Author: Badalian Vardan

GLENDALE COMMUNITY COLLEGE UNANIMOUSLY PASSES ARMENIAN GENOCIDE EDUCATION RESOLUTION

Friday, September 12th, 2014

GCC Board during Tuesday’s vote

Challenges Neighboring College Districts to Do the Same

GLENDALE–On Tuesday, September 9, the Glendale Community College
Board of Trustees, following the lead of LACCD Board of Trustees,
adopted a resolution designating the month of April 2015 as “Glendale
Community College Month of Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary
of the Armenian Genocide of 1915” reported the Armenian National
Committee of America – Western Region.

The resolution also incorporates Armenian Genocide education and
awareness as part of discussions and campus activities, and calls on
the United States President to work toward equitable, constructive,
stable, and durable Armenian- Turkish relations based upon the Republic
of Turkey’s full acknowledgment, with reparations, of the facts and
ongoing consequences of the Armenian Genocide, and a fair, just, and
comprehensive international resolution of this crime against humanity.

“The community thanks the Board of Trustees and President Viar for
their leadership. This resolution will definitely serve as a reminder
of the atrocities that should never be repeated and at the same time
assist educators, students as well as the community in general not
just about the facts, but also about the bitter consequences suffered
by many generations,” stated ANCA Glendale Chair, Artin Manoukian.

At the beginning of the public comments portion Manoukian took the
podium on behalf of the organization and stated “For a variety of
reasons, the Armenian Genocide has fallen out of collective memory.

Since it was perpetrated, Armenians have been continuously subjected to
the final stage of genocide by the perpetrators and their successors:
denial. We need to preserve this chapter of history as part of our
consciousness in order to prevent genocide deniers from succeeding
in completing the full cycle of genocide. This resolution is a
promising step in that direction…All college students should be
familiar with modern world history no matter what their course of
study. Study of 20th Century world history would be incomplete without
familiarity with the Armenian Genocide, its impact on global events,
and subsequent genocides then, and also the manner in which it has
shaped and affected the Armenian American community of California,”
prior to urging the Board to unanimously adopt the resolution.

Following Manoukian, ANCA Western Region Executive Director Elen
Asatryan thanked the GCC Board of Trustees for their leadership
and went on to note that in early 2014 the organization launched
an initiative, America We Thank You: An Armenian Tribute to Near
East Relief, timed for the centennial of the Armenian Genocide, to
recognize the outpouring of generosity by the American people in the
immediate aftermath of the Armenian Genocide and to honor the efforts
of Near East Relief in rescuing and providing assistance to hundreds of
thousands of men, women and children who were victims of the Genocide.

Asatryan concluded her remarks by extending a partnership offering
to the college and stated “We are thrilled to also see incorporation
of Near East Relief in this resolution and look forward to having our
America We Thank You Committee partner with Glendale Community College
in spreading awareness about the first massive US humanitarian effort
and this important part of not just Armenian History, but American
History.”

Several local students also spoke in support of the resolution in
the packed auditorium prior to the Board’s discussion on the item.

After closing the public comments portion, Board President Vahe
Peroomian introduced the resolution and called for a motion of
approval. Trustee Armine Hacopian made the motion to approve, which
was seconded by Board Clerk Anita Quinonez Gabrielian.

“I am delighted that we have reached this point at this College. My
father and his brother were raised in two different orphanages from age
4 because they had watched their parents be killed before their eyes,
and each thought the other was killed. So this is a true story, not
something people have made up,” stated Hacopian during her comments
while Gabrielian noted “I wholeheartedly support this resolution
with the acknowledgement that education and awareness is the first
step in making sure that Genocide does not happen again and so I am
proud to support it.”

Their sentiments were echoed first by Board Vice President Tony
Tartaglia who stated “As a non-Armenian, I was affected by the
Genocide as well. I did not have grandparents after the age of
10. I lived in the San Fernando Valley and had a very good friend in
elementary school that happened to be half Armenian. His grandmother
went through the last of the Genocide in the 1920s and she told me
stories of what she went through. So I consider this woman Anoush my
grandmother, who had to change her name because they lived in Turkey
and at that time you couldn’t carry an Armenian name. At the age of 4,
she watched her whole family be killed. As the bodies fell on her,
she only survived only because they walked away and thought she
was dead under the bodies. So the Armenian Genocide effected a lot
of people, including non-Armenians. I am very thrilled to see this
happen,” followed by Trustee Ann Ransford who noted “I also support
this resolution. The education is so important because unfortunately
we are experiencing in this day and time Genocides in our world.

Taking the leadership and this kind of a position for our board and
for our country is very important.”

Prior to taking a vote, President Peroomian challenged neighboring
college districts Pasadena, Rio Hando, Santa Clarita to also pass
an Armenian Genocide Resolution and start a wave passing such
resolutions. Trustee Hacopian took it a step further, challenging
Peroomian to challenge all the college districts. Peroomian accepted
the suggestion. The Board of Trustees then took a vote of 6-0 in
passing the resolution.

HEROISM OF OUR SOLDIERS HELPED THE PRESIDENT TO BE MORE CONFIDENT AT THE TRILATERAL MEETING – DM

15:30 / 12.09.2014

Armenia’s Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan visited today Armenia’s
State Economic University.

The meeting with the students of the university took place on the
occasion of upcoming Independence holiday and 20th anniversary of
the foundation of students’ council.

Speaking to reporters Ohanyan said he is proud that he represents an
establishment which has passed a triumphant path and today as well
ensures the peaceful existence of the Armenian people. “During the
recent attacks our army managed to give a worthy counter-attack to
the enemy and ensured the security of our borders making the enemy
understand that it cannot reach what it wants. We have our version
of the settlement of the conflict and it is the peaceful way based on
international norms. The right of people to self-determination has no
alternative,” the minister said, adding that they will do everything
not to face imposed war for the second time.

“Now they impose concessions in the negotiation process. Mutual
concessions against uncertainty are unacceptable for us. For us
mutual agreements that will bring to self-determination of Karabakh
as free, independent region,” the minister said, reminding that after
negotiations the enemy always tries to display force to have an impact
on negotiations.

“Thanks to heroism of our servicemen and their devotion we managed not
only throw back their saboteurs but undertake preventive measures in
the territory. It helped the president to be more confident at the
trilateral meeting and stated strictly our position over Artsakh,”
Ohanyan said.

The minister once again stressed with regret that we had losses,
but found heroes. I also feel pain for the losses of the enemy as
their death is on the conscience of the Azerbaijani authorities.

Nyut.am

ARMENIA HAS ECONOMIC COMPETITION SHORTCOMINGS – MINISTRY

00:18, 11.09.2014

YEREVAN. – The Ministry of Economy will analyze the reasons for
the drop in Armenia’s position in the World Economic Forum (WEF)
global rankings, Economy Minister Karen Chshmarityan told reporters
on Wednesday.

He added, however, that this drop in Armenia’s ranking can be relative
due to the improvement in the rankings of other countries.

To the query as to whether Armenia’s low ranking in the free markets is
an impediment, the minister responded: “Yes, there is such a problem.”

Armenia was ranked 85th, dropping six spots, in the WEF 2014-2015
Global Competitiveness Report. In addition, Armenia was ranked 105th
among 144 countries in the effectiveness of antitrust policy.

Armenia News – NEWS.am

ARMENIAN HEALTH OFFICIAL CONCERNED OVER LOW NATURAL GROWTH

12:42 * 12.09.14

Natural growth in Armenia has decreased by 4.5 times since the 1990s,
with the birth rate being almost twice down, a healthcare official
said today, expressing concerns over the population statistics.

In a speech at the conference Family, Society and Church (held at the
Holy See of Ecmhiadzin), Head of the Healthcare Ministry’s Maternity
and Reproductive Health Department Gayane Avagyan said the trend is
likely to cut the country’s population in half by 2030 against the
backdrop of a surge in the neighboring states.

“This is really a challenge everybody has to pay attention to,” she
said, pointing out to an alarming birth statistics. “We do not even
have a simple reproduction in the country.”

Speaking about abortions, Avagyan said their number has seen a tenfold
increase in the past decade; she attributed the trend to the advanced
technologies that help timely detect fetal diseases and disorders As
for sex-selective abortions, the healthcare official said they are now
elaborating a concept aimed at concealing the fetus’ sex from parents.

As another concern, the specialist pointed out to the infertility
rate, which she said has twice increased in the country in the past
ten years.

ENEMY HAD NINE TIMES MORE VICTIMS, SAYS ARMENIAN DEFENCE MINISTER

12:43 | September 12,2014 | Politics

Armenian Defence Minister Seyran Ohanyan today visited Armenian State
University of Economics (ASUE) where he participated in the opening
of an audience dedicated to student soldiers.

Welcoming the students, the minister said after the ASUE he would
visit Yerevan State University and other universities.

“These meetings give birth to new ideas which we can accomplish
together,” said Mr Ohanyan.

Talking about the current situation in the army, the minister said
that the enemy has had nine times more victims than Armenia. Then
the defence minister answered students’ questions.

ARMENIAN PARLIAMENTARIANS CONCERNED OVER ANCIENT CRYPT’S FUTURE

10:37 * 12.09.14

Driven by concerns over the fate of a 4th century Armenian royal crypt
excavated in the Aragatsotn region, a group of parliamentarians are
planning to visit the ancient site to see the situation on the ground.

It comes after Aragats Akhoyan of the Prosperous Armenia faction voiced
serious alarm about the desolate situation of the chapel, basilica
and the excavation site in the village Dzorap (historical Aghdzk)

His statement spurred active discussions among parliament members
(including Samvel Farmanyan, Tachat Vardapetyan etc) who are now
said to be considering plans for rescuing area and later making it
a tourist center.

Dzorap, a village on the slopes of Mount Aragats, is home to a large
grave monument complex and basilica of the 4th to 5th centuries. The
complex includes the 4th century architectural complex of Aghdzk,
the Arsacid Dynasty’s (54-482) crypt, a church dating from the 6th-7th
centuries etc.

Speaking to Tert.am, Mr Akhoyan shared his concerns over the
exceptional historical samples. “Excavations were periodically carried
out, but they were never completed. The Arsacid kings’ mausoleum, which
is the only royal crypt our nation has on the territory of Armenia,
is in a desolate state. I mean, the mausoleums have not been fully
excavated, and shamefully enough, the bones are thrown around like
waste. What’s even worse, they were broken, and the stone coffins
were scattered around. So we have to take urgent measures to first of
all complete the excavations and secondly, make them [the monuments]
tourist attractions, as well a strategically important sacred place to
contribute to our younger generation’s patriotic-military upbringing.

>From the 16th t to the 17th centuries, the Persians wanted to take
possession of those bones in order to undermine our statehood, but
we are consigning them to inattention today,” he noted.

Tert.am also talked to Pavel Avetisyan, the director of the National
Academy’s Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, who shared his
professional standpoint on the issue. The archaologist highlighed
the importance of preserving the monuments as unique samples of
national identity.

“This [complex includes] several graves of Armenian kings, which
do not have their analogues in any other place. Hence, it is
exceptional in this respect. If Ecnmiadzin is in the first place
in our religious-cultural set of values, then the Arsacid kings’
grave should be the first as a secular [value]. So this is one of
the remarkable memories in the Armenian history,” he explained.

ARTSAKH PRESIDENT MEETS AMERICAN ARMENIAN PUBLIC FIGURE ANNA ASTVATSATURIAN-TURCOTTE

19:33 | September 11,2014 | Official

On September 1, President of the Artsakh Republic Bako Sahakyan
received American Armenian public figure Anna Astvatsaturian-Turcotte
and her father Norik Astvatsaturian.

The interlocutors discussed issues related to the objective coverage
of the Artsakh history and Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict overseas.

Bako Sahakyan rated high the input of Anna Astvatsaturian-Turcotte
in the international recognition of Artsakh, qualifying it the best
manifestation of patriotism.

President Sahakyan valued the book entitled “Nowhere: A Story of Exile”
authored by Anna Astvatsatryan considering it a unique work depicting
both historic events and human stories.

CZECH REPUBLIC CAN EXPORT TRUCKS, SMALL AIRCRAFTS AND HELICOPTERS TO ARMENIA

YEREVAN, September 11. /ARKA/. The Czech Republic can export trucks,
small aircrafts and helicopters to Armenia, Armenian Deputy Economy
Minister Garegin Melkonyan said at a news conference after the first
session of Czech-Armenian Intergovernmental Commission for Economic
Cooperation held Thursday in Yerevan.

Some 30 representatives of the Czech Republic’s public and private
sectors attended the session.

Melkonyan said that the aircrafts and helicopters made in the
Czech Republic are intended for five, ten and 12 passengers and may
contribute to development of tourism in Armenia.

“Armenia and the Czech Republic have considerable resources in tourism
area, therefore exchange of experience and joint efforts may produce
good results,” he said.

According to the National Statistical Service of Armenia, trade
between the two countries amounted to $9.9 million in Jan-July 2014
against $13.26 million in Jan-July 2013. –0—-

GLENDALE RESIDENT CHARGED WITH SMUGGLING ARMENIANS INTO U.S. VIA MEXICO

Glendale News Press
Sept 10 2014

by Tony Perry, Los Angeles Times
September 9, 2014 | 9:28 a.m.

Reporting from San Diego–

A fourth person has been charged with being part of what federal
prosecutors in San Diego say was an international ring devoted to
smuggling Armenian nationals into the United States without proper
documents.

Maria Yanakopulus, 57, of Glendale, was charged Monday with attempting
to bring three Armenians across the San Ysidro border with phony
green cards, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Two other Glendale residents — Varduhi Avagyan, 42, and Meri
Avetisyan, 40 — were arrested in November. Grigor Chatalyan, 44,
of North Hollywood, was arrested in June and charged with being
the ringleader.

Prosecutors accuse the group of charging Armenian nationals as much
as $18,000 each to be flown to Moscow and then to Cancun, Mexico.

Once in Cancun, they were brought to Tijuana where they received
immigration documents that had been issued to other people,
prosecutors said.

Yanakopulus is charged with conspiracy and three counts of bringing
illegal aliens into the U.S. for financial gain. If convicted on all
counts, she faces between five and 15 years in prison.

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ONLY THE PERSON SITTING IN KREMLIN DOES NOT WANT TO SEE

Igor Muradyan, Political Analyst
Comments – 10 September 2014, 19:52

Is there a real doctrine on Eurasia? Of course, there is, but Russia’s
present plans have nothing to do with this. Why?

The Eurasian doctrine is a civilization doctrine, not a badly
cooked hodgepodge, and the Eurasianism can be brought into being
as a cultural-historical bloc. Of course, one may argue what this
characteristics means but, in any case, one has to choose between a
Euro-Asian and Eastern European community.

In addition, Eurasianism in its acceptable format of a stable and
substantial community, may be set up only in the mode of close
cooperation with the Euro-Atlantic community or, at least, in the
mode of open confrontation with it.

The current invented and fully artificial “Eurasian project” is
falling apart, and only the person who sometimes sits in the Kremlin
does not want to see this. A marginal and isolated bloc, especially
in an allegedly confrontation mode, cannot come into being.

Why are Belarus and Kazakhstan increasingly demonstrating intentions
to set up new dimensions in cooperation with the West and other
global centers of power? Because A. Lukashenko and N. Nazarbayev
understand how dangerous isolation in the so-called “Russian world”
is. One can forgive such things as economic and social failures,
political failures but nobody in a normal state will forgive the loss
of national sovereignty.

The “Russian world” means loss of sovereignty for any state, whether
small or big. It is not ruled out that despite their lasting tenure A.

Lukashenko and N. Nazarbayev remain learning politicians and cannot
understand all at once.

At the same time, the U.S. administration and a number of European
countries have realized their mistakes in planning and integration of
the Western community with the countries of Eastern Europe. Mistakes
have been made but now there are sufficient signs of what stronger
centers of power in the Western community have understood that
continuing isolation and blockade of the countries of Eastern Europe
for different political-ideological and military-political problems is
meaningless, and it is time to finish with the policy of past decades.

In other words, return of “Bushism” is underway but in a different
stylistics. Not a shade of “Clintonism” has been left in the U.S.

policy. B. Obama has taken the United States so far into
pseudo-Pacifism that hardly anyone believed in such a turn but the
American establishment has demonstrated its “strategic pluralism”
once again in history.

This policy only opens up opportunities for the policy of Russia which
leads to lasting stagnation in international development. The West does
not need to recognize a completely European nation, the Byelorussians,
as a surrogate of “Eurasianism”, which is neither comprehensible,
nor specific. The problem of Belarus is that hardly anyone in the
West or Russia has a good understanding of this country.

Belarus has a lot from the typical European or rather Central European
culture. It is hard for the Russians to understand that Byelorussians
are not Russians. They are close but different ethnicities and
nations. The Kazakh and Kyrgyz people are classic Eurasian peoples
who do not fit the Anatolian Levantism or European civilization goals
or Confucian cultural-historical space or the Islamic community.

These two countries do not even fit the format of Central Asia and are,
no doubt, a unique world, closer to Russia than anyone else.

However, these countries do not demonstrate a wish to lose independence
and delegate sovereignty to Russia, even in the face of Chinese
expansion.

But only elite can think so, and such thinking is a criterion of
a national elite. Armenia has neither elite nor counter-elite or
anti-elite. The notions of independence and sovereignty of the country
mean nothing to those who are now determining the future of Armenia and
are a serious obstacle to their welfare and security of their income.

The ruling regime in Russia, pretending to historical territories
and declaring protection of rights of the Russian population, would
allegedly be able to resolve if not all, at least most of these issues
over the past 25 years. However, no serious attempts were in place.

There was demagogy and money laundering based on chauvinistic
propaganda.

In reality, the “Eurasian doctrine” means depriving states of
the rights to choice of foreign policy, i.e. sovereignty. This is
considered as a factor of security of Russia.

Vladimir Putin and someone else have been made believe that Russia
is strong, it has stood up to its feet and, this conviction continues.

The question occurs whether Russia can cope with domestic problems.

However, such formulation of the issue is dilettantism. In the modern
world, the country is first brought to the necessary “condition”
and then is left to float.

One way or another, it will become clear that the Moscow-based ruling
regime is controllable despite the criticism of conspiracy theory.

However, famous suppositions on catastrophes in Russia will not
happen. It will be saved as always. In any case, Russia’s chief and
basically official expert on conspiracy theory does not deny that
the general objective of the West is removal of the ruling regime
of Moscow.