Author: Emil Lazarian

OPINION: WHO WILL STAND UP NEXT?
by Charles E. Richardson, The Macon Telegraph, Ga.
The Macon Telegraph (Georgia)
Distributed by Knight/Ridder Tribune News Service
April 25, 2006 Tuesday
Apr. 25–Some events in human history are just too painful to remember,
but remember them we must, or they lose importance. This week is
Holocaust Memorial Week, a time to reflect on what happened between
1933 and 1945.
Why is it important to commemorate something that occurred more
than 60 years ago? Can’t we all just get along now? Some say what
happened to 6 million Jews and at least 5 million others in places like
Auschwitz-Birkenau, Belzec, Chelmno, Majdanek, Sobibor and Treblinka
has no bearing on civilization today, that the Holocaust, after all,
was an aberration, a blip in time. Was it?
The Nazis didn’t hold a patent on genocide. The list of countries
where mass killings have taken place is staggering: Cambodia, Armenia,
Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Kosovo and Burundi, just to mention a few.
Unfortunately genocide happens so often we have trouble defining it.
In the Darfur region of Sudan, thousands have been hunted down and
killed, but the U.N. doesn’t want to use the word, as if calling it
something different will make it go away.
After more than six decades we are still exploring the motivations
behind the Nazis’ desire to kill people, even some Germans, who didn’t
fit their vision of perfection. But there are others who kill for
tribal and religious reasons, or just because they have the power
and can get away with it.
Fortunately, the “Greatest Generation” fought back the Nazi threat,
but that generation of American is disappearing at an alarming rate.
There’s a member of that generation, Lamar Taylor, who calls me most
days. He just had a birthday, but since I don’t want to give it away,
I’ll just say he’s in his 90s. If this country were attacked he’d
run them over with his wheelchair, but who else will have the guts
to stand up next time? If you look around, we’re too busy worrying
about the next American Idol winner to care.
Sunday I went to hear a man speak who’s just a little younger than
Lamar. Columbus Juvenile Court Judge Aaron Cohn was the featured
speaker at a Yom Ha’Shoah (Day of the Holocaust) Commemoration
on Sunday.
Judge Cohn was born March 3, 1916. You do the math. He received a
law degree from UGA 68 years ago. He’s been a juvenile court judge in
Columbus for 41 years, and to hear Rabbi Larry Schlesinger tell it,
Judge Cohn is anything but a push over in his court.
Cohn volunteered for the Army in 1940 and was a combat operations
officer in the 3rd U.S. Calvary under Gen. George S. Patton. He spent
27 years as an active and Reserve member of the military. During the
European campaign he was decorated four times.
All of that is important. But what sticks out most in his mind is the
day he walked into Ebensee, Austria, a sub-camp to Mauthausen in May
1945. He saw the emaciated bodies of survivors and bodies stacked up
waiting for cremation beside bones of others who were murdered.
Judge Cohn was at Congregation Sha’ arey Israel to remind us not
to forget.
But why remember? The Nazis are gone and what they did will never
happen again, right?
Judge Cohn brought first-hand knowledge of walking into a death camp
61 years ago next month. The images are seared in his memory, no less
graphic with the passage of time. He understands how quickly mankind
forgets the lessons of the past.
He knows we still go on crusades. That innocent people still die.
Sitting back, there are those who think: As long as it’s not happening
to me, it’s OK. Those types of people lived in 1940s Germany, too,
and they live with us today.
The Nazis convinced an entire country that it had a “Jewish problem.”
Now nations call it “ethnic cleansing,” as if there were something
clean about it. People aren’t victims anymore but “collateral
damage.” Now in the name of security, people who were once freer
accept encroachment of their remaining liberties.
That’s why Judge Cohn was here, to help us recognize the symptoms of
a sick society and give us courage to stand up and do something about
it, just like he and others of the Greatest Generation did more than
40 years ago.
Charles E. Richardson’s columns appear Tuesday and Sunday. He can be
reached at [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]
or 744-4342.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

KOCHARIAN SEES NO LINKS BETWEEN INTENSIFICATION OF NK RESOLUTION PROCESS WITH SITUATION AROUND IRAN
Author: S.Ibrahimli
TREND Information, Azerbaijan
April 25 2006
Armenia President Robert Kocharian stated on 25 April that he does
not see any relations between the intensification of the process of
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution and the situation around Iran,
Trend reports citing Mediamax.
The Armenian president said it a joint briefing with the Lithuanian
President Valdas Adamkus, whoc arrived in Yerevan on 25 April.
Kocharian stated that he does not feel any pressure by the United
States in the process of resolution. The Armenian President underlined
that the American, Russian and French co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk
Group came out of the unified position and coordinate their activities.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PROTESTORS DEMAND RECOGNITION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
CBS 2, CA
April 25 2006
(CBS) LOS ANGELES About 1,000 people protested outside the Turkish
Consulate Monday, blasting Turkey and others who deny the Armenian
genocide occurred.
The Armenian Youth Federation organized the protest, one of many
events held Monday to remember the arrests, mass deportations and
executions of Armenians that began on April 24, 1915, with arrest of
200 community leaders.
An estimated 1.5 million Armenians died between 1915 and 1923 in the
waning days of Turkey’s Ottoman Empire.
In West Hollywood, flags were flying at half-staff to honor the
Armenian victims.
The Turkish government says allegations of genocide have never been
proven.Turkish Ambassador Nabi Sensoy, in response to the Public
Broadcasting Service documentary “Armenian Genocide,” said last week
that “Armenian allegations of genocide have never been historically
or legally substantiated.”
The West Hollywood City Council has passed a resolution “condemning
the human rights violations of the Turkish government,” according to
City Councilman Jeffrey Prang’s office. The resolution was introduced
by Prang and Councilwoman Abbe Land.
The LAPD estimated that about 1,000 protesters were taking part in the
consulate protest on Wilshire Boulevard, according to Marjon Mobasser,
a spokeswoman for the department.

MKRTCHYAN HEADS FROM ARMENIA TO AMERICA
By John Boyle
Thomas James Hurst / The Seattle Times
Seattle Times, WA
April 25 2006
Grant Lazarian, a junior at Newport in Bellevue, lost his father as
an infant and hasn’t seen his mother for more than three years.
Grant Lazarian is the first to tell you that his childhood has been
less than ideal.
The father he never knew, the mother he hasn’t seen in more than
three years. It hasn’t been easy.
“I would not like anybody to be in my situation, but you’ve got to
fight through and make the best of it when you are,” said Lazarian,
17.
So why is the Newport junior wearing such a big smile as he runs
around the soccer field at a recent practice?
Because on the soccer field, Lazarian is at home. Because that is
where he is happy.
“Soccer is just something I love a lot,” said Lazarian, his voice
escalating as his eyes widen. “For me it’s like the air I breathe.”
It’s when he talks about more serious matters that his smile fades.
Lazarian (pronounced MERK-a-chan), a native of Armenia, grew up never
knowing his father. Vahan died when Grant was 20 days old in a fight
over disputed lands with Turkey. Grant was raised by his mother,
Lenik, until he was 13, but health problems made it difficult for
her to care for her son.
In August 2002, Grant came to America to live with his aunt, Roza
Gazaryan, and her son, Emil Altunyan. Grant has not been back to
Armenia or seen his mother since, though they speak regularly on
the phone.
Through the good and bad, through adjusting to a new language and
new country, soccer has remained the constant in Lazarian’s life.
His story is a reminder that sports can be more than just games. That
at their very best, they transcend winning and losing and provide
much more than a varsity letter.
When he moved here, soccer provided Lazarian with an arena to make
friends, a second classroom for learning a new language and a sense
of familiarity in a foreign culture.
“Soccer has been very important,” said Lazarian, who played for
Interlake of Bellevue his freshman and sophomore years before
transferring across town to Newport. “The adjustment has been good
and soccer has helped that a lot. Every single person here is a great
person. They all love me, I love them. They all support me.”
Through soccer, Lazarian has become just another high-school kid,
one who makes friends easily and is quick to crack a joke.
“He’s really outgoing,” said senior midfielder Andrew Smith, who has
assisted on four of Lazarian’s team-high nine goals. “Coming to a
new school, he really fit in right away. It seems like he’s always
been with the team.
“He’s probably the funniest guy I know. He has nicknames for everybody,
but they’re not really appropriate for the paper.”
The camaraderie on his soccer team and the support of his aunt and
cousin have helped ease the adjustment to life without his mother.
Roza and Emil are working on bringing her to America.
“I’m waiting for her to come,” said Lazarian. “I miss her. I haven’t
seen her since I moved out here, but I’m fighting through all of
this. I call her, I talk to her. She misses me and I miss her. I
guess it’s not like most other people’s family life.”
As he says this, his voice softens and his gaze drifts to the ground.
He is grateful to his aunt and cousin for taking him in.
“They’re very special to me,” said Grant, who did not speak English
when he came here less than four years ago, but is fluent now.
“They’ve been treating me like their own son. My cousin, he tells me
what’s right and what’s wrong. He’s been like a father to me.”
Lazarian’s soccer skills have helped Newport to an early-season
turnaround. Since starting the season with a 1-3 record, the Knights
have gone 5-2-1 and are in third place in KingCo 3A. All nine of
Lazarian’s goals have come in wins, as have all three of his assists.
“He’s been a welcome addition,” said Newport coach Paul Mendes, who
thinks that Lazarian can play at the Division I level. “He’s filling
in very well. Even though he’s a junior, he’s already one of the key
leaders on the team with his play and also with his enthusiasm. His
tenacity, that’s what really helps this team.”
That tenacity that Mendes loves almost put Lazarian on the sideline
this year. In Newport’s season-opening win over Bothell, Lazarian
fractured a bone in his arm running into a pole while chasing a loose
ball near the sideline. Despite the injury, Lazarian has not missed
a game while wearing a cast.
“For me, it’s soccer all the time, even with a cast,” said Lazarian,
who wants to play professionally someday, but lists medical school
as another goal. “In my country, when I was a kid, I’d watch people
play and I loved it so much. And now it has helped me so much since
I’ve been here. I love soccer, it’s my life.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ROBERT KOCHARYAN: I SEE NO RELATION BETWEEN IRAN AND KARABAKH
Lragir.am
25 April 06
Answering the question of the Lithuanian national TV channel reporter
in Yerevan, Armenian president Robert Kocharyan refuted the suggestion
that the United States is trying to please Azerbaijan in case of a
possible campaign against Iran, and presses Armenia for the Karabakh
issue. “There is no additional pressure, directly related with the
settlement of the issue. There are negotiations, and the work of
the co-chairs, which is not only the United States but also France
and Russia, is coordinated and cooperative. And the mandate of the
mediators suggests steps at facilitating the talks and not pressure
for resolution,” said Robert Kocharyan. He said the contacts and
the process are quite active now, but the president of Armenia
does not connect it with the plans of the United States concerning
Iran. “I have not noticed any relationship between the talks for
the settlement of the Karabakh conflict and the problem of Iran,”
stated Robert Kocharyan.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

HAMLET GASPARIAN: NO VISIT OF ARMENIAN PRESIDENT TO WASHINGTON ENVISAGED
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 25 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 25, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. No visit of the
Armenian President to Washington is envisaged. RA Foreign Ministry
Spokesperson Hamlet Gasparian declared this commenting upon the report
of Turkish “Zaman” newspaper, according to which in the interview
given to “Zaman” some days ago Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister
Arman Kirakosian said that, allegedly, the Armenian President will
probably pay a visit to Washington soon. “Drawing such a conclusion
from Deputy Minister Kirakosian’s answer I think is the consequence
of partial distortion of either the translation or his words,” Hamlet
Gasparian mentioned. According to him, “in the interview to “Zaman”
last Friday Mr Kirakosian spoke not about the visit of our President
after the visit of Azerbaijani President Aliyev to Washington but
mentioning very good relations with U.S. spoke about the possibility
of such a visit in general”.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RAFFI HOVHANNISIAN: IT IS NECESSARY THAT REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA INSIDE ITSELF ALSO PURSUE ITS NATIONAL INTEREST ON THE FAIR BASIS
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 25 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 25, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Though the Republic
of Armenia makes certain, separate efforts for involving as many states
as possible in the issue of recognition of the Armenian Genocide,
this is not at the proper height. Raffi Hovhannisian, Chairman of
the Zharangutiun (Heritage) party, expressed such an opinion in his
interview to Noyan Tapan correspondent on April 24, at the memorial
complex to the victims of the Armenian Genocide. According to him,
this is not only a day of the memory of the past, but also a day when
we should assume commitments towards the future. And these commitments,
according to him, belong to the whole Armenian people, be it in the
Republic of Armenia, in Artsakh, in Spyurk and everywhere. “This
day is not only a day of estimating our losses, learning lessons
from the past but also a day when we should look in the direction
of the future,” R.Hovhannisian said. According to R.Hovhannisian,
we should build the modern Armenian history so that henceforth no
one, neither our enemy nor our neighbor, can “play on” the security,
sovereignty of Armenia and on the lives of its citizens. “This is
the problem of our generation, the problem of the whole Armenian
people. If our generation is able to fulfil this commitment, Armenia
and the Armenian people will be together, will be strong and legal,”
he mentioned. Meanwhile, according to R.Hovhannisian, it is necessary
that the Republic of Armenia inside itself also pursue its national
interest and commitment towards the future on the fair basis. “Thus,
the political, scientific and legal ways should be perfected, we
should unite our efforts and be higher than dissociation, we should
build our country proceeding from the national interest, sovereignty
of the state and the rights of the citizens,” the Chairman of the
Zharangutiun party added.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ON APRIL 24, ARMAVIR RESIDENTS ORGANIZE PROCESSION TO MEMORIAL TO GENOCIDE VICTIMS
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 25 2006
ARMAVIR, APRIL 25, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. On April 24,
the population of Armavir, regional and municipal authorities,
representatives of organizations organized a procession to the town
park and laid wreaths to the memorial to the victims of the Armenian
Genocide. The same day divine services took place in all the churches
of the region.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RESIDENTS OF VANADZOR PAY TRIBUTE OF THEIR RESPECT TO MEMORY OF VICTIMS OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 25 2006
VANADZOR, APRIL 25, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Early in the morning
of April 24, a liturgy was served in the Vanadzor Surb Astvatsatsin
Church in commemoration of the victims of the Armenian Genocide. A
divine service took place before the khachkar (cross-stone) in front
of the church. The ruling officials of the region, many collectives,
student and working groups laid flowers and wreaths to the khachkar.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

THEY STAND IN ARMENIAN GENOCIDE VISTIMS’ MEMORY IN KRASNODAR
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 25 2006
KRASNODAR, APRIL 25, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Armenians of
Krasnodar gathered on April 24 in the territory of the Armenian Surb
Hovhannes Avetaranich (John the Evangelist) church to stand in memory
of the Armenian Genocide victims of 1915-1923 in Turkey. According to
the “Yerkramas” (country) newspaper of Armenians of Russia, after the
divine service, dedicated to this tragic data in the history of the
Armenian people, a mourning demonstration took place on the square in
front of the church. Representatives of the Armenian Diaspora of the
city and the guests having made speeches condemned the bloody crime
commited in the Ottaman Turkey against the whole people, and called
on the world community to cotradict Turkey’s entering the European
community. Citizens of Krasnodar gathered on the square were able to
get acquainted with specially prepared stands on which photo facts
irrefutably proving the Armenian Genocide conducted in Turkey were
presented.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress