Author: Kanayan Tamar

Disgrace in LA on Shushi Liberation Day

Lragir.am
Country – Saturday, 10 May 2014, 17:49

Yesterday an event was organized at Los Angeles City Council by Paul
Krekorian, a member of California State Assembly, to celebrate Shushi
Liberation Day. The event was attended by the representative of
Karabakh to the United States Robert Avetisyan, as well as the
Armenian Consul General in Los Angeles Sergey Sarkisov.

Sarkisov is a Russian Armenian businessman, the owner of RESO
insurance, he and his brother Nikolay Sarkisov are on the list of
Russian billionaires.

Nikolay Sarkisov is the Armenian Consul General in Lyon.

Edward Enfiajian, a participant of the liberation of Shushi, was
invited to the event. He told our reporter that the speakers never
mentioned Commandos, Arkady Ter-Tadevosyan, who worked out and
implemented Shushi action.

`History is falsified while the participants of the developments are
still alive,’ Edward Enfiajian says. What could the reason be? One can
guess that the Russian businessmen, including the Sarkisovs, as well
as the governments of Armenia and Karabakh, are doing everything to
rule out any `anti-Russian element’ in diplomatic turnover. Meanwhile,
Arkady Ter-Tadevosyan has spoken against severe dependence of Armenia
on Russia’s intentions for many times.

Edward Enfiajian is also indignant that the celebration in Los Angeles
did not mention that on May 8 California State Assembly recognized the
independence of Nagorno-Karabakh, apparently, because the recognition
of the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh does not fit in the Russian
`initiatives’ for the Karabakh settlement.

`After the events of Crimea Karabakh organized a firework and a
concert whereas the recognition of NKR by one of the biggest states of
America was not anyhow marked in Stepanakert,’ Edward Enfiajian said.
IN fact, both the Armenian consul to LA and the representation of
Karabakh are working within the orbit of Russian politics.

– See more at:

Liturgy to bring life to Armenian church after 50 years

May 11, 2014- 2 Comments

By Evie Andreou

THE DIVINE Liturgy will echo within the walls of the Armenian Church
of Virgin Mary in northern Nicosia for the first time in 50 years
today.

For the hundreds of the Armenian Cypriots attending ` some from abroad
` it will be a profoundly emotional moment as they return to a church
and its surrounding buildings which once formed the core of their
everyday lives. The medieval church of Virgin Mary, or Sourp
Azdvadzadzin, is located in the heart of what was the Armenian quarter
of Nicosia until 1964, when the community abandoned the area during
the inter-communal troubles. The last liturgy took place in January
1964.

`I don’t know if I will be able to control my tears when I hear the
choir sing from the balcony,’ said Sebouh Tavitian who as a boy used
to serve in the church every day with his cousin.

I met Tavitian and other members of the Armenian Cypriot community at
the church on Friday when they went to clean and prepare it for
today’s service.

He remembers the time when the church compound met most of the
community’s religious, educational and social needs from births,
baptisms, weddings and funerals. Within its confines was a pre-school
and elementary school, the Armenian Bishopric, the monument to the
genocide and even a scouts’ hall.

`I am very emotional. I belong to the generation that grew up in the
area. I attended all schools here, I served the church every day with
my cousin, I was baptised here, and my parents got married here as
well as all my relatives,’ said Tavitian.
`Back then there was no TV, no computers. We used to spend our time
playing football in the church’s yard, we were also scouts.’

Alexander-Michael Hadjilyra, the spokesman of the Armenian MP Vartkes
Mahdessian, explained how Armenian was spoken everywhere.

`On funerals they would plaster announcements on the electricity poles
to inform everyone. Opposite the church complex is the first hotel in
Nicosia established in 1875 by the Soultanian family. The Armenian
Club was one of the oldest clubs in Nicosia, it was established in
1902, and it hosted the community’s cultural events,’ he said.

For Sirvat Kouyoumdjian, a member of the Women’s Church Committee and
once a resident of the quarter, her most vivid memory was the church’s
icon.

`There used to be an icon of Saint George in the church and it was a
miracle maker. People used to come and place their babies’ shoes in
front of it so that they would grow and be healthy,’ she said

`This is my first time here since 1964. I was sleepless for two
nights,’ said another helper, Elsie Utidjian. `I used to live in
Tanzimat Street. I was baptised in the church and attended both
pre-school and elementary school here.’

`I have mixed feelings. I am excited. I am very happy I was able to be
part of the group that helped prepare the church,’ said Anahid
Eskidjian also a member of the Women’s Church Committee with Utidjian
and Kouyoumdjian.

Like them, she also went to school there, as did her brother who has
been living in the United States since 1964. He, and many former
pupils who now live abroad, have returned especially for the service.

`It will be like a reunion after all these years,’ said Eskidjian.

The liturgy will be carried out by the Armenian Archbishop Varoujan
Herkelian, and the Armenian Church’s Choir will take its traditional
place in the balcony.

HISTORIC BUILDING

Sourp Azdvadzadzin was originally a Latin church built in 1308-1310
after being commissioned by King Henry II of Cyprus. It stood on an
earlier 12th century church which, before being destroyed by
earthquake in 1303, had housed religious orders and been a nunnery.

The monastery came under the Armenian Church in 1504. Two firmans
(edicts) issued in 1571 and 1614 during the Ottoman rule, confirm the
Armenian ownership of the church.

Over time the church underwent various changes. It was restored in
1688, 1884 and 1904. Between 1960 and 1961, the Antiquities Department
replaced the medieval tombstones in the floor and installed new
flooring.

Between 1964 and 1998 the church complex was used as barracks for the
Turkish Cypriot militia and Turkish soldiers.
It was restored between 2009 and 2012 by the UNDP-ACT and USAID
funding in close co-operation with the office of the Armenian
Representative Vartkes Mahdessian and the Armenian Prelature of
Cyprus.

Press TV, Iran
May 11 2014

Iran music maestro Loris Tjeknavorian talks to Press TV

Loris Tjeknavorian has made nearly 100 recordings and written more
than 75 compositions, including symphonies, operas, requiems, chamber
music, ballet music, concertos, choral works and an oratorio.

He has conducted international orchestras throughout the world in
numerous countries including Austria, the UK, the US, Canada, Hungary,
Finland, the former USSR, Armenia, Thailand, Hong Kong, South Africa,
and Denmark.

The literary opera, Rostam and Sohrab and the requiem Departed and the
Survived are among his best-known works.

Back in 2008 Loris Tjeknavorian was awarded Austria’s Cross of Honor
for Science and Art First Class.

The award was bestowed upon the veteran artist during a ceremony held
by the Austrian Embassy to celebrate Austria’s National Day in Tehran.

Watch the video of the interview at

East Ukraine referendum raises fears of dismemberment

11:12 ¢ 11.05.14

Pro-Russian separatist leaders pressed a referendum on self-rule
across eastern Ukraine on Sunday that has raised fears in Kiev and the
West of civil war and dismemberment, Reuters reports.

Clashes flared anew on the outskirts of Slaviansk, the most heavily
defended rebel redoubt, as the first voters appeared at polling
stations, making their way through streets criss-crossed with
barricades of felled trees, tires and rusty machinery.

“I wanted to come as early as I could. We all want to live in our own
country,” said Zhenya Denyesh, a 20-year-old student voting at a
three-storey concrete and glass university building.

Asked what he thought would come after the vote, he replied: “It will
still be war.”

Ukrainian leader Oleksander Turchinov told pro-Russian eastern regions
on Saturday that if they move to secession it would be taking a step
into the abyss. He said such a move would destroy the economy of the
region, that produces 16 percent of Ukraine’s GDP.

Kiev and the West accuse Moscow of engineering the crisis, portraying
the Ukrainian government as a body hostage to militant anti-Russian
nationalists, and backing the rebel fighters with special forces, an
allegation Moscow denies.

Armenian News – Tert.am

REVUE DE PRESSE
Azerbaïdjan : huit jeunes opposants condamnés à de lourdes peines

Ce mardi matin, en Azerbaïdjan, huit membres du groupe de jeunesse
NIDA ont été condamnés à de très lourdes peines de prison, de 6 à 8
ans. Ils sont accusés d’avoir organisé du désordre public et d’avoir
détenu des armes. Pour Human Rights Watch, c’est une prétexte pour
écraser une formation bien organisée et critique vis-Ã-vis d’un régime
corrompu et de plus en plus dictatorial.

Avec notre correspondant à Tbilissi, Régis Genté

A considérer les charges invoquées contre les huit activistes de NIDA,
le doute s’impose. Comme souvent dans les régimes dictatoriaux et
autoritaires de l’ex-URSS, les opposants sont accusés d’avoir organisé
du désordre public et d’avoir détenu de la drogue et des armes. Ce qui
est certain, c’est que les armes dont ces jeunes se servaient jusqu’Ã
leur arrestation en mars 2013 n’étaient autre que Facebook, Twitter et
autres site de blogging.

NIDA est un groupe formé en 2010, se présentant comme non affilié Ã
des partis politiques, non-violent et luttant pour la démocratie. Le
mouvement a aussi le tort d’être bien organisé, mené par des jeunes
déterminés, créatifs, souvent formés à l’étranger.

Pour les ONG de défense des droits de l’homme, le pouvoir
azerbaïdjanais veut à la fois envoyer un message à la jeunesse et
couper l’herbe sous le pied du mécontentement qui s’exprime dans le
pays, la manne pétrolière ne profitant guère aux 9 millions
d’Azerbaïdjanais. Après la lecture du verdict, des affrontements ont
eu lieu entre ceux qui les soutiennent et la police.

dimanche 11 mai 2014,
Stéphane ©armenews.com

FOOTBALL
Borussia Dortmund finit en beauté le championnat d’Allemagne, Henrikh
Mkhitaryan marque son 9e but en Bundesliga

Au Stade Olympique de Berlin envahi par 76 197 supporters, pour la 34e
et dernière journée du championnat d’Allemagne, le Borussia Dortmund
-vice-champion d’Allemagne- s’est imposé 4-0 face à Herta Berlin. Si
Robert Lewandowski qui quitte le club fut l’homme du match en
inscrivant deux buts, l’international arménien Henrikh Mkhitaryan fit
également un très bon match. A la 82e Henrikh Mkhitaryan marqua le 4e
but du Borussia Dortmund, le 9e de l’Arménien depuis ses débuts en
Bundesliga l’été dernier. Mission remplie avec ce nouveau titre de
vice-champion d’Allemagne pour les hommes de Jürgen Klopp qui
préparent à affronter dans quelques jours le Bayern de Munich lors de
la finale de la Coupe d’Allemagne.

Krikor Amirzayan

dimanche 11 mai 2014,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

EUROVISION 2014
L’Arménie termine à la 4ème place de l’Eurovision 2014

La 59e édition de l’Eurovision vient de se tenir à Copenhague
(Danemark) avec 26 pays engagés dans la finale. L’Arménie avec Aram
MP3 qui était l’une des favorites du concours de l’Eurovision 2014
avec la chanson « Not Alone » se classe 4ème avec 176 points. Le
concours fut remporté par Conchita Wurst pour l’Autriche (290 points)
devant les Pays-Bas (238) et la Suède (218).

Aram MP3 pour l’Arménie termine à la 4e place de l’Eurovision 2014

La France, l’Autriche et la Géorgie ont donné 12 points à l’Arménie.
Le Belarus, la Lettonie et le Monténégro ont offert 10 points Ã
l’Arménie, la Macédoine et la Russie ont donné 8 points à l’Arménie
(et 10 points à l’Azerbaïdjan qui a toutefois terminé en bas du
tableau à la 21e place avec seulement 33 points). La Grèce, la Hongrie
et la Roumanie 7 points à l’Arménie. L’Allemagne, Israël, Malte et San
Marin ont donné 6 points. Puis viennent l’Estonie (5 points), la
Finlande, le Portugal et l’Espagne (4 points), la Moldavie (3 points),
le Danemark et l’Islande (2 points), la Pologne (1 point).

De son côté l’Arménie a donné 12 points au Monténégro, 10 Ã la Russie,
8 au Bélarus, 7 Ã la Grèce, 6 Ã l’Allemagne, 5 Ã la Suisse, 4 aux
Pays-Bas, 3 Ã San Marin, 2 Ã l’Espagne et 1 au Danemark.

L’Eurovision suivie par près de 200 millions de téléspectateurs reste
l’un des plus grands rendez-vous médiatiques de la chanson en Europe.
Et cela, même si les votes sont les reflets d’affinités politiques,
d’alliances stratégiques, au détriment de la qualité des prestations
artistiques des candidats.

Krikor Amirzayan

dimanche 11 mai 2014,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

Budapest Times, Hungary
May 10 2014

Culture, history explored in series of events, exhibition

10. May 2014 – by BT in Budapest

Inspired by the culture of Central Asia and the Caucasus, The Silk
Road Society, sponsored by The Travel Scientists, will bring the
sights, sounds, tastes and experiences of the Silk Road to Budapest
with its three-day festival, running from Monday to Wednesday 12-14
May at the Brody Studios, to showcase the culture and travel
opportunities of the countries along the historic Silk Road.

The Silk Road Festival will combine a variety of activities, from its
inaugural dinner catered by Hachapuri Georgian Restaurant, to talks
from top academics, food and wine tasting sessions, and exhibitions
focusing on contemporary artists in the region (including paintings
loaned by the Vollnhofer ArtStudio of Budapest along with independent
artists), and travel photography showcasing the places along the Silk
Road.

The festival entwines contemporary culture with history, where a
series of talks from esteemed academics will link up the present-day
countries with their history.

The inaugural dinner (12 May) is a ticketed event, which will include
access to the exhibition, plus talks from the UNESCO Chair of Art
History, Professor Levon Chookaszian, who will open with the subject
of Armenian art history and textiles throughout the centuries,
followed by the Georgian dinner and a talk on Central Asian music by
Dr. János Sipos, a musicology researcher and lecturer from the
Hungarian Academy of Sciences and Liszt Ferenc Academy. The evening
will conclude with a concert by Majda Mária Guessous, whose music will
showcase the sounds of Central Asia.

The following two days are open to the public and require no
reservation. There will be talks on Georgian art, along with a speech
from the Georgian ambassador on the second day of the event, Tuesday,
at 6.30pm. There will also be a Georgian food tasting seminar and
session at 7pm.

The final day, Wednesday, will open with Dr. Matteo Fumagalli from
Central European University at 4pm speaking on the cultural and
economic emergence of Central Asia, followed by a talk from Dr. Ágnes
Birtalan from ELTE at 6pm, on the Mongol civilisation’s effect on the
Silk Road. To conclude the event, there will be a wine tasting session
focusing on the products of the Caucasus at 7pm.

The Silk Road Festival is the first event from the Silk Road Society,
which plans to host more, focusing on other countries along the Silk
Road.
The event is sponsored by Hachapuri and The Travel Scientists, and is
partnered with the Brody Studios and Vollnhofer ArtStudio, with media
sponsorship from the Budapest Times/Budapester Zeitung and
TheDaily.Hu.

To attend the dinner, RSVP [email protected]. All other
events are open without reservation.

Tickets for the dinner (including talks and concert): HUF 4500
Food tasting/wine tasting events: HUF 1500/HUF 1000 (students and
Brody House members)

For more information:

Glendale News-Press (California)
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News
May 9, 2014 Friday

Manny Gamburyan’s only option is winning versus Nik Lentz at UFC Fight Night

Grant Gordon, Glendale News-Press, Calif.

May 09–Manny Gamburyan finds no solace in a no-contest.

When last Gamburyan fought, he was on the wrong end of a unanimous
decision against seventh-ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship
bantamweight Denis Siver.

However, the December bout was overturned and ruled no-contest in
April after Siver tested positive for human chorionic gonadotropin,
which is commonly used as a weight-loss and testosterone aid.

But Gamburyan still refers to the fight as a loss.

And on Saturday, Gamburyan will return to the octagon to face Nik
Lentz in a three-round bantamweight bout as part of UFC Fight Night
from Cincinnati’s U.S. Bank Arena in a fight he looks at as a
must-win.

“He’s a great all-around fighter, he’s a good wrestler. He’s
definitely a grinder,” Gamburyan, 33, said of Lentz. “But I’m not new
to this sport. I don’t care what he has. I’m 100% sure of myself.

“The only option I have is to get the ‘W.'”

The 29-year-old Lentz, ranked No. 9 in the division, is coming off a
loss to No. 1 Chad Mendes, who will challenge Jose Aldo for the title
on Aug. 2 for the second time. It was Lentz’s first loss at 145
pounds, but no matter what happened in his December contest with
Mendes, Lentz is hardly lacking confidence.

“My wrestling is by far better than his and so’s my ground game,”
Lentz said. “But as far as where the fight goes, I’m comfortable
wherever it is.

“I’m always 100% confident.”

Gamburyan, who trains at the Glendale Fighting Club and Team Hayastan
in North Hollywood, is known for his judo background, his heavy top
game and a powerful right hand, which knocked out Mike Thomas Brown in
a World Extreme Cagefighting bout in 2010 and earned him a title shot
against Aldo.

However, Lentz said there isn’t really anything all that dangerous
that Gamburyan brings to the cage.

“Not in particular,” Lentz said. “But, he’s been around a long time.
He’s a veteran of the game, so nothing’s going to surprise him.”

In his biggest victories, Lentz has used his wrestling to grind down
opponents, an approach often used by Gamburyan.

“My mindset is better than ever,” said Lentz, who added that his time
training with American Top Team in Coconut Springs, Fla. has paid huge
dividends. “I’m really looking forward to this fight.”

The two of have gone to the judges in 23 of their combined 54 fights
and their last eight in a row combined, further evidence of their
grind-it-out nature.

In the common opponent department, both combatants have previously
fought Robert Emerson, Tyson Griffin, Diego Nunes and Thiago Taveres.
Lentz went 3-0-1 against the foursome, with a draw against Tavares and
decision wins over the others. Gamburyan is 0-4 against the quartet,
with three decision losses and a knockout defeat against Emerson.

For Lentz, it is an opportunity to maintain his standing in the top
10, while Gamburyan has one more chance against an elite opponent.

“Now I’m off a loss to Denis Siver and now I’m fighting another top-10
guy,” Gamburyan said. “I’m looking forward to this fight.”

For Gamburyan to seize the day, he believes he’ll have to be better
than he was against Siver. In the bout, Siver, known for his
kickboxing skill set, took Gamburyan down, which the Armenian admitted
surprised him and also injured him during the course of the fight.

“To be honest, I’ve never talked about this … but the worst part was
I wasn’t expecting him to take me down. He hit my knee with his head
and it really hurt me and it felt like my knee wasn’t there,”
Gamburyan said. “Besides the steroids … or whatever it is, I still
could’ve done better. I’m a better fighter than that. I guess it just
wasn’t my night.”

The Gamburyan-Lentz bout is slated to be the third of a 13-contest
card and will stream live on the UFC Fight Pass portion of the
preliminaries, which begin at 3:30 p.m. PDT. The remainder of the card
will air on Fox Sports 1, headlined by a welterweight tilt between No.
7 Matt Brown and No. 14 Erick Silva.

A week before his bout, Gamburyan completed his latest camp and
proclaimed himself ready, with a successful camp in hand. But that’s
all old fare for the veteran, who consistently has good training
camps, but knows he needs to have consistently successful fights.

“I always train hard, I’m always prepared,” Gamburyan said. “It’s all
about May 10th when I get into that cage. It’s go-time, that’s when it
matters.”

Bangalore Mirror, India
May 10 2014

After 2 yrs, thousands return home to Homs

AFP | May 10, 2014, 08.51 PM IST

HOMS Syrians streamed back into the ruins of the Old City of Homs on
Saturday, picking through the remains of their homes and trying to
come to terms with the destruction.

Thousands of people walked through the devastated streets of their
former neighbourhoods, some appearing shellshocked by the scale of the
damage.

The influx came a day after the last rebel holdouts left the area
under an evacuation deal that handed the Old City back to the
government, granting it a symbolic victory.

The pullout leaves the rebels confined to a single district on the
outskirts of the central city, once dubbed “the capital of the
revolution” against President Bashar al-Assad.

On Saturday, Homs provincial governor Talal Barazi declared the
evacuated areas safe, after troops swept for explosives. “Governor
Talal Barazi announced that the Old City of Homs is safe and free of
weapons and insurgents thanks to the sacrifices of the Syrian army,”
state news agency SANA said. Residents quickly returned to see what
remained of their homes, and retrieve whatever was left behind.

Many were visibly distressed by the scale of destruction, with rubble
strewn across streets and every building bearing signs of the conflict
that wracked the city.

Rebel forces in the Old City were under government siege for nearly
two years before the deal to evacuate, and regime troops shelled the
area almost daily throughout. “The destruction is just horrible,” said
37-year-old Rima Battah, in the Hamidiyeh district of the Old City.

“My husband went to our house yesterday and found it destroyed. We
came back together today to get our things,” she added, gesturing to
the five large bags of possession surrounding her. Dozens of families
were doing the same, gathering whatever clothes and keepsakes could be
salvaged.

Nawal al-Masri (51) had worked in the Old City as a seamstress and
returned to check on her former workshop. “Everything is destroyed,
all the sewing machines have been stolen, the fridge has been stolen,
even the generator,” she said.

“I’ve worked here for 30 years,” she added. “There’s nothing left
except one basket, in which I found a single pair of scissors.” She
said she planned to file a request for compensation from a $588,000
fund set up by the local chamber of industry.

Barazi told SANA he was forming committees of local residents to
assess the damage. The evacuation of the Old City by the rebels has
been a symbolic coup for the regime.

State media broadcast live footage from inside the Old City,
interviewing returning residents who expressed their gratitude to the
army and Assad. They filmed inside an Armenian church compound part of
which the rebels has used as a headquarters and field hospital, with a
room filled with hospital beds and medicines.

In the courtyard, rebel graffiti remained, reading “Down with Assad”
and “the days are numbered, the end is coming.” Outside, damage was
visible to the compound’s facade, and opposite a wall had been painted
with the flag of the Syrian uprising.

The deal to evacuate the Old City involved the release of hostages
being held by rebels elsewhere in Syria, and the entry of aid to two
towns under opposition siege.

A dispute over the aid delivery held up the deal half-way through, but
on Friday assistance entered Nubol and Zahraa, and the final rebels
left Homs.

The rebels were allowed to leave with some weapons and granted safe
passage to opposition-held territory elsewhere in Homs province. But
the government has claimed the deal as a victory, less than a month
before a presidential election that is expected to return Assad to
office.