Month: November 2009

"YES, WE SPOILED JUNTA PLANS" SAY PROTESTORS OF DINK MURDER

Today’s Zaman
Nov 23 2009
Turkey

Although many think the period of military interventions when people
died and a considerable number of them were tortured is outdated,
with a recently discovered plot it becomes apparent that there are
still some circles in Turkey with plans to overthrow the government
by triggering provocative actions in the country.

The Cage Operation Plan, a devious plan by a group of members of the
Naval Forces Command to intimidate the country’s non-Muslim population
by assassinating some of their prominent figures, was revealed to the
public last week when the Taraf daily uncovered it. In the plan, the
assassination of Hrant Dink, a Turkish Armenian writer, is considered
as an "operation" and the widely participated-in demonstrations in
the wake of Dink’s murder spoiled the junta’s plans aiming to create
provocation with the murders of non-Muslims in Turkey, as noted in
the same plan.

Hrant Dink was assassinated on Jan. 19, 2007 in Ä°stanbul and just
a few hours later, thousands of people rushed to the Agos Daily
building where Dink was working as a chief editor to voice their
protest against the murder. At Dink’s funeral, a demonstration took
place in Ä°stanbul with a remarkable number of participants. The motto
of the demonstration was "We are all Armenians, we are all Hrant Dink."

If the crowds had not taken to the streets to raise their harsh
criticism of the assassination and stood against the murder of an
Armenian and a non-Muslim writer, the cage operation plan would have
been successful as the plan notes.

The participants in the demonstrations targeting Dink’s assassination
confessed proudly that "Yes, we spoiled the junta plans."

The head of the Revolutionary Socialist Workers’ Party (DSÄ°P),
Dogan Tarkan, said that he agrees with the cage plan that the junta’s
attempts were ruined by the people who chanted "We all are Armenians"
in the demonstrations after the murder. "We are still saying we
are all Armenians, we are all Hrant Dink. Dink was murdered by an
Ergenekon gang. The files of the Dink, Santaro and Malatya murders
should be merged with the Ergenekon file," Tarıkan said.

Andrea Santaro, 60, the Italian priest at Santa Maria Catholic Church
in Trabzon, a northern Turkish city, died in an armed attack in 2006,
and in the Malatya-based Zirve Publishing House three people who sold
Christian literature were killed in 2007.

Zeynep Tanbay, a performance artist, stated that she was surprised
when she saw the large crowd joining the demonstration. "Dink’s murder
made a number of people you could not imagine take to the street. This
crowd rejected the system which is responsible for the murder. I think
the coup could not be accomplished because of that demonstration."

"Since the beginning we have always claimed that the murder was
premeditated and well planned. Whenever we say this, we are always
asked whether we have enough evidence to prove our claims. Now, it
has been revealed that an organization carried out the murder. Not
only members of the junta but also the state officials at that time
should be tried," said Ozlem Dalkıran from Helsinki Citizens Assembly,
a human rights association.

CAN’T BUILD COUNTRY ON FEAR, SAYS PRIME MINISTER TAYYIP ERDOGAN

Today’s Zaman
Nov 23 2009
Turkey

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stated that his party has
no fear of pushing forward with its democratization reform agenda to
solve the Kurdish question, saying that those looking to spread fears
of disintegration and division were in reality trying to obstruct
democratization.

Speaking at a party caucus in Ankara’s Kızılcahaman on Saturday,
Erdogan said cowardliness would not help Turkey deal with its age-old
problems. He asked: "If Orhan Gazi was afraid, would Bursa have been
established? If Fatih was afraid, would Ä°stanbul have been?" and
said his party would go on with its democratization push without fear.

"You can’t build a country on fear. You can’t build a future on fear.

You can’t build democracy on fear," he said. The prime minister said
they saw their fight for democracy not as a problem of the Justice
and Development Party (AK Party), but a problem of the country.

Erdogan said that in the past, the Turkish nation has seen as many
glories as times when the nation and the country have been in danger.

Stating that the integrity and unity of the Turkish nation have been
tested many times throughout history, he said the Turkish nation has
always succeeded in moving forward and burying past traumas. Even
though the Turkish nation has been able to look optimistically into
the future, some are using past grievances as an instrument of fear,
Erdogan said. "There are those who are making efforts to create a
new society of fear. When history is not enough, they create virtual
fears and imaginary threats."

He said in the AK Party’s seven years in power, he has seen this many
times. "No matter what long-standing issue we tried to tackle, they put
up obstacles in front of us. We said we want to get in the European
Union, they said our national identity is in danger. We said Cyprus,
they said ‘our national interests are under threat’. We said we want
zero problems with our neighbors, they said [Turkey’s foreign policy]
axis is shifting. We said Armenia, they said Sevres. … And now,
we say the process of national unity and brotherhood [referring to
the democratic initiative], they say it is treason, they say it is
separation. The same politics, the same attitude and I am sorry to
say this but they are displaying the same cowardly approach."

He also talked about the recent discussions on alleged illegal
wiretappings of the offices of judiciary members. "Those who are trying
to make this look like it is linked to the government are acting on ill
will, they are trying to influence the public and create confusion,"
he said.

He said the wiretappings had nothing to do with the government. "And
neither could this [link] ever happen." He said the wiretapping
scandal was now in hands of the judiciary and would be sorted out
in the legal process. He said, "We see wiretapping without legal
permission as disrespect for a person, whoever that person might be."

MILITARY SILENT ON WEAPONS TO BE USED TO ACTIVATE CAGE PLAN

Today’s Zaman
Nov 23 2009
Turkey

A list of weapons that were going to be used to carry out a devious
plan by some members of the Naval Forces Command to intimidate
the country’s non-Muslim population by assassinating some of their
prominent figures has been made public, but the General Staff has
been silent on the origin of the weapons.

The plan was exposed during a police raid on the office of
retired Maj. Levent BektaÅ~_ as part of a probe launched after the
discovery of a large arms cache in Ä°stanbul’s Poyrazköy district
in April. Called the "Cage Operation Action Plan," the desired result
of the intimidation of Turkey’s non-Muslims and the assassination of
prominent non-Muslim figures was that an increase in internal and
external pressure on the Justice and Development Party (AK Party)
would ensue, leading to diminishing public support for the party

The Cage plan document also includes a list of weapons to be used in
the plan. This list has shown once again the scale of the threat which
Turkey is confronted with. Since the investigation into Ergenekon —
a clandestine gang charged with plotting to overthrow the government
— began in 2007, a large amount of weapons and munitions have been
uncovered, either hidden underground or even in the sea, and at
times abandoned on road sides. The secret caches found included a
wide range of weapons and munitions from anti-tank weapons, assault
rifles and hand grenades to flame throwers and explosives. The Turkish
Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation (MKE) confirmed that
these weapons belonged to the military. However, the military has
been silent on the weapons listed in the Cage Plan. Umit KardaÅ~_,
a retired military judge, told Today’s Zaman: "The General Staff is
not making any statements on this. It is too risky for them to deny
that the arms belong to them. Earlier, such a statement from Chief of
Gen. Staff Gen. Ä°lker BaÅ~_bug was negated by a MKE report, which
said the weapons found in Ä°stanbul’s Poyrazköy district had been
manufactured by the military. The investigation should be carried out
by civilian prosecutors. First, civilian prosecutors should investigate
to whom these weapons really belong and then the military judiciary
can investigate later. Since these weapons were going to be used
"to create chaos," this falls into the scope of the civilian judiciary.

The Cage Plan is horrendous. It is a very serious allegation that they
planned to use these weapons to create fertile grounds for a coup
d’état. The military doesn’t really need arms to stage a coup. The
military is already equipped with arms. However, gangs were to be
used to prepare the atmosphere for a coup. The weapons on the Cage
plan list are enough for that."

When will the admiral show?

Meanwhile, observers of the Ergenekon case have been stating that
they expect former Senior Naval Forces Adm. Feyyaz Ogutcu, whose
name appears in Operation Cage documents as "the president," to be
summoned by the prosecution soon. Ogutcu was forced to retire at this
August’s Supreme Military Council (YAÅ~^) meeting, reportedly due to
his suspected ties to Ergenekon.

Ogutcu was thought to be the most likely candidate to become the
new naval forces commander. Observers believe the reason behind
his retirement was his links to Ergenekon. According to a National
Intelligence Organization (MÄ°T) document, Ogutcu was one of the
founders of the Karargah houses, which the Ergenekon investigation
has revealed were meeting spots for generals plotting a coup d’état
in addition to housing hit men and serving as a storage place for
munitions.

Ogutcu was implicated in the placement of blocks of TNT and other
explosives at the bottom of a submarine exhibited at the Rahmi M. Koc
Museum. The TNT and other explosives were found by police in July
after a document was discovered on a computer owned by a suspect
previously detained as part of the Ergenekon probe. The explosives
were to be detonated while a group of students visited the museum.

Weapons and chaos Small weapons can achieve much, as Turkey’s past
experience has shown.

Ergenekon suspect Alparslan Arslan, who killed a judge on May 17,
2006 — an attack attributed to religious fundamentalism until
investigators revealed its links to Ergenekon — used a Glock handgun.

The attack, which created widespread public outrage and fear, is now
treated as one of the biggest actions of Ergenekon by the prosecutors.

Retired military judge KardaÅ~_ notes that this is but one argument
to refute the pro-Ergenekon circles’ argument that "the amount of
weaponry they had is not enough for a coup d’état." The weapons and
ammunition listed in the Cage plan, in a list compiled by Naval Maj.

Eren Gunay, include five Glock handguns that could be used in creating
the chaotic environment.

In earlier excavations carried out in August, two light anti-tank
weapons (LAW) were found in Ankara’s GölbaÅ~_ı district. The
investigators have established that these weapons were going to be
used by the group to assassinate Armenian community leader Minas
Durmaz Guler and Armenian Patriarch Mesrob Mutafyan as well as Alevi
leaders Ali Balkız and Kazım Genc.

Meanwhile, some past incidents indicate that the Cage Plan has already
been put into action. The police have found threatening letters
sent to Armenian leaders on a CD ROM found in Ret. Maj. BektaÅ~_’s
home. Such letters are included in the Cage Plan’s initial stages.

The long list of weapons the Cage Plan planned to use include LAW
weapons, various explosives, two tons of ammonium nitrate, five Glock
handguns, four Uzi guns, four long-range assault rifles, two Accuracy
12.7 sniper rifles and 50 regular guns. The prosecutors are now trying
to locate those weapons that are on the Cage Plan list but have not
been so far found in the investigation.

Caches found earlier in the investigation

Various supplies of munitions have been found hidden in shanty
houses or buried underground since the start of the investigation
into Ergenekon, which apparently have been taken out of the arms
depots of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK).

The Ergenekon investigation itself started in June 2007 with the
discovery of weapons belonging to the military in a shanty house in
Ä°stanbul’s Umraniye district. Since the start of the investigation,
hand grenades, explosives, LAWs, rocket launchers, Kalashnikov rifles,
assault rifles, thousands of bullets and various other munitions have
been discovered in secret depots or buried underground in various
cities including EskiÅ~_ehir, Ankara and Sapanca.

Most of these weapons were manufactured by the MKE and NATO, neither
of which supplies any institution in the country other than the
military. None of the suspects arrested in relation to the discoveries
have admitted any connections to the weaponry found.

One of the largest caches discovered was in April in Ä°stanbul during
excavations to uncover more ammunitions and weapons as part of the
Ergenekon investigation in Ä°stanbul’s Poyrazköy district.

LAWs, hand grenades, explosives and rocket launchers were unearthed
during April’s excavations on land owned by the Ä°stek Foundation,
which was set up by a fugitive suspect in the Ergenekon investigation,
former Ä°stanbul Mayor Bedrettin Dalan, the chairman of the foundation.

Three military officers currently on active duty were arrested as part
of the probe. Those detained included Maj. BektaÅ~_, Lt. Col. Ercan
Kirectepe and Maj. Emre Onat, all members of the Turkish Naval Forces.

In the excavations in Poyrazköy, 10 LAWs, 20 percussion bombs,
three other bombs, 250 grams of C4 explosive, 19 emergency flares,
10 hand grenades, 800 G3 bullets and a large number of bullets for
revolvers were found. The discovery came after the unearthing of
similar underground weapons sites earlier in January.

The police, as part of the January investigation, carried out a series
of excavations at a number of sites around the capital in a search
of weapons linked to Ergenekon. An arms cache was unearthed in the
Zir Valley in Ankara’s Sincan district, which was found based on a
map discovered in the house of Lt. Col. Mustafa Dönmez. Thirty hand
grenades, nine smoke bombs and more than 800 bullets for G3 assault
rifles were found there. Around the same time, two hand grenades were
found buried in a park in an industrial zone. Nearly 200 bullets were
discovered also in Ankara in early January, in a vacant lot across
from a housing complex in the Oran neighborhood, formerly reserved
for members of Parliament and their families.

TURKEY SAYS AZERBAIJAN IS BLUFFING

Aysor
Nov 23 2009
Armenia

Turkey’s officials respond to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev’s
‘stunned statement’ on ‘use force to take back Nagorno-Karabakh
region’.

According to Turkey’s Sabah paper, this trigger-happy Aliev’s speaking
was perceived by Ankara just as a bluff. "Our wish is not to close
doors, but to provide solving in talks," told Sabah’s correspondent
a Turkish official.

Two days earlier, Azerbaijani President said in case of fruitless
negotiations in Munich will exhaust all hope, and will have no choice.

"We have the full right to liberate our land by military means,"
Aliev said.

EU CAN INSIST ON A WITHDRAWAL OF ARMENIAN FORCES FROM AZERBAIJAN

news.az
Nov 23 2009
Azerbaijan

Borut Grgic News.Az interviews Borut Grgic, founder and director
of the Institute for Strategic Studies in Brussels and non-resident
senior fellow at the Atlantic Council.

Don’t you think that EU could and must be more active in resolution
of the Karabagh conflict?

The EU should start by having a common set of principles that outline
its position on the frozen conflicts in the South Caucasus – respect
for territorial integrity and sovereignty are two fundamentals. The
EU could use the Eastern Partnership track and its dialogue framework
with Armenia to insist on a withdrawal of forces from Azerbaijan.

Finally, Europe could help with institution building and peacekeeping
in NK after a peace deal is reached.

France as it seems is not quite active as a co-chair of the Minsk
group. May be it would be more useful to change representative of EU
in Minsk group?

Replacing the French co-chair with an EU co-chair is not really
an option. However, the EU can and probably should insist on more
coordination between the French co-chair and the EU ministers on
fine-tuning a common EU position, and use the French co-chair to
exert greater influence on the Minsk Group process.

What kind of influence had war in Georgia on settlement of Karabakh
conflict?

If anything, the war in Georgia raised the profile of the frozen
conflicts, and the urgency to find a solution for NK.

Do you think real new war between Azerbaijan and Armenia in near
future?

I don’t think a war between the two countries is likely, as there is
too much at stake and once a war is launched, the ability to control
the outcome decreases exponentially. However, I do think that the
status quo is equally as damaging, and it is a real set back to
regional development and integration into the Euro-Atlantic structures.

There is no common view in EU at Karabakh conflict. Is it common
problem of EU’s foreign policy or something else?

I think Europe has a common position on NK, but perhaps the vagueness
of this common position is a reflection of divisions within the EU on
Europe’s relations with Russia, and through that, the region. Some
states are overly sensitive to Russia’s bickering and unwilling to
engage in the Caucasus-Caspian region for fear of undermining their
economic relations with Russia. It is possible to say that EU’s common
foreign and security policy is more often than not the expression of
a compromise between 27 opinions. Thus, it is not realistic to expect
the same clarity and focus on difficult issues from Europe as you’d
get from a state.

ARMENIAN & TURKISH PARLIAMENT SPEAKERS ARE LIKELY TO MEET

news.am
Nov 23 2009
Armenia

The meeting of Armenian and Turkish Parliament speakers might take
place in Moscow, Turkish Zaman daily reports. The Speaker of Grand
National Assembly of Turkey Mehmet Ali Sahin arrived in Moscow to
participate in the session of Parliamentary Assembly of Black Sea
Economic Cooperation (PABSEC). Sahin underlined that Turkey will
chair the PABSEC starting autumn 2010.

Turkish Speaker also stated that beyond the meeting with Chairman of
the RF State Duma Boris Gryzlov, the meetings with Azerbaijani and
Armenian speakers are quite possible. "We will try to establish a
dialogue with Armenia," Sahin said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian Genocide memorial placed in park

Times-News
MagicValley.com

By John Plestina – Times-News writer | Posted: Monday, November 23, 2009 1:00am

92afaa-f376-5bc2-a842-4aad5e76f601.html

Liyah Babayan envisioned an Armenian Genocide memorial in Twin Falls to
serve as a permanent tribute to those who died in what has become known as
the Armenian Holocaust and to honor Armenian refugees who now contribute to
the community.

The 26-year-old Babayan, who came to Twin Falls from Armenia with her family
when she was 11, spent much of this year lobbying and raising money for the
granite memorial that was placed at Twin Falls City Park on Saturday.
Armenian refugees planted a flowering pear tree beside the granite stone.

The memorial is a permanent reminder that the Turks killed between
one-million and 1 1/2-million Armenians between 1915 and 1918 that were
living in what was then the Ottoman Empire (now Turkey).

"It really means a lot to my parents and my grandparents," said Babayan, now
a U.S. citizen who witnessed the fall of the Soviet Union as a child in
Armenia, then a part of the Communist union of 16 nation states.

Now pregnant and expecting a baby in December, Babayan said she knows her
child will not experience atrocities as an American.

"We have rooted ourselves in this community. I grew up here. We own a
business in Twin Falls," Babayan said, adding that many other Armenians who
came to Twin Falls as refugees are today United States citizens and
contribute to the community.

"The Armenian American community in Twin Falls donated the tree and plaque,"
she said.

Babayan approached Twin Falls Mayor Lance Clow early this year with a
petition requesting the memorial.

"He let me know that it might be an obstacle to place this type of plaque
and memorial on city property," Babayan said, explaining that the city wants
plaques to commemorate events that have direct historic ties to the Twin
Falls community. "The memorial commemorates a historic event that happened
overseas."

She explained that the memorial brings awareness to why Armenian refugees
are in Twin Falls.

The Twin Falls City Council approved the memorial in September by a 4-3 vote
after considerable debate.

TCA Arshag Dickranian Armenian School
1200 N. Cahuenga Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90038

Tel: 323-461-4377
Fax: 323-323-461-4247
Contact: [email protected]

TCA Arshag Dickranian School Celebrates
A Festive Annual Thanksgiving Dinner

Los Angeles, November 23, 2009 – The Parent-Teacher Organization of TCA
Arshag Dickranian School held its traditional Thanksgiving Dinner-Dance at
the Walter & Laurel Karabian Hall on Saturday evening, November 21, 2009.

Friends, parents, teachers and students were gathered in the tastefully
decorated hall to celebrate the occasion together as one large family. As
in previous years, the menu was comprised of an assortment of festive
Armenian appetizers and the Thanksgiving turkey entrée catered by Anoush
Restaurant.

Following the PTO Chairperson Mrs. Ophelia Garibyan’s opening remarks,
school Principal Mr. Vartkes Kourouyan was invited to the podium to greet
the guests and express his thanks and appreciation to all the stewards of
the school. As dinner was being served, the guests were treated to a
lively program of Armenian folk dances, choral selections and recitations,
which were performed by the Dickranian students under the guidance of
dance teacher Rubik Arakelian, music teacher Komitas Kesheshian and
Armenian teacher Mrs. Emma Umroyan.

Disco music for dancing was provided by 11th grade student Alex Garibyan.
Over the years, the PTO has been vigorous in supporting the school by
organizing various social and fundraising functions, providing students’
daily lunches and promoting goodwill. One such
major function being The Annual Dinner Dances held in the month of March.

Located at 1200 North Cahuenga Blvd., Los Angeles, the TCA Arshag
Dickranian Armenian School is a federally tax exempt, Pre-K to 12th grade
private educational institution. For more information visit the school
website at

AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone: 212.319.6383, x118
Fax: 212.319.6507
Email: [email protected]
Website:

PRESS RELEASE

Monday, November 23, 2009

Lectures Devoted to Prominent Cultural Figures from the 1850-1950 Period
Take Place at AGBU Aleppo Center

A series of lectures, organized by the AGBU AYA Cultural Committee, took
place on October 21, 22 and 23, 2009 at the AGBU Calouste Gulbenkian
Center in Aleppo, Syria.

Narine Tukhikian, director of the Hovhannes Toumanian House-Museum in
Yerevan, was the guest lecturer for this series, during which the Aleppo
Armenian community, over three successive days, became more closely
acquainted with some of our great literary and cultural figures:
Hovhannes Toumanian, Bedros Atamian, Nadezhda Babayan, Marie Nuard,
Shahan Shahnour, Krikor Zohrab and Sempad Piurad. Avoiding literary and
critical analyses, Tukhikian relied on the letters of these well-known
figures to highlight the role of each in Armenian cultural and national
life.

The first lecture was devoted to Toumanian, the great freedom-loving
Armenian humanitarian, whose life coincided with the bloodiest period in
Armenian history. Toumanian, who was the embodiment of devotion and
patriotism, contributed to the preservation of the Armenian spirit in
all possible ways, through his literature and journalism, as well as
political and social activity.

The second lecture was devoted to the famous Armenian actors and
actresses of the second half of the 19th century, who graced Armenian
and European stages: "brilliant actor, great master of the stage" Bedros
Atamian; "the first Armenian opera singer with human simplicity and
magnificent artistry" Nadezhda Babayan; Marie Nuard, an actress who won
much praise and proved that "the Armenian public in Constantinople has
already overcome biases and feels the need to see women on stage."

On the last day of the lecture series, the topic included a discussion
of the work of Shahan Shahnour, Krikor Zohrab and Sempad Piurad.

Tukhikian explained Shahnour’s literary merits within the confines of
world literature. She then presented Krikor Zohrab, the writer, lawyer,
parliament deputy and public worker, who won the hearts and minds of
numerous readers with his short stories. The excerpts quoted from
Zohrab’s letters, which revealed Zohrab as a loving husband, a joyful
and witty individual, were moving and impressive.

Unfortunately, however, he suffered a cruel fate: "At the very beginning
of his life, he didn’t have a document confirming the day of his birth,
and at the end of his life, he didn’t have a tombstone attesting to that
end."

The Turkish scimitar cut short the lives of many brilliant Armenian
figures, who, if they had been lucky enough to live and work, would
undoubtedly have produced works to portray the evolving Armenian
reality. Such a figure was the writer, educator and public worker Sempad
Piurad, who, before suffering a martyr’s death in Ayash, wrote the
following sentence on the wall of his prison cell: "I’m certain that we
are going to die but the Armenian nation will not die and it’s obvious
that Turkey shall lose much after this war." The three-day lecture
series ended with this citation.

Credit for the success of the lecture series goes to Arevig Atashian,
Mano Meyneshlian, Nayiri Ohanian and the AYA Gomidas chamber music
ensemble directed by Hovhannes Moubayed.

At the conclusion of the third lecture, Silva Darakdjian, chairman of
the Cultural Committee, invited Executive Committee Chairman Vicken
Attarian and Local Chairman Raffi Tchaghlasian to come up on stage;
they, in turn, presented Tukhikian with a silver plate and the series of
reprinted volumes of Teotig’s Amenun Daretsuits [Everybody’s Almanac].

Note: This is an abridged translation of a report filed by Zepure
Tamerian.

Established in 1906, AGBU () is the world’s largest
non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City, AGBU
preserves and promotes the Armenian identity and heritage through
educational, cultural and humanitarian program, annually touching the
lives of some 400,000 Armenians around the world.

AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone: 212.319.6383, x118
Fax: 212.319.6507
Email: [email protected]
Website:

PRESS RELEASE

Monday, November 23, 2009

AGBU Young Professionals of California Unite at Lake Isabella

Los Angeles – Between October 23 and October 25, 2009, 25 Young
Professionals from the YP Los Angeles and YP Northern California
chapters of the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) left their
respective big cities and met in Kernville, California, for a weekend of
"roughing it" with their peers. The "Armos in the Wild" weekend included
traditional activities such as bonfires, camping under the stars and a
full kebab dinner, as well as opportunities to go kayaking, mountain
biking, and participating in a guided tour of the sequoia trees, for
which the region is famous.

"The goal of this trip was to really join forces with other young
professionals from across the state, in hopes of future collaborative
efforts among young Armenians throughout California," stated Sevana
Melikian (YPLA), organizer of the "Armos in the Wild" weekend. "Many of
our events are local. We felt that spending a weekend under the stars,
in the middle of California, would be a nice way to do something a
little different and appreciate the natural beauty of the state." Narine
Zardarian, Chair of YPLA, included, "Whether people already knew each
other, or met in Kernville that Friday, it was apparent that by Sunday
morning, memories were made and bonds were formed. While we were a small
group, the campers represented a diverse cross section of the Armenian
community and that was probably the single greatest accomplishment of
this getaway."

The California young professionals hope this weekend will become an
annual tradition and give birth to more collaborative projects. Generous
sponsors for the weekend included Steve Hampar (of the AGBU Southern
California District Committee), Starbucks, Trader Joe’s, and the Ralphs
and Albertson’s Grocery Stores.

YPLA is the Los Angeles Chapter of the AGBU Young Professionals–a
growing network of individuals, between the ages of 22 and 40, who
individually and collectively mirror the AGBU’s mission to preserve and
promote Armenian identity and heritage by adding dimensions to the lives
of young professional Armenians through educational, cultural, social
and humanitarian programs.

YPLA puts on monthly activities including social-networking and
professional career-building events, signature weekend getaways, hiking
and camping trips, international video-conferences, service-oriented
activities targeted toward Armenian youth, benefit events, as well as
casual get-togethers, where up to 250 young Armenians can come together
to exchange ideas and get to know each other better. YPLA is always
looking for individuals who would like to volunteer their time either as
a board member or on an event-by-event basis. For more information on
how to get involved with YPLA, please contact: [email protected].

Established in 1906, AGBU () is the world’s largest
non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City, AGBU
preserves and promotes the Armenian identity and heritage through
educational, cultural and humanitarian program, annually touching the
lives of some 400,000 Armenians around the world.
From: Baghdasarian