Author: Andres-Papazian

Armenian composer Edward Mirzoyan to be buried in Komitas Pantheon-Park

TERT.AM
13:51 – 07.10.12

Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan has chaired the session of a special
Government commission tasked with arranging the funerals of the
renowned Armenian composer, Edward Mirzoyan.

Speaking at the meeting, Minister of Culture Hasmik Poghosyan
introduced the agenda of the planned rituals.

According to the Armenian Government’s official website, a funeral
service for the great composer will be held at the Komitas Chamber
Music Hall on Sunday evening. A final farewell ceremony will take
place at the Aram Khachatryan concert hall on Monday noon. Mirzoyan
will be buried at Yerevan’s Komitas Pantheon-Park later in the day.

Edward Mirzoyan was a people’s artist of Armenia and the USSR. Born in
Gori, Georgia in 1952, he pursued career in music since childhood.
After leaving a Yerevan musical school, he graduated from Komitas
State Conservatory and later went to Moscow to refine his art. In late
1956 he was elected president of the Armenian Composers’ Union and
held the position until 1991. Mirzoyan was a professor of at the
Komitas State Conservatory, and the president of the Peace Foundation
of Armenia.

From: A. Papazian

Georgian Ministers flee country over prison torture scandal

October 7, 2012 – 17:44 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Georgia’s Former Interior Minister Bacho Akhalaya,
Deputy Defense Minister Daao Akhalaya and Justice Minister Zurab
Adeishvili have secretly fled the county, local media reports said on
Sunday, October 7.

The three men fled more than two weeks after two independent Georgian
TV channels aired footage showing inmates abused at a Tbilisi prison,
some that immediately provoked a wide public outcry, The Voice of
Russia reported.

From: A. Papazian

Journal of Turkish Weekly
Oct 6 2012

Turkish Foreign Ministry: Opening Airport in Khankendi – Armenia’s Provocation

Saturday, 6 October 2012

Turkish Foreign Ministry made a statement condemning opening of an
airport in Khankendi by Armenia and calls it as Armenian side’s
provocation, Turkish Foreign Ministry’s website reported.

The statement says that Armenia’s decision to open an airport in
Khankendi harms the process of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
resolution and is open provocation of Armenia.

Turkish Foreign Ministry urged Armenia to be wise and abandon the
actions that will be an obstacle to the development of the region.

Armenian media outlets reported about commissioning of the airport in Khankendi.

As Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry representatives said, opening the
airport in Khankendi contradicts the international conventions, in
particular the Chicago Convention on Civil Aviation.

Azerbaijan has banned the use of the airspace of Nagorno-Karabakh
occupied by Armenia, as no one can guarantee flight safety in the
area, the head of the Azerbaijani Civil Aviation Administration, Arif
Mammadov, told the New Azerbaijan party’s official website earlier.

He said Armenia’s steps directed to the operation of the airport in
Khankendi are attempts to violate international legal norms. This air
space belongs to Azerbaijan, so its use by Armenia is impossible.

The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the European
Civil Aviation Conference (ICAC) also support the position of
Azerbaijan on this issue.

President Serzh Sargsyan promised to be the first passenger which will
fly from Khankendi.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France and the U.S. – are
currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

Saturday, 6 October 2012

From: A. Papazian

Corriere della Sera, Italy
Oct 5 2012

PKK Agents and Cells, Damascus May Respond by Unleashing Terrorist Attacks

by Guido Olimpio

Ankara is not concerned only by Syrian mortar fire. The thing making
it even more tense is the activity of extremist groups sponsored by
Syria and by Iran — an activity pursued initially by the Kurdish
guerrilla fighters in the PKK [Kurdish Workers Party] movement but
which has attracted new players in the past few months. The movement
of factions situated in Turkey has been received with concern in
diplomatic circles in Washington. These factions may cause problems at
the opportune moment. US sources stress that the Turkish intelligence
services are very “carefully” tracking the THKP-C Acilciler cells led
by Mirhac Ural, who is said to be in Syria. Funded by Damascus, his
alleged task is to organize terrorist attacks in the Hatay region.
Those who know the real situation add that Ural has set up a new
group, the People’s Revolutionary Army, with which to append his
signature to the attacks.

Kurdish sources tend to downplay the threat — “They are a bunch of
desperados” — although they go on to admit that the extremists could
prove useful to the Syrians to light “fires” in the south. The
intelligence analysis is that, as in the past, [Syrian President
Bashar] Al-Asad has the means to reactivate Middle Eastern
organizations which have a score to settle with Ankara. And it may be
no mere coincidence that a communique signed by the ASALA [Armenian
Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia] appeared on the scene a few
weeks ago. The Armenian extremists’ armed party warned Ankara: If you
intervene in Syria, we will attack you. Is it really them? Some people
suspect that it may be only a crude provocation, but reports bouncing
back from Aleppo suggest that the regime is manoeuvring to force the
minorities (including the Armenians) to take up arms.

One group that needs no convincing in that direction is the Kurdish
PKK. It has gone back on the offensive in the past few months, mixing
raids with terrorist attacks. On occasion it has even claimed to have
“freed areas in the south of Turkey.” Such remarks are designed to
throw down the gauntlet at Ankara, and the general interpretation is
that if the PKK can do so, it is thanks to its friendship of long
standing with Damascus. That is true, of course, but a no less
interested sponsor is Iran. In early September the Turkish police
dismantled an espionage network linked to the VEVAK [Ministry of
Intelligence and National Security of the Islamic Republic of Iran],
the Iranian intelligence service. This network provided the PKK with
material, with resources, and with information that it has used to
launch its attacks — an involvement borne out both by investigations
and by wiretaps. The mullahs’ moles are numerous, too. The local press
has been talking about almost 100 agents operating in the south — a
fifth column ready to swing into action if the crisis deteriorates.

[translated from Italian]

From: A. Papazian

NEW DOCUMENTARY ON ‘THE FORTY DAYS OF MUSA DAGH’ AND HOLLYWOOD
by Lilly Torosyan

October 5, 2012

Franz Werfel’s 1933 novel, The Forty Days of Musa Dagh, portrayed one
small Armenian community’s efforts to resist deportation and massacre
during the genocide. The novel was highly controversial-having been
banned by Nazi Germany and Turkey-and several attempts to produce a
Hollywood film were blocked. The documentary Epic Denied: Depriving
‘The Forty Days of Musa Dagh’depicts the trials and tribulations of
Hollywood’s multiple attempts to produce a film based on Werfel’s
bestseller, which, according to Variety magazine, has become “the most
on-again and off-again motion picture production in Hollywood history.”

‘Epic Denied’ will explore the fate of the Musa Dagh epic in Hollywood.

The documentary, however, has yet to be completed. In order to
finance the project, the producers have launched an online fundraising
campaign. One of the producers/filmmakers, Edwin Avaness, spoke with
the Weekly about the importance of this feature-length documentary
making its way to the public.

The objective

“Our goal is to give audiences a unique look at the controversy
surrounding the novel, and the unprecedented political maneuverings
by foreign forces to halt the production of the motion picture,”
explained Avaness. He also noted the key themes that will be explored,
including conspiracy, complicity, collusion, and blatant censorship
in the context of Hollywood’s history, and infringement of the First
Amendment by a foreign power.

“After reading the book, we saw the importance of the content and
decided to option the rights and make a documentary,” he said. The
project is thoroughly documented based on research in the MGM archives,
the U.S. State Department, the Franz Werfel Papers at the UCLA Special
Collections Library, the American Film Institute, and interviews of
personalities involved in the film project. The “basic components of
historical research are covered in a manner that finally unveils the
truth of a film denied,” Avaness said.

“Organizers and activists know the power of the media and how a good
documentary motivates audiences into action. That is why we also plan
to invite civil liberties organizations to use [our documentary] as a
tool of engagement, and to promote the importance of free expression
in media,” Avaness told the Weekly.

Future Hollywood production?

Prominent directors and actors such as Elia Kazan, Rouben Mamoulian,
and Sylvester Stallone throughout the decades have attempted to produce
the film based on Werfel’s novel. Avaness describes how Dore Schary,
the successor to MGM Studio boss Louis B. Mayer, believed that The
Forty Days of Musa Dagh was one of the few great books written since
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, and dreamed of making the movie.

In 1934, MGM purchased the rights to make the novel into a motion
picture. “Undertaken by veteran producer Irving Thalberg in the
1930’s to unknown millionaire John Kurkjian in the 1980’s, the project
faced enormous foreign intervention and blackmail, preventing it from
reaching the silver screen,” he explained.

Avaness noted that today’s Hollywood is not the same as it was in the
1930’s. “Therefore, the question becomes how profitable an epic film
based on Franz Werfel’s novel will be?”

Next step

Research and development of the documentary have already been
completed. “Our next phase is interviewing individuals in the
entertainment industry who were involved in various capacities through
the many incarnations of the project, as well as scholars who have
the expertise to shed light on this untold story,” Avaness detailed.

He stressed that The Forty Days of Musa Dagh is “an important part
of the Motion Picture history. We need everyone’s help to document it.”

To make a tax-deductible donation to “Epic Denied: ‘The Forty Days
of Musa Dagh,'” visit

For more information about the project, visit

From: A. Papazian

“WHAT DOES THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA WANT TO SAY BY HIS SHOW,” CITIZENS SAY (VIDEO)

October 4, 2012 13:07

“The President of the Republic organizes a show. He gives a brotherly
performance as if he is concerned about the future of the country.

However, as a result of that show, nothing is changing. A show is
organized, whereas the problems have been raised for many years,
since his becoming the president. What does the President of the
Republic want to say with his show?” citizens gathered outside the
Government Building today complained.

They also complained that they couldn’t meet with the ministers. “What
Minister of Urban Development is he, if he flees through the back
door? If a minister flees from the people, he is not a minister,
he is a ‘menaceter,'” one of the citizens complained.

Arpine SIMONYAN

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY RECEPTION IN IRAN ATTENDED BY IRI HIGH-RANKING OFFICIALS

ARMENPRESS
5 October, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 5, ARMENPRESS: The reception, dedicated to the 21st
anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Armenia, was held
at the ARARAT Sports and Cultural Complex of Iran on September 30 and
attended by the representatives of the public administration system of
the Islamic Republic of Iran and ambassadors accredited in Iran. The
event was attended as well by the leaders of the Armenian Diocese and
the members of different structures of the Iranian Armenian community.

As Armenpress was reported by the Press, Information and PR Department
at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia,
the opening speech at the reception was performed by the Ambassador
of the Republic of Armenia to the Islamic Republic of Iran Grigor
Arakelyan, followed by the Minister of Diaspora of the Republic of
Armenia Hranush Hakobyan, who arrived in Teheran to participate in
the Armenian Culture Days in Isfahan, devoted to the 21st anniversary
of the Armenian Independence.

Highly evaluating the level of the Armenian-Iranian relations, the
Minister of Diaspora of Armenia highlighted the role and significance
of the Iranian Armenian community in the enhancement and strengthening
of the bilateral relations.

Then the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of
Iran Abbas Araghchi, who, congratulating the guests on the occasion
of the Independence Day, touched upon the Armenian-Iranian diverse
relations and stated that the Iranian authorities were ready to
continue the political, economic and cultural mutually beneficial
cooperation.

During the reception ARARAT choir performed an artistic initiative
presenting works of the Armenian modern classic music.

0 0 9 Print | Õ~@Õ¡ÕµÕ¥O~@Õ¥Õ¶ xOpinions 18:41, 11.09.2012 Azerbaijani
ideological emptiness was filled with Safarov’s heroism

From: A. Papazian

ANALYSE DES REACTIONS SUR L’AFFAIRE SAFAROV
Stephane

armenews.com
vendredi 5 octobre 2012

Le quotidien Joxovurd fait un point sur les reactions de differents
pays quant au transfèrement et la remise en liberte de Ramil Safarov
et estime que celle de la France, pays allie, n’etait pas adequate. ”
La France a fait montre d’une position ambiguë, recevant quelques
jours plus tard Ilham Aliev a l’Elysee, alors que celui-ci avait
bafoue les valeurs europeennes “. Ce quotidien n’apprecie pas
non plus la reaction de la Russie et s’etonne de toute absence
de reaction de la part de l’Iran et de la Georgie. Joxovurd rend
compte de la visite, ces jours-ci, du PM hongrois en Georgie, qui
aurait ete très chaleureusement accueilli par les autorites. ” En
recevant si solennellement le PM hongrois, les autorites georgiennes ne
lancent-elles pas un message a l’Armenie ? “, se demande ce quotidien,
estimant que les Etats-Unis ont ete a la hauteur et n’ont pas blesse
la dignite du peuple armenien a l’instar de la France, de la Russie
et de la Georgie.

Extrait de la revue de presse de l’Ambassade de France en Armenie en
date du 28 septembre 2012

From: A. Papazian

VALENCE ACCUEILLE MARC BRUNET APRES 5000 KM A VELO COUCHE
Jean Eckian

Parti de Valence le 21 juin, en velo couche, et après avoir traverse
9 pays, Marc Brunet etait de retour a Valence le 3 octobre, accueilli
Place Saint-Jean par la population et le maire Alain Maurice.

Son periple exploit sportif, organise par l’association Aventure en
soliDaire, lui a permis de collecter des fonds affectes a la renovation
d’une ecole maternelle situee a Chirakamout, en Armenie. Ce village
fut l’epicentre du tremblement de terre de 1988 et en porte encore
les stigmates.

From: A. Papazian

THE SLOW-STEP PROCESS OF THE RECOGNITION OF THE NKR AND THE ELECTIONS IN ARMENIA
Dr. Gayane Novikova

spectrum.am

Dr. Gayane Novikova, Director of the Center for Strategic Analysis,
Yerevan, Armenia; Visiting Scholar for the Davis Center for Russian
and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

The extradition of Ramil Safarov, who was sentenced to life
imprisonment, from Hungary and his immediate pardon by the Azerbaijani
president, again questioned the ability of Azerbaijan to keep its
promises. In your opinion, is it reasonable to continue negotiations
over the resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict with Baku?

The Armenian side must continue the negotiations over the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict resolution first and foremost because there is an
ongoing objective process of the establishment of new state entities.

Even in the relatively stable and safe (from a security vantage point)
European region in three states – Belgium, Spain, and Great Britain –
there are discussions on independence of Flandreau, Catalonia, and
Scotland, respectively. There were two referenda on the separation of
Quebec from Canada. In 2011 a new state – South Sudan – appeared on
the world map. After twenty years of the de facto existence of the
Nagorno Karabakh Republic, and especially against the background of
the above-mentioned geopolitical shifts, the possibility to change
the NKR status from de facto to the de jure state is not perceived as
something strongly negative. Moreover, a voicing of a possibility of
the recognition of the NKR begins. Let me remind you that two American
states, Rhode Island and Massachusetts, have adopted resolutions
calling for President Obama and Congress to recognize the NKR.

This slow-moving process of pre-recognition of the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic is a main threat for Azerbaijani domestic and foreign policy.

The “Safarov phenomenon” was aimed to provoke Armenia to take overt
and confrontational steps. Fortunately, in spite of the calls of some
“hotheads” in Armenia, it did not happen. The withdrawal of any of the
parties to the conflict from the negotiation table will be evaluated
by the concerned external actors as a manifestation of aggression by
the withdrawing side.

On October 10, the third anniversary of the signing of the
Armenian-Turkish protocols which have never been ratified will pass.

It is obvious that the reason for their non-ratification is Turkey’s
obstinacy. The latter continues to link the opening of the border with
Armenia to the resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Do you
see any prerequisite for reanimation of the process of normalization
of the relationship between Armenia and Turkey?

No, I don’t see any prerequisite. Turkey has stated conditions, and is
still articulating conditions, for the reanimation of the normalization
process of bilateral relations with Armenia, first of all, the opening
of the border, by the positive – from the Azerbaijani view point –
shifts in the Nagorno Karabakh negotiations. Let me stress once again:
in Turkey’s policy the issue of opening the border with Armenia is
moving further and further ahead because of its domestic problems
and the day-by-day worsening developments in the Middle East. Against
this background, the settlement of the Armenian-Turkish relationship
undoubtedly will increase tension in its relations with Azerbaijan;
possibly it will negatively influence internal developments in
Turkey. Furthermore, no single external actor, more or less involved
in the processes in the South Caucasus can put pressure on Turkey in
this very difficult period for every regional state. I suppose that
in the foreseeable future Turkey will limit its activity to offering
statements on the necessity to achieve progress in the resolution of
the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and on its firm support of Azerbaijan. It
cannot venture anything more or anything different.

In your opinion, will the issue of Nagorno Karabakh be a main theme
in the forthcoming presidential campaign in Armenia?

I hope that it will not. First, the resolution of this conflict is one
of the strategic priorities of our state in the security field. It
is dangerous to use this factor in electioneering. Second, it is
almost the only issue around which a relative consensus is reached in
Armenian society. Of course, each presidential candidate will include
this issue in his/her agenda; however, I am not certain that any
candidate has anything strongly different from the approaches his or
her contender or contenders to offer. The most irrational suggestion,
such as an immediate recognition of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic
by Armenia, can be voiced only by those candidates with the lowest
support in the society and who are hoping to gain additional votes at
the cost of populist statements, including in the field of foreign
policy. Eventually, everyone understands that war is an alternative
to peace.

Continuing with the theme of elections, let us ask your opinion
in regard to concomitant circumstances surrounding the forthcoming
elections. There is an opinion that the 2013 presidential election
will be relatively quiet and low-key. After the May 2012 parliamentary
elections, the statements that Levon Ter-Petrosian, the leader of the
Armenian National Congress (ANC) will not run for the presidency are
heard more often. To whom will he give the baton? Are we witnessing,
in your opinion, the final stage of the dissolution of the ANC which
began a year ago?

I agree that the Armenian National Congress to some extent has
lost its energy. It was unable to introduce a clear vision and a
program, as well as to use in full the protest trends and moods in
some strata of Armenian society. The ANC won only seven seats in
Parliament – this is a very conspicuous indicator. There is no one
in the Ter-Petrosyan circle to whom he could give the baton. It was
the person of Ter-Petrosian that served as the ‘magnet’ – and not
his program, vision, or approach, that is everything that creates an
ideological platform for any political organization – that attracted
(but did not unite) the various forces in the ANC. He did not prepare
any successor who could replace him, and this is one of the weak
sides of the ANC. The forces that are part of the ANC although they
have support from different segments of the society, entered into
Parliament on the tide of protest moods stimulated and used by ANC
after the presidential elections of 2008. At that time the ANC was a
relatively united political force. I do not think that the ANC will
be fully dissolved in the foreseeable future, even though internal
developments in this organization indicate growing disagreement among
its members. For all the political forces under the ANC umbrella, the
existence of a protest potential in the society and its ‘simmering’
is of highest importance. The ANC can acquire this potential only
through the joint efforts of all its member parties and organizations.

The opinion exists that the “Prosperous Armenia” Party will not
confront the authorities and will prefer to wait until the next
presidential elections of 2018 to bring its own candidate to power.

The question is not about whether “Prosperous Armenia” will confront
the Republican Party in the presidential election of 2013, or not. It
does not yet have a real alternative figure to run for the presidency.

Robert Kocharian, the second President of Armenia, is still in the
shadows, and, according to preliminary observations, has no intention
to participate in this race. Vardan Oskanian, the former minister of
foreign affairs and the founder of the Civilitas Foundation, found
himself the focus of a trial. The article published on September 28,
2012, in “The Washington Post” did not improve the image of either
Oskanian himself or the Foundation because it carried the wrong
message that non-governmental organizations in Armenia are under
strong pressure of the state apparatus. (I would argue that it is
inappropriate to compare the level of participation of Armenian NGOs
in the political and social life of the country with the developments
surrounding the NGOs in Azerbaijan, Belarus, Pakistan or anywhere
else!). I would not exclude that the opening of the Oskanian case
can be viewed in reference to political constellations, but I am
sure that the former minister lacks the level of strong support
among potential voters that would allow viable competition with
the President-in-office in the forthcoming elections. There will be
at least three candidacies, representing the Republican Party, the
“Heritage,” and the Armenian Revolutionary Party “Dashnaktutyun.” For
“Prosperous Armenia,” for tactical reasons it would be advisable to
take a timeout and to try, through dialogue with other representatives
of a ‘constructive opposition’, to find and support a single candidate
in the 2018 elections.

Who could become Prime-Minister? There are rumors that a confrontation
between the “Prosperous Armenia” and the ruling Republican Party was
defused after the parties reached an agreement that Tigran Sargsyan
will leave office after the presidential election?

“Prosperous Armenia” which was established in 2004 as an alternative to
the ruling Republican Party with the main goal to split the opposition,
after only a few years has gained political strength and weight (to a
large extent because of the charitable activity of its leader). Thus,
the initial secondary political role already is not enough for this
party. It will undoubtedly make claims for leading positions. It is
worth mentioning that reaching a compromise on such issue, through
behind-the-scenes negotiations is a quite common practice, especially
in societies without extensive historical experience in a democratic
transformation.

My answer to the first part of your question in regard to a future
prime-minister is very simple: I don’t know.

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From: A. Papazian