Author: Badalian Vardan

LITURGY TO BE CONDUCTED IN SURB KHACH CHURCH IN VAN

news.am
Aug 9, 2011
Armenia

Armenian Patriarch Vicar of Constantinople, Archbishop Aram Ateshyan
met with Governor of Van in Turkey and got acquainted with preparations
for the liturgy in Surb Khach church on Akhtamar Island on September
11.

Governor of Van Munir Karaoglu stressed Turkish Ministry of Culture
and Tourism gave a permission to conduct a liturgy once a year to
regional administration of Van, IHA agency reports.

“The first liturgy was conducted in 2010. We discussed the works with
Archbishop Aram Ateshyan. I hope the liturgy will be conducted due
to joint activities this year,” he noted.

As Armenian News-NEWS.am reported earlier, on September 19, a liturgy
service was held in the Armenian Church Surb Khach located on Akhtamar
Island in Lake Van. Aram Archbishop Ateshyan, Head of the Religious
Council of the Armenian Patriarchate conducted the ceremony. Holy
See of Echmiadzin, Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem and Holy See
of Cilicia refused to take part in the liturgy in Surb Khach (Holy
Church) on Akhtamar Island due to the Turkish authorities’ disgraceful
decision to install the cross on the church after the liturgy.

LATVIAN COMPANY TO INVEST 4 MILLION EURO IN THE SYSTEM OF ROAD MANAGEMENT IN YEREVAN

/ARKA/
August 9, 2011
YEREVAN

Latvian company “City Parking Service Systems” invests 4 million euro
in the project of establishment of modern, reliable and available
system of road management in Yerevan in accordance with the agreement
on long-term cooperation with Yerevan Municipality.

According to the press-release of Yerevan Municipality, in the meeting
of the Board of Elderly on Monday a draft decision on the establishment
of City Parking Service Systems Ltd. was adopted unanimously.

Activity of this organization on the basis of the agreement of Yerevan
Municipality with the Latvian company will be primarily concentrated
on the establishment of modern car parking and its management. It
is envisaged to provide about 450 units of car parking and office
equipment.

CALIFORNIA ARMENIAN DEMOCRATS FORM CHARTER GROUP

PanARMENIAN.Net
August 8, 2011 – 13:41 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – After a year and a half of work, the California
Armenian American Democrats has received provisional ratification as
the first organization chartered by the executive board of the state
Democratic Party.

Caro Avanessian, interim chairman of the new group, said he started
trying to form an Armenian American caucus after he went to the
California Democratic convention a few years ago and saw so many
groups represented by caucuses, ranging from Filipinos to senior
citizens. Avanessian is also president of the Glendale Democratic Club.

But when he approached the state party about forming a caucus,
he was told caucuses were no longer being approved because they had
lost a lot of their authority due to recent federal legislation. A
party representative suggested Avanessian form an Armenian American
charter group, which can collect money and endorse candidates.

A stipulation before formal ratification can move forward is a review
of the organization’s bylaws. Berdj Karapetian, a Glendale Democratic
Club member, will be on the committee performing the review.

The California Armenian American Democrats will also hold an election
of officers, Avanessian said, Glendale News-Press reported.

ARMENIAN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENTS TO MEET IN ASTANA

Tert.am
15:09 08.08.11

The Armenian and Russian presidents will meet in Astana, Kazakhstan,
APA news agency reports, referring to the Russian president’s official
website.

The meeting will be held on the margins of an informal summit of the
Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), to be held in Astana,
Aug. 12 and 13.

The Armenian and Russian leader will discuss a number of issues,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process.

On Aug. 9, the Russian and Azerbaijani presidents are to hold a
meeting in Sochi.

TURQUIE : DEUX EGLISES DE PLUS REOUVERTES AU CULTE

08-08-2011

Info Collectif VAN – – “Pour les eglises
chretiennes des minorites, apres une succession d’actes negatifs
allant de leur destruction deliberee a la negligence, en passant par
le refus d’autorisation, aux institutions minoritaires et meme pour
des menus travaux, cette initiative est bien sur un pas positif. Mais
cela ne reste qu’un tres petit pas sur le chemin des aspirations que
nous avons, en particulier en dehors de la Turquie, pour redresser
les injustices passees, qui sont tres importantes et ne peuvent etre
facilement satisfaites” a declare Raffi Bedrossian, un Armenien du
Canada natif d’Istanbul et implique dans la collecte de fonds pour la
restauration de Saint Dominique. Nota CVAN : dans sa grande clemence,
l’Etat turc autorise pour la deuxieme annee consecutive une messe
annuelle dans deux eglises armenienne et grecque bientet reouvertes au
culte. Alleluia !Le Collectif VAN vous invite a lire une traduction
de Gilbert Beguian d’un article en anglais mise en ligne sur le site
de NAM (Nouvelles d’Armenie Magazine) le 5 août 2011.

NAM

Deux Eglises historiques de plus ouvertes a la messe en Turquie

29 juillet 2011

Istanbul – Hurriyet Daily News

Des centaines de personnes de la diaspora assisteront a des services
religieux dans diverses eglises a travers la Turquie dans les quelques
mois qui viennent. Des services annuels seront donnes au Monastere
de Sumela de Trebizonde et a l’eglise armenienne de Sainte Croix de
Van pour la deuxieme fois, a la suite de la permission donnee l’an
passe par le ministre de la Culture et du Tourisme.

S’ajoutant a un certain nombre d’edifices religieux a travers le pays,
deux eglises endormies depuis longtemps en Turquie ont ete ouvertes
pour des messes annuelles, qui accueilleront d’emouvantes ceremonies
pour les diasporas grecque et armenienne, plus tard dans l’annee.

L’eglise Hagia Voukolas dans la province egeenne d’Izmir et l’eglise
Saint Dominique dans la province du sud-est de Diyarbekir deviendront
les deux eglises ayant re-ouvert le plus recemment pour une ceremonie
de messe annuelle. Aucune messe n’avait plus ete dite dans l’eglise
d’Hagia Voukolas depuis 1923 et dans celle de Saint Dominique depuis
1915.

Une ceremonie d’ouverture sera faite le 23 octobre a Saint Dominique,
tandis que des services annuels seront faits au monastere de Sumela
de la province de Trebizonde du bord de la Mer Noire, et a l’eglise
armenienne Sainte Croix de la province de l’est de Van pour la seconde
fois, a la suite de l’autorisation donnee l’an passe par le ministre
de la Culture et du Tourisme Ertugul Gunay.

” Des vols directs au depart de Moscou a destination de Trebizonde
ont ete planifies. On espere que le service sera aussi impressionnant
qu’il l’a ete l’an passe. Ankara a ete avise du service prevu”, a dit
a Hurriyet Daily News le frere Dositheos Anagnastopoulos de la part
du Patriarche Grec de Fener [un quartier d’Istanbul], ajoutant que
des ecclesiastiques de haut rang de Grece et de Russie assisteraient
aussi a la ceremonie.

Le Service a Sumela aura lieu encore cette fois le jour de
l’Assomption, le 15 aout, en accord avec la tradition chretienne
orthodoxe, tandis que la messe a Sainte Croix aura lieu le 11
septembre.

“Lorsque la paix ne regne pas entre religions, la paix entre les
Etats est plus difficile a instaurer et maintenir” nous a dit
Anagnastopoulos, indiquant que la ceremonie etait ouverte au monde
entier pour y assister. La Vierge Marie est consideree comme un
personnage sacre dans la foi musulmane comme dans la foi chretienne,
a-t-il ajoute.

Saint Dominique a ete fermee au service de la messe en 1915, lorsque
l’armee allemande l’a utilisee comme deput d’armes, avant d’etre
utilisee par la banque turque des societe de holding, la Sumerbank.

La communaute grecque orthodoxe d’Istanbul se reserve en outre le
droit de donner des services annuels dans l’eglise Efes [Ephese]
d’Izmir et deux autres eglises historiques en etat d’abandon dans
les provinces de Nigde et de Nevsehir pres de la region de Cappadoce.

“L’initiative du gouvernement turc de restaurer et rouvrir Sumela et
Aghtamar en tant que musees, avec autorisation de services religieux
limites pour les Grecs et pour les Armeniens etait un pas tres positif,
principalement parce qu’il denotait un changement de direction”,
a dit Raffi Bedrossian, un Armenien du Canada natif d’Istanbul.

Bedrossian a ete implique dans la collecte de fonds pour la
restauration de Saint Dominique et il est reconnu comme une voix
moderee dans la diaspora armenienne.

“Pour les eglises chretiennes des minorites, apres une succession
d’actes negatifs allant de leur destruction deliberee a la negligence,
en passant par le refus d’autorisation, aux institutions minoritaires
et meme pour des menus travaux, cette initiative est bien sur un pas
positif. Mais cela ne reste qu’un tres petit pas sur le chemin des
aspirations que nous avons, en particulier en dehors de la Turquie,
pour redresser les injustices passees, qui sont tres importantes et
ne peuvent etre facilement satisfaites”, nous a dit Bedrossian.

Akhtamar a ete un lieu de veneration sacre pour les Armeniens pendant
des milliers d’annees, a dit Bedrossian.

“L’Etat turc en a fait un musee d’Etat… La decision d’en faire un
musee d’Etat, et non de la rendre a son proprietaire legal, l’Eglise
Armenienne, a decu a la fois l’Armenie et la diaspora”, a-t-il dit.

“La question d’avoir ou non une croix installee est devenue tout
simplement une excuse pour exprimer une deception. Malheureusement,
la deception au global des Armeniens n’a pas diminue meme apres que
la croix ait ete installee et les efforts considerables de l’Etat
turc pour essayer de convaincre le monde exterieur d’une approche
nouvelle [pour ce qui concerne le culte des minorites chretiennes]
ont ete perdus”, a-t-il dit a propos des chicaneries dont la presse
s’etait fait l’echo l’an passe sur l’installation de ce symbole sur
le toit de Sainte Croix.

Des centaines de personnes de la diaspora assisteront a l’office a
Diyarbekir, a dit Bedrossian, ajoutant qu’ils prevoient egalement de
visiter Istanbul, Kars, Van, Kaiseri et Malatya.

Saint Dominique, qui peut contenir 3 000 personnes pour la messe,
est consideree comme la plus grande eglise du Moyen-Orient et date
du 15eme siecle, selon Bedrossian.

Vercihan Ziflioglu

Traduction Gilbert Beguian pour Nouvelles d’Armenie Magazine

Texte original :

Two more historic churches open for mass in Turkey

Retour a la rubrique

Source/Lien : NAM

FRESNO ARMENIANS TO GET COMPENSATION IN FRAUD CASE

PanARMENIAN.Net
August 6, 2011 – 14:02 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Two senior officers of a defunct northwest Fresno
business must pay $46.5 million to more than 1,200 victims of an
alleged Ponzi scheme, a jury ruled Friday in Fresno County Superior
Court.

But the victims – many of them from Fresno’s Armenian-American
community – won’t ever get full restitution. The defendants likely
don’t have that much cash or could be hiding their assets, a lawyer
for the victims said.

“They will get something back,” attorney Ara Jabagchourian said. “But
it will be pennies on the dollar.”

Jurors deliberated two days before finding Dan Ramirez, president of
HL Leasing Inc., and Andy Fernandez, the company’s chief financial
officer, liable.

The jury verdict in the class-action suit came three days after Judge
Donald Black found HL Leasing Inc., Heritage Pacific Leasing and Air
Fred LLC also liable for defrauding the victims.

The three companies were created by John W. Otto, the alleged
mastermind of the Ponzi scheme, but he committed suicide in 2009.

The jury found Ramirez liable under the theory of fraudulent
concealment and aiding and abetting the fraud. Fernandez also aided
and abetted in the fraud, the panel concluded.

John Otto founded HL Leasing at Shaw and Valentine avenues in 2001.

Over the years, he and his employees fraudulently enticed investors
to lend HL Leasing money by telling them that he was buying American
Express lease agreements at a discount. In return, the investors
would get monthly payments on their loans.

Jabagchourian and co-counsel Donald Fischbach said Ramirez used
longtime investors to vouch for the company’s success to prospective
clients. Ramirez also falsely told the prospects that the company
was registered with the California Department of Corporations.

Many of the Fresno victims are members of St. Paul’s Armenian Church
and Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church. Once the churchgoers
learned that fellow parishioners were making money, “it spread by
word of mouth,” Jabagchourian said, Fresnobee reported.

NAGORNYY KARABAKH CONFLICT: MYTHS AND REALITY
by David Stepanyan

arminfo
Friday, August 5, 20:19

The most difficult task of the intermediaries in the matter of
reaching peaceful settlement of the old Karabakh conflict, though
it is strange, is not how to gain from the presidents of Armenia and
Azerbaijan signing of the raw document, but how to fulfill it later.

However, just as a result of its fulfillment, the regular escalation
of violence in the region will become possible.

It is no secret, that in the basic principles for the conflict
settlement there are absolutely no realistic schemes how to reach
fully-fledged peace. That’s why, today the societies of both states
have to strictly differentiate myths, which permanently appear around
the settlement process, from reality…

The reality is that the new proposals of the Russian president on
taking the settlement process out deadlock appeared immediately
after the failure of the Kazan meeting of the three presidents. The
information was disseminated in Armenia and Azerbaijan about the
next trilateral meeting of the presidents, which the Kremlin has been
preparing around Mevedev’s new ideas. It has become clear, that there
is no need to wait for rapprochement of positions of the parties to
the conflict based on the so-called Madrid principles.

However, against such a background, the parties to the conflict
and the external forces connected with it in this or that way, have
started inventing new myths about the receipt which will change the
situation around Nagornyy Karabakh and destroy the status-quo, which
the Azerbaijani party dreams of from the talks most of all.

Incidentally, the lovers of the modern myths are not confused for
the fact that the next meeting of the presidents did not take place,
as well as for the fact that the history of settlement has not yet
given reason for such conclusions. In fact, such mythologization of
the conflict supported and disseminated by the parties and co-sponsors
of the process, is becoming a serious factor which contradicts its
settlement. In this context, incidentally just the Kazan failure
has become the stimulus for animation of discussion about possible
settlement of the conflict through a new war.

Thus, official Baku has again started rattling the saboteur and
threatening Yerevan and Stepanakert with a stick of new war, at the
same time keeping for the intermediaries a hard carrot in the form of
“the widest autonomy”. For its part, the leadership of Armenia again
is putting stress on the transitional status and the necessity of
giving an independent status to Nagornyy Karabakh, mentioned in the
basic principles for the Karabakh settlement.

So there was no real pre-condition, except mythology and groundless
optimism for signing of the real agreement on settlement of the
conflict, either in Kazan or before it. But who is blamed for not
happening of the eagerly expected “breakthrough”? The Americans and
Europeans cast responsibility for the blame on president Medvedev and
Russian diplomacy, blaming them for the fact that they do not want
“to lose their positions in the South Caucasus”. As for the Russians,
they again suspected that the Americans want “to bank fires” by
Russia’s hands.

As a result, in the person of the Karabakh conflict we have come across
just a part of the big geo-political game of the world superpowers, in
which all of them are guided only by the national interests. Actually,
all last processes demonstrated invalidity of the thesis “superpowers
resolve everything and every time”. The positions and interests of
the ruling elites of Armenia and Azerbaijan have always been the
key stumbling stone on the way of mutual compromises in settlement,
which the superpowers want to see in their own interests. By word
of mouth president of Armenia always voices readiness to “mutual
compromises”. As for the president of Azerbaijan, he cannot allow
himself even to express readiness to them, he gains his political
vitality as he has an uncompromising stance.

Both presidents undergo harsh pressing from inside as well as outside,
which in fact cannot make Baku recognize independence of the NKR,
and Yerevan – to gift an independent Karabakh to Azerbaijan. For
this reason, the intermediaries have nothing else to do than to try
to coordinate absolutely contradictory interests of the parties on
the basis of the basic principles and naively hope to turn them into
a pre-condition for final agreement.

Certainly, presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan can sign “the
principles”. It is more difficult to try bring them to life, as in that
case Aliyev will be forced, for instance, to “correct” the Constitution
of Azerbaijan and integrate in it the point about autonomies in favor
of Karabakh, and give these autonomies to Lezgins, Avars, Tats and
other national minorities. After that, the head of Azerbaijan will be
forces to gather his citizens “suffered of the Armenian aggression” and
spread in all over the world and force them to return to the so-called
occupied territories of Azerbaijan”, so that then de-jure to recognize
independence of Nagornyy Karabakh which is de-facto independent.

For his part, Serzh Sargsyan having got no clear guarantee of security
of the Karabakh people, will be force to trust in the co-chairs and
especially Aliyev, and make the Karabakh army leave the territories
which are the only protection of the people of Karabakh. It is not
hard to imagine what will happen in Yerevan, Stepanakert and Baku
after that. But the most important is that the presidents themselves
understand it very well, as they really differ mythology from reality.

HRAPARAK: TAMAR POGHOSYAN IS JOBLESS

Tert.am
06.08.11

In an interview with Tamar Poghosyan, the former Director of “One
nation – one culture” foundation, the paper asked her about her plans
to which Poghosyan responded that she is not doing anything now.

“I am not doing anything now. I am having rest. I will later plan
my future activities. I don’t like making hasty decisions. To make
a new decision is a rather serious issue, and everything should be
done with a cold judgment,” she said.

AZERBAIJANI EXPERT: “TURKISH MILITARY PRESENCE IN AZERBAIJAN A REAL POSSIBILITY”

13:01, August 5, 2011

The following is an interview with Jasur Sumerenli, who heads the
“Doctrine” Journalists’ Military Research Center, an Azerbaijani NGO.

Does Azerbaijan have a military doctrine? What is its significance?

Such a doctrine was passed by the Azerbaijani parliament in 2010.

Contrary to the policy adopted by the legislature in 2006, the current
one is more balanced but isn’t well defined strategically.

It was after the Russian-Georgian war in 2008 that the parliament
decided it was time to reform the policy; to make it more balanced
and diversified.

The former strategic aim of integration into European and Euro-Atlantic
structures and the desire to cooperate with NATO was left somewhat
unclear in the new doctrine.

Who are Azerbaijan’s military and strategic partners and to what
extent can Azerbaijan rely on their assistance?

Azerbaijan’s real partner is Turkey. But Azerbaijan has no
military/strategic cooperation document with Ankara.

In August 2010, the presidents of the two nations signed an agreement
on strategic cooperation and mutual assistance. The agreement includes
strategic and political issues and security matters.

Azerbaijan views its security guarantor in Euro-Atlantic integration
and cooperation with Turkey.

According to the military doctrine, foreign forces can be based on
Azerbaijani territory. In this regard, the possibility of a Turkish
presence in Azerbaijan, especially in Nakhijevan, is quite real.

If we take into account the presence of Russian troops in Armenia,
then a Turkish military presence in Azerbaijan can also be viewed
as logical.

Regarding the question of relying on Turkey when it counts, most
experts would agree that this agreement doesn’t portend Turkish
military assistance.

But Turkey continues to support Baku in the Karabakh conflict
settlement process.

The agreement also raises the issue of Turkey’s responsibility in
defending the territorial integrity of all of Azerbaijan.

Previously, according to the Treaty of Kars, Ankara was responsible
for the security of the Nakhijevan Autonomous Region only.

What international organizations and according to what agreements is
monitoring of Azerbaijan’s military build-up and military operations
taking place?

Azerbaijan’s cooperative documents with NATO are essentially intended
to establish mechanisms for democratic monitoring of the military.

Presently, the Partnership Action Plan on Defence Institution Building
(PAP-DIB) is being carried out.

It aims to reinforce efforts by Partner countries to reform and
restructure their defence institutions to meet domestic needs as well
as international commitments.

The project essentially states that it is vital for democratic
institutions to be established in the defense sector.

We must admit that right now there is no real monitoring of the
Azerbaijani military by any international body.

LA TURQUIE ABAISSE SON TAUX DIRECTEUR A 5,75%
Ara

armenews.com
vendredi 5 aout 2011

ISTANBUL (AFP) – La Banque centrale a abaisse jeudi de 0,5 point son
taux directeur et releve de 1,5 point son taux d’emprunt au jour le
jour pour faire face aux difficultes de l’economie mondiale et eviter
une eventuelle stagnation en Turquie.

Le comite de la politique monetaire de la Banque centrale a annonce
dans un communique diffuse sur son site internet avoir abaisse son
taux directeur, le taux d’emprunt a une semaine, de 6,25% a 5,75%.

“Le comite a opte pour une baisse mesuree du taux directeur dans le
but de faire baisser le risque de stagnation de l’activite economique
domestique cree par les problèmes croissants de l’economie mondiale”,
affirme le document. La Banque centrale a dans le meme temps releve
son taux d’emprunt au jour le jour de 1,5 point, a 5%, afin de
“reduire la volatilite” face aux doutes sur la croissance mondiale.

“Les inquietudes relatives au problème de la dette publique de
certains pays europeens et la croissance mondiale ont gagne en force
(…). Dans ce contexte, le comite a decide de retrecir le corridor du
taux d’interet en augmentant de manière importante le taux d’emprunt
au jour le jour pour reduire la volatilite”, indique le communique.

La decision de la Banque centrale intervient dans un contexte de
forte croissance economique en Turquie.

En 2009, plongee dans la recession du fait de la crise mondiale,
l’economie turque s’etait contractee de 4,8%. La croissance turque
a cependant fortement rebondi, atteignant 8,9% en 2010 et 11% au
premier trimestre 2011.

Cette croissance a creuse le deficit des comptes courants, alors que
les importations ont grimpe et que la progression des exportations
vers l’Europe s’est tassee, le deficit etant comble notamment par
des capitaux speculatifs a court terme, dits “hot money”.