LOUSSAPATZ_ The Dawn 2012-954-10-13

ԹԻՒ 954 ՇԱԲԱԹ, 13 ՀՈԿՏԵՄԲԵՐ 2012

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Խաչատուր Աբովեան

(1809-1848)

Մեծ լուսաւորիչ, գրող, մանկավարժ, հայ նոր գրականութեան հիմնադիր

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Շարնակութիւն Թիւ 953 էն

Ամերիկայի Կեդրոնական Հետախուզութեան Կազմակերպութեան (CIA)

Գործունէութիւնները Յակոբ Նազարեան, Լոս Անճելըս Անցնող տասնամեակներու ընթացքին տեղեկութիւններ քաղելու միջոցները դարձած են

աւելի ճշգրիտ եւ արդիական, շնորհիւ գիտութեան ասպարէզին մէջ կատարուած յառաջդիմութիւններուն: Երբ տեղեկութիւններ հաւաքելու մասին կը խօսուի, միայն ռազմական գաղտնիքներու մասին չէ որ կ'ակնարկուի, այլ՝ գիտական, տնտեսական, առեւտրական, արդիւնաբերական, հոգեբանական եւ երկրի մը բնական հարստութիւններու մասին բազմաթիւ տուեալներու:

Մեծ մասը այս տեղեկութիւններուն կը քաղուի կարդալով հրատարակուած նիւթերը: Հաւաքուած այս տեղեկութիւնները CIA-ի կողմէ կը գործածուին իր ծրագրած նպատակները իրագործելու համար: Իսկ արուեստական արբանեակներու միջոցաւ տեղեկութիւններ քաղելու ձեւը ծնունդ առած է 1960-ին եւ կը շարնուակուի մինչեւ օրերս: Հետաքրքրական է քննել 1947-էն մինչեւ 1967 ժամանակաշրջանին CIA-ի գործածած միջոցները տեղեկութիւններ քաղելու համար: Այսպէս, մէկ հինգերորդը՝ լրտեսներ եւ ուրիշ ծածուկ աղբիւրներ գործածելով, մէկ չորորդը՝ մամուլէ, գիրքերէ եւ զբօսաշրջիկներէ, մէկ չորորդը՝ դեսպանատուներէ եւ մնացեալը՝ զինուորական կցորդներէ եւ զինուորական այլ աղբիւրներէ:

Պաղ Պատերազմի ընթացքին, CIA եւ քոյր կազմակերպութիւնները ընդլայնուած են եւ դարձած շատ աւելի արդիական: Այժմ կը շարունակեն իրենց գործունէութիւնները նոր «վտանգաւոր ազգեր»ը եւ ծայրայեղ իսլամական շարժումները իբրեւ թիրախ ունենալով:

Գրուած տեղեկութիւններու համաձայն, CIA-ի գլխաւոր մարդկային ոյժի աղբիւրներ եղած են եւ կը շարունակեն ըլլալ համալսարաններէ վկայեալ մասնագէտներ, օտար խմբակցութիւններու անդամները եւ համալսարաններէ ներս ուսանող օտար աշակերտները,

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Ամերիկա հաստատուած նոր գաղթականները, վաճառականները, թղթակիցները, գիտնականները, դիւանագէտները, զբօսաշրջիկները եւ ուրիշներ: Երբ այս թեկնածուները միանան CIA-ին, իրենց առաջին քայլը կ’ըլլայ ստորագրել երդումնագիր մը, որով կը խոստանան ըլլալ խիստ գաղտնապահ եւ հաւատարիմ անդամները այս կազմակերպութեան: Ապա անոնք կ’անցնին վարժութեան եւ ուսուցման շրջանէ մը մինչեւ որ դառնան գաղափարականով համոզուած գործիչներ: Անոնք պարտաւոր են միշտ ծածուկ պահել իրենց ինքնութիւնը, նոյնիսկ եթէ հրաժարին այս կազմակերպութենէն - զանազան պատճառներով:

Ամերիկայի մէջ CIA-ը թափանցած է գրեթէ ամէն անուանի համալսարանէ ներս, ապահովելով շատ մը փրոֆեսէօրներու եւ ուսանողական միութիւններու վարիչներու գործակցութիւնը: Տելաուէր նահանգին մէջ ան ստեղծած է շատ մը անձնական ընկերութիւններ եւ տուրքէ զերծ տնտեսական, եկեղեցական, մշակութային եւ ուսումնական հաստատութիւններ:

Իր հիմնադրութեան թուականէն սկսեալ CIA-ը կազմակերպած է շատ մը գործողութիւններ, աշխարհի զանազան երկիրներու մէջ: Ասոնց կարգին՝ 1954-ի Կուաթեմալայի կառավարութեան տապալումը եւ քաղաքական յեղաշրջումը, 1958-ի Պարսկաստանի պետական հարուածը, որուն զոհ գացած է Մուհամմէտ Մուսատտեղ: Ապա CIA-ի գործակալները յաջողած են տապալել տալ Սուքարնոյի կառավարութիւնը Ինտոնեզիոյ մէջ: Հարաւային Ամերիկայի մէջ, օգտուելով զանազան դաշինքներու իրաւասութիւններէն, միջամտած են տարբեր երկիրներու ներքին գործերուն: Փերուի մէջ օժանդակած են տեղւոյն կառվարութեան՛ ոչնչացնելու համար հոն գոյութիւն ունեցող հրոսակային խումբերը: Իսկ Պոլիվիոյ մէջ, իրենց օժանդակութեամբ, տեղւոյն կառավարութիւնը կրցած է սպաննել Չէ Կեվարան: 1970-ին մեծ դեր կատարած են Չիլիի կառավարութեան յեղաշրջման մէջ: Ասիոյ ցամաքամասին մէջ CIA-ը «ստեղծած» է գլխաւոր դրդապատճառները Հնդկաստանի եւ Փաքիստանի միջեւ պատերազմին սկսելուն: Իսկ Ամերիկայի մէջ, ըստ Մարչեթիի, CIA մաս կազմած է նախագահ Քենետիի սպանութեան:

Յաճախ երբ գաշտնապահութեան քօղը վերցուած է եւ երեւան հանուած են CIA-ի ապօրինի գործողութիւնները, նախագահներ, տեղի տալով ժողովրդային ճնշումներուն, ջանացած են արդարացնել այդ գործողութիւնները: Իրենց առաջին հրապարակային արտայայտութիւններով ջանացած են քօղարկել իսկական եղելութիւնները, բայց երբ փաստերը եղած են անքօղարկելի, արդարացուցած են CIA-ի անյաջող միջամտութիւնները, յենելով ազգային շահերու պատճառաբանութեան վրայ: Հոս յիշելու ենք, որ նախ նախագահներ միշտ տեղեակ եղած են CIA-ի գործողութիւններէն, ապա առանց նախագահին հաւանութեան CIA-ը որեւէ քայլ չէ առած: Կարգ մը կառավարական անձանւորութիւններ մտավախութիւն յայտնած են CIA-ի զօրացման նկատմամբ, եւ երբեմն ալ, ինքնագլուխ գործունէութեան վրայ այն հաւանականութեամբ, թէ կրնայ CIA-ը կառավարական հսկողութենէ անկախ գործել եւ դառնալ սպառնալիք մը ռամկավարական վարչաձեւին: Կրնանք եզրակացնել թէ CIA-ի նման կազմակերպութիւն մը անհրաժեշտ է Ամերիկայի նման գերհզօր պետութեան:

Եթէ քննենք CIA-ի մասին կաատրուող արտայայտութիւնները, անոնք

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մեծամասնութեամբ կը ծանրանան այս կազմակերպութեան գործած ապօրինի միջոցներուն վրայ, եւ չեն դատապարտեր անոնց ծնունդ տուող դրդապատճառները կամ կազմակերպութեան վստահուած առաքելութիւնները: Հոս պէտք է անդրադառնանք նաեւ սփիւռքահայ գաղութներէ ներս CIA-ի գործողութիւններուն ժխտական ազդեցութեան, ըլլայ Պարսկաստանի, Լիբանանի, Սուրիոյ կամ այլ գաղութներէ ներս, անմիջականօրէն ազդելով Հայկական Ցեղասպանութեան, Հայ Դատի եւ Հայաստանի կառավարութեան կառոյցներուն վրայ եւ գործելով ի նպաստ Ամերիկայի դաշնակից Թուրքիոյ կառավարութեան հակահայ քաղաքականութեան:

Ուրեմն, իբրեւ սփիւռքահայ ժառանգորդները ցեղասպանութենէն ազատած սերունդին, զգոյշ ըլլանք որեւէ ձեւով գործակցելէ այսպիսի կազմակերպութիւններու հետ, մանաւանդ երբ մեզի կը հրամցուին կեղծ բայց երբեմն հրապուրիչ առաջարկներ, մոռնալու համար Հայ Դատի հետ կապուած մեր պահանջնքները եւ Հայկական Ցեղասպանութեան ընդունման համար տարուած աշխատանքները:

Eleven Renowned Scholars to Participate in Academic Conference to Mark the 125th Anniversary of the SDHP

The Social Democrat Hunchakian Party is the longest serving Armenian political party. Founded in Geneva in 1887, the SDHP has played an important role at every stage of our nation’s history.

An academic conference scheduled for October 27th at the Fletcher Jones Foundation Auditorium of Woodbury University in Burbank will mark the 125th Anniversary of the SDHP. The conference is organized by the Armenian Educational Benevolent Union (A.E.B.U.) and Nor Serount Cultural Association (N.S.C.A.); and co-sponsored by the Richard G. Hovannisian Endowed Chair in Modern Armenian History at UCLA, the Armenian Research Center at the University of Michigan, Dearborn; Woodbury University and the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR). A host of renowned historians, academics and scholars will conduct a day-long review of the political, intellectual and social history of the Armenian people, as analyzed through the history of the Hunchakian Party and many of its prominent members who shaped it.

The following is the list of the scholars who will participate in the Conference, and the titles of the papers they will be presenting:

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Rev. Dr. Abel Manoukian “The Founders: Formative Period as University Students”

Prof. Kevork Bardakjian (University of Michigan , Ann Arbor) “Ideology and Literature: The Mother Party and Some of Her Literary Children”

Prof. Gerard Libaridian (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, retired) “At the Origins of the Social Democratic Hunchakian Party: Problems and Paradoxes”

Prof. Vahram Shemmassian (California State University, Northridge) “Absolute Monarchy: The Hunchakian Revolutionary Episode in Armenian Musa Dagh during the 1890s”

Dr. Garabet Moumdjian (Independent Historian) “1895 to 1914: The Relations of Armenian Political/Revolutionary Organizations with the Young Turk”

Prof. Hratch Tchilingirian (Oxford University) “From End of Empires to the Global Age: Issues and Questions in Armenian Political Ideology and Strategy”

Prof. Richard Hovannisian (University of California, Los Angeles) “The Hunchakian Party and the First Republic of Armenia”

Mr. Aram Arkun (Independent Historian) “The role of the Hunchakian party in post WWI Cilicia”

Prof. Ara Dostourian (Prof. of History Emeritus, University of West Georgia) “The Labor & Political Work of the SDHP of the Eastern U.S.A. in the Context of the Worldwide Hunchakian Movement (1890- 2000)”

Dr. Vartan Matiossian (Armenian National Education Committee) “The Hunchakian Party in the Armenian Communities of South America : An Outline of its Early History”

Prof. Ara Sanjian (University of Michigan, Dearborn) “Khrushchev, Karabagh and the Hunchakians: A Documented Journey in the World of Oral History in-Progress”

Seating to the Conference is limited. The organizers encourage all who wish to attend to pre-register at info@sdhp125.org

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Admission is free, however a $100 donation will offer the donors: Confirmed registration to the Conference (lunch included), an invitation to a special gathering “Dinner with the Scholars” due to be held on the night of the Conference at Phoenicia Restaurant in Glendale, and preferred seating to the SDHP 125th Anniversary Celebration scheduled for Nov. 18th at the Glendale High School Auditorium.

The conference will be broadcast live on www.sdhp125.org and www.massispost.com

Vartan Oskanian Charged With Money Laundering

Vartan Oskanian

Armenian law-enforcement authorities have brought money laundering charges against former foreign minister Vartan Oskanian in a high-profile investigation that he and his Prosperous Armenia Party regard as “politically motivated”.

Last week Oskanian lost his immunity as member of the National Assembly after a majority of his fellow lawmakers allowed his prosecution in a secret ballot boycotted by the parliamentary minority factions.

Oskanian was summoned to the National Security Service (NSS) on Monday where he was formally charged with misappropriating a $1.4-million donation that was made by U.S. philanthropist Jon Huntsman Sr. to his Yerevan-based Civilitas Foundation in late 2010. The lawmaker was also asked to testify in the capacity of a ‘defendant’, which he refused to do invoking his constitutional right.

As a witness in the case investigated since last May Oskanian ha s repeatedly declined to answer investigators’ questions. Oskanian has insisted all along that he did not commit any crime in keeping the donation on his personal account, which,

he says, did not break either his arrangements with Huntsman or Civilitas. Moreover, he said he had already transferred the whole amount to the Foundation’s account.

After spending about an hour inside the NSS building Oskanian told the media that no measure restricting his movement or freedom had been taken by investigators.

Oskanian’s lawyer Tigran Atanesian explained that his client had been charged on two counts of the criminal code. Under the charges, which are “embezzlement of funds” and “legalization of incomes received in a criminal way”, Oskanian faces up to 12 years in prison if found guilty.

“Oskanian did not admit the charges and refused to answer questions,” the lawyer added. In his turn, Oskanian said that the change of his status from a witness to a defendant after last week’s decision by the parliament to allow his prosecution had “political implications” and revealed the government’s goal to “step up pressure” on him and his party.

Ivanishvili’s Disparaging Comments on Armenians Causes Outrage

TBILISI — Bidzina Ivanishvili, the billionaire leader of opposition alliance that has won Georgia’s parliamentary elections, has raised eyebrows in Armenia after reportedly questioning the existence of a sizable Armenian community in his country.

Ivanishvili, who is expected to become prime minister, was quoted as making disparaging comments in an interview with the Russian online journal “Novoye Vremya” (New Times) published on Friday.

Asked about the reasons for his return to Georgia about a decade ago and eventual involvement in politics, the French national said, “We, Georgians, are so strange – we are attached to our land. This is our character. There are, for example, Armenians living here. I’m amazed that their homeland is next door but they live here.”

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“You probably have no such questions. But for me that’s not comprehensible,” he added, according to the publication.

Official Yerevan was quick to signal its discontent with these remarks through a senior lawmaker affiliated with the ruling Republican Party of Armenia. Artak Zakarian, chairman of the Armenian parliament’s committee on foreign relations, said they are “at least bewildering” and compared them to the ultranationalist rhetoric of Georgia’s first President Zviad Gamsakhurdia.

“One can only express hope that this was a slip of the tongue by the leader of a political force that won the elections with pledges to promote the European value system and strengthen democracy,” Zakarian said in a statement.

Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian made no direct mention of the apparent gaffe in what was Armenia’s first official reaction to the Georgian elections and their surprise outcome. But he did stress that “Georgia is home to thousands of Georgian Armenians who are an important factor strengthening our friendship.”

“We have managed to build a mutually beneficial inter-state relationship with Georgia based on mutual respect and we hope that we will continue our joint efforts to further strengthen our friendly cooperation,” Nalbandian said in written comments to ArmNews television. He also expressed confidence that the “free and competitive” elections will foster continued reforms in Georgia.

The comments attributed to Ivanishvili prompted “deep concern” from a Georgian non-governmental organization that claims to represent the country’s Armenian and other ethnic minorities. In a statement, the group called Multiethnic Georgia said they contradicted Ivanishvili’s pre-election statements and demanded an explanation from the leader of the Georgian Dream alliance.

Ivanishvili reacted to the unfolding uproar later in the day. He said that the Russian publication did not present his full answer to the question and thus “completely distorted the context.”

“In response to the journalist’s questions, I emphasized that I admire the unique ability of Armenians and Jews to be citizens of the world, to be successful wherever they live and to have a strong Diaspora,” the 56-year-old tycoon wrote on his Facebook page. “We Georgians, however, are such amazing people that unfortunately we have not managed to settle anywhere else and create a strong Diaspora. This was the basic context of my answer.”

“I want to emphasize that Georgia is a multiethnic country and the homeland of all peoples living here,” Ivanishvili said.

Armenian National Security Service Exposes Azerbaijan’s Provocation Attempt

YEREVAN -- The Armenian National Security Service (NSS) has exposed and prevented yet another provocation attempt by Azerbaijan’s special services.

In a statement released on Wednesday the National Security Service (NSS) said Zamirzhon Otazhonov, a 33-year-old citizen of Uzbekistan, an ethnic Tajik, turned to Armenia’s law-enforcement authorities on September 24 offering his services to carry out “an act of terrorism” in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku in exchange for a payment of $20,000.

The NSS said its “operative-investigative measures” had exposed Otazhonov as an agent acting on the instructions of Azerbaijani special services and qualified his actions as “provocation”. It added that Otazhonov had been deported from Armenia.

“By its actions the Azerbaijani side sought to present Armenia as a sponsor of terrorism,” the NSS

said.

The statement by the Armenian Security Service also claims that by sending an agent to Armenia Azerbaijan attempted to provoke a high-profile espionage scandal to “soften” the backlash over the case of axe murderer Ramil Safarov.

Safarov had murdered Armenian officer Gourgen Margaryan in Budapest on February 19, 2004 while participating in NATO’s English language training courses was extradited to Azerbaijan on August 31, 2012 by Hungarian authorities despite the fact Hungarian court had sentenced Ramil Safarov to a life imprisonment. After arriving in Baku, Safarov was pardoned and received as a national hero and promoted to a major.

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"Guiligian" School for Syrian Armenian Children Opens in Y erevan

YEREV AN — The "Guiligian" School opened its doors for for 220 Syrian Armenian children at primary school N 14 named after Nar Dos in Yerevan on October 9, where they will receive their education based on Syrian state curriculum.

The school has been launched at the initiative of the

Benevolent with the Armenia’ s Ministry of Diaspora in order that children who have fled the fighting in Syria not fall behind

Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan and Damascus Primate Bishop Armash Nalbandian at the opening ceremony

in their schooling. The school will offer a Syrian curriculum developed as a result of discussions between the Ministries of Diaspora, Education as well as Syrian teachers invited to Armenia to work out the optimal educational conditions. The principal of the new school is Nora Pilibosian who has

extensive experience as a teacher at Guiligian College in Aleppo. The opening ceremony was attended by Primate of the Damascus Diocese of the Armenian

Apostolic Church Bishop Armash Nalbandian, Mayor of Yerevan Taron Margaryan, Temporary Charge d’Affaires of the Embassy of the Syrian Arab Republic in Armenia Mamun Hariri, Chief of Staff of the RA Ministry of Diaspora Firdus Zakaryan, RA Deputy Minister of Education Manuk Mkrtchyan, the new school administraters, parents and educators.

Welcoming the opening of the school, Primate Nalbandian wished a peaceful and productive academic year to everyone.

In July 2012, the RA Ministry of Diaspora carried out the establishment of a working commission comprised of educators and representatives of Syrian-Armenian organizations in particular Guiligian Benevolent Organization. The RA Ministry of Diaspora coordinated the process of establishing a school with instruction in Arabic and the Syrian state curriculum in collaboration with the RA Ministry of Education and Science and the Department of General Education at Yerevan Municipality. The sides studied and analyzed the appropriateness and need of establishing such a school, as well as Syrian-Armenians’ demands and the educational programs in Syria.

Guiligian Organization cooperation

of

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President Sarkissian: Azerbaijan Preparing For War

YEREVAN (Reuters) — Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian has accused Azerbaijan of preparing for war over Nagorno-Karabakh.

In an interview in Yerevan with the Reuters news agency, Sarkisian said Azerbaijan’s government has been acquiring what he called a “horrendous quantity” of arms to prepare for new fighting.

“Now, 18 years after the signing of this cease-fire agreement, Azerbaijan threatens us with a new war,” Sarkisian said.

Sarkisian accused Azerbaijanis of having hatred toward Armenians and a “general xenophobia.” He said, however, that Armenia still hopes for a negotiated settlement that would end the conflict between the neighboring Caucasus states peacefully.

“When I say that there is hatred towards Armenians, a general xenophobia in Azerbaijan; when I say there is a dangerous accumulation of armaments in Azerbaijan; when I say Azerbaijan is getting prepared for resuming military hostilities and settling the conflict by military means, that doesn’t mean at all that there is no need to continue with negotiations,” Sarkisian said.

Ties between Armenia and Azerbaijan were recently aggravated after Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev pardoned a soldier who had been sentenced to life in prison in Hungary for murdering an Armenian officer in 2004.

The officer was pardoned immediately after he was sent back to Azerbaijan from imprisonment in Hungary.

In the interview, Sarkisian said the pardon of the Azerbaijani officer showed Nagorno-Karabakh — a region of about 160,000 people — could never be part of Azerbaijan.

Asked if he was confident he would see a solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute, Sarkissian said: “I’m confident.”

“At least I hope that I will never see Nagorno-Karabakh incorporated in the Azerbaijani framework again and that in itself is a huge success,” he said.

Government Sells Foreign Ministry Building in Yerevan Foreign

Ministry building in central Yerevan

YEREVAN -- The Armenian government has approved the sale of the historic Armenian Foreign Ministry building in Yerevan for more than $51 million which it said will be mostly spent on the construction of new ministry premises.

The imposing building located in the city’s main Republic Square, opposite the Prime Minister’s Office, was built in the late 1940s and was for decades occupied by various Soviet Armenian government ministries. It has housed the Foreign Ministry for almost 20 years. Two of its sections are also occupied by the ministries of energy and local government.

The buyer, a company called Tango, is reportedly owned by Eduardo Eurnekian, an Argentinean billionaire of Armenian descent. Eurnekian’s Corporacion America group manages Yerevan’s Zvartnots international airport. The tycoon also has other business interests in Armenia. The government will pay for the construction of a new Foreign Ministry building elsewhere in downtown Yerevan by September 2015. The Armenian government will pay for the construction with proceeds from the sale. It has declined to specify the likely cost of the project so far.

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Armenia Scraps Visas For EU Citizens

Citizens of the European Union member states travelling to Armenia will no longer need entry visas starting from next year, the Armenian government announced on Thursday in what it called a further boost to the country’s European integration.

The landmark measure, effective from January 10, 2013, means that EU nationals will be allowed to stay in Armenia visa-free for up to 90 days each year. It also applies to citizens of European nations such as Switzerland that are not EU members but are part of the bloc’s borderless Schengen area.

Armenia thus became the fourth non-Baltic former Soviet republic -- after Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova -- to unilaterally abolish visa requirements for Europeans. It currently has mutual visa-free regimes with less than two dozen countries, including Georgia, Russia and most of the other ex-Soviet states.

In an explanatory note, the government said that visa-free travel will stimulate a greater influx of European tourists and help to expand Armenia’s business ties with the EU. More importantly, it also put the measure in the context of ongoing negotiations on the signing of an “association agreement” between Armenia and the 27-nation bloc.

“The Republic of Armenia has adopted a policy of integration with the EU and is holding negotiations with the EU on the association agreement and the creation of a free and comprehensive free trade area,” explains the document. One of the main elements of that accord is a facilitation of the EU’s strict visa requirements for Armenians planning to travel to Europe. It is expected that they will be able receive Schengen visas with fewer documents and at a lower cost. In return, Yerevan will have to sign a separate “readmission agreement” with Brussels that will commit it to helping EU immigration authorities expedite the repatriation of Armenian illegal immigrants.

"If Only Everyone" Becomes Armenia Nomination for Oscar

YEREVAN -- An Armenia-made film, “If Only Everyone”, has officially become the country’s submission for the 2013 Academy Award for the Best Foreign Language Film.

A total of 71 films are nominated in this category, as reported by the American Film Academy. The Oscar Academy will announce its five choices on January 15, 2013, according to kinonews.ru. The Armenian National Film Academy chose “If Only Everyone”, a film by Natalya Belyauskene by secret

ballot and submitted it to the American Film Academy. The film is dedicated to the 20th anniversary of Armenia’s independence and the formation of the Armenian Armed Forces. The film is about a woman, half-Armenian, half Russian, a daughter of a fighter who was killed in the Karabakh war. Two decades later Sasha came to Armenia in search of her father’s grave. She wanted to plant a birch there. Sasha got acquainted with her father’s combat friends who helped her carry out her mission.

US Relations with Armenia: In Facing Middle East Adversaries, America

Has a Secret Weapon

Most Americans wouldn’t be shocked to learn that the largest American embassy in the world is in Baghdad, Iraq. But the second-largest is in a surprising place: Armenia, policymic.com writes. It begs the question: why?

The best explanation is a real estate mantra: location, location, location. Armenia, a landlocked country with just 3 million people, might be in the roughest neighborhood in the world. But in America’s eyes, it might be in the most important position of any U.S. ally to advance President Obama’s foreign policy agenda.

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What Armenia lacks in natural resources – it has little oil, gas or jewels – it makes up for in geography. Few countries are in better position to shape U.S. foreign policy than Armenia.

Armenia borders Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Iran. As a part of the former Soviet Union, it relies on nearby Russia extensively for trade and military backing. The U.S. has a significant stake in all five countries, and Armenia is now coming into view as a potentially potent lever to advance American aims.

That is, if the Armenians can be won over.

As the U.S. tries to woo Armenia to become a stronger ally in the region, the term “geostrategic” has never been more apt. Armenia is literally at the center of a number of countries that Washington considers among its top priorities. As President Obama tries to accomplish key foreign policy objectives – like preventing Iran from attaining nuclear bombs or seeing democracy flourish in Russia – he’s got to encourage Armenia to play along.

To Armenia’s south, one such issue is unfolding in Iran’s nuclear centrifuges. Last week, a media skirmish between the US and Israel boiled over when Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, stated publicly that America had no “moral right” to say whether or not Israel could bomb Iran to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon. President Obama reportedly called Netanyahu at 3 a.m. to quell tensions.

America is racing to develop every diplomatic pressure point it can on Iran, lest Israel launch a preemptive attack and embroil America in a third Middle East war in ten years. One of those pressure points goes straight through Armenia.

While the US has cut off formal relations with Iran – Washington talks through Switzerland’s embassy there – it’s no secret that it employs a variety of foreign policy crowbars to influence and destabilize Iran’s ruling regime. Some, like President Obama’s latest round of economic sanctions, are well known. Partnering with Armenia is not, but could have a major impact. Through economic and diplomatic incentives, the U.S. is actively trying to shape Armenia into an ally. As President Obama seeks to economically isolate Iran – his sanctions have cut the value of Iran currency in half – he is trying to regionally isolate the regime, as well. Armenia is key to that strategy.

For Armenia, the game is far less simple. Partnering with the U.S. – with whom it has a good, but not great, relationship – could alienate the few friends Armenia has left in the South Caucasus region. Armenia wants military cooperation with Russia, but economic access to the West.

While Armenia has tried to deepen relations with the European Union and the US, Armenia’s two best friends at the moment are arguably the US’s most challenging adversaries: Russia and Iran. That’s not necessarily because of shared ideologies, or even shared interests; it’s because Armenia doesn’t have many friends to pick from.

Of its four neighbors, two – Turkey and Azerbaijan – have have closed off their borders to Armenia. To go on a road trip, every Armenian must pass through either Tbilisi, Georgia or Tehran, Iran.

Why the frosty reception? Turkey, which the New York Review of Books recently called “the historic nemesis of the Armenians,” is still steaming mad over the negative PR associated with Armenian Genocide. The Turks claim rogue military elements are responsible; Armenians believe the Turkish government is reluctant to take the blame.

In either interpretation, the facts are stark: about 1.5 million Armenians perished in a war with Turkey between 1915 and 1918. The Turks closed off the border in 1993, and with it, a significant chunk of Armenia’s economy disappeared. In the decades since, Armenia has pressed for international recognition of the genocide – and rightfully so – but that has only stoked the fire with the Turks.

But, while one would think that the genocide rift is what led Turkey to close off its border, it’s not. Instead, Turkey is standing in solidarity with another neighbor over a contested territory.

Azerbaijan, another former Soviet republic, shut its borders with Armenia after the two battled over an Armenian-populated Nagorno-Karabakh, in the 1990's. Today, the territory remains a “semi-autonomous” area; meaning that the Azeris want it back, the Armenians believe they control it, and the Karabakhis declared independence (which no country has formally recognized).

Meanwhile, the relationship between Armenia and Azerbaijan is sliding downhill. Last month, Azerbaijan made a deal with Hungary to extradite a convicted Azeri murderer. (The man, 8 years

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ago, nearly decapitated a sleeping Armenian serviceman with an axe at a NATO-sponsored English class.) He was returned under the condition that he would serve at least 25 more years in jail.

Instead, as the New York Times put it, he received “a new apartment, eight years of back pay, a promotion to the rank of major and the status of a national hero.” Uproar in Armenia ensued. Armenia’s President released a statement warning, “The Armenians must not be underestimated. We don’t want a war, but if we have to, we will fight and win.”

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan is enjoying the windfall from oil exports. Israel, in particular, has strengthened relations with the Azeris, purchasing 30% of their oil from them, as well as selling them over $1.5 billion in military supplies. The U.S. is also a buyer of Azeri oil. As the New York Times points out, Azerbaijan invested more money in its military than Armenia’s entire state budget last year. Hardly the sign of harmonious relations to come.

So far, Armenia’s walked a diplomatic tightrope with skill. As my Lonely Planet travel book explains, “Despite its limited resources, Armenia has become a master at geopolitics. What other country in the world can say it maintains good relations with the U.S., Russia and Iran?”

Given the cards they’re dealt, Armenia has been a remarkable success story. If America hopes to engender greater cooperation, it’s got to sweeten the deal – through trade agreements, offering economic reforms and encouraging private sector development in Armenia.

Armenia became independent in 1991. Two decades later, it’s still trying to find its footing in the region. It may not have gold, oil, gas or jewels to give to the US. But, instead, it may have something more useful: a strategic position in the most critical—and potentially most dangerous— region in the world.

Policymic

Armenian Studies Program:Exhibit on “The 500th Anniversary of

Armenian Printing” at Fresno State

Dr. Kevork Bardakjian to Speak on “The Impact of the Armenian Script and Printing on Armenian Identity and Letters”

FRESNO -- Armenian Studies Program Director Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian announced the opening on September 17 of an exhibit on “The 500th Anniversary of Armenian Printing” on the second floor of the Fresno State Henry Madden Library.

The Armenian Studies Program will host a special reception from 2-5PM on Sunday, October 14, on the second floor of the Henry Madden Library, to mark the official opening of the exhibit. The reception is free and open to the public and refreshments will be served.

The exhibit is co-sponsored by the Armenian Studies Program, the College of Arts and Humanities, and the Henry Madden Library.

Special guest speaker for the day will be Dr. Kevork Bardakjian, Marie Manoogian Professor of Modern Armenian Language and Literature at the University of Michigan, Ann

Arbor, who will speak on “The Impact of the Armenian Script and Printing on Armenian Identity and Letters.” Fresno State President Dr. John Welty, Provost Dr. William Covino, and Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities, Dr. Vida Samiian, will also be speak at the afternoon reception.

The exhibit features rare printed books and several examples of earlier manuscripts from the Armenian Studies Program collection. The majority of the printed works are from the Parnay Collection of rare books, 300 early printed works, the majority published by the Armenian Mkhitarist congregation of Venice, but which includes books from Constantinople, Tiflis and elsewhere, now part of the Armenian Studies Program. Mr. Ray Parnay donated the collection, once belonging to his late father Mardig and late uncle Serope Y. Parnay (Yedi-Kardashian), in 2006.

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A 1782 “Guidebook to the Holy Places of Jerusalem” is the oldest book on display. Other works include a translation of Homer’s Iliad (1843), an 1859 History of Vartan and the Armenian Wars by Yeghishe, and A Geography of Place Names of Greater Armenia (1855) by Very Rev. Fr. Ghevond Alishan.

On display also is a special facsimile reproduction of the 9th century “Etchmiadzin Gospel” (Codex Etchmiadzin) on load from the collection of Arminee Shishmanian and the late Dr. Leo Shishmanian of Fresno. The Etchmiadzin Gospel contains the “Final Four Miniatures,” the earliest known Armenian miniature paintings, dated to the late 6th century.

The exhibit can be viewed during regular Henry Madden Library hours, from October 1-31. Go to the Madden Library website for specific information http://www.fresnostate.edu/library/. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

For more information on the reception and exhibit please contact the Armenian Studies Program at 278-2669.

International Opera Singer Arax Mansurian to Performing Komitas

GLENDALE -- On October 17th, 2012, international opera singer, Arax Mansurian and her student Lisa Bell will be performing Komitas at the Armenian Society of Los Angeles. Admission is open to the public and the program will begin at 7:00pm.

Arax Mansurian, the “darling of opera in Europe” has performed everywhere from Russia to the Sydney Opera House. Her pupil, Lisa Bell is a soprano from Brisbane, Australia. Arax Mansourian is a graduate of voice from the Komitas State Conservatory in Yerevan, Armenia. She was one of the leading sopranos of the Armenian National Opera before moving to Australia in 1994. She has appeared in the title role of Verdi’s “Aida”, Leonora (Il Trovatore), Elisabetta de Valois (Don Carlos), Nedda (Pagliacci), Mimí (La Boheme), Tatiana (Eugene Onegin), Lisa (Pikovaya Dama), Maddalena (Andrea Chenier), Shoushan (Davit Bek), and the title role in Tigranian’s “Anoush.”

Lisa Bell is one of Australia’s finest contemporary sopranos. A graduate of the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, Lisa is a well respected soprano who has performed extensively throughout Australia, and upon invitation in Europe and the United States. The two will be accompanied by pianist Armine Ghazaryan. The opera sensations will be performing for the community of Los Angeles then traveling to Armenia for performances at the Yerevan Concert Hall, accompanied by the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra. All proceeds of the Yerevan performances will be donated to the Armenian Children’s Charity. The program of this event, in both Armenia and in Los Angeles will consist of Komitas, Bellini, and Rossini.

COVER PAGE

Abovian was born in 1809 in the village of Kanaker, now a suburb of Yerevan Abovian's family were descendants of the Beglaryan melik family in Gulistan, one of five Armenian families who ruled around the current day region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The Abovian family held the position of tanuter (hereditary lord) in Kanaker and Abovian's uncle was the last tanuter of Kanaker. At the age of ten his father took him to Echmiadzin to study for priesthood. Abovian dropped out after five years and moved to Tiflis in 1822 to study Armenian studies and languages at the Nersisyan college under the guidance of Harutiun Alamdarian. Abovian graduated in 1826 and began preparing to move to Venice to further his

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education but the outbreak of the Russo-Persian War of 1826–1828 curtailed his plans. For the next three years Abovian taught briefly at Sanahin (Sanahin: Սանահին is a village in the northern province of

Lori) and then became employed by Catholicos Yeprem as his clerk and translator. Conquest of Ararat

The turning point in Abovian's life was the arrival of Friedrich Parrot in Armenia in September 1829, a professor of natural philosophy from the University of Dorpat in Livonia (now University of Tartu in Estonia). Parrot had travelled to Armenia to climb Mount Ararat to conduct geological studies and required a local guide and a translator for the expedition. The Catholicos assigned Abovian to these tasks. With Abovian’s help, Parrot became the first explorer in modern times to reach the summit of Mount Ararat. The project received full approval from the emperor Nicholas I, who provided the expedition with a military escort.

Abovian and Parrot crossed the Arax River and headed to the Armenian village of Agori situated on the northern slope of Ararat 4,000 feet (1,200 m) above sea level. Following the advice of Harutiun Alamdarian of Tiflis, they set up base camp at the Monastery of Saint Jacob some 2,400 feet (730 m) higher, at an elevation of 6,375 feet (1,943 m). Abovian was one of the last travelers to visit Agori and the monastery before a disastrous earthquake completely buried both in May 1840. They reached the summit on their third attempt on October 9, 1829. Abovian dug a hole in the ice and erected a wooden cross facing north. Abovian also picked up a chunk of ice from the summit and carried it down with him in a bottle, considering the water holy.

Impressed with Abovian's thirst for knowledge, Parrot arranged for a Russian state scholarship for Abovian to study at the University of Dorpat in 1830. He entered the university directly without additional preparation and studied in the Philosophy faculty of the Philological-Historical department from September 3, 1830 until January 18, 1836. The years in Dorpat were very fruitful for Abovian who studied social and natural sciences, European literature and philosophy, and mastered German, Russian, French and Latin.

In 1836 he returned home anxious to embark on a mission of enlightenment. Abovian’s efforts were thwarted as he faced a growing and hostile reaction from the Armenian clergy as well as Tsarist officials, largely stemming from his opposition to dogmatism and formalism in the school system. Abovian was appointed as the supervisor of the Tiflis uyezd school and married a German woman named Emilia Looze in 1839. He was dismissed from the school in 1843 and was transferred to the uyezd school of Yerevan where he also encountered apathy and antagonism from his colleagues and the clergy.

In 1845 he applied for a position at the Catholicate of Echmiadzin but was turned down. In 1846 Abovian became a contributor to Vorontsov's weekly paper Kavkaz,

On April 14, 1848, Abovian went out of his house for an early morning walk and was never seen again. His mysterious disappearance remains unresolved.

Abovian was far ahead of his time and virtually none of his works was published during his lifetime. Only after the establishment of the Armenian SSR was Abovian accorded the recognition and stature he merited. Abovian is regarded as one of the foremost figures not just in Armenian literature but Armenian history at large. Abovian's influence on Western Armenian literature was not as strong as it was on Eastern Armenian, particularly in its formative years.

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Continuity From Last Week

Two L.A.-Area Congressmen In Heated Debate over Armenian Issues

By Harut Sassounian Publisher, The California Courier

This is the second part of the debate between two Democratic Congressmen, Howard Berman

and Brad Sherman, held at the Ferrahian School’s Avedissian Hall in Encino, California, on Sept. 29.

The debate was organized by the Armenian National Committee of America, Western Region.

Cong. Sherman: “We need to recognize the Genocide not only for Armenia, not only for America, but

the Turkish state will never be a modern state until it comes to grip with its own history.” Criticizing US

governments' reluctance to use the term Armenian Genocide, Cong. Sherman asked: “What kind of

superpower cowers before history? What kind of superpower worries about Turkish threats? Dozens of

parliaments around this world have recognized the Genocide. It is about time for Congress to have the same

level of courage!”

In response to a question on what the two Congressmen would do to encourage America’s allies such

as Israel to recognize the Armenian Genocide, Cong. Berman stated that “it is audacious for a country that

itself hasn’t recognized the Armenian Genocide, to start telling other countries what they should be doing. So

number one: get this [genocide] resolution passed, and push and persuade the Executive Branch to support

what the Congress has done, and then you do want to make it into an international consensus. But, we are not

effectively going to tell a government that they should do something that we haven’t yet done. ...”

Cong. Sherman: "I’m proud that Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem, recognizes the Armenian genocide; proud that the Holocaust Museum in Washington does the same. We need to recognize the Armenian genocide at the U.S. government level, but I for one have the chutzpah to urge my Israeli friends to do it even before we do it. And the politics in Israel are a little different. Here, there is still this mirage that somehow Turkey is the critical American ally. In Israel, that same mirage was more or less shattered recently, and so we may indeed find that Israel is able to beat the United States in recognizing the first genocide of the 20th century. And given the history of Israel and the history of the Jewish people, I think it’s an important thing to do. So I for one don’t believe we should wait to urge Israel to move forward, but we should be inspired to move forward ourselves as quickly as possible.”

Panelist Harut Sassounian: “I would like to clarify something for the record based on the answers that you both gave. Before we give any wiggle room for Israel to wait for us to pronounce judgment on this issue, I think we would do well to remember that in 1975 and in 1984, twice, the House of Representatives, the full House, adopted resolutions recognizing the Armenian genocide. So Israel doesn’t have to wait for the US to do it first. We’ve already done it twice, so they can do it once at least, in the meantime."

Cong. Berman: “For historical reasons Israel should do it, particularly Israel, should do it.” Cong. Sherman: Israel is going to recognize the Armenian Genocide “because it is the moral and right thing to do and because the historical record is there.” In response to a question on whether the United States should stop paying rent to the Turkish government for the Airbase in Incirlik, Turkey -- located on occupied Armenian territories -- and pay that money to the heirs of original Armenian owners, Cong. Sherman stated: “I look forward to developing a foreign policy where we are less dependent upon the use of bases in Turkey, because I’ve seen them try to lobby the Pentagon, to lobby Congress not to recognize the Genocide on the theory that, ‘oh, you need our bases.’ We can and should work with our other southeast Asian NATO allies to have a basing structure that does not require us to be paying rent to the Turkish state. ...However, as long as our base is on that land, that becomes an excellent argument for additional aid to the Armenian state because we’re on that territory.” Cong. Berman: “...One of the arguments made in Congress against the genocide resolution is ‘Oh the Turks will kick us out of Incirlik.' The Turks have no intention of kicking us out of Incirlik. They want us there; they’re desperate to have us there. This is a smokescreen. This is an argument that people who are fronting for the Turkish position use to scare Congress into thinking there’ll be great dangers to our national security.”

(to be continued)

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