Armenian News ... A Topalian... Ostentatious...
Ostentatious luxury in Yerevan
(with a third of the population in poverty)
VENEZIA PALAZZO Hotel, restaurant and bar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QLw5xE1CHk
Evropa-Versal Restoranayin Hamalir
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qCAWIB6e4g
armenianow.com
SEISMIC NEWS: TURKEY QUAKE SENDS SHOCKWAVES TO
ARMENIA
29.10.15
Residents in the Armenian capital Yerevan and the nearby Ararat
province felt tremors Thursday afternoon from what turned out to be
an earthquake in neighboring Turkey.
Armenia's Seismic Protection Service said it registered a magnitude
4.8 earthquake at 2:11 pm Yerevan time in the territory of Turkey. The
earthquake reportedly measured 6-7 in the epicenter.
According to the Service, the hypocenter of the earthquake was 10
kilometers deep.
Tremors from quakes happening in the region were also felt in Armenia
before. In some cases, like during the devastating Van earthquake of
October 23, 2011, it resulted in some panic among the population.
Armenia last experienced a major earthquake in 1988 when powerful
tremors in the northern regions of the country instantaneously killed
about 25,000 people and left hundreds of thousands without shelter.
[the Azeri authorities must inwardly digest this statement as reported i
29.10.15
Residents in the Armenian capital Yerevan and the nearby Ararat
province felt tremors Thursday afternoon from what turned out to be
an earthquake in neighboring Turkey.
Armenia's Seismic Protection Service said it registered a magnitude
4.8 earthquake at 2:11 pm Yerevan time in the territory of Turkey. The
earthquake reportedly measured 6-7 in the epicenter.
According to the Service, the hypocenter of the earthquake was 10
kilometers deep.
Tremors from quakes happening in the region were also felt in Armenia
before. In some cases, like during the devastating Van earthquake of
October 23, 2011, it resulted in some panic among the population.
Armenia last experienced a major earthquake in 1988 when powerful
tremors in the northern regions of the country instantaneously killed
about 25,000 people and left hundreds of thousands without shelter.
[the Azeri authorities must inwardly digest this statement as reported i
n their own press]
STATEMENT OF THE CO-CHAIRS OF THE OSCE MINSK GROUP
Turan Information Agency, Azerbaijan
October 29, 2015 Thursday
The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Ambassadors Igor Popov of the
Russian Federation, James Warlick of the United States of America, and
Pierre Andrieu of France), together with the Personal Representative
of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, traveled
to the region October 26-28.
Their statement by results of the trip reads:
"We met with the Presidents and Foreign Ministers of Armenia and
Azerbaijan, as well as the de facto authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The Presidents confirmed their commitment to hold a summit under
the auspices of the Co-Chairs before the end of the year to discuss
key elements of a settlement and other issues. We stressed to the
Presidents the dangers of violence along the Line of Contact and
Armenia-Azerbaijan border. The use of heavy weapons, such as mortars
and rocket launchers, is unacceptable and presents a serious danger
to the civilian population. We deeply regret the casualties and
loss of life among innocent civilians and expect the sides to take
every step to avoid violence. We raised existing proposals designed
to stabilize the security situation and create a more constructive
atmosphere for negotiations.
In Baku, we met representatives of the Azerbaijani community of
Nagorno-Karabakh. We encourage dialogue among all those affected by
the conflict as an essential part of the peace process, and support
programs that bring Armenians and Azerbaijanis together. We also met
with the representative of the International Committee of the Red
Cross in Yerevan to discuss the implementation of a data exchange on
missing persons, a humanitarian measure we fully support.
Immediately after a routine crossing of the Line of Contact by the
Co-Chairs, repeated gunfire from an undetermined location forced
OSCE monitors to take cover. The sides have made an obligation to
guarantee the safety of monitoring personnel. This incident represents
a deliberate effort to undermine progress towards a settlement. It also
underscores the need for the OSCE to have the ability to investigate
violations of the ceasefire".
arka.am
ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT TO COMPENSATE FOR LOSSES
October 29, 2015 Thursday
The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Ambassadors Igor Popov of the
Russian Federation, James Warlick of the United States of America, and
Pierre Andrieu of France), together with the Personal Representative
of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, traveled
to the region October 26-28.
Their statement by results of the trip reads:
"We met with the Presidents and Foreign Ministers of Armenia and
Azerbaijan, as well as the de facto authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The Presidents confirmed their commitment to hold a summit under
the auspices of the Co-Chairs before the end of the year to discuss
key elements of a settlement and other issues. We stressed to the
Presidents the dangers of violence along the Line of Contact and
Armenia-Azerbaijan border. The use of heavy weapons, such as mortars
and rocket launchers, is unacceptable and presents a serious danger
to the civilian population. We deeply regret the casualties and
loss of life among innocent civilians and expect the sides to take
every step to avoid violence. We raised existing proposals designed
to stabilize the security situation and create a more constructive
atmosphere for negotiations.
In Baku, we met representatives of the Azerbaijani community of
Nagorno-Karabakh. We encourage dialogue among all those affected by
the conflict as an essential part of the peace process, and support
programs that bring Armenians and Azerbaijanis together. We also met
with the representative of the International Committee of the Red
Cross in Yerevan to discuss the implementation of a data exchange on
missing persons, a humanitarian measure we fully support.
Immediately after a routine crossing of the Line of Contact by the
Co-Chairs, repeated gunfire from an undetermined location forced
OSCE monitors to take cover. The sides have made an obligation to
guarantee the safety of monitoring personnel. This incident represents
a deliberate effort to undermine progress towards a settlement. It also
underscores the need for the OSCE to have the ability to investigate
violations of the ceasefire".
arka.am
ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT TO COMPENSATE FOR LOSSES
SUSTAINED BY BORDER COMMUNITY BECAUSE OF UNHARVESTED
CROPS
YEREVAN, October 29. The Armenian government decided today
at its regular session to compensate for the losses residents of
Tavush province's Aygehovit border community have sustained because
ceasefire regime violation made it impossible to harvest their crops.
"In Aygehovit border community in Tavush province, grapes have not
been gathered from 22 hectares because of ceasefire regime violation,"
said Agriculture Minister Sergo Karapetyan. Â"As a whole 115 tons of
grapes were left unharvested.Â"
Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan, agreed to the agriculture minister's
proposal stressing that border areas are among the government's
key focuses.
Tension on the contact line between Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and
Azerbaijan escalated in late September.
According to Armenian and Nagorno-Karabakh defense ministries' reports,
the Azerbaijani was frequently opening fire from heavy armament,
which killed people, including civilians.
panarmenian. net
PRINCE OF WALES SUPPORTS HERITAGE REGENERATION
PROJECT ON YEREVAN
October 30, 2015
Charles, the Prince of Wales andArmen Sarkissian,Ambassador
Charles, the Prince of Wales andArmen Sarkissian,Ambassador
of the Republic of Armenia to the Court of St James, have
been working to support two important charitable projects -- Dumfries
House in South West Scotland and Yerevan My Love, a heritage-led
regeneration project in Armenia.
A special event took place at Buckingham Palace on October 27, 2015.
Prince Charles hosted a charitable Gala Evening for the benefit of
British-Armenian charitable projects, with Armenian President Serzh
Sargsyan, His Holiness Karekin II Catholicos and Supreme Patriarch
of All Armenians attending the event.
Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra from St. Petersburg performed under
the baton of Maestro Valery Gergiev, while Grand Prix winner of XV
International Tchaikovsky Competition, July 2015, Mongolian baritone
Ariunbaatar Ganbaatar brilliantly sang Tchaikovsky's Yeletsky's aria
from Queen of Spades.
Ambassador Sarkissian thanked Prince Charles for his untiring efforts
and dedication to both The Saving of Dumfries House and Yerevan My
Love projects. He also thanked everyone attending the Gala Evening
for their generous donations.
Prince Charles, in turn, thanked Armen Sarkissian and all the
benefactors, particularly Haik and Elza Didizian and Vatche and
Tamar Manoukian.
news.am
Survey: 58.9% of Armenia respondents want to unite with Russia
15:30, 31.10.2015
YEREVAN. ` According to the results of this year's social opinion poll
of the Integration Barometer research program, 58.9 percent of the
1,105 respondents in Armenia believe that, if possible, they would
prefer that the country unite with Russia.
President of the `Armenian Marketing Association' NGO, Aram
Navasardyan, informed the abovementioned at a press conference on
Saturday.
Navasardyan added that 28.1 percent of the respondents hold that
Armenia should not unite with another country.
In addition, 8. 2 percent of the respondents gave their approval to
Armenia's uniting with the European Union, 1.3 percent'with Georgia, 1
percent'with Belarus, 0.3 to 0.1 percent favored uniting with
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan while
1.3 percent'with other countries.
news.am
Survey: 18,4% of Armenians want to move to Russia for permanent
been working to support two important charitable projects -- Dumfries
House in South West Scotland and Yerevan My Love, a heritage-led
regeneration project in Armenia.
A special event took place at Buckingham Palace on October 27, 2015.
Prince Charles hosted a charitable Gala Evening for the benefit of
British-Armenian charitable projects, with Armenian President Serzh
Sargsyan, His Holiness Karekin II Catholicos and Supreme Patriarch
of All Armenians attending the event.
Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra from St. Petersburg performed under
the baton of Maestro Valery Gergiev, while Grand Prix winner of XV
International Tchaikovsky Competition, July 2015, Mongolian baritone
Ariunbaatar Ganbaatar brilliantly sang Tchaikovsky's Yeletsky's aria
from Queen of Spades.
Ambassador Sarkissian thanked Prince Charles for his untiring efforts
and dedication to both The Saving of Dumfries House and Yerevan My
Love projects. He also thanked everyone attending the Gala Evening
for their generous donations.
Prince Charles, in turn, thanked Armen Sarkissian and all the
benefactors, particularly Haik and Elza Didizian and Vatche and
Tamar Manoukian.
news.am
Survey: 58.9% of Armenia respondents want to unite with Russia
15:30, 31.10.2015
YEREVAN. ` According to the results of this year's social opinion poll
of the Integration Barometer research program, 58.9 percent of the
1,105 respondents in Armenia believe that, if possible, they would
prefer that the country unite with Russia.
President of the `Armenian Marketing Association' NGO, Aram
Navasardyan, informed the abovementioned at a press conference on
Saturday.
Navasardyan added that 28.1 percent of the respondents hold that
Armenia should not unite with another country.
In addition, 8. 2 percent of the respondents gave their approval to
Armenia's uniting with the European Union, 1.3 percent'with Georgia, 1
percent'with Belarus, 0.3 to 0.1 percent favored uniting with
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan while
1.3 percent'with other countries.
news.am
Survey: 18,4% of Armenians want to move to Russia for permanent
residence
31.10.2015
YEREVAN. - According to the results of this year's social opinion poll
carried out by the Integration Barometer research program, 18,4%,
11,7% and 11,0% of Armenian population want to move for permanent
residence to Russia, U.S. and France respectively, while 43,7% don't
want to leave Armenia. President of the `Armenian Marketing
Association' NGO, Aram Navasardyan, informed the abovementioned at a
press conference today.
8,8%, 2,9% and 0,5% of respondents wished to move to Germany, UK,
Georgia and Turkey respectively.
According to respondents, Turkmenistan is an unfavorable country with
this respect and thus only 0,1% of them wished to move there for
permanent residence.
27,2% of respondents expressed a wish to leave for Russia for
temporary work. 15,9% want to leave for Germany, 15,3% for U.S., 15,1%
for France, 5,5% for UK and 3,4% for Georgia for the same purpose.
28,1% of respondents noted they do not wish to move to any country for
temporary work.
It's already the fourth year the Integration Barometer research
program has carried out the poll according to the `face to face'
method. This year the poll included 1105 people.
armradio.am
FILM ON 1988 DEVASTATING EARTHQUAKE IN ARMENIA TO BE
31.10.2015
YEREVAN. - According to the results of this year's social opinion poll
carried out by the Integration Barometer research program, 18,4%,
11,7% and 11,0% of Armenian population want to move for permanent
residence to Russia, U.S. and France respectively, while 43,7% don't
want to leave Armenia. President of the `Armenian Marketing
Association' NGO, Aram Navasardyan, informed the abovementioned at a
press conference today.
8,8%, 2,9% and 0,5% of respondents wished to move to Germany, UK,
Georgia and Turkey respectively.
According to respondents, Turkmenistan is an unfavorable country with
this respect and thus only 0,1% of them wished to move there for
permanent residence.
27,2% of respondents expressed a wish to leave for Russia for
temporary work. 15,9% want to leave for Germany, 15,3% for U.S., 15,1%
for France, 5,5% for UK and 3,4% for Georgia for the same purpose.
28,1% of respondents noted they do not wish to move to any country for
temporary work.
It's already the fourth year the Integration Barometer research
program has carried out the poll according to the `face to face'
method. This year the poll included 1105 people.
armradio.am
FILM ON 1988 DEVASTATING EARTHQUAKE IN ARMENIA TO BE
NOMINATED FOR OSCAR
29 Oct 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan
Filming is underway in Moscow for the "Earthquake" - a movie about
the devastating 1988 earthquake in Armenia, which claimed several
thousand lives, TASS reports.
The shooting has started on the territory of an old Moscow factory,
where the decorations of ruined Leninakan (now Gyumri) have been
constructed.
The crew first focused on the documentary materials, but things
changed after the authors spent time talking to people affected
by the tragedy. "Emotionally, this project is a very complex one,"
Production Designer David Dadunashvili said.
Director Sarik Andreasyan was also impressed by the meeting with
the residents of Gyumri. "As soon as you start speaking to people,
they start crying. I thought that if we started recreating the ruins,
coffins, corpses around the city, we would not be forgiven; it would
not be correct in relation to the people of Gyumri. That's why we
decided to do that in a pavilion."
Sarik Andreasyan hopes the movie will reach out to every viewer.
"Those who know nothing about the earthquake in Armenia will see a
good film and will not stay indifferent when they leave the cinema."
We were not on the Titanic, but we all cried watching Cameron's film.
The director stressed that it will be a film about people and about
the uniting factor of the tragedy.
The film will be released in Russia and Armenia at the end of 2016.
Armenia will probably nominate it for the Oscar in the "Best Foreign
Language Film" nomination.
RFE/RL Report
Further Improvement Of Armenia's Business Climate
Sargis Harutyunyan
28.10.2015
Armenia's business environment has continued to improve over the past
year, putting the South Caucasus country among "the top performers in
Europe and Central Asia," the World Bank said in an annual global
report released on Wednesday.
The bank's 2016 Doing Business report rated 189 economies on ten
different areas of government regulation, including tax
administration, business and property registration and access to
credit. Armenia is 35th in the latest rankings, up from 38th place it
occupied in last year's survey.
"Armenia is among the 26 economies at the global level that
implemented 3 or more reforms," says the latest report.
The World Bank specifically attributed the improvement to government
measures that facilitated the issuance of government permits for
construction projects and enforcement of business contracts. It also
argued that Armenia's recent accession to the Russian-led Eurasian
Economic Union (EEU) simplified export and import operations with
Russia, a key trading partner.
"Armenia reduced the time and cost for documentary and border
compliance for trade with the Russian Federation by joining the
Eurasian Economic Union," said the report. "As a result, the time for
import border compliance was reduced from approximately 50 hours to 3
hours."
Also, Armenia was again rated highly in the report's "Starting a
business" and "Registering property" categories. "It takes only 3 days
for an entrepreneur in Yerevan to incorporate -- the same time as in
Denmark," the report says, adding: "It takes only 7 days to register a
property transfer compared to 48 days on average at the global level."
At the same time, Armenia again scored poorly in the "Paying taxes"
category. In particular, the World Bank said that local firms spend an
average of more than 400 hours each year on dealings with tax
authorities.
Harassment by tax and customs officials has long been a key source of
complaints voiced by Armenian businesspeople. Corruption among those
officials is believed to remain widespread.
Economic activity in the country is also hampered by a lack of
competition which translates into de facto business monopolies owned
by government-linked entrepreneurs. Samson Grigorian, the
vice-chairman of an Armenian small business association, cited this
problem when he reacted with skepticism with the World Bank's
findings.
"I am able to sell only things that I am allowed to sell, rather than
things that I would like to sell," Grigorian told RFE/RL's Armenian
service (Azatutyun.am).
Albert Babayan, a senior official at the Economy Ministry, insisted,
however, that doing business in the country has indeed become
easier. "Things have been improving since 2011," he said.
29 Oct 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan
Filming is underway in Moscow for the "Earthquake" - a movie about
the devastating 1988 earthquake in Armenia, which claimed several
thousand lives, TASS reports.
The shooting has started on the territory of an old Moscow factory,
where the decorations of ruined Leninakan (now Gyumri) have been
constructed.
The crew first focused on the documentary materials, but things
changed after the authors spent time talking to people affected
by the tragedy. "Emotionally, this project is a very complex one,"
Production Designer David Dadunashvili said.
Director Sarik Andreasyan was also impressed by the meeting with
the residents of Gyumri. "As soon as you start speaking to people,
they start crying. I thought that if we started recreating the ruins,
coffins, corpses around the city, we would not be forgiven; it would
not be correct in relation to the people of Gyumri. That's why we
decided to do that in a pavilion."
Sarik Andreasyan hopes the movie will reach out to every viewer.
"Those who know nothing about the earthquake in Armenia will see a
good film and will not stay indifferent when they leave the cinema."
We were not on the Titanic, but we all cried watching Cameron's film.
The director stressed that it will be a film about people and about
the uniting factor of the tragedy.
The film will be released in Russia and Armenia at the end of 2016.
Armenia will probably nominate it for the Oscar in the "Best Foreign
Language Film" nomination.
RFE/RL Report
Further Improvement Of Armenia's Business Climate
Sargis Harutyunyan
28.10.2015
Armenia's business environment has continued to improve over the past
year, putting the South Caucasus country among "the top performers in
Europe and Central Asia," the World Bank said in an annual global
report released on Wednesday.
The bank's 2016 Doing Business report rated 189 economies on ten
different areas of government regulation, including tax
administration, business and property registration and access to
credit. Armenia is 35th in the latest rankings, up from 38th place it
occupied in last year's survey.
"Armenia is among the 26 economies at the global level that
implemented 3 or more reforms," says the latest report.
The World Bank specifically attributed the improvement to government
measures that facilitated the issuance of government permits for
construction projects and enforcement of business contracts. It also
argued that Armenia's recent accession to the Russian-led Eurasian
Economic Union (EEU) simplified export and import operations with
Russia, a key trading partner.
"Armenia reduced the time and cost for documentary and border
compliance for trade with the Russian Federation by joining the
Eurasian Economic Union," said the report. "As a result, the time for
import border compliance was reduced from approximately 50 hours to 3
hours."
Also, Armenia was again rated highly in the report's "Starting a
business" and "Registering property" categories. "It takes only 3 days
for an entrepreneur in Yerevan to incorporate -- the same time as in
Denmark," the report says, adding: "It takes only 7 days to register a
property transfer compared to 48 days on average at the global level."
At the same time, Armenia again scored poorly in the "Paying taxes"
category. In particular, the World Bank said that local firms spend an
average of more than 400 hours each year on dealings with tax
authorities.
Harassment by tax and customs officials has long been a key source of
complaints voiced by Armenian businesspeople. Corruption among those
officials is believed to remain widespread.
Economic activity in the country is also hampered by a lack of
competition which translates into de facto business monopolies owned
by government-linked entrepreneurs. Samson Grigorian, the
vice-chairman of an Armenian small business association, cited this
problem when he reacted with skepticism with the World Bank's
findings.
"I am able to sell only things that I am allowed to sell, rather than
things that I would like to sell," Grigorian told RFE/RL's Armenian
service (Azatutyun.am).
Albert Babayan, a senior official at the Economy Ministry, insisted,
however, that doing business in the country has indeed become
easier. "Things have been improving since 2011," he said.
Archbishop Nareg Alemazian’s Mission
By R.P. Sevadjian
By R.P. Sevadjian
October 31, 2015
A few weeks ago I attended Badarak at Sourp Asdvadzadzin Cathedral in Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus. I especially like Badarak there because of the fine choir, John Guevherian’s solos, and Der Momig Habeshian’s beautiful and moving officiation.
Just before communion, His Eminence Archbishop Nareg told us of his recent visit to Iran, after which the Iranian ambassador, His Excellency Dr. Reza Zahib, addressed us.
The ambassador talked warmly of the ties between Armenians and Iranians and invited us all to visit Iran to see for ourselves what a wonderful country it is, with so much historic culture, both Armenian and Iranian. He said he hopes that Archbishop Nareg will assist in starting a dialogue with the Greek Orthodox Church of Cyprus and other Christian denominations, as well as Muslims, to encourage greater ties between Cyprus and Iran. Ambassador Zahib said he feels very close to Armenians, and went on to talk about the importance of friendship between Iranians and Armenians, the fact that the region around Iran and Armenia is being overrun by evil, and the need for the two peoples to stand together and help each other.
A week later Archbishop Nareg told me more of his visit to Iran. When he first arrived in Cyprus in September 2014, his credentials were presented to all of the embassies on the island. The first to make contact and welcome him was the Iranian ambassador—whose embassy, incidentally, is situated opposite the Prelature on Armenias Street. The ambassador invited him to Iran for a dialogue on culture and civilization with the participation of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization and other entities.
Archbishop Nareg explained that he had been to Iran once before, for an international conference between Muslims, Christians, and Zoroastrians. He wanted to see more of Armenian life there and the possibilities of organizing pilgrimages to sites such as Sourp Tateos (one of the oldest churches in the world) and Sourp Stepanos, important and ancient Armenian churches in Tabriz and Nor Jougha. Pilgrimages to such places are especially important as they reinforce our devotion to our religion and cultural identity.
Thus on Aug. 14, a delegation of four went as guests of the ambassador, enjoying excellent hospitality throughout their five-day visit. They met Iranians and Iranian Armenians at universities and other centers of learning in Qom and Tehran for dialogue in inter-faith and ethical subjects. On Sun., Aug. 16, Archbishop Nareg was pleased to officiate at the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and the Blessing of the Grapes at Sourp Krikor Lousavorich Church in Tehran.
Archbishop Nareg said that Iranian Armenians have three Dioceses, all under the See of Cilicia—Tehran, Nor Jougha, and Tabriz (Aderbadagan); that there are now roughly 80,000 Armenians living in Iran; and that the vibrant community has many schools and centers, and two members of parliament.
He went on to say that every two years there is official dialogue, both inter-faith and ethical, between the Catholicosate and Tehran; and that this dialogue is very important to perpetuate the mutual respect and good relations between the Iranian and Armenian people. The archbishop says that there are special bonds between the Iranian government and society and the Armenians, and that the centuries-old Armenian community is genuinely an integral part of Iranian society.
Later in August, Archbishop Nareg found himself in Turkey, at Sis, as part of a small group on a mission.
The mission was to hold a requiem, at the ruined site of the historic Sis Catholicosate, for all those who had lived and died there from the establishment of the community in 1293 until its forced exile in 1921; and to read a pontifical message from His Holiness Aram I that spoke of the Armenian Genocide and demanded that the Catholicosate’s Sis property be returned to its rightful owner, the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia.
The mission was publicized upon the return of the participants to the Holy See of Cilicia’s present home at Antelias in Lebanon. The story made it into the Turkish press, where interest was elicited about the “1915 events” and the existence of the Catholicosate. Archbishop Nareg says that this illustrates how Armenians must, even after all the news and brouhaha of the 100 th anniversary of the genocide, explain often, and as simply as possible, that they had existed in these lands for a long, long time before 1915. He sees it as every Armenian’s duty to educate the world on this topic. He told me that he always manages to say something about it during his meetings and talks with non-Armenians. What he says is not anti-Turk, nor to show any kind of hatred, but to explain why Armenians from historical Armenia and Cilicia are in exile, far from their ancestral lands, and to dispute Turkish denial.
“My grandparents were born in Dortyol and Adana, my mother was born in Iskenderun. My father and I were born in Beirut. Why were we two not born in our homeland? Why are we living somewhere other than our own country? As I grew up I heard my grandparents talk about their forced exile, so did many of their friends—at least 30 of my acquaintances. Why would they lie?”
He said this at a humanitarian society meeting in Germany, at which many German Turks were present. Funnily enough, the topic was “coexistence.” “All were stunned,” he told me.
“We are opening our wounds for the world to see and for healing to take place. We want to be healed by forgiving the past deeds of a people, but there can be no forgiveness until there is admittance of the deed. It is a simple human process.”
Much more and better has to be done until the Turkish government stops denying the past, he says.
I wanted to know how he felt during his mission to Sis. He said that although he found almost all Turks and Kurds to be kind and hospitable (only once had he felt unwelcome), his thoughts kept returning to the subject of the treatment of our people.
“I was there, on lands which are no longer mine, but that no one can take away from me. The same lands on which my people lived for centuries. Lands on which wars were fought of course, but where nothing like 1915 had taken place before. Is it really possible that the people who live on these lands now are [the descendants of] those who were so brutal in 1915? What has changed? If there were a settlement and we were to return to our ancestral lands, would there be a second genocide? What could be done for this not to happen? Could we live safely together or is that an impossibility given the past and the politics in the region today? These are the existential questions which ran through my mind.”
Finally, we talked a little about his ministry in Cyprus.
The archbishop says that Cypriot Armenians are very lucky to have a government that supports the community by completely funding all three Armenian schools, as well as meeting some part of the expense of running the Prelature. But the community has to be engaged to meet the demands of contemporary times.
He is fully aware of the challenges and is doing everything in his power to involve the entire community by keeping it informed of his activities and presenting it with new events and ideas to help it engage with the church.
“My ministry is my vocation and dedication to God for life through the Armenian Church—the people of God, our community,” he said. “The Armenian Church’s ministry is service to God and the people, but in turn the people must help the church which serves them. This is what I characterize as committed discipleship to Christ.”
A few weeks ago I attended Badarak at Sourp Asdvadzadzin Cathedral in Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus. I especially like Badarak there because of the fine choir, John Guevherian’s solos, and Der Momig Habeshian’s beautiful and moving officiation.
Just before communion, His Eminence Archbishop Nareg told us of his recent visit to Iran, after which the Iranian ambassador, His Excellency Dr. Reza Zahib, addressed us.
The ambassador talked warmly of the ties between Armenians and Iranians and invited us all to visit Iran to see for ourselves what a wonderful country it is, with so much historic culture, both Armenian and Iranian. He said he hopes that Archbishop Nareg will assist in starting a dialogue with the Greek Orthodox Church of Cyprus and other Christian denominations, as well as Muslims, to encourage greater ties between Cyprus and Iran. Ambassador Zahib said he feels very close to Armenians, and went on to talk about the importance of friendship between Iranians and Armenians, the fact that the region around Iran and Armenia is being overrun by evil, and the need for the two peoples to stand together and help each other.
A week later Archbishop Nareg told me more of his visit to Iran. When he first arrived in Cyprus in September 2014, his credentials were presented to all of the embassies on the island. The first to make contact and welcome him was the Iranian ambassador—whose embassy, incidentally, is situated opposite the Prelature on Armenias Street. The ambassador invited him to Iran for a dialogue on culture and civilization with the participation of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization and other entities.
Archbishop Nareg explained that he had been to Iran once before, for an international conference between Muslims, Christians, and Zoroastrians. He wanted to see more of Armenian life there and the possibilities of organizing pilgrimages to sites such as Sourp Tateos (one of the oldest churches in the world) and Sourp Stepanos, important and ancient Armenian churches in Tabriz and Nor Jougha. Pilgrimages to such places are especially important as they reinforce our devotion to our religion and cultural identity.
Thus on Aug. 14, a delegation of four went as guests of the ambassador, enjoying excellent hospitality throughout their five-day visit. They met Iranians and Iranian Armenians at universities and other centers of learning in Qom and Tehran for dialogue in inter-faith and ethical subjects. On Sun., Aug. 16, Archbishop Nareg was pleased to officiate at the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and the Blessing of the Grapes at Sourp Krikor Lousavorich Church in Tehran.
Archbishop Nareg said that Iranian Armenians have three Dioceses, all under the See of Cilicia—Tehran, Nor Jougha, and Tabriz (Aderbadagan); that there are now roughly 80,000 Armenians living in Iran; and that the vibrant community has many schools and centers, and two members of parliament.
He went on to say that every two years there is official dialogue, both inter-faith and ethical, between the Catholicosate and Tehran; and that this dialogue is very important to perpetuate the mutual respect and good relations between the Iranian and Armenian people. The archbishop says that there are special bonds between the Iranian government and society and the Armenians, and that the centuries-old Armenian community is genuinely an integral part of Iranian society.
Later in August, Archbishop Nareg found himself in Turkey, at Sis, as part of a small group on a mission.
The mission was to hold a requiem, at the ruined site of the historic Sis Catholicosate, for all those who had lived and died there from the establishment of the community in 1293 until its forced exile in 1921; and to read a pontifical message from His Holiness Aram I that spoke of the Armenian Genocide and demanded that the Catholicosate’s Sis property be returned to its rightful owner, the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia.
The mission was publicized upon the return of the participants to the Holy See of Cilicia’s present home at Antelias in Lebanon. The story made it into the Turkish press, where interest was elicited about the “1915 events” and the existence of the Catholicosate. Archbishop Nareg says that this illustrates how Armenians must, even after all the news and brouhaha of the 100 th anniversary of the genocide, explain often, and as simply as possible, that they had existed in these lands for a long, long time before 1915. He sees it as every Armenian’s duty to educate the world on this topic. He told me that he always manages to say something about it during his meetings and talks with non-Armenians. What he says is not anti-Turk, nor to show any kind of hatred, but to explain why Armenians from historical Armenia and Cilicia are in exile, far from their ancestral lands, and to dispute Turkish denial.
“My grandparents were born in Dortyol and Adana, my mother was born in Iskenderun. My father and I were born in Beirut. Why were we two not born in our homeland? Why are we living somewhere other than our own country? As I grew up I heard my grandparents talk about their forced exile, so did many of their friends—at least 30 of my acquaintances. Why would they lie?”
He said this at a humanitarian society meeting in Germany, at which many German Turks were present. Funnily enough, the topic was “coexistence.” “All were stunned,” he told me.
“We are opening our wounds for the world to see and for healing to take place. We want to be healed by forgiving the past deeds of a people, but there can be no forgiveness until there is admittance of the deed. It is a simple human process.”
Much more and better has to be done until the Turkish government stops denying the past, he says.
I wanted to know how he felt during his mission to Sis. He said that although he found almost all Turks and Kurds to be kind and hospitable (only once had he felt unwelcome), his thoughts kept returning to the subject of the treatment of our people.
“I was there, on lands which are no longer mine, but that no one can take away from me. The same lands on which my people lived for centuries. Lands on which wars were fought of course, but where nothing like 1915 had taken place before. Is it really possible that the people who live on these lands now are [the descendants of] those who were so brutal in 1915? What has changed? If there were a settlement and we were to return to our ancestral lands, would there be a second genocide? What could be done for this not to happen? Could we live safely together or is that an impossibility given the past and the politics in the region today? These are the existential questions which ran through my mind.”
Finally, we talked a little about his ministry in Cyprus.
The archbishop says that Cypriot Armenians are very lucky to have a government that supports the community by completely funding all three Armenian schools, as well as meeting some part of the expense of running the Prelature. But the community has to be engaged to meet the demands of contemporary times.
He is fully aware of the challenges and is doing everything in his power to involve the entire community by keeping it informed of his activities and presenting it with new events and ideas to help it engage with the church.
“My ministry is my vocation and dedication to God for life through the Armenian Church—the people of God, our community,” he said. “The Armenian Church’s ministry is service to God and the people, but in turn the people must help the church which serves them. This is what I characterize as committed discipleship to Christ.”
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