Author: Badalian Vardan

The National Post, Canada
Nov 7 2014

The ‘selective genocide’ that Washington ignored

Gary J. Bass, Special to National Post

On November 20, The Cundill Prize in Historical Literature at McGill
will be awarded to the author of a book “determined to have had (or
likely to have) a profound literary, social and academic impact in the
area of history.” This week and next, the National Post will be
publishing excerpts from all six 2014 Cundill Prize finalists.

Archer Blood, the United States consul general in Dacca, was a
gentlemanly diplomat raised in Virginia, a World War II navy veteran
in the upswing of a promising Foreign Service career after several
tours overseas. He was earnest and precise, known to some of his more
unruly subordinates at the U.S. consulate as a good, conventional man.

He had come to like his posting to this impoverished, green and swampy
land. But outside of the consulate’s grimy offices, in the steamy
heat, the city was dying. Night after night, Blood heard the gunshots.
On the night of March 25, 1971, the Pakistan army had begun a
relentless crackdown on Bengalis, all across what was then East
Pakistan and is today an independent Bangladesh. Untold thousands of
people were shot, bombed or burned to death in Dacca alone. Blood had
spent that grim night on the roof of his official residence, watching
as tracer bullets lit up the sky, listening to clattering machine guns
and thumping tank guns. There were fires across the ramshackle city.
He knew the people in the deathly darkness below. He liked them. Many
of the civilians facing the bullets were professional colleagues; some
were his friends.

It was, Blood and his staffers thought, their job to relay as much of
this as they possibly could back to Washington. Witnessing one of the
worst atrocities of the Cold War, Blood’s consulate documented in
horrific detail the slaughter of Bengali civilians: an area the size
of two dozen city blocks that had been razed by gunfire; two newspaper
office buildings in ruins; thatch-roofed villages in flames; specific
targeting of the Bengalis’ Hindu minority.

The U.S. consulate gave detailed accounts of the killings at Dacca
University, ordinarily a leafy, handsome enclave. At the wrecked
campus, professors had been hauled from their homes to be gunned down.
The provost of the Hindu dormitory, a respected scholar of English,
was dragged out of his residence and shot in the neck. Blood listed
six other faculty members “reliably reported killed by troops,” with
several more possibly dead. One American who had visited the campus
said that students had been “mowed down” in their rooms or as they
fled, with a residence hall in flames and youths being machine-gunned.

Archer Blood’s cable — perhaps the most radical rejection of U.S.
policy ever sent by its own diplomats — blasted the United States for
silence in the face of Pakistan’s atrocities

“At least two mass graves on campus,” Blood cabled. “Stench terrible.”
There were 148 corpses in one of these mass graves, according to the
workmen forced to dig them. An official in the Dacca consulate
estimated that at least five hundred students had been killed in the
first two days of the crackdown, almost none of them fighting back.
Blood reckoned that the rumored toll of a thousand dead at the
university was “exaggerated, although nothing these days is
inconceivable.” After the massacre, he reported that an American
eyewitness had seen an empty army truck arriving to get rid of a
“tightly packed pile of approximately 25 corpses,” the last of many
such batches of human remains.

This was, Blood knew, the last thing his superiors in Washington
wanted to hear. Pakistan was an ally — a military dictatorship, but
fiercely anticommunist. Blood detailed how Pakistan was using U.S.
weapons — tanks, jet fighters, gigantic troop transport airplanes,
jeeps, guns, ammunition — to crush the Bengalis. In one of the awkward
alignments of the Cold War, President Richard Nixon had lined up the
democratic United States with this authoritarian government, while the
despots in the Soviet Union found themselves standing behind
democratic India.

Nixon and Henry Kissinger, the brilliant White House national security
advisor, were driven not just by such Cold War calculations, but a
starkly personal and emotional dislike of India and Indians. Nixon
enjoyed his friendship with Pakistan’s military dictator, General Agha
Muhammad Yahya Khan, known as Yahya, who was helping to set up the top
secret opening to China. The White House did not want to be seen as
doing anything that might hint at the breakup of Pakistan — no matter
what was happening to civilians in the east wing of Pakistan.

Related

Gary J. Bass: Nixon knew of the massacre in Bangladesh
Jonathan Kay: Outside the world’s media glare, Bangladesh is fighting
against militant Islam

The onslaught would continue for months. The Dacca consulate
stubbornly kept up its reporting. But, Blood later recalled, his
cables were met with “a deafening silence.” He was not allowed to
protest to the Pakistani authorities. He ratcheted up his dispatches,
sending in a blistering cable tagged “Selective Genocide,” urging his
bosses to speak out against the atrocities being committed by the
Pakistani military. The White House staff passed this up to Kissinger,
who paid no heed. Then on April 6, two weeks into the slaughter, Blood
and almost his entire consulate sent in a telegram formally declaring
their “strong dissent” — a total repudiation of the policy that they
were there to carry out. That cable — perhaps the most radical
rejection of U.S. policy ever sent by its diplomats — blasted the
United States for silence in the face of atrocities, for not
denouncing the quashing of democracy, for showing “moral bankruptcy”
in the face of what they bluntly called genocide.

This book is about how two of the world’s great democracies — the
United States and India — faced up to one of the most terrible
humanitarian crises of the 20th century. The slaughter in what is now
Bangladesh stands as one of the cardinal moral challenges of recent
history, although today it is far more familiar to South Asians than
to Americans. It had a monumental impact on India, Pakistan, and
Bangladesh — almost a sixth of humanity in 1971. In the dark annals of
modern cruelty, it ranks as bloodier than Bosnia and by some accounts
in the same rough league as Rwanda. It was a defining moment for both
the United States and India, where their humane principles were put to
the test.

For the United States, as Archer Blood understood, a small number of
atrocities are so awful that they stand outside of the normal
day-to-day flow of diplomacy: the Armenian genocide, the Holocaust,
Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda. When we think of U.S. leaders failing the
test of decency in such moments, we usually think of uncaring
disengagement: Franklin Roosevelt fighting World War II without taking
serious steps to try to rescue Jews from the Nazi dragnet, or Bill
Clinton standing idly by during the Rwandan genocide.

Getty

But Pakistan’s slaughter of its Bengalis in 1971 is starkly different.
Here the United States was allied with the killers. The White House
was actively and knowingly supporting a murderous regime at many of
the most crucial moments. There was no question about whether the
United States should intervene; it was already intervening on behalf
of a military dictatorship decimating its own people.

This stands as one of the worst moments of moral blindness in U.S.
foreign policy. Pakistan’s crackdown on the Bengalis was not routine
or small-scale killing, not something that could be dismissed as
business as usual, but a colossal and systematic onslaught. Midway
through the bloodshed, both the Central Intelligence Agency and the
State Department conservatively estimated that about 200,000 people
had lost their lives. Many more would perish, cut down by Pakistani
forces or dying in droves in miserable refugee camps.

“The story of East Bengal will surely be written as one of the
greatest nightmares of modern times,” declared Edward Kennedy, who led
the outcry in the Senate. But in the depths of the Cold War, Nixon and
Kissinger were unyielding in their support for Pakistan, making
possible horrific crimes against humanity — plausibly even a genocide
— in that country’s eastern wing.

The ongoing Bengali slaughter led within a few months to a major war
between Pakistan and India. In that time, the White House had every
opportunity to grasp how bad these atrocities were. There were sober
misgivings voiced in the White House, and thunderous protests from the
State Department and its emissaries in Delhi and Dacca, with Archer
Blood the loudest voice of all. But throughout it all, from the
outbreak of civil war to the Bengali massacres to Pakistan’s crushing
defeat by the Indian military, Nixon and Kissinger, unfazed by
detailed knowledge of the massacres, stood stoutly behind Pakistan.

As its most important international backer, the United States had
great influence over Pakistan. But at almost every turning point in
the crisis, Nixon and Kissinger failed to use that leverage to avert
disaster. Before the shooting started, they consciously decided not to
warn Pakistan’s military chiefs against using violence on their own
population. They did not urge caution or impose conditions that might
have discouraged the Pakistani military government from butchering its
own citizenry. They did not threaten the loss of U.S. support or even
sanctions if Pakistan took the wrong course. They allowed the army to
sweep aside the results of Pakistan’s first truly free and fair
democratic election, without even suggesting that the military
strongmen try to work out a power-sharing deal with the Bengali
leadership that had won the vote. They did not ask that Pakistan
refrain from using U.S. weaponry to slaughter civilians, even though
that could have impeded the military’s rampage, and might have
deterred the army.

There was no public condemnation — nor even a private threat of it —
from the president, the secretary of state, or other senior officials.
The administration almost entirely contented itself with making
gentle, token suggestions behind closed doors that Pakistan might
lessen its brutality–and even that only after, months into the
violence, it became clear that India was on the brink of attacking
Pakistan.

National Post

Excerpted from The Blood Telegram by Gary J. Bass. Copyright (c) 2013 by
Gary J. Bass. Excerpted by permission of Vintage, a division of Random
House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be
reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the
publisher.

LUTTE GRECO-ROMAINE
Le champion du monde de lutte gréco-romaine Artur Aleksanyan (98 kg)
va vers un club allemand

L’Arménien Artur Aleksanyan (98 kg), champion du monde de lutte
gréco-romaine et médaille de bronze pour l’Arménie aux J.O. de Londres
en 2012 va intégrer la saison prochaine les couleurs d’un club
allemand pour disputer le championnat d’Allemagne. Le 6 novembre Artur
Aleksanyan s’est rendu au club > (Mayence) en Allemagne. > dit Artur Aleksanyan, l’un des
meilleurs espoirs d’un titre olympique pour l’Arménie à Rio en 2016.
Le vice-champion olympique et champion du monde Arsène Djoulfalakian
est quant à lui dans un club en Allemagne depuis 2009.

Krikor Amirzayan

samedi 8 novembre 2014,
Krikor Amirzayan (c)armenews.com

REVUE DE PRESSE
Cap Accueil : un samedi aux couleurs de l’Arménie

Cap Accueil, en partenariat avec l’association Ménez Ararat, vous
propose de découvrir l’Arménie ce samedi 8 novembre à Esquibien.
Organisée autour de trois espaces, la mairie, le thétre Georges-Madec
et la salle polyvalente, cette journée consacrée à l’Arménie
présentera un programme riche autour de son histoire et de sa culture.
En France, on dénombre environ 500 000 Français d’origine arménienne.
Chaque année, Cap Accueil organise une journée sur un pays et son
histoire. L’année dernière, les animations autour de l’Algérie ont
rencontré un fort succès avec 500 visiteurs.

Au programme

Cette manifestation autour de l’Arménie proposera de nombreuses
animations sur toute la journée du samedi. Films, livres, CD,
initiation à l’alphabet arménien, ateliers ou encore expositions
seront au programme. Les animations débuteront dès 11 h par le
vernissage de l’exposition de l’artiste peintre Artak Sakanyan à la
mairie, salle du conseil municipal.

Le programme complet est visible sur le Krank, le bulletin
d’information de Cap Accueil, disponible dans les principaux
commerces, les offices de tourisme et en mairie, ou sur le site
Internet de l’association ().

Inscription au repas arménien

Un repas, confectionné par des cuisiniers d’origine arménienne, sera
organisé à partir de 19 h avec un apéritif à la salle polyvalente. Il
sera accompagné de chants, de musiques et de poèmes. Un livret de
recettes arméniennes, édité par Cap Accueil, sera mis en vente pour 1
EURO. Les inscriptions au repas sont de 15 EURO et sont à formuler auprès de
Cap Accueil avant le 5 novembre au plus tard. Déjà une cinquantaine
d’inscrits !

Contacts : Cap Accueil par courriel : ([email protected]), par tél
: 02 98 70 28 72 ; Marie De Lagausie, tél : 06 99 24 06 60. Entrée
libre, tout public.

samedi 8 novembre 2014,
Stéphane (c)armenews.com

168 Hours: Gagik Tsarukyan’s next move

12:47 08/11/2014 >> DAILY PRESS

According to 168 Hours, the intrigue of the first rally of three
non-government parties consisted in the participation of Prosperous
Armenia Party leader Gagik Tsarukyan, that of the second rally in the
phrase “change of power” pronounced by Tsarukyan, while the intrigue
of the trio’s next rally may be Tsarukyan’s announcement that
Prosperous Armenia goes into opposition.

“It is not ruled out that at the next rally Tsarukyan will get rid of
the last thread linking him and the country’s authorities and he will
announce his withdrawal from the National Security Council. In the
opinion of Prosperous Armenia representatives, then the conflict
between the trio and the authorities will have different quality. For
this reason, it is supposed that such statements will be made only
after the leader of Prosperous Armenia becomes convinced that it is
time to carry out a change of power. Yet no one can predict when this
time will come since the Prosperous Armenia leader himself does not
intend to take dramatic actions. The postponement of the next rally is
due to this fact,” the newspaper says.

Source: Panorama.am

Regarding the pictures:
1- Caption should read “Peter Musurlian at work in Western Armenia”,
whichever picture is used
2- photo credit- Sharon Chekijian

Armenian Hikers Association-LA
200 North Brand Boulevard #B3 & #C3
Glendale, CA 91203
[email protected]

NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
contact-Robert Assarian
November 4, 2014
818/434-5952

Award Winner to Document 100km Tribute

Glendale, CA – The 100km Tribute organizing team has announced that
award winning documentarian Peter Musurlian will be producing a short
movie about the walkers, bicyclists, and motorcycle riders who will be
honoring the martyrs of the Armenian Genocide on Thanksgiving weekend
through the 100km tribute.

Musurlian will cross paths with the Tribute’s participants as they
walk through the San Gabriel Mountains on trails and fire roads, ride
through the San Fernando Valley, Hollywood, East Los Angeles, and
finally arrive at the Armenian Genocide Martyrs Monument in
Montebello’s Bicknell Park.

Peter is a USC journalism-school alumnus, currently working at The
Burbank Channel, who has racked up an impressive set of
accomplishments. He has reported from or worked in 20 states and 14
countries (from Central America to Africa and the Armenian Plateau).
Over the course of his career, he has often worked solo and under
difficult conditions such as hiking the hinterlands of Turkish
occupied Armenia, reporting on Burbank’s sister city in Botswana, or
exposing an unscrupulous politician’s actions. His prolific
productions have led to seven Los Angeles Area Emmy nominations, 16
RTNA Golden Mike Awards, and a Los Angeles Area Emmy.

“We asked Peter to come aboard as the 100km Tribute’s documentarian
because he’s very good at presenting important issues in a clear and
understandable way,” explained Yolanda Davidian, lead coordinator of
the Tribute. “We’re sure that our walking and riding to pay homage to
the tremendous suffering of our ancestors will come through in a
meaningful and interesting story as told by our participants.”

The documentary will be shopped to various outlets in the hope of
showing it around the time of the April 2015 Genocide centennial.

Anyone interested in participating or following developments about the
Tribute is encouraged to check on Facebook. The organizers may be
contacted as well: Armenian Hikers Association at
[email protected] or on Facebook
(!/groups/521538567895715/);
Armenian Hiking Society
();
Armenian Cycling Association at [email protected]; Hye Riders
!/hye.riders?fref=ts; or call
818/434-5952.

#####

PRESS RELEASE
The Paros Foundation
Peter Abajian, Executive Director
918 Parker Street, Suite A14
Berkeley, CA 94710
Tel: 310-400-9061
email: [email protected]
web:

Paros foundation’s 100 for 100 Projects for Prosperity

Armenia–What do computer classes for children, new traditional Armenian
dance costumes, and a photo exhibit of Armenian women have in common? All
three are the latest projects completed through the Paros Foundation’s 100
for 100 Projects for Prosperity, bring the total number of projects
completed or in progress to 69.

While children in the villages of Lanjik and Torosgyugh in Armenia’s Shirak
region have been fortunate enough to participate in local dance ensembles,
they have lacked their own costumes. Upon learning of this need through the
Paros website, Nairi Balian and her family immediately decided to help make
these children’s dreams a reality. Mrs. Balian had been in an Armenian
dance group during her childhood and appreciates how important costumes are
to children’s motivation and enthusiasm. Through the Balian family
sponsorship, 30 village children received two sets of costumes and a pair
of dance shoes.

On August 16, both communities came together and organized a one of a kind
dance concert in celebration of the costumes. “Receiving their own new
dance costumes and shoes was a dream come true for these children! It has
truly been a unifying experience for the entire village,” said Gohar
Markosyan, President of the “Women for Development” NGO, who oversaw the
design and manufacturing of the costumes.

In Yerevan, children attending the Ghoghanj Children’s Center benefited
through another important project, the implementation of computer and
associated Internet instruction. Founded in 2003, the Ghoghanj Children’s
Center works with vulnerable “at-risk” children and their families to help
them overcome social, psychological, and legal issues, and it provides
proper support and guidance for the children so they can excel in school.

“We are so grateful to have secured funding for our computer and internet
courses. Many of our students have had absolutely no access to computers
and Internet usage outside of Ghoghanj, ” said Diana Grigoryan, Director of
the Ghoghanj Children’s Center.

This project received funding through donations made in honor of Maroush
Dekermenjian’s birthday. It was Ms. Dekermenjian’s birthday wish to give
back to children in Armenia. Now students at the Ghoghanj Center will
develop new innovative skills that will positively impact both their
schooling and hopefully future careers.

On July 23, Christina Cherekdjian’s Paros 100 for 100 Project came to life
with the opening of the Aghcheeg Project Photo Exhibit in Yerevan, Armenia.
The Aghcheeg Project Photo Exhibit sheds light on the role of women in
Armenia. Christina, a high school student from Campbell, California,
spearheaded this project. Her interest in women’s issues prompted her to
apply and win a grant through her school to initiate this important
project.

The Aghcheeg Project Photo Exhibit is comprised of a series of photographs
taken by Christina and several of her peers during The Paros Foundation’s
SERVICE-Armenia 2014 trip this summer. The photographs feature women of
different ages and socio-economic backgrounds, and from rural and urban
environments throughout Armenia.

“The photos tell interesting stories about the role of women in modern day
Armenia,” explained Christina. “As we traveled and worked throughout
Armenia and Artsakh, we witnessed the many challenges faced by women in
their everyday lives, and we tried to capture these moments in the photos.”

The exhibit, comprised of more than 40 large format photographs, began its
tour at the Narekatsi Art Center in Armenia during September 2014 and will
be showcased throughout Armenia and the United States over the course of
the next year.

The Paros Foundation underwrote all administrative expenses associated with
these projects allowing all contributions to be allocated 100% to this
project. Donations to The Paros Foundation, a 501(c) 3 organization, are
tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

Formally launched in 2006, The Paros Foundation supports six exemplary
local NGOs in Armenia and launched the Paros 100 for 100 Projects for
Prosperity in October of 2011 to commemorate the upcoming centennial of the
Armenian Genocide. With an aggressive goal of identifying, vetting,
fundraising for and ultimately implementing 100 special projects, The Paros
Foundation and its staff in Armenia and the United States are quickly
earning a reputation as the “go to” organization to oversee small and
medium-sized project implementation in Armenia. For more information and to
get involved visit or call (310) 400-9061.

To sponsor a project of the Paros Foundation’s 100 for 100 Projects for
Prosperity, please visit

SUISSE
Aznavour nie avoir donner une entrevue à un journal turc

Charles Aznavour a publié un communiqué jeudi niant qu’il ait donné
une interview à un journal turc dont la publication a suscité la
controverse.

TURQUIE
La délicate et périlleuse stratégie kurde de la Turquie en Syrie

La Turquie joue en Syrie une partition délicate : elle a poussé des
renforts de Kurdes d’Irak vers Kobané assiégée mais refusé de
renforcer le camp des Kurdes de Syrie, menaçant le processus de paix
engagé avec les rebelles du PKK.

Mal comprise, volontiers ambigüe, très critiquée, la ligne turque
s’oppose frontalement à celle des Etats-Unis et des Occidentaux. Si
eux ont fait des jihadistes du groupe Etat islamique (EI) leur
principal ennemi, Ankara semble d’abord s’inquiéter de l’activité des
mouvements kurdes, aussi bien turcs que syriens, qui les combattent.

Ces dernières semaines, le président turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan a
qualifié de “terroriste” le principal parti kurde de Syrie (PYD), à la
pointe du combat contre l’EI, au même titre que le mouvement frère du
Parti des travailleurs du Kurdistan (PKK) qui mène depuis 1984 la
guérilla sur le sol turc.

Pressé par ses alliés d’intervenir, le régime islamo-conservateur
d’Ankara a finalement fait un geste en autorisant le passage par son
territoire d’un symbolique contingent de 150 “peshmergas” kurdes
irakiens pour renforcer la défense de Kobané.

Mais sans pour autant revenir sur sa ligne férocement hostile au couple PKK/PYD.

Plus que celle des jihadistes, M. Erdogan redouterait ainsi par dessus
tout une victoire des Kurdes à Kobané, synonyme d’une indépendance de
fait de la Rojava, la partie kurde de la Syrie, aux frontières de son
pays.

“Le gouvernement turc continue de traiter PKK et PYD comme son pire
ennemi, pire encore qu’EI”, note David Romano, spécialiste de la
question kurde à l’université d’Etat du Missouri. “On peut donc
craindre que les Kurdes de Turquie en éprouvent de plus en plus de
ressentiment contre leur gouvernement”.

Lors de son passage en Turquie, le convoi des peshmergas irakiens a
été accueilli par des foules kurdes turques en liesse, provoquant
l’embarras du gouvernement.

“Avec leur politique étrangère prudente et leur ligne politique
procapitaliste et conservatrice, les Kurdes d’Irak ont offert à la
Turquie l’occasion de montrer qu’elle était juste anti-PKK, et non pas
antikurde”, juge M. Romano.

Coup porté à la paix –

Mais malgré ce geste contraint, la crise de Kobané menace désormais de
faire dérailler les fragiles pourparlers de paix entamés il y a deux
ans avec le PKK.

Le mois dernier, la politique syrienne d’Ankara a provoqué de
violentes manifestations prokurdes en Turquie, principalement dans
tout le sud-est du pays, qui a fait plus de 30 morts. La plupart de
ces victimes ont été tuées lors de heurts entre Kurdes favorables au
PKK et ceux du mouvement islamiste Huda-Par.

De son île-prison d’Imrali (ouest), le chef historique du PKK Abdullah
Öcalan a prévenu que la chute de Kobané signifierait de fait la fin du
processus de paix.

“C’est la Turquie qui a ouvert la porte à l’EI”, a accusé, après bien
d’autres, un des chefs militaires du PKK, Cemil Bayik. “Nous ne
pouvons séparer le processus de paix du sort de Kobané”, a-t-il
déclaré au quotidien autrichien Der Standard.

Dans une récente étude, l’Institut international d’études stratégiques
(IISS) a qualifié cette crise de “coup majeur aux espoirs de
résolution de la question kurde en Turquie”.

A son tour, l’International Crisis Group (ICG) a mis en garde contre
les risques de voir le conflit syrien “rouvrir les vieilles failles
ethniques, sectaires et politiques de la Turquie” et appelé
gouvernement et PKK à “définir un objectif commun qui va au-delà d’une
simple survie du processus de paix”.

Pour l’heure, les protagonistes ne semblent pas avoir encore renoncé à
une solution. Le quotidien Hürriyet a révélé vendredi que M. Öcalan et
les services de renseignement (MIT) avait repris leurs discussions
pour relancer le processus.

M. Davutoglu a répété dimanche sa “détermination absolue” à conclure.

De son côté, M. Bayik s’est dit prêt à solliciter un médiateur. “Nous
sommes en guerre avec les Turcs depuis des années”, a confié le chef
militaire du PKK, “ni nous, ni la Turquie ne parviendrons à nos fins
par la guerre, il faut une solution politique”.

AFP

dimanche 9 novembre 2014,
Stéphane (c)armenews.com

VALUES ENSHRINED IN ARMENIA’S CONSTITUTION NOT WORTH EVEN A PENNY – OPINION

12:00 * 08.11.14

The chairman of the Helsinki Committee of Armenia says he doesn’t
expect the proposed constitutional reforms to bring about major
changes without the society pressure.

In an interview with Tert.am, Avetik Ishkhanyan expressed his
skepticism about the proposed package, describing it as just a tool
enabling the ruling Republican Party of Armenia to strengthen its
positions in government.

“In the Constitution, we have a chapter which declares our freedom
and rights, but those declarations are not worth even a penny,
as the formation of power never ensures any protection of those
rights. From that point of view, it think, the constitutional reforms
are important, but what we know from the international experience is
that the separation of powers is possible only under the society’s
pressure. The society understands that the country’s development is not
possible as long as these authorities are in power,” he told Tert.am,
adding that he doesn’t see any specific demands by eiter the society
or the political forces.

Asked how he treats the proposed switchover to the parliamentary
model, Ishkhanyan said he doesn’t think that the authorities have
any right to embark on such changes now. “One of the reasons I think
is that it used to be a slogan, but for some reason, they now think
about the possibility of a power change. If we accept the fact that
this change is just a trap by the authorities, I think it is always
possible to reveal that it. If they supported the parliamentary
government model, why didn’t they then initiate that when they saw
their proposals never met an approval?. There is really a trap here;
so it was always possible to boycott,” he replied.

Armenian News – Tert.am

OVER 1,000 GATHER TO CELEBRATE A YEAR OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS AT ANCA-WR GALA

[ Part 2.2: “Attached Text” ]

Friday, November 7th, 2014 | Posted by Contributor

[Archbishop_HMEM_LARK_Opening.jpg]

The opening portion of the sold-out ANCA-WR Banquet

BEVERLY HILLS-Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region
hosted, to maximum capacity, its sold out annual gala banquet held
on Sunday, November 2, 2014 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. More than
1,000 supporters, activists, and generous donors of the ANCA-WR from
throughout the country were joined by dozens of prominent Members of
Congress, state, and local legislators and officials.

[ANCAWR_Gala_Sponsor_Michael_Sarian.jpg]

ANCA-WR Banquet Sponor Michael Sarian

The event began at 5 p.m. with cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, a
silent auction, and a VIP reception with major donors and elected
officials. A three-course dinner followed at 7:00 p.m. with
a powerful program and presentation of awards kicked off by the
presentation of flags and national anthems performed by the Homenetmen
Western USA Regional Color Guard and members of the Lark Musical
Society’s Tziatsan Children’s Choir Nayiri Artounians,
Nanor Deirbadrossian, Stephanie Keledjian, and Hermine Keshishyan.

Prelate of the Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church,
Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian conducted the invocation for the
evening.

[ANCAWR_Legacy_Award_Vahe_Karapetian.jpg] As the crowd took their
seats, Banquet Gala Committee Chair Arsho Beylerian took stage to
welcome guests and thank all those that made the successful evening
possible.

[ANCAWR_Banquet_Chair_Arsho_Beylerian_Opens_Banquet.jpg]

Banquet Committee Chair Arsho Beylerian

“We gather today to hold hands with the ANCA and ensure that now
more than ever our voice is heard loud and clear. Be it on Capitol
Hill, a town hall meeting, at our schools, within publications,
blogs, and social media. We are here today to support the ANCA as
it continually speaks up, stands up, and makes our collective voices
heard 365 days a year,” said Beylerian.

Beylerian’s remarks were followed by a powerful year in
review video presentation highlighting the unprecedented year of
accomplishments by the ANCA WR wrapped in the theme of counting the
ANCA grassroots stars who were at the forefront of these efforts.

At the end of the video presentation, ANCA WR Chair Nora Hovsepian
stood in the spotlight to deliver the Chair’s address.

Hovsepian opened her remarks by thanking all the guests, the Banquet
Chair Arsho Beylerian, and her stellar team of banquet committee
volunteers for their dedicated leadership, vision, and skill, and went
on to express gratitude to Mr. Michael Sarian, the 2014 ANCA WR Gala
Banquet sponsor, for joining an exemplary list of major donors and
past banquet sponsors like the Melkonians, Shirvanians, Ghailians,
Pilavjians, Nadjarians, Karapetians, Boujikians, Kradjians, and so
many others whose unwavering commitment have kept the ANCA WR offices
staffed and the organization’s lights on.

[ANCAWR_FreedomAward_PresidentBakoSahakyan.jpg]

Artsakh Representative to the US Robert Avetisyan accepts the ANCA-WR
Freedom Award on behalf of Artsakh President Bako Sahakian

Instead of going through a list of the organization’s
extraordinary list of accomplishments for the year, Hovsepian asked
guests to review the annual report and took the opportunity to speak
frankly and openly about the harsh realities facing the community
and the organization, calling on them to join the ANCA WR monthly
and annual giving programs as she stated, “With the Genocide
Centennial looming around the corner and the security of Armenia and
Artsakh being threatened on a daily basis, our needs are greater than
ever. While we stretch every single dollar that comes in, you may be
surprised to learn that all we have accomplished has been achieved
with a bare bones annual budget of less than a half million dollars,
just a handful of paid staff, and an army of board members, committee
activists, interns, and volunteers who leave their families and their
paying jobs to come to the ANCA to passionately do the work of Hye
Tahd on behalf of all of us. So if we are going to successfully meet
the increasingly daunting challenges posed by the Turkish and Azeri
lobbies, which literally outspend us by a ratio of at least 10 to
1 across the board, then we are going to need to double, triple,
or even quadruple that tiny budget of ours.”

[ANCAWR_LegislatoroftheYear_SenatePresident_Kevin_deLeon.jpg]

California State Senate Pro Tem Kevin de Leon accepts the Legislator
of the Year Award

Hovsepian concluded her remarks calling on all Armenians to stand up,
speak loud, and participate consistently and persistently and noted,
“You’ve taken the step of supporting our Cause by being
here today, but we need you every day. From Yerevan, Stepanakert,
Western Armenia, and Javakhk all the way to our local neighborhoods:
this is a call to action for our army of activists of all ages,
young and old, from all walks of life. You are the second army of
the Armenian Nation.”

Following Hovsepian, ANCA WR Board Members Pattyl Aposhian-Kasparian
and Haik Petrosian, and ANCA WR Advisory Board Member Michael
Mahdesian presented the 2014 ANCA WR Legislator of the Year Award to
CA Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin de Leon for his principal role
and outspoken position on the Armenian Genocide and the recognition of
Artsakh’s Independence, as well as his dedication and commitment
to advancing the fundamental principles of justice in the halls of
the CA State Capitol.

[ANCAWR_HumantiarianAward_NearEastFoundation.jpg]

Near East Foundation receives the Humanitarian Award

In his acceptance speech Senator de Leon stated, “I’m
honored to receive the Legislator of the Year award from the largest
and most active Armenian-American political advocacy group. As I
lead the Senate in the next four years, I will stand in solidarity
with the Armenian community as we prepare to commemorate the 100th
anniversary of the Genocide. The great state of California will not
let your demands for justice go unanswered. The passing of AB 1915
and AJR 32 with my colleagues Nazarian, Achadjian and Gatto set a
precedent-not only for the State of California but for the nation.

California stands in solidarity with the people of Artsakh and their
determination for independence.

“I look forward to working with you all in my new position as
Senate President pro Tem and continuing to represent Little Armenia
up in Sacramento,” he added.

[ANCAWR_AdvocateforJusticeAward_DavidBalabanian.jpg]

David Balabanian receives the Advocate for Justice Award

Prior to dinner, ANCA WR Advisory Board Member Harut Sassounian
introduced to the crowd the 2014 ANCA WR Gala Banquet Sponsor and
President of Prime Health Care Services Mr. Michael Sarian, who in
his remarks stated, “Hye Tahd is dear to my heart and dear to
every Armenian’s heart. Our cause is just, but the injustice
against us is still going on. The latest examples are Mosul, Kessab,
Aleppo and Der Zor. Der Zor is the most horrible name in our history,
where thousands of innocent Armenians were marched to their deaths.

The monument and the church to honor them has been destroyed. We will
survive these atrocities as we survived the past ones. Not only we
will survive, we will thrive. It is in our Armenian DNA to survive
and thrive.”

[ANCAWR_Chair_Nora_Hovespian_Delivering_Chair_Address.jpg]

ANCA-WR Board Chairwoman Nora Hovsepian

“I will do my best to support ANCA’s advocacy for our
cause and bring our demands to the political leaders’ attention,
starting with President Obama whom I met recently and pushed our
cause. Bring our demands to our congressional leaders starting with
Senator Reid on the Senate side, Congressman Kevin McCarthy, House
Majority leader. My good friend Senator Jim Brulte arranged for us
to meet and push our cause for his support. I have no doubt that our
flag will proudly wave on Mt. Ararat again. My dream and the dream
of all Armenians will become a reality,” he concluded.

ANCA WR Executive Director Elen Asatryan and Government Affairs
Directors Tereza Yerimyan opened the second portion of the
program by recognizing the 2014 ANCA Western Region and ANCA Leo
Sarkisian Internship Program participants, Denise Altounian, Nelli,
Astvatsatrian, Hakop Azatyan, Ripsime Biyazyan, Sareen Habeshian, Zareh
Hairapetian, Gerard Khatchadourian Rudy Keshishian, Alina Sarkissian,
Arevik Shahnazari, and Lori Sinanian, who have gone above and beyond
the call of duty for Hye Tahd.

Asatryan opened her remarks by acknowledging the pivotal role of the
youth in taking the Armenian community to new heights of distinction
and continued on and state, “But what the youth do, depends
actually on what they think, and what they think depends on what they
read, hear, see and the kinds of exposure and opportunities that are
available to them.

[ANCA_WR_VahanCardashian.jpg]

The Vahan Cardashian Award was presented to activists who championed
the recognition of Arsakh’s independence

Acknowledging this very fact and that resources do matter, the ANCA
Western Region, through its year round internship program has been
heavily investing in the biggest assets of our community, our youth
– providing latters of opportunities, teaching them the life skills
they need to succeed, providing them a wide network of contacts, and
mentors that will push them, nurture them, and guide them.”
She went on to note the countless ways the group of youth have
contributed to the organization’s success in the last year,
including their involvement in the Genocide Education bill and
Artsakh’s resolution, the organization’s Hye Votes and
America We Thank You initiatives, and the college campus resolutions,
which have brought genocide education and awareness to the frontline.

She concluded by thanking the participants for their dedication and
commitment to the advancing the Armenian Cause and asked the crowd
to join her in welcoming to the stage “our biggest assets,
the nerve center of the nation, the heart of our society, and the
lifeline of our community, the 2014 ANCA Western Region Internship
Program participants.”

[ANCAWR_InternshipParticipants.jpg]

ANCA-WR interns were recognized for their dedication

Following a heartwarming moment with the youth on stage, all eyes were
on the 40 foot screen for a video tribute to the Near East Foundation,
the successor to the Near Relief (NER), the United States’
oldest Congressionally-sanctioned non-governmental organization,
which for the first time in American history, expressed the collective
generosity and humanitarianism of the American people.

The video highlighted the accomplishments of the NER from 1915 –
1930, with the backing of US President Woodrow Wilson (and thereafter
Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge), and under the leadership of James
L. Barton and Cleveland Dodge, whereby the organization mobilized the
American nation, and the world, into a well-organized and well-funded
relief effort which successfully saved 132,000 Armenian orphans and
1 million refugees following the Armenian Genocide, while raising
over $117 million dollars and building over 400 orphanages, food and
clothing distribution centers, hospitals and vocational trainings
schools throughout the Near East to house and care for the survivors.

ANCA WR Board Members Arpie Jivalagian and Pierre Yenokian, ANCA
WR Advisory Board Member Karo Khanjian, and Co-Chairs of the ANCA
WR’s America We Thank You initiative Vanna Kitsinian and Hermineh
Pakhanians then presented the 2014 ANCA WR Humanitarian Award to the
Near East Foundation in honor of the efforts of the Near East Relief
and the humanitarian spirit of Henry Morgenthau, Cleveland H. Dodge,
and Jackie Coogan.

“The legacy of the NER is not merely a part of Armenian history,
but also a significant part of American history. In light of this and
our upcoming centennial, the ANCA WR has launched the ‘America
We thank You: An Armenian Tribute to Near East Relief.’ This
initiative is our way of continuing to honor the lives of those who
were lost, of those unsung heroes who risked their lives to help our
people who were displaced and ultimately, as a way to give thanks
to the American people for their ultimate act of humanity,”
stated Jivalagian in her introductory remarks.

“In addition to the work and efforts of the Near East Relief,
there were many individuals who were instrumental in helping
raise awareness, funds, and overall recognition to the atrocities
taking place in the Near East. Although it is impossible to name
each and every person, I would like to recognize 3 individuals in
particular: Ambassador Henry Morgenthau, Cleveland Dodge and Jackie
Coogan..,” added Jivalagian.

[ANCAWR_Banquet_Gala_Committee.jpg]

2014 ANCA-WR Banquet Committee

As the Near East Foundation Board Chairman Shant Mardirossian and
President Charles Benjamin, along with Ambassador Morgenthau’s
great grandson Dr. Henry Morgenthau IV, Mr. Dodge’s
great-grandson and current Vice Chairman of the Near East Foundation
Johnson Garrett, and Jackie Coogan’s grandson Keith Coogan
joined the ANCA WR leadership on stage to accept the award, the
overflow crowd of over 1,000 greeted them with a standing ovation,
which was perhaps the most emotional portion of the evening.

In his acceptance speech on behalf of the Near East Foundation,
Mardirossian stated, “For most, the story of the Near East
Relief is largely unknown, but thanks to the ANCA and the many
dedicated individuals and historians around the world that is about
to change. We are pleased to have partnered with the ANCA Western
Region’s America We Thank You initiative to raise awareness
about this lost chapter in American history.”

“The work of the Near East Relief is a reflection of the
strong bonds between the American and Armenian people. Nearly 1,000
relief workers volunteered and risked their lives to help an ancient
civilization they knew little about; twenty-seven of them made the
ultimate sacrifice by giving their lives. Thousands more volunteered
around the country, raising millions in aid and supplies. Everyone from
the President down to the school children were engaged…It is
unimaginable to think of how many Americans responded to the call
to duty to save the starving Armenians. I can think of no other
humanitarian effort, which mobilized the American public for such a
sustained period of time, nearly 15 years. Many of us, including me,
would not be here today had it not been for this undertaking.”

[ANCAWR_Leadership.jpg]

ANCA-WR Boad and Advisory Board members (partial)

“On September 16, 2015, one hundred years to the date the
Near East was founded, let us celebrate the altruism and generosity
of the America people and the resilience of those, who, with their
help had the will to survive. So today we say, America we thank you,
Near East Relief we thank you, to our friends around the world who
came to our aid during our darkest moments, we thank you, but most
of all, to our grandfathers and grandmothers, a whole generation
of orphans who instilled in us our sense of dignity, perseverance,
and commitment to justice, we thank you too,” he concluded.

The emotional presentation was followed by yet another with ANCA WR
Board Member Steve Artinian and ANCA WR Advisory Board Members Aida
Dimejian and Berdj Karapetian presenting the 2014 ANCA WR Legacy
Award to Mr. Vahe Karapetian for his decades of community service
and support, and for setting an example of dedication, service,
selflessness and generosity.

In his remarks, Karapetian reaffirmed his continued support for the
ANCA and called on the community to become even more organized and
united then we are today, not just in the US, but worldwide as he
stated, “We are all here tonight as proof to the ANCA that we
are behind you and stand in support of you. I have always supported
the ANCA and I will be supporting more and more in the future.”

After the acceptance speech, Artinian took the podium to proudly
announce “Vahe follows the ANCA and all that it does from halls
of congress to the streets of Little Armenia in Hollywood where he
played a pivotal role in the construction of the St. Garabed Church
and Alex Pilibos School. I’m proud to announce that today in
support of the ANCA Western Region, he is standing up and speaking
loud with a generous donation of $50,000.”

This was all topped off with ANCA WR Board Members Raffi Kassabian
and Nareg Kitsinian, along with ANCA WR Advisory Board Member Garo
Madenlian presenting the 2014 ANCA WR Advocate for Justice Award to
Mr. David M. Balabanian, Esq., the first President of the Armenian
Bar Association and litigator of more than 40 years who utilized his
legal skills, resources, and network to further advance issues of
concern to the Armenian American community.

In describing the selfless dedication of Balabanian to advocating for
Armenian American rights, Kassabian stated, “David’s work
has had a far-reaching impact in the courtroom and has brought the
issue of genocide awareness to the forefront of the U.S. judicial
system. Among other contributions, David has represented the ANCA,
the Armenian Bar Association and other organizations in filing an
amicus brief in the Movsesian/Arzoumanian Armenian Genocide-era
life insurance case and has successfully defended the Mt. Davidson
cross in San Francisco from Turkish attempts to silence speech on
the Armenian Genocide. David is also currently an active member of
the Bay Area’s Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee.”

“David is not only a brilliant legal scholar, a leader and an
activist, but he is also a true Hye Tahd soldier. His body of work
has demonstrated that the “power of the pen” can educate,
motivate and activate our community and beyond. This man is at the very
top of his field and instead of turning his back to the community, he
has turned his heart and his hands towards the community to give and
give again. David is in it for all of the right reasons, with an agenda
none other than to elevate the Armenian Cause,” added Kassabian.

After accepting the award, Balabanian called on the community to
regain our history in tangible ways as he stated, “I want to
also thank you for this opportunity to reaffirm with you the need for
us to obtain redress for the wrongs done to our community and to put
an end to the denial. To the denials of things that simply cannot be
denied…The consequences of those events continue to be felt
by nearly all of us and the pain of that loss is inflicted anew with
each false statement about what occurred…What distinguishes
our loss is not simply its magnitude, the obliteration of nearly the
entire Armenian population of Asia manor, but the obliteration as well
of its history, the wiping clean of record of centuries of peaceful
and productive achievements by our people in all fields of human
endeavor. Indeed, it is not too much too say that the foundations of
what is today the prosperous Turkish Republic were laid in significant
part by people whose very existence it denies.”

“We must regain our history not just in words, but in tangible
ways that not only acknowledge the heroic sufferings that our people
endured, but that also convey recognition and respect for their
contributions to the life in the region….It is however something
we owe to our children and grandchildren and to Armenians around the
world whose lives and fortunes continue to be impacted daily by these
century old events. In accepting tonight the honor you have given me,
I pledge to do what I can to help achieve that goal. I hope you will
too,” he added.

Following Balabanian’s empowering speech, ANCA WR Board
member Souzi Zerounian Khanzadian and ANCA WR Advisory Board Members
Mourad Topalian and Artin Manoukian presented the 2014 ANCA WR Vahan
Cardashian Awards to a group of ANCA grassroots stars from across the
nation, Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte, Ani Haroian, Bearj Barsoumian,
James Kalustian, and Ani Martirosian, who helped lead the way in
their respective hometowns to defeat countless anti-Armenia and
anti-Artsakh resolutions and obtain recognition of the Genocide and
the independence of Artsakh.

In introducing the stars of the evening, Zerounian Khanzadian stated,
“These five individuals braved the storms of injustice,
misinformation, and powerful foreign lobbies working against them.

Their legislators were told that their state’s relationship
with Azerbaijan was a good thing. Their legislators were told that
the Independent Republic of Nagorno Karabagh did not exist – that it
was a fantasy. Their legislators were told that the Armenians were
perpetrators of genocide. With odds against them, Anna, Ani, Bearj,
James, and Ani turned the scales of justice in our favor. Thanks to
their ability to engage their communities, thanks to their knowledge
of the truth and their compelling personal stories of survival, the
countries of Turkey and Azerbaijan didn’t see a victory in the
states of Maine, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Massachusetts and Hawaii.

Thanks to their grassroots organizing efforts, their legislative
bodies recognized the independence of Nagorno Karabagh and rejected
the lies being fed to them.”

“The ability of the grassroots is to take an issue and
educate the masses, igniting the sense of urgency, and organizing
the community. How will you organize your community tomorrow? As you
allow this thought to mull in your mind, remember the great words of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. ‘Everybody can be great…because
anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree
to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree
to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by
love.’ And it is that love for Hai Tahd, for the Armenian Cause
that drives this year’s Vahan Cardashian Honorees to do daring
things” she added.

Attendees were then asked to direct their attention to the screen for
a video message from the 2014 Freedom Award recipient, Bako Sahakyan,
President of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabagh (Artsakh) who in his
remarks thanked the ANCA Western Region and the Armenian diaspora
for their relentless efforts in fighting for the self-determination
and the independence of the people or Artsakh.

ANCA National Board Members Raffi Hamparian and Steve Dadaian, ANCA
WR Advisory Board Member Levon Kirakosian, and ANCA National Board
Chair Ken Hachikian then presented the award to Robert Avetisyan,
Permanent Representative of Artsakh to the United States who accepted
the award on behalf of His Excellency.

The 2014 ANCA WR Gala Banquet concluded with powerful remarks by
Hamparian who stated, “We are the sons of Ararat, we are the
daughters of Artsakh, we are the children of our proud past, and
we are the fathers of our future. We are united tonight in support
of the ANCA, which mans the watchtower of the Armenian Cause. We
provide 360 degree coverage of the Armenian Cause. We plow the
field, we plant the seed, we beat the drum, we turn the wheel, we
cut the thorns, we slash the weeds, we harvest goodwill, we dream,
we compromise. Sometimes we fail. We work in fair weather, we work
in stormy weather. We work when it is convenient and we work when
it is inconvenient. We work before a thousand people, we work before
just one. We defend our community and we are unafraid to attack our
enemies. We always fight the good fight and we fight for all the right
reasons. We man the watchtower of justice. The watchtower that your
grandmother and grandfather believed in, the watchtower that your
parents had faith in, the watchtower that we, the ANCA, stand ready
as the second army of the Armenian Nation. Vigilant, with fidelity,
with honor, with courage, without fear, and with love.”

The ANCA-WR Annual Banquet is the largest event of its kind and
helps raise funds to operate the nation’s largest and most
influential Armenian American grassroots and political advocacy
organization. Through these funds, the ANCA-WR is able to educate the
general public about the Armenian Genocide, the Republic of Armenia,
Artsakh, and other vital issues of concern to the Armenian American
community.

In addition to the dignitaries, elected officials, community leaders
and representative who took the stage also in attendance were: Primate
of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church His Eminence Archbishop
Hovnan Derderian, Former Minister to the Armenian Evangelical Union
of North America Reverend Joseph Matossian, Representing the Armenian
Catholic community the Very Reverend Thomas Garabedian, Representing
the Armenian Evangelical Bretheran Church Father Hendrik Shanazarian,
Consul General of the Republic of Armenia in Los Angeles & Mrs. Sergey
Sarkisov, Consul & Mrs. Artak Galstyan, Chair of the House Foreign
Affairs Committee, United States Congressman Ed Royce, Congressman
Adam Schiff, Congressman Brad Sherman, Congresswoman Judy Chu,
Congresswoman Janice Hahn, Congresswoman Linda Sanchez, California
State Controller and ANCA-Western Region Endorsed Candidate for
California State Treasurer John Chiang, CA State Superintendent
of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, CA Senator and Ricardo Lara,
CA Assemblymembers Katcho Achadjian, Adrin Nazarian, Scott Wilk,
Ian C. Calderon, Mathew Dababneh, and Marc Levine, Los Angeles City
Attorney Mike Feuer, Los Angeles City Councilmembers Paul Krekorian
and Mitchel Englander, Los Angeles City Controller Ron Gaprin, ANCA
WR endorsed candidate elect for the LA County Assessor Jeffrey Prang,
LAUSD School Board Member Steve Zimmer, Mayor of the City of Burbank
Dr. David Gordon, Vice Mayor of the City of Burbank Bob Frutos,
Burbank City Council Members Emily Gabel-Luddy and Jess Talamantes,
Mayor of the City of Glendale Zareh Sinanyan, Glendale City Council
Members Paula Devine and Dave Weaver, Pasadena City Council Member
Gene Masuda, Mayor of Sierra Madre John Harabedian, Mayor Pro Tem of
the City of Montebello Jack Hadjinian, Montobello City Council Member
Vivian Romero, Santa Monica School Board Member and ANCA Western Region
Endorsed Candidate for California Senate District 26 Ben Allen, Artesia
City Council Member Victor Manalo, Rolling Hills Estates City Council
Member Frank Zerounyan, Norwalk City Council Members Marcel Rordarte
and Leonard Shyrock, Pico River City Council Member Bob Archuleta,
Glendale City Clerk Ardashes “Ardy” Kassakhian, Glendale
City Treasurer Rafi Manoukian, President and Superintendent of Glendale
Community College Dr. David Viar, Glendale Community College Board
of Trustees President Dr. Vahe Peroomian, Glendale Community College
Board of Trustees Member Anita Quinonez Gabrielian, Superintendent
of the Glendale Unified School District Dr. Richard Sheehan, Members
of the Glendale Unified School District Board of Education Nayiri
Nahabedian and Dr. Armina Gharpetian, Crescenta Valley Town Council
President Harry Leon, Montebello School Board and Grand Teton National
Park Superintendent David Vela, Former Assemblymember of the 41st
Assembly District Anthony Portantino, Former California State Senator
and Past Chair of the California Republican Party Jim Brulte, Burbank
Police Chief Scott LaChasse, Board Member of the Greater Griffith
Park Neighborhood Council Christina Khanjian, Members of the Glendale
Planning Commission Greg Astorian, Arthur Devine and Erik Yesayan,
Chair of the City of Glendale’s Community Development Block
Grant Commission Zanku Armenian, Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee
Chair and Glendale Civil Service Commissioner Garo Ghazarian, Pasadena
Recreation and Parks Commissoner Ciran Hadjian, Los Angeles Police
Permit Review Panel Commissioner Lara Yeretsian, North Valley Planning
Commission Oshin Harootoonian, Director of the City of Los Angeles
Bureau of Street Lighting Ed Ebrahamian, Los Angeles County Superior
Court Judges Greg Keosian, Zaven Sinanian, and Armen Tamzarian,
A.R.F. Western USA Central Committee Chairman Dr. Viken Hovsepian
and members of the Central Committee, Armenian Relief Society Central
Executive Board Chairperson Vicky Marashlian, Armenian Relief Society
Regional Executive Board Co-Chair Becky Berberian, Armenian National
Committee of America Board of Directors Chair Ken Hachikian, Chair
of ANC Canada – Western Region Vahe Andonian, ANC Australia Executive
Director Vache Kahramanian, Hamazkayin Central Executive Board Member
Dr. Viken Yacoubian, Hamazkayin Regional Executive Board Chairman
Manoug Joukhajian, Homenetmen World Committee Viggen Davidian,
Armenian Bar Association, Armenian American Chamber of Commerce
Chair Alissa Asmarian, Armenian Medical Association, Armenian Youth
Federation of Western USA Central Executive Chair Arpa Hatzbanian,
Western Prelacy Board of Regents Co-Chairs Sako Berberian and Maggie
Sarkuni, Asbarez Editor in Chief Apo Boghigian, Asbarez English
Editor Ara Khachatourian, Chairman of the Board of Ararat Home Los
Angeles Joseph Kanimian, Kessab Education Association of Los Angeles
Chair Esther Chelebian Tognozzi, Organization of Istanbul Armenians
Chair Edvin Minassian, major philanthropist and business leader from
Armenia Ruben Vardanyan, among others.

Corporate sponsors of the 2014 Annual Gala Banquet included: Silver
Level Sponsors Commerce Casino, Keosian/Berberian LLP, Attorney at
Law, Southern California Edison, Bronze Level Sponsors Comcast Cable,
EH National Bank, Mr. Garo Mardirossian, Southern California Gas
Company, Sun Dairy, Inc., and Youth Sponsors Altounian Family Trust,
Bank of the West, Anita Q. Gabrielian.

To financially assist the ANCA WR in its work, community members
are encouraged to enroll in the newly launched Friends of the ANCA
WR Monthly Giving and/or the ANCA WR Founders’ Circle Annual
Giving programs by visiting ancawr.org/donate.

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