Author: Babajanian Karo

U.S. officials support California Assembly Armenian candidate

11:49, 19 September, 2012

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS: Glendale and Burbank cities
numerous officials and community leaders will support Armenian Greg
Grigoryan running in the elections of California Assembly.

As Armenpress reports citing Asbarez Glendale Chairman of Educational
Board, municipal council members Teyv Uive, Rafi Manoukian, Ara
Najarian, and Vahe Pirumian, Community University trustees as well as
former mayors are supporting our compatriot. Glendale former Chairman
of the Education Board and former members Shekip Sampare Lina Harper
are also lending a helping hand to Greg Grigoryan.

”As community member I am proud and thankful to all these people thst
are next to me” Greg Grigoryan noted. Republican Greg Gregorian will
run against Democrat Mike Cato in the 43rd precinct of the California
Assembly. Gregorian has been a member of the Glendale Unified School
District for 11 years and announced that he would be running in the
elections since he had noticed that the state government was working
poorly. He has decided to provide sufficient amounst of sums for
education, as well as reduce other state expenses and focus on the
issues of creating new job opportunities.

Turquie : amélioration pour les écoles des minorités ?

Publié le : 19-09-2012

Info Collectif VAN – – « Le responsable de la
Fondation arménienne hospitalière doit rencontrer le ministre turc de
l’Éducation dans les jours qui viennent. Selon le rapport, la
communauté exigera l’abolition de la nomination de directeurs adjoints
turcs dans les écoles des minorités, mesure qui a commencée à être
mise en Å`uvre dans les années 1970. Le rapport demandera également que
la durée des mandats des professeurs de langue et d’histoire turque
soit déterminée par les écoles elles-mêmes. » Le Collectif VAN vous
livre la traduction d’un article en anglais paru sur le site turc
Hurriyet Daily News le 5 septembre 2012.

Légende photo : Karekin Barsamyan, directeur de l’Armenian High
School, dit qu’ils ont pris des mesures importantes pour résoudre les
anciens problèmes. Photo DAILY NEWS, Emrah GÃ`REL

Le ministère de l’Éducation va entendre l’appel des minorités

ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News

5 septembre 2012

La communauté arménienne de Turquie doit présenter un rapport au
ministère de l’Éducation nationale concernant un certain nombre de
modifications dans les écoles des minorités, comme la nomination des
directeurs adjoints et des professeurs turcs.

Vercihan ZiflioÄ?lu [email protected]

La communauté arménienne se prépare à présenter un rapport au ministre
turc de l’Éducation, demandant certaines modifications de la
réglementation des écoles des minorités.

Dans un rapport présenté au ministre de l’Éducation Ã-mer Dinçer, la
communauté arménienne demandera l’abolition de la pratique consistant
à nommer un adjoint au directeur dans les écoles des minorités.

Bedros Sirinoglu, le responsable de la Fondation arménienne
hospitalière Yedikule Surp Pirgiç [Sourp Perguitch] doit rencontrer
Dinçer dans les jours qui viennent. Selon le rapport, la communauté
exigera l’abolition de la nomination de directeurs adjoints turcs dans
les écoles des minorités, [mesure] qui a commencée à être mise en
Å`uvre dans les années 1970. Le rapport demandera également que la
durée des mandats des professeurs de langue et d’histoire turque soit
déterminée par les écoles elles-mêmes.

S’adressant au Hürriyet Daily News, Å?irinoÄ?lu a dit qu’il avait
quelques inquiétudes au sujet des directeurs adjoints, mais qu’il
prévoyait de donner la priorité Ã la question de la nomination des
professeurs, lors de la présentation du rapport.

« Bien sûr, l’État devrait accorder leurs droits aux citoyens, mais
ceci devrait être effectué d’une façon appropriée. Je prévois de
donner la priorité Ã la question des mandats des professeurs et je
crois que nous obtiendrons des résultats positifs [Ã la réunion] »,
a-t-il dit.

`Nous voulons légaliser la réglementation’

Karekin Barsamyan, le directeur de l’école élémentaire de la Private
Pangalti (Mihitaryan) [Mekhitarian] Armenian High School à Istanbul,
dans le quartier de NiÅ?antaÅ?ı, a dit qu’ils avaient pris des mesures
importantes pour résoudre les problèmes, suite à une série de
négociations menées avec Ankara.

Barsamyan a dit que les divergences d’opinions entre les directeurs
arméniens et les adjoints turcs avaient créé de grands problèmes dans
le passé. « En fait, selon la loi en vigueur, nous pouvons choisir nos
propres adjoints et nos professeurs. Nous voulons simplement légaliser
ce règlement », a-t-il dit.

« Le mandat actuel d’un professeur est de 5 ans +1. Nous voulons que
cette période soit réduite à un an et choisir nos propres professeurs
selon leur compétence », a déclaré Barsamyan.

Silva Kuyumcuyan, la directrice du lycée central arménien (Getronagan)
à Karaköy, a apporté sa contribution au rapport. « Il est vrai que
nous ne sommes plus confrontés aux problèmes que nous avons eu dans le
passé. Nous demandons simplement une égalité de citoyenneté. Nous
exigeons que les réglementations des autres écoles soient aussi
appliquées dans les nôtres », a-t-elle dit.

à Istanbul, il y a 14 écoles élémentaires, cinq lycées et un jardin
d’enfants appartenant à la communauté. 3000 étudiants se sont inscrits
dans ces écoles l’an dernier.

Les Grecs et le problème de la réciprocité

Une autre communauté de Turquie, celle des Grecs, ne fera pas la même
demande, en raison de la loi sur la réciprocité, basée sur les
principes du Traité de Lausanne, signé in 1923.

« Selon la loi de réciprocité, toute mise en Å`uvre faite ici, doit
correspondre à une mise en Å`uvre en Thrace occidentale [en Grèce].
Donc, cette question dépasse nos capacités, et ne peut être résolue
que par des négociations entre la Turquie et la Grèce », a dit Y.A.,
le directeur d’une école grecque historique à Istanbul.

Il était aussi plus sceptique quant à leur capacité à nommer leurs
propres professeurs selon leurs propres critères. « Nous avons aussi
eu des problèmes avec des directeurs adjoints turcs ces dernières
années, mais maintenant, les professeurs sont plus démocratiques.
Avant tout, si nous nommons les professeurs, qui payera leurs salaires
? Nous avons déjà des difficultés financières », a dit Y.A.

5 septembre 2012

©Traduction de l’anglais C.Gardon pour le Collectif VAN ` 19 septembre
2012 `

Retour à la rubrique

Source/Lien : Hurriyet Daily News

ARMENIE
Le Fonds Hayastan continue à patronner les rénovations de la Maternité d’Abovyan

La filiale de Montréal du Fonds Hayastan continue à soutenir les
rénovations à la Maternité d’Abovyan, dans la Région du Kotayk en
Arménie.

Le projet est patronné par les bienfaiteurs M. et Mme. Vrej et
Imasdouhi Nigoghossian du Canada.

Avec la première phase du projet, en 2010, le fonds a complètement
rénové l’hôpital, le transformant en une structure dernier cri. La
deuxième phase, effectuée plus tôt cette année, a aboutit dans la
reconstruction et la modernisation du Département Postnatal de
l’hôpital.

La troisième phase, qui a été annoncée en mai après une visite à
l’hôpital d’une délégation de Montréal comprendra la rénovation de
trois pièces ( pour un total de 70 mètres carrés) dans le Département
Postnatal.

mercredi 19 septembre 2012,
Stéphane ©armenews.com

`Big Fish’ Are Vulnerable and Weak

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 10:10:16 – 20/09/2012

Dwelling on Serzh Sargsyan’s assessment and reprimand to the
government during the consultations with the ministers, secretary of
Heritage party Styopa Safaryan told Lragir.am that the assessment of
the president was right.

According to Styopa Safaryan, the system of kickbacks functioning in
Armenia has been crucial for a number of businessmen. He would like to
see concrete steps aimed at winning the trust of the population and
inspiring hope that it is meaningful to live in this country and that
they are protected.

Asked whether the current government has the necessary political will
to fight corruption and kickbacks, Styopa Safaryan said that the
president’s speech was evidence of the existence of the political
will; at least the president has it. Hence, the government has nothing
else to do but to realize that will, said Safaryan. He noted at the
same time that he would believe that Serzh Sargsyan’s speech was not a
political propaganda if he didn’t understand that this country with
the current system is unable to go on.

`I would like to believe that the president realizes this fact because
it is evident that there are difficulties to fill the deficit of the
budget these months. Besides, perhaps they realize that in this
region, where Armenia is blockaded, our country has no other way that
to become a competitive state’, said Safaryan.

Dwelling on Serzh Sargsyan’s appeal to take the `big fish’, Styopa
Safaryan noted that it is the society to render the `big fish’
monsters. In reality, they are very vulnerable. `I don’t call on
taking revenge but they just need to understand that they should play
within certain rules and passing them would be punished’, says
Heritage secretary.

Armenia is an opponent that deserves the maximum of respect : Cesare Prandelli

09:55, 20 September, 2012

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 20, ARMENPRESS: Armenia -Italy is the most
expected game in Mundial 2014 qualifying round for Armenian football
fans. Armenpress had an interview with ”Gli Azzurri” chief coach
Cesare Prandelli.

-What information do you have about Armenian national football team
and Armenian football in general?

-The Armenian team made huge progress during the last three seasons
and particularly the last one when they just missed to qualify for
Euro 2012 after a dramatic play-off against the Republic of Ireland.
Globalization and a general technical improvement among the
continental competitions helped its football tradition to bounce back
and arousing.

-Your opinion about Armenian National team?

– It’s a tough team, especially when to be played at its home ground:
solid on many points of view, well organized and balanced tactically,
provided of plenty options in the offensive area. Armenia it’s an
opponent that deserve the maximum of respect from anybody else’s team.

-What Armenian footballers do you know?

– Henrik Mkhitaryan is the most talented player, his vision of the
game allows him to play both as midfielder or forward with same
quality and efficiency. With him I’d say Marcos Pizzelli, a very
skilled forward, and veteran defender Sargis Hovsepyan, which is a
pillar into the Armenian defensive system and a reckoned leader
moreover.
-In your mind who are the favorites of B group? And what for you favor them?
– To be honest Group B is a very balanced pool by hosting three Euro
2012 finalists as Italy, Denmark and Czech Republic, and two rampant
teams as Armenia and Bulgaria. We are all five in a tough concurrency
to qualify directly to the Final phase, I’m convinced that home wins
will be crucial for everybody.

-Are you satisfied with 2-2 recorded score with Bulgaria and 2-0 with Malta?

– I’m slightly satisfied. Our aim was to finish this first round with
6 points, but in the same time we were aware of those difficulties
Italy should face in the early stages of the season. Anyway we’re top
of the ranking with Bulgaria but there’s still a lot of job to be done
despite being Europe’s runners up. We’ve took on board any newcomers
after the Euro 2012 expedition and then works are still in progress
looking forward to find out a new identity of play.

-Your expectations from coming game with Armenia due October 12?

– Italy compete to win its Group as our opponents do: to achieve it we
have to demonstrate our previous lessons are been learnt. This means
to be more fit and get the chance to dare more on the pitch by
displaying intensity on our football style. It won’t be easy to play
abroad in a hot ambiance such Yerevan is and against a tough team as
Armenia, but competition is competition and I’m confident my team has
the right attitude to comply with.

Courrier International
19 sept 2012

Retour sur le génocide arménien

Hasan Cemal, éditorialiste du quotidien Milliyet, vient de sortir un
livre intitulé 1915 : le génocide arménien. Pour Ahmet Hakan de
Hürriyet, `ce livre a d’autant plus de valeur que Hasan Cemal est le
petit-fils de Djemal Pacha’. Or Djemal Pacha est un des trois membres
du triumvirat jeune-turc responsable du génocide arménien. Cet ouvrage
s’inscrit dans un mouvement minoritaire, mais disposant de relais
médiatiques, lancé depuis quelques années par une série
d’intellectuels turcs visant à assumer sans tabou le passé de leur
pays, fût-il douloureux. Hasan Cemal explique ainsi dans ce livre le
cheminement qui l’a amené petit à petit à lire l’histoire de la
tragédie arménienne en se démarquant de la thèse officielle turque.
L’article 301 du Code pénal turc punissant l’insulte à l’identité
nationale turque a servi pour traîner en justice tous ceux qui ont
reconnu le génocide arménien. Si son application n’est plus aussi
systématique, en raison d’un amendement, il reste une menace pour tous
ceux qui admettent publiquement la thèse d’un génocide arménien.

Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
Sept 19 2012

Jihad romance: We’d love you dearly if you converted!

BURAK BEKDÄ°L

According to the findings of an international survey, Turks adore
themselves but not any other nation, and the world does not care much
for them overall. Yet maybe it is better this way, as `to love oneself
is the beginning of a lifelong romance,’ according to Oscar Wilde; or
to quote Paul Valery `love is being stupid together.’

It looks as though the Turks have faith in a lifelong romance.
According to Transatlantic Trends, an annual survey of public opinion,
85 percent of Turks have a favorable view of their own country ‘ where
even ducks can be raped (`Man rapes duck in Turkish village ` Hürriyet
Daily News ` Sept. 14, 2012).

But this `un-love’ for other nations is not unrequited: Only 42
percent of the EU12 and 43 percent of Americans have a favorable
opinion of Turks and Turkey.

And according to an Islamist columnist, Turkey, (post-Assad) Syria and
Libya should spearhead efforts to build an `Islamic commonwealth.’
`Those were the days,’ this columnist wrote with a painful longing for
the good old days when even `non-Muslim women in Muslim lands had to
cover their heads with a scarf.’

According to another Islamist columnist the only way we can come to
love America is if the whole country converted to Islam! Simple, just
like Malcolm X did, he wrote. Sure, he promised, we shall love America
if Americans lived true Muslim lives and `therefore, they did not
kill, steal or provoked enmity.’ Perhaps the Americans should consider
this generous offer if they want to be loved by the Turks and other
Muslims. Once in a love affair, the now Muslim-Americans and Turks can
be stupid together.

But being Turkish is quite a face value these days: on the Middle East
kidnapping market Turkish passports are real top value. Before the
second kidnapped Turk in Lebanon was freed, Yemeni tribesmen kidnapped
a Turkish bus driver in the country’s south to push the government to
release a jailed kinsmen. At the current pace of kidnappings, the
Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs may soon have to launch a `Special
Department for the Release of Kidnapped Nationals.’

Turks may prefer to be `unhappy alone than unhappy with someone else.’
But it is sad that the famous motto we all learned at school in the
50s to the late 80s is still enjoying overwhelming popularity despite
the collapse of Kemalism: `A Turk’s only friend is a Turk.’ Religion
per se has failed to spark the love affair Turkish Islamists hoped it
would ignite with other Muslim nations. Apparently, Muslimness does
not suffice: Which sect are you? Which tribe are you? Do you believe
in Shariah? Are you secular? Do you shake hands with women? Why do you
have your wedding ring on your left hand? Are you an Arab Muslim or
non-Arab? Why did your ancestors enslave ours for centuries?

Perhaps more… Even Sunni Muslim Turks and Sunni Muslim Kurds are
killing each other in one of world’s most violent conflicts of the
past half century. Apparently, there will be further bloodshed as long
as Turkish bigwigs believe that `a common faith’ can solve this
dispute. Remember how the Turkish interior minister called the PKK
fighters a few months ago? `Oh, they are pork-eating Zoroastrians!’
And, more recently, how did a lawmaker from the ruling Justice and
Development Party refer to them? `Ah, oh, uh, these kids are Armenian
converts!’

We have no means to know if the honorable lawmaker knows things we
don’t, like whether the Turkish authorities perform human skull tests
to determine the race of enemy fighters. We don’t know either if that
lawmaker is equipped with a surreal talent to tell a body’s ethnic
background just by looking at a photograph.

But in this age of Sunni-Muslim-Turkish supremacy, nothing should be
surprising. Dear seven billion plus inhabitants of the world: We will
love you if you convert to (Sunni) Islam and adopt Turkishness! No
deadlines, but just be smart enough not to miss this chance.
September/19/2012

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Sept 19 2012

Armenia enjoys excessive harvest

by David Stepanyan, Yerevan. Exclusively for VK

2012 was productive for Armenian agriculture. Fruits and vegetables
flooded the Ararat Valley, the main agricultural region of the
country. But instead of gaining additional income, farmers lost what
they earned in the previous years.

Supply of peaches, plums, grape and some vegetable types exceeded the
demand, resulting in average prices of about $0.25-1.25. The prices
were formed by resellers who pay half of it at best or a third in some
cases. But even that price does not allow farmers to make profit from
their hard work, because Yerevan cannot consume fruits and vegetables
in quantities offered.

Peasants had to sell their products, for example, peaches, at a
ridiculously low price of $0.13 per kg. Factories, for example, the
canned food factory in Borodino in the Ararat Region or Spaika, a
company exporting fruits and vegetables from Armenia) select only the
best fruits and leave the rest. Moreover, the little cash they offer
is not paid immediately. They are handed only in a few months after
being processed in affiliated banks. Farmers are forced to take loans
at the very same banks before they get their payments.

Armenian fruits and vegetables have high demand in Russia due to their
ecological benefits. Prices for fruits and vegetables in Russia are
tens of times higher. Armenia could have organized exports of
high-quality products to Russia, not to mention other CIS states,
instead of having it rot in fields and gardens. The question is why
cannot Armenian farmers organized exports of their products
themselves?

Gagik Agajanyan, Executive Director of Apaven, an international
transport company, told VK that exports of any products made in
Armenia do not undergo taxing. The mechanisms are simple, cargo
registration are customs offices on the border is realized basing on
documents presented by authorities of communities where the fruits
were grown. Then, an export declaration is presented. Verkhny Lars is
open, there are no car transport problems in Georgia, illegal fees are
only common in North Caucasus republics. Although Russian executives
are trying to resolve the problem. Thus, it seems that nothing gets in
the way of agricultural exports from Armenia, at first view. However,
Armenian tax laws set a 20% VAT for any goods being exported.

Exporters get the sum back later, but the process takes a year. Where
would a farmer get enough cash to pay VAT and wait a whole year to get
the money back. The government does not let itself remain idle.
Armenian Deputy Minister for Agriculture Robert Makaryan said that if
processing and exporting enterprises of Armenia use their potential at
full power, there would be not problems in realizing agricultural
products. A state structure monitoring harvesting and exports of
products has been organized this year. President Serzh Sargsyan
ordered grape prices to be set at 140 drams per kilo. Owners of
factories reacted to the urge and the situation started improving.

Ara Grigoryan, Executive Director of the Yerevan Cognac Factory, the
largest processing enterprise of Armenia, called the president’s 140
drams price the happy mean and decided to prepare 24,000 tons of grape
in 2012, exceeding the previous year’s quantity by 3,000 tons.
Purchases of grape started on September 10. The cognac factory (owned
by Pernod Picard) decided to increase purchase prices to 140 drams.
Grigoryan said that the factory will start signing long-term deals
with farmers in spring 2013, to purchase grape for 9 years. It would
help farmers solve their present problems and plan business for the
future with greater harvests. Long-term contracts will encourage banks
to give loans for development.

A new factory to process apricots, peaches, apples, plums and tomatoes
was launched. It belongs to Euroterm and is the only agricultural
processing facility built from scratch and equipped with advanced
European technologies, allowing 300-500 tons of fruits and vegetables
to be processed. Euroterm exports about 70% products to Russia, USA,
France, Germany, UAE, Kazakhstan and Australia.

But these achievements cannot resolve the problem of realizing
agricultural products in Armenia. In order to understand the reasons,
one needs to recall the collapse of the USSR, when Armenian
authorities started bringing their innovative plans to life.
Agriculture was the first to face the impact of reforms started in the
1990s. As a result, the situation in gardens and fields this year has
become unsatisfactory. Problems with realization of fruits and
vegetables are caused by fragmentation of farms and lands. 430,000
farms were formed during privatization of the 1990s, an absurd figure
for a country as small as Armenia. Finland, for instance, has 67,000
farms. According to the Ministry for Agriculture, only 470,000
hectares of fields were planted, which means that a farmer has an
average of only 1.1 hectares of land. Specialists VK interviewed say
that the optimal land size is about 100 hectares. It will allow
circulation of agricultural lands, solve watering issues, fertilizers,
efficient use of equipment and organized realization of products. 46%
of Armenian population is agricultura, compared with 2-6% in advanced
states.

These `results’ were achieved after 20 years of market `reforms’ and
market `development’, proving that all agricultural reforms,
especially privatization, were ignorant and mischievous. They were so
mischievous that if there were no reforms and the collective farms of
the USSR were left as they were, the result would most likely be a lot
better. Belarus can boast the best confirmation of the idea.
Agriculture became so shattered with the help of almost all
governments since President Levon Ter-Petrosyan. Consequently, modern
farming resembles that of Medieval times, unproductive and
uncompetitive. The agriculture minister still calls for cooperation of
farmers in order to solve all agricultural problems, including
products rotting at `uncooperative’ fields. Words and actions of
Armenian functionaries have always been contradicting each other,
although that would not stop them from announcing `increase of volumes
and income of processing industry’ belonging to the wealthy part of
the population. The 430,000 farms of Armenia will probably feel no
better from this increase.

An Evening of Tribute To Manoog Young at NAASR

by Armenian Weekly
September 19, 2012

BELMONT, Mass. – The National Association for Armenian Studies and
Research (NAASR) invites the public to attend `An Evening of
Commemoration and Tribute to NAASR Founding Chairman Manoog S. Young’
on Thurs., Oct. 4 at 8 p.m., at its Belmont headquarters, 395 Concord
Ave.

Manoog Soghomon Young of Belmont, the founding chairman of NAASR and
its chairman until 2001, passed away on July 3, 2012, at the age of
94.

The evening will feature slides and video of Young, as well as short
presentations by several individuals who worked closely with him
across more than five decades: Dr. Gregory H. Adamian, president
emeritus and chancellor, Bentley University; Prof. Richard N. Frye,
Aga Khan Professor Emeritus of Iranian History, Harvard University;
Prof. James R. Russell, Mashtots Professor of Armenian Studies,
Harvard University; past and present NAASR chairs Nancy R. Kolligian
and Raffi P. Yeghiayan; and Marc A. Mamigonian, current NAASR director
of academic affairs.

This event will provide an opportunity to remember Manoog Young, the
man and the leader who devoted much of his life to creating and
nurturing Armenian studies in America, and pay tribute to his vision,
dedication, commitment to high ideals, and rich legacy. In recognition
of Young’s singular achievements and seminal role in the development
not only of NAASR but of Armenian studies as a whole, NAASR has
established the Manoog S. Young Fund for Armenian Studies at NAASR.

For more information, call (617) 489-1610, fax (617) 484-1759, e-mail
[email protected], or write to NAASR, 395 Concord Ave., Belmont, MA 02478.
All donations received prior to the planned Oct. 4 event will be
acknowledged that evening and are tax-deductible.

Syrian-Armenian: “Aleppo is the only city where churches and mosques coexist”
Narek Alexanyan

hetq
13:33, September 19, 2012

Vazken Mesrobian, a Syrian-Armenian now living in Armenia, told
reporters in Yerevan not to give too much credence to the alleged
relgious factor in the ongoing military battle for power in Syria.

Mesrobian reminded members of the lcal press that religious tolerance
has always been the hallmark of Syrian society, with Muslims and
Christians living side by side in peace for centuries.

He noted that this is particularly true in Aleppo, with its diverse
mix of peoples and religions.

“Aleppo is probably the only city in the world where you can find a
church and mosque existing side by side,” Mesrobian said.

He noted that Armenians, who somehow survived the 1915 Genocide and
wound up in Syria, were able to come to an understanding with the
Arabs and coexist.

Mesrobian said he wasn’t planning to return given the ongoing
hostilities in Syria.

He said that the problems originally faced by Syrian-Armenians upon
arriving in Amenia had since been resolved. And pointed out that a
school had even been launched for Syrian-Armenian children with the
assistance of the Ministry of the Diaspora.