LOUSSAPATZ_ The Dawn - 2013-966-1-12

ԹԻՒ 966 ՇԱԲԱԹ, 12 ՅՈՒՆՈՒԱՐ 2013

Notice

To subscribe /unsubscribe & all communications Email to: loussapatz@gmail.com

ԾԱՆՕԹԱՆԱԼ ՀԱՅ ԳԻՏՆԱԿԱՆՆԵՐՈՒ

Armenians in Science

Michel M. Ter-Pogossian (1925-1996)

An Armenian-American physicist who is one of the fathers of positron emission tomography (PET), the first functional brain imaging technology. PET could effectively be used to evaluate what areas of the brain were active during various mental processes versus looking at the structure of the brain through conventional CT.

1

ՄԱՐՄԱՐԱ 8 ՅՈՒՆՈՒԱՐ 2013

12

ՍԱՆՁԱՐՁԱԿ ԱՏԵԼՈՒԹԵԱՆ ԳԻՆԱՐԲՈՒՔ (վկայագրութիւն) Անցած ամսուան մէջ թերթերը լայնօրէն անդրադարձան եւ նկարագրեցին Թուրքիոյ քստմնելի

վերաբերումը իր հայ քաղաքացիներուն նկատմամբ: Պատմութիւնը հրապարակուած է հիմա, ոչ ամբողջականօրէն, սարսռիչ եւ ահռելի

մանրամասնութիւններով մէջտեղ դրուած, սակայն բաւարար փաստով եւ վաւերացուած, հաստատելու համար թէ անհաւատալի բռնութիւններ եւ բարբարոսութիւններ կը գործադրուին Թուրքիոյ ներքին՝ պահուած շրջաններուն մէջ: «Միշընըրի Հերըլտ»ի համար կարեւոր չէ կրկնել պատմութիւնը. Մեր ընթերցողները արդէն իսկ իրենց սրտին մէջ վիրաւոր են այդ հարցով: Չարչարանքը, կողոպուտը, աքսորը եւ ջարդը իսկապէս բնաջնջած են հայերը երկրին մեծ մասէն: Ընտանիք, ստացուածք, կեանք, այս բոլորը ցիրուցան եղած են եւ բաժանուած: Գիւղեր եւ քաղաքներ ամայացած են, ճամբաները լեցուած են դիակներովը անոնց՝ որոնք իրենց աքսորի ճամբուն վրայ հիւանդացած են, կամ՝ սովամահ եղած: Այս մարդիկ գնդակահարուած են, կախաղան բարձրացած կամ ծեծուած մինչեւ մահ: Աղջիկները գերութեան կամ հարեմի պարտադրուած, կիներ եւ երեխաներ անապատ քշուած՝ դանդաղ հիւծելու: Եւ երբ ամերիկացի բարձրաստիճան տիկին մը, ոչ միսիոնար, գացած է ներքին գործոց նախարար Թալաաթ Պէյին մօտ՝ աղաչելու ի սէր այդ անարգուած եւ անպաշտպան կիներուն եւ աղջիկներուն, անոր պատասխանը եղած է՝ «Ասիկա կը զուարճացնէ մեզ»:

Իր բազմաթիւ եւ վստահելի տեղեկատւութեան աղբիւրներէն, Ամերիկեան Պորտը կարող է հիմնաւորել զանգուածային այս վկայութիւնները: Անոնք բոլորը միատեսակ են՝ ուրկէ որ ալ եկած ըլլան. Գարշելի վայրագութեան եւ ծայրայեղ ատելութեան տգեղ արձանագրութիւն մը: Ականատեսներու վկայութիւնները, որոնք Պորտի գրասենեակները կը հասնին Թուրքիոյ մէկ կամ միւս անկիւնէն, եւ կը պատմեն ինչ որ տեսած են եւ տոկացած, պարզապէս սիրտ կեղեքող է: Մէկը կը հիւանդանայ իմանալով որ նմանօրինակ բաներ կրնան պատահիլ մերօրեայ այս աշխարհին մէջ:

ՄԷԿ ԴԷՊՔ

Անպաշտպան եւ անվնաս հայերու հանդէպ թրքական գազանութիւններու օրինակ մը տալու համար առնենք մարդու մը եւ անոր ընտանիքին պարագան: Մօտաւորապէս քսան տարիներ ան դասախօս եղած է միսիոնարական կարեւոր գոլէճի մը՝ Թուրքիոյ ներքին շրջաններուն մէջ: Երկու տարիներ առաջ ան բարձրագոյն ուսումը շարունակեց Բրինսթըն Համալսարանին մէջ եւ 250 տոլարի մրցանակ ստացաւ անգլերէն լաւագոյն գրութեան մը համար: Այս մարդը չարչարանքներու ենթարկուած է բանտին մէջ, մինչեւ որ այլեւս չէ կարողացած կենալ, ապա՝ դուրս հանած են զայն ու կախաղան բարձրացուցած: Անոր կինը՝ ուսեալ կին մը, եւ երեխաները տեղահանուած են, եւ իր տասներկու տարեկան աղջնակը թուրք պաշտօնատարի մը կանանոցը փոխադրուած է, թերեւս ազատելու զայն հասարակ զինուորներէն:

Այս տան քանդումը, բնաջնջումը ամբողջ ընտանիքին, ցոյց կու տայ անտրամաբանական եւ անխիղճ նկարագիրը հայ ցեղին հանդէպ գործադրուած յարձակումին: Զինուորական անհրաժեշտութեան մը խնդրանքին ընդառաջելով, եւ շինծու նպատակովը հետազօտելու խռովարար եւ վտանգաւոր տարրերը երկրին մէջ, թուրք պաշտօնատարները ձեռնարկած են հայերու անգութ եւ անխտիր բնաջնջումին: Անոնք առաջին հերթին եւ ամենադաժան միջոցներով հարուածած են ուսեալները, երեւելիները, ազդեցիկները եւ հաստատուած ընտանիքները: Անոնք վայրագօրէն եղծած են իրենց լաւ քաղաքացիները:

Յայտարարուած է թէ Ամերիկայի Միացեալ Նահանգներու կառավարութիւնը բողոքած է Թուրքիոյ, թէ վիրաւորուած զգացումները Ամերիկայի ժողովուրդին կը պահանջեն որ վերջ մը դրուի այս գործընթացին: Սակայն վախ կայ որ այս հարցին մէջ Թուրքիա հեռու է Միացեալ Նահանգներու, մինչեւ իսկ Գերմանիոյ ազդեցութենէն: Մեզի ըսուած է գերման բարձր հեղինակութենէ, թէ ասիկա ոչ մէկուն կը վերաբերի, այլ միայն Թուրքիոյ, եւ եթէ ան կը փափաքի կարգի բերել խօսք չհասկցող հայերը, ան պէտք է արտօնուի այդ մէկը ընելու առանց միջամտութեան:

«The Missionary Herald», November 1915 (էջ 497-499) Աղբիւր՝ ԵՐՈՒԱՆԴ Հ. ՔԱՍՈՒՆԻԻ

ՔՆՆԱԿԱՆ ԱԿՆԱՐԿ «Միշընըրի Հերըլտ»ի 1915-1918 ԹԹ. ՀԱՅ ԺՈՂՈՎՈՒՐԴԻ ՑԵՂԱՍՊԱՆՈՒԹԵԱՆ ԵՒ ՎԵՐԱԾՆՈՒՆԴԻ ՄԱՍԻՆ ԱՐՁԱՆԱԳՐՈՒԱԾ ՎԿԱՅԱԳՐՈՒԹԻՒՆՆԵՐՈՒՆ հատոր

13

Raffi Hovannisian Urges Armenians

to Turns Out in Large Numbers

for Presidential Elections

YEREVAN -- Opposition leader Raffi Hovannisian on Tuesday urged disgruntled Armenians to turn out in large numbers for next month’s presidential election, saying that President Serzh Sarkisian’s reelection is not a forgone conclusion.

The chairman of the Zharangutyun (Heritage) party also positioned himself as Sarkisian’s main challenger and expressed hope that his presidential bid will be backed by supporters of other leading opposition groups.

“It is essential that every citizen take part in the upcoming elections in good faith because the notion that these elections are predetermined, which is now being spread, is false,” Hovannisian told a news conference. He said a low voter turnout would only make it easier for the Armenian authorities to “reproduce themselves.”

“The fact that our desired candidate does not participate this time around must not be a reason [not to vote,]” he added in a clear appeal to supporters of the opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK) as well as the Prosperous Armenia (BHK) and Dashnaktsutyun parties.

All of those opposition forces have decided not to field any candidates for the presidential ballot slated for February 18. The HAK and Dashnaktsutyun have claimed that the vote will not be free and fair. The de facto election boycotts are widely seen as a massive boost to Sarkisian’s chances of securing a second term in office.

Hovannisian implied that he deserves a broad-based opposition support not least because he himself endorsed other opposition candidates after being controversially barred from contesting Armenia’ s last two presidential elections.

“We saw a solution above ourselves and overcame our egos [in 2003 and 2008,]” he said. “So I am now calling on citizens, activists, parties -- the HAK, Dashnaktsutyun, Prosperous Armenia and even the undecided section of the [ruling] Republican Party -- to participate in these elections in good faith.” Hovannisian also made clear that he considers himself Sarkisian’s main election rival who offers Armenians a viable alternative to the current government. “It will be a fight for two Armenias,” he said of the upcoming election. “And I must say with utmost humility that it will be a struggle between Serzh’s and Raffi’s Armenias.”

Seven Candidates File Registration Documents for Presidential Elections

The Central Election Commission (CEC) extended on Tuesday its deadline for the nomination of presidential candidates to give them more time to raise 8 million drams ($20,000) required for their inclusion on the ballot.

Under Armenian law, individuals seeking to run for president must make the cash deposit and submit documents to the CEC in order to be officially registered as election candidates. Those who will garner more than 5 percent of the vote will get their money back after the presidential election scheduled for February 18.

As many as 15 persons expressed last month a desire to run in the election. But only seven of them, including the incumbent President Serzh Sarkisian, filed registration documents before the January 8 nomination deadline. The others, virtually all of them little-known and not affiliated with any political party, cited their inability to pay the deposit.

Two of those prospective candidates, Pavlik Sargsian and Robert Simonian, angrily complained about the financial requirement at a CEC meeting held on Tuesday. They said it runs counter to Armenia’ s constitution.

“Ninety-five percent of the population is socially vulnerable,” Sargsian, an unemployed pensioner, told the commission. “This is a violation of their constitutional right to get elected.”

The CEC rejected the protests before deciding to extend the deadline by two days.

14

Turkey and Kurdish Leader Ocalan

Agree on a Peace Plan to End Conflict

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The Turkish government and the jailed leader of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) insurgency have agreed on the framework for a plan to end a war that has killed 40,000 people since 1984, envisaging rebel disarmament in exchange for increased minority rights, a newspaper said on Tuesday.

The Radikal daily said senior intelligence officials had held meetings with PKK chief Abdullah Ocalan in his island jail near Istanbul, yielding a four-stage plan to halt the conflict.

Previous negotiations with the PKK were highly secretive and appeared to have run aground. The open acknowledgment of the latest contact has raised hopes for a renewed peace effort, including from the main pro-Kurdish party in parliament.

"Meeting with Ocalan...is a correct step, it's logical and appropriate," Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) leader Selahattin Demirtas told members of his party in the assembly in Ankara.

"Peace in Turkey can only begin with this step."

Radikal said that after an initial end to hostilities the PKK fighters would withdraw from Turkish territory, after which disarmament talks would begin, before a final process of the militants laying down their weapons.

Ocalan will prepare four letters setting out his vision for a solution to the conflict to be addressed to the BDP, to the PKK commanders in northern Iraq, to Europe, where many PKK activists are based, and to the Turkish public, Radikal said.

The "roadmap" would involve releasing from custody thousands of people accused of PKK links.

It would also lead to constitutional reforms removing obstacles to Kurdish language education, strengthening local administrations and an ethnically neutral definition of citizenship, describing people as citizens of Turkey rather than Turkish citizens.

Ocalan's demands appeared to be limited, with no references to an independent Kurdistan, a federation or the concept of "democratic autonomy" which has been proposed by Kurdish politicians, according to the report.

There was a cautious response from senior PKK commander Murat Karayilan in northern Iraq, who said the active PKK leadership must be given direct access to Ocalan himself.

"The (PKK) armed forces are what is fundamentally important. For that reason we must have direct dialogue with the leader," Karayilan said in an interview with a news agency close to the militants.

"There is the problem of convincing the broad command structure and fighters, not just the leadership," he said.

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has played down the concessions which Turkey would make to end the conflict, ruling out the prospect of Ocalan being released from Imrali and placed under house arrest or a general amnesty.

Erdogan is under pressure to stem the violence, Turkey's main domestic security concern, particularly with presidential elections due in 2014 in which he is expected to stand. "Prime Minister Erdogan has crossed a threshold and dropped the government's anchor in the bloody port of separatist terror," the MHP's Devlet Bahceli told his deputies.

University of Michigan's Armenian Studies Program Receives $1 Million Gift

ANN ARBOR. MI -- The Alex and Marie Manoogian Foundation and the Manoogian Simone Foundation have pledged $1 million to the Armenian Studies Program in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts at the University of Michigan. This transformative gift will build on the program's reputation as one of the strongest Armenian Studies programs in the country.

U-M's Armenian Studies began more than 30 years ago because of the generosity of Alex and Marie Manoogian. The Manoogians created a solid foundation by endowing two chairs in Armenian studies: The Alex Manoogian Chair in Modern Armenian History in1981 and in1987, the Marie Manoogian Chair in Armenian Language and Literature.

Today the program offers fellowships, research support, specialized symposia, workshops and conferences, as well as public lectures and outreach programs. These events are designed to encourage the understanding of the history, culture, politics and economy of Armenians in Armenia and in the diaspora.

15

With the renewed support from the children of Alex and Marie Manoogian, Louise Simone and Richard Manoogian, through the Manoogian Simone Foundation and the Alex and Marie Manoogian Foundation, the program will continue to flourish. Its distinguished faculty and the rich resources of a leading research institution position the program to develop and sustain a new generation of scholars. As Kathryn Babayan, director of the Armenian Studies Program noted, "The gift from the Manoogian Simone Foundation and the Alex and Marie Manoogian Foundation to the Armenian Studies Program at UM will secure our role in the critical training of a new generation of scholars and experts through fellowships that support graduate students, post-doctoral, pre-doctoral and visiting scholars, as well as international workshops, symposium and conferences, all of which will make lasting contributions to the field at large."

Experts Say International Conventions on Landlocked Countries Could Improve

Armenian Foreign Trade

YEREVAN -- An expert in Yerevan believes that the upcoming visit by Georgia’s new Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili to Armenia is a good occasion to discuss a fair application of international conventions that would improve trade opportunities for the landlocked South Caucasus country. The bulk of Armenian trade is currently conducted through Georgia, which has at least two major operating seaports – Poti and Batumi. Arguably high transportation costs and other problems connected with the transit of goods have been a constant concern for Armenian entrepreneurs engaged in importing businesses.

The Convention on Transit Trade of Landlocked States adopted in New York in 1965 and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea enable landlocked countries like Armenia to have ships and vessels sailing under their own flags.

Also, under these conventions, a country with access to the sea must provide a neighboring landlocked country with certain space and equipment in its seaports, explains Menua Soghomonian, an international affairs expert based in Yerevan.

“It is important that the transportation of goods through transit countries in that case should not be taxed,” he says.

Neither convention is binding for countries that have not acceded to them. Of Armenia’s neighbors Turkey and Georgia have acceded to the conventions, while Azerbaijan and Iran have not.

“We have no diplomatic relations with Turkey and Turkey is keeping its border with Armenia closed, which is, in fact, considered to be an act of war. And the conventions allow the countries that are in conflict or in military action to be free in making their decisions on their application. In this particular case Turkey does not allow [Armenia] to use its wharves. But most importantly we haven’t joined the conventions ourselves yet,” adds political analyst Narek Galstian.

The countries that join the conventions are supposed to sign bilateral agreements regulating their economic and trade relations amongst themselves, while the conventions allow landlocked countries to negotiate the establishment of low customs dues for the transit of cargoes via countries with seaports.

The parliament of Armenia addressed the matter still in 2008. Late last year the Armenian National Assembly held one-day parliamentary hearings on the issue, but no concrete steps followed.

During those discussions MP Martin Sargsian, who is the head of the Chamber of Commerce, said that as a landlocked country Armenia is not protected from the socio-economic, political and military conditions in the neighboring countries. According to him, in the case with Armenia the problem is becoming more acute due to its having closed borders with two of its four neighbors.

Deputy Minister of Economy Garegin Melkonyian said that under the Convention no additional transit customs or taxes should be levied from cargoes being shipped from seaports to a landlocked country aside from normally applied vehicle taxes and fees.

Political analyst Galstian considers it likely that lobbyists in Georgia or elsewhere in the world find it unsuitable to have low customs duties established for Armenia.

“Armenia is a mostly importing nation, its market is small and economically it is not profitable for Georgia to lower the customs duties on goods imported by Armenia through its territory, as it won’t result in any essential increase in freight because of the small size of the Armenian market,” he explains.

At present, there are 50 landlocked nations in the world, 30 of them, including Armenia, are considered to be developing countries.

16

Interview with Archbishop Aris Shirvanian, Locum Tenens of the Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem

Authenticity of Results of Voting

Never Arouses Doubts

By Siranuysh Papyan

Your Eminence, the Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem will be elected on January 23-25. Are there any new candidates? Are there any news?

During the general meeting of the brotherhood we expect that our internal and external brothers, about 30-32 people, will make a list of candidates and each participant must write the names of five persons and those five who will get more votes will be the candidates. During the next meeting of the brotherhood one of them will be elected patriarch of the Holy Apostolic See of Jerusalem. A doctor or a bishop aged above 35 can participate in the election. During the meeting of the brotherhood we will learn who enjoys the confidence of the majority of the brotherhood.

Is there a rivalry among the four candidates? Is the race equitable? Doctor Babken says there are no controversies among the candidates.

Doctor Babken is right because there are no controversies and an overt rivalry among the members of our brotherhood. As I said, the candidates will be officially identified during the meeting of the brotherhood, and the official list of candidates will

be made by voting of the brotherhood.

What will be your priorities if you are elected patriarch? Doctor Babken said St. James’s Church needs renovation, as well as protection of lands is urgent. Is land leased for 99 years lost.

We are aware of all these issues because we see the problems from the inside. Doctor Babken lives in the United States and learns about these issues from afar.

These issues are not issues identified by this candidate. This is the general concern of the brotherhood because out brotherhood is responsible for the protection of our land, holy places, so we are well-aware of the issues we are facing. As a patriarchy we have monastic issues and I know that every member of the brotherhood knows about reconstruction and renovation needs, budget issues and so on. Hence, I cannot say what issue needs to be put forth. There are a number of issues that concern everyone and it is the duty of every one of us to deal with these issues.

To what degree can the election be transparent and fair? Will all the brothers vote honestly or will they try to “grab” votes? How do the patriarchal elections differ from political elections by transparency?

You asked a good question. We do not need to invite observers from European countries to control our voting. In this sense, our voting is secret, free and transparent. So the authenticity of the results of the voting never arouses doubts. During the voting we will designate a three- party commission, the electoral commission, and each member will read the names written on the ballot in the presence of everyone, so there is no fraud.

The Armenian press reported that land owned by the patriarchy was sold under Patriarch Torkom. What is the state of affairs?

No land was sold under Patriarch Torkom, only leased for 99 years which is not sale. 99 years later those lands will be returned to the Holy See. The leased land brings income to the Holy See but no land was solved during the tenure of Patriarch Torkom.

17

Julio Iglesias to Give a Concert in Yerevan

Well-known Spanish singer and songwriter Julio Igl esias, plans to give a concert in the Armenian capital of Yerevan next spring as part of a jubilee tour including some other post-Soviet countries.

Iglesias, who is turning 70 this year, has been invited to Yerevan by the Global Arts & Invitro Company. “He decided to give a concert in Armenia because he has many Armenian friends who have told him that he is very much loved in Armenia,” said the producer.

According to the singer’s official website, his concert at Yerevan’s Sport and Concert Complex is scheduled for March 18. The Spanish artist, who enjoyed immense global popularity in the 1970s and 1980s and was famous for his hits, has sold over 300 million albums

worldwide during his singing career.

Turkey’s Last Armenian Schools

Turkey has never banned the Armenian schools that teach the community’s language and culture. But its support is marginal and the schools, like the language, are losing their place

By Aziz Oguz

“Don’t close the door,” Mari Nalci, who has been head of the Tarmanças school for 25 years, told me as I went into her office; she seemed not to trust me. Armenians in Turkey are cautious, especially when you ask questions about education.

“The problem of security for schools has become very important, especially since Hrant Dink was assassinated,” Garo Paylan, an Armenian schools representative, had told me. The murder of this well-known Armenian journalist by a Turkish nationalist in 2007 revived old fears (1). Mari Nalci’s school bristles with CCTV cameras; there are bars on the windows and a security man, Attila Sen, at the door. Sen is friendly, but as intransigent as a prison guard: nobody gets in without an appointment. “We’ve never had a problem,” he said, “but some local people are suspicious of the school. Fortunately, prejudices disappear when they get to know us.”

The school is in Ortaköy, near the Bosphorus Bridge that links Istanbul’s two halves. Ortaköy used to be one of the most cosmopolitan districts of the Ottoman Empire’s

capital, and was home to many Jews, Greeks and Armenians. There are two mosques, four Christian chur-ches and two synagogues. Today Kurds have replaced the Armenians, and only a few Armenian families remain. The school’s 500 pupils are ferried here by minibus from all over the city.

There are 16 Armenian schools in Turkey, five of them secondary schools, with around 3,000 pupils in all. They are all in Istanbul, where most of Turkey’s 60,000 Armenians live. The only admission requirement is that pupils must have at least one parent of Armenian origin.

These schools date back to the Ottoman Empire, when every community was responsible for orga-nising its own education system and there were thousands of Armenian schools. After the Armenian genocide of 1915-16, in which one to 1 to 1.5 million people perished (nearly two-thirds

18

of the Ottoman Empire’s Armenian population), and later massacres and exoduses, there are relatively few Armenians in Turkey, and just these 16 schools.

A hybrid system

The Turkish republic created by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in 1923 did not challenge the existence of community schools but set up a hybrid system: the Armenian schools were placed under state control without being made public institutions. The ministry of education appointed a Turkish deputy principal for each school. Teachers employed by the state gave lessons in Turkish language, history and geography, while other subjects where taught in Armenian by teachers paid by the schools’ foundations.

In 1974, when Turkey intervened militarily in Cyprus, the state took measures against its Christian communities. “Until then, the state funded schools, even if very modestly, under the terms of the Lausanne treaty [signed in 1923 with the European powers]. But after 1974 that aid ceased. The state doesn’t trust us,” said Paylan. All the schools are therefore linked to foundations. If they have endowments, the interest can be used to fund education; otherwise they rely on charity from their community. Parents don’t pay regular fees for education; if financial contributions are required, they vary according to family income.

The mission of these schools is to keep language and culture alive. But there are two major obstacles: the Turkish state and time. Armenian is not taught anywhere else in Turkey. There are no university courses in Armenian language or culture. Turkey doesn’t train any teachers of Armenian. Teachers are chosen by the school foundation and must be approved by the ministry of education. They learn Armenian at home and perfect their knowledge of the language through personal study outside of any academic framework.

Mari Kalayaci became a teacher by chance. She had a business management degree, but couldn’t find a job, and was advised to change careers. She has taught Armenian for seven years, two of them in Ortaköy, and admits that without this job she would not know her mother tongue so well: “I learned a huge amount when I began teaching. And I’m still learning.” Her pupils’ receptiveness varies. “Armenian is a difficult language. Some of them have no trouble with it, but others really struggle.” Pupils at the Ortaköy school speak Turkish among themselves most of the time. “They live in Turkey. It’s natural that they should speak Turkish,” said Nalci. The Turkish education system does not make learning Armenian easy: “In high school, some of my friends didn’t go to Armenian classes. There was no penalty,” said Murat Gozoglu, who was educated in Armenian schools. The important entrance exams for high school and university are all taken in Turkish.

Not all Armenian parents send their children to a community school. And those who do attend may not stay the course — most switch after primary school or junior high. “Armenian schools, especially the secondary schools, don’t have the highest reputation. Sometimes they are seen as a fallback. Parents would rather send their children to an English, French or German school,” said Nora Mildanoglu. She went to an Armenian primary school before the English-speaking Robert College, one of Istanbul’s most prestigious high schools.

Attitudes have changed in Turkey, which has opened up to minorities, who now find it easier to assert their identities. “Now I’m not afraid to speak Armenian in public,” said Kalayaci. “When I was little I would never call my mother mama. I’d say anne [in Turkish] so that no one knew we were Christians.” Yet the Armenian language and culture are gradually disappearing in Turkey. “Armenian is spoken very little in family homes today. There is no longer a popular Armenian culture,” said Paylan. “Children are just taught the basics so that they can get by in everyday situations.”

Sarkis Seropyan, cofounder of Agos, the Armenian community’s main newspaper, is not surprised. “Few Armenians in Turkey speak the language. The proof is that most articles in Agos are in Turkish.” Only four pages out of 24 are in Armenian. “Otherwise no one would buy the paper.”

The Armenian community has realised that the schools alone cannot revive the language. But under the last major education reform, this spring, the teaching of Armenian was ruled out in state schools. The Armenians will have to make do with the current system.

http://mondediplo.com/2012/12/14armenia

19

Dr. Ronald Marchese to Speak at Fresno State on “Treasures of Faith:

Sacred Objects from the Armenian Churches of Constantinople”

Dr. Ronald Marchese will discuss his recent research in Constantinople/Istanbul with a talk on “Treasures of Faith: Sacred Objects from the Armenian Churches of Constantinople and What They Tell Us About Armenian Society and Culture” at 7:30 PM on Monday, January 28, 2013. This Leon S. Peters Foundation Lecture will be held in the University Business Center, Alice Peters Auditorium, Room 191, on the Fresno State campus and is part of the Armenian Studies Program Spring 2013 Lecture Series. The lecture is funded in part by the Associated Students, Inc. at Fresno State.

Dr. Marchese is professor of ancient history and archaeology at the University of Minnesota, Duluth and has spent the last several years documenting the rich cultural history of the Armenians in Constantinople, by studying the works of arts that the Armenians produced. He will accompany his talk with slides of some of the artwork that he has catalogued.

Over the course of hundreds of years Armenian society and culture developed in Constantinople after the founding of the Armenian Patriarchate in the city in 1461. Although a traditional date, it is clearly evident that a substantial number of Armenians from eastern Anatolia had established themselves in the city long before

this date. Most went unnoticed in the pages of history due to the fact that they were absorbed within Byzantine material and political culture. Simply stated they became “Byzantine” in nature. After the mid-fifteenth century and especially after the establishment of their own patriarchate and “patrik” this “invisibility” disappears.

Encouraged to immigrate “to the city” (to istan-polis) the Armenian population increased substantially as witnessed by the steady growth of neighborhoods and churches to match the population increase. By the mid-18th city to the mid nineteenth century—1750-1850—approximately half of all Armenian churches in the city were founded. Some were in close proximity to others in densely concentrated areas near the Patriarchate, especially in Kumkapi, Yenikapi, Samataya, and Beyoglu.

Associated with this increase in population was the rise of an Armenian “aristocracy” –the amira class. Many of these individuals financed church construction and are well-known in both Ottoman and Patriarchal records. The issue here is not who these people were, a powerful group of wealthy entrepreneurs, merchants and bankers, who gave clout to their group, but rather those who worked hard, accumulated modest amounts of wealth and were faithful church goers who participated in the affairs of their congregation and neighborhood—the emerging “petty bourgeois.” Who were they and what they did has barely been recorded. It was their contributions to their respective churches that is brought to light in his current research and is illustrated in this presentation.

Dr. Marchese received his PhD from New York University and has a distinguished career in archaeology, having conducted research at the Plataiai Archaeological Excavation in Greece and at Tel Dor in Israel. He is the author of numerous articles and book chapters in the field. He is an alumnus of California State University, Fresno.

He is the author, together with Marlene Breu, of Splendor and Spectacle: The Armenian Orthodox Church Textile Collections of Istanbul (Çitlembik Ltd., Istanbul, 2010). He has authored several other books on art and weaving.

The lecture is free and open to the public.

Parking: Parking rules have changed for the university. Parking is available in Lots A or J on campus, only if a free parking pass is obtained by using parking code 273305 in any of the campus kiosks.

For more information on the lecture please contact the Armenian Studies Program at 278-2669.

20

Expert on Armenian Monuments

Sums Up 2012

YEREVAN -- Chairman of the foundation studying Armenian architecture Samvel Karapetian summed up his organization’s work during a meeting with journalists on Thursday.

The expert said they had organized expeditions to Armenian communities of Iran in May and June. Karapetian also mentioned the expeditions to Shirak, Lori and Tavush regions organized within the framework of “SOS-Culture” program.

Speaking about Armenian monuments abroad, the expert said monuments are vulnerable to destruction in Azerbaijan, pointing out the destroyed Armenian cemetery in Jugha.

Turkey, on the contrary, is restoring historic monuments for political purposes. As to Georgia, the monuments are neither destroyed nor renovated, except for Surb Nshan church in Tbilisi.

The expeditions to Armenia’s north revealed that monasteries in Dsegh and Pemzashen villages are in need of repair.

ARPA Institute Presents a Lecture by Rouben Galichian

"Armenia in International and Armenian Old Maps. Its geography And Cartography"

SHERMAN OAKS, CA --This talk will show how, during the past 2,600 years Greco-Roman, Islamic and Western geographers, historians and cartographers saw and wrote about Armenia and how they depicted the country in their maps. The story will be told with maps made by the Greek, Islamic and European cartographers. These maps form part of the World geographic and cartographic heritage, the originals of which are kept in various well-known libraries and museums, such as the Library of Congress, the British Library, National Library of France, Municipal Library of Berlin, and libraries of Bologna, Istanbul, Yerevan and many others. The maps come to prove that, in the territory of the South Caucasus and the Middle East, there are only two countries, Armenia and Iran that could claim an existence of over 2,000 years and how our neighboring countries, such as Turkey and Georgia became to be known as they are now, only after some 2,000 years. It also confirms that the country known as the Republic of Azerbaijan, north of the Arax River was born only in 1918, copying its name from the Iranian north-western Province of Azerbaijan, south of the river Arax. The Armenian language maps of 14-18th centuries will also be discussed.

Rouben Galichian (Galchian) was born in Tabriz, Iran, to an Armenian family who had fled Van in 1915 to escape the Genocide. They arrived in Iran via Armenia, Georgia and France. Rouben attended school in Tehran and then received a scholarship to study in the UK. He received his degree in Electronics Engineering with honors, from the University of Aston, Birming-ham, in 1963. Rouben’s interest in geography and cartography peaked in the 1970s. In 1981 he moved to London with his family, where he had access to a huge variety of cartographic material. His first book entitled “Historic Maps of Armenia: The Cartographic Heritage” (I. B Tauris, London & NY, 2004) contained a collection of world maps and maps of Armenia over a period of 2600 years, as created by various mapmakers. It became a bestseller in its kind. The following year, an expanded version of the book (in English, Russian and Armenian) was published in Armenia (Printinfo Art Books, 2005). His third book, “Countries South of the Caucasus in Medieval Maps: Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan” (Gomidas Institute, London, 2007), provides more detailed cartographical and geographical information of this area. His fourth book, “The Invention of History: Azerbaijan, Armenia, and the Showcasing of Ima-ginations” (Gomidas Institute-London and Printinfo Art Books-Yerevan, April 2009), documents the native Armenian pedigree in Nagorno-Karabagh through the centuries as opposed to the Azerbaijani claims. His latest book is entitled “Clash of the Histories in the South Caucsus. Redrawing the map of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran”, where the Azerbaijani falsificat-ions, their reasoning and methods used are discussed, and 44 old and medieval maps from all over the world are analyzed, proving the truth about the present-day Azerbaijani falsified historiography (Bennett & Bloom, London, 2012). All the books are available through Amazon.com and other sources. For his charitable work done in Vanadzor, Armenia, Rouben was presented with the “Freedom of the city of

21

Vanadzor” awarded in 2006. For his services to Armenian historical cartography Rouben was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia in November of 2008. In 2009 he was the recipient of “Vazgen I” cultural achievements medal. He is married with a son and grandchildren and shares his time between London and Yerevan.

The lecture will be held on Friday, January 25, 2013, 7:30P at Merdinian Chapel: 13330 Riverside Dr. Sherman Oaks, CA 91403

COVER PAGE

Michel Ter-Pogossian Born on April 21, 1925, in Berlin, was the only child of Armenian parents who had settled in Germany after escaping ethnic persecution in their homeland Turkey following World War I. The family moved to France when Michel was a young child. His fascination with science began as a youngster and was fueled by experiments involving his toy physics and chemistry kits. He later earned degrees in science from the University of Paris and from the Institute of Radium in 1943 and 1946, respectively. It was in 1946 that Ter-Pogossian came to the United States to further his education, an outgrowth of his father’s concern about young Michel’s involvement with the war resistance efforts in France.

Ter-Pogossian was drawn to Washington University in large part by the reputation of Arthur Holly Compton, a physicist and a Nobel laureate, who was the university’s chancellor. In 1946, while studying for his degree, Ter-Pogossian worked in the Department of Physics as a research assistant. He received a master’s degree in 1948 and a doctoral degree in nuclear physics in 1950. He joined the faculty of Mallinckrodt Institute in 1950 and was appointed as professor of radiation sciences in 1961. He also held a joint appointment as professor of biophysics in physiology. In 1973, he was named head of Mallinckrodt Institute’s Division of Radiation Sciences, but the self-professed “research junkie” missed devoting his full time to laboratory work. In 1990, he stepped down from his administrative duties to return to his first love: research. Ter-Pogossian assumed emeritus status in 1995. The following year, while visiting Paris, he died suddenly of a heart attack.

Among his many accomplishments, Michel Ter-Pogossian will foremost be remembered as the “father of PET.” In the early 1970s, he led a collaborative research team of physical scientists, chemists, and physicians who developed the concept of positron emission tomography (PET). A major contribution, PET displays actual metabolic activity within different regions of organs and tissues, thereby extending scientists’ and physicians’ understanding of basic biological processes and providing a basis for the improved diagnosis of diseases. He played a major role in developing the concept of short-lived isotopes and in designing and constructing the first PET scanner as well as the first multislice and the first time-of- flight PET scanners.

During a career that spanned more than four decades, he earned numerous accolades for his achievements in nuclear science, including France’s Gold Medal Award of the Société Francaise de Médecine Nucléaire et de Biophysique, Canada’s prestigious Gairdner Award, St. Louis’ Peter H. Raven Lifetime Award of the Academy of Sciences, as well as the Society of Nuclear Medicine’s Georg Charles de Hevesy Nuclear Medicine Pioneer Award and the Paul C. Aebersold Award. Ter-Pogossian was a member of many professional societies. He was elected in 1987 to the Institute of Medicine and served on the editorial boards of major scientific journals, including the American Journal of Roentgenology, the Journal of Nuclear Medicine, and the Journal de Biophysique & Médecine Nucléaire.

Dr. Ter-Pogossian was a prolific author, with more than 250 papers and book chapters to his credit, and was a charter member of the American Nuclear Society and a fellow of the American Physical Society. In addition, he was a past trustee of the Academy of Sciences of St. Louis and served as an advisor for several Department of Energy and National Institutes of Health committees.

22

Obama is Exploiting Turkish Leaders’ Craving for Flattery

By Harut Sassounian Publisher, The California Courier

While political leaders often exaggerate their achievements and brag about the superiority of their nation, such claims become absurd if they are far removed from reality and border on chauvinism and narcissism.

When leaders harbor an exaggerated sense of self-importance, they could be easily manipulated by others who exploit their insatiable appetite for flattery. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is one of several high- ranking Turkish officials who may be suffering from such a character flaw.

The Turkish media provided extensive coverage to a Los Angeles Times article reporting that "Pres. Obama has logged more phone calls to Erdogan than to any world leader except British Prime Minister David Cameron." When the two met at the United Nations in New York, Pres. Obama gave Erdogan "more face time than any other world leader," lasting almost two hours. The US President reportedly praised the Turkish Prime Minister for showing "great leadership." The L.A. Times specifically noted that Obama even "resorted to flattery" by subsequently phoning Erdogan "to rave about a Turkish basketball tournament."

The Turkish newspaper, Today’s Zaman, published a follow up article further highlighting the close relationship between the two leaders: "Erdogan and Obama’s phone chats reveal Turkey’s ascent." The article included a photo where the American and Turkish leaders are shaking hands while brimming with wide smiles.

Although Prime Minister Erdogan does not look kindly upon anyone who writes unflattering words about him and frequently sues journalists daring to criticize his policies, prominent Turkish commentator Semih Idiz risked imprisonment by writing an article last week in Al-Monitor, titled: "Is Erdogan Aiming to Be a Latter-Day Sultan?" Idiz underlines the Prime Minister’s "authoritarian tendencies and lack of tolerance to any criticism, especially from a free press."

The Turkish journalist writes in great detail about Erdogan’s plans to run for President in August 2014, but not before drafting a new constitution that would transform the current head of state’s ceremonial post into "an executive presidency" that would not be "encumbered by a system of checks and balances." If elected President, Erdogan would have "the power to dissolve the Parliament, rule by decree and appoint government ministers, senior bureaucrats and jurists without parliamentary approval."

It is not a mere accident that Erdogan recently told Turkish journalists that the American presidential system, with checks and balances that limit the power of the president, is not suitable for Turkey: "The US president cannot appoint an ambassador, he cannot even solely decide on the sale of a helicopter.... That’s why we should create a Turkish-style presidential system."

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who used be a serious scholar, appears to be emulating his conceited Prime Minister. Last week, in his opening remarks at the annual conference of Turkish Ambassadors held in Ankara, Davutoglu made a highly arrogant statement claiming that Turkey plays a critical role in world affairs: "Because the global powers know that now history flows through Ankara, parties that ignore Ankara cannot understand history. The one that risks relations with Ankara will take risks in all regional policies.... Those who want to understand history must be present in Ankara, Istanbul and every other place in Turkey, because from now on we will be more actively present in shaping the flow of history."

These preposterous words are uttered by a Foreign Minister who had assumed his current post by pompously declaring that his country pursued a policy of "zero problems with neighbors." The harsh reality is that Turkey now has almost no neighbors without problems! Indeed, Ankara has serious conflicts with neighboring Armenia, Cyprus, Greece, Iran, Iraq, and Syria!

Not to be outdone by his senior colleagues, Turkey’s controversial European Union Affairs Minister, Egemen Bagis, greeted the New Year with a fresh list of outlandish statements: "Today there is no government in Europe which is more reformist than our government. While EU countries are struggling in crisis, our country is experiencing the most democratic, prosperous, modern and transparent period in its history. The ‘sick man’ of yesterday has gotten up and summoned the strength to prescribe medication for today’s Europe...and to share the EU’s burden rather than being a burden to it."

Pres. Obama has discovered that he can get more out of Turkish leaders by honey than vinegar, capitalizing on their overwhelming desire for praise and flattery. The problem is that such lavish praise has turned Turkey into ‘a spoiled brat’ who has become a serious menace to the entire neighborhood!

23

Funeral of Murdered Armenian Woman in Istanbul Evokes Memories of Earlier Cover-Ups

Posted by Weekly Staff on January 6, 2013 in News ISTANBUL, Turkey (A.W.)—The funeral of 84-year-old Marissa Kuchuk (Küçük), who was brutally murdered in her apartment in Istanbul, was held on Jan. 5, amid fears that violent acts against the country’s Christian minorities will continue to be swept under the rug.

In recent years, there have been several attacks against Armenians in Turkey. On April 24, 2011, Sevag Balikci was killed by a fellow soldier.

Armenian Weekly Columnist Ayse Gunaysu pointed to possible attempts to silence the family of the victims. “Before the service, while waiting in the church yard, there was a heavy silence—the silence of those who know but are unable to speak about what they know. The family was asked not to talk to the ‘outsiders.’”

“I noticed, thanks to my experience during the military dictatorship years, that there were dozens of policemen in plainclothes inside and around the church,” she told Armenian Weekly Editor Khatchig Mouradian in an interview.

Kuchuk’s funeral was held at the Armenian Church in Samatya (current name Mustafapasha), where hundreds gathered to pay their respects. “Both inside the church and the churchyard were full of people of all ages,” said Gunaysu, who attended the funeral. “While the coffin was being carried on the shoulders [of mourners], I saw Marissa’s daughter, hardly able to walk, held by the arms by two other middle aged women.”

On Dec. 29, Marissa Kuchuk was stabbed seven times and her throat was slit. The perpetrator(s) carved a cross on her chest using a sharp object, according to some Turkish newspaper and TV reports.

Gunaysu, who is also an active member of the Istanbul branch of the Human Rights Association, talked to the Armenian Weekly about the necessity and, at the same time, the impossibility of protesting against Kuchuk’s murder, because that would leave the victim’s family in a difficult situation.

Gunaysu and others from the Human Rights Association had visited the victim’s family a few days earlier. “The funeral and the visit we paid the family made me lost in a suffocating feeling that we can do absolutely nothing to help the family and their neighbors, because whatever we would do to protest this murder would make them feel even more uneasy,” she said.

“They know that they would be the ones who would pay for it in one way or another, while our protest would only provide us with the satisfaction of having fulfilled our ‘duty,’” she added.

Gunaysu pointed to “an enormous abyss separating us from the family. While we would try to defend human rights, they would be all alone in their daily lives in a world of denial.”

In recent years, there have been several attacks against Armenians in Turkey. Earlier in December, another Armenian woman was brutally attacked and robbed. Months earlier, an Armenian woman was called an infidel and attacked in a cab by the driver himself. On April 24, 2011, Sevag Balikci, an Armenian serving in the Turkish Army, was killed by a fellow soldier in what was clearly a hate crime on Armenian Genocide Commemoration Day. In January 2007, Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink was murdered in broad daylight in Istanbul.

According to human rights activists, the common thread that runs through all of these crimes is not just their being motivated by hate or being committed in an environment that breeds intolerance against Armenians, but also the efforts of the authorities to play them down and cover them up.

24

Acknowledgement

Loussapatz would like to thank Ms. Nairy Kabaklian for bringing to our attention an error made in last issue in the article re Santa Claus and St. Nicolas.

Hello writer.

I enjoy your newsletter and have been a subscriber for several years.

I was surprised by your article on Santa Claus where you noted that "the third century Turk, Nicolas".... As an Armenian, you would know that there were no third century Turks in the region, because they did

not show up in the area until the 6th century. I hope you will correct this for your readers and not give any more credit than is due to the Turks.

Thank you. Nairy Kabaklian

25

Èàôê2 ́2ò Þ2 ́2Â2Âoð - LOUSSAPATZ - THE DAWN

Ðð2î2ð2ÎàôÂÆôÜ Üàð êoðàôÜ ̧ ØÞ2ÎàôÂ2ÚÆÜ ØÆàôÂo2Ü - ÂàðàÜÂú

333 DENISON ST. UNIT # 3 MARKHAM, ON CANADA L3R 2Z4 TEL: 905 – 752 – 1206 FAX: 905 – 752 – 1207

E-MAIL : loussapatz@gmail.com

Èàôê2 ́2ò Þ2 ́2Â2ÂoðÂÆ ì2ðâ2Î2Ü Î21⁄4Ø

îÜúð3⁄4Ü äoîðàê ØàôÞo2Ü MANAGING EDITOR BEDROS MOUCHIAN îÜîoê2Î2Ü Úàìê3⁄4ö ¶2ܶàôðo2Ü FINANCE HOVSEP KANKOURIAN

226