Author: Dabaghian Diana

Lowell Sun (Massachusetts)
April 19, 2009 Sunday

Wilmington High students learn about Armenian Genocide

WILMINGTON — Efforts to introduce an Armenian Genocide curriculum
throughout high schools north of Boston are gaining impetus.

The latest schools to take part are Wilmington and Tewksbury, where
students have immersed themselves in the education process and have
acquired knowledge and understanding of countries, like Armenia, that
have endured massacre and hardship throughout their history.

At Wilmington, juniors and seniors, under the tutelage of Maura Tucker
and Lisa Lucia, are utilizing the text, Facing History and
Ourselves. The semester was launched by a guest appearance from
101-year-old survivor Ojen Mazmanian, who rendered a personal account
of her escape from Ottoman Turkish hordes.

Planting the seed are members of the Armenian Genocide Curriculum
Committee of Merrimack Valley, headed by Dro Kanayan, who laid out the
groundwork at the schools

"Students who participate in this interdisciplinary course will
achieve academic, personal and social growth," Wilmington Instructor
Lisa Lucia said. "Using the Holocaust and genocide as case studies,
students will examine the origins of these atrocities, the role
ordinary students played and what we can do today to prevent these
crimes from happening again."

Maura Tucker, another instructor at WHS, added, "Students will have
the opportunity to reflect not only upon the universality of racism
and social injustice, but also upon the importance of global
awareness. They will use inquiry, analysis and interpretation in order
to confront moral questions imbedded in history and literature."

Appearing before the students were committee members Tom Vartabedian
and Albert Movsesian, who covered everything from the genocide to
history, geography, Armenian community in the U.S., literature and
contributions to world civilization.

The students were also given a lesson on how to interview a
survivor. One project that will be activated is an appeal to the
U.S. Postal Service to commemorate a Genocide stamp reflecting "man’s
inhumanity toward man."

"We will make an appeal to the postmaster general and ever President
Obama if necessary," Lucia said. "The Armenians deserve to be
recognized with a stamp, and we shall empower our youth to step
forward in this mission."

The session ended with students from different ethnic backgrounds
writing a message of good will on the blackboard in their native
tongues.

"The response we’ve gotten from the outside community has been
extremely positive," said Kanayan, a grandson of famed Armenian
fighter General Dro. "We’ll continue to push forward until all the
schools have been contacted."

The newly formed curriculum committee has the support and endorsement
of local churches and organizations, including Armenian legislators
and educators.

CIS MILITARY OFFICIAL DISMISSES FEARS OVER NATO DRILLS IN GEORGIA

RIA Novosti
13:59 | 18/ 04/ 2009

MOSCOW, April 18 (RIA Novosti) – The secretary of the Council of
Defense Ministers of the post-Soviet Commonwealth of Independent
States said on Saturday he saw no reason for uneasiness over NATO’s
upcoming exercises in Georgia.

The Cooperative Longbow 09/Cooperative Lancer 09 command-and-staff
exercise, led by the Western military bloc, will be held from May
6 through June 1 in Georgia, and will not feature light or heavy
weaponry.

"These are not maneuvers, nothing terrible will happen. These will be
procedural drills, procedural exercises," Lt. Gen. Alexander Sinaisky
said on Ekho Moskvy radio. "In a word, this is political demarche on
the part of NATO."

"Notwithstanding the negative perception of Russia, it will take place,
and it is necessary to calmly deal with it," he added, noting that
the exercises were planned before the August 2008 conflict between
Russia and Georgia over South Ossetia.

President Dmitry Medvedev warned on Friday that Russia "will be
closely watching" the drills and will "if necessary, make appropriate
decisions."

"Such decisions are disappointing and do nothing to help restore
full-level contacts between the Russian Federation and NATO," Medvedev
said of NATO’s determination to go ahead with the exercises.

The president of Abkhazia, which Russia recognized as independent from
Georgia along with South Ossetia after the five-day conflict sparked
by Tbilisi’s assault on South Ossetia, said Friday the republic would
hold its own exercises in response.

"The planned NATO exercises in Georgia do not lead to the stabilization
of the situation in the Caucasus," Sergei Bagapsh said. "We observe the
situation in Georgia and we will conduct our own drills in response."

NATO has said Russia would be welcome to join the military exercises
in Georgia, but from every indication the invitation has been ignored
by Moscow.

The drills are aimed at improving interoperability between NATO and
partner countries, within the framework of Partnership for Peace,
Mediterranean Dialogue and Istanbul Cooperation Initiative programs.

A total of 19 countries will be participating in the exercises:
Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Croatia,
the Czech Republic, Georgia, Hungary, Greece, Kazakhstan, Moldova,
Serbia, Spain, Macedonia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Britain,
and the United States.

SPEAKER OF US CONGRESS REAFFIRMS SUPPORT FOR ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RECOGNITION

ArmInfo
2009-04-16 19:17:00

The Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi (D-CA),
has reaffirmed her longstanding support for U.S. recognition of the
Armenian Genocide, stressing her backing for the Armenian Genocide
Resolution, H.Res.252.

In a letter sent this week to constituents throughout California’s8th
Congressional District, the Speaker offered her personalassurance
that she "will continue to support official recognitionof the Armenian
genocide," a crime she described as a "grave injustice" that "should
be officially recognized as genocide."

As Armenian National Committee of America reported, in recent weeks,
growing support for U.S. recognition has been reflected by:

— The steady climb of cosponsors of the Armenian Genocide Resolution,
H.Res.252, among both Democrats and Republicans.

— The unanimous decision by the House of Representatives of Hawaii,
the President’s home state, to become the 42nd to officially recognize
the Armenian Genocide.

— The letter recently sent by the International Association of
Genocide Scholars urging President Obama to honor his pledge to
recognize the Armenian Genocide.

POLK STUDENTS JOIN HOLOCAUST BUTTERFLY PROJECT
By Sarah Stegall

The Ledger
4125021/1338/NEWS08?Title=Students-Join-Butterfly- Project-For-Holocaust
April 13 2009

Decades since Jews who survived the Holocaust were finally released,
students at All Saints’ Academy say that forgetting those who perished
or suffered is never an option.

To keep the memory alive this, 46 sixth-graders in Shelia Reynolds’
English classes are participating in the Holocaust Museum Houston’s
"Butterfly Project."

To remember the children who were lost in the Holocaust, the museum
is collecting 1.5 million handmade butterflies based on a line from
Pavel Friedmann’s Poem, "The Butterfly," to be displayed in 2012.

"I didn’t realize how much they went through and how painful it was,"
said Aislinn Tirney, 11, of Lakeland. "It makes you realize that they
went through all this because of their faith. It’s very sad."

After reading Jerry Spinelli’s book about children of the Holocaust,
"Milkweed," Reynolds had each of her students research the life of a
child who died and decorate the butterflies to reflect the lives of
those children.

The project "made us understand the Holocaust better than any history
book," said 11-year-old Matthew Murphy, of Winter Haven, who suggested
reading "Milkweed" to Reynolds as part of the project.

Reynolds, who found the Butterfly Project on the Internet, said it’s so
important for her students and others to understand what the Holocaust
was about.

After seeing Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor who won the Nobel Peace
Prize winner, and author of the memoir, "Night," Reynolds was changed.

"He says that hate is not the opposite of love, but ignorance
is. That’s what we have to overcome," she said.

Reynolds uses the Holocaust to talk about other situations such as
the Armenian Genocide in the early 20th century and the current war
in Darfur.

"We need to educate as many people as we can about the Holocaust,"
said Evan Budd, 12, of Lakeland.

He said it’s hard to imagine all the terrible things done to the Jews.

For his project, he researched a young Polish boy named Natan Abbe,
who was 15 when Germany invaded.

Evan wrote a poem in the shape of a butterfly about Natan.

As tragic as it was, Evan said, he cannot believe that there are
people who don’t believe the Holocaust took place.

"It was not a hoax," Evan said. "It was inhumane."

Jagger Larson, of Lakeland, decided to make his project a little
different.

Instead of using one butterfly, Jagger cut out many small butterflies
and attached them to a rectangular box.

He then painted two hands on the box, brushing the butterflies away.

"The butterflies symbolize the Jewish people who were trapped in the
camps," said Jagger, 12.

"The hands are shaking them off, setting them free," he said.

On the back, Jagger wrote a letter to Ulrich Wolfgang Arnheim, the
child he researched who was murdered along with his parents in the
Auschwitz death camp.

"Dear friend," Jagger said in his letter. "I know you are one of the
victims of the Holocaust … This is a testament that I will never
forget you."

Holocaust Remembrance Day is April 21.

[ Sarah Stegall can be reached at [email protected] or
863-802-7547.]

ERGENEKON CASE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVE RULE OF LAW IN TURKEY, WIERSMA SAYS

Today’s Zaman
April 13 2009
Turkey

Jan Marinus Wiersma, the vice chairman of the Party of European
Socialists (PES) in the European Parliament, has stated that he sees
the ongoing investigation into the Ergenekon terrorist organization, a
shadowy network charged with planning to topple the elected government,
as an opportunity to prove the prevalence of the rule of law if the
case is handled properly.

The Dutch politician paid a visit to Istanbul to introduce the Turkish
version of the book "Travels to Europe’s Muslim Neighbors: The Quest
for Democracy," which he co-authored with his fellow national Joost
Lagendijk, chairman of the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee and
member of the Greens / European Free Alliance Group in the European
Parliament.

Both politicians are sitting on the European Parliament’s Committee
on Foreign Affairs and are known for their support of the Turkish
bid to join the EU.

Wiersma answered Today’s Zaman’s questions about several different
issues which are closely followed not only in Turkey but also by the
EU, since the two are holding negotiations and envisioning Turkish
membership in the bloc once successfully completed. Among the matters
discussed, Cyprus took the lead since negotiations between the leaders
of the south and north, Dimitris Christofias and Mehmet Ali Talat,
respectively, are continuing and the famous Ergenekon investigation
has spread to the island.

Christofias and Talat have been meeting for talks for more than seven
months to find a solution to the longstanding Cyprus crisis. Wiersma
said the European Parliament is expecting Turkey to recognize the
southern administration of the island as it is a member of the EU
representing the entire island; however, he also stressed that he
understands that Turkey links the recognition of the Greek authorities
with the problems faced in the north by the Turks there. "There should
be more pressure on Greek Cyprus to cooperate," Wiersma explained,
adding that every time the EU wants some improvements for the northern
side of the island, the Greeks insist on recognition of their authority
on the island, which does not lead anywhere.

Asked about what will happen if the talks between the Cypriot leaders
fail, Wiersma said the EU does not have any interest in suspending
talks with Turkey and he does not think that will happen. He added
that the EU’s attitude depends on what Prime Minister Erdogan’s
government does this year as well as what happens in the cases of
the rapprochement with Armenia, the Kurdish issue and the adoption of
a civilian constitution, along with other reforms to be made within
the framework of the accession process into the EU.

On the other hand, Prime Minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern
Cyprus (KKTC) Ferdi Sabit Soyer filed a request last week, demanding
an investigation into allegations against former KKTC President Rauf
DenktaÅ~_ and former Prime Minister DerviÅ~_ Eroglu, leader of the
main opposition National Unity Party (UBP), whose names are mentioned
in the second indictment in the Ergenekon trial. Wiersma told Today’s
Zaman that it is not surprising the Ergenekon investigation extends
to the island given DenktaÅ~_’s links with the ultranationalists and
the army in Turkey.

Further commenting on the Ergenekon trial, Wiersma said the EU
is pleased that Turkish prosecutors are digging up some dirt,
which would not have happened 10 years ago, a situation Wiersma
argued as indicating the progress the country has made. "Besides,
it is an opportunity for Turkey to show that it is a country of the
rule of law," said Wiersma, adding that he does not agree with the
main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) officials over their
claims that the investigation is a scheme of the Turkish government
to oppress the opposition.

The Dutch politician also talked about former Danish Prime Minister
Anders Fogh Rasmussen’s election as the next secretary-general of NATO
and statements made by EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn beforehand
that a Turkish veto preventing Rasmussen’s bid would negatively affect
Turkey’s pursuit of membership in the EU. He said he was never happy
with Rasmussen’s candidacy and that it is not Rehn’s responsibility
to comment about a matter which has nothing to do with the EU or its
enlargement: "We always to try to avoid mixing the EU with NATO,"
Wiersma underlined in reaction to Rehn’s remarks.

Having talked about Rehn’s uneasiness with Turkey’s initial resistance
to Rasmussen, Wiersma touched on the subject of French Minister
of Foreign Affairs Bernard Kouchner saying he no longer supports
the Turkish accession to the EU after the Turkish veto against
Rasmussen. "I find his remarks opportunistic because there are
speculations that he will seek to be the next secretary-general of
the European Council, who will also be EU foreign minister since the
Lisbon Treaty was adopted." Wiersma added that Kouchner’s withdrawal of
support could also be because he may be trying to align himself with
President Nicolas Sarkozy, known for his strong opposition Turkey’s
accession to the EU.

Wiersma is a socialist politician who is normally supposed to have
his best relations in Turkey with the CHP, deemed to follow socialist
ideals; however, he told Today’s Zaman that the party he serves in, the
PES, has better relations with the ruling Justice and Development Party
(AK Party). "For the last six to seven years our relationship with the
CHP has been a very complicated one since it has aligned itself with a
nationalistic agenda and forgotten that it is a social democrat party,"
he explained. Wiersma also said he does not believe that Erdogan has
a hidden agenda in moving Turkey toward becoming an Islamist country.

Examining Bosnia, Egypt and Morocco as well as Turkey in his
aforementioned book, Wiersma argued that the latter is a model of
evolution not only for the other countries analyzed in the book
but also for the entire Muslim world. He stressed that Mustafa
Kemal Ataturk, founder of the Turkish Republic, played a key role
in transforming the country back in the 1920s and ’30s and laid
the groundwork for the possibility of accession negotiations with
the EU. But ironically, if he was the president of the country now,
Wiersma said, and ruled the country as he had ruled it 80 years ago,
Turkey would not be continuing talks with the EU.

For the information of Turkish readers, the book, written by Dutch
members of the European Parliament, is published in Turkish with the
title "Avrupa’nın Musluman KomÅ~_uları."

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT ARRIVES IN TEHRAN

IRNA
Apr 13, 2009

Tehran, April 13, IRNA – Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan heading a
high ranking politico-economic delegation arrives in Tehran on Monday
and was welcomed by Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki.

The Armenian president is in Iran on an official two-day visit and
is to confer with high ranking Iranian officials on expansion of
mutual relations.

The Armenian president is to meet with the Supreme Leader of
the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad and a number of other high-ranking officials.

He is also expected to meet Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani and Secretary
of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Saeed Jalili.

The Armenian president and his entourage are to discuss expansion
of mutual relations, regional as well as global developments with
Iranian officials.

During his stay, the draft of a memorandum of understanding (MoU)
on railroad cooperation is expected to be finalized by the two sides.

Gayané Khachaturian: Dreams in the city of dreams
by Edward Balassanian

aturian-dreams-in-the-city-of-dreams
Published: Friday April 10, 2009

Yerevan – Of 8 million Armenians around the world, 5 million live
outside the present-day Armenia. The Armenian diaspora is culturally
very rich and diverse. Artists such as painter Arshile Gorky (USA),
seascape painter Hovhannes Aivazovsky (Russia), cinematographer Sergei
Parajanov (Georgia and Ukraine) are among many prominent names of the
international art scene that are from Armenian diaspora. Gayané
Khachaturian, albeit less known, rightfully belongs to this group. She
was born in Tbilisi, Georgia, and lives and works there to date.

Gayané Khachaturian’s works are distinctly allegoric. They are
inundated with colorful and rich collection of symbols referring to
unending parables and metaphors from her personal past and her
collective memories of the Armenian community of her native town. Her
colorful canvases are reminiscent of such world masters as Marc
Chagall, Arshile Gorky, and even Hieronymus Bosch of a much earlier
era. Chagall spoke of the lives, trepidations, joys, and grief of his
people in the "Old Country" in a representational manner. Arshile
Gorky expressed the same in an abstract style – witness his "How My
Mother’s Embroidered Apron Spread in My Life" painting. Gayané is as
much as story-teller as Chagall, as abstract in the use of colors and
forms as Gorky, and as intriguing in concept and composition as
Bosch. On an occasion she has said that many of "the stories" on her
canvases are influenced by the tales of her grandmother. Her works are
"theatrical." The distinct influence of her contemporary,
cinematographer and accomplished painter Parajanov is clearly evident.

Gayané Khachaturian has been selected to represent Armenia because she
is one of the important links on the chain stretching from the depths
of history – Armenian illuminated manuscripts of the Middle Ages – to
the present day. Colors, composition concepts, and the "story-telling"
are all in concert with the roots, and branches of the same tree. It
is noteworthy that the selection of Gayané Khachaturian independently
has coincided with the 53rd Venice Biennale Director and Curator
Daniel Birnbaum’s intent to "explore strings of inspiration that
involve several generations and to display the roots as well as the
branches that grow into a future not yet defined".

There is a wealth of Armenian artists – Gorky, Yervand Kochar,
Martiros Sarian, Minas Avetissian, and others – who tie Armenia to its
past and form the source and the basis whence contemporary Armenian
art feeds and on which it lays its foundation. Gayané Khachaturian is
one of the few artists still living who belong to and represent this
invaluable "procession" of treasures.

Republican Party MP Galust Sahakyan – `People should stay clear of reporters’

2009/04/10 | 14:33
important politics
Shushan Stepanyan

At today’s parliamentary press briefing deputies commented on police
actions that dispersed people and reporters who have been assembling
along Northern Avenue.

The police have been reported to having used physical force to
disperse those who gather at the spot.

Heritage Party Deputy Zaruhi Postanjyan believes that the police are
operating outside the law and that the heavy-handed police actions do
not correspond to the situation on the ground. `I witnessed ten people
being taken to jail. The police gave to legal justification for their
actions. In essence, these people were illegally detained for three
hours.’

Rule of Law Party Deputy Heghineh Bisharyan commented that, `I heard
about the incident yesterday. If people are assembling peacefully and
demonstrating without causing a public disturbance, then I protest any
such action to disperse and detain them. I don’t care who they are.’

ARF Deputy Vahan Hovhannisyan stated that there is no state of
emergency rule in the country and that there is no reason for it to
exist. `As to what happened the other day at Northern Avenue, I’m
hearing about it from you. I really don’t think what happened was such
a big deal that everyone should have heard about it. Bringing it up at
the briefing is just a way to blow-up its importance.’

When asked by reporters if he listened to the radio or read the papers
Mr. Hovhannisyan replied, `I don’t have the day to spend all day
listening to the radio or reading the papers.’

His party colleague Artzvik Minasyan noted that restricting one’s
right to free speech or movement should be condemned.

Prosperous Armenia Party Deputy Naira Zohrabyan stated that she was
concerned, especially regarding the case of reporter Davit
Jalalyan. `I know him and can’t picture him involved in any
disturbances or law-breaking.

Armen Ashotyan spoke with the police chief about the incident. The
chief replied that it was a misunderstanding.’ She added that within
the confines of the law people had the right to demonstrate.

In the words of Republican Party stalwart Galust Sahakyan, `I’d urge
people to treat the police with a bit more tolerance. The role of the
police is to be present when mass public functions take place. As to
what happened to the reporter, all I can say is that they are capable
of doing anything, even setting traps. People should stay clear of
reporters. If you see one approaching, run away. Mass meetings must be
organized in the correct manner. And if they are directed against the
authorities, one must respect the uniform of the police. This is what
the law sets out to do. When protestors put forth their demands with a
degree of moderation it is our government that benefits.’

PanARMENIAN.Net

IMF, Armenia may discuss extra financial assistance
11.04.2009 11:47 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan met with
director of IMF Middle East and Central Asia Department Masood Ahmed
to discuss the current economic situation in the republic and ways to
overcome the consequences of the global financial crisis.

At the guest’s request, PM briefed on Armenia’s economic
development. He also said that Armenia and the World Bank have reached
an agreement on formation of a working group on development of
macroeconomic forecasts.

For his part, Mr. Ahmed appreciated the measures Armenia undertook to
secure financial stability and floating currency rate. He also said
that in the near future the IMF will discuss the possibility of
rendering extra financial assistance to Armenia.

TRIBUTE TO WILSONIAN ARMENIA
By Zain Shauk

Gkendale Newspress
1273_4/8/2009_1
Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Descendant and library curator speaks about President Woodrow Wilson’s
aim of self-governance

GLENDALE–A tribute to former President Woodrow Wilson drew more than
50 visitors to the Glendale Public Library to hear about his role in
drawing the borders for an independent Armenian nation.

Wilson’s great-great-grandson, Donald Wilson Bush, and the curator
of the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library in Staunton, Va., Jarod
Kearney, were on hand Sunday to speak about the late president’s push
for an independent Armenia.

Wilson drew a map of the Armenian territories as part of a peace treaty
in 1920, after the demise of the Ottoman Empire following World War I,
Kearney said.

But within three years, Turkey claimed some of that territory by force,
and the land was included as part of the country in a treaty signed
in 1923, said Michael Sosikian, president of the Defense Council of
Western Armenia, which hosted the event.

Since then, Armenians have been pushing for international recognition
of "Wilsonian Armenia," Sosikian said.

The presence of the two guest speakers was an indication that Armenians
are not alone in pushing for the expanded borders to be realized,
visitors said.

"It’s a validation, if you will," Woodland Hills resident Vatche
Kasparian said.

Wilson’s push for Armenian independence went along with his ideals,
Kearney said.

"Woodrow Wilson was not only a key player in [the Armenians’] process,
but a champion of self-determination," he said.

Wilson believed that people should be able to rule themselves,
a motivating factor behind his drawing of Armenia’s borders and
his efforts to move people around the world from colonialism to
independence and pushing for "a new world order," Kearney said.

The late president was "idealistic" at times, and some of his goals
did not pan out, Bush said, but he was a "visionary."

Bush acknowledged the host organization’s continuing struggle for
an expanded Armenia and opened his remarks with a declaration of
solidarity.

"I am here tonight to support your cause," he said.

He hoped that President Obama would be able to facilitate a dialogue
between Armenia and Turkey to move toward expanding the Christian
nation.

Bush also voiced admiration for the peaceful push for land rights
made by Armenians, even as marginal progress has been made.

"I’ve been watching you closely for the past decade, and I still
don’t know how you do it," he said.