Author: Parkev Tvankchian

The recent reports suggesting there are only 3,000 Armenians remaining in Syria do not correspond to reality, says Aleppo Armenian Vazgen Mesropyan, Vice-President of the Social-Democratic Hunchagian Party of Armenia. According to him, even under today’s conditions Syrian Armenians are not willing to leave the country.

“We – Aleppo Armenians are against migration. We don’t want to move, we don’t want to follow Turkey’s policy. The displacements are the result of Turkish policy. We don’t want a second dislocation. All our property, our estates and archives are there,” Mesropyan told a press conference today.

The main archives of Syrian Armenians were kept in the Forty Martyrs Church destroyed by the Islamic State a few months ago. There is no exact data, but part of the archives documents are believed to have been preserved.

“The terrorists had digged tunnels to reach the church and blast it. Part of the archive materials has been saved. There are rumors that they will be brought to Armenia, but that’s not 100 percent certain,” he said.

Besides the archives, Armenians in Syria are trying to preserve their national identity. Children continue to attend Armenian schools even under shelling.

On May 26th, 2015 Haypost CJSC cancelled and put into circulation a new stamp dedicated to the Armenian poet, French Resistance fighter and a national hero of France Missak Manouchian.

The stamp’s official cancellation ceremony took place at the newly built new technologies development and training center of Haypost CJSC.  The cancellation was carried out by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to Armenia His Excellency Jean-François Charpentier, the Deputy Minister of the RA Ministry of Transport and Communication Mr. Gagik Tadevosyan, the Deputy Minister of the RA Ministry of Foreign Affrairs Mr. Karen Nazaryan, the Chairman of the Union of Philatelists of Armenia Mr. Hovik Musayelyan and “Haypost Trust Management” BV Managing Director Mr. Juan Pablo Gechidjian.

The postage stamp depicts Missak Manouchian at the background of The Arc de Triomphe in Paris, the “Red poster” (l’Affiche Rouge), the Eternal flame and a fragment of a letter addressed to his wife Meline Manouchian.

The “Red poster”, depicting the portrait of Missak Manouchian and his friends, was distributed by the fascist army in order to detect the underground activists.

The Embassy of Armenia in France provided a great contribution to the proccess of creation of this stamp.

Missak Manouchian was born in 1906 in the Armenian village Adiyaman of Western Armenia. Losing his parents during the Armenian Genocide of 1915, he found himself in the French orphanage in Syria, where he studied French and got acquainted with the French culture. Moving to France in 1925, he started his activity by uniting the Armenians around him, publishing literary magazines, not being apart from the events taking place in France.

After the occupation of France by the Nazi troops Manouchian founded the International group of French Resistance movement, but he was arrested together with his group 1943 and three months later they were executed.

Manouchian was only 37 years old.

Charles Aznavour celebrates his 91st birthday today. The legendary French Armenian singer, who wrote more than 800 songs, recorded more than 1,000 of them in French, English, German and Spanish and sold over 100 million records in all, was born Chahnour Vaghinag Aznavourian on May 22, 1924, in Paris, the younger of two children born to Armenian immigrants who fled to France. His mother was a seamstress as well as an actress and his father was a baritone who sang in restaurants. Both Charles and his sister waited on tables where he performed. He delivered his first poetic recital while just a toddler. Within a few years later he had developed such a passion for singing/dancing, that he sold newspapers to earn money for lessons.

He took his first theatrical bow in the play “Emil and the Detectives” at age 9 and within a few years was working as a movie extra. He eventually quit school and toured France and Belgium as a boy singer/dancer with a traveling theatrical troupe while living the bohemian lifestyle. A popular performer at the Paris’ Club de la Chanson, it was there that he was introduced in 1941 to the songwriter Pierre Roche. Together they developed names for themselves as a singing/writing cabaret and concert duo (“Roche and Aznamour”). A Parisian favorite, they became developed successful tours outside of France, including Canada. In the post WWII years Charles began appearing in films again, one of them as a singing croupier in Goodbye Darling (1946).

Eventually Aznavour earned a sturdy reputation composing street-styled songs for other established musicians and singers, notably Édith Piaf, for whom he wrote the French version of the American hit “Jezebel”. Heavily encouraged by her, he toured with her as both an opening act and lighting man. He lived with Piaf out of need for a time not as one of her many paramours. His mentor eventually persuaded him to perform solo (sans Roche) and he made several successful tours while scoring breakaway hits with the somber chanson songs “Sur ma vie” and “Parce que” and the notable and controversial “Après l’amour.” In 1950, he gave the bittersweet song “Je Hais Les Dimanches” [“I Hate Sundays”] to chanteuse Juliette Gréco, which became a huge hit for her.

In the late 50s, Aznavour began to infiltrate films with more relish. Short and stubby in stature and excessively brash and brooding in nature, he was hardly leading man material but embraced his shortcomings nevertheless. Unwilling to let these faults deter him, he made a strong impressions with the comedy Une gosse sensass’ (1957) and with Paris Music Hall (1957). He was also deeply affecting as the benevolent but despondent and ill-fated mental patient Heurtevent in Head Against the Wall (1959). A year later, Aznavour starred as piano player Charlie Kohler/Edouard Saroyan in ‘Francois Truffaut”s adaptation of the David Goodis’ novel Shoot the Piano Player (1960) [Shoot the Piano Player], which earned box-office kudos both in France and the United States. This sudden notoriety sparked an extensive tour abroad in the 1960s. Dubbed the “Frank Sinatra of France” and singing in many languages (French, English, Italian, Spanish, German, Russian, Armenian, Portuguese), his touring would include sold-out performances at Carnegie Hall (1964) and London’s Albert Hall (1967).

Aznavour served as actor and composer/music arranger for many films, including Gosse de Paris (1961), which he also co-wrote with directorMarcel Martin, and the dramas Three Fables of Love (1962) [Three Fables of Love”) and Dear Caroline (1968) [Dear Caroline]. The actor also embraced the title role in the TV series “Les Fables de la Fontaine” (1964), then starred in the popular musical “Monsieur Carnaval” (1965), in which he performed his hit song “La bohême.”

His continental star continued to shine and Aznavour acted in films outside of France with more dubious results. While the sexy satire Candy(1968), with an international cast that included Marlon Brando, Richard Burton and Ringo Starr, and epic adventure The Adventurers (1969) were considered huge misfires upon release, it still showed Aznavour off as a world-wide attraction. While he was also seen in the English drama _Games, The (1970), _Blockhouse, The (1973) and an umpteenth film version of Agatha Christie’s Ten Little Indians (1974) [And Then There Were None/Ten Little Indians], it was his music that kept him in the international limelight. Later films included Yiddish Connection (1986), which he co-wrote and provided music, and Il maestro (1990) with Malcolm McDowell; more recently he received kudos for his participation in the Canadian-French production Ararat (2002).

Films aside, hus chart-busting single “She” (1972-1974) went platinum in Britain. He also received thirty-seven gold albums in all. His most popular song in America, “Yesterday When I Was Young” has had renditions covered by everyone from Shirley Bassey to Julio Iglesias. In 1997, Aznavour received an honorary César Award. He has written three books, the memoirs “Aznavour By Aznavour” (1972), the song lyrics collection “Des mots à l’affiche” (1991) and a second memoir “Le temps des avants” (2003). A “Farewell Tour” was instigated in 2006 at age 82 and, health permitting, could last to 2010.

In 2009 Aznavour was appointed Armenia’s Ambassador to Switzerland.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was one of the key topics NATO official, James Appathurai commented on in his interview with AzerNews.

Appathurai, NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia, put a broad focus on efforts towards ending the Armenia-Azerbaijan dispute.

NATO has repeatedly voiced its preference for a peaceful settlement over an armed intervention when it comes to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict’s genuine resolution. The military alliance sees no direct involvement in the negotiation process seeking to find a peace-based end to the conflict.

“NATO has no direct role in the political process to find a peaceful settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Instead, we support the Minsk process,” he said.

“We are concerned about the deterioring situation on the ground. There is no military solution to the conflict, and I hope that the political process will yield results. The NATO framework can only play a supplementary role – allows for contacts between politicians, diplomats and military from Armenia and Azerbaijan in the margins of multilateral meetings. I hope such contacts can have a positive impact, and I was pleased to see that President Serzh Sargsyan and President Ilham Aliyev met in the margins of last year’s NATO Summit in Wales,” he said.

UPDATE 1-AZERBAIJAN SAYS STILL WORKING WITH TURKEY ON GAS DEAL
Afet Mehtiyeva

Reuters
May 17 2010

BAKU, May 17 (Reuters) – Azerbaijan said on Monday it was still
working with Turkey on the technical details of a long-awaited gas
supply deal that could unlock Azeri gas reserves for the West.

The two sides were expected to sign the agreement on Monday, during
a visit by Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan. He said it could
be signed when Azeri President Ilham Aliyev visits Turkey, without
specifying when.

"We discussed all issues related to gas transit with Turkey last
month. Technical work for signing these documents is ongoing," Aliyev
said after meeting Erdogan.

The deal on gas supply and transit, two years in the making, could
help unlock Azeri gas reserves for the West — in particular the
troubled 7.9 billion euro ($9.74 billion) Nabucco project — and
eventually trim Europe’s energy dependence on Russia.

Negotiations have been complicated by political tensions between
the Muslim allies over a bid by Turkey and Christian Armenia —
Azerbaijan’s enemy in the conflict over rebel Nagorno-Karabakh —
to bury a century of hostility and mend ties.

The rapprochement collapsed last month.

Precise details of the gas deal are unknown but it is expected to at
least resolve pricing differences over 6 billion cubic metres of gas
Azerbaijan currently sells to Turkey.

Analysts say it could trigger commercial talks on volumes from the
second phase of production at Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz deposit in the
Caspian Sea, operated by BP (BP.L) and Statoil (STL.OL) and due to
come online by 2017.

Azerbaijan says it has agreed in principle on volumes Turkey would
receive from Shah Deniz II, which will produce an additional 16 billion
cubic metres per year on top of the current 9-10 bcm from Shah Deniz I.

Turkey has requested 6-7 bcm of gas from the second phase.

That would free up volumes of gas to flow to Nabucco, albeit at
a fraction of Russian current gas exports of 150 bcm. The Nabucco
project would nevertheless mark an important step toward cutting
dependence on Moscow, which supplies a quarter of the EU’s gas imports.

Nabucco aims to transport up to 31 bcm of gas annually from the Caspian
region to an Austrian hub via Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey and Hungary.

But it faces competition from Russia’s South Stream project, which
is due to start construction in 2012. Nabucco has been hit by delays
and problems in pinning down supplies. (Writing by Thomas Grove and
Matt Robinson; Editing by Sue Thomas).

CZECH PRIME MINISTER TO VISIT ARMENIA SOON

ARKA
May 10, 2010
YEREVAN

Armenian prime minister Tigran Sarkisian said Sunday his Czech
counterpart, Jan Fischer, will visit Armenia in the near future. Asked
by journalists to comment on his last week trip to the Czech republic
and his talks with Jan Fischer Tigran Sarkisian said the meeting
opened a new page in Armenian-Czech relations.

‘During our talks we have managed to specify the agenda of our
bilateral relations in economic and political cooperation,’ Sarkisian
said, adding that a specified agenda would make Jan Fischer’s visit
more effective and would allow to achieve agreements that would in
turn create favorable conditions for economic and political partnership
of both countries.

He specified that the countries will sign agreements concerning
protection of investments and avoiding double taxation.

There are 11 companies in Armenia with Czech capital and 10 plants
in the Czech republic with Armenian capital. Armenian exports to the
Czech republic this year have amounted to $103,600 while import from
it totaled $1.1 million.

ASTARJIAN: THE PEDDLERS OF ANKARA
Dr. Henry Astarjian

0/astarjian-the-peddlers-of-ankara/
Mon, May 10 2010

In his very recent press conference-which he held after a round of
meetings with the Washington establishment, the Armenian president and
foreign minister, and other participants in the Nuclear Proliferation
Conference-he behaved like Hoja Nessretin who, pretending to be a
businessman, bought a goat for a certain price at one end of the
bazaar and sold it for the same price at the other end.

When asked the rationale behind it, he said, "El beni alis veriste
gorsun" (Let people see me doing business).

This is precisely what Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and
his boss Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the two peddlers of fake merchandise,
did in the bazaars of Washington. They bought and sold political
ribbons by the mile-ribbons extending from Armenia to Azerbaijan,
to Iran to Pakistan to Iraq, to Palestine and Israel, and to the
Silk Trail, leading them in the company of the West to their origins:
resource-rich Central Asia. And America in its naivete is buying what
they are selling.

Erdogan and Davutoglu, desperate to find a solution to the "Armenian
Problem," have now decided to bring the fight to us, "the Ottoman
Diasporans" (a Turkish characterization). They are hoping to find
some Armenians or Armenian organizations that are receptive to their
way of thinking and to their plans for Armenia. They may be lucky
and find some who makes gestures and compromises on some issues,
but never on the issue of the genocide.

They are launching this new strategy knowing full well that their
maneuvers in shaping up the debate is dead on arrival. They know the
position of the "Bad Armenians." They know our role in blocking the
outcome of the deceitful Turkish-Armenian protocols. They know our
work in exposing past and present Turkish atrocities. They know that
we will pursue genocide recognition until they confess to the crime
committed by their fathers, and grandfathers. And they know that we
will not give up an inch of our confiscated land of Western Armenia,
which was proscribed by President Woodrow Wilson.

The peddlers’ recent political offensive against the Bad Armenians has
boomeranged. It has crystallized Armenian thinking, and united us. The
divide and conquer tactic has not worked, and is doomed to fail.

The diaspora’s cry echoed in Armenia and they responded favorably. Now
Davutoglu and Erdogan, acting like Davut Pasha and Recep Pasha of
the Ottoman era, had better realize that there are no Good, Bad,
or So-So Armenians. There are only Bad Armenians.

Davutoglu must find another way to peddle his ribbons. Perhaps he
should color them red, blue, and orange.

Whether the United States accepts the genocide as genocide does not
change reality-that what the Ottoman Turks committed was genocide,
and what the Erdogan-Davutoglu government claims as the "continuation
of the Ottoman Empire" is guilty of covering up the first-degree
murder of an entire nation, a crime indeed. Turkey cannot claim
selective inheritance of its Ottoman past; they must accept the bad
with the good.

A few hours ago, I watched a TV interview with Erdogan conducted by
Christiane Amanpour on CNN. The man sat there telling lie after lie,
distorting facts about every topic, including their obvious decision
to U-turn their state ship towards home, the Islamic berth.

Erdogan said, and I am paraphrasing, that previous Turkish governments
had ignored their neighbors, but we are now paying attention to our
neighborhood. We are on good terms with our neighbors to the south,
the east, the west, and the north.

Oh what a lie! How has he had good relationship with Armenia? By
blocking passage of goods to the landlocked people of Armenia? By
forcing a protocol down Armenia’s throat? By supporting the aggressions
of Azerbaijan in Karabagh and with pogroms in Sumgait?

He said that Turkey has lived in peace and harmony with all its
neighbors. To prove his good intentions towards Armenians, he said he
has tolerated the presence of tens of thousand of illegal Armenians
working and living in Turkey. He said he showed his benevolence
toward Turkish Armenians ("Of course these are our citizens, with
whom we have no problems") by ordering the renovation of the Akhtamar
Church in Van. (That may be partly true. Ramzy Kartal, a Kurdish
parliamentarian, who represented Van in the Turkish Parliament, told
me that Akhtamar was in his district, and that he had done everything
to preserve it). Erdogan did not mention that the renovations were
to attract tourists and to appear tolerant of Christian symbols.

Anticipating the next question, he displayed a masked face when
Amanpour asked him about the Armenian Genocide. He said his country
never committed atrocities in its history. Oh what a lie! They are
doing it right now to our friends and partners in destiny-the Kurds,
in Anatolia. They have killed and maimed, and raped, and displaced
some three million men, women, and children from their villages-three
million who have found refuge in strange places like Western Turkish
cities and Istanbul, not the deserts of Der Zor. They have done it
not only to us, but to the Muslim Arabs, the Christian Assyrians,
and other minorities as well. If they hadn’t committed atrocities
"in history," then why did Sherif Hussein of Hejaz revolt against them?

Didn’t Baghdad revolt? Didn’t Damascus revolt? Didn’t Cairo revolt?

He knows he is lying. He knows he is blowing dust in the eyes of his
audience. And yet he continues to peddle his fake merchandise in the
souks (markets) of the world.

While emphatically denying the genocide, he contradicted himself
when he said: "We are of the opinion that this matter belongs to the
historians. We have opened our archives and everyone is invited to
look and see for himself. Whatever these investigative committees say
we will accept." He did not mention how incriminating documents have
already vanished from the archives.

So, it is with this mental frame and political credibility that the
duo Turkish peddlers are trying to convert us, the Bad Armenians,
into Good Armenians-in an attempt to continue the denial of the
genocide and blocking America’s acceptance of the genocide as genocide.

Davutoglu, in case it hasn’t sunk in yet, I want you to know that the
10 million of us in the Armenian Diaspora, and Armenia, and Karabagh
are "bad."

As the Turkish saying goes, "Anliana sivrisineg saz, anlamiana davul
zurna az."

PRESS RELEASE
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Information Services
Address: Vagharshapat, Republic of Armenia
Contact: Office of Foreign Communications
Tel: +374-10-517163
Fax: +374-10-517301
E-Mail: [email protected]
Website:

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OPPOSITION’S PROCESSION OVER IN YEREVAN

news.am
April 6 2010
Armenia

The Armenian Opposition’s procession has been finished in
Yerevan. Thousands of supporters of the Armenian opposition political
forces participated in the action. No incidents were registered
during the event. Specifically, policemen were unusually kind,
looking smart and smiling at journalists. The reason is a conference
of the International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH), which has
been opened in Yerevan. Armenian government officials participated
in the conference as well.

Vice-Chief of the Yerevan Police Department Robert Melkonyan and Chief
of the patrol force Valery Hovsipyan coordinated the policemen’s
actions. The demonstrators were crying out "Levon is President",
"Free and independent Armenia", "Freedom", etc..

The procession was led by young people with uniforms on, with portraits
of political prisoners on them.

The procession was preceded by a rally. Among the speakers were
participants in the FIDH conference, including FIDH President Souhayr
Belhassen.

Iran’s decision on uranium enrichment program launch runs counter to
UNO SC requirements
31.01.2010 17:35 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Iran’s decision on uranium enrichment program launch
runs counter to UNO Security Council requirements and might impede the
settlement of nuclear issue, Russian Foreign ministry spokesman Andrei
Nesterenko stated.

`Iran’s decision to launch own program on uranium enrichment runs
counter to both UNO Security Council and International Atomic Energy
Agency requirements. This step will only stir current concerns and
impede the settlement of Iran’s nuclear issue,’ ITAR TASS cited the
spokesman as saying.