Author: Emil Lazarian

THE INDEPENDENCE DAY BELONGS TO THE VICTIMS
A1+
[04:24 pm] 20 September, 2006
“This is a political movement the aim of which is to clear the country
of garbage”, announced commander of group “Artsakh” Miqael Apresyan in
club “Pastark”. He also informed those present about the formation of
the “Armenian Volunteers Movement”. The authors of the initiative are
commanders who participated in the Karabakh war – Arkadi Karapetyan,
Manvel Eghiazaryan, Voskan Gyulumyan and others, who are concerned
about the fate of the country and especially about the settlement of
the Karabakh conflict.
“They are speaking about giving territories. They have forgotten
that we have given 12 thousand lives in order to liberate those
lands. During the war we never spoke about liberating them in order to
give them to Azeris later. How shall we look into the eyes of those
12 thousand soldiers? The Independence day belongs to those who are
not with us today”, commander of group “Artsakh” did not even try to
suppress his anger.
The commanders were also angry with the speeches delivered during the
third conference “Armenia-Diaspora” which do not correspond to reality.
“Look at their plump faces talking about the reduction of poverty! The
Prime Minister announces that the poorest regions are the villages. How
come the peasants working from morning till night and they are still
the poorest? ”
According to Mr. Apresyan, part of the liberated lands is not populated
because of the indifference of the authorities, “They speak about
giving lands so often that the population of Qelbajar thinks about
leaving those territories. The same situation is present is Lachin”. He
is convinced that if conditions are created, Armenians who came to
Armenia from Lebanon and Syria will be glad to go and live there.
The members of the movement were concerned about the fate of the
Armenians in Lebanon. “There are 120 thousand Armenians in Lebanon. The
realization of a peace-keeping mission in Lebanon is extremely urgent.
Turkey has already sent 100 thousand soldiers to Lebanon who will be
allocated in the Armenian districts. This means we are facing a new
danger”, Miqael Apresyan said.
By the way, the members of the “Armenian Volunteers Movement” announced
that they will not participate in the coming elections. They have
not decided whom they will support either.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ONLY ONE MEDAL
A1+
[01:25 pm] 20 September, 2006
The European chess youth championship finished in Montenegro. Of all
the 17 representatives of Armenia only 17-year-old Zaven Andreasyan
won a medal. He took the second place with 6.5 points in the age
group 16-18.
Avetiq Grigoryan took the 8th place in the same group with 6
points. Samvel Ter-Sahakyan took the 6th place with 6.5 points in
the age group 12-14.
As for the girls, the best result was shown by 10-year-old Susanna
Gaboyan. She took the 7th place with 6.5 points.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIANS CAN PARTICIPATE IN THE 2008 DIVERSITY VISA LOTTERY PROGRAM
A1+
[02:51 pm] 20 September, 2006
Applicants are encouraged to apply early in the two-month registration
period
Washington — Registration for the United States’ 2008 Diversity
Visa Lottery program (DV-2008) will be held October 4 to December 3,
the State Department announced September 19.
Applicants whose names are selected randomly will be eligible to
apply for one of 50,000 permanent resident visas made available
annually to persons from countries with low rates of immigration to
the United States.
The 2008 lottery will mark the fourth year in which the registration
process has been conducted entirely via the Internet. Persons
seeking to enter the lottery program must register online through
the designated Web site (), and digital photos
must be submitted with the registration form. Paper entries will not
be accepted, according to the DV-2008 instructions.
Natives of the some countries are not eligible to apply because
those nations sent a total of more than 50,000 immigrants to the
United States over the previous five years: Brazil, Canada, China
(mainland-born), Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti,
India, Jamaica, Mexico, Pakistan, the Philippines, Peru, Poland,
Russia, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its
dependent territories, and Vietnam. Persons born in Hong Kong SAR,
Macau SAR and Taiwan are eligible.
Registration is free. The State Department will notify winning entrants
for the 2008 lottery by mail between May 2007 and July 2007.

PRESS RELEASE
Shushi Music School Society
6000 Topeka Dr.
Tarzana, CA 91356
Contact: Hrayr Khanjian
Tel: (818) 577-8480
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
September 19, 2006
Shushi Music School Society’s Third Annual Summer Camp a Success
The Shushi Music School Society was established in 1994. Its Mission
is to support the Daniel Ghazaryan School located in Shushi, in
the heart of Nagorno-Karabagh. This institution, with a current
student enrollment of 100, provides superior academic and music
instruction. The Society’s goal is to prepare the future intellectuals
and leaders of Shushi, once a vibrant cultural center of Artsakh.
With years of arduous work, and after surmounting many obstacles,
the Society was able to completely renovate the main building of the
school, where all the academic and music instruction takes place,
and construct a basketball court, a soccer field, a playground, a
concert hall, a library, a computer laboratory and cafeteria. This
was accomplished thanks to the support of various individuals and
organizations in the Diaspora who believe in the importance of the
existence of such an institution in this war devastated area.
The first summer camp was held in 2004. It generated so much enthusiasm
among the children of Shushi and the volunteers from Los Angeles
who helped to organize it, that the Board of Directors of the Shushi
Music School Society decided to make it a yearly event.
Summer Camp 2006 was held from July 10 to 18. A total of 14 volunteers
from Los Angeles, some high school students and some college students,
led the various daily activities for the 80 camp participants.
For some, this marked their second trip to Shushi.
Once again, the travel expenses of many of the student volunteers
were subsidized by various individuals and businesses in Los Angeles.
Daily activities at the camp included the traditional clinics and games
in basketball, volleyball and soccer, classes in English language,
computers, arts and crafts, and dance.
This year, a nurse and a dentist from Los Angeles accompanied the group
of volunteers to provide health services to the children of Shushi.
Most camp attendees received eye vision screening tests. Some of the
children were taken to Stepanakert to have prescription glasses made,
thanks to the generosity of our volunteer nurse. Lice checks were
performed and instructions on how to prevent lice were provided to
the parents.
The children also received free dental care by our volunteer dentist
who was given the opportunity to use the only dental clinic in Shushi,
which is fully sponsored by the Armenian Canadian Medical Association
of Ontario (ACMAO). She also gave a presentation on the importance
of maintaining proper oral hygiene.
Moreover, each camp attendee received toothbrushes and educational
pamphlets on dental care.
The summer camp is truly a source of joy and entertainment for the
children of Shushi who are given the opportunity to participate in
well organized activities and to further their knowledge in specific
areas. It provides them with the much needed change from the challenges
they face daily due to the economic constraints of the region. It is
also an invaluable life-altering experience for the young volunteers
from Los Angeles who undoubtedly are impacted by the chance they are
given to help and make a difference.
Tro DerSarkissian, a senior student attending Crescenta Valley High
School, who also participated to summer camp ’05, thus describes
the Daniel Ghazaryan School and its surroundings: “You’re driving
through war-torn streets with broken down homes and main streets that
require off-road vehicles to pass through. You see several wide-open
manholes that young children play alongside of. You ask yourself a
second time why you actually came here. Then, from the bottom of the
street, a mystical tune waves through your ears and reminds you of
what you’re actually here for. The walls of Daniel Ghazaryan School
of Music resonate to the harmonious sounds of Shushi’s youth. That’s
what I’m here for.”
Sophomore UCLA student, Paleny Topjian, who gave instruction in
English and dance, gives the following description of her students:
“As young Armenians, interacting with the children inevitably stirs
up emotions in us. We see in them a thirst for knowledge, which
is unfortunately limited to them in so many ways. There is so much
talent hidden between the broken buildings and roads, that it fills
me with great joy to be able to provide an outlet for their creative
and intellectual abilities.”
Maral DerSarkissian, a sophomore student attending U.C. Berkeley,
and who also volunteered her time to this project last year, reflects
on her last day in Shushi: “I will never forget the tears a child
cried the night before we left for Yerevan. His tears ushered forth
our own tears and staggering aches in our hearts. Knowing that you
can affect a child that deeply is worth more than words can tell.
We found new brothers and sisters in Shushi, and left them with
promises of our return. More than that, though, I think we all left
a piece of our hearts in Shushi.”
For Terenig Topjian, a senior student enrolled at Cal State Northridge,
the summer camp experience was different from his many previous trips
to the Homeland. “My experience with this group was far different
in nature from my previous visits, which consisted of leisurely bus
rides to the routine tourist destinations. For about a week and a half
we interacted with the children of Shushi. We lived in the same war
torn city that these children grew up in.
We worked with them, played alongside them, and at the last day of the
camp we danced with them during the “khurakhjank.” Such an experience
brought us much closer to understanding what life is truly like for
most of our fellow Armenians, something that no tour organized by a
travel agency and that no amount of sightseeing or brief encounters
with locals could give. Every Armenian should give himself or herself
the opportunity to leave the more visitor friendly streets of Yerevan’s
“Gendron” and get involved in one of the many voluntary, hands on
programs dedicated to serving the vast array of needs of the people
of Armenia.”
On the final day of camp, the children and volunteers gathered in
the school’s Concert Hall. In her opening remarks, the school’s
principal, Mrs.
Gohar Mkrtchian, welcomed the guests and thanked the volunteers for
their time and effort. The spectators were then able to enjoy vocal
and dance performances, taught to the children during the week long
camp. In the second part of the program, the gifted students of the
Daniel Ghazaryan School demonstrated their outstanding skills in
music, by performing various traditional Armenian selections.
The Shushi Music School Society’s Board of Trustees would like to
thank all those individuals who have supported the organization’s
endeavors to date. For more information regarding the Society’s various
undertakings, including additional pictures about the summer camp,
or to make a tax-deductible donation for a specific project, you may
contact the Society by visiting its website at
or by writing to
Shushi Music School Society
6000 Topeka Dr.,
Tarzana, CA 91356.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

LAST IN 2006 TRAIN FROM RUSSIAN BASE LEAVES GEORGIA FOR RF
ITAR-TASS
19.09.2006, 11.22
TBILISI, September 19 (Itar-Tass) — The last in 2006 train loaded
with military hardware and weapons from the Russian military base
deployed in Akhalkalaki left the Georgian district center of Tsalka
for Russia on Tuesday, a representative of the command of the Russian
military base in Akhalkalaki told Itar-Tass.
The train will bring to Russia three tanks, one field laboratory,
380 tonnes of ammunition and 11 anti-aircraft mounts ZU-23.
Under the agreements the local law enforcement agencies ensure security
of the trip in Georgia, and the local authorities – in Azerbaijan.
Representatives of the command of the Russian troops in the
Transcaucasia, law enforcement agencies in Georgia and Azerbaijan
took part in the farewell ceremony of the last train in 2006 from
the railway station of Tsalka.
The first train with military hardware and weapons from the Russian
military base in Akhalkalaki was dispatched to Russia on May 15. Army
convoys gradually delivered some military hardware and weapons from
the Russian base in Akhalkalaki to another Russian military base in
Gyumri, Armenia, from May 18 till August 17, 2006. “Military hardware
and weapons from the base in Akhalkalaki were withdrawn as scheduled
this year, the greater part of military hardware and weapons were
withdrawn,” a source in the Russian troops in the Transcaucasia said.
Wheeled vehicles and the remaining property should be withdrawn from
Akhalkalaki next year. The base will be closed by October 1, 2007. The
withdrawal of military hardware and weapons from the Russian military
base in Batumi will continue in 2007.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TURKIC WORLD GOING TO SOLVE CYPRUS AND KARABAKH PROBLEMS
PanARMENIAN.Net
19.09.2006 16:03 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “Turkic world will further make steps aimed at
solution of the Cyprus and Nagorno Karabakh issues,” Turkish PM Recep
Tayyip Erdogan stated at the 10th Congress of Turkic-Speaking Countries
in Antalia. In his words, “up to today the Turkic world has done joint
steps in that issue and it will continue these.” “It is necessary to
make joint efforts in Cyprus and Nagorno Karabakh issues,” Erdogan
underscored, the Zaman writes.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIA PASSED 15 YEARS WITHOUT SHOCK
PanARMENIAN.Net
19.09.2006 16:28 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Within 15 years of independence Armenia was able
to pass a long way of development, a way without serious upheaval,
as different from Georgia, head of the operation on liberation of
Shushi, major general Arkady Ter-Tadevosyan stated.
“However, as different from neighboring states, we do not have
friends. Azerbaijan has allied Turkey, which provides much assistance
to it. We were and we remain solitary. Only our Diaspora helps
us. The Armenian people are creators, and it relies only on itself,”
he remarked.
In the general’s words, one of the major achievements of independent
Armenia is creation of strong, efficient army, which is the most
powerful in the region. “Azerbaijan constantly speaks of high rate of
development of economy, threatens us with increase of its military
budget, however the budget size does not decide everything and I do
not trust Baku official numbers. At that it should be understood
that Baku does not stay idle and prepares to a war. However, I am
convinced that in the coming few years hostilities are unlikely in
the conflict zone, as our army excels the Azeri one in alertness,”
Ter-Tadevosyan underscored, reports IA De-Facto.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ROGER LIEBERMAN: DIALOGUE ON THE TWO WORLD SYSTEM
By Roger H. Lieberman
Palestine Chronicle, WA
Tuesday September 19, 2006
It is essential to reflect on this background before one can comprehend
the widespread outrage at Pope Benedict XVI’s remarks in Germany.
Imagine, for a moment, how much more enjoyable and tranquil our
lives might be today had the US government pursued a thoughtful,
prudent response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Such
a response would, I believe, have rested on two essential elements:
the formation of an international coalition to neutralize al-Qaeda
and bring its leadership to justice, and a sweeping reform of US
Middle East policy to redress the grievances that had kindled the
hatred which inspired 9-11. The paramount aspects of the latter would
have been ending the Clinton Administration’s pointlessly callous and
horribly destructive embargo against Iraq that had cost the lives of
hundreds of thousands of children, and reframing America’s stance on
the Israel-Palestine conflict to recognize the complete equality of
both peoples’ rights in the Holy Land.
There is no reason why any US administration, even a conservative
Republican one like that of George W. Bush, could not have pursued
such policies, given sufficient common sense and decency. But
these qualities, alas, were altogether lacking in the power-crazed
neoconservative ideologues that the President had most unwisely filled
his cabinet with.
Thus, the Bush Administration opted instead to exploit the public’s
anger and fear as a license to embark on a ruthless expansion of US
military power aimed at tightening control over the resources of the
Middle East and Central Asia – buttressed at home by a torrent of lies,
propaganda, and political mud-slinging. And so we find ourselves five
years later with America and the Muslim World more estranged than
ever, and with nearly 3000 US troops, thousands of Afghans, and at
least 100,000 Iraqis dead who would otherwise be among the living.
It is essential to reflect on this background before one can comprehend
the widespread outrage at Pope Benedict XVI’s remarks in Germany
concerning the alleged philosophical differences between Islam and
Christianity. This is the second time this year that unkind references
to Islam from a Western source have elicited violent Muslim protests –
the first being an offensive cartoon published in a Danish newspaper.
Many American observers, not predisposed to thoughtful reflection,
simply take such happenings as vindication of their prejudices.
But such self-congratulatory hubris ignores the unfortunate and
abiding reality that the depiction of Islam as “irrational” and
“violent” represents far more than a theological rumination. On the
contrary, it has been the singular ideological driving force behind
America’s vicious post-9/11 Middle East policy – the “clash of
civiliations” doctrine dispensed like snake oil by neoconservative
quacks, ever since the collapse of the Soviet bloc necessitated the
concoction of a new rationale for maintaining a military industrial
complex. Thus, when the Pope expounds on the “logical” underpinings
of the “Judeo-Christian” West in contrast with the Islamic world,
even as an aside, he is sending the message to all concerned that he
sympathizes with a conceited ideology that has engendered widespread
death, destruction, and misery on multiple occasions.
Benedict’s casual reference to the polemics of a late-14th century
Byzantine emperor engaged in a war with the Turks taps into a long
tradition of Orientalism – the pseudo-scholarly study of Asian
societies that rests on the premise that they are built on moral
and philosophical foundations radically different from those that
inform the cultures of Europe and their derivatives. Ever since the
Crusades of the Middle Ages, Western rulers have encouraged such
propaganda during conflicts with Asian nations as a means to squelch
self-reflection and promote unthinking patriotic obedience among
their subjects.
Yet, it would not take long for a good fifth-grade schoolmarm to
deconstruct this obtuse theory via a brief walk through history.
The Byzantine Empire, as any honest historian knows, was hardly
a paragon of religious tolerance and logical governance. From the
moment Constantine I ascended the throne and wed Christianity to the
remnants of Roman political power, Christians whose interpretation of
scripture did not conform to state-sponsored dogma were persecuted –
particularly the Gnostic sects, whose writings, such as the recently
discovered Judas Gospel, continue to fascinate historians. Jews
were subject to severe restrictions on their social status, and,
in Constantinople, were ostracized into a ghetto. In the political
realm, corruption, intrigue, and murder were commonplace.
Looking at the wider Western world of the late Middle Ages and early
Renaissance, one finds little evidence of morally-conscious rulers
seeking to reconcile faith and reason. Consider the trouble men like
Copernicus and Galileo encountered when they sought to challenge the
Church-sanctioned conception of a changeless universe centered on a
motionless Earth. An Italian philosopher, Giordano Bruno, was burned
at the stake for teaching Copernican theory and speculating about life
on other planets. And, as astronomer Carl Sagan pointed out in one of
his wittiest books, Pope Calixtus III actually excommunicated Halley’s
Comet in 1456 because its appearance in the night sky coincided with
a major Turkish offensive in the Balkans – although, as Sagan points
out, its prior adherence to Catholicism was uncertain!
As for “conversion by the sword”, it is difficult to think of worse
examples than those provided by Christian Spain in the 15th and 16th
Centuries. The subjugation of the Canary Islands and its indigenous
Guanches inaugurated this onslaught. Every high school student who pays
a modicum of attention in class knows about the ruthless expulsion of
Jews and Muslims in 1492 after the marriage of Ferdinand and Isabella
unified Castille and Aragon. That year, of course, is also famous
for Columbus’ arrival in the Americas – initiating one of the most
rapid and destructive campaigns of conquest in history. Within fifty
years, the Arawaks of the West Indies were virtually extinct, the
ancient civilizations of Mexico and Peru lay in ruins, and millions
of indigenous Americans had perished from disease, starvation, and
slave labor.
When the conquistadors of Francisco Coronado came upon pueblos in the
American Southwest, a decree was read aloud in every town demanding
the inhabitants embrace Christianity or be exterminated!
Now that we have examined some of the less admirable episodes in
the annals of Western civilization, let us pause to recall some of
the achievements of Muslim lands during the same period. It is a
well-known fact that Arab and Persian scholars not only preserved
and translated the learning of classical Greece, but also greatly
improved upon the Greeks’ understanding of mathematics, geography,
medicine, and astronomy. The golden age of Moorish Spain boasted
many esteemed Jewish, as well as Muslim, scholars – including Hasdai
ibn-Chaprut and Maimonides. When Constantinople fell to the Muslim
Turks in 1453, its Jews were emancipated, and many Sephardic Jews
fleeing the Spanish Inquisition in later years found refuge in the
Ottoman realm – including Palestine. The cities of the classical
Muslim world, from Cordoba to Cairo to Damascus to Baghdad, were
revered throughout Eurasia as centers of learning and commerce.
But before we rush to dismiss Pope Benedict’s recent homily outright,
we must also examine the acts of intolerance and violence which
important Muslim societies have unquestionably committed. Although
Moorish rule in Spain was generally characterized by respect for the
rights of Jews and Christians, it also witnessed episodes of severe
religious persecution – particularly under the fundamentalist Berber
Almoravids. The people of Nuristan, on the northeast Afghan frontier,
were indeed forcibly converted to Islam little more than a century
ago. There is little to praise in the Ottoman Empire’s oppressive
rule over predominantly Christian lands such as Greece, Serbia,
and Bulgaria, where teenage boys were regularly conscripted into the
Turkish army as janissaries.
Moreover, the violent collapse of Ottoman rule during the First World
War witnessed the genocidal massacre of Armenians – a crime against
humanity as grave as the Jewish Holocaust which modern Turkey,
a long-time US ally, continues to stubbornly deny in the face of
indisputable facts.
There is a lesson to be learned here by all humanity – that the
true dividing line in human affairs is not between East and West,
or whites and non-whites. It is between those who recognize that
all cultures – including their own, have the capacity for both the
profoundest enlightenment and the basest evil, and those who persist
in believing that some peoples have inherently superior cultures,
and thus superior human rights. Around the world one sees a veritable
epidemic of blind patriots – Americans who refuse to feel sorrow for
the slaughter of the First Nations, Chinese who harden their hearts
toward the Tibetans whose society they have mutilated, Japanese
who still celebrate the murderous exploits of their bygone empire,
Australians who plead innocent to the subjugation of the Aborigines,
Arabs who belittle the crisis in Darfur, Turks who persist in their
deluded denial of the Armenian genocide, and Israelis (and their
Western supporters) who work themselves into spasms whenever the
Palestinian Nakba of 1948, and the ongoing plight of the refugees,
is mentioned.
The greatest obstacle to constructive self-reflection by members of any
society is, of course, the ongoing experience of conflict. If it has
been difficult for Americans to recognize their societal failings in
the aftermath of 9-11, it is far more difficult for Arabs and Muslims
to come to terms with theirs while under incessant threat of economic
punishment and military assault from the US and its allies. Yet,
in spite of the grotesque disparity between the two sides in this
deepening conflict, thoughtful men and women must transcend national
and sectarian boundaries in the quest for reconciliation – even if,
at times, this means getting our feelings hurt.
-Roger H. Lieberman is a graduate of Rutgers University with a Masters’
Degree in Environmental Science.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

FOR IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE
Fund for Armenian Relief
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Edina N. Bobelian
Tel: (212) 889-5150; Fax: (212) 889-4849
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
September 18, 2006
____________________
FAR GIVES HOPE TO CHILDREN OF ARMENIA THROUGH SUMMER CAMP
Lucineh Minasyan was only 2 and her sister Armineh was only 1 when both
their parents died. They were adopted by their aunt and uncle, who do their
best to take care of the sisters along with their own two children. The
girls help their uncle grow vegetables, but without enough money to pay for
irrigation, the yield is disappointing.
“So our meals are rather modest and we cannot even dream of fruit or ice
cream,” Lucineh said. “We do not feel we are kids, because we share all the
hardships of our elders.”
This summer, thanks to the Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR) and a small, but
dedicated, Armenian community in Texas, the sisters have reclaimed their
childhood by attending summer camp. They attended the FAR-run Kaps Summer
Camp, located in a small forest just outside Gyumri.
“At camp, we feel that we are still kids,” Lucineh said. “We feel like
Cinderellas, even though after the camp we have to return to our regular
routine. Nevertheless, I thank God that He gave me and my sister these
wonderful days at camp.”
CREATING CHILDHOODS
During Soviet control of Armenia, authorities provided summer camp
opportunities. But since the independence of the Republic of Armenia, the
fledgling government has not been able to provide these respites.
The children of Armenia live with lingering emotional damage caused by the
war, the 1988 earthquake, and economic problems. With these troubles, their
childhoods easily slip away.
“I have never been to a youth camp before,” said 12-year-old Hasmik
Antonian. “I am happy to be free from household responsibilities. At camp,
I feel a careless childhood.”
When the nation became independent and the communist economy cracked,
unemployed parents and newly widowed, single parents could not afford
leisure activities for their children. When the children were not working
or studying, many could easily find trouble in the streets.
The father of Armen and Arman Gasparyan, 14-year-old twins, died in a car
accident. Now their mother works extra hard just to make a living. But
this year, at the Kaps Camp, they learned that getting into trouble did not
help.
“We realize how hard it is for her, but very often we do not behave and make
her life harder,” said the youngsters. “In camp, being in the oldest group,
we realize that being older is also a responsibility. After camp, we will
be more serious and lessen our mom’s burden.”
To provide high-quality, child-centered leisure activities for disadvantaged
youngsters, the Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR) began organizing summer camps
throughout the country. In 1998, FAR re-opened the camp in the village of
Kaps, an agricultural community situated 7 miles northeast of Gyumri.
Originally founded in 1828 by immigrants from Bayazet, a town at the foot of
Mount Ararat, the camp was shuttered during Armenia’s difficult transition
to independence. Since its re-establishment, the camp annually welcomes
about 140 children, between the ages of 10 and 14.
FAR re-established the Kaps Camp because, unlike neighboring villages, Kaps
remained below the radar of assistance programs. Along with renovating and
operating the Kaps Camp, FAR made a commitment to village residents by
installing a water pipe and sewage system.
Kaps is currently the only camp 100% run by FAR. Both in the past and
presently, the organization has provided funding and operational assistance
to help other camps begin and expand. Most of these camps now operate with
the help of other organizations or on their own.
TRIP CREATES OPPORTUNITIES
This summer, the Kaps Camp was not going to open because of insufficient
funds. At about the time FAR realized the camp would not open, a group of
young Armenian-Americans was touring Armenia with the FAR Young
Professionals Trip.
During their stay in Gyumri, one Young Professionals member, Ken Maranian of
Austin, Texas, was heartbroken to hear the news. He asked Marina Bazayeva,
FAR’s Gyumri Office Director, how much was needed to open the camp for the
final month of summer. She replied $8,000. Maranian asked others on the
Young Professionals trip to sponsor the Kaps Camp. Just over lunch that
day, they raised more than $3,000.
Going back home to Texas, he and Glyssie Berberian drew together the small
community there to find funding to fill the gap. They were inspired by what
they saw in Armenia on their FAR trips and wanted to make a difference in
the lives of these young children. “We can’t let the camp be cancelled,”
Maranian said. “It’s important to let the children enjoy the summer, let
them have fun and play.”
The small amount of $8,000 made a profound difference in the lives of the
children who were able to go to camp this year.
“The camp gave me an opportunity to relax and feel myself carefree and have
a chance to think of my future,” said 14-year-old Arthur Barsegyan. “I had
enough time to reflect on my life and decided to study math and become a
university instructor and do research to fill my life with sense and not
vegetate as I do now.”
“This is possible thanks to two interested Armenian-Americans who energized
their friends, family, and community,” said FAR Programs Director Arto
Vorperian. “Small amounts of support go a long way to provide hope,
opportunity, and empowerment to our brothers and sisters in Armenia. We
were able to give these children a couple of weeks at camp thanks to the
help of Ken and Glyssie. If you want to make a difference in the lives of
Armenians, you can do that without a big check.”
MORE THAN TIME OFF
FAR’s Kaps Camp is more than time away from chores. It includes activities
designed to develop the children, such as painting, sewing, and needle-work.
Children also take part in guided tours of museums, parks, and nearby
religious heritage sites. Campers receive nutritious meals and have access
to a full-time doctor.
Thanks to the donors from Texas, inspired by a participant of the Young
Professionals Trip, 140 kids were able to take advantage of the
life-changing opportunities of camp.
“In camp I realized that I have a whole life in front of me, whereas at home
I was under an impression that my life is limited to washing clothes and
cleaning floors,” said 13-year-old Hasmik Kirakosyan, whose parents are
unemployed. “Now, I am thinking of studying to become an engineer to design
home appliances that will alleviate housewives’ housekeeping burden.”
ABOUT FAR
Since its founding in response to the 1988 earthquake, FAR has served
millions of people through more than 220 relief and development programs in
Armenia and Karabagh. It has channeled more than $265 million in
humanitarian assistance by implementing a wide range of projects including
emergency relief, construction, education, medical aid, and economic
development.
FAR, one of the preeminent relief and development organization operating
there, is dedicated to realizing the dream of a free, democratic,
prosperous, and culturally rich Armenia. It works towards a brighter future
by partnering with donors to make life a little better for our people. By
offering hope and more promising prospects in Armenia, Karabagh, and
Javakhk, FAR binds the Diaspora and the Armenian family together around the
globe.
For more information on FAR or to send donations, contact us at 630 Second
Avenue, New York, NY 10016; telephone (212) 889-5150; fax (212) 889-4849;
web ; e-mail [email protected].
— 9/18/06
E-mail photos available on request.
PHOTO CAPTION (1): Campers at the Kaps Summer Camp, run by the Fund for
Armenian Relief (FAR), thank the Armenian community in Texas for providing
the funds that allowed the camp to remain open this summer.
PHOTO CAPTION (2): Campers at the FAR-run Kaps Summer Camp perform a dance,
just one of the activities designed to give a normal childhood to the needy
youngsters in the Gyumri area.
# # #
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RUSSIAN MFA: TRANSNISTRIA RESIDENTS USED DIRECT DEMOCRACY INSTITUTION
PanARMENIAN.Net
19.09.2006 17:31 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ For over 16 years the population of Transnistria
lives under the conditions of an unsettled conflict and out of the
constitutional field of the Republic of Moldova. Various models
of political settlement, proposed by international mediators, and
first of all by Russia, were not implemented, says a comment of
the Department of Information and Print of the Russian MFA on the
referendum in Transnistria.
The Russian MFA Believes that Transnistria residents used direct
democracy institution, i.e. referendum, to express their ideas on
the preferred form of securing stability and predictability in the
region. High level of participation is registered (according to the
Transnistria Central Electoral Commission 78.6% of those having vote
right took part in the referendum) and there were no significant
shortcomings,” says the MFA statement.
The Russian party hopes that in this situation OSCE and Ukraine
mediators, as well as US and EU observers invited in the past will
activate their efforts to form necessary preconditions for restoring
the negotiation process with participation of Kishinev and Tiraspol,
reports the Russian MFA Press Office.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress