready to help identify and recover stolen assets—irrespective of their location—and return them to their rightful owners.

PFA Report on Corruption in Armenia

New PFA Report Deconstructs Corruption in Armenia

Vardan Minasyan Quits as Head Coach of the Armenian National Team

YEREVAN — Vardan Minasyan will not head the Armenian national team in the new season, the Football Federation of Armenia reports.

“It would be an honor for me to continue to head the Armenian national team, but now I prefer a different continuation of my career,” he said, adding that he has a number of proposals, including from abroad, which he would like to consider. Vardan Minasyan’s contract expires on October 31.

“It’s an honor for any coach to head the national team. There can be no greater feeling that representing the country, the state, and I’m glad I’ve had that opportunity with the national team,” Minasyan said. He thanked the President of the Football Federation, the Executive Committee and the staff.

He also expressed gratitude to the fans. “I’ve always felt their support even at times they were severely criticizing me. I’m confident they will always stand by our team, our football.”

Vardan Minasyan said in an interview with FFA official website that the Armenian national team is mature enough to defeat any rival.

Vardan Minasyan Quits as Head Coach of the Armenian National Team

Prof. Vahram Shemmassian Delivers the 2013 Ohanessian Chair Lecture at the University of Minnesota

NORTHRIDGE — Prof. Vahram Shemmassian, Director of the Armenian Studies Program at the California State University, Northridge was invited by the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis to deliver this year’s Arsham & Charlotte Ohanessian Chair Lecture on Thursday, October 17. The event, which was cosponsored by the College of Liberal Arts, the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies (CHGS), and the Center for Austrian Studies with its Interim Director Prof. Klaas van der Sanden coordinating, took place at the President’s Room, Coffman Memorial Union.

In his opening remarks Prof. Alejandro Baer, Director of the CHGS, underscored the collaboration of the Center with the Twin Cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul) Armenian community, citing as example the commemoration of the Armenian Genocide conjointly last April. In turn, Interim Dean of the College of Liberal Arts Dr. Raymond Duvall emphasized the importance of defending human rights and the historical truth of the Armenian Genocide. He then introduced the guest speaker.

Prof. Shemmassian’s lecture dealt with “The Musa Dagh Resistance to the Armenian Genocide and Its Impact through Franz Werfel’s Historical Novel The Forty Days of Musa Dagh.” This was a fitting tribute to the 80th anniversary of the book’s original German publication in 1933.

Armenians lived in Musa Dagh, a mountain situated some 10 miles to the southwest of the biblical city of Antioch and overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, since time immemorial. On the eve of World War I they numbered over 6,000 persons. When served the deportation order by the Ottoman government in late July 1915, their two-third decided to resist while one-third was deported, mainly to the Syrian city of Hama and environs. Those who defied the government were rescued by French warships after more than forty days of fighting and transported to Port Said, Egypt. They lived in a refugee camp for four years, until their repatriation to Musa Dagh in 1919.

In the days and months following the rescue operations the international press covered the Musa Dagh resistance through news items, communiques, leading articles, and photographs. As a result, donations of money, clothing, and other necessities were sent to the Port Said refugee camp by people of various nationalities, organizations, and agencies. In short, the Musa Dagh Armenians were lionized, became a source of inspiration, and drew sympathy in practical terms as well.

The Musa Dagh saga, once its immediacy vanished, would probably have been relegated to oblivion had it not been for the pen of one man—Franz Werfel (1890-1945). Werfel, a Jew born in Prague and residing in Vienna, had learned about the Armenian atrocities during World War I and had promised himself that he would write a novel about them. He kept his promise. While conducting extensive research on the subject beginning in 1929, he came across the uplifting story of Musa Dagh, which he chose as the novel’s topic. The Forty Days of Musa Dagh, as he titled his oeuvre, was published in 1933 in German and rendered into numerous languages. The English translation appeared in 1934 and the Armenian translation in 1935.

The human drama so vividly portrayed in Musa Dagh captured the imagination of artists and intellectuals of different nationalities. The book and its symbolism also had a direct bearing on the Armenians and the Jews. The Armenians were elated and grateful that a non-Armenian had exposed their forsaken fate to the international community. The Jews in Europe and in Palestine read Musa Dagh as a beacon of hope for their salvation. Turkey and the Turks, on their part, pressured the Hollywood movie giant MGM to shelf a grand film project based on Musa Dagh, and to this day they manipulate the novel to deny the Armenian Genocide.

Dr. Shemmassian concluded his talk by saying: “This year marks the 80th anniversary of the publication of Wefel’s Musa Dagh novel. But it is not a mere celebration of a past accomplishment, because the book’s legacy is very much alive today. Four recent cases, among others, prove this point. First, in June 2012, the Czech Republic held the country’s first international conference on genocide studies. Its general theme, inspired by the Forty Days, was: ‘Mountains of Moses: Revolt, Resistance and Rescuing of the Victims of Mass Extermination.’ Second, in March 2013, the Lepsius House and the Moses Mendelssohn Center in Potsdam, Germany organized a three-day conference titled ‘Genocide and Literature: Franz Werfel in an Armenian-Jewish-Turkish-German Perspective.’ Third, also this year, in April, an exhibition dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Forty Days opened at the National Library of the Republic of Armenia with the co-sponsorship of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute at Dzidzernagapert, Armenia. Fourth, The Franz-Werfel-Human Rights Award, which carries prize money in the amount of €10,000, since 2003 is awarded every two years in Frankfurt, Germany ‘to individuals, and occasionally also to initiatives or groups, who have opposed breaches of human rights, genocide, displacement and the deliberate destruction of national, ethnic, racial or religious groups.’ The list goes on.”

A question and answer session followed a PowerPoint presentation of some 30 pictures depicting scenes from the Musa Daghians’ rescue by French warships, leading personalities as well as fighters involved in the battles, the Port Said refugee camp, and the monument dedicated to the resistance on September 18, 1932. A reception concluded the evening.

Prof. Vahram Shemmassian Delivers the 2013 Ohanessian Chair Lecture at the University of Minnesota

Archbishop Hovnan Derderian’s Newest Book “Life of Memories” Presented at the Taglyan Cultural Center

HOLLYWOOD — More than 300 faithful including benefactors, Godfathers, community leaders and supporters of the Western Diocese attended the presentation of the Primate’s newest book on October 17, 2013. Held at the Taglyan Cultural Complex, the event was sponsored by Diocesan benefactors Drs. Petros and Karine Taglyan and was dedicated in memory of the late Dr. Yeghia Taglyan.

St. Leon Armenian Cathedral’s “Little Angels Saturday School” Principal Deacon Hovhannes Gumruyan delivered the welcoming remarks. St. John Garabed Pastor Archpriest Fr. Manoug Markarian thanked His Eminence and the Taglyan family for making the making the memorable event possible. Father Manoug reflected on Dr. Yeghia Taglyan’s valuable contributions to St. John Garabed Armenian Church and the Western Diocese alike.

The book’s presenter was the Librarian and Ecumenical and Inter-religious Officer of the Western Diocese Hayk Madoyan.

The Primate fondly recalled the humble spirit and committed service of Dr. Yeghia Taglyan and noted that he greatly valued Dr. Yeghia’s friendship. His Eminence thanked Diocesan benefactors Drs. Petros and Karine Taglyan for sponsoring the event and honoring the lasting memory of Dr. Yeghia Taglyan.

With the participation of the Taglyan family, a special “kinedzon” (dedication) ceremony was held at the conclusion of the presentation.

Archbishop Derderian greeted the faithful and signed copies of the book.

In “Life of Memories,” Archbishop Derderian shares with the reader impactful and emotional moments and events from his early childhood, his seminarian life in Etchmiadzin, his times in Oxford and his pastoral life.

“Life of Memories” is available at the Diocesan Bookstore and can be acquired by calling 818-558-7474 ext. 112.

Archbishop Hovnan Derderian’s Newest Book “Life of Memories” Presented at the Taglyan Cultural Center

Balakian to talk on Armenian Genocide at Lafayette College

EASTON, PA — On Wed., Oct. 23, Prof. Peter Balakian will deliver a lecture titled, “Raphael Lemkin, Cultural Destruction and the Armenian Genocide,” at Lafayette College. His recent article on this topic appeared in the Spring 2013 issue of “The Journal of Holocaust and Genocide Studies,” published by the U.S. Holocaust Museum and Oxford University Press.

Balakian is the Donald M. and Constance H. Rabar Professor in the Humanities at Colgate University, and has done a substantial amount of research on the Armenian Genocide, a result of his work as a poet and literary scholar. He is the author of nine books, including his memoir, Black Dog of Fate, which is the best-selling literary non-fiction about the genocide.

Balakian to talk on Armenian Genocide at Lafayette College

Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee – Western USA Names Aroutin Hartounian Executive Director

LOS ANGELES — The Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee – Western USA (AGCC-WUSA), composed of all major Armenian political, religious and civic organizations, unanimously voted to appoint Mr. Aroutin Hartounian to the position of the Committee’s Executive Director.

“We are excited to welcome Aroutin as the Executive Director of the Genocide Centennial Committee. While there are many challenges ahead, having a highly qualified person as Aroutin in such an important position will bolster our ongoing campaign for justice. The Committee can now move forward with full speed to implement its plans for the Centennial,” the three co-chairs of AGCC-WUSA, Mr. Garo Ghazarian, Mr. Harut Sassounian, and Ms. Talin Yacoubian indicated in a jointly issued statement.

“I am honored and privileged to have been appointed to this position. For over a year, the members of the AGCC-WUSA have worked hard to lay the foundation for a successful centennial commemoration. We are committed to bringing justice for this crime against humanity committed by Turkey. We Armenians as a collective owe it to our forefathers who fell victim to the genocidal campaign of Ottoman Turkey. Despite persistent Turkish denials, numerous nations and international organizations have recognized the Armenian Genocide, have properly condemned Turkey and have lent their support to the Armenian people’s just calls for recognition and restitution,” Hartounian stated.

Aroutin Hartounian is an attorney and Chairman of the Unified Young Armenians.

The Centennial Committee is composed of the following organizations:

·Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America

·Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church

·Armenian Catholic Church

·Armenian Evangelical Union of North America

·Armenian Revolutionary Federation

·Armenian Democratic Liberal Party

·Social Democrat Hunchakian Party

·Armenian General Benevolent Union, Western District

·Armenian Relief Society, Western USA

·Armenia Fund, Western Region US

·United Armenian Fund

·Armenian Assembly of America

·Armenian National Committee, Western Region

·Armenian Rights Council

·Armenian Council of America

·USC Institute of Armenian Studies

·Armenian Bar Association

·Unified Young Armenians

The AGCC-WUSA was established on August 9, 2012 to steer and coordinate the multifaceted commemorative activities in the Western United States in preparation for the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide on April 24, 2015.

The AGCC-WUSA’s mission, as adopted by its member organizations declares:

The 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide signifies a global demand for justice by Armenians worldwide and all people of good will.

The Centennial marks one of the 20th century’s greatest crimes against humanity. In 1915, the Turkish Government began a premeditated and systematic campaign to uproot the Armenian population from its ancestral homeland and slaughter 1.5 million defenseless men, women and children.

Turkey must finally acknowledge its responsibility for the Genocide and make appropriate moral, financial and territorial restitution, as mandated by the fundamental norms of international law and civilized society.

Mr. Garo Ghazarian, Co-Chair

Mr. Harut Sassounian, Co-Chair

Ms. Talin Yacoubian, Co-Chair

Ms. Tomik Alexanian, Treasurer

Ms. Lena Bozoyan, Secretary

Executive Committee

Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee – Western USA

Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee – Western USA Names Aroutin Hartounian Executive Director

OSCE Monitoring Disrupted by Azerbaijani Gunfire

The planned monitoring of the OSCE Mission in the Hardut direction of the line of contact between the armed forces of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan was suspended because of submachine gun shots from the Azerbaijani side in the direction of the positions of the NKR Defense Army.

OSCE field representatives were due to briefly observe the ceasefire regime from both sides of a frontline section southeast of Karabakh. They reportedly cancelled the regular procedure after hearing gunshots.

The Karabakh Armenian army said Azerbaijani troops fired on its frontline positions in the area. The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry claimed the opposite, however, saying that the Armenians opened fire moments before the planned monitoring. The OSCE observers issued no statements on the incident.

The OSCE has regularly monitored various sections of the “line of contact” around Karabakh as well as the Armenian-Azerbaijani border ever since a Russian-mediated truce stopped the war for the disputed territory in 1994. These largely symbolic procedures have rarely been disrupted by gunfire.

Meanwhile, an Armenian army captain, Gevorg Mnatsakanian, was killed and three other servicemen were wounded late on Wednesday after hitting a landmine at a western section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani frontier. The Defense Ministry in Yerevan gave few other details of the incident, saying only that the soldiers were performing a “combat task” in the area.

OSCE Monitoring Disrupted by Azerbaijani Gunfire

Armenia Ranked 57th in Global Slavery Index

Armenia is ranked 57th in the Global Slavery Index 2013 prepared by the Australia-based Walk Free Foundation and released on Thursday. According to the Index, 10 000 to 11 000 people live in slavery in Armenia.

Georgia and Azerbaijan are placed 50th and 51st respectively, Russia is 49th. Turkey and Iran are ranked 90th and 103rd respectively.

The Global Slavery Index provides a ranking of 162 countries, reflecting a combined measure of three factors: estimated prevalence of modern slavery by population, a measure of child marriage, and a measure of human trafficking in and out of a country. The measure is heavily weighted to reflect the first factor, prevalence. A number one ranking is the worst, 160 is the best.

The Global Slavery Index 2013 defines slavery as the possession or control of people to deny freedom and exploit them for profit or sex, usually through violence, coercion or deception. The definition includes indentured servitude, forced marriage and the abduction of children to serve in wars.

The countries with the highest numbers of enslaved people are India, China, Pakistan, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Russia, Thailand, Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar and Bangladesh. Taken together, these countries account for 76% of the total estimate of 29.8 million in modern slavery.

At the other end of the scale, Iceland has the lowest estimated prevalence with fewer than 100 slaves.

Next best are Ireland, Britain, New Zealand, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Luxembourg, Finland and Denmark, although researchers said slave numbers in such wealthy countries were higher than previously thought.

Read more about the Global Slavery Index, overview and country by country reports here: www.globalslaveryindex.org

Armenia Ranked 57th in Global Slavery Index

Yerevan Hosts Armenian-Argentinean Business Forum

YEREVAN — First Armenian-Argentinean business forum took place in Yerevan today organized by Armenian Development Agency jointly with the Embassy of Argentina in Armenia, the Armenian Development Agency reports.

Opening remarks made by the Ambassador of Argentine Republic to the Republic of Armenia, Mr. Diego Alvarez Rivera, Deputy Minister of Economy of the Republic of Armenia, Mr. Garegin Melkonyan, General Director of Armenian Development Agency, Mr. Robert Harutyunyan, Foreign Trade Secretary of Argentine Republic, Mrs. Beatriz Paglieri.

The Argentinean delegation was headed by Foreign Trade Secretary, Mrs. Beatriz Paglieri. About 25 companies represented different industrial sectors – pharmaceuticals/biotechnologies, health, specialized medical services, information technologies, food and beverages, industrial automation equipment, textile, cosmetics, tourism, metallurgy.

Secretary Paglieri stated that Armenia can become a transit zone for Argentina to spread its production from Europe to Russia underscoring: “There are certain limitations in Japan, the EU, and the United States for Argentina. In this respect it’s not so bad that Armenia does not join the EU. Armenia can become a transit arena for Argentina to spread its production from Europe to Russia.”

In the framework of business forum there were individual business meetings held between Armenian and Argentinean businessmen to find ways of cooperation.

The Buisness Forum will contribute to the promotion of trade and economic relations between two countries and will grant an opportunity for Armenian businessmen to present their business proposals.

The import volume from Argentina to Armenia made 7.5mln US dollars in 2012.

The main exporting articles from Armenia are alcohol-non alcohol beverages, vinegar, made-up textile articles, needlecraft sets, rags.

Main importing articles are tobacco and manufacturing tobacco substitutes, milling industry products, dairy, eggs, honey and edible products, meat and edible meat, edible fruits and nuts, peel of citrus, etc.

In 2012 the foreign direct investments made 567.4mln US dollars, where 9% of the share belongs to Argentine Republic. Foreign investments have been made mainly in agriculture, air transportation sectors which make 51.3mln US dollars.

Yerevan Hosts Armenian-Argentinean Business Forum

St. Gregory the Illuminator: Connecting Armenia to its Christian Roots and to the Vatican

ROME — An exhibition dedicated to St. Gregory the Illuminator, which shows both his life and deeds has opened in Rome.

“The black and white photographs, are much more than just artistic shots. They make up a photographic biography of St. Gregory the Illuminator. This exhibit in Rome, shows both his life and his deeds,” according to Romereports.com

“There are so many St. Gregories in the Catholic Church, but the surprise will be to discover the Armenian St. Gregory,” says Vartan Karapetyan, representative of the Armenian Embassy to the Holy See.

The Armenian St. Gregory is remembered for his role in converting the nation to Christianity back in the year 301. In fact, Armenia became the first nation to adopt Christianity as its official religion.

But getting to that point wasn’t easy. During a pagan ritual, the king discovered that Gregory was Christian. As punishment he was tortured and sent to this underground well where he lived for over a decade. After miraculously healing the king, he was set free.

“After he was released. He baptized the Armenian king and turned Armenia Christian,” Vartan Karapetyan said.

A church was built near Mount Ararat, on the site where he was imprisoned. Now it’s one of the most popular pilgrimage sites.

Veneration of St. Gregory is present in both the Armenian and Catholic Church. In fact, there’s a statue of St. Gregory, in the Vatican, on an exterior wall of St. Peter’s Basilica. Back in the year 2000, John Paul II donated some of St. Gregory’s relics to the Armenian Catholicos.

“There is a second part of the exhibit that focuses on the dissemination of his relics. The presence of St. Gregory in Constantinople, Rome, Nardò and so on,” representative of the Armenian Embassy said.

Through this exhibit the Armenian Embassy to the Holy See is not only celebrating the legacy of St. Gregory, but also a new chapter in its diplomatic relations with the Vatican. In the summer of 2013, Armenia issued its first resident ambassador to the Holy See. It’s a connection that in a way, traces back its roots, to the evangelization and legacy of St. Gregory the Illuminator.

St. Gregory the Illuminator: Connecting Armenia to its Christian Roots and to the Vatican

Armenia Climbs to a Record 38th Position in FIFA Ranking

The Armenian national team has moved 17 positions up and is currently ranked in 38th place with 687 points in the FIFA World Ranking released today. Reigning world and European champions Spain tops the list followed by Germany and Argentine.

The result comes after Armenia’s successful performance in the recent FIFA World Cup qualification matches. Armenia first beat Bulgaria 2-1 at home and tied Italy 2-2 in Naples.

The overall campaign that also included away victories over Denmark and the Czech Republic, however, only boosted Armenia’s standing in world soccer to build on the reputation that Vardan Minasyan’s side had after the previous qualifying campaign for Euro-2012.

The 38th place is a record for Armenia, the 41st position had been the best so far.

Armenia’s neighbours all are ranked lower with Turkey (40th), Iran (49th), Azerbaijan (88th) and Georgia (100th)

Armenia Climbs to a Record 38th Position in FIFA Ranking

Dr. Frieze Presents Lecture on Raphael Lemkin’s Newly Published Autobiography “Totally Unofficial”

By Taleen Babayan

Dr. Donna-Lee Frieze delivered a lecture titled “Raphael Lemkin: The Armenian Genocide and the Autobiography of the Insistent Prophet” at Columbia University’s Butler Library on Wednesday evening, October 2 at an event hosted by the Armenian Center at Columbia University.

A Prins Senior Fellow at the Centre for Jewish History and a NYC Visiting Fellow at the Alfred Deakin Research Institute in Melbourne, Australia, Dr. Frieze spent the last four years editing Lemkin’s unfinished autobiography and papers, which were housed for decades at the New York Public Library.

Highlighting the significance of the publication of Lemkin’s autobiography, Dr. Peter Balakian, who is the Visiting Ordjanian Professor in the Department of Middle East, South Asian and African Studies at Columbia, said Dr. Frieze “rescued and recovered one of the most important books in history on human rights.”

“This is a remarkable memoir that gives shape and scope to Lemkin’s own lifetime efforts to make genocide a crime in international law,” said Balakian.

Lemkin, who coined the term “genocide” in 1944, used the Armenian Genocide as a case study, according to Dr. Frieze, who said that the tragic event left such an impact on him that it led to his future work as a relentless advocate of the prevention of genocide.

Touching upon the description of Lemkin’s childhood in the initial chapters of “Totally Unofficial,” Dr. Frieze contextualized his early life as a Polish Jew who was homeschooled by a highly intelligent mother. He describes in detail a childhood full of poetry, music and literature, which exposed him to cultures beyond his own at a young age.

”He’s writing about a vanished world, in every sense,” said Dr. Frieze, who noted that everyone in his family except his brother was lost to genocide as victims of the Holocaust. “Lemkin reignites this loss of language, land, and culture and this memory of wholeness is perhaps the genocide survivor’s key to living.”

His first exposure to genocide, however, occurred when he read about the Armenian Genocide and the subsequent trial of Soghoman Tehlirian, who was arrested for assassinating Talat Pasha, the architect of the Armenian Genocide, as an act of revenge. Lemkin was shocked that Tehlirian was even on trial and reflected, “Why is a man punished when he kills another man? Why is the killing of a million a lesser crime than the killing of a single individual?” This event was a turning point in Lemkin’s life as he changed his course of study from linguistics to law.

“It was the intended destruction of Armenians that triggered Lemkin’s interest,” said Dr. Frieze.

As a prominent lawyer and prosecutor in Warsaw, Lemkin became an internationally displaced refugee during the Second World War, which further fueled his tireless efforts towards the prevention of genocide.

“I only lived really when I was fighting for an ideal,” writes Lemkin in his autobiography. “I will devote the rest of my life to outlawing the destruction of people.”

Arriving in the United States in 1941, Lemkin became a faculty member at Duke University and spent the remaining years of his life to ensuring the passage of the United Nations Convention against Genocide. He used the Armenian Genocide as an example to appeal to the public’s moral consciousness.

“The Armenian Genocide deeply influenced his thoughts on genocide, not as mass murder but as sinister panorama of destruction that was intended, specific and planned,” said Dr. Frieze.

Lemkin’s efforts, however, were continuously met with opposition and Frieze noted that Lemkin was known as naïve, a fanatic and humorless. “But ‘Totally Unofficial’ shows an extremely shrewd lawyer, three steps ahead of his enemies, as he called them.”

“Lemkin was a prophet of sorts,” said Dr. Frieze. “He knew the Genocide Convention would not prevent genocide and that it would continue. Instead, he saw it as a rallying point.”

At the age of 59, Lemkin passed away of a heart attack in New York and his autobiography was left unfinished until Dr. Frieze tackled the challenge of weaving together Lemkin’s manuscript.

“By bringing Raphael Lemkin’s autobiography to print, Dr. Frieze restores Lemkin to his rightful place in the pantheon of human rights champions,” said Mark Momjian, Esq., chairman of the Armenian Center at Columbia University. “The Armenian Center is acutely aware of Lemkin’s research into the Armenian Genocide, as well as the critical importance it played in his effort to get the United Nations to pass the Genocide Convention.”

“Frieze’s lecture on Lemkin and the Armenian Genocide is one of the most important new perspectives on the Armenian genocide in recent years,” said Balakian. “It offers scholars and all others, especially, perhaps the Turkish nationalists, a deeper understanding of why the Armenian event became a central, if not the central, event in Lemkin’s thinking about what he would come to call genocide.”

Dr. Frieze Presents Lecture on Raphael Lemkin’s Newly Published Autobiography “Totally Unofficial”

Taner Akçam's Receives MESA's Albert Hourani Book Award

NEW ORLEANS — The Middle East Studies Association (MESA) has recognized Taner Akçam’s book titled “The Young Turks’ Crime Against Humanity: The Armenian Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing in the Ottoman Empire” the best book of 2013.

During the award ceremony MESA commission announced: “This is the strongest historical thesis dedicated to the Armenian Genocide ever and this is a very influential scientific work.”

The Middle East Studies Association is a private, non-profit, non-political learned society that brings together scholars, educators and those interested in the study of the region from all over the world.

As part of its goal to advance learning, facilitate communication and promote cooperation, MESA sponsors an annual meeting that is a leading international forum for scholarship, intellectual exchange and pedagogical innovation. It is responsible for the International Journal of Middle East Studies.

Taner Akçam was born in Ardahan, Turkey, October 23, 1953. He is a German historian and sociologist. He is one of the first Turkish academics to acknowledge and openly discuss the Armenian Genocide, and is recognized as a “leading international authority” on the subject.

In August 1988 Akçam began work as a research scientist at the Hamburg Foundation for the Advancement of Research and Culture. He received his PhD from the University of Hanover with a dissertation titled, Turkish Nationalism and the Armenian Genocide: On the Background of the Military Tribunals in Istanbul between 1919 and 1922. Akçam is a former student of fellow genocide scholar, Vahakn Dadrian. In 1997, a Dutch documentary titled “Een Muur van Stilte” (A Wall of Silence), written and directed by Dorothée Forma of the Humanist Broadcasting Foundation (Dutch: Humanistische Omroep Stichting), was made about their “academic relationship.”

Akçam was Visiting Associate Professor of History at the University of Minnesota, United States before joining Clark University’s Strassler Family Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies.

Taner Akçam's Receives MESA's Albert Hourani Book Award

Fuller Center for Housing Armenia to Build 100 Homes in Honor of 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide

YEREVAN — The Fuller Center for Housing Armenia (FCHA) announced that it will build and renovate 100 homes between now and December 2015 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The project, called “Honoring 100 Years by Saving 100 Families,” will be driven by charitable contributions to give low-income and homeless families a safe and decent home, while emphasizing the importance of families remaining in Armenia on a permanent basis.

Armenians worldwide are welcomed to support this project and honor the memories of their loved ones who were martyrs or survivors of the Armenian Genocide. A donation of $10,500 will sponsor a single, completed home. The beneficiary family will receive a personalized, commemorative plaque inscribed with the donor’s choice of message or dedication. When a donation is less than a single home sponsorship, FCHA will combine the contributions it receives with other gifts and assign a beneficiary family when $10,500 has been collected. All donors will receive a profile of the beneficiary family with photos showing their current living conditions. When construction is completed, all donors will receive a certificate from FCHA and photos of the new house.

“We are reaching out to our compatriots around the world to partner with us on this new campaign. We hope that families in the Diaspora will come together and support the construction of homes in the names of their loved ones. Our objective is to commemorate the Armenian Genocide in a respectful and positive way by addressing the needs of Armenia’s most vulnerable population, namely our homeless,” stated Ashot Yeghiazaryan, president of the Fuller Center for Housing Armenia.

“Since 2000, the FCHA team has been working in Armenia to eliminate poverty housing; so far we have assisted over 650 families. However, the housing need in Armenia is still high. Over 64,000 families (about 8% of population) need to either build or renovate their homes. We have seen that helping one family at a time is making a difference for a lifetime, and impacting more than one generation.  We have established the campaign, ‘Honoring 100 Years by Saving 100 Families,’ to allow us to share our love and dedication with more people who need simple and affordable housing,” Yeghiazaryan concluded.

In June 2013, the Fuller Center for Housing Armenia celebrated its 5th anniversary. On this occasion, many longtime and new partners participated in the construction of homes, including Armenia Marriott Hotel Yerevan, KPMG, U.S. Embassy, Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU), and Christian Youth Mission for Armenia (CYMA).

The Fuller Center for Housing Armenia is a non-government, charitable organization that supports community development in the Republic of Armenia by assisting in building and renovating simple, decent and affordable homes, as well as advocating the right to decent shelter as a matter of conscience and action. FCHA provides long-term, interest-free loans to low-income families. The monthly repayments flow into a Revolving Fund, which is used to help more families make the transition out of poverty housing. This system provides a financial structure for sustainable community development.

To Honor 100 Years by Saving 100 Families, please send donations to The Fuller Center for Housing, Inc., PO Box 523, Americus, Georgia 31709. Please write “Armenia-100” in the memo line of your check. To donate online, please visit http://weblink.donorperfect.com/FCH_Armenia100. If a donor or group of donors wishes to sponsor a single, completed home at $10,500, please email FCHA at fcarmenia@fullercenterarmenia.org to provide your message or dedication for the plaque for the beneficiary family.

For more information and to learn about summer volunteer opportunities with our 2014 Global Builders program, please visit www.fullercenterarmenia.org or email volunteer@fullercenterarmenia.org.

Fuller Center for Housing Armenia to Build 100 Homes in Honor of 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide

FIFA World Cup Qualifying: Italy 2-2 Armenia

Italy twice came from behind to draw 2-2 with Armenia this evening, with Mario Balotelli grabbing his side’s equaliser late in the second half.

Armenia needed a win to keep alive their slim hopes of making the play-offs, though Denmark’s defeat of Malta was to make that academic, and did everything they could to secure victory against Cesare Prandelli’s men

The visitors took the lead early on after Alberto Aquilani needlessly gave away possession, which allowed Yura Movsisyan to steal in and rifle the ball past the Italian goalkeeper.

Italy hit back in the 27th minute through Alessandro Florenzi, who headed home Lorenzo Insigne’s cross from close range after Daniel Osvaldo robbed possession high up the pitch.

However, following the break, Armenia put themselves back in front thanks to great work from Henrikh Mkhitaryan whose flick hit the bar and bounced over the line.

Substitute Balotelli collected Andrea Pirlo’s ball to smash home in 77th minute and earn Italy a draw.

In Group B, Italy have already booked their spot at Brazil 2014, with 22 points, Denmark has 16 points, Czech Republic – 15, Bulgaria – 13, Armenia – 13 and Malta – 3.

FIFA World Cup Qualifying: Italy 2-2 Armenia

Armenian Oppositionist Freed in General Amnesty

YEREVAN — An appeals court in Yerevan has ordered the release of prominent opposition youth activist Tigran Arakelian, an activist from the opposition Armenian National Congress party, more than two years after being arrested on charges which he and his supporters consider politically motivated.

The court ruled on October 14 that some parts of the charges against Arakelian must be dropped and his six-year prison sentence reduced to three years.

The court also ruled that Arakelian must be freed under the national amnesty announced recently by the government to mark the 22nd anniversary of Armenia’s independence.

The partial acquittal made Arakelian eligible for a general amnesty that was declared by the Armenian authorities earlier this month. The amnesty was also applied to Artak Karapetian, one of three other HAK activists who clashed, together with Arakelian, with police officers in downtown Yerevan in August 2011 under disputed circumstances.

Arakelian’s lawyers said after the ruling that they will appeal the decision — demanding Arakelian’s full exoneration.

Arakelian was arrested in August 2011 and later sentenced on charges of assaulting police. He insists the case against him is politically motivated.

“They caught me illegally and they freed me illegally,” he told journalists after receiving a hero’s welcome from scores of supporters that again packed the courtroom. He said he should have been acquitted altogether.

Armenian Oppositionist Freed in General Amnesty

Further Proof Emerges of the Armenian Genocide

The Turks are preparing to smother the 100th anniversary of their Genocide against the Christian Armenians of the Ottoman Empire in 1915 with commemorations of their victory over the Allies at Canakkale (Gallipoli) the same year. But each month brings yet further proof – in the testimony of Westerners – of what Turkey still officially denies: that the genocide of the Armenians was a fact of history, Robert Fisk writes in The Independent.

Now come the memoirs of Alec Glen, a British army doctor of the 1914-18 war – written privately for his sons, but published by his family – which record the further agony of the Armenians.

Entitled In the Front Line: A Doctor in War and Peace, Dr Glen’s account includes the fate of the Armenians of Caucasia as the Turks tried to spread their pan-Turkic rule to the east in 1918 – after the original massacre of one-and-a-half million Armenians three years earlier. Marching through north-western Iran towards Baku, Dr Glen writes of how his British-Indian force began to pass several thousand Armenian refugees in a day.

“It was an amazing and tragic sight … now and then we passed at a roadside a dying person, or one already dead and half-eaten by dogs and jackals… we lifted some of the younger ones who might recover on to the mules and carried them forward to the next village.

“Salisbury Craig [a fellow British doctor] told me later that he attended an old refugee in the road who, before he died, gave him a leather belt full of sovereigns, which he asked him to spend to help the refugees.

Further Proof Emerges of the Armenian Genocide

Turkish Journalist Reveals his Mother was Armenian

ISTANBUL — The head of a journalists’ association in Turkey, has revealed that his mother was an Armenian, who was left “in front of an Alevi family’s door” by Armenians during the 1915 incidents in his recently published book, adding that his relatives had reacted strongly to this revelation, the Hurriyet Daily News reports.

Ahmet Abakay, a journalist and the head of the Contemporary Journalists’ Association, told his mother Hosana’s story in his book entitled “Hosana’s last words,” in which he said that he was told by his mother that she was an Armenian only weeks before she died.

Abakay said his mother Hosana told him her story, which she kept secret for her entire 82-year-long life, with one condition; that he should not tell it to anyone as long as she was alive.“My mother told me about her story 13 years ago and soon after, she died. I could write this only 10 years later, because I hesitated. I hardly wrote it, bursting into tears when writing all of the chapters and I was stuck. I did not imagine that it could get that sentimental for me to write it. My mother was left at some people’s door like an innocent kitten and that idea filled me with grief,” Abakay told the Hürriyet Daily News, adding that his mother was one of the Armenian babies left to the Turkish families, with fears for their lives due to the saddening 1915 incidents.

“My mother made me promise not to tell her story to my wife, daughter or her sisters, as long as she was alive. I told this issue to my inner circle after I lost my mother, to learn whether there are other secrets that we are not told. But my sister told me not to reveal this on the grounds that I am a journalist and she recalled what happened to Hrant Dink [Armenian-Turkish journalist murdered by a gunman in broad daylight in 2007 in Istanbul]. A majority of my relatives could not accept their [new] identity,” Abakay said. Some relatives denied the story, while others claimed that his mother was too old to be aware of what she was saying. Abakay said he received fierce reactions from some of his family members over his revelation in his book.

“My uncle’s children told me ‘how dare you call our aunt Armenian and insult our family’s honor. You will remove the Armenian part from your book, otherwise we will pull it off the shelves,’” said Abakay.

Abakay said his mother used to talk about one of her sisters left with Armenians in the past, but she had never talked about it in detail. Later on he learnt that she was from the southeastern province of Erzurum’s Askale district. “I want to research my identity but I doubt whether I can go any further. Now, I am content that I have received my identity back.”

Turkish Journalist Reveals his Mother was Armenian

Levon Aronian Wins Grand Slam Chess Final

BILBAO — Armenian GM Levon Aronian took the first prize at Grand Slam 6th tournament that finished in Bilbao, Spain, on Saturday.

This is the second Grand Slam title won by Aronian in his chess career. He first became the winner of Grand Slam, otherwise called Chess Masters Final, in 2009.

Aronian defeated Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in the fourth round, Azerbaijan’s Shakhriyar Mammedyarov in the sixth round. In earlier rounds he had played to a draw with Michael Adams (United Kingdom), Vachier-Lagrave and Mammedyarov. The Armenian chess ace finished with 10 points, without suffering a single defeat.

Adams finished second with 9 points, Vachier-Lagrave and Mamedyarov placed third and forth with five points each.

Levon Aronian Wins Grand Slam Chess Final

New Film About Komitas and the Armenian Genocide to Benifit SOAR

Soon to be released feature length documentary film, “Music to Madness – The Story of Komitas,” about the life of the famous Armenian priest and music composer Komitas. Written and directed by David Deranian. Produced by Salient Clear.

A film about Komitas that tells the story of this amazing man, his life then tragedy suffered during the Armenian Genocide. The film could not have come at a better time as it puts within context the Armenian Genocide as part of the ongoing violence in the world. What are the consequences of this ongoing worldwide violence? Have a look at the life of Komitas; a peaceful, loving, and intelligent man with prolific musical ability that witnessed the Armenian Genocide first hand, with the result of leaving him destined to a mental institution in France.

The aim of this film is to let the world learn about Komitas, his beautiful life and his tragedy, that the gifted and innocent are not spared atrocities. The film is also intended as a reminder to not forget the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923 and the ensuing consequences of that genocide that haunt the world today.

To get this important message out as soon as possible with the greatest of impact given current events, the company producing the film, Salient Clear, is seeking financial contributions to raise the additional funds necessary for completion of the film which is currently in postproduction. Contributions can be made through an Indiegogo fundraising campaign at: www.indiegogo.com

ALL net proceeds from the film to benefit the Society for Orphaned Armenian Relief (SOAR) (www.soar-us.org).

Additional details about the film, including a trailer, can be found on www.KomitasTheMovie.com.

New Film About Komitas and the Armenian Genocide to Benifit SOAR