Author: nina hovnanian

MAINE LEGISLATURE RECOGNIZES THE INDEPENDENCE OF NAGORNO KARABAKH

19:46 10.04.2013

The Maine House of Representatives and Senate passed a joint resolution
this morning recognizing the independence of the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic (NKR), and calling on the U.S. President and Congress “to
support the self-determination and democratic independence” of NKR,
the Armenian Weekly reports.

The resolution urged the President and Congress to support NKR’s
“constructive involvement with the international community’s efforts
to reach a just and lasting solution to security issues in that
strategically important region.”

The resolution was introduced by Rep. Scott Hamann (South Portland) and
co-sponsored by Rep. A.M. Gattine (Westbrook) and S. Gideon (Freeport).

“I am so proud of my state, the State of Maine, for supporting the
right of the free Armenian people of Nagorno-Karabakh to freedom,
democracy and independence through self-determination. I hope other
states follow their sister states Massachusetts, Rhode Island and
Maine and do the right thing.” author and lawyer Anna Astvatsaturian
Turcotte of Portland, Maine told the Armenian Weekly.

Maine is the third state to pass such a resolution. On May 17, 2012,
The Rhode Island House passed a resolution calling on the U.S.

President and Congress to recognize the independence of NKR. On Aug.

6, 2012, the House of Representatives of the State of Massachusetts
adopted a similar resolution.

‘THE SANDCASTLE GIRLS’ TACKLES ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Anchorage Daily News, Alaska
April 10 2013

By RICK BENTLEY – The Fresno Bee

“The Sandcastle Girls” by Chris Bohjalian; Doubleday ($25.95)Chris
Bohjalian wrote a novel 20 years ago based on the Armenian Genocide.

It was never published.”It was a train wreck. Then I started thinking
why should I write a book about the Armenian Genocide when there
were so many good ones already, including ‘Rise the Euphrates’
by Carol Edgarian,” says Bohjalian. “The manuscript now resides in
the archives of my alma mater.”The Amherst College graduate went on
to write 11 other books – including his best known work “Midwives” –
before finally getting back to the subject with “The Sandcastle Girls”
(Doubleday, $25.95).The book was inspired by his grandparents – Leo
and Haigoohi – who survived the genocide of 1.5 million Armenians,
starting in 1915.It’s that larger meaning that helped Bohjalian
write his novel, when his first effort failed. He was determined to
use the genocide as a backdrop, despite being told by people in the
publishing industry – fortunately not his editor – that a book like
“The Sandcastle Girls” would be a career killer. They said a lack of
knowledge of the killings outside the Armenian community would make
the book a tough sell.He proved them wrong by telling two stories –
one about lovers who meet in Syria during the genocide and the other
about their granddaughter’s efforts a century later to understand why
they were so silent about their youth.The author’s own grandparents
never talked about what happened during that brutal period. Bohjalian
was able to get a lot of information from his father, Aram, who also
didn’t talk about the genocide when the author was young.When Aram’s
health began to deteriorate in 2009, father and son spent a lot of
time looking at old family photographs that sparked conversations
about the family. “The Sandcastle Girls” is dedicated to Aram, and
Bohjalian’s mother-in-law, Sondra Blewer, who both died in 2011.This
information helped the author write the opposite of a “train wreck.”

The book – which could become a feature film – has earned high praise,
including being selected as an Oprah Winfrey Book of the Week.”I
have written so many books that were successful, where people thought
they were crazy ideas. When I started writing a book about midwives,
I was told no one outside of New England would know what I was talking
about,” says Bohjalian.He was glad that he didn’t let the critics
stop him. “The Sandcastle Girls” has been an educational tool for many
readers. There are thousands of comments on Bohjalian’s Facebook page
from people who had no knowledge of the genocide until reading about
it in his book.”Because so many people outside the Armenian community
hadn’t heard about the genocide, I was determined to get it right when
I started this book,” says Bohjalian.He is also determined to talk
about the book as often as possible. The trips give him a chance to
thank the members of the Armenian community who have embraced the book.

TURKISH OFFICIALS WILL NOT ATTEND ARMENIAN PRESIDENT’S INAUGURATION CEREMONY

Journal of Turkish Weekly
April 10 2013

Turkish officials will not participate in the inauguration ceremony
of re-elected Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, the Turkish Foreign
Ministry told Trend on Tuesday.

“Turkey will not be represented at the inauguration ceremony of the
Armenian president, to be held in Yerevan,” the Foreign Ministry said.

The inauguration ceremony of re-elected Armenian President Serzh
Sargsyan will be held at the Karen Demirchyan Sport and Concert
Complex in Yerevan on April 9.

Presidential elections were held in Armenia on February 18. According
to the official results, the incumbent President Serzh Sargsyan won the
presidential elections with 58.64 per cent of the votes. The leader of
the Heritage Party Raffi Hovannisian ranked second with 36.74 per cent.

10 April 2013

US PATENT ISSUED TO YEREVAN BRANDY ON APRIL 9 FOR “BOTTLE” (BRITISH INVENTOR)

US Fed News
April 9, 2013 Tuesday 11:26 PM EST

ALEXANDRIA, Va.

ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 9 — United States Patent no. D679,606, issued
on April 9, was assigned to Yerevan Brandy Co. (Armenia).

“Bottle” was invented by Francesco Bonadio (London). The patent was
filed on April 8, 2011, under Application No. D/389,289. *For further
information, including images, charts and tables, please visit:

UNL STUDENTS, SCHOLARS TO DISCUSS FORGOTTEN GENOCIDES

The Daily Nebraskan, Nebraska
April 10 2013

Students and scholars will gather Wednesday for “Forgotten Genocides:
New Perspectives on a Less Known History” in the Nebraska Union
Auditorium at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Bedross Der Matossian, an assistant history professor at UNL, said
the symposium’s goal is to inform the general public on genocides of
the 20th century other than the Holocaust and to gather scholars to
bring new perspectives to understudied genocides.

“Most of these genocides occurred in the 20th century after the
Holocaust,” Der Matossian said. “When the whole idea of ‘never again’
was a major thing.”

Der Matossian will speak about concentration camps during the Armenian
Genocide, which is not yet officially recognized as genocide. The
United States has largely avoided labeling the deaths of 1.5 million
Armenians killed in 1915 at the hands of Ottoman Turks. Leaders
fear upsetting NATO-ally Turkey, which disputes genocide charges,
according to an April 2012 report by ABC News.

People around the world will commemorate those Armenians on April
24 this year, said Der Matossian, who encouraged everyone to attend
the symposium.

“It’s a unique opportunity to hear professors talking about their
expertise on the respective genocides,” Der Matossian said. “Despite
the fact that the subject is depressing – it is about mass killings
– it is the duty of every student to learn about these genocides as
part of their undergraduate and graduate education and pass on that
information to future generations.”

David Forsythe, a professor emeritus of political science, will
kick off the symposium at 9 a.m. with a discussion on international
legal framework set up prohibiting atrocities and the kind of actions
leaders, organizations and activists can take to oppose them.

Two panels follow the lecture, and the symposium will end at 4 p.m.

The symposium is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by
UNL’s Harris Center for Judaic Studies, with additional support from
the Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs Program and the Department
of History.

MINSK GROUP PREPARING TALKS BETWEEN AZERI, ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTERS

Interfax, Russia
April 9 2013

The co-chairs of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in
Europe’s Minsk Group are planning to organize talks between the Azeri
and Armenian foreign ministers in order to facilitate the settlement
of the Karabakh conflict, the mediators said in a statement posted
on the OSCE website on Tuesday.

It says that during their recent visit to the conflict region
they met with the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia and the breakaway
Nagorno-Karabakh.

The Azeri and Armenian presidents reaffirmed their adherence to the
peace process and expressed their readiness to participate in it at
the highest level, according to the posting.

Sd jv

FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE WILL NOT PAY ADMINISTRATIVE FINE

April 10, 2013 | 18:54

YEREVAN.- Former presidential candidate Andreas Ghukasyan was charged
with disobeying a lawful order of police under Article 182 of the
Administrative Code.

Ghukasyan spent three hours at police station, he told Armenian News
– NEWS.am.

The politician said he has no intention to pay the administrative fine,
as he considers accusation unfounded.

“Police order that the protesters must leave Bagramyan Avenue in
15 minutes, is not legal. I did not sign the report drawn up by the
police. In accordance with the third paragraph of the Constitution
of Armenia, being on Baghramyan Avenue, I did everything to avoid a
conflict between the demonstrators and the police,” he said.

As reported earlier, Andreas Ghukasyan was brought to the police
station of Malatia-Sebastia on Tuesday evening during a demonstration
of Raffi Hovannisian’s supporters.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

ARMENIAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST BLAMES POLICE FOR EXCESSIVE ACTION

18:13 ~U 10.04.13

The Helsinki Committee’s President thinks that Tuesday clashes which
followed the presidential inauguration event saw the police taking
excessive measures against the public.

“We have conducted a monitoring of peaceful assemblies after all
presidential elections. I talked to the [participants] yesterday
to make an evaluation today. I fixed violations in several places,”
Avetik Ishkhanyan told a news conference on Wednesday.

He said the policemen used a foul language against the people who
had thrown candles to them at yesterday’s rally.

The activist added that it is still questionable to what extent the
police acted lawfully by taking several protesters to a precinct
station. “It was carried out in a very rude manner and there were
violations,” he noted.

As for the police measures to ban an afternoon procession to the
presidential palace, Ishkhanyan said their lawfulness is disputable
as an earlier notice for holding the event had been rejected.

“It’s a different matter that the continuation was spontaneous, with
things going on without Raffi Hovhannisian’s decision,” he said,
adding that the police have no right to intervene in a peaceful
public assembly.

Ishkhanyan noted in the meantime that the police wall to ban the crowd
from moving ahead fell within the logic of the inauguration. “I don’t
think any country would allow such an attempt at the ceremony. But
the evening ban, when everything was over, was an excessive measure
by the police. The procession was peaceful, so the proportionality
was violated,” he said.

Armenian News – Tert.am

ARMENIA’S SARGSYAN RECEIVES RUSSIAN PRESIDENTIAL CHIEF OF STAFF

April 10, 2013 | 00:15

YEREVAN. – Armenia’s President, Serzh Sargsyan, on Tuesday received
Sergei Ivanov, the Chief of Staff of the Russian Federation (RF)
Presidential Administration, who had arrived in capital city Yerevan
to attend the inauguration of the President of Armenia.

Sargsyan noted that he is pleased to welcome the high-level guest
from Russia, the President’s Press Office informs. Subsequently, the
interlocutors recorded the high level in Armenian-Russian political
discourse, and stressed that strategic allied relations are developing
between the two countries.

On behalf of the RF delegation, Ivanov congratulated Serzh Sargsyan
yet again for reassuming the office of the President of Armenia, wished
him success in his next five-year term, and expressed confidence that
the Armenian people’s choice will contribute to Armenia’s further
strengthening, raising prosperity in the country and, also, to the
development of Armenian-Russian ties.

Armenia’s President and the Chief of Staff of the RF Presidential
Administration also discussed interaction in several domains, and
current programs.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

SOURCE: ARMENIA DIDN’T DELIVER WEAPONS TO LIBYA

April 10, 2013 – 20:39 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenia didn’t deliver weapons to Libya, a source,
who was speaking on condition of anonymity, said.

“Perhaps, a minor incident occurred. For this reason, Armenia is
mentioned in the list of international experts,” the source told
PanARMENIAN.Net

In a report to the UN Security Council circulated Tuesday, on April 9
UN the panel said cases of illicit transfers from Libya in violation
of a U.N. arms embargo that have been proven and are still under
investigation involve more than 12 countries and include heavy and
light weapons such as portable air defense systems, explosives, mines,
and small arms and ammunition.

The five-member expert panel made 28 visits to 15 countries in Africa,
Europe and the Middle East including 10 visits to Libya. The 94-page
report details arms trafficking cases that violate the embargo imposed
after the 2011 uprising began as well as efforts to track down the
financial assets of individuals and companies linked to Gadhafi and
his regime that are on the U.N. blacklist.

The panel said it also examined evidence of the delivery of weapons
and ammunition from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to support
the anti-Gadhafi revolutionaries during the uprising and considers
that both countries violated the U.N. arms embargo, despite Qatar’s
denial that it transferred any military materiel.

It cited a case of the transfer of ammunition to Libya involving the
United Arab Emirates, Armenia, Albania and Ukraine, a separate case
involving Sudan, and the reported transfer of a drone to the Libyan
opposition by a Canadian company which Canadian authorities say is
under investigation, Associated Press reported.