Author: Kanayan Tamar

MANUSCRIPTS, LOST DUE TO ARMENIAN GENOCIDE, MAY EXCEED 30,000

12:03, 5 March, 2015

YEREVAN, MARCH 5, ARMENPRESS: Due to the Armenian Genocide, besides
the enormous human losses, the Armenians had also material culture
losses, including the ancient Armenian manuscripts. The number of the
manuscripts, lost because of the Armenian Genocide, is about 30,000.

Armenpress talked about the lost and survived manuscripts, as
well as our activities to return the lost manuscripts, with Gevorg
Ter-Vardanyan, the Chief Warder of Matenadaran.

Gevorg Ter-Vardanyan stated that the philologists began the description
and the record of the manuscripts in 1880s. “The number of the
manuscripts, described in the media or the scientific literature,
which have been lost after the Armenian Genocide and we do not know
if they still exist, is more than 9,000. From 1880 to 1915 it is 30-35
years, which is quite a short period of time to implement recording.

Taking into account the fact that every church in the Western Armenia’s
settlements should have a manuscript book, the number of 30,000 may
be smaller than it is in reality. What has happened to them, we do
not know. They could have had different destinies”, – said the Chief
Warder of Matenadaran.

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL HEARS FROM 30 DIGNITARIES AS IT CONTINUES ITS HIGH-LEVEL SEGMENT

Premium Official News
March 4, 2015 Wednesday

Geneva

United Nations Human Rights has issued the following news release:

The Human Rights Council this afternoon continued its High-Level
Segment, hearing statements from 30 dignitaries who spoke about their
concerns regarding the situation in a number of countries and regions
around the world and outlined some of their national policies for
the promotion and protection of human rights.

Speaking were Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Minister for Foreign Affairs
of Germany; Ramtane Lamamra, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Algeria;
Sebastian Kurz, Federal Minister for Europe, Integration and Foreign
Affairs of Austria; Pierre Moukoko Mbonjo, Minister for Foreign
Affairs of Cameroon; Mohammed Bello Adoke, Attorney General of the
Federation and Minister of Justice of Nigeria; Lubomír Zaorálek,
Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic; Aichetou Mint
M’Haiham, Commissioner for Human Rights and Humanitarian Action
of Mauritania; Edward Nalbandian, Minister for Foreign Affairs of
Armenia; Carlos Alfredo Castaneda Magaña, Deputy Minister for Foreign
Affairs of El Salvador; Henryka MoÃ…~[cicka-Dendys, Undersecretary of
State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland; Mbarka Bouaida,
Minister Delegate to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Morocco;
Peter Stenlund, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of Finland;
Roksanda NinÄ~MiÄ~G, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
of Serbia; Nguyen Quoc Cuong, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs
Viet Nam; Aleksandar Andrija PejoviÄ~G, State Secretary for European
Integration of Montenegro; Iyad Ameen Madani, Secretary General of
the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation; Delcy Eloína Rodríguez
Gómez, Minister of People’s Power for Foreign Affairs of Venezuela;
Utoni Nujoma, Minister of Justice of Namibia; Ri Su Yong, Minister for
Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea; Gebran
Bassil, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Emigrants of Lebanon; Maite
Nkoana-Mashabane, Minister for International Relations and Cooperation
of South Africa; Mahendra Bahadur Pandey, Minister for Foreign Affairs
of Nepal; Federica Mogherini, High Representative for Foreign Affairs
and Security Policy of the European Union and Vice-President of the
European Commission; Martin Lidegaard, Minister for Foreign Affairs
of Denmark; Henry Okello Oryem, Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs
of Uganda; Ignacio Ybáñez, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
of Spain; Cho Tae-yul, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the
Republic of Korea; Abdulla Abdullatif Abdulla, Undersecretary for
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bahrain; Juan Carlos Alurralde,
Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bolivia; and Kamalesh Sharma,
Secretary-General of The Commonwealth.

Speakers highlighted the scourge of terrorism and the need to address
it, stressing in particular the gross violations of international
humanitarian law, human rights and dignity by extremist groups
such as Boko Haram and ISIL, but also the Lord’s Resistance Army,
the Democratic Forces for the Liberation in Rwanda, Al Shabab in
Somalia, and Al-Qaeda affiliated terrorist groups in Libya and the
Maghreb region. These acts were unacceptable and necessitated urgent
and decisive action from the international community. It was also
considered important to address systematic violations and abuses,
and to hold to account those who were responsible. Speakers underlined
the importance of the fight against impunity, the inadmissibility of
the death penalty, the indivisibility and interdependency of human
rights and the need for a more holistic, non-selective approach to
human rights that included economic, social and cultural rights and
the right to development.

Many speakers emphasized the importance of freedom of expression, and
in particular of freedom of the press. In this respect, they condemned
the attacks on journalists, and called against religious intolerance,
warning against Islamophonia and anti-Semitism. Women’s and children’s
rights, especially in the context of conflict situations, were
also highlighted, and the use of child soldiers as well as sexual
abuse of women in conflict were condemned. The rights of minorities,
refugees and migrants were likewise emphasized. Focus was made on the
post-2015 development agenda and the issues that needed to be addressed
with more attention, including poverty eradication, climate change,
sustainable development and peace-building. Speakers commended the work
of the Human Rights Council and vowed to improve the protection and
implementation of human rights nationally, as well as internationally.

At the end of the meeting Turkey, Russian Federation, Japan,
Azerbaijan, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Qatar, Bahrain,
Republic of Korea and Myanmar spoke in right of reply.

The next meeting of the Council will be held at 9 a.m. on Wednesday,
4 March, when it will resume the High-Level Segment. At 3 p.m.,
the Council will hold a high-level panel on the question of the
death penalty.

High-Level Segment

[parts omitted]

EDWARD NALBANDIAN, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Armenia, stated
that it was of particular significance to address this session of
the Human Rights Council, as this year marked the Centennial of
the Armenian Genocide. In recent years, the Council had expanded
the thematic scope of its work to respond to gross violations of
human rights in various parts of the world, drawing attention to the
issues of protection of the most vulnerable groups. The protection
of religious and ethnic minorities required the urgent attention and
actions of the international community due to massive human rights
violations perpetrated by terrorist groups. He highlighted the crime
against civilization that was perpetrated by ISIS militants who smashed
the 2,700 year old statues in the Mosul museum; this was an appalling
reminder of earlier similar barbaric acts of destruction such as those
of the Bamian Budda’s statues, the Mausoleums of Timbuktu, and the
thousands of Medieval Armenian cross-stones in Nakhijevan. Intolerance
towards the values of civilization belonging to others had to
be resolutely denounced by the international community. Armenia
unequivocally condemned the atrocities and violence committed by ISIS,
Al Nusra and other terrorist groups and called upon the international
community to take firm action against this new scourge. In this regard
Armenia strongly supported the full implementation of the appropriate
United Nations Security Council resolutions. The destruction by
terrorists of the Saint Martyrs Armenian Church in the Syrian town
of Deir el-Zor was a symbolic link between past and present crimes
against humanity. Armenia commended the role of the Human Rights
Council in mainstreaming the obligations of States emanating from the
Genocide Convention into a systematic protection of human rights. In
this respect, Armenia had this year again initiated a resolution
on the prevention of genocide. There was a growing consensus of the
international community that genocide prevention required constant
attention and the best efforts.

[parts omitted]

Right of Reply

Turkey, speaking in a right of reply in response to a reference made
by the Armenian delegation about events of 1915, rejected allegations
of genocide, which was a very specific and serious crime, precisely
defined in international law. The term genocide should not be used
lightly, especially since there was no consensus regarding the events
of 1915. Turkey sincerely desired to reach peaceful relations with
Armenia.

[parts omitted]

Azerbaijan, speaking in a right of reply in response to Armenia’s
representative, blamed Armenia for misrepresenting historical
realities. Speaking of the persecution of Azeris by Armenian
authorities known as the Khojaly tragedy during the Nagorno-Karabakh
war in 1992, Azerbaijan stated that Armenia had no legal ground to
speak of genocide, as it was responsible for the Khojaly genocide. The
European Court of Human Rights had qualified these as acts of
particular gravity, which could amount to war crimes. An Armenian
official had admitted Armenia’s implication in the perpetration of
these acts. Armenia also had no right to speak on the destruction of
cultural monuments, which it had also perpetrated against Azerbaijan.

[parts omitted]

SINKING SHIP: PAP DEFECTIONS NOT A NEW PHENOMENON IN ARMENIAN POLITICS

POLITICS | 05.03.15 | 15:25

Photolure

GOHAR ABRAHAMYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter

Once again members of another weighty political party in Armenia
started leaving the party in its crisis, which, according to
specialists, proves that political parties in Armenia are not
ideological and if need be members can simply walk away.

The latest party of defection is the Prosperous Party of Armenia
(PAP), which started to breakdown following a “war of words” between
its leader GagikTsarukyan and President SerzhSargsyan. Sargsyan won
the “war”, and it appears that Tsarukyan is losing his party.

And although on February 16 National Assembly PAP faction member
MikayelMelkumyan told reporters that “there will be no jumping of ship
from the party”, that very day it became known that AragatsAkhoyan
left the party. Several other members followed him. And on Wednesday
it became known that one of the most influential figures of the party,
Armenian former Foreign Minister VardanOskanyan will quit the party.

Party members say that Tsarukyan will soon announce his resignation
from leadership of PAP, and will give up his Parliament mandate.

Such a shakeup isn’t new in the Armenian political field. Still in the
end of the 90s when the-then ruling Armenian National Movement party
announced it was leaving the government, many quit the party as well.

When in 2006 OrinatsYerkir party announced leaving the ruling
coalition, a number of members left the party, some of whom joined
the PAP and now, according to rumors in media, will soon leave the
PAP as well.

In April of 2014 when OrinatsYerkir once again claimed about leaving
the coalition, this time three ministers of the party left it.

Political analyst Sergey Minasyan, deputy director of Caucasus
Institute, told ArmeniaNow that this is the result of not being
ideological.

“The PAP was not an ideological party, which is the case with almost
all current political parties. So, with certain pressure from the
government, leadership decided to leave politics, as a result losing
the support and the respect of the political team,” Minasyan said.

According to Minasyan, this will have its negative consequences not
only for those who voted withPAP, but also for the internal political
field of the country in general.

“If you have an almost non-existent opposition and weak government
with no legitimacy, this is a big problem,”Minasyan said.

GYUMRI MAYOR LEAVES PROSPEROUS ARMENIA PARTY

18:07 * 05.03.15

Mayor of Gyumri Samvel Balasanyan has issued a statement on his
secession from the Prosperous Armenia party.

“Considering Prosperous Armenia party leader Gagik Tsarukyan’s
decision to retire from politics, I do not feel any responsibility
to the Prosperous Armenia party any more. At the same time, as head
of a depoliticized structure, I do not consider my further membership
in the Prosperous Armenia party advisable.

“I would like to state my willingness for further cooperation with the
Prosperous Armenia party and all other political forces in resolving
the city’s numerous problems, giving new status to Gyumri to the
benefit of the city and its residents,” Mr Balasanyan’s statement
reads.

PREPARATIONS FOR GALLIPOLI CENTENNIAL COMMEMORATIONS NOT YET BEGUN

15:53, 05 Mar 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Citizens are barred from the memorial site as no preparations have
been made for the centennial commemorations of the Battle of Gallipoli
that are scheduled to take place on March 18, April 24 and April 25,
Today’s Zaman reports.

Because the naval battles were the turning point of an Ottoman Turkish
victory, yearly “Remembrance of Soldiers” and “Gallipoli Naval Victory”
ceremonies are held on March 18.

The paper notes that “April 24 and 25 have also been set aside for
ceremonies, sparking controversy as April 24 is also the date of the
Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day.”

There has been much speculation over the proceedings because, though
the president’s office has sent many invitations to international
leaders, few have been accepted. The ceremonies were announced five
years ago.

The dates approach, and despite the establishment of a Canakkale
Governor’s Office 2015 Coordination Center three years ago and several
meetings held by the offices of the Canakkale Governor’s Office and the
prime minister, no decisions have been made concerning the ceremonies.

Canakkale (Gallipoli) Municipal Mayor Ulgur Gokhan has admitted that
progress has been thwarted, saying; “Work concerning the centennial
is not going well. We have neither a budget nor staff. We are trying
to make it work with own means but they are not enough.”

VAZGEN SARGSYAN’S WHOLE LIFE WAS DEVOTED TO DEFENSE AND ESTABLISHMENT OF MOTHERLAND: ARMENIA’S PARLIAMENT SPEAKER

13:22, 5 March, 2015

YEREVAN, MARCH 5, ARMENPRESS: The President of the National Assembly
of the Republic of Armenia Galust Sahakyan sent a message on the
occasion of the birthday anniversary of Vazgen Sargsyan. The press
service of the National Assembly of Armenia informed Armenpress that
the message of Galust Sahakyan says in particular:

“Today is Vazgen Sargsyan’s birthday. Vazgen Sargsyan’s big role is
undeniable in our victory in Artsakh war, in the army building and
in the establishment of the newly independent Armenia.

Sparapet Vazgen Sargsyan was a political and state figure, whose
whole life was devoted to defend and establish the Motherland.

Vazgen Sargsyan’s unquenchable energy and selfless devotion have given
their results: the Armenian army defends the borders of Armenia, and
the independent Armenia strengthens its role and position in the world.

Vazgen Sargsyan has proved with his life that heroes are born in all
times if the Armenian people need them, if the moment is crucial.

Happy Birthday, the deserved son of the Armenian nation”.

NATIONAL SYMBOLS: ARTISTS AGAIN RAISE QUESTIONS OVER ARMENIAN ANTHEM, COAT OF ARMS

SOCIETY | 04.03.15 | 10:11

By GAYANE MKRTCHYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter

RELATED NEWS

Symbols of Debate: Initiative underway to restore historic Coat of
Arms and anthem

Artists in Armenia again debate on whether the state needs to change
its coat of arms and national anthem. Some claim the current national
symbols are not consistent with the nation’s spirit and its rich
historical past.

Enlarge Photo Enlarge Photo The national emblem of the Republic of
Armenia Enlarge Photo The coat of arms of the Armenian SSR

While musicians say that the national anthem should be a tune that
has a history and is loved by the people, some painters and sculptors
call the current national emblem of Armenia “a zoo”, implying the
large number of animals depicted on it.

The current coat of arms of the Republic of Armenia is a restored
version of that used by the short-lived Armenian democratic republic
in 1918-1920. Its authors were architect, academician of the Academy
of Arts of Russia Alexander Tumanyan and painter Hakob Kojoyan.

By the July 1, 1991 decision of the Supreme Council of the Republic
of Armenia, the national anthem of the First Republic was chosen as
the national anthem of the Republic of Armenia. The text used in Mer
Hayrenik (Our Homeland) is based on one of the lyrics of poet Mikael
Nalbandian. The music was composed by Barsegh Kanachyan.

Founder and artistic director of the Karin traditional song and dance
group Gagik Ginosyan thinks that Armenia’s current national emblem
is only a distorted version of the one created by Tamanyan and Kojoyan.

“This is a trick that was created in 1992 when the country’s president
was Levon Ter-Petrosyan. On the real emblem the lion’s mouth is open
and it is not in a muzzle, the chain had been cut by a sword as a
symbol of the newly gained freedom. A group of professionals who have
a reputation of national figures should be set up for changing the
national anthem and coat of arms,” says Gionsyan.

Sculptor Ferdinand Arakelyan, for his part, says that during the time
of the First Republic the coat of arms was drawn within just one day
upon the order of the then ruling Armenian Revolutionary Federation
(Dashnaktsutyun) and despite being meant for use during only one
year before the final design had to be approved, it remained as the
main emblem.

“I have the impression that it was drawn for a zoo as it depicts up
to seven animals. The emblem should reflect the collective power of
the nation. I am in favor of changing the current national emblem
because it has no national spirit,” he says. “In the current coat
of arms I do not see our people who worked hard to build churches,
I do not see the power of Armenian women who saved manuscripts,
I do not see smoke coming out of a house’s chimney.”

The sculptor suggests using a changed version of Soviet Armenia’s coat
of arms that was drawn by prominent Armenian painter Martiros Saryan.

Artists say symbols are of great importance and have great influence
on the psychology of a nation. They say it is important to get rid
of the elements that they claim have negative impacts.

Painter Haghtanak Shahumyan thinks that for a small country
like Armenia national symbols are also important in terms of its
representation in the world.

“Our national anthem is distorted. Nalbandian’s text was changed
arbitrarily and our national anthem lost its textual integrity. And
the music is not Armenian. We have millennia-old culture, we have
symbols on which we should lean. Adopting the symbols then was a
political decision,” says Shahumyan.

Chairman of the Composers’ Union of Armenia Aram Satyan also notes
that the national anthem leaves a sad impression, while the tone of
the anthem music should rise and become upbeat in the process.

“In the case of other nations’ anthems we see some grandeur as it rises
to the space, and ours on the contrary is directed to the earth…

We can restore Aram Khachaturian’s music [used for an anthem in Soviet
Armenia] or use the Hayastan song composed by Gabriel Yeranyan in
2012,” he says.

The artists call for the establishment of a special group of
professionals to deal with proposals on the matter.

Calls for and even attempts to make changes in the coat of arm and the
national anthem of Armenia have also been made in the past. A number
of political groups, notably the Dashnaktsutyun party, have opposed
the efforts. The traditional Armenian party, in particular, sought a
special law in 2006 that would perpetuate the official status of the
current national anthem. Many in Armenia also oppose the restoration
of some of the symbols used during the Soviet times.

The national anthem of the Republic of Armenia

The anthem of the Armenian SSR

AMERICAN PEOPLE AWARE OF THE IMPORTANCE OF 1915 COMMEMORATION EVENTS

19:37, 04 Mar 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly Galust Sahakyan received
today US Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills.

Galust Sahakyan congratulated the diplomat on appointment and voiced
hope that his activity would contribute to the further deepening of
Armenian-American relations.

The Speaker attached special importance to the development of relations
with the US and deepening of cooperation in different fields.

Galust Sahakyan highly appreciated the continuous support of the
US to the reinforcement of democratic institutions in Armenia, the
implementation of reforms and economic development. He also emphasized
the US role in maintaining peace and security in the region and the
peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

Speaking about the events dedicated to the 100th anniversary of
the Armenian Genocide, Galust Sahakyan noted that Armenia expects a
high-level delegation from the US to participate in the commemoration
events.

Ambassador Mills assured that “the US remains a friend of Armenia
and is resolute to maintain peace in the region.”

As for the events dedicated to the Armenian Genocide centennial,
the Ambassador said “the American people stand next to Armenians and
realize the importance of the commemoration events, like people of
goodwill all over the world do.”

RENOWNED ARMENIAN ARCHITECT ALEXANDER TAMANYAN’S BIRTHDAY ANNIVERSARY

18:13 * 04.03.15

Today, March 4, 2015, marks the 137th birthday anniversary of the
father of neoclassical Armenian architecture Alexander Tamanyan.

In an interview with Tert.am, architect Sashur Kalashyan said:

“In no country can you find a monument to a city architect, but we
have a monument to Tamanyan. This is evidence of his renown as well.

But along with the formation of our Third Republic, we rejected out
heritage, spiritual values were not important any longer, but material
things were brought into the foreground. We knew Tamanyan as bearer
of moral values.”

TEHERAN ACCUEILLE UN CONCERT POUR LE CENTENAIRE DU GENOCIDE ARMENIEN CENTENAIRE

IRAN

Le 22 Fevrier, la commission locale de Teheran de coordination des
evenements du centenaire du genocide armenien a organise un concert
dedie a Komitas salle du centre culturel de Teheran Ararat dedie au
100e anniversaire du genocide.

Les Ambassadeurs et representants des ambassades de l’Uruguay, de la
France, de la Belgique, de Chypre, d’Inde, de la Bulgarie, du Japon et
d’Armenie, ainsi que quelque 350 invites de la communaute armenienne
de Teheran ont assiste a l’evenement.

Un court metrage sur les pays qui ont reconnu le genocide armenien a
ete projete, suivi par la performance de quatuor a cordes des melodies
de Komitas avec des arrangements d’Aslamazian.

Le choeur Mashtots a joue des chansons folkloriques armeniennes,
des chansons classiques et spirituelles dirigees par le chef Razmik
Ohanian.

mardi 3 mars 2015, Stephane (c)armenews.com