Author: Andres-Papazian

PRESS RELEASE
June 10, 2014

ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA
Contact: Taniel Koushakjian
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (202) 393-3434
Web:

SENATORS CARL LEVIN, MICHAEL BENNET COSPONSOR ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION

WASHINGTON, DC – Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Senator Carl
Levin (D-MI) and Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) recently cosponsored S.Res.
410, the Armenian Genocide resolution, reported the Armenian Assembly of
America (Assembly). In addition to Levin and Bennet, S.Res. 410, which
passed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on April 10th, has the
support of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), Senate Majority Whip
Dick Durbin (D-IL), Select Committee on Intelligence Chairwoman Diane
Feinstein (D-CA), Select Committee on Ethics Chairwoman Barbara Boxer
(D-CA), and Sens. Ed Markey (D-MA), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Sheldon
Whitehouse (D-RI).

`As a Michigander, I’m proud to know Senator Levin continues to fight for
his Armenian American constituents,’ stated Michigan State University
student, Ani Stamboulian, who is participating in the Assembly’s
Terjenian-Thomas Summer Internship program in Washington, DC. `Thank you,
Senator Levin, for lending your voice to the voiceless – the 1.5 million
Armenians that were murdered by the Ottoman Turks,’ Stamboulian said.

S.Res. 410 was introduced on April 3rd by Senate Foreign Relations
Committee Chairman Robert Menendez (D-NJ), a long-time champion of Armenian
issues and powerful voice for justice, along with Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL),
who previously served as Co-Chair of the Armenian Caucus during his tenure
in the House of Representatives.

Chairman Levin and Senator Bennet have strong records in support of
Armenian American issues, particularly US reaffirmation of the Armenian
Genocide. Levin, who is retiring this fall, has cosponsored successive
Armenian Genocide resolutions throughout his 36-year tenure. Senator Bennet
has also cosponsored previous Armenian Genocide resolutions since his
arrival to the Senate in 2009.

`We stand with the Armenian people in remembrance of the genocide that took
place nearly a century ago in the waning days of the Ottoman Empire,’
Senator Bennet told the Assembly. `The catastrophic loss of life,
systematic killing, and displacement of innocent civilians was dreadful and
unthinkable. We also reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that such a
tragedy will never happen again,’ Bennet said.

Michigan and Colorado are two of 43 US states to have recognized the
Armenian Genocide and both have substantial records affirming this
historical truth. Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper (D) signed a
proclamation recognizing the Armenian Genocide in 2011, while the Colorado
legislature passed SJR 14-032, a bill marking the `Colorado day of
remembrance of the Armenian Genocide’ on April 24, 2014. Former Michigan
Governor James Blanchard proclaimed `Armenian Genocide Remembrance
Day’ in
1990, while the state’s legislature adopted a resolution in 2002 that
annually marks April 24th as Michigan’s `days of remembrance of the
Armenian Genocide.’

Having passed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, S.Res.410 now awaits
a vote on the Senate floor. `We urge the Senate to act and adopt this
important human rights legislation,’ stated Assembly Executive Director
Bryan Ardouny.

Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest
Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding and
awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt
membership organization.

###

NR: # 2014-033
Available online:

From: A. Papazian

WHY AMERICA MUST STEP UP ITS ROLE IN RESOLVING ARMENIAN-AZERBAIJANI CONFLICT

Yahoo News
June 10 2014

Stepping up America’s direct role in advancing a resolution to the
simmering conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region between Armenia and
Azerbaijan is an essential step to serve not only American interests,
but to put Vladimir Putin on the defensive.

By Svante E. Cornell 7 hours ago

This May marked the 20th anniversary of the cease-fire in the conflict
between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorna-Karabakh region. That
is hardly an occasion to celebrate: This conflict remains unresolved,
and in the aftermath of the Crimea conflict, is arguably both more
dangerous and more relevant than ever to US interests.

If Crimea is the latest “frozen” conflict in Eurasia, the one over
Nagorno-Karabakh was the mother of the territorial conflicts of the
former Soviet Union. The conflict over that mountainous territory
pitted two post-Soviet republics in the strategic South Caucasus
against one another, and has remained unresolved since the cease-fire
20 years ago. It also set the tone for a series of territorial
conflicts with geopolitical overtones in South Ossetia, Abkhazia,
and Transnistria – and eventually in Crimea.

Just like Crimea, Karabakh featured a territory with a disputed
history, a contentious status, and a majority population with
affiliations to a neighboring state. But like Crimea, Karabakh was
never just about the locals. The conflict always featured a third
player: Moscow, which from day one played a key role in determining the
outcome of the conflict. It helped instigate the violence and armed
both sides, calibrating releases of weapons to achieve a stalemate
that left both countries weak and exposed to Russian pressure. To this
day, it remains Russia’s policy to maintain a controlled instability
between the two countries, using the conflict to cement its control
over Armenia, and to weaken pro-Western Azerbaijan.

In a tragic irony, the war turned a winner into a loser. Much smaller
than Azerbaijan in terms of wealth, population and territory, Armenia
was able to use Russian help to take control not only of the disputed
territory itself, but of seven adjacent areas of Azerbaijan. Armenia
had enjoyed considerable sympathies in the West, but its policies
of ethnic cleansing turned it into an aggressor in the eyes of the
world community. It also led to Armenia’s international isolation.

On the other hand, Azerbaijan began developing its large oil and gas
resources, and its GDP is now five time larger than Armenia’s. Armenia
has found itself with a shrinking population and a total dependence on
Russia to maintain its territorial gains. Yet Azerbaijan is no winner
either; as long as the conflict remains, its sovereignty is abridged,
and its population increasingly restless.

Calling this a “frozen” conflict provides a false sense of security.

After all, the term conjures the sense that there is no cost of
inaction. But with every passing year, the risk of a new war grows,
triggered either by accident or by design. In truth, the conflict is
now on track to be another Kashmir or Israel-Palestinian conflict:
featuring periods of cold peace interrupted by hot war. From my
perspective, the real question is what the timing, magnitude, and
shape of the next active part of the conflict will be.

That next war will not occur in a remote backwater. The conflict
lies at the crossroads of Eurasia, bordered by major powers. It lies
astride the main route pumping Caspian energy to Europe. And the
region provides the only logistical access point connecting NATO
to Central Asia and Afghanistan. In spite of this, international
efforts to end the conflict have been dismal. The Organization for
Security and Co-operation in Europe created a “Minsk Group” in 1992
to negotiate a settlement on the disputed region’s status. That group
includes the United States and France as co-chairs, but also Russia,
the very power that is seeking to keep the flames alive.

The notion was that having Russia “in the tent” was better than having
it sabotaging from the outside. This pragmatism was understandable
– but requires an entirely different approach than what Washington
has mustered to be credible. In the last few years, America did not
object when Moscow, fresh from invading Georgia, decided in 2009 that
it wanted to take a lead in resolving the conflict. No one asked what
credibility Moscow had to play the peacemaker in the South Caucasus.

When that effort to strike a Russian-sponsored deal fell through,
many even pointed the blame at Armenia and Azerbaijan, rather than
to Moscow, where it belonged.

Instead of putting effort into resolving the standoff, Washington
pursued a futile Turkish-Armenian rapprochement, ignoring the damage
that shoving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to the back burner would do
to a vulnerable and reliable American ally, Azerbaijan. The US even
allowed its co-chairmanship of the peace process to remain vacant
for almost a year.

A skilled US diplomat, James Warlick, is now in charge of the job. But
even after Crimea, the Obama administration keeps toeing the line that
its cooperation with Russia on the Karabakh conflict is exemplary. But
the only way US-Russian cooperation on Karabakh could be harmonious
would be if the US were doing nothing to advance a settlement –
since doing something would trigger a Russian reaction. More likely,
administration officials are not ready to commit to a serious effort
to raise America’s profile on this issue.

If the US is serious about confronting Vladimir Putin, this inaction
will not do. Understandably, the administration has focused so
far on Ukraine and on sanctions on Russia. But going forward,
stepping up America’s direct role in advancing a resolution to the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict is an essential step to serve not only
American interests, but to put Putin on the defensive. This will
not be easy, but failing to meet the challenge projects an image of
American weakness that plays straight into Putin’s hands.

Svante E. Cornell is director of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute
at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

From: A. Papazian

GOLOS ARMENII: ARMENIA-BASED HUYSI KAMURJ NGO WINS UNESCO CONTEST

11:12 * 10.06.14

The Armenia-based Huysi Kamurj (Bridge of Hope) NGO has won a UNESCO
contest.

Head of the Huysi Kamurj NGO Susanna Tadevosyan told the newspaper that
the NGO received an international award for its inclusive education
program for disabled children, which was launched in 2001.

Kuwait’s government awarded certificates and prize money to the
winners.

“This victory is not only our victory. This is a victory of the entire
system – the Ministry of Education and Science, Ministry of Labor and
Social Affairs, Tavush regional administration. It is in Tavush that
the pilot project was launched. Only nine children were involved in
the pilot program. And 2,500 children and 118 schools are involved
now. The inclusive education program is now a state task, which is
incorporated in Armenia’s education system.”

From: A. Papazian

KOCHARYAN: KARABAKH’S REUNIFICATION WITH ARMENIA “ULTIMATE GOAL”

KARABAKH | 10.06.14 | 10:36

Kocharyan views Karabakh as integral part of Armenia, aide says

Former President Robert Kocharyan, through a spokesman, on Monday
reacted strongly to remarks made by Armenia’s deputy foreign minister,
who accused him of “playing into the hands” of Azerbaijan by his
statements on Karabakh. The former leader essentially called the
official, Shavarsh Kocharyan, a flip-flopper “who wants to condemn to
oblivion the ultimate aim of the 1988 popular movement for Karabakh’s
reunification with Armenia”, RFE/RL’s Armenian Service reported.

Last week, reacting to President Serzh Sargsyan’s statement made in
the context of Armenia’s accession to the Eurasian Economic Union that
Karabakh is legally not part of Armenia, Kocharyan, on the contrary,
described Karabakh as “an integral part of Armenia”.

Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan, meanwhile, dismissed those
remarks by the ex-president, saying that they could give Azerbaijan
more grounds for presenting Karabakh as an “Armenian-occupied
territory” and for denying the Karabakh Armenians the right to
self-determination.

In a written statement to RFE/RL’s Armenian Service Robert Kocharyan’s
spokesperson Victor Soghomonyan said: “As president of both the
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and Armenia, Robert Kocharyan repeatedly
stated that the ultimate aim of the Karabakh settlement is the
reunification of the two Armenian states… He who forgets this
aim deludes himself and the people and jeopardizes Karabakh. The
real extent of the NKR’s integration with Armenia is now close to
the confederate model, and we have complete integration in terms
of security.”

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN COMMUNITY SLAMS TURKISH, LOCAL ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES IN KESSAB FAILURE

Cihan News Agency, Turkey
June 9 2014

ISTANBUL – 09.06.2014 18:27:39

Turkey’s Armenian community has criticized Ankara’s indifference
towards Armenians from Syria’s Kessab region fleeing from the war-torn
country and seeking shelter in Turkey, also bringing attention to the
inadequacy of Turkish-Armenian associations, including the Armenian
Patriarchate, in helping Kessab Armenians settle in Turkey.

The Turkish-Armenian community came together on Saturday in a
conference to discuss the problems of Kessab Armenians, whose
predicament appeared in the Turkish media earlier in April when two
Armenian sisters from Kessab, Satenik (82) and Surpuhi (80) Titizyan,
arrived in Yayladagı after being escorted by Syrian rebels to the
Turkish-Syrian border. They were offered refuge in Vakıflı village,
the only Armenian village in Turkey.

Kessab is located on the Mediterranean coast of northern Syria,
close to the border with Turkey. Having been populated by Armenians
for centuries, Kessab is a town with a Christian population in a
country with a majority Islamic population. As the Syrian civil war
continues, some areas of the country have been taken over by extremist
and Islamist militants.

“The Titizyan sisters were not brought to Turkey, they were kidnapped,”
said Aris Nalcı, a Turkish-Armenian journalist from IMC TV during
an event held about the life of Kessab Armenians in Vakıflı village
on Saturday.

Before the Titizyan sisters came to Turkey, there were reportedly
30 people living in Kessab, mostly elderly individuals. On May 5,
19 more ethnic Armenians from Syria, most of them elderly and on
wheelchairs, joined the Titizyan sisters in Vakıflı. After most
moved on to Lebanon, there are now only six Kessab Armenians left in
Vakıflı. An old man who was also planning to leave for Lebanon died
of a heart attack in Vakıflı and was buried there.

“They were people in the depths of despair,” said an old Armenian
resident from Vakıflı, sharing his experiences and impressions. He
welcomed the arrival of ethnic Armenians fleeing Syria to Turkey to
their village, which is within view of the Syrian-Turkish border in
Hatay province.

“It was a very emotional moment for me when I heard them murmuring
to each other that they were among Armenians after they noticed we
were all speaking Armenian,” the old man said.

Ankara had said in April that Turkey’s doors are “wide open” to the
largely Armenian residents of the Kessab region of Syria, which is
under the threat of clashes between Syrian rebel forces.

Turkey has been criticized by Armenians worldwide for providing
assistance to al-Qaeda-linked terrorist groups who are killing
Armenians in Syria. Dismissing the criticisms, Foreign Minister
Ahmet Davutoglu has argued against what he called the “wrong image of
Turkey,” adding that the country’s doors are wide open for Armenians
living in Kessab.

He also said Turkey has made official statements about the case of
Kessab Armenians since the beginning of the clashes near Kessab and
has informed the acting Armenian patriarch and other minority leaders
in Turkey about the incidents.

“The tragedy of Kessab Armenians was covered in the Turkish media
with the headline that Turkey was embracing Armenians, although this
is not true,” said Nalcı, adding that Armenia was also unable to
assist Kessab Armenians.

“Armenia could not accommodate the Syrian Armenians. ‘Housing
Development Administration of Turkey (TOKÄ°)-style buildings will be
given to you,’ Armenia said, just as Turkey is doing. Although none
of the Syrian families would be able to stay in those conditions,
some decided to remain in Armenia. Even we [Turkish-Armenians] were
not able to offer assistance,” Nalci said.

Another commentator, Alin Ozinian, who is a press secretary at the
Turkish-Armenian Business Development Council and a news editor
at the Yerevan-based CivilNet, challenged the Turkish government,
asking Ankara why there are no longer any Armenians in Kessab.

“Why was Kessab emptied? Why couldn’t Turkey protect and preserve
Kessab?” were the main questions given in response to a question by
Today’s Zaman asking what the main expectations of Turkish-Armenians
were during the attack of Kessab.

Echoing Nalci’s comment, Harut Ozer, a representative from the
Platform for Thought, said in his comment however that it was not
only Ankara but also the heads of the Armenian community who are
also responsible for the problems experienced by ethnic Armenians,
including those from Kessab, in Turkey.

“Why are we blaming the Turkish government when Turkish-Armenians
did not do much to provide help? What solutions are we producing
among ourselves that we are instead extending our demands to the
state? What did our hospitals and foundations do?” Ozer asked, adding
that Turkish-Armenians needed to demonstrate real unity and community
spirit to embrace those Armenians from Syria “instead of turning to
the Armenian Patriarchate for every little piece of help.”

Ozer claims the Armenian Patriarchate in Turkey follows the line of the
Turkish state instead of supporting its community. “We need to justify
our existence and stop the decline of our population. In order to do
so, the Turkish-Armenian authorities should change their mindset.”

Lamiya Adilgızı (Cihan/Today’s Zaman)

From: A. Papazian

PRIX DU THÉTRE 13 : Papiers d’Arménie ou sans retour possible

Tout premier spectacle à entrer en lice pour ce concours. Découvrez
l’univers de cette pièce à travers l’entretien audio de Sévane
Sybesma, metteure en scène de ce spectacle…

Mardi 10 juin 2014 à 19h30 / Mercredi 11 juin 2014 à 20h30 Comédie mémorielle

Papiers d’Arménie ou sans retour possible

texte Caroline Safarian mise en scène Sévane Sybesma 1h15 sans
entracte – à partir de 12 ans

C’est l’histoire de deux hommes, Levent et Azad : l’un est turc et
l’autre est arménien. Levent n’a pas ses papiers. Il va devoir prendre
l’identité d’Azad. Comment, aujourd’hui, un jeune turc et un jeune
arménien vont-ils se rencontrer et pourquoi la rencontre est-elle
toujours aussi complexe et difficile ?

Papiers d’Arménie ou sans retour possible parle de la rencontre
aujourd’hui, entre un jeune turc et un jeune arménien, Levent et Azad.
Ils sont presque semblables, bien qu’un fossé les sépare toujours : La
mémoire. La transmission d’un héritage comme celui d’un génocide n’est
pas évidente surtout si celui-ci n’est pas reconnu. Nous existons à
travers l’autre : si on nie mon histoire, si on ne me regarde pas, si
on ne me reconnaît pas, alors je n’existe pas. La pièce de Caroline
Safarian est une belle réflexion sur une mémoire qui ne doit pas
s’éteindre et elle nous amène à nous interroger sur les conséquences
du déni d’un génocide sur les générations actuelles, pratiquement cent
ans après les faits ! La rencontre entre ces deux jeunes hommes va
faire resurgir le passé comme un boulet de canon qui les mènera à une
éventuelle réconciliation.

découvrez cette jeune metteure en scène et le projet qu’elle présente
pour ce Prix :

Interview de Sévane Sybesma

See more at : éatres.com/articles/prix-du-theatre-13-papiers-darmenie-ou-sans-retour-possible/
?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=prix-du-theatre-13-papiers-darmenie-ou-sans-retour-possible#sthash.DZ0ETrNt.dpuf

dimanche 8 juin 2014,
Stéphane (c)armenews.com

From: A. Papazian

TURQUIE-ARMENIENS
Erdogan rappelle >

>dit le Premier ministre turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan lors des cérémonies
de réouverture de la mosquée Stambi Ortakyeuy après sa rénovation.
Selon le journal Bugun, Erdogan était accompagné de plusieurs
ministres lors de cette inauguration. Il aurait ajouté >. Erdogan voulait ainsi évoquer
les architectes Arméniens de la célèbre famille des Balian, une
famille dont les architectes ont construit au XIXe siècle dans
l’Empire ottoman, de nombreux palais, ponts, églises et mosquées.

Après les condoléances d’Erdogan aux petits-enfants des victimes du
génocide -dont il ne prononça bien évidemment pas le mot- ce second
rappel des Arméniens en moins d’un mois pourrait ressemble à un second
leurre de la diplomatie turque à la veille de la commémoration du 100e
anniversaire du génocide arménien.

Krikor Amirzayan

dimanche 8 juin 2014,
Krikor Amirzayan (c)armenews.com

From: A. Papazian

Press Trust of India
June 8 2014

Himanshu beats Armenia’s Gevorg in Mumbai Mayor’s Cup chess

Mumbai, Jun 8 (PTI) Indian International Master Himanshu Sharma
continued his fine form to record another creditable win, this time
against Armenian GM Harutjunyan Gevorg, in the eighth round of the
Mumbai Mayor’s Cup International Open Chess Tournament here today.

Gevorg has 6.5 points and is in joint second place, a close half point
behind sole leader GM Pantsulaia Levan of Georgia.

From: A. Papazian

Fresno Bee, CA
June 8 2014

Courthouse Park tells the history of Fresno

By Sevag Tateosian

I was young when I heard about him. Community members would talk as
though he was a legend, a strong fighter who had a bigger sword and a
faster horse than his enemies. He was always outnumbered in battle but
crushed those who invaded. I am referring to David of Sassoon, the
Armenian folk hero whose stories have been told for centuries. We in
Fresno have a piece of him in Courthouse Park. Actually, if you look,
our Courthouse Park is full of monuments that are special to many
folks. But, until taking lunchtime walks, I didn’t know how many
diverse monuments we have.

One day I decided to walk around looking at the monuments and spent
some time thinking about them. My quest started at David of Sassoon
and I headed east along Tulare Street. My journey stopped near the
friendly operator of the catering truck, where a lunchtime crowd was
waiting for their orders. It was there I discovered a tall sculpture
similar to the one I had read about back in high school. In reviewing
the description, I learned that the sculpture was actually a gift from
the Mexican state of Hidalgo replicating the 900 A.D. sculpture of the
Toltec god Tula. Impressive — this was a gift from a state in another
country and placed in our very own Courthouse Park.

As I glanced northeast, I found a domed monument with pillars. As I
got closer, I was impressed with its design. It reminded me of
something that would appear in an ancient European or Mediterranean
city. A quick search and I found out that it was built by a husband as
a memorial for his wife and was designed by their granddaughter.

>From there I walked over to the Fresno County Peace Officers’ Memorial
and was touched by the names on the wall. Although I didn’t recognize
any of them, I knew that these were people who gave their lives
protecting families like mine. Like many people, I imagine, I had
walked past it numerous times. Although I knew what it signified, I
never felt it until I took the time to think about it.

As I looked west, another large monument caught my eye. It was of a
nicely dressed gentleman on a large concrete base — Dr. Chester
Rowell. I had seen his name on a street sign and heard of the
elementary school named after him, but I had no idea that he was a
humanitarian and the editor-publisher of The Fresno Republican
newspaper, as well as our city’s fourth mayor. It was interesting to
find out that at his death, the community rallied and collected funds
to build the monument.

I was also fascinated to learn that many of the contributors for this
memorial and his urn were from Fresno’s Armenian-American community.
The story goes that when they arrived in Fresno Dr. Rowell treated
them when they were ill without expecting payment in return. He also
supported the community’s effort to start its own newspaper and
directed his publishing staff to assist in any way possible.

My journey that day ended in front of the monument dedicated to
William Saroyan. Although there were at least 16 more monuments I
could have visited, my lunch break was coming to an end. Saroyan
always fascinated me because of his lack of desire to be the center of
attention. His writing was read all around the world. People liked his
style, which led to him becoming a worldwide icon, yet friends of his
claim he didn’t even like his picture taken. Upon doing some research,
I found that the monument was on granite imported from India and faced
one of the streets where he sold newspapers as a young boy. As I
turned around to look across the street I could imagine him with a
stack of newspapers selling to people walking around downtown.

After being more observant on my lunchtime walks at Courthouse Park, I
can say I am more educated on the history of Fresno and encourage you
to spend time there as well.

From: A. Papazian

THERE ARE TURKISH UNITS IN NAKHIDJEVAN

There Are Turkish Units In Nakhidjevan

Lragir.am
Politics – Friday, 06 June 2014, 17:45

In an interview with Tert.am the minister of defense Seiran Ohanyan,
commenting on the incident on the border of Nakhidjevan that killed
two Armenian soldiers, said:

“There is danger of war always. The shots from Nakhidjevan allow us to
demonstrate to our enemy that we are here, we can counteract them here
as well. No doubt our armed forces keep the situation under control,
we have regularly counteracted and taken preventive measures.

Nakhidjevan section is special in the structure of the Azerbaijani
armed forces because there a separate army is forming, and we have
always had information about Turkish supports, existence of their
mercenaries and small units in that territory.

– See more at:

From: A. Papazian