Armenian FM Speaks at UN General Assembly Session

NEW YORK — Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian made a statement at the General Debate of the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Following is the full text of the speech:

I would like to join the previous speakers in congratulating John Ashe on his election as the President of the 68th session of the United Nations General Assembly and to thank the outgoing President Mr. Vuk Jeremic.

During the past two decades the international community has been making great strides towards development of a cohesive approach to address the political, social and economic challenges the world community is facing nowadays.

We need to analyze our commitments with a view of the difficulties that arose while implementing the Millennium Development Goals. The world economic and financial crises had its share in detracting from the charted path. However, it revealed some of the underlying issues that were either overlooked or underestimated, which were important in the overall success. It became clear once again that no country can achieve in isolation the MDGs in the world of growing interdependence and interconnectedness.

The UN Conference on Sustainable Development -RIO+20, enriched our understanding of the ways of achieving the overall progress towards the political, social and economic development.

Armenia welcomes the inclusion of “Post-2015 Development Agenda: Setting the Stage” as the theme and main focus of our deliberations.

Despite the fact that most of us share the understanding that elimination of violence and terror is essential for building peaceful, sustainable and prosperous societies, peace seems to remain an elusive phenomenon in many parts of the world.

Armenia remains alarmed by the worsening of the humanitarian situation in Syria. The number of refugees Armenia continues to receive already exceeds ten thousand, but tens of thousands of Syrian-Armenians still remain in that country that has become their second home after the Genocide of 1915, and they are struggling for their survival in unbearable conditions together with their Syrian countrymen.

Armenia welcomes the resolution of the Security Council 2118 adopted unanimously yesterday based on the agreement reached in Geneva between Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov and US Secretary of State Kerry, which could lead to the elimination of chemical weapons and exclusion of their use in Syria and could pave the way to a political solution of the Syrian crisis, putting an end to the sufferings of the Syrian people.

To our strong belief, there is no alternative to the peaceful solution of the conflicts. Resolution of conflicts requires political will and determination.

Three months ago, on June 18th the Presidents of the three Co-Chair countries of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, United States and France, made a new statement on Nagorno-Karabakh in the framework of G8 Summit in Enniskillen.

In Armenia we welcomed this statement saying that, as the Co-Chairs, we continue to believe that the elements outlined in the statements of the heads of the Co-Chair countries over the last five years can be the basis for reaching a fair and lasting settlement of the conflict. We share the position of the Co-Chair countries, that those elements should be seen as an integrated whole and that any attempt to select some elements over others would make it impossible to achieve a solution. We absolutely agree that peoples should be prepared for peace, not war. Unfortunately until now the Azerbaijani leadership is doing just the opposite and is increasing warmongering and anti-Armenian hate-speech on a daily basis using even the highest podium of the United Nations.

We absolutely agree with the heads of the three Co-Chair countries, of the three permanent members of the Security Council, that the use of force will not resolve the conflict, and that only a negotiated settlement can lead to peace and stability. However, by the unprecedented accumulation of offensive weaponry in massive scale Azerbaijan seriously endangers regional and international security, despite its membership in the UN Security Council.

Unlike Azerbaijan, Armenia has on several occasions reiterated and in response to the Enniskillen appeal of the Presidents of USA, Russian Federation and France, once again re-affirmed its commitment to the principles of international law, particularly the non-use of force or the threat of force, equal rights and self-determination of peoples, and territorial integrity.

Azerbaijan keeps misinterpreting the 1993 Security Council resolutions, the core requirement of which was the immediate cessation of all hostilities and hostile acts and the establishment of a durable cease-fire. Azerbaijan not only failed to comply with this requirement, but further intensified its aggression and the military operations against Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia using mercenaries closely linked to notorious terrorist organizations. It is not surprising that after the ceasefire agreement signed in 1994, the mediators, the three permanent members of the Security Council never made any reference to those resolutions.

Azerbaijan is pretending that the international community shares its approaches and it shares the approaches of the international community. In reality, Azerbaijan is continuously rejecting all proposals of the internationally mandated OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries. Baku rejected all versions of the Basic Principles of the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict proposed by the Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group, including those presented at the Kazan (June 2011), Sochi (March 2011), Astrakhan (October 2011) and Saint Petersburg (June 2010) summits.

Baku refused not only the Basic Principles, but also confidence-building measures proposed by the Co-Chairs on consolidation of ceasefire, withdrawal of the snipers from the line of contact and the establishment of a mechanism for investigation of the ceasefire violations.

Azerbaijan not only obstructs confidence-building measures, but also periodically organizes provocations on the line of contact with Nagorno-Karabakh and on the border with Armenia, which result in new casualties.

During the previous session of the General Assembly I spoke about the release and glorification of an axe-murderer Safarov by the Azerbaijani leadership, which was strongly condemned by the entire international community, by the United Nations’ and other international organizations’ human rights commissions. Even today, more than a year after it, Azerbaijani leadership continues to declare that what they did “is just very good” and dares to criticize the stance of the international community. This clearly demonstrates the deepening gap of perceptions between the Azerbaijani leadership and the international community about what is good and what is bad.

Most recently Azerbaijani authorities on national level have ostracized the eminent Azerbaijani writer Aylisli for publishing a novel, where he talks about the pogroms against Armenians in Baku, Sumgait and other parts of Azerbaijan. His books were publicly burnt and the writer had to leave the country facing threats to his life.

Just last week the President of Azerbaijan once again came up with new threats against Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh and claimed Armenian territories, including almost three thousand years old capital city Yerevan.

Regardless of Azerbaijan’s destructive stance, Armenia will continue its efforts towards the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict exclusively through peaceful means and on the basis of the purposes, principles and norms reflected in the UN Charter and the provisions of L’Aquila, Muskoka, Deauville, Los Cabos and Enniskillen statements of the three Co-Chair countries’ Presidents.

This March, the Human Rights Council adopted by consensus a resolution “On Prevention of Genocide,” initiated by Armenia and co-sponsored by over 60 countries. The recognition, condemnation and prevention of genocide remains a priority for Armenia and we will take necessary actions to prevent new occurrences of the crime of genocide, while keeping high on the agenda the issue of responsibility for the crime against humanity and its denial.

As a nation that has survived the first genocide of the twentieth century, Armenia unequivocally welcomes the clear position adopted by the UN member states in precluding any possibility of immunity or pardon for perpetrators of crimes against humanity.

Since May of this year Armenia has assumed the Chairmanship of the Council of Europe – a regional organization that remains a key partner of the United Nations in our shared global quest united behind the principles of fundamental freedoms, defense and promotion of human rights and continuous efforts for peace and security.

The cooperation between these two organizations is also well established in the fields of the fight against racism, xenophobia, hate-speech and intolerance. These issues are also among Armenia’s chairmanship priorities that were defined in response to the challenges that member states of both the United Nations and the Council of Europe are facing today.

Armenia has committed itself to the strengthening of the institutional capacities of the United Nations. We support the United Nations reform process and are ready to bring our feasible contribution to it. We believe that the reforms provide an opportunity to enhance the role of this organization in addressing the crucial issues facing the world.

Armenian FM Speaks at UN General Assembly Session

Monument to Slain Armenian Officer Gurgen Margayan Unveiled in Yerevan

YEREVAN — The monument to slain Armenian Officer Gurgen Margaryan was unveiled in Yerevan today. Gurgen’s mother and member of the UK House of Lords, Baroness Caroline Cox opened the statue. The opening of the monument coincided with Margaryan’s birthday who would have turned 35 on September 26.

The ceremony was attended by representatives of the Defense Ministry, government officials, students of school bearing Gurgen Margaryan’s name, public figures and representatives of the diplomatic missions.

In her address, Baroness Cox said she, being a mother, shares the feelings of the Margaryan family.

“Your heroes are true heroes,” Caroline Cox stated addressing the people of Armenia and Artsakh, “I am a mother myself and I could not help my tears when I learnt the way Your son was murdered. I was even more shocked to know that the assassin was proclaimed a hero in Azerbaijan. I am very worried about the future of Azerbaijan and the way they educate their children, when they consider a murderer to be a hero.”

Armenian army Officer Margaryan was killed by Azerbaijani Officer Ramil Safarov on February 19, 2004 in Budapest as the two were attending three-month English language courses of NATO’s “Partnership for Peace” program.

Ramil Safarov, who was sentenced to life imprisonment, was transferred back to his home country on August 31, 2012 under an extradition agreement.

Although Azerbaijan formally pledged that the life sentence handed down to him in Hungary would be directly continued when he was returned to his homeland, the Azerbaijani president granted him a pardon, he was declared a national hero, promoted to a higher military rank, and was allocated housing and pension..

Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian announced the same day that Armenia suspended diplomatic relations with Hungary.

Ramil Safarov’s pardoning was condemned by virtually all international organizations.

Monument to Slain Armenian Officer Gurgen Margayan Unveiled in Yerevan

Mink Group Co-Chairs meet the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan

NEW YORK — The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Ambassadors Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Jacques Faure of France, and James Warlick of the United States of America) and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, met with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian in New York on September 27.

The Co-Chairs and the Ministers continued discussions on the substance of the peace process. The Co-Chairs stressed the commitment of their three countries to support the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict based on the non-use of force or the threat of force, territorial integrity, and equal rights and self-determination of peoples. They also referred to the statement of their three Presidents on June 18, 2013, with special attention to the appeal to the sides to refrain from any actions or rhetoric that could raise tension in the region and lead to escalation of the conflict.

The Ministers reiterated their determination to continue working with the Co-Chairs to reach a peaceful settlement of the conflict. The Co-Chairs expect to visit the region in November to discuss with the Presidents their planned summit meeting later this year.

Mink Group Co-Chairs meet the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan

Armenian Apostolic Church to Canonize Genocide victims

ETCHMIADZIN — The Episcopal Conference of the Armenian Apostolic Church on September 24-27 at the Cathedral of Echmiadzin attended by 62 archbishops and bishops discussed the issue of restoring the tradition of beatification and beatifying the victims of the Armenian Genocide.

The Episcopal Conference decided to adopt the principle of collective beatifying of victims of the Armenian Genocide and task the commission to continue individual and group beatifying studies and draft the rules of beatifying to submit the findings to the next Episcopal Conference.

On the following two days the participants of the Episcopal Conference discussed the outputs of the Ritual Taskforce relating to two sacraments, Confirmation and Baptism.

The Conference adopted a standard original for the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. Special importance was attached to the language of rituals and other issues which were said to need additional study. On September 27 the sessions were devoted to the ongoing challenges to the Armenian Church.

The Episcopal Conference dwelled on the national, religious, community, economic, demographic issues and other challenges and difficulties. Ahead of the challenges and problems the Episcopal Conference decided to establish a foundation to support the children of Artsakh and Syrian Armenians in need. Two million dollars were allocated for the establishment of the foundation and a special task force was set up.

The next Episcopal Conference will be called in the fall of 2014.

Armenian Apostolic Church to Canonize Genocide victims

Mark Geragos Calls U.S. Stance on Armenian Genocide Issue Hypocritical

NEW YORK — Armenian-American attorney Mark Geragos voiced about the Turkish strategy of the Armenian Genocide denial and the double standards policy of the United States in this issue during CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 program on This week.

The panelist on the program were unanimous to condemned the policy adopted by Iran regarding the Holocaust of the Jewish people by Nazis. Mark Geragos reminded the interlocutors that the United States conduct similar policy in the Armenian Genocide issue, which was followed by the other genocides of the 20th century. Among other things Mark Geragos underscored: “Turkey is our greatest ally in that region. But Turkey denies the Armenian Genocide. As a presidential candidate Barack Obama stated that he will recognize the Armenian Genocide, if he is elected. So in my opinion the political dynamics in this issue is a little bit hypocritical.”

Mark John Geragos (born October 5, 1957) is an Armenian-American criminal defense lawyer as the Principal with the internationally known trial lawyer firm of Geragos & Geragos, Mark Geragos cemented his national reputation as a trial lawyer a dozen years ago with back-to-back State and Federal Court jury trial acquittals for renowned Whitewater figure Susan McDougal, later securing a presidential pardon for Ms. McDougal for a conviction sustained prior to his representation of her.

Geragos was one of the lead lawyers in a pair of groundbreaking Federal Class Action Lawsuits against New York Life Insurance and AXA Corporation for insurance policies issued in the early 20th century during the genocide of over 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Turk Regime, eventually settling these two cases for more than $37.5 million. He is currently suing the Government of Turkey for reparations arising out of the Armenian Genocide.

Mark Geragos Calls U.S. Stance on Armenian Genocide Issue Hypocritical

Armen Sarkissian Appointed Armenian Ambassador to UK

YEREVAN — Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian today signed a decree appointing former Prime Minister Armen Sarkissian Armenia’s new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United Kingdom.

Sarkissian was the Prime Minister of Armenia from November 4, 1996 to March 20, 1997. From 1976 to 1984 he was a professor of Physics at Yerevan State University and subsequently Head of the Department of Computer Modelling of Complex Systems. In 1984 he became a Visiting Research Fellow and later professor at the University of Cambridge. In October 1991, Prof.

Sarkissian was invited by the President of Armenia to establish in London the first Armenian Embassy in the West. He went on to become Senior Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to Europe (Deputy Foreign Minister) and concurrently represented Armenia as Ambassador to the European Union, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and The Vatican. In 1995-96 he was Head of Mission of the Republic of Armenia to Europe.

Prof. Sarkissian became Prime Minister of Armenia from 1996 to 1997. He was reappointed Ambassador to the United Kingdom in 1998. He also served as Special Advisor to the President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and as a Governor of EBRD from 1999-2000. In 2000 Prof. Sarkissian established the Eurasia Research Programme at the Judge Institute of Management, University of Cambridge. He is founding President and Chairman of Eurasia House International in London, which fosters critical dialogue and cooperation among political and business leaders and is involved in bridge building between the West and the vast geographic space extending from Eastern Europe to Russia, to CIS and China. Prof. Sarkissian is Senior Executive Advisor to the Board of Directors and Chairman of Alcatel, the French telecom giant. He is Senior Advisor to the Chairman of BP.

He is also Senior Advisor to the CEO and the Board of Directors of Bekaert (Belgium), one of the largest steel companies in the world; member of the Board of Brazil Invest, a large investment group in Central America; Chairman of Cambridge Pharmaceuticals, a UK-based medical and health systems company; and is a Board member of Rosy Blue (Belgium). He holds honorary and executive positions in numerous international organisations, including Member of the Board of Directors of East West Institute; Advisory Board Member of the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University; IREX, Editorial Board Member of Russia In Global Politics (foreign affairs journal); and Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the School of Mathematical Sciences, Queen Mary & Westfield College, London University. Prof. Sarkissian is a faculty member of the World Economic Forum.

With the announcement of his appointement as ambassador, Sarkissian has resigned from his position as a non-executive director of the Lydian International LTD.

The statement posted on company’s website says he resigned “in view of his pending appointment to public office.”

Lydian International was granted the right to explore Amulsar gold mine.

The Company’s significant shareholders include the International Finance Corporation which is a member of the World Bank Group and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Armen Sarkissian was appointed member of the board and non-executive director in March.

Armen Sarkissian Appointed Armenian Ambassador to UK

Prominent Armenian Actor Sos Sargsyan Dies at 84

YEREVAN — Prominent Armenian actor, People’s Artist of the Republic of Armenia Sos Sargsyan passed away at the age of 84.

Sos Sargsyan was born in Stepanavan on October 24, 1929. He graduated from the Yerevan Fine Arts and Theatre Institute in 1954.

From 1954 he performed at the Sundukyan Drama Theatre of Yerevan. In 1992 he established and headed “Hamazgain” Theatre.

Between 1997 and 2005 he was the rector of Yerevan Institute of Theatre and Cinema. Besides Armenian films he starred in a number of Russian films, most notable of which is Solaris (1972), directed by Andrei Tarkovsky.

Sos Sargsyan starred in a number of movies including The Musical Team Boys as Artashes, Triangle as Master Mkrtich, Source of Heghnar as Master Mkrtich, Solaris as Dr. Gibarian, Nahapet as Nahapet, Star Of Hope as Movses, The Best Half of Life, Beyond the Seven Mountains as Hovsep, Dzori Miro as Miro, Gikor as Hambo, Sans Famille (TV movie) as Vitalis, Apple Garden as Martin, Yeghishe Charents – Known and Unknown Sides (doc. film), Pharmacy on The Corner as Adamyan, Where Have You Been, Man of God?, (doc. TV mini-series) as Stepham Yesayan, And There Was Light, The Merry Bus as priest, etc.

Prominent Armenian Actor Sos Sargsyan Dies at 84

Baroness Caroline Cox Decorated with Artsakh “Mesrop Mashtots” Order

STEPANAKERT — On September 26 President of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic Bako Sahakyan received member of the British House of Lords Caroline Cox and her delegation.

Welcoming Baroness Cox President Sahakyan noted that her 80th jubilee visit was among the best manifestations of sincere friendship with Artsakh.

For services shown to Artsakh and its people President Sahakyan decorated Caroline Cox with the “Mesrop Mashtots” order.

The President hailed the input the Baroness has had in the development of the republic, as well as the objective and fair introduction of the Artsakh issue in various international fora, expressing confidence that Caroline Cox would continue her humanitarian mission with the same zeal.

National Assembly speaker Ashot Ghoulyan, writer and publicist, hero of Artsakh Zori Balayan and other officials partook in the meeting, Central Information Department of the Office of the NKR President reported.

Baroness Caroline Cox Decorated with Artsakh “Mesrop Mashtots” Order

Landmine Free Artsakh Awareness Campaign, October 13 at Western Diocese Highlighted by Mark Geragos and Gor Mkhitarian

BURBANK — Over 20 years after they were first planted in Artsakh, landmines still remain and continue to maim, mutilate and kill the people of the land. In an effort to bring awareness to the problem and solicit help to clear the landmines, the Western Diocese is hosting a special “Landmine Free Artsakh” evening on October 13, at the Zorayan Museum Hall, 3325 N. Glenoaks Blvd., Burbank, CA 91504.

This evening is organized under the auspices of His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate, and will feature attorney Mark Geragos and musical entertainer Gor Mkhitarian who bring their talents to benefit the cause.

The featured speaker is Galina Danilova from the HALO Trust, the world’s oldest and largest humanitarian landmine clearance organization. Danilova heads the HALO Finance in Artsakh and for the past 11 years has been working in landmine clearing. “Every year Armenians get hurt,” says Danilova, “some with significant injuries. Although war ended 19 years ago, the land still carries the seeds of war. Farmers cannot grow crops to feed their families. Prairie fertile land is surrounded with Danger Signs.”

During the evening, Danilova will show pictures and explain exactly how people can put an end to the mayhem by participating in the landmine clean-up efforts.

“Our mission is to generate awareness about landmine problems in Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) and to help fundraise to completely de-mine all villages! These villages are in the Latchin, Hadrut and Martuni regions where no international grants and funds can be secured. Without private funding these minefields will never be cleared”.

The public is cordially invited to attend this free-informational event, October 13, at 5:00PM. Refreshments and wine will be provided. For more information visit LandmineFreeArtsakh.com or call 818-523-2878.

Landmine Free Artsakh Awareness Campaign, October 13 at Western Diocese Highlighted by Mark Geragos and Gor Mkhitarian

Call for Papers: Armenia and Diaspora 1918-2013 Fifth Annual International Graduate Student Workshop

Armenian Studies Program

April 4-5, 2014

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Deadline for submission of abstracts: December 16, 2013

The proliferation of studies in international migration, transnationalism and diasporas over the past three decades has raised a number of questions, prompting scholars to significantly reconsider former essentialist approaches to communities and identities. If earlier scholars of Armenian studies have often treated the Armenian diaspora as a collection of independent, self-sufficient communities, limiting their studies to mostly descriptive observations, a new generation of scholars has focused on the diversity, flexibility and context-dependence of diasporic communities, individual lives and identities, as well as on investigating the changing roles and impacts of homelands and homeland-diaspora relations on the ways in which diasporas function.

The 1915 genocide of the Armenian subjects of the Ottoman Empire resulted in an outflow of refugees and survivors; this, combined with the independence acquired on a small piece of the Armenian homeland in 1918, the Sovietization of Armenia in 1920, and the founding of the Republic of Turkey in 1923, created the conditions in which modern and contemporary Armenian diasporas have functioned, embedded in a new era in the history of Armenians. The nature of Armenian diasporic communities, the agendas of diasporic institutions, varying perceptions of the Armenian homeland and the republics of Armenia, intracommunal identities, conflicts and cooperation, and other elements of Armenian diasporic life took shape after the post-Lausanne disappointment, under the influence of changing conditions in host countries and a complex international political context. Conceptions of what diasporas and diasporic identities are, and how they should function, developed heterogeneously in specific diasporic communities, in the homeland, and, more recently, in diaspora studies. This workshop will be dedicated to exploring the competing and sometimes conflicting conceptions of how the Armenian diaspora, with its various communities and identities, has functioned and is functioning in the challenging transnational environment of modernity and globalization as well as in relation to the transformations of the homeland.

This workshop on Armenia and Diaspora 1918-2013 is sponsored by the University of Michigan’s Armenian Studies Program and is organized by Vahe Sahakyan, a graduate student in that Program with faculty advisors, Professors Kevork Bardakjian (University of Michigan) and Khachig Tölölyan (Wesleyan University), and seeks to bring together younger scholars (graduate students engaged in research or those who defended their dissertations in the last three years) who work on diasporas within a variety of disciplines. Emphasizing an interdisciplinary and connected approach, among other themes, we invite submissions that address the following issues (along with others of equal relevance):

Perceptions and representations of the lost homeland, the three post-1918 Republics of Armenia in post-genocide diasporic discourse. Perceptions and representations of the Armenian diaspora in Soviet Armenia (under Stalin and in the post-Stalinist period) and in the Republic of Armenia;

Diasporic institutions and organizations and their relations with Soviet Armenia under Stalin, during WWII and the years of the Cold War;

The 1948 Genocide Convention and its impact on Armenian diasporic institutions and their policies;

Host country conditions, institutions- and community-building in the diaspora (the role of churches, whether Apostolic, Evangelical, Catholic, political parties, charitable organizations, compatriotic unions and comparable organizations);

Host countries, transnational migrations, and the Armenian diaspora; the ‘locals’ and the ‘newcomers’ within the Armenian diaspora;

Education, diasporic identities and identity politics in the Armenian diaspora: agents of diasporic identity formation.

Successful applicants will need to submit a paper of no more than 20 double-spaced pages by March 3, 2014 to be circulated among workshop participants. Please send an Abstract (250 words /single spaced) along with a CV to armdiaspora@umich.edu by December 16, 2013.

Some funds are available to cover travel expenses. Per donor guidelines, preference will be given to those traveling from the Republic of Armenia.

Armenian Studies Program

University of Michigan

1080 South University Ave., Suite 3633

Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1106

USA

Call for Papers: Armenia and Diaspora 1918-2013 Fifth Annual International Graduate Student Workshop

Award-Winning Heist Film "Abstraction" Receives ARPA Nomination

HOLLYWOOD — The independent feature film, “Abstraction” arrives at the famous Hollywood Egyptian theater as the “Centerpiece Film” for the 16th annual ARPA International Film Festival on Friday, September 27, 2013 at 8:00pm. The film is nominated for three new awards at the festival, including “Best Feature”, “Best Director” and “Best Screenplay”.

“Abstraction” is an intense crime drama revolving around the heist of a half a million dollar painting. It is written and directed by Prince Bagdasarian and stars Academy Award® nominee Eric Roberts (Dark Knight, Expendables), Ken Davitian (Borat, The Artist), Hunter Ives, Korrina Rico (School Dance, In Time), Natalie Victoria (Deadheads), Richard Manriquez, and James Lewis (Gacy House).

Last month, “Abstraction” was nominated for ten awards at the Action on Film Festival, winning five of those awards, including “Excellence in Filmmaking in a Major Genre”, “Best Editing” and “Best Cinematography”. Earlier this month, “Abstraction” screened to a large theater audience at the sold out official Los Angeles premiere, where it was well received by industry professionals and moviegoers alike. This week, the film was also an “Opening Film” at the Big Bear Lake International Film Festival.

To purchase tickets to the Hollywood Egyptian Theater screening at the ARPA Film Festival, please visit: http://www.itsmyseat.com/events/256996.html For additional information about the film, please visit: http://www.abstractionfilm.com

Award-Winning Heist Film "Abstraction" Receives ARPA Nomination

Bishops’ Synod of the Armenian Apostolic Church Commences at Etchmiadzin

ETCHMIADZIN — On September 24, in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; and His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, presided over the opening of the Bishop’s Synod of the Armenian Church.

The four-day conference, the first of its kind held in nearly 600 years, brought together more than 60 archbishops and bishops from the church dioceses in Armenia and around the world. They are due to review theological issues and ancient rites at the meeting chaired by Catholicos Karekin II. They will also discuss the beatification of some 1.5 million Armenians who were massacred in Ottoman Turkey a hundred years ago in the Armenian Genocide.

President Serzh Sarkisian also attended and addressed the opening session of what he described as a “historic event.” He expressed hope that the Synod will give new impetus to the “realization of our national aspirations.”

“With the commencement of this meeting the Holy Armenian Apostolic Church is entering a new historic stage. It creates an opportunity to get answers to a number of questions of our religious and moral life, to reform and improve the Church’s activity in line with the modern challenges,” President Sarkisian said.

Following the President’s speech, His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians; His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of Cilicia; and His Eminence Archbishop Aram Ateshyan, Patriarchal Vicar of Constantinople, gave their opening remarks.

Bishops’ Synod of the Armenian Apostolic Church Commences at Etchmiadzin

New Medical Center Opens in Stepanakert

STEPANAKERT — On 24 September President of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic Bako Sahakyan participated in a solemn ceremony of opening the new complex of the Republican Medical Center in Stepanakert, Central Information Department of the Office of the NKR President reported.

According to Bako Sahakyan, the work of the state’s central medical institution will give a qualitatively new impetus to the sphere of healthcare development in Artsakh, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of various diseases.

Bako Sahakyan expressed gratitude to national philanthropist Samvel Karapetyan for constructing a new complex of the Republican Medical Center, stressing that it was the best manifestation of patriotism and devotion to the native people.

NKR second President Arkady Ghoukasyan, RA National Assembly speaker Hovik Abrahamyan, First Lady of Armenia Rita Sargsyan, Primate of the Artsakh diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church Archbishop Pargev Martirosyan, speaker of the NKR National Assembly Ashot Ghoulyan, Prime Minister Ara Haroutyunyan, member of the British Parliament’s House of Lords Baroness Caroline Cox, officials from Artsakh and Armenia, numerous guests from abroad partook in the solemn ceremony,

New Medical Center Opens in Stepanakert

Funds Raised in Los Angeles to be Used for Reconstruction of Kindergarten in Dalar Village

LOS ANGELES — On the initiative of Los Angeles-based “the Armenian-American Orphans and Disabled Children Christmas Fund” charity organization the 14th annual telethon fundraiser will launch on September 29. The total funds raised will be directed at the reconstruction of the kindergarten in Dalar village of the Ararat province. In a conversation with “Armenpress” the Director of the “Armenian Philharmonic Centre”, coordinator of the Armenian-American charity foundation Laert Movsisyan stated that due to the efforts of the foundation the construction works launched in the kindergarten of the Dalar village in the Ararat province.

Previously, on the initiative of “the Armenian-American Orphans and Disabled Children Christmas Fund” charity organization a row of Christmas celebrations was held in Aram Khachaturyan Concert Hall on January 3, 2013. About ten thousand children from a number of Armenian orphanages and other institutions took part the upcoming event

Funds Raised in Los Angeles to be Used for Reconstruction of Kindergarten in Dalar Village

President Sarkisian Criticizes Turkic Allies Over Pro-Azeri Statements

SOCHI — President Serzh Sarkisian on Monday publicly criticized Central Asian states nominally allied to Armenia through a Russian-led defense pact for endorsing Azerbaijan’s position on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Sarkisian appeared to point the finger at Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan during a summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) held in the Russian Black Sea city of Sochi.

“In recent years there have been official documents, including at the presidential level, which at the behest of the Azerbaijani side selectively single out the principle of territorial integrity to the detriment of other principles,” he told the fellow heads of state from the two Central Asian states as well as Russia, Belarus and Tajikistan.

He argued that the United States, Russia and France — the three mediating powers — believe that the Karabakh conflict must be resolved also on the basis of the principles of people’s self-determination and non-use of force.

“Naturally, many countries have their own interests connected with Azerbaijan,” continued Sarkisian. “But we cannot agree when those relations lead to the adoption of documents directed against the interests of CSTO member states and the image of the organization as a whole.”

“This issue is especially pressing against the background of the Armenophobic rhetoric of Azerbaijan’s president and constant threats to use force against Nagorno-Karabakh’s civilian population,” he said in televised remarks.

As recently as on August 16, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and his Kyrgyz counterpart Almazbek Atambayev backed a Karabakh settlement “within Azerbaijan’s internationally recognized borders” in a joint declaration adopted at a summit of Turkic-speaking states in the Azerbaijani city of Gabala.

The two Central Asian states as well as Tajikistan previously signed even more pro-Azerbaijani statements by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The grouping of more than 50 predominantly Muslim states has repeatedly condemned Armenian “aggression” against Azerbaijan.

The foreign ministers of OIC member states issued one such declaration at a meeting held in New York in September 2012. The meeting chaired by Kazakh Foreign Minister Yerzhan Kazykhanov said the Karabakh dispute should be settled “on the basis of respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of the internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan.”

Armenian leaders protested against the CSTO member states’ endorsement of such statements even before the CSTO summit in Sochi. Sarkisian said on Monday that they are acting against “the spirit of decisions” made by the Russian-led military alliance. He cited a December 2012 declaration by the CSTO heads of state that backed application of the principles of both territorial integrity and self-determination to the unresolved conflict.

President Sarkisian Criticizes Turkic Allies Over Pro-Azeri Statements

Armenia Celebrates 22nd Anniversary of Indipendence with Offical Events and Street Protests

YEREVAN — Armenia celebrated the 22nd anniversary of Independence on September 21 with pompous official events and street marches calling for real independence and protesting the decision of President Serzh Sarkisian to join the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.

In his congratulatory message on the occasion of Independence Day President Sarkisian said that independence is an intrinsic value. Yet, he did not say a single word about the decision to join the Russia-led Customs Union. He just said that one should not underestimate or overestimate their strength.

Armenia’s national independence is not at risk he insisted. “We live in a free country and can make anything a subject of discussion. But there is one thing that cannot change in any situation: the sovereignty of the Republic of Armenia,” Sarkisian said in a speech at an official reception held on the occasion.

“It’s a dream come true and an obligation that always accompanies us,” he declared. “It’s a holiday that we inherited with the blood of our heroes and an obligation that we must pass on to our grandchildren.”

The remarks appeared to be an attempt to allay fears raised in Armenian opposition and civic circles by Sarkisian’s September 3 pledge to make Armenia part of the customs union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, which Moscow wants to turn into a more tightly-knit Eurasian Union. Kremlin critics view the idea as an attempt to recreate the former Soviet Union. Hence, accusations in Armenia that Sarkisian put national independence at risk with his last-minute U-turn.

World leaders have sent congratulatory messages on the occasion of the 22nd anniversary of Independence Day; among them were the presidents of Russia, France, Germany, Turkey, Mexico, China, Ukraine, Belarus; Queen Elizabeth II of England, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, in particular, expressed confidence that with the joint efforts the two states will ensure further strengthening of the entire range of bilateral relations, “also in the context of Armenia’s accession to the Customs Union, which reflects the fundamental interests of the two brotherly countries”.

Thousands March to “Reclaim” Armenia’s Independence

A few thousand marchers took to the street in Yerevan in a civic initiative to “reclaim” Armenia’s independence and to voice their opposition to Sarkisian’s recent announcement that the country intends to join the Russian-led Customs Union.

March organizers had released a statement arguing that Sarkisian does not speak in the name of the people and that Armenia should not join any outside union that threatens its sovereignty.

The marchers, from various political affiliations and stripes, assembled in Yerevan’s Liberty Square and then made their way down Northern Boulevard to Republic Square.

As the ranks of the marchers swelled, they took over one half of Amiryan Street despite the best efforts of the police to confine the protestors to the sidewalk.

A number of minor scuffles broke out between the marchers and the cops along the protest route.

More police were called in to confine the marchers along one sidewalk of Mashots Avenue as the throng made its way towards Baghramyan Avenue and the Presidential Palace.

Special Unit Forces were stretched to the limit as the marchers, mainly young people, circumvented police barricades, reaching the intersection at the National Assembly.

There, a cordon of police formed a human chain and held back the protestors from advancing further.

In the meantime, a convoy of black SUV’s was seen leaving the Presidential Palace.

Once the convoy had fled the scene, the police opened the barricade, allowing protestors to assemble opposite the now empty Presidential Palace.

Armenia Celebrates 22nd Anniversary of Indipendence with Offical Events and Street Protests

Wiki Loves Monuments: Armenia 6th Amongst 53 Countries

More than 170,000 photos were uploaded to Wikimedia Commons in the first 22 days of the international photo contest Wiki Loves Monuments. Roughly 10,000 of these images are photos of Armenian monuments, which makes Armenia 6th in the race of 53 countries by number of photographs. Poland is leading with roughly 27,000 photos, Germany is second with 22,000 photos. The contest will continue until 30 September.

Up to now Armenia had 130 participants who photographed monuments and uploaded them to Wikimedia Commons. Arpine Andreasyan, one of the participants, says, it is such a pity that only a very little part of Armenian heritage can be found in the internet. “This is a great opportunity to improve that, to centre all these monuments in a place which gets a lot of attention”. Most of the photographs Arpine uploaded to Wikimedia Commons were from her photo archive. Arman Musikyan, another participant of the contest, started to travel all around the country especially for Wiki Loves Monuments. “I found that photographing monuments is like practicing a sport,” he says, “to get to a monument you often have to walk for hours, sometimes you need to climb a rock, like for instance the fortress Kayan in Haghpat”.

According to Arman, the contest is also like a sport because of the competition between the countries: each one of them tries to get more photos than the others. Arman himself already uploaded roughly 3,000 photos and he still makes trips all around Armenia and makes photos.

Armenian coordinators of Wiki Loves Monuments have organized photowalks in Yerevan, Goris, Shushi and Vanadzor to encourage and help everyone who would like to contribute to the contest. Participants of these events walk around their cities, make photos of monuments and upload to Wikimedia Commons. The last photowalk will take place on 29 September in Gyumri.

Only one week is left till the end of the contest. After that, in October, the winners of each country will be selected by a local jury. Then an international jury will select international winners of Wiki Loves Monuments. Vachagan Gratian, one of the Armenian organizers, informed that they have a budget of 1.7 million AMD for the awards, although they didn’t decide yet what prices are exactly going to be. The award for the international winner is on the other hand already known: a trip to the Wikimania conference in London.

“Wiki Loves Monuments” is the largest photo contest in the world. It takes place every year on 1-30 September. Armenia joined the contest for the first time this year. Organizer of the contest in Armenia is Wikimedia Armenia. General sponspor is “Ucom”. The awards funds is provided by Wikimedia Foundation.

Wiki Loves Monuments: Armenia 6th Amongst 53 Countries

Hollywood Director Richard Sarafian Dies at 83

LOS ANGELES — Famous director Richard Sarafian died Wednesday night at age 83 in Southern California.

Sarafian was best known for his film Vanishing Point, a story about an auto pursuit through the Nevada desert involving a Vietnam veteran and his drug dealer.

He directed numerous films and, earlier in his career, TV shows that included episodes of “Gunsmoke,” “The Twilight Zone” and “Batman.” He also acted, appearing as hitman Vinnie in the Warren Beatty satire “Bulworth” and gangster Jack Dragna in Beatty’s “Bugsy.”

In “Dr. Doolittle 2,” he did a comic turn as the voice of the God Beaver, a don of the dam who ran the forest like a Corleone with buck teeth.

The Associated Press reports that Sarafian died at a Santa Monica hospital on Wednesday after suffering from pneumonia. He contracted it while recovering from a fall.

“I had absolutely no idea that this thing would survive all these years,” Sarafian said about the 1971 hit film.

Born April 28, 1930, in New York City, Richard Caspar Sarafian was the son of Armenian immigrants. He attended New York University but “was a rotten student, drinking and carousing,” he told the Armenian Reporter in 2008. “To make life easier, I took a two-point course in writing and directing pictures. I got an A!”

Sarafian was married to Helen Joan Altman who died two years ago, after divorcing Sarafian and later remarrying him.

Sarafian is survived by five children, sons Deren, Damon, Richard Jr., Tedi, and his daughter Catherine, all of whom work in the film industry.

Sarafian was an iconic influence on film and was remembered by directors like Quentin Tarantino.

Hollywood Director Richard Sarafian Dies at 83

Rep. Schiff Statement on Armenian Independence Day

WASHINGTON DC – Today, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) released the following statement on the 22^nd anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Armenia:

“I am so pleased to join with the vibrant Armenian community that I represent and proudly say ‘Oorakh Angakhootyan Or,’ as we recognize the 22^nd anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Armenia.

“The road to independence has not been easy, but time has proven that Armenians are survivors in the truest sense of the word—survivors of foreign domination and survivors of the first genocide of the 20^th century. Armenian-Americans continue to illustrate what a valuable asset they are to our society, breaking new ground socially, economically and politically across the nation, and enriching our customs, traditions and quality of life.

“Over the years, I have been privileged to work hand in hand with many individuals in the Armenian community on a wide variety of issues that concern the Armenian community, such as securing aid for Armenia and Artsakh, supporting self-determination for the people of Artsakh, and ending the U.S. government’s tragic failure to recognize the Armenian Genocide.

“As a friend to the Armenian community, I am honored to join you in commemorating this important day and anniversary. Congratulations to the people of Armenia, to Armenians in America, and to all Armenians around the world.”

Rep. Schiff Statement on Armenian Independence Day

Armenian Opens Embassy in Vatican

VATICAN CITY — Rome’s Palazzo della Cancelleria hosted a reception dedicated to the opening of the Armenian Embassy at the Holy See, the 22nd anniversary of Armenia’s independence and the launching of the “St. Gregory the Illuminator: Common Christian Heritage” exhibition.

The reception hosted by the Armenian Ambassador to the Vatican featured Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, the Prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches, Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, Secretary for Relations with States, clergymen of the Armenian Apostolic Church, representatives of the Armenian Catholic Church, high-ranking clergy from the Holy See, Armenian and Italian MPs, Ambassadors accredited to the Vatican, heads of European and Italian NGOs, businessmen, representatives of the Armenian community.

“This is a symbolic day, as Armenia – the first nation to adopt Christianity as state religion – is opening a diplomatic representation in the Holy See,” Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said in his opening remarks.

“Our cooperation has deep historic roots. Christian belief has served as a basis for these special ties,” Minister Nalbandian said, adding that prominent figures like St. Nerses Shnorhali, Mkhitar Sebastatsi and others have contributed to the development of these relations.

The Minister said Armenia highly appreciates the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the Holy See in 2000 and its reconfirmation in 2001.

“Opening of the Armenian Embassy is an evidence of the high level of friendly relations between Armenia and Vatican, but also an expression of the will of the two countries to further deepen these relations,” the Foreign Minister said.

Armenian Opens Embassy in Vatican

War Veteran Arrested After Anti-Government Protests

YEREVAN — A retired senior Armenian army officer who has organized non-stop demonstrations by fellow veterans of the Nagorno-Karabakh war in recent months was arrested on suspicion of fraud on Friday.

The Defense Ministry’s Investigative Service said that Colonel Volodya Avetisian “embezzled” $2,000 from another man with a false promise to have his grandson exempted from compulsory military service. It gave no details, saying that a criminal investigation is underway.

Avetisian has risen to prominence after staging a lone protest in Yerevan’s Liberty Square in May to demand a sizable increase in modest pensions paid to the war veterans. Dozens of veterans joined his campaign, gathering there on an almost daily basis since then.

They have repeatedly marched to the Prime Minister’s Office and other government buildings to press their charges. The protesters led by Avetisian have also attracted hundreds of people to weekly demonstrations held by them in the square over the past month.

Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian and senior Defense Ministry officials have repeatedly met with the protesters to discuss ways of alleviating their plight. Earlier this month Avetisian reported major progress in their discussions.

Some two dozen veterans gathered in Liberty Square on Friday morning to express serious concern about his detention. They rejected the fraud allegations against their leader as a fabrication, saying that the authorities are trying to stifle their movement.

War Veteran Arrested After Anti-Government Protests

Armenia Raises $700 Million In Debut Eurobond Issue

YEREVAN — The Armenian government has raised $700 million from its first-ever sale of Eurobonds on international markets which will further increase the country’s debt burden.

The Finance Ministry said on Friday that the 7-year bonds were sold through Deutsche Bank, HSBC and J.P. Morgan at a yield of 6 percent on Thursday.

A ministry statement portrayed the sale as a huge success, saying that investors were ready to buy as much as $3 billion worth of Armenian external bonds. It quoted Finance Minister Davit Sargsian as saying that the government capitalized on the continuing low cost of borrowing in the United States.

“The Wall Street Journal” also spoke of “strong investor demand” for Armenia’s debut Eurobond issue in a report on the landmark development. “The country used the revived demand for emerging-market assets to sell its debut bond deal,” it said.

Plans for the external commercial borrowing were first announced by Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian in May. He did not clarify how the government intends to use proceeds from the Eurobond sale.

Other Armenian officials have also shed little light on this question since then. Finance Minister Sargsian on Friday said only that the government wants to “diversify the country’s financial sources.”

Reports in the Armenian press have said that the key purpose of the Eurobond issue is to repay a $500 million loan that was allocated to Armenia by Russia in June 2009. The authorities in Yerevan were supposed to use the credit, repayable in 15 years, for alleviating severe consequences of a global economic crisis for the Armenian economy.

The Russians set a 4-year grace period for the loan, meaning that the Armenian side should start repaying it in the second half of this year. There have been no indications that they could reschedule the repayment as a result of Yerevan’s recent decision to join a Russian-led customs union.

The Eurobond sale might also be connected with the recent completion of the International Monetary Fund’s $400 million lending program for Armenia launched in 2010. The cheaper IMF loans have been used for financing Armenian budget deficits and shoring up the country’s hard currency reserves.

A senior IMF official told RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am) in June that Armenia is no longer viewed by the fund as a low-income country and is therefore likely to receive fresh loans on less favorable terms.

“A shift from multilateral credit facilities to international markets may increase investor confidence,” the Economist Intelligence Unit wrote following Prime Minister Sarkisian’s May announcement. The London-based think-tank said this could help Armenian private companies sell their corporate bonds abroad at more favorable rates.

The Eurobond sale also means a considerable increase in Armenia’s foreign debt, which stood at roughly $3.6 billion until now, having more than doubled since 2008.

Armenia Raises $700 Million In Debut Eurobond Issue

Ahead of the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide: Pan-Armenian forum in Yerean

YEREVAN — The Pan-Armenian Forum of Representatives of Organizations Raising Awareness about Armenian Issues entitled “Ahead of the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide” kicked off in Yerevan on September 19th. The forum is organized by the RA Ministry of Diaspora.

During the forum, the participants discussed the activities of the regional committees established in the Diaspora ahead of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and the representatives of organizations raising awareness about Armenian issues, as well as the current objectives of Armenia’s foreign policy.

Members of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the RA National Assembly and leaders of parliamentary delegations within international organizations participated in a discussion on “Key Issues of Popular Diplomacy” moderated by Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan.

The discussions continued at the RA Ministry of Defense where the participants discussed issues related to Armenia’s defense with Minister Seyran Ohanyan and the high-ranking commanders of the ministry.

The first day of the forum ended with a discussion on the development of Armenia-Diaspora partnership at the RA Ministry of Diaspora.

The forum is being held in Yerevan on 19-21 September with the participation of nearly 50 representatives of organizations raising awareness about Armenian issues from Armenia, Artsakh and the Diaspora.

Ahead of the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide: Pan-Armenian forum in Yerean

Ankara Terrified that Cairo Could Recognize the Armenian Genocide, Egyptian Journalists Say

YEREVAN — The Armenian community of Egypt is safe and secure, Egyptian journalists assured their Armenian counterparts at a press conference today. What’s happening in Egypt today is a revolution, not a coup, they said.

Although the relations between Armenia and Egypt are historic and friendly, many Egyptians are unaware of the Armenian Genocide.

“The Genocide issue was first raised after June 30, when tension escalated in the relations between Turkey and Egypt and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan started to interfere in Egypt’s internal affairs,” journalist Mohammed Mansur said.

According to him, after this many reporters in Egypt believe it’s necessary to reinforce the ties with Armenia and provide more information about the Armenian Genocide.

“Before the government of Egypt will recognize the Armenian Genocide, the public should be informed about this tragedy,” Mansur noted. He informed that many lawyers in Egypt have already applied to the authorities with a request to recognize the Armenian Genocide.

Alaa El Din said, in turn, that Turkey is terrified that Egypt could recognize the Armenian Genocide. According to him, “when Erdogan exceeded all limits, Egypt hinted it might recognize the Genocide. The authorities realize that the Genocide should be officially acknowledged in response to Erdogan’s policy,” the Egyptian journalist said.

Hazem el Mallah noted that Armenia and Egypt have enjoyed high-level diplomatic relations since 1991 and added that the Egyptian people are getting to know more about the Armenian Genocide. He stressed that pressures have increased on the government to acknowledge the Genocide.

Touching upon the Karabakh issue, Hazem el Mallah said Egypt will address the issue after domestic stability is restored. He added, however, that the official position of Egypt is that the conflict should be solved exceptionally in a peaceful way on the basis of international law.

The international studies expert did not agree with the opinion of a journalist that the Muslim states mainly assist Azerbaijan in the NKR conflict issue, “the Karabakh issue is not a religious one, and wrong is the opinion that the Muslim countries have an anti-Armenian position on this” he stated.

The Armenians have settled in Egypt since the ancient times and have actively participated in the social and political life of the country. About 9000 Armenians currently live in Egypt, mainly inhabiting in Alexandria and Cairo. The first Armenian school in Cairo was established in 1828 and in Alexandria – in 1851. In 1917 the number of the Armenian schools reached 11, where about 1600 pupils learnt. From the mid 19th century periodicals have been published and publishing houses have been established there. Egypt’s first Foreign Minister and Prime Minister were Armenians.

Ankara Terrified that Cairo Could Recognize the Armenian Genocide, Egyptian Journalists Say

Armenian Government Approves Customs Union Accession Project

YEREVAN — The government of Armenia announced on Thursday the official start of preparations for Armenia’s accession to the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.

Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian’s cabinet approved a plan of corresponding actions that are due to be taken by October 10.

Deputy Economy Minister Karine Minasian, who submitted the timetable at a cabinet session, said Sarkisian set up on Wednesday seven “working groups” tasked with formulating Armenia’s position in the upcoming accession talks with the Russian-led union. Minasian told reporters that one of them will look into customs duties applied by the union’s three member states and their compatibility with the Armenian trade tariffs.

The government moves came two weeks after President Serzh Sarkisian unexpectedly pledged to make Armenia part of the trade bloc in a joint statement with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that was issued after their talks held near Moscow. Sarkisian also promised to “participate in the formation of the Eurasian Economic Union” of ex-Soviet states.

Armenian officials have said that the accession process will take months and require changes in dozens of Armenian laws and regulations.

Armenian Government Approves Customs Union Accession Project

Aliyev Defends Ax-Killer’s Pardon, Blasts ‘Armenian Fascism’

BAKU — Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev has strongly defended his controversial decision to free, promote and reward an Azerbaijani army officer who hacked to death a sleeping Armenian colleague in Hungary in 2004.

In a speech delivered on Wednesday and reported by Azerbaijani news agencies the following day, Aliyev also alleged that “fascism” has been the dominant Armenian national ideology over the past century.

“I remember how many unfounded accusations and attacks I faced from hypocritical foreign politicians after the liberation and return to the homeland of the Azerbaijani officer Ramil Safarov,” he said. “The European Parliament even adopted a resolution on this issue and condemned my steps.”

“But I will repeat with the same determination that Azerbaijan freed its officer, returned him to the homeland and restored justice,” he declared.

Safarov was sentenced by a Hungarian court to life imprisonment for axe-murdering Armenian Lieutenant Gurgen Markarian during a NATO course in Budapest. Aliyev pardoned Safarov immediately after the Hungarian authorities unexpectedly extradited him to Azerbaijan in August last year. The officer was also promoted to the rank of army major, granted a free apartment and paid eight years’ worth of back pay.

Safarov’s glorification provoked a furious reaction from Armenia and strong Western criticism.

Aliyev, who will almost certainly secure a third term in office in an upcoming presidential election, made the remarks as he inaugurated a memorial to the victims to what his regime says was genocide committed by Armenians in northern Azerbaijan in 1918. He said the atrocity was a vivid manifestation of “Armenian fascism.”

“Armenian fascism once again showed its face in the late 1980s and the early 1990s,” Aliyev said, referring to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

“The ideology of the modern Armenian state is also based on fascism,” he charged. “I believe that Armenian fascism should be researched by Azerbaijani scholars more thoroughly.”

In his speech Aliyev also pledged that, ” Azerbaijan will restore its territorial integrity. All the factors- comparison of powers, international and economic-military factors indicate it. Just it takes time and we want to achieve it soon. Azerbaijan’s state flag should be waved in Shusha, Khankendi and Azerbaijanis should live in their historical lands in the future. Our historical lands are Yerevan khanate, Goyce and Zangazur regions. There will be times; we will live in these lands. I believe it, I am sure. Everyone should put their efforts in order to achieve it. Everyone should bring this sacred day nearer via their activities”.

Aliyev Defends Ax-Killer’s Pardon, Blasts ‘Armenian Fascism’

Secretary of State John Kerry Congratulates Armenia on the Occasion of Independence Day

On behalf of President Obama and the American people, I extend my warmest wishes to the people of Armenia as you celebrate your Independence Day on September 21.

The United States and Armenia have a strong relationship based on historic ties and mutual respect. I am proud and grateful for the enduring friendship of many in the Armenian community. As someone who for three decades represented Massachusetts, which boasts one of the largest populations of Armenians outside of Armenia, I have special firsthand knowledge of the contributions that you have made to America’s culture, democracy and economic vitality.

Today our two countries are working together on a dynamic bilateral and regional agenda. Through forums such as the U.S.-Armenia Economic Task Force, we look forward to further strengthening the economic and commercial bonds between our peoples.

I wish all Armenians a joyful and prosperous Independence Day, with peace and happiness in the coming year.

John Kerry, Secretary of State

Washington, DC, September 19, 2013

Secretary of State John Kerry Congratulates Armenia on the Occasion of Independence Day

Diplomacy Key for Syria’s Religious Minorities

By Representative Adam B. Schiff

As Syria’s civil war continues to rage in the heart of the Levant, no population is more vulnerable than Syria’s religious minorities, including over a hundred thousand Armenians living in the country. Their safety is dependent on a negotiated end to the fighting, and is a central reason that I vigorously support efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the immediate crisis stemming from the horrific gas attack by government forces on August 21. In the United Nations process now underway, lies the hope that the United States and Russia can initiate talks to bring about an end to the wider war.

From the beginning of the Syrian civil war, I have been monitoring closely the impact of the fighting and the disintegration of Syrian society on the country’s Christian minority, which is one of the oldest in the world. Armenian Christians, many of whose grandparents and great-grandparents settled in Syria to escape the Armenian Genocide almost a century ago are in particular jeopardy – caught between a regime that has protected Christian communities but used the most appalling violence against its own people, and an opposition that is populated in part by Islamic extremists bent on annihilating religious minorities.

As my staff and I have worked to try to obtain immigration visas for the family members of constituents who are living through the horror of this war, I have come to understand in the most personal terms the anxiety that so many in the Armenian diaspora feel as the events unfold in Syria. I, too, fear what could happen if the Syrian regime collapses precipitously, and have recoiled at reports of rebel attacks on Christian villages. The prospect of American-supplied weapons falling into extremist hands, and then being used against Syrian Christians and later against the west, is at the heart of my steadfast and public opposition to providing lethal arms to the rebels.

I have also expressed grave concerns over America acting unilaterally against the Syrian regime in response to the recent grisly poison gas attack that left more than 1,400 Syrian civilians dead, including over 400 children. I know that the Armenian-American community shares these worries, as I have heard from many hundreds of you in recent days urging the President and Congress to refrain from military strikes designed to punish the Assad regime for its use of chemical weapons. The community has appealed for a diplomatic solution instead, and I support this effort unequivocally.

I am encouraged by the announcement of a framework diplomatic solution after three days of negotiation between Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, under which the Syrian regime would give a full accounting of its stockpiles of chemical weapons, and put them under international monitoring, to be followed by the destruction of these weapons in the first half of 2014. The framework, which is to be formalized in a U.N. Security Council resolution this week, will be difficult to implement in the middle of a war zone, but we must spare no effort in trying to accomplish the task. As I said in a recent meeting with Secretary Kerry, National Security Advisor Susan Rice, Secretary Chuck Hagel and General Martin Dempsey, only this path holds the promise of permanently placing these weapons out of use – something a military strike cannot accomplish.

The United States should use this new diplomatic channel to explore widening the negotiations to try to end the civil war and begin transition to a post-Assad government that would guarantee all of Syria’s people a chance at a better future. Both Secretary Kerry and his Russian counterpart have voiced hope that the current effort could act as a catalyst for broader peace talks.

Even as we work to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis, I remain focused on the humanitarian catastrophe that has engulfed Syria – with more than 2 million refugees having fled the country and millions more internally displaced. As a member of the Appropriations committee that funds our international affairs budget, I have been pushing for greater humanitarian support of Syria’s civilians. I also spearheaded a bipartisan request to the Secretary of Homeland Security joined by over seventy of my House colleagues on behalf of the families of thousands of Syrian refugees who live here in the United States urging that these refugees be granted humanitarian parole so that they can be reunited with their loved ones in the U.S. These refugees already have approved immigration petitions and should be immediately reunited with their families, many of whom live in our community.

During this crisis, the feedback from my Armenian constituents – many of whom have lived in the region and have family there now – has been invaluable in forming a complete understanding of the horrors of the conflict and the challenges to ending it. As I continue to work with Administration officials to address the security, diplomatic, and humanitarian aspects of this crisis, I will be ever mindful of the perilous state of Syria’s Christians and their safety will remain a paramount concern.

Representative Adam Schiff represents California’s 28th District in the U.S. House of Representatives, and serves on the House Intelligence Committee and Appropriations Committees.

Diplomacy Key for Syria’s Religious Minorities

Chief Prosecutor Resigns After Long Tenure

YEREVAN — Aghvan Hovsepian, Armenia’s influential prosecutor-general, resigned on Friday after 15 years in office that have been marked by allegations of serious human rights violations made by opposition and civic groups.

Hovsepian, 60, was relieved of his duties after President Serzh Sarkisian did not appoint him for another five-year term.

Hovsepian’s resignation has been anticipated by some observers since Sarkisian publicly and harshly criticized the Special Investigative Service (SIS), a law-enforcement body subordinate to prosecutors, earlier this year. Andranik Mirzoyan, the SIS chief close to Hovsepian, was sacked as a result.

Sarkisian met Hovsepian and thanked him for his long tenure on Thursday. The president expressed hope that his work experience will remain of use to Armenian law-enforcement authorities . He has yet to announce who will replace the chief prosecutor.

Hovsepian declined to speculate about his likely successor as he spoke to journalists at a farewell ceremony held outside the Office of the Prosecutor-General and attended by its employees. He was also coy about the possibility of remaining in the state apparatus in a different capacity. “We will still work together,” he said without elaborating.

Hovsepian was first named prosecutor-general shortly after former President Robert Kocharian took office in 1998. He has since been one of the country’s most powerful state officials. He has influenced political processes through his Nig-Aparan organization uniting prominent natives of a district in central Armenia.

Hovsepian has also played a key role in government crackdowns on the opposition, notably the deadly suppression of 2008 post-election protests in Yerevan. Dozens of opposition members and supporters were jailed on highly controversial charges at the time.

Hovsepian infamously declared that former President Levon Ter-Petrosian, the main opposition candidate in the February 2008 presidential election, resorted to a mass hypnosis Armenia’s population to muster popular support for regime change. His theory about opposition recourse to the so-called “neuro-linguistic programming” (NLP) was part of a coup case brought by the Armenian authorities’ in the wake of the disputed ballot.

Armenian prosecutors have also faced allegations of corruption and gross violations of the due process from local and international human rights groups. Armenian courts rarely make decisions going against prosecutors’ wishes.

Hovsepian strongly defended his track record on Friday, saying that “reforms” implemented by his agency have strengthened justice in the country. He also hinted at his continued involvement in the political life.

“I will continue my public activities more vigorously because unfortunately there are many people in our society who spew venom,” Hovsepian said. “Their number is growing day by day. What I have been doing is simply an antidote against the poisoning of our society.”

Chief Prosecutor Resigns After Long Tenure

Harutyun Khachatryan Awarded Posthumously by Raoul Wallenberg Foundation for Helping Jews In Nazi Concentration Camp

YEREVAN — Armenian Harutyun Khachatryan, who was honored in the Yad Vashem Holocaust History Museum in Jerusalem as a Righteous Among the Nations, was posthumously awarded by the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation. The award on his behalf was received by his family.

Khachatryan, a military doctor with the Soviet Red Army, was taken prisoner during World War II. In the concentration camp where he was kept by the Nazis he helped many Jews as a physician.

In a moving ceremony that took place at the Presidencial Palace in Yerevan, Armenia, the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation (IRWF) bestowed the Raoul Wallenberg Centennial Medal to Armenian Holocaust Rescuer, Dr. Harutyun Khachatryan. The medal was presented to Anna Khachatrian, on behalf of her grandfather, by Baruch Tenembaum, founder of the IRWF and Artiom Chernamoryan, a prominent IRWF volunteer.

Dr. Kachatryan (right), Josef Kogan (middle).

“For the last two years, our organization is led by my good friend, Mr Eduardo Eurnekian, a prominent Argentinean entrepreneur of Armenian descent. We feel blessed to have him on board because he has instilled in us what I would define as “the Armenian spirit”. A combination of the highest values of human solidarity and relentless initiative, which are so typical to the Armenian people.” said Tenembaum.

“The Wallenberg Foundation will continue its relentless work with the aim of discovering the awe-inspiring stories of more Armenian rescuers. We are honored and proud to bestow the Raoul Wallenberg Centennial Medal to President Sergh Sargsyan, who as head of state of the Republic of Armenia stands here representing all the Armenian heroes those who were already recognized, and those who are still anonymous.”, said Danny Rainer, IRWF Vicepresident.

Harutyun Kachatryan was born on April 5, 1915 in Karakhan-Beklu village of Nakhidjevan. He moved to Yerevan in 1934 and pursued his medical studies a the Yerevan State Medical Institute. He joined the Soviet Army as a physician in 1939. In August 1941 he was captured by the Nazis and taken prisoner near the city of Velikie Luki. In this prisoner camp, serving as a physician he met and treated a wounded Jewish inmate, Josef Kogan, saving his life.

Khachatryan returned to Armenia in 1946 and worked from 1946-49 as a chief physician at Ashtarak Regional Hospital. He was sentenced to death in 1949, having been accused of betraying his homeland. The sentence was later changed to 25 years in prison. From 1949 to 1956, he served his sentence in in Norilsk, Siberia. He was released in 1956 and restored to his position in 1960.

He worked as a doctor at the Yerevan N17 policlinic from 1956 to 1984. In 1983 he had a long-awaited reunion with his military colleagues and friends.

A letter that Josef Moses Kogan sent to the State Security Committee of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics reveals how this Armenian hero, Dr. Harutyun Khachatryan, saved the life of Mr. Kogan. Kogan tells the whole story in this letter describing how many times the Armenians, and Dr. Khachatryan in particular, saved his life. Kogan was captured by the Germans near the city of Velikie Luki at the end of August, 1941, wounded in the right leg and unconsious, and was moved to the concentration camp of the same name.

Dr. Harutyun Khachatryan treated him and he was able to walk again, but later the Jewish war prisoner became infected with spotted typhus. In spite of quarantine and an order not to communicate with dying patients, Khachatryan continued to visit him, bringing food and medication.

Seated on the right, Dr. Harutyun Khachatryan, Josef Kogan and their military friends. Family archive, Yerevan 1983

The war prisoners were regularly transported to various concentration camps; from Velikie Luki to Polotsk, from Polotsk to Borisovo, from Borisovo to Beniaminovo (Poland). Beniaminovo was not the only place in Poland where there were Soviet war prisoners; they were transported from Beniaminovo to Demblin, from Demblin to Pulavi.

For the past two years, the IRWF has been actively searching for Armenian rescuers and that is how the famous Armenian singer, Anna Kachatryan, contacted Mr. Artiom Chernamorian, a volunteer of the IRWF and provided him with historical information about the feats of his late grandfather – Dr. Harutyun Kachatryan

For his protection, Dr. Khachatryan had arranged for Josef Kogan to stay with Armenian prisoners and go by the name of Michael Markosyan (Misha Markosyan). However, an unknown person betrayed him to the Commanders of the Borisovo camp.

In his book entitled “Missing people,” journalist Michael Hakobyan describes an episode when an Armenian war prisoner (later the Commander of the first Soviet Partisan Detachment of France,) Alexandr Ghazaryan, was called to the headquarters of the Borisovo camp by the Nazis with Markosyan (Kogan) as interpreter. Ghazaryan was interrogated under suspicion that he was a Jew. Then the Armenian was released, followed by Markosyan.

Later Kogan wrote in a letter: “In the concentration camp of the city of Pulavi, an unknown person spread rumors about my background and the Germans formed a medical committee to determine my nationality. It seemed inevitable that I would be sentenced to death, but, at the last moment, just before I was to present myself to the Nazi doctors, the only non-German doctor of this Committee managed to get out of the room by risking his life and stopped me in the corridor, and informed me that someone had betrayed me”.

Through the efforts of the Armenian war prisoners who had founded Anti-fascist Underground Patriotic Organization in the Beniaminovo camp in 1942, Kogan was able to hide and the same night his escape was arranged.

More than 17 years later, through a letter from Lieutenant Colonel Alexandr Ghazaryan, he found out that again, because of betrayal, the Armenians who had arranged his escape appeared had been held prisoner in the same fascist concentration camp.

One of the founding members of the anti-fascist Underground Patriotic Organization, Vahan Vardanyan, described in detail his memories the escape of Kogan: “Before the medical committee, we decided to arrange his escape during one of our organization meetings. We gave him a weapon and bullets. He managed to jump over the wall and run away. The Germans found out everything the next day, most likely through the same informer. Stephan Yaghdjyan was exonerated and we, the ten remaining, were judged as German militaries. We were considered to be Vermacht soldiers. We were sentenced to various years of imprisonment; I have forgotten exactly how many. Karapetyan sentenced to be executed for a supposed connection with the partisans.

Doctor Harutyun Khachatryan died on November 23, 1985 at the age of 70. As for Kogan, nothing further is known of him following Khachatryan s death.

Harutyun Khachatryan Awarded Posthumously by Raoul Wallenberg Foundation for Helping Jews In Nazi Concentration Camp

Glendale Central Library to Host the Forgotten Heroes: The Armenian Legion and World War I Exhibit on October 4-19, 2013

GLENDALE — Professor Vahram Shemmassian to lecture on The Armenian Legion and World War I on the opening day of the exhibition on Friday, October 4, 2013, at 7pm at the Glendale Central Library Auditorium, 222 East Harvard Street in Glendale. The traveling exhibit was created by the Armenian Museum of America and has been shown around the country, most recently at the French Cultural Center of Boston. The exhibition will be held on the first floor of Central library and will run until October 19, 2013.

Prof. Vahram Shemmassian is the Director of the Armenian Studies Program in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures at the California State University, Northridge. He has received awards of appreciation from the Knights of Vartan and the Mousaler Association of California, as well as a certificate of recognition from the California State Assembly. In the summer of 2010 the Ministry of Diaspora of the Republic of Armenia awarded Dr. Shemmassian the William Saroyan Medal for his contributions to the promotion and preservation of Armenian culture in the Diaspora.

Légion Arménienne The Armenian Legion was formed during the darkest days of World War I, when the Allies (France, England, and Russia) were deadlocked in a military stalemate on both the European and Middle Eastern fronts against the combined forces of Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire. Leaders of the Armenian Diaspora were determined to raise a volunteer fighting force to support the Allies. The brave men who volunteered to risk their lives in a struggle for their people’s political and human rights ultimately failed in their quest. Betrayed by the Allies, the Armenians were unable to achieve any redress for their tremendous losses of life and property. Yet the brave and dedicated Armenian Legionnaires join the ranks of those who, throughout history, have struggled to advance the cause of justice and freedom.

Armenian Museum of America (a division of the Armenian Library and Museum of America, ALMA), is the largest Armenian museum in the Diaspora and is funded solely through contributions of individuals and foundations. Located in Watertown, MA., it is a major repository for a vast array of artifacts and publications that illustrate the heritage and creative achievements of the Armenian people over the centuries.

The program is organized by the Glendale Library Arts & Culture and the Armenian Studies Program, California State University of Northridge and is cosponsored by the United Armenian Council of Los Angeles and the Armenian Museum of America. The exhibit has been made possible by the generosity of Aurora Adajian Lehmann and the Honorable Jacob Adajian in fond memory of their legionnaire father, Serop Adajian of Kheder Beg, Musa Dagh.

Admission is free; seating is limited. Library visitors receive 3 hours FREE parking across the street at The Market Place parking structure with validation at the Loan Desk.

Glendale Central Library to Host the Forgotten Heroes: The Armenian Legion and World War I Exhibit on October 4-19, 2013

“Historic Armenia II-Armenian Cilicia” a Presentation by Barlow Der Mugrdechian

FRESNO — Armenian Studies Program Director Barlow Der Mugrdechian, will give an illustrated presentation on “Historic Armenia II-Armenian Cilicia” at 7:30 PM on Friday, September 27, 2013, in the University Business Center, Alice Peters Auditorium, Room 191, on the Fresno State campus.

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

Der Mugrdechian traveled to historic Armenia for the first time in the summer of 2012. This summer he visited Armenian Cilicia, and will present his impressions on the Armenian churches and sites in the area. He also visited the two functioning churches in Vakif (Musa Dagh) and in Iskenderun and will discuss the Armenian communities there.

Der Mugrdechian will also present information about some of the remaining Armenian fortresses of Armenian Cilicia, such as at Sis and at Anavarza, as well as the monastic complex at Hromkla.

Barlow Der Mugrdechian has been teaching for twenty-nine years in the Armenian Studies Program at Fresno State. He has been a frequent traveler to Armenia, leading student study groups. He teaches Armenian language, history, art, and culture courses at Fresno State.

The lecture is free and open to the public.

Free parking is available after 6:30PM 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.

“Historic Armenia II-Armenian Cilicia” a Presentation by Barlow Der Mugrdechian

Columbia University to Host Professor Balakian’s Talk on Traveling to Turkey

Professor Peter Balakian will deliver a talk titled, “Terror and Taboo: Going to Turkey,” on Wednesday evening, September 25, 2013 at Columbia University’s Faculty House.

Hosted by the University Seminar on Cultural Memory, Professor Balakian, who is the Rebar Professor of the Humanities at Colgate University and the Visiting Ordjanian Professor of Armenian Studies at Columbia University, will discuss the complications and difficulties of returning to the place of his father’s birth and his family origin, Istanbul, which was Constantinople when his family left as refugees of the Armenian Genocide in 1922.

“In my family, the Armenian past in Turkey was a fraught and repressed issue,” said Balakian, the author of Black Dog of Fate and The Burning Tigris: The Armenian Genocide and America’s Response. “The word Turkey evoked a haunted place. How does one approach this lost place with this weight of history?”

In the decades following the Armenian Genocide, where 1.5 million Armenians perished at the hands of the Young Turk government of the Ottoman Empire, the Turkish government has actively pursued a worldwide campaign to deny the massacres of 1915. As a poet, memoirist and scholar, Balakian’s work has immersed him into the history of the genocide and its aftermath.

“Peter Balakian is one of the foremost writers on the memory and transmission of the Armenian genocide to younger generations,” said Marianne Hirsch, co-director of the University Seminar on Cultural Memory, which hosts discussions of return and discovery of memory on sites of past atrocity. “We are eager to hear how his first visit to Turkey and his confrontation with the history of his ancestors has inflected his inherited memories of the Armenian Genocide.”

Professor Balakian’s talk, “Terror and Taboo: Going to Turkey,” will take place on Wednesday, September 25, 2013 from 6 pm -9 pm at the Faculty House, located at 64 Morningside Drive in New York. This event is free and open to the public.

-Taleen Babayan

Columbia University to Host Professor Balakian’s Talk on Traveling to Turkey

Book Review: "Keeping the Balance" by Rev. Dr. Vahan H. Tootikian

Reviewed by Philip Tavlian*

A leading pastor of the Great Lakes State has just published his 35th volume, a highly readable compendium of inspirational essays in the English and Armenian languages.

Reverend Doctor Vahan H. Tootikian – Emeritus Pastor of the Armenian Congregational Church of Greater Detroit – has prepared a bilingual work emphasizing “a balance between one’s personal salvation and the social implications of one’s religious experience.” As the author states in his preface, “[W]ithout faith a person’s good works are futile and without good

The English language portion of the volume comprises 31 articles divided into three sections – “Holidays and Observances,” “Views on Issues,” and “Armenian Issues.” The initial section includes thoughtful pieces relating to the Advent and Lenten Seasons as well as Independence Day in the American Republic.

“Views on Issues” surveys the underpinnings of the Christian faith, from the imperative of outreach to the friendship and nonconformity exemplified in the life of Jesus of Nazareth to the distinctions between Divine Knowledge and human wisdom. Essays dealing with the pilgrimage of life – storms, weaknesses, good and evil, love, rejection, prayer, and religious education – are of special benefit to 21st Century readers.

The section addressing Armenian issues eloquently examines theological diversity among Armenian Evangelicals, the 98th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, problems and solutions in the modern Republic of Armenia, the 2009 Armenia/Turkey Protocols, and the interdependence of Armenia and the Diaspora.

The Armenian-language portion of the volume is entitled, “Nertashnagootyun” (meaning “harmony”) and consists of ten articles dealing with religious and patriotic subjects. The author acknowledges that not “all Christians and all Armenians think alike, feel alike, worship alike or act alike.” He nevertheless urges that “in spite of their differences, they must united and create harmony, much like a choral group, with different voices blended together, creating beautiful music.”

“Balance” is the rich literary harvest of a gifted scholar whose five and one-half decades of Christian ministry have taken him from Beirut, Lebanon and Damascus, Syria to pulpits in Massachusetts and Michigan as well as to the classrooms of Harvard University, Andover Newtown Theological Seminary, and the University of Michigan.

Given recent tragic developments in the Near East and other points around the globe, the informed reader is well-advised to acquire this estimable volume and keep it within arm’s reach in the trying times ahead.

Inscribed copies may be ordered from the Armenian Heritage Committee, 3922 Yorba Linda Boulevard, Royal Oak, Michigan 48073-6455.

Keeping the Balance.

By Rev. Dr. Vahan H. Tootikian.

Royal Oak, Michigan: Armenian Heritage Committee, 2013. Pp. 160 ISBN 1-891583-15-8. $25 plus $3.25 shipping and handling.

* Philip Tavlian is a Member of the State Bar of California and a Past President of the Armenian Theological Students’ Aid, Inc., graduate financial aid organization of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in North America.

Book Review: "Keeping the Balance" by Rev. Dr. Vahan H. Tootikian

Davit Safaryan Wins Gold in Freestyle Wrestling World Championship

BUDAPEST — Armenian freestyle wrestler Davit Safaryan won gold medal in World Championship of Freestyle Wrestling, after beating Cuban Livan Lopez in the finals 3-1.

Bronze medals went to Russian Magomed Kurbanaliev and Mongolian Mandakhnaran Ganzorig.

In earlier rounds the European champion beat George Bucur (Romania), Rafal Statkiewicz (Poland), Magomed Kurbanaliev as well as Levan Gelegsashvili (Georgia) to reach the final stage.

Armenian freestyle wrestlers have not won medals at world championships since 2005.

Davit Safaryan Wins Gold in Freestyle Wrestling World Championship

SDHP Concluded its 20th General Congress

YEREVAN – The Social Democrat Hunchakian Party (SDHP) concluded its 20th General Congress on September 13 with a visit of the delegation representing 17 countries around the world to the Yerablur military cemetery located on a hilltop in the outskirts of Yerevan.

The conclusion of the Congress coincided with the 100th anniversary the historic 7th General Congress held in ConstanÅ£a, Romania, in 1913, where members stressed their concern of the Ittihad (Young Turk) government’s blatant disregard of Armenian lives and chose to act to defend the Armenian peoples by any means necessary, including the assassination of the leaders of the Ittihad (Young Turk) party, the same leaders that were planning the Genocide of the Armenian people. Unfortunately, these secret objectives were passed on to the Ottomans by an Armenian agent for the government; consequently as soon as the delegates arrived in Constantinople, they were arrested and subsequently 20 were hung a few weeks after the beginning of the Armenian Genocide on June 15, 1915.

Paying tribute to all those who lost their lives defending the Armenian nation, the newly elected SDHP Central Committee’s first official function was to lay a wreath at the Yerablur memorial.

SDHP Concluded its 20th General Congress

EU Sees No Association Accord With Armenia

The European Union will not finalize an Association Agreement with Armenia at an upcoming summit because of Yerevan’s last-minute decision to join a Russian-led customs union, EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele insisted on Friday.

Visiting Yerevan, Fuele effectively dismissed the Armenian government’s proposal to initial the agreement without its dominant component envisaging the creation of a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA).

“The Association Agreement is actually one agreement, one treaty. It’s not two treaties,” he told a joint news conference with Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian.

“They are two parts of one treaty that have been negotiated with our Armenian colleagues. There are clear links between those two parts; you can’t separate just one at the expense of the other,” he said after attending a meeting in Yerevan of senior official from six former Soviet republics involved in the EU’s Eastern Partnership program.

Fuele made clear that while the EU stands ready to continue developing ties with Armenia through a “new legal framework” he is “skeptical” about the Armenian side’s desire to work it out in time for the EU summit in Vilnius slated for November. The summit can only be used for “launching this process,” he said.

The Armenian government offered to finalize a significantly watered-down version of the accord after President Serzh Sarkisian’s unexpected September 3 pledge to make Armenia part of the customs union of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus. Fuele appeared to dismiss this idea when he met with Nalbandian in Brussels last week. Foreign Minister Carl Bildt of Sweden, a key sponsor of the Eastern Partnership, said afterwards that the Association Agreement with Yerevan is “now off the table.”

Fuele met with Sarkisian later on Friday. According to the presidential press office, Sarkisian said that his administration remains committed to deepening ties with the EU and implementing “large-scale reforms” required for that.

The Armenian leader has made no public statements since his decisive September 3 meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The authorities in Yerevan were noncommittal on Armenian entry into the Russian-bloc until then. Observers have therefore suggested that Sarkisian was forced by the Kremlin into making the foreign policy U-turn.

Armenian officials have denied any Russian pressure, however. Fuele said heard similar assurances from them. But the EU official noted that other ex-Soviet states seeking European integration have complained of pressure from Moscow.

“Any threats from Russia aiming at the possible signing of agreements with the European Union are unacceptable. The European Union will support and stand by those who are subject to undue pressure,” Fuele said.

The European Commission has repeatedly made clear over the past year that membership in the customs union is “not compatible” with Association Agreements and the DCFTA in particular. Armenian leaders did not publicly object to this precondition until this month.

Nalbandian said on Friday that his government has told Brussels throughout the three-year association talks that it will not forge closer links with the EU “to the detriment of our allied relationship with Russia.”

EU Sees No Association Accord With Armenia