Author: Kalantarian Kevo

PAP STARTED AND FINISHED IN YEREVAN

Stepan Safaryan, Secretary General of the Heritage Party, says during
the election the PAP’s behavior was double-faced. It behaved one way
in the polling stations while outside the polling stations it played
with the rules of the government – bought votes etc.

This is not something new. The PAP has behaved so since its
establishment. It is something natural because the sole purpose of
the PAP is to get as much as possible from the public administration
system. The PAP is not hiding it. It is also clear that if the PAP
starts behaving otherwise, nothing will be left of this party.

It is another issue what the other political forces are doing. The
Congress, for example, does the role of the PAP’s doorkeeper. Levon
Zurabyan, for example, stated that the government is to blame if
the PAP is buying votes. In other words, the Congress is indirectly
playing the government’s game. However, it did not help the Congress
this time, like in the parliamentary election.

Whose game is the Heritage Party playing? If one participates in an
event the rules of which are defined by the RPA-PAP tandem and which
is intended to legitimize the position and ambitions of these two
group, it means that one is playing with the same rules. Especially
after the presidential election.

Hence, the real meaning of the PAP’s slogan “Let’s Start from
Yerevan” is a message to the government about returning to power and
an assurance that the PAP will not accept other rules. Therefore,
the Congress and the ARF were not needed this time, they had played
their role before the parliamentary election.

What will those who were trying to find another meaning in “Let’s
Start from Yerevan” willy-nilly misleading the society? What will
Vartan Oskanian do who said that the PAP will become opposition in
September? The PAP will not be opposition because a party which buys
votes cannot be opposition. Opposition is a party which does not
accept the rules of the game. How many such people are there in the
PAP and generally in the political system of Armenia?

Haik Aramyan 14:31 06/05/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Apostolic Church of Crescenta Valley-Education Committee
6252 Honolulu Ave.
La Crescenta, CA. 91214
Tel: 818-244-9645
E-mail: [email protected]

Dr. Haroutune Armenian will be the guest speaker on the subject of
“Living with the Mountains: From Ararat to Mount Lukens” at the
Armenian Apostolic Church of Crescenta Valley, located at Western
Prelacy’s “Dikran and Zarouhi Der Ghazarian” Hall, at 6252 Honolulu
Ave., La Crescenta, California on Sunday, May 19, 2013 at 1pm,
following the Divine liturgy, which starts at 11am.

We are lucky to live in an area surrounded by mountains. However, do
we really benefit from this blessed environment? Using slides and a
narrative, Dr. Armenian’s interesting and almost daily experiences of
hiking in these mountains with friends and family will be
presented. These experiences have carried them from the mountain peaks
of Armenia, including Mount Ararat, to Mount Kilimanjaro and the major
peaks of Southern California. During the presentation the principles
of this healthy lifestyle will be presented.

Dr. Haroutune Armenian is the Associate Dean of Academic Programs and
the Professor of epidemiology at the UCLA Fielding School of Public
Health. He is also a Professor Emeritus at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg
School of Public Health, where he received his MPH and Dr.P.H. degrees
(1972-4) following his M.D. from the American University of Beirut in
1968. Dr. Armenian’s academic and development leadership has included
program development at the Ministry of Health in Bahrain, Dean of the
Faculty of Health Sciences at the American University of Beirut,
Director of the MPH Program at the Johns Hopkins University, and Dean
of the School of Public Health at the American University of Armenia
(AUA).

As President of the AUA for fourteen years, he was at the forefront of
the establishment of novel educational and development programs in
Armenia and the Middle East. Recent awards include the Movses
Khorenatsi Presidential Medal of Service in 2001 from the Republic of
Armenia and Presidential Medal of the Order of Cedars from the
Republic of Lebanon. Dr. Armenian has been on the central executive
council of the Armenian Church in Lebanon as well as on the executive
of the Hamazkaine Cultural Association and the Karageuzian
Foundation. He has published over 100 scientific papers and peer
reviewed chapters as well as 20 books. In Armenia, he continues to
lead the Turpanjian Rural Development Program with over 250 businesses
established in the villages and 600 people trained in
entrepreneurship. Dr. Armenian and his wife Sona are avid
mountaineers: they climbed Mount Ararat in an AUA expedition in 2006
and in June – July 2012, they climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania
with their son Saro.

This event, which is organized by Crescenta Valley Church Education
Committee, is free and open to the public.

MOVIE DEDICATED TO ARMENIANS FROM KESSAB TO BE PREMIERED IN YEREVAN

14:14, 7 May, 2013

YEREVAN, MAY 7, ARMENRPESS. “Kessab” documentary movie by Nane
Bagratuni will be premiered in “Narekatsi” Art Union in Yerevan on
May 7. In a conversation with “Armenpress” filmmaker Nane Bagratuni
underscored that the movie tells about Armenian-populated Kessab
settlement near the Syrian border.

Among other things the filmmaker stated: “The movie is of a certain
importance from the cultural and ethnographical viewpoints, as the
Eastern Armenia does not have much information about Kessab. The movie
is dedicated to the story of the Armenians living in the settlement.”

According to her unlike the Hamshen-Armenians, who adhere to Muslim
religion, the Armenians from Kessab are Christians.

Also Nane Bagratuni emphasized that they will continue shooting the
movie series in future as well.

The documentary will last 30 minutes and will be introduced to the
public in the Armenian language with English subtitles.

HETQ EDITOR WRITES TO POLICE CHIEF: YOUTUBE VIDEO REMOVED MINUTES LATER

A mere ten minutes after the follow open letter, addressed to RA
Police Chief Gasparyan appeared in Hetq, thevideo in question was
removed from YouTube. One can only guess as to who ordered its removal

Dear Mr. Gasparyan,

Video footage of the incident in which Heritage Party member Armen
Martirosyan was taken into custody by police has recently appeared
in the press.

It is evident that a member of the so-called police press unit recorded
the incident.

This is not the first case when on-site video recordings are later
made accessible to the press.

Thus, I would request that you clarify the following:

1. On what basis do the police provide the press with such recordings?

2. Do the media outlets pay for such video footage?

3. If so, what are the rates for the purchase of such recordings and
how can interested media outlets apply to obtain them?

4. In the cited recording, an advert for appears.

Has the advertiser entered into a contract with the police, and if so,
what are the stipulations involved?

Thanking you in advance,

Edik Baghdasaryan

Hetq Chief Editor

P.S. – Some 45 minutes after the video in question had been removed
from YouTube, Police Department Public Affairs Head Ashot Aharonyan
announced that the police hadn’t authorized the public dissemination
of the video and that an investigation had been launched to locate
its source.

Aharonyan added that the video had never appeared on the Police
Department’s official website from which the press obtains video and
photos at no charge. He said that media outlets can contact the police
for other materials in their possession.

eo-removed-minutes-later.html

LAST NINE DAYS OF ELECTION CAMPAIGN SHOW MORE UNFAVORABLE ASSESSMENTS OF ARMENIA’S RULING PARTY

13:42 ~U 07.05.13

The last nine days of the election campaign for Yerevan’s Council
of Elders saw more assessments, particularly unfavorable ones of
the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), Boris Navasardyan,
Chairman of the Yerevan Press Club, told journalists on Tuesday.

He presented the interim report on media monitoring of the election
campaign, April 7 to May 3, Navasardyan said that it contains
unfavorable assessments of the Armenian National Congress (ANC)
and Rule of Law parties.

“A high percentage of unfavorable assessments of the RPA – 28 favorable
assessments and 153 unfavorable ones. This is striking balance in
our history of monitoring, which is largely due to the Kentron and
Yerkir Media TV channels,” he said.

The RPA did not have any TV interviews on its own initiative. “We can
calmly say this, which, to an extent, explains that, when you do not
speak, you are spoken of,” Navasardyan said.

Throughout the election period suggests that, in contrast to the first
phase of the monitoring, the Mission party was shown a discriminatory
approach.

Armenian News – Tert.am

TSARNI RETRACTS APOLOGY TO ARMENIANS; BREAKS PROMISE TO RECTIFY EARLIER CLAIM

12:47 07/05/2013 ” ANALYSIS

Armenians woke up on April 30 to the breaking news: “Ruslan Tsarni
Apologizes to Armenian Community,” as reported by Alin Grigorian,
editor of the Armenian Mirror-Spectator of Watertown, Mass.

Prior to this apology, Tsarni had been telling the international media
that “an Armenian convert to Islam had brainwashed” his nephews —
Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev — the Boston bombers. By linking
an Armenian to such a heinous crime, Uncle Tsarni had infuriated
Armenians who suspected dubious motives behind his outlandish claim.

Armenians were naturally relieved upon learning that Tsarni had told
the Mirror-Spectator: “Armenia has a very strong culture, therefore, I
want to stress that his [Misha’s] ethnicity has nothing to do with it.

I wish I had never said it. I felt for you [Armenians] and wish I
had never done it.” He went on to apologize for linking the Armenian
community “to this evil event.”

While this apology was a good start, it was inadequate compared to
the magnitude of the damage Tsarni had caused to the good name of
Armenians worldwide. Merely apologizing to an Armenian newspaper could
not undo that harm, unless he repeated it on CNN or other TV networks.

I contacted Tsarni asking him if he would issue a similar apology on
national television. He responded affirmatively since he regretted
dragging the Armenian name into “this sad episode.” Tsarni stressed
that he did not “speak about all Armenians, just one man of Armenian
descent. I never had the intention of harming Armenians or anyone
else. I feel sorry that the name of the Armenian people was used. I
feel somehow guilty. I would like to apologize. No one likes to be
brushed with an act like this.” Tsarni asked me to report that he
felt terrible about mentioning Armenians in his TV interviews.

Given his willingness to make a new public statement, I offered to
assist him in drafting the text of an apology for a possible future
network appearance. He first welcomed the idea, but later informed me
that he would neither accept my suggestion nor issue his own statement,
claiming that his earlier remarks were accurate, since Misha was of
Armenian descent, overlooking the fact that Misha Allakhverdov, born
in Azerbaijan, was of mixed Armenian and Ukrainian parentage. Tsarni
further advised that he never meant to refer to “the entire [Armenian]
ethnicity. It was a simple technical characteristic of the person
whose name I did not know at the time. Had I known his name was Misha,
he would be Misha, not an Armenian or anyone else.” He justified the
use of the phrase ‘a new convert to Islam of Armenian descent,’ by
claiming that his intent was “to help the media, reporters, and law
enforcement agencies to locate that person.” He, therefore, decided
not to issue an apology on television, as he had promised.

Furthermore, he disputed Mirror-Spectator’s report of his apology,
by claiming that he was “misquoted.” He asserted: “I never said,
‘I wish I never said it.’ I said that I had no intention to have the
name of Armenians used in association with the bombing. I spoke about
the certain individual who I was told about and that information was
confirmed as true information.” Despite Tsarny’s belated denial,
the Mirror-Spectator stands by its story and I have no reason to
doubt the accuracy of its report!

I reminded Tsarni of his unfulfilled commitment to appear on national
TV and set the record straight on his allegation about ‘the Armenian’
Misha. He has yet to respond, as he has been busy making funeral
arrangements for his nephew, Tamerlan.

There are many unanswered questions about Tsarni. Although the internet
is replete with all sorts of allegations about his background, we
prefer to concentrate on questions of more immediate interest to the
Armenian community:

— Why did Tsarni apologize to the Armenian Mirror-Spectator and
then turn around and claim that he was misquoted? Could it be that
he had felt sorry for his earlier statements to the media, and then
backtracked after being advised by ‘unknown interests’ that he should
not apologize to the Armenians?

— Why did he make a personal commitment to me to appear on major
TV networks to apologize for maligning Armenians, and then refuse to
do so?

With these unanswered questions, one can only wonder about Uncle
Tsarni’s mysterious motives and enigmatic connections.

Harut Sassounian Publisher, The California Courier

Source:
Panorama.am

A PERFECT ARMENIAN – A BOOK ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE -RELEASED

09:50 07.05.2013

April 24 marked the anniversary of the largest genocide you have never
heard of: the Armenian genocide. Michigan author Keri Topouzian’s
book, A Perfect Armenian, captures the suspense and fear of that
time through the story of a good man born into a life of violence,
illegal business, and tough decisions, the Broadway Report writes.

“On the 24th of April in 1915, the first phase of the Armenian
massacres began with the arrest and murder of hundreds of
intellectuals, mainly from Constantinople, the capital of Ottoman
Empire (now Istanbul in present day Turkey),” the article reads.

Topouzian’s book, A Perfect Armenian is work of historical fiction
wrapped in adventure and mystery that was inspired by his own family’s
story of survival during the Genocide and the need to raise awareness
about a tragic time in our world’s history that is unremembered.

“If it weren’t for fiction, I believe we would know very little about
our world. A list of historic facts might come and go, but when our
imaginations become involved, we learn. When we are able to place
ourselves within the story and laugh or cry with the characters,
we remember. Not many people know much about Armenia, its history or
its people. I hope that this novel will open a small and interesting
window into this culture. My culture,” said Topouzian, author of A
Perfect Armenian.

Topouzian’s paternal grandmother, Varsenig, came from the village of
Tchingiler. In 1915, Turkish soldiers forced Varsenig, her family and
the rest of their village to walk from their homes to the desert near
Damascus, Syria. They walked hundreds of miles because the soldiers
had convinced the villagers that they were traveling to safety from
World War I. In reality, they were deprived of food and water, and
left to die. 1.5 million Armenians were killed in the genocide.

Topouzian’s book, A Perfect Armenian was inspired by his family’s
story of survival and the need to raise awareness about a tragic time
in our world’s history.

Keri Topouzian, a Bloomfield Hills resident, was born in Detroit,
Michigan. He graduated from the University of Health Sciences,
College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1982. Dr. Topouzian’s mother,
a journalist, was born and raised in Detroit while his father, a
mechanical engineer, was born in Utica, New York. His grandparents
hailed from four different villages in Ancient Armenia (now part of
Turkey), each immigrating separately to the United States.

Topouzian practices holistic and alternative medicine with offices in
Grand Rapids and Detroit. He is active in the Armenian community but
spends most of his free time with his wife and four growing children.

VOTE EREVAN 2013 : LES PARTIS D’OPPOSITION DENONCENT DES VIOLATIONS

Les forces de l’opposition qui ont participe aux elections du 5 mai
pour l’election du Conseil des sages d’Erevan ont decrit le vote de
dimanche de frauduleux accusant son grand gagnant, le Parti republicain
d’Armenie (RPA), d’avoir mis en scène des violations et d’avoir commis
des fraudes pour gagner l’election.

Le manque d’unite de l’opposition a egalement ete blâme par certains
pour expliquer la victoire ecrasante (près de 56 pour cent) enregistree
par le RPA.

Le depute Stepan Safaryan du Parti Heritage, qui a participe
a l’election sous l’etiquette du bloc Bonjour Erevan Bonjour,
a declare a ArmeniaNow : ” Aujourd’hui, nous recoltons ce que nous
avons seme hier. L’indifference des forces politiques de l’opposition
a l’issue de l’election presidentielle, les 600000 votes [acquis par
le parti Heritage de Raffi Hovannisian] n’a pas aide, mais a empeche
l’opposition de prendre cette capitale politique et de former une
unite. ”

Stepan Safaryan a decrit le resultat des elections de resultat obtenu
par le biais d’une facon ” malhonnete et injuste “. Il a egalement
suggere que le nom du bloc, Bonjour Erevan, a peut-etre ete confondu
par beaucoup d’electeurs qui etaient a la recherche du bulletin de
vote du parti Heritage.

Zoya Tadevosyan du parti du Congrès national Armenien (ANC) a decrit
les elections municipales en tant qu’elections de fraude et d’achat
de votes.

“Je pensais que la dignite ferait que les criminels seraient rejetes.

Mais il s’avère que la dignite a un prix et que lorsque de l’argent
est verse, la dignite devient secondaire “, a declare Zoya Tadevoyan,
ajoutant qu’elle ne pouvait rien dire sur les plans de l’ANC.

Plus tôt, l’ANC a publie une declaration accusant le ” regime ”
actuel d’avoir commis un autre crime electoral.

Dans un communique diffuse plus tard la FRA a declare : “La fusion de
l’Etat et du parti au pouvoir, l’application illimitee des ressources
administratives et l’achat de vote de gros ont fait leur travail.”

Le Parti Armenie prospère, qui a termine loin en deuxième position
n’avait pas fourni de commentaires au debut de l’après-midi.

Pendant ce temps, le porte-parole du RPA et directeur de campagne
Eduard Sharmazanov du maire sortant Taron Markarian a declare que les
elections du 5 mai ont prouve que le processus democratique lors des
elections locales en Armenie etait ” irreversible “. Il a dit qu’a la
suite des elections les personnes vivront dans ” une meilleure Erevan
” au cours des quatre prochaines annees.

Le president de la Commission electorale centrale Tigran Mukuchyan
a egalement salue le deroulement des elections, en disant qu’elles
ont eu lieu de facon organisee et calme.

Pendant ce temps, les analystes et les experts politiques ont presente
des vues differentes sur le vote de dimanche.

Richard Giragosian, directeur du Centre d’etudes regionales, a ecrit
sur son compte Facebook ” Après une election presidentielle meme
imparfait en Fevrier, cette election represente encore une autre”
occasion manquee “pour des progrès en matière de democratisation et
de meilleures elections en Armenie.”

mardi 7 mai 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

VALERIE BOYER : ” NOUS DEVONS RECONNAITRE LE HAUT-KARABAGH ”

” Nous devons reconnaître le Haut-Karabagh afin de montrer la
democratie dans le Karabagh et de laisser les gens dans le monde
connaître que la population du Karabagh veut vivre libre et de facon
independante ” a declare la deputee francaise Valerie Boyer lors de
sa deuxième visite dans la Republique du Haut-Karabagh.

Valerie Boyer, qui est l’auteur du projet de loi francais criminalisant
la negation du genocide armenien, est aussi membre fondateur du Groupe
d’amitie France-Karabagh, qui a ete inaugure le mois dernier.

” En creant le Groupe d’amitie France-Karabakh, nous avons comme
objectif de faire reconnaître le Karabagh et de garantir les conditions
pour les gens de ce pays puissent vivre librement ” a ajoute Valerie
Boyer.

Valerie Boyer fait partie d’une delegation de parlementaires
europeens qui sont en mission au Karabagh afin de visiter le pays et
de participer a des reunions avec des representants du Haut-Karabagh.

mardi 7 mai 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

Le Monde, France
2 mai 2013 jeudi

The Lebanese Rocket Society A VOIR

Du temps où le Liban se rêvait en conquérant stellaire

ENCART: Un documentaire poétique, signé d’un couple de
cinéastes-plasticiens de l’entre-deux-mondes

Joana Hadjithomas et Khalil Joreige, les réalisateurs de ce
documentaire au titre digne du foltre Wes Anderson, sont d’effarants
cumulards. Ils forment un couple à la ville et à la scène. Ils
travaillent en France et sont libanais. Ils sont cinéastes mais font
aussi oeuvre de plasticiens. Voici donc un duo très riche intervenant
simultanément dans de nombreux domaines, et passant le plus clair de
son temps à prouver au monde les vertus du funambulisme, au risque de
l’épuisement à plus ou moins long terme. La vocation, si c’en est une,
est d’autant plus admirable.

Pour s’en tenir au cinéma, leur cheminement a été jusqu’à présent
éclectique. Deux longs-métrages de fiction au ton fort dissemblable
(Autour de la maison rose, 1999 ; A Perfect Day, 2005), un
documentaire au long cours sur le destin d’une prison libanaise
(Khiam, 2000-2007), un essai conceptuel promenant l’icône Catherine
Deneuve le long du champ de ruines libanais (Je veux voir, 2008).
Entre ces titres répertoriés se cache leur plus beau film, un petit
bijou de court-métrage intitulé – selon la loi de l’indicible joie
libanaise – Cendres (2003).

Quoi de nouveau avec The Lebanese Rocket Society ? Le fait que, pour
la première fois, le couple semble avoir tout mis de lui dans le même
panier. D’un côté, c’est un problème ; de l’autre, c’est très
émouvant. D’autant que l’affaire s’enlève sur une histoire
passionnante : la première, et seule, entreprise spatiale du monde
arabe. L’aventure a lieu dans les années 1960, à l’époque de la guerre
froide et du panarabisme. Une aventure un peu folle qui se passe,
naturellement, au Liban, menée par un petit groupe d’universitaires
dont le leader est un professeur de mathématiques d’origine arménienne
répondant au nom de Manoug Manougian. Ce Tournesol local rêve
d’apporter la pierre libanaise à la conquête de l’espace, dans
laquelle rivalisent Américains et Soviétiques. Aidé de ses étudiants,
il se lance dans le projet sans autorisation ni crédit, débutant avec
de gros pétards, terminant, sous l’oeil intéressé des militaires, avec
des cigares géants qui se mettent à tomber malencontreusement sur
Chypre. Suffisamment performants, toutefois, pour qu’il soit gentiment
demandé à l’Etat libanais d’en stopper la fabrication.

Là-dessus, l’échec du panarabisme, le renoncement au progressisme, la
remontée violente du communautarisme et l’oubli total de la fusée.
C’est de l’oubli de ce rêve pacifique que partent nos Tintin, qui se
mettent à fabriquer un film aussi empirique et gracieux que les fusées
du professeur Manougian. Il débute comme une enquête, où les deux
limiers se mettent en scène dans des archives libanaises désaffectées
; se poursuit à Tempa, en Floride, où ils retrouvent la trace du
professeur qui leur donne de magnifiques images amateurs de
l’aventure. Il revient à Beyrouth, où les cinéastes redeviennent
artistes et reconstruisent à l’échelle le Cedar 4 de l’époque ; se
fait surprendre entre-temps par le choc des révolutions arabes, et
imagine in fine d’y répondre par un final, très enlevé, de dessin
animé futuriste où le Liban serait devenu l’eldorado de la conquête
spatiale.

Voilà donc un film qui, la tête tournée vers le passé et le nez dans
les étoiles (on pense ici à Nostalgie de la lumière, très beau
documentaire de Patricio Guzman), passe son temps à se chercher au
présent. Qu’il ne se trouve pas toujours est un moindre mal. Seul
compte ici le mouvement de l’art, la propulsion poétique, l’effort de
s’arracher d’une attraction terrestre encombrée de charniers et
d’utopies assassinées. En route.

Jacques Mandelbaum

Documentaire franco-libanais, de Joana Hadjithomas et Khalil Joreige
(1 h 35). A lire : ” Le Cinéma de Joana Hadjithomas et Khalil Joreige
“, entretiens avec Quentin Mével (Ed. Independencia, 194 p., 12 ).