Mueshagouyt-ue Zkasdoutyoun E By Hrair Jebejian‏

Update about 'The British Museum: Stop misrepresentation of Armenian Heritage as "Ancient Turkey"' on Change.org‏

News update: 5280 supporters and counting!

With a pathetic attempt to win his argument, Professor Jonathon N. Tubb from the British Museum responded to our petition by giving a foolish hamburger analogy. “I like burgers and I want the world to acknowledge burgers as a German invention, not an american one. Fries yes, they are french. Burgers are not!”

Now I begin to question the integrity of the British Museum for employing an ill-mannered individual such as Tubb and furthermore, allowing him to handle the matters of this petition. It is almost unbelievable to think that such a statement would be made from a person of his caliber. Comparing hamburgers and French fries to the historical facts that pertain to this topic is a direct insult to Armenians all over the world. What’s next Professor Tubb? Perhaps you will deny the Armenian Genocide?

British Museum: Please save yourself from further disgrace by putting someone else in charge of public relations.

Thank you all for signed this important cause, We all Armenians are very grateful for your continues support!

This message is from Gagik Avagyan who started the petition "The British Museum: Stop misrepresentation of Armenian Heritage as "Ancient Turkey"," which you signed on Change.org.

View the petition  |  View and reply to this message online

Nayiri Abrahamian - Keghart.com Update 6/7

This blog welcomes Nayiri Abrahamian on board and wishes her a long association.

Did You Know? Historian Louis Adamic in “A Nation of Nations” (1944) refers to the early Armenian settlers and says, “In 1619, the Poles, and their fellow workers of German and Armenian origin went on a strike. They demanded the right to vote and full equality with the other colonists…In a tiny community this was equivalent to a major rebellion, indeed the first consciously political upheaval in America for the purpose of extending rights to the common man. In it men of different backgrounds acted jointly against injustices for the first time in the New World.”  Read more...

Keghart Redux Dikran Abrahamianhttp://www.keghart.com/Abrahamian-Redux

Նախագահական Ընտրութիւնները եւ ԱնվստահութիւնըԽմբագրական, Մինաս Գոճայեանhttp://www.keghart.com/Editorial-MK-Elections

A Ship Named Armenian Tigran Kalaydjianhttp://www.keghart.com/Kalaydjian-Ship

Հալէպ՝ Առաջին Կայարան Զաւէն Խանճեանhttp://www.keghart.com/Khanjian-Aleppo

Armenian Alphabet—A to Z  Lia A. Avetissianhttp://www.keghart.com/Avetissian-Alphabet

Իրանի Ադրբէյջանցիների Բաց Նամակի Առթիւ Դոկտ. Ժիրայր Քոչարեան http://www.keghart.com/Koutcharian-Azeris

Armenian Renaissance Debut in Toronto Reporthttp://www.keghart.com/AR-Toronto

Մոլեռանդ Պրպտողը՝ Ստեփան Փարթամեան Մինաս Գոճայեան http://www.keghart.com/Kojayan-Partamian

Encounters with Unsung Armenians Jirair Tutunjianhttp://www.keghart.com/Tutunjian-Unsung

Հայազգի Ս. Ճանսըզի Եւ Ընկերուհիներուն ՅիշատակինՀամօ Մոսկոֆեան http://www.keghart.com/Moskofian-Cansiz

Heavenly Kessab Abridged and translated by Vahe H. Apelian http://www.keghart.com/Apelian-Khanjian

Հայաստանեայց Առաքելական Եկեղեցւոյ Ղեկավարութիւնը Ոսկան Մխիթարեանhttp://www.keghart.com/V-Mekhitarian-Leadership

The Shibboleth Cartoon by Lucine Kasbarianhttp://www.keghart.com/Kasbarian-Shibboleth

Սոնային Դժուարագոյն Երեք Քննութիւնները Էզկի Պաշարան, Հայացուց՝ Գրիգոր Կէօքճեանhttp://www.keghart.com/KG-Basharan-Tatoyan

• First time visitors please click on Mission on the horizontal bar at the top.
• To remove your address from the mailing list please clickwww.keghart.com/keghartlist , fill and submit the form. If you have more than one email address, tell us which addresses you would like to see removed.

Thanks for your attention 

ARTICLE BY SEVAG HAGOPIAN BEIRUT, LEBANON

To see larger and readable versions of the pages below, please click on each one in turn, using your Browser's Back Button to return here:

Petitioning Neil MacGregor The British Museum: Stop misrepresentation of Armenian Heritage as "Ancient Turkey"

Petition by Gagik Avagyan Toronto, Canada 

The British Museum is misinforming visitors about the artifacts found within room 54, claiming they originated from Ancient Turkey and Ancient Anatolia. This is absolutely ridiculous and beyond inaccurate because there is no such thing as Ancient Turkey or Ancient Anatolia! This is a discrimination of Armenian heritage and shall not be tolerated. They refer to artifacts dated from 5500-300 BC from Kingdom of Ararat, known as "Urartu", present day Armenia, as “eastern Turkey.” They are trying to validate their point by stating that “most visitors use modern geographical references to decide which parts of the collection they wish to see.” As an educational institution they should be educating their visitors about the origins of the art and the culture it was created by, not manipulating them to “decide which parts of the museum they wish to see.” Other museums around the world, such as the Metropolitan Museum, acknowledge and respect the Armenian culture by properly naming their collections. Why is the British Museum trying to change history by giving the Ottoman Empire credit for art they never created? By deceiving visitors the British Museum is losing credibility as an institution that conserves historical importance.

To:
Neil MacGregor, The British Museum
Jonathan N. Tubb, FSA Keeper Middle East, The British Museum 

Stop misrepresentation of Armenian Heritage as "Ancient Turkey"

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Supporters

Petition...Re: The British Museum

 Why are Armenians ignored and under represented in England?

We give our lives, we are not mentioned! We hold silent vigil, yet it is not reported! And now our History and Heritage is geographically erased by 'The British Museum.' The very Institution to promote ‘Historical Truth’ based upon fact, your ‘Credibility’ is now damaged, it will be interesting to see how you will regain it? You are accountable and there is an out cry to put right MISREPRESENTATION OF ARMENIAN LANDS, there for centuries old! 

A relatively new land by all counts, Turkish villages sprung on the backs of Armenians who worked the lands, built their homes and lives raising their families! Until the so called ‘Deportations!’ Turks and Armenians lived side by side once, can they do so again? 

We see Cameron on TV, APOLOGIZING TO A THIRD WORLD REPRESENTATIVE only last week, FOR WRONGS DONE to them IN THE PAST BY THE ENGLISH! 

Why then does he perpetuate ‘Denial’ of the Armenian Genocide by the Young Turks of the day, against Armenians! 

Politics and money has a lot to answer! 

England, is losing its identity! It once stood for truth and fairness.

Armenians support the UK in a myriad of spheres, only to be treated as the invisible spirits of the dead! 

Seta Tokatlian 

West Midlands

UK

http://www.armengenocide.org/

http://setasarmenian.blogspot.co.uk/

  

The Bay Area Armenian National Committee cordially invites you to:-

HYE TAD EVENING 2013
with special guests:
The Honorable Garen Nazarian
Armenia's Ambassador to the United Nations will be speaking about Armenia's standing in the international community and the opportunities and challenges it faces.

and

Mr. Hrair Balian, Esq.
The Carter Center's Director of Conflict Resolution will be speaking about the effects of recent conflicts in the Middle East on Armenian communities in the region.

Local Hero Award:
The Bay Area Friends of Armenia (BAFA)
For their tireless efforts to advance the health, education and welfare of Armenia's neediest and most vulnerable.

SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 2013Saroyan Hall, 825 Brotherhood Way, San Francisco
$125 per person, $75 Students
6:30 pm Cocktails
7:30 pm Dinner & Program

R.S.V.P. by February 28, 2012
Bay Area Armenian National Committee
51 Commonwealth Avenue San Francisco, CA 94118
phone: 415-387-3433
email: mail@ancsf.org

Stop Using Aluminum Foil - by a contributor

Never Aluminum Foil for your next B B Q !!!!!!! Stop Doing This With Aluminum Foil A recent study has shown that heat causes aluminum from the foil to leach out into foods in significantly harmful amounts.1 Aluminum Accumulates in the Bones and in the Brain The researchers found dangerously high levels of aluminum in foods after being cooked, reheated. The cause for alarm is that when aluminum accumulates in the body, it can lead to osteoporosis and Alzheimer’s. What’s more, Dr. Zubaidy, one of the study authors, comments that: “The higher the temperature, the more the leaching. Foil is not suitable for cooking and is not suitable for using with vegetables like tomatoes, citrus juice or spices.”2 On the other hand, the researchers also noted that foil can be considered safe to wrap cold foods, since no leaching was observed without heating. They also did not find a difference if the shiny or dull side were in contact with food. Aluminum Competes With Calcium, Weakening Bones High aluminum levels in the body alter bone mineralization, matrix formation, as well as parathyroid and bone cell activity.3 Ironically, one of the most common signs of excessive aluminum accumulation is hypercalcemia or high calcium levels in the blood. This happens because the presence of aluminum impedes calcium deposition in bone, thus leading to elevated blood calcium levels.3 As a result, PTH secretion, the hormone secreted by the parathyroid hormone, is greatly depressed.3 Additionally, chronic aluminum toxicity greatly reduces osteoblast population and inhibits bone mineralization, resulting in osteoporosis.3 Mounting Evidence Links Aluminum to Alzheimer’s While the study is less adamant about the link between aluminum and Alzheimer’s than it is about the osteoporosis connection, it does point to evidence that aluminum is deposited in brain tissue. The researchers note that previous studies have found an aluminum build-up in autopsies performed on Alzheimer’s sufferers. Protect Your Bones and Your Brain In view of this, you really should avoid using aluminum foil or aluminum utensils for cooking. So here are a few simple steps you can take right away: Never cook, hleat up, or place hot food on aluminum foil. Use foil only to store cold food in the refrigerator, or to wrap cold sandwiches. I use tempered glass pans. They are easily available in just about every supermarket or hardware store. Avoid storing tomatoes, citrus fruits, or spices in foil. Replace foil with wax paper if you wish to store food while still hot. Or use glass food storage containers. I keep a variety of sizes handy in my kitchen. Never use aluminum pots or cooking utensils. Instead, invest in stainless steel pots and pans. As you can see, it’s easy to avoid aluminum in the kitchen.

BURNS by a contributer...

A young man sprinkling his lawn and bushes with pesticides wanted to check the contents of the barrel to see how much pesticide remained in it. He raised the cover and lit his lighter; the vapors ignited and engulfed him. He jumped from his truck, screaming. His neighbor came out of her house with a dozen eggs and a bowl yelling:"bring me some more eggs!" She broke them, separating the whites from the yolks.   The neighbor woman helped her to apply the whites onto the young man's face.   When the ambulance arrived and the EMTs saw the young man, they asked who had done this. Everyone pointed to the lady in charge. They congratulated her and said: "You have saved his face."   By the end of the summer, the young man brought the lady a bouquet of roses to thank her. His face was like a baby's skin.     A Healing Miracle for Burns:

Keep in mind this treatment of burns is being included in teaching beginner fireman. First Aid consists of first spraying cold water on the affected area until the heat is reduced which stops the continued burning of all layers of the skin.Then, spread the egg whites onto the affected area.

One woman burned a large part of her hand with boiling water. In spite of the pain, she ran cold faucet water on her hand, separated 2 egg whites from the yolks, beat them slightly and dipped her hand in the solution.

 

The whites then dried and formed a protective layer.

 

She later learned that the egg white is a natural collagen and continued during at least one hour to apply layer upon layer of beaten egg white. By afternoon she no longer felt any pain and the next day there was hardly a trace of the burn. 10 days later, no trace was left at all and her skin had regained its normal color. The burned area was totally regenerated thanks to the collagen in the egg whites, a placenta full of vitamins.

 

Since this information could be helpful to everyone: Won't you please pass it on?

 

PLEASE SIGN UP THIS PETITION : Petitioning The British Museum‏ - Hayashen (CAIA London)

Parev Linda

I have not only signed this but have also displayed it on CAIA's facebook on

https://www.facebook.com/Hayashen

best wishes

Misak

A Life Spent in Hiding (video) - How can we help?

These are our extended family !

http://www.newslook.com/ln/50c/videos/543811

Ancient Armenia

Interesting to read Armenia's ancient history and 

her influence on the Western world and Europe.

http://www.cannonbeachgazette.com/entertainment/article_a7b09026-602a-11e2-b793-001a4bcf887a.html 

FATHER FRANK’S RANTS - Hell-bound

Rant Number 527      19 February 2013

A departed soul, a Christian, reaches the heavenly realm. St Peter, guardian of the pearly gates, gives him a little introduction tour around the house. All’s well till they get to a vast place surrounded by a very tall wall. ‘What’s that?’ the visitor inquires. ‘Keep your voice down!’ St Peter urges. ‘That is the place reserved for Muslims but they must not know we are here. They believe Heaven is exclusively for them alone!’

A heterodox joke that will please religious pluralists. I suppose it would be a bit rude to inform your neighbours that hell is their destination but...cruel to be kind, perhaps.

Between Heaven and Hell discusses not the denizens of Heaven but their problematical counterparts, the dismal folks destined for the kingdom of darkness. It is edited by Muhammad Hassan Khalil. Subtitled ‘Islam, Salvation and the Fate of Others’. A scholarly book filled with stimulating essays, mostly by Muslims, and a subject matter of burning (!) interest.

Muslims are amongst the few left in the West to take hell seriously. Jean Jacques Rousseau, an utterly despicable man, held that hell was socially divisive: you could not live at peace with neighbours whom you believed doomed to eternal fire. Today he shouldn’t worry. Our wimpish Zeitgeist has kicked damnation upstairs. Even mentioning eternal punishment to school children in RE lessons might expose you to the wrath of parents, as it befell a Catholic teacher friend of mine. Yet, hell matters, because salvation matters. I commend these authors for giving hell a chance.

‘No salvation outside Islam’. No beating about the bush. If you are not a Muslim the Fire awaits you. That is the position bluntly espoused by Yasir Qadhi. A stocky, tough-looking, Saudi-trained young scholar, he bases his position on the Qur’an and the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad. Still, the hell-bound brigade is thrown a kind of sop. Passing judgment on particular individuals is wrong, only general assertions are in order, Qadhi says. So, while it is right to declare that Christians as a whole are surely damned, a Muslim should not be so ungracious to say that Mother Teresa is. Furthermore, punishment might depend on whether rejection of Islam was based on knowledge or otherwise.

Hhhmmm...in criminal matters ignorance of the law is no excuse. Why different in religion? Maybe Qadhi is thinking of peculiar passe’ scenarios, when Islam was thought a religion of backward, exotic and remote races about which one cared little. Today, thanks to 9/11, the media and the large number of Muslims who have settled amongst them, many Westerners know more about the religion of the Crescent than their own. Hence ignorance may no longer excuse, I suspect.

Tim Winter also takes a hard line. ‘Religious pluralism...is incompatible with Islamic monotheism’. (This Englishman calls such pluralism ‘Eurocentric’, a frightful charge, no doubt.) Does it mean only Muslims in heaven and all the others down below? Sounds like that and Winter is a convert to Islam - if he is right...good career move.  But he is also a sophisticated writer so he produces a theory of ‘prophetic intercession, based on Allah’s mercy. Righteous monotheists might then still make it upstairs: good!

Muhammad Legenhausen’s formidably cognitive essay analyses the views of various theologians. Karl Rahner and Shahid Mutahharri, a Catholic Christian and a Shia’ Muslim, both have kindly speculated that the Other could escape the Fire. One may believe in Christ implicitly or subconsciously, Rahner says. Hence God, who knows all the secrets of the human heart, will recognise them at the Last Judgment. Furthermore, one interpretation of the Incarnation of Christ, God becoming man, sees human nature itself in Christ’s flesh now partaking of the divine. Hence, ‘grace is given to the whole world, not merely to Catholics.’

Mutahharri’s view, suitably based on Islamic fiqh, jurisprudence, seems to me a variation on the theme of excusing, non-culpable ignorance. Allah’s supreme justice would not punish those who ‘through no fault of their own do not accept Islam’. Fair enough.

A somewhat unsatisfactory solution was expressed by the medieval writer Ibn al-Qayyim, cited by David Freidenreich. He suggested that Christians will go to hell but only for a short time. Considering that one of the infernal penalties the Qur’an vividly describes is having to drink boiling water, the prospect fails to cheer me up.

Tariq Ramadan, and Mohammed Fadel consider philosopher John Rawls’ take on truth and salvation. Rawls, an archetypical apologist for Western liberal democracy, claimed that in such a polity the public and the private sphere should be set apart. Some attitudes and convictions, like your infidel neighbours roasting in the Fire, should not be publicly expressed. You can still believe you have the Truth but you should not proclaim to all and sundry. Like in the joke above: don’t tell!

Rawls’ viewpoint wonderfully embodies the ideology of secularism. I once heard it expressed by a former Algerian foreign minister at SOAS. God is a matter of your private beliefs, a personal relationship, it is wrong to bring religion into the market place. The priest cannot legislate for Islam but this is certainly not the view of the Church. Neither theologically nor historically. Faith matters. Supremely so. To ghettoise religion is impossible. More, it is false, wicked, absurd. Even the pathetic, failed and apostate Church of England keeps its 26 bishops in the House of Lords: QED.

St Augustine in the City of God writes of an Invisible Church, the full members of which are known only to God. They include much humanity, many of whom are not baptised Christians. At the Last Day, the citizens of that City of God will emerge in all their splendour. A foreshadowing of theological pluralism?

Still, Scripture says that Christ is the conqueror of hell. And he says: ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father but by me.’ What do I then believe about my Muslim friends? Are they hell-bound?

Ah, that would be telling...

Revd Frank Julian Gelli

Armenian News

From a member of the UK community

I've just signed the petition "The British Museum:

Stop misrepresentation of Armenian Heritage as "Ancient Turkey""

on Change.org.

It's important. Will you sign it too? Here's the link:
http://www.change.org/en-CA/petitions/the-british-museum-stop-misrepresentation-of-armenian-heritage-as-ancient-turkey
Thanks!
Vatche

The British Museum: Stop misrepresentation of Armenian Heritage as

"Ancient Turkey" 
The British Museum is misinforming visitors about the artifacts found

within room 54, claiming they originated from Ancient Turkey and Ancient

Anatolia. This is absolutely ridiculous and beyond inaccurate because

there is no such thing as Ancient Turkey or Ancient Anatolia! This is a

discrimination of Armenian heritage and shall not be tolerated. They

refer to artifacts dated from 5500-300 BC from Kingdom of Ararat, known

as "Urartu", present day Armenia, as “eastern Turkey.” They are trying to

validate their point by stating that “most visitors use modern geographical

references to decide which parts of the collection they wish to see.” As an

educational institution they should be educating their visitors about the

origins of the art and the culture it was created by, not manipulating them

to “decide which parts of the museum they wish to see.” Other museums

around the world, such as the Metropolitan Museum, acknowledge and

respect the Armenian culture by properly naming their collections.

Why is the British Museum trying to change history by giving the Ottoman

Empire credit for art they never created? By deceiving visitors the British

Museum is losing credibility as an institution that conserves historical

importance. 

Heated clashes go on in Syria's Aleppo
TERT.AM
11:42 - 23.02.13
Syria's largest city, Aleppo, continued facing bomb attacks

throughout Friday.
Following months of violent clashes between armed opposition rebels
and the government forces, the city came under a missile attack, which
killed 12 people, including children.

Tert.am has learned from sources in Aleppo that the situation was

very tense in the vicinities of the Armenian districts, where over a

dozen of mines went off.
Heated clashes took place in the Pasha district which was formerly
home to an Armenian nursing house. The institution later moved to a
more secure area.

The noises of missiles and explosions were also heard in the Armenian
populated neighborhoods of Nor Kyugh and Villas.

Rights defenders reportedly believe that the number of victims may
increase given that the buildings which collapsed after the missile
attack still have people lying behind the rubble.

The clashes in Aleppo, Syria's economic capital, have been continuing
since summer 2012.


WorldBulletin.net, Turkey
Feb 23 2013
First Azan sounded on Azerbaijan-Armenia border after 20 years
As a part of the campaign `Towards Karabakh - the voice of Allah and
our truth', Azan has been resumed and the first Azan sounded in
Chemenli village of Aghdam region, on the contact line of Azerbaijani
and Armenian troops, APA reports.

APA reports that the first Azan on the contact line after 20 years has
been sounded in `Jumshud' mosque. Following the Azan, Juma namaz was
performed.

Chairman of the State Committee on Work with Religious Organizations
Elshad Isgandarov, head of `Nagorno Karabakh's Azerbaijani Community'
Public Union Bayram Safarov, heads of the executive authorities and
residents of the frontline regions attended the event.

Azan will also be resumed in other mosques along the frontline.
Campaign `Towards Karabakh - the voice of Allah and our truth' has
been organized by the State Committee on Work with Religious
Organizations together with the `Justice for Khojaly' International
Civil Awareness Campaign and `Nagorno Karabakh's Azerbaijani
Community' Public Union.

Journal of Turkish Weekly
Feb 23 2013
Turkey's message to Sargysan irks Azeris
23 February 2013

A note of congratulations sent by President Abdullah Gül to his
Armenian counterpart, Serzh Sargsyan, over his successful re-election
has angered a number of Azeri parties.

`This hurt us. But it should not be exaggerated. International
organizations are keeping silence over the presidential elections in
Armenia. Armenia's population is less than 2 million, but 2,500,000
people have been registered,' Parliamentary Speaker Ogtay Asadov said
Feb. 22 during a debate in Parliament.

Gül sent a message of congratulations to Sargsyan after he was
re-elected to a second five-year mandate.

The deputy executive secretary of the New Azerbaijan Party, Mubariz
Gurbanli, also said Gül's note of felicitations was unacceptable.

`We didn't expect this. Therefore, we have expressed such an
attitude,' Azeri news agency APA quoted him as saying.

Another lawmaker, Fazil Mustafa, said that although the Turkish
president's immediate message raised concerns, it was not a reason to
transform the matter into a bigger issue.

Musavat Party Central Executive Board member Arif Hajili also
criticized Gül. `Turkish President Abdullah Gül's sending of
congratulations before the official announcement of the results is the
wrong step. This is the continuation of Turkey's zero-problem policy
with the neighboring states. But actually this policy failed. With
this policy, Turkey's relations with most of the states in the region
have become tense.

Moreover, the Turkish president's congratulations to Sargsyan
contradict the interests of Azerbaijan. At a time when the
international community is expressing views that an illegitimate
government exists in Armenia, the Turkish government sealed the
legitimacy of the Armenian leadership. This is wrong and causes
regret,' he said.

The chairman of the United Azerbaijan Popular Front Party, Gudrat
Hasanguliyev, also expressed his regret at Gül's act.

`If someone thinks that Armenia and Armenians will give up the
so-called genocide and territorial claims thanks to these steps, they
are mistaken,' Hasanguliyev said, adding that phone calls,
congratulations and other steps would not achieve results just like
what he declared to be the failed `football diplomacy' of 2008 and
2009, the Zurich protocols and work and residence permits for illegal
Armenian migrants in Turkey.

Chicago Tribune, IL
Feb 23 2013
Thousands protest in Armenia against re-elected president
February 22, 2013|Hasmik Mkrtchyan | Reuters
YEREVAN (Reuters) - Thousands of people protested in Armenia's capital
Yerevan on Friday against the re-election of President Serzh Sarksyan,
asserting that an opposition party leader was the real winner.

International monitors said Monday's vote was an improvement on recent
elections in Armenia but there was little competition as some of
Sarksyan's most prominent rivals did not run, saying the result was
likely to be skewed to deliver him victory.

The rally in Yerevan's Freedom Square was peaceful and there were no
protests in other cities in the ex-Soviet republic. But analysts are
concerned about instability in a region that is a key transit route
for Caspian gas and oil deliveries to Europe.

Backers of Sarksyan's second-placed rival Raffi Hovannisian chanted
"Raffi! Raffi!" and "Armenia! Armenia" at the rally, alleging that the
vote was rigged in favor of the Sarksyan.

"We should carry on our fight calmly and according to the
constitution. Our democratic movement will not stop and we will
achieve victory," Hovannisian told the crowd, raising a clenched fist
over his head.

"Welcome Armenia! You are the people, you have chosen your servant,"
U.S.-born Hovannisian, accompanied by his wife and son, said to the
protesters, who were waving Armenian flags.

Hovannisian told protesters that the president, at a meeting on
Thursday, rejected his demand for a rerun of the vote.

Official results showed Sarksyan winning 58.6 percent of the votes,
compared to nearly 37 percent for Hovannisian.

Hovannisian said he would start touring cities and villages where he
polled ahead of Sarksyan in the election, before staging another
protest rally in the same square on Sunday.

"There is a 'tradition' in post-Soviet countries that those who scored
second or third positions always question results of elections, no
matter what," said analyst Sergei Minasyan.

"I think Raffi Hovannisian is aiming for a long march that would
somehow unite the opposition to keep up the pressure and maybe benefit
from it in the approaching elections for local governments, including
for the Yerevan mayor."

The disputed result of the 2008 presidential election triggered
violent unrest in which 10 people were killed.

Armenia, a South Caucasus country of 3.2 million that has a collective
security deal with Russia, is also locked in dispute with neighbor
Azerbaijan over the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.

About 30,000 people were killed in a 1990s war between the neighbors
over Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian-majority enclave inside
Azerbaijan, which Armenian-backed rebels wrested from Azeri troops.

(Writing by Gabriela Baczynska; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

tert.am

Armenia's Shirak region will have no disaster zone in one year, says
Heritage leader
20:55 - 23.02.13
The former opposition presidential candidate, Raffi Hovhannisian, told
Saturday his voters in Gyumri that the Shirak region (of which Gyumri
is the capital) will have no disaster zone year in a year in case he
is declared a legitimate president.

`Gyumri determined Armenia's future; victory began from here,' he told
the crowd of his supporters in the second largest city.

Hovhannisian, who heads the  opposition Heritage party, had a 32%
advantage over Serzh Sargsyan in the February 18 presidential
election. Some 42,635 voters (69.46%) in the city's 81 precincts had
casted their ballots in his favor. The incumbent president received
only 16,599 votes (27.04%). The governor of Shirak, Ashot Grigoryan,
resigned from office following the election, reportedly being
dissatisfied with his efforts to campaign for the president.

Hovhannisian said in the Saturday rally that no former president,
opposition figure or a local governor (regional or village governor)
can seize what he claims to be the real victory.

He warned policemen and the armed forces to respect the people's
decision, adding that anyone issuing an unlawful decision will be held
responsible in front of the people.

`Today, policemen and security officers have their errors and their
own past. We all must give an answer, but from now on, anyone - be it
a municipality employee, regional governor or a commander - who acts
as a security guarantor for the people, commit any infringement, he
will be held accountable before the law. You will deal with Armenia's
courts, not me in that case,' he added.

Addressing his words to the re-elected president, Hovhannisian
continued, `Mr Sargsyan, I respect you; you have a big contribution to
the Armenian statehood, but your mission is accomplished'

The crowd then began chanting slogans urging the incumbent to step
down. `We are for the opposition. We have rejected these authorities,
but have enough spirit and dignity to say thank you,' they said.

Hovhannisyan, who claims the February 18 election was tainted by
fraud, reiterated an earlier statement that his success is not limited
to narrow party interests. `There's no party flag; no ARF-D [Armenian
Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaksutyun] or ANC [Armenian National
Congress] flag. We all came to realize that this is not a struggle for
a party. The Armenian man has to return from virgin lands, bringing
back his child to Armenia. A return to Armenia will be what will see
in five years. Hence, Mr. Sargsyan, our nation is unanimous at this
point. The [ordinary] citizen and the policeman, all the political
parties, the young and the elderly have come here to say that this is
not something for us; this is for our law and our nation,' he added.

Hovhannisyan reminded the crowd that he will rally in Yerevan's
Liberty Square Sunday afternoon regardless of permission by the City
Hall.

`The people must win; make no doubt about that. If the non-elected
government is unwilling [to step down], the people have to ready for a
long-lasting struggle,' the politician said.

PRESS RELEASE
RAFFI HOVANNISIAN HEADQUARTERS
 23 February 2013

Raffi Hovannisian Takes Presidential Victory Tour Across Armenia
Yerevan--Raffi K. Hovannisian, President-elect of the Republic of
Armenia, today launched a victory tour which took him to a number of
regions of Armenia where overwhelming crowds had gathered to greet
their new president. In addition to scheduled meetings in Ashtarak,
Vanadzor, and Gyumri, spontaneous rallies were held in the towns of
Aparan and Spitak.

Hovannisian's first stop was Ashtarak. `I came here to greet you,'
Hovannisian said, adding that he remembers how fearful people were the
last time he held a meeting in the Ashtarak town square. He declared
that the situation has changed, and no one will dare any longer to
threaten the citizens of Armenia. Stressing the exclusion of violence
and the necessity to achieve a peaceful change of power via the
constitutional path, Hovannisian noted: `If any commander orders a
soldier to do anything besides protecting the borders or ensuring our
security, he will be held accountable.'

Hovannisian then went to the towns of Aparan and Spitak, where people
spontaneously turned out to greet him. In both towns the police tried
to hinder the meetings. Hovannisian, however, required them not to
violate human rights, explaining that these are not organized but
spontaneous demonstrations, to which citizens are entitled. In Aparan,
when Hovannisian tried to approach the policemen, they took flight by
car, and only a bit later returned and listened to the President-elect
of the Republic of Armenia. `Aparan and Bash Aparan--which saved the
Republic of Armenia from the Turks in 1918--will save Armenia once
again,' Hovannisian said.

Hovannisian then headed for Vanadzor, where several thousand people
overflowed the city square. `Armenia's citizens won, the people won,
Vanadzor won, and no one will be able to take our victory away,'
Hovannisian told the crowd. Criticizing the Vanadzor mayor for
claiming that Raffi Hovannisian won in his city because the people
were `unconscious,' the President-elect said that the author of this
idea has no right to stay in Vanadzor. He also condemned the police
for preventing people of neighboring villages from coming to the
meeting. For example, about 50 residents of the village of Darpas had
to walk to get to Vanadzor because the roads were intentionally shut
down. Hovannisian urged the police never again to violate the basic
rights of free assembly.

Raffi Hovannisian concluded his tour in Gyumri, where he was welcomed
by a delirious crowd of more than ten thousand people. Addressing the
residents of Gyumri and other communities of the Shirak region,
President-elect Hovannisian said: `On February 18, the people of
Gyumri shaped this victory, and soon their triumph will be formalized.
But be ready for a long fight--whether it takes one day, one week, one
month or one year. The governor of the Shirak region resigned, as will
other regional governors in the near future, and we will create a
powerful nation that attracts all emigrated Armenians back to their
homeland.'


BRITAIN CRITICAL OF ARMENIAN VOTE
United Press International UPI
Feb 22 2013
LONDON, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- The British government said Friday it was
lending its voice to the growing chorus expressing concern about the
outcome of Armenian presidential elections.

Supporters of former Foreign Minister Raffi Hovannisian rallied in his
support in Yerevan after preliminary totals showed incumbent President
Serzh Sargsyan won the majority of the vote in Monday's election.

Karin Woldseth, head of a European observer mission, said that while
there was clear evidence of a successful vote, public trust was eroded
because of alleged interference in favor of the incumbent.

British Minister for Europe David Lidington echoed those sentiments,
saying the campaign was free and open and most Armenians took advantage
of their right to vote.

"I welcome the International Election Observation Mission's preliminary
report which concluded that the elections were characterized by a
'respect for fundamental freedoms' but also noted deficiencies in
election administration and instances of political interference,"
he said in a statement.

Hovannisian met this week with Sargsyan, saying he'd discuss the
outcome of that meeting during weekend rallies.

The U.S. and European governments expressed concern about political
interference in statements this week.

DINNER TONIGHT: ARMENIAN CHICKEN AND AUBERGINE
The Times, UK
February 20, 2013 Wednesday 12:01 AM GMT
by Lindsey Bareham
Shopping is kept to a minimum for this subtly flavoured chicken and
aubergine stew and, once home, there is very little cooking required.

Chicken thighs are browned, onions are softened, aubergine is peeled
and diced, then everything cooks gently in one pan. The aubergine
wilts into a creamy almost-sauce imbued with chicken juices and the
stew is served over couscous or rice with a dollop of thick creamy
yoghurt and a sprinkling of chopped flat-leaf parsley. It reheats
perfectly. To make this for four, add a second aubergine and onion,
more chicken and a little extra water.

Serves 2 Prep: 20 min Cook: 45 min Ingredients:

1 large onion, approx. 200g3 tbsp olive oil4 skinned chicken thighs1
plump aubergine, approx. 200g75ml water140g sheep's milk yoghurt1
tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Method

Halve, peel and finely chop the onion. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a spacious,
lidded saute or frying pan, stir in the onion and cook, stirring
regularly, for 5 minutes over a medium heat. Season with salt, reduce
the heat, cover and leave to gently soften while you heat the other
1 tbsp oil in a frying pan and brown the chicken on both sides. If
it sticks and resists turning, rest the pan off the heat for a few
minutes, then lift with a spatula, turn and finish cooking. Peel the
aubergine, quarter lengthways and, holding the pieces together, cut
into kebab-size chunks. Stir the aubergine into the softening onion,
place the chicken among the vegetables, add the water and final 1 tbsp
olive oil. Cover and cook over a low heat - I used a heat diffuser
mat - for 45 minutes, giving the odd stir and turning the chicken once.

Serve over couscous or rice, with a dollop of yoghurt and parsley
garnish.

View Times writers' and readers' pics of Lindsey Bareham's recipes
at thetim.es/foodflickr

Make one of Lindsey's Dinner Tonight recipes and send us a photo of
the dish to food@thetimes.co.uk