Author: Andres-Papazian

Independence Day was celebrated in Yerevan State University

18:31, 20 September, 2013

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 20, ARMENPRESS: Students’ council of Yerevan State
University on September 20 organized patriotic event dedicated to 22nd
anniversary of Armenia’s independence. The event started with
demographic dances by students then a fleshmob was organized: More
than 300 students from YSU left to the air more than 450 balloons of
colors of Armenian flag and at the end of the event the students
depicted on the steps number 22 symbolizing the independence.

`The event has been organized on the initiative of YSU Students’
council without any professional help. The aim of the event is show
the youth that all our national heroes one day were students and
protected our country in their age. We always remember and stress the
importance of our heroes and their patriotic activity. Nowadays young
people must realize how important Motherland is and should be ready to
protect it,’ mentioned president of YSU Students’ Council Raffi
Karamyan.

© 2009 ARMENPRESS.am

From: A. Papazian

Turning 22: Armenian politicians, public figures reflect on
independence ahead of another September 21 celebration

Society | 20.09.13 | 19:19

NAZIK ARMENAKYAN
ArmeniaNow

By Gohar Abrahamyan
ArmeniaNow reporter

For 22 years now the 21st day of autumn has been the symbol of
long-longed-for independence with the tricolor fluttering free against
the blue of the sky, festive events, speeches on the importance of
sovereignty. It is a day when failures and achievements are summed up
and ideas are voiced on how to make things better for this landlocked
South Caucasus country, called Armenia.

In the first sitting of Armenia’s Supreme Council (SC), on August 23,
1990, a declaration was adopted to liquidate the Soviet Socialist
Republic of Armenia and an independent Republic of Armenia was born.
By the SC decision, a referendum was held on September 21, 1991 on
leaving the USSR and 99.5 percent of voters in conditions of a turnout
of 95 percent chose to be independent. On September 23, the SC
declared Armenia an independent republic.

Aram Manukyan who read out the text of the Declaration of Independence
in 1990 and who is now secretary of the opposition Armenian National
Congress parliamentary faction, reflecting on that crucial period of
time for the nation, told the press on Friday that the Armenian people
`has never and won’t ever demonstrate such unity, as it did in 1991′.

`Every citizen felt he was the one deciding the future of his/her
country. Those were miraculous, heavenly times. Our independence is
irrevocable. Even if there are issues today, if there are challenges,
if our independence is deeply distorted today, I’d even say
moth-eaten, worm-eaten independence is what we have today, still, it
is not lost. By no means,’ says Manukyan.

Director of Sociometer sociological center Aharon Adibekyan says
Armenia has paid a high price for its independence – it has lost 2.3
million of its population.

`Ninety percent of our industry had been under Soviet supervision, and
the collapse of that union meant those 90 percent factories stopped.
We have lost a thousand plants, 250 of which were military-industrial
complexes. Around 250 research-scientific centers shut down, 800
collective and soviet farms got liquidated, along with the related 200
entities. All of a sudden we had 1.8 million unemployed at the same
time, and we lost the first million of our population before 1994,’
says the sociologist.

However, Adibekyan says, although Armenia has not made the proper use
of its independence, it has had achievements as well, the most
important among them being the best equipped and disciplined army in
the region with successful military record.

Adibekyan says more than 80 countries have established diplomatic
relations with Armenia, 26 of which have their embassies here, in
another 30 of those countries Armenia has diplomatic representation,
which, the sociologist believes, allows for active role-playing in
international relations, protection of the Armenian communities’
interests there, something Soviet Armenia was not permitted to do.

From: A. Papazian

Armenian Genocide victims memorial to be unveiled in Paris suburb

September 21, 2013 – 15:56 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The French Roquebrune-sur-Argens commune, Var
department will host the unveiling ceremony of a memorial for Armenian
Genocide victims authored by architect Antranik Zakarian.

The September 21 ceremony will be opened with the music by Jean Marc
DerMesropian and Charles Aznavour, with sisters Fabienne and Laurence
Chanoyan to perform Komitas songs.

To attend the event are Roquebrune-sur-Argens Mayor Luc Jousse;
members of the French National Assembly Valérie Boyer, Henri Jibrayel,
Alaine Moyn-Bressand, Francois Rochebloine, Guy Tessier;
representative of the Eastern Var Armenian Union Jacky Lequeux;
representatives of the Armenian embassy in France, Nouvelles d`Arménie
said.

Memorials to Genocide victims have already been unveiled in Paris,
Lion and Marseilles.

From: A. Papazian

Changing Armenia: the 12-cent dilemma

by Mihran Aroian

Published: Sunday September 22, 2013

Activists agitate against the fare increase. Mihran Aroian

Related Articles

In Armenia, more – and higher paid – jobs is the answer

We have all heard stories of corruption in Armenia. We read stories of
election irregularities and how humanitarian aid ends up in the wrong
pockets. My involvement with the Armenian government is limited. Aside
from obtaining a travel visa, I have no real experience. It was what
the government did not do that impressed me this summer.

The government allowed people to protest. I saw people protesting in
Armenia who I would not have expected to see. I did not see these
protests last summer. It was all quite civil, but people were
protesting for what they believed were injustices. Retired pilots,
veterans of the Karabagh war, and average citizens were protesting the
rise in bus fares. They were all-out protesting to bring about change.
When a government allows its citizens to criticize what they see as
wrong in society, that is a very positive step in the right direction.

It would have been very easy for the government to close down these
protests or not allow them to happen in the first place, but they did
allow them and they continued. They allowed the average citizen to
voice their discontent. This shows both a restraint by the government
with an attitude toward change. And, one of the protests actually did
bring about change!

The summer of 2013 was my second summer working in Armenia. In my
business ethics class, students asked if it was ethical for them to
pay the recent 50% increase in the local bus fare. The price had
changed from 100 dram to 150 dram-an increase of 12 cents. Although I
did not think of this as an ethical issue, my students were very vocal
in their disagreement. I told them that if the price for the fare was
posted on the bus and that they were informed of the new price, that
it was unethical to not pay the higher price. They had a choice, pay
the higher fee or don’t take the bus.

The bigger question was did the bus operators have the right to add a
50% increase? In a free enterprise system, the answer is yes. But to
some degree, this was seen as a tax on the poor. If you depend on the
bus to go to work and earn $250 per month, is it ethical to add yet
another “tax” onto the citizens?

Over the course of the next few days, the population in Yerevan
protested. Natural gas prices had just increased by 20%, as had the
cost of electricity. For the month of June, I spent under $10 for
electricity, gas, and water. For the month of July, these same
services tripled in cost-and I spent few waking hours in the apartment
each day. How were those cost increases absorbed for families with
limited incomes?

The increase in bus fare was simply the last straw for Yerevan
residents. The youth took to the streets. At major bus stops, they
told the riders to pay only the old fare to the bus drivers. If
everyone held firm, their thinking was that they would succeed.

If you kept up with this summer’s news, you already know that the fare
increase was reversed. Could this be the start of a new way for people
to gain some level of control? Could true democracy be just around the
corner?

I am impressed that Armenian citizens were allowed to protest. Sure,
police were often found at these protest sites, but they were there to
ensure that nobody was hurt. They were not interfering. Why would the
government allow people to protest? Perhaps the government knows that
Armenia must change if it is to survive. Perhaps the government
recognizes that the people want change.

Every Friday from 10am until noon, a group of retired airplane pilots
are allowed to hold a protest in front of the Presidential Palace.
Technically, they protest across the street but still in front of the
Palace. For two hours, they hold up their signs and talk to passers-by
to tell them their stories. The police who watch over them generally
mind their own business, but one particular week things got a little
testy, and the police argued with the protesting pilots. Perhaps
having an American present changes the dynamics of the situation. I
don’t know.

I was told by a policeman that entry-level police officers in Armenia
do not receive a salary until they reach a certain rank. One cannot
help but wonder if this lack of salary encourages unethical behavior
in young policemen. Does this have an impact on their professional
behavior as they move up in rank? I reminded these policemen that if
things do not change, they could find themselves on the same protest
line in 30 years, asking the government why they, too, have not
received the retirement benefits they were promised.

The Yerevan Opera House was a favorite protest site for Karabagh
freedom fighters. These brave veterans also were promised benefits.
The signs they held expressed a jarring though interesting message
that set the tone for their protest. With high unemployment, high
taxes, increasing energy costs, and increasing concerns for the
future, Armenians clearly want change. How much more will the people
endure before they demand change? Actually, quite a lot of endurance.
As Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence “…and
accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed
to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by
abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.” On the path of
least resistance, we will endure a lot of hardship before we demand
change.

The Karabagh veterans held protest signs saying, “Turkey removed 1.5
million Armenians, but the Armenian Government has removed 2 million
Armenians.” With a poor economy and high corruption, the general
belief is that some 2 million Armenians have left Armenia. The “brain
drain” of Armenia has been going on for decades. Unless Armenia grows
strong, will there be anyone left in Armenia a decade from now?

Still, I am impressed that the Armenian Government lets this sort of
protest proceed. It is important for the citizens of Armenia to voice
their concerns. It is also just as important for Armenians in the
diaspora to support the committed citizens of Armenia.

From: A. Papazian

MARSEILLE-ARMENIE
Didier Parakian et Garo Hovsépian honorés par la médaille
présidentielle Mkhitar Gosh à l’occasion du 22ème anniversaire de
l’Indépendance de l’Arménie

A l’occasion du 22ème anniversaire de l’Indépendance de l’Arménie, le
président arménien Serge Sarkissian a par décret présidentiel nommé au
grand prix de l’Etat -l’équivalent de la Légion d’Honneur- un certain
nombre de personnalités d’Arménie et de la diaspora pour leur apport à
la science, la culture, la santé, l’éducation, l’enseignement,
l’économie, les arts, et l’armée. Une dizaine d’Arméniens de la
diaspora reçurent ces distinctions. En France seules deux
personnalités reçurent cette distinction et toute deux sont de
Marseille. Il s’agit de Didier Parakian (Adjoint au maire de
Marseille, président-délégué de Marseille-Arménie et célèbre styliste)
et Garo Hovsépian (Maire du 13e et 14e arrondissement de Marseille et
président de la Maison arménienne de la Culture de Marseille) qui
furent honorés par la médaille `Mkhitar Gosh`, la plus haute
distinction de la République arménienne. Didier Parakian et Garo
Hovsépian recevront ces médailles des mains du président arménien
Serge Sarkissian lors de leur prochain séjour en Arménie du 23 au 27
octobre en compagnie d’une délégation de la Ville de Marseille
conduite par le Maire Jean-Claude Gaudin.

Krikor Amirzayan

dimanche 22 septembre 2013,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

From: A. Papazian

Religión en Libertad
19 septiembre 2013

«Ninguno de los muchos grupos rebeldes nos tranquiliza», dicen los
obispos sirios

`No solo los fundamentalistas islámicos…. Ninguno de los muchos
grupos que componen las milicias rebeldes, han dado la mínima señal
capaz de tranquilizar a los cristianos. Por eso, ahora, si se da un
período de tregua, los cristianos sólo pensarán en escapar’.

Con estas palabras, el arzobispo armenio católico de Aleppo, Boutros
Marayati, describió a la agencia Fides los miedos y sentimientos
predominantes entre los cristianos de la metrópolis del norte de
Siria, aislada desde hace meses bajo el asedio de las milicias
rebeldes.

Maalula, lugar simbólico

Según monseñor Marayati el ataque contra el pueblo de Maalula `también
tiene un aspecto simbólico. Hay que preguntarse por qué no lo hicieron
antes . La posibilidad de un ataque militar liderado por los Estados
Unidos -advirtió monseñor Marayati- había alimentado en todos otros
motivos de temor. Hay que pensar a lo que podría suceder si un misil
cayese en un depósito de armas químicas. Ahora esa hipótesis parece
haber sido suspendida, pero todo sigue apareciendo muy oscuro: la
guerra destruyó Siria, no sólo en piedras y edificios, sino también en
los corazones. Ya no hay esperanza de volver a vivir en paz, como se
hacía antes’.

Las iglesias de Aleppo se unieron a la invitación de oración por la
paz del papa Francisco, anticipando las vigilias de oración al día 6
de septiembre. Después, quienes pudieron siguieron en la televisión la
vigilia del 7 de septiembre en la Plaza de San Pedro y muchos
escucharon las palabras fuertes del Ángelus pronunciadas por el obispo
de Roma sobre las `guerras comerciales’ instigadas por el mercado de
armas.

El Papa habló, los poderosos no escuchan

`El Papa habló alto y claro, dijo lo que tenía que decir -comentó
monseñor Marayati-, pero los que tienen en sus manos el destino de la
guerra prefieren no escuchar. La sensación -confesó el arzobispo
armenio-, es que todos estamos atrapados en un juego más grande que
nosotros. Caminamos en la oscuridad. No podemos imaginar cómo
terminará todo esto. Y seguimos orando’.

From: A. Papazian

Notizie Geopolitiche, Italia
18 set 2013

SIRIA. Civili uccisi e chiesa armena distrutta da colpi mortaio ribelli

di Giacomo Dolzani

Nuovi atti di violenza per mano dei terroristi si sono verificati oggi
a Damasco, cinque persone sono state uccise e diverse decine sono
rimaste ferite da alcuni colpi di mortaio sparati dagli islamisti
sulla capitale siriana; l’uccisione di civili da parte delle milizie
ribelli che combattono contro il governo del presidente Bashar
al-Assad è ormai all’ordine del giorno, per mezzo di armi legali e, a
quanto dicono alcune fonti, con armi chimiche.

Da quanto riferisce la polizia siriana `due colpi di mortaio sono
caduti sull’area commerciale di Bab al Salam, nel quartiere di Al
Qassa, provocando la morte di cinque cittadini e il ferimento di altri
30′ mentre, sempre secondo le forze di sicurezza di damasco, un colpo
di mortaio ha colpito la chiesa armena danneggiandola gravemente.

From: A. Papazian

AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Sept 21 2013

Turkey to prevent Armenian activities over alleged genocide anniversary

21 September 2013, 13:31 (GMT+05:00)

By Nazrin Gadimova

Turkey will take all necessary measures to prevent the events that the
Armenians can hold in 2015 in connection “with the 100th anniversary
of the so-called Armenian genocide, Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan
Ismail Alper Coskun said at the conference named “Azerbaijan
Democratic Republic and the Caucasian Islamic Army” and dedicated to
the 95th anniversary of the liberation of Baku from Bolshevik-Armenian
occupation.

“Armenians have already made the farfetched claims, and those claims
can be expected in the future,” said the ambassador and added that
Turkey will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Canakkale Battle.

Coskun also said that the Armenian state ideology is based on
falsification of the 1915 events.

“I hope that all historical events will be studied from the point of
view of archival material, as it was suggested by Turkey and
Azerbaijan,” he said.

The conference, which was organized by the ADA jointly with the
Turkish embassy in Azerbaijan and the Turkish Cultural Centre named
after Yunus Emre, was held at the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy (ADA)
on September 19. The event brought together Principal of the ADA
Khafiz Pashayev, Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan Ismail Alper Coskun
and other officials.

Speaking at the event, Pashayev emphasized the importance of the
conference, told about the importance of Turkey’s assistance to
Azerbaijan. He said that the Caucasian Islamic Army played an
important role in the history of Azerbaijani-Turkish brotherhood.

Then a documentary movie about the arrival in Azerbaijan and fighting
way of the Caucasian Islamic Army led by General of the Ottoman Army
Nuru Pasha was shown at the event.

In 1918, Nuru Pasha commanded the Caucasian Islamic Army, which
consisted of about 13,000 people. In the Geokchay battle Nuru Pasha
defeated the Red Army of Baku Soviet while they begun their attack on
Ganja. On July 20, Caucasian Islamic Army took the strategically
important Shamakha.

To combat the Caucasian Islamic Army British troops under the command
of General Lionel Dunsterville arrived in Baku, but they were forced
to leave the city realizing the impossibility of successful defence of
Nuru Pasha’s army. On September 15, 1918, Caucasian Islamic Army
liberated Baku.

From: A. Papazian

Journal of Turkish Weekly
Sept 21 2013

Ambassador: Turkey will prevent Armenia’s holding of 100th anniversary
of so-called `Armenian genocide’

21 September 2013

Turkey will take all necessary measures to prevent activities in
connection with the 100th anniversary of the so-called ‘Armenian
genocide’ to be held by Armenia and the Armenian Diaspora, Turkish
Ambassador to Azerbaijan Ismail Alper Joshgun told media today.

He was commenting on the activities that Armenia might hold in 2015 in
connection with 100th anniversary of the so-called ‘Armenian
genocide’.

“Earlier, Armenians voiced far-fetched claims and such claims can be
expected in the future,” the ambassador added.

“Turkey will celebrate the centenary of the Battle of Canakkale in two
years,” he said.

He stressed that Armenia’s state ideology is based on falsification of
the 1915 events.

“I hope that all historical events will be considered from the point
of view of archival material, as Turkey and Azerbaijan proposed,” he
said.

21 September 2013

From: A. Papazian

CNN Wire
September 20, 2013 Friday 5:24 PM EST

Genocide Fast Facts

By CNN Library

(CNN) — Here’s a look at what you need to know about genocide, the
attempted or intentional destruction of a national, racial, religious,
or ethnic group, whether in wartime or peace.

Facts: The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of
Genocide was adopted by the United Nations after World War II.

Article 2 of the Convention defines genocide as any of the following
acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a
national, ethnic, racial or religious group: (a) Killing its members;
(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; (c)
Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to
bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; (d) Imposing
measures intended to prevent births within the group; (e) Forcibly
transferring children of the group to another group.

Timeline (selected events): 1915-1923 – Armenians are forced out of
their homeland by the Young Turk government of the Ottoman Empire
through massacres and deportation. There are an estimated 1 million to
1.5 million deaths. Turkey denies any genocide, stating the death toll
is inflated and the dead are victims of civil unrest.

1932-1933 – Joseph Stalin and the Soviet Union inflict a famine upon
the Ukraine after people rebel against the imposed system of land
management known as “collectivization,” which seizes privately owned
farmlands and puts people to work in collectives. An estimated
25,000-33,000 people die every day. There are an estimated 6 million
to 10 million deaths.

December 1937-January 1938 – The Japanese Imperial Army marches into
Nanking, China and kills an estimated 300,000 Chinese civilians and
soldiers. Tens of thousands are raped before they are murdered.

1938-1945 – Nazi Germany, under Adolf Hitler, deems the Jewish
population racially inferior and a threat, and kills an estimated six
million Jews in Germany, Poland, the Soviet Union, and other areas
around Europe during World War II.

1944 – The term “genocide” is coined by lawyer Raphael Lemkin.

December 9, 1948 – The United Nations adopts the Convention on the
Prevention and Punishment of Genocide.

January 12, 1951 – The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of
the Crime of Genocide enters into force. It is eventually ratified by
142 nations.

1975-1979 – Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot’s attempt to turn Cambodia into
a Communist peasant farming society leads to the deaths of up to two
million people from starvation, forced labor, and executions.

1988 – The Iraqi regime under Saddam Hussein attacks civilians who
have remained in “prohibited” areas. The attacks include the use of
mustard gas and nerve agents and result in the death of an estimated
100,000 Iraqi Kurds.

1992-1995 – Yugoslavia, led by President Slobodan Milosevic, attacks
Bosnia after it declares its independence. Approximately 100,000
Muslims, or Bosniaks, are killed by the Serbs during this “ethnic
cleansing.” There are mass executions of “battle-age” men and mass
rape of women.

1994 – In Rwanda, an estimated 800,000 civilians, mostly from the
Tutsi ethnic group, are killed over a period of three months.

1998 – The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda establishes the
precedent that rape during warfare is a crime of genocide. In Rwanda,
HIV-infected men had participated in the mass rape of Tutsi women.

1998 – The first genocide conviction occurs at the International
Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. Jean Paul Akayesu, the Hutu mayor of the
town, Taba, is convicted of genocide and crimes against humanity.

July 1, 2002 – The International Criminal Court opens at The Hague,
The Netherlands as the first permanent war crimes tribunal, with
jurisdiction to try perpetrators of genocide. Previously, the U.N.
Security Council created ad hoc tribunals to try those responsible for
genocide in the former Yugoslavia and in Rwanda.

2003-present – In the Darfur region of Sudan an estimated 200,000 to
500,000 people are killed.

2008 – Fugitive Radovan Karadzic, former Bosnian Serb leader, is
arrested. He is charged with genocide in connection with the
Srebrenica massacre of 1995.

July 2004 – The U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate pass
resolutions declaring the crisis in Darfur to be genocide.

March 4, 2009 – The International Criminal Court issues an arrest
warrant for Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir on charges of
crimes against humanity and war crimes. In 2010, three more counts of
genocide are added to the arrest warrant.

2013 – There are 122 countries that are parties to the Rome Statute of
the International Criminal Court. Although the U.S. signed it just
before the deadline in December 2000, in May 2002, the administration
of President George W. Bush unsigned it.

From: A. Papazian