Author: Badalian Vardan

ANCA-WR TO BESTOW HACOP BAGHDASSARIAN WITH LEGACY AWARD AT 2011 ANNUAL BANQUET

asbarez
Friday, October 28th, 2011

Mr. & Mrs. Hagop and Hilda Baghdassarian

GLENDALE-Long time community activist and public servant Hacop
Baghdassarian will receive the Legacy Award at the 2011 Armenian
National Committee of America-Western Region Annual Banquet for his
decades of service to the American American community and dedication
to the Armenian Cause.

Hacop M. Baghdassarian was born in Tehran, Iran on March 30, 1948 to
Petros and Marous Malek Baghdassarian. Hacop grew up in Tehran with
his four sisters – Nora, Emma, Rima and Asiah. He attended Kooshesh
Armenian School in Tehran until the age of fifteen when his father
Petros unexpectedly died from a heart attack. Baghdassarian cut short
his educational aspirations to attend to his father’s paint supply
business. He maintained his father’s reputation as a fair and honest
entrepreneur and was sought out by young Armenians arriving in Tehran
looking for work.

In 1973, Hacop married Hilda Voskanian and later had two sons,
Peter and Gevik. In 1979, leaving behind the turmoil of the Islamic
Revolution in Iran, Baghdassarian and his family immigrated
to the United States. In Los Angeles, Baghdassarian followed
his entrepreneurial inclination and opened the first of four
restaurants named “Massis Kabob” in Glendale. For over four decades,
Baghdassarian has worked tirelessly to make his businesses successful
– his motivations always being providing for his family as well as
contributing to the Armenian community to the best of his ability.

Currently, Baghdassarian serves on the board of the Armenian Education
Foundation and works with several Armenian charities including
Homenetmen, Armenian Relief Society, and the Armenian Eye Care Project,
among a number of other community organizations. Although he has
no formal training in construction or engineering, Baghdassarian
often travels to the rural villages in Armenia to review plans
for the renovation of dilapidated elementary schools. To date,
Baghdassarian has been responsible for the construction or renovation
of several schools in Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh and Javakhk. In 2005,
Baghdassarian’s philanthropy and dedication were officially recognized
when he received the Yerakhtagitutiun Award from the then President
of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Arkady Ghoukasyan. In December 2006,
Baghdassarian was honored by the Armenian Education Foundation and
named its Most Valuable Member. In March 2010, he was honored by the
Armenian Relief Society’s “Javakhk Fund” Committee for his work raising
contributions supporting many worthy projects including the sponsorship
of the renovations of eight schools. In 2010, His Holiness Catholicos
Aram I of the Great House of Cilicia bestowed upon Baghdassarian the
Knight of Cilicia Medal.

The central tenets in Baghdassarian’s life are his family, abiding
faith and dedication to the Armenian American community. Now
approaching the second half of his life, Baghdassarian’s greatest
joy is taking time out of his busy schedule to play with his four
grandchildren – Anthony, Michael, John and George.

“Hacop Baghdassarian is a shining example of a dedicated public
servant, who has given so generously of his time and energy to the
Armenian community through his participation in many organizations. He
has instilled those same values in his children and grandchildren,
who will certainly carry on his legacy throughout the years,” said
ANCA-WR Board member Pattyl Aposhian-Kasparian.

The Annual Banquet will take place at the Universal Sheraton Hotel
on Saturday, November 26 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the Annual Banquet are
$200, and discounted tickets are available to students with valid ID.

Purchase tickes and get more information.

The Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region is the
largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy
organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination
with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the
Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country,
the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community
on a broad range of issues.

BUSTE DE KOMITAS SIGNE TOROS
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

armenews.com
samedi 29 octobre 2011

COMMUNAUTE-VALENCE

en souvenir de Yersa, la mère de Toros, dans la cour de l’Eglise
Saint Sahag de Valence

La foule etait fort nombreuse dimanche 23 octobre a l’issue de la messe
dans la cour de l’eglise armenienne Saint Sahag. Un public qui avait
largement repondu present pour l’inauguration du buste du Reverend
Père Komitas don du sculpteur romanais Toros en souvenir de sa mère
Yersa. Henri Siranyan, president de l’union cultuelle de l’eglise Saint
Sahag en francais et le père Antranik Maldjian en armenien et francais
ont tour a tour presente l’~uvre et la personnalite de Toros. Le père
Garabed representant Mgr Norvan Zakarian etait egalement present a la
ceremonie. Toros, très emu face au visage de Komitas derrière lequel
il imaginait la souffrance de sa mère Yersa rescapee du genocide,
presenta une partie de sa famille, son frère Hovhannès ainsi que ses
s~urs. Par des gestes simples mais eminemment symboliques, Toros
leva les yeux au ciel pour quelques instants d’eternite, invoquant le
souvenir de sa mère Yersa qui a tant souffert du drame armenien. Puis
appelant sa fille qui porte egalement le nom de sa mère, Yersa,
ensemble ils devoilèrent le buste de Komitas. Ces scènes intenses de
bonheur et de douleur marqueront a jamais la memoire armenienne de
Valence qui a vecu des moments forts par la magie Toros.

NAGORNO-KARABAKH: CONFLICT ON ICE

The Economist
Oct 28 2011

DURING the late 1980s and early 1990s the conflict between Armenians
and Azeris over the Nagorno-Karabkh region was often in the news.

Thousands died in fighting; hundreds of thousands fled, or were
ethnically cleansed. Nagorno-Karabakh is an Armenian-majority region
inside Azerbaijan. During Soviet times it enjoyed autonomy. In
September 1991 it declared independence, triggering war. The region
doubled in size, but the problem was not resolved.

Twenty years later, Nagorno-Karabakh is often called a “frozen
conflict”. For most people outside the Caucasus, it is more of a
forgotten one.

No Azeris remain in Nagorno-Karabakh. Towns like Aghdam, which
were Azeri-dominated before the war but that lie outside the
old autonomous region, are in ruins. But there has been some
reconstruction in in areas within the pre-war borders. Equally
importantly, Nagorno-Karabakh’s 140,000 Armenians have built a small
but functioning state. (Not even Armenia, on which the statelet
depends, formally recognises its independence.)

Peace talks have ground on for years, but a breakthrough is never
made. Nagorno-Karabakh’s Armenians want recognition for their
breakaway state, but Azerbaijan is unwilling to grant anything more
than autonomy. Azeri refugees also want to return to their homes.

The conflict impedes economic development and regional co-operation in
the south Caucasus. But Westerners forget it at their peril. In 2005
the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline opened to pump Azerbaijani oil to
a terminal in Turkey to lessen dependence on piplines through Russia.

The pipeline runs close to the line where Nagorno-Karabakh’s soldiers
confront those of Azerbaijan. In the event of a new conflict it could
be cut by rocket fire within hours.

ARMENIA MOBILITY PARTNERSHIP TO BRING CITIZENS CLOSER

ENPI Info Centre
Oct 28 2011

The EU and Armeniahavelaunched a new Mobility Partnership to step
up dialogue and cooperation on migration issues. ~SThe Mobility
Partnership, together with other instruments such as future Visa
Facilitation and Readmission agreements, will be key in increasing the
mobility of European and Armenian citizens in a well-managed and secure
environment”, said EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmström.

A press release said on 27 October, Commissioner Malmström,
Poland’s Minister of the Interior and Administration Jerzy Miller
and Armenia’s Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian had signed a Joint
Declaration pledging to carry out a series of initiatives in the
field of migration. Commissioner Malmström said the launch of this
Partnership with Armenia was a very important step towards bringing
European and Armenian citizens closer.

Commissioner for Enlargement and the European Neighbourhood Policy
Stefan Füle said this partnership had showed that the EU the Eastern
Partnership countries were ready to move towards a closer integration.

~SFostering mobility and people-to-people contacts is fundamental
for the promotion of social and economic development and mutual
understanding between the people in Armenia and in the EU,” the
Commissioner said.

The Mobility Partnership will enhance Armenia~Rs ability to manage
migration and inform, integrate and protect migrants and returnees,
the press release said, adding that it will boost Armenia’s capacity
to curb irregular migration and human trafficking. Ten EU Member
States (Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, France, Germany,
Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Sweden) as well as the
European Training Foundation (ETF) are involved in this partnership,
which remains open to other Member States wishing to take part. (ENPI
Info Centre)

FASCIST TURKISH AMBASSADOR CELEBRATES UNFAIR IMPRISONMENT OF HIS COUNTRY’S PRIME MINISTER
By Appo Jabarian

USA Armenian Life Magazine
October 27, 2011

Did you know that Turkey’s Ambassador to the United States Namik Tan
is a closet fascist and a religious bigot?

In fact Mr. Tan has established an irrefutable record for being a
blind opponent of basic human rights in the very country – Turkey
that he currently represents as Ambassador.

Back in 1998, Mr. Tan then counselor and official spokesperson
of the Turkish Embassy in Washington DC, celebrated then Mayor of
Istanbul and now Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s
imprisonment by Turkey’s then ruling generals. Never mind that
then Mayor Erdogan’s basic human rights were being trampled upon
by powers that be in Turkey. What was the reason for Mr. Erdogan’s
persecution? Mr. Erdogan had recited an Islamic religious verse and
expressed his desire for religious freedom in Turkey. He was sentenced
to ten months’ imprisonment.

Harut Sassounian, Publisher of The California Courier reported that
in 1998, Benjamin Yafet of Arizona, a Turkish Jewish professor,
then citizen of Turkey and a staunch supporter of the anti-Erdogan
and anti-Islamist Turkish generals had sent a letter to The New York
Times defending Erdogan’s imprisonment.

Prof. Yafet then mailed a copy of that letter to the Turkish Embassy
in Washington, proudly notifying them of his “good work” on behalf of
his native land. Within days, he received a letter of appreciation
from Namik Tan, then “Counselor and Embassy Spokesperson,” and now
Ambassador of Turkey to the United States. Counselor Tan praised Prof.

Yafet, stating that his “rebuttal … corresponded, in many aspects,
to how we also approach the subject.” A close reading of Prof. Yafet’s
letter to the Times reveals why Counselor Namik Tan had offered to
him such lavish praise, stated Sassounian.

Mr. Tan especially liked Prof. Yafet’s “likening Erdogan’s ideology
to that of the Nazis.”

However, in his last week’s e-mail to Sassounian, “Prof. Yafet found it
ironic that the same Namik Tan who had thanked him for his anti-Erdogan
letter back in 1998 is now representing an Islamist government that
he so passionately despised only a dozen years ago.”

It’s truly bewildering to see Mr. Tan succeed in hiding his true
colors of a fascistic and religiously bigoted persona and get away
with landing a most coveted ambassadorial position representing non
other than Erdogan’s Turkey.

Could it be possible that Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu
applied poor judgment in appointing Namik Tan as his country’s
ambassador to U.S. even though Ambassador Tan celebrated Mr. Erdogan’s
imprisonment? Mr. Erdogan’s “guilt” was orchestrated which ultimately
led to the loss of his mayoral post to which he was elected by the
people of Istanbul.

Isn’t FM Davutoglu unnerved by the fact that Ambassador Tan is a
religious bigot?

Or, was FM Davutoglu uninformed about Mr. Tan’s true character?

Further, is it possible that Mr. Davutoglu’s Foreign Ministry has
been poorly supervised?

Whatever the reasons may be, it is very comical to see at ambassadorial
post, a fascist Turk that has wholeheartedly celebrated the unfair
imprisonment of his country’s Prime Minister; and has also expressed
great pleasure at the gross human rights violations of his boss Prime
Minister Erdogan.

BOLSHOI THEATRE TO REOPEN AFTER MAJOR REFIT

Tert.am
23:20 28.10.11

Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre was reopened on Friday evening after a
renovation that took six years to complete, and at a cost officially
estimated at half a billion pounds, BBC News reported.

On a new rehearsal stage high up in the Bolshoi Theatre, sweat is
pouring off some of the world’s greatest dancers as they prepare for
one of the ballet company’s most important seasons.

For six years the main stage of the historic theatre has been dark,
but now its glittering chandeliers are shining again.

The theatre closed in 2005 for restoration work, but the job proved
much bigger than anyone expected.

Huge sums have been spent on structural work and intricate detailing.

The frescoes and vast quantities of gold leaf have all been replaced.

The material was washed with vodka and polished with squirrel tails.

Symbolically, the curtain has lost its hammer and sickle from the
Soviet era, while the old insignia on the building’s facade has been
replaced with the Russian eagle.

Other improvements include a bigger orchestra pit and improved dressing
rooms. The rehearsal stage mirrors the main stage directly below,
so the dancers know the exact size of the space.

MINISTER OF DEFENSE THREATENED

Lragir.am News

18:38:28 – 28/10/2011

Addressing the board meeting of the Ministry of Defense, Minister
Seyran Ohanyan dwelled on the public discussion of the problems of
the army.

The minister of defense said: “We understand and admit constructive
criticism by the society after some accidents in the army. Moreover,
this criticism is useful and we must learn a lesson. But we consider
it unacceptable when certain groups manipulate intentionally the
problems of the army on a daily basis. The ministry of defense is
going to be stricter to those people who defame the army, and if these
people try to harm the army by spreading false information and libel,
their legal responsible will be inevitable.”

YEREVAN MAYOR CALLED ABSURD THE RUMORS ON CONTRADICTIONS WITH THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE PRESIDENT

ARKA
Oct 28, 2011

YEREVAN, October 28. /ARKA/. Yerevan Mayor Karen Karapetyan in
the interview on TV channel Armnews called absurd the rumors on
disagreement with the administration of the President of Armenia.

He approved the rumors on his resignation, due to transfer to another
job and some personal reasons.

“In this post and the previous one I cannot mention a single case,
when our management and the team considered right any decision, but
we could not realize or did not have the necessary level of confidence.

It is just absurd”, he said.

He said that he has good and friendly relations with the president’s
administration noting that his resignation from the post of Yerevan
Mayor does not mean that he resigns from the team of the President
of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan.

“I respect the president very much. He has played a fantastic role
in my appointment to this post and I tried to introduce him that my
resignation does not mean that I leave the team”, said Karapetyan.

Karen Karapetyan was selected Yerevan Mayor by the Elderly Council
upon the proposal of the President of Armenia on December 17, 2010.

Prior to his appointment, he was the General Director of ArmRosgazprom
(shareholders are: Gazprom and Government of Armenia which is a
monopolist in the delivery and distribution of Russian natural gas
in domestic market of Armenia.

MILLER FOUND DEPUTY IN ARMENIA

ARMENPRESS
20:36, 28 October, 2011

Russian experts think that Yerevan Mayor Karen Karapetyan, who
has submitted a resignation application on the occasion of taking
another office, will conduct at “Gazprom” the company’s activity with
post-soviet countries. Russian “Gazeta” reports that Karen Karapetyan
will take the office of deputy to Alexey Miller, Chairman of the
Gazprom Management Committee.

“What Karen Karapetyan will do actually in Gazprom, is not known yet.

Company refuses to give comments. Miller’s deputies are now engaged
in all directions of Gazprom’s activity,” Konstantin Simonov,
Director General of National Energy Security Foundation, reminds,
adding that Karen Karapetyan will hardly take the place of one of the
current deputies of Miller. “It is distinct that the speech is about
expansion of cadres. It is not excluded that Karapetyan will rule
Gazprom’s relations with former member states of the Soviet Union,
as Gazprom’s interest in the former soviet territory is gradually
growing,” the expert considers.

Vladimir Sazhin, senior researcher at the Russian Academy of Sciences’
Institute of Oriental Studies, in his turn did not rule out that
Karen Karapetyan has been invited related to the interest of Gazprom
in Iran-Armenia gas pipeline.

“In all cases, the salary of the deputy chairman of Gazprom Management
Committee is higher than that of Yerevan mayor. Yerevan mayor gets AMD
300 thousand per month, and members of Gazprom Management Committee –
nearly 5 million Rubles (USD 153, 8 thousand),” writes “Gazeta”.

BETTER MOBILITY BETWEEN THE EU AND ARMENIA

Noyan Tapan
28.10.2011

On 27 October Cecilia Malmstrom, Commissioner for Home Affairs, Jerzy
Miller, Poland’s Minister of the Interior and Administration, and
Edward Nalbandian, Armenia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, officially
launched a new Mobility Partnership. Together with ten Member States
(Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy,
the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Sweden) they signed a Joint
Declaration on carrying out a series of initiatives in the field of
migration. These will strengthen relations between Armenia and the
EU by promoting mobility and cooperation on migration issues.

“The launch of this Partnership with Armenia is a very important step
towards bringing European and Armenian citizens closer. The Mobility
Partnership, together with other instruments such as future Visa
Facilitation and Readmission agreements, will be key in increasing the
mobility of European and Armenian citizens in a well-managed and secure
environment”, said Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmstrom.

“This Mobility Partnership is a clear sign of the readiness of the
European Union and the countries of the Eastern Partnership to move
towards a closer integration. Fostering mobility and people-to-people
contacts is fundamental for the promotion of social and economic
development and mutual understanding between the people in Armenia
and in the EU “, stated Stefan Fule, Commissioner for Enlargement
and the European Neighbourhood Policy.

With this Mobility Partnership, the EU and Armenia will step up their
dialogue and cooperation in key areas. Practical initiatives will be
launched to enhance Armenia’s ability to manage migration and inform,
integrate and protect migrants and returnees.

The partnership will also support Armenia’s efforts to improve the
way it deals with issues relating to asylum and the protection of
refugees, and to the prevention and reduction of irregular migration
and human trafficking. Ten EU Member States as well as the European
Training Foundation (ETF) are involved in this partnership, which
remains open to other Member States wishing to take part.

Background

The Mobility Partnership with Armenia is the fourth of its kind,
following those launched with the Republic of Moldova and Cape Verde
in 2008 and with Georgia in 2009.

Mobility partnerships are flexible and non-legally binding frameworks
for well-managed movements of people between the EU and a third
country. Their goal is to ensure, through dialogue and practical
cooperation, that there is a responsible and joint management of
migratory flows that protect the interests of the Union, of its
partners and of the migrants themselves. They are part of the process
of implementing the global approach to migration developed by the EU
over the last few years.

The launch of a Mobility Partnership with Armenia confirms the EU’s
commitment to continue actively cooperating with its Eastern Partners
on the issue of well-managed and secure mobility.

On 16 September the Commission adopted recommendations for negotiating
directives for concluding readmission and visa facilitation agreements
with Armenia (IP/11/1053) and Azerbaijan (IP/11/1052), as well as
first assessment reports in the context of the visa dialogues with
Moldova and Ukraine.

The JHA Eastern Partnership package was complemented by a
Communication, adopted on 26 September, on cooperation in the Area of
Justice and Home Affairs within the Eastern Partnership (IP/11/1075).

For more information

Homepage of Cecilia Malmstrom, Commissioner for Home Affairs

Homepage DG Home Affairs: