| APRIL 24 IN CYPRUS |
| Gibrahayer April 5 - Nicosia - Like every year after their arrival in Cyprus as Genocide survivors, the Armenian community of Cyprus is preparing to commemorate the reason why they ended up in Cyprus almost 90 years ago.
The highlight of the series of events in the capital - under the auspices of the President of the House of Representatives Marios Garoyian - is the political meeting featuring PASOK MP and former Defence minister Akis Tzokatsopoulos on Wednesday April 23. The following day on Thursday 24 April, the community will march along Armenia street, leading up to the Genocide Memorial where a Vigil will be held, while the Armenian youth will set up a big screen on Eleftheria Square and will distribute informative leaflets to passers-by.
On Thursday 17 April at 4:00 pm, during the session of the Cyprus Parliament, commemorating the Armenian Genocide, Armenian representative in the Cyprus Parliament Vartkes Mahdessian will address the House. The entrance to the public during the commemoration is open to all community members.
Please read the Gibrahayer Calendar for the complete series of events. |
| FOREIGN AND DEFENCE MINISTERS APPOINTED |
| YEREVAN 15 April - (Presidential News Office) - Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian issued two decrees Monday appointing Edward Nalbandian and Major General Seyran Ohanian as Foreign Minister and Defence Minister, respectively.
Edward Nalbandian was Armenia's ambassador to France, Vatican, Israel and Andorra under the Robert Kocharian administration.
Since June, 2007, Seyran Ohanian served as Chief of Staff of Armenia's Armed forces and was the first deputy defence minister.
Armenia's newly formed political coalition on Friday was still in talks over the distribution of roles in the emerging Cabinet, with its newly appointed head promising the negotiations would be completed by the end of the week.
“You will be informed about decisions in a few days, but at this moment it is not correct to make any statement, because it will only hamper the discussions,” Tigran Sargsyan told reporters.
The new prime minister also defended President Serzh Sarkisian's election programs as a means to defuse tensions in society.
“I think that Serzh Sarkisian gave an exhaustive answer to all questions in his inauguration speech [Wednesday] and I fully agree with the evaluations of the republic's president, and I think the path that he has embarked on is the only way that will provide an opportunity to ensure an atmosphere of solidarity in our country,” Sargsyan (no relation to Serzh) said.
Sargsyan also asked for some time to provide answers to all questions. “I think you should give me an opportunity; Don't ask for answers to all questions now. It's only two days since I took the prime minister's job,” he said.
Former chief banker Sargsyan, who is currently not affiliated with any political party and is considered to be a technocrat manager, agreed that his new job implied a serious political component. “No economic reform can be fulfilled without political contents, and the prime minister's is a fully political post,” he said. |
| BEDELIAN & GRIFFITT IN CONCERT
WEDNESDAY APRIL 16 at 8:30pm
PASYDY Auditorium-organised by The Pharos Trust
Dedicated to the memory of Vahan Bedelian 1894-1990
violinist & teacher to many generations of Cypriot musicians
Programme to include works by J.S Bach, Brahms, Webern and Schumann Haroutune Bedelian (violin) Since winning the First Prize at age twenty in the prestigious BBC Violin Competition, Haroutune Bedelian has performed, broadcasted and televised in major cities and concert halls around the world. He is also invited regularly to participate in international music festivals. Quotes from reviews of performances in major newspapers: "Alert, subtle artist as well as a superb instrumentalist," New York Times; "The result was a powerful music making, virtuosity going hand in hand with unswerving loyalty to the composer," The Strad Magazine ; "Mr. Bedelian has an unforced silvery tone and showed his musicianship in his immaculate phrasing". London Daily Telegraph ; "Virtuosity comes to him as second nature, but it is used as a means to the interpretive freedom and sense of style that characterises his playing above all else," The London Times ; "Refined and sensitive musician. Controlled, clean and effortless playing making light of the most formidable difficulties," The London Guardian; "Technical and musical resources of virtuoso class," The Los Angeles Times. Before his appointment at the University of California, Irvine, he was professor of violin at the Royal Academy of Music, London, England. In 2007, Haroutune Bedelian issued on DVD the Six Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin by J.S. Bach. That was the first time these works appeared in their entirety on DVD.
Lorna Griffitt (piano)
Lorna Griffitt, D.M., began her performing career at 16 as a soloist with the Louisville Orchestra under the direction of Robert Whitney, in a performance of the Grieg Piano Concerto in A Minor. Her teachers include Doris Owen (Bickel), Tong Il Han, Gyorgy Sebok and Maria Curcio. She received her doctorate with distinction in piano performance from Indiana University under the tutelage of Menahem Pressler. Dr. Griffitt enjoys an active career as soloist, chamber musician and pedagogue in the US and in South America, Europe and the Middle East. Lorna Griffitt began her teaching career in 1974 at DePauw University and joined the music faculty at the University of California, Irvine in 1993. During the summers, Dr. Griffitt is invited as guest artist to the Schlern International Music Festival in Voels am Schlern, Italy and to the International Cello Encounter in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where she teaches, gives master classes and performs in concerto and chamber concerts with various international artists. With Haroutune Bedelian, she recently recorded The Six Sonatas and Partitas for Violin by J. S. Bach with the Robert Schumann piano accompaniment to be released by Centaur Records later in 2008.
Programme:
J.S. Bach Sonata No.1 in B Minor for violin and piano, BWV 1014 J. Brahms Sonata No.1 in G Major for violin and piano, Op.78 Interval A. Webern Vier Stucke for violin and piano, Op.7 R. Schumann Sonata No.2 in D Minor for violin and piano, Op. 121
Ticket Prices:
Adults: 20 euro
Friends and Supporters of the Pharos Trust : 17 euro and Concessions : 12 euro
Tickets can be purchased from:
The Pharos Trust (22 663 871), Athalassas Music Centre (22 510 547), Moufflon bookshop (22 665 155), Soloneion bookshop (22 666 799) and Travelorama (22 452 945) |
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(Los Angeles - April 14) - The publishers of the award-winning Armenia photo book “Out of Stone” have announced an Armenia photography contest, open to both professional and non-professional photographers. Winners are eligible to have their photograph published in an upcoming hardcover photography book about Armenia.
The contest, “The Art of Armenian Photography,” is sponsored by Stone Garden Productions of Los Angeles. The photo book “Out of Stone” was critically Acclaimed and featured in prestigious international photography magazines such as PDN (Photo District Magazine), Photo Life, and Photographer’s Forum Quarterly.
The independent publisher also released the photo-based and best-selling Armenia Guidebook “The Stone Garden Guide: Armenia and Karabagh,” which received three national book awards and which is available in bookstores and online from Amazon dot com.
There is no entry fee and contestants may submit up to three images in either electronic or print format, in colour or black-and-white. To be eligible for consideration, images must be about Armenia or Armenians.
Full details about the call for entries are available from the publisher’s websites, www dot StoneGardenProductions dot com and www dot ArmenianPhotography dot com or by writing to Stone Garden Productions,
PO Box 7758, Northridge, CA 91327. All entries must be received by June 1. |
| JACKIE KANCHELIAN SPEIER ELECTED
TO UNITED STATES CONGRESS |
 PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian American Jackie Kanchelian Speier swept to a resounding victory, receiving close to 80% of the vote in a special election in California's 12th Congressional District, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
Speier will be joining Rep. Anna Eshoo (CA-14) as the only other Armenian American legislator in the 110th Congress.
"We are encouraged to see Jackie Speier, a tremendously talented public servant and proud daughter of the Armenian people, elected to represent the citizens of California's 12th Congressional District," said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA. "She comes to Washington with a proven track record of legislative achievement in California, and we look forward to working with her on issues of shared concern."
Speier won the special election on April 8th, which was scheduled after Rep. Tom Lantos' untimely passing earlier this year when he succumbed to esophageal cancer. In a field of five candidates, Representative-elect Speier won an impressive 77.9% of the vote, with the remaining candidates receiving less than 10% each.
San Francisco-Bay Area ANC activists played a significant role in all facets of the Jackie Speier for Congress campaign. Armenian Americans volunteered regularly in phone banking and other get-out-the-vote efforts coordinated by the local ANC chapter. Through the leadership of the Armenian National Committee Political Action Committee (ANC-PAC), Armenian Americans from across the U.S., at events and over the Internet, raised funds for her election bid.
Speier has been active on Armenian American concerns throughout her years in the California state legislature. During her tenure in Sacramento, she authored 16 bills related to Armenian issues. In 1989, she advocated for the law mandating the Department of Education to include instruction on the Armenian Genocide in public schools. Every year thereafter, she co-sponsored the resolution commemorating the Armenian Genocide, including the 2005 bill that made the commemoration permanent law. In her final term, Speier introduced a measure that allows Armenian Genocide victims or their beneficiaries to file claims against banks doing business in California that refuse to pay for deposited or looted assets of Armenian Genocide victims.
"When I get elected to Congress, the epicentre of Armenian American representation in Congress will be right here," said Speier, who was a keynote speaker at this year's March 8th San Francisco Bay Area ANC "Hay Tad" Evening along with Hamparian. She pledged to continue the fight for justice for the Armenian Genocide and rally support for Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, limiting aid to Azerbaijan, until it lifts its blockade of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. "Turkey cannot strangle Armenia into submission by circumventing Armenia's territory in every regional infrastructure project. Turkey must include Armenia in these projects, because this is the only way to lasting peace," Speier said. |
| BOOKMARK WWWGIBRAHAYER COM |
| ...there is always something new on Gibrahayer DOT com |
| Letters to the Editor |
| Hi Simon,
Keep up the good work. It's always up to date and interesting. Here, in Vancouver, Canada, a few of us, Cypriot Armenians, read your e-magazine and can't wait for the next issue.
Bravo
p.s. Your April fools day news was very funny.
Varto Papasian - Vancouver, Canada
Dear Simon,
Re: Anie Keshishian's letter (Hertfordshire, U.K.) enquiring about the reason of not seeing the right side of an article, please note that this problem exists with most computers and, the solution is: CLICK ON "Printable View" shown on the top right-hand corner of your screen and you'll be able to see the text in full and, you can obtain a print-out therefrom!
I don't think it is your fault, Simon.
Sincerely - Artin Avedissian
Barev hargeli khmbagrutun,
Shnorhakal em tertit hamarnere pareperabar inz hamar ugharkelu kabagtsutyamb yev voghjunum em Zez yev tertit ashkhatakazmin.
Mets hajuykovem kartum em terte.
Lavaguyn baremaghtanknerov.
Yeranoosh Tahmazian - Iran
Dear Simon,
I am forwarding you a letter I received from Albert Hudspeth who, as you know, used to be the headmaster of the English School in Nicosia.
I thought it might help if you include a bit about the Yerevan project in Gibrahayer, but I leave the decision up to you if you think it will be helpful.
Many thanks and best wishes,
Doreen Nahabedian
------------------
Dear Doreen,
Excuse this bolt from the blue but I wonder if you can help a group of Armenian’s who want do something special for the young people in Yerevan. I am helping them on a pro bono consultancy basis in this venture but they need support from the Armenian communities around the world.
It is the wish to establish an English School in Yerevan for the benefit of Armenian students who want an international type of education and the potential opportunity to study in overseas universities. They have the promise of and land help from a construction company plus the support of the Armenian Ambassador in the UK and the tacit approval of the Minister of Education in the country. What they need is the support and backing of the Armenian diaspora.
If you think that there are members of the community in Cyprus (or elsewhere with whom you have contact) who would be willing to help then it would be great for that to happen. You can get the full story from the leader of the group who is Margaret Talideh and her email is:
Talideh dot m at googlemail dot com
I hope all is well with you and your family; we remain busier in retirement than in work!!
Best wishes,
Albert Hudspeth |
| Recruiting |
GAP Vassilopoulos E-Media Ltd (www dot emedia dot com dot cy) are recruiting young professionals for their upcoming E-projects on a full time or a part-time basis. Please contact us direct.
Tel: 22710151 - email: simon dot aynedjian at gapgroup dot com |
| News in Brief by Sevag Devletian |
- Armenian President Serge Sarkisian appointed the country's central
bank chief as his prime minister on Wednesday following his own
inauguration. Tigran Sarkisian, who has headed the central bank of Armenia since 1998 was nominated by the ruling Republican Party. - Armenia's ex-president Robert Kocharian, who left office last week,
has been offered a post as vice-president of Russian gas giant Gazprom.
The Armenian government, Gazprom jointly owns ArmRosGazprom, which
controls natural gas pipelines feeding Russian gas to Armenia and owns
the Armenian section of a pipeline feeding Iranian gas to the country. - Odesa (Ukraine) is preparing to open a consulate general for Armenia.
The Armenian community in Odesa has said it is ready to provide premises for the consulate in the Armenian culture center. The consulate is to open in May. - Turkey is expecting to host more than 23 million tourists and earn 19.5 billion dollars from tourism in 2008. Turkish state officials said that the aim of Turkey is to catch up with the most popular tourism destinations in Europe like France, Spain and Italy.
- The chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee of the
Turkish parliament, Hasan Murat Mercan, has asked the Bureau of Israeli
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to cancel a scheduled discussion in the
Knesset on the Armenian Genocide. "We would prefer if this discussion
would not take place at this time in the Israeli parliament because it
may harm the relations between the two countries" the two advised. - European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso urged Turkey to speed
up democracy reforms, saying that "there is a long way to go" before it catches up with membership criteria. He urged Ankara to focus on
improving freedom of speech, the rights of women, trade unions and
religious and ethnic minorities. - The Turkish parliament is to vote on changing infamous Article 301 of
the criminal code that makes it an offence to 'insult Turkishness' and
which has been widely criticised by human rights groups and the European Union which Turkey aspires to join, Turkish media reported. - Google Groups has been banned by government authorities. Turkish users are being directed to a page which states. "Access to this page has been suspended in accordance with Decision 2008/15. No other explanation has been given. Turkish courts recently blocked Youtube which depicted material on Kemal Ataturk.
|
| CARLO GENJELIAN SCORES UNIQUE LEAGUE RECORD |
| 14 year old Carlo Genjelian made a name for himself in the Cyprus Amateur Football League on Saturday when he scored a hat-trick against AYMA's 5-1 win against Acropolis becoming the youngest player to score a hat trick. |
| Sports by Sevag Devletian |
- Nareg School Athletics Team high jumper Elena Kaprielian cleared 1.40 (10 centimetres less than her personal best) at the Pancyprian Games that were concluded at Lanition Stadium on Saturday 12 April and secured Gold for Nicosia.
- Led by World number 14 Marcos Baghdatis, The Cyprus Davis Cup Team defeated Slovenia this weekend at The Cyprus National Tennis Center by 3-2. The five set doubles victory on Saturday was crucial in the first victory of two that Cyprus needs to be promoted to the Big League of Division One. To that end, The Cyprus Davis Cup team must pull another victory in July against Portugal.
- Ten year olds Edmond Aynedjian and Yanos Kouyoumdjian were unable to secure semi finals spot in the under 12 championships that are taking place in The Valley Tennis Club. They lost 6-3, 6-1.
- Armenian judoist Armen Nazaryan (66 kg) defeated Joseph Krants of
Slovakia in the European Tournament in Lisbon. The tournament features
another two Armenian sportsmen - Hovhannes Davtyan (60 kg) and Vilen
Tadevosyan (73 kg). - Armenian kick boxers achieved five gold and two silver medals in the
Cup of Europe held in Kharkov, Ukraine. Aram Harutyunyan (50 kg), Viktor
Khachatryan (56.5 kg), Melsik Baghdasaryan (54 kg), Mayis Hakobyan (55 kg) and Andranik Baghdasaryan (64.5 kg) all won gold and became European Cup holders. Shahen Gevorgyan (56.5 kg), Vladimir Gevorgyan (60 kg) and Andranik Tadevosyan (64.5 kg) both received silver medals. The Armenian kick boxers are currently preparing for the European Championship in Cyprus. - Armenian wrestler Yuri Patrikeev, 120 kg, has become the only Armenian
wrestler to win the gold medal of European championship in Tampere.
Finland. Roman Amoyan, another Armenian wrestler, 55 kg, won the silver
medal. Yuri Patrikeev and Arman Adikian, 66 kg, are two Armenian
wrestlers that have won the right to represent Armenia in Beijing games.
|
| gibrahay calendar |
Wednesday April 16 at 8:30 pm - Concert by Haroutune Bedelian (Violin) and Lorna Griffitt (Piano) at PASYDY. Organised by The Pharos Trust and dedicated to the memory of Vahan Bedelian 1894-1990 violinist & teacher to many generations of Cypriot musicians. Programme includes works by J.S Bach, Brahms, Webern and Schumann. More details on gibrahayer.com Thursday 17 April at 4:00 pm - During the session of the Cyprus Parliament, commemorating the Armenian Genocide, Armenian representative in the Cyprus Parliament Vartkes Mahdessian will address the House. The entrance to the public during the commemoration is open to all community members. Tuesday 22 April, from 3 - 6 pm - Blood Drive at Nareg in memory of the 1,500,000 massacred Armenians of 1915 in the hands of the Ottoman Turks. Wednesday 23 April at 8:00 pm - Former Defence Minister of Greece and PASOK MP Akis Tzokatsopoulos is the main speaker of the Commemoration of The Armenian Genocide in PASYDY. The event is under the high auspices of The President of The House of Representatives Marios Garoyian.
Buses will leave from the Armenian Churches of Limassol and Larnaca at 6:00 pm and bring community members to the political gathering. Thursday 24 April - The Armenian Cypriot youth will distribute leaflets at Eleftherias Square, where information about the Armenian Genocide will be projected on a big screen. Thursday 24 April at 5:00 pm - Holy Liturgy at Sourp Asdvadzadzin Church in Nicosia. Thursday 24 April at 6:30 pm - March along Armenia street ending at Genocide Memorial Thursday 24 April at 7:00 pm - Memorial and Vigil at the Genocide Memorial. Sunday 4 May - Annual Performance of TIMAG Theatre Company of The Hamazkayin Cultural and Educational Association "Oshagan" Cyprus Chapter at PASIDY Hall - Nicosia. Remaining details to follow. Sunday, May 4 at 5:00pm - Armenian Evangelical Church Service Bashdamounk - Hantisoutioun, to Commemorate the victims of the Armenian Genocide, in the Greek Evangelical Church, 20 Gladstonos - street in Nicosia. Guest speaker: Rev. Dr. Manuel Jinbashian. Monday May 5 at 8:00 pm - Public lecture entitled. "The Bible: Historical reflection on the Armenian translation and its role in developing Armenian National Identity", organised by The Armenian Evangelical Church. Speaker: The Rev. Dr. Manuel Jinbashian from Canada. Friday 9 and 16 May at 8:00 pm - The office of the Armenian representative Vartkes Mahdessian is organising a lecture in two parts on Road safety at the central offices of the Bank of Cyprus at Ayia Paraskevi. The lecture is open for people over 14 years old. |
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