Author: Kanayan Tamar

PSYCHIATRISTS WILL CHECK MAN ACCUSED OF KILLING SEVEN PEOPLE IN GYUMRI

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Jan 23 2015

23 January 2015 – 3:31pm

Soldier Valery Permyakov, who is accused of killing a family of
seven people in Gyumri, will undergo a psychological and psychiatric
examination.

“In the near future, a psychological and psychiatric examination,
which is prescribed by law for such crimes, will be carried out,”
Interfax cited the source.

A Russian lawyer living in Armenia is engaged in Permjakov’s defense.

“For obvious reasons his identity has not been disclosed yet. He is
fulfilling his duties,” the source said.

ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN FEEL THE EFFECTS OF THE UKRAINE STANDOFF

EurActiv, EU
Jan 23 2015

The standoff between Russia and the West over Ukraine has given
Azerbaijan more clout as Armenia’s has decreased, writes Stratfor,
the Texas-based global intelligence company.

Prior to the conflict in Ukraine, Russia was in a very strong position
in the Caucasus region, which includes Armenia, Azerbaijan and
Georgia. Russia’s defeat of Georgia in the August 2008 war countered
Tbilisi’s efforts to join NATO, and Moscow expanded its military
presence in the breakaway territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Armenia, a longtime ally of Russia and the site of the Russian
102nd Military Base in Gyumri, had strengthened ties with Moscow
in the security and economic spheres. Azerbaijan maintained a more
independent and diversified foreign policy position because of its
sizable energy resources and strategic location on the Caspian Sea.

However, Russia’s military presence in the region and its alliance with
Armenia effectively kept Baku in check, particularly since Russia is
Armenia’s security guarantor in its ongoing conflict with Azerbaijan
over the breakaway territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, which Azerbaijan
lost in its 1988-1994 war with Armenia.

After the uprising against former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich
in February 2014, however, Russia’s strategic position took a massive
hit. Replacing Yanukovich was a pro-Western government that prioritized
strengthening ties with the European Union and United States. Given
Ukraine’s existential importance to Russia, Moscow responded by
annexing Crimea and backing a pro-Russian separatist movement in
eastern Ukraine. Although these moves have created serious challenges
for the Ukrainian government, they have also isolated Moscow from
the West, sparking EU and U.S. sanctions against Russia and bringing
relations to their lowest point since the end of the Cold War. This
has also coincided with a drastic fall in global oil prices, which
has seriously weakened Russia’s economy and limited Moscow’s room to
maneuver on the foreign policy front.

The evolution of the standoff between Russia and the West has thus
had ripple effects throughout Eurasia, with each country in the former
Soviet periphery having to re-evaluate its position. In this context,
Azerbaijan is a particularly important country because Baku had
previously maintained a balanced position between the two sides and
because the country’s energy resources could play a pivotal role in
the standoff. The Europeans have ardently courted Azerbaijan — along
with Turkmenistan — as they seek to diversify away from Russian energy
supplies via the Southern Corridor. This has considerably strengthened
Baku’s strategic position, as demonstrated by a 21 January meeting
between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev in Berlin. Merkel praised the important role Azerbaijan
plays in “ensuring the energy security of Europe,” while downplaying
the human rights issue that normally accompanies European interactions
with Aliyev.

Azerbaijan’s new importance has increased its leverage over Russia,
a development that could explain the shift in the Nagorno-Karabakh
theater during the past year. Violence in the region has escalated
since the Ukraine crisis broke out, including a sharp spike in
cross-border casualties in August 2014 and the downing of an Armenian
helicopter by Azerbaijani forces in November. This appears to be a
product of a renewed assertiveness by Azerbaijan, which may no longer
feel as threatened by an Armenian — and, by extension, Russian —
reprisal as it once did. This could also explain why Armenia has
so far been subdued and cautious in responding to acts such as the
helicopter downing; Yerevan knows that Russia’s focus is still very
concentrated on the Ukrainian theater.

That said, the uptick in violence does not mean that a return to
full-scale military conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia is
looming. Russia still retains its military presence in Armenia, and
Azerbaijan knows it cannot win a direct military confrontation with
Russia, even considering Moscow’s current political and economic
constraints. Instead, Baku has been testing the waters with a more
limited engagement along the line of contact and with diplomatic
maneuvering with key players like the European Union, the United States
and Turkey. This strategy demonstrates Azerbaijan’s leverage to all
parties involved and shows its ability to avoid making a commitment
to any single country in what is still a very dynamic environment.

Armenia, meanwhile, has grown closer to Russia. It joined the
Moscow-led Eurasian Economic Union at the start of 2015, a time of
serious economic decline in Russia. Yerevan had political motivations
for joining the bloc; it knew Armenia would be isolated and vulnerable
without Moscow’s political and security backing.

Though the European Union has attempted to woo Armenia into its
camp, Yerevan has so far rebuffed the West, choosing to forego an
EU association and free trade agreement in favor of Eurasian Union
membership. This strategy poses considerable risks for Armenia. Its
economy is now closely tied to Russia’s, and some domestic political
elements oppose further integration with Russia, but the Armenian
government sees closer cooperation with Russia as the best option in
the current environment.

The standoff between Russia and the West over Ukraine has given
Azerbaijan more clout as Armenia’s has decreased, yet both countries
remain significantly constrained by larger and more powerful forces.

Still, their positions in the ongoing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and
their broader ties with Moscow and the West will play an important,
and perhaps pivotal, role as the standoff continues.

Stratfor

GERMANY DOESN’T APPLY DOUBLE STANDARDS IN KARABAKH ISSUE – AMBASSADOR

Trend, Azerbaijan
Jan 23 2015

23 January 2015

Germany’s position in the Nagorno-Karabakh issue is clear, and the
country is completely not guided by double standards, Armenia Today
news agency said.

Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Germany to Armenia
Reiner Morell made the remarks Jan.23, referring to the question
whether the use of double standards by different countries exacerbates
the situation on the contact line in Karabakh conflict zone.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel several times talked about this,
the ambassador said.

“Germany is a member of the OSCE Minsk Group, and we are closely
following the events,” Reiner Morell said. “Germany advocates for
a peaceful settlement of the issue. The chancellor said that we are
concerned about the tense situation on the border, and that we are
ready to help where it is needed.”

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan.

As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied
20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and
seven surrounding districts.

The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs
of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently
holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions
on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.

WHAT WE TALK ABOUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT GENOCIDE

National Geographic / Out of Eden Walk
Jan 23 2015

by Paul Salopek
Ani, Turkey 40°30’41” N, 43°34’06” E

“It was a–how do you call it in English?–a genocide? Yes? It was a
genocide,” says Murat Yazar. “My grandmother told my mother about it.”

My walking guide and I are wandering through Ani.

What is Ani? It is the ruin of a vanished world in modern Turkey:
the remote and beautiful site of a forgotten civilization–the
1,100-year-old capital of a once powerful empire. Relics of this
Silk Road city lie scattered across the sky-hammered mesas of far
northeastern Anatolia. Broken cathedrals. Rotting ramparts that defend
nothing from nothing. Empty boulevards that go nowhere. We roam this
colossal diorama of stillness, of eerie silence, Murat and I, as if
painted into a Dali dreamscape. We are talking about the disappearance
of Armenians from the region.

Broken arch: a relic of ancient Ani on the closed Turkey-Armenia
border. Photograph by Paul Salopek

In 1914, about two million Armenians lived in what is today Turkey.

They were a Christian minority under Muslim rule. Their history
reached back thousands of years. By 1922, just 400,000 remained.

What happened to more than 1.5 million people? Most were killed,
historians say. They were targeted for extermination. They were
marched into waterless deserts at bayonet point. They were slaughtered.

“My grandmother said they locked all the Armenians near the Euphrates
River into some houses,” Murat tells me. “Then they took them out at
night and pushed them into the river. They drowned them.”

It was eight months into World War I. Europe had begun to cannibalize
itself. The multicultural Ottoman Empire was dying in terrible spasms.

The Ottoman Turkish majority–whipped up by nationalist leaders
and enraged by the mass deportations and massacres carried out by
former Christian subjects against fellow Muslims in the crumbling
fringes of the state–wreaked revenge on their ancient neighbors:
minority Assyrians and Greeks, but mostly Armenians. They accused
the Armenians of being infidels. Of disloyalty. Of siding with the
empire’s encroaching foes (the Russians and colonial Europeans). The
knife hand in this enormous crime? Local Kurds. Kurds shot and hacked
Armenians to death en masse. Kurdish gangs tore into refugee columns
of starving Armenian women and children. Kurdish villagers seized
Armenian property–abandoned farms, flocks, and homes.

We have been walking through the dim echoes of this calamity, Murat
and I, all the way across Anatolia. We seek shade in derelict houses
of Armenians–homes overgrown with trees, with weeds. We pass sturdy
churches converted to mosques. We skirt walnut orchards planted long
ago by the victims. Murat broods about this. He is a Kurd. I see him
grappling with history, with a legacy he cannot imagine, with the
haunted landscape.

“Once, I apologized to an Armenian man in Istanbul,” he tells me. “I
told him I was sorry for what my ancestors did.”

And how did the man react?

“What could he say?” Murat says, shrugging. “He said, ‘Thank you.'”

We stand in a cold wind. A big sign at the entrance to the
archaeological ruins of Ani describe its long story. The text states
that the ancient and sprawling metropolis flowered under Bagratian
kings. The Bagratians were Armenian. Nowhere is the word “Armenian”
written.

* * *

It has been dangerous for many years in Turkey to describe what
occurred in 1915 as a genocide. Turkish judges have deemed this
term provocative, incendiary, insulting, a taboo. Turkish writers
and journalists who deploy those three syllables can face charges
of slander against the Turkish state. One has been assassinated by
ultra-nationalists.

There is an official version of events. It goes like this: The
Armenians suffered, this is undeniably true. Yet they were just one of
many ethnic groups who felt the heavy blows of the imploding Ottoman
Empire. Their destruction was neither extreme nor systematic. It
was a war. And violence coursed both ways: Armenians perished, but
so did Turks, at the hands of rebellious Armenian mobs. Yet this
narrow reading of history has begun to show some cracks. In April,
Turkey’s then prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, became the first
Turkish leader to express formal condolences to the descendants of
Turkey’s Armenians, who today live scattered across the globe. He
spoke, carefully, of the two peoples’ “shared pain.”

Walking through the Kurdish hinterlands of Anatolia, one senses that
ordinary citizens are far ahead of him.

“We fought the Armenians, and many died,” says Saleh Emre, the
white-haired mayor of Kas Kale village. “I think this was wrong. They
belonged here.” Emre pauses. He sweeps a gnarled hand over the houses
of his tiny community. “This land used to be owned by an Armenian
trader. My father’s uncles bought it cheap.” He allows this detail
to sink in. Then he ticks off the names of nearby Turkish towns that
once were dominated by Armenians: Van, Patnos, Agri. No Armenians
live there now. He stops short of using the word genocide.

The old man peers east across rolling sunlit plains, across
brass-colored pastures, across grassy paradise blighted by memory,
toward the nearby country where some survivors fled. “I would like
visit to Armenia,” Emre says. “Armenians were our neighbors.”

* * *

The scene: a church courtyard in Diyarbakir, the cultural capital of
Turkey’s Kurds.

Sourp Giragos is the largest Armenian church in the Middle East. It
is newly renovated, mostly with donations from the remnant Armenian
community in Istanbul. It is a monument to hope, to reconciliation,
one of a few such gestures taking root in the Kurdish zones of
Anatolia in a hundred years. (In a distant town called Bitlis,
the Kurdish mayor has named a street after William Saroyan, the
Armenian-American writer.) People bustle about under a massive bell
tower. They are sweeping fallen leaves. Serving coffee at outdoor
tables. Chatting. Some light candles. A few are Muslim. Most are
Armenian Orthodox Christians. Aram Khatchigian, a caretaker, has
been both.

Custodian of memory: Aram Khatchigian in the rebuilt Sourp Giragos
Armenian church in Diyarbakir, the Kurdish cultural capital in Turkey.

Photograph by Murat Yazar.

“Until I was 15, I believed I was a Muslim, a Kurd,” Khatchigian says.

“After that, I started to feel a change in my heart.”

He explains how he excavated his hidden past. How he learned that
his grandfather, a boy of 12, and his grandfather’s younger sister,
a girl of 9, were actually Armenian–the only ones in their immediate
family to survive the killing fields around Diyarbakir, where a
“pungent smell of decaying corpses” filled the air. The boy and girl
hid under a bush until a Muslim Kurdish farmer took them in, saving
their lives, caring for them as his own children, giving them his
name. They converted to Islam. “All Armenians still living did this,”
Khatchigian says. “They would be killed otherwise.” Then a man stalks
up to our table. He has been listening.

“Do you recognize the genocide?” he demands. He looks into my eyes.

I am conducting an interview, I tell him.

“I don’t care,” he says. “Do you or don’t you recognize the genocide?”

For some Armenians, this consuming question has become everything–the
lynchpin of a national struggle, almost of a modern identity: Turkey
and the world must finally acknowledge that a true genocide, legally
defined, unfolded in Anatolia. Vast amounts of energy and money are
poured into this lobbying campaign by millions of Armenians in the
diaspora. (At least 21 countries now officially accept the Armenian
genocide as fact. The United States and Israel, valuing diplomatic
ties with Turkey, aren’t among them.)

Armenian-American author Tomani Meline describes the suffocating
effect of this bitter political debate on her life:

“To some Armenians, recognition means reparations from Turkey: to the
true zealots, land; to the slightly more pragmatic, money. To most,
it simply means the official usage of the word genocide. To me, it came
to mean that I could no longer stand to attend any Armenian gathering,
because it seemed that whether it was a poetry reading, a concert, or
even a sporting match, it was always, ultimately, about the genocide.”

At the church in Diyarbakir the stranger sits down at our table.

He repeats his question again. And again. Khatchigian stares down at
his shoes, embarrassed. I lay down my pen. We wait.

“I don’t care. Tell the world I’m Armenian.” But she changed her mind,
and here in Dyarbakir she did not want her face to be photographed.

Photograph by Murat Yazar.

* * *

A giant red Turkish flag flutters above the archaeological site at Ani.

The city’s ancient ruins toe the ledge of a canyon. On the other side,
within easy walking distance, lies the small Republic of Armenia.

Nobody ever crosses. The border between the two nations has been shut
for years by mutual suspicion and hostility. Ani is a dead end.

We strike out, Murat and I, heading due north.

We tug our brave cargo mule across sodden winter fields around Kars,
a Turkish city that in the 1890s was 85 percent Armenian. Murat asks
its startled residents if any Armenians yet remain. A Turkish citizen,
and a minority Kurd wrestling with his own questions of cultural
endurance, Murat always asks. I watch him plod head, interrogating
the past for answers. A lanky man, wistful, questing. With a camera
slung over his parka. Black Anatolian mud cakes under his boots. I
can only shake my head in wonder.

Killers or victims, there are no chosen people. There are simply
people. And the dead. And what you do with your pain tells the world
who you are.

AMERICAN ARMENIAN SUES TURKEY TO RECLAIM HER FAMILY LANDS

Legal Monitor Worldwide
January 22, 2015 Thursday

Armenians are in the process of organizing thousands of events all
over the world to commemorate the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide.

These events aim to remind the world about the mass atrocities
committed by Ottoman Turkey from 1915 to 1923 with the expectation
that the international community would compel the Turkish government
to face its sordid past and restore the rights of genocide descendants.

There is, however, a faster and more efficient way – legal action –
to accomplish this honorable objective. In recent years, several
Armenian-American lawyers have filed class action lawsuits with some
success against insurance companies in US Federal Courts. Various
other lawsuits are still pending.

On the eve of the Centennial, both the Armenian government and some
Diaspora groups are considering the possibility of filing lawsuits
against Turkey in international courts. However, such serious legal
action should only be undertaken by international law experts and
not by well-meaning Armenian individuals or community groups. If
mishandled, these lawsuits could have a lasting devastating effect
on legitimate Armenian demands from Turkey.

Last September, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I of the Great House of
Cilicia announced that he was planning to file a lawsuit in Turkey to
reclaim church properties owned by the Catholicosate in Sis, Cilicia,
prior to the Genocide. Should the Turkish court reject this lawsuit,
the Catholicosate of Cilicia would then appeal the ruling to the
European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

Recently, the Turkish press reported that Armenian-American Zuart
Sudjian had filed a lawsuit reclaiming the land that had belonged to
her mother’s family – the Basmajians – on which Diyarbakir Airport
is located.

I spoke with the 94-year-old Mrs. Sudjian in New York (not in
California as reported by the Turkish press), who told me that after
being forced to leave Diyarbakir following the Armenian Genocide,
her family first moved to Lebanon, then Cuba (not Korea) and finally
settled in the United States.

Sudjian family’s property was expropriated by the Turkish government in
1967, after putting an announcement in a local newspaper and claiming
that the owners could not be found.

Several years ago, Sudjian’s attorney Ali Elbeyoglu filed a lawsuit
on her behalf in Turkey seeking the return of her inheritance. The
court turned down her request in April 2013, claiming that the
10-year statute of limitation had expired. The Court of Appeals
reversed the lower court’s ruling and demanded a rehearing of
the case, affirming that Sudjian could not have been aware of the
legal announcement placed in a local Diyarbakir newspaper prior to
the property’s confiscation. At a minimum, the Court declared that
the ad should have been placed in a Turkish paper with nationwide
circulation. Attorney Elbeyoglu explained that the confiscation of
Sudjian’s property violated the protection of private property rights
as defined by the European Convention of Human Rights.

Even if Sudjian were to win her lawsuit, it is unlikely that the
Turkish government would return the very valuable land worth tens
of millions of dollars on which Diyarbakir’s military and civilian
airports are located. That was the reason her lawyer told Milliyet
newspaper that Sudjian was seeking compensation only for the value
of her family’s property

Lawyer Elbeyoglu also told Milliyet that winning Sudjian’s case would
open the door for many more such cases. Significantly, the Turkish
newspaper subtitled its article, “Hope for the Diaspora.”

The Turkish media failed to point out that if the Court of Appeals
ruled against Sudjian’s claim, she could then take her case to the
European Court of Human Rights. A positive ruling from ECHR would
open the floodgates of lawsuits by Armenians worldwide whose ancestors
had properties that were confiscated by the Turkish government during
the Armenian Genocide.

ARMENI, “LA TURCHIA PROVA A DISTOGLIERE L’ATTENZIONE DAL GENOCIDIO”

La Stampa, Italia
venerdì 23 gennaio 2015

Ankara annuncia la costruzione di una chiesa e anticipa le celebrazioni
della campagna di Gallipoli ”per farle coincidere con il ricordo”:
lo dice Vergili dell’Unione siriaca europea

MArta Petrosillo Roma

Il 2 gennaio scorso il primo ministro turco Ahmet Davutoglu, parlando
ai rappresentanti delle minoranze religiose locali, ha promesso la
costruzione di una chiesa per la comunita siriaca: la prima chiesa
costruita in Turchia dalla nascita della Repubblica nel 1923. Eppure
in pochi credono che la promessa diverra mai realta.

Del resto non è la prima volta che il governo turco annuncia
l’imminente costruzione dell’edificio, specie in occasione di
consultazioni elettorali. Della costruzione si parlò per la prima
volta nel 2009, quando il governo si era impegnato a donare ai
cristiani siriaci un terreno confiscato alla comunita armena. Nel
2012 giunse perfino l’approvazione del comune di Istanbul, con la
concessione alla comunita siriaca di un terreno di 2mila metri quadri,
un ex cimitero cattolico, nel quartiere di YeÅ~_ilköy. Allora la
notizia fu ampiamente pubblicizzata dai media turchi. Il quotidiano
Star Daily titolò addirittura ”Una moschea a Camlıca, una chiesa a
YeÃ…~_ilköy”, facendo riferimento alla maxi-moschea sulla collina che
sovrasta la citta, la cui costruzione era stata da poco autorizzata.

Tuttavia, se il tempio islamico prende forma e sara probabilmente
inaugurato nel 2016, la chiesa resta una promessa da rilanciare in
campagna elettorale. Oppure un escamotage per distogliere l’attenzione
dal centesimo anniversario del genocidio armeno, tuttora negato dalle
autorita turche, che ricorre proprio quest’anno. Ne è convinto David
Vergili, membro e gia portavoce dell’Unione siriaca europea, alleanza
di organizzazioni assire e siriache con sede a Bruxelles. ”Ã~H
evidente che il governo turco prova a mostrare rispetto per le
minoranze religiose, in un momento in cui la sua reputazione appare
compromessa dal ricordo del genocidio”, dichiara Vergili a Vatican
Insider. Il giornalista spiega perché la comunita siriaca dubita
fortemente della sincerita governativa. ”Se vi fosse davvero
l’intenzione di trattare equamente le minoranze, Ankara dovrebbe
cominciare a restituire le proprieta loro confiscate”.

Erdogan spera inoltre che il centenario della campagna di
Gallipoli, quando i turchi guidati da Mustafa Kemal Ataturk
resistettero all’invasione franco-britannica nello stretto dei
Dardanelli, contribuisca a spegnere i riflettori sul massacro
degli armeni. I festeggiamenti si sono sempre celebrati il 25
aprile, data
d’inizio dell’operazione nel 1915, ma quest’anno si svolgeranno dal
23 al 25 aprile,
occupando così anche il giorno in cui si ricorda proprio il genocidio
armeno (il 24). Il governo turco ha invitato alla celebrazione i
capi di stato di tutto il mondo, incluso il presidente armeno Serzh
Sargsyan. ”Non vedo quale altro motivo per anticipare l’anniversario
della campagna di Gallipoli se non distogliere l’attenzione mondiale
dal genocidio del nostro popolo”, ha affermato Sargsyan in un
comunicato ufficiale rispondendo all’invito di Recep Erdogan. Una
sfiducia ribadita dal Consiglio nazionale delle comunita armene
di Francia: ”Questa manovra vuole ridurre la partecipazione dei
leader internazionali alle celebrazioni di Yerevan. Siamo nel solco
del negazionismo turco, ovvero il perpetuarsi del genocidio sotto
altra forma”.

Negazionismo largamente diffuso tra la popolazione anatolica, stando
almeno a quanto emerge da un’indagine pubblicata nei giorni scorsi dal
centro per gli Studi economici e di politica estera, un think tank
con sede a Istanbul. Solo il 9,1% dei 1508 intervistati è infatti
convinto che il governo Erdogan debba riconoscere il genocidio e fare
pubblica ammenda, mentre il 12% ritiene giusto che Ankara esprima
cordoglio senza porgere alcuna scusa. E se il 23,5% sostiene che le
vittime non fossero soltanto armene e si debbano dunque commemorare
tutti i cittadini dell’impero ottomano uccisi in quel periodo, il 21,3%
suggerisce alle autorita turche di non fare assolutamente nulla.

PRESS RELEASE
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apost. Church of America and Canada
H.E. Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan
Prelate, Easter Prelacy and Canada
138 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212-689-7810
Fax: 212-689-7168
Web:

January 22, 2015

ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF REMEMBRANCE

This year Armenians worldwide are commemorating the 100th anniversary
of the Armenian Genocide that many believed to be the death-knell of
the Armenian people. The narrative of the resilience of the Armenian
people, the strength of the survivors through their faithfulness to
their Lord is truly a miraculous story.

Special events are scheduled in Washington, D.C., May 7 to 9, 2015,
that include an ecumenical prayer service, a Pontifical Divine
Liturgy, memorial concert, and a banquet that will honor organizations
and individuals who came to the aid of Armenian survivors. The
Catholicoi, His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, and
His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, will be
present to preside over the events. Armenians from all over the United
States are expected to participate in solidarity and unity. In New
York, commemorative events organized by the joint committee will take
place on April 24, 25, and 26, including the annual gathering at Times
Square.

This week we are again distributing the following letter that was
issued by the Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee (Eastern
Region). We urge you to read and make your donation to support the
work of the Centennial Committee.

The Centennial is almost upon us…

Though over 1.5 million lives were lost to history 100 years ago, we
as a people will never forget each and every man, woman and child who
perished in the Armenian Genocide of 1915. We are launching an
ambitious campaign to honor the history of those who came before us
and register their existence and suffering in the world’s collective
memory. Please help us on this historic anniversary by considering a
donation to help restore history.

You can make an online donation in any amount at

()

Your contributions will fuel a campaign spanning public relations,
digital, print and broadcast media relations in addition to rapid
response countering anti-Armenian press. The digital media plan will
unite us all in a collective memorial to those whose identities were
washed away by history. It will be composed of millions of river
stones that take the shape of the Euphrates River – each stone will be
engraved with one name – one for each and every one of us who takes a
pledge to never forget the forgotten genocide.

We will implement an online movement to get as many people as possible
to take this pledge. Massive city billboards will show famous
Armenian-Americans `missing’ until the genocide is universally
recognized and other non-Armenian celebrities lending their name to
stop genocides wherever they occur. We will push the media to tell
the truth about the Armenian Genocide and its consequences, enlisting
our supporters in the human rights and religious communities to stand
with us on this Centennial.

Our message? When one genocide is denied, so is every genocide.

This is our chance to raise awareness of our people on a scale never
before attempted. Our community is truly united behind this singular
effort. In an unprecedented measure our entire United States Armenian
community
has come together to have our voice heard once and for all.

The campaign is big and ambitious. We are confident it will succeed.
But only with your help.

Donate online at
()

If you prefer to donate by check, please make the check payable to any
of the following institutions:

=80¢Diocese of the Armenian Church

=80¢Prelacy of the Armenian Church

=80¢AGBU

=80¢AMAA

Please note `East Coast Centennial Committee’ in the check
memo and mail to:

Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee of America, Eastern Region

c/o AGBU

55 East 59th Street, 7th Floor

New York, NY 10022

Together we can tell the world our story and ensure it’s never
forgotten.

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE CENTENNIAL COMMITTEE OF AMERICA – EASTERN REGION

Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)

Prelacy of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)

Armenian Catholic Eparchy of United States & Canada

Armenian Evangelical Union of North America

Armenian Missionary Association of America

Armenia Fund USA, Inc.

Armenian Assembly of America

Armenian Democratic Liberal Party

Armenian General Benevolent Union

Armenian National Committee of America

Armenian Relief Society

Armenian Revolutionary Federation

Knights & Daughters of Vartan

Social Democratic Hunchakian Party

Armenian Bar Association

Armenian Network of America, Inc.

Armenian Youth Federation, Eastern Region

AGBU Young Professionals

Armenian Church Youth Organization

MURONORHNEK PILGRIMAGE

A Pilgrimage to experience the Blessing of the Holy Oil (Muronorhnek)
in Antelias, Lebanon, is being organized with two options: Option A,
to Lebanon
only (July 12-21); Option B, to Lebanon, Armenia and Artsakh (July
12-28).
Space is limited; reservations must be made by February 12. Check
details below:

VICAR WILL TRAVEL TO NORTH ANDOVER

Bishop Anoushavan will travel to North Andover, Massachusetts, where
on Sunday he will celebrate the Divine Liturgy and deliver the sermon
at St. Gregory Church, and preside over the parish’s 45th anniversary
celebration following the Liturgy.

HERAND MARKARIAN’S NEW BOOK TO BE PRESENTED

A new book by Herand M. Markarian, The Martyred Armenian Writers
1915-1922, will be presented tomorrow evening, Friday, January 23, at
The Armenian Center, 69-23 47th Avenue, Woodside, New York. The
anthology features the works of thirteen Armenian martyred
writers. The event is hosted by St. Illuminator’s Cathedral and the
Hamazkayin of New York. Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian, Vicar of the
Eastern Prelacy, will offer comments about the book in Armenian, with
English comments offered by Dr. George Dermksian, Iris
Chekenian, and Shant Mardirossian, chairman of the Near East
Foundation. See the calendar below for more details.

BIBLE READINGS

Bible readings for Sunday, January 25, Second Sunday after Nativity
(Eve of the Fast of the Catechumens): Isaiah 61:10-62:9; 2 Timothy
2:15-26; John 6:15-21.

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a
worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of
truth. Avoid profane chatter, for it will lead people into more and
more impiety, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are
Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have swerved from the truth by claiming
that the resurrection has already taken place. They are upsetting the
faith of some. But God’s firm
foundation stands, bearing this inscription: `The Lord knows those
who are his,’ and, `Let everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
turn away from wickedness.’

In a large house there are utensils not only of gold and silver but
also of wood and clay, some for special use, some for ordinary. All
who cleanse themselves of the things I have mentioned will become
special utensils, dedicated and useful to the owner of the house,
ready for every good work. Shun
youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace,
along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing
to do with stupid and senseless controversies; you know that they
breed quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but
kindly to everyone, an apt teacher, patient, correcting opponents with
gentleness. God may perhaps grant that they will repent and come to
know the truth, and that they may escape from the snare of the devil,
having been held captive by him to do his will. (2 Timothy 2:15-26)

For a listing of the coming week’s Bible readings click here
().

A NOTE ABOUT THE READINGS

There are no Bible readings according to the Armenian Liturgical
calendar four days next week, Monday to Thursday, January 26 to
January 29.

These four days without designated readings coincide with the Fast of
the Catechumens, which begins Monday and ends on Friday. There is only
one Bible reading for Friday, January 30, the entire Book of
Jonah. This period is traditionally a time for reflection and
repentance, and a time for the clergy and laity to witness their faith
to the un-baptized who are preparing for baptism. The Fast of the
Catechumens, which is unique to the Armenian Church, leads to the
Church’s remembrance of the prophet Jonah, whose
`entombment’ in the belly of the whale represents the three-day burial
of Jesus, and Jonah’s release represents the resurrection of our Lord.

PAREGENTAN OF THE FAST OF THE CATECHUMENS

This Sunday, January 25, is the Paregentan (Mardi Gras) of the Fast of
the
Catechumens. A catechumen is someone who is receiving instruction in
the fundamentals of the faith while preparing for baptism. This occurs
three weeks before Poun Paregentan (Eve of Great Lent) and ten weeks
before Easter. The Fast of the Catechumens is five days of strict fast
(dzom). Traditionally, the Catechumens were instructed for several
hours daily and required to
stand through every church service, separate from the baptized
congregation. This continued until Easter when the catechumens were
baptized and anointed and received their first communion.

VAHAN OF GOGHTN

Today, Thursday, January 22, the Armenian Church remembers Vahan
Goghtnatzi. As a young child he and other children of Armenian
nobility were taken to Damascus for education. When they reached
adulthood, the Arab overlords granted them permission to return to
Armenia. Vahan promised his overlord he
would return. Vahan married and established himself over his father’s
lands; however the Arab overlords demanded his return. After fleeing
from place to place, Vahan surrendered and expressed his desire to
remain in Armenia and practice his Christian religion. He was
imprisoned and martyred. It is believed that the melody and words of
the sharagan (hymn) dedicated to Vahan (Zarmanali e ints) were written
by his sister.

Your sighs and cries of repentance are more pleasant to me than songs
or music. O blessed lord Vahan, God chosen one. Arousing all the
powers of my soul, it even more urges me to compose in your honor not
a sad elegy, but a hymn that is spiritual, joyful, of praise which
calls others to walk in your footsteps. O blessed lord Vahan, servant
of Christ.

(From the sharagan dedicated to Vahan of Goghten, from the Liturgical
Canons of the Armenian Church)

HOLY COUNCIL OF CONSTANTINOPLE

This Saturday, January 24, we commemorate the 150 Fathers of the
Council of Constantinople, the second Ecumenical Council convened by
Emperor Theodosius in 381. The Council of Constantinople is one of the
three ecumenical councils recognized by the Armenian Church. The 150
bishops attending confirmed the work of the First Council at Nicaea,
and added five articles to the Nicene Creed regarding the Holy Spirit,
the Church, Baptism, and Resurrection.

CANDLELIGHT VIGIL FOR HRANT DINK

A candlelight vigil took place on Tuesday in memory of Hrant Dink, the
editor and journalist who was assassinated eight years ago in
Istanbul. The vigil took place at the Turkish Consulate in New York
City. The vigil was sponsored by the New York ARF Armen Garo Gomideh.

Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian, pastor of St. Illuminator’s Cathedral, and
Rev. Fr. Nareg Terterian, pastor of St. Sarkis Church, led the singing
of Hayr Mer, Der Voghormya, and Giligia. Ms. Taleen Babayan spoke on
behalf of the participants.

The eighth anniversary of the assassination of Hrant Dink was marked
with a vigil in front of the Turkish Consulate in New York.

LECTURE ON NEAR EAST RELIEF PRESENTED

AT ST. SARKIS CHURCH IN NEW YORK

The Cultural Committee of St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New York,
hosted a lecture last Sunday entitled `The Near East Relief Historical
Society: Remembering the Past, Investing in the Future.’ The guest
speaker was Molly Sullivan, Esq., the Director and Curator of the Near
East Relief Historical Society, an educational initiative of the Near
East Foundation.

The Near East Foundation is the successor to The American Committee
for Syrian and Armenian Relief which was formed in 1915 in response to
the massive humanitarian crisis precipitated by the dissolution of the
Ottoman Empire, and it was one of the organizations at the forefront
of humanitarian relief efforts. From 1915-1930, the Near East Relief
(NER) raised over $110 million and saved the lives of over one million
Armenian, Assyrian, and Greek refugees, including over 130,000
orphans. Ms. Sullivan discussed the massive humanitarian relief
efforts undertaken by Near East Relief during this time and the
current work of the Near East Foundation in combating poverty in
conflict and post-conflict areas in the Middle East and Africa.

In the aftermath of the genocide, Near East Relief highlighted the
plight of Armenian refugees in posters and billboards throughout the
country, encouraging ordinary Americans to sponsor an orphan or assist
in any way possible. From Sunday schools to lemonade stands,
Americans answered the call and contributed generously to the
campaign. Ms. Sullivan is currently creating an interactive Online
Museum which is dedicated to preserving the incredible history of the
Near East Relief. She is also creating a downloadable panel exhibition
made up of key pieces from the NER collection as well as educational
materials that can be distributed to schools. Ms. Sullivan is in the
process of planning several events that celebrate the legacy of the
NER while commemorating the countless lives affected by the Armenian
Genocide. For more information about the Near East Foundation, visit
their
website:

(Reported by Anahid Ugurlayan)

Molly Sullivan speaking about the life-saving work of the Near East
Relief
100 years ago and the work of the Near East Foundation today.

Bishop Anoushavan, Der Nareg, and the lecturer surrounded by the
parishioners of St. Sarkis Church.

Students in front of the Armenian khatchkar displayed at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art.

STUDENTS VISIT MET MUSEUM TO SEE KHATCHKAR

Sunday school students from St. Illuminator’s Cathedral braved the
inclement weather to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York
last
Sunday. Earlier that day the students studied the history, purpose,
and unique design elements of khatchkars (stone crosses). They
assembled a khatchkar puzzle, noting its shape and carving
details. They then discussed why Armenians made these unique stone
crosses. They examined different khatchkars from the ninth to the
fifteenth century, noting common design elements. They made a list of
these elements and plan to use them to design their own khatchkars.

During their tour of the museum, the students visited the South
Gallery where they saw a display of the art of the early church. In
the section on middle Byzantine centuries they studied two massive
Armenian khatchkars on loan to the Met by the Museum of History in
Yerevan. They excitedly pointed out the elements they learned about
and quickly recognized it as an Armenian
khatchkar. They also visited Dikran Kelekian’s collection of Coptic
art and noted similarities and differences between the Christian
iconography and design elements.

Finally they made a group decision on the last gallery they had time
to explore. They chose ancient Egypt and used their maps to find their
way to the area. Here they were interested in the hieroglyphics and
mummies that were on display. The group was in awe of the size and
detail of the artwork.

After a quick snack at the cafe, the children met their parents in the
building’s main gallery and shared with them all the exciting things
they saw and expressed the wish to return and explore even more.

THIS WEEK IN ARMENIAN HISTORY

Prepared by the Armenian National Education Committee (ANEC)

Death of Yeghishe Tadeosian (January 22, 1936)

Yeghishe Tadeosian was a talented painter of the late nineteenth and
early
twentieth century. He was born on September 12, 1870 in
Vagharshapat. He studied in the Ter Hakobian pension of Tiflis from
1879-1881 and then at the
Lazarian Lyceum of Moscow (1881-1885). Afterwards he entered the
School of
Fine Arts, Sculpture, and Architecture of Moscow, where he was a
student of Russian influential painters Vladimir Makovsky (1846-1920)
and Vasily Polenov (1844-1927).

Y. Tadeosian, Komitas, 1936.

After graduation in 1894, Tadeosian returned to Armenia and taught for
a year at the Kevorkian Seminary of Holy Etchmiadzin. In 1896 he
returned to Moscow and participated in the 24th salon of the
Peredvizhniki (`The
Wanderers’), a group of realist painters to which his teachers
Makovsky and Polenov were affiliated. The budding artist won two
prizes in 1898 at the competition of the Society of Artists of Moscow
for his paintings
`Midday Meal’ and `Preaching to the Right Believers.’ He traveled to
Palestine with his mentor Polenov in 1898 and, later, almost every day
traveled through the Middle East and Europe (until 1914), Russia, and
Armenia, which became the source for his art.

The painter settled in Tiflis in 1901 and was a member of the literary
and
artistic group `Ikar,’ founded in 1907. He participated in
the exhibitions of the `classical period’ of the avant-garde group Mir
isskustva (`World of Art’), and its successor,
the Union of Russian Artists, until 1910. He collaborated with the
foundation of the Union of Armenian Artists in Tiflis (1916) and was
elected as its chairman.

Tadeosian organized the exhibition of the Union of Armenian Artists in
Yerevan (1921) and two years later, he was one of the founders and
first professors of the Academy of Fine Arts of Georgia. In 1935 he
was bestowed the title of Emeritus Worker of Art of Soviet Armenia.

Tadeosian’s tombstone at the Komitas Pantheon in Yerevan.

In his works of the 1890s and 1900s, Tadeosian showed some trends
close to
impressionism, although he remained essentially a realist painter. He
tried many varieties of plastic art, including mosaic, small
sculptures, and stage decoration. He was a master of portrait and
landscape. He also touched the subject of the Armenian massacres, as
well as traditions and historical
past.

He passed away on January 22, 1936 in Tiflis. His body was later moved
to Yerevan, where a street bears his name, and was buried in the
Pantheon, the
cemetery of cultural and political figures situated near Gomidas
Park. His
tombstone offers a unique piece of trivia: for some reason, the name
of the painter has been written as `ÔµÕ²Õ«Õ·Õ§ Ô¹Õ¡Õ¤Õ§Õ¸Õ½Õ¥Õ¡Õ¶’
(Yeghishe Tadeosian), in Classical Armenian spelling, even though his
name should have been `ÔµÕ²Õ«Õ·Õ¥ Ô¹Õ¡Õ¤Õ¥Ö=82Õ¸Õ½ÕµÕ¡Õ¶’ (Yeghishe
Tadevosyan) in Soviet Armenian spelling. One may only wonder how this
happened and how the writing escaped the attention of Soviet Armenian
censors.

Previous entries in `This Week in Armenian History’ can be
read on the Prelacy’s web site ().

SYRIAN ARMENIAN COMMUNITY NEEDS OUR HELP MORE THAN EVER

The crisis in Syria requires our financial assistance.

Please keep this community in your prayers, your hearts, and your
pocketbooks.

PLEASE DO NOT FORGET OUR ONGOING RELIEF EFFORTS FOR THE ARMENIAN
COMMUNITY
IN SYRIA WHERE CONDITIONS ARE BECOMING INCREASINGLY MORE DIFFICULT.

THE NEED IS REAL.

THE NEED IS GREAT.

DONATIONS TO THE FUND FOR SYRIAN ARMENIAN RELIEF CAN BE MADE ON
LINE. TO DONATE NOW CLICK HERE
() AND SELECT SYRIAN
ARMENIAN RELIEF IN THE MENU. OR IF YOU PREFER YOU MAY MAIL YOUR
DONATION TO:

Armenian Prelacy

138 E. 39th Street

New York, NY 10016

Checks payable to: Fund for Syrian Armenian Relief

Thank you for your help

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

January 23-A Centennial Commemoration: Book presentation, `The
Martyred Armenian Writers 1915-1922, by Herand M. Markarian, sponsored
by St. Illuminator’s Cathedral and Hamazkayin of New York, under
auspices of Archbishop Oshagan. Participants include: Bishop
Anoushavan Tanielian, Dr. George Dermksian, Iris Chekenian, and Shant
Mardirossian. Master
of Ceremonies: Zarmine Boghosian. Readings by Veh-Harach Bezdikian,
Natalie Gabrielian, Yeraz Markarian Meschian, Aida Zilelian-Silak. The
Armenian Center, 69-23 47th Avenue, Woodside, New York at 8:05 pm.

January 25-45th anniversary of St. Gregory Church, North Andover,
Massachusetts, Divine Liturgy and celebration presided by Bishop
Anoushavan
Tanielian. Contact Sossy Jeknavorian ([email protected]) for tickets
to anniversary celebration; $40 adults; $10 children. Advance
reservations required.

February 5-Avak luncheon, sponsored by St. Gregory Church, 158 Main
Street, North Andover, Massachusetts. Speaker: Ruth Thomasian,
executive director Project SAVE Archives, `Preserving Your Precious
Photographs.’ Guests may bring photos for discussion on persons,
places, and
situations.

February 5-`Code Name `Haiko’: Discovering
the Last Unknown Participant in Talaat Pasha’s Liquidation,’ a lecture
by Dr. Vartan Matiossian, director of the Armenian National Education
Committee, 7 pm in the Guild Hall of the Armenian Diocese, 630 Second
Avenue, New York, sponsored by the Zohrab Information Center. For
information: [email protected] or 212-686-0710.

February 6-Hamazkayin of New York presents a Bilingual lecture by
Khatchig Mouradian, `From Der Zor to Kobani (Arabpunar): Turkey,
Kurds, and Armenians,’ Armenian Center, 69-23 47th Avenue, Woodside,
New York, at 8 pm. Donation: $10.

February 7-Armenian Relief Society, NJ Shakeh Chapter presents
=80=9CThe Sound of Music’ (in Armenian), performed by the Bedros
Atamian Theatrical Group of Hamazkayin Sanahin Chapter, Montreal,
Canada. Director and playwright, Lena Khacherian, at Fort Lee High
School, 3000 Lemoine Avenue, Fort Lee, New Jersey. Tickets: $50, $35,
$25. Contact: Ani Keshishian 201-417-0204; Anik Kechichian
201-394-4408; Lena Tarakjian 201-592-7991.

February 28-March 1-Armenian Relief Society Youth Connect Program,
at New York University, `Looking Beyond the Centennial.’ Featuring:
Khatchig Mouradian, ARS Youth Connect Program Director; Speakers,
Scout Tufankjian, Photojournalist and Eric Nazarian, Filmmaker. For
Armenian college students, 18-25 years old. Deadline for registration
(required) January 30. Space is limited. $25 registration fee includes
meals and the evening dinner. Overnight accommodation available for
out-of-town students. For more information: [email protected] or
617-926-3801.

March 1-One Nation, One Culture: A Cultural Evening of Song & Dance
dedicated to the Armenian Genocide 100th Anniversary, Felician
College, 262 South Main Street, Lodi, New Jersey at 4 pm. Organized by
the New Jersey
chapter of Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Society, with
co-sponsorship of AGBU Ararat NY, Homenetmen Regional Executive,
Armenian Relief Society of Eastern USA, and Tekeyan Cultural
Association of Greater New York.

March 5-Official opening of Exhibit on Armenian textiles, `Stitching
to Survive: Handwork of Armenian Women,’ 6-8 pm, at the United
Nations, New York. Reception to follow. Organized by the Armenian
Relief Society, Inc., and the Permanent Mission of Armenia to the UN.

March 6-Conference, `Rebuilding a Nation: The Armenian Woman’s Century
of Resistance and Empowerment,’ 10 am-4 pm, at
Salvation Army Auditorium, 221 East 52nd Street, New York
City. Organized by the Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee of the
Armenian Relief Society, Inc.

March 7-Cultural program in commemoration of the 100th anniversary
of the Armenian genocide, sponsored by the Armenian Relief Society of
Eastern USA, under auspices of Archbishop Oshagan, Prelate. At 7 pm at
Waterside Restaurant & Catering, 7800 River Road, North Bergen, New
Jersey. Donation: $100. For information: Knar Kiledjian 201-233-1566;
Lena Orangian 516-724-3005 or by email to [email protected].

March 13-15-`Responsibility 2015,’ International conference for
Armenian Genocide’s centennial at Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York,
featuring prominent historians, policymakers, authors, and
artists. Organized by the ARF Eastern US Centennial Committee, under
the auspices of the Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee of America,
Eastern Region. for information.

March 20-Musical Armenia, presented by Eastern Prelacy and Prelacy
Ladies Guild, Weill Recital Hall, 8 pm, Carnegie Hall, New York
City. Featured artists Patil Harboyan, piano and Heather Tuach, cello,
will present a program dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the
Armenian Genocide that will include works of Armenian composers
Atamian, Babajanian, Gomidas, Khatchaturian, Saradjian, Stepanian, and
Talalyan. Tickets are $25 and will be on sale after December 20th at
the box office and the Prelacy, 212-689-7810.

March 13-15-International conference, `Responsibility 2015′ marking
the Armenian Genocide’s centennial, at Marriott Marquis Hotel, New
York City. Organized by the ARF Eastern United States Centennial
Committee, under the auspices of the Armenian Genocide Centennial
Committee of America, Eastern Region. For information visit the web
site ().

April 25-Connecticut Armenian Genocide Commemoration Day at the
Connecticut State Capitol. Keynote speaker: Noted author Chris
Bohjalian.

April 26-Centennial commemoration of Genocide. Joint united Divine
Liturgy in New York City (site to be announced), presided by
Archbishop Khajag Barsamian and Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan. To be
followed by Times Square gathering `100 Years to Remember.’

May 7, 8, 9-National Armenian Genocide Centennial Commemoration in
Washington, DC, organized under the patronage of the Diocese and the
Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Presided by His Holiness
Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, and His
Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Holy See of the Great House of
Cilicia. May 7, Ecumenical Service at the National Cathedral, 7 pm;
May 8, A Journey Through Armenian Music at the Music Center at
Strathmore, 7:30 pm; May 8 & 9, Exhibits, Films, and Events at various
venues; May 9, Divine Liturgy at the Basilica of the National Shrine
of the Immaculate Conception, 10 am; May 9, A Time to Give Thanks,
banquet, 6 pm (location to be announced).

May 10 to June 4-Pontifical Visit of His Holiness Aram I to the
Eastern Prelacy.

June 3-6-National Representative Assembly hosted by St. Stephen’s
Church, Watertown, Massachusetts.

July 18-Blessing of the Holy Muron (Oil) by His Holiness Aram I, at
the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia in Antelias,
Lebanon. For details click here.

October 5-9-Clergy gathering of Eastern, Western, and Canadian
Prelacies.

Web pages of the parishes can be accessed through the Prelacy’s web
site.

To ensure the timely arrival of Crossroads in your electronic mailbox,
add [email protected] to your address book.

Items in Crossroads can be reproduced without permission. Please
credit Crossroads as the source.

Parishes of the Eastern Prelacy are invited to send information about
their major events to be included in the calendar. Send to:
[email protected]

VACHE GABRIELYAN – CHAIRMAN OF BOARD OF TRUSTEES AT SEVAN TROUT RESERVE RECOVERY AND FISH BREEDING FOUNDATION

15:59 January 23, 2015

EcoLur

According to the resolution of the Armenian Government, Vache
Gabrielyan – Minister of International Economic Integration and
Reforms, has been appointed as the Chairman of Board of Trustees
at Sevan Trout Reserve Recovery and Fish Breeding Foundation. The
resolution was adopted at the regular meeting of the government held
on 22 January.

ZHOGHOVURD: ARMENIAN BANKS REFUSE TO PROVIDE LOANS

10:29 23/01/2015 ” DAILY PRESS

Armenian banks are refusing to provide loans in the wake of the
December developments. Some banks, in particular VTB Armenia Bank,
are mulling cutting the staff of loan departments, Zhoghovurd writes.

In response to the query of Zhoghovurd, VTB Armenia Bank said that
this is misinformation and all departments of the bank work as normal.

Source: Panorama.am

LE MANQUE DE COUVERTURE PAR LES TELEVISIONS DU MASSACRE DE GYUMRI EN RUSSIE SOULÈVE DES QUESTIONS EN ARMENIE

ARMENIE

Les principales chaînes de television russes ont garde le silence sur
les evenements qui se deroulent en Armenie au debut de cette semaine
alors qu’un un militaire de la base militaire russe de Gyumri a ete
arrete et accuse du meurtre d’une famille de six membres. Cette absence
de couverture sur ce qui semble etre des nouvelles importantes aussi
pour le public russe a souleve des questions parmi les experts des
medias en Armenie sur le niveau de la censure et des priorites pour
les entreprises de television russes.

Ce n’est que jeudi 15 janvier que Rossiya-24 a finalement presente des
nouvelles de Gyumri, où l’assassinat de masse d’une famille qui aurait
ete commis par le soldat russe a cree une grande vague d’indignation
publique, compte tenu du fait que le principal suspect est toujours
maintenu sous detention russe.

Depuis lundi, lorsque le crime odieux a ete commis, des medias
russes et seulement les sites Web de nouvelles et quelques chaînes
de television non centrales ont publie des informations sur cette
tragedie. Tandis que les principales chaînes de television comme la
première chaîne, Rossia, et d’autres n’ont pas informe leur public
sur les developpements dans leurs journaux televises.

Cela semble etrange a beaucoup en Armenie, en considerant que la Russie
a 3000 soldats stationnes dans le pays du Caucase du Sud et alors que
c’est un evenement extraordinaire en lien avec la base militaire russe.

Levon Barseghyan, redacteur en chef au Club des journalistes Asbarez
base a Gyumri, cependant, n’est pas surpris de la situation, car il
pense que cela esr recurrent sur la television russe, quelque chose
qu’il affirme qui contredit les principes de base du journalisme et
de la liberte d’expression.

“Ils croient que c’est une honte pour eux, et je pense qu’il n’y
aurait rien de scandaleux sur les nouvelles si elles ne montrent que
la verite est plus chère >>, a declare Barseghyan, appelant une autre
manifestation contre la facon dont la Russie traite l’Armenie.

Dans le meme temps, l’expert a observe egalement certaines “prudences”
sur la facon dont certaines chaînes locales armeniennes ont couvert
les evenements.