Category: 2019

One of last Armenian Genocide survivors dies in Argentina aged 106

Hambardsumian Paul

One of last Armenian Genocide survivors dies in Argentina aged 106

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19:36,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 25, ARMENPRESS. Lusine Beredjiklian – Khatcherian, one of the last survivors of the Armenian Genocide, died on  February 21, aged 106, ARMENPRESS reports, citing Prensa Armenia.  She was born on January 7, 1913 in Ayntap.

“When I remember, I cannot sleep”, Lusine Beredjiklian told in 2015, when the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide was commemorated.

Beredjiklian told that her father, Abraham, was a jeweler. He sent his elder sons to Aleppo when WWI just started an later the entire family decides to go to Syria. O the way to Aleppo they were looted. Her mother, pregnant at that time, dies on the way, while Abraham dies in Damascus. After that her brothers move to Argentina, but Lusine remains in Syria with her sister until 1929, after which they also move to South America.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan




RFE/RL Armenian Report – 02/25/2019

Emil Karabekian 
                                        Monday, 
Babayan ‘Stripped Of Karabakh Citizenship’
        • Ruzanna Stepanian
Armenia -- Former Karabakh army commander Samvel Babayan gives an interview to 
RFE/RL, Yerevan, 17Oct2016.
Samvel Babayan, a retired general who wants to run for president of 
Nagorno-Karabakh, on Monday claimed to have been “illegally” stripped of 
Karabakh citizenship over a decade ago.
“We are going to court so that they restore it,” he told RFE/RL’s Armenian 
service.
Babayan said he only Sunday found out that he ceased to be a Karabakh citizen 
in 2006 and is therefore not eligible to run in a presidential election that 
will be held in the unrecognized republic next year. “They had no right to 
strip me [of the citizenship,]” he said, citing Karabakh laws.
The authorities in Stepanakert did not immediately confirm the information. “I 
am hearing about that for the first time,” said a senior aide to Bako Sahakian, 
the outgoing Karabakh president.
Babayan, 53, was the commander of Karabakh’s Armenian-backed army during and 
after the 1991-1994 war with Azerbaijan. He was widely regarded as the 
unrecognized republic’s most powerful man at that time.
Babayan was arrested in 2000 and subsequently sentenced to 14 years in prison 
for allegedly masterminding a botched attempt on the life of the then Karabakh 
president, Arkady Ghukasian. He was set free in 2004 and has lived in Armenia 
and Russia since then.
Babayan expressed his desire to join the Karabakh presidential race earlier 
this month. He said he will start collecting in March signatures of local 
residents in a bid to circumvent a legal provision that bars him from running 
for president.
The Karabakh constitution stipulates that only those individuals who have 
resided in Karabakh for the past 10 years can participate in the 2020 
presidential election.
Speaking from Stepanakert, Babayan also claimed that the local authorities are 
now trying to obstruct the signature collection aimed at removing that 
constitutional clause. “I wouldn’t like to see upheavals, people taking to the 
streets, fighting and so on in Karabakh … But if they go for an escalation I 
won’t back down because there is no alternative,” he warned.
Babayan is specifically protesting against rules for collecting the signatures 
which were set by the Central Election Commission in Stepanakert on February 
18. In a weekend statement, his office said those rules are unconstitutional 
and aimed at precluding his presidential bid.
Karabakh officials dismissed the claims.
Putin, Pashinian Discuss ‘Regional Problems’
RUSSIA -- Russian President Vladimir Putin (Right) meets Armenian Prime 
Minister Nikol Pashinian (Left) in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, 27 December 
2018
Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol 
Pashinian bilateral relations and regional security during a telephone 
conversation on Monday.
The Kremlin reported that the two leaders spoke about the “development of 
Russian-Armenian cooperation as well as regional problems.” It did not 
elaborate.
Pashinian’s press office also gave no details in a virtually identical 
statement on the phone call. “The interlocutors discussed various issues on the 
agenda of Russian-Armenian allied relations,” it said.
Putin and Pashinian most recently met in Moscow on December 27. The talks 
focused, among other things, on a new price of Russian natural gas delivered to 
Armenia.
The two men held further discussions on the issue by phone in the following 
days. Russia’s Gazprom giant announced a 10 percent rise in its gas price for 
Armenia on December 31.
Immediately after those talks, Putin sent New Year greetings to Robert 
Kocharian, a former Armenian president arrested on coup charges on December 7. 
In August, he phoned Kocharian to congratulate him on his 64th birthday 
anniversary. A spokeswoman for Putin said the two men “have been maintaining 
warm relations that are not influenced by any events taking place in Armenia.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had earlier denounced the prosecutions 
of Kocharian, as well as two retired Armenian generals facing the same charges. 
The authorities in Yerevan deny any political motives behind the high-profile 
criminal cases.
Pashinian did not meet with Putin when he again visited Moscow in late January. 
He was received instead by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. The Armenian 
leader also gave a speech at the Moscow headquarters of the Russian-led 
Eurasian Economic Union (EEU).
In its five-year policy program approved by the parliament on February 14, 
Pashinian’s government’s reaffirmed its commitment to Armenia’s continued 
membership in the EEU and “strategic alliance” with Russia. The program 
describes close military ties with Moscow an “important component” of Armenia’s 
national security doctrine.
On February 8, Armenia deployed 83 medics, demining experts and other noncombat 
military personnel to Syria. Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu thanked 
Yerevan for the deployment when het with his Armenia counterpart Davit Tonoyan 
in Moscow on the same day.
For their part, the Russian and Armenian foreign ministers met on February 16 
on the sidelines of an international security forum in Munich, Germany. The 
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was reportedly high on the agenda of those talks.
Radical Group Warns Armenian Government Over Jailed Members
        • Sargis Harutyunyan
Armenia - Sasna Tsrer party leaders Zhirayr Sefiian (third from left) and 
Varuzhan Avetisian (second from left) start their election campaign in Yerevan, 
November 26, 2018.
A leader of a radical Armenian party demanded on Monday the immediate release 
of two of its members accused of murdering three police officers during a 2016 
attack on a police station in Yerevan.
Zhirayr Sefilian said the Sasna Tsrer party will “force” the authorities to 
free the two men if its demand is rejected.
The suspects, Armen Bilian and Smbat Barseghian, were part of a 31-member armed 
group that seized the police base in July 2016 to demand than President Serzh 
Sarkisian free Sefilian and step down. Sefilian had been arrested a month 
before the attack.
The gunmen laid down their weapons after a two-week standoff with security 
forces which left the three policemen dead. All them except Bilian and 
Barseghian were set free pending the outcome of their ongoing trials shortly 
after Sarkisian was toppled in last spring’s “velvet revolution.”
The two arrested men stand accused of killing the police Colonel Artur Vanoyan 
and Warrant Officers Gagik Mkrtchian and Yuri Tepanosian. They deny the 
accusations.
In a Facebook post, Sefilian condemned the authorities for keeping the “rebels” 
behind bars. “Enough is enough. If Armen Bilian and Smbat Barseghian are not 
freed, the more dignified and conscious segment of our people will force the 
recognition of the right to rebel and the release of the rebels,” warned the 
Lebanese-born nationalist activist.
Sefilian, who too was released from jail after the peaceful regime change, did 
not specify how his party would do that.
Armenia - Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian meets with relatives of police 
officers killed in a 2016 standoff with opposition gunmen, 28 June 2018.
Varuzhan Avetisian, another Sasna Tsrer leader who led the attack on the police 
station, also condemned Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s government. “Such an 
approach puts Pashinian’s government and Serzh Sarkisian’s criminal regime on 
the same subconscious plane,” he told RFE/RL’s Armenian service. “That is why 
such an approach is unacceptable.”
Avetisian seemingly ruled out an armed struggle against the current government. 
“We are certainly not talking about that. We are talking about citizens’ 
protests and other actions taken within the bounds of the law,” he said.
The stark warnings came three days after Justice Minister Artak Zeynalian 
confirmed that Avetisian and 20 other members of the armed group do not qualify 
for a general amnesty declared by the authorities in November.
Under an amnesty bill passed by the Armenian parliament, the key participants 
of the deadly attack can be pardoned only with the consent of their former 
hostages, including Valeri Osipian, the national police chief. Osipian formally 
objected to the amnesty earlier this month.
In his statement, Sefilian denounced the amnesty bill as “ludicrous” and 
likened it to a “trap.”
Reacting to the statement, the Armenian Justice Ministry said neither it nor 
any other government body is legally allowed to comment on ongoing trials or 
criminal investigations. There was no immediate reaction from Pashinian.
The prime minister lambasted the Sasna Tsrer party in the run-up to the 
December 2018 parliamentary elections. He said its members and supporters will 
“feel the taste of asphalt” if they attempt to destabilize the political 
situation in Armenia.
The warning was prompted by Sasna Tsrer leaders’ claims that the new Armenian 
parliament will have to be dissolved within two years because the country is 
now in a post-revolutionary “transitional period.” Avetisian stood by those 
statements a few days after Pashinian’s My Step bloc won the December 8 
elections by a landslide.
Sasna Tsrer got only 1.8 percent of the vote and thus failed to win any seats 
in the new National Assembly.
Ter-Petrosian Defends Pashinian
Armenia - Former President Levon Ter-Petrosian (L) and Nikol Pashinian greet 
supporters at a rally in Yerevan, May 31, 2011.
Former President Levon Ter-Petrosian has voiced support for Prime Minister 
Nikol Pashinian while strongly denying giving him guidance on the 
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and other challenges facing Armenia.
In a weekend article posted Ilur.am, Ter-Petrosian blasted what he described as 
a smear campaign waged against Pashinian by the country’s former rulers. He 
claimed that they want to restore “the kleptocratic regime” and “save from 
justice” individuals responsible for the 2008 post-election bloodshed in 
Yerevan.
“This is nothing but national treason,” he wrote. “The defeated regime has 
declared a war on the Armenian people and the government elected by them. It is 
therefore incumbent on the people to take up the gauntlet and strongly fight 
back against the anti-state forces.”
Ter-Petrosian, 74, shrugged off opposition claims that he remains Pashinian’s 
“godfather” and that the premier regularly asks him for policy advice. He said 
they last met in July 2018 and have had no direct or indirect contact since 
then.
The ex-president, who ruled Armenia from 1991-1998, also dismissed claims that 
Pashinian has embraced his conciliatory approach to resolving the 
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He said that unlike himself and the two other former 
Armenian presidents, Pashinian has so far shed no light on his views about how 
to resolve the conflict.
“Whatever program on a Karabakh settlement Pashinian comes up with, it will be 
his own program,” he added.
Ter-Petrosian further downplayed the recent appointment of a senior member of 
his Armenian National Congress (HAK) party, Vladimir Karapetian, as Pashinian’s 
press secretary. He argued that Karapetian suspended his membership in the HAK 
before taking up the post.
Armenia - Opposition leader Nikol Pashinian addresses protesters that 
barricaded themselves in central Yerevan, 1 March 2008.
Pashinian played a prominent role in Ter-Petrosian’s opposition movement that 
nearly brought the latter back to power in a disputed presidential election 
held in February 2008. The former journalist was one of the most influential 
speakers at the ex-president’s anti-government rallies held at the time. He 
spent about two years in prison on charges stemming from a post-election 
government crackdown on the Ter-Petrosian-led opposition.
Pashinian fell out with Ter-Petrosian after being released from prison in 2011. 
As recently as in February 2018, the HAK’s deputy chairman, Levon Zurabian, 
scoffed at Pashinian’s plans to try to stop then President Serzh Sarkisian from 
extending his decade-long rule.
Even so, the HAK welcomed the subsequent Pashinian-led protests that led to 
Sarkisian’s resignation. Ter-Petrosian and Pashinian met in July for the first 
time in years.
Senior HAK representatives also hailed criminal charges that were brought 
against former President Robert Kocharian and other former Armenian officials 
shortly after the “velvet revolution.” The charges stem from the March 2008 
breakup of the post-election protests in Yerevan which left eight protesters 
and two policemen dead.
Last week, the HAK added its voice to Pashinian’s calls for Armenians to join 
him in marking the 11th anniversary of the violence on March 1.
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, February 28, 2019

Chakrian Hovsep

The California Courier Online, February 28, 2019

1 –        Azerbaijan’s Destruction of Armenian

            Monuments Exceeds ISIS Crimes

            By Harut Sassounian

            Publisher, The California Courier

            www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

2-         Armenian Diaspora Mourns Loss of Philanthropist Louise
Manoogian Simone

3 –        Pyunic to Host 30th Anniversary Brunch Fundraiser

4 –        Janet Shamilian Elected President of USC Gould School SBA

5-         Armenian Assembly, AUA Mourn Passing of Dr. Mihran Agbabian

6-         Serzh Sargsyan’s brother returns $18.5 million to Armenian government

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1 –        Azerbaijan’s Destruction of Armenian

            Monuments Exceeds ISIS Crimes

            By Harut Sassounian

            Publisher, The California Courier

            www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

“A groundbreaking forensic report tracks Azerbaijan’s destruction of
89 medieval churches, 5,480 intricate cross-stones, and 22,700
tombstones,” is the subtitle of an incredible article by Simon
Maghakyan and Sarah Pickman, published in the Hyperallergic Magazine
last week. The article is titled: “A Regime Conceals its Erasure of
Indigenous Armenian Culture.”

In April 2011, when the U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan wanted to visit
Nakhichevan, an Armenian territory classified by the Soviets as an
“autonomous republic” of Azerbaijan, to verify the destruction of
thousands of historical medieval Armenian khachkars (cross-stones), he
was blocked by Azeri officials who told him that reports of their
destruction was fake news.

Under Azeri oppression, the longstanding Armenian community of
Nakhichevan had dwindled to zero. Not content with ethnic-cleansing,
the Azeris proceeded to eliminate all traces of Armenian monuments,
claiming that no Armenians had ever lived in Nakhichevan.

“In December 2005, an Iranian border patrol alerted the Prelate of
Northern Iran’s Armenian Church that the vast Djulfa cemetery, visible
across the border in Azerbaijan, was under military attack. Bishop
Nshan Topouzian and his driver rushed to videotape over 100
Azerbaijani soldiers, armed with sledgehammers, dump trucks and cranes
destroying the cemetery’s remaining 2,000 khachkars; over 1,000 had
already been purged in 1998 and 2002,” reported Maghakyan and Pickman.

The flattened land, where the khachkars stood for centuries, is now a
military rifle range. The “demolition was the ‘grand finale’ of
Azerbaijan’s eradication of Nakhichevan’s Armenian past,” wrote the
two authors.

Maghakyan and Pickman reported that “the American Association for the
Advancement of Science (AAAS) employed remote sensing technologies in
its pioneer investigation into cultural destruction. Their 2010
geospatial study concluded that ‘satellite evidence is consistent with
reports by observers on the ground who have reported the destruction
of Armenian artifacts in the Djulfa cemetery.’”

“Absolutely false and slanderous information … [fabricated by] the
Armenian lobby,” proclaimed Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, who
makes frequent threats against Armenia and distorts its history.

The authors also quote from public decree No.5-03/S on December 6,
2005, by Nakhichevan’s “local autocrat” Vasif Talibov, a relative of
Pres. Aliyev, “ordering a detailed inventory of Nakhichevan’s
monuments. Three years later, the investigation was summed up in the
bilingual English and Azerbaijani ‘Encyclopedia of Nakhchivan
Monuments,’ co-edited by Talibov himself. Missing from the 522-page
‘Encyclopedia’ are the 89 medieval churches, 5,840 intricate
khachkars, and 22,000 tombstones that [Armenian researcher Argam]
Ayvazyan had meticulously documented. There is not so much as a
footnote on the now-defunct Christian Armenian communities in the
area—Apostolic and Catholic alike. Nevertheless, the official
Azerbaijani publication’s foreword explicitly reveals ‘Armenians’ as
the reason for No. 5-03/S: ‘Thereafter the decision issued on 6
December 2005 … a passport was issued for each monument … Armenians
demonstrating hostility against us not only have an injustice [sic]
land claim from Nakhchivan, but also our historical monuments by
giving biassed [sic] information to the international community. The
held investigations once again prove that the land of Nakhchivan
belonged to the Azerbaijan turks [sic]….’”

Any Azerbaijani who dares to speak out in defense of Armenians is also
attacked as an enemy of Azerbaijan. A courageous Azerbaijani writer,
Akram Aylisli, paid a hefty price for telling the truth about the
destruction of Armenian monuments in his hometown of Agulis (known
today as Aylis). The well-known novelist was furious that the Azeri
government was destroying Armenian churches. In his novel, “Stone
Dreams,” the protagonist, an intellectual from Agulis, refers to
memories of the town’s eight of the 12 medieval churches that had
survived until the 1990’s, and protects a victim of anti-Armenian
pogroms in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku. Pres. Aliyev revoked Aylisli’s
pension and title of “People’s Writer.” His writings were removed from
school curricula, his books were publicly burned, and his family
members were fired from their jobs. He has been under de facto house
arrest since the release of his novel. Aylisli protested the
destruction of the Armenian churches in Agulis and resigned from his
position as Member of Azerbaijan’s Parliament. He fearlessly sent a
telegram to Pres. Heydar Aliyev in 1997, calling the destruction of
the Armenian churches in Aylis an “act of vandalism being perpetrated
through the involvement of armed forces and employment of anti-tank
mines.”

The two authors spoke with Russian journalist Shura Burtin who after
interviewing Aylisli in 2013 traveled to Nakhichevan and reported that
he didn’t see “a trace of the area’s glorious past.” Burtin concluded:
“Not even ISIS could commit such an epic crime against humanity.”

The authors reported that Aylisli’s 2018 non-fiction essay in
Farewell, claimed “that a mosque built five years ago on the site of
one of the destroyed churches has been boycotted by locals because
‘everyone in Aylis knows that prayers offered in a mosque built in the
place of a church don’t reach the ears of Allah.’”

Argam Ayvazyan, a native of Nakhichevan who spent decades
photographing the local Armenian monuments before their destruction,
was quoted by Maghakyan and Pickman as decrying the world’s silence:
“Oil-rich Azerbaijan’s annihilation of Nakhichevan’s Armenian past
make it worse than ISIS, yet UNESCO and most Westerners have looked
away.” ISIS-demolished sites like Palmyra can be renovated, Ayvazyan
argued, but “all that remain of Nakhichevan’s Armenian churches and
cross-stones that survived earthquakes, caliphs, Tamerlane, and Stalin
are my photographs.”

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2-         Armenian Diaspora Mourns Loss of Philanthropist Louise
Manoogian Simone Louise Manoogian Simone passed away at the age of 85
on February 18, 2019. She dedicated her life to civic leadership,
philanthropy, and was first and foremost passionate about the
promotion of Armenian culture and heritage.

Most who knew her will remember her as an intelligent, outspoken,
witty woman who strived for excellence in herself and others. The
driving principle in all that she did was to beneficially impact
people lives and she achieved that goal many times over.

Louise was born in Detroit, Michigan to Alex and Marie Manoogian. Her
father Alex, an Armenian immigrant who left Turkey after the Armenian
Genocide, developed the Delta single-handed faucet and went on to
become one of America’s leading industrialists as the founder of MASCO
corporation. Upon achieving business success, Alex used his resources
to work tirelessly for the benefit of the Armenian people worldwide.

Louise inherited her parents’ passion for Armenians, which led her to
follow in her father’s footsteps and serve on the board of the
Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU), the world’s largest
non-profit organization devoted to upholding the Armenian heritage
through educational, cultural and humanitarian programs around the
world. In 1982, Louise made her first trip to Armenia, then still a
Soviet Republic. She quickly fell in love with the country and over
the next few years, returned frequently, bringing others with her,
whether it be to make documentaries or to connect and contribute in
other ways. Her brother, Richard Manoogian, joined her in supporting a
number of projects in Armenia.

In 1988, after a devastating earthquake hit Armenia, killing 25,000
people and leaving hundreds of thousands wounded and homeless, Louise
was on the first U.S. cargo plane delivering relief supplies and
rescue teams to the disaster area. She spearheaded the disaster relief
on behalf of AGBU. An iconic picture of her standing in the ruins near
the epicenter of the quake is remembered by many affected by the
disaster.

In 1989, Louise was elected the international president of AGBU and
began directing operations in 31 countries and 74 cities and oversaw
the building of and continued funding of schools, churches, scout
programs and services for Armenians worldwide. She opened an office in
Yerevan, Armenia and when Armenia became an independent country
following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Louise through AGBU and
her own resources focused efforts on rebuilding a newly independent
homeland. She was a charter board member and major benefactor of the
American University of Armenia in Yerevan.

After a million miles traveling the world to oversee operations and
projects, in 2002 Louise retired as President of AGBU. However, she
continued her huge charitable efforts through the Manoogian Simone
Foundation working with, among others, the Armenian Apostolic Church,
reconstructing and maintaining hospitals, schools, children’s and
cultural centers and historical monuments. And as was always a theme
throughout her life, Louise was a significant supporter of the arts
and many artists.

Though she was most passionate about Armenian causes, Louise was also
a great benefactor to American Universities, Museums and cultural
institutions, including the University of Michigan, Wayne State
University and the Detroit Institute of Arts. She received many honors
throughout her life, among them the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

She is survived by her children Christine, David, and Mark; two
grandchildren; and her brother, Richard and his family.

Current AGBU President Berge Setrakian, who served as Vice President
under Simone’s leadership, described her as a pioneering spirit and a
woman far ahead of her time. “She was called upon to steer the AGBU
through many challenges, rising to become a driving force behind many
of the successes and benefits that Armenians across the world enjoy
today. She was a role model for all who had the good fortune to work
with her and watch her brilliant mind at work. Always idealistic, yet
practical, efficient and wise, she managed to see past the immediate
obstacles to find solutions that would yield lasting results,” said
Setrakian. “The sheer number of fronts on which she operated on any
given day was truly astounding, not only managing all the moving parts
with grace, but also maintaining all the existing AGBU educational,
cultural and artistic programs across the diaspora.”

The American University of Armenia offered its condolences upon the
passing of Manoogian Simone. “It is with deep sorrow that we announce
the passing of Louise Manoogian Simone, the most generous benefactor
of AUA. Serving as the President of the Armenian General Benevolent
Union, Manoogian Simone made a historical decision in 1989 to provide
funding in the initial years of the University that made the
establishment of AUA a reality. It was through her efforts that the
Armenian government under President Levon Ter-Petrosyan and Speaker of
the Parliament Babken Araktsian granted the use of the Convention
Meetings Building of the Communist Party to AUA. Furthermore, it was
her communications with President David Gardner of the University of
California that led to the affiliation between the UC System and AUA
that continues and remains a tremendous asset to the University to
this date. We are proud that our College of Business and Economics
bears her name and will continue to prepare the future business
leaders in Armenia and the region living up to her vision. Louise
Manoogian Simone will forever be remembered as one of the greatest
philanthropists of her time and will be immensely missed by the AUA
community.”

The Eastern Diocese of America offered its condolences upon her
passing. “She was a national hero, a passionate Armenian and a highly
capable leader,” said Diocesan Primate the Very Rev. Fr. Daniel
Findikyan. “Louise wanted above all that the Armenian people be strong
as a nation and as a church. And she gave of herself without
reservation.” Manoogian Simone was the very first woman elected to the
Diocesan Council (in 1979) who served as treasurer during her term.
She played an important role in the history of St. Nersess Seminary,
advocating for its mission and fundraising on its behalf at a critical
time, thus laying the foundation for a significant expansion of its
academic role and outreach to students. In 1991 she sponsored the
first international gathering of Armenian clergy, which convened at
the Diocesan Center in New York.

Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan extended his condolences upon
the death of Manoogian Simone. “With deep sorrow I learnt the news of
passing of Armenian-American philanthropist Louise Manoogian Simone.
Her contribution for earthquake victims, refugees from the Nagorno
Karabakh war, promotion of Armenian culture worldwide and charitable
efforts are invaluable,” Pashinyan said on Twitter.

The President of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic/NKR), Bako Sahakyan, on Wednesday, February 20, sent a letter
of condolence to the family of Manoogian Simone. “We have learned with
deep sorrow in Artsakh about the death of Armenian national
philanthropist, public figure Louise Manoogian Simone,” the letter
reads, Central Information Department of the Office of the Artsakh
President informed Armenian News-NEWS.am. “All her life she always
stood with her own people, outlived their concerns, supported the
Motherland, actively participated in the process of establishing and
strengthening Armenian national structures in the Diaspora, continuing
with dignity the patriotic mission of her family. With the immediate
contribution of Lousie Manoogian Simone, multiple projects of
strategic importance have been implemented in Artsakh in different
spheres. The great philanthropist enjoyed infinite and genuine respect
in Artsakh. On behalf of the Artsakh people, authorities and myself
personally, I express my deepest condolences and support to the
relatives and friends of the deceased wishing them endurance and
strength of spirit. The name of Louise Manoogian Simone will always
remain bright in the hearts of those who knew her, and in the memory
of our people.”

The Armenian Missionary Association of America and its Board of
Directors also offered condolences upon her passing. “Louise Simone’s
bold, ahead of her time, visionary contribution in the development of
the Homeland and Artsakh left an indelible mark on the present and
future state of the nation and the Homeland. Louise Simone’s
philanthropic priorities took center stage in her benevolent strategy
which were farsighted, discerning and judicious. The nation will long
applaud her legacy and live to experience its impact,” said AMAA
Executive Director and CEO Zaven Khanjian.

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3 –        Pyunic to Host 30th Anniversary Brunch Fundraiser

GLENDALE—Pyunic, the Association for the Disabled in Armenia, will
host its 30th anniversary fundraising brunch on Sunday, March 10 at
the Chevy Chase Country Club, in Glendale.

Pyunic was founded in February 1989 to provide support to hundreds of
children who became disabled as a result of the injuries suffered in
the devastating, December 1988 Spitak Earthquake in Armenia.

Since its inception, Pyunic has been a leading non-governmental
organization in Armenia providing a variety of programs and services
to children and young adults with disabilities to help them become
contributing members of Armenia’s society.

Pyunic has updated and modified its programming to accommodate a
variety of services to meet the ongoing needs of children and young
adults with disabilities. These programs are carried out at the Pyunic
centers in Yerevan and Gumyri. All programs and services provided by
Pyunic are free of charge to the individuals with disabilities and
their families. Pyunic’s programming includes: Paralympic training for
disabled athletes, education programs for developmentally disabled
individuals, partnerships with the EU to advocate for the rights and
opportunities of the disabled, vocational training, and arts and
crafts opportunities for children. For more information, visit
www.pyunic.org.

The event is free of charge but space is limited. To RSVP, email
[email protected].

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4 –        Janet Shamilian Elected President of USC Gould School SBA

Third-year law student Janet Shamilian was elected president of the
USC Gould School of Law Student Bar Association. Janet was born and
raised in Los Angeles. She graduated from the University of Southern
California with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and a
minor in Leadership. She earned her Master’s in Public Administration
from the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy. During her time at
Gould, Janet has been involved with the SBA as a 1L Representative in
her first year, and as Class President in her second year. She is also
a member of USC’s Small Business Clinic, and the National Moot Court
Team. During her first summer of law school, Janet externed for the
Honorable Stephen V. Wilson of the Central District of California.
During her second summer, she worked in-house for NIKE Legal. Though
Janet is not looking forward to graduating, since this will mark the
end of her near decade at USC, she is looking forward to starting her
career as a litigator.

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5-         NY Conference Examines Meaning, Importance of Truth

Some scholars conclude that we now live in a “post-truth world,” where
facts have become irrelevant in our own lives and in the choices and
actions of our leaders. What does it mean to live in a “post-truth
world?” And, more importantly, how are we to defend and promote truth
in such a world?

The Manhattanville Philosophy Department, in association with the
World Religions and Political Science Departments, invites all
students, educators, community members, and lovers of truth to this
year’s Mary T. Clark Event. This year, the event will take place over
two days, April 1 and 2, and welcome various speakers to discuss the
central theme, Living in a Post-Truth World. Speakers will include
Mary Ellen Bork, American human rights activist; Armen Morian,
Assistant Attorney General for the State of New York; Antonia Arslan,
Author and Professor at the University of Padua; Marco Liviero,
Professor of Literature at Eton College, and more. When available, the
full schedule of events and speakers will be released on the
Manhattanville Philosophy Department webpage.

The event will conclude with the annual Mary T. Clark Lecture at 6
p.m. on the April 2, to be delivered this year by Abp. Anoushavan
Tanielian, Prelate of the Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Orthodox
Church.

At Reid Castle, Manhattanville College, 2900 Purchase Street,
Purchase, NY 10577. Speakers begin at 1 p.m. on both days. Attendance
is free of charge. For more information, call (315) 731-0958.

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6-         Serzh Sargsyan’s brother returns $18.5 million to Armenian government

On February 19, Aleksandr Sargsyan, the brother of ex-president Serzh
Sargsyan, made an $18.5 million payment to the Armenian government
budget, Civilnet reported, citing a written inquiry the news outlet
sent to the office of the Prime Minister.

Speaking at a September rally in Yerevan, then acting Prime Minister
Nikol Pashinyan said that Aleksandr Sargsyan pledged to withdraw $30
million he kept in a local bank and return the amount to the state
budget.

Pashinyan said it was the money Aleksandr Sargsyan extorted from local
businesses during his brother Serzh Sargsyan’s 2008-2018 rule. He
claimed that Armenian businesspeople were forced to give Aleksandr 50
percent stakes in their lucrative firms. According to Pashinyan, that
was why Aleksandr Sargsyan was nicknamed ‘Sashik 50 Percent.’

The Office of Prime Minister told Civilnet that during the
investigation into criminal cases initiated against Alexander
Sargsyan, the latter voluntarily donated the amount equivalent to
$18.5 million to the state budget.

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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.

Armenian Church commemorates Bishop St. Mark, Priest St. Pion and other saints

Hambardsumian Paul
Panorama, Armenia
Feb 25 2019

The Armenian Apostolic Church commemorates Monday Bishop St. Mark, Priest St. Pion, Deacons St. Kyuregh (Cyril) and St. Benjamin and holy martyrs Sts. Abdlmseh, Vormzdana and Sayen, Qahana.am reports.

St. Mark was the Bishop of Aritus in the half of the 4th century. Famous theological doctrines are ascribed to him. During the period of reign of the king Julianus the Betrayer he was subjected to torments, then he was exiled to a remote island, where he passed away dedicating the last years of his life to Christian preaching.

Priest St. Pion also has been one of the devoted advocates of Christianity. It is known that he has served in Smyrna, where he has been martyred for preaching Christianity.

Deacon St. Kyuregh (Cyril) and St. Benjamin have been martyred for the sake of Christian faith. Accusing Kyuregh (Cyril) in destroying heathen temples, Julianus the Betrayer allowed the heathen priests to judge him and the heathen priests subjected him to severe torments. Deacon St. Benjamin was martyred during the period of reign of the Persian king Hazkert I for preaching Christianity among the Persians.

Among the victims martyred during the period of reign of Hazkert I were Vormzdana, minister of the Persian royal palace, and Sayen, a Persian noble. Both of them being deprived of royal and noble pleasures and privileges continued to remain loyal to Christian faith and were martyred for the sake of Christian faith.

Abdlmseh was the son of rich Jews living in Persia. While pasturing his father’s cattle  Abdlmseh was acquainted with other Christians of the same age, who baptized him and renamed Abdlmseh, which means “Servant of Christ.” Becoming aware of his son’s converting to Christianity and not succeeding to force him to renounce of Christianity, his father stabbed him in the same place where the saint had been baptized. 

Anzhela Elibekova: February 26 appears to be a good occasion to test Azerbaijanis readiness for peace

Hagop Kamalian
Panorama, Armenia
Feb 25 2019
Politics 19:27 25/02/2019 Armenia

February 26 marks the anniversary of Khojaly events and the date is a good occasion to test the readiness of the Azerbaijani public for peace, Anzhela Elibekova, expert in the South Caucasus told Panorama.am during an interview. Over the past few days Elibekova has explored Azerbaijani media reports and has come to conclusion that an active anti-Armenian propaganda is conducted despite commitments to prepare the people for peace.

“They announce about readiness to get prepared for peace, yet at the same time continue ramping up anti-Armenian sentiments among the public. The peace agenda thus appears to be fake,” Elibekova said. The expert pointed to the intensity of anti-Armenian events happening both in Azerbaijan and abroad that has been the case with previous years as well. The hatred is reinforced by statements from officials and experts of various caliber that often-spread disinformation, hatred and insults.

During the time of working at the Public Relations and Information Centre SNC, Elibekova along with number of experts initiated the “Xocali.net” project that documents the real events in the beginning of the 90s and exposes Azerbaijani falsification and distortion of facts.

«A database of facts was created with documentaries and a special website “Xocali.net” that should be presented to the Armenian and Azerbaijani public as well as the international community. This should be done first of all through diplomatic channels in order to prevent Azerbaijani propaganda activities in different countries – be those protests, or adoption of various resolutions,” Elibekova said.

“Xocali.net” website discloses Azerbaijani side’s mass falsifications concerning the tragedy, in which peaceful inhabitants of the village of Khojaly were killed. The website features many materials, including photo and video, exposing the activities of Azerbaijani Propaganda Machine that had been misleading the international community over the death of peaceful citizens for many years.

This year a small group of experts have created a new publication titled “What happened in Khojaly” available in three languages that provides information about Khojaly in Q/A format and discloses Azerbaijani side’s mass falsifications concerning the tragic events.
“The tragic events definitely took place on the night of February 25-26 claiming human lives. The tragic cannot go unpunished and the real perpetrators should be held responsible instead of those who were blamed or wanted to be seen as the assailants,” the authors of the publication say.

Some inconsistencies about the Khojaly event disseminated by the Azerbaijani propaganda can be found here. . 

Two Art Collectors Who Caught Each Other’s Eye

Dabaghian Diana
The New York Times
February 22 2019

Within six months of meeting, Yelena Ambartsumian and Miroslav Grajewski began buying paintings together. They fell in love with more than the art.

By Ruth La Ferla

 
By RUTH LA FERLA
 
 
Marriage, they say, is a negotiation, a protracted conversation built on trust, shared goals and infinite reserves of tact.
 
It’s a concept not lost on Yelena Ambartsumian and Miroslav Grajewski, who, well before they traded vows Jan. 19 at St. Illuminator’s Armenian Apostolic Cathedral in Manhattan, had already mastered the art of the deal.
 
Two years ago, Ms. Ambartsumian, 30, an associate in the law firm Milbank, and Mr. Grajewski, 28, an engineer and executive with Zuvic Carr and Associates, embarked on a courtship sparked by a mutual passion for contemporary art. That shared appetite led them to invest piece by piece in a jointly held collection.
 
Their path in the art world was halting at first. ”We definitely had a fair number of moments where we thought we were nuts,” Mr. Grajewski said just days before the wedding, going on to describe a romance fueled by robust curiosity and the desire to build a legacy.
 
Were they driven to compete with other, perhaps more seasoned young trophy hunters?
 
Not at all, Mr. Grajewski said. Still, at Art Basel in Miami, collecting can be like a contest. ”’People will greet you with, ‘What did you get?”’ he said, that question abruptly followed by, ”’Oh here’s what we got in the few hours since we last saw you.”’
 
By contrast, he added emphatically, ”We made sure we were buying a piece because we liked it and not for any other reason.”
 
They made their first buy, a photographic work by Willa Nasatir, after dating for only six months. ”Even after such a short time, we were making harder choices than a lot of married couples,” Ms. Ambartsumian said. Their acquisitions were modest at first, becoming more ambitious with time, some priced in the tens of thousands or more for a variety of works, many by European or Near Eastern artists. Women artists represent half of their collection.
 
To some, such sums may seem staggering. Indeed Ms. Ambartsumian’s parents — her mother a psychiatrist, her father, an electrical engineer — may well have been taken aback.
 
”We’re not oligarchs,” Ms. Ambartsumian said. The couple split the cost of each purchase, acquiring works at the rate of about one per month, each a considered decision and a valiant leap of faith.
 
”The more we collected,” she said, ”the more we came to trust each other, and the more we fell in love.”
 
The couple met in 2016 at a reception for the Museum of Modern Art junior associates. ”That night I went out on my own, which was unusual for me because I’m an introvert,” Ms. Ambartsumian said. ”I thought this is something I really want to do. I’ll go and make new friends. Still, I didn’t expect to meet my husband there.”
 
She was heading toward the exit when Mr. Grajewski rushed to introduce himself. They made their way to a balcony overlooking the MoMA Sculpture Garden to begin a conversation that seemed only to deepen as the weeks wore on.
 
”We couldn’t stop talking,” Ms. Ambartsumian said.
 
Their first formal date was a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. ”We wanted to go together to a place that we had gone to so many times on our own,” she said. ”Visiting something familiar seemed like a safe choice.”
 
They continued to go to museums and attend junior associate events and art fairs. ”At a certain point we realized that the only way we could keep learning was by actually getting more involved in the art world,” Mr. Grajewski said. ”We felt the next step was to see what collecting was all about.”
 
During their treks, they would compare notes, often astonished to find that on just about every occasion they were drawn to the same several pieces, their interests encompassing canvases both abstract and figurative, vividly colorful and monochromatic, and, in addition, pieces of sculpture and photography.
 
That shared affinity may well have been bred in the bone. Growing up they routinely accompanied their parents — his Polish born, hers Armenian refugees from Azerbaijan — on museum and gallery jaunts here and abroad. As children, Ms. Ambartsumian said, ”We each saw a lot of the same art works.”
 
Once the couple set their sights on a piece, they would return to it multiple times, at varying hours, and in shifting moods. When they settled on a purchase, Mr. Grajewski, the more extroverted of the pair, would begin negotiations. The couple, who drew from their savings, had agreed in advance to split the cost.
 
”Each of us had veto power,” Mr. Grajewski said. At times their choices were at odds. ”But from the very beginning we were opposed to any kind of passive-aggressiveness,” he said. ”That didn’t mean that you couldn’t say things tactfully, only that you weren’t building up a certain resentment.”
 
The determining factor was, he said, ”that we would decide together what we want to wake up to and see every day.”
 
Some of their pieces were housed early on in Ms. Ambartsumian’s former apartment near Wall Street. They would later find their way to Milford, Conn., where the couple now resides.
 
The works for the most part are vivid and generously scaled. Those dominating the living room include an outsize canvas by the German neo-expressionist Andre Butzer, a doll-like portrait of a woman with saucer eyes in a scarlet frock.
 
Another, a geometric abstraction by the Austrian Bernhard Buhman, takes up much of a corridor wall.
 
Other more patently provocative pieces include a graphic depiction of bestiality by the Iranian-born Belgian artist Sanam Khatibi, a fantastical landscape in which a monkey and a human female couple.
 
Before Ms. Ambartsumian moved to her new home in Connecticut, her mother, Dr. Barbara Sumbatian, paid a visit. Spying the painting over the dining table, as the bride recalled, Dr. Sumbatian offered a single wry comment, asking, ”How are you going to explain this to your children?”
 
The groom’s mother, Marici Zuvic Grajewki, had raised an eyebrow as well. But his unorthodox choice in art did nothing to dent her faith in the match. What could go wrong, after all?
 
”Yelena and Miroslav, they have so many things in common,” she said. Her eyes crinkling in amusement, she added, ”Oh, and of course they love each other.”
 
As guests began filing into the church, Hanna Matevosyan, Ms. Ambartsumian’s maid of honor, picked up the thread. Pinching a portion of the speech she would give at the reception, she said, ”In today’s world an engineer from Connecticut and corporate lawyer in Manhattan aren’t often in the same room and usually don’t have much in common. But their fit with one another is strikingly obvious.”
 
A short time later Ms. Ambartsumian caused necks to crane as she glided toward the altar in an ivory flower-embroidered Elizabeth Fillmore dress, its back plunging toward her waist. Its otherwise regal look was enhanced when the officiant, the Rev. Mesrob Lakissian, intoned the familiar verses from Corinthians, ”Love bears all things, hopes all things…,” and placed a crown on her head.
 
During the reception that followed at 11 Madison Park, Ms. Ambartsumian put on the gown’s matching cape, a token of modesty she chose to discard just before the ceremony but intended to wear throughout the reception and dinner. Why the reversal? Vaguely, and somewhat mischievously, she said, ”I just wanted a change.”
 
Her gesture was in keeping with the convention-bending spirit of the pair. ”These are two people who are ahead of their times, behind the times, and in the moment all at once,” Ms. Matevosyan told guests at the reception.
 
But on this occasion, it seemed, the couple was resolutely looking forward. ”Collecting was part of a journey that Yelena and I went on,” Mr. Grajewski said.
 
”Our goal,” Ms. Ambartsumian added, ”is to give our children an investment of their parents’ time, of their learning, and of their exposure to different people, places, thoughts and experiences.”
 
They plan to continue expanding the collection of some two dozen original works. As the family grows, Mr. Grajewski said, ”It will be something that’s ours.”
 

When Jan. 19, 2019

Where St. Illuminator’s Armenian Apostolic Cathedral, New York

An iPhone Courtship Within days after meeting her future husband, Ms. Ambartsumian took off with her parents for Spain. But Mr. Grajewski was never far from her mind. “The whole trip we were texting and texting,” she recalled. “I felt like a teenager.”

A Style of Her Own Pushing aside the church call for modesty, the bride shed her cape before she sailed down the aisle, revealing a gown that plunged in the back.

Chess: Hayk Martirosyan chases the leader at Aeroflot Open 2019

Antranik Varosian
Panorama, Armenia
Feb 25 2019
20:21 25/02/2019

Armenian chess player Hayk Martirosyan has scored 4.5 points out of 6 after six rounds played at Aeroflot Open A tournament. The Armenian shares the second position with a group of players one point behind the leader.

Krishnan Sasikiran of India tops the table with 5.5 points. Among other Armenian players Tigran Petrosyan has scored 4 points, Manuel Petrosyan and Shant Sargsyan – 3.5 point each, while Aram Hakobyan – 4 points.

The Aeroflot Open in Moscow is one of the strongest open tournaments of the world. In the A-Group 101 players take part, and almost all of them are International Masters or Grandmasters. 76 participants have a rating of 2500+.

Azerbaijani Press: Hajiyev: Syrian Armenians illegally resettled to occupied Azerbaijani territories

Hambik Zargarian
AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Feb 25 2019
19:28 (UTC+04:00)

By  Trend

Armenia is illegally resettling Syrian Armenians to the occupied Azerbaijani territories, Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration Hikmet Hajiyev told Trend on Feb. 25.

Hajiyev noted that under the guise of humane policy, the Armenian side is implementing its nefarious goals, and is resettling Syrian Armenians to the occupied Azerbaijani territories.

Hajiyev added that the Armenian side grossly violates international humanitarian laws, and is resettling Armenians to the Azerbaijani territories, where they have never lived.

He stressed that according to international laws, it is inadmissible to massively resettle people to the conflict zone. However, the Armenian side doesn’t consider this, and continues its illegal activities.

“This once again shows that the Armenian side isn’t interested in peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” he noted.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

Sports: Tigran Kirakosyan wins bronze at international sambo tournament in Belarus

Arsine Chaltikian
Panorama, Armenia
Feb 25 2019
Sport 18:14 25/02/2019 Armenia

World Sambo champion of 2017 Tigran Kirakosyan has won bronze at the Open Sambo Championship for the prizes of the President of the Republic of Belarus. As the National Olympic Committee reports, the Armenian took the third place competing among 19 athletes.

To note, the tournament is considered a qualification competition ahead of the World Sambo Cup. 

Asbarez: Prophetic Death?

Elizabeth Jabejian
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February 22, 2019

Garen Yegparian

BY GAREN YEGPARIAN

Tahir Elçi was killed by a single billet to the back of his head on November 28, 2015. He was the president of the Diyarbekir Bar Association and a staunch supporter of Armenian concerns. He was Kurd.

Interestingly, his last name means ambassador, envoy, or prophet.

Why is this relevant, and specifically, relevant to Armenians, 39 months after his tragic death?

Elçi’s longstanding support of Armenians at all levels, his outspokenness on Armenian rights in Turkey, recognition of the Genocide in unequivocal terms, always opening doors for us, and speaking at our April Genocide commemorations (in Turkey) mark him as a friend of our nation.

There’s also the astounding fact that the Los Angeles Times have reported on the results of an investigation conducted by “Forensic Architecture” (FA) at the behest of the Diyarbekir Bar Association. These are presented in a half-hour video which is well worth watching. It seems this newspaper, which rarely publishes items that are of interest to, and cast in a positive light, Armenians and Kurds, couldn’t disregard the compelling outcome of the investigation or, dare we hope, people are coming to realize the plain and simple truth about Turkey’s hard-heated leadership.

Elçi was killed in the aftermath of an attack by members of PKK’s (Partiya Karkeren Kurdistan – Kurdistan Workers Party) youth wing whereby two Turkish policemen were killed. Their escape route went right past the spot where Elçi was holding a press conference to call for a cessation of the fighting in Diyarbekir/Dikrangerd (especially in the historic Sur district where the population is heavily Kurdish) then going on between government forces and the PKK. Shots were fired by both police and the escaping PKK members. Somewhere along the line, Elçi was shot dead.

Tahir Elci is believed to have been gunned down by Turkish police

Then Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu promised there would be a thorough investigation. That never happened. The investigation has been piecemeal and much delayed. But, unsurprisingly, in relatively short order, the Turkish government took advantage of the coincidence and blamed Elçi’s death on the PKK. FA’s work makes it look most likely that a Turkish policeman’s bullet was responsible for the killing. This puts Ankara squarely in the hot seat. The shell for the lethal bullet has been found. But, contrary to Davutoğlu’s promises, ballistics testing has not been done. Neither have the police involved in the gunfight been properly questioned.

In this cauldron of confusion, everyone is blaming everyone else in line with their political interests. It behooves Turkey to conduct a thorough and proper investigation. Now that FA’s study results are public, Ankara’s job is easier. Do it right. Let the chips fall where they may.

But, it would be no surprise if Erdoğan continues his obfuscation and use of this tragedy for political purposes. Local elections are coming up in Turkey and he is a master political manipulator. No depth of political deception or misdirection should be put past him. If he sees a way to use Elçi’s death to benefit his agenda, Erdoğan will use it.

The international community, Armenians/Assyrians/Greeks/Jews/Kurd/etc. worldwide, and Turkish citizens must pressure the appropriate law enforcement bodies in Turkey to do their jobs. Perhaps one important pressure-point is the Khashoggi mess. Erdoğan has used this murder to burnish his image as a “defender” of decency. Elçi’s murder cries out for decent investigation.

Let’s use this moment, given the coverage that has begun in the media, to convey to our elected representatives the importance of a thorough and proper investigation. Government officials the world over should conveying this demand to Turkey’s ambassadors. This is also a good way to show pro-Armenian Kurds that we appreciate their actions and words and will reciprocate. Let’s make this happen.