Hay Tad honours its worthy son‏

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HAY TAD HONOURS ITS WORTHY SON

Alexander-Michael Hadjilyra - In a celebratory ceremony, Speaker of the House, Marios Garoyian, was honoured by the Armenian National Committee of Cyprus as the “Personality of the Year 2009” for his valuable services to the Armenian-Cypriot community and the Armenian Question. This memorable ceremony took place at Latsia Municipal Theatre last Friday night, 27 November 2009, in the presence of a large number of officials and guests. Opening remarks were made by Vahan Aynedjian, who spoke about the history of the “Personality of the Year” award and the personal/political connection the ANC has with Garoyian, whom he called “yeghpayr”. ANC Cyprus Chairman Hagop Manougian spoke of the tragic history of the Armenian people that led to the formation of the worldwide network of Armenian National Committees, pursuing the restoration of the rights of the Armenian people and the recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Soprano Sona Gargaloyian and pianist Lilian Khatchadrian continued with two beautiful songs, which were followed by a PowerPoint presentation on the life of The Hay Tad Personality of 2009, Marios Garoyian. Megerditch Megerditchian - member of ARF Dashnaktsoutiun's Political Bureau - addressed us, saying that Cyprus and Armenia are faced with the same menace, Turkey, which, despite the violations of so many principles of International Law, is assigned by the great powers more and more tasks, because of its geostrategic location; therefore, he said, the collaboration between our countries is imperative. Accepting the prize - from ARF Dashnaktsoutiun Cyprus Representative Hagop Kazandjian - Marios Garoyian thanked the Armenian National Committee of Cyprus, and spoke on a personal and a political level, reminiscing the trauma Turkey caused his generation, calling the struggle with Turkey a historical obligation and a debt to our ancestors. He declared himself committed to serve the Hay Tad and the Armenian-Cypriot community. The ceremony was completed, with a rich cultural programme by the "Sipan" Dance Ensemble of the Hamazkayin Cultural Association, followed by a reception, where Garoyian received the congratulations of the attendees.

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ARF DASHNAKTSOUTIUN TO SUE ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT

December 2 - YEREVAN (Yerkir) - The ARF Dashnaktsoutiun Supreme Council of Armenia announced on Tuesday that after receiving the authorities’ response on questions regarding the process of the Armenia-Turkey rapprochement, it plans to sue the government to prove the Foreign Ministry’s and government’s unconstitutional actions. The Dashnaktsoutiun parliamentary bloc petitioned the government to provide all documents and reports detailing the Armenia-Turkey rapprochement from the onset of the process to the present. “The responses already pose serious questions. We are going to introduce our concerns for discussion in the National Assembly,” said ARF Dashnaktsoutiun Supreme Council of Armenia chairman Armen Rustamian. The responses to the 23-point questionnaire submitted to the government illustrate that the Armenian government was completely unprepared when it began and entered the process of rapprochement, said ARF bloc member Artsvik Minasyan. The lawmaker added that the government did not adhere to provisions of Armenian law and called the answers “diplomatic and legal illiteracy.” Minasyan explained that the ARF-initiated lawsuit will provide the Constitutional Court grounds to reject the protocols as unconstitutional.

From 7or.am

Հայաստանի Հանրապետական կուսակցության համագումարին ընդառաջ, կամ մեր ժամանակների Կոմկուսը

TENSIONS, EMOTION AT HARVARD TURKISH-ARMENIAN FORUM

By Daphne Abeel - Special to the Mirror-Spectator - CAMBRIDGE , Mass. - Something unprecedented happened at Harvard University ’s Tsai Auditorium on the night of Monday, November 16. A capacity audience of 200 that included, among others, members of the Armenian community, Turkish students and Henry Morgenthau, the grandson of US Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire of the same name, heard Hasan Cemal, the grandson of Cemal Pasha, one of the three architects of the Armenian Genocide, acknowledge the Armenian Genocide. more here

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TURKISH ARMENIANS HOPE FOR NEW ERA

Jonathan Gorvett, Al Jazeera - With news of growing rapprochement between Armenia and Turkey, one community that has been watching this process with a mixture of both hope and trepidation is the Armenian community of Istanbul. Numbering between 60,000 to 70,000, these are the last descendants of a community that once numbered millions throughout the territory of Turkey's predecessor, the Ottoman Empire. Nowadays, they are the largest of Turkey's officially-recognised minority groups, with a history in the city that stretches back to medieval times. Istanbul also has its own Armenian Patriarchate, the highest body of the local Armenian Orthodox Church. There are some 33 Armenian churches in the city, 15 Armenian schools and two Armenian hospitals. Memories of 1915 Relations between Istanbul's Turkish Armenians and their Turkish neighbours are also generally good, on a personal level. "I have many Turkish friends and our relations are very good," says Melisa Buman, who is studying to be an English teacher. "We don't really have any problems between us." But Turkey and Armenia certainly do have problems between them. "The two big issues are 1915 and Nagorno-Karabakh," says Robert Haddeler, the editor of one of Istanbul's three Armenian newspapers, Marmara, and a renowned poet. "These are enough alone for us to see the future as very unclear." The year 1915 is scorched in the memories of most Armenians as the year the Armenian community in the Ottoman Empire was largely destroyed. This was done mostly by Turkish and Kurdish irregulars, but also, many accounts suggest, with the connivance of the Ottoman authorities. This act has been called a 'genocide' by most Armenians - and by many international historians. Turkey, however, officially denies that a genocide took place and instead says many Turks and Armenians were killed at the time, as part of the tragic events of the First World War. Welcomed and feared This dispute has soured relations ever since. Yet a more recent conflict, that between neighbouring Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed Caucasian territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, has also badly damaged relations. Turkey backed Azerbaijan in that 1994 conflict and instituted a land blockade of Armenia that has been going on ever since. Ankara also broke off diplomatic relations with Armenia at that time. Yet earlier this month, Turkey and Armenia signed two protocols re-establishing formal links and promising to reopen the border - if both countries' Parliaments agree. This rapprochement has been both welcomed and feared by the Turkish Armenian community. "Opening the borders and beginning diplomatic relations have been dreams for the Armenians who live Turkey for many years," says Rober Koptas, of the Armenian newspaper Agos. "If people from Turkey go to Armenia and make contact with Armenians, prejudices against Armenians can come to an end here too, we hope." But, Haddeler says: "We fear that in both countries, but especially in Turkey, the nationalists are not prepared to accept the 'other side' as friends. We are fairly sure these people are not happy with rapprochement and we fear they might act to sabotage it. This would have a highly negative impact on our lives here in Turkey." Such fears come from a long history of violence. Most recently, in January 2007, Hrant Dink, the editor of Agos, was assassinated by a Turkish ultra-nationalist just yards from his office. Dink had been the most prominent and outspoken member of Turkey's Armenian community. "The Turkish authorities have done nothing to prevent such attacks in the future," says Koptas. There is also a widespread belief among Turkish Armenians and indeed many Turks that although the assassin, Ogun Samast, was swiftly arrested, the assassination has still not been properly investigated. Revived community Yet there are also some positive signs of changing times for Turkey's Armenians on the streets of Istanbul. In the run down district of Kumkapi, where many of the city's poorer Armenians live and the Armenian Patriarchate is located, last Sunday's service at the Church of the Virgin Mary was a busy affair. "We are very hopeful about the rapprochement," said one parishioner, Arevig Hablan. "It makes things more normal between us all." One physical sign of this is the already growing number of Armenians from Armenia visiting, living and working in Istanbul, some of whom were also at Sunday's service. Many of these work illegally, but the government largely turns a blind eye to this. Meanwhile, around the corner, the ramshackle facade of a once proud Armenian building, abandoned many years ago, is now likely to be refurbished by a Turkish Armenian foundation. This is thanks to a major change in the law brought in by the current government. "This is very important," says Haddeler. "The government passed a new law on foundations which returned a lot of property to us which had previously been confiscated. The law also enables our foundations to make a profit, so we can make money for the first time to invest in our schools, hospitals and churches." Changing mood Many Turkish Armenians are positive about the current Justice and Development Party (AKP) government, despite most Armenians' Christian beliefs and the AKP's Islamist roots. "The AKP is more open to hear the demands of minority groups than the 'secular' parties," says Koptas. "It is very ironic, but this complexity has been the essence of Turkish politics in the past few years." "For the first time, we have felt that the mood in government has changed," says Haddeler. "Now we are hoping that this change of mood will take place amongst the population at large." Without this, the fear is that Turkey's Armenian rapprochement may be too fragile to last - and that this ancient community in Istanbul may be amongst the first to suffer from any breakdown.

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News in Brief by Sevag Devletian

During his address at the 12th Congress of the Republican party, the Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan referred to the Armenian-Turkish normalisation and Nagorno-Karabakh settlement and once again reconfirmed that the Armenian-Turkish normalisation assumes no preconditions. "Armenia will prevent encroach on Karabakh and is ready to reply toughly", stated Sargsyan. The International Labour Organisation has picked the Cyprus Employers and Industrialists' Federation (OEV) to undertake the mentoring of the employers organisation of Armenia. The mentoring programme includes helping to lay the proper foundations of the sister organisation in Armenia and the right structure of its mission and aims, as well as its effective operation. The Hayastan All Armenian Fund concluded its 12th annual telethon a twelve-hour non-stop live broadcast from Los Angeles, California. Summing up the results of a year long effort, which included a whole range of fund-raising activities, the Fund announced a total of $15,875,043 USD in donations and pledges. The collected funds will be directed at the realisation of a variety of social and economic infrastructure projects in the town of Shushi. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the City of Yerevan will cooperate in development programs of the underground metro, trolley parks, and fee based parking lots. Investments of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in Armenia in 2009 will total 150 million USD versus 75 million USD for the year 2008. Currently, the EBRD has invested more than 335 million Euros in the implementation of more than 70 programs in various sectors of the economy of Armenia. Members of the ARF Chicago “Christapor” Gomideh and members of the AGBU of Chicago gathered at the AGBU Onnig Norehad Center and presented a joint program discussing the diplomatic protocols recently signed by the governments of Armenia and Turkey. The United States, Russia and France on Tuesday renewed their calls for Armenia and Azerbaijan to iron out their remaining disagreements over a framework agreement to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The three nations spearheading the Karabakh peace process urged the conflicting parties to “complete this work as soon as possible” at the end of a two-day flurry of Karabakh-related diplomatic activity on the sidelines of an OSCE Ministerial conference in Athens.

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Letters to the Editor

Baron Editor, What happened to Kim Kardashian's photo? How dare you change it in photo-shop. Her body is a work of art. I suppose you would dress the statue of Venus with a Burka!! This is bloody censorship!!! Freedom of speech also includes freedom of expression! Some of us express our opinions by looking (and sometimes touching). You are a biased newsletter. You are cowards and afraid of your ultra-conservative extremist religious subscribers. Unsubscribe me NOW !!! K.H. - name provided but not disclosed upon request Dear Gibrahayer Editor, I want to express my gratitude for your e-magazine and I read it every week. But this week’s issue I did not understand the purpose of Kim Kardashian’s semi-naked picture with your article “Who is an Armenian?” which was quite interesting. With Best Wishes & Regards, Levon Gulbenkian - Las Vegas, NV The Kardashian discussion also continued on Gibrahayer Facebook: Sure, we were Armenian long before we were Christian, but honestly it could be argued that the very cosmopolitan, dispersed and multi-religious nation that we were would have been our downfall. I think it was a stroke of genius from Drtad's part to 'convert' the Armenians into Christianity. Thus we were set even more apart from the other people's around us. The subsequent 'discovery' of the Armenian alphabet helped reinforce this division and with the final schism between the Churches, creating a distinct 'Armenian' version of Christianity, this was solidified. The danger, as I am sure Drtad saw it, was that our relatively small population would be diluted in the overwhelming might of our neighbours if we were too open or too similar with each other in culture and religion, and in particular the Persian and subsequently the Byzantine Empires. Of course during the upheaval he also took the opportunity to consolidate his power, which in hindsight is not such a bad thing. Most of the problems during those times were due to power struggles between various power mongers, which also included the heads of the various established religions. The thing is that nowadays our form of Christianity has become ingrained in our Armenian identity. Thus it would seem that to be Armenian one must follow the Armenian Apostolic Church. Any person who does otherwise can not be considered Armenian. But if they can not be considered Armenians, then what can they be considered as? Where do they belong and what should they be called or call themselves?... Diran Kassabian - Limassol P.S. the photo is of Kim Kardashian.. a 'perfect' example of post-modern 'Armenian'

The Armenian Bible: Identity, Religion & Challenges in a post modern society

Nicosia, October 2009 - The Christianisation of Armenia in 301AD has been a turning point in its national history. A new culture was started which was further rooted and implemented with the invention of the Armenian alphabet and the translation of the Bible into Armenian. Since then, the Bible has been the essence of the Christian faith for the Armenian nation and the preservation of its national identity and culture. Dr. Ari Topouzkhanian’s visit to Cyprus from October 28 to November 2, 2009, was very significant in this respect. A prominent scientist and Bible scholar-translator, Dr. Topouzkhanian stimulated the Armenian audience with his two very inspiring lectures: “Hay Asdvadsashounchi Shaheganoutioune: Badmagan Agnarg yev nergaorerou hramayagane”. (The essence of the Armenian Bible: Historical reflections and the present day challenges); “Havadk yev kidoutioun: Hay Kristonia Yeridasartin penderdouke” (Faith and Science: The Christian Armenian youths’ search for identity). Dr. Topouzkhanian was also the speaker at the Armenian Evangelical Church’s service, celebrating Tarkmanchatz. Dr. Ari Topouzkhanian’s visit and lectures in Cyprus were organised by the Armenian Evangelical Church. Dr. Topouzkhanian had the opportunity to meet with the leadership of the Armenian community in Cyprus and visit its institutions. He visited the Armenian Prelacy of Cyprus, met with the Armenian representative in the Cyprus Parliament, Mr. Vartkes Mahdessian, and visited Kalaydjian Home. He had an audience with the students of Nareg School in Nicosia, challenging them with issues related to Christian faith and science. Dr. Topouzkhanian gave an interview to the Armenian program of the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation. The Armenian Bible is the fundamental source for the preservation of the national identity and the Christian faith of the Armenian nation, the two identities that the Armenian nation has maintained throughout the ages. The challenge today is to pass them on to the next generation.