Author: Emil Lazarian

Azeri students urge Tehran to sever ties with Armenia

Azerbaijani news agency APA, Baku
20 May 06

Baku, 20 May: The students of Zanjan University who staged a protest against
the publication of a cartoon insulting Azeris in Iran newspaper today urged
Tehran to sever ties with Armenia, the Baku bureau of the National Revival
Movement of Southern Azerbaijan has told APA.
The protesters, who demanded the restoration of their national rights, said
they view the cartoon as Iran’s official position. They urged Azeri students
to stage protests in all of southern Azerbaijan [northern Iran].
Unidentified people attacked the editorial office of Iran newspaper and
tried to set it on fire yesterday evening.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Critics’ Forum
Visual Arts
Joanne Julian: Concerning the Spiritual in Art
By Adriana Tchalian

The title of my article, Concerning the Spiritual in Art, comes from
a book written by twentieth-century Modernist Wassily Kandinsky on
the subject of art and spirituality (1910). He, along with others
such as Piet Mondrian, was strongly influenced by religious and
spiritual subjects of his times, and as a result created art that
reflected this awareness. Compared to the charismatic, angst-ridden
artists of today, these early twentieth-century Modernists were sage
and poet in one, creating works that reflected their inner life
rather than generating “art for art’s sake” or imbuing their work
with social or political purpose.

In fact, ever since Paleolithic man began sketching crude renderings
of animals on the ceilings of the Lascaux caves (France, 13,000 BC),
art has become an expression or a reflection of one’s creed – for
these renderings were not meant for decorative or social purposes
but rather as some type of ritualistic magic. Assuming that one
agrees that art has a purpose – whether cultural, political, or
otherwise – and is not merely “art for art’s sake,” empty of meaning
or purpose, it is clear that the most significant role of art has
been the expression of one’s religious or spiritual creed. The
centrality of the spiritual in art is undeniable, be it in the art
of India or the art of the Italian Renaissance, the interior of an
ancient cave or the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, or to offer a
more contemporary example, the open-air ceiling of James Turrell’s
Roden Crater, an extinct crater that has been excavated to function
as an open-air observatory just outside of Flagstaff, Arizona.

And although some contemporary western artists do not offer much by
way of the spiritual in art, even they are keenly aware of its
absence. As art critic and historian Suzi Gablik writes, “the real
crisis of Modernism, as many people have claimed, is the pervasive
spiritual crisis of Western civilization: the absence of a system of
beliefs that justifies allegiance to any entity beyond the self.”
Galib goes on to say that even twentieth-century Abstract
Expressionists were closet spiritualists, quietly revering the early
Modernists’ efforts to distill their spiritual explorations into
fine art.

Having made this argument about art and spirituality, then, how do
we apply it to contemporary Armenian art? Enter the likes of Joanne
Julian, a Los Angeles-based Armenian artist who is a virtual unknown
in the Armenian diasporan community, yet one whose work is well-
recognized amongst mainstream art circles.

There is nothing intrinsically Armenian about Julian’s graphite and
ink drawings. The critic Robert McDonald describes her work as
possessing “the discipline and spirit of Taoist painting.” It is
this proclivity towards things spiritual that is the driving essence
behind her work. Having traveled throughout Asia, Julian has
cultivated an extensive Asian visual vocabulary, which is reflected
in the simplicity and beauty of her drawings – immense brushstrokes,
reminiscent of Asian calligraphy, are set against the glistening
sheen of the graphite, forming an exquisite contrast of color,
texture and shape.

In February of this year, Julian, along with William Amundson and
Robin Dare, participated in an exhibition – Drawn to Scale – at the
Spokane Falls Community College Art Gallery in Washington. The
exhibit was co-curated by Louise Lewis, gallery director and
professor of art history at California State University, Northridge.

According to Lewis, “The juxtaposition of a delicately drawn silver
braid entwined within a vibrant circle of crimson or gold suggests
an unusually exuberant Zen exercise, ironically made more intimate
by the all-enveloping scale. In Horizontal Braid, the intricately
drawn tress stretches within the bottom portion of nearly 3′ high
gold and circle, provocatively inviting the viewer to contemplate
the secrets within the circle.”

The presence of someone of Julian’s talent in both the Armenian
diasporan and American contexts suggests that the yearning for the
spiritual is alive and well, even among the most avant-garde artists
in our communities. In an earlier article, I had posed the question
of whether or not there was an Asian aesthetic in Armenian visual
art. It appears as if Joanne Julian’s work more than answers that
call, while transcending the limits of even that description in the
process.

All Rights Reserved: Critics Forum, 2006

Adriana Tchalian holds a Masters degree in Art History and has
managed several art galleries in Los Angeles.

You can reach her or any of the other contributors to Critics’ Forum
at [email protected]. This and all other articles published
in this series are available online at To
sign up for a weekly electronic version of new articles, go to
Critics’ Forum is a group created to
discuss issues relating to Armenian art and culture in the Diaspora.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

The Telegraph, United Kingdom
May 20 2006

You need friends to win in Eurovision
By Ed West
(Filed: 20/05/2006)

The latest act in the Yugoslav drama plays out tomorrow when tiny
Montenegro votes on independence from Serbia. And while Croatia’s
tragic schism with the Serbs was provoked by football rivalry, the
final nail in the federation’s coffin is karaoke.

These old allies, who fought together against Croats, Albanians and
Nato, are on the point of rupture over their joint representative at
the Eurovision Song Contest, held tonight in Athens. In the Serbian
version of A Song For Europe, Montenegrin judges were accused of
tactically voting for compatriots No Name ahead of Serbian favourites
Flamingoes, leading to uproar from a hostile Belgrade crowd and the
terrified Montenegrin boy band being escorted out by security.

With typical Balkan bloody-mindedness, the Serbians withdrew
altogether, and neither country got to appear. To add insult to
injury, their place was allotted to the best semi-finalist… Croatia.

Controversy has been a staple of Eurovision, established 50 years ago
by the European Broadcasting Union in the spirit of fostering
European unity. And while the British treat Eurovision as a joke, for
Europe’s small nations it is their moment in the sun. After wins for
Estonia in 2001, Latvia in 2002 and Ukraine in 2004, tomorrow Armenia
arrives on the big stage, and nationalist controversy is already
rampant. Neighbouring Azerbaijan is none too happy that Armenian
entrant André has listed his place of birth as “Republic of Nagorno
Karabakh”. An Armenian MP has also complained that the song,
containing Turkish words, is not “Armenian enough”.

But really, instead of trying to absorb Nagorno, Armenia’s government
should establish it as a separate state, thereby creating a voting
buddy. That’s the way Eurovision works: a Cypriot entry could simply
walk on stage and belch, and still be sure of 12 votes from the
Greeks.

Various research papers have identified patterns of voting blocs,
including the Viking, Slavic and Balkan groups and even an
impressive-sounding Spanish-Andorran alliance. Lordi, Finland’s entry
and the contest’s first-ever death-metal band, may not do for all
tastes, but they can be confident the Swedes will help out, as they
did for most of Finland’s previous attempts, including Chirpy Chirp,
the mysterious Pump Pump and the bizarre, accordion-led reggae
interpretation Reggae OK.

Likewise, seven-times winner Ireland can always rely on a generous
score from the UK, almost as if it were a clause in the 1921 Treaty.
And Germany often favours its eastern neighbours with guilt points
(there probably is a German word for it), while everyone in Europe
gives generously to Israel’s interesting renditions. (No one is
exactly sure why Israel is even in Eurovision, save for the suspicion
that it would not do well in a Middle Eastovision, least of all with
a trans-sexual diva like Dana International.)

So if Eurovision is all about friends, what about Le Royaume-Uni? As
with the Common Market and European Football Championships, Britain
failed to enter the first Eurovision, which subsequently developed a
French feel. Indeed, we have long suspected that the whole thing is a
continental carve-up.

Back in 1988, Scott Fitzgerald was way ahead of his Swiss rival with
just two votes to go, but failed to get any reward from the Yugoslav
or French panels. The following day on radio phone-ins many callers
claimed that communist Yugoslavia had favoured neutral Switzerland
over Nato Britain, while no explanation was needed for the French
decision.

And with ever greater eastern participation, Britain has declined
from annual favourite to third-rate mediocrity, the low point coming
in 2003 when Jemini’s Cry Baby left the UK pointless, although
everyone was too busy focusing on Russian teen lesbians Tatu, who
finished third behind a Turkish “oriental-style rap” and a Belgian
entry sung in an imaginary language (an good way to settle the
Flemish-Walloon conflict).

The Belgians could do this because the restriction on singing in a
foreign language, designed to protect national culture but in reality
a Canute-style Francophone struggle against Americanisation, was
dropped in 1999. It worked: Poland was first to break the Old Europe
stranglehold by singing in the language of rock and roll, and came
second on its debut.

At the other end of the scale, the Swiss had one of their worst
results when they performed a number in the country’s tiny Rhaeto
Romantic tongue.

In retrospect, the greatest tragedy of Eurovision was that it gave
the world the “Swiss” representative Celine Dion. (French-Canadian
Dion is not the only foreigner to have triumphed: in 1980 and 1987
Ireland won with Australian Johnny Logan, while Estonia’s winner was
a West Indian who could not speak a word of the language, and remains
the only black singer to ever win Eurovision.)

So how can Britain take back the title? Or – a better question – do
we in fact want Daz Sampson’s Teenage Life to bring the prize back to
Blighty? With the expense involved in hosting Eurovision, winning has
become something of a white elephant. In one episode of Father Ted,
the Irish judges deliberately choose an abysmal dirge by Craggy
Island’s finest to lose for Ireland.

This trick was strongly rumoured to have actually happened in 1979,
when the Spanish judges gave maximum points to main rivals Israel. So
do not fear if we are left without friends in Europe; in the long
term it will cost us less.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

VOLUME ONE OF RICHARD HOVHANNISYAN’S “THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA” TRANSLATED INTO ARMENIAN

ArmRadio.am
19.05.2006 14:53

Now we can read volume one of Richard Hovhannisyan’s English-language
“The Republic of Armenia” book also in Armenian. The Armenian
translation of the book was presented today at the Union of
Writers. The inclusive history of 1918-1919 has been created on the
basis of rich archive materials, which point out the declaration of
republic in 1918 and the challenges of the time.

It took the writer about 30 years to write the three-year story of
the republic.

The book thoroughly presents the territorial disagreements over
Borchalu, Akhalkalak, Kars, Ardahan, Nagorno-Karabakh, Zangezur
and Nakhijevan.

“Richard Hovhannisyan’s historic investigations were considered
prohibited literature in Soviet era,” noted Ashot Melkonyan, Director
of History of the National Academy of Sciences.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

THE EXCHANGE RATE AND ELECTION 2007

Lragir.am
19 May 06

Fluctuations on the currency exchange market of Armenia are not
related with any external factor. Economist Edward Aghajanov thus
assessed the recent revaluation of the Armenian dram on May 19.

According to him, it is pointless to explain the tendencies on the
Armenian currency market using an economic logic.

“If some of our oligarchs have problems with say the budget, they need
drams, they cause the exchange rate of the dram go down, collect the
drams and solve their problems. And do not forget that next year is an
election year, much money is needed. You know that the oligarchs are
likely to run for the parliament very actively. And most probably our
oligarch guys have already started saving money to spend it lavishly
in 2007,” says Edward Aghajanov. He says some people estimate that
at least half a million dollars is going to be spent for each seat
in parliament.

“See how many of our oligarchs are already opening offices, it
takes money, doesn’t it?” says the economist. According to him,
this illogical situation benefits from the policy of the Central
Bank on revaluation of the dram. Edward Aghajanov believes that this
policy is wrong and leads to a perilous situation. Edward Aghajanov
says the revaluation of the Armenian dram against the dollar caused
the adverse balance of trade of Armenia to go up by 28 percent in
2005. The economist forecasts that it will soar by another 22 percent
in 2006 and will go far beyond 1 billion dollars. The adverse balance
of trade in Armenia is equal to 17 percent of the GDP, whereas when
the adverse balance of trade in the United States topped 5 percent
of the GDP, the economists of this country set the alarm go.

“And what did the Americans do? They artificially caused the exchange
rate to go down. Thanks to this low exchange rate in November
2005 exports in the U.S. exceeded a monthly index of 100 billion
dollars.” Edward Aghajanov is surprised why the Central Bank and the
government are not concerned about the tremendously high percentage
of the adverse balance of trade and the tendency to grow.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RA HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER’S VISIT TO VANADZOR

ArmRadio.am
19.05.2006 18:04

On May 19, 2006, Mr. Armen Harutyunyan, the RA Human Rights Defender,
visited Vanadzor for the first time during his term in the office,
which was also his first visit to the marz.

He was the guest in the Armenian Constitutional Right-Protective Center
(ACRPC) and had a meeting with the organization’s chairman and heads
of departmen ts. The CARPC Chairman presented the organization’s
activities;

The Defender met with more than a dozen of representatives of Vanadzor
NGOs in the ACRPC HR Library.

Within the framework of the visit Mr. Harutyunyan met also with
Mr. Henrik Kochinyan, the Governor of Lori marz, and Mr. Samvel
Darbinyan, the Mayor of Vanadzor City.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

INDEPENDENCE OF KARABAKH IS NOT IN RUSSIA’S INTERESTS

Lragir.am
19 May 06

Vladimir Putin told Robert Kocharyan to reject the invitation of the
President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Leluche, who has already
met with the Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliev. Russian political
scientist Andranik Mihranyan is said to have made such a statement
on May 18 in Yerevan. On May 19 he was invited to the Hayeli Club,
and the news reporters tried to find out from him if this information
was true. He said he had not asked Putin or Kocharyan and he does not
know what they talked about, or whether they talked or not. Andranik
Mihranyan said it was Robert Kocharyan’s decision to decline the
invitation and there has been no pressure on behalf of Moscow.

“At least I do not know about it. You know that the heads of state
decide themselves the advantages or disadvantages of taking one step
or another. I think in the current reality it was much more compliant
with the interests of Armenia, therefore Kocharyan did not go to that
summit,” says Andranik Mihranyan.

The meeting in Paris would probably be part of the process of
settlement of the Karabakh conflict if it would take place at all. It
is difficult to tell what its influence and result would be. Andranik
Mihranyan says he is optimistic about the settlement of regional
issues. Mihranyan points to the model of Kosovo to underlie the
settlement of these problems. According to him, Putin and Lavrov have
already announced to the West that the independence of Kosovo should
be assumed as a precedent and be applied to Transdnyestr, Abkhazia
and Osetia. Andranik Mihranyan says it is the duty of the Armenian
diplomacy to extend the list and include Nagorno Karabakh. “In order
for Russia to recognize, the Armenian diplomacy should explain that
this is in the interests of Russia,” says Mihranyan.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

U.S. EXPLAINED EXPEDIENCY OF KARS-GYUMRI RAILROAD TO TURKEY

Lragir.am
19 May 06

Armenia should attempt to have the U.S. State Department push Turkey
to open the Kars-Gyumri railroad and prevent the construction of
Kars-Akhalkalaki not to allow weakening of the geopolitical position
of Armenia, said the Russian political scientist Andranik Mihranyan
May 19 at the Hayeli Club. He said there was a similar effort by the
Turkish-Armenian conciliation committee.

“At least when the Turkish-Armenian conciliation committee existed,
I know that the U.S. State Department pushed Turkey, offering the
argument that it would be a shorter route to supply ammunition to
the American forces deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Unfortunately, this question is presently deadlocked, and generally
the Turkish-Armenian question is deadlocked,” said Andranik Mihranyan.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

‘PRO-ARMENIAN LAW’ IN FRANCE DROPPED FOR NOW

Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
May 19 2006

The legislative bill penalizing those who deny the so-called Armenian
genocide in France has been postponed indefinitely.

The motion discussed in yesterday’s morning session of the French
Parliament was dropped as the allotted time ran out.

Parliamentary Speaker Jean-Louis Debre had to twice pause the tense
session to reestablish order.

Deputies and Armenians supporting the motion accused Debre of extending
other discussions deliberately to drop the motion.

Armenians angered by the result caused a commotion in the parliament’s
audience gallery.

Foreign Minister Philippe Doust-Blazy, speaking on behalf of the
government, objected to the motion and appealed to French deputies
to not to inscribe history with laws.

The Socialist Party (PS), which made the legislative proposal, placed
the genocide bill as a second item on the agenda although it had the
right to arrange it anyway it wanted.

While talks on the first item on the agenda continued, some socialist
parliamentarians reacted saying talks were extended deliberately.

Since the proposal would automatically fail if it were not voted
at the first section where PS had the right to arrange the agenda,
parliamentarians wanted to start the genocide proposal sooner.

President of the parliament Jean-Louis Debre, upset with the protests,
reminded that it was not himself who formulated the agenda but the
socialists.

When the socialist parliamentarians rebelled again, tension increased
in the parliament.

Members of PS accused Debre of his attempts to fail the proposal
since Tuesday.

Members of UMP, who support the proposal, said, “Do not fall into
their trap, they want to deceive you”.

Upon the increase of the tension Debre gave two breaks.

Many parliamentarians, who wanted to discuss the first item on the
agenda, did not make their speech to proceed to the genocide proposal.

It took an hour to proceed to the proposal, but Debre ended the
section after a few talks because of the time constraint. Thus,
the proposal was dropped out of the agenda.

PS Group Leader Jean Marc Ayroult held the government and Debre
accountable for the cancellation of the bill.

Ayroult said UMP did its best to postpone the bill and accused UMD
of playing small tricks to reach its goal.

Armenian Originated French politician Patrik Deveciyan, who was angry
after the session, said the postponement of the bill is a result of
the lobby activities Turkey launched in all areas.

The Armenians who came to the parliament to watch the session created
chaos after the bill was postponed.

The crowd sang the French National Anthem and did not leave the
building.

PS Secretary-General Francois Hollande approached them requesting
them to remain calm.

The Armenians organized demonstrations near the parliament and
protested the decision.

The Turks, on the other hand, chained themselves and taped their
mouths. Some held banners in their hands saying “Do not restrict our
freedom,” and “Do not prevent the realities from being revealed.”

French Government Opposes Genocide Bill

French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy, representing the
government in the parliamentary session yesterday, said if the bill
is enacted the French Parliament will have interfered in history and
cited his opposition to the proposal.

The minister, who recalled the agreement on “leaving the history to
the historians” invoked in the parliamentary discussion regarding the
law of colonialism said, “The French Parliament is again attempting
to interfere in written history.”

The foreign minister said enactment of the bill will harm long-standing
Turkish-French affairs and the dialogue process between Turkey and
Armenia.

Douste-Blazy reminded that more than 300,000 Turkish people lived
together with people of Armenian origins in France, and said the bill
will affect “human relations.”

Armenians name 1915 Events as genocide while Turks accuse the Armenians
of committing massacres against the Muslim population of the Ottoman
Empire during the First World War. “More than 500,000 Muslims were
massacred” according to the Ottoman archives.

While French deal with so-called ‘Armenian genocide’, Algerians urge
France to recognise Algerian genocide committed by the French.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRISHTINA’S STANCE ON KOSOVO IS UNCONSTRUCTIVE – RUSSIAN FM

RIA Novosti, Russia
May 19 2006

STRASBOURG, May 19 (RIA Novosti) – The Kosovan leadership’s
intransigent attitude is delaying a solution over the status of the
troubled Balkan territory, Russia’s foreign minister said Friday.

Sergei Lavrov, speaking at a news conference in Strasbourg, said:
“The position of Prishtina’s leadership, which is insisting on the
unequivocal independence of Kosovo, is very unconstructive.”

Lavrov said a unilateral approach should not be taken to talks on
Kosovo, and that negotiations must be held through the UN and the
Contact Group.

Talks on the UN-administered territory’s status should be concluded by
the end of the year, a view that is shared by the six-nation Contact
Group – the U.S., Russia, Britain, France, Germany and Italy –
Lavrov said.

Earlier, some Russian politicians expressed concern that independence
for Kosovo would create a precedent for recognition of breakaway
regions in the former Soviet Union.

Moldova is dealing with a separatist regime in Transdnestr, while
Georgia has two breakaway regions in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Nagorny Karabakh, a largely ethnic Armenian enclave inside Azerbaijan,
has long been a source of friction between the two Caucasus states.

Formally part of Serbia, Kosovo has been a UN protectorate since
1999, following a NATO military campaign to drive out Yugoslav forces
accused of atrocities against Albanian civilians.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress