Author: Kanayan Tamar

Environmentalists warn against Armenia’s Tezh Mountain mine’s exploitation

tert.am
15:19 – 18.08.12

Exploitation of Tezh Mountain mine, in Armenia’s Kotayk province, was
studied and approved still in the soviet years but cancelled because
of threat to the environment, member of Trchkan civil initiative Levon
Galstyan told the reporters today.

He said this year Aluminum Corporation has been granted permission to
study the territory. `It was very difficult to understand how the
company has been established and what it deals with as it does not
have mining history,’ Levon Galstyan said.

`After canceling public hearings over the issue for several times, a
person came from the company who did not manage to answer any
question. As a result, the discussion failed,’ he said.

`The damage to environment in case of mine’s exploitation has not been
assessed, while there are rivers, forests close to the mountain,’ he
explained, adding that the exploitation project does not register any
work in that direction. `It seems like all the projects are taken from
one place with the names of the places being changed,’ he claimed.

Galstyan said that the Nature Protection Ministry is not digging deep
in the issue to understand whether the company is worthy to get mining
permit or not.

Environmentalist Inga Zarafyan said, though wide-scale works have been
implemented during the soviet period for the exploitation of the mine,
the process was stopped taking into consideration the public interest.

`Taking into consideration the location of children’s camp 15-20 km
off the mountain, academic Fadey Sargsyan said we need healthy
children. The project was closed though big sums were invested in it,’
she said, adding that its exploitation is a great environmental
threat.

Armenian pianist to perform at Surp Giragos in Diyarbakir

12:02, 18 August, 2012

YEREVAN, AUGUST 18, ARMENPRESS: Pianist Raffi Bedrosyan will perform
at the newly-renovated Sourp Giragos Armenian Church in Diyarbakir on
Sept. 10, reports Armenpress citing The Armenian Weekly. ”This
concert is more significant for me than all my past North American
performances combined,” said Bedrosyan in an interview with Armenian
Weekly editor Khatchig Mouradian. ”It will be the first concert by an
Armenian pianist in Diyarbakir since 1915, with a programme of
Armenian and classical composers.”

The Turkish word for playing a musical instrument, çalmak (pronounced
chalmak), also means to rob or to steal. ”In 1915, the valuable
possessions of the deported and murdered Armenians, including several
pianos, were stored in Armenian churches. Diyarbakir Governor Reshid
arranged for one of those to be transported to his house,” noted
Bedrosyan, who is also a regular contributor to the Armenian Weekly.
”It is my wish to realize second meaning of ‘çalmak’ in Diyarbakir
on Sept. 10, when I play the piano at Surp Giragos.”

Bedrosyan’s comments about the theft of pianos are corroborated by
eyewitness accounts. In Confiscation and Destruction: The Young Turk
Seizure of Armenian Property, the authors cite the eyewitness account
of an Arab, Faiz Al-Ghusayn, who was in Diyarbakir at the time:

”You might see a carpet, worth thirty pounds, sold for five, a man’s
costume, worth four pounds, sold for two medjidies, and so on with the
rest of the articles, this being especially the case with musical
instruments, such as pianos, etc., which had no value at all.”

The concert is organized by the Sourp Giragos Armenian Church
Foundation. The proceeds will benefit the construction of the
unfinished bell tower.

ARMENIE
Jamanak reproduit un entretien du chef du Groupe de travail chargé de
l’accueil des Syriens d’origine arménienne

Jamanak reproduit un entretien du chef du Groupe de travail chargé de
l’accueil des Syriens d’origine arménienne au du Ministère de la
Diaspora, Firdous Zakarian. Un compte bancaire a été crée au sein du
Fonds Hayastan, pour collecter des contributions financières pour les
Syriens d’origine arménienne. Cette aide ne sera transférée qu’aux
dirigeants de la communauté arménienne de Syrie : « Erevan n’a pas le
droit de prendre des décisions pour eux » a déclaré M. Zakarian. Le
fonctionnaire du Ministère de la Diaspora a annoncé qu’au cours de
cette année près de 3000 Syriens d’origine arménienne ont fait une
demande d’acquisition de passeport arménien et près de 60 familles ont
demandé asile en Arménie, dont une seule a voulu s’installer au
Karabakh.

Par ailleurs, Jamanak publie un reportage de son rédacteur en chef, de
retour Syrie. Selon lui, la communauté arménienne est l’objet d’une
désinformation délibérée sur les conditions d’accueil en Arménie. Il
estime urgent que « Les Ministres arméniens des AE et de la Diaspora
indiquent publiquement que les informations sur l’Arménie diffusées en
Syrie ne correspondaient pas à la réalité ».

Ambassade de France en Arménie

Service de presse

samedi 18 août 2012,
Stéphane ©armenews.com

Lost and Found in Armenia movie to be introduced

news.am
August 17, 2012 | 00:44

LOS ANGELES. – Comedian star Jamie Kennedy is going to promote the
movie Lost and Found in Armenia in Fresno, The Fresno Bee reports.

“I get stopped all the time by Armenians who ask me when my movie is
coming out. I want to come to Fresno and promote my movie,” Kennedy
said.

Valerie McCaffrey, who is of Armenian descent, was also the casting
director for the feature film, which was shot almost entirely in
Armenia.

Kennedy plays an American tourist on vacation in Turkey to forget his
break up. He appears in a small Armenian village where he is blamed
for being a Turkish spy. His co-star is Angela Sarafyan, who can be
seen later this year in “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2.”

“I want to have a whole screening about Armenia because making the
movie was an awesome experience,” Kennedy confessed.

Hunting season opens in Armenia

news.am
August 16, 2012 | 20:23

YEREVAN. – Minister of nature protection of Armenia has issued an
order which identifies permissible number of animals to be killed
within Armenian territory and the time limit for hunting.

On Aug. 25 hunting season in Armenia will get started with the
permission of hunting over 10 bird species. The permission of some
breeds will be granted later. The hunting of foxes will commence from
Nov. 1 until Jan. 31, 2013 and the permitted number of foxes for hunt
is 300.The time limit for hunting wolfs starts from Aug. 25 until Feb.
28, 2013 and the maximum permitted number is 100. Hunting season of
wild hogs will last from Nov. 1 until Feb. 28, 2013 with at most 10
preys permitted.

According to the order, respective subdivisions of the ministry will
monitor and report on process of hunting every two weeks.

The American Armenians asked a meeting from Barrack Obama

20:18, 16 August, 2012

Yerevan, August 16, ARMENPRESS: The Chairman of the Armenian National
Committee in the USA Kenneth Khachikian sent a letter to the USA
president Barrack Obama calling on to meet with the American Armenian
community representatives. As `Armenpress’ was informed by the
Armenian National Committee in the USA, the lack of meetings of
President Obama with the Armenian community representatives `creates
unhealthy atmosphere’ and directly contradicts Obama’s promise of 2008
that `he will have active discussions with the leaders of the American
Armenian community’.

`The meeting will provide an opportunity to extensively discuss the
existing problems’, Ken Khachikyan wrote in the letter to the USA
President. The absence of direct connections contributes to the
negative understandings of some of the USA foreign political steps.

`Taking into consideration these expressions we ask to grant time and
meet with the representatives of the American Armenian community’,
concluded the Chairman of the Armenian National Committee in the USA.

CALL TO SUPPORT THE ARMENIAN COMMUNITY IN SYRIA

Thursday, August 16th, 2012 | Posted by Asbarez
Staff

A group of Armenian volunteers clean up the streets of Aleppo

GLENDALE – All religious denominations, political parties and relief
organizations in the Western United States have come together to form a
joint committee to assist the Armenian community of Syria. On Thursday, the
group issued a call to support the efforts, the text of which is presented
below:

During the past weeks, the 17-month conflict in Syria has escalated to
dangerous proportions. Caught in the crossfire of this growing conflict are
the innocent citizens of Syria, among them the large Armenian community.

The presence of Armenians in Syria dates back many centuries, and
throughout that time, the community has had an important role in the
Armenian Diaspora reality. Especially after the Armenian Genocide, the
growing Armenian community, through its hard
workand
determination has created beneficial situation for nurturing families
and establishing national institutions such as churches and schools, and
preserving our heritage and traditions. Today, due to the current conflict,
the Armenian community is facing a crisis. The Armenian community
organizations in Syria, by adhering to the survivalist spirit of the
Armenian people, have already mobilized to effectively and in an organized
manner cater to the needs of the community.

In light of this mounting humanitarian crisis, Armenians will not remain
indifferent, and will get to work to extend a helping hand and assist the
Syrian-Armenian community.

The Armenian American community of Western United States is equally
concerned with these developments, which impact the entire Armenian nation.
Any harm inflicted upon any member of our dispersed Armenian family equally
impacts the rest of the family be they in Armenia or the Diaspora. With
increased resolve and conviction we must be ready to support the
Syrian-Armenian population, just as we have come to aid of our brethren in
Armenia, Artsakh, Lebanon and Iraq, in their time of need.

We call upon the Armenian American community of the Western United States
to facilitate the needs of the Syrian Armenian community and to contribute
for the preservation of the Armenian community. The Syrian Armenian
community has fulfilled its centuries-old mission proudly, and today as it
holds on to its home, the community is aware of its exceptional and unique
role it has had in the Diaspora, which unequivocally needs to be preserved.

We hereby announce the formation of a Joint Committee in Support of the
Syrian Armenian Community.

Archbishop Hovnan Derderian
Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian
Bishop Mikayel Mouradian
Rev. Joe Matossian
Social Democrat Hunchakian Party
Armenian Revolutionary Federation
Armenian Democratic Liberal Party
Armenian General Benevolent Union
Armenian Relief Society
AMAA

August 15, 2012

SLICE OF THE PAST
Dark street
Jaideep Mazumdar | July 28, 2012

Kolkata’s Park Street was once both fun and fashionable. But, as a new
film shows, the good-life street has fallen on bad days.

Kolkata’s Park Street was the first fun street this side of the
Suez. It can boast of many firsts – the subcontinent’s first
departmental store, the first ice-cream parlour, the first soda
fountain, the first restaurants offering live entertainment, all these
and more stood proudly on this street where only the city’s
well-heeled trod. It was, in fact, more than just a street. This was
where Indians got their first taste of fine dining, of cabarets and
can-can dancers and of the good life – but that was till the swinging
sixties. Naxalism, the flight of capital, militant trade unionism and
the migration of many communities like theAnglo-Indians, Parsis, Jews
and Armenians from Kolkata led to the city losing its cosmopolitan
character and dealt a death blow to the good life of Park
Street. Today, despite efforts to revive it, the street is a pale
shadow of its former self. Park Street’s epitaph was written when it
was rechristened ‘Mother Teresa Sarani’ a few years ago.

This state is vividly portrayed in Life In Park Street, which released
last weekend. In this movie starring thespian Soumitra Chatterjee,
Park Street is depicted in a sleazy light and as the fief of an
underworld don. Unfortunately, this isn’t very far from reality. Many
of the restaurants on Park Street where dinner jackets were de rigueur
are, as Olympian Leslie Claudius tells TOI-Crest, “frequented by the
riff-raff and shady people”. “Park Street used to be washed every
morning. Elegant and genteel ladies and gentlemen clad in formals
would get down from their cars to dine and make merry in the
restaurants, ” recalls Deepak Purie of Trincas, one of the oldest
restaurants here and the only one that still has live music and a
crooner.

Foodie and musician Nondon Bagchi remembers the old times: “Usha Uthup
and Biddu Appaya debuted at Trincas and Mary Wilson (Australia’s best
jazz vocalist now) used to perform there. VJ Luke Kenny’s mother used
to perform at Blue Fox where Louis Banks, Pam Crain and Braz Gonsalves
used to set the evenings on fire. Moulin Rouge was the first to fly in
can-can dancers from Europe and hosted the first cabarets”. Mocambo
was independent India’s first nightclub where Pam Crain debuted. “A
German architect designed the interiors and my grandfather got an
Italian chef flown down to design the menu. A British fashion designer
made the costumes for Crain – a gown flared at the bottom that gave
her a mermaid-like look. The dancefloor was reinforced Belgian glass
with coloured lights below, ” says Mocambo owner Siddharth Kothari,
who also owns the iconic Peter Cat and Bar-B-Q restaurants on Park
Street.

Writer Mani Shankar Mukherjee recalls that no company would hold its
board meeting on a Tuesday since Sky Room used to be closed on that
day and it was a ritual for outstation directors to lunch or dine
there! Sky Room would parcel its signature prawn cocktails to Delhi
for Indira Gandhi while Fish Florentines and Chicken Sicillienes from
Mocambo were Nehru’s favourites. Octogenarian Flower Silliman, one of
Kolkata’s few remaining Jews, recalls shopping at Park Street’s Hall &
Anderson, the first departmental store outside Europe. “Park Street
epitomised fine living. People from Bombay, Delhi and even Lahore
would fly in to Calcutta to celebrate Christmas and New Year’s Eve at
Park Street’s restaurants which would have special dinners and balls
on these occasions, ” she recalls.

A group of activists under the banner of Society for Park Street
Rejuvenation has been striving to restore the street’s lost glory, but
it has been a largely disappointing exercise. Apart from restoring a
couple of mansions and holding a Park Street carnival during the
Christmas-New Year’s week, the society has been able to do little
else, primarily because it has taken on an impossible task. “The
character of Park Street has changed and I doubt if we can recreate
the past, ” says historian Barun De, who used to live in a mansion on
Park Street. In Life In Park Street, Soumitra Chatterjee, disgusted by
its degeneration, vows never to return to Park Street. Flower
Silliman, too, doesn’t go there anymore, and nor do many of Kolkata’s
swish set for whom Park Street was a prime evening destination. It is
just another thoroughfare now.

MICHAEL STEPHEN

Syrian-Armenians Accuse Reporters in Armenia for Making Unfounded Statements

hetq
11:43, August 16, 2012

A group of Syrian-Armenians who have recently arrived in Armenia have
taken the local press to task for making unwanted and unfounded
remarks about the situation of the Armenian community in Syria. What
follows is their statement.

A reporter from Armenia, who had recently visited Haleb, , organized a
press conference upon returning to Yerevan and had the gall to make a
series of general statements regarding the issues confronting the
Armenian community in Aleppo.

According to the reporter, Syrian Armenians `are hostages to the
so-called national community leadership’ and that `those leaders do
not allow the community to develop by taking logical decisions’ and
that it’s a result of ignorance or a planned conspiracy.

At this crucial time, such attempts to drive a wedge between Armenia,
the Syrian-Armenian community and the leaders of Syrian-Armenian
organizations can’t be regarded as sincere by us Syrian-Armenians.

Those who have spoken out regarding the attitudes of the
Syrian-Armenians include Catholicos Aram I of the Great House of
Cilicia, Armenia’s Ambassador to Syria Levon Sargsyan and ARF Bureau
member Hrand Margaryan.

They have stressed on numerous occasions that the Syrian-Armenian
community has no intention of leaving Syria.

These are individuals who are intimately acquainted with the
Syrian-Armenian community and not those who have visited for a few
days.

The stance of the RA Minister for the Diaspora, shaped through daily
telephone conversations, meetings and consultations with appropriate
individuals, expresses the attitude of the vast majority of
Syrian-Armenians.

We, a group of Syrian-Armenian youth now in Armenia, can confirm that
it’s impossible to speak in generalities culled from a few days’
experience on the ground.

There are no anti-Armenian tendencies in Syria and no violence
directed towards the Armenian community.

The community now has its joint coordinating committee, comprised of
the three spiritual dioceses and representatives of the political
parties and unions.

We can proudly say that the community has never been more united and,
during this difficult time, the coordinating committee is confronting
all challenges confronting the community.

We find it intolerable and painful for any one individual to speak on
behalf of the community or attempt to hurl accusations against the
community leadership, political parties, or other responsible
individuals.

Armenian authorities’ true demeanor toward the diaspora – newspaper

August 16, 2012 | 07:05

YEREVAN. – `Our correspondent, who, together with [Armenia’s Diaspora
Minister] Hranush Hakobyan, visited Hankavan [city’s] Hasmik and
Tsaghkadzor [city’s] sport complex, was shocked by the contrast eye
witnessed in these two places,’ Hraparak daily writes and continues:

`In the first, there were Syrian-Armenian children, [who] survived the
war [in Syria] and returned to the Motherland. In the second, [there
were] the well-known [young] `Falcons,’ [who are] pampered by the
authorities, [and are] always in elite camps.

It would seem the state should first have cared for the
Diaspora-Armenian children, many of whom are in Armenia for the first
time. And this is a good opportunity for the Motherland to leave a
good impression and be very hospitable before their eyes.

Yet the object of our state’s special care is not them, but rather the
elite `birds,’ who render very important services during elections.
They need to live under special conditions, in expensive recreation
homes, at the very least.

That’s all right that the children who arrived from the diaspora will
be placed in camps that are virtually non-renovated since [the] Soviet
[era].

In reality, this is a demeanor toward the [Armenian] diaspora, whom
our state sees as a milking cow and remembers when the time comes for
the all-Armenian begging. And the [Diaspora Ministry’s] `Come Home’
Program] is nothing but an action thought up by Ms. Hranush and
secures her employment.’