Author: Toneyan Mark

ISABEL BAYRAKDARIAN’S "REMEMBRANCE TOUR," SPONSORED BY ZORYAN INSTITUTE, DEDICATED TO ALL VICTIMS OF GENOCIDE

AZG Armenian Daily
10/09/2008

Culture, Diapsora

Toronto– The International Institute for Genocide and Human Rights
Studies (A Division of the Zoryan Institute) (the IIGHRS) is honoured
to sponsor the Remembrance Concert Tour, as it is dedicated to the
victims of all genocides. The tour features the music of Gomidas
Vartabed (1869-1935), starring Isabel Bayrakdarian, who has captivated
audiences all over the world with her beautiful and moving soprano
voice.

Why is the IIGHRS sponsoring such a concert tour? Perhaps it has been
best expressed by Isabel Bayrakdarian, herself. "Their objective is
to raise awareness of genocide, this gross violation of human rights,
through the concert tour’s profound theme of remembrance."

George Shirinian, the institute’s Executive Director, stated, "We
believe in using every opportunity and medium to educate the public at
large about this heinous crime, and in this case through the musical
genius of Gomidas, and Isabel’s interpretation of it. Defending truth
and human rights is everybody’s business. We must all do our part."

"Gomidas, who collected, purified and preserved the essence of Armenian
music, had his life and music interrupted by the Armenian Genocide,"
explained Greg Sarkissian, President of the Zoryan Institute. "Only
God knows how many other musical and artistic geniuses have been
lost to humanity due to the many genocides in the past seven decades
alone–Cambodia, the Jewish Holocaust, Rwanda, Bosnia, Kosovo,
East Timor, and now Darfur. It is therefore imperative that we use
this venue to bring about the awareness of and the sensitivity for
this universal trauma. It is equally important that the survivors of
genocide and their descendants, whatever their ethnicity, generously
support our institute for such a large undertaking–stretching from
New York to San Francisco, from Vancouver to Toronto–not only by
attending the concert itself, but also by helping the institute
underwrite the enormous costs involved."

Through Serouj and Isabel’s journey of discovery with Gomidas, they
learned that one doesn’t have to be Armenian to be touched by his
work. There is a mystical and a universally soul-stirring quality to
his songs, with an air of blissful sadness and child-like simplicity
that captures and moves the listener regardless of nationality, race,
or religion.

Given that the trauma of the Armenian Genocide is also part of Isabel’s
identity, as the grandchild of a survivor, her working with Zoryan’s
IIGHRS is a natural partnership.

As Serouj Kradjian noted, "On April 24, 1915 Gomidas Vartabed was
one of 300 Armenian intellectuals arrested and deported in the
first stage of the Armenian Genocide masterminded by the Ottoman
government, during the course of which some one-and-a-half million
Armenians perished. Due to the efforts of United States Ambassador
Henry Morgenthau, Gomidas was one of the few to return alive, only
to find that he had lost everything – friends, students, and most of
his life’s work. He succumbed to intense physical and mental anguish,
became a ghost of his former vigorous self, and never composed or
sang again. He died in a mental institution near Paris on October
22, 1935. Gomidas purified Armenian music of all foreign influences
and gave it back to its people, laying the foundations of a national
music culture. This explains his rightful recognition as the ‘father
of Armenian classical music.’"

"The program of the concert tour is woven around the orchestral
arrangements of Gomidas’ folk songs and relates to the music and
culture of all persecuted nations," explains Isabel. "There are other
gems included in this unique program," she added, "such as Maurice
Ravel’s "Kaddish," a prayer which is one of the masterpieces of
Jewish liturgy, ‘Three Pieces in the Olden Style’ by Henryk Gorecki,
best known for his stunning "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs" depicting
misery and death in a Gestapo cell, and Nikos Skalkottas’ undiscovered
‘Greek Dances.’

According to Atom Egoyan, "Serouj Kradjian has provided arrangements of
sublime sensitivity, carefully harnessing the alternately meditative
and expressive gestures so specific to Gomidas’ music. There are
moments–such as the end of "Karoun a" (It’s Springtime), where
Kradjian’s effects are truly miraculous."

"The songs of Gomidas have a very special place in my heart," Isabel
confided. "I feel each song encapsulates in it the pride of the
Armenian people and its tenacity and determination to survive despite
its difficult history. As one of my earliest artistic compasses,
these songs – with their unique nuances and inflections – continue
to influence everything I sing, interpret, and express," she concluded.

Gracing the front cover of the June/July 2008 issue of Opera Canada,
Isabel Bayrakdarian is admired as much for her stunning stage
presence as for her exceptional musicality, and she has followed a
unique career path completely her own. Since winning first prize at
the 2000 Operalia competition founded by Placido Domingo, she has
burst onto the international opera scene, gracing the stages of the
Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House, La Scala, Paris Opera, Chicago
Lyric Opera, Salzburger Festspiele, Dresden Semperoper, Bavarian State
Opera, and the Canadian Opera Company among others. Singing under
the baton of such eminent conductors as James Conlon, David Zinman,
Michael Tilson-Thomas, Mariss Jansons, Leonard Slatkin, James Levine,
Peter Ounjian and Richard Bradshaw. She has won four consecutive
Junos (Canada’s equivalent of the Grammys) for her work. She sings
on the Grammy award-winning soundtrack of the blockbuster film The
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and her voice can also be heard
in the multiple award-winning Canadian film Ararat. She is also the
subject of a film entitled A Long Journey Home that documents her
first trip to Armenia. A collection of songs by Gomidas, recorded
with her husband and the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra, will be
released on Nonesuch Records to coincide with the concert tour.

Apart from her musical accomplishments, she holds an honors degree
in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Toronto.

2008 North American Tour Dates & Venues

San Francisco Performances, Herbst Theatre – October 4

Philharmonic Society of Orange County, Renee & Henry Segerstrom
Concert Hall – October 5

Vancouver Symphony, Orpheum Theatre – October 7

Toronto, Roy Thomson Hall – October 17

Boston Celebrity Series, New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall –
October 19

New York City, Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall – October 20

For more information on Isabel Bayrakdarian, please visit

The IIGHRS’s mission is to encourage a new generation of scholars
to engage in research and publication in the field of genocide and
human rights studies. This is achieved through a comparative and
interdisciplinary analysis of such cases of genocide as the Jewish
Holocaust, the Cambodian Genocide, and the Rwandan Genocide, among
others, using the Armenian Genocide as the point of reference. It
seeks to help develop an academic support system for those who work
toward the prevention of genocide. It strives to show, through the
study of the genocidal traumas of many peoples, that genocide is a
shared human experience and that, as such, it must be the concern of
all individuals and institutions.

For more information, visit , email
[email protected], or telephone (416) 250-9807.

ATOM EGOYAN’S TEENAGE SON PROVIDES IMPETUS FOR LATEST FILM, ‘ADORATION’

The Canadian Press
Sept 9 2008
TORONTO

TORONTO — Acclaimed Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan says watching his
14-year-old son grow up in the age of the Internet was a big impetus
for his latest feature "Adoration," about a student who tells a lie
that spins out of control online.

"I think a lot of the film was born out of this idea of our son
reaching a point – and then reflecting back on who I was at that age,"
Egoyan said in an interview at the Toronto International Film Festival,
where the thought-provoking drama is screening.

"Certainly at that age, that’s when I got really involved in high
school drama and I began to be consumed by making up these narratives
… If I was that kid now? With the Internet, it would be irresistible
to kind of not use that medium."

"Adoration," written, directed and produced by Egoyan, stars Devon
Bostick as a Toronto teen named Simon who is encouraged by his French
teacher (Arsinee Khanjian, Egoyan’s wife) to read a terrorism news
story to his class and pretend that he is a key part of it.

The story Simon tells in the film is inspired by a real-life 1986
headline about a Jordanian man who put a bomb in the luggage of
his pregnant Irish girlfriend before she attempted to board an El
Al flight.

In the film, Simon pretends that he was the unborn child.

"That story, when it first came out … it was the first time I
realized that a terrorist could abstract another human being to that
extent, especially a loved one who’s carrying his own child," said
Egoyan, who is of Armenian descent and was born in Cairo but raised
in Victoria, B.C., and Toronto.

Students who hear of Simon’s alleged past, not knowing it isn’t real,
go home to tell their parents and soon the entire community is engaged
in heated discussions in online webcam chat rooms about the tale.

The ensuing firestorm of deceit forces Simon to reconcile his
feelings about the death of his parents, played in flashbacks by
Rachel Blanchard and Noam Jenkins.

Interwoven throughout the film are the struggles of Simon’s uncle,
deftly played by Scott Speedman, as well as issues of racism, cultural
ignorance, intolerance, humanizing terrorist figures and how technology
affects the way we communicate.

"I used to think 20 years ago when I made these films dealing with
satellite communications that we would lose our sense of humanity and
that we would kind of distance ourselves from each other, but in fact
that’s not really true," said Toronto-based Egoyan, who touched on
some of the same themes two decades ago with the film "Speaking Parts."

"In fact, it’s saturated us with a degree of intimacy we could have
never imagined."

Arshile, Egoyan’s son, is a bit younger than Simon, who is part of
a generation where texting, digital cameras and cellphones are near
necessities, said the director.

To learn how teens are using Internet communication, Egoyan held
workshops with Toronto high school students and said "it was shocking
how immediate and easy it was for them to create these personas"
online.

"It’s not so schizophrenic to have these different personalities for
them," said Egoyan, who earned Oscar nominations for directing and
writing the screenplay for 1997’s "The Sweet Hereafter."

"Adoration" earned Egoyan the Ecumenical Jury Prize, which honours
directing, at the Cannes Film Festival in May, an honour that brought
tears to his eyes.

"I was pretty emotional," said Egoyan.

"It’s difficult for people to understand how overwhelming that
event is. I’ve been there so many times but each time it’s just,
it’s so overwhelming, it’s like there’s so much work to do and you’re
exposing your film to the entire world … So when you get a prize
like that, especially when it’s worded so beautifully and it completely
understands your film … I just felt really stirred by that."

"Adoration" is to be released in theatres in February.

DIE WELT, Deutschland
3. September 2008

Fußballdiplomatie zwischen der Türkei und Armenien

Anja Grünke

Istanbul – Mit einem Fußballspiel ihrer beiden Nationalmannschaften
wollen Armenien und die Türkei ein Zeichen der politischen Entspannung
setzen. Am 6. September um 18 Uhr wird das Spiel in Eriwan angepfiffen.
Abdullah Gül, der türkische Präsident, werde eine Einladung seines
armenischen Amtskollegen Sersch Sarkissjan annehmen und als Zuschauer
erstmals nach Armenien reisen, berichtete die türkische Tageszeitung
"Radikal". Eine Delegation des türkischen Außenministeriums solle
vorher in der armenischen Hauptstadt Gespräche aufnehmen.

Offiziell gab es noch keine Bestätigung des Besuchs. Diplomatische
Beziehungen unterhalten die Nachbarstaaten keine. Von der
internationalen Gemeinschaft fordert Armenien die Anerkennung des
Völkermordes an Landsleuten im Osmanischen Reich. Der Vorwurf des
Genozids wird von der Türkei heftig zurückgewiesen.

Ein zweiter Streitpunkt ist die von Armenien besetzte Kaukasus-Enklave
Berg-Karabach. Die Provinz gehört völkerrechtlich zu Aserbaidschan.
Die Türkei betrachtet den Besuch Güls als Chance für einen Durchbruch
im Verhältnis der Staaten. dpa

LEVON ARONIAN REGISTERS ANOTHER DRAW AT GRAND SLAM CHESS TOURNAMENT

109

BILBAO, SEPTEMBER 5, NOYAN TAPAN. Levon Aronian of Armenia drew with
Indian Viswanathan Anand in the third round of Grand Slam Chess
Tournament in Bilbao, Spain on September 4. Temur Rajabov (Azerbaijan)
drew with Vasily Ivanchuk (Ukraine). Magnus Carlsen of Norway was
beaten by Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria).

V. Topalov has 5 points after the third round and is now in lead of the
table. M. Carlsen has 4 points, V. Anand, V. Ivanchuk and T. Rajabov
have 3 points each, while Aronian earned 2 points.

L. Aronian plays againts V. Ivanchuk in the 4rd round on September 5.

Turkish Press, MI
Sept 5 2008

Russia angry at US ship, Cheney sees ‘threat’ from Moscow
09-05-2008, 14h24
POTI, Georgia (AFP)

Russia criticised the United States on Friday for sending a navy
flagship to a key Georgian port, while US Vice President Dick Cheney
raised the spectre of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Washington says the USS Mount Whitney, which dropped anchor off the
Black Sea port of Poti, is there to deliver vital aid to Georgian
refugees but a senior Russian official suggested it might be serving
military purposes.

"Naval ships of that class can hardly deliver a large amount of aid,"
foreign ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko told journalists,
underlining instead the ship’s sophisticated surveillance technology.

Since last month’s war with Georgia, Russian forces have been deployed
at checkpoints near Poti, a strategically important port on the Black
Sea that was bombed by Russian jets, and they are still patrolling
there from time to time.

Russia sent hundreds of tanks and troops into Georgian territory on
August 8 in what it says was a response to a Georgian offensive to
regain control of South Ossetia from Moscow-backed separatists.

Moscow withdrew the bulk of its forces from Georgia under a
French-brokered ceasefire agreement, but it has kept thousands of
troops deployed in Georgia saying it needs security guarantees before
it pulls out completely.

Russia last week recognised South Ossetia and Abkhazia, another
breakaway region, as independent states, drawing fierce condemnation
from Georgia and many Western countries.

As Russia sought to win support for its intervention at a summit of
ex-Soviet states in Moscow, Cheney wrapped up a tour aimed at
bolstering key US allies in the region.

In Kiev, he reaffirmed US support for Ukraine’s NATO ambitions and, in
a thinly-veiled reference to Russia, said the former member of the
Soviet Union should never fear invasion.

"We believe in the right of men and women to live without the threat
of tyranny, economic blackmail or military invasion or
intimidation. Ukraine’s best hope to overcome these threats is to be
united," he said.

Ukraine is in the grip of a political crisis, with bitter infighting
between the Western-oriented president and prime minister sharpened by
divisions over ties with Russia following its war with Georgia last
month.

The squabbling highlights deep differences between the mainly
Russian-speaking southeast of Ukraine and the predominantly
Ukrainian-speaking northwest of the country, more oriented towards
integration with the West.

European officials have suggested Ukraine could be the next flashpoint
for tensions between Russia and the West, particularly because of
tensions over a Russian naval base in the southern Ukrainian port of
Sevastopol.

Like Georgia, Ukraine has angered Moscow by bidding to join NATO and
the EU.

In Tbilisi on Thursday, Cheney accused Russia of an "illegitimate"
invasion to redraw the map of Georgia and unveiled a one-billion
dollar (701-million euro) aid package to help reconstruction.

His trip to Georgia coincided with an announcement by the OSCE that it
had sent military observers in a buffer zone between Russian and
Georgian troops for the first time since the conflict.

Meanwhile, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev was hoping the leaders of
Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan
meeting in Moscow would show the world that Moscow has its backers.

Russia has so far failed to persuade close regional allies to join it
in recognising the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, a move
some fear could complicate other territorial disputes in the region.

So far only distant Nicaragua — an old Cold War battleground — has
followed Russia’s lead.

Russian leaders have jetted round the region, with Medvedev announcing
closer military ties with Tajikistan and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin
unveiling a new pipeline deal in energy-rich Uzbekistan.

Hürriyet, Turkey
Sept 5 2008

Turkish opposition leader criticizes Armenia visit

Armenia needs to stop its push for recognition of the `genocide’
before Turkish President Abdullah Gul visits the country this weekend,
the Turkish leader of the opposition said Friday.

"What has Armenia done to change its policy of hostility towards
Turkey over the issue of Armenian lies; what has it done to withdraw
from Azerbaijani territory? Nothing," Deniz Baykal, leader of the
Republican People’s Party (CHP), said in an interview with Turkish
news channel, NTV.

"Perhaps he could go and pray at the site of the `Armenian genocide’
and lay a wreath while he is there," Baykal added.

Gul will attend a football World Cup 2010 qualifier in Yerevan on
Saturday afternoon following an invitation from his Armenian
counterpart, Serzh Sargsyan.

Armenia, with the backing of the Diaspora, claims up to 1.5 million of
their kin were slaughtered in orchestrated killings in 1915. Turkey
rejects the claims, saying that 300,000 Armenians along with at least
as many Turks died in civil strife that emerged when Armenians took up
arms for independence in eastern Anatolia.

The Turkish press published Friday comments made by Gul in 1993 when
he was a member of an Islamist political party.

Gul criticized the Turkish government of the time for inviting the
Armenian head of state to attend the funeral of the then Turkish
president, Turgut Ozal.

"How can you have the audacity to shake the hand of an Armenian
president, whose country has invaded Azerbaijani territory (…) Like
Israel, Armenia stands alone in our region," he said in parliament,
according to Turkey’s Vatan daily.

Turkey is among the first countries that recognized Armenia when it
declared its independency. However there is no diplomatic relations
between two countries, as Armenia presses the international community
to admit the so-called "genocide" claims instead of accepting Turkey’s
call to investigate the allegations, and its invasion of 20 percent of
Azerbaijani territory despite U.N. Security Council resolutions on the
issue.

estic/9829877.asp?scr=1

Armenian National Committee – Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918
Fax: 818.246.7353
[email protected]

PRESS RELEASE

September 3, 2008
Contact: Ani Garabedian

Activists take Northern California by Storm

San Francisco, CA – The Armenian National Committee – Western Region
(ANC-WR) and the Bay Area ANC Chapter recently participated in a
series of meetings in northern California to inform Members of
Congress about issues relating to the Armenian American community.
The meetings took place in August 2008, featuring conferences with the
offices of Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA-09), Congressman Pete Stark
(D-CA-13), Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey (D-CA-06), Congressman George
Miller (D-CA-07) and Congressman Wally Herger (R-CA-02).

"Every August, the community mobilizes to meet with Members of
Congress to discuss issues that are important to the community,"
stated ANCA-WR Executive Director Andrew Kzirian. "During the August
recess, constituents and activists can sit down with their
democratically elected representatives to more personally convey their
thoughts and concerns right at home in their own districts," he added.

Through these meetings, the ANC advised Members of Congress regarding
the recent controversy at the Institute of Turkish Studies (ITS).
Professor Donald Quataert, director of ITS, was forced to resign after
changing his long held position of denial by acknowledging the
historical veracity of the Armenian Genocide in a recent book review.
The ANC representatives also discussed the Southern Poverty Law
Center’s recent investigative feature on the Turkish government’s
denial campaign in American academia. The meetings covered support for
H. Res. 106 (Armenian Genocide Resolution), H.R. 6079 (End the Turkish
Blockade of Armenia Act), assistance for Darfur, the recent
Ambassadorial confirmation hearings and the State Department’s
acknowledgement that Ottoman authorities were responsible for the
crimes committed during the Armenian Genocide.

The ANC also focused on the importance of preparing today’s youth to
be tomorrow’s leaders and how Armenian Americans oriented with public
affairs are making their way successfully into the world of
government.

The Armenian National Committee of America is the largest and most
influential Armenian American grassroots political organization.
Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and
supporters throughout the United States and affiliated organizations
around the world, the ANCA actively advances the concerns of the
Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.

MEDVEDEV SUPPORTS PEACE TALKS ON KARABAKH WITHIN OSCE MG

PanARMENIAN.Net
02.09.2008 18:49 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ President Dmitry Medvedev of Russia and Serzh
Sargsyan of Armenia discussed the settlement process of the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict and bilateral economic cooperation today.

Confirming support to the talks held in the framework of the OSCE Minsk
Group, Mr Medvedev said that the conflict must be settled peacefully.

Touching upon economic cooperation, the two Presidents pointed out
to the growth of commodity turnover and Russian investments in the
Armenian economy. They also referred to implementation of joint
regional programs in energy and transport fields.

THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE INFECTED WITH HIV/AIDS IN ARMENIA HAS GROWN FOR 75 PEOPLE

Panorama.am
18:18 02/09/2008

>From 1988 to 31 July 2008 613 HIV cases had been registered in the
Republic of Armenia among citizens of the Republic of Armenia with
109 new cases of HIV infection registered in 2007 and 75 – in 2008.

>From 1988 till July 31 2008 only 613 cases of HIV/AIDS infection were
registered among Armenian citizens. In 2007-2008 143 people died from
HIV/AIDS: 121 of them were men and 22 women.

According to the Republican Centre for AIDS Prevention the general
number of HIV infected is 613, 456 are men and 157 women. The number
of AIDS infection cases is 258: 208 men, 50 women.

The survey of HIV/AIDS current situation shows that there are 2800
HIV infected people living in Armenia now.

General statistics of the topic is like this: 1988 – registration of
the first HIV case; the transmission mode is heterosexual intercourse;
1988 – registration of the first AIDS case; 1989 – registration of
the first death from AIDS; 1990 – registration of the first case of
HIV infection through injecting drug use; 1996 – registration of the
first HIV case among women; 2000 – registration of the first case
of HIV transmission through homosexual practice; 2001 – registration
of the first cases of HIV infection and AIDS among children; 2001 –
registration of the first case of child death from AIDS; 2002 – HIV
prevalence among IDUs is in the range of 15%; 2007 – HIV prevalence
among IDUs is in the range of 6.8%

Males constitute a major part in the total number of HIV cases –
456 cases (74.4%), females make up 157 cases (25.6%). 613 reported
cases include 13 cases of HIV infection among children (2.1%).

The overwhelming majority of the HIV-infected individuals (70.5%)
belong to the age group of 20-39.

In the Republic of Armenia the main modes of HIV transmission
are through heterosexual practices (49.1%) and injecting drug
use (44.2%). Additionally, there are also registered cases of
mother-to-child HIV transmission, as well as through blood transfusions
and homosexual practices.

ARMENIAN PREMIER: KARABAKH PROBLEM CAN BE SOLVED ONLY THROUGH NEGOTIATIONS

ARKA
Sep 3, 2008

STEPANAKERT, September 3. /ARKA/. Fair settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict can be achieved through negotiations, Armenian Premier
Tigran Sargsyan said during the celebration of the 17th anniversary
of independence of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR).

It is not that important when NKR’s independence will be recognized,
he said adding that if people live on their own land independently
and proudly, everybody will accept it sooner or later.

According to the Premier, not only Karabakhi population, but every
Armenian in the world can be proud of the achievements made by the NKR.

Armenian foreign policy should remain flexible, Sargsyan said. We live
in rapidly changing world and follow the course of events happening
not only in the region, but also in the world on the whole, and,
certainly, we are obliged to show flexibility," Sargsyan said.