Author: Kalantarian Kevo

EUROPEAN HERITAGE DAYS: 50 COUNTRIES OFFER FREE ACCESS TO HISTORIC SITES

European Commission
August 29, 2013 Thursday 12:36 AM EST

BRUSSELS

The European Commission issued the following news release:

Millions of people will enjoy free access to thousands of rarely opened
historic and cultural sites in 50 countries throughout September
as part of the annual European Heritage Days, a joint initiative
of the European Commission and Council of Europe. The 2013 European
Heritage Days are officially launched tomorrow (30 August) in Yerevan,
Armenia, which currently holds the Chairmanship of the Council of
Europe’s Committee of Ministers. A new interactive website will also
be launched on the same day: it will provide details of the sites
which are open to the public, as well as information about special
events taking place in each country to tie in with the Heritage Days.

As usual, this year’s European Heritage Days is brimming with a rich
and varied range of fascinating sites and events which bring history
alive. In Northern Ireland, for instance, visitors will be invited
to imagine going into battle during the Middle Ages as they “feel
the heft of a sword and the weight of chain mail and the clang of a
helmet visor”. ‘Power and Glory’ is the theme in the Netherlands, where
visitors will be able to experience 400 years of history. Sweden’s
‘Meeting Places’ will offer an emotional journey to places of encounter
and departure over the centuries, while Switzerland will light up
the heritage landscape through the theme of fire, light and energy.

Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture,
Multilingualism and Youth, said: “The European Heritage Days is a
fantastic initiative, which can be enjoyed by people of all ages
and backgrounds. This year we expect more than 20 million adults
and children to take advantage of this special opportunity to visit
sites which are normally closed to the public. This is a great way to
ensure that our shared European heritage is treasured and protected
for future generations, while also benefitting local communities
through increased tourism.”

Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni, Deputy Secretary General of the Council
of Europe, added: “The success of the European Heritage Days comes
from being driven at local level by municipal and regional communities.

Every year, communities across Europe become part of a ‘cultural
family’ celebrating our immensely rich cultural heritage.”

Background on the European Heritage Days

Launched in 1985, the European Heritage Days have been organised
since 1999 as a joint initiative of the European Commission and
the Council of Europe. The 50 signatory countries to the European
Cultural Convention take part in the European Heritage Days. The
cultural events organised during the month-long celebration showcase
local skills and traditions, architecture and art, as well as seeking
to promote mutual understanding among European citizens.

OPINION: LONG EARS AND LITHUANIAN DIPLOMATS

LithuaniaTribune
Aug 30 2013

The Lithuania Tribune presents an opinion article by RamŔnas Bogdanas,
as published on , in which he meticulously analyses the
details of the leaked conversations of Lithuanian diplomats in an
attempt to discover who was interested in publishing this information.

There is one main question regarding the disclosed phone conversations
of two Lithuanian ambassadors: who recorded them and leaked on youtube?

Focusing on the content of the conversations would mean swallowing
the bait. And maybe we have two questions: one person recorded,
another leaked? Responsible officers who have the means to find the
answers are looking for them and we can only assume.

Let’s begin with the location of the ‘long ears’ – leaker(s). There
are two possibilities: on the inside or on the outside. Who on the
inside would be interested enough? First of all, in Lithuania there
are institutions monitoring the flow of confidential information.

Secondly, the people responsible may be professionals or daring
amateurs. What is more, these are people with access to recordings
of diplomat conversations. The leaker must have been an interested
person or institution. Lithuanian institutions are capable of finding
less painful ways to replace an unsuitable employee.

Things are slightly different with persons. Nowadays, we are bombarded
via all possible channels that global competition is a good thing. It
also exists in the civil service where the number of important posts
is smaller than the number of people who want them. It is fact that
Lithuania has (and must have) ambassadors in reserve. Some of them
are working really hard, some – idling through the corridors of the
Ministry, gathering information about the countries that will have
an ambassador rotation and plotting to take the free seat. One can
come up with a plethora of ideas to secure a better future.

But this version, though still plausible, is less possible than the
assumption that the leaker(s) is on the outside. First of all, the
disclosed conversations of the ambassadors to Azerbaijan and Hungary
have one thing in common – both are related to Azerbaijan. Even though
supposedly two different persons uploaded the videos on youtube –
a Lithuanian and a Turkmen – both titles and visual styling are the
same. From a philological point of view it would seem that the same
person made the English subtitles. The conversations were uploaded
on 8 July. They become publicly known at the end of July.

Russia’s schemes in Baku

On 4 July, an important Russian representative, ‘silovik’ Igor Sechin,
who currently runs the state oil company ‘Rosneft’, went to Baku. The
result of his visit was optimistic: Rosneft was presented with a
possibility to receive 20 per cent of the new gas deposit in the
Caspian Sea, Absheron. Despite the fact that the head of Lukoil is
Azerian in origin, in Azerbaijan BritishPetroleum, Statoil, Exxon
Mobil, and Total, not Gazprom and Lukoil, are dominating. Recently,
Azerbaijan has committed to begin supplying half of its gas to Europe
using a new pipeline starting in 2019.

In the Southern Caucasus Russia lost Georgia, has Armenia under
its influence, but the strongest country is Azerbaijan, which the
West are using as a support point not only in the region, but also
in the Middle Asia. Russia is not interested at all in dealing with
the Mountain Karabah (Arcach) issue for it can be used to retain the
Armenians and lure Azerians.

At the end of 2010, the 10-year contract between Russia and Azerbaijan
regarding the rental of the Gabala Radar Station to the Russian armed
forces expired. The Azerians increased the yearly rent from $15 million
to $300 million, and the Russians left. Even though Russia strengthened
its military base in Gyumri, Armenia, after Sechin’s visit there have
been talks about Azerbaijan planning to buy weapons from Russia for
$1.6 billion. Yerevan’s press was uneasy about the deal, especially
regarding the offensive armaments.

According to the Iranian press, it was the overly optimistic Sechin
who organized Vladimir Putin’s visit to Baku on 13 August. That was
Putin’s third visit to Azerbaijan. Sechin and Minister of Defence
Sergey Shoygu accompanied him. But neither the weaponry purchase
contract nor the agreement regarding the Absheron deposit were signed.

The visit was crowned sadly by a two-year humanitarian cooperation
programme.

Some think that Putin left empty-handed because he pushed President
Ilham Aliyev to sign the Customs Union and participate in the
Eurasian Union too hard. Baku has an alternative of sorts that can
be implemented this autumn in Vilnius – an association agreement with
the EuropeanUnion. Russia is doing all it can to subdue Azerbaijan.

Recently, it has destroyed Baku’s plans to lay a pipeline on the bottom
of the Caspian Sea: purportedly, the sea’s status isn’t defined and
every coast country has to give its permission.

It seems that our ambassadors were on ‘silovik’ Sechin’s to-do list to
create a favourable atmosphere for Putin’s visit. Aliyev is being set
against Lithuania, the future Eastern Partnership’s summit host. At
the same time, a shadow is cast on the EU’s diplomacy. Azerbaijan’s
ambassador to Lithuania Hasan Mammadzada accurately called this an
information provocation.

Putin’s hopes in Baku fell flat, but the scandal in Vilnius was
a success. When Wikileaks leaked official dispatches of the US
diplomats from Moscow in which Putin was described as an alpha male
(the dominant male in a band of animals), Washington did not announce
any public resentment regarding the unprofessional behaviour of its
diplomats. If things were done, they were done silently.

Would it not be better to take example from the court practices –
illegally obtained evidence is simply rejected. Baku resisted the
main goal of the disclosure; i.e. to irritate Aliyev, and the calmer
northerners, Lithuanians, will implement the secondary goal and sack
a few diplomats?

Poor disguise of the subtitles’ author

I listened to both recordings thoroughly. And I didn’t find anything
tragic in them. The culprits could not find anything more serious
even though I’m pretty sure they had more material to choose from.

Slightly smug – that is a typical characteristic of the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs employees, but using Russian jargon, considering
themselves knights on an invisible front, but forgetting that they
are talking on an insecure line. I heard there were recordings much
more scandalous than these. But that is just the way our diplomatic
corps is. We have what we have. Once, I was introduced to a guy with
a shaven head and almost a finger-thick golden chainlet in Vilnius.

Before I was told that the person was a Lithuanian ambassador on
vocation I thought I was dealing with a criminal.

The comparison of the conversations and the translations reveals
certain facts about the translator. He/she does not know Renatas
JuÅ¡ka’s jargon ‘gruzilina’ (‘to load’, ‘to burden’) and translates
it as ‘Georgia’ (‘Gruzija’ in Lithuanian). But when Edma is mentioned,
he is identified in the translation as ‘Edminas Bagdonus’.

Since Edminas’s and my surnames are similar, I know very well that
this is how English-speaking diplomats sometimes write Lithuanian
surnames – writing ‘us’ to pronounce ‘as’ (in order to avoid the ‘æz’
ending). A very primitive way to disguise as a translator from the
West. What is more, the text contains some English sentences that no
person who knows the language fairly well would ever come up with.

And if he/she can identify the diplomat currently working actively
in the Eastern partnership programme just by his shortened name,
for some reason he/she does not translate when Juška speaks about
‘papa’. The translator does not know that it is VytautasLandsbergis’s,
who has been working at the European Parliament in these latter
years, unofficial nickname, used in absentia. The nickname is known
in Lithuania by pretty much everyone who has been in the Government
and maybe it is even more widespread. But a foreigner, with little
experience in such translations, won’t know this.

In ambassador to Azerbaijan ArtÅ”ras Žurauskas’s (the spelling is
‘Jurauskas’, should be ‘Zhurauskas’) conversation the name ‘KÄ~Ystutis’
is butchered into ‘Kyastitus’ for disguise purposes, and the second
participant of the conversation, an employee of the Ministry, is
identified incorrectly.

When Žurauskas says a few Russian sentences about Turkmenistan,
they are demonstratively left untranslated, as if to show that the
translator does not know the language. In order to play off the
President of Turkmenistan against the others it is the best text
to do so, but in this case the target is Lithuanian ambassador to
Azerbaijan. So when the ambassador calls sluggish Turkmen bureaucrats
‘Ä~Miudikai absoliutÅ”s’ (in Lithuanian: ‘total weirdoes’),
the translator makes the expression stronger for future readers:
‘total morons’.

Week defences of the ambassadors

Žurauskas, too, surprises greatly, finishing the conversation with
information about the work and family. “That’s great, KÄ~Ystas”
(12:43).

Everything would be great, except the other person he is talking to
is Gediminas. It seems the ambassador, too, has reasons to hide the
identity of his companion. Maybe he suspects his conversations may
be bugged?

And perhaps he is acting this way because his companion, Gediminas
Å iaudvytis, used to be Head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Consular Department, but had to leave the post when Lithuania’s
State Security Department revealed the taking of bribes for visas
in the consulate in Saint Petersburg. Currently, Å iaudvytis works
at ‘Avia Solutions Group’, which spawned-off of ‘FlyLal’ after it
went bankrupt and left Lithuania without a national carrier. The
group’s net profit for the first quarter of 2013 amounted to 23,508
million LTL. The company’s Chair of the Board is another Gediminas –
Žiemelis. Yeah, the same guy from bankrupt ‘FlyLal’.

This entire story shows clearly that the security of governmental
communications has to be taken care of; otherwise, we will be serving
others as a card during high-stakes games. Our enemies will obtain
our national secrets and our allies will be afraid to say anything
lest it will get leaked.

Juška, having talked over the phone from his office in Budapest with
the Ministry about work-related matters, shouldn’t be hiding under
Article 22 of the Constitution regarding the protection of privacy
and personal life.

The opinion that Lithuania is insignificant and only several aspects
should be protected is wrong. Ambassadors have not only to talk,
but also to think. The attack is both direct and indirect.

In autumn, the EU leaders in Vilnius will be waiting not only
for Azerbaijan. The big prize is Ukraine’s decision regarding the
Association Agreement with the EU – fun things with Kiev should be
expected. We are participating in international politics as part of
the EU and in the backstage every janitor may be a colonel in disguise.

ARMENIA’S GOVERNANCE SYSTEM HAS TO CHANGE

By Suzanne Simonyan, Yerevan, 16 August 2013

How to describe today’s Armenia? An Armenian tourist would describe it
as a complex of shining skyscrapers, fashionable hotels, cars (many
Mercedes, BMW), high-end restaurants, cozy cafes and the indifferent
people shuffling through Yerevan’s centre.

Yes, most of our brothers and sisters who come to Armenia for vacation
admire this veneer and don’t see the real Armenia. They mostly see
only the centre of Yerevan, and some places of tourist interest not
too far from the capital. Travel agencies never take visitors on
tours which would show them the reality of Armenia. They don’t take
them to places where one can see the miserable life of the people,
stooped by the burdens of a harsh life.

Missing from the postcard are soldiers killed in the army at peacetime
and their mourning mothers, the military doctor killed in broad
daylight in the restaurant and his orphaned children, the suicides
because people can’t cope with a cruel reality anymore. The abandoned
villages and towns, the unprotected and vulnerable senior citizens,
the lacerated forests and mountains, mineral waste dumps, the ruined
agriculture, the insecure life of the fearful, those in despair,
the emigration, the crime statistics, the absence of justice and the
rule of law…all are covered or erased.

The above lack of security in our lives runs parallel to the
cooperation of the new colonialists and the domestic criminal
oligarchic system.

Our society has traditionally believed that the state should dictate
the lives of its citizens. For most Armenians the state is an invisible
body, with supreme authority, to govern any way it wants. In fact,
a state is just a mechanism through which people are guaranteed
security and development. States are established and formed to serve
their citizens and to give an adequate response to the challenges
faced by its people.

What’s going on in our country? Does our state take care of its
people? Has it established an honorable or respectable life for
its citizens?

The state should guarantee the security of its people, starting with
military security, security of culture, financial-economic security,
and security in foreign affairs, etc. But every day we witness how
the fake balloons of those securities keep exploding around us.

What are the conclusions to be drawn from this state of affairs? Of
course, it’s the absence of the state. Actually, we haven’t had a
state for a long time. The current state serves and protects only
the oligarchic clans. It serves the elite and the foreign political
power centres. And in response, those centres protect today’s fake
and subservient statesmen and politicians. This is the primitive
mechanism through which the management of our country has been
handed to the new colonialists. The management levers are no longer
in Armenia. They are in the hands of the new colonialists who have
become the decision-makers of our country.

Worried with the above-mentioned, 33 citizens united and established
a political-civil action group called Nakhakhorhrdaran. The group
initiated new political process aimed at changing of the management
system in Armenia.

Nakhakhorhrdaran aims to establish a new system capable to set and
to pursue national goals and tasks. We call on Republic of Armenia
citizens and all Armenians living in the Diaspora to stand up for
the human, national and state dignity, freedom and justice in our
Homeland. We call on all Diaspora Armenians to participate in the
necessary process with Armenians living in Motherland, because the
current management system has created a crisis of moral-psychological,
socio-economic and demographic character which is threatening the
existence of our Motherland.

The deepening crisis is reflected in the enforcement of the criminal
oligarchic value system on society, by the social polarization
incompatible with a vibrant social life, by the legal system which is
a satellite of the political powers, by the predatory exploitation
of natural resources, the destruction of the natural systems and
biodiversity, by the pulverization of the cultural heritage, by
Armenia’s increasing dependence on foreign powers.

Today’s systemic crisis has caused widespread despair toward the
future resulting in colossal emigration which threatens not only the
statehood, but also the physical existence of the Armenians living
in the Homeland.

We believe it is possible to overcome the systemic crisis through
radical reconsideration and through the transformation of the current
political and management systems. In such a situation the mobilization
of the capable forces of society and the support and mobilization
of Diaspora Armenians is a must. We are in active struggle now,
organizing demonstrations, public actions, etc. We are also working
to establish an alternative court of justice. New Armenia’s Strategic
Concept, prepared by Nakhakhorhrdaran, shall start its hearings in
September. Many Armenians from Diaspora visit our office in Armenia
and take part in the discussions of the concept and our activities
in general. Their suggestions are always taken into consideration.

Dear Brothers and Sisters, it is high time to be active in these
processes and to show that you are not indifferent to what is happening
to Armenia, to our Motherland. The desire for change is well planted
in the country, and many youth groups have stood up and made their
demands for a just society. The Diaspora should take active part in
these processes. The Diaspora should join the processes in any way
they prefer. Diaspora should make its voice heard. Tomorrow might be
too late.

Suzanne Simonyan is the deputy coordinator of Nakhakhorhrdaran
in Armenia.

ARMENIA TO GAIN INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE IN MENTAL DISORDERS TREATMENT

[ Part 2.2: “Attached Text” ]

15:28, 30 August, 2013

YEREVAN, AUGUST 30, ARMENPRESS. Sanofi announced a partnership with
the Ministry of Healthcare of the Republic of Armenia and the World
Association of Social Psychiatry to develop access to care for people
with mental disorders in Armenia, and therefore help them to reduce
the morbidity and premature mortality linked to these conditions. As
reports “Armenpress” the two year public-private partnership was
announced by the Minister of Healthcare of the Republic of Armenia
Derenik Dumanyan, Professor Driss Moussaoui of the World Association
of Social Psychiatry, and Doctor Robert Seddag, the Vice President,
Access to Medicines, Sanofi.

By training local healthcare professionals, educating patients,
and their families, and raising awareness about mental disorders
among communities, this partnership aims to improve the management
of people with these diseases.

“We are well aware of the increasing burden that these diseases
represent; this is why Sanofi has taken the lead in developing programs
to improve access to healthcare for people with mental disorders,”
Doctor Robert Sebbag said.

ARS OFFICE DEDICATED TO DONALEE BOUJIKIAN

Thursday, August 29th, 2013

Donalee Boujikian at the naming ceremony

LOS ANGELES-On June 9, 2013, the dedicating and naming ceremony for
the Executive Director’s office in honor of its benefactor was held
in the presence of the ARS CEB Executive members and the staff of
the ARS, Inc. Central Office.

In appreciation of the generous donation by Mr. and Mrs. Manas and
Donalee Boujikian, the Director’s office was officially given the
name of “Ungh. Donalee Boujikian.”

ARS CEB Chairperson Vicky Marashlian said in her statement of
appreciation, “Across the Diaspora and the Homeland, the century-long
service of the ARS, through programs dedicated to the welfare of the
Armenian nation, would not have been possible without the generous
support of our benefactors. This is clearly illustrated by the
significant contribution by Mr. and Mrs. Manas and Donalee Boujikian,
which, added to similarly generous donations, makes the efficient
continuity of all ARS humanitarian activities possible.”

Ungerouhie Donalee Boujikian is a founding member of the South Bay
region’s “Arax” Chapter since 1964. For many years she has been in
executive positions, often as chairperson, morally and financially
supporting all the activities of the chapter, and bringing her valuable
contribution to the progress of the South Bay community with the
dedication and commitment of a model HOMouhi.

The Boujikians are the proud parents of seven children, giving each
of them an Armenian education – Ungh. Boujikian’s love and devotion to
the Armenian spirit and heritage is demonstrated in all her endeavors.

Today, as grandmother and great-grandmother of 21 grandchildren and
2 great-grandchildren, she continues to encourage all members of her
family to remain true to their heritage and serve their community to
the best of their abilities.

Greatly appreciating the commitment shown by Mr. and Mrs. Boujikian to
the realization of the ARS mission through its countless programs and
projects, the ARS Central Executive Board expresses its deep gratitude
for their generous contribution, assuring them that the Armenian Relief
Society will continue its century-long humanitarian mission, caring
for all who need assistance in both the Homeland and the Diaspora.

ARMENIANS IN A HURRY TOWARD THE 19TH CENTURY?

Thursday, August 29th, 2013

BY LAURENT LEYLEKIAN

The recent protests and turmoil in Turkey fostered an already existing
– though curious – trend among Armenians worldwide. Some members
of the Armenian diaspora expressed strong support for the Turkish
protesters in their struggle against the more and more authoritarian
regime driven by the AKP. This trend has certainly been facilitated by
the fact that the Gezi Park events arose just after the commemoration
of the Armenian Genocide by some Turkish activists in Istanbul and in
other places in Turkey. Therefore, members of the Armenian diaspora who
were there on this occasion may have taken part in – or may have at
least been witness to – the confrontation between the Turkish regime
and its opponents. The unarticulated – and sometimes thoughtless –
mentality that drives these Armenians to such an attitude probably
comes from the vague belief that the Turkish state is an arch villain,
that any opponents of it partake in the longstanding struggle of
the Armenian people and could eventually share their fate. Thus,
in the minds of these people, an odd connection may have developed,
bolstered by some nascent, romantic fraternalism in the teargas: that
the non-democratic nature of the Turkish state and its stubbornness in
denying the Armenian Genocide are somehow linked and that, conversely,
a democratic Turkey would necessarily pave the way to the recognition
of the Armenian Genocide.

In my humble opinion, this representation is deficient, potentially
dangerous, and surely confused. In particular, it neglects or bypasses
the key issue of what do we want for the Armenian Nation?

Let’s put aside the straightforward contradiction that exists in
Armenians supporting the main force opposing the AKP, i.e. the
Kemalists who directly bear the legacy of the notorious Young Turks.

Let’s even assume that this support stands for Turkish democrats,
however dubious some of them may be, and that it could potentially
lead to a genuine Turkish democracy. Would it be better? For the Turks,
certainly yes, as it is commonplace to consider democracy as the most
suitable form of government for an advanced nation. For the Armenians,
on the contrary, it could be a worse nightmare.

We should remember that democracy is nothing but the tyranny of
the majority. In this regard, it is quite audacious to think that a
democratic Turkey would be less reluctant to recognize the Armenian
Genocide, not to mention to accept the idea of compensations. It
is a sad and maybe a cynical position, but the past and current
authoritarian nature of successive Turkish regimes has been a
strong incentive that has driven some third parties to support the
Armenian Cause and has been an advantage for the Armenian Cause. On
the contrary, a democratic Turkey would be considered by many as
an appropriate framework to get rid of this old issue and to leave
Armenians and Turks alone to “solve” it face-to-face. Armenians
were a substantial minority in 1915 and we know how the Turkish
government “solved” the issue. Now that the scattered, diminished,
and impoverished Armenian Nation is only a negligible fraction of the
Turkish one, there is no reason to think that the outcome would be
more fair and we could just be glad if this hypothetical democratic
Turkey would formally adopt a more acceptable way to proceed.

Turks are not to be blamed for that: they just know what their national
interests are and how to defend it. Unfortunately, the same could not
be said for the Armenians involved in such rapprochement. It seems
that – consciously or unconsciously – they are trying to reload the
Ottoman Empire and the place that was devoted to Armenians within
it: The Sadik-i Millet as the midwife and the ferment of the Turkish
Hakim Millet. A kind of technical role that gives up any political
claim not to speak about any political role for the greatest benefit
of their overlord. With regard to the increasing takeover by Russia
of the Republic of Armenia, it seems that we could rapidly go back to
the 19th century where Armenians were a useful and educated minority
both in the Turkish and Russian empires.

In this respect, whatever the true reasons behind the Armenian
government’s current attempt to escape from the Russia-led Eurasian
Union, whether it’s a reasonable decision or not and whether it will
finally succeed or not, it should be seen as a remarkably courageous
act of sovereignty in light of the current geostrategic position of
Armenia. We are thus able to consider that if Armenia is able to resist
strong Russian “incentives”, Armenians worldwide could far more easily
resist Turkey’s teasing belly-dance made of Aghtamar shows, fairy
tales of a “common past,” and elusive pledges for border opening. The
past criminal record of Turkey against the Armenian Nation and its
current criminal denial should forever dismiss any whim of a common
future in the minds of cognizant Armenians. It should encourage
the government of Armenia to step further along the way recently
pioneered by prosecutor general Aghvan Hovsepian. Armenia could, for
instance, declare that it is closing the border with Turkey, which
would change nothing in practical terms, but would confer another
political meaning to the current situation. After all, Armenia has
achieved some significant developments without Turkey these last twenty
years and if any Turkish extremist group would have blasted Aghtamar,
it would just have deprived Turkey from a communication tool, whereas
Armenians would not have been more deprived from their already looted
assets and territories.

After nearly a hundred years of statehood – including the Soviet period
– and centuries under the Ottoman yoke, it is more than time for
Armenians to think and act again as a Nation. And, as a politically
aware community, a Nation does not necessarily consider that the foe
of its foe is a friend. A very old Indo-European legend claims than
thousands of years ago, the horse was afraid of wolves and asked the
man to climb on his back to hunt and kill wolves. The man proceeded and
when he finished, the horse said to him, “It’s fine, now you can get
down.” But the man replied that his new position was quite comfortable
and useful… And up to now he is still on the horse’s back.

Let’s avoid being again the horse of the various foreign factions.

Neon Tommy
Aug 31 2013

100 Years Ago Near East Relief Launched To Help Refugees In Syria

Syuzanna Petrosyan
Executive Producer

The death and destruction of Syrians in the two-year conflict is one
of the biggest human disasters of our time. The horrific images of
burned children, the wrapped bodies suffocated from chemicals, and
millions of refugees scattered in the region in the dismal heat take
us back to the same region about one hundred years ago, when the world
again watched quietly as hundreds of thousands perished in the death
marches throughout the Syrian deserts.

In 1915, Ottoman Turks began to clean Eastern Turkey of its
minorities; millions of Armenians, Assyrians, Greeks and members of
other minority groups were displaced. Over a million and a half
Armenians died as a result of deportation, forced marches, starvation
and execution.

According to the locals, to this day, the bones of those who perished
during the Genocide lie scattered in open graves in the Syrian
deserts.

In the same year, however, one U.S. organization, called the `American
Committee for Syrian and Armenian Relief,’ was initiated as a response
to the massive humanitarian crisis in the region.

The organization’s founders – including the American Ambassador to
Turkey, Henry Morgenthau – established a small-scale relief operation
and began soliciting donations from the American public.

As Emma Green notes in The Atlantic, the organization raised millions
of dollars to feed, clothe and provide shelter to Armenian
refugees – including many orphans who had lost their parents in the
killings.

In 1916, the New York Times reported that the organization asked the
public for donations to `relieve 1,000 destitute, exiled, and starving
Armenians scattered broadcast over Turkey, Persia, Syria, and
Palestine.”

In its diligent response in the years following the Armenian Genocide,
the organization saved the lives of over 1 million refugees,
establishing a tradition of `citizen philanthropy’ in the U.S.

Today, known as the Near East Foundation, the organization operates in
Armenia, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Mali, Morocco, Palestinian
Territories, Sudan and Syria.

More posters from Near East Relief Campaigns:

BoxingScene.com
Aug 31 2013

Darchinyan Training in Mountains of Armenia For Donaire

by Ronnie Nathanielsz

Former three division world champion, hard-hitting southpaw Vic
Darchinyan is curently training in the mountains of Armenia, the
country of his birth, in preparation for his long desired rematch with
former WBO, Ring Magazine junior featherweight/super bantamweight
champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire on November 9, which Top
Rank promoter Bob Arum has indicated will takel place at the American
Center in Corpus Christi, Texas .

The manager of Darchinyan, Frank Espinoza told BoxingScene.com/Manila
Standard that Darchinyan “has been training in the mountains of
Armenia and will arrive in Los Angeles next Wednesday.”

Espinoza said “this is a good fight for Vic and he’s been waiting for
many years” for the rematch after Donaire scored a stunning 5th round
knockout to win the IBF/IBO flyweight belts of Drachinyan on July 7,
2007, adding that “at this point in his career he (Darchinyan) is
going to get this opportunity.”

The manager confirmed that the ten round bout will take place at 126
pounds and allayed earlier concerns by Darchinyan who told the
Standard some two weeks ago that he wanted to face Donaire at a
catch-weight of 123-124 pounds.

Donaire who last month was walking around at 145 pounds told us last
week that he would have to struggle to even make 126 but had been
jogging and working out and his weight had come down to 135 which is
still nine pounds over the
featherweight limit.

Espinoza didn’t seem bothered by the weight and told us Darchinyan
“won’t have a problem” pointing out that both Donaire and Darchinyan
“have never fought at 126 before” and that he expects the fight to be
“a fair contest ” among two worthy opponents.

With former WBO featherweight champion Mikey Garcia relinquishing his
title to move up to junior lightweight he told us during the Manny
Pacquiao-Brandon Rios press conference in Macau that he and Donaire
were very good friends and would never fight each other and he was
moving up to 130 pounds so Donaire could eventually get a crack at the
featherweight title.

Garcia will face Roman “Rocky” Martinez for the WBO junior lightweight
title while in a third exciting fight on the card Vanes Martirosyan
will clash with Demetrius Andrade for the vacant WBO junior
middleweight title.

Espinoza described the Top Rank Promotions card as a “great card and a
great night of boxing.”

Police detain several participants in protest action near Indoor
Market in Yerevan

by Karina Manukyan

ARMINFO
Saturday, August 31, 17:10

The police have detained several participants in the protest action
near the Indoor Market in Yerevan. ArmInfo’s correspondent reports
from the scene that the action is still going on, the police have
managed to separate the activists and the crowd of the so-called
“local residents”. To note, those who introduce themselves as “local
residents” support the construction of the supermarket in the area of
the Indoor Market.

Unlike the members of the civil movement “Let’s save the monument from
the oligarch”, the so-called “local residents” are rather aggressive
and try to get through the police’s blockade and talk to the
activists.

The protesters are discontent with the fact that despite the Armenian
Culture Ministry’s numerous statements about the illegality of the
construction, the Indoor Market will open as an ordinary supermarket
on September 15. To note, the owner of the Indoor Market is
oligarch-parliamentarian Samvel Alexanyan.

Karabakh war veterans announce about setting up of militia

by Alexander Avanesov
Saturday, August 31, 17:31

Karabakh war veterans, which have been holding rallies for more than
30 days at the Liberty Square every Thursday, announce about setting
up of militia, which will unite Yerevan residents and the residents of
the regions around itself and in case of necessity will prevent
failure of Armenia through the regime change, Karabakh war veteran,
Khachik Avetisyan, told Radio Liberty.

“If the people agree, we shall set up militia, the purpose of which is
not to take a gun and fight, but to change the regime without
bloodshed”, – he said.

A part of veterans have started a protest action at the Liberty Square
about three months ago and put forward only social demands. Another
part of the veterans announced the all-national unity and are intended
to gain the system change in Armenia through setting up of militia.
They said that if the authorities go on ignoring their demands, they
will start the regime changing process.

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