Author: Babajanian Karo

Obama’s talking points for Erdogan

12:11 13/05/2013 » ANALYSIS

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be meeting with
President Obama in the Oval Office on May 16, says an article by Henri
Barkey published in Al-Monitor on May 12.

On his first visit to Washington since 2009, Erdogan and Obama have
much to discuss. The Syrian crisis with all its ramifications will
overshadow all other issues. As can be expected, the president’s
public and behind-closed-door comments are likely to be quite
different. He will need to assuage a nervous, yet supremely
self-confident, leader facing a number of challenges ahead of him.

Here is an exercise in imagining what these might look like:

For the public, Obama will be mostly smiles and praise, recognizing
Turkey’s taking in Syria’s refugees; agreeing that Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad `must go’; lauding Erdogan’s peace process with
Turkey’s Kurds; welcoming the cold peace between Israel and Turkey,
and hoping it will get warmer; dealing with Iran and Iraq; the usual
platitudes about Turkey being a democratic model; and something about
Armenia.

Then the door will close and Obama will really talk about Syria,
saying something like:

`Tayyip, we once again want to express our sorrow and condolences over
the senseless car bombings in Reyhanli on Saturday.

But listen, the infiltration of Jabhat al-Nusra fighters through
Turkish territory is inflaming the sectarian nature of the struggle in
Syria. I know you do not want a sectarian bloodbath in Syria, but your
joint policy with Qatar has helped get us here. The UN Security
Council may now label them a terrorist group, and rightly so. This is
a headache for me. Vladimir has a point here; these guys are trouble,
and they are growing.

`Look, Tayyip, I understand you are frustrated and that Assad is
holding on to dear life. You and I both got ahead of ourselves on this
one. But we need to think ahead. The Qataris are being reckless; they
seem to think that they are immune to the potential blowback. But
Turkey is not immune either, and neither is the United States.

`This also reminds me that we disagree on what to do now. The
situation is getting out of control and the rebels, I fear, are losing
ground. Still, in the long run I believe that this will result in
either a stalemate or that Assad will make a mad dash to his Alawite
heartland on the coast. But nothing is assured, and it might get worse
before it gets better.

`You floated an idea on the eve of your arrival here, that you would
support an American effort to establish a safe zone. Let me reiterate
what I have said in the past few weeks: There will be no American
boots on the ground in Syria. We are considering some options to help
the rebels through other parties, maybe something more, in northern or
southeastern Syria designed to create safe havens with our air assets
and electronic capabilities, provided the regional powers like you
actively support this effort with your troops; but that is no
guarantee things will get better either.

`But let’s not kid ourselves that whatever we do militarily will end
Assad’s government next week or maybe even this year. We need some
diplomacy here. I need you to support the Geneva II process and this
conference John Kerry is trying to put together. You need to do your
best to get your friends in the Syrian opposition to sit down with
someone from the Syrian government at that conference, if it happens.
Otherwise, it blows up, and the war goes on.

`For now, I need Russia and probably Iran to make this work. What we
also need to do on Syria is to look down the road and try to estimate
how the situation will unfold in the next two years and then come up
with a strategy to be implemented now and designed to prevent a
worst-case scenario. I think we could put our best planners together
with yours and other allies to help us think this through and, most
important, be on the same page.

`This war is no longer about Assad. We know that. You, Jordan, Iraq,
Israel are all paying a price, and the costs are going up.

`I also need to say something here about Iraq. I know that it looks
incongruent to you that after years of urging Turkey to get closer to
the Kurdistan Regional Government, that now we are cautioning you
against deepening ties, especially oil and gas ones. Our concern stems
from the fact that Prime Minister Maliki is increasingly interpreting
developments in Syria and northern Iraq as an attempt to unseat him at
best and divide Iraq at worst. You believe that he has inflamed
sectarian tensions in Iraq and mistreated the Sunnis. You certainly do
have a point, I cannot argue with that. However, what we want you to
do is to downplay these activities only to reassure Maliki that the
region is not against him; otherwise we face a self-fulfilling
prophecy, and he will act on his fears and make matters worse. In the
end, we both agree that borders in the region ought not to change.
Here too, I believe we can work together to craft a smarter and
subtler policy.

`Regarding your Kurdish opening, let me reiterate our admiration for
the courage it took. We have been very circumspect on this issue as my
advisors tell me that you have too many conspiracy theorists claiming
that all this is an American plot. I wish we were so powerful! Still,
while we are careful in public discourse, let me also say that we are
very willing to help you down the road when the process gathers
greater momentum. I will leave this up to you; we are your allies and
we very much care about this problem getting resolved.’

As the conversation above suggests, the administration will not have
much to offer the Turks. But then, neither will the Turks come to the
table with new initiatives.

Henri J. Barkey is a professor of international relations at Lehigh University.

Source: Panorama.am

Certain types of mass marketing fraud spread in Armenia

09:51, 13 May, 2013

YEREVAN, MAY 13, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of the Republic of
Armenia suggests a number of efficient methods for struggle against
mass marketing fraud, which have become widespread in Armenia during
the last years. In a conversation with “Armenpress” the Head of
Financial Monitoring Center of the Republic of Armenia Daniel Azatyan
stated that the modern means of communication, including internet,
telephone, e. mail, television, and even radio are used to find
potential victims and get in touch with them and receive money or
other valuable things via fraud.

Among other things Daniel Azatyan underscored: “We have made an
attempt to systemize methodologically and introduce the types of such
fraud taking into consideration the Armenian reality and Armenia’s
impulses.” In addition he noted that they have classified 14 types of
mass marketing fraud.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

THE ARMENIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH CLASSIFICATION OF SAINTS COMMITTEE
FOR THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE VICTIMS MEETS

The Committee, jointly appointed by His Holiness Karekin II, Holy See of
Etchmiadzin, and His Holiness Aram I, Holy See of Cilicia, met for the fifth
time in Holy Etchmiadzin 7-8 May 2013.

The two Co-Chairs, Archbishop Yeznik Bedrossian (Holy See of Etchmiadzin)
and Archbishop Sebouh Sarkissian (Holy See of Cilicia) presided over the
meeting. Archbishop Yeznik opened the meeting with a prayer and then
transmitted the greetings of the two Catholicoi.

According to the recommendations of Catholicoi Karekin II and Aram I, the
members of the committee discussed the basis on which the victims of the
Armenian Genocide of 1915 shall be raised to Sainthood.

On Thursday May 9th, Ascension day and the national victory day, the members
of the Committee assisted celebrations in Yerevan.

Bloody Elbow.com
May 11 2013

Gods of War: Gokor Chivichyan

By T.P. Grant on May 11 2013, 3:00p

One of the finest grapplers to come out the Caucasus, Gokor Chivichyan
came from the grappling obsessed former Soviet nation of Armenia to
become possibly the mot complete grappler in the world.

Born on May 10th of 1963, in Yerevan, Armeina Gokor Chivivhyan was a
fighter right away. By the time he could walk he was picking fights
with larger children, and was winning. At age 3 he joined a wrestling
school and and by age 6 Gokor was also training in Sambo. When
training Gokor consistently trained with older boys, and he progressed
very quickly.

In 1971 Gokor won the Armenian Junior National Sambo Championship, and
then the next year he won the 10-12 year old division while still 9
years of age. At this time Armenia was part of the Soviet Union, and
in 1972 Gokor qualified for the Soviet Jr National Sambo
Championships.

In 1973 Gokor began training in Judo and he would win the Armenian
Junior Judo Championships in that same year. He would then travel to
Russia and take second in their Junior Judo Championships, losing the
finals match by referee decision. This was Gokor’s first loss in
competition, and he used it to fuel himself. Gokor returned to Russia
the next year to claim gold at both the Judo and Sambo Junior
Championships.

For the next five years Gokor would collect gold medals at National,
U.S.S.R., European, and International level tournaments. In 1980 Gokor
was in consideration for the USSR Olympic Judo team but was passed
over for another Judoka who would go on to win a gold medal.

That next year Gokor’s family would defect to the United States and
take up residence in Los Angeles. There he began to study under Gene
Lebell, one of the United States’ first great Judokas. Lebell had won
back to back American championships in the 1950’s, had won tournaments
in Japan, had defeated Milo Savage in a proto-MMA match, and by the
time Gokor came to the L.A. had begun working in Professional
Wrestling, learning the no-gi grappling art of Catch Wrestling.

Gokor was still a teenager at this point, and just learning English.
Training with Lebell was famously tough: he trained in and out of the
gi, used a full range of submissions, and in no gi training grabbed
skin like it was a gi. He also began training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
with the Mahcado brothers around this time as well. In the 1980’s
Gokor competed in a variety of competitions: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu,
submission wrestling, and, of course, Judo.

Gokor in Judo Tournaments, Grappling, Sparring

Gokor claims to have taken part in many “No Holds Barred” Fights, but
it is unclear if this refers to submission wrestling matches with a
minimal of rules or full on Mixed Martial Arts matches and few records
of these fights exist. He did claim several bare knuckle fighting
titles, but again there are no official records, which isn’t uncommon
in that period of American proto-MMA, but claims are fuzzy on if these
matches took place and against what level of opposition they would
have been against.

At this time Gokor’s focus was still primarily on Judo. The goal of
going to the Olympics and winning gold still burned in Gokor. He
pushed very hard for U.S. citizenship so he could represent the United
States in his adopted hometown of L.A. at the 1984 Summer Games, but
was unable to secure citizenship.

Gokor claims he was traveling between the U.S. and Russia regularly in
the early 80’s and still competed for the U.S.S.R at some events, and
that he qualified for the Soviet team, but they boycotted these games.
It is still unclear how he was able to do this as relations between
the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. in the early 80’s were still very tense and
travel between them was very controlled. It might have been that Gokor
competed under the U.S.S.R. banner simply by function of his
citizenship status and not with the blessing of the U.S.S.R. judo
team.

In 1987 Gokor won a Judo International World Cup while representing
the U.S.S.R., but finally, with the help of the U.S. Judo Federation,
Gokor was declared a citizen of the United States. He rushed to
collect enough competition points to make the 1988 Olympic team bound
for Seoul but there was not enough time.

Global politics and bad luck had taken their toll, Gokor’s dream of
competing in the Olympics would never be realized. In 1991, Gokor
opened his Hayastan Academy in North Holloywood and began teaching
grappling, along with striking techniques he had learned during
training for NHB fights. Gokor’s competitive career was largely over
at this point, but he did win the U.S. National Judo Open and took
part in a full on MMA fight in the World Fighting Federation. The
promoters wanted to match Gokor with Akira Maeda, but when unable to
sign him they found an impressive looking Japanese fighter, dubbed him
“Mr. Maeda”, and put in him in the ring against Gokor. The result was
something of a farce as Gokor was clearly a vastly superior fighter
and won with ease in under a minute.

But that is just the beginning of Gokor’s legacy, as he has gone on to
become an even more accomplished coach. In 1997 Gokor was awarded the
U.S. Judo Federations “Coach of the Year” award. The Hayastan Academy
has is now home to one of the most fearsome Judo teams in the U.S. In
2008 they stormed the first U.S. Nationals that was jointly held by
the two competing Judo organizations in the U.S. and Gokor shocked
everyone when he borrowed a gi , won his way to the finals in
Openweight, and then won gold despite injuring himself.

In addition to becoming a top Judo gym, Hayastan has also become one
of the most successful gyms at applying Judo in Mixed Martial Arts
competition.

Two of Gokor’s star students are Judo and MMA stars Karo Parisyan and
Ronda Rousey, both beginning their training under the Armenian while
they were still children. Parisyan’s high flying, highlight reel
throws made him the face of Judo application in the UFC . Rousey would
win bronze at the 2008 Olympic Games for Team U.S.A. and then went on
to become a sensation in Women’s MMA. She became the first UFC Women’s
Bantamweight Champion and took part in the first women’s fight in the
UFC.

Gokor also has coached Gegard Mousasi, Manny Gamburyan, Sako
Chivitchian, and Extreme Couture head grappling coach Neil Melanson.

A 9th degree Judo black belt, 1st degree Razryad Grand Master of
Sambo, a rank reserved for multiple time world champions, and 6th
degree Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under John Machado, experience
in Freestyle and Greco-Roman Wrestling as well as Catch Wrestling
training all make Gokor one of the most complete and credentialed
grapplers on the planet and a more than worthy addition to our
Pantheon of modern day Gods of War.

****
For more on Gokor

His biography from school website and documentary made by his academy.
Both get a little vague at key times, but even if there is some
fluffing of history here his accomplishments as a coach, and the rave
reviews from very respected grapplers who have rolled with Gokor
dispel any questioning of his skill or knowledge.

His official Facebook page

Thanks to Zombie Prophet and Jordan Breen of Sherdog for their
assistance in the research of this article.

A HISTORY OF A PERFECT CRIME
By Talin Suciyan

May 12, 2013

A History of a Perfect Crime1
The Armenian Weekly April 2013 Magazine
(Download PDF here)

I spent my high school years in Samatya. The majority of my classmates
were the children of the Armenians who had come to Istanbul from the
provinces during the republican years. We were allowed to go out during
our lunch breaks. Many of the students lived in Samatya and could go
home for lunch. Yet, in the early 1990’s, when the political tension
in the country reached its peak, because of the Kurdish issue, we were
no longer allowed to go outside the school grounds during lunch breaks.

Samatya (Raymond Kevorkian, Ermeniler, Aras Publ., 2012) Although
we used to work hard to not only be good citizens but the “best
citizens”–we took compulsory national security classes taught by a
high-ranking military officer, and would do our military exercises
in the schoolyard so loud that half the district would hear our
voices–it never guaranteed our security.

In those years, constant bomb warnings were proof of our insecurity.

After each warning, we would go out to the schoolyard until the
entire school was searched. Sometimes we would be asked to go home
early. We hardly had any idea why a bomb would be planted in our
school. No one would put these bomb warnings into context. There was
nothing to understand; it was just like that. And so we got used to
these warnings, along with the changing security measures that were
an ordinary part of our school life.

During my doctoral research, I read Armenian newspapers from the
1930’s and had the chance to look at Samatya from a different
perspective. Samatya was one of the districts where kaghtagayans
were established. Kaghtagayans were kaghtagan (deportee or IDP)
centers that hosted thousands of Armenians from the provinces. These
centers functioned until the end of the 1930’s. Armenian newspapers
published in Istanbul in the 1920’s and 1930’s were full of reports
on the kaghtagans’ severe conditions in these centers, where they
often had to live on top of one another. The community in Istanbul
was responsible for providing food, work, and a sustainable life
for these people. Yet, it was not easy, as the financial means of
the community were shortened to a great extent, the court cases for
saving its properties continued, and its legal status was in the
process of complete eradication. And still, Armenians whose living
conditions in the provinces were systematically decimated continued
to come to Istanbul.

Armenians who remained in the provinces were threatened in several
ways. Arshag Alboyaciyan referred to these attacks in his book
Badmut’iwn Malatio Hayots’:

In 1924, Armenians were leaving en masse since a group of attackers–15
people–were raiding their houses asking for money and jewels, beating
them up, almost to death. This organization was called Ateshoglu
Yildirim… They would put signs on the houses of Armenians and tell
them to leave within 10 days… One day, they put a sign on the main
church, giving Armenians five days to leave; otherwise, they said,
‘Ateshoglu Yildirim would burn you all.’2

Armenians understood that the organization was trying to intimidate
them into leaving in order to take over their properties, along with
the other Emval-i Metruke (Abandoned Properties).3 In November 1923,
two prominent Armenians, on behalf of 35 Armenians from Malatya,
sent a letter to Mustafa Kemal, asking for security and the right
to live in their houses. They wrote that if their citizenship was
not recognized and they were required to leave, that this should be
told to them officially, and not by raiding their houses.4 The letter
did not have a positive impact; on the contrary, the signatories were
asked to leave the country, and the 35 families had to follow them.5
Over the following months, Armenians continued to leave Malatya to
Syria or to Istanbul.

I first came across the Ateshoglu Yildirim cases through an
oral history project I conducted for my doctoral research. My
interviewee said there were others in Istanbul who could talk about
this organization and its raids. He contacted one family, they said
yes, but then changed their minds. It was during the same time that
Maritsa Kucuk, an elderly Armenian women, was brutally killed, two
others were severely beaten, and another attacked in Samatya. The
atmosphere of fear was once again at its peak for the Armenians,
and I decided to stall my research on the topic.

Yozgat, Amasya, Sinop, Ordu, Tokat, Kayseri, Diyarbakýr, Sivas . .

.And so it continued–Armenians were systematically forced out of Asia
Minor and northern Mesopotamia throughout the republican years. They
were essentially forced to come to Istanbul, looking for shelter,
food, work, and a secure life, following the Settlement Law of 1934;
sometimes through extraordinary decrees ordering them to leave a
certain place and be settled in another; through racist attacks that
occurred on a daily basis; or simply through the state’s refusal
to open Armenian schools in the provinces, which was one of the
“guaranteed rights” of the Lausanne Treaty of 1923.

Armenians who came to Istanbul remained at the bottom of all
hierarchies. They were caught helpless between the institutional power
structures of the Armenian community in Istanbul and the state. The
latter cared about them the least. These centers were closed at the
end of the 1930’s; yet, Armenians continued to come to Istanbul from
the provinces throughout the republican era, and their socio-economic
problems occupied the agenda of the community for quite some time.

An Armenian suspect was recently arrested for the murder of Maritsa
Kucuk and for the other attacks on elderly women in Samatya. On the
same day, the Turkish media covered the arrest with a news item,
disseminated by the police,6 implying that since the suspect was
Armenian, no racism was involved. Hence, the issue has been resolved.

We know that law has little to do with truth or justice. On the
contrary, the mechanisms of law create substitutes for truth or
justice. The cases of Pýnar Selek, Hrant Dink, Sevag Balýkcý, along
with the murder of Maritsa Kucuk and the other attacks in Samatya,
remind us of not only the impossibility of justice, but also the
perfection of a crime, which continues to silence the witnesses.7

ENDNOTES

1. This article is a revised and expanded version of Malatya, Yozgat,
Ordu ve Samatya,” published in Radikal Ýki, March 2, 2013.

2. Arshag Alboyaciyan, Badmutiwn Malatio Hayots’ (Beirut: Dbaran Sevan,
1961), pp. 966-967.

3. For Emval-ý Metruke See Nevzat Onaran, Emval-ý Metruke: Osmanlý’da
ve Cumhuriyette Ermeni ve Rum Mallarýnýn Turleþtirilmesi (Istanbul:
Belge Yay, 2010), Uður Umit Ungor, Confiscation and Destruction: The
Young Turk Seizure of Armenian Property (Continuum Publ., 2011), Taner
Akcam and Umit Kurt, Kanunlarýn Ruhu (Istanbul:Ýletiþim Publ., 2012).

4. Alboyaciyan, Badmut’iwn Malatio Hayots’, p. 967.

5. Ibid.

6. See the press release of the Istanbul branch of the Human Rights
Organization of Nov. 3, 2013, after meeting Murat Nazaryan.

7. See Jean-Francis Lyotard, The Differend: Phrases in Dispute.

transl. Georges van den Abbeele (Manchester: Manchester University
Press, 1988), p. 14.

PKK LEADER RESPONDS TO TURKISH PM

May 11, 2013 | 17:42

Murat Karayilan, who is a leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party
(PKK), stated that if the operations that took place in 1999 repeat,
the PKK will suspend its withdrawal from Turkey.

Karayilan responded to Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s statement
that, “The Kurdish militants will go just as they came,” Hurriyet
daily of Turkey informs.

The PKK leader stressed that the Kurdish militants had not come
from anywhere.

“We were in Turkey, and 80 percent of our forces joined the PKK inside
Turkey,” Karayilan said.

He also considered it important that no military operations are
conducted, while the Kurdish militants are leaving Turkey, as
these were carried out in 1999. Murat Karayilan warned that if such
operations are launched, they will have to suspend their withdrawal
from Turkey.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

Government Has Reached Stage of Tough Confrontation

The replacement of the ministers of economy and finance was assessed
differently. These opinions mostly state that inefficiency of the
economic policy required those replacements, at least for
demonstration purposes. But these replacements might mean something
else. These ministries have the weakest political weight according to
the internal logic. In other words, the economic bloc is the least
protected in the hierarchy of the government therefore the
replacements were in this bloc.

The economic bloc `belongs’ to Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan. Tigran
Sargsyan’s reappointment is already significant in political terms.
Moreover, it is a medium-term victory. A more important victory would
be the prime minister’s `listing’ among contenders for the heir of
Serzh Sargsyan.

Tigran Sargsyan remained in his post in a tough internal competition.
Perhaps therefore he decided to sacrifice the ministers of economy and
finance who are also Tigran Sargsyan’s team. Hence, it appeared that
the prime minister was strong but his team was the weak link, and
replacements were made in his team.

Meanwhile, it is beyond doubt that the other ministers do not deserve
a replacement less than the ministers of economy and finance.

It is also possible that it was Tigran Sargsyan’s team victory. In
other words, a team rotation tactics in the result of which some
members leave or are replaced, becoming and being perceived as
scapegoats, while the team in the face of its leader remains at the
top of the government.

The team competition is becoming primary in the government. It is a
primary issue in all modes of change of government. Now the Armenian
government again enters the mode of transfer which is due in 4-5
years. Not one person but a team will take its turn. In other words,
if the society fails to change the logic of developments and political
life and ensure constitutional rules of change of government, in
2017-2018 the team will accept power from Serzh Sargsyan which will be
more viable as a team, not as an individual leader.

The team factor had a role when Robert Kocharyan was handling the
issue of transfer of power. Kocharyan nominated Vartan Oskanian along
with Serzh Sargsyan. However, Oskanian lost the fight of heirs though
he was Kocharyan’s preferred character because Oskanian did not have a
team while Serzh Sargsyan had a strong team, was not an individual in
government.

Robert Kocharyan then established Prosperous Armenia to make a team
for Vartan Oskanian but either time was short to form a viable team or
the personal qualities of the team members were not sufficient to
achieve success in internal struggle.

Most probably, the reason was the second because the team remained
uncompetitive over the years and could not participate in the internal
affairs effectively. Moreover, the longer the experience of the party,
the easier Serzh Sargsyan defeated it.

Now the issue of team fight is again primary. It is not ruled out that
competition will be in a mixed format of a `club’ and a `national
team’. In this meaning, the teams will be rearranged. Over the next
few months the ruling system will be in the mode of open transfer
window which will be followed by a tough confrontation.

Hakob Badalyan
17:49 10/05/2013
Story from Lragir.am News:

Amarian: Being `oppressed’ advantageous to Jehovah’s Witnesses

Friday,
May 10

Being `oppressed’ is quite advantageous to Jehovah’s Witnesses in
Armenia, Alexander Amarian, Head of the Center for Aid and
Rehabilitation of Victims of Destructive Cults, said at a press
conference today.

We would remind you that Jehovah’s Witnesses sect filed a lawsuit to
the European Court of Human Rights over the illegal arrests of sect
members by Armenian law enforcers. ECHR ruled that Armenia should
compensate the plaintiffs for the non-material damage within 3 months
after the ruling took effect (until May 27, 2013).

A. Amarian said that in 2005, 25 members of the sect chose to do
alternative service in various medical institutions, but the following
day the members of the sect told the appropriate bodies that they
decided to refuse alternative service, saying that those institutions
are also under the jurisdiction of the army and for that reason doing
service in such institutions contradicted their religious beliefs,
after which they left their duty stations without permission.

According to Amarian, ECHR examined the issue of human rights and
inviolability of person, not the issue of the sect.

The lawsuit to ECHR was filed by 17 members of Jehovah’s Witnesses on
31 March 2006.

TODAY, 14:55
Aysor.am

NKR President’s and senior officials’ dance in Shushi (video)
2013-05-11 13:11:16

On May 9, during the festive events in Shushi the President of the Artsakh
Republic Bako Sahakyan, President of the National Assembly Ashot Gulian,
commander of the Defense Army Movses Hakobyan and high-ranking military
personnel also joined the festive dance.

Charles Aznavour to be named honorary citizen of Marseilles

May 11, 2013 – 19:11 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The city of Marseilles will be hosting a week of
French-Armenian cooperation on June 17 through June 23, with Charles
Aznavour to attend the event as an honorary guest,
lemeilleurdemarseille.fr said.

On June 21, the word-known chansonnier and public figure will be named
an honorary citizen of Marseilles.

The week of French-Armenian cooperation will feature a number of
events including the screening of Henri Verneuil’s Mayrig, a day of
youth to host Romanian Economy Minister Varujan Vosganian and world
chess champion Levon Aronian, as well as a day of Armenian cuisine.