Maybe Artsakh's Time Has Come‏ - The Armenian Weekly

Thursday, August 01, 2013 Recent Articles from the Armenian Weekly... Maybe Artsakh’s Time Has Come Kasbarian: The Lessons of Lisbon Chicago Marks ‘Lisbon 5’ Anniversary ANC-RI Hosts Breakfast Meeting with Rep. Cicilline St. Stephen’s School Holds 2013 Graduation Ceremonies AUA’s First Graduating Class Launches Precedent-Setting Alumni Endowment Fund Waltzing Around Denial: A Response to Jirair Libaridian Search Armenian Weekly Maybe Artsakh’s Time Has Come Seldom does the Sarkisian Administration do anything that elicits a favorable comment. However, the apparent shift in President Sarkisian’s approach to reclaiming our historic Western Armenia lands was a distinct surprise, and long overdue. Evidently the prosecutor general of Armenia, Aghvan Hovsepyan, was chosen as the point man to stress the need to place Armenia’s demand for these lands on a firm legal basis. This obvious need has always existed, but that it is now publicly supported by Yerevan changes the dynamics. The significance of this policy change can be seen in the immediate response by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu warning Yerevan that it “…is out of the question to [even] think about…” reclaiming land from Turkey. Christmas tree on Renaissance Square in Stepanakert (Photo by Arevik Danielian, The Armenian Weekly) This seemingly seismic change by Yerevan suggests that it may be time to rethink the situation in Artsakh. In the nearly 20... Read More »      • Email to a friend • Article Search • Kasbarian: The Lessons of Lisbon Lisbon reminds me that we must avoid lapsing back into conformism. On July 27, 1983, five young Armenians—Sarkis Abrahamian, Setrak Ajemian, Vatche Daghlian, Ara Kuhrjlian, and Simon Yahniyan—stormed the Turkish Embassy in Lisbon, Portugal, seeking to occupy it in an effort to publicize Turkey’s ongoing denial of the Armenian Genocide. While the attempt ultimately failed—the five became trapped inside the Embassy and eventually committed suicide—it is worth looking at the Lisbon incident, and more broadly, the years of armed struggle in the 1970s and ‘80s, to evaluate the impact of those years and where we’ve come since that time. Armed struggle was carried out largely by two groups—the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA) and the Justice Commandos of the Armenian Genocide (JCAG)—and their offshoots. While the groups varied considerably in tactics and allegiances, they came out of the same period of ferment, marked by civil rights activism,... Read More »      • Email to a friend • Article Search • Chicago Marks ‘Lisbon 5’ Anniversary GLENVIEW, Ill.—The Chicago-Armenian community marked the 30th anniversary of the martyrdom of the “Lisbon Five” on Sun., July 28, with a special Requiem Service at All Saints Church and a commemorative program organized by the Chicago ARF “Christapor” Gomideh. Khajak Arakelian reads the words of Setrak Ajemian’s father Onnig as (L-R) Armen Papazian, Nairee Hagopian, and Maral Abrahamian look on. The portraits of Setrak Ajemian, Ara Kurjuhlian, Sarkis Abrahamian, Simon Yahneyan, and Vatche Daghlian were displayed near the altar as Archpriest Zareh Sahakian delivered his sermon focusing on their sacrifice. Following church services, the crowd gathered in Shahnasarian Hall for a memorial dinner offered by the All Saints Church Ladies’ Guild and a commemorative program hosted by the Gomideh. During the memorial dinner, a special slide presentation showed photos of the Lisbon Five, along with the messages they left behind. The presentation also included the text of the... Read More »      • Email to a friend • Article Search • ANC-RI Hosts Breakfast Meeting with Rep. Cicilline On Sun., July 14, members of the Armenian National Committee (ANC) of Rhode Island held a breakfast meeting with Congressman David Cicilline (D-District 1) in North Providence as part of their “Elected Officials Summer Outreach Program,” which aims to discuss issues of concern to the community with members of Rhode Island’s general officers and federal delegation. Congressman Cicilline is a member of the House Foreign Relations Committee. His long, unparalleled record of support began when he served in the Rhode Island State Legislature, and continued in his post of mayor of Providence and then in Congress, where he has championed the recognition of the Armenian Genocide and the independence of Artsakh on the floor of the House of Representatives. Congressman Cicilline was one of the lead sponsors of a recent House Resolution calling on the Turkish government to return Christian church properties to their rightful owners. On the occasion of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip... Read More »      • Email to a friend • Article Search • St. Stephen’s School Holds 2013 Graduation Ceremonies WATERTOWN, Mass.—The St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School (SSAES) in Watertown successfully completed its 29th academic year this June. The graduation ceremonies were held on June 13 for preschool and kindergarten students, and June 14 for elementary students. At the Elementary Graduation Night on June 14, the school was honored by the presence of His Grace Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian, vicar general of the Armenian Prelacy, who had come from New York to present the Prelacy Queen Zabel Award to Principal Houry Boyamian, the principal of SSAES for 25 years. The 2013 graduates On both days, Boyamian in her speech focused on the school’s achievements, especially in its STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Initiative. She mentioned that 2013 coincides with the 10th anniversary of the school’s accreditation by the Association of Independent Schools in New England, as well as the 10th anniversary of the Graduating Class Trip to Armenia. The latter, she said, will... Read More »      • Email to a friend • Article Search • AUA’s First Graduating Class Launches Precedent-Setting Alumni Endowment Fund YEREVAN—The American University of Armenia’s (AUA) first graduating class of 1993 celebrated its 20th reunion on campus from July 11-14. The program included meetings with university leadership, walks down memory lane, tours of the AUA campus and facilities, and a visit to the AUA Center, where 10 years ago they planted a tree in honor of the AUA founders. Members of the Class of 1993 present their check to AUA President Dr. Bruce M. Boghosian. The 20th year alumni, many of whom reside in Armenia, expressed their gratitude for the education they received. “After all these years, AUA continues to be a big part of our lives,” said Gagik Yegiazarian. “AUA taught us to become successful in a global economy,” noted Zakar Boyajian. “We are very grateful to AUA for the excellent education we received at the first American-model higher educational institution in Armenia,” noted Anahit Ordyan, the visionary behind the event. “My classmates and I have stayed in touch, and... Read More »      • Email to a friend • Article Search • Waltzing Around Denial: A Response to Jirair Libaridian In early June, a conference held in Tbilisi, Georgia, generated great controversy. The individual and organization at the heart of this conference have, for much of the past decade, been actively engaged in efforts to extend the denial of the Armenian Genocide into academia as well as in the political realm in North America. The Armenian Weekly published a report outlining the problem as we saw it, quoting five scholars who weighed in on the issue. We also reprinted Asbarez Editor Ara Khatchatourian’s editorial on the subject, and a letter to the editor from George Aghjayan, in our opinion pages. Almost all of the scholars from Armenia who were scheduled to speak at the conference subsequently withdrew. Also in early June, Prof. Jirair Libaridian, who was scheduled to deliver a keynote speech at the Tbilisi conference, contacted the Weekly asking for the opportunity to respond. This month, we received and published his six-page response, which was incidentally much longer than the... Read More »