Author: Badalian Vardan

PLATOON COMMANDER FACES CHARGES, AFTER MILITARY STUDENT IS FOUND HANGED FROM CHIN-UP BAR

by Ashot Safaryan

Tuesday, February 17, 11:17

Platoon commander of the Military Academy after Vazgen Sargsyan,
Artyom Avetisyan, has faced charges over the murder of the military
student Haykaz Barseghyan, according to the investigation Committee
press-office,

According to the source, Avetisyan stood by the quarreling students
Haykaz Barseghyan and Arshak Martirosyan and did nothing to stop them,
prevent violation of the military regulations, as well as failed to
report the senior officials of the incident.

Avetisyan is charged with Article 375.1 of the Criminal Code of
Armenia (Abuse of power, excess of power or responsibilities by an
officials, as well as failure to use the authority when necessary
for personal reasons or other mercenary motives, which results in
systemic damage). Avetisyan has been arrested.

The body of Haykaz Barseghyan was found hanged from a chin-up bar on
the sports ground at his military unit on Jan 29 morning.

The Investigation Committee of Armenia told ArmInfo the Chief Military
Investigation Department of the Investigation Committee has opened
a criminal case based on Article 104.7.2. of the Criminal Code of
Armenia (murder committed by a group of persons of organized group)
after relevant examination of the spot and preparation of materials.

Four fellow-students of the murdered officer were arrested, including
the son of the deputy head of the Academy. Defense Minister Seyran
Ohanyan dismissed the Academy leadership.

HOLLYWOOD SHOOTS MOVIE BASED ON WILLIAM SAROYAN’S NOVEL

ARTS AND CULTURE | 17.02.15 | 11:27

A new Hollywood movie based on Armenian American writer William
Saroyan’s Human Comedy novel is due to be presented this year.

Enlarge Photo

According to IMDB.com, the United States premiere of the movie shot
in the genre of drama with a budget of $5 million will take place
on December 31. The director of the movie is Hollywood star Meg Ryan
and producer is an equally meritorious actor Tom Hanks.

Armenpress says that the Hollywood Reporter included the movie in
the most expected hundred list. According to the Magazine, a great
role in it was played not only by the work of William Saroyan, but
also the cast. Besides directing, Meg Ryan will play the role of the
hero’s mother. Among other actors involved in the movie are Melanie
Griffith, Sam Shepard and Lois Robbins.

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Museum of America, Inc.
65 Main Street
Watertown, MA 02472
Tel: 617-926-2562

Email: [email protected]

The Armenian Museum of America

presents

Lecture and Book Signing by Matthew Karanian:

‘Historic Armenia after 100 Years: Ani, Kars,
and the Six Provinces of Western Armenia’

Sunday, March 1, 2015

2:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Adele & Haig Der Manuelian Galleries, 3rd floor

Matthew Karanian in Historic Armenia

Award-winning author, Matthew Karanian presents his newest book:

‘Historic Armenia after 100 Years: Ani, Kars, and the Six Provinces of
Western Armenia.’

This new book is the first-ever guide to cultural sites of the vast
and ancient Armenian homeland that is located in today’s Turkey. The
book features all six Armenian provinces of Western Armenia, as well
as the Eastern Armenian region of Ani and Kars. ‘Historic Armenia’ is
lavishly illustrated with 125 color photographs and maps. In many
cases, historic images from 100 years ago are included, illustrating
the once-magnificent condition of the Armenian churches, monasteries,
and towns
that are now either in ruins or were razed after 1915.

Light refreshments will be served

Free Admission

Donations kindly accepted

PRESS RELEASE – Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Tel: (+961- 4) 410001, 410003
Fax: (+961- 4) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:
PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

His Holiness Aram I receives the newly elected Bureau of the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation (Tashnak Party)

Antelias – 14 February 2015. On Saturday morning, the newly elected
Bureau of the Tashnak Party, led by representative Hrant Markarian met
with Catholicos Aram I in his office in Antelias.

The members of the Bureau discussed with His Holiness the activities to
be held in Armenia and the Diaspora to commemorate the 100th anniversary
of the Armenian Genocide and the reception by Armenians and the
international community of the Centennial Pan-Armenian Declaration.

`Armenian parents should transform the family into a `little
Church,’ a blessed structure of our community,’
Stated His Holiness Aram I on the eve of the feast of the Presentation
of Jesus in the Temple (Dyarentarch)

Antelias – Friday 13 February 2014. On Thursday evening, a large
number of parents and their children gathered at St. Gregory the
Illuminator Cathedral to attend the evening service prior to the Feast
of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple. His Holiness Aram I presided
over the ceremony and preached.

After recounting the story of Jesus’ parents taking the 40-day-old
baby to the Temple, according to the Jewish tradition, His Holiness
spoke of the two symbols of the feast, light and presentation of Jesus
to the temple. Jesus brought light to the world through his birth to
save the people who were involved in evil deeds and living in darkness.
He prayed that the faithful would take the light from the altar of the
Cathedral to their homes and fill their lives with Jesus. Referring to
the ritual of the presentation of Jesus to the Temple, he told the
parents that by bringing their children to the church, they were
offering them to God, promising that they would grow in the church with
its spiritual and religious values. The Catholicos then talked about the
family as the `little church’ and the role it plays in bringing up
their children as Christians according to the teachings of the Armenian
Church.

At the end of the service, the clergy, the seminarians and the
congregation gathered around the traditional bonfire to celebrate the
ancient church tradition of Dyarentarach with poetry and songs.

`The ideals of Vartanantz heroes continue to inspire our courageous
people in Karabagh,’
Said His Holiness Aram I

Antelias – On 12 February 2015, at the Feast of the Vartanantz Heroes,
the dean of the seminary, Rev. Torkom Donoyan, celebrated the Holy
Liturgy, presided over by His Holiness Aram I. In his sermon, Rev.
Torkom spoke of the urgency of national unity and the importance of
Christian faith in shaping the struggle of Armenians for justice.

After the Holy Liturgy, the clergy and faithful went to the Main Hall of
the Catholicosate. Catholicos Aram I gave his message, followed by a
cultural celebration with spiritual hymns and poetry prepared by the
seminarians.

In his message, the Catholicos quoted the commanding general of the
Vatananz battle, Vartan Mamigonian, who said, `we cannot remain
indifferent to external pressures that force us to give up our
independence and freedom.’ The Catholicos continued and said that this
same spirit that guides the people of Karabagh in their struggle today.
After greeting the people of Karabagh for their commitment, he blessed
the faithful; the celebration ended with the singing of the `Cilicia’
anthem.

The Central Committee of the Catholicosate of Cilicia concludes its
deliberations and adopts a programme for the commemoration of the 100th
Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide

Antelias – 9 February 2015. Under the leadership of His Holiness Aram
I, after three days of meetings, the Central Committee representing the
dioceses of the Catholicosate of Cilicia, its Executive Committee, the
Council of Religion and the plenary of the Prelates adopted the document
whereby:
1. They welcome the activities planned by the Catholicosate of
Cilicia on national and international levels for the commemoration of
the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, as well as those
activities planned by the dioceses. They strongly support the proposal
to pursue the political and legal aspects of recognition and restitution
related to the Genocide and commend the Pan-Armenian Declaration
recently adopted in Erevan.

2. They are aware of the profound meaning of the decision of the two
Catholicoi to make the martyrs of the 1915 Genocide into saints on 23
April 2015, during a special ceremony in Holy Etchmiadzin.

3. They are grateful for His Holiness Aram I’s ecumenical
commitment despite the dwindling interest of many churches in ecumenism.
They also support Catholicos Aram I’s commitment to Christian-Muslim
dialogue to help Christians and Muslims live together and condemn
fundamentalism.

4. They will organize a pilgrimage from their respective dioceses to
Lebanon for the blessing of the Holy Muron at the St. Mary’s Monastery
in Bikfaya in July and the commemorative activities at the Bird’s Nest
and Antelias.

5. They share His Holiness Aram I’s vision of the Seminary as an
important pillar of the Catholicosate of Cilicia in preparing the clergy
and sustaining the spiritual and moral values of the church. They
promise to support the seminary financially and morally.

6. They acknowledge the role of the Christian Education Department
in enabling the women and the youth to learn the basic teachings of the
church and her diakonia. They also urge the department to use modern
educational approaches and technology to improve its teaching methods.

7. They concur with His Holiness to include youth in the structures
of the diocesan committees and other organizations of the community.

8. They express their gratitude to the constructions and renovations
committee for preparing the locations for the commemorative events.

9. They thank the Board of the Khatcher Kaloustian Foundation for
its effort in promoting the Western Armenian language and introducing
new pedagogical approaches.

10. They recognize the financial dependency of the Catholicosate on the
dioceses and benefactors and appreciate deeply His Holiness Aram I’s
achievements despite the limited funds.

11. They share the pain of the Armenian community in Syria, and promise
to accompany them during these difficult times and help them later to
rebuild their lives. They consider the presence of Armenians in the
Middle East extremely important for the whole nation and call upon all
Armenian organizations to demonstrate their solidarity with Armenians in
Syria.

12. They are indebted to His Holiness Aram I for his initiative in
preparing a litigation against the Turkish authorities demanding the
return of the historical centre of the Catholicosate of Cilicia in Sis,
in cooperation with international human rights lawyers. They also thank
all those who have helped His Holiness realize this project.

# #
Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
PO Box : 70 317 Antelias – LEBANON
Tel: (+961-4) 410 001 / 3
Fax: (+961-4) 419724
E-mail: [email protected]

LES ARMENIENS EN FRANCE

La Croix, France
16 fevr 2015

Retrouvez notre carte de la communauté arménienne en France.

La communauté arménienne en France compte environ 600 000
personnes, dont 400 000 sont nées en France (3e et 4e générations
actuellement). Ces chiffres ne tiennent pas compte de l’immigration
récente d’Arméniens en provenance d’Arménie.

La communauté est surtout regroupée autour de trois zones
géographiquesâ~@~I: la région parisienne (plus de 200 000 personnes),
la région marseillaise (plus de 150 000) et la région lyonnaise
(environ 150 000).

La ville d’Alfortville (Val-de-Marne), surnommée la ” petite Arménie
”, est l’une des plus représentatives, avec 7 000 a 9 000 membres
parmi plus de 45 000 habitants.

D’autres villes comptent également une forte concentration, comme
Issy-les-Moulineaux (Hauts-de-Seine), Lyon, Nice, Bordeaux, Toulouse,
Grenoble, Montpellier, etc.

La communauté arménienne compte de nombreuses associations, au
moins six établissements scolaires arméniens (dont un lycée a
Marseille), et une centaine ” d’écoles du samedi ou du dimanche ”
pour l’enseignement de la langue arménienne.

TENSE STAND-OFF AS HAKAN HARMAN, CHIEF OF RACIAL HARMONY, ADMITS INFLAMING ETHNIC ANGER

Sydney Morning Herald, Australia
Feb 16 2015

Date February 16, 2015 – 7:17PM
Rick Feneley

Hakan Harman, apologised for issuing guidelines without consultation.

Ethnic leaders demand sacking of Multicultural NSW boss

The chief executive of the state body created to promote racial harmony
has apologised for inflaming anger among ethnic communities when he
issued guidelines that could have curtailed public memorials to war
crimes and atrocities.

But the Minister for Citizenship and Communities, Victor Dominello,
has drawn fire from rival sides in the bitter debate – both for
refusing to sack the head of Multicultural NSW, Hakan Harman, but
also for forcing him to withdraw the guidelines.

The Australian Turkish Advocacy Alliance, which had joined with a
Japanese group to urge Mr Harman to adopt the guidelines, claims
Mr Dominello “is clearly under the immense pressure of some of the
powerful lobby groups, including the Armenian lobby, and in fear of
nothing but losing votes in an election year”.

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The alliance rejects the word “genocide” to describe the deaths
of Armenian, Assyrians and Greeks under the Ottoman Empire. And it
rejects the assertion by leaders from these and the Cypriot and Korean
communities that it was seeking to “airbrush” history by restricting
public memorials in NSW.

Mr Dominello refused to sack Mr Harman, a Turkish Australian, on
Monday afternoon when he met leaders of the Armenian, Assyrian and
Greek communities. He invoked Anzac Day and said he did not want the
controversy to overwhelm the centenary commemorations, according to
the chief executive of the Armenian National Committee of Australia,
Vache Kahramanian.

Mr Dominello told them to lodge their complaint and that due process
must be followed.

Mr Harman, a Turkish Australian, admitted he should have conducted
extensive community consultation before issuing the guidelines.

“This did not occur and for that I sincerely apologise,” he said in
a statement. “The guidelines were intended to provide advice and
guidance on issues relating to historical commemoration of events
and not to inflame concerns or upset anyone.”

He would invite the angered communities to meet him.

But the Turkish alliance said: “We have seen in recent years that some
lobby groups, which are trademarked with their anti-Turkey causes,
are damaging the multicultural harmony exists in NSW by bringing some
unresolved political conficts with them.”

It said one of its roles was to “advocate against turning foreign
historical conflicts into a political football in Australia”.

The guidelines it and the Japanese Community Network proposed to Mr
Harman had “aimed to prevent these powerful lobby groups to use their
political power to waste public funds by using the government funds
or land for their political aims”.

The alliance claimed it had the support of the Indian community and
the previous leadership of the Ethnic Communities Council of NSW –
an assertion denied by the ECC late on Monday.

The Labor spokesman for citizenship and communities, Guy Zangari, said:
“It’s time for Mr Dominello to come out of the shadows and clean up
this mess.”

The chairman of the Multicultural NSW advisory board, Harry Harinath,
said it was determined to promote “peace and harmony” and welcomed
the move to wider consultation with communities.

A spokesman for Mr Dominello said: “The purpose of today’s meeting
was to consult with relevant community leaders, hear their concerns
and resolve a way forward that will ensure community harmony.”

ARMENIA-IMF TALKS FOCUS ON GROWTH, AID PROSPECTS

CISTran Finance
Feb 16 2015

February 16, 2015 5:00 AM
By CISTran Finance Reports

Armenian Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan met with a delegation from
the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Thursday to discuss the
current state of the economy and future collaborative efforts.

Mark Horton led the IMF delegation, stressing that projects aimed at
increasing growth should be considered a priority so the country can
meet the changing international economic climate.

Abrahamyan said economic activity grew 3.9 percent in 2014, fueled
by the agriculture, service and industrial sectors. He also said the
government plans to implement reforms that allow for a healthier
business environment that facilitates growth. He also called for
measures to promote exports and investment opportunities.

During the meeting, both sides also discussed the potential for future
support from the IMF through the fund’s Extended Fund Facility and
Extended Credit Facility programs. Other changes and enhancements on
taxes, customs and other cooperative possibilities also were discussed.

RUSSIA HAS EXPERIENCE IN SETTLING INTERETHNIC CONFLICTS

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Feb 16 2015

16 February 2015 – 8:36pm

Veronika Krasheninnikova, the head of the Russia Today Center
of International Journalism and Studies, the director general of
the Institute of Foreign Political Studies and Initiatives, deputy
head of the Presidential Council Committee for Social Support of the
Population of the Southeast of Ukraine, a member of the Russian Public
Chamber, has visited Vestnik Kavkaza today. She gave an insight into
the Russian position on conflicts in the post-Soviet space and the
world and relations with the South Caucasus states.

Speaking about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Krasheninnikova
emphasized that it was one of the most tragic pages in the history
of the USSR, independent Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia. She
called Yugoslavia an analogy of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,
where interethnic tensions had sparked the tragedy. In her words,
Russian history has unique experience in solving such problems. The
USSR consisted of 200 ethnicities, according to the expert. She urged
the modern generation to use the experience to build a future.

Krasheninnikova pointed out the progress of Russia in developing
relations with Azerbaijan and Armenia, their reaching a new level in
2014. The analyst reminded about the meeting in Astrakhan and progress
in the settlement of Caspian problems. In her opinion, the authorities
of Azerbaijan have the political wisdom to make the right decisions.

Armenia, says Krasheninnikova, made the right choice by joining
the Eurasian Economic Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. She
reminded that the Baltic states had joined the EU in May 2004,
their population had decreased by about a quarter or a third, their
economies entered a deep crisis. The expert noted that the U.S. and
NATO members continued paying special attention to the countries of
the South Caucasus. Not a week went by without NATO drills, visits
of defense ministers and of other military officials in July-August.

Krasheninnikova added that the Ukrainian crisis had made the region
even more topical. Russia Today prepared a report “The Trans-Caucasus
in the strategic plans of the U.S. and NATO” with “a very deep”
study of the actions of the Americans and their allies in the Caucasus.

GAGIK TSARUKYAN MIGHT BE STRIPPED OF PARLIAMENTARY SEAT

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Feb 16 2015

16 February 2015 – 2:52pm

The chairman of the Armenian Parliament, Galust Saakyan, has allegedly
applied to the Central Electoral Commission, asking the CEC to strip
lawmaker Gagik Tsarukyan of his seat.

“This is an unexpected development, because everybody expected the
issue to be put to a vote at the plenary session of the National
Assembly – something stipulated by Article 99 of the NA Regulations,”
armtimes.com cited its source.

The Haykakan Zhamanak daily has a document showing that Gagik
Tsarukyan’s absences from the previous fall session were considered
to be excused absences. It turns out that Galust Saakyan will have
to annul his own decision to consider Tsarukyan’s absences from NA
sessions as excusable.

ANCC THANKS BOLIVIAN GOVERNMENT FOR SPEAKNG THE TRUTH ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

February 16, 2015

Ottawa (Feb. 5) – A delegation of the ANCC (Armenian National Committee
of Canada) had the opportunity to personally thank Bolivian Ambassador
to Canada for his government’s recent adoption of a strongly worded
Armenian Genocide legislation.

It was important for the ANCC delegation to discuss with H.E. Edgar
Torrez Mosqueira Ambassador and First Secretary Claudia Rocabado
Mrden, who reiterated the importance for President Evo Morales and
the Bolivian government to condemn the genocide and all human rights
atrocities. The two parties exchanged on similarities (both countries
being landlocked, for example) and between the two countries and
insisted on establishing a more lasting and active friendship between
the Armenian Canadian community, Armenia and Bolivia.

Before leaving, Ambassador Torrez insisted that he would remind
President Morales of the Armenian government’s invitation to attend
the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in Armenia.