Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

NALBANDIAN: IT IS REGRETTABLE THAT OUR INVITATION TO ERDOGAN WAS LEFT UNANSWERED

March 12, 2015 11:15

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian

Photo: Photolure

Yerevan /Mediamax/. Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian
expressed the regret that the Armenian President’s invitation to his
Turkish counterpart to visit Yerevan on April 24 and remember the
Genocide Centennial was left unanswered.

He said this addressing a speech at the special session of the OSCE
Permanent Council.

“I personally handed over the invitation to President Erdogan in
Ankara. It is regrettable that our invitation was left unanswered,
constituting yet another missed opportunity”, said Edward Nalbandian.

He stressed that the states shouldn’t subordinate the goal of full
recognition of the past genocides to the geopolitical calculations. In
this context, the OSCE’s ability to take steps to this end was noted.

Speaking about the destruction of Saint Martyrs Church in Deir
ez-Zor by terrorists, he said: “In September 2014 the sanctuary
for the remains of many victims of the Armenian Genocide, the Saint
Martyrs Armenian Church, in Syrian town of Deir ez-Zor was destroyed
by terrorists in a sad, yet symbolic link between past and present
crimes against humanity”.

“Recently we all saw the chilling video footage of how the ISIS
militants were smashing the 2.700 years old statues in the Mosul
museum. This crime against civilization is an appalling reminder
of earlier similar barbaric acts of destruction of Bamiyan Buddha’s
statues, Mausoleums of Timbuktu and thousands of Medieval Armenian
cross-stones in Nakhijevan”, said the Armenian FM.

From: Baghdasarian

VARDAN KHACHATRYAN. “THE TURKS NEED TO ADDRESS THEIR UNVEILED PAST.”

March 12 2015

On March 11, the Center for the Prevention of Genocide, the “Armenia”
people’s initiative and the Supreme Council Parliamentary club
organized a discussion at the Tekeyan Cultural Center entitled “The
new aspirations of modern politics for destruction of the peoples in
the Middle East and its relation with the genocides in Turkey”. Head
of the Center for the Prevention of Genocide Onik Mnacakanyan said
that the session is primarily dedicated to the genocide of Assyrians,
Greeks and also Yezidis. The Yezidi community representative did not
attend the event, as the organizers say, due to reasonable excuses.

Former NA MP, expert in religious studies and theologian Vardan
Khachatryan said that during the previous discussion, the resolution
adopted by the Center for the Prevention of Genocide was sent to
abroad. In his words, it contained an emphasis that we are dealing with
a public genocidal policy. “There was a state plan and it was presented
that the plan for destruction of Armenian supporting Christians and
Russians was driven by the interests of Turkey.”

According to speaker, in the result of re-emphasis of the resolution,
an evidence was brought that genocide was not carried out against
Armenians only, now, in the same region, we are dealing with genocides,
because formerly, the genocide committed by Turkey was not responded
worthily. “Differentiation of the roots and causes of the genocide is
the top priority of humanity… The grounds of the genocide should not
be sought in today’s Islamic extremists. And if they did not address
the unveiled past, did not accept their face and the homophobia
policy cannot remain unpunished,” says Vardan Khachatryan, adding
that the series of TV bridges are upcoming. President of Patrida
NGO of Greeks of Armenia Eduard Polatov disagrees with the presented
number of the martyrs resulted by the genocide of Armenians and the
Greeks. He believes that more Armenians and Greeks have been killed
in the result of Turkey’s policy and the violence. “The Turks do
not kill Christian Armenians, they can also kill Muslim Armenians,
in other words, the gene, what they did is a genocide… We see the
effects of all of these in Lebanon and Syria, and hear Erdogan’s
cynical phrases regarding the fact when he was asked about being an
Armenian or a Greek … We do not have hatred towards the Turkish
people, but it’s time to call things by their names…”

Gohar HAKOBYAN

Read more at:

From: Baghdasarian

GEORGE CLOONEY TEAMS UP WITH VCS IN HUMANITARIAN EFFORT

Upstart – Biz Journals
March 12 2015

by Don Seiffert

Flagship Ventures founder Noubar Afeyan has enlisted the help of
George Clooney and others to honor people who put themselves at risk
to help others.

Noubar Afeyan is known locally as founder and head of Flagship
Ventures, one of the largest locally-based investors in early-stage
companies looking to save or improve lives by innovating heath care.

But Afeyan has also long been involved in philanthropic efforts to help
humanity, and he doesn’t see the two activities as all that different.

“I actually do find a great deal of overlap between what I do in my
personal life and what I do professionally,” Afeyan said.

This week, Afeyan is launching a new humanitarian effort with two
other internationally-known philanthropists, Russian entrepreneur Ruben
Vardanyan and Vartan Gregorian, president of the Carnegie Corp., called
100 Lives. The initiative is rooted in next year’s centennial of the
Armenian Genocide, in which 1.5 million people died at the hands of
the Ottoman government between 1915-1923, and one project will be to
uncover stories of survivors and people who saved lives during that
period. All three founders of 100 Lives are of Armenian descent.

But another project that is aimed at recognizing present day acts
of heroism has enlisted the help of George Clooney, founder of the
Not On Our Watch foundation which highlights genocide globally, as
well as Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel, professor emeritus at
Boston University and survivor of the German Holocaust. That project,
called the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity, will be given annually
by Clooney and Weisel to people who put themselves at risk to help
others starting next year.

It’s a cause to which Afeyan owes his identity, in a sense. The
Armenian immigrant says his grandfather lived near Istanbul a
century ago, and twice was taken to be executed. He was saved,
in what Afeyan calls an “ironic” twist, by a German officer during
World War I. Since then, Armenians have “not only recovered, but have
struggled to survive” and now have strong communities in the U.S.,
including in Watertown, Massachusetts.

It was the example of people like his grandfather who Afeyan says
influenced him to become the head of the Cambridge-based Flagship,
which has raised more than $800 million since he founded it in 2000
to invest in early-stage biotech and healthcare firms. He is also
involved with several local Armenia groups, and in 2008, he received
the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

“I’m a descendant of survivors,” he said. “It has not only caused me
to not take life for granted, but if you’re a descendant of survivors,
you don’t take anything for granted.”

From: Baghdasarian

CONCERT IN LEBANON DEDICATED TO THE CENTENNIAL OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

18:15, 12 Mar 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

On March 10, a concert dedicated to the Centennial of Armenian
Genocide, performed by the State Youth Orchestra of Armenia (artistic
director and principal conductor – Sergey Smbatyan) was held in
Beirut, in cooperation with the Embassy of Armenia in Lebanon, in
the frameworks of Al Bustan International Festival.

Ambassador of Armenia to Lebanon Ashot Kocharian, public figures
and politicians. Diplomats, intelligentsia, artists and journalists
attended the event.

Artistic Director of the Festival, Italian conductor Gianluca Marciano
opened the event, reflecting on the Armenian Genocide, touched upon
massacres committed against Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, 1915, then
presented of the day, talked about scheduled events on that matter.

Orchestra performed works by Ghazaros Saryan, Niccolo Paganini and
Pyotr Tchaikovsky.

From: Baghdasarian

EP REPORT: CALL ON THE EU MEMBER STATES TO RECOGNIZE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

16:28 | March 12,2015 | Politics

Today, on 12 March, the European Parliament has adopted the Annual
Report on Human Rights and Democracy in the world 2013. Several clauses
of this document are relevant to Armenia, especially the paragraph that
“calls, ahead of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, on all
the Member States to acknowledge it, and encourages the Member States
and the EU institutions to contribute further to its recognition.

European Friends of Armenia (EuFoA) warmly welcomes this European
Parliament report. EuFoA Director, Mr Eduardo Lorenzo Ochoa, comments:
“After a long break, the European Parliament reasserts its position
on the Armenian Genocide, and again reaffirms that genocides and
their denials are a human rights matter. During this special year,
we are thankful for this strong signal of European solidarity with
the Armenian people.”

In addition, the text adopted by the EP puts a particular focus on the
question of human rights in the relations with EU partners. Indeed,
the very first paragraph of the report states that “the preamble to
the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union affirms that
the EU ‘places the individual and human dignity at the heart of its
activities'”. The reports then adds that “the performance-driven
‘more for more’ approach should guide the EU’s relations with all
third countries, that the EU should grant partner countries advanced
status only if clear human rights and democracy requirements are
met, and that it should not hesitate to freeze this status if those
requirements are no longer fulfilled.”

“In practical terms it means that the European Parliament does not
want the EU to compromise its stance on human rights, democracy and
rule of law when dealing with third countries.” comments Mr Lorenzo
Ochoa. “With these two paragraphs in mind, it becomes clear why the
report insists on human rights clauses in EU international agreements,
including trade agreements. This is also why the report, with its 215
paragraphs, is much longer than the previous yearly reports on that
matter. We are very pleased that the EU reasserts its moral authority
with this lengthy but clear report.”

The adopted text also recalls the situation of religious minorities,
particularly in the Middle East, mentioning among others the Apostolic
Armenians. In that particular paragraphs, the Parliament “calls for
the EU and its Member States to ensure that religious minorities are
respected worldwide, particularly in the Middle East, where Christians,
including Catholics, Apostolic Armenians, Copts and Yezidis, and Muslim
minorities are being persecuted by ISIS and other terrorist groups.”

The report was drafted by MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri (S&D, Italy) and
adopted at the committee level on 9 February and will be published
by the European Parliament in the coming days.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIA’S PREMIER INVITES KUWAIT’S EMIR TO YEREVAN

YEREVAN, March 12. /ARKA/. Armenia’s premier Hovik Abrahamyan handed
Kuwait’s emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah an invitation
from the president Serzh Sargsyan to visit Armenia, the presidential
press office reports.

Abrahamyan is in Kuwait on an official visit, invited by the head of
Kuwaiti government Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.

At his meeting with the emir Armenian premier said his visit evidences
his country’s commitment to development of the bilateral relations
and is to open up new opportunities for further expansion of the
cooperation.

Kuwait’s emir, in turn, thanked for the invitation and stressed
the importance of the premier’s visit in promoting development of
Armenia-Kuwait friendly ties.

Kuwait is ready to discuss all the issues of mutual interest and to
develop and expand its cooperation with Armenia, in politics, economy,
culture and the humanitarian field in particular, the emir said. -0–

From: Baghdasarian

PAP AT CROSSROADS: ZOHRABYAN NAMED PRESIDENT, SAYS PARTY WILL RETURN TO ITS OPPOSITION STATUS

POLITICS | 12.03.15 | 15:01

GOHAR ABRAHAMYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter

A week after major changes took place within the second largest
representation in the Armenian Parliament, Prosperous Armenia Party
members say that they are in the holding discussions and will soon
present their plan for the party’s future.

Party president GagikTsarukyan resigned from the party and from
politics last week, following a harsh exchange of words with President
SerzhSargsyan.

At a special PAP meeting Naira Zohrabyan was appointed the new head
of the party, and in the end of the meeting the latter said that
their political force is becoming opposition.

PAP press secretary VahanBabayan told ArmeniaNow that they hold daily
discussions of different format together with the representatives of
the party, as well as with Parliamentary colleagues.

“As a result of discussions certain versions are formed along which
we must move. I believe the PAP faction will hold its meeting next
week where the head of the faction and the secretary will be elected,
after which we will present the public with some official viewpoints,”
Babayan said.

However, before the PAP is clarifying its actions many continue
abandoning the party. More than 10 members have already left, and it
is rumored that their leaving has come at the urging of Tsarukyan.

Babayan denied these rumors.

“That is misinformation, and we will not give way to such low
provocations,” Babayan said.

From: Baghdasarian

CARREFOUR REACHES ARMENIA: FRENCH HYPERMARKET OPENS AMID SPECULATION ABOUT IMPORTS

SOCIETY | 12.03.15 | 14:49

By SARA KHOJOYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter

After two years of speculation and rumors, the French Carrefour
supermarket has opened in Armenia, although its arrival has been
met with skepticism about its promise that only five percent of its
products will be imported.

Enlarge Photo

Social networks commenters express doubt about 95 percent of the
products being produced in Armenia; some people even say that it is
a deception.

According to Aram Sargsyan, chairman of the Republic Party, no matter
how much Carrefour announces about its sales, it will not be able to
create the competition which will bring quality changes in the retail
market of Armenia.

The politician said that the hypermarket might not import itself,
but it might buy products from other importers, which will mean that
nothing will change.

“It would be very important for us if the company was allowed to
import 40-50 percent, but only this 5 percent threshold was set,
which means that they held long negotiations but in vain,” Sargsyan
told reporters on Thursday.

According to sociologist Aharon Adibekyan, Carrefour in Armenia opened
more to advertise itself rather than to make profit, because one
supermarket cannot provide profit for the second largest wholesale
trade chain with more than 15,000 hypermarkets, supermarkets and
small markets in 32 countries of the world.

Carrefour in Armenia, according to the sociologist, will have a
positive reflection as well, because it will bring a new culture,
which will serve an example for other supermarkets as well.

“They will introduce a new international quality, how our supermarkets
select their staff, who trains them, how much they are paid,” Adibekyan
told reporters.

From: Baghdasarian

IRAN’S SUPREME LEADER SAYS U.S. KNOWN FOR ‘BACKSTABBING’

March 12, 2015 – 14:37 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Iran’s Supreme Leader hit out on Thursday, March
12, at a letter by U.S. Republican senators threatening to undo any
nuclear deal between Washington and Tehran, saying he was worried
because the United States was known for “backstabbing”.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei added at a meeting with President Hassan
Rouhani and senior clerics that whenever negotiators made progress,
the Americans became “harsher, tougher and coarser”, Mehr news agency
reported, according to Reuters.

The letter signed by 47 Republican senators warned Iran that any
nuclear deal made with U.S. President Barack Obama could last only
as long as he remained in office, in an unusual intervention into U.S.

foreign policy-making.

Mehr quoted Khamenei as saying: “Of course I am worried, because the
other side is known for opacity, deceit and backstabbing.”

“Every time we reach a stage where the end of the negotiations is
in sight, the tone of the other side, specifically the Americans,
becomes harsher, coarser and tougher. This is the nature of their
tricks and deceptions.”

The negotiations, which resume in Lausanne, Switzerland, next week,
are at a critical juncture as the sides try to meet an end of March
target for an interim deal, with a final deal in June.

Khamenei added that a speech to Congress this month by Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tehran’s nuclear program was “risible”.

In the speech, which aligned himself with Obama’s Republican foes,
Netanyahu warned the United States that it was negotiating a bad deal
with Iran that could spark a “nuclear nightmare.”

From: Baghdasarian

VARDAN OSKANYAN BARRED FROM PARTICIPATING IN A COMMEMORATION OF THE GENOCIDE

18:26 | March 12,2015 | Politics

Vardan Oskanyan released a statement:

Months’ ago I received an invitation from the organizational committee
on the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide of one of the important
Armenian communities of Diaspora for making speech at their main
event to be held in April.

The event will take place at the main temple of that country’s capital,
where more than thousand people are expected to be present.

It is planned that state officials of that country will make speeches
during that event.

I agreed with pleasure to take part in the event.

Some days ago I got a call from the organizers. They informed that the
Embassy of Armenia to that country objected to my participation. The
representatives of the community tried to convince the Embassy of
the opposite, but finally they didn’t want to oppose and complied
with their demand.

Here the problem is not my personality. The problem is the failure
of this way of thinking and behavior.

The Genocide and especially the Centennial events are national issue
and isn’t the property of an individual or a group of individuals.

Our task, especially this year, is to represent our country in the
best way to the foreigners and the international community.

Perhaps you will agree that there are few people in Armenia who due
to their experience, knowledge and language skills are able to carry
out this mission properly. Instead of encouraging so that those people
make speeches in different parts of the world during those days, the
authorities are even hampering the spontaneous invitation exclusively
conditioned with the inner political and personal motives.

Let me say that it is absolutely incomprehensible and unacceptable. I
feel sorry about this petty behavior.

What a display of tolerance!

From: Baghdasarian