Author: Badalian Vardan

TOP PROSECUTOR’S NOTICE STARTS NEW STAGE IN DINK MURDER CASE

11 January 2013

A protester lights a candle in front of the Agos newspaper office on
Jan. 19, 2007, when Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink was killed.

(Photo: Today’s Zaman, Kurþat Bayhan)

Public expectations that justice will be served have been raised ever
since the Supreme Court of Appeals’ Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office
asked the high court to overturn a controversial verdict from last
year that ruled out the involvement of an organized criminal network
in the 2007 murder of Hrant Dink, the late editor-in-chief of the
Turkish-Armenian Agos weekly, ushering in a new phase in the trial.

Bahri Belen, a lawyer representing Dink’s family, said there are
organized networks behind all the political murders in Turkey. “In
Turkey, there are serious organizations behind all political murders.

It is impossible for primary or middle school graduates, who have
never been to Ýstanbul, to organize such vicious crimes. As long as
the real perpetrators of these crimes are not revealed, Turkey will
not achieve democracy,” he said.

According to media reports on Jan. 10, The Supreme Court of Appeals’
Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said that Dink was obviously killed
only because he was from a different religion, and his murder was part
of a planned and systematic activity of a criminal network aiming to
damage the state’s unity.

“It is obvious that the murder aimed to weaken the state’s authority,
to create an environment of chaos and instability by damaging public
order and putting Turkey in a difficult position in the international
arena,” it said. Last year, the Ýstanbul 14th High Criminal Court
had cleared all suspects in the case of being members in a terrorist
organization, infuriating lawyers and many others who say the trial
failed to shed light on alleged connections between the suspects and
state officials.

An Ýstanbul prosecutor investigating Dink’s murder and his family
lawyers had then appealed the court’s verdict, saying the murder was
undoubtedly the work of Ergenekon — a clandestine gang with members
nested within the state hierarchy who are currently on trial for
attempting to overthrow the government by force.

Belen told Today’s Zaman that on Thursday, the chief public prosecutor
notified the high court about his opinion about the case and now the
process will continue as the case file will most probably go to the
9th Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Appeals.

“If the chamber finds the prosecutor’s argument valid, then it will
overrule the decision of the Ýstanbul 14th High Criminal Court which
cleared the suspects of organizational membership. In that case, the
Ýstanbul court will either insist that its original verdict was valid
or agree with the high court on the basis that it has more evidence
or it will collect more evidence,” Belen said.

Ozlem Dalkýran, a human rights activist and member of the Helsinki
Citizens’ Assembly, said that officials have realized what they have
done wrong and then tried to make a u-turn.

“Although the top prosecutor’s opinion is a good first step, we don’t
know what the supreme court will say. We have been waiting for this to
happen for five years. What happened in a year to change the course
of events? Personally, I do not hold out much hope for obtaining
justice in this case. I know the murderers; it is the state’s duty
to convict them. We have to wait and see what happens,” she said.

‘Not that much injustice is possible!’

The convicted hit man, Ogun Samast, was captured one day after the
Jan. 19 murder. Other suspects, including Yasin Hayal and Erhan Tuncel,
were captured in the following days on charges of soliciting Samast to
commit Dink’s murder. Samast stood trial in a juvenile court because
he was a minor at the time of the murder and he was sentenced to 22
years and 10 months in prison by the court. Hayal, was given life
imprisonment for inciting Samast to commit murder.

Although the Dink family lawyers asked for a merger of related trials,
in a separate trial, two gendarmerie officers were convicted on charges
of “dereliction of duty” in the run-up to the Dink murder. In addition,
Erhan Tuncel, who worked as an informant for the Trabzon Police
Department, was found not guilty of the murder and was acquitted. In
addition to groups inside the police, the gendarmerie is also believed
to have been involved in the Dink killing. Journalist Adem Yavuz
Arslan introduced evidence suggesting Tuncel also had links to the
local gendarmerie units in a book published in 2011. Two gendarmerie
soldiers confessed to knowing about the plot to murder Dink in a
related trial where they were tried on charges of dereliction of duty
by failing to take the necessary measures to prevent the murder.

Ciðdem Mater, a member of Friends of Hrant, said that she was
shocked by the news on Jan. 17 last year when the Ýstanbul 14th High
Criminal Court cleared all suspects from membership in a terrorist
organization. “After the verdict, Friends of Hrant held a protest
march from the courthouse to Agos. On the way, a friend of mine
called me and said that Erhan Tuncel was released, and I said ‘No
way, not that much injustice is possible!’ But when we reached Agos,
Tuncel was free!” she said adding that they have been saying for six
years what the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said on Thursday.

The Ýstanbul court’s verdict was issued last year on Sept. 17, two days
before the fifth anniversary Dink’s murder. Large-scale protests in
major cities reflected a combined sense of mourning and anger. Even
Judge Rustem Eryýlmaz of the Ýstanbul court had said, amid growing
outrage at the time, that while he personally cannot deny that the
murder was the work of an organized network, the evidence submitted
to the court was not sufficient to issue such a ruling.

The European Court of Human Rights [ECtHR] ruled in Sept. 2010
that Turkey had failed to investigate and prosecute those who were
responsible for Dink’s murder and this constitutes a violation of
Hrant Dink’s right to life.

Current Agos Editor-in-Chief Rober Koptaþ also deems the top
prosecutor’s notice to be a positive development. However, he went on
to say that what is important now is the Supreme Court of Appeals’
final decision. “In parallel with the ECtHR ruling, the Supreme
Court of Appeals’ Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office points at the
deep structures in the murder and the fact that the murder was poorly
investigated. It will be unacceptable if the Supreme Court of Appeals
issues a ruling that doesn’t satisfy the conscience of the public
after the ECtHR ruling and the top prosecutor’s notice. If it happens,
it will be nothing but a tragic-comedy,” he noted.

The latest outrage for Dink’s family and Friends of Hrant has been
the recent election of Mehmet Nihat Omeroðlu, a retired member of the
Supreme Court of Appeals, as Turkey’s first chief ombudsman because
Omeroðlu was one of the judges at the Supreme Court of Appeals who
had approved a local court’s ruling against Dink related to charges of
“insulting Turkishness” according to Article 301 of the Turkish Penal
Code (TCK), which was later amended.

Omeroðlu was quoted in the Turkish media as saying that he was not
even aware that it was Hrant Dink who was convicted in relation to
Article 301 because the name in his dossier was Fýrat, Hrant Dink’s
Turkish name.

Dink’s brother Hosrof (Orhan) Dink at the time raised concerns and
questioned if Omeroðlu would be engaged in any self-criticism if he
has just become aware of what he had done in the past.

‘We are Here Ahparig!’

Meanwhile, Friends of Hrant are saying “We are Here Ahparig!

(“ahparig” means “my brother” in Armenian) and are kicking off
a week-long memorial of events ranging from film screenings
to exhibitions, from a symposium to a story-reading and musical
performances starting at Cezayir Meeting Hall on Jan. 12-13 with a
symposium entitled “Hrant Dink Operation: 6 Years.”

Mater said that since the Dink case has been complicated, the memorial
events aim at reminding all why Dink was murdered and what it means
to be an Armenian in Turkey. “We would like to share with everyone
why Dink was murdered. In that regard, artists, writers, researchers
and others want to say deliver their contributions. Some will pay
tribute with song, others will deliver their messages by medium of
film and by citing stories,” she added.

On Saturday’s and Sunday’s symposium, the events that took place
before Jan. 19 leading up to the murder of Dink will be remembered and
then the developments over the last six years will be discussed. How
minorities in Turkey have been targeted and the “responsibility of
the majority” will also be debated. Nar Photos exhibition chronicling
the quest of justice since Dink’s murder will be open at Cezayir
Hall between Jan. 12-18. Between Jan. 13-18, there will be a number
of performances, story readings, film screenings and talks at the
Tutun Depot.

2012 WAS GOOD YEAR FOR ARMENIAN SCIENCE, SAYS OFFICIAL

11.01.13

The head of Armenia’s State Committee of Science finds 2012 a period
of positive achievements.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Samvel Harutyunyan particularly
emphasized the importance of several key decisions that contributed
to the development of the sector last year.

“The Draft Law on Scientific and Scientific-Technical Assessment, which
received the government’s approval, is one the achievements. It will
help introduce an up-to-date methodology for selecting scientific and
scientific-technical projects, as well as assessing reports,” he said,.

Other achievements include the Armenian Studies Development Strategy
(for 2012-2025) and the decision to found a synchrotonic-research
institute in the frameworks of the Candle project.

Harutyunyan said they are planning to launch a thematic contest for
20-25 youth programs this year for purchasing scientific equipment (the
project being the first in Armenia’s history) and five laboratories.

CHUCK HAGEL HAS AN ARMENIAN PROBLEM
BY: Adam Kredo

January 11, 2013 12:59 pm

Nominee for Defense Secretary criticized for sweeping Armenian genocide
under the rug

Hagel meets with Turkish President Abdullah Gul in 2008 / AP

Armenian-American leaders and human rights advocates have expressed
deep reservations about the nomination of Chuck Hagel to lead the
defense department.

Hagel, a two-term Republican senator from Nebraska, was nominated
Monday as President Barack Obama’s pick to head the Pentagon. He faces
criticism for opposing a 2005 congressional resolution recognizing
Turkey’s genocide of more than one million Armenians.

“What happened in 1915 happened in 1915,” Hagel said during a 2005
trip to Armenia when he was serving in the Senate. “As one United
States senator, I think the better way to deal with this is to leave
it open to historians and others to decide what happened and why.”

“The fact is that this region needs to move forward,” Hagel continued.

“We need to find a lasting, just peace between Turkey and Armenia and
the other nations of this region. I am not sure that by going back
and dealing with that in some way that causes one side or the other
to be put in difficult spot, helps move the peace process forward.”

Armenian-American leaders and genocide experts decried these comments
as insensitive and dangerous. They maintain that Hagel’s willingness
to overlook the systematic genocide of more than one million people
raises concerns about his possible tenure as the nation’s top defense
official.

“Senator Hagel’s remarks from 2005 ignore a proud chapter in U.S.

history during which America’s diplomatic community played an
important role denouncing human rights violations and setting an
example of humanitarian assistance on behalf of a people at risk,”
said Bryan Ardouny, executive director of the nonpartisan Armenian
Assembly of America.

“The fact of the Armenian Genocide is incontestable, and not only
recognized by Nebraska’s Governor in 2004, but also has been repeatedly
confirmed by the International Association of Genocide Scholars, a
preeminent body dedicated to the study of genocide, its consequences,
and its prevention,” Ardouny said. “We expect a rigorous confirmation
process which will also serve as an opportunity for Senator Hagel to
forthrightly acknowledge the U.S. record on the Armenian Genocide.”

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) also stated that
it is “troubled” by Hagel’s comments, which it claims displays a
willingness to adopt Turkish propaganda aimed at whitewashing the
genocide.

“We remain troubled by former Senator Hagel’s acceptance of Ankara’s
gag-rule on American honesty about the Armenian Genocide-the still
unpunished crime against a Christian nation that continues to define
Turkey’s present-day policies toward Armenia and much of the region,”
ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian said in a December statement
released prior to Hagel’s nomination.

“As much as [Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip] Erdogan and
his allies might like, the ‘lasting, just peace between Turkey and
Armenia’ that Chuck Hagel seeks cannot be built on Genocide denial,”
Hamparian said. “The U.S. and the international community must set an
example by condemning the Armenian Genocide-and speaking out against
all genocides, wherever and whenever they occur.”

Prominent genocide experts and human rights groups also regard Hagel’s
comments as a disturbing misunderstanding of history.

“On the eve of the Holocaust, Hitler mockingly asked, ‘Who, after all,
speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?’ Not Chuck Hagel,
apparently,” Rafael Medoff, director of the David S. Wyman Institute
for Holocaust Studies, told the Washington Free Beacon.

“Sweeping genocide under the rug in the name of political expediency,
as Senator Hagel recommended with regard to Turkey and the Armenians,
is not only wrong but dangerous, because the failure to acknowledge
past genocides paves the way for future genocides,” Medoff said.

Other prominent human rights leaders dubbed Hagel’s remarks as
“shameful.”

“What Chuck Hagel said in his press conference in Armenia in 2005
regarding the genocide of Armenians by Turks is shameful,” said Walter
Reich, a former director of the United States Holocaust Memorial
Museum. “In his forthcoming confirmation hearings, senators should
confront him with what he said and should expect him to address it.”

“I believe he should apologize for it not with the kind of perfunctory
apology that’s routine and therefore meaningless in Washington’s public
life but with a response that makes clear that he understands why
he was wrong,” said Reich, who serves as the Yitzhak Rabin Memorial
Professor of International Affairs, Ethics, and Human Behavior at
George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

Hagel disgraced the memory of those murdered by stating that Armenians
should move past the genocide, Reich added.

“It’s a disgrace-and a disservice to the memory of the victims-to
say that their murder should be forgotten in the service of ‘the
peace process,’ as if a real peace process is possible if one hides
or ignores or mischaracterizes what actually happened,” Reich said.

“The victims deserve better. History deserves better. Memory
deserves better,” Reich said. “And, in its Secretary of Defense-whose
actions and opinions, if Hagel is confirmed, will be central to the
formulation and execution of American policies that will affect the
world, especially parts of the world in which history and memory are
very sensitive matters-America deserves better.”

Human rights scholar Thane Rosenbaum said Hagel’s opposition to U.S.

recognition of the Armenian genocide “betrays a shocking lack of
moral leadership.”

The issue of the Armenian genocide remains a political third rail
in Turkey, which refuses to acknowledge its role in the systematic
slaughter of some 1.5 million Armenians in the early 1900s.

Turkish lobbying groups in the U.S. have long pressured U.S. lawmakers
to avoid acknowledging to the genocide.

Many U.S. leaders, including Obama and Hagel, have acquiesced to this
demand in order to maintain good relations with the Turkish government,
a critical Middle East ally.

Human rights leaders and others maintain that the Pentagon deserves
a principled leader who will uphold the moral high ground.

Hagel’s position on the Armenian genocide, they say, suggests that he
is willing to forsake morality when it becomes politically convenient.

“These are not principled positions because they’re filled with
hypocrisy,” said Rosenbaum, a law professor at Fordham University
in New York. Hagel has displayed “a fundamental misunderstanding of
humanity,” Rosenbaum said.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center also expressed “deep reservations” about
Hagel for this and other reasons.

The Turkish press, however, has praised Obama’s selection of Hagel.

Various Turkish news reports hailed Hagel for his pro-Turkey and
anti-Israel views. He also has received support among Turkish
columnists for his past efforts to weaken economic sanctions on Iran.

Hagel has faced fierce opposition from lawmakers and Jewish leaders
for his comments that they say are anti-Israel and anti-Semitic. He
has also been criticized for anti-gay comments and for taking a soft
stance on Syria.

BAKO SAHAKYAN DISCUSSED ISSUES OF AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT OF MARTOUNI

17:59, 11 January, 2013

YEREVAN, JANUARY 11, ARMENPRESS: President of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
Bako Sahakyan visited the town of Martouni where he held a working
consultation dedicated to the issues of agricultural development in
the region on January 11.

Special attention was paid to the main clauses of the new project of
agricultural development being elaborated by the government.

As reports Armenpress referring to NKR presidential press office
President noted that the project was aimed at giving a new impetus to
the development of the sphere, improving the quality of the carried out
activities, increasing the efficiency financial resources’ utilization,
as well as enhancing responsibility and stimulating local initiatives.

Prime Minister Ara Haroutunyan, heads of regional administrative
divisions and communities, other officials partook at the consultation.

ARMENIA NEGOTIATING WITH WORLD BANK TO PROLONG AGRICULTURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

YEREVAN, January 11. /ARKA/. The World Bank’s program Community
Agricultural Resource Management and Competitiveness is being
successfully implemented in Armenia, and Armenia is negotiating
now with the World Bank on prolongation of this program, said Gagik
Khachatryan, the head of the unit in charge of implementation of the
WB agricultural programs.

The total cost of the 2011-2015 program is $21.3 million, of which
$16 million is the WB-extended loan, $3.5 million is the Armenian
government’s co-financing, and $1.8 beneficiaries’.

The aim of the program is to enhance productivity and stability of
cattle-breeding farms in 55 communities of Armenia’s six provinces –
Shirak, Lori, Tavush, Aragatsotn, Gegharkunik and Syunik.

“The program is highly demanded, and many communities want to be
involved in it,” Khachatryan said adding that expansion of this
program across the country will have favorable impacts on development
of cattle-breeding industry in Armenia.

He said that 250,000 of the country’s 350,000 farms engage in breeding
cattle, and they need assistance.

In his words, this industry’s potential is used partially, especially
pastures.

Khachatryan said that pastures constitute one third of the country’s
whole land, i.e. 1 million 300,000 hectares and these areas should
be used fully.

He also said that pastures degrade for they are left idle and added
that remote pastures remained unused because of the lack of drinking
water for cattle there.

Khachatrayn said $6.2 million was spent under the program in 2012
and $3.9 million is planned to be spent in 2013.

The program implies artificial insemination of cows as well as
construction of special water canals on pastures, special centers
for collecting milk and fodder reservoirs.

According to Armenian Agriculture Ministry, there are 590,000 cows,
598,000 sheep and goats and 108,000 pigs in the country. -0-

TURKEY’S DEPENDENCE ON U.S. MISSILE POLICY GROWS
Igor Muradyan

14:35 11/01/2013
Story from Lragir.am News:

Land troops no longer have a crucial role in defense, as well as global
and regional issues. Even navy’s function is limited to transportation
of missiles. The relations between the United States and Eurasia
(geographic, not political region is meant), first of all with Russia,
are practically based on missile-related issues.

Soon China will be a leading direction of proliferation of missile
forces but now the key tryout focuses on Iran, and tactical tricks
relating to Russia are ending.

It is difficult to imagine the current system without the current
policy of the United States and NATO on missile forces but the missile
factor is increasingly playing a role in the solution of political
issues. (In April 2001 the meeting of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Key
West was also initiated in the context of the U.S. objectives relating
to missiles, and the relations with Russia regarding missiles.)

Turkey is viewed in the context of solution of the missile problem
in the region, and there are no doubts that “threats” from Syria
are conventional. NATO would certainly like to show that its ally’s
interests are taken into account and “pay its debt” to Ankara but
missile excellence in the region, especially legitimate, has a
crucial role.

Now it is difficult for a country interested in these developments
to offer counterarguments but some states of the Near East had a
positive attitude to the solution of missile issues, even those who
do not want to strengthen Turkey’s foothold.

But is Turkey’s foothold strengthening or does it depend more on the
United States and NATO? There is no doubt, especially considering
that NATO and Turkey have contrary interests. Turkey wants to change
its tactics and carry on its foreign political doctrine in line with
its interests with the support of the United States and NATO, while
the Western community is trying to increase control over Turkey.

In this alignment of interests Russia has no prospects of establishment
of more of less reliable relations with Turkey. If the issue of
missiles is built up, the Russian-Turkish relations may be based on
economic interests only.

Certainly, now both Russia and Iran, as well as the Arab states, are
nervous in their reaction to the normalization of the U.S.-Turkish
relations but in the nearest future the states surrounding Turkey
will be interested in growing control by the United States and NATO.

Unfortunately, real politics is far behind analyses. What is the
reason of this phenomenon which is becoming a chronic condition? Most
probably, the reason is the deep and hopeless economization of politics
and the ruling elites.

At the same time, new global elite has emerged and is stepping on
the arena which revives pragmatic idealism as a form of thinking,
motivation of behavior and a means of working out and making
decisions. From this point of view, the elites of small countries
have some advantages and can benefit from it.

ARMENIAN THEOLOGIST, INDIAN BUSINESSMAN, CROSS PATHS ON SOCIAL NETWORKING SITE: COOPERATION, CULTURE JOLT & MARRIAGE FOLLOW
Sona Avagyan

16:12, January 11, 2013

Indians say that whenever foreigners come to India, they experience two shocks.

First is the cultural shock, because India is completely chaotic,
and you need to realize yourself by your own definition in that
ocean. But once foreigners start living in India and explore it, they
are completely subsumed in the country. The second shock is when they
have to return to their countries, but don’t want to, even if they
don’t know the reason why they have become so attached to India.

But Armenian theologist Ruzanna Ashughyan had different feelings when
leaving India in 2011 after having studied in Delhi for 2 months,
because she knew she would return for permanent residence.

In 2012, Yerevan-based Ruzanna Ashughyan married Delhi-based Indian
businessmen Rananjay Anand. After studying German at Jawaharlal Nehru
University in Delhi, he went on to complete his MBA. They had had a
chance meeting back in 2009 on a social networking website.

Rananjay, like many other Indians, had never heard about Armenia. He
even thought Armenia might be a city in another country. Ruzanna, like
many other Armenians, was not knowledgeable about modern-day India.

Rananjay was amazed when Ruzanna asked him if people were very poor
in India.

“So we started discussing each other’s country, people, philosophy,
culture, religion, everything, because it was all new to us. During
that time we came to know that there was a very special relationship
between India and Armenia which lost its former brilliance in the
course of time,” Rananjay says.

When Rananjay Anand came to Armenia for the first time in 2011,
he and Ruzanna Ashughyan had already decided to get married.

Rananjay will never forget hospitality of old man at Geghard

Rananjay says that whatever he was trying to do in Armenia, people
responded positively. He pleasantly recalls an incident that happened
when they were having a picnic at Geghard Monastery. An old man was
crossing the river carrying 10-12 bottles of water. Rananjay held
some bottles to help him. When Rananjay gave all the bottles back,
the old man gave one to Rananjay and said: “Please leave it, this is
a sunny day and you may feel thirsty later. You are our guest and we
would love to see you well.”

“I cannot forget this my lifetime and I am deeply in love with
Armenia. That gave me a great impression of a counrty and I always
tell this story to my friends in India, about the great hospitality
and people we have in Armenia,” Rananjay says.

As for Ruzanna, when she first went to India she was surprised seeing
so much diversity, so much population. On the other hand, she was
surprised at seeing so much development in the country she thought
to be under-developed.

India is one of the world’s largest and fastest growing economies. At
the same time, India is a country of coexistence and paradox. In
Rananjay’s words, you have very posh buildings and five star hotels
in India, but poverty is a stone’s throw away. You have very well
organized infrastructure in India, where the rich and poor walk side
by side.

“In India you can find everything. We went to Kashmir in June. Kashmir
is in Himalayan Mountains. When I was in the forested mountains,
I felt as if I was in Dilijan or Ijevan. Later on, I visited the south.

And that was totally different experience. I was amazed that this is
the same India,” Ruzanna Ashughyan Anand says.

Rananjay also cannot say that he knows the whole of India. “It’s a
huge country. India is an ocean and living in India is like living
in an ocean. An entire life is not enough to explore India,” he says.

Whenever Rananjay Anand is in Armenia he tries to explore Armenia as
well. He has been to Khor Virap, Garni, Etchmiadzin and Tsakhkadzor.

Now, he and Ruzanna plan to visit Dilijan, Ijevan and Artsakh.

Rananjay plans to learn Armenian completely and Ruzanna plans to
learn Hindi completely

The couple has been living in Delhi for eight months now. They
celebrated New Years in Armenia. At their wedding in Yerevan last
year, the entire tiny Indian community of Armenia was present. Achal
Kumar Malhotra, then the Ambassador of India to Armenia, and his wife
gladly agreed to step in to take the place of Rananjay’s parents.

Given the short notice, no one from Rananjay’s family managed to come
to Yerevan for the wedding.

When asked about what they do to benefit from their different national
identities, cultures and lifestyles, rather than letting them hinder
their life, Rananjay responds that it’s all about giving space and
respect to each other.

“Marriage is something that is dependent not only upon culture. Any
marriage can be successful or unsuccessful anywhere in the world,
whether it is an Indian or an Armenian marriage. Once you understand
each other, it’s not a problem. We always share our difficulties and
challenges,” Rananjay says. Ruzanna adds that without the support of
one’s partner, it’s near impossible to survive when faced with a new
set of circumstances outside one’s native country.

Rananjay’s parents live in Bihar state, quite a distance from Delhi.

Whenever “Diwali” and “Chhath” are celebrated, Rananjay and Ruzanna
visit his parents. “Diwali”, the festival of lights, is celebrated
six days before “Chhath”, the worship of the sun, the main and most
sacred festival in Bihar. There is a tradition in India to celebrate
these festivals with families.

“Chhath” festival “Diwali” festival, photos from wikipedia.org
Rananjay and Ruzanna generally speak English to each other and
sometimes Hindi, the official language of India. After settling in
India, she started learning Hindi, because Rananjay’s family always
ask Ruzanna to communicate with them in their mother language. In
turn, Rananjay is learning Armenian because Ruzanna’s family wants
to communicate with Rananjay without a translator.

“Our plan is that I will learn Armenian completely and she will learn
Hindi completely because this is the main communication hardship
between our families,” Rananjay Anand says.

Indo-Armenian Friendship NGO, founded by Rananjay and Ruzanna,
operates both in Armenia and India

In 2009, after getting acquainted with Ruzanna, Rananjay started the
India-Armenia Friendship Group on Facebook to promote mutual awareness
of each. The Facebook group now has approximately 2,000 members from
Armenia and India, as well as some from other countries who just want
to know more about Armenia and India.

In 2011, Rananjay and Ruzanna founded the Indo-Armenian Friendship
NGO (IAF) and registered it in Armenia. The NGO’s core team is up
of twenty people who carry out the group’s projects. From the very
start, then Ambassador of India Achal Kumar Malhotra helped IAF with
his advice and encouragement.

Ruzanna Ashughyan Anand says that the number of Armenians now living
in Calcutta has dwindled to a handful from centuries past. In Calcutta
Armenian life revolves around the Armenian Church. But in Delhi one can
meet students and tourists from Armenia, as well as newly established
Indo-Armenian families in which the wives are mainly Armenian. The IAF
tries to facilitate connections amongst the Armenians of India. In
2011, the NGO celebrated Armenia’s Independence Day in India on a
small scale.

The Indian community in Armenia is also very small, consisting of
mainly students at Yerevan State Medical University, Indian Embassy
employees, and a tiny business comminity. IAF is in close communication
with the Indian students of medical university and alumni who have
returned to Delhi. The Indian students in Armenia celebrate “Diwali”
every year. In November 2010 they celebrated “Diwali” with the support
of the India-Armenia Friendship Facebook Group. Rananjay hopes that
if everything goes well, “Diwali” in Yerevan will be celebrated not
only mainly among Indian students, but that more Armenians could come
and enjoy the festival.

At India’s top institution, Jawaharlal Nehru University International
Food Festival is organized every year on Republic Day of India. It
is the responsibility of the students from a particular country to
come together, prepare food representing their country and sell it at
their stall. Three students from Armenia study at Jawaharlal Nehru
University. In 2011, they organized Armenian Food Taste, displaying
lavash, tolma and matsnabrdosh. Rananjay says they supported the
effort to make people more aware that there is an Armenian stall. In
his words, all the Armenia food was sold.

In January 2012 the group photo exhibition “India through the Armenian
Lens” dedicated to the 63th anniversary of the Republic Day of India
was organized in Yerevan. Rananjay organized the exhibition from India
and Ruzanna organized it in Armenia with the support of the Embassy
of India. At the opening ceremony, the Indian students performed the
Indian national dance “Bharatanatyam.”

More than 50 photos were exhibited. They were taken by Armenians who
had visited the new India and just clicked away with their cameras;
they were far from professional photographers. Two photos taken by Liz
Chater, a UK-based family history researcher specializing in Armenians
in India and an India-Armenia Friendship Facebook group member, were
also exhibited. Initially the exhibition was to last three days,
but people responded so warmly that IAF extended it to ten days.

Holy Virgin Mary Armenian Church, Saidabad Edward the VII Arch,
Calcutta, “India through the Armenian Lens” exhibition, photos by Liz
Chater The IAF’s last program was in Delhi in December 2012, when the
NGO organized an interactive session between Dr. T. Suresh Babu, the
newly appointed Ambassador of India to Armenia, and members of the IAF.

Former Ambassador Malhotra was also invited. The newly appointed
ambassador has yet to arrive in Armenia.

The IAF wants to take cultural troupes from Armenia to India in order
to organize Armenian cultural events there. The most challenging
thing for the NGO is to fund these programs. So far IAF has been
funding these programs itself, with the support of the Embassy of
India in Armenia.

“We just want the two countries to come closer together, to the extent
possible. Once we succeed, it will change many things. We’re not so
big an organization that we can do it all on our own. Without the
support of others and our governments, we cannot realize our vision.

But we should always try instead of sitting back and doing nothing,”
Rananjay and Ruzanna say.

In Rananjay’s words, person to person contact has been the biggest
achievement of IAF since its establishment. He is sure that connecting
people and educating them about each other’s countries, even at a
very basic level, is very important work.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918
[email protected]
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

PRESS RELEASE
January 11, 2013

Contact: William Bairamian
Tel: 818-500-1918

ANCA-WR WELCOMES SINANYAN CANDIDACY

The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region (ANCA-WR)
Board of Directors welcome the news of Zareh Sinanyan submitting his
candidacy for Glendale City Council. Sinanyan, who resigned his
position as treasurer of the ANCA-WR Board earlier this week, launched
his campaign on Thursday morning.

Sinanyan served on the ANCA-WR Board for over two years. He had
previously served on the executive boards of ANCA local chapters in
Burbank and Glendale.

`Zareh has served the ANCA and our community faithfully and honorably
over the many years of his selfless service,’ said ANCA-WR Co-Chair
Nora Hovsepian. `His departure is a loss for our organization but we
understand and fully support his decision to take this exciting next
step and we believe that the City of Glendale and its citizens are
fortunate to have a dedicated public servant like Zareh running to
represent them in the upcoming elections.’

Sinanyan chose to resign his post to avoid any conflict of interest as
a candidate for elective office.

“My time at the ANCA was one of personal growth and collaboration with
an incredibly motivated and dedicated group of individuals. I thank
them for being supportive of my decision and look forward to
continuing to serve the City Glendale and its residents,” said
Sinanyan.

The Glendale City Council election is on April 2, 2013. For more
information on the election, you may visit

The Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region is the
largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy
organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination
with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the
Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country,
the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community
on a broad range of issues.

###

EU SUPPORTS OSCE MINSK GROUP IN THE PROCESS OF SETTLEMENT OF KARABAKH CONFLICT: MARTIN SCHULZ

18:58, 10 January, 2013

YEREVAN, JANUARY 10, ARMENPRESS: Development of trade relations may
become the best way for the settlement of the conflicts. As reports
Armenpress, this was declared by the President of the European
Parliament Martin Schulz during joint briefing with Armenian NA
President Hovik Abrahamyan.

“As firm and secure is the environment people live in as more is the
possibility to reach peaceful settlement of the conflicts.

Consequently, being a part of EU and the region, development of
economy and NKR conflict are mutually connected,” Schulz said.

President of the European Parliament believes that EU should not
divide economic progress from regional development.

“Our role is to establish stability in the region through efficient
economic cooperation. Whether EU will be able to have a constructive
role in frames of OSCE Minsk Group or not, it’s not clear yet. The
conflict is extremely sensitive. Each step made receives political
and strategic response of involved sides and region,” Martin Schulz
stresses.

President of European Parliament expressed his complete gladness over
Armenian peaceful position over resolution of NKr conflict.

Peaceful position of European Parliament over NKR issue has been also
highlighted during the briefing.

“OSCE has centralized its attention on NKR conflict, and the Minks
Group has aimed its efforts not to embrace any other issue in this
process. In such a difficult process EU leaves this important role
for OSCE,” concluded Schulz.

On January 8 the RA National Assembly President Hovik Abrahamyan
arrived in Brussels on an official two-day visit.

The Head of the RPA faction Galust Sahakyan, the Head of the ARF
faction Armen Rustamyan, the Chairman of the NA Standing Committee
on Foreign Relations Artak Zakaryan, the Chairman of the NA Standing
Committee on Defense, National Security and Internal Affairs Koryun
Nahapetyan, the Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on Science,
Education, Culture, Youth and Sport Artak Davtyan, the Chairman of the
NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs Davit Harutyunyan,
the NA deputies Samvel Farmanyan, Vahe Enfiajyan, Khachik Harutyunyan,
the NA Chief of Staff Gurgen Dumanyan and the RA Deputy Foreign
Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan are in the delegation.

REPUBLICAN MP: PRESIDENT SERZH SARGSYAN’S VICTORY IS BEYOND ANY DOUBT

Panorama.am
19:39 10/01/2013

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s victory in the upcoming
presidential elections is beyond any doubt, Republican Party of Armenia
(RPA) parliamentary faction member Mkrtich Minasyan told reporters
in Yerevan.

Refusal of a number of political forces to run in the elections
will not have any considerable impact on the political developments,
according to the lawmaker.

“I am confident that even if Prosperous Armenia Party, Armenian
National Congress and ARF Dashnaktsutyun had not refused to nominate
a presidential candidate, the victory of the country’s leader would
be beyond any doubt. He will be appreciated by the people who will
vote for him,” Mr Minasyan concluded.