Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

BOXE
L’Arménien Arthur Abraham a reconquis son titre mondial des
super-moyens (WBO) hier soir à Berlin
« King Arthur » s’est imposé sur l’Allemand tenant du titre Robert Stieglitz

Hier soir au World Arena de Berlin, l’Allemand d’origine arménienne
Arthur Abraham (32 ans, 35 victoires dont 27 par K.O. et 3 défaites) a
conquis le titre WBO des super-moyens en détrônant l’Allemand Robert
Stieglitz (42 victoires dont 23 par K.O. et 3 défaites) aux points à
l’issue d’un combat en douze reprises disputé devant 10 000
spectateurs et de nombreuses chaînes de télévisions. Ainsi, l’Arménien
Arthur Abraham redevient « King Arthur » chez les super-moyens WBO.
Les trois juges ont donné Arthur Abraham vainqueur (deux fois 116-112
et 115-113). La puissance de ses coups a en effet eu raison de la boxe
plus technique de Stieglitz. Appelé `King Arthur` lors de son règne de
quatre ans chez les moyens entre 2005 et 2009, Abraham a signé sa
35ième victoire pour seulement trois défaites en 2010 et 2011 chez les
super-moyens. Il s’était relancé en janvier dernier en s’emparant du
titre européen vacant des super-moyens qu’il avait défendu deux mois
plus tard sans brio contre le Polonais Piotr Wilczewski. `Je suis très
heureux`, s’est exclamé en pleurant Abraham, qui a bien mieux boxé que
la dernière fois, plaçant de très bons coups tout en tenant son
adversaire à distance. Stieglitz, 31 ans, qui n’a jamais réussi à
prendre l’avantage, a encaissé sa troisième défaite d’un palmarès
comportant 42 victoires.

Krikor Amirzayan

Arthur Abraham s’impose face à Robert Stieglitz
L’Arménien Arthur Abraham champion du monde des super-moyensdimanche
26 août 2012,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

From: Baghdasarian

LA FOI DES ARMENIENS
La cloche de l’église Sourp Guiragoss de Diyarbakir est prête à sonner

La nouvelle cloche de l’église arménienne Sourp Guiragoss de
Diyarbakir fondue à Moscou est arrivée à Diyarbakir. La chaine CNNturk
a dans un reportage affirmé qu’après 97 ans d’inactivité -sans évoquer
le génocide arménien qui fut l’élément principal de cette
interruption- la cloche de l’église Sourp Guiragoss de Diyarbakir
pesant 100 kilos résonnera de nouveau. Après deux ans et demi de
travaux de restauration et 2,5 millions de dollars dépensés, l’église
arménienne rouvrira ses portes pour une messe le 4 novembre prochain.
D’une capacité de 1 400 places assises, l’église Sourp Guiragoss qui
est l’une des plus grandes églises arméniennes par ses dimensions, fut
construite en 1376. Elle se trouve dans l’ex-quartier chrétien de
Diyarbakir car des chrétiens Arméniens, il n’y en a plus depuis 1915.
A noter que 70% des coûts des travaux est supportée par une fondation
arménienne, le reste par la municipalité de Diyarbakir qui entrera
très vite dans ses frais avec les flots de milliers de touristes
Arméniens qui reviendront sur la terre de leurs ancêtres l’espace
d’une messe…

Krikor Amirzayan

L’église arménienne Sourp Guiragoss de Diyarbakir
Cloche de l’église arménienne Sourp Guiragoss de Diyarbakirdimanche 26
août 2012,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

From: Baghdasarian

Mideast Mirror
August 24, 2012 Friday

What worked in Iraq won’t work in Syria

It is clear that the Syrian regime’s use of air power against FSA
forces and other jihadist groups has inflicted large-scale human
losses and civilian damage. It has also allowed the regime to make
progress on the battlefield in light of the fact that the opposition
forces lack antiaircraft weapons. However, talk of imposing a no-fly
zone is one thing, and actually imposing it in these areas is another
matter altogether. What worked in Libya and in Northern and Southern
Iraq before that, may not work in Northern Syria. And, even if it did,
its military and political costs may be huge–pan-Arab al-Quds
al-Arabi

A few days ago, the U.S. Ambassador to Ankara, Francis
Ricciardone…said that talk of establishing a safe corridor is easy,
but actually creating it on the ground faces serious obstacles…these
obstacles are not only logistical in nature. This is because a safe
corridor requires the creation and protection of a no-fly zone. That
would entail a fight with Iran and Russia. The war in and on Syria is
no longer purely a local war. It is a confrontation between Russia and
the U.S. together with their allies. And Turkey simply cannot ignore
this fact… any Turkish military adventure in Syria faces the genuine
fear that numerous volcanoes will erupt in Turkey itself–Mohammad
Noureddin in Lebanese as-Safir

Renewed talk of a no-fly zone in Northern Syria should not lead us to
expect that such a zone will actually be established, says the
editorial in a pan-Arab daily. The international scene surrounding the
Syrian crisis differs radically from that that led to such zones being
established in Iraq and Libya. Turkey’s talk of a humanitarian
corridor in Northern Syria is also unrealistic, argues a Lebanese
commentator. This would require the imposition of a no-fly zone, which
is impossible without greater Western involvement; and the latter is
unlikely in light of Russian and Chinese opposition.

OTHER OPTIONS: “The visible deadlock on the various military fronts
between the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and government forces in the Aleppo
area has begun to push the Western states – particularly the U.S. and
France- to seek other options,” writes the editorial in Friday’s
London-based pan-Arab daily al-Quds al-Arabi.

This comes after the growing criticism of Western reactions from the
Syrian opposition factions, accusing Western governments of abandoning
the Syrian people and their revolution.

There are three major indications that cannot be ignored in this
regard. We should pause to consider them when trying to forecast
potential developments in the Syrian crisis in the coming weeks:

– First, French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian’s interview with
France-24 TV yesterday in which he said that imposing a no-fly zone on
part of Syrian territories from the Turkish borders to the city of
Aleppo warrants further study.

– Second, Italy’s call for an unofficial meeting in Rome, between a
number of allies and states to discuss the post-Assad phase.

– Third, the first meeting between Turkish and American officials to
‘plan operations’ aimed at toppling President Assad’s regime and
coordinate military, intelligence, and political reactions to the
violence in Syria as well as the regime’s threats to use chemical
weapons.

U.S./Turkish intelligence coordination is not surprising. It has been
going on since the crisis began. Similarly, there is nothing new about
Italy’s call for an unofficial meeting by member states of the Friends
of Syria (FOS) grouping. This is a follow-up to similar previous
steps. But what is new is the French defense minister’s views
regarding imposing a no-fly zone on Aleppo and its environs up to the
Turkish border.

It is clear that the Syrian regime’s use of its airpower against FSA
forces and other jihadist groups has inflicted large-scale human
losses and civilian damage. It has also allowed the regime to make
progress on the battlefield in light of the fact that the opposition
forces lack antiaircraft weapons.

However, talk of imposing a no-fly zone is one thing, and actually
imposing it in these areas is another matter altogether. What worked
in Libya and in Northern and Southern Iraq before that, may not work
in Northern Syria. And, even if it did, its military and political
costs may be huge.

When Washington imposed no-fly zones in Northern and Southern Iraq, it
had absolute freedom of action. Russia was passing through a
transitional phase, and China was focusing on its domestic scene at
the time in order to build a strong economy and sought to avoid being
implicated in foreign adventures that would obstruct its economic
development.

It is true that the U.S. imposed its no-fly zones in Iraq without
securing international cover – that is to say, without a UN Security
Council resolution to that effect. But it was assured by the absence
of any Russian or Chinese objections.

The situation may be different in Syria in light of China and Russia’s
absolute backing for the Syrian regime. For this reason, it is not
unlikely that a crisis will break out between the great powers over
this issue that may even develop into a war.

After all, the Russians would be faced with two options: First, to
take direct military action against the no-fly zone; and, second, to
provide the Syrian regime with advanced S-300 antiaircraft missiles to
confront any warplanes that may try to impose the proposed no-fly
zone.

The Western states must be placing such considerations at the top of
their concerns as they study whether to impose such a no-fly zone or
not. But what is also certain is that the West cannot stand aside
silent regarding the prolongation of the crisis in Syria.

“For this reason, we must expect serious developments in the coming
days and weeks,” concludes the daily.

TOP OF THE AGENDA: “The question of imposing a no-fly zone inside
Syria to provide shelter for Syrian refugees is back at the top of the
agenda,” writes Turkish affairs analyst Mohammad Noureddin in Friday’s
left-leaning Lebanese daily as-Safir.

This came after Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu’s statement
that if the number of refugees flowing into Turkey exceeds
one-hundred-thousand, his country would be unable to absorb any more
refugees. Once that happens, a safe corridor should be established
inside Syria.

This recalls a statement he made earlier this year, saying that Ankara
would be unable to absorb more than 50 thousand refugees. At the time,
the number of refugees stood at around ten thousand. At that time as
well, it was evident that the establishment of Syrian refugee camps
inside Turkey was being exploited by Ankara to exert pressure on the
Syrian regime and embarrass it before international public opinion.
For that reason, the Turkish camps became a preferred destination for
international figures and ‘messengers’ such as [U.S. actress] Angelina
Jolie.

The situation worsened in Syria and the number of refugees reached
fifty thousand. According to Turkish estimates, in fact, that number
is now close to seventy thousand. Despite this, no safe corridor has
been established.

Davutoglu’s one-hundred-thousand figure signals that Turkey failed to
promote the creation of a safe corridor or convince its allies, let
alone its enemies, of such an option. Therefore, the
one-hundred-thousand figure is likely to rise to 150 thousand and
perhaps more. And this will have a negative effect on Turkey’s
credibility.

In fact, this confusion reflects an inability to impose such a
corridor, even if the figure were to exceed 100 thousand for the
following reasons:

– First, the Turkish minister himself linked the creation of a safe
corridor to an international resolution, with the UN taking charge of
setting up and supervising the camps. But such a prospect is out of
the question in light of the Russian/Chinese veto.

– Second, Turkey will not venture to establish such a zone alone.
However, it did try to establish an undeclared safe corridor when PM
Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared that his country had ‘changed the rules
of engagement’ with Damascus after the Syrians downed a Turkish jet in
June, and that any Syrian warplane flying up to ten kilometers from
the borders would henceforth be a target for Turkish missiles.
According to Turkish officials, Turkey has succeeded in creating this
zone. As a result, FSA armed elements have managed to move freely in
the border areas near Turkey, but without having safe havens for
refugees.

In fact, it appeared as if that undeclared zone was not intended to
provide shelter for refugees, but to consolidate the deployment of FSA
elements in these areas, as a prelude to declaring them ‘liberated
zones’ areas. However, the recent Syrian attack on I’zaz area, which
is very close to the Turkish borders and within Ankara’s undeclared
ten-kilometer zone, undermines the principle underlying the Turkey’s
‘rules of engagement.’ Ankara did not respond to this Syrian raid.
Some in Turkey explained this by claiming that Erdogan’s government
realizes that the object behind the I’zaz attack was to lure Turkey
into a confrontation with Syria, and that Turkey will not fall into
that trap.

– Third, the truth is that Turkey did not respond to the I’zaz raid,
not because it does not want to be drawn into a confrontation with
Syria, but because it cannot sustain it in the absence of a
Western/NATO – specifically American – decision to that effect.
Washington, however, is still wary of involvement in a military
adventure in Syria with unpredictable results before the U.S.
presidential elections. It fears that that could have a negative
effect on President Barack Obama’s chances of returning to the White
House.

The U.S. administration has confirmed that the establishment of a safe
corridor is not one of its priorities, as U.S. Defense Secretary Leon
Panetta has openly declared. A few days ago, the U.S. Ambassador to
Ankara, Francis Ricciardone, repeated that position when he said that
talk of establishing a safe corridor is easy, but actually creating it
on the ground faces serious obstacles.

– Fourth, these obstacles are not only logistical in nature. This is
because a safe corridor requires the creation and protection of a
no-fly zone. That would entail a fight with Iran and Russia. The war
in and on Syria is no longer purely a local war. It is a confrontation
between Russia and the U.S. together with their allies. And Turkey
simply cannot ignore this fact.

– Fifth, any Turkish military adventure in Syria faces the genuine
fear that numerous volcanoes will erupt in Turkey itself. The first is
Kurdish, and stems from the armed Kurdish factions that have all
threatened Ankara with a bloodbath if it enters Syria. And a second
volcano erupted yesterday, when Armenian circles began moving via the
Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA.) The latter
has had numerous battles with Turkish embassies around the world. It
warned Ankara against entering Syria on the grounds that that would
threaten the [Syrian] Armenian population’s security and integrity.

Similarly, the fact that the spark has moved to the Turkish interior
after the [this week’s] Gaziantep bombing, the Foça bombing in Western
Turkey, and the intermittent but ongoing clashes with the Kurdistan
Workers Party [PKK] in Southeastern Turkey, threatens yet another and
more dangerous front in Turkey.

– Sixth, the fact that public opinion is opposed to a Turkish
adventure in Syria, even if via the gateway of a safe corridor, is not
unimportant. This is not confined to the political opposition, but
includes a large section of the ruling Justice and Development Party’s
[AKP’s] popular base.

“Exceptional and unexpected developments aside, Turkish talk of a safe
corridor will thus remain unrealizable and no more than a tool to be
exploited to pressure the Syrian regime while we wait for the decisive
battle that will finally settle the conflict in and over Syria,”
concludes Noureddin.

From: Baghdasarian

Azerbaijan continues to violate ceasefire regime intensively

13:23, 25 August, 2012

YEREVAN, AUGUST 25, ARMENPRESS: 300 instances of ceasefire violation
by Azerbaijani armed forces was reported at the contact line between
Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan from August 19-25, with 1500 shots
fired from various caliber weapons towards Armenian peace keepers. AS
Nagorno Karabakh Republic Defense Army media and propaganda department
told Armenpress, Defense Army frontier units mainly abstained from
relevant actions and carried out their combat duty along the entire
length of the front line confidentially. As Armenpress reported
earlier within the period of August 5 and 11 the opponent violated the
ceasefire regime about 200 times. Around 1000 shots were fired towards
the Armenian position keepers by various caliber artillery armaments.

From: Baghdasarian

Armenia gave int’l community no cause to question its banking system

CBA issued a response to Reuters article, which claimed Iran expands
presence in Armenian banking system.

Central Bank of Armenia (CBA) Financial Monitoring Center has actively
cooperated with such international institutions as Council of Europe’s
Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering
Measures and the Financing of Terrorism (MONEYVAL) and Egmont Group of
Financial Intelligence Units.
August 25, 2012
PanARMENIAN.Net – As head of the center Daniel Azatyan noted, Armenia
had never been included in Council of Europe’s list of countries
engaged in money laundering, in contrast to Azerbaijan and Ukraine.
Moreover, Armenia’s banking system has always boasted financial
stability, quite strict regulations and good relations with foreign
partners.

The Central Bank of Armenia (CBA) earlier issued a response to Reuters
article, which claimed Iran expands presence in Armenian banking
system, amid international sanctions.

Particularly the activities of Mellat Bank CJSC and ACBA-CREDIT
AGRICOLE BANK were questioned.

`The banks in the Republic of Armenia, operating under the supervision
of the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA), are subject to RA laws, CBA
regulations and internal rules. One of CBA’s supervisory tiers is the
provision of the adequate implementation of financial sanctions
imposed on certain countries under relevant decisions of international
organizations, such as the UN Security Council Resolutions,’ CBA
report reads.

Moreover, conduction of any financial transactions with Iranian
officials included in UN Security Council’s sanctions list is
technically impossible, with the names and lists automated in relevant
programs of all the banks.

Given U.S. and European countries calls upon their banks against
cooperating with Iranian financial institutions, Armenian banks were
forced to halt cooperation with Mellat Bank to maintain ties with
foreign partners.

Meanwhile, Armenia boasts good financial relations with Iran, with
trade cooperation between the two countries requiring cross-border
banking operations.

According to Iran’s leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Armenian-Iranian
annual trade turnover totals about USD 1 bln. Currently Mellat Bank
cooperates with Tehran-based parent bank, servicing trade agreements
between the two states. Maybe ensuring of Egmont Group’s operation by
Armenia and Ukraine stirred up Reuters’ doubts?

It’s noteworthy that CBA sees no reasons for closure of Iranian Mellat
Bank’s Armenian subsidiary.

As to ACBA-CREDIT AGRICOLE BANK’s activity, CBA leadership noted that
Armenian commercial banks conducted no international transactions with
foreign banks for the past 4-5 years.

ACBA-CREDIT AGRICOLE BANK holds no correspondent accounts with banks
and financial institutions in the Islamic Republic of Iran neither in
Mellat Bank, nor in any other Iranian bank.

Victoria Araratyan / PanARMENIAN News

From: Baghdasarian

French new history textbook teaches about Armenian Genocide

12:22, 25 August, 2012

YEREVAN, AUGUST 25, ARMENPRESS: French newly issued history textbooks
comprise Armenian Genocide materials. The author of new textbook
Valerie Perthue, suggested the pupils to draw a new glance to the
history and examine a number of historical events, which are as usual
not included in European school curriculum, Armenpress reports citing
Nouvelles Armenie. Armenian Genocide was aimed at mass massacre by
Ottoman Empire, which in the beginning of the 20th century was drawing
to downfall’ the texbook runs. The authors also included French
history controversial episodes, particularly the facts revealing
cooperation established between French officials , Marshal Peten
and Hitler in the course of Fascist Germany occupation. Algeria
colonization by France as well as decolonization processes are widely
discussed in the new textbooks.

From: Baghdasarian

Turkish vandalism – Turks ruin St Astvatsatsin Armenian Church on Mount Maruta

news.am
August 24, 2012 | 22:43

ISTANBUL. – The roof and part of the entrance of the St. Astvatsatsin
Armenian Church located on the highest pick of Sassoon in Turkey – the
Mount Marouta (Maratoug) (2973 m) – is ruined by a group of unknown
vandals. Head of the Union of Armenians of Sassoon turned to the
local Attorney General’s Office informing that part of the church
entrance and the ceiling were ruined in the period between July 29 and
Aug. 21, Armenian Agos newspaper in Istanbul reports. To note, over
100 Armenians having arrived from Sassoon, Armenia and various parts
of the world went to the church for covenant by climbing the mount on
July 28.

From: Baghdasarian

Serzh Sargsyan’s ‘Tizbon’

Haik Aramyan

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 22:44:55 – 24/08/2012

Serzh Sargsyan’s attendance to the summit of the Non-Aligned Movement
in Tehran has led to controversial opinions. The vice-president of
Heritage Stepan Safaryan, for instance, thinks that Sargsyan’s
participation may spoil our relations with the West and the United
States particularly, considering that the United States has called
these countries not to take part in this summit.

Stepan Safaryan says it is possible that Russia has forced Sargsyan to
go to Tehran though there was a reason not to visit. These non-aligned
countries adopted a provision on Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity in
the last summit. By the way, last year Sargsyan boycotted Chicago
nuclear summit with this excuse. However, there was a credible opinion
that he boycotted not to anger Russia.

What do we have now? Armenia has to conduct a `courtesy’ policy rather
than a foreign policy based on its interests. Courtesy to Russia and
Iran is very important this time. Russia is ready to do anything in
Armenia whenever it is upset and it has a lot of levers for that,
including economic, political, agents, propaganda, etc. And Iran is a
friend whose interests, unlike Russia, are in line with the interests
of Armenia. Besides, unlike Russia, Iran is a real economic and
political partner, and our partnership is based on equality and
`non-compulsion’.

As to the West, there seems to be no matter of courtesy. The West
believes in other principles and culture of relations and will
probably understand this one single visit of Serzh Sargsyan and the
difficult situation he has found himself in. It has been the case
before. Besides, Armenia has a very serious role in further plans of
the West on Armenia and the South Caucasus. The plan will hardly be
reviewed because of one meaningless summit.

Serzh Sargsyan’s situation is different. He rules in a period when the
world undergoes dramatic changes leading new geopolitical arrangements
and configurations. There is an issue of being in line with these
processes and this issue will become increasingly acute. And if so far
there has been room for maneuver, it will be impossible soon, not
because there will be no room to maneuver but because of the nature of
the Armenian way of maneuvering.

One can go anywhere, including Tehran. The agenda and posture is
important. The geopolitical process is irreversible and it is
important in what capacity the country participates in it, an
independent player, partner or a satellite of a great power. When the
country is a player or a partner, it gets a chance to resolve its
problems. In the second case its problems are solved by others without
taking into account its interests. There are a lot of examples on
Russia’s orbit, including the loss of Western Armenia and Karabakh and
Azerbaijan annexed by Azerbaijan.

It is necessary to change the internal political and economic
situation, philosophy of governance, form elite which will be adequate
to the challenges of new times. Otherwise any visit of the rulers of
Armenia to any capital will be the next `Tizbon’ with the miserable
idea of native land and paper ladle. The Armenian political and
economic elite are now incapable of this. Moreover, they are
anti-national by nature and a threat to national security and
sovereignty.

From: Baghdasarian

KCET’s Artbound
Aug 24 2012

Serj Tankian: Where I’m From

by Juan Devis

For Artbound’s “Where I’m From” series, we aim to delve into the
cultural landscape of Southern California through in-depth interviews
with musicians, artists, and other culture creators, exploring the
role that their environment plays, or played, in their creative
development. Through these portraits, we hope to gain exclusive
insights into the interaction between place and imagination. These
videos will attempt to answer the questions: Why here? How did
California become the creative capital of the world?

Can you describe your cultural background, your experience moving to
Los Angeles and how that has shaped you as a person and an artist?

My parents and I migrated here in 1975 at the beginning of the
Lebanese Civil War. There is a good amount of Armenians in Lebanon who
have left and come to the US and other places. There is obviously a
big Armenian population here. So I grew up in the Armenian community
in Los Angeles, went to an Armenian School until end of high school,
and then went to Cal. State Northridge and got a degree from there. I
think growing up in the Armenian community and realizing the kind of
hypocrisy of the denial of a well known genocide within a well-known
democracy kind of made me aware of other things, made me an activist
in life. I said to myself, “How many other things are there that are
denied for political expediency or economic reasons and hidden from
the public because it shoots a certain class of people in this country
or elsewhere in the world?” So that kind of opened me up to many
causes, be they human rights causes, environmental, animal, labor
causes, inequities, injustice. So that’s a big thing for me in my life
is to find ways to create justice – because I think it brings a new
beauty to the world. A new culture.

How would you characterize the culture of the Armenian Diaspora here
in L.A.? Is there a specific culture that can be defined?

The Armenian Diaspora in Los Angeles is from different parts of the
world. A lot of Armenians have immigrated here from Armenia proper,
but there are also Armenians from different parts of the Middle East,
from Iran, from Lebanon and Syria, Jordan and Kuwait, and you name it,
as well as some Armenians from Europe. There are Armenians in Fresno
in Northern California that have been here for a century or more, like
William Saroyan, the known writer from that area and that era. And
there is a good Armenian community in Watertown, Mass. near Boston as
well.

Armenians have things that tie them together. One is the injustice
that’s been done to our people, with 600 years of oppression under the
Ottoman Empire, which is now modern day Turkey, the Armenian Genocide
which has been committed by the Turks, etc. But, you know, there is
the food, there’s the music, there’s the arts, there’s the events, and
a way of living, a lifestyle, and a way of doing things.

How did this experience influence or define the music of System of a
Down? How do you think it was received within your community and here
in L.A.?

I think there is definitely an infusion of melancholy into System’s
music from the beginning that is very much Armenian. You know, it’s
not defined really well, in other words, it’s digested really well.
None of the music that we are influenced by is directly spit out. It’s
more well defined and then presented. But I think there is definitely
an aspect of that in System’s music. In terms of the themes, in my
lyrics, injustice definitely plays a huge role in lyrical output.

I think when System first came out everyone had a tough time
understanding what we were doing, whether it is the Armenian community
or L.A. music community in general. We came in from the left. We
weren’t really in the music scene in any way, and we were just brewing
our own little experiment in the valley and kind of building it up. We
had a warehouse such as this and we would have these friends over for
rehearsal and little parties and build up the interest from people.
And then when we had our first show we actually played at the Roxy in
Hollywood on Sunset Blvd. I was thinking about that driving over here
today is how many musicians in different cities in the world have the
ability to go play a place like the world-famous Roxy, irrespective of
getting discovered or not getting discovered or anything like that. I
think that is really special about Los Angeles is we have a heritage
of rock music, of music in general, and 60s clubs, like all this stuff
that was going on, the entertainment center of the world, both in
terms of music and film, which is very important. All the
collaborations I do, it’s easiest to do them in L.A. because there is
a lot of musicians, a lot of great musicians. I’ve worked with
orchestra players in L.A. that are phenomenal because they do so many
music cues for Hollywood films and jazz musicians, virtuosos, rock
musicians. It is such an amazing place for that kind of collaboration
and for production.

Let’s go back to System and the influence of the Diaspora in your
music. Is there a particular lyric that stands out for you?

There is not a particular lyric that stands out for me. I think it is
a culmination of of a lot of things. And, to be honest with you,
System’s music was never just unilaterally political or social based.
You know, we have a lot of humorous songs and dadaesque things and
philosophies and personal stories intermixed. So it’s a combination of
a lot of these things. But because there are not a lot of artists that
kind of get political with their music and take sides strongly, and
because they always want to walk in the center like politicians so
they don’t lose any of their constituency, which artists shouldn’t
have, artists should have fans and friends, not constituents. I think
we have always taken the stand that we’ve taken and we’ve done it in a
very–this is what we believe, this is what’s in our heart, and this
is what we’re doing, and if you like it, great, if you don’t like it,
great.

So let’s talk a little more about the heritage piece that you’re
talking about. All of a sudden you became part of that heritage. Are
there any particular people within that musical heritage or this sort
of entertainment heritage that stand out for you as influencers in
your trajectory?

There’s a number of bands that we’ve played in in L.A. once we
actually joined the scene and figured out what everyone is doing. We
were those crazy guys coming in from the left going, “What? What the
hell are these guys doing? What are they?” People seemed to be
actually gravitating towards it and coming and we sold out a bunch of
gigs all around L.A., the Roxy, the Whiskey, and Coconut Teaszer, at
the time that was still there, and whatnot. Our influence and our
message and music started to grow and that’s when labels started
noticing and kind of coming in. We signed with American Columbia, at
the time, Rick Rubin’s label. He was very influential, he produced our
first record. So I think that had a huge impact on the industry and on
press. So we did the streets and we were lucky enough to find a great
producer that believed in what we were doing. So that would be
definitely a very important point in a trajectory of the band’s
career. There are many people, obviously that we’ve worked with, from
managers to good lawyers, as well as other musicians that we’ve toured
with. It’s hard to include all of them.

If you look at the past, maybe in the past is there a group of people
or some people that–as a filmmaker or public media producer there is
always those 2 or 3 films or documentaries that I saw that really made
a mark on me.

See, I’m not that way. I have a lot of favorite filmmakers. I have a
lot of favorite artists. I have a lot of favorite genres or music I
listen too. Growing up I was listening to Armenian music, Arabic
music, Greek music, Italian music, French music. Coming to the U.S., I
was listening to disco, 70s, soul, early soul, then goth, and new
wave, and then got into metal, punk, and rock, and hip hop, and death
metal, and noise and then jazz, classical. So to me, I can’t name
specific people that I’m influenced by, whether it is in the music
industry or in the film industry.

Let’s talk about Serj, after System of a Down. What has happened to
you after that? You have had a really dynamic output of work. How was
taking the road solo?

Musically, it was one of the best things I’ve done, going solo and
doing my own thing. I always say, everyone is first a solo artist then
joins a band because if you have nothing to offer a band, you’re not
going to be in one. Obviously I’m known for being in System of a Down
but as a songwriter, I’ve put out three records, a live CD/DVD.with an
orchestra. I’ve toured with the world with my back up band as well as
with 12 or 13 different orchestras around the world. I’ve written
another three or four records that we are releasing between this year
and next year, from rock to jazz to electronic to my first symphony,
which is called “Orca.” My confidence as a composer has really really
increased well and beyond what it was in System. In System, I was
mainly known as a lyricist, a lead singer, which I got a lot of
praise, thankful praise for. But I wasn’t able to express myself as a
composer as much because there were so many songwriters in the band.
So I think that has really taken off for me and I’m very happy about
that. So now I’m scoring videos, starting to get attached to film
project for scoring which I really want to do, probably more than
anything in my life at this point in my life. I got a new record
coming out and all that. But I’m also enjoying touring with System.
That’s the beautiful thing. We’re back in each other’s lives after six
years of hiatus. We toured three continents last year and we’ve played
tighter, better than ever before and had a blast. So I like having it
all. I like doing it all. I like performing with System, performing
with an orchestra, performing with my band guys, doing a jazz project
with Tigran Hamasyan and some of the other friends from the Jazz
record I’m doing, called Jazz-Iz-Christ, that’s going to definitely
piss people off, but that’s good. So I feel great, I feel creative.

You arrived here in 1975. How do you see the Armenian community now
after almost 40 years.

In ’75 there was a very small Armenian community in Los Angeles. Now
it has grown to, I don’t know what the numbers are but it’s pretty
huge. You know, Glendale, Little Armenia in Hollywood, and all over
the valley, and everywhere. It’s probably the biggest, if not the
second biggest, Armenian diaspora outside of Armenia proper. So those
are changes, obviously and massive populations bring changes as well.
In the 70s, I never related Glendale to Armenians, for example because
there weren’t that many Armenians in Glendale. Now obviously there
are. There have been a lot of changes in the community but
specifically, that’s a tough one to decipher.

When I was with Tigran last year, the place was filled and I was like,
oh my god you filled a house. This is fantastic.” He said, “Yeah but
there are too many Armenians.” It made me think, in a sense he didn’t
want to be labeled as the Armenian piano player, he just wanted to be
seen as a piano player and in a way he was making a commentary. It’s
great to have my Armenian fans but…

Have you found yourself kind of struggling with that?

Not really, I mean, people make the assumptions sometime when they
meet me, “oh you’re from Glendale” and I’m like, “No not really.” But
otherwise, I haven’t really struggled with that that much because I
think by the time Armenians caught up to what System of the Down
actually was, the whole world had caught up to what System of the Down
was in some ways. I don’t want to say what it may be in Tigran’s case,
or hypothesize. But Armenians are very proud of System of a Down more
than just in terms of the celebrity aspect of a band that’s taken off
but a band that has represented the justice interests of the Armenian
people. Having to do with the awareness of the Armenian Genocide.

Do you think that new generations of young Armenians that are growing
up here–have you noticed or have you seen any type of how you have
inspired them in some way?

Definitely. I’m asked all the time to go and give lectures and stuff
in schools and universities, Armenian and not Armenian, as well,
actually. Once in awhile, I do, although I don’t want to be a speaker
per se. I like conversing but not speaking on a podium. We’re told,
myself and System, that we’ve had a tremendous impact on inspiring
Armenian youth. People who have gone through a holocaust or genocide,
they are so insecure about their children’s lifestyle that they want
them to be professionals, sometimes correctly, sometimes mistakenly.
The Armenian people are a very artistic people and our heritage has a
lot of music, architecture, and painters, and the Ottoman Empire’s top
musicians, and composers and architects were all Armenians. We kind of
reminded the the youth and the Armenian community here that that is
one of our heritages, that it is okay to do these things and that not
everyone has to be a doctor or lawyer. That’s really interesting as
well, besides the genocide awareness thing for System, I think that
has been an interesting inspiration to Armenian youth.

From: Baghdasarian

Global Insight
August 23, 2012

Strong Armenian Economic Activity Maintained Through July As Trade
Remains in Deficit

by: Venla Sipila

The latest indicator of economic activity published by the National
Statistical Office put Armenian expansion in January-July at 7.7%
year-on-year (y/y), ARKA News reports. This suggests a fairly stable,
strong performance compared with the first-half gain of 7.8% y/y.
Further details given by Deputy Finance Minister Vartan Aramian, the
industrial and agricultural sectors performed particularly well, the
former seeing production increase by 13.4% and the latter by 10.2%
y/y. Aramian further stated that food production showed a particularly
strong contribution. In addition, other National Statistical Office
figures suggest that external trade in July posted a fairly stable
deficit compared to June. Exports for January-July increased by
6.4%y/y while imports gained 13.1% y/y, producing a trade gap of
around USD1.5 billion. This marks widening of 3.2% in annual
comparison.

Significance:While actual GDP growth is likely to prove more modest
than the gain in the activity indicator, developments in the indicator
can be interpreted as sings of overall trends in the economy. The
Armenian economy is currently performing well. Of particular interest
is the information given by Aramian, suggesting that industrial
production growth greatly relied of the food sector. This is positive
news not only because it suggests at least somewhat weaker reliance on
the mining sector, which remains vulnerable to external factors, but
also because it gives hope of lower dependence on food imports.
However, the typically relatively important construction sector has
been contracting according to latest data. In any case, the following
months and quarters should bring some moderation to growth, while the
instability of the external environment marks important risks both to
economic activity and exports. In addition, they indirectly may also
impact imports, given that lower remittance inflows would suppress
supply of foreign currency, leading to dram weakening and a higher
import bill.

From: Baghdasarian