Author: Andres-Papazian

SPORTS
Le double champion Olympique de lutte, Armen Nazarian élu Meilleur
entraîneur de Bulgarie-2013

Le double champion Olympique de lutte gréco-romaine -une sous les
couleurs de l’Arménie et l’autre celle de la Bulgarie- Armen Nazarian,
triple champion du monde et six fois champion d’Europe, a été reconnu
comme le Meilleur entraîneur de Bulgarie 2013. Le vote fut réalisé par
des journalistes sportifs. Armen Nazarian qui a obtenu 147 points lors
du vote de désignation, devance l’entraineur de volley ball de
l’équipe nationale bulgare Camillo Placi (108 points) et l’entraineur
de l’équipe de football de Ludogorets Razgrad, Stoychko Stoyev (102
points). « Je suis très heureux de ce titre de Meilleur entraîneur de
Bulgarie, je remercie l’association des journalistes ainsi que mon
club » confia au site sportal.bg Armen Nazarian qui fut aux Jeux
olympiques d’Atlanta (1996) le premier Arménien a remporter une
médaille olympique sous les couleurs de l’Arménie.

Krikor Amirzayan

samedi 21 décembre 2013,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

From: A. Papazian

SOCIAL
Une jeune femme donne naissance à des triplés à la clinique « Erébouni
» à Erévan

Mardi 17 décembre la clinique « Erébouni » à Erévan enregistra la
naissance de triplés. Une jeune femme de 26 ans a mis au monde deux
filles et un garçon. Chouhan Hounanian la responsable de
l’établissement a indiqué que la jeune maire avait subi un traitement
par insémination artificielle. L’accouchement s’est déroulé par
césarienne. Les bébés, une fille de 1,8 kg, une seconde de 1,6 kg et
le garçon de 1,2 kg sont en bonne santé selon Antranik Boghossian le
directeur-adjoint de la clinique « Erébouni ».

Krikor Amirzayan

samedi 21 décembre 2013,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

From: A. Papazian

December 20, 2013
Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate
6252 Honolulu Avenue
La Crescenta, CA 91214
Tel: (818) 248-7737
Fax: (818) 248-7745
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

PRELATE TO PRESIDE OVER DIVINE LITURGY AND SUNDAY SCHOOL CHRISTMAS PROGRAM
AT HOLY MARTYRS CHURCH IN ENCINO

On Tuesday, December 24, the Armenian Apostolic Church will observe
the Feast of St. Stephen the Proto-Martyr. Given that St. Stephen was also
the first deacon, this feast is a celebration of deacons and altar servers.
Thus, on this occasion, by the ordinance of H.E. Archbishop Moushegh
Mardirossian, Prelate, on Sunday, December 22nd, sermons in Prelacy Churches
will reflect on the life of St. Stephen.
The Prelate will preside over Divine Liturgy and deliver the sermon
at Holy Martyrs Church in Encino.
Each year during this season, Sunday Schools organize Christmas
programs in celebration of the New Year and Christmas. The Christmas
program of Holy Martyrs Church will be held this Sunday, followed by a
luncheon hosted by the Board of Trustees. The Prelate will attend and will
also present certificates to students who have successfully completed the
Sunday School course.

PRELATE’S NEW YEAR AND CHRISTMAS DINNER

On Monday, January 6, 2014, Christmas Day, the Prelacy family of
clergy, councils, and parishes, joined by representatives of sister
organizations and sponsors, will gather at Bagramian Hall in Montebello to
collectively celebrate the New Year and Christmas at the traditional
“Prelate’s New Year and Christmas Dinner”.
The annual dinner, initiated by the Religious and Executive Councils
and organized by the Prelacy Ladies Auxiliary, begins at 6:30 p.m.
Please contact the Prelacy for more information.

PRELACY PUBLISHES STUDENT PRAYER BOOK DEDICATED TO THE YEAR OF THE ARMENIAN
MOTHER

In celebration of the “Year of the Armenian Mother” proclaimed by
His Holiness Aram I, throughout the year various events were held in the
Prelacy and its parishes honoring the virtues and contributions of mothers
to society.
We are pleased to announce that on this occasion, the Prelacy
recently published a book titled “Student Prayers and Good Wishes”, a
compilation of prayers written by Prelacy Sunday School and Day School
students for their mothers.
During his visits with students throughout the year, the Prelate
would encourage them to express their feelings for their mothers in writing.
It is those writings that are encompassed in this book.
The book begins with the prologue by the Prelate in which he exalts
the invaluable role of mothers in our individual and community life.
Copies of the book, which is dedicated to the memory of Anahid
Bartoumian, will be provided to our students.
Please contact the Prelacy to order your copy.

PRELATE CELEBRATES DIVINE LITURGY
AT CRESCENTA VALLEY PARISH

On Sunday, December 15, 2013, by the invitation of the Pastor and
Board of Trustees of the Armenian Apostolic Church of Crescenta Valley, H.E.
Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate, celebrated Divine Liturgy and
delivered the sermon at the parish, which holds its services at the Prelacy
Hall. Executive Council members Mr. Meher Der Ohanessian and Mr. Vahan
Bezdikian were among the faithful in attendance.
As the choir sang the “Hrashapar” hymn the Prelate entered the hall
to begin the service. Parish Pastor Rev. Fr. Ghevont Kirazian assisted at
the altar.
Prior to his sermon His Eminence greeted the parish community,
giving thanks to God for having granted another year and opportunity to join
the parish for what has become a tradition to celebrate Divine Liturgy on
the eve of the new year and Christmas.

The Prelate then began his sermon on the day’s Gospel reading from
Luke 17:1-10 in which the apostles ask the Lord to “increase our faith” to
which He responds “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this
mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it
would obey you”. Speaking on the passage’s message of faith and
forgiveness, the Prelate called on the faithful to not only have faith but
to act on their faith, to follow in Christ’s example of forgiveness by
forgiving those who do wrong to us if they confess, and to not lead others
into sin. Given that the day before the Armenian Church celebrated the
Feast of St. James of Nisibis, the Prelate tied in the day’s reading with
the virtuous life of St. James who was staunch in his faith, obedient to
God’s commandments, loving, and forgiving. The Prelate also spoke of
traditions and miracles associated with the saint, such as his courage and
determination to climb Mt. Ararat to find remains of Noah’s Ark and how
during his journey an angel appeared to him on the mountain and brought him
a piece of wood from the Ark. The Prelate concluded by echoing the words of
the hymn dedicated to St. James, “We beseech you, o merciful father and good
shepherd, implore our Lord to keep our Apostolic church unshakable.”
Prior to the “Lord have mercy” prayer, on behalf of the parish
family Fr. Ghevont expressed gratitude to the Prelate for encouraging the
community in their faith with his inspiring sermon, and called on the
faithful to pray for God to bless His Eminence with health and wellbeing so
that he may continue to lead the Prelacy for years to come.
At the conclusion of the service the choir sang the Cilician anthem,
and with the “Rejoice O Holy Church” hymn the Prelate was led in a
procession to the building’s main entrance where he congratulated those
bearing the name Hagop and delivered the benediction.

HAROUT PAMBOUKJIAN VISITS THE PRELATE

On Tuesday, December 17, 2013, H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirosian,
Prelate, received the visit of legendary singer Harout Pamboukjian, who had
come to personally request for His Eminence to preside over the funeral
service for his wife Rouzanna who had just recently passed away.
The Prelate once again expressed his condolences, praying for her
soul to be in peace and for the Holy Spirit to bring comfort to him and his
family.
On this occasion the Prelate also presented Mr. Pamboukjian with the
Pontifical Encyclical of His Holiness Aram I bestowing him the “St. Mesrob
Mashdots” medal for his contribution to Armenian culture. His Holiness had
personally awarded the medal at the Seminary 81st anniversary banquet held
during the Pontifical Visit in October of 2011. Mr. Pamboukjian thanked the
Prelate and asked him to convey his gratitude to His Holiness.

From: A. Papazian

FRENCH EXPERT SAYS KARABAKH INDEPENDENCE IMPERATIVE FOR REGIONAL PEACE

Friday, December 20th, 2013

French writer and geopolitical analyst Adrien Gevaudan

YEREVAN-In a recent interview with Panorama.am, French writer,
geopolitical analyst, and founder of IntStrat.org, Adrien Gevaudan
spoke about his recently published article, “Geopolitics of the
Greater Caucasus and Nagorno-Karabakh,” in which he argues that peace
is the only solution that can guarantee long sought-after stability
in the region.

Gevaudan says that the balance of power between the two states is
of utmost importance in determining whether violence will erupt. He
cautions that if one side tips the balance in power, there could
be consequences.

“If the power balance changes too much and too quickly, it is only a
matter of time before one side decides to take advantage of its weaker
adversary; strategically speaking, it is only logical,” says Gevaudan.

The risks are even higher, he says, if one considers the contributions
of surrounding geopolitical players such as Iran, Russia, and Israel
in making the conflict a powder keg.

It is important, Gevaudan says, to strike a peace deal now, before the
balance of power shifts any further. “That is why the international
recognition of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is, in my opinion, the
only solution to ensure the stability of the region,” Gevaudan says.

“An entity can be recognized as an independent state when it meets
the Montevideo criteria of 1933,” Gevaudan says. Those include,
“One, a stable territory; two, a permanent population; three,
political authority; and four, the capacity to build relations with
other states.”

Let’s just say the NKR has the first three and the problem resides
with the last one,” Gevaudan says. “But in order to build relations
with other states you have to be recognized by them, which is quite
a paradox.”

Gevaudan says that international powers have to “moral” interest
in the conflict, but only what plays to their state interests. In
that light, he says, Karabakh must play to the interests of strong
players involved.

As for how Karabakh can position itself to fall in line with big
power interests, Gevaudan says, “As a matter of fact, such interest
already exists, given all the problems an open conflict would create
if it were to explode in the South Caucasus.”

“This is of special concern for the EU; and this is why I think
the EU should do more to promote the international recognition of
the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic,” Gevaudan says. “Nobody wants a new
war right now, not even the Azerbaijanis; we should, we must take
advantage of this while the consensus on peace still exists.”

From: A. Papazian

TURKISH FM DAVUTOGLU REVIEWS YEAR WITH EU AMBASSADORS

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Dec 20 2013

20 December 2013 /TODAY’S ZAMAN, ANKARA

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu spoke with the ambassadors of several
European Union countries at a lunch hosted by the Embassy of Lithuania,
which currently holds the EU presidency, in Ankara on Friday.

According to diplomatic sources who wished to remain anonymous, the
meeting was not related to the current corruption probe in Turkey as
its date had been planned far in advance.

“The foreign minister explained that this meeting, which is held
every six months, was well timed as it gave an opportunity to evaluate
the year and discuss next year, which will be an important year for
Turkey-EU relations,” the sources said.

During a speech to the ambassadors, Davutoglu touched upon five main
topics: Turkey’s EU accession process, Turkey-EU visa dialogue, the
Cyprus dispute, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership
(TTIP) and Turkey-EU strategic dialogue.

Expressing satisfaction about the opening of Chapter 22 of the EU
accession negotiations, Davutoglu noted that he was looking forward to
the opening of many chapters, especially 23 and 24, on which Turkey
has received much criticism from the EU. These chapters, which deal
with fundamental rights and freedoms, were blocked unilaterally by
the Greek Cypriots in 2009.

Davutoglu also spoke about the Turkey-EU “visa liberation dialogue,”
which will enable Turkish citizens to travel to EU countries without
visas in around three years’ time, saying that it was a historic
development and adding that Turkey is determined to finalize the EU
accession process as soon as possible.

On the Cyprus issue, Davutoglu briefed the EU ambassadors on Turkey’s
efforts and those of the Turkish Cypriots, explaining that the Greek
Cypriot side had not had the necessary will to resolve the dispute
in the island until recently.

Diplomatic efforts to bring the two Cypriot sides back to the
negotiating table and resolve the nearly four-decade-old problem
have been accelerating in recent times. For the last three months,
Turkish and Greek Cypriots have been discussing a joint statement —
a communiqué without which the Greek side will not negotiate with
the Turkish side.

However, Davutoglu noted that the Turkish side’s constructive attitude
regarding the joint statement has not been met with an equal response
from the Greek Cypriots.

Stating that US-EU negotiations on a TTIP are important for Turkey,
Davutoglu noted that Turkey cannot be excluded from the talks as the
country has a custom union with the EU. Davutoglu also explained that
Turkey has been in contact with the EU and the US on the issue.

Davutoglu also briefed the ambassadors on his recent visit to Armenia,
which was the first high-level visit from Turkey to Yerevan in five
years. The foreign minister spoke about Turkey’s stance for peace
and stability in the Caucasus, adding that Turkey would strengthen
its efforts for a solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute between
Azerbaijan and Armenia.

From: A. Papazian

NEW MOTOR ROAD TO BE CONSTRUCTED FROM ARMENIA TO AZERBAIJAN’S OCCUPIED TERRITORIES

APA, Azerbaijan
dec 20 2013

[ 20 December 2013 19:13 ]

Baku – APA. New motor road will be constructed from Armenia to
Azerbaijan’s occupied territories from January.

APA reports quoting Novosti-Armenia Agency that the length of road from
Armenia’s Vardenis region to Aghdere (called Mardakert by Armenians)
will be 116 km.

The construction of the road will be financed by telemarathon which
is traditionally held in Los Angeles by Hayastan Foundation. The
Foundation has collected $22,661,372 from telemarathon. The foundation
continues collecting funds.

The Hayastan All-Armenian Fund was founded by Presidential Decree
in 1992. During its 20-year activity period, it implemented $235.8
million projects in Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.

From: A. Papazian

REGIONAL NEIGHBORHOOD – BASIC LUCK OF THE DRAW

Trend, Azerbaijan
Dec 20 2013

By Saeed Isayev – Trend:

While moving from one apartment to another because of noisy neighbors
is complicated yet manageable, this is obviously not the case with
neighboring countries. Especially, if we are talking about a sensitive
region.

Azerbaijan knows firsthand what it’s like to have bad neighbors,
in face of Armenia. The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between the two
countries has remained unresolved for more than 20 years.

Nagorno-Karabakh and its surrounding regions remain under the
occupation of Armenian forces.

Another neighbor that Azerbaijan should watch closely is Iran.

Certain circles in both countries sometimes plot various incidents
that leak to the press, and cause indignation from both Iran and
Azerbaijan, however in general these neighbors try to maintain fairly
stable relations. At least on the surface.

Iran however has its share of problems, the most important of which is
the country’s nuclear program. As a result of it, numerous sanctions
from the West were imposed on the Islamic Republic.

The U.S. and its Western allies suspect Iran of developing a nuclear
weapon – something that Iran denies. The Islamic Republic has on
numerous occasions stated that it does not seek to develop nuclear
weapons, using nuclear energy for medical research instead.

In November 2013, Iran was able to reach an agreement with Western
states regarding the nuclear program.

While the nuclear issue is far from being solved, the agreement itself
was a relief for a lot of countries, including Azerbaijan.

U.S. president Barack Obama believes the deal with Iran can be done,
which explains the December 19 statement from the White House – that
Obama will veto the new Iran sanctions bill, if it is approved by the
Congress. Iran in turn said it will stop all nuclear negotiations if
there are new sanctions imposed.

The threat of military attack on Iran hasn’t completely vanished, as
Iranian officials have stated on numerous occasions that if Israel
decides to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities, such action will be met
with armed response.

Such a scenario would be devastating for the whole region and to
Azerbaijan in particular. Azerbaijan borders with Iran and there are
over 20 million ethnic Azerbaijanis living in Iran. Doesn’t take long
to figure out where some of them will flow, if there is another war.

Azerbaijan has always stated that its territory will not be used as
ground for launching attacks on Iran – a reassuring statement that
the South Caucasus country plans to stick to. Azerbaijan has other
reasons for being interested in having good relations with Iran. The
two countries take border security very seriously, as their joint
border spreads to 611 kilometers.

This however won’t help, if the negotiations with Iran fail, and there
will be some sort of military action against the Islamic Republic. One
can say that Azerbaijan wasn’t so lucky with some of its neighbors,
but that’s something you cannot pick.

As of now, Azerbaijan has the whole package of neighbors – those who
are like brothers, those who are unbearable, and those who need to
be closely watched. Iran falls to the last category.

The Islamic Republic on its part sees the situation slightly
differently. The country’s officials said that Iran likes to solve
problems with its neighbors without the interference of foreign forces,
which explains why the regime was against the idea of representatives
of some Arab states joining the P5+1 group for discussions on Iran’s
nuclear program.

In any case, currently the situation for Iran looks a lot better than
it did about a year ago, and right now, both Iran and the Western
states have a chance to come to some sort of solution to the nuclear
issue.

As for Azerbaijan, the country continues its course with balanced
foreign policy, which is appreciated and tolerated by both neighboring
countries and other states as well.

The Nagorno-Karabakh problem did not prevent Azerbaijan from rapidly
developing into a regional leader, and yet there is something that
Azerbaijan doesn’t want – to test its foreign policy to the limit,
if neighboring Iran gets involved into some sort of military conflict.

From: A. Papazian

ASHOT MELIKYAN. “EUROPEAN INSTITUTIONS SHOULD BE MORE CONSIDERATE”

December 19 2013

On December 17, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) arrived
at a decision that the denial of the Armenian Genocide in 1915 is
consistent with the principle of the right to freedom of expression.

Aravot.am learned about is from “Hurriyet” daily news, which also
stated that the decision was achieved based on the application of
Dogu Perincek, Chairman of the Turkish “Workers’ Party”, and that it
is not final, and within three months the parties can appeal to the
ECHR Grand palace. In the conversation with Aravot.am, Ashot Melikyan,
Chairman of Committee to Protect Freedom of Expression, referring
to the ECHR decision, said the following, “There are different
manifestations of freedom of expression in different countries. For
example, rumors were going on in France about the adoption of the
bill on genocide denial, which is criminally punishable. But, there
are European countries, no matter what position they express, there
should be no restrictions there. Here, it is worth mentioning the
fact of caricatures of Muhammad in Denmark. People there consider
that the freedom of expression allows doing all these things. As
for the issue of our history, I think that Turkey, first, then the
European institutions should be more considerate and understand that
it is about a tragic past of one entire nation. And, if a nation is
giving meaning to every word in a very painful issue for it, then
human ethics requires making very careful expressions and decisions,
especially that the European Council and the European institutions in
their numerous documents and the European Convention state in which
case the freedom of expression may have reasonable restrictions to some
extent.” Ashot Melikyan thinks that the European Court should have
heeded to this fact. He is convinced that the denial of genocide can
be considered as a manifestation of freedom of expression, but, as he
said, “There are a lot of historical facts, corroborated by evidences
of many eyewitnesses, so these documents are already the basis that
the denial is an irresponsible move, an irresponsible expression. When
the court provides legal enforcement and makes a reference to the
freedom of expression, I think, it’s so not justified. There are many
provisions in a number of documents of the Council of Europe against
racism and other types of discrimination, and the European Court must
also take the provisions of these documents into account. It is very
good that this decision is not final, and there is an opportunity
to appeal. I think that the Republic of Armenia and other countries
realize that freedom of expression is one of the most important rights,
but there are a lot of important restrictions, which should be heeded.”

Eva HAKOBYAN

Read more at:

From: A. Papazian

ANI HAS ANOTHER BEAUTY IN WINTER (PHOTOS)

December 19, 2013 | 00:12

The ruins of the ancient Armenian capital city of Ani, which are
located in present-day Turkey, have a unique beauty even under
the snow.

Haberler website of Turkey has posted the photographs of the ruins of
Ani where, however, solely the Ani Cathedral is depicted from among
the other ancient Armenian churches that are located in the area.

To note, the words “Armenian” and “Armenia” cannot be found on
any of the signs that are placed in front of the ancient Armenian
constructions that still stand in Ani.

From: A. Papazian

FRENCH ARMENIANS ACCUSE EUROPEAN HUMAN RIGHTS COURT OF DISHONOR

APA, Azerbaijan
Dec 19 2013

[ 19 December 2013 19:21 ]

Strasbourg. Fuad Gulubeyli – APA. The decision passed by the European
Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) on December 17 basing on the claim by
Dogu Perincek, chairman of the Turkish Workers’ Party, has caused
the irritation of the Armenian Diaspora in France.

APA’s Europe bureau reports that the French and Armenian media outlets
accuse ECtHR of “losing honor and dignity”. Ara Toranyan, Co-President
of France’s Armenian Organizations Coordination Council and member
of Armenian Diaspora, said that “half a million Armenians killed by
the Ottoman Empire were killed again with this decision of ECtHR”
and this decision will be a shameful page in the history of ECtHR.

Switzerland-Armenia Association expressed its regret over this decision
and stated that they don’t admit that freedom of speech is above the
pain of victims. It urges the Swiss government to appeal to the ECtHR
Grand Chamber again.

The Swiss media outlets are widely covering this decision. Swiss
left-wing media condemns this decision of the European Court, while
the right-wing media support more freedom speech and expression. Even,
several party leaders stated that they will raise an issue at the
Swiss parliament for abolition of the law criminalizing the denial
of the so-called “Armenian genocide”.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) sustained the appeal of
Workers’ Party (Ä°P) Chairman Dogu Perincek convicted for denial of
so-called “Armenian genocide” in Switzerland against this country.

From: A. Papazian