Author: Jalatian Sonya

THE ISSUE OF MISSING PERSONS IN ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN AND GEORGIA IS HUMANITARIAN, NOT POLITICAL

A1+
[07:49 pm] 24 May, 2007

The PACE Standing Committee, meeting in Belgrade today, deplored that,
twelve years since the end of hostilities, the issue of the missing
persons in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia remained unsolved.

According to a report by Leo Platvoet (Netherlands, UEL), the number
of missing persons as a result of the conflicts over the regions of
Nagorno-Karabakh, Abkhazia and South Ossetia can be calculated at 7
538 persons.

For the Standing Committee, the issue of missing persons is a
humanitarian problem with human rights and international humanitarian
law implications. It should "not be as a political issue" and
consequently should "not be dependent on the political settlements
of the disputes in the region".

In a resolution adopted today, the Standing Committee addresses to
the three countries a number of proposals to agree consolidated lists
of the missing, establish a multilateral mechanism for co-operation
between commissions for missing persons and work together on tracing,
mapping, identification and management of human remains. It also
recalls that the families of the missing need social, material and
psychological support, and that the memory of the missing needs to
be respected.

BORIS FRLEC: ARMENIA HAS REGISTERED PROGRESS IN ORGANIZING AND HOLDING ELECTIONS

ArmRadio.am
24.05.2007 17:36

On May 24 RA Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian received the Head of
the Observation Mission of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions
and Human Rights (ODIHR), Ambassador Boris Frlec.

Ambassador Frlec presented the remarks of the mission about the
elections and post-election processes. He underlined that, on the
whole, Armenia has registered progress in organizing and holding
elections. The mission has worked out recommendations for correcting
the existing shortcomings.

Minister Oskanian stressed the importance of the objective evaluation
of the elections by the international observers and expressed
confidence that the forthcoming presidential elections will become
another important step for reinforcement of democracy.

At the end of the meeting the Ambassador thanked the Armenian
authorities for supporting the mission’s activity.

SEYRAN OHANYAN WILL BE A GOOD CHIEF OF RA ARMED FORCES GENERAL STAFF, DEFENSE MINISTER SAYS

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.05.2007 13:27 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "The head of the RA armed forces general staff,
lieutenant general Seyran Ohanyan is not a novic at the army. I am
convinced he will be a good leader," Armenian Defense Minister Mikael
Harutyunyan told reporters.

"General Ohanyan should have some time to get his bearings. After
that his activities can be assessed," he said.

Lieutenant general Seyran Ohanyan was appointed chief of the RA armed
forces general staff May 10, 2007.

Before he occupied the post of NKR Defense Minister.

FAILURE IN WRONG STRATEGY

A1+
[03:03 pm] 22 May, 2007

"The procedures following the 12 May NA elections, as well as fraud
cases registered in a number of electoral districts on the voting day
verify that the elections cannot be considered free and fair, thus, the
results do not express the nation’s will",- says the announcement of
the "Justice" party. The bright examples of it are the concerns of the
"Justice" party’s proxies and alarms of members of other parties on the
rigging on. The council of the "Justice" party believes that failure
of the opposition is in the wrong strategy adopted by the opposition.

Since 2006 February the "Justice" party has been negotiating with
various opposition powers urging them to unite and set up ideological
blocks, giving the voters an opportunity to orientate in their choice.

"Then our concerns were accepted seriously; each political power aimed
at overcoming the barrier of 5 percent, despite forming a majority
in the NA. We deeply hope that during the forthcoming presidential
elections opposition parties will show responsibility, they will not
repeat previous mistakes and will unite around their ideology for the
sake of principle",- says the announcement. The party expresses its
gratitude to the RA citizens who did not become the victims of bribe
and were not afraid of administrative pressures and voted for the
"Justice" party". At the same time the party mentioned that it is
impossible to conduct democratic elections in Armenia in line with
international standards. The experience shows that no serious to proves
of double voting cases, bribe or law violation cases has been found,
the reason of which are "the incomplete laws".

May 22, 2007

PRESS RELEASE
Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate
6252 Honolulu Avenue
La Crescenta, CA 91214
Tel: (818) 248-7737
Fax: (818) 248-7745
E-mail: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>
Website: <;

GLENDALE MAYOR ARA NAJARIAN VISITS THE PRELACY

On the afternoon of Friday, May 18, the day of the Prelacy 35th
National Representative Assembly, H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian,
Prelate, and members of the Religious and Executive Councils welcomed newly
elected mayor of Glendale Ara Najarian to the Prelacy. Given that it was
the mayor’s first visit to the new building, the Prelate and council members
acquainted him with the different departments that make up the Prelacy and
conveyed to him the nature of past activities and future plans.

The Prelate and council members invited Mayor Najarian to the
opening of the Assembly at "Dikran and Zarouhie Der Ghazarian" Hall where
delegates were assembled. Following the Prelate’s welcoming remarks, the
mayor offered his congratulatory remarks on the completion of the new
headquarters and expressed his backing, support and readiness to serve the
Prelacy and concluded by wishing success to the proceedings of the Assembly.

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CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIANS DEFROCKS ARCHBISHOP ANANIA ARABAJIAN
[02:58 pm] 21 May, 2007

Based upon the letter of resignation submitted by Archbishop Anania
Arabajian, His Holiness Karekin II has issued a Pontifical Order
defrocking the former member of the Brotherhood of Holy
Etchmiadzin. As of this date, the defrocked clergyman is a member of
the laity and shall be known by his baptismal name of Avetik
Arabajian.

Singer’s treasures auctioned: Visalia woman sang with Sinatra but left
no heirs, so her estate is being sold.

Erik Lacayo, The Fresno Bee – California – KRTBN
Published: May 20, 2007

A front yard was transformed Saturday into an auction stage where
bidders tried to get their hands on relics of a bygone era.

An estimated 300 people showed up, with 200 others watching online, to
bid on the estate of a local entertainer who shared the stage with
legends such as Frank Sinatra.

Evelyn Tashjian died in relative obscurity on Oct. 25 in Visalia. She
was 85.

She was born in Cutler and became a singer during the Big Band era of
the 1940s.

The widowed Tashjian had no children and left her estate to be divided
among 11 beneficiaries.

Some items in the collection included high-quality china, crystal and
glassware, paintings, original sheet music, vintage magazines and
recordings of President Franklin Roosevelt’s fireside chats.

"She was quite the collector," said neighbor Brian Cline.

Cline said he lived next to Tashjian for about 19 years. Saturday’s
auction took place in front of her home on Woodside Avenue.

Cline described her as a private person who would talk about her life
only once in a while.

"We really didn’t know a lot about her," he said. "She would give you
bits and pieces."

Brian’s wife, Patsy Cline, said Tashjian would have appreciated the
recognition she has received recently.

But Patsy Cline said she didn’t know how Tashjian would react to
strangers handling her collection.

"What’s sad is she never wanted anybody to be touching her things,"
she said.

Tashjian still enjoyed singing in the twilight of her life, Patsy
Cline said.

While her voice was a little more raspy than in her younger singing
days, Tashjian sang "The Lord’s Prayer" seven years ago at a wedding,
Patsy Cline said.

Patsy Cline said she had hoped to bid on some of her neighbor’s items,
but "my problem is I can’t afford it."

Steve Parker, an auctioneer and appraiser with Fresno-based Cobb Ranch
Auctions, said Saturday’s auction had a good turnout.

"It’s nice to know the Valley appreciates one of its own," he said.

Parker said a lot of Tashjian’s World War II-era memorabilia was
expected to fetch a good price.

Advance bids were placed online for original sheet music of Disney
movies "Peter Pan" and "Cinderella," in which Tashjian sang, Parker
said.

Margie Davidian of Visalia said she attended the auction because her
parents grew up with Tashjian in Cutler.

Davidian said she was impressed with Tashjian’s crystal collection and
planned to bid on some Armenian records.

Davidian said her mother attended Tashjian’s funeral, where a
recording of her singing "The Lord’s Prayer" was played.

Said Davidian: "She sang at her own funeral."

The reporter can be reached at [email protected]_
(mailto:[email protected]) or (559) 622-2421.

A final encore

Visalia woman who sang with Sinatra leaves a treasure of collectibles, but
no living relatives.

By Tim Sheehan / The Fresno Bee
05/14/07 05:35:55

A long-gone era of Big Band music is being revealed — record by record and
antique by antique — as conservators prepare to auction the estate of a
Visalia woman who once shared the stage with Frank Sinatra.
Evelyn Tashjian, a singer whose successful career was largely forgotten by
the world, died Oct. 25 at 85. She left behind a treasure of collectibles and
belongings, but no living relatives.
Instead, her estate will be sold at auction this weekend and the assets
divided among 11 beneficiaries named in her will.
A peek at her collections shows that Tashjian once lived a high life that she
discussed only sparingly in later years.
"Music was a big part of her life that I only became aware of as she
occasionally mentioned things when we’d go through things in her home," said
Pat Dicken of Visalia, a court-appointed conservator for the estate.
Auctioneer Larry Parker, whose Fresno-based Cobb Ranch Auctions is handling
the estate sale Saturday, says that while he believes some artifacts in the
Tashjian collection will draw bidders from far and wide via the Internet, he
expects intense interest among local bidders who seek to keep at least part of
her legacy in the Valley, where she was born and raised.
"Evelyn had a very interesting history, and part of it was this music career
she had," Parker said last week, as he and his auction crew sorted and marked
hundreds of pieces for Saturday’s sale.
Tashjian sang for some of the biggest acts of the World War II and pre-war
era, including bandleaders Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman, and
later went on to record movie soundtracks. Her collection encompasses sheaves
of sheet music she sang and dozens of big-band albums on vinyl and old shellac
78 rpm records — including her own performances.
Tashjian was born on her family’s farm near Cutler — an 80-acre piece of
land now farmed in tree fruit that is also part of the estate — and was raised
in the area. Her family was active in the St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church
in nearby Yettem.
"She loved music and sang in her church," Parker said.
Neither Parker nor Dicken know precisely the path that Tashjian’s singing
career took.
But through whatever twists of fate govern such things, the talented Armenian
girl from the Cutler farm came to the attention of famed bandleader Tommy
Dorsey, and by age 18 she was a singer for his orchestra, performing,
broadcasting and recording with the band into the mid-1940s.
"She did talk about her earlier years singing on the radio — that’s even how
she met her husband," Dicken said.
Martin Tashjian of New York — not related to Evelyn despite sharing her last
name — was training at the Army Air Corps field north of Visalia in 1942
and heard Evelyn, then 21, performing live on a local radio station, Dicken
said.
"Evelyn said he called the radio station and asked for her name and address;
he looked her up, they began dating and fell in love and got married," Dicken
recalled, remarking there’s no way such information would be given out about
a performer these days.
The couple married and, within a couple of months, Martin Tashjian was
shipped overseas to fly B-17s on bombing missions in Europe. In April 1943, on
his first mission over Germany, Tashjian and his crew died when their bomber
was shot down.
Evelyn and Martin Tashjian had no children, and Evelyn never remarried,
Dicken said.
She continued her singing career with Dorsey’s orchestra, even sharing stage
time with a skinny Italian kid who would later hit it big — real big.
"That’s her, behind the drummer, right next to Frank Sinatra before he became
a solo star," Parker said, holding a picture of the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra
from about 1941. Sinatra, who sang with the Dorsey band from 1940 to 1942,
made his first solo records in 1942.
As the Big Band era faded in the post-war years, Parker said, Tashjian’s
career focus shifted to Hollywood movie studios, including Disney, for which
she sang in movies including "Cinderella" and "Peter Pan."
"She was in Los Angeles for many years — that’s where she did a lot of
singing and performing," Dicken said. "Evelyn did background singing for
movies, and she sang on cruise ships for a while, too, before she came back to
the Valley."
Parker said Tashjian passed on her own shot at stardom, turning down a
contract to perform with the Lawrence Welk Orchestra.
Norma Zimmer, who was hired by Welk in 1960, gained fame on the bandleader’s
long-running television show as the band’s "Champagne Lady." It was a job
first offered to Tashjian, Parker said.
"She competed with Norma Zimmer and won out," Parker said, "but then her
mother became very ill and she chose to stay home and take care of her mother.
… So Norma became the ‘Champagne Lady’ and Evelyn was a backup for Norma."
Details of her life after returning to the Valley are scant. She apparently
had enough money that she didn’t need to work, and ended her days in an
assisted-living facility. Though she had no living relatives, she chose 11
people or institutions — whom conservators decline to name — to receive
proceeds from her estate.
Dicken said Evelyn Tashjian always loved music, even after her voice faded in
later years.
"She was telling me about some of her past one time and I said to her,
‘Evelyn, I’d love to hear you sing,’ " Dicken said. "She said, ‘Honey, I’d
love to hear me sing, too!’ … She was very proud of her accomplishments in
music and a proud woman as far as what she had achieved."
Besides the considerable array of music memorabilia, Parker will be
auctioning off a houseful of furnishings that includes fine art, antiques,
appliances, china, furs and what the auctioneer described as an "outstanding"
collection of hand-cut glass expected to be a highlight of the sale.
He hefted a broad, faceted plate called an ice-cream plate as a prime
example.
"This is American, brilliant-cut, 1914 or 1917, in that era. It’s a $2,000 to
$3,000 piece, easily, so I expect the bidding to be lively on this," Parker
said.
Tashjian had actually given the glass collection to the beloved St. Mary
Church in Yettem where she sang as a child. But Parker said so many church
members clamored for a piece of the collection, the priest approached him and
asked if it could be included in the auction — with the church getting those
particular proceeds.
"This turns out to be an absolutely great way to do it," he said. "That way
everyone in the church gets a chance to own a piece of her glass and at the
same time the church benefits from it."
The reporter can be reached at [email protected]_
(mailto:tsheehan@fresnobe e.com) or (559) 622-2410.

SAAKASHVILI MISTAKEN TO INCLUDE GAREJI MONASTERY IN TERRITORY OF GEORGIA
By Aghavni Haroutiunian

AZG Armenian Daily
17/05/2007

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili informed that the issue of
the Davit Gareji monastery located on the Georgian-Azeri border was
settled. In particular, he said that an agreement was achieved in the
course of his meeting with Azeri President Ilham Aliev. The sides
agreed to leave the strategic territory of the monastery’s hill in
the territory of Azerbaijan, while the very monastery will remain to
the Georgian side.

Azeri "Day.az" agency, referring to its own sources, accused the
Georgian president in misleading the society. According to "Day.az,"
Saakashvili’s statement does not correspond with reality, as Azeri
Deputy Foreign Minister Khalef Khalefov said that the Gareji monastery
complex can’t be passed to the other side. The issue of the monastery
will be discussed in the course of the sitting of a relevant commission
in end May.

IN THE COURSE OF MONITORING AZERI PARTY AGAIN FAILED TO LEAD OSCE MISSION TO ITS FRONTLINE

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
May 16 2007

Today OSCE mission held planned monitoring of the Nagorno-Karabagh
and Azeri Armed Forces’ contact line in the direction of Aghdam,
in the region of Tchemenly settlement.

According to the information DE FACTO received at the NKR MFA
Press Office, from the positions of Nagorno-Karabagh’s Defense Army
the observation group was led by OSCE Chair-in-Office’s Personal
Representative Andrzey Kasprzyk.

The monitoring passed according to the schedule. However, the Azeri
party did not lead the mission to its frontline. No cease-fire
violations were fixed in the course of the monitoring.