Author: Badalian Vardan

POST-ELECTION ARMENIA: HUNGER-STRIKING CANDIDATE THANKS SUPPORTERS – VIDEO

20:01 ~U 13.03.13

Former presidential candidate Raffi Hovhannisian, who has been on a
hunger-strike at Yerevan’s Liberty Square since Sunday, has thanked
all people who have expressed solidarity with him over this period.

At his open-air news conference on Wednesday, the opposition Heritage
party’s leader said he had discussed the post-election developments
with Chief of Police Vladimir Gasparyan this afternoon.

“The chief of police has visited me, and we together found a separate
corner at the square to discuss the situation. I thanked him for his
attention and for policemen’s conscientious work,” he said.

Hovhannisian emphasized that he had told Gasparyan they are ready to
discuss any kind of issue, without stepping back from their rights
and their successes in the presidential election.

The former candidate said members of different political parties and
different intellectuals visited him since morning.

Asked whether he is ready for a meeting with first President Levon
Ter-Petrosyan, who now heads the opposition alliance Armenian National
Congress (ANC), the politician said he is open to discuss everything
with everyone without any discrimination.

“You are aware that representatives of our party, Heritage, have
meet with most different parties, including the ANC, and I think the
processes will continue because the consolidation you asked about is
necessary. And the Armenian people have made the key step towards
consolidation. From now on, we must serve that consolidation, with
each political force realizing its place and its role,” he added.

Hovhannisian further condemned the ruling Republican Party of Armenia
of the current political situation which he described as a blind alley.

As for meetings with other political parties, the Heritage leader
repeated his earlier statement that he is open to any discussion. “The
methodology of invitation and invitation reply is now over, and what
you see here is going on without any request of mine. I am ready
[to meet] anyone who is willing to come. That will continue in the
coming days or weeks,” he said, adding that consolidation is not
something to be enshrined in interparty agreements.

Speaking of his hunger-strike, Hovhannisian said it offers a good way
towards self-purification which pursues only civilian objectives. He
said the move partially reflects the Armenian nation’s protest. “It
is first of all my family and our citizens that suffer. But those who
criticized me …, well I have to say that it is part of the Armenian
nation’s struggle,” he said.

The politician noted further that the leader of the European People’s
Party (of which his political force is a member) made a wrong step by
congratulating Serzh Sargsyan on re-election. He criticized Wilfried
Martens’ visit to Armenia ahead of the presidential polls, noting that
his pro-Republican Party propaganda in the country was condemngiven
that other political forces in Armenia are also affiliated with EPP.

“He violated his party obligations, and I think his functions as the
EPP leader as well, by making this hasty evaluation now,” he said,
promising to explain everything to the European politician in a
separate letter.

INAUGURAL ART EXHIBITION

Hazel Antaramian Hofman

Jardin d’Erevan, acrylic-based mixed media on canvas, 2013. © Hazel
Antaramian-Hofman, 2013, All Rights Reserved.

Repatriation and Deception:
Post World War II Soviet Armenia

Armenian Museum of Fresno
Opening Reception, March 21, 2013,
5PM-8PM

Audio-Visual Presentation by Artist
6PM

Hotel Diplomat, acrylic-based
mixed media on canvas, 2013.

Hazel Antaramian-Hofman,
2013, All Rights Reserved.

Repatriation and Deception: Post-World War II Soviet Armenia is the
inaugural suite of paintings and drawings by Hazel Antaramian-Hofman
based on over two years of historical and ethnographic research,
including personal interviews with survivors of the Great Repatriation
to Soviet Armenia. Antaramian-Hofman’s new body of art is in response
to the stories and photographs that she collected during her visits
with Armenian repatriates who left such Diasporan countries as France,
Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine, and the United States to “return” to an
unknown Armenian homeland soon after the end of World War II. As
the first collection in a series of her works-in-progress, her art
speaks to the paradox of historical circumstance and re-occurrence,
where she constructs and deconstructs the cultural consequences of
migration and the displacement of people over time. The template for
her mixed media paintings includes the artistic paradigm of poster
art and iconic cultural images, and archival documents as the selected
testimony of socio-political ideology. Her drawings reveal segmented
aspects of the repatriate “body,” in particular, children of genocide
victims and their Diaspora-born children, all successively fragmented
by politics, social issues, and sentimentality.

About the Artist: Hazel Antaramian-Hofman was born in Soviet Armenia
during the height of the cold war. She is the daughter of two Armenian
repatriates. Her father was born in the United States and her mother
was born in France. Both parents were in their youth when they
“repatriated” to a Soviet Armenia under Stalin. The family eventually
left the U.S.S.R. for the United States in the mid-1960s.

Raised predominately in the United States, Antaramian-Hofman lived
in Wisconsin, later moved to California in the early 1970s. She grew
up never feeling completely Armenian, European, or American. Over
time, she lost the ability to speak in her native language, which was
considered blasphemous by her paternal grandparents. During the last
twenty years, Antaramian-Hofman began her journey to re-connect with
her past and that of her ancestors, including re-learning to speak in
her native language. What has stayed with her over the years is the
question of how to tell her family’s peculiar story as it represents
the story of the tens of thousands of Armenian repatriates of the late
1940s. It is now through her art and an audio-visual presentation
where she feels most comfortable sharing the larger story, in part
as tribute to those who survived and to those who perished under the
Soviet system. Antaramian-Hofman received her MA in Arts and Design
from Fresno State University, and her MS in Environmental Policy and
Planning from CSU Fullerton. During her early years as an artist,
she worked as an illustrator in the Los Angeles area after graduating
from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising.

Show runs from March through May 2013 at Armenian Museum of Fresno
Exhibition Hall (housed at the) University of California Center of
Fresno 550 East Shaw Ave.

Fresno, CA 93710

Free Admission

Exhibition Hall Hours: Monday – Friday 9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Saturday 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.

Funding for this Exhibition has been provided by the Armenian Museum
of Fresno, Puffin Foundation, Ltd., and The Bertha and John Garabedian
Charitable Foundation

For more on the Repatriation Art and Ethnographic Project visit:

To participate in the project: contact the artist at
[email protected]

RAFFI: LET SERZH SARGSYAN PROPOSE NATIONAL SOLUTION

18:08 13/03/2013
Story from Lragir.am News:

During today’s press conference in Freedom Square, Raffi Hovannisian
said that his health is in good conditions. He said that today
morning he had told the Chief of Police Vladimir Gasparyan that they
are ready for any discussion but they won’t cede positions. He also
thanked the Police Chief for the good behavior of police officers.

Asked about Vladimir Putin’s statement that Serzh Sargsyan received
more than 60% of votes, Raffi Hovannisian answered in Russian, saying
“Mr Putin is mistaken”. According to him, the Armenian people demand
true strategic partnership from Russia, which is not based on lies
and theft of people’s votes.

Raffi Hovannisian supports participation in Yerevan Mayoral Elections,
adding that he personally won’t run but a statement in this connection
will be made in the rally scheduled on Friday.

Raffi Hovannisian recalled to the political forces that it is
impossible to go forward based on the old models. According to him,
a new culture entered Armenia on February 18.

Raffi Hovannisian noted that invitations are an old mode, and whoever
is willing to talk to him, he is ready to meet them in Freedom Square.

According to him, the Armenian people and state are not in a deadlock,
but the ruling party is.

Raffi Hovannisian dwelt on the European People’s Party saying that it
hurries congratulating Serzh Sargsyan. According to him, EPP chairman
violated his powers and should answer the EPP member parties.

He reiterated that he has no other proposal to Serzh Sargsyan. He is
waiting for a national proposal from him.

RAFFI HOVANNISIAN INTENDS TO COMMENT ONLY ON S. SARGSYAN’S PROPOSALS

Wednesday,
March 13

The people should decide on April 9 what to do, the leader of Heritage
Party, ex-presidential candidate Raffi Hovannisian stated at the
press conference in Liberty Square today.

“Neither I nor the Armenian people are at a deadlock, it is the ruling
party and its leader who have reached a deadlock and are in a state
of fear and lie,” Raffi Hovannisian noted.

He said henceforth he will not comment on any statements, except for
Serzh Sargsyan’s proposals.

TODAY, 18:23

Aysor.am

ARMENIAN ACTOR OFFERS SOLUTION TO POLITICAL IMPASSE (VIDEO)

18:06 ~U 13.03.13

Actor Sergey Danielyan says pressure mechanisms against the authorities
could offer the best solution to the current political crisis in
Armenia.

“We have a national academy and thousands of political analysts, as
well as people understanding a couple of things in politics. So they
can create pressure mechanisms,” he told Tert.am at Liberty Square
where he visited Wednesday afternoon to express solidarity with Raffi
Hovhannisian, the former presidential candidate who is now there on
a hunger-strike.

The actor said he does not believe changes are possible at the current
stage. “This period of romance will probably end, and they will get
down to business later,” he said.

Danielyan added that the authorities may agree to concessions in case
they see the opposing forces offering mechanisms instead of continuing
the protests.

YEGHISHE CHARENTS MUSEUM ATTRACTS MORE AND MORE GUESTS EACH YEAR

15:32 ~U 13.03.13

The Yeghishe Charents House-Museum has opened its doors for all
visitors today to celebrate the 116th birthday of the great 20th
century writer, poet and public figure.

Most of the guests are young people whose number is increasing each
year, says the director of the Museum, Lilit Hakobyan.

“It is commendable that our visitors are predominantly young people
– students and school children. But there are no age limitations on
the birth and death anniversaries as people of all ages come here,”
she told Tert.am, noting that the young generation actively reads
Charents’ works today.

Hakobyan said they never complain about visitors’ activeness. “The most
passive months here are January and February. The liveliness begins in
late February and continues throughout the year. In March and in the
months of autumn, visitors’ activeness increases even more,” she noted.

The museums’ director added that they have many foreign tourists
in summer, most being young people. She said further that visitors
from Turkey have been demonstrating an increasing interest in the
recent years.

Hakobyan, who has been in charge for the museum since 1989, added
the attitude towards the great writer, has turned into love for,
and interest in, his poetry.

“There’s quite a big interest compared to those years. The visitors’
number decreased a little bit at the beginning of the 1990s, but we
held different events in that period too, and people came,” she said.

Hakobyan added that they also receive groups from the remote regions of
Armenia. “The groups from the regions often have brilliant children who
know Charents’ [poetry] very well. We also hold different contests that
see [participants] from the regions draw the main awards,” said she.

Hakobyan further addressed the museum’s problems, saying that they
always exist and require time and efforts to find a solution. “That
overpowers us essentially, but our museums are, all in all, in quite a
good condition. It is not our opinion, of course; visitors from abroad
also state that,” she said, pointing out to a couple of problems,
including the absence of an accessible environment for people with
disabilities.

Later today, the museum will host an exhibition titled “Kars:
Childhood and Youth” (Kars which is now in Turkey’s territory was
the great writer’s birthplace).

RUSSIAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER IN HIS ADDRESS TO OSCE OUTLINES RUSSIA’S PRIORITIES

15:58 14/03/2013 ” POLITICS

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexey Meshkov in his address to the
OSCE Permanent Council today outlined key priorities of Russia in the
Organization in creating a system of “equal and indivisible security,”
the OSCE said in a news release.

Meshkov said that an important issue in shaping the security
community from Vancouver to Vladivostok is to “apply in practice
the OSCE principle of the indivisible security, and to ensure
the implementation by all countries and groups of countries of
the commitment not to strengthen their security at the expense of
others”, and noted the importance of continuing the involvement of
the civil society and academia into the collective “brainstorming”
on the security community creation.

Conventional arms control and combatting transnational threats and
challenges are essential for strengthening security in the OSCE region,
Meshkov said. He also noted the importance of the “Helsinki+40” process
as a “window of opportunity to strengthen the role, reputation and
relevance of the OSCE” and for its transformation into a full-fledged
international organization.

He reiterated Russia’s commitment to conflict settlement in the OSCE
region “based on three key principles: conflicts must be settled
exclusively by peaceful means, within the existing formats and
respecting the interests of the sides.”

“It is important to always remember that a bad peace is better than
any war,” Meshkov said. “Therefore we caution against any actions from
the OSCE that could be of detriment to the positive achievements of
any given peace process.”

Speaking about economic and environmental dimension of security,
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister stressed the importance of
socio-economic aspects of human rights.

Meshkov outlined the Russian position on the human dimension of
the work of the OSCE, focusing on the issues of visa-free travel,
election legislation and protecting human rights. He said it was
“necessary that the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human
Rights observed elections in all OSCE states and on an equal footing.”

In his address, Meshkov also presented to OSCE participating States
the priorities of Russia as the Chair of the “G-20” in 2013.

The Permanent Council is one of the OSCE’s main regular decision-making
bodies bringing together representatives of all 57 participating
States of the Organization. It convenes weekly in Vienna to discuss
developments in the OSCE area and to make decisions.

Source: Panorama.am

RESTAURANT’S PR PROVIDER IS THE WAITER

03:47 PM | TODAY | SOCIAL

It is already 10 years that Gevorg Karapetyan has been working as a
waiter. Today he considers himself a master of his job although in
the first year of study in the Yerevan State University of Economics
he started doing the job mere for financial expenses.

“At first, I was enrolled as a waiter’s assistant, now I am the senior
waiter of holding a whole”, s Gevorg mentions.Now he has control of
all the staff and transfers his work experience to the newcomers,
since he is confident that waiter’s profession requires special skills.

“If they bring and take the plates is easy to learn, but learning the
approach and methods of communication with the customers requires
great efforts”, – the founder of “Pro-Service” center Aleqsandr
Mavisakalyan informs.

Gevorg believes that today’s customer-facing numerous waiters have
problems of communication.

“The majority of waiters do not understand that customers should not
show that they have personal problems. Our main problem is that they
do not like to smile and establish relations. The customer, who does
not see smile, will never return to the same place.”

PAPER: SARGSYAN LIKELY TO AVOID INAUGURATION AT OPERA HOUSE

VOTE 2013 | 14.03.13 | 11:38

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan is likely to avoid having an
inauguration in the Opera House, writes a local newspaper, mentioning
the Sports and Concerts Complex (SCC) as a possible venue for the
ceremony.

The Zhoghovurd daily says that “the ruling elite have not yet made
a final decision in this regard, but the SCC appears to be ‘the most
suitable option'”.

The pro-opposition paper suggests that this way Sargsyan will also try
to “steer clear” of opposition Heritage Party leader Raffi Hovannisian,
who has been conducting a hunger strike in Liberty Square adjacent
to the Opera House in protest of the February 18 election outcome
and has declared his intention to continue his action until April 9,
the day when the president-elect is to be officially sworn it.

Before starting his hunger strike on March 10 Hovannisian warned
that if Sargsyan decides to go ahead with the swearing-in ceremony,
he will be inaugurated over his [Hovannisian’s] ‘dead body’. In his
subsequent comments the opposition leader, who considers himself to
be the rightful winner of last month’s election, gave only vague
explanations to what he said and it still remains unclear whether
he meant literally starving himself to death or used it as a figure
of speech.

Hovannisian did not comment on the media publications suggesting that
Sargsyan could prefer having a swearing-in ceremony at the SCC or in
the yard of the National Assembly building as he held an improvised
press conference in Liberty Square on Wednesday. He stressed again,
however, that in any case “the Armenian people will have their
inauguration on April 9”.

Hovannisian also said that he was still open to a meeting with
Sargsyan to discuss ways of ending the current post-election crisis,
but insisted that such a meeting be held in or near the square.

Sargsyan’s inauguration for the first term as president in 2008 took
place inside the Opera House and before that he attended a parade in
Liberty Square. Both events were closed to the public. No official
information has yet been reported on the choice of the venue for the
presidential inauguration.

“ARMENIA SHOULD HAVE THE FREEDOM TO CHOOSE HER OWN COURSE”

March 13 2013

According to Simon Fraser, the Permanent Under-Secretary of the
British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Armenia is an important
player in the region.

* Mr. Fraser, do reforms that are carried out in Armenia make
our country closer to the European Union in terms of political
association and economic integration within the framework of the
Eastern Partnership, in your opinion, and is Armenia making progress
in this regard, in your opinion?

* I very much support the progress Armenia is making in building
its relationship with the European Union through the Association
Agreement negotiations and as part of that, negotiations on a free
trade agreement. I think a lot of good progress has been made, and
we hope that we will make further significant progress before the
Vilnius Summit in November. I hope that that process will support the
internal economic reform agenda within Armenia, just as the internal
economic reform process helps us advance the negotiation. So they
should be mutually reinforcing.

* There are two documents of strategic importance to Armenia on the
negotiating table with the European Union – the Deep and Comprehensive
Free Trade Agreement and the Armenia-EU Association Agreement. I
would like you to tell our society what Armenia will gain from those
programs. 

* As a general benefit, which is that through these negotiations
Armenia will come closer to the European Union with everything that
the European Union stands for in terms of governance, strengthening
democracy, as well as economic progress. And I think that’s important
for Armenia and important for the European Union, and it will help
us work together on issues involving security and stability in the
region, where we have a common interest, and then there will be more
specific benefits. So, for example, through these negotiations, it
should be possible to increase economic activity and trade to bring
more investment into Armenia, to improve some of the procedures,
for example, in the area of customs, so that there is a great flow
of goods and economic benefits. 

* Mr. Fraser, you talked about the possible advantages, benefits
for our country in the EU direction, but Armenian experts have
been discussing for a few months now the possibilities of Armenia’s
membership in the Eurasian Union and Customs Union proposed by the
Russian President; former and current ambassadors accredited in the
Republic of Armenia – the German Ambassador to Armenia, the current
Polish Ambassador – have talked about this issue. How urgent the issue
of membership of former Soviet republics, Armenia in particular,
and generally choosing between the EU and the Eurasian Union is,
in your opinion? 

* I think Armenia rightly wants to have a stronger relationship with
the European Union. But Armenia also has – and I absolutely recognize
this – a strong and important relationship with Russia.

And it’s for all sovereign countries to choose better relationships.

The key thing, I think, in relation to the trade and customs agreements
is that access to the European Union market of 500 million people,
which is the biggest market in the world, is a valuable prize. And
it’s important that whatever agreements you enter into with different
parties have to be compatible with each other. I am not an expert
on the detail of these agreements, but I have been told that it
is not compatible to be a member of the Customs Union and the Free
Trade Agreement with the European Union, so that needs to be studied
carefully. So that’s a technical issue, but, in general, we would
like Armenia to have good relations with all her neighbors. 

* Nonetheless, Russia’s aspirations in the South Caucasus, given its
influence, are obvious; so there is a political component here too. *
Clearly, Russia has interests and influence in this region, and that
is to be expected. I think it’s important that the countries in the
region like Armenia are able, have the freedom to choose their own
course and partnerships, but, of course, you have to take account of
the realities. I don’t want to talk about history, and I don’t want
to talk about, comment on Russian policy, but I think it’s important
that the European Union makes an offer to countries of the region,
which is attractive and supports their growth and development. But
we shouldn’t see it as a zero-sum game, either the European Union or
Russia. And of course, the European Union’s relationship with Russia
is really important as well. 

* Mr. Fraser, after the 2008 presidential election, Serzh Sargsyan
initiated “football diplomacy” aiming at normalizing the Armenia-Turkey
relations. Those protocols have not been implemented; they are still
pending. There is no significant progress in the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict settlement. A few days ago, a presidential election took
place in Armenia, now what can the Armenian government offer to the
international community, in terms of regional development? 

* Armenia is clearly an important player in a number of regional
issues; first of all on Nagorno-Karabakh, we do hope that the Minsk
Group can move forward. I know that there has been perhaps not as much
progress recently, as people would wish. I think we have to continue
to support, as I said earlier today, a settlement, which respects
the Helsinki Principles and the legitimate concerns of the different
parties. Obviously, in any solution of such a problem, there has to
be an element of compromise, and the task of the Minsk process is to
find that area of compromise. And similarly, in the case of Turkey,
we very much supported the 2009 protocols, and we would like to see
them implemented. I think there is an interest for both Armenia and,
frankly, for Turkey in taking this forward. So I hope that you will
continue to pursue that even if you find the progress disappointing
in that area. I realize it’s not entirely in Armenia’s hands, because
there are developments in Turkey, which will influence the progress
of this, but, of course, there are big benefits that could flow from
it, in terms of regional stability, if you like, but also potential
economic benefits. But I recognize these are very difficult challenges,
and we need to support you in seeking to make progress. 

* During your briefing in Yerevan, you talked about economic programs
within the framework of the Armenia-United Kingdom relations; you
attached particular importance to the issue of your country’s support
to British companies, encouraging new investment. Mr. Fraser, what was
the reason for the British side’s willingness to enhance relations
with Armenia, what contributed to that? * It’s a part of a broader
initiative in our diplomacy, which is to focus very much on supporting
trade and investment, which reflects the economic difficulties that
we ourselves are confronting. So, basically, where there’s a good
market, we should go to that market. So you have a market here with
very skilled people, you have some assets, some sectors, where you’re
strong; for example, in mining, in agriculture, in IT, increasingly,
you have big opportunities. You have a young and dynamic population
who’re looking out. So I think it’s great that British companies
should be looking for opportunities, and it’s the responsibility of
the British government to support them. 

Emma Gabrielyan 

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