Author: Kalantarian Kevo

RULING PARTY REPRESENTATIVE SPURNS TER-PETROSYAN STATEMENT

POLITICS | 31.10.13 | 12:10

Photolure

A spokesman for the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) has
laughed off the call by opposition leader Ter-Petrosyan for President
Serzh Sargsyan’s resignation that he made in an article published
through one of the local websites on Wednesday.

In his piece Ter-Petrosyan, in particular, slammed Sargsyan for his
“adventurist” foreign policy due to which, he contended, Armenia is now
viewed as an unreliable partner both in the West and in Russia. He also
voiced concerns about the future of Karabakh because of these policies.

“Speaking in chess terminology, Sargsyan has appeared in a zugzwang
situation in which any move he makes will lead to a defeat. Each
day of his rule is a loss for Armenia and Artsakh (Karabakh),”
wrote Ter-Petrosyan.

In his comments to several media RPA spokesman and Deputy Speaker of
Parliament Edward Sharmazanov described Ter-Petrosyan as a “political
pensioner” and “failed politician” and advised that he should keep
his own counsel.

“Sometimes it’s better to remain silent than to speak,” commented
Sharmazanov.

The RPA representative also described Ter-Petrosyan’s concerns over
Karabakh ridiculous, reminding that still in 1992 in an interview to
a Russian newspaper the ex-president stated that Karabakh should be
incorporated into Azerbaijan as an autonomous republic.

“Let alone the fact that the core of his foreign-policy program
during the 2008 presidential race was becoming friends with Azeris,”
said Sharmazanov.

ARMENIAN FAMILY PHOTO ARCHIVE EXHIBITED IN TURKISH TOWN

October 31, 2013 – 18:40 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – An exhibition of photographs from the family
archive of Dildilian brothers opened in the Turkish town of Merzifon
in Amasya province.

The photographs taken in 1872-1923 were collected by a representative
of the third generation of the family, Armen Tsolak Marsubian.

The exhibit, attended by Merzifon mayor, member of the ruling Justice
and Development Party (AKP) Iskender Dogru, features 600 photos.

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MUSEUM INSTITUTE AND CANADIAN MUSEUM OF HUMAN RIGHTS TO SIGN MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING

11:09 31.10.2013

On November 7, Dr. Hayk Demoyan, Director of the Armenian Genocide
Museum Institute (AGMI) in Yerevan, will meet Mr. Stuart Murray,
President and CEO of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR)
in Winnipeg, to sign a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

The objective of the MOU is to exchange knowledge and expertise,
educational materials, and exhibitions with respect to human rights,
share research and advice, cooperate to advance the academic study of
human rights and reconciliation, the Armenian Genocide and its effects,
and processes seeking justice and reconciliation, and work together
to educate people on issues of human rights, in both national and
global contexts.

The MOU will be signed in the presence of His Excellency, Mr. Armen
Yeganian, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic
of Armenia, officials of the Zoryan Institute, and representatives
of the Armenian community.

In March of this year, Zoryan officials accompanied Dr. Clint Curle,
the CMHR’s Head of Stakeholder Relations, to Yerevan, to meet with
the Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum Institute, the Republic
of Armenia’s Minister of Diaspora and other officials, to discuss
the significance of the new museum being developed in Winnipeg in
relation to the Armenian Genocide. At that time, discussions for
formal cooperation between the two museums were held and plans for
the formal signing ceremony later in the year made. The International
Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies (A Division of the
Zoryan Institute) (IIGHRS) has been instrumental in bringing the
CMHR and AGMI together to the mutual benefit of both organizations
and the Armenian and Canadian people.

While in Canada, Dr. Hayk Demoyan will also be making two public
appearances at events hosted by The Zoryan Institute in Montreal
and Toronto. Dr. Demoyan will speak about recent research on Aurora
Mardiganian, and he will also update the public on the official plans
for the commemoration of the centennial of the Armenian Genocide.

The official signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the
CMHR and AGMI is the culmination of the Zoryan Institute’s efforts
to bring the two institutions together. This agreement will help
both institutions in their efforts to use awareness and dialogue as
a way to promote enhanced human rights for the Armenian community,
for Canadians, and for all visitors to the two museums.

PETITION TO OBAMA TO FREE ARMENIAN “ORPHAN RUG”

12:08 31.10.2013

Petition posted on the White House website calls on the Obama
Administration to share the Armenian Orphan Rug with the American
people. The petition reads:

“The White House should make available for public display to the
Smithsonian Institution the rug woven by Armenian refugee orphans in
1925 and given as a gift to President Calvin Coolidge to thank the
American people for the generous humanitarian support they gave the
Armenians after World War One.”

The Washington Post’s shocking revelation that the White House has
blocked a planned Smithsonian exhibit of an Armenian Genocide-era
work of art has sparked thousands of calls and emails to Congress
urging the public display of the historic “Armenian Orphan Rug”
woven by child survivors of the Genocide.

A bipartisan effort in Congress, spearheaded by Representatives David
Valadao (R-CA) and Adam Schiff (D-CA), is collecting signatures on
a letter calling on the White House to permanently and prominently
display the rug.

TURKEY’S ACCESSION TO CUSTOMS UNION UNREALISTIC – EXPERT

15:53 31/10/2013 ” POLITICS

Turkey’s accession to the Customs Union is unrealistic and there
are no preconditions for that, Turkish studies expert, Director
of the Oriental Studies Institute of the Armenian National Academy
of Sciences Ruben Safrastyan told a press conference today, while
commenting on Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s statement on
Turkey’s intention to join the Customs Union.

“It is part of Turkey’s game, which is due to its disagreements with
the U.S. and the EU,” the expert said.

Turkey is a member of NATO and the EU Customs Union and there has
been no official statement from Turkey on its intention to join the
Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, Safrastyan said.

Source: Panorama.am

ARMENIAN PHOTOGRAPHER THAT CAPTURED FAMOUS FACES OF THE 20TH CENTURY FROM ELIZABETH TAYLOR TO JOHN KENNEDY

11:56 31.10.2013

Yousuf Karsh has snapped portraits of some of the most iconic figures
of the last century. His wide-ranging pool of subjects includes John
F. Kennedy, Joan Crawford, and Walt Disney. And yet, behind that lens,
Yousuf Karsh remains a rather unknown name, Sarah Moroz writes in an
article published by the Slate Magazine.

Though his photographs captured world-famous celebrities and
intellectuals, Karsh himself grew up with difficult circumstances.

Born in Turkish Armenia in 1908 during the Armenian genocide, he and
his family were forced to flee their homeland when he was young. By
way of Syria, Karsh eventually settled in Canada. He lived with his
Quebec-based uncle, a professional photographer who mentored him in
the craft.

Karsh’s career took off independently in the 1930s, boosted by the
artsy network of his first wife, French-born Solange Gauthier. He
also developed a repertoire photographing political events through
his friendship with Canada’s then-Prime Minister Mackenzie King. His
career was launched into an international realm when, in December
1941, Karsh was asked to take a portrait of Winston Churchill during
his state visit to Ottawa, Canada. That success helped his portfolio
expand to include celebrities and dignitaries from the vast worlds
of politics, art, literature, architecture, and the humanities.

Andy Warhol, 1979

Copyright Estate of Yousuf Karsh/Collection of the Museum of Fine
Arts, Boston

Princess Grace de Monaco, 1956

Copyright Estate of Yousuf Karsh/Collection of the Museum of Fine
Arts, Boston

John F. Kennedy

Copyright Estate of Yousuf Karsh/Collection of the Museum of Fine
Arts, Boston

Karsh produced more than 150,000 negatives using a large-format 8-by-10
camera throughout his career. Each sitting he would take about 15 to
20 photographs over a two-hour period. He used Tungsten studio lights
or natural light rather than flash so he could follow the organic
progression of his conversation with his subject and photograph him
or her without interruption.

Jerry Fielder worked with Karsh for 13 years and assisted the
photographer on hundreds of sessions. “He would learn as much as he
could about each person he photographed in advance of their meeting,”
Fielder said. “He always required time with his subjects beforehand,
either dinner the night before or a couple of hours the morning of
the session.” Fielder called Karsh “a raconteur,” noting that he was
“very charming and people enjoyed talking to him.” But, Fielder said,
as Karsh’s subjects were enjoying his company, Karsh was watching them.

“He would ask them about their children or about their work, and he
would see the expressions on their face. So when they got in front
of the camera later, when he saw a moment they were being themselves,
he knew what to do.”

Charles-Edouard Jeanneret (Le Corbusier), 1954

Copyright Estate of Yousuf Karsh/Collection of the Museum of Fine
Arts, Boston

Alfred Hitchcock, 1960

Copyright Estate of Yousuf Karsh/Collection of the Museum of Fine
Arts, Boston

Karsh’s images have an elegant plainspokenness to them: direct, often
closely framed. Many portraits highlight the attributes you’d expect
of these famous personalities, though with some of the artists and
architects (Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier, I.M. Pei), Karsh widens
the framing to include them in their studio settings, revealing their
personalities by their facial expressions and postures and by what
their surrounding environments say about them.

Karsh worked for more than half a century before he closed his studio
in 1992. Since Karsh’s death in 2002, Fielder has been the director
of the Karsh estate. He curated a show of Karsh’s work at the Mona
Bismarck Foundation in Paris, currently on view through January.

“Because of the background he came from-which was so awful-I think
you can emerge bitter and resentful,” Fielder said of Karsh. “But his
approach was that he saw the worst of life, so he wanted to celebrate
the best of life-he wanted to celebrate people of accomplishment.”

Jacques Henri Lartigue, 1981

Copyright Estate of Yousuf Karsh/Collection of the Museum of Fine
Arts, Boston

ARMENIA’S COGNAC PRODUCTION ROSE 7.4% TO 13.14 MLN LITERS IN NINE MONTHS

YEREVAN, October 31. /ARKA/. Armenia’s cognac production rose by
7.4% to a total of 13.14 million liters in January-September 2013,
compared to the same period the year before, ArmStat reported.

Wine production rose by 35.3% to 4 million liters in the reporting
period.

Vodka production slid by 6.4% to 6.5 million liters in
January-September.

A total of 195,700 litres of champagne was produced in the period,
a 55.6% increase against January-September 2012.

Beer production totaled 15.18 million litres, which is a 38.4%
increase.

A total of 41.6 million litres of non-alcoholic beverages was
manufactured in the period, an increase of 40% compared to
January-September the year before.-0–

– See more at:

ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA
PRESS RELEASE
Date: October 30, 2013

Contact: Taniel Koushakjian
Telephone: (202) 393-3434
Email: [email protected]
Web:

ARMENIAN CAUCUS CO-CHAIR FRANK PALLONE URGES PRESIDENT OBAMA TO DISPLAY
ARMENIAN ORPHAN RUG

Washington, D.C. – Today, Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Representative Frank
Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) sent a letter to President Obama calling upon the White
House `to honor Armenian heritage and allow display of [a] culturally
significant Armenian rug,’ reported the Armenian Assembly of America
(Assembly).

Congressman Pallone has also joined with his colleagues in signing the
bipartisan letter currently being circulated by Armenian Genocide
resolution sponsors Representatives David Valadao (R-CA) and Adam Schiff
(D-CA) to President Obama calling for the `Armenian Orphan Rug’ to be
exhibited at the Smithsonian Institution as it was originally scheduled for
display in December 2013. Pallone’s letter follows Congressman Brad
Sherman (D-CA), who sent a similar missive to President Obama last week.

The Valadao-Schiff initiative, strongly backed by the Assembly, continues
to garner support. Meanwhile, the Assembly is in close contact with key
Administration officials urging that the rug be prominently displayed, not
only at the Smithsonian, but also at the White House and made available for
display in the U.S. Capitol.

In 1925, Dr. John H. Finley, editor-in-chief of the New York Times and
vice-chairman of the congressionally chartered Near East Relief
organization presented a rug made by orphans of the Armenian Genocide to
then President Calvin Coolidge. The rug was made in appreciation of
America’s generosity in aiding the survivors of the first genocide of the 20
th Century. It was previously displayed at the White House in 1984 and
1995, but not since, an issue which the Assembly has raised with successive
Administrations.

`The Assembly appreciates the efforts of the Armenian Caucus, and will
continue to press the case to ensure that this historical treasure is
appropriately and permanently displayed for all Americans to enjoy,’ stated
Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny. `The Assembly also applauds the
timely work of Martin Deranian and his new book documenting the history of
this culturally significant rug and the support of the Armenian Cultural
Foundation for ensuring its publication,’ Ardouny added.

Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest
Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding and
awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3)
tax-exempt membership organization.

###

NR# 2013-022

Below is the text of Congressman Pallone’s Letter to President Obama:

October 30, 2013

President Barack Obama

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW

Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear President Obama:

I am writing to express deep concern over recent news that the White House
has refused to loan a rug woven by orphans and presented to President
Calvin Coolidge in 1925 to be displayed at an event associated with the
Smithsonian. I understand that Paul Michael Taylor, director of the
Smithsonian’s Asian cultural history program has informed Armenian American
organizations that the White House has refused to lend the rug with no
explanation as to the reason.

Rather than hiding this rug, we should be celebrating its origins and how
it came to be presented to President Coolidge. The rug, known as the
Ghazir rug, was woven by children at the Near East Relief orphanage in
Ghazir, Syria, present day Lebanon. The Near East Relief was established
in 1915 in response to calls from the U.S. Ambassador, Henry Morgenthau and
others to assist in saving refugees from the attempted extermination of the
Armenian people by the Ottoman Empire. The Ghazir rug was presented to the
White House as an expression of gratitude for U.S. assistance during the
mass murder of 1.5 million Armenians resulting in the first genocide of the
20th century.

Considering the White House has refused to give a reasonable explanation
for withholding this unique gift to the American people, the suspicion
exists that the White House is once again capitulating to pressure from the
Turkish government to prevent any discussion of the period in which the
Armenian Genocide occurred. It is difficult to express in words how deeply
troubling it is that a historical and cultural treasure accepted by
President Coolidge on behalf of the people of the United States may be
being kept behind closed doors because of Turkish desire to keep discussion
of certain historical facts out of the public discussion.

The Ghazir rug would be displayed along with a new book entitled,
`President Calvin Coolidge and the Armenian Orphan Rug.’ This would be an
entirely appropriate and meaningful display of the rug. Yet, the refusal
of the White House’s to allow display of the rug without explanation denies
the American people access to a national treasure and suggests that
discussion of the events surrounding the Armenian Genocide is unwelcome.
The Armenian American community continues to make valuable contributions to
the United States and our government should be committed to helping the
community explore their history, including the Armenian Genocide.

Each year on Capitol Hill we observe the anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide and reflect on the need to prevent such atrocities in the future.
While I remain disappointed that, as President, you have refused to refer
to murder of 1.5 million Armenians as genocide, allowing the Ghazir rug to
be displayed serves to facilitate academic discourse and commemoration of
America’s strong role in saving lives during a dark period of history. We
cannot allow the government of Turkey to dictate whether this occurs.

I urge you to allow the Ghazir rug to be loaned out for display. In the
event that there are practical challenges that would endanger preservation
of the rug, I ask that you explain these obstacles to allowing its
display. In the event that failure to loan the rug for display is based on
concerns from the government of Turkey, I strongly urge you to side with
historical honesty and integrity and reverse course so that the rug may be
part of an open and educational dialogue.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

FRANK PALLONE, JR

Member of Congress

VOYAGE MUSICAL AVEC ARAM SEDEFIAN

La Montagne, France
Mercredi 23 Octobre 2013
Montlucon Edition

MONTLUCON; CERILLY – Ainay-le-Château

ENCART: – cr – chanson. Les spectateurs qui avaient rempli la Maison
des chaumes pour ecouter et applaudir Aram Sedefian, l’invite de
l’association fetes et loisirs, auraient sans doute voulu que ce
moment magique dure plus longtemps.

Pendant un peu plus d’une heure, la voix calme et chaude d’Aram les
a fait voyager dans sa vie, dans ses origines armeniennes et dans le
fond de son coeur.

Contrairement aux apparences, il n’etait pas seul sur scène, il y
avait aussi sa guitare. Cette partenaire, dont il use avec dexterite,
prolongeait les textes avec des rythmes bresiliens, orientaux, ou
simplement des valses lentes.

Elle etait indispensable pour completer les histoires parfois
nostalgiques de ” Sheherazade de banlieue ” ou de ” Rue des Glycines
“, parfois très fortes de ” Blessures de guerre ” ou ” Du côte d’Ezrom
“, ou amusantes avec ” Babiboboubebe “.

Les spectateurs ont entendu au fil des chansons une veritable histoire
de vie, avec des mots simples mais vrais, et ont ete saisis par
l’emotion qui se degageait de ce poète chanteur qu’est Aram Sedefian.

– cr – chanson.

AIR ARMENIA LAUNCHES OPERATIONS AS YEREVAN MOVES TO DEREGULATE

ch-aviation.ch, Switzerland
Oct 30 2013

30OCT2013

Air Armenia (QN, Yerevan) launched scheduled passenger services on
Sunday, October 27 to Moscow Vnukovo using a B737-500, EK-73797 (msn
26297). Additional services to six other Russian destinations are
expected to come online next month using a leased A320-200 as well
that will shortly be added on lease from AerCap. Meanwhile, Yerevan
has announced it will proceed with the deregulation of the local air
transport industry. According to Radio Armenia, Prime Minister Tigran
Sargsyan said that the country’s National Competitiveness Council
had signed a contract with global consultancy, McKinsey & Company,
to devise the best strategy ideal for the country: “The strategy has
been discussed with the President of the Republic twice, experts of the
McKinsey & Company have visited Armenia for several times. According
to the best specialists of the sphere, Armenia should take the path of
liberalization, which will promote the rise of the GDP, create jobs,
make the services more convenient and cheaper. There are the main
provisions reflected in the strategy,” the Prime Minister said.