Author: Andres-Papazian

L’ ATTAQUE SUR KESSAB EST L’ EXPRESSION DE LA FUREUR D’ ERDOGAN CONTRE L’ ARMENIE (MUDAR BARAKAT)

Entretien de Narine Daneghyan

27 mars 2014

USA Armenian Life n° 1409

La ville peuplee d’Armeniens de Kessab, consideree jusqu’alors comme
l’un des lieux les plus sûrs de Syrie, a ete attaquee la semaine
passee par des hommes armes venus de Turquie. Pourquoi ont-ils pris
Kessab comme cible ?

D’abord, ce ne sont pas des combattants ordinaires, ce sont des
mercenaires employes et entraînes par le gouvernement neofasciste
d’Erdogan, finances par les wahhabites au pouvoir en Arabie Saoudite,
au Qatar et au Koweït, et armes par les USA, Israël et leurs allies
europeens.

Selon le rapport publie en octobre 2013 par un centre de recherche
americain, la plupart de ces terroristes sont des djihadistes
islamistes, venus en majorite d’Arabie Saoudite (19 700 terroristes,
dont 4 000 ont deja ete tues), de Tunisie, de Turquie, de Tchetchenie,
de Somalie, d’Afghanistan, du Pakistan, et de beaucoup d’autres pays.

Le gouvernement syrien, a prouve par des documents et des preuves
presentees a l’ONU que des terroristes de 87 pays ont ete impliques
jusqu’ici.

Selon le meme centre de recherches des Etats-Unis, près de 58 000
terroristes etrangers ont ete tues sur le territoire de la Syrie
entre avril 2011 et decembre 2013, parmi lesquels il est prouve que
se trouvaient 247 officiers ou soldats de l’armee turque, tandis que
beaucoup d’autres ont ete arretes.

L’origine de ces terroristes etant clarifiee, vous pouvez comprendre
pourquoi cette stupide attaque contre Kessab a ete declenchee au
meme moment où Erdogan lancait a Antakya sa campagne electorale. Vous
comprenez aussi les raisons de l’annonce d’Erdogan dans son discours a
Antakya, evoquant l’attaque d’un F16 turc contre un chasseur syrien,
un evenement qui se deroulait au moment meme de son discours. Selon
des sources de l’opposition turque, il prevoyait d’annoncer dans
son discours la chute de Kessab, comme une victoire- symbole de son
gouvernement, au soutien de la soi-disant ” revolution syrienne “,
ce qui aurait ete très significatif pour son parti a la veille des
prochaines elections, et aurait montre a ses maîtres americains
et israeliens qu’il reussit la où ont echoue, encore et encore au
cours des trois dernières annees, les Wahhabites et Frères musulmans
au pouvoir en Arabie Saoudite et au Qatar. Il pense aussi qu’un tel
succès peut convaincre les Americains et les Israeliens qu’il y a
encore une chance de faire tomber le regime syrien, et que l’attaque
prevue a Lattaquie est a present possible. Mais plus importante
etait son intention de s’appuyer sur ces succès pour convaincre les
Americains de lui enlever ses peurs de perdre le pouvoir en faveur
de son nouvel ennemi et ex-ami Fathullah Gulin.

Erdogan prend pour cible l’importance symbolique de Kessab, un refuge
de paix syrien pour les familles armeniennes qui ont survecu aux
massacres que ses predecesseurs ottomans leur ont fait subir et il
apparaît que cette attaque sur Kessab est une replique de la colère
d’Erdogan envers la position de l’Armenie opposee au terrorisme en
Syrie, comme un rappel des massacres de 1915 et de l’hostilite turque
en vers les Armeniens.

Cependant, comme cela se produit dans toutes les zones de guerre,
la plupart des citoyens de Kessab se sont deplaces a Lattaquie
avant l’arrivee des terroristes et les habitants de Lattaquie leur
ont ouvert leur maison, sachant que peu de temps se passerait avant
que Kessab soit debarrassee des terroristes d’Erdogan. Enviro 450
familles ont fui Kessab pour Lattaquie, quelques unes d’entre elles
restent a present dans l’eglise armenienne.

Le 26 mars, une delegation parlementaire d’Armenie est arrivee a
Lattaquie pour constater et condamner les actes terroristes turcs. Les
membres armeniens du Parlement ont rencontre des familles armeniennes
de Kessab, et tandis qu’ils s’y trouvaient, un citoyen armenien-syrien
arrivait de Kessab ayant eu suffisamment de chance pour echapper
aux terroristes qui l’avaient kidnappe, et donnait un entretien
a un journaliste de la TV syrienne qui accompagnait la delegation
parlementaire armenienne.

Des combats ont-ils lieu en ce moment dans les environs de Kessab ?

Quelles mesures le gouvernement syrien prend-il pour reprendre Kessab
tandis qu’on signale des tirs d’artillerie dans le secteur ?

Les terroristes ont reussi a s’emparer du point frontière près de
Kessab, et de la, ils ont avance vers l’ouest de la ville de Kessab,
equipes de missiles anti-aeriens et d’un certain nombre de tanks
americains, tous fournis par l’armee turque.

Tôt dans la matinee aujourd’hui [26 mars], l’armee syrienne a regagne
sa base strategique (point 45), et a pris position dans la region
autour de Kessab. L’armee syrienne entre dans la ville par l’est,
d’autres unites encerclent les terroristes dans les parties ouest de
la ville.

Des hommes armes ont traverse la frontière syrienne avec la Turquie,
peut-on dire alors que le gouvernement turc les soutenait et meme
organisait ces attaques ?

Oui, comme je disais plus haut, le gouvernement Erdogan a fourni
aux terroristes des tanks americains et des missiles anti-aeriens,
leur apportant egalement le soutien logistique de l’armee turque,
en plus de sa participation directe aux attaques avec les terroristes.

On rapporte que la frontière turque est maintenant ouverte et que
des scènes de vols a grande echelle se deroulent a Kessab.

– Elles n’ont peut-etre pas encore atteint ce niveau a grande echelle,
mais il est sûr que les gangsters d’Erdogan repeteront a Kessab ce
qu’ils ont fait a Alep, où ils ont tout vole a Alep ; dans les musees,
les mosquees, les maisons, les marches.

Le groupe Al Nusra contrôle encore Kessab. Combien de temps
pourront-ils resister encore ?

Je peux vous assurer qu’ils ne tiendront pas face a l’armee nationale
syrienne, tout comme dans d’autres regions, ils seront ecrases par
l’armee syrienne.

Quelles mesures les officiels syriens vont-ils prendre pour prevenir
les attaques contre les Chretiens ?

Les Chretiens syriens ne diffèrent pas des autres syriens – c’est
ainsi qu’ils ont toujours vecu ensemble.

Le christianisme est ne en Syrie, et les soldats syriens defendent
la nation entière. C’est pour cela que nos ennemis, Erdogan et tous
les autres ont echoue et echoueront toujours a atteindre leurs buts,
parce qu’ils ne peuvent comprendre notre facon de vivre en Syrie. Le
peuple syrien pense que quelques Syriens sont musulmans depuis 1400
ans, que d’autres Syriens sont chretiens depuis 2014 ans, mais qu’ils
sont tous syriens depuis plus de 10 000 ans.

Il y a des rumeurs selon lesquelles une offensive sur Lattaquie aura
lieu sous peu. Qu’en pensez-vous ?

Analysant la situation, je peux vous assurer que cela n’aura pas
lieu dans la mesure où les terroristes ont echoue a atteindre des
objectifs plus faciles au cours des trois annees passees, en depit du
fait qu’ils etaient au sommet de leur force et avaient le meilleur
soutien international. La situation a change a present, l’armee
syrienne attaque plutôt qu’elle ne defend, et le soutien des USA et
international aux rebelles est a son point le plus faible après les
nombreuses victoires remportees par l’armee syrienne.

Traduction Gilbert Beguian

lundi 31 mars 2014, Stephane (c)armenews.com

From: A. Papazian

TURQUIE : UN HAUT RESPONSABLE DE LA DEFENSE DEMIS DE SES FONCTIONS

TURQUIE

Le president turc Abdullah Gul a demis de ses fonctions le secretaire
d’Etat aux Industries de defense Murat Bayar, repute favorable
a l’achat par la Turquie de missiles sol-air a un groupe chinois
controverse, ont rapporte vendredi les medias turcs.

Les raisons du depart de M. Bayar, qui dirigeait depuis dix ans
dans ces fonctions les grands programmes d’armement turcs, n’ont pas
ete precisees.

Ankara a annonce en septembre avoir retenu l’entreprise China Precision
Machinery Import-Export Corporation (CPMIEC) pour l’acquisition
de missiles sol-air de longue portee Hongqi, un contrat estime a 4
milliards de dollars (2,9 milliards d’euros).

La Turquie a justifie son choix par des raisons de prix et de
transferts de technologies.

La preference accordee par les Turcs a cette entreprise, qui fait
l’objet de sanctions americaines pour avoir livre des armes a l’Iran
et a la Syrie en depit d’un embargo, a irrite ses allies de l’Otan,
notamment les Etats-Unis.

La Turquie a alors autorise les concurrents de CPMIEC –l’americain
Raytheon, la russe Rosoboronexport et la franco-italienne Eurosam–
a preciser leurs offres.

L’annonce du remplacement de M. Bayar intervient au lendemain de
la fuite retentissante sur internet du compte-rendu d’une reunion
confidentielle de hauts responsables turcs evoquant une eventuelle
intervention militaire en Syrie.

lundi 31 mars 2014, Stephane (c)armenews.com

From: A. Papazian

PRESS RELEASE
Hayastan All-Armenian Fund
Governmental Building 3, Yerevan, RA
Contact: Hasmik Grigoryan
Tel: +(3741) 56 01 06 ext. 105
Fax: +(3741) 52 15 05
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

Yerevan, March 31, 2014

School-construction project in Chapar Village nears completion

The Hayastan All-Armenian Fund is putting the finishing touches on a new
school it is building in Chapar, a village in Artsakh’s Martakert Region.
The project was made possible by the financial support of the Armenia-based
businessman Varuzhan Grigoryan. It is co-financed by the Nagorno-Karabakh
government.

The two-story campus, which can accommodate up to 84 students, will open its
doors by summer 2014, so that the community’s 40 schoolchildren will start
the new academic year in the newly constructed structure.

School principal Irina Sevumyan said that her students often participate in
scholastic competitions in Armenia and Artsakh, as a rule excelling at them.
“Without a doubt, the pleasant and nurturing environment of the new campus
will contribute to the enthusiasm of our schoolchildren and foster academic
achievement,” Sevumyan said. “It remains to hope that we will have a larger
number of students in the coming years.”

Currently crews are working on the interior decoration of the new school.
The 940-square-meter building will be equipped with a central-heating
system, complete with an adjacent boiler room, and will feature a
playground.

With a population of 305 today, Chapar is one of Artsakh’s oldest
communities, celebrated for historic landmarks such as the Hakarakaberd
Castle and the Red Church. The village is the site of another project
implemented by the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund, a close-to-four-kilometer
water pipeline, completed in 2012, which has since provided the community
with regular access to potable water.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIE
Greta Sarkissian, la mère de > est sortie de l’hôpital

Greta Sarkissian, la mère de l’ex-Premier ministre arménien Vazken
Sarkissian, dit >, tué lors de l’attaque du Parlement
arménien le 27 octobre 1999 est sortie de l’hôpital où elle était
admise depuis le 4 mars. Selon Anatoly Knouni, le responsable
anesthésiste du ministère arménien de la Santé, Greta Sarkissian
devrait continuer à suivre des soins en revenant régulièrement à
l’hôpital. Elle souffrirait de problème du système circulatoire au
niveau de sa tête. Le 5 mars, les membres du Yergrabah (Gardiens du
pays, combattants arméniens) lui avaient rendu visite, et le 8 mars,
c’était au tour du président Serge Sarkissian de lui rendre également
visite. Rappelons que Vazken Sarkissian (1959-1999) appelé >, héros de la guerre du Haut-Karabagh et l’un des acteurs de la
victoire arménienne et de la formation de l’armée arménienne, reste un
héros national en Arménie.

Krikor Amirzayan

dimanche 30 mars 2014,
Krikor Amirzayan (c)armenews.com

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIE-UNION DOUANIERE
Dikran Sarkissian >

Le niveau de vie des citoyens d’Arménie devrait connaître une
croissance après l’entrée de l’Arménie dans l’Union douanière selon le
Premier ministre arménien Dikran Sarkissian lors d’un discours à
Erévan le 29 mars à l’occasion de la 2e conférence économique du Parti
Républicain d’Arménie, le parti de la majorité gouvernementale. > dit Dikran Sarkissian. Il a également
affirmé que par la liberté de mobilité de la force de travail et la
mise en place d’unités de travail, l’émigration arménienne devrait
enregistrer une baisse sensible. En un mot, par l’intégration de
l’Arménie au sein de l’Union douanière, la Russie pourrait installer
davantage d’entreprises ou unités de production capable de donner un
travail à la main d’oeuvre arménienne et freiner ainsi l’émigration
arménienne.

Krikor Amirzayan

dimanche 30 mars 2014,
Krikor Amirzayan (c)armenews.com

From: A. Papazian

PRESS RELEASE
YerPhI Cosmic Ray Division
2 Alikhanian brothers
375036 Yerevan, Armenia
Web:

Support Committee for Armenia’s Cosmic Ray Division (SCACRD)
Contact: Anahid Yeremian
Email: [email protected]
Arsine Arakelians [email protected]

Portrait of a Young CRD Scientist, Hripsime Lazarian

By Arsine Arakelians

The Cosmic Ray Division of the Yerevan Physics Institute founded by
famous Armenian scientist Artem Alikhanyan, is a major, world-renowned
scientific research institute.Along with its extremely important
scientific research and discoveries, it is also a teaching and research
magnate for young scientists.Graduate students, eager to advance their
knowledge, and gain valuable experience by working in their chosen
fields, are recruited to study and work with practicing scientists.They
are encouraged and even expected to participate in the scientific
endeavors of CRD.One such graduate student is a young lady, Hripsime
Lazarian, profiled below.

She has agreed to answer a few questions, via e mail.

1 – Where were you born?Did you attend the primary and secondary
schools of your birth place?

I was born in Yerevan in 1990, and from 1997-2007 attended N199 School
named Henrik Khachatryan in Yerevan, which was my parent’s best choice
for me.

2 – How large is your family?

My immediate family consists of my parents, younger brother and me. It
is relatively small, but my extended family is large.

3 – Were there any scientists in your immediate or extended family?

There is no scientist in my immediate family. But in the extended family
I have relatives who majored in sciences. My grandfather is a retired
chemist who was a lecturer in what is today the Armenian National
Agrarian University and had many productive students. Later he became a
school administrator and taught chemistry to many young people. He is
very proud of his influence on young people and he influenced me a lot
with his enthusiasm for science. Besides my grandfather, my uncle is a
physicist working on X-ray related experiments.

4- Was there anyone among your immediate surroundings that took a
special interest in your education or in you as a budding scientist, and
was willing to help you finance your education?

My parents took special interest in my education. They gave me freedom
and support to choose the profession I was interested in. I hope I have
justified my parents’ expectations. I was an honor student and was
granted a Government sponsored Scholarship during my student years. In
addition, I would like to emphasize my uncle’s role in my education.He
was and still is ready and willing to explain the mysteries of physics
and answer my questions in regards to sciences.His continuing assistance
has been very helpful and rewarding for me.

5- At what age and why did you choose physics as your field of study?

I chose physics as a field of study when I was 17. Back then I did not
know what was the real meaning of the word “scientist” and generally
speaking, what it took to be a scientist. I strived to become a good
specialist in a field where I could discover answers to questions about
life and existence. Personally, I’m very interested in inventing and
creating new things. Studying physics has given me this great
opportunity. I remember when I met my advisor, Prof. Ashot Chilingarian,
for the first time, and told him about my ideas and plans, he advised me
to work very hard, experiment, calculate, demonstrate, try out my ideas
first, not jump to conclusions too fast. I know this is the field where
I can try out my ideas and achieve success by working hard.

6 -Which university did you attend?Did you do your undergraduate and
graduate studies at the same institute?

After secondary school I entered Yerevan State University, (2007-2013)
Department of Physics. I received a Bachelor’s Degree in “Applied
Physics and Mathematics” and a Master’s Degree in “Nuclear Physics” in
the same department. Last year I enrolled as a PhD student at Cosmic Ray
Division of A. Alikhanyan National Laboratory (Yerevan Physics
Institute). I have been affiliated with CRD since receiving my Master’s
Degree.

7 – Did you have a special mentor?Who was the main influence in your
life and studies while in school?

My father is irreplaceable as a mentor in my life, and has had a great
influence on me. He is always ready to motivate me, encourages me to
follow my dreams, and teaches me to be patient and never give up, no
matter how hard things may get.It was based on my father’s encouragement
that I pursued higher education and became a scientist, without worrying
too much about future earning possibilities.

8 – How did you become affiliated with CRD?

When I was a 3rd year student (2010) we had special lectures at the CRD
headquarters as part of our university curriculum. After I met Prof.
Chilingarian, became acquainted with his scientific works, I realized
that the new and exciting field of Atmospheric Physics is where I want
to specialize. After earning my Bachelor’s Degree, Prof. Chilingarian
gave me the opportunity to join the CRD team.

9 – How long have you been involved with them?How do you like being a
part of CRD?

I have been involved with CRD for 3 years, since 2010 as a researcher.
Now I cannot imagine my life without science and without my work.

10- What particular project are you working on?As a young scientist, do
you have opportunities to be creative, to introduce new ideas?

My topic of research is relatedto Atmospheric Physics. Particularly, I
study the phenomena of thunderstorm as well as lightning initiation,
particle enhancement, and the behavior of meteorological parameters
during thunderstorm.Atmospheric Physics is a field where many questions
still remain unanswered. My advisor always inspires me to “dive” into
the world of science, never be afraid of new approaches, taking risks,
experimenting, trying to prove my ideas.He does everything possible to
facilitate my study and work. I always share my ideas with him.He is
ready and forth coming with plenty of valuable advice. As a young
scientist, working in this environment, I am encouraged to//invent new
approaches to research.

11 – Are you given the chance to interact with foreign scientists or to
travel abroad and meet others like you, participate in scientific
conferences, symposia?

With my advisor, Prof. Chilingarian, we organize various international
symposia and meetings in Armenia. These allow me the opportunity to
interact, and communicate with foreign leading scientists. Last year I
helped Prof. Chilingarian to organize /Thunderstorms and Elementary
Particle Acceleration(TEPA-2013)/ symposium in Armenia. The year before
that it was in Moscow and I presented my work there. This year we are
planning to organize TEPA-2014, as well as an international summer
school in Armenia.In the future, I am planning to participate in various
conferences abroad. In May I will attend an International Summer School
in Collieune, France dedicated to Thunderstorm Effects on the
Atmosphere-ionosophere System

12 – As a scientist, what are you long term goals?What would you like
to accomplish?

Our team and I are going to explain and enhance the understanding of the
electrical structure of thunderclouds and conditions that support
lightning initiation. My dream is to become an excellent scientist and
contribute to my home country, Armenia.There are many very smart people
who leave Armenia, chasing better salaries abroad, due to lack of
opportunities here.Other countries offer far higher standard of living
and lure many of our highly educated people away.As a matter of fact, we
are suffering from a “Brain Drain”. Therefore, one of my life long goals
is to do everything possible within, or even beyond my powers to
persuade our scientists and specialists to stay, work and create in Armenia.

Thank you, Hripsime for your answers.

The above is a snapshot portrait of a young, dedicated scientist, who
exudes enthusiasm and love for her chosen field.She is a “treasure” for
Armenia.Her willingness to work very hard, her determination to succeed,
ensures a bright future as a significant scientist in the field of
Atmospheric Physics.At her tender age, she is already gaining
world-recognition from international scientists who go to Armenia for
conferences.In May 2014 she will attend a special a summer school called
/Thunderstorm Effects on the Atmosphere-Ionoshpere System (TEA-IS)/, to
be held in Collioure, France. This is a research Networking Program,
which began in 2011 and will last until 2016.So far there are over 100
scientists from 9 countries, participating in this project.Imagine the
exposure and experiences she will gain by taking part in these sessions.
She will present her own work as well as discuss and learn from the
practicing specialists.

It is only due to her involvement with CRD in Armenia, that she is
capable of following her dreams, and working in her chosen field.Without
CRD, she would never have the opportunity to “fine tune” her
specialization, to advance her base of knowledge, or to participate in
such prestigious international conferences.

The most heart warming aspect of her interview is her earnest desire to
remain and work in Armenia.We desperately need her and people like
her.For the sake of Hripsime and all future scientists, we must extend
our support to ensure a thriving, prosperous CRD.

From: A. Papazian

EURASIAN CHOICE OF GEORGIA, ARMENIA, MOLDOVA

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
March 28 2014

28 March 2014 – 3:30pm

Experts from Russia, Georgia, Armenia and Moldova have gathered at
an international conference of the Eurasian Choice Discussion Club in
Moscow today to discuss prospects of Eurasian integration projects, the
geopolitical situation on the post-Soviet space and economic progress.

Archil Chkoidze, leader of the Eurasian Choice – Georgia coalition,
emphasized that the Georgian government had been agitating against
Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union. In his words, the
government is now falsifying history to make the West more popular. He
believes that Georgia will have fewer problems selling products on
the Eurasian market than the European.

Badri Nachkebia, head of the CIS Department Institute, is confident
that cooperation with Russia does not necessarily reflect the demand
for Eurasian integration. He believes that Georgia does not need to
join any military blocs.

Aik Babukhanyan, a member of the Republican Party of Armenia, noted
that the world was losing its unipolar system. He reminded that
Armenia had always been trying to be friends with Russia and the West.

Armenia considers the Eurasian Union to be a real microeconomic
association to boost economies.

From: A. Papazian

SYRIAN-ARMENIAN TOWN’S FATE MURKY AFTER REBEL GRAB

The Inter-Mountain
March 28 2014

March 28, 2014

Associated Press
Save |

BADROUSIEH, Syria (AP) — When hundreds of residents of the
postcard-pretty coastal Syrian village of Kassab fled this week, it
bore historic weight: it was the third time since 1900 that ethnic
Armenians there felt compelled to run for their lives.

They left once at the hands of vengeful Turkish neighbors, and later
because of Ottoman forces. This time it was Syrian rebels storming
into town. It was a heavy blow for the minority community that sees
the town as key to preserving the Armenians’ identity in Syria.

Kassab “is a symbol of Armenian history, language and continuity. It’s
very symbolic,” said Ohannes Geukjian, a political science professor
who writes on contemporary Armenian history and politics. “And so
the fall of Kassab, I consider it the defeat of Armenian identity in
that area.”

Rebels seized control of Kassab on Sunday after launching an attack two
days earlier in the coastal Syrian province of Latakia. The fighters
were from an array of conservative and Islamic groups, including the
al-Qaida-affiliated Nusra Front.

The province has an ancient Armenian presence, but is better known as
a bastion of support for President Bashar Assad. It is his ancestral
home and that of followers of the Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite
Islam, that he belongs to.

The clashes led most of Kassab’s estimated 2,000 residents to flee
some 35 miles (57 kilometers) to Latakia city, emptying out a village
that boasted a Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant church.

“We had to flee only with our clothes. We couldn’t take anything,
not even the most precious thing — a handful of soil from Kassab. We
couldn’t take our memories,” said a woman to Syrian state television.

She identified herself as Kassab resident, but didn’t give her name.

Kassab is surrounded by the villas of middle-class Syrians who built
their homes amid green wooded hills overlooking the sea. The area
got a boost from a popular 2008 Syrian telenovela, “Daya, Daya,”
which was filmed in nearby village of Samra. Tourists flock to the
area in the summer.

Kassab residents, speaking to Syrian television, said mortar shells and
gunfire came from the Turkish border toward their village. A Syrian
field commander on a government-organized trip told journalists in
the nearby town of Badrousieh that gunmen began their attack “with
clear support from the Turks.”

Turkish officials refuted the claims.

“The allegations by some circles that Turkey is providing support to
the opposition forces by letting them use its territory or through
some other ways during the conflict … are totally unfounded,”
the Turkish government said in a media statement on Wednesday.

The Turkish government was prepared to admit Syrian Armenian refugees
and “protection could be provided to them,” the statement said.

Armenia’s President Serge Sarkisian said Kassab was attacked by
Turkish militants in 1909, forcing local Armenians to flee for their
lives. In 1915, as the 600-year-old Ottoman empire violently unraveled,
the Armenian population was deported by the Turks, and thousands died
as they marched across the desert.

A website created by Kassab descendants, “Kessabtsiner,” confirmed
those events.

“This is the third expulsion of Armenians from Kassab and it represents
a major challenge to modern mechanisms for the protection of ethnic
minorities,” Sarkisian said in a statement this week.

Historians estimate that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by
Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I, an event widely viewed by
scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century. Turkey, however,
denies that the deaths constituted genocide, saying the toll has been
inflated and that those killed were victims of civil war and unrest.

The forced flight from Kassab has deep meaning for many
Armenians, because it is one of the last areas tracing back to the
eleventh-century from the Armenian kingdom of Cilicia, said professor
Geukjian.

Other areas in modern-day Syria once had ancient Armenian villages,
but residents left to join larger communities in cities like Aleppo,
or assimilated into the wider Christian minority, or emigrated,
said Geuikjian. Only Kassab “kept its identity and language,” he said.

“When you say Kassab, you understand you are referring to the
Armenians,” said Arpi Mangassarian of Badguer, a Beirut-based Armenian
cultural organization. “It symbolizes Armenian culture.”

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said ethnic Armenians
accounted for about 70 percent of Kassab’s population.

Before the Syrian uprising, there were some 70,000 ethnic Armenians
in Syria, particularly concentrated in the northern city of Aleppo
and the area around Kassab. They were already a tiny minority among
23 million citizens, but part of Syria’s rich mosaic of tiny, ancient
Christian and Muslim sects.

As the war grinds on, Armenians have been leaving to Lebanon, Armenia,
Canada and the U.S.

The war has grown increasingly sectarian, as hardline Sunni rebel
groups play a prominent role in the uprising, and Syrian minorities
huddle behind Assad, fearing for their fate should extremists come
to power.

There are no statistics of how many Armenians remain, but Geukjian
estimated some 15,000 Armenians remained of a pre-war population of
40,000 in Aleppo. Others had drifted toward Latakia and yet others
had remained in Kassab, he said.

“What will happen to us? We don’t know,” said the woman from Kassab,
speaking to Syrian television.

The ancient area’s loss to ultra-conservative Muslim rebels suggests
an uncertain future.

“We are afraid, if you want the truth. Of what is happening now,
the future. The future is not clear,” Geukjian said.

_________

Hadid reported from Beirut. Associated Press writers Avet Demourian in
Yerevan, Yasmine Saker in Beirut and Suzan Fraser in Ankara contributed
to this report.

From: A. Papazian

IF CURRENT DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS CONTINUE, BY 2050 PROPORTION BETWEEN EMPLOYEES AND RETIREES IN ARMENIA WILL BE ONE TO TWO

YEREVAN, March 28. / ARKA /. If the current demographic trends
continue, then by 2050 the proportion between employees and retirees
in Armenia will be one to two , according to Hakop Hakopyan, head of
an Armenian parliamentary committee on social affairs from the ruling
Republican Party of Armenia, who defended today at the Constitutional
Court the new pension scheme that took effect on January 1.

The constitutionality of the new pension law was challenged by three
opposition parties in the National Assembly — the Armenian National
Congress, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, and the Heritage Party
— along with the usually pro-government Prosperous Armenia Party.

They took the case to the Constitutional Court that decided to suspend
Article 76 of the new pension law, which provides for penalties for
failed or delayed pension tax payments, and the third paragraph of
Article 86, which obligates employed citizens to choose a pension fund,
among other parts of the law. Today the Court began examining the case.

According to Hakobyan, the current pay-as-you-go pension system can
justify itself when the proportion between employee and retiree is 3
to 1. He argued that the current pension scheme is a source of social
injustice and that shifting to mandatory funded pension system allows
a decent old age.

The new pension system requires that all Armenian citizens born
after 1973 pay social security taxes equivalent to 5 percent of their
monthly wages, which will be matched and doubled by the government.

That money has to be deposited with private pension funds licensed
by the government late last December.

A recent Gallup International Association’s public opinion survey
in Armenia revealed that over 88 % of respondents in Yerevan do not
support the new mandatory pension scheme. -0-

– See more at:

From: A. Papazian

PETITION LAUNCHED FOR OPENING OF CANADIAN EMBASSY IN ARMENIA

March 28, 2014 – 12:34 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – After years of failed attempts by the 100,000-strong
Canadian-Armenian community to facilitate the establishment of
Canadian diplomatic representation in Armenia, a small group of
Canadian-Armenians has launched a petition to persuade Ottawa to
open an embassy in Yerevan manned by acharge d’affaires, Keghart.com
reports.

The petition launched on Change.org is addressed to Canada’s Minister
of External Affairs John Baird. The petitioners believe that a
permanent Canadian diplomatic presence in Armenia would ensure Canada
immediate interaction with and access to the government of Armenia,
its businesses and people. Such a presence would promote Canadian
commercial interests and promote other areas of bilateral relations,
the petitioners maintain.

The petitioners say the Canadian diplomatic office in Yerevan would not
replace the Canadian embassy in Moscow which is currently responsible
for Armenia. The focus of the Yerevan office would be the development
of Canada-Armenia relations.

A Canadian diplomatic presence in Armenia, say the petitioners,
would increase Canadian investor confidence in Armenia. Investments
create jobs and help curtail emigration. As Armenia transitions to
a full democracy with market economy, Canadian diplomatic presence
in Yerevan can boost such policies and make Armenia more confident
about democracy, the petitioners believe.

The petitioners hope the presence of a Canadian charge d’affaires would
eventually be followed by full diplomatic relations and an ambassador.

From: A. Papazian