Author: Badalian Vardan

AMBASSADOR: “WE SUPPORT INITIATIVES TO HOLD MEETING BETWEEN AZERBAIJANI AND ARMENIAN COMMUNITIES OF NAGORNO KARABAKH”

APA
Nov 28 2011
Azerbaijan

“The contacts between Azerbaijanis and Armenians must be intensive,
only in that case it will be possible to find the common language”

Baku. Ali Ahmadov – APA. One of the issues to be discussed during the
OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs’ visit to Baku will be recent incidents
occurred in the frontline, US ambassador to Azerbaijan Matthew Bryza
said, APA reports.

“I don’t expect any special novelty from the visit in addition. But
they can bring additional energy to negotiation process”, the
ambassador noted.

Bryza underlined that he supported initiatives to hold meeting
between Azerbaijani and Armenian communities of Nagorno Karabakh:
“I consider that the contacts between Azerbaijanis and Armenians
must be intensive. Only in that case it will be possible to find the
common language. I know what issues are on the table. I contributed
to this work myself. In my opinion, if there is a confidence between
the sides, it is possible to complete the work on framework agreement.

Then it will be possible to start a work on basic agreement”.

ARCHIVE PRESENTS A HALF-CENTURY OF ISTANBUL’S FACES
Hatice Utkan

Hurriyet Daily News

Nov 28 2011
Turkey

Salt Galata is currently hosting a project by artist and researcher
Tayfun SerttaÅ~_. The artist is aiming to discover the cultural
heritage of Istanbul via the photographic archive of Armenian
photographer Maryam Å~^ahinyan

The photography archive of Maryam Å~^ahinbaÅ~_ features is made up
of approximately 200,000 photos.

A great lover of heritage and history, artist Tayfun SerttaÅ~_ is
shedding light on Istanbul’s demographic past with a new project at
Salt Galata focusing on long-time photographer Maryam Å~^ahinyan.

The project is based on the revisualization of the complete
professional archive of Å~^ahinyan, who was born in the Central
Anatolian province of Sivas in 1911 and died in Istanbul in 1996.

Å~^ahinyan worked as a photographer at her modest studio called Foto
Galatasaray uninterruptedly from 1935 until 1985. The archive is a
unique inventory of the demographic transformations that occurred
in the socio-cultural map of Istanbul after the declaration of
the Republic and the historical period it witnessed; it is also a
chronological record of an Istanbul-based female studio photographer’s
professional career.

SerttaÅ~_ told the Hurriyet Daily News that he did not find Å~^ahinyan,
but that she found him. “I knew that there was an archive like this. I
knew that the person who bought the Studio Galatasaray after Maryam
moved to Uskudar. Then he left the city and left the archive. My
publisher, Yetvart Tomasyan, told me that there was a closed archive.”

The archive waited for a long time before SerttaÅ~_ found it. “I took
the archive in 2009,” he said.

SerttaÅ~_ is also a researcher who works on visual archives. “During
my education, which focused on cultural anthropology, I worked with
lots of archives. My

dissertation was called ‘Photographs and Minorities in Istanbul as
a Means of Cultural Representation in the Process of Modernism,'”
he said.

Making art out of such research and images is SerttaÅ~_’s latest
project. Because there are close to 200,000 images in Å~^ahinyan’s
archive, the task of presenting them is difficult, he said.

Who was Maryam Å~^ahinyan?

Beyond the fact that she was a photographer and owned a studio, there
is little information about Å~^ahinyan. “We know that she went to the
studio every single day, we know that she ate one apple every day at
noon and that she returned home,” SerttaÅ~_ said.

Å~^ahinyan, an Ottoman Armenian, was born in 1911 at Å~^ahinyan Konagı
(Camlı KöÅ~_k), one of the most impressive civil structures in Sivas.

Her grandfather, Agop Å~^ahinyan PaÅ~_a, represented Sivas in the first
Ottoman Parliament (Meclis-i Mebusan), which was established in 1877.

Born with the social privilege inherent to a grandchild of a member
of parliament, Å~^ahinyan’s life took an unexpected turn when, as a
child, she witnessed the historical events of 1915.

Armed with the wooden bellows camera her father originally took over
from a family that immigrated from the Balkans in the aftermath of
World War I and the black-and-white sheet film she continued to use
until 1985, Å~^ahinyan, in a sense, arrested time – both against
the technological advancements photography was experiencing and
contemporary trends. In the end, she created an unparalleled visual
coherence without compromising her technical and aesthetic principles.

Throughout her professional life, Å~^ahinyan wore a white coat and
black over-sleeves to protect her clothing, according to SerttaÅ~_.

“When she retired from the studio in 1985, Å~^ahinyan left behind a
unique visual archive made up of approximately 200,000 images. She
passed away at

her home on Hanımefendi Sokak in Å~^iÅ~_li in 1996 and is buried in
the Å~^iÅ~_li Armenian Cemetery,” said SerttaÅ~_.

Women in the studio

The photography archive features many photographs of women, according
to SerttaÅ~_.

“This was because of Maryam,” said SerttaÅ~_, adding that women went
to her for pictures with their nice dresses or with their swimsuits.

Priests or nuns, meanwhile, went had pictures taken with their crosses.

It is very important to have an archive like Å~^ahinyan’s, said
SerttaÅ~_.

“For example, these photographs also provide a cultural and historical
heritage because we have always had problems in terms of having an
archive in Turkey … on cultural issues.”

Å~^ahiyan’s photographs, however, now provide such an archive, the
artist said. “It shows us the lifestyle of people; we can discover
how these minority people lived during that era.”

Noting that most people always thought Armenians or minorities in
Istanbul lived a rich life, SerttaÅ~_ said, “The photos lead us to
learn more about the lives of minorities; there were lots of people
who had damaged clothes and so on.”

The photographs mostly depict Greeks. “These photos show what we have
lost,” he said.

Discovering Foto Galatasaray

Foto Galatasaray was never as visible as some of the more elite
photography studios that have been famous since the 19th century,
such as Phebus, Andriomenos or Sabah, SerttaÅ~_ said.

The studio, however, survived because it appealed to the lower and
middle classes.

Å~^ahinyan was a devout woman, and her identity created a closely-knit
circle that determined the sociological basis of Foto Galatasaray’s
clientele, setting it apart from Istanbul’s other studios.

Except for four understated passport photos, no photographs exist of
Å~^ahinyan herself, who throughout her life remained behind the camera,
scrupulously taking hundreds of thousands of photographs, retouching
them, and painstakingly numbering and dating each film she developed.

Spanning half a century, her work impartially traces the ethnic,
social, cultural, religious and economic transformations taking place
at the center of the city.

After the present exhibition, the archive will be opened to everyone
via the Internet, said SerttaÅ~_.

A new period will start for the archive. “People will be able to
tell if they know these people, and every photo will assume a [new]
identity,” he added.

CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE CASE PROMPTS DEBATE OVER CHEMICAL CASTRATION
Gayane Abrahamyan

EurasiaNet.org
Nov 28 2011
NY

The sentencing of an Armenian-American businessman to 15 years in
prison for the sexual abuse of minors has broken a long-standing
taboo in Armenia on public discussions of pedophilia.

Seventy-year-old Serop Der-Boghossian, the co-owner of a successful
mining company, Metal Prince Ltd. Corporation, in the northern region
of Lori, had enjoyed a reputation as a generous philanthropist and an
influential businessman with ties to Armenia’s political elite. He
formerly served as an economics adviser to Prime Minister Tigran
Sarkisian and as a member of the national police advisory council.

When Der-Boghossian, a former traffic and transportation administrator
for Pasadena, California, was detained this February on charges of
forcing young boys into sexual acts, many residents in Akhtala,
where Metal Prince is based, suspected that the case shielded a
government attempt to take over the mining company he had run for the
past decade. Der-Boghossian, however, admitted in court to having
had sexual relations with 10 underage boys, ranging in age from 10
to 16 years old; an admission apparently prompted by video footage
found in his house. The prosecution argued that Der-Boghossian’s
alleged payment of $120,000 to the boys, all from poor families,
had motivated their participation.

In its November 18 ruling, the Lori regional court imposed on the
elderly businessman the maximum sentence for sexual abuse of minors
via coercion, arguing that the 10 boys are “future soldiers” whose
lives have been ruined since “society is intolerant toward victims of
such coercion.” Der-Boghossian claims that he never forced the boys,
to have sex with him, and is considering an appeal; an affirmative
ruling could mean up to three years of prison rather than 15.

The case — and that of boarding school teacher Levon Avagyan in 2010
— has marked a turning point for the general public, many of whom had
argued that such crimes are impossible in a family-centric country like
Armenia that places heavy cultural emphasis on the value of children.

Sixty-eight-year-old Petros Movsisian, a resident of Akhtala, who
earlier had doubted the charges against Der-Bothossian, described
himself as floored by the trial’s outcome. “No such thing would ever
have occurred to anybody,” Movsisian asserted. “But if he admits his
guilt, nothing’s left to say other than that this is a disgrace for
our nation.”

One psychologist who works with sexual child abuse cases argues that
the outcry over Der-Boghossian signals that the taboo of silence
on the topic has been broken finally. “Similar cases happened
before, too, however, everything was kept within the family,”
commented psychologist Ruben Poghosian from Yerevan’s Ayg Center
for Psychological Services. Poghosian claims that psychologists are
seeing more such cases, including sexual abuse by family members; he
attributes such abuse to “the influence of TV programs, soap operas,
violent movies.”

Police data shows only a slight increase in the number of such cases –
from 63 to 80 — reported between 2008 and 2010.

Independent MP Victor Dallakian argues that the data “is, of course,
only the visible tip of the iceberg.” Enraged by the Der-Boghossian
case, Dallakian has drafted amendments to Article 142 of the criminal
code that would stipulate either chemical castration or up to 10 years
in prison as a punishment for convictions on sexual abuse of minors.

Currently, the law specifies a maximum of three years in prison and
a 7-million-dram ($18,000) fine as punishment. Parliament is expected
to discuss the amendments in a few weeks’ time.

“Many parents are simply keeping silent,” continued Dallakian. “The
reality is much more appalling and the law is imperfect.”

Dallakian showed EurasiaNet.org police statistics, indicating that
only 10-percent of the 100 individuals convicted of sexual abuse
of minors from 2000-2010 were put behind bars. In other cases, the
culprit had to pay the fine, but was let go.

Dallakian argues that dropping the fine, and adding chemical castration
will serve as a more potent deterrent. “Chemical castration is applied
in a number of European countries, such as Germany and the Czech
Republic. It is justified because, from a medical point of view,
paedophilia is a disease that cannot be treated by one or two years
of imprisonment.”

Some Armenian human rights activists oppose the idea because “there
is always the possibility that [chemical castration] might be used
against innocent people.”

“We shouldn’t forget how many innocent people have been ill-served by
the faulty court system. Such a law is premature. We are not ready,
we do not have an independent court system, and this can be used as
a tool for persecution” of government opponents, commented Michael
Danielian, chairperson of the Helsinki Association of Armenia.

Psychologist Poghosian believes the looming debate over the amendments
marks a significant step forward for addressing the issue of sexual
abuse of children. “Most importantly, there is a willingness to
break the taboo,” he said. “These discussions are vital in order for
the wrongdoers, who are still unpunished because of [the victims’
families’] shame and silence, to be identified and punished.”

Editor’s note: Gayane Abrahamyan is a reporter for ArmeniaNow.com
in Yerevan.

BUSINESS AS USUAL AT ARMENIAN PLANT

World Nuclear News

Nov 28 2011

Operations at Armenia’s Metsamor nuclear power plant would not be
affected by the early termination of a trust management contract
with Inter RAO UES of Russia, Armenia’s energy and natural resources
ministry has announced.

Day-to-day operations at Armenia’s only nuclear power plant are
managed through the Armenian ministry and not through the Russian
energy company which has been responsible for the financial management
of the plant since 2003, according to an official release published
in Armenian.

All the fuel for Metsamor is supplied by Russia, incurring debts of
some $40 million for Armenia over the period 1995-2001. As part of an
arrangement to pay off the debt, the plant has been formally operated
by Russian interests since 2003, firstly through a subsidiary of RAO
UES and Rosenergoatom and latterly through Inter RAO in a contract
that had been extended to 2013. Now, according to press reports
cited by Armenia’s ARKA news agency, the Russian energy company is
looking to terminate the contract as it no longer fits in with its
strategic objectives.

According to the ministerial statement, Inter RAO has fully met its
responsibilities under the trust management agreement to ensure the
payment of debts to Russian fuel supplier TVEL and stabilise the
plant’s financial situation. The management contract is a formality
which the ministry says is now largely unnecessary.

Two 376 MWe VVER-440 V-230 reactors were built at Armenia’s only
nuclear power plant, but were shut in 1989 following concerns about
their seismic safety (Armenia suffered a powerful earthquake in 1988).

One of the two units was restarted in 1995; the other is being
decommissioned.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

news.am, Armenia
Nov 26 2011

So long as we do not resolve the problem, the border will always be
restless – Armenian President

November 26, 2011 | 13:53

As long as the problem is unresolved, the Armenian-Azerbaijani border
will always be restless, Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan stated,
during a briefing with news reporters, commenting on Azerbaijan’s
recent ceasefire violations and its killing of two Armenian soldiers.

`So long as the problem is yet unresolved, the border will always be
restless. But we wish this restless situation does not cause human
losses,’ Sargsyan noted.

In his words, `the blame for our soldiers’ losses falls entirely upon
Azerbaijan’s authorities, and the responsibility for the losses in
their army also falls upon them. If a soldier’s death means nothing to
them, our soldier’s life is very precious for us.’

`I believe this restless situation would gradually ease, since that is
what human rationality demands,’ Serzh Sargsyan maintained.

To note, 19-year-old Armenian conscripts Aren Simonyan and Mihran
Margaryan were killed on November 19 and 20 respectively, by
Azerbaijani snipers.

Armenian theater `Shant’ opens in Los Angeles

November 26, 2011 – 14:03 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – On November 25, President of the Artsakh Republic
Bako Sahakyan attended the opening ceremony of the first Armenian
theater `Shant’ in Los Angeles.

Thanking philanthropist Robert Oghlaghjian for the assistance in
project implementation, President Sahakyan described the opening of
the Armenian theater in one of the most populous Armenian communities
in the world as extremely important, underlining that it would
substantially contribute to the preservation of Armenian national
identity, strengthening the Motherland-Diaspora ties and raising
American public awareness of the Armenian culture.

Primate of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church
Archbishop Pargev Martirosyan, primate the Western Diocese of the
Armenian Apostolic Church Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, consular
general of the Republic of Armenia in Los Angeles Grigor Hovhannisyan,
executive director of Hayastan All-Armenian fund Ara Vardanyan, head
of the central information department of the office of the Artsakh
Republic President David Babayan, NKR permanent representative to USA
and Canada Robert Avetisyan, representatives of local authorities and
Armenian community also attended the event, reported the Central
Information Department of the Office of the Artsakh Republic
President.

TURQUIE
Le chef du parlement européen inquiet de l’impasse UE-Turquie et Chypre

Le président du Parlement européen, Jerzy Buzek, a exprimé jeudi à
Ankara son souhait de voir l’impasse dans les négociations d’adhésion
de la Turquie à l’Union européenne surmontée, se disant aussi inquiet
au sujet d’un conflit gazier opposant Ankara à Chypre.

Je suis arrivé en Turquie à un moment difficile, a-t-il dit lors d’un
discours au Parlement, dans des propos traduits en turc par la
télévision publique.

Evoquant une impasse turco-européenne, il a appelé les deux parties à
faire preuve de détermination pour pouvoir la surmonter afin d’avoir
des conséquences favorables pour les rapports bilatéraux.

M. Buzek est arrivé jeudi à Ankara pour une visite de deux jours afin
de discuter avec les dirigeants turcs de la candidature turque à
l’Union européenne et de la situation des droits de l’Homme.

Le processus des négociations entre Ankara et l’UE sera en tête des
thèmes qu’il devrait aborder vendredi avec le président Abdullah Gül
et le Premier ministre Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Depuis le lancement des pourparlers d’adhésion en 2005, seuls 13 des
35 chapitres thématiques qui les jalonnent ont été ouverts, et un seul
est déjà bouclé.

De nombreux chapitres sont bloqués du fait du refus d’Ankara
d’appliquer l’union douanière à la partie grecque de l’île divisée de
Chypre, membre de l’UE depuis 2004, que la Turquie ne reconnaît pas.

De plus, certains pays comme la France et l’Allemagne sont réticents à
faire entrer ce pays musulman de 78 millions d’habitants dans l’UE.

Je suis très inquiet au sujet des tensions survenues ces derniers mois
autour de Chypre, a encore dit M. Buzek, en référence apparemment à un
conflit turco-chypriote sur des explorations de gaz lancées en
septembre par les Chypriotes-grecs en Méditerranée et qui ont provoqué
l’ire de la Turquie qui estime que les droits de l’entité
chypriote-turque (nord de Chypre) sont bafoués.

La Turquie a d’ailleurs menacé de geler ses relations avec le bloc
européen quand Chypre prendra la tête de sa présidence tournante pour
six mois, le 1er juillet 2012, si les Chypriotes grecs et turcs ne
parviennent pas d’ici là à un accord en vue d’une réunification de
l’île.

Avant sa visite, M. Buzek a dit dans un communiqué que la Turquie et
l’UE partagent une même histoire et un même destin. L’Europe a besoin
de la Turquie et la Turquie a besoin de l’Europe.

Sur le dossier des libertés et des droits de l’Homme, pour lequel la
Turquie est régulièrement épinglée, le gouvernement
islamo-conservateur d’Ankara est accusé par l’opposition de mener une
campagne d’intimidation contre la presse

Quelque 70 journalistes et écrivains sont inculpés pour leurs écrits,
notamment sur la question kurde.

samedi 26 novembre 2011,
Stéphane ©armenews.com

DIPLOMATIE ARMENIENNE
Ouverture d’une Ambassade d’Arménie à Copenhague (Danemark)
quelques jours après Prague

Après Prague, le 23 novembre une nouvelle Ambassade d’Arménie a ouvert
ses portes à Copenhague (Danemark). L’inauguration s’est déroulée en
présence d’Edouard Nalbandian le ministre arménien des Affaires
étrangères ainsi que de hauts responsables politiques Danois et des
représentants de la communauté arménienne du Danemark. Après les
hymnes nationaux, le drapeau arménien fut hissé par Hratchia
Aghadjanian, l’Ambassadeur d’Arménie à Copenhague. Dans son discours,
le chef de la diplomatie arménienne dit « en hissant le drapeau de
l’Arménie dans la capitale du Danemark nous montons également notre
volonté de placer nos relations bilatérales sur un meilleur niveau ».
Edouard Nalbandian a également évoqué les liens historiques
arméno-danoises, le rôle des missionnaires danois auprès des orphelins
et réfugiés Arméniens lors du génocide et l’aide humanitaire apportée
en Arménie après le séisme de 1988. De son côté, Nicolas Vamen, le
ministre danois des Affaires européennes a souligné l’honneur de
Copenhague d’accueillir une nouvelle ambassade, la première depuis
2007 et souhaité que les liens entre l’Arménie et le Danemark se
développent davantage dans le périmètre européen.

Krikor Amirzayan

samedi 26 novembre 2011,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

EUROVISION JUNIOR 2011
Le budget de l’Eurovision Junior 2011 qui se déroulera à Erévan début décembre

Le concours international de l’Eurovision Junior 2011 qui se déroulera
à Erévan le 3 et 4 décembre coûtera quelque 702 millions de drams
(1,85 millions de dollars) selon les organisateurs de la Télévision
publique d’Arménie. Les recettes totales devraient former quelque 530
millions de drams (près de 1,4 millions de dollars). Le déficit
attendu étant de 172 millions de drams soit 450 000 dollars qui sera
comblé par le budget de l’Etat. Les recettes de l’Eurovision Junior
2011 proviennent de trois sources. Le plus important est le
financement de l’Union des télévisions européennes à hauteur de 365
millions de drams (près de 970 000 dollars). Puis viennent les
recettes publicitaires estimées à 93 millions de drams (245 000
dollars). Enfin la troisième ligne des recettes est celle des billets
d’entrée au spectacle, escompté à près de 70 millions de drams (185
000 dollars). Au chapitre des dépenses, celles consacrées à la
technologie et logistique des plateaux de télévision est la plus
importante avec près de 274 millions de drams (720 000 dollars)
confiée à la société suédoise de télédiffusion HDR. Cette dernière
installera à Erévan une technologie de pointe et gèrera le plateau et
l’éclairage. On estime à près de 80 millions le nombre de
téléspectateurs européens qui suivent généralement l’Eurovision
Junior.

Krikor Amirzayan

samedi 26 novembre 2011,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

NKR DEFENSE ARMY RESPONDS TO ARMENIAN SOLDIERS DEATHS

PanARMENIAN.Net
November 26, 2011 – 14:18 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – 270 incidents of ceasefire violation were reported
over the past week at the contact line between the Nagorno Karabakh
and Azerbaijani armed forces. Azerbaijan fired about 1500 shots using
machineguns and sniper rifles.

Continuous violations and official Baku’s disrespect for the efforts
of international community towards peaceful settlement of the conflict
forced Artsakh defense army into showing harsh response.

Following the killing of 2 Armenian soldiers over the Azeri ceasefire
violation, NKR defense army resorted to punitive measures resulting
in the death and injury of up to 7 Azeri servicemen.

In an attempt to avoid political and social protests, official Baku
is refraining from publicizing the facts above. However, according
to reliable forces, Azerbaijani authorities demand Defense Ministry
for explanations on recent incidents at contacts line.

In the morning of November 20, at 8.50 am local time, NKR defense army
soldier Mihran Margaryan, born 1992 was killed over Azeri ceasefire
violation, while on military duty.

19-year-old NKR defense army conscript Armen Simonyan was killed by
a sniper shot during military duty on November 19, 8.40 am local time.

“The incidents at contact line is another proof of Azeri disregard of
mediators’ efforts aimed at conflict settlement and a clear attempt
to escalate regional tensions, which forces Artsakh side to resort
to more stringent actions in future,” NKR defense army stated.