Author: Antonian Lara

NEWLY APPOINTED AMBASSADOR OF FINLAND HANDS HER CREDENTIALS OVER TO PRESIDENT
KOCHARIAN
   YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 10, ARMENPRESS: The newly appointed ambassador of
Finland to Armenia Ms. Terry Hakkalan, with residence in Helsinki, handed over
her
credentials to president Robert Kocharian today.
   According to president press services, congratulating the diplomat on
taking up the new post, Robert Kocharian said that Armenian underscores
developing
relations with Finland.
   The ambassador said that Finland is interested in stimulating cooperation
with South Caucasian countries, and Armenia in particular, and is watchfully
following the developments in the region. She underscored Armenia’s involvement
in European Union New Neighborhood Project which opens up significant
opportunities for cooperation.
   The president of the republic and the ambassador exchanged ideas on
stimulating bilateral relations. Ms. Terri Hakalla said that Finish business
community is largely interested in Armenia. The sides underscored development
of a
proper legal field and holding a business forum in order to make business links
more active.

Azeris agree to host three Armenian “observers” at NATO drills – paper
Ekspress, Baku
11 Sep 04
The Azerbaijani Foreign and Defence ministries have given their consent
for three Armenian officers’ participation in the Cooperative Best
Effort-2004 exercises between 13-27 September within the framework
of NATO’s Partnership for Peace programme. The Ekspress newspaper
learnt from diplomatic sources that this decision had been made at
yesterday’s talks in Brussels between NATO experts and representatives
of Azerbaijan’s Foreign and Defence ministries. “The sides agreed that
the Armenian delegation would consist of two officers and a military
doctor. In addition, they will be observers, but not participants in
the exercises,” the source said.
At the same time, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry press centre
reported yesterday that Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar
Mammadyarov did not rule out the Armenian officers’ absence from the
exercises. “This will depend on final results of the Brussels talks,”
the ministry said.
[Passage omitted: background of the issue.]
“NATO has paid attention to appeals of both Azerbaijan and Armenia and
believes that the arrival of three Armenian representatives to Baku
fully suits the two countries,” a source from NATO’s Partnership for
Peace programme told Ekspress yesterday. The source confirmed that
the Armenians military would arrive in Azerbaijan in the evening of
12 September to attend the NATO exercises. But the source did not
say anything about the time and route of their arrival.
[Passage to end omitted: background of exercises; Armenians will come
with NATO’s authorization.]
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Anoushka:
A perfectionist and a Piscean
Sixth sense
Profile by Gamal Nkrumah
—————————————————————- ——–
“Blind children love to touch and feel me when I sing. I dance for the deaf,”
Anoushka says with a sparkle in her eyes. A moment later a frown crosses her
forehead when I ask whether her concern for children with sight and hearing
impairments, orphans, the disadvantaged and the physically and mentally disabled
is inspired by any particular spiritual or emotional needs.
“I’ve been working for the last eight years with the United Nations,” she
explains. “We take the children on a Nile boat tour. The children love the river.
The Nile is so beautiful.”
Her eyelashes flutter furiously.
“The children need you and you know that you can give of yourself. Everyone
is having fun,” Anoushka continues. “The outing is a very special day for these
kids with special needs. It is very important for them. We sing, we play, we
have fun. I take my hat off to Abdel-Salam Ragab for organising the annual
event,” she says referring to the director of the Pharaonic Village, Giza. “It
has become something of a tradition.”
The interior of her Heliopolis apartment is unrelentingly cheerful — the
sitting room, overlooking a lovely terrace, especially so. Everything is in
white, yellow and black. In one corner is a table on which lies a laptop computer
and a mobile phone, in the other a divan — canary yellow, gold and black — on
which the pop star reclines. It was a hot July afternoon and Anoushka has
just returned from a grueling game of squash. She is wearing a summery,
sleeveless blouse and no make-up.
Anoushka spends hours working out at the gym and dancing. She took up squash
a year ago and plays almost daily. She eats healthily and heartily too.
Moloukhiya is her favourite dish. She avoids butter and ghee, preferring olive oil
instead.
“I love Chinese food, but I don’t cook Chinese. I try to eat healthily, I
have my figure to keep,” she chuckles. “I love French fries, but I stay away from
them these days. I cook fish and chicken and I don’t touch red meat.”
Cooking is a favourite pastime. When not recording, rehearsing or working out
in the gym, she sneaks into her kitchen. “I love to cook for my friends,” she
says, and often cooks for her parents. But it is Misha — her three-year-old
papillion who at the mention of food pricks up its ears — that is the daily
recipient of Anoushka’s culinary endeavours. Misha is especially partial to the
chicken dishes.
We have been introduced by a mutual friend, a colleague of mine who, like
Anoushka, is an Egyptian-born ethnic Armenian. At first Anoushka addresses her
and they chat away in Armenian. I soon realise, though, that she is taking me
in.
“I normally cook her food without salt. That is why Misha has not stopped
licking your toes,” she tells my horrified colleague. “She loves to have friends
around. Misha is my baby. ”
“Yegour.” She summons Misha in Armenian.
It is soon established that both Anoushka and I are Pisceans, at which point
our Virgo friend excuses herself and leaves. We were both born on the third
month of the year — March — Anoushka on the 9th, myself on the 18th. What to
most people is an embarrassingly insignificant aside appears to break the ice.
Anoushka’s career took off on 6 October 1988, she recalls, the day she
received her first international prize for her song Habeytak ( I Loved You).
Ironically, for an ethnic Armenian, the award ceremony took place in Turkey.
“Certain dates are important for me,” Anoushka says. The 9th of July, 1999
was another important milestone in her career for it was then that she won an
international song contest. Yet inspite of her popularity Anoushka remains in
the peculiar position of never having had a really huge hit. Her video clips
appear regularly on a wide range of Arab satellite television channels and she is
in demand as a performer at Cairene high society weddings. She also
participates in many Arab and international music and song festivals.
Anoushka’s songs are catchy. Her latest hit Lamahouni (They Had a Glimpse of
Me), exemplifies her use of melody and improvisation to highlight the meaning
and mood of her lyrics. Some of her songs, like Ya Leil (Oh Night), have
received critical and popular acclaim. She has not, though, managed to effect a
successful crossover to television and the cinema, and her outings on the big
screen have been rare. She remains essentially a festival singer.
Anoushka’s vocal range runs from the breathy whisper to the banshee scream.
She sings simple love lyrics. Hers is infectious, feel-good, danceable music.
She dismisses charges that she does not have a particularly strong voice,
insisting that “the vigour of the voice depends to a great extent on the
intensity of the passion.”
When she sings in Arabic it sometimes seems as if the musicians are overly
conscious of swamping her voice.
Is she more comfortable, then, singing in English or French?
On the contrary, she counters, the performances that established her
international reputation were mostly in the Arabic language.
Many musicians cross genres, and Anoushka is no exception. A solo artist,
quietly testing musical boundaries, Anoushka is as comfortable singing in French
or English as she is in Arabic. But perhaps she is happiest mixing all three
languages on stage.
By her own admission she is suspicious by nature. “We Pisceans are
suspicious. It is difficult for us to trust others.”
She shrugs her shoulders and pulls a face.
She is not in the habit of confiding in strangers, especially not
journalists. She’ll make an exception of me, she says, on account of our mutual friend.
And, the stars. True to character, though, she will reveal little, though she
appears far more relaxed during my first visit than when, a week later, I
return with Al-Ahram Weekly’s photographer. The photo session obviously adds to the
day’s stress and Anoushka is far too forthright not to say so.
“I am not in the mood, please forgive me. But, I shall try. What do I wear,”
she asks nervously. Her discomfort is palpable.
“I can slip into an evening dress,” she offers.
An hour later and Anoushka is more relaxed. She must have Misha in the
picture.
The rumour mill has it that Anoushka is something of a court musician,
featuring prominently at state and national functions.
“Who told you that? I can guess who did,” she winces at me. “Some
journalists,” I stutter in alarm, trying to evade her question.
“No, it can’t be journalists. No really, you must tell me,” she says,
refusing to accept my demural as an answer.
Anoushka doesn’t suffer fools gladly. She has little patience with human
weaknesses. But with animals it is different.
She has always had a special place in her heart for dogs and other animals —
“dogs are such faithful creatures. Far more faithful than humans,” she tells
me.
Is that why she has never married, I venture. Such a beautiful woman must
surely have had many suitors.
“Thank God I am not married. I do not feel the need to. Look around you. How
many happily married couples can you find? There is deception everywhere.
Lies, and no ethics whatsoever in dealing with people,” she says, adopting a
mockingly supercilious tone.
Anoushka doesn’t see the point of marriage for a woman who stays up late,
lives practically on the stage and doesn’t want to be bossed around by a man. And
what she doesn’t actually see she senses.
“I have a sixth sense. In my line of business, marriage is out of the
question. A conventional marriage would be detrimental to my career.”
Anoushka will not be dragged into conversation about the men in her life. The
frequent rumours in the Arab press that she is married or engaged are given
short shift. “I have never been married and I am happy without a man in my
life,” she insists. “I neither need a man who brags about himself all day, nor one
who incessantly nags.”
And what about romance?
“The flame is usually gone after the first six months,” she complains.
“Nowadays girls can read men very easily.”
Anoushka, however, has a host of “platonic and very rewarding relationships
with men”. She values her friendships with men.
“My father is my good friend. I have got a few good male friends, ones I can
depend on in times of distress. Men who can advise me as friends and as
brothers. Friends like these last for a lifetime. Some are musicians I work with. We
are very close. They give me an honest opinion when I ask them about
something.”
Anoushka is careful to make time for her family. She is forever running
errands for her parents. “My father wanted to name me Vartanoush, Sweet Flower. My
mother insisted on Anoushka.”
“My father is an extremely emotional man. He is my idol,” Anoushka says. “As
I grow older I understand my father and identify with him more.”
It was her father who encouraged her to sing professionally. Her mother would
have much preferred her daughter to be a lawyer or doctor.
“My mother is very practical and down-to-earth. She does not like to show her
emotions. I’m more like my father. I express my emotions.”
Her mother, she says, is her most scathing critic.
“Mother is blunt. If she doesn’t like a song of mine she will say so, and it
hurts sometimes.”
Her mother, however, always attends Anoushka’s performances.
“And she sews the dresses I appear on stage in,” she chuckles.
Anoushka is very close to her sister, Christine, who lives in France.
Anoushka’s apartment is dotted with striking paintings.
“They are my sister’s,” she says, and I dutifully admire her paintings.
Anoushka is especially fond of her niece, another Piscean. “Small wonder. My
sister says that she takes after me. She is a free spirit.”
Anoushka refuses to be fenced in. She sometimes escapes Cairo in search of
peace and quite.
“My crazy friends and I hire a boat and take to the Nile. We sail, we have
fun, we leave modern civilisation behind. We drift back in time catching
glimpses of the peasants living along the Nile in so-called primitive conditions. We
contemplate. Perhaps because I am a Piscean I love water: shores, coastlines,
river banks, beaches.”
At times Anoushka yearns to get away from it all.
“A safari trip to East Africa perhaps, India, the Caribbean or Hawaii. But
I’d take my medicine chest, my mobile phone and my laptop computer. I cannot
leave those three behind.” She would also take Misha along.
Anoushka enjoys listening to different kinds of music though her all time
favourite is fellow Armenian Charles Aznavour — “the king of emotions” she calls
him. She also adores the music of Armenia’s duduk-king Djivan Gasparyan. She
is fond, too, of artists as varied as Pavarotti, Whitney Houston, Janet
Jackson and Barbara Streisand.
Among Arab singers Anoushka has a special regard for the voice and style of
Sabah Fakhri, the Syrian singer. “I love the old traditional styles, even if I
can’t imitate them myself. The artistic style of the older generation of
singers was far stronger than what we do today.”
Anoushka professes to be a workaholic. Her professional career has spanned 14
years though she first started to perform at the tender age of six when she
was pronounced a gifted child by her parents and teachers at the Kalousdian
Armenian School. Fluent in French and English, Anoushka is also proud of her
native Armenian and Arabic. “We had a good education at Kalousdian,” she explains.
After graduating from the American University in Cairo, where she studied
Business Administration, Anoushka embarked on her singing career and since has
devoted her life to song and dance.
No husband, no children, no regrets: in the morning she is invariably at the
gym, in the evenings she heads for the sound studio. Afternoons are reserved
for a game of squash, more workouts at the gym or cooking.
She abhors the gold-rush mentality of the contemporary Cairene music and
cinema scene. Anoushka is fastidious, and clearly cannot bear muddling her way
through matters she does not understand. She must know everything that concerns
her work.
“I’m interested in the details. I perform on stage, but I must know how the
backstage is organised.”
Having made a name for herself in the Arab world, Anoushka now wants to have
a go at wowing Western audiences. She teamed up with Kiko Motos, of the
Gypsieland Group. “He’s BIG in France,” she assures.
Although the idea of east meets west appeals to Anoushka she instinctively
felt that there was something wrong with her recordings with Kiko Motos. He had
asked her to repeat the refrain “Salam Aleikum! Inshallah!” and she refused
point blank, explaining to him over lunch that she would prefer a duet.
“I would rather sing along with you. I would like to take this opportunity to
tell the world that we are not terrorists in our part of the world. Peace is
the universal greeting in our part of the world. I was interested in peace as
a means of communication. Of communicating loving sentiments.”
Motos agreed and Anoushka rushed back to her hotel room and scratched out
some lyrics. “Mahlaha al-haya lamma tesoudha as-salam (Life is beautiful when
peace prevails).
“Kiko invited me to sing along with him. I sang in Arabic. He sang in
Spanish. He sang about love and life.”
The key to the album, released in France last month, is juxtaposition. The
sense of opposite extremes — east and west — finding common ground delighted
Anoushka. The music, definitely more energetic than her previous hits, fuses
elements of flamenco and Arabic music.
“I had an inkling it would be an instant success.”
Piscean sixth sense, she insists.
C a p t i o n : ‘Thank God I am not married. I do not feel the need to. Look
around you. How many happily married couples can you find? There is deception
everywhere. Lies, and no ethics whatsoever in dealing with people’
© Copyright Al-Ahram Weekly. All rights reserved
Al-Ahram Weekly Online : 17 – 23 July 2003 (Issue No. 647)
Located at:

Capital News 9, NY
Sept 8 2004
Local man gets new lease on life
9/8/2004 6:48 PM
By: Capital News 9 web staff
Just as a Troy man was about to lose hope on his life, persistence
paid off.
Setrak Nalbandian, 41, was initially denied a crucial multi-organ
transplant by his health insurance provider, MVP. But now, after many
calls from Capital News 9 and his family, MVP is giving the go-ahead.
Setrak’s family and parish community at Saint Peter Armenian Church
have been working for years to try to get him the help he needs. Now,
hope is around the corner.
Fr. Stepanos Doudoukjain said, “There’s no greater joy in the world
than having children that you love and having them love you back. I
can only imagine that that’s his greatest motivating factor is to
live for those kids and his wife.”
According to family friends, Setrak could get his transplant in the
next 34 days now that MVP has given the clearance.

Armenia to Join Polish-led Troops in Iraq
Baku Today, Azerbaijan
Sept 7 2004
Armenian military officials say their country will send 50 troops to
Iraq to join a Polish-led multinational force patrolling the country’s
central and southern regions.
The troops will be deployed under a security cooperation agreement
signed Monday in Warsaw by visiting Armenian President Robert Kocharian
and Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski. Poland’s defense minister
Jerzy Szmajdzinski says Armenia is planning to send specialists in
logistics, bomb disposal experts and doctors in late November or
early December.
Poland commands a 6,500-strong multinational contingent in Iraq. It
has been one of Washington’s staunchest allies, providing 2,500 of
its own soldiers for the force.
The French news agency reports that both presidents, at a joint news
conference, expressed their sadness and solidarity with Russia over
the school hostage tragedy.
Some information for this report provided by AP, Reuters.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

NKR CELEBRATES ITS INDEPENDENCE DAY
ArmenPress
Sept 2 2004
STEPANAKERT, SEPTEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS: Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR)
president Arkadi Ghukassian, Armenian defense minister Serze Sargssian,
NKR National Assembly speaker Oleg Yesaian, prime minister Anushavan
Danielian, other government officials, officers of defense army,
parliamentarians and guests from Russia, Armenia and Diaspora visited
the memorial of Stepanakert today at 12 am on the occasion of 13th
anniversary of NKR Independence Day. They put flowers on the grave
of NKR Supreme Council first chairman Arthur Mkrtchian and honored
his memory with a minute silence.
“Independence of NKR, perhaps, is the highest achievement of our
nation. Therefore it can not be looked at as a temporary state. We
have factually proved the international community that are capable of
creating an independent statehood and live independent of Azerbaijan.
A nation, which has passed through a hard war of trials and hardships,
sacrificing the best of its sons, is unconquerable,” NKR president
A. Ghukassian said.
“There will be a time when the cherished hopes of our generations
will come true, generations which have even before us fought for the
high ideals and consciously died for their motherland,” Armenian
defense minister Serze Sargssian said. Responding to the question
what are the major principles in Karabakh conflict resolution,
Sargssian answered that they are three of them which have been
variously stated by Armenian president Robert Kocharian, “We think
that Nagorno Karabakh should be granted a status which will provide
independence from Azerbaijan, NKR will have borders with Armenia and
strong security guarantees.”
During the second half of the day, festivities to the Independence
Day moved to the park near Shahumian monument, republican sports
field where concerts, sports competitions and national marches were
organized. In the evening a big concert will be performed in the
Square of Revival with the participation of Russian famous singer
Iosif Kabzon, other famous singers of Russian music and best bands
of Armenia and Artsakh.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

How to make friends at Tufts: start with a smile
By Julia Lifschultz, Daily Editorial Board
The Tufts Daily, MA
Sept 1 2004
Out of all of the adjustments that come with starting college, one
of the most overwhelming is the need to meet people and forge new
relationships with them. Whether mourning the loss of a tight group of
high school friends, a significant other far away, or the comfort of
family life, every person goes through this process in their own way.
Some decide to skip the entire process and resign themselves to a
college life of studying a lot and racking up frequent flier miles
home. Others approach college with a laissez-faire attitude: everything
will work out, and they’ll meet people they mesh with.
In another approach, some people decide that they will duplicate the
security of home and forge the fastest group of best friends ever.
Unfortunately, by day eight they frequently find out that these
friends aren’t quite what they expected.
Every year, the incoming class of Tufts freshmen goes through
a similar experience, and every year they land on their feet. And
though partaking in pre-Orientation and Orientation events, joining
campus clubs, and mingling with other students in class are the
conventional means of forming freshman friendships, the quest for
meaningful college friendships is not limited to those areas.
Nor is it a solo voyage: many students even got a little help from
some pushy parents. Senior Alicia Faneuil has her mom to thank for
a friendship that has remained to this day.
“The first day moving in freshman year, my mom clicked with Liz
[Glassman]’s mom,” Faneuil said. “She saw her from afar and was like,
‘She looks nice and cute!’ They introduced themselves and realized
that their daughters were in the same suite in Haskell.”
“My mom bugged me every day after that to introduce myself to Liz:
‘Have you met that girl Liz yet? I know you girls would like each
other. I just know it. Why don’t you just go into her room and say
hello? You’re right next door!'”
Even though her mom was trying to be helpful, Faneuil was having none
of it. “I kept trying to tell my mom that I would make friends myself
and that I didn’t need her help” she said.
However, when Faneuil finally took her mom’s advice, she hit it
off with Glassman, also a senior. They have been best friends and
roommates ever since. “It’s so annoying when parents say they know
best,” Faneuil said, “but it’s even more annoying when they do.”
Other students find they have to battle preconceived notions more
often than jitters about meeting people. Senior Caitlin McGarty did
not know what to expect when she first learned that her roommate would
be coming from Turkey. “I had no idea what to expect,” she said. “I
think I learned more from living with her than I did from any of my
classes that year.”
Having a diverse group of students in her hall made the Massachusetts
native much more aware of the world around her. “It was very
interesting to listen to [my roommate], the Israeli kid, and the
Armenian kid who lived in my dorm all discuss history and politics,”
she said. “I realized how America-centric our schooling is, and how
people view things differently in other countries.”
Senior Ethan Wishnick learned that college co-eds can be more
than just objects of desire. “I had seen this hot girl around and
lived in her dorm, so one night we went up to her room to say hi,”
Wishnick said. “In the end, her roommate and I ended up hitting it
off, and three years later, we’re still close. I even still talk to
the hot girl.”
Senior Hilary Wentz also had some luck with members of the opposite
sex- with the help of her mom. “My mom forced the kid living next
door to me to build a shelf for me,” Wentz said. “[She] proceeded
to talk to him about his entire life while I rolled my eyes. We went
out together that night and later became really good friends.”
Graduate Frank Bruzese (LA ’04) was able to use his charms to win
over many of his current friends – and win an extra bed. “I was pretty
good about just introducing myself to people,” he said. “Then I just
invited myself to sleep in two of my friends’ rooms and that pretty
much cemented it.”
Students don’t shun more conventional ways of getting to know each
other, though. “One thing that really made my freshman year a great
experience socially was being part of an athletic team,” senior
Lauren Ungerleider said. “It was great to see people on a regular
basis at practice, and this obviously led to getting to know them
well. It made sense that when the weekend came and everyone had the
same restrictions in terms of weekend competitions that you did,
the people on your team were the most fun to hang out with.”
“The best way to meet people was through participating in as many
activities as you can,” senior Erin Connolly said. “Through going
out at night, to playing a sport, to joining the Greek system, to
trying out different clubs, the opportunities are endless to meet
many different unique people. It is nice to have a large group of
friends and really gives you the opportunity to be friends with many
different cliques in the end.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIA CAUCUS AT US CONGRESS REPLENISHED
WASHINGTON, AUGUST 28. ARMINFO. Congressman John Shimcus of Illinois,
USA, has joined the Armenia Caucus of the US Congress. Thus, the
Caucus has 136 members now. The Armenian Assembly of America (AAA)
reports that John Shimcus pointed out that the Armenian community in
Illinois has always been supported the improvement of relations
between the Armenia and American peoples. “In have the honor to help
them in attaining this goal as a member of the Armenia Caucus at the
US Congress,” he said.

“Aztag” Daily Newspaper
P.O. Box 80860, Bourj Hammoud,
Beirut, Lebanon
Fax: +961 1 258529
Phone: +961 1 260115, +961 1 241274
Email: [email protected]
The Challenges Facing the Armenian Church: An Interview with Hratch
Tchilingirian
by Khatchig Mouradian
`The Armenian Church hides, under its each and every stone, a secret path
ascending to the heavens’, wrote the famous Armenian poet, Vahan Tekeyan.
Yet, the Armenian Church is more than a religious institution that has acted
as a `mediator’ between Armenians and their God. Having survived the
shifting tides of time for more than seventeen centuries, this `unique
organization’, as Professor Hratch Tchilingirian calls it in this interview,
has served its people as much as, if not more than, it has served God.
Today, in the age of globalization, secularization and false crusades, the
Armenians – despite their constant boasting about having the oldest
Christian state in the world – are also following this global trend, by
gradually distancing themselves from established religious institutions and,
at times, looking for spiritual answers elsewhere.
What is the mission of the Armenian Church in the 21st century? What are the
challenges that it faces in Armenia and the Diaspora? How effectively is the
Church hierarchy tackling these challenges? I discussed these and a number
of related issues with Professor Hratch Tchilingirian when he was visiting
Beirut in July.
Hratch Tchilingirian is Associate Director of the Eurasia Programme, the
Judge Institute, University of Cambridge. He received his PhD from the
London School of Economics and Political Science and his Master of Public
Administration (MPA) from California State University, Northridge. His
current research covers political and territorial disputes in the Caucasus
and Central Asia, as well as the region’s political, economic and
geostrategic developments. He has authored over 120 articles and
publications on the politics, economy, culture, religion and social issues
of the Eurasia region, especially the Caucasus and the Armenian Diaspora.
Tchilingirian is closely involved in the affairs of the Armenian Church. He
has a Master of Divinity degree from St. Vladimir’s Theological School and a
Diploma in Armenian Church Studies from St. Nersess Armenian Seminary in New
York. He was the Dean of St. Nersess Seminary in 1991-1994. Tchilingirian
was also co-founder and editor of `Window View of the Armenian Church’
(1990-1995), a quarterly magazine dealing with issues related to the
Armenian Church. He has authored many articles on contemporary Armenian
affairs, including those relating directly to the Armenian Church.
Aztag- Currently, people are farther away from religion than they used to
be, perhaps because in a highly secularized world, organized religion is
giving way to other philosophies and teachings. How do you see the situation
of the Armenian Church in this context?
Tchilingirian- This is a major and complex issue, but I would say there are
internal and external reasons for the current situation. As you mentioned,
secularization is part of the general trend globally. There is a steady
decline of organized religion and church attendance. For instance, there are
some studies which show that in Armenia only about 9% of the population
attends church services regularly on Sundays. In America, the percentage is
much higher; it’s about 40%, but in Europe, it’s also low, about 6-7%.
However, this does not necessarily mean that there is a decline of interest
in spirituality. There are alternative religions, as well as various other
philosophies and spiritual teachings that have gained currency in our world
today. So the challenge to institutional churches is how to be relevant in
the 21st century. In the case of the Armenian Church, the question is no
different: How can a 1700-year-old church make itself relevant to Armenians
living around a very-fast paced world in the 21st century? This is the major
challenge. In fact, the Armenian Church has not addressed this issue
collectively and seriously.
Aztag- Can we benefit from the experience of other churches in this respect?
Tchilingirian- Well, virtually all churches are facing great challenges, be
it the Catholic or Orthodox or Protestant churches. They have various
programs or mechanisms to address- not necessarily successfully- these
challenges. For instance, homosexuality and gay marriage is a big issue in
the Anglican Church and it is creating divisions. The Roman Catholic Church
has its own sets of problems, with priests involved in cases of sexual
abuse, and with the issue of celibacy and marriage of the clergy creating
tensions. So, you have churches with particular issues and challenges, and
other problems that are common to all churches.
In the case of the Armenian Church, I believe there is a lack of clear sense
of mission. I have written about this quite extensively. What is the mission
of the Armenian Church in the 21st century? At least personally, I am not
aware of any well-articulated statement or program on the part of the church
that spells out the Armenian Church’s mission. Of course, if you ask the
clergy or the hierarchs, they would tell you that the mission of the church
is very obvious, it’s based on the Gospel; it’s the salvation of souls. But
how do we achieve this? How is this mission carried out? How do you make it
relevant to the Armenian on the streets of Bourj Hammoud, Yerevan or Los
Angeles? How does this translate into the everyday life of the Armenian
faithful?
Each problem is unique and has a unique solution and one cannot take a
one-size-fits-all approach when thinking about solutions. In America, there
are many new ideas. There are churches that play modern music or Christian
rock, but if you try to bring this to Lebanon, for instance, people would be
scandalized; they would find that very foreign and reject it. So you have
to find a solution based on the local culture, on how local people perceive
things, or based on whether a particular community is ready for a particular
change.
One of the most important functions of religion or faith is to provide
meaning to human life. If a religion or a philosophy provides this role in
your life, then you follow its teachings. If the Armenian Church provides
meaning to Armenians from different walks of life, who are looking for
something more than the Sunday liturgy, conducted in a language most people
don’t understand, then it would become relevant to them.
Aztag- The Armenian Church is also regarded as an institution with a
national mission. Is there a lack of planning in that domain as well?
Tchilingirian- I think the church and the clergy feel more comfortable in
the so-called “national mission” of the Church- Azkayin Arakeloutyoun, than
its religious-spiritual mission. And yet when you ask about the national
mission of the Armenian Church in specific terms, you realize that the
answers are very vague. Obviously, the Church has played the role of a
surrogate state in Armenian history and it has preserved our culture, but
today, one has to be more specific also about what the national mission of
the church is. Of course, the church can publish books, discuss Armenian
philology and culture, and so on, but why does the church have to do these
things? Why doesn’t the Church or the hierarchy relegate this role to
other, perhaps more qualified organizations in the community to carry out
such functions – and what could be termed as `non-religious’ services – so
that the Church and clergy can dedicate more talent and resources to their
main religious and apostolic mission?
Aztag- But throughout history, perhaps due to the circumstances, the
Armenian Church has served the people by a number of ways that have little
to do with its apostolic mission.
Tchilingirian- Every organization has its primary raison d’etre. But when
you neglect and do not carry out your primary mission and you engage in
secondary or other peripheral missions, then why exist? If an organization
wants to change its raison d’etre and say, `henceforth, we are not this, but
we are that’, fine! But if you say you’re something, and you are doing
something else, then you’re not being true to your own calling, and you are
not delivering what you say you are going to deliver. This is a matter of
principle; it’s a matter of stating your mission. What is your mission
statement?
The Church is the only national institution that has existed continuously
throughout Armenian history in the last 1700 years. So the church, as an
institution, is beyond the individuals who run it. It is very powerful – it
has an in-built power vis a vis the fact that it is a religious and national
organization that has a very long history. And it will still be here in the
coming centuries. It’s unlike a secular organization which is very temporary
– it is here today, but might not be here in 50 years or 100 years. And yet,
each generation has a responsibility to carry out the mission of the Church.
If we want the Armenian Church to be what it’s supposed to be, then we have
to ask: What are the people who are running the church, namely the clergy
and hierarchy, doing? What are the laymen doing? How are they carrying out
their mission?’
I think this is the problematic issue -whether in Etchmiadzin or in the
Diaspora. I should note that some Hierarchical Sees are more aware of these
issues and are carrying out more serious work in their respective
jurisdictions. The Catholicosate of Cilicia, for instance, is involved with
serious mission work. Yet, collectively, we are still not clear about what
the main purpose of the entire Church is. How do you reach the 90% of
Armenians who are not affiliated with the Church, who do not come to church,
except once or twice a year, for weddings or for funerals?
Aztag- Do you think changing the language of the liturgy into modern
Armenian would make a difference? After all, religion seems to have become
an individual quest for meaning in life, and it seems that the factors
carrying people farther away from the church have little to do with the
language.
Tchilingirian- If you conduct the liturgy in modern Armenian or English,
there is no guarantee that suddenly you’ll have thousands of Armenians
flocking to the church. I think making the language understandable does
help; but it’s not the solution.
In the old times, the church was the center of the community life. There was
a church in every village and it brought the community together. People had
a communal life around their faith, their everyday-life traditions. But in
modern times, when people live in such remote places the situation is
completely different.
I agree that religion has become a very individual matter. In fact, even if
people go to church on Sunday, they go there as an individual; they go there
to light a candle, to say a prayer; they don’t go there from the beginning
of the service, it’s like they go in for 10-15 minutes and they don’t
necessarily feel a sense of commonality with everyone in the church, because
probably they’re not from the same neighborhood or have no meaningful
affiliation with that community.
People choose various philosophies, various kinds of alternative religions
or faiths that fit their particular choice or particular sense of where they
are in their lives. For example, there are different types of Armenian
believers, which I have identified through my own research in Armenia,
Karabakh and the Diaspora. There are what I call Theist Believers, Deist
Believers, `Agnostic Believers’ and `Atheist Believers’. For instance, the
Armenian `atheist believer’ does not believe in the existence of God, but he
may be baptized in the Armenian Church; he may go to church once in a while
for weddings or on holidays, just to feel Armenian or to meet with friends,
so on. And, interestingly, he is considered a `child of the Armenian
Church’, at least by the hierarchy of the Church. If you ask the clergy,
they include every Armenian in the `membership’ of the Armenian Church. But
what is significant here – and generally overlooked – is the fact that if
you are preaching to an atheist Armenian, you have to preach differently
than if you are preaching to someone who is dedicated and attends church
regularly.
Aztag- What are the challenges facing the Armenian Church particularly in
Armenia and Karabakh?
Tchilingirian- As I mentioned, there are common problems facing the Armenian
Church regardless of geography, but there are issues that are specific to
the region where the church finds itself. For instance, in North America,
the Armenian Church has different sets of problems; these problems have to
do with language, the length of the liturgy, ordination of women, and so on.
These are not problems, say, in Karabakh or in Armenia.
In Armenia, the major challenge is what the late Catholicos Karekin I used
to call the
`re-Christianization’ of Armenia, the re-evangelization of Armenia. This is
still a major problem, because after almost seven decades of atheist regime,
people don’t even have the basic knowledge about Christianity and the
Armenian Church. In the last 10-12 years, the Church has tried to educate
the population and yet, as I mentioned earlier, there is the need to further
clarify the mission of the Armenian Church.
As far as the so-called cults are concerned, I think people have exaggerated
the problem. For example, there are about 30-40 Hare Krishnas in Armenia.
It’s not like tens of thousands of Armenians are following these cults. More
important, at least sociologically, is the fact that all of these people who
are following alternative religions are Armenians — they are not foreigners
who are coming and living in Armenia as Hare Krishnas or Jehovah’s
Witnesses. This fact is totally ignored in the anti-cult discourse in
Armenia. The fact that hundreds of Armenians are following alternative
religions indicates that these religions or teachings are appealing to a
certain segment of the population. These are not necessarily brainwashed
people, as anti-cultists would have us believe; in fact, many of them are
highly educated individuals. They are people who are in search of something
and it happens that a particular group or teaching provides them with what
they are looking for, spiritually. My point is that we should not look at
the issue of cults or alternative religions from a very nationalistic point
of view. Some say, `This is causing a problem to our national security’,
that’s too much. One way of addressing this problem is to carry out a
similar mission. If, for example, the Jehovah’s Witnesses are going around
in Yerevan knocking on people’s doors, why isn’t the Armenian Apostolic
Church doing the same thing? Simply sitting in comfortable places and
complaining about it doesn’t resolve the problem. We have to be very
realistic about this.
In Karabakh, I would say the church, headed by Archbishop Barkev
Martirossian, has done a lot of work. The church has provided extensive
pastoral services during the most difficult periods in the life of Karabakh.
Especially during the war, the church has played an important role and, I
believe, it is continuing to do so today. Of course, it has its own
problems, but the clergy are doing their best to provide the type of
pastoral mission and care the people expect from the church. In Karabakh,
generally people are skeptical about any philosophy or any kind of teaching,
so the Church faces a challenge there; but the younger generation, the
children and youth, are much more receptive and open to the teachings of the
church.
Aztag- In the Armenian Church, leaders constantly talk about reforms. What
is your take on that?
Tchilingirian- The issue of reform is not new. There has been a continuous
discussion about reforms in the Armenian Church at least in the last 100
years. There is some literature about this matter, for example, Patriarch
Torkom Koushagian of Jerusalem has written “Paregarkoutyoun hayasdanyayts
yegeghetsvo” (Improvements [or reform] in the Armenian Church), published in
1940. But, again, my point is that if you don’t have a clear sense of
mission, if you don’t have a clear mission statement, you cannot organize
the types of reforms you need to make. What are you trying to do? What are
you trying to change or reform? Where are you trying to go with your
reforms? From what point to what point? And as long as you don’t have a
clear idea about where you want to go and what you are supposed to do, then
all this talk about reform is irrelevant. In business, for instance, people
formulate a clear plan about the goals they want to achieve in, say, 5
years. My question is: Where is the plan in the Armenian Church that says in
5 years or 10 years time this is where we want to go and this is what we are
doing today to reach that point. It’s like a tree. You plant a tree, so that
in 5 years or 10 years you benefit from its fruits. If you wake up in 10
years and say `where are the fruits we need?’ people will tell you that you
should have planted your tree a decade ago.

EX-DIRECTOR OF YEREVAN CIRCUS “USED” TOUR MONEY
YEREVAN, AUGUST 25. ARMINFO. For lack of funds, the Yerevan circus
will not take part in the 3rd international youth contest if circus
art in Moscow on September 2-7.
Talking to ARMINFO, Director of the Yerevan circus Sos Petrosyan
pointed out that the new temporary head of the circus Andreas Srapyan
ordered the profit received last season, 10mln. AMD, to be directed to
the repair of his cabinet, whereas the collective decided to use the
funds to cover the expenses for participation in the festivals of
circus art in Moscow and Monte Carlo, as well as for inviting circus
actors from China, Russia and Germany.
On May 14, the newly appointed Minister of Culture Hovik Hoveyan
relieved S. Petrosyan of his post and appointed A. Srapyan, a
representative of the “Law-Governed Country” party, one of the three
parties in power in Armenia. Petrosyan applied to court and defended
his interests for three months. On July 29, after getting acquainted
with the verdict of the Court of Cassation, Hoveyan restored Petrosyan
to his post, but has so far refused to receive him to discuss the
problems of the Yerevan State Circus.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress