Author: Kajoyan Gevork

Boston Globe, MA
Dec 2 2012

Kevorkian’s genocide painting to remain in Watertown museum, fits mission

It’s a question frequently asked by visitors to the intimate Watertown
museum: Do you have the Kevorkian paintings?

The Armenian Library and Museum of America has a rich collection of
illuminated manuscripts and a catalog of portrait photographs of some
of the 20th century’s leading figures, but the grisly paintings by Dr.
Death himself, assisted-suicide advocate Dr. Jack Kevorkian, continue
to be a draw.

After a year of legal wrangling with the Kevorkian estate, the museum
has managed to keep four of the 17 paintings by the late pathologist
it had been holding. Under a settlement that was announced in October,
the Kevorkian estate obtained the remainder of the paintings, and is
expected to offer the pieces for sale at art galleries, according to
news accounts.

The museum plans to display its Kevorkian paintings at some point, but
exactly when hasn’t been determined. At least one of them, `1915
Genocide 1945,’ will be shown in April, when the museum commemorates
the Armenian genocide, said Haig Der Manuelian, chairman of its board
of trustees.

That painting, which links the killing of 1.5 million Armenians by the
Ottoman Turkish empire during and after World War I, and the 6 million
Jews killed by Nazi Germany three decades later, was the most
important piece for the museum to hold onto, and why the organization
was willing to engage in its first legal battle, Der Manuelian said.

`The reason why we were adamant about it was the one painting,’ he
said. It resonates with the museum’s goal of teaching the public about
the Armenian genocide, he added. `As far as I was concerned, a lot of
the paintings were of no relevance to our mission.’

The painting shows the bloodied head of a woman held by two arms. On
one sleeve is a Nazi uniform; the other is dressed in Ottoman Turkish
garb. Kevorkian, the son of Armenian genocide survivors, is said to
have used a mixture of human blood and paint in the piece.

The museum, at 65 Main St. in Watertown, will also keep `The Gourmet,’
about the meaning of war, `The Double Cross of Justice,’ about the
broken judicial system, and `Fa, la, la, la, la,’ which reflects on
the commercialization of Christmas. The messages of all these the
paintings are dark, and the images feature decapitated heads or
skeletal bodies.

Mayer Morganroth, a Michigan-based attorney who represented the
estate, did not respond to a call requesting a comment on the
settlement. The estate has picked up its 13 paintings from the museum.

After the settlement, Morganroth told the Detroit News, `The
settlement recognizes the need for his art to be preserved as part of
Armenian culture, while returning artwork to his heir.’

Kevorkian died last year at the age of 83. He was a leading voice in
the right-to-die movement, and, according to his own estimate, had
helped 130 terminally ill people take their lives. He was convicted of
second-degree murder in 1999 for giving a lethal injection to a
52-year-old Michigan man with Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Before going to prison to serve his 10- to 25-year term, Kevorkian
gave his paintings to the Watertown museum. He served eight years of
his sentence before he was released on parole. He visited the museum
in 2008 for an exhibition of the paintings.

After Kevorkian’s death, his estate claimed ownership of the
paintings, saying they were simply on loan to the museum for
exhibition and storage, and arranged to sell them at auction in New
York. The museum filed a civil lawsuit sued in federal court to block
the auction, saying the paintings had been donated to it by Kevorkian.
The estate has said the paintings could be worth as much as $3.5
million .

The Watertown museum is satisfied with the settlement, Der Manuelian
said. It allows the museum to keep the paintings that are important to
its mission and avoids the legal costs of a protracted dispute, he
said.

`The paintings are a small aspect of our collection,’ Der Manuelian said.

Yerevan to host Hackathon [YAN] 2012 contest of programming

December 2, 2012 – 16:15 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Yerevan Mathematical Machines Research Institute
will host Hackathon [YAN] 2012 contest of programming and innovative
ideas from December 22-23.
The event, organized by Microsoft Innovation Center Armenia, Microsoft
RA, Enterprise Incubator Foundation, mLab ECA Regional laboratory for
mobile solutions and Public Journalism Club, aims to solve the
existing problems through collaborative computer programming and new
technologies. It is held as part of the `Innovation through
Technology’ project – a public private partnership of MIC Armenia,
Microsoft RA, USAID/Armenia, Government of Armenia, Enterprise
Incubator Foundation (EIF), and State Engineering University of
Armenia (SEUA).

The Exodus of Musa Dagh Armenians: From the Sanjak of Alexandretta to
Anjar, Lebanon
by Vahram Shemmassian

December 2, 2012

The Sanjak of Alexandretta/Iskenderun was an autonomous province
within Syria during the interwar years. Its inhabitants included a
significant number of Armenian natives and refugees, among them the
indigenous population of Musa Dagh near Antioch. A political crisis
beginning in 1936 shook Sanjak society to its core, as winds of change
from a French mandate to Turkish suzerainty increasingly caused panic.
The turmoil grew to alarming proportions for the Arabs, Alawites, and
Christians when a farcical `election’ in the summer of 1938 installed
a Turkish majority in the Sanjak’s legislature. A year later Turkey
annexed the area. This was the final straw that compelled the
overwhelming majority of Armenians, among other groups, to seek refuge
in other parts of Syria as well as Lebanon, refusing to live under
Turkish rule.

Vakif

During the period between the summer of 1938 and the summer of 1939,
socioeconomic life in Musa Dagh deteriorated rapidly. Exports and
imports from and into the Sanjak were drastically reduced. Merchants
conducting business with Aleppo were obliged to deposit with the Hatay
government a sum equal to the value of their merchandise as
collateral. After selling the goods the merchants had to convert the
Syrian lira into the Turkish lira to be able to carry their money back
into the Sanjak. The merchants were able to regain only 70 percent of
the collateral they had deposited at the time of export, that is to
say, the government kept 30 percent as tax on profits, in addition to
customs fees. As a result, unemployment in Musa Dagh rose to 90
percent. Construction was halted. Artisans sold their merchandize for
25 percent less, and bought other necessities for 25 percent more.
Poverty and misery became rampant.

Beginning in late spring 1939, Turkish police posts were set up in and
near the Armenian villages. There was also an attempt to establish
Turkish Halkevleri(nationalistic people’s houses, i.e., clubs) with
the help of Armenian collaborators, described as `paid enthusiastic
Kemalist propagandist agents.’ They reported regularly on compatriots
who remained opposed to the emergent Turkish regime, and even sent
representatives to propagandize about the Sanjak (then called the
Hatay Republic) among Musa Dagh expatriates in Aleppo, Damascus, and
Beirut.

When in April 1939 two French senators, who were also members of the
French Mediterranean Committee opposed to the Sanjak’s annexation to
Turkey, visited Musa Dagh, they received an immense popular reception.
After their departure, a number of Armenians were arrested. Serop
Sherbetjian was sacked from his Musa Dagh governorship position.
Tateos Babigian from Vakef replaced him as an appointee of the Turkish
regime in Antioch.

On June 30, 1939, the Armenian National Union (ANU) in Beirut sent
High Commissioner Gabriel Puaux a letter signed by the political and
religious leaders, including the Primate of the Aleppo Ardavazt
Surmeyian. In it, they expressed with sadness the fact that efforts in
Paris had failed to save the Sanjak; that the Armenians and especially
those of Musa Dagh would be the biggest losers; that they wanted to
live under French protection given Turkey’s record of persecutions and
massacres; that the Musa Daghians must be settled as a group in a
mountainous area in Lebanon reminiscent of Musa Dagh and affording
agricultural opportunities; and that France should assume the
transportation expenses.

Four days later, on July 4, Bishop Surmeiyan sent Puaux a letter,
saying that since `the question of selling their [the Musa Daghians’]
houses is dead,’ they should at least be allowed to carry their
movable belongings. He similarly asked that the goods be inspected
when packed in the villages rather than at the border customs to avoid
long lines and undue delays, that laissez-passers be issued free of
charge, and so on.

When Col. Philibert Collet, the French officer in charge of the
Armenians’ exodus, heard rumors that the Musa Daghians were
contemplating burning their homes before departure, he issued a call
for them to leave their doors open and their homes and orchards
intact. Those rumors proved unfounded.

Collet similarly instructed Khat Achabahian, prelate of the Sanjak
Armenians, to form special committees to determine the number of
persons and livestock, and the weight of movable belongings that would
be transported. The Musa Dagh survey revealed the following results:
1,272 families or 7,888 persons, 3,232 animals, and 781 tons of
luggage. These figures were later adjusted at the Ras al-Basit
encampment as follows: 1,204 families (68 families less), 5,125
persons (2,763 persons less), approximately 1,850 tons of goods
(nearly 2.5 times more than the initial amount). The reasons for these
changes will be discussed in a more comprehensive study.

Those who stayed behind

Not all Armenians elected to leave Musa Dagh. Such cases numbered 68
families or 384 persons, constituting about 6 percent of Musa Dagh’s
total population. The breakdown was as follows: 4 families/12 persons
in Bitias; 1 family/8 persons in Haji Habibli; 4 families/28 persons
in Yoghunoluk; 4 families/27 persons in Kheder Beg; 3 families/15
persons in Kabusiye; 11 families/64 persons in Zeituniye in the nearby
plain of Svedia; and 41 families/232 persons in Vakef. Most of these
families lived together as a group in Vakef. Presently Vakef is
showcased as the sole Armenian village left in Turkey.

They stayed behind for several reasons. To begin with, these Armenians
believed that they could live peacefully and harmoniously in
republican Turkey (intense Turkish propaganda aided in shaping this
favorable opinion). Second, it was emotionally and psychologically
difficult for them to abandon their ancestral lands (this torment
certainly applied to those who elected to depart, as well). Third,
they entertained the false hope that they would be able to acquire the
fixed properties abandoned by those who left. Fourth, they belonged to
a political faction – mainly members and sympathizers of the Social
Democrat Hnchakian Party – that had failed to break the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation’s (ARF) hold on the governance of Musa Dagh
during the interwar years. Therefore, by staying they would be able to
rid themselves of the ARF’s dominance. That being said, most others
with similar anti-ARF sentiments still decided to leave the area.

The exodus

The exodus from Musa Dagh took place from July 15-20, 1939. The goods
were shipped by boat to Ras al-Basit, between Kesab and Latakia; the
women, children, and the elderly rode trucks and buses, and the men
walked, some of them accompanying the animals. Turkish soldiers
manning border checkpoints inspected the goods strictly in search of
weapons, especially. Some Turkish civilians attacked the caravans and
stole about 340 animals, killed 4 pigs, and took 330 Syrian liras.
Turkish gendarmes succeeded in retrieving just 63 animals, and only a
fraction of the money.

When the refugees arrived at the Armenian enclave of Kesab, the locals
welcomed them with open arms by offering food, water, and tan (yogurt
juice). Then, at Qastal Muaf, en route to Ras al-Basit, they were
vaccinated against typhoid.

The camp at Ras al-Basit

The first batch of refugees arrived at Ras al-Basit on July 18 and
camped in the open, as no shelter was available. As the rest began to
join them, they congregated in groups according to their villages.
Families built sheds with branches and whatever materials they could
muster, and hoisted the French flags on them. They made water sources
in the immediate vicinity operational with pumps, and opened ditches
just 50 meters away from the camp to be used as restrooms. This
unsanitary arrangement attracted `millions’ of flies, which caused
serious health problems. The women cooked food outdoors, while the men
herded the animals and opened makeshift stores. People commuted to
Latakia to purchase necessities. The French government paid 25 Syrian
liras per adult and 10 liras per child under the age of 10 beginning
on Aug. 7.

Social life resumed to some degree. The various denominations in each
village-grouping worshipped in their respective `churches.’ The
political parties held their own meetings. Some voluntary associations
likewise tried to keep a semblance of normalcy. For example, the
annual meeting of the Union of Former Légion Arménienne Combatants
took place on Aug. 24 in the presence of 173 members. An executive
committee was elected unanimously. A report of activities read
revealed the type and amount of donations that the Union had received
beginning in the second half of 1938 from the Syrian Armenian Relief
Cross in Aleppo (one box of medicines), and Union affiliates in France
(1,600 FF) and the United States ($240).

A Central Relief Committee approved by the French and Vicar General
Bedros Sarajian of the Catholicosate of Cilicia at Antelias, Lebanon,
managed all refugee affairs. The Armenian General Benevolent Union
(AGBU) Central Executive in Paris cooperated by forming an
Extraordinary Central Fundraising Committee on July 21. In turn, the
Harach (meaning `forward,’ in Armenian) newspaper in Paris made its
front pages available to publish the lists of donors from Europe and
North Africa. Compatriots from the United States likewise contributed.

Due to the unsanitary living conditions, disease increased to an
alarming degree, afflicting children especially. Torrential rains from
Aug. 22-24 soaked the campers and exacerbated the situation. Collet
sent 12 tents to shelter the children. A French military doctor
established a six-bed infirmary. An Armenian pharmacist from Aleppo
donated 100 Syrian liras worth of medicines. A maternity with 20 beds
was also opened in Latakia with a midwife sent by the Syrian Armenian
Relief Cross; by Aug. 30, some 180 sick and elderly people were
admitted. A French military health inspector, upon visiting Ras
al-Basit, ordered the transfer of some 60 sick children together with
their mothers to Beirut to be placed under the care of the Armenian
National Union (ANU). The government-run trade school building was
placed under the ANU’s disposal, with its chair and Lebanese Armenian
Relief Cross representative, Dr. Onnig Gergerian, managing it.

In search of a final settlement site

The Turkish government asked the French to refrain from installing the
Armenians near the Syrian-Turkish border. The French obliged, and
initially considered four possible sites in Lebanon: (1) in the
mountains overlooking Tripoli, especially around the villages of Sir
and Bakhune; (2) in the district of Hermel, along the Orontes River;
(3) in the west of Baalbek, around the villages of Shemestar, Hadith,
and Budaye; (4) in south Lebanon, in the foothills of Hermon, between
the cities of Marjayun and Rashaya. Hermel was regarded as the most
suitable, not only because of the available land, but also because the
Armenians `would constitute a moderating element and a factor of
appeasement, in a corner which troubles, permanently, the dissentions
between Christians and non-Christians.’ For various reasons, however,
none of these places were selected.

The High Commission ultimately negotiated with a retired Turkish
military officer named Rushdi Hoja Tuma, who owned a 1,540 hectare
domain at a place called Anjar in the Bekaa valley. Although Rushdi
Bey asked for 10 million FF, he was willing to accept, out of
`patriotic sentiments,’ an `important reduction’ if the Turkish
government asked him to. The land was purchased at a reduced price.

To Anjar

The relocation from Ras al-Basit to Anjar took place from Sept. 3-16.
The refugees were sent to Tripoli by ship, and then to Riyaq by train,
where they received food, fruit, and refreshments from a local
Armenian reception team. From Riyaq, they were transported aboard
trucks to their final destination of Anjar. This was a rocky and
thorny terrain with no dwellings whatsoever. Because the refugees
received an inadequate number of tents (accommodating 12 people each),
ordinary linen was additionally distributed for the uprooted to make
their own shelters. As in Ras al-Basit, here, too, the population
stuck together in compact groups according to their villages of
origin. Given the inhospitable geographical milieu, scores fell ill
and/or died. With the cold winter fast approaching, some 1,778 women
and children were dispersed among 14 villages and towns in the general
vicinity and housed in vacant buildings or among Christian families
with accommodation possibilities. The men in turn stayed at Anjar to
construct stone dwellings that the French had planned. The original
project would give each family a house comprised of 2 rooms, a
kitchen, and a restroom on a 400 sq. meter lot. But as France entered
World War II, and with its finances earmarked for that effort, the
original plan was reduced to a single room with an outdoor restroom.
Each adult male received an addition parcel of land for farming. By
spring 1940, the Armenians occupied their new houses. The three
religious communities (Apostolic, Evangelical, and Catholic) in turn
received specific plots within the village for their churches and
schools. A new life in a new country thus began to take shape for the
Armenians from Musa Dagh.

Today Anjar is a beautiful 73-year-old thriving town with all kinds of
community facilities and businesses. Yet, given the political turmoil
in the Middle East, its future status and that of the Armenian
communities in the region as a whole remain tenuous at best.

NKR Foreign Minister: To make the talks effective, it is necessary to
ensure official Stepanakert’s full- fledged participation in the
Karabakh peace process

arminfo
Saturday, December 1, 10:14

On November 29 Nagorno-Karabakh Foreign Minister Karen Mirzoyan made
a speech at the international conference “Regional Security Dynamics
in the South Caucasus” in Yerevan, the NKR Foreign Ministry press
service reports.

Karen Mirzoyan stressed that in order to resolve the problems in the
region, it is necessary to create an atmosphere of general security
based on mutual cooperation and equality.

“This should be based on the respect for human rights, basic freedoms
and rule of law. Since the very first days of proclamation of its
independence, the NKR has given high priority to creation of a free
and democratic society, which forms its government by means of free
and competitive elections. I’d like to note that we are committed to
our will to continue the course we settled down to more than 20 years
ago. The NKR’s success in this regard is obvious and cannot be
ignored”, said Mirzoyan. He stressed that the 19 July 2012
presidential elections became one more step towards consolidation of
democratic traditions and universal values.

Mirzoyan also pointed out that at present the NKR is a republic with
state structures, a combat-effective army and citizens committed to
democratic values and ideas of freedom. “Despite all difficulties and
hardships, the country is moving forward, consolidating its state
institutes, developing the economy and culture”, he said. In the
meantime, he pointed out that Azerbaijan fails to take similar steps
to create an atmosphere of general security on the basis of
cooperation and respect for democratic principles.

As regards the current stage of the Karabakh peace process, Mirzoyan
expressed confidence that the peace talks have no alternative and it
is necessary to take specific measures to consolidate the ceasefire
regime.

He also emphasized that in order to make the talks effective, it is
necessary to ensure official Stepanakert’s full-fledged participation
in the Karabakh peace process.

Trend Daily News (Azerbaijan)
November 30, 2012 Friday 12:40 AM GMT +4

Azerbaijani FM: If Armenia accepts proposals of Minsk Group it must
sign a comprehensive peace agreement

Azerbaijan, Baku, Nov 29 /Tend/

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov received a delegation
headed by EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus Philippe
Lefort, the Foreign Ministry said.

The sides expressed satisfaction with the expansion of cooperation
between Azerbaijan and the EU.

They exchanged views on the processes taking place in the region.
Energy projects of regional significance were discussed; the
importance of Azerbaijan for the EU was stressed.

Elmar Mammadyarov, referring to the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict,
said that if Armenia accepts proposals of the OSCE Minsk Group, it
must agree to sign a comprehensive peace agreement.

The Foreign Minister also informed Lefort that if Khojaly airport is
commissioned it will be a serious blow to the peace process.

The minister recalled that the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs also support
this stand.

Elmar Mammadyarov said the main problem in the settlement of the
conflict is the presence of the armed forces of Armenia in the
occupied territories of Azerbaijan.

Philippe Lefort stressed the importance of contacts between the two
communities for peace.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. – are
currently holding the peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

Interfax, Russia
Nov 30 2012

European People’s Party Eastern Partnership summit to be held in Yerevan

YEREVAN. Nov 30

The second summit of the European People’s Party Eastern Partnership
leaders will be held in Yerevan on Friday at the initiative of the
Republican Party of Armenia and the European People’s Party.

The summit will be attended by Armenian President and Republican Party
leader Serzh Sargsyan, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili,
Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat, European People’s Party Chairman
Wilfried Martens and European Commission President Jose Manuel
Barroso.

“The summit will address issues pertaining to Eastern Partnership.
Bilateral talks will also be held,” the Republican Party’s press
service has reported.

Three Armenian parties – the Republican Party of Armenia, Orinats
Yerkir and Heritage, were granted observer status with the European
People’s Party – the only status non-members of the European Union can
get.

Gagik Tsarukyan’s Diversification

Haik Aramyan
Comments – Saturday, 01 December 2012, 18:12

Amid the EPP Summit and the European firework the leader of the PAP
Gagik Tsarukyan was reported to leave for Brussels. No details of the
program of his visit are known but the fact that apart from Moscow and
Dubai Tsarukyan visits also Brussels is evidence that he is ready for
diversification. Moreover, Tsarukyan was said to visit the United
States as well, and the Armenian National Congress is using its
connections to organize his meetings with some influential figures.
The PAP is a perceived pro-Russian force, a Russian policy provider in
Armenia. The PAP promotes Russian geopolitical projects in Armenia.
The PAP has not expressed a clear position on foreign affairs, as well
as the Karabakh issue. In this context, the Armenian government, the
RPA has activated its relations with the Western political and
military organizations, at least on the level of declarations though
some practical steps are already noticed. This is a reason to assume
that Russia may foil the attempt of diversification of foreign
relations by means of the PAP which possesses considerable resources.
Besides, Moscow’s approval is perceived by many to be the safeguard of
forming government, and the PAP promotes this mindset. It is good that
Gagik Tsarukyan has decided to change the coolness of Moscow and the
heat of Dubai and see what else is there in the world. Moscow and
Dubai do not help one make up their mind on politics. It will be
useful to both his party and Armenia. Gagik Tsarukyan’s
diversification will prevent the PAP and its satellites from becoming
instruments of the Russian politics about which they have been warned
by a number of politicians and experts. For its part, it will allow
staging the issue of forming government of Armenia inside Armenia
alone and rule out foreign intervention which has usually led to
bloodsheds over the past decade. It is possible, of course, that
Tsarukyan’s diversification is not his decision alone and has far
reaching aspirations and goals. At least, the developments inside the
PAP and around it allow for such conclusions. It might also be done to
spite the RPA. Obviously, Gagik Tsarukyan is consistently cleared
until international recognition. If the result of this process will be
prevention of foreign intervention, it will be the only achievement of
the Armenian political system over the past 20 years. The system has
not been able to do more, namely build an efficient, competitive,
constitutional, independent state where everyone is in their real
place.

Highway being built in place of Armenian cemetery in Turkey

16:26 01/12/2012 » SOCIETY

It was revealed during the construction of a highway in Siirt
Province’s Eruh District in Turkey that the highway lays through the
territory of an Armenian cemetery, Turkish news agency Dogan reported.

Bones from about 100 graves have come up to the surface of the ground
as a result of the construction works. Local villagers collected them
and put them back into the graves as far as possible.

One of the residents of Kayabogaz village said to Dogan, `Some of the
bones are still on the surface of the ground. Part of the graves have
remained open. We know that it is an Armenian cemetery and there is an
Armenian church on the hill above it. Armenians lived here years ago.
But no one lives there now.’

The villagers complained that it is about a month that the Turkish
authorities have been ignoring this problem.

Source: Panorama.am

IWPR: Armenia’s Oscar entry enrages Azerbaijan

11:11 01.12.2012

Armenia’s entry for Best Foreign Film at the Oscars was conceived as a
story of how humanity triumphs over prejudice. But since it also
touches on Azerbaijan, it has become yet another subject for the toxic
feud between the two nations, reads an article on the website of the
Institute of War & Peace reporting.

The film, If Only Everyone, is about an Armenian man who helps a
half-Russian, half-Armenian woman to go to her father’s grave and
plant a tree there. The father died in the early-1990s conflict over
Nagorno Karabakh.

The film’s protagonists have to cross over the front line from
Armenian-held to Azerbaijani-held territory. There they befriend a
local shepherd, an Azerbaijani, who asks them to plant a tree on his
son’s grave when they return to the Armenian side.

`This story perhaps touches on the most sensitive issue for our nation
today – Artsakh. Why did people die, what was the war about, what
motivated the heroic deeds? Some have found the answers; others are
still searching,’ a synopsis on the film’s website says. `But these
questions eclipse the real lives of real people, who we often think
about the least, unfortunately.’

It is the fourth work that Armenia’s film academy has submitted for
consideration for an Oscar, but the first to be officially nominated.

The Academy of Motion Pictures Art and Science accepts a single
submission from each country for the best foreign-language film prize,
and its members vote for a shortlist and then the winner. This year, a
record 71 films have been accepted as submissions, including entries
from Azerbaijan as well as Armenia.

In Azerbaijan, writer Elchin Huseynbayli, insists that the idea for
the film was stolen from his 2010 story Dazzled by the Sun, but
twisted to make the Azerbaijanis appear as the aggressors.

He described the differences in an interview for the
website, `The story I wrote goes like this: an ailing Azerbaijani
doctor enters Karabakh to fulfil his grandfather’s wishes by planting
a tree in the yard of his house. The hero wants to see his father’s
grave, but the territory is controlled by the Armenians and they take
him prisoner. However, after long negotiations, they allow him to
fulfil his wish.’ He concluded, `They used my story, but changed it to
favour themselves. ‘

Huseynbayli has asked Azerbaijan’s copyright agency to write to the
Oscars judging panel to and tell them the film is not an original
work. No one at the agency was available for comment when IWPR
contacted it.

Michael Poghosyan, who wrote the screenplay for If Only Everyone, said
the film took a long time to make, and was actually conceived before
Huseynbayli’s story was published.

`The story for the film was written in early 2010, and filming began
in spring 2010. Before we wrote the story, we met people who had lived
through the war. It was after our meetings and talks with these people
that the idea of the film was born,’ he told IWPR. `We could similarly
accuse the Azerbaijanis of stealing the story of our film Longing,
where the main hero crossed a border to die in his homeland.’

Poghosyan said the film sought to encourage harmony and peace between
different peoples.

`There is nothing anti-Azerbaijani in the film. It preaches peace and
love, which is why it has won prizes… We would not have been able to
win such awards if the film contained inhumanity or spread enmity
between nations.’

The chair of the Armenian National Film Academy, David Muradyan, said
its members chose the film by secret ballot, adding, `I am saddened
that the Azerbaijanis are trying to politicise this and put pressure
on the Oscars committee. This kind of behaviour is unprecedented and
runs contrary to all rules of good manners.

`We proposed this film as a work of art, and nothing more. This film
has no message other than a humanitarian one,’ he said.

Summit of the EPP Eastern Partnership leaders held in Yerevan

22:04 30.11.2012

The Summit of the leaders of the European People’s Party’s (EPP)
Eastern Partnership member states was held in at the Gafesjian Modern
Arts Center in Yerevan. The summit was attended by President of the
Republic of Armenia, President of the Republican Party Serzh Sargsyan,
president of the European people’s Party Wilfred Martens, Georgia’s
President Mikheil Saakashvili, Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat and
President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso.

Opening Remarks by President Serzh Sargsyan at the Summit of the
Leaders of the EPP Eastern Partnership member states

Distinguished President of the European People’s Party, Mr. Martens,
Distinguished President of the European Commission, Mr. Barroso,
Distinguished President of Georgia, Mr. Sahakashvili,
Distinguished Prime Minister of Moldova, Mr. Filat,
Dear Colleagues,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I cordially welcome all participants of the Yerevan Summit of the
Leaders of the EPP Eastern Partnership member states. Welcome to
Armenia. This is a truly historic event not only for Armenia, our
partner states but also for the European Union and the European
People’s Party. It’s been almost a year since in Marseille three
Armenian political parties joined the EPP, and today we already have
the honor to host in Yerevan the Summit of that influential
pan-European party in the format of Eastern Partnership.

I express my thanks to the President of the Party, Mr. Wilfred Martens
for establishing this tradition of the EPP-Eastern Partnership Summit.
Mr. Martens, throughout your rich political biography, you have proved
on many occasions the power of vision. You have made an immense
contribution to the formation and strengthening of the European Union.
By this initiative of yours, You have provided new opportunities to
the political forces of the EU non-member states which adhere to the
European system of values.

I also express gratitude to the President of the European Commission
Jose Manuel Barroso, President ofGeorgiaMikheil Sahakashvili and Prime
Minister of Moldova Vlad Filat for their participation in this event.
I believe, it is not accidental at all that political parties of our
three states have joined the EPP family. It manifests first of all
commitment and aspirations which bond us to the European Union,
regardless of the fact that each of us is building its relations with
the EU in its own way.

Just a couple of words about this Hall which has been chosen on
purpose. This is the Vardanants Hall of theGafesjianCenter. On this
wall, the great Armenian artist Grigor Khanjian pictured one of the
most momentous events in the history of our nation: in 451, i.e.
almost 16 centuries ago, when we had already been Christians for one
hundred fifty years, Armenians had to fight to the death, battling
against the attempts to avert them from the Christian faith and
deprive them of believing in all-Christian values. In the unequal
fight, paying with numerous lives, our ancestors succeeded in
preserving our identity, our faith and our system of values. These
challenges have been present in the history of our nation for
centuries. I trust it is clear why it’s been so important for us to
join the great family of the European People’s Party, whose activities
are based on the pan-European system of values and imperative of
democracy.

As it was reiterated in the EPP Bucharest Manifesto, our political
family is the force behind the Eurointegration, the advocate and
implementer of reforms.

The EPP has a great role in the development of the Eastern Partnership
and making it a new link of Eurointegration. It is vividly proved by
theSummitinBatumiand our today’s meeting. I am confident that
discussions to be held today will bring their substantial input to the
implementation of the joint objectives of the European People’s Party
and Eastern Partnership.

I once again welcome you all to Armenia. Now I ask President Martens
to chair the Summit.’