Author: Badalian Vardan

Gumri
Le gouvernement refuse de financer les réparations de rue

Le gouvernement arménien a refusé de financer des réparations
nécessaires de rues Gumri. Pour beaucoup, cela vient du fait que les
résidents locaux ont massivement voté contre la réélection du
président Serge Sarkissian.

Les routes passant par la seconde plus grande ville de l’Arménie sont
dans un état de plus en plus déplorables. Plus de 80 % d’entre elles
sont maintenant parsemées de profonds nids de poule et d’épaisses
couches de boue. Certains sont presque impraticables, rendant
compliqué pour les résidents des immeubles avoisinants l’accès à des
transports en commun et des taxis.

La municipalité de Gumri, à court de liquidités, estime que jusqu’à 80
millions de dollars sont nécessaires pour le resurfaçage de
l’infrastructure routière locale. L’ensemble de son budget annuel
équivaut à seulement 6,5 millions de dollars.

Avec son approbation tacite, le conseil municipal a récemment élaboré
une liste de six rues principales qui sont dans un besoin
particulièrement urgent de réparations, qui coûteraient 1,2 milliard
de drams (2,6 millions de dollars). Le conseil a demandé au
gouvernement central de financer les travaux routiers.

Levon Barseghian, un conseiller municipale et militant des droits
civils, a déclaré hier que les autorités d’Erevan ont rejeté cette
demande, en citant un manque de fonds. Davit Harutiunian, chef de
cabinet de Hovik Abrahamian, a leur a écrit que la municipalité
elle-même devrait prendre soin des rues de Gumri.

Barseghian a rejeté l’explication officielle, la désignant comme
“ridicule”. Il a fait valoir que les autorités arméniennes ont dépensé
en 2014 des sommes beaucoup plus importantes pour la réfection de
nombreuses rues à Erevan qui étaient dans un bien meilleur état que la
plupart des routes de Gumri.

“Chaque communauté provinciale rêverait d’avoir le genre de routes
qu’a Erevan”, a déclaré Barseghian. “Les dépenses par habitant sur les
réparations de la route à Erevan a été de 2,5 à 6 fois plus élevé que
dans Gumri.”

Sa colère est partagée par de nombreux habitants de Gumri, qui doivent
quotidiennement crapahuter dans la boue. “Nous ne pouvons plus vivre
comme ça”, se plaint une femme.

Faisant écho à un sentiment de plus en plus partagé dans la ville
encore sous le choc du tremblement de terre catastrophique de 1988,
Barseghian a affirmé que les résidents locaux paient le prix de très
piètre performance du président Sarkissian à Gumri lors de la dernière
élection présidentielle en 2013. La plupart d’entre eux a voté pour le
principal opposant, Raffi Hovannisian.

mercredi 31 décembre 2014,
Claire (c)armenews.com

ARMENIE
Tsarukyan appelle à une conférence pour discuter de la difficile
situation politique et économique

Le leader du Parti Arménie prospère (PAP) Gagik Tsarukyan a convoqué
une conférence le mois prochain pour discuter de “la difficile
situation politique et économique” dans le pays a annoncé son
porte-parole au service arménien de RFE / RL .

Iveta Tonoyan a dit que c’était une initiative personnelle et que les
diverses forces politiques, les organisations publiques, les
initiatives civiles et les mouvements sont invités à l’événement.

Selon elle, le leader du PAP veut entendre les opinions des
différentes forces politiques et déterminer conjointement des mesures
supplémentaires “parce des questions vitales importantes devront être
réglées”.

10 World’s Oldest Things From Armenia

admin December 17, 2014 ancient sky observatory, ancient wagons,
Armenia ancient war horse,Armenia petroglyphs, Armenian archaeology,
Armenian Cataphract, Innovative Stone Age tools,oldest human brain,
oldest leather shoe, oldest Metal Smelting Foundry, Wine making
Armenia,world’s oldest skirt 1 Comment 30 Views

Leather Shoe – 5,500 years old

A perfectly preserved shoe, 1,000 years older than the Great Pyramid
of Giza in Egypt and 400 years older than Stonehenge in the UK, has
been found in a cave in Armenia. The 5,500 year old shoe, the oldest
leather shoe in the world, is made from a single piece of cowhide, cut
into two layers, tanned and laced. It contained grass, although the
archaeologists were uncertain as to whether this was to keep the foot
warm or to maintain the shape of the shoe. “It is not known whether
the shoe belonged to a man or woman,” said lead author of the research
“We thought initially that the shoe and other objects were about
600-700 years old because they were in such good condition,” said Dr
Pinhasi. “It was only when the material was dated by the two
radiocarbon laboratories in Oxford, UK, and in California, US that we
realised that the shoe was older by a few hundred years than the shoes
worn by Ötzi, the Iceman.” Three samples were taken in order to
determine the absolute age of the shoe and all three tests produced
the same results. Interestingly enough the shoe very much resembles a
traditional Armenian shoe known as “charokh” a type of moccasin, still
in popular use in Armenia.

Source:

Sky Observatory – 7,500 years old

“Carahunge” or “Zorats Karer” (also known as the Armenian Stonehenge)
is a megalithic stone circle located some 200km from the Armenian
capital Yerevan, not far from the town of Sisian. The name derives
from “Car” for “stone” and “hunge” for “sound” or “voice”, meaning
“singing stones”. The structure is believed to be a sky observatory
due to the enigmatic holes drilled in the stone pointing at the cosmic
bodies like the sun, the moon and the stars. It is specifically
aligned with the Cygnus constellation and its brightest star Deneb.
Being over 2000 years older than the Stonehenge it is believed to be
the oldest known sky observatory. However, only since the middle of
the 80ies, Carahunge was first interpreted as an archaeoastronomical
monument and was studied by Prof. E.S. Parsamian (1999) and Prof. P.M.
Herouni (1998) who have dated the structure to around 5,500 BCE. There
are 222 stones with a total extent exceeding 250 metres, including 84
with holes (with 4-5 cm diameters).

Source:

Human Brain – 6,000 years old

In a cave overlooking southeastern Armenia’s Arpa River a team of
international scientists have uncovered three Copper Age human skulls,
each buried in a separate chamber. The skulls belonged to 12- to
14-year-old girls. The team in Armenia, comprised of 26 specialists
from Ireland, the United States and Armenia, had been excavating the
three-chamber cave where the brain was found since 2007. “The
preliminary results of the laboratory analysis prove this is the
oldest of the human brains so far discovered in the world,” said Dr.
Boris Gasparian, one of the excavation’s leaders and an archeologist
from the National Academy of Science’s Institute of Archaeology and
Ethnology in Yerevan. “Of course, the mummies of Pharaonic Egypt did
contain brains, but this one is older than the Egyptian ones by about
1,000 to 1,200 years.” The cave’s damp climate helped preserve red and
white blood cells in the brain remains. Genetic research is underway.

Source:

Wagons – 4,000 years old

Over a dozen rich burials have been excavated in Armenia. The most
spectacular were those excavated at Lchashen on the borders of Lake
Sevan where a more than a dozen almost complete four-wheeled and two
wheeled wagons, as well as two wheeled chariots with spoked wheels
were uncovered. Two of these wagons form a spectacular display in the
National Museum in Armenia. The four solid wheels are made from three
planks of oak, while the interior is covered by a covering of withies.
In his chronology (Timeline of the Development of the Horse, 2007)
Beverley Davis describes these wagons as follows: “Primitive wagons
dating from this time (2000 BCE) have been found in excellent
condition in Armenia. These are the oldest known wagons in the world.”
The wagons have also been included in Prof Stuart Piggott’s classic
book “The Earliest Wheeled Transport”.

Source: 1) 2)

Skirt – 5,900 years old

Fragment of a skirt made of reed was found during excavations in the
Areni-1 cave in southern Armenia. Pavel Avetisian, the head of the
Institute of Archeology and Ethnography in Yerevan, informed that this
artifact was discovered in 2010 and, even though they had informed
about this precious item at the time, interest toward it grew further
only recently. “The women’s clothing dates back to 39th century BC. So
far we have discovered the skirt’s parts, which were superbly
preserved. It is an amazing material with rhythmic color hues, and
other remnants of the straw-woven material were also discovered. Such
thing is recorded in Armenia for the first time,” Avetisyan noted.
It’s considered the world’s oldest piece of reed clothing.

Source:

Wine-Making Facility – 6,100 years old

In a cave in southern Armenia a team of international archaeologists
have unearthed a wine press for stomping grapes. Fermentation and
storage vessels, drinking cups, and withered grape vines, skins, and
seeds have also been discovered at the site. The installation suggests
the Copper Age vintners pressed their wine the old-fashioned way,
using their feet. Juice from the trampled grapes drained into the vat,
where it was left to ferment. The wine was then stored in jars–the
cool, dry conditions of the cave would have made a perfect wine
cellar. Ancient-wine expert Patrick E. McGovern, a biomolecular
archaeologist at the University of Pennsylvania Museum in
Philadelphia, called the discovery “important and unique, because it
indicates large-scale wine production, which would imply, I think,
that the grape had already been domesticated.” The apparent discovery
that winemaking using domesticated grapevines emerged in what’s now
Armenia appears to dovetail with previous DNA studies of cultivated
grape varieties, McGovern said. Armenian Highlands are considered the
birthplace of viticulture. It is believed the wine has been used for
religious or ritualistic purposes. The discovery is important, the
study team says, because winemaking is seen as a significant social
and technological innovation among prehistoric societies. Vine
growing, for instance, heralded the emergence of new, sophisticated
forms of agriculture. They had to learn and understand the cycles of
growth of the plant. They had to understand how much water was needed,
how to prevent fungi from damaging the harvest, and how to deal with
flies that live on the grapes. Chemical analysis of the residue has
dated the winery to 4,100 BCE. “This is the earliest, most reliable
evidence of wine production,” said archaeologist Gregory Areshian of
the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Source: 1)
2)

Metal Smelting Foundry – 6,000 years old

Excavation of the ruins at a Bronze Age archaeological settlement of
Metsamor in central Armenia has revealed a very large metal industry
including a foundry with 2 kinds of blast furnaces. The foundry is
known to have extracted and processed gold, copper, and several types
of manganese, zinc, strychnine, mercury, and iron. Several huge
underground caves were uncovered that are thought to have been
storehouses for base metal. The first iron in the ancient world was
probably forged here, though it was not as commonly forged as bronze.
Metal from the foundries of Metsamor found their way to Egypt, Central
Asia and China.

Source:

Innovative Stone Age Tools – 325,000 years old

Team of archaeologists and anthropologists from the United States and
Europe led by Dr Daniel Adler of the University of Connecticut have
discovered thousands of Levallois stone tools at the Armenian
archaeological site of Nor Geghi dating from between 325,000 and
335,000 years ago. Suggesting that local populations developed them
out of biface technique, which was also found at the site. Named after
flint tools discovered in the 19th century in the Levallois-Perret
suburb of Paris in France, Levallois technique is a distinctive style
of flint knapping developed by early humans during the Paleolithic.
The co-existence of the two techniques provides the first clear
evidence that local populations developed Levallois technique out of
existing biface technique. The discovery was published in the Science
Journal and challenges the commonly held out of Africa theory of human
innovation. These tools are the oldest outside of Africa, according to
the published work: “Our data from Nor Geghi 1, Armenia, record the
earliest synchronic use of bifacial and Levallois technology outside
Africa”

Source: 1) 2)

Depictions of Agriculture – 7,500 years old

Armenia is home to numerous sites containing ancient petroglyphs with
images of scenes of agriculture and domestication of animals. On the
slopes of volcanic massifs of Armenia, 3000 meters above sea level,
one can find whole galleries of rock drawings of agricultural motives.
Some of these petroglyphs are dated as far as the 12th -11th
millennium BC. People from later eras (Chalcolithic and Bronze Age)
continued to record their prowess and beliefs on the stones. The
largest variety and number of carvings date to this period and the
early Iron Age. The first farmers depicted the great history of
agronomics in these petroglyphic drawings. The symmetric arrangement
of predominantly zoomorphic heroes was an indispensable attribute of
the new times. These petroglyphs are carved onto dark brownish-black
volcanic stones left behind by an extinct volcano. Although the site
was discovered in the early 20th century, it was not really studied
until the 1920s and again in the late 1960s; it is still not fully
understood today. In his chronology (Timeline of the Development of
the Horse, 2007) Beverley Davis describes: “Petroglyphs found in
Armenia (one of the possible sites for the Indo-European homeland)
show the oldest pictures of men driving chariots, wagons, and plows,
with horses doing the pulling.”

Source: 1)
2)

War Horses – 4,500 years old

Armenian archaeologists discovered an ancient burial site containing a
large amount of sacrificed animal remains, among them war horses. The
head of the Cultural Inheritance Research Center of Armenia Hakob
Simonyan explained that the horse bones found at “Nerkin Naver” are
the oldest yet uncovered belong to a domesticated horse used for
military purposes. “This find dates back to the 26-25th centuries BC,
and it’s the oldest burial place of a horse discovered to this day. It
has an all-important significance not only for Armenia, but for the
whole Western Asia as well,” Simonian said. Horse domestication and
breading has for long been associated with ancient Armenia. Classical
writers would often refer to Armenia as a land of excellence horse
mastery. The ancient Greek historian Strabo describes Armenian war
horses in several of his passages [11. 14. 9]: “Artavasdes (king of
the Armenians), at the time when he invaded Media, showed, apart from
the rest of the cavalry, six thousand horses drawn up in battle array
covered with complete armor.” Horses have been considered sacred
animals to the ancient Armenians and have been associated with the
solar deity. Ancient Greek writers have equally recorded horse
sacrifice in Armenia, Xenophon Anabasis [4. 5. 35] (430 – 354 BC)
recounts: “Then Xenophon took the village chief back for the time to
his own household, and gave him a horse that he had got when it was
rather old, to fatten up and sacrifice, for he understood that it was
sacred to the Sun-god. He did this out of fear that the horse might
die, for it had been injured by the journey”. In almost all regions of
the Republic of Armenia bronze horse bridles have been found, dating
to the middle of the II millennium BC, and providing sound evidence of
the existence of the numerous cavalry in the late Bronze Age. One of
the most important was the bronze chariot model discovered in Loriberd
near the town of Stepanavan. It shows battle scenes, where the warring
armies consist of cavalry, heavy and light armed infantry, and units
of transport. The image on the right is showing an iron horse-bit from
the burial, which was prepared by forging technologies; which is the
earliest example of an iron curb known to us.

Source : 1)
2)

See more on ancient Armenian horse culture : Armenia the land of the
horse or read the followig two articles: Land of the Horse and
Historic quotes about horse-breeding in Armenia

________________________________

So this concludes my list of 10 World’s oldest things from Armenia. I
would very much like to know which is/are your favorite and why? Also
let me know in the comment section if it’s missing a “world’s oldest
thing from Armenia” you think should’ve made the list. The following
5 discoveries didn’t make my list due to limited information and
because I only needed 10 (maybe in the next list):

1) “World’s oldest use of Water Dams” at Mokhrablur,

2) “Earliest traces of animal pigment” Vordan Karmir

3) “World’s oldest known carpet” Pazyryk carpet

4) “World’s oldest evidence of cultivating almonds”

5) “World’s oldest cathedral” Etchmiadzin Cathedral

I am planning a video about the oldest things from Armenia (not
limited to 10 items) so all suggestions are off course welcome, let me
know your thoughts. Bellow an info-graphic for sharing on social
media, enjoy!

RUSSIAN BASE SUMS UP ACTIVITIES IN ARMENIA OVER 2014

December 30, 2014 12:00

Yerevan /Mediamax/. The Russian military base in Armenia summed up
the results of combat training of subdivisions of Gyumri and Yerevan
military garrisons over 2014 academic year.

Over 2014, more than 100 military squad and platoon firings, about
15 tactical exercises of various levels including those within a
formation have been held.

“The main focus was on training and holding of joint exercises with
the Armenian Defense Ministry subdivisions and the first tactical
exercise within the whole military base involving aviation and air
defense forces”, the press service of the base reads.

As compared to the same period of 2013, the intensity of trainings
of combat vehicle driving and flights of fighters and helicopters
increased 4.5-fold.

Over 2014, about 3500 training sessions of small arms firing and
about 500 classes for combat vehicles were carried out. Over 2200
practical classes, about 1500 test and control exercises were held
at the trainings of driving of armored vehicles and military equipment.

Pilots of “Erebuni” Russian air base carried out over 500 flights. The
overall flying time made over 2000 hours.

– See more at:

NATO MEMBER STATES ARE CONSIDERING SUPPLYING WEAPONS TO ARMENIA

Igor Muradyan, Political Analyst
Comments – 29 December 2014, 17:08

NATO’s concept of “soft power” means elaboration of NATO regional
policy which covers regional issues, as well as includes new partners.

Decisions made at Chicago Summit remain topical, and the problem is not
the concept but the lack of necessary means. Wales Summit put forth
ambitious objectives, and the U.S. and leading countries of Europe,
including France and Germany, support these decisions and intentions.

The problems relating to the unprecedented threat of the Islamic State
have necessitated revision of some NATO problems, understanding that
it is necessary to get down to decisive actions with the existing
resources.

The countries of Eastern Europe, including Georgia and Armenia,
encounter big issues in the economic and social sphere, there are
serious political problems, including in the sphere of foreign policy,
relating to external conflicts. Though Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan
are participating in the peacekeeping actions in Afghanistan, their
role is more important in terms of military and other transit. This
is an important matter, and these countries implement large-scale
tasks in logistics.

Now that NATO troops are being withdrawn from Afghanistan, South
Caucasus is acquiring special importance but over time after
implementation of these objectives South Caucasus may lose its
importance to NATO.

It is hard to tell how long this period will last. However, the
countries of the region must realize that the role of the South
Caucasus is going to change along with the objectives of NATO and
the United States.

One can state with confidence that NATO and the United States will
maintain a significant level of military presence in Central Asia,
which will define the function of military transit in the South
Caucasus.

Armenia has missed a lot in cooperation with NATO but now cooperation
is being accelerated, and the alliance is accepting this with great
interest and approval. Armenia is in a complicated situation and is
facing the prospect of continuing arms race because Azerbaijan bid
on buying a lot of weapons. This has enabled Russia to impose vassal
relations on Armenia.

Methods of political regulation are highly important but balance of
forces may be violated in the region, which boosts the risks and
threats of war in which neither NATO, nor the European Union are
interested. For this purpose, several states, including Germany and
France, set to discuss supply of arms to Armenia, considering its
financial situation. Formally, this does not concern NATO and is the
sovereign right of separate countries but NATO-Armenia cooperation
is highly important to the solution of these problems.

Since Armenia has strong commitments to Russia and CSTO, its
initiatives for cooperation with NATO are limited though, nevertheless,
development of relations is important.

It would be easier for Armenia to develop relations with NATO if the
purpose set were to join the alliance instead of some projects of
cooperation with new partners. In this case, Armenia would have to
put forth more comprehensible conceptual and specific issues.

Turkey has active participation in the preparedness of the Azerbaijani
armed forces, development of its military industry. Apparently,
Azerbaijan will make a decision on resumption of war when it agrees
with Turkey.

Now Turkey submits to NATO assessments of preparedness of the
Azerbaijani armed forces, considering it insufficient. On the whole,
Turkey finds that Azerbaijan is not ready for war. The agreement on
mutual assistance between Turkey and Azerbaijan will hardly matter
as a mechanism for Turkish military intervention.

Turkey may intervene either by its sovereign right or by the UN
decision. However, it is hard to assume that the UN will make such
a decision but in this case NATO cannot approve unless circumstances
of aggression against Turkey are present. Turkey’s participation will
be indirect, “volunteers” may take part in the military actions.

The development of relations of NATO and the European Union with the
states of the South Caucasus is based on the possibility of avoidance
of military conflicts and continuation of integration.

The United States is negotiating with Turkey within NATO over issues
relating to Armenia. Germany, France and the United Kingdom may also
conduct such negotiations but these states have no wish and either
ignore Turkey’s position or address those issues to the United States.

Experts think controversies between the United States and Turkey,
as well as NATO and Turkey have not been settled, and the prospect
of normalization of those relations is not clear. Nobody is likely
to spend significant political resources to resolve issues relating
Turkey in the nearest future. It is becoming a more acceptable tactics
to ignore Turkish objectives and requirements, including within NATO.

It is assumed that close cooperation with NATO and the EU,
strengthening the Armenian armed forces with the assistance of the
Western community, acquisition of weapons from NATO and EU member
states at reasonable prices and other preferential arrangements is
an important direction of Armenia’s security.

At the same time, military presence in NATO plans or strengthening
of functionality of the South Caucasus is not expected in the South
Caucasus. NATO does not intend to boost political efforts to prevent
military actions between Armenia and Azerbaijan. NATO means its
reputation as a factor of prevention of military actions.

DEPUTY CULTURE MIN. MEETS ARMENIAN ARCHBISHOP

Mehr News Agency, Iran
Dec 29 2014

TEHRAN, Dec. 29 (MNA) – Ahead of New Year, cultural deputy of Culture
and Islamic Guidance Ministry visited the Archbishop of Armenians
this morning.

Seyed Abbas Salehi visited Armenian Church and Archbishop in Tehran
and congratulated the arrival of New Year while pointing to the
long history of coexistence of Iranians and Armenians and their
well-intentioned relations.

Salehi said “Armenians have never been separated from Iranians and
they have been beside us at the critical moments of Revolution and
Sacred Defence.”

The official also highlighted the Islamic Republic’s approach on
ethnic and religious minorities, stating that Islamic Revolution has
always considered the minorities and praised Armenians for putting
Iran’s national interests ahead of other issues.

Pointing to the activities of Office of Assemblies under his management
as deputy minister, Salehi said the office tried to be a connecting
bridge between Armenian society and the officials and would work to
solve their problems; “our government also looks for unity among all
groups and minorities in the society.”

Archbishop Sibuh Sarkisian, for his part, appreciated the efforts
made by officials in solving the issues concerning Armenian and other
religious minorities.

Robert Baklarian, the Armenians MP from southern Iran, Karen Khanlari,
the Armenians MP for northern Iran, the officials of Armenian council
in Tehran, Ali Fereydouni, the head of Office of Assemblies, and Saeid
Taghavi, the head of Religious Minorities Office, accompanied Salehi
in the meeting.

Armenian Canadian Conservative Association
Toronto, Ontario
Contact: Sevan Hajinian
Email: [email protected]

The Armenian Nation is an idea that transcends borders

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I would like to bring to your attention the below YouTube link of the Hon.
Jason Kenney’s speech at the launch of the Armenian Canadian Conservative
Association in Toronto on Nov. 22, 2014.

The Canadian-Armenian community is privileged and fortunate to call a
principled and brave leader such as the Hon. Jason Kenney a friend of our
community.

To listen and watch the entire speech, please visit the link below

The Launch of the Armenian Canadian Conservative Association in Toronto on
Nov. 22, 2014

Published on Dec 20, 2014

`The Armenian Nation is not just the four-million people living within the
borders of the Republic of Armenia. The Armenian Nation is an idea that
transcends borders. The Armenian Nation is a spirit of tenacity, of
survival, of overcoming adversity, of fidelity– fidelity to your faith and
to your ancestors.

`To be Armenian throughout history has meant to make a choice. To make a
choice to overcome very often waves of persecution and violence and
dislocation, but to maintain that fidelity at an incredibly high price.

`To be Armenian means never to forget. Not just 1915 but never to forget
that yours was the first Christian Nation. Never to forget what that meant
during all of those years in Anatolia, in the Middle East, and in the
world-wide Diaspora.”

Hon. Jason Kenney, Canada’s Minister of Employment and Social Development
and Minister for Multiculturalism, during his keynote speech at the launch
of the Armenian Canadian Conservative Association in Toronto on Nov. 22,
2014.

RFE/RL JOURNALISTS ROUNDED UP IN BAKU

Prague Post, Czech Republic
Dec 29 2014

Police going to reporters’ homes and denied the right to counsel

WASHINGTON — Dec 27, 2014 — Journalists with RFE/RL’s Azerbaijani
Service reported that police are pursuing them individually, going
directly to their homes to take them in for questioning following a
raid on the service’s Baku bureau Dec. 26.

In a move the bureau’s legal team is calling “unprecedented –
even by Azeri standards,” police late in the evening on December 27
knocked on the doors of at least four bureau reporters demanding that
they accompany them to the prosecutor’s office for questioning. An
additional eight journalists were told to report for questioning
on Monday.

“These people are being dragged to the prosecutor’s office by force
and by threats,” said one of the lawyers, who asked that his name be
withheld out of concerns for his personal safety. “By being summoned
over the weekend, they are being denied the opportunity to have
any legal defense, despite the fact that by Azeri law a witness is
normally summoned by phone or official summons to enable a lawyer to
be present.”

RFE/RL Editor in Chief and Co-CEO Nenad Pejic condemned the police
action, and said Azeri authorities are “terrorizing our staff and
their families.”

In one case, a journalist’s mother answered the door and was told by
police that RFE/RL’s bureau is closed and that the daughter must go
with them to have “a conversation.” In addition to the journalists,
the bureau’s cleaning woman was also confronted at her home by
Azeri police.

The employees, who have all requested legal representation for their
questioning sessions, have been told they will be taken by force to
the prosecutor’s office if they do not cooperate. A lawyer for the
bureau who demanded that his clients’ right to counsel be respected
was threatened by Iqbal Huseynov, a senior investigator in the case,
with being disbarred.

Siyavoush Novruzov, deputy executive secretary for the ruling Yeni
Azerbaijan party, commented on the raid on Friday, characterizing it
as a national security issue. Speaking to the local web portal Media
Forum, he said, “Every place that works for foreign intelligence and
the Armenian lobby should be searched.”

In a related development, a Baku court yesterday heard and rejected
the appeal of investigative reporter and RFE/RL contributor Khadija
Ismayilova, who remains in prison after being sentenced on December
5 to two months’ detention on charges of inciting a colleague to
attempt suicide.

In an environment of total government control over national media,
RFE/RL’s Azerbaijani Service, Radio Azadliq has built a solid
reputation as one of the only independent outlets in Azerbaijan. On
the air since 1953, Radio Azadliq content is available in Azerbaijan
via satellite, the Internet and social media including YouTube and
Facebook.

RFE/RL is a private, independent international news organization
whose programs — radio, Internet, television, and mobile — reach
influential audiences in 21 countries, including Russia, Iran, Iraq,
Afghanistan, Pakistan, the republics of Central Asia and the Caucasus.

It is funded by the U.S. Congress through the Broadcasting Board of
Governors (BBG).

RFE/RL was headquartered at Englischer Garten in Munich, Germany,
from 1949 to 1995. In 1995, the headquarters moved to Prague. In
addition to the headquarters, the service maintains 20 local bureaus
in countries throughout their broadcast region, as well as a corporate
office in Washington, D.C.

Edited from information provided by RFR/RL and other sources

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT CONDOLES OVER VAHAN HOVHANNESYAN’S DEMISE

19:24 * 29.12.14

President Serzh Sargsyan has expressed his condolences over the demise
of Vahan Hovhannesyan, Armenia’s ambassador to Germany.

In an address to the politician’s family and colleagues, the president
expresses his great sorrow over the irrevocable loss.

“It is with a deep grief that I was learned of the death of Vahan
Hovhannesyan, the Republic of Armenia ambassador to the Federal
Republic of Germany.

“Vahan Hovhannesyan’s presence was remarkable both on Armenia’s
political arena and during the years of the Artsakh [Nagorno-Karabakh]
war and later.

“It isn’t easy to imagine that his outstanding image of an ideological
champion, educated intellectual, state and party figure and brilliant
orator will no longer form part of Armenian and pan-Armenian political
processes. Vahan Hovhannesyan’s death was a big loss for not only
the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaksutyun but also all of us.

AN ARMENIAN TALE OF REBIRTH, SURVIVAL IN ANCIENT IRAN

Jakarta Globe, Indonesia
Dec 29 2014

By Wahyuni Kamah

Having spent a few days in Iran, a republic that implements shariah
law, I began to wonder if the country had any churches.

My curiosity was answered when I stayed in Isfahan, 340 kilometers
south of Tehran. Although the cities that I visited in Iran are all
uniquely stunning, I must say that Isfahan is the most beautiful,
with splendid mosques, amazing palaces, wide boulevards, artistic
bridges and minarets.

The beauty of Isfahan can be traced back in its history. When Persia
was ruled by the Safavid Dynasty (1502-1736), its Emperor Shah Abbas
the Great (or Shah Abbas I), reigning from 1588 to 1629, moved the
capital from Qazvin to Isfahan. He transformed Isfahan into a beautiful
center for the arts.

During his reign, Shah Abbas I made significant changes to the
military, politics as well as the empire’s economy. The Persians were
then at war with the Ottoman Empire. Both struggled to capture, among
others, Nakhichevan, a region that consists of what is now Azerbaijan
and parts of Armenia.

In 1603 the two empires agreed to split Nakhivhevan, with its
north-western frontier allocated to the Persians. Fearing that
his enemy will once again attempt to seize the region, Shah Abbas
implemented the “scorched earth” strategy of destroying any resources
— buildings, farms, crops — that may be of use to invading forces.

The policy forced residents (Armenians) to move from their home
city of Julfa and resettle in Isfahan, where a district located on
the south of the Zayandeh River was renamed New Julfa (Nor Jugha)
to accommodate them.

Though he was a Shiite Muslim, the emperor allowed the newcomers to
continue practicing their Apostolic Christian faith. The Armenians
were also given the right to elect their own mayor and hold their
own courts.

They were encouraged to produce wine and no Islamic restrictions were
imposed on them. However, Muslims could not live in New Julfa.

When the Armenians first came to the district, their duty was to
construct churches and monastery for their priests. Out of the 24
churches built during that era, only 13 now remain standing, including
the Surp Amenaprgitch Vank (Armenian Cathedral of Holy Savior).

To encourage financial independence, Shah Abbas I granted Armenian
merchants a monopoly on the silk trade. They also received interest
free loans for establishing businesses. This allowed them to expand
their network and trade with other countries, from Sweden in the north,
to Indonesia in the east.

The district not only prospered, it transformed the Persian Gulf into
a critical center for trade and culture. The quality of its schools
attracted students from across the region.

My friend Shirin took me to New Julfa. As soon as I entered the
district, I sensed a different atmosphere, not only from its buildings
but also the layout of the district. It is a neat complex and is
different from the other parts of Isfahan I had seen. It looks like
an enclosed settlement with smooth, cobblestoned roads connecting
parts of the quarter.

The roads are clean and the area looks well-maintained. The buildings
are mostly made of light yellow bricks. With the exception of the
Julfa Hotel and the district’s churches, all other buildings are only
two floors high.

Houses by the road have inner courtyards protected by high walls.

Despite being an Armenian quarter, all buildings bear Safavid
architectural influences as in the ayvans, wooden doors and pillars.

Even from a distance, I could easily spot the crosses perched on
top of the structure were searching for. After a 10-minute walk,
we turned left and I spotted a tower clock rising from behind a long
wall. A large group of tourists had already gathered in front of a
large gate that lead to the tower.

“Unfortunately, today is a holiday and the church is closed to the
public,” Shirin told me.

Along the wall, a number of small shops were open, selling souvenirs
to visitors who did not want to leave without a keepsake. Signs and
labels were all written in Farsi.

On a small pond, I saw a bronze statue of archbishop Khachatour
Kesaratsi in his long cloak. The archbishop set up the Middle East’s
first publishing house 1636. The first book ever to be printed in
Persia was a translation of the Book of Psalms into Armenian. The
first book printed in Farsi was published 192 years later.

The Surp Amenaprgitch Vank, popularly known as the Vank Cathedral (vank
means “monastery” in Armenian), is considered Iran’s most historically
significant church. Originally built in 1606 during Shah Abbas I’s
reign, its entire architecture reflects a striking mix of European,
Safavid and Armenian influences.

The cathedral is now on the entry list for a United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco)World
Heritage Site status.

Shirin and I continued to stroll down the paved walkway. We passed
some small cafes boasting a modern decor and playing Western music.

For a moment, I felt as if I was somewhere else — certainly not
in Iran.

We reached Julfa Square, an elegant shopping district surrounded by
a lovely colonnade. With a small fountain and chairs scattered across
the square, the place looked ancient yet stylish.

I then spotted several women wearing Islamic hijabs.

“They are Armenians,” Shirin told me, explaining that though they are
still free to practice their religion, the women must now adhere to
Iran’s Islamic dress code of wearing headscarves.

Some 120,000 Armenians currently call Iran their home; a quarter of
them live in Isfahan.