Author: Kanayan Tamar

TURCS-AZERIS
Un Azéri s’assoit nu sur la statue d’Atatürk place Taxim à Istanbul et
injurie les passants…

La Turquie est en émoi ! Un Azéri, Mamad Mamoud -qui s’est avéré être
citoyen iranien- est monté complètement nu sur la statue d’Atatürk
pour s’assoir sur sa la tête du fondateur de la « Turquie moderne »
place Taxim, en plein centre d’Istanbul. Quelque peu illuminé, Mamad
Mamoud s’est mis à crier sur tous les passants, très nombreux de cette
place. Un attroupement de Turcs indignés s’est aussitôt réalisé,
certains lui balançant des objets, d’autres désirant escalader la
statue pour le lyncher. La police, arrivée en très grand nombre sur
les lieux a réussi à évacuer l’individu poursuivi par des Turcs en
colère. L’Azéri a reçu néanmoins quelques gifles et coups de poings
avant d’être emmené vers un poste de police pour interrogatoire. Il
s’est avéré que l’Azéri qui a ainsi insulté Atatürk était sous
l’influence des drogues.

Krikor Amirzayan

vendredi 6 juillet 2012,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

ANTI-NÉGATIONNISME
Hollande – Fabius même combat ?

Bienvenue au royaume de la tromperie !
Ainsi le gouvernement Ayrault, par la voix de son ministre des
Affaires étrangères Laurent Fabius, joue le remake de Nicolas Sarkozy
en 2007 : Il n’y aura pas de nouvelle loi pénalisant la négation du
génocide des Arméniens. `il n’est pas possible de reprendre le même
chemin, sinon le résultat sera évidemment le même.` a indiqué hier
Laurent Fabius lors d’une conférence de presse après sa rencontre avec
son homologue turc Ahmet Davutoglu. Alors, quel chemin prendre,
pourrait-on légitimement s’interroger ?

Il est pourtant de notoriété publique que le 24 avril 2012, jour
commémoratif du génocide des arméniens en 1915, le nouveau Président
de la République française, François Hollande, devant toute la presse,
avait réaffirmé sa volonté d’étudier un nouveau texte. Forte de ce
soutien sans faille, la FRA Dachnaksoutioun avait elle-même appelé à
se ranger derrière le leader du PS en vue de le faire élire Président
des français. Bien lui en a pris… Malheureusement, les français
d’origine arménienne ont souvent été les dindons d’une farce dont
certains politiques ont cru bon devoir gaver leurs ouailles.

Ainsi donc, l’ancien ministre de la Culture, Jack Lang, avait dit la
vérité dans l’interview qu’il avait accordé à radio MIT, canal
communautaire des turcs de France, à la veille des élections
législatives.

Ne nous trompons pas. L’argument selon lequel `Nous souhaitons la
réconciliation entre l’Arménie et la Turquie et nous soutiendrons
évidemment tout effort qui est fait en ce sens`, dixit Laurent Fabius
; ne tient pas une seconde la route dans le cas qui nous occupe. Une
façon élégante de renvoyer aux calendes grecques un dossier qui n’a
d’intérêt qu’aux élections…

Il faut remercier Monsieur Fabius d’avoir fait cette déclaration le
jour même où plus d’une dizaine d’Arméniens ont été distingués Justes
parmi les Nations par Yad Vashem pour avoir, au péril de leurs vies,
sauvés des Juifs de l’extermination nazie pendant la seconde guerre
mondiale.

Dans leur grande naïveté les français d’origine arménienne sont
aujourd’hui fixés sur la parole politique.

Jean Eckian

vendredi 6 juillet 2012,
Jean Eckian ©armenews.com

EDITORIAL
Fabius-Davutoglu : La dernière trahison

Le gouvernement ne remettra pas sur le métier la loi sur le génocide
arménien. C’est en substance ce qu’a déclaré sans aucune espèce d’état
d’me apparent le ministre des Affaires étrangères français, lors
d’une conférence de presse avec son homologue turc Ahmet Davutoglu, en
visite à Paris le 5 juillet. En réponse, ce dernier a confirmé la
levée de sanctions turques contre la France, consécutive au vote de la
loi Boyer, pénalisant le négationnisme. Sauf démenti rapide du chef de
l’Etat, les choses semblent donc claires. Le gouvernement PS, à peine
arrivée au pouvoir, a cru urgent de céder à la pression d’Ankara, au
prix d’un reniement de ses engagements et de ceux de son leader. Et ce
sont bien entendu les Arméniens, éternels sacrifiés de la raison
d’Etat, qui font les frais de ce qui apparaît comme le premier grand
parjure du nouveau quinquennat.

Si les propos de Fabius se voyaient confirmés, rarement l’histoire des
relations franco-arméniennes n’aurait connu une félonie aussi ouverte.
Cette forfaiture viendrait évidemment d’amis proclamés. Faut-il
rappeler en ces lignes le nombre de déclarations de l’actuel président
de la République en faveur d’une loi réprimant le négationnisme ?
Voilà plus de 6 ans qu’il les multiplie sur toutes les tribunes. Sans
remonter très loin, n’est-ce pas François Hollande lui-même qui a
relancé le processus sur cette initiative lors de son meeting à
Alfortville du 30 septembre, en demandant qu’elle soit votée de
manière prioritaire par le Sénat qui venait de passer à l’opposition ?
N’est-ce pas lui qui, après la décision du Conseil constitutionnel
invalidant la loi Boyer, exigeait un nouveau texte ? Ne l’a-t-on pas
entendu réitérer ces mêmes promesses le 24 avril 2012, devant le
mémorial du génocide arménien à Paris, avec pour témoins des milliers
de personnes et l’ensemble des médias réunis ? Une telle palinodie
fait honte à la France, à la politique et à la démocratie.

Le courant Sarkosyste a toujours soupçonné le PS de faiblesse envers
Ankara, tandis que les forces à la gauche de ce parti voient
traditionnellement en lui le dernier recours du système pour procéder
aux réajustements nécessaires à sa pérennisation, quand la droite est
à bout de souffle. A ce double titre, la volte-face du gouvernement de
M.Ayrault sur la question arménienne est particulièrement symbolique
de cette duplicité. En cédant au chantage du nationalisme turc, il se
range du côté du plus fort contre le plus faible, de l’oppresseur
contre l’opprimé. Il renie ce faisant le combat des plus grandes
figures de la gauche, qui de Jaures à Sartre ont dénoncé le sort fait
au peuple arménien et l’opportunisme à l’égard de ses assassins. En
manquant à sa parole, il s’inscrit non seulement en faux par rapport
aux initiatives du PS qui a proposé par deux fois aux deux chambres du
Parlement le 12 octobre 2006 et le 4 mai 2011 des lois pénalisant le
négationnisme, mais il foule au pied toute l’ histoire du parti sur
cette question, ainsi que les fondamentaux de sa philosophie
politique. Et cela, à peine arrivée au pouvoir.

Il n’y a pas de mots pour fustiger une telle attitude. Et il est
particulièrement affligeant que Laurent Fabius ait accepté de tenir ce
rôle écrit pour complaire au régime Islamo-conservateur, au moment
même ou l’ensemble du monde universitaire et médiatique en dénonce les
turpitudes dans le registre des droits de l’homme. Pendant que l’on
sacrifiait une nouvelle fois les martyrs du premier génocide du XX
siècle sur l’autel de la Realpolitik, s’ouvrait en effet en Turquie le
procès de Ragip Zarakolu, premier éditeur à avoir osé braver le tabou
arménien, en publiant des livres en turc sur la question. Ainsi, alors
que des intellectuels turcs sauvent l’honneur de leur nation en
défendant au péril de leur vie la vérité sur ce crime « contre
l’humanité », le premier à avoir été qualifié comme tel par la France
le 24 mai 1915, notre ministre des Affaires étrangères se livre à des
comptes d’apothicaire, sous le regard dominateur d’un Davutoglu qui
dicte sa loi avec ses pseudos carnets de commandes. On est tombé bien
bas. Et dans ce scénario, les Français, d’origine arménienne sont
censés faire quoi ? « Circulez y a rien à voir », c’est ça ?

Comment la diplomatie française, qui s’était embourbée dans ce type de
bassesse au début du mandat de Sarkozy, avec la visite secrète de Jean
David Lévitte en mai 2007 à Ankara, n’a-t-elle pas tiré les leçons de
l’échec de cette première expérience qui s’est soldée par une faillite
morale doublée d’une déconfiture économique ? Les tyrans ne respectent
que la force, et Ankara a tenu à la France la dragée haute durant
toutes ces années, réclamant toujours plus de concessions. Quand ce
n’est pas sur les Arméniens, c’est sur Chypre. Quand ce n’est pas sur
Chypre, c’est sur l’Europe etc. Ce qui a amené le gouvernement
précédent à reconsidérer ses positions en 2011.

Ne tirant aucune leçon de cette période funeste, le pouvoir actuel se
prépare à en subir les mêmes effets. En prenant de surcroit la
responsabilité d’exacerber les tensions, d’entretenir l’abcès de
fixation là où il fallait conclure, en respectant tout simplement un
engagement français qui de Hollande à Sarkozy, avait fini par obtenir
un large consensus politique.

Ara Toranian

vendredi 6 juillet 2012,
Ara ©armenews.com

Wall Street Journal
July 5 2012

The Beauty in China, the Truth in Arkansas

By BARBARA CHAI

Director Atom Egoyan is known for his work on films such as “The Sweet
Hereafter” and “Chloe,” but the Armenian-Canadian filmmaker has also
directed a number of stage productions. On July 26 his latest project,
the Chinese opera “Feng Yi TIng,” will open at the Lincoln Center
Festival.

“Feng Yi Ting” tells the true story of Diao Chan (played by Shen
Tiemei), a Chinese courtesan caught in a rivalry between an aristocrat
and his godson during the Han Dynasty. To visualize a score by
composer Guo Wenjing, Mr. Egoyan employs shadow projections of
Terracotta Warriors and the actors’ faces. He also uses traditional
shadow puppetry and animates the English and Chinese subtitles in
dynamic ways.

.”As an opera director, I never lose sight of the fact that my primary
responsibility is to frame these supernatural voices,” said Mr.
Egoyan, who worked with a translator on the Mandarin-language piece.
“That’s the experience of opera, that’s what we get thrilled by.”

With the Lincoln Center opening of “Feng Yi Ting” three weeks away,
Mr. Egoyan is already in Atlanta filming “Devil’s Knot,” a feature
about the three Arkansas teenagers who were convicted of killing three
boys in 1994, maintained their innocence, and were set free last year
after agreeing to an Alford Plea.

The 51-year-old Egyptian-born director spoke with the Journal from
Atlanta recently.

You’ve directed a number of operas, but a Chinese opera is unexpected.

Guo Wenjing’s music is just so beautiful and complex. I was attracted
to these long periods of music without text, so I thought that would
really be something that could be visually treated, and was rare for
an opera to have these spaces. I was attracted to this collision of
old and new throughout the actual project. I thought it would be
interesting to continue that through the visual eye, this clash of old
and new through costume, through the use of old theater technology
like shadow work, puppetry and digital wizardry.

How well does “Feng Yi Ting” translate to Western audiences?

The main experience with opera is the sung voice – the phenomenon of
seeing a human being emit that sound. Unamplified, it’s unworldly.
This particular vocal technique with these two brilliant singers [Ms.
Shen, a soprano, and tenor Jiang Qihu] is unlike anything we’ve heard
in a Western context. The Western voice is grounded in a very
different place from where these people are singing from. The music is
wonderful and it’s a very rich chromatic score using traditional ideas
of Chinese music, using a pentatonic scale and certainly the vocal
lines are very traditional.

You’re now filming “Devil’s Knot,” a feature film about the West
Memphis Three. Reportedly, securing the rights and attaching the
real-life players to the project has been exceedingly difficult.

Yes, it has been very complicated. I think that ultimately what has
emerged that I’m very happy about is that two of the West Memphis
Three, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley, are executive producers on
this project. It gives them a chance to own some of their own story. I
think that Damien [Echols, the third member] feels he has his own
story to tell and I totally agree with him. I think there are many
stories to tell – this is a piece of mythology now. But the very real
fact is these three young men were in prison for 18 years and that to
me is so shocking in and of itself. Our story is set very much in
1993, in what happened in West Memphis around the case.

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
July 4 2012

EU interested in Nagorno-Karabakh peace process and aid for Armenia

President of the European Union Herman van Rompuy is on a visit to
Armenia. He met Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and noted that the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution is still a priority for the EU.
Settling the conflict needs mutual trust and the prevention of
incidents on the contact line. The EU approves the statement made by
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group in Los Cabos, Rompuy says.

The settlement of the conflict needs the will of politicians and
society, the EU president said at the Armenian parliament. Settling
the conflict would bring stability and prosperity.

Rompuy reminded Armenia and Azerbaijan about the way France and
Germany coped with their hostilities, forming the fundament of the
European Union.

The EU official promised to increase financial support of Armenia by
25% to 15 million for integration. Stefan Fule, EU Commissioner for
Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy, said that the aid would only be
provided for fair presidential polls in 2013.

Rompuy said that he met Sargsyan in Warsaw and Brussels before. The
sides have active negotiations on associated membership, free trade
zone and simplification of the visa regime. Armenia needs to continue
its democratic progress and respect for human rights.

The EU president welcomed Armenia’s efforts for clear and competitive
elections and expressed hope that the drawbacks described in the
ODIHR/OSCE report would be fixed.

Rompuy added that the joint program for rapprochement of the EU and
Armenia needs public support.

The EU president will arrive in Georgia today to meet President
Mikheil Saakashvili and Speaker of Parliament David Bakradze in
Tbilisi. Rompuy will also meet members of the EU monitoring mission.
His visit in Georgia will last several hours, then he will head to
Baku (Azerbaijan).

China tops list of states providing humanitarian aid to Armenia

news.am
July 05, 2012 | 23:58

YEREVAN. – In January-June 2012 Armenia received humanitarian aid
amounting to about $30 million, Armenia’s National Statistics Service
informs.

As compared to the same period last year the amount of the
humanitarian aid has increased by $4 million.

Usually the U.S showed the largest amount of humanitarian aid to
Armenia, but this year things have changed a little. In 2012 China
topped the list of countries in terms of volumes of humanitarian aid
with $13 million donated to Armenia (43.5 percent of the total
amount).

For comparison the U.S. has donated $5.2 million, Switzerland – $1.7
million, Germany – $1.5 million.

In 2012 China donated 249 buses to Armenia.

Russian military base in Armenia gets new equipment

NEWS.AM
July 05, 2012 | 21:22

YEREVAN. – Works are being conducted in the Russian military base in
Armenia to improve technical equipment of training facilities in
Alagyaz and Kamhud, the press service of the Southern Military
District reports.

`In 2012, a mix of modern automated kits range equipment was received,
designed to provide training for fire and tactical exercises,’ the
report states.

It is also noted that the modern fire training exercises will increase
the training intensity in the units by up to 30 percent.

`We Are Still the Mountain’: An Interview with Chris Bohjalian

Posted by Tom Vartabedianon
July 5, 2012 in
Interviews ,

Chris Bohjalian is the kind of author who grabs you by the heart and
refuses to let go. How he can manipulate several plots simultaneously,
travel cross country promoting his work, raise a family, and enjoy a
private life calls for a supreme juggling act.
[image: MG 2873 2 200×300 `We Are Still the Mountain’: An Interview with
Chris Bohjalian]

Chris Bohjalian (Photo by Tom Vartabedian)

Of the 15 books he has written, his latest – The Sandcastle Girls – could
very well be his best. If not the ultimate, at least the most ambitious and
personal novel in a career that’s spanned over 25 years.

The novel is a sweeping saga set in the cauldron of the First World War, a
tale of love and loss, and a family secret that’s been buried for
generations.

The book enhances Bohjalian’s stature in the world of American literature
and makes it a `must read’ for anyone in search of adventure.

One of his first novels, Midwives, was a Number 1 New York Times best
seller. Bohjalian’s work has been translated into more than 25 languages
and 3 have been made into movies. He lives in Vermont with his wife and
daughter.

The Sandcastle Girls is dedicated to the memory of his mother-in-law
Sondra Blewer (1931-2011) and his father Aram Bohjalian (1928-2011).

`Sondra urged me to write this novel and my father helped to inspire it,’
he notes.

A question-and-answer session with the author follows.

Tom Vartabedian: What prompted you to write The Sandcastle Girls?

Chris Bohjalian: I’ve been contemplating a novel about the genocide for
most of my adult life. I tried writing one in the early 1990’s between Water
Witches and Midwives. But it was a train wreck of a book. If I’m going
to be kind, I might simply call it `apprentice’ work. But `amateurish’
would be fitting, too. (Scholars and masochists can read the manuscript in
my alma mater’s archives.)

A few years ago, my Armenian father grew ill. And as we visited, we poured
over family photos together and I pressed him for details about his
parents, who were survivors from Western Turkey. I also asked him for
stories from his childhood. After all, he was the son of immigrants who
spoke a language that can only be called exotic in Westchester County
during the 1930s.

Finally, a good friend of mine who is a journalist and genocide scholar
urged me to try once again to write a novel about what is, clearly, the
most important part of my family’s history. So I did. And this time, it all
came together.

TV: How long did it take you to write?

CB: I started the novel in the summer of 2010 and finished it in the fall
of 2011.

TV: Was the story factual or fictional – or a cross between the two?

CB: Oh, it’s a novel. Absolutely. Nevertheless, my narrator Laura
Petrosian is a fictional version of me. Her grandparents’ house was my
grandparents’ house. But Elizabeth Endicott and Armen Petrosian were not
my
grandparents. I hope the history is authentic. I did my homework. I hope my
characters’ stories are grounded in the particular ring of Dante’s Inferno
that was the Armenian Genocide. I hope I have accurately rendered that
moment in time.

TV: Any Turkish resistance to the book?

CB: Not yet.

TV: Any chance of this being promoted to television or Hollywood?

CB: One can always hope. If you know any producers, let me know.

TV: How has it been received by the Armenian reading public?

CB: Early reactions have been very encouraging. And here, I think, is the
reason why.

A few years ago, I heard the incredibly inspiring Gerda Weissmann Klein
speak at the University of Texas Hillel. Gerda is a Holocaust survivor and
author of (among other books) All But My Life. Someone asked her, `What
do you say to people who deny the Holocaust?’

She shrugged and said simply, `I tell them to ask Germany what happened.
Germany doesn’t deny it.’

As Armenians, we have a genocide in which 1.5 million people were
killed – fully three-quarters of the Armenians living in the Ottoman
Empire – and yet it remains (to quote my narrator in The Sandcastle Girls)
`the slaughter you know nothing about.’ It is largely unrecognized.

And so when Armenians have read advance copies of the novel, they have been
deeply appreciative of the story and the way it tells our people’s history.

My point? We are hungry for novels that tell our story, that tell the world
what our ancestors endured a century ago.

TV: How has the book benefitted you in terms of promoting your own
heritage and culture?

CB: It has helped me to understand more about who I am – the geography of
my own soul.
[image: sandcastle girls 197×300 `We Are Still the Mountain’: An Interview
with Chris Bohjalian]

`The Sandcastle Girls’ will be released July 17.

TV: How does this relate to your other works?

CB: Pure and simple, the best book I will ever write – and the most
important. I know this in my heart.

TV: During its conception, was there any connection made with notable
Armenian historians and writers like Peter Balakian?

CB: The epigraph is from one of my favorite Balakian poems. And Khatchig
Mouradian (The Armenian Weekly editor and genocide scholar) was more
generous with his time than you can imagine. I learned so much from him.
And I still do, even though the novel is finished.

TV: Who might your favorite Armenian writer be?

CB: I am deeply appreciative of the work rendered by Nancy Kricorian,
Mark Mustian, Carol Edgarian, Peter Balakian, Micheline Aharonian, William
Saroyan, and Eric Bogosian. Pick one? Not a chance!

TV: Whatever happened to the first genocide book you wrote 20 years ago?

CB: It exists only as a rough draft in the underground archives of my
alma mater. It will never be published, even after my death. I spent over
two years struggling mightily to complete a draft and I never shared it
with my editor. The manuscript should either be buried or burned. I
couldn’t bring myself to do either. But neither did I ever want the pages
to see the light of day.

TV: Collectively, as a diaspora, what can be done to observe the 100th
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in 2015?

CB: Well, recognition by the Turkish government would certainly be nice.
It would also be encouraging to see a sitting American president
acknowledge what happened and use that dreaded `G-word.’ Seriously, what
does `realpolitik’ get us with this issue? Regardless, I expect poignant
and powerful observances around the world.

TV: Living in rural Vermont, do you feel isolated from the Armenian
community? How has it impacted your heritage and that of your family?

CB: I love Vermont, I really do. But I think the fact I live in Vermont
was one of the reasons why my visit to Beirut’s Armenian quarter and
Yerevan was so meaningful this spring.

I try to remind myself of something I saw written as part of a Musa Dagh
mural on a column in Anjar, Lebanon, where the survivors of Musa Dagh were
resettled: `Let them come again. We are still the mountain.’

The reality of the Armenian Diaspora is that 70 percent of Armenians don’t
live in our homeland. And yet, somehow, we have retained a national
identity.

I think that whoever wrote, `We are still the mountain,’ wanted the
sentence to be interpreted two ways. Certainly, he meant Musa Dagh: Attack
again if you want, we are still those warriors. But he also meant Ararat.
Even here in Lebanon, we are still Armenians.

And so for me, even though I am in Vermont, I am still a part of that
mountain.

TV: What are your impressions of Armenia?

CB: I was so happy there this spring. My hotel was on Abovyan Street and
it intersected with Aram Street two blocks away. Well, Abovyan was the
first modern Armenian novelist and Aram was my father’s name. He passed
away last year and his death made my journey to Armenia all the more
important to me. To see his name intersecting with a great Armenian
novelist was a wondrous and unexpected blessing – a gift!

Obviously, like many post-Soviet nations, Armenia has a lot of monumental
economic hurdles. And those hurdles are exacerbated by its place in the
Caucasus region. But, my Lord, is it beautiful! I have never been better
cared for and felt less like a stranger in a strange land.

TV: Will there be a sequel to The Sandcastle Girls or another work
related to Armenian literature?

CB: I don’t know if there will be a sequel. I have never written a
sequel. But there will be more Armenian or Armenian American-set fiction.
That’s very, very likely.

Pre-order The Sandcastle Girls
here.
Follow Chris Bohjalian on
Facebookand
Twitter .

Tariff for Russian gas supplied to Armenia to go up in October – press

tert.am
09:23 – 05.07.12

Citing its sources, Haykakan Zhamanak writes that tariff for Russian
gas supplied to Armenia will go up from October 1, making the price
for 1000 cubic meters $280 on the border.

The same source claims from January 2013 the tariff will go up
reaching $320. Currently the Armenian side is negotiating with Gasprom
to leave the price either unchanged, or ensure small rise. The paper
though says at the first round of negotiations the Armenian side
failed to convince Gasprom. The talks are still ongoing while there is
no optimism in reaching desirable result.

The paper says currently Armenia pays $180 for 1100 cubic meters of
gas but according to the information published by Armenian Customs
Service, Armenia pays $220. In case the gas tariff grows it will grow
for the consumers as well.

Investigation into balloon case extended – newspaper

news.am
July 05, 2012 | 07:47

YEREVAN.- The investigation into a balloon blast during the Republican
Party of Armenia’s campaign rally was extended, Haykakan Zhamanak
daily writes.

`Police press service told the correspondent of the newspaper about
the decision. The blast of balloons filled with an unidentified gas
injured 150 people. All the injured have been discharged from
hospital,’ the newspaper says.

As Armenian News-NEWS.am informed earlier, a tragedy occurred during
the Republican Party of Armenia’s rally and concert held at Yerevan’s
Republic Square on May 4. Hundreds of balloons filled with gas
exploded and started to burn. Subsequently, the balloons’ melted
rubber fell on the event participants. Those near the stage were
affected the most.