Category: 2019

Armenian MP proposes to lower water level in Lake Sevan to carry out cleaning works

Ara Felekian
Vestnik Kavkaza
July 9 2019
9 Jul in 12:00

The water level in Lake Sevan should be lowered to carry out the cleaning works, after which it should be restored again, Prosperous Armenia party MP Hrant Madatyan said.

Minister of the Environment Erik Grigoryan, in turn, said the water level in Sevan should be both lowered and raised.

“Work on raising the water level in Lake Sevan should be carried out as quickly as possible,” he noted.

“Previously, the cleaning works affected 80 or 100 hectares per year, now, with the participation of the Prime Minister’s staff, the cleaning works will take place both this year and the next two years and will affect the territory of 770 hectares,” Grigoryan added.

Singapore, Armenia ties go back long way: PM Lee

Jalatian Sonya
The Straits Times, Singapore
July 9 2019



Singapore, Armenia ties go back long way: PM Lee

Linette Lai

Political Correspondent
[email protected]

Ties between Armenia and Singapore go back 200 years to when the British founded modern Singapore, with Armenians among the first migrants to the new free port, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday.

Although their numbers were small, the Armenian community has made a significant impact here, he added.

He was speaking at a lunch hosted in honour of his Armenian counterpart Nikol Pashinyan, who is here on a three-day official visit.

“Signs of Armenian influence can still be found all over Singapore,” PM Lee said. “As a former journalist who founded his own newspaper, PM Pashinyan would undoubtedly be pleased to know that Singapore’s main English broadsheet, The Straits Times, was co-founded in 1845 by an Armenian, Catchick Moses.”

Several streets also bear the names of prominent Armenians who settled here, while the country’s national flower – Vanda Miss Joaquim – was bred by Singapore-born Armenian resident Agnes Joaquim, who died in 1899.

Speaking in Armenian, Mr Pashinyan warmly expressed his appreciation of how the Armenian heritage has been “remembered and protected with the utmost care” in Singapore.

“No doubt, today we are proud to witness the valuable mark our small but enterprising community has left in one of the most wonderful places of the world,” he said.

He added that he hoped to usher in a “new opening” of relations between both countries, especially to boost the growth of bilateral trade and investment.

“Rule of law has been strengthened, and a level playing field has been set for all economic players, in particular for the foreign investors,” he said, adding that Armenia has overcome many problems faced by countries that were formerly part of the Soviet Union. “Corruption has decreased sharply and is not considered a factor threatening economic activity anymore.”

Armenia and Singapore are alike in that they advocate multilateralism and free trade at a time when many are turning against these principles, PM Lee said.

He noted that Singapore is negotiating a free trade agreement (FTA) with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), which Armenia is chairing this year.

“The FTA will catalyse more business and stronger economic relations between our regions,” Mr Lee said, adding that he appreciates Armenia’s strong support for the agreement.

“I am heartened by the substantial progress made and hope that we will be able to conclude the FTA, especially the goods chapter, soon.”

Yesterday, both countries signed five agreements to cooperate in areas such as tourism, taxation, arts and culture, vocational training and plant exchange.

Armenia is one of five member states of the EAEU, which also includes Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia. The economic bloc represents a market of more than 180 million people with a combined gross domestic product of US$1.8 trillion (S$2.5 trillion).

Mr Pashinyan, who arrived on Sunday, received an official welcome at the Istana yesterday morning. He also paid a courtesy call on President Halimah Yacob.

Yesterday afternoon, he and his delegation met business leaders at a round-table session organised by the Singapore Business Federation.

Said its chief executive Ho Meng Kit: “For many of us present today, Eurasia is an emerging region that some Singapore businesses have begun exploring for opportunities.”

Mr Pashinyan will visit the Economic Development Board and Botanic Gardens, where an orchid will be named in his honour. He will also call on Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin.

The Armenian PM is accompanied by his wife, Madam Anna Hakobyan, as well as Minister of Economy Tigran Khachatryan, Minister of High-Technological Industry Hakob Arshakyan, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Avet Adonts and senior government officials.


Armenia’s parliament increases penalty for shooting Caucasian leopard to 100 million drams

Torgomian Varazdat
ARKA, Armenia
July 9 2019

YEREVAN, July 9 /ARKA/. Armenia’s National Assembly has voted today unanimously to pass in the first reading a package of draft laws amending the Criminal Code, one of which increases the penalty for shooting Caucasian leopard to 100 million drams.

According to Environment Minister Erik Grigoryan, the current penalty size is 3 million drams.  The minister said penalties for illegal logging have been significantly tightened.  Particularly, committing the same offense a second time during one year leads to criminal liability.

The head of the Bright Armenia faction Edmon Marukyan raised the issue of foresters’ wages, arguing that it is difficult to expect them to fulfill their duties at a proper level with a salary of 80 thousand drams per month. However, the minister replied that the foresters’ salaries have been raised to 150 thousand drams thanks to foreign partners, but he acknowledged that in general the problem of decent wages exists. 

A Caucasian leopard was for the first time filmed in 2018 spring by a World Wildlife Fund photojournalist in Armenia’s Khosrov Forest State Reserve. Armenia’s Environment Ministry and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF Armenia) have been implementing a Caucasus Leopard Preservation Program since 2002. 

Its main objective is to increase the population and protect the habitats of the leopard, as well as of other species, like Bezoar goat and Armenian mouflon.  At present, less than a dozen of Caucasian leopards are believed to live in Ararat, Vayots Dzor and Syunik regions of Armenia. ($ 1 – 476.9 drams).

The City that Launches the Publishing Industry

Chmshkian Vicken
BBC
July 8 2019
 
The City that Launches the Publishing Industry
 
 
Although Germany is considered the birthplace of printing, it was the Venetian Republic that played a major role in its development.
 
By Margarita Gokun Silver
9 July 2019
 
For Paolo Olbi, a Venetian bookbinder and a papermaking craftsman, the Antica Stamperia Armena is the realisation of a lifelong dream.
 
Located in the Dorsoduro sestiere (neighbourhood) of Venice inside the 18th-Century Ca’Zanobio degli Armeni palazzo – a palace built for the Zenobio family and now owned by the Armenian Mekhitarist Fathers of Venice (an Armenian Catholic congregation) – this traditional bookmaking workshop has an ambitious purpose. With several printing presses, a bookbinding room and a space reserved specifically for training a new generation of bookmakers, Olbi hopes that the Antica Stamperia Armena will restore the glory of Venetian publishing and bring artisanal bookmaking back to Venice.    
 
Venetian bookbinder Paolo Olbi hopes to revive artisanal bookmaking in Venice through the Antica Stamperia Armena (Credit: Margarita Gokun Silver)
 
Although Germany is often cited as the birthplace of publishing, thanks to craftsman Johannes Gutenberg’s invention of the movable-type printing press in the mid-15th Century, it was the Republic of Venice that gave the industry its major push.
 
“Since typographic art arrived in Venice in 1469, [the printing industry] underwent an extraordinarily large development because of the features of the lagoon city,” explained Federica Benedetti, a librarian at the Marciana National Library of Venice, one of Italy’s oldest surviving public libraries. “[Venice was] the main naval force in the Mediterranean Sea – it was in the centre of a thick net of commercial relations with the greatest European and non-European powers. Merchants and artisans [brought over] technological innovations and capital.”
 
With no shortage of raw materials and favourable trading conditions, Venice was well positioned to meet high demands for printed matter in Europe and further afield.
 
Printers came here because we had freedom of press
 
But the city’s dominance in trade wasn’t the only reason publishing thrived in Venice. “The Venetian artisan and commercial world was extremely dynamic and open to novelties,” Benedetti said. One of the richest cities in Europe at the time, the Serenissima – as the Venetian Republic was known – was a cosmopolitan city, a place so powerful and important that even Rome and the Catholic Church often failed to subjugate and censor it. Venice offered a fertile ground for the leap in culture started by Gutenberg’s invention.
 
“Printers came here because [we] had freedom of press,” Olbi said. “[Venice] was a Republic, not a Signoria [a government run by a lord].”
 
Although Germany is often cited as the birthplace of publishing, it was the Republic of Venice that gave the industry its major push (Credit: Brian Jackson/Alamy)
 
One of these printers was Aldus Manutius, a humanist and a trained scholar of Greek and Latin classics. Born in Bassiano, a town not far from Rome, Manutius moved to Venice in 1490. Like other scholars, artists and intellectuals, he was attracted by the city’s relative liberty and inspired by the potential of an intellectual renaissance away from the Church’s restrictive grip. He opened a publishing house, the Aldine Press, and in 1495 printed his first book, the Erotemata by Constantine Lascaris. A slew of other texts followed, as Manutius embarked on “an ambitious publishing-educational programme to disseminate and protect the classic Greek and Latin culture,” according to Benedetti. His efforts attracted many known scholars and writers; during his career he’s known to have worked with Desiderius Erasmus, Pietro Bembo and Giovanni Pico.
 
But in addition to being an intellectual, Manutius was also a visionary. He pioneered the ‘formato in ottavo’ for his classics editions – the printing of small, portable books that measured one eighth of the initial sheet of paper from which they were cut. Predecessors of today’s paperbacks, they were easy to carry around and more affordable to buy. “He was a very entrepreneurial man,” Olbi said. “For us it might be [nothing], but for the epoch that was used to extremely large and heavy books, it was a significant development.”
 
Humanist and scholar Aldus Manutius revolutionised the printing industry by printing in ‘aldino’, or italic, type (Credit: PRISMA ARCHIVO/Alamy)
 
Changing the aesthetics of the print was another one of Manutius’ accomplishments. While most of his fellow publishers continued to use the Gutenberg-popularised Gothic type, the Aldine Press began to print in ‘aldino’. Widely known today as italics because it was invented in Italy by an Italian, this new font was created by Francesco Griffo, a punch cutter who worked with Manutius.
 
“[Manutius wanted] something lighter, something less rigid – [he thought] it’d be easier to read Greek and Latin classics in a more modern font,” Olbi said. Manutius also realised that italics took less space on the page than the heavy Gothic characters. This coupled with his new ‘formato in ottavo’ made books more accessible to the general public.
 
“[They were] cheaper to buy, easier to handle and transport, and they promoted [reading] in environments other than private ones, as well as the widening of the spheres of readers,” Benedetti said.
 
If previously only the selected few – the aristocracy and the clergy – had access to books, now many in the middle class could afford to own them.
 
Italics took less space on the page than Gothic characters, allowing Manutius to print books that were smaller and more affordable (Credit: History and Art Collection/Alamy)
 
Although at the forefront of the industry, Manutius and the Aldine Press weren’t alone in building Venice’s booming publishing scene. “Other prestigious publisher families established themselves [in Venice] – the Sessa, the Giunta, the Scoto and the Giolito,” Benedetti said. “In the 15th and 16th Centuries, it was the main city in publishing, covering between 48.6% and 54% of the total [Italian book production].” Close to 250 publishers – both large and small – operated in the city during the 16th Century, resulting in the printing of at least 25,000 editions of books and making Venice the de-facto centre of European publishing.
 
For scholars, editors, writers and translators, this meant an irrefutable earning potential; many could now live off their craft. “The growth in publishing activity [in Venice] attracted many intellectuals by offering them concrete job opportunities,” Benedetti said. “Between 1530 and 1560, many scholars were active in Venice, coming not only from different areas of Italy but also from abroad.” The diversity of the city’s population – as a commerce hub, Venice attracted immigrants from many countries – led to books being printed in a variety of languages. In addition to Greek, there were editions in Glagolitic (the oldest known Slavic script), German, Hebrew, Arabic and Armenian, among many others.
 
One of the more active communities in printing, the Armenians were instrumental in developing the city’s publishing industry largely thanks to the Armenian Mekhitarist Congregation whose monastery on the island of San Lazzaro became home to one of Venice’s most important printing houses. It’s only fitting then that the same congregation decided to support the resurgence of traditional bookmaking in modern Venice by welcoming Olbi to open his workshop in their palazzo.
 
With the Antica Stamperia Armena, Olbi is building a cultural centre dedicated to the art of the book (Credit: Margarita Gokun Silver)
 
At 81, Olbi is one of Venice’s most famous bookbinders and the only one with his own printing press. For more than 50 years he’s been working with paper, making hand-bound notebooks, leather-embossed photo albums and hand-printed diaries. He’s owned several shops, one of which still exists today, and trained almost 100 bookbinders in an effort to keep the city’s bookmaking traditions alive. When Anna Scovacricchi, one of his apprentices, invited him to come to the 2018 Homo Faber exhibition (a showcase for the best examples of European craftsmanship), Olbi was overwhelmed.
 
“The most beautiful things are made by hand,” he told me, choking up.
 
But seeing the beauty at the exhibition also left him dismayed at what had happened in Venice. “It’s not possible that a city like this has become so cheesy,” he said, referring to the proliferation of cheap trinket shops where artisans and craftsmen had previously thrived. “We are the sinner; we’re responsible for [this deterioration of culture] that has transpired.”
 
The most beautiful things are made by hand
 
Resurrecting the glory of the Venetian artisanal bookmaking has always been Olbi’s objective, but after the exhibition he saw it was possible. With the Antica Stamperia Armena, he’s building a cultural centre dedicated to the art of the book. His intention is to go back to the roots – “start from the book,” as he says – to attract young people interested in craftsmanship and to pass the skills of Venetian printing to this new generation. “Let’s train these hands to be the best with our own traditions,” Olbi said.
 
Scovacricchi, who has an art background, is one of two apprentices currently working in Olbi’s workshop. “I’ve always loved books, especially as objects,” she said. “I love the smell of the paper, to touch them, to use my hands to create them, and also to draw.” Scovacricchi wants to help Olbi realise his vision of a centre where artisans, artists and writers come together to learn about the art of bookmaking. “We, the young generations, can save this incredible heritage and make Venice alive again,” she said.
 
Paolo Olbi: “My job is to transmit all my know-how, skills and passion to the new generation” (Credit: Margarita Gokun Silver)
 
But the project isn’t without its difficulties. There is acqua alta, Venetian high tide, that often wreaks havoc in the ground-level space of the workshop. There is also the lack of funding for renovations or to pay artisans and apprentices for their work. But both Olbi and Scovacricchi are optimistic. Everything they’ve been able to achieve has been thanks to Olbi’s persistence and his belief that the art of Venetian bookmaking must again – just like during the times of Manutius – be an integral part of Venice.
 
“My job is to transmit all my know-how, skills and passion to the new generation,” Olbi said. “We are the last of Manutius, [and for now] we are the only ones.”
 
Places That Changed the World is a BBC Travel series looking into how a destination has made a significant impact on the entire planet.
 
 
 

Armenians Prepare for Pilgrimate St. Thaddeus Monastery

Jhanna Virabian
  • Armenia

    •  

  • Latest

    •  

  • News

    •  

  • Top Stories

9 hours ago

St. Thaddeus Monastery in Iran

TEHRAN (Mehr News Agency)—Hundreds of Christian worshipers are preparing to head for St. Thaddeus Monastery to observe a religious ceremony passed down from generation to generation.

For the 65th consecutive year, pilgrims from Iran, Armenia, Syria, Lebanon, the Netherlands, France, Austria, Germany, Canada and some other countries get together, this year from July 25 to 27, to observe a ceremony called Badarak in one of the world’s oldest monasteries.

Attendees commemorate the martyrdom of St. Thaddeus, one of the twelve disciples killed while he was preaching the Gospel. The legend says, a church dedicated to him was first built in 68 CE where Qareh Klise is standing.

The festivity is of high importance for Iranian-Armenians who mostly come from the cities of Tabriz, Urmia, Tehran, Isfahan and Qazvin, to stage the reunion in groups and families. It also provides them opportunity to go on holiday and visit distant relatives.

Baptism of children and youngsters along with performances of traditional songs and dances are among highlights the event.

Also known as the Qareh Klise (“the Black Church”), the church is one of the oldest surviving Christian monuments in the country. It is situated in West Azarbaijan Province, some 20 kilometers form Maku, adjacent to the borders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey.

The ancient Church shows off elaborate bas-reliefs of flowers, animals and human figures on its façade and exterior walls. It bears verses of Old and New Testament in Armenian calligraphy as well.
Together with St. Stepanos Monastery and the Chapel of Dzordzor, Qareh Klise was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2008 under the name “Armenian Monastic Ensembles of Iran.”

All the three sites are located in West Azarbaijan and are of high significance from historical and cultural perspectives. They bear credible testimony to interchanges with the ancient regional societies in particular the Byzantine, Orthodox and Persian.

UNESCO says that the churches bear examples of outstanding universal value of the Armenian architectural and decorative traditions.

THURSDAY JULY 11: Presentation by Dr. Hrachoohi Boghossian

Hambardsumian Paul
Friends,

The ARPA Institute is proud to have one of our Board Members, Dr. Hrachoohi Boghossian presentating on “Armenia Transformed: the need for Innovation, Invention and Entrepreneurship“, on Thursday, July 11 at 7:30 pm In the Aram and Anahis D. Boolghoorjian Hall of the Merdinian School: 13330 Riverside Dr. Sherman Oaks, CA 91403. You are invited to attend, if you are in LA. There will be tea and cookies.

Please view the video on “Quo Vadis?”: The Current Armenian Sociopolitical Transformation in a Comparative-Historical Perspective, by Prof. Gregory Areshian of AUA in the link below: 

Please view the Round-Table Discussion on “WAKE UP DIASPORA” in the links below:


Also view the presentation on “The Naghash Ensemble: “Songs of Exile” — Armenian Music in Contemporary Culture” by John Hodian, in 

In addition, please view the presentation on “THE RAIN FOUNDATION, STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT and CHALLENGES“, by՝ Vahram: Shemmasian, in: 

GO TO: http://www.arpainstitute.org to donate and/or get more information about ARPA activities.

Please also view the link below and see how you can help ARPA Institute raise more funds. See how you can add to the close to $20000 that we have raised thus far. 


Here is how it works: You can help us by doing some searches on Goodsearch yourself. Just make Goodsearch.com your default search engine and do a few searches a day for ARPA Institute (select ARPA Institute as your cause). If 1000 people do one search per day, we can earn close to $4000 per year. So, please use GOODSEARCH for all your searches and help!

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 07/08/2019

Maral Chavushian 
                                        Monday, 
Six Killed In Armenian Road Crash
        • Naira Nalbandian
Armenia - The scene of a deadly road accident in the Ararat province, July 6, 
2019.
Law-enforcement authorities in Armenia were investigating on Monday a weekend 
road accident which left six people dead and eleven others seriously injured.
A commuter minibus reportedly burst into flames after colliding with two cars 
on a highway bridge 54 kilometers south of Yerevan on Saturday. A photograph 
released by the Armenian Ministry of Emergency Situations showed all three 
vehicles engulfed by fire after what was one of the country’s deadliest road 
crashes in years.
The Investigative Committee said the victims were the driver and five female 
passengers of the minibus. A statement released by the law-enforcement agency 
suggested that they burned alive inside the vehicle that carried mostly 
residents of nearby villages. All but one of the charred bodies were identified 
by Monday morning, according to it.
The statement said seven other passengers suffered serious burns and required 
hospitalization. Three of them remain in a critical condition, it added.
The Investigative Committee reported later in the day that it has arrested one 
of the two car drivers on suspicion of causing the crash. The 63-year-old 
suspect, Soghomon Hakobian, was also seriously injured. A spokeswoman for the 
committee told RFE/RL’s Armenian service that Hakobian is intensive care at a 
hospital in Yerevan.
The earlier Investigative Committee statement said blood tests showed that 
neither Hakobian nor the other car driver was drunk. It said that investigators 
have questioned some of the injured individuals and eyewitnesses and will 
conduct forensic tests as part of their probe.
“The investigation is continuing,” read the statement. “All investigative 
actions are being taken to ascertain the circumstances of the accident and 
verify circumstances mentioned in testimonies.”
Most cars and other vehicles in Armenia are powered by pressurized natural gas 
which is considerably cheaper than petrol.
Armenia’s Post-Soviet Ills Cured, Says Pashinian
        • Karlen Aslanian
Singapore -- Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong welcomes his visiting 
Armenian counterpart Nikol Pashinian, Singapore, July 8, 2019.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said on Monday that his government has 
successfully tackled corruption and Armenia’s other chronic problems 
“characteristic of many post-Soviet countries” since taking office just over a 
year ago.
“In the course of the past year the government of Armenia has taken steps that 
have radically transformed the country’s business environment,” Pashinian said 
during an official visit to Singapore. “It has strengthened the rule of law, 
created a level playing field for all economic actors and foreign investors in 
particular. Corruption has declined sharply.”
“We no longer suffer from symptoms characteristic of many post-Soviet 
countries,” he declared at a dinner hosted by Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee 
Hsien Loong. “The new Armenia opens up new opportunities for investing and 
engaging in economic activities.”
Pashinian and other government officials have repeatedly said that these 
improvements are laying the groundwork or an “economic revolution” that will 
significantly boost living standards in Armenia. Their political opponents and 
other critics dismiss these statements, saying that the new government’s 
policies have not translated into faster economic growth or greater foreign 
investment.
During visits abroad and Singapore in particular, Pashinian has touted his 
administration’s stated achievements in an effort to attract such investment. 
Economic issues dominated his talks with Lee held earlier in the day. The talks 
were followed by the signing of an agreement on the avoidance of double 
taxation of each other’s businesses.
“We want to spur increased trade and mutual investments between our countries,” 
the Armenian leader said at the ensuing dinner.
Armenia’s trade with Singapore stood at a meager $2.2 million last year. 
Pashinian said a free-trade deal currently negotiated by the wealthy 
island-state and the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) could also boost 
it.
Lee voiced support for that deal and said he hopes it will be signed “as soon 
as possible.” He also paid tribute to Singapore’s historic Armenian community 
that emerged nearly two centuries ago.
“We are proud of Armenians who continue to contribute to the development of our 
country,” added Lee.
For his part, Pashinian spoke of his admiration for Singapore’s “economic 
miracle.” “Your unique experience is of great interest to us and we would be 
grateful for your advice,” he said in his speech, adding that his government 
seeks to emulate Singapore’s “meritocracy, pragmatism and integrity.”
Lawyers Again Seek Bail For Kocharian
        • Naira Bulghadarian
Armenia -- Former President Robert Kocharian speaks during his trial in 
Yerevan, May 16, 2019.
Two weeks after he was arrested again, the lawyers for former President Robert 
Kocharian on Monday asked a district court judge in Yerevan to release him on 
bail.
The judge presiding over Kocharian’s trial, Davit Grigorian, already ordered 
him freed from custody pending a verdict in the case on May 18. Grigorian also 
decided to suspend the trial, saying that a coup charge brought against the 
ex-president may be unconstitutional. He requested a clarification from 
Armenia’s Constitutional Court.
The Court of Appeals overturned on June 25 Grigorian’s decisions strongly 
condemned by political allies and supporters of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian. 
Kocharian reported to a prison in downtown Yerevan a few hours later.
The high-profile trial has still not resumed, however, because Armen Danielian, 
a Court of Appeals judge, has still not sent materials of the case back to the 
lower court. The latter will not be able to consider the bail request as long 
as the trial remains on hold.
Kocharian’s lawyers on Monday again accused Danielian of deliberately dragging 
out the judicial process to make sure that Kocharian remains under arrest as 
long as possible. One of them, Hayk Alumian, charged that Danielian is acting 
on government orders. He insisted that under Armenian law the documents should 
have been sent back to the district immediately after Danielian’s ruling was 
made public.
Danielian’s office refused to give reasons for the apparent delay or say when 
he will enable the court of first instance to resume the trial.
Seda Safarian, a lawyer representing relatives of opposition protesters killed 
in Yerevan in March 2008, defended Danielian. She suggested that the Court of 
Appeals judge anticipates that Kocharian will challenge his decision in the 
Court of Cassation. In that case, he would send the materials directly to the 
higher court.
Safarian also predicted that the trial of Kocharian as well as his former chief 
of staff, Armen Gevorgian, and retired Generals Yuri Khachaturov and Seyran 
Ohanian will not resume before this fall.
The four men stand accused of illegally using Armenian army units against 
opposition supporters that demanded the rerun of a disputed presidential 
election held in February 2008. Kocharian ordered troops into Yerevan as 
opposition protesters clashed with riot police late on March 1, 2008. Eight 
protesters and two police servicemen died in those clashes.
Earlier this year, Kocharian was also charged with bribe-taking. He denies all 
accusations leveled against him as politically motivated.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2019 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
www.rferl.org

The California Courier Online, July 11, 2019

Dabaghian Diana
The California Courier Online, July 11, 2019

1 –        Pres. Trump is About to Damage
            U.S. Interests Just to Please Erdogan
            By Harut Sassounian
            Publisher, The California Courier
            www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
2-         Bishop Sahak Mashalyan elected Istanbul’s Armenian
patriarchal locum tenens
3 –        Armenian Religious Leaders, Organizations Issue Joint Statement
            Welcoming UN Allegation Letter Against Turkey
4-         Hye Notes: UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music
            Gives Armenian Music New Life
5-         RJ story revealing $25M donation by Kirk Kerkorian
            brings investigation at UNLV

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

1 –        Pres. Trump is About to Damage
            U.S. Interests Just to Please Erdogan
            By Harut Sassounian
            Publisher, The California Courier
            www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

Pres. Donald Trump is on the verge of making a serious mistake,
jeopardizing the security of the United States and other NATO members
if he decides not to sanction Turkey for purchasing Russian S-400
missiles which are incompatible with NATO military systems and expose
the operational secrets of the latest F-35 U.S. air force jets.

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed three resolutions warning
Turkey not to purchase the Russian missiles and has threatened to
block the sale of F-35 jets to Turkey. In addition, Secretary of State
Mike Pompeo and national security officials have publicly announced
that the United States will impose severe sanctions on Turkey for
purchasing the Russian missiles. Pres. Trump, an indecisive man and
fond of all dictators and particularly Turkey’s despotic President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is on the verge of ignoring all his top advisors
and the majority of Congress, allowing Turkey to violate the U.S.
sanctions law.

On June 29, 2019, when the leaders of G-20 countries met in Osaka,
Japan, Pres. Erdogan had a final chance to convince Pres. Trump not to
punish Turkey for the purchase of the Russian missiles.

Here are excerpts of the alarming statements Pres. Trump made during
his meeting with Pres. Erdogan in the presence of journalists:

Pres. Trump: “… It’s my honor to be with a friend of mine, somebody
I’ve become very close to, in many respects, and he’s doing a very
good job: the President of Turkey. And we have a meeting largely to do
with trade. We’re doing more and more business, and we expect to be
able to quadruple that business with Turkey. We think it will be
great. They’re great craftsmen. They have great product. And we’re
opening it up. We also do military trading, and they buy a lot of our
military equipment. And it’s an honor to be with you, Mr. President.”

Then pointing to Pres. Erdogan’s entourage in the room, Pres. Trump
said: “And look at these people, how nice they are. Look at them.
They’re so easy to deal with. Look at them. Central casting. There’s
no Hollywood set where you could produce people that look like them.”

Pres. Erdogan responded: “Mr. President, first, I would like to
express that it’s very meaningful for us to come together here at the
Osaka Summit. And we are currently going towards fulfilling the goal
of a $75 billion trade volume. And there are many steps that we need
to take within the defense industry area, but, more importantly, we
have a strategic partnership. And the strategic partnership also
encourages us to create solidarity across many areas, and I have full
belief that our solidarity will continue throughout the strategic
partnership.”

After these introductory remarks, Pres. Trump responded to reporters’ questions:

Reporter: “Mr. President, what will you do about the S-400s? Is the
U.S. going to have to impose sanctions if he takes possession?”

Pres. Trump: “Well, we’re discussing it. We have a complicated
situation because the President was not allowed to buy the Patriot
missiles. So when he bought the other ones—the S-200s or 400s—when he
bought them, he wanted to do this, but he wasn’t allowed by the Obama
administration to buy them until after he made a deal to buy other
missiles. So he buys the other missile and then, all of a sudden, they
say, ‘Well, you can now buy our missile.’ You don’t—you can’t do
business that way. It’s not good. It’s not good.”

Reporter: “Does that mean is there way—so could you….”

Pres. Trump: “We’re looking at different solutions. It’s a problem,
there’s no question about it. We’re looking at different solutions.
But he was prohibited from buying until he said he bought something
else. And then, as soon as he buys something else, everybody says,
‘Okay. You can buy it.’ You can’t do business that way. Turkey has
been a friend of ours and they’ve done—we’ve done great things
together. We’re a big trading partner. We’re going to be much bigger.
I think the $75 billion is small. I think it’s going to be well over
$100 billion soon. You can’t treat people that way, like the Obama
administration did….”

Reporter: “Will the U.S. impose sanctions against Turkey on S-400 purchase?”

Pres. Trump: “We’re looking at it. But it’s a double—it’s a two-way
street. They wouldn’t sell the President—they wouldn’t let him—they
wouldn’t let him buy the missile that he wanted to buy, which is the
Patriot. And then, after he buys from somebody else, he says ‘Now
we’ll sell you the Patriot.’ So, I have to tell you, he’s a NATO
member, he’s somebody that I have become friendly with. And you have
to treat people fairly. You understand that. You have to treat people
fairly. And I don’t think he was treated fairly. I don’t think he was
treated fairly.”

Reporter: “The ball is in your court though now, Mr. President. Will
you? You’re the one who makes the decision. Will impose the
sanctions?”

Pres. Trump: “So we’ll see you at the hotel at 3:30….”

Reporter: “Mr. President, are you going to Turkey in July? Will you be
going to Turkey in July, Mr. President? When are you going to Turkey?”

Pres. Trump: “I will, at some point, be going to Turkey. I’ve been
invited, and I will be—I will be going to Turkey, yes.”

Reporter: “This year, Mr. President? Will you go to Turkey this year?
Will you go in July?”

Pres. Trump: “We haven’t set a date.”

It is shocking that Pres. Trump is siding with the Turkish leader
against former Pres. Obama, the U.S. Congress and his own national
security officials. Secondly, it is a lie that Pres. Obama had refused
to sell Turkey U.S. Patriot missiles. Turkey did not accept the terms
of the sale.

Just like in many of his decisions, Pres. Trump seems to be putting
his personal interests—several million dollars of income for having
his name on two Trump buildings in Istanbul—ahead of U.S. national
interests. Why would he repeatedly praise Erdogan, a dictator and a
major human rights violator?

At the time of writing this article, the Russian missiles were already
on their way to Turkey. What will be Pres. Trump’s final decision on
sanctions? Will he damage NATO’s and U.S. national interests just to
please Erdogan? If he does, I hope no Armenian-American or anyone else
will vote for Trump in 2020.

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

2-         Bishop Sahak Mashalyan elected Istanbul’s Armenian
patriarchal locum tenens

ISTANBUL—Bishop Sahak Mashalyan has been elected a patriarchal locum
tenens in the Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul, Zhamanak reported.

July 4, the election of a patriarchal locum tenens was held in the
Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul.

There were two candidates—Archbishop Aram Ateshyan and Bishop Sahak
Mashalyan. Mashalyan received 13 votes, whereas Ateshyan received 11
votes.

On March 8, 2019, Patriarch Mesrob II passed away in Istanbul after
being more than a decade in a dementia-related coma.

It should be reminded that in 2017 the elections of the patriarch of
Constantinople were also held. Former leader of the Armenian Diocese
of Germany Garegin Bekchyán was then elected.

But the official Ankara, ignored this choice of the Constantinople’s
ecclesiastics and after some time, Bekchyan’s tenure was declared
invalid.

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

3 –        Armenian Religious Leaders, Organizations Issue Joint Statement

            Welcoming UN Allegation Letter Against Turkey

On June 20, the Holy See of Etchmiadzin, Catholicosate of Antelias,
Armenian Evangelical World Council, Armenian General Benevolent Union,
and Armenian Missionary Association of America issued a joint
statement welcoming the joint action of the United Nations (UN)
Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, the UN
Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to
freedom of opinion and _expression_, and the UN Special Rapporteur on
the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of
non-recurrence, which, in the framework of their mandates, addressed a
Joint Allegation Letter to the Government of the Republic of Turkey.

“This Joint Allegation marks an important step in the process of
demanding from the Republic of Turkey to come to terms with the Past
and primarily to fulfil its duty of investigation and to ensure the
right of victims to the truth, justice and reparations. It stresses
the alleging violations attributable to Turkey in relation to the
tragic events that affected the Armenian minority from 1915 to 1923,
and their consequences for the population concerned,” said the
statement.

“It expresses concern at the reported Turkish State denial, at the
legislation restraining freedom of opinion and of _expression_ related
to some wording, and ensuing lack of progress in establishing the
truth and ensuring justice for the forcible deportation of Armenians
between 1915 and 1923, which resulted in massive suffering,
ill-treatment and deaths. It also emphasizes that this situation
affects the dignity of victims and of their descendants,” said the
statement.

The United Nations allegation letter asked of Turkey in particular:
What measures has Turkey taken to establish the facts, including the
fate or whereabouts of Armenians who were subjected to forced internal
displacement, detention, extrajudicial killings and enforced
disappearances during the period of 1915-1923? What measures have been
taken to ensure the right of victims and of society as a whole to know
the truth about these events, and to ensure the right of victims to
justice and reparations for the damage suffered? What measures have
been taken to locate, insofar as possible, the bodies of Armenians who
died as a result of these events?

The allegation letter also asks Turkey: to provide information about
the reasons for the adoption of the 2017 legislation preventing
lawmakers from making certain expressions; to explain how this is
compatible with international human rights law, in particular with
article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
(ICCPR); to provide detailed information about the cases in which
Article 301 of the Criminal Code has been applied to punish
individuals for statements made alleging crimes against Armenians.

On May 17, the government of Turkey, Sadik Arslan, Turkey’s Permanent
Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, flatly refused to
answer the questions set forth by the UN in the allegation letter.

“We praise the special procedures engaged by the WGEID and the two
Special Rapporteurs and we support the pursuit of this unprecedented
and important process.While this effort is not a substitute for
genocide recognition or full and adequate reparations for the mass
atrocities and confiscations of properties suffered by the Armenians
during this period, actions by the relevant United Nations human
rights organs would constitute significant steps toward the disclosure
of the truth and redress for this open wound on humanity,” said the
statement in closing.

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

4-         Hye Notes: UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music

            Gives Armenian Music New Life

Dr. Hovsep and Mrs. Hilda Fidanian together with the UCLA Herb Albert
School of Music hosted a salon at their home in Glendale to present
Armenian classical and contemporary music music performed by UCLA’s
VEM Ensemble, comprised of top graduate students at the school. Prior
to this intimate concert, guests enjoyed remarks from the hosts, as
well as Professor Movses Pogossian, Director of The Armenian Music
Program, Professor Ian Krouse, former Academic Associate Dean of the
UCLA School of Music, and Helen Haig, Senior Policy Adviser for Gov,
George Deukmejian.

“We at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music are proud to host the
groundbreaking and important Armenian Music Program, and will do
everything we can to ensure it will thrive for many years to come,”
said Dr. Ian Krouse, Professor of Composition and former Academic
Associate Dean of The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music

The distinguished guests responded enthusiastically to Professor
Pogossian’s vision for the Armenian Music Program, to the superb
musical performances, and to UCLA’s strong support of Armenian
culture. As one guest said, “I have been proud of being a UCLA Bruin
countless times, but today sets a new high, thanks to the Armenian
Music Program!”

Since 2013, Professor Pogossian and The UCLA Herb Alpert School of
Music have celebrated Armenian music and culture through The Armenian
Music Program, which is dedicated to public outreach through community
performances and scholarship opportunities for students. The
cornerstone of the program, the VEM Ensemble, includes a group of
music students who perform Armenian classical and contemporary music
for community audiences.

The School of Music is working to grow the Armenian Music Program with
increased class offerings, student scholarships, community
performances, academic lectures, and publications.

For more information, contact Valentina Martinez, (310) 825-3629.

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

5-         RJ story revealing $25M donation by Kirk Kerkorian

            brings investigation at UNLV

By Arthur Kane

UNLV has hired a law firm to conduct a leak investigation into a Las
Vegas Review-Journal story about a $25 million anonymous donation to
the school, but it is not clear how much the probe will cost.

“The UNLV Foundation is initiating an Investigation following
publication of a news media article revealing that a UNLV employee may
have violated donor privacy and confidentiality,” according to a
contract signed by the university, the foundation and Jackson Lewis
P.C.

The contract does not include the amount the foundation will pay for
the investigation, but says that the foundation “will be responsible
for paying all of Jackson Lewis’ legal fees, costs and disbursements
for the Investigation.”

Nevada Press Association executive director Richard Karpel said a leak
investigation is not appropriate.

“It’s unfortunate that the UNLV Foundation has chosen to use (public)
dollars to investigate the leak rather than focusing squarely on
fixing the internal systems that led to this mistake,” he said in an
email exchange.

In 2017, the UNLV Foundation announced a $25 million anonymous
donation to help pay for a new medical school building.

The Review-Journal reported in April that foundation officials failed
to take measures to limit who knew that the donor’s identity was the
late billionaire Kirk Kerkorian.

The unredacted check was apparently given to support staff who made
dozens of copies, according to a source familiar with the matter. The
source requested anonymity for fear of losing employment at the
university.

One of those copies of the unredacted check was obtained by the Review-Journal.

A redacted version of the check was made into fliers and distributed
throughout the foundation touting the donation as “Top Secret.” The
flier was to celebrate the large donation, foundation Chief Financial
Officer Tiffany Vickers told the Review-Journal in April.

Anthony Mandekic, executor of the Kerkorian estate who signed the $25
million check, was upset when he learned foundation staffers couldn’t
keep their promise to ensure the donation was anonymous.

“People want to be anonymous for a reason,” he told the Review-Journal
in April. “It should be honored. They’re giving a substantial amount
of money.”

He could not be reached to comment about the leak investigation.

Jackson Lewis litigation manager Deverie Christensen contacted the
Review-Journal June 19, asking for a copy of the unredacted check as
part of its investigation. The Review-Journal declined to provide any
documentation to protect its sources.

Christensen declined comment about the investigation.

“I’m not authorized to communicate with the press,” she said.

Foundation officials issued a statement but did not say how much the
investigation would cost. “The UNLV Foundation is currently reviewing
our processes and procedures to ensure security and professionalism,”
the statement said. “Our interest is in preserving” the
confidentiality of its donors “and serving philanthropists in support
of UNLV.”

This article appeared in the Las Vegas Review-Journal on June 28,
2019. ************************************************************************************************************************************************

California Courier Online provides viewers of the Armenian News News Service
with a few of the articles in this week’s issue of The California
Courier.  Letters to the editor are encouraged through our e-mail
address, However, authors are
requested to provide their names, addresses, and/or telephone numbers
to verify identity, if any question arises. California Courier
subscribers are requested not to use this service to change, or modify
mailing addresses. Those changes can be made through our e-mail,
, or by phone, (818) 409-0949.