Author: Kanayan Tamar

Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
Aug 11 2013

Turkish wrestler suspended six months for racist tweets

ISTANBUL ` Hürriyet Daily News

Turkey’s Olympic medalist wrestler Rıza Kayaalp was given an
immediate suspension of six months by the International Federation of
Associated Wrestling Styles (FILA) judge for his racist remarks
against Armenians and Greeks three weeks ago, an interview with FILA’S
President Nenad Lalovic revealed.

Kayaalp had targetted Greeks and Armenians in his tweets posted during
the Gezi Park unrest in Turkey started May 31 and rocked the country
nearly for two months.

European and World champion Kayaalp, who also won a bronze medal at
the Olympic Games in London last year, advocated that `Armenians’ were
at the root of the Gezi protests, in a series of tweets he later
deleted.

His tweets included `You just leave the streets to Armenians, you
f**ing looters’ and `F**k you traitors’.

FILA President Nenad Lalovic has told Greek daily Ekathimerini in an
exclusive interview on July 26 that Kayaalp was suspended for his
racist tweets from the international matchs.

`He was given an immediate suspension of six months by the FILA judge,
and he has the right to appeal. I do not know the exact details as I
do not interfere in such activities. We have a prosecutor and a judge.
The prosecutor informs the judge about what happens in such incidents.
I know this person, he is a young boy and a very good wrestler. I am
shocked that he has done this, but it may have been an emotional
moment for him, I am not sure that he really thinks that way. But I am
not here to judge, just to secure all the democratic procedures, the
eventual punishment and so on. The investigation goes on, there will
probably be a hearing, an appeal may be,’ Lalovic said according to
the Kathimerini.

Kayaalp’s tweets wereactually on the anti-government protests which
spread throughout the country in June after a police crackdown on a
group performing a sit-in against a controversial city center
renovation project.

He had deleted his tweets about the protesters, Armenians and Greeks
after a reactin from the social media.

Kayaalp had been picked to bear the Turkish flag during the opening
ceremony of last month’s Mediterranean Games in Mersin and has also
featured in a public service announcement prepared by the Minister of
Youth and Sports.
August/11/2013

Interfax, Russia
August 10, 2013 Saturday 2:56 PM MSK

German, Italian crews may take part in tank biathlon competition in
Russia in 2014 – deputy defense minister

MOSCOW. Aug 10

German and Italian crews may join the participants in a tank biathlon
competition in Russia in 2014, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Yury
Borisov told journalists on Saturday.

Tank crews from Russia, Armenia, Belarus and Kazakhstan will be taking
part in the final round of the first tank biathlon competition in
Alabino outside Moscow on August 12 to 17, 2013.

“Next year, we want to expand the list of participants so that not
only CIS countries take part in it. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has
invited partners from Italy and Germany to take part in this event,”
Borisov said.

The deputy defense minister highly praised the practical usefulness of
the competition, reasoning that, in addition to improving the tank
crews’ skills, it is a good way to demonstrate advantages of Russian
armored vehicles to foreign partners, he said.

“This will be a good opportunity to hold a real competition between a
wheeled and a tracked tank,” Borisov said, pointing out that Russia
has been testing the Italian wheeled tank destroyer Centauro since
2012.

The crews will compete in driving, firing, and crossing obstacles,
such as a ford, roadblocks, a treadway bridge, speed sections and
overtake sections.

Each tank will have to pass about 20 kilometers at a high speed and
fire all types of its weapons. The crews will have to hit targets
simulating tanks and low-flying helicopters at ranges of 900 to 2,200
meters.

The final competition will include an additional element: the
participants will have to fire in motion with the tank’s turret turned
perpendicular to the axis of movement, which is considered one of the
most difficult and spectacular elements.

Just as in traditional biathlon, the track includes a 500-meter
penalty loop that the participants will have to follow if they miss
the target.

va

Armenia’s premier should have sung `Song about rabbits’ – oppositionist
X-Sender: Asbed Bedrossian
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d=”scan’208″;a=”1290004340″
X-Listprocessor-Version: 8.1 — ListProcessor(tm) by CREN

17:54 – 10.08.13

Armenia’s Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan performed the wrong song at
his meeting with the young people at the Miasin (Together) movement’s
camp.

He should have sung the `Song about rabbits’, with its `We don’t
care!’ refrain, opposition politician Gurgen Yeghiazaryan told
Tert.am.

(Note: The metaphorical `Song about rabbits’ in the 1968 Soviet comedy
film `The Diamond Arm’, by film director Leonid Gaidai, became a
popular song during the late 1960s. It tells the story of a group of
personified rabbits harvesting grass at night and proclaiming that
they are not afraid of any predators, be they wolves or owls. The
rabbits boldly sing a refrain that can be roughly translated as `We
don’t care!’).

`Does he sing to conceal his and Archbishop Navasard Kchoyan’s true
nature? He sung the wrong song for us to forget his own saying: `what
can we do? Shall we let a revolution be carried out in this
country?’,’ Yeghiazaryan said.

`Tigran Sargsyan is not only an untalented economist, but also an
untalented musician,’ he added.

In contrast to Yeghiazaryan, Heritage party Vice-Chairman Armen
Martirosyan liked the Armenian premier’s performance.

`I commend a spiritually rich political figure who is not remote from
art and love for the beautiful,’ he said.

The reason why Armenia’s premier sang `Barov ekar, sirun krunk’ (You
are welcome, dear crane) is that he received his higher education in
Saint Petersburg.

`He must have loved this song when a student,’ Martirosyan said.

Leva Khachatryan, a Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) parliamentary group
member, did not hear the Armenian premier singing. However, talking to
Tert.am he said: `And he dares sing after what has happened!’

Armenian News – Tert.am

Visiting Nagorno Karabakh – Easier Than You Might Think
Daniel Hamilton

(ARMENIACA+-+%D5%80%D4%B1%D5%85%D4%BF%D4%B1%D4%BF%D4%B1%D5%86%D5%94
)9.8.13

I’m passionate about Nagorno Karabagh – or Artsakh, as the locals call it
– and I’m incredibly keen for more people to see this beautiful, inspiring
and incredibly moving part of the world.

Do you really want to visit Nagorno Karabagh?
Going to Nagorno Karabagh is not a small undertaking.
If you’re travelling from London, you will have to factor costs of around
£400 for a return flight to the Armenian capital Yerevan, £50 for the
transportation from Yerevan to Karabakh’s capital Stepanakert and hotel
accommodation in both cities. While the cost of food and travel inside
Nagorno Karabagh is cheap, your flights and accommodation costs are likely
to set you back at least £600 before you’ve even set foot in the region.

You will also need to consider whether you can cope with the long journey.
There are currently no direct flights from London to Yerevan, meaning that
you’ll have to change planes (likely in Paris, Warsaw or Moscow). With
changes, the total journey time from London to Yerevan can range from seven
to ten hours. The journey from Yerevan to Stepanakert itself also takes
around six hours, passing along some crowded mountain roads. In the
summer months, the extreme heat from the Armenian sun can make travel to
Karabagh quite uncomfortable with snow and ice making travel to the region
fairly treacherous during winter.
If you’re hoping to find many of the facilities you’d usually associate
with tourist attractions – shops, restaurants, health spas etc – then
Nagorno Karabagh is not the place for you. While I’ve had some of the most
fun nights out of my life in Nagorno Karabagh, you need to be relatively
creative!
The final point to remember is that Nagorno Karabagh remains the subject of
a bitter dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Azeri Government
consider any entry into Karabagh to be illegal entry into the territory and
declare anyone who visits the territory to be `persona non grata’.() If
you attempt to visit Azerbaijan after visiting Karabakh, you will at best
be refused entry and at worst arrested for illegal entry.
If you’re not put off by the above comments then do read on=85

Getting close to Karabagh
Nagorno Karabagh was the subject of a bloody and acrimonious conflict in
the early 1990s as the local Armenian population fought to free themselves
of control from Azerbaijan. Thousands of Armenians and Azeris died in the
years leading up to the ceasefire.
Nagorno Karabagh’s eastern border with Azerbaijan is closed and the country
can only be accessed through a warren of mountainous roads leading from the
Armenian capital Yerevan. In a further complicating move, Armenia’s own
western border with Turkey is also closed.
As such, if you wish to visit Nagorno Karabagh then you will first need to
get yourself to Yerevan.
While there are no direct flights from London or the United States, there
are plenty of indirect routes that will get you there. Another option –
and one I would recommend – is to first fly to the Georgian capital
Tbilisi, spend a few days there and then take the overnight sleeper train
from Tbilisi to Yerevan.

The visa process
Since January 1st 2013, citizens of European Union countries have no longer
required visas to visit Armenia. You resolutely do, however, need a visa
to enter the territory of Nagorno Karabagh.
While Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh enjoy the warmest possible relations,
speak the same language and periodically appear to share political leaders,
they are legally two separate countries. The independence of Nagorno
Karabagh is not legally recognised by any other country in the world –
including Armenia.
Don’t worry, though; the process for obtaining a visa for Nagorno Karabagh
is surprisingly easy.
As soon as you get to Yerevan, ask your hotel to arrange you a taxi to the
Nagorno Karabagh Government Representation Office at 17a Nairi Zarian
Street. It’s about ten minutes in a taxi from the centre of Yerevan.
When you arrive at the office, ring the buzzer and you will be let in. The
visa office is located on the first floor of the building and is signposted
in English.
Upon entering the visa office, you’ll be greeted by a stern-looking lady
who will interrogate you about the purpose of your visit and what you want
to see while you are there. It’s important that you give this some thought
as you’ll be asked to make a list of the towns in Nagorno Karabagh you want
to visit during your trip to the region. If your visa is successfully
issued, you’ll be given a piece of paper which specifies which areas of
Nagorno Karabagh you are allowed to visit. While I’ve never been asked to
produce it for inspection, this document is technically subject to
inspection by police at any time.
As a general rule, writing down the following towns should ensure you don’t
miss anything: Stepanakert, Martakert, Martuni, Askeran, Hadrut, Vank,
Shushi and Tigranakert.
After submitting your form, you will be asked to progress to the cash
office on the second floor to hand over 3000 Armenian Drams (roughly £5).
After producing proof of payment to in the visa office, you’ll be given a
time to come back to collect your passport.
In order to ensure you get your visa on the day, I’d recommend getting to
the Representation Office no later than 11am.

How do I get from Yerevan to Karabagh?
So, having obtained your visa the next challenge is getting to Karabagh
itself.
If you’re not travelling as part of a formal tour group, the easiest thing
to do is to take a taxi. There are a number of buses that leave Yerevan
for Stepanakert each day but I am told they are incredibly slow and
uncomfortable.
There are no train services to Stepanakert and, despite a modern airport
having been constructed, no flights. The airport, which was supposed to
open in the summer of 2012, remains closed due to Azeri threats to shoot
down any aircraft attempting to fly into Karabagh.
Your hotel in Yerevan will be able to arrange a taxi for you. From my
experience, they’re always very keen to ensure you get the very best car
possible but if you’re travelling during the summer months when
temperatures hover around late 30s then I would strongly recommend you
check that the vehicle has air conditioning!
The drive to Stepanakert should take about six hours and is a surprisingly
smooth journey through stunning terrain. You’ll see numerous lakes,
ravines and mountains en route.
Do make sure you take lots of bottled water and, if possible, try and stop
off for lunch in one of the many family-run restaurants that line the
roadsides. Your driver will probably have a favourite restaurant where
you’ll be able to get a delicious lunch of vegetables, flatbreads and cured
beef.
Even if you’re travelling in the middle of summer, I’d recommend bringing a
light jumper for the journey. Even though it might be 40 degrees when you
leave Yerevan, Karabagh lies several thousand feet above sea level and can
get quite chilly at night.

Where should I stay?
For a country with a population of little more than 120,000, Nagorno
Karabagh has a surprisingly good selection of hotels.
My personal favourite is the Hotel Armenia on Renaissance Square in
`downtown’ Stepanakert. It’s a modern, four star hotel with comfortable
rooms, an excellent bar and restaurant and English-speaking reception
staff. The other benefit of staying at the Hotel Armenia is that every
man, woman and dog in the country knows where it is – which can be very
helpful when you’re speaking to taxi drivers who can’t utter a single word
of English.
The Hotel Armenia is located right in the centre of Stepanakert, directly
next to the country’s Parliament and close to a number of very nice
restaurants. It serves as an excellent base for exploring the rest of the
country.
Rooms go for around £35 per night at the Hotel Armenia, although it is
possible to book perfectly passable hotel rooms in the city for as little
as £15 a night.

Will I be safe?
The formal position of the British Foreign Office and United States State
Department is to recommend against all travel to Nagorno Karabagh and the
areas close to its borders. The chief reason for this recommendation is
that an Azeri invasion is possible at any time and Nagorno Karabagh’s
borders are not patrolled by any international peacekeepers. They’re
covering their backs.
In reality, the situation inside Nagorno Karabagh is very stable. Crimes
against foreigners are entirely unheard of. Indeed, it would offend
Armenian cultural sensibilities to be anything other than hospitable and
welcoming to foreign guests – particularly those who have made the long and
difficult journey to Nagorno Karabagh.
The small numbers of tourists that visit the region each year could not be
made to feel more welcome. Just spent five minutes in one of Stepanakert’s
smoke-filled bars and you will likely be approached by one of the many
(usually English-speaking) young locals who will give you invaluable advice
about what to see, eat or drink.
While the region is safe to visit from a tourist point of view, there are
some security considerations you need to keep in mind.
The front-line between Nagorno Karabagh and Azerbaijan is an active
conflict zone in which troops are killed on a monthly basis. Under no
circumstances should you either ask to visit or attempt to visit these
areas. If you do accidentally end up close to the border, you will likely
be met by a Nagorno Karabagh Army patrol who will point you back in the
right direction towards safety.
Similarly, a number of people are drawn to Nagorno Karabagh because they
want to see sights such as the ruined city of Agdam which was home to
100,000 people prior to the outbreak of war. These areas are resolutely
`off limits’ to foreign visitors and indicating to officials in Yerevan
that you wish to visit then will likely see your visa application turned
down. Please don’t take the risk.

Things to remember
Several months ago, I read an article by the conflict expert Tim Judah in
which he described Nagorno Karabagh as `as far as you can go`. He’s
right. Karabagh is an isolated, mysterious and troubled corner of globe
–
but one no truly intrepid traveller can afford to miss.
Visiting Artsakh (as the locals call it) is an incredibly interesting and
exhilarating experience that very few people have the opportunity to
enjoy. Getting to the country is a long and complicated process (see my
previous blog post for information on travel and visas) that requires
careful planning.
The second you cross the border between Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh,
you’ll know you make the right decision to visit. The words `Nagorno
Karabagh’ roughly translate to `mountainous black garden’ – an accurate
description given the imposing mountains and abundance of fresh water and
lush vegetation that greets you everywhere you turn.
Driving along the road from Armenia into Karabagh’s capital Stepanakert for
the first time you’ll be struck by the quiet, calm nature of the place
–
particularly if you’re arriving from manically hectic Yerevan. This
impression of calm is a slightly misleading one.
Nagorno Karabagh has only been independent for twenty years, prior to which
it had formally been allocated to Azerbaijan by Soviet Russia as a result
of Stalin’s `divide and rule’ policy which sought to prevent single ethnic
groups (in this case, Armenians) from becoming too strong.
During the war, Stepanakert was besieged by Azeri forces for months on end
– sending tens of thousands of shells raining down on the city.
Evidence of ruined buildings is now relatively limited on the road into
Stepanakert and the city itself is buzzing with the construction of new
homes, schools and hospitals. A short drive outside the city, however and
you’ll see the shells of buildings gradually being reclaimed by nature.
The Azeri government has vowed to recapture Karabagh and conducts frequent
military exercises along the border designed to demonstrate their military
firepower. For their part, the Karabagh military forces have vowed to
detonate the valuable Azeri oil pipeline that runs close to the border if
any military incursion into their territory takes place.
The fear of war is ever-present with all adult males taking part in regular
military training exercises designed to ensure the country is prepared for
an attack.
Coming from a country where the ever-present fear of war does not exist, it
is only natural that you will wish to ask questions about the conflict and
its legacy. From past experience, it’s perfectly safe to do so but you
should keep in mind that every single person in the country has a father,
son, grandson, brother or cousin who either fought or died in the
conflict. It’s not uncommon to see disabled war veterans or those with
shrapnel injuries while travelling around Karabagh. Make sure any questions
are approached in a sensitive manner.
Armenians identify strongly with Russians and knowledge of the Russian
language is universal. There are a number of theories as to why this is
but my personal conclusion is that the former Soviet Union provided a
degree of collective safety to Armenians following the 1915 genocide of 1.8
million of their citizens and the loss of a large chunk of Eastern Armenia
to the Ottoman Empire. If you have any negative feelings towards the
Russian Government, it’s best that you try and keep these to yourself as
you are unlikely to find a sympathetic audience in Karabagh.
Armenian and Russian are universally understood in Nagorno Karabagh. While
you’ll find a reasonable number of English speakers at the main hotels in
Stepanakert, you should try and familiarise yourself with a few Armenian
and Russian phrases before you go, if only to be able to thank people in
their own language. I am told that Azeri/Turkish is understood by the
majority of those over the age of 40 but you are unlikely to receive a
positive reaction if you attempt to use it.
Nagorno Karabagh is a democracy that adheres to the rule of law. The
country held successful Presidential elections in 2012 which received top
marks from international election observers (myself included). Crimes
against foreigners are unheard of, although you should be conscious that
Nagorno Karabagh is a poor country in which ostentatious displays of wealth
are unwise.
With the above points understood, you’ll be ready to enjoy the unique
experiences the country has to offer.

Getting around
As far as foreigners are concerned, Nagorno Karabagh is a public
transport-free zone. There are no organised tour buses, no trains, no
metro stops and no trams.
Despite the lack of formal public transport services, the region is
actually fairly easy to get around as a result of a combination of Karabagh
being a relatively small place and the abundance of affordable taxis that
are easily available.
If you’re looking for a `grand tour’ of Karabagh by taxi then you have two
options. The first is to ask your hotel to arrange a driver for you –
which they’ll be happy to do. They will probably also be able to arrange
an English-speaking guide for you too. While your hotel won’t be
consciously attempting to rip you off, they will want to ensure you get the
very best driver and car for your journey so you are likely to pay a
premium for this.
My personal preference is to print out a map of Nagorno Karabagh and point
at the various places I wish to visit. Even if the driver doesn’t
understand English, he will be able to read the Latin script you show him.
You may wish to write a list of the places you’d like to go in numbered
order – although ensure they make logical geographical sense. If you show
interest and appreciation to your driver for the sites he shows you, he’ll
be even more inclined to show you then nooks and crannies of the country
that are off the usual tracks.
Hiring a taxi for a whole day should cost somewhere in the region of 40,000
Drams – a considerable amount in Karabakh but a fairly affordable sum for a
foreign tourist.
Friends on the ground tell me that a bus service does operate fairly
frequently between Karabagh’s main towns but I have never made use of any
of these services. If you are confident that your Russian of Armenian is
up to scratch then you might want to brave it=85

A cash economy?
Most guidebooks I’ve come across issue pretty hefty warnings to
travellers recommending that they withdraw copious amounts of Armenian
Drams before travelling to Karabagh – or risk being unable to pay for
anything.
While it’s fair to say that Nagorno Karabagh has a cash-dominated economy,
I’ve never had problems using credit and debit cards in hotels or
restaurants in Stepanakert. You are also able to use cards in larger shops
and restaurants in Shushi and Vank but, as a general rule, you should use
cash outside of Stepanakert.
My recommendation would be to ensure that you travel to the area with
around 200,000 Drams (about £200) in cash for four days. This should be
more than enough to cover the cost of your transportation to and from
Karabagh as well as incidental expenses such as taxis and snacks. With a
bit of luck, you should have a surplus of cash left at the end of your
visit which you can either spend back in Yerevan or covert back into pounds.
If you need to get hold of more cash during the course of your journey,
there is an ATM in the reception of the Hotel Armenia.

Stepanakert – the capital city
Stepanakert will inevitably be your base for visiting Nagorno Karabagh. A
city of roughly 70,000 people, about half of the country’s population is
based here.
While it would be going too far to describe Stepanakert as a metropolis,
there’s enough to do in the area to keep first-time travellers occupied for
at least a couple of days.
I would recommend seeing the following sights:

– `We are the mountains’ statue -, the statue has become an unofficial
`mascot’ for Nagorno Karabagh. The foundations of the statue go down
several metres into the ground, symbolising the ancient presence of the
Armenian people in Nagorno Karabakh and the fact they are rooted in the
country’s soil. No trip to the region is complete without stopping for a
photograph here.
– Memorial Complex – a great place to visit to learn about the
conflict with Azerbaijan as well as to pay your respects to those who
died. Many of the graves are decorated in an elaborate and poignant style.
– Stepanakert Market – I often think that visiting markets is one of
the best ways to gain insights into a country’s culture and traditions.
The bustling market in Stepanakert is a `must visit’. You can buy
everything here – from traditional daggers and carpets to fresh fish
imported over the mountains from Armenia. You can also buy fresh Jingalov
Hats (see the `food and drink’ section below) that are freshly made
in
front of you.
– Artsakh State Museum (4 Sasunstsi David Street) – located in
Stepanakert, the museum hosts a good collection of memorabilia from the
1990s conflict, as well as some more historical artifacts from the
country’s history.

Aside from visiting the small number of tourist attractions the city has, I
would also recommend taking a couple of hours to just wander aimlessly
around the city. There are no `no go’ areas of the city, so feel free
to
explore side streets, graveyards and any other sites that look interesting.
Wherever you go you’ll never be very far from a cafe serving delicious,
turbo-charged Anatolian coffee and may well meet some interesting people
along the way. I was once humbled to meet the owner of a smoke-filled cafe
who told me of his love for the British as his wife had been flown to
Manchester for life-saving surgery after being hurt in a shell attack. He
wouldn’t let me pay my bill.
If you want to mix with some fellow travellers and English-speaking locals
then I would recommend visiting the Hotel Armenia’s bar in the evening. It
stays open until the last customers leave and does a terrific selection of
flavoured shishas, meaning it can get rather smoky inside if it’s too cold
an evening to sit outside.
If you need the help of a friendly English speaker then a lady called
Anaida and her team at the reception desk of the Hotel Armenia on
Renaissance Square should be able to point you in the right direction.

Shushi
There are few towns in Nagorno Karabagh that suffered as much during the
conflict of the early 1990s than Shushi (note: the town is often called by
its Azeri name Shusha in various guidebooks). Perched in a stunning
location on a hillside about ten miles from Stepanakert, Shushi was once
one of the largest Armenian towns in the world and the heart of the
Caucasus silk trade. It retains some of its historic buildings but saw
scenes of some of the most bitter fighting during the Karabagh war.
War stories about Shushi are legendary in Karabagh. The town served as a
base from which the Azeri army launched missile and shell attacks on
Stepanakert before being dramatically recaptured one night by Armenian
forces. The military operation saw scores of Armenian soldiers scale a
steep rock face at 03:00, driving out the Azeri army and effectively
bringing an end to most serious fighting in the Karabakh conflict.
Visiting Shusi will give you a unique perspective on the influences of both
Christianity and Islam on Nagorno Karabagh. Ghazanchetsots Cathedral,
which was used by the Azeri army to store missiles during the war, has been
fully restored and should not be missed. Similarly, you should make an
effort to visit the Yukhari Govhar Agha mosque which, while no longer in
use, is protected by the Nagorno Karabagh Government. You should also
visit the town’s ancient fortress which has been at the heart of some of
the great historic battles for control of Shushi.
If you have time, try and pop into the Shushi Museum which has some great
examples of Karabagh art and other cultural artefacts from the town’s rich
history.
In an effort to boost tourism the Nagorno Karabagh Government has
constructed a 17 km-long walking trail from Shushi to Stepanakert which
passes alongside mountains, rivers and waterfalls. You might want to
consider getting a taxi to Shushi in the morning and then spending the day
walking back to Stepanakert with a stop-off for lunch at one of the small
villages along the way.
Your other option in respect of Shushi is to save your visit there until
you are heading back to Yerevan as you will have to pass by it. If you
speak to your hotel, they will be happy to brief your taxi driver to first
take you to see the sights of Shushi en route back to Armenia.

Vank
Once a fairly anonymous town, Vank has been heavily invested in in recent
years by a former resident who made his fortune in Russia. Passing through
the town, you’ll see a string of newly-built buildings and statues,
including a rather bizarre hotel built in the shape that is supposed to
resemble the Titanic and an elaborate carving of a lion into rock on the
hillside.
Architecture aside, the number one reason for visiting Vank is its
proximity to the famous Gandzasar monastery which dates back as far as the
1200s. Located at the top of a long and winding mountain pass, Gandzasar
is probably Nagorno Karabagh’s biggest tourist attraction. Aside from
being a stunning example of Armenian religious architecture, the church is
home to a wealth of attractive stone carvings and stunning views down
across the valley.
If possible, I would recommend visiting Gandzasar earlier in the day as the
whole complex gets gripped by fog as you get closer to sunset. On one
occasion I visited Gandzasar, I could barely see more than two or three
metres in front of me! There’s a very good restaurant in the town centre
(see the food and drink section later in this blogpost) where you can stop
off for a delicious lunch.
If you have more than a couple of days in Nagorno Karabagh, then I’d also
suggest visiting the town of Hadrut when you’ll find further examples of
13th and 14th century churches.

Keep safe
A number of people visit Nagorno Karabagh in order to try and gain an
insight into what it’s like to be in an active conflict zone. If this is
the reason for your visit then you will likely be disappointed as the vast
majority of the country has a quiet and relaxed feel to it.
The Government of Nagorno Karabagh takes security issues exceptionally
seriously and does not take kindly to visitors to the region that seek to
stray too close to the border with Azerbaijan. Snipers operate in this are
and by doing so, you are putting not only yourself at grave risk but also
endangering the lives of Karabagh Army soldiers (many of them young
conscripts) who may be sent in to get you out of trouble.
Conflicting reports exist about whether or not it is possible to visit the
cities of Agdam and Fizuli – both of which are ghost towns and former
strongholds of the Azeri army. Agdam is not technically part of the
territory of Nagorno Karabagh but is temporarily held by Karabagh forces
due to its use as key staging point from which the Azeri army launched
rockets and shells into Armenian neighbourhoods.
I have visited both places with no problems in the past but understand
that, depending on the general security situation, visits may not be
possible. You will pass several military checkpoints en route at which you
may be denied permission to progress further if the security situation is
particularly bad.
If you do manage to visit Agdam or Fizuli – a moving and extremely
interesting experience – you shouldn’t go on about what you’ve seen there
to locals when you get back to Stepanakert. Agdam was an ethnic Azeri town
but, even in victory, Armenians take no pride in or draw no satisfaction
from its current state and have indicated it would be returned to
Azerbaijan in the event of a settlement recognising Nagorno Karabakh’s
independence.
The Halo Trust has done an exceptional job at removing land mines from
Karabagh. Indeed, I was lucky enough to spend a couple of days with their
team in the country in order to see the painstaking work they do to rid the
region of these evil weapons (although I can’t claim to have been told that
walking across a certain field was safe as it `only has anti-tank mines in
it’!). Keep your eyes peeled for signs marked `UXO’ which indicate the
presence of mines and avoid those areas at all costs.

Food and drink
No travel-related blog post from me would be complete without a quick delve
into some of the local food and drink.
As a starter, I’ll say that while the food is Karabagh is fresh and
delicious, it is far from varied. With the exception of a few restaurants
serving Georgian dishes and pizza, the menu of most restaurants in the
region reflects the area’s cultural homogeneity.
Arguably the most iconic and unquestionably `Karabaghi’ dish (as opposed to
more broadly Armenian) is Jingalov Hats (pictured to the right), a flat
pancake-like dish filled with fourteen different types of herbs. It has a
pretty unique taste and, according to friends on the ground, can only be
found in Karabagh. I can’t really do justice to by describing it but it’s
tasty, healthy and filling. I asked a friend for the recipe so that I
could try and make it in the UK but was rather dismissively told this would
be `impossible’.
In addition to Jingalov Hats you will also find some of the best BBQ food
I’ve ever tasted. The best option is to order a `tapas-style’ range
of
chicken, pork, lamb and beef dishes to share amongst those you’re dining
with. The meats are always beautifully marinated as absolutely delicious.
Being the South Caucasus, you may also want to order a Georgian khachapuri
– essentially a big cheese pie. It’s not healthy but it is delicious.
(If
you really want to compound your unhealthiness then order the khachapuri
with an egg on top).
In terms of specific restaurants, I am rather hamstrung by my inability to
read Armenian script – and therefore inability to actually known the names
of the restaurants (!) – but will nonetheless attempt to make some
recommendations=85
My personal favourite is a small restaurant on the outskirts of
Stepanakert, about ten minutes walk from Renaissance Square. If you are
standing on the steps of the Hotel Armenia with your back to the hotel,
take the first turning on the right down the hill. Keep to the right hand
side of the road and walk for about ten minutes (you will pass a number of
newly-constructed residential blocks on the right hand side of the road and
a school/sports centre on the left) and you will reach and restaurant that
is part indoor and outdoor with a small stream running through the entrance
area. The staff are extremely friendly, the food excellent and the drinks
cabinet well-stocked. They also have a selection of English-language menus
which can be helpful for non-Russian and Armenian speakers. After dinner,
there’s a small nightclub about 300 metres up on the other side of the road.
Looking slightly closer to Renaissance Square, you will find the very
comfortable bar and restaurant at the Hotel Armenia as well as the
trendy `Russia’ restaurant. `Russia’ is owned by a wealthy local who made
his fortune in Moscow and is arguably the country’s most upmarket venue
–
imposing black marble and granite being the order of the day. I last
attempted to go to `Russia’ on the night of the 2012 Presidential election
but was turned away as the venue was hosting the President’s victory
party. The prices here are higher than elsewhere but still very affordable
for those coming from Western Europe and North America.
Another place that should not be missed is a small restaurant in Vank, not
far from the famous Gandzasar monastery (this is probably a good place to
have lunch after visiting). It’s impossible to miss: just look out for a
cylindrical building on the banks of the river. The walls of the
restaurant are decorated with traditional Karabagh carpets, daggers and
assorted other memorabilia. This place serves the best Jingalov Hats I
have tasted.
I have a basic rule when I travel that, as a first resort, I will always
drink the locally-produced lager. You can’t go wrong with a chilled Kotayk
or Kilikia.
So, you’ll be asking, `what’s the local moonshine like?’. Quite nice,
actually. Most restaurants have a decent selection of home-made plum, pear
and grape liqueurs which are generally best served chilled. They’re
incredibly pure and go down particularly well after large amounts of BBQ
food. High quality and affordable vodkas are available at ally
restaurants, along with the world famous Ararat cognac.
In terms of food safety, I’ve never had cause to worry about standards of
hygiene at restaurants in Karabagh. Indeed, the relatively isolated nature
of the place means that the majority of meat comes from locally-reared and
slaughtered animals who haven’t been fed the usual cocktail of stimulants
and antibiotics that all to often finds its way into food in Western Europe
and North America. I have heard conflicting reports about whether or not
the tap water is safe to consume but, just to be safe, it’s probably worth
sticking to bottles water. While I’ve never fallen victim to dodgy milk
in
Karabagh (they’d have to do a lot to improve upon the plague-esque strain
of `Montezuma’s revenge’ the milkshake stand at Tbilisi Ortachala station
gave me), Armenian friends insist that `Westerners’ should avoid drinking
unpasteurised milk.
If you’re a smoker, Nagorno Karabagh is the place for you. It appears
almost obligatory to smoke when in a bar or restaurant. As a non-smoker I
certainly felt like the odd one out!

danhamilton.co.uk, May 14-16, 2013

() The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan has recently issued a
35-page list of 335 people who have been declared persona non grata and
barred from entering Azerbaijan because of having visited Karabagh at one
point. The list includes worldwide-famous Spanish singer Monserrat Caballe,
Italian singer Al Bano, and a host of politicians, journalists, scholars,
students, businessmen, and public people from many countries, ranging from
Argentina to Russia and from Australia to Iran. Only around two dozens of
them are of Armenian origin. (`Armeniaca’).

The Local, Germany
Aug 8 2013

Naked in the train: artist shocks Europe

Published: 7 Aug 2013 14:33 CET

A Berlin-based performance artist is raising eyebrows in European
capitals with a risque drive to expose the role of advertising in
every day life – by pulling his trousers down in public.

Standing in a crowded U-bahn, trousers around your ankles, with just
an iPad shielding your privates from the gaze of curious strangers
might not be everyone’s idea of art, but for one Berlin-based
performance artist, it’s all in a day’s work.

With his provocative ‘live advertising’ stunt, Mischa Badasyan says he
is breaking boundaries – and sometimes local laws – to get people
thinking about the prevalence of advertising in public spaces.

Armed only with a blank-screened iPad and a t-shirt declaring `Your
advert here’ in various languages and an arrow pointing to his
genitals, Badasyan is touring European capitals as a ‘walking
billboard’ to see how locals react.

But the artist was disappointed to find that few onlookers have so far
taken up his offer to use him as a living, breathing poster boy.

`I was surprised to get negative reactions or aggressive feedback,’
Badasyan, 25, told The Local. `Some people shouted at me in Berlin,
they didn’t like my idea at all.’

The Armenian-born artist, who came to Dresden as a student in 2008,
said he wants to `break stereotyped thinking’ and challenge social
norms with his art. He aims to take his ‘ADbuster’ pants-down project
to every European capital.

So far he has hit landmarks and public transport in Berlin, Vienna,
Paris, Bratislava, Sofia, Bucharest and Rome – at times with explosive
results.

`In Italy two guys blamed me for disturbing and reckless behaviour
towards children. One guy screamed at me and violently pulled up my
trousers,’ Badasyan told The Local.

`In France I got in trouble with the security guards at the Pompidou
Centre, they tried to call the police but I ran away.’

Badasyan feels the influence of advertising – particularly what he
sees as manipulative sexualised adverts – on modern life is often
ignored.

`Every step of your life in modern society is influenced by
advertisement,’ the artist writes on his website. `Each commercial
advertisement can be viewed as an invasion of privacy.’

But many who spotted the trouser-less Badasyan in a public place did
not immediately catch the point of his message.

`Mostly people asked me why I was doing it and what on earth the iPad
was doing there,’ he said. `Some people found it funny.’

`Some supported my idea that we have to rethink … billboards with
sexual ads in the city,’ he added. `Just a small number of people
absolutely supported me and liked my campaign.’

Yet in the end, Badasyan said it did not matter what people thought,
as long as his work provoked a reaction.

`I always have a message but my performances are open [to
interpretation],’ he said. `People should have their own idea about
what they see in my works.’

Josie Le Blond

A Friend in Need in New Jersey Can Make The Difference

Friday, August 9th, 2013

Rep. Frank J. Pallone Jr. (D-NJ)

BY ARDASHES `ARDY’ KASSAKHIAN

Last week I wrote about an important race for Congress taking place in
Massachusetts’s 5th district with Middlesex County Sheriff Pete
Koutoujian as a very viable likely frontrunner for the seat vacated by
Ed Markey when he was elected to the Senate. This week we move south
along the coast to another important showdown and one that could have
great importance for the future of Armenian-American issues but also
for the state of New Jersey where there is one of the largest
populations of Armenian Americans outside of California and
Massachusetts.

New Jersey boasts one of the largest and most active concentrations of
Armenian-Americans in the U.S. and it has even experienced a recent
resurgence as more Armenians from the former USSR have moved to New
Jersey and nearby metropolis New York. So this can end up being
another key race where Armenian-American voters can play a critical
role in the outcome of the election sending a strong message to
Washington DC insiders who are already planning their strategy for the
2016 Presidential Election.

What makes New Jersey particularly interesting and important on a
national scale is that it was an unplanned Senate election in the wake
of Democrat U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg’s death a few months ago.
When Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts passed away, many referred
him to the Lion of the Senate. If anyone was worthy of inheriting
that title after Kennedy’s passing, it certainly was Lautenberg. A
World War II veteran who was born and bred in New Jersey, he was first
elected to the U.S. Senate in 1981 and was always a stalwart supporter
of Armenian issues such as the proper reaffirmation of the Armenian
Genocide. But he was also a fighter for the rights of working class
American families. Lautenberg was the oldest serving member of the
U.S. Senate who had come out of his 2001 retirement to take the seat
that was vacated by the US Senator from New Jersey who was caught up
in an ethics scandal. No, not Corzine – but that’s an excellent
guess. This was to replace Robert Toricelli who resigned after it
came to light that he had received illegal campaign contributions
including a very expensive watch as a gift.

Now, the 11th largest state in the U.S. (by population) is facing a
critical Senate race to see who will inherit the mantle of the fighter
from New Jersey. Early from the onset, way before Lautenberg had even
announced that he was thinking of retiring, Newark Mayor and media
darling Corey Booker had made his intentions to run for Lautenberg’s
seat publically known. Of course, that’s not very hard since Corey
Booker is a prolific user of social media tweeting everything from
what he has for dinner to challenges and bets to members of the public
who follow him on the Internet. Booker doesn’t have a track record on
issues such as a position on the Armenian Genocide or aid to Artsakh
that I could find or dig up. But lucky for many Armenian voters in
New Jersey, another person announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate
and is a familiar name to many in the community – Congressman Frank
Pallone, Jr. Many recognize the Pallone name because along with
retired Republican John Porter of Illinois, he co-founded the
Congressional Caucus on Armenian issues and grew it to become one of
the largest ethnic issue caucuses on the Hill.

Pallone is facing a tough challenge. Most of the polls have him in
second place behind the Newark Mayor. But there are some twists that
can make this race interesting not the least of which is the
underestimated Armenian-American vote in New Jersey. Some figures put
the population of Armenians in the Garden State anywhere between
50-150,000. I think that figure is probably closer to the 100,000 mark
but that’s just anecdotally based on my experiences in NJ and knowing
how active the community is through the Prelacy and Diocese churches.
Armenian-Americans are not known to voting in great numbers but New
Jersey has some history of Armenians in public office and even the
notorious case of Chuck Haytaian, the former Republican Speaker of the
Assembly who ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate seat against – you
guessed it- Frank Lautenberg.

Pallone has to raise money and doesn’t have the national base that
Corey Booker has developed by speaking at the Democratic National
Convention in 2012 and by being all but sworn in by the media as the
next Senator. But Pallone earned the official endorsement of the
Lautenberg family who compared the veteran Congressman from Long
Branch to the late Senator in their work ethic and commitment to
Democratic party values.

If Pallone is elected to the U.S. Senate, and that can happen if he
wins the primary in the Democrat leaning state, he will become a
champion in the U.S. Senate for issues of concern to
Armenian-Americans the likes of which have not been seen since Senator
Bob Dole of Kansas retired. But that can only happen if the Armenian
vote can come out in full force this coming week and help him keep
this race close, within striking distance and help overcome the
perceived Corey Booker momentum.

In politics, there are no guarantees. I know this from the races I’ve
worked on and the candidates I’ve supported, but in politics, it’s
important to show support to your friends. Frank Pallone has been a
friend from the very beginning. At a time when it wasn’t so vogue to
stand alongside Armenians against the powerful oil lobby, military
industrial complex, the State Department and other interests that saw
Azerbaijan and Turkey as a closer ally than the tiny republic of
Armenia, Pallone did not waiver and held firm. He has secured key
earmarks for aid that helped Armenian through tough economic times and
illegal Turkish border blockades. He visited Artsakh and walked along
the trenches where young Armenian men defend a tough border under a
tenuous cease fire. If he can get elected to the Senate, he will be a
game changer for Armenian-Americans and for Trans-Caucasus policy
issues.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I have to admit that I’m biased. I
interned for Congressman Frank Pallone’s office in 1997 when I was
still a student at UCLA. I worked on issues to raise awareness about
the corruption of American academia by Turkish deniers of the
Genocide. I’ve helped fundraise for him, consider him a friend and
mentor. But it is not by coincidence that I have come to know him so
well. There is a saying in Armenian as there is in many other
cultures. It says `Show me who your friends are, and I will show you
who you are.’ Frank Pallone reflects this statement by having held
true to his convictions and never having abandoned the causes
important to the Armenian community in New Jersey, in America, abroad
or in Armenia. We could use a friend like that in the Senate today.

Ardashes `Ardy’ Kassakhian is the elected City Clerk of Glendale. He
is involved in numerous community based organizations and has been
involved in many political campaigns for local, state and national
office. He can be reached at [email protected].

Amnesty International points at prisoners of conscience in Azerbaijan

August 09, 2013 | 19:46

Azerbaijan will start the official campaign period for October
Presidential elections with at least 14 new prisoners of conscience,
Amnesty International said today, after the country’s Central Election
Commission announced on Friday the election date would be 9 October.

In its statement the organization called to immediate release of all
opposition candidates, journalists and human rights defenders who have
been imprisoned in a pre-election crackdown on dissenting voices.

In recent months the regime has particularly targeted youth activists
using social networks to call for free elections and free speech, the
statement reads.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

A 21st Century Zartonk: An iRevival in the Modern Age of iFedayees

Friday, August 9th, 2013

Armenian youth assemble to protest in Los Angeles

95 years of questioning the reality of planned, brutal mass
executions, the ethnic cleansing of a people from their place is far
too long. Up against a looming deadline, a threat of losing their
history and identity, a new generation of Armenians is waking up to an
economic collapse, disappearing Diasporas, and questionable
leadership. The time has come for modern-day Fedayees to take action,
to use modern technologies and create global media messages about
their legacy, history, and their future. This is our prophecy.

BY PAUL CHADERJIAN AND ALLEN YEKIKAN

At twenty-four minutes past four o’clock on the afternoon of April 24,
a war for cultural survival wages on the streets of this metropolis.
In the fight of their lifetime are young Armenians on the sidewalks of
Wilshire, changing the rules, questioning Baby Boomer values,
inventing a new movement, and sending a message to the world that
justice will be served and their ancient culture will survive and
thrive.

On the front lines of this epic war are the Digital Natives,
Generation Z, armed with nothing more than their cell phones, cameras,
and their laptop computers. This war is a battle for cultural revival,
a battle to re-energize the Armenian spirit in the far corners of the
Diaspora and in suffocated and abused community like Javakhk. This
fight is for the universal acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide and
global recognition of the independent Republic of Karabagh. This
battle for national survival is not only being waged on these streets
of La La Land but in the abstract place called the Internet.

Why is this generation – born into the most pampered of lives – out on
the sidewalks instead of sipping beers at a beach-side cantina off the
Pacific, on rides in Disneyland, or in the great malls of commerce,
shopping, eating, or enjoying a Saturday afternoon matinee?

Where is this sense of injustice and this passion for change coming
from? How is their passion being fueled? Why does the world outside
their suburban lives matter more now than ever before? And why does a
95-year-old crime against their ancestors warrant the display of such
passion – nearly a century later and a world away – on the streets of
California?

A Generation in Question
Perhaps these question’s are because the progeny of the Genocide has
awakened to an uncertain, apocalyptic future. A new generation of
young men and women are coming of age to the threat that their
lifestyles may be a memory of the good old days.

Young people are opening their eyes to headlines that those in their
20s and 30s are facing 50% unemployment. Their jobs have been shipped
off to China and India. Their universities are broke and have no room
for new students. Their forests are cut down and natural resources
fast depleting.Their bankrupt government is waging unnecessary wars
overseas, throwing billions of dollars in smart bombs on foreign
lands, and their corrupt leaders throwing billions of bonuses to those
sociopath capitalists who bankrupted a bogus financial industry.

Perhaps their stark realities are now coming into focus because they
wake up to accusations that their very existence as Armenians is based
on a lie. This rabid movement is being ignited because they turn on
CNN to hear the Turkish Prime Minister say that there had been no such
thing as Genocide and that Armenians had been the criminals that
victimized the Turks.

Baby Boomers’ democratic leaders have not only failed at setting the
record straight on the Genocide, but they have also failed at
guaranteeing that our way of life can be sustainable for the next
generation and for generations to come.

Youth today are threatened with the possibility of never owning their
own homes, not affording to go on vacations to their ancestral
Homeland, and no longer being able to afford to provide an Armenian
education to their children or keeping the doors of their ancient
churches open that is fueling the crisis.

How does their government and their President get away with destroying
their future and making empty promises like `change.’ Hadn’t Mr. Obama
promised Genocide recognition? Wasn’t he now turning his back on his
promises and bowing down to the lying Ottoman politicians of the 21st
century?

21st Century Re-awakening
The activists in the 6300 block of Wilshire are following a noble
path, a path traversed by their forefathers. One which they were
destined to retrace.

When they realized the older generations, in their affluent
self-assurance, wasn’t going to listen to their ideas about cultural
preservation and nationhood, this generation looked back to their
people’s history. They found inspiration in stories about fools and
revolutionaries who dared to question authority. They found hope in
the actions of those in the late 19th century who ventured into the
villages and founded schools, and who brought the European
enlightenment to the Armenian countryside.

>From Madras/Chanai to Venice/San Lazzaro, in the seminaries, merchant
communities, and universities of the Armenian Diaspora, Armenians of
the day began to look toward their Homeland with despair. They sought
solutions to the nation’s problems. Having grown tired of being told
what they couldn’t do by their parents, these individuals began to
imagine a better future. They envisioned it and then worked to create
it.

What began as a spark became a movement of awakening, a Zartonk, and
it spread like a modern-day viral video across the Armenian world. The
medium of that era was not the Internet but the printing press.
Newspapers, pamphlets, and books created a Diaspora-wide dialogue
about cultural, linguistic and social demands. The printing press
created a consciousness and awareness that resulted in change.

In the 1700s when Armenians were living under foreign rule, Armenians
in the Diaspora experienced the Age of Enlightenment and closely
followed the French and American independence movements and the births
of democracies.

As the framers of the US constitution were dreaming up their new
nation, free from British rule, Armenians like Shahamir Shahamirian
were thinking up a bill of rights for Armenians and a means for
liberation from Turkish oppression. Their weapon was a printing press,
which spread new ideas to the masses.

Through the printed word, ancient tales of heroic exploits and battles
were brought to life, dialogue about democratic governance and social
justice were popularized, and Armenian students studying in the
universities of Europe were given a struggle in which to believe.

Armenians in the Age of Enlightenment gave birth to young enlightened
thinkers, selfless teachers, and the fearless Fedayees.

The iPeople
One of the historic acts of the enlightened Armenians was the
development a modern language that could be understood by the masses.
This Askharabahr became the language of their revolution. It defied
the Church and authority to become the medium through which dreams and
means for emancipation and liberation were conveyed.

Today, 21st century Fedayees also have a new way to speak the language
of the new masses. Their Ashkharabahr-the language of their world-is
the Internet and social media. This new media in the age of
hyper-connectivity is the foundation of this reawakening. That any two
or ten million Armenians anywhere can come together at anytime through
the unfathomable global access of the Internet is what makes the
iZaronk a reality.

Armed with their laptops, cell and smart phones, this new breed of
freedom fighter is waging a struggle for freedom from their people’s
established norms, norms which are staid and are slowly suffocating if
not killing a new generation of young Armenians. Clear, concise
messages, video images in abundance, passionate Armenians speaking up,
jumping in front of their cameras, getting behind their iPhones,
punching their keyboards with words small and big – these are what can
and will turn around a people in a deep sleep in the early years of
the 21st Century. The time has come, and the alarm is sounding; the
war of yesterday is now the war in Cyberspace. The weapon is new
media.

Armen loads his video camera with a fresh tape. His batteries are
charged. His tripod is set-up. He has his MacBook, and he’s on the
front lines of the Armenian Cause in the 21st Century. He knows that
supremacy in the information age is getting his messages heard, using
the information superhighways prolifically, and producing sexy, viral
messages that are watched by millions of people, scoring thousands of
hits on the net.

Varant is clicking photos of police officers guarding the Consulate
doors. He’s uploading them with captions via his BlackBerry to
thousands who are checking his real-time Facebook updates.

These youth are on the front lines of the Internet, where video,
audio, and viral messaging can help Armenians reach the tipping point
into nationhood, where democracy and social justice prevail; ensure
cultural survival; secure the international recognition of the
Armenian Genocide; achieve autonomy and self-rule in Javakhk, and
protect the inalienable right of self-determination of the people of
the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh.

Cameras are a modern weapon of the iFedayee

Alina clicks away all day, texting friends, posting messages,
videotaping images. She is not wasting her time communicating about
which movie she saw or who is dating whom. Instead, she is living and
breathing the Armenian Cause, by making the issues on the table more
intriguing than what and who is walking on the red carpet or getting
drunk in Vegas.

Like Armen, Varant and Alina, thousands of Armenian youth today have
greater power than any government, than any conglomerate, than any
old-world call-to-arms. Their war of a lifetime is waged through
thoughts, through outspokenness, and through clicks on their
communications technologies.

The time has come for a 21st century Zartonk, a national revival using
the new weapons of modern civilization -the communications tools that
every citizen of the world either has access to or knows someone with
access. These tools, cameras, keyboards, editing software, iPad and
iPods, FlipCams and iPhones, are all what can create the iZartonk.

iMedia
>From the dance halls of the Ani barakhoomp, to the Armenian language
classes at Mesrobian, from the film sets of the aspiring filmmakers,
to the performances of young playwrights, iZartonk is Armenians
breaking free of their pedagogical restrains, free of the capitalist
poison of accruing more wealth, free of the game of politics.

Along the way, young Armenians are using their Internet connections
and their keyboards to not only report about what their generation is
doing toward their community’s collective goal of cultural
preservation, but they are also using all these platforms of media and
communication to ask the questions that needs to be asked. They are
asking each other, expressing their opinions, spreading unique stories
about the Armenian-American experience and challenging each other for
new dreams, new ideas, and calls to action.

What should we believe in? What should we stand for? What should be
our plans? How do we protect our community and our rights? These are
the messages that are floating back-and-forth on the Information
Superhighway. Instead of banal messages on Facebook about what people
are having for dessert, how about asking what is a good insurance
carrier or where there are new job openings? Instead of feeding the
livestock on Farmville or repeating a joke from a morally bankrupt
cartoon on cable, why not promote a group fighting to stop capitalist
endeavors destroying the Earth?

iFedayees
The iFedayees want a say in what their community stands for, what the
collective should focus on, not merely accept the ways of their
parents’ world. They want to decide whether this community needs
multi-million dollar cathedrals, lavish banquet halls, and obscene
weddings and parties – all which are depleting resources that could
otherwise go towards timeless endeavors.

iFedayees must roll up their sleeves and know more than just their
people’s history. They must also learn about the climate of the world,
the Chinese economy, the worlds of the Islam and the South Americas,
and how all these factors shape their modern Armenian-American
experience.

iFedayees must learn, they must take a stand, and they must be
involved in every aspect of their lives and hence their future. This
is what revolutionaries do; and this is what young Armenians must do
to ensure the survival of their six-thousand year-old-culture and
nation – be it in the Homeland or in its vast and ever-relocating
Diaspora.

iDo and iWill
In today’s Armenian media, instead of stories about the legendary
heroes of the people who took up arms to protect their fellow
Armenians, there are stories of the mafiosos stealing from the
government, the masses, and each other. Instead of notions of equal
rights and freedoms, instead of stories of revolutionaries in the
turn-of-the-century Anatolia who inspired a nation and defied the odds
to found an independent republic amid the ashes of Genocide, community
broadcasters are promoting Armenian criminals as the heroes of the
day.

Instead of preaching and promoting service to community and to others,
Armenian media is selling laser hair removal, lap bands, and
glamorizing those who take from the innocent, those who kill for
financial gain, and those who have no morality and humanity. These are
not the role models today’s young people are seeking., and these
broadcasters needed to know that the viewer always has the last word.

Armenian youth take part in the AYF’s Little Armenia Beautification Project

The solution is for every Armenian to become a media practitioner,
participate in creating and using alternative media and ignore the
obnoxious mainstream media outlets. Ignore the info-tainment on your
cells, computers, and television channels and hear what alternative
media sources are saying. What do Link TV reports say about the
European headlines? What are the Arabic channels reporting about the
Middle East? What are blogs saying about the Homeland? And what is the
individual Armenian saying?

After you learn and listen, become a media content creator by picking
up your audio recorder, your notepad, your video camera, and record
your voice, broadcast it to your friends. Even if you don’t have the
answers, ask the questions, put your concerns on paper or on videotape
and send them off into Cyberspace.

Every single Armenian should take it upon him or herself to write a
few paragraphs or videotape 30 to 60 second news reports to let others
in our community know what everyone else is doing as members of the
`Armenians.’

We saw a glimpse of how powerful and active our community became when
hundreds of thousands of you followed the Asbarez and Horizon TV
during the committee vote on the Genocide Resolution, the Protocol
protests, the hunger strike, and the Armenian President’s visit around
the Diaspora. Thousands watched ANC YouTube videos; Asbarez and
Horizon pages had thousands of hits; and AYF members reported the news
by videotaping interviews from the front lines and posting it for
Armenians and non-Armenians around the world to watch.

The momentum that we glimpsed and that we collectively created around
the Stop the Protocols campaign was unprecedented. Our story and our
collective engagement with the creation of media was viral. Not only
did we engage the story, but we engaged our peers and made them
active. On top of that success, our viral messages reached mainstream
media, the LA Times, and all the television networks. Our Tweets and
iPhone videos reached the `Tipping Point’ and put our people at the
forefront, at least for two weeks, during the Information Age.

But why stop now? Why not continue this grassroots Armenian revolution
of the 21st century and continue and build upon the creation of media
messages as we did during the Protocols Campaign. And why stop at
Facebook and Twitter? Why not report about all of our individual and
community successes to our own media network. And why stop with our
media? Why not write letters to editors, engage your lawmakers, create
YouTube videos, submit stories to Current TV, Reddit, CNN iReports,
and other media outlets?

This reawakening, this iZartonk, is based on your participation, you
sharing your small and big steps, ideas, concerns, and news items in
this whirlpool of information. The revolution, the change, can
continue if you and your friends, colleagues, the Armenian
community-at-large, and the world knows what we are all talking about.

Share your news, share what’s new and different, promote your
successes, highlight and advertise whatever makes you proud by
writing, videotaping, blogging, Tweet-ing and Facebook-ing. If you
have a keyboard, you’re a journalist. If you have a video camera,
you’re a reporter.

Take creating media one step further and find the candidates who are
concerned about your concerns and vote them into office. If those
candidates aren’t there, then you run for office, be it for your
university board of regents, your town parish, church council, city
council, or state or federal offices. A democracy serves the masses
only when the masses serve the democracy, when they vote, when they
express their concerns, and when they go door-to-door talking to
people.

Why should your government, your democracy, your representatives on
Capitol Hill NOT vote for Genocide recognition. That question should
be enough to make you ponder whether they really care about justice
and have your best interest in their hearts. Or are they merely
banking on empty promises so that they can sustain their cushy jobs
and their affluent lifestyles and donors?

If your representatives in government aren’t providing what you need
them to provide, if they aren’t worried about your future, your
career, your education, if they are able to convince you that your
government needs to wage war overseas instead of fixing roads,
developing new industries and renewable energy sources, then their
tenure as public servants is over.

Now it’s your turn. Participate in the reawakening of the Armenian
spirit, create media, voice your concerns, vote, and talk to people.

Remember, in the Information Age, we are on an equal playing field
with anything that mainstream news organizations are producing. Your
thoughts, your concerns, your opinions are as valid as those of the
pundits who are using the mainstream channels that are in the business
of making money by gathering the most eyeballs at any given time.

Don’t patronize mass media to appease their shareholders with bigger
profits. Instead, create your own media and change the game. Whether
you attended a protest rally on April 24, attended a book signing,
wrote a play, or heard a new artist, everything is relevant to your
community.

So speak up, speak loud and participate in the reawakening of the
Armenian Soul through iZartonk.

French parliamentarians comment on their appearance in Azerbaijani `black list’

13:44, 10 August, 2013

YEREVAN, AUGUST 10, ARMENPRESS: French officials appeared in
Azerbaijani `black list’ are not surprised with such decision.
`Armenpress’ reports making a reference on French Le Journal du
Dimanche that among 335 people included in Azerbaijani `black list’
22 are French and 140 of them French Parliament.

`It is like praise for me as it records the fact that I visited
NagornoKarabakh. If there is a country like Azerbaijan than we should
be able to die without seeing Baku,’ said French senator Phillip
Marinio.

Another French parliamentarian, co-president of France-NagornoKarabakh
friendship group François Roshbluan mentions that Azerbaijani
pressure has never been so great. `In past nobody was interested in
this country. Today situation has changed. Azerbaijan tries to show
itself like a virgin but the image is different. It is a criminal
country,’ he mentions.

It was not interesting also for Valerie Boyer the author of bill
criminalizing the denial of Armenian genocide in France. In her
opinion Azerbaijan receives dividends from its oil profits. `I do not
believe that it is possible to buy everything with money but this
work-style shows their weakness,’ mentions Boyer.

Azerbaijani foreign affairs ministry published on August 2 a `persona
non-grata list’ of people who had visited Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.
335 people were included in it.

In the above-mentioned absurd list are included 14 deputies of Russian
Parliament, 5 reporters of German ZDF TV channel, president of
Berlin academy, deputies of Iranian, Slovakian, Argentinean
parliaments, famous Russian economist Victor Sheinis, Baroness Cox,
President of military academy of Denmark, Russian political scientist
Sergey Marcedonov, 14 deputies of French parliament, Italian singer
Al Bano, 8 deputies of European Parliament, reporter of Washington
Post in Moscow Will Englund, reporter of New York Times Anastasia
Taylor Wint, Phillip Kirkorov’s father – Bedros Kirkorov, famous opera
singer Montserrat Caballe, deputy of Canadian Parliament.

The list also includes 6 American doctors, 7 British deputies, a Greek
deputy, 3 deputies of Swiss Parliament, editor in chief of EU foreign
policy magazine, former EU special representative in South Caucasus
Peter Samnabi, 5 deputies of Uruguayan parliament, famous Swiss
cosmonaut Claudi Nikolia, 6 Australian deputies, deputy of German
Bundestag and other famous people.

Azerbaijani wants to become deputy of Armenian Parliament

12:04, 10 August, 2013

YEREVAN, AUGUST 10, ARMENPRESS: Azerbaijani Feiruz Imin Oghlu Osmanov
intends to take part in Armenian parliamentary elections in 2017.
`Armenpress’ reports that about this Osmanov informed ANS PRESS via
electronic letter.

He mentioned that he had not renounced from Armenian citizenship by
his own will and has a right to be nominated. Osmanov makes this step
in response to Baku refugee Grigori Aivazyan’s statements about
struggling for Azerbaijani President post.

`I was born in 1981 in Kalinino region of the Republic of
Armenia. After 1988 events as a refugee I live in Baku. In 2004 I
graduated from State Oil Academy of Baku. I consider myself Armenian
citizen as I did not renounce from the citizenship by my own will. In
response to Grigori Aivazyan’s statements I want to be nominated as a
candidate of deputy of Armenian National Assembly,’ writes in the
letter Osmanov.