Month: October 2016

 

 

 

Composer and singer Daniel Decker will perform with the Armenian State Orchestra of National Musical Instruments on October 10. The concert to be held at Aram Khachaturian Hall is organized by Mezzo Production.

Daniel Decker – an Armenian by choice – has a special attitude towards the Armenian nation, and has even changed his surname into Deckeryan.

“This is something I have been waiting for a very long time,” Decker told reporters today. “This is my 16^th visit to Armenia, and I hope will be one of many more,” the singer added.

“Over the years I have come to be very connected with the Armenian people. Last year I became a citizen of the Republic of Armenia. So, as I often say, “I’m Armenian not by birth, but I’m Armenian by choice,” Daniel Decker said.

The concert will be the first one to be presented entirely in the Armenian language.

“It’s a gift to the Armenian nation. I want to say that I’m with you, I’m one of you, I support you, and we should be proud to be called Armenian. One of the messages I’d like to convey to Armenians is that although Armenians are spread across the world in the Diaspora, we can still be united as one voice. By uniting our voices we can see that the Genocide is recognized, we can see that Armenia as a nation moves forward,” the musician said.

“I’m confident that the best days for the Armenian nation are not in the past, they are in the future, because we work together for a common cause,” he added.

Daniel Decker said the concert is a product of cooperation, where he will have the chance to perform his most favorite Armenian songs. Daniel Decker and composer Ara Gevorgyan will present their new song “Araks.”

Turkish Armenian singer Sibil, founder of the “The Beautified Project” Andre Simpnyan, singers Nune Yesayan, Hamlet Gevorgyan and Eva Yeganian will be special guests at the concert.

Germany’s Foreign Ministry says the Turkish ambassador has returned to his post in Berlin, some four months after over a parliamentary resolution that labeled the killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks a century ago as genocide, the Associated Press reports.

Deputy foreign minister Markus Ederer met with ambassador Huseyin Avni Karslioglu Friday and said his return was “an important positive step in bilateral relations.”

The ambassador’s return was the latest sign of a thaw between the two countries following the June vote in Parliament.

Last month, Turkey gave its approval for German lawmakers to visit German troops at a Turkish air base, ending a standoff that had deepened strains in ties between the two NATO allies. The visit took place earlier this week.

 – On the morning of Sunday, October 2, “Avedissian” Hall of Ferrahian High School in Encino was filled to capacity as religious and community leaders and members and faithful had gathered for Pontifical Divine Liturgy celebrated by His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, who was assisted at the altar by Western Prelate Moushegh Mardirossian and Western Primate Archbishop Hovnan Derderian.

His Holiness was escorted from the “Yeghia Sarafian” meeting room to “Avedissian” Hall under an “Ambhovani” with an honor guard of Homenetmen scouts. At the entrance of the hall, His Holiness was greeted by Sunday School students and throngs of faithful, and as the choir sang the “Hrashapar” hymn of welcome, the Pontiff entered the hall and blessed the faithful as he approached the altar to begin Divine Liturgy.

Divine Liturgy was sung by a choir comprised of members and soloists from various Prelacy Churches, led by Crescenta Valley Church parish pastor Rev. Fr. Ghevont Kirazian, with Holy Martyrs Church choir leader Mr. Gomidas Keshishian on the organ.

The Prelate conveyed his greetings prior to the Pontifical message. His Eminence thanked God for the day and for the celebrations of the previous days in honor of the 20th anniversary of the enthronement of His Holiness Catholicos Aram I. The Prelate reiterated His Holiness’ sentiments from the prior evening, that such anniversaries are occasions for spiritual renewal and an invitation to renew our pledge and dedication to serve, and concluded by greeting his clergy brothers H.E. Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, H.E. Archbishop Vatche Hovsepian, H.E. Archbishop Yeprem Tabakian, Fr. Antony Atallah representing H.G. Bishop Serapion, Deputy Consul General Valery Mkrtoumian and Counsellor Razmik Stepanyan, ARF Central Committee members, community leaders and representatives, Prelacy Councils’ members, and faithful. He then invited Archbishop Derderian to convey his remarks.

On behalf of Diocesan clergy and council, Archbishop Derderian greeted His Holiness with love and gratitude. The Primate reflected on his years as a student at the Seminary of the Great House of Cilicia, where he received instruction from His Holiness, and lauded His Holiness’ spirit of hard work and diligent service which he personally witnessed. The Primate stated that His Holiness’ past twenty years of service as Catholicos has been characterized by service dedicated to the people, and concluded by praying for God to grant His Holiness Catholicos Aram I a long and healthy life so that he may continue to stir the souls of the faithful as an “apostle of faith,” and for God to keep the Holy See of Cilicia unshaken.

Prior to inviting His Holiness to address the congregation, the Prelate urged the faithful to heed the Pontiff’s messages on the importance of Armenia, Artsakh, and Diaspora unity, and to be guided by faith, hope, and love in our service.

Prior to delivering his message on the day’s Gospel reading from 2 Corinthians 13:5-13, His Holiness gave thanks and praise to Almighty God for the opportunity to be with the people and to witness the bond of the faithful with our church and faith. “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?” It was on this, verse 5 from the day’s Gospel reading, that His Holiness delivered his spiritually renewing and inspired sermon. St. Paul in Corinthians asked this important question to the Corinthians centuries ago, but today, the same question can be addressed to us, stated the Pontiff. Being Christian, having Christian faith, means believing in our Lord Jesus Christ alone, making Christ a living presence in our daily lives, the purpose of our lives, and becoming witnesses of Christ, stressed His Holiness. “Our Lord Jesus Christ has been a constant presence in our history and in the lives of our forefathers. Through Him we overcame infinite storms, Through Him we were illuminated and strengthened, through Him we walked from death to life. Our forefathers had Christ as the center of their lives, as their guide, strength, and hope. They even became witnesses of Christ with their blood. We must follow in their ideal example. Armenia and Artsakh are surrounded by enemies; in the Diaspora, we are surrounded by a different type of enemy. Thus, we must keep our Lord Jesus Christ close to us always, in our individual and collective lives, to become renewed in our faith and walk with Christ alone, for this is the key to our survival and endurance,” emphasized His Holiness.

At the conclusion of Divine Liturgy, “Achahampouyr” was held at the foot of the altar. One by one, faithful approached His Holiness to kiss his hand and receive his blessing. Each faithful also received a gold-plated cross as a memento.

Following “Achahampouyr,” the procession of altar servers and choir members guided His Holiness to the courtyard, where doves were released. The spiritually moving and inspiring day came to a close with “Cilicia.”

Photo: AFP    

– Yerevan Airport is usually a pretty quiet place to be past midnight. But when Gael Andonian touched down there late one evening in June 2015, and set foot on Armenian soil for the very first time, he was greeted by such a large crowd that he had to rub his eyes to make sure he had flown to the right place.

He could have been forgiven for asking what all those people were doing there, holding up banners, shouting, screaming and taking photos as he emerged into the arrivals hall. The answer became evident as soon as he saw what was written on the banners: welcome messages in French. Just to remove all doubt, the autograph and selfie-hunters that converged on him made it clear that he was very much the centre of attention.

“It was all very surprising,” the Marseille defender told FIFA.com. “It was two or three in the morning, midweek. I wasn’t expecting anyone to be there. Maybe just a couple of local journalists at the most.”

Such adulation would have been understandable if the arrival had been a star of world football. In this particular case, the recipient was a 20-year-old with barely a handful of professional appearances to his name. “It was a huge surprise because I’m not a big name,” added Andonian.

“It would have been normal if nothing had happened at all. When you arrive at the airport and you see all those people and all those cameras and flags, it really warms your heart. It also puts a little bit of pressure on you, though, because you tell yourself that you have to be up to the job and repay their confidence.”

An easy choice
Of Armenian stock but born in Marseille, Andonian represented France at U-16 level. When asked by Armenia if he wanted to play for them, however, he did not take long to answer in the affirmative. “I didn’t have to give it much thought. I let my heart make the decision,” said the player, who grew up supporting Les Bleus and watching a DVD of his idol Zinedine Zidane on repeat before starting to take an interest in Armenia’s fortunes when he was around 12 or 13.

“I am 100 per cent Armenian and I’ve been immersed in the culture since I was very young. My grandparents are from there and when I used to go round to their house I discovered the food and the culture and heard them talking some of the language. I didn’t know the country though. I’d never been there and I was the first member of my family to go back there since they left. And it was thanks to the decision I made that I was able to do that.”

That decision has also allowed Andonian to play regular football, something that has eluded him at Marseille. Despite being a member of the L’OM first-team squad since 2014 and signing his first professional contract in July 2015, he has played just the one match for the Ligue 1 club. “When I come back from the national team it gives me confidence and it shows me that I have got what it takes, because when all you do is train and play reserve matches, people wonder if you’re good enough to make it,” said the central defender, who can also slot in at left-back.

If there’s going to be a surprise, then our group looks like the perfect one for it.

Armenia defender Gael Andonian

“When I play against top-class opposition, I do well. I’ve faced the likes of Portugal, France and Serbia, and when you perform well against players like that, it gives you confidence. The problem is that you want to go and do it every weekend, which can be frustrating. You just have to hang on in there, though.”

While a loan spell at second-division Dijon in the first six months of 2016 gave Andonian the regular first-team football he craves, he went straight back to the reserves on his return to Marseille. How then does he manage to make the transition from second-string football to a UEFA EURO or FIFA World Cup™ qualifier? “It’s very tough,” came the reply.

“Everything’s different: the stadium, the supporters, the level of the opposition and the pace of the game. You can’t compare the two. Sometimes before a game, I take a step back and say to myself that I’m going from a CFA (France’s fourth tier) game to a match against players who’ve appeared at World Cups and who’ve won Champions Leagues and Ballon d’Ors.”

That change of scenario is something the left-sided defender has now grown used to, no matter who is lining up on the other side of the pitch. “When I came up against Cristiano Ronaldo, it did feel strange in the tunnel before going out on the pitch,” said Andonian. “But as soon as the referee blows his whistle, that’s it. Whether I’m facing Ronaldo or the Martigues centre-forward, it’s exactly the same. My goal as a defender is to make sure they don’t do anything during the game.”

Hopeful signs
His meeting with Ronaldo came in a EURO 2016 qualifier in Yerevan, a game in which the Portuguese forward hit all three of his side’s goals in a narrow 3-2 win, an indication of the progress Andonian and his team-mates have been making lately. Further proof of that came at the start of Armenia’s 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia qualifying campaign, with another close game away to Denmark.

“We lost 1-0, but we played really well. Things just didn’t go our way,” said the Marseille man, who did not put a foot wrong against the Danes. The same can be said for all of his 11 international appearances to date, which led to him being voted Armenia’s second-best player of the last year, behind star man Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

“What we need to do is gel as a team more, get to know each other a bit better. We’re a young side and we lack the tactical nous you need at the highest level: game management, how to play away, how to react if you go ahead, how to turn the game around when you fall behind.”

Though Andonian is aware that qualifying for Russia 2018 will be tough, he is not denying himself the chance to dream. “If you look at all the groups, ours is the most open of the lot,” he said of a section that, aside from Denmark, also contains Kazakhstan, Montenegro, Poland and Romania. “If you’re in a group with Italy and Spain, or with France and the Netherlands, then the top two spots are pretty much a foregone conclusion. If there’s going to be a surprise, then our group looks like the perfect one for it.”

If Armenia were to spring that surprise, one can only imagine the send-off Andonian and his colleagues would get on flying out to Russia from Yerevan Airport.

According to government’s decision, Governor of Syunik Province Surik Khachatryan will be dismissed from the post.

According to another government decision, Vahe Hakobyan will be replace him as Syunik Governor.

Photo: Reuters    

Pope Francis on Wednesday reflected on his just endedApostolic Visit to Georgia and Azerbaijan and spoke about the importance of Christian Unity and dialogue, reports.

Speaking to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the General Audience, the Pope expressed his gratitude for having been able visit the neighboring Caucasian countries, both of which are celebrating 25 years of independence having been part of the Soviet Union for much of the 20th century.

He described the visit as complementary to his visit to Armenia last June and said that by visiting all three nations of the Caucasus which are facing many challenges, he was able to confirm the Catholic communities there and encourage all people in their journey towards peace and fraternity.

“True mission – he pointed out – is never proselytism, but attraction towards Christ, unity in prayer, in adoration and in works of charity”.

In Georgia – he said – our cooperation is naturally with our Orthodox brothers and sisters, and so – the Pope continued – “Patriarch Ilia’s presence at the airport upon my arrival was a very important sign”.

Christian unity, the Pope said, is seen in the blood of so many Christian martyrs of different Christian confessions, especially the Assyrian-Chaldean, “with whom we prayed for peace in Syria, Iraq and the whole Middle East”.

And explaining that Azerbaijan, is primarily a Muslim country, Pope Francis said he was able to participate in an interreligious meeting as well as celebrating Mass with the small Catholic community and encourage it to deepen its encounter and dialogue with all who believe in God, so that together we can build a more just and fraternal world.

Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, today conducted a monitoring exercise on the Line of Contact in accordance with his mandate. This exercise took place six months after the outbreak of hostilities in early April.

Personal Representative Kasprzyk said: “As usual, the sides provided information regarding the situation on the Line of Contact, including ceasefire violations registered since the previous monitoring exercise. This information has been reported to the Minsk Group members, including its Co-chairs, and the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office. Reports in the media sometimes allege that my Office does not register ceasefire violations or indicate the responsible party. They may be referring to the fact that no ceasefire violations occurred during the observation phase of our monitoring exercise, at the time when staff members are in exposed positions on the front lines. We always register ceasefire violations when they occur in our presence. Otherwise we rely on information provided by local commanders. I would like to reiterate that we do not have the mandate to conduct investigations of incidents.”

He added: “In the six months following the April clashes, the Minsk Group Co-chairs have worked tirelessly to stabilize the situation and move the negotiation process forward, and the information provided through the monitoring exercises is an indispensable part of this process. These efforts continue.”

Asbarez – Armenian-American designer Vicken Derderian showed off his Spring 2017 collection at LA Fashion at a show on October 1 at the Hollywood Athletic Club.

 (Women’s Wear Daily), the preeminent industry publication, called pieces in Derderian’s collection “a refreshing addition to the wardrobe of a woman who leads a busy life but still wants to look polished with a creative flair.”

This was the second collection for Derderian, who teamed up with his classmate from the fashion design program of the Academy of Art University, Kyung Hwa Kim, to create knits, dresses, high-waisted palazzo pants, culottes and separates, with sweater dresses highlighting the collection.

Derdian and Kim retreated to Armenia, where they set up an atelier and made the meticulously constructed pieces featured on the runway.

WWD said that Derderian’s collection for his eponymous label was informed by his background as an architect, saying the designer “is always thinking about movement.”

Dederian himself qualified that by telling WWD that “at the end of the day, for me, it’s a more intimate architecture of the body — the knits, softness, the textures.”

Derderian was born and raised in Pasadena. He graduated with a Bachelors of Architecture from the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-ARC) and received his Masters of Arts in Fashion Design from the Academy of Art University.

His love of design and fabrication became clear at a very young age. He has always been fascinated with the way objects are assembled and the ideas they bring forth once they are assembled. Due to his constant desire and willingness to learn different methodologies of design and fabrication he has been able to bring to fruition a series of his concepts.

Prior to pursuing his masters in fashion design Vicken received his Bachelor of Architecture from SCI-ARC. Architecture is his specialization, his broader interest in the world of design which has prompted him to look outside his specific field to other industries to explore new ideas to try and push his current design methodologies. His interest in Fashion is parallel to architecture due to its constant dialogue with its surroundings. He views Fashion as an intimate architecture of the human body.

Having designed many architectural artworks ordered by Ottoman Empire between the 18th and 19th century, the Balyan Family, a dynasty of famous Ottoman imperial architects, is getting its own mausoleum years after the deaths of its most prominent members. Built in the Balyan Family Graveyard in Üsküdar Surp Haç Armenian Cemetery, the Balyan Family Mausoleum was constructed by the Hraç and Hagop Kırmızıyan brothers, reports.

Designed with inspiration from the altar section of the Armenian Church in Besiktas, the mausoleum project was constructed with three-meter-long one-piece marble pillars and a tomb and arch placed on top of them. The block marbles in the background feature the names of the prominent family members as well as an Ottoman tughra.

Completed and carried out in two years, the project covers the clean-up and restoration of all of the sarcophagi belonging to the Balyan family, and the creation of a mausoleum befitting the creations of a dynasty that crowned Istanbul’s skyline with their artworks.

Among their buildings that grace today’s silhouette of Istanbul are the Dolmabahce Palace and the Ortakoy Mosque.

At least 29 people, most of them rebel fighters, have been killed in a bombing near Syria’s border with Turkey, activists say, the BBC reports.

The attack reportedly occurred during a change of guard at the rebel-controlled Atmeh crossing, in Idlib province.

It was not immediately clear whether the blast was caused by a suicide bomber or a remote-controlled device.

A news agency linked to so-called Islamic State (IS) said a suicide car bombing had targeted a rebel convoy.

But an opposition activist network, the Local Co-ordination Committees, reported that a suitcase filled with explosives had been planted at the scene.

In mid-August, 32 rebels were killed in a suicide attack claimed by IS at the Atmeh crossing, which they use to travel from Idlib, via Turkey, to battle the jihadist group in other parts of north-eastern Syria.