Author: Andres-Papazian

ARMENIAN PM MEETS GREEK AMBASSADOR

Greek Reporter

Dec 22 2011

Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan met with Greek Ambassador to
Armenia Ioannis Korintios on Wednesday, who is ending his mission
in Armenia. The prime minister stressed that the ambassador’s work
highly contributed to the development and reinforcement of bilateral
relations between the two countries.

Ioannis Korintios thanked the head of the Armenian government for
his assistance during the implementation of different joint programs.

The parties emphasized the significance of further development of
economic cooperation and business ties between Greece and Armenia. In
this context, Tigran Sargsyan considered it necessary to resume the
works of the Armenian-Greek inter-governmental commission, the last
sitting of which took place in 2006.

Tigran Sargsyan asked the Ambassador to convey his warm greetings to
the Prime Minister of Greece Loukas Papadimos, and wished him success
in his future activity.

From: A. Papazian

BOSTON MAGAZINE TAPS JOHN SARYAN AS “TOP DOC”
by Tom Vartabedian

Published: Thursday December 22, 2011

Dr. John Saryan, department chair at Lahey Clinic as a deacon at St.
Gregory Church in North Andover.

Burlington, Mass. – John Saryan never wanted to be a doctor. He
wasn’t that young kid who was surrounded by medical playthings with
a physician’s dream in mind.

Instead, he leaned toward a career in math and science. He wanted to
be an engineer who could shape the world in its evolution.

Today, he stands with a celebrated class as department chairman of
allergy and immunology at Lahey Clinic, bringing comfort and healing
to his patients over the past 29 years.

The December issue of Boston Magazine listed Saryan as one of the top
doctors in his class throughout the Greater Boston area — for the
fourth time over the past decade! If anything, he might very well be
the valedictorian of this prestigious class.

“It serves as a privilege to be acknowledged among the very best,”
admitted the 59-year-old. “Boston is surrounded by world-class
hospitals and medical schools and I’m very proud and humbled to be
among other Lahey physicians included in this list.”

Saryan was chosen by his peers. These are the doctors that other
doctors recommend to family and friends.

“Competition to make this list is pretty tough,” concludes magazine
editor John Wolfson. “With so many leading experts around town,
how do you decide who makes the cut? You ask the experts themselves.”

Other Armenians named to the select list include: John Krikorian,
oncology, MetroWest Medical Center, Framingham; Alphonse Taghlian,
radiation oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, and
Christine Peeters-Asdourian, pain medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess
Hospital, Boston.

As department head, Saryan takes charge of four doctors, 10 nurses and
a practitioner. A host of credits follows his name in the profession,
including past president of the New England Society of Allergy and
past president of the Massachusetts Society of Allergy.

Among other laurels is a dedicated service award from the Asthma &
Allergy Foundation, where he serves on the New England Board of
Directors.

“It makes me feel that all the time and effort I put into my job gets
recognized,” Saryan added. “If anything, I’m probably too devoted to
my work.”

It wasn’t until he took a course in human physiology at Air Force
Academy that caused Saryan to change his career path to medicine. Up
until then, he was leaning toward engineering.

“I became fascinated by medical science,” he recalled. “My mother
wanted me to be a doctor. It was a noble profession. People respect
doctors. She was surprised when I decided to enter the field. The
decision came after a lot of soul-searching.”

Saryan is a 1970 graduate of Mount Pleasant High School in Wilmington,
Del., where he was a member of the National Honor Society and part
of a state championship tennis team. He later became a two-time
gold-medalist in the AYF Olympics and still plays a competitive game
of tennis and golf.

He proceeded to John Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md, ultimately
graduating from its School of Medicine in 1977. He performed his
residency at Boston’s Children Hospital before joining Lahey where
he was appointed department chairman in 2004.

“My patients are my biggest inspiration,” he points out. “They all
pose a different challenge. You’re making a difference in their lives.

There are the personal connections that often go beyond the job
description.”

Medicine runs in the family with a daughter Diana Balekian, 29, a
pediatric resident at Massachusetts General, and a niece Ani Saryan,
a family practice resident in Appleton, Wisc.

Two other children, Valerie Saryan, 26, is in Los Angeles, Calif.,
working and attending Whittier Law School, and Melanie Saryan, 20,
a junior at Bentley University, Waltham. Saryan has been married 30
years to the former Debbie Musserian and they reside in Andover.

His late father Sarkis was a linguist, scholar and chemist who authored
a book titled “Language Connections.” His mother Armine is 90 and
living in Los Angeles. She taught at the Jemaran in Beirut for 10
years, written poems and essays for publications, and mothered four
children, all college-educated.

The Armenian side is just as relevant. Saryan is past president
and chairman of the Scholarship Committee for the Armenian Medical
Association and belongs to the Council of Armenian Executives. He’s
been the medical director of Camp Haiastan for 30 years and a board
member for 10 years.

Each Sunday you’ll find him on the altar of St. Gregory Church in North
Andover where he’s been serving as a deacon since 2001. He’s supervised
bible study and taught Sunday School for six years while also serving
on the Prelacy’s Armenian Religious Education Council for eight years.

“Being involved with the church is a place I go for peace,” Saryan
maintains. “It’s been a definite stress-buster for me. Every success
I’ve achieved is a gift from God. I’m His servant and I’d like to
be an example to others. Every time I put on that stole, it’s where
I belong.”

From: A. Papazian

CABINET APPROVES TOURISM DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM FOR 2012

ARMENPRESS
DECEMBER 22, 2011
YEREVAN

At the cabinet sitting today the Armenian Government approved the
“Tourism Assistance Services” 2012 program. Minister of Economy
Tigran Davtyan said the main goal of the program is to ensure through
intensive and effective marketing formation of Armenia’s description
as a favorable and attractive place for tourists and its presentation
in the international market.

The minister said in case of the implementation of the program it
is expected to preserve the tempo of incoming tourism and in 2012
ensure the visit of 900 thousand tourists to Armenia. In case of
maintenance of such growth tempo in 2013 about 1 million tourists
will visit Armenia.

In 2012 events will be implemented addressed toward finding new
markets. Since 2001 the average annual growth of tourists’ visit to
Armenia made 20-25%. During the past ten years the number of visits
increased with more than 15 times. In 2010 about 683,979 international
tourists visited Armenia, in January-September 2011 551,635 tourists
visited Armenia against 487,902 of the same period of the past year.

From: A. Papazian

TURKISH JOURNALIST: FRENCH VOTE IS ONLY A PRELUDE, HURRICANE COMING

PanARMENIAN.Net
December 22, 2011 – 13:24 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Turkish journalist Mehmet Ali Birand describes
the Armenian Genocide bill pending vote in the French parliament as
‘a signal flare.’

“It is the tip of the iceberg that will hit Turkey in 2015,” he says
in a piece of opinion published by Hurriyet Daily News.

“The French vote is only a prelude. They are preparing to blow like
a hurricane in coming years,” Birand says.

“What do we do? As always, we are trying to prevent what is coming
by harsh warning letters and threat-filled statements. We are sending
delegations to France trying to influence every segment. Next, we will
temporarily withdraw our ambassador and maybe there will be calls
to boycott French goods. We will bring forward our significance for
Europe, our strategic value, but nothing will change. These methods do
not serve their purpose anymore. Moreover, they will be more useless
toward 2015,” he presumes.

“Turkey has lost its struggle against the genocide. For almost 100
years, first it buried its head in the sand, did not discuss it, it
has even left its own society ignorant. For all those years, it was
not able make the international community believe that “there was no
genocide.” It did not go beyond a total denial. We have missed that
train,” Birand says.

“Only bold steps can save us from this accusation. The way to disperse
the genocide wind passes through launching of new “initiatives” that
will surprise the world public. By publicly apologizing for mutual
losses and taking those steps to activate relations with Yerevan,
we can only hold on to the edge of the genocide cliff. Otherwise,
2015 will very much batter Turkey.” he says.

“A question I am very curious to hear the answer is this: “Is there
a planned operation in Ankara to mitigate the losses of the coming
2015 earthquake?” If not, be sure that we will feel the pain immensely.

Actually, we are already late, but again, some things can be done.

Let’s not forget, the more we postpone taking precautions, the more
it will become expensive and cause risky decisions for us to escape
from the trap. For once, let’s act like a European, not like a Turk,”
Birand advises.

“To counterbalance 2015, threats such as “we will put an embargo, we
will withdraw our ambassador,” will not work or affect anybody. The
only way to draw the attention of the world public passes from taking
bolder steps,” he concludes.

From: A. Papazian

OPPOSITION MP CONSIDERS 2011 LOST YEAR

Tert.am
21.12.11

Armen Martirosyan, a lawmaker of the opposition Heritage party faction
in parliament, considers 2011 a lost period.

“The year was lost as we postponed our plans to solve problems for yet
another year,” he said at his end-of-year news conference on Wednesday.

Martirosyan referred to the amended Electoral Code, noting that it
failed to meet the people’s expectations. He said the amendments did
not help close the loopholes allowing for frauds, or ban the majority
voting system.

He further spoke of Armenia’s economic situation, considering the
authorities’ economic policies ineffective.

“The prices of necessities have grown almost twice, with salaries
remaining unchanged. This is why official records show 35% of poverty
rate while the non-official records show 60%. If we add to this
people’s distrust in tomorrow, a major factor contributing emigration,
there are no grounds for optimism,” he said.

As for the political developments in 2011, Martirosyan said they
weren’t aimed at assisting the people.

“The developments in 2011 had nothing to do with the society,” he
said, referring to the failed dialogue between the authorities and the
opposition Armenian National Congress (ANC), the Council of Europe’s
move to close the page on the March 2008 political turmoil in Yerevan
and the ruling coalition’s memorandum aimed to back President Serzh
Sargsyan in the 2013 presidential polls.

He said the Heritage party voiced its protest against its memorandum
in the person of its leader, Raffi Hovhannisyan, who declared a
hunger-strike in March.

He noted further that the party managed to reach an agreement with
the Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaksutyun (ARF-D) over
electoral reforms.

“We also had achievements in the past year, but not in politics or
economy, rather in sports,” he said.

From: A. Papazian

SARKOZY REFUSES TO DISCUSS ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BILL WITH GUL

PanARMENIAN.Net
December 21, 2011 – 11:48 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – French President Nicolas Sarkozy refused to talk to
Turkish President Abdullah Gul on the phone as the latter attempted to
call him to personally convey his message over the bill criminalizing
the Armenian Genocide denial to be voted in French parliament on
December 22.

According to Hurriyet Daily News, the Elysee Palace was notified
Monday, December 19 morning that Gul would like to talk to Sarkozy in
person, but the request was not met, leading Gul to issue a written
statement.

“We have not received a reply from Sarkozy for the last two days,”
one source said. “Sarkozy did not have the courage to talk to Gul on
the issue.”

After Gul’s request to speak was turned down, a statement calling
on French parliament “to immediately abandon the bill” was posted on
the Turkish presidential website.

The statement warns that the move “jeopardizes deep-rooted bilateral
ties.”

“I hope that this initiative, which flouts freedom of expression
and blocks even the path to objective scientific research, is
dropped in the shortest possible time,” Gul said. “It’s strange
and thought-provoking that such initiatives always coincide with
pre-election periods. Judging a country’s history by the way of
political parliamentary moves and distorting history for the sake
of political ends is inconsiderate in the least.” Ankara expects
“reason and common sense to prevail in France,” he said.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN ENVIRONMENTALISTS CONCERNED OVER KAJARAN

Tert.am
21.12.11

This April, Armenia’s government changed the status of six villages
in the Syunik region.

They received the status of “industrial area,” which is to be allotted
to the Zangezur copper and molybdenum combine for enlarging its
tailing dump. The lands of one of the six villages, Kajaran, are to
be alienated for enlargement of the mine.

A group of environmentalists visited Kajaran last weekend and informed
journalists of their visit at a Dec. 21 press conference.

“The village is in a critical social situation – no school or
hospital. People are under pressure, with no rights,” said Hasmik
Evoyhan.

“It is genocide, depopulation of the borderland. We are actually
contributing to the Great Turkey program,” said Mariam Mukhudyan.

“People have no alternative. They either have to leave the village
or remain and die because of the mine,” Yevoyan said.

From: A. Papazian

NEWPORT EYE DOCTOR HELPS RURAL ARMENIA SEE
By Sarah Peters

Daily Pilot
,0,6870810.story
Dec 20 2011

Donations in America go a long way for the nonprofit Armenian EyeCare
Project’s work in the impoverished country.

Newport Beach ophthalmologist Roger Ohanesian’s first visit to Armenia
came two days after he received a fax from the country’s Ministry of
Health requesting emergency help from American doctors.

“I left for Armenia, not sure where I was going, and not able to speak
the language,” Ohanesian said. “I was not sure of what was expected
of me, but I left.”

The American doctor of Armenian descent arrived to find a country in
a terrible state, with overwhelmed hospitals and clinics, staffing
shortages and outdated equipment.

That first trip led to 40 more and the founding of the Armenian EyeCare
Project, a nonprofit that provides free medical services throughout
Armenia, including rural areas with no existing medical facilities.

“It’s amazing to me what small donations here can mean in a country
like Armenia,” Ohanesian said. “It’s cheaper there, so you can do
more. For example, $500 can pay for screenings for an entire village,
and just $100 can pay for cataract surgery for half a dozen people.”

Although Armenia was struggling from the aftermath of natural
disasters and a war with neighboring Azerbaijan when Ohanesian
received the distress call in 1992, it hadn’t always been that way.
Armenia had trained doctors, but far too few supplies and no way to
reach impoverished rural villagers.

“These very fine doctors were unable to operate in the county’s
farthest regions because of the equipment ~W it would be like jet
pilots riding bicycles,” Ohanesian said.

To solve this dilemma, EyeCare Project created the mobile eye
hospital. The 18-wheel truck contains two exam rooms, two medical
lasers, an operating room and a generator that can provide power in
villages without electricity.

To date, about 300,000 people have received free mobile treatments
and more than 40,000 have received glasses.

More than 5,000 others are treated each year through EyeCare Project’s
six clinics.

The nonprofit also launched a program last year to combat infant
blindness caused by retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), an eye disease
that affects more than 500 Armenian children a year.

“[ROP] is treatable, but if you don’t, the children go blind by their
first birthday and essentially live a whole life as though they were
blind from birth,” Ohanesian said. “It’s terrible.”

However, with the nonprofit training Armenian doctors to staff the
clinic and mobile hospital, they are becoming adept at treating ROP
and other eye diseases.

“They are moving from a state of despair to a center of excellence,”
Ohanesian said.

A documentary about Ohanesian’s ongoing efforts in Armenia and the
mobile eye hospital won the CINE Golden Eagle award in the spring
2010 competition. The video can be viewed on the nonprofit’s website.

From: A. Papazian

ANGER AT FRENCH LAW ON ‘GENOCIDE’

Wednesday 21 December 2011

Turkey has threatened to publicly attack France’s colonial past
if Paris makes denying Ottoman Turks’ First World War killings of
Armenians a crime.

Historians estimate up to 1.5 million died in deportations in 1915-16.

Turkey puts the number of deaths closer to 300,000 and denies it
was genocide.

France’s lower house of parliament will today consider making the
denial of the atrocity a crime carrying a £37,000 fine and one year
in jail.

The issue threatens to further damage relations between the two
countries, which are already tense over French leader Nicolas Sarkozy’s
opposition to Turkey’s bid to join the EU.

From: A. Papazian

RESOLUTION SUR LE GENOCIDE ARMENIEN DE 1915 : LA TURQUIE MENACE LA FRANCE

Quotidien du Peuple

20 dec 2011
Chine

La Turquie ne participera pas a la reunion du Comite economique
conjoint qui sera organisee en France l’annee prochaine si la
legislature francaise penalise le fait de nier le genocide armenien de
1915, a annonce lundi le ministre turc de l’Economie, Zafer Caglayan.

Le president francais Nicolas Sarkozy n’agit pas raisonnablement,
a souligne M. Caglayan, cite par l’agence de presse semi-officielle
Anatolie.

Le ministre a indique que M. Sarkozy devrait arreter de perdre son
temps et a averti que les interets des hommes d’affaires francais
seraient affectes si les relations economiques bilaterales etaient
mises a mal.

Par ailleurs, une delegation parlementaire turque discute actuellement
avec les officiels francais dans la capitale francaise, Paris, pour
les convaincre de ne pas adopter la resolution penalisant la negation
du genocide armenien.

L’assemblee generale du parlement francais devrait voter sur la
resolution jeudi prochain.

En janvier 2001, le parlement francais avait adopte un projet de loi
reconnaissant le genocide armenien de 1915.

La Turquie et l’Armenie ont suspendu leurs relations diplomatiques
et economiques depuis que l’Armenie a declare son independance en 1991.

Les deux pays sont coinces dans un conflit sur la mort d’Armeniens
pendant la Première Guerre mondiale, sous le règne Ottoman. Pour
l’Armenie, il s’agit d’un genocide, alors que la Turquie affirme
que les Armeniens ont ete victimes d’un chaos general et d’une vaste
operation gouvernementale lors de l’effondrement de l’empire Ottoman,
avant la naissance de la Turquie moderne.

La Turquie et l’Armenie ont signe des protocoles pour normaliser leurs
relations et ouvrir leurs frontières l’annee dernière, mais les pactes
doivent encore etre approuves par les parlements des deux pays avant
d’entrer en vigueur.

From: A. Papazian