Month: September 2009

NAZENI HOVHANNISIAN ON LIVING IN THE PUBLIC EYE

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Friday August 28, 2009

Yerevan – TV Mol’s Vahram Stepanyan had no special reason for talking
to actress and news anchor Nazeni Hovhannisian, featured in movies like
Ara Geghetsik yev Shamiram, Taksi, Eli lav a, and Spanvatz Aghavni.

She had participated in the French reality TV program Fort Boyard,
which will air on Armenia TV in the fall, but there were no new
rumors swirling around about her creative or personal life. It was
just that it’s a pleasure to speak to her – or as an anchor might say,
"to spend time with a personable and educated person."

It happened to be on the eve of her birthday, July 18. She turned 27,
a fact she does not keep a secret.

Learning to say no

VS: What’s your state of mind as you approach your birthday?

NH: Let me put it this way. Over the last year, I have reached a very
important point. I have learned not to do what I don’t want to do. I
have learned to say no. These two developments are important for me
because too many yeses and needless compromises drain your life’s
energy, and it’s not always possible to recharge oneself. Today I
am glad that my name is not associated with any nonsense and my work
reaches its audience without a lot of show-business baloney.

VS: All the same, you have probably heard people ask why they see so
much of Nazeni Hovhannisian on the television screen.

NH: On the contrary, I don’t think I have been in any show
unnecessarily; I don’t think I have tried the patience of the
viewer. Of course, I’m thrilled to have such a presence that
even my occasional appearances on TV are perceived as a constant
presence. . . . There was "Two Stars," which I appeared in a second
time, and there’s an explanation for that. First, my original
appearance on the show was incomplete, for various reasons. Second,
my presence was requested by Public TV, and turning them down would
not be the right thing for me to do.

VS: Did the Fort Boyard invitation surprise you?

NH: I was surprised that a team from Armenia got to compete on that
[French] show. The invitation naturally pleased me. But I tried not
to get excited until I boarded the airplane.

VS: What did you discover over the four days you spent there?

NH: At Fort Boyard I discovered some of my good and bad sides. The
good sides, of course, pleased me. As for the bad sides, I tried to
change them or vanquish them.

Conquering one’s weaknesses

VS: For example?

NH: For example, I found that I have become intolerant of people,
especially crowds. It’s probably a function of my closed way of life. I
overcame this intolerance there. I learned once again, also, that each
person is acceptable with his or her good and bad sides alike. And
in order to avoid likely conflicts with certain members of the team
[of 30], I sought to resolve all outstanding issues up front, on
the plane, so we could live in peace for the four days we would be
together. Luckily all of us put aside our egos and intolerance and
accepted others as they were, not as we would like them to be.

I also overcame my natural fears of extreme things. I never had
a phobia about spiders, water, or heights, I found myself scared
during the physical and endurance challenges at Fort Boyard. Today
many people ask, "Did you get the keys to the fort?" But that’s not
the issue; the issue is whether you were able to conquer your own self.

VS: Watching the previews now on TV, it seems some issues remain. For
example, it seems you did not allow yourself to be taped outside the
game, say in the pool.

NH: Not at all. I had nothing to hide. I simply don’t like to be taped
during my time off, since being taped means being at work again. Even
without that extra taping, I already spend most of my days under the
watchful gaze of video cameras.

VS: And you don’t often attend gatherings of celebrities that are
covered in the news?

NH: Your question reminded me of something that happened three years
ago. A store was having its gala opening, and I was there for the last
ten minutes. I had gone to meet up with someone. And then I saw in
all the monthlies how I was "shining" at that event. Now on the back
pages of those magazines, where the pictures of the regulars always
appear – say Marish and Abulik, Sach and Elen – you will definitely
not see me. I have some other interests, you know, and prefer to
spend my free time in a smaller circle of friends and family.

Personal life

VS: Since you mentioned friends and family, let me ask you, as the
birthdays come and go, do you have any concerns?

NH: I guess this is your way of asking if I’m going to marry and
have kids. When the time comes and I meet the man who, I feel, is
mine and can tolerate me, I will do that. For now, I have no such
serious intentions.

VS: For years people have been talking about a beautiful pair of
television personalities, whose relations are of interest to many
people. Of course, I mean you and Felix Khachatrian.

NH: Yerevan is a very sweet city, but sometimes it pinches you like
a shoe that’s too small. I am living in the present, and am fully
dedicated to the present. And living the moment to its fullest,
I seek to build a future with healthy rationality. As for what that
future will be, God is great.. . . .

VS: To what extent are you able to protect your inner world from
invasion?

NH: If you mean invasion by various rich people and officials, then you
can see I am succeeding. That doesn’t require a lot. It just requires
you to have your act together. Sometimes, when you emcee corporate
or official events, some people think they can have relations with
you outside work. But they understand very quickly that the topic is
off-limits. Let me add that, as a rule, people don’t approach me on
the street either.

VS: A journalist told me one day that Nazeni would be perfect with
a high-ranking rich guy who could take proper care of her. . . .

NH: I am very much in favor of men being financially stable; that
raises their self-confidence. And I suppose I can see something
positive in the phrase "take care of her." It doesn’t have to mean take
care of financially; a man needs to care for a woman with his love,
his tolerance, his underdstanding, as well as his inner strength,
with which he can be immune to gossip. In that sense, yes, I would
like to see a man by my side who could take care of me. I am in favor
of long-term relationships, if not permanent.

Femme fatale?

VS: I think many people are rediscovering Nazeni. So many people see a
women of your looks and personality as a femme fatale. Among them are
film directors, in casting Ara Geghetsik yev Shamiram, Vochinch chi
mna, Taksi, Eli lav a, they saw you in the role of such a woman. But
your most recent role, Sara in Spanvatz Aghavni, is a different kind
of heroine. How much is she like you?

NH: We are very unlike each other. Although Sara too fights for
the right to love, but in contrast to me, a representative of the
21st century, she is more restrained, although she doesn’t avoid
outbursts. For example, when she screams, if you can call it that,
she screams with more restraint. As for me, I can be a bitch.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

WASHINGTON BRIEFING : SENATOR KENNEDY’S LEADERSHIP ON ARMENIAN ISSUES RECALLED
by Emil Sanamyan

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Friday August 28, 2009

Washington – Armenian-Americans this week remembered the longstanding
leadership and support of Senator Edward Kennedy (D.-Mass.). Senator
Kennedy died on August 26 after months of battling with cancer. He
was 77 years old.

Throughout more than four decades in the U.S. Congress, Senator
Kennedy actively supported Armenian-American concerns, including
U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide and independent Armenia’s
security and development, the Armenian National Committee of
Massachusetts recalled in a press statement.

These efforts included securing the Senate Judiciary Committee’s
passage in 1989 of an Armenian Genocide resolution; Senator Kennedy
worked together with, among others, Vice President Joe Biden, who at
the time was a senator and chairperson of the committee.

Senator Kennedy championed the 1991 passage of a resolution that
condemned Azerbaijan’s anti-Armenian pogroms that resulted in
the expulsion of more than 300,000 Armenians and was followed by
Azerbaijan’s aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh.

In later years, Senator Kennedy played a key role in the passage and
maintenance of U.S. sanctions against Azerbaijan, known as Section
907 of the FREEDOM Support Act, as well as the 1994 passage of the
Humanitarian Aid Corridor Act, which came in response to Turkey’s
closure of its border with Armenia. [The same year, he hosted
a reception for the president of Armenia at the John F. Kennedy
Presidential Library and Museum in Boston.]

Speaking on April 21, 1999, at the annual commemoration of the
Armenian Genocide held on Capitol Hill, Senator Kennedy argued that
"if people here in the United States had paid attention to the
Genocide in the early part of this century, we would not have had,
perhaps, the tragedies in World War II" and later genocidal campaigns
in former Yugoslavia and Africa.

During the April 24, 2000, commemoration at Trinity Church in Boston,
Senator Kennedy stressed that while "the persecution of the Armenian
people and the atrocities committed against them will never be
forgotten . . . the continuing leadership of the Armenian people
throughout the world today, and the birth of the Armenian republic
provide an example to us all of what the human spirit at its best
can achieve."

In a June 5, 2006, letter, signed together with Senator John
Kerry (D.-Mass.), Senator Kennedy raised concerns with the Bush
administration’s early recall of Ambassador John M. Evans from Armenia
over the ambassador’s comments on the Armenian Genocide; the letter
demanded an explanation for the move.

A member of America’s most prominent political family, Edward
Kennedy will be remembered as a strong and effective champion of
liberal values. In the 2008 presidential campaign, Senator Kennedy’s
endorsement of Barack Obama came at pivotal moment in a tough
primary race.

Senator Kennedy will be buried beside his brothers at the Arlington
National Cemetery on August 29.

WASHINGTON BRIEFING : FORMER EDITOR DOUG FRANTZ PROBING NUCLEAR SMUGGLING FOR SENATE COMMITTEE
by Emil Sanamyan

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Friday August 28, 2009

Washington – The former Los Angeles Times editor who stirred up
controversy in the Armenian community is now working for the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee led by Senator John Kerry
(D.-Mass.) According to the committee website, Douglas Frantz was
hired by the committee early this year as chief investigator to probe
financing of nuclear smuggling and other illegal activities.

Mr. Frantz caused controversy in April 2007 after he reassigned a major
story on the Armenian Genocide resolution, initially assigned to Times
journalist Mark Arax, to another writer. In an e-mail that was later
made public, Mr. Frantz alleged that Mr. Arax had a "position on this
issue" that caused a "conflict of interests." (Mr. Frantz’s new boss,
Senator Kerry, is a strong supporter of Armenian Genocide affirmation.)

Mr. Arax had in turn alleged that Mr. Frantz himself may have had
a bias on the issue, having spent years working as a reporter in
Turkey and that he was "heavily involved and invested in defending
the policies of Turkey."

In subsequent months, a number of Armenian-Americans, including
the Armenian Reporter’s editorial page, called on the Times to take
"decisive action" in the case. Mr. Frantz resigned in June 2007.

Mr. Frantz was initially expected to become the Istanbul-based Middle
East bureau chief for the Wall Street Journal. But he instead joined
the then newly launched (and since closed) Conde Nast Portfolio
magazine as senior writer and authored a book on the black market in
nuclear technology.

For his part, Mr. Arax also left the Times in June 2007. Last April
he published his third book, this one about life in California.

HAIG NARGIZIAN, 66, RESPECTED STAMP DEALER

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Thursday August 27, 2009

New York – Haig Nargizian, a lifelong member of the New York Armenian
community, died on July 25, 2009, at the age of 66.

He was a highly respected stamp dealer, one of the few who could look
at a collection and calculate its value.

His brother Ray remembers him as a gentle person who always welcomed
you with a smile. "Haig was a kind, generous family man who loved
life. He had a lot of compassion, loved to laugh and was always a
gentleman, but he also liked to speak his mind," Ray said.

"Haig had a collection of over 500 Armenian books and was a walking
encyclopedia of Armenian history. He taught himself how to play the
oud, dumbek, and piano. He wanted to make sure our family continued our
Armenian heritage so he sent his nephew and niece to Camp Nubar. Both
my children married Armenians and now we have three grandchildren
who speak Armenian, which made him very proud."

At his wake he was remembered by his nephew, Steve Nargizian, as a
source of joy to the family with his great sense of humor, forgiving
spirit, and patriotic fervor. "Haig just loved being Armenian,"
said Steve. "He was always going to picnics, Armenian restaurants,
and dances. He devoured Armenian books, periodicals, and lectures,
took several trips to Armenia, and frequently wrote opinions in
the Armenian Reporter. He religiously marched and fought for the
recognition of the Armenian Genocide and was banned from entering
Turkey, which he wore as a badge of honor."

Bobby Ruchala, his longtime friend and assistant, said, "Haig had a
big heart and was always interested in educating people about Armenian
history. He would make copies of the latest Armenian CDs and videos
for anyone he met. He was considered a force in the stamp business
and many people relied on him."

Haig’s father, Albert, was a devoted member of Holy Martyrs Church in
Bayside, N.Y. Its pastor, the Very Reverend Father Vahan Hovanessian,
said that even though Haig had taught himself Armenian, he would
still come to all the Armenian classes and do all the homework. Haig
learned a lot about the Armenian Genocide from the Genocide survivors
who visited his family. A devoted son, he provided the best of care
when his mother, Alice, was ill.

Haig was blessed with a close, loving family for whom he felt great
affection. He is survived by his brother Ray and his wife Theresa,
his nephew Steven and his wife Karen and their children Alex, Gregory,
and Michael, and his niece Diane and her husband Douglas and their
children Nicholas, Julia, and Andrew.

During his illness, to which he succumbed on July 25, 2009, Haig said,
"If I go, don’t be sad. I have lived a happy and full life." The family
has asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to Armenian Church
of the Holy Martyrs, 209-15 Horace Harding Expressway, Bayside, NY
11364 or Camp Nubar, c/o AGBU, 55 E. 59th St., New York, NY 10022-1112.

PRIMATE CONSECRATES NEW BAPTISMAL FONT IN WASHINGTON, HONORS ST. MARY’S PARISHIONER

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Thursday August 27, 2009

Washington – Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese of the
Armenian Church of America (Eastern), visited St. Mary Armenian Church
in Washington on the Feast of the Assumption of the Holy Mother-of-God,
Sunday, August 16. The day also marked the church’s name day.

Archbishop Barsamian celebrated the Divine Liturgy and performed the
Blessing of Grapes ceremony. The Primate also blessed and consecrated
the church’s new baptismal font, dedicated this year in memory of
Yerchanik Bolat and Philipe and Oghda O’Gulian.

The font, completed and installed at the church last month, is a
project years in the making. Money for the font had been donated
by the O’Gulians in their lifetime. This year, Yerchanik Bolat’s
family contributed the additional funds needed to bring the project
to completion.

A name day luncheon followed in the church hall, where guests were
invited to partake of madagh, donated and prepared by Mrs. Verjin
Bolat and her children.

During the luncheon, Archbishop Barsamian presented the Primate’s
Award to Ghazaros Ghazarian in appreciation of his devoted service
to the Armenian Church.

"Ghazaros has dedicated his energy and enthusiasm to numerous
activities, becoming a familiar and beloved presence in the community,"
the certificate said. "With his wife Hasmig, he has been an example
to others, inspiring them to embrace the treasures of the Armenian
heritage, and the sweetness of God’s love."

Mr. Ghazarian has been an active member and supporter of the St. Mary
Church for more than two decades. He currently serves as head usher
during services.

"Ghazaros has been involved with the church for decades now, since
he came to this country from Jerusalem," said the Rev. Fr. Hovsep
Karapetyan, pastor of St. Mary. "He is very dedicated and very humble."

Mr. Ghazarian said he was surprised by the recognition extended to
him by the community.

"The extent of Der Hayr’s and Srpazan’s appreciation really amazed me,"
he said. "That made me very proud."

Musical selections were performed by Ervand Kristosturyan and Vivian
Shakarian. Dr. Hratch Semerjian served as master of ceremonies.

ACAA ANNOUNCES HONOREES FOR ANNUAL BANQUET IN SUPPORT OF ANCA EASTERN REGION

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August 28, 2009

Bandazian and Kerneklian Named Vahan Cardashian Awardees

NEW YORK-The Armenian Cultural Association of America (ACAA) announced
the honorees for the Third Annual Banquet and Awards Program in
support of the Armenian National Committee of America Eastern Region
and its tradition of service to the Armenian American community. The
ACAA will host the event, which will take place on Saturday, October
3 at Espace in New York City.

As a key part of the banquet’s awards program, the Vahan Cardashian
Award will be presented to the brother-sister pair of Bedros Bandazian
and Melanie Kerneklian, both from Richmond, Va., who have dedicated a
lifetime of steadfast activism to the ANCA at both local and leadership
levels. Influential figures in their state’s political and community
life, having served volunteer appointments to a number of state-wide
projects and commissions, Bandazian and Kerneklian are among the
founders of the Richmond ANC and have led countless grassroots
educational campaigns in support of Armenian issues.

Both awardees were instrumental in a campaign aimed at introducing
the teaching of the Armenian Genocide into the Virginia standards of
learning, an effort that was featured in the PBS documentary series
Frontline in March 2002. Both played critical roles in spearheading
the Virginia Governor’s Commission on Armenian Affairs under different
governors. Alongside many leadership accomplishments within the ACAA,
ANCA and ANCA Endowment, Bandazian established a longstanding record of
Virginia gubernatorial proclamations related to the Armenian Genocide
and has been pivotal in founding the acclaimed Armenian Heritage
Cruise, an event that has become a prominent cultural tradition in the
Armenian-American community over the last decade. During her tenure
as a lead staff member to then Virginia State Delegate Eric Cantor
(currently minority whip of the U.S. House of Representatives),
Kerneklian was a driving force in educating the Virginia legislature
on the Armenian Genocide. The Turkish government, supported by it

s lobby and Virginia’s tobacco and defense corporations, responded
to these grassroots educational efforts with heavy-handed political
maneuvers. Ultimately, these educational efforts resulted in the
legislature’s passage of an Armenian Genocide resolution in 2000.

"We are pleased to honor Bedros Bandazian and Melanie Kerneklian with
the Vahan Cardashian Award," said ACAA spokesperson George Aghjayan
"These are two individuals who have repeatedly demonstrated the power
of grassroots education and activism-especially in a small Armenian
community. Their contributions to the ANC and the Armenian community
are an inspiration."

The Vahan Cardashian Award is given annually to an ANCA supporter who
demonstrates longstanding dedication and active involvement in the
Armenian American community and its issues. The award is named for
Yale-educated lawyer Vahan Cardashian who set aside his successful
New York practice to dedicate himself to the establishment of the
American Committee for the Independence of Armenia (ACIA), predecessor
organization to the Armenian National Committee, and to advocate for
the plight of the Armenian nation.

Plans are currently being finalized for the banquet. The evening
will begin with a silent auction and cocktail reception, followed
by dinner and awards program. For more information and reservations,
call 312-615-7698.

Established in 1969, ACAA is a 501©3 charitable organization that
assists and supports impoverished people of Armenian origin; welfare
institutions that aid those of Armenian origin; and educational and
charitable organizations that encourage and develop the Armenian
cultural heritage. The ACAA also aids students, authors, artists and
researchers who are pursuing intellectual efforts in Armenian culture
and education, and publishes educational, scientific and literary
books that raise the educational, cultural and intellectual standards
of the community. The ACAA sponsors projects both in the Republic of
Armenia and the Armenian Diaspora. It also serves as a repository of
historic Armenian national documents and archives.

GUNAYSU: TURKISH PERCEPTION OF THE RECENT US COURT RULING
By Ayse Gunaysu

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August 27, 2009

Among thousands of news items showering down from international
agencies, none of the Turkish dailies or TV channels skipped the
news about a U.S. Federal Court of Appeals ruling against Armenian
demands for unpaid insurance claims. Many headlines revealed a
hardly concealed note of victory, reporting that the U.S. Court had
dealt a "big blow" to Armenians. Some of them were a little bit more
professional, reflecting only a satisfaction: "Court decision to anger
Armenians." Even the most seemingly "objective" ones used wording
that presented the issue as a defeat on the part of the "Armenians"
-not a violation of the rights of legitimate beneficiaries, the
clients of insurance companies that profited from a government’s
extermination of its own citizens. Even the daily Taraf, considered
to be waging the most courageous struggle against the "deep state,"
used the headline: "Bad news to Armenians from a US court" (Aug. 22,
2009, p.3), a headline that, intentionally or not, reinforces the
essentialist conception of Armenians widespread in Turkey and reflects
a cold-hearted pseudo-impartiality -"bad news"!-in the face of an
infuriating usurpation of one’s rights.

Apart from a handful of people, no one in Turkey, watching the news
or reading the headlines (often without reading the full texts), knows
that at the turn of the century several thousands of Armenians in the
provinces of the old Armenia were issued life-insurance policies,
with benefits amounting to more than $20 million in 1915-dollars
still unpaid to the legal heirs of the victims who perished under
a reign of terror. This is not surprising because this audience is
even ignorant of the fact that on the eve of World War I, there
were 2,925 Armenian settlements in the old Armenia, with 1,996
schools teaching over 173,000 male and female students, and 2,538
churches and monasteries-all proof of a vibrant Armenian presence in
the Ottoman Empire. When I tried to explain this to my 83-year-old
mother, who thought the U.S. court had done something good for Turkey,
she couldn’t believe her ears. She was quite sincere when she asked:
"Western insurance companies? At that time? In Harput, in Merzifon, in
Kayseri? Are you sure?" Because she could not even imagine that what
is now to us the remote, less-developed cities with rural environs
where pre-capitalist patterns still prevail-places more or less
isolated from today’s metropolitan centers-were once, before 1915,
rich and developed urban centers, with inhabitants much closer to the
Western world than their fellow Muslim citizens, in their economic
activities, social structure, and way of life. Although a university
graduate (something unusual for a woman in Turkey at that time),
a person of culture with a real sense of justice in everything she
does, my mother was brought up in a system of education based on
a history that was rewritten to reconstruct a national identity of
pride, and which turned facts upside down. This was the result: an
"enlightened" individual who knew nothing about how things were in
her own-beloved-country and what had happened just a decade before
her birth.

So, how can one expect my mother to know that Talat Pasha, a member
of the PUC triumvira and one of the top organizers of the Armenian
Genocide, had shocked Henry Morgenthau, the U.S. Ambassador to Istanbul
in 1915, with his audacity when he said: "I wish, that you would get
the American life insurance companies to send us a complete list of
their Armenian policy holders. They are practically all dead now and
have left no heirs to collect the money. It of course all escheats
to the state. The government is the beneficiary now. Will you do so?"

The Turkish audience, apart from that handful of people, that
received the message about the U.S. Court of Appeals ruling against
the Armenians’ right to seek justice, didn’t stop to think that this
was something about one’s most basic rights.

But the reason is simple: National ideology blocks people’s
minds. There is a special meaning attributed to the word "compensation"
in Turkey. It is believed that recognition will be followed by demands
of compensation, which will naturally lead to demands of territory. So,
the reference to "compensation" (to be paid to "Armenians") in these
reports is directly connected in their minds to Armenians’ claim
to territory.

This is all about denial. Denial is not an isolated phenomenon,
not a policy independent of all other aspects.

Denial is a system. An integrated whole. You don’t only deny what
really happened; in order to deny what really happened, you have to
deny even the existence of the people to whom it happened. In order
to deny their existence, you have to wipe out the evidence of their
existence from both the physical and intellectual environment. Physical
refers to the 2,925 Armenian settlements with 1,996 schools and 2,538
churches and monasteries that are non-existent now. Intellectual
corresponds to my mother’s perception of the U.S. Court of Appeal’s
ruling as something good for Turkey.

I watched a film on TV tonight, Akira Kurosawa’s "Rhapsody in
August," a film about an old lady, a hibakusha (the Japanese word
for the victims of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
during World War II) and her four grandchildren. Watching the film,
I saw people commemorating their dead ones with great respect,
taking care of their monuments with endless love, raising their
children in the same spirit, observing Buddhist rituals, praying for
their losses. The details showing all these were elegantly and very
impressively depicted. Watching a blind hibakusha gently cleaning
the marble platform of the monument with great care, I thought of
Armenians of my country, who are deprived of this very basic right
to publicly honor the memory of their lost ones. This ban is woven
into the very structure of Turkish society, because the founders
of the new Turkish Republic and their successors built a nation
and successfully put into practice an "engineering of the spirit"
whereby the people are convinced, made to sincerely believe, that
such commemorations are a direct insult to themselves.

The outcome of such engineering, this whole complicated system of
denial, is very difficult to dismantle. The Turkish ruling elite
will not recognize the genocide, not in the short-term, not in the
mid-term. In the long-term, maybe. But how "long" a term this will be
is something unknown. The dynamic that would step up the process is
the recognition from below, i.e. recognition by the people-a very slow
process, but much more promising than an official recognition in the
foreseeable future. People in Turkey are one by one going through a
very special kind of enlightenment-meeting with facts, learning more
about the near history, getting into closer contact with Armenians
here and elsewhere (for example, meeting and listening to Prof. Marc
Nichanian speaking in the language of philosophy and literature,
hearing his words about how meaningless an apology is when what
happened to Armenians was "unforgivable," about the meaning of the
"usurpation of mourning" and the "impossibility of representation"
of what Armenians experienced. More and more stories are appearing
in the dailies and periodicals in Turkey of our grandmothers and
grandfathers of Armenian origin who were stripped of their Armenian
identities, at least in the public sphere. More and more books are
being published about the genocide, enabling the readers to try and
imagine what is unimaginable.

This will turn the wheels of a long process of recognition from below,
a recognition in the hearts of people that will inevitably interact
with the process of official recognition-a must for true justice-no
matter how distant it may be for the time being.

ST. ILLUMINATOR’S CATHEDRAL REOPENS AFTER MAJOR RENOVATIONS

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August 31, 2009

New York City’s famous St. Illuminator’s Armenian Apostolic Cathedral
is reopening, one year after it closed its doors to undergo a
major renovation. Made possible by financial support from friends,
parishioners, and other bodies of the church, and overseen by Father
Mesrob Lakissian and the Church Reconstruction Committee, the reopening
of St. Illuminator’s represents a step forward for New York City’s
Armenian community.

The Mayr Yegeghetzi has always been known as the "Ellis Island" to New
York’s Armenian immigrants because of the very important role it played
in welcoming them to Manhattan from all over the world. Located at 221
East 27th Street, St. Illuminator’s was the first Armenian cathedral
in New York City. Named in honor of St. Gregory the Illuminator, the
patron saint of the Armenian Church, it opened its doors in 1916. Due
to the events of World War I, however, it was not formally consecrated
until April 1921. Since then, the cathedral has continuously served
new Armenian Americans. From providing emergency housing to dislocated
Armenian families who escaped the genocide, to supplying food and
clothing to Armenians who escaped the turmoil in the Middle East in the
1960’s, St. Illuminator’s has been a spiritual home to its congregation
and a beacon of hope to the countless members of the Armenian Diaspora.

Today, St. Illuminator’s is a beloved place where Armenians from all
ages come to pray, participate in its beautiful liturgy, and receive
the holy sacraments. During the year-long renovation process, the
Divine Liturgy was offered every Sunday at the Armenian Center in
Woodside, Queens, under the auspices of Father Lakissian.

On Sat., Sept. 19 at 7 p.m., His Eminence Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan,
Prelate of the Armenian Apostolic Church of the Eastern United States,
will lead a special service re-consecrating the cathedral’s altar. On
Sun., Sept. 20 at 10:30 a.m., he will celebrate the Divine Liturgy
and deliver the sermon inaugurating a new era for the cathedral.

Over the next few months, work will continue at the cathedral’s lower
level and the Board of Trustees and delegates of St. Illuminator’s
will continue to raise funds to support the renovation effort.

For more information or to make a donation to the St. Illuminator’s
reconstruction fund, call the cathedral’s office at (212) 689-5880
or visit

ARMENIA, TURKEY PREPARE TO OPEN BORDER

Eurasia Insight
ticles/eav090109b.shtml
9/01/09

After 16 years of severed ties, Armenia and Turkey appear to be on
the cusp of re-opening their border and re-establishing diplomatic
relations.

Late on August 31, Turkey, Armenia and mediator Switzerland released
a protocol on Î"×~P£The Establishment of Diplomatic RelationsÎ"×~PÂ¥
that acts as a guideline for Ankara and Yerevan to sign an agreement on
diplomatic recognition. But before pen meets paper, the two countries
must hold internal consultations, according to their respective foreign
ministries. The process is expected to take up to six months. Once
signed, the document will then be subject to legislative approval.

According to a copy of the protocol posted on the Armenian foreign
affairs ministry website, the two countries promise to open their
border within two months of the protocol entering into force.

The document’s bland language glosses over the most contentious issues
between the uneasy neighbors: Turkish recognition of the 1915 Ottoman
Turk slaughter of ethnic Armenians as genocide and disagreement over
the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh.

The protocol, however, compels both sides to "implement a discussion
on the historical dimension" and to undertake "an impartial scientific
examination of the historical records and archives to define existing
problems and formulate recommendations."

The document also obliges Ankara and Yerevan to set up an
intergovernmental sub-commissions to advance cooperation on political,
energy, environmental and education issues. A separate sub-commission
will advise on "the historical dimension" with the participation of
"Swiss and other international experts."

ON TURKEY-ARMENIA BORDER, SLIGHT HOPE FOR CHANGE
Sophia Mizante

Eurasia Insight
ticles/eav083109.shtml
8/31/09

I’ve worked in the South Caucasus for many years, and have always been
curious to see how people live on either side of the Armenia-Turkey
border. I recently took a two-week trip to Turkey and Armenia to
find out.

The border has been closed since 1993. By now, the people who live
near it seem to see an open border as more of a symbolic act than
something they can imagine. There is no concrete idea about how an
open border would change their lives.

Maybe that is because the two sides have been shut off from each
other for so long.

In 1921, the Bolsheviks, who then controlled Armenia, signed the
Treaty of Kars that gave the Armenian towns of Kars, Igdir, and Artvin,
among others, to Turkey.

For the next 70 years, that new border became not only the border
between Armenia and Turkey, but also between the Soviet Union and
the West.

Still, strong connections between the two sides persist. Much of it
is based around the events of 1915, when thousands of Armenians were
massacred by Ottoman Turks. The Turks, for their part, say that they
suffered massacres, too, by Armenians.

Until recently, the history of the Armenians who lived in Turkey was
kept silent. But as Turkey tries to join the European Union that has
begun to change.

The local people with whom I talked on the Turkish side of the border
are fully aware that thousands of Armenians used to live here.

Two towns that used to be part of Armenia are, in fact, the area’s
main tourist attractions.

In the 10th century, the Armenian King Abas I established Kars,
which passed to Turkish control in 1921. The town has also been under
Georgian, Russian and Ottoman control.

Turkey’s ties with Armenia may not be good, but the official guide to
Kars clearly states the Armenian presence in the town and area. One
local tour guide said that he has plenty of Armenian tourists coming
to Kars via Georgia from Armenia.

Forty-two kilometers from Kars are the ruins of Ani, an ancient capital
of Armenia. Along with Mount Ararat, also in Turkey, Ani is one of
the most powerful symbols for Armenians of their lost territory. In
Armenia, you can see restaurants, shops and other places called
Ani. And Ararat is a popular name for Armenian men.

As you look at the photos, I am moving south toward Igdir, the site
of Mount Ararat.

In Igdir, I was surprised to see a park dedicated to Heydar Aliyev,
the late president of Azerbaijan.

It was because of Azerbaijan that Turkey closed its border with
Armenia, to show support for Azerbaijan in its war with Armenia over
the breakaway territory of Nagorno Karabakh.

This was the first time that I had seen this visual representation
of the Turkish-Azerbaijani alliance — an Azerbaijani flag above the
entrance and a Heydar Aliev bas-relief in the middle of the park.

Most Turks I spoke to, though, want to see the border reopen. Many
say that it is Russia whom they blame for the conflict between Turks
and Armenians. Not Armenians.

They talk about Turkey’s war with Russia in the early 20th century and
the Russian border guards who are stationed at the Armenian border
with Turkey. Turks see that and say that it is in Russia’s interest
to keep Armenians and Turks apart.

If the border were open here, it would take me about one hour to
drive to Armenia’s capital, Yerevan. But, instead, I had to go back
via Georgia, which added about 12 hours of travel time.

In Armenia, the issue of the border reopening is a very emotional one.

>>From generation to generation, Armenians have passed down stories
of how their ancestors fled from Ottoman Turkey during and after the
1915 massacre of ethnic Armenians there. These are stories of lost
family members and lost homes.

Those stories are important for Armenians in Yerevan, too, but the
Turkey border issue is less immediate for them than for villagers
living on the border.

People in Yerevan said that the border has been closed so long that
they have learned to live without it.

However, in the Armenian border villages, the situation is different.

Most of the villagers’ income comes from selling their fruit, but
since the border is closed, they do not have many options for earning
their living. So some go to Yerevan to sell their produce and some
travel about three and a half hours further north by train to Gyumri
to sell their fruit.

As the border is closed, there is not much traffic going through these
villages. We went to a cafe and were the first and probably the last
guests there that day.

Maybe that will change in the future, if the border with Turkey
reopens. But like so much else in these border areas, nothing is
known for sure.

Editor’s Note: Sophia Mizante is a freelance photographer based
in Tbilisi.