Author: Andres-Papazian

Republican Party will have 65-70% in Armenia’s local government
elections – party official

news.am
August 25, 2012 | 15:08

YEREVAN. – Armenia’s ruling Republican Party (RPA) will support Artik
city’s incumbent Mayor, RPA member Khachatur Varagyan’s candidacy in
Artik’s mayoral elections to be held on September 9, RPA Organizing
Committee Chairman Ruben Tadevosyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

In response to the question as to how many votes RPA will receive as a
result of the local government elections, he said:

`If we study the state of the candidates’ nomination, [we can see
that] we will have an approximately 65-70 percent result. We have that
indicator now, as well, and we will maintain it, [and] even more.’

And with respect to the query as to whether or not these local
government elections will be somewhat of a test in the lead-up to
Armenia’s presidential elections slated for next year, RPA official
noted that they underscore the local government elections as an
institution, and, if the latter is guided correctly, it will be fairly
easy to correctly organize the nationwide elections.

`They are correlated. We are persistent in terms of establishing this
institution and participating in the processes,’ said Ruben
Tadevosyan.

From: A. Papazian

Armenian PM instructs Health Ministry to combat shadow economy

news.am
August 25, 2012 | 15:34

YEREVAN. – Armenia’s Premier Tigran Sargsyan chaired a consultation
meeting devoted to the country’s healthcare sector.

`We need to understand as to why the economic growth in this sector
reduced by 4.4 percent, as compared with the same time period last
year, even though we took very serious measures in the healthcare
sector. I believe there is one explanation here: shadow [economy] has
grown,’ PM Sargsyan specifically noted, the Government press service
informs.

The PM instructed Health Minister Derenik Dumanyan to launch a
monitoring system within his ministry, and to demand respective
monthly reports from Armenia’s 466 medical facilities.

In his turn, State Revenue Committee Chairman Gagik Khachatryan
proposed to carry out, jointly with the Health Ministry, precise
programs to combat shadow economy.

Also, the PM stressed that the results of inspections at the medical
facilities will be finalized in September, and he called upon the
Health Minister to implement urgent personnel changes in case of
facing any obstacles.

From: A. Papazian

PAP On Kocharyan and Sargsyan

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 16:14:25 – 25/08/2012

Today the spokesman for the Prosperous Armenia Party Tigran Urikhanyan
was asked if ex-president Robert Kocharyan may run in the next
presidential election. He said the citizens who vote in elections
should answer this question.

In answer to allegation that the PAP is backed by Kocharyan,
Urikhanyan said over half a million people back the PAP who voted for
their party.

In answer to the question if the PAP will nominate a presidential
candidate, he said they will speak about it when the presidential
elections draw nearer. He did not answer the question on the possible
candidate of the president as well as the willingness of the party to
support a joint candidate. He said they do not want to speak about
these issues for a number of reasons which he did not disclose either.

Urikhanyan said the PAP cooperates with different forces over urgent
issues of the country. We are ready to cooperate over proposals
concerning development, welfare, progress. We can cooperate unless
there are preconditions and major disagreement, he says. The PAP is
ready to assume responsibility for governance unless it is limited by
compulsion and preconditions.

Tigran Urikhanyan also said the PAP wants dismissal of Prime Minister
Tigran Sargsyan. The journalists inquired who PAP shadow prime
minister is. He said they will speak about it when the right moment
comes. According to him, the best way leading to change is elections.

From: A. Papazian

Syrian rebels’ statement on Armenian community provocation – expert

August 25, 2012 – 15:35 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The statement regarding the Armenian community
disseminated on behalf of Syrian rebels is nothing but provocation,
expert in Arabic studies said.

`The anti-government forces denied issuing a statement which
threatened Syria’s Armenian community. The plan might be masterminded
by the country’s authorities to win both Armenian and other
minorities,’ Sargis Grigoryan said, deeming Turkey’s involvement in
the provocative act possible.

Dwelling on Syrian Armenian community, the expert noted its split
following the end of the political conflict hardly probable.

`Though the community holds a neutral stance, both the government and
the opposition regularly try to win it over to their side,’ Grigoryan
said.

From: A. Papazian

Porters of Monaco’s casinos learn Armenian

11:30 25/08/2012 » Society

One of our compatriots that has returned from Monte Carlo recently
told us about very interesting incident. It turned out that there are
so many Armenians in Monaco that the porters of the casinos have
learnt Armenian.

They recognize the Armenians immediately and give a broad grin and say
`hey, chief’ in Armenian, the Hraparak daily reports.

Source: Panorama.am

From: A. Papazian

SYRIE
L’armée syrienne a repris les quartiers chrétiens du vieux Alep

BEYROUTH, 23 août 2012 (AFP) – L’armée syrienne a repris aux rebelles
les quartiers chrétiens du centre historique d’Alep, la grande
métropole du Nord, selon des habitants jeudi.

Les insurgés, qui s’étaient emparés d’une partie des quartiers
chrétiens d’Alep, ont été chassés de Telal, Jdeidé et Sleimaniyé, très
fréquentés avant le début du conflit en mars 2011 par les touristes
attirés par les restaurants et les magasins d’artisanat, a raconté un
habitant.

`Les combats de lundi et mardi ont été très violents et ont duré de
très longues heures avant que l’armée ne parvienne à déloger les
rebelles, procédant à l’arrestation de quelques dizaines d’entre eux`,
selon ce témoin qui n’a pas voulu donner son nom.

L’agence officielle syrienne Sana a indiqué que la défense civile et
`les entreprises publiques ont été dépêchées immédiatement pour faire
les réparations nécessaires et ramener ces quartiers à la vie normale
après les avoir nettoyés des terroristes`.

Selon un habitant et une source de sécurité, après que les rebelles
eurent été délogés, les habitants ont constitué des `comités
populaires` pour les empêcher de revenir. Selon le chercheur Fabrice
Balanche, Alep compte 2,7 millions d’habitants dont 10% environ, sont
des chrétiens. La moitié d’entre eux sont des Arméniens. Le reste sont
des Syriaques et des Grecs Catholiques. Il y a des maronites aussi.

Une grande partie du clergé chrétien a affiché son soutien au
président Bachar al-Assad, confronté depuis 17 mois à une révolte.

samedi 25 août 2012,
Ara ©armenews.com

From: A. Papazian

AVENTURES-MESAVENTURES
Le rêve d’un groupe de 39 touristes d’Arménie à Sharm el Sheikh se
transforme en cauchemar

Le voyage d’un groupe de 39 touristes d’Arménie à Sharm el Sheikh
devait être idéal. Les touristes Arméniens -dont certains se rendaient
dans la station balnéaire d’Egypte en lune de miel avaient réservé et
payé leur séjour auprès de l’agence Happy Voyage en Arménie. Mais le
séjour de rêve allait très vite se transformer en cauchemar. Le
premier jour le groupe d’Arméniens, hébergé à l’hôtel cinq étoiles qui
devait afficher la phrase « Sunrise Grand Select Arabian beach resort
» avait plutôt bien débuté son séjour. Mais le lendemain, les
responsables de l’hôtel de luxe invitaient les touristes Arméniens à
prendre le chemin de la sortie. La raison invoquée était qu’Happy
Voyage n’avait pas procédé au règlement de ces nuitées d’hôtel. Les
touristes Arméniens ont tenté de se mettre en rapport avec l’agence
Happy Voyage. Ils n’eurent pour réponses que des promesses…Le groupe
d’Arméniens, en désespoir de cause a alors contacté l’Ambassade
d’Arménie en Egypte qui trouva une solution de relogement dans un
hôtel qui avait moins d’étoiles mais qui était meilleur que de passer
la nuit à la belle étoile…

Krikor Amirzayan

samedi 25 août 2012,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

From: A. Papazian

Homenetmen Ararat Dedicates Gym to Rima Abedi Sagherian

asbarez
Wednesday, August 22nd, 2012

A scene from the dedication ceremony

GLENDALE – Monday, July 23 was an evening of remembrance, tribute and
celebration at the Homenetmen Ararat Chapter where many came together
to pay homage and witness the dedication of Center’s Blue Gym in honor
of their beloved friend Rima Abedi Sagherian. The solemn occasion was
organized in collaboration with Rima’s husband David Sagherian who
generously offered to support the Chapter in celebration and
commemoration of Rima’s colorful life.

The attendees were invited to the special unveiling of a memorial pane
by her son Christopher near the Scouting Division quarters. The
display is a lovely collection of Rima’s original Scout uniform,
memorabilia and pictures of her journey through the scouting ranks.
This was followed by a presentation of Rima’s decades of admirable
athletic and scouting accomplishments culminating with her
contribution to the Eagle Scout program at Ararat Chapter.

Then everyone was gathered at the Blue Gym where Margaret Abedi
unveiled the wall and the gymnasium was officially dedicated in honor
of Rima Abedi Sagherian. This emotional undertaking was later followed
by a reception at the Center’s foyer where `Rima Abedi Sagherian
Memorial Scholarship’ announcement was made. With contributions from
Abedi and Sagherian families, and particularly her husband David; the
Ararat Chapter Annual Scholarships will further be augmented to serve
more of our college bound members in pursuit of their academic goals.

The reception concluded with passionate remarks by David Sagherian,
appreciation notes from Ararat Chapter Executive Committee Chair Helik
Issagholian, Glendale Councilmember Raffi Manoukian and Master of
Ceremonies Arick Gevorkian who assured the Abedi and Sagherian
families with the following quote: `Rima lives with us; we live with
Rima and her legacy, kind deeds, contagious smile and dedication to
community is etched forever in our minds, hearts and souls.’

From: A. Papazian

Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
Aug 24 2012

Bells at Diyarbakır Armenian church to toll after 97 years

DIYARBAKIR – DHA

The bell-tower of Diyarbakır’s Surp Giragos Church Armenian Church, a
very important church for the Armenian community in the Middle East,
is set to return to use after a 97-year interval, with a new bell made
in Russia.

As part of repair and restoration work at the Surp Giragos Church a
new bell was made in Moscow, and has been delivered to Diyarbakır. The
bronze bell weighs 100 kilograms, and will ring from the bell-tower
beginning at its reopening ceremony on Nov. 4.

The church’s bell-tower was demolished in 1915, on the grounds that it
was `higher than the minarets in the city.’ Diyarbakır’s Surp Sarkis
Giragos Armenian Church Foundation began restoring the church, which
had fallen into disrepair, in 2010. The restoration work, which was
also supported by Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality with one
million Turkish Liras in financial aid, was completed, and the church
was reopened to service, in Oct. 2011. Work on other parts of the
church has continued, stopping from time to time due to financial
problems. A total of two million liras have been spent on the
restoration and repair work so far, and the total cost will be 3.2
million liras.

The church which was built in 1376 is located in the FatihpaÅ?a
neighborhood in Diyarbakır’s Sur district, which is densely populated
by Armenians. The title for the land the church is built on used to
belong to Armenian community, and it served as a metropolitan until
1915. Regarded by art historians as the biggest church in the Middle
East, the Surp Giragos Church covers 3,200 square meters and has a
capacity of 3,000 people. Used as a command center for German officers
during World War I, the church was then used as an apparel depot by
state-owned Sümerbank until 1950.
August/24/2012

From: A. Papazian

Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
Aug 25 2012

Is it a crime to be an Armenian?

The suggestion that the phrase `bumped off’ should be used instead of
`rendered ineffective’ to refer to Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)
terrorists who are killed has caused several reactions. It was Erzurum
deputy Muhyettin Aksak of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK
Party) who made the suggestion at his party’s bayram greetings
sessions last Tuesday in the eastern province of Erzurum.

But Aksak made other problematic statements during the same session.
He also said, after demanding that `PKK members and our Kurdish
brothers should not be ranked equally’: `We must separate our Kurdish
brothers from them. When we look at them [the PKK], they are nothing
more than [brainwashed people], or children of Armenian apostates, or
cowards who have infiltrated our country from Syria or Iran.’

Codes of social culture
A deputy serving his second term in Parliament, representing the
ruling party, used the attribution `children of Armenian apostates’ as
an open insult, contemptuously.

Let’s admit that using the fact that one is of Armenian origin in a
defamatory is one of those reflexes yet to be overcome in the
cognitive codes of a very wide segment of Turkey’s social culture.

This may also come up frequently in the press. The most recent
outstanding example of Armenian origins being used as an insult was in
the campaign of defamation daily Yeni Å?afak writer Ali BayramoÄ?lu was
subjected to last June.

An article appearing on the website habervaktim.com, which acts as the
website of the fundamentalist daily Vakit, claimed that BayramoÄ?lu had
Armenian origins, and that therefore he was `acting with the incentive
of his real [hidden] identity’ regarding Kurdish and Armenian matters.

`If you are a Jew, you are already guilty’
The people targeted by this behavior are not only Armenians. It is
general, and it is directed at all minorities, at Greeks and
especially at Jews.

Because this is the case, when Professor BüÅ?ra Ersanlı was arrested
last year in connection with the operation against the KCK, daily
Vakit was able to assess the fact that her ex-husband Professor Cem
Behar was a Jew as one of the negative factors leading to her arrest.

Similar examples may strike you frequently in daily life in our
country, which our statesmen boast of as a land of tolerance. The
issue is that such behavior is not regarded as a problem morally in
social scenarios ` again for a wide segment.

It is one of the most disgraceful facets of racism that people who
should be acknowledged as equal citizens both under human measurements
and at a formal level are looked down on because of their ethnic
identities, or their identities are used as insults.

The need for a hate crime law
These kinds of behaviors are known as `hate crimes’ in the civilized
world now, and have serious consequences. Hate crimes are actions
where a person or a group is attacked verbally or physically because
of their identity or group membership, and they have different
outcomes than other categories of crime.

The difference is because in hate crimes when a person is insulted
because of their social belonging or identity, victimization is not
limited to the targeted person. The `multiplier effect’ of the hate
feature of the crime makes everyone who belongs to that group feel
attacked.

For example, when a deputy insults the PKK as `children of Armenian
apostates,’ then every Armenian living in Turkey feels insulted. When
Professor Ersanlı’s having had a Jewish husband is cited as a reason
for her arrest, then every Jew living in this country is belittled.

These examples, which we come across frequently, create a very
pessimistic picture of how much distance we need to cover in the fight
against hate crimes and racism in Turkey. If a law on hate crimes had
been enacted in Turkey, then the perpetrators of the examples cited
above would probably have met with serious consequences. If no law is
in the horizon yet, at least it would be appropriate for the ruling
party to make a gesture to reassure Armenian citizens living in this
country that it does not acknowledge the words of its Erzurum deputy,
especially right after the Ramadan Feast, when we frequently emphasize
the value of fraternity.

*Sedat Ergin is a columnist for daily Hürriyet, in which this piece
was published on Aug. 24. It was translated into English by the Daily
News staff.
August/25/2012

From: A. Papazian