Author: Andres-Papazian

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Studies Program
California State University, Fresno
Contact: Barlow Der Mugrdechian, 559-278-4930
ASP Office: 559-278-2669
Fax: 559-278-2129
Email: [email protected]

Visit the Armenian Studies Program Web Page at

`David of Sassoun’ Volume to be Formally Launched at Fresno State

Dr. Vida Samiian, dean of the College of Arts & Humanities will give
the opening remarks at a formal book-launching of the new volume,
David of Sassoun: Critical Essays on the Armenian Epic , at 7:30 PM on
Thursday, November 21, 2013, in the Industrial Technology Building
Auditorium, Room 101 (SE corner of Barstow and Campus Drive), on the
Fresno State campus.

David of Sassoun is volume 4 in the Armenian Series of The Press at
California State University, Fresno, established by the Armenian
Studies Program and generously funded by the M. Victoria Karagozian
Kazan and Henry S. Khanzadian Kazan Endowment. The publication of
volume 4 was also made possible through a grant from the Dolores
Zohrab Liebmann Fund.

Armenian Studies Program Coordinator Barlow Der Mugrdechian, co-editor
of David of Sassoun with Dr. Dickran Kouymjian, will discuss the
history behind the epic and why the discovery of a new variant in
California became so important. Der Mugrdechian will outline how the
book was conceived and the significance of the articles by the
contributing scholars.

Dr. Sergio La Porta, Haig & Isabel Berberian Professor of Armenian
Studies at Fresno State, will give concluding remarks for the evening.

David of Sassoun is a collection of essays by the world’s foremost
scholars on the great oral epic of Armenia: by Charles Dowsett,
Dickran Kouymjian, Aram Ter-Ghevondian, Earl R. Anderson, Chaké Der
Melkonian-Minassian, Frédéric Feydit, Arpiné Khatchadourian, Aram
Tolegian, Chaké Der Melkonian-Minassian, Vahé Oshagan, and includes an
original poem on David by Ashough Hovnani.

The epic poem has survived until the 1970s orally, passed on,
generation after generation, for more than a thousand years by
anonymous village bards.

Today it is recognized as the Armenian epic, with much to learn about
Armenian culture encompassed in its pages.

The lecture is free and open to the public.

Parking is available after 7:00PM in Lots K, L or Q. Use parking code
273404 to receive a free parking pass.

Copies of David of Sassoun will be available after the book launch.

For more information on the lecture please contact the Armenian
Studies Program at 278-2669.

From: A. Papazian

La Nouvelle République du Centre Ouest, France
lundi 4 novembre 2013

Ils ont chassé Henri Verneuil

par Didier LECOQ

ENCART: Contrairement au cinéaste, Khatchik n’a pas eu le temps de
faire ses preuves, déplore Hubert Bretheau, de Lavardin
(Loir-et-Cher).

Ils ont chassé Henri Verneuil

Nous avons appris que la France a renvoyé en Arménie un jeune garçon
prénommé Khatchik qui était scolarisé dans la région parisienne. Je
m’étonne que la communauté arménienne de France ne soit pas intervenue
de manière éclatante…

Il est certain que l’on devrait avoir un peu plus de discernement dans
nos expulsions même si l’on affiche un peu trop de mépris pour les
Roms quand ils sont nés en Italie.
On oublie de dire que les Roumains (Roms et non-Roms) sont 300.000 en
Italie et 700.000 en Espagne. On comprend pourquoi une jeune Leonarda
a pu y naître, il y a quinze ans.

Si l’intégration des Roms pose problème pour des raisons sociologiques
évidentes, il n’en est pas de même pour les Arméniens dont Marseille,
Valence, Décines, Issy-les-Moulineaux et Alfortville ont recueilli de
nombreuses familles qui, à la quatrième génération, parlent encore
arménien mais dont l’intégration est réussie.
Je ne veux pas parler des Tchuruk, Devedjian, Bilalian et Aznavourian
et même au niveau mondial de Gulbenkian. Mais de Khatchik, 19 ans,
expulsé vers l’Arménie alors que ses parents sont restés en France où
ils finiront par avoir leur place.

Une bonne histoire que racontent les Arméniens : il y a eu un match de
football France-Arménie qui s’est soldé par un 3-0 pour la France,
mais les buts ont été marqués par Youri Djorkaeff et Boghossian qui
sont tous deux d’origine arménienne.

Quant à Henri Verneuil, qui a marqué le cinéma d’un talent
exceptionnel, je pense que tout le monde a lu Mayrig où il raconte la
vie de sa famille… Il s’appelait Achod Malakian.

Hubert Bretheau
de Lavardin

La France, beaucoup en rêvent encore.

From: A. Papazian

Clash With Police Involving Molotov Cocktails

The police clashed with Shant Harutiunyan’s supporters on Freedom
Square. There were some blasts of Molotov cocktails and pushing. Note
that Shannt Harutiunyan has launched an action entitled `I begin
revolution’ and today he held a march entitled `I begin revolution’.
The police detained Shant and his supporters and formed a belt around
the area where the blasts happened.

17:49 05/11/2013
Story from Lragir.am News:

From: A. Papazian

Provocation on Azerbaijan-Iran border was beneficial to Azerbaijan – expert

14:21 09/11/2013 » TOPIC OF THE DAY

A shooting took place recently on Azerbaijan-Iran border, after which
Iran warned Azerbaijan that such actions will receive an adequate
response. Following the incident, Iran closed the Julfa checkpoint,
Iranian studies expert Rudik Yaralyan said at today’s news conference.

`That incident was beneficial to Azerbaijan which wishes to cause
difficulties for contacts on Iran-Azerbaijan border, in particular for
contacts between Talyshes and Iranians,’ Yaralyan said.

According to the expert, Azerbaijan shows that it remains an
anti-Iranian base in the South Caucasus and supports the anti-Iranian
forces.

The recent incident will increase the tensions in the relations
between Iran and Azerbaijan, the Iranian studies expert concluded.

Source: Panorama.am

From: A. Papazian

Surprises from Municipality of Yerevan: A public toilet transformed
into a pizzeria

by Karina Manukyan
Saturday, November 9, 13:48

The Municipality keeps on springing surprises on the residents of
Yerevan. The summer 2012 saw a serious scandal around the construction
in Abovyan Street in the center of Yerevan. Heavy equipment was
breaking new ground and swallowing the nearby trees.

To calm the furious activists somehow, the Yerevan Municipality
appeared with an official statement saying that nothing was being
built in Abovyan Street and the public toilet was being repaired. A
year and a half has passed. No festive opening ceremony of the toilet
has taken place. As it has turned out, the toilet has been transformed
into an Eastern Oasis pizzeria.

Should one worry about the lack of the toilet if there is another
toilet just 20-minute drive from the Eastern Oasis. Moreover, it is
not a simple toilet, but a gold one, which ate 170 thsd USD from the
state budget. One can admire the ultramodern toilet near St.Grigor
Lusavorich Church.

From: A. Papazian

MARSEILLE-ARMENIE
Inauguration du Consulat général d’Arménie à Marseille

Vendredi 8 novembre dans la soirée, fut officiellement inaugurée le
Consulat général d’Arménie à Marseille. La villa, située rue Frédéric
Mistral à quelques pas du square Monticelli (8e) dans le quartier des
consulats, construite au début du XXe siècle par un financier
parisien, appelée la « Villa Turquoise » est riche de décors en terre
cuite vernissée exceptionnelle. Dans les années 1990, la propriété
servait de logement à Bernard Tapie, alors président de l’Olympique de
Marseille. La propriété fut largement rénovée durant plus d’un an
avant cette inauguration.

Le Consulat général d’Arménie à Marseille

L’inauguration s’est déroulée en présence du ministre des Affaires
étrangères d’Arménie, Edward Nalbandian, du sénateur-maire de
Marseille Jean-Claude Gaudin, du Consul général Vartan Sirmakès et de
l’Ambassadeur d’Arménie S.E. Viguen Tchitétchian. Etaient également
présents un très grand nombre d’élus, dont la députée Valérie Boyer,
le 1er Adjoint Roland Blum, l’Adjoint au Maire de Marseille Didier
Parakian, le maire du 13e et 14e arrondissement Garo Hovsépian,
l’Adjointe Martine Vassal, la sénatrice des Bouches-du-Rhône Samia
Ghali, le président du Marseille Provence Métropole Eugène Caselli,
les députés Patrick Mennucci et Henri Jibrayel. De nombreux autres
élus, personnalités et un très large public assistaient à
l’inauguration.

Dans son discours, le chef de la diplomatie arménienne Edward
Nalbandian a insisté sur l’importance de ce Consulat d’Arménie à
Marseille en affirmant que la cité phocéenne avait une signification
toute particulières pour le peuple arménien. « La présence des
Arméniens à Marseille remonte au Moyen-ge. Des Arméniens qui
apportaient leur contribution dans les échanges commerciales entre
l’Orient et l’Occident étaient très actifs dans cette ville »dit-il et
d’ajouter « Marseille fut la première ville de France qui accueillit
des milliers d’Arméniens après le génocide. Beaucoup de ces survivants
Arméniens s’établirent à Marseille en devenant de vrais Marseillais et
qui apportent aujourd’hui encore leur large contribution au
développement de la ville ». Le ministre arméniens des Affaires
étrangères continua « Aujourd’hui, Marseille, avec ses églises
arméniennes, ses stèles de la mémoire, ses écoles, ses centres
culturels et sportifs, sa Chambre de commerce et d’industrie
franco-arménienne, la communauté arménienne de Marseille prouve son
haut niveau d’intégration des Arméniens ainsi que leurs liens forts
avec l’Arménie (…) je remercie les autorités de la ville de
Marseille ainsi que de la région pour leur engagement envers l’amitié
franco-arménienne ainsi que le développement entre les deux pays ».

De son côté, Jean-Claude Gaudin s’est dit « honoré » de se trouver à
cette manifestation d’amitié entre la France et l’Arménie qui ouvre
dans sa ville, son premier Consulat en France. Une inauguration qui
est le signe des relations très fortes et de la coopération entre les
deux pays. Le Maire de Marseille a également affirmé que les Arméniens
ont apporté et apportent encore aujourd’hui une contribution
importante au développement de la cité phocéenne ainsi que de la
consolidation des liens d’amitié entre la France et l’Arménie. Il a en
outre rappelé les accords de coopération qui lient Marseille à Erévan
en matière d’éducation, de culture, de sport et de santé. « Ce
Consulat d’Arménie contribuera à renforcer davantage ces liens entre
les deux pays » dit Jean-Claude Gaudin. Vartan Sirmakès affirmait dans
son discours le rôle de Marseille, `terre d’accueil pour les
Arméniens`.

Après les allocutions, le Consulat général d’Arménie recevait la
bénédiction des représentants de l’Eglise arménienne. Une chorale de
jeunes entonnant ensuite les hymnes des deux pays.

L’inauguration fut suivie d’une superbe réception.

Krikor Amirzayan

dimanche 10 novembre 2013,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com
‘628

From: A. Papazian

Turkish Intelligence Ordered Hrant Dink’s Murder, Says Lawyer

Hrant Dink was the chief editor at Agos newspaper

YEREVAN (Armenpress) – Fethiye Çetin, the lawyer of Armenian journalist
Hrant Dink who was murdered by Turkish nationalists, has exposed new
details regarding this case in her new book titled I Am Ashamed:
Trials on Hrant Dink’s Murder Trial. As Armenpress reports, citing
Turkish Haberler.com, Fethiye Çetin states in her book that the
National Intelligence Service of Turkey gave the order of Hrant Dink’s
assassination via a secret code in Cyrillic alphabet.

Among other things, Fethiye Çetin emphasized that a man called
Ramazan, who introduced himself as a worker of the Chief Department of
the National Security Service of the Eastern Anatolia region, called
Çetin in March 2010 and said that he had important documents regarding
Hrant Dink’s murder.

She got in touch with Ramazan via Skype, who showed her secret
documents with the emblem of the National Intelligence Service on it.
The unknown person told her that secret cryptograms are used in all
the documents. Dink’s lawyer explains how they managed to read Dink’s
name via Cyrillic alphabet in the aforesaid documents.

From: A. Papazian

New book about love of Armenian and Azerbaijani may provoke scandal in
Azerbaijan

November 09, 2013 | 18:27

The novel of young writer Nijat Dadashov `The Station Aurora’ was
published in Azerbaijan.

The scientific romance tells the story of love of Azerbaijani soldier
Nuran and Armenian girl Zara who miraculously appeared in the 70s of
the 20th century.

The writer told vesti.az website that he tried to describe the love of
two young people which was perceived normally in old Baku without any
political coloring.

`We are talking only about the meeting of two different worlds and
cultures,’ he said.

Earlier, an attempt to write about Armenians and Azerbaijanis provoked
a scandal in Azerbaijan. `Stone Dreams’ novel by Akram Aylisli caused
a very negative response in various circles of Azerbaijani society.

Akram Aylisli was faced with an unprecedented persecution in
Azerbaijan. Because of his sympathetic attitude toward Armenians, the
writer was deprived of People’s Writer title and president’s pension.
His son and wife were dismissed. Things went so far that an award was
promised for cutting off his ears.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

From: A. Papazian

Ashot Melikyan. `It would be nice if our political elite at least does
not follow the example of RF in this matter’

November 9 2013

`United Russia’ party members have made a legislative initiative to
make changes to the RF law on `Mass Media’, which would enable all
media to be mobilized under one common self-regulatory media
organization. MPs believe that in doing this it will be possible to
create one nationwide self-regulatory media organization, which will
regulate all mass media following the principle of pyramid. The
authors of the initiative also believe that the admission to the
organization should be payable, which will be 300 thousand rubles.
According to them, the organization shall be governed by independent
experts, hence, the author of the article at `Nezavisimaya Gazeta’
expresses concerns to this respect that a person, let’s say a `foreign
spy’ may all of a sudden appear in the aforesaid Board. In the
conversation with Aravot.am, Chairman of `Committee to Protect Freedom
of Expression’ Ashot Melikyan said the following about this
initiative, `I think the authors of the initiative have no idea what
mass media self-regulation is, since this process is purely the
business of the journalistic community, the state has nothing to do
with it. If the state wants to do something with the law, it can make
amendments in the legislation regulating purely mass media, but
self-regulation should be left with the journalists. There should not
be compulsion by the state, and if any, it is unacceptable.’ The
recommendation regarding the membership fee, Ashot Melikyan responded
as follows, `It should also be determined by the journalistic
community, especially if the fees are too high, that not every media
will be able to pay.’ According to Ashot Melikyan, the most serious
problem is that the state in the process of self-regulation,
especially legislatively obliging, has no such function. He observes,
`RF has serious problems with regard to freedom of expression and this
means that even in the self-regulatory process the journalists will
not have the autonomy and will have to abide by state requirements.’
We asked whether he sees any danger with Armenia’s joining the
Eurasian Union, that one day something like this would be imposed on
our journalistic community, Mr. Melikyan said, `Our political elite
follows what RF does and in many cases it just copy and paste them.
The overall environment may also have an impact on the decisions of
our political elite; this danger exists. On the other hand, we should
admit that our situation with respect to freedom of expression is much
better than of the RF. Here, RF has something to learn from us, and it
will be good for our political elite, at least in this matter, does
not follow the example of the RF.’

Tatev HARUTYUNYAN
Read more at:

From: A. Papazian

BBC: History books in Azerbaijan are written with nationalistic approach

16:16 09/11/2013 » SOCIETY

Modern history textbooks taught at Azerbaijani schools are written
with nationalistic approach, told Nabatali Gulamoglu, Azerbaijani
expert in the field of education, in an interview with the British
Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

Writing a single history textbook in Russia gives rise to a lot of
arguments: they argue whether they need such a textbook, and how to
write it when the society is split as regards to its own past. The
Russian Service of BBC has touched upon the issues of how textbooks
are being written in Azerbaijan.

“Generally, many countries try to write their own history, emphasizing
the role of the war heroes. Therefore, there is fairly little
criticism in our textbooks, if any at all. There should be issued
alternative textbooks in order to somehow oppose this situation, for
those who read them, could compare different viewpoints and knew what
happened in reality,” said the expert in education sphere Nabatali
Gulamoglu.

The article quotes an extract from the Azerbaijani history textbook of
a fifth grade, “The Khojaly tragedy”: “A lot of tragic and sad events
have happened in history, but Khojaly is the biggest and saddest one
of them. It is not only the most terrible tragedy that Azerbaijan
faced, but is the worst one that faced the humanity.”

Here is another quote concerning the events that happened in January
1990, “Black January “: “The leaders of the Soviet empire, wanted to
stop the disintegration of the USSR and to scare those people who
demanded freedom. It was decided to organize a massacre in Baku, in
the epicenter of the liberation movement. A lot of troops moved to
Baku. ‘”

“Those who form our textbooks are subjected to populistic sentiments;
they present the fictional and illogical things as a fact. The
political position strongly influences it. The authors of these
textbooks believe that thus they serve the people, but they do not
realize the true meaning of these words. They are not independent,”
the expert, who is a member of a group involved in the monitoring of
textbooks published in Azerbaijan, noted.

According Gulamoglu certain authors and publishers in Azerbaijan have
a monopoly on writing history books.

At the same time they are trying to write carefully about the Soviet
times in Azerbaijan, because they think that otherwise it could harm
their relations with Russia: “The way that the Soviet period was
presented in textbooks, never reflects the real story of those times.
No need to exaggerate or to try to describe the bygone era in a
romantic style. This may last 5-10 years, but when the
grown-generation discovers the truth, we will be ashamed.”

On January 13-19, in 1990 pogroms took place in Baku, during which
according to official figures of Azerbaijan 56 Armenians were killed,
while according to witnesses – about a thousand people. The rest of
the Armenian population of Baku, which was estimated over 200,000, was
expelled from the Azerbaijani capital. Azerbaijani militants attempted
to resist; 28 Soviet soldiers were killed, more than 90 were wounded.
According to official figures of Azerbaijan as a result of the
introduction of troops 132 “civilians” of Baku were killed and 744
were wounded. However, some experts argue that among the killed
“civilians” there were both Azerbaijani militants and Armenians
murdered a few days earlier by Azerbaijani nationalists.

On February 26, 1992, during the war in Karabakh, around 200 to 300
people (according to Human Right Watch, and 600 according to the
version propagated by Azerbaijan) were killed in unknown circumstances
near the city of Aghdam. They have been deliberately withheld by the
Azerbaijani authorities in the midst of the military actions.
Population of the village of Khojalu, which was one of the firing
points shooting at the blockaded Stepanakert (among five others) was
kept in the village for months by force and was not evacuated by the
authorities of Azerbaijan deliberately, in order to use them as human
shields later.

Source: Panorama.am

From: A. Papazian