Moscow News (Russia)
April 28, 2006
LATEST STABBING DEATH A MYSTERY
By Julia Duchovny The Moscow News
The brutal knifing death of an ethnic Armenian student in a crowded
subway station Saturday afternoon sent shockwaves through a society
already weary with allegations of xenophobia and the debates that
rage around it.
The media has been quick to report attacks against non-Russians,
making them appear more frequent in the last months, while rights
groups warn of growing nationalist tensions across the country. The
act of violence itself is often buried beneath speculations of
various political motivations, and the incident involving Vigen
Abramyants was further complicated by conflicting reports among
police, witnesses, and family.
Racial Hatred or Teenage Spat?
According to initial reports, Vigen (also reported as Vagan)
Abramyants, 17, waiting with friends in the middle of the platform at
central Moscow’s crowded Pushkinskaya Station, when a gang of about
20 young men in black with shaved heads attacked the group, targeting
Abramyants and stabbing him in the heart. The attackers then
dispersed, while Abramyants died in the arms of a friend before help
arrived.
The story changed Monday, however, as police announced that they had
captured a suspect who confessed to the killing. Denis Kulagin, 17,
was said to have been among the group of friends Abramyants had been
waiting with. According to police reports, Kulagin came to the
station with his girlfriend, Zhanna Nefedova, and was waiting for a
group of football fans. Abramyants was in that group and said
something insulting to Zhanna, after which Kulagin allegedly stabbed
him with a knife. “We can definitely say that the killing occurred as
a result of a disagreement,” a police source was quoted by the
state-owned RIA Novosti news agency as saying, “and there was no
racial motivations in this case.”
Some Russian media immediately denounced the official version as
incorrect. The Gazeta daily reported that investigators had a tape of
video surveillance in the station depicting a group of young people
standing on the platform, with one of the individuals suddenly
falling to the ground. The daily quoted the Abramyants family’s
attorney, Simon Tsaturyan, as saying that prosecutors refused to show
him the tape, claiming it did not exist. Izvestia cited the same
tape, but said that the recording showed no signs of skinheads.
But another problem was that there was no knife. The Izvestia daily
reported visiting Zhanna’s family and learning that police had raided
their apartment searching for the weapon. More troubling still was an
interview given by Kulagin’s mother, Olga, to the Komsomolskaya
Pravda tabloid, alleging police pressure. “We were given a choice,”
she reportedly said, “either Denis goes to jail for fifteen years for
a racially-motivated murder, or he gets less if it was over a common
dispute. They promised a suspended sentence…
I insisted that Denis sign the confession that the conflict arose
because of the girl. Then when I got home I realized I had broken his
life.”
The account given by Zhanna’s mother, Olga Nefedova, in an interview
published by Izvestia strangely coincided with Olga Kulagina’s.
Nefedova reportedly did not allow journalists to talk to her
daughter, but recalled how Zhanna spoke of a group of skinheads
looking for a victim. Nefedova denied that Kulagin really killed the
student, and said he told Zhanna to run when the attackers approached
them. Zhanna never actually saw Abramyants getting stabbed, but told
her mother she saw a knife in one of the attacker’s hands.
By Wednesday, police told news agencies they were investigating two
versions of the incident, and could not rule out either Kulagin’s
involvement, nor a racially-motivated attack by skinheads. Kulagin,
who, despite being a minor, was interrogated without an attorney or
his mother present, withdrew his confession.
Subway Fury or Provocative Rumor?
Moscow police were already on heightened alert the weekend of the
killing. Hitler’s birthday is April 20, while two football matches
were being hosted in the city, which tend to draw crowds of rowdy
fans onto public transportation. By Monday, Russian newspapers and
blogs were awash with reports of football hooligans beating up
non-Russians on the Moscow subway. Official reports confirmed another
killing, meanwhile: a Tajik was stabbed to death.
But in another incident Saturday, a few Muscovites reported over the
Internet of being in the middle of a hooligan attack as a group of
young people stormed into a subway car and began beating up
passengers. According to one witness, one of the most seriously
injured victims was a man of non-Russian ethnicity. But there were
several aspects that made the entire story suspect. After the
Gazeta.ru online newspaper ran it, the two witnesses who had first
written about the story in Livejournal deleted their posts.
Meanwhile, the subway police told Gazeta.ru they had heard nothing
whatsoever of the incident. Despite a long thread in Gazeta.ru’s
forum describing similar incidents all over the city, some
journalists became wary that some of these reports were part of a
disinformation campaign – echoing long-time conspiracy theories among
nationalist bloggers that attacks against non-Russians were nothing
but a propaganda campaign to discredit Russia itself.MN

PARLIAMENTARY HEARINGS

Azat Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh Republic [NKR]
27 April 2006
On April 21 parliamentary hearings entitled “The Karabakh Problem:
Prospects of Settlement” were held for the first time in NKR.
Independent from what responses from the international community the
proposals on the Karabakh problem voiced in the parliament and the
conclusion based on the statements of the parliamentary factions and
groups will receive, the debates were an opportunity to bring together
the political forces and NGOs to express their standpoint freely.
Although the approaches of the NKR NGOs were definitely different,
they had a common opinion on principal points. The concern about the
fate of the Karabakh people was outlined in the statements of
speakers. The approaches of the representatives of political forces
were similar with regard to the recognition of the right for
self-determination of the people of Karabakh and the engagement of
Karabakh in the negotiations. NKR Foreign Minister Georgy Petrosyan
said currently proposals are offered during the negotiations, which
suggest efforts for eradication of the consequences of the war rather
than the settlement of the conflict based on the rights of the people
of Karabakh.
According to the foreign minister, the aspirations and interests of
great powers are clearly outlined in the region. He is convinced that
the mediators are trying to push Azerbaijan to make concessions to
settle the issue in the framework of territorial integrity of
Azerbaijan, and the Armenian party to accept greater compromises. This
is a circumstance, which shifts the settlement of the problem to the
military plane. Emphasizing the importance of working out a clear
concept by the Armenian party to reach the international recognition
of NKR, Armen Rustamyan, Chair of the Committee of External Relations
of the Armenian National Assembly, said, “We should enable the
international community to discern the non-constructive standpoint of
Azerbaijan,” emphasizing the importance of moving the international
community to a level of positive neutrality. Armen Sargissian, the
head of the parliamentary group ARF-Movement 88 of the NKR National
Assembly, emphasized the importance of recognizing NKR as a full-right
party in the settlement process. “Nagorno Karabakh is a subject of the
talks, not an object. The engagement of Karabakh is necessary, and
Armenia should act as a guarantor of the rights of NKR and promote its
international recognition,” said Armen Sargissian, emphasizing the
building of a democratic state with all its institutions as part of
the strategic plan.
Member of Parliament Arthur Tovmassian, Hayrenik Party of NKR, says
the calls of Azerbaijan for a military and political change are caused
by the lack of confidence between the parties. He thinks that the
potential of Armenians all over the world should be used for the
settlement of the Karabakh problem, both parties should be invited to
organize various meetings for the settlement of the issue, using all
the possibilities of democratic diplomacy. “It is not something new
that Azerbaijan has greater economic resources, but economically
powerful does not necessarily mean strong and effective. I think
Azerbaijan will lose more territories in case it wages a new war,”
said Arthur Tovmassian.
Emphasizing the importance of working out a common concept as a
result of the parliamentary debates, Vahram Atanessian, the head of
the NKR National Assembly Faction of Democracy, said the involved
parties should be concerned about the militaristic calls, statements
about territorial integrity and proclaiming of a murderer Man of the
Year; in this context the international community should give an
adequate assessment. Vahram Atanessian believes that it is possible to
undertake elimination of the consequences of the war only after the
international recognition of NKR. Hrant Melkumyan, the leader of the
Communist Party, said the return of liberated territories, Azerbaijani
refugees and deployment of peacemaking forces in the region are
unacceptable. The deputy leader of the Movement 88 Party Gegham
Baghdasaryan said the format of the talks between Armenia and
Azerbaijan has distorted the essence and status of the conflict over
Nagorno Karabakh. “It is not a secret that in the course of years
Nagorno Karabakh was forced out of the talks. Moreover, it has become
an object while it used to be a subject,” he said. The chair of the
NKR NA Social Committee Arpat Avanessian asked the chair of the RA NA
Committee of External Relations Armen Rustamian, “Are you aware of the
deeper nuances of the presently ongoing negotiations and to comment on
Mr. Oskanian’s statements about compromises.” Armen Rustamian assured
that the information he gets during the consultations with the
president and foreign minister of Armenia is enough to form a full
picture of the talks. For the statements of the Armenian foreign
minister (particularly, after the talks in Rambouillet), it was
mentioned that Azerbaijan’s standpoint on two principle questions
(namely, the status of NKR and guarantees of security) is not
flexible, and Armen Rustamian believes Azerbaijan will hardly
recognize the right for self-determination of the people of
Karabakh. In answer to the Armenian Member of Parliament Hmayak
Hovanissian whether NKR Foreign Minister Georgy Petrossian possesses
enough information about the process of settlement, Georgy Petrossian
assured that sufficient information on the talks is acquired through
various channels. At the same time, he emphasized that unlike the
political forces of Armenia, the political parties of NKR do not
interfere with the internal political affairs of Armenia and have
always displayed an adequate and interested approach with regard to
the settlement of the Karabakh issue. In conclusion, the chair of the
NKR NA Committee of External Relations Vahram Atanessian published a
document based on the joint statements of the groups and factions of
the NKR National Assembly, which says, “The groups and factions of the
NKR National Assembly define the Karabakh-Azerbaijani armed
confrontation of 1991-1994 as Azerbaijani aggression against
proclaimed NKR, the actions of Nagorno Karabakh as an application of
the indivisible right of people for self-defence under Article 51 of
the UN Conventions, and the current reality in the conflict area as
the consequences of the Azerbaijani aggression. The recognition of
democratic NKR will become an important factor of regional stability
and security.”
NVARD OHANJANIAN.
27-04-2006
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIA TREE PROJECT
65 Main Street
Watertown, MA 02472
Toll-free: (866) 965-TREE
Email: [email protected]
Web:
PRESS RELEASE
May 1, 2006
Bilezikian Family Foundation Supports Expansion of Backyard Nursery Program
— $50,000 Grant Jumpstarts ATP’s Spring Reforestation Program in Getik
River Valley
WATERTOWN, MA–With the support of the Bilezikian Family Foundation of
Massachusetts, Armenia Tree Project (ATP) was able to continue the expansion
of its Backyard Nursery Program in the Getik River Valley this spring. The
project was initiated in Aygut village with 20 families in 2004, and now has
330 families in four villages growing seedlings.
This spring, ATP was able to purchase 95,000 seedlings from 118 families,
and hire 45 workers to plant them into the forest. This was made possible
largely as a result of a $50,000 grant from the Bilezikian Family
Foundation.
Families are able to significantly increase their annual income by growing
seedlings.
`When we began our Backyard Nursery Program we looked for an area that would
benefit most from our reforestation efforts,’ stated ATP Executive Director
Jeff Masarjian. `We started with the knowledge that deforestation was linked
to poverty. We knew that in addition to planting trees, we had to provide
people with a steady income, so they could meet their basic needs.’
`In two years we have grown from helping 20 families learn how to start
their own tree nurseries to now providing a stable income for 330 families
who are also creating a successful and renewable source of tree seedlings
for the degraded hillsides around their villages,’ noted ATP founder Carolyn
Mugar. `ATP has found a way to create reliable `micro-enterprise’
partnerships with these families, and we are grateful to the Bilezikian
Family Foundation for providing the support to bring their work to
fruition.’
The Bilezikian Family Foundation was established by Charles and Doreen
Bilezikian of Hyannis, MA. The foundation assists programs on Cape Cod and
other parts of Massachusetts such as the Home for Little Wanderers, and is a
major supporter of hospitals and schools in Armenia and Artsakh, primarily
through the Armenian Missionary Association of America.
ATP was founded in 1994 with the vision of securing Armenia’s future by
protecting its environment and restoring its degraded forests. ATP advances
Armenia’s socio-economic development by mobilizing resources for large-scale
reforestation, community-based tree planting, environmental education and
advocacy, and rural development through job creation. With the establishment
of the Mirak Family reforestation nursery and expansion of the Backyard
Nursery Program, ATP is working toward the goal of planting over one million
trees in 2006.
PHOTO CAPTION: Anoush Gezoughyan participated in ATP’s Backyard Nursery
Program by growing 600 maple seedlings that were purchased and planted in
the forests around her village in the Getik River Valley of northeastern
Armenia

PROGRAM THAT FOSTERS INTEGRATION OF DISABLED PEOPLE

Azat Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh Republic [NKR]
27 April 2006
Since November 1, 2005 the Association of Disabled People of Armenia
“Pyunik” has implemented a program of social tolerance and integration
of disabled young people in the society, supported by the Ministry of
Social Security of Armenia. The latter is aimed at public awareness of
the problems of disabled people, establishment of tolerance towards
disabled people, especially young people, which would greatly foster
the integration of disabled people in the society. In the framework of
the program Pyunik has organized round-table meetings in the regions
of Armenia. On April 21 a round-table meeting was held in Stepanakert.
At the meeting were present representatives of NGOs dealing with the
problems of disabled people, officials of the Ministry of Education,
Culture and Sport, Minister Kamo Atanessian. Hakob Abrahamian, the
president of the Pyunik Association, presented the activity, goals and
problems of the association. In particular, he said the association
was established in 1989 for relief of children who became disabled
during the earthquake of Spitak in 1988. The association’s donors are
the Armenian President’s Fund and the government, the Diaspora
communities, various charity organizations, as well as Aznavour to
Armenia, the International Red Cross, the Norwegian Council of
Refugees, US and UK Embassies to Armenia, USAID, the International
Rehabilitation Foundation, and other organizations. The goal of the
association is physical, social and psychological rehabilitation of
disabled people. The association uses sports to achieve these. Since
1989 2000 disabled people have participated in 20 summer and winter
camping, organized by the association. The organization makes efforts
to develop swimming, windsurfing, weightlifting, archery, basketball,
tennis, mountain skiing, etc. among the disabled. Armenian disabled
people participated in the windsurfing contest in England and Spain in
1994 and 1995. Besides, the association deals with the rights,
education, prosthetic services, employment of the disabled. Since 2004
the organization has been implementing the program of workshop of
repair of wheelchairs. Since 2002 the association has been carrying
out a program of leisure of children under 12. For future plans, the
president of the association pointed out assistance to disabled people
to get higher and vocational education, creation of jobs for them,
expanding the scope and improving the level of services. It is planned
to reconstruct the centre of sport, culture and recreation, which will
have specially equipped gyms, classrooms and labs. Hakob Abrahamian
expressed willingness to cooperate with similar organizations in
Nagorno Karabakh and encouraged to extend their proposals, speak about
their problems and obstacles.
Minister of Education, Culture and Sport Kamo Atayan thanked Pyunik
for their activity in NKR, and said that hopefully their cooperation
will facilitate the integration of disabled people in Artsakh. The
director of the Rehabilitation Centre Vardan Tadevossian said several
people from Artsakh wish to participate in the wheelchair marathon
Yerevan-Echmiadzin on May 28 and the Armenian festival of disabled
people in late May. He also assured that the cooperation will produce
positive results and will facilitate the integration of disabled
people in Karabakh.
LAURA GRIGORIAN.
27-04-2006

Agence France Presse — English
April 27, 2006 Thursday 3:22 PM GMT
Ethnic Armenians, Tajiks urge Russia to stop racist violence
MOSCOW, April 27 2006
Ethnic Armenians and Tajiks living in Russia on Thursday called for
action against the rising number of racist murders in the country,
five days after a youth of Armenian origin was killed in the Moscow
subway.
“Today we need civil solidarity and we must develop a plan of action
to prevent xenophobia” from spreading in the country, said Ara
Abramian, president of the Armenian Union of Russia, which represents
some two million Russians of Armenian descent.
“We want our children not to be afraid to go out in the street after
six o’clock in the evening,” Abramian told a news conference in
Moscow.
Along with representatives of the ethnic Tajik community, they called
for a peace march against the racist violence which they claim
Russian society has been ignoring and that Russian authorities often
fail to identify as racially motivated.
Last Saturday’s murder in the subway in the center of Moscow was “the
sixth murder of an Armenian in Russia since January,” Abramian said.
Govkhar Djurayeva, the head of a human rights group called
Tajikistan, representing nearly one million people from the central
Asian country living in Russia, stressed the need for action against
skinheads, extreme right-wing youths “who spread fascist messages
over the Internet”.
The attacks by bands of skinheads, often labelled as “hooliganism” by
Russian authorities, generally target people from the Caucasus and
the former Soviet republics of central Asia, as well as from African
and Asian countries.

WILL ILHAM ALIEV STAND THE PEACEFUL ATTACK OF MEDIATORS?

Azat Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh Republic [NKR]
27 April 2006
Recent developments regarding the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh
issue show that the international mediators, namely the OSCE Minsk
Group co-chairs have launched a peaceful offensive. Hence, the
suggestions that the West would seek for stability in the region are
confirmed. After the failed talks of the presidents of Armenia and
Azerbaijan in Rambouillet, France, the activity of the mediators
resembles a blitzkrieg. The activity of the co-chairs is gathering
momentum, and there is hardly any time left for the conflict parties
to think. Judge yourselves. Recovering from the shock after the
fruitless meeting of Ilham Aliev and Robert Kocharian in Rambouillet
on April 11, the co-chairs met in Washington on March 7 to assess the
results of the talks between the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan
and to work out an action plan for the current deadlocked
situation. Commenting on the Washington meeting of the co-chairs, the
US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Rino Harnish told news reporters in Baku
that arrangements on a peace settlement of the Karabakh issue are not
behind the mountains. In the meantime, Ilham Aliev, who is to blame
for the failure of the talks in Rambouillet, visited one of the
regions of Azerbaijan bordering with Nagorno Karabakh, and stated that
the talks in France failed due to the Armenian party, since Yerevan is
temporizing and therefore the Baku may review its approach towards the
settlement. Moreover, he accused Armenia more aggressively, stating
that the latter is conducting a policy of genocide against Azerbaijan,
perpetrating crimes against the humanity. `We are a party that lost
and this allows us to resolve the Karabakh problem by nay means.’ In
other words, Ilham Aliev continued to blackmail the international
community, threatening to start military actions. His plan is
extremely simple: the West does not want a new war in the region,
which is determined by the factor of oil, and will press Armenia. If
this fails to happen, let everything remain the same. In several
years, thinks Aliev Junior, weak Armenia will have to make concessions
to Azerbaijan, which will have become stronger. In the meantime, the
Aliev family will stuff their pockets with oil dollars from the
Baku-Tbilisi-Geihan and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzrum pipelines. The Armenian
party naturally responded to the actions of the Azerbaijani
president. President Robert Kocharian and Foreign Minister Vardan
Oskanian used aggressive speeches to respond to Aliev. The foreign
minister of Armenia made a statement that can be characterized as a
threat to strike the positions of the Azerbaijani army. For his part,
Robert Kocharian told news reporters in Yerevan that if Azerbaijan
rejected compromise, Armenia would recognize Nagorno Karabakh
Republic. In addition, official Yerevan notified to Azerbaijan that
Armenia had already made its compromise and now it was Azerbaijan’s
turn. However, let us consider the current plans of the international
mediators. They need to manage to reach an agreement based on
documents on the basic principles of settlement as soon as possible,
or at least signing of an agreement by the presidents of Armenia and
Azerbaijan, reflecting their commitment to pursuing a peace settlement
of the Karabakh issue. Hence, the peaceful offensive of the Minsk
Group co-chairs after the talks in Rambouillet. After the meeting of
the co-chairs in Washington US Assistant Secretary Daniel Fried and
the American co-chair of the Minsk Group Stephen Mann visited the
region. On March 13 and 14 they negotiated with the leadership of
Azerbaijan. During the news conference of Daniel Fried and Stephen
Mann in Baku it became clear that the mediators had seriously
undertaken peaceful strictures against the presidents, particularly
Ilham Aliev. Hence, Stephen Mann conveyed that the resumption of
military actions would affect investments in Azerbaijan. Besides, the
American co-chair of the Minsk Group hinted at the threats, which are
directly related to the security and territorial integrity of
Azerbaijan in case it resumes military actions.
Later on March 15 and 16 the American envoys visited Armenia. It is
notable that on March 17, Daniel Fried left for Istanbul on March 20
to participate in another meeting of the co-chairs. During the meeting
of the PACE Ad-hoc Committee for the Settlement of the Conflict over
Karabakh in Paris Lord Russell Johnston, Chairman, called the parties
(read Azerbaijan) for a halt of hatred and preparation of the peoples
of Armenia and Azerbaijan for a peace settlement of the conflict. In
two days the EU also clarified its standpoint through its new
representative on the South Caucasus Peter Semneby, who also visited
the region. The EU Special Representative emphasized that a military
way of settling the conflict does not favor any of the parties,
therefore the standpoints of Azerbaijan and Armenia need to be brought
closer. Moreover, Mr.
Semneby announced that if he were not convinced of the existence of
possibilities of settlement of the Karabakh conflict, he would not
accept the position of a special representative on the South
Caucasus. Already on March 20 the Minsk Group co-chairs, as it had
been planned, met in Istanbul, this time without Yuri Merzlyakov, who
was ill; another official of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
replaced him. After the top-secret meeting in Istanbul Stephan Mann
gave an interview to Radio Liberty, and stated that the parties should
reach an agreement in 2006, and they would have to finish the
important work they had started to arrive somewhere. The next day the
report on the role of the EU in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
issue was presented in Brussels, which had been prepared by the
International Crisis Group. In her speech the director of the
Caucasian Bureau of the International Crisis Group Sabine Freizer said
the final political and legal status of Nagorno Karabakh must be
decided in 15-20 years through a referendum. By that time the Armenian
forces must be withdrawn from the Azerbaijani territories adjacent to
Nagorno Karabakh, controlled by the Armenian troops, that must be
followed by stationing of international peacemaking forces, return of
refugees and lifting of the blockade of transport routes. Hence,
Sabine Freizer revealed the essence of the plan of settlement,
proposed by the co-chairs, which, in fact, establishes the right of
the people of Nagorno Karabakh for self-determination, thus upsetting
Azerbaijan. What is the difference, they say in Baku, between losing
Karabakh today or in 15-20 years. In the meantime, in early April the
foreign minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mamedyarov met with Condoleezza
Rice. During the talk Ms. Rice hinted that the United States would not
have a destabilization in the theatre of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict
and confirmed the invitation of an official visit to the United States
sent by the White House to the president of Azerbaijan Ilham
Aliev. Some time later the president of the PACE Rene van der Linden
announced that the country which would use force to settle the
Karabakh conflict would be discharged from the Council of Europe. He
also invited the parties to give up militaristic statements and admit
that the conflict defies any other settlement except the peace
settlement. After the talks in Rambouillet NATO was not indifferent
towards the process of settlement either. Robert Simons, the
representative of the Secretary General of NATO, said NATO supported a
peace settlement of the conflict. Then the French co-chair Bernard
Fassier and his American counterpart Stephan Mann supported the high
rates of the peace attack of the mediators. While in Baku, Bernard
Fassier said those who call for a war, call for new victims, new
destruction, new refugees. Azerbaijan should remember, said the French
co-chair, that wars threaten developing economies. In addition, he
advised Azerbaijan not to look back, to go forward, for one may have
an accident if they go forward but look back. Terry Davis, Secretary
General of the Council of Europe, gave recommendations to Azerbaijan
too. He told the Azerbaijani agency APA he believed Azerbaijan would
discharge its commitments or it would be facing troubles. These are
the commitments Azerbaijan assumed before the Council of Europe in his
presence, namely a peace settlement of the Karabakh issue. Considering
the peaceful blitzkrieg of the mediators, we should not overlook
another important fact, namely the visit of the president of Turkey
Ahmed Nedjad Sezari to Baku. It is notable that the head of state of
Turkey had planned to visit Azerbaijan two months before. However, the
visit was cancelled due to bad weather. And during his April visit the
Turkish president even endorsed a peace settlement.
It should also be mentioned that after the meeting of Ilham Aliev and
Robert Kocharian in Rambouillet the foreign minister of Armenia Vardan
Oskanian visited the United States and Russia. New meetings and
statements are coming up in the framework of the peaceful
defensive. The new round of consultations of the Minsk Group co-chairs
will take place in Moscow. In the capital of Russia the co-chairs
will discuss the agenda of their next visit, scheduled in early
May. By that time the outcome of the visit of the Azerbaijani
president to the United States will have become known. In Moscow the
mediators will consider the possibility of the meeting of the foreign
ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan in a third country. All these
activities are aimed to organize another meeting of Ilham Aliev and
Robert Kocharian, and this time there can be no failure. Otherwise,
there is no point in holding another meeting. The statements of the
Azerbaijan president are becoming less militaristic, whereas his
subjects are not. Ali Hasanov, an official of Aliev administration
announced in an outburst of emotions: `We are hopeful that the problem
will be settled through talks, we are conscious of the disasters and
destruction that war would bring about, and we do not want this to
happen. We aspire to spend oil revenues on development,
infrastructures, construction of roads, airports, reconstruction of
seaports, regional prosperity. We are thinking of development and not
war. At the same time, we cannot accept the occupation of our
territories. Therefore, if necessary, we will spend all the wealth of
our country for the liberation of our territory.’ Here is a `peace
loving aggression.’ We do not think, however, that Ali Hasanov did not
have the permission of the Azerbaijani president when he was uttering
these words. Nothing of the like happens in Azerbaijan. Even if it
happens, the daredevil would appear out of office.
Consequently, Ilham Aliev is presently saying one thing but implying
another thing. The powerful of the world made him to do it. How long
will he behave that way? We will probably get the answer to this
question after his official visit to Washington in late
April. However, we do not think that George Bush invited Aliev to
assure him that the United States will return Nagorno Karabakh to
Azerbaijan. It will be the opposite rather. Ilham Aliev will have to
listen to George Bush attentively what his actions regarding the peace
settlement should be. Will the Azerbaijani president stand such an
intensive peace loving attack of the West? , Anyway, there is little
time to wait.
ALEXANDER GRIGORIAN.
26-04-2006

Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918 Fax: 818.246.7353
[email protected]
PRESS RELEASE
Friday, April 28, 2006
Contact: Maral Habeshian
Tel: (818) 500-1918
ANCA-WR JOINS WEST COAST COMMUNITIES TO COMMEMORATE 91ST ANNIVERSARY
OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
GLENDALE, CA – This year, Armenian American communities, student
organizations, and youth throughout the West Coast commemorated the
Armenian Genocide more actively than ever. The Armenian National
Committee of America – Western Region (ANCA-WR) brought together
elected officials and dignitaries to mark the 91st anniversary of the
genocide alongside Armenian Americans. Whether in Las Vegas, Colorado,
New Mexico, Fresno, San Francisco, Phoenix, Montebello or Los Angeles,
the message remained clear: the US government must once and for all
speak with moral clarity and officially recognize the Armenian
Genocide.
LOS ANGELES
Thousands gathered at the Armenian Martyrs Monument in Montebello on
Sunday, April 23rd to commemorate the 91st anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide. Elected officials joined Armenian religious leaders to honor
the victims of the genocide and demand proper recognition and justice
for the first genocide of the 20th Century.
In her introduction, Mistress of Ceremonies State Senator Jackie
Kanchelian-Speier stressed `We demand justice because we know, as
students of history, that our world is more dangerous by virtue of
Turkey’s denial of the Armenian Genocide.’ She urged all Armenians and
elected officials to utilize their passion and power, along with
perseverance to stop the cycle of genocide forever.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Peter Cowe, Narekatsi
Professor of Armenian Studies at UCLA, and Turkish Publisher Ragip
Zarakolu served as keynote speakers.
Speaking about US Ambassador John Evan, Mayor Villaraigosa said
`Earlier this year, we witnessed a rare display of diplomatic
courage…John Evans spoke out about these crimes by stating the
obvious – he used the word `genocide.’ And, for this, some are now
trying to end his career. They want to silence him. They want John
Evans recalled from his post.’
Among the many elected officials were Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez,
Congressman Adam Schiff, Member of the Board of Equalization John
Chiang, California State Senator Jack Scott, Assemblymembers Judy Chu,
Ron Calderon, Lynn Daucher, Jerome Horton, Carol Liu, along with a
host of other members of area City Councils.
Many who spoke pointed to the genocide in Darfur today and asked
whether the unpunished genocide of Armenians has not perpetuated the
cycle of genocide in the world.
FRESNO
Around four-hundred Fresno Armenians gathered at City Hall on April
22nd, for a joint Fresno ANCA-City Hall sponsored event that was
emceed by Councilman Tom Boyajian and featured Congressman George
Radanovich (R-CA), Congressman Jim Costa (D-CA), Assemblyman Juan
Arambula, ANCA-Fresno Chairworman Hygo Ohannessian, and Glendale City
Clerk Ardashes Kassakhian. As the keynote speaker, Kassakhian said
that it was not only an honor to speak in Fresno, the home of William
Saroyan and great heroes of the Armenian Cause such as General
Antranik and Soghomon Tehlirian, but also inspiring to see Congressmen
George Radanovich and Jim Costa as well as Assemblymember Arabuela,
and Mayor Autry on hand to promote Armenian Genocide recognition
efforts.
On Sunday, community members visited the Soghomon Tehlirian Monument
in the Massis Ararat Cemetery to honor Tehlirian and commemorate the
victims of the Armenian Genocide. ANCA-WR Board member Armen Martin
spoke of the persistent struggle in getting not only Turkey to
recognize the genocide, but also the United States that goes as far as
stifling a long-time career diplomat for his acknowledgment of the
Armenian Genocide. `As Americans we are outraged by this. As
Armenians, we are insulted by this,’ Martin said, encouraging the
crowd to be ever vigilant in demanding recognition and justice for the
Armenian Genocide.
SAN FRANCISCO
The South (San Francisco) Bay Armenian community held a somber service
on April 23rd at St. Andrew Armenian Church in Cupertino. On the
following day, April 24th, the Mt. Davidson Cross was the site for a
requiem ceremony led by clergy of Bay Area Armenian churches. On
Tuesday, the Bay Area Armenian community rallied across from San
Francisco City Hall, where a commemoration program hosted by Mayor
Gavin Newsom was later held. Keynote speakers featured Dr. Antranig
Kasparian and Dr. Richard Hovanissian. Addressing the almost 600
community member and guests in attendance, Kasparian detailed the new
dimensions of Armenian-Turkish relations, stressing that gains may be
achieved by engaging Turkish society, while maintaining pressure from
the outside. Distinguished guests included Henry Morgenthau IV, great
grand-son of Ambassador Henry Morgenthau, Consul General of Greece
Xenia Stephanidou, Deputy Consul General of Russia Yuri Bedjanian, San
Francisco County Board Supervisors S! hawn Elsbernd and Aaron Peskin.
ARIZONA
The ANCA-Arizona chapter commemoration featured ANCA-WR Board member
Thomas Azaian who addressed the crowd of over 400 at the genocide
monument in Phoenix as part of the day’s events which also featured an
Armenian Youth Federation-led march to the State Capitol. Azaian
touched on the pressure exerted on US Ambassador to Armenia John
Evans, since his proper acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide this
past autumn. Rather than punishing the Ambassador, Azaian called on
President Bush to follow Evans’ lead in properly acknowledging the
Armenian Genocide. Azaian stressed, however, that the goal of genocide
recognition is justice, not mere affirmation of a historical fact.
Emphasizing the Arizona Armenian community’s strong leadership and
active youth, he noted, `They are ready to work and can deliver. There
is a lot of potential here.’
Arizona State House Representative Ted Carpenter was among those
participating in the commemoration program. Ani Shekerjian presented
Governor Janet Napolitano’s proclamation in honor of the Armenian
Genocide.
NEW MEXICO
Glendale City Clerk and former ANCA-WR Executive Director Ardashes
Kassakhian, joined the Armenian Cultural Association (ACA) of New
Mexico for its commemoration in Albuquerque on April 23rd. The day’s
events began with the placing of a memorial plaque and tree outside
the Albuquerque Museum, followed by a memorial service at the ACA’s
community center.
In his keynote address, Kassakhian briefed the community on the
continued denial campaign waged by the Republic of Turkey and spoke of
their effectiveness in challenging this effort by reaching out to
elected officials.
Albuquerque resident A.J. Kerian presented Mayor Martin Chavez’s
proclamation on the occasion of the commemoration.
Commenting on the event, Kassakhian said the efforts of the growing
community are impressive. `A proclamation is a strong indicator of
their success; I look forward to the future accomplishments of the New
Mexico Armenian American community as they work with organizations,
like the ANCA, to raise awareness within their communities regarding
issues of concern to all of us.’
MOUNTAIN STATES AND BEYOND
The ANCA-WR also participated in commemoration events in Las Vegas,
Nevada and Denver, Colorado. Back in Los Angeles, ANCA-WR leadership
addressed the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Armenian Society-organized
panel discussion regarding the Armenian Genocide and distributed
petitions at the `Izabelles Scar 2006′ benefit/awareness concert,
featuring the apex theory, Harout Pamboukjian, the Freeway People, and
special guests John Dolmayan (System Of A Down), and poet/word-smith
Knowledge, among others. ANCA-Glendale Director Alina Azizian
delivered remarks on the occasion at an event organized by Bank of
America. ANCA leadership and members also joined the Armenian Youth
Federation for its annual protest in front of the Turkish Consulate in
Beverly Hills, California.
The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest and
most influential Armenian American grassroots political
organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices,
chapters, and supporters throughout the United States and affiliated
organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the
concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of
issues.
Editor’s note: Photos attached.
Photo 1 caption: ANCA-WR board member Souzi Zerounian addressing the
Los Angeles City Council.
Photo 2 caption: Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti
presenting Los Angeles City Council resolution on the Armenian
Genocide.
Photo 3 caption: Armenian American community leaders and members with
Council President Eric Garcetti and Councilmember Dennis Zine.

1) Turkish Human Rights Association Holds Press Conference about Genocide
2) California State Assembly Releases Proclamation Affirming The Armenian
Genocide
3) Presidents Aliyev And Bush Discuss Iran, Karabagh in Washington
4) ANCA Telethon Launches Web Site
5) Fun The Armenian Way: 5th Annual ARS Armenian Festival
6) Hamazkayin Accepting Applications for 2006 Cultural Forum in Armenia
7) Armenia’s Forgotten Chernobyl Heroes Fight for Their Lives 20 Years Later
8) Turkey Finally Hears Its Past: By Henry Morgenthau III
9) Critics’ Forum: Theater: By Aram Kouyoumdjian
10) Glimmers: By Garen Yegparian
11) BUSH CAN STILL SAVE HIS LEGACY: By SKEPTIK SINIKIAN
12) For the Record:
1) Turkish Human Rights Association Holds Press Conference about Genocide
At noon on April 24, the Istanbul office of the Human Rights Association
held a
press conference during which the association’s Istanbul Branch executive
committee’s read its press release about the Armenian genocide. International
and national representatives of the media attended the press conference, while
plain-clothes police officers stood right outside the door.
The following is the English translation of the press release from the
Istanbul Branch of the Human Rights Watch:
Today, the 24th of April, is recognized worldwide as the date signifying the
Armenian genocide. Only in Turkey it indicates a taboo. The Turkish state
mobilizes all its resources to deny the meaning of this date.
At diplomatic platforms, Turkish officials and their advocates claim that
they
recognize the “big tragedy” and they only object to it being named a
“genocide.” That’s not true. At every occasion in Turkey not only the Armenian
genocide, but also the great agony of the Armenian people is denied and
attempts are made to justify the Genocide.
It was only last month that during a Symposium on the Armenian-Turkish
relations the denialist official theses were voiced one after another,
offending the Armenians in Turkey and elsewhere and insulting the memory of
their grandparents. Lies were told in the name of “science,” like “Armenians
have always sold their masters,” “deportation was a means of crisis
management,” the “death toll of deportation is comparable to the death toll of
flu epidemic in England that time,” and “there is no other people as noble as
the Turkish nation in the world, it is impossible for them to commit a
genocide,” and many more, humiliating a people who were one of the most
advanced in science, art, and literature.
Denial is a constituent part of the Genocide itself and results in the
continuation of the Genocide. Denial of genocide is a human rights
violation in
itself. It deprives individuals the right to mourn for their ancestors, for
the ethnic cleansing of a nation, the annihilation of people of all ages, all
professions, all social sections, women, men, children, babies, grandparents
alike just because they were Armenians, regardless of their political
background or conviction. Perhaps the most important of all, it is the refusal
of making a solemn, formal commitment and saying “NEVER AGAIN.”
Turkey has made hardly any progress in the field of co-existence, democracy,
human rights and putting an end to militarism since the time of the Union and
Progress Committee. Annihilation and denial had been and continues today to be
the only means to solve the problem. Villages evacuated and put on fire and
forced displacements are still the manifestation of the same habit of “social
engineering.” There has always been bloodshed in the homeland of Armenians
since 1915. Unsolved murders, disappearances under custody, rapes and arrests
en masse during the 1990’s were no surprise, given the ongoing state tradition
lacking any culture of repentance for past crimes against humanity.
Similarly the removal of a public prosecutor and banning him from profession
just for taking the courage to mention an accusation against the military, a
very recent incident, is the manifestation of an old habit of punishing
anybody
who dares to voice any objection to the army. And today’s ongoing military
build up of some 250,000 troops in the southeast of Turkey is the proof of a
mindset, which is unable to develop any solution to the Kurdish question other
than armed suppression.
Turkey will not be able to take even one step forward without putting an end
to the continuity of the Progress and Union way of ruling. No human rights
violation can be stopped in Turkey and there will be no hope of breaking the
vicious circle of Kurdish uprisings and their bloody suppression unless the
Turkish state agrees to create an environment where public homage is paid to
Genocide victims, where the sufferings of their grandchildren is shared and
the Genocide is recognized.
Today we, as the human rights defenders, would like to address all Armenians
in Turkey and elsewhere in the world and tell them “we want to share the pain
in your hearts and bow down before the memory of your lost ones. They are also
our losses. Our struggle for human rights in Turkey is at the same time our
mourning for our common losses and an homage paid to the Genocide victims.
2) California State Assembly Releases Proclamation Affirming The Armenian
Genocide
As it has done in previous years, the California State Assembly discussed the
issue of the Armenian genocide in its Thursday, April 27 session.
His Eminence Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate, departed for
Sacramento on Thursday to attend the opening of the State Assembly’s session.
Also present at the opening was the Honorable Gagik Giragossian, Consul
General
of the Republic of Armenia, and Armenian National Committee representatives
Armen Carapetian, Aida Dimidjian, and others.
The Prelate conducted the opening prayer and delivered his message to Senate
and Assembly members.
On this occasion, the Assembly has issued a proclamation affirming the
genocide of Armenians by the Turkish Government, which they officially
presented to the Prelate, the Consul General, and ANC representatives. Later
on, during the general session, there was a moment of silence for the 1.5
million victims of the Genocide.
The Prelate reminded the Assembly of the injustices committed by the Turkish
Government–which to this day go unpunished–and expressed hope that following
the example of European governments, the US Government too will recognize the
Genocide and demand justice.
Earlier, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenneger proclaimed April 23-29
“Days of Remembrance” of the Armenian genocide.
3) Presidents Aliyev And Bush Discuss Iran, Karabagh in Washington
WASHINGTON, DC (Combined Sources)–US President George W. Bush welcomed Friday
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev for talks that ranged from their joint
efforts in Iraq and Iran’s nuclear program to Azerbaijan’s dispute with
Armenia
over Karabagh and democratic reforms.
In the days running up to the meeting, Aliyev had made it clear that he will
not allow his country to be used for any operations against neighboring Iran.
Bush sought to allay Azerbaijan’s concerns, saying the United States wants to
resolve the crisis over Iran’s nuclear program through diplomacy.
Bush has often said he intends to resolve the issue without the use of force,
but he stresses that all his options are open, including the use of military
force. On Friday, Bush didn’t mention the military option.
On Wednesday, April 26, Aliyev said that if the United States decides an
attack is necessary, it would have to do so without Azerbaijan’s help because
Azerbaijan and Iran–which share a nearly 300-kilometer border–have a
non-aggression treaty.
Aliyev and Bush also discussed Azerbaijan’s continuing dispute with
neighboring Armenia over Karabagh.
Bush and Aliyev said little of their discussions on these matters. The Azeri
leader said only: “I informed Mr. President [of] the latest status of the
negotiations [on Karabagh] and expressed my hope that a peaceful settlement of
the conflict will happen and will serve the peace and stability in the whole
region.”
In his remarks at the Council on Foreign Relations, President Aliyev said he
hopes the United States “as a superpower,” will contribute to the
resolution of
the conflict.
The Azeri leader will be in Washington several days. He meets with members of
Congress and with officials from non-governmental groups such as Freedom House
and Human Rights Watch. On Friday, he visited the Pentagon and the White
House.
4) ANCA Telethon Launches Web Site

–Nationwide phonathon and internet campaign kicks off fundraising effort

WASHINGTON, DC–The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Telethon
announced Monday the launch of a website devoted to the telethon at
(click on Telethon logo) where supporters of the Armenian Cause
can make online donations in advance of the May 21 nationwide telethon
broadcast. In addition, a nationwide inbound and outbound telephone campaign
has been launched to personally reach out to thousands of Armenian households
across the country during the weeks preceding the telethon. The purpose of the
telethon is to raise financial resources that will propel the advocacy for the
Armenian Cause to a broader scope and new level of sophistication. Proceeds
will be used to expand the ANCA’s advocacy and educational programs on
Armenian
issues within the halls of Congress, the White House, state and local
governments, and the media.
“The campaign leading up to the Telethon broadcast is meant to rally into
action everyone who believes in the Armenian Cause and use the latest
technological tools to unite us as a powerful force regardless of geography,”
said Steve Artinian, member of the ANCA Telethon’s outreach team. “There is an
amazing pool of professional talent who have come together to ensure the
Telethon reaches as many households as possible. We are pulling out the stops
on this effort and intend to raise the stakes for the Cause substantially in
the process.”
The ANCA Telethon reflects the next step for the many issues confronting the
community. For example, the ANCA’s media relations efforts during the last
year
alone are driving increased media coverage of the Armenian genocide. The
results are rapidly expanding public awareness of the issue and exposure of
the
shameful position of the government of Turkey and the US State Department,
both
of whom continue to deny the Genocide. The most recent example of the ANCA’s
anti-defamation efforts with the media has been confronting PBS for attempting
to broadcast their insulting panel discussion, which featured academics
paid by
the Turkish government to deny and distort the historical facts about the
Genocides. However, spurring increased media coverage across the country
requires greater vigilance in anti-defamation efforts to make sure media
coverage is accurate and repels the Turkish government’s denial campaign. This
stage has led to an increased need for professional resources and media
experts
in order to continue winning in the court of public opinion.
The ANCA Telethon will feature the ANCA’s many interesting and successful
programs asking for financial support. As a run up to the broadcast, the
online
Internet campaign and phonathon will allow people to show their support in
advance of the broadcast. To make a donation in advance, people can call the
ANCA at (866) 402-2622 or go to and click on the Telethon logo to
make a donation online.
5) Fun The Armenian Way: 5th Annual ARS Armenian Festival
GELNDALE–The fifth annual Armenian Relief Society of Western USA (ARS-WR)
Armenian Cultural and Food Festival will be held this year on Saturday, May 6
and Sunday, May 7 at the Glendale Civic Auditorium.
The festival will feature traditional Armenian dancing, music, and
exhibits of
local and Armenian products such as books, arts and crafts, drinks, and food.
There will be an Armenian costume show, with the opportunity to be
photographed
in traditional Armenian costumes. A workshop will teach participants how to
make traditional “lavash” bread and string cheese. The festival also
features a
special kids’ zone, featuring music and storytelling.
The festival is an ideal place to bring three generations of families
together, where Armenian music, art, dance, history, culinary heritage, and
children’s games can be enjoyed under one roof. Much of the interesting
programming enjoyed in previous years–by Armenians and non-Armenians
alike–will return along with expansion of activities and games for young
children.
“This year promises to be another colorful event celebrating our 96th
birthday
and enjoying all the various aspects of our culture. Our youth are our future
and we want them to have fun while enjoying all the sights and sounds of our
traditions and culture,” said Angela Savoian, Chair of the ARS-WR, Regional
Executive Board.
The Glendale Civic Auditorium is located at 1401 North Verdugo Road in
Glendale (the cross street is East Mountain Street). Admission will be $5 for
the public (young children are admitted free of charge). The festival will
begin on Saturday, May 6 at 1:00 PM, with official opening ceremonies at 2:00
PM. The entertainment will continue until midnight. On Sunday, May 7, the
festival will resume at 11:00 AM and end at 7:00 PM.
Advertisers and sponsors are welcome. For more information, contact the ARS
-WR Regional Executive headquarters at (818) 500-1343 (phone), (818) 242-3732
(fax) or [email protected]
().
The ARS was founded in New York City in 1910; the establishment of the first
two ARS-WR chapters west of the Mississippi followed in Fresno (1915) and
Hollywood (1918). The region has grown to include 26 chapters, 5 Social
Service
offices, Child, Youth and Family Counseling, Saturday Schools. Orphan food and
school renovation programs are an important focus of the ARS-WR. The ARS-WR
headquarters is located at 517 W. Glenoaks Blvd., Glendale, CA 91202-2812.
6) Hamazkayin Accepting Applications for 2006 Cultural Forum in Armenia
The Hamazkayin Educational and Cultural Society is currently accepting
applications for its 2006 Cultural Forum to be held in Yerevan, Armenia, from
July 16-30. All college-aged individuals are encouraged to apply.
The Hamazkayin Cultural Forum is an annual event that started in 1995 with
the
aim to unite young Armenians from around the world to learn more about
Armenian
art, history, culture, society, and modern life in the homeland. It is a
unique
opportunity for people to visit Armenia for the first timeor as a returning
visitorand meet with fellow Armenians from around the world who are interested
in learning more about their people’s past as well as where they are headed.
`This is definitely an excellent way for college-aged Armenians to come
together and share ideas about what they envision as being important for
them,’
stated Asbed Kotchikian, Co-chair of the Forum Executive Committee. `If they
don’t have a thorough understanding of their history and culture, the Forum is
a great medium to learn about them. Plus, it gives people an excellent
opportunity to visit Armenia.’
`I know people who have formed close bonds with one another after attending a
Forum in the past,’ he added.
There is no limit to the amount of cultural activities that one can
experience
in Armenia. Every night you can find multiple concerts, plays, and music clubs
to attend for entertainment. On most evenings classical performances can be
heard in one of Yerevan’s many chamber concert halls, and in some restaurants
visitors have the pleasure of hearing authentic folk music any night of the
week. Jazz and rock clubs have become quite noticeable, and for those who
enjoy
dancing, there are dozens of discos located throughout the city.
Most of Armenia’s cultural legacy however is found outside Yerevan, in the
various regions of the country. Armenia is home to hundredsperhaps thousandsof
churches both preserved and in ruins. There are also ancient fortresses and
other fascinating structures to see, including a pagan temple in the town of
Garni. Another prominent site worth visiting is the Sardarabad Memorial and
History Museum, built on the very site where the historic battle against the
Turks was won and the first Armenian Republic formed.
During the Forum attendees will have the opportunity to hear several
lectures,
including one given by Dr. Richard G. Hovannisian, Professor of Armenian and
Near Eastern History at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is the
author of numerous works, including `The Republic of Armenia,’ Volumes I-IV,
and `The Armenian Holocaust.’
To learn more about the Forum and how to apply, visit: forum.hamazkayin.com.
You can also send an email to [email protected] with specific questions.
All
applications must be received by June 15, 2006.
Hamazkayin is a worldwide organization with chapters in many countries that
aims to preserve and promote Armenian art, history, and literature. Its
goal is
to educate people about the humanities relating to the Armenian people and
perpetuate Armenian culture.
7) Armenia’s Forgotten Chernobyl Heroes Fight for Their Lives 20 Years Later
YEREVAN (RFE/RL)–It took Norayr Manaserian two years to realize that he is no
longer the healthy man he was before a powerful explosion destroyed one of the
reactors of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant on April 26, 1986. He was among
the hundreds of thousands of Soviet citizens who were sent to the scene of the
world’s worst nuclear disaster just days after it sent radiation billowing
throughout Europe.
“At first, my mouth would dry up but I didn’t care,” recalls the 58-year-old
retired KGB officer. “One day I got really sick and could barely breathe. Then
my stomach and eventually my kidneys began to hurt.”
Manaserian has barely been able to work and lead a normal life since then. “I
am hospitalized three or four times a year,” he said at a Yerevan clinic
specializing in treatment of serious burns and nuclear radiation.
His fate is typical of the 600,000 firefighters, servicemen and other people
from across the Soviet Union who joined in frantic efforts to contain the
unprecedented accident. Their heroic efforts spared Europe an even greater
calamity.
More than 3,000 of the people known as “liquidators” in the ex-USSR were from
Armenia. Nearly 400 of them have since died of radiation and other diseases
caused by it. Those who have survived seem largely neglected by the government
and forgotten by a society that has gone through other catastrophes since
1986.
The 20th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster was solemnly marked on
Wednesday, with world leaders, including US President George W. Bush and Pope
Benedict XVI, paying tribute to its thousands of victims. The main official
ceremony took place in the Ukrainian town of Slavutych that was built to house
the Chernobyl plant’s workers. Hundreds of people, each bearing a candle and
some with red carnations, filed slowly through its streets in the morning.
Ukraine as well as neighboring Belarus and Russia together estimate that more
than five million persons currently suffer health problems to some extent,
as a
result of Chernobyl. The accident forced the permanent evacuation of more than
300,000 people from over 5,000 towns and villages in the three nations.
In Armenia, a low-key commemoration of the disaster anniversary was mainly
attended by members of an organization uniting Armenian “liquidators.” Some of
them were received and honored by Prime Minister Andranik Markarian on
Tuesday.
Markarian admitted that assistance provided by his government is too modest to
address their problems.
Health is by far the most serious of those problems. According to a senior
doctor at the Yerevan radiation hospital, Marina Mirijanian, some 2,000 local
“liquidators,” still fight for their lives 20 years after the tragedy,
regularly receiving treatment at the specialized facility. She said most of
those who die are below the age of 50.
“We do our best to help them, but not all conditions are adequate,” said
Mirijanian. “Our equipment is old. We would love to replace it but can’t
afford
doing that. Also, there are some very expensive drugs which the hospital
doesn’t have and which patients themselves have to buy.”
There were only two patients at the clinic on Wednesday: Manaserian and a
45-year-old man who did not want to be identified. He served as an officer
at a
Soviet army detachment stationed in Kiev when a massive fireball ripped
through
the fourth reactor of the Chernobyl plant.
“Early in the morning of May 3 [1986], our entire regiment was put on alert
and taken to the reactor number four,” he said. “All troops in the area were
sent there. It didn’t matter if you were with interior troops, army infantry,
or tank detachments.”
Like the vast majority of other rescuers, the officer and his soldiers were
not given any personal protective equipment as they helped to evacuate
residents of nearby Ukrainian towns and villages. The ex-officer received vast
doses of radiation and has been effectively disabled since 1992.
“As a former officer, I get a military pension of about 30,000 drams ($67) a
month,” he said. “Other guys are paid only 9,000 drams by social security
bodies. Those are ridiculous sums.”
Manaserian, for his part, has to live on 23,000 drams but shies away from
complaining about his plight. “How can a man complain?” he said. “Some men
become ministers, prosecutors, presidents, or prime ministers, while others
end
up like me. What can we do?”
8) Turkey Finally Hears Its Past
By Henry Morgenthau III
CAMBRIDGE (Boston Globe)–‘Ambassador Morgenthau’s Story,” my grandfather’s
account of the killings of Armenians in Turkey in 1915, was published just
before World War I ended in November 1918. A personal chronicle of his service
as the US ambassador to Ottoman Turkey for 26 months, the book was published
last month for the first time in Turkish, a milestone in informing the Turkish
people of what happened in their country more than 90 years ago.
The term genocide had not yet been invented when my grandfather wrote his
book. Thus, Morgenthau refers to `the destruction of the Armenian race” as
`the
murder of a nation.” It was Henry Morgenthau’s lonely voice that alerted the
world to the premeditated atrocities of the Young Turk leaders and the
complicity of their German allies.
Why Morgenthau chose to speak out on behalf of the Armenians is a more
complex
question than how he did so. Almost from the time he arrived in New York as a
10-year-old German Jewish immigrant, he envisioned public service as his
ultimate calling. When the opportunity arose, he attached himself to Woodrow
Wilson’s rising star and was appointed US ambassador to Turkey.
At the end of 1914, Morgenthau noted a pattern: Palestinian Jews were
conscripted into the Turkish army, then promptly disarmed and placed in labor
battalions. This was a tactic the Turks used against Greeks and other
minorities, and, most ominously, against the Armenians.
Fearing reprisals against Jews in Turkish territories, Morgenthau warned
international Zionist leaders to contain their indignation. Then he took it
upon himself to call on the US Navy for help. In January 1915, the USS
Tennessee was ordered to Alexandria, Egypt, ostensibly to protect US citizens.
In fact, it made possible the evacuation of impoverished Jewish refugees,
including David Ben-Gurion and Yitzhak Ben-Zvi, who became respectively
Israel’s first prime minister and second president.
Morgenthau was never able to carry out a rescue of the Armenians with the
effectiveness he achieved in saving Jews, though certainly not for want of
trying. There were fundamental differences between the Armenian and Jewish
situations. The Armenians were a minority located within the borders of
Ottoman
Turkey and Czarist Russia. The Jews, on the other hand, were widely dispersed
throughout Eastern and Western Europe and the United States, and to a much
lesser extent in the Near East, including the Holy Land. In Western Europe and
the United States, Jews had risen to positions of power and had learned how to
network internationally. The diaspora Armenians had not yet achieved such
status and so could not mobilize support for their persecuted kinsmen.
When Morgenthau appealed to Enver Pasha, the Turkish minister of war, to
permit US missionaries to feed starving Armenians, the response was coldly
cynical. `We don’t want the Americans to feed the Armenians… That is one of
the worst things that could happen to them… It is their belief that they
have
friends in other countries which leads them to oppose the government and so
bring down upon them all their miseries.” The Turkish minister of the
interior,
Talaat Pasha, was equally callous: `The hatred between the Turks and the
Armenians is now so intense that we have got to finish them. If we don’t, they
will plan their revenge.”
The memoirs of my grandfather factually chronicle an important period of
history. Yet, 91 years later, the Turkish state insists the genocide of the
Armenians did not happen. Why does Turkey protect the murderers of the past?
That is a question that needs to be asked over and over again until the truth
is acknowledged. As Turkey seeks membership in the European Union, it is being
challenged to open up its society and adopt free speech.
But its penal code has resulted in several Turkish writers being brought
before their own courts for speaking out about the Armenian genocide. Surely a
modern country like Turkey needs to treat its citizens with more respect. Free
speech cannot be denied, especially in a country seeking to join the EU.
Whatever may have motivated Turkish officials to deny the Genocide for more
than 90 years, there now appears to be some light at the end of the tunnel.
The
US government, which had knuckled under in support of the Turkish policy of
denial, is now urging all parties to accept the realities of history.
At this critical moment, the publication of the Turkish edition of
`Ambassador
Morgenthau’s Story” is an important step for the citizens of Turkey. It is
their right to know their own history, good and bad, without interference from
the state. A crime denied is a crime repeated. Great nations in history have
acknowledged the misdeeds of their earlier governments. It is time for Turkey
to join the ranks of those great nations.
Henry Morgenthau III, who lives in Cambridge, is the author of a family
history, `Mostly Morgenthaus.”
9) Critics’ Forum: Theater
Bogosian Double-Play
By Aram Kouyoumdjian
To describe a play as `talky’ seems rather silly; dialogue, after all, serves
as a foundation for drama. Eric Bogosian’s plays, however, are `talky.’ They
don’t unfold as intricate narratives. They don’t have much plot. Bogosian is
far less interested in what his characters have to do than in what they
have to
say. In fact, the need to talk, to rant, to spew words with ferocity often
defines the figures that populate Bogosian’s solo performance works.
The preoccupation with talk spills over into Bogosian’s full-cast plays, two
of which were revived in recent Los Angeles productions. The teens and
twenty-somethings of `subUrbia’ have little to do but talk, as they loiter
outside a convenience store. And words are tantamount to currency in the
aptly-named `Talk Radio.’
By all indications, the brief incarnation of `subUrbia’ at the Hollywood
Fight
Club should have been a disaster. The venue itself, located in a strip mall,
boasts a playing area for which `stage’ is too strong a word. At the matinee I
attended, the sun shining through the storefront windows asserted its own
`lighting design’ on a set that could not have cost more than a latte.
Unexpectedly enough, the show worked. Sort of. Well, it worked as much as it
could have in the face of such impediments. It worked mostly because of a
committed cast that generated honest and energetic performances to offset some
of this middling production’s shortcomings.
The play’s minimal plot finds its young suburbanites in front of a 7-Eleven,
their usual hangout, when a former friend from high school, who has found fame
as a rock star, returns for a visit. This auspicious reunion offers
potentially
life-altering choices for the locals. After all, dreams are still alive for
some of them, like the aspiring artist Sooze (Stacy Michelle Gold), even if
they’ve proven paralyzing for the idealistic Jeff (Beau Hirshfield) or
disillusioning for the jaded Tim (Jeremy Rodriguez).
For the most part, Bogosian’s script sounds authentic in recreating the
language of youth (although its slips are all-too-painful to the ear). The
language of youth, however, is fickle and ever-changing, so a number of
references in `subUrbia’ had been updated for this production in order to keep
the text, now a dozen years old, relevant.
Fortunately, the script had an ally in director Frank Krueger, who achieved a
sense of urgency whenever necessary (the `roughhousing’ among the characters
turned quite physical) but knew to allow quieter sequences to unfold at the
appropriate pace. Still, he never missed the play’s funnier elements
(drawing a
hilarious, albeit over-the-top, performance from Brad Robinson). One only
wished he were better equipped with the resources to have production values
consistent with his vision.
Crisp production values were on full display in the Gangbusters Theatre
Company’s staging of `Talk Radio,’ which had a limited run at Theatre 68 in
Hollywood. This early play from Bogosian’s canon, virtually devoid of plot,
dramatizes an hour from the talk show of controversial (and fictional) shock
jock Barry Champlain the night before his show is to go national. Scenic
designer Danny Cistone’s meticulous replica of a broadcast studio provided the
perfect setting in which Champlain, winningly portrayed by Christian Levatino,
would expose his callers’ demons while struggling with his own.
In a strong ensemble, Jonathan Burbridge stood out as Champlain’s call
screener, perfectly balancing Levatino’s intensity with a casual portrayal
punctuated by both laughs and poignancy. Equally worthy of mention was Matt
Mann, riotous in his scene-stealing turn as a drugged-out fan who finagles his
way onto Champlain’s show.
The play, however, belonged to Levatino, who constructed a complex character
in Champlain, even as he unleashed Bogosian’s words with all their intended
fury. In Levatino’s hands, Champlain’s rage was explosive and profane, his
introspection solemn and quiet. One could not help being struck by the
depth of
his performance, which revolved, for significant stretches of time, around a
microphone. But Levatino practically gave life to this inanimate object in
developing an organic, even visceral, interaction with `callers’ who never
appeared onstage.
Director Leon Shanglebee confidently helmed the edgy work, managing to keep
focus where the script meandered. Even in its deviations, however, Bogosian’s
raw, intense, and kinetic writing always maintained tension and commanded
attention.
Aram Kouyoumdjian is the winner of Elly Awards for both playwriting (`The
Farewells’) and directing (`Three Hotels’). His performance piece, `Protest,’
was recently staged at the Finborough Theatre in London. You can reach him or
any of the other contributors to Critics’ Forum at [email protected].
This and all other articles published in this series are available online at
To sign up for a weekly electronic version of new
articles, go to Critics’ Forum is a group
created to
discuss issues relating to Armenian art and culture in the diaspora.
10) Glimmers
By Garen Yegparian
We may be making progress, minor and mixed though it might be. I’m referring
to participation in this year’s commemorative activities, of course.
Last year, I’d observed that being a multiple-of-ten year seemed to have
helped turnout. Without that reason, numbers in two key places were up this
year. Others were less inspiring.
In Burbank, the ANC ran an essay and art contest for public school students.
The theme of `Learning from the Past, Shaping Our Future: What Does the
Armenian Genocide Mean to Me’ garnered 140 participants. Three students won
cash prizes in each contest, and another four received honorable mentions.
The
winners were also recognized at the April 18 Burbank City Council meeting
where
the annual Genocide proclamation was issued by the city. During that ceremony
the art was exhibited, one of the essays read, and a Siamanto poem recited in
translation. The meeting’s invocation was given by the Armenian clergy as
well. Also on April 18th, the Armenian students at Burbank High School
organized an event in the gym featuring Armenian bands. It drew a few hundred
students.
Meanwhile, about 100 people marched from McCambridge Park’s eternal flame,
dedicated to the memory of Burbank soldiers who died in war, to City Hall.
There, a program was held on the steps. Just over 200 attended. This matches
last year and is weak relative to a high point of over 600 a few years ago.
One of my two big disappointments was the youth rally organized by the ARF
Shant Student Organization. This event has drawn standing-room-only crowds
for
at least the last two years. This year the numbers were anemic. The program
was substantive, but I heard mumbling about insufficient publicity. I rather
think it was the absence of a name-draw. David Barsamian and Samantha Power
gave the preceding two years’ rallies substantial star-power. Just goes to
show, if we organize well and provide substantive material, our community will
support youth (and other) efforts. Failing that, people just won’t attend
except out of guilt, and/or because nothing else fit their schedule.
By far the biggest disappointment was the gathering at the martyrs’ monument
in Montebello, not least because attendance was under 2000. Once again this
year, the organizers deviated from the tried-and-true, to the detriment of the
event and our community. Instead of having the gathering on the 24th, it was
shifted to the 23rd. BAD CALL. Last year the corresponding event was
moved to
Glendale High School damaging the standing of the event. This year it was the
date change. Why don’t we get it? Our community, rightly, wants to have a
solemn gathering, at the monument, on April 24th. I would argue that even the
speakers are superfluous, and we should simply have the clergy performing
requiem services repeatedly over the course of several hours as people lay
flowers, a la the Yerevan monument.
Regarding the program, I have to confess it was better. First, and most
important, it was not interminable, under an hour and a half. Having Ragip
Zarakolu speak, though a bit too briefly, was a good touch. He brought two
key
ingredients. As one of the Turks involved in breaking the wall of silence, he
inspires hope among Armenians. Plus, he has a universal, pan-human worldview,
often acutely absent in our community. Unfortunately, his presentation was
very short. This has an eye-opening effect, especially coming from `a Turk.’
Having Peter Cowe speak in Armenian was a cutesy touch. But what was the
point? Based on what standing was he asked to speak? A professor of Armenian
studies? C’mon. Not that what he said wasn’t good, and true, and appropriate,
but it just wasn’t his place and time. California Lieutenant Governor
candidate and emcee Jackie Speier did a good job of keeping the program moving
and her California Senate and Assembly colleagues shortwinded. Adam Schiff’s
presentation was also appropriate and informative. However, these guys, as
I’ve suggested before, should be invited to speak at the Turkish consulate.
More on this below.
Interestingly, some people have decided to show up at the Montebello
monument,
on the 24th, formal program or not. One friend drove by on that afternoon,
and
thought 500 people were there. I called another who actually was there at
that
moment and was told more like 200. Regardless, it demonstrates where the
community’s soul is on this issue. Sadly, just before receiving these
reports,
I learned of a number of cars, yerakooyn draped, making nuisances of
themselves
on the highways leading to the Montebello monument. They got nailed by police
waiting for them as they exited.
The really interesting stuff, the glimmers of hope, came on the 24th. George
Bush was in Irvine speaking to a chamber of commerce. The AYF called a
protest
to demand that he properly recognize the Genocide. Outside the Hyatt where he
spoke, we outnumbered all the other demonstrators combined–be they anti-war,
generally anti-Bush, or on either side of the immigration issue. In fact, our
picketers were able to lead everyone else in a chant of `George, do your
job.’
The media there seemed focused on the immigration issue to the exclusion of
others. Eventually, a few reporters spoke to our representatives, though how
much was actually aired, be it TV or radio, I don’t know. Interesting is that
Telemundo, the Spanish TV station, interviewed one of us, in English.
Later, a
radio program, broadcast to several Spanish-speaking countries, interviewed
one
of us, in Spanish. How’s that for a vote in support of multilingualism?
For a
protest organized on very short notice that involved the possibility (and for
me the actuality) of traveling through traffic hell for most of participants,
the turnout of 100 or so was excellent, particularly since they all went to
the
Turkish consulate demonstration later in the day. The AYF did a good job on
this one. The value of keeping our elected’s on notice that their actions are
being watched and evaluated cannot be overstated.
From Irvine, it was off to Hollywood for the sixth `March in Little Armenia’
organized by United Young Armenians. Arriving late, I was unable to
participate in the march, but did catch most of the program at the end. What
first struck me were the hundreds of people leaving the area. Strange.
Factoring this in, it seemed to me that participation was up this year, to
something approaching 8000. This was confirmed when I queried city
officials.
Most importantly, this year’s program was far more substantive than the past,
though it was still a bit inaudible at the rear end of the crowd. Harut
Sassounian and Ragip Zarakolu spoke well and meaningfully and the program
overall was not too lengthy. Unfortunately, I heard the same-old, tired
chants
as the last few marchers entered Hobart where the stage and gathering were.
After the program, those on the stage seemed to hold court. A stream of
people
approached, discussed issues with, and took pictures of them. They seemed
thirsty for contact with our active, visible leadership.
Increased numbers at the rally were not the only highlight. The organizers
announced the AYF’s demonstration at the Turkish consulate. The event was
shown on Armenian TV, regardless of factional affiliation. Hopefully these
speak to a lessening of tensions and will lead to more integration of our
April
24th efforts. And, while still somewhat trapped in the spirit of
self-affirmation, the choice of speakers and content indicates progress
towards
politicization of this event. By this I mean making it more of an activist,
really Hai Tad pursuing event, rather than a partisan tool or convenient,
close-to-home means of assuaging Armenian guilt. The one criticism that I
have
is the decision to give Frank Quintero the podium. In the absence of most
other elected officials (except Greg Krikorian), this smacks of
internal-Armenian political gamesmanship. Most of the community is supporting
Paul Krekorian, Quintero’s opponent, in their 43rd Assembly District race for
the Democratic nomination. While the vast majority of those in attendance do
not even live in the district, video of this will likely be used by the
campaign, in-district, to his benefit and Krekorian’s detriment.
Finally, and appropriately, the culmination of the day was the AYF
demonstration at the Turkish consulate, now in a new location, 6300 Wilshire
Boulevard. Let’s see how long it’ll take to wear out their welcome. It is a
much bigger office building situated at the corner of Crescent Heights, a much
busier intersection than the old location. It gives us much more visibility.
Perhaps only by coincidence, but the office of `The Young Turks’ radio program
(see last week’s article) is located at 6230. I wonder…
This was the best turnout of my 17 years in the LA area, almost 3000 people.
This number was deemed a bit high by City officials, and the Los Angeles Times
reported 2500. I think it was a pleasant surprise to the organizers, one of
whom had glumly predicted decreased participation relative to last year. The
new location and unexpected numbers probably made managing the event more
challenging, but it went well. Life-size wood cutouts of Kemal Ataturk,
Ronald
Reagan, and Ambassador John Evans with their Genocide affirming quotes graced
this gathering–a novel and good idea. The slogans chanted, while more
numerous than in Hollywood, were still mostly retreads. A few new, good ones
are needed in that stable. While the police behaved well through most of the
now-shortened (two, instead of three, hours) protest, after it was over, they
behaved in their typically thug-y way when they `received the order’ to
have us
disperse. Plus, one of them was foolish enough to stop and cite a `flag-car’
for who knows what, literally in the middle of Wilshire Boulevard, in the left
turn lane, during rush hour. I suppose we should thank him for gnarling
traffic and drawing more attention to our demonstration from the circling news
helicopters above. It also seemed to me that the age distribution had
shifted,
the average age was lower, which bodes well for the future.
The biggest failing of this demonstration is its ending. It doesn’t leave
one
with a sense of accomplishment. That was compounded this year by the greater
participation and noisier intersection–a bullhorn is just not sufficient to
the task of offering inspiring closing words. Here, I return to the notion of
elected officials’ participation. It would make the protest much more
meaningful for them to speak in this venue. Imagine a Congressman, or even a
Senator, telling Turkey off right in front of their diplomatic faces! But, we
gotta ask first.
Simultaneously, removal of the elected’s from the Montebello event would
render it a more solemn, quiet, and contemplative gathering. People could
show
up, lay their flower, and proceed to the Turkish consulate. Buses could be
recruited to assist this process and parking problems at the monument would
dissipate. Those going to the Hollywood rally could thus be integrated with
our significant monument and most significant political action–the Turkish
consulate demonstration.
Some glimmers of hope are these increased numbers. To what are they
attributable? One interpretation I heard was Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi
Gonul’s visit (see my `Thank You Vecdi’ article). The protest held when he
spoke to the LA World Affairs Council may have primed people for this week’s
actions. I think the perceptible progress INSIDE Turkey towards Genocide
recognition may also be exciting, energizing, and re-politicizing our
community. In the same vein, Turkish official and quasi-official reaction to
this progress may also be triggering Armenians’ ire. It’s even possible that
something like `The Young Turks’ radio program galls people to action.
Some non-Armenian owned shops in Glendale actually closed on the 24th.
Conversely, many Armenian owned ones remained open on the 24th. It really is
time for a `list of shame’ website naming these outfits alongside purveyors of
Turkish products. What’s worse, I learned of an Armenian wholesaler who not
only remained open, but also disallowed Armenian employees to take the day
off!
Countless other events were organized. Besides those held in our Armenian
schools, it would be interesting to know how many people showed up at each
one,
and even more so, how many unduplicated individuals attended–I am far from
the
only person to attend multiple activities. That number, and its distribution,
would inform and guide future action.
Meanwhile, let’s keep hammering away at the Turkish wall of denial. The
hairline cracks are becoming visible. More importantly, let’s do it more
regularly. Anyone up for picketing that vile radio program next month?
11) BUSH CAN STILL SAVE HIS LEGACY

By SKEPTIK SINIKIAN
When I sat down to write this week’s column, I thought that the words would
just flow. This entire week I was a one-man Armenian activism machine working
to complete my `To Do’ list from last week’s column and help bring recognition
to the Armenian genocide. But each time I started striking the keys on my
keyboard, I ended up hitting the delete button and starting over. Maybe the
emotions overwhelmed me or maybe it was the lack of clarity with so many
thoughts swimming in my head, but something wasn’t coming together. It’s
probably both. Regardless of what the real reason is, I’ve now pumped my
system
with so many mocha shmocha caramel sweetness frappucinos and my blood
caffeine/sugar level is so high, that I’m ready to wrestle a large African
elephant with my bare hands. That’s what happens when you try to write an
article in a coffee shop and have had writer’s block for six hours! I guess
this is my way of saying “I’m sorry that this article is brief and not up
to my
usual standards” but the show must go on!
I’m not going to recap everything that took place over the course of last
week
(or month) related to the Armenian genocide recognition events but I do
want to
use this forum to say `Thank You’ to the members of System Of A Down who went
to Washington, DC to raise awareness about this issue. I don’t know what their
future holds, but I hope this crew of Armenian rockers have many more years of
success ahead of them before their VH1 `Behind the Music’ special featuring
Shavo’s or Serge’s old school Armenian neighbor, some guy named `Baron Sako,’
wearing a wool sweater and suit in 90 degree LA weather explaining what the
System kids were like growing up with subtitles scrolling at the bottom.
Serge,
John, Daron, and Shavo–Thank you, thank you, thank you! You made all of us
proud this week. You’re great Armenian Americans but more importantly, you’re
great human beings.
In spite of all the great coverage that the System guys received from their
visit to Washington, DC, it was still not as perfect as I would have hoped,
because at the same time our boys were `moshing’ (Put the dictionary down.
It’s
not in there. It’s a form of rock n’ roll dancing) around Capitol Hill,
President Aliyev of Azerbaijan was visiting our nation’s capitol to probably
discuss a wide spectrum of various issues with President Bush and US State
Department officials such as:

1. How much oil can Azerbaijan produce?
2. How much oil can Azerbaijan sell to the US?
3. How much oil Azerbaijan will pump through their Baku-Ceyhan pipeline?
4. How much oil…

You get the point. And how appropriate that Aliyev’s visit coincides with
claims President Bush has made about probing into price gouging by major oil
companies. Or how ironic that in addition to issuing a very political message
on April 24 that omitted the word `genocide,’ the President decided instead to
meet with the son of a former Soviet KGB official bent on wiping out the
Armenians of Artsakh (aka Mountainous Karabagh Republic) off the map. Atta boy
Mr. President! You never let us down. On April 24, a day that will live in
world history in infamy, your assistants met with a man who openly advocates
ethnically cleansing Armenians from their historic lands in Artsakh. What’s
next? Meeting with Holocaust deniers the week before the start of Hanukkah?
How
about visiting a tobacco farm during National Heart Association month? The
President should know better and if he doesn’t, then his staff is not doing a
good job of briefing him on issues that are important to his constituency.
The most recent polls show that President Bush’s approval ratings are the
lowest they have ever been. His approval rating dropped faster than a Hummer’s
gas gage going from `F’ to `E.’ I have a solution to the President’s
popularity
woes. It’s simple, fiscally responsible, and will set the tone for the legacy
of his Administration–and it doesn’t involve Iraq. Mr. President, all you
have
to do is issue a forceful statement to the Republic of Turkey stating that you
agree that if Turkey is to ever join the European Union (and the Westernized
world) then it must acknowledge its genocide of the Armenians and make the
proper apologies and reparations. It’s a very simple and morally sound
position
to defend. And even though some pundits or spin doctors will try to make it
seem as though it will hurt America’s interests in the region, your own
experience should show that our interests can’t be hurt any more than they
are.
At least this would show the world that America means business when it
comes to
freedom and liberty. You can do it! Some of us still believe that you will do
the right thing.
I didn’t want to write a long piece this week. I only had a few things to say
and I said them. I know that this President hasn’t been the best President
that
he can be, but I believe that he still possesses the potential to come around
on critical issues and show the world what Americans are really made of.
President Bush, if you’re reading this right now, please do the right thing!
Trust me on this one my friend. Do this and your approval rating will change
faster than Paris Hilton’s boyfriends. You can do it. A lot of people still
believe in you.

Skeptik Sinikian has been ordered to attend anger management classes
following
this year’s April 24 disappointments. This column was part of a 12 step
program
to control anger and frustrations. He will return next week when his mood
altering medication has worn off. In the meantime, you can email him at
[email protected] or visit his blog at
12) For the Record:
The article, `Israeli Police Prevent Armenian Pilgrims from Attending The Holy
Fire Ceremony And Arrest A Number of Armenians,’ appearing online Friday,
April
27, 2006, was written by Bedross Der Matossian.

PRESS RELEASE
ARPA Institute
18106 Miranda St.
Tarzana, CA 91356
Contact: Hagop Panossian
Tel: (818) 586-9660
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

ARPA Institute presents the Lecture/Seminar:”The Importance of the
Diaspora in shaping the Armenian National Identity,” by Razmik
Panossian, Ph.D., on Friday, May 5, 2006 at 7:30 PM in the Merdinian
school auditorium.

The Address is 13330 Riverside Dr., Sherman Oaks, CA 91403.
Directions: on the 101 FWY exit on Woodman, go north and turn right on
Riverside Dr.
Abstract: The Armenian diaspora has played a crucial role in the
construction of Armenian national identity. This lecture will analyze
this process, and argue that Armenian identity has historically
evolved in a multi-local manner, often far away from the
homeland. Consequently, deep divisions exist within the Armenian
nation, and yet the subjective sense of belonging unites people around
the notion of `Armenianness.’ The lecture is based on Panossian’s
newly published book, The Armenians: From Kings and Priests to
Merchants and Commissars (Columbia University Press, 2006. The book
will be available after the lecture).
Razmik Panossian has published numerous articles including, `The Past
as Nation: The Evolution of Armenian Identity,’ Geopolitics, 7:2,
2002; `The Irony of Nagorno-Karabakh: Formal Institutions versus
Informal Politics,’ Regional and Federal Studies, 11: 3, 2001; `The
Diaspora and the Karabagh Movement’ in L. Chorbajian (ed.), The Making
of Nagorno-Karabagh, 2001; `Between Ambivalence and Intrusion:
Politics and Identity in Armenia-Diaspora Relations.’ Diaspora: A
Journal of Transnational Studies, 7:2, 1998 (1999). His previous book
was a co-edited volume entitled Nationalism and History: The Politics
of Nation Building in Post-Soviet Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia
(Toronto, 1994). Panossian has taught at the Department of Government,
London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), where he also
defended his PhD dissertation in 2000. The thesis won the Lord Bryce
Prize for Best Dissertation in Comparative and International Politics
in the UK (granted by UK Political Studies Association). He is
currently based in Canada and working in the field of human rights and
international democratic development.
For Information Please call Dr. Hagop Panossian at (818)586-9660

NKR President met Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office
ArmRadio.am
28.04.2006 14:14
NKR President Arkadi Ghukasyan received Personal Representative of the
OSCE Chairman-in-Office Anjey Kasprchik. The interlocutors discussed
the results of the April 27 monitoring of the contact line of Armed
Forces of Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan.
NKR President’s Office informs that the interlocutors discussed the
situation at the contact line and exchanged views on prospects of
resolution of the Karabakh conflict.