Author: Kalantarian Kevo

Avigdor Eskin : Armenia may play an important role in establishing a
dialogue between Israel and Iran
ArmInfo’s Interview with Israeli political expert Avigdor Eskin

by Ashot Safaryan
Wednesday, May 8, 22:37

Mr. Eskin, one of the problematic points in the Armenian-Israeli
relations is Israel’s reluctance to recognize the Armenian Genocide.
How can this stance of Tel Aviv be explained? Given even the
realpolitik principles, the relations between Israel and Turkey are
far from being good, though there may be deeper reasons for
non-recognition. Would you tell us about that?

Unfortunately, today politicians succeed in making favorable patterns
from the century-old tragedy. As for Jews and Israel, nobody in the
world did more than the Jews for publishing of the massacre of 1915.
I would like to recall several names: Mandelshtam, Morgenthau, Lemkin.
I can present the list of Jewish writers who memorized the victims of
the 1915 massacre. Unfortunately, we have not heard the words of
gratitude from the Armenians. On the contrary, slander on the Jews has
been developing among the Armenians for the last years, allegedly, the
Jews prompted Turkish authorities to commit crimes. In 2007 I visited
Yerevan and was shocked by the anti-Semitic sentiments among the
intellectuals. Afterwards I studied the issue myself:

In such an atmosphere it is very much difficult to speak about a joint
stance. In case of acceptance of the Armenian option of the history,
Israel will automatically confess the bloody slander upon the Jews and
Zionist movement. Would Armenia recognize the Holocaust if our books
said that Hitler and his surrounding were Armenians and that the
Germans killed the Jews at the instigation of the Armenians? If the
matter concerns recognition or non-recognition, Yerevan does not
recognize Jerusalem and Golan Heights within Israel. But we are not
resentful people.

Experts say that close cooperation between Yerevan and Tehran on the
one hand and the active interaction between Tel Aviv and Baku on the
other hand hinder the rapprochement of Armenia and Israel. How
reasonable is that opinion? Is it possible to find a common ground to
resist the common challenges in this volatile region?

Today the key ally of Armenia is Iran. This affects our relations. The
matter concerns the regime in Iran, which declares that the goal of
its existence is to destroy us. Nevertheless, if both parties display
a good will, it will be possible to find the ways of rapprochement.
Ahmadinejad is quitting the stage and the real interests of Israel and
Iran are getting closer. The Arab spring, the aggression policy of
Qatar and its neighbors, the war in Syria should sober the real
strategists in Tehran. Before 1978 Israel and Iran were close partners
and today they can return to those relations in case both parties
display a good will. In this context Armenia may play an important
role given its close contacts with Tehran. The Armenian Government and
your news agency could invite some respectable ayatollahs from Iran
and authoritative rabbis from Israel to launch a dialogue on the basis
of traditionalism. Such a step could bring benefits to Armenia.

Ze’ev Elkin, who has repeatedly come out with pro-Armenian initiatives
in Israel, has become deputy foreign minister of Israel. Do you think
this circumstance will introduce new realities in the relations
between our countries?

Ze’ev Elkin has headed the Armenian lobby in Israel for many years. He
is a respectable and influential politician. However, his influence in
this matter is restricted now because of his post. The relations
between our countries may improve on the basis I have suggested. If
Yerevan initiates contacts between Israel and Iran on the level of
NGOs and then expands them, it will be possible to raise the relations
to a new level.

How much probable is the military operation of the USA and Israel against Iran?

The American blow on Iran is not taken seriously now. And it is very
good. I think one should not turn the crisis with Iran into a global
problem. As for Israel, we will not allow those who openly advocate
out destruction to take nuclear weapon. Israel can cope with this
problem independently. I think we should have done it a year ago.

What is Israel’s stance on the crisis in Syria? Doesn’t another
trouble spot near the borders of Israel threaten the Jewish state?
What measures is Tel Aviv taking to resolve the situation?

The situation is critical in Syria. Twofold more Arabs died in Syria
for the two years of the civil war than for 65 years of the conflict
with Israel. In terms of Syria, the whole world may understand what
neighbours we have. Israel preserves absolute neutrality in the
conflict in Syria because of several reasons. However, the people of
Israel are more gunning for Assad. Israel has common interests with
Iran. Although military leadership of Israel is on the alert and is
ready to any provocation at the northern border, nevertheless, there
is no true threat to Israel. At present, our military privilege is so
much obvious that there is no ground for a serious alarm. I should
also add that the “Arab spring” along with shale revolution in the USA
and Europe will bring back the Arab countries to the middle centuries.
As for Israel, it should be more reserved and remain unprovoked at the
period of maximal turbulence in the neighboring countries.

Turkey’s curtseys towards the Arab world have led to serious
deterioration of relations with Israel. What problem do you think
Ankara was solving when starting a conflict with the stable and
powerful ally in the region?

The relations between Israel and Turkey have always been
double-natured. On the one hand, our rapprochement is natural since
both countries belong to the non-Arab minority in the Middle East. On
the other hand, Turkey’s negative attitude towards the Zionist
movement and Israel has its serious roots. One can state that today
the Turkish elite has the most negative attitude towards Israel. We
observe it among both Islamists and nationalists dreaming of Great
Turan. But we observe the opposite tendency among the people. This
also concerns the intermediate officers. However, the people’s good
attitude has no impact on the country’s policy yet. Moreover, no
serious breakthrough is expected given Ankara’s stance on Syria and
the Gaza Strip. We also see how the revanchist sentiments are growing
in Turkey. Israel inevitably becomes a competitor for Turkey and a
restraining force. The forecasts for the future of our relations are
rather pessimistic.

Despite the problems between Israel and Turkey, the relations with
Armenia may become better, as the stance of Israel on the issues,
which Armenia is interested in, is not dictated by Ankara. The present
crisis in our relations may be overcome if one gives up falsehood,
envy and groundless hatred. If the dialogue is built on such a basis,
it will result in understanding of the deep and ancient roots of our
existence.

ARMENIE
4 suicides à Kapan en 26 jours

4 suicides ont été commis dans la ville de Kapan dans les 26 derniers
jours selon le journal « Hayots Ashkharh » ajoutant que, hier matin,
une femme géé de 75 ans O.Arakelian a sauté de son appartement au
sixième étage dans Kapan et est décédée.

Les voisins ont dit que la famille de la femme n’était pas socialement
vulnérable. Elle avait un problème de vue mais devait subir une
intervention chirurgicale.

jeudi 9 mai 2013,
Stéphane ©armenews.com

Frédéric Encel
Une grande qualité de forme et de fond pour un magazine de haute tenue

Je lis les Nouvelles d’Arménie Magazine depuis de longues années déjà,
bien que n’étant pas d’origine arménienne. Paradoxe ? En aucun cas et
pour au moins trois raisons. D’abord j’y apprécie une grande qualité
de forme (écriture, mise en page, syntaxe, illustrations…) et de
fond, avec des articles et des dossiers de haute tenue. Ensuite, les
Nouvelles d’Arménie Magazine couvrent et défendent non seulement les
combats de la cause arménienne mais aussi les valeurs universelles de
droits de l’homme, d’égalité des femmes, de laïcité, de promotion de
la culture. Enfin et surtout, la liberté de ton et de conviction des
Nouvelles d’Arménie Magazine concernant de graves problèmes liés à la
République d’Arménie témoigne d’un vrai courage moral et intellectuel.
Bravo donc à Ara Toranian et à toute son équipe, bon anniversaire, et
vivement le numéro qui titrera enfin sur la reconnaissance par la
Turquie du génocide de 1915.

jeudi 9 mai 2013,
Spidermian ©armenews.com Ara ©armenews.com

AzerNews, Azerbaijan
May 8 2013

Azerbaijan to free its land at any cost – Nagorno-Karabakh community leader

8 MAY 2013, 14:51 (GMT+05:00)
By Sara Rajabova

Azerbaijan’s territories occupied by Armenia will be liberated at any
cost, chairman of the Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh and
head of the Shusha executive power, Bayram Safarov, told journalists
on Wednesday.

Safarov was visiting the Alley of Martyrs in Baku over the 21st
anniversary of the Armenian occupation of the town of Shusha in the
Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, which has been occupied for
many years.

Shusha, the cultural center and capital of the historical Karabakh
Khanate, fell victim to the Armenian aggression on May 8, 1992, when
290 sq. km of Azerbaijan’s territory went to the control of the
Armenian invaders.

As a result of the occupation of Shusha, 195 civilians were killed,
165 others wounded, 22,000 displaced and 68 taken hostage by the
Armenians. Their fate is unknown to this day.

Armenia occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s internationally
recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent
regions, after laying territorial claims against its South Caucasus
neighbor that had caused a lengthy war in the early 1990s. The UN
Security Council has adopted four resolutions on Armenia’s withdrawal
from the Azerbaijani territory, but they have not been enforced to
this day.

“We must return to our native lands,” Safarov said. “Armenia must
withdraw from the occupied Azerbaijani territories.”

According to him, if it is impossible to do so by peaceful means,
through negotiations, Azerbaijan has a modern, powerful army and the
Azerbaijani people should decide their own destiny and solve their
problems.

“If necessary, our people will liberate their lands by military means.
The Armenians just want to gain time because they have no other
choice,” Safarov said.

He emphasized that today the world community is aware of Azerbaijan’s
fair cause and accepts it.

Safarov also addressed the Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh,
saying, “We will return to our lands which are under occupation. Let
the Armenians hear that the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh can live
there together with us. The Armenians, who lived there prior to 1992,
have the right to live in Nagorno-Karabakh in the future. Because they
are also citizens of Azerbaijan. But if they don’t want that, they can
move to the territory of Armenia.”

Referring to the dialogue between the Azerbaijani and Armenian
communities of Nagorno-Karabakh, Safarov said the Azerbaijani side has
always been in favor of such meetings, while the Armenian side
constantly avoids them.
“But I believe that they do want to meet,” he added.

Neos Kosmos, Australia
May 8 2013

NSW parliament recognises Greek genocide

NSW parliament “condemns the genocides of the Assyrians, Armenians and
Greeks, and all other acts of genocide as the ultimate act of
intolerance”

by MAJA JOVIC

A motion recognising the Greek, Assyrian and Armenian genocide was
passed unanimously by the Parliament of NSW Legislative Council, after
the request of the Assyrian Universal Alliance, the Australian
Hellenic Council and the Armenian National Committee.

While in 1997 the NSW Parliament passed a motion recognising the
genocide of the Armenians, on Wednesday 1 May the House recognised
that between 1914-1923, Greeks and Assyrians were subjected to
qualitatively similar genocides by the then Ottoman Government.

The motion passed reads that the NSW Parliament “condemns the
genocides of the Assyrians, Armenians and Greeks, and all other acts
of genocide as the ultimate act of intolerance”. The motion also
called on the Commonwealth Government to condemn the genocides of the
Assyrians, Armenians and Greeks.

“This recognition will act as a powerful counter to those, especially
in present-day Turkey, who still ignore or deny outright the genocides
of the Ottoman Christian minorities,” said Mr Hermiz Shahen, the
Deputy Secretary General of the Assyrian Universal Alliance. In his
announcement, Mr Shahen thanked the Australian Hellenic Council and
the Armenian National Committee, whose cooperation on the issue was
crowned with Wednesday’s genocide recognition by the NSW Parliament.

According to Assyria Times, the member of the NSW Legislative Council
and President of the Australian Christian Party Fred Nile, was
responsible for moving the motion on 30 April and the rectification of
the historical injustice. Mr Nile also demanded that the State of
Turkey recognises and apologises for the Genocide.

“In remembering these events, we do not seek to apportion blame. This
is a matter of history, and history must neither be erased nor
forgotten.”

“People of our great state donated generously to save the lives of
those who had reached sanctuary in Greece, French Syria, British Iraq
and British Palestine. The story of the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek
Genocides are a part of the Australian story and deserve their
rightful place in that narrative,” Fred Nile said in his adjournment
speech.

“When the Anzacs landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula, there were Greek
people living there, tilling the soil and fishing the waters. There
were also Turkish tax collectors, police and soldiers. The non-Turks
are the people who were deported; these are the people who were
massacred during World War I and after,” Nile said.

In his speech, Fred Nile referred specifically to Dr Panayiotis
Diamadis and Mr Vicken Babkenian, Directors of the Australian
Institute for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, whose pioneering
research into the Australia’s relationship to the Armenian, Greeks and
Assyrian Genocides has returned to the light of day this issue for the
people of New South Wales.

“Recognition of historical events, and above all the recognition of
genocide, is a human right issue and is very much a part of the
Australian story. It’s not a foreign problem that has been brought to
this country. For our community, it’s recognition of some of the
pioneers of the community who came here directly from Pontos and Asia
Minor, especially in Victoria. It’s recognition of their heritage and
it’s a very important step politically for our community, in showing
that these issues are not just a hundred years old problems that we
can forget about, but are very much current because of the impact they
have on generations later. These are not historic issues, but issues
of international law and human rights essentially,” Panayiotis
Diamadis, director of the Australian Institute for Holocaust and
Genocide Studies told Neos Kosmos.

Dr Diamadis said it took long time to convince political parties and
conduct a research that would prove the genocide was not a matter of
foreign policy, but an Australian story, with Australian own
servicemen witnessing the suffering of Assyrians, Armenians and
Greeks.

“This is why the Australian Institute of Genocide studies specifically
focuses on the Australian relationship – Australian eye witnesses,
Australian aid activists who helped rebuild refugees’ lives, making it
part of Australian story. We now want to bring it to Australian
curriculum of the history for schools, as part of the existing
subjects.”

For Dr Panayiotis Diamadis, it has been a “great honour” to contribute
to the research and the recognition of the Genocide in the NSW
Parliament.

“It’s another step forward. Our ultimate goal is to have a similar
resolution in Federal Parliament. We have been working towards it for
years – we believe the support is growing, but there are still
especially political concerns to get over. We believe that with
education we can educate our parliamentarians to see that this is not
just a foreign policy issue, it’s a human rights issue, it’s a legal
issue, and very much it’s part of the Australian story,” Dr Diamandis
said.

New South Wales Parliament became the second Australian state to
recognise the Greek, Assyrian and Armenian Genocide.The parliament of
South Australia became the first legislative body in the world to
recognise the genocide of the Assyrians and Greeks in 2009.

TRAVELING TO KARABAKH IS AN ELUSIVE PRIZE FOR MANY VISITORS

Wednesday, May 8th, 2013 |

Posted by Matthew Karanian

The Artsakh Army marching band (Photo by Matthew Karanian) EDITOR’S
NOTE: For a second time, Asbarez is teaming up with travelogue Matthew
Karanian to present a travel special to serve as a guide for its
readers who are planning a trip to Armenia and Karabakh.

Matthew Karanian is the author of ARMENIA AND KARABAKH: THE STONE
GARDEN TRAVEL GUIDE, which was published in February. This title is
the first commercial travel guide to independent Armenia and Karabakh.

To order by mail in the USA, send check or money order for $30
postpaid to: Stone Garden Productions; PO Box 7758; Northridge,
CA 91327. For credit card orders and for orders outside the USA, go
to BY MATTHEW KARNIAN The destination is
elusive because it’s so far out of the way. There are no scheduled
flights, and visitors have to arrive overland.

Starting from Yerevan, this adds one day of travel each way.

Karabakh is also a prize, however, because of the abundance of cultural
sites here that attest to the region’s ancient Armenian heritage.

What To See The Monastery of Amaras is one of these prizes. Amaras
is located in the south of Karabakh, and is famous as the site at
which Mesrop Mashtots taught the unique Armenian alphabet roughly
1,600 years ago.

The link between Mesrop and Amaras is a vivid illustration of the link
between the nation’s religious history and its linguistic heritage.

The antiquity of Amaras is not uncommon for Karabakh.

In the far northwest, several structures from the Armenian monastery
of Dadi Vank survive today. This complex is unequaled in its mysticism
and majesty among the churches of Karabakh.

The buildings of Dadi Vank that are now at this site were all built in
the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, and have been recently restored.

According to legend, however, the monastery was originally established
in the first century AD. The site had been destroyed, and then rebuilt,
about 800 years ago. Scholars are undecided, but if this legend is
true, then Dadi Vank would gain distinction as the oldest Armenian
monastery in Karabakh.

Tigranagert (Photo by Matthew Karanian) Tigranakert may be the grandest
prize of Karabakh, however, at least for visitors who are interested
in archaeology and in ancient Armenian history.

Students of Armenian history are familiar with the ancient settlement
of Tigranakert that is located in western Armenia, in an area that
is today controlled by Turkey. The settlement is named for Tigran
the Great, an Armenian leader who presided over Armenia’s greatest
expansion in ancient time, from 95 BC to 55 BC.

It is less widely known, however, that three additional settlements
were built and named for Tigran the Great. One of these other
Tigranakerts is in Karabakh, and was built in the first century BC.

This Tigranakert is located just north of the villlage of Askeran,
and west of Aghdam, in central Karabakh.

Visitors arriving at the site will first notice a large structure
looming alongside the road that looks like a castle. Most of this
Tigranakert is today an archaeological dig site, however, and is
operated by archaeologist Hamlet Petrosyan, Ph D. The castle is
relatively modern, and only about 300 years old.

The ruins of this ancient Tigranakert are evident today to any
visitor. But Petrosyan recalls the time, not so long ago, when its
existence was little more than a hypothesis.

Petrosyan walked the site with me recenlty and explained how, years
earlier, he had seen what he believed were remnants of walls. He saw
large depressions in the topography that didn’t appear to be natural.

“We can suppose that here we will find something,” he told me, while
pointing to a field that appeared to be just a field-except for a
modest depression that might hide the long-buried foundations of
civic buildings.

Petrosyan and his team of archaeologists from the Armenian Academy of
Sciences Institute of Archaeology, began excavating the site in 2005.

They discovered that this Tigranakert had a citadel, a central
business district, churches, suburbs, and cemeteries. The city was
built entirely from the local white limestone, and Petrosyan’s research
suggests that it was occupied until the fourteenth century.

They also determined that the site was founded in the first century BC.

In 2008, the area was designated the Tigranakert Historical-Cultural
Reserve by the government of Karabakh. Vast areas of the 2,136 hectare
site remain unexcavated, however, because of limited funding for
the project.

Known ruins at the site include a fifth century church that, at 29
meters long, is one of the largest religious buildings in the Caucasus
from this era. Excavations have revealed Armenian inscriptions on the
church dating to the fifth century, as well as a primitive khatchkar
(stone cross).

The church was destroyed, probably during the ninth century, and its
stones were used in the 18th century as building material for the
castle towers over the site. All that remains of the church structure
today is its massive foundation, now exposed, at several feet below
ground level.

The greatest cultural treasure of Karabkh, however, is without doubt
the monastery of Gandzasar.

Even the name of this monastery attests to its status. The English
translation of Gandzasar is “treaure mountain,” and to view the
splendor of its architecture is to understand why. Some scholars and
historians consider Gandzasar to represent one of the top masterpieces
of Armenian architecture.

Construction of the main church at Gandzasar was begun in AD 1216.

According to legend, the church was builit on the location of a shrine
that contained the skull of St. John the Baptist. The skull had been
brought here from Palestine.

The exquisite bass reliefs carved on the exterior walls of the
monastery depict the Crucifixion, Adam and Eve, and two ministers
holding models of the church above their heads, as an offering to God.

There are about 150 separate inscriptions, engraved in stone and
using the Armenian alphabet, throughout the complex.

Gandzasar is functioning today, and is the seat of the Archbishop of
Artsakh of the Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church. The site is
located 50 kilometers north of Stepanakert.

Use Stepanakert Or Shushi As Your Base Karabakh covers a small
geographic area, roughly the size of the US state of Delaware. A
visitor can easily see all the sites described above, as day trips,
while staying in the captial city of Stepanakert, or in the nearby
historic town of Shushi.

Stepanakert is the closest thing that Karabakh has to an urban area,
with a population of about 50,000. There are several tourist class
hotels and a handful of restaurants. This is also the seat of the
government. Don’t be surprised if you bump into the President of the
country while walking along Freedom Square, at the center of town.

Because Stepanakert is the capital, and a center of population for the
country, it is also a transportation hub, allowing visitors to use a
scheduled mini-van to go to the cultural sites described in this story.

Traveling by public mini-van is a good way to meet local people,
even if you don’t speak Armenian. But getting around with a private
driver, or in a cab, at a cost of only about 25 cents per kilometer,
is an inexpensive alternative, especially if you’re traveling in a
group of two or three. If you are lucky, you may be able to rely upon
your cab driver for translation services, too.

Shushi has good modern class hotels, and serves as a good hub from
which to make day trips. Shushi was once a significant cultural capital
for Armenians. The town was reduced to ruins during the final days
of Soviet rule, and has been rebuilt during the past decade.

There’s much talk of a Shushi revival lately. If you choose to stay
in Shushi for part of your journey, you may be able to help contribute
to the revival, or at least bear witness to it.

When To Go Shushi Liberation Day is celebrated each year on May 9,
and is a grand time to visit. The holiday commemorates the day in 1992
that Shushi was recovered from the enemy by Armenians. There’s usually
a parade in Stepanakert. There are commemorative events in Shushi,
too, but most of the celebrating is done in Stepanakert. This might
be partly because the population of Stepanaker is tenfold the number
of people who live in Shushi.

But the significance of Shushi’s liberation to the people of Karabakh
is certainly the greater reason. The liberation of Shushi in 1992
is credited with saving Karabakh, since the Shushi highlands control
access to Armenia and hence to the rest of the world. The liberation of
Shushi thus ended the enemy’s seige of Stepanakert and made Karabakh’s
independence possible.

Karabakh Independence Day, on September 2, can also be a memorable
time time for a visit. These are both popular holidays, and visitors
should reserve hotel rooms well in advance.

Apart from these holidays, visitors to Karabakh generally don’t need
advance hotel reservations, even during the so-called high season
of summer. The destination is just too far off the well-worn tourist
paths of neighboring Armenia.

Logistics VISA: A visa is required, and can be obtained in advance in
Yerevan or after your arrival, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
in Stepanakert.

MONEY: Credit cards are rarely accepted. ATM machines are located
throughout Stepanakert, and dispense Armenian Dram, which is the
official currency. US dollars in small denominations may sometimes
be negotiable.

TRANSPORT: Mini vans and buses depart Yerevan’s Kilikia Central Bus
Station each morning, and arrive in Shushi and Stepanakert several
hours later. Vans and buses for the regions of Karabakh depart
Stepanakert’s central bus station on Azatamartikner Street.

HOTELS: In Shushi, the tourist class Avan Shushi Plaza
(). In Stepanakert, the high-end Armenia Hotel
().

FURTHER READING: “Armenia and Karabakh: The Stone Garden Travel Guide,”
(), was published in February and is the
top guide.

Nagorno Karabakh Or Artsakh?

A parade in Karabakh (photo by Matthew Karanian) BY MATTHEW KARANIAN
Nagorno Karabakh is an amalgamation of foreign names that was imposed
on this region, and its etymology reflects the ongoing political
misfortunes of the region. Karabakh is widely accepted to be a mixture
of Persian and Turkish that means Black Garden.

The Russians added the adjective Nagorno, which means mountainous,
and dubbed the region Nagorno Karabakh.

The historic Armenian name for the region within which Nagorno
Karabakh is located is Artsakh, however. Since the adoption of
a new constitution in 2006, the state has been officialy known
interchangeably as bogth the Nagorno Karabakh Republic and the Artsakh
Republic. Eventually, say the country’s officials, the name will
revert to simply Artsakh.

Reprinted with permission from ‘Armenia and Karabakh: The Stone Garden
Travel Guide,’ ().

KASBARIAN’S BOOK FOR CHILDREN GETS NAUTILUS AWARD

Published: Wednesday May 08, 2013

Armenian Reporter International

The book cover.

Belmont, Mass. – “The Greedy Sparrow: An Armenian Tale” has won
the 2013 Nautilus Silver Book Award in the Children’s Picture Book
category (readers 3 to 6 yrs.). The tale is retold by Lucine Kasbarian,
illustrated by Maria Zaikina, and published by Marshall Cavendish
(now Amazon Children’s Books).

“The Greedy Sparrow” is an English-language retelling of a traditional
Armenian folk tale about a bird who travels the countryside, encounters
natives practicing traditional folkways, and gets a comeuppance for
his trickery. Author Kasbarian and illustrator Zaikina convey ethnic
authenticity in their adaptation of this tale from the Armenian oral
tradition. The NJ and MA-based Kasbarian is a children’s author
known for her book, “Armenia: A Rugged Land, an Enduring People”:

Moscow-based Zaikina is an illustrator beloved for her companion
animation to singer Hasmik Harutyunyan’s folk lullaby, Agna Oror:
.

“Witnessing near-annihilation and exile as a result of the Armenian
Genocide,” said Kasbarian, “my surviving grandparents felt that our
people might one day become extinct. From that grew a profound desire
to preserve as much of our culture as possible, such as our language,
songs, dances, cuisine and stories. While her infant children perished
in the death marches, my paternal grandmother managed to smuggle
out the deeds belonging to our family’s confiscated property. Those
were the only material possessions that made it to America. Thus,
non-material possessions, such as what was carried in memories,
become precious links to our identity and past. “The Greedy Sparrow”
tale was one such heirloom, and UNESCO calls such treasures part of
a people’s “intangible cultural heritage.”

“The Greedy Sparrow” was also named a 2012 Honor Book in the
Storytelling World Awards. It was in School Library Journal’s “Fuse
#8 Production” blog’s “100 Magnificent Children’s Books of 2011”
and in the Children’s Literature Network’s “Snipp Snapp Snute”
blog’s “Favorite Folktales published in 2011.” Further information
is available at the author’s website: .

The Nautilus Awards recognize books that promote positive social
change, spiritual development and conscious living as they stimulate
the imagination and inspire the reader to new possibilities for a
better world. Usually, one Gold and one or more Silver awards are
given annually in each of 24 Adult and 4 Children’s/Young Adult
categories. Formal announcements about all Nautilus Award winners
will be made in at BookExpo America (May 30-June 1) in New York City:
.

The Nautilus Award is named for the pearl-lined mollusk that contains
spiral chambers of increasing size, built by this sea inhabitant to
accommodate its growth. According to the organization, the nautilus
symbolizes ancient wisdom and expanding horizons, as well as the
elegance of nature and a continual growth of understanding and
awareness. Past Nautilus Award winners have included the Dalai Lama,
Barbara Kingsolver, Dr. Andrew Weil and Deepak Chopra, among others.

For further information, please visit:
.

TRANSLATOR.AM OFFERS MULTI-LINGUAL EXPLANATORY DICTIONARY
Aida Avetisyan

“Radiolur”
17:41 08.05.2013

Translator.am, launched in 2009, is updating its information on a
regular basis. Currently the website provides 12 services, including
translation from Western to Eastern Armenian and vise versa. Also,
it includes a multi-lingual explanatory dictionary.

“As of today, more than 1,000 people from Armenia and Diaspora use
the services of the website,” said Edward Manukyan, Director of the
Internet Center for Armenian Studies. He added that unlike the Google
Translator, it provides semantic translation.

The center aims to contribute to the preservation of the Armenian
language its study, to make the foreign-language information available
in Armenian.

ARMENIA, UAE TO BOOST NUMBER OF FLIGHTS

May 7, 2013 – 20:14 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenian envoy Gegham Gharibjanyan met the UAE
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Anwar Mohammad Gargash to
discuss increasing the number of flights between the two states.

The Armenia-UAE intergovernmental committee sitting, organization of
an exhibit of Armenian-made goods, and a business forum were also on
discussion agenda.

The parties further hailed bilateral political ties, stressing the
importance of boosting the trade and economic cooperation.

KURDISH REBELS ACCUSE TURKISH ARMY OF ENDANGERING PEACEFUL PULLOUT

May 7, 2013 – 17:52 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Turkey’s Kurdish rebels have accused the army
of endangering an agreed pullout of rebel fighters from the mostly
Kurdish southeast, due to start on Wednesday, May 8 with surveillance
drones and large-scale movements of men and equipment, Reuters said.

Top Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) commander Murat Karayilan ordered
his fighters last month to begin withdrawing to bases in northern
Iraq as part of a plan to end three decades of conflict with the
Turkish state.

However, huge distrust remains. The PKK has not accepted a government
demand that its fighters should lay down their weapons before
withdrawing, fearing that they could come under attack, as they did
in a previous pullback. The army has made clear that the suspicion
is mutual.

The PKK said accelerated construction of military outposts and dams in
southeast Turkey was also provocative. But it said it still expected
the pullout to begin on time, with the first groups due in northern
Iraq within a week.

Karayilan has warned that PKK fighters will retaliate if the Turkish
army launches any kind of operation against them.