Author: Kajoyan Gevork

NON-MOSLEM IRANIAN MARTYRS HONORED

Press TV, Iran
Feb 7 2014

Martyred Iranian Non-Moslems honored. High ranking religious officials,
representing Jewish, Christian and Zoroastrian community together with
Iranian officials attended a ceremony in Tehran’s Armenian cemetery
to honor those that had sacrificed their lives to bring peace and
stability for all. Archbishop Sebouh Sarkissian talked about the
importance of martyrs.

Mother of the first Iranian Armenian martyred in Iraq-Iran war
talked about her sacrifice as a mother An Iranian official at the
event said that all Iranians today owe their security and peace of
mind to martyrs. He added The event is held annually on the first
Thursday of “The Ten Days of Dawn”, marking the victory of Iran’s
Islamic revolution.

View video at

AWARD WINNER KOUYOUMDJIAN TO STAGE ‘ANCIENT GODS’

Friday, February 7th, 2014

Aram Kouyoumdjian presents Levon Shant’s ‘Ancient Gods’

LOS ANGELES–Award-winning playwright and director Aram Kouyoumdjian
will stage a new adaptation of Levon Shant’s play “Ancient Gods”
(Hin Asdvadzner) next month. The re-envisioned “Ancient Gods” will
have its world premiere on March 7, 2014, at the NoHo Arts Center,
where it will enjoy a three-week run through March 23.

Presented by the Garni Theater Ensemble, in association with the
Hamazkayin Educational and Cultural Society, the adaptation by
Kouyoumdjian converts Shant’s sprawling play into a solo performance,
told from the perspective of a single character. The play depicts a
monk’s crisis of faith and struggle with carnal temptation after he
saves a woman from drowning in a storm at sea.

“The play is both classic and iconic, but I’ve tried to contemporize
it and give it a modern edge,” Kouyoumdjian said of the streamlined
work. “It will be a revelation even for audiences who are familiar
with the original text or earlier productions.”

Scripted in Armenian and featuring original music composed by Ara
Dabandjian, the production will star Aram Muradian, a professionally
trained actor from Armenia, who has been acclaimed for his local
performances in such plays as “Averagneri Bahagneruh” (The Guards of
Ruins), “Galank” (Confinement), and “Patand” (The Hostage). He will
perform the play ten times over three weekends – on Friday and Saturday
nights at 8 pm, and Sundays at 3 pm. A special evening performance
on Sunday, March 16, will be accompanied by English projections. Due
to the intimate nature of the performances, no late seating will
be allowed.

Kouyoumdjian is the winner of Elly Awards for directing (“Three
Hotels”) and playwriting (“The Farewells”). He was the co-founder
and Artistic Director of Vista Players, a Sacramento-based theater
company which “set the standard by which others were judged,”
according to the Sacramento News & Review. The Sacramento Bee has
hailed Kouyoumdjian for having “an adventurous artistic sensibility
for intelligent productions.” His directing credits include “Arcadia,”
“Far Away,” “Marvin’s Room,” “The Play About the Baby,” and “Six
Degrees of Separation.” His latest works are “Happy Armenians” and
“Velvet Revolution.”

Tickets may be purchased online at or by
calling (626) 8MY.SEAT.

Performance Dates Fridays and Saturdays – March 7, 8, 14, 15, 21,
22 – 8:00 pm Sundays – March 9, 16, 23 – 3:00 pm Sunday – March 16 –
7:00 pm (with English projections)

Venue NoHo Arts Center, 11136 Magnolia Blvd. (at Lankershim),
North Hollywood

Tickets Reserved seating. Tickets are $35 and $25 and may be purchased
online at or by calling (626) 8MY.SEAT. No
late seating will be allowed.

COLLECTION OF NOTE MANUSCRIPTS AND FILM MUSIC OF COMPOSER ARAM KHACHATURIAN INCLUDED IN UNESCO MEMORY OF THE WORLD REGISTER

20:35 * 07.02.14

Collection of note manuscripts and film music of composer Aram
Khachaturian has been included in the UNESCO Memory of the World
Register.

Armenia’s Minister of Culture Hasmik Poghosyan handed a relevant
certificate over to Director of the Aram Khachaturian house-museum
Armine Grigoryan.

“The application was submitted on the initiative of Armenia’s
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Culture, in 2012. Fifteen
manuscripts and film music by Aram Khachaturian are being kept at the
museum in Yerevan. Among them are also several documents provided by
the composer’s son Karen Khachaturian,” Gigoryan said.

Armenian News – Tert.am

IRANIAN GAS MORE PROFITABLE FOR ARMENIA, BUT IMPORTS FROM RUSSIA INCREASED: PAPER

02.07.2014 13:38 epress.am

Last year, 4,082 cubic meters of gas was imported to Armenia from Iran;
in 2012, this figure was higher — 4,912 cubic meters of gas.

Analyzing the official figures, local daily Haykakan Zhamanak draws
attention to the fact that from one year to the next gas imports from
Iran declined by about 17%, while imports from Russia during the same
period increased.

“What’s noteworthy is that at the Republic of Armenia border Iranian
gas is cheaper than Russian gas: Armenia pays for Iranian gas not with
actual money but with electrical energy. Logic dictates that under
such conditions the volume of Iranian gas should have increased,
but the complete opposite occurred,” reports the newspaper.

Interfax, Russia
Feb 6 2014

Demonstrators in Yerevan meet OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs with protest

YEREVAN. Feb 5

Members of the youth branch of the Armenian revolutionary federation
Dashnaktsutyun met the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group for the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with a protest picket in front of the
Armenian Foreign Ministry building in the center of Yerevan as they
were coming in to converse with Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian on
Wednesday, an Interfax correspondent reported.

The protesters criticized the OSCE Minsk Group’s neutral position on
incidents at the Armenian-Azeri border and the contact line between
the Armenian and Azeri forces.

The demonstrators were holding banners saying in the Russian, English
and French languages ‘No to Double Standards’ and ‘Stop Unjust Policy
Supporting Azerbaijan’s Aggression’.

“We demand that no equal sign should be put between Armenia’s and
Azerbaijan’s policy. This policy promotes not peace but the
continuation of Azerbaijan’s militant rhetoric,” Gerasim Vardanian of
the youth branch of Dashnaktsutyun told journalists.

David Babaian, a spokesman for the president of the self-proclaimed
Nagorno-Karabakh republic, told journalists that the OSCE Minsk Group
co-chairs would not visit Stepanakert this time around.

“The mediators’ agenda presumes the organization of new meetings
between Yerevan and Baku,” he said.

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Eulogy: Vahram Danielian

By Contributor // February 5, 2014

The following eulogy was delivered on Jan. 11, 2014, at the funeral of
Unger Vahram Danielian.

Your eminence Srpazan Anoushavan Tanielian, ARF Central Committee
representatives, Homenetmen Central and Regional Executive Board
representatives, distinguished guests, sireli unger-ungerouhiner,
yeghpayr-kouyrer:

I would like to say a few words on behalf of the “Rosdom” Gomideh, the
local Florida chapter of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation.

January 1, 2014 was a very significant day for us.

On the first day of the New Year, we had to learn to function as a
community having lost our father–one of the key founding fathers of
our community.

In our lifetime, we rarely meet individuals like Unger Vahram Danielian.

I would like to talk about Vahram Danielian the man, and not just the
accomplished community leader,Unger Vahram or Yeghpayr Vahram.

I would characterize him as a gentle giant…always willing to help,
meaning to help and helping.

Unger Vahram worked hard not only to succeed as an entrepreneur and a
family man, but he took the responsibility of fatherhood for his
community on his shoulders and he did it with class.

He always worked as a humble servant. He was not only an executive and
decision-maker, but also a worker and a major contributor in many
ways.

He not only decided to build a community center, but he organized the
fundraisers and he was the first to reach into his own pocket and
donate generously.

He not only organized the volunteers, but he rolled up his sleeves and
jumped on the project.

Many of us here remember how he built the altar of Saint Gregory
Armenian Church in Fort Lauderdale with his own hands.

Vahram was a man who selflessly served his people, the organizations
he belonged to, the Armenian Church, and ultimately his beloved
country, Armenia.

He always had a kind smile and sincerely loved his friends, and he
approached them as a father figure.

People would turn to him for advice on personal or organizational
issues, and he would always take his time and enlighten them, make
other’s problems his and find wise solutions to them, just like a
father would do.

Earlier, I characterized Unger Vahram as a gentle giant.

He sure was a kind, gentle person, but he was also a no-nonsense kind
of guy. He didn’t care if you mistreated him on a personal level, but
if you dared to hurt his country, his people, or the organizations he
served, you knew you would be in trouble…

Unger Vahram was a distinguished whistleblower. He would never let a
person take advantage of the organizations he cherished. He was the
honest guardian of the fort he was assigned to. He was always the most
respected person in any given group of people. He was notorious for
his righteousness and trustworthiness.

He was mostly surrounded by people who admired him… And since he was a
consummate whistleblower, he naturally had a few opponents who envied
his greatness and straightforwardness.

After all, even Christ was stoned and ridiculed, but the evil-doers
disappeared one by one.

Unger Vahram, being a typical Tashnagtsagan–or dibar Tashnagtsagan, as
we say in Armenian–never sought recognition or fame for his selfless
devotion to his people…

During his tenure as a community leader, he was invited to meet with
President Bill Clinton, and he’s had meetings with at least two
Armenian presidents since our Republic was established. He was even
invited to the presidential palace of Greece for a high-level meeting.

All these accomplishments made him even more humble than he naturally was.

One of his latest accomplishments was to raise $12,000–literally in a
matter of hours–for Syrian Armenian relief… Again, he was the first to
chip in generously.

A few months after that, he was diagnosed with cancer…

Despite that, he continued to attend to his community service in an
active way until only a few weeks before he passed away.

When we visited him about a week before he passed away with a few of
our ungers, Unger Vahram was thrilled to see us… He opened his eyes
and extended his hand to us… We all held his hand firmly… He smiled…
And that’s when we felt that we were holding the hand of a great man
for the last time… We knew that from that point on, Unger Vahram was
not the unger we loved, we respected, we looked up to… Unger Vahram
was already a legacy…

That’s when we realized the secret to the longevity of the ARF: Dibar
Tashnagtsagans like Unger Vahram Danielian.

Hoghuh Tetev Kah Vrat, Unger.

Collision happens between participants in the rally and policemen,
several activists beaten

by Marianna Lazarian

Thursday, February 6, 13:44

The collision has happened between participants in the rally against
the accumulative pension system and policemen. As Arminfo
correspondent reported, policemen barred the way trying not to let
activists of the movement “I am against” to the building of the State
Revenues Committee. As a result of the scuffle, several activists out
of several thousands were beaten.

Finally, activists reached the building of the State Revenues
Committee and demanded not to force employers to keep back from salary
of employees.

Employees are discontented not only at the mandatory component of the
system but also at the absurd situation following the Constitutional
Court’s decision of January 24 that suspended some provisions of the
Law on the Accumulative Pension until the Court considers its
constitutionality on Mar 28 2014. The Court suspended Article 76
stipulating responsibility for refusing to make compulsory pension
contributions or failing to do in time and Paragraph 3 of Article 86
saying that the employees covered by the system should choose a
pension fund. Nevertheless, the Finance Ministry of Armenia urges
employers to calculate and make accumulative pension payments and
employees to choose a pension fund and a manager for it. The
picketers call the given approach a robbery.

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Azerbaijani terrorists in Syria confess they fight against Armenians,
Russian and Iranian

18:19 06/02/2014 » SOCIETY

Azerbaijani terrorists fighting in Syria against the governmental
forces issued a statement confessing that they had come to fight
against the Iranians, Armenians and Russian. As the Avropa.info site
reports, they made an appeal to the Azerbaijani Muslims.

On the sites controlled by the Mujahideen the message of the
Azerbaijani terrorist named Furqan Azeri, who said that his message is
addressed to “the Azerbaijani Muslims who suffer under the yoke of
repression, and to those who threaten the Mujahideen that are fighting
against the Armenians, Iranians Russians and the tyrant Assad.”

The Azerbaijani terrorist admits that the Azerbaijanis have also
joined the forces fighting against Assad. He accuses Iran and
Syrian-Armenians of murdering rebel-terrorists.

Note that since the beginning of 2014 Azerbaijani news agency “APA”
reported about elimination of 16 terrorists from Azerbaijan in Syria.

The relationship between international terrorist groups and Azerbaijan
originated in the early 1990s. That time, the Azerbaijani army, having
failed in the aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR),
retreated with losses. Trying to save the situation, the Azerbaijani
leadership, headed by Heydar Aliyev attracted to the war against the
Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh international terrorists and members of
radical groups from Afghanistan (groupings of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar),
Turkey (“Grey Wolves”, etc.), Chechnya (groupings Basayev and Raduyev
etc.) and some other regions.

Despite the involvement in of thousands of foreign mercenaries and
terrorists in the Azerbaijani army during the war, the Azerbaijani
aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh Republic failed, and the Baku
authorities were forced to sign an armistice with the NKR and Armenia.
However, international terrorists found ties in Azerbaijan, and used
them in the future. Recruitment was conducted among Azerbaijanis, who
then were sent to Afghanistan and the North Caucasus, where
participated in the battles against the forces of the international
coalition and Russian organizations.

Who Is Pushing Introduction of Mandatory Funded Pension?

The Constitutional Court will review the mandatory funded pension law
at the end of March. By that time, Serzh Sargsyan is going to find out
the reasons why the government has failed its commitment to ensuring a
7% economic growth. Besides, the IMF will discuss in March the next
big arrangement for Armenia.

At first sight, there is little in common between these processes but
in reality all these processes depend on the mandatory funded pension.
In regard to Armenia’s request to the IMF for the next arrangement,
Mark Horton, IMF Mission Chief for Armenia, stated in Washington: “The
launching of the new pension system in early 2014 is expected to
provide an impulse to financial sector development; program measures
in other areas will support financial sector deepening.” This means
that the IMF will follow the decision of the Constitutional Court and
make a decision accordingly.

Obviously, the Armenian government finds it increasingly hard to raise
money inside and outside the country. Despite the Russian bias of the
foreign policy, Armenia still expects money from the international
foundations. First, because Russia does not give, only grabs money.
Second, the international financial organizations are interested in
the growing foreign debt of Armenia.

The foreign debt is an important political factor of influence.
Zbigniew Brzezinski said: “Since $500 billion owned by Russia’s
so-called elite is held in our banks, you should first understand
whose elite it is!”

The same concerns Armenia, and the international funds will continue
boosting Armenia’s debt, which may help achieve change of the
geopolitical balance at some point. Although, perhaps it is not
accidental that on these days the depositories of Armenia and Russia
decided to make a deal on cooperation.

However, the international financial organizations are going to spend
others’, not their money, preferably the Armenian money. Apparently,
the international financial organizations demand that the Armenian
government not only rely on credit but also accrue financial reserves.
The international actors have hinted, moreover, they have announced
bluntly that the government should tax the immense assets of the
Armenian oligarchs. Apparently, however, the government cannot do and
is therefore thinking of new methods of raising money.

The only entity whose pockets the government has free access to raise
funds is the population of Armenia. Therefore, it was decided to
introduce the mandatory funded pension which will bring immense and
renewable resources.

The Central Bank of Armenia has informed that EBRD, as well as IFC
have issued bonds in Armenian drams for an amount of 4 billion drams.
The Central Bank states openly that the pension funds could invest the
pension amounts in these bonds. For its part, the received funds will
be spent on the social needs of the government.

In fact, the international organizations are becoming participants of
introduction of the mandatory funded pension of Armenia and mandatory
deprivation of the citizens of Armenia of their income. And now,
together with the Armenian government, they lobby the robbery of
citizens, thereby protecting the oligarchs who do not keep their
capital in Armenia for economic, criminal or political reasons to
ensure its financial reserves.

Naira Hayrumyan,Political Commentator
15:09 06/02/2014
Story from Lragir.am News:

In Armenia all three composite indices – business activity, business
climate and consumer confidence – continue to decline

by Karina Melikyan

Thursday, February 6, 13:51

In Armenia, due to the negative expectations of business entities,
all the three composite indices – business activity, business climate
and consumer confidence – continue to decline.

According to a survey by the Central Bank of Armenia, in Q4 2013 the
business activity index dropped from 54.9 points to 50.1 points, the
business climate index from 53.9 points to 50.9 points, the consumer
confidence index from 41.9 points to 40.9 points. As compared with Q4
2012 the first two indices fell by 12 points and 3.4 points,
respectively, while the last index rose by 0.2 points. As compared
with Q4 2011 all the three indices dropped – by 5.5, 0.6 and 3.3
points, respectively.

The drop in the business activity index was due to slowing down
economic activity and growing pessimism in all sectors. The highest
activity was registered in industry (52.8 points against 56.2 points
in Q3 2013, 57.2 points in Q4 2012, 61.4 points in Q4 2011). In trade
the index was 51.1 points against 56.5 points in Q3 2013, 63.4 points
in Q4 2012 and 50.9 points in Q4 2011. In construction the index was
49.2 points against 53.3 points in Q4 2012, 56.5 points in Q4 2012 and
43.1 points in Q4 2011. In services the index was the lowest (46.7
points against 53.6 points in Q3 2013, 72.5 points in Q4 2012 and 65.6
points in Q4 2011).

The drop in the business climate index was due to pessimism in all
sectors. The highest business climate index was registered in industry
(52.5 points against 56.2 points in Q3 2013, 53.5 points in Q4 2012,
and 54.2 points in Q4 2011). In services the index was 51.7 points
against 55 points in Q3 2013, 53.9 points in Q4 2012 and 55 points in
Q4 2011. In construction the index was 50.5 points against 51.9 points
in Q3 2013, 46.2 points in Q4 2012 and 49.1 points in Q4 2011. In
trade the indices were 48.3, 51.9, 48.2 and 46.5 points, respectively.

The CB’s survey has been held since 2005 among entities in industry,
construction, services and trade. The methodology of the survey is
based on principles developed by Conference Board (the United States)
and IFO (Germany).

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