Author: Badalian Vardan

Fire danger continues in Armenia’s Ararat Valley

news.am
August 20, 2012 | 16:33

YEREVAN. – The high-level fire danger still continues in Armenia’s
Ararat Valley and its mountainous zone, the Emergency Situations
Ministry informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Brief rainfall and thunderstorms are expected in most regions of
Armenia on Tuesday, but primarily no precipitation is forecast between
Wednesday and Saturday.

The winds will blow at a velocity of 3-8 m/second in the east, but
this could increase to 18-23 m/second during the thunderstorms.

The temperatures will drop by 3-4 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, but by
6-8 degrees in the eastern portions.

There is a chance of brief rainfall and thunderstorms for the capital
city Yerevan on Tuesday. But no precipitation is expected between
Wednesday and Saturday. The winds should pick up speed in the evening
hours and blow at a velocity of 18-23 m/second.

Unknown Armin Wegner: new research on one of Genocide’s key eyewitnesses

–

Published: Sunday August 19, 2012

Armin Wegner. Photo copyright by Wallstein Verlag, Göttingen via Wikimedia

Yerevan – A new publication on Armin T. Wegner, the German medic
within the Sixth Turkish Army led by General Colmar von der Goltz, has
been published by Dr. Tigran Sarukhanyan, the Alexander von Humboldt
Fellow at the Armenian National Academy of Sciences Institute of
Archaeology and Ethnography.

One of the key eyewitness chroniclers of the Armenian Genocide,
“Wegner is still venerated by most of the Armenians as a “hero”,
“martyr”, “victim” of injustices. It took me much time and tremendous
energy to go further in my Wegner research,” writes Sarukhanyan. “This
required learning German at the Goethe Institut in Germany, to attend
all German archival institutions, to read tens of thousands of pages
of research material in German on Wegner and the Armenian
Genocide. The outcome was sensational.”

Sarukhanyan’s newly-published article is entitled “Armin T. Wegner’s
(1886-1978) WW I Media Testimonies and the Armenian Genocide” examines the
“early testimonies” by Armin T. Wegner on the Armenian sufferings,
witnessed by him in the Ottoman Empire.

Following his return from the Ottoman front Wegner worked in the
German Propaganda Service, published about 70 articles on Turkey,
where he paid highest tribute to the Young Turk leaders: Talaat, Jemal
and Enver, Germany’s war-time allies.

In these articles Wegner described Armenians as “traitors” of the Turkish
state whom the Turks “spared” by relocating into the southern parts of the
Empire. Austrian writer Franz Werfel publically chided Wegner for this
position towards Armenians.

But with the end of World War I in 1918, Wegner became an advocate on the
plight of Armenians, publicly protesting their treatment and testifying in
defense of Soghomon Tehlirian who assassinated Talaat in Berlin in 1921.

The original research “Armin T. Wegner’s WWI Media Testimonies and the
Armenian Genocide” was published as part of the volume “Orientalische
Christen und Europa” edited by Martin Tamcke and publisjhed by Harrassowitz
Verlag in Wiesbaden, Germany in 2012 (ISSN 0340-6326 ISBN
978-3-447-06757-7). Sarukhanyan can be contacted at [email protected].

Population in Armenia gets older – report

news.am
August 17, 2012 | 20:51

YEREVAN. – The average age will make 50 years in Armenia by 2050,
Armenian Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs and the UN Population
Fund reports inform. According to international demographic norms,
Armenia is among states, which is getting older.

The average age will make 50 in Armenia by 2050, the UN Population
Fund Yerevan Office head Garik Hayrapetyan told Radio Liberty.

According to him, among the main problems requiring solution are
migration flaws and reduction of birth. Regarding increase of the life
spam, a program integrating the old is necessary to elaborate.

The National, UAE
Aug 17 2012

The Sandcastle girls: witnesses to the unknown slaughter

Fran Hawthorne
Aug 18, 2012

Addressing her readers, Laura Petrosian, one of three narrators of the
new novel The Sandcastle Girls, wryly calls the mass murder of
Armenians by Turkey in 1915 and 1916 “the Slaughter You Know Next to
Nothing About”. Even though she is the granddaughter of a survivor of
that slaughter, Laura herself has been raised in the US knowing next
to nothing about it. She only begins to research this controversial
piece of Middle East history after she stumbles upon a photograph of
her grandfather’s first wife, an Armenian who died during those
horrific times.

The Sandcastle Girls – the 15th book by the bestselling American
author Chris Bohjalian, who is himself of Armenian descent – thus aims
to be more than a typical historical novel. Certainly, it has the
basic elements of the historical genre: romance, drama, anguish,
separated lovers, long dresses, family secrets, the sweep of war and a
dual past-present narrative structure. But Laura (and presumably
Bohjalian) also wants to shake readers’ consciences.

Especially as the book goes on and Laura’s knowledge expands, the
preaching becomes increasingly explicit. The US consul in Aleppo in
1915, Ryan Martin, despairingly tells one character, “The [Armenian]
race is dying … The proportions are positively biblical … It’s a level
of barbarism that is unimaginable outside of literature”.

Can a casual holiday-time novel coexist with such a sobering
investigation? It’s a worthy effort. The Sandcastle Girls is hardly
great literature but it succeeds well enough for what it is.

The book is built around the intertwined tales of two generations of
the Petrosian family. Chronologically, it starts with Elizabeth
Endicott, the daughter of an upper-class banker from Boston, who
arrives in Aleppo in 1915, freshly graduated from an exclusive women’s
college and imbued with philanthropic zeal. She has travelled with her
father and a missionary convoy to bring food and medical supplies to
Armenian refugees who have been deported across the desert.

In Aleppo, Elizabeth meets and falls in love with Armen Petrosian, a
young Armenian engineer whose brother, infant daughter and wife – the
wife in the modern-day photo – have been killed or otherwise
brutalised by the Turks. However, Armen doesn’t stay long in the city.
Haunted by the loss of his family, thirsting for revenge against the
Turkish friend who betrayed him and feeling like a coward for avoiding
battle, he sets off to join the British army in the doomed Gallipoli
campaign.

But Armen’s and Elizabeth’s granddaughter Laura, the contemporary
narrator – a novelist, wife and mother living in a wealthy suburb of
New York City – knows little of that history or culture, beyond an
occasional treat of dried Armenian basturma meat and a few ornamental
shisha pipes scattered around her grandparents’ house. She doesn’t
even know that Armen was married once before.

Nor do her grandparents seem particularly interested in passing down
any ancestral customs. “They kept their distance from many other
Armenians with whom they might have been friends,” Laura recalls, “and
they seemed to give the Armenian Church a particularly wide berth.”

Laura’s father – their son – marries a non-Armenian, as does Laura.
She even dates a boy of Turkish ancestry for a while. The Petrosian
family is a sterling example of the clichéd American melting pot.

The photo of Armen’s mysterious first wife, in an article in The
Boston Globe newspaper about a new museum exhibit, finally stirs
Laura’s curiosity. When she goes to see the exhibit, the curator shows
her a cache of letters and diaries from her grandparents – papers that
tell the story in the other part of this novel.

Not surprisingly, the century-old story is far more compelling than
the contemporary one. After all, the life-and-death stakes are higher.
Armen hides from Turkish soldiers, nearly starves in the desert and
leaps on to a moving train in his effort to reach the British army.
The Endicotts and their caravan of supplies are robbed at gunpoint.
Two German soldiers risk a court martial for treason every time they
surreptitiously photograph some of the Armenian refugees.

Even if Armen can safely make his way back to Aleppo, Elizabeth will
have to overcome her father’s class and ethnic prejudice in order to
marry him. She has already annoyed her father by spurning a marriage
proposal from a proper young Boston banker and now a physician in
their aid convoy is obviously hoping to fill that spot.

Most important, though, is the historical backstory of the Turkish
massacre of up to 1.5 million Armenians. There are atrocities of more
sorts than most readers could probably imagine. The descriptions spare
no senses or sensitivities. On their first day in Aleppo, the
Endicotts are greeted by “a staggering column of old women” being
herded through the town square by Turkish soldiers. “Their skin has
been seared black by the sun or stained by the soil in which they have
slept or, in some cases, by great yawning scabs and wounds that are
open and festering and, even at this distance, malodorous. The women
look like dying wild animals as they lurch forward.” And that is one
of the mildest examples.

Of course, this is fiction. But it is based on historical research. In
the acknowledgements, the author cites about one dozen books and major
articles that he consulted, as well as academics, librarians and other
experts. Even allowing for some exaggeration and poetic licence, the
pile-up of brutality is so overwhelming that it is hard not to call it
by that fraught term, genocide – “acts committed with the intent to
destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious
group”, as defined by the UN Convention on Genocide.

There are chilling foretastes, too, of the looming, far more infamous
genocide – the Nazis’ attempt to murder all the Jews of Europe. At one
point, scores of Armenians are wedged into railway freight carriages,
where they “would stand for hours like cattle, unable to move or raise
their arms”. Twenty-five years later, Jews would be forced into
similarly inhumane cattle cars.

Bohjalian makes an effort to be even-handed, giving intelligent Turks
and their German allies a couple of opportunities to state their case.
“These people are in a brutal struggle with the Russians,” one German
officer explains of the Turks. “And the Armenians are doing all that
they possibly can to undermine their own nation’s efforts.” Moreover,
the cast includes a few sympathetic Turks and Germans who are troubled
by the atrocities, such as the Turkish doctor treating Armenian
victims in the Aleppo hospital. “He is convinced that a righteous God
is going to make the Turks pay for what they are doing. ‘Allah dwells
in all men, even the infidel,’ he says.”

The modern-day plot also offers a few multicultural complexities. For
instance, soon after Laura starts dating her Turkish-American
boyfriend, Berk, her father asks her, “So Berk. Your new friend. Have
you wondered how his grandparents and yours would have got along?”
Laura’s twin brother provides the answer: “Berk’s family would have
either killed Grandpa or hidden him. But probably killed him.”

Judged purely on its literary merits, The Sandcastle Girls handles its
complex structure deftly, but it falls flat on character development,
particularly with the 1915 characters, who are pretty much all noble
or all mean. The writing is functional, rolling along so easily as to
be unremarkable for most of the book and turning vivid in the battle
scenes in Gallipoli. Bohjalian deserves credit for taking on the
voices of not just one, but two female narrators, Laura and Elizabeth.
However, Laura’s voice doesn’t fit the novel’s hybrid personality.
While her ironically self-aware tone is certainly a common one in
modern literature, and enjoyable in the right circumstances, it is
utterly incompatible with the horrors she is describing. The
sandcastle motif also seems forced, with examples of castle-building
occasionally wedged into the plot mainly, it would seem, to buttress
the title. Still, such literary criticism is really secondary. Laura
and Bohjalian are right: this is a slaughter that readers ought to
know more about.

The reason for teaching and reteaching this message is not to enable
the US or France to pass resolutions condemning Armenian genocide (as
those governments periodically consider), thereby enraging Turkey. On
the contrary, the world has too many diplomatic kerfuffles as it is.
But each generation needs to be reminded of the inhumanity of which
our ancestors were capable – and not all that long ago – in the hope
that someday, perhaps, future generations will stop repeating it.
Poetic licence or not, fiction can often get that message across
better than dry history texts.

Fran Hawthorne is an award- winning US-based author and journalist who
specialises in covering the intersection of business, finance and
social policy.

Mediamax, Armenia
Aug 17 2012

Armenian humanitarian aid to be send to Iran today

Yerevan/Mediamax/. Cars supplied with humanitarian aid will be sent
from Yerevan to Iran today.

The Armenian government made a decision yesterday to render
humanitarian aid to Iran’s people suffered from the earthquake on
August 11, Mediamax reports.

To this end, the government allocated necessary items at a total
amount of AMD 37mln: 26 000 various cans, about 40 000 liters of
drinkable water, 81 tents, 1000 blankets, 6000 bed sheets, 300
mattresses, 460 sleeping bags and 100 camp beds.

Cars with humanitarian aid will set off from the building of the
special rescuers team of the Armenian Ministry of Emergency Situations
to Iran at 19:00 today.

Qatar News Agency, Qatar
August 16, 2012 Thursday 3:47 PM EST

Extraordinary Islamic Solidarity Summit Concludes, Issues Statement 5

The Islamic Summit affirmed its solidarity and full support for Sudan,
Somalia, Afghanistan and Jammu and Kashmir, Iraq, Yemen, Ivory Coast,
the Union of Comoros and the Republic of Turkish-Cyprus in addressing
the challenges facing these countries.

It also condemned the aggression of Armenia against Azerbaijan and
calls for the withdrawal of Armenian troops from Azerbaijani
territories.

The Summit underlined that the reform and development are renewable
and sustainable options and that these are the sole responsibility of
the (Muslim) nation and not others.

It also underlined the significance of developing scientific plans and
programs that could bring about the Muslim nation’s renaissance and
ensure its status of elevation under the guidance of the holy Quran
and tenets of the Prophet’s (PBUH) Sunnah, reported Saudi Press Agency
SPA.

The Summit urged member states to take measures to avoid raising
discord and strife between Islamic sects, and that States shall
endeavor in this regard to take up their roles of reconciliation and
pursue the unity of peoples and bring about the national unity and
equality among the people of one nation.

The Summit affirmed that Islam is a religion of moderation and
openness which rejects all forms of extremism and immoderation,
emphasizing the importance of confronting deviant thoughts by all
available means, calling for the development of curricula to enhance
Islamic values in the areas of understanding, tolerance, dialogue and
pluralism, and extending bridges between the Islamic world to
strengthen their unity and solidarity.

The Summit stressed the condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and
manifestations, praising the significant efforts made by the
Government of Saudi Arabia in the establishment of International
Counter-Terrorism Centre under the umbrella of the United Nations to
implement the recommendations of the International Conference on
Combating Terrorism held in Riyadh in 2005 which emphasizes the need
to distinguish between terrorism and legitimate resistance to foreign
occupation, which does not allow killing of innocent civilians.

The Summit expressed deep concern for the emerging phenomenon of
linking Islam with terrorism which is exploited by some extremist
trends and parties in the west to offend Islam and Muslims. (MORE)

AK

Dissident Voice
August 16, 2012 Thursday 3:54 AM EST

Russia in the Middle East: Return of a Superpower?

The world is living through a veritable slow-motion earthquake. If
things go according to plan, the US obsession with Afghanistan and
Iraq will soon be one of those ugly historical disfigurements that at
least for most Americans will disappear into the memory hole.

Like Nixon and Vietnam, US President Barack Obama will be remembered
as the president who brought the troops home . But one cannot help but
notice the careful calibration of these moves to fit the US domestic
political machine the Iraqi move to show Americans that things on the
international front are improving (just don t mention Guantanamo), the
Afghan move put off conveniently till President Barack Obama’s second
term, when he doesn t need to worry about the fallout electorally if
things unravel (which they surely will).

Of course, Russia lost big time geopolitically when the US invaded
Afghanistan, and thus gains as regional geopolitical hegemon by the
withdrawal of US troops from Central Asia. Just look at any map. But
American tentacles will remain: Central Asia has no real alternative
economically or politically anymore to the neoliberal global economy,
as Russia no longer claims to represent a socialist alternative to
imperialism. The departure of US troops and planes from remote
Kyrgyzstan will not be missed except for the hole it leaves in the
already penurious Kyrgyz government s budget and foreign currency
reserves. Russia is a far weaker entity than the Soviet Union, both
economically and politically. Thus, Russia s gain from US weakness is
not great.

Besides, both Russia and the US support the current Afghan government
against the Taliban as does Iran. In fact, in case US state department
and pentagon officials haven t noticed the obvious, the main
beneficiary of the US invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq has been Iran,
again by definition. The invasion brought to power the ethnic Persian
Tajiks in Afghanistan, and the invasion of Iraq set up a
Shia-dominated government there.

Similarly, when the US invaded Iraq, Russia lost politically and
economically. The US cancelled Saddam Hussein s state debts, which
hurt the Russians and Europeans but not the US. The US just happened
to be boycotting Iraq for the previous decade and took pleasure from
shafting its sometime allies for ignoring US wishes. However, once
Iraqi politicians begin to reassert some control over their foreign
policy, Russia will be seen as a much more sympathetic partner
internationally.

Ironically, on many fronts, Iran now holds the key to readjusting the
political playing field and establishing rules that can lead away from
the deadly game being played by the US, including in Afghanistan,
Iraq, with broader implications for broader nuclear disarmament, EU-US
relations, but above all, for the continued role of the dollar as
world reserve currency. This encourages Russia to maintain its
alliance with Iran over vague (and empty) promises of US-Russian world
hegemony as envisioned by the now-discredited Medvedev Atlantists in
Moscow.

Russia s relations with both Central Asia and the Middle East since
the collapse of the Soviet Union have been low key. In the Middle
East, it maintains relations with Palestine s Hamas, and, as a member
of the so-called quartet of Middle East negotiators (along with the
EU, the US and the UN), insists that Israel freeze expansion of
settlements in the Occupied Territories as a condition of further
talks. It appears to be trying to regain some of the goodwill that
existed between the Soviet Union and Arab states, supporting the UN
Goldstone Report which accused Israel of war crimes in its 2008
invasion of Gaza.

It embarked on a diplomatic offensive with Arab states in 2008,
offering Syria and Egypt nuclear power stations, and is
re-establishing a military presence in the Mediterranean at the Syrian
port, Tartus, though Syria s current civil war, with Russia and Iran
lined up against the West and the Arab states could leave Russia on
the losing side. Western attempts to portray Russia as the
power-hungry bad guy in Syria do not hold water. Russia is concerned
about heightened civil war in an evenly divided population, with rebel
groups openly armed by Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad s Arab and
Western foes. The hypocrisy in the Arab world is appalling: Gulf
monarchies and Saudi Arabia loudly demand that Egypt s new government
swear off any attempt to interfere in their internal politics, but
brazenly arm Syrian rebels.

Russia is still struggling to leave its own tragic civil war in
Chechnya behind, and to make sure there s a place at the table for its
Muslims. With its 16 million Muslims (about 12 per cent of the
population), it has expressed interest in joining the Organization of
Islamic Conference. Its unwillingness to let Syria slide into civil
war does not gain it any brownie points among its own separatist
Muslims in the Caucasus and elsewhere, but it is not willing to carve
up either Syria or the Russian federation in the interests of some
fleeting peace.

The importance of Jewish financial and economic interests in
post-Soviet Russia both the banking and industrial oligarchs and the
Kosher Nostra mafia ensures that Israel gets a sympathetic hearing
from Russian leaders. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman is a
Russian Jew who emigrated from the Soviet Union in 1978.

Israel is also able to take advantage of the persistence of Muslim
unrest and dreams of independence in the Caucasus within Russia to
prevent Moscow from taking any strong position to pressure Israel.
Russia s prickly neighbor Georgia harbors Chechen rebels and Georgia s
president, Mikheil Saakashvili, uses Israeli and US military advisers.
Of course, the US benefits from Israeli pressures on Russia. This is a
key feature of the current Great Game, where the US and Israel act as
the new imperial centre .

It is popular to call this era a new Cold War. However, history never
repeats itself. There certainly is a new tension in world politics
following 9/11, and the failure of the newly aggressive US to
successfully assert its hegemony around the world, including Russia,
keeps the fires of chauvinism hot in the US. On the US right, Russia
is seen merely as the Soviet Union reborn, a ruse to hide the KGB s
agenda of world communist control. For the saner Obamites, it is a
more diffused Cold War, dominated by a new US-Israeli imperial centre,
the empire-and-a-half , with shifting alliances of convenience, though
with a strong, new opposition player on the horizon a savvier, more
articulate Islamic world, with Iran, Turkey and Egypt in the first
rank.

The desire by both the US and Israel to overthrow the Iranian
government is now the only common goal left in this empire-and-a-half
, but it is a common goal only because Israel is in the driver s seat.
Israel resents Iran as an existential threat not to Israel itself, but
to Greater Israel and regional domination. Iran serves as a powerful
example, a third way for Muslim countries, and is most definitely a
rival to Israel as Middle East hegemon.

Among the new Arab Spring governments, it is only Egypt s that worries
Israel. Just imagine if Egypt and Iran start to cooperate. Add in
Shia-dominated Iraq, Turkey and Russia, as Russia has good relations
with all four, and common objects on the international scene. Suddenly
the Middle East playing field takes on a totally different appearance.

A rational US policy to join with Russia and China to accommodate Iran
could save the teetering dollar, or at least give the US a chance to
prepare for an orderly transition to a new international currency. If
Russia, China and Iran defuse the current nuclear crisis between the
US and Iran peacefully, with a nod to Turkey and a resolve to make
Israel join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, this could pave the
way for a new Eurasian playing field. If, and when, the US withdraws
from Afghanistan, Pakistan and India will be drawn in as well.

This would set off a chain of events that could change the whole
nature of the current Great Game leading to a Russia-India-Iran-China
axis (Russia-India-China summits have already been held yearly since
2001), leaving Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Israel to sort out
their regional conflicts outside of a new, very different great game.
US interests would be considered but without US diktat, forcing, or
rather allowing the US to put its own house in order. Iran would
finally be accepted as the legitimate regional player that it is. If
the US cannot bring itself to make a graceful exit from its
self-imposed crisis in the region, this will only accelerate its
decline.

Russia inherits fond memories across the Middle East region as the
anti-Zionist Soviet Union s successor. It now has the chance to gain
long term credibility as a principled partner not only in the Middle
East but to non-aligned countries everywhere, and should hold the
fort, the anti-imperial one, against what s left of empire.

August 17, 2012
Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate
6252 Honolulu Avenue
La Crescenta, CA 91214
Tel: (818) 248-7737
Fax: (818) 248-7745
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

All religious denominations, political parties and relief
organizations in the Western United States have come together to form a
joint committee to assist the Armenian community of Syria. On Thursday, the
group issued a call to support the efforts, the text of which is presented
below:

A CALL TO SUPPORT THE ARMENIAN COMMUNITY IN SYRIA

During the past weeks, the 17-month conflict in Syria has escalated
to dangerous proportions. Caught in the crossfire of this growing conflict
are the innocent citizens of Syria, among them the large Armenian community.

The presence of Armenians in Syria dates back many centuries, and
throughout that time, the community has had an important role in the
Armenian Diaspora reality. Especially after the Armenian Genocide, the
growing Armenian community, through its hard work and determination has
created beneficial situation for nurturing families and establishing
national institutions such as churches and schools, and preserving our
heritage and traditions. Today, due to the current conflict, the Armenian
community is facing a crisis. The Armenian community organizations in Syria,
by adhering to the survivalist spirit of the Armenian people, have already
mobilized to effectively and in an organized manner cater to the needs of
the community.
In light of this mounting humanitarian crisis, Armenians will not
remain indifferent, and will get to work to extend a helping hand and assist
the Syrian-Armenian community.
The Armenian American community of Western United States is equally
concerned with these developments, which impact the entire Armenian nation.
Any harm inflicted upon any member of our dispersed Armenian family equally
impacts the rest of the family be they in Armenia or the Diaspora. With
increased resolve and conviction we must be ready to support the
Syrian-Armenian population, just as we have come to aid of our brethren in
Armenia, Artsakh, Lebanon and Iraq, in their time of need.
We call upon the Armenian American community of the Western United
States to facilitate the needs of the Syrian-Armenian community and to
contribute for the preservation of the Armenian community. The
Syrian-Armenian community has fulfilled its centuries-old mission proudly,
and today as it holds on to its home, the community is aware of its
exceptional and unique role it has had in the Diaspora, which unequivocally
needs to be preserved.
We hereby announce the formation of a Joint Committee in Support of
the Syrian-Armenian Community.

Archbishop Hovnan Derderian Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian
Bishop Mikael Mouradian Rev. Joe Matossian
Social Democrat Hunchakian Party Armenian Revolutionary
Federation
Armenian Democratic Liberal Party Armenian General
Benevolent Union
Armenian Relief Society Armenian Missionary Association of
America

August 15, 2012

PRELATE TO PRESIDE OVER DIVINE LITURGY AT HOLY MARTYRS CHURCH IN ENCINO

On Sunday, August 19, 2012, H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian,
Prelate, will preside over Divine Liturgy and deliver the sermon at Holy
Martyrs Church in Encino.

PRELATE BEGINS VISITS TO PRELACY SCHOOLS AT THE START OF THE NEW ACADEMIC
YEAR

This past week, a number of Prelacy Schools welcomed back their
students for the start of the 2012-2013 academic year, with the remaining
schools to reopen in the coming days.
Each year, the new school year commences with prayers and the
conveying of the Prelate’s message and blessings to the students and
administration.
Thursday, August 16, 2012, was back to school for Vahan and Anoush
Chamlian School first grade students. The students met their teachers and
fellow classmates and became familiarized with their daily routine for the
new school year. The Parents also became acquainted with their children’s
teachers and the curriculum for the new year.
H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate joined the
administration and staff of Vahan and Anoush Chamlian School to welcome the
first grade class to the new school year. Crescenta Valley Pastor Rev. Fr.
Ghevont Kirazian and Executive Council member Mr. Vahan Bezdikian
accompanied the Prelate.
Upon their arrival, the Prelate and accompaniers were greeted by
Principal Mr. Vazken Madenlian and Vice-Principal Mrs. Rita Kaprielian.
After prayers and the delivering of welcoming remarks, the Prelate delivered
his message, which was followed by breakfast with the administration and
parents
The Prelate then visited the four first grade classrooms where he
interacted with the students and conveyed his blessings to them for a
successful school year.
The Prelate will continue his visits to Prelacy Schools in the
coming days and weeks. On Monday, August 20, the Prelate will visit
Ferrahian School in Encino.

“HARUT BARSAMIAN SCHOLARSHIP FUND”
RECIPIENTS ANNOUNCED

The “Harut Barsamian Scholarship Fund” Committee, established within
the Prelacy and which operates under the auspices of H.E. Archbishop
Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate, has reviewed scholarship applications
received for the upcoming academic term and has made a decision to award
scholarships to two students.
The committee is comprised of the Prelate, Prof. Harut Barsamian,
and Dr. Garo Agopian. The committee awarded scholarships to the following
students:

– Alex Tashjian $1,500
– Rafael Tufenkjian $1,500

BOARD OF REGENTS OF PRELACY SCHOOLS
ANNOUNCES ITS NEW OFFICERS

On Wednesday, August 15, 2012, the newly appointed Board of Regents
of Prelacy Schools held their meeting, during which they elected their
officers of the board.
Executive Council Chair Mrs. Rima Boghossian and Executive Council
representative to the Board of Regents Mr. George Chorbajian also attended
the meeting. On behalf of the Executive Council, Mrs. Boghossian welcomed
the new board members and wished them success in their upcoming endeavors.
The officers were elected as follows:

Mr. Sako Berberian Co-Chair
Mrs. Maggie Sarkuni Co-Chair
Mrs. Houri Arslanian-Keuroghlian Secretary
Mr. Chris Keosian, Esq. Treasurer
Mrs. Sossi Hovsepian Advisor
Ms. Charlotte Sassounian Advisor
Dr. Jeannine Topalian-Alkeine Advisor
Mrs. Azita Avedissian-Yacoubian, Esq. Advisor
Dr. Hasmig Baran Advisor

In the coming weeks, the Board of Regents will appoint new School
Boards.

BOARD OF REGENTS DIVAN

PRELATE CELEBRATES THE FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION
AT ST. MARY’S CHURCH IN GLENDALE

Sunday, August 12, 2012, was the Feast of the Assumption of the Holy
Mother of God, one of five great feasts in the Armenian Church. This feast
commemorates how St. Mary was carried up into heaven, body and soul, or
“assumed” into heaven. This was performed by our Lord Jesus Christ many
years after His Ascension as a loving tribute to the mother who bore and
raised him. On this feast, the Blessing of Grapes takes place following
Divine Liturgy. The service is rich in symbolism and emphasizes the
important role of the Virgin Mary in the revelation of God. The blessing of
the grapes became part of this celebration due to their association to Jesus
Christ in numerous biblical references and in thanksgiving to God as the
first fruit of the harvest.
The Feast of the Assumption was ceremoniously celebrated in all
Prelacy Churches with Divine Liturgy and the blessing of grapes.
The feast is also the name day of St. Mary’s Church in Glendale.
Thus, on this occasion, H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate,
celebrated Divine Liturgy and delivered the sermon at St. Mary’s Church.
Following Divine Liturgy, the Prelate conducted the blessing of grapes and
madagh.
In his sermon, the Prelate exalted the innocence, humility, purity,
and blessedness of the Virgin Mary, and especially St. Mary’s abiding
obedience to and unwavering faith and trust in God. “The Virgin Mary is
most blessed among women and became worthy of being the Holy Mother of God
and the perfect model of motherhood.” The virtues and saintly life of the
Virgin Mary is an ideal example and daily reminder to hear and listen to
God’s plan for our lives and submit ourselves to His holy will. The Feast
of the Assumption invites us all, and specifically our mothers and sisters,
to live exemplary lives by heeding not our own wants and needs, but rather
the will of God. As we celebrate this special feast, let us today vow to
transform our spiritual lives. By the intercession of St. Mary, we pray for
Almighty God to heal and revitalize our minds, bodies, and spirits, and to
grant peace to the nations of the world, and especially to the Syrian
people”, concluded the Prelate.
During Divine Liturgy, “Der Voghormya” prayers were offered for the
safety and tranquility of the Syrian people and nation.
At the conclusion of the service, the Prelate conducted the ceremony
of the blessing of grapes and madagh, after which His Eminence also blessed
a pair of wedding crowns donated to each Prelacy Church by sponsors Mr. and
Mrs. Kevork and Mirna Kacharian.
On Saturday, August 11, eve of the Feast services took place at St.
Mary’s Church and the church remained open late into the night so faithful
could light candles and offer their prayers.

PRELATE VISITS ST. SARKIS CHURCH VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

St. Sarkis Church of Pasadena this year had organized a Vacation
Bible School (VBS) for youth which consisted of Bible stories, Psalm
readings, prayers, singing, games, and fun and educational activities. The
inaugural VBS, titled “Fishers of Men”, was held in four one-week sessions,
beginning on July 16 and concluding on August 10, 2012. This new initiative
was sponsored by the Church Board of Trustees and organized by the Sunday
School.
H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate, visited the students
of the Vacation Bible School on the last day, Friday, August 10, delivered
his message to the youth, and witnessed what they had learned in the
program. Upon his arrival the Prelate was welcomed by Parish Pastor Rev.
Fr. Khoren Babochian, Board of Trustees Chair Mr. Hagop Avedikian, Sunday
School Director Mrs. Taline Zomdjian-Naccashian, teachers, and students.
The students sang hymns and recited prayers for the Prelate, after
which they had the opportunity to ask His Eminence questions. The Prelate
applauded the students for dedicating a portion of their summer for their
spiritual nourishment, and presented them with mementos in commendation of
their participation. He also had the students promise that they would
encourage their parents to take them to church and to serve our church. His
Eminence also commended the Sunday School Director and teachers for devoting
their time and efforts to teaching our youth the Bible and about the
Armenian Church.

Armenia’s second largest city ready to help Syrian Armenians

tert.am
20:27 – 17.08.12

On Gyumri Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan’s initiative, the Gyumri Municipality
is ready to assist Syrian-Armenians in purchasing land, staring up
businesses and construct housing in Gyumri.

For more information, call: (0312) 33228.

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Aug 19 2012

Romanticizing the future of the Syrian Armenians

by Alin Ozinian*

19 August 2012 / ,

During these hot summer days that the US media calls the `silly
season,’ the Turkish media covers the situation of the Armenian
diaspora in Syria indifferently.

Oddly enough in Syria, where 60,000 Armenians live, not a single
Armenian media organization has appointed a permanent representative
or correspondent. Inexplicably, none of the Armenian journalists who
wrote about the situation of the Armenian diaspora in Syria have ever
set foot in Syria. The articles from Armenian journalists on the
situation of the Armenian diaspora in Syria are based on stories told
by Syrian Armenians coming from Aleppo and Damascus and arriving at
Armenia’s Zvartnots airport or the other Syrian Armenians that they
randomly met while drinking tea at cafes.

In fact, most Syrian Armenians that Armenian journalists interviewed
at the airport already hold Armenian citizenship. In other words, they
are Armenian citizens who went to Syria in order to work or marry a
Syrian citizen. One can easily understand this by hearing their
Armenian accents, but no one cares about this. The Syrian Armenians
reporters interview at cafes, just say: `My uncle said they have a
comfortable life there,’ or `My aunt said she just came from the
market and there were no clashes there.’ In addition to this, many
journalists wrote news stories using the guise of a leader of the
Armenian community in Syria who wished to remain anonymous in order to
make their articles more interesting or convey their own thoughts to
the Armenian government.

The information pollution and countless Arab world experts

On Armenian television channels a new `Arab world expert’ is presented
almost every day. We don’t know if these people were always there and
waited for this event to make assessments during their professional
lives, but they do their best to make the issue more incomprehensible
by using a unique terminology.

Considering the situation of the Armenian media, the attitude of the
Armenian Ministry for the Diaspora seems much more serious. After a
long silence, the ministry has made a detailed announcement and stated
it will try to help people as much as possible. However, the ministry
has undermined its own creditability by announcing they would have
difficulty hosting refugees if hundreds of thousands Syrian Armenians
immigrate to Armenia after giving the number of Armenian living in
Syria as 60,000.

Since the Armenian media suffers from the ministry’s mistakes, the
issue of Syrian Armenians is placed on the top of the list of the
government’s fatal errors. According to anti-government media
organizations in Armenia, the government’s attitude both creates a
roadblock to Armenia’s diaspora policies and highlights Russia’s
influence over Armenia. They claimed that Armenia implements the
strategy that Russia imposes on it even when their goals are in
question.

Briefly, information pollution dominates the Armenian media. According
to the Armenian media, the Turkish media unintentionally misleads the
people. The information pollution in the Armenian media leads to the
spread of false information and distorted analysis in the world,
especially when it comes to Turkey.

Mass immigration and other myths

The Armenian news report on a possible mass immigration of the Syrian
Armenians to Armenia immediately became the subject of serious
analysis in the Turkish media. Here are some of the creative,
groundless claims covered by both the Armenian and Turkish media:

Thousands of Syrian Armenians are in line to settle in Armenia and
Nagorno-Karabakh — Azerbaijani territory controlled by ethnic
Armenian separatists with the support of the Republic of Armenia —
but the Armenian government does not support this. However, the
Armenian government would exert efforts to attract the Armenian
capital in Syria to Armenia.

Syrian Armenians armed themselves and are ready to join the clash.
The Armenian communities in Kesap repelled the opposition forces even
before government forces arrived.

The Armenian government is making serious arrangements in universities
and primary schools to support Syrian Armenian children and university
students. It is offering a discount to Syrian Armenians on flights.

Russia uses Syrian Armenians not only to influence Armenia but also to
exert pressure on Georgia. If there is a mass emigration from Syria,
Russia wants to make sure that they are settled in Georgia’s Javakhk
region — a region where a large number of Armenians already live.

Turkey is doing its best to evacuate the Armenians from the Syria in
order to weaken the Armenian diaspora.

If we want to give fair and reasonable answers to these claims, we
have to accept the reality is quite different than what is presented
in the news.

First of all, the Armenian community in Syria is showing no intentions
of migrating to Armenia en masse. Beginning in the 1980s, the members
of the Armenian community in Syria have migrated to several countries,
particularly to the US and Canada, by using Armenian capital that is
planned to be transferred to Armenia. In other words, Armenians whose
financial status was good enough have not chosen Armenia as the
country they will live in.

In fact, some middle-class Syrian Armenians have applied for Armenian
citizenship. According to the data provided by the Armenian Ministry
for the Diaspora, 3,300 Syrian Armenians have obtained Armenian
citizenship. However, that does not mean all these 3,300 Syrian
Armenians will reside in Armenia. Until now, only 60 Syrian citizens
have wanted help from Armenia and migrated there.

The Syrian Armenians, who are both Syrian and Armenian citizens, are
middle-class Armenians either running businesses in Armenia or holding
an American or European country’s citizenship.

Like many of the Armenian diaspora, Syrian Armenians are apolitical
and deem themselves lucky if the turnover of their companies are good.
The reasons why the Armenian groups have acted in favor of Bashar
al-Assad’s regime so far is due to Islamophobia triggered by the
Muslim Brotherhood (MB)’s attacks targeting Syrian Armenians in the
past and the pro-status quo mentality of Armenian diaspora.

As is the case in Turkey, the uncertainties of a new regime concerning
the rights of minorities and their loyalty to the secular regime force
Armenians to protect the current situation at the expense of
undermining democracy and human rights. Of course, they provide
passive support. Thus, it is perfectly safe to argue that even
imagining that Syrian Armenians have armed themselves and they are
ready to join the clash is impossible. The only thing they would do is
have some armed watchmen in the regions with a sizable Armenian
population as a precaution against possible attacks.

The aid sent by the Armenian government to Syrian Armenians and
arrangements they reportedly have made are over-exaggerated. They
would not change their university system. Since the Soviet era,
Armenian universities allocate quotas for students of the Armenian
diaspora. The only change is a 20 percent reduction of school fees for
Syrian Armenian students. For a country that others claim has a
serious diaspora policy, asking students who have left their countries
and come to Armenia for higher education to pay more tuition fees
would be a big contradiction. When we turn to claims concerning the
schools, this issue is only a student exchange program that aims to
promote teaming Armenian children from Armenia with children from the
diaspora. The program lasts only 2 weeks.

The diaspora policy that Armenia cannot develop

Although both the Armenian government and the Armenian Ministry for
the Diaspora are trying their best, they neither distribute free
flight tickets nor beg diaspora Armenians to migrate to Armenia.
Armenian Diaspora Minister HranuÅ? Hakopyan has underlined that the
Armenian community should continue to stay in Syria and maintain their
existence there.

The Armenian government has moved the Armenian Embassy in Aleppo to
another district with a considerable Armenian population and allows
the embassy to grant citizenship to Syrian Armenians who previously
applied.

In addition to this, Syrian Armenians are now able to obtain a sticker
visa at the border gates. When we consider that for close to 20 years,
Armenia has given Turkish citizens — both Turks and Armenians — a
sticker-type visa at border gates, this is not a big favor.

Given the fact that Armenia has very serious social security and
infrastructural problems, the Armenian government’s decision to
provide houses and job opportunities to Syrian Armenians will cause
serious unease within the country. In the end, whether the Armenian
government accepts it or not, they have two serious problems: easing
migration and the economy’s recovery. Thus, they can only help the
Syrian refugees in a reasonable way.

The institution that should be concerned about the future of the
Armenian diaspora in Syria and is worth studying is the Armenian
Ministry for the Diaspora. Although the ministry does not accept that
it makes mistakes on this issue, they underlined that they will
accelerate their efforts. Stressing that the subjects of these stories
are human beings, the ministry warned the media to avoid practicing
false journalism. Trying to analyze the developments in Syria and
their impact on Armenia, while including discourses on the Armenian
diaspora in Russia, Georgia and Turkey, only produces conspiracy
theories.

Now, the most ridiculous impact of the pollution of information
concerning developments in Syria is leaving its mark on
Turkish-Armenian relationships. The unfounded claim that Armenia would
resettle Syrian Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh is spreading. And this
reminds me of the horrifying headlines run by the Turkish media in
response to Turkey’s decision to allow religious ceremonies at Van’s
Akdamar Church.

Such illusions are useless. Just like diaspora Armenians in New York,
Paris or Buenos Aires, who did not settle in Van after the opening of
Akdamar Church, the diaspora Armenians in Aleppo and Damascus do not
want to live in Nagorno-Karabakh. They visit Nagorno-Karabakh as
tourists and express admiration but they return to Syria.

A realistic perspective would upset those who adopt
romantic-nationalist perspectives on the issue but would relieve the
Turkish and Azerbaijani people. These ridiculous scenarios are far
from realistic and do nothing for the frozen bilateral relations.

*Alin Ozinian is an independent analyst.

*.html