Author: Tvankchian Parkev

MODEL OF NOAH’S ARK OPENED ON MOUNT ARARAT

Noyan Tapan
Jun 01 2007

IGDIR, JUNE 1, NOYAN TAPAN. The opening ceremony of a model of
Noah’s Ark took place on May 31 on Korhan plateau of Mount Ararat
2,500 meters above sea level. About 20 Turkish and German carpenters
completed the work the night before.

The model was made thanks to efforts of Greenpeace organization which
wants through this symbolic step to draw attention of G8 countries
to the problem of global warming. A summit of G8 is scheduled for
June 6-8 in Germany.

Participants of the opening ceremony released 194 pigeons symbolizing
various peoples of the world, appealing to political leaders to
"save the climate".

The model of Noah’s Ark is 10 meters long and 4 meters wide. Its
height is 4 meters.

OYP AND ZHARANGUTIUN ARE NOT READY TO SHARE RESPONSIBILITY OF COUNTRY’S GOVERNMENT WITH RPA, ARMEN ASHOTIAN CONSIDERS

Noyan Tapan
May 31 2007

YEREVAN, MAY 31, NOYAN TAPAN. As member of RPA Board Armen Ashotian
affirmed, special power shift will be possible in the country only
in case of "solution of Nagorno Karabakh problem not favorable for
Armenia." As the latter said at the May 31 dispute with representative
of Zharangutiun Party Stepan Safarian, no other circumstance can result
in removal of power at present. And in general, in A. Ashotian’s words,
power is not an end in itself for RPA, establishment and development
of public-political consensus in the country is important for RPA.

Speaking about possible political coalition, A. Ashotian said that
for this purpose they should first of all find out whether the
parliament has forces wishing to share responsibility of government
with RPA. As he affirmed, currently neither Zharangutiun nor Orinats
Yerkir opposition parties represented in the parliament are ready
to share this responsibility. In response to the question, in what
issues RPA-Zharangutiun cooperation will be possible, A. Ashotian
added that if, for instance, Zharangutiun offers pro-state bills,
RPA will vote for them without fail. "I hope Zharangutiun will become
a constructi ve opposition," A. Ashotian concluded.

S. Safarian, in his turn, said that the two parties entered
the parliament with different programs and have essential
contradictions. One of them, for instance, is that Zharangutiun
considers the arrest of former RA Foreign Minister Alexander Arzumanian
and others as political, it considers the latters as political
prisoners, while RPA explains the fact of their arrest in a different
way. And nevertheless, in S. Safarian’s words, the two political
forces have some communities and it will be wrong if, for instance,
only for opposing Zharangutiun votes against raising salaries.

Today, Azerbaijan
May 26 2007

Ilham Aliyev: "OSCE Minsk Group support settlement of Nagorno
Karabakh problem on the principles proposed by Azerbaijan"

26 May 2007 [14:51] – Today.Az

"Nagorno Karabakh is an inalienable part of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity is its indefeasible right and this can not be
subject to any talks. We will not change our position."

Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev said in the official reception on
May 28-Republic Day of Democratic Azerbaijan republic, APA reports.

President stressed that Azerbaijan’s position on the Nagorno Karabakh
problem is accepted by the world states and member states of OSCE
Minsk Group.

"Everyone accepts that the conflict can not be settled beyond the
principles proposed by Azerbaijan."

Azerbaijan President said he made statements on Nagorno Karabakh in
his previous meetings and publicized details.

"I do not care what will be said but Azerbaijan nation should know
everything. I am elected by people and must report to my people on
this problem."

The head of state said Azerbaijan has alternative ways of solution of
the conflict.

"We still have choices. The alternative is war. We should be prepared
for any circumstances. International organizations concern over such
statements. But this is reality and option," he stressed.

URL:

The Globe and Mail (Canada)
May 26, 2007 Saturday
BOOK REVIEW; FICTION; Pg. D14

Turkey, Armenia, Arizona

by RANDY BOYAGODA

THE BASTARD OF ISTANBUL
By Elif Shafak
Viking Canada, 360 pages, $31

Imagine, for a moment, that the government of Turkey weren’t so
monolithic in denying the Armenian genocide of 1915, and that its
national identity was mature enough to sustain criticisms rather than
criminalizing them. Were this the case, it’s likely you would have
never heard of Elif Shafak’s new novel, The Bastard of Istanbul.
Alas, official Turkey remains very much committed to its repressive
ideologies, which means you probably know something of this novel and
its author.

With its many bold references to the 1915 Armenian genocide, and its
caustic presentation of Turkish denials, The Bastard of Istanbul
resulted in Shafak being charged with "insulting Turkishness" after
its publication in Turkey last year. Her predicament became an
international news story and the charges were eventually dropped, but
of late, with the North American release of the novel, she has been
garnering a great deal of media attention once again. And while this
attention matches the immediate political significance of what Shafak
has written, it almost completely contradicts this book’s merit as a
work of serious literature.

A novel with chapter titles named after various foods, with actual
recipes included in its pages, with the majority of its action set in
a house where mothers, daughters, sisters and widows live and laugh
and cry and cook together, announces itself with a certain Joy Luck
familiarity these days. The Bastard of Istanbul concerns the lives of
a matriarchal Istanbul family whose men seem to die off by the age of
40. With the family’s only living male residing in faraway Arizona,
the women of the Kazanci family busy themselves in their Istanbul
home with each other’s business and with raising the mercurial Asya,
the product of a dark sexual encounter between Zeliha, one of the
four sisters, and an unknown man. At 19, Asya has penchants for
continental philosophy and ill-considered affairs, which together
inform her more general desire to rebel against a stifling Turkish
society.

Meanwhile, in Arizona, Mustafa Kazanci marries a divorced white woman
with an Armenian daughter, Armanoush, who’s interested in learning
more about her family’s past and about the tragic history of the
Armenians in modern Turkey.

A rebel in her own right, Armanoush secretly travels to Istanbul and
stays with the Kazanci women; she impresses them with her knowledge
of the names for local cuisine and strikes up a friendship with Asya.
Armanoush soon shares with Asya her knowledge of the Armenian
genocide, which inspires Asya to rethink the patriotic assumptions of
her intellectual companions and to start calling for a more
self-exacting conversation about the national past. Asya’s journey to
Istanbul also initiates a chain of domestic events that brings to
light the Kazanci family’s complicity in the trials of Armanoush’s
Armenian grandmother and, climactically, reveals an exceptionally
awful truth about the identity of Asya’s father. The novel’s
paralleling of private and public acts of denial and concealment is
arresting; were one to follow out the implications to their end, it
would suggest the unnaturalness and violence of the act that banished
Armenians from the landscape of modern Turkey.

Moreover, the novel provides intelligent meditations on enduring the
burdens of the past, and on rights and responsibilities that carry
across ethnicities, generations and continents.

But these goods are entirely overwhelmed by the novel’s didacticism,
and by its bad, bad prose. Shafak wrote the book in English, so
there’s no translator to blame for lines such as, "Auntie Feride
sniffed, instantly integrating the nervous man into her engulfing and
egalitarian cosmos of hebrephrenic schizophrenia"; or, "He was a
fragile heart, a gullible soul, and a walking slice of chaos"; or,
"Matt Hassinger put his arm around her and whispered: ‘Pistachios …
yes, you smell just like pistachios’ "; or, "But here she was,
galloping full speed directly into the nub of the matter."

And when the book’s not galloping toward its various nubs, it’s given
over to tirades of too-open intent, as in one character’s lament
about Armanoush being raised by a Turkish stepfather: "What will that
innocent lamb tell her friends when she grows up? … I am the
grandchild of genocide survivors who lost all their relatives at the
hands of Turkish butchers in 1915 but I myself have been brainwashed
to deny the genocide because I was raised by some Turk named
Mustafa!"

The sarcastic tone employed here, like the various framings and
ostensible debates that Shafak provides elsewhere when discussing the
events of 1915, is not developed enough to counteract the obvious
fact that this is a book that’s been written not about, but entirely
against, a historical injustice. While writing a well-intentioned,
passionate provocation in the form of a novel may be an act of great
courage, it doesn’t always make for great literature.

Randy Boyagoda is a professor at Ryerson University and the author of
Governor of the Northern Province.

ARMENIAN TOWN MAYOR’S SON CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED MURDER

Arminfo
25 May 07

Yerevan, 25 May: [Armenian second town of] Gyumri mayor’s son has
been charged with attempted murder.

The press service of the Armenian Prosecutor-General’s Office has
said that in the course of an investigation the identities of several
participants and details of the recent skirmish in central Gyumri
have become clear.

[Passage omitted: details of a brawl and skirmish that followed]

Rustam Sargsyan, Telman Karapetyan and [Gyumri mayor’s son] Spartak
Ghukasyan have been charged with attempted murder, illegal possession
of weapons and anti-social behaviour in accordance with the Armenian
Criminal Code. They are wanted by the police, and arrest warrants
have been issued.

[Passage omitted: police have been instructed to do their best to
find them]

In an interview with Shant TV two days ago, Gyumri mayor Vardan
Ghukasyan denied his son’s involvement in the skirmish.

[Passage omitted: Ghukasyan said in the interview that nothing serious
has happened and media outlets are exaggerating the case]

According to rumours, Spartak Ghukasyan is hiding abroad.

NKR PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IS A NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUE FOR ARMENIA

KarabakhOpen
25-05-2007 17:05:40

The first representative of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic to Armenia, now
an expert of the Caucasus Center, stated May 25 at the Friday Club that
the NKR presidential election is not only the problem and business of
Karabakh but also a national security issue for Armenia. According to
him, for the time being the campaign is normal but there are concerns
stemming from the stance of the regime. Manvel Sargsyan thinks Armenia
should not interfere with the presidential election in Karabakh but
also should not be a mere observer. All the 3 million citizens of
Armenia should display lively interest in the presidential election.

Manvel Sargsyan said five candidates were nominated, and there are also
formal nominations. He noted that the nomination of the NKR deputy
foreign minister Masis Mayilyan, the former officer of the NKR army
Armen Abgaryan and the head of the NKR National Security Service Bako
Sahakyan allow stating that there is real alternative. "There is only
one problems. There must be equal opportunities, the society needs
to be active. No serious process should be held without a society. It
should not be left up to officials and the army."

However, the concerns mentioned by Manvel Sargsyan may create
hindrances. " The new president will appoint new people. Some people
are afraid of losing their positions." Manvel Sargsyan does not think
the Karabakh officials are better than the Armenian officials. Some of
them are even worse, but the unrecognized state holds them back. "An
official will never assume responsibility for the failure of the
country or ignition of war." At the same time, in Karabakh "formal
statements reminding the Soviet tradition are heard on supporting
the common candidate. It has no meaning, the reality is different,
and it is a tendency which will obstruct to holding an election with
a real alternative. I hope the society will create a situation and
all this will not cast a shadow on the election."

Manvel Sargsyan thinks unlike Armenia there is no government-society
watershed in Karabakh, however, the Karabakh government is not ready
for an election with an alternative and is not happy that the deputy
foreign minister of NKR is running in the presidential election. "I
want the election to take place: it does not matter who will be
elected. The elected government is very powerful. Arthur Mkrtichyan
was elected, and people from all over the world came to him. Arkady
Ghukasyan was made president, and nobody in the world knew him for
two years."

EXHIBITION: MY DEAR BROTHER IS IN FRANCE

CollectifVAN.org, France
May 23 2007

The exhibition, "My Dear Brother – Armenians in Turkey 100 Years Ago"
opens on May 26th in Valence, in France. The exhibition can be visited
at the Centre du Patrimoine Armenien until September 16th.

More than 500 postcards, selected among the 4000 postcards from the
collection of Orlando Carlo Calumeno and majorly issued between 1900 –
1914, will be shown at the exhibition which is prepared by Birzamanlar
Publishing.

On the postcards, there are the pictures of Armenian quarters,
churches, monastries, schools, orphanages in various cities; hotels,
trade companies and firms owned by Armenians; missionary schools and
hospitals founded for Armenians or used generally by Armenians. Some
of the postcards are also consisted of those produced by Armenian
editors, photographed by an Armenian or those posted to or by an
Armenian; and those written in Armenian and cachet of Armenians.

"My Dear Brother" is based on social, industrial, cultural and private
lifes of Armenians lived in Turkey, in the beginning of the 20th
century; and it founds a bridge between the two cultures pressured
between the past and the present.

Opening in January 2005, in Istanbul for the first time, it was shown
a great interest and visited by more than 7000 people during 10 days.

The international version of the exhibition, was displayed in Munich,
Koln, Frankfurt in Germany, in 2005 – 2006. In France, there will
be French text in addition to Turkish and Armenian ones. Researh and
text is carried out by Osman Koker; Armenian translation, reduction
, composition and copy reading is carried out by Pakrat Estukyan,
Rober Haddeciyan, Takuhi Tovmasyan Zaman and Melissa Bilal; French
translation is done by Haldun Bayri.

JUDICIAL SYSTEM TO GIVE ANSWER TO QUESTION ON RAFFI HOVANNISIAN’S CITIZENSHIP, IF NOT, THE PEOPLE: HERITAGE PARTY SPOKESMAN

arminfo
2007-05-23 14:26:00

"Raffi Hovannisian is a citizen of Armenia since the first appeal
in 1991.

The judicial system must give the final answer to the question on
his citizenship, if not, the people itself", the "Heritage" party
spokesman Hovsep Khurshurdyan told ArmInfo.

He said the decision of the degree of jurisdiction of 2003 cannot be
considered an answer since it has no legal basis. "Raffi Hovannisian
had appealed for receipt of RA citizenship in 1991 and, despite the
established order, he received neither positive nor negative answer
within a month. The judicial system of Armenia has still to give
the final answer to this question, that should happen before the
presidential election in 2008". H. Khurshudyan said.

To recall, according to RA Constitution, a presidential contender has
to be the citizen of Armenia over the last 10 years and permanently
live in its territory. The country’s authorities had not been granting
a citizenship to R. Hovannisian during 12 years. His appeal was
satisfied only in 2003 in judicial order.

Armenian National Committee of Burbank
361 E. Magnolia Boulevard, #C
Burbank, California 91502
Phone: 818 562 1918
Web:

PRESS RELEASE
May 23, 2007

Contact: Silva Kechichian
E-mail: [email protected]

Burbank ANC Hosts Second Annual Banquet
— Event Honors Local Leaders and Activists

Burbank, CA – The Armenian National Committee of Burbank welcomed over 300
local friends, activists, and community leaders for its second Annual
Banquet. The annual event reviewed the organization’s achievements in the
past year and introduced the Burbank ANC to the community. Hosted at the La
Bella Banquet Hall in Burbank, the event also honored local leaders and
Burbank ANC activists for their contributions to the community. CA State
Assembly Member, Paul Krekorian (D-43) – in whose district Burbank resides –
as well as former CA State Assembly Member Carol Liu (D-44) were joined by
Glendale City Clerk Ardashes Kassakhian, Burbank Mayor Marsha Ramos, Burbank
City Council members Dr. David Gordon, Gary Bric, Anja Reike, representing
Congressman Brad Sherman Debabneh Matthew, representing Senator Jack Scott,
Suzy Jacobs, Burbank Police Chief Thomas Heofel, Burbank Park, Recreation &
Community Services Director Eric Hansen, Burbank Library Services Director,
Sharon Cohen, Burbank Community Development Director Sue Georgino, Burbank
City Clerk, Marbarita Campos, BUSD Assistant Superintendent Human Resources,
Dr. Gave Soumakian, Burbank School Board Vice President, Larry Applebaum,
Burbank School Board Clerk, Dave Kemp, ARF Central Committee, Unger John
Kossakian and Unger Nazo Apanian, ANCA – WR Chairperson Raffi Hamparian,
ANCA – WR Executive Director Antranig Kzirian, ANCA – WR Community
Relations Director, Haig Hovsepian, representatives of the Asbarez Newspaper
and Horizon Television, representatives of local ARF, ANC, ARS & Homenetmen
chapters, Western Prelacy Very Rev. Khoren Habeshian & Diocese, Western
Diocese Very Rev. Fr. Dajad Dz. V. Yardemian, GUSD School Board member
Nayiri Nahabedian, and ACF Trust Fund Executive Director Mourad Hamparian.

Banquet committee chairwoman, Vicky Marashlian, opened the evening’s event,
welcomed those gathered, and introduced the evening’s Mistress of
Ceremonies, Miss Sevana Zetlian. She also thanked the banquet committee of
over a dozen volunteers who helped make the evening possible. Following
the performance of the American and Armenian national anthems by Miss Lorie
Bartamian, the Very Reverand Father Dajad Yardemian and Reverand Father
Khoren Habeshian delivered the invocation.

Dinner was followed by the screening of this year’s "Burbank ANC: A Year in
Review" video in which the organization and its activities were presented by
Burbank ANC committee chairs and members of the community with which the
organization had worked in the past year.

Dr. Arbi Ohanian, Chairman of the Burbank ANC briefly reviewed the
activities of the Armenian National Committee at the local, state, and
federal levels. He emphasized the grassroots nature of the organization and
how community members have worked with the Burbank ANC leadership to make a
difference in Burbank schools, community organizations, and city government.

The sentiments were echoed by Honorary Banquet chairman, CA State
Assemblymember Paul Krekorian (D-43). In his remarks, Krekorian, noted that
though the issues for which the ANC advocates may be on a large scale, he
remained impressed with and applauded the efforts of individual activists
and Armenian Americans who make a difference.

The Burbank ANC presented its annual Levon Shant, William Saroyan, and Vahan
Cardashian, awards. Burbank Police Chief, Thomas Hoefel was presented with
the Levon Shant Award, given annually to an individual who provides
exemplary service to the city of Burbank. Karo Ovasapian received the
William Saroyan award which recognized remarkable contributions by
individuals to the Armenian Cause in the context of their profession or
specialization.

In a surprise move, Burbank ANC executive committee member Peter Musurlian
was presented the Vahan Cardashian Award. Musurlian, who had been told he
would be presenting the award was surprised to learn upon reaching the
podium that he was, in fact, the honoree himself. Musurlian, a long-time
Burbank ANC executive committee member and California native, was honored
for being the Burbank ANC activist of the year. In addition to serving as
station manager and senior producer of BTV6, Burbank’s government access
channel, Musurlian also serves as host to the award-winning program "Burbank
Magazine" and has chaired the Burbank ANC committee in the past. Musurlian
received the award for this leadership and support of the Armenian American
community.

The keynote address for the evening was delivered by ANCA Executive
Director, Aram Hamparian. Hamparian detailed the accomplishments of the
Armenian National Committee at the federal level and in Washington, D.C.
during the past year. Touching on Ohanian’s and Krekorian’s earlier remarks
Hamparian pointed out that the collective activism at the local level helped
drive the issues in the nation’s capital.

The event also featured a traditional Armenian dance performance by the
Lilian Dance Studio.

In her closing remarks, Zetlian thanked the community for joining the
Burbank ANC for the evening’s event and for their continued activism. She
encouraged everyone to continue to support the efforts of the ANC to
advocate on issues of concern to Armenian Americans and build a stronger
community.

"This year’s event was extremely successful. This was a testament to the
numerous volunteers that serve the community through the Burbank ANC. In
particular this was an exemplary effort by the tireless work of the banquet
committee," stated Ohanian.

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.

MOURNING MARCH DEDICATED TO MEMORY OF PONTIAN GREEKS’ GENOCIDE HELD IN YEREVAN

Noyan Tapan
May 21 2007

YEREVAN, MAY 21, NOYAN TAPAN. A mourning march to Tsitsernakaberd
dedicated to memory of the Pontian Greeks’ genocide committed by Turks
took place on May 19. According to different data, 350-600 thousand
Greeks were killed, about 650-700 thousand were expatriated in the
consequence of the genocide taken place in 1916-1923. Few hundreds
of people participated in the march.

"Every year on May 19, which is affirmed by the law of the state of
Greece as the day of the Pontian Greeks’ Genocide, we pay tribute of
respect to victims of that period of time," Panayota Mavromikhali,
the Ambassador of Greece to Armenia said at the unquenchable fire
of Tsitsernakarberd.

In the Ambassador’s words, after the fall of Constantinople, 1134
churches and 960 schools were completely ruined in Pontons, the last
territory passed to Turk Ottomans.

As Eduard Sharmazanov, a member of the Greek Community Council,
Press Secretary of the Republic Party of Armenia mentioned, the
Parliament of Greece recognized with the same sitting both Pontian
Greeks’ and Armenian Genocides. In his and Genocide Museum Director
Hayk Demoyan’s words, any genocide, including the Greek one, must
not be discussed separately and in a separate format.

"Genocide of the Greek, Assyrian and Armenian peoples was a planned
phenomenon. As Greek historians mention, the Pontian Greeks’ Genocide
was the logical continuation of the Armenian people’s Genocide. And
it was not accidental that both in Shapin Garahisar, and Zmurnia,
and Trapison, Armenians and Greeks back to back struggled for
self-defence," Eduard Sharmazanov said.

During the mourning ceremony, Eduard Polatov, the Co-Chairman
of the Anatolia Greek Compatriotic Union of Armenia and Artsakh
considered inadmissible the prospect of Turkey’s membership to the
European Union. He mentioned some cases from the history of Turkey:
the Greeks’ massacres organized after setting fire of the Ataturk
House-Museum provoking by Turks in 1955, during which Armenians also
suffered, occupation of 37% of the Cyprus territory in 1974 by the
Turkish armies in the consequence of what thousands of Greeks died
and were lost traceless, solemn marking of the 60th anniversary of
Taleat’s death in 1981 in Turkey, massacre of the Armenian population
of Azerbaijan by Turk-Azeris in 1988-1992, sleeping Armenian officer
Gurgen Margarian’s murder in Budapest in 2004, by Azeri officer Ramil
Safarov, the murder of Hrant Dink who dared to speak about the Armenian
Genocide in 2007 in Turkey.

"And such Turkey strives for becoming a member of the civilized
family of the European peoples. After not all the crimes described
here we hear statements about the issue that one must address to the
Turkish archives, which have already been "cleaned" long before, to
find out the fact of the genocide. And why do I need those archives
when the best evidence of the genocide is disappearance of millions
of Armenians, Greeks, Assyrians who populated by centuries their
historic Fatherland which is now called Turkey," Eduard Polatov said.

Hayk Demoyan expressed an opinion that the world keeps silence about
all these in the name of interests of the world great policy, but
the Armenian and Greek peoples are decisive in the affair of reaching
the final condemnation of the crimes committed by Turks.