Author: Kajoyan Gevork

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Aug 25 2014

Sanctions to intensify Eurasian integration

25 August 2014 – 3:43pm
By Vestnik Kavkaza

When Moscow launched an embargo on certain imports from the countries
which have supported sanctions against Russia, Russian economists
focused on ways of import substitution and opening new markets for the
country. In this context, interest in post-Soviet states has started
to grow in political circles. One of the countries which could be a
potential market for Russia is Azerbaijan. The Russian authorities
have begun to improve ties with the country in various spheres in
recent times.

According to Denis Tyurin, director of the SOC Business Club, at the
moment Russian-Azerbaijani relations are going through a renaissance –
there is improvement of ties in the economic, political, and
humanitarian spheres: “Many Azerbaijani students visit Russia and
participate in events which are organized by their Russian friends.
And young people from Russia often visit Azerbaijan, learn about its
culture, try to look at the country in a different way.”

Tyrin thinks that “the whole complex of the relations which can be
characterized as public diplomacy between Russia and Azerbaijan needs
impetus.”

At the same time relations between the countries are not cloudless.
The head of the SOC Business Club is sure that the problem of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict spoils relations: “As for the political
dialogue, the problem of Nagorno-Karabakh and the whole difficult
complex of problems of the South Caucasus spoil such a positive
picture which we can see in the economy and the humanitarian sphere.
Russia is worried about the future of the region, as security and the
stable economic and humanitarian development of Russia depend on it.”
The SOC Business Club has a position that the conflicts in the
post-Soviet space can be settled through intensive development of
economic ties.

“To restore broken dialogues and undermined friendships between
people, it is necessary to develop humanitarian and economic contacts.
As for the dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan, considering the
Nagorno-Karabakh factor, economic issues could play a big and
important role,” Denis Tyurin says. He thinks that “if politicians of
Armenia and Azerbaijan give priority to increasing the living
standards of the population and development of economic ties between
regions of Armenia and Azerbaijan, it would encourage the development
of political dialogue.”

Speaking about improvement of relations within post-Soviet space,
Lyudmila Shuvalova, the director of the Center for Socio-Conservative
Policy, stated that the system of international security was
ambiguous, as Europe, Russia, and post-Soviet states had changed over
10-20 years. “Azerbaijan is the best example – it is a dynamically
developing country which has achieved significant successes in
comparison with other countries of the CIS. The successes were
achieved due to a thoughtful and smart economic policy,” Lyudmila
Shuvalova is sure.

Regarding sanctions, Shuvalova said that they could be beneficial for
Russia: “In our country we can launch reforms which are necessary, but
haven’t been launched before for various reasons. Probably the
sanctions will give impetus to agriculture, light industry, and so on.
Of course it is a difficult path, but this is our reality today.”
Shuvalova also stressed that due to the circumstances Eurasian
economic integration could be intensified.

Brant News, Ont., Canada
Aug 25 2014

Brantford remembers country’s first national internment camps

Brant News
By Natalie Paddon

Photo: Rev. Bogdan Mironovich stands in front of the plaque unveiled
at The Ukrainian Catholic Church of St. John the Baptist on Friday.
Behind him are Rev. Vartan Tashjian and Subdeacon Paul Vandervet.

One of the 100 plaques unveiled across Canada commemorating the 100th
anniversary of the start of the country’s first national internment
camps and the War Measures Act.
next play/pause pre 1/2

Brantford joined a wave across Canada to mark the 100th anniversary of
a dark chapter of the country’s history on Friday.

One hundred plaques commemorating the start of Canada’s first national
internment camps, which operated from 1914 to 1920, were unveiled from
the east coast to the west coast starting at 11 a.m. local time.

The Ukrainian Catholic Church of St. John the Baptist on Terrace Hill
Street is the home of Brantford’s plaque. Others are being installed
in parish halls, cultural centres, museums and archives in venues
associated with German, Hungarian, Serbian, Croatian, Armenian and
Ukrainian communities.

“Let us remember the history so that it never comes back into our
lives,” said Rev. Bogdan Mironovich, during the ceremony which
included both prayers and hymns. “We need to remember history, and
sometimes history isn’t that pleasant.”

With the support of the Canadian First World War Internment
Recognition Fund and the Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties
Foundation, the project called CTO – meaning 100 in Ukrainian – also
marked the 100th anniversary of the War Measures Act. The piece of
legislation allowed the government to imprison thousands of people at
the brink of the First World War, most of them Ukrainian-born.

At least 8,000 men, women and children were imprisoned in 24
internment camps across the country during the period of 1914 to 1920.

Rev. Vartan Tashjian of the Armenian orthodox church helped Mironovich
conduct the service.

Brant MPP Dave Levac and MP Phil McColeman also both shared a few
words at Friday’s gathering at St. John the Baptist.

“When we look back at this injustice…it’s hard to fathom 100 years
later that this could actually happen, but it did,” McColeman said.
“The government is sorry for this, and I think we’ve acknowledged it
with this ceremony today.”

Levac said the way the country can heal from its past is by
acknowledging the injustices, saying sorry and working to bring the
community back together.

“We have made mistakes in the past, but we should be moving forward,” he said.

Brantford author Marsha Skrypuch unveiled her latest book called Dance
of the Banished about a young man who was interned 100 years ago and
held a book signing after Friday’s ceremony.

While Skrypuch had previously written two novels about the Ukrainian
experience of the internment, this novel is centered around Ali who
immigrated to Brantford from Eyolmez, Anatolia, in 1914.

“The thing that all people who were interned in Canada had in common
was they were all fleeing from repressive nations,” she told the group
gathered for the ceremony.

Skrypuch commended the federal government for providing the Canadian
First World War Internment Recognition Fund with $10 million in 2008,
which helped to fund this project.

“What makes Canada strong is we know acknowledge injustices,” she
said. “We know how to say sorry.”

The Telegraph, Australia
Aug 26 2014

Simon Malian accepted into Harvard University thanks to Menzies
Foundation scholarship to work on Golden Hint online program

by: Danielle Nicastri
From: North Shore Times
August 26, 2014 9:30AM

A Chatswood student is packing his bags to leave for Harvard
University in the US next Monday.

Simon Malian, 29, won a scholarship from the Menzies Foundation to
further technology aimed at helping charitable organisations.

The project will be the subject of his masters degree in computer
science and engineering at Harvard.

Called Golden Hint, the online service helps connect charities, so
they can share expertise with one another.

Helping other charities earns credit, which the charities can use in a
mini service economy.

“As a child I spoke mainly Armenian and realised the power of being
able to connect with others in the same way technology helps connect
with others,” he said.

Applying for the scholarship, he thought success was a “long shot”.

“It was something that interested me because it ran a number of
leadership programs.”

“I thought I was a long shot.”

Mr Malian will study abroad for at least one year, with options to
continue further.

Scholarship alumni

Paul Hodges – University of Queensland Head of Neuroscience

Susan Kenny – Federal Court Judge

Simon Maddocks – Charles Darwin University Vice Chancellor

Matthew Kiernan – The University of Sydney Bushell Chair of Neurology

Andrew Beech – Western Australia Supreme Court Justice

ST. MARY ARMENIAN APOSTOLIC CHURCH
45 Hallcrown Place
Toronto, ON
Canada M2J 4Y4
Web:

Arsen Bedrossin’s viewing will be held on Wednesday August 27 from
7:00 – 9:00 at St. Mary Armenian Church and the funeral will be on
Thursday August 28 at 11:00 .

Archbishop Pargev Martirosyan: Defense Army is our only guarantee

Tuesday 26 August 2014 11:13
Photo: Mediamax

Archbishop Pargev Martirosyan

Yerevan/Mediamax/. The Defense Army which has been ensuring our safety
for 20 years is the only guarantee and peacekeeping force for us.

Leader of Artsakh Diocese, Archbishop Pargev Martirosyan said this
touching upon the issue of deployment of peacekeeping forces during
his meeting with journalists in Artsakh, Mediamax reports.

“Peacekeeping forces from a foreign country won’t ensure our peace
when Azerbaijan attacks. They will flee and we know it from our
experience”, he said.

The Archbishop noted that the young people who serve in the frontline
exceeded his expectations: “We have a brilliant generation and it’s
natural: each coming generation should be better than the previous
one. They have fully proved it for the past 3 weeks”.

Speaking about the trilateral meeting of Armenian, Russian and
Azerbaijani Presidents in Sochi, he noted: “Only one conclusion can be
made after the meeting – the situation on the border has calmed down.

Discussion of bill on criminalization of Armenian Genocide denial
postponed in Parliament of Greece for one week

August 26, 2014 14:41

The Parliament of Greece has postponed the issue of discussion of the
bill on criminalization of the Armenian Genocide denial. Upon the
initiative of the Justice Minister of Greece Haralambos Athanassiou,
the discussion of the bill was excluded from this week’s agenda of the
parliament.

It was stated that there are some technical problems and only after
fixing them it will be possible to introduce the bill to the
parliamentarians. As reports “Artsakhpress” in a conversation with
“Armenpress”, the Editor-in-Chief of “Free Day” (“Azat Or”) periodical
Hripsime Harutyunyan stated that probably the bill will be introduced
for the discussion next week. But by that time, it is considered that
the Greek Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister will have a meeting
today and will hold a discussion dedicated to the bill.

Artsakhpress.am

– See more at:

Arkady Ter-Tadevosyan: Armenia should launch preventive strike against
Azerbaijan

17:11 26.08.2014

Lena Badeyan
Public Radio of Armenia

Artsakh Hero, Major General Arkady Ter-Tadevosyan has a new suggestion
regarding the Armenian-Azerbaijani relations. He considers we
shouldn’t sit and wait for Azerbaijan’s recurrent adventurism. “This
will never stop, if we fail to give a proper response,” he told
reporters today.

What the Major General suggests is that Armenia launch a preventive
strike against Azerbaijan. “If we look at Azerbaijan’s territory, it’s
all plan, while Armenia and Karabakh are mountainous areas. We have
all conditions to strike Azerbaijan so that we reach the Russian
Federation,” he said.

This does not mean declaring war, he said, noting that there are a
number of nuances in military science. “This will first of all prove
the neighbors that they should not apply to military adventurism any
more,” he said.

As for the reaction of the international community, Arkady
Ter-Tadevosyan said the OSCE has always put an equation mark between
the parties. “If there was a real desire to reveal the truth about the
events in the region, there are a number of electronic tools that
could be installed along the border to prove who violates the
ceasefire in reality,” he said.

The Major General said he has not shared his proposal with the
Ministry of Defense. He hopes that both the authorities and the public
will take the proposal seriously.

Quake recorded at Armenia-Georgia border – ministry of emergencies

YEREVAN, August 26. /ARKA/. A 3.1-magnitude earthquake was recorded
on the night into Tuesday near the Armenian-Georgian border, Armenia’s
ministry of emergencies reported referring to the National Seismic
Protection Service.

The quake occurred at 02:11 local time 17 kilometers north-east from
Ashotsk Armenian village.

The depth of the quake focus was 7 kilometers, according to the report. -0–

Expert: Islamic State has even more dangerous plans

13:29 26/08/2014 >> POLITICS

“The Islamic State militant group has serious plans beyond Iraq. It is
planning an even more dangerous scenario in other areas,” Arabist
Sargis Grigoryan told a press conference on Tuesday.

In his words, the militant group has certain financial and other tools
and is capable of solving some issues through military operations, it
has thrown down a challenge to Iraq and Syria and is fighting against
radical opposition forces.

Head of the Association of Young Yazidis of Armenia Sayid Avdalyan
noted that genocide of Yazidis is taking place in the north of Iraq.

“The extremist group aims to exterminate the Yazidis. Hundreds of
thousands of Yazidis were killed and hundreds of thousands fled,
seeking security guarantees,” Avdalyan said.

Avdalyan claims that the Islamic State is funded by the West. He also
said that the humanitarian aid does not reach the Yazidis because they
are scattered.

Source: Panorama.am

People of Ar
Aug 25 2014

Ancient Armenian City Reveals New Secrets

Turkish archaeologists have recently published discoveries made
underneath the ancient Armenian capital city of Ani. Receding water
has revealed an opening to a comprehensive network of tunnels dug
beneath the ancient city located in present day Turkish province of
Kars. Once a powerful city the capital of the Armenian kingdom of the
Bagratuni dynasty, Ani today stand abandoned and desolate. At its
zenith Ani rivaled the likes of Constantinople, Baghdad and Cairo in
size and influence. By the 11th Century Ani had grown to over
one-hundred-thousand people. Renowned for its splendor and
magnificence, Ani was known as `the city of 40 gates’ and `the city of
1001 churches.’ It would later become the battleground for various
contending Empires, leading to its destruction and abandonment. Today
Ani largely remains a forgotten ancient ghost town in modern day
Turkey.

During the international symposium titled `Underground Secrets of Ani’
organized by the Caucasus University of Kars, the researcher Sezai
Yazıcı stated to the press that (among other finds) they have
discovered hidden water channels, monks’ chambers, meditation rooms,
huge corridors, branching passageways and trapped tunnels. `One can
easily lose the sense of direction.’ ` he remarked. Over 823
underground structures have been found with a length of over 500
meters. Most of these structures were used as residences, other
structures included churches, water channels, dovecotes, etc. The
researchers have mapped the underground structures and passageways.

According to Yazıcı these discoveries have been inspired by George
Gurdjieff`s writings who in 1886, with his companion Pogossian, has
visited the ruins of Ani and discovered some passageways with rotten
furniture, pottery and a pile of parchments in monks chambers.
Although Gurjieff was fluent in Armenian (being born in Armenia
himself), he could not comprehend the words on these scrolls as they
were written in the Old Armenian (commonly known as Grabar). Gurdjieff
remained intrigued by these parchments which upon deciphering revealed
a mentioning of an ancient esoteric brotherhood that sparked his
imagination. Read his accounts -> HERE

For more information and beautiful imagery of the abandoned city
visit: `Ani, city of 1001 church`

Sources: