Author: Badalian Vardan

PETITION CONTRE L’ARCHEVEQUE NAVASSARD KTCHOYAN

ARMENIE

Une ONG a lance une collecte de signatures au centre ville d’Erevan
demandant la destitution, par le Catholicos, du N°2 de l’Eglise
apostolique armenienne, l’Archeveque Navasard Ktchoyan, dont le nom
a ete cite dans le recent ” scandale offshore “. Les auteurs de la
petition estiment que l’Archeveque s’est eloigne de l’eglise, en
s’impliquant dans la ” mafia “. / Rapporte par l’ensemble de la presse

Extrait de la revue de presse de l’Ambassade de France en Armenie en
date du 12 juillet 2013

jeudi 18 juillet 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

LES CHAMBRES DE COMMERCE ET D’INDUSTRIE D’EREVAN ET TEHERAN SIGNENT UN PROTOCOLE SUR L’ELARGISSEMENT DES RELATIONS

ARMENIE

Les chambres de commerce et d’industrie (CCI) d’Erevan et Teheran
ont signe un protocole sur l’expansion des relations economiques,
technologiques et culturels. Le document a ete signe lors d’un forum
d’affaires armeno-iranien organisee par la capitale armenienne.

” Ce protocole va devenir une plate-forme pour des mesures concrètes
pour approfondir le commerce bilateral et les relations economiques.

Ces forums sont les premières etapes pour rapprocher les hommes
d’affaires des deux pays” a declare le vice-ministre armenien de
l’economie Ara Petrosyan.

jeudi 18 juillet 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

COMMUNIQUE

[ Part 2.2: “Attached Text” ]

La FRA Dachnaktsoutioun tient a exprimer ses plus vives preoccupations
suite a la demission de  Monseigneur Norvan Zakarian, Primat de
l’Eglise armenienne de France.

La demission d’un Eveque  est un fait exceptionnel, majeur, grave,
lourd de consequences. Un fait sans precedent en France.  Autorite
morale incontestee, Monseigneur Norvan Zakarian exerce sa mission
en France depuis 45  ans. Il etait le successeur le plus legitime
a Monseigneur Kude Naccachian et les 7 annees au cours  desquelles
il a accompli sa mission ont demontre qu’il avait la stature, la
legitimite, l’esprit de  rassemblement, mais aussi la preoccupation
de l’action pour la cause armenienne. Les relations entre  l’Eglise
et les associations armeniennes de France etaient au beau fixe. Il
avait le respect de tous et  de chacun. Monseigneur Norvan Zakarian
a fait l’unanimite. C’est assez rare pour le souligner.

La FRA Dachnaktsoutioun a souhaite comprendre les veritables
motivations de cette demission. C’est  la raison pour laquelle
nous ne reagissons que deux semaines après la demission du chef
de l’Eglise  armenienne de France. Nous avons etudie l’ensemble
des pièces du dossier qui nous permettent de  mieux comprendre les
motivations profondes d’une demission qui aura des consequences pour
la  communaute armenienne de France. Nous avons aussi pris connaissance
des explications donnees  par le conseil diocesain ainsi que par des
personnalites qui exercent au sein de la hierarchie de  l’Eglise.

Aujourd’hui, nous avons acquis la conviction de refuser toute langue
de bois sur cette affaire dont la  gravite est encore largement
sous-estimee. Il apparait clairement aujourd’hui que le veritable 
detonateur de la demission de Monseigneur Norvan Zakarian est le mode
de gouvernance impose par  le Catholicos d’Etchmiadzine a l’Eglise
armenienne de France. Une gestion très centralisatrice qui se  fonde
sur une demarche autoritariste s’articulant sur de nombreux abus
de pouvoir. 

L’interventionnisme et l’autoritarisme du Catholicos Karekine II sont
en rupture avec le mode de  fonctionnement juridique et traditionnel
de l’Eglise armenienne et sont inacceptables pour le chef de  l’Eglise
armenienne de France. Et il aura fallu que ces pratiques autoritaires
d’Etchmiadzine  s’accompagnent d’humiliations du Catholicos Karekine
II a l’encontre de Monseigneur Norvan  Zakarian.

Aujourd’hui la situation est extremement critique ! La succession
commence a s’organiser et le risque  est très grand que le prochain
Primat soit, en fait, impose par le Catholicos pour imposer
a la  communaute armenienne de France une gouvernance directe
d’Etchmiadzine. Cette hypothèse serait  totalement inacceptable pour
la communaute armenienne de France et risque de ranimer les divisions 
d’un passe revolu. Pourtant, toute election, montee de toute pièce
par le Catholicos, se heurtera,  inexorablement, a l’opposition d’une
très grande partie de la communaute armenienne de France.

C’est la raison pour laquelle la FRA Dachnaktsoutioun prône
l’apaisement et lance un appel a toutes  les parties concernees pour
que l’avenir soit preserve. Une seule solution s’impose aujourd’hui
comme  un acte de raison : meme s’il a annonce que sa demission etait
irrevocable, il faut convaincre  Monseigneur Norvan Zakarian de revenir
sur sa demission pour repartir sur un nouveau mandat, et,  en meme
temps, entamer un dialogue avec le Catholicos pour qu’il accepte,
a son tour, de respecter  le diocèse de France avec sa direction et
son chef spirituel.

FRA Dachnaktsoutioun – Europe occidentale Paris, le 17 juillet 2013 FRA
Dachnaktsoutioun- 17 rue bleue 75009 Paris- [email protected]

COMMUNIQUE FRA :RESIGNATION OF ARCHBISHOP ZAKARIAN NORVAN

[ Part 2.2: “Attached Text” ]

FRA Dachnaktsoutioun wishes to express its deepest concern following
the resignation of Norvan Bishop Zakarian, Primate of the Armenian
Church of France. The resignation of Bishop is an exceptional fact,
major, serious, serious consequences.

Unprecedented in France.

Unquestioned moral authority, Bishop Zakarian Norvan fulfills its
mission in France for 45 years. It was the most legitimate successor
to Bishop Kude Naccachian and 7 years in which he accomplished his
mission showed he had the stature, legitimacy, the spirit of gathering,
but also the concern of the action for the Armenian cause.

The relationship between Church and Armenian associations in France
were very good. He had the respect of all and each. Norvan Bishop
Zakarian was unanimous. It is rare enough to emphasize.

FRA Dachnaktsoutioun wished to understand the real reasons for this
resignation. It is why we react as two weeks after the resignation of
the head of the Church Armenian France. We studied all the documents
that allow us to better understand the underlying motivations of
resignation that will affect the Armenian community of France. We
also read the explanations by the Diocesan Council as well as those
who hold in the hierarchy the Church.

Today, we have become convinced to refuse any waffling on this matter
before the gravity is still widely underestimated. It now seems clear
that the real detonator of the resignation of Bishop Norvan Zakarian
is the mode of governance imposed by Catholicos of Echmiadzin, the
Armenian Church of France. A very centralized management that based
on an authoritarian approach hinging on numerous abuses of power.

Interventionism and authoritarianism of Catholicos Karekin II are out
with the way legal and traditional functioning of the Armenian Church
and are unacceptable for the head of Armenian Church of France. And
it took these authoritarian practices of Etchmiadzin accompanied by
humiliation of Catholicos Karekin II against Monsignor Norvan Zakarian.

Today the situation is very critical! The succession begins to organize
and risk is larger than the next Primate is, in fact, imposed by
the Catholicos to impose the Armenian community of France direct
governance of Echmiadzin. This hypothesis would totally unacceptable
to the Armenian community in France and could revive the divisions
a past. However, any election of a complete fabrication by the
Catholicos, will encounter, inexorably, to the opposition of a large
part of the Armenian community of France.

This is why the FRA Dachnaktsoutioun advocates appeasement and
appeals to all stakeholders for the future is preserved. One solution
is needed today as an act of reason: even though he announced his
resignation was irrevocable, it must convince Bishop Zakarian Norvan
to reconsider his resignation to start on a new mandate and at the
same time, begin a dialogue with the Catholicos to accept, in turn,
respect the Diocese of France with his leadership and spiritual leader.

FRA Dachnaktsoutioun – Western Europe Paris, 17
July 2013 Dachnaktsoutioun FRA-17 Blue Street 75009
[email protected]

ACTING HEAD OF THE OSCE LEONID KOZHARA DISCUSSES WITH PRESIDENT OF ARMENIA COOPERATION ISSUES

Ukrainian Government News
July 16, 2013

Acting Head of the OSCE, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
Leonid Kozhara, within the framework of his working visit to Armenia
on July 15 was received by President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan.

The sides discussed issues on further cooperation between Armenia and
the OSCE, the intensification of negotiations within the OSCE Minsk
Group on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Armenian President was informed about the efforts of the Ukrainian
Chairmanship of the OSCE to promote the process of peaceful settlement
of the longest conflicts in the OSCE area.

While discussing bilateral component parties expressed satisfaction
with the high level of Ukrainian-Armenian relations and exchanged views
on perspectives in intensifying cooperation between the two countries.

In this regard, special attention was paid to cooperation in political,
economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres.

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any actions taken in reliance on information contained herein.

ARTSAKH HERO’S ACCIDENT RAISES CRITICAL CONCERNS

Wednesday, July 17th, 2013

Hrachya Harutiunian

BY ARA KHACHATOURIAN

On Saturday, July 13, 46-year-old Artsakh war hero Hrachya Harutiunian
set out on his job in Russia as a truck driver transporting gravel.

Near the village of Oznobikhino outside Moscow his truck malfunctioned
and hit a passenger bus, killing 18 people and injuring 40.

What followed, however, raises critical concerns of racism and
xenophobia against Armenians in Russia-an issue that has grabbed many
a headline in the past-as well as a closer look at the emigration
problem plaguing Armenia and the state treatment of war veterans.

Immediately after the accident the Russian authorities initiated a
criminal investigation and charged him with vehicular homicide.

Russian state television and other media outlets were also quick
to blame Harutiunian. Some legal experts and journalists in Moscow
suggested, however, that technical faults may have caused the
disastrous crash. They said the still unknown owner of the old truck,
rather than the driver, may therefore be primarily responsible for
the tragedy, reported RFE/RL.

Harutiunian was taken to a court in Moscow to face criminal charges
on Monday. Television pictures showed him sitting in a cage, clad
in a woman’s housecoat and wearing slippers. The 46-year-old was
unable to utter any words, having apparently still not recovered from
post-traumatic shock. A Russian state TV report derided his “mooing”
and accentuated on his ethnic origin.

The images caused outrage in Armenia, with critics accusing the
Russian authorities of violating the presumption of innocence and
fanning negative popular attitudes towards migrant workers from the
South Caucasus and the Russian North Caucasus. The Armenian human
rights ombudsman, Karen Andreasian, expressed serious concern in a
letter to his Russian counterpart on Tuesday, added RFE/RL.

Meanwhile, Armenian officials have been scrambling to ensure the public
that they are on top of things, with the Russian Embassy in Yerevan
issuing assurances that due process will be applied in Harutiunian’s
case and condemning efforts to “politicize” the incident.

Protesters in Yerevan

Members of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Nigol Aghbalian
Student Association and the Yerevan branch of the Armenian Youth
Federation held a protest in front of the Russian Embassy in Yerevan,
and while waving a woman’s housecoat demanded fair treatment of
Harutiunian.

The sad crux of the situation is that Harutiunian had taken the job
in Moscow to raise funds for a proper tombstone for his son, Serob,
who died a year ago after completing his service in the Armenian
Armed Forces, according to Hrachya’s brother Hayk.

In the last 20 years Russia has become home to the largest Armenian
population outside of Armenia with Moscow and Krasnodar serving as
centers for Armenians emigrating there. For the past several years,
Asbarez has reported on numerous incidents involving racially-motivated
hate crimes against Armenians in both cities and Russian intolerance
toward Armenians has been chronicled.

Through a controversial Russian government-backed program hastening
Armenian migration to Russia, which until last year was sanctioned
by Armenia’s authorities, thousands of Armenians have moved to Russia.

While there, they have had to endure insurmountable socio-economic
hardship in order to survive

While Russia is deemed as a strategic partner to Armenia and endeavors
to increase its influence in the region, the issue of treatment of
Armenian citizens who are forced to migrate to Russia has not been
on the agenda of bi-lateral discussion between leaders of the two
countries.

On the domestic front, this roadside accident, as tragic as it is,
has also brought to the surface the harsh realities of emigration
from Armenia, or rather, the poor socio-economic conditions that
cause Armenians to emigrate.

During his presidential campaign Serzh Sarkisian said in an interview
with RFE/RL that “in no circumstance can a country be a prison for its
citizens,” pledging to create conditions in Armenia that are compatible
with the countries to which Armenians move. In another interview
with broadcast media affiliates in March, Sarkisian blamed Armenia’s
woes on what he called “rampant cynicism” among the population and
condemned the “forces” that were fueling the flames of the cynicism.

During Sarkisian’s fist term, reports indicated that emigration
from Armenia rose with Sarkisian not making any strides in creating
“conditions in Armenia that would be, if not like, then at least
close to the conditions that our citizens seek abroad,” as he said
in the aforementioned interview.

Hrachya Harutiunian fell victim to the skewed policies of the Armenian
government which is unable to provide its citizens with adequate jobs
and an opportunity to thrive in their own country. What is even more
sad is that those who fought for our country in the Karabakh war are
also not immune to the disastrous policies of the Armenian government.

Civic organizations in Armenia should protest Russia’s ill-treatment
of Harutiunian and others, while the foreign ministry must make the
plight of Armenians in Russia a priority discussion point with Russia.

At the same time, the same civic and political organizations must
ramp up their advocacy on behalf of Armenian citizens and must demand
from the government to take concrete steps and halt the outflow of
Armenians from the homeland.

RUSSIAN EMBASSY TO ARMENIA ASSURES THAT IMPARTIAL INVESTIGATION WILL BE SECURED FOR HRACHYA HARUTYUNYAN

18:28, 17 July, 2013

YEREVAN, JULY 17, ARMENPRESS: Embassy of Russian Federation in the
Republic of Armenia thinks that the accident which took place near
Podolsk does not have national shade and assures that the investigation
will be impartial and thorough. About this is mentioned in the massage
of Russian embassy which runs as follows:

“Embassy of Russian Federation expresses regret that the car accident
which took place on July 13 and caused death of 18 people is used by
some people for inflammation anti-Russian sentiments.

We consider fully unnecessary the targeted speculation of tragedy
for narrow political aims and distraction of Armenian-Russian
relations. The tragedy near Podolsk does not have national shade
and the investigation will be thorough, deep, impartial and without
emotions.”

On July 13 at 13:00 in New Moscow, nearby the Podolsk Village,
Kamaz truck came out of the second line and crashed into a bus
driving from Podolsk to Kurilovo, sharing it into two parts. In
the result of the car accident 18 people died and more than 60 were
wounded. The driver of the truck Hrachya Harutyunyan was accused of
the violation of the traffic security rules, causing the death of two
or more people. Two-month detention was imposed to the Armenian. He
was taken to the court in a woman’s bathrobe.

Earlier the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia Karen
Andreasyan sent an official letter to his Russian counterpart Vladimir
Lukin requesting for the protection of the dignity and other rights
of Hrachya Harutyunyan.

Hrachya Harutyunyan has been provided with two experienced lawyers
and a translator.

ALBANY HOMENETMEN RAISES 9K FOR SYRIA

July 17, 2013

ALBANY, N.Y.-On April 13, the Homenetmen of Albany organized a
fundraiser to help distraught Syrian Armenians. Monetary donations
from the Albany Armenian and non-Armenian community totaled $8,888.

All monies donated were combined at a regional level and sent to
Armenians in Syria through the Syrian-Armenian Fund of the Armenian
Prelacy (138 East 39th Street, New York, NY 10016).

hmem albany 2 1024×677 Albany Homenetmen Raises 9K for Syria Leeza
Bardakjian’s presentation to Albany Armenian community members during
the fundraiser dinner.

As a token of appreciation, the Syrian Armenian Event Committee, under
the umbrella of the Homenetmen of Albany, hosted a complimentary dinner
along with a special program, which included various presentations
and live film footage from Syria. The committee members include
Dr. Levon Eleyjian, the president of Albany’s Homenetmen Chapter,
Y. Ara Mahserdjian, Lena Hoglund-Guleserian, Isabel Kubikian, Ara
Achejian, Rita Guleserian, Betty Minassian, and Leeza Bardakjian.

The group’s efforts proved that no matter how small the Armenian
community in Albany may be, or how far they live from one another,
they are citizens of the world and are proud to have helped make a
difference in the lives of those suffering in Syria.

hmem albany 1 1024×677 Albany Homenetmen Raises 9K for Syria Organizing
Committee members for the Syrian-Armenian event (L-R) Dr.

Levon Eleyjian, Y. Ara Mahserdjian, Lena Hoglund-Guleserian, Isabel
Kubikian, Ara Achejian, Rita Guleserian, Betty Minassian, and Leeza
Bardakjian.

GARINE’S HOUSE OF HOPE AND REBIRTH
By Houry Mayissian

July 17, 2013

Zaruhi Petrosyan, Mariam Gevorgyan, Maro Gulyan. Many of us have heard
their names and their stories. They have become the public faces of
domestic violence in Armenia, Zaruhi and Maro with their untimely and
tragic deaths, Mariam with her courage to speak up and demand justice.

Zaruhi 300×225 Garine’s House of Hope and Rebirth Zaruhi Petrosyan
(L) has become a public face of domestic violence in Armenia.

But what about the many other women in Armenia who are victims of
domestic violence? What options are available to them? What could have
been Zaruhi’s future if she had sought help before her brutal murder?

In my search for answers to these questions, I recently found myself
visiting the safe house run by the Women’s Support Center in Armenia.

When the center’s executive director, Maro Matossian, came to pick
me up, a part of me was secretly dreading the visit. I had prepared
myself for a gloomy afternoon, meeting desperate, broken women in a
destitute place.

After a slightly bumpy ride, we stopped in front of a gated house in
a serene neighborhood. For safety reasons, I made a promise to not
disclose the location of the house. As soon as I was on the other side
of the shielding metal gates, I understood that this was a place very
different from what I had imagined it to be.

The modern, three-story house is surrounded by a beautiful garden
with several fruit trees and a khorovadz area. The residents maintain
the garden, pick the fruits, make compotes and jams. It’s an ideal
therapeutic activity, explains one of the social workers. No wonder.

The silence around the house is interrupted only by the comforting,
soothing sounds of nature.

The safe house can accommodate up to 10 women and their children,
explains Maro as she gives me a tour of the house. In the kitchen,
we meet one of the residents, a new comer with three baby girls. Her
“sin” was failing to produce a son.

The safe house staff takes care of the grocery shopping, but the
residents cook their meals in the communal kitchen. It is important
that the residents participate in the affairs of the safe house as
it helps them take back some level of control, explains Maro.

Upstairs we meet another woman, a 19-year old orphan who became
pregnant out of wedlock. Her partner threatened to kill her and the
baby if she decided to give birth. I can feel she’s reserved so I
don’t ask questions.

Then I meet Garine. She’s just back from picking strawberries in
the fields nearby, a job the center helped secure for her. She seems
eager to talk and I’m eager to listen.

“It was desperation that brought me here. I had no idea where I
was coming or what to expect, but I didn’t have any other choice,”
she says.

Now 30 years old, Garine’s ordeal began a decade before, when she
was a young bride of 20. Soon after their first child was born,
the occasional slaps, as she describes them, developed into violent
and frequent beatings at the hands of an alcoholic husband. Garine
separated from her husband, then returned to face even more violent
abuse. Over the next decade, life would take her back and forth from
her hometown in Yegheknatsor to Meghri, Karabagh, and Artashat. Her
three children, mercilessly dragged along by her husband, fell
seriously ill more than once.

Things took a dramatic turn one fateful night in Artashat in October
of last year. After a fed-up Garine appealed to the Artashat court
and police, she found herself thrown out on the street by her husband.

Garine got on a bus to Yerevan and sought shelter at the Fund for
Armenian Relief. She was then referred to the Women’s Support Center
safe house.

At the safe house, Garine and her kids were provided with food and
clothes. They received extensive help with sorting out complicated
paperwork, including the return of important documents left in Karabagh
as collateral for a small loan. Schooling arrangements were made for
the kids and Garine took part in private and group counseling sessions.

“The staff here nurtured my soul. I used to think that life had passed
me by and that the only thing I could do was focus on my kids. Now
I have come to understand that there are so many colors in life,
despite the torture I have seen during my married life. Now, I’m not
only interested in the future of my kids but also in my own future,”
says a grateful Garine.

Empowering battered women is the most important focus of the social
workers and counselors at the safe house. This is not just a place for
women to shelter themselves from abuse. “We put in a lot of effort
to empower these women so they take their lives back into their own
hands. We provide them with the knowledge, resources, and advice to
enable them to make decisions about their future. Once they set their
goals, we support them in achieving these goals. We do not decide on
their behalf,” Maro explains.

It is for this same reason that by contract, residents are required
to stay here for three months. The center does not want them to exit
one dependent relationship only to enter another one. Most women are
able to stand on their own two feet by the end of this period, given
the extensive support they receive with every aspect of their life,
including work placements.

Even after they have left the safe house, however, the center continues
to keep in touch with these women and provide them with assistance
when required.

After her time at the safe house, a recovered Garine returned to her
parents’ house in Yegheknadzor in February 2013, where she’s trying
to build a life for her family with the center’s support. “I reached
the conclusion that I would not be able to support my family working
as a single mother in Yerevan,” she says with firm conviction.

The center is working with the Yegheknadzor mayor and the authorities
in Yerevan to provide Garine with a place to live on the premises of a
former kindergarten. Garine is also receiving legal assisting from the
center after making the firm decision to divorce her husband. In the
meantime, she is temporarily back at the center, with the opportunity
to work and put aside some money for the future.

Of course, everything comes with a price tag. Maintaining the safe
house costs $50,000 each year, and it has been an uphill struggle.

After years of supporting domestic violence projects, international
donor organizations have shifted their priorities, says Maro. The lack
of assistance from the Armenian government, which recently rejected
a draft law on criminalizing domestic violence, only compounds the
problem. It is diasporan support that is keeping the safe house open
at the moment. The gap in this year’s budget was secured through a
OneArmenia fundraising drive. Funding for next year remains to be seen.

My visit to the safe house comes to an end with hugs and a jar of
mulberries hand-picked from the garden. Churning the events of that
afternoon in my mind, I have a hard time believing Garine has been
the victim of physical and psychological abuse for an entire decade.

Confident, friendly, jubilant, she is now entirely focused on her
future. It appears to me this safe house has been a house of hope
and rebirth for Garine. As our taxi drives off, I make a wish for
the other two women I met-that they make the same brave journey soon.

US CITIZEN WOULD NEVER BE HUMILIATED IN RUSSIA – ARMENIAN HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST

15:24 17.07.13

Avetik Ishkhanyan, Chairman of the Helsinki Committee of Armenia, has
commented on the degrading treatment shown to the Armenian citizen
Hrachya Harutyunyan.

If Harutyunyan were a US citizen, he would never been brought to court
unshaved, in a housecoat and house slippers, Ishkhanyan told
journalists on Wednesday.

“That would at least result in severance of diplomatic relations,”
Ishkhanyan said. According to him, the reason is Russia’s
nationalistic feelings.

“On the one hand, there is a nationalistic movement against migrants,
with their slogan ‘Russia for Russians’. On the other hand, our
citizen would not have been humiliated so much, if this state were a
serious state and people did not emigrate to Russia as guest workers,”
Ishkhanyan said.

Anti-Russian sentiments have shown an upward tendency in Armenia after
the Russian-Azerbaijani $1bn arms deal.