2018 – Page 136 – Armenian Directory & News

Armenian Foreign Ministry clarifies the truthfulness of publication on links between Armenian embassy and Armenian mafia in Germany

November 7, 2018March 12, 2026 Emil Lazarian

Arminfo, Armenia

Nov 5 2018

Armenian Foreign Ministry clarifies the truthfulness of publication on links between Armenian embassy and Armenian mafia in Germany

Yerevan November 5

Marianna Mkrtchyan. The Armenian Foreign Ministry responded to the publication of the media regarding the relationship of the Armenian diplomatic mission with the mafia in Germany.

Thus, the Spokesperson of the Armenian Foreign Ministry Anna Naghdalyan in particular told ArmInfo correspondent: “The Armenian Foreign Ministry is in contact with the relevant structures of Germany to clarify the veracity of the allegations being circulated in the media. “We do not consider it appropriate to give a more detailed comment. We will provide additional information on the results.”

Earlier, dw.com with reference to Der Spiegel published an article stating that for three years the German police tried to arrest members of the Armenian mafia in this country, but the investigation did not recommend accepting the help of the Armenian Embassy in Germany in investigating.

In the article, in particular, it was noted that the criminals from the Caucasus region had built a powerful network in Germany, for three years the investigators in the framework of the secret operation tried to detain and arrest the representatives of the Armenian mafia, but without particular success. “A strictly classified special operation, codenamed Fight against thieves in law, was conducted by the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) in conjunction with six land specialized agencies (LKA). This operation was one of the largest investigations on organized crime in Germany.

“Thieves in law” are described in the investigation materials as high-ranking authorities from Russian- Eurasian organized crime. They also control Armenian mafia structures in Germany. Employees of the Federal Intelligence Service BND and Europol helped the criminal investigation team in the investigation. The “point of reference” was a shootout between two criminal clans, which occurred in July 2014 in Erfurt. Then 14 criminal cases were opened against 42 people suspected of financial fraud. According to the BKA experts, the Armenian mafia in Germany “really exists.” Together with other groups from the Russian- Eurasian criminal circles, it has “substantial financial” resources and can “threaten the foundations of the lawful state.” However, due to lack of evidence, the results of the investigations have not yet led to accusations and criminal cases. In addition, the topic of crime touched upon diplomatic relations. According to Der Spiegel and MDR, the ambassador of Armenia to Germany, Ashot Smbatyan, offered his German investigators assistance in the fight against the Armenian mafia. However, the BKA recommended not agreeing to this cooperation, noting that the investigators do not exclude the connections of thieves in the law with representatives of state structures of Armenia. As a result of more than 70 operational search activities involving thousands of police officers, more than 140 suspects in the arms trade and drug smuggling, money laundering and the creation of clandestine sweepstakes were detained, “the newspaper wrote.

International Political Economy Student Awarded AAUW Fellowship

November 7, 2018March 12, 2026 Jane Topchian

The University of Texas in Dallas, TX

Nov 5 2018

International Political Economy Student Awarded AAUW Fellowship

RICHARDSON, Texas

Ani Baghdasaryan grew up seeing many people forced to leave her country, Armenia, to find jobs. Her career goals, however, can only be accomplished by going back home.

The international political economy graduate student wants to help improve public policy and gender equity in Armenia during a time of sweeping change. The former Soviet republic elected a new prime minister in May after anti-government protests in what has been called a “velvet revolution” because of its peaceful nature.

“Developing my expertise in political economy will be the basis for the change I want to bring to the socioeconomic and political landscape of Armenia,” Baghdasaryan said.

To help her succeed, the American Association of University Women (AAUW) honored her with a 2018-19 International Fellowship, which supports students who will return to their home countries to become leaders in their fields.

Baghdasaryan expects to graduate in May with a Dual Degree Master of Science in International Political Economy from the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences (EPPS). International political economy includes the study of international relations, economics and public policy.

Students in the dual degree program spend one year at UT Dallas and one at the University of Marburg, a nearly 500-year-old campus in Marburg, Germany, and receive degrees from both universities. Baghdasaryan completed her first year in the program in Germany last academic year.

When she returns to Armenia, Baghdasaryan said she wants to work on gender equity issues, including increasing women’s participation in government. As an undergraduate, she designed an awareness program about domestic violence and supported the campaign to pass a law to combat domestic violence back home. She also served as an observer during the 2017 parliamentary election.

Bachelor’s, master’s and PhD degrees in international political economy prepare students for a range of careers in government, nonprofits and international business. The dual degree program began in the 2016-17 academic year for students like Baghdasaryan who want to work internationally, said Dr. Jennifer Holmes, interim dean of EPPS and professor of political science, public policy and political economy.

“We are proud of Ani, her accomplishments and her work to improve gender equity,” Holmes said. “The dual degree is intended to be a launch pad for students with aspirations to work across borders. This is a rare opportunity of international mobility for students, like Ani, who want to work abroad and then, ultimately, bring that expertise home.”

Contact: Kim Horner, 972/883-4463, [email protected]

WWI Altered the Destinies of Many Peoples, Nations in Middle East

November 7, 2018March 12, 2026 Arsine Chaltikian

Voice of America News

November 5, 2018

WWI Altered the Destinies of Many Peoples, Nations in Middle East

November 5, 2018 12:15 PM

BEIRUT –

As the world marks the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I in 1918, some in the Middle East mourn the fate of nations and peoples who came out losers in the ultimate dissection of the region and the division of the Ottoman Empire.

Armenians mourn their dead during a World War I genocide in which close to a million-and-a-half people were killed. Other peoples who suffered from that war, including Greeks, Assyrians, and Kurds, recall its memory with bitterness.

As the war ended, the Ottoman Empire was divided, leaving communities shattered and broken by ethnic cleansing.

University of Oklahoma Middle East program director Joshua Landis says the Ottoman Empire had allowed many ethnic communities to govern themselves.

“The Ottoman Empire was a Sunni dynastic empire, and it was a multi-religious, multi-ethnic empire,” he said. “The various religious and ethnic communities were not equal, but there was a stability and they got along within a framework of Ottoman authority. Once that was destroyed and the French and British imposed national identities and chopped the place up to nation states, many of these nation states included peoples who did not want to live together, and this has led to the recent civil wars.”

Minorities like Armenians and Kurds, who were not awarded nation states, paid a heavy price, as Haigazian University President Paul Haidostian tells VOA.

“World War I really changed the demographic picture so quickly. Twenty years after World War I, if you looked at the demography of many of the regions of Asia Minor and the Middle East and so on, they had been impacted, moved, deported and changed in dramatic ways, and there was no protection and there was no logic to what happened, except for the consequences of alliances, of wars, and so on,” he said.

But some minorities like Lebanon’s Maronite Christians or Syria’s Alawites, gained prominence in the period after World War I during the destruction of the old world order, says Landis.

“Both the French and the British pursued a minority policy, and in order to help them rule during the inter-war period, they gave a leg up to minorities across the Middle East,” he said. “In Lebanon it was the Maronites, in Syria it was the Alawites, in Iraq it was the Sunni minority, 20 percent, In Israel-Palestine, it was the Jews, who were only 14 percent of the population at World War I.”

Haidostian says despite the war’s aftermath, Armenians, Kurds, Jews and other minorities rebuilt their communities and struggled once again to flourish.

“So many nations, despite the major losses of land, homes, human lives, in the hundreds of thousands, in the case of the Armenians a million-and-a-half, the story of resilience is really very particular. No matter what some nations may do, minorities, ethnic or religious groups find a way of surviving,” he said.

A key lesson of World War I, concludes Paul Haidostian, “is the intersection of the interests of the major powers, the mightier powers, versus those of the smaller powers,” which he argues “ultimately pay the price.”

Sports: Real Madrid’s ex-fitness coach to work in Armenia

November 7, 2018March 12, 2026 Aram Torosian

MediaMax, Armenia

Nov 6 2018

Real Madrid’s ex-fitness coach to work in Armenia

Football Federation of Armenia has signed a contract with Spaniard Javier Miñano, who joined the coaching staff of national team manager Armen Gyulbudaghyants.

The former conditioning coach of Real Madrid will take the same position in Armenia, FFA said.

Miñano worked for 11 years with Vicente del Bosque at Real Madrid and was the Spanish national team’s fitness coach for 8 years. He won the world title in 2010 and the European – in 2012.

The Spanish coach also worked at Besiktas and Racing. Before coming to Armenia, Miñano was a member of South Korea national team’s coaching staff.

Azerbaijani Press: One-way ticket for Armenian "tourists" to Turkey

November 7, 2018March 12, 2026 Khondkarian Raffi

AzerNews, Azerbaijan

Nov 6 2018

6 November 2018 14:55 (UTC+04:00)

By Rufiz Hafizoglu – Trend:

Turgut Ozal, the eighth president of Turkey, played a very important role in the development of Turkey’s tourism sector, and today the tourism sector is one of the most developed and profitable sectors in the country.

In the third quarter of 2018, Turkey’s tourism revenues increased by one percent compared to the same period in 2017 and amounted to $11.5 billion.

In September this year, 5,425,845 tourists visited Turkey, and in January-September – 31,815,952 tourists, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey.

The tourism sector in Turkey is so interesting and attractive that even citizens of countries that have political problems with Turkey continue to visit this country.

For example, in the first nine months of this year, 349,462 tourists from Israel visited Turkey, which is 14.76 percent more than in the same period of 2017.

On the other hand, the citizens of Egypt, who also have tensions in relations with Turkey, continue to visit this country. In the first nine months of 2018, 111,311 Egyptian tourists visited Turkey, which is 50.16 percent more compared to the same period last year.

However, there is one small and poor country, the main export of which is labor migration under the guise of “tourism.” That is Armenia, with its hostile attitude to Turkey.

Three years ago, there were about 150,000 illegal migrants from Armenia in Turkey, but every year this number grows. This happens at least because migration from Armenia is the best step for the country’s people to get rid of the economic problems of their poor country. Another factor is that migration to Turkey doesn’t cost much.

Further, let’s take a look at some statistics on the number of Armenian “tourists” in Turkey.

For example, in 2017, 48,320 “tourists” from Armenia visited Turkey, which is 23.7 percent more compared to 2016, according to the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

This is while in the first nine months of 2018, 39,382 “tourists” from Armenia visited Turkey, which is 8.37 percent more compared to the same period in 2017, according to the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

In September alone, 5,929 Armenian “tourists” visited Turkey, which is 19.13 percent more compared to the same month of 2017.

Thus, statistics show that the number of Armenian “tourists” in Turkey is growing every year.

Turkish media report that the majority of Armenian citizens who come to Turkey as tourists don’t return to Armenia. It is also reported that the citizens of Armenia, who don’t leave Turkey, mostly remain in the provinces bordering with Armenia.

Thus, it is safe to say that Turkey is turning into a “tourist paradise” for Armenian citizens.

Former PM Hovik Abrahamyan suspected in illegally using irrigation water supply for 15 years for family business

November 6, 2018March 12, 2026 Andranik Taslakhchian

| 17:07 | November 5 2018

International Weightlifting Federation extends condolences over death of Yuri Vardanyan

November 6, 2018March 12, 2026 Aram Torosian

| 17:21 | November 5 2018

Henrikh Mkhitaryan Honored at AGBU London Gala to Benefit TUMOxAGBU Centers

November 6, 2018March 12, 2026 Emil Lazarian

AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Website: www.agbu.org
PRESS RELEASE
Monday, November 5, 2018
HENRIKH MKHITARYAN HONORED AT AGBU LONDON GALA TO BENEFIT TUMOXAGBU CENTERS
FRENCH-ARMENIAN FOOTBALLER YOURI DJORKAEFF JOINS GUESTS FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE
While matches with Henrikh Mkhitaryan, a midfielder at Arsenal F.C., draw many 
of his fans to the stadium, thousands of Armenians across the globe cheer for 
him on screen, simultaneously taking pride in his stellar athletic 
accomplishments. On November 3, "Micki's" supporters and friends of the 
Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) gathered at The Dorchester in London 
to celebrate his achievements in football, thank him for his humanitarian 
outreach and raise funds for the two TUMOxAGBU Centers. 
Born in Yerevan in 1989, Mkhitaryan grew up dreaming of playing football. His 
passion for the sport began watching his late father Hamlet Mkhitaryan-a 
footballer who played for Armenia's national team and the local Premier League 
in the 1980s. Starting in a senior club in Armenia at 17, Mkhitaryan embarked 
on an international career only four years later. His personal discipline, 
intelligence and talent landed him contracts with Borussia Dortmund and 
Manchester United F.C. Now, an idol for youth, Mkhitaryan has empowered 
thousands of Armenian children who look up to him, inspired by his drive and 
his love of his country. Involved in charity projects early on in his career, 
he was appointed UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in Armenia in 2016, and has worked 
with the organization vigorously championing children's rights and access to 
education and sports.
A convivial and festive atmosphere prevailed throughout the gala, with Master 
of Ceremonies Camilio Azzouz, who welcomed guests from across the globe, 
including French-Armenian football star Youri Djorkaeff who joined the evening. 
Azzouz, a trustee of the AGBU London Trust, spoke on the importance of AGBU's 
strategic partnerships and the power of programs like TUMOxAGBU, which became a 
reality with the support of AGBU Central Board Member and CEO of Amber Capital 
Joseph Oughourlian who was inspired to help expand the reach of the successful 
Tumo Centers for Creative Technologies (TUMO). 
For Oughourlian, the night was one to highlight the work of AGBU and TUMO, and 
also an opportunity to note defining moments of Armenian national identity. 
"Growing up in France there was a palpable shift in pride as we watched Youri 
and the French National Team win the country's first FIFA World Cup in 1998.  
With his talent, he brought Armenians to the world of football. And now, once 
again we beam with joy each time Henrikh Mkhitaryan takes the field and we hear 
his name cheered in the crowd. Henrikh has taken the opportunity to teach the 
world of football and its millions of fans about Armenia. They are our success 
stories and when one of us succeeds, we all succeed," Oughourlian stated on 
stage. This is the third time that Oughourlian, along with his wife Jenny, has 
generously hosted the AGBU London Gala.
The highlight of the evening came when Mkhitaryan himself, arriving shortly 
after his Arsenal F.C. match, took the stage to accept the AGBU Global 
Excellence Award. "I would like to thank AGBU and its leaders for inviting me 
to be part of this great event organized to support the education of our 
Armenian youth. I would like to thank Youri for being a role model to me when I 
was younger as I dreamt of playing professional football. We have to inspire 
our youth and focus on providing them with new life opportunities to encourage 
them to reach their goals. I am grateful to see the work of organizations like 
UNICEF, AGBU and TUMO," he said.
Since their inception in 2015, the TUMOxAGBU Centers have touched the lives of 
3,000 students. These state-of-the-art facilities offer bright, promising 
students access to free hands-on programs, helping them discover their talents, 
acquire new digital skills and boost their creativity. Building on its mission 
to make innovative and quality education accessible to more young people, AGBU 
continues to help shape the next generation of skilled and educated Armenians 
through various programs and initiatives, including the partnership with TUMO, 
which yielded the establishment of these centers.
The spirit of the night did not waiver. In fact, the excitement built and 
lasted. AGBU President Berge Setrakian concluded the evening which raised over 
$230,000, saying: "Each generation of Armenians must have their heroes-ones who 
embrace their identity and share it with the world, as well as ones who 
encourage us all to strive for excellence. From Aram Khachaturian to the late 
Charles Aznavour, this has always been the case. Today we have this wonderful 
role model for our youth. Henrikh, you exemplify all that we think of as a true 
citizen of the world. Thank you for continuing to bring pride to us all."
To learn more about the TUMOxAGBU Centers or to support this life changing 
program, please visit agbu.org/education/tumoxagbu/.  
The Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) is the world's largest non-profit 
organization devoted to upholding the Armenian heritage through educational, 
cultural and humanitarian programs. Each year, AGBU is committed to making a 
difference in the lives of 500,000 people across Armenia, Artsakh and the 
Armenian diaspora.  Since 1906, AGBU has remained true to one overarching goal: 
to create a foundation for the prosperity of all Armenians. To learn more visit 
www.agbu.org.

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 11/05/2018

November 6, 2018March 12, 2026 Emil Lazarian

                                        Monday, 
Armenian Acting Vice-Premier Dismisses Corruption Claim
November 03, 2018
        • Tatev Danielian
Armenian acting Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinian (file photo)
Armenian acting Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinian has denied any wrongdoing 
after a local online magazine published a story alleging his possible 
involvement in a corruption scheme.
On October 29, Hetq.am reported that the company founded by Avinian had won a 
$35,000 grant from the Agricultural Development Fund at the time when the 
latter already occupied the post of Armenia’s vice-premier.
The publication further noted that the Fund’s director Gegham Gevorkian was 
appointed Armenia’s minister of agriculture in October.
On November 1, acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian told journalists that he 
had ordered an examination of the case. “I will draw my own conclusion based on 
the results of that examination. I do have explanations, but I want it to be 
clear that there can be no manifestation of corruption in Armenia,” said the 
popular leader, who vowed to battle corruption when he came to power on the 
wave of anti-government protests in May.
Talking to media on the margins of a production exhibition on Friday, Avinian 
ruled out any corrupt practice on his part, insisting that the fruit-drying 
company founded by him in 2011 went through a rigorous selection process, most 
of which was completed even before the Pashinian team came to power.
“There can be no conflict of interests here. Our company applied for that 
program in February. Nine of the 10 stages of the selection process were 
completed before the revolution, and I was even mostly unaware of the process. 
The ultimate 10th stage took place a few days after I was appointed deputy 
prime minister,” Avinian explained.
Acting Minister of Agriculture Gegham Grigorian also denied any role in 
providing the grant to the company linked with Avinian. He also ruled out any 
link between his appointment and the Fund’s decision on grants. “I have worked 
in this field for two years and was the director of a fund that is one of the 
largest structures within the ministry. Before that I worked in the government 
system for 10 years,” he said, implying that his appointment was a merit-based 
decision.
Acting Deputy Prime Minister Avinian, meanwhile, welcomed the probe ordered 
into the case by Pashinian, saying that it will help officials stay more 
vigilant and will reveal some bad practices in the media field as well.
“The morals that used to exist in the political field [before the power change] 
were also present in the media field, and I don’t exclude that some corruption 
continues in the media field even now. In general, different stories have been 
published about me, about different officials, and I do have some reasonable 
suspicions that some of these stories have been ordered,” Avinian said, without 
giving names.
The row over the company linked with Avinian followed another publication that 
alleged that the 29-year-old deputy prime minister smoked marijuana inside the 
government building. Avinian’s office denied that information and announced its 
intention to file a lawsuit against the media outlet that published the report 
over libel.
On Friday, Avinian said that libel suits against media will not be “a 
consistent policy.” “It was a concrete case, and I hope that it will also send 
a message to certain websites and media outlets disseminating misinformation 
that such activities are not just unreasonable, but may also result in 
liability,” the senior official said.
Armenia May Lose CSTO Leadership Post
        • Sargis Harutyunyan
Armenia - Anna Naghdalian, a spokeswoman for the Armenian Foreign Ministry, 
speaks at a news briefing in Yerevan, 28 August 2018.
An Armenian Foreign Ministry official on Monday neither confirmed nor denied 
that Yerevan may lose a rotating leadership post in a Russian-led defense 
grouping of several post-Soviet nations.
Last Friday, Yuri Khachaturov was relieved of his duties as secretary-general 
of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), which includes Russia, 
Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.
Khachaturov occupied that post since May 2017 as part of a rotating process in 
the multinational organization. But he was recalled by official Yerevan in July 
amid charges of overthrowing the country’s constitutional order brought against 
him as part of a criminal investigation into a 2008 post-election crackdown. 
Khachaturov served as a deputy defense minister at that time.
The same charges were brought against former President Robert Kocharian, who 
was accused of ordering the use of the army for the violent repression of the 
opposition-led protests, in which eight demonstrators and two police officers 
were killed.
The new candidate for the post is likely to be discussed at a CSTO summit to be 
held in Astana, Kazakhstan, on November 8.
Citing its diplomatic sources in three CSTO-member countries the Russian 
Kommersant daily reported on Sunday that a Belarus representative may become 
the new secretary-general of the organization.
The newspaper suggested that the candidate is Stanislav Zas, who currently 
serves as the state secretary of the Belarus’s Security Council.
Asked on Monday whether Zas’s candidacy is indeed being discussed, Armenian 
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Anna Naghdalian said: “The issue of the new CSTO 
secretary-general is at the stage of consultations. These discussions have some 
confidential character and are not conducted in the public domain. Respecting 
this principle, we cannot provide any additional information not to harm these 
discussions.”
Armenian Court Refuses To Arrest Father Of Ex-President’s Son-in-Law
        • Anush Mkrtchian
Ara Minasian (file photo)
An Armenian court on Monday rejected investigators’ request for an arrest to be 
applied against Ara Minasian, a former director of one of Yerevan’s leading 
hospitals accused of fraud and forgery.
Minasian’s attorney Tigran Ghazarian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service that the 
court found the petition concerning the father of ex-President Serzh 
Sarkisian’s son-in-law ungrounded.
“The final part of the judicial act was published. It said that the 
investigators’ petition is rejected on the basis that it is ungrounded,” said 
the attorney, adding that they will study the document in detail after 
receiving it later today.
On Friday, the Investigation Committee said that charges of “particularly 
large-scale fraud and forgery committed with a group of people” had been 
brought against Minasian.
“Minasian is hiding from the investigation, and his whereabouts are unknown. He 
has been put on a wanted list,” the Committee said.
Asked about where his client was at this moment, Minasian’s attorney Ghazarian 
said that he could not give any information on that account.
Prosecution against Ara Minasian last week was announced amid the news of the 
recalling of his son, Mikayel Minasian, from several ambassador posts, 
including the post of Armenia’s ambassador to the Vatican.
Mikayel Minasian, who is married to one of the daughters of ex-President Serzh 
Sarkisian, served as the country’s envoy to the Holy See since 2013. Before 
that, he occupied a senior position in the Sarkisian administration and many 
political pundits regarded him as the former president’s political and public 
relations strategist.
During his years of work in public office Minasian, 41, mostly kept a low 
profile, but he is also thought to have controlled several private TV stations 
as well as a number of online news services.
The move to recall Minasian from ambassador posts came amid changes put in 
place by acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, a former opposition lawmaker 
who took office in May after spearheading weeks of protests.
The demonstrations helped bring the resignation of Sarkisian, his long-ruling 
predecessor.
Under Pashinian’s administration cases were brought against several former 
officials and close relatives of Sarkisian’s family for a variety of alleged 
crimes.
The health minister in the Pashinian government sacked Ara Minasian from the 
position of executive director of Yerevan’s Surb Grigor Lusavorich medical 
center in July.
Armenian Envoy To Germany Denies Alleged Ties To Ethnic Mafia
        • Heghine Buniatian
Armenia’s ambassador to Germany Ashot Smbatian has categorically denied any 
ties to local Armenian criminal groups after an investigation conducted by two 
leading German media made the allegation, citing classified police reports.
According to a joint investigation carried out by Der Spiegel and the MDR TV 
and Radio Company, for three years, the Federal Criminal Police Office, 
together with the land police departments, has been conducting a classified 
operation to search for and detain representatives of the Armenian mafia. The 
Federal Intelligence Service and Europol have helped the criminal investigation 
officers of Germany in the investigation.
However, the Federal Criminal Police Office recommended that investigators do 
not accept the assistance of the diplomatic mission of Armenia in Germany, 
since the investigators do not rule out links between so-called ‘thieves in 
law’ and representatives of the state structures of Armenia.
The authors of the investigative report also note that as a result of the 
large-scale operation codenamed FATIL (Fight Against Thieves in Law) that 
involved a number of special services, the law-enforcement authorities 
established that Armenian mafia groups have developed “deep roots” and created 
a “strong network” in Germany, but the suspects could not be detained due to 
insufficient evidence.
The existence of the Armenian mafia in Germany began to be discussed in 2014 
after a shootout between two criminal clans in July 2014 in the city of Erfurt, 
Thuringia, that left two ethnic Armenian men wounded. However, due to lack of 
evidence, the results of the investigations have not yet led to accusations and 
criminal cases.
The German law-enforcement authorities initiated 14 criminal proceedings 
against more than four dozen people, with charges including money laundering.
The Erfurt shootout was followed by an attack on a restaurant owned by an 
ethnic Armenian.
According to media publications, the names of well-known Armenian boxers, 
Arthur Abraham and Karo Murat, who live in Germany, were also circulated in the 
investigation. However, the law-enforcement authorities did not succeed in 
finding solid evidence against them and other suspects.
A strictly confidential report drawn up at the end of the investigation, 
nevertheless, stated that “in Germany there is, indeed, an Armenian mafia 
which, along with other criminal groups in the Russian-Eurasian region, 
possesses substantial financial resources, threatening the rule of law in the 
country.”
The leading German media outlets note that last March Armenian Ambassador to 
Germany Smbatian met with the chief of the Thuringia District Police Office and 
offered official Yerevan’s assistance in detecting Armenian criminal groups. 
Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office, however, advised colleagues in a 
secret report against cooperating with Armenian authorities, citing “possible 
fusion” between Armenian authorities and mafia groups, according to Der Spiegel.
According to the media, in particular, the law-enforcement authorities in 
Germany suspected that the ambassador, who was appointed in 2015 by the decree 
of the then Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian, had links with criminal groups, 
but no evidence supporting these suspicions was found.
Earlier, in 2008, when Smbatian was an embassy official, the Federal 
Intelligence Service suspected him of international smuggling, but no evidence 
was found in that case either, and the investigation was suspended.
Smbatian, who last week was appointed also to the post of Armenia’s ambassador 
to Liechtenstein, combining these new duties with his current diplomatic post, 
categorically denies the latest allegations, describing them as absurd.
The German Public Television and Radio Company has produced an extensive film 
about the investigation and its revelations, which it plans to broadcast on 
Tuesday.
In response to a request from RFE/RL’s Armenian Service, the Armenian Ministry 
of Foreign Affairs on Monday said it was in touch with the German authorities 
to clarify the credibility of the reports published by the media.
“Taking into account the delicate nature of the issue and its potential impact 
on the work of our diplomatic mission, at this point we do not find it 
appropriate to give an additional comment. We will provide additional 
information based on the results,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Anna Naghdalian 
said.
Karabakh Speaks Against ‘All-For-All’ POW Swap With Azerbaijan
        • Naira Bulghadarian
David Babayan, deputy chief of the Karabakh president’s staff (file photo)
Ethnic Armenian authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh have dismissed a possible offer 
from Azerbaijan to exchange prisoners of war and detainees held by both sides 
according to an “all-for-all” scheme.
David Babayan, deputy chief of presidential staff in Stepanakert, told RFE/RL’s 
Armenian Service that they cannot regard Azerbaijanis, who committed serious 
crimes on the Armenian side on the same plane with “ordinary Armenian citizens 
who inadvertently crossed the border.”
“Of course, we do not agree to such an exchange, because terrorists and 
murderers must serve their punishments and we will not exchange them. As for 
other categories of detainees, first, there should be such an application, and 
we need to see who can be exchanged with whom, if there are equal categories 
[of prisoners]. I do not speak about criminals, saboteurs and terrorists,” the 
Nagorno-Karabakh official said.
According to the data of the Armenian Ministry of Defense, three Armenians are 
currently kept in prison in Azerbaijan. Official Baku considers Arsen 
Baghdasarian, Karen Ghazarian and Zaven Karapetian as saboteurs, accusing them 
of war crimes. The three Armenians have been sentenced to long prison terms in 
Azerbaijan. The Armenian side denies the Azerbaijani claims.
The Armenian side also has three Azerbaijanis kept in prison. Shahbaz Quliyev 
and Dilham Askerov were detained in the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh in 2014. 
The court in Stepanakert convicted the two men of a number of heavy crimes 
(murder, kidnapping, espionage, illegal border crossing, possessing ammunition) 
and sentenced Askerov to life imprisonment and Quliyev to 22 years in prison.
The third Azerbaijani citizen held by the Armenian side is Elnur Huseynzade, 
who was detained last year in the vicinity of the Talish village of 
Nagorno-Karabakh. Official Stepanakert insists that Huseynzade, 23, is a 
soldier of the Azerbaijani army and was detained at the time of committing an 
act of sabotage.
Baku denies the three men were involved in any crime in the territory of 
Nagorno-Karabakh, which it regards as Azerbaijani territory.
Babayan emphasized that Stepanakert is not against the exchange of prisoners in 
principle, but is against the variant offered by Baku.
According to the official, over the past years Azerbaijan has grossly violated 
the rights of Armenian captives. “They put on them Armenian military uniforms, 
and even these uniforms belong to the Azerbaijani army. They shows them on 
television, which is strictly prohibited by conventions. It is more so 
unacceptable to use them for the purpose of political speculations. And these 
people were also forced to speak bad things about Artsakh (ed: 
Nagorno-Karabakh) and Armenia. Now, in fact, it turns out that they return 
these people with the expectation that they should be put on trial here. This 
is an inhumane approach,” he said.
The issue of a possible prisoner-of-war exchange has been actively addressed by 
Azerbaijani media in recent days. The head of the State Security Service of 
Azerbaijan, Madat Quliyev, also commented on the issue on Sunday, claiming that 
the number of Azerbaijani captives kept by the Armenian side reaches 871. 
Moreover, as the Azerbaijani official said, “they [Armenians] are trying to 
convince these people that the state of Azerbaijan does not exist anymore and 
that Azerbaijan is entirely under Armenia’s control.”
Armenian Defense Ministry spokesman Artsrun Hovannisian described the 
statistics cited by the Azerbaijani official as nonsense. “In my opinion, 
Azerbaijan does not wish to hand over to us our prisoners of war without 
preconditions. It sets an ultimatum, speaks about some absurd figures, gives 
some unknown names and sets preconditions, which is unacceptable in this case,” 
Hovannisian said.
Armenian Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan recently appealed to the United Nations High 
Commissioner for Human Rights and the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for 
Human Rights to provide support in ensuring the rights and repatriation of 
Karen Ghazarian, who is a prisoner in Azerbaijan.
The talk about a possible exchange of prisoners of war between the Armenian and 
Azerbaijani sides comes shortly after a visit to the region by the American, 
Russian and French co-chairs of the Organization for Security and Cooperation 
in Europe’s Minsk Group, who commended the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan 
for “implementing constructive measures in good faith” following their meeting 
in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on the margins of an CIS summit, and expressed support 
for the two countries’ leaders’ readiness to continue their dialogue.
Press Review
(Saturday, November 3)
“Haykakan Zhamanak” ridicules the claim made by former lawmaker Zaruhi 
Postanjian’s Yerkir Tsirani party on Friday that ex-president Serzh Sarkisian 
and his son-in-law Mikayel Minasian were “co-authors” of last spring’s “velvet” 
revolution in Armenia. “The statement was made on the day when Minasian was 
recalled from his post of ambassador to the Vatican and his father, Ara 
Minasian, was charged in a fraud case and put on the police’s wanted list. 
Before that, criminal cases were instituted against Serzh Sarkisian’s brother, 
Levon Sarkisian, as well as several members of the ex-president’s extended 
family. So, it turns out Sarkisian and Minasian organized something that 
boomeranged themselves,” the paper writes.
“Zhamanak” warns acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s political team against 
repeating the mistakes of its predecessor – the parliamentary majority of the 
former ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK): “Such a mistake can be 
manifested in complete reliance on Pashinian and considering him indispensable. 
If the Pashinian team makes the same mistake, considering that the task of the 
parliamentary majority is to vote for anything coming from Pashinian, the 
consequences for this majority will be no less painful than they were for the 
HHK.”
“Zhoghovurd”, meanwhile, notes another risk of Pashinian’s Civil Contract Party 
repeating the fate of the HHK: “A number of officials and those who count on 
getting government positions soon these days have been declaring about their 
joining the Civil Contract Party. The most recent example is the statement by 
the head of the State Control Service, David Sanasarian, about his quitting the 
Heritage Party and joining the Civil Contract Party. No matter how many times 
Sanasarian repeats that “together we will do everything to ensure that no new 
HHK appears in power,” with his move he himself has contributed to the 
penetration of “HHK morals” into the new government. So, Pashinian and the 
leadership of the Civil Contract Party now face the task of preventing party 
monopolization of the government system.”
The editor of “Aravot” looks back at the evolution of the proportional 
electoral system in Armenia as opposed to single-seat races to the country’s 
parliament. Aram Abrahamian suggests that “majoritarian” votes have contributed 
to the appearance of ‘non-political’ figures in the parliaments of the previous 
convocations. After the failure of the Pashinian government to push through an 
electoral reform scrapping so-called ‘regional lists’ of candidates, the 
daily’s editor still expects that the popular acting prime minister’s My Step 
alliance will win a stable majority in the next parliament. “The number of 
rating or non-rating deputies will not change much, but the current electoral 
system will affect the quality as the factions of the pro-government alliance 
and the Prosperous Armenia Party will have more ‘non-political’ figures than 
good or bad politicians,” he adds.
(Tatev Danielian)
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2018 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
www.rferl.org

The California Courier Online, November 8, 2018

November 6, 2018March 12, 2026 Boris Nahapetian

Asbed,

Please post this version. The date below was wrong in my previous email.

Harut

The California Courier Online, November 8, 2018

1 – Commentary

Trump’s National Security Adviser Tries

To Distance Armenia from Russia and Iran

By Harut Sassounian

Publisher, The California Courier

www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

2- Pashinyan Plan Proceeds, Armenian Parliament Triggers Snap Elections

3- Armenian-American Congresswoman Jackie Speier remembers Jim Jones,

Peoples Temple cult, and surviving the Jonestown massacre

4 – Armenia Parliament passes unprecedented amnesty bill

5 – Vartan Gregorian Receives Honorary Doctorate from King’s
College London

6- Sphere of Influence: Karma Ekmekji navigates international
politics, diplomacy

7- CK Garabed ‘Dictionary of Armenian Surnames’ to be Released Online

8- Commentary: Hrant Dink and Jamal Khashoggi

By Ergun Babahan

******************************************

1 – Commentary

Trump’s National Security Adviser Tries

To Distance Armenia from Russia and Iran

By Harut Sassounian

Publisher, The California Courier

www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

Not a week passes without the disclosure of another major scandal in
Azerbaijan or Turkey. The latest such scandal was exposed by the
Stockholm Center for Freedom in an article written by exiled Turkish
writer Abdullah Bozkurt, titled: “Utah case exposes more dirt on
Turkey’s Erdogan.”

The article reveals that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s
corrupt tentacles reach into the United States, which makes the
subject of this scandal of particular interest to Special Counsel
Robert Mueller in connection with his Russia probe and “international
organized crime network,” according to Bozkurt.

“A federal grand jury in Utah returned a sealed indictment on Aug. 1,
2018, naming Erdogan as the leader of a foreign country who met with
highly controversial businesspeople in California and Utah in what was
claimed to be a major money laundering and tax fraud case,” Bozkurt
reported.

The indictment, unsealed on Aug. 24, 2018, charged that “Jacob Ortell
Kingston, the chief executive officer, and Isaiah Kingston, the chief
financial officer of Washakie Renewable Energy (WRE), by filing false
claims for tax credits, obtained over $511 million in renewable fuel
tax credits that were designed to increase the amount of renewable
fuel used and produced in the United States. Lev Aslan Dermen (Levon
Termendzhyan), owner of California-based fuel company NOIL Energy
Group with links to a transnational criminal enterprise, is also
identified as a partner in this grand scheme. From 2010 through 2016,
they fabricated documents and rotated products within the US as well
as overseas to make it appear that they were engaging in real trade to
qualify for the tax credits,” Bozkurt wrote.

The indictment stated that Jacob Kingston was arrested on Aug. 23,
2018, while on his way to Salt Lake City international airport headed
to Turkey after he was tipped off. Bozkurt reported: “The Kingstons
had already bought a luxury mansion in a seaside town in Turkey
according to a wire transfer from a WRE account to Termendzhyan’s
account at Turkey’s Garanti Bank on March 5, 2014. More wire transfers
to Turkey were listed in the indictment. Jacob Kingston, who
frequently traveled to Turkey to meet with top Turkish officials
including Erdogan, was often greeted like a VIP at the Turkish
airport, was provided a police escort and did not even use his
passport to enter Turkey according to witness testimony in the U.S.
indictment.”

Jacob Kingston first met Erdogan in New York in September 2017 when
the Turkish President came to the United States to attend the UN
General Assembly. This meeting took place “after FBI raided the
Kingston group’s properties on Feb. 10, 2016, and the revelations of
the fuel tax scam had already made the headlines in Utah,” according
to Bozkurt.

“In early November 2017, Jacob flew to Turkey to hold a series of
high-level meetings in both Ankara and Istanbul. He tapped Sezgin
Baran Korkmaz, the chairman of SBK Holding LLC, as the main conduit in
Turkey, while he kept a separate investment and asset management firm,
Mega Varlık Yönetim A.Ş., which was set up with equity of $450 million
in Turkey,” Bozkurt wrote.

“Termendzhyan also has a company named SBK Holdings USA, which is a
sister company to Korkmaz’s SBK Holding LLC in Turkey. Korkmaz was
quoted as telling the Turkish press that his partnership with WRE has
resulted in an investment valued at $1 billion and thanked Erdogan for
personally facilitating the business deals. According to the press
release issued on Sept. 9, 2016, by the Turkish government’s
Investment Support and Promotion Agency (ISPAT), WRE, the Noil Energy
Group and SBK Holding LLC have made significant investments in Turkey
and planned to do more. The partnership with SBK Holding began in 2013
with Noil Energy making the first batch of investments in real estate.
Construction and real estate businesses comprise the prime source for
ill-gotten proceeds for Erdogan’s massive multi-billion-dollar wealth.
The total investment reached $500 million with another half million
dollars assigned to a Mergers and Acquisitions fund for operations in
Turkey. The trio has made investments in all types of sectors
including pharmaceuticals, automotive, chemicals, technology, glass,
and food,” according to Bozkurt.

“With Erdogan’s political backing and cover, SBK Holding has expanded
its operations into various areas including finance, energy, real
estate, defense, mining, industry, tourism, technology, and logistics.
The company is mainly active in the finance industry through
investment banking, asset management, and raw materials financing. It
also has substantial interests in the energy sector that span both the
US and Russian markets. Erdogan was not bothered at all by the fact
that Termendzhyan was already implicated in a major probe that was
being conducted by the Department of Homeland Security for money
laundering, tax evasion, and stolen oil. Edgar Sargsyan, the
ex-president and former legal counsel for SBK Holdings USA, stated in
his declaration filed in court on July 14, 2017, that Termendzhyan, a
Russian [Armenian], is the head of a criminal organization. It is
worth remembering that he was arrested in 1993 for a gas tax scam in
the US, where the Russian mafia was known to have been actively
involved in similar scams in the ‘80s and ‘90s. He was also charged
with tax fraud and armed assault in the past and was convicted of
battery in 2013,” Bozkurt reported.

Interestingly, “Korkmaz appears to be the main conduit linking the
Kingstons and Termendzhyan to pro-Erdogan businessman Ekim Alptekin,
whose Dutch shell company Inovo BV hired former national security
advisor Mike Flynn’s Flynn Intel Group to run a smear campaign and
defame Muslim scholar Fethullah Gülen, a U.S.-based cleric who emerged
as the main critic of the Erdogan regime. Flynn tapped former CIA
director James Woolsey to do the work against Gülen in a meeting held
with Korkmaz in California in August 2016. Woolsey and his wife had a
meeting with both Korkmaz and Alptekin in New York City on Sept. 20,
2016, to discuss the proposal. On Sept. 19, 2016, Flynn met with
Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, the foreign minister of Turkey, and Berat Albayrak,
Erdogan’s son-in-law who is also a minister in his cabinet, to discuss
another proposal to kidnap Gülen and whisk him away from U.S. soil to
Turkey. Two months later, on Nov. 8, 2016, Flynn published a poorly
written, derogatory op-ed on The Hill news website about Gülen, which
many suspected was penned by Turkish operatives, not Flynn. Flynn
later admitted to making false statements including lying about the
fact that Turkish government officials were supervising and directing
the work. He also misrepresented his lobbying on behalf of the Erdogan
government and lied about the op-ed he published on The Hill website,”
Bozkurt wrote.

Alptekin fled to Turkey after he was interviewed by the Mueller team
in May 2017 and dodged the subpoena that was subsequently issued after
investigators concluded that he had lied to them. Korkmaz was also
ordered to testify before a grand jury in Washington on Sept. 22,
2017, over possible violations of federal criminal laws including the
Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). He also did not comply with
this subpoena. “It was believed that money in the amount of some
$450,000 that Alptekin’s Dutch shell company paid to Flynn, in fact,
came from Korkmaz. The Utah indictment reveals that Termendzhyan fled
to Turkey in August 2017 on the day state search warrants were
executed on his home and office,” Bozkurt revealed.

“If there was an independent judiciary in Turkey, this would have been
addressed first and foremost by the Turkish criminal justice system,
and Erdogan would have been forced to leave office in disgrace, at the
very least. Most likely he and his thugs would have been sentenced to
prison for breaking about a dozen Turkish laws. That is no longer
possible since the corrupt Turkish president has crippled the
judiciary, destroyed the independent media and suspended the rule of
law in the aftermath of a major graft investigation in December 2013
that uncovered his corrupt practices involving highly controversial
Iranian and Saudi businesspeople. Now we see U.S. judicial action on
Erdogan’s crimes that extended all the way to American soil. This time
he won’t have the political clout to cash in to derail or hush up the
legal cases that implicate him. He unsuccessfully tried before in the
Hakan Atilla case in New York, and he will likely suffer the same fate
in the Utah case as well,” Bozkurt concluded.

**************************************************************************************************

2- Pashinyan Plan Proceeds, Armenian Parliament Triggers Snap Elections

Snap parliamentary elections are to be held in Armenia after the
country’s National Assembly on October 31 for the second time in two
weeks failed to elect a new prime minister in accordance with a
political agreement. President Armen Sarkissian signed a decree on
November 1, calling for early elections on December 9.

The failure of the vote came amid a push by Nikol Pashinyan to force
fresh general elections in December in a bid to unseat his political
opponents, who have maintained a majority in parliament despite the
change of government last May.

Under the Armenian constitution, snap elections can be called only if
the National Assembly fails to elect a prime minister within two weeks
after the prime minister’s resignation. Pashinyan resigned for
tactical reasons on October 16.

The pro-government Yelk Alliance, which holds only nine seats in
parliament, and members of the second-largest parliamentary faction
controlled by wealthy businessman Gagik Tsarukyan formally nominated
Pashinyan for the second vote, which was held on the assumption that
it would fail due to prior political agreements.

From among 70 lawmakers registered for the session none voted “for” or
“against” Pashinyan’s candidacy. Thirteen lawmakers abstained.

As a result, Pashinyan’s formal bid did not gather enough votes and
the National Assembly will, therefore, be dissolved by virtue of law.

In his speech preceding the vote Pashinyan described the events of
October 31 as historical for Armenia. “What is historical about it is
not that for the first time a parliament in Armenia is dissolved and
we are going to have the first early parliamentary elections in our
country. What is historical about it is that after the nonviolent,
velvet, people’s revolution that took place in April and May, we fully
return the power in the Republic of Armenia to its citizens. We return
to the citizens and the people of the Republic of Armenia the power to
decide the fate of further political processes,” Pashinyan said.

Under the constitution, new elections shall be held no earlier than
within 30 days and no later than within 45 days. Pashinyan will
continue to perform his prime-ministerial duties in the interim.

The political team of Pashinyan, who came to power on the wave of
anti-government demonstrations last spring, is tipped to win the
upcoming polls by a landslide.

*********************************************************************************************

3 – Armenian-American Congresswoman Jackie Speier remembers Jim Jones,

Peoples Temple cult, and surviving the Jonestown massacre

Since 1980, Congresswoman Jackie Speier—the daughter of Nancy
Kanchelian, a genocide survivor, and Manfred Speier—has ascended the
political ranks of California from the San Mateo County Board of
Supervisors, to State Assembly, to State Senate. Speier currently
serves as U.S. Representative for California’s 14th congressional
district. She is also the co-chair of the Congressional Armenian
Caucus, and has been a tireless advocate for the Armenian American
community.

Forty years ago, Speier was nearly killed in a savage attack in Guyana
while on a fact-finding mission into Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple
cult. On November 4, she told CBS Sunday Morning about how that
formative moment changed her.

In November 1978 I was an attorney on the staff of Congressman Leo
Ryan, part of the mission he brought to Guyana to investigate Jim
Jones, the wildly charismatic leader of the Peoples Temple.

We had received credible reports of his followers being abused and
held against their will. The compound was impressive. Members of
Jonestown were certainly saying all the right things, no matter how
rote. But someone slipped us a note asking for help. I felt my stomach
turn into hard knots of terror, as we realized our worst fears about
Jones and his followers were true—and we were in grave danger.

When cameras were rolling, he spoke of how he loved his followers and
would always have a place for them, but off camera he muttered about
treason and liars. He was cracking, and all I wanted to do was get out
of there. Ryan assigned me to escort the first airlift out of
Jonestown. As I was loading defectors on the two planes, a tractor
trailer with seven gunmen arrived at the airstrip.

The gunmen opened fire on us at point-blank range. Five bullets
pierced my body. Congressman Ryan and four others lay dead.

What I didn’t know then was that more than 900 followers of Jones
(including hundreds of children) would later that night ingest cyanide
at his command, an act some call suicide, but I call murder. On
November 18, 1978, 918 people—members of the Peoples Temple of the
Disciples of Christ—died in an act of mass murder-suicide.

I was helped into the baggage compartment for safety and later moved
to a tent on the airstrip where I waited 22 hours for help to arrive.
Surviving against unimaginable odds can make every day that follows
swell with a renewed sense of purpose.

We don’t get to choose our formative moments. Very often, adversity
and failure shape us more permanently than fortune and success. That
has certainly been the case in my life. Pain yields action; it can
introduce a fervor to speak out for those whose voices are not heard.

Surviving Jonestown crystallized where I needed to focus my energy. It
convinced me that I had a purpose: to devote my career to fighting for
the voiceless.

***************************************************************************************************

4 – Armenia Parliament passes unprecedented amnesty bill

(Arka)—An extraordinary session of the National Assembly of Armenia
adopted on October 31 in the first reading a bill on granting the
largest ever amnesty in the history of the country. The bill was
backed by 72 lawmakers.

Acting Minister of Justice Artak Zeynalyan said amnesty will be
granted to several groups of convicts—including persons sentenced to
imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years; and persons
sentenced to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six years, who are
with disabilities. Amnesty will also extend to imprisoned pregnant
women; those who are parents of three or more children; or parents of
a child under three years of age. Amnesty will also apply to persons
over the age of 60 who committed first time crime under the age of 18.

Amnesty will be granted to persons who committed a crime through
negligence and who face up to five years of imprisonment, as well as
to persons who are accused or suspected of committing crimes that do
not provide for imprisonment.

Amnesty will also be extended to members of the armed group Sasna
Tsrer, who seized a police station in downtown Yerevan in summer 2016,
as well as to members of the Founding Parliament organization, who
were convicted of preparing mass protests in April 2015 led by Zhirayr
Sefilyan.

The amnesty bill does not apply to persons who have committed serious
crimes; to those who were engaged in human trafficking; who prevented
the professional activities of journalists; betrayed the state;
committed terrorist acts and sabotage; and a number of other serious
crimes.

Of the 2,888 convicts in Armenian prisons, 270 will be freed, or about
15 percent; for another 396 the rest of the prison term will be
eliminated. Overall, the amnesty will affect more than 660 convicts.
The amnesty will be extended also to another 2,720 persons sentenced
to probation punishment. It will also be applied to 1,096 out of 6,140
criminal cases being investigated. Some 6,500 people will be granted
amnesty.

As for those sentenced to life imprisonment, Zeynalyan said cases
would be reviewed on an individual basis, since the ministry does not
have the right to revise the sentences handed down.

*****************************************************************************************************

5- Vartan Gregorian Receives Honorary Doctorate from King’s
College London

LONDON—As a tribute to individual contributions in science, medicine,
humanities, arts, and mathematics, King’s College London presented
seven distinguished individuals with honorary doctorates during a
special ceremony on October 24 at the London Campus. Vartan Gregorian,
president of Carnegie Corporation of New York, was among the
recipients. King’s recognized him for his longstanding and steadfast
support of the college’s international programs, and in particular,
the Department of War Studies and the African Leadership Centre.

Baroness Morgan of Huyton, vice-chair of King’s College Council, and
Professor Edward Byrne, president and principal of the college,
presided over the award presentation honoring Gregorian and his fellow
honorary graduates.

Invited to speak on behalf of the honorees, Gregorian noted King’s
commitment to high standards, hard work, inspiration, and vision,
starting with its founding in 1829.

“Our universities, our colleges, our libraries, learned societies, and
think tanks, indeed our contemporary scholarship, more than ever, have
a fundamental historical and social responsibility to ensure that we
provide not training but education, not education but culture as well,
not information but its distillation, namely knowledge, in order to
protect our society against counterfeit information disguised as
knowledge,” said Gregorian. “The deeply held belief that knowledge is
essential to independence of mind and will, as well as to the essence
of a democratic society and nation, is a concept that has become a
living credo of educational institutions. As never before, the wealth
of nations now depends on the performance of higher education through
its contributions toward building human capital and accumulated
knowledge.”

King’s College London is a Corporation grantee. It is one of the
United Kingdom’s leading universities, serving more than 30,000
students across nine schools of study.

**********************************************************************************************************************************************

6- Sphere of Influence: Karma Ekmekji navigates international
politics, diplomacy

(AGBU)—When Karma Ekmekji feels overwhelmed by the injustice she sees
in the world today, all it takes is an inspirational quote by famed
French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry to help her regain her strength
and sense of purpose: “We cannot be responsible and hopeless at the
same time.”

As the head of the International Affairs and Relations Unit at the
Office of the President of the Council of Ministers of Lebanon,
Ekmekji has chosen to take on this great responsibility to help ward
off the potential for hopelessness in war-weary Lebanon of today and
stir hope in the Lebanese citizens of tomorrow. Since 2009, Ekmekji
has served as the international affairs and relations advisor to Saad
Hariri—the prime minister of Lebanon—on all international dossiers. In
addition, she has acted as the primary interface between his office
and the entire diplomatic community. Drawing on experience gained at
the United Nations Special Coordinator’s Office in Beirut and at the
United Nation Secretariat in New York, she jumped at the opportunity
to continue her career in public service by developing and running the
bustling international affairs unit.

Ekmekji’s interest in a political career came about during her
undergraduate years at the American University of Beirut (AUB), where
she now teaches a new generation of up-and-coming diplomats and
politicians in her role as a professor of international affairs and
public policy. “It was at AUB where I had my first experience with
politics—from running in student elections to learning conflict
resolution skills that I still make use of today,” she says. After
graduating from AUB, Ekmekji went on to earn her masters of public
administration in 2006 from Columbia University’s renowned School of
International and Public Affairs (SIPA). For her studies at SIPA, she
received the prestigious Fulbright Scholar Award, having been
identified by the United States Department of State as a student with
great potential to improve intercultural relations in her future
career.

In her current position, Ekmekji has gone above and beyond fulfilling
this promise, driven in large part by an undying love for her country:
“I always wanted to find a way to serve Lebanon as best as I could,
and I consider this job the perfect way for me to do just that. I have
a profound conviction that Lebanon’s strong and healthy relations with
the international community are a crucial element for its security as
well as for its political and economic stability. I see my work as a
way to contribute to achieving this goal,” says Ekmekji.

But political and diplomatic work, she admits, also has its
challenges—even beyond the inherent difficulties of navigating
domestic and regional politics. While Ekmekji takes great pride in the
international network that she has worked tirelessly to build,
cultivate and maintain, she notes that it can take years—if not
decades—to see that network grow and mature: “Diplomacy is not a line
of work where there is an immediate reward or instant gratification.
It is very difficult to see day-to-day progress, so there is a
tremendous need for self-motivation. The fruits of our labor today may
only be reaped by our children or grandchildren.” In most sectors, the
key performance indicators are very direct. An entrepreneur, for
instance, can go home each night, open up a spreadsheet to see whether
he or she has made or lost money that day, and then adjust his or her
activities accordingly for the coming days. It is not like that in
diplomacy.

Despite this reality, Ekmekji has not been deterred. Recognized for
her leadership by the British government’s International Leaders
Programme in 2016 and named one of the 99 top foreign policy leaders
under 33 by the Diplomatic Courier in 2012, Ekmekji has never let the
frustrations of international politics get her down. Instead, she has
overcome them, guided by the strong work ethic of her parents and
grandparents, who, in her eyes, have been paragons of perseverance and
resilience in the face of hardship. “My parents and grandparents are
self-made people. Like so many other Armenians, they worked very hard
to flee genocide and war to be able to build their careers here in
Lebanon. They have always remained determined and these traits were
definitely sown and nurtured in me while I was growing up.”

AGBU also played a major role in helping to instill these essential
values in Ekmekji from an early age—values that she continues to draw
on both in her professional life and in her personal life, as a mother
to two young boys, Raï and Yann. “I learned about AGBU very early on
in my life. My family and I were very involved in the organization in
both Beirut and Paris. Being an AGBU scout and a member of the AGBU
Antranik girls’ basketball team as a child and teenager taught me
principles like teamwork, patience and discipline that have all served
me well in my career today,” says Ekmekji.

Throughout her career, however, she has noticed the gender imbalance
in her field and the scarcity of female role models around her. As a
way to improve and equalize this gender ratio, Ekmekji has taken it
upon herself to do her part by empowering women to be more engaged in
foreign policy and international affairs. Harnessing the power of
Instagram to reach a younger audience of burgeoning diplomats, Ekmekji
recently launched Diplowomen, an initiative that highlights the
accomplishments and day-to-day responsibilities of women politicians
and diplomats from around the world.

When talking to young men and women who aspire to enter the fields of
diplomacy and public service, Ekmekji has the same words of advice for
them both: “Diplomacy is a very demanding career that requires a lot
of passion and humility. You must work quietly and discreetly for the
collective good—not for self-recognition. If you are seeking fame and
glory, you would best look elsewhere. Time alone will be the greatest
judge of a diplomat’s work.”

This article appeared on August 1, 2018 in The Insider, a publication of AGBU.

**********************************************************************************************************************************************

7- CK Garabed ‘Dictionary of Armenian Surnames’ to be Released Online

TEANECK, N.J.—After years in the making, The Dictionary of Armenian
Surnames, researched and compiled by Armenian Weekly newspaper
columnist C.K. Garabed, will be available online.

The occasion will be marked with a slide lecture called “What’s in a
Name? The Etymology of Armenian Surnames” to be delivered by Garabed
at St. Illuminator’s Pashalian Hall on Sunday, December 9, following
the Divine Liturgy.

Garabed will discuss the origins of Armenian surnames and the
detective work involved in researching name derivations with examples
of some highly unusual surnames. The program will start at 1 p.m. and
is sponsored by the Regional Executive of the Hamazkayin Armenian
Educational & Cultural Society and St. Illuminator’s Armenian
Apostolic Cathedral.

“C.K. Garabed,” pen name of Charles Garabed Kasbarian, is the
columnist behind “Uncle Garabed’s Notebook,” which is in its 30th year
in The Armenian Weekly.

This dictionary project first came about when, in the late 1970s,
Garabed started collecting names from church directories and donor
lists as a hobby. To date, more than 10,000 names have been compiled,
but not all of them defined. While curiosity was his first motivation
for exploring the subject of Armenian family names, Garabed then came
to appreciate the diverse nature of Armenian surnames, which appear to
cover the gamut of our ancestors’ life activities in the Old
Country.To make the Dictionary widely accessible, Garabed has decided
to post the work on Armeniapedia so that it will be available to all
at no charge, and he can continue to update it.

In due course, the Dictionary will be available here:

To carry out his work, Garabed consults Hrachia Adjarian’s Root
Dictionary and Etymological Dictionary of the Armenian Language;
Tigran Avetisyan’s Dictionary of Armenian Surnames; Stepan
Malkhasian’s Explanatory Dictionary; dictionaries in Arabic, Armenian,
Assyrian, Azerbaijani, Georgian, Greek, Kurdish, Persian, Turkish;
other volumes; and many knowledgeable people to whom he is grateful.

“I was struck by how many Armenians didn’t know the meaning of their
names,” says Garabed. “While I am not a linguist nor philologist, it
still gives me great pleasure to conduct research in my modest amateur
capacity and then pass on the results. I feel gratified in helping
people learn more about their names.”

Whenever Garabed came across a particularly unusual name and he knew a
person carrying that name, he would ask that person what s/he knew
about its provenance. Those who were familiar with the origins of
their name would oblige Garabed by telling him what they knew. Garabed
had begun writing a column for The Armenian Weekly newspaper in 1989
but it wasn’t until 2004 that he began to include in each week’s
column an Armenian surname, its definition and background. This
resulted in many readers contacting him who wanted to know if he could
tell them what their own family names meant, as they didn’t know.

If Garabed was able to oblige, he did so. And so his ultimate aim
evolved from deciphering names for his own satisfaction to publishing
the results for the interest and pleasure of his fellow Armenians. In
recent years, people of part-Armenian ancestry have begun to discover
their ancestral roots via genealogy tests. As such, Garabed hopes that
they, too, may find this Dictionary helpful.

“With names like Bajaksouzian (which means legless; assigned to a
short man), Soghanyemezian (which means one who does not eat onions),
and Srmakeshkhanlian (which means owner/worker of a factory where
gold/ silver thread is drawn), I sometimes think we Armenians, more
than any other ethnic group, possess the most fascinating surnames,”
Garabed says. One can observe that an Armenian name can denote a
number of things about the carrier of that name: aristocracy,
patronymic, occupation; geographic origin; physical traits; other
special circumstances; and those assigned in derision by Turkish
officials.

Why would people perpetuate strange, unusual or uncomplimentary names
when it would be easy to just change them? Garabed explains, “People
often are attached to their names because it gives them a sense of
continuity and tradition. There’s also the desire to honor their
martyrs by perpetuating the memory of their identity as Armenian
Christians. We should be grateful to our fellow Armenians for
retaining their names as eloquent historical testimony to the
oppressions their ancestors suffered at the hands of the Turks. Had
the Armenians not clung to their names, I might not be working on such
a project today.”

Prior to publishing this Dictionary online, Garabed produced, in 2013,
The Dikranagerdtsi Vernacular Handbook. Other books by Garabed in the
publishing process include An Unusual Look at Biblical Subjects; The
Tales of Nasreddin Khodja; The Tale of Shah Ismail; and The
Dikranagerd Mystique Armenian Cookbook.

Says Garabed of The Dictionary of Armenian Surnames, “Like everything
else, there are bound to be missing names, explanations and even
errors, in which case readers are encouraged to bring them to the
attention of the author.” Garabed can be reached at [email protected].

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8- Commentary:

Hrant Dink and Jamal Khashoggi

By Ergun Babahan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has reacted to murder of Saudi
dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi Arabia’s Istanbul
consulate last month completely differently to the killing of Turkish
Armenian newspaper editor Hrant Dink in 2007.

Dink was not killed in a consulate, but rather openly in the heart of
Istanbul as a warning to Armenians. Dink had even predicted it would
happen and police also had intelligence ahead of the killing, but no
one raised so much as a finger to stop it. One more name was added to
the list of many thousands of Armenians killed in this country.

In the eyes of many in Turkey, Dink had committed a grave sin by
providing proof of the Armenian genocide through Cumhuriyet, one of
Turkey’s most prominent newspapers. Mentioning the Armenian genocide
in which the Ottoman government killed about 1.5 million Armenian
citizens during the First World War is taboo in Turkey.

So is bringing up links between the Republican People’s Party (CHP) of
Turkey’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and the Committee of Union
and Progress, the Ottoman political party that ordered and organised
the genocide. Many of the committee’s members took up prominent posts
after the founding of the Republic of Turkey in 1923.

Dink broke these taboos. His lawyers allege he was killed by a network
that included members of the civilian and military bureaucracy,
intelligence agency and members of the Gülen movement, a shadowy group
of followers of U.S.-based Islamist preacher Fethullah Gülen that
infiltrated the state and was eventually blamed for launching the 2016
failed coup.

As we approach the 12th anniversary of his murder, the ruling party
still has not made enough effort to shine a light on the reason for
his death. On the contrary, it has aided a cover up.

Erdoğan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) have not taken as
much responsibility for investigating the death of their fellow
citizen as they have for the murder of Khashoggi.

Dink’s murder was pinned on a hit man and those who were really
responsible have never been brought to justice. The case has been left
to rot.

This horrible murder left a deep wound in the collective psyche of
Turkish society and hundreds of thousands took to the streets, but
their rage and demand for justice was unanswered.

It was a copy of the murder of Ottoman journalist Hasan Fehmi Bey, a
critic of the Committee of Union and Progress, on the Galata Bridge in
Istanbul on April 6, 1909. The murderous mindset of those who made the
decision was the same.

Khashoggi, on the other hand, was a Saudi citizen. Strangely enough,
he chose Turkey, which violates press freedom and democratic norms, as
his base and Erdoğan as his protector while he tried to bring
democracy and freedom of the press to his home country. While he was a
U.S. resident, Khashoggi had recently purchased a home in Istanbul
where he planned to live with his Turkish fiancé.

Khashoggi’s murder, apparently recorded by Turkish intelligence
services, was a challenge to Erdoğan, who is likely to have felt
denigrated by the murder. The fact that the Saudis were brazen enough
to carry out such an act showed that they took neither Turkey nor
Erdoğan seriously. But Khashoggi was a writer for the Washington Post
who validated the liberal American media’s distaste for the Saudis.

Erdoğan expertly used leaks to squeeze Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman and U.S. President Donald Trump into a corner and forced the
Saudi prince to call the Turkish president and the head of the CIA to
visit in person.

After that day, the leaks stopped. Khashoggi’s murder disappeared from
the agenda of Turkish state media. The Turkish public, led by the
media, also stopped following the affair, along with the Turkish
opposition.

Erdoğan either got what he wanted from the Saudis, or as some have
claimed received a serious threat. Whatever the reason, he immediately
relinquished all responsibility for solving the murder.

It was foolish to expect an Islamist who has put hundreds of
journalists in prison, closed down dozens of newspapers and television
channels that opposed him to stick to principles. But the fact that
Erdoğan has defended the Saudi reputation by going silent and allowing
a protector of journalism and the free press to be killed is a crime
against history.

Erdoğan is an authoritarian leader who has extinguished freedom of
_expression_ and democracy. This is a fact that should be brought to the
fore and thrust in his face at every opportunity.

This article appeared in Ahval News on November 1, 2018.

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