Author: Toganian Liana

PRESS OFFICE
Contact; Deacon Hagop Arslanian, Assistant to the Primate
615 Stuart Avenue, Outremont Quebec H2V 3H2
Tel; 514-276-9479, Fax; 514-276-9960
Email; [email protected] Website;

A Successful Blood Drive in Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide

On April 2nd 2004, the Diocesan Youth Council of the Armenian Holy
Apostolic Church of Canada, under the auspices of His Eminence Bishop
Bagrat Galstanian, Primate organized a Blood Drive with Hema-Quebec at
Village Montpellier shopping centre in St Laurent. This year, the
Diocese of the Armenian Church of Canada and the faithful have decided
to commemorate the Armenian Genocide by helping those in need and the
less fortunate of the community. This is a way for Canadian Armenians
to express and to remember that despite the planned extermination of
Armenians by the Turkish Ottoman Empire during the First World War,
the Armenian people are lively present and active in today’s world.
Asked why he’s donating blood, Sari Farra, an AGBU scout said that
“our forefathers lost their blood innocently; I decided to commemorate
that loss by giving my blood for a good cause”. Hema-Quebec was very
pleased by the outcome of this event. The objective of hundred donors
was successfully reached do to generous contribution of Armenian
community members. The event was the first being organized by the
Church that will take place in the month of April. The Church is also
collecting toys in support of the Montreal’s Children Hospital and
non-perishable food items in support of “Sun Youth”.

Bishop Bagrat Galstanian’s representatives attend an ecumenical
luncheon hosted by His Eminence Andrew Hutchison

Recently, Bishop Bagrat Galstanian, Primate of the Armenian Church
Canadian Diocese was invited to attend a luncheon hosted by the
Metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of Canada and the
Archbishop of the Anglican Churchof Montreal His Eminence Archbishop
Andrew Hutchison. On behalf of the Primate, Very Reverend Father
Ararat Kaltakjian and Dn Hagop Arslanian attended the luncheon. During
the cordial reception, discussions focused on the role andthe mission
of Christian Churches in Greater Montreal area.

Communiqué from the Supreme Spiritual Council

>From March 31 to April 2, the regular session of the Supreme
Spiritual Council convened in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin,
under the presidency of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and
Catholicos of All Armenians.

With deep concern, the Supreme Spiritual Council received the news
from the Diocesan Council of the Canadian Diocese of the Armenian
Church, that the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia has
brought to its painful conclusion, the process of the establishment of
a parallel administrative structure within the region of the Canadian
Armenian Diocese, canonically comprised as part of the Pontificate of
All Armenians, in spite of the fraternal exhortations made by the
Catholicos of All Armenians and the Supreme Spiritual Council.

This move has neither justifiable explanation nor foundation
whatsoever, from ecclesiological or hierarchical perspectives, or
within the context of the unspoiled preservation of the spiritual
unanimity of the Armenian people. The issue is more than the
establishment of one more un-canonical diocese. It is the
confirmation that the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia, is
not ready to reconsider its divisive spirit adopted in 1956, and in
accord withthe Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, to reestablish the
canonical status within the Armenian Church. In spite of its
assurances of being dedicated to the motto “One Nation, One Homeland,
and One Church”, the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia, with
“new reorganizations” is attempting to persistently expand and to
solidify the dioceses it seized with political motivations, from the
Catholicosate of All Armenians during the years of the cold war,
deepening the division within the Armenian Church, and jeopardizing
the improved relations which began in 1988 with the Mother See.

The Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia does not desire to see
the changed circumstances prevailing in this present world or the
imperatives conditioned by the reality of the independence of the
Homeland, nor does itvalue the spirit of the new era, which proposes
the demand to reestablish and keep unspoiled the unity of the Armenian
Church and Nation.

Any attempt to breach the unanimity and unity of our people dispersed
throughout the world, which is the supreme and timeless goal of the
Armenian Church, will face the firm resolve of the Mother See of Holy
Etchmiadzin to keep that unity unspoiled and unshaken.

Holy Etchmiadzin appeals to all faithful children of Canada and all
seized dioceses of the Mother See, stating that her paternal love
towards all is unchangeable, because regardless of under what guise
and despite referencesto “the will of the people”, (a transparent old
device used to attempt to justify such measures), undoubtedly no
nation has the desire to be in dissention.

The Mother See once again fraternally calls on the Catholicosate of
Cilicia to sound judgment, welcoming every step directed to overcoming
the discord and the reestablishment of the canonical status within the
Armenian Church, and invites her children to be zealous and unified on
the road of the settlement of disunity – a rift born from the dictates
of difficult times, and in effect for half a century. “Primacy of
Love” – here is the mystery of the supremacy of the Mother See, as it
was yesterday, as it is today, and forever.

Martyrs Prayer and Ecumenical Service will take place commemorating
the Victims of the Armenian Genocide

Under the auspices of the Primate of the Armenian Church of Canada,
His Eminence Bishop Bagrat Galstanian, Martyrs Prayer and Ecumenical
Service will take place at Saint Gregory the Illuminator Armenian
Cathedral of Montreal (615, Stuart; Corner Bernard-Stuart) on Friday
night April 23, 2004 commemoratingthe victims of the Armenian
Genocide.

On this occasion, Montreal Church leaders and eminent political
representatives are invited to participate and deliver their
message. The Primate of the Ecclesiastical Province of Canada and the
Archbishop of the Anglican Church, His Eminence Andrew Hutchison of
Montréal will be the prime spiritual leader to deliver his message,
the representatives of Roman Catholic Cardinal of Greater Montreal,
Baptist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Maronite, Greek Orthodox, Assyrian
and Coptic Churches will be attending the ceremony.

Bishop Galstanian will celebrate Divine Liturgy in Toronto

His Eminence Bishop Bagrat Galstnaian, will celebrate Divine Liturgy
on the occasion of the 89th anniversary of commemoration of the
Armenian Genocide at Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church of
Toronto.

The leader of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto His Eminence
Aloysius Matthew Cardinal Ambrozic will be the prime speaker during
the ceremony. Abp of Anglican Archdiocese of Toronto Terrence Finley,
Secretary General of Canadian Council of Churches Dr Karen Hamilton,
Ecumenical representatives and politicians will be attending the
religious ceremony and the special requiem service on Saturday, April
24 at 7:00pm.

The Schedule of His Eminence Bishop Galstanian for the month of April

We hereby would like to present to the Clergy, Diocesan Council
members, Parish councils and faithful of the Armenian Holy Apostolic
Church, Dioceseof Canada the Schedule of His Eminence Bishop Bagrat
Galstanian for the month of April 2004.-

April 8- Maundy Thursday Divine Liturgy Ceremony of the washing of the
feet, khavaroom, St Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Cathedral of
Montreal.

April 9-Burial of our Lord St Gregory the Illuminator Armenian
Cathedral Montreal.

April 10- Easter Eve meeting with the Christian Education Council
Sunday School Department.

April 10- Divine Liturgy, Holy Trinity Armenian Church of Toronto

April 11- Easter (Zadik) St Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral of
Montreal

April 12- Food Drive (In support of Sun Youth celebrating there “50-th
anniversary” a local charitable organization which helps less
fortunate families. Foods gathered on this occasion will be given to
Sun Youth by the Diocese of the Armenian Church of Canada on behalf of
Canadian Armenian community).

April 18- New Sunday, Communion and Blessing of Alex Manoogian-Armen
Quebec Armenian school, Montreal St Gregory the Illuminator Armenian
Cathedral.

April 22- Toy Drive (In support of the Montreal Children’s Hospital
celebrating “100 years of caring for Children”. Toys gathered will be
donated to Montreal Children’s Hospital. Bishop Galstanian, Clergy of
the Diocese and Youth council executive will be present).

April 23- Martyr’s Prayer and Ecumenical service commemoration of
April 24th, Armenian Genocide organized by Diocesan Youth Council and
ACYOC’s of Montreal and Laval. The key speaker will be the Archbishop
of the Anglican Church of Montreal His Eminence Archbishop Andrew
Hutchison at Saint Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Cathedral,
Montreal.

April 24- Divine Liturgy Toronto Holy Trinity Armenian Church. Toronto
Church leaders and politicians will be present on this occasion.

DIVAN OF THE DIOCESE

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
April 2, 2004 Friday 8:43 AM Eastern Time

Armenia, Lebanon intend to develop economic cooperation

By Tigran Liloyan

YEREVAN

Armenia and Lebanon intend to develop economic cooperation in various
fields, prime ministers of the countries Andranik Margaryan and Rafik
Hariri said after the official visit of the Lebanese premier to
Yerevan.

Upon results of the visit the package of agreements on cooperation in
culture, science, education and agriculture was signed. The premiers
called on business quarters of the countries to actively cooperate.

Difficulties in cargo traffic from one country to another that
resulted in increasing prices for goods is an important problem that
Hariri discussed in Yerevan, he emphasised. “We are searching for
solutions,” the Lebanese prime minister pointed out.

The Armenians have always played a significant role in the
development and prosperity of Lebanon and participated in various
spheres of life in the country, Hariri remarked. They hold posts in
the government, parliament, Central Bank, trade and industry of the
country, the premier noted.

The Middle East settlement should correspond to UN resolutions,
decisions of the UN Security Council and international agreements, it
was said at Hariri’s meeting in the Armenian parliament.

Armenian Assembly of America
122 C Street, NW, Suite 350
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:
 
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 2, 2004
CONTACT: David Zenian
E-mail: [email protected]

ASSEMBLY RESPONDS TO TURKISH INVITATION FOR DIALOGUE

Washington, DC – The Armenian Assembly leadership this week told a senior
Turkish official it was ready to resume dialogue, but not during the month
of April and not until a critical assessment of Turkish policy since the
last exchange in June of 2003.

Responding to an invitation by Ambassador Ecvet Tezcan, Assembly Board of
Directors Chairman Anthony Barsamian said dialogue without results is
meaningless and therefore it was imperative to “lay out our objectives”
prior to any future discussions.

“The Armenian Assembly of America appreciates your invitation on behalf of
your Foreign Ministry to continue our dialogue begun last June in New York,”
Barsamian said in his reply to Ambassador Tezcan.

“While our organization remains committed to continuing our full and frank
exchanges on issues that presently divide us, the next meeting cannot take
place during the month of April as you propose. As you are well aware, this
solemn month for all Armenians is a time for remembrance of the Armenian
Genocide. Your government’s inexplicable denial policy remains unchanged,
making it impossible to convene this month,” Barsamian added.

Similar meetings with Tezcan in June last year in New York and Los Angeles,
that included in LA representatives from the Armenian General Benevolent
Union (AGBU), and the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of America,
underscored the community message that Armenian-Americans are united in
their insistence that Turkey deal with the issue of the Armenian Genocide,
establish normal relations with Armenia that are not dictated by the
Azerbaijani position on Nagorno Karabakh and end restrictions and pressure
on the Armenian minority in Turkey.

After the June discussions, then-Assembly Board of Directors Chairman Peter
Vosbikian said while there was no breakthrough, it still provided an
opportunity for a “frank exchange of views” which “at minimum … will
prevent Turkey’s friends from using an outright refusal to meet against us
in their lobbying in Capitol Hill.”

“Turkey now needs to validate its dialogue and positive statements with
deeds on all of the historic and contemporary questions that comprise the
Armenia-Turkey agenda,” Vosbikian said.

But nearly ten months since the last face-to-face encounter, there has been
no change in Turkish attitudes or behavior.

“I know that you concur that dialogue without results is not in anyone’s
interest, and we need to lay out objectives prior to meeting. Your
government’s statements and actions on the Armenian Genocide since last
June, the lack of movement on opening the border with Armenia despite calls
from the Bush Administration and the European Union to do so, and, the
failure to implement minority rights reforms, indicate that our dialogue
must be more urgent and result oriented,” Barsamian said.

“Our organization looks forward to a more focused process that begins to
deal with these and other pressing issues on our common agenda,” Barsamian
added in is response to the latest invitation for a new round of dialogue
with the Turkish side.

The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide
organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian
issues. It is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.

###

NR#2004-033

Azeri opposition party against Turkey opening Armenian border

ANS TV, Baku
1 Apr 04

The National Democratic Party of Azerbaijan has circulated a
statement. The statement says that we all know that the Turkish people
have been historically subjected to enemy attacks. The defeat of the
Armenian Dashnaks, who killed hundreds of thousands of Turkish men at
the beginning of the last century, was possible thanks to the unity of
Anatolia and the Azeri Turks and the bravery of the Turkish soldier at
that time.

Armenian sources have long been telling various news agencies that
Turkey intends to open its borders with the aggressor Republic of
Armenia. Sentence indistinct We very much hope that this news is
another Armenian fabrication and the great Turkish nation will never
allow this.

NORWEGIAN ENVOY REJECTS AZERI OFFICIAL’S CAUSTIC REMARKS

Turan news agency
1 Apr 04

BAKU

The statement by the member of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party, MP
Mubariz Qurbanli, that Norwegian ambassador Steinar Gil has written a
book about Armenia and this is why he is so allegedly prejudiced
against Azerbaijan is wide of the mark, the Norwegian envoy has told
Turan commenting on the MP’s statement published by Markaz newspaper
today.

In the article, the MP makes caustic remarks about Gil’s being awarded
a diploma for the protection of democratic ideas and human
rights. Further, Qurbanli suggests that the ambassador be also given
an award for exceeding his ambassadorial responsibilities.

For instance, Qurbanli said the ambassador’s stance on the human
rights problem “represents a violation of the Vienna Convention on the
status of diplomatic representatives and ambassadors”.

Gil expressed surprise at the MP’s “awareness” and the methods he uses
to tarnish his opponent. “Let this remain on his conscience,” he said.

The Norwegian ambassador also denied reports which said that the
diploma had been conferred on him by an NGO financed from Norwegian
grants.

Armenian parliament ratifies NATO agreement on status of armed forces

Mediamax news agency
31 Mar 04

YEREVAN

The Armenian National Assembly has ratified a multilateral agreement
“On the status of the armed forces” within the framework of NATO’s
Partnership for Peace programme (PfP Status of Forces Agreement-PfP
SOFA).

Mediamax news agency recalls that Armenia joined the agreement “On the
status of the armed forces” last year. The Armenian ambassador to the
USA, Arman Kirakosyan, signed the agreement in Washington on 28
October 2003.

The Constitutional Court of Armenia recognized this agreement on 10
February this year as it meets the requirements of the country’s basic
law. Armenian Defence Minister Serzh Sarkisyan who had submitted the
document to the Constitutional Court noted that Armenia’s signing of
the agreement “On the status of the armed forces” will simplify the
participation of Armenian servicemen in multinational exercises under
the aegis of NATO.

The multilateral agreement “On the status of the armed forces” within
the framework of NATO’s Partnership for Peace programme will regulate
issues of the presence of the armed forces of the allies and their
partners on the territory of the Partnership for Peace member states.

Armenian parliament adopts bill on rallies in its first reading

Mediamax news agency
31 Mar 04

YEREVAN

The Armenian National Assembly adopted a draft law “On the procedure
of staging meetings, rallies, marches and demonstrations” in its first
reading today.

Armenian Justice Minister David Arutyunyan who had submitted the
document announced this week that the draft law will be sent to the
Venice Commission of the Council of Europe for examination. He said
that the proposals of European experts will be examined during the
discussion of the draft law in its second reading.

David Arutyunyan stressed that the document had earlier been submitted
to the Armenian National Assembly by the government and its discussion
was not connected to the opposition’s plans to organize an action in
the near future and demand the resignation of the country’s
leadership.

The Globe and Mail, Canada
March 27 2004

Personal? Political? Phooey

Conflating a private medical crisis and the Armenian genocide, a
playwright’s performance is manipulative and presumptuous

By KAMAL AL-SOLAYLEE
Saturday, March 27, 2004 – Page R18
Rogues of Urfa
Written and performed
by Araxi Arslanian
Directed by Rebecca Brown
At Artword Alternative Theatre
In Toronto

Rating: *

Finally, something that the Turks and the Armenians can hate together
and find equally offensive. Joy to the world.

With her Rogues of Urfa, playwright and actor Araxi Arslanian may
have accomplished a feat that has eluded diplomatic efforts for
nearly a century; but she does so through a series of assumptions
that take her work out of the realm of theatre and into that of the
personal vendetta.

In this classic work of “victim art” — who says the eighties are
over? — the emphasis is solely and unequivocally placed on the
victim. The art — be it the writing, the performance, or the
emotional impact of a combination of the two — has been pushed to
the margins of this theatrical equation. Politically, it may seem
justified. Artistically, it’s worthless.

Rogues (which opened Wednesday in a production by Alianak Theatre) is
a monologue, written and performed by Arslanian, which connects two
stories that take place at the end, and the beginning, of the 20th
century. The first is an account of how the performer on-stage — and
there’s nothing to suggest she is anyone but Arslanian — has
survived a congenital brain disorder, and relates her subsequent
suffering at the hands of unsympathetic doctors, students and fellow
actors.

The second strand relates to the Armenian genocide at the hands of
the Turks in 1915, and is told through the story of her grandfather,
a young soldier from the doomed Urfa, “city of prophets.”

Both stories get equal stage time, and the implication is that the
annihilation of many can prove inspiring to the sick one. The two
stories are linked in the last two minutes in a line credited to the
performer’s father, and which counts as one of the most horrifically
manipulative and presumptuous theatrical devices I’ve ever
encountered: that the blood clot in the actor is the same blood of
Armenian victims, the blood of survivors.

Does this mean that atrocities perpetrated by the Turks are morally
equivalent to the nastiness of fellow actors or unsympathetic
university administrators? Is she invoking the memories of the dead
to keep their stories alive and away from historical distortions and
denials? Or is she simply seeking self-validation?

The work’s political and personal (and they are equated here not
because one is the other but because the personal trumps the
political) scheme could still have worked with a more sophisticated
approach to historical framing, ambiguity and critical distance that,
for example, make Atom Egoyan’s Ararat so much more fascinating as a
work of art.

But, like Mel Gibson, Arslanian is so certain in her convictions that
her writing has no need for such trifles as conflicts or
counterpoints. Everybody, from Turks to actors, are villains and
presented in broad stereotypes that kiss the notion of reconciliation
and forgiveness goodbye. More significantly they simplify, and
therefore render insignificant, the actions and responsibility of all
victimizers.

Perhaps it’s too much to ask for subtlety from an actor who made her
mark on-stage in a number of raucous performances. But even if her
range seems to stretch from loud to louder, she has always exhibited
an undeniable stage presence. Sadly, it’s Arslanian the avenger who
is centre-stage here, and it’s not a convincing or smart sight.
Rebecca Brown’s direction is basic and clichéd, which, at least,
perfectly fits with the modus operandi of the monologue.

Rogues of Urfa continues at Toronto’s Artword Alternative Theatre
until April 4 (416-504-7529).

National Post (Canada)
March 27, 2004 Saturday Toronto Edition

Love the art, if not the artist, Egoyan says of Wagner opera

by Gord McLaughlin

Wagner’s Ring cycle of four operas, clocking in at 18 hours, is among
the truly monumental achievements of Western culture — and even
shares something with Apocalypse Now! and Bugs Bunny. Those are just
two of the shows that have purloined the 19th-century composer’s
best-known piece of music, the rousing and violent Ride of the
Valkyries.

“It has become a cliche,” admits filmmaker Atom Egoyan, who is
directing the Canadian Opera Company’s production of Die Walkure, the
Ring cycle’s second instalment. It runs for six performances at the
Hummingbird Centre beginning April 4, and will be remounted in 2006
when the COC takes up residence in the Four Seasons Opera House, now
under construction, and stages the entire cycle.

“It’s important to say that this is the first [production],” says
Egoyan, who suggests some directors have made a career of “instilling
their audience with the idea that this is just the first shot at it.
That is very much the spirit of this production.” The COC’s Ring
cycle was even designed for the new space, not the Hummingbird, and
refinements will come in ’06.

But the cliches stop right now. You’ll find no horns or wings on
these Valkyries, the immortal maids of Norse myth who spirit the most
valiant slain warriors to Valhalla. Michael Levine, the Toronto-bred,
internationally renowned designer, has dressed them in black corseted
gowns, with underwear showing through threadbare rips and holes.
“It’s sort of like moving nine women off the runway of Gaultier and
on to the Hummingbird stage,” Egoyan says.

Even though Ride of the Valkyries embodies some of the opera’s
intricate themes — the lust for power as well as the erosion of
power structures — Egoyan notes it hardly represents what you’ll
actually hear for the rest of this four-hour production.

“People who think it’s going to be this overpowering bombast should
know that 85% of the opera is two or three people onstage having
discussions,” he says. “It’s really intimate. The whole first act is
basically a very simple love triangle.” Of course, simple is defined
here as a brother and sister falling for each other.

Their father, Wotan (Odin), king of the gods, sired them with a
mortal woman. Some of Wagner’s most compelling libretto-writing,
Egoyan says, occurs when the goddess Fricka confronts her husband
about his betrayals, as well as the self-delusion he employs to
rationalize them.

Immersing himself in the composer’s era, Egoyan discerned the
parallels between Fricka’s insights and those of Wagner’s
contemporary, Immanuel Kant, who shook intellectual Europe with his
belief that reality existed on levels beyond what we perceive and
what we like to project as real. (Incidentally, the Valkyries’
peek-a-boo gowns are inspired by social-industrial trends of the same
era.) Egoyan riffles through a sturdy notebook jammed with quotations
and guiding thoughts gleaned from his research. “This is full of
these ideas that I then pretend to have as original thoughts,” he
jokes, “and [the cast] kind of nod their heads.”

Egoyan’s thirst for psychological motives helped to shape a previous
production of the opera Salome, which drew fire from Post critic
Tamara Bernstein when the COC remounted it in 2002. She accused him
of “pumping up” anti-Semitic and misogynist elements in the Strauss
opera based on Oscar Wilde’s play. Egoyan, who normally doesn’t
respond to reviews, gave as good as he got with an article in which
he demanded an apology, and their shots were heard round the opera
world.

Wagner’s deeply held, freely expressed anti-Semitism has made his
work ripe for examination by those looking for allegorical racism.
The most frequent suspect is the dwarf Alberich, who kicks off the
Ring cycle by fashioning a cursed ring that promises power but
ensures doom. (Think of him as Gollum from Tolkien’s Wagner-inspired
Lord of the Rings.) Armchair academics, as well as the other kind,
have pointed to the dwarf’s greed and stature as manifestations of
old stereotypes, though others have pointed out Alberich is one of
the few characters to survive the cycle’s end-of-the-world finale.

Egoyan sees other reasons to dismiss a race-based interpretation.
“For someone who wrote specifically about every decision he made
rationally, and for someone who wrote one of the most extraordinarily
anti-Semitic texts — Jewishness and Music is just horrifying to read
— I’m quite convinced that if he had intended any of these
characters to represent [Jews], he would have said it.”

Even so, Wagner’s reticence may have been uglier still. “He was so
anti-Semitic that he didn’t believe Jews were worthy of
representation on stage.”

Egoyan, of Armenian descent, cites his own experience of loving an
artist’s art but hating his politics. He can still visualize the very
page in George Orwell’s Down and Out in Paris and London where he
read this heartfelt old saying: “Trust a snake before a Jew, a Jew
before a Greek, but don’t trust an Armenian.”

“It just hit me,” he says. “I thought, ‘This person would have had an
attitude about me if I’d met him.’ ”

Ever the intellectual, Egoyan finds it difficult to stop analyzing
the libretto’s psychodramas, “I think because it’s the easiest thing
to explain to people.” But he sounds genuine and not at all cliched
when he says, “The actual things that make the hair on your neck
stand up — the way a certain chord sounds, the way a light falls on
an actor — are inexpressible.”

– For tickets call 416-872-2262.

GRAPHIC: Color Photo: Dean Bicknell, National Post; Not all of
Wagner’s Ring cycle is bombastic, says director Atom Egoyan: “It’s
really intimate.”

Le Monde, France
Mercredi 24 Mars 2004

L’énigme Basmadjian

Moscou, 1989. Un homme disparaît. C’est un Français d’origine
arménienne, marchand d’art à Paris. Quinze ans plus tard, un juge
parisien et la brigade criminelle enquêtent

L’affaire débute comme un roman d’espionnage, dans l’URSS tourmentée
de l’été 1989. Garig Basmadjian, un Français de 41 ans, spécialiste
réputé de l’art arménien, séjourne à l’Hôtel Rossia, au c`ur de
Moscou. Dans cet établissement d’une austérité toute soviétique, le
KGB n’est jamais bien loin, les clients sont sous surveillance.
Garig Basmadjian ne s’en étonne sans doute pas ; il connaît bien ce
pays, ses obsessions policières. N’a-t-il pas organisé, en 1988, deux
expositions, au Musée de l’Ermitage (Leningrad, aujourd’hui
Saint-Pétersbourg) et à la galerie Tretiakov (Moscou) ? Cette fois,
il est là à l’invitation du ministère de la culture, en prévision
d’autres manifestations.

Trois Arméniens qu’il connaît de longue date sont présents dans sa
chambre, ce 29 juillet au matin, quand le téléphone sonne. “Je
descends dans dix minutes”, dit-il, en russe, à son interlocuteur.
Basmadjian prend son passeport, quitte la pièce avec ses visiteurs
arméniens. “J’en aurai pour deux à trois heures”, leur lance-t-il
dans le hall. Dehors, un homme lui fait signe. Agé d’une trentaine
d’années, il se tient devant une voiture beige, une Lada de type
Jigouli Vaz 2104 ou 2108. Le Français monte à l’avant, le chauffeur
démarre. Il est 10 heures, ce matin d’été. Garig Basmadjian ne
donnera plus jamais signe de vie.

Un juge parisien, Patrick Ramael, tente aujourd’hui de savoir ce
qu’il est devenu. La plainte pour “enlèvement et séquestration”,
déposée le 6 avril 2003 par l’épouse et le fils aîné du galeriste, a
conduit la brigade criminelle à se plonger dans ce dossier traité
jusque-là à Moscou. “Nous voulons connaître la vérité, si pénible
soit-elle”, prévient Varvara Basmadjian, la femme du marchand d’art.

Depuis 1989, celle-ci s’est très peu exprimée dans les médias. Des
années durant, elle n’a pas non plus enclenché de procédure
judiciaire en France. Laissant à sa belle-s`ur, Vartouhi, le soin de
suivre l’évolution de l’enquête russe, elle est restée en retrait
afin, assure-t-elle, de “préserver”ses trois enfants, deux garçons et
une fille. Maintenant que ceux-ci sont “en ge de comprendre”, Mme
Basmadjian relance les investigations avec le soutien d’un avocat, Me
Patrick Baudoin, et de l’Association Edouard-Kalifat, spécialisée
dans la recherche de personnes disparues en ex-URSS.

La tche s’annonce ardue, surtout après tant d’années d’immobilisme.
L’affaire est riche en zones d’ombre ; elle ne manque pas non plus
d’enjeux financiers liés au patrimoine du disparu, propriétaire
d’environ 150 `uvres, bloquées en Russie. Et puis, l’énigme renvoie à
une période trouble – le tournant des années 1980-1990 – marquée par
la fin du communisme et l’essor des réseaux mafieux, y compris dans
le “business” des `uvres d’art. Garig Basmadjian a fréquenté cette
URSS-là ; il en connaissait les pièges.

Etonnant parcours que le sien… Fils d’un ingénieur de la radio
jordanienne, il voit le jour à Jérusalem en 1947. Après avoir grandi
en Israël, il rejoint la terre de ses ancêtres, l’Arménie, alors sous
contrôle soviétique. De 1966 à 1971, il suit des études de philologie
et de journalisme à Erevan, où il fait la connaissance de sa future
épouse, Varvara, de nationalité française. Le jeune homme est
brillant, éclectique ; il écrit des poèmes, traduit des textes en
arménien et en anglais.

En 1972, le couple s’installe près de Paris. Garig Basmadjian
poursuit ses activités de critique d’art et de traducteur. “Il
voyageait beaucoup, participait à des conférences en Angleterre et
aux Etats-Unis”, raconte sa femme. Il affine aussi ses connaissances
artistiques et commence à acquérir des tableaux, en France ou à
l’étranger. En 1978, la passion devient commerce : il ouvre à Paris,
au 90, boulevard Raspail, la Galerie Gorky, vite rebaptisée Galerie
Basmadjian. Cet homme de grande culture, mécène à ses heures, devient
incontournable dans le microcosme russo-arménien. “La galerie était
un point de rencontre, assure sa femme. L’aide apportée à certains
artistes considérés comme des dissidents n’a pas empêché Garig de se
rendre en URSS.” C’est ainsi qu’en 1988 il expose sa collection à
Moscou et à Leningrad. En décembre de la même année, alors qu’un
séisme frappe l’Arménie (100 000 morts), il organise des ventes aux
enchères au profit des sinistrés.

Arrive l’été 1989. A l’approche de cet énième séjour en URSS, le
galeriste paraît préoccupé. “Un jour, confie son épouse, il m’a dit
: “Je ne devrais peut-être pas partir seul.” Cette petite phrase
m’est revenue après coup. Sur le moment, je n’avais pas fait
attention.”Le départ est programmé le 20 juillet. Divers rendez-vous
sont prévus, à Leningrad et dans la capitale. “Il devait organiser le
rapatriement par camion de quelques `uvres exposées à l’Ermitage en
1988”,explique Varvara Basmadjian. Son visa expire le 31 juillet,
date de l’avion du retour. Mais le 29 juillet au matin, devant
l’Hôtel Rossia, il monte dans une Jigouli…

Son entourage, alerté le 1er août, tente d’obtenir des informations.
Sa s`ur Vartouhi se rend à Moscou, où elle rencontre des policiers,
des responsables du ministère de la culture, le consul de France, le
procureur d’Etat. Elle séjourne même au Rossia, dans la chambre de
son frère. Les trois Arméniens présents avec lui ce matin-là, dont la
directrice d’un musée d’Erevan, semblent hors de cause. Les proches
du galeriste s’interrogent en revanche sur le rôle d’un certain Misha
R., spécialiste du marché de l’art, qui l’accompagnait souvent lors
de ses rendez-vous. Cette piste, comme beaucoup d’autres, sera
ensuite abandonnée.

Les médias locaux se passionnent pour cette affaire, présentée comme
le “premier enlèvement d’un étranger sur le sol soviétique”.
Serait-ce l’`uvre des mafias dont l’essor inquiète tant le pays ? La
photo de Basmadjian est placardée dans les commissariats, un avis de
recherche est lancé à la télévision. Sans résultat.

En moins d’un an, sa s`ur effectue cinq voyages à Moscou et un en
Arménie, mais ne sait trop à qui se fier. Un jour, les enquêteurs
suggèrent qu’il s’agit d’une “affaire mafieuse aux ramifications
internationales”. Un autre, un fonctionnaire des affaires étrangères,
lui assure que son frère était encore en vie le 12 août. Autre
élément troublant : pourquoi une personne se réclamant du ministère
de la culture a-t-elle appelé son hôtel, après la disparition, afin
de demander que la réservation de la chambre soit prolongée d’une
semaine ?

Côté français, l’heure est aussi au jeu d’ombres. A la mi-septembre
1989, Varvara Basmadjian et sa belle-s`ur reçoivent la visite de deux
hommes affirmant travailler au ministère de l’intérieur. “Ils nous
ont interrogées sur mon mari, raconte Varvara Basmadjian. Je leur ai
dit qu’il n’avait aucune activité politique. L’un d’eux, “Monsieur
Paul”, m’avait laissé un numéro. J’ai essayé de l’appeler deux fois,
mais cela ne répondait jamais. Je n’ai jamais su s’il s’agissait de
vrais policiers.”

En janvier 1990, Varvara Basmadjian se rend à son tour à Moscou. On
lui remet les effets personnels de son époux, ainsi qu’un
portrait-robot du chauffeur de la Jigouli : “30 ans, taille 1,70
m-1,75 m, de corpulence forte, visage de type européen, cheveux
chtain clair bouclés, habillé d’un pantalon beige et d’une chemise
de même couleur, large, portée au-dessus de la ceinture.”

Fin 1990, un policier et un magistrat moscovites viennent à Paris.
Les proches du marchand d’art s’étonnent de leurs questions “très
vagues” et doutent de leur volonté d’aboutir. Le 22 mars 1994, après
plus de quatre ans de démarches infructueuses, Vartouhi Basmadjian
conclura ainsi une note de synthèse : “J’ai eu des contacts avec des
détectives privés, la CIA, le KGB, la police française, des
ambassadeurs, des artistes, des collectionneurs, des ex-prisonniers,
des écrivains, des experts, des radiesthésistes, des voyants, des
prêtres… et je ne suis pas plus avancée que le jour où j’ai reçu
l’appel de Moscou m’annonçant que mon frère avait disparu.”

Deux nouvelles pistes ajoutent au mystère dans les années suivantes.
La première, révélée par l’Association Edouard-Kalifat, met en cause
le KGB. En 1993, un homme interné dans un hôpital n
psychiatrique-prison de Smolensk et présenté comme un
“opposant”ukrainien, Alexandre Budilov, réussit à transmettre à
l’ambassade des Etats-Unis une lettre où il affirme avoir vu le
Français, en août 1992, à la prison de Boutyrki. D’après lui, le KGB
aurait enlevé Basmadjian car ce dernier était soupçonné d’espionnage
économique au profit de l’Afrique du Sud. Une assertion difficile à
vérifier : Budilov est mort en juillet 1993. Un suicide,
semble-t-il.

L’autre piste, plus étayée, émane d’un avocat arménien de grand
renom, Karen Nersisian. De janvier 1998 à novembre 1999, il a
enquêté pour le compte de Vartouhi Basmadjian ; leurs relations se
sont ensuite détériorées. Me Nersisian affirme avoir recueilli de
nombreux indices et acheté des documents à l’ex-KGB. Selon lui,
Basmadjian était généreux avec les artistes, mais il se livrait aussi
au commerce – très lucratif – des ordinateurs. L’un de ses clients,
un marchand d’art réputé, l’aurait tué après une dispute. D’après Me
Nersisian, la fameuse Jigouli appartenait à un artiste russe marié à
une Française, employée à l’ambassade de France. Interrogé par Le
Monde, Me Nersisian affirme savoir où a eu lieu le meurtre et ce qui
a été fait du corps, mais refuse d’en dire davantage.

La famille Basmadjian, qui a fermé la galerie du boulevard Raspail
fin 2002, conteste l’existence d’un trafic d’ordinateurs. Elle
rejette également les soupçons – récurrents – d’espionnage. “Mon mari
n’était pas un agent, insiste Varvara Basmadjian. Peut-être a-t-il
été utilisé par des services sans même savoir qu’il l’était…”

Il reste maintenant à connaître les conclusions de l’enquête
officielle menée à Moscou depuis 1989. Etrangement, c’est auprès d’un
service français, la DST, que le juge Ramael a obtenu le document le
plus intéressant à ce propos : une note du “ministère de la sécurité
de la Fédération de Russie”, datée du 1er décembre 1993. D’après ce
texte, d’importantes vérifications auraient été effectuées : “900
relations de Basmadjian(…), 4 127 automobiles (…),134
établissements médicaux (…), 70 000 caves et greniers”…

Varvara Basmadjian assure n’avoir jamais été informée dans le détail
de ces développements. Et, pourtant, la vérité est peut-être là, dans
cette note de sept pages dont Le Monde a eu connaissance. Trois noms
sont en effet cités. Trois hommes avec lesquels son mari était
semble-t-il en relation. Il leur aurait même passé commande d’une
vingtaine de tableaux qu’il souhaitait acquérir en URSS. Une fois à
Moscou, les tractations auraient mal tourné. Deux d’entre eux
seraient directement impliqués dans la disparition.

Le premier est Alex Asmakov, alias Alex Taïm. D’après les policiers
français, ses “relations avec la mafia russe sont clairement
établies”. Seul problème : il aurait été assassiné en 1999, en
Russie ; son corps n’aurait jamais été retrouvé.

Le second suspect, qui pourrait être le chauffeur de la Jigouli, est
vivant. Il s’agit d’Alexandre Podlesnyi, alias Alex Yaari, 45 ans.
Cet ancien boxeur, réputé proche des milieux criminels sibériens, est
emprisonné au Canada pour le meurtre d’un bijoutier. Il se serait
vanté à plusieurs reprises du meurtre de Basmadjian. Le juge Ramael
veut l’entendre avant sa libération, fin 2004.

Le troisième homme, Alexandre Hoffman, 49 ans, n’aurait joué qu’un
rôle secondaire, mais son témoignage pourrait être déterminant. Il
vit aux Etats-Unis sous une nouvelle identité (Alex G.). A en croire
la note russe, il avait été interrogé, en 1991, par le FBI. A cette
occasion, il aurait indiqué que Basmadjian disposait, au KGB, de
“relations” qu’il “exploitait sans limites” pour favoriser son
commerce, plus ou moins licite, d’`uvres d’art. Le juge veut
également auditionner Hoffman.

Ainsi donc, le dossier comporte des noms, des adresses, et même un
récit de la “cavale” (Pologne, Israël, Autriche…) des suspects.
D’où ces interrogations : pourquoi les autorités russes n’ont-elles
jamais demandé l’extradition ou l’arrestation des trois hommes ? Que
savent-elles au juste de cette affaire ? “Il faut se souvenir du
contexte de 1989, rappelle Vartouhi Basmadjian. En ce temps-là, il
était impossible de disparaître sans qu’elles n’en soient informées.
De plus, Garig n’allait jamais seul à un rendez-vous. S’il l’a fait,
c’est que les gens avec lesquels il est allé étaient des amis de très
longue date ou que ce rendez-vous avait un caractère officiel.”

Selon nos informations, le dossier russe comporte en fait pas moins
de 39 tomes. Le magistrat français a enfin eu l’occasion de s’y
plonger : accompagné de deux policiers, il vient de passer une
semaine à Moscou. Quinze ans après, ce déplacement relance enfin
l’espoir de voir un jour élucidée l’énigme Basmadjian.

François Bonnet et Philippe Broussard