LEFT THE CONGRESS
Story from Lragir.am News:
Published: 16:16:39 – 18/05/2012
On May 18 the Republic Party held a board session and discussed
cooperation with the Armenian National Congress. The party has decided
to leave the Congress.
Note that the leader of the party Aram Zaven Sargsyan had stated such
likelihood earlier, adding his intention to lay down his parliamentary
mandate.
May 18, 2012
Edition: U.S.
Christopher Atamian
Writer, director, producer and translator
In Memoriam: Aris Sevag — Making a Great City Greater
Posted: 05/18/2012 2:05 pm
A dear friend to many and an unsung hero of New York’s unique
immigrant experience and culture passed away on April 28th from
cancer. Like other immigrants from around the world, Sevag’s family
came to the United States to escape persecution and experience the
freedom and relative prosperity that America offered diligent
newcomers. From Everek in Western Armenia, they settled in
Philadelphia where Aris was born and eventually made the short trip
northward to make his home in New York. Over the years, Aris was the
most humble of voices as he penned numerous articles, translations,
commentaries and essays — many devoted specifically to the lives of
Armenian-Americans or their forefathers in the Ottoman Empire.
Aris was a gentle giant, a tall hulk of a man and an autodidact who
learned Western Armenian as an adult. This did not stop him from
making enormous contributions to Armenian culture. He worked for over
twenty years as a respected and avuncular editor at The Armenian
Reporter, one of the area’s leading ethnic publications. In 2009, he
took over as editor of the venerable publication Araratmagazine. For
generations Ararat was the lifeblood of the Armenian-American literary
scene, publishing works by upcoming and already famous writers such as
William Saroyan and Michael Arlen, as well as leading historians and
political scientists. Under Aris’ tutelage, the magazine continued to
publish a wide range of writers and historians, delivering a balanced
selection of old and new. In the three years that I turned in essays,
short stories, reviews and translations to Aris, he was an exemplary
editor, always constructive in his criticism and never uttering a
harsh word to his writers. He gave me free reign as well to write on
any topic that I chose, and only inserted an editor’s comment or note
when it was absolutely necessary. On one occasion, I handed in a short
story to him, a tale partly inspired by Avetik Issahakian’s
orientalist tale Sahadi’s Last Spring. Aris sat on it for a few weeks.
After I had sent him several gentle reminders, he wrote back with two
questions about the piece’s plot and style. As with any other
overly-sensitive writer, I was incensed: “How dare he?” I thought. “He
just doesn’t get it!”
After a few weeks, I re-read his comments and decided to make the two
changes that he had suggested — both were innocuous and in truth,
quite perceptive. A week later, I received an email from Aris: “Your
piece, ‘Mrs Zildjian and the Muslim Pendant,’ is up!” I was elated,
of course. It was typical Aris: no fuss, no muss.
Aris’ contributions went far beyond the hundreds of articles that he
contributed over the years. As a translator, he brought the world the
English translation of Reverend Grigoris Balakian’s harrowing Armenian
Golgotha, a first-hand account of the infamous deportations which
began on the night of April 24th, 1915 and marked the beginning of the
Armenian genocide. Balakian was one of the 250 Armenian intellectuals
who were rounded up in Constantinople and driven to Ayash, a
concentration camp inland. Balakian miraculously escaped. His
descriptions of what he witnessed will leave the reader shocked and
dismayed; Aris’ translation perfectly captures the victims’ despair as
well as the literary quality of the original Armenian.
Yet it is perhaps Aris’ translations of Bedros Keljik’s
Armenian-American Sketches which I love the most and through which he
may justifiably lay claim to being a true intellectual son of New
York. These touching, colorful sketches of early 20th century
immigrant life deserve their place, for example, next to Abraham
Cahan’s The Rise of David Levinsky (1917), and Heny Roth’s 1934
masterpieceCall it Sleep. Keljik’s sketches were being serialized by
Aris in the pages of Ararat since 2010. As his life neared its end, he
never mentioned his illness or complained about his predicament: he
kept on working as always and he was able to publish seven of the 21
short stories in the collection, seven precious gifts to old friends
and new readers alike.
Read the first of Aris Sevag’s translations of Bedros Keljik’s
“Armenian-American Sketches” in Ararat Magazine:
US HOUSE SUBCOMMITTEE PROPOSES TO INCREASE FINANCIAL AID TO SEPARATIST REGIME IN NAGORNO KARABAKH
APA
May 17 2012
Azerbaijan
The subcommittee rejected Barak Obama’s proposal to cut aid to Armenia
by USD 7,5 million
Baku. Anakhanum Hidayatova – APA. The United States House
Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related
Programs offered to increase humanitarian assistance to the separatist
regime in Nagorno Karabakh, from USD 2 mln to USD 5 mln. The Armenian
National Committee of America said that the subcommittee rejected
Obama administration’s proposal to cut assistance to Armenia by USD
7,5 million. As a result of Congressman Adam Schiff’s efforts it
was proposed to increase assistance to Nagorno Karabakh by 150%,
to save the same amount of assistance to Armenia, to assist the
Samtskhe-Javakhetia region of Georgia, as well as offered to maintain
military parity between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
The Subcommittee called the US Administration to formulate a strategy
for aid to the Armenian population of Georgia’s Javakhetia region. The
Subcommittee also called U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to
render assistance to Armenians and other Christian peoples who are
in a difficult situation after the recent turmoil in the Middle East.
These proposals were included in the agenda of the Congress
Appropriations Committee.
MP MUSA GULIYEV INTENDS TO VISIT HIS HOMETOWN IN ARMENIA
APA
May 17 2012
Azerbaijan
Baku. Rashad Suleymanov – APA. Azerbaijani MP Musa Guliyev, who will
attend the 39th plenary meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) in Armenia,
plans to visit his hometown – Urud village of Sisyan region, Guliyev
told APA.
Guliyev said that he discussed this issue with Armenian MPs in
Belgrade. He said Armenian parliamentarians promised to help him to
visit his hometown. “My goal is to visit my home village Urud and the
graves of my ancestors. If the Armenian political government allows
it, one can understand it as their good intention”.
Guliyev visited Urud village in 2006 when he attended the BSEC
Parliamentary Assembly meeting in Armenia.
Vice-President of the BSEC Parliamentary Assembly Asef Hajiyev, MPs
Musa Guliyev and Jale Aliyeva will represent Azerbaijan at the event
which will be held on May 21-24.
‘ARMENIA MUST STEP BACK FROM THE OCCUPIED AZERBAIJANI LANDS’
AzerTag
May 17 2012
Azerbaijan
Armenia must implement the international requirements and step back
from the occupied Azerbaijani lands, member of the Azerbaijan-Turkey
inter-parliamentary friendship group, chairperson of the “Eurasia
International Research Institute” Public Union, PhD Ganira Pashayeva
said in her speech at some Turkish TV channels aired in Europe.
Ganira Pashayeva spoke about the atrocities of Armenia committed in
the occupied Azerbaijani lands. “The 20-year occupation of 20% of the
Azerbaijani territories by Armenia is the issue of not just Azerbaijan
but the whole Turkish world. The world shows indifference to the
atrocities committed by Armenia in the occupied lands of Azerbaijan,
but we should not and will not allow it to continue,” the MP stressed.
She added that despite the resolutions of the EU and UN regarding
the occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh by Armenia, that country had not
implemented any of them. And despite this, no pressure is exerted
on Armenia.
“Regardless of place of birth and place of residence, every Turk
should convey the Khojaly Genocide, Karabakh realities to the world
and try to reach worthy punishment of perpetrators of this genocide.
The Khojaly genocide, the Nagorno-Karabakh problems is the problem
of the entire Turkish world”, Pashayeva stated.
FILM: TRIBUTE TO TAVIANI BROTHERS IN RABAT: WITH THE FILM ‘LA MASSERIA DELLE ALLODOLE’
ANSAmed
May 17, 2012 Thursday 12:34 PM CET
(ANSAmed) The Italian Cultural Institute in Rabat will pay tribute
this afternoon to Italian directors Paolo and Vittorio Taviani,
screening the film “La masseria delle allodole”.
The film will be screened in the Institute in the context of the
“Storie” (Stories) cycle, dedicated to Italian cinema. The Taviani
brothers have won a David di Donatello, the Italian version of the
Oscar, for their film “Cesare deve morire”, performed by prisoners
serving long penalties in Italian jails. “La masseria delle allodole”
is the eighth film of the two Italian directors. It was released
in May five years ago and is based on the novel with the same title
written by Antonia Arslan. The film tells the story of an Armenian
family that flees from the genocide by the Turks. The cast includes
Paz Vega, Alessandro Preziosi, Amgela Molina and Tcheky Karyo.
IRAN PHOTO MUSEUM EXHIBITS PHOTOGRAPHS OF QAJAR ERA
press tv
Thu May 17, 2012 12:52PM GMT
The Sevruguin photo shows Nasser ad-Din Shah Qajar on the right.
The Iran Photo Museum has mounted an exhibition of photos taken by
international photographers during the Qajar era, in the capital city
of Tehran.
The event displays a collection of photos by Armenian-Georgian
photographer Antoin Sevruguin, British-Russian photographer Russi
Khan Ivanov, French photographers Felix Nadar and Eugene Pirou,
and Russian photographer Dmitri Ivanovich Ermakov.
The collection belongs to the Iranian genealogist and historian of
the University of Hamburg Ashkan Aminianfard and depicts of a number
of Qajar officials.
Visitors can also see works by Mirza Abdollah Qajar, Dust-Mohammad
Khan Moayyer-ol-Mamalek, Mohammad-Hassan Khan Qajar, Mirza Mohammad
Khan Heshmat-ol-Mamalek and a number of other Iranian photographers.
The exhibition, which will run until June 5, has been organized to
commemorate the International Museum Day on May 18.
Qajar prince Malek-Qasem Mirza was the first Iranian who tried
photography in the country. The only other photographer of the
time was Jules Richard, a French tutor who took a picture with a
daguerreotype camera.
The art of photography was introduced in Iran about five years after
its invention in 1839 and during the last years of Qajar king Mohammad
Shah’s reign.
Nasser ad-Din Shah, who was very interested in the new technology,
sent a number of Iranian students to Europe to learn the art.
MONOGRAPH ON ECOLOGY OF LAKE SEVAN TO BE PUBLISHED
Vestnik Kavkaza
May 17 2012
Russia
Karine Daniyelyan, PhD in Geography, Chairman of the Association For
Sustainable Human Development of the National Committee UNEP, said
that a monograph entitled “Integral Evaluation of the Ecological
Condition of Lake Sevan” will soon be published, ARKA reports.
The scientist said that his goal is to evaluate the genesis and
evolution of the lake’s problems to find their solutions. The work
was composed after a two-stage expedition in 2011. Additional studies
of harm from mines in the area are still needed.
Daniyelyan said that the UN Development Program for ecology UNEP GRID
Arendal supported the project. Experts of the National Academy of
Sciences of Armenia, Ministry for Ecology and Emergencies, Ministry
for Healthcare and independent experts helped compose the monograph.
Vladimir Movsisyan, Chairman of the Presidential Commission for
Lake Sevan Problems, Simon Papyan, Deputy Minister for Ecology, Yuri
Javadyan, PhD in Techniques and Director of Armvodoproyekt, Alexey
Tarverdyan, Chief Engineer of Armvodoproyekt and Knarik Ovannisyan,
expert of the Public Ecological Coalition for Problems of Water
Resources, contributed to the work. The monograph was reviewed by
Aram Avakyan, head of the Subdepartment for Socio-Economic Geography
of Yerevan State University, member of the Presidium of the Armenian
Georgraphic Society, and Tigran Sarkisyan, member of the Presidium
of the Association for Sustainable Human Development of the National
Committee UNEP.
The book will be published in Armenian, Russian and English in
500 copies.
Lake Sevan is the highest lake in Europe and Asia at an altitude of
1914 meters. Its water level was 1900.1 m on January 1, 2012, just
as in 1963. It covers 1500 square km. It is the main source of water
in the region. The water level will increase to 1903.5 meters in 2030.
ARMENIA’S NEW PM WILL BE APPOINTED WITHIN FIRST 10 DAYS OF JUNE – JUSTICE MINISTER
Vestnik Kavkaza
May 17 2012
Russia
During a briefing on Thursday, Armenia’s Justice Minister Hrayr
Tovmasyan explained the constitutional procedures for the formation of
a new government in the country following National Assembly elections,
News.am reports.
He informed that the whole cabinet will resign on the first day of
the new National Assembly session, but it will continue as an acting
government.
Within ten days after the new parliament’s first session-that is, until
June 10-the President, consulting with the National Assembly factions,
will appoint a new prime minister who is supported by the majority.
Within twenty days thereafter, the President, upon the new prime
minister’s suggestion, will appoint new Cabinet members.
Within twenty days thereafter, the Government will introduce its
program to the parliament and if approved, it will continue its
commission.
“These are the maximum terms: 50 days. But experience shows that
this is carried out in a shorter time period. I believe a new prime
minister will be appointed and a government will be formed within
first ten days of June,” Armenia’s Justice Minister noted.
QUI PRODST? – WHO BENEFITS?
By Zaza Jgharkava
Georgia Today
May 17 2012
Georgia
The Georgian opposition and the Russian media raised the issue of
the Davit Gareji Monastery Complex again. The Russian resources that
truly benefit from the misunderstanding and conflict between Tbilisi
and Baku are particularly active, especially in a situation when Baku
is slowly distancing itself from the Moscow orbit.
Everything followed the May 6 visit of members of billionaire
opposition leader Bidzina Ivanishvili’s party to Gareji when
ecclesiastics told them about the situation in the monastery complex.
According to the monks, Azerbaijani border guards are not allowing
either foreign tourists or pilgrims to the territory. Thus, a new
scandal began.
Located in east Georgia’s Kakheti region on the half-desert slopes,
Davit Gareji is a Georgian Orthodox monastery complex uniting cells,
churches and chapels dating back to the 6th century A.D. and is named
after one of the thirteen Assyrian monks who arrived in Georgia at
the same time, founded monasteries in various parts of the country
and made immense contribution to strengthening the Christian religion
and culture in Georgia. Part of the Davit Gareji complex is also
located on the territory which is administered by Azerbaijan and has
become subject to a border dispute between Georgian and Azerbaijani
authorities. The border demarcation process between the two countries
has been underway for the past two decades.
This week the official Tbilisi, then the Georgian Ministry of Culture
responded to the resumed scandal. According to the Deputy Foreign
Minister of Georgia Nino Kalandadze, the part of the Gareji complex
which caused the problem is not within Georgia’s borders, “It is the
territory of Azerbaijan. However, the working group has been compiled
and the border demarcation process is underway.” According to the
Foreign Ministry, it is in the interests of both sides to resolve
the problem and demarcation issues soon.
The Interior Ministry of Georgia also had to comment about the
territorial scandal. Shota Khizanishvili, Head of the Administration
and Public Relations Office of the Interior Ministry confirmed once
again that the territory under discussion now is the state border
of Azerbaijan. And those willing to visit the territory have to go
through special procedures similar to crossing any state borders.
The Georgian Minister of Culture explains the situation with the
attempt to cross this part of Gareji without a visa. According to Nika
Rurua, the information that suggests Georgian pilgrims are not allowed
to enter Davit Gareji is wrong. Rurua says that limitations do not
apply and will not apply to Georgian citizens. Azerbaijani border
guards however, did not allow foreign tourists who were without a
visa. The minister said it was an unfortunate reality that this part of
land belonges to Azerbaijan. According to him, “Restoration specialists
are working in Davit Gareji and they have not had any problems.”
The border scandal promoted by the political group of the billionaire
two-weeks ago takes start from the 1920s. In 1921, the decision of the
Caucasus Bureau of the South Caucasus Federation, Sergo Orjonikidze,
proved to be crucial. Under his leadership the internal borders were
established. Back then, Azerbaijani and Armenian communists demanded
certain territories; in particular- Lore on the side of the Armenians,
Karaia Valley and Zakatala District on the side of the Azerbaijanis.
Georgian communists were not particularly active. Thus, Orjonikidze
decided the issue in favor of Azerbaijan and Armenia. He also
accompanied his decision with explanations: “It is shameful to
dispute borders between brother communists. When we make the world
proletarian revolution happen, there will not be borders at all. So,
why should we argue and offend our brothers.”
The issue of “regaining” Gareji is not new. Back in 1988 the National
Movement was actively using the issue.
Now the revival of the hysterical atmosphere was largely supported by
the so-called “elite intelligentsia” of that period, which surrounds
Ivanishvili now.
“Davit Gareji belongs to Georgia and why should its part be on the
territory of Azerbaijan?” – authors of this statement did not and
do not think that Azerbaijan may have a different opinion. Whether
the idea is right or wrong, in Azerbaijan it is considered that the
Davit Gareji complex is part of the cultural heritage of both Georgia
and Azerbaijan, as the Assyrian monks contributed to converting not
only Georgia, but Azerbaijan as well, in particular, the resident
population of Azerbaijan – Christian Albanians. And Azerbaijanis
consider Albanians as their ancestors along with the Turkish tribes.
If you had asked Georgian intelligentsia before or even now, they
will laugh and say it is nonsense. But no matter whether it is-
nonsense or the truth, if Georgia wants to maintain good relations
with the neighboring country, it should reconsider its attitude. In
1988, there was no one to ask the “authorities” of that time: “The
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict started on the basis of the historical
monument origins and do you want to provoke a similar war between
Georgia and Azerbaijan now?”
A lot has changed after 1988, almost no one remembered Davit Gareji.
It is a fact that despite different attitudes, Azerbaijan did not
hinder Georgian ecclesiastics to live and pray in the part of Davit
Gareji, which is formally located on the territory of Azerbaijan. This
land is officially recognized as disputed and there are endless
negotiations on the demarcation issue. However, the negotiations
are in vain. This is why the opinion was raised that Georgia may
concede other territories (three and four times more) to Azerbaijan
and receive the Davit Gareji complex fully in exchange.
This statement was voiced but it did not have a warm welcome in Baku.
It can be assumed that the Azerbaijani authorities will not agree to
such a compromise. This country does not lack territories; it has
much more territories than Georgia. Therefore, the issue of Davit
Gareji cannot be resolved by giving them land.
First, the Azerbaijanis do not want to create a precedent of giving
away disputed territory, as it can work against them in the issue of
Armenia and Karabakh. This is why the best way-out of the situation
is leaving the current status quo: the territory is disputed but the
Davit Gareji complex is (fully) owned and managed by the Georgian
Orthodox Church. On the territory formally belonging to Azerbaijan,
the border guards do not limit the work and activities of Georgian
ecclesiastics and do not interfere in their affairs.
At the same time, the people who speculate with the painful issue
should be observed closely. They are “pressing the wound” of Georgia
and Azerbaijan, i.e. are trying to provoke political problems. The
healthiest and the most natural question that one should pose in
that case was left by the old Latins as a heritage for complicated
and uncertain situations: “Qui prodst?” – “Who benefits?”