Author: Andres-Papazian

ARMENIAN CUISINE

NOW LEBANON

Dec 12 2011

Aline Kamakian and Barbara Drieskens’ new cookbook brings an emotional
history to a wider audience

You are what you eat, they say. And if what you’re eating comes from
another culture, the smells, spices and textures you encounter are
doing more than just giving your taste buds a change of scene; they’re
inviting you to stick your spoon into a whole different culture. A
new cookbook, Armenian Cuisine, is offering readers a record of a
gastronomic legacy as well as a history of a community in exile.

Armenians have been a feature of Lebanon’s kaleidoscopic ethnic
landscape for centuries, but the majority of families that make up
today’s population of approximately 150,000 were driven here on
the terrible “death marches” devised by the Ottoman Turks during
the First World War. Another influx of persecuted Armenians arrived
in 1939 when Syrian territory was ceded to Turkey, and an Armenian
community settled in Anjar, where it still exists today.

Welcomed into Lebanon, the Armenian community flourished, and today,
it has its own churches, schools and cultural centers, while being
fully integrated into the Lebanese life and language. In the last
few years, one particular aspect of Armenian ethnicity has become
a source of pride and a way for the community to share its unique
qualities through that most essential forum of cultural exchange:
the dining table.

“Before people used to think that Armenian food is just soujouk and
basterma,” says Aline Kamakian, co-author of the book Armenian Cuisine
and co-owner of one of Beirut’s first Armenian restaurants, Mayrig.

“Now they start to realize that there’s much more to it.”

The crowded launch of the cookbook at Mayrig included a traditional
“kinetson” ceremony, “baptizing” a volume in a basin of wine, and
the sale of small spicy pepper plants, a gesture toward the famous
red pepper paste that gives many Armenian dishes their distinctive
character.

“It’s my way to give back to the Armenian community,” says Kamakian.

“It’s my way to thank all Armenian mothers who kept their tradition
alive, although they really went through a hard time to do that.”

More than a record of the recipes of Armenian mothers and grandmothers,
the book – in English with the Armenian names of dishes in Roman
script – is a tool for spreading awareness on the Armenian story
worldwide and encourages young Lebanese of Armenian origin to continue
to connect with their heritage.

Kamakian, described in the Armenian Cuisine as “one who lives full
speed, experiences and ‘does’,” needed a partner to realize her
dream, but it took a little persuading for Barbara Drieskens, an
anthropologist, to get enthused by the project. “In the beginning I
was thinking a cookbook is nothing for me,” she says. But “little by
little I got won over by [Kamakian’s] enthusiasm, by her willingness
to do something toward the Armenian community, and I started to find
out there’s a lot of anthropology in it, a lot of culture and a lot
of identity of the people that gets transmitted through food.”

The recipes in Armenian Cuisine take the cook or reader on a journey
from houses on the slopes of Mount Ararat, through food markets in
Aleppo, to Harissa porridge-making ceremonies in Anjar. The stories
of fighters and survivors, and particularly of women, are woven into
the pages of recipes for salads, mezze, pastries, meat and fish dishes
and more, brought to life by reams of luscious photography.

This is a cuisine to be celebrated and shared. “There is so much
sharing in it,” reflects Drieskens. “It’s the language, the religion
and the food that make the identity of a people, and [Armenians]
have so much pride in their food. Also, [the mothers] have so much
patience, cooking for hours and hours to make tables full of different
dishes.” With Armenian Cuisine, the legacy of these mothers and their
memories has been recorded for all to share.

Armenian Cuisine can be bought at all major bookstores, from Amazon
or via the dedicated website

From: A. Papazian

ARG HAS 623,375 HOUSEHOLDS AND ENTERPRISES CONNECTED TO NATURAL AGS NETWORK

/ARKA/
DECEMBER 13, 2011
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, December 13. /ARKA/. Some 623,375 households and
industrial enterprises were said to have been connected to Armenia’s
gas-supplying network at of December 1, ArmRosGazprom (ARG), Armenia’s
Russian-controlled gas distributor says in a statement posted on its
official site.

The number of gas consumers rose by 10,519 over the 11 months of this
year. Of them, 1,835 were connected to the network in November alone.

ARG is the only company dealing with import and distribution of
Russian natural gas coming to Armenia from Russia via Georgia. It was
established in 1997. Russian Gazprom holds more than 80 percent in it,
the rest is owned by Armenian government.

From: A. Papazian

MARCH 1 AND FOREIGN SPECIAL SERVICES
Naira Hayrumyan

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 12:32:58 – 13/12/2011

Yesterday, the March 1 topic was “refreshed”, and ostensibly it may
be used in the election campaign.

The March 1 cases have been sent to the European Court on Human
Rights, and the Court may start hearing them at any moment. During
this process, certain facts may be approved and may have an impact
on the scenario of home political developments. Particularly, if
the participation of bodyguards of the oligarchs, including Gagik
Tsarukyan, in the actions against peace protesters is revealed, it
could be the last argument in the “competition” of the Republican
Party and Bargavach Hayastan Party.

Yesterday the ex and present Chairmen of the March 1 Investigative
Group stated that about 500 people have been interrogated. It was
also stated that in the nearest future, a report on the activities
in the last four years fulfilled by the Group will be released. This
report may unveil participation of one person or another in the March
1 clampdown.

But apparently the revelation of March 1 has not only home political
but also international significance. The Armenian officials have
already stated that Armenia is not so strong to reveal such a crime.

But the fact that PACE also tried to close the March 1 page, being
satisfied with the amnesty, proves the revelation of the case is
fraught with an international scandal.

The point is that still in May, the ex-Chairman of the Group Vahan
Harutyunyan stated that it is impossible to reveal the 10 murders
resulting from the clampdown on the participation of thousands of
people in Yerevan downtown. The bullets, extracted from corpses,
as well as more than 1700 cartridge cases found in Mashtots Avenue,
Paronyan, Grigor Lusavorich streets, according to the Chief of the
Group, were compared to the police armament and no matches were found.

It stems from Harutyunyan’s statement that the bullets were fired by
the militaries of the Defense Ministry or unknown armed groups were
deployed in Armenia.

The last episode is especially interesting. It turns out that some
foreign troops invaded Armenia, went to Paronyan and Lusavorich streets
and killed 10 and escaped immediately, being sure that all suspicions
will fall on the acting authorities. In fact, so it happened, and
according to the opposition, the president then Robert Kocharyan is
responsible for the murders.

Kocharyan stated a couple of months ago that the murders have
nothing to do with the emergency situation declared by him because
the murders were not committed where the opposition gathered and
where the situation was controlled by the police, but in a completely
different place. Kocharyan, actually, said plainly that the murders
are committed by foreign forces.

What foreign troops could intervene in Armenia and commit a terrorist
act? Russia comes to mind first because the press reported about the
presence of Russian Special Forces in Armenia. But it has not been
proven yet.

Actually, the revelation of the March 1 events tries to tempt someone
to name the foreign forces. They will name the forces only in case
concrete people are accused.

Will these details be revealed during the hearings at the European
Court? Or will the court just rule compensation to the families of
the victims.

From: A. Papazian

National News Agency Lebanon (NNA)
December 10, 2011 Saturday

Politics – Sleiman in Armenia: Lebanon will defend its natural resources

NNA – 10/12/2011 President Michel Sleiman, currently on an official
visit to Armenia, said Friday that Lebanon plans to defend its right
to use and benefit from its natural resources of gas and oil found in
its territorial waters, without any obstacles.

President of Armenia Serge Sarkissian held a dinner party in honor of
Sleiman and his First Lady, at the presidential palace in Yerevan.

Sleiman also stressed the importance of improving the
Armenian-Lebanese relations in various fields, including political and
humanitarian, emphasizing “the role that the Lebanese-Armenian can
play in this context.” “The fact that our country has managed to avoid
the global financial crisis and sustain security of the banking system
has a lot to do with maintaining stability in Lebanon,” he said.

Sleiman also loaded the French soldiers involved in UNIFIL and highly
deplored the explosion which attacked a patrol of the French
contingent Friday in Tyre, injuring a number of soldiers.

Armenian President Serge Sarkisian, for his part, said the
Lebanese-Armenian bilateral relations were “rich,” adding he wished to
preserve and “deepen cooperation on all levels.” R.Z.

From: A. Papazian

ARMEE ARMENIENNE
Les Droits de l’homme au sein de l’armée arménienne

Le ministère arménien de la Défense a organisé le 10 décembre au siège
du ministère une table ronde à l’occasion de la Journée internationale
des Droits de l’homme. La réunion était menée par Ara Nazarian le
vice-ministre de la Défense. De nombreux cadres militaires ont
participé à la réunion qui visait à sensibiliser aux droits des
soldats au sein de l’armée. Lors de cette rencontre, la décision de
réaliser l’an prochain un programme d’enseignement autour du thème «
Les Droits de l’honnie au sein des forces armées ». Après les remous
et indignations provoquées suite à la mort de plusieurs soldats au
sein de l’armée arménienne, l’intégration de ces valeurs essentielles
semble une priorité que le ministère de la Défense a engagé en
coopération avec les organisations de défense des Droits de l’homme.

Krikor Amirzayan

dimanche 11 décembre 2011,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

From: A. Papazian

OSCE Ministerial Council opens with call to address transnational
threats, protracted conflicts, strengthen engagement with partners

armradio.am
06.12.2011 13:43

Ensuring security in the OSCE region requires further efforts to
tackle transnational threats, prevent and resolve conflicts, and
engage meaningfully with partners in the Mediterranean and Asia,
foreign ministers of the 56 OSCE participating States heard at the
start of the 18th OSCE Ministerial Council in Vilnius today. In the
meeting, Ministers discussed the need to reinforce the OSCE’s efforts
in all of these areas, with a view to realizing the common vision of a
Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian security community.

Dalia Grybauskaitë, President of Lithuania, welcoming the ministers
and high-level representatives to the two-day meeting, said: “It is
important to continue your work towards resolving protracted
conflicts, dealing with new threats and challenges, and consolidating
the fundamental values of the OSCE.” She also stressed that “it is
vital that human rights and the fundamental principles of democracy be
transferred into national policies and practice. This applies to all
human rights and fundamental freedoms – ranging from free elections to
the safety of journalists.”

The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius
Aþubalis, recalling the vision of a Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian
security community set forth by leaders at the OSCE Summit in Astana
last year, urged states to respect their OSCE commitments.

Aþubalis underscored progress already made in addressing transnational
threats, called for increased engagement with Afghanistan, and urged
the Ministers to support the OSCE’s Mediterranean Partner countries in
their democratic transition, stressing that “their progress, security
and stability are ours as well”.

Aþubalis highlighted recent progress made on restarting the official
talks on the Transdniestrian conflict, urging the parties “to seize
this opportunity” and called for increased efforts in resolving the
other protracted conflicts in the OSCE region.

OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier highlighted the need to move
towards achieving a Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian security community:
“That vision needs now to be better articulated and operationalized.”

“Our collective task over the next two days is to build on this
effort, in order to provide further impetus to the work of the next
Chairmanships,” he said, outlining a path forward for the Organization
that included proposals to consolidate and strengthen efforts to
address transnational threats and work with Partner countries, as well
as intensified interaction between the OSCE and the academic
community. He also stressed his support for the Chairmanship’s efforts
to strengthen the OSCE’s capability to address all phases of the
conflict cycle and urged Ministers to take concrete decisions in this
area.

From: A. Papazian

Turkey is responsible for massacres in Dersim

Aysor.am
Monday,December 05

The most of the population in Turkey think that that their country is
responsible for the massacres that took place in Dersim, Regnum
reports.

According to the source the survey at Turkish Tunjel city the 71% of
Turkish population has positively assessed the apology that Erdoghan
made in connection with the massacres that were implemented in Dersim.

69.3 percent think that the Republican People’s Party should also
apologize for the massacres.

45% think that the State is responsible for the massacres. And 18%
thinks that it is the Republican People’s Party that is responsible.

Most of those who have participated in the enquiry think that Cemal
Ataturk is responsible for everything.

From: A. Papazian

MilAz.info, Azerbaijan
Dec 10 2011

Samed Seyidov: `Azerbaijan is interested in changing of current status
quo in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict’

13:00 10-12-2011
`Armenian side avoided all contacts proposed by Azerbaijan within the
international organizations’

`Azerbaijan has never refused its international commitments and
approaches the negotiations mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group for the
settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict as a serious process’,
head of the Azerbaijani delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of
the Council of Europe Samed Seyidov said, APA reports.

He said unfortunately, Armenian side was not only refusing these
negotiations, but it was also avoiding the process. `If even it
participates in the negotiations, it is a non-constructive
participation. Armenian side avoided all contacts proposed by
Azerbaijan within the international organizations’.

Seyidov reminded that recently Armenian side has refused to attend the
meeting of the Nagorno Karabakh’s Azerbaijani and Armenian
communities. `They also rejected the meeting of the PACE Subcommittee
on Nagorno Karabakh. They knew that if even they participated, they
would have weak position. Therefore they used all means to avoid the
meeting. But Azerbaijani side doesn’t avoid the negotiations and is
ready to participate in any dialogue. We are interested in changing of
current status quo. The government of Azerbaijan expressed its
position many times’.

From: A. Papazian

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Dec 9 2011

America’s love for new Turkey?

ABDÃ`LHAMÄ°T BÄ°LÄ°CÄ°

Washington — Parameters in international relations that remained
unchanged for many years during the Cold War have already been
altered. Now, the mentalities that emerged in the post-Cold War era
are also being quickly left behind.

Today, we have to monitor international relations as if we were
watching the daily weather report and determine our stance
accordingly. But who can do this?

Today we are on the brink of war with Syria, with which Turkey was as
thick as thieves until very recently. When I flew to Washington a year
ago, Turkish-US relations could have been described as a disaster. The
title of an article I wrote for Today’s Zaman published Nov. 20, 2010
was `Six proposals for straightening out relations with the US,’ which
may give you an indication as to the political atmosphere in those
days. Today, though, everyone is talking about the golden age of
Turkish-US relations. So, what happened to effect a 180 degree change
in relations in such a short time? There is still the same president
in the White House. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK
Party) is still at the wheel in Turkey. How can we now refer to the
golden age of relations when a year ago everyone in Washington was
questioning whether Turkey had been lost or why it had shifted its
political axis? If everything changed so swiftly, what is to guarantee
it all won’t be reversed next year? Suppose Congress announces that
Turkey committed genocide against Armenians in the past. Will we
return to the dark ages once again? How can relations change so
quickly? Isn’t there any way to prevent these sudden ebbs and flows?

I tried to find answers to these and similar questions while on a
foreign policy panel organized during the second magnificent general
assembly meeting of the Turkic American Alliance (TAA), which
represents 220 Turkish and Turkic civil society organizations (CSOs)
that are active in the fields of business, culture, education and
dialogue across the US. The meeting offered a perfect opportunity for
discussing these issues. Indeed, everyone was there. Participation in
the meeting, organized jointly with the Turkish Confederation of
Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON), was so high that a Turkish
journalist who has lived in Washington for many years preferred to
call it `historic.’ American guests compared the meeting — which
eight senators and 50 members of the House of Representatives attended
— to events held by well-organized Jewish, Armenian and Greek
lobbies. Turkish Finance Minister Mehmet Å?imÅ?ek and eight Turkish
deputies were in Washington to participate. My panel included Turkey
expert and former member of Congress Joshua Walker, the founder of the
famous polling company Zogby and a Turkish expert. Mehmet Å?imÅ?ek,
Kemal DerviÅ?, Robert Wexler and many other prestigious figures were
among the panelists.

In my opinion, there are two reasons for the poor state Turkish-US
relations were in a year ago. The first was Turkey’s saying `no’ to
the UN Security Council’s resolution on sanctions against Iran. The
other was the impact of the Mavi Marmara crisis. Given such facts as
Turkey’s political stability, its economic successes despite economic
collapse in the West and the harmony between Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip ErdoÄ?an and US President Barack Obama were in place last year
as well, there remain two developments that could change relations in
the course of a year. First, Turkey agreed to host a NATO radar
system. Second, the Arab Spring upgraded Turkey’s position in the eyes
of the US, making it a very valuable player, and both countries are
pursuing similar policies in this regard.

Without discussing this matter with the players in Washington, it is
hard to explain how these two issues have changed their perspective of
Turkey. Moreover, this is a golden age experienced despite the bad
state of Turkish-Israeli relations — the improvement of which was
often cited as a prerequisite for amiable Turkish-US ties. Incredibly,
everyone is praising Turkey. This is a new and surprising development
for us as we are accustomed to hearing criticisms from the West. There
is high traffic in terms of talks at all levels between the two
countries. President Abdullah Gül and Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an are at the
top of a list of world leaders Obama most frequently consults.

While there may be advantages for maintaining proximity with the US,
which still has the status of a superpower, albeit a tripping one,
questions such as `Who manipulates whom?’ `Is Turkey being
appropriately compensated for this proximity?’ `Who will emerge as
winners in the end?’ and `What about increased hostility from the
other side?’ quickly come to mind. In this context, it should be noted
that the world is moving toward the formation of a new axis, and it
will be hard for Turkey to maintain the conveniences of its `ability
to talk to everyone.’

We may discuss these matters, but I must say that the most important
method to stabilize our relations and save them from short-term ups
and downs is to popularize bilateral relations that are being
maintained at the level of lobbies and defense organizations, to
reinforce our feeble economic ties and to boost our ties with states
throughout the world. There is no other way to make our ties stronger
and more permanent. In this context, the TAA should be congratulated
for foreseeing this need and taking action to this end. Indeed, during
the reception he hosted in honor of the TAA, Turkish Ambassador to
Washington Namık Tan properly emphasized that the TAA is employing
`the most accurate method for the most accurate target.’

From: A. Papazian

Panorama, Armenia
Dec 10 2011

Levon Aronyan in London Tournament

In the 6th round of Classical Chess Armenian GM Levon Aronyan ended
in draw with Adams. The other sets, including Anand-Kramnik,
McShane-Nakamura and Howell-Short, also ended in draw.

Thus, having scored 11, Nakamura leads the tournament. Today, in the
7th round Levon Aronyan will meet with world champion Anand.

From: A. Papazian