Author: nina hovnanian

SHUSHI: RESTORING THE CROWN JEWEL OF ARMENIAN CIVILIZATION

Friday, May 9th, 2014

Ghanchetsots Street is one of many roads renovated by the Armenia Fund

Shushi sits atop Artsakh like a crown. Its peaceful beauty today
makes it hard to believe that this Armenian town was where nonstop
Azerbaijani attacks were being launched against the civilian population
of Stepanakert. It wasn’t the first time Shushi was the center of
an attack on Armenians: in 1920, Turkey and Azerbaijan colluded
to massacre 20,000 Armenians in the town, continuing the genocidal
policies being effected to the west.

In the early 1990s, it was after months of shelling by Grad missiles
while Armenian soldiers were away fighting in other regions that those
men were able to return, liberate the town, and stop the inhumane
attacks on civilians by Azerbaijani forces occupying Shushi. It marked
a turning point in the Artsakh War for Independence.

The liberation of Shushi was a feat of deft military strategy:
outgunned and outmanned Armenian soldiers were tasked with taking a
town on higher ground, a mountaintop, and one of the most difficult
maneuvers in war.

Its military significance aside, Shushi has been at the center of
Armenian history for centuries. Thus, rebuilding the town, badly
damaged during the war, to allow its residents to have relatively
normal lives was a top priority for Armenia Fund.

Since Artsakh’s independence, there have been over 30 projects that
have been funded entirely by donations made by Armenians throughout
the world.

Projects have ranged from renovating streets totally ruined during the
war to restoring the library to making improvements to the hospital. A
cornerstone Armenia Fund project, recently completed, was bringing
24-hour, clean, safe-to-drink running water to the whole town for
the first time in 20 years.

Besides the integral infrastructural improvements, an emphasis has
been placed on developing Shushi’s educational facilities: of the over
30 projects, 11 have focused on the educational. Destroyed or badly
damaged like most everything else in the town, schools were restored
or built anew by Armenia Fund to ensure that Shushi’s children had
a place where they could attend classes. Today, of the 700 children
attending schools in Shushi, 450 are in the Khachatur Abovyan School
reconstructed by Armenia Fund.

And the progress is ongoing. The Yeznik Mozian Vocational School is a
new facility where young people can learn a trade, developing practical
skills in fields like carpentry, metalwork, construction technology,
and machinery operation that are in demand. The only one of its kind
in the region, the school is open to students from throughout Artsakh,
as well as the rest of Armenia. Upon completion, graduates are able
to enter the workforce, generate income, and build and provide for
their family.

In a country still feeling the effects of war, some children do not
receive the parental supervision they deserve. For that reason,
Armenia Fund is constructing the Shushi Boarding Kindergarten –
an orphanage where children receive shelter and have access to the
town’s educational facilities, as well as the opportunity to attend
a vocational school later in life.

Shushi’s reputation as an historical hub for Armenian culture also
figures into the work that Armenia Fund does there. Most recently
the reconstruction of the Shushi Culture and Education Center has
sought to reestablish a base for cultural activity. The center will
include arts and crafts areas, a folk music band and dance group,
a puppet theater, as well as a modern, HD surround-sound movie theater.

Supplemental financing from Artsakh’s government is currently going
toward building a modern theater stage, as well.

These ongoing projects complement the established institutions in the
town that Armenia Fund helped get back on their feet, particularly
the Daniel Ghazaryan Music College and Muratsan Vocational School. In
the former, puppet theater and dance rehearsals are already attended
by schoolchildren and teenagers from Shushi and nearby towns.

In all, since the end of the Artsakh War, Armenia Fund and the
Armenians throughout the world who donated to it, have realized over
$11.5 million in infrastructural, educational, and cultural projects
in Shushi. The impact on the town’s vitality is as plain as day.

The liberation of Shushi was a great victory. Winning the war and
securing Artsakh’s independence was an even greater victory. The
greatest victory will be to remember and realize what our soldiers
were fighting for and what our people died for – the right to live
and prosper in a free Armenian land. The work of Armenia Fund is based
on a belief in that right and through their contributions, Armenians
everywhere have been a continuing part of making it a reality.

Happy Shushi Liberation Day! Our progress continues.

120 YEARS OF PEACE THROUGHOUT ARMENIAN PEOPLE’S HISTORY – VARDAN DEVRIKYAN

18:46 â~@¢ 09.05.14

In an interview with Tert.am, the journalist and author of the book
“A war – started but unfinished” Vardan Devrikyan spoke of the upcoming
20th anniversary of the establishment of ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh.

According to him, it was “a reasonable concession on our part.”

Mr Devrikyan, in a few days we’ll mark the 20th anniversary of the
establishment of ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh. Have we been able to
appreciate it?

It is symbolic that when the ceasefire agreement was signed we were
dictating terms and it was, in a sense, a reasonable concession on
our part, to prevent more serious geopolitical problems. And the
world appreciated our willingness to cease hostilities. Regrettably,
during the 20 years Azerbaijan has consistently been implementing a
policy of presenting the situation in such a way that it is doing us
a favor by not violating the ceasefire. But it is due to our soldiers
that the ceasefire has been observed.

We find such great words in the Gospel: “Blessed are the peaceable.”

There are peaceable people that seek to live in peace, but,
regrettably, peace is preserved by means of arms rather than due to
awareness of the need for peace. That is, hostilities will resume
the moment the balance is disturbed in Azerbaijan’s favor.

If we consider the Armenian people’s history, we can see that we have
only had a 100-year-long period of peace since the 930s. And this
could be a reason for a serious consideration as the Armenian people,
as an independent nation, has been able to preserve the ceasefire
for 20 years.

Have we made an effective use of this 20-year-long period?

We are all worried about this question. It is a difficult question.

But more could have been done. I think that during the coming years we
should do two and three times as much as we have failed to do during
this 20-year-long period to be able to preserve the ceasefire.

As to the young generation appreciating the ceasefire, I can say that
especially young journalists have a different view than mine. When I
see military units where I once saw ruins, I feel surprised. But our
young people express their discontent because they did not see the
previous condition. Another absurd thing that I hear is that the ones
that fought allegedly say they will not go into battle a second time.

But I can say with confidence that the ones saying they will not go
into battle a second time did not actually go the first time. But
the one that went the first time will certainly go a second time.

Armenian News – Tert.am

L’APPARTENANCE DE L’AZERBAIDJAN AU CONSEIL DE L’EUROPE, UN PROBLEME POUR CETTE ORGANISATION ?

ARMENIE

Interpellé a l’AN sur les mesures que l’Arménie pourrait prendre
au sein du CE pour dénoncer les récents cas de violation des
droits l’Homme en Azerbaïdjan, ce pays s’apprêtant a assumer la
présidence du Comité des Ministres, le Ministre des AE a indiqué que
le CE avait lui-même pris des initiatives, le commissaire en charge
des droits de l’Homme ayant fait deux déclarations dénoncant la
détérioration de la situation des droits de l’Homme dans ce pays. ”
L’on sait très bien que l’arménophobie et le manque de tolérance
sont devenus des phénomènes ordinaires en Azerbaïdjan. Je crois
que non seulement la présidence du Comité des Ministres par ce pays,
mais aussi son appartenance au CE n’honore pas cette organisation ”,
a déclaré le Ministre. Il a par ailleurs commenté, a la demande
d’élus, les propos du PM turc, selon lesquels ” si un génocide avait
été perpétré en Turquie contre les Arméniens, il n’y aurait pas
aujourd’hui d’Arméniens résidant sur le sol turc ”. ” Aujourd’hui,
un grand nombre de Juifs vivent en Allemagne, mais nul n’ose mettre
en doute l’Holocauste. La Turquie aurait raison de suivre l’exemple
de l’Allemagne, de reconnaître, condamner et demander pardon. En
1915, Talat Pacha disait au Consul allemand qu’il n’y avait plus
de cause arménienne, puisqu’il n’y avait plus d’Arméniens. 99 ans
plus tard les Arméniens luttent avec la communauté internationale
pour prévenir de nouveaux génocides et de nouveaux crimes contre
l’humanité, en attendant des gestes civilisés de la part de la
Turquie ”, a répondu le Ministre. / Hayastani Hanrapetoutioun

Extrait de la revue de presse de l’Ambassade de France en Arménie
en date du 2 mai 2014

vendredi 9 mai 2014, Stéphane ©armenews.com

EREVAN AURA UN PARC PORTANT LE NOM DE MISSAK MANOUCHIAN

ARMENIE

Hayastani Hanareptoutioun et Haykakan Hamanak rendent compte de
l’adoption a l’unanimité, par le Conseil municipal de Erevan, de
la décision de donner le nom de Missak Manouchian, héros de la
Résistance francaise, a un parc sur l’avenue Machtots.

Extrait de la revue de presse de l’Ambassade de France en Arménie
en date du 2 mai 2014

vendredi 9 mai 2014, Stéphane ©armenews.com

L’ARMENIE RESTE A LA 33E PLACE AU CLASSEMENT DE LA FIFA

FOOTBALL

L’Arménie reste toujours en 33e position sur la liste de la FIFA du
classement des équipes nationales de la planète. Pas de changement
non plus en tête du tableau, avec l’Espagne, l’Allemagne et le
Portugal.

Le 6 juin l’Arménie rencontrera a Mayence (Allemagne) en match amical
l’équipe d’Allemagne. L’Arménie rencontre également en match
amical courant mai l’équipe d’Irak (classée 100e) et l’Algérie
(classée 26) le 31 mai a Sion (Suisse). A noter que la Turquie
(39e) est derrière l’Arménie, tout comme l’Azerbaïdjan (85e)
et la Géorgie (103e).

Krikor Amirzayan

vendredi 9 mai 2014, Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE ON THE ARMENIAN CASE

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
May 8 2014

Professor Marsoobian asked me while we were in a historic but wrecked
church that is now being used as a barn in a village near Marzovan
what I would feel if this were a wrecked mosque and not a church. I
hesitatingly struggled to say something but I was very well aware that
there was nothing to say for me to justify what we were witnessing.

I was just ashamed because we weren’t even able to protect this
historic heritage that Armenians left. Later, I re-asked this question
myself and tried to find an answer: As a Muslim, how would I feel if
I had seen a mosque used as a barn by villagers in some other country?

A couple months ago I had Armenian-American guests in Turkey whose
family once lived in Anatolia. They came back to their grandparents’
hometown to see what was left from those days. One of our guests in
Marzovan was Armen Marsoobian, a philosophy professor at Southern
Connecticut State University in the US, who had launched an exhibition
in Ä°stanbul and Merzifon featuring Anatolian social life in the 19th
century, through the eyes of the Dildilian brothers, who lived in
Marzovan and were subjected to deportation before and during World
War I. Today, the same exhibition is open to visitors in Diyarbakır
as well. Mr. Marsoobian’s first visit to Turkey was approximately 10
years ago. This time, I had the privilege to accompany him. We have
visited the house where his family once lived, until the early 1900s.

We stayed there for an hour and embarked on a journey into the depths
of history. Mr. Marsoobian’s response to my question regarding his
feelings towards Turkey and Anatolia was quite surprising: “If I used
one word, it would have to be ‘home.’ It feels like home. I would have
never imagined that 10 years ago. But I have this feeling, when I am
in Turkey, that there is a deep connection I feel. I know that I will
probably keep coming until I die. I could sit in this house for hours
peacefully. This is the place where my grandparents had lived once. I
even have a photo of my mother standing at the entrance of the house.

It feels like I belong here.”

Mr. Marsoobian is also planning to launch an exhibition in Ankara
after İstanbul, Merzifon and Diyarbakır. He is quite eager to expose
Turkish citizens, whether or not they are of Armenian background,
to rich cultural presents of Armenians on these lands. “I have been
spending the last few years, doing work on my family history which
dates back a few centuries, but in particular what happened to my
family during World War I and the Armenian case in Ottoman Turkey. My
grandfather and my great uncle were photographers. They have hundreds
of photographs dating from the 1888 to end of their lives there in
Turkey in 1923. And along with these photographs, I have extensive
memoirs about this period. I started to put all this together in terms
of a book and an exhibition which is on display in Ä°stanbul now. I
have also made amazing discoveries [about] how my family survived
during the war, how they were forced to adopt Turkish names. Those
were unfortunately bad times in Turkey. I am sharing this both in
the United States and in Turkey,” he said.

What Mr. Marsoobian does in Turkey is quite important — opening
exhibitions in different cities without any intention to use them as
tools of propaganda against Turks, a strong support for initiating a
genuine dialogue. We need more of those. Fanatic diaspora communities
are the last thing that either Armenians or Turks need. After all,
we are the children of the same empire and our predecessors actually
lived side by side as good neighbors for centuries until nationalism
set us against each other. In fact, how similar both nations are
can even be seen by looking at their musical traditions. I strongly
suggest that you enjoy the numinous rhythms of catchy Armenian music.

You will find it so familiar.

HRAHAD KEVORKIAN LE MARI DE LA CHANTEUSE FLORA MARDIROSSIAN DISPARAIT a SON TOUR

CHANSON ARMENIENNE

Hrahad Kevorkian (Gevorgian) le mari de la chanteuse Flora Mardirossian
est mort le 7 mai a Los Angeles. ” Depuis de longues années Hrahat
Kevorkian était gravement malade. Les années qu’il passa avec
l’inégalable chanteuse Flora Mardirossian difficiles mais en même
temps furent des années d’amour. Des années chaleureuses. Leur
famille était petite mais belle et un foyer arménien qui était
quelquefois loin de l’Arménie mais toujours avec l’Arménie ” a
affirmé Araïk Manoukian, l’ami de Hrahat. Ce dernier a longtemps
travaillé a la télévision arménienne. Il avait voué toute sa vie
a la télévision. La célèbre chanteuse Flora Mardirossian l’une
des plus belles voix d’Arménie a disparu le 12 novembre 2012 a Los
Angeles (Californie) a l’âge de 55 ans des suites d’une opération
chirurgicale.

Krikor Amirzayan

vendredi 9 mai 2014, Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

RUSSIA OR WEST: ARMENIA ON VERGE OF DEEP CONFRONTATION

Trend, Azerbaijan
May 8 2014

By Jamila Babayeva

Anti-Russia spirits have intensified in Armenia over the past few
months, because it doesn’t seem as if Yerevan’s strong pro-Russia
foreign policy can work in the interests of certain groups in the
society.

A decision to join the Russia-led Customs Union has given a new
impetus to the anti-Kremlin mood amid strong protests against the
Armenian authorities’ pro-Russia policy.

This priority led the government to cancel an earlier decision to
sign the Association Agreement with the EU in November 2013. The EU
expressed regret over Armenia’s decision, which has strained relations
between the sides.

Yerevan will witness the next anti-Russian protests on May 18. The
initiative group “We are against the Customs Union with Russia”
announced holding a rally in the Freedom Square. The group intends
to support “No Putinism” protest actions, which will be held in large
Russian cities on the same day.

The Armenian protesters plan to rally in front of the Russian embassy
in Armenia to protest the Kremlin’s “inhuman and occupation policy”.

The rally is expected to continue in front of the Presidential
residence.

Armenian opposition’s anti-Russian initiatives and pro-Western rallies
will acquire new speed in the near future, a Turkish expert predicts.

“The Armenian people associate Azerbaijan’s and Georgia’s development
with their ties to the West,” Turkish expert Mehmet Fatih Oztarsu told
AzerNews. “Georgia’s development has given rise to many questions in
the Armenian society about their complicated situation. The Armenians
hold a positive attitude toward the EU, but Yerevan is far away from
the West due to the threat created by the authoritarian regime.”

He predicts a rise in the anti-Russian mood and new developments in
Armenia under the new PM.

“The authorities who obey Russia will probably remove the West’s
supporters from the government. Pro-Western Armenian opposition in
turn will increase its efforts to mobilize people who share their
views,” he said.

The expert believes that distrust of Moscow reigns among Armenian
people. “The country has not benefited from Russia in any way since
its independence,” he said.

Oztarsu believes that Russia has not taken any step to benefit Armenia
so far. Armenia is blocked in the region and does not have the support
of its neighboring countries, he added. Azernews

U.S. CO-CHAIR ANNOUNCES 6 ELEMENTS TO SETTLEMENT OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT

APA, Azerbaijan
May 8 2014

[ 08 May 2014 12:17 ]

James Warlick: “These elements form the basis of U.S. policy toward
the Minsk Group”

Baku – APA. OSCE Minsk Group US co-chair James Warlick announced
6 elements on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, APA
reports quoting to the website of the U.S. Department of State.

Warlick said at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace that
all these elements are reflected in joint statements by Presidents
Obama, Medvedev, and Sarkozy in L’Aquila in 2009 and Muskoka in 2010.

Warlick noted that these principles and elements form the basis of
U.S. policy toward the Minsk Group and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

These elements are:

First, in light of Nagorno-Karabakh’s complex history, the sides
should commit to determining its final legal status through a mutually
agreed and legally binding expression of will in the future. This is
not optional. Interim status will be temporary.

Second, the area within the boundaries of the former Nagorno-Karabakh
Autonomous Region that is not controlled by Baku should be granted an
interim status that, at a minimum, provides guarantees for security
and self-governance.

Third, the occupied territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh should be
returned to Azerbaijani control. There can be no settlement without
respect for Azerbaijan’s sovereignty, and the recognition that its
sovereignty over these territories must be restored.

Fourth, there should be a corridor linking Armenia to
Nagorno-Karabakh. It must be wide enough to provide secure passage,
but it cannot encompass the whole of Lachin district.

Fifth, an enduring settlement will have to recognize the right of
all IDPs and refugees to return to their former places of residence.

Sixth and finally, a settlement must include international security
guarantees that would include a peacekeeping operation. There is
no scenario in which peace can be assured without a well-designed
peacekeeping operation that enjoys the confidence of all sides.

VICE-SPEAKER OF AZERBAIJANI PARLIAMENT: ‘JAMES WARLICK’S APPROACH IS NORMAL’

APA, Azerbaijan
May 8 2014

[ 08 May 2014 17:57 ]

Baku. Etibar Mammadov – APA. “I think that James Warlick’s proposals
reflect the US approach to the conflict. In general, I think it’s
a normal approach, and I want to believe that the U.S. position on
this issue will remain constant”, Vice-Speaker of the Parliament of
Azerbaijan and Head of Azerbaijan’s Delegation to the OSCE PA Bahar
Muradova told APA.

Commenting on the 6 principles by U.S. Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk
Group James Warlick on the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, Bahar Muradova noted that Azerbaijan also sets its
positions forth in the negotiation process: “We know that the
principle of territorial integrity and self-determination of peoples
has its particular consistency within the principles of the Helsinki
Final Act. Self-determination can be achieved through not violating
territorial integrity. Therefore, if the US maintains this position
following this balance and takes necessary steps for it, then it might
be possible to get closer to peace. Today, if Warlick presents the
position of the US as a super country for taking into consideration
that the international law is under threat, not for eliminating
criticisms against his co-chairmanship, then we may believe it would
yield any result.

B. Muradova stated that some proposals will cause protests in Armenia:
“Because Armenians don’t unambiguously accept in a positive way
the issues related to Lachin corridor, protection of Azerbaijan’s
independent and sovereign rights, return of the regions which are
considered security lines for Armenians and return of the displaced
persons to the territory till the settlement of the status. By all
means they prevent its realization through prolonging negotiations. I
am sure that they will protest against this too”.