Author: Kanayan Tamar

THE ARMENIANS: UNSUNG SUPPORTER OF HELLENISM

Hellenic News of America Feb 12 2013

Written by aphrodite Tuesday, 12 February 2013 15:09

By Catherine Tsounis

“The Armenians are our brothers,” said Mr. Constantine Parthenis my
Modern Greek instructor at St. Demetrios Greek American School in
1950’s Astoria, New York. Dr. Emory, a medieval historian at Queens
College, explained in a 1969 undergraduate class that “the Armenians
are not recognized significantly in the Byzantine Empire.”

Throughout the years of research and readings of the former Greek
Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America and current Greek
Orthodox Archdiocese of America, the Armenian contribution to Hellenism
is not explored.

The late Very Rev. Demetrios Frangos, an immigrant from Imvros
(Gokceada), said to my parents, his parishioners from St.

Demetrios Church of Astoria, that the Byzantine Empire was
multi-cultural. “The United States encompasses persons of many
nationalities and races. All are united under the constitution of
America and the universal English language,” he explained. “It’s
forerunner was the Byzantine Empire,” he said. “Persons of many
nationalities and races were united under the Greek language,
civilization and Orthodox faith.”

The Oath of Alexander the Great od Macedon states …” THE BEST WILL
GOVERN REGARDLESS OF THEIR RACE. UNLIKE THE NARROWMINDED, I MAKE NO
DISTINCTION BETWEEN GREEKS AND BARBARIANS. THE ORIGIN OF CITIZENS,
OR THE RACE INTO WHICH THEY WERE BORN, IS OF NO CONCERN TO ME. I HAVE
ONLY ONE CRITERION BY WHICH TO DISTINGUISH THEM VIRTUE….

THE ORIGIN OF CITIZENS, OR THE RACE INTO WHICH THEY WERE BORN, IS OF
NO CONCERN TO ME. I HAVE ONLY ONE CRITERION BY WHICH TO DISTINGUISH
THEM VIRTUE…WHETHER YOU ARE WHITE OR DARK-SKINNED. AND I SHOULD
LIKE YOU NOT SIMPLY TO BE SUBJECTS OF MY COMMONWEALTH.” The Armenians
played a major role in the perpetuation of an empire that lasted over
one thousand years.

“Research and wrote about the Armenians,” said Tony Barsamian. His
inspiration triggered this article. I am dedicating it to my friends:
Takoumie Pidedjian, a health care professional whose brother-in-law
received the highest honor from the Armenian government; Catherine
Harper, educator; Madeline Najjarian, Lemon Tree beautician in Bayside
and Mark.

Dr. Peter Charanis of Rudgers University said “the important
role played in the history of Byzantium by that talented
minority, the Armenians, has been generally unrecognized,”
“The People of Ar”
website (states that “due to centuries of foreign domination, much
of Armenian history has been neglected…the influence Armenians had
on the Byzantine Empire has been swept under the rug by the Ottomans
and later the Soviets. Armenia was only in part a vessel of Byzantium.

Many Armenians became successful in the Byzantine Empire. From
bishops, architects, important military figures and even Emperors,
Armenians were represented in all walks of Byzantine life. In fact,
one out of five byzantine emperors and empresses were ethnically full
or in part Armenian.”

Byzantine Armenia in
the Armenian
part of the Empire, depending on the degree of control the Byzantines
had over Armenia. “Armenians became successful in the Byzantine
Empire. About ten Byzantine emperors were either ethnically Armenian,
half Armenian of possibly Armenians, although culturally Greek. The
best example of this is Emperor Heraclius, whose father was Armenian
and mother Cappadocian. Emperor Heraclius began the Heraclean
dynasty (610-717 A.D.). The Akathistos Hymn sung during Orthodox Lent
commemorates his victory and saving of Constantinople with the help
of Our Lady, Virgin Mary.

“Basil 1 is another example of an Armenian beginning a dynasty,”
according

The greatness of his descendant, Basil II, the Bulgar Slayer, has
been immortalized in every generation that learns Modern Greek history.

“Basil became one of the strongest Byzantine
emperors, winning territory in the Balkans,
Mesopotamia, Armenia, and Georgia,” according to

“He was noted for his victory (1014) in the war with Bulgaria, which
ended with his blinding all the soldiers in the defeated Bulgarian
army. He increased his domestic authority by attacking the landed
interests of the military aristocracy and of the church.”

The Armenian military power, to some scholars, was the basis of the
stability and longevity of Byzantium. A strong army was needed. Armenia
was the source. “From the 5th century forwards, the Armenians were
regarded as the main constituent of the Byzantine army,” states

“Procopius recounts the ‘Scholari’, palace guards of the Emperor, were
selected from among the bravest…During the 9th and 10th centuries,
which might have been the greatest participation of the Armenians
in the Byzantine army…Another Byzantine historian praises the
decisive role which the Armenian infantry played in the victories of
the Byzantine emperors Nicephorus Phocas and John Tsimisches….There
was a strong absence and ignorance of government and public interest
and at the same time an equally large interest in achieving personal
distinction and a loyalty towards their masters and leaders.”

In the article, “Armenia, Byzantium, and the Byzantine Armenians”
(), “another example of the impact
of Armenians within the Byzantine Empire is the Great Church known
as Hagia Sophia. As Rummel explains, ‘After the great earthquake of
October 25, A.D. 989, which ruined the great dome of Hagia Sophia,
the Byzantine emperor Basil II asked for the Armenian architect Trdat
(or Tiridates), creator of the great churches of Ani and Agine,
to repair the dome. The magnitude of the destruction in the church
caused reconstruction to last six years. The church was re-opened on
May 13, 994.’ The magnificent reconstructed dome designed by Trdat
in the tenth century remains aloft the “Great Church” to this day.”

Dr. Peter Charanis scholarship is used as the basis of this
article. He was a Greek-American Byzantine scholar, an immigrant from
Lemnos, Greece. He was the Voorhees Professor of History at Rutgers
University. Dr. Charanis was long associated with the Dumbarton Oaks
research library. He believes “these people (Armenians) appear,
of course, thoroughly Hellenized. Indeed it would be preposterous
to call Photios (a patriarch) anything but a Greek. Yet it may be
asked whether their Hellenization was not unaffected by their original
background, whether in being absorbed they did not modify the culture
which absorbed them.”

Dr. Charanis quotes “a later oriental source in describing the spread
of the Armenians into the Byzantine empire in the tenth century adds
that in all the wars waged by the Romans “the foot soldiers of the
Armenians marched and they aided them greatly” (98).

There is nothing in this statement indicating the relative numerical
strength of the Armenian element in the Byzantine army, but the
statement does attribute to this element a role of major importance.

The Byzantine army in the tenth century as in all other centuries
to the [33] very end of the empire was composed of different
peoples….Nevertheless, as one examines the various campaigns of
the Byzantine forces in the tenth century, one is struck by the ever
presence of the Armenian element. Armenians participated in every
major campaign. …It was in the campaigns against the Arabs along
the eastern frontiers, however, that the Armenian contingents in the
Byzantine forces stand out most prominently. …This prominence of the
Armenian element in the forces of Byzantium along the eastern frontiers
was no doubt the basis of the observation of the modern scholar which
we have tried to analyze above that the Armenian (i.e., of Armenian
origin) and the Armenian-speaking element must have been predominant
in the Byzantine army from the ninth century to the Crusades. …~E
The role of the Armenians in the political and military life of the
Byzantine Empire, in the late ninth, tenth, and eleventh centuries
appears still more impressive when one examines the leadership which
guided the empire during this period. For virtually every major figure
in that leadership was of Armenian origin.

First of all, there is the dynasty, the most brilliant in the history
of the empire. The imperial house which ruled the state throughout this
period is known as the Macedonian dynasty, but the term Macedonian
as used here has no ethnic connotations. It refers rather to the
place of the birth of Basil I, the founder of the dynasty. Basil
was an Armenian, born in Macedonia where numerous Armenians had been
settled….. That Basil I, the founder of the most brilliant dynasty of
the Byzantine Empire, was indeed Armenian and Armenian on both sides,
can be regarded as an established fact (112).

… Thus, every emperor who sat on the Byzantine throne from the
accession of Basil I to the death of Basil II (867–1025) was of
Armenian or partially Armenian origin. But besides the emperors
there were many [40] others among the military and political
leaders of Byzantium during this period who were Armenians or of
Armenian descent. Included among these were some of the ablest
military commanders and administrative functionaries in the history
of Byzantium. Some of these commanders and officials belonged to
families of Armenian origin long established in the empire; others
were new arrivals.

Dr. Charanis concludes “the defeat of the Byzantine army by the Seljuks
at the battle of Mentzikert in 1071 coupled with the civil wars which
followed in Byzantium resulted in the definite loss by the empire of
eastern and central Asia Minor. This loss included, of course, the
regions inhabited by the Armenians….. It may be said, therefore,
that the battle of Mentzikert and the subsequent loss by the empire
of eastern and central Asia Minor brought to an end the great role
which, beginning with the end of the sixth century, the Armenians
had played in the political and military life of the empire.

But Armenians continued to live in the empire down to its very end
(209).

For something like five hundred years, Armenians played an
important role in the political, military and administrative life
of the Byzantine Empire. They served as soldiers and officers, as
administrators and emperors. In the early part of this period during
the seventh and eighth centuries, when the empire was fighting for its
very existence, they contributed greatly in turning back its enemies.

But particularly great was their role in the ninth and tenth centuries
when as soldiers and officers, administrators and emperors they
dominated the social, military and political life of the empire and
were largely responsible for its greatness. So dominant indeed was
their role during this period that one may refer to the Byzantine
empire of these two centuries as Graeco-Armenian; ‘Graeco’, because as
always, its civilization was Greek, ‘Armenian’, because the element
which directed its destinies and provided the greater part of the
forces for its defense was largely Armenian or of Armenian origin. It
was a role, moreover, of world-wide historical significance for it
was during this period that the empire achieved its greatest success,
when its armies triumphed everywhere, its missionaries spread the
gospel and with it civilization among the southeastern Slavs, and
its scholars resurrected Greek antiquity, thus making possible the
preservation of its literature. Herein lies perhaps the most important
part of the legacy of the Armenians to civilization. But while all
this may be true, the point should be made and made with emphasis that
the Armenians in Byzantium who furnished it with its leadership were
thoroughly integrated into its political and military life, identified
themselves with its interest and adopted the principal features of
its culture. In brief, like many other elements of different racial
origins, as, for instance, Saracens, Slavs and Turks, who had a similar
experience, they became Byzantines.” The meaning of the phrase “the
Armenians are our brothers,” is more alive today through sources on
the internet.

Photo 1 – Basil II, The Bulgar Slayer.

Photo 2- Map of Byzantine Armenia.

AZERBAIJAN TURNS ON ONE OF ITS OWN

Washington Post
Feb 12 2013

By Will Englund, Feb 12, 2013 05:11 PM EST

The Washington Post MOSCOW – Azerbaijan’s troubled efforts to
portray itself as a progressive and Western-oriented country took a
beating this week with the announcement by a pro-government political
party that it will pay $12,700 to anyone who cuts off the ear of a
75-year-old novelist.

The author is Akram Aylisli, and his crime is to have written a
novella called “Stone Dreams” that is sympathetic to Armenians and
recounts Azeri atrocities in the war between the two countries 20
years ago. Aylisli’s misfortune is to have had his work published,
in Russia, at a time when an insecure regime in Azerbaijan is whipping
up anti-Armenian fervor.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has already stripped Aylisli of
his title of “People’s Writer” and the pension that goes with it. His
son was fired from his job and parliament has demanded that Aylisli
submit to a DNA test to prove he’s Azerbaijani. Over the weekend,
book burnings were staged around the country.

But on Monday the head of the Modern Musavat Party, Hafiz Hajiyev,
told the Turan Information Agency that the time has come for Aylisli
to be punished for portraying Azerbaijanis as savages.

“We have to cut off his ear,” Hajiyev said. “This decision is to be
executed by members of the youth branch of the party.”

Watchdog groups, including Human Rights Watch and the Institute
for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety, denounced the threat. “I can’t
believe he’s a man or human being,” Leila Yunus, head of the Baku-based
Institute of Peace and Democracy, said of Hajiyev. Even the Soviet era,
Yunus said, didn’t feature “such horrible propaganda.”

The Interior Ministry pointed out that cutting off an ear is a crime
and said it would investigate. But the government, rattled by protests
in January, has been lashing out at its opponents and, as it has in
the past, tried to distract public opinion by stirring up fears of an
Armenian threat. Although a 1994 cease-fire stopped the war between
the two former Soviet republics, Armenians still hold the territory
of Nagorno-Karabakh, and Aliyev frequently vows to take it back.

Antagonism is high, and Aylisli has fallen afoul of that. While
Azerbaijan has spent billions of dollars in oil revenue on military
equipment, efforts by the United States, Russia and France to broker a
settlement have failed. Shots across the cease-fire line are becoming
more common, and in the past week two Azeri soldiers and one Armenian
have reportedly been killed.

E. Wayne Merry, a visiting fellow at the Center for Strategic
and International Studies in Washington, said recently that
Nagorno-Karabakh is in a “pre-war” situation.

The government also has arrested two leading opposition politicians,
Tofik Agublu and Ilgar Mammadov, and charged them with fomenting
protests last month over an alleged brothel in the town of Ismayilli.

The brothel, which was burned down, reportedly was owned by the son
of one of Aliyev’s cabinet ministers.

The men will be held for two months and then face trial on charges
that could bring three-year prison sentences. The arrests have been
criticized by the European Union, Amnesty International and Human
Rights Watch. Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry has rejected the criticism
as unfounded.

Mammadov is a member of the advisory board of a group called Revenue
Watch, which called for the immediate release of the two men. The
United States, which values Azerbaijan for its hostility to neighboring
Iran but criticizes the country’s human rights practices, urged the
government to observe due process.

In an e-mail he sent to his supporters on the eve of his Feb. 4
arrest, Mammadov noted that he had been to Ismayilli, in a lull between
protests, to see for himself what was going on. “Now the government is
trying to use that fact to speculate that I have organized that massive
unrest,” he wrote. He noted that his Republican Alternative party is
likely to nominate him to run for president against Aliyev in October.

Aylisli, who could not be reached Tuesday, told Radio Liberty two
weeks ago that he dwelt on Azeri atrocities in “Stone Dreams” because
that was his responsibility as an Azerbaijani writer. Let Armenian
authors, he said, write about the atrocities of their side – notably,
a 1992 massacre in the town of Khojaly, the memory of which has become
a major rallying point for aggrieved Azeris.

Aylisli also has written thinly-veiled attacks on both Aliev and his
father, Heydar Aliev, the former president, for the brutality and
corruption of their regimes. That’s an image that Azerbaijan has
gone to great lengths to obscure, helped by the glitzy revival of
its capital Baku, thanks to revenue from gas and oil. Using events
like last year’s Eurovision song contest in Baku, the government has
painted Azerbaijan as an outpost of flash and modernity that outshines
its neighbor, Iran.

The secular fatwa against Aylisli’s ear, though, could make that
campaign an uphill battle.

ARMENIAN GOLD EXPORTS DOWN SLIGHTLY IN 2012

Interfax, Russia
Feb 11 2013

Armenia’s gold exports edged down 0.4% to 2,329.8 kilograms last
year, including galvanic coating, the country’s National Statistics
Service reported.

The customs value of the exported gold was up 15% from $67.3 million in
2011 to $77.5% last year, which Economy Ministry specialists attribute
to rising prices for the metal. Armenia exports Dore gold bars with
up to 92% gold content. Pure gold is not produced in the republic.

Armenia imported 1,378 kg of gold last year with customs value
of $77 million versus 1,521 kg for $78.3 million in 2011. Gold is
delivered to the republic in the form of gold wares and raw material
for making them.

COMPOSER, MP, ETHNOGRAPHER SPEAK OF ARMENIA’S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

TERT.AM
19:56 ~U 12.02.13

The singer and composer Ruben Hakhverdyan describes the presidential
candidates’ behavior and statements as “political exhibitionism
and clownery.”

“That’s all,” Mr Hakhverdyan told Tert.am.

Talking to Tert.am, Vahan Hovannisian, a member of the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D) parliamentary group,
said that the ARF-D did not join the presidential election campaign
because of the “ludicrous statements and situations.”

“They [the presidential candidates] must be failing to find another
way of attracting public attention,” Mr Hovannisian said.

The first 23 days of the presidential election campaign in Armenia
have shown ethnographer Hranush Kharatyan that each next day is going
to be “more eventful.”

“The concept of ‘president’ is so devalued now that it is taken with
fun rather than seriously now. I think this concept has lost its
value along with general loss of values. Whoever wants can run for
the presidency,” Ms Kharatyan said.

KIRO MANOYAN: THE ARMENIAN COMMUNITY SHOULD REACT ON THE SITUATION AROUND AZERBAIJANI WRITER AKRAM AYLISLI

ARMINFO
Tuesday, February 12, 17:50

The situation around the Azerbaijani writer Akram Aylisli, which wrote
the book “Stone dreams”, causes anxiety, and the Armenian community
should react and express their position regarding the event, the
head of the Hay Dut Yerevan office, Kiro Manoyan, said at today’s
press-conference.

He said that the world community has already reacted at the problem
around the writer in Turkey and the problem of intolerance to national
minorities in Azerbaijan.

He thinks that such actions by the Azerbaijani authorities are an
attempt to deflect attention away from more important events taking
place in this country. “I do not rule out worsening of situation at
the line of contact between Armenian and Azerbaijani armed forces.

This is an attempt to deflect attention away from domestic political
situation”, – Manoyan said.

VOTE 2013: HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST SAYS VOTING RIGHTS OF SEVERAL GROUPS VIOLATED IN ARMENIA

VOTE 2013 | 12.02.13 | 16:05

Hovhannes Kocharyan, Artur Sakunts
By SIRANUYSH GEVORGYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter

Civil society representatives as well as representatives of parties
involved in the electoral processes consider that the voting rights
of a number of groups are being violated in Armenia.

During a discussion organized in Yerevan on Tuesday Helsinki Citizens’
Assembly Vanadzor Office head Artur Sakunts, in particular, spoke
about violations of the rights of arrested persons, citizens living
abroad and serving in the armed forces.

According to Sakunts, detainees and soldiers do not have access to the
programs and booklets of all candidates, while among the candidates
only the incumbent president actually can go to military units for
campaigning purposes. “But the army elects not only the president,
but also the Supreme Commander-in-Chief [of the Armed Forces], so
they should be able to learn about the programs of all potential
candidates,” said Sakunts.

Speaking about the problem of Armenian citizens residing abroad and
having no right to take part in the national elections (they have
not been eligible to vote since 2003), Sakunts said that the state
must organize their balloting.

“Speaking about those living abroad they say they have no right
to take them out of the electoral roll, because they continue to
enjoy suffrage. But if they do, then be so kind as to ensure they
can properly exercise their right. Otherwise it is illogical,” said
the leading human rights activist.

Opposition candidates have repeatedly raised the issue of removing the
names of citizens permanently absent from the country from the voting
lists. For years the Armenian opposition has accused the government
of using up to half a million votes of such people to rig elections.

But head of the passport and visa department of the Police Hovhannes
Kocharyan dismissed such demands as ungrounded, saying that technically
it is impossible to take the data of the absent citizens from the
voter lists (as such data can be obtained only by means of a personal
search engine) and also because Armenia’s legislation prohibits the
publication of such data.

“It is a totally unreasonable and illegal demand made to the police:
personal data can be spread only if the law authorizes a state body
and an official to disseminate such information. Otherwise, it is
unlawful to disseminate such information as it constitutes an offense,”
said Kocharyan.

“I wonder how many voters in Armenia would want their being absent
from Armenia to become information that is in the public domain? Isn’t
it an instance of persecution against a person?” the official queried.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENTIAL CONTENDERS PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION TO AGRICULTURE, EXPERT SAYS

YEREVAN, February 12. /ARKA/. Three of the Armenian candidates for
president, Serzh Sargsyan, Raffi Hovannisyan and Hrant Bagratyan, have
an economic component in their election platforms, head of Alternative
analytical centre, PhD in economy, professor Tatul Manaseryan told
a press conference Tuesday.

Special attention is paid to rural problems in particular.

“The candidates realize that development of agriculture is an important
step to ensure the food supply security and economic development in
the country”, Manaseryan said.

The candidates say it is important to solve employment problems in
rural areas, according to Manaseryan.

The expert stressed that all three contenders touch also upon social
issues and promise to raise pensions and wages, but propose different
mechanisms for it.

“Opposition candidates pay great attention to reduction of black
economy”, Manaseryan said.

According to the expert, the main difference between the election
platforms is how the platforms are formed.

“For example, Serzh Sargsyan’s platform points only to main objectives
and targets, whereas Hrant Bagratyan describes his proposals in more
detail and in numbers; Raffi Hovanisian’s platform is less spatial,
but contains indicators the candidate promises to achieve if elected”,
Manaseryan said.

The expert sees certain differences also in approaches, for instance,
Raffi Hovanissian promises to create 180,000 new jobs, whereas
Bagratyan intends to promote self-employment among the population.

In general, according to the expert, the most important is not the
extent of detail in the platform, but candidate’s capability of keeping
his promises. Here, special attention should be paid to the past and
the political biography of each contender, Manaseryan said.

Armenian presidential elections are scheduled for February 18. Seven
nominees are running for president: incumbent president Serzh Sargsyan,
former prime minister and leader of Freedom party Hrant Bagratyan,
former foreign minister and head of Heritage party Raffi Hovhannisyan,
famous Soviet dissident and leader of National Self-Determination party
Paruyr Hayrikyan, ex foreign minister of Karabakh Arman Melikyan,
political scientist and head of Radio Hay Andrias Ghukasyan and
philologist Vardan Sedrakyan. -0-

NO ARMENIAN BUSINESSMAN CAN PREVENT CARREFOUR FROM COMING TO ARMENIA

ARMINFO
Tuesday, February 12, 13:32

No Armenian businessman can prevent Carrefour from coming to Armenia,
member of ARFD, former Agriculture Minister David Lokyan told ArmInfo
on Tuesday.

“I don’t think that our businessmen can stop Carrefour,” Lokyan said,
when asked to comment on media reports that oligarch MP, the owner
of Yerevan City supermarket network Samvel Alexanyan is trying to
prevent the arrival of potential rival.

Lokyan said that Carrefour will hardly have problems with opening
supermarkets in Armenia. “They always consider optimal ways to develop
their business in areas having no supermarket networks. In Tbilisi
some 2-3 years ago they opened a network and are now going to open
one in Armenia,” Lokyan said.

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE NOMINEE HAGEL CALLS FOR GROWTH IN ARMENIA-US DEFENSE TIES

NEWS.AM
February 12, 2013 | 12:35

WASHINGTON, DC – In response to a direct inquiry by Senate Armed
Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, president Obama’s nominee to
serve as Secretary of Defense, former Senator Chuck Hagel, called
for the expansion of U.S.-Armenia defense relations, reported the
Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

“We would like to thank Chairman Levin for drawing attention, during
this especially closely watched Senate confirmation process, to the
importance of growth in the U.S.-Armenia defense relationship,” said
ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “We share Senator Hagel’s
view that there is much room for the development of these ties, and
look forward, should he be confirmed, to engaging with the Department
of Defense on this matter.”

In response to a written inquiry by Chairman Levin, Senator Hagel
explained “The U.S.-Armenia defense relationship is sound. As with
all relationships, there is room to grow and areas where we can
strengthen our cooperation and partnership.” He went on to note
that, if confirmed, “I would continue to engage Armenian leaders to
strengthen existing areas of engagement and identify new areas of
cooperation that support Armenia’s defense reforms, especially its
peacekeeping brigade, and continue its ability to deploy in coalition
operations.”

“I would look for the United States to be Armenia’s partner of choice
and help Armenia’s defense establishment contribute to regional
security and stability.”

ARMENIAN POPULATED ALEPPO IN DARKNESS FOR A FEW DAYS

12:20, 12 February, 2013

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 12, ARMENPRESS: For three days incessant most
Armenian populated second largest city Aleppo is sank into darkness.

Berio National Primacy press secretary Jirayr Resyan told Armenpress,
the electricity is completely switched off; the internet and
telephone also do not operate regularly. Parallelly the water supply
is irregular, as water pomp is working with difficulty due to lack of
electricity. There are no news refer to the lack of energy supply. The
only gratifying fact in the words of press secretary is the bread
issue ceased to be urgent.

The army is launching large-scale operations seeking to clear out the
city from the rebels, Reisyan states. Although the morning was quiet,
the voices of shootings could be heard throughout the night. Military
helicopters constantly monitor the city’s different districts. The
army is also trying to clear the airport territory from the rebels,
to restore the security in order it will be possible to launch flight
to Aleppo. According to press secretary the situation is more tense
in the suburbs.

Over 60 thousand people were killed during 23 months ongoing clashes
in Aleppo, including four dozen Armenians.