Author: Kalantarian Kevo

THE LANGUAGE OF OUR TIME

The Harvell Gazette, MA
July 11 2013

Tom Vartabedian

I recall as a youth working the counter of my dad’s luncheonette and
greeting customers as they arrived.

Whether it was a simple cup of coffee or eggs over hash, I filled
the orders diligently and with a smile.

Dad had one piece of advice. “The customer is always right.”

“Even when they’re wrong?” I’d question.

“You don’t argue,” he replied. “If he doesn’t come back, who loses?

“Dad had a point. We needed his service more than he needed ours. The
place drew its regulars as well as its transients.

One day, a total stranger sat on the stool looking like a derelict. I
gave him the once-over twice and took his order. He requested the
works, easily a $3 fare. Back then, of course, a cup of coffee went
for a dime and it was 5 cents for a doughnut.

Our family had a secret code. We communicated in Armenian whenever we
wanted to hide something from our clientele. Armenian was our chosen
language at home and we carried it into the business.

My father minced no words when it came to getting his message across.

“Watch this man,” he said in Armenian. “He may be looking to fool you.

Make sure you get paid.”

“Before serving him the meal? That’s a little embarrassing, don’t
you think, Pa?”

“Not when he escapes without paying for his dinner. If that happens,
I’ll take it out of your earnings since you waited on him.”Just then,
the unthinkable occurred. The diner slapped his hand on the counter
in anger and introduced himself as an Armenian.He understood every
word and took us to task for what was said. He put $5 on the counter,
wanted his change back, gave me no tip and left saying, “Don’t expect
me back. You’ve ridiculed me in our language.”

I’ve been on trains and buses where people have spoken Armenian. One
day at the airport, I interrupted a conversation in Armenian with
some words of my own. Turns out, we had mutual acquaintances and
spent the next 20 minutes conversing in the mother tongue.

It drew no attention. People these days are accustomed to hearing a
foreign dialect in their everyday travels. The trouble with Armenians
is that we don’t exercise it enough, even when we know it. Maybe
because it’s not our first language.

I only wish I were more assertive with my own children when it came
to teaching them the language. Having them each as Armenian School
students in church did me no good. What did help with the eldest
child was living with an Armenian-speaking grandparent.

Sonya didn’t use it. So she lost whatever she had learned early in
life. It’s not an isolated case, either. I can count on one hand
how many Armenian School students filtered through my class over 35
years and how many speak with any fluency. Now their children attend
and a new generation unfolds. The challenges are even greater. If
the parents don’t converse in Armenian, neither will they. On the
other hand, I am amazed by the truly impeccable Armenian spoken by
the American-born. Many non-Armenians have embraced our language by
translating books and giving dissertations on a university level.

I tend to be a stickler for tradition. If our beloved Mass ever
shifted dialects and went from classical to modern, it would never
be the same. You do not have to understand a language in order to
appreciate it. Leave it the way it’s been for the past 1,700 years.

When the Catholic Church dispensed with Latin and went to an
English-speaking format, I felt a certain loss. Sometimes change can
be irrepressible.

You need not know Italian to appreciate a Puccini opera. Nor must
you know Greek to dance a Tsamiko. I had five years of French in
high school and college. My vocabulary today is practically nil. But
hearing it spoken in Paris made it refreshing.

I’ve been to Armenia twice and was introduced to an entirely different
dialect, being Western. It took the second trip before I really caught
on to some nuances.

Some of the tourists on our bus trip were in limbo. They had no
background in Armenian and the tour guide stuck to his native
language. The sporadic translations got to be an ordeal.

I’m told there are between 2,500 and 3,000 languages spoken throughout
the world, not including that spoken by teenagers. Maybe it’s me,
but sometimes I have a difficult time understanding what they say.

Getting back to my dad’s charade in the diner, I did learn a very
valuable lesson from all that. No one has a better command of any
language than the man who knows just when to talk and when to shut up.

Writer and photographer Tom Vartabedian is retired from The Haverhill
Gazette. He contributes this regular column.

MPS OF BELARUS, ARMENIA TO PROMOTE NEW FORMS OF ECONOMIC COOPERATION

Belarusian Telegraph Agency
July 11 2013

11.07.2013 17:02

MINSK, 11 July (BelTA) – Belarus and Armenia need to switch to new
forms of trade and economic cooperation, and the parliamentarians
of the two countries can help make it happen, Chairman of the House
of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus Vladimir
Andreichenko has said as he received a parliamentary delegation of
Armenia led by Vice President of the National Assembly of Armenia
Eduard Sharmazanov on 11 July, BelTA has learnt.

Vladimir Andreichenko stated that the economies of Belarus and
Armenia are complementary and the potential of the trade and economic
cooperation has not been used in full. “Our countries are expanding the
bilateral trade, but we need to embrace new forms of cooperation, like
establishment of joint ventures, operations and assembly factories,”
Vladimir Andreichenko said.

The Speaker noted that Armenia might be interested in agricultural
machinery and fertilizers made in Belarus. Besides, Belarus has
greatly advanced in crop production and animal breeding technologies.

Vladimir Andreichenko emphasized the relevance of the forthcoming
session of the interparliamentary cooperation commission of
the National Assembly of Belarus and the National Assembly of
Armenia. The MPs are going to discuss prospects of the trade and
economic cooperation. He added that the Belarusian parliament
is investing a lot of efforts in promoting Belarusian products,
implementing investment projects and bolstering cooperation ties.

Vice President of the National Assembly of Armenia Eduard Sharmazanov
agreed that Belarus-Armenia cooperation is gaining momentum in
all the fields. “The interparliamentary cooperation commission has
great potential to intensify bilateral relations,” he said. Eduard
Sharmazanov also spoke about prospects of interparliamentary
cooperation: “Armenia and Belarus have synchronized their positions
in the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly, CIS Interparliamentary Assembly,
and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. We need to make our cooperation
in international organizations even tighter”.

The Armenian delegation will stay in Belarus until 14 July. The program
of the visit includes a session of the intergovernmental cooperation
commission in Minsk and a visit to Brest Oblast and Minsk Oblast.

ALPENA MAN’S HAND-PAINTED CAROUSEL FULFILLS DREAM

The Associated Press State & Local Wire
July 10, 2013 Wednesday 10:20 AM GMT

By BETSY LEHNDORFF, The Alpena News
ALPENA Mich.

Mike Arzo’s last name means “may your wishes come true.”

And it could be the reason he plunked down $280,000 at a Las Vegas
trade show for a hand-painted carousel that was made in Argentina.

Later this month, area residents could get their first chance to
catch a ride among the pageantry of bejewelled horses and elegant
white chariots lined with red velvet. All are inspired by the ancient,
over-the-top city of Venice.

“When I am making you happy, I am happier than you are,” said Arzo, who
owns a sports and amusement park five miles north of Alpena on US-23.

Arzo told The Alpena News ( ) that when he was
a child in Armenia, he and his family were poor.

“I would wait in line hoping for a ride on a carousel,” Arzo said.

“One time I stood in line three days in a row. Finally someone offered
me a free seat, and then a family member arrived and I had to go back
in line.”

Despite his situation, Arzo grew up to earn an advanced degree in
electrical engineering and invented a digital readout system for
elevators. The product was snapped up by Otis Elevator Co., and Arzo’s
future was launched.

Drawn to Alpena because of its spectacular fall colors, Arzo purchased
a miniature golf and driving range called Puna’s Playground. In 2009,
he and his wife, Mary, reopened it to the public and he began adding
amusement park rides as a hobby. Other family members, including
Arzo’s brother and Mary’s parents, offered a helping hand or visited
to cheer them on.

The carousel is located in a large pole barn, which also shelters
an Irish bumper car ride. But construction of the floor isn’t yet
complete, so Arzo is hoping the ride will open by the end of this
month.

“It’s hard to find somebody in Alpena, who knows how to put together
a carousel,” park Manager Josh Alberts said.

But work has been proceeding at a steady clip. A Ferris wheel and
colorful outdoor rocket ship ride were added last year.

Both Arzo and Alberts said the horses’ tails are made out of real
horsehair, and the painting is meticulously detailed. No two horses
are alike, some embellished with gilded scales and all glittering
with jewels.

Arzo and his wife do not have children of their own, and look forward
to entertaining young visitors in the future.

“When I see the kids on the horses, that will be the payoff,” Arzo
said. “That’s what I am.”

AZERBAIJAN PROTESTS AGAINST ‘MISSILE SUPPLIES’ TO ARMENIA

Thursday, July 11th, 2013

MILAN (missile d´infanterie leger antichar) anti-tank guided missile
system.

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)-Azerbaijan has reportedly protested to France and
Germany against the apparent acquisition by Armenia’s armed forces
of anti-tank missiles jointly developed by the two NATO member states.

The complaint reported by the Azerbaijani news agency APA on Thursday
stems from a photograph of the MILAN anti-tank system that was posted
late last month on Razm.info, an Armenian news website specializing
in defense and security. The online publication said the picture was
taken last year during an exhibition at Armenia’s Defense Ministry
that featured weapons manufactured or modernized by Armenian companies.

It said the French-German guided missiles produced since the early
1970s were upgraded with Armenian-made electronic devices. Razm.info
called the Armenian army’s possession of MILANs a “serious
development.” No further details were reported.

Azerbaijani news agencies were quick to pick up the report. Citing
unnamed military sources, APA said that the Azerbaijani authorities
have demanded that the French and German embassies in Baku explain
“how those systems ended up in Armenia.”

France’s ambassador to Azerbaijan, Pascal Meunier, told reporters
in Baku last week that the French government is “investigating the
credibility of that information.” He said French or German arms sales
to Armenia are “very unlikely” because they would violate a Western
embargo on arms deliveries to the parties of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict.

MILAN’s current principal manufacturer is the Euromissile consortium
based in France. The missile systems originally designed by French
and German companies in the 1960s are also license-built by several
other NATO member states as well as India. They have been in service
in over 40 countries.

The Armenian Defense Ministry declined to confirm or refute the MILAN
acquisition on Thursday. The ministry spokesman, Artsrun Hovannisian,
told RFE/RL’s Armenian service only that Armenia is continuing to
“develop our defense capability.”

Speaking to journalists last December, the commander of Karabakh’s
Armenia-backed army, General Movses Hakobian, listed anti-tank rockets
among new weapons which he said were supplied to his forces in 2011
and 2012. He did not elaborate on their type and origin.

The news of Armenia’s purported possession of MILAN came just
days after it emerged that Russia has begun supplying roughly $1
billion worth of new military hardware to Azerbaijan. According to
the Russian media, the arms consignment purchased by Baku includes
more than 90 battle tanks. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said
at an ensuing military parade that his country will continue buying
weapons to force the Armenians to give up control over Karabakh and
surrounding territories.

BUDAGHIAN’S GUN WAS UNUSABLE DURING GORIS INCIDENT

Thursday,July11

There were no bullets in the gun of military unit commander, Colonel
Artak Budaghian during the June 1 incident near the house of the
then governor of Syunik province Suren Khachatrian in Goris, Artak
Budaghian’s lawyer Hayk Alumian told Pastinfo news agency.

In the lawyer’s words, the police did not find cartridges on Artak
Budaghian either, therefore he could not fire shots.

The lawyer added that in addition, the colonel’s gun was not assembled
on that day and those facts were included in the materials of the
criminal case.

In an interview with GALA Television Company, Hayk Alumian said that
on the day of the Goris incident, Artak Budaghian’s gun was unusable
so the colonel could not fire from it.

GRIGORIU’S SCANDALOUS SPEECH DOES NOT REFLECT OFFICIAL POSITION OF MOLDOVA: CONCLUSION OF PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE

18:43, 11 July, 2013

YEREVAN, JULY 11, ARMENPRESS: Scandalous speech of Moldovan
parliamentary advocate Aurelia Grigoriu in Armenian National Assembly
does not reflect official position of Moldova.

“Armenpress” reports calling vesti.md that with such conclusion
performed committee of Human rights protection of Moldovan Parliament.

“During her speech in Armenia Grigoriu expressed her personal
opinion. Moldova had territorial conflict and we understand how wrong
her behavior is who gave legal estimations to Armenian and Azerbaijani
sides,” mentioned president of the committee Vadim Mishin.

In his words Grigoriu in her speech showed political myopia and
non-competence. “Legislation gives authorities to parliamentary
advocate to be involved in human rights protection issues in his
own country. When expressing her opinion she should think about
professionalism of the statement,” stressed Mishin.

He also blamed Grigoriu for deforming the meanings of UN documents
particularly highlighting that she had used separate ideas from the 
documents putting them out from the context.

However the estimation of the committee is still preliminary and the
final conclusion will be accepted in future.

During her report “The protection of human rights and security in
“frozen conflicts” areas” in framework of in framework of Pan-European
Conference “The European Standards of Rule of Law and the Scope of
Discretion of Powers in the Member States of the Council of Europe”,
the Parliamentary Advocate of the Republic of Moldova Aurelia
Grigoriu made a statement, which does not have any connection
to the reality. She announced that “Armenia occupied 20% of the
Azerbaijan’s territory and the Khojalu Genocide was implemented by
the Armenians”. The Parliamentary Advocate of the Republic of Moldova
called Armenia “an aggressor country”.

Later it was found out that Aurelia Grigoriu 2 weeks ago before
visiting Yerevan had been in Baku. In internet were spread her photos
and notes in facebook where she expresses her love towards Azerbaijan.

THE ATLANTIC: ALIYEV CLAN OWNS ALMOST HALF OF RUSSIAN MEGA-BANK VTB’S AZERBAIJANI SUBSIDIARY

15:42 12/07/2013 ” ECONOMY

The American editorial “The Atlantic” published an article which
talks about the latest acquisition of the Aliyev clan in Azerbaijan.

According to the article they control a parent company that owns,
through an offshore subsidiary, almost half of Russian mega-bank
VTB’s Azerbaijani subsidiary.

“There are only two problems. The first is that VTB, which is the
second-largest bank in Russia and is 75 percent-owned by the Russian
government, is also one of the fastest-growing financial institutions
on the planet, with retail, commercial and investment arms in 19
countries, including the United States,” Michael Weiss writes.

According to the article this bank has been, and continues to be,
dogged by civil lawsuits filed in multiple jurisdictions because of
its issuance of loans that have led High Court justices to wonder
“what, if any, due diligence” was carried out beforehand. VTB, as
the author notices, has been accused to being little more than a
vehicle for the enrichment of its executives and for the Kremlin’s
“economic diplomacy.”

“The second problem is that in May of this year, Azerbaijan’s sovereign
wealth fund invested $500 million in VTB’s secondary public offering
(SPO). It was joined by Qatar’s and Norway’s sovereign wealth funds
and, collectively, all three gobbled up 55 percent of the SPO,”
the author writes.

According to the article, on November 9, 2009, Ataholding, an
open joint-stock company that manages AtaBank, one of the biggest
commercial banks in Azerbaijan, purchased 48.99 percent of VTB’s
Azerbaijani subsidiary. The remaining 51 percent is owned by VTB and
thus mostly owned by the Russian government. As of December 31, 2009,
AtaBank’s investment was valued at 10,887,310 Azerbaijani manats,
which at today’s exchange rate is around $13.8 million.

Ataholding is 51 percent-owned by a Panama-registered shell company
called Hughson Management, Inc., of which, Aliyev clan has the
controlling interest. Curiously, and perhaps owing to the diligent
spadework of Andrew Higgins, the Ataholding statement currently
hosted on the company’s website does not include the notes section
of the earlier copy, which says that “the Group’s immediate parent is
Hughson Management Inc. tax resident of Republic of Panama.” Hughson
Management is still currently listed as the majority owner of AtaBank.

The author also touches to Aliyev clan story, noting that Heydar
Aliyev was KGB chief who turned Communist ruler and was the kind of
Stalinoid satrap-cum-mafia kingpin, who could bribe Leonid Brezhnev,
if he found it necessary, in order to remain in power. Gorbachev’s
rise in Moscow coincided with this Heydar’s eclipse in Baku. He
subsequently became first the de facto head of the republic, as the
USSR was falling apart, and then the first president of post-Soviet
Azerbaijan in 1993. Heydar ruled until 2003, which is the year he died.

The elder Heydar was immediately succeeded by his son Ilham, whose own
“election” in 2003 Human Rights Watch characterized as the rotten
fruit of “bureaucratic interference and political intimidation
against the opposition [which made] a free and fair pre-election
campaign environment impossible.” Terms limits for presidents were
abolished in 2009, the same year the regime clamped down on domestic
press freedoms and took the BBC, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty,
and Voice of America off the air.

Here’s how the U.S. embassy in Baku described Ilham Aliyev in 2009:
“Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev utilizes distinctly different
approaches to foreign and domestic policies. He typically devises
the former with pragmatism, restraint and a helpful bias toward
integration with the West, yet at home his policies have become
increasingly authoritarian and hostile to diversity of political
views. This divergence of approaches, combined with his father’s
continuing omnipresence, has led some observers to compare the Aliyevs
with the fictional ‘Corleones’ of Godfather fame, with the current
president described alternately as a mix of ‘Michael’ and ‘Sonny.’
Either way, this Michael/Sonny dichotomy complicates our approach
to Baku and has the unfortunate effect of framing what should be a
strategically valuable relationship as a choice between U.S. interests
and U.S. values.”

Talking about the suspicious relations with the offshore companies
the author notes that the Aliyev clan doesn’t wish to see explored by
muckraking journalists. And Ismayilova, the journalist who was making
her own investigation in this sphere, was targeted by a particularly
nasty campaign of state harassment, which included her being sent an
envelope filled with “pictures of a personal nature” and a message
reading: “whore, behave, or you will be defamed,” the article says.

It also says that these images were later published in Azerbaijani
newspapers associated with the ruling New Azerbaijan Party. Ismayilova
later discovered and documented surveillance wires that had been
installed in the walls and ceilings of her home kitchen, bathroom
and bedroom. The government’s “investigation” of the tapping of
Ismayilova’s residence was a whitewash.

Source: Panorama.am

MKHITARYAN SIGNS AUTOGRAPHS FOR BORUSSIA FANS (PHOTO)

July 12, 2013

DORTMUND. – Armenian national football team midfielder Henrikh
Mkhitaryan is in great demand among the fans of Borussia Dortmund
of Germany.

The Facebook page of the club has posted a photograph, where the
Armenian international signs autographs for the Borussia fans.

As NEWS.am Sport informed earlier, the 24-year-old midfielder signed
a four-year deal with Borussia Dortmund. Also, Henrikh Mkhitaryan
scored a goal and provided an assist in his first match with the team.

SIX LAUREATS DE L’UFAR PRESENTENT LEUR MEMOIRE

C’est le vendredi 5 juillet que les six etudiants de l’Universite
Francaise en Armenie (UFAR), dont le memoire a ete retenu pour
l’interet qu’il presente en termes de connaissance sur les enjeux de
developpement de l’Armenie et pour les entreprises francaises dans
une perspective d’opportunite commerciale, ont presente leur travail
devant six auditeurs, principalement issus des entreprises francaises.

Parmi les thèmes presentes, le developpement des assurances
personnelles en Armenie, du credit pour l’agriculture ou les problèmes
des transports aeriens, ont fait l’objet des echanges les plus nourris.

A l’issue de ces presentations, les laureats se sont vus remettre une
attestation par l’Ambassadeur, leur permettant de beneficier d’une
reduction de leur frais de scolarite a l’UFAR.

Ambassade de France en Armenie

jeudi 11 juillet 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

U.S. CONGRESSIONAL AZERBAIJAN CAUCUS EXPANDS

Azer News, Azerbaijan
July 10, 2013 Wednesday

The number of members of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus (CAC) in
the U.S. House of US Representatives has reached 46, AzerTac state
news agency reported.

The Azerbaijani Embassy in Washington reported that Mark Medows from
Northern Carolina, Jim Bridenstine from Oklahoma and Filemon Vela
from Texas joined the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus.

The Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus was formed in the beginning of
2004 by congressmen Curt Weldon (R-PA) and Solomon Ortiz (D-TX),
its founding co-chairmen.

The Caucus has played an important role in increasing the understanding
of the Congress on the Caspian energy and geopolitics of the South
Caucasus region, in further developing the strategic relations
between the United States and Republic of Azerbaijan, increasing
trade, security and military cooperation between the two nations,
better grasp issues surrounding the illegal military occupation of
Azerbaijani lands such as the Nagorno-Karabakh (NK) and other regions
around it by Armenia, the Armenian blockade against Nakhichevan region
of Azerbaijan, and energizing the Azerbaijani-American voters.