Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

Armenia appoints new national team coach
The Associated Press
05/20/05 10:19 EDT
YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) – Henk Wisman was named coach of Armenia’s
national team Friday, ahead of next month’s two World Cup qualifiers.
Wisman, of the Netherlands, will be Armenia’s fourth foreign coach
in three years.
Formerly coach of Dutch clubs Den Bosch and Volendam, Wisman replaces
Bernard Casoni, who was fired after March’s 2-0 loss to the Netherlands
left Armenia tied for last place in its World Cup qualifying group.
Armenia hosts Macedonia on June 8 before traveling to Romania four
days later.
“It’s difficult to forecast the results of the forthcoming matches,
but I’m setting the maximum goals,” said Wisman.
Wisman is contracted until the end of the qualifying campaign in
October. His contract then may be extended to two more years, said
Ruben Airapetian, head of the Armenian soccer federation.
Wisman will also look after the under-21 and under-19 teams and coach
Yerevan club Pyunik.
From: Baghdasarian

Armenia wants to draw self-proclaimed republic to European integration
Baku, May 16, AssA-Irada
Armenian President Robert Kocharian, addressing the third Council of
Europe summit in Warsaw on Monday, said that he sees the settlement
of Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Upper Garabagh ‘in the context of
respect for European values’, Armenian media reported. “Armenia trusts
Europe with open borders, without blockades, violence or refugees
that respects human rights and the right of peoples to free choice,
where the present is built on the fair assessment of the past. We see
the conflict settlement in this context, in particular, in seeking
a format that involves the Upper Garabagh Republic into the European
From: Baghdasarian

MONITORING AT AZERI-KARABAKH CONTACT LINE POSTPONED
Pan Armenian News
18.05.2005 04:54
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The OSCE Mission monitoring at the contact line of
the Karabakh and Azeri armed forces scheduled for May 17 was postponed
to May 20. To note, field assistants to the Personal Representative of
the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Miroslav Vimetal and Alexander Samarsky
were to conduct the monitoring from the Armenian side while field
assistants Peter Kee and Imre Palatinus – from the Azeri side.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

FREIGHT TRAIN KNOCKS DOWN WOMAN IN ARMENIA
YEREVAN, MAY 17. ARMINFO. A freight train in Armenia knocked down a
woman. The press-service of the Armenian Police informs ARMINFO that
the tragedy took place yesterday. On the section Sanahin-Alaverdi the
train driven by Gagik A. Run over Arev Vardanyan (1961). The woman
was taken to hospital where she died. The Lori Regional Prosecutor’s
Office is engaged in investigation of circumstances of the incident.
From: Baghdasarian

New York Armenian Students’ Association
333 Atlantic Avenue
Warwick, RI 02888
(401) 461-6114
[email protected]
PRESS RELEASE
May 16, 2005
Contact: New York ASA: [email protected]
NY ASA and the NYU Hokee Club Host Lecture on Art and Testimony With
Professor Marc Nichanian
by Anahid Ugurlyan, Nanor Kenderian and Alec Gevorkyan
As ceremonies of mourning and remembrance for the 90th Anniversary of
the Armenian Genocide were coming to a close, Armenians in New York and
New Jersey gathered on Friday, April 29 for an evening of contemplation
with Professor Marc Nichanian at New York University’s Kimmel Center.
In a lecture entitled “Art and Testimony,” Professor Marc Nichanian,
(Associate Professor of Armenian Language and Civilization at Columbia
University, 1996 – 2005), delivered an insightful presentation about
the relationship between testimony and literature. After a brief
introduction by Nanor Kenderian of the New York Armenian Students’
Association, Professor Nichanian discussed the definition of testimony
(from the Latin “to witness”) in its truest sense, meaning “bearing
witness” to one’s own death, an account that perishes alongside the
witness or the victim himself. Thus, the “testimony” of genocide
(or Catastrophe) survivors is not testimony in its true sense
(bearing witness to one’s death) but rather the recounting of the
deaths of others as well as one’s own struggle to survive. As such,
these testimonies also serve as oral history.
Professor Nichanian addressed the use of testimony as a means to
elicit political gains by bringing accounts as evidence to prove the
perpetration of the Armenian Genocide. He also discussed testimonies’
representation as literature or art. In both instances – political
or aesthetic – he found the treatment of testimonies problematic.
He explained that when testimonies are treated as a means to a
political end, they undergo a perversion, whereby the testimony
loses all intrinsic value by becoming an object for demonstration.
The individual survivor’s voice, life, and story lose their integrity
and uniqueness when subjected to an overarching political enterprise,
in which one story is merely another instance in many, one life
indistinguishable from the next. Survivors recounted their experiences
not to prove the existence of the Genocide, for at the time they felt
no need to prove something that was clearly only too real to them.
The need to recount was predominantly a complex psychological
drive to affirm memories and process trauma, among other factors.
Treating these memories and stories solely to combat Genocide denial
instead of studying them in the context of the cultural, psychological,
and social Catastrophe resulting from the event is to undermine the
dignity and individuality of each life.
In terms of art as a means to present testimony, Professor Nichanian
maintained that Armenian writers have, in large part, failed to
write testimony as literature, although he named one instance of
success in this endeavor as Zabel Yesayan’s Among the Ruins, which
does not recount the 1915 atrocities, but instead the preceding
massacre in Cilicia. Professor Nichanian contended that the actual
testimonies of survivors should be examined as art or literature
in themselves, with attention to tone, style, content and context.
Professor Nichanian also discussed continued efforts of Armenian
institutions and publishers, including the Zoryan Institute and
the Gomidas Institute, to collect and publish testimonies, namely
memoirs of survivors. He considers these efforts as valuable but only
marginal projects, because the collection of genocide narratives and
memoirs is a very recent undertaking. According to the Professor,
a dynamic and organized effort is necessary to reveal, present,
and study witness testimonies.
An engaging question and answer session followed Professor Nichanian’s
presentation, addressing many issues including Turkey’s continued
denial and the necessity to use “testimony” to “authenticate” the
Genocide’s occurrence until it is politically recognized. One audience
member also mentioned a recent emergence of testimonies from Turks
who have discovered their Armenian genealogy or from Kurds who have
begun writing about their predecessors’ accounts of witnessing both
Kurdish and Turkish perpetrations.
The event was an extraordinary success and was fully attended both
by active ASA members and quite a few new attendees, both Armenian
and non-Armenian. The ASA is thankful to the NYU Armenian Hokee Club
for their assistance with planning and organizing the lecture.
The Armenian Students’ Association is a nationwide membership
organization that promotes Armenian culture and education by providing
Armenian communities with social, academic, and educational events.
All funds raised by the regional branches contribute to the ASA’s
scholarship fund for Armenian students studying in the United States.
For more information about the NY ASA, please visit
From: Baghdasarian

LITVINENKO AND HIS KINDS WILL NOT DRIVE HEDGE IN ARMENIAN-RUSSIAN
RELATIONS: RUSSIAN EMBASSY IN ARMENIA
YEREVAN, MAY 11. ARMINFO. Commenting on the statement by former
Russian Federal Security Service agent Litvinenko that the Russian
special services were privy to the terrorist act in the Armenian
parliament in Oct 1999 the Russian Embassy in Armenia says:
The recent reports particularly in the Real Azerbaijan e-newspaper
about complicity of the Russian security services in the tragic events
in the Armenian parliament are a lie spread by those hating to see
democratic reforms in Russia and seeking to blacken Russia in the eyes
of the international community.
In this particular case the objective is to undermine the
centuries-old Russian-Armenian friendship. Litvinenko, a former FSS
agent escaping to the UK from criminal charges and patronized by a
well-known oligarch there, is now acting on the instruction of his
“boss” with a view to drive a hedge in Russian-Armenian brotherly
relations, says the Embassy.
To remind, Oct 27 1999 a group of terrorist led by some Hunanyan
killed Armenia’s Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsyan, Speaker of Armenian
Parliament Karen Demirchyan and several MPs.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenpress
MIKA FC WINS ARMENIAN CUP
YEREVAN, MAY 10, ARMENPRESS: Mika Ashtarak FC beat Kilikia Yerevan 2-0 in
the Armenian Cup final on Sunday to win the trophy for a fourth time in the
last five years. Kilikia, making their first final appearance, battled hard
in the opening half but second-half goals by Artyom Adamyan (50th minute)
and Yuri Nagdiyev (75th minute) gave Mika a deserved victory.
Mika have now won four out of four finals, tying Ararat Yerevan,
Armenia’s most successful club, for the most cup victories. The win also
gave Mika a place in the UEFA Cup next season
From: Baghdasarian

Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Iran
May 9 2005
Lawmaker: Azerbaijan relies on friendly countries’ support
Baku, May 9, IRNA
The Republic of Azerbaijan relies and trusts support of friendly
states in order to consolidate its independence, said an Azeri
parliamentarian Aidin Mirzazadeh here on Monday.
Lawmaker Mirzazadeh said Iran has always been the ‘friend in need’ of
the government and people of Azerbaijan, highlighting Tehran’s
stances in support for Azerbaijan at the beginning of the Karabakh
conflict with Armenia Republic.
“Iran also supported Azerbaijan Republic’s position on the first day
of Karabakh dispute, offering worthy assistance to the refugees and
the needy,” said Mirzazadeh in an address to ceremonies for donating
Iran’s assistance to a group of Azeri needy children and youth,
covered by the non-governmental organization of Azerbaijan’s `Youth
and Needy Children’.
Iran’s ambassador to Baku Afshar Soleimani told the gathering that
the Islamic Republic of Iran has never left any stone unturned in
providing assistance to the needy citizens of the friendly and
neighboring country of Azerbaijan.
Soleymani said Imam Khomeini Relief Committee and the Islamic
Republic of Iran’s Red Crescent Society have offered humanitarian
relief aid to the poor and war refugees in Azerbaijan.
He said Iran has always been in favor of Azerbaijan’s development and
improvement of the living and welfare standards of the republic’s
citizens.
Soleymani said a bright prospect lies ahead for Iran-Azerbaijan
relations, which is in the interest of Iranian and Azeri governments
and people and is significant for the progress of the region.
Azerbaijan’s non-governmental organization of `Youth and Needy
Children’ covers more than 5,000 needy in Baku and different cities
in the republic.
From: Baghdasarian

La Croix , France
4 mai 2005
Les saints du jour. Saint Sylvain (IVe siècle). Saint Grégoire
l’Illuminateur. Saint Florian. Saint Antonin de Florence.
Saint Sylvain (IVe siècle). Évêque de Gaza, condamné aux mines où il
fut décapité parce que malade et âgé.
Saint Grégoire l’Illuminateur, qui évangélisa les Arméniens à la fin
du IIIe siècle.
Saint Florian, ancien officier venu secourir des chrétiens
emprisonnés au IVe siècle. Saint Antonin de Florence, dominicain et
archevêque au XVe siècle.
–Boundary_(ID_iL+zrYgdvWQbgn5/vAdfTQ)–
From: Baghdasarian

Armenian organizations, US officials discuss financial aid programme
A1+ web site
5 May 05
The representatives of the Millennium Challenge Corporation [MCC],
who are paying a four-day visit to Armenia, will discuss with the
Armenian government details of the programme of aid to Armenia within
the framework of the corporation’s projects.
“We will sign a document called Compact with the Armenian government
in the near future in order to allocate money to Armenia within the
framework of the MCC project,” the MMC representative in Armenia,
Alex Russin, said.
He also said that they have already met a number of representatives
of the Armenian government. He even predicted the decision of the
corporation.
The representatives of the corporation also met public organizations
in order to discuss Armenia’s appeal to the MCC. The meeting was
arranged by an organization called Cooperation for Public Organizations
which was not sure that a press conference would be held after the
meeting. The discussion mainly focused on the question of whether it
is worth giving Armenia so much money when there are big corruption
risks, as a result of which the poor get poorer and the rich get
richer. The authorities are extremely corrupt and the level of
education and health is unsatisfactory.
Political analyst Agasi Yenokyan said that corruption risks are higher
in the spheres covered by the MCC project and in this situation,
the authorities are spending these funds on maintaining their own
administrative staff. Asked by Yenokyan whether the MCC had such an
aim in allocating money to Armenia, Russin declined to answer. The
representatives of other pubic organizations also said that the MCC
will not be able to change anything by giving 170m dollars to Armenia –
poverty will not fall and the economy will not develop.
The foreign representative of the World Vision international
organization noted: “You say that there is economic growth in Armenia
and the government is liberalizing the economy, but if you leave
the Central Bank, Finance Ministry or hotel, you cannot see it. The
economic resources are only used by those who are strong and rich.”
From: Baghdasarian