Author: Kalantarian Kevo

Medical Xpress
Jan 9 2015

Study IDs two genes that boost risk for post-traumatic

Why do some people develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) while
others who suffered the same ordeal do not? A new UCLA discovery may
shed light on the answer.

UCLA scientists have linked two gene variants to the debilitating
mental disorder, suggesting that heredity influences a person’s risk
of developing PTSD. Published in the February 2015 edition of the
Journal of Affective Disorders, the findings could provide a
biological basis for diagnosing and treating PTSD more effectively in
the future.

“Many people suffer with post-traumatic stress disorder after
surviving a life-threatening ordeal like war, rape or a natural
disaster,” explained lead author Dr. Armen Goenjian, a researcher at
the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA. “But
not everyone who experiences trauma suffers from PTSD. We investigated
whether PTSD has genetic underpinnings that make some people more
vulnerable to the syndrome than others.”

In 1988, Goenjian, an Armenian American, raced to Spitak, Armenia,
after a 6.8 magnitude earthquake devastated the country. The temblor
leveled entire towns and cities, killing more than 25,000 Armenians,
two-thirds of them children.

With support from the Armenian Relief Society, Goenjian and his
colleagues helped establish a pair of psychiatric clinics that treated
earthquake survivors for 21 years. A dozen multigenerational families
in northern Armenia agreed to allow their blood samples to be sent to
UCLA, where Goenjian and his colleagues combed the DNA of 200
individuals for genetic clues to psychiatric vulnerability.

In 2012, his team discovered that PTSD was more common in survivors
who carried two gene variants associated with depression. In the
current study, Goenjian and first author Julia Bailey, an adjunct
assistant professor of epidemiology at the UCLA Fielding School of
Public Health, focused on two genes called COMT and TPH-2 that play
important roles in brain function.

COMT is an enzyme that degrades dopamine, a neurotransmitter that
controls the brain’s reward and pleasure centers, and helps regulate
mood, thinking, attention and behavior. Too much or too little
dopamine can influence various neurological and psychological
disorders.

TPH-2 controls the production of serotonin, a brain hormone that
regulates mood, sleep and alertness–all of which are disrupted in
PTSD. Antidepressants called SSRIs, or selective serotonin re-uptake
inhibitors, which were designed to treat depression, target serotonin.
More physicians are prescribing SSRIs to treat disorders beyond
depression, including PTSD.

“We found a significant association between variants of COMT and TPH-2
with PTSD symptoms, suggesting that these genes contribute to the
onset and persistence of the disorder,” said Goenjian. “Our results
indicate that people who carry these genetic variants may be at higher
risk of developing PTSD.”

The team used the most recent PTSD criteria from the American
Psychiatric Association’s diagnostic manual to measure genes’ role in
predisposing someone to the disorder. The new criteria increased
estimates of a person’s predisposition for PTSD to 60 percent;
estimates based on older criteria reached only 41 percent.

“Assessments of patients based upon the latest diagnostic criteria may
boost the field’s chances of finding new genetic markers for PTSD,”
said Goenjian. “We hope our findings will lead to molecular methods
for screening people at risk for this disorder and identify new drug
therapies for prevention and treatment.”

Still, Goenjian cautioned, PTSD is likely caused by multiple genes and
studies should be continued to find more of the genes involved.

PTSD affects about 7 percent of Americans and became a pressing health
issue for a large percentage of war veterans returning from tours in
Iraq and Afghanistan.

“A diagnostic tool based upon PTSD-linked genes would greatly help us
in identifying people who are at high risk for developing the
disorder,” Goenjian said. “Our findings may also help scientists
uncover more refined treatments, such as gene therapy or new drugs
that regulate the chemicals associated with PTSD symptoms.”

Conservative HQ
Jan 9 2015

So Much For “The Religion Of Peace”

In the aftermath of 9/11, President George W. Bush used the phrase
“religion of peace” to describe Islam and attempted to sell the idea
that the terrorists who perpetrated that crime were perverting the
religious beliefs of the great majority of Muslims.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

As the authors of “Catholic Answers” explain, “The usual meaning of
Islam in Arabic is not ‘peace’ but ‘submission.’ And if the terrorists
were so far outside the mainstream, why did Muslims all over the world
burst into joyful, spontaneous celebrations when the hijacked
jetliners slammed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon? Why
are Islamic governments afraid to show ‘too much’ public support for
the war against terrorism?”

Indeed why did our alleged ally Pakistan harbor bin Laden for years
and why does it continue to harbor other Muslim terrorists?

The fact of the matter is that the great Armenian Genocide of the
early 20th century, the takeover of the U.S. embassy in Tehran, Iran
in 1979, the fatwa condemning author Salman Rushdie to death for
blasphemy, the attack on the USS Cole, the 1998 embassy bombings in
Kenya and Tanzania, 9/11, Major Nidal Hassan’s terror attack at Ft.
Hood, Texas, the reign of terror unleashed by the Islamic State in
Syria and Iraq, the atrocities committed in Africa by Boko Haram and
the murder of the journalists of the French satirical magazine Charlie
Hebdo are all very much within the mainstream of Muslim thought.

Americans are uniquely unqualified to be engaged in a religious war.
The very idea of a religious war goes against our history as a
sanctuary for the religiously oppressed – the Pilgrims coming to New
England and Catholics coming to Maryland to find religious freedom –
and it goes against the Constitution that enshrined that history in
the very law that governs our government.

Yet, the very religious tolerance that is enshrined in the
Constitution is exactly what radical Islamists use to inflame passion
in their followers and recruit new jihadis.

What’s more, this opposition to religious freedom and freedom of
speech is becoming a worldwide movement among Muslims – it is not just
limited to a few Islamist radicals out on the fringes of society.

As the Associated Press reported, “At the al-Azhar mosque in Cairo,
which is considered to be the primary seat of Sunni Muslim learning
and a traditional voice of ‘moderation’, Grand Imam Ahmed al-Tayeb is
calling for an international law that ensures respect for religions
and criminalizes blasphemy.”

As AP writers Hamza Hendawi and Lara Jakes noted, “…even the voices of
moderation on the issue [of freedom of speech] are in agreement with
the militants that… the latest French cartoons demeaning Muhammad and
the Danish caricatures before them cannot be tolerated as freedom of
speech.”

So, it is time to ask the question, can the curbing of free speech and
free expression through violence or threats of violence happen here in
America?

The answer is it is already happening — even in the aftermath of the
Charlie Hebdo massacre in France, major news outlets in America,
including FOX, refused to publish the cartoons that allegedly
“blaspheme the Profit.” (Kudos to The Washington Post for not engaging
in that kind of self-censorship.)

In France entire towns and neighborhoods in France are de-facto
Islamic mini-states practicing Sharia Law. They are also no-go zones
for non-Muslims. The same is true in Holland, Denmark, Sweden, the UK,
Belgium and Germany.

It is naive to believe that could not (and is not) happening in America.

Muslims using food stamps in Minnesota are demanding that the welfare
program be required to meet the stringent requirement of the Islamic
diet, which does not allow pork products to be eaten. Proto-no-go
zones already exist in New York, Michigan, California, Texas, New
Jersey, Maryland, Minnesota and Virginia. The Islamic radicals are
mostly biding their time, waiting to achieve critical mass.

Islam, as it is today practiced by millions of Muslims across the
globe, is inimical to the separation of church and state and
government based on constitutional liberty. We are in a war of ideas,
not just with radical Islamists, but with concepts deeply embedded in
Muslim culture. And as long as mass legal (and illegal) immigration
from Muslim countries continues unabated we are losing that war.

EUobserver.com
January 6, 2015 Tuesday 10:33 AM GMT

[Opinion] Eastern partnership countries: Democracy in limbo

As we enter 2015 it is worth taking another look at the political
developments in the EU’s neighbourhood.

A glance shows us that democracy progress in the Eastern Partnership
countries EURO ” Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and
Belarus EURO ” has been uneven.

There are big differences between the six countries, although they are
governed by the same EU policy EURO ” the Eastern Partnership Initiative.

Nevertheless, looking at the trends in the past years, it seems the
countries of the region can be divided into two groups.

Moldova, Georgia, and Ukraine – which signed Association Agreements
with the EU last summer – show higher standards of democracy than the
other three countries; Armenia, Belarus, and Azerbaijan.

Moldova

In the past years Moldova has clearly been the frontrunner, showing
higher standards of conduct of elections, political freedoms and human
rights. It tops the latest European Integration Index for Eastern
Partnership countries.

The pro-European coalitions that have been running Moldova since 2009
demonstrated political will to reform and have achieved a lot.

In the recent parliamentary elections, the pro-European parties again
won a majority, though the vote was close this time.

Moldova was also the first country in the region to adopt
anti-discrimination legislation in line with EU requirements. It also
made significant progress in fighting corruption and reforming the
judiciary.

Georgia

Georgian political elites have also demonstrated willingness to
integrate with the EU. Despite significant democracy shortcomings
during Mikhail Saakashvili EURO ™s presidency, the country implemented
certain reforms successfully and has begun to tackle corruption and to
reform the judiciary and the public service.

The pro-European coalition that has been in power since 2011 is
continuing this course despite the most recent internal turmoil.

In the latest edition of the Bertelsmann Stiftung EURO ™s Transformation
Index (BTI), which analyses transformation processes towards democracy
and a market economy in 129 developing and transition countries,
Georgia made the largest gains in political transformation in the
Eurasian region since 2011.

Ukraine

Ukraine, however, has been rocked by turbulence in recent years. The
inability of the EURO ~Orange EURO ™ political elites to institutionalise
democratic achievements led to the consolidation of authoritarian
trends during the presidency of Viktor Yanukovych between 2010 and
2014.

It was only due to the Euromaidan protests that that opportunities for
reform arose.

In October 2014 Ukraine managed to hold free and fair elections. Yet
it remains a highly dysfunctional state which has to overcome
corruption and promote the rule of law.

Armenia

In 2008, Armenia saw a brutal crackdown on peaceful protests against
alleged electoral fraud yet it has since seen an improvement both in
the conduct of elections and media freedom.

The country also managed to make some progress on reforming the
judiciary, fighting corruption and improving public administration.

Armenia actively pursued rapprochement with Brussels until September
2013 when President Serzh Sargsyan announced that closer ties with the
EU was no longer on his agenda.

In October last year, Armenia became a member of the Eurasian Economic
Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.

Azerbaijan and Belarus

Azerbaijan and Belarus remain highly authoritarian states where human
rights and political freedoms are suppressed.

According to some estimates, there are around 142 political prisoners
in Azerbaijan yet its position as an exporter of oil and gas allows
the country to ignore criticism coming from the West.

While Belarus is subject to EU sanctions, Azerbaijan enjoys extensive
cooperation with the EU in the field of energy.

Azerbaijan negotiated an Association Agreement with the EU but then
dropped the idea and proposed an alternative strategic modernisation
partnership. Brussels EURO ™ leverage in both countries is limited and the
prospects of democratisation remain gloomy.

Civic engagement

Political will and a strong civil society combined with pro-EU public
opinion appear to be key factors for successful democratisation.
Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine serve as good examples.

Where the survival of the regime is at stake, however, democracy has
no chance of succeeding. Azerbaijan, Belarus, Armenia and Ukraine
during the Yanukovych presidency demonstrate this very clearly.

The political elites in these countries have sustained their power
through clientelistic networks, corruption, and elimination of
political freedoms. Liberalisation of the political environment would
undermine the pillars that uphold the regime.

Only a strong push from within such a system can challenge it.

Eastern partnership countries and democracy

There is also an interesting relationship between the Association
Agreements (AAs) with the EU and the state of democracy in the Eastern
Partnership countries.

Commitment to European integration and the political will to implement
reforms seem to go hand-in-hand. The AAs serve both to recognise the
reforms that have taken place in some of the eastern neighbourhood
countries, and as a tool to push for further change.

Georgia, Moldova and post-Euromaidan Ukraine have taken this path.

>From this perspective the gap between the three countries that have
signed the AAs and the other three, which have opted for other
arrangements, might grow over time.

Iryna Solonenko is a DAAD/Open Society Foundations Scholar at the
European University Viadrina, Frankfurt/Oder. She is also part of the
Bertelsmann Stiftung EURO ™s Transformation Thinkers network.

Mathieu Madénian, the French Armenian columnist, who escaped the
Charlie Hebdo attack

20:39, 08 Jan 2015

French Armenian comedian and columnist Mathieu Madénian escaped the
Wednesday attack on the French Charlie Hebdo magazine.

Mathieu Madénian, comedian and columnist at Charlie Hebdo since
September, attended “The new edition of Canal +” Wednesday afternoon.
Very moved after the attack that hit the magazine that morning, he
shared his impressions, the Huffington Post reports.

“Every Wednesday, we met at 10 am for brainstorming, it’s a way to
drink. But this morning I sent a message to Charb (Charlie Hebdo
editor killed in the attack) at 9 am to tell him that I would not come
because I take kings’ cake next week, but do not worry, there is a
restaurant this weekend,” said Madénian, one who narrowly escaped the
attack.

Of Armenian descent, Madénian grew up in Saleilles, a town in the
suburbs ofPerpignan, southern France, where he earned his scientific
baccalaureate with honours, then a university degree in criminology,
then became a lawyer. When he was 25 he left the law profession to
follow a career in comedy.

He landed his first role in Un gars, une fille where he performed
variousvoiceovers alongside Jean Dujardin and his wife Alexandra Lamy.
He then wrote several one-man shows staged by Kader Aoun, many of
which were performed at the thétre du Point-Virgule.

>From September 2010 has been a part of the French television
showVivement dimanche prochain, presented by Michel Drucker. Since
September he has been doing a column at Charlie Hebdo every week.

Sergey Parajanov commemoration meeting in Tbilisi

16:39 * 08.01.15

The National Library of Georgia in Tbilisi will host a commemoration
meeting on the occasion of the 91st anniversary of film director and
artist Sergey Parajanov, newsgeorgia.ru reports.

The Union of Armenians of Georgia has organized the meeting.

“We have organized a meeting in cooperation with the Ministry of
Culture and Sergey Parajanov museum in Yerevan. An exhibition of
photos by Yuri Mechetov and paintings by Artem Alabunyants will
feature the opening of the meeting. Actors of the Armenian Drama in
Tbilisi will recite Sayat Nova,” says Mariam Arakelova, Chairperson of
the Union of Armenians of Georgia.

Gyumri Painter: “People don’t have money so they buy those Chinese imports”

Yeranuhi Soghoyan
13:48, January 8, 2015

Natural landscapes and Armenian churches dominate the oil paintings
hanging from the walls of the Gyumri living room of 82 year-old
Aleksandr (Shoura) Zhamakochyan.

The room reminds a visitor of a small art gallery.

Mr. Zhamakochyan confesses that like many others the 1988 Spitak
earthquake has divided his life into pre and post-earthquake concepts
and that the disaster has also influenced his artistic works.

The atheist communist saw the light and became a devout Christian
while cowering under the panels of a building that collapsed around
him. He was baptized at the age of 56 and made it his life’s mission
to eternalize all Armenian churches by painting them.

Even though Mr. Zhamakochyan gets around with the aid of a cane, one
glimpses a nimbleness of step in the artist. He sits in an armchair
and suggests that I take a seat on the couch. Tamara, his daughter,
rushes to the kitchen to make some coffee.

He speaks clearly and his memory remains unclouded by time.
Nevertheless, the artist senses my unease and responds with a laugh.
“On occasion my hearing fails me and my feet hurt. Other than that, I
have no deficiencies,” Mr. Zhamakochyan says, explaining that his
humor has been inherited.

Mr. Zhamakochyan’s grandfather was known in Gyumri circles by the
moniker “Tapak Seto” – a man who liked to joke and entertain friends
at a snack bar he ran near the Gyumri bus station. People visited not
just to eat but to hear Seto’s unique sense of dry wit.

Aleksandr says he inherited his humor and artistic tastes from his grandfather.

“I would have surely become an ambassador if allowed. But my father
was a man of position and he wanted me to become a doctor. Of course,
it wasn’t for me. My world was painting. My brother became the doctor.
I lasted two months at a medical school before leaving. I then
enrolled as a corresponding student at the Novosibirsk Kuybyshev
Engineering and Construction Institute. I figured it would be alright
to become a draftsman and that at least it was akin to painting,” the
artist tells me.

Mr. Zhamakochyan has inherited his talent for painting from his
mother, a member of the Narimanashvili family, who were famous artists
in Georgia.

“My mother was a Georgian who married my father when she was
seventeen. She could prepare delicious meals, both Armenian and
Georgian. My only child, Tamara, is a pianist. Her three kids are all
good painters but they pursued medicine and became dentists,” says Mr.
Zhamakochyan.

Shoura started painting as a young child and his talent was discovered
by a friend who was enrolled at Gyumri’s Merkurovi Art School. The
friend, upon seeing some of Shoura’s paintings, suggested that he
visit the school as well. The principal placed a piece of paper and a
pencil in the young boy’s hand and told him to sketch. He was admitted
to the school on the spot.

In 1963, while taking classes at the Novosibirsk institute, Mr.
Zhamakochyan also worked at the Leninakan (former name of Gyumri) “Hay
Reklam” advertising company as a drawer.

“My boss was Khachik Vardbaronyan. We worked together for thirty
years. And what years they were. I met some fabulous artists. We all
know that painters like to have a good time, so we’d get together
often. We’d frequently go to Moscow. Back then, you could buy a ticket
in the morning, fly out, and return that same night,” the painter says
with a grin, leaning his white-haired head to one side. “You don’t
believe me? It’s the truth. Travelling to Moscow was easy. Now it’s
expensive and time consuming.”

He recounts those parties where artists like Minas Avetisyan and Hakob
Hakobyan would show up. Mr. Zhamakochyan even had an opportunity to
work with John Papikyan, an artist awarded the title Meritorious
Painter of the USSR, who was teaching at Leningrad’s Ilya Repin
Academy of Arts at the time.

Mr. Zhamakochyan tells me life was good back in the day. He made
700-900 rubles a month at the advertising company and painted when he
had the time. The artist recounts that on the occasion of the 100th
anniversary of Lenin’s birth he won a 1,200 prize and spent it all on
a piano for his daughter.

Today, Mr. Zhamakochyan receives a 48,000 AMD (US$102) monthly
pension. He also sells some of his paintings for additional revenue.

“I have no paintings left for sale. Whatever is left can be used for
an exhibit. I sell copies of the original. I used to take them to a
salon on Rizhkov promenade in Gyumri. The life of a painter has
gotten much more difficult today. People now prefer to buy those
Chinese imports that are less expensive. I’m not saying that the
numbers who appreciate real art have decreased, it’s just that people
don’t have money. So they buy those Chinese imports and hang them on
their walls.”

Mr. Zhamakochyan hasn’t been able to stand before his easel for a few
months now. His legs hurt and his walks around his beloved town of
Gyumri have become rarer. Currently, he’s trying to finish older
sketches. He’s painted for his grandkids and now paints for his great
grandkids.

Tamara and her father Aleksandr Zhamakochyan

In his heyday, Mr. Zhamakochyan participated in numerous group
exhibitions. The artist laments that he hasn’t painted his beloved
Gyumri all that much.

“I’ve never had the desire to live anywhere else. I’ve only stayed in
Yerevan for a few hours at most. This town is in my being,” he
exclaims, complaining about a recent bout of memory loss. “It’s mostly
names that I can’t immediately recount. They come to me later.”

Tamara says that her father loves football and is a big Chelsea fan.
“When he forgets the Chelsea name, he immediately phones my husband.
‘Ashot, those gunsmiths are playing.'” Tamara says with a grin.

LIBAN
Les documents de la conférence sur > paraîtront dans un numéro spécial
Volume 14 de la Revue >

Le Bureau de Communication et d’information du Catholicosat de Cilicie
annonce que les communications présentées lors de la conférence
mémorable, tenue du 23 au 25 Février 2012 à Antélias, au Liban ont été
publiés dans un numéro spécial volume 14 de la Revue >.

La conférence, qui a été la première de son genre à être consacré à la
question des réparations, a été lancée par Sa Sainteté Aram I, assisté
par le Dr Nora Bayrakdarian. Sa Sainteté, qui a présidé la conférence,
a écrit la préface du volume.

Le volume est une collection des articles présentés lors de la
conférence par des experts de renommée internationale, avec Henry
Theriault en tant que rédacteur en chef invité.

Les articles suivants apparaissent sur la question :

“The Armenian Genocide : From Recognition to Reparations,” Aram I,

“Economic-Legal Perspectives on the Armenian Genocide,” Dean Susan A.
Karamanian,

“The Consequences of Turkey Being the ‘Continuing’ State of the
Ottoman Empire in Terms of International Responsibility for
Internationally Wrongful Acts,” Dr Patrick Dumberry,

“Jumping Hurdles Backwards : The Armenian Genocide and International
Criminal Court,” Dr Dov Jacobs,

“Establishing State Responsibility for Historical Injustices : The
Armenian Case,” Dr Marco Roscini,

“The Notion of ‘Continuous Violations,’ Expropriated Armenian
Properties, and the European Court of Human Rights,” Dr Frédéric
Mégret,

“Restoration of Historical Memory and Dignity for Victims of the
Armenian Genocide : A Human Rights Law Approach to Effective
Reparations,” Dr Richard J. Wilson,

“An Attempt to Recover Armenian Properties in Turkey through the
French Authorities in Syria and Lebanon in the 1920s,” Dr Vahé
Tachjian,

“Ius Humanitatis and the Right to Reparation for International Crimes
in Foreign Domestic Courts,” Dr Marcel Brus,

“The Spirit of the Law : Following the Traces of Genocide in the Law
of Abandoned Property,” Dr Taner Akçam,

“Foundations of Non-Muslim Communities : The Last Object of
Confiscation,” Dr Sait Çentinoglu,

“Compensation and Damages in International Law and Their Relevance for
the Valuation of Expropriated Armenian Property,” Dr Irmgard Marboe,

“International Law between the Duty of Memory and the Right to
Oblivion,” Dr Gabriele Della Morte,

“Reparations for Genocide : Group Harm and the Limits of Liberal
Individualism,” Dr Henry C. Theriault.

jeudi 8 janvier 2015,
Stéphane (c)armenews.com

MARSEILLE
Le CCAF РSud pr̩sente ses voeux devant un parterre de 300 convives

Le Cercle Militaire du Fort Ganteaume, au-dessus du Vieux Port, était
mardi soir le cadre de cette cérémonie en présence de nombreuses
personnalités. Une cérémonie sous le signe de l’union sacrée et du
rassemblement de toutes les forces de la communauté arménienne de la
région autour du CCAF SUD, en cette année symbolique du centenaire.
“Que l’année 2015 soit celle d’une prise de conscience nationale et
internationale sur la responsabilité de la Turquie dans le Génocide
des Arméniens en 1915” C’est en ces termes que Jacques Donabedian, un
des trois co-pr̩sidents du CCAF РSud a donn̩ le ton de la soir̩e de
présentation des voeux à Marseille. “2015 doit être aussi une année
exceptionnelle d’hommage à nos martyrs avec l’adoption par la France
d’une loi contre le négationnisme. Nous demandons l’arrêt des
publicités honteuses comme celle de la Turkish Airlines sur le maillot
des joueurs de l’Olympique de Marseille.”

Co-pr̩sidente du CCAF РSud, Eliane Kazandjian qualifiait le G̩nocide
de 1915 de “crime contre l’Humanité. La Turquie a entrepris des
manoeuvres frauduleuses afin de présenter des fausses excuses aux
Arméniens. Nous demandons des réparations morales, financières et
territoriales.” Troisième co-président du CCAF – Sud, Simon Azilazian
a dénoncé “la ligne politique négationniste de la Turquie qui fait du
lobbying en France et dans le monde. L’objectif final du CCAF est la
reconnaissance du Génocide par la Turquie.” Responsable de Mission
2015, Annie Stepanow a présenté quelques manifestations prévues au
cours du premier trimestre, comme la présentation de l’avant-première
du film “The Cut”, ce soir à Marseille. Une semaine de prières à
partir du 18 janvier à la Cathédrale Arménienne du Prado, Amnésie
Internationale les 23 et 24 janvier à Marseille et à Aix en
Provence…

A noter parmi les personnalités présentes autour des 3 co-présidents
du CCAF SUD et de son porte-parole Julien Harounyan, le secrétaire
national du CCAF Pascal Chamassian, , Samuel Lalayan, Vice Consul
d’Arménie à Marseille, Jean-Noël Guérini, Sénateur et Président du
Conseil Général des Bouches du Rhône, Guy Tessier, député des Bouches
du Rhône et Président de Marseille Provence Métropole, Valérie Boyer,
Député des Bouches du Rhône, Henri Jibrayel, Député des Bouches du
Rhône, , le Révérend Père Ghazarian et le Pasteur Gilbert Léonian,
Yves Moraine et Lionel Royer-Perrault maires de secteur, de nombreux
adjoints à la Ville de Marseille (Rolland Blum, Maurice Di Nocéra,
Didier Parakian, Nora Préciozi), une délégation du CRIF
Marseille-Provence, de nombreux présidents et responsables associatifs

Gilbert DULAC

jeudi 8 janvier 2015,
Ara (c)armenews.com

FOREIGN MINISTER JULIE BISHOP CONFIRMS TURKEY’S GAG RULE ON AUSTRALIA

Thursday, 08 January 2015
Image is missing

CANBERRA: Documents obtained under a Freedom of Information request by
the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC Australia) confirm
that the Australian government continues to be gagged by Turkey on the
issue of the Armenian Genocide.

In a letter addressed to then-Foreign Minister of Turkey, Ahmet
Davutoglu, Julie Bishop writes: “Recognising the important interests
at stake for both countries, I assure you that there has been no
decision to change the long-standing position of successive Australian
Governments on this issue.”

The letter from the Australian Foreign Minister further emphasises
Turkey’s “gag rule” by qualifying Australia’s position on the Armenian
Genocide with the words: “recognising the important interests at stake
for both countries”. It has already been revealed that Turkey is
currently on an international campaign to gag leading nations from
speaking truthfully and honestly on the Armenian Genocide.

A large part of the documents released by the Department of Foreign
Affairs were redacted in full, citing disclosure of documents would
cause damage to “the international relations of the Commonwealth.”

ANC Australia Executive Director, Vache Kahramanian, commented: “It is
obvious that Australia has succumbed to Turkey’s ongoing threats to
ban Members of Parliament from attending the Centenary commemorations
at ANZAC Cove, and even close ANZAC Cove in its entirety in the lead
up to the Centenary, should Australia recognise the events of 1915 as
genocide.”

“It is bewildering that the Australian government needs to redact a
large number of documents held by the Department of Foreign Affairs
and Trade on the Armenian Genocide.”

Kahramanian added: “It is clear that Australian government officials
continue to succumb to ongoing threats by Turkey and as a result allow
a foreign government to dictate Australia’s position on this issue.”

“In this Centenary year, where Australia will commemorate the horrors
of World War I, it should also have the moral courage to unequivocally
recognise and condemn the Armenian Genocide and pay homage to the
thousands of Australia who were at the forefront of providing
international aid during and after the Armenian genocide of
1915-1923.”

The release from DFAT can be accessed at
.

Glendale News Press, CA
Jan 7 2015

Intersections: Float celebrated the diverse Armenian story

Armenian Americans shared their heritage at the Rose Parade

By Liana Aghajanian

January 7, 2015 | 1:45 p.m.

In 1915, a man named Moses (M.S.) Pashgian became the grand marshal of
the Pasadena Rose Parade.

Moses and his brother, John, were the first Armenian immigrants to
settle in the Pasadena area at the turn of the 20th century, and the
rug business they established is still going strong today.

In a now 100-year-old photo from the Rose Parade, Moses Pashgian can
be seen sitting on a regal horse, with a top hat, bow tie and black
gloves, as the crowd watches from behind.

This year, a century after Moses Pashgian’s involvement in the Rose
Parade, a float celebrating Armenian heritage was unveiled at the 2015
Pasadena Tournament of Roses.

Decorated with a stunning pomegranate tree inspired by the
breathtaking art work of local Glendale artist Seeroon Yeretzian, an
Armenian woman in traditional folk wear, peacocks, an intricate rug,
the Armenian alphabet and more, the “Cradle of Civilization” float
ended up winning the President’s Trophy for “effective floral use and
presentation,” a major testament to the work everyone involved with
the American Armenian Rose Float Assn. put into making a
once-inconceivable dream into a reality.

On Jan. 1, Armenian Americans of all backgrounds watched along with
everyone else as the float came down Colorado Boulevard.

The folk music blared, the crowd cheered and the float moved along
flanked by dancers in beautifully designed costumes. It was a proud,
goose-bump-inducing moment, one that became a symbol not just for our
presence in this country, but our history in it, too, which runs back
400 years, not just 40.

It was a chance to be in the spotlight for all the right reasons, not
just the ones which contribute to the warped and unbalanced opinions
of some, and lead to a sense of dread and embarrassment for others.

With thousands of roses, it told the story of an over 3,000-year-old
history, encompassing more than our rather brief stint in Glendale and
the tragic events of 100 years ago that often gets the most attention
and press time.

It said we are more than just whatever corner we’ve been pinned in
from both the inside and outside. We are diverse, with layered,
far-reaching and mixed identities and our contributions can be and are
meaningful. It’s a testament to collective resilience and survival
despite pretty depressing odds.

This is an important year for the international Armenian community, as
2015 marks the centennial of the Armenian Genocide.

This float appropriately ushered in the year and perhaps created an
important turning point, one in which we can finally feel like we’ve
found a permanent home after centuries and decades of constantly being
on the move.

After so long, it’s an appropriate year and way to finally feel like
we are part of this diverse landscape, too.

—

LIANA AGHAJANIAN is a Los Angeles-based journalist whose work has
appeared in L.A. Weekly, Paste magazine, New America Media, Eurasianet
and The Atlantic. She may be reached at [email protected].

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