Author: Andres-Papazian

Washington Post
April 23 2014

Why Erdogan’s ‘unprecedented’ statement on Armenian massacres left
many unsatisfied

By Adam Taylor

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a surprising move
Wednesday: Speaking on the eve of the 99th anniversary of the
controversial mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman soldiers in 1915,
he expressed condolences for the “inhumane” incident.

Erdogan’s comments are significant. For many years, the killings in
1915 were rarely talked about by Turkey. However, the events – which
left some 1.5 million Armenians in what is now modern Turkey dead
during the final years of the Ottoman Empire – have long been a source
of anger in Armenia and among the Armenian diaspora.

The Associated Press called the comments an “unprecedented,
conciliatory message to Armenians,” while a Turkish official told
Reuters that it was the first time a Turkish leader had offered
condolences so directly to Armenians. The comments were released in
nine languages, including Armenian: They were clearly designed to make
an impact.

There are a couple of important reasons that Erdogan’s comments are
being treated with skepticism, however: language and timing.

First, the language of Erdogan’s comments was clearly well-thought out
— perhaps too thought out for many in the Armenian community.

“The incidents of the First World War are our shared pain,” Erdogan
said, adding that millions of people of “of all religions and
ethnicities” died during the war. “Using the events of 1915 as an
excuse for hostility against Turkey and turning this issue into a
matter of political conflict is inadmissible,” Erdogan added.

To many, especially those in Armenian lobbying groups, that wasn’t
enough. Armenian Weekly, an English Armenian publication from
Massachusetts, wrote that the Turkish minister used “euphemisms and
the age-old ‘everyone suffered’ denialist refrain.” Most importantly,
Erdogan didn’t mention the word “genocide,” despite the fact that many
historians now argue that the Armenian killings marked the first
genocide of the 20th century (in fact, the man who invented the word,
Raphael Lemkin, was partly inspired by the deaths). The lack of that
word in Erdogan’s statement is almost certainly deliberate: Earlier
this month, the Turkish foreign ministry condemned a U.S. Senate
committee resolution that called the killings a genocide, arguing that
it “distorts history and law.”

Meanwhile, Erdogan’s comments are being viewed skeptically by some in
Turkey due to their timing. Erdogan and his AKP party have suffered
almost a year of political tension, from the protests in Istanbul’s
Gezi Park that began last summer to the corruption scandal and rivalry
with Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen that eventually led to Turkey’s
well-publicized ban on Twitter and YouTube.

The timing of Erdogan’s comments is just too perfect for some in
Turkey to believe. “While the media hype over statement fills the
airwaves, and print pages, he’ll get down on business of consolidating
more power in Turkey,” tweeted Abdullah Bozkurt, a journalist with
Today’s Zamen (an English-language newspaper linked to the Gulen
movement), on Wednesday. Erdogan, who has been pilloried in the
international media recently for a number of crackdowns, is simply
hoping to curry favor, the argument continues.

Perhaps this is unfair. Regardless of intention, Erdogan’s comments
may well be an important step in reconciliation between Turkey and
Armenia, the beginnings of a dialogue about a tragic moment in
history. And Erdogan has worked hard to move away from Turkish
nationalist positions and improve relationships with minorities, most
notably the Kurds. Still, that the language and timing of the comments
are leaving many people unsatisfied suggests that there may well be
quite a ways to go.

From: A. Papazian

EurasiaNet.org
April 24 2014

Armenians Struggle for the Right to Die without Pain

April 23, 2014 – 1:42pm, by Gayane Abrahamyan

Tablets and bottles of medicine lie scattered on a shelf in the
one-room medical clinic of Chiva, a village about 120 kilometers south
of Yerevan. Opiates, legal for dying patients but nearly impossible to
obtain, are not to be found in such rural clinics. (Photo: Dean C.K.
Cox)

For Heghine Simonian, the memories of her 27-year-old daughter’s
suffering are still raw. She can hear her daughter’s pleas for relief
from the pain caused by terminal-stage breast cancer, yet no help was
available — for the simple reason she lacked access to painkillers.

Alleviating the suffering of the terminally ill often is difficult, if
not impossible in Armenia. Although eligible patients are entitled to
free, state-subsidized opioid painkillers, the process for acquiring
them can prove so complicated and time-consuming that patients often
die before they receive the medication.

A lack of clear, time-efficient procedures is a big part of the
problem. No law on palliative care exists. Under current practices, a
medical commission and, then, local police officials must approve each
morphine prescription. The medical commissions themselves are a
cumbersome arrangement; since they comprise the patient’s attending
physician, the head of the local clinic or hospital where the patient
is receiving treatment, as well as two other qualified doctors, it’s
not always easy to convene a commission in a timely manner and then
get members to agree on a course of action.

“Before a commission would come to the regional center hospital,
before they would prescribe morphine, my daughter passed away in
intolerable pain,” said Simonian, wiping her eyes. “My heart breaks
every time I recall the imploring look in her eyes. And because I felt
helpless, unable to stop that pain, I felt like dying with her.”

For rural Armenians like Simonian, a 64-year-old homemaker from the
northern hamlet of Akhtala, the process for obtaining permission to
administer painkillers to a terminally ill patient must begin with a
costly and time-consuming trip to the nearest administrative center.
Medical commissions tend to wait until they have received applications
from a several patients before meeting to decide whether or not to
authorize the use of painkillers. The delays involved in the process
can be — quite literally – agonizing for patients.

To dodge the hassle involved in convening a medical commission, many
doctors try to persuade “their patients that they do not need
painkillers, that they cause addiction; overlooking the fact that it’s
given to people in the advanced stage of their disease, on the verge
of death,” noted oncologist Dr. Hrant Karapetian, director of
palliative-care services at Yerevan’s National Oncology Center.

Lack of knowledge about palliative care can complicate matters.
Armenian medical schools do not provide instruction about palliative
medicine, so doctors often do not know how to evaluate a patient’s
level of pain, or to prescribe an appropriate dose of morphine, noted
Dr. Stephen Connor, a clinical psychologist and longtime American
hospice-palliative-care advocate who has worked in Armenia as a
consultant for the Open Society Institute’s International Palliative
Care Initiative. [Editor’s Note: The Open Society Foundation-Armenia,
a part of the Soros Foundations network, conducts research and
advocacy on palliative-care issues in Armenia. EurasiaNet.org operates
under the auspices of the New York-based Open Society Foundations, a
separate entity in the Soros network].

“Often that’s where the problems start,” Connor noted.

Uninformed doctors make decisions for uninformed families of the
dying, agreed Dr. Karapetian. “Often, [family members] do not know
that cancer patients do not have to suffer pain. They can get
painkillers, yet every day thousands are simply suffering.”

Since 2011, financial support from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS,
Tuberculosis and Malaria has provided for four pilot palliative-care
projects in public hospitals in Yerevan and the regional towns of
Ararat and Vanadzor. But the impact of these projects appears limited.
Research by the Open Society Foundations-Armenia suggests that not
even 10 percent of the registered 18,000 hospital patients with
terminal diagnoses get access to painkillers as part of end-of-life
care.

Those families who decide to persevere with trying to get morphine for
a dying loved one must go through a “big ceremony,” commented
Hovhannes Madoian, an HIV/AIDS-awareness activist with the
non-governmental organization Real World, Real People.

“One member of the family has to dedicate two days a week to that
process,” he elaborated. “It is not just going and getting. It is
about getting several signatures, knocking at a few doors, and if the
patient lives in a region, that becomes a time-consuming and costly
procedure because they have to get to the nearest town to get the
drugs.”

Obtaining sufficient dosages poses an additional challenge. The usual
permitted prescription — three ampoules of morphine per day – has an
effect for only about 12 hours, Dr. Karapetian said.

One Yerevan resident told EurasiaNet.org that he spent two days
fighting to increase the prescribed amount of painkillers for his
39-year old wife, who is dying from lung cancer. The man only gave his
first name, Manvel, since his children do not yet know about their
mother’s diagnosis. “Her physician prescribed a higher dose [of
morphine], but the chief doctor [at the hospital] would not allow it,
for no reason, and only after going to lawyers for help and getting
Healthcare Ministry employees involved was I able to get the
painkillers,” said Manvel.

Frustrated by seemingly unnecessary obstacles, some Armenians suspect
medical personnel of selling what should be free morphine on the black
market. One local, privately owned company, Arpharmacia, supplies the
drug to the Ministry of Healthcare.

An official from the national police’s anti-drug-trafficking office
claims that illegal peddling of morphine is a rare occurrence. “There
might be two to three cases per year, when medical morphine appears on
the black market,” said Lt. Col. Artur Minasian. In general, he
continued, a doctor’s refusal to increase a morphine dosage has more
to do with trying “to avoid the headache” involved with securing
official permission for the prescription.

Suren Krmoian, chief of staff at the Ministry of Healthcare, conceded
that dying patients’ access to painkillers is problematic, but
maintained that a bill expected to be submitted by the government this
year would improve the situation. Under intended changes, only a
patient’s doctor and another physician employed at the clinic where
the patient is registered would need to authorize the use of morphine,
Krmoian said.

Palliative-care advocates do not expect an imminent breakthrough, but
believe that public awareness of the problem, at least, is increasing.
“The progress is slow, but the will is obvious,” noted Dr. Connor.

Editor’s note:
Gayane Abrahamyan is a freelance reporter and editor in Yerevan.

From: A. Papazian

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
April 24 2014

Turkish PM expresses condolences to relatives of Armenians killed in
20th century

24 April 2014 – 11:53am

In parliament today, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has
expressed his condolences to the grandchildren of Armenians killed in
the 20th century. He proposed formation of a joint Turkish-Armenian
commission to study the events in 1915.

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said that Armenia was no longer
regarding Turkey as an enemy. He reminded that some Turks had helped
Armenian families in the times of pogroms and saved their children.

Sergey Minasyan, deputy director of the Kavkaz Institute, expressed a
hope that Turkey had started reframing the events of 1915. However the
expert doubts that the humanitarian messages of Erdogan and Sargsyan
would have any political consequences. In his opinion, both sides
spoke the truth.

According to Minasyan, the positive declaration did not mean that the
sides would ratify the protocols signed in 2009, diplomatic relations
would be rebuilt or borders opened. He said that it all depended on
the political elites. The analyst reminded that Erdogan was the one to
reject ratification of the protocols.

From: A. Papazian

SBS News, Australia
April 24 2014

Obama urges Armenia genocide recognition

US President Barack Obama has commended Armenians and Turks for
acknowledging “painful elements of the past”.

AAP

US President Barack Obama says the “full, frank and just
acknowledgement” of facts surrounding the World War I mass killings of
Armenians in the Ottoman Empire is in everyone’s interest.

In a statement on Thursday marking the 99th anniversary of the start
of the killings and deportations, Obama said the United States grieved
for the lives lost.

“A full, frank, and just acknowledgement of the facts is in all of our
interests,” Obama said.

“Peoples and nations grow stronger, and build a foundation for a more
just and tolerant future, by acknowledging and reckoning with painful
elements of the past.”

He added: “We continue to learn this lesson in the United States, as
we strive to reconcile some of the darkest moments in our own
history.”

“We recognise and commend the growing number of courageous Armenians
and Turks who have already taken this path, and encourage more to do
so, with the backing of their governments, and mine,” Obama said in
the statement that made no mention of the term “genocide”.

In an unprecedented move described by Washington as a historic
gesture, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday
offered condolences over the massacres, calling them “our shared
pain”.

Armenians say up to 1.5 million people were killed during World War I,
as the Ottoman Empire was falling apart, a claim supported by several
other countries.

From: A. Papazian

PRESS RELEASE
United Armenian Fund
1101 North Pacific Avenue, Suite 301
Glendale, CA 91202
Tel: (818) 241-8900

April 28, 2014
Contact: Harut Sassounian

Prime Healthcare Donates $2 Million of Medical Equipment to Armenia
and Artsakh United Armenian Fund (UAF) will distribute Donations

Glendale, CA – Prime Healthcare Management, Inc, a division of Prime
Healthcare Services, one of the largest hospital management companies
in the U.S., has teamed up with the United Armenian Fund to deliver $2
million of medical equipment to hospitals in Armenia and Artsakh.

The donation includes hundreds of items including hospital beds,
patient monitors, defibrillators, infusion pumps, feed pumps and a
variety of life-saving and medical-necessity equipment.

`This is the first delivery in a series of donations up to $5
million,’ said Michael Sarian, President of Hospital Operations at
Prime Healthcare Management, Inc., an award-winning Hospital
Management company that operates 26 hospitals across the U.S. `We are
pleased to be able to provide much needed medical equipment to the
people of Armenia and Artsakh.’

Republic of Armenia Minister of Health Dr. Terenik Doumanian has
formed a special committee to select and assign the medical equipment
to appropriate hospitals. The initial donation includes three 40
ft. shipping containers.

The United Armenian Fund (UAF) is the collective effort of the
Armenian General Benevolent Union, Armenian Missionary Association of
America, Armenian Relief Society, Diocese of the Armenian Church of
America and Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America. Since
its inception in 1989, The UAF has sent $690 million of humanitarian
assistance to Armenia via 158 airlifts and 2,168 sea containers

Ontario, CA-based Prime Healthcare Services (),
with a motto of `Saving Hospitals, Saving Jobs and Saving Lives,’ is
one of the largest hospital companies in the nation.

Prime Healthcare was recognized as one of the `Top 15 Health Systems’
in the nation in 2013, based on quality of healthcare and patient
satisfaction. It is the third time in five years it has been
recognized. In 2014, eight Prime Healthcare hospitals were ranked
among the `100 Top Hospitals’ in the nation by Truven Health Analytics
(formerly Thomson Reuters). Prime Healthcare hospitals have earned the
award 27 times. In addition, 11 Prime Healthcare hospitals earned
national recognition as `Top Performer on Key Quality Measures’ in
2013 from The Joint Commission, the leading Medicare accreditation
organization in the country.

Through their subsidiaries, Prime Healthcare Services and the
non-profit Prime Healthcare Foundation have more than 30,000 employees
and own and operate 25 hospitals: Alvarado Hospital Medical Center,
Centinela Hospital Medical Center, Chino Valley Medical Center, Desert
Valley Hospital, Encino Hospital Medical Center, Garden Grove Hospital
Medical Center, Huntington Beach Hospital, La Palma Intercommunity
Hospital, Montclair Hospital Medical Center, Paradise Valley Hospital,
San Dimas Community Hospital, Shasta Regional Medical Center, Sherman
Oaks Hospital and West Anaheim Medical Center — in California;
Providence Medical Center and Saint John Hospital — in Kansas; Saint
Mary’s Regional Medical Center – in Nevada; Lower Bucks Hospital and
Roxborough Memorial Hospital — in Pennsylvania; Landmark Medical
Center and Rehabilitation Hospital of Rhode Island – in Rhode Island;
Dallas Medical Center, Harlingen Medical Center, Knapp Medical Center
and Pampa Regional Medical Center – in Texas.

From: A. Papazian

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

“Armenians do not want sympathy or mercy from the Turkish authorities;
they demand the recognition of the Genocide and Reparations,”
Said His Holiness Aram I

Antelias – 24 April 2014. On Thursday, following the Holy Liturgy at the
St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral in Antelias, the faithful attended the
requiem service in memory of the martyrs in front of the Memorial Chapel.

His Holiness Aram I presided over the service and, addressing the people,
he delivered the following message:

The Armenian Genocide was planned and executed 99 years ago by the Ottoman
authorities. As Armenians in the diaspora commemorate the 100th anniversary
of the first Genocide of the 20th century, the international community
should understand that the Genocide continues today in different forms:
– Governments who have committed themselves to supporting all
international declarations, covenants and treaties regarding human rights
have cynically chosen to protect their geopolitical interests by not
demanding that Turkey be held accountable for its crimes against the
Armenian people.

– The Genocide created the diaspora. Practically all parts of
Article two of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime
of Genocide apply to Turkey’s actions in 1915. The Convention stipulates the
following acts as genocidal: “killing members of the group; causing serious
bodily or mental harm to members of the group; deliberately inflicting on
the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical
destruction in whole or in part.” Yet certain of the 145 signatory
countries, while insisting that these standards be applied in some
situations, refuse to accept them in the case of Turkey. Why are they
applying double standards; why?

– The Genocide continues: Not only are Armenians deprived of
their spiritual and cultural heritage in Western Armenia and Cilicia, the
successors of the perpetrators are trying to eliminate all signs of that
heritage that might identify its owners. Why in this case is UNESCO not
honoring its goal of protecting monuments, buildings and sites?

– The Genocide continues: Turkey has transformed our churches
into mosques, restaurants, factories and parks. In order to placate the
West, the government of Turkey has transformed a few churches into museums.

– The Genocide continues: Turkey has manipulated the 1922
Abandoned Properties laws in order to hold on to the properties and
artifacts belonging to the Church, the community and individuals. Don’t they
know that confiscating property is against human rights?

– The Genocide continues: In order to coerce Armenia and all
Armenians into negotiating on its own terms, Turkey is cooperating with
Azerbaijan in imposing an economic blockade on the state of Armenia.

– The Genocide continues: as Turkey is mobilizing its political,
diplomatic and economic means to promote anti-Armenian propaganda.

– The Genocide continues: Turkey is reviving the Ottoman
expansionist policy in Syria through proxy wars. Extremists in Der Zor,
Yacoubieh, Tel Abeid, Ras-ul Ain and, lately, in Kessab have forced
Armenians to leave their homes and their properties. Their means of
livelihood and belongings have been looted and taken to Turkey. 1915 is
being repeated while the world stays silent.

– The Genocide continues: Turkey continues to deny the Genocide
and to describe Armenians as traitors and disloyal citizens.

Who will call Turkey to account at the International Court of Human
Rights?

Why does the Arab World remain silent to Turkey’s expansionist policies?

Last night we read the message of the Prime Minister of Turkey to
Armenians. Distortions of historical facts cannot silence truth. The
happenings of 1915 were not a simple consequence of the war. They were
planned and executed by Tala’at and Enver Pasha and their minions against
our grandparents. We therefore reject Turkey’s condolences and demand
justice, reparation and Turkey’s recognition of the Genocide.

With this determination we shall plan the 100th anniversary commemoration
of the Armenian Genocide.
# #

From: A. Papazian

PRESS RELEASE
APRIL 24, 2014

ARMENIAN YOUTH FEDERATION OF CANADA
Contact: Harout Kassabian
Tel: 416-728-7917
E-Mail: [email protected]

2000+ COMMEMORATE THE 99TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN OTTAWA

2000+ Canadians from across the country gathered in Ottawa on Thursday,
April 24th to commemorate the 99th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and
demonstrate against the Government of Turkey’s ongoing denial of the crime.

99 years have passed since the start of the Armenian Genocide; the first
genocide of the 20th century. Through the efforts of the Turkish
Government, the crime has gone unpunished. The families of victims have not
been compensated and Armenian homes and Christian churches remain
confiscated.

The demonstrators first held a commemoration ceremony at Parliament Hill,
where they thanked Canada and the Canadian government for their ongoing
recognition of the facts of 1915, but also called upon the Harper
government to pressure its NATO ally, Turkey, to come to terms with its
passed and put an end to its ongoing Genocide denial policy.

The demonstrators then marched via Rideau St. to the Embassy of Turkey
where they held a protest against Turkey’s ongoing denial policies and
human rights violations, demanding justice for the 1.5 million victims
of the Armenian Genocide.

Member of AYF Canada, Alin Ginbashian, in her opening remarks referenced
the indisputable facts of the Armenian Genocide as confirmed by `The United
Nations Human Rights Commission, the International Association of Genocide
Scholars (IAGS) and over 120 Holocaust Scholars worldwide have affirmed the
incontestable fact of the Armenian Genocide. The Provinces of Ontario, BC
and Quebec, the Canadian Parliament and Government along with several
countries around the world such as: France, Russia, Switzerland and many
more.’

AYF Canada Central Executive Member, Levon Sarmazian explained why
Armenians return to the Turkish Embassy every year: `After 99 years, the
Turkish government continues to deny the genocide of the Armenians by
undermining historical fact with false rhetoric. Turkey’s efforts to
rewrite its history have become progressively more sophisticated as they
engage in propaganda in an effort to absolve the perpetrator, blame the
victims and erase the ethical meaning of Armenian history.’

The protestors at the Embassy of Turkey not only demanded justice, but
also stood in solidarity with the brave citizens of Turkey who, on this day
of remembrance, held Armenian Genocide demonstrations across major cities
of the Republic.

Photo Captions

Image 1: Demonstrators gathered at Parliament Hill for 99th anniversary
commemoration

Image 2: Demonstrators marching along Rideau St. in Ottawa

Image 3: Demonstrators protesting in front of the Embassy of Turkey
against the Turkish Government’s ongoing denial of the Armenian Genocide

##

Founded in 1934, the Armenian Youth Federation of Canada is the largest
and most influential Canadian-Armenian youth organization in Canada,
working to advance social, political, educational, and cultural awareness
among Armenian-Canadian youth.

From: A. Papazian

Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918
[email protected]

PRESS RELEASE April 25, 2014
Contact: Elen Asatryan
Cell: 818.523.8389 Office: 818.500.1919
Email: [email protected]

CA STATE ASSEMBLY UNANIMOUSLY PASSES RESOLUTION HONORING THE NEAR EAST
RELIEF; RECOGNIZES ANCA WR “AMERICA, WE THANK YOU” CAMPAIGN

SACRAMENTO, CA – On April 24, 2014, the California State Assembly
unanimously passed a resolution honoring and commending the
extraordinary service of the Near East Relief and the American people
who helped save over 132,000 orphans and provided humanitarian aid to
the victims of the Armenian Genocide, reported the Armenian National
Committee of America – Western Region (ANCA-WR).

“We were proud to witness the California State Assembly rise in honor
of the monumental humanitarian efforts by the United States and the
American people through the Near East Relief, which helped save the
Armenian nation from annihilation and are grateful to Assemblymembers
Ian Calderon and Scott Wilk for taking the lead and recognizing the
efforts of ANCA WR’s ‘America, We Thank You’ campaign,” stated Elen
Asatryan Executive Director of ANCA WR.

In his introductory remarks, Principal Author of AJR 41,
Assemblymember Ian Calderon, provided historical background on the
organization noting that the Near East Relief is the United States’
oldest Congressionally-sanctioned, non-governmental, humanitarian
organization through which more than 1,000 American volunteers left
their comfortable lives to travel across the world to contribute to
the relief effort – saving over 132,000 orphans and 1 million refugees
and raising and delivering over $117 million. He went on to explain
that these efforts in California were led by public officials,
including Mayor James Rolph, Jr. of San Francisco and Judge Curtis D.
Wilbur, Chairman of the California State Committee. He concluded his
remarks by highlighting the work of the ANCA WR’s “America, We Thank
You: An Armenian Tribute to the Near East Relief” campaign, which was
launched earlier this year to express their collective gratitude for
helping them survive out of the ashes of destruction.

“California has always been at the forefront of protecting human
rights and leading efforts to raise awareness about crimes against
humanity. The “America, We Thank You” project is a thoughtful tribute
to the Near East Relief and the thousands of Americans – including
many Californians – who delivered unprecedented humanitarian
assistance to the survivors of the Armenian Genocide of 1915. It is
appropriate that today, 365 days from the 100th Anniversary of the
Armenian Genocide, we recognize and remember this historic effort,”
stated Assemblymember Calderon.

“I was honored to joint author AJR 41 to recognize the contribution of
the Near East Relief organization who sustained Armenian and Assyrians
during the Armenian Genocide,” stated Assemblymember Scott Wilk. “The
Near East Relief effort saved the lives of more than 1 million
refugees, including relatives of my wife, Vanessa Safoyan Wilk,” added
Wilk.

Assemblymember Achadjian followed Assemblymember Calderon’s remarks to
provide additional insight noting “The Near East Relief was created by
President Woodrow Wilson and the American Ambassador to Turkey in 1915
in response to the ethnic cleansing of Armenians and Assyrians. It is
a fitting tribute for us to take the time today, the actual Day of
Remembrance for the Armenian Genocide, to remember an organization
that saved the lives of so many and continues to do so today,” as he
called on his colleagues to also support the resolution.
Subsequently, Assemblymember Marc Levine joined Calderon and Achadjian
in calling for support and recognizing the efforts of NER.

Immediately after, 72 CA Assemblymembers joined in as co-authors of
the resolution then moved to unanimously pass the resolution. The
vote was followed by a floor introduction of ANCA Western Region
Executive Director Elen Asatryan, ANCA Western Region’s “America, We
Thank You: An Armenian Tribute to Near East Relief” Committee
Co-Chair Hermineh Pakhanians and Committee Member Arsho Beylerian for
the organization’s efforts in spearheading the campaign.

The Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region is the
largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy
organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination
with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the
Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country,
the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community
on a broad range of issues.

###

Photo Caption 1: ANCA WR with CA Assembly Speaker and Members After
AJR 41 Vote From Left: Assemblymember Scott Wilk, Assemblymember
Katcho Achadjian, ANCA WR AWTY Committee Member Arsho Beylerian,
Assemblymember Ian Calderon, Assemblymember Cheryl Brown, Assembly
Speaker John Perez, ANCA WR Executive Director Elen Asatryan,
Assemblymember Chris Holden, ANCA WR AWTY Committee Co-Chair Hermineh
Pakhanians

Photo Caption 2: ANCA WR “America, We Thank You: An Armenian Tribute
to Near East Relief” Introduction on Assembly Floor. From Left: ANCA
WR AWTY Committee Member Arsho Beylerian, ANCA WR Executive Director
Elen Asatryan, ANCA WR AWTY Committee Co-Chair Hermineh Pakhanians

From: A. Papazian

FALLOUT: BAGHDASARYAN RESIGNS AMID SPECULATION THAT HE WANTED PM POST

POLITICS | 25.04.14 | 17:29

Photolure

Gohar Abrahamyan
ArmeniaNow reporter

Armenia’s Secretary of National Security Council (NSC) Artur
Baghdasaryan resigned Friday, as newly-appointed Prime Minister Hovik
Abrahamyan forms his new government.

“The past six years were years of joint work, and I want to express my
gratitude to Council members for their work. These six years at NSC can
be singled out for having shifted from short-term projects to long-term
ones,” Baghdasaryan announced at the meeting with reporters on Friday
also mentioning about Orinats Yerkir party, headed by Baghdasaryan,
deciding to withdraw from the ruling coalition.

Baghdasaryan’s party says that the model of a coalition has lost
relevance. There is speculation, however, that Baghdasaryan is insulted
that he was not considered for post of Prime Minister.

In 2008, Baghdasaryan was reviled by Armenia’s opposition, when his
party joined the ruling coalition after having been an oppositional
leader. On Friday he said the party joined the coalition “for the
sake of the people” and that it is now leaving the coalition for the
same reason.

“Orinats Yerkir didn’t manage to have political influence in the
political coalition, in various issues regarding the country’s
development we didn’t manage to have vital influence, numerous bills
were ignored, for six years we were trying to enlarge our role,
but we failed,” he said.

Baghdasaryan’s party had also run for parliament on an opposition
platform in 2007 when second president Robert Kocharyan was in power.

At one point Kocharyan had called Baghdasaryan a “traitor”, but,
nonetheless Baghdasaryan joined the ruling regime the following year.

The future of the minor party and of Baghdasaryan’s profile in Armenian
politics will surely be determined in coming days.

From: A. Papazian

PM TOURS SERVICE CENTERS, SHELTERS, MILITARY HOSPITAL AND PORT IN LATTAKIA

[ Part 2.2: “Attached Text” ]

Apr 25, 2014

Lattakia, (SANA) Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi inspected Friday toured
several sites and inspected a number of vital and development projects
in the coastal city of Lattakia, including military hospital and the
city’s port.

Al-Halqi hailed the sacrifices made by the army members in defense
of the homeland during a visit he paid to injured soldiers in the
Military Hospital.

He affirmed that the government is going ahead with securing the best
of medical care for the injured army personnel, including post-surgery
treatment particularly for those who totally or partially lost
some organs.

Visiting a checkpoint of the army and national defense forces, al-Halqi
stressed that the sacrifices of the armed forces will not go in vain,
“as they will rather yield great victories that will be immortalized
in the Syria’s modern history and outline the features of the strong
steadfast Syria”.

The Premier also paid a visit to two makeshift residential centers
in the Armenian Orthodox Church of Virgin Mary and Jihad Mashi high
school which host people who were displaced from Kassab after the
recent Turkish-facilitated terrorist assault on the town.

The premier inspected the living conditions of families at the shelters
and the level of food, medical and educational services provided.

Al-Halqi’s tour in the city included a visit to the Port of Lattakia
where he listened to a review on the work situation, the movement of
vessels entering or leaving the port and the unloading and delivery
of goods.

He saw the “unusual frequent movement” of arriving and departing
vessels and ships as an indication of the state of recovery the
country is currently going through.

He highlighted in a statement to the reporters the importance of
Syria’s ports, through which he said the government has been securing
all food provision stuff and reconstruction requirements.

The government’s efforts in this regard, which are further pushed
forward by President Bashar al-Assad, aim at propping up the
requirements of the Syrian people’s steadfastness and bolstering
their strategic and development reserves, he added.

Premier al-Halqi also visited the grave of late President Hafez
al-Assad in the city of Qardaha where he laid a wreath and read Quran
(al-Fatiha) for the repose of his soul.

He said the late President is one of the greatest leaders in Syria
and the world whose names went down in the history registers of Syria
and the free world with “letters of brightness and pride”.

Hafez al-Assad, al-Halqi added, “was one of the emblems of
steadfastness and resistance and the defender of the just humane Arab
and international issues”.

He made it clear that the “legendary steadfastness” which Syria is now
living has its deep roots in President Hafez al-Assad’s building of the
state of institutions that is Syria, adding that this steadfastness
has further grown and been consolidated under the wise leadership of
President Bashar al-Assad.

The Premier also visited a mobile electric power subscriber service
center , which carry out tours and provide services in all areas,
and al-Bassel Hospital in Qardaha where he listened to the patients’
evaluation of the services provided and the medical cadres’ review
of needs.

A number of ministers, including those of Local Administration,
Electricity, Agriculture, Housing and Urban Development, Industry
and Transport , accompanied the Premier on his tour.

A similar tour in the city was carried out by Premier al-Halqi the
previous day during which he laid the foundation stones of and
inaugurated a number of vital development projects at a cost of
approximately SYP 4 billion.

Some of the projects included the inauguration of al-Kabo power station
at an overall value of SYP 1.4 billion and laying the cornerstone of
the Youth Residence worth SYP 2.4 billion, in addition to improving
services at Martyr Bassel al-Assad International Airport at an overall
value of SYP 150 million.

H. Said

From: A. Papazian