Author: nina hovnanian

ANATOLY DZIVAYEV: “WHETHER WE WANT IT OR NOT, RUSSIA AND GEORGIA SHOULD BECOME FRIENDS AGAIN”

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
July 18 2014

18 July 2014 – 2:51pm

Interview by Oleg Kusov. Exclusively for Vestnik Kavkaza

Interesting guests are always welcomed by Vestnik Kavkaza. Oleg Kusov
talks to them not only about the Caucasus. Take My Word is a program
which is recorded in video, audio and text formats.

– Today our guest is an Honored Artist of Russia, a People’s Artist of
North Ossetia, theatre director and actor of the Moscow theatre headed
by Armen Dzhigarkhanyan, Anatoly Dzivayev. Good afternoon, Anatoly!

– Hello!

– I know that you have initiated a very interesting cinema project
which touches on complicated events in the Caucasus. You have a script
of a film which will be shot this year. Tell us about it.

– I took part in the screenwriting. Mainly the author of the script
is Vladimir Gutnov (a North Ossetian screenwriter and journalist).

– It is interesting that in the 1990s Vladimir Gutnov covered
inter-ethnic conflicts, as a journalist of a Russian information
agency. He knows the story from inside. And he is a talented
screenwriter.

– He is a talented person in general. He has a nice sense of humor.

The script is titled “Tili and Toli.” The setting is the border
between Russia and Georgia, particularly North Ossetia and Georgia.

There was no border in the past. There was the Soviet Union. There
are two friends who used to live together, drink tea and not only
tea. And suddenly a border passes between them. Tili village is on the
one side, and Toli village is on the other side. Two friends Bazi and
Kakhi live there. They have never thought that a border would separate
them. And suddenly border guards appear and don’t let them visit each
other. And the two friends don’t understand why, they need visas,
and so on. The genre of the film is comedy. I will play a priest who
serves Georgians, Ossetians and Russians. There are few residents
in the village. There is a cemetery which has to be divided as well,
and the church should be divided. How can they do it, if graves are
shuffled – a Georgian grave is next to an Ossetian grave which is
next to a Russian grave? And border guards say that the border will
take a zigzag course. Such a sad thing is presented with humor.

– I hope the project will be implemented.

– I don’t know. I did my best to convince Armen Dzhigarkhanyan and
Kakhi Kavsadze to play in it. These are great actors, and I think they
should do it. Next year they will celebrate their 80th birthdays. But
they should realize our ideas. Dzhigarkhanyan will play the Ossetian
and Kakhi Kavsadze – the Georgian. Let’s see what the result will be.

The idea is wonderful.

– Moreover, it is interesting because it will be Caucasus cinema –
a Georgian, an Ossetian and an Armenian. In one film.

– We should return to our roots, I mean Caucasus cinema. I think there
are gaps in it. Great directors perished; traditions are gone. I have
recently been to Tbilisi, and I didn’t see an inscription in Russian.

I was raised in Georgia in the Crosspass.

– In the Kazbek district?

– Yes. At the moment it is the Dushet district. Kumlistsikhe is my
village. Ossetians used to live there. I visited Tbilisi often at
the time. I knew the Georgian intelligentsia well. And now I hear
only Georgian and English spoken. No girls or boys speak Russian in
Tbilisi. They play football, but speak English. Probably it is right.

But I think Georgia has lost a lot without Russia. I don’t know what
it gained, but it lost a lot. I think today we should become friends
again, whether we want it or not. I don’t know who is guilty of what,
this is not my business, let historians and politicians deal with
that, but one side cannot be guilty of everything. We should become
friends. This is my view.

The full version of the interview can be seen in “Video”

NEW EVIDENCE OF GERMAN GUILT

Jirair Tutunjian, Toronto,

12 June 2014

In a recently published book by the Yale University Press (“Nazis,
Islamists, and the Making of the Modern Middle East) about Germany’s
alliance with Ottoman Turkey during the First World War, co-authors
Barry Rubin & Wolfgang G, Schwanitz shed newlight on Berlin’s
complicity in the Genocide of Armenians.

Rubin and Schwanitz say that the father of the German policy to recruit
Muslims into the German side was Max von Oppenheim and call for Jihad
against Christian Britain, France, and Russia. According to the two
authors, he was as important to German strategy in the Middle East
as Lawrence of Arabia was to Britain. In November 1914 von Oppenheim
wrote a 136-page plan, “The Revolutionizing of the Islamic Territories
of Our Enemies”, to the Kaiser. “The plan was quickly approved and
funded. The plan identified [Germany’s] enemy not only the British,
French, and Russians but also non-Muslim minorities, Christians and
Jews who supported the Allies. This meant Germany’s endorsement of
a war against civilians and spreading religious hatred.

Thus, German strategy would be intimately involved in the Ottoman’s
mass murder of Armenians,” say Rubin and Schwanitz.

Here are more excerpts from the book:

“But the Kaiser [Wilhelm II] was not trying to win over the empire’s
[Ottoman] non-Muslim or dissident subjects. In 1898, the Ottoman
Empire appeared a stronger horse than scattered Arab nationalist
intellectuals, Jewish ideologues, and Armenian activists with no troops
or money behind them. Thus, the Germans turned down Armenian requests
for help against the Ottomans…Consequently, Armenians would turn
toward Russia and both Zionists and Arab nationalists toward Great
Britain for support.”

When the Kaiser visited (1898) Istanbul for the second time, bilingual
(German and Turkish) postcards printed the Kaiser’s pledge to be the
“friend of the Ottoman sultan and the three-hundred Muslims who revere
him as their caliph. The postcard was produced two years after the
Ottoman sultan and caliph Abdulhamid II had been condemned throughout
Europe for massacres against his Armenian subjects that shocked all
‘minorities of infidels.'”

“…Quickly, Enver (Pasha), who was simultaneously planning the
deportation and massacre of Armenians, realized that the violence
had to be focused against his and Germany’s enemies.”

“…But the most momentous immediate event arising from the German
jihad strategy was the mass murder of Ottoman Armenians. Von Oppenheim
either urged or supported Ottoman repression of the Armenians and Jews
[although he was a Jew], as well as the execution of Arab nationalists,
groups he saw as favoring the Allies. When German officials warned
about massacres of Armenians, von Oppenheim told them to shut up.”

“…Von Oppenheim’s aide, Scheubner-Richter, sent three vivid
reports to German Ambassador von Wangenheim on the cruelties against
Armenians in the Lake Van region, Scheubner-Richter reported rumors
that deportations were being conducted according to German advice.

Personally, he explained he didn’t believe the story and tried to
help ease the pressure on the Armenians, but von Wangenheim ignored
his request for intervention. If the Germans had wanted to stop, or
at least mitigate, Ottoman policy and behavior toward the Armenians
they could easily have done so. For example, on October 8, 1915,
von Oppenheim received a report that the Ottoman government’s goal
was the extermination of the Armenians. Only one week later, however,
he was telling Berlin that the deportations were justified war measures
because the Armenians were betraying the Ottomans by supporting their
Russian enemy.”

“Meanwhile, German consuls, bankers, and clerics in the empire were
telling a different story from what von Oppenheim reported to Berlin.

During the second half of 1915, they warned of how jihad rhetoric was
inflaming Muslim hatred of Christians and determination to annihilate
them; how the jihad was just a cover for systematic looting, killing,
and terror toward Armenians; and they provided detailed accounts of
mass deportations, killings, and concentration camps.”

“These Germans said they often heard the slogan from Muslims that
jihad should begin by killing local Christians. They also noted that
Ottoman officers and officials frequently said that Germany wanted
the Armenians killed. German bankers told how Armenian employees and
customers were disappearing. The Ottoman government then informed them
that it was seizing the Armenians’ assets. The official explanation
for German inaction was that Germany needed Turkey’s help as an ally
and so could say nothing.”

“By early 1916 German officials in the Ottoman Empire had no doubt
about what was happening. Even the Kaiser heard the news. The head of
his military cabinet, Moriz von Lyncker, wrote in his diary on August
8, 1916: “Most terrible how the Turks rage against Christian Armenians,
their subjects. Thousands–men, woman and children–are slaughtered;
others were driven purposely to death by starvation. Our diplomats
appear at this point powerless. But in fact the German government
never made the slightest attempt to discourage the mass murders.”

“Soon, the Armenians disappeared entirely from eastern Armenia. Enver
told a visiting German that there was “No Armenian question anymore.”

He said that Armenians had killed between 125,000 and 150,000 Muslim
Turks, and that the Turks had killed–the figures are hotly debated
to this day–up to one and a half million Armenians.”

“The mass murder of Ottoman Armenians was the largest organized
massacre against a civilian minority since medieval and probably since
ancient times. While it was carried out by the Ottomans, the German
broadly inspired it, were well aware of it, and didn’t interfere
with it.”

“…German policy looked down on Middle Eastern Christians, especially
Armenians. Von Oppenheim said that they deserved their reputation
‘as being cowards, and great at plotting and scheming.’ This racial
theme would continue under the Nazis…”

POLISH FILM DIRECTOR KRZYSZTOF ZANUSSI RECEIVES ARMENIAN CHURCH AWARD

20:04 18.07.2014

Armenian Church, Golden Apricot Film Festival, Krzysztof Zanussi

Within the framework of the Golden Apricot 11th International Film
Festival in Yerevan, world-famous Polish film director Krzysztof
Zanussi received today the “Yeghitsi Luys” (Let there be Light)
award set by the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Speaking about the universal value of Christianity, the filmmaker
noted that Christianity is a source of inspiration and love. “It is
the future, not the past,” he said.

His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All
Armenians, stressed the importance of cinema as an art that carries
a most important mission of disseminating the kind and the beautiful
among the humanity.

“We highly appreciate your distinguished contribution to the field
of cinematography. With your documentaries and feature films you have
a honorable place in cinema. With your remarkable works you speak to
the world and the people, urge them to value the life granted by God
and not to spare this precious time on the earth,” the Catholicos said.

“THE GOVERNMENT HAS CREATED CONGLOMERATE OF BLUFFS, AND THESE BALLOONS ARE BLOWING OUT ONE BY ONE.”

July 18 2014

Interview with expert for Regional Research Center, project manager,
Haykak Arshamyan Beginning – Situation, in which Armenia appeared,
deep apathy of population, numerous problems in foreign and domestic
policy, and so on, to put it mildly, is not enviable. Do you see any
practical and non-theoretical way to come out it? – Maybe, a possible
solution would be available for all political and civil forces and
individuals who are thinking about preservation of the statehood,
consolidation by a single platform. I think that it is possible to
establish, because I’m sure that there are people, individuals and
forces in both the society and the opposition, even the government,
who consider this situation of the country unacceptable. – Do you
have any expectation of the “huge” rally in the fall planned by the
Quartet? – To be honest, it was strange for me that when in terms
of internal and external challenges in the country, the situation
is as such that a days and an hour ago, we need to conduct certain
activities and respond quickly, all of a sudden, Armenia’s four
political forces decide to leave it for September. I related this
with September 21, at least the ANC holds a rally on this day,
every year, and this year one of the next ones will happen. One or
two huge rallies a year happen, people are going with excitement,
expect for some steps and plans, but ground of accumulated energy
takes place, and they return home disappointed. I am not saying them
to immediately stand up and go for some steps or start breaking up
to the right-and-left, and hold everyday rallies … but people do
not see plans, they see only criticism and nothing else. In the past
one year, we have seen the following: this government is very bad,
if we come, we would be better, but as to what, how, why, etc., is
not clear. I have the impression that some forces within the Quartet
are every time sending a message to Russia, saying that if we come,
we will serve you better. In the past 20-25 years, people have become
quite wiser, and they see that the major players in today’s field do
not have willingness to take over the power and make major changes. –
Do you see any possibility to be cut off from Russia? – I do not see
a matter to be cut off. I see a problem with proper negotiation and
maintaining good-neighborly relations with Russia, which we lost
year-after-year, starting from “Property for Debt” program, which
eventually resulted in Armenia’s such terrible dependence on Russia. I
would like to present an observation. I want to talk about artificial
strongly pro-western and pro-Russian. Artificially, faith or a hatred
to any country or people is incited in people. Such a maximalist
attitude to any country or people is not acceptable for me. Now, what
is called pro-western is somehow faded in Armenia, and everybody, all
of a sudden, become apologists of Russia and Putin, they claim that
our salvation is only to be with Russia. I propose keeping track to
recent events in Eastern Ukraine, how Russia gave up the people whom it
had sent to eastern Ukraine to develop separatist sentiments. And the
same would happen to Armenia. Let’s consider Russia’s initial claims
and policy associated with the Customs Union and look that now, when
Armenian is fully surrendered and is saying that it is ready, even it
is prepared for it with fastest paces, all of a sudden, this process
started continuously to be protracted. Because Russia was following
other objectives: to wreck the Eastern Partnership policy and disrupt
signing the Association Agreement, also bringing the authorities of
Armenia under the sphere of its influence. It successfully solved
all the problems, and now Armenia’s accession to the Customs Union
or the Eurasian Economic Union is no longer important for it, they
are already secondary issues, because the events in Ukraine already
crushed Russia’s earlier designed global plans. I would like to make
one more consideration. During his last visits, Serzh Sargsyan is
making weird suggestions in all European countries, last week in the
Latin American countries. He suggests to deepen the relations with
Armenia as a bridge between them and the Customs Union. Armenia has
not yet finished these processes, it is not a member of this Union,
and such suggestions are at least funny. All these countries already
have bilateral relations with three countries of the Customs Union.

Why should they be interested in mediated link, especially through
Armenia? Recognition of the Genocide had become the focus of Armenia’s
foreign policy since Kocharyan’s times, and our entire foreign policy
was based on it. Now, this cornerstone seems to be forgotten, and they
are trying to create and new cornerstone, which truly is a balloon,
to be a connecting link between the Customs Union and the other states
of the world. This is from the series of government’s bluffs. In the
last few years, in all areas: economic, social, foreign, and military,
our government has created conglomerate bluffs, and the balloons are
blowing out one-by-one, and this is the next one.

Read more at:

RENEWABLE ENERGY HAS GREAT ADVANTAGES IN ARMENIA – TAMARA BABAYAN

13:01 * 18.07.14

Armenia Renewable Resources and Energy Efficiency Fund has presented
a Scaling-up Renewable Energy Program (SREP) Investment Plan to the
Climate Investment Fund.

The plan was worked out and approved by the 17 member-states. Armenia
will receive $40m to implement the plan.

Tert.am interviewed Director of the Renewable Resources and Energy
Efficiency Fund Tamara Babayan about the priorities and development
of renewable energy in Armenia.

Among the priorities is geothermal energy, with a $9m grant intended
for that. The World Bank will provide the grant for a feasibility
study of the boring in Karkar, Stunik region, and for attracting
investments. The next is the construction of solar power stations
with a capacity of 40-50MW by inviting bids for investments. A $2m
grant will be provided for preparatory work, with a $26m soft loan
under the SREP.

Moreover, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank will provide
$30m for stations. Total investments are expected to reach $129m. An
additional $3m will be provided under the EBRD program, with local
banks involved in it.

Consultations with Armenia’s relevant government agencies, private
sector, financial sector and NGOs have been held.

“We presented solutions to facilitate investments and, finding
problems, presented them to the government. We elaborated special
programs for the government and investors to know the cost of different
resources. Solar and renewable energy has great advantages now,
and the SREP is expected to cause a five-fold increase in investments.”

L’AMBASSADEUR AMERICAIN DESIGNE POUR LA TURQUIE NIE LE GENOCIDE ARMENIEN

Diplomatie

Armenian Life Magazine n°1425

Publie le 17 juillet 2014

John Bass, candidat designe du president Barack Obama au poste
d’ambassadeur des USA en Turquie, au cours de l’audition de
confirmation a la Commission des Affaires etrangères du Senat, a nie
le Genocide armenien ; ses commentaires sur les nombreux rapports
d’abus et violations des libertes par les dirigeants d’Ankara,
a ecrit Asbarez ont ete loin de convaincre.

Dans sa declaration ecrite adressee a la commission, Bass, qui a ete
ambassadeur des USA en Georgie, a complaisamment fait reference a
la declaration de ” condoleances “, infâme et negationniste, que le
premier ministre turc Erdogan avait faite le 23 avril dernier pour
creer les bases de sa position future comme representant des USA
vis-a-vis de la question du Genocide.

” À l’occasion du Remembrance Day [Jour du souvenir], le premier
ministre Erdogan a exprime ses condoleances aux petits-enfants des
Armeniens tues au cours de la Première guerre mondiale. Ce geste,
avec d’autres gestes positifs du gouvernement turc au cours des mois
precedents, indique que l’espace pour le dialogue est en train de
s’etendre. Mais il est possible de faire plus, et nous encourageons
les deux parties a poursuivre une reconnaissance pleine et entière
des faits entourant les evenements tragiques de 1915 “, a dit Bass
aux membres de la commission.

Tandis que les declarations d’Erdogan ont recu l’approbation du
Departement d’etat, la declaration de Bass revèle la teneur de sa
probable position envers le Genocide armenien et revèle encore plus
la position sur ce point de l’administration americaine a la veille
de la date du centenaire du Genocide armenien.

Selon Asbarez, c’est la confirmation de l’analyse qu’Harut Sassounian
avait faite dans laquelle il evoquait la possible collusion entre la
Maison blanche et Ankara pour la redaction des declarations relatives
au Genocide armenien.

Le ton de l’audition s’est quelque peu tendu lorsque Bass refusa de
qualifier correctement les atteintes nombreuses et largement etayees
par le regime d’Erdogan des principes et libertes democratiques,
telles que l’interdiction en Turquie de YouTube et Twitter

Lorsque le senateur John MacCain evoquait l’autoritarisme en Turquie
et le style de gouvernement d’Erdogan, Bass a trebuche.

” La volonte d’Erdogan de changer la constitution et certaines de
ses actions qui denotent une derive autoritaire de sa part, vous
inquiètent-elles ? ” a demande McCain.

” Le Premier ministre est le chef de la democratie parlementaire elue
democratiquement. Nous serons naturellement attentifs a chacune des
initiatives qu’il prendra ” a repondu Bass.

McCain a poursuivi en demandant si ” l’interdiction par le gouvernement
turc de media sociaux YouTube et Twitter, en plus des restrictions a la
liberte des media ” etaient constitutifs d’une ” derive autoritariste
“, en ajoutant que Bass etait en train de ” saborder sa nomination
“, en ne donnant pas une reponse claire a sa question. ” C’est une
question tout a fait simple et directe…

Croyez-vous que le harcèlement des media sociaux, le changement de
la Constitution pour renforcer les pouvoirs du president qu’il sera
de toute evidence, est une derive autoritaire ? ” a demande McCain.

Lorsque Bass eluda la question une nouvelle fois, McCain conclut en
disant : ” M. le President, je ne soutiendrai pas cette nomination et
continuerai aussi longtemps que je n’aurai pas de reponse claire. Je
pense que c’est une question directe, M. Bass. Est-ce une derive
autoritaire ? “.

” C’est une derive autoritaire, oui “, a alors repondu Bass. ” Merci,
cela a pris trois minutes et vingt cinq secondes ” a dit McCain
en reponse.

Le directeur executif de l’Armenian National Committee of America,
Aram Hamparian a denonce une attitude complice envers les actes de
violation des droits de l’homme en Turquie. ” Minimiser l’intolerance
interieure croissante d’Ankara et son opposition affirmee a la
politique regionale des USA ne fait qu’encourager les dirigeants
turcs alors meme qu’ils defient de plus en plus les interets et les
valeurs americaines ” a dit Hamparian. ” La facon intolerable dont
les dirigeants de Turquie se moquent de notre Departement d’etat
avait ete relevee par le senateur McCain qui pressait l’Ambassadeur
designe Bass – jusqu’a menacer de s’opposer a sa nomination – pour
s’etre abstenu de formuler la moindre critique de l’acharnement et de
la severite des mesures de la Turquie concernant les medias sociaux “.

John Bass, ancien conseiller special du secretaire d’Etat John Kerry,
parle l’Italien et le francais.

Traduction Gilbert Beguian pour Armenews

vendredi 18 juillet 2014, Jean Eckian (c)armenews.com

ZHOGHOVURD: SANCTIONS AGAINST RUSSIA TO AFFECT ARMENIAN ECONOMY

11:26 18/07/2014 >> DAILY PRESS

The confrontation between Russia and the West over Ukraine is entering
a new phase. Both the United States and the European Union have
decided to impose more sanctions against Russia. On Thursday, the U.S.

banned a number of Russian energy companies and banks from entering
its financial markets, Hraparak writes.

The sanctions will inevitably affect Armenia’s economy, especially as
Rosneft and Gazprombank are on the U.S. blacklist, the newspaper notes.

According to the newspaper, Armenian Economy Minister Karen
Chshmarityan has said that the sanctions against Russian companies
may affect Armenia as well.

Source: Panorama.am

“SABOTEURS” CAPTURED IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
July 17 2014

17 July 2014 – 3:18pm
By Vestnik Kavkaza

In recent times the Nagorno-Karabakh sides have stated about tension
on the line of contact between their armed forces. Experts don’t
exclude that actions aimed at boosting tension are connected with the
intention to ruin the next round of negotiations on Nagorno-Karabakh.

It was announced in early summer that French President Francois
Hollande had initiated a meeting between the presidents of Azerbaijan
and Armenia in Paris. However, the date of the meeting has not not
announced. The French ambassador to Azerbaijan hopes that the upcoming
meeting in Paris will be productive and become a step toward peace.

However, he stressed that the talks would only be successful if the
Armenian authorities were ready to compromise.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov stated that Baku had
received the invitation from the French President, but Azerbaijan is
waiting for certainty. Neither Baku nor Yerevan needs a meeting for
the sake of a meeting.

Meanwhile, the Armenian mass media spread a speech by the Defense
Minister of the country, Seiran Oganyan, which is far from attempts to
normalize the situation. He stated that the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan
had formed a reconnaissance and sabotage group and had involved
criminals who know the locality well in it; he said that the group had
committed acts of sabotage in Nagorno-Karabakh and had been eliminated.

The Azerbaijan Defense Ministry was indignant at the statement. It
reminded that the occupied territories are territories of sovereign
Azerbaijan and it is impossible to forbid Azerbaijanis to visit the
territories, even though at the moment the land is controlled by the
illegal occupational regime.

Both Baku and Yerevan realize that the arrested Azerbaijanis cannot
be considered as prisoners of war. Armenia has initiated a criminal
case against citizens of Azerbaijan Shakhbaz Jalal Oglu Guliyev and
Dilkham Gardashkhan Oglu Askerov. They are accused of violation of the
state border. It is reported that they had arms and equipment which was
used for espionage, according to the General Prosecution of Armenia.

However, the age, physical condition and appearance of the “saboteurs”
make us doubt the justice of the statements by the Armenian side. They
both are untrained 50-year-old people.

It would be funny, if it were not so sad. Obviously, confrontations
between Defense Ministries take the situation away from normalization.

Someday the war-to-be situation could get out of control. However, the
status quo is not beneficial for the sides and mediators, especially
Western partners, as the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh makes energy
projects in the region unsafe.

TOP TURKEY COURT RULES DINK MURDER PROBE WAS FLAWED

The Daily Star, Lebanon
July 18 2014

ANKARA: Turkey’s top court Thursday ruled that the investigation
into the killing of an ethnic Armenian journalist had been flawed,
paving the way for potential further trials against new suspects.

The constitutional court unanimously decided that the authorities had
failed to carry out an effective investigation into the 2007 killing
of journalist Hrant Dink.

Dink was shot dead in broad daylight by a teenage ultranationalist
outside the offices of his bilingual Agos newspaper.

Ogun Samast, a 17-year-old high school dropout at the time, confessed
to the murder and was sentenced to almost 23 years in jail in 2011.

However, supporters of Dink’s family believe that those behind
the murder were protected by the state and have asked for a deeper
investigation to uncover officials who were allegedly involved.

In 2012, an Istanbul court sentenced Yasin Hayal to life in prison
for planning the killing but the family is concerned that those who
ordered the killing have never been brought to justice.

It was Dink’s family who made the formal complaint that prompted the
ruling by the constitutional court.

Bahri Belen, lawyer for the Dink family, said that the decision was in
line with a previous verdict issued by the Strasbourg-based European
Court of Human Rights which found Turkey guilty of failure to prevent
the journalist’s murder and carry out an effective probe.

Belen said the latest verdict paved the way for the trial of state
officials who could be implicated in the murder and had so far been
protected by a cover-up. “I hope there will be positive developments
and the court decision will be implemented.”

Dink, 52, had campaigned for reconciliation between Turks and
Armenians, but incurred the wrath of Turkish nationalists for calling
the mass killings of Armenians during World War I a genocide.

ANI GARMIRYAN JOINS THE CALOUSTE GULBENKIAN FOUNDATION

Thursday, July 17th, 2014

Ani Garmiryan

The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation’s Armenian Communities Department
has announced the appointment of Ani Garmiryan as Senior Program
Officer. She will be responsible for the promotion of Western Armenian,
a priority for the Department as highlighted in its recent Five-Year
Programming Plan.

Garmiryan will be in charge of managing diasporan school grants, the
teacher preparation program and other projects aimed at strengthening
the Western Armenian language.

She will join the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation on 1st September,
bringing with her years of experience working in multilingual education
and developing innovative pedagogical approaches.

Garmiryan has written and lectured extensively on the subject of
language preservation through education, with particular focus on
Western Armenian.

“We are very privileged to have Ms. Garmiryan join us,” said Razmik
Panossian, Director of the Armenian Communities Department. “Her
superb knowledge and experience set her apart from a strong field of
candidates and she will undoubtedly be an asset to the Department
as it continues to support students, teachers, schools and other
organizations to help safeguard a strong Armenian language and
culture.”

Martin Essayan, Trustee responsible for the Armenian Communities
Department added: “The appointment is an important step forward for
the Department in securing the expertise to carry out its mission:
to create a viable future for the Armenian people in which its culture
and language are preserved and valued.”

Ani Garmiryan was born and raised in Istanbul and has lived in
Italy, Germany, England, France, and most recently in the United
States. She received a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Pedagogy
from the University of Heidelberg, Germany, where she also worked as a
research assistant in second language acquisition. Subsequently, she
earned a Master of Education in the field of Educational Leadership
from the Bank Street College, New York, known for its progressive
educational approach.

She is the founder of MGNIG, an educational bilingual (Armenian-French)
workshop in Paris, and has been a lecturer in Methodology of Second
Language Acquisition at the University of Paris III since 1994. She
officiated at the Hovnanian School in New Jersey since 1997, first
as a Curriculum Coordinator for the Armenian language, and later as
the Principal of the school since 2000. She has published numerous
articles on bilingual education.