Author: Babajanian Karo

MINISTER OF DIASPORA HOSTED LOUISIANA ACA CHAIRMAN VASKEN KALTAKDJIAN

15:44, 4 June, 2013

YEREVAN, JUNE 4, ARMENPRESS. The Minister of Diaspora of the Republic
of Armenia Hranush Hakobyan received the Chairman of the Armenian
Council of America, member of the Central Department of the Social
Democrat Hunchakian Party Vasken Kaltakdjian, due to whose efforts
the resolution on recognition of Artsakh independence entered the
Louisiana State Senate. The Media and Public Relations Department
of the Ministry of Diaspora of the Republic of Armenia informed
“Armenpress” that the Minister of Diaspora of the Republic of Armenia
Hranush Hakobyan welcomed the guest and expressed her gratitude to
Vasken Kaltakdjian and those 100 Armenian families of Louisiana,
which being a small community, notwithstanding managed to be actively
involved in the socio-political live of the state.

The Louisiana Senate passed a resolution recognizing the independence
of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic and calling on the U.S. President
and Congress “to support the self-determination and democratic
independence” of the NKR. The resolution was enrolled by Senator
Edwinn Murray. The full text of the resolution is provided below:

“WHEREAS, Nagorno Karabakh, also known as Artsakh, has historically
been Armenian territory, populated by an overwhelming majority of
Armenians, which was illegally severed from Armenia by the Soviet
Union in 1921 and placed under the newly created Soviet Azerbaijani
administration; and

WHEREAS, February 20, 1988, marked the beginning of the national
liberation movement in Nagorno Karabakh, which inspired people
throughout the Soviet Union to stand up against tyranny and for
their rights and freedoms, helping to bring democracy to millions
and contributing to world peace; and

WHEREAS, the United States Congress has repeatedly expressed support
for the legitimate freedom aspirations of the people of Nagorno
Karabakh; and WHEREAS, on September 2, 1991, the legislature of
Nagorno Karabakh declared formation of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic,
in accordance with then acting legislation; and

WHEREAS, on December 10, 1991, the people of the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic voted in favor of the independence, and on January 6, 1992,
the democratically elected legislature of the Republic formally
declared independence; and

WHEREAS, since proclaiming independence, the NagornoKarabakhRepublic
has registered significant progress in democracy building, which has
been most recently demonstrated during the July 19, 2012, presidential
elections that were assessed by international observers as free
and transparent.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of
Louisiana hereby encourages and supports the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic’s continuing efforts to develop as a free and independent
nation in order to guarantee its citizens those rights inherent in
a free and independent society.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the president and Congress of the United
States of America are hereby urged to support the selfdetermination
and democratic independence of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic and its
constructive involvement with the international

community’s efforts to reach a just and lasting solution to security
issues in that strategically important region.

FILMMAKER GOUDSOUZIAN LAUNCHES “WORLD MUSIC” CROWD-FUNDING PROJECT

16:44, June 4, 2013
By Hagop Goudsouzian

Entertaining cultural documentaries get sent to the backburner. For
the last several years I have challenged that premise and have
produced four World Music documentaries filmed in Armenia with a
glimpse of people’s lives. Luckily my challenge has been successful
and all my films have aired on TV. This week they will be released
on video-on-demand for wider distribution.

Now I will continue that journey and film the music of Georgia with
three documentaries. I will produce two Georgian folk music films as
well as one on Armenian folk music of Georgia. With this article I
take you on my personal journey of documentary filmmaking that spans
a lifetime and leads to my new crowd-funding project for which I seek
your involvement. World Music lovers join me.

~U ~U ~U

It wasn’t as though I did not have a choice, I did, but there was
nothing more stimulating for me than making films.

I never thought much about making feature films. My father made
documentaries and that was the way it was and now my son continues. To
me making films was the most honorable route. Well maybe not the most
honorable because I first thought writing poetry was the summit of
self-expression. Then I no longer found words to express what I felt
because I had found a new way to voice my inner vision: photography,
but that, too, was temporary.

The independence of Armenia was also the start of my own independence,
but at the time I didn’t know it. I was just doing what I had to do. I
knew I had to go to Armenia and explore with a camera and that stayed
with me for the next twenty years.

I knew the time had come to go to Armenia. This was my calling, but
I was afraid. It was spring 1993. While I was getting ready to go,
I was looking for people who had just come back to give me an idea
of what it was like on the ground. Finally a friend of a friend of
a friend returned and, coincidentally, he was a cameraman. Excited,
I called him to get his impressions.

The call lasted almost thirty minutes and when I hung up I was
depressed. I was ready to abandon not only my journey but Armenia
as well. In my mind I was selling all the equipment I had already
purchased. Fruit of my disastrous phone call: I cancelled my trip in
my mind.

A little later, during my afternoon nap, as if it was a message from
a higher power, my life was playing in my dream. I was filming in the
home of a Brazilian painter in Mexico then the film jumped to a scene
of a car driving through Central America as I reached Panama. There I
was photographing the Kuna Indians on remote islands near Panama. It
just went on and on from one country to the other. It was a surreal
and hazy movie. I could not make sense of it.

I woke up filled with energy because I knew these were scenes from
films I had made and I also knew Armenia could not be a hostile land
for me even though it was going through extreme difficulties. They were
part of my extended family. After all, I had been welcomed wherever
I had travelled in the past and why would the lost son returning home
be rejected?

I knew I was on the right path. A few weeks later I landed in Armenia.

I immediately felt connected to the people and to the land but, when
I heard the music, I felt the mountains and the rivers in every song,
I heard old bards and minstrels roaming this ancient land. I no longer
had doubts in my mind. I knew what I had to do but it took almost 18
years for the dream to become a film.

I returned to Armenia countless times to make an unprecedented 7 films
(See: ). In 2010, hours after I arrived in
Armenia, I visited the Minister of Culture but unfortunately I did not
have an appointment. While I was describing why I wanted to see the
Minister, it was made clear to me that no one could give me advice
without prior arrangement. Serendipitously, one of the secretaries
overheard my conversation and invited me to her desk. Little did
I know that she was about to give me a list of the most important
people in Armenian Folk Music.

A few days later, I visited Professor Alina Pahlivanian at the Komitas
Conservatory and with her was Marqarit Sargsyan. I was telling them
of my passion for music and what I was looking for. Suddenly, she
interrupted the conversation, picked up the phone and said, “Tovmas,
I need two tickets for your concert tomorrow.” and hung up. She
looked at me and said, “Tomorrow you are going to the concert of the
Sayat-Nova Minstrel Song Ensemble” and went on to give me directions.

She was right! I sat for three hours watching and listening in awe!

While Marqarit and I were talking at a nearby cafe after the concert,
Professor Tovmas Poghosyan, the artistic director of the ensemble,
came to our table to greet Marqarit.

(See: )

My love for world music pre-dates my discovery of Armenian music. For
me it was a way to explore new cultures through music. I felt that
it was through their music that I was getting to the very essence of
a people. My interest and love became deeper as I realized that folk
music – passed down through generations – was telling the story of
their past through music, songs and dance. I became convinced that
folk and spiritual music were the bridge to a culture’s past and the
way to feel the beauty of their legacy. Folk Music changed how I saw
the world and I felt it was very important to share this with the
world the only way I knew how: by making entertaining documentaries
that explore the beauty of ancient cultures through music.

(See: )

Now, I invite you to join me in this new film adventure as we explore
the beauty of the exotic Georgian and Armenian cultures through their
amazing dances, unique songs and instruments.

I seek your support for my newest project (on the crowd-funding site
). I hope you are as moved as I am when you hear
and see the music, dances and the songs of the world’s exotic cultures.

To contribute or get involved in my new music documentaries and for
more information, visit the indiegogo page.

© 2013 Hagop Goudsouzian

ART DIRECTOR: SURIK KHACHATRYAN IS A CLOWN

04:11 PM | TODAY | POLITICS

Serzh Sargsyan should not interfere in the criminal case filed in
connection with the June 1 shooting outside the house of Syunik
governor Surik Khachatryan, says Ruben Babayan, Art Director at
Hovhannes Tumanyan Puppet Theater.

He says Surik Khachatryan was to be arrested as a person was killed
outside his house. “Let him sleep gently in jail.”

Yesterday Khachatryan announced his decision to temporarily quit his
duties as Syunik governor until the completion of the preliminary
investigation.

Speaking about the decision of the Syunik governor, Ruben Babayan said,
“Clowns do not have to amuse the audience. He is a real clown.

This is an announcement made by a clown and it amuses me. Look at
Khachatryan’s face and you will not find any proper word there.”

Composer Vahan Artsruni added, in turn, that the government has
reached an impasse and is doing everything to retain power.

Avetik Budaghyan, a former mayoral candidate in Goris, was killed
in the result of Saturday’s shootout outside the house of Syunik
Governor Surik Khachatryan. Nikolay Abrahamyan, a relative and
bodyguard of Surik Khachatryan, and Artak Budaghyan, the brother of
Avetik Budaghyan and a commander at a military unit in Karabakh, were
wounded in the gunfight. Syunik governor’s son Tigran Khachatryan
and his bodyguard Zarzand Nikoghosyan were arrested on Monday in
connection with Budaghyan’s murder.

PROTESTS CAN DAMAGE TURKEY’S “PEACEKEEPER” IMAGE – ARMENIAN TURKOLOGIST

June 04, 2013 | 15:02

YEREVAN. – While Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan was criticizing the
authorities of Syria, Libya and several other countries, the latest
developments in Turkey showed that all that is present in Turkey,
too, and quite severely.

Armenian capital city Yerevan State University Faculty of Oriental
Studies Deputy Dean, turkologist Ruben Melkonyan stated the aforesaid
during a press conference on Tuesday.

In his conviction, Turkey has been very active in the region in
recent times.

“I believe the protests in Turkey can significantly damage [official]
Ankara’s image as a ‘peacekeeper.’ The regional countries, which have
seriously suffered from this image of Turkey, have received a good
opportunity for an equivalent response,” the turkologist noted.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

LITHUANIAN ENVOY SAYS COOPERATION WITH ARMENIA IMPORTANT

June 4, 2013 – 15:36 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Newly-appointed Lithuanian ambassador Erikas Petrikas
presented copies of credentials to Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister
Zohrab Mnatsakanyan.

Congratulating the ambassador on the appointment, Deputy Foreign
Minister Mnatsakanyan hailed the potential for the development of
bilateral relations. Cooperation prospects, intensification of
political dialogue as well as Eastern Partnership summit due in
November were in the focus of the discussion. The two men further
dwelt on expansion of economic and cultural relations and cooperation
in international organizations.

For his part, ambassador Petrikas pledged to foster Armenian-Lithuanian
cooperation in the framework of Eastern Partnership (EaP) project.

SOCIAL NETWORKING PAVES WAY FOR FRAUD: KARINE NALCHAJYAN AND SAMVEL MARTIROSYAN

14:21, 4 June, 2013

YEREVAN, JUNE 4, ARMENPRESS. The number of men turning to psychologists
because they are suspicious about their wives’ virtual “unfaithfulness”
recorded a growth. Psychologist Karine Nalchajyan stated this in
a conversation with “Armenpress”. Also the Psychologist underlined:
“The reality has changed and we are currently living in a period, when
internet and social networking endanger human lives.” Notwithstanding,
psychologist Karine Nalchajyan laid a heavy emphasis on the
significance of internet in daily live and noted that “internet and
social networking may become a vehement power and serve our interests,
in case of their right usage.”

IT expert Samvel Martirosyan splits information security
issues into two groups. They are as follows: technical and
informationalpsychological. Samvel Martirosyan recalled “Red October”
virus, which appeared in internet in the previous year. This virus
broke in the data base of state and diplomatic agencies of various
countries and gained access to secret information. The United States,
Russia, as well as Armenia, were among those countries. In addition
Samvel Martirosyan underscored:

“It’s not clear what kind of information have been disclosed and who
was the initiator, as there were no farther developments regarding
this issue.

BOXING: EDINBURGH’S TAYLOR BEATEN BY ARMEN ZAKARYAN

15:16, 4 June, 2013

YEREVAN, JUNE 4, ARMENPRESS: Josh Taylor, the light-welterweight
from Edinburgh who competed at the London Olympics, bowed out of the
European Amateur Championships in Minsk, Belarus, yesterday after a
2-1 defeat by Armen Zakaryan of Armenia, reports Armenpress referring
to Herald Scotland.

Liverpool’s Sam Maxwell was victorious at the same weight and moved to
within one more win of a guaranteed medal. The 24-year-old produced
a polished performance to beat Italy’s former Olympic and world
bronze medallist Vincenzo Mangiacapre via a split decision after
three tight rounds.

Ireland’s Joe Ward, the reigning champion, suffered a dislocated
kneecap 20 seconds from the end of his light-heavyweight bout against
Mateusz Tryc, of Poland, having been in control and heading for
victory before the injury left him unable to continue.

Another Irish reigning champion, the light-welterweight Ray Moylette,
lost on a unanimous verdict to Turkey’s Huseyin Karslioglu.

JOHN KERRY: THE US INTERESTED IN HELPING ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN TO FIND A PATH FORWARD

14:37 04.06.2013

The US is interested in helping Armenia and Azerbaijan to find a
path forward in the process of settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict, US Secretary of State John Kerry said during his meeting
with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov on the sidelines
of the American Jewish Committee Global Forum, State Department’s
official website informs.

“Nagorno -Karabakh is a frozen conflict, as we call it, one that
threatens the stability of the region and one that we need to deal
with,” Secretary Kerry said.

“As co-chair of the Minsk Group, we have a serious interest in helping
Azerbaijan and Armenia to be able to find a path forward. The last
thing we want is a return to war and to conflict. I believe there is
a path forward, and we will continue to work quietly and patiently in
an effort to try to encourage the parties to be able to take either
confidence-building measures that may get to further down the road
or to find a way towards a settlement with respect to this issue,”
John Kerry said.

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From: Mihran Keheyian
Subject: John Kerry: The US interested in helping Armenia and Azerbaijan to
find a path forward

John Kerry: The US interested in helping Armenia and Azerbaijan to
find a path forward

14:37 04.06.2013

The US is interested in helping Armenia and Azerbaijan to find a path
forward in the process of settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict,
US Secretary of State John Kerry said during his meeting with
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov on the sidelines of the
American Jewish Committee Global Forum, State Department?s official
website informs.

?Nagorno -Karabakh is a frozen conflict, as we call it, one that
threatens the stability of the region and one that we need to deal
with,? Secretary Kerry said.

?As co-chair of the Minsk Group, we have a serious interest in helping
Azerbaijan and Armenia to be able to find a path forward. The last
thing we want is a return to war and to conflict. I believe there is a
path forward, and we will continue to work quietly and patiently in an
effort to try to encourage the parties to be able to take either
confidence-building measures that may get to further down the road or
to find a way towards a settlement with respect to this issue,? John
Kerry said.

BAKO SAHAKYAN PROMISES ASSISTANCE TO HAIL AFFECTED REGION

13:50 ~U 04.06.13

President of the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) Republic Bako Sahakyan
visited Tuesday the Askeran regional center to attend a working
discussion devoted to the impact of recent heavy hailstorms.

According to a press release by the NKR Presidential Office, Sahakyan
promised the government’s best efforts to provide assistance to the
affected population and eliminate the consequences of the natural
disaster.

Also present at the meeting were NKR Prime Minister Ara Haroutunyan
and other officials.

Armenian News – Tert.am

Le Monde, France
31 mai 2013 vendredi

” L’Agonie d’un peuple “, rare témoignage d’un rescapé, paraît en même
temps qu’une enquête sur les séquelles de la tragédie;
Traces du génocide arménien

LE MONDE DES LIVRES; Pg. 7

L’humanité ne peut plus vivre avec, dans sa cave, le cadavre d’un
peuple assassiné. ” Cette phrase, par laquelle Jaurès dénonçait le
massacre d’Arméniens dans l’Empire ottoman, fut prononcée en 1897,
soit dix-huit ans avant l’extermination de près d’un million et demi
d’Arméniens survenue entre avril 1915 et juillet 1916. A l’heure
actuelle, si ce génocide arménien a été reconnu par la France en 2001,
la loi ne punit toujours pas sa négation (en dépit d’un projet de loi
en 2011). Parce que nous manquons de preuves ? Non : à ceux qui
s’interrogent sur les faits, Le Génocide des Arméniens (Odile Jacob,
2006), de Raymond Kévorkian, ou Un acte honteux. Le génocide arménien
et la question de la responsabilité turque (Denoël, 2008, rééd. ”
Folio “, 2012) de Taner Akçam (l’un des premiers universitaires turcs
à reconnaître le génocide) apportent toutes les réponses nécessaires.

Les deux ouvrages qui paraissent aujourd’hui ne visent pas à prouver
quoi que ce soit ; ils se situent en deçà ou au-delà des faits
survenus. La parole du témoin précède, en effet, toute recherche
historique. La publication de L’Agonie d’un peuple est exceptionnelle
à plus d’un égard : paru en 1917 dans un journal arménien, ce récit,
qui n’est autre que le premier long témoignage d’un rescapé, n’avait
jamais été traduit. Qui en est l’auteur ? S’agit-il d’Hayg Toroyan,
Arménien originaire d’Alep qui parvint à survivre en se faisant passer
pour un Arabe chrétien grce à l’aide d’un officier allemand (alors
que celui-ci était officiellement allié des Turcs) et qui fut le
spectateur terrifié d’innombrables massacres durant l’année 1915 ? Ou
de Zabel Essayan, grande figure de la littérature arménienne, qui tira
des souvenirs de Toroyan un texte qu’elle signa de son nom ? Cette
question est au coeur de ce que le traducteur et auteur de la
postface, Marc Nichanian, nomme le ” dilemme du témoin “, à savoir cet
écart entre le sujet de l’expérience et le sujet du récit. Les
paradoxes s’accumulent : L’Agonie d’un peuple visait à dénoncer le
crime du gouvernement Jeunes-Turcs ; pourtant, il fut rédigé en
arménien – écrire dans la langue du survivant ou s’adresser à la
conscience universelle, il lui fallut choisir.

Mais le plus étonnant tient peut-être à l’écart entre l’horreur des
scènes décrites et la réaction d’Hayg Toroyan : c’est lui qui dut
prendre soin de l’officier allemand, habité par la volonté de ”
témoigner après la guerre de tous ces actes barbares “, mais peu à peu
gagné par la folie – cet officier finira d’ailleurs par se pendre afin
d’échapper au cauchemar !

Politique d’amnésie

Si le témoignage est une parole incarnée se déployant dans le sillage
immédiat de l’extermination, bien avant qu’interviennent les
historiens, la passionnante enquête menée par Laure Marchand et
Guillaume Perrier (qui écrivent sur la Turquie, la première pour Le
Figaro, le second pour Le Monde) porte sur les répercussions
contemporaines de l’événement. La Turquie et le fantôme arménien
s’ouvre sur une rencontre avec la communauté d’exilés installés à
Marseille et s’achève par le portrait de quelques Justes turcs ayant
sauvé la vie d’Arméniens.

Entre les deux se déploie un étonnant tableau de toutes les manières
dont traumatisme, négationnisme d’Etat, et lutte pour préserver la
mémoire se mêlent aujourd’hui en Turquie. D’un côté, l’amnésie
collective longtemps imposée à la société turque, où l’évocation du
génocide restait impensable, au point que certains des tortionnaires
ont été élevés au rang de héros nationaux, que la plupart des citoyens
ignorent l’ampleur des spoliations, et que l’on n’a pas hésité à
élever le mémorial d’Igdir pour commémorer ” le génocide des Turcs par
les Arméniens “… De l’autre, des figures aussi étonnantes qu’Armen
Aroyan, ancien ingénieur vivant en Californie qui a choisi de
redécouvrir ses racines en Turquie, et organise depuis une vingtaine
d’années des circuits sur mesure pour les descendants de rescapés.
Mais aussi Hasan Cemal, journaliste très connu en Turquie, qui comprit
assez tard que son grand-père, Djemal Pacha (l’un des trois pachas du
triumvirat Jeunes-Turcs à la tête de l’Empire ottoman pendant la
première guerre mondiale) était l’un des responsables du génocide, et
qui a publié un ouvrage sur 1915.

L’Etat turc voit arriver avec inquiétude la célébration du centenaire
du génocide, en 2015. Mais l’espoir subsiste : la présence de 100 000
Turcs scandant : ” Nous sommes tous des Arméniens “, le 23 janvier
2007, derrière le cercueil du journaliste Hrant Dink, assassiné par un
nationaliste turc, était un signe. Peut-être la société saura-t-elle
secouer cette politique d’amnésie sur laquelle continue à reposer sa
vie culturelle et politique.

Jean-Louis Jeannelle

L’Agonie d’un peuple, de Hayg Toroyan et Zabel Essayan, traduit de
l’arménien par Marc Nichanian, Classiques Garnier, 212 p., 24 . La
Turquie et le fantôme arménien. Sur les traces du génocide, de Laure
Marchand et Guillaume Perrier, Actes Sud-Solin, 256 p., 23 .