LOUSSAPATZ - The Dawn - 996 - 2013-8-24
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Chairperson of the Stamp Advisory Committee CANADA POST CORPORATION . 2701 Riverside Drive Suite N1070 Ottawa, ON K1A 0B1
Dear Chairperson,
I would like to submit to your esteemed Committee the following proposal for your kind consideration.
Throughout our history, Canada has become home for many diverse cultural and ethnic groups. We have given shelter to millions of people, many oppressed and vulnerable, who in their time of need have turned to our country for their freedoms, human rights and even, their lives.
One such group consisted of one hundred and twenty Armenian orphans, who were brought to Canada after the events of 1915 and WWI. They were mostly teenagers or young boys, who were settled in farms around Georgetown, Ontario. They worked very hard and even quite a few of them volunteered to fight as part of the Canadian Forces, in the support of the Allied Forces in WWII, to protect human rights and further our western democratic values against some oppressive regimes in Europe.
They were Canadian heroes and they died for freedom, justice and liberty for all. Others, worked in the farms or some service industries in and around Toronto.
Since then, they all have passed away. The last one, just a few years ago, here in Toronto.
They were called the Georgetown Boys.
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Recently, their legacy was honoured by a Special Plaque placed in Georgetown, dedicated to their memory by the Town Council of Georgetown.
My Proposal is that, Canada Post Corporation issue a commemorative stamp dedicated to the memory of Georgetown Boys.
I firmly believe that in the context of the criteria set forth by Canada Post Corporation, this proposal has great merit, considering the following facts:
1 - It will show our great respect and acceptance of diverse social, cultural and political traditions, as well, our generosity towards new comers to our country.
2 - Georgetown Boys have passed away and yet their contribution to our values, both in Canada and in the war zones in Europe, is something to recognize and be proud of.
3 - I am confident that, this stamp will be sold as widely as the stamp series dedicated to the 1700th Anniver- sary of Christianity in Armenia as a State Religion. In my estimation, considering the fact that many of us still re- member them, it could even do better in terms of new revenue to the coffers of Canada Post.
Dear Chairperson, I hope you find my proposal worthy of consideration and should you decide to further dis- cuss this issue with me, I will be more then happy to meet with you at your or your Committee's convenience and provide any clarification or answer questions you may have.
Respectfully yours, Sarkis Assadourian Member of the Deputy Judges Council (ON). M.P. 1993-2004, CIC judge 2005-2008 Community Volunteer. Enclosures. Georgetown Boys. NOTE TO THE READERS: Please send a HARD COPY letter of support to the Canada Post Corp. ASAP.
YEREVAN WORRIED ABOUT RUSSIAN ARMS SALES TO AZERBAIJAN
YEREVAN -- Armenia is worried about large-scale sales of Russian weap- ons to Azerbaijan and is trying to counter them with its own military buildup, Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian said last Friday.
Ohanian commented on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s claims that the volume of Russian-Azerbaijani defense contracts signed in recent years has reached $4 billion. Aliyev made the statement after talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin held in Baku earlier this week.
“Of course, we are somewhat concerned about the [Azerbaijani] military buildup,” Ohanian told reporters. “But the figures that are cited are a bit unreal ... Nevertheless, we need to take into account that Azerbaijani reality. We are aware of all that.”
“Of course, that is not quite good for us. But we have planned measures against that and our commander-in-chief, the president of the republic, is seri- ously thinking about that,” he said without going into details.
Ohanian reacted similarly after it emerged in June that Russia has begun de- livering $1 billion worth of tanks, rockets and other offensive weapons to Azer- baijan. He indicated that close military ties with Moscow will help Yerevan off- set those deliveries. In that regard, the minister referred to a Russian-Armenian agreement on military-technical cooperation which he and Aleksandr Fomin, the head of Russia’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Coopera- tion, signed in Yerevan on June 25.
Incidentally, Fomin again visited Yerevan and met with Ohanian and President Serzh Sarkisian on Wednes- day. The Armenian Defense Ministry said that the two sides fleshed out plans to set up joint “centers for the repair and maintenance of military hardware and weapons” in Armenia.
ARMENIA ACQUIRES CHINESE MULTIPLE-LAUNCH ROCKET SYSTEMS
YEREVAN -- Armenia has acquired Chinese multiple- launch rocket systems with a firing range of up to 130 kilome- ters, a military source in Yerevan told RFE/RL’s Armenian ser- vice (Azatutyun.am) on Monday.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the source de- clined to specify the quantity of the AR1A systems obtained the Armenian military and the dates of their delivery or give other details of the alleged acquisition.
The Armenian Defense Ministry, for its part, refused to confirm or refute the information. “Armenia’s armed forces are constantly supplied with new weapons and increase their com- bat readiness,” the ministry spokesman, Artsrun Hovannisian, told RFE/RL’s Armenian service. “We have clear plans of arms acquisitions and are adhering to them.”
AR1A, which China first demonstrated in 2009, is a long-range artillery system designed to attack concentra- tions of troops, command centers and important ground targets. Military experts say that it has many technological similarities with the Russian Smerch multiple-launch rocket systems, one of the most destructive weapons of its kind. Smerch rockets can hit targets up to 90 kilometers away.
Eighteen Smerch systems are reportedly among $1 worth of new offensive weapons which Russia began de- livering to Azerbaijan earlier this year in line with defense contracts signed in 2011. Armenian politicians and pun- dits have singled out this fact in their strong criticism of the Russian arms sales to Baku. The latter also purchased a dozen Smerch systems from Ukraine in the mid-2000s.
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The nearest equivalent to the Russian rockets which Armenia was known to have possessed until now are Chi- nese-made WM-80 multiple-launch systems with a firing range of up to 80 kilometers. The Armenian military is thought to have acquired them in the late 1990s.
Chinese-Armenian military ties appear to have deepened in the last few years. Beijing and Yerevan signed in January 2012 what the Armenian Defense Ministry called an “agreement on military and military-technical cooper- ation.”
ARMENIA OFFERS PRISONER EXCHANGE TO AZERBAIJAN
YEREVAN -- Armenia offered to free an Azerbaijani prisoner of war last week as it continued trying to secure the release of an Armenian soldier who was captured by Azerbaijani troops near Nagorno-Karabakh last week.
Deputy Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan said that Firuz Farajev, an Azer- baijani soldier who crossed into Armenia a year ago, has “changed his mind and expressed a desire to return to Azerbaijan.”
To that end, Farajev has requested an “urgent meeting” with representa- tives of international humanitarian agencies, Tonoyan told the head of the Yere- van office of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Dragana Rankovic.
Farajev was detained by Armenian troops at a western section of Arme- nia’s border with Azerbaijan in July 2012. The Armenian Defense Ministry said at the time that the 20-year-old deliberately surrendered to its forces.
The ministry spokesman, Artsrun Hovannisian, admitted that Tonoyan’s statement amounted to an offer to exchange Farajev for Hakob Injighulian, an Armenian soldier who crossed the “line of contact” east of Karabakh in still unclear circumstances last week. “The Armenian side is ready to bring back its citizen at any cost,” Hovannisian told RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am).
The Armenian military insists that Injighulian accidentally strayed into Azerbaijani-controlled territory. But earlier this week, Injighulian was paraded on Azerbaijani television saying that he defected to the Azerbaijani side after being assaulted by one of his commanders.
The Armenian military dismissed that statement, saying that the 22-year-old was forced to present a false ver- sion of events. It also condemned the televised appearance as a violation of international conventions on the treat- ment of POWs.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, an Armenian government commission dealing with POWs and missing persons argued that the conventions forbid any public exposure of captured enemy soldiers. It also decried the fact that Injighulian was made to wear an Azerbaijani military uniform. Representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) visited on Tuesday Hakob Injighulyan. The Azerbaijani APA news agency quoted a spokeswoman for the ICRC office in Baku, Ilaha Huseynova, as say- ing that they performed an “exchange of information” between Injighulian, and his family during the meeting. No further details were reported.
AZERBAIJAN CONTINUES FIRING UPON ARMENIAN VILLAGES
News.am -- The Azerbaijani Armed Forces continue firing upon Armenian villages and military positions.
Armenia’s border village Movses was fired upon by Azerbaijan on Friday at around 5:10pm, the Armenian MOD reports.
The Armenian Armed Forces’ military positions—in the direction of Chinari, Berkaber, and Berdavan villag- es—likewise were fired upon.
To note, Azerbaijan has violated the ceasefire, at its boundaries with Armenia and the Nagorno-Kara- bakhRepublic, 7,960 times in the first seven months of 2013. The Azerbaijani Armed Forces made use of sniper weaponry close to 1,240 times and large-caliber weapons, around 410 times—including large-caliber sniper wea- ponry, close to 260 times As a result of Azerbaijan’s breach of the truce, three Armenian military servicemen were killed and nine others were wounded. In addition, a civilian was wounded.
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STATE ANTI-CORRUPTION BODY PROBES YEREVAN MAYOR
YEREVAN -- Acting on a petition from the Armenian branch of Transparency International, a state anti- corruption body launched on Wednesday a formal inquiry into the legality of millions of dollars worth of assets declared by Yerevan Mayor Taron Markarian.
The anti-graft watchdog asked the Commission on the Ethics of High-Ranking Officials late last month to in- vestigate a serious discrepancy between income declarations filed by Markarian this year and in 2012.
The mayor notified the commission more than a year ago that he has no business interests or sources of in- come other than his salary. However, a similar declaration filed by him with the Central Election Commission (CEC) ahead of last May’s municipal elections in Yerevan listed assets worth an estimated $6 million.
The Anti-Corruption Center (ACC), Transparency International’s Armenian affiliate, wants the commission to clarify whether Markarian abused power to accumulate that wealth. It is also seeking an official explanation on whether his recent controversial decision to sharply raise the cost of public transport in Armenia amounts to a con- flict of interests.
Armenian media outlets have for years claimed that Markarian and his family own a private firm that controls at least two public bus routes in Yerevan. The 35-year-old mayor flatly denies this.
Markarian faced similar allegations in the run-up to the May elections. The Armenian National Congress (HAK), another major opposition party, said his failure to specify the sources of his wealth gives it reason to sus- pect him of corruption. Markarian rejected the allegations, while failing to clarify just how he made a fortune while in office.
The anti-corruption commission, which is based at the presidential administration building in Yerevan, was al- ready asked by the ACC earlier this year to rule whether Gagik Khachatrian, the controversial head of the State Revenue Committee, abused his position to enrich himself and his relatives. It cleared Khachatrian of any wrongdo- ing.
ARMENIA'S MINERAL DEPOSITS VALUED OVER 4 TRILLION DOLLARS
YEREVAN -- Armenia’s mineral deposits are estimated more than $4 trillion, which is quite a considerable figure for a small country like Armenia. Hrachia Avakian, a leading specialist from the Institute of Economics of the National Academy of Sciences, said to a news conference on Friday.
According to him, Armenia is one of the richest nations in terms of metal ore deposits. He said there are seven proven copper-molybdenum deposits, the Kajaran deposit in the southern province of Syunik being one of the largest in the world. He said copper and molybdenum deposits contain 6.2 billion tons of metals, estimated to cost about $1.040 billion
Armenia has also five explored deposits of copper-pyrite ores in Kapan, Alaverdi, Shamlugh, Lichk and Ankadzor, which contain over 935,600 tons of copper worth $11.42 billion.
“Our country is very rich, especially in copper and molybdenum minerals, scandium, one ton of which costs more than $5 million. Vanadium, lead, zinc, pyrite have also been discovered”, - Avakian stated.
As for iron ore, he said they are quite substantial in Armenia, which have not been yet used. “We have six iron stone deposits, four of which have already been studied and their value makes more than $2,5 trillion”, - said the chief specialist of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic.
Avakian also said that Armenia has eight proven deposits of gold, the largest being in Sotk. There are six proven fields with gold and polymetallic reserves which can be developed for another 300 years, producing each year 1,800 tons of copper, 5,300 tones of lead, 7,300 tons of zinc, 670 kg of gold, 70 tons of silver, 2,300 tons of cadmium, 11 tons of bismuth, 18 tons of selenium and many other metals, as well as several thousand tons of sulfur and iron. "The cost of proven gold and polymetallic reserves in Armenia exceeds $ 19.4 billion,” he said.
TURKEY CONCERNED OVER TWEET ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RECOGNITION
News.am -- The statement posted on Twitter on behalf of Egypt’s interim president Adly Mansour on possible acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide is a matter of concern for Turkey.
Leading Turkish media outlets touched upon the remark using critical titles against Egypt’s interim govern- ment and president Adly Mansour.
The message written on behalf of Mansour says: “Our representatives at the United Nations will sign the inter- national document that acknowledges the Armenian Genocide, which was committed by the Turkish military, lead- ing to the deaths of one million.”
On August 15 Turkey and Egypt recalled Ambassadors for consultations.
TURKISH RAILWAY LEADING TO ARMENIA BORDER TO BE REPAIRED BY END OF 2013
trade may develop, Arslan said.
News.am -- Repair works on the railway in eastern Turkey have reached Kars, while the branch extending to the border with Armenia will be completed by the end of this year, Turkish railway official said.
According to IHA Turkish news agency, representative of the Erzrum regional railways noted that repair works began in May and are quickly moving forward.
Several months ago, Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development MP Ahmet Arslan said the works do not suppose opening of the border with Armenia until some issues remain unsettled. He, just like the local residents, wants for the border to open so that mutual
COSMIC RAY DIVISION YOUNG SCIENTISTS CARVING THEIR FUTURE IN ARMENIA
YEREVAN — Several students from Ye- revan State University who have been conduct- ing their thesis work at the Cosmic Ray Divi- sion of the Yerevan Physics Institute have en- tered a new milestone in their career prepara- tion.
Hripsime Mkrtchyan and Hasmik Rostom- yan successfully finished their Master in Phys- ics courses at the Yerevan State University. Hripsime’s Master’s thesis was titled “The Electrical structure of Thunderclouds and Initia- tion of the Thunderstorm Ground Enhance- ments (TGEs)”, and Hasmig’s was “The Maxi- mal Energy of Solar Accelerators: Evidence from Space and Earth’s Surface Measurements”. Now they have ap-
plied for a job at the Cosmic Ray Division (CRD) of Yerevan Physics Institute (YerPhI) and will prepare for the Thunderstorms and Elementary Particle Acceleration (TEPA 2013) international conference to be held at the Nor- Amberd research station, Armenia, September 9-13. They will also prepare for the YerPhI PhD program entrance examinations in November. Hripsime and Hasmig were the recipients of the Kirakos Vaporciyan Scholarship for CRD students at Yerevan State University this year. Congratulations to Hripsime and Hasmig for their recent ac- complishments and we wish them well during the coming years.
Hayk Avagyan graduated from the Computer Science Department of the Yerevan State University and started his work at the CRD. His main topics of interest at the CRD will be the development of new algorithms for data analysis and the analysis and correlation of the Aragats Space Environmental Center data, and data from other astroparticle physics experiments.
Patrick Fasano, an undergraduate student at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, USA, start- ed his internship at the CRD with the support of the Nanovic Institute for European Studies at the University of Notre Dame. Patrick will work 10-weeks at the Cosmic Ray Division, assisting with upgrades and improvements to CRD’s data storage and processing software, as well as learning about data analysis of Thunderstorm Ground En- hancements, a newly discovered high energy phenomena in the terrestrial atmosphere. He will also work with CRD graduate students to make improvements to Advanced Data Analysis System (ADAS) file servers for conserving computer storage space.
Thirteen of the CRD’s young scientists and staff received a performance based bonus from the Harutyun and Nadya Vaporciyan Family for their outstanding work and their resolve to pursue scientific excellence in Armenia. “I have their picture on my mirror, and I look at them every day and I am so proud”, says Harutyun Vaporciyan when he speaks of these talented young people.
“All in all, we are satisfied with the progress of our students and our young and seasoned scientists who men- tor our students”, says Prof. Ashot Chilingarian, the director of Yerevan Physics Institute and the head of its Cos- mic Ray Division. “We are also very grateful to the Vaporciyan family for supp
PAROS FOUNDATION RENOVATES NERKIN KARMIR AGHPYUR MEDICAL CENTER
NERKIN KARMIR AGHPUR, ARMENIA -- The Medical Center in the village of Nerkin Karmir Aghpyur, Tavush Region, was successfully renovated through The Paros Foundation. This project, one of the Paros Foundation’s 100 for 100 Projects for Prosperity, was implemented through the generous sponsorship of Jean-Marie & Lori Atamian from New York. The Paros Foundation underwrote all administrative expenses al- lowing their contribution to be spent 100% on the pro- ject.
The Medical Center, which is located within sniper range of the Azeri border, had a leaky roof, poor win- dows and doors and no heating system. The Center also was short on needed medical and laboratory equipment. it was difficult for them to meet their critical mission.
While the Center functioned despite these shortcomings,
“This Medical Center provides daily medical care, vaccinations and evaluations for the 3,200 residents of this and the two neighboring villages.” Said Peter Abajian, Executive Director of the Paros Foundation, “Both the proximity to the border and the fact that this region is so isolated, makes this Medical Center’s success that much more important.”
The Center’s building, which was hit by enemy fire as recent as four months ago, was fitted with a new roof,
new windows and doors and a new heating system. Interior cosmetic improvements completed the renovation. Needed equipment was also provided to the Center. When possible, both local materials and labor were used to help stimulate the villages’ economy.
“We are quite pleased with the outcome of this project. We are able to have a positive impact on the lives of thousands of people, and we were able to do it together as a family.” Said Jean-Marie Atamian during the Atamian family’s visit on opening day. “On behalf of our family, I would like to recognize The Paros Foundation and their team for the terrific work they did to complete this project. I look forward to continuing our relationship into the future.”
A commemorative plaque now installed at the medical center reads: In Memory of Bedros and Vartanoush Atamian from Adiaman, Tigranakert Province. Bedros fought to defend our villagers and save our refugees so that Armenians could live freely on their lands.
His heroism inspires all of us.
MOODY’S AND FITCH REVISE ARMENIA CREDIT OUTLOOK TO STABLE
YEREVAN — Moody’s Investors Service and Fitch Ratings on Tuesday revised upward their sovereign credit outlook for Armenia to stable from negative, citing the government’s commitment to fiscal con- solidation and expectation for a further reduction in its current account deficit.
The Caucasus country’s speculative grade credit rating of Ba2, which is two notches below investment grade, was affirmed, the ratings agencies said in their statements.
“Armenia’s rating is supported by a relatively strong macroeconomic framework and a good inflation track record in comparison with the peer group of ‘BB’ rated sovereigns”, says Fitch Ratings report.
Armenia’s still large current account deficit of 11.1 percent of gross domestic product in 2012 is expected to gradually narrow in size, Moody’s said.
The country is emerging as a key transit route for oil and gas exports from the Caspian Sea, although it has no pipelines of its own.
The government plans to raise $500 million from its first Eurobond issue, expected this year, the government said in May. The money will be used to help repay debt owned to Russia.
Another driver for Armenia’s outlook revision, Moody’s said, was Armenia’s continued access to external funding sources on favorable terms, “including via private remittances, foreign direct investment (FDI) and official lending sources.”
ARMENIA IS LOSING ITS ART TREASURES – CRIMINOLOGIST
Tert.am -- Armenia is now being robbed of its precious treasures of art and culture, a criminologist has said, commenting on recent thefts of valuable books and canvasses.
“That’s a theft of a nationwide significance, with each side trying to find excuses of its own,” Sergey Galoyan told reporters on Saturday, promising to unveil individual names in the near future.
According to him, the recent theft of highly valuable books from two libraries of Armenia was a crime in the strictest sense of the word. “And who said what books had been taken? No one was informed of anything,” he said.
Galoyan further noted that valuable canvasses by Alexander Bazhbeuk-Melikyan, a Soviet Armenian artist and graphic designer , were also stolen recently. The criminologist promised to publicize more details in this connection too.
KARABAKH AUTHORITIES CONDEMN ABDULLAH GUL’S STATEMENT
STEPANAKERT -- Authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh on Monday condemned as inflammatory Turkish Presi- dent Abdullah Gul’s latest calls for a quick restoration of Azerbaijan’s control over the liberated territory.
Speaking at a summit of Turkic-speaking states held in the Azerbaijani town of Gabala late last week, Gul said Ankara will spare no effort to help Baku win back Karabakh. He also expressed hope that a similar Turkic summit will be held in Karabakh in the near future.
“Such statements must be serious food for thought for not only the Armenian states but also the international community,” said Davit Babayan, the spokesman for Karabakh President Bako Sahakian.
“Since Turkey is a member of a number of international organizations, notably NATO, such statements by its president effectively provoke Azerbaijan or endorse its aggressive behavior and it is incumbent on the international community to react to them,” Babayan told RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am).
Turkey has long lent full and unconditional support to Azerbaijan in the Karabakh conflict. Successive Turkish governments have refused to establish diplomatic relations with Yerevan and open the Turkish-Armenian border before a Karabakh settlement acceptable to Baku. Speaking in the Azerbaijani capital last week, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that Ankara will “do everything in its power to end the occupation of Azerbaijani lands by Armenia.”
ARIEL COHEN: PUTIN’S CALLS TO SOLVE KARABAKH CONFLICT BY POLITICAL MEANS A SIGNAL TO AZERBAIJAN
Vladimir Putin’s recent visit to Azerbaijan unlikely made any changes on Karabakh issue, analyst Ariel Cohen says.
In his article dedicated to Putin’s visit to Baku, analyst says the remark on solving Karabakh conflict by political means was a signal to Azerbaijan.
“The Kremlin is not ready or willing to discuss any new initiatives and proposals that could potentially lead to solving the protracted conflict. This is largely due to the simple fact that Nagorno-Karabakh is an important guarantee of Russia’s political and military presence in the South Cauca- sus,” says Cohen’s article published on The National Interest.
Ariel Cohen, senior research fellow in Russian and Eurasian studies at The Heritage Foundation, says Kremlin has lowered its mediation efforts which may give the U.S. a chance to restore its position in the South Cauca-
sus. Reminding of Secretary of State John Kerry’s close ties to the Armenian community, the analyst says the Obama administration most likely dedicated him to conflicts in the Middle East.
“Unfortunately, this leaves the field wide open for Russia to reestablish its influence in the South Caucasus,” Cohen writes.
TURKEY’S POSSIBLE ATTEMPT TO STIR AZERI AGGRESSION UNCONSTRUCTIVE: OFFICIAL
PanARMENIAN.Net - Artsakh President’s spokesman commented on the statement by Turkish President Abdullah Gul who voiced a wish to hold a Turkic Council summit in the Nagorno Karabakh.
“The move would be possible if Turkey recognized the NKR's inde- pendence and requested the Republic’s authorities to organize the summit. But if Turkey means to stir Azeri aggression, expressing readiness to support Baku in a war against Karabakh, the step is clearly unconstructive,” David Babayan told PanARMENIAN.Net.
“The final declaration of the summit was much more reserved in terms
of Karabakh conflict and was mainly addressed to Turkey and Azerbaijan. This spells Turkic countries’ unwilling- ness to be involved in Karabakh conflict as well as make it a pan-Turkic issue, contrary to Baku’s intention,” the official stressed.
As the Turkish President earlier said at a Gabala-hosted Third Turkic Council Summit Meeting, a day will come when we’ll hold a similar event in Karabakh.”
BAKO SAHAKYAN VISITED CONSTRUCTION SITE OF A GEOLOGICAL MUSEUM BEING BUILT IN SHOUSHI
Noyan Tapan -- On 17 August Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan visited construction site of a geo- logical museum being built in the town of Shoushi and got acquainted with the activities conducted there.
Bako Sahakyan considered important the existence of such an establishment in Artsakh, noting the first in its kind museum in our country should become an important scientific, educational and tourism center.
The President gave concrete instructions for proper realization of the activities.
On the same day the Head of the State also partook in a concert performed by pupils of the Hadrout region’s Togh village held in the Shoushi State Museum of Fine Arts.
Stressing the importance of these events in Shoushi, the President noted that such initiatives would greatly contribute to the restoration of Shoushi’s glory as Artsakh’s cultural center.
ISRAEL WARNS CITIZENS AGAINST TRIPS TO TURKEY AND AZERBAIJAN
News.am -- Israeli travel advisory warned the citizens against traveling to several states, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Azerbaijan and Turkey are listed among the states with potential threats. Other areas include parts of southern Thailand and the southern Philippines, eastern Senegal, the Kashmir region in northern India, northern Nigeria, parts of Kenya and Chechnya. Egypt and Jordan must be avoided, too.
NO ARMENIAN CHURCHES HIT IN EGYPT CLASHES
Tert.am -- The Armenian churches in Egypt remain unaffected by the continuing clashes between the army and the supporters of the ousted president, Tert.am has learned from the Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson who con- tacted the Armenian embassy in Cairo Monday morning.
The functioning Armenian churches in Egypt are the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Katoghike church, according to the Foreign Ministry’s official website.
Two of the five apostolic churches are in Alexandria; the other three are based Cairo. The Cairo Prelacy, the St. Gregory the Illuminator Church, as well as the chapels in the Armenian cemeteries of St Minas and Amenayn Srbots are the Armenian places of warship in the capital city. In Alexandria, the Armenian Apostolic Church has a prelacy and the St Paul-Peter church, as well as the St Paul chapel which is in the yard of an Armenian cemetery.
The Katoghike church has a prelacy, as well as the St Peter and St Therese churches (which are based in Cairo and Heliopoolos) and the St Mary church of Alexandria.
Citing the KAI news agency, 168.am reported that last week’s turmoil left 50 Christian temples under attack across the country. A report by the Ecumenical Council of Churches said 30 of them, were Coptic temples, 14 - catholic churches and monasteries and five – protestant churches.
Most of the affected churches were those in the towns of Al-Minya, and Luxor.
TURKEY IN DIRE NEED OF A DEMOCRACY PROMOTER; IN DIRE NEED OF A DEMOCRACY PROMOTER
By Hakan Demir
The recent anti-government protests in Turkey showed that the country's quality of democracy is the worst in the OECD. Brussels must treat Turkey's bid for EU membership seriously to support reforms and the rule of law.
For weeks now, hundreds of thousands of people have poured on to the streets of Turkish cities and protested against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The events are perceived as the worst political upheaval in years.
What first began with a small demonstration in Gezi Park in Istanbul, stirred large riots in almost 80 cities in Turkey. The events started with protesters who opposed the government's plans to build an Ottoman-era barrack in the park adjoining Taksim Square at end of May. The protests then developed into larger riots when police began to use tear gas and water cannons to disperse demonstrators in the park.
After weeks of clashes in which four people have died and 8,000 have been injured, demonstrators continue to protest. This social movement is not only against the destruction of Gezi Park, it is rather a fight for freedom of ex- pression, assembly and for the rule of law, accompanied by the frequently repeated charge that Mr Erdoğan's man- ner has been becoming authoritarian.
Turkey lacks democratic structures
Indeed, for the government “central order and direct control are more effective than interplay and co-operation between the administration and economic and other civil society actors”, according to the Turkey report of the Ber- telsmann Foundation's Sustainable Governance Indicators (SGI) project. The events in Gezi Park underpinned this: civil society actors were not involved in the decision-making process of local administration. So it is no great sur- prise that Turkey ranks last place in the assessment of the quality of democracy in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
One reason for this is that Turkey is a graveyard of political parties. Since 1961, 25 parties have been banned due to Islamic or separatist politics. In addition, a 10% threshold for parliamentary representation poses a huge ob- stacle to fair representation and is a relic of the 1983 military constitution. The AKP is not willing to change this threshold.
Media independence is generally not perceived to exist due to the presence of “economic and financial rela- tions between the government and media owners”, according to the SGI report. Indeed, at the beginning of the riots the Turkish media broadcasted penguins and cooking shows rather than the events on Taksim Square. However, the protesters used social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter in order to circumvent this censorship.
A €2.3 billion tax fine against the Doğan Media Holding in 2009 further exemplifies the pressure on the press in Turkey. The media group had been one of the most critical of the government. Moreover, even before the Gezi protests, making a speech or writing an article could land journalists in prison in Turkey. In April 2012, for exam- ple, 95 journalists were incarcerated, according to a report by the OECD.
As of 5 June, 2013, 29 people were arrested for messages they posted on their Twitter accounts. In 2012, the European Court of Human Rights found 160 cases of Turkish human rights violation. What further exemplifies Turkey ́s democratic weaknesses is that in the first ten months of 2012, 397 cases of
torture and ill treatment were reported to Turkey ́s Human Rights Foundation (HRF). But there is no judicial police force leading “to administrative investigations into allegations of torture or ill-treatment being carried out by fellow police officers, putting at risk the impartiality of the investigation”, according to the European Commission's Tur- key 2012 Progress Report.
Furthermore, the European Court of Human Rights delivered judgment on 160 applications that found that Turkey had violated human rights. As of September 2012, over 16.000 applications were still pending.
Ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities are also facing serious problems in Turkey. Although the talks with the leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Abdullah Öcalan, led to a hold of the conflict between the PKK and the Turkish government, there are still upheavals in the Southeast of the country.
At the end of June, for instance, a group of 200 protesters marched onto a construction site in the city of Di- yarbakir where a new military outpost was built, and started a riot. The Turkish state still has a long way to go to boost the rights of Kurds in Turkey, who make up about 20% of the population of 74 million inhabitants.
The Alevi community is also experiencing discrimination. Their cem houses, Alevi places of worship, are not officially recognised and the government hampers the establishment of new houses.
Who will promote Turkey ́s democracy?
Despite the excessive and disproportionate use of force by the security forces during the recent protests, the European Union General Affairs Council agreed on 25 June, this year, to open another chapter in Turkey's EU ac- cession negotiations. Ankara had not been able to open any accession talks for three years. This can be seen as a step in the right direction because Brussels' interest in Turkey's EU membership has led to several democratic re- forms in the country in the past.
The Gezi Park protests have become a symbol of a rising and strong civil society in Turkey which is not only willing to vote every five years, but to participate in the decision-making processes. This is a strong evidence of Turkey's will for democracy. But the country is in dire need of a democracy promoter. The EU could fill this vacu- um if it treats Turkey ́s membership bid seriously.
Hakan Demir is a political scientist and editor-in-chief of MiGAZIN, journal for migration and integration in Germany.
EGYPT’S LARGEST INDEPENDENT DAILY NEWSPAPER
RECOGNIZES TURKEY’S GENOCIDE AGAINST ARMENIANS
By Appo K. Jabarian
Executive Publisher/Managing Editor USA Armenian Life Magazine
Turkey’s posturing in the Muslim world and especially Middle East suffered yet one more serious political blow last week when Mr. Essam Kamel, Editor-in-Chief of “Veto” Egypt’s largest independent daily newspaper wrote a scathing editorial condemning Ottoman Turkey’s genocidal dark past.
Mr. Kamel went on to criticize Turkey’s continued denial of the genocide against Armenians; and for having committed countless other atrocities and injustices against former subject peoples of the Ottoman Empire.
In my capacity as Managing Editor of USA Armenian Life Magazine, I wrote Mr. Kamel an email in both Ar- abic and English languages thanking him and saying: “Please accept my heartfelt gratitude for writing such a pow- erful article and for showing courage and integrity in addressing the historic facts of the Armenian Genocide perpe- trated by Ottoman Turkey.”
No later than couple hours he responded: “Greetings, genuine appreciations and then some. The position we adopt is consistent with the most basic principles of humanity. Whatever the Ottoman Empire did in Egypt is spe- cifically in line with its mistreatment of the peaceful Armenian people. And what they did against your ancestors is beyond description and your struggle for international recognition is honorable and we share your struggle with all the means available to us. It’s our honor to do so. Please accept my sincere greetings.”
In his regular column titled “Landmines—Detonated by Essam Kamel,” the Editor-in-Chief of “Veto” Egyp- tian newspaper wrote: “The Egyptian government has the right to hesitate in acknowledging the massacres of Ar- menians by the Turkish forces due to the high incitement of Asitana (today’s Ankara) as this acknowledgement will have bad repercussions on the Egyptian-Turkish relations. This Egyptian hesitation will not stop me, the signer be- low — to acknowledge the genocidal collective massacres suffered by the Armenian people throughout their histo- ry during the era of Ottoman Empire, which (successor Turkey) here comes again (to Egypt) with the support of the fascist brothers (of Muslim Brotherhood).”
Quoting famous Egyptian historian Dr. Mohammad Refaat Al Imam, Mr. Kamel underlined: “As Dr. Refaat said, the Armenians are the people whom the Ottoman Empire called ‘Millet Sadiqa’ (‘The honest community’) for their loyalty and fidelity to the country and the Sultan. But despite all this, they were the most persecuted group of people in the world that was subjected to genocide throughout all their history because of their struggle for their rights. Like the Egyptian saying goes, “Nihayat khedmatel-ghaz alka)” (which means to say “not just one episode of tragedy but an endless chain of persecutions were befallen on Armenians” – so Armenians weren’t just stricken once but they got slaughtered, looted and killed in the streets like nobody else in the history of the Ottoman Empire. There was a whole Army called “Firak Al Khayala Al-Hamidia” (“Hamidian Horse Rider Units”) named after the Sultan Abdel Hamid who executed not just hundreds but actually thousands in the streets and the genocidal massa- cres did not occur away from the view of the world, but it was witnessed and known by everybody.”
He added: “Some of the chapters of the Armenian tragedy that was recounted in the history books and was known afterwards, was a result of the famous rebellion in Sassoon in 1894 when the massacres against the defense- less people started October 13 of the same year and lasted until November 30 of the following year where more than 100 thousand people died and more than half a million Armenians were rendered homeless. The city of Raha alone suffered gruesome massacres on 28 and 29 of December, 1895 where 3000 Armenians were burned and died in the streets. Around 117 years ago, specifically on 26 August, 1896, and after being fed up and frustrated with the situation, a group of Armenian youth who belonged to the Tashnaq party took over the Ottoman Bank in Asitana (Constantinople – modern day Istanbul) and took hostages. They offered to release the hostages if the Ottoman Empire would promise to ameliorate life for Armenians and would recognize their rights. When the Ottoman Em- pire failed to control the situation, Russia helped solving it by offering the combatants to leave the country in a French ship and guaranteed their safety on condition that the Ottoman Empire improves the life of Armenians. As the Armenian youth were getting onto the ship, the Sultan and Turkish units were committing massacres against Armenians in the streets to the extent that they killed the entire Armenian population of (‘Kassem quarters’) ‘Hay Kassem Basha’ and the (‘Jewish Quarters’) ‘Hay al Yahoudi’.”
He further wrote: “These are some of the aspects of Turkish Genocide against Armenians, as the Turks were never civilized. They never maintained a heritage of illumination. They didn’t follow the (Islamic) religious tenets of love and tolerance, but they were tools for sabotage, destruction and killings. They were always known for that and that’s what we witnessed in our country (Egypt). When they were occupying our country, they plundered our wealth, they cursed our country and spread hatred and ignorance among our people for the whole period of what they called the Ottoman Caliphate (Succession) (Al Khilafa Al-Othmania).”
Mr. Kamel concluded lambasting Turkey: “That’s what the (Turkish) state is attempting — helping and sup- porting Mohammad Morsi to come back to power and once again to rule us and take over our country and plunder our wealth in the name of religion just like they did before. Religion is never about what they are doing.”
Shedding light on Turkey’s black pages of massive and systematic Armenian annihilation, he noted: “Whoever follows the facts on Armenian massacres is very aware of the humanitarian tragedy that surrounded a nation that until today is still insisting on its identity. And whoever reads the dark history of the Turks and their Empire will know very well why Erdogan is supporting the terrorist brotherhoods. And whoever reads what the Armenians went through will definitely acknowledge the collective genocide that Turkey perpetrated against a defenseless people.”
Soon after embattled President Morsi’s fall from power Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan made no secret of being wary of Muslim-Brotherhood-backed Mohammed Morsii’s fall and of Egypt’s non-Islamist op- position gaining regional momentum, much like the Arab uprisings. Mr. Erdogan’s radical Islamist meddling in Egypt’s internal affairs has antagonized large segments of the Egyptian society all the way from the streets to the highest echelons of the most populous Arab state.
It seems that Mr. Kamel’s commentary acknowledging the Armenian Genocide comes at a time when public discussions in Egypt have been multiplying and popular consensus has been fast building in support of official recognition of Armenian Genocide.
Obviously it’s not a matter of “if.”It’s a matter of “when” Egypt will set a morally healthy example in Asia and Africa ushering in a new era free of imperial neo-ottoman Turkish presence in Egypt and the region.
Egypt also stands to regain her leadership role in the Arab world by keeping Erdogan’s fascist Islamist- backing Turkey at bay, setting the stage for Pan-Arab nationalism’s victory over Turkish-backed misguided Pan- Islamism.
EGYPT'S PRESIDENT STRIKES BACK AT "ERDOGAN'S SULTANATE": "EGYPT WILL SIGN ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE DECLARATION TOMORROW!"
Obama has been a patsy for Erdogan and the Muslim Brotherhood, and Egypt is calling him out on it.
Egypt's President strikes back at "Erdogan's Sultanate" Interim President Mansour: "Egypt will sign on the Armenian Genocide Declaration tomorrow!"
If this information is confirmed, it would be a sign of the rise of a strategic thinking within the new Egyptian leadership. It would signal to the Ikhwan [Muslim Brotherhood] allies around the world and here in the US, that the decision-making process in Egypt is not one of militaries, but of historians and strategists.
Al Bawaba News reported, from the Egyptian President Twitter account, that President Adli Mansour asked Egypt's UN delegate to sign on the behalf of his Government on the Declaration of recognition of the Armenian Genocide at the United Nations. If such diplomatic move occurs it would be psychological equiva- lent of President Sadat visiting Israel in 1977.
"While this move is a political retaliation at Prime Minister Recep Erdogan's aggressive stance against Egypt and in favor of the Ikhwan," said an observer in Egypt, "this goes beyond the simple retaliation. It shows that the new leading team in Cairo is a group of secular, strategic and long term planning policy mak- ers.
For them to sign on the Armenian Genocide Declaration means that they intend to wage an ideological war against the Islamists and the Jihadists in the region. This is not directed against Turks, particularly secular Turks, this is a strike against Erdogan's Sultanate and in general terms against the notion of a political Caliphate as a rally- ing point of all Islamists in the region." Indeed this is a signal of an unusual importance.
EGYPT FLOATS GENOCIDE RECOGNITION AS TRIAL BALLOON TO WARN TURKEY
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
The Arab Spring in Egypt has turned into a hellish summer with countless casualties.
Ever since the Egyptian military deposed President Mohamed Morsi, one particular foreign leader has been
screaming the loudest, demanding his immediate reinstatement. That bellicose leader is Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the
Prime Minister of Turkey, a staunch supporter of his fellow Islamist Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood.
Egypt’s new leaders, backed by large segments of the population, were infuriated especially after Erdogan se-
verely criticized the overthrow of Pres. Morsi and the killing of hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood protesters. Using
extremely harsh language, the Turkish Prime Minister condemned the Egyptian military for “carrying out a massa-
cre with its soldiers, police officers, [and] heavy artillery.” Ironically, Erdogan called anyone who keeps silent in
the face of injustice, “a voiceless devil.”
There is no question that a human tragedy is unfolding in Egypt and becoming more critical with each passing
day. While no one can remain indifferent to the killing and maiming of civilians, the Prime Minister of Turkey is
the last person on earth who should be taking such a self-righteous attitude. Anyone who has blood on his hands has
no right to demonize others! One does not have to go back into history and recall the genocides committed by
Erdogan’s forefathers against Armenians, Assyrians, and Greeks. Just a couple of months ago, the Turkish Prime
Minister’s own hands were soaked in blood when he proudly acknowledged that he ordered the police to open fire
on unarmed demonstrators in Istanbul, killing five people, blinding 11, and injuring 8,000 others. Thus, Erdogan
has been stripped of all moral authority to lecture anyone else on democracy and civil rights.
Erdogan’s repeated meddling in Egypt’s internal affairs and his staunch support for Pres. Morsi and the Mus-
lim Brotherhood escalated the hostilities between the two countries to such a degree that Egypt and Turkey ended
up recalling their respective Ambassadors, further disrupting their diplomatic relations. The worsening tension has
jeopardized the $2 billion Turkish investment in Egypt and frozen the activities of 300 Turkish businesses in that
country.
What a difference a year makes! In May of 2012, when I was visiting Egypt on a lecture tour, a local newspa-
per refused to publish that part of my interview dealing with the Armenian Genocide. I was informed that given the
close relationship between the two Islamist nations, it would be impossible to print anything against Turkey.
Curiously, after Pres. Morsi’s unceremonious departure from power, a series of articles appeared in scores of
Egyptian newspapers, detailing the history of the Armenian Genocide, demanding that Turkey pay restitution to the
survivors, and calling on Erdogan to acknowledge his country’s criminal past.
To top it all, a surprising twitter message was posted on August 17 by Adly Mansour, Egypt’s Interim Presi-
dent, announcing that his country’s “UN representative tomorrow will sign the international document recognizing
the Armenian massacres which were committed by the Turkish army, causing the deaths of one million people.”
Even though Egyptian and Turkish newspapers widely reported the twitter message attributed to the Egyptian
President, we were unable to independently confirm its authenticity. However, it is clear that the current Egyptian
government and media are intent on using the Armenian Genocide as a way of getting back at Erdogan’s heavy-
handed interference in their domestic affairs.
Understandably, most Armenians would be displeased that the victimization of their ancestors is being ex-
ploited in a political tug of war between the two countries. Yet, unfortunately, this is politics as usual. If Egypt’s
new leaders find it expedient to recognize the Armenian Genocide, this would be a welcome change. It is better to
recognize the Genocide, regardless of political motives, than not to recognize it for all the wrong reasons! After all,
no one can expect the Egyptian government to take a position on an issue, if it is contrary to its own national inter-
ests. In this regard, Egypt is no different from other countries, including the United States and Israel, which period-
ically dangle acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide as a Damoclean Sword over the heads of Turkish leaders.
The final decision on the recognition of the Armenian Genocide depends on whatever concessions Cairo is
expecting from Ankara. If Egypt, the most populous Arab state, recognizes the Armenian Genocide, that would
deal a devastating blow to the Turkish government’s frantic efforts to counter the worldwide commemorations of
the Genocide Centennial in 2015.
OVER 50 THOUSAND ARTICLES INCLUDED IN ARMENIAN WIKIPEDIA
YEREVAN -- The Armenian language version of Wikipedia has recorded a palpable progress and occupies the 60th position in the world by the number of its articles. The Chairman of the Board of "Wikimedia Armenia" ScientificEducational NGO Sousanna Mkrtchyan stated this at the course of the press conference held in the con- ference-hall of "Armenpress" News Agency on August 2. "The number of articles of the Armenian language ver- sion of Wikipedia passed the limit of 50 thousand," Sousanna Mkrtchyan announced gladly.
About three thousand articles have already been posted since August 1. Currently the total number of the arti- cles has reached 54,400. Among other things the members of the organization noted that it is considered to hold Wiki-seminars in Armenia. According to the active editors of Wikipedia this enterprise is of a certain importance as the information regarding Armenia's regions is very limited and seminars of this kind will be very useful to find coordinators at spot. Hence, the residents of the regions will be enabled to post information about their hometowns themselves.
The Armenian Wikipedia is the Armenian language version of Wikipedia. The Armenian Wikipedia was cre- ated in February 2003, but started developing from 2005 onwards. In February 2013 it had more than 44,000 arti- cles and more than 212,500 pages. The same date, it had around 21,500 registered contributors including 8 adminis- trators. With present content, it is listed in List of Wikipedias by article count in the 20,000+ category.
Armenian Wikipedia is inclusive and has a set of articles of interest in Western Armenian predominantly used in the Armenian Diaspora.
Some articles have both Eastern and Western Armenian separate versions with the Eastern Armenian version referring to the Western Armenian version on top right of the article and vice versa. Articles in Western Armenian are also distinctly categorized.
THREE ARMENIANS NOMINATED FOR EMMY AWARDS
LOS ANGELES -- The nominees for the 65th Emmy Awards of American television, which will be held on September 22 in Los Angeles, have been announced.
The nominees for this year’s awards include Cinemax TV series "Banshee" for Outstanding Special Visual Ef- fects in a Supporting Role. The series is made completely by the use of digital cinematography.
Three of Banshee’s five digitization crew are Armenian: Armen V. Kevorkian, Visual Effects Supervisor; Gevork Babityan, Compositing Artist; Andranik Taranyan, Compositing Artist
PROFESSOR RICHARD HOVANNISIAN BRINGS ARMENIAN GENOCIDE AWARENESS TO AUSTRALIA AND CANADA
UCLA-- Professor Richard Hovannisian has continued to bring Armenian history and awareness of the Arme- nian Genocide to audiences worldwide. From August 5 through 7, he participated in an international conference at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia on “Aftermath: Sites and Sources of Memory.” The Dr Jan Randa Con- ference in Holocaust and Genocide Studies was sponsored by the Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation and drew scholars from Australia, East Asia, the Middle East, the Europe, and both North and South America. Hovannisian’s presentation on the Armenian post-genocide experience and the role of Armenian oral history in re- constructing the historical event was the sole paper on the Armenian Genocide, embellished by brief film clips of survivors from Banderma, Smyrna, Aintab, Kharpert, and Sepastia. The presentation roused intense discussion about survivor testimony and comparisons of Armenian oral histories with those of survivors of subsequent geno- cides ranging from the Holocaust, to Cambodia, Indonesia and East Timor, and Rwanda.
While in Australia, Hovannisian was invited by the joint Armenian Genocide 100th anniversary committees of both Melbourne and Sydney to open a series of planned events with a discussion and visual presentation on historic Western Armenia. The presentations were embellished with video segments prepared by his daughter, Ani Hovannisian Kevorkian, of interaction with the last remaining Armenians in Dikranagerd/Diyarbakir and the Ar- menian-speaking Hamshen people in the mountains near the Black Sea in easternmost Turkey. The capacity audi- ences in both cities showed particular appreciation for these real-life scenes filmed as recently as June of 2013.
From Australia, Richard Hovannisian traveled directly to Toronto, Canada, to participate in the two-week Genocide and Human Rights University Program at the University of Toronto, sponsored by The Zoryan Institute. The enrolled students and teachers were of Armenian, Turkish, Kurdish, Pakistani, Nigerian, Argentinean, Mexi- can, American, and Canadian backgrounds. During his first day at the Institute on August 9, Hovannisian presented an overarching analysis of the Armenian Genocide from its historical antecedents to the genocidal process itself and the aftermath. On the second day, he focused on denial of genocide, its reasons and motivations, strategies and tac- tics, and various phases beginning with absolute denial to the more effective approaches of explaining or rationaliz- ing the event and relativizing the calamity by asserting that all peoples suffered from the same conditions that may have caused some suffering and loss of life to the alleged victim group.
Under the sponsorship of The Zoryan Institute and ten community organizations, Hovannisian spoke at the Armenian Community Centre of Toronto on Sunday, August 11, in a program dedicated to the late Professor Mar- jorie Housepian, whose pioneering work, based in large measure on first-hand interviews and oral histories, led to the publication of the acclaimed book, The Smyrna Affair, reissued as Smyrna 1922: The Destruction of a City. During his talk, Hovannisian also reflected on the importance of the Armenian community of Smyrna/Izmir prior to the great fire that destroyed the thriving city in September 1922.
PROFESSOR BALAKIAN TO TEACH COURSE ON AFTERMATH OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE AND HOLOCAUST AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
By Taleen Babayan
Award-winning author and professor Peter Balakian will be teaching a course titled The Armenian Genocide and the Holocaust: Memory and Represen- tation this fall at Columbia University.
Balakian, who has been appointed the Nikit and Eleanora Ordjanian Visit- ing Professor in the Department of Middle East, South Asian and African Stud- ies of the university, is approaching the issue of genocide studies in a unique way, giving students the opportunity to gain insight to some of the broader di- mensions of genocide and its aftermath.
“The lessons of the Armenian Genocide were not lost on the Nazis,” said Professor Balakian, who is the Donald M. and Constance H. Rebar Professor of the Humanities, Professor of English and Director of Creative Writing at Colgate University. “This history of Jews in Europe and the history of the Armenians of
Award-winning author and professor Peter Balakian
the Ottoman Empire offer striking parallels and this makes for some exciting comparative work.” The course focuses on the aftermath of the Armenian Genocide, which resulted in the massacre of 1.5 million Armenians during the first world war under the Young Turks of the Ottoman Empire, and the Holocaust, which culminated in the persecution of 6 million Jews by the Nazi party during the second world war. Students will ex- plore the impact of genocide on the self and the imagination’s representations through primary texts, which include
literature, film, visual art, memoir and video testimony. ”Studying survivor experience, allows us to see what the long-term impact of genocide can be on the human
self and the imagination,” said Balakian, who has been studying and writing about genocide for over four dec- ades. ”How do survivors make meaning after catastrophic experience? How does the event live on in the trauma- tized self? How do literature and art allow us to see the resilience of human beings in the wake of crushing experi- ence?”
The interdisciplinary nature of the course, which has been approved to satisfy Columbia University’s Global Core requirement, makes the class more accessible and appealing to students of all fields of study. The class is open to undergraduate and graduate students who will have the option to take on projects and assignments in relation to their specific majors.
“This course offers a kind of knowledge that allows students to see how societies can do awful things but it al- so allows students to see conversely the importance of democracy, tolerance and multi cultural society,” said Balakian. “It’s a course that will take students into the most pressing ethical and moral issues of life on the planet.”
Balakian, whose research on the Armenian Genocide evolved from his work as a poet and a literary scholar, laid the groundwork for writing about the transmission of trauma across generations in literary studies.
“I began to see in the mid 1970s that the literary landscape was changing and that the impact of historical trauma on the imagination was opening into a new area,” said Balakian, whose essays “Poetry Ancestors History, “Charents: The Rise and Fall of A Revolutionary Poet,” and ”Arshile Gorky and the Armenian Genocide,” all had significant impacts on opening up the field of genocide studies and literary studies in the public intellectual dis- course in the United States and elsewhere.
A New York Times bestselling author, Balakian’s memoir Black Dog of Fate is the best-selling work of liter- ary non-fiction about the Armenian Genocide. The author of 9 books, Balakian reads and lectures worldwide and has been the recipient of many literary prizes including the PEN/Albrand Prize for Memoir, the Raphael Lemkin Prize, a Guggenheim Fellowship and a National Endowment of the Arts Fellowship, as well as the recent Spendlove Prize for Social Justice.
The Armenian Genocide and the Holocaust: Memory and Representation, a seminary style course (G4326, Call #86035) will be taught on Thursdays from 2:10 - 4:00 pm and is open to auditors as well as matriculating stu- dents. This course has been approved to satisfy Columbia University’s Global Core Requirement. Registration is from August 26-30 and classes begin September 5. Tuition for auditors will be $2,500 and for Lifelong Learners (people over the age of 65) will be $800. Registration may be done online at www.ce.columbia.edu/auditing or by calling (212) 854-9666.
WOMEN EXPLOITED: AUTHOR ZANOYAN SPOTLIGHTS
SEX TRAFFICKING IN ARMENIA By Lucine Kasbarian
Sexual slavery, forced labor and the extraction of body organs: These are the most common reasons for human trafficking, which represents an estimated $32 billion per year in international trade.
In 2008, the United Nations estimated that nearly 2.5 million people from more than 125 different countries were being trafficked into some 135 countries around the world.
According to the International Organization for Migration, sex trafficking means coercing a migrant into a sexual act as a condition of allowing or arranging the migration. Sex trafficking uses physical or sexual coercion, deception, abuse of power and bondage incurred through forced debt. Trafficked women and children, for instance, are often promised work in the domestic or service industry but, instead, are sometimes taken to brothels where they are forced into prostitution, and their passports and other identification papers are confiscated. They may be beaten or locked up and promised their freedom only after earning – through prostitution – their purchase price and their travel and visa costs.
Vulnerable populations in former Soviet states, such as Armenia, are par- ticularly susceptible to this global phenomenon. Since Armenia’s independ- ence, thousands of Armenian women and girls have been taken -- to Russia, Turkey, and some Arab states of the Persian Gulf -- to be initiated into prosti- tution.
A 2003-2004 investigation by Edik Baghdasaryan and Ara Manoogian, journalists for http://www.HETQ.am and http://www.TheTruthMustBeTold.com, concluded that approximately 2,000 Armenian women were involved in the sex trade in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Oman. Their findings were documented in the film and book, “Desert Nights.”
Earlier this year, Armenian-American author Vahan Zanoyan released “A Place Far Away” (Create Space Books, $16.95), a crime novel about sex traf- ficking in Armenia. While the storyline reads like a sordid suspense saga, the situations are largely based on actual events, the result of on-the-ground re- search by the author.
In Zanoyan’s engrossing tale, the action shifts between the trafficked Lara Galian and Swiss-Armenian investigative journalist Edik Laurian’s attempts to uncover what happened to her and her relatives.
Sixteen year-old Lara lives with her family in the poor village of Saralanj, located somewhere in Armenia. Unaware of her striking good looks, Lara be- comes the unsuspecting target of a local crime boss, Sergei Ayvazian, who wishes to exploit her beauty. After Lara’s skeptical father Samvel rejects Ayvazian’s offer to manage a lucrative modeling career for Lara, Samvel is found dead in a ravine. Grieving, sick and penniless, Lara’s mother reluctantly agrees to Ayvazian’s proposal, and allows Lara to travel abroad. Once in Ayvazian’s custody, Lara is beaten, raped and discovers the true nature of the work that awaits her. Shuttled from Moscow to Dubai, Lara is eventually sold, in a one-year contract, to a local sheik. While Lara unwillingly goes along with her handlers, she nevertheless tries to maintain her sanity and plot an escape. At the same time, journalist Edik Laurian discovers and investigates La- ra’s case in Armenia. As the action unfolds, Edik, Lara, her family and a cast of dubious characters struggle to dic- tate Lara’s destiny, in the lead-up to the thrilling finale.
The following interview with Vahan Zanoyan took place in Yerevan on June 20, 2013:
Lucine Kasbarian: How did you decide to write this book?
Vahan Zanoyan: I discovered the Armenian sex trafficking phenomenon by accident. While on a business trip to Dubai, I ran into a beautiful 17 year-old Armenian girl. The girl was talking with another woman, and I could tell the conversation was strained. It’s a long tale, but it took six months to extract her story from her because the girl was very scared. I compensated her for her time so that her pimps would not get suspicious. Finally, she started to trust me and tell me what happened to her. I spent close to two years researching the issue. To be clear, Lara Galian is a composite sketch of four Armenian girls I met in Dubai. All the names and locations in the book have been changed to protect the innocent.
Lucine Kasbarian: What has the reaction been to “A Place Far Away?”
Vahan Zanoyan: The book has received very favorable responses and reviews from media and readers. I don’t seek to make a profit from this initiative. My aim is to raise awareness, assist the victims and work on preven- tion.
All proceeds from the book go to the United Methodist Center on Relief (http://www.UMCOR.org ), a non- profit organization that helps integrate and rehabilitate freed victims of sex trafficking, and that has a significant presence in Armenia; and Orran (http://www.ORRAN.am), a charitable organization that provides a safe haven to the most vulnerable in Armenian society – such as homeless youth forced to live on the streets. They are the first to be picked off by traffickers.
Orran does preventive work, while UMCOR has shelters where they help rehabilitate rescued victims. Rescu- ing the victims can be especially challenging work since some pimps stage fake rescue attempts to fool the girls. The pimps then lock them up, beat them and thus deter them from considering genuine rescue attempts in the fu- ture. But there are not enough resources or money to do everything that needs to be done.
LK: In June, your book was translated into the Armenian language. Tell us about that.
VZ: To help launch this new edition in Armenia, I appeared on perhaps every major talk show on Armenian television. A reception was held at U.S. Ambassador Heffern’s home in Yerevan, which was attended by around one hundred people, including journalists and organizations engaged in the struggle against human trafficking.
Unfortunately, today’s Armenia is divided into the filthy rich who don’t read, and the penniless class who love to read but can’t afford to buy books. Thus, nowadays, Armenia does not boast a widespread reading public as it once used to. That said, trafficking of Armenian women is a hot topic in certain circles right now. My book costs 3,000 Dram [about $7.50 USD], which most native Armenians cannot afford. So I’m not sure how well the book is selling in Armenia, even though it did make it to the top of a bestseller list compiled by ArmenPress.
LK: What did you want to accomplish by writing this book?
VZ: I wanted to use gripping suspense to expose one of the most significant issues of our time. I also wanted to help create awareness about the criminal class in Armenia. If we sugarcoat that aspect of life because of national pride, we are doing our country and people a great disservice. Aside from telling the main story, I also wanted to showcase the Armenian people, our history, our culture and our moral courage. For example, I wrote about the beauty of Armenia’s landscape as a way to remind people of our nation’s gifts, our undeniable assets and to inspire the people who, more than ever, need a moral uplift.
LK: What message would you like to send to the young, poor or disadvantaged women of Armenia?
VZ: Don’t fall for promises that sound too good to be true or appeal to your vanity. When you face poverty, there are other alternatives. A 16 year-old will trust her own circle of friends or relatives, many of whom might sell her off. This could include former childhood classmates who have fallen in with a bad crowd, brothers who have drug addictions to feed, or uncles who have gambling debts to pay. They don’t think twice about bartering a friend or relative to feed their habits.
LK: Do some of the girls escape and return home? Why do some stay even after they have “paid their debts?”
VZ: For the vast majority of them, escape seems impossible. For many, there are moral issues that can’t be overcome. How can a girl resume a respectable life in Armenia if she has been dishonored through prostitution? These thugs rule by fear. The traffickers, pimps and madams are all Armenian. They pay off the police, too.
LK: What do you say to those Armenians who don’t want to call attention to this trend because of how shame- ful it is?
VZ: We can’t say amot eh [it’s shameful], get embarrassed, and stay quiet. Our silence makes us participants in this crime. The best thing for traffickers is this kind of radio silence on their activities. By exposing them, we help the victims. If I had the means, I’d freely distribute the book to every Armenian over 18, both inside and out- side Armenia. Speaking out could also make public officials more diligent. After the “Desert Nights” documentary surfaced, Armenian authorities began to take notice and action. Before this, the officials would consider the casual- ties to be complicit in the crimes rather than victims of crime.
LK: What would you like to see happen regarding human trafficking?
VZ: There are many great organizations that fight against the symptoms of trafficking. One is House of Hope (http://mer-hooys.org/). It provides teenage girls from state-run orphanages with a safe home, a family environ- ment, and psychological support, as well as life and job-training skills. While such organizations do valuable work, they treat the symptoms affecting these girls but not the root causes, which are the pathetic economic and social conditions in Armenia.
Seventy years of Soviet rule, broken homes, fathers who have left their families to work abroad and did not come back -- all these have contributed to the decay of our collective moral fiber. In 1915, Armenian women threw themselves into the Euphrates River to die rather than be raped by Turks. Now, underprivileged Armenian women and families are turning to prostitution as a survival option.
Some improvements are happening, and I’d like to see this continue. The police in Armenia are more coopera- tive on this issue. We need more people working with victims, prevention organizations, law enforcement, and vic- tim rehabilitation and reintegration programs. There is a new flow of victims every day, so we must stop it at the source while taking care of the existing victims. But as I said earlier, the root cause is the horrible economic and social conditions in the country. Unless that problem is addressed, this phenomenon will only get worse.
LK: In writing this novel, you also managed to incorporate personal views and a Diasporan’s desire to be un- derstood by native Armenians. For example, the character of Edik writes verse as he marvels at the Armenian land- scape. One reviewer said the descriptions were so compelling it could bolster tourism to Armenia. The same Edik ruminates about Armenian ancestral moral codes, saying, “The ultimate human dignity was living within one’s means.” Your family’s repatriation experience is represented, too, as the Galians were aghbars, a pejorative term
for “brother” that was and still is assigned to some repatriates. Would you talk about this? VZ: As you rightly say, the book is about more than the story of one victim of trafficking. In a novel like this, I felt obliged to also describe the country, both in its beauty, history, and in the goodness of the common man, as well as in its deep-rooted problems, such as the rule of the ruthless oligarchs, and the corruption, and fear that they spread. The dynamic between the local Armenians and the Diaspora Armenians is part of the post-independence Armenian reality, and could not have been excluded from the narrative. The contrast between how Diasporan Ar- menians generally react to situations toward which local Armenians are largely indifferent has always intrigued me,
and I wanted to incorporate that aspect in the novel. LK: The character of Edik also talks about how in post-Soviet Armenia, authority figures could not be chal-
lenged without serious and often fatal consequences, and how the “Western, activist approach has no place in this psyche.” Please talk about this concept.
VZ: One of the foundations of communist philosophy and the Soviet system that ruled Armenia was the al- leged precedence of the public and collective good over individual rights. Individualism, which was the important driving force of Western civilizations and philosophy, had no place on the Soviet system. To this day I see this in Armenia when, for example, I was following peoples’ attitude toward Raffi Hovanissian's way of presidential cam- paigning. Everyone knows the current leadership is bad, but no one believes it can be changed. Can you imagine that attitude in the U.S. or Western Europe? A handful of oligarchs, no matter how elaborate their system of patron- age and bureaucratic loyalty, would not be able to rule a country when everyone knows and sees what they are do- ing. And yet, they get away with it in Armenia because people have been conditioned -- under seventy years of So- viet rule -- to accept authority, not to challenge. Only when that link in this vicious cycle is broken will Armenia start the process of healing.
LK: In the narrative, you present an act of retribution that comes about after authorities do nothing to appre- hend and punish criminals. Do you think there is a place for vigilantism in today’s Armenia?
VZ: Vigilantism is a dangerous thing to advocate, and that is not what I am advocating. It is dangerous simply because it can easily lead to new gangs, gang wars, and more destruction. So popular or widespread vigilantism is not the answer. But there have been critical moments in history when the situation gets so desperate that acts of “Divine Retribution” save the day. I think one celebrated case like that goes a long way in shaking things up and waking dulled consciences, not to mention giving people some hope.
LK: What’s next?
VZ: I plan to return to Dubai to do additional research for a sequel book and follow up on the whereabouts of the unfortunate girls I’d met.
LK: How can readers help?
VZ: They can help raise public awareness by circulating the documentary film, “Desert Nights”: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL582F8F6B42B3277A
They can circulate this interview. They can devise a way to send a copy of this book to every member of the U.S. Congress. They can buy print or electronic copies of “A Place Far Away” for colleagues, friends and decision makers.
https://www.createspace.com/4061270. In September, I’ll be touring the Eastern United States and Canada to promote the book. I will be delivering
presentations at Sts. Vartanantz Church in Ridgefield, N.J. on Sep 22 and the Armenian Diocese in NYC on Sept 26. Details are available on the books’ Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/APlaceFarAway
LK: Why did you choose self-publishing?
VZ: I tried to go the established route, but found it to be one of the most exasperating experiences of my life. The prevailing practice in the industry is to require authors to submit a one-page pitch letter to agents for represen- tation consideration. I resented trying to encapsulate the thrust of what became “A Place Far Away” into a one-page synopsis, but nevertheless approached a total of 22 agents -- all to no avail. Since I didn’t care about the perceived prestige that comes with being affiliated with a traditional publisher, I decided to produce the book on my own to maintain editorial control. I have no regrets.
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