Author: Andres-Papazian

Races to Watch on November 6

asbarez
Saturday, October 27th, 2012 |

Greg Krikorian
Greg Krikorian – CA State Assembly District 43
Greg Krikorian, endorsed by the ANCA-WR, is locked in a tight race
with incumbent Mike Gatto (D). Mr. Krikorian has been a school board
member for twelve years and has consistently attended to the concerns
of the Armenian-American community while faithfully serving the
diverse constituency he has represented. Conversely, over his two-year
tenure, Mr. Gatto – although he received the ANCA-WR endorsement in
the 2010 General Election – has failed in representing his large
Armenian-American constituency. He has offered the community token
attention where substantive relationship-building would have been
welcomed as evinced by several attempts of a collective of community
groups to meet with him. Mr. Krikorian has proven himself to be a
community-oriented leader who is accessible and honest.

Chris Holden
Chris Holden – CA State Assembly District 41
Chris Holden is a longtime city councilman from Pasadena, California.
As the second longest-serving councilman in Pasadena, his breadth of
experience will be a boon to all constituents in AD 41. He has
consistently maintained good relations with the Armenian-American
community. Earlier this month, the ANCA Pasadena hosted Mr. Holden at
a town hall in the Pasadena Armenian Center. It is expected that Mr.
Holden will be a strong voice for Armenian-American issues when he
gets to Sacramento.

Adrin Nazarian
Adrin Nazarian – CA State Assembly District 46
A graduate of Ferrahian High School, former member of the Armenian
Youth Federation and Homenetmen, Adrin Nazarian is steeped in the
community he is now running to represent. Serving as Paul Krekorian’s
Chief of Staff for many years, he has developed a deep relationship
with all parts of the Valley community and he is the most equipped to
be successful as a representative in Sacramento. After a tough but
successful primary battle for Mr. Nazarian, the ANCA-WR is renewing
its unequivocal endorsement of the only candidate in the AD 46 race
who will represent the Armenian-American community.

Alan Jackson
Alan Jackson – Los Angeles County District Attorney
In the heated race to replace District Attorney Steve Cooley, the
ANCA-WR is endorsing Assistant Head Deputy of the Major Crimes
Division Alan Jackson over his opponent Chief Deputy District Attorney
Jackie Lacey in the nonpartisan race. In interviews with the ANCA-WR,
Mr. Jackson was better prepared and clearly outlined the relationship
he plans to have with the Armenian-American community. Likewise, he
was well-versed in issues of concern to the Armenian-American
community and the ANCA-WR is confident that as District Attorney, he
will serve his large Armenian-American constituency and all citizens
of Los Angeles justly and forthrightly.

State Measures/Propositions
The ANCA-WR is not offering any endorsements for state measures or
propositions in any state. Although the ANCA-WR recognizes the
importance of the propositions, it feels that determining their effect
on Armenian-Americans would not respect the community’s socioeconomic
and political diversity. Furthermore, as a non-partisan organization,
the ANCA-WR does not make any endorsements in what might be construed
as partisan issues.

Below are all the candidates endorsed by ANCA-WR for statewide races:

California State Senate
25 Carol Liu
27 Fran Pavley

California State Assembly
35 Katcho Achadjian
38 Scott Wilk
41 Chris Holden
43 Greg Krikorian
46 Adrin Nazarian
49 Ed Chau
50 Richard Bloom
57 Ian Calderon
58 Cristina Garcia
59 Reggie Jones-Sawyer

Los Angeles County District Attorney
Alan Jackson

From: A. Papazian

IoS letters, emails & online postings (28 October 2012)

Sunday 28 October 2012

The proximity of two Holocaust articles in last week’s paper was
striking. Nick Clegg in “Those who know of war argue most forcefully
for peace” rightly reminds us of the horrors of Auschwitz-Birkenau,
and writes that “survivors have bravely told their stories and
historians have unearthed the truth”. This description applies too to
Armenian survivors of Turkish and, as you report in “Photograph links
Germans to 1915 Armenia genocide”, German atrocities perpetrated
against Armenians in the First World War.

Turkey remains an ally of the United States and the UK, with interests
in countries that include Syria. Yet there has never been an admission
of guilt or apology for the destruction of a million Armenians
slaughtered by the Ottoman Turks during the First World War. In 2005,
the International Society of Genocide Scholars wrote an open letter
noting that the “Armenian genocide is corroborated by the
international scholarly, legal and human rights community”. This
injustice demands admission and apology by the Turkish government.

James Derounian

Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

From: A. Papazian

REVUE DE PRESSE
Exclusif – l’Azerbaïdjan fomente au plus haut niveau des troubles en France

On sait que d’ordinaire, les Etats responsables évitent de s’ingérer
de manière trop grossière dans les affaires internes d’autres Etats,
et encore moins de provoquer des troubles à l’ordre public sur les
territoires souverains des autres pays.

Bien évidemment, les Etats-voyous dérogent à cette règle mais,
généralement, ils s’essaient à la plus grande discrétion. Et bien pas
l’Azerbaïdjan ! Le 17 septembre dernier, les Loups-Gris turcs
organisaient `spontanément’ une manifestation devant l’Ambassade
d’Arménie, sans d’ailleurs que les motifs publics de cet évènement
soit clairement affichés. Et pour cause car, à la vérité, la raison
ultime de la mobilisation de ces groupes ultra-violents et dangereux
étaient de faire le `pendant’ à la manifestation pacifique organisée
le même jour par des mouvements citoyens français contre le régime
autoritaire et criminel de Bakou.

La manipulation était en quelque sort téléguidée et toute personne
suivant quelque peu les mouvances extrémistes turques et azéries
auraient pu se douter de l’activation à cette occasion des connexions
qu’elles entretiennent entre elles. Mais on aurait pu s’attendre à un
peu de discrétion.

Et bien non ! Les autorités françaises seront sans doute ravies
d’apprendre – en fait elle le savent sans doute déjà – qu’un étrange
sosie de M. Elchin Amirbayov – l’ambassadeur d’Azerbaïdjan en France –
participait à la manifestation en question en compagnie de nos amis
les Loups-Gris ! Et comme une photo vaut mieux qu’un long discours, en
voici quelques-unes où l’on peut voir le sosie pousser la chansonnette
au milieu de nos sympathiques fascistes.

pour lire la suite cliquer sur le lien

dimanche 28 octobre 2012,
Stéphane ©armenews.com

From: A. Papazian

Exposition Bibliothèque Mazarine
A ne pas manquer : Le Livre Arménien de la Renaissance aux Lumières

photo :

Moïse de Khorène et les racines bibliques de l’histoire arménienne

Moïse de Khorène [Généalogie de la race de Japhet]. Amsterdam :
imprimerie de la famille des Vanandetsi, 1695. In-8°.

L’imprimerie des Vanadetsi s’installe à Amsterdam en 1895. Elle prend
en quelque sorte la succession de l’atelier qu’y avait fondé Oskan
d’Erevan au début des années 1660, avant de le transférer à Livourne
puis à Marseille. Les Vanandetsi publient notamment la première
édition de l’Histoire de Moïse de Khorène (vers 420 – vers 490), père
fondateur de l’historiographie arménienne, qui relie l’histoire des
Arméniens à celle de l’humanité, avec le récit biblique comme
référence unique des origines et sources de toute légitimité
historique.

présentation par Yann Sordet (B.Mazarine) et Mikaël Nichanian (BnF)

L’exposition Le livre arménien de la renaissance aux Lumières : une
culture en diaspora , a été inaugurée à la bibliothèque Mazarine (*),
vendredi 26 octobre, à l’occasion des 500 ans de la naissance de
l’imprimerie arménienne, dans le contexte de la célébration de la
capitale mondiale du Livre 2012, qui cette année revenait à Erevan.

Elle rend compte de la géographie large et éclatée de l’imprimerie
arménienne des premiers siècles, de Venise, Rome, Constantinople,
Amsterdam, Marseille, Madras… et apporte un éclairage fascinant sur
les échanges intellectuels, techniques, politique et commerciaux,
entre l’Europe et l’Orient de la renaissance aux Lumières.

58 ouvrages -dans un merveilleux état de conservation- ont été réunis,
en provenance des collections arméniennes de la Bibliothèque
Mazzarine, de la BULAC (Bibliothèque universitaire des langues et
civilisations) et de la collection d’Angèle et Dickran Kouymjian.

Alors que l’Unesco a ajouté l’arménien occidental dans la liste des
langues en péril, il est plus que jamais de rigueur d’initier la
jeunesse à la riche histoire de l’écrit arménien en allant à sa
découverte à la Bibliothèque Mazarine (jusqu’au 30 novembre).

A regretter, la non présence du Journal de France 3 Paris-Ile de
France sur un tel événement, ni celle de l’émission dominicale des
`Chrétiens Orientaux` (France 2).

Alphabets orientaux offerts à Mazarin (cliquer sur les images pour agrandir)

Grammaire et logique (1645)

Clemente Galano accomplit plusieurs séjours en Orient, notamment à
Constantinople et en Géorgie où il apprit l’arménien. […] Destiné
aux missionnaires catholiques, l’ouvrage pouvait aussi servir aux
clercs de l’Église arménienne désireux de s’initier à la philosophie.

Le cathéchisme en arménien

G à D : Pr Dickran Kouymdjian, Françoise Hours (BULAC), SE Viguen
Tchitetchian, Hovannès Guevorkian (Rpt de la RHK), Yann Sordet
(Mazarine), Mikaël Nichanian (Bnf)

Commissaires : Mikaël Nichanian (BnF) et Yann Sordet (Bibliothèque Mazarine)

Catalogue de l’exposition (coédition Bibliothèque Mazarine / Éditions
des cendres, environ 30 )

* 36 quai Conti, 75006 Paris, du 26 octobre au 30 novembre de 10h à
18h : entrée libre – tel : 01 44 41 44 66

dimanche 28 octobre 2012,
Jean Eckian ©armenews.com

From: A. Papazian

ECHECS
Magnus Carlsen le numéro un mondial des échecs « je suis étonné par
l’enthousiasme du peuple arménien »

Dans une interview accordée à l’agence de presse arménienne
Armenpress, le numéro un mondial des échecs, le Norvégien Magnus
Carlsen a confié être impressionné par l’enthousiasme du peuple
arménien. Il dit également que le numéro deux mondial l’Arménien Lévon
Aronian est un de ses plus difficiles adversaires. A la question « Que
savez-vous sur l’Arménie ? » Magnus Carlsen répond « je connais très
peu de choses sur ce pays, je n’ai jamais visité l’Arménie. Mais je
suis étonné de l’enthousiasme du peuple arménien. (…) je sais que
les membres de l’équipe d’Arménie championne des Olympiades des échecs
ont fait l’objet d’un accueil triomphal à leur retour en Arménie.
J’espère que je me rendrai rapidement en Arménie lorsque ce pays sera
prêt à organiser un tournoi international. Ce serait merveilleux ».

Au sujet de l’équipe d’Arménie des échecs, le numéro un mondial répond
« l’équipe arménienne des échecs est très forte. Je connais de
nombreux joueurs d’échecs Arméniens et je suis régulièrement leurs
parties. Les joueurs Arméniens ont une très grande force morale pour
démontrer un très bon jeu lors des tournois ». En 2009-2010
l’ex-champion du monde, l’Arménien Garry Kasparov fut l’entraineur de
Magnus Carlsen.

Krikor Amirzayan

dimanche 28 octobre 2012,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

From: A. Papazian

YAMBOL MUNICIPAL COUNCIL CANCELS DECLARATION RECOGNIZING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Focus News
Oct 26 2012
Bulgaria

Yambol. The Municipal Council in the southern Bulgarian city of Yambol
has cancelled a declaration recognizing Armenian genocide two years
after adopting it, FOCUS – Sliven Radio’s correspondent reported.

20 municipal councilors voted in favor of the cancellation, eight
were against and two abstained from voting. The proposal to cancel the
declaration was tabled by seven councilors at the request of several
organizations whose projects with Turkey had not been implemented
because of the declaration, said the councilors.

According to them the declaration “has a negative effect on the
partnership relations of the municipality of Yambol, and most of all
of business organizations, with similar organizations in Turkey.”

The declaration recognizing Armenian genocide was adopted on 28
October 2010 with 28 votes in favor.

Dora STOYANOVA

From: A. Papazian

PRODUCTION OF MILITARY-INDUSTRIAL AND IT COMPANIES EXHIBITED IN THE DEFENSE MINISTRY

Mediamax
Oct 26 2012
Armenia

Yerevan/Mediamax/. An exhibition of production developed and issued
by military-industrial and IT sectors was held in the administrative
complex of the Armenian Defense Ministry today.

A dozen of companies exhibited some arms, ammunition, management
systems and software development projects as well as attire and
production and test samples of spares, Mediamax was informed in the
press service of the Armenian Defense Ministry.

From: A. Papazian

HAMPARIAN: TURKISH-ARMENIAN TIES REQUIRE TRUTH AND JUSTICE
by Aram Hamparian

October 26, 2012

Track 2 Diplomacy Hits Bottom with NY Times Revelations of ‘Cheese
Diplomacy’ Despite the best efforts of Ankara and its allies to
get us to buy into their alternate reality, the fact remains that
Turkey-Armenia relations remain defined by the massive demographic,
geographic, economic, security and other modern-day consequences of
Turkey’s still unpunished genocide of the Armenian nation.

According to The New York Times, their latest U.S. tax-payer funded
diversion – laughable were it not so tragic – actually involves
“cheese-diplomacy.”

Sadly, for us, as Americans, rather than honestly confronting this
horrific injustice, the U.S. government continues to be held hostage by
Ankara’s denial of this crime. Instead of simply rejecting Turkey’s
gag-rule once and for all, our White House and State Department
have spent decades playing tortured word games, undertaking
one fake Track 2 effort after another to somehow avoid doing the
obvious, speaking honestly about this inconvenient but inescapable
truth. According to The New York Times, their latest U.S. tax-payer
funded diversion-laughable were it not so tragic-actually involves
“cheese-diplomacy.”

Now, Turkey’s motives are clear: Using the full measure of its
geo-political and public relations leverage to prevent other nations
and global civil society from addressing the genocide in its proper
context as an unpunished crime, requiring a forceful international
response and a truthful, just, and comprehensive resolution.

Like an unrepentant criminal seeking to escape the wages of his sin
while keeping the fruits of his crime, Turkey strives tirelessly to
get the international community to buy into its redefinition of this
international crime into a bilateral conflict.

Why? Clearly not because they seek the truth or thirst for justice.

Ankara simply wants this issue to disappear forever. By seeking
to restrict discussion of the Armenian Genocide to bilateral talks
between two nations of vastly disparate power – all the more so as a
result of the Genocide – Turkey figures it can-outside of the glare
of international scrutiny-arm-twist Armenia into silence and ultimate
acceptance of Ankara’s consolidation of its genocidal gains.

Internationally, Ankara reinforces its pressure against Armenia by
using threats, bribes, and diversionary tactics (such as TARC and
the Protocols) with other countries, hoping that the international
community will absolve itself of its moral, civic, political, legal,
and international responsibilities to truthfully and justly resolve the
Armenian Genocide. At the same time, Ankara is tirelessly recruiting
Armenians themselves-even if only token ones-to buy into Ankara’s
narrative of the Genocide as a bilateral conflict. This, as we all
know from Armenia’s long history under Ottoman rule, is a classic
divide-and-conquer approach that they have frequently used against
Armenians. Ankara’s aims to deter third-party recognition, using the
patently false claim that progress is around the corner, and should not
be jeopardized by further international acknowledgement of this crime.

The public record shows that U.S.-funding to think tanks and
publications in Armenia and in our Diaspora is often used to advance
efforts to create a false impression of meaningful Armenian civil
society support for astro-turf initiatives (such as TARC and the
Protocols) that harm Armenian interests and compromise Armenian
rights. The fact is that U.S. State Department-funded “grassroots”
efforts to promote Turkish-Armenian dialogue are neither grassroots
nor authentic. It is precisely because these transparently fake
efforts-cheese-based or otherwise-are so widely recognized by Armenians
as obviously aligned against the interests of truth and fairness,
that sustaining them requires active diplomatic life-support and
millions of dollars in government backing.

To the credit of Armenians worldwide, we have demonstrated a normal,
healthy common-sense response in seeing through the interests behind
TARC and the Protocols, rejecting, on principle, cynical campaigns
that seek to enlist us as enablers of Ankara’s effort to consolidate
the material, moral, geographic, demographic, economic, and other
benefits of the Armenian Genocide.

The moral American stand on the Armenian Genocide is a simple one:
Truth The only workable U.S. policy for improving Armenian-Turkish
ties is just as simple: Justice.

We don’t need Track 1, Track 2, or even a Cheese Track. We need a
Truth Track.

So, rather than wasting more years, more tax dollars, and more of
America’s moral standing by aiding Ankara’s evasion of responsibility
for the Armenian Genocide, the United States should press for a fair
and full resolution of the crime of the Armenian Genocide – the only
meaningful basis for improved Armenian-Turkish ties.

From: A. Papazian

ARF DASHNAKTSUTYUN TO CLARIFY ITS POSITION ON PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN DECEMBER

news.am
October 26, 2012 | 17:11

YEREVAN.- ARF Dashnaktsutyun will clarify the issue of its
participation in the upcoming presidential election in December,
ARFD member Armen Rustamyan said on Friday.

The party has an objective to investigate the current situation in the
country on the occasion of upcoming presidential election. Assessment
will be presented at the December meeting of the supreme assembly.

Then, the final decision will be made, Rustamyan told reporters.

The party will do its best to consolidate the opposition camp. In
this context, Rustamyan noted that ARFD intends to publish a 2009
platform and will try to consolidate the opposition around it.

“We should not focus on the issue of a single opposition candidate.

This issue is not that important. The candidate can be a completely
neutral person. He has to come to power and abandon the existing
political system in favor of a parliamentary system of government,”
he emphasized.

From: A. Papazian

WHICH ARE THE EXPECTATIONS FROM NALBANDIAN-MAMMADYAROV MEETING?
Anna Nazaryan

“Radiolur”
18:29 26.10.2012

The Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers will meet in Paris
tomorrow. The meeting is the first after the release of criminal
Ramil Safarov as a result of the Azerbaijani-Hungarian deal.

It seemed that the talks would not continue, as Baku made it clear
that there are substantial differences in the positions of Armenia
and Azerbaijan on the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

However, the negotiations continue and the date for the next meeting
has been set.

Which are the expectations from the Nalbandian-Mammadyarov meeting?

Ex-Spokesman for NKR President, political analyst David Babayan does
not expect anything from tomorrow’s meeting.

“I have no expectations, but the negotiations should continue at
least for maintaining peace,” he said

According to David Babayan, Safarov’s release was a test for the
mediators, and it’s time for the Co-Chairs to demonstrate that
they are able to maintain peace even under the conditions of formal
negotiations.

Former Deputy Foreign Minister of Artsakh Masis Mailyan stands against
continuation of negotiations.

“If we sit at the negotiating table without preconditions with changed
wording and tougher position, it will give nothing,” Mailyan said.

From: A. Papazian