Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

US Fed News
April 5, 2013 Friday 2:11 PM EST

SYMPOSIUM TO FOCUS ON UNDERSTUDIED GENOCIDES

LINCOLN, Neb., April 5 — The University of Nebraska-Lincoln issued
the following news release:

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Harris Center for Judaic Studies
will present “Forgotten Genocides: New Perspectives on a Less Known
History” on April 10 in the Nebraska Union Auditorium, 14th and R
streets.

The symposium welcomes eight scholars to discuss new perspectives and
information on some of the lesser-known genocides and mass atrocities
of the 20th century. The goal of the symposium is to add to the
broader discussion regarding understudied genocides, which may foster
more communication and greater understanding among different
disciplines and specialists.

David Forsythe, professor emeritus of political science at UNL, will
give the opening lecture. He will discuss the well-developed body of
international law prohibiting atrocities and actions that may be taken
to oppose genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. Forsythe
will speak about how these norms are implemented by states that
calculate various costs based on their self-interest.

“Even at the United Nations, it is states that take the key decisions
and decide — or not — to loan power to that organization,” Forsythe
said. “So norms and standards have changed a great deal, but
calculations of national self-interest, not so much. The result is
great inconsistency in responding to atrocities, as per Libya and
Syria.”

Two panels follow the lecture. The schedule of events is:

* 9-10 a.m.: Opening Remarks by Jean Cahan, director of the Harris
Center for Judaic Studies, followed by Forsythe’s opening lecture.

* 10 a.m.-noon: Talks by the following UNL scholars: Suping Lu,
professor of libraries, “Unearthing the Nanjing Massacre through
American Diplomatic Channel”; Gerald Steinacher, assistant professor
of history, “Mussolini in Africa: Italy’s War of Aggression against
Ethiopia, 1935-41”; and Bedross Der Matossian, assistant professor of
history, “Revisiting the Debate about the Concentration Camps during
the Armenian Genocide.”

* 2-4 p.m.: Talks by the following scholars: Hannibal Travis,
associate professor of law at Florida International University, “Not
Yet Forgotten: Genocide in Darfur and Sudan’s Peripheral States”;
Patrice McMahon, associate professor of political science and global
studies at UNL, “Reconciliation after War and Genocide in Bosnia”; and
Chantal Kalisa, associate professor of modern languages and
literatures at UNL, “We Are Rwandan: Performing Trauma and Memory
Transnationally.”

The symposium is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by the
Harris Center for Judaic Studies, with additional support from the
Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs Program and the Department of
History.

From: Baghdasarian

The Times (London), UK
April 6, 2013 Saturday
Edition 1; Ireland

Going to incredible heights to get a photo

A daring photographer captured this image while hanging from a rock
130ft above the ground.

Sam Bie travels around the world in search of crags that will allow
him to capture some magnificent shots.

In his latest set, he followed the climber Alex Chabot, 31, right, to
the climbing sites of Gorni Gorge, above, and Arpa Gorge near Yerevan,
the capital of Armenia.

Mr Bie, 40, likes to vary where he shoots from, but he said that he
preferred to take his photos while climbing alongside his subject.

The photographer, from Laroque, near Montpellier, France, said: “Like
surfers who search for a new wave, climbers seek new cliffs.

“I use tools like the internet, Facebook and Google Earth to find new
cliffs and that’s how I found these beautiful crags. Only a few
inexperienced locals were known to have climbed these basalt cliffs.

“I like to shoot from ropes while climbing, as well as from above the
rocks where I can get some incredible perspectives and see the
climber’s face.

“But what is special about these Armenian cliffs is that from the
ground I can also capture some incredible images.”

Having started climbing in his youth, Mr Bie is also a climbing guide
and has been a professional photographer for 18 years.

From: Baghdasarian

Ottawa Citizen, Canada
April 6, 2013 Saturday
Final Edition

Legendary cymbal-maker Zildjian left mark on modern music

Robert Zildjian, who has died at age 89, was a scion of a family whose
cymbal-making business can trace its roots back to the 17th century
Ottoman Empire.

Many of rock music’s greatest drummers as well as percussionists in
leading symphony orchestras use Zildjian cymbals that bear the
company’s distinctive logo in black calligraphic script. Bob Zildjian
ran the company with his elder brother until the pair fell out and he
went into business on his own.

Their father had moved to the United States from Turkey in the early
1900s, founding the Avedis Zild-jian Company in Boston in 1928. In the
big band era, working with drummers such as Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich,
he developed the modern range of cymbals – hi-hat, crash, ride, sizzle
and so on – that came to define modern drumming and percussion.

Modern cymbals are made using a closely guarded secret process
discovered by one of Zildjian’s forebears, Avedis, an Armenian
alchemist in 17th-century Constantinople. He became Avedis the
Cymbal-Maker (Zildjian in Armenian), producing cymbals renowned for
their clarity, power and sustain.

Robert Zildjian was born on July 14, 1923, in Boston, the younger son
of Avedis Zildjian III and his American wife. Although descended from
10 generations of Armenian cymbal makers, Bob’s father had established
a successful confectionary business before an uncle arrived from
Turkey bringing with him the secret family process in metalworking and
cymbal-making. Together, the brothers set up the Avedis Zildjian
Company.

When he was 14 Bob was apprenticed to his father and learned the
secret process. But the outbreak of war had a dramatic impact on the
business. Metal rationing almost closed the company. Bob Zildjian
enlisted in the U.S. army and served in Europe.

Returning to the family factory after the war, Zildjian developed
export sales. In 1967 Zildjian established a subsidiary called Azco.

But after the death of their father in 1979, the two Zildjian brothers
quarrelled, and it took two years to reach a settlement under which
Armand kept the Zildjian company and Bob got Azco.

In 1981 Bob Zildjian opened a new cymbal company in Meductic, N.B.,
called Sabian – an acronym formed from the first names of his children
Sally, Bill and Andy. Within a few years Sabian was had a third of the
global market.

SHARE YOUR STORY

Our weekly feature is called Life Story, and readers are invited to
submit 600-to 700-word remembrances of those lives.

These should be anecdote-laden personal stories, full of colour and
character, to inform our readers of the special memories and place the
individual had in your life.

The subject of the pieces should have local relevance to Ottawa and
should have died within the previous year. A facial photograph is
essential, as is the phone number and email address of the writer.

From: Baghdasarian

Yura Movsisyan supports Rostov-on-Don Armenians’ decision not to attend match

April 6, 2013

Armenian national football squad and Russia’s FC Spartak Moscow
forward Yura Movsisyan supported the Rostov-on-Don Armenians’ decision
not to attend Saturday’s Russian Premier League match between FC
Rostov and Spartak.

Before the game, however, Movsisyan met with representatives of the
Armenian community of this Russian city, and autographed all sixty
match tickets the Armenians had purchased.

`The current tense situation in Rostov[-on-Don] should not cast a
shadow upon the match. We spoke with Yura and he backed our decision
not to go to the game,’ Sovsport quotes a representative of the
Armenian community of the Russian city.

To note, FC Rostov fan Alexander Terekhov had died on March 28 as a
result of a stab wound. Nika Kharchilava and an Armenian, by the name
of Garegin Mnatsakanyan, are the two suspects that are detained along
the lines of the respective criminal case. And this is why Armenians
in Rostov-on-Don are warned concerning possible provocations against
them.

NEWS.am Sport

From: Baghdasarian

Secretary of Security Council: If mistakes are corrected, Armenia will
hold one of the leading positions in world aviation

ARMINFO
Saturday, April 6, 16:09

After the bankruptcy of Armavia, the national air carrier of Armenia,
the air space of the country should be open for large foreign air
carriers, and this will contribute to liberalization of this direction
in economy, enhancement of competition and, consequently, reduction of
air ticket prices and enhancement of the service quality, Artur
Baghdasaryan, Secretary of the National Security Council of Armenia,
said at today’s press conference.

“LOT Polish Airlines has already expressed its willingness to make
flights from Armenia to Europe and back five times a week. The Russian
air companies will also frequent their flights. But this does not mean
that we don’t take Armavia’s bankruptcy seriously. Armenia should have
a national air carrier, and we should correct the mistakes of the
past. In aviation Armenia has very good and professional specialists.
I think if the mistakes are corrected, Armenia will hold one of the
leading positions in the world aviation”, said Baghdasaryan.

It should be noted, however, that according to the reports in Armenian
media, after Armavia’s bankruptcy Aeroflot (Russia) is going to
increase the ticket prices from Armenia and to Armenia by 80 EUR.

Armavia was founded in 1996. It belongs to Mikhail Bagdasarov,
President of MIKA Limited, one of the biggest entrepreneurs of
Armenia. Armavia made over 100 flights a week to more than 40
destinations in 20 countries of the world. Armavia was the first to
launch SSJ-100. In autumn 2012 Sukhoi Civil Aircraft reported that
Armavia’s debt for SSJ-100 was over $4 mln.

The national air carrier of Armenia stopped its flights on April 1.
“The situation shows that it is impossible to continue the work any
longer, therefore, a decision has been taken to suspend the flights
and launch the process of bankruptcy”, the company reported. Armavia
owes to the Russian airports, Federal Agency for Air Transport
(Rosaviation) and banks. By unofficial data, VTB Bank filed a 22 mln
USD claim against Armavia and MIKA Limited. Earlier the Bank
refinanced the company’s loans received for the purchase of the
SSJ-100.

From: Baghdasarian

Central California Community Connects On Hai Tahd Concerns At ANCA Town Hall

Thursday, April 4th, 2013

ANCA’s William Bairamian and Tereza Yerimyan address the crowd at ANCA
Town Hall in Fresno

FRESNO – Fresno, the epicenter of the California Central Valley, known
as the breadbasket of the United States, is home to one of the oldest
and largest Armenian communities in the country. The birthplace of
Saroyan and the final resting place of national hero Soghomon
Tehlirian, the history of Fresno is intertwined with the history of
the Armenian people. It is also where the ANCA-WR recently hosted an
ANCA Town Hall.

Promoted by the active ANCA-CA Central Valley chapter, the event
successfully brought together community members who were both longtime
activists and newly interested to hear and discuss ways to advance the
Armenian Cause. An open-dialogue, the Town Halls have provided an
opportunity to grassroots supporters of the ANCA to meet and interact
with each other and ask pressing questions integral to continuing
dialogue.

`Our town halls, including this one in Fresno, have allowed us to not
only report to our communities throughout the western United States
about the work of the ANCA but also learn about the readiness of our
community members to use their experience, conviction, and resources
in the furtherance of the Armenian Cause,’ said ANCA-WR External
Affairs Deputy Tereza Yerimyan.

The community in Fresno, one of the oldest and most vibrant, was
invigorated and excited as they left the Town Hall and talked about
their next initiatives that would continue to inspire the community
and continue to make the ANCA the strongest grassroots Armenian
advocacy organization in the United States.

The strong team of activists led by ANCA-CA Central Valley chairman
Paul Jamushian, including Arthur Hampar, Peter Sanikian, Stephanie
Stockdale, Vahagn Bznouni, Sevag Tateosian, Nishan Der Kalustian, Garo
Atikian, Levon Yepremian, and recently hired staffer Marine Vardanyan,
left no question that the ANCA and the storied Armenian community in
the Central Valley has a bright and promising future.

The next ANCA Town Hall meeting will take place in Phoenix, Arizona on
April 7. The ANCA Town Hall meetings are being held across the nation
consistent with the ANCA’s belief in grassroots organizing and
activism.

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.

From: Baghdasarian

Artsakh Hero Laid to Rest

Friday, April 5th, 2013 |

Relatives gather for Hratch Mouradian’s funeral in Proshian

YEREVAN – Artsakh Hero Hratch Mouradian, the mayor of the village of
Proshian who was gunned down in front of his office on Tuesday, was
laid to rest on Friday, with hundreds of mourners gathered at the
funeral.

Armenian police announced Thursday that two people were arrested in
connection with Tuesday’s murder.

A spokesman for the Armenian police told RFE/RL’s Armenian service
(Azatutyun.am) that the suspects are brothers identified as Artak
Petrosian and Arayik Petrosian. They both are residents of Proshian, a
big village just west of Yerevan.

A written statement issued by the police said investigators have
questioned several dozen witnesses and conducted `complex’ forensic
tests in their efforts to identify those responsible for Muradian’s
death.

The Armenian Revolutionary Federation said Wednesday that the shooting
death of one its members and the mayor of the village of Proshian
Hratch Mouradian was politically motivated, citing years of
harassment.

Mouradian, a member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation and an
Artsakh War hero was reportedly gunned down as he was headed to his
office Tuesday and suffered injuries to his right temple.

Mouradian had an exemplary career from the onset of the Karabakh
liberation movement until its end. He was awarded the Military Cross
and several medals for his service to his country and heroism on the
battlefield in Artsakh.

`There was definitely a political subtext,’ ARF Supreme Council of
Armenia representative Armen Rustamian told RFE/RL’s Armenian service.
`The authorities are doing everything to hide that subtext.’

`We have long brought to the authorities’ attention the fact that
there is constant tension around Hratch for a very simple reason: some
people were not interested in the popularity enjoyed by Hratch. The
existence of a mayor not belonging to their party and running a large
community so close to Yerevan kept many people restless,’ said
Rustamian.

Rustamian said that Mouradian was at odds with local activists of the
ruling Republican Party of Armenia and other government loyalists
throughout his eight-year tenure. He said the Proshian mayor received
threats from unknown individuals and faced frequent financial audits
by other higher-level authorities.

`They realized that they can’t do that through elections and switched
to the well-known methods,’ claimed the head of ARF’s governing body
in Armenia.

From: Baghdasarian

EDITORIAL: In Solidarity with the People

Friday, April 5th, 2013

by Ara Khachatourian

The wave of protests has not wanes since the February 18 prsidential vote

The February 18 presidential elections this year coincided with an
important milestone for the Armenian nation. Twenty five years
earlier, almost to the day, hundreds of thousands Armenians took to
the streets in Yerevan and Stepanakert to demand the reunification of
Artsakh with Armenia and set in motion a series of events that can be
attributed to the ultimate collapse of the Soviet Union and the
emergence of our modern-day Republic of Armenia.

It was that will – unwavering and committed – that marshaled all Armenians
around the world to rise up and envelop the people of Armenia to
advance what eventually became the victorious Karabakh liberation
movement and saw the birth of the independent Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic. The people’s right to self -determination prevailed.
The same cannot be said 25 years later. A popular movement that was
sparked as a result of wide-spread voter fraud during the presidential
elections became the rallying cry for the formerly silent majority of
Armenia’s dwindling population who came out in droves to demand that
their voice be heard – their will to determine the future of our nation
prevail.

The 2013 popular movement can be deemed as the people of Armenia
fearlessly shedding the heavy iron curtain of Soviet society and
claiming their rights and demanding a better future for our nation.

The people of Armenia have spoken. Never in the past 20 years has
there been a decisive voice of dissent and dissatisfaction from the
people of Armenia. That voice cannot fall on deaf ears. That voice is
the spark of true – and democratic – regime change. That voice is the free
expression of the aspirations of the people. That voice must become a
call to arms to all Armenians, in the homeland and the Diaspora, to
join, nurture and advance this movement until Armenia is liberated
from the chains of oppression that have been strangling its citizens.

The same Armenian nation that galvanized against 75-years of
oppressive Soviet rule and WON, can-and must be able to-overcome a
group of criminals that have, through intimidation, threats and
fabrications forced themselves upon our people and wreaked havoc on
our homeland.

As Armenians prepare to enter a new phase of this struggle for
democracy, social justice and freedom, all community organizations in
the Diaspora must rally around the people of Armenia and their just
aspirations. At the same time, opposition forces in Armenia to must
come together to embrace the will of the Armenian people and to work
collectively toward concrete reforms.

From: Baghdasarian

Criminal Oligarchy Is Opening Up New Fronts of Violation of Human Rights

Interview with Saro Saroyan, historian, ACNIS expert

Saro, will civil disobedience follow parallel inauguration of Serzh
Sargsyan and Raffi Hovannisian on April 9 or will the wave fade away?

It’s hard to guess the aftermaths of April 9 because tendencies are
not outlining yet to answer your question. Only the intentions of
Serzh Sargsyan’s and Raffi Hovannisian’s teams (recognition of the
election or new election) and expectations (government positions) are
known. Both camps find negotiations as a way leading to the solution
of the problem. However, their expectations are so different that the
current situation is described by uncertainty. The society feels the
uncertainty of politicians and assessment of their attitude is twice
as difficult. Hence, the future of disobedience will depend on the
correlation of the public potential and expectations, their
expectations from politicians.

Will the shadow government discussed at the civil forum be a solution
and gain legitimacy?

It is necessary to find a solution which will put the country on the
path for development with minimum losses. Alternative government,
alternative elections, civil disobedience are the most frequently
discussed mechanisms on the square. However, it is important to pay
attention to the circumstance that they all refuse the strategy of
struggle based on the existing faulty mechanisms established over the
past twenty years. It is early to guess which of these mechanisms will
underlie the new movement. However, there is another way of toppling
the regime which is different from the futile party struggle, and it
has proved effective over the past year. It is possible to achieve
change only if we reject the logic of elections rigged by the regime
and the futile pre- and post-electoral party struggle. The level of
legitimacy will depend on the attitude of the society. There is no
better source of identification of reputation than public confidence
in its decisions and actions. So any public behavior that gets public
confidence and produces results is initially legitimate.

Saro, what change has the civil society undergone?

There is no civil society in Armenia. There are citizens who are aware
of their rights, including scientists, professors, journalists, people
with other professions. We still lack fully functioning institutions.
I mean trade unions, NGOs. Those in place are guided by narrow
interests. Meanwhile, the citizens with legal consciousness are not
united. But this is normal and is explained by conscious and
psychological traits. After all, people also need intrinsic motivation
to unite. As to external signals, it is clear that a maximum number of
citizens must be united by one problem and head towards its solution.
Since the criminal oligarchic regime is the source of all the problems
of our country, its elimination is the focus of the civil society. But
the awareness of the difficulty of this problem repels citizens. The
criminal oligarchy is opening up new fronts of violation of human
rights so I am sure that the importance of this problem will overcome
the awareness of the difficulty of the problem and boost public
resistance.

There is an opinion that civil initiatives are directed by political forces.

There is a natural wish in parties to direct civil initiatives. The
issue is whether the civil initiatives are aware of this and how they
interact with parties. If they know and readily serve the political
parties, they become attachments of political parties. Such civil
initiatives cannot be independent. However, at the same time, it
should be noted that the civil initiatives can interact with parties
to solve the problems they target. It is the most honest way. However,
since the communist traditions are dominant in Armenia, the political
parties, the parties want the civil initiatives to recognize their
dominance. The communist idea is that the political party is the
highest form of association.

Saro, civil activists were more ready to support the post-electoral
movement than the political forces. Why?

Due to lots of circumstances. First, Raffi Hovannisian-civil activists
format. Hovannisian’s image is more acceptable for the civil
activists. Besides, there is a positive experience of cooperation with
civil activists. Most member of the Heritage Party are often at
hotbeds of struggle. We should not forget that Hovannisian has always
supported political and civil unification and as continuation of this
idea during the rallies he announced about the necessity to put aside
party flags.

As to Raffi Hovannisian-poltiical forces format, party interests
clashed. It is a big obstacle to toppling the criminal oligarchic
regime. This lack of unity will follow any movement that will be
guided by political forces for the simple reason that no political
force would wish another political force to come to government in the
result of its struggle. Fragmental interests must be discarded. This
is our way of unification.

Siranuysh Papyan
14:54 06/04/2013
Story from Lragir.am News:

From: Baghdasarian

KARABAGH
Le président du Karabakh discute de la réforme des retraites

Le président du Haut-Karabakh Bako Sahakian a reçu une délégation du
ministère arménien des finances, présidé par le vice-ministre Aramyan
Vardan, pour discuter d’un certain nombre de questions relatives à la
coopération entre les deux Etats arméniens dans le secteur financier.
Une attention particulière a été accordée aux réformes des retraites.

Le président a été cité comme disant que le système de retraite est
l’une des composantes les plus importantes du système de sécurité
sociale, qui touche un certain nombre de facteurs économiques, morales
et éthiques.

samedi 6 avril 2013,
Stéphane ©armenews.com

From: Baghdasarian