Author: nina hovnanian

UNE NOUVELLE BANQUE EN ARTSAKH
Stephane

armenews.com
mercredi 16 mai 2012

La banque Converse a deja une succursale en Artsakh. Une reunion
des representants de la banque Converse avec le Premier ministre
Ara Haroutyunyan a eu lieu où les perspectives de cooperation ont
ete discutees.

Le Gouvernement de l’Artsakh a une experience de travail avec le
secteur prive particulièrement avec les banques. Quelques projets
d’etat se realisent dans le cadre de la cooperation. La direction de la
cooperation avec la banque Converse sera l’agriculture. Le gouvernement
prevoit d’importer des machines agricole pour 2 milliard de drams
ces prochaines annees. Il est aussi prevu que les producteurs des
machines mentionnees ci-dessus auront leurs representations en Artsakh.

ARMENIAN-CZECH POLITICAL DIALOGUE DEVELOPS DYNAMICALLY

news.am
May 15, 2012 | 19:59

YEREVAN. – Armenian and Czech deputy FMs held political discussions in
Yerevan on Tuesday. The Armenian side was represented by Deputy FM Z.

Mnatsakanyan and the Czech side was represented by Deputy FM Jiri
Schneider.

The parties discussed the current level of political, economic,
cultural co-operation between Armenia and the Czech Republic. They
also discussed the perspectives of co-operation in trade.

The sides stressed the dynamic development of Armenian-Czech political
dialogue which is proven by the opening of the Armenian Embassy in
Prague last year and the appointment of a Charge d’Affaires of the
Czech Republic in Yerevan.

Co-operation in the framework of different European and international
structures was also discussed.

The two countries exchanged views on the priorities of foreign policy.

ARMENIAN STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION TO PUT ON ITS FIRST ROCK CONCERT AND ART SHOW
By MICHAEL PALUMBO

Daily Bruin

May 15 2012
UCLA, CA

As a child Daniela Girbal always heard stories about her
great-grandparents’ survival during the Armenian genocide of 1915,
something that has sparked her appreciation for her Armenian heritage.

Girbal, a third-year political science student and secretary of the
Armenian Students’ Association, is working with the cultural committee
to organize the group’s first rock show and art exhibition, titled
“Rebirth.” The event will feature performances from bands Palm of
Granite and Snake Charmer Ensemble.

“We want to recognize that we’re here because we (as a people)
survived. We want to make sure we live out who we are with our culture
and show others that we’re a force to be reckoned with,” Girbal said.

While the Armenian Students’ Association does advocate recognition
of the Armenian genocide, Girbal said the organization is using the
rock show to promote a more positive message.

Razmig Sarkissian, a third-year English student and president of the
organization, said the event would primarily feature not only UCLA
Armenian student groups but also Armenian performers outside of UCLA,
such as folk-rock group Palm of Granite.

The art exhibit will feature 15 paintings from various Armenian
artists. Sarkissian said the Armenian Students’ Association is
intentionally holding this concert after Genocide Awareness Week,
which was the last week of April.

“(The show) is called ‘Rebirth’ because it’s coming off of Genocide
(Awareness) Week, and we see our culture in a state of rebirth and
renaissance, especially since it’s spring,” Sarkissian said.

Raffi Semerdjian, the singer and songwriter of Palm of Granite said
that his music is inspired by his Armenian heritage because of the
songs he grew up listening to.

“A lot of Armenian songs deal with loss and grievance. (There are)
themes of genocide within popular Armenian songs, as well as the
songs I write,” Semerdjian said.

While Semerdjian said that the band writes and composes most of its
material, the band’s 30-minute set for the rock concert will feature
a medley of two popular Armenian dance songs, one called “Tomzara”
and the other “Dance of the Seven Fishermen.” Semerdjian also said
that the band added its own spin on the two songs.

“People might not recognize the song when they first hear it. We took
a couple of really cute Armenian dance songs and made them darker
and more powerful,” Semerdjian said.

The singer also said that by adding more weight to the songs, their
underlying messages are more cathartic, especially for an original
song called “Home.”

“(‘Home’) is asking the audience what home means to them. It’s more
than just a place … it’s a state of being that we’re all trying to
find,” Semerdjian said.

He also said that Palm of Granite’s songs traditionally deal with
heavy themes and portray spiritual journeys the band undergoes, but
Semerdjian said he also wants people to recognize that the Armenian
genocide is only a small part of Armenian history.

“The theme of ‘Rebirth’ is appropriate because when people think of
Armenians, all they think about is the genocide. We want people to
get away from the idea of mourning and embrace the idea of rebirth
and creativity through Armenian music,” Semerdjian said.

POLYCLINIC FORMER HEAD SENTENCED FOR TWO YEARS IN JAIL IN ARMENIA’S GYUMRI

news.am
May 15, 2012 | 17:37

GYUMRI. – Former head of polyclinic in Armenia’s Gyumri Tatevik
Panosyan, 44, was sentenced for 2 years of imprisonment on Tuesday for
abusing office and receiving huge amount of bribe and impropriating
it. However, the judge, taking into account that she has a minor child,
as well as having paid the damage amounting over AMD 10 million,
cast a verdict for sentencing her for 2 years in jail.

THEY JOINED ZHUK’S STATEMENT

07:07 pm | Today | Politics

The board of the “People’s Way” Party (ZHUK) informs that several
political parties and non-governmental organizations, particularly
the “People’s Power” NGO led by Zoya Tadevosyan, the “Homeland of the
Armenians” political party led by acting leader Anahit Yeghoyan, the
“Social-Ecological” Greens Party of Armenia led by Armen Dovlatyan
and the “Homeland Honor” Party led by Garnik Margaryan have joined
the May 7 statement.

The statement demands “annulling the May 6 falsified National Assembly
elections, the results that the Central Electoral Commission has
released, express lack of confidence in the CEC for planning to lead
the NA elections to failure and bring the CEC to justice.”

GENOCIDE SCHOLARS CALLS FOR FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO ZORYAN INSTITUTE

PanARMENIAN.Net
May 15, 2012 – 10:48 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Some 50 international scholars of Genocide and
Diaspora Studies have issued a formal statement, which appeared in the
latest issue of the journal Genocide Studies and Prevention (Vol. 6,
No. 3), endorsing the work of the Zoryan Institute in systematically
combating the policy of denial by the Turkish State and keeping
the truth of the Armenian Genocide at the forefront of attention
of scholars, educators, opinion and policy-makers, and the public
at large.

“We wish to express publicly our great appreciation for the
International Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies and
its parent organization, the Zoryan Institute, for their thirty
years of academic work in the field of genocide and human rights
studies. In the face of the continuing problem of genocide in the
twenty-first century, the Institute is to be commended for its service
to the academic community and is recognized by scholars for providing
leadership and a support structure in promoting the cause of universal
human rights and the prevention of genocide. We urgently call upon all
foundations and organizations worldwide concerned with these issues,
as well as individuals committed to preventing this heinous crime,
to provide financial support for this world class academic institution.

If the Institute is to continue its invaluable scholarly and
educational undertakings, it must secure its financial foundation
by raising funds for an endowment and its annual operations,” the
declaration says.

“For the past thirty years, the Institute has maintained an ambitious
program to collect archival documentation, conduct original research,
and publish books and periodicals. It also conducts university-level
educational programs in the field of Genocide and Human Rights
Studies, taking a comparative and interdisciplinary approach in its
examination of the Jewish Holocaust, the Cambodian Genocide, and the
Rwandan Genocide, among others, using the Armenian Genocide as a point
of reference. In the process, using the highest academic standards,
the Institute has strived to understand the phenomenon of genocide,
establish the incontestable, historical truth of the Armenian Genocide
and raise awareness of it among academics and opinion-makers.”

“We appeal to the global community, foundations, organizations,
business leaders, and national and international institutions to
show their tangible and generous support for this highly respected
academic institution,” says the document signed by Varouj Aivazian
(University of Toronto), Israel W. Charny (Institute on the Holocaust
and Genocide Jerusalem, Israel), Vahakn N. Dadrian (Zoryan Institute
Conesus, New York), John Evans (Former U.S. Ambassador to Armenia
Washington, DC) and others.

AZERBAIJANI OPPOSITION MEMBERS DECLARE HUNGER STRIKE

PanARMENIAN.Net
May 15, 2012 – 20:16 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Twelve detained members of Azerbaijan’s opposition
went on hunger strike on Tuesday, May 15 to press for their release,
according to opposition group Civic Ward, eleven days before the
former Soviet republic is to host the Eurovision Song Contest, Amnesty
International considers all hunger strikers to be political prisoners,
dpa news reported.

Meanwhile Volker Beck, a German legislator of the Green Party,
said the human rights situation in the former Soviet republic was
“extremely critical.”

The politician said he was planning to visit the Azeri capital Baku on
Wednesday to take part in a human rights conference entitled Sing for
Democracy. He was also due to meet gay rights activist Kamran Rzayev.

“The Azerbaijani government is blocking human rights activists wherever
it can,” Beck said. “The regime of Aliyev should not be allowed to
turn Eurovision into a big propaganda show.”

“We have no choice but to kick this dictator in the shin, verbally
at least,” he said.

Amnesty International has called for an end to police violence against
dissidents in Azerbaijan. On Monday, authorities arrested about 20
people taking part in spontaneous protests against the regime.

IRANIAN AZERIS SET UP NATIONAL COUNCIL IN TURKEY, ASPIRE FOR INDEPENDENC
AYDIN ALBAYRAK

14 May 2012

Representatives of Azerbaijani Turks living in Iran have announced
the establishment of an “International South Azerbaijani Turks’
National Council,” which ultimately aims to become independent
from Iran.

“Our ultimate aim is the independence of Turks living in
‘Southern Azerbaijan.’ But we seek independence by democratic,
peaceful means, not through the use of weapons,” Cemal
Mehmethanoðlu, the spokesperson of the council, declared at a press
conference held at the Azerbaijani Cultural Association in Ankara
on Monday.

But Azeri Turks at the press meeting also stressed — presumably
desiring not to be associated with any US or Israeli intentions
towards Iran — that their search for independence has nothing to
do with a possible military intervention into Iran by the US or a
military airstrike against Iran’s nuclear installations by Israel.

They assert that their goal is a century-old dream which goes back
to the days before the foundation of modern Iran in 1925, and is
therefore independent from any other initiative.

But Dr. Yasemen Karakoyunlu, both a member of the board of management
and head of the council’s Strategic Research Unit, maintains that at
35 million, people of Turkish ethnic origin make up the majority in
Iran — nearly half of the Iranian population — and made a point of
saying that should the US have any plans regarding Iran, it should
discuss the issue not only with Turkey and Azerbaijan, but also with
Azeri Turks in Iran.

People at the press conference made it clear that they are a little
frustrated with Turkey’s policies in the region. “Turkey should
change its policy regarding Turks in Iran,” Karakoyunlu told
Today’s Zaman. “Turkey keeps a close watch of the Palestinian
problem, and raises its voice when Palestinian people are targeted
by Israel, but doesn’t seem to care much about what’s happening to
Turks in South Azerbaijan,” she added. Noting that hundreds
of people are in prison in there, she asked, “Why doesn’t
Turkey take a genuine interest in their problems?” Karakoyunlu
believes Turkey’s fainthearted attitude is also to do with the fact
Azeri Turks in Iran belong to the Shiite sect of Islam. “But
today, the Azeri people in Iran, although they are Shiite by faith,
have a democratic and secular mindset,” she noted.

She also claimed that some Azeri Turks in Iran tend to wander away
from Shia belief, seeing it as a major part of the assimilation
process Azeri Turks are subjected to in Iran.

Mehmethanoðlu also severely criticized the Iranian authorities:
“In the last six months or so, teachers who clandestinely teach
Turkish to children at home or at cultural associations in Iranian
Azerbaijan are being put in prison.” He added that Azeri Turks
in Iran are not allowed to publish newspapers in Turkish, nor to
establish television stations broadcasting in their own language. In
fact, a Turkish television channel formerly broadcasting from the US
is no longer being relayed through Turkey’s Turksat satellite
following pressure from Iran.

Azeri Turks tried to organize a two-day forum, the “First
International Forum of South Azerbaijani Turks,” in Ankara on May
12-13, which is said to have been cancelled by the Ankara governorship
due to pressure from Iran. However, according to Mehmethanoðlu, the
spokesperson of the council, they managed to find another location
to hold the forum, which he told Today’s Zaman was given full
support by most of the nationalist movements in Iranian Azerbaijan.

The forum aims to bring the troubles in the area of human rights facing
Azeri Turks in Iran to the world public, to demand education in their
mother tongue and to create public awareness about the rights of the
Azeri population in Iran. It was also noted at the press conference
that although Armenians are a small minority in Iran, they freely
enjoy their cultural heritage, while Turkic culture remains subject
to oppression.

More than 300 people from fifteen countries, most of whom are from
Turkey and Azerbaijan, attended the forum on Saturday. Among the
attendees are Prof. Firudin Celilov, former Azerbaijani minister of
national education, Ferec Ulusoy, and Sabir Rustemxanlý, Azerbaijani
deputies, former Turkish deputies Cemil Unal and Orhan Kayýhan,
Iraqi Turkoman deputy Fevzi Ekrem, and the chairman and members of
the board of the World Azerbaijani Congress.

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE’S 100TH ANNIVERSARY COMMISSION SESSION IS HELD IN BUCHAREST

news.am
May 15, 2012 | 17:25

The Armenian Union of Bucharest was the venue for Monday’s session
of the local commission for holding commemorative events devoted to
100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

On the same day, Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute Director Hayk
Demoyan delivered a lecture at the University of Bucharest.

In his intervention, Demoyan stressed that the Armenian Genocide is
not a historical past, but rather something in the present because
the Turkish authorities continue to exert pressure upon Armenia,
intimidate and pursue those express in favor of historical justice,
conduct a denialist policy on international level, and insult and
discredit the descendants of the Genocide victims.

And on Sunday, Hayk Demoyan and Armenia’s Ambassador to Romania, Hamlet
Gasparyan, were on hand at the official opening of the new Cultural
Home building at the Armenian Center of Bucharest. During this event,
the Romanian versions of Academician Nikolay Hovhannisyan’s “Armenian
Genocide” and Rafael de Nogales Mendez’s “Four Year’s Beneath the
Crescent” were introduced.

EREBUNI TO JOIN THE EUROPEAN NIGHT OF MUSEUMS

news.am
15.05.2012 16:12

The 8th Night of Museums will start in Europe on May 19 at 6 p.m. and
will continue till midnight.

Held since 2005, the Night of Museums has become an expected feast
for Europeans; 3,700 cultural establishments in Europe joined the
event last year.

The “Erebuni” Historical & Archaeological Museum-Reserve will join
the event by staging the “Erebuni: Nocturne” performance.