Author: Kajoyan Gevork

CONFERENCE : LA PRESENCE ARMENIENNE A ISSY

ISSY-LES-MOULINEAUX

mardi 31 mars 2015 19:00

Musee Francais de la Carte a Jouer

Retour sur l’installation de la communaute armenienne a Issy avec
Martine Hovanessian, Directrice de Recherche au CNRS.

Issy commemore cette annee le Centenaire du genocide armenien. Une
serie de manifestations vous est proposee pour decouvrir toutes les
facettes de l’Armenie.

Anthropologue et specialiste reconnue des diasporas armeniennes,
Martine Hovanessian a mene de longues enquetes de terrain en Armenie
sur la question migratoire. Elle est actuellement Directrice de
Recherche au CNRS (Centre National de Recherche Scientifique).

Ancienne isseenne, elle connaît tout particulièrement l’histoire de
la communaute armenienne a Issy.

Dès leur arrivee dans les annees 1930, les armeniens s’approprient
le territoire a la recherche d’un nouveau depart. Construction de
petits pavillons, defrichement d’un bois, accaparement des zones
marginalisees et non constructibles de la commune… la première
generation d’exiles armeniens a modele l’espace isseen.

Le sol et leurs nouvelles habitations, autant de repères fondamentaux
pour ces premiers migrants après la depossession dont ils ont souffert
en 1915. Les lieux de sociabilite, tels que les eglises armeniennes
et le tissu associatif sont les fondations indispensables pour la
reconstruction de cette communaute dechiree qui veut garder son
identite culturelle et se souvenir de son Histoire.

lundi 30 mars 2015, Stephane (c)armenews.com

CONCERT SYMPHONIQUE A BUENOS AIRES

1915-2015 Argentine

Dimanche un concert symphonique a ete organise a Buenos Aires par le
Comite du centenaire du genocide des Armeniens devant un public venu
nombreux. Le titre du spectacle > est une reference
directe a la chanson de Charles Aznavour et Georges Garvarentz >, creee specialement a la suite du tremblement de
Terre du 7 decembre 1988.

Au programme des oeuvres d’Aram Khatchatourian, d’Alan Hovhaness et
Arno Babajanian. Egalement des chansons de Luis Alberto Spinetta et
les compositions d’Astor Piazzolla.

Plusieurs ceremonies sont prevues courant avril. Notamment a la
Foire du livre de Buenos Aires et au Stade Luna Park. A noter que le
rassemblement traditionnel du 24 est reporte au 28 avril en raison
de la tenue d’elections qui interdisent toute action politique.

lundi 30 mars 2015, Jean Eckian (c)armenews.com

ARMENIA TO CELEBRATE VICTORY IN GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR AT A HIGH LEVEL – GOVERNMENT

YEREVAN, March 30. /ARKA/. Armenia’s premier Hovik Abrahamyan
instructed the commission on commemoration of the 70th anniversary
of the victory in the Great Patriotic War to ensure the high standard
of the events, the press office of the government reported on Friday.

Commemoration events will be held throughout the year. On May 9, floral
tribute will be paid to the Eternal Flame and the Tomb of Unknown
Soldier at Yerevan’s Victory Park; the army soldiers will march in a
parade and a concert will be held afterwards. A jubilee concert will
be performed in the center of Yerevan, Republican Square, on the same
day, followed by the festive fireworks letting off seventy shells.

Apart from this, the delegation of the Armenian war veterans will
head to Moscow to participate in the festivities. During this year,
a scientific conference will be held, academic research papers will
be published, and festive exhibitions will be held in Mayr Hayastan
(Mother Armenia) museum and elsewhere in the country to remark the
anniversary of the victory. Films about the Great Patriotic War will
be demonstrated throughout the country.

Meetings with war veterans will be arranged in military units and
schools. Improvement works will be carried on the monuments and
memorials dedicated to the Great Patriotic War.

War veterans will receive, apart from medical insurance, holiday
packages for sanatoriums and health resorts. Earlier, the Armenian
government doubled the bonus payment to 50,000 drams (about $106)
to some 1,100 to war veterans, who, are entitled also to remuneration
and other payments.

In the period from June 1941 to May 1945, over 500,000 Armenians were
drafted to the Soviet Army, about 200,000 of them were killed in the
battles. A hundred and six Armenians were awarded Hero of the Soviet
Union, including legendary pilot Nelson Stepanyan and Marshall of
the Soviet Union Hovhannes Baghramyan who received the award twice.

Twenty-seven Armenian became full cavaliers of the Order of Glory.

Armenians’ contribution in the victory included major army
commanders, such as twice Hero of the Soviet Union marshall Hovhannes
Baghramyan, Hero of the Soviet Union marshall of armored troops
Hamazasp Babajanyan, aviation marshall Sergey Khudiakov (Armenak
Khanferyants), Hero of the Soviet Union fleet admiral Ivan Isakov
(Hovhannes Isahakyan).

Armenia sent six motor-rifle divisions to the frontline, including
the 39th Tamanyan division that reached Berlin. About 100,000 ethnic
Armenians were involved in the resistance movement in WWII from the
Armenian communities worldwide and fought as part of the allies’
armies. -0–

ARMENIAN AND RUSSIAN PARLIAMENTARY SPEAKERS PARTICIPATED IN FORUM DEVOTED TO VICTORY IN GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR

17:17, 30 March, 2015

YEREVAN, 30 MARCH, ARMENPRESS. Chairman of the State Duma of the
Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Sergey Naryshkin is on a
working visit to the Republic of Armenia on 30-31 March. During the
visit, he was hosted at the Armenian-Russian (Slavonic) University. As
the Department of Public Relations and Mass Media of the National
Assembly of the Republic of Armenia reports to “Armenpress”, on March
30, Speaker of the National Assembly Galust Sahakyan participated in
the forum devoted to the 70thanniversary of the victory in the Great
Patriotic War at the Armenian-Russian (Slavonic) University. Among
those attending the forum were Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly
Hermine Naghdalyan, veterans, as well as students and professors of
the University.

In his speech, the Speaker of the National Assembly mentioned that
the year marking the 70th anniversary of the victory is also the year
marking the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide and that there was
an invisible relationship between the Armenian Genocide of the early
20th century and the Great Patriotic War since millions of innocent
Armenians were the victims of the Turks’ chauvinism and hatred towards
the Armenians.

Prior to the opening of the forum, Speaker of the National Assembly
of the Republic of Armenia Galust Sahakyan and Chairman of the State
Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Sergey Naryshkin
participated in a tree-planting ceremony held as a sign of friendship
between the two nations in the newly opened Alley of Victory, which
is located in the yard of the Armenian-Russian (Slavonic) University.

Russian MP: Armenia is an important partner in Eurasian economic cooperation

by Tatevik Shahunyan

Monday, March 30, 14:17

The statements that Armenia’s role in the Eurasian Economic Union
(EEU) is ignored are a sabotage, Leonid Slutsky, Head of the
Russian State Duma’s Committee on the CIS, Eurasian integration and
Relations with Compatriots, said at a press conference in Yerevan
when commenting on the Armenian opposition’s statements that the
Putin-Nazarbayev-Lukashenko meeting in Astana without Serzh Sargsyan
proves that Armenia plays an insignificant role in the EEU.

Slutsky stressed that the three presidents’ meeting in Astana was not
held in the EEU format, this is why Serzh Sargsyan was absent from the
meeting. He added that the meeting in Astana covered issues related
to some changes in Kazakhstan’s stand on the EEU. The thing is that
Kazakhstan was one of the initiators of creation of that structure
but later it alienated itself from the structure to some extent. “As
for Armenia, it is an important partner within the EEU”, he said.

VALERY PERMYAKOV TO BE TRIED AT RUSSIAN MILITARY BASE IN GYUMRI

YEREVAN, March 30. / ARKA /. Valery Permyakov, a Russian soldier
accused of murdering the seven members of an Armenian family in the
town of Gyumri earlier this will be tried in the territory of the
102nd Russian military base in Gyumri, Oleg Levedev, deputy head
of a Russian State Duma (lower parliament chamber) committee on CIS
affairs, Eurasian Integration and relations with compatriots abroad,
said today in Yerevan..

Lebedev said the investigation is being handled jointly by Armenian
and Russian law-enforcement bodies. According to him, Armenian
investigators are involved in all examinations and investigations
conducted by their Russian peers.

He denied rumors that the Russian conscript will be transported to
the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don to be tried there.

Russian officials cite Article 61 of Russia’s constitution which
prohibits the extradition to foreign states of Russian citizens
charged with crimes.

Permyakov, who pleaded guilty is charged with killing seven members of
the Avetisyan family, including a two-year-old girl and a six-month-old
boy, in a January 12 shooting rampage in Gyumri. He is currently kept
at the base.

Lebedev said the trial will be handled by the court of the Russian
Southern Military District, located in Rostov-on-Don, however, the
judges and other staff will arrive in Armenia to try the soldier at
the base in Gyumri.

The Russian-Armenian agreement signed in August 2010 has extended the
term of deployment of the Russian military base in Gyumri until 2044.

The base is equipped with S-300 long range surface-to-air missile
systems and MiG-29 fighters. -0-

GENOCIDE RECOGNITION CAMPAIGN POINTLESS WITHOUT DEMAND FOR FAIR CAUSE – EXPERT

15:23 * 30.03.15

The main purpose of Genocide was to seize the property and lands
belonging to the Armenians, hence the country cannot build welfare
today without restoring all that, says an orientalist.

“We are more focused on the question’s external aspect, thinking of
who will come to Armenia to lay flowers [on the Genocide memorial],
but instead, the authorities should have three important questions to
answer: what do we want? Secondly, on what bases do we lay claims? And
thirdly, why do we want that? Can the realities today be taken for
granted to allow us to continue [the campaign] the same way?” Ara
Papyan, Director of the Yerevan-based analytical center Modus
Vivendi. asked at a news conference.

The expert noted that only two thirds of Armenia’s population is
concentrated on the Ararat valley which he said is quite close to
the Turkish border.

“The [Genocide] centennial, in my understanding, offered a good chance
to respond to those questions. With the world’s attention focused
on the centennial, we must by all means profit by that occasion to
raise the questions we want,” Papyan said.

He added that Armenia fails to use its potential, continuing the
Soviet-style tradition of just observing the ceremony.

“Continuing the recognition campaign without adding to it the demand
for fair cause is absolutely pointless. On April 24 [which marks the
Genocide anniversary], we must put on table the package outlining
the mechanisms of resolution. And for that, we need a commission of
lawyers,” said the expert.

AGMI CONSIDERS POPULARIZATION OF AURORA MARDIGANIAN ONE OF ITS ACHIEVEMENTS

16:47, 30 March, 2015

YEREVAN, 30 MARCH, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute
considers the popularization of Aurora Mardiganian and her presentation
with the Aurora Award as one of its achievements. This is whatDirector
of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute Hayk Demoyanmentioned during
a March 30 press conference.

“We are pleased with the fact that people are using our ideas and
suggestions. Thanks to that, Aurora Mardiganian’s legacy and messages
have been presented at a higher level. You already saw how New York
set the already famous Aurora Awards. We are pleased with the fact
that our proposal to place emphasis on the image of Aurora Mardiganian
was approved after two years of negotiations and consultations held
through cooperation between the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute,
Ruben Vardanyan and the IDeA Foundation,” Hayk Demoyan informed.

FRENCH-ARMENIAN PHOTOGRAPHER’S WORKS TO “CRY” ABOUT ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN TURKEY

15:58, 30 March, 2015

YEREVAN, MARCH 30, ARMENPRESS. The successor of the Armenian Genocide
survivors, French-Armenian photographer Antoine Agoudjian has published
his book-album titled “The Cry of Silence”. At the course of the press
conference held at the press centre of “Armenpress” News Agency,
the Armenian photographer introduced the history of the photo’s
creation and the details of the upcoming exhibition to be held in
the city of Tigranakert in Western Armenia (present-day Diyarbakir),
which is scheduled to be held on April 22.

The photographer stated that the book introduces the results of his
activity of 27 years encompassing over 100 photos, shot from 1988 in
the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, Javakhk, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran,
Israel and Turkey.

Among other things, the French-Armenian photographer Antoine Agoudjian
noted: “I toured in all those places where there were Armenians or
there was Armenian presence before or after the Armenian Genocide. The
result was the creation of a story based on the Armenian memory. I
wanted to convey the history of the Armenian Genocide via photography.”

ARMENIAN COMMUNITY TO CELEBRATE HISTORY AT ARMENIAFEST IN GLEN WAVERLEY

18:48, 30 Mar 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Herald Sun – As a child, Gloria Hotakorzian used to get blank looks
when she told people she was from Armenia.

“Do you mean Romania, they’d ask,” she said.

“And I would reply, ‘no, it’s Armenia’.”

Today, more than 50 years since she was among the wave of Armenian
migrants to Melbourne in the 1960s, Mrs Hotakorzian is delighted that
more people know about her homeland.

About 35,000 people from Armenian background now live in Melbourne.

“It’s a real buzz for us that people now recognise Armenia and some
of its history,” Mrs Hotakorzian said.

Armenians were the victims of genocide last century, with as many as
two million Armenians living in Turkey eliminated through deportations
and massacres from 1915.

To mark the centenary, the community will celebrate its achievements
at ArmeniaFest on Saturday, April 4, at the Glen Waverley Community
Centre.

Mrs Hotakorzian will co-ordinate the festival, which will include song,
dance and food.

“We always mark this time of year with solemn and respectful
commemoration, but this year we decided it’s time to pat ourselves
on the back for surviving and indeed flourishing in our new home,”
Mrs Hotakorzian said.