Author: Babajanian Karo

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
March 15 2015

Why did Armenia give up on the protocols?

The move by Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan to withdraw protocols
signed by Turkey and Armenia in 2009 from parliament’s agenda is an
indication of his desire to win over the Armenian diaspora.(Photo:
Reuters)

March 14, 2015, Saturday/ 17:00:00/ ALIN OZINIAN

On Feb. 16 Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan unexpectedly decided to
withdraw protocols signed by Turkey and Armenia in 2009 from
parliament’s agenda. These protocols were intended to normalize
bilateral relations between the two countries. To say the West wanted
the protocols to be signed, and that the US masterminded the process
leading up to it, dubbed “football diplomacy,’ would not amount to
disclosing highly confidential information.

Although the protocols had been marketed as not containing any
prerequisite, Turkey couldn’t resist mentioning the disputed region of
Nagorno-Karabakh and sending Armenia the message that, at a minimum,
they should withdraw troops from the district of Agdam. Would Turkey
have opened its border crossings to Armenia if any progress had been
made regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh issue? The answer to this question
would most probably have been negative.

As long as it continued to see Armenia’s incentive to normalize
relations and establish diplomatic ties with its neighbor, Turkey
would try to take more than its share and attempt to bait Armenia with
the potential of open borders. Turkey would bring up the issue of open
border crossings only if it perceived Armenia to be perpetually in
need and tied to Turkey’s apron strings.

It would be naive to question the sincerity of a government which
launched a counteroffensive with the message “If you have your 1915,
we have our Battle of Gallipoli” ahead of the 100th anniversary of the
genocide, after issuing a so-called letter of apology in 2014. The
ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) idea of sharing common
sorrow with Armenia collapsed completely in 2015.

Actually, the protocols, which can be considered stillborn, were never
able to be put into practice, but were instead used to buy time and
send a message to the West that Turkey and Armenia were working on a
dialogue. At the same time, the leaders of both countries occasionally
made “harsh statements” geared specifically for domestic consumption.
Then-Foreign Minister Ahmet DavutoÄ?lu said, “The territorial integrity
of Karabakh is as precious as our own land,” and Murat Mercan, the
head of the parliamentary Foreign Affairs Commission, remarked, “We
will continue to act in compliance with our responsibilities to our
country and to the Azerbaijani people and with the prestige of
Turkey.”

Apparently, before the protocols were undersigned, intermediaries had
convinced Turkey that the Nagorno-Karabakh issue would be “solved” as
well. They were unable to add the settlement of the issue to the text
of the protocols as Armenia would not accept it. This “solution”
certainly meant different scenarios for Armenia and Turkey, and what
these intermediaries understood by it still remains a mystery.

As Turkey made up its mind to cite a solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh
issue as a prerequisite to signing the protocols, Armenia tried to
warn the other side by attempting to attract the West’s attention. The
first move came from Sarksyan after the protocols were sent to the
Armenian parliament for ratification in 2009, when he said that
Armenia was ready to normalize ties with Turkey but was unable to see
the required political will on the Turkish side. In April 2010 he
said: “Turkey is not ready to make progress without prerequisites. We
will consider making progress if favorable conditions and a leadership
ready for normalization are created in Ankara,” making clear that
Yerevan did not abandon the process but only suspended it. As he
addressed the United Nations General Assembly in September 2014,
Sarksyan gave the clearest sign of a procedural deadlock by
essentially saying, “To hell with those protocols.’

The “football diplomacy” long in abeyance started to resemble a kids’
brawl as Sarksyan invited Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an to the opening of the
genocide memorial on April 24 and, in response, ErdoÄ?an invited him to
attend the commemoration ceremonies for the Battle of Gallipoli on the
same day. However, Sarksyan then made the unexpected move to withdraw
the protocols from the parliamentary agenda.

Why 2015?

Preceding events have spelled trouble, but fail to answer the question
“Why did Armenia make this decision now?” That Sarksyan made this move
a few days before he declared war on Gagik Tsarukyan, the founder and
leader of main opposition party “Prosperous Armenia,’ brushing him
completely off the political arena, still arouses curiosity.

When he undersigned the protocols in 2009, Sarksyan had just come out
of the elections of March 1, 2008, and was in need of international
support. Many people had taken to the streets, claiming that the
elections were rigged, and several people had died or were wounded in
resulting skirmishes. The suppression of these protests, known as
“Bloody March 1,” came to be perceived as Sarksyan’s victory. At such
a critical moment it was wise to play the nice boy with the West and
secure the support of Western countries. However, apparently he no
longer feels the need to secure this support for his presidency.

With this move, Sarksyan will certainly win the backing of
Dashnaktsutyun (ARF), a party which had left the coalition in the wake
of the signature of the protocols. As Dashnaktsutyun has good
relations with the Armenian diaspora, Sarksyan will clearly secure the
support of certain Armenians abroad. It is important to obtain the
support of the diaspora and be smooth-tongued with them as the
anniversary of the genocide approaches. Before he signed the
protocols, Sarksyan visited Moscow, the center of the Armenian
diaspora, which provides the most financial and political support to
Armenia, to hint that Armenia was preparing to engage in new ties with
Turkey. After signing the protocols, he paid quick visits to various
diaspora centers in order to convince the diaspora that it was a
correct and beneficial move.

Another strong possibility is that he may be trying to score a goal in
the context of the “football diplomacy” that has lost its hold. Seeing
that Turkey’s “pro-dialogue” policy hadn’t translated into
constructive moves, and feeling deceived, Armenia might have wanted to
flex its muscles in the international arena, sending a message that
said, “This is the first move and if no progress is made, we will
withdraw the signatures as well.’

The officials of Dashnaktsutyun, which is rumored to be joining the
coalition in the coming days, noted that while the president’s move to
withdraw the protocols from the parliamentary agenda made them glad,
this represents only half of the process and they want the president
to withdraw the signatures from the protocols by April 24.

It is very likely that Armenia will completely withdraw its signatures
by this date. Yet, for the international community, the recent move
will signify that Armenia does not support the dialogue process. In
short, Armenia will be criticized for the reasons it withdrew the
protocols, though it is simply attempting to send a message to the
international community. While all parties that seek a normalization
of bilateral ties are aware that Turkey still sticks to its policy of
denial, with the added emphasis of the approaching anniversary, they
still won’t accept Armenia’s claim that it did its best and that
Turkey missed its chance. These parties will attempt to create a
process for “sustaining” the ties, even if most of it will be centered
on the no-solution-is-a-solution principle.

Alin Ozinian is a political analyst.

Paris-Normandie
vendredi 13 mars 2015

Madénian maître du rire

Humour. Mathieu Madénian est le genre à défriser les grands-mères tous
les dimanches en fin d’après-midi chez Michel Drucker. Cette fois, si
ça leur chante, elles pourront le voir en vrai à Pavilly.

TEMPS LIBRE; Pg. 31

Mathieu Madénian est un survivant. Le jour de la tuerie à Charlie
Hebdo, il avait intégré depuis fin 2014 l’équipe décimée. Un
empêchement de dernière minute va le sauver de ce jour funeste, en
l’empêchant de se rendre au journal pour la conférence de rédaction du
matin.

Ancien avocat

Depuis, Mathieu Madénian se consacre à la tournée qui l’amène à
Pavilly ce dimanche et doit se poursuivre jusqu’au mois de juin
prochain. En un seul spectacle, ce roi de la vanne est parvenu à
fédérer contre lui, son ex, sa grand-mère, ses parents, Benoit XVI, la
RATP, Oussama Ben Laden, Hugo Boss, M. & Mme Ikea, l’intégralité de la
communauté arménienne, une bonne partie de la communauté gay de Paris
et une fraction non négligeable de la population féminine de Metz ?

Dans son spectacle, Mathieu Madénian propose sa vision et son
interprétation du monde. Peut-être les réminiscences de son premier
métier, celui d’avocat, qu’il a brièvement exercé après de brillantes
études.

C’est à l’ge de 25 ans qu’il lche le prétoire pour la scène. « J’ai
débuté sur scène, et si j’ai beaucoup travaillé dans les médias, c’est
uniquement pour me faire connaître et remplir mes spectacles. Tout le
monde peut être drôle en radio ou télé avec un bon montage et des
rires, mais la scène ne ment pas… »

Celui qui a commencé comme voix dans la série « Un gars, une fille »
semble à presque 40 ans avoir trouvé sa place, maître du rire.

Mathieu Madénian

Dimanche 15 mars à la Halle aux grains de Pavilly, à 15 heures Tarifs
10/20 (EURO). Vente de billets sur place dimanche 15 mars dès 14 h 15.
Service culturel : 02 32 94 52 06 Halle aux Grains (le jour J) : 02 32
94 08 61.

Journal Pioneer, PEI, Canada
March 15 2015

Will Armenia and Azerbaijan go to war over Nagorno-Karabakh?

Henry Srebrnik

A low-intensity conflict in the southern Caucasus, involving the now
independent nations of Armenia and Azerbaijan, has been escalating of
late. It concerns the de facto Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh that
emerged after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

While Armenia and Azerbaijan were both full-fledged union republics in
the former USSR, Nagorno-Karabakh was an Armenian-majority enclave
within Azerbaijan, with the status of an autonomous oblast, or region.

According to the British academic Robert Service, in 1921 Joseph
Stalin included the area under Azerbaijani control to try and coax
Turkey into joining the Soviet Union. Had Turkey not been an issue,
Stalin would probably have left it under Armenian control.

With the Soviet Union firmly in control of the entire Caucasus by the
1920s, the conflict over the region died down for decades. But with
the beginning of the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s
and early 1990s, the question of Nagorno-Karabakh re-emerged.

When the Soviet Union collapsed, only the union republics gained
international recognition as independent states. So Nagorno-Karabakh,
along with other Soviet entities such as Chechnya, Moldova, South
Ossetia, and Transnistria, was out of luck.

On Nov. 26, 1991, the parliament of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist
Republic abolished the autonomous status of Nagorno-Karabakh, and its
territory was split up and redistributed amongst the neighboring
administrative districts in Azerbaijan.

In turn, the region’s Armenians, who comprised three-quarters of its
population, declared their independence in 1991 and then, with the
help of Armenia, defeated Azerbaijan in a war that lasted until 1994.

The new entity gained additional territory during the fighting,
ignoring UN Security Council resolutions on the inviolability of
international borders and the inadmissibility of the use of force for
the acquisition of territory.

Armenia now effectively controls the narrow strips of land to the west
and south of Nagorno-Karabakh, giving the unrecognized state direct
borders with its patron Armenia, as well as with Iran.

An estimated 15,000-20,000 people, including civilians, were killed
during the fighting and hundreds of thousands displaced. Today,
Nagorno-Karabakh is almost entirely Armenian.

Even apart from this, Christian Armenians and Muslim Azerbaijanis have
had a tense relationship, including bloody massacres, that predates
Soviet times. The two countries have now both built up arsenals of
ever more powerful weapons, and January saw an upsurge of fighting
between them, with repeated gun battles and volleys of artillery and
rocket fire. Azerbaijan also shot down a drone not far from Agdam, a
formerly Azerbaijani city now occupied by Armenian forces.

President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, which has an economy seven times
larger than Armenia’s, has announced that he plans this year to spend
more than double Armenia’s entire annual budget of $2.7 billion on
strengthening his military. His Armenian counterpart, President Serzh
Sargsyan (who is originally from Nagorno-Karabakh) countered with his
own threats.

Aliyev also made reference to the influential Armenian diaspora,
formed largely after the Armenian genocide of 1915, when hundreds of
thousands of Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire were slaughtered
by the Turks, while others fled.

Today there are major Armenian communities throughout the world,
including in Australia, Canada, France, Lebanon, Russia and the United
States.

“The truth is that the continued occupation of our lands is not just
the work of Armenia,” he remarked. “Armenia is a powerless and poor
country. It is in a helpless state. Of course, if it didn’t have major
patrons in various capitals, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict would have
been resolved fairly long ago.”

Neither side seems prepared to step down. As Abdulla Qurbani, a senior
official in the Azerbaijan Defence Ministry told a New York Times
reporter, “When water mixes with earth, this is mud. When blood mixes
with earth, this is motherland.”

Nagorno-Karabakh’s unresolved status remains one of the most
potentially explosive issues in the volatile southern Caucasus region.

Henry Srebrnik is a professor of political science at the University
of Prince Edward Island.

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
March 14 2015

Nalbandian: benefits of membership in EAEU are obvious

14 March 2015 – 6:59pm

Advantages of Armenia’s membership in the Eurasian Economic Union are
hard to overestimate, Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian
told a Slovenian newspaper.

“It’s only been two months. The membership in the Eurasian Union is of
strategic importance for Armenia. It simplifies access to protected
commodity markets, to the common market of services of the Eurasian
Union, it makes it easier to attract investments on favorable terms,”
he said.

ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT DELEGATION TO VISIT CYPRUS

18:56 13/03/2015 >> SOCIETY

An Armenian National Assembly delegation led by Speaker Galust Sahakyan
will pay a visit to Nicosia, Cyprus on April 1-4 at the invitation of
chairman of the House of Representatives of Cyprus Yiannakis Omirou,
the Armenian parliament’s press service reported.

The delegation will include Deputy Speaker Edward Sharmazanov, MPs
Vahram Baghdasaryan, Armen Mkhitaryan, Mikael Manukyan, Lyudmila
Sargsyan, as well as Chief of Staff-Secretary General of National
Assembly Hrayr Tovmasyan.

Source: Panorama.am

WHACKING WHITEWASHING WORMS

Friday, March 13th, 2015

BY GAREN YEGPARIAN

You were undoubtedly pleased over the last few weeks when you read
about Los Angeles and Portland dropping disgusting Dick Gephardt,
the former House Speaker and Genocide recognition advocate who sold
his soul to Turkish government denialists in exchange for millions
of dollars, as their lobbyist. This has cost disgusting Dick close
to a million dollars.

This is the fruit of the ANCA’s (along with the Armenian Assembly
and AYF on both coasts) efforts to educate and pressure clients of
consulting companies/lobbyists that have contracts to lobby on behalf
of Turkey. There are 180 companies that have been contacted, based on
information that the dirty lobbyists have on their own websites. Some
have responded, others have not. It turns out the lobbying firms
keep the names of their clients posted on their websites even after
a contract expires.

Clients were asked to require of their Turkish-government-representing
consultants/lobbyists to terminate the relationship with Turkey.

Failing that, they were asked to terminate their own relationship with
the lobbyists. The lobbyists were also asked directly to terminate
their Turkish relationship, and given one month to do. In the same
letter, they were informed that if they did not act within a month,
appropriate public information would be disseminated and actions
taken. We’ve seen the early results.

This type of activity is extremely important to keeping the pressure
on Turkey, and I have no doubt Azerbaijan’s turn must and will come.

It falls in the realm of economic warfare. Over the last few months,
I’ve mentioned such possibilities, pointing out what Turkey and
Azerbaijan do from tourism fairs, to matching funds for marketing,
to effectively hiring “scholars” who mask their paid (in one form
or another) relationship with those two dictatorial states and write
glowingly about opportunities there.

I am very glad to see our organizations were thinking, planning, and
now acting in the same vein all along. We should also remember the
beginnings of a “divest from Turkey” movement with the resolutions
passed recently at University of California’s Berkeley and Los
Angeles campuses.

But let’s return to the dirty lobbyists and their clients. Of the
five consulting firms, three are of real interest–Dickstein Shapiro
(Denny Hastert, another former House Speaker, works with this one),
Gephardt, and Greenberg Traurig. The other two are less interesting,
LBI, which has ONLY Turkey as a client, and Alpaytac which is a
Turkish owned firm.

You might be surprised at who does business with them. Some are notably
unsavory companies, so I do not expect much from them. But others,
especially some that are involved in businesses that cater to average
people, might be very sensitive to some negative public commentary.

In the automotive world, Chrysler, Honda, Enterprise Rental Car,
Michelin, and the Tire Industry Association are clients of the three
dirty lobbyists. How many hundreds, if not thousands, of Armenians own
a Chrysler, Honda, or use Michelin tires? How many tire stores and car
repair shops are owned by Armenians? Who hasn’t used Enterprise since
they are usually relatively inexpensive to rent cars from? Imagine
if we all went and told our dealers we’re NEVER going to buy their
products again as long as they are (indirectly) supporting Turkish
denialism? Imagine if our tire sales folks picked up the phone
and complained to the leaders of their trade association about the
relationship with Genocide deniers. Imagine if a frequent car renter
told the agency, “no more” until you cut off the ties with deniers.

Boycotts work– think of the Montgomery bus boycott, the work of the
extremist religious right wingers activities in the 1990s, and the
anti-Apartheid divestment movement of the 1980s. Companies know this
and will respond when the pressure level gets up to a point.

Other companies are familiar, household, names who would not want their
reputations tarnished: Amazon.com, Annheuser-Busch, Bayer, Boeing,
DirectTV, DISH Network, Fox Entertainment, General Electric, Intuit,
Mastercard, PepsiCo, and more. In fact a simple letter expressing
your concerns might be enough to move these very image-conscious
companies. It may not even be necessary to resort to the harsher
approach suggested in the previous paragraph.

With some effort, we can notch many successes. They’ll be more
difficult to come by than Los Angeles and Portland since public
agencies are accountable to the citizens while private companies
are accountable to their owners (though there is slight progress in
changing this conception).

Start drafting your letters. No doubt the call to action from the
organizers of this effort will soon come. Get ready to relish the
success of hitting Turkey on one of its vulnerabilities.

BELARUS HOSTS “HELPFUL MEETING” ON NAGORNO-KARABAKH PEACE

Azernews, Azerbaijan
March 13 2015

13 March 2015, 15:37 (GMT+04:00)
By Mushvig Mehdiyev

Belarus has hosted a helpful meeting in view of reaching a peaceful
resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, one of the co-chairs of
the OSCE Minsk Group said.

OSCE Minsk Group co-chair of the U.S., James Warlick hailed talks
between mediators and the Belarus government in Minsk on March 12,
attributing it as a positive step towards the resolution of the
Karabakh conflict.

“Meetings in Minsk on Nagorno-Karabakh peace were helpful. We look
forward to working with all members of the OSCE Minsk Group,” Warlick
posted on his Twitter page.

Warlick and his counterparts at the OSCE Minsk Group, Pierre Andrieu
(France) and Igor Popov (Russia), joined by OSCE Chairman’s Personal
Representative, Andrzej Kasprzyk, met in Minsk to devise means and
ways in which negotiations could be fruitful to solve the protracted
Nagorno-Karabakh issue.

The Belarus government expressed its readiness to host further meetings
in view of solving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Following a brief excursus by mediators into the situation on the
conflict zone and the process of peace negotiations, Belarus Foreign
Minister, Uladzimir Makei said his country was even ready to provide
a venue to hold the final phase of the negotiation process.

“As we did in the Ukraine crisis, we are ready to contribute and offer
means to facilitate the swift resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict,” Makei added, voicing his country’s decisive support to
the OSCE activity.

Belarus’s primary option in view of the recent situation around
Karabakh is to reduce tensions on the line of contact and to prevent
further casualties.

“Since we have close friendly relations with both countries, we welcome
the intensification of contacts between Armenian and Azerbaijani
leaders,” Makei said.

Earlier last month, mediators departed for the Finnish capital city
Helsinki to hold talks with Suomi officials. Following the Helsinki
meeting, Pierre Andrieu promised on behalf of all mediators to exert
“all-out efforts” toward reducing tension in the conflict.

OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs’ visit to Minsk, as well as to Helsinki,
is part of consecutive trips to Minsk Group member-states.

Serbia and Italy are reportedly the next destinations on the agenda.

True to their traditional calls, Minsk Group mediators have
persistently urged Armenia and Azerbaijan to take appropriate measures
toward achieving tranquility on the contact line as to prevent tensions
from flaring into fatal skirmishes. Mediators already emphasized that
a military solution to the conflict is not acceptable.

However, despite mediators’ many efforts, the OSCE Minsk Group has
failed so far to manifest a breakthrough, especially in light of
Armenia’s refusal to comply with UN resolutions. And because the group
has failed to set up an action plan in view of Armenia’s defiance
before international law, talks have stalled, offering little to
no hope.

Azerbaijan’s internationally recognized Nagorno-Karabakh territory
was turned into a battlefield and zone of aggravated tensions after
Armenia sent its troops to occupy Azerbaijan’s lands in the early
1990s. As a result, 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s internationally
recognized territory stands under military occupation of Armenia.

For the past two decades, and despite calls from the international
community, Armenia has refused to withdraw its troops and retreat
within its national borders.

ARS Commemorates Genocide Centennial in NY

By Contributor on March 13, 2015 in Headline, Mid-Atlantic

Several events dedicated to the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide,
initiated by the Armenian Relief Society (ARS) Central Executive
Board, with the cooperation of the Regional Executive of ARS/Eastern
USA, were held with great success from March 5-7 in New York. The
weekend kicked off on Thursday evening, March 5, with the official
opening of the exhibit titled, `Stitching to Survive: Handwork of
Armenian Women’, at the United Nations Headquarters. This exhibit was
organized jointly by the ARS Central Executive Board and the Permanent
Mission of the Republic of Armenia at the UN. The function was
attended by the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Armenia at the
UN, the ARS Central Executive Board, members of ARS/Canada,
ARS/Eastern and Western USA, and ARS/South America, as well as UN and
NGO representatives, clergymen, and both Armenian and non-Armenian
guests.

A scene from the symposium titled `Rebuilding a Nation: The Armenian
Woman’s Century of Resistance and Empowerment.’

ARS Central Executive Board Chairperson, Vicky Marachelian, opened the
proceedings, stressing the dedication and tenacity exhibited by
Armenian women at all junctures of Armenian history to preserve the
Armenian family and culture. As Marachelian stated, `The exhibit
demonstrates the contribution of Armenian women to culture and it pays
tribute to the cultural expression of Armenian women. This miraculous
feminine force, dedicated to humanitarian endeavors, did not emerge
overnight. Emerging from the crucible of oppression, these future ARS
members made the daunting journey from the old world to the new, from
refugee to worker, from dependence to self-reliance.’ Referring to the
59th session of the Commission on the Status of Women in New York,
Marachelian said, `As the year 2015 marks 20 years of the Beijing
Declaration and Platform for Action, the ARS, as an ECOSOC accredited
NGO, is addressing issues of women’s empowerment and gender equality.
This exhibit intends to tell the story of women who empowered
themselves to support their families.’

Following Marachelian’s address, Armenia’s Permanent Representative to
the UN, Ambassador Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, noted the unique nature of
this exhibit, as a symbol of the historic endurance of Armenian women
who had survived the crucible of the genocide. His Excellency
continued by mentioning that beyond survival, the Armenian woman had
mastered enough resolve to rebuild a new life on foreign shores. He
stated that the exhibit shares a story of people who, 100 years ago,
experienced the most heinous and dehumanizing mass exterminations and
deportations, which were defined as `crimes against humanity and
civilization.’ He concluded his remarks with words of high praise for
the ARS’s persistent input in achieving the success of this function,
indicative of the resolve and commitment of the Armenian people that
made possible the admission and raising of the Armenian flag at the
UN.

Clothing displayed at the exhibit

Following Amb. Mnatsakanyan’s remarks, Marachelian and the Ambassador
cut the ribbon, officially opening the exhibit for the evening’s
guests. It should be noted that this Armenian exhibit at the UN
Headquarters is being held at a time when thousands of representatives
from around the world are in New York City to take part in the
sessions of the 59th Conference of the UN Commission on the Status of
Women (CSW59). The exhibit demonstrates, for all those who visit, the
Armenian woman’s everlasting will to survive and thrive after the
genocidal attempt at annihilation of the Armenian nation.

The participation and performance of violinist Dianna Vasilyan
enhanced the evening’s atmosphere, to the enjoyment and appreciation
of all those present. The guests also enjoyed the hors d’oeuvres
generously provided for the event by the Almayass Armenian Restaurant
of New York City.

needlework displayed at the exhibit

The beautiful items on display were provided by the Armenian Museum of
America of Watertown, Mass., and ARS/Eastern USA. The ARS Central
Executive Board expresses its deep gratitude to the management of the
Armenian Museum of America for its kind cooperation, as well as to
curator, Susan Lind-Sinanian, for her active participation in setting
up this exhibition of Armenian women’s handwork. The Board also
extends sincere appreciation to all the contributors to the exhibit,
particularly to the main sponsors of the event; Mrs. and Mrs. Harout
and Vicky Marachelian, whose generous donation made the unqualified
success of this historic endeavor possible, once again sending a
message to the world, by way of the UN, of the continuous resiliency
and creative talent of the Armenian woman.

On Fri., March 6, the symposium titled `Rebuilding a Nation: The
Armenian Woman’s Century of Resistance and Empowerment’, organized by
the ARS/CEB Genocide Centennial Committee, took place in the Salvation
Army Hall in the presence of a large audience. Participating in the
conference were Dr. Eleni Theocharous, Member of European Parliament
and leader of EU-Armenia Friendship Group; Dr. Isabelle
Kaprielian-Churchill, Emerita Professor of Armenian Immigration
History, Department of History, California State University, Fresno;
Scout Tufankjian, photojournalist and author of There is Only the
Earth: Images from the Armenia Diaspora Project; Dr. Marian Mesrobian
MacCurdy, author of Sacred Justice: The Voices and Legacy of the
Armenian Operation Nemesis; and Bared Maronian, Executive Producer,
Armenoid Production Team.

On behalf of the ARS Central Executive Board, Caroline Chamavonian
opened the proceedings, inviting those present to stand and honor the
memory of the martyrs with a moment of silence. Following this solemn
beginning, Chamavonian welcomed the participants and invited the
master of ceremonies, Pauline Getzoyan of the ARS Central Executive
Board, to introduce the designated speakers of the symposium. Each
speaker presented his or her views, in a variety of approaches, on the
role of the Armenian woman during and after the genocide, as a
powerful force in the survival and revival of family and culture.

In her address, Dr. Theocharous focused on the theme of the
empowerment of Armenian women, noting the ravages of the Armenian
Genocide years and the role played by Armenian women during the
Artsakh Liberation War. She expressed admiration for the laudable role
played by the ARS in those difficult times, and stated that, being
fully aware of the just cause of Armenian demands for recognition and
reparations, she feels honored participating in the centennial
commemoration of the Armenian Genocide. Dr. Theocharous concluded her
remarks by solemnly stating, `As long as I am alive, Turkey will not
join the European Union, unless it becomes a civilized country, unless
it recognizes the Armenian Genocide, and unless it gets out its troops
from Cyprus.’

Dr. Isabel Kaprielian-Churchill’s presentation was centered on the
theme of Armenian handwork and its impact on the lives of those who
survived the Armenian Genocide and used needlework as a means to
support their families. She emphasized the importance of the role
played by feminine creativity in the struggle for physical and
spiritual survival of the devastated Armenian nation.

Tufankjian, in turn, displayed emblematic photographs depicting
world-wide Armenian communities and synthesized the lifestyles of
diasporan Armenians. Maronian reevaluated the role of the pre- and
post-genocide Armenian women by showing segments of his films,
`Orphans of the Genocide’ and `Women of 1915.’ Dr. MacCurdy spoke
about the traditional Armenian woman’s silent yet persistent toil,
using her grandmother, Eliza Der Melkonian, one of the founders of
ARS, as a prime and inspirational example.

A commemorative dinner and cultural program dedicated to the
centennial of the Armenian Genocide, organized by the ARS/Eastern USA
Regional Executive, under the auspices of His Eminence Archbishop
Oshagan Choloyan, Prelate of the Eastern USA See of the Armenian
Apostolic Church, and the Armenian Relief Society Central Executive
Board, took place in New Jersey on Sat., March 7. In attendance were
Amb. Mnatsakanyan, Archbishop Anoushavan Tanielian, Vice-Prelate of
the Eastern USA Prelacy, several members of the clergy, members of the
ARS Central Executive Board, and a wide variety of guests, including
members of ARS/Canada, ARS/Eastern and Western USA, ARS/South America
and a large number of ARS supporters.

A group shot of the organizers and participants

This year, once again, the ARS participated in the 59th Conference of
the UN Commission on the Status of Women. Within the context of the
Armenian Genocide Centennial commemorative events, the ARS organized a
workshop entitled `Women and Diaspora: From Past to Post-2015,’ in
cooperation with the UN Permanent Missions of Armenia and Cyprus, as
well as several other NGOs. The workshop was opened by the Permanent
Representative of Cyprus to the UN, Ambassador Nicholas Emiliou.
Representing women living and working in the Diaspora, Nanore
Barsoumian, editor of the Armenian Weekly, moderated the discussion,
inviting the participants to express their opinions and experiences.

A scene from the workshop entitled, `Women and Diaspora: From Past to Post-2015³

On behalf of the ARS, member Nora Simonian expressed her views on the
role of Diasporan women, describing the Armenian mother as the pillar
of the family and as the link to the homeland and Armenian culture.
Other panelists included Dr. Jim MacPherson from the University of the
Highlands and Islands; Semhar Araia, Executive Director of the
Diasporan African Women’s Network (DAWN); Sarah Gammage, Policy
Adviser, UN Women; and Harriet Pavles George, former judge of the
Housing part of the Civil Court of the City of New York. Concluding
remarks were made by Amb. Mnatsakanyan.

The four days of commemorating the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide
in New York, initiated by the ARS Central Executive Board,
demonstrated the indomitable resolve of the Armenian woman, along with
the ARS mission and calling, as torchbearers of the empowerment of
women and their role as guardians of Armenian identity, both in the
homeland and the Diaspora.

Amb. Mnatsakanyan and Marachelian cut the ribbon, officially opening the exhibit

Marachelian delivers her remarks at the opening of the exhibit

A group shot of the participants of the symposium titled `Rebuilding a
Nation: The Armenian Woman’s Century of Resistance and Empowerment’

Armenia’s PM meets President of Egypt

17:16, 14 March, 2015

YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS. The Prime Minister of the Republic of
Armenia Hovik Abrahamyan has had a meeting with the President of the
Arab Republic of Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi within the framework of
the PM’s working visit to Egypt.

The Information and Public Relations Department of the Government of
the Republic of Armenia informed”Armenpress” that the interlocutors
highly appreciated the level of the Armenian-Egyptian political
relations and discussed a wide range of issues on the development and
expansion of the economic cooperation.

The both sides noted that there is a huge potential for the economic
cooperation. The sides reflected on the issue of activation of the
economic ties and highlighted the activation of the intergovernmental
committee, holding economic conferences, and establishing closer
relations with the business circles of the both countries.

Armenia’s PM and the President of Egypt stated that the development
and expansion of cooperation in spheres of agriculture, industry,
tourism and other branches of economy are perspective.

Abdel Fattah el-Sisi highly appreciated the contribution of the
Armenian community of Egypt in the country’s development and noted
that it is a good bridge for the expansion and deepening of the
Armenian-Egyptian ties.

Among other things, Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan highlighted that
the development of bilateral ties with Arab countries is of a certain
importance for Armenia. “In this regard, Egypt occupies a special
place for us, as the age-old relations of the Armenian and Egyptian
peoples stood the test of time and turned into a strong friendship,”
Armenia’s PM concluded.

Armenia and European Games: Pluses and minuses of visiting Baku

16:40 * 14.03.15

The Armenian sportsmen participating in the European Games in Baku
will enjoy the highest-level protection during their stay, says the
head of the National Olympic Committee’s Department for Relations with
Federations.

“Guarantees have been given by both the Olympic Committee and the
Azerbaijani authorities and president,” Gagik Bolshikyan told Tert.am,
commenting upon the advantages and disadvantages of Armenia’s presence
at the sporting event.

Asked whether the national team team may face any restrictions, the
official he doesn’t expect more than a precautionary decision against
touring the city. “If what is called restrictions applies to such
absurd things as avoiding hosting the Armenian flags in case of a
victory, that’s ruled out,” he said.

Addressing the topic, Karen Bekaryan, a political analyst who heads
the NGO European Integration, first of all stressed the importance of
security guarantees. “If the decision made is for participation, they
have apparently given guarantees,” he told our correspondent.

Bekaryan said he thinks that the general attitude to the country would
be different had European countries raised boycott against
Azerbaijan’s poor human rights and democracy record. “Armenia was not
supposed to initiate that. Armenia might have jointed [such a
campaign] if there was any, but what we hear are only calls, not
facts. So I don’t think proactive steps by Armenia would have been
perceivable,” he added.

Bekaryan said he only hopes that the international community’s
attention to the games will cause Azerbaijan to abstain from tension
along the border with Armenia or the Line of Contact surrounding
Nagorno-Karabakh. “Azerbaijan’s ruling government, i.e. – the Aliuev
clan, have not always fitted itself into what can be called logic or
image,” he added.

Speaking to Tert.am, Professor Alexander Manasyan said he doesn’t
positively treat the National Committee’s decision. “I wouldn’t go,
for instance, given that a genocide of Armenians was committed there.
So before going, they should have offered their apologies for the
Azerbaijani-Armenians’ genocide,” he said.

The expert said he thinks that the demand for recognizing the
1988-1990 Armenian pogroms in Azerbaijan as a crime of genocide would
be treated as a fair cause rather than a boycott, raising the world’s
awareness of the tragic events.

“Going to a city which has seen a genocide of Armenians and heard no
subsequent word of repentance is not permissible,” he added.

Manasyan said he thinks that non-attendance would raise more questions
for the world than the decision to send sportsmen to Baku.
“Azerbaijani-Armenians could have made a statement condemning the
Armenian sportsmen’s presence in a city where a crime of genocide was
committed but never reacted to,” he noted.

Manasyan said he expects absolutely anything from a country like Azerbaijan.

“With these games, it is raising its repute. So instead of complaining
about Europe’s choice of Baku, we are raising Azerbaijan’s image,” he
added.