Author: Kajoyan Gevork

UN COUPLE DE JOURNALISTES ARMENIENS DE LA DIASPORA INSTALLES EN ARMENIE MEURT DANS UN ACCIDENT DE LA ROUTE

Le journalisme armenien a subi une lourde perte. Le 10 mai, alors
qu’ils circulaient en Georgie, le responsable technique du site
armenien ” CivilNet ” Alen Yekikyan et sa femme Sose Tovmasyan sont
morts dans un accident de la circulation. Alen Yekikyan et le
conducteur de la voiture sont morts sur le coup. Sose Tovmasyan
gravement blessee a la tete devait subir une lourde operation
chirurgicale. Elle ne prit pas connaissance et deceda elle aussi.

Le couple etait venu des Etats-Unis et s’etait marie en août dernier
dans l’eglise de Ketcharis près de Dzargatsor.

En janvier dernier de Los Angeles où ils residaient, ils avaient
decide de s’installer ne Armenie. Alen Yekikyan travaillait a
l’Universite Americaine d’Armenie.

Krikor Amirzayan

dimanche 12 mai 2013,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

LE FEU D’ARTIFICE A BAKOU DEBUTE A 1 HEURE DU MATIN CAR LE CLAN ALIEV N’A PAS FINI DE DEÎNER !

Y’A PAS LE FEU…

Nuit agitee pour de nombreux habitants de Bakou vendredi 10 mai, qui
durent brader quelques heures de sommeil pour le 90e anniversaire du
feu Heydar Aliev. Pour marquer cet anniversaire l’equipe du clan Aliev
qui dirige d’une main dictatorial le pays avait decide de donner un
feu d’artifice geant aux habitants de Bakou. Une très bonne intention.

Mais…le feu d’artifice ne devait commencer qu’a 1 heure du matin
pour se terminer a 2 heures, indisposant ainsi de nombreux habitants
de la capitale azerie qui ne purent dormir.

Le site azeri Contact.az s’etonne de ce decalage horaire des
organisateurs de ce feu d’artifice. Selon le site de nombreux habitants
de Bakou etaient très irrites de ce derangement a une heure aussi
tardive. La raison de cet feu d’artifice a une heure aussi tardive
etait le diner un peu trop long du clan du president Aliev qui

Azerbaijan: Israel Diplomatic Trip Tweaks Tehran
May 1, 2013 – 11:34am, by Shahin
Abbasov

– Azerbaijan
– Iran
– Israel
– EurasiaNet’s Weekly Digest
– Geopolitics

[image: Azerbaijan works the middle, between Iran and Israel.
(Photo:Israeli Government Press
Office)]
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Mammadyarov (left) meets with Israeli
President Shimon Peres on April 22 in Jerusalem to discuss strategic
relations and Iran. Shortly after the trip to Israel, Azerbaijani National
Security Council Secretary Ramiz Mehdiyev flew to Iran in what many
Azerbaijanis believe was done to sooth an angry Tehran. (Photo: Israeli
Government Press Office)

Azerbaijan in late April crossed a self-imposed `red line’ in its relations
with southern neighbor Iran by dispatching Foreign Minister Elmar
Mammadyarov on a visit to Israel, Tehran’s arch-foe. Reasons for the timing
of the move are not clear, but, so far, Tehran appears to be biding its
time with a response.

While Israel and Azerbaijan – like Iran, a majority Shi’a Muslim country —
have maintained strong diplomatic, economic and military
tiesfor
years, Mammadyarov’s April 21-24 trip was the first time an Azerbaijani
cabinet member had made such a high-profile visit to Tel Aviv.

With one eye seemingly on Iran, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry avoided
attaching the word `official’ to the visit. Instead, it cast the
ministerial mission as undertaken within the context of Azerbaijan’s status
as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. Even so,
the trip had all the markings of an official visit. No documents were
signed, but Mammadyarov met with Israeli President Shimon Peres, Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, among other
senior officials. A statement that Baku would consider opening an embassy
in Israel concluded the mission. `It is a matter of time,’ Mammadyarov
said
at an April 26 news conference in Baku.

A few days later, it was time to offer explanations to Iran.

On April 29, Azerbaijani National Security Council Secretary Ramiz
Mehdiyev, who doubles as President Ilham Aliyev’s influential
administration chief, flew to Tehran to meet with Iranian President Mahmud
Ahmadinejad and other senior Iranian officials. Although the government did
not specify the agenda, many Azerbaijanis believe the trip was taken to
sooth an angry Tehran.

`Mehdiyev went to assure Iran that Baku is not going to host Israeli
military bases or provide its territory for attacks on Iran’ in connection
with the international campaign to stop Iranian development of a nuclear
weapon, commented Baku-based political analyst Zardusht Alizade, a
Middle-East specialist.

Reports in American news media outlets in 2012 made just that
assertion,
though they could not be confirmed.

Relations between Iran and Azerbaijan
have
never been rosy, but Baku previously has been careful
not
to push its powerful neighbor’s patience to the breaking point.

At least since the administration of the late President Heydar Aliyev
(1993-2003), for instance, Tehran’s enmity toward the Israeli government
vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvfostered an unofficial taboo on Azerbaijani officials visiting Israel.
Against that backdrop, Vafa Guladze, a former presidential foreign-policy
adviser, deemed Mammadyarov’s excursion `revolutionary,’ the Turan news
agency reported.

A reason why Baku would want to take a `revolutionary’ step at this time
remains unclear. Some speculate that an Iranian call for theannexation of
Azerbaijan , once under Persian
control, raised Baku’s ire.

Alizade, though, believes that the visit to Israel has been in the works
for a long time. `Relations in economic, military and diplomatic areas are
so broad and have reached such a high level that it is time for actions,’
he said. Azerbaijan supplies up to 40 percent of Israel’s oil needs, or
about 21.7 million barrels, according to official data; foreign trade
turnover between the two countries stands at $4 billion.

The countries also are actively cooperating
on
weaponry and in other military-equipment areas. In 2012, Azerbaijan bought
$1.6 billion worth of Israeli arms. Israeli defense firms also are advising
the Azerbaijani defense-industry ministry on an Azerbaijani-made weapon.

Conceivably with those activities in mind, Mammadyarov emphasized during
his talks with Israeli President Peres that Baku has no interest in the use
of Azerbaijani territory `for military actions against Iran,’ The Jerusalem
Post reported.

Baku also subsequently announced that, in conjunction with the Organization
for Islamic Cooperation, it will host in June an international donor
conference for the Palestinian territories, whose statehood Iran
aggressively supports.

Referring to Iran as `the greatest threat to the region,’ Peres did not
hide that the Islamic Republic had been among the topics on the table with
Mammadyarov.

If Tehran had been looking for an opportunity to smack Azerbaijan down to
size, it has not taken it yet: Iranian officials have not reacted publicly
to Mammadyarov’s Israel trip.

How Mehdiyev described Mammadyarov’s trip to his Iranian hosts also is
unknown, although Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported that
Ahmadinejad blamed `Zionist and US intelligenc[e]’ for `trying to weaken
our relations.’

Playing to his Iranian audience, the Azerbaijani national security chief
blamed the West for `taking some steps which violate peace and stability
in Azerbaijan,’ IRNA reported – an apparent reference to a series of
unsanctioned anti-government protests
earlier
this year.

With the Azerbaijani courtesy call over, Baku analysts do not expect more
to come from Tehran about Mammadyarov’s Israeli visit. Distracted by other
concerns, Iran would gain little by pushing back against Azerbaijan, they
believe. `Relations between Baku and Tehran are already very bad. I do not
think that visit to Israel will bring any real changes,’ Rauf Mirkadirov, a
political columnist for the Russian-language Zerkalo newspaper, commented
to the Vesti.az news portal.

`They do not have any options,’ agreed Alizade, in reference to Iran.
`What can they do?’

Poghosian: Food prices went up 7-10% after elections

Friday,
May 10

Food prices in Armenia went up 7-10% after the elections in the
country, Chairman of the Association of Consumers of Armenia Armen
Poghosian said at the meeting with reporters today.

`Prices are restrained ahead of each election, and a rise in prices
begins following the elections,’ Poghosian noted. According to him, in
this case the price growth has to do with election bribes.

Poghosian divided price increases into nominal and criminal. `We try
to fight against nominal price increases as much as we can. As regards
criminal increases, when there is much air in bread and water in
granulated sugar, we propose conducting checks and examining bread and
sugar markets,’ Armen Poghosian said.

In his opinion, the methodology and approaches of Armenia’s National
Statistical Service are incorrect. Poghosian noted that the
NSS-released 3.2% growth in consumer prices does inspire trust.

TODAY, 18:16
Aysor.am

Vardges Surenyts’ book illustrations to be presented in one work

16:42, 10 May, 2013

YEREVAN, MAY 10, ARMENPRESS. The presentation of Shushanik Zohrabyan’s
book `Vardges Surenyts’ book illustrations’ will take place on May 15.
Naregatsi Art Institute informed Armenpress that the book is dedicated
to the 500th anniversary of Armenian printing.

A-25-minute documentary film dedicated to Vardges Surenyants will be
screened on the same day in Naregatsi Art Institute. Suren
Ter-Grigoryan is the director of the film. After the film show the
solo singer of Opera and Ballet National Academic Theater after
Alexander Spendiarian – Zohrab Zohrabyan – will sing.

Over 500 supporters participated in “Walk of Life 2013” life-saving walkathon

15:36, 11 May, 2013

YEREVAN, MAY 11, ARMENPRESS: Over 500 supporters participated in Walk
of Life 2013, the eighth annual walkathon of the Armenian Bone Marrow
Donor Registry (ABMDR), reports Armenpress.

The jubilant community event took place on the morning of Saturday,
May 4, in Glendale, California. The 5-K walk-run started at the plaza
of Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center, looped through
central Glendale, and concluded at the starting point, where
festivities continued into the day. Walk of Life 2013 promoted public
awareness of life-threatening blood-related illnesses and raised funds
for the life-saving mission of ABMDR, which now operates in 17
countries in four continents.

The event was attended by large numbers of young supporters, among
them teams representing several area Armenian schools, organizations,
student associations, and youth clubs. Strong youth participation was
complemented by the attendance of several guests of honor, including
elected officials and community leaders.

The program began with an opening ceremony, as welcome remarks were
delivered by Walk of Life 2013 co-chairs Salpy Aprahamian and
Christina Ashjian. Following a moment of silence in remembrance of the
victims of the Boston Marathon bombings, Salpy Aprahamian announced
that the day’s gathering comprised not only walkers from throughout
Southern California, but a team from Wisconsin. Aprahamian went on to
thank the event’s sponsors, including Glendale Memorial Hospital and
the Foundation Laboratory, both ABMDR Lifetime Supporters; as well as
Kardashian Khaos, C&S Sales, the Tweten Foundation, Closet World, and
Rima Mardirosian of Glendale Memorial. On her part, Christina Ashjian
acknowledged the support of the event’s Honorary Chairs, including
Archbishop Hovnan Derderian of the Western Diocese, Archbishop
Moushegh Mardirossian of the Western Prelacy (represented at the walk
by Father Vazken Atmajian), Reverend Joseph D. Matossian of the
Armenian Evangelical Union of North America, Glendale Memorial
Hospital president Jack Ivie, Consul General of Armenia Grigor
Hovhannisyan, US Congressman Adam Schiff, State Senator Carol Liu,
State Assemblyman Mike Gatto, Burbank mayor Emily Gabel-Luddy,
Glendale City Council members Ara Najarian, Zareh Sinanyan, and Laura
Friedman, and Glendale Unified School District Board of Education
president Greg Krikorian.

Next to address the attendees was State Senator Carol Liu, who stated:
`It’s very important that we do our very best, through wonderful
events such as this, so that people who need help can get it.’

The event’s invocation was performed by Archbishop Hovnan Derderian,
who also delivered remarks. `The engagement of our community in the
God-pleasing mission of ABMDR is commendable,’ he said. `All of us
have the noble duty of making sure that we take life as a mission, in
order to fulfill the dream of bringing hope and joy to the life of our
fellow human beings.’

The walkathon took participants on a five-mile loop, with a half-way
stop at the Armenian Consulate, where walkers were greeted and cheered
on by Consul General Grigor Hovhannisyan, a longtime supporter of
ABMDR.

Following the conclusion of the walk, at the plaza of Glendale
Memorial Hospital, participants continued to enjoy festivities – which
featured food, music, and dance. The celebration also gave attendees
the opportunity to join the ranks of ABMDR as potential bone marrow
donors, with volunteers on hand to answer questions and welcome new
recruits.

Another highlight of the program was the awards ceremony, during which
outstanding walk teams and supporters were recognized. The Lil
Monsters team received a trophy for collecting the most donations, and
the Providence High School team was awarded for having the highest
number of participants.

Javakhk Armenians pin great hopes on Georgia’s ruling coalition – analyst

May 11, 2013 | 14:29

YEREVAN. – The main problem of the Javakhk Armenians is the regional
government officials that were appointed during the rule of Georgian
President Mikheil Saakashvili.

Georgian affairs specialist Alik Eroyants noted the aforementioned
during a press conference on Saturday.

In his words, the Armenians of Javakhk – Georgian name: Javakheti, is a
predominantly-Armenian-populated part of Georgia’s southeastern
Samtskhe-Javakheti Province – pin great hopes on the ruling Georgian
Dream coalition, specifically on its leader, PM Bidzina Ivanishvili.

`Ivanishvili’s team will win the forthcoming presidential election,
which assumes a binding solution to the problems that the [Georgian]
Armenians face,’ Eroyants noted.

The analyst also stressed that the Meskhetian Turks’ resettlement in
Georgia is a serious threat for the Georgian Armenians in the context
of Georgian-Turkish relations. But at this point, as per the analyst,
there are no specific threats in that plan.

`The number of people wanting to return to Georgia is not that many,’
Alik Eroyants added.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

Roudolph Grigorian is chess champion of France!

May 11, 2013

YEREVAN. – Armenian chess player Roudolph Grigorian captured the title
of U18 Champion of France.

Grigorian tallied a total of 7.5 points, out of possible 9 points, and
became the sole winner of the first prize in the chess championship
that was held in Saint-Paul-Trois Chteaux, France, Armchess.am
reports.

Another Armenian chess player, Gary Giroyan, was only half a point
behind the tournament winner, and he shared 2nd to 4th places. On
additional points, Giroyan came in fourth from among 83 participants.

NEWS.am Sport

Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
May 11 2013

An architect building bridges between religions

ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
BY Vercihan ZiflioÄ?lu

Kevork Ã-zkaragöz is known for his monument designs that have taken on
different religions over the course of time. Architect says it pleases
him to share his designs with the worshipping crowds

Armenian architect Kevork Ã-zkaragöz desgined many monuments, including
mosques and churches, for various religions, forming bridges between
faiths.

Kevork Ã-zkaragöz, an Armenian architect who has designed many
religious monuments for different religions and sects, refers to the
opinions of the religious communities when developing his projects.

A member of an Armenian family renowned for their stonemasonry,
Ã-zkaragöz moved from Malatya to Istanbul with his family when he was 6
years old.

Speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News about his projects, Ã-zkaragöz said
those likening him the chief Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan were
exaggerating his skills.

`During the Ottoman period, there was not a tradition of highlighting
a certain ethnicity or religion. Such a situation was never seen in
architecture and other art forms,’ Ã-zkaragöz said.

`Also, the Balyan family [an Armenian dynasty of famous architects
during Ottoman period] did not come to the forefront with their
identity. As architects, we never attach a special importance to
religious structures in our projects. Each architectural project bears
importance since they are the structures presented to a city’s
community. However, religious structures sometimes require more
concentration and effort due to some features peculiar to them,’ he
said.

The structures built by Ã-zkaragöz in recent years include Mahmut
Å?evket PaÅ?a Hacı BektaÅ? Cemevi (an Alevi house of worship) in
Istanbul’s Okmeydanı district, Plevne Mosque in Balıkesir’s Gönen
district and the final prayer chapel in his hometown, Malatya.

Last year, the final prayer chapel ` in a historical Armenian cemetery
in Malatya ` was demolished by municipal teams, which stirred a lot of
debate in society. Due to the objections, the chapel was rebuilt on
the grounds that the teams had `misunderstood the order.’

`While designing the Cemevi, I obtained the opinions of elderly
persons in the Alevi community. I obtained data on Alevi culture and
beliefs from studies published on the subject. And when designing the
mosque, I tried to get to know the functions of a mosque by chatting
with imams. I especially observed Istanbul’s mosques from the
perspective of a designer. I refreshed my knowledge of mosques by
examining mosques’ stages of development in art history books. I also
examined Vedat Dalokay Islamabad Mosque and Behruz Çinici TCMM mosque,
which were built in the Republican period,’ he said.

`Existence, oneness and love of God form the basis of religions, while
they center upon human beings.I believe each faith has a different
form of worship and different needs. I can develop my designs by
taking all these [differences] into account with the aid of my
cultural background. I am very pleased when a religious structure
comes into being and people can worship in them,’ Ã-zkaragöz said.

Çamlıca Mosque project

Ã-zkaragöz also criticized the recent plans to build new mosques in
distinct parts of Istanbul such as Çamlıca Hill and Taksim Square.

`It is not possible to regard Taksim as a modern square area, since
the functional diversities among a series of buildings make it hard to
see it as a square,’ he said.

`Reorganizing `Topçu KıÅ?lası’ [Artillery Barracks] will make the
already complicated issue even more confusing. The distinct square
areas in the world’s significant cities are noted with the
homogeneously distributed buildings surrounding them. If Taksim is
organized in such a way, of course a place of worship can be designed
there, as we see some examples of it in some major cities of the
world. A mosque built on a hill has no place in the traditions of the
Bosphorus. All the mosques were built considering the coasts and scale
of the Bosphorus. The historical peninsula is the most significant
silhouette representing Istanbul. The mosque planned to be built on
Çamlıca Hill must not compete to get a role in the historical
peninsula. Also, a mosque designed in such an area would create some
difficulties in the region due to its size and capacity,’ Ã-zkaragöz
said.
May/11/2013

ARMENIE
Seda Mavian récompensée

Le 3 mai, à l’Union des Journalistes d’Arménie la cérémonie de remise
des prix du « Temps pour la liberté de la presse ` a eu lieu à
l’occasion de la Journée mondiale de la liberté de la presse. Cette
année a marqué le 20e anniversaire de cette Journée proclamée par
l’Assemblée générale des Nations Unies.

La récompense « Le temps de la liberté de la presse` a été créé en
2006 par le Club de la presse d’Erevan, des organisations soutenant
les médias et l’Union des journalistes d’Arménie.

En 2013, la lauréate du prix est Seda Mavian, envoyée spéciale du
magazine `Les Nouvelles d’Arménie` en Arménie.

Seda Mavian a reçu un certificat et le cadeau traditionnel d’une
montre pour la meilleure performance dans le genre de l’interview
politique.

samedi 11 mai 2013,
Stéphane ©armenews.com