LOUSSAPATZ_The Dawn - 2012-964-12-22

ԹԻՒ 964 ՇԱԲԱԹ, 22 ԴԵԿՏԵՄԲԵՐ 2012

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ՀԱՅՈՒՆ Ս. ԾՆՈՒՆԴԸ, ԾՆՈՒՆԴՆ Է ՀԱՅՈՒՆ

Հայութեան ազգային կազմութեան բոլոր հանգրուաններուն մէջ մեծ դեր խաղացած է Քրիստոնէութիւնը։ Այբուբենի գիւտով սկսած յետոյ թարգմանչաց դարով անցած, Վարդանանց դիւցազնամարտով հիմնաւորուած ապա վանական գրականութեամբ եւ խաչքարերու արուեստագիտութեամբ հարստացած, մեր ազգային նկարագիրն ու ինքնութիւնը ստացած է ձեւ եւ կերպար քրիստոնէութեամբ ծնունդ առած մշակոյթով։

Ահա թէ ինչու՞, հայուն համար Ծնունդը Քրիստոսի կարելի է նկատել սկիզբ եւ ծնունդ այն ամէն ինչին որ պահեց ու պահպանեց հայ ժողովուրդը դարեր ամբողջ որպէս ազգ եւ հաւաքականութիւն։ Հայ Առաքելական Եկեղեցին դարերու մէջէն քալեց իր հետ պահելով հայութեան գոյութեան ու փրկութեան տան բանալին։

Հայ Կաթողիկէ Եկեղեցին Իր Մխիթարեան միաբաններէն մինջեւ Զմմառու վանականները հարստացուց մեր ազգային միտքն ու գրադարանը։ Հայ Աւետարանական Եկեղեցին իր կրթական բարձրորակ հաստատութիւններով կրթութեամբ օժտեց մեր ուսումնատենչ երիտասարդութիւնը։

Ողջոյն բոլորին եւ Շնորհաւոր Ս. Ծնունդ Դեկտեմբեր 25-ին եւ Յունուար 6-ին։

ԿԱՏԱԿԻՆ ԵՒ ԽԵԼԱԳԱՐԻՆ ԶՈՀԵՐԸ Մեթր Պարգեւ Դաւիթեան

Աւստրալիոյ ռատիոկայաններէն մէկուն մէջ պաշտօնավարող զոյգ մը, Անգլիոյ թագուհիին եւ անոր զաւկին ՝ Չարլզի հանգամանքն ու ձայնը կեղծելով, ծուղակի մատնեց Լոնտոնի հիւանդանոցներէն մէկուն պաշտօնեան, որ «ահաւոր» սխալ գործած էր՝ կեղծող զոյգին հեռաձայնը անցընելով դքսուհի Քէյթի հիւանդապահուհիին։

Կատակ նկատուող դէպքէն ետք, հիւանդանոցի պաշտօնեան անձնասպանութիւն գործեց եւ կեղծող զոյգն ալ անգործ դարձաւ։ Կ՚ըսուի թէ քննութիւն բացուած է ստուգելու համար, թէ ինչո՞ւ նման արարք մը անձնասպանութեամբ վերջ գտաւ։ Ցաւալի լուրը տակաւին «հին» չդարձած, հոգեպէս եւ մտապէս խանգարուած ամերիկացի քսանամեայ երիտասարդ մը, Քընէթիքըթ նահանգին մէջ գտնուող Նիւ-թաուն քաղաքի մանկապատանեկան դպրոց մը մտնելով սպաննեց քսան մատղաշ մանուկներ եւ վեց ուսուցչուհիներ։

Այս ցաւալի դէպքերը անկասկած ցնցեցին մարդկային խիղճն ու զգացումը մեր բոլորին մէջ, եւ մեզ մղեցին ընելու կամ տալու կարգ մը հարցումներ։ Հիւանդապահուհիի անձնասպանութեան պարագային, տեղին է հարց տալ թէ աշխարհի մէջ կան տակաւին կարգ մը թուով քիչ թագաւորութիւններ, ինչպիսիք են Սպանիան, Տանըմարքը, Նորվեկիան եւ Ճաբոնը, եւլն.։ Չեմ գիտեր ի՞նչն է որ անգլիական թագաւորական ընտանիքին կամ ընտանիքներուն հետ առնչուող լուրը կամ լուրերը աւելի հետաքրքրական կը դարձնեն միւս թագաւորութիւններուն հետ առնչուող լուրերէն։ Եթէ Քէյթը հիւանդանոց մտած է յղութեան հետ պատահած հիւանդութեան մը պատճառաւ, ի՜նչ մեծ լուր է սա կամ so what ինչպէս կ՚ըսեն անգլերէնով։ Կարգ մը անգլիախօս երկիրներու մէջ հանրային կարծիքը, որ թեթեւամտութեամբ կը հետաքրքրուի նման անկարեւոր լուրերով, նախ եւ առաջ ինքն է

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գլխաւոր յանցաւորը, որ կը մղէ կամ ընթացք կու տայ որ ռատիոկայանի կամ մամուլի ներկայացուցիչ պաշտօնեաներ հետեւին անոնց եւ հաղորդեն այդպիսի անկարեւոր լուրեր։ Երկրորդ, ամէն ինչ ըսելու եւ ընելու անսանձ ազատութիւն տուող անգլիախօս ընկերային համակարգը անմիջապէս պատժելու կ՚ելլէ այդ ազատութիւնը կիրարկող կողմը, որ ընդունելի սահմանը անցած ըլլալ կը թուի։ Այս պարագային, աւստրալիացի կեղծող զոյգին արարքը հաճելի ունկնդրութիւն պիտի դառնար անկասկած միլիոնաւոր ունկնդիրներու մօտ, եթէ ողբերգական վերջ չունենար հիւանդապահուհիին ցաւալի անձնասպանութեամբ։

Եւ վերջապէս, արդեօք ի՞նչն էր որ մղեց որ պարզ կատակի մը պատճառաւ այդ խեղճ հիւանդապահուհին անձնասպան դառնայ։ Արդեօք անոր պարզամիտ կամ խղճամիտ ըլլա՞լը, կամ տարբեր հանգամա՞նք մը, կամ թէ դաժան եւ պախարակիչ ուղղակի կամ անուղղակի ճնշումնե՞րը պահպանողական դասակարգի մը (որ իր աչքի լոյսով կը պահէ ու կը պահպանէ աւանդապահ Անգլիոյ արքունիքը) պատճառ դարձան որ հիւանդապահուհին չկարենայ ապրիլ իր գործած «ահաւոր» սխալով...։

Իսկ Նիւ-Թաունի մանուկներու եւ ուսուցիչներու սպաննութեան պարագան, որ նախագահ Օպամային կողմէ դատապարտուեցաւ ըսելով որ նման արարքներ կարելի չէ ընդունիլ որպէս տուրք կամ գին մեր ազատութեան, մեզի մտածել կուտայ թէ ՝

-ի՜նչ ազատութիւն է սա որ «հիւանդ» մարդիկ կ՚արտադրէ, եւ անոնց կուտայ իրաւունք զինուելու, եւ անհասկնալի ատելութեամբ կեանքեր խլելու եւ մահ սփռելու։ -Ի՜նչ ազատութիւն է սա որ ընտանիքի հայր ու մայր բաժնելով, զաւակներուն կուտայ անմխիթար եւ անողնահար կեանքի մը ցուրտ իրականութիւնը։

-ի՜նչ ազատութիւն է սա որ նիւթով քեզ կը պատէ եւ հոգիդ կը պարպէ։ -ի՜նչ ազատութիւն է սա որ ամէն տեսակի արտադրութիւն քիմիական թոյնով կը խառնէ եւ առողջութիւններ կը փճացնէ։ -ի՜նչ ազատութիւն է սա որ կարգ մը մանուկներ տակաւին չծնած, մօր արգանդին մէջ հիւանդ կը դառձնէ, մասնագէտ կոչեցեալներու եւ դեղեր կամ սննդամթերք արտադրողներու անսանց, ապօրէն եւ շահախնդիր գործելակերպին պատճառաւ։

Եւ տակաւին կը մղուինք մտածելու թէ սանցարձակ ազատութիւն կիրարկողներ ինչե՜ր չեն ըներ հանրային կեանքին վտանգ հասցնելով. անգործ մարդիկ ստեղծելով, ընտանիքներ անտուն դարձնելով, եւ «հիւանդ» մարդոց հանդէպ անտարբեր գտնուելով։

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President Serzh Sarkisian Nominated For a Second Term by the Ruling Party

Republican Party leadership nominating Serzh Sarkisian for president

YEREVAN -- President Serzh Sarkisian has been unanimously nominated as a candidate for reelection by his ruling Republican Party of Armenia that held its 14th convention in Yerevan on Saturday. Presidential elections of the Republic of Armenia will take place on February 18, 2013.

In his acceptance speech Sarkisian revealed his future election motto "Towards a Secure Armenia". He said Armenia has changed “beyond recognition” during his nearly five-year tenure and expressed confidence about his reelection.

Sarkisian also pledged to carry out sweeping reforms that will strengthen the rule of law and bring prosperity to his country. “There is no doubt in my mind that we will win and will see the Armenia of our dreams – strong, prosperous, and secure,” he told hundreds of delegates, among them many senior

government officials. “Rest assured that for our compatriots, who had left Armenia only years ago, Armenia has changed beyond

recognition,” declared Sarkisian. It is now a “much more comfortable and safe country” which is “incomparably more attractive for businesses.”

Sarkisian specifically defended his government’s handling of the 2009 economic crisis, which resulted in a sharp decline in Armenia’s Gross Domestic Product. He said the government has maintained financial stability, saved and

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created thousands of jobs, kept utility prices unchanged and invested heavily in public infrastructures. He also insisted that widespread corruption and other government abuses are being “step by step” eliminated.

Sarkisian’s political opponents have brushed aside these statements. They regularly accuse the Armenian authorities of mismanaging the economy, promoting corrupt practices, keeping the judicial system under government control and rigging elections.

Sarkisian insisted, however, that the conduct of democratic elections is his administration’s “first and foremost priority.” “We have received excellent reactions to our latest parliamentary elections,” he said.

Submissions of official nomination papers in Armenia’s presidential election will start on December 25 and end on January 4, after which the Central Election Commission will have another 10 days for the formal registration of candidates.

Turkish Intellectuals Call on Danish Royal Library to Cancel

DenialistExhibition

COPENHAGEN -- The Danish Royal Library has attracted heavy criticism after agreeing to let Turkey co-arrange an alternative exhibition about the Armenian Genocide.

The library has complied with the wishes of the Turkish ambassador to Denmark to be involved with the exhibition, ‘The Armenian Genocide and the Scandinavian response’, which is currently on display at the University of Copenhagen.

This decision has caused widespread debate and 37 Turkish intellectuals, including Taner Akçam, Cengiz Aktar, Murat Belge, Baskin Oran and Ipek and Oral Çalislar, have in an open letter in Denmark’s leading daily Berlingske called on the library’s director to reconsider his decision. In their view, the Turkish government has followed a policy of denial for more than 90 years, culminating in the murder of Hrant Dink in 2007. To allow the Turkish government to arrange an alternative exhibition will only support this policy.

As Turkish intellectuals fighting for a democratic Turkey, the signatories conclude that Turkey, through its position of denying historical truths, represents an obstacle to the development of peace, democracy and stability in the Middle East.

Following is the text of the letter

Don’t Stand Before Turkey’s Democratization and Confrontation with its History!

The individuals whose signatures appear below have been distressed to learn that the Royal Library of Denmark has given the Turkish government the opportunity to present an “alternative exhibit” in response to the Armenian Genocide exhibition.

It is incorrect to suggest that two different views of what happened in 1915 are possible. Over one million Ottoman Armenian citizens were forced out of their homes and annihilated in furtherance of an intentional state policy. What exists today is nothing other than the blatant denial of this reality by the Turkish government.

An honest reckoning with history is the non-negotiable precondition of a true democracy. The Turkish government has been suppressing historic truths and following a policy of denial for more than 90 years. In response to the many intellectuals in the nation who have urged the government to confront history honestly, this systematic suppression and intimidation policy, which reached its zenith with the assassination of journalist Hrant Dink in 2007, continues unabated. The European Court of Human Rights has ruled in several cases on this subject against Turkey’s position and actions.

By giving the Turkish government the opportunity to present an “alternative exhibit”, you support their policy of suppression and intimidation. The support that you are extending to a regime that has made opposition to confronting history and denial of the truth a fundamental principle is equivalent to supporting a regime of apartheid. We want to remind you that your support constitutes an obstacle to democratization efforts in Turkey today.

There is a regional aspect of this policy also. Peace, democracy and stability in the Middle East will only come about through regimes that are willing to confront history honestly. Through its position of denying historical truths, Turkey represents an obstacle to the development of peace, democracy and stability in the Middle East. We, Turkish intellectuals fighting for a democratic Turkey, urge you to reconsider your decision to grant the Turkish government the opportunity to present an “alternative exhibit” and withdraw the offer immediately and we invite you to join and support the democratic civil initiatives demanding that Turkey confront its history honestly. Fikret Adanir (professor of history), Taner Akçam (professor of history), Ayhan Aktar (professor of sociology), Cengiz Aktar (professor of political science), Cengiz Algan (The DurDe civic initiative),

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Ahmet Altan (Chief Editor Taraf Newspaper), Maya Arakon (professor of political science), Oya Baydar (Writer), Yavuz Baydar (Columnist Todays Zaman Newspaper), Osman Baydemir (mayor of Diyarbakir), Murat Belge (professor of litterature), Halil Berktay (professor of history), Ismail Besikçi (professor of sociology), Hamit Bozaslan (professor of political science), Ipek Çalislar (Writer), Oral Çalislar (Columnist Radikal Newspaper), Aydin Engin (founding Editor T24 webnews), Fatma Müge Göçek (professor of sociology), Nilüfer Göle (professor of sociology), Istar Gözaydin (professor of law and politic), Gençay Gürsoy (professor of medicine) Ayse Hür (historian, columnist Radical newspaper), Ahmet Insel (professor of economics), Ayse Kadioglu (professor of political science), Gülten Kaya (music producer), Ümit Kivanç (writer), Ömer Laçiner (chief Editor Birikim Review), Roni Margulies (Poet), Baskin Oran (professor of political science), Cem Özdemir (Co-chair German Green Party), Esra Mungan (professor of psychology), Sirri Sakik (MP), Betül Tanbay (professor of mathematics), Zeynep Tanbay (choreographer), Turgut Tarhanli (professor of international law), Ufuk Uras (Former MP), Sanar Yurdatapan (Initiative for Freedom of Expression).

Prime Minister Sarkisian Meets With Vice President Joe Biden At White House

W ASHINGTON, DC -- Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian discussed his reform agenda with Vice President Joe Biden and sought greater U.S. economic assistance to Armenia as he ended a working visit to the United States late on Thursday.

An Armenian government statement said Sarkisian and Biden met in the White House to discuss “prospects for the development of Armenian-American bilateral relations.” It said they also spoke about “the course of the plan of reforms implemented by the Armenian government.”

The statement gave no further details. The White House issued no statements on the meeting.

Sarkisian also met in W ashington with Daniel Y ohannes, the chief executive of a U.S. government corporation managing the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) program. The MCA is designed to reward countries

implementing political and economic reforms with targeted economic assistance. “The two sides discussed possibilities of Armenia’s participation in the program in the near

future,” the government statement said without elaborating. Armenia already received in 2006 $177 million in MCA funding for the rehabilitation of its rural

irrigation networks that was completed in September last year. The U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) managed by Yohannes also planned to allocate another $60

million for the reconstruction of the country’s battered rural roads. The MSS scrapped that allocation shortly after a disputed presidential election held in February 2008 and the ensuing government crackdown on the Armenian opposition.

European FMs Stress Importance of Clean Presidential Elections

YEREVAN -- The foreign ministers of Sweden, Poland and Bulgaria called for the proper conduct of Armenia’s presidential election on Friday during a joint visit to Yerevan aimed at promoting the country’s closer ties with the European Union.

Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian and Vice President Joe Biden at the White House

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The three men met with President Serzh Sarkisian, Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian and Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and stressed the vote’s importance for further progress towards the signing of an Association Agreement between Armenia and the EU.

“The election process, we believe, must rule out even the slightest possibility of formulating any accusation,” Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski told a joint news conference after the talks with Nalbandian.

“We will be very closely watching these elections to make sure that as your government has committed, there will be substantial improvements in the process,” his Bulgarian counterpart, Nikolay Mladenov, said for his part.

EU officials have stressed in recent months that a further deepening of Armenia’s ties with the 27-nation bloc within the framework of the EU’s Eastern Partnership program is contingent on the election conduct. Sarkisian assured the visiting European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso earlier this month that the election slated for February 18 will meet “the highest international standards.”

Armenia Enraged Over Nagorno-Karabakh At EU Talks

BRUSSELS -- Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian lashed out at Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh at a meeting with European Union representatives in Brussels on December 17.

Nalbandian said that it was the citizens of the area who would decide its final status in a referendum and that human rights would be better protected there than they currently are in neighboring Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov earlier on December 17 in Brussels told EU representatives that Armenian communities in Nagorno-Karabakh should become

loyal citizens of Azerbaijan. He vowed at a news conference that Baku would step up its efforts to bring about the withdrawal

of Armenian troops from Nagorno-Karabakh. Cypriot Foreign Minister Erato Kazakou-Marcoullis, representing the EU, underlined that

Brussels had no intention of joining the OSCE Minsk Group that currently mediates in the conflict. But he expressed disappointment that 20 years of mediation had failed to provide a lasting

solution. "This conflict has no place in the region. It is unacceptable. It is against all our values," Kazakou-

Marcoullis said. "It seriously hampers integration, growth, and investment in large infrastructure projects."

Nalbandian was in Brussels to sign a visa-facilitation agreement with the EU, which will make it easier for Armenian citizens to obtain visas to the bloc. He also said that EU citizens will be able to travel to Armenia without a visa as of January 10.

Armenian Ex-Soldiers Acquitted in High-Profile Murder Case

YEREVAN -- In one of the most dramatic acquittals in Armenia’s history, a court in Gyumri on Tuesday cleared three former soldiers of involvement in the 2003 violent death of two other servicemen which human rights groups claim was covered up military prosecutors.

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By declaring Musa Serobian, Arayik Zalian and Razmik Sargsian innocent, the court effectively gave more weight to long-standing allegations of torture and other abuses committed during the criminal investigation into the high-profile case.

The three young men were arrested in early 2004 and charged with murdering fellow conscripts Roman Yeghiazarian and Hovsep Mkrtumian near their army unit deployed in Nagorno-Karabakh. Yeghiazarian’s and Mkrtumian’s bodies were recovered from a reservoir near the village of Mataghis in January 2004. The military prosecutors maintained that they were beaten to death by Sargsian, Zalian and Serobian in a violent dispute.

The accusations were essentially based on Razmik Sargsian’s April 2004 videotaped testimony in which he confessed to that version of events. Sargsian retracted the testimony shortly afterwards, saying that he was brutally tortured into incriminating himself and his two comrades. Serobian and Zalian also claimed to have been badly mistreated in custody.

Court of first instance refused to investigate the torture claims, deemed credible by local and international human rights groups, and sentenced the three men to 15 years in prison in 2005. The Armenian Court of Appeals toughened the sentence to life imprisonment in May 2006.

In a serious blow to Armenian law-enforcement authorities, the higher Court of Cassation annulled both verdicts in December 2006, ordering the immediate release of the suspects and an “additional investigation” into the killings. It was the first known case of an Armenian judicial body ruling against military prosecutors.

The three men went on a fresh trial on the same murder charges in July 2008. But they were not again arrested pending a final verdict in the case.

As the long trial drew to a close earlier this month the military prosecutors downgraded the accusations to violent assault and involuntary manslaughter and demanded that the defendants be sentenced to 7 and 8 years in prison.

Arthur Abraham Retains WBO Title

Arthur Abraham hitting Mehdi Bouasdla with a right hand punch

NUREMBERG, Germany -- World super middleweight champion Arthur Abraham defended his WBO belt on Saturday with an eighth round technical knock-out win over France's Mehdi Bouadla in Nuremberg.

Abraham dominated until American referee Mark Nelson stepped in to stop the one-sided contest 2:11 into the eighth round when Bouadla's vision was impeded by streaming blood from repeated left and right blows.

Abraham, 32, defended his World Boxing Organisation belt for the first time since his unanimous victory over compatriot Robert Stieglitz in August which crowned him world champion for the second time.

The win over Bouadla was the 36th of his career and the 28th knock-out in his 39th fight as the bout was stopped after two minutes 11 seconds of

the eighth round by referee Mark Nelson. "This is where I started boxing. To be here now, in front of 10,000 people as world champion --

there's no better feeling," Abraham said . "We have only one recipe -- to win. But I have to say that he never gave up. He kept going to the

end, and he punched hard. 2012 was a great year. I became world champion. I'm very happy." Having previously defended his IBF middleweight title 10 times between 2005 and 2009,

Abraham had few problems against the 30-year-old Frenchman. "Abraham was as strong as I expected, he deserves to be champion," said Bouadla. Abraham (35-3, 28 KO), an Armenia-born German, had been in such control that he received a

telling off from his coach after the fourth round for his gung-ho approach. Nelson stopped the fight briefly in the seventh so the doctor could examine the cut beside

Bouadla's right eye.

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But with blood streaming down his face, Abraham rocked him repeatedly with a rain of blows before Nelson stepped in towards the end of the eighth round to stop the fight.

PFA Special Report: Armenia's 2012 Parliamentary Election Authorities in Armenia Put a New Face on Election Fraud

W ASHINGTON/LOS ANGELES/YEREV AN -- Earlier this year, under mounting pressure by the international community and civil society, the government of the Republic of Armenia took measures to reduce fraud and manipulation going into the 2012 parliamentary election. However, according to a special report released today by Policy Forum Armenia (PFA) — a U.S.-based international think tank and advocacy organization — true election reform in Armenia has, once again, been hijacked, only this time by even more inventive and well-concealed methods of falsification.

The report, “The Armenian Parliamentary Election of 2012,” provides an in-depth analysis of the political-economic and legislative developments leading up to the 2012 election. It also summarizes the reactions of key stakeholders — the opposition parties, foreign observers, and local civil society groups — to the election outcome.

What particularly sets the report apart from other analyses, however, is the range of statistical tests, conducted by professional analysts, that support stakeholder reactions. These tests not only yielded ample evidence of persistent and strategic election fraud, but also pinpointed the beneficiary of such corrupt practices, namely the ruling party.

Commenting on the report’s findings Adam Hug, the Policy Director at London-based Foreign Policy Centre, said, “This important and detailed report shows that Armenia still has a long-way to go to before its elections can be called free and fair. In particular, the results of the statistical analyses would seem to indicate that the election authorities successfully managed to adapt to the changes in laws and outside pressures (via illegal use of identities of Armenian citizens who have emigrated and violations in vote counting), which is deeply concerning. Armenia will have to improve its election processes if future results are to command the confidence of the international community and most importantly the Armenian public.”

PFA Senior Fellow, Armine Ishkanian of the London School of Economics, went on to say that, “The growing sophistication of fraud techniques and mechanisms, which are artfully concealed, make it difficult for outside observers to cite and document specific instances. It is electoral fraud 2.0. The authors of this report have had to bring to bear all the tools of research and analysis available to shed light on these techniques and provide stakeholders with statistical back-up that election fraud is alive and well in Armenia. The question is, what are the prospects for the forthcoming presidential elections early next year?”

PFA Executive Board member and a Los Angeles-based attorney, Edgar Martirosyan, pointed out that achieving free and fair elections is not an end in itself. “Better elections are likely to result in better governance and stronger social cohesion,” he asserted. “And it is an internationally accepted conclusion that good governance is the primary driver of economic development and progress in developing countries like Armenia.”

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Policy Forum Armenia is an independent, professional non-profit association aimed at strengthening discourse on Armenia's economic development and national security and, through that, helping to shape public policy in Armenia.

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Turks Help PublicizeArmenian Genocide Centennial

By Harut SassounianPublisher, The California Courier

On the eve of the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in 2005, Mehmet Ali Birand, a prominent Turkish commentator, wrote an article in Hurriyet urging the Turkish public to be prepared for the upcoming "Armenian tsunami."

Earlier this month, the Turkish newspaper Gazete Kars published a similar editorial titled, "The Armenian preparations for 2015," alerting Turks of the approaching 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in 2015, and advising them to take effective counter-measures.

The editorial reflects how closely Turks are following Armenian preparations for the Genocide centennial and how anxiously they are weighing the impact of the forthcoming Armenian activities on Turkey.

The lengthy column reports that Armenia and the Diaspora are expanding their joint campaign against Turkey on the eve of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The article warns that "Armenians through their lies will raise the entire world to its feet" and suggests that "the Republic of Turkey immediately put into action all its resources and take preemptive measures to bring to naught this deception."

Gazete Kars complains that Armenians are "tarnishing Turkey’s reputation by launching powerful attacks on forty fronts. To counter these attacks Turkey must take far greater defensive and offensive measures. There is not a single minute to waste. The world is swallowing their lies."

The editorial proceeds to outline the activities of notable individuals and organizations in preparation for the Armenian Genocide centennial. The newspaper specifically mentions Prof. Taner Akcam, filmmaker Steven Spielberg, the French and Armenian governments, Berlin University, and Hayk Demoyan, Director of the Genocide Museum in Armenia, who is quoted stating: "the struggle for Genocide recognition must be combined with an understanding for restitution.... We must pursue legal avenues to assign responsibility for this crime."

Gazete Kars also lists the Armenian National Committee of America, Armenian National Institute, Zoryan Institute, and Gomidas Institute as organizations that have succeeded in bringing the Armenian Genocide to the attention of scholarly and media circles worldwide. Prominent Turkish novelists Orhan Pamuk and Elif Shafak, who have bravely condemned Turkey’s distortions of the Armenian Genocide, are accused of enjoying the backing of "Diaspora Armenian lobbying organizations."

The Turkish newspaper reports the formation of a central coordinating committee in Yerevan on April 23, 2011 to prepare the program of activities for the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The committee, chaired by Armenia’s president, convened its inaugural meeting on May 30, 2011.

The Turkish editor then focuses on my articles, wrongly identifying me as "Ara" Sassounian, publisher of the California Courier. I am quoted stating that "demanding genocide recognition is no longer useful for Armenians. On the contrary it is harmful. Turks are happy that we are satisfied with this demand. What we should demand is justice. When he is asked what does justice entail, he explains that it means financial, moral and territorial restitution."

The Turkish writer further elaborates on my views by stating: "Sassounian believes relations between Armenia and the Diaspora are not perfect, and that it is imperative to have a common understanding, especially on issues related to ‘Hay Tad’ (the Armenian Cause). Sassounian also believes that more serious results could be achieved by bringing together Armenians living in 100 countries under the umbrella of a Diaspora Parliament composed of 350 representatives."

Gazete Kars concludes its editorial by outlining some of the Armenian activities planned for the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide:

1) Prepare publications in seven languages: Armenian, English, French, German, Russian, Spanish, and Turkish. 2) Produce films and documentaries, organize concerts and exhibitions, and publish books and scholarly materials. 3) Enlarge threefold the Armenian Genocide Museum in Yerevan. 4) Create a central coordinating committee for the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. 5) Organize media conferences, establish contacts with press agencies in 89 countries, and invite Diasporan TV and

Radio journalists to Armenia in advance of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. 6) Using modern technology, publish e-books in various languages, and establish contacts with academic and

cultural figures, media and civil society, and international organizations conducting genocide research. 7) Produce an Armenian Genocide film with well-known Indian director Shekhar Kapur and Puerto Rican

screenwriter Jose Rivera.

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Since Turks are expecting a flurry of activities for the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, Armenians should do everything possible not to disappoint them!

The editors of Gazete Kars do not seem to realize that Armenians in fact welcome Turkish attempts to counter the upcoming genocide centennial activities. By doing so, the Turkish side would be helping to publicize the Armenian Cause beyond what Armenians are capable of doing on their own.

The Future of Entrepreneurship in Armenia

SAN JOSE, CA--The American University of Armenia (AUA) is cultivating Armenia's next generation of entrepreneurs, technology leaders, and world-class researchers, said AUA President Dr. Bruce Boghosian on Monday, December 10, while speaking at ArmTech Congress 2012 about the university’s latest initiatives to foster the development of a knowledge-based economy in Armenia.

This year's ArmTech conference, hosted by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University, brought together more than 120 technology executives, entrepreneurs, academic researchers, venture capitalists, and senior Armenian government officials to discuss and explore the development

of Armenia’s technology sector. Dr. Boghosian outlined AUA's current and new programs during a panel focused on the state and

direction of research and development in universities, research institutes, and laboratories. Bringing the focus to higher education in Armenia, he introduced AUA's new Master of Science Degree in Economics and Bachelor of Science Degree in Computational Sciences, emphasizing the potential impact of these two programs on the development of business, technology, and entrepreneurship in Armenia.

"With the bachelor’s degree in computational sciences, we are leveraging Armenia’s existing expertise in physics and mathematics, and combining it with software development to help Armenia produce scientific and engineering software for the world," explained Dr. Boghosian. "Our master’s degree in economics, meanwhile, will prepare business leaders and economic professionals to help guide sustainable economic growth in Armenia and strengthen its position in the global and regional economy."

Dr. Boghosian illustrated how these changes have already begun taking shape in the halls and classrooms of AUA, with students coming together to imagine and create new and innovative businesses.

“We have had two business plan competitions in the last month,” he said. “Some of our students have gone further and actually started new high-tech companies. For example, the latest AUA student startup is called Verium, and it is working on cryptographic solutions to combat counterfeiting and identity theft.”

AUA is the early stages of planning a cross-disciplinary entrepreneurship center to inspire and incubate new businesses such as these, explained Boghosian, adding that it is the university’s intention to bring to Armenia the model of integrating education and entrepreneurship in universities.

Among the many other successes stories highlighted by Dr. Boghosian during his presentation was AUA's Turpanjian Rural Development program, which has trained 600 people and helped developed 60 new rural businesses.

Since opening its doors in 1991, AUA has graduated more than 2,000 professionals, noted Dr. Boghosian, adding that the vast majority of those graduates have remained in Armenia to become valuable leaders of its society and economy.

Today, the university is gearing up to launch an innovative, new undergraduate program for the fall of 2013, offering bachelor’s degrees in business, English and communications, and computational

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sciences. These new programs will provide Armenian students access to a liberal arts education focused on building a foundation of general knowledge, specialization in skills and career preparation.

"But to make all this work, we are constantly looking for funding opportunities, foreign research collaborations, and grant partners," Boghosian said, urging members of the audience to join the University's mission. "Consider this an invitation to come join us in this effort. This university is worth your involvement and your investment."

ArmTech 2012 is organized through the joint efforts of the Government of Armenia, the USAID- funded Enterprise Development and Market Competitiveness (EDMC) Project, Enterprise Incubator Foundation (EIF), ViaSphere Technopark, Armenian Development Agency (ADA), Synopsys Armenia, the Armenian American Chamber of Commerce, and Groupement Interprofessionnel International Armenien (G2IA).

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Poverty and the Rights of Children in Armenia Public Lecture by Armine Hovannisian

By Alayna M. Bennink Boston University CAS ’14 History of Art & Architecture

BOSTON -- Armine Hovannisian, executive director of Junior Achievement of Armenia and founder of the NGO Orran, gave a public lecture on Sunday, November 11, 2012, on the current state of children in Armenia in the context of high levels of poverty. The event was organized by the Charles K. and Elisabeth M. Kenosian Chair in Modern Armenian History and Literature at Boston University and co-sponsored by The Zoryan Institute (Arlington, MA, and Toronto, Canada) and the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR) (Belmont, MA).

Professor Simon Payaslian, current Kenosian Chair at Boston University, welcomed the audience and introduced Mr. Raffi Yeghiayan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of NAASR, who, on behalf of the

organization, expressed congratulatory remarks. Payaslian then introduced the guest speaker. Ms. Hovannisian stated that Armenia has been quick

to sign laws and treaties on the rights of children and education, including the 1989 UN Convention on Rights of the Child, which Armenia signed in 1992, but implementation has proven more difficult. She gave the example that by law, children with disabilities are supposed to be regarded equally, but in practice many disabled children are institutionalized and kept away from their homes and families. As a nation that reveres and welcomes children and families, some things in Armenia need to change, in order to create a better environment for future generations.

Ms. Hovannisian estimated that out of a population of 3.1 million, about 819,000 children live in Armenia today, representing 21% of the population. Approximately 26% of children are reported to live below the official poverty line, but, she added, these figures are “grossly underestimated”; the more accurate figure would probably be around 30% of the population.

With respect to educational institutions, Ms. Hovannisian noted that there are 642 kindergartens in 460 communities across Armenia, with about 55,711 children. However, most are neglected and poorly funded. Under the Soviet government, kindergartens were an attractive educational option, but since then, funding has been assigned to local municipalities and has since fallen into grave disarray. There are also 1,383 public schools and 53 private schools, 100 of them being high schools. Ms. Hovannisian mentioned the tight-knit communities of these schools, where children usually remain with their classmates from grade 1 to graduation, making a school more like a family. But financial troubles plague higher-level schools as well, and many children are forced to stay out of school; the prices of supplies, clothes, lunches, and ‘voluntary expenses’ are too high for their families to afford.

Orphanages and boarding schools also house some Armenian children. The seven state and three private orphanages in the country house approximately 900 children. Seven boarding schools exist for the children whose parents cannot afford to provide adequate care; in the boarding school, a child is provided with food, education, and a bed, and visit their families during weekends. However, these schools do not provide a good long-term environment. Without good role models and a push to

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succeed, most children do not have the motivation or skills needed to enter the workforce after graduation. Also problematic are the post-graduation issues: what to do next? Some programs have been established, teaching students vocational skills, but they are far-reaching or comprehensive enough to provide a lasting effect.

In addition to education, many families struggle with health and social issues. Armenia is experiencing rapid depopulation. The government offers incentives and stipends for parents to have children, the monetary incentive increasing with each successive child. Unfortunately, some parents have children simply for the financial benefits, which engenders large families without the adequate resources and planning to take care of them.

Family ties are also strained. Fathers leave the country to find work elsewhere, usually in Russia, and send their earnings back to their wives and children in Armenia. All too often, however, fathers get caught up in their new lives and remarry with new children, forgetting or choosing not to send money back to Armenia. Single mothers carry a heavy burden in Armenia. Remittances help but they are not a long-term solution to the problems. Remittances amounted to $996 million in 2011, up from $65 million in 1995. In 2011, remittances accounted for 10.63% of the nation’s GDP.

Ms. Hovannisian discussed practical ways of addressing the problem of child poverty. She stated that together with her husband, Raffi K. Hovannisian, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, they founded the NGO Orran in 2000. Orran (in Armenian: ‘haven’), which began as a rented apartment in Yerevan, currently feeds over one hundred people daily, in addition to providing arts and crafts workshops as well as jobs.

In closing, Ms. Hovannisian presented a slideshow, which she calls “Shattered Dreams,” about Ashkhen, a mother, depicting the everyday lives of poor Armenians. Ashkhen, a fruit and vegetable vendor, cannot support herself and her two children. As a result, her six-year-old son, Mishi, lives at a boarding school away from the family. Ashken’s thirteen-year-old daughter, Susie, lives with her mother in their rented two-room apartment. “The greatest victim of poverty is the mother,” Ms. Hovannisian said. Alone with her two children, Ashkhen struggles to meet life’s most basic needs: food and shelter. Sadly, Ashkhen is not a minority in Armenia.

The lecture concluded with a question and answer segment and calls for members of the Armenian Diaspora to aid their countrymen in the homeland. In her closing remarks, Ms. Hovannisian said: “You are at your tallest when you bend to help a child.” Ms. Hovannisian stands very tall, indeed.

Armine K. Hovannisian, J.D., has served as Executive Director of Junior Achievement of Armenia, in Yerevan, since 1993. In 2000, she founded Orran, a charity NGO for children, and has served as the Chairperson of its Board since then. Mother of five children, she has served as advisor to various organizations and agencies, such as the Minister of Education of Armenia in 1998, and has received numerous awards for her civic activities, including the Fridtjof Nansen Medal in 2006. Hovannisian received her Juris Doctorate from UCLA School of Law in 1988.

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