2-3 Months Enough To Carry Out Opposition’s Demands – Zohrabyan

2-3 MONTHS ENOUGH TO CARRY OUT OPPOSITION’S DEMANDS – ZOHRABYAN

15:53 13/06/2014 >> POLITICS

We will make every effort to prevent an increase in electricity price
from August 1, Prosperous Armenia parliamentary faction member Naira
Zohrabyan said at a parliamentary briefing Friday. She said that the
arguments presented by Robert Nazaryan are not valid and that the
people will have to pay for poor management.

As regards the demands of the four non-coalition parliamentary forces,
Mrs Zohrabyan said that the four factions will stage a big rally in
late September to discuss their future plans.

“The four factions will announce their plans in September and I assure
you that society will not be disappointed,” she said.

Zohrabyan also said that the opposition forces believe that two or
three months are enough to carry out their demands.

Source: Panorama.am

Discussions At The Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute

DISCUSSIONS AT THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MUSEUM-INSTITUTE

13.06.2014

On June 14 at the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute the NA Standing
Committees on Foreign Relations and on Science, Education, Culture,
Youth and Sport held discussions on the theme “The Works of Boosting
the Process of the Armenian Genocide International Recognition and
Condemnation and to be Done Ahead of the Armenian Genocide 100th
Anniversary and the Possibilities of the Parliamentary Participation,”
where the RA NA deputies, members of the RA Government and the
State Commission of Coordination of the Events dedicated to the
100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, representatives of
the scientific-research institutes and specialized and expertise
organizations took part.

The Chairman of the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations Artak
Zakaryan addressed the attendees with an opening word. The RA Foreign
Minister Edward Nalbandian had a speech on the theme “The Format
of the Works in the International Organizations, as well as Being
Designed with Bilateral Relations: Expectations from the Parliamentary
Format,” the Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan delivered a speech
on the theme “The Armenian Diaspora Ahead of the Armenian Genocide
100th Anniversary: Programmes and Initiatives,” and Hayk Demoyan,
the Director of the RA NAS Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute,
the Secretary of the State Commission of Coordination of the Events
Dedicated to the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide gave a
speech on the theme “The Real Possibilities of the Armenian Genocide
International Recognition and Condemnation and the Manifestations
of Their Precedents in the Parliaments.” Then Vigen Sargsyan, the RA
President’s Chief of Staff, the Coordinator of the State Commission
of Coordination of the Events dedicated to the 100th Anniversary of
the Armenian Genocide, delivered a speech and answered the deputies’
questions. The Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on Science,
Education, Culture, Youth and Sport Artak Davtyan gave the final
speech.

http://www.parliament.am/news.php?cat_id=2&NewsID=6683&year=2014&month=06&day=13&lang=eng

European Armenian Federation For Justice & Democracy Sents An Open L

EUROPEAN ARMENIAN FEDERATION FOR JUSTICE & DEMOCRACY SENTS AN OPEN LETTER TO BAROSSO

Today – 16:42

As the official web-site of the Armenian National Committee informs,
Kaspar Karampetian, President of the European Armenian Federation for
Justice & Democracy, sent an open letter to the European Commission
President on the eve of the latter’s visit to Azerbaijan. The letter
especially says:

“President, European Commission

Rue de la Loi 200 1049, Brussels

Brussels, 12 June 2014

Dear President Barroso,

On June 14 you will be visiting Azerbaijan, where you will be meeting
President Ilham Aliyev to hold bilateral talks, and you will be giving
a speech at the ADA University on “EU – Azerbaijan: new opportunities
and challenges”.

The European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy would like
to once again draw your attention on Azerbaijan, a country which the
Freedom House categorizes as a “Consolidated Authoritarian Regime”,
with Ilham Aliyev, the President of Azerbaijan, being the first ever
Organized Crime and Corruption Person of the Year bestowed by the
Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, who “succeeded
his father in 2003, continuing and intensifying the most repressive
aspects of his father’s rule. Since then, the inflow of significant
oil revenues has fueled presidential patronage, strengthened the
state’s security apparatus, and partially subdued both domestic and
foreign criticism of the regime”.

It was only yesterday, that the Foreign Policy magazine run an
investigative piece titled “The Corleones of the Caspian. How
Azerbaijan’s dictator woos the United States and Europe”, stressing
that while the national debate is controlled at home through means
of intimidation, censorship, and legal jury-rigging, Azerbaijan’s
greater mission is to whitewash its reputation abroad – where it
hasn’t resorted to all-expenses-paid vacations to Baku – a form of
what European Stability Initiative witheringly describes as “caviar
diplomacy” (“Caviar Diplomacy. How Azerbaijan silenced the Council
of Europe”) – it has spent millions of dollars in U.S. and European
lobbying, consultancy, and PR firms to whitewash its image in the
American and European media. The Aliyev regime thus, have managed to
buy friends and influence people, including past and present members
of the U.S. Congress, British Parliament, and the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe, which was once known for pressuring
dictatorships, not embracing them.

It was less than a month ago, that the Bureau of PACE (Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe) decided that no more Assembly
committee meetings will be held in Azerbaijan for two years, as of
1 June 2014.

We urge you to address those issues at your meetings and stress the
anti-Armenian propaganda going on in Azerbaijan as well, which reached
its height in September 2012, when Ilham Aliyev pardoned Ramil Safarov
upon his arrival to Baku from Hungary, where he was convicted for
murdering an Armenian colleague during a course sponsored by NATO’s
Partnership for Peace Program in Budapest; whereas Safarov had pleaded
guilty and had expressed no remorse, defending his action on the
grounds that the victim was Armenian.

Furthermore, the European Armenian Federation asks you to stress that
Azerbaijan respect the OSCE Minsk Group mediation efforts in solving
the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, withdraw the snipers along the line
of contact, and accept the creation of a mechanism of investigation
of incidents, which Armenia has already agreed to.

At your speech at the ADA, we ask you to address all the above
mentioned issues to the youth and the students, that it needs more
than an oppressing regime to develop and democratize a country, and
that for a lasting peace in the region, there should be confidence
building measures between the peoples, mutual understanding, tolerance
and acceptance.

The 2% Azerbaijani gas flowing to Europe should not blind the EU
Commission, should not make it accomplice to violations of the core EU
values and rights, in the hope of signing a Strategic Modernization
Partnership and an Association Agreement with Baku and the Aliyev
regime, whose victims are the Azerbaijani people and the region.

Yours faithfully,

Kaspar Karampetian, President, European Armenian Federation for
Justice & Democracy”.

http://times.am/?p=43130&l=en

Over 50% of Americans do not view Obama as strong and honest leader

Over 50% of Americans do not view Obama as strong and honest leader

12:12 * 14.06.14

More than half of Americans do not believe US President Barack Obama
to be a strong and honest leader, according to the Gallup research
center.

Fifty-two percent of respondents said that Obama’s activity in general
makes a bad impression on them. 47 percent of those who took part in
the survey adhere to the opposite view.

In the course of the public opinion survey, respondents were also
asked what leadership characteristics related or did not relate to the
current occupant of the White House. 53percent of respondents said
they did not agree with the statement that Obama could be considered
“a strong and decisive leader”. 45 percent of respondents adhere to
another opinion on this matter.

51percent of respondents disagree with the statement that the current
President of the USA is “honest and trustworthy.” 47 percent of
respondents hold the opposite point of view on this issue. And also 51
percent oppose and 47 percent support the statement that in their eyes
he is an “honest and trustworthy man”. The share of those doubting
Obama’s honesty, according to sociologists, has exceeded half of the
respondents for the first time during his Presidency.

In early June, the data of an opinion poll conducted by the Fox News
channel was released, according to which 55 percent of Americans
believed that during the Presidency of Barack Obama, the USA had to a
large extent lost its position in the world. In general, according to
the Fox News survey, 54 percent of respondents do not approve of
Obama’s activities as President. Meanwhile, 34 percent of Americans
like the foreign policy of the head of the White House, and 58 percent
of respondents expressed dissatisfaction with the way Obama deals with
the problems of the internal policy.

Armenian News – Tert.am

Harutyun Khachatryan’s film is in program of Moscow’s Int’l Film Fes

Harutyun Khachatryan’s film is in program of Moscow’s International
Film Festival

19:30, 13 June, 2014

YEREVAN, JUNE 13, ARMENPRESS. The 36th International Film Festival of
Moscow which will take place on June 19-28 introduced the program of
this year. An Armenian film is as well introduced in “Russian trace”
official program of the festival-the first “Hayk: Escape” documentary
work of “Endless Escape. Eternal Return” film series by Harutyun
Khachatryan. The “Golden Apricot” International Film Festival Office
informed Armenpress that within the frames of Moscow Film Festival the
Russian premiere of the film will be held.

It is noteworthy that the main shootings of the film were held in
different cities of Russia, including Moscow.

The film was shown in “Moscow” cinema on November 7. The ground of
Khachatryan’s new work is the stories of people who left Armenia and
began new lives in foreign lands. “Endless Escape.

Eternal Return” film series is devoted to the most painful problem of
today- the emigration.

http://armenpress.am/eng/news/765754/harutyun-khachatryan%E2%80%99s-film-is-in-program-of-moscow%E2%80%99s-international-film-festival.html

Le Gouvernement arménien approuve des réductions d’impôt pour les pe

ARMENIE
Le Gouvernement arménien approuve des réductions d’impôt pour les
petites entreprises

Le gouvernement arménien a annoncé jeudi qu’il prévoit de réduire
sensiblement une taxe prélevée auprès des petites entreprises,
invoquant la nécessité de stimuler l’activité économique dans le pays.

Un ensemble de modifications juridiques élaboré par le gouvernement
permettrait de réduire de 3,5 à 1 pour cent le taux de l’impôt sur le
chiffre d’affaires payé par les entreprises commerciales avec des
ventes annuelles allant jusqu’à 58,3 millions de drams ( 140 000 $ ).
Le gouvernement prévoit également introduire le statut d ‘> pour les entités dont le chiffre d’affaires annuel
n’excède pas 12 millions de drams.

Présenté par le précédent gouvernement en Janvier 2013, l’impôt sur le
chiffre d’affaires a remplacé les impôts sur les bénéfices et la
valeur ajoutée payées par les petites entreprises engagées dans le
commerce de détail ou de gros. Il a été conçu afin de faciliter leur
croissance.

Hovik Abrahamian Premier ministre a dit que la réduction d’impôt, dont
le parlement arménien va certainement être approuvé la semaine
prochaine, donnera une impulsion majeure à ces entreprises. Il a dit
que le gouvernement envisage de compenser la perte des recettes
fiscales avec una hausse des taxes perçues sur les grandes
entreprises.

> a déclaré Abrahamian lors d’une réunion
hebdomadaire du cabinet à Erevan. >.

Le mois dernier, le cabinet de Abrahamian a donné aux grandes
entreprises jusqu’au 1er Juillet pour arrêter l’évasion fiscale et
d’abuser de leur position sur le marché au risque d’une répression
plus sévère par les autorités fiscales. Il a fixé ce délai après que
le premier ministre ait rencontré plus de 100 riches entrepreneurs.

samedi 14 juin 2014,
Stéphane (c)armenews.com

Crossroads E-Newsletter – June 12, 2014

PRESS RELEASE
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apost. Church of America and Canada
H.E. Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan
Prelate, Easter Prelacy and Canada
138 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212-689-7810
Fax: 212-689-7168
Web:

June 12, 2014

The Armenian Prelacy =99¦ 138 East 39th Street =99¦ New York, NY 10016

tel: 212-689-7810 =99¦ Fax: 212-689-7168 =99¦ Email:
[email protected]

POPE FRANCIS AND CATHOLICOS ARAM MEET

`Your solidarity with the Armenians during the 100th Anniversary
Commemorations of the Genocide will be a valuable contribution to our
just cause’ (Catholicos Aram)

`The history of emigration, persecutions and the martyrdom experienced
by so many of the faithful has inflicted deep wounds on the hearts of
all Armenians. We must see and venerate these as wounds inflicted on
the very body of Christ.’ (Pope Francis)

Following a private meeting between Pope Francis and Catholicos Aram
I, Pope Francis and Catholicos Aram met with the delegation that
accompanied the
Catholicos. In his speech the Catholicos noted that since 1997 he has
had the opportunity to meet Popes John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and
currently, His Holiness Francis I.

Catholicos Aram I then spoke of the special relations between the
Roman Catholic Church and the Catholicosate of Cilicia during the time
of the Kingdom of Cilicia and after the Genocide when the Holy See
settled in Antelias,
Lebanon.

The Catholicos expressed his appreciation of the Pope’s effort to take
the church to the people, which he said is also at the heart of the
Armenian Orthodox Church and to which it is fully committed. He
invited all churches to leave confessional differences aside and face
together the urgent challenges confronting humanity.

Speaking of the Middle East, the Catholicos said that despite the
current violence in the region, Christians would continue to witness
for their faith, fulfill their duties, and demand their rights as
citizens of their countries.

Speaking about the Centenary of the Armenian Genocide that will be
commemorated in 2015, the Catholicos thanked the Pope for his past
positions towards the Armenian cause and spoke of the
one-and-a-half-million Armenians that had lost their lives and of the
churches, homes, sources of livelihood, spiritual and cultural
heritage that had been lost in the Genocide that had been perpetrated
upon the Armenians by the Ottoman Turks. The Catholicos paid tribute
to Pope Benedict XV who denounced the Armenian Genocide in a letter to
Sultan Mehmet V in 1915. The Catholicos asked the Pope to continue
advocating for the rights of the Armenian People.

In his response, Pope Francis, noted that Catholicos Aram’s
=80=9Ccommitment to the cause of Christian unity is known to all. You
have been especially active in the World Council of Churches and you
continue to be most supportive of the Middle East Council Churches,
which plays such an important role in assisting the Christian
communities of that region as they face numerous difficulties. Nor can
I fail to mention the significant contribution which Your Holiness and
the representatives of the Catholicosate of Cilicia have made to the
Joint Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church
and the Oriental Orthodox Churches. I am convinced that on our journey
towards full communion we share the same hopes and a similar sense of
responsibility as we strive to be faithful to the will of the
Lord Jesus Christ.’

Referring to the Armenian Genocide, the Pope said `the Armenian people
represent a part of the Christian world that is irrevocably marked by
a history of trials and sufferings courageously accepted for the love
of God. The Armenian Apostolic Church has had to become a pilgrim
people; it has
experienced in a singular way what it means to journey towards the
Kingdom
of God. The history of emigration, persecutions and martyrdom
experienced by so many of the faithful has inflicted deeps wounds on
the hearts of all Armenians. We must see and venerate these as wounds
inflicted on the very body of Christ, and for this very reason a cause
for unfailing hope and trust in the provident mercy of the father.’

At the end of formal speeches, the two Pontiffs and the delegation
accompanying Catholicos Aram I, coming from Europe, the Middle East,
and North and
South America, attended a special prayer service. Following the
service, the delegates were formally introduced to the Pope.

KARAGEUZIAN FOUNDATION DIRECTORS VISIT PRELACY

The newly appointed Executive Director of the Karageuzian Foundation,
accompanied by the directors of the Foundation in Armenia and Lebanon,
visited the Prelacy offices yesterday where they were received by the
Vicar General, Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian.

DATEV SUMMER PROGRAM FOR YOUTH

St. Gregory of Datev Institute will hold its 28th annual summer
program for youth ages 13-18 at St. Mary of Providence Center in
Elverson, Pennsylvania, from June 29 to July 6, 2014. The program is
sponsored by the Prelacy’s Armenian Religious Education Council
(AREC). For information and registration, please visit the Prelacy
website (armenianprelacy.org/arec/datev
()).

()

Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian with Mrs. Eranouhi Shahbazian.

CATHEDRAL’S ELDEST MEMBER AND SURVIVOR OF GENOCIDE DIES

Mrs. Eranouhi Shahbazian, who was one of the most dedicated members of
the
Cathedral since she came to the United States from Romania many
decades ago with her family, passed away on June 6 at the age of 103.

Mrs. Shahbazian, a survivor of the Armenian Genocide, was born on
August 25, 1910, in Ordou, Turkey. At the age of five she lost her
mother, and later her father. She was reunited with her sister in an
orphanage from where they were first sent to Russia and then to
Romania.

SATURDAY SCHOOL GRADUATION IN WATERTOWN

St. Stephen’s Saturday School in Watertown, Massachusetts, held its
year-end program, highlighted by the graduation of 12 students from
the 12th grade. St. Stephen’s is the only ANEC-affiliated one-day
school
whose classes extend through the high school level.

The program was dedicated to the elders of the community in accordance
with the declaration of His Holiness Aram I, proclaiming 2014 as the
Year of the Elders. This year’s graduates were: Talar Kaya, Barkev
Chaghlasian, Aren Torigian, Arlene Cimen, Sarkis Toukhmanian, Aida
Barsoumian,
Ani Khachadrian, Karni Berejiklian, Alek Kotikian, Raffi Bilanian,
Anette Calisir, and Taleen Saghrian.

The 12th grade graduates with 11th and 12th grade teacher, Mr. Khajag
Megerdichian; Pastor, Archpriest Fr. Antranig Baljian; Principal,
Mrs. Mayda Melkonian, and School Committee Chairman, Mr. Missak
Barsoumian.

GRADUATES HONORED IN DOUGLASTON

Last Sunday St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New York, honored graduates
of the Armenian community in a special Church Service and luncheon
that followed. Honored were, College Graduates: Hagop Nercessian and
Leon Zohrabian; High School Graduates: Armen Bijimenian, Arthur
Mouradian and Christapor Megherian; Eighth Grade graduates: Nicole
Mark, Shushan Aghavian, Cassandra Trivino, Isabel Hagobian, Raffi
Hagobian, Mimi Bijimenian, and Arev Ebrimian; Sixth Grade Graduates:
Peter Agopian and Alicia Mordjikian; and Fifth Grade graduate Michael
Trivino.

Sixteen graduates and their families attended the Divine
Liturgy. Bishop Anoushavan, Vicar of the Prelacy, and Rev. Fr. Nareg
invited the graduates to the altar where His Grace prayed for each one
as he presented them with a
specially designed satin stole representing St. Sarkis Church, hand
crafted by Mrs. Jeanette Nenejian. Following church services the
graduates and their families were invited to join in a special
luncheon and program. (Reported by Seta Megherian)

Bishop Anoushavan and Rev. Fr. Nareg Terterian, pastor of St. Sarkis
Church, Douglaston, New York with the 2014 graduates.

TANIEL VAROUJAN ARMENIAN SCHOOL GRADUATES

The graduates of the Taniel Varoujan Armenian Saturday School in
Glenview,
Illinois, with Archpriest Fr. Zareh Sahakian, Pastor of All Saints
Church,
Mrs. Talin Artinian, Principal, Mrs. Arpie Dekirmenjian, Vice
Principal, Mrs. Rita Arakelian, 7th grade teacher, and Mrs. Silva
Bedian, 7th grade teacher.

MOURAD SATURDAY SCHOOL HANTES

The Mourad Armenian Saturday School of Sts. Vartanantz Church,
Providence,
Rhode Island, concluded the school year with its annual Hantes at Hope
Highlands School in Cranston. The program included singing,
recitations, dance
performances, and drama. Students, parents, and the principal Deegen
Anahid Kibarian and the teachers all worked diligently during the
school year to
prepare this year’s presentation that was dedicated to the =80=9CYear
of the Elderly.’ Honorees were three long-time servants of
the school: Mrs. Carol Mesrobian (School Committee treasurer), former
co-principal Mrs. Rozanne Arzoomanian, and the current principal,
Mrs. Kibarian.

Five students won the essay contest sponsored by the Armenian Relief
Society. Seven students, David Ayriyan, Anahid Donoyan, Taleen
Donoyan, Armen Eghian, Datev Katchatryan, Rosdom Mkrtschjan, and Lorie
Simonian, graduated, and participated in the Divine Liturgy by reading
from the Gospel in Armenian and English, reciting the Havadamk (Nicene
Creed), giving the Voghchooyn
(Kiss of Peace), and performing ushering duties. Next school year,
these graduates will serve as assistant teachers, as members of the
church choir, or serve on the altar.

A dance presentation by the younger grades.

Honorees and graduates with Archpriest Fr. Gomidas Baghsarian,
Mrs. Maggie
Nalbandian, and School Committee chair, Hagop Khatchadourian.

STS. VARTANANTZ CHURCH (NJ) INDUCTS NEW BOARD

Induction services for the new Board of Trustees of Sts. Vartanantz
Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey, took place last Sunday after the
Divine Liturgy. Rev. Fr. Hovnan Bozoian, pastor, conducted the service
in the presence of a
large number of parishioners. At the end of the induction service, Der
Hovnan congratulated the new Board of Trustees on behalf of the
Prelate and Vicar General, and the Sts. Vartanantz family and wished
them health and good
luck in their service.

Rev. Fr. Hovnan Bozoian with the members of the new board of
trustees. Front row, left to right, Karoun Dayermenjian (secretary),
Apraham Dermenjian (chair), Fr. Hovnan (pastor), Lynn Mahlebjian (Vice
Chair), Vicken Mazbanian (treasurer). Back row, left to right:
Advisors, Nora Sarajian, Vahe Asayan, Silva Kouyoumdjian, Mher
Azazian, and Garo Khatchadourian.

PRESENTATION ON WORLD VISION PROGRAMS IN ARMENIA

Last Sunday, a presentation on World Vision International Charitable
Organization’s operations in Armenia, was presented at
St. Illuminator’s Cathedral. The presentation was facilitated by
Rev. David L. Snyder, the Church Partnerships (Officer of World
Vision’s U.S. office, and Dr. Artur Martirosyan, a member of the Board
of Trustees of St. Illuminator’s Cathedral, and former staff member of
World Vision in Armenia.

In his opening remarks, Dn. Shant Kazanjian, director of the Prelacy’s
Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC) welcomed the guest
speaker, thanked World Vision for its worldwide charitable work,
especially in Armenia, and stressed the importance for cooperation.

Rev. Snyder described the mission of World Vision and its important
role in Armenia. Dr. Martirosyan stressed the new initiative by World
Vision US to engage with the US-based Armenian Diaspora primarily
through the Armenian
Church. The presentation was accompanied with impressive video
materials on how the change is brought to an ordinary Armenian village
through the facilitation of World Vision Armenia as well as a video
describing the global nature of World Vision and the objective of
child sponsorship. At the conclusion of the presentation,
Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian, pastor of the Cathedral presented a copy of
the book, Living Faith, to Rev. Snyder, and thanked all of the
participants.

World Vision presentation took place at the Cathedral. Left to right,
Dn. Shant Kazanjian, Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian, Rev. David L. Snyder,
Dr. Artur
Martirosyan.

BIBLE READINGS

Bible readings for Sunday, June 15, First Sunday after Pentecost,
(Beginning of Sundays of Resurrection) are: 1 Kings 18:29-46; 2 Kings
2:1-15; James
5:16-20; Luke 4:25-30.

Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another,
so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and
effective. Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed fervently
that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not
rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and
the earth yielded its harvest.

My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth
and is
brought back by another, you should know that whoever brings back a
sinner
from wandering will save the sinner’s soul from death and will cover a
multitude of sins. (James 5:16-20)

For a listing of the coming week’s Bible readings click here
().

REMEMBRANCE OF THE PROPHET ELIJAH

This Sunday, June 15, the Armenian Church commemorates the Feast of
Elijah, the Messianic prophet of the Old Testament recorded in 1 and 2
Kings. Elijah was the greatest prophet in the Old Testament and
therefore his feast day falls on a Sunday. He appeared along with
Moses at the Transfiguration as the prophet of life and the new
covenant; Moses was representative of the
old covenant. The Armenian Church (like all the Eastern churches)
holds Elijah in the highest esteem. Most importantly, Elijah did not
experience death, but was taken to heaven, like the Holy Mother of
God. He is mentioned in the Armenian hymn Ee Verin, sung during the
Requiem Service.

`Receive us in Jerusalem above, in the dwellings of the angels, in
Eden, the paradise where Enoch and Elijah live worthily resplendent in
dove-like purity and in old age. O merciful Lord, have mercy upon the
souls of
ours who have fallen asleep.’

(From the Armenian hymn Ee Verin Yerousaghem (Receive us in Jerusalem
above), sung during the Requiem Service.)

SAINTS HRIPSIME AND GAYANE AND THEIR COMPANIONS

This Monday and Tuesday, June 16 and 17, the Armenian Church
commemorates the virgin saints Hripsime and Gayane and their
companions. Thirty-three nuns, led by Gayane, left Rome and sought
refuge in Armenia hoping to escape the Roman Emperor who desired one
of the nuns, the beautiful Hripsime. In Armenia, King Dertad became
captivated by Hripsime’s beauty and sought to wed her. She
refused. Enraged, the king had Hripsime (and the other nuns)
imprisoned and tortured to death.

When Gregory was released from his imprisonment in the deep pit (Khor
Virab) he built chapels over the relics of the nuns, which Catholicos
Sahag Bartev later renovated. During the 7th century, churches were
built over both sites. The church dedicated to Saint Hripsime, built
by Catholicos Gomidas,
is considered to be an architectural masterpiece and influenced the
future
course of Armenian architecture. Catholicos Gomidas also wrote a
sharagan (hymn) in their memory-the well-known Antsink Nviryalk
(Dedicated Beings).

The two churches, as well as a third (Shoghakat) are in the city of
Etchmiadzin (Vagharshapat), not far from the complex of buildings that
comprise the Holy Mother See of Etchmiadzin, designated by UNESCO as a
World Heritage
site.

THIS WEEK IN ARMENIAN HISTORY
(Prepared by the Armenian National Education Committee[ANEC])

Birth of Tigran Petrosian
(June 17, 1929)

Armenia was not an independent state in the 1960s, when Tigran the
Great was the king of the world. Tigran Petrosian put Armenia and
Armenians on the
world map of chess. His almost impenetrable defensive playing style
earned
him the nickname `Iron Tigran’ by Soviet grandmaster Lev Polugaievsky.

Petrosian was born in Tiflis on June 17, 1929. He learned to play
chess at
the age of 8, though his father, who was illiterate, encouraged him to
continue studying. He was orphaned during World War II and was forced
to sweep
streets to earn a living.

He began training at the Tiflis Pioneers’ Palace in 1941, and became a
candidate Master at the age of 17 (1946). He then moved to Yerevan and
won the Armenian chess championship. He earned the title of Master
during the USSR junior chess championship of 1947.

After moving to Moscow in 1949, Petrosian’s career as a chess player
advanced rapidly. In 1951 and 1952 he earned the titles of
International Master and Grandmaster. In the tournament of candidates
for world championship of 1953, he arrived in fifth position. After
the 1956 candidates’ tournament, he made a turnaround in his
production. He went on to win the 1959 and 1961 USSR championships,
and after winning the candidates’ tournament of 1962 in Curacao, he
earned the right to challenge Mikhail Botvinnik, another Soviet
player, for the title of world chess champion. Petrosian
won the match in 1963 with a final score of 12.5 to 9.5.

Upon becoming world champion, Petrosian became editor-in-chief of the
chess monthly Shakhmatnaya Moskva (1963-1966) and campaigned for the
publication of a chess newspaper for the entire Soviet Union. This
newspaper became known as 64. He would become its founding editor from
1968-1977. He earned a
Ph.D. in Philosophical Science at Yerevan State University in 1968,
with his dissertation entitled `Chess Logics: Some Problems of Logic
of Chess Thought.’

After successfully defending his crown in 1966 against Boris Spassky,
Petrosian, who had won the Soviet championship in 1969, was challenged
again by
the same player in the same year. This time, Spassky won the match by
12.5-10.5.

The Armenian player continued his career and participated four more
times in the candidates’ tournament (1971, 1974, 1977, and 1980). He
won again the Soviet championship in 1975. He participated as a
representative of the USSR in ten Chess Olympiads from 1958-1978,
where he obtained the third all-best performance of all times (79.5
per cent, with only one defeat on 129 games) and won six individual
gold medals.

Petrosian photographed during a match with rival Bobby Fischer in
Belgrad,
Yugoslavia, 1970.

In his 1973 book on grandmasters of chess, New York Times journalist
Harold C. Schonberg said that `playing him was like trying to put
handcuffs on an eel. There was nothing to grip.’ Boris Spassky,
Petrosian’s successor, described his style of play: `Petrosian reminds
me of a hedgehog. Just when you think you have caught him, he puts out
his quills.”

Petrosian passed away of stomach cancer in Moscow on August 13,
1984. He was buried in the cemetery of Vagankovo, where world chess
champion Garry Kasparov unveiled a memorial on his grave in 1987,
depicting the laurel wreath of a world champion and an image contained
within a crown of the sun shining above the twin peaks of Mount
Ararat. In the district of Davtashen, in Yerevan, a monument honoring
the world-famous player was opened in 2006 on the street that carries
his name.

Tigran Petrosian contributed enormously to popularize chess in
Armenia. The country became a great power in the chess world after
independence. Grandmaster Tigran L. Petrosian, born a month after his
death, was named after him.

Previous entries in `This Week in Armenian History’ are on
the Prelacy’s web site ()

SYRIAN ARMENIAN COMMUNITY NEEDS OUR HELP MORE THAN EVER

The crises in Syria, including the recent upheaval in Kessab, require
our financial assistance. Please keep this community in your prayers,
your hearts, and your pocketbooks.

PLEASE DO NOT FORGET OUR ONGOING RELIEF EFFORTS FOR THE ARMENIAN
COMMUNITY
IN SYRIA WHERE CONDITIONS ARE BECOMING INCREASINGLY MORE DIFFICULT.

THE NEED IS REAL.
THE NEED IS GREAT.

DONATIONS TO THE FUND FOR SYRIAN ARMENIAN RELIEF CAN BE MADE ON LINE.
TO DONATE NOW CLICK HERE ()
AND
SELECT SYRIAN ARMENIAN RELIEF IN THE MENU.
OR IF YOU PREFER YOU MAY MAIL YOUR DONATION TO:
Armenian Prelacy
138 E. 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Checks payable to: Fund for Syrian Armenian Relief

Thank you for your help

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

June 15-St. Gregory Church, annual Father’s Day Picnic, 12
noon to 5 pm on the church grounds at 135 Goodwin Street, Indian
Orchard, Massachusetts. Enjoy many favorite Armenian dinners including
shish kebab and rice pilaf. Baked goods available for
purchase. Raffle, Armenian music and dancing, and activities for
children. Admission and parking are free. For information,
413-543-4763.

June 16-17-St. Sarkis Church, Dearborn, Michigan, Sunday School Teens
Seminar at Colombiere Conference and Retreat Center, Clarkston,
Michigan.

June 22-Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey, Nareg Saturday
School year-end Hantes, following the Divine Liturgy.

June 22-Wisconsin chapter of SOAR (Society for Orphaned Armenian
Relief) Golf Outing, Meadowbrook Country Club, 2149 N. Green Bay Road,
Racine; 11 am lunch and registration; 1 pm shotgun start; 5:30 pm
finish; 6 pm dinner and entertainment. Golf event with dinner $150 per
golfer; $50 dinner
and program for non-golfers. Registration and/or information:
262-352-4140.

June 23-Holy Trinity Church, Worcester, Massachusetts, 11th Annual
Golf Outing, Sterling National Country Club, Sterling,
Massachusetts. Tee off: 9 am, shotgun start, scramble format. $145 per
person includes: Golf, cart, breakfast, dinner, prizes, raffles, and
chance to win a two-year lease on a 2014 Land Rover with a hole in
one. For information: Kap Kaprielian,
[email protected] or 508-872-9629.

June 24-26-Vacation Bible Camp for preschool (age 4) to 6th grade
students at St. Sarkis Church, Dearborn, Michigan, from 10 am to 2
pm. Religious activities, lessons, crafts, and games. For information:
313-336-6200.

June 28-St. Stephen’s Church, New Britain, Connecticut, Ladies Guild
Cooking Class, `Short Cuts to Armenian Cooking,’
11 am, Mock Manti. $15 for each class; $40 for three classes.

June 29 – July 6: St. Gregory of Datev Institute Summer Program for
youth ages 13-18 at the St. Mary of Providence Center in Elverson,
Pennsylvania, sponsored by the Prelacy’s Armenian Religious Education
Council (AREC). For information, contact the AREC office at
212.689.7810 or at
[email protected].

June 29-St. Hagop Church, Racine, Wisconsin, Annual Armenian Picnic
and `Madagh’ blessing at 11 am, by Rev. Fr. Daron Stepanian, pastor of
St. Hagop Church, at Johnson Park, 6200 Northwestern Avenue. Shish
kebab and chicken dinners, sarma, penelee, khurabia, and more. Live
Armenian music; children’s activities, raffle drawing. For
information: Zohrab at [email protected].

July 14-39th Annual St. Sarkis Golf & Tennis Classic, Meadowbrook
Country Club, Northville, Michigan. $250 donation for golf breakfast,
lunch, and banquet. $125 donation banquet only. Reservations:
313-336-6200.

July 19-`A Hye Summer A Night IX,’ sponsored by the Ladies Guild of
Sts. Vartanantz Church, Providence, and Armenian Relief Society Ani
Chapter, 7 pm to 12 midnight. Dinner Dance at Alpine Country Club,
Pippen Orchard Drive, Cranston, Rhode Island, featuring Hachig
Kazarian,
John Berberian, Ken Kalajian, and Jason Naroian. Dinner-Dance, $50;
dance only after 8:30 pm, $35 (with student ID $25). RSVP before June
30. Call Joyce Yeremian, 401-354-8770, [email protected] or Joyce
Bagdasarian, 401-434-4467, sweetano6aol.com.

July 26-St. Stephen’s Church, New Britain, Connecticut, Ladies Guild
Cooking Class, `Short Cuts to Armenian Cooking,’
11 am, Boereg. $15 for each class; $40 for three classes.

August 17-St. Sarkis Church (Dearborn) Grape Blessing Family Fun
Picnic at Kensington Park, Kensington, Michigan. Good food, music,
biking, soccer, dancing, magician, swimming, playscape, kids games,
door prizes, face painting, tavloo tournament and more.

August 17-Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey, Annual
Picnic and Blessing of the Grapes, 1-5 pm at Saddle River County Park,
Wild Duck Pond area. Music, delicious Armenian food and desserts, arts
and
crafts, and playground for children, cards, and tavloo, and more.

September 18-Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey, 12th
Annual Golf Classic, River Vale Country Club, River Vale, New
Jersey. Rain or Shine. 11 am registration and Grilled Lunch Buffet; 1
pm Tee Off. Format: Shotgun Scramble (All player levels welcome). Golf
Outing Reservation: $195; limited to first 128 paid golf
reservations. Reservation includes: Grilled lunch buffet, dinner
banquet, golf, cart, and range balls. Contests and
Prizes. Sponsorships available. For information: 201-943-2950.

October 3-St. Sarkis Armenian Church, Douglaston, New York, Saturday
School Dinner Dance Gala.

Web pages of the parishes can be accessed through the Prelacy’s web
site.

To ensure the timely arrival of Crossroads in your electronic mailbox,
add
[email protected] to your address book.

Items in Crossroads can be reproduced without permission. Please
credit Crossroads as the source.

Parishes of the Eastern Prelacy are invited to send information about
their major events to be included in the calendar. Send to:
[email protected]

http://www.armenianprelacy.org/
http://t.e2ma.net/click/ksoxe/4f4cee/c2i9gb
http://t.e2ma.net/click/ksoxe/4f4cee/suj9gb
http://t.e2ma.net/click/ksoxe/4f4cee/8mk9gb
http://t.e2ma.net/click/ksoxe/4f4cee/ofl9gb
www.armenianprelacy.org

U.Mich Faculty position-Modern Armenian History Deadline November 1

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Studies Program and Department of Near Eastern Studies
University of Michigan

1080 S. University Ave., St. 3633
Ann Arbor, MI 48103-1106
Contact: Naira Tumanyan
Tel: 734-763-0622
fax: 734-763-4765
Email: [email protected]
Web:

Dear colleagues,

Please find enclosed the job description for a tenure-track position
to fill the Alex Manoogian Chair in Modern Armenian History at the
University of Michigan. We would appreciate, if you could forward this
opportunity/message to any of your colleagues or contacts who you
think might be interested. Feel free to reach us at
[email protected] or 734-763-0622.

Thank you very much.
Sincerely,
Naira Tumanyan
Armenian Studies Program

Alex Manoogian Chair in Modern Armenian History

The University of Michigan Department of History announces an open search
for a tenure-track position to fill the Alex Manoogian Chair in Modern
Armenian History. The Alex Manoogian Chair is an endowed chair established
for the purpose of teaching courses in Armenian history, politics and
culture, and creating a locus of Armenian historical studies at the
University of Michigan. UM’s Department of History seeks a dynamic
colleague with a sound record of both scholarly achievement and successful
teaching that covers the full range of Armenian history, with emphasis on
the modern (since the 18th century) period, and the relationship of that
history to the wider region and the larger issues of world history. The
holder of this position is also expected to play a central role in the
Armenian Studies Program, an endowed program housed in the International
Institute.

We welcome applications from scholars in a position to contribute to a
tradition of academic excellence and intellectual distinction at UM’s
Department of History. To ensure full consideration, materials must be
received by November 1, 2014.Please send: a letter of interest, a
career summary, a C.V., a statement of current and future research
plans, a statement of teaching philosophy and experience, evidence of
teaching excellence, the names of three available referees, and any
other supporting material you wish to Prof. Kathleen Canning, Chair,
History Department, 1029 Tisch Hall, University of Michigan, Ann
Arbor, MI 48109-1003; telephone 734-763-2289>; fax 734-647-4881 or by
email to [email protected]. Women and minority scholars are encouraged
to apply, and the university is supportive of the needs of dual-career
couples. The University of Michigan is an equal
opportunity/affirmative action employer.

http://ii.umich.edu/asp/

BAKU: Book Written By British Journalist About Armenian-Azerbaijani

BOOK WRITTEN BY BRITISH JOURNALIST ABOUT ARMENIAN-AZERBAIJANI CONFLICT TO BE PRESENTED IN GEORGIAN PARLIAMENT

APA, Azerbaijan
June 12 2014

[ 12 Juny 2014 18:56 ]

Georgia. Nizami Mammadzadeh – APA. Caucasus editor at the Institute
for War and Peace, British journalist Thomas de Waal published a new
book about the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict.

APA’s Georgian bureau reports that the book published in Russian is
titled “Black Garden: Armenia and Azerbaijan Through Peace and War”.

The book published in Moscow consists of 19 chapters. The book deals
with the events, elections in Azerbaijan in chronological order from
1214 till 2011, the chronology of the events which were attended
by Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders during their official visits,
internationally significant projects implemented in the South Caucasus
and other political and economic events.

The book is about the causes of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. The
author benefited from documents, interviews with Armenian and
Azerbaijani politicians and participants of the bloody conflict.

The book is intended for historians and readers interested in the
history of the Caucasus.

3000 copies of the book were published with the financial support of
the European Union.

The book will be presented on June 13 in the National Library of the
Georgian Parliament with participation of officials, representatives
of the diplomatic corps and public members.

U.S. Embassy Expands English Access To Remote Areas Of Armenia

U.S. EMBASSY EXPANDS ENGLISH ACCESS TO REMOTE AREAS OF ARMENIA

Targeted News Service
June 11, 2014 Wednesday 4:25 AM EST

YEREVAN, Armenia

The U.S. Embassy issued the following news release:

On June 10, the U. S. Embassy in Armenia, together with Children
of Armenia Fund (COAF), launched a new English learning initiative
that will expand English learning resources in remote areas of
Armenia. The Expanding English Access – Reaching Remote Regions with
New Technologies project was initiated and is funded by the U.S.

Department of State and implemented in partnership with COAF. The
project will reach language-learners in Armenia’s remote regions, where
resources for learning English are either limited or non-existent. The
program is intended for post-high school youth in regional towns
via the Internet and selected regional libraries and schools. The
recruitment focused on the 17-35 year-old demographic, a group that
does not generally have access to classroom resources or instruction
if not attending university or private classes. The curriculum is
composed of two streams – social and business English.

It includes two online classes twice a week and one face-to-face
communicative English class with a local teacher once a week. The
pilot phase includes approximately 150 participants from Armavir,
Gavar, Yeghegnadzor and Goris.