Author: Kanayan Tamar

REVUE DE PRESSE N1 – 24/02/14 – COLLECTIF VAN

Publie le : 24-02-2014

Info Collectif VAN – – Le Collectif VAN [Vigilance
Armenienne contre le Negationnisme] vous propose une revue de presse
des informations parues dans la presse francophone, sur les thèmes
concernant la Turquie, le genocide armenien, la Shoah, le genocide
des Tutsi, le Darfour, le negationnisme, l’Union europeenne, Chypre,
etc… Nous vous suggerons egalement de prendre le temps de lire ou
de relire les informations et traductions mises en ligne dans notre
rubrique Par
ailleurs, certains articles en anglais, allemand, turc, etc, ne sont
disponibles que dans la newsletter Word que nous generons chaque jour.

Pour la recevoir, abonnez-vous a la Veille-Media : c’est gratuit !

Vous recevrez le document du lundi au vendredi dans votre boîte email.

Bonne lecture.

A Montpellier, une journee sur la repression des avocats turcs Info
Collectif VAN – – “Les chercheurs en sciences
sociales ont tendance a negliger les questions juridiques.

Pourtant, le droit est l’une des interfaces essentielles entre l’Etat,
le citoyen et la societe ; il protège, regule et reprime. En Turquie,
cette dernière fonction a prevalu depuis les debuts de l’epoque
republicaine. Pendant la guerre de liberation, l’armee kemaliste a
instaure des tribunaux d’exception qui ont fait executer près de 700
personnes 1. Ils etaient destines a punir, mais surtout a intimider,
voire a terroriser. Puis cette tendance repressive a ete renforcee,
au cours des insurrections kurdes de 1925 et 1938”. Le Collectif
VAN vous propose cet article d’Etienne Copeaux publie sur son blog
susam-sokak.fr.

Se souvenir du genocide assyrien Info Collectif VAN –
– “Exploitant un moment opportun durant la
Première Guerre mondiale, le gouvernement ottoman mit en oeuvre son
projet d’eliminer les elements chretiens de l’empire.

Alors que de très nombreuses recherches ont ete menees sur la
destruction des Armeniens, un aspect du genocide demeure obscur –
l’extermination des Assyriens. Dans l’entretien qui suit, Sabri
Atman, fondateur et directeur du Centre d’etudes et de recherches
sur le genocide assyrien (Centre Seyfo), eclaire certains traits
particuliers de ce genocide (le Seyfo)”. Le Collectif VAN vous invite
a lire la traduction de Georges Festa d’un article en anglais de
Varak Ketsemanian publie sur le site The Armenian Weekly, mise en
ligne sur le site Armenian Trends – Mes Armenies le 21 fevrier 2014.

Du nouveau dans l’affaire des assassinats des trois militantes kurdes
Info Collectif VAN – – “Un document secret avait
deja ete publie par des medias kurdes et turcs mettent en cause les
services secrets turcs (Reseau de Renseignement National – MIT –
rattache a la Securite publique) dans la preparation de l’assassinat
des trois militantes kurdes, commis a Paris le 9 janvier 2013. Un
enregistrement court depuis quelque temps sur le net compromettant
deux personnages presentes comme etant membres du MIT en conversation
avec Omer Guney, le suspect n°1 dans le meurtre des trois militantes
kurdes”. Le Collectif VAN vous invite a lire cet article publie sur
le site des Amities kurdes de Bretagne le 23 fevrier 2014.

Genocide rwandais: examen des charges au procès Simbikangwa Voila trois
semaines desormais que Pascal Simbikangwa comparaît devant la cour
d’assises de Paris. Cet ancien officier des renseignements rwandais
est poursuivi pour complicite de crimes de guerre et complicite de
genocide dans son pays en 1994. Jusqu’a present, la cour s’est penchee
sur le contexte historique du Rwanda ainsi que sur la personnalite
et le parcours professionnel de l’accuse.

L’info vue par la TRT (1) Le Collectif VAN vous propose cet article
publie sur la TRT (Television & Radio de Turquie). Les articles de
ce site ne sont pas commentes de notre part. Ils peuvent contenir
des propos negationnistes envers le genocide armenien ou d’autres
informations a prendre sous toute reserve. “Les economies les plus
developpees du monde se sont engagees a adopter des mesures pour
doper la croissance de deux points supplementaires d’ici 2018”.

La police a disperse une manifestation a Istanbul La police a utilise
des canons a eau et des gaz lacrymogènes pour disperser des milliers
de manifestants a Istanbul qui ont joint l’action contre la nouvelle
loi, renforcant le contrôle sur Internet en Turquie.

Le president turc loue l’apport de Mo Yan a la litterature mondiale
Le president turc Abdullah Gul a rencontre vendredi le laureat chinois
du prix Nobel de litterature Mo Yan, en visite en Turquie, louant son
importante contribution a la litterature mondiale. “Les oeuvres de
Mo Yan ont beaucoup contribue a la litterature mondiale. Elles ont
ete traduites en turc et ont suscite l’interet des lecteurs turcs,”
a indique Gul lors de son entretien avec Mo Yan, selon le site internet
officiel du president.

Syrie: attentat meurtrier a Atmeh, près de la Turquie L’explosion
d’une voiture piegee a fait plusieurs dizaines de victimes, dimanche
23 fevrier 2014, près d’un hôpital de la ville syrienne d’Atmeh,
proche de la frontière avec la Turquie. En 72 heures a peine, c’est le
second violent attentat a la voiture piegee qui secoue la frontière
turco-syrienne, après l’attaque de jeudi, qui a fait 22 morts près
du camp de refugies de Bab-el-Salama, face a la ville turque de Kilis.

La Turquie embarquee dans la derive d’Erdogan L’economie turque en
depit de performances impressionnantes depuis l’arrivee au pouvoir
de l’AKP, reste fragile et dependante des capitaux a court terme. Ce
qui en fait l’economie la plus vulnerable des emergents.

Marseille : hommage au groupe Manouchian execute par les nazis Il y
a 70 ans, le 21 fevrier 1944, les resistants du groupe Manouchian
etaient executes par les nazis au mont Valerien. Pour ne pas les
oublier, une journee de commemoration est organisee ce samedi a
Marseille par la Jeunesse Armenienne de Paca.

Retour a la rubrique

False Friends

Why the United States Is Getting Tough With Turkey

By Michael J. Koplow
February 20, 2014

Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Barack Obama in the White House Rose Garden,
May 16, 2013. (Kevin Lamarque / Courtesy Reuters)

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet
DavutoÄ?lu did something extraordinary when they emerged from a January
12 bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Friends of Syria
conference in Paris. Such occasions are usually marked by predictable
boilerplate rhetoric about how productive the talk was and how closely
both countries are working to solve pressing global issues,
andDavutoÄ?lu’s comments followed the standard script. What happened
next was more unusual. After DavutoÄ?lu finished speaking, Kerry took
the opportunity to chide his Turkish counterpart for neglecting to
mention an important component of the talks: Kerry’s emphatic
rejection of Turkish claims that the United States had been meddling
in Turkish politics and trying to influence the Turkish elections. As
DavutoÄ?lu sheepishly looked at the floor, Kerry continued that
DavutoÄ?lu now understood the score, and said that the two countries
`need to calm the waters and move forward.’

Kerry’s addendum came in response to what has become a familiar
Turkish government strategy of shifting the blame to outside powers,
and particularly to the United States, when faced with any sort of
internal opposition. During the Gezi Park protests in June, for
example, Turkish government figures blamed Washington, CNN, and
`foreign powers’ for inciting unrest. More recently, when an ongoing
corruption scandal exploded into the open in late December, Turkish
ministers were quick to insinuate that the United States was the
hidden hand behind the graft probe. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan threatened to expel U.S. ambassador Francis Ricciardone for
allegedly provoking Turkey and `exceeding limits,’ a reference to
allegations that the ambassador was somehow meddling in Turkish
affairs and prodding the investigation of government officials.

It isn’t surprising that the Turkish government has blamed the United
States for self-inflicted wounds. But it is surprising that the United
States has finally responded forcefully. And, if Turkey’s behavior
after the flap is any indication (it made a quick about-face on a
number of issues that have been particularly angering the United
States), the Obama administration should make getting tougher with
Turkey a priority.

PROBLEM PARTNER

Turkey voted in the UN Security Council against additional sanctions
on Iran; helped Iran get around the international sanctions regime;
and even hinted at Iran’s natural right to a nuclear program.

Turkish officials like to describe the last few years as a golden age
in bilateral relations. DavutoÄ?lu, in particular, likes to wax on
about the `model partnership’ between the two countries. What he is
responding to is the United States’ decision early in Obama’s first
term to treat Turkey with kid gloves despite an increasingly long
track record of troubling Turkish behavior. The United States had two
main motivations. The first was the hope that Turkey could serve as a
democratic example for other Muslim countries. For a variety of
reasons, includingTurkey’s unique history and its distinctive
combination of structural pressures, it was never going to be a good
model, but that did not prevent Washington from pushing it
wholeheartedly.

The second motivation was a conviction that Turkey could serve as an
interlocutor between the West and the Middle East. With its ties to
groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood and its relationship with Iran,
Turkey was seen as irreplaceable, and Washington was reluctant to
alienate it. Even when the United States instituted a policy directly
intended to counter problematic Turkish behavior, Turkey was still
given an inordinate amount of leeway. For example, in January 2013,
when Congress passed legislation specifically outlawing trade in gas
for gold to stem Turkish sanctions-busting in Iran, Turkey was granted
a six-month buffer period. The only thing the backpedaling did was
enable ever-bolder Turkish probing of U.S. red lines.

And probe it has. As has been documented repeatedly, Turkish democracy
has been off the rails for some time. Since winning re-election in
2007, the AKP has systematically squeezed political opponents,
consolidated state power, and done all it can to marginalize the
feckless opposition. It has jailed journalists in unprecedented
numbers, prosecuted citizens for insulting the prime minister,
subjected companies that have run afoul of the government to crushing
fines, and convicted military officers on charges based on forged
evidence. All the while, the United States has largely sat on the
sidelines with its mouth shut. State Department officials repeat the
mantra that Turkey is more democratic now than it has ever been, and
in 2012, President Barack Obama listed Erdogan as one of the five
world leaders with whom he has the closest and most trusting
relationship.

Turkish provocations extend well past internal machinations to Turkish
foreign policy. Take Iran, for example. Turkey voted in the UN
Security Council against additional sanctions on Iran; dragged its
heels on hosting NATO X-Band radar installations on its territory,
which are aimed at protecting NATO states from Iranian ballistic
missiles; helped Iran get around the international sanctions regime;
and even hinted at Iran’s natural right to a nuclear program and
Turkey’s full support of its nuclear ambitions.

Then there is Syria, where the United States has been at odds with
Turkey over its support for anti-Western jihadi groups. Or Israel,
where Turkey’s refusal to normalize ties with its former ally has
complicated U.S. intelligence-sharing efforts. The country’s
bolstering of Hamas at the expense of the Palestinian Authority has
been similarly destructive. In Iraq, Turkey has consistently attempted
to undermine the Maliki government and treated the Kurdistan Regional
Government as a wholly independent entity from Baghdad.

Even more serious was Turkey’s announcement in September that it had
selected China Precision Machinery Export-Import Corporation (CPMEIC),
a Chinese firm under sanctions for violating the Iran, North Korea,
and Syria Nonproliferation Act, to coproduce with Turkey a new missile
defense system. The country rejected bids from NATO ally companies.
The move meant that Turkey was not only flouting the sanctions regime
that the United States had painstakingly constructed but also that
Turkey was purchasing a system that could not be integrated into the
larger NATO missile defense shield.

TOUGH TALK

The Chinese deal seems to have been a red line. It prompted at least a
temporary shift in U.S. dealings with Ankara. Turkey’s decision to go
with the Chinese firm, a decision that was driven by Turkey’s
priorities of transfer technology and joint coproduction in order to
bolster its own defense industry, caused something of a crisis within
NATO. The United States responded with harsh public and private
warnings that Turkey was opening itself to sanctions and causing
Turkey’s NATO partners to rethink Turkey’s role in the alliance. The
United States and NATO also told Turkey in no uncertain terms that the
Chinese system would not be compatible with NATO radar and defense
systems, and that it would therefore be useless. Then came Kerry’s
public airing in January of what must have been an incredibly
uncomfortable conversation and otherAmerican pushback on the smears
against Ricciardone.

In other areas as well, the U.S. tone has grown harsher. For example,
consider that when Erdogan called Israel a terrorist state in November
2012, the State Department wouldn’t go farther than calling his
comments `not helpful at this moment.’ But when he accused Israel of
being behind Egypt’s military coup in August 2013, the State
Department blasted back, saying, `We strongly condemn the statements
that were made by Prime Minister Erdogan today. Suggesting that Israel
is somehow responsible for recent events in Egypt is offensive,
unsubstantiated, and wrong.’

So far, the evidence suggests that taking a tougher line with Turkey
works well. In early February, Ankara announced that it had not made a
final decision to go with the Chinese missile bid, and was open to
bids from other companies. Given that the French offer includes some
coproduction and technology transfer, there is a good chance that the
United States and NATO will be able to pressure Turkey into accepting
it. Also this month, Turkey announced that it was close to normalizing
ties with Israel after nearly a year of foot-dragging following Israel
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s own 2010 apology to Erdogan for
the deaths of Turkish citizens aboard the Mavi Marmara. Public talk of
a thaw with Israel is a clear effort to signal to the West that Turkey
is still a worthwhile partner. Rapprochement with Israel is not
exactly a winning political issue, and if Turkey and Israel do end up
normalizing ties, it will bring some hardline domestic criticism.
Were it not for the United States’ cold shoulder and the drumbeat of
EU criticism, Ankara would likely be proceeding with business as
usual.

So far, the evidence suggests that taking a tougher line with Turkey works well.

Treading lightly with Turkey did not prevent Ankara from subverting
the United States in the Middle East. It is time for something
different. The United States needs to institutionalize its new,
sterner approach to Turkey by making it clear to Ankara what its
expectations are and ceasing its rhetoric on the strength of Turkish
democracy, which has made it easier for American diplomats to fall
back on a reality that has rapidly disappeared. If the United States
gets tough with Turkey in a more systematic way, as it has with the
Chinese arms deal, and makes it clear that the U.S.-Turkey strategic
relationship cannot be taken for granted, perhaps Turkey will see the
value in being a reliable ally and actually become one.

ARMENIE
Un Tribunal de Moscou décide que le propriétaire de l’usine chimique
de Nairit devra verser 107 millions de dollars à la banque
interétatique

La Cour d’arbitrage de Moscou a jugé que Rhinoville Property Limited,
le propriétaire de l’usine chimique de nairit en Arménie, (elle était
le seul producteur de caoutchouc synthétique dans l’ex-Union
soviétique) devra payer 107 950 000 $ à Interstate Bank.

En particulier, le tribunal a ordonné que la société paye 68,6
millions de $ de sa dette principale ainsi que les intérêts et les
pénalités sur un prêt d’Interstate Bank.

L’Interstate Bank a été fondée en 1993 par dix pays de la CEI –
l’Arménie, la Biélorussie, le Kazakhstan, le Kirghizistan, la
Moldavie, la Russie, le Tadjikistan, le Turkménistan, l’Ouzbékistan et
l’Ukraine. La banque favorise le développement des économies
nationales des pays membres de la CEI.

dimanche 23 février 2014,
Stéphane (c)armenews.com

Azerbaijan, Turkey to sign joint missile deal

20:10 * 20.02.14

Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Defense Industry and ROKETSAN company of
Turkey will sign a final document on the joint production of missiles
at an Azerbaijani facility, the APA News Agency reported, citing
Turkey’s Undersecretariat for Defense Industries (SSM).

Technical issues on joint production have already been solved.
Necessary measures are being taken to start the production.

SSM has not revealed when the final document will be signed.

According to the agreement, 107 and 122 mm caliber missiles will be
manufactured at the Azerbaijani facility with the participation of
ROKETSAN. The engines for these missiles will be produced by ROKETSAN,
other parts in Azerbaijan.

Thursday, February 20th, 2014 | Posted by Contributor

ARMENIA’S LEADERS NERVOUS AT OPPOSITION RALLY PLAN

Institute for War and Peace Reporting, UK
IWPR Caucasus Reporting #724
Feb 21 2014

March 1 demonstration will commemorate post-election violence of 2008.

By Gayane Lazarian – Caucasus CRS Issue 724, 21 Feb 14

Armenia’s government is worried about the opposition’s plan to mark
the sixth anniversary of massive demonstrations that descended into
bloodshed.

The opposition Armenian National Congress has set March 1 as the date
for commemorating the bloodshed.

On that day in 2008, the government sent in police who used force
to break up opposition rallies protesting against the result of a
presidential election that February in which Serzh Sargsyan – still
in office – was declared the winner. Ten people were reported killed
and scores were injured. The violence shocked Armenians, and the date
is remembered by many.

Although the city government in the capital Yerevan has granted
permission for the demonstration to go ahead, party activists
distributing leaflets to announce it are being arrested.

One incident occurred on the night of 9-10 February, when Vardan
Harutyunyan and nine other ANC activists were detained in the city
centre.

“We were holding a photo of Serzh Sargsyan and a poster saying
‘Serzhik is a state traitor’. But the police didn’t even give us a
chance to start our action and arrested us,” Harutyunyan told reporters
afterwards. “At that point we were walking along the street and we
hadn’t done anything yet. But they told us at the police station that
it was a rally and that’s why we had been brought in.”

All ten activists were released after three hours after being fined
for “improper use of a public space”.

On February12, ANC activists were again handing out leaflets when a
group of supporters of the governing Republican Party began harassing
them. Police arrived and detained members of both groups.

Areg Gevorgyan, a board member and head of public affairs at the ANC,
suggested that the apparently chance arrival of Republican Party
supporters had been planned in advance.

“It’s quite obvious they’re listening in on our [phone] conversations
and following us, and that this was no coincidence,” he said.

The ANC issued a statement describing the incident as a “cheap act
of provocation” by an administration scared at the prospect of the
March 1 rally.

For the Republican Party, youth wing leader Karen Avagyan, justified
his colleagues’ intervention on the grounds that the leaflets were
offensive.

“Naturally, our young people couldn’t just walk past it. No political
force has a right to cross the line in politics. We’ve let things
like this go for a long time, but from now on, any action like this is
going to get a response,” Avagyan told IWPR. “The police will provide
the legal view on this…. I just want to remind everyone that no one
has a right to insult someone and distribute leaflets with this kind
of offensive content.

Gevorgyan said the leaflets the ANC activists were carrying – showing
the president with his face crossed out – were not official party
materials but were instead produced by the activists themselves.

It remains unclear why Armenia’s current leaders would be so unnerved
by some minor leafleting.

According to Gevorgyan, “They are well aware that any kind of activity
could lead to a shift in the situation, and to a point where they get
ousted. That’s precisely why they are using every possible method to
hinder dissemination of information about the [March 1] rally.”

Yervand Bozoyan, head of the Dialogue think-tank, believes the
government is on the defensive on a range of issues – unpopular
decisions to join the Moscow-led Customs Union and to hand over
complete control of the Armenia’s gas network to Russian energy giant
Gazprom, plus a pension reform requiring people to make mandatory
contributions. There have been street demonstrations around all
three issues.

“In a situation where there is this kind of social tension, the
authorities naturally become fearful. And that how this sort of thing
happens,” he said.

Manvel Sargsyan, academic director at the Armenian Centre for National
and International Studies and a political scientist, says that
attempts to undermine the opposition’s publicity campaign actually
magnify its effect rather than defeating it.

“This tactic has been used consistently by the authorities. It’s
in their nature, this street-brawling culture,” he said. “It’s been
going on for some years now.”

The February 12 incident got the police even more adverse publicity
when they detained two journalists, Ani Gevorgyan of the Chorrord
Ishkhanutyun newspaper and Sargis Gevorgyan from the news site iLur.am.

Ani Gevorgyan said police first tried to take the reporters’ cameras,
then detained them and assaulted her.

“The police continued hitting me on the arms in their car. At the
police station, local chief Artak Poghosyan noticed I was giving an
interview over the phone, and slapped me. Then they took my phone
away.”

When the reporters demanded to see a lawyer, they were instead searched
and their cameras were confiscated. They were released later and the
cameras were returned, with the pictures they had taken deleted.

The OSCE’s Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja MijatoviÄ~G,
issued a statement of concern about the way the pair had been treated.

“Violence against journalists is unacceptable. It is especially
alarming that police officers responsible to assist and protect
journalists used force against them,” MijatoviÄ~G said in a letter
addressed to the Armenian authorities.

Armenia’s own human rights ombudsman Karen Andreasyan expressed
similar concerns, noting that obstructing journalists in their work
and using violence against them were “criminal offences deserving
harsh condemnation, especially if such crimes are committed by state
officials”.

Following the ombudsman’s statement, three separate arms of Armenian
law-enforcement launched investigations into the assault case.

Gayane Lazarian is a reporter for ArmeniaNow.com.

AGRICULTURE STUDENT SHARES ARMENIAN EXPERIENCES

Daily O’Collegian, Oklahoma State Univ.

Feb 21 2014

Brandon Schmitz Features Reporter Daily O’Collegian

One of the first things stressed to Michael Anderson upon entering
Armenia was how conservative many of the people were. Imagine his
surprise, then, when the first Armenians he met outside of the country
were prostitutes.

Anderson, a Peace Corps member from 2009-2011, ended his second
service day by traveling to the neighboring city of Trabzon.

Unfortunately, his hotel reservation had been canceled, and he couldn’t
simply check into a Holiday Inn.

Given the scarcity of his options, a pay-by-the-hour motel was
a godsend.

“So we’re kind of terrified,” Anderson said. “And there are these
three voluptuous women. They’re asking us if, you know, we want to
spend a little money for a little fun.”

It wasn’t until the women began speaking Armenian among one another
that Anderson felt at ease. So much so that he and his friends decided
to join their table.

“They bought us tea and coffee,” Anderson said. “Told us about all
of the good tourist sites. They were super nice ladies — not the
type you would expect to have tea with.”

The Hows and Whys

Oklahoma State University’s Master of International Agriculture
Program has its fair share of requirements.

Specifically, all students must spend at least four weeks abroad,
while keeping tracking of his or her daily activities. The experience
culminates with the creation of an internship report, as well as a
PowerPoint presentation.

And though the basic guidelines are set in stone, the program is
flexible.

“It’s awesome in that students get to pick their own focus area,”
said graduate coordinator Katie Meeks. “You pick classes that pick
your professional, educational and personal goals.”

Why Do People Join the Program?

Anderson initially wanted to work for the State Department and had
heard that the Peace Corps was a popular gateway. Underneath that,
though, his motivation to go abroad was much like his fellow student’s.

“At least 95 percent of our American students – we are hoping to get
more international [ones] – are attracted by the opportunity to have
international experience,” said program director Shida Henneberry.

“Also, having a master’s degree that’s this unique is important.”

A Different Culture

If Anderson’s experience is any indication, being one of the only
Americans in a given area is going to draw attention — for better
or worse.

“You kind of become a celebrity,” Anderson said. “But your privacy is
kind of taken from you. I mean, you want to be polite, but sometimes
you just want to be alone. People always want to ask you questions,
like ‘how much money do you make?'”

Although Anderson began his service by training with seven other
American volunteers – people he came to know as friends – he was sent
off on his own three months later. It took some time to get used to
that – to say the least.

“It’s, like, you go from this really high experience to kind of a
low one at first,” he said. “I felt pretty lonely.”

Lasting Impressions

Although several friends were lost, a new one was made. A woman, who
had been scavenging a cherry tree, spotted Anderson. Having taught
herself how to speak English, she was no stranger to Peace Corps
volunteers. It wasn’t long until she became Anderson’s best friend,
as well as his Armenian tutor.

Anderosn said he is most thankful for, though, is her introducing
him to dolma.

“Since it’s cabbage-based, I thought it was disgusting,” he said. “But
it’s a poor country, so when you’re offered something to eat, you
generally take it. I sort of learned to like it, and since then,
I’ve grown to love it.”

It isn’t just Armenian dishes that Anderson has brought home, for his
experience abroad instilled in him an unbridled belief in hospitality.

Certainly, being treated to a quality meal by a complete stranger
has got to be infectious.

“I used to be stingy when cutting cake for other people,” Anderson
said. “Now they get the biggest piece.”

BERKLEE MIDDLE EASTERN FESTIVAL: THE MUSIC OF ARMENIA

Xtra Xtra Medford
Feb 21 2014

Event Date: Monday, March 3, 2014
Event Location: Berklee Performance Center, 136 Massachusetts Ave,
Boston, Massachusetts
Contact: [email protected]
Additional Info: 8:15 pm-10:15 pm
Website:

The Signature Music Series continues with Berklee’s sixth annual
Middle Eastern Festival: The Music of Armenia. The program will
feature Perspectives Ensemble directed by flutist Sato Moughalian,
presenting Dark Eyes/New Eyes, with a cappella folk trio Zulal and
live painting by Kevork Mourad. Special guests include Ludo Mlado
and acclaimed Armenian folk singer Aleksan Harutyunyan.

The concert will also feature music from neighboring regions,
including a set of Bulgarian music with Berklee’s Pletenitsa Choir,
the Ludo Mlado Dance Ensemble, the Sayat Nova Folk Dance Ensemble,
and the Berklee World Strings directed by Eugene Friesen.

The festival brings visiting artists from The Middle East, the Balkans,
and the Mediterranean together with students to experience the musical
traditions of the regions. Festival founder and director Christiane
Karam, assistant professor of voice, chose Armenia this time because
she is part Armenian. “My grandparents were exiled in 1915 and my
mother was born in Beirut,” said Karam. “It was important to me to
go back to my roots and tell the story of the people and the culture
through their music.”

Perspectives Ensemble was founded in 1993 by its artistic director
Moughalian. The ensemble presents the works of composers in cultural
context with thematic programs on subjects that bridge the visual,
musical, and literary arts. Dark Eyes/New Eyes incorporates a wide
range of Armenian music. The program traces the arc of a life, from
beginnings in a mountainous Armenian village, spending youth in a city
learning an ancient art form, desolation, recovery and regenerating
in a new place.

Syrian-born artist Kevork Mourad will paint live on-stage during Dark
Eyes/New Eyes. After getting his master’s degree, Mourad got the idea
to combine visual art with his love of music. He has worked with many
world-class musicians using his technique of spontaneous painting.

,3561

PRESS RELEASE
Ararat-Eskijian Museum
15105 Mission Hills Rd
Mission Hills CA, 91345
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 818-838-4862

Ararat Eskijian Museum, would like to invite you all to a special
international conference titled Honoring Those Who Helped Rescue a
Generation of Armenian Survivors (1915-1930). The event will take place
on Saturday March 22 from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm, at the Deukmejian Hall of
Ararat Home located at 15105 Mission Hills Rd, Mission Hills, CA 91345.

The conference will feature special guest speaker and seven-time
International Journalist of the year, Robert Fisk from The Independent
Newspaper, UK. Dr. Rubina Peroomian author, and Research Associate in
UCLA. Mr. Shant Mardirossian Chairman of the Near East Foundation, Dr.
Hayk Demoyan Director of Genocide Museum Institute Armenia, Prof.
Vahakn Dadrian leading scholar on Armenian Genocide to discuss the
manner in which the international community, including the American Red
Cross and the League of Nations, participated in the first major
humanitarian effort of the twentieth century.

###

For more information:
CONTACT: Maggie Mangassarian-Goschin, the Vice Chairwoman of Ararat
Eskijian Museum at (818) 838-4862, or [email protected].

Renowned director Artavazd Peleshyan marks 76th birthday

14:10 22/02/2014 » CULTURE

Today, February 22, marks the 76th birthday of prominent Armenian
director of film-essays, documentarian in the history of film art and
film theorist Artavazd Peleshyan. Peleshyan was born in Leninakan,
currently Gyumri.

In the words of the filmmaker Sergei Parajanov, Peleshyan is “one of
the few authentic geniuses in the world of cinema.”

He is renowned for developing a style of cinematographic perspective
known as distance montage, combining perception of depth with oncoming
entities, such as running packs of antelope or hordes of humans. He
has always made extensive use of archive footage, mixed in with his
own shots, with fast inter-cutting between the two. Telephoto lenses
are often used to get “candid camera” shots of people engaging in
mundane tasks.

His films are on the border between documentary and feature, somewhat
reminiscent of the work of such avant-garde filmmakers as Bruce
Connor, rather than of conventional documentaries. Most of his films
are short, ranging from a mere 6 minutes long up to about 60 minutes
long. They feature no dialogue. However, music and sound effects play
nearly as important a role in his films as the visual images in
contributing towards the artistic whole. Nearly all of his films were
shot in black and white.

His early films, made when he was still a student at VGIK, were
awarded several prizes. To date, 12 films by Peleshyan are known to
exist. The Beginning (Skizbe) (1967) is a cinematographical essay
about the October Revolution of 1917. One of the unique visual effects
used in this film is achieved by holding snippets of film still on a
single frame, then advancing only for a second or two before again
pausing on another, resulting in a stuttering visual effect. Other
important films by him are We (Menq) (1967, a poetically told history
of Armenia and its people, and Inhabitant (Obitateli) (1970), a
reflection on the relationship between wildlife and humans. Artavazd
Peleshyan’s most brilliant film is considered, by many critics, to be
The Seasons of the Year (1975). Exquisitely shot by cinematographer
Mikhail Vartanov, it is an outstanding look at the contradiction and
harmony between humans and nature. It was the last collaboration
between Peleshyan and Vartanov, Armenia’s two most important
documentary auteurs; they first worked together on The Autumn Pastoral
(1971).

Peleshyan is also the author of a range of theoretical works, such as
his 1988 book, Moyo kino (My Cinema).

He is now living in Moscow. His most recent film was edited at the ZKM
| Karlsruhe Film Institute in 2005-2006 and has not yet been released.

Source: Panorama.am

Merrimack Valley Steps Up Genocide Talks

By Tom Vartabedian // February 21, 2014

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass.–In an era marked by violence and chaos throughout
the world, more and more schools throughout the Merrimack Valley are
looking to learn about the Armenian Genocide.

Participants in a human rights forum at Pentucket Regional High
School. (L-R) Students Alyson Ruzycky and Cody Sedler; George Aghjayan
(Armenian Genocide), Dr. Ivy Helman (Jewish Holocaust), Claude Kaitare
(Rwandan Genocide); and instructor JC Honer.

Whether it’s in the form of a classroom presentation or panel
discussion on human rights, schools are looking for answers to help
curb dissention and turmoil among their fellow man.

Members of the Armenian Genocide Education Committee of Merrimack
Valley have embraced a more active stand in what has become their
seventh year of activity inside public high schools and colleges.

Joining the group is Dr. Ara Jeknavorian, an ANC activist and church
deacon, replacing Albert S. Movsesian, a longtime presenter who
retired due to health reasons.

“Ara’s presence on this committee adds a new dimension,” said Dro
Kanayan, committee chairman. “His knowledge of world history and
genocide studies makes him an important teaching tool in our schools.
He’s prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice of time and commitment.”

A number of schools have already been approached this year, joined by
newcomer Pentucket Regional High School of West Newbury, Mass. Four
separate classrooms were taught about the genocide, numbering some 100
students.

More than twice that number attended an assembly on human rights
titled, “The Causes and Legacies of Genocide.” Among the speakers was
George Aghjayan, an historian, writer, and political activist.

Aghjayan drew from his own family accounts, including a grandmother
who escaped brutality by becoming a slave.

Chelmsford High students hold up signs commemorating the Armenian
Genocide during a panel discussion on human rights. (L-R) Instructor
JJ Doak, Rebecca Holland, Nick Andre, Joseph Fontaine, and Shelagh
Curran.

“Prejudices still exist,” he said. “We’ve become children of the
sword. Desecration is still taking place in Turkey with no admission
of guilt. It behooves us all to approach the United States government
and demand recognition. I hope to see the day when Armenians will have
their land restored.”

Aghjayan was joined by Dr. Ivy Helman, speaking on the Jewish
Holocaust, and Claude Kaitare, telling of the Rwandan Genocide.

Aghjayan was asked, “What are your impressions of why the Turkish
government is not recognizing the genocide?”

“I think it’s coming,” he answered. “Whether to join the European
Union or to avoid greater embarrassment. It’s been tremendously
harmful to the Turks. Just look at all the money they’re spending to
deny the genocide.”

At Chelmsford High, students held up signs commemorating the Armenian
Genocide, joined by their instructor JJ Doak, a long-time catalyst
toward genocide studies at this school.

“As young adults, make yourselves aware when you see violence in the
world,” she told the students during her introduction. “You need to be
upstanders, not bystanders.”

Jeknavorian presented an overview of Armenian history, covering the
turbulent years and leading into the immigration process and current
status. He, too, talked about his family’s experience in the genocide.

“It’s inconceivable for me to see my own children ever facing such a
horror,” he lamented. “During an actual genocide, don’t assume that
some guardian angel will come to the rescue. It just won’t happen. We
need an action plan to stop it. We need to remain vigilant. Make your
voices be heard among deniers.”

He was joined by Dr. Helman and Azem Dervisevic, who spoke about the
Bosnian Genocide.

The programs have drawn press coverage from local papers. In all, a
dozen schools will hear the Armenian Genocide message, including a
double session at Northern Essex Community College. Two Greater Boston
schools have also joined the curriculum: Melrose and Newton South. A
North Shore home schooling consortium also recently welcomed Armenian
Genocide education.

Additional support is being rendered through the organization Facing
History and Ourselves, based in Brookline.

This April, a delegation of students and instructors from Wilmington
High will be recognized during a commemoration at the Massachusetts
State House for their proactive role as lobbyists.

With next year’s Centennial approaching, efforts are being made to
reach out to the private school sector as well, along with major
programs at the college level.

“Many of the students who have learned from this platform have turned
into ambassadors for Armenian issues,” said Kanayan. “They’re writing
their political constituents and federal authorizes, demanding justice
for the Armenians. We’ve mobilized teachers in these schools to play
an assertive role. We’ve gotten the point across and intend to
continue with our mission.”