Category: News

Armenian youths in Turkey have launched a protest campaign against the demolition of Camp Armen, the Armenian orphanage that housed hundreds of Armenian children in summer sessions. The Armenian community demands the orphanage be preserved and handed over to it. This does not sound likely, but it is significant as being the first street protest by Turkey’s Armenians to express their demands in recent times, reports.

Camp Armen symbolizes the long saga of the deportation and massacres Armenians suffered on Anatolian soil. Its history starts with the purchase of a plot of land by Gedikpasa Armenian Protestant Church from a private party to house Armenian orphans who lived in Anatolia and were labeled as “sword leftovers” by the Armenians. The orphanage camp was built in 1962 by the orphans themselves under supervision of a master builder.

The existence of the orphanage camp, where 1,500 children were housed and educated, was endangered by a decision by the Court of Appeals in 1974, ruling that foreign foundations cannot own immovable property. The state, empowered by the court decision, seized the orphanage in 1986 and returned the property to its original owner free of charge, including the buildings on it.

The protests and posting of Armenian guards led to some colorful displays. A huge banner that says “Camp Armen should be returned to the Armenian people” was hung on the building. Armenian musicians showed up to play music.

Rakel Dink, the wife of Hrant Dink, the slain editor-in-chief of the Armenian newspaper Agos that has an important place for Turkey’s Armenians, is one of the ardent supporters of the protest. Hrant and Rakel Dink attended the camp; during the discussions that took place in front of the building, Rakel Dink told the youths standing guard about their days in the orphanage camp.

The goal of the protest is to restore Camp Armen to its original status. They have started an Armenian Workshop. Ani Balikci, the mother of Armenian Sevag Balikci, who was killed by another soldier on April 24, 2011, while he was doing his national service, is giving Armenian lessons. They are planting trees and watching documentaries. Political parties, civil society organizations, university students and activists frequently visit the Armenian protesters to express solidarity.

Garo Paylan, an Armenian activist and a candidate for pro-Kurdish People’s Democracy Party (HDP) in the June 7 elections, told Al-Monitor, “This place was seized by an action of the state. We want it returned but I don’t think the state can do it just like that. We had thousands of properties confiscated like this. If the state returns Camp Armen, then it will have to return the others.”

Paylan says that in recent history there has been no such public protest apart from the funeral of Hrant Dink. He said, “The fact is the Armenian community is becoming truly politicized after [the killing of] Hrant Dink. There are now more Armenian actors who are more sensitive. They have orators and spokesmen. But their pigeon jitters still prevail. [Hrant Dink used to define Armenian fears as ‘pigeon jitters.’] That fear is still there, but alongside politicized people. We now have people and actors of divergent views who are active in various political parties, indicating that our community is increasingly politicized and ready to react to unfair practices.”

Rep. Adam Schiff had a lunch yesterday with Serj Tankian from System of a Down.

“We have known each other for years and I greatly admire his music and creativity, as well as his deep commitment to philanthropy and passion for justice,”Rep. Schiff said in a Twitter post.

“I had read about the band’s electrifying performance in Yerevan during the centennial, and it was a treat to hear about it firsthand. It always rains in Yerevan on April 24 — like tears coming down from heaven, it is said — but nothing could dampen the spirits of the throngs of young people in attendance,” the Congressman added.

Iran’s deputy energy minister says Iran, Georgia and Armenia will soon start trilateral cooperation on electricity exchange, Press TV reports. 

“Through Armenia, we can have energy exchange with Georgia,” Hooshang Falahatian said in a Monday meeting with his Georgian counterpart Mariam Valishvili in Tehran.

The Iranian official also reiterated that, if necessary, Tehran is ready to invest in Georgia’s energy sector and build power plants and electricity transmission lines in the former Soviet Union republic, IRNA reported.

Falahatian also pointed to the planned construction of a170 kilometer transmission line in Armenia and said after the completion of the project, which will take two years, Iran will be able to have power exchange with Tajikistan.

Armenia held it dress rehearsal on Eurovision stgae before tomorrow’s first semi-final.

Six singers, one message: Love, peace, and unity – that’s what the Armenian entry in the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest, Face The Shadow, promotes.

Armenia  is being represented by Genealogy, the most international band in the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest. It consists of Essaï Altounian from France, Tamar Kaprelian from the US, Stephanie Topalian from Japan, Vahe Tilbian from Ethiopia, Mary-Jean O’Doherty Vasmatzian from Australia, and Inga Arshakyan from Armenia.

Armenia will perform second at the first semi-final on May 19.

 

Chairman of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Foreign Relations Artak Zakaryan will leave for Germany on May 18 for a two-day working visit.

Within the framework of the visit Artak Zakaryan is expected to meet with State Secretary of the Federal Foreign Office Markus Ederer, Chairman of the Bundestag’s Foreign Relations Committee Norbert Röttgen and Chairman of the Committee for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs Michael Brand.

On May 20 Artak Zakaryan will make a speech at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

On 17 May the delegation of the Artsakh Republic headed by President Bako Sahakyan arrived in France for a working visit. The NKR delegation comprises foreign minister Karen Mirzoyan, health minister Harutyun Koushkyan, deputy head of the NKR President’s office David Babayan, NKR permanent representative to France Hovhannes Gevorgyan.

On 18 May President Sahakyan visited the Drôme department in Southeastern France and in its capital Valence met with members of the Regional Council headed by chairman of the council Patrick Labaune

A wide range of issues related to deepening relations between Drôme department and Artsakh were discussed during the talks

Cooperation agreements between the department of Drôme and Artsakh, Valence and Stepanakert were signed during the meeting

Artsakh Republic President was granted the title of Drôme department honorary citizen and handed in the appropriate certificate

President Sahakyan noted the significance of cooperation with Drôme department and its center expressing confidence that it would convey a new impetus to bilateral relationship and have a tangible contribution to strengthen them in the future

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia to France Vigen Chitechyan was present at the meeting.

 

 

 

Famous doctor and clown Patch Adams is visiting Armenia.  Adams and his fellow doctor-clowns visit about 10 countries a year to organize performances in hospitals, orphanages and retirement homes.

Patch Adams believes that laughter, joy and creativity are an integral part of the healing process; they strengthen the immune system, promotes the production of endorphin. With the help of friends, he founded the Gesundheit Institute in 1971 in order to address all the problems of health care in one model.

Many know about Adams from a 1998 film, featuring Oscar-winning actor Robin Williams.

Within the framework of a week-long stay in Armenia, Patch Adams and his team will visit the orphanages in Yerevan, Gyumri, Vanadzor and Dilijan, as well as children’s hospitals to present a unique program famous in the world.

“Unfortunately, it’s hard to find a normal person in a world, where the authorities and money have become ultimate values, while love and laughter are dangerous phenomena. For example, in the US keeping the public in unhappiness, loneliness and boredom is the best means to control the society,” Adams told a press conference in Yerevan.

“Remember that happiness and unhappiness are just means to control the population. It’s no accident that the most beautiful thing in the world – love – is never praised anywhere. At last, it’s hard to control loving people, controlling unhappy people is much easier,” he added.

Asked what percentage of people he thinks are happy, Patch Adams said “just 5.”

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian will visit Belgium May 18-19 to participate in the 125th session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe member states, Press Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports.

As part of  through which the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is trying to track immigrants from 193 countries in the United Nations, folks who made Pittsburgh their home, the paper has dedicated an article to Armenian cellist Katya Janpoladyan.

Tony Norman

When Katya Janpoladyan says she never takes anything for granted, it is easy to believe why. At 37, the cello player from Yerevan, Armenia, knows what it is like to experience the deprivations of life in a blockaded country.

In 1988, Azerbaijan established a land blockade around Armenia because of ancient political and territorial disputes. Turkey, which shares a border as well as a tragic history with Armenia, also erected a blockade, intensifying the country’s isolation.

There is only a hint of melancholy in Ms. Janpoladyan’s voice as she recalls her youth during the blockade. She was 10 or 11 when she began to understand that her biggest passion in life was music, though she had not yet mastered an instrument.

Unlike most children facing many years of practice and self-imposed discipline, Ms. Janpoladyan had to beg her parents — both of whom are journalists — to let her take music lessons. Her Armenian father and Russian mother wanted to make sure her request wasn’t a momentary bout of enthusiasm, so they didn’t acquiesce immediately.

By the time she was 11, Ms. Janpoladyan suspected she was “too old” for piano lessons, so she started to narrow her choice of instruments. It was only when she heard a student playing a Haydn concerto under the supervision of her future music teacher that she found her life-long companion.

“This is how it started,” Ms. Janpoladyan said, recalling the moment decades later.

From that point, mastering the cello became her priority. She put in years of disciplined practice under difficult circumstances and sacrificed many of the few comforts that were available to her to pursue her dream.

“I missed my prom to get ready for an audition,” she said, “but I never regretted it.”

She remembers the multiple layers of clothing she had to wear in her unheated conservatory. But the chilly conditions under which she had to rehearse didn’t prevent her from winning awards or progressing steadily in her mastery of the cello.

During the blockade, her father was a communications officer, so he wasn’t home a lot. “It was difficult,” Ms. Janpoladyan said. “There was no heat in the house. Because my father was at work, there was no provider. My mom, brother and grandma couldn’t cut the trees [for fire wood], so we collected branches.”

Meanwhile, Ms. Janpoladyan began thinking about leaving Armenia to pursue her art and to live a life that was a little less defined by blockades and ancient conflicts.

A plan to study in St. Petersburg, Russia, fell through, but an opportunity to study with cellist Yehuda Hanani in Cincinnati opened up new possibilities.

In late 2001, Ms. Janpoladyan moved to the United States to attend the University of Cincinnati and to study with Mr. Hanani, who became her mentor and friend.

After completing her master’s degree, Ms. Janpoladyan moved to Pittsburgh in 2008. “I moved here to work with my string quartet,” she said referring to the Freya String Quartet, which formed in 2009.

The quartet recently announced it would soon disband so its members could pursue new opportunities. It specialized in the work of new composers. Ms. Janpoladyan enjoyed the challenge and the opportunity.

“We do a ton of music by new composers. Some of it is really great,” she said.

Ms. Janpoladyan is about to begin a new musical project, but doesn’t want to talk about it yet because it is in the early stages. It will be in Pittsburgh, a region that continues to inspire her creativity.

Still, Ms. Janpoladyan’s initial encounter with the region wasn’t love at first sight. “It takes time to fall in love with Pittsburgh, but I did,” she said. “I love the bridges, the cultural life … a lot is going on here.”

In what could be a first, Ms. Janpoladyan said she “even likes the rain” in Pittsburgh. Now a resident of McCandless, she teaches cello privately to 30 students.

“I like molding and bringing students to perfection,” she said. “I try to create a community with my students so that they know each other and don’t feel isolated.”

Ms. Janpoladyan has a 2-year-old daughter named Maria. Not too long ago, she took Maria to Armenia to introduce her to her family. It was a joyful reunion and she enjoyed seeing her family bond with her daughter.

Looking back on her life in Armenia and contrasting it with her life in Pittsburgh, Ms. Janpoladyan is philosophical.

“I’m glad I went through that,” she said referring to the blockade. “It taught me not to take things for granted.”

She ticked down the things she has, including her daughter, her health, food, warm clothing, a car, an income that she refuses to treat as entitlements.

“I’m a lucky person in general,” she said. “Fortune smiles on me.”

The 10th Congress of the Youth of the European People’s Party (YEPP) adopted a Resolution recognizing and condemning the genocides of Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians.

In the Resolution the YEPP calls on the member states of the European Union and the Council of Europe, as well as the international organizations to recognize and restore the historic justice in memory of the victims of the genocides of Armenians, Pontic Greeks and Assyrians.

“All interested parties recognize the genocide of Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians, and accept April 24 and May 19 as the Days of Remembrance of the Armenian and Greek Genocides,” the document reads.

The 10th Congress of the Youth of the European People’s Party was attended by more than 250 young leaders from more than 40 countries, including the Youth Organization of the Republican Party of Armenia headed by its President Karen Avagyan.

The Resolution submitted by the Greek party was adopted unanimously and was backed by delegates of the countries that have not yet recognized the Armenian Genocide.

Global realities and challenges were in the spotlight of the YEPP Congress held under the slogan “A stronger Europe in a Changing World.

YEPP is the largest youth organization in Europe, which brings together more than 1.6 million young people from 57 political parties representing 40 countries.