Author: Badalian Vardan

IS KHARKIV UKRAINE’S NEXT TIPPING POINT?

The Daily Beast
March 13 2014

Kharkiv, the old Soviet capital of Ukraine, is torn between its
pro-Russia past and the new masters in Kiev–and it be will one of
the major bellwethers for the country’s united or divided future.

“I want to smash the television for its fascist propaganda,” shouted
the speaker at a pro-Russian rally in Ukraine’s eastern stronghold of
Kharkiv last weekend. In response, the boisterous crowd waved red flags
emblazoned with the hammer and sickle of the Soviet Union and cried,
“Kharkiv, wake up.” With the largest Lenin statue in Ukraine forming
the backdrop to this ‘anti-fascist’ demonstration, the protestors were
energized by the glories of the Soviet past. The next speaker exhorted
the crowd to storm the headquarters of the regional government down
the road, which was being protected by a phalanx of riot police.

The gathering, however–which was heavy on pensioners– didn’t seem
inclined for now to repeat the previous Saturday’s storming of the
building, which saw dozens injured in fierce clashes before the
government regained the upper hand.

“I’m here to support family values, and not engage in violent acts,”
declared Arsen Sargasyan, a Kharkiv native with Armenian roots. “In
Europe and the United States, children are taught that homosexuality
is normal. I don’t want to bring up my kids in a perverted society
like that.”

It was to Kharkiv that former Ukrainian President Victor Yanukovych
first fled after abandoning his palatial estate in Kiev on Feb 22. The
local government was strongly supportive of the fugitive president
and vocal in its criticism of the Maidan. He was hailed there as a
hero by the city’s elite, even after the bloody massacre on Kiev’s
Independence Square had revulsed the world.

Ukraine’s second-largest city, and its first Soviet capital, is a
world away from the pro-European revolutionary fervor of Kiev. Most
natives speak Russian as their first language, and are more in thrall
to Russian culture than Ukrainian. Pushkin, not Shevchenko, is their
poet of choice. With the Russian border just 30 miles away, the big
neighbor casts a long shadow over this industrial city. Lenin still
towers over the main square, whose streets are dotted with posters
advertising upcoming gigs by Russian pop stars and theaters. Kharkiv
was the first city in Ukraine to embrace Communism, and was the first
capital of Soviet Ukraine between the wars. The city is also famous for
the Malyshev Tractor Factory, which built many of the Soviet Union’s
iconic tanks, including the Cold War’s T-80 series. The residents’
memories of the Soviet Union are also a lot rosier than those from
Western Ukraine, who were forcibly annexed after the Second World War.

When some pro-European activists tried to take down the statue of
Lenin, the city’s taxi drivers scuttled their efforts by surrounding
the monument in defense. The Lenin statue has now become the focal
point of protests for Russia, and against the ‘fascists’ in Kiev.

Ukraine’s future as a unified state depends on bellwether cities
like Kharkiv, where residents are split between pro-European and
pro-Russian camps.

The city’s political elite, however, were firmly pro-Yanukovych until
recently. Both the city’s Mayor and Governor were caught with their
pants down, literally, when the revolution succeeded. Their first
response was to flee the city and head to Russia for a few days.

However, on their return, Gennady Kernes, the city’s mayor–who was
instrumental in organizing anti-Maidan protests–did a remarkable
about-face and pledged his loyalty to the new government in Kiev. He
claimed that he was a ‘prisoner’ of the Yanukovych system, and had no
choice in his actions. The region’s popular governor Mikhail Dobkin,
meanwhile, announced his candidancy for president in the upcoming
elections. The new rulers in Kiev, however, don’t seem in a forgiving
mood. Dobkin, was arrested Monday on charges of ‘inciting separatism’
in a dramatic move that has sent shock waves through the region.

Kernes has also been called in for questioning.

Pro-Russian demonstrators take part in a rally in front of a statue
of Soviet state founder Vladimir Lenin in central Kharkiv on March 8,
2014. (Reuters)

While the new government has a right to clamp down on separatist
sentiments to preserve the country’s unity, its heavyhanded tactics
risk alienating many on the sidelines. Rinat Akhmetov, Ukraine’s most
prominent oligarch, expressed shock at Dobkin’s arrest and has warned
the government against ‘inflaming’ the situation in the East further.

Though a good majority of residents of Kharkiv are in favor of the
new government, and remaining within Ukraine, they’re very prickly
about interference from Kiev.

“We don’t want nationalists from the Right Sector telling us what
to do,” said a local businessman, with mutual friends in Kiev. “We
have our own way of doing things in Kharkiv, and we want to keep it
that way.”

It was a sentiment shared by many in this ‘bridge’ city between Russia
and Ukraine.

“Even though we love Ukraine, we don’t have to agree with everything
said on the Maidan,” declared another Kharkiv resident.

With its wide boulevards and grand buildings funneling into narrow,
balcony-lined streets, Kharkiv feels like a European version of a
provincial Russian city. Rollerbladers careen down its immaculate
sidewalks while couples stroll leisurely past. Gorki Park, the city’s
Central Park, has been cleaned up and remodeled in the past few years,
and is now the pride of Kharkiv natives. It had a festive air last
Sunday as residents flooded into the spotlessly clean park to soak
up the first rays of spring. With its ‘French’ gardens, children’s
playground, and clean public toilets, the park feels more European
than any of Kiev’s garbage-strewn public spaces.

The vibe in the city is more Mediterranean than Russian. It’s that
laid-back culture that sets the city within the European sphere of
influence, and apart from a nationalistic Russia.

At a local poker club catty corner from the Lenin statue, players
were dismissive of the pro-Russia protestors.

“In Russia, they wouldn’t be able to stand on the square and speak
their minds,” noted a player. “They’d be thrown in jail for such
provocations.”

“Why are some people so keen to unite with Russia?” another said.

“Poker is illegal there.” He shook his head and added, “We should be
demonstrating to unite with America. Or better even, Las Vegas.”

It was clear after an hour at the Hold ‘Em tables that there were no
separatists in the poker rooms at least. They were all card-carrying
Ukrainians, who were somewhat suspicious of Russia. Instead, they were
concerned about events in the Crimea, and worried about a friend who
had recently bought a summer house there.

Despite its Russian-speaking natives, Kharkiv still feels very much
like Ukraine. It was a major center of Ukrainian culture within
the Russian empire, and has always been part of this country. It is
unlikely that this ‘revolution’ in Kiev will sever a centuries-old
bond.

However, it’s also important that the new government doesn’t alienate
its residents with a ‘witchhunt’ or a heavy-handed imposition of
Western Ukrainian values. That would certainly end up inflaming
sentiments against the capital, and increase support for more autonomy
within Ukraine. With Russia just next door, and Putin intent on
carving out what he can from a weak Ukraine, the results might be all
too predictable. The next critical few months will determine whether
cities like Kharkiv–and its troubled neighbor Donetsk–can become
comfortable again inside the mould of the new Ukraine.

SOCIALLY RELEVANT FILM FESTIVAL 2014

March 11 2014

Filed under: Film — louisproyect @ 8:39 pm

Rated SR is the clever short name for the Socially Relevant Film
Festival that will be held at the Quad Cinema in New York between
March 14 and March 20. To my knowledge this is the first time such
a festival has been held and based on the evidence of the six films
I’ve seen, it would be very good if it became a permanent feature of
New York’s rich cultural and political tapestry.

It might be obvious from my Counterpunch review of “From both sides
of the Aegean” that the subject of ethnic cleansing in Turkey is very
close to my heart. Despite my love of Turkish culture, I feel an even
deeper connection to the people who have resisted forced assimilation.

That in essence is the subject of Hamshen Community at the Crossroads
of Past and Present, a documentary directed by Lucine Sahakyan
that takes us into the remote hinterlands near the Black Sea to meet
Armenians who were Muslimicized and Turkified in the 16th century long
before the genocide and expulsions of the 20th century. Since Turkey
has historically regarded them as countrymen, they have managed to
avoid the brutal treatment meted out to Christian Armenians and Kurds
even though they speak an Armenian dialect that is on the decline.

Even if the language disappears, it is doubtful that their traditions
will as well since Hamshen identity is as powerful today as it was
a half-millennium ago based on the evidence.

The film has a charmingly old-fashioned quality as the director
narrates throughout the film in Armenian about all the good-hearted
and lovely people she meets in a virtual travelogue. In some ways,
the film transported me back to 1958 when feature films were often
preceded by a 15-minute “short subject” with a title like “Along the
Silk Road” or “Welcome to Wine Country”.

Although they number less than a million, the Hamshen are used to
fighting above their weight. The film mentions that despite their
Muslim affiliations, atheism and Marxism have also gained wide
acceptance–explained perhaps by their proximity to the USSR in its
infancy. Today you can see pictures of Che Guevara carried at their
protest marches.

Although the film does not have a trailer, this performance by Hamshen
musicians above should give you a good idea of the pleasures found
in a documentary that includes lots of folk music and dance from
this altogether appealing nationality. If Turkey ever found itself,
it would do everything it could to preserve Hamshen ethnic identity
along with that of the Kurds. That would be as much a contribution
to their civilization as the Topkapi palace.

[omitted other movies]

PERINCEK: SWITZERLAND REQUESTS REFERRAL TO GRAND CHAMBER

European Union News
March 12, 2014 Wednesday

Bern

Office of The Federal Authorities of the Swiss Confederation has
issued the following news release:

Switzerland is to request that the European Court of Human Rights have
the case of Dogu Perincek referred to the Grand Chamber for review.

The decision was made by the Federal Office of Justice (FoJ). A review
would clarify the scope available to the Swiss authorities in applying
Swiss criminal law to combat racism.

The European Convention on Human Rights provides for referral to the
Grand Chamber in cases including those which raise a serious question
affecting the interpretation or application of the Convention. In
the present case, Switzerland’s primary interest is in clarifying the
scope available to the domestic authorities in applying the criminal
anti-racism provision laid down in the Swiss Criminal Code (Art.

261bis CC). Switzerland created this penal provision, which entered
into force on 1 January 1995, to close loopholes in criminal law and
enable the country to accede to the UN Convention on the Elimination
of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.

On 9 March 2007, Turkish national Dogu Perincek was sentenced in
Canton Vaud to both a financial penalty and a criminal fine under Art.

261bis CC for denying the Armenian Genocide. The Cantonal Court of
Canton Vaud and the Federal Supreme Court both rejected appeals against
the judgment. In its ruling of 17 December 2013, the competent chamber
of the European Court of Human Rights determined that the Swiss courts’
rulings violated the appellant’s right to freedom of expression.

For more information please visit:

AZERBAIJANI HISTORICAL FALSIFICATIONS

By MassisPost
Updated: March 12, 2014

A presentation of the Russian edition of Ruben Galchian’s book entitled
“Azerbaijani historical and geographical falsifications” was held on
March 4 at the Armenian Embassy in Moscow, Russia.

In the book the author details the main historic stages of the states
south of the Caucasus with maps of different epochs and references
to historical sources. Research includes historical and ethnographic
materials, it also presents an analysis of 45 important Christian,
Islamic, Greek and Roman maps, which are of great historical
significance.

During the presentation of the book Galchian referred to the ongoing
policy of Azerbaijan to distort history, its origins and methodology
used. He noted that the book is the result of long and hard work,
and is an attempt to objectively represent real history thru
internationally accepted sources.

By Rouben Galichian

In May 1918 in the region south of the Caucasus three new states
were formed, two of which – Armenia and Georgia had a rich history
and tradition of the statehood. At the same time, north of the
Arax River and on the east coast of the Caspian Sea another state –
Azerbaijan was formed, whose name was an anomaly for this region. The
newly established country gave itself the name of one of the ancient
north-eastern provinces of Persia, Azerbaijan, which the Armenian
call with its historical name – Atrpatakan.

At the time, many Persian scholars protested against the use of the
name of their province for the naming of the newly established state.

However, at the time the Great Powers were engaged in the division of
Middle East oil wells amongst themselves and they did not have time
to deal with other seemingly unimportant issues. When the Communist
order was established in Azerbaijan, the new government decided to
keep the old name with the intention of using it in the future to
their political advantage.

In 1925 the Russian orientalist Vassily Vladimirovich Bartold in
his speech in Baku University announced that the name Azerbaijan was
given to the new country only for political purposes, a prediction,
which was later confirmed. This was first manifested when in 1947 in
Tabriz the Democratic Party announced its desire to join the Soviet
Azerbaijan and yet again in 1992, when the President of independent
Azerbaijan, Mr. Elchibey announced that he intends to reunite their
brothers and sisters living across the border in Iran.

In time Stalin ordered that each republic of the Soviet Union should
have its unique and particular history and culture. But how could
this be made true by a newly created state without past and unified
history and culture? The solution was found – the history and culture
of the peoples living in this territory of ancient peoples could be
declared as their own. To this end Azerbaijani authorities planned and
implemented special programs which were intensified during the 1960s.

They reached their apex after independence, with the encouragement
and guidance of President Ilham Aliyev.

Since the dominant culture in the region was Armenian, the Azerbaijani
historians had to take the following steps:

a) to eliminate the names of all Armenians from the region claiming
them to be newcomers in the region of the South Caucasus, who arrived
there during the early 19th century.

b) to declare that the Albanian Christians or Caucasian Albanians
who embraced Islam after the tenth century, were their forefathers.

c) when the opportunity arose to announce that they belong to the
“great” Turkic nation.

The above actions would give them the possibility of appropriating
all the local history and culture and make them an “ancient” and
“great” country.

While implementing these programs Azerbaijani authorities encountered
many problems which they conveniently ignored in order to achieve
their end. The main problems were:

1. Despite the fact that the name of the country was changed to
Azerbaijan, until the adoption of the Stalinist constitution in 1936,
the locals called themselves “Turks”.

2. The vast majority of Christian monuments of Azerbaijan and Artsakh
were built during the 10th to 18th centuries, when the local Albanians
had already been Islamized. The question arises- how could Islamized
Albanians build and renovate Christian churches, monasteries,
cross-stones, or were they perhaps done by local Armenian builders?

3. From the 12th century the region was visited by European, Arab and
Persian travellers who meticulously described the life and culture of
the Armenians living in the South Caucasus. The Persian Shah Abbas, who
the Azerbaijanis claim to be their own, in 1604-5 forcibly displaced
about half a million Armenians to Persia from Nakhichevan, Armenia and
Artsakh. If one is to believe what the Azerbaijani historians claim,
there would be no Armenians living there, therefore, where did Shah
Abbas brought this great mass of people from and why did he give
them special permission to name their new settlement New “Julfa”,
which was one of the names of their previous hometowns?

4. The common language spoken in Azerbaijan and Iranian provinces of
Azerbaijan is erroneously called “Azeri”, while it actually is a form
of “Turkish”. According to Iranian and Iranian Azerbaijani scientists,
until the 15th to 16th centuries the spoken language of the Iranian
Azerbaijani people was not Turkish, but a dialect of middle Persian,
which was the real Azeri language. Since the rule of the Seljuks
the local language was gradually replaced by the language of the
new masters – the Turks. It should be noted that in the Azerbaijani
provinces of Iran there still are some settlements, whose inhabitants
speak with their ancient Iranian dialects.

Azerbaijanis have an excellent weapon for amending, modifying and
censoring the ancient history. A country that insists having five
thousand years of statehood, has no written culture language until
the second half of the 19th century, and even then uses the Persian as
their written language. Thus, they began writing any official document
and books in Persian and when the language was changed to Turkish, they
first used the Persian alphabet. First they used the Persian-Arabic
script, later, in 1929 they changed it to the Latin alphabet, and
in 1939 this was changed to the Cyrillic alphabet, and once again,
after independence they returned to a modified Latin alphabet.

All these transliterations allow the Azerbaijani authorities and
historians to change, transform and falsify their own history to
serve their political goals, which manifest itself in all literature.

Azerbaijanis insist that: Azerbaijani statehood has five thousand
years of history.

1. Azerbaijan as an independent country has existed more than 2,000
years.

2. Empires, including the Arab Caliphate, Iran and Russia colonized
Azerbaijan, emasculating its Turkish culture.

3. In 1813 and 1828 a joint Russian-Iranian conspiracy divided
Azerbaijan into two parts and brought the Armenians to the Caucasus.

4. Founded in 1918, the Republic of Azerbaijan testified to the
revival of historical Azerbaijan, the first democracy in the East.

The present book carefully studies the works of European, Arab,
Persian, and other historians born in the territory of modern
Azerbaijan concluding that the country called “Azerbaijan” located
north of the Arax River, was founded in 1918 and its population being
a mixture of various nationalities and cultures, cannot be claimed
to have one unique and individual culture and history. The book also
reveals the reasons and purpose of historical falsification of the
Azerbaijan Republic.

Like the United States of America, Azerbaijan should also have
the courage to admit that its population is a mixture of different
cultures and histories that cannot be uniform and be called uniquely
Azerbaijani.

After this introduction and for further clarification, some twenty
ancient and medieval map images were presented and analysed.

TRAIAN HRISTEA: VILNIUS AGREEMENT PAVED A NEW WAY FOR RECONSIDERING EU-ARMENIA COOPERATION

Wednesday 12 March 2014 17:17

Traian Hristea

Yerevan /Mediamax/. Head of the EU Delegation in Armenia Traian
Hristea stated today that the agreement reached in Vilnius between
the EU and Armenia over November 2013 and the joint statement paved
a new way for considering the cooperation frameworks.

Traian Hristea stated it at the “EU-Armenia Cooperation: Presenting
the European Neighborhood and Partnership Instrument” conference,
Mediamax reports.

“We will go on with our cooperation trying to carry out through
certain tools the agreements achieved in Vilnius with our Armenian
partners. The projects presented today are only part of the support we
render. At the conference we will discuss procedural issues related
to how we should move ahead within Armenian President’s September
3 decision”, said the Head of the EU Delegation noting that it’s a
“good chance to put back concerns that the EU terminates assistance
to Armenia”.

“The conference aims at the presentation of different technical
assistance forms applicable in the framework of the cooperation, their
application mechanisms, the current state of the underway projects
and their further steps and underlining spheres by the Ministry
of Economy, which is the National Coordinator of EU Assistance in
Armenia, to the beneficiary authorities”, Armenian Deputy Minister
Garegin Melkonyan stated.

Head of EU-Armenia Cooperation Sector Hoa-Binh Adjemian noted that
the cooperation complies with the European Neighborhood partnership:
“The scales of bilateral cooperation with several EU states are
already known. There are also additional support projects”.

According to Hoa-Binh Adjemian, the cooperation will focus on the
strengthening of democratic institutions and justice system and steps
will be taken to ensure rule of law, protection of human rights,
combating corruption, strengthening the civil society and improving
business and investment environment.

“In this context, the EU and Armenia have already started working on a
new technical and financial assistance cooperation”, stated Hoa-Binh
Adjemian. Preference will be given to the spheres of agriculture,
justice and private sector.

According to the speakers, technical and financial support instruments
will be employed. Commenting on the volume of budget assistance, the
parties noted that it’s still too early to speak of exact numbers. The
results of projects carried out within EU-Armenia cooperation were
also presented.

NANCY NAJARIAN: ARMENIAN AMERICAN CANDIDATE FOR CONGRESS

March 11, 2014

The Candidate:

Nancy Najarian is running for the U.S. Congressional seat being
vacated by Congressman (Jim Moran, 8th District VA) – considered a
safe Democratic district. The primary winner will very likely win
the general election. Najarian plans to put an Armenian in that seat!

Nancy Najarian is married and the mother of two children. She was
born in Boston, Massachusetts, baptized in St. Stephen’s Armenian
Apostolic Church in Watertown, and raised in Belmont. Her father’s
family is from Kharpert, and her mother’s from Aintab.

Her father, K. George Najarian, is the son of Arshalous and Nishan
Najarian. In 1916, Nishan who was 19 years old and living in Boston
MA, answered the call to fight with the French Foreign Legion against
the Turks in Anatolia. Three years later he returned to the U.S.,
bringing Arshalous Garabedian, a genocide survivor, back with him.

They married and settled in Cambridge MA, and raised 4 children who
were all active in Armenian community life. On her mother’s side,
the family comes from Aintab – her grandfather emigrated before the
Genocide, and her grandmother afterward. They raised their family in
New Jersey and then in Massachusetts.

Nancy’s stepmother, Dr. Carolann Najarian, the daughter of Arpen and
Avedis Abrahamian, also were both genocide survivors. Nancy’s father
and step-mother were active in humanitarian work in Armenia after
the earthquake and during the Nagorno Karabagh Conflict. They have
supported numerous Armenian projects in the U.S. as well.

Nancy Najarian’s Career and Volunteer Activities:

Nancy has been an active participant in a variety of Armenian
organizations and causes over her 30-year career in New England, New
York City during college, the Washington, D.C. area, and in Armenia.

She was a charter member of the Cambridge (MA) – Yerevan Sister
City Association in the 1980’s, traveling with her family and
the group in 1988 to visit Moscow and Yerevan prior to Armenia’s
independence. As a young graduate of Georgetown University’s School
of Foreign Service Master’s program, she volunteered at the Armenian
Embassy in Washington, D.C. for the Economic Attache’. In 1993, she
moved to the newly independent Republic of Armenia during the worst
time of the blockade of the country.

— 1993: Nancy Najarian taught English to Armenians seeking to enter
newly established MBA programs in Yerevan,

— 1993-1997: Nancy Najarian created, co-founded and ran a non-profit
organization, Technical Assistance for the Republic of Armenia (TARA,
Inc. 1993-1997). TARA’s mission was to help struggling Armenian
entrepreneurs to start new businesses in Armenia, by bringing
Diasporans to teach Western approaches to management and marketing,
law, and finance.

— 1996: Nancy Najarian co-organized through TARA the 1996 Armenian
Judicial Conference, bringing 12 Armenian and American judges and
justices to Armenia for a 3-day conference. The goal was to educate
the entire Armenian judicial body about judicial reform prior to the
ratification of the first Armenian Constitution.

— Nancy Najarian joined the Armenian Assembly’s ARAMAC, as a Board
member, working to raise the awareness of the US government on the
severe consequences of the energy blockade on the Armenian people
and its economy.

— In the international sector, Nancy Najarian has worked on projects
funded by the U.S. government to help increase development of the
Armenian private sector.

In addition, Nancy Najarian has been active for many years in the
Armenian community — an active member of the Armenian Network of
America; a Sunday school teacher at St. Mary’s Armenian Apostolic
Church, Washington, D.C.; a participant at many local events hosted
by the ANCA and the Armenian Assembly; and has advised college and
graduate students seeking to enter international work on how to begin
their own private voluntary organizations to help others in the world
achieve their economic dreams and goals.

The Future:

If elected, Nancy Najarian will bring to Congress a steady support
for issues effecting the Armenian community and Armenia. Throughout
her private life and her professional career, Najarian has already
shown her deep ties to and commitment to her Armenian heritage,
and an ability to work with diverse groups tirelessly fighting for
Armenian issues. This would continue if she were to be elected.

The 8th Congressional district borders Washington, D.C., encompassing
Arlington County, the City of Alexandria – home to the Alexandria –
Gyumri Sister City Association and its yearly Armenian festival,
and parts of Fairfax County (McLean and Falls Church). This seat is
considered a “safe” Democratic seat, in that 68% of the district voted
for president Obama in 2012. The current and retiring Congressman,
Jim Moran, previously held his Congressional seat for 22 years with
little challenge. The field of candidates is crowded; the candidate
that can raise money quickly will have an opportunity to challenge
the others by running TV ads in a very expensive media market.

ARMENIA AND PATRICIA KAAS TALK BRANDY AND PEACE

EurasiaNet.org
March 12 2014

March 12, 2014 – 2:06pm, by Giorgi Lomsadze

In the cellars of the Yerevan Brandy Company sits a barrel of brandy
that has been waiting 13 years for resolution of Armenia’s conflict
with neighboring Azerbaijan over the breakaway region of Nagorno
Karabakh.

Armenia’s favorite drink, brandy became widely popular in Soviet days
when the country (and Georgia) ranked as the USSR’s alternative to
the south of France. For many visitors, touring the Yerevan Brandy
Company, now owned by French booze giant Pernod Ricard, remains a must.

On March 10, famous French crooner Patricia Kaas became the latest
celebrity to descend into the company’s depths for a brandy-tasting
tour, and an Armenian history lesson.

It may seem a bold move to ply a Frenchwoman with a beverage Armenians
call “cognac,” yet Kaas had no reason to complain; the Yerevan Brandy
Company sponsored her March 9 concert in Yerevan.

In the company’s cellar, she was introduced to the “Barrel of Peace,”
a cask containing brandy from 1994, when Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed
to a (constantly violated) cease-fire. The cask was sealed in 2001,
when the US, Russian, and, of course, French chairpersons of the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Minsk Group,
the body overseeing the Karabakh talks, visited Yerevan and toured
the factory. The brandy-makers vowed to open the barrel when the
Karabakh conflict is resolved.

Unfortunately for peace and brandy-lovers, the conflict remains
a powder keg with occasional deadly escalations, and Armenia and
Azerbaijan are not expected to drink themselves to peace anytime soon.

The ongoing international conflict over Russia’s incursion into
Ukraine’s Crimea is not expected to improve those chances.

Some Armenian observers can’t agree over whether or not Crimea will
have good, bad or no impact on Armenia and its ethnic kin in Karabakh.

For its part, Azerbaijan looks at Crimea’s lot, and remembers the
ongoing Karabakh conflict as a warning about the dangers when countries
throw international law to the wind.

Meanwhile, with the US and France at loggerheads with Russia over
Ukraine, the negotiation-facilitators may soon need facilitators of
their own.

On the bright side, brandy only gets better with time.

CHAMLIAN ARMENIAN SCHOOL LOOKS TO EXPAND ENROLLMENT

Glendale News Press, CA
March 11 2014

School officials say ‘timing is pretty good’ to request enrollment
boost.

March 11, 2014| By Kelly Corrigan,

Citing a long waiting list, Chamlian Armenian School officials are
looking to increase enrollment to 700 students, up from its current
cap of 500.

Rodney Khan, a Glendale-based land use consultant, filed paperwork
requesting the enrollment change with the city’s planning department
on behalf of the school in late February.

He said the school has room, noting just 24 of its 30 classrooms
are used at any given time by the kindergarten through eighth-grade
students.

“They’ve had a waiting list for many years,” Khan said. “But the
student capacity always prevented them from having these additional
students come in.”

In 2011, when the school’s proposal for building a 35-foot-tall
gymnasium went before the planning commission, it was denied, following
neighbors’ concerns that the gym would be too intrusive and add to
existing traffic concerns.

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Although that vote was overturned by the City Council, a Design
Review Board in early 2012 denied its design, citing the gym as too
boxy and out of place with the rest of the neighborhood.

But the 9,345-square-foot gym was eventually approved with a unanimous
vote by the City Council in February 2012, clearing the way for its
construction.

City planner Roger Kiesel said that when the school’s gym was approved
for construction, it came with the condition of an enrollment cap.

“There’s been a cap for a number of years,” he said, adding that it
was in place before the gym was built.

Now with weeks before the gymnasium opens its doors, Chamlian Principal
Vazken Madenlian said school officials believe “timing is pretty good”
to request to alter its enrollment.

“We have to turn down a lot of students,” he said.

Chamlian’s proposal would come before the planning commission for
their approval in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, Khan said school officials are considering busing
students to the school, and perhaps establishing a pick-up and drop-off
area at St. Mary’s Armenian Apostolic Church, which is located near
where many of Chamlian’s students reside, he said.

He said the school’s security guard and others strictly help regulate
the morning and afternoon traffic, and that the school would continue
to be proactive in addressing traffic issues.

“We’re also strongly encouraging carpooling,” he added.

COURT TRIAL ON ARMENIAN ACTOR’S CASE IS ADJOURNED

March 12, 2014 | 15:28

The first court hearing into the case of renowned Armenian actor
Vardan Petrosyan adjourned on Wednesday.

Petrosyan’s attorney Nikolay Baghdasaryan submitted a respective
motion to the court stating that he has another court hearing on the
same day and, subsequently, he will attend a lawyers’ training.

The injured party’s attorney Ruben Baloyan, on the other hand, stated
that this is a deliberate delay of the hearing.

“Vardan Petrosyan has four more attorneys; one of them could have
been present [at court],” he added noting that this deferral causes
moral and physical pain to the injured party.

In his motion, Baghdasaryan also informed that two more attorneys
will arrive in Armenia from France on March 25. Consequently, he
asked the court for time so that the new attorneys are accredited
at the Chamber of Advocates of Armenia, and get familiar with the
case. The court granted the motion.

Prior to the court decision, however, Vardan Petrosyan stated that
he wanted to address the injured party. The actor said several words
and, subsequently, the presiding judge interrupted him, whereas Hayk
Hakobyan of the injured party spoke in outrage.

Actor’s sister Askhen Petrosyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am that her
brother is morally depressed.

The court adjourned scheduling the next hearing for March 28.

A major accident occurred on October 20, 2013 in Kotayk Region. A
BMW and a VAZ 2121-model vehicle crashed at around 9:20pm on the
Yeghvard-Yerevan motorway. As a result, seven people sustained
injuries and were transferred to several hospitals. Among them was
famous actor and comedian Vardan Petrosyan, whose liver and spleen
had ruptured. As a result of the accident, however, brothers Edgar
and Eduard Hakobyan–who were passengers in the VAZ 2121–had died.

A criminal case was instituted on the incident, and Vardan Petrosyan
was arrested.

OPINION OF THE NORAVANK FOUNDATION DIRECTOR GAGIK HARUTYUNYAN: NO RETURN TO THE PRIOR STATUS OF CRIMEA

11.03.2014

Mr. Harutyunyan, the whole world’s attention today is focused on the
events in Ukraine. What do you think about these developments?

Indeed, there are multi-level complicated processes going on in
Ukraine. One of the levels is the societal factor. Undoubtedly, the
Ukrainian society wasn’t happy with the quality of governance in
the country and its leadership in the person of Yanukovych. This
discontent developed into protests. However, this is just the
superficial level. Events happening in Kiev point to a well-organized
force that seized the power in a bloody coup, which resulted in about
100 casualties and thousands of injured.

Classical, military, violent coup d’etat…

In result of which the power was seized by some people, clearly
illegitimate. The underlying geopolitical rationale of what is
happening is obvious. The goal is to weaken Russia. In this case
Ukraine was a mere instrument to weaken Russia’s positions, along
with those of Europe, by the way. It’s no secret that the worst
scenario for the USA is the creation of a greater Europe from Lisbon to
Vladivostok. Characteristically, the bloody Ukrainian events developed
with direct support of the West, both individual politicians that
added fuel to the fire and some Western governments. And ironically,
this is the same West that makes a tremendous fuss about any single
violation of human rights

If we now look at those who seized the power, we get an impression
that the Ukrainian people fell out of the frying pan into the fire.

They got rid of some oligarchs to fall into the clutches of some
others.

Isn’t that the truth! As for the events in Crimea, Russia can
be criticized for many things, including, especially, that as an
immediate neighbor of Ukraine, Russia has been unable to exercise
the so-called soft power. I am talking about information influence,
weakness of the Russian media generally and in Ukraine particularly.

Russia certainly cannot be proud about its positive image and was
unable to improve it for many years. However, there is also the factor
of Ukraine itself, something that can be described in Huntington’s
wording as “civilizational fault line.” A few years ago I wrote an
article analyzing this phenomenon and noted that Ukraine is among
the countries that have such lines, because western and eastern
Ukraine differ significantly by many parameters. We have to admit that
unfortunately, Ukraine did not manage to establish itself as a state,
as a consolidated country. It’s constantly prone to one or another
type of revolutions and coups, Maidans, etc. But back to Crimea…

In Crimea it is about defending the rights of the Russian-speaking
population that comprises no less than 60%. Another key factor is the
Russian Navy base in Crimea. Generally speaking, Crimea was not part
of Ukraine in the past and was made such by Khrushchev’s decision.

Also, admittedly, many western and eastern territories were added
to Ukraine somewhat artificially. The Russian-speaking population
of Crimea indeed needs protection. It is simply terrifying to
listen to the rhetoric of Dmytro Yarosh, leader of the Right Sector
ultranationalist organization. But this is not only about him.

Remember that the first thing Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament)
did after the coup was to annul the law on regional languages. It
was then reverted back, but today it is still part of the agenda. One
can be absolutely sure that whatever final shape that law will take,
it will never provide sufficient rights to the Russian-speaking
population. In such situation the Russian leadership took some
adequate steps. After all, Russia did not declare war on Ukraine,
right? It just voiced about the possibility to send troops to Ukraine
in case the events take a certain turn to the worse, which would
require protection of the Russian (and perhaps, also Ukrainian)
population . Meanwhile, the Crimeans took over the initiative and a
process started for achieving greater autonomy, or I would even say,
sovereignty for the peninsula. It is hard to tell what this will
eventually bring about. Will Crimea become an independent nation that
will incorporate also Donetsk and Odessa? We can only make guesses
and offer scenarios. Yet one thing is clear – most likely there will
be no return to the prior status of Crimea.

Is it possible that the events in Crimea somehow affect the process
of Karabakh conflict resolution? And are there any parallels here?

Remember Leo Tolstoy’s phrase: “every unhappy family is unhappy in
its own way.” This concerns all trouble spots on the territory of the
former USSR. The Crimean conflict is different from Karabakh in its
roots. In case of Karabakh we had to deal not only with Azerbaijan,
but also with Turkey. In this context some analogies can be found,
since Turkey has a tremendous influence on the Tatar population of
Crimea. That is the only common thing. Everything else is different –
the processes are different both in scale and essence. South Ossetia
and Abkhazia precedents bear some resemblance to the Karabakh conflict,
but then again, the situation is very different there, because there
is no civilizational disparity between Georgians, and Abkhazians
and Ossetians. Unlike in the case with the Karabakh conflict, these
peoples, in principle, have no clash of civilizations.

And in Crimea still less, as the conflicting parties are both Slavs.

I believe that what currently happens in Crimea is beneficial for
Armenia in the geopolitical terms, because in case if the Russian Navy
base in Sevastopol is gone, then the Black Sea will become sort of an
inner sea of Turkey. Loss of such a strategic outpost would strengthen
Turkey, which is not our best friend, to put it mildly. It has to be
admitted that all the steps so far taken by Russia have been in line
with our geopolitical interests in one way or another. For instance,
we realize well, that had Russia not intervened in South Ossetia,
the Azerbaijanis would have been inclined to carry out a military
operation against Karabakh in a similar manner that Saakashvili
attempted to do with South Ossetia.

Then again, the Russian intervention in the Middle Eastern affairs
and prevention of the aggression against Syria was in line with our
interests as well, given the stalemate with the Armenian community in
Syria and in the Middle East as a whole. The same can be said about
Crimea. Russia having strong positions in general and in the Black
Sea, in particular, is in our interests. However, regardless of that,
under no circumstances one should forget about the rights of people,
about their right to live with their language, traditions and beliefs.

With all due respect to Ukraine and the Ukrainians, the process
happening in Crimea must be welcomed in principle.

Today there is a lot of talking about a new round of the Cold War
provoked by the events in Ukraine and the recent statements by Obama
come to prove that…

In 2002 I published an article in Golos Armenii titled “The Cold
War-2.” You see, prerequisites for such war existed even then and the
Cold War continues. However, the situation in the world has changed.

Currently we live in a multi-polar world. Let’s recall the numerous
attempts to isolate Iran from the world; they did not succeed because
there are some serious geopolitical actors around, such as Russia,
China, as well as India. Well, if the military cooperation between
Russia and the USA stops, it’s no big deal either for Russia or for
the West. That’s how it works…

Back to Ukraine. Here is a quote from a recent interview about the
situation in Ukraine given by Marine Le Pen, a right-wing French
politician, leader of the Front National: “It is everyone’s fault,
if I may say. First of all, because the European Union added fuel to
the fire by helping the revolt to turn into a revolution. Because
they made part of the Ukraine believe that Ukraine may be accepted
in the EU, which is absolutely wrong. It has to be clearly stated:
European people do not want Ukraine in the EU. By the way, they also
do not want Albania, Macedonia and Turkey…” Your comments, please…

Well, what she said is true. The problem is that many confuse the EU
Association Agreements with the EU membership, although the former
does not imply the latter. Similar EU Association Agreements had
been signed with Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco,
Mexico, Palestine, Tunisia, Chile, and South Africa – so what? Did
it somehow change anything in Egypt, for example? Moreover, what
has changed for such countries as Bulgaria or Romania after the EU
membership? They lived not so well 30 years ago, and they continue
like that now. Even the Baltic countries that integrated into the EU
so smoothly, now face an economic crisis. The economy hardly grows,
there are numerous problems.

Many people in the Armenian society also think that an Association
Agreement with the EU provides an opportunity to become part of the
EU. But it does not. It is an ordinary agreement on trade relations,
and nothing more. Today Ukraine has fallen far behind economically
and is at the brink of a collapse, a financial default. Naturally,
there is no prospect for Ukraine’s EU membership, not to mention
that now there are such people in the power structure as Yarosh,
who blames for everything the American and European imperialists,
the Jews, the Poles, the Moskals (i.e. Russians) and everyone else
around. The EU definitely does not need such Ukraine and actually,
such Ukraine is a persona non grata for many. The biggest mistake of
Yanukovych was that he decided to make a choice on whether to turn
right or left. If Ukraine maintained equal relations with both Russia
and Europe, it could become a very important structure for unification
of the greater Europe and could reap lots of dividends. However, I
repeat, the Ukrainian leadership made a huge mistake in an attempt
of choosing “either, or”, and consequently, as a country that has
not established itself in geopolitical terms, with no strategic
directions and without a so-called geopolitical code of its own,
Ukraine now faces the situation that we observe now.

Zara Gevorgyan

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