Month: March 2007

SURB KHACH CHURCH TO RE-OPEN IN AKHTAMAR ISLAND TODAY, ISSUE OF PLACING CROSS ON ITS CUPOLA IS PROVIDED BY SPECIALISTS’ DECISION

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Mar 29 2007

ISTANBUL, MARCH 29, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The solemn ceremony
of re-opening of the Surb Khach (Saint Cross) church of the Akhtamars
Island of Van will take place at 14:00 by Yerevan time on March
29. The delegation of Armenia headed by Deputy Minister of Culture
Gagik Gyurjian left for Turkey to participate in the event. Minister
of Culture Atilla Goc will participate in the ceremony from the
Turkish Government.

The two catholicate seats of the Armenian Apostolic Church refused
the invitations to participate in the ceremony. The Mother See of
Holy Etchmiadzin explained the refusal with the fact that the opening
ceremony will be held just according to the secular ritual and not
according to the canonical ritual of the Armenian Apostolic Surb
Church. Besides, the Surb Kach church will be turned into a museum and
will not continue functioning as a church, under the spiritual power
of the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople. The Catholicosate of
the Great House of Cilicia reasoned its refusal with the fact that
"Turkey still continues disproving the fact of the Armenian Genocide."

As Ara Kochunian, the editor-in-chief of the Armenian "Zhamanak"
(Time) daily of Turkey mentioned in the interview to the Noyan Tapan
correspondent, though the church will open as a museum, however,
Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul Archbishop Mesrop Mutafian will
participate in the opening ceremony.

According to A. Kochunian’s prevision, religious delegations of
a number of contries invited to the ceremony will not arrive as
spiritual primates of the Armenian Church refused the invitation. And
the Armenian community of Turkey will be represented in Akhtamar with
a small group.

As A. Kochunian mentioned, on late previous day Turkish Minister of
Culture stated on TV that they have no prejudice in the issue of
placing the church cross and bell and those will be placed in the
case if specialists of the council on church restoration mention its
necessity in the report being prepared.

Touching upon the boycott concerning re-opening of the Surb Khach
announced by a number of communities of the Armenian Diaspora,
A. Kochunian said that it is not astonishing, taking into consideration
"the abyss existing between the sides, doubt towards sincerity
of initiatives of one another." But, in his words, the Turkish
Armenian community attaches importance to re-opening of Surb Khach
especially in the sense that "it makes a part of our heritage and is
an architectural monument."

Sunday, March 25, 2007
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THE VOICE OF GOD
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When an Armenian speechifies or editorializes he does so not only as the voice of the people but also as the voice of God, and that’s the only time he comes close to believing in His existence.
*
Politics is not theology. One should never speak of black-and-white certainties. To do so is to expose oneself as a fanatic and a fascist. If so far Turks and Armenians have been unable to reach a consensus it may be because they have consistently ignored the gray areas that they share in common.
*
The aim of literature is to raise consciousness; the aim of propaganda is to lower it.
*
No one wants to be identified as a racist; and people will say anything to improve their image. Once I even cornered a notorious anti-Semite to say “I love Jews.” But forever after he hated me. And whenever I corner an Armenian to say, “I don’t hate Turks,” I make another enemy for life.
*
It’s the easiest thing on earth to make an Armenian enemy. Sometimes all it takes is to begin a sentence with the words “I think…” That’s because he will immediately assume you are muscling in his territory.
*
An Armenian will always prefer the company of yes-men and brownnosers. He has no use for thinkers. That’s why to be an Armenian writer means to be the wrong man at the wrong time and place and in the wrong line of work; that is also why to read the biography of an Armenian writer is to read a tragedy.
*
Our writers may no longer die of tuberculosis in their late teens or early twenties; Talaat’s and Stalin’s henchmen may no longer be around, but philistines and commissars are very much alive. How else to explain the death of Armenian literature?
*
Voltaire: “The surest thing is to be sure of nothing.”
*
Joseph Joubert: “The sound of drums dissipates thoughts; it is for this very reason that this instrument is eminently military.
#
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
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TRUTH AND JUSTICE
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To speak of truth and justice is to deal in shadowy theological terms and moral/judicial concepts on which even theologians, moral philosophers, and legislators disagree. A lawyer will tell you that his primary concern is not justice but evidence and interpretation of the law. A judge will tell you that courthouses are not courts of justice but courts of law. A politician will tell you his primary concern is not and has never been truth but self-interest. Hence the slogan of the British Empire: “We have neither friends nor enemies, only interests.”
*
I was brought up to believe the Turks did what they did to us because they are bloodthirsty Asiatic barbarians. Though I am no longer a child, deep inside somewhere I still feel and think so. But I also know that there is a barbarian in all of us. If only because, according to psychologists and biologists, part of our brain is crocodilian – i.e. it has the same shape as the brain of crocodiles. I also know that when a man thinks his existence is in peril, he will not stand on ceremony and behave like a civilized human being – which is why to kill in self-defense is not a crime.
*
In 1915 did the Turks believe their existence to be in peril? Or rather, was it reasonable of them to think so? What about us? Can we really plead not guilty on all counts? Were we right to believe in the verbal commitments or propaganda of the Young Turks, the Great Powers of the West, the Russians, and last but not least, in the reality or possibility of a recaptured Historic Armenia? If we were wrong on all these counts, can we really assert we played no part in digging our own graves and that our revolutionaries were not blundering fools but heroes and statesmen of vision? If smart, cosmopolitan, educated people like us were justified in being deceived by practically everyone we came into contact, is it conceivable that dumb and primitive savages fresh out from the depths of Asian steppes, were also justified in being deceived into thinking we were their mortal enemies and together with the rest of the infidel world, we threatened their very existence?
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The aim of these questions is not to establish truth and justice but to ask: Where do we go from here? Do we advance towards mutual understanding or do we continue to hurl insults at one another? — which is what we have been doing for nearly a century, in addition to wasting millions on lobbyists, academics, and propaganda.
*
By the way, I do not think we are smart, except perhaps when it comes to selling Oriental rugs. I also do not think Turks are dumb: those who planned and carried out the Genocide were born, raised, and educated in Europe, and some of them may even have been part-Armenian.
#

WILSON: "RELATIONS BETWEEN ARMENIA AND TURKEY SHOULD BE IMPROVED"

Turkish Press
March 28 2007

US Ambassador to Turkey Ross Wilson said yesterday that relations
between Turkey and Armenia should be improved. Also commenting on
an US Armenian resolution before the US House of Representatives,
Wilson stated that the US administration’s official policy on the issue
wouldn’t be changed by the non-binding resolution, adding that the US
clearly encourages the sides to discuss the issue. He added that he
would continue to voice his opposition to the resolution. In related
news, Turkey’s Ambassador to Washington Nabi Sensoy stated that if
passed, the resolution could cast a shadow over Turkish-US relations.

TRABZON HEAD OF BBP PARTY QUESTIONED IN DINK MURDER CASE

Hurriyet, Turkey
March 28 2007

Reverberations from the investigation into the murder of journalist
Hrant Dink in Istanbul continue, as the Trabzon head of the BBP Party,
Yasar Cihan, was taken in for questioning over information he may
have had about Dink’s murder.

In testimony to police, Cihan did say that he had known both Erhan
Tuncel and Yasin Hayal, two of the men police have confirmed were
behind the planning and execution of Dink’s murder. Cihan told police
that both Tuncel and Hayal had come to party headquarters in Trabzon,
but that neither of them had told him anything about plans to murder
the ethnically Armenian journalist Dink. Cihan did say that after
Hayal had emerged from prison, after serving time for bombing a Trabzon
McDonald’s, that he had counceled the young man on what direction to
give to his life, but that he had quickly realized that his advice
would do no good, and thus proceeded to "cut his friendship ties"
with Hayal.

PARLIAMENTARY SPEAKER OF ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN TO ASSEMBLE IN TBILISI IN MAY

The Georgian Times, Georgia
March 28 2007

Sergey Mironov, Chairman of the Russian Federation Council states that
Armenian and Azerbaijanian Speakers would assemble in Tbilisi in May.

"Four Parliamentary Speakers of the Caucasian States will assemble
in Tbilisi in May", Mironov declared.

He also explained that he would additionally discuss the issue with
Azerbaijanian Speaker Aktai Assadov.

Sergey Mironov also noted that Russia had got not only past relations
with Azerbaijan, but also present ones.

"I mean the Caspian Sea and Karabakh Highland problems", Mironov
stated and added that Russia would back any decision of the Armenian
and Azerbaijanian sides.

"The key to these problems are in their hands", Mironov noted.

He also noted that the Russian-Azerbaijanian relations were based
on the successful legislative basis. "These states have signed over
40 agreements and the Parliaments of both states have got wide range
for joint cooperation".

US GOVERNMENT STILL PUSHING FOR ARMENIAN BILL TO BE DROPPED: WILSON

NTV MSNBC, Turkey
March 28 2007

Washington’s ambassador to Turkey said that Turkish-Armenian relations
should move on.

Guncelleme: 13:52 TSÝ 28 Mart 2007 Carþamba

WASHINGTON – Senior US officials had taken a number of measures to
defuse a looming crisis over a draft bill tabled before the House
of Representatives calling for formal recognition of the so-called
Armenian genocide, Washington’s ambassador to Turkey said late Tuesday.

Speaking at a meeting of the American-Turkish Council in Washington,
Ambassador Ross Wilson said that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice,
Secretary of Defence Robert Gates and Assistant Secretary of State
for European and Eurasian Affairs Dan Fried had launched several
initiatives about the draft bill.

The text of the draft bill calls on the US to recognise claims
that the Ottoman Empire committed an act of genocide against its
Armenian citizens during World War One. Turkey strongly rejects any
such allegations.

Wilson said that Turkey, as a powerful country in its region, could
guide Armenia and that relations should move on from 1915.

Turkish Ambassador to the United States Nabi Sensoy said in his
address to the meeting that the draft bills on so-called Armenian
genocide, submitted to the House of Representatives and the Senate,
could affect Turkish-US ties in near future.

"Turkish people are quite sensitive over these issues. And any
government cannot ignore views of its own people," he said.

–Boundary_(ID_zNzKWyVaBGjkMMuljKIeRQ)–

TBILISI TO HOST MEETING OF AZERBAIJAN OF RUSSIAN FEDERATION COUNCIL

Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
March 28 2007

Sergey Mironov, the Chairman of the Russian Federation Council,
who is currently visiting Azerbaijan, stated that in May, Tbilisi
will host a meeting of the ‘Caucasus Parliament Four’, which includes
speakers from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia and the Russian Federation
Council, ITAR-TASS reports. and the Russian Federation Council,
ITAR-TASS reports.

Mironov discussed this issue during the meeting with the Azerbaijani
Speaker, Oktay Asadov in Baku on 28 March. Mironov stressed that
Azerbaijan and Russia are interrelated not only by their past, but
also by their current problems, including the Caspian crisis and the
unsettled Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He noted that Russia is prepared
to support any resolution by Baku and Yerevan, which actually hold
a key to the conflict solution.

Mironov drew attention to the facts that the relationships between
Moscow and Baku are based on ‘good legal basis’, which includes over
40 agreements. However, "the improvement has no limitations and this
should be developed, arising from each situation". So, Russian and
Azerbaijani parliamentarians have a wider field for joint activities,"
he added.

With regards to economic relationships, Mironov said that both
parties are from ‘pragmatic interests’. In this case it is necessary
to take into consideration that there is a format of talks and it
is possible to come to an agreement, taking into consideration each
other’s interests".

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

JOHN S. BOGOSIAN, FORMER OWNER OF THE CAMERA SHOP, IS REMEMBERED BY FRIENDS, FAMILY
By Solomon D. Leach, [email protected]

The Delaware County Times, PA
March 28 2007

Email to a friendPost a CommentPrinter-friendly John S. Bogosian,
founder and former owner of The Camera Shop chain based in Broomall,
died March 21 at the age of 79 after battling a rare neurological
disease known as multiple system atrophy. Bogosian was a well-known
entrepreneur in Delaware County. In 1957, he founded The Camera Shop
Inc., a photo specialty retail business, and expanded the business to
100 stores in five states before selling the company to Ritz Camera
Centers in 1999.

Bogosian formed Visual Sound Co. in 1967 to provide audio-visual
equipment and computers for local businesses and schools, which is
now run by Bogosian’s children, Karen and Paul Bogosian.

The enterprising Newtown Square resident also served as chairman of
the Workforce Investment Board at its inception in 1999, and was a
longtime member of the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce.

"He had a tremendous interest in both the Chamber of Commerce and
Workforce Investment Board," said Francis J. Carey, executive director
of the Workforce Investment Board and the county’s Office of Employment
and Training.

Carey recalled Bogosian’s low-key approach in managing organizations,
which translated to his success in the audio-visual field.

"He was certainly a gentle man, but he was also certainly a very
effective business person," Carey said of Bogosian.

Additionally, Bogosian served as a Chamber of Commerce representative
at the 1986 White House Conference on Small Business, and the chamber’s
small business center was named in his honor because of his dedication
to smaller employers.

Jack Holefelder, 25-year president of the Delaware County Chamber
of Commerce, said Bogosian brought him on board to focus on reaching
out to small businesses in the county.

"Getting to know John over those years, he will be a tremendous loss
to the community," Holefelder said Tuesday. "His business sense and
sense of community makes him one of those leaders that comes along
not too often."

Holefelder called Bogosian one of the most outstanding entrepreneurs
in the county’s history. "He took one camera shop and turned it into
a major force in the camera industry."

Jack Crunkleton, who began working with Bogosian in 1959 and served
as manager and general manager of several camera stores, remembers
his co-worker’s business foresight.

"John just had a drive to basically want to continue to succeed in
business, and whenever he saw an opportunity he just took advantage
of it," Crunkleton said.

Paul Bogosian, director of operations at Visual Sound and president of
Bogosian Realty, said his father had great faith and prided himself
in being personable. Karen Bogosian was the head of advertising for
the Camera Shop and is now president of Visual Sound.

"What made him so successful was he took every phone call. He spoke to
everybody," said Paul Bogosian, Haverford High School baseball coach.

In addition to his son, Paul, and daughter, Karen, John Bogosian
is survived by his wife, Marjorie, another daughter, Joanne Ikeler,
a brother and two granddaughters.

A funeral service will be held 11 a.m. at The Armenian Martyrs
Congregational Church in Haverford.

KOSOVO SOLUTION TO SET PRECEDENT FOR WHOLE WORLD – BAGAPSH

Interfax, Russia
March 28 2007

MOSCOW. March 28 (Interfax) – The solution to the Kosovo issue will
set a precedent for the former Georgian autonomies of Abkhazia and
South Ossetia and the world as a whole, Abkhaz President Sergei
Bagapsh told a news conference at the Interfax central office in
Moscow on Wednesday.

"It will not be only Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, South Ossetia and
Transdniestria. More countries will appear in about a year and a half
that will demand the same," he said.

YEREVAN BIDDING LAST FAREWELL TO PRIME MINISTER MARGARYAN

ITAR-TASS, Russia
March 28 2007

YEREVAN, March 28 (Itar-Tass) – Armenia is bidding its last farewell
to Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan, who suddenly died last Sunday.

The president has declared a day of mourning – the black-rimmed
national flags are hoisted half-mast, all the cultural and recreation
functions, as well as the radio and TV entertainment programs are
cancelled.

The coffin with Margaryan’s body was taken on Wednesday from his
apartment to the lobby of the Spendiarov National Academic Opera and
Ballet Theatre, where it will lay in state.

The mourning procession halted en route at the Headquarters of the
Republican Party of Armenia, which Margaryan headed for ten years,
and also at Government House, since he was at the head of the Armenian
cabinet, beginning from May 2000.

In spite of drizzling rain, numerous representatives of the
Armenian public circles and political parties came to bid farewell
to Andranik Margaryan. They told Itar-Tass that the tenth premier
of the independent Armenia was unquestionably a key figure on the
country’s political scene.

He had agreed to assume this responsible post in 2000, at the time
when the country’s domestic political situation was quite difficult
and had thereby played a most important stabilising role, they added.

Whereas Armenia had nine prime ministers during the preceding nine
years, i.e. on the average one every year, Margaryan had headed the
cabinet for seven long years.

Precisely due to this fact, political experts had dubbed him "the
Armenian stability premier". It was during his premiership that
Armenia became a member of the World Trade Organisation and was able
to annually record amazing economic growth rates.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed profound condolences
to President Robert Kocharyan, to all the leaders of Armenia, to the
relatives and near ones of the deceased in connection with the sudden
death of the country’s prime minister.

President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso and High
Representatives for the Common Foreign and Security Police Javier
Solana have addressed telegrams of condolences to the Armenian
leadership.

Russian Minister of Transport Igor Levitin heads the Russian delegation
to the funeral of Andranik Margaryan.