GIBRAHAYER
e-newsletter
[email protected]
http ://gibrahayer.cyprusnewsletter.com
ARMENIAN CHURCH IN IRAQ ATTACKED BY CAR BOMB
CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES IN IRAQ WORK TO RECOVER FROM BLASTS
Iraqi Christians, including Armenians, worked this week to recover
from the blasts on Sunday that targeted their sanctuaries during
services.
The first car bomb went off on Sunday (8/1) outside an Armenian
Catholic church in Baghdad just 15 minutes into its evening
service. Five churches in Baghdad and the northern city of Mosul were
hit, killing at least 12 and injuring dozens more. Fortunately, no
Armenians were among those killed or seriously injured.
Amid fears of future violence and possible assassination of religious
leaders, Christian churches are taking precautions against future
attack, by posting armed guards, closing nearby streets, and
installing barbed wire barriers. Others are scaling back services.
“I don’t think we’ll have mass next Sunday,” Nubar Antoine, a member
of the Armenian Catholic leadership council, said in one news report.
The Armenian Church community in Iraq has not made any special plea
for international financial or material aid. The Diocese of the
Armenian Church of America (Eastern) remains in contact with Armenian
community leaders in Iraq and will keep you informed.
To learn more about these attacks, click on the following link at:
newsid=456&selmonth=8&selyear=2004
(Source: Associated Press, 8/01/04; New York Sun, 8/3/04, Diocese of
the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), 8/5/04)
CATHOLICOS SENDS SYMPATHIES TO POPE
On Wednesday His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos
of All Armenians, sent a letter of sympathy and support to Pope John
Paul II, following the bombings of churches in Iraq.
The letter states, in part: “We are saddened that some extreme
elements are attempting to endanger the centuries of friendship and
peaceful co-existence among the Christian and Muslim peoples of the
East, and offer our prayers to the Almighty that the love of our Lord
Jesus Christ will enter into the hearts of men, reconcile them one to
another, and that violence and war will be eliminated from the region
and all of humanity.”
The Catholicos of All Armenians has sent a similar letter to the
patriarch of the Armenian Catholics, His Beatitude Nerses Bedros
XIX. (Source: Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, 8/4/04)
Present estimates place the Christian population of Iraq at around
800,000, mostly concentrated in Baghdad. The Armenian community
numbers itself at around 20,000, more than half of whom reside in and
around Baghdad.
KALAYDJIAN ACCUSED
Nicosia 3 August 2004. (Gibrahayer):- Armenian representative in the
Cyprus House of Representatives Bedros Kalaydjian was accused by
Cypriot Cultural Association representatives for indifference towards
accommodating the needs of “Kevork Marzbedouni” Dance Ensemble that
arrived from Gyumri Armenia two weeks ago and toured the island.
A representative of Xylotympou Cultural Association that invited the
Group who wanted to keep anonymity said that they were “disappointed
by the attitude of the Armenian representative who rejected all
suggestions made by the Cultural Association. We told Kalaydjian
about the arrival of the Group two months ago and unfortunately we
could not arrange anything for them.”
“We wanted the members of the prestigious Armenian Dance Group to tour
the island, meet members of the Armenian community specially the young
generation, perform for them and provide them with the opportunity to
interact with their brothers and sisters in Cyprus”, said the
spokesman for the Xylotympou organisation. “Unfortunately all our
suggestions were turned down with excuses that cannot be explained by
us”, he said.
As a result of this, most of the Armenian community heard about the
performances of the Ensemble, through a local radio station, literally
hours before the event.
Community members were trying to find more information about the
schedule of the tour but could find nothing. Kalaydjian was
unavailable for comment as he was in England.
The Armenian Ensemble dazzled audiences with their disciplined and
quality performance in separate performances in Xylotympou on Friday,
Platres on Saturday and Ayia Napa on Sunday. Community attendance – as
a result of lack of information about the tour – was at an all time
low. Ten Armenian Cypriots attended the event on Friday, two
accidentally bumped into the event in Platres (and sent images to
Gibrahayer – thank you!) while thirty Armenians – in a last minute
effort to support the group – specially made the trip from Nicosia and
Larnaca to Ayia Napa to see their Group perform on Sunday.
After the Dance Group was “traced” by the community and news of their
whereabouts revealed, The Armenian Club of Larnaca organised an
express community get-together last Monday, which turned out to be an
unforgettable evening for both the members of the group and their
entourage as well as for the members of our community who had gathered
in Larnaca. More than 150 attended the event.
Images of the performance of the Ensemble and the Larnaca get-together
at:
FIRST CONVENTION OF EUROPEAN ARMENIANS TO TAKE PLACE AT THE EUROPEAN
PARLIAMENT
Brussels, Belgium – The first Convention of European Armenians will
take place at the European Parliament, Brussels, on October 18-19,
2004.
Organized by the European Armenian Federation, this pan-European
meeting will be a forum for sharing ideas and concerns on topics of
importance to the Armenian communities across Europe.
European citizens of Armenian descent now number more than two
million, stemming from three large waves of immigration that resulted
from the Genocide perpetrated by Ottoman Turkey (1915), war in the
middle-east (1975) and the fall of the USSR (1991). Though well
integrated in the economic, social and cultural life of their new
countries, they have kept their identity and their interest in
Armenian issues.
This convention will allow participants to come together on various
topical themes linked to recent geopolitical events or global
socio-economic developments.
Convention speakers will express themselves within the framework of
three sessions:
– Armenian culture and identity in Europe
– Relations between the European Union and Armenia
– The Stakes involved in European Union Enlargement
“All European Armenian associations, groups, and organisations are
invited, whatever their activities and their political or religious
trends may be,” declared Hilda Tchoboian, chairwoman of the European
Armenian Federation.
“With this first European Convention, we are not aiming to establish
any superstructure that would replace the various organisations
dealing with Armenian issues in Europe. Rather, we aim to create a
framework for free expression that will enable the shared positions
and opinions of the European communities to emerge,” she stated.
The European Armenian Federation will soon send hundreds of
invitations to the European Armenian associations and encourage the
leaders who wish to attend the convention to begin registering now by
mail or via the website.
Associations that may be not known to the Federation and that
therefore might not receive the invitation are requested to get in
touch with the Federation. The European Armenian Federation calls on
everyone to widely broadcast this event as an outstanding opportunity
to raise awareness about issues of European Armenians concern, among
European policy-makers, both members of the European Parliament and
officers of the European Commission.
ARMENIA WARNS BAKU OVER WAR THREATS
In a special statement issued last week, the Armenian Foreign Ministry
warned Azerbaijan that it would face “disastrous consequences” should
its leaders again resort to military force in the Karabakh
conflict. The warning came after President Ilham Aliyev told his
diplomatic envoys posted abroad that should Azerbaijan fail to regain
Karabakh through negotiations, it would “use… the military option.”
The Armenian statement further questioned Azerbaijan’s commitment to
ongoing negotiations, with yet another summit between Aliyev and
Armenia’s President Robert Kocharian planned for September.
Armenian officials chose to react this time since unlike typical war
rhetoric for domestic consumption, the most recent threat came in what
was supposed to be President Aliyev’s policy speech to the Azeri
diplomatic corps. It also appears that Azerbaijan is beginning to
accelerate its military preparedness. Last month, Aliyev gave an
average of a 50 percent salary raise to the Azeri military and
security forces. Azeri officials have also indicated plans to begin
new weapons purchases in Russia, Ukraine and Pakistan.
Separately, Azerbaijan is beefing up its border security forces, which
received a $19 million aid package from the U.S. last week. The
program, known as the Caspian Guard, focuses on Azeri ability to
defend the Caspian oil infrastructure and on
counter-proliferation. But it does appear to have special operations
and air components that could potentially be used against Armenia,
which would in turn violate U.S. law.
The Azeris have also stepped up provocations along the Line of Contact
this year. The Armenian army reported six deaths from enemy fire so
far this year, with Azeris reporting about a dozen. This week,
Karabakh forces began their annual manoeuvres, which this year will
also test their inter-operability with forces from Armenia proper.
THE DAY THE MELKONIAN WAS BOMBED
By Athena Karsera – Azg/am 29 July 2004:- A man who lived through the
bombing of the Melkonian as a recently graduated pupil was in Nicosia
this week to battle for the school’ s survival. One of Nicosia’s
best-known landmarks for over 77 years and the pride of the region’s
Armenian community faces closure.
The 1926 stone building and its surrounding land of 125,000 square
meters is estimated to be worth at least CYP 40 million.
Raffi Zinzalian had just graduated from the Melkonian and had a
university place waiting for him in Lebanon when the 1974 troubles
began. He had spent the day before the invasion on the beaches of
Famagusta and was in the school building when the Turkish planes flew
overhead on July 20, 1974.
“We were happy because the cease-fire would begin at 3pm and then at
2.45pm we saw the Turkish jets overhead. We thought they were headed
for the radio station (Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation-CyBC) but they
circled round and we heard a deafening noise, we had been bombed,” he
said.
Zinzalian said that even his years in war-torn Lebanon could not
compare to the fear he felt on that day. Thirty years later, and now a
married father of three, he still has nightmares of the bombing.
“The roof in the dormitories was about to cave in and we couldn’t
breath. We knew we had to escape, the roof was on fire and so we ran
outside to the principal’s residence. The fire brigade was called, but
the roof had collapsed,” Zinzalian said.
The students and teachers left at the Melkonian made for the
mountains. Turkish troops had surrounded Nicosia and the only way out
was on the road to Larnaca. For 6-7 weeks communication and travel was
almost impossible and Zinzalian was able to leave the island on a
Soviet cargo ship to take up his place in Lebanon. “Two years later,
the war started there,” he said.
Following his studies, Zinzalian was employed at the Press Information
Office (PIO) as a Turkish-English translator. “I saw Makarios
(then-President, Archbishop) everyday,” he said.
Zinzalian then left for the USA to study photojournalism and media and
is now a publisher at the University of LaVerne Press and on the board
of Armenia International Magazine (AIM). He is also the president of
the Melkonian Alumni and Friends in California.
“We are all very sad that the school may be closed. All the alumni I
have spoken to, in LA, in Ontario, in Cyprus, in Greece, in Lebanon,
in Turkey, all feel the same,” he said.
Zinzalian has spent the last few weeks on self-financed travels to
lobby members of the alumni. “There are 1300 members of the alumni all
around the world,” he said.
Having had meetings with the Cyprus alumni of the school and
representatives of the Armenian community on the island, Zinzalian
said that the passion for keeping the Melkonian up and running will be
hard to beat.
“We are also looking into the archives of the school because the
Melkonian brothers who founded the school made provisions before they
died for it never to close. Before they died, they put the school in
the care of the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU),” he said.
The Melkonian Institute was built as an orphanage by Krikor and
Garabed Melkonian soon after the massacres of the Armenians in Turkey.
Zinzalian said that the closing of the school was “totally
unacceptable” not only because of the Melkonian’s important cultural
role and lengthy history, but also for the potential practical
problems faced by the 170 students continuing their studies at the
school following the graduation of a further 30 this past year.
“There are students at the school from all over the world who may not
be able to continue their studies as they have up until now,” he said.
“It seems ironic that the Melkonian school survived bombing and a war
and now is in peril from the people supposed to be protecting it,”
Zinzalian said.
He said that the alumni were prepared to keep up their peaceful fight
for as long as necessary, fund-raising – the California Alumni has
raised over $370,000 for the school over the past five years – and
meeting with people able to help the situation. “The Cypriot
government has been very supportive,” he said: “and the Cyprus alumni
is the best we have.”
Zinzalian also said that he believed the AGBU did not expect to have
as large scale a fight on their hands. “I think they expected to sell
off the school and take the money back to the USA without much
reaction.”
He also criticized the AGBU for sending a non-Armenian to manage the
planned closure of the school. US national Gordon Anderson has been
sent to take the place of the school’s headmaster and oversee the
school’s future.
“Feeling the way we do about the school, I feel that closing it will
be impossible,” Zinzalian said.
– The Central Bank has agreed to provide a license to ArmSwiss Invest
& Trust Bank, founded by Swiss citizens of Armenian origin. Sarkisian
said that the initial charter capital of the bank amounts to $6
million.
– FIFA released the Rankings of national teams for August (previous
rank in parentheses). Enclosed, the rankings of some countries that
could be of interest to our readers. 1. Brazil, 849 points (1).
2. France, 809 (2). 3. Spain, 790 (3). 10. Turkey, 719 (10).
14. Greece, 710 (14). 104. Cyprus, 440 (104). 108. Lebanon, 429
(109). 116. Armenia, 406 (118). 118. Azerbaijan, 400 (119).
– Initiated by His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of Cilicia and
organized by the Catholicosate of Cilicia, a Pan-Diaspora Conference
on Armenian Education began on Thursday 5 August (yesterday) 2004
– A businessman and former lawmaker who police claim was an
authoritative criminal figure was shot to death along with his son,
authorities in Armenia said on Wednesday.
– The exchange of fire across the cease-fire line is a regular
phenomenon on the Armenian Azeri border and this week was no
exception. The incident took place at Azerbaijan’s northwestern Qazax
District.
WEBSITES OF THE WEEK
g i b r a h a y c a l e n d a r
. The Armenian Youth Federation is organising its 17th Annual Summer
Camp at the Camp Site of Morphou Prelature at Kalopanayiotis from 9-15
August 2004. A rich educational and fun programme including Martial
Arts, Swimming, Trekking, Treasure Hunt, and Kisherayin Arshav. To
receive more information or to register please contact the following:
Nareg Tavitian 99488926, Nora Sarian 99439956 or Simon Aynedjian
99437073.
All participants of Panagoum must attend the final meeting before
departure that will take place on Friday 6 August, 2004 at 7:30
p.m. at AYMA.
. Khanasor commemoration took place on Sunday July 25, 2004, at
“Loumada ton Aeton” in Troodos. Images from the event at:
. A Tour to Armenia is being organised by the Central Executive of
Hamazkayin from August 20-September 3, 2004 with the participation of
members and friends from Armenian diaspora communities. Trips to
Karabagh are also scheduled. To receive more info and to apply for the
trip please contact the Cyprus Hamazkayin Committee members.
. POSTPONED The Annual General Meeting of The Hamazkayin Cultural and
Educational Association “Oshakan” Cyprus Chapter has been postponed
for Tuesday September 14, 2004.
The Armenian Prelature announces that the next permit for the Armenian
Cemetery visitation at Ayios Dhometios on the Green line, is scheduled
for Sunday 8 August, 2004.
. Armenian Radio Hour on The Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation can be
heard via real audio on . Broadcast times 17:00-18:00
local Cyprus time (14:00-15:00 GMT) News bulletins at 17:15 local time
on Sundays, Tuesdays, Fridays. Armenian Cypriots can also tune in on
the following radio frequencies 91.1 FM (Mount Olympus – for Nicosia
listeners) 94.2 FM (Paralimni/Protaras/Agia Napa) 92.4 FM (Larnaca)
96.5 FM (Paphos).
Gibrahayer is an independent electronic environment, now in its fifth
year, disseminating news & posting upcoming events about the Armenian
community of Cyprus, Armenia, Artsakh and the Diaspora. The list also
promotes the discussion of issues brought forward by its members. The
subscription to this service is free. To subscribe to Gibrahayer
e-newsletter, follow the instructions at
To contact the listmaster send
an email to [email protected]