Author: Kanayan Tamar

ARMENIANS AND A TURK IN A LEBANESE RESTAURANT

Today’s Zaman
Oct 18 2012
Turkey

Sometimes, an image, a sentence, a phrase or a day full of interesting
developments may offer you new perspectives, outlooks or profound
insights that you could not have obtained from many volumes of books.

During such times you say “Aha!” Thanks to many “aha” moments that
I’ve experienced in the past, I believe I have managed to make sense
of the Armenian issue to a certain extent. My first “aha” moment came
in London in 1998, when I met the Armenian diaspora for the first
time in my life.

My friend Onnik had invited me to an Armenian genocide conference. As
we were waiting for Onnik’s girlfriend in front of the Holborn station,
an old man approached us, whispering, “They say the bloody Turks have
placed a bomb in the conference hall,” and went away. Onnik felt the
need to explain: “Don’t take him seriously, Orhan. He is a freak and
of unsound mind.” There and then, I realized that 1915 was an idée
fixe even in the minds of insane Armenians in the diaspora.

“What would he do if he knew I was a Turk?” I thought to myself. Soon
I received the answer to this question. When Onnik introduced me
to his friends as “my Turkish friend,” they involuntarily gave out
cries which I will never forget. “I have met a Turk once,” said one
of the women in a desperate effort to relieve me, unaware that she
was referring to “Turks” as though we were aliens from outer space.

Later at the conference, when a British academic said, “Turks are
actually good people, but they have somehow erased 1915 from their
minds,” a spectator jumped to his feet yelling: “What are you talking
about? Turks are not even human beings!” The ensuing developments were
very interesting. The older members of the community raised strong
objections to the young man. “Our only concern is the recognition of
the genocide. However, your words, which dehumanize Turks, will only
provide an invitation for another genocide,” said one of them. I took
a huge sigh of relief and said a silent “bravo” to the old man.

The rest of the day was like a film. After the conference, we went to
a pub together with a group of Onnik’s friends. Among the crowd were
two young people talking to each other in perfect Turkish. When I
introduced myself to them, they seemed to grow pale and attempted to
offer me an explanation. They were Armenians from Ä°stanbul who were
studying in London. They had “accidentally” attended this conference.

It took quite a long time to relieve their fears and make them believe
that I was not a Turkish state official, but a lawyer and a human
rights advocate.

As I was chatting with them, an elderly Armenian who also spoke perfect
Turkish approached us. This man had left Turkey at an early age but
would read a few Turkish newspapers every day. He would translate
from Ottoman, Turkish and Armenian into English. His last wish was to
find the Ottoman originals of the memoirs of Talat Pasha and render
them into English. We were in the heart of Europe and I was among
those who were clinging on to their childhood memories and to the
pale images that they had of Turkey. It was a very weird feeling.

We in Turkey were not aware of their presence, but they were talking
about us every day with a strong obsession with the past.

Then, I went to a Lebanese restaurant with Onnik, who is an American
Armenian, a Turkish Armenian young man and a Greek Cypriot Armenian.

As a group with common roots in Turkey, we had a very warm chat.

Memories and jokes came one after another. We sat at the table as
four foreigners but left with the feeling that we knew each other
from childhood. It was as if our parents had divorced years ago and
had told us that our brothers were our enemies. But now for the first
time we were getting to know each other directly and as normal human
beings. We were so alike. On our way out our Greek Armenian friend
lost his footing as he was walking down the narrow stairs of the
restaurant and he inadvertently slipped out a Turkish swear word. “We
say exactly the same in Turkey when we stumble on something,” I said.

Our laughter melted away in the misty weather of London. This was
my experience of meeting the Armenian diaspora for the first time in
my life.

TAYLOR’S ROAD TO OLYMPICS BEGINS AT WORLD EVENT

The Chronicle Herald , Nova Scotia
Oct 18 2012
Canada

CYRUS TAYLOR hopes the long road to the Brazil Olympics in 2016 goes
through Armenia.

Middleton’s Taylor is the only boxer from Nova Scotia selected
to be part of Canada’s team for the upcoming world youth boxing
championships.

Athletes competing will be ages 17 and 18.

The four-member Canadian team will compete in Yerevan from
Nov. 28-Dec. 7.

The 18-year-old Taylor, who competes in the 81 kg. weight class,
competed at the nationals in Quebec last winter, where he won gold.

That earned him a spot on the Canadian team for a tournament in
Brandenburg, Germany this summer.

In Germany, he opened with a 14-6 win over an opponent from the Czech
Republic before losing a two-point decision to a fighter from Norway.

“Those two combined were like a tryout for the world championships,
so we’ve been waiting since I got home on Aug. 28 to hear,” he said
of his selection. “We just heard (last week) we were going so it’s
a big stress reliever.”

The tournament in Germany brought together many of the top European
fighters. Taylor, a silver medallist at the Canada Games in Halifax
in 2011, said he had a “mental block” in his loss to the Norwegian
and learned some valuable lessons about international competition.

“I know I can beat that guy. I think it did wonders for my boxing
career actually losing to him. I was questioning myself a little bit,
but after losing to him I knew I belonged here.”

Bruce Harkness, Taylor’s coach at the Pegasus Amateur Boxing Club,
said his young fighter is one of the hardest workers he’s ever seen.

He’s known Taylor since he was a young boy.

“I can probably count on both hands the days of training he’s missed,”
said Harkness, who has helped raised the money to get Taylor to his
international events. “He’s just such a dedicated athlete. He’s a
gentleman. He’s just a really, really nice kid and an ambassador to
the sport.”

Taylor’s training involves nights in the gym and long days of farm
work. He hopes to get his own farm one day.

He knows Armenia will be a measuring stick for the next four years.

Many of the fighters in the draw should be at the top of their amateur
careers when the next Olympics roll around.

“I’m shooting for the podium,” he said, unconcerned about the level of
competition. “I know Cuba, Russia, France, Germany and the U.S. will
all be strong. From Bradenburg, France, Germany and Russia were just
unreal. They were powerhouses, for sure. But I’m looking forward to
meeting them in the fights.”

His goal is to be in Rio in 2016. He has some plans to spar with 2012
Olympian Custio Clayton of Dartmouth.

“I think that dream is in the back of every athlete’s mind,” Taylor
said. “I’m trying to bring it to the front of my mind right now.”

FIVE MARRIOTT HOTELS ARE RECOGNISED AS EUROPE’S BEST AT THE WORLD TRAVEL AWARDS

The Financial
Oct 18 2012
Georgia

The FINANCIAL — Five Marriott hotels in Europe have walked off
with top industry awards at this year’s much-anticipated World
Travel Awards.

As Marriott International, Inc. announced, the awards, voted for by
travel professionals and consumers worldwide, showcase and reward
excellence in all areas of the travel and tourism industry.

The Marriott hotels singled out for their contribution to the industry
are: Armenia Marriott Hotel Yerevan: Armenia’s Leading Hotel.

Copenhagen Marriott Hotel: Denmark’s Leading Hotel. Courtyard by
Marriott Tbilisi : Georgia’s Leading Hotel. Paris Marriott Rive Gauche
Hotel & Conference Center: France’s Leading Conference Hotel. Warsaw
Marriott Hotel: Poland’s Leading Business Hotel.

Belinda Pote, chief sales and marketing officer for Marriott
International in Europe said, “To receive these prestigious awards
and be recognized alongside an elite group of nominees and winners
is a great accolade for Marriott, and we are very proud of the five
hotels honoured by the World Travel Awards.”

The World Travel Awards is celebrating its 19th anniversary and hailed
as the ‘Oscars of the travel industry’. This year’s ceremony took
place in the Algarve and welcomed VIPs, global travel and tourism
professionals, and international media.

WHEAT PRICES TO SURGE IN 2013 – ARMENIAN EXPERT

UkrAgroConsult
Oct 18 2012
Ukraine

2013 may see a surge in the wheat prices, with the wheat production
volumes having declined on the world market, says a Forex Club analyst.

“The international wheat prices grew by 29,85% in 2012, the price per
1 ton amounting to $311. According to the US Department of Agriculture
data, the volumes of wheat production have reduced to the predicted
amount of 653 million tons on the international market,” Mikael
Verdyan said.

“The demand in 2012-2013 will make 678 million tons, which will lead
to a product shortage, causing the per bushel wheat prices to surge
to up to $10,” the expert added.

Mesrop Hayrapetyan, an owner of a sowing area in the Small Vedi
community (Ararat region), complains that he suffered an AMD 5,310
damage due to poor quality seeds.

“I received premium quality seeds in 2011. The Ministry of Agriculture
periodically conducted inspections, and made forecasts for 5-6 tons
of harvest per hectare, but I received only 1-2 tons,” he said.

President of the Agrarian-Rural Union of Armenia Hrach Berberyan
thinks the experts of the Ministry should be held responsible for
the existing situation.

“As last year was a very complicated period in terms of the wheat
seeds, Russia supplied 1,000 tons of premium quality seeds to Armenia.

That’s why our wheat products in 2011 amounted to 8,000 hectares,”
Berbeyan said.

According to him, 10,000 hectares could be enough to ensure
20,000-22,000 tons of harvest in the seeds were of a high quality.

PRESS: RUSSIA OFFERS TO RAISE GAS PRICE FOR ARMENIA TO $330 – SOURCE

Prime-Tass English-language Business Newswire
October 17, 2012 Wednesday 2:03 PM EET
Russia

Russia has proposed to increase the price for gas supplies to Armenia
to U.S. $330 per 1,000 cubic meters from $180 currently, The Armenian
Times newspaper reported Wednesday, citing the country’s Ministry of
Energy and Natural Resources, as cited by RIA Novosti.

The gas price for Armenian customers could rise to 196 dram, or around
$0.48, per one cubic meter from 132 dram, or around $0.32 currently,
if the Russian proposal is accepted.

However, Russia and Armenia may agree on a new price at $250-260 per
1,000 cubic meters, the daily said, citing sources. The tariff for
customers will rise then to 163 dram, or around $0.40.

Earlier in October, Russia’s Transportation Minister Maxim Sokolov
said that the countries would succeed in agreeing on a pricing formula
for Russian gas supplies to Armenia.

In June, media reported that Russia would raise the gas price for
Armenia to $280 per 1,000 cubic meters starting from October 1 and to
$320 starting from January 1. However, Armenia’s Energy and Natural
Resources Minister Armen Movsisyan later said that the gas price for
Armenia remains unchanged at U.S. $180 per 1,000 cubic meters.

According to data released earlier on the official Web site of
Armenia’s customs service, in January-June, Russia supplied gas to
the country at $220 per 1,000 cubic meters.

Newspaper: Armenian authorities are ready to conduct constitutional
referendum in exchange for Prosperous Armenia’s support of Serzh
Sargsyan’s presidential candidature

arminfo
Saturday, October 20, 17:34

During their last meeting Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and
leader of Prosperous Armenia party (PA) Gagik Tsarukyan discussed
several scenarios of PA’s supporting Sargsyan’s candidature during the
forthcoming presidential election, reports Hraparak newspaper.

“Presently they are considering the possibility of giving PA three
ministerial portfolios and the office of Deputy Prime Minister in
exchange for its support of Sargsyan’s presidential candidature. This
scenario implies the conduct of a constitutional referendum for
enlarging the powers of Deputy Prime Minister and creating a kind of a
diarchy in the Cabinet – where the Prime Minister and his deputy will
have equal powers. Thus, they will please both the West by leaving its
candidate in the office of Prime Minister and Russia by appointing its
candidate as Deputy Prime Minister,” Hraparak says.

The newspaper expects the referendum to be held at the same time with
the presidential election, on Feb 18 2013. “Hence, the decree on the
referendum will be issued somewhere in mid December. But before that
Prosperous Armenia will have to sign a memorandum confirming its
support of Serzh Sargsyan,” Hraparak concludes.

Mexico has adopted a balanced stance to the problems of the South Caucasus

13:49, 20 October, 2012

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 20, ARMENPRESS: Tatoul Margaryan, Armenian Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to US who combines Armenian
Ambassador Office in United Mexican States was in a working visit to
Mexico on October 14-19. As U.S.Armenian Embassy informed Armenpress,
after handing the copies of credentials to Ambassador Alfredo Perez
Bravo, Director General of Protocol Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Mexico, Margaryan had meetings with Lourdes Aranda , Vice Minister for
Foreign Affairs and Jose Ignacio Madrazo, Ambassador , Director
General for Europe. Ambassador Margaryan presented his credentials to
Mexican President Felipe Caldern, which was followed by a meeting
attended by Foreign Minister Patricia Espinosa.

Mexican side has expressed its satisfaction about the restoring of
Armenian Ambassador Office in Mexico after a long break, stating they
will continue friendly and balanced policy over the issues concerning
the region and Armenia. Ambassador Margaryan in his turn assured
Armenia is determined to deepen and develop Armenian- Mexican
relations and as a vivid example of this has announced about the
intention to establish Armenian Embassy in Mexico.

In the frame of the meeting Armenian Ambassador had a meeting with
ProMexico state organization leadership. Mexico Armenian Community has
received Ambassador Margaryan warmly. They have jointly discussed
cooperation possibilities and problems.

Rose and Alex Pilibos Armenian School Receives $40,000 from Armenian
Academy of LA

ARMRADIO.AM
13:45 20.10.2012

Rose and Alex Pilibos Armenian SchoolThe Rose and Alex Pilibos
Armenian School recently received a $40,000 grant by The Armenian
Academy of Los Angeles (AALA) to fund the establishment of Armenian
Learning Labs throughout the School, Asbarez reports.

Each learning lab will include a SMART board, projector, new versatile
furniture, and softwares necessary for their lessons. The goal is to
create an environment where students can utilize technology not just
to research their heritage, prepare projects, and create new learning
opportunities, but to reach out to other Armenian communities and
engage in collaborative learning.

With the implementation of this grant, Pilibos will create an
environment that is not only technologically advanced, but also will
encourage innovative thinking and application of ideas learned in the
classroom to further the enhancement of various areas of the Armenian
subject. Students will use technology to work collaboratively on
issues and projects, and help establish 21st century solutions to
Armenian issues by creating Armenian global communities, forums, and
Apps to be utilized for Armenian subjects and issues.

The Armenian Academy of Los Angeles was created to provide
opportunities for the Armenian Youth of today. `The mission of the
Academy is to provide an academically challenging, culturally intense,
and thought-provoking environment in which students are enriched with
the broad knowledge, imagination, attitudes, and moral values that
promote personal achievement, enhance the potential of our community,
shape our collective future, and benefit society as a whole.’

Keeping their mission in mind, Pilibos aims to provide the same kind
of opportunities for students through the acceptance and
implementation of this grant. Principal Alina Dorian said, `We are
very excited and appreciative of the generosity of the Armenian
Academy of Los Angeles towards our School and students. It is because
of this grant that students will have the opportunity to bring a
modern and current perspective to the study of the Armenian language,
culture, and history.’

Entrepreneur Varant Melkonian to receive ANCA-WR award

October 20, 2012 – 13:38 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Entrepreneur, philanthropist and long-time ANCA
activist Varant Melkonian will be honored with the ANCA-Western Region
Legacy Award at its already sold out Annual Banquet on October 28 at
the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, Asbarez reports.

Melkonian is the CEO and Chairman of the Board of the Home Organizers
Corporation – the parent company of seven operating subsidiaries and
three nationally recognized brand names; Closet World, Closets by
Design and Home Closets. Along with its national franchise network and
35 large regional franchises serving 28 U.S. States and Canada, Home
Organizers is the largest independent home organizing company in North
America. At its peak, his company operated out of 16 corporate
facilities and employed over 1,800 people.

Melkonian has been recognized for his service, commitment and
professionalism. In 2005, Closet World was named Business of the Year
by the Armenian-American Chamber of Commerce. Later that year, he
received the very prestigious `Knight of Cilicia’ medal by His
Holiness Aram I Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia. In 2006,
Melkonian was honored as Man of the Year by the Armenian Bone Marrow
Donor Registry. In 2010, Melkonian was also honored by the Armenian
Cultural Foundation for his ongoing support and contribution. In
addition, he has also received awards and commendations from the State
of California, U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, California
State Assembly, California State Board of Equalization, California
Department of Insurance, Los Angeles County Sheriffs and the Cities of
Los Angeles, Glendale and La Canada Flintridge.

Armenians to implement first technical flight at Khojaly airport soon

Sat 20 October 2012 09:21 GMT | 10:21 Local Time

The first flight from Khojaly airport will be implemented in the next few days.
The first flight from Khojaly airport will be implemented in the next
few days, `prime minister’ of separatist regime functioning in the
occupied territories of Azerbaijan Ara Arutyunyan told newspaper
`Zhokhovurd’, APA reports.

He noted that the first flight would be implemented technically and it
was still early to speak about passenger transportation.

The newspaper recalled the president Serzh Sargsyan’s promise that he
would be the first passenger of Yerevan-Khojaly-Yerevan flight and
interested in whether he would keep his promise or not. Spokesman for
the president Armen Arzumanyan said that if such step was planned, the
mass media would be informed in process of time.

News.Az