Author: Kajoyan Gevork

Letter: On Reading `The Sandcastle Girls’

by Mark Gavoor

August 15, 2012

Dear Editor,

I have just finished reading Chris Bohjalian’s masterpiece, The
SandcastleGirls. I do not use the word masterpiece lightly. Whether or
not it is a masterpiece in the general pantheon of literature, I
cannot say. I am too close to the subject matter. For Armenians, it is
nothing less than a masterpiece. Upon finishing it, I could not help
but sit down and immediately write this brief review and reflection.

The novel is brilliant, engaging, well crafted, mesmerizing, and full
of hope, and, as in all books about the Armenian Genocide, full of
examples of the horrors mankind can inflict on mankind. (Photo by
Naira Ayvazyan)
I started it yesterday; it lured me in slowly. I have not read any of
Bohjalian’s other books, thinking, rightly or wrongly, that they were
written for a female audience. I was immediately impressed with his
style and skill. I realized why he was such a popular and revered
author. Flat out, the man can spin a yarn. He can weave a story. He
can describe things delicately or intensely as called for in the plot.
This morning, I could do nothing but finish reading the book. I wanted
to write that I could not put the book down. The truth is that I put
it down several times to think, ponder, wonder, shudder, and wipe a
tear from my eye.

It made me think of my family members, including my maternal
grandmother’s sister Khatoun, who shares a name with a character in
the book. Just a handful of us even know she existed. I thought of my
family members who survived, and who I knew however briefly. I thought
of all those who did not, and of whom I have the vaguest knowledge. I
remembered that most of my family, as well as my wife’s, are from
Kharpert. I kept thinking about my relatives still in Aleppo and
prayed they are doing well. We have lost touch with them over the
years and that saddens me.

The novel is brilliant, engaging, well crafted, mesmerizing, and full
of hope, and, as in all books about the Armenian Genocide, full of
examples of the horrors mankind can inflict on mankind. Every Armenian
should read it. Every Turk ought to read it. Some will; most won’t. It
is a novel that certainly appeals to the descendants of those that
lived through the times described, namely Turks and Armenians. It is
also a novel that stands on its own. It would not have risen to 7th on
the New York Times Hardcover Fiction List if it were only Armenians
reading it.

I cannot and will not write a synopsis of the book. Simply, get a copy
of the book and read it. Suffice it to say it takes place then and
now. It is autobiographical, and it is not. It is fact and fiction. It
is full of serendipity that somehow is not a surprise. It is horribly
sad and somehow wonderfully hopeful. It portrays Turks that were evil
and Turks that would be considered saintly in either religion. It is
in the grand tradition of Armenian storytelling of `Once there was and
was not’ (Gar oo chigar).

Thank you, Chris Bohjalian, for this most special gift.

Mark Gavoor
Chicago, Ill.

Stop Violence Against Women to hold protest near Armenian court

news.am
August 15, 2012 | 11:44

YEREVAN.- Armenia-based Coalition to Stop Violence Against Women will
hold a protest action outside the court in Artashat where Mariam
Gevorgyan’s case will be heard on Thursday.

Recall, Mariam was subjected to physical and emotional abuse by her
mother-in-law Haykanush Mikaelyan, as well as by her husband,
David Ziroyan after the couple married in 2009, then left for St.
Petersburg, where the husband’s family live.

For 10 months, Mariam was subject to repeated abuse by David and
members of his family. After returning to Yerevan, Mariam contacted
police. Subsequently David was charged with inflicting damage to
health.

The general amnesty granted by Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan in
2011, however, was applied to David and he was released.
David’s mother continues to face charges of infliction damage to
health, as well as torture (RA Criminal Code Article 119).

Shnogh Mayor to Hetq Reporter – “Get Lost!” Larisa Paremuzyan*
!.html
*
19:17, August 14, 2012

This is a photo of Shnogh village residents lining up for precious drinking
water from the only source around.

The fountain, located on the side of the road entering the village, also
attract residents from neighboring communities.

Haygaz Kochinyan has been the mayor of Shnogh for the past 16 years. The
3,000 village residents have been constantly after him to solve the water
supply problem.

Back in 2010, Kochinyan told Hetq that he had raised the issue in May with
Armen Gevorgyan, Minister of Territorial Administration, and was told that
the Asian Development Bank would be funding the repair of the
Stepanavan-Noyemberyan water pipe and that Shnogh would be supplied with
water after work finished in September.

The repair work has long since been finished, but the water problem
remains. The water pipe in question passes through a village neighbourhood
called Vardan’s Boat.

It’s not a complicated matter to get water flowing to residents. But to
avail themselves of the water flowing via this pipe the local branch office
of the Armenia Water and Sewage utility must first come in and collect the
fees.

This isn’t in the best interests of Mayor Kochinyan who is currently
collecting water fees from the mountain springs located in a field called
Manstev.

WWII vet and Shnogh resident Janibek Sahakyan says that two years ago MP
Mikayel Vardanyan promised the villagers that he would have a larger
diameter pipe installed to transport all the water from the springs down to
the village.

`Ten days later the pipes arrived. But Mayor Kochinyan took the pipes to
a
piece of land he owns at the mouth of the Shek spring. He kept the pipes
there for one year, hoping that we’d forget all about them. Later, he
connected the pipe to the spring and directed the pipes to transport the
water to his fields. Geez, it’s not just one thing or two. It’s a pity
what’s being done to us people,’ says Sahakyan.

When Sahakyan told the mayor that the water flowing from Manstev was dirty
and unsafe to drink because of the livestock swimming in it, the veteran
was told to mind his own business.

`I suggested that a purification plant be built. Kochinyan turned around
and replied, `Don’t tell me what to do. I am solving much bigger issues
here,” recounts Sahakyan

Janibek Sahakyan also complains that the mayor took eight rooms on the
second floor of the local hospital and handed them over to his daughter as
private property. He adds that rooms on the first floor aren’t supplied
with water, but that the mayor saw to it that the rooms on the second floor
were hooked up with water.

Sahakyan claims that the mayor is never found in his office. `He’s always
busy with his private affairs. He owns a few gasoline stations and has 150
head of cattle. Let me ask you the following. Why is it that a village
resident must pay land tax on just 2,000 meters while Kochinyan pays
nothing on the 100 hectares he owns?’

We got in touch with Mayor Kochinyan for some answers. His reply was short
and to the point.

`Stay as far away from me as possible and don’t enter this village. You
were here on Saturday. You think I don’t know?’

After getting nowhere with Mayor Kochinyan we got in touch with Lori
Regional Governor Artour Nalbandyan.

When he understood the focus of our call Nalbandyan agreed that things had
gotten out of hand in Shnogh.

`Write what you want and don’t worry about the mayor. We here at the Lori
Regional Administration are working on the Kochinyan matter. Conditions are
really bad in Shnogh.’

Haykaz Kochinyan will be running for re-election in the upcoming September
9 election and believes his chances are good.

Haykaz is the brother of former Lori Regional Governor Henrik Kochinyan.
Does the word nepotism ring a bell?

During his 16 years on the job, Haykaz hasn’t been known for running an
open style of local government.

No wonder his re-election bid has raised the dander of Janibek Sahakyan and
other residents.

Stepmotherland

Naira Hayrumyan

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 17:06:23 – 14/08/2012

The Armenian government is very handy at inventing `invisible’ but
highly efficient ways of collecting huge sums of money from its
citizens in a short period of time.

One of the recent examples of this dexterity was the introduction of
compulsory car insurance. Car owners had to pay 100 dollars on average
on New Year’s eve. And though the insurance companies are run
privately, accretion of big sums on bank accounts allowed the
government to solve the issue of assets for social payments for a
while.

Now compulsory life insurance is already being considered which is the
first requirement for getting a loan from a bank.

And now the fresh example. On June 1 amendments to the Code of
Administrative Infringements came into force which require that each
citizen of the Republic of Armenia who lives outside Armenia for over
6 months will have to inform the diplomatic representation of
consulate in written form. Failure to inform will incur a fine of 3000
drams.

The number of citizens living outside Armenia more than 6 months is
rather big. 3000 drams is not a big deal for them but the treasury
will be filled with liquid assets. How else can the adoption of these
amendments be explained?

The government of Armenia should know better that tens of thousands of
migrant workers leave Armenia every year, sometimes for over 6 months.
It means that almost all the migrant workers will have to pay 7
dollars each. Certainly, it is not a big sum to board the plane and
fly to Armenia by the end of the 6th month.

However, there is no doubt that if the `experience is successful’, the
fine will grow. The person who pays 7 will agree to pay 70.

The most unpleasant thing about this is the predatory nature of the
homeland. Instead of creating conditions to live and work in the
homeland the government imposes another tax on people who have to
leave Armenia to earn their living. This country looks like a step
motherland.

Information about situation in Syria far from being true – editor

news.am
August 15, 2012 | 12:35

YEREVAN.- Everything told about situation in Syria has no connection
to real developments, said editor of Armenia-based Zhamanak newspaper.

Arman Babajanyan, editor-in-chief of Zhamanak newspaper and 1in.am
website, returned from Syria on Tuesday.

Although filming is banned in the streets, Syrian Embassy allowed
Babajanyan and his two reporters to make videos.

`The Armenian community is in fear. Those leaving the community are
considered betrayers by some people. This is the reason many
Syrian-Armenians are afraid of being caught on camera here in Armenia.
They believe Armenian citizens do not want them to come,’ Babajanyan
said.

He believes Armenian Foreign Ministry together with Diaspora Ministry
should release a statement so that people can understand the rumors
are untrue.

The hatred towards Armenians in Turkey continues at state level

09:40, 15 August, 2012

YEREVAN, AUGUST 15, ARMENPRESS: Turkey which introduces itself to the
world as `changing’ and `tolerant’ continue the hatred towards
Armenians at the state level. Armenpress reports that Turkish Idefix
website with the help of internet sells the book of Turk nationalist
Haluk Kldz called `Armenians, do not forget the time’ which instills
hatred and discrimination. In the preface of the book the author
offended and insulted Armenian people breaking all borders. The book
has also been spread in Turkish schools.

The users of Twitter with their protest posts in boykotidefix made to
put away the preface but Idefix continues to sell the book. The users
of social networks noticed the same preface in other network shops and
organized protest against them. But in several Turkish internet shops
the preface offending Armenians still remains.

ARMENIE
Arrivée d’un deuxième groupe d’enfants arméniens de Syrie

Un deuxième groupe d’enfants arméniens venus de Syrie est arrivé en
Arménie mardi 14 août 2012 pour passer leurs vacances dans un camp
d’été local dans le cadre d’un programme spécial lancé par les
autorités d’Erevan.

Près de 130 écoliers de la ville ont été accompagnés par 19
enseignants et sont arrivés à l’aéroport de Zvartnots sur un vol
spécial Armavia parrainé par un organisme de bienfaisance basé à
Erevan et par Ara Abrahamian, un homme d’affaires russo-arménien.

Le Premier ministre Tigran Sarkissian a visité le camp Hankavan lundi
où il a eu quelques échanges avec les enfants. Il a également pris
connaissance des conditions de vie au sein du camp.

« Je tiens à vous assurer que le gouvernement arménien va tout faire
pour régler vos problèmes », a dit Sarkissian lors d’un discours.«
Comme vous le savez, nous attendons l’arrivée d’un nouveau groupe en
provenance d’Alep. Je suis convaincu que l’atmosphère qui règne dans
le camp permettra à chacun de surmonter plus facilement cette période.
Le peuple arménien soutient les Arméniens de Syrie », a-t-il dit.

Le projet du gouvernement vise à donner un peu de répit à plus de 400
jeunes Arméniens de Syrie qui subissent des violences meurtrières
depuis plus d’un an. Nous ne savons pas si le gouvernement renverra
les enfants en Syrie par la suite.

Sevan Keleshian, une jeune institutrice qui accompagne le groupe
d’Alep, a déclaré à RFE / RL (Azatutyun.am) à Zvartnots :« Nous avons
peur. Nous ne savons pas ce qui arrivera demain. J’espère l’Arménie va
aider ceux qui veulent s’installer ici. »

Beaucoup d’enfants nouvellement arrivés dans le pays visitent
l’Arménie pour la première fois. Certains ont été accueillis à
l’aéroport d’Erevan par leurs parents vivant en Arménie.

Noem Manoukian, un femme syrienne arménienne qui habite à Erevan,
était heureuse d’accueillir ses deux petits-enfants. « La Syrie est
détruite », a affirmé Manoukian à RFE / RL. Raffi Tashjian, un autre
ancien pensionnaire d’Alep, a rencontré son neveu à Zvartnots. « Je
veux qu’il reste ici », a-t-il dit.

Les enfants et leurs enseignants auraient passé plusieurs postes de
contrôle depuis le centre d’Alep pour finalement regagner l’Arménie. «
Nous avons été accueillis par le gouvernement et les forces de
l’opposition », a déclaré Keleshian.

mercredi 15 août 2012,
Laetitia ©armenews.com

Political expert: Turkey may become the next after Syria

arminfo
Tuesday, August 14, 17:09

Losing Syria Russia will lose the entire Middle East, says Levon
Shirinyan, a political expert.

Talking to media on August 14, Shirinyan said that Russia will be
actively protecting its interests in the Middle East using all means
possible – up to nuclear weapons.

As of the possible developments in the region, the expert said that
Turkey may become the next after Syria, given that over two dozens of
national minorities live in Turkey.

Turkey’s Misguided Foreign Policy

By Micah N. Levinson:
August 13, 2012 3:24 PM EDT

A century ago, President Theodore Roosevelt’s “speak softly and carry
a big stick” foreign policy enhanced American power and prestige
around the world. Today, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan imperils
his country’s chances of regional preponderance by pursuing a policy
of speak pugnaciously and carry no stick.

In the last three years, Ankara has engineered diplomatic conflicts
with Israel, Cyprus and her Greek patron, and most recently Syria.
And, Turkey has warned each country that their disputes might
culminate in a military confrontation. Nevertheless, none of the
threatened countries have altered their behavior, even cosmetically,
to mollify Turkey, thereby calling Ankara’s credibility into question.

When Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) assumed power in
2002, it sought to bolster Turkey’s international influence through a
“zero problems with neighbors” foreign policy, which entailed
resolving outstanding disputes with all surrounding countries and
increasing Turkish security and economic cooperation with all of its
neighbors, especially the Arab world and Iran. To this end, in 2004,
Erdogan became the first Turkish Prime Minister in fifty years to
visit Greece, Turkey’s traditional rival. Then in July 2005, Erdogan
and Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis laid the foundation of a
pipeline to transport Azerbaijani natural gas to Europe. Turkey also
sought increased security cooperation with Greece, with the two
countries agreeing in 2007 to create a joint Operational Unit within
the framework of NATO with the aim of participating in Peace Support
Operations along with a joint Disaster Relief/Humanitarian Aid Task
Force.

Erdogan also attempted to maintain simultaneous working relations with
Hamas, Israel, and Syria. After Hamas won the 2006 Palestinian
legislative election, Ankara invited Khaled Mashal, chairman of
Hamas’s politburo, to Turkey despite Israeli protests. Yet, from May
to December 2008, Israel trusted Turkey to mediate peace negotiations
between Jerusalem and Damascus. The greatest turnaround was in
Turkish-Syrian relations. On the brink of war in 1998 over Syrian
sponsorship of the Kurdish PKK terrorist group, by 2009 the countries
had lifted mutual visa requirements, established the Syrian-Turkish
High Cooperation Council to enhance economic and military cooperation,
and held large-scale joint military exercises.

In 2009, however, an increasingly confident Turkey traded its good
neighbor policy for an aggressive neo-ottoman one. First, Erdogan
contrived to reinvent himself as the champion of the Palestinian cause
after Israel launched Operation Cast Lead in December 2008 to halt
rocket attacks from Gaza. Erdogan has since hailed Hamas militants as
“freedom fighters struggling to protect their land.” And, perhaps
reasoning that Israel would never board a Turkish-owned ship, the AKP
government offered logistical support to the Mavi Marmara, a vessel
participating in a 2010 flotilla aiming to break the Israeli blockade
of Hamas-controlled Gaza, to establish Turkey as the one Muslim
country that can command Israeli compliance. Israel demanded to
inspect the cargo for contraband and promised to deliver the
humanitarian aid to Gaza. When the flotilla refused, Jerusalem called
Turkey’s bluff and Israeli forces raided the ship and killed nine
Turkish activists who violently resisted. A humiliated Erdogan
threatened to send Turkish warships to break the blockade and urged
the international community to impose sanctions on Israel. However,
Turkey never made good on its threat and a UN investigative committee
confirmed the blockade’s legality, further eroding Turkey’s prestige.

Soon after, Ankara threatened to dispatch warships to Cypriot waters
to dissuade Nicosia from unilaterally exploring for natural gas and
developing the fields recently discovered off her southern coast. In
2010, Cyprus and Israel signed a maritime border delimitation
agreement. But, Turkey has rejected the agreement, since Ankara does
not recognize Cyprus and insists that Nicosia include authorities from
Northern Cyprus (which it supports) in the making of all gas-related
policy, even concerning gas fields that do not border the north. When
Nicosia ignored Ankara’s threats, Turkey conducted live fire naval
exercises near the disputed natural gas fields. But Turkey’s
belligerence has had the opposite of its intended effect, prompting
increased military cooperation among Israel, Cyprus, and her Greek
patron, including joint naval exercises and a Greek-Israeli security
pact. So far, Turkey’s ultimatum to Cyprus has fallen on deaf ears.

Finally, Erdogan has abandoned Turkey’s newfound alliance with
Damascus in the wake of the Syrian Uprising, calling on Assad to
resign and hosting in Turkey the Syrian National Council and members
of the Free Syrian Army. Yet, Turkey looks increasingly impotent as
its threats of military intervention lose their credibility. In March
2012, Erdogan proclaimed that Turkey might establish a buffer zone in
Syria to protect refugees if Assad continued to suppress the uprising.
Erdogan’s threat proved empty. And when Syrian forces shot down a
Turkish F-4 Phantom jet in June and Erdogan threatened Syria not to
risk Turkey’s wrath, the threat sounded equally hollow.

So, if Erdogan wants Turkey to achieve regional influence commensurate
with its size (75 million) and economy (16th largest in the world),
and do so without using force, he must reign in his bluster. That is
not to say that Ankara should never express moral outrage. Jarring
images of massacred Syrian civilians have genuinely disturbed Turkish
leaders. However, repeated empty threats of military intervention
undermine Turkish diplomatic influence over Damascus without scaring
Assad into changing course.

Roosevelt’s axiom remains the operative one: Ankara should threaten
sparingly — but back up its words with concrete action when it does.
Erdogan would do well to take note of it.

Micah Levinson is a Junior Fellow at the American Foreign Policy
Council in Washington, DC.

APA, Azerbaijan
Aug 14 2012

Ukrainian embassy in Azerbaijan issues statement on reports about this
country’s secret arms sale to Armenia

[ 14 Aug 2012 11:56 ]
Baku. Anakhanum Hidayatova – APA. Ukrainian embassy in Azerbaijan
issued statement on reports about this country’s secret arms sale to
Armenia in 2011.

The statement says that the copy of letter from Ukrainian Defense
Ministry to Ukrainian president that was placed on August 8, 2012 on a
Ukrainian website is false.

The embassy considers that this provocation aims to damage
Ukraine-Azerbaijan friendly relations. `The strategic character of
these relations is unchangeable and a priority for Ukraine’.

The report says that the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of
the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, Major-General Sergei Gmyza sent a
letter to President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych explaining the ways
of arms supplies to Armenia under a contract between Ukrspetsexport
and DG Arms Corporation (the mediator of Armenian Defense Ministry).

The letter offers to use front companies registered in EU and CIS for
supplies. According to the letter, Main Intelligence Directorate of
the Ukrainian Defense Ministry received information about the contract
between the Ukrspetsexport and DG Arms Corporation (the mediator of
Armenian Defense Ministry) to supply 12 units of Smerch multiple
rocket launching systems and their components, 50 Igla MANPADS, as
well as the fact that Armenia has already paid 50 percent of contract
value.

Gmyza said that not wanting to jeopardize the military-technical and
energy cooperation between Azerbaijan and Ukraine, Ukrspetsexport is
invited to “publicly renounce the fact of an agreement with the
Armenian side.” At the same time the Armenian company is offered to
simulate the appeal to arbitration, “the spread among its environment
of sharply negative attitude to the leadership of Ukrspetsexport and
the Ukrainian side, as an unreliable supplier.”

At the same time head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the
Ukrainian Defense Ministry proposed to carry out the delivery of
Smerch sets in a conspiracy from the territory of Moldova, “using
front companies registered in the EU or the CIS.”

Marking on the products this should be changed, and in the case of
disclosure of fraud to conceal origin of Igla MANPADS by warehouses in
Libya, looted by rebels of the liberation movement.

Deputy Director of the Press and Public Relations Department of the
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry Valery Korol refused to comment the issue
to APA.