Author: Kanayan Tamar

MERDINIAN SCHOOL CELEBRATES 30TH ANNIVERSARY

asbarez
Friday, March 23rd, 2012

Dr. Nalbandian & Mr. Loussararian during the banquet MISSION HILLS-C &
E Merdinian Armenian Evangelical School recently celebrated the 30th
anniversary of the school’s founding at a gala banquet held at the
Deukmejian Ballroom of the Ararat Home in Mission Hills, California,
on Sunday March 4.

The Banquet was a huge success. More than 350 guests and dignitaries
attended, including members of the school’s Board of Directors,
faculty, administration, students, parents, alumni, founding members,
members of the PTO, the Women’s Auxiliary, past and present AMAA Board
members and officers, Armenian Evangelical ministers, representatives
of the Western Prelacy and Western Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic
Church, representatives of the Armenian Catholic Church, the Consul
General of the Republic of Armenia, the first President of the American
University of Armenia, and members of the Armenian press.

Hreir Sagherian was the Master of Ceremonies for the evening. He is an
industrial engineer and a sales executive with IBM Corporation. He has
led the AEUNA youth committee for many years, and he currently serves
on the Board of Directors of Camp AREV. Mr. Sagherian introduced Dr.

Vahe Nalbandian, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Merdinian
School.

Dr. Nalbandian thanked the attendees, the sponsors of the event
as well as members of the Banquet Committee, the PTO and the
Women’s Auxiliary. He introduced Mrs. Lina Arslanian, the newly
appointed Principal of the school. Prior to her being elevated to
the principal’s position, Arslanian served the school capably for
thirteen years in various capacities, as teacher, department chair,
and curriculum coordinator.

Recent accomplishments of the school were mentioned, including renewal
of the school’s accreditation for a full six-year term, the highest
SAT scores achieved by its students in the school’s history, and the
major renovations made to the campus facilities.

During the past twelve months, the school has been the beneficiary of
three major grants: a very large gift from the Armenian Evangelical
Social Service Center for the repair and renovation of the school’s
buildings and grounds, a major gift from Anahis Derian-Boolghoorjian
for the renovation of the school’s assembly hall, and a substantial
gift from the Ahmanson Foundation for the upgrading of the school’s
computer lab.

On behalf of the Merdinian School Board of Directors, Dr. Nalbandian
expressed his sincere gratitude to these generous donors. He presented
a plaque on behalf of the Board of Directors to the Armenian
Evangelical Social Service Center and to its Executive Director,
Hagop Loussararian, as a token of their appreciation.

For twenty-five years, the Armenian Evangelical Social Service
Center has provided valuable services to the community of refugees
and immigrants who have arrived here from Armenia and the Middle
East by helping them resettle in the Glendale area, find employment,
and become productive members of society.

Mr. Loussararian is one of the visionaries who planned and founded
Merdinian School. He served as a Board member and Chair of the
Personnel Committee during the early years of the school’s existence.

His love for the school has remained very much alive.

Dinner followed the invocation by Rev. Ara Chakerian. After dinner,
Dr. Nalbandian recognized Mrs. Anahis Derian-Boolghoorjian, a
registered nurse and a philanthropist, for her generous donation
to Merdinian School and various other organizations, including the
AMAA, Haigazian University, Camp AREV, Sahag-Mesrob school and the
Cilicia Armenian Evangelical Church in Pasadena. Upon completion of
its renovation, Merdinian School’s assembly hall shall be named the
Aram and Anahis Boolghoorjian Hall.

A musical interlude ensued. After that, Peter Kougasian, Esq., an
AMAA Vice President, Assistant District Attorney for the County of
New York, and a gifted speaker, delivered the captivating keynote
speech entitled “Why Merdinian? What is the purpose of a Christian,
Armenian education in this increasingly secular world?”

Kougasian made a compelling case for Merdinian School, where children
are taught the Bible, along with the Armenian language, history, and
culture. He regards the assumption that religion and education must
be kept antiseptically separate as being a fallacy. He explained the
fallacy by quoting the epigram of the medieval philosopher St. Anselm:
“I do not understand, that I may then believe. I believe, that I may
then understand.” Kougasian stated that when religion and education are
separated, teaching becomes sterile. As the book of Proverbs tells us,
the very beginning of wisdom is the fear of God.

The keynote speaker was followed by brief messages by Mr. Grigor
Hovhannissian, Consul General of the Republic of Armenia in Los
Angeles, and Helen Haig, daughter of Alice Haig, who played a key
role in the establishment of the school and who served as the first
Chair of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Personnel Committee.

The Principal delivered her message both in English and in Armenian.

After that, ten alumni ascended to the podium, introduced themselves,
and mentioned the years they graduated from Merdinian, the colleges
they attended, the career paths they now follow, and what key
principles the school taught them. One of the alumni read a passage
that included remarks made by each of the ten.

Rev. Joe Matossian, Minister to the Union, concluded this highly
successful celebration of the school’s 30th anniversary with his
benediction.

THEATER GROUPS FROM THE CAPITAL, PROVINCES AND NAGORNO KARABAKH TO PARTICIPATE IN “THEATER- X”

ARMENPRESS
MARCH 29, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, MARCH 29, ARMENPRESS: This year “Theater-X” festival will
be conducted April 2-May 3. Thirty theater groups and theaters from
the capital, provinces and Nagorno Karabakh the will participate in
the festival, press service of the organizational committee of the
festival told Armenpress.

Besides professional discussions following the plays, master classes
and round tables with participation of local creative people and
students are intended.

The motto of the festival is “Cultural Unity: Festival of Debate”.

Ara Khzmalyan is the president of the festival, and Ruben Babayan is
the art director.

TURKEY INC.: RETHINKING THE MODEL’S REGIONAL ROLE

-regional-role/a5k9
March 29, 2012 Nora Fisher Onar

Turkey is often touted as an inspiration for the rest of the Middle
East–a characterization it accepts and pursues. In recent years,
Turkish policy makers have worked hard to establish “Turkey Inc.”:
a model of a relatively free, stable, and increasingly prosperous
Muslim-majority country with great economic and foreign policy
leverage. But what does the Turkish experience actually represent
for the Arab Middle East? How convincing is Turkey, Inc.–and can it
really be emulated?

Perhaps the most attention has been paid to the free and fair rise
to power of its Justice and Development Party (AKP), which Islamist
movements in Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, and Syria have heralded as a
symbol of Muslim majoritarian democracy–even explicitly referencing
it in the names and platforms of their own parties, movements, and
factions. To both domestic and international observers, this might
signal that, like the AKP in Turkey, Islamist parties elsewhere do
not seek to dismantle their states’ secular framework–at least for
the time being.

But in spite of its appeal to both traditional Islamists and
“post-Islamists”–that is, those who fully reconcile their particular
politico-religious commitments with globalization–the Turkish
formula may not be replicable. Civil-military relations in Turkey
have undergone a double-sided transformation over recent decades. As
a consequence of the army’s intermittent censure, political Islamists
had to moderate their demands and practices; simultaneously, the
army–accustomed to the barracks and aware that interference in
government hurt Turkey’s international standing–increasingly relied
on civilian allies to pursue its agenda vis-a-vis the AKP. Eventually,
the military relinquished control of crucial institutions (like the
National Security Council), and the final showdown over control of
the presidency in 2007 was fought not with bullets and tanks, but
with web declarations, public rallies, and court cases. A similar
tipping point regarding civilian control of the state is hardly a
foregone conclusion in countries still under transition where national
militaries continue to exert a dominant presence in political life.

Other countries in the region also lack the trajectory of Turkey’s
economic development–particularly, the export-driven rise of
the middle class experienced by religious constituencies across
the Anatolian periphery–something that has underpinned the AKP’s
moderation, political success, and interregional presence.

Indeed, Turkey’s recent economic trajectory is a central component
to its appeal in the Arab world.

Over the past decade, Turkey has tripled its GDP and–excluding a
dip to -4% real growth in 2009–has ridden out the global economic
crisis with relative equanimity. Commentators have argued that Turkey
may be part of a second tier of rising economic powers (alongside
South Korea, Mexico, and Indonesia) hot on the heels of the Big Four
(Brazil, Russia, India, and China). This holds two implications:
on a symbolic level, the Turkish experience (along with that of
Indonesia and Malaysia) has dramatically undermined theories of
Islam’s incompatibility with modernization, especially in the arena
of economic governance. More tangibly, over the past decade Turkey
has actively sought partners for sustainable trade-driven growth in
a region long addled by the heady cocktail of oil wealth and chronic
underdevelopment. Although economic partnerships were in no way guided
by concerns for democratic governance–attested to by Turkey’s once
cozy ties with authoritarian leaders–they also have had unintended
consequences with positive implications for political reform. For
example, the influx of cheaper, better quality Turkish goods in
Syrian markets may have undermined a backbone of the Assad regime:
its business cronies.

To understand the parameters of Turkey’s role in the region, we
should also acknowledge the sensitivities that arise from the Ottoman
legacy. Some believe that Ankara seeks to reclaim its historical
leadership of the Middle East, the Caucasus, and the Balkans,
something that can rub interlocutors the wrong way. Hence, Turkish
foreign policy makers’ reluctance to employ Ottomanist frames of
reference. But at the domestic social level, there remains a growing
receptiveness to self-depiction as the benign heir to the Ottoman
Empire. This is evident in the proliferation of cultural commodities
that employ Ottoman referents, such as the recent record-grossing
film Conquest 1453 about what western historiography calls the “fall”
of Constantinople. In the film, Mehmet the Conqueror–played by an
actor who bears a remarkable resemblance to a young Recep Tayyip
Erdogan–is shown to be a forceful and compassionate protector of
Muslims and Christians alike (though there is no mention of Jews). The
image of Turkey as a “big brother” to downtrodden Muslims in places
like Palestine, Nagorno-Karabagh, Kosovo, and Bosnia–characterizes an
emerging “neo-Ottomanist” national image that seems to drive Turkish
aspirations of regional leadership within the country and amplify
Erdogan’s profile abroad. Whether this is a matter of hubris or of
capacity remains to be seen.

A final component that is crucial for evaluating Turkey’s example
is that the country has yet to develop a framework for meaningful
multi-ethnic, multi-sectarian co-habitation. Mounting violence on the
part of militant Kurds and the state’s heavy-handed response fuels
hostility between ordinary citizens. Recent court rulings suggest
that vigilante terror towards prominent members of the Armenian and
Alevi communities is permissible and will go unpunished.

Disturbing numbers of journalists, scholars, and students who
express critical views on these fronts are jailed. There is also
deep concern in constituencies which embrace secular lifestyles
that recent reforms in fields like education will yield an ever more
restricted society. Given the need to put its own house in order and
the fact that inter-communal tensions across the region are likely
to become worse before becoming better, Turkey’s AKP must take very
seriously its mandate to write a new and inclusive constitution. In
the longer tem, Turkey must confront the standing challenge of the
region–learning to live together despite differences–a challenge
which is also Turkey’s own.

At the end of the day, the export of Turkey Inc. needs stable and
predictable conditions in which trade and investment can thrive;
hence, the commitment to the “zero problems” policy that Turkey
employed with neighbors in its economic and foreign agendas over the
past decade. Due to last year’s upheavals, however, this policy is
unsustainable. Once well-placed to broker a dialogue between Iran and
Israel, Turkey is now alienated from both as the two nemeses lock
horns in what Graham Allison has called the “Cuban missile crisis
in slow motion.” Should this spill into war, the delicate balance in
Iraq may unravel into protracted sectarian and ethnic conflict, just
as Syria’s brewing civil war may spill over into Lebanon. But even
without an Israeli-Iranian showdown and an intensified conflagration
in Iraq and Syria, the country’s Kurdish question is, quite literally,
kindling awaiting a flame, as attested to by recent clashes during
Nevruz/Newroz celebrations. All of this suggests that Turkey’s
aspirations to regional leadership are tactically dependent on
forestalling an Iranian-Israeli showdown–an end to which it should
leverage all its diminished diplomatic capital in the two countries
and in partnership with the United States.

Before the AKP and Arab Awakening, the received wisdom was that when
it came to Islam, democracy, and secularism, one could have any two
but never all three. Similarly, doubts have long been expressed as to
whether political and economic liberalism can thrive simultaneously
in a Muslim-majority setting. Taken together, it seems that if
the purveyors of Turkey Inc. can show that liberal economics goes
hand-in-hand with liberal democracy in a country governed by pious
Muslims, the Turkish model-in-progress may achieve fruition and offer
a timely example for the region.

Nora Fisher Onar is an assistant professor of International Relations
at BahceÅ~_ehir University in Istanbul. She is a Ronald D. Asmus
Policy Entrepreneur Fellow with the German Marshall Fund and is a
Visiting Fellow at the Centre for International Studies (CIS) at the
University of Oxford.

ANIMATION CO-PRODUCTION FORUM TO HOST YOUNG SPECIALISTS FROM CAUCASUS

PanARMENIAN.Net
March 30, 2012 – 14:29 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The Stuttgart International Festival of Animated
Film, the Georgian National Film Center and ReAnimania Yerevan
International Animation Film Festival are organizing an Animation
Co-Production Forum to connect young directors, animators and producers
from Germany and the Caucasus region.

The aim of the Animation Co-Production Forum is to identify interesting
projects and to connect optional co-production partners with regard
to an application for the Co-Production Prize of the Robert Bosch
Stiftung.

The forum is directed at both animation filmmakers who are looking
for a producer or coproducer and producers who are interested in
producing or coproducing an animated film project. Several meetings,
workshops, trainings, and pitching sessions will be held.

The Animation Co-Production Forum takes place from May 10-11 in the
context of the 19th Stuttgart International Festival of Animated
Film (ITFS). With over 2,000 international professionals and about
to 75,000 spectators the ITFS, the FMX and the Animation Production
Day form one of the world’s largest animation events and a unique
platform for animation business and culture.

The selected directors, animators, and producers will be invited
for three nights to take part in the Animation Coproduction Forum in
Stuttgart. Travel and accommodation costs are covered by the Animation
Co-Production Forum.

Robert Bosch Stiftung, one of the largest German foundations enabling
people to implement projects and initiative in Germany and elsewhere,
issues three Co-Production Prizes for joint film productions by
young filmmakers.

The prize, worth up to ~@70,000 for each selected project, is
awarded for short films in the categories animation, documentary,
and live action.

ARMENIAN NATIONAL COMMITTEES OPEN CONFERENCE IN YEREVAN

Tert.am
30.03.12

Representatives of Armenian national committees are now in Yerevan
to discuss the challenges facing the country.

Traditionally known as Hay Dat (Armenian Cause) committees of
the Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaksutyun (ARF-D), they
opened their fourth conference in Armenia’s capital earlier today
to discuss the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide
and the activities towards advocacy campaign, as well as the legal
recognition of Artsakh and the current negotiation process.

Other issues on the agenda concerned measures to combat Azerbaijan’s
anti-Armenian propaganda and Armenia’s foreign policy challenges, and
the initiatives aimed to protect the Armenian population of Javakhk.

The discussion has brought together member of more than 25 Armenian
national committees.

Addressing the meeting, ARF-D Bureau member and lawmaker, Vahan
Hovhannisyan, focused on parliamentary diplomacy and the Armenian
Cause, noting that Armenian National Committee representatives in
both Armenia and abroad are not ready for diplomatic work on account
ofdifferent objective and subjective reasons.

“The Turkish and Azerbaijani lobbies use different resources,
centering on the material aspect. We have to understand, in this
context, that we cannot fight on their battlefield, pursuing material
interests. Our work is based on moral and ideal values,” he said,
considering parliamentary diplomacy an important tool for representing
the Armenian interests.

As key challenges, Hovhannisyan pointed out to three issues:
international recognition of Genocide, enhancement of Armenia’s
economic situation and the Nagorno-Karabakh issue.

“It is necessary to find a formula, ensuring their balance in an
accurate manner to find accurate solutions,” he said. “The Armenian
National Committees have to work in a right manner, pursuing ideal
diplomacy and smoothing out the errors.”

In his speech, Armen Roustamyan of the ARF-D bureau addressed the
foreign policy challenges, stressing the importance of using its
rich experience.

“Demanding our rights is the underlying idea behind Armenian Cause.

Not only acknowledgement but also compensation should be an integral
part of the Armenian Genocide recognition efforts. That shouldn’t
scare us; we have to realize that we are invulnerable as long as we
are just,” he said.

Addressing the Armenia-Turkey reconciliation and the Karabakh conflict,
Roustamyan called for being unanimous.

“We shouldn’t resort to steps that would cause us to miss our chances
and close our ways,” he said.

The conference also addressed other issues, such as the recent
developments in Middle East, Turkey’s role, the activities of Hay
Dat and new challenges.

ERNEKYAN PRESENTS FIRST AIRPLANE TO STEPANAKERT’S AIRPORT: FLIGHTS ARE SCHEDULED IN JUNE-JULY

13:32 . 30/03

Stepanakert’s airport is completely ready to be commissioned. At
present, they are purchasing airplanes and are recruiting the airport
staff, Chief of NKR General Department of Civil Aviation Valeri
Adbashyan has stated.

According to him, when the preparation phase is over, the flights will
start. The first airplane with which the first flight will be carried
out was presented by Argentinean-Armenian businessman Eduardo Ernekyan.

“We are planning the first flight to be carried out in June-July of
the current year. Though the airplane is not new, but is quite enough
for the start,” Adbashyan has said.

Touching upon Baku’s threat to destroy the airplanes Adbashyan said
that recently Azerbaijanis seem to have calmed down.

Besides, according to him, Azerbaijan is a member of ICAO, therefore
it has signed the convention, according to which, all the member
countries are obliged not to create threats for the passengers of
civil airplanes. They can make the airplane land, but have no right
to destroy a passenger airplane.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST: JUDGE RECUSES HERSELF IN NAREG HARTUNIAN CASE

hetq
13:44, March 30, 2012

The presiding judge in the Nareg Hartunian tax evasion case has recued
himself due to a conflict of interest.

It was revealed that she has two sisters working at the State Revenue
Committee, one serving at a top-level position.

The defense has presented the self-recusal motion for Judge Nelli
Baghdasaryan.

She transferred the case to Judge Aleksander Azaryan.

ECONOMIST OUTLINES IMPACT AND COST OF ELECTIONS IN ARMENIA

epress.am
03.30.2012

About $70 million USD is spent during elections in Armenia, according
to approximate calculations by economist Samvel Avagyan, who included
the expenses of all candidates and political parties, as well as the
allocations from the state budget in his calculations.

Speaking to journalists in the capital today, Avagyan said the
elections have a dual impact on economic process – direct and
indirect. Direct influences are manifested through retail trade,
publishing, advertising, the media industry and foreign exchange rates.

“If you follow closely, the impact of the elections to a certain
extent is reflected in official statistics – particularly during
the 2007 parliamentary election, there was a recorded 20% increase
in retail trade in the month of April alone. Also recorded was a
certain appreciation of the exchange rate against the dollar. These
are direct influences,” he said.

The main indirect influence, according to the economist, is that
during the campaign period investment is reduced to some extent, since
the business sector is actively involved in political processes and
expectant (standby) situations arise, as a result of which investment
suffers.

“Furthermore, those populist promises which are made during that
time by different political forces, by the ruling political party and
opposition parties, negatively affect government programs, since the
government likewise, it seems, begins to take certain populist action,”
he said.

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ECONOMIC FRANCOPHONIE

ARMRADIO.AM
30.03.2012 13:20

An international conference titled “From common values to common
interest: Challenges and opportunities of economic Francophonie”
was held at the French University in Armenia.

“The issue of development of Francophonie in Armenia is in the focus
of our everyday attention, and we have established cooperation with
the International Organization of the Francophonie,” Secretary of
the National Security Council and President of the Board of Trustees
of the French University in Armenia Arthur Baghdasaryan said in his
opening remarks.

“I think the wonderful traditions of Francophonie, the functioning
of the French University in Armenia, which is a brilliant example of
Armenian-French cooperation, the educational, scientific and cultural
dialogue provide a good opportunity to transfer the cooperation to
the economic field,” Arthur Baghdasaryan said.

According to Baghdasaryan, through joint discussion of economic issues,
particularly the question of development of small and medium-sized
businesses, exports, and different branches of economy it will be
possible to intensify the bilateral ties, promote the cooperation
between francophone countries and proceed from common values to
economic interests.

The event was organized under the high auspices of Abdou Diouf,
Secretary General of the International Organization of the
Francophonie, and was aimed at informing the university and business
circles about the economic idea of the francophonie and reveal the
means of facilitating the investment and exchange opportunities
between the member states.

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to Armenia
Henri Renaud, officials and representatives of the diplomatic corps
participated in the conference.

ARMENIAN SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTIONS MERGE TO FOSTER SCIENCE DEVELOPMENT: EXPERT

/ARKA/
MARCH 29, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, March 29. /ARKA/. Science development in Armenia can be
fostered through integrating Armenian scientific institutes, said
Hamlet Navasardyan, Director of International Science and Technology
Center’s Armenian branch.

“In present there are nearly 120 scientific organizations in Armenia.

I think this number is pretty high for Armenia. This sphere needs
infrastructural changes, in particular, merge of institutes,” he said.

Navasardyan said this process will help to bring together human and
financial resources in order to concentrate research around concrete
target spheres.

According to him, there are groups of professional scientists in many
institutions, who have great academic potential and who are closely
involved into international scientific cooperation, in particular,
in physics, chemistry and biology.

He also said that not all the institutes can offer high-quality
scientific research which can correspond to the world standards and
the country’s scientific demands.

“We should avoid mechanical merge. We should develop some special
approach based on scientific discussions, what will allow to model
an optimal action strategy,” Navasardyan said.