Author: Andres-Papazian

Le Monde.fr
Jeudi 24 Avril 2014

M. Erdogan présente ses condoléances aux Arméniens pour les massacres de 1915

par Guillaume Perrier

Pour la première fois depuis 1915, la Turquie, dans un communiqué
officiel publié mercredi 23 avril sur le site du premier ministre, a
présenté ses ‘condoléances’ aux descendants des 900000Arméniens,
massacrés il y a près d’un siècle par les troupes ottomanes. ‘Nous
souhaitons que les Arméniens qui ont perdu la vie dans les
circonstances qui ont marqué le début du XXesiècle reposent en paix et
nous exprimons nos condoléances à leurs petits-enfants’, a déclaré
Recep Tayyip Erdogan dans cette longue mise au point, qui a été rendue
publique la veille du 24 avril, le jour annuel de commémoration.

Le reste de son message est plus conforme à la ligne de déni
poursuivie par l’Etat turc depuis sa fondation en 1923. La
reconnaissance du caractère génocidaire de ces crimes et la question
des responsabilités sont loin d’être à l’agenda. Mais pour le
journaliste arménien d’Istanbul Etyen Mahçupyan, l’acte est ‘très
important’: ‘Cette allusion est une première, même symbolique’.

‘ TRAVAIL DE MÉMOIRE’

L’annonce a été publiée en huit langues, dont l’arménien, pour donner
une portée internationale au message. Par cette opération, le premier
ministre turc et le ministre des affaires étrangères Ahmet Davutoglu
-dont le style transparaît tout au long du texte- ont pris tout le
monde de court et ont pimenté la tache des conseillers de Barack Obama
et de François Hollande. Les présidents américain et français doivent
tous deux prononcer une allocution jeudi.

La Maison Blanche marque chaque année le 24 avril mais évite
généralement de prononcer le mot génocide. M.Hollande participe, lui,
à une cérémonie officielle à Paris, quelques mois après une visite en
Turquie au cours de laquelle il avait appelé Ankara à ‘faire son
travail de mémoire’. A Istanbul, une cérémonie publique en mémoire des
victimes du génocide se tient sur la place Taksim, à 19h15.

La prise de position d’Ankara a été accueillie avec scepticisme par
les Arméniens à travers le monde et par la société civile turque qui
s’est engagée dans la reconnaissance du génocide de 1915. Pour le
politologue Cengiz Aktar, l’un des intellectuels turcs qui avaient
initié une demande publique de ‘pardon’ aux Arméniens en 2008, ‘il ne
faut pas tirer de conclusion htive sur une reconnaissance dans la
perspective du centenaire’. ‘Les condoléances ne sont pas des
excuses’, souligne pour sa part l’universitaire Ahmet Insel, autre
acteur de cette évolution. ‘C’est un petit pas, mais pas une rupture
profonde. C’est le pas en avant, très lent, de la société turque sur
la question.’

‘PRÉTEXTE’

L’homme d’affaires et mécène Osman Kavala note que, dans le discours
de M.Erdogan, ‘les Arméniens ont perdu la vie, mais on ne sait pas
comment ils l’ont perdue et qui la leur a prise’. La Turquie admet en
partie les déportations et les massacres mais refuse catégoriquement
le qualificatif de génocide. Au contraire, M.Erdogan fustige toujours
les revendications de ceux qui ‘utilisent les événements de 1915 comme
prétexte pour créer de l’hostilité contre la Turquie’.

Politiquement, l’appel lancé par le premier ministre turc est ‘une
répétition pour 2015, car la Turquie se positionne pour tenter de
sortir de l’affrontement stérile entre la revendication et la posture
négationniste’, estime M.Insel.

Ankara s’inquiète devant la campagne de mobilisation et d’information
qui s’annonce à travers le monde, mais aussi en Turquie, pour l’année
du centenaire. Et sous l’impulsion de M.Davutoglu, elle a essayé
d’affiner sa stratégie. La nouvelle rhétorique turque parle de
‘souffrances partagées’ des citoyens de l’empire ottoman et met sur le
même plan le sort des Arméniens et celui des ‘musulmans’ victimes de
massacres dans les Balkans. Les descendants des victimes n’y voient
souvent qu’une forme plus sophistiquée de négation. ‘Reconnaître les
souffrances de chacun n’exclut pas de reconnaître les spécificités de
chacune de ces souffrances’, a répondu mercredi, depuis Erevan, Giro
Manoyan, le secrétaire général de la Fédération révolutionnaire
arménienne, qui possède de solides réseaux dans la diaspora.

En 2015, Ankara pourrait aussi jouer la carte de la concurrence des
mémoires, sur fond de centenaire de la première guerre mondiale. De
fastueuses cérémonies, en présence de nombreuses délégations
étrangères, sont prévues pour l’anniversaire du déclenchement de la
bataille des Dardanelles, le 25 avril.

From: A. Papazian

SDA – Suisse
jeudi 24 avril 2014 12:21 PM CET

Ankara “poursuit sa politique de déni total” du génocide arménien

Erevan

L’Arménie considère que la Turquie “poursuit sa politique de déni
total” du génocide de 1915, a déclaré jeudi le président Serge
Sarkissian dans un communiqué. Ce dernier ne mentionne pas
explicitement les condoléances exprimées pour la première fois par
Ankara à l’occasion du 99e anniversaire des massacres.

Le génocide “continue d’exister tant que le successeur de la Turquie
ottomane poursuit sa politique de déni total”, a déclaré le président
arménien dans ce communiqué.

“Nous sommes convaincus que le déni d’un crime constitue sa
continuation directe. Seule la reconnaissance et la condamnation (du
génocide) peuvent empêcher la répétition d’un tel crime dans
l’avenir”, a ajouté Serge Sarkissian.

Le 100e anniversaire, occasion de se repentir

“Nous approchons du 100e anniversaire du génocide arménien. Cela peut
donner à la Turquie une bonne chance de se repentir et de se libérer
de cette lourde charge”, a-t-il encore déclaré.

“L’année 2015 devrait être celle d’un message fort à la Turquie. (Son)
attitude à l’égard de l’Arménie nécessite des avancées réelles :
l’ouverture des frontières et l’établissement de relations normales”,
a-t-il poursuivi.

Le Premier ministre turc, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a présenté mercredi
les condoléances de la Turquie “aux petits-enfants des Arméniens tués
en 1915” lors des massacres visant cette communauté sous l’empire
ottoman.

Dans un communiqué, le chef de gouvernement turc s’est exprimé pour la
première fois aussi ouvertement sur ce drame survenu entre 1915 et
1917, aux dernières années de l’empire ottoman et qui est reconnu
comme un génocide par de nombreux pays, mais pas par la Turquie.

From: A. Papazian

Piensa, Chile
25 abril 2014

“El genocidio es un problema actual”

por Patricio Porta

Entrevista a Claire Mouradian, profesora de la Escuela de Altos
Estudios en Ciencias Sociales en París

“El no reconocimiento del genocidio armenio está relacionado con
intereses económicos.”

Existen grupos de extrema derecha en Turquía que quisieran exterminar
a los armenios que quedan. Así lo aseguró Claire Mouradian, profesora
de la Escuela de Altos Estudios en Ciencias Sociales en París y
experta en el genocidio armenio. “Todavía quedan grupos que dicen
abiertamente que el trabajo no fue terminado. El genocidio no es sólo
un problema del pasado, es un problema actual. Hay países, como
Estados Unidos, que no quieren confrontar con Turquía”, sostuvo. Como
cada 24 de abril, hoy se conmemora en todo el mundo un nuevo
aniversario del exterminio del pueblo armenio a manos de las
autoridades otomanas, que comenzó en 1915 y que terminó con la vida de
un millón y medio de personas. “El no reconocimiento del genocidio
armenio está relacionado con intereses económicos y estratégicos.
Turquía es miembro de la OTAN, es un actor clave en la región”,
explicó Mouradian sobre el hecho de que pocos países reconozcan el
plan sistemático de aniquilación física y cultural de los armenios
entre 1915 y 1923.

Estados como Argentina, Chile, Rusia y Canadá reconocen el genocidio
armenio. Sin embargo, otros como Alemania, Estados Unidos, España e
Israel no han tenido hasta la fecha un pronunciamiento concreto. El
caso más llamativo es el del Estado judío, creado tras el Holocausto.
“Hay israelíes que están luchando por el reconocimiento del genocidio
armenio. De hecho, los primeros en prestar atención al genocidio
armenio fueron los judíos, dentro y fuera del imperio otomano. Pero el
Estado de Israel no lo reconoce, porque su posición en Medio Oriente
es complicada y existen intereses comunes con Turquía. Esto no
significa que los israelíes, o algunos israelíes no lo reconozcan. No
todo es blanco y negro. Lo mismo pasa en Turquía”, destacó Mouradian.
“No condeno a las generaciones jóvenes, porque en los libros escolares
está escrito lo que el Estado quiere que aprendan. Pero muchos saben
lo que pasó. Quedan iglesias armenias. En épocas del imperio, había
casi dos millones y medio de armenios. Estaban en las principales
ciudades del imperio. Ahora hay más información, más debate”, agregó.

Mouradian, que participó este mes del Congreso Internacional sobre
Genocidio Armenio organizado por la Universidad Nacional de Tres de
Febrero, señaló que Turquía debe asumir su responsabilidad ante lo
ocurrido. “Los turcos les quitaron todo a los armenios y deberían
devolverles todo. Casas, bienes, iglesias, cuentas bancarias. En el
tratado de Sèvres de 1920, cuando se hizo una repartición del imperio
otomano y se crearon nuevos estados, se condenaron los crímenes de
guerra y se elaboró una lista de reparación. Era una lista precisa.
Los herederos del imperio otomano no quieren hacerse cargo de esas
deudas”, aseveró, y dijo que Turquía no quiere aceptar este legado por
una cuestión económica y de imagen. “Aceptarlo implica reconocer cómo
fue construida Turquía. Les hicieron creer a los turcos que están allí
desde siempre y que los armenios nunca existieron. Eso es negacionismo
puro”, añadió.

El genocidio armenio, en plena guerra mundial, respondió a un intento
por reconfigurar un imperio en decadencia, según Mouradian. “Hubieron
distintos intentos de salvar al imperio otomano, que estaba el
declive. El primer intento era darles iguales derechos a quienes
vivían en el imperio. Hubo algunos cambios en la Constitución para
reconocer los mismos derechos a musulmanes y no musulmanes. Finalmente
no prosperó y el imperio seguía desintegrándose. Se decidió aplicar la
islamización y a eso le siguió la creación de una nueva nación:
Turquía. Había armenios, búlgaros, kurdos, albaneses y árabes. Se
trataba de una creación artificial. Entonces decidieron turquizar a
los no musulmanes”, contó. Los armenios eran considerados el
componente más peligroso dentro del imperio porque -según la experta-
eran cristianos y tenía contacto con los rusos a través de sus
fronteras, principal enemigo de los turcos. Además, debido a masacres
previas, se habían constituido movimientos armados y vivían en
comunidades muy compactas.

“Los armenios ocupaban un buen lugar en la estructura económica del
imperio, por lo que representaban un obstáculo para la turquización de
la economía. Pero eran el primer eslabón. Los griegos, los caucásicos
y los judíos también fueron un objetivo para los turcos. Hicieron una
ingeniería territorial y demográfica”, prosiguió Mouradian. Talaat, el
ministro del Interior del imperio, fue el que planificó el genocidio,
el que vigiló pueblo por pueblo la actividad en la península de
Anatolia y organizó el desplazamiento de los distintos grupos. “La
idea era desplazarlos para que no constituyeran un grupo homogéneo y
poder asimilarlos, convertirlos en turcos. Al final de la Primera
Guerra Mundial, la mitad de la población de Anatolia había cambiado”,
apuntó la experta francesa de origen armenio.

Una de las consecuencias del genocidio fue la gran diáspora armenia.
“La mitad de la población armenia desapareció. Pero la consecuencia
más notable fue la creación de una gran diáspora. Por eso hay armenios
en Argentina, en Brasil, en Estados Unidos, en Francia. Es un problema
para los turcos, porque adonde vayan siempre hay armenios. Un efecto
bumerang”, bromeó Mouradian. Más allá de que los perpetradores del
genocidio estén muertos, la investigadora consideró que el exterminio
es aún un tema caro para los turcos. “Es difícil admitir que tus
ancestros son asesinos, que tu casa fue usurpada, que tu pasado no fue
tan glorioso”, reconoció.

From: A. Papazian

Gloucestershire Echo
May 2, 2014 Friday

Armenia’s young talent

PREPARE to be dazzled at Cheltenham Jazz Festival tomorrow as talented
pianist Tigran takes centre stage.

Described as the next Keith Jarrett, he grew up listening to the
lyrical folk music of his native Armenia.

“I began playing the piano by ear,” he told The Buzz.

“I was picking up Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath songs by ear when I
was three. “When I turned six I went to a music school. I had my
second jazz teacher when I was 10 and he taught me how to play bebop.

“I was really into bebop for a while until I discovered folk music.

“My childhood was a bit odd because of the music but also very prolific.”

Growing up, he’d listen to the likes of Queen and Herbie Hancock and
his family’s love of jazz, rock and funk music inspired him to embark
on a path to stardom.

His big break came at the tender age of 14. “Stephane Kochoyan has had
the biggest impact on my career,” he says.

“He brought me from Armenia to France to play three festivals back in
2001 when I was 14.

These were my first full concerts.” He’s been playing in the UK since
2009 and admits developing “a love of the London audience”.

But away from the capital, he’s looking forward to his appearance at
Cheltenham Jazz Festival tomorrow.

“We will be playing music from my album Shadow Theater and also some
newer compositions that we are planning on recording four days after
the Cheltenham show,” he said. You can see Tigran at the Jazz Arena
from 4.15pm tomorrow. Tickets . Call 08448 08094.

Jonathan Whiley

From: A. Papazian

Hit Fix
May 3 2014

Cannes Check 2014: Ryan Reynolds in Atom Egoyan’s ‘The Captive’

Continuing our festival preview with the Oscar-nominated director’s
kidnap thriller
By Guy Lodge

Welcome back to Cannes Check, In Contention’s annual preview of the
films in Competition at next month’s Cannes Film Festival, which kicks
off on May 14. Taking on different selections every day, we’ll be
examining what they’re about, who’s involved and what their chances
are of snagging an award from Jane Campion’s jury. Next up, the third
Canadian director in the lineup: Atom Egoyan’s “The Captive.”

The director: Atom Egoyan (Canadian, 53 years old). There was a time
when Egoyan looked to be as estimable a festival fixture as his
compatriot David Cronenberg, but his career hasn’t moved in the
direction many thought it would after he won big at Cannes (and
scooped a surprise Best Director Oscar nod) for 1997’s critical peak
“The Sweet Hereafter.” Born in Cairo to Armenian-Egyptian parents – a
heritage he’d later explore in his 2002 film “Ararat” – Egoyan largely
grew up in British Columbia and studied at the University of Toronto
(where he taught for several years in the 2000s).

After cutting his teeth on multiple shorts, he made his debut feature
“Next of Kin” in 1984 – it was on that project that he met his wife
and regular collaborator, actress Arsinee Khanjian. A varied range of
projects (including episodes of “The Twilight Zone” and “Alfred
Hitchcock Presents”) followed before his breakout feature (and first
Cannes selection) “Exotica” in 1994. “The Sweet Hereafter” followed,
but his status has slipped in the new century: in particular,
star-driven semi-mainstream projects like the Julianne Moore thriller
“Chloe” and last year’s “Devil’s Knot” failed to win over critics.

The talent: A fellow son of British Columbia whose career could
similarly use a lift is actor Ryan Reynolds, whose Hollywood
leading-man credentials have taken a knock with duds like “The Green
Lantern” and “R.I.P.D” – retreating to smaller festival fare seems a
natural move at this point. Co-starring are Rosario Dawson, Mireille
Enos (whose work on TV’s “The Killing” scored her an Emmy nod) and
Canadian standbys Scott Speedman and Bruce Greenwood. Egoyan is on
script duty as usual; his co-writer David Fraser takes his first
feature credit here after a handful of TV films, but previous worked
with the director as a story consultant on “Ararat.” Cinematographer
Paul Sarossy (recently an Emmy nominee for “The Borgias”) and editor
Susan Shipton are both longtime Egoyan collaborators, as is composer
Mychael Danna (“The Ice Storm,” “Capote”) whose already high profile
got a further boost with an Oscar for “Life of Pi.”

The pitch: In light of his recent work, it’s not a surprise to see
Egoyan swimming in mainstream thriller waters again, even if the
Cannes berth — something neither “Chloe” nor “Devil’s Knot,” both
Toronto premieres, could claim — might lead some to expect a return
to art-house fare. The premise and trailer for “The Captive” promise a
kidnap thriller in quite a familiar vein; its leading man’s beardy
countenance is the least of its resemblances to Denis Villeuneuve’s
“Prisoners.” Reynolds plays a family man whose young daughter is taken
from the back seat of his car. As the investigation uncovers
surveillance cameras in his own home, it becomes clear this is no
ordinary kidnapping case; the narrative spools out across eight years.
Enos plays Reynolds’ wife; Dawson an investigating officer.

The prestige: Cannes may not have hosted Egoyan’s last two films, but
the festival has remained pretty loyal to the director through thick
and thin. This is his sixth time in Competition. The first two were
his most successful, as “Exotica” took the FIPRESCI prize in 1994, and
“The Sweet Hereafter” did the same — plus, more importantly, winning
the Grand Prix — in 1997. “Felicia’s Journey” (starring the late Bob
Hoskins) was a slight step down, but still met with respectable
reviews; “Where the Truth Lies” (2005) and “Adoration” (2008) didn’t
set pulses racing either.

From: A. Papazian

New media and self-regulation of journalists – opinions

10:08 ¢ 03.05.14

On the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day, Tert.am has talked to
President of the Freedom of Information Center Shushan Doydoyan and
Chairman of the Committee to Protect Freedom of Speech Ashot Melikyan.

Commenting on the situation with the freedom of media in Armenia, Ms
Doydoyan said she doesn’t thinks that freedom of speech, as a
category, exists in any world country in the way they would like to
see, with political and economic factors often imposing constraints on
different outlets.

`The whole problem is that we are trying to all the time address the
self-regulation issue. If journalists are self-regulated, it will be
possible to avoid quite a lot of problems,’ she said, pointing out to
long-drawn out judicial proceedings, liabilities and financial redress
that could be avoided in case of the enforcement of proper
self-regulation mechanisms.

Doydoyan noted that the media reflects the country’s everyday life,
adding she doesn’t expect it to be any better than the given country’s
government. `But I also think that journalists are the champions who
are supposed to be the commanding lead,’ she added.

Ashot Melikyan spoke of the monopolization trends in the sector,
noting that it is particularly observed in the broadcast media.

`I think everything now depends on the development of the online
resources. The process is absolutely normal today, with the new media
outlets serving already as quite a serious platform,’ he said, adding
that he expects the situation to improve thanks to the continuing
competition.

With the audience’s migration from the traditional media to the new
resources, Melikyan said the monopolization is likely to lose its
sense in the course of time. `Monopolization, in general, decreases
diversity, so I, as an expert, pin all my hopes on the development of
the new media,’ he noted.

The expert said he thinks that the country’s current socio-economic
situation increases the need of focusing on the problem more to allow
the more influential people to voice their opinions and concern with
the help of media.

`Anyway, the situation with freedom of speech is improvable today; it
is just a matter of time,’ Melikyan added.

Armenian News – Tert.am

From: A. Papazian

Who Will Destroy Armenian Oligarchy

Haikazn Ghahriyan, Editor-in-Chief
Comments – Saturday, 03 May 2014, 11:57

The bourgeois-democratic coup in Armenia has fully restored the
criminal-oligarchic system. Now the mechanisms of redistribution are
being defined which will result in `new’ arrangements for the system.

The Armenian criminal oligarchy was unable or unwilling to transform,
adopt new relations and activities and find more flexible mechanisms.
Instead, it strengthened its foothold through surrendering its state
and finding a new foreign sponsor.

However, the victory of the system is relative. This victory cost
Armenia a high price. It has stopped being a foreign subject and lost
its international role, creating some complications for foreign
stakeholders.

Things are no better with the foreign sponsor Russia. Russia is trying
to shed responsibility for Armenia but fails. Strangely, Armenia is a
bigger bugbear for Russia than even Ukraine. Armenia needs to be fed
not to allow a collapse that may influence the Russian infrastructures
and military base. However, there is no possibility and willingness to
feed Armenia, besides, the West has stopped funding Armenia and assume
any responsibility for its security. In this situation, Moscow relies
on the criminal oligarchy which must ensure continuity of these
infrastructures and pay money.

The purpose of the `bourgeois-democratic’ coup is to try to agree on
amounts each will have to pay to make sure it is `equal and fair’.
Nobody is going to pay or pay as much as to keep what already exists
in Armenia. Therefore, in order to prevent internal resistance the
system will try to `export’ about one million people to pay less.

However, the problem is deeper than the `vital interests’ of the
Armenian criminal oligarchy. In the results of its activities Armenia
has become a `trump’, an area devoid of any responsibility. Nobody
will assume responsibility for the future disaster in Armenia. The
current Armenian system ` the criminal oligarchy and its support
parties ` will be responsible for the disaster and its consequences.

Some things are not forgiven. One has to pay for everything fully.
What will be the pay and what will be the role of the foreign sponsor?

In regard to Russia the scenario that is being followed will lead to
change of the ruling regime and elites and a new status of that
country. Russia has already performed its historical role and lost its
importance in the new global processes. Therefore new functions are
being worked out which are aimed at controllability. In this process
Putin is the most convenient person whose `adequate’ steps facilitate
the implementation of this scenario. Someone has already referred to
Putin as `the West’s agent on special dirty jobs’.

These processes will not pass by Putinian elites in vassal states.
These elites will be destroyed but first they will be used to achieve
the `necessary result’.

The `providers’ of Putin’s policy ` the criminal-oligarchic systems `
are obsolete. These systems will experience a heavier blow in the
vassal states. The point is that besides being such they are also
collaborationist in nature and it is possible to shed all
responsibility on them and clear the traces.

In addition, it should not be ruled out that this system will be
destroyed by a `Western agent’. There is no need to mar one’s own
hands.

The Armenian criminal oligarchy had been offered to leave in time but
they did not take this offer seriously. They will not take this
seriously either. However, nobody cares about their destiny. Something
else is important ` the behavior of the society. The Armenian society
should try to remove this system itself to be able to return dignity
and independence of its country, resolve its security and other
issues.

If not, others will do it for them but they will care for their interests only.
– See more at:

From: A. Papazian

Armenia as a Technology Hub?

By Sassoon Grigorian on April 22, 2014 in Featured, Headline, Opinion

Armenia’with its highly educated population, an entrepreneurial
spirit, a legacy of research and development during Soviet times, and
high growth digital sector’can become a technology hub or `Silicon
Mountain’ in the region.

According to the Enterprise Incubator Foundation, in 2012, Armenia
exported $120 million worth of IT software and services, mostly to the
U.S., Canada, and the European Union. There were about 360 IT
companies in Armenia, with an average annual growth of 23 percent.
Revenues accounted for 3.3 percent of its national GDP, with the
industry contributing 8 percent of total exports. About 1 in 10 of the
companies had a turnover of more than $1 million.

Armenia used to be a hub for the Soviet Union’s scientific and
research and development (R&D) activities, including industrial
computing, electronics, and semiconductors. Since independence, the
country’s focus has been towards software development, outsourcing,
and IT services.

Although Armenia has around 90 percent coverage of 3G network
nationally, only around 40 percent access the network.

Students experiment in robotics during a workshop at Tumo.

That is why places like the Tumo Center are so important. Tumo is a
new kind of after-school learning environment where thousands of
teenage students are put in charge of their own learning, in a place
where there is access to the internet and technology. The Center
teaches skills necessary to succeed in the digital industry, for
example in animation, video game design, web development, and digital
video and audio.

Another organization helping prepare Armenia for digital future is
Armtech, which promotes Armenia’s high technology economy and
encourages investment; allows for the networking among high tech
professional worldwide; and organizes a leading Armenia tech
conference every year.

Then there have been the technology investments. In 2011, Microsoft
Corporation established an Innovation Center in Yerevan, and in the
same year India set up a joint Center for Excellence in Information
Communication Technologies at Yerevan State University. In response,
the Armenian government opened an information and high-tech office at
the Plug and Play Center in Silicon Valley in December 2012.

The latest accomplishment came in December 2013, when Technology and
Science Dynamics Inc./Armtab Technologies Company, an
American-Armenian joint-venture, announced the first tablet and
smartphone made in Armenia.

A country that has made the most of its small land mass while
leveraging the intellectual capacity of its population has been
Israel. The percentage of Israelis engaged in scientific and
technological inquiry, and the amount spent on research and
development in relation to gross domestic product, is the highest in
the world.

A number of factors have contributed to this, including investing
within the country to patent technologies and attracting foreign
investment to build research and development centers. The Armenian
government should consider these and other models to further enhance
some its natural resources’its people.

Perhaps it could appoint an Advisory Board (including diasporans) to
work alongside these existing organizations to set and implement
Armenia’s digital plan, to not only develop the sector but identify
new opportunities to leverage.

Armenians are no strangers to the digital sector, with Avie Tevanian,
a former senior vice president and former chief software technology
officer at Apple; Alexis Ohanian, co-founder the social news website
Reddit; Vahé Torossian, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s
Worldwide Small and Mid-market Solutions and Partners (SMS&P)
organization; Katherine Safarian from Pixar, and an Oscar recipient;
Zareh Nalbandian co?founder and CEO of Animal Logic, one of the
world’s leaders in digital animation; and many others.

The opportunities that are available are huge. For example, WhatsApp
Messenger, a cross-platform mobile messaging app, was recently
acquired by Facebook for $19 billion.

Armenia’s most valuable commodity is before us, we just need to open our eyes.

From: A. Papazian

La Repubblica, Italia
24 aprile 2014

Armenia, antica terra di cavalli

Ieri era il 99° anniversario dell’avvio del genocidio armeno. Ho
trascorso qualche giorno in Armenia l’anno scorso. L’ho molto amata.
L’ho sicuramente scoperta. Ho cercato i segni del passato e quelli del
presente grazie ad alcuni amici armeni che non finirò mai di
ringraziare.

A quel paese malinconico e generoso dedico questo racconto equino.

A cavallo in Armenia

Una passeggiata a cavallo sui monti del Caucaso è un viaggio in un
passato lontano e sconosciuto. Basta respirare a fondo per ritrovarsi
sulla via della seta, sulla strada che congiungeva il Mediterraneo ai
monti e alle grandi pianure dell’Asia centrale, lungo sentieri di
traffici mercantili ed eserciti in guerra.

Gagik_Paradyan

L’aria fresca della mattina e lo sguardo che attraversa l’orizzonte
disegnano un territorio che fu, e che è ancora, crocevia di interessi
e di popoli. Persiani, romani, ottomani, russi scesero a cavallo
questi monti. E prima ancora li attraversarono al galoppo sciiti,
tartari, mongoli. Puoi anche sognare di incontrare il mitico e docile
Karabakh, la razza a rischio di estinzione che gli armeni vorrebbero
riportare a casa.

Gagik Paradyan mi guarda e sorride. E’ suo, di quest’uomo che è anche
il segretario della giovane federazione equestre, il sogno di portare
in Armenia l’allevamento della razza. Recuperare l’originario cavallo
del Caucaso meridionale da alcuni decenni in pericolo e perennemente
conteso con l’Azerbajian.

Il sole appena dopo l’alba non scalda il vento impetuoso che scende
dall’Aragats, la più alta montagna dell’Armenia moderna dopo che
l’Ararat e la sua cima sempre innevata sono rimaste alla Turchia.

ll centro ippico di zio Gagik, come tutti qui lo chiamano, è alle
nostre spalle. Le passeggiate (“Mai molto lunghe perché non voglio
stancare i miei cavalli”) si muovono verso le 6 della mattina.
Prendere o lasciare. Decide lui, Gagik.

Il Caucaso si apre agli occhi dolce e imperioso. Passiamo vicino alla
chiesetta di Karmravor, una minuscola cappella cruciforme che risale
al VII° secolo e che ha conservato l’originaria copertura di tegole
sulla cupola ottogonale. Proseguiamo attraverso il vecchio ponte, la
gola scavata dal fiume Kasakh, il villaggio di Karbi.

Dall’alto, dai suoi 2300 metri di altezza, ci guardano la spettacolare
fortezza di Amberd, caposaldo imprendibile della valle, e la chiesa a
cupola costruita nel 1026 dal condottiero Vahram Pahlavuni.

Il sole è alto e potente in questo agosto. Si fa ritorno all’ Ayrudzi
Riding club, ad Ashtarak, una ventina di chilometri da Yerevan, la
capitale dell’Armenia. In mezzo alle dolci montagne di pietra. A
neppure un’ora di sella dalla necropoli di Nerkin Naver dove qualche
anno fa è stata scoperta la più antica tomba di cavallo conosciuta,
risalente al 25° secolo prima di Cristo.

A perpetua testimonianza di quanto i popoli di queste terre fossero
legati all’allevamento dei cavalli, al loro uso in guerra, nel lavoro
della terra e nei trasporti. E di quanto l’inizio della civiltà
coincida proprio con la domesticazione di questi animali.

Il mondo di Ayrudzi inizia a Yerevan nel 1980. Quando l’Armenia era
ancora una della repubbliche dell’Unione Sovietica. “Eravamo un gruppo
di studenti del Politecnico. Tutti appassionati di cavalli”, racconta
Gagik mentre l’amico Tigran, che oggi lavora all’Alto commissariato
per i rifugiati, mi mostra fotografie di tempi che non esistono più.

“Volevamo aprire un centro ippico con uno scopo ben preciso: riportare
in vita, grazie all’aiuto dei cavalli, le più antiche tradizioni
sociali, culturali ed equestri dell’Armenia”.

Con i cavalli sulle tracce delle tradizioni armene

Gagik, Tigran e un gruppo di 25 amici trovarono i cavalli e
cominciarono a girare il paese. Di villaggio in villaggio. Con la
zourna, il tradizionale strumento armeno che somiglia al flauto, e il
dhol, percussioni locali. Cantavano, danzavano, suonavano, cavalcavano
le tradizioni più profonde di un paese che non poteva scordare la
ferita del genocidio del 1915 compiuto dalla Turchia e che doveva e
voleva riscrivere e tramandare il proprio passato.

Il gruppo venne aiutato dal Politecnico di Yerevan che allestì una
scuderia nell’area universitaria e si prese in carico il mantenimento
dei cavalli. La caduta dell’Unione sovietica rischiò di portare il
gruppo e la sua avventura sull’orlo del baratro. Non c’era più
l’università a mantenere i cavalli. E non c’erano più neppure le
scuderie. Il paese era allo sbando e le difficoltà economiche
insormontabili.

Ma Gagik non si perse d’animo. Salì ad Ashtarak, trovò un campo pieno
di pietre, iniziò a ripulirlo. Giorno dopo giorno. Mise in piedi le
scuderie. Tornò in città a prendersi i cavalli e fondò l’Ayrudzi
Riding Club. Non un maneggio qualsiasi.

Verso Ayrudzi

Perché l’Armenia non è Occidente e neppure Oriente. Non è un paese
qualsiasi, stretto come è fra un passato milleniario denso di
tradizioni e cultura e un presente povero e inquieto.

Il primo obiettivo del club era, ed è tutt’oggi, la solidarietà.
Mettere in campo i cavalli e insieme fare del bene.

Si inizia nel 1996. Il paese conta un numero insopportabile di piccoli
orfani. Con il supporto e l’assistenza della Croce Rossa armena e di
quella olandese, nell’estate di quell’anno il club si trasforma in un
campo-scuola per quei bambini sfortunati che qui vengono ospitati e
nutriti nel corpo e nell’anima.Anche grazie ai cavalli e ai primi
passi di un’ippoterapia ignota in quei luoghi.

Il lavoro con i bambini ritorna ogni estate. E intanto il club cresce.
Arrivano altri cavalli, purosangue, arabi, razze locali. Il numero
degli appassionati aumenta, anno dopo anno. E Ayrudzi diventa il punto
di riferimento del mondo equestre in Armenia.

Karabach, cavallo del mito

“I bambini dei campi estivi ci sono ancora oggi”, sorride Gagik mentre
guarda i ragazzini in sella, le giumente serene nel rettangolo, i
puledrini di due, tre mesi che le rincorrono e che, senza alcun
timore, si fermano dai bambini per farsi accarezzare.

All’appello mancano solo i Karabakh: “Ne ho inviduati due, purissimi:
un magnifico stallone e una giumenta. Ora sto raccogliendo i soldi per
comprarli e per iniziare l’allevamento. No, non ti dico dove sono. E’
un segreto. L’anno prossimo quando torni, li vedrai. Bellissimi,
regali, forti e liberi. Proprio come noi armeni”.

From: A. Papazian

The Spectator, UK
April 26 2014

Notes from Damascus

Plus: The memory of Jeffrey Bernard, and the 100th anniversary of the
Armenian genocide

by Peter Oborne 26 April 2014

As I looked out of the window of my hotel bedroom, studying the view
of central Damascus, the mobile phone rang. Peter Walwyn was on the
line. I have not seen Mr Walwyn, who was twice British champion
racehorse trainer and trained Grundy to win the Derby in 1975, for
several years. I reminded him of our lunch at Simpson’s-in-the-Strand.
He had sat down, ordered a vodka and tonic, and told me that the
evening before he had placed flowers on Jeffrey Bernard’s grave. After
Bernard died several Lambourn trainers, along with Peter O’Toole, held
a ceremony at the top of the gallops. A simple granite stone memorial
now marks the spot. I think that the Low Life correspondent of this
magazine would have felt great happiness and pride that the daffodils
swaying in the breeze beside the huge beech tree at the top of
Faringdon Road gallops in Lambourn this spring were planted in his
memory by one of the finest and most popular racing trainers of the
20th century. At the very least he would have fallen off his bar
stool.

Peter Walwyn’s wife of 60 years, Bonk, died in January, and a
quotation from Bernard was on her funeral service sheet. It read: ‘The
following morning we went to Lambourn to see Peter and Bonk Walwyn.
Bonk pulled my shoes off and left a large vodka, ice and soda on the
bedside table. You can’t ask for more even from your own wife.’

I was still feeling exhilarated by my conversation with Peter when I
travelled across town to Bab Touma (St Thomas’s Gate) in Old Damascus
to interview Armash Nalbandian, the Armenian bishop. He said that 11
of the 32 Armenian churches in Syria have been bombed or attacked
during the conflict. He was incensed by recent events at Kasab, an
Armenian village close to the Turkish border in northern Syria. He
told me how villagers had been attacked in the early hours of the
morning by militant groups. ‘These groups were supported by the
Turkish army. Our people there, they witnessed that.’ Almost the
entire population of Kasab has fled, while the al-Qa’eda aligned group
al-Nusra is said to be patrolling the streets.

Next year marks the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, a
tragedy which Turkey to this day refuses to acknowledge. The bishop
was careful to stress that no one was killed during the attack on
Kasab. ‘Please don’t compare this to the Armenian genocide.
Nevertheless the only thing that I can say is that the Turks are the
ones who committed that genocide and are now behaving the way they are
in Syria.’ Nora Arissian, a Damascus-based historian of Armenia, told
me: ‘It was not genocide, but it was a forced evacuation and ethnic
cleansing because many inhabitants have had their homes looted and
stolen.’

<a href=”;loc=300;grp=[group]”
onclick=”javascript:_gaq.push([‘_trackEvent’,’outbound-widget’,”]);”
target=”_blank”><img
src=”;loc=300;grp=[group]”
border=”0″ width=”728″ height=”90″/></a>

It is a short 200-yard journey up Straight Street (along which St Paul
walked in the Bible) from the Armenian church to Al-Zaytoun Greek
Catholic church. There I attended a crowded service of incomparable
peace and beauty. Six mortars fell nearby as we prayed, and the church
precincts had been struck twice by mortars in the last week. Later I
had dinner with a dentist who told me of his despair that the West
showed no concern at the plight of the Christian community in Syria.
He offered his own explanation: ‘To the jihadists we are kafirs. But
to the West we are just Arabs.’

David Cameron last week declared that Christians ‘are now the most
persecuted religion around the world’ and committed his government to
fighting this persecution: ‘We should stand up against persecution of
Christians wherever and whenever we can.’ There is no doubting the
Prime Minister’s sincerity. However he needs in all truth to
acknowledge that his own policies, like those of Tony Blair before
him, have contributed to the isolation and terrorisation of some of
the most ancient Christian communities in the world. There are thought
to have been 1.5 million Christians in Iraq before the 2003 invasion.
Ten years later over one million have fled. More than 300,000 Iraqi
Christians went to Syria, which is no longer (partly thanks to British
policy) a safe haven. For all Bashir Assad’s faults, during his regime
he was careful to tolerate many of the minorities (so long as they
acquiesced in his regime) — communities that had lived in Syria
securely for thousands of years and make up some of the most ancient
civilisations in the world.

In spite of the real dangers to minorities in Iraq and now Syria,
Britain and the United States have so far accepted only a handful as
refugees. If David Cameron’s pledge to Christians around the world is
to have any meaning, perhaps he should not offer them the safe haven
that is being destroyed in Syria.

This article first appeared in the print edition of The Spectator
magazine, dated 26 April 2014

From: A. Papazian