Author: Andres-Papazian

Paul Street: ISIL Is A Frankenstein Created Largely by US Imperialism

Thu Sep 04, 2014 9:57

TEHRAN (FNA)- Paul Street, American journalist, believes that the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is in fact a Frankenstein
created largely by US imperialism, and that the menace posed by the
ISIL and the resurgence of Takfiri-Salafi militancy is not limited to
Syria and Iraq.

“The peril ISIL poses to what has always been Washington’s primary
concern in the region – the great “strategic prize” of Middle Eastern
oil – raises the specter of the US having to re-send large military
deployments to the world’s energy heartland. And that is something US
policymakers do not relish since they know by now that it has strong
potential to make the situation worse. Smart US planners have learned
that direct US military intervention fuels “anti-Americanism” and
strengthens the jihadist movement in the long run. The US prefers to
dominate the region through proxies (including Saudi Arabia, the Arab
Emirates, and Israel) and divide-and-rule,” said Street in an
exclusive interview with Fars News Agency.

He believes that the US, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan pretty much
manufactured the global Jihadist network in order to bloody the nose
of the Soviet Union in the late 1970s and 1980s. The ISIL is of course
an offshoot of Al-Qaeda, itself largely a product of that US Cold War
policy.

Fars News Agency has conducted an interview with Paul Street, an
independent researcher, journalist, historian, author and speaker
based in Illinois, in an attempt to study the claim by the US
authorities that they are combating ISIL and terrorism in the Middle
East.

Paul Street is the author of numerous books including “Empire and
Inequality: America and the World Since 9/11”, “Segregated Schools:
Educational Apartheid in the Post-Civil Rights Era”, and “Racial
Oppression in the Global Metropolis: a Living Black Chicago History”.

Street’s essays, articles, reviews, interviews, and commentaries have
appeared in numerous outlets, including CounterPunch, Truthout, the
Chicago Tribune, Capital City Times, In These Times, and Chicago
History.

Street’s writings, research findings, and commentary have been
featured in a large number and wide variety of media venues, including
The New York Times, CNN, Al Jazeera, the Chicago Tribune, WGN
(Chicago/national), WLS (ABC-Chicago), Fox News, and the Chicago Sun
Times.

What follows is the text of FNA’s interview with Paul Street:

Q: Would you Kindly explain the role of the US in forming and bringing
the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) into existence. Is
this a plot orchestrated by the US and its allies? If so, why?

A: The ISIL is in fact a Frankenstein created largely by the US
imperialism. Still, it’s too much and far too simple to say that it is
plot or a conspiracy orchestrated by the US and its allies. To say
that it is to exaggerate the US power and to unduly deny agency to
Sunni Islamists. It is also to misconstrue US-imperial aims in the
Middle East. The menace posed by the ISIL and the resurgence of
Jihadism is not limited to Syria and Iraq. It also threatens, in the
words of the incisive US Left commentator Glen Ford, to “consume the
kings, Emirs and Sultans the US depends on to keep the Empire’s oil
safe.” With the rise of the new Caliphate, Ford notes, “The pace of
(US) imperial decline just got quicker.” And, of course, many ISIL
supporters and fighters see the US as a great Satanic enemy.

The peril the ISIL poses to what has always been Washington’s primary
concern in the region – the great “strategic prize” of Middle Eastern
oil – raises the specter of the US having to re-send large military
deployments to the world’s energy heartland. And that is something the
US policymakers do not relish since they know by now that it has
strong potential to make the situation worse. Smart US planners have
learned that direct US military intervention fuels “anti-Americanism”
and strengthens the jihadist movement in the long run. The US prefers
to dominate the region through proxies (including Saudi Arabia, the
Arab Emirates, and Israel) and divide-and-rule. “The problem is,” Ford
notes, “the Pentagon’s proxies are evaporating, in flight, or – in the
case of Arab Iraq – growing ever more dependent on Iran and (who would
have predicted it?) Russia, which is assisting in reconstituting the
Iraqi air force.”

Now, to say that the ISIL is not simply a US conspiracy or plot is not
to deny that it is very much a creation of the US policy. The US,
Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan pretty much manufactured the global
Jihadist network in order to bloody the nose of the Soviet Union in
the late 1970s and 1980s. The ISIL is of course an offshoot of
Al-Qaeda, itself largely a product of that the US Cold War policy.
Moving into the current century and millennium, it is highly unlikely
that the ISIL would have emerged in Iraq if the US had not:

-Invaded Iraq and broken state power there while directly and
indirectly killing more than a million Iraqis and displacing millions
more.

-Disbanded the Iraqi army.

-Stood by while Baghdad was looted.

-Built military bases all over Iraq.

-Fueled and exploited sectarian and related ethno-religious divisions in Iraq.

-Created and left behind in Baghdad the world’s largest embassy, which
harbors an army of US military contractors and CIA and other
“intelligence agents.

-Continued to function as the dominant military power in Iraq through
provision of arms, training, and other “support” to Iraq’s forces.

-Insisted on US troops’ immunity from prosecution for criminal acts by
Iraqi authorities.

At the same time, the US has given significant high-tech weapons and
training to the ISIL and allied groups fighting the Assad regime in
Syria. As the incisive US commentator Arun Gupta notes on the Web site
of teleSur English, the situation is somewhat analogous to US policy
in Afghanistan during the 1980s:

“US and Israeli policy toward Syria is a cynical balance of wanting to
weaken Assad by aiding the armed opposition to his rule but not trying
to strike a decisive blow as that would bring unknown forces to power
or resolve the conflict through diplomatic or political means as that
would leave Assad in power, representing a victory for Hezbollah and
Iran. Rebel sources in Syria claimed in September 2013 they were
receiving arms such as anti-tank weapons from the United States that
were financed by the Saudis. The armed opposition in Syria consists of
a staggering 1,500 groups, however, and most fighters are with
Islamist or Jihadi forces such as the ISIL or the recognized Al-Qaeda
affiliate, the Al-Nusra Front. The ISIL claimed last year that it was
buying anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons from rebels that Washington
is allegedly arming.”

“The situation is similar to the Afghanistan War. There have been
rumors for decades that the CIA backed Al-Qaeda in the 1980s. There is
not definitive proof that Osama bin Laden was a CIA asset, but the
United States did turn the region into a petri dish for violent
religious fanatics known as the Mujahedeen (Jihadists). Some 12,500
foreign fighters ‘were trained in bomb-making, sabotage and urban
guerrilla warfare in Afghan camps the CIA helped to set up.’ The
United States paid little concern to its monstrous creation as long as
it was tangling with the Soviet Union. It’s nearly as blasé about
fundamentalists at war with Assad’s Syria. The United States and its
allies, especially the Saudis, flooded both conflicts with guns and
cash, guaranteeing Syria would also become a lightning rod for
Islamist forces….The Saudis want to pummel Assad’s regime as a way to
inflict a blow on Iran, which sees itself as the leader of oppressed
Shi’a brethren.”

There are, of course, two differences with the Afghan situation near
the end of the end of the Cold War. First, the Soviet Union is gone,
leaving the US as the only non-Muslim superpower for jihadists to
hate, fight, and dream of bringing down. Second, as Gupta notes,
“unlike Al-Qaeda, which needed a patron in the form of the Taliban,
the ISIL is building its own state in (an oil-rich) region of utmost
importance to Empire, not a backwater like Afghanistan.”

This is what Ford rightly calls “the Empire reap(ing) the Jihadist
whirlwind. It’s Frankenstein Returns, Bigger and Badder than Before.

Of course, here in the US, the “mainstream” (corporate) media just
blames “sectarianism,” paying no attention whatsoever to the critical
US role in the creation of the monster. The US is portrayed as
portrayed as a well-intentioned but innocent bystander, a frustrated
umpire — at worst bumbling and befuddled.

Q: The ISIL is equipped with the latest state-of-the-art weaponry.
This is so extraordinary. The terrorist group emerged out of nowhere
and now is using modern ammunition without US and NATO satellites
detecting this. How is this possible?

A:There’s no mystery here. The ISIL has the US weaponry given directly
to it in Syria and taken from the Iraq government. The region is
flooded with weapons from the US, the world’s leading arms exporter
and manufacturer of high-tech weaponry. As I hope my first answer
shows, I don’t really think the ISIL “emerged out of nowhere.” For
another example of the same basic thing, look at the basket case that
US has made out of Libya – another quagmire where a horrific US attack
broke state power, fueled rampant sectarianism, and left US weapons in
the hands of both sides, including Jihadists.

Q: High-ranking US officials have repeatedly claimed that they are
fighting against the ISIL and that they will uproot them soon. We are
seeing double-standards again. Now they say “it’s not an easy task”.
Is this a bogus claim? What do you think?

A: They will not really fight the ISIL in Syria, where the US policy
is to weaken (officially, to topple) the Assad regime, which is if
course allied with the US enemy Iran. Now overthrowing Assad happens
to be the declared objective of the ISIL and other Jihadis in Syria.
As the leading Middle East war reporter Patrick Cockburn notes, “There
is a pretense in Washington and elsewhere that there exists a
‘moderate’ Syrian opposition being helped by the US, Qatar, Turkey,
and the Saudis. It is, however, weak and getting more so by the day.
Soon the new caliphate may stretch from the Iranian border to the
Mediterranean and the only force that can possibly stop this from
happening is the Syrian army.”

The US and its key ally Saudi Arabia are determined to pound the
Syrian government as a way to inflict pain on Iran, which stands up
for oppressed Saudi Shiites who live in dire poverty above spectacular
oil wealth in the Eastern Province of the Arabian Peninsula.

The US planners are seriously concerned about the ISIL in oil-rich
Iraq, however. “The reality of the US policy,” Cockburn notes, “is to
support the government of Iraq, but not Syria, against ISIL.” The
irony, of course, is that one of the reasons that the ISIL has been
“able to grow so strong in Iraq is that it can draw on its resources
and fighters in Syria” (Cockburn) – fighters who get material and
money directly from the US.

I don’t really think this is a “double-standard.” It is a
contradiction in the US imperial policy – one that reflects the single
standard of imperial divide and rule.

It will not be at all easy for the US to uproot what Obama calls “the
cancer” of the ISIL. There’s no guarantee of the US success. There’s
much to suggest the likelihood of the US failure in trying to control
the monster it created. As the late US historian and foreign policy
critic Gabriel Kolko used to say, “Washington planners’ arrogant
belief that they can neatly manage the world’s affairs in the US and
world interests from the banks of the Potomac has always been a great
and dangerous illusion, with disastrous consequences at home and
abroad.”

Interview by Javad Arab Shirazi

From: A. Papazian

France-Karabakh Friendship Circle welcomes California Senate Resolution

10:57 04.09.2014

The France-Karabakh Friendship Circle ha issued a statement, warmly
welcoming Resolution AJR 32 adopted on August 27, 2014 by the
California State Senate, which “encourages and supports the
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic’s continuing efforts to develop as a free
and independent nation in order to guarantee its citizens those rights
inherent in a free and independent society”.

The statement, in particular, reads, “The Resolution adopted on the
eve of the 23rd anniversary of the NKR independence welcomes the NKR
efforts aimed at the development of a legal state and democratic
institutions.

The vote in California, which occupies the 8th place in the world in
its economic potential, testifies that the independence of Artsakh is
an irreversible process, because this democratic state cannot be again
subjected to Azerbaijan, which is considered authoritarian by numerous
human rights organizations”.

The Circle calls upon France to follow the example of California, in
full compliance with the Republic’s values.

From: A. Papazian

Artsakh’s independence celebrated in Alfortville, France

11:38 04.09.2014

On September 2, an event dedicated to the 23rd anniversary of the
Nagorno Karabakh Republic (Artsakh) independence took place in the
French city of Alfortville on the initiative of Hnchakyan Union’s
Nazarbek youth wing. Producer Artak Herikyan’s film Our Artsakh was
shown at the event.

NKR Permanent Representative to France Hovhannes Gevorgian was
present at the event. He briefed the participants on the achievements
of Artsakh since the proclamation of its independence and on the
current situation in the Republic, as well as answered numerous
questions of the participants.

From: A. Papazian

Indy Media, UK
Sept 4 2014

Pity the Syrian Children

Dr Declan Hayes | 04.09.2014 08:56 | NATO 2014 |

I recently toured the Armenian village of Kasab where the Free Syrian
Army and their Al Nusra allies slaughtered 88 of the 2,000 inhabitants
and publicly beheaded 13 of these defenceless civilians, deliberately
destroying the fabric and harmony of Kasab in the process. Some of the
residents I spoke to were inconsolable while others such as 86 year
old Sougman Saghdhian and his 95 year old bed-ridden brother Joseph
try to get on with life as best they can and to put the carnage and
their cynical Turkish incarceration behind them as best they can.

Although media personality Kim Kurdashian, to her eternal credit, did
send a single, solitary tweet about the rape of Kasab to her millions
of online disciples, the horrors of Kasab, like those in the rest of
Syria, largely passed the rest of the Western world by. To them, it
was just another pointless day in Hades for the Syrians and Iraqis
beyond the media’s celebrity-obsessed Pale.

To the children of Kasab, however, this barbarity is their present-day
reality and, most likely, their future as well until the jihadists and
their Turkish controllers force them to permanently evacuate their
ancestral homes and scatter them, like Iraq’s Christians before them,
to the four corners of the earth. Like the remaining Palestinian
Christian children of the West Bank, they know that, when all is said
and done, this is most likely the only viable future the West will
allow them. Because of circumstances beyond the reasoning of children
or, for that matter, of our own, the Middle East must be cleansed of
Christians and other minorities so that an artificial narrative
serving the “manifest destiny” interests of civilisation’s ruthless
enemies can become facts on the ground, as the Israelis say.

Although the minds of the children of Syria are as sponge-like as
those of children anywhere else in the world, what they have to absorb
is not fit for adults, never mind children. Give me the child, the old
maxim has it, and I will give you the fully-formed adult. Many of
tomorrow’s Syrian adults will be as seriously flawed as the Free
Syrian Army rebels who raped Kasab and who brought their little
children along for the entertainment of watching innocent Christians
being beheaded and for the excitement of watching stacks of burning
tyres destroy the insides the churches “the cross worshippers” used to
sing their hymns and practice their harmless rites in.

Not all of these invaders and looters are necessarily irredeemable
monsters. Although, for example, most of those who crossed her path
insulted and threatened 91 year old Dikranuhi Mangigian and even
smashed up her prized piano in front of her, two young Al Nusra thugs
did bring her bread and water and a female jihadist from Raqqa also
showed her some of the kindnesses we, in our turn, might extend to a
stray dog. Samuel Poladian, a colourful 75 year-old character and
George Kortmosian, his 70 year old drinking buddy, also have some good
things to say about their captors.

But against that, we should remember that even Hitler’s SS engaged in
occasional acts of kindness as well and many of them apparently
enjoyed happy family lives when not gassing their Jewish captives to
death. None of this should surprise us as, when all and said is done,
even psychopathic killers need a break and an excuse to believe they
too, unlike their hapless victims, are human and have loving, caring
families they dote on.

The extremists who stole the teddy bears of Kasab’s children probably
had such families, children who liked fluffy, cuddly toys and, like
their parents, were not too concerned that those toys had been the
treasures and comforts of other children, who were well-adjusted until
the teddy bear thieves came to town.

I spent quite a bit of time with those children. We toured the
burnt-out churches together, we picked up the discarded British and
German medical supplies the invaders left behind them, we collected
their discarded Saudi propaganda tracts, we collected bullets and
machine gun belts from the refugee-camp ambulances the jihadists left
behind and we joked and laughed with the Syrian Arab Army soldiers at
the checkpoints.

Though all of these things are not the standard or preferred fare for
transforming the child into the fully-adjusted adult, they are what
passes for normal life in Syria. True, in Kasab, as in Ma’lulah, we
did run some impromptu karate classes for the local children but
therein too hangs a tale. Although their sponge-like minds are
absorbing the horrors of the Syrian crisis, these children still want
to be children. They wear the football shirts of Barcelona and
Germany, they text and Facebook as much as their circumstances allow
and they crave for normality, attention and plain, innocent fun.

The enemies of Syria are determined to destroy those innocent
pursuits. They wish to take those young children and give us even more
fatally-flawed adults. They do not want to build a caliph but rather
they wish only to destroy. Their targets are not confined to the
bricks and mortars of the towns, villages and communities they overrun
but they extend to the local children and even to their dreams and
simple comforts such as their teddy bears and the safety and normality
of family life.

Despicable as these jihadists may be, we cannot say the West is much
better. Our leaders’ occasional crocodile tears notwithstanding, we
have very much placed our money on the rebel camp prevailing. We have
armed the rebels and provided massive logistical help to the Turkish
camps they operate from. We have allowed these mercenaries traumatize
an entire generation of Syrian children so much so that, even though
the most resilient will survive and even thrive, every psychological
disorder imaginable is becoming manifest amongst the rest of them.

When you visit Kasab’s remotest homes at dusk and when elderly
residents such as Samuel Poladian or the children accompanying us can
differentiate between the different pieces of heavy artillery being
fired a few kilometers away, you know this in not life as God intended
it for children or for anyone else. Someone has caused all this
carnage and visited it upon the innocents of Kasab and all of Syria.

Though we have not stolen their teddy bears, smashed up their
playgrounds, murdered their neighbours or looted their homes, our
indolence, ignorance and apathy have allowed the foot soldiers of
Syria’s false revolution to do just that. Unless we make amends and
work towards eliminating this takfiri cancer that warps all it
touches, we are just as culpable as them.

Dr Declan Hayes is currently on his third trip to Syria this year. He
is helping organize a conference in Damascus for April 24th 2015,
tentatively called: Syria: Between Destruction and Reconstruction to
mark the murder of all Syria’s innocents and to help plot a way
forward out of the morass. He may be reached at [email protected]

Dr Declan Hayes

From: A. Papazian

The Brooklyn Rail
Sept 4 2014

DANCE DIPLOMACY: Healing a Hundred Years of Hatred One Step at a Time

by Gillian Jakab

“An animal of a man shouted, ‘You must dance,
dance when our drum beats.’
With fury whips cracked
On the flesh of these women.
Hand in hand the brides began their circle dance.”

–from The Dance, Siamanto (1910)

In his brutal poem bewailing the beginnings of the genocide, renowned
Armenian poet Siamanto used the imagery of dance as a weapon of
humiliation’s prelude to slaughter. A hundred years later, dance is
being used as a bridge over the century-old abyss between Turks and
Armenians. DanceMotion USA, a cultural diplomacy initiative sponsored
by the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural
Affairs and produced by BAM, facilitated a contemporary dance
collaboration among artists from the three nations. The performances
were staged August 14 – 16 at BAM’s Fishman Space. Admission, like the
conscience after confession, was free.

Dancers Alper Marangoz and Davit Grigoryan, Turk and Armenian, stood
transfixed amidst the other moving bodies, pulled into a supported
collapse only to quickly push away: one standing erect, the other
pressed into the ground. A breath later they were face-to-face in a
tender moment of apology. This choreographed phrase of reconciliation
was one of a hundred fleeting cultural exchanges in “Unsettled,” the
hour-long collaborative piece by David Dorfman Dance of New York and
Korhan Basaran Company of Istanbul.

Dorfman’s company was asked by DanceMotion USA to travel to Turkey,
Tajikistan, and Armenia in search of artists to invite back to the
States for a collaborative project. In each of the three nations,
David Dorfman dancers not only performed, but also workshopped with
local artists and companies with the collaboration in mind. The
project would begin with a month-long residency at Bates Dance
Festival in Lewiston, Maine where Dorfman’s company and their guests
would choreograph and stage a piece to be performed at BAM.

In Istanbul, Dorfman connected with choreographer Korhan Basaran and
his dancers. In an interview before opening night, Dorfman recalled
how a former student of his happened to be friends with Basaran and
enthusiastically suggested the two meet. Basaran had been busy working
with his project-based multimedia company, which premiered “Heva,”a
piece on Rumi and Sufism, last year. He’d also been pursuing his
artistic interest in the tumult in Turkey surrounding last year’s
riots in Gezi Park.

“I got to see the folks that Korhan works with in Istanbul,” Dorfman
said, “and I was really impressed by their dancing and the way they
made dances. So I spoke to Michael [Blanco, director of DanceMotion
USA] and I said, ‘could you consider Korhan for the company that we
bring back because I feel he’s really, really great.’ He’s a real
leader–really talented, and I love the people in his company.”

Basaran’s company had spent 2009 – 12 in New York, and so while the
two companies were not completely unfamiliar with one another’s
movement and spoken vocabularies, there were translators at the work
sessions and the dancing took some time to cohere. “[The Basaran
Company members are] really gifted movers,” Dorfman said in one of the
behind the scenes YouTube videos. “I mean tremendously gifted, and yet
not the exact style in which we move. People can have different
tendencies and yet we can meet in the middle.”

On Dorfman’s visit to Armenia, the company held four workshops with
Armenian artists. There, he met Yerevan-based dancers Karen
Khachatryan and Davit Grigoryan. Following a series of auditions at
which they stood out, Khachatryan and Grigoryan were invited to join
the U.S. and Turkish companies for the project. The cultural diplomacy
initiative was to “promote themes of reconciliation,” in this case,
encountering the Turkish-Armenian divide through cross-collaboration.

The piece on August 14th was a meditation on this national conflict as
well as an abstract representation of micro-reconciliation: fragments
of stories and danced relationships between and among the individuals
on stage.

“We’re dealing with the subject matter–not just about Turkey and
Armenia–but about personal reconciliation,” Dorfman said. “About
travesties that we do to each other unfortunately, about sorrys, about
thank yous.”

Some of these personal sorrys and thank yous worked. Others fell flat.
The best-executed moments humanized the dancers with humor. Beyond
mere comedic relief in the middle of solemn musings, there was an
unsettling disconnect between what was said, who was saying it, and
how it was interpreted. At one point, American dancer Raja Feather
Kelly, one of the most beautiful movers in the piece, darted behind
his fellow dancers as a ventriloquist. The chat began whimsically as a
sort of word association: spurring nonsensical lines about sleepovers,
blue popsicles, and hair extensions. The schizophrenic monologue
became dark as Kelly manipulated each arm to point at a single body,
Bryan Strimpel, and then ran through the still figures demanding that
they say “sorry.” The anger turned inward as Kelly began to
sob–initially sharp in its emotional power, and then uncomfortable as
the duration stretched, fizzled, and lost its provocative merit.

The transitions from the more performative passages of spoken text to
the throbbing full-group unisons colored by traditional central Asian
dance motifs, worked quite well. The progressions were aided in part
by the shifts of fractal white lights to the smoky atmospheres of
yellow and red gels.

The energy was high as everyone gestured with pulsing arms to the
ceiling and to the floor. The ferocious rhythmic stomping and body
percussion was impressive all around, though some dancers beamed while
others were less confident in outward expression–a dichotomy that
seemed to fall along cultural lines.

Basaran and Dorfman themselves danced in “Unsettled.” Basaran looked
as if he had ropes attached to his arms: with each port-de-bras he
tangled them in front of his tall body and was forced to wiggle
through the spaces he’d created with his steps. Dorfman, at age 58,
moved with the vibrancy of a much younger man, extending his limbs
sharply to cut air in geometric chunks.

David Dorfman Dance’s BAM production culminates DanceMotion USA’s
fourth season. The program has covered significant ground since its
pilot season in 2010 where it sent eleven American dance companies to
seven different world regions including Brazil, Mozambique, and Sri
Lanka.

One brilliant facet of DanceMotion USA’s work is its elevation of the
journey over the destination. The program’s prolific transparency of
process, from its Youtube channel broadcasting the company’s travels
and work abroad, to its livefeeds and broadcasts of rehearsals, artist
talks, and performances, highlights the collaborative process. The
Armenian hand game the dancers played during rehearsal, the
traditional Turkish dance steps learned at a workshop, the daring
improv exercises–the genuine moments of palpable cultural exchange are
shared and preserved so their effects can be felt beyond the dancers
and their immediate audiences. On the live Internet feed of an
afternoon rehearsal on August 6th, Dorfman narrated to an audience
tuned in behind laptop screens that they were about to see a few
possible endings for the piece. With only two days of rehearsal left,
Dorfman and Basaran were still deciding. The window into their
unsettled state was most humanizing.

Government-sponsored culture is inherently suspect, and rightfully so.
DanceMotion USA is no exception. It is not guilty of propaganda, the
most common criticism of these programs, but rather, one questions its
efficacy. Can dance diplomacy heal a hundred years of hatred? Can a
contemporary dance collaboration soothe the lingering wounds of an
ancient genocide? Of course not. Posed this way, the questions
trivialize the century-old crime against humanity of the Armenian
slaughter at the hands of the Ottoman Turks. But cultural diplomacy’s
secret weapon is attraction, which is naturally more effective against
divisions rooted in emotion than political diplomacy’s horsemen of
persuasion or influence. People-to-people exchanges humanize, while
politician-to-politician exchanges frustrate the hell out of people.
At the nation-state level, Turkey, Armenia, and the U.S. become
concepts rather than lands of individuals. Dance diplomacy not only
pokes through the barriers obscuring the cultural “other,” but it
dives into them, rolls on the ground, and supports them in a weight
share on its back. It can’t choreograph a cure for the past, but it
can offer steps toward a peaceful future.

From: A. Papazian

PRESS RELEASE
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apost. Church of America and Canada
H.E. Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan
Prelate, Easter Prelacy and Canada
138 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212-689-7810
Fax: 212-689-7168
Web:

September 4, 2014

The Armenian Prelacy =99¦ 138 East 39th Street =99¦ New York, NY
10016

tel: 212-689-7810 =99¦ Fax: 212-689-7168 =99¦ Email:
[email protected]

CATHOLICOS ARAM WILL ATTEND SUMMIT OF RELIGIOUS LEADERS; HIS HOLINESS
WILL ARRIVE IN DC ON SATURDAY

His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, will
arrive
in Washington, DC, this Saturday, September 6, where next week he will
join with other religious leaders to participate in the In Defense of
Christians (IDC) Inaugural Summit of Middle East Christians. The
Summit will take place at the Omni Shoreham Hotel from September 9 to
11. His Eminence Archbishop Oshagan has also been invited to
participate in the Summit. (See the next item for information about
IDC and the Summit.)

The entourage welcoming His Holiness when he arrives in Washington
will be
led by our Prelate, Archbishop Oshagan and the Prelate of the Western
Prelacy, H.E. Archbishop Moushegh; they will be joined by
Rev. Fr. Sarkis Aktavoukian, pastor of Soorp Khatch Armenian Apostolic
Church of Bethesda, Maryland, and Dr. Dertad Manguikian, a member of
the Cilician See’s Executive Council.

His Holiness will deliver the sermon and preside over the Divine
Liturgy at Soorp Khatch Church on Sunday, September 7. Following the
Liturgy, there will be a reception and opportunity for the Faithful to
greet the Catholicos (Achahampouyr).

On Monday evening, September 8, His Holiness will attend a dinner in
honor
of the Patriarchs from the Middle East attending the IDC Summit that
is being hosted by the Ambassador of Lebanon to the United States,
H.E. Ambassador Antoine Chedid. On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday
His Holiness will attend the IDC Summit. On Friday morning he will
visit the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia to meet with the recently
appointed Ambassador Tigran Sargsian, and at noon he will be the guest
of honor at a reception hosted by the Armenian National Committee of
America (ANCA).

IN DEFENSE OF CHRISTIANS (IDC)

The deteriorating situation facing millions of Christians and other
religious minorities in the Middle East will be the focus of a
bipartisan and ecumenical conference. The three-day event sponsored by
In Defense of Christians (IDC) will feature speakers from all over the
globe.

The Summit, whose theme is `Protecting and Preserving Christianity,
Where It All Began,’ will be the first occasion in history where six
Christian Patriarchs from the Middle East will gather together in the
United States. IDC is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization committed
to the
preservation and protection of Christians in the Middle East. Also
attending the Summit will be a broad spectrum of religious leaders
from the United
States, as well as human rights experts. Attendees will participate in
a number of pre-scheduled meetings with House and Senate members and
their staffs.

Organizers of the Summit said that this first-of-its-kind event will
provide the opportunity to gather in unity with hundreds of Christian
brothers and sisters, receive exclusive current reports, participate
in ecumenical prayer services, speak with members of Congress urging
them to stand in solidarity with the historic Christian communities
whose survival is not merely a moral imperative, but in the interests
of all nations and peoples of the West and Middle East.

For more information about IDC and the Summit click here
().

PRELATE OPENS AYF OLYMPICS

As he has done every year since his election as Prelate of the Eastern
Prelacy in 1998, Archbishop Oshagan attended the Labor Day Olympics of
the Armenian Youth Federation and opened the games with his message
and prayer. This year the Olympics-the 81st-in Detroit, Michigan,
hosted by the Kopernik Tandourjian chapter of the AYF.

In his message the Prelate praised the AYF for `keeping our youth
together and engaged.’ His Eminence said, `Since my first Olympics
message as your Prelate in 1998, my messages have focused on the
importance of participation, not only in the sports arena, but in all
aspects of life, especially as Armenian Americans who have inherited
an ancient and distinctive heritage, and an obligation and duty to
safeguard the growth of that heritage.’

`Dear Olympians and Spectators,’ His Eminence said, =80=9CWe are
approaching the pivotal year of 2015 and the 100th anniversary of the
Armenian Genocide that decimated our nation to such an extent that
many believed that surely this was the end. Praise our Lord, here we
are, the
children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of the survivors,
preparing to commemorate the centennial of this horrific crime and to
demand recognition, restitution, and reparation.’

Some of the newly-built houses in Nor Giligia.

ST. STEPHEN’S SATURDAY ARMENIAN SCHOOL DONATES $2,000 FOR NOR GILIGIA
PROJECT

A few years ago, the Holy See of Cilicia embarked on a long-term
project in conjunction with the government of Artsakh, to renovate and
revitalize the border village of Nor Khazan that would be renamed Nor
Giligia. The overall project included the building of houses, roads,
school, hospital, and other infrastructure improvements.

Archbishop Oshagan recently received a letter from the St. Stephen’s
Armenian Saturday School of Greater Boston, with a donation of $2,000
for the ongoing Nor Giligia project in Artsakh. The parents of each
student donated ten dollars that resulted in a total of $1,500. The
governing body of the Saturday school decided to add an additional
$500 to the collected sum and remitted $2,000 to the Prelacy.

Archbishop Oshagan received the letter and the enclosed check with
gratitude and expressed his heartfelt thanks to the students, their
parents, and the governing body. He noted that there is still much
work to be done before
the Nor Giligia project is completed. The Eastern Prelacy has pledged
to sponsor four houses at an approximate cost of $35,000 per
house. Donations for Nor Giligia can be made online
() or mailed to the
Prelacy (138 E. 39th Street, New York, NY 10016). Checks should be
payable to Armenian Apostolic Church of America with =80=9CNor
Giligia’ noted in the memo area.

MUSICAL ARMENIA APPLICATIONS

The Musical Armenia committee is accepting applications from young
Armenian musicians who would like to be featured in a concert at
Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall in New York City. Those interested
in apply should visit the Prelacy’s web site ()
or click
here ().

The Prelacy inaugurated the Musical Armenia series in 1982 in order to
promote the careers of talented young Armenian musicians from all over
the world. Since then, the annual concerts have remained faithful to
the objectives of the series. The 2015 concert will take place on
Friday, March 20. Applications should be sent no later than October
30, 2014.

SIAMANTO ACADEMY WILL RESUME ITS ACTIVITIES

The Armenian National Education Committee (ANEC), jointly sponsored by
the
Prelacy and the Armenian Relief Society, sponsored for many years the
Siamanto Academy for young adults. After a recent hiatus, the Academy
is ready to resume its activities. The Academy offers courses on
Armenian history, culture, and contemporary issues. Classes will take
place on a monthly basis, every second Saturday, beginning in
September at Sts. Vartanantz Armenian
Apostolic Church (Ridgefield, New Jersey), from 2 pm-5 pm. For
additional information, please contact ANEC at
[email protected].

BIBLE READINGS

Bible readings for Sunday, September 7, Third Sunday after the
Assumption,
(Eve of the Fast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross), are: Isaiah
14:1-11; 2 Corinthians 7:4-16; Mark 7:31-37. Readings for the Birth of
the Holy Virgin Mary Mother of God are: Proverbs 31:29-31; Isaiah
61:9; Galatians 3:24-29; Matthew 1:1-17.

Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon
towards
the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. They brought to
him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged
him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from
the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched
his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him,
`Ephphatha,’ that is, `Be opened.’ And immediately his ears were
opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. Then Jesus
ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more
zealously they proclaimed it. They were astounded beyond measure,
saying, `He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear
and the mute to speak.’ (Mark 7:31-37)

For a listing of the coming week’s Bible readings click here
().

THE 318 FATHERS OF THE HOLY COUNCIL OF NICAEA

This Saturday, September 6, the Armenian Church commemorates the First
Ecumenical Council held in Nicaea in Asia Minor in the year 325, and
the 318 Church Fathers who attended. The Council was convened by
Emperor Constantine. Aristakes, son of Gregory the Illuminator,
represented the Armenian Church. The Council is mentioned in the
writings of Moses of Khoren and Agathangelos. In later centuries and
in all their doctrinal writings, the Fathers of the Armenian Church
referred to the Council of Nicaea with veneration and
the Nicene Creed (Havatamk) was incorporated into the Armenian
Liturgy. The Council condemned Arianism that denied the full divinity
of Christ, and proclaimed that the orthodox position is the belief in
`one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of God and Father,
Only Begotten, of the substance of the Father. God from God, light
from light, true God, begotten and not made,’ (from the Nicene Creed
recited during the Armenian Divine Liturgy).

PAREGENTAN OF THE FAST OF EXALTATION

This Sunday, September 7, is the Paregentan of the Fast leading to the
Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (Khachveratz), which is next
Sunday.
Because the Exaltation is a Tabernacle Feast, it is preceded by a week
(Monday to Friday) of fasting.

FEAST OF THE NATIVITY OF THE HOLY MOTHER

This Saturday, September 6, is the Feast of the Nativity of the Holy
Mother of God. The birth of Mary is not recorded in the Bible. The
account of this event comes to us from other writings that are not
part of the New Testament. According to tradition, Joachim and Anna
were faithful and pious, waiting for the promised Messiah. They were
elderly and childless. They prayed
to God for a child and were blessed with a daughter they named Mary,
who would become the Mother of the Messiah.

NEWS FROM THE CATHOLICOSATE

CATHOLICOS MEETS WITH HEADS OF CHURCHES

Last week the patriarchs of the Middle East Churches met at the
Maronite Patriarchate in Bkerke, Lebanon. His Holiness Aram I
participated in the meeting, accompanied by Bishop Shahe Panossian,
Prelate of Lebanon, and V. Rev. Fr. Housig Mardirossian, the
Ecumenical Officer of the Catholicosate.

The participants met to further consider items they had discussed at
the recent visit of the Patriarchs to Iraq and to prepared a public
statement on
the situation. After sharing their impressions on the plight of
Christian refugees, the Patriarchs agreed to highlight the following
points: Christians belong in the region and they will stay and defend
their rights; the strategy and actions of the extremists do not
reflect the teachings and values
of Islam; Christians will join hands with moderate Muslims of the
region; and the international community should assist local Christians
in combating
conservative Islam.

At the end of their meeting, the Patriarchs received and shared their
concerns with the United Nations representative in Lebanon and the
ambassadors of the five UN Security Council member countries-the
United States,
Russia, the United Kingdom, China, France, and the representative of
the Holy See. Catholicos Aram warned the ambassadors that extremist
Islam is not
only a menace to Christians, but also to Islam and the whole world,
and urged them to adopt a holistic strategy that would include
political and economic issues along with the humanitarian aid and
military considerations.

The ambassadors thanked the patriarchs for sharing their thoughts with
them and promised to take the matter to their respective governments.

PATRIARCHS ISSUE STATEMENT

Earlier in August, high officials from ancient Christian churches in
the Near East issued a common statement denouncing the emergence of
armed extremist groups who `murder, shatter, and violate the sacred
nature of the churches’ and other suffering communities in the Middle
East. The church leaders called upon the international community, by
action of the United Nations Security Council and the International
Court of Justice, to restore the rights and homes of civilian
populations and guarantee a return
to land that has been taken from them.

The religious leaders who gathered on August 7 in Lebanon at the
invitation of the Maronite Patriarch of Antioch, Cardinal Bishara
Butrsos al Rai, included: Catholicos Aram I of the Armenian Apostolic
Orthodox Church; Greek Catholic Patriarch Gregorius Lahham III of
Antioch and All the East, Alexandria, and Jerusalem; Greek Orthodox
Patriarch Yuhanna Al Yazajee X of Antioch and All the East; Armenian
Catholic Patriarch Narcis Bedros XIX of Cilicia; Syriac Catholic
Patriarch Mar Aghnatios Yousel Younan III of Antioch; Syrian Orthodox
Patriarch Mor Ignatius Afram II of Antioch and All the East;
representative of Chaldean Patriarch Louis Raphael Sakko II of
Babylon; and Bishop Shlimon Wardouni, the Chaldean Patriarchal Vicar.

The statement describes religious extremism as `a disease’
that attacks the foundations of inter-religious coexistence throughout
the
region, and the signers of the statement call on governments now
supplying
terrorist groups to cut off all funding and material support. Sister
churches throughout the world are requested to `show solidarity’
with the Middle Eastern Christians in the face of wide-scale
persecution, and to encourage the continuation of relief work.

THE PODCAST WITH FR. NAREG

Archbishop Oshagan being interviewed by Rev. Fr. Nareg Terterian,
pastor of St. Sarkis Church in Douglaston, NY.

Rev. Fr. Nareg Terterian, pastor of St. Sarkis Church in Douglaston,
New York, has inaugurated a new online project, `THE PODCAST with
Fr. Nareg Terterian,’ that will feature discussions, interviews, Bible
reflections, and hymns. The inaugural Podcast features an interview
with our Prelate, Archbishop Oshagan. You can hear it now here
().

`BAROQUE AND BEFORE’ CONCERT AT THE CATHEDRAL

Although it was the Labor Day weekend when many families are away, 150
people came to St. Illuminator’s Cathedral in New York City last
Saturday for a `Baroque and Before’ concert that featured Lucine
Musaelian on the bass viola da gamba and Joyce Chen on the
harpsichord. The program included the gems of the Baroque and
Renaissance eras that included the works of composers Marin Marais,
Georg Philipp Telemann, Francois Couperin, Diego Ortiz, and Girolamo
Frescobaldi.

Lucine Musaelian is a junior in Horace Mann School in Riverdale, New
York.
She began playing the viola da gamba in 2006 and she has performed at
early music festivals and workshops. She is also enrolled in the
Precollege Division of the Manhattan School of Music, where she is a
voice student. She is interested in many styles of music, and plays
guitar and piano as well as
the viola da gamba.

Joyce Chen discovered her love for early music when she joined the UC
Berkley Baroque Ensemble. She is currently a doctoral student in
harpsichord and a teaching assistant at Stony Brook University. She
serves as the music director at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in
Patchogue (NY) and organist at St. Thomas More Roman Catholic Church
in Hauppauge (NY). She has participated in many early music festivals.

On behalf of a very appreciative audience, Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian,
pastor of the Cathedral, expressed heartfelt congratulations and
thanks to the two artists for their spectacular performance.

Lucine Musaelian on the bass viola da gamba, and Joyce Chen on the
harpsichord provided beautiful music in a concert of early music from
the Baroque and Renaissance eras.

Der Mesrob with the artists.

THIS WEEK IN ARMENIAN HISTORY

(Prepared by the Armenian National Education Committee[ANEC])

Mekhitar of Sebastia

Foundation of the Mekhitarist Congregation (September 8, 1701)

Since its inception, the educational and cultural activities of the
Mekhitarist Congregation had a very important role in Armenian
history. After becoming a priest at the age of 20, Mekhitar of
Sebastia (1676-1749) decided to find a congregation in order to work
collectively to increase the spiritual, moral and intellectual levels
of the Armenian people. He was consecrated celibate priest in 1699 and
soon converted to Catholicism. However, he did not renege his Armenian
ancestry and identity.

On September 8, 1701, on the feast of the birth of the Virgin Mary,
Mekhitar and a group of sympathizers founded the congregation of
St. Anthony the Abbot in Constantinople. The congregation initially
had twelve members, including four celibate priests. The conflict
between the Armenian Apostolic and Catholic communities in the Ottoman
capital took a bloody turnaround. Mekhitar and his sympathizers fled
the Ottoman persecution and moved to the Peninsula of Morea
(Peloponessus), in Greece, which was under the domination
of the Republic of Venice, and settled in the fortress of Methon.

The Mekhitarist Monastery on the island of San Lazarro in the Venetian
Grotto.

An assembly held in 1705 prepared the draft bylaws of the
Congregation, based on the bylaws of the Benedictine Congregation and
extracted from the canons of the life of St. Anthony the Abbot. He
sent two of his students to Rome with the draft, and letters to Pope
Clement XI and the governor of the Propaganda Fide. The assembly of
the Propaganda Fide, since the canons of St. Anthony were incomplete,
suggested Mekhitar to choose from the canons of
St. Basil, St. Augustine, or St. Benedict. The Armenian priest chose
the canons of St. Benedict and presented the new draft of bylaws to
the Pope on May 12, 1711. The bylaws were approved by Clement XI in
1717, who bestowed the title of Abbot upon Mekhitar.

The library inside the Mekhitarist Monastery in Vienna, Austria.

Meanwhile, a war started between the Ottoman Empire and Venice in
December
1714. Mekhitar and most of the congregation members fled Methon and
moved to Venice. However, they needed a cloister and a monastery to
carry on their plans. The Venetian Senate had just approved a law that
forbade the establishment of any new religious congregation in the
city. Nevertheless, the highest body took Mekhitar’s request into
consideration and proposed
that he find a place outside the city. Mekhitar chose the island of
San Lazzaro, which belonged to the order of the Mendicants. On August
26, 1717, the Senate of Venice conceded the island to the congregation
with right of permanent residence, and Mekhitar and his followers, a
total of sixteen, settled there on September 8, the anniversary of the
foundation of the congregation. The renovation work at the church was
completed in 1723, and Mekhitar started the construction of a new
monastery, which was finished in 1740, including a library and a
refectory. Mekhitar passed away on April 27, 1749, and was buried
before the main altar of the island. On his death, he had already
achieved the publication of some twenty books, including the first
volume of the Haigazian Dictionary, which his disciples would complete
twenty years later. After his passing, the Congregation was named
after him.

Previous entries in `This Week in Armenian History’ can be
read on the Prelacy’s web site ().

HOVNANIAN SCHOOL SEEKS PRINCIPAL

The Hovnanian School of New Milford, New Jersey, is searching for a
new principal. The school is seeking new leadership after its
principal of 14 years, Anahid Garmiryan, accepted a position at the
Gulbenkian Foundation as the Senior Program Officer for Western
Armenian Language Support. Inquiries and requests for more information
should be directed to [email protected].

CHARLES AZNAVOUR IN NEW YORK

Charles Aznavour will perform in Madison Square Garden in New York on
Saturday, September 20, in what is being called a `farewell concert’
and `only area appearance.’ Tickets are on sale now
at THEATERATMSG.COM or at 866-858-0008.

FROM THE BOOKSTORE

The Prelacy Bookstore has an extensive collection of books (in
Armenian and English) about the Genocide including histories,
historical novels, memoirs, eye witness testimonies, essays, and
poetry. From now through next April we will feature one or two books
each week from the Bookstore’s collection.

The Sandcastle Girls

By Chris Bohjalian

This epic novel is a love story wrapped around the history of the
Armenian
Genocide. Inspired by his grandparents’ background, Bohjalian writes
about the suffering and atrocities of that time with great historical
accuracy. Reviewer Eugenia Zukerman wrote in The Washington Post, `The
Sandcastle Girls may be a novel, but, based on his family history it
is a
valuable and powerful piece of evidence pointing to the undeniable.

The Sandcastle Girls, hardcover, $25.95,

plus shipping & handling.

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To order these or other books contact the Prelacy Bookstore by email
([email protected]) or by phone (212-689-7810).

SYRIAN ARMENIAN COMMUNITY NEEDS OUR HELP MORE THAN EVER

The crises in Syria, including the recent upheaval in Kessab, require
our financial assistance. Please keep this community in your prayers,
your
hearts, and your pocketbooks.

PLEASE DO NOT FORGET OUR ONGOING RELIEF EFFORTS FOR THE ARMENIAN
COMMUNITY
IN SYRIA WHERE CONDITIONS ARE BECOMING INCREASINGLY MORE DIFFICULT.

THE NEED IS REAL.

THE NEED IS GREAT.

DONATIONS TO THE FUND FOR SYRIAN ARMENIAN RELIEF CAN BE MADE ON
LINE. TO DONATE NOW CLICK HERE AND SELECT SYRIAN ARMENIAN RELIEF IN
THE MENU. OR IF YOU PREFER YOU MAY MAIL YOUR DONATION TO:

Armenian Prelacy

138 E. 39th Street

New York, NY 10016

Checks payable to: Fund for Syrian Armenian Relief

Thank you for your help

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

September 6-Nareg Armenian Saturday School opening, 9 am to noon,
Sts. Vartanantz Church, 461 Bergen Boulevard, Ridgefield, New Jersey.

September 7-Picnic Festival, St. Gregory Church of Merrimack Valley,
158 Main Street, North Andover, Massachusetts, featuring musicians
Leon Janikian, Jason Naroian, Johnny Berberian, and John Arzigian;
presentation by Siroun Dance Ensemble of Central Massachusetts. 12:30
to 5:30 pm, church
grounds. Shish, losh, and chicken kebab dinners, veggie plates,
Armenian pastries, family games and activities.

September 7-St. Stephen’s Church of New Britain and Hartford,
Connecticut, Annual Church Picnic after Sunday services will take
place
at The Quartette Club, 225 Wooster Street, New Britain. Armenian
music, dancing, and food.

September 7-Holy Cross Church, Troy, New York, Annual Armenian Picnic,
12pm to 4 pm. Shish Kebob dinner, Lahmajoun for sale, Armenian
pastries, live music. For info: [email protected].

September 7-Lecture `Mkhitar Heratsi,’ by Dr. Gregory Kazanjian, at 1
pm, St. Illuminator’s Cathedral, 221 East 27th Street, New York
City. Organized by Cathedral and Hamazkayin of New York.

September 12-St. Hagop Church, Racine, Wisconsin, 2nd Annual
=80=9CTaste of the Mediterranean’ Wine Tasting Fundraiser, 4 to 6 pm
at Uncork in downtown Racine. Event will again feature 6 wines for
tasting,
a `mezze’ table, silent auction items, and 50/50 raffle. Cost of the
event is $20 per person or $35 per couple. Last year’s even was a
sell-out, so get your tickets early. For tickets and/or information
contact Mary M. Olson by email ([email protected]).

September 14-St. Sarkis Church, 38-65 234th Street, Douglaston, New
York, Annual Picnic on the church grounds following church
services. Admission is free. Enjoy excellent kebabs and
salads. Terrific entertainment for everyone and special activities for
children in the `KidZone.’ Music, food, and friends…a wonderful
afternoon. For information 718-224-2275.

September 14-Opening day of Sunday School at St. Asdvadzadzin Church,
Whitinsville, Massachusetts. For information contact Priscilla
Altoonian, Director, ([email protected]).

September 18, 19, 20-2014 Fall Food Festival, Soorp Khatch Church,
Bethesda, Maryland.

September 18-Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey, 12th
Annual Golf Classic, River Vale Country Club, River Vale, New
Jersey. Rain or Shine. 11 am registration and Grilled Lunch Buffet; 1
pm Tee Off. Format: Shotgun Scramble (All player levels welcome). Golf
Outing Reservation: $195; limited to first 128 paid golf
reservations. Reservation includes: Grilled lunch buffet, dinner
banquet, golf, cart, and range balls. Contests and
Prizes. Sponsorships available. For information: 201-943-2950.

September 19-All Saints Church, Glenview, Illinois, 10th Annual Golf
Outing, Fox Run Golf Link, 333 Plum Grove Road, Elk Grove Village. For
information: Hagop Soulakian 847-858-7685 or [email protected].

September 19, 20-Armenian Relief Society of Eastern USA, Erebouni and
Mayr Chapters present Two-Evenings with Emmy Award-winning director
Bared Maronian, in support of his new documentary film, `Women of
1915,’ on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide. Guest of honor: Johnson Garrett, great-grandson of Cleveland
H. Dodge, founder of Near East Relief. Guest singer: Hooshere. Friday:
Virginia Davies
& Willard Taylor, 299 W. 12th Street PH, NYC; Saturday: Narine & Sandy
Petropoulos, 114 Revere Road, Manhasset, NY. Donation $75. For
information: Anahid ([email protected]) or 917-751-4916.

September 20-Charles Aznavour `Farewell Concert’ at The Theater,
Madison Square Garden. Only area appearance. Tickets: THEATERATMSG.COM
or 866-858-0008.

September 21-Ladies Guild of St. Stephen’s Church of New Britain and
Hartford, Connecticut, will host a Tea party at noon in the church
hall, 167 Tremont Street, New Britain, Connecticut. Brought back by
popular demand. Guest speaker from the Bigelow Tea Company. Goodie
bags for all. Raffle prize is being provided by Armeny Custom Jewelry
Design.

September 21-St. Gregory Church, Philadelphia, `Designer Bag Bingo’
luncheon in Founders’ Hall at 2 pm. Fifteen lucky
winners of designer bags, including top labels, Gucci, Prada, Fendi,
Laboutin, Judith Leiber, Chanel, and others. Join us for a fun game of
Bingo, Chinese auction, and enjoy the lavish Chanel inspired theme and
décor, along with champagne, hors d’oeuvres, and desserts. Ticket
sales limited. For reservations and information: Cissy DerHagopian
856-313-6848; Donna Walter 484-354-0388.

September 21-St. Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts,
Sunday School Picnic, 1 to 3 pm. Food, hayride, and games at Peter and
Susan Baghdasarian’s farm, Uxbridge, Massachusetts. For information
contact Sunday school director Priscilla Altoonian ([email protected]).

October 3-St. Sarkis Armenian Church, Douglaston, New York, Saturday
School Dinner Dance Gala.

October 3 & 4-Ordination to the Priesthood of Deacon Diran Der
Khosrofian and Deacon Harold Nazarian, at Sts. Vartanantz Church,
Providence, Rhode Island, by His Eminence Archbishop Oshagan.

October 11-Armenian Friends of America presents Kef 5, 7:30-12:30,
Michael’s Function Hall, 12 Alpha Street, Haverhill,
Massachusetts. Tickets $50; students 21 and under, $40. Proceeds will
benefit Armenian churches of Merrimack Valley. Individually served
mezza platters and pastries; musicians, Mal Barsamian (clarinet), John
Berberian (oud), Bob Raphaelian (violin), Bruce Jigarjian (guitar),
Jason Naroian (dumbeg & vocals). Advance ticket sales only. John
Arzigian, 603-560-3826; Lucy Sirmaian, 978-683-9121; Peter Gulezian,
978-375-1616, Sandy Boroyan, 978-251-8687.

October 12-15-Prelacy Clergy Gathering for Reflection and Renewal at
St. Mary of Providence Retreat Center, Elverson, Pennsylvania.

October 19-St. Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts, His
Eminence Archbishop Oshagan will ordain sub-deacon Ara Stepanian
during the Divine Liturgy and preside over the parish’s 57th Annual
Banquet.

November 7 & 8-St. Stephen’s Church, Watertown, Massachusetts, 58th
Armenian Bazaar, 10 am to 9:30 pm at Armenian Cultural & Educational
Center, 47 Nichols Avenue, Watertown, Massachusetts. Meals served from
11:30 am to 8:30 pm (take out is available). Enjoy delicious meals,
Armenian pastries, gourmet items, arts and crafts, books, raffles,
attic treasures. For information: 617-924-7562.

November 21, 22, 23-Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey,
Annual Bazaar, Food Festival, and Hantes. Mezze and Kebab dinners
(chicken, shish, luleh); dessert table and trays of home-made
delicacies; Boutique
Booths; Chinese Auction; Supervised Game Room for children;
Pre-packaged Monte, Sou Buereg, Kufteh, and Lehmejun; Take-out
available; Live Music for dancing and listening. Traditional Kavourma
dinner on Sunday served immediately after church service. For
information: 201-943-2950.

December 6-Armenian Winter Dessert Festival, Soorp Khatch Church,
Bethesda, Maryland.

December 6-St. Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts,
Annual Bazaar at Dutch Reformed Church, Whitinsvilloe, 10 am to 5 pm.

December 7-Ladies Guild of St. Stephen’s Church of New Britain and
Hartford, Connecticut, will host a Wine Tasting Party at noon in the
church hall, 167 Tremont Street, New Britain. A wine talk and tasting
will be provided by Taylor Brooke Winery, Woodstock, Connecticut,
owned by Linda Varjabedian Auger.

February 9-11, 2015-Ghevontiantz gathering of clergy serving the
Eastern Prelacy.

October 5-9, 2015-Clergy gathering of Eastern, Western, and Canadian
Prelacies.

Web pages of the parishes can be accessed through the Prelacy’s web
site.

To ensure the timely arrival of Crossroads in your electronic mailbox,
add
[email protected] to your address book.

Items in Crossroads can be reproduced without permission. Please
credit Crossroads as the source.

Parishes of the Eastern Prelacy are invited to send information about
their major events to be included in the calendar. Send to:
[email protected]

From: A. Papazian

No alternative to peaceful settlement: Sargsyan, Aliyev, Kerry meet in Wales

00:30 05.09.2014

A trilateral meeting between Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan,
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and US Secretary of State John
Kerry had a meeting in Newport, Wales today.

The meeting took place at the initiative of the American side. Issues
related to the current stage and perspectives of settlement of the
Karabakh conflict were discussed. The parties presented the positions
of their countries in the negotiation process.

Secretary Kerry emphasized once again that there is no alternative to
the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict and exclusion of the
escalation of situation. He urged to find mechanisms to ease the
tension an build confidence between the parties.

John Kerry attached importance to the continuation of the talks in the
Minskk Group co-chairmanship format and expressed his willingness to
help find routes for peaceful resolution of the conflict.

The Secretary underlined that the political will of the parties is
important for reaching peaceful settlement of the issue.

From: A. Papazian

Liturgy at Surb Khach church to be followed by table of peace

12:53, 04.09.2014

A table of peace will follow the divine liturgy at Armenian Surb Khach
church located on Akhtamar Island in Turkey.

Mayor of Gevash town in Turkey’s Van province Sinan Hakan wants to
bring together Armenian, Syriac, Greek and Muslim clergy and
representatives of the local authorities at table of peace. He said it
will be a table of friendship and fraternity.

This year’s liturgy in Surb Khach church will be held on September 7.
As reported earlier, Patriarch Bartholomew is expected to attend the
Holy Mass.

The first ceremony after a 95-year break was held in the Armenian
church on September 11, 2010.

Armenia News – NEWS.am

From: A. Papazian

Katie Leach: Armenia’s Contribution to ISAF Is Greater Than Some NATO Allies

Lragir.am
Politics – 04 September 2014, 16:06

The U.S. Ambassador Katie Leach has commented on the upcoming NATO
Summit in Wales and the participation of Armenia. According to her,
the terrible developments in Ukraine, Libya, Iraq, Syria and Gaza have
made the world unpredictable. Growing instability in the Near East and
North Africa, Islamic State’s barbarism in Iraq and Syria expose the
religious and ethnic communities of the Near East, including the
important Armenian communities, to extermination.

“These unprecedented security challenges are the backdrop for the NATO
Summit on 4-5 September in Wales. Over two days, we are hosting the
largest gathering of international leaders ever to take place in
Britain, with over 180 VIPs, 4,000 delegates and 1500 journalists.
These leaders must consider how NATO, working with partners, can
tackle the new and complex threats facing our transatlantic alliance.
NATO has played a key role in securing a period of collective peace
and security unique in Europe. It is impossible to overstate the
importance of this to UK, European and global security. But NATO’s
strength over its 65-year history has also been its ability to adapt
and meet new challenges. There are three key themes for leaders to
discuss at the Summit.

Firstly, Russia’s actions in Ukraine require us to focus again on our
traditional core NATO task of collective defence. But the ‘hybrid’
conflict we have witnessed in Ukraine (including use of irregulars,
propaganda and deniable soldiers/equipment without insignia) also
demonstrates the need to adapt and innovate. Amongst other
investments to modernize our forces, we want to develop a brigade-size
high readiness response force able to react quickly to sudden or
ambiguous attacks or crises.

Secondly, we need to look at how to transform the NATO ISAF mission in
Afghanistan to continue to support the Afghan government and train the
350,000 strong Afghan National Security Force. The first day of the
NATO Summit is devoted to discussion with the 24 countries who have
been part of the ISAF force, our most valued partners. Armenia is one
of these – a CSTO member who, uniquely, has also been committed to
peacekeeping missions in Kosovo and Afghanistan over the past ten
years. Armenia’s current contribution to ISAF is greater than some
NATO Allies, and is only marginally less than France’s. We want to
say thank you.

Thirdly, we want to strengthen the relationship with these most valued
partners, including Armenia, and build on the ‘interoperability’ – the
ability to work together – which we have developed over the past 10
years. In an unstable world of failed states, regional conflicts,
terrorism and cyber attacks, working together to build defence
capacity and cooperation is more important than ever. We want to work
with those who share our values and value our partnership,” the
British ambassador wrote in her blog.

From: A. Papazian

Turkey Isn’t Asleep: Russia Fragmentation Plan

Igor Muradyan, Political Analyst
Comments – 04 September 2014, 08:01

Turkey is scrutinizing developments in Ukraine and trying to develop
its policy which is not fully identified yet.

Turkey has appeared between several positions: Russia, U.S., Germany,
NATO and EU. This is an overly complicated situation even for such a
big country as Turkey. In addition, no less dangerous processes are
unfolding in the Near East. Turkey is trying to identify its goals
relating to Ukraine and Russia in several dimensions.

In late August and early September a conference with a strange agenda
was organized in one of the beautiful towns of South Ukraine. A big
group of experts from Turkey, as well as Azerbaijan, Tataria,
Chuvashia, Gagauzia, Crimea and many other republics and communities
of the Volga basis and North Caucasus were attending the forum.

Such conferences are usually organized in a hangout mode, with rich
exterior and interior design and catering. This time there was a
business atmosphere, purposeful and specific questions. The matters
discussed concerned several problems, all of them geopolitical.

Turkish experts announced that the notion of “ethnopolitical
conflicts” is a merely adherent characteristic and in reality there is
geopolitical confrontation and tough antagonism. Furthermore, this
thesis became the key focus of consideration of the prospective
political work of groups of experts and politicians of these republics
and communities in Ukraine and Russia.

The following objectives were considered using the methods of
comparison, juxtaposition and complex analysis: the U.S. and NATO
policy on the Black Sea region; Crimean-Tatar problem in terms of
geopolitical antagonism; expectations relating to Russia’s
fragmentation, emergence of independent or more or less sovereign
states in its territory.

I have attended a lot of forums organized by pan-Turkism groups but I
have never seen such sincere statements and specificity, appropriate
looks and proficiency in languages of peoples living in Eastern
Europe.

Of interest are statements by experts of the Volga basin and the North
Caucasus. For example, it was stated that the ongoing developments in
Ukraine and NATO-Russia antagonism have resulted in a favorable
atmosphere for the secession of several ethnic political formations
from the Russian Federation, primarily Tataria and Chuvashia.

The representational delegation of Crimean Tatars was from Crimea,
presenting claims to Turkey for its passiveness towards the issue of
this region.

The representatives of Azerbaijan tried to raise the Karabakh issue
but the leadership of the conference rudely interrupted them and
reminded that the topic of the forum was different.

Two Armenians attending the conference did not represent Armenia or
Armenian organizations but other countries. On the whole, the
impression was that Turks would like to sell up their possibilities in
Eastern Europe to Americans or Europeans.

At the same time, the purpose was to warn Russia about Turkey’s
potential in the Russian territory. In other words, the West was
obviously the consumer of this action.

At the same time, the day before the closing of this long and
meaningful conference it became known that the municipality of the
town where it was held was highly concerned about what was happening,
and Ukraine’s Security Service openly demonstrated interest in it.
Furthermore, neither local nor any other mass media were able to
access the hotel where the conference was held, and the participants
who left the hotel refused interviews and contacts in general.

However, all this would have been understood were there not for one
circumstance. A thorough plan of fragmentation of Russia and return of
Crimea under Ukraine’s control was presented during the conference. It
was not a recommendation developed in the result of research but a
thorough program.

But the most interesting thing happened after the conference. Some
Ukrainian experts of Kiev cooperating with local political and
analytical centers of the West turned out to be aware of this action.
They had been invited to the conference but refused to attend.

From: A. Papazian