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BORDER BATTLES: MARCH SHOWED INCREASE OF FIGHTING ON NKR FRONTLINE
By Aris Ghazinyan
ArmeniaNow Reporter
Movements by Azeri military units along the perimeter of the line of
contact in Nagorno Karabakh have drawn the attention and concern of
officials in Yerevan.
`Of course, this movement is taking place in the territory controlled
by Azerbaijan, however the fact that the posts of the Azeri army have
come close to the borders guarded by Nagorno Karabakh’s defense army
cannot but alarm us,’ Minister of Foreign Affairs Vardan Oskanian said
Tuesday. `It is necessary to take into account the circumstance that
this is happening against the background of aggressive statements of
official Baku and in the context of the well- known statement by Azeri
President Ilkham Aliyev regarding the possibility of resolving the
problem `by any means’.’
Tensions have escalated in the past month near the frontline and it is
believed (though not officially verified) that each side has suffered
casualties.There is no reliable statistics on this account, however
according to the information of Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry, 30
Azeri soldiers were wounded last month.
On Wednesday, Minister of Defense Serzh Sargsyan, speaking to the
National Assembly, said that recent shifting of troops in Azerbaijan
have placed Armenian and Azeri soldiers with 30 meters of each other.
The sharp increase of tensions in the line of contact predetermined
the logic of further developments in which security becomes the focus
of peace debates.
In this connection, the heads of the foreign-policy and defense
departments of Armenia expressed readiness to mutual concessions and
at the same time designated three major points on which the Armenian
parties to the conflict are not going to yield in any case.
1. Nagorno Karabakh cannot be part of Azerbaijan.
2. Nagorno Karabakh cannot be an enclave and must have a direct land
link with Armenia.
3.The people of Nagorno Karabakh must have international guarantees of
security.
The Armenian sides are ready to negotiate with Azerbaijan on all other
issues, including the issue of the territories controlled by the NKR
army. In his statements Wednesday, Sargsyan said `Aghdam (one of the
disputed territories) has never been our homeland.’
`We are ready to conduct negotiations around this issue,’ said
Sargsyan. `If we are provided with guarantees of security, then the
point of the security belt is lost. We had determined places on the
map from where the shelling of civilian villages and towns was
possible in perspective. It is these territories that were eventually
taken under control. Of course, one should consider also the fact that
we didn’t chase as far as the enemy fled. We stopped where it was
suitable and expedient militarily and politically. And if we are
indeed provided with international guarantees of security, then the
point of the security belt is lost. But only if such guarantees are
available, will we be ready to return these territories.’
Another major concession of the Armenian sides, according to the
minister, may be the official consent with the proposal of the Head of
NATO’s Parliamentary Assembly Pierre Lelluche about the holding of a
referendum in the territory of the former NKAR (Nagorno Karabakh
Autonomous Region) under the umbrella of the OSCE and the UN.
`In this case, the experience of the missions of these organizations
in Kosovo might be useful,’ said Sargsyan. Among other major
concessions he mentioned the fact that Armenia, in order not to harm
the negotiating process within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group,
has not yet recognized the independence of NKR.
On the same day when the parliamentary hearings were held, OSCE
Chairman-in-Office Dmitri Rupel was in Yerevan and met with NKR
President Arkady Ghukasyan. He said that there is a serious
possibility of conducting trilateral negotiations between Armenia,
Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan by the end of this summer. In the
opinion of a number of Armenian political analysts, currently the
interested parties to the conflict, including the international
organizations involved in the resolution of the issue, have reached a
preliminary agreement in favor of the formula `Territory in exchange
for security.’
Such a formula for settlement was first voiced by one of the guests
and participants of the parliamentary hearings, representative of the
Russian Foreign Ministry, first Russian cochairman of the OSCE Minsk
Group, Ambassador Vladimir Kazimirov, who was also in Yerevan and left
for Stepanakert on March 30. It is within the framework of these
developments that an upcoming visit by Armenian President Robert
Kocharyan to Paris is being interpreted. France is known to be
Armenia’s ally in Europe. The Armenian leader is also expected to meet
with US Secretary of State Candoleezza Rice later this year.
OPEN CASE: COURT SAYS CITY MUST TURN OVER PROPERTY INFORMATION ABOUT
OPERA CAFES
By Arpi Harutyunyan
ArmeniaNow Reporter
The Union of Investigative Journalists has won a long court battle
against the Yerevan Municipality. At least on paper.
Nearly two months after a court ruled that the city must turn over
information to the journalists, no such documents have been released.
Since October 2003, the Union has been trying to get records – which
should be public information – about property sales around the popular
Opera Square park, where in the past three years public areas have
been privatized and turned into a mall of cafes.
(The territory in question is known to have been taken over by certain
Members of Parliament, government ministers and other well-connected
political figures. One café is believed to be owned by President
Robert Kocharyan’s niece.)
Last June, Union president Edik Baghdasaryan filed a claim against the
Municipality of Yerevan, petitioning a court to have the property
documents released.
On February 10, the Court of First Instance ruled in favor of the
journalists. Still, though, the city has not complied with the court.
`It is true that the municipality hasn’t obeyed the decision, but we
can say, we have won,’ Baghdasaryan says. `We made the court to take
our legitimate demands into account.’
On March 10, counsel for the Union, Ara Zohrabyan, filed an appeal
that, on March 17, was presented to the Yerevan Department of Service
for Compulsory Execution of Court Acts (CECA).
According to the Law `on CECA’ the compulsory executors have to
receive the demanded documents from the municipality and give them to
the journalists within two months. Failure to comply could cost the
city in penalties.
The Union (a Non Governmental Organization) has also demanded that the
city pay its legal costs.
`Why should our organization undertake material damages because of the
inaction of the mayor? We should force the Municipality to reimburse
the materials damages we had during one year,’ says Baghdasaryan. `Our
organization has appealed to the court with that demand. Although I
don’t think the court will decide for us.’
The Union’s claim would amount to about $700.
`Although there are brilliant laws in our country, they are almost
inactive,’ Baghdasaryan says. `But our organization will use all the
opportunities to receive the demanded documents. It is also a matter
of principle. I want this to be a precedent for an official being
punished for ignoring his responsibilities.’
MORE CRITICISM OF HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSE: US STATE DEPARTMENT REPORT SAYS
SERIOUS PROBLEMS REMAIN
By Julia Hakobyan
ArmeniaNow Reporter
The Armenian Government’s human rights record remains poor, according
to the annual report of the U.S. State Department.
In its `Supporting human rights and democracy: The U.S record
2004-2005′, released Monday (March 28), the Americans say some
improvements were made, but serious problems have not been corrected.
`The president, who is directly elected, has extensive powers that are
not checked by the legislature or judiciary,’ the report concludes.
The congressionally mandated report is a companion to the State
Department’s Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. It reviews
U.S. efforts to promote human rights and democracy in 98 countries
around the world — those with the most human rights abuses.
In her preface to the report, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said
that the participation of Palestinians, Afghans and Iraqis in
elections and the “Orange Revolution” in Ukraine have been examples of
the universal aspiration of all people to make their voices heard and
to govern themselves. `Ukrainians proved that they would not stand for
an election to be rigged and stolen. The result ultimately was a
presidential election that truly reflected the will of the people,’
Rice said, adding that the overall goal of U.S. human rights and
democracy policy, she said, is an end to tyranny.
Referring to the last 2003 presidential elections in Armenia the
report says it has not met international standards. `There were some
limits on freedom of assembly, the media and religious
freedom. Security forces beat pretrial detainees, and impunity
remained a problem. There were instances of arbitrary arrests and
detentions.’
The report says that some members of the security forces committed a
number of human rights abuses such as beating pretrial detainees and
there were instances of arbitrary arrests and detentions. `In April,
police used excessive force to disperse an opposition rally, detained
opposition politicians and raided opposition party offices.’
Following the Government’s excessive reaction to peaceful opposition
protests, the Department of State issued a Statement in April which
observed that “Physical assaults, raids on political party offices and
widespread arrests and detentions of opposition activists by the
police do not contribute to creating an atmosphere conducive to
political dialogue.”
The report also accuses the Armenian Government of making insufficient
efforts towards reducing violence against women and trafficking of
women and children.
The United States increased its assistance to anti-trafficking efforts
in Armenia, aiding the Government, local NGOs and international
organizations in their efforts. With U.S. assistance, the Government
began training consular officers to recognize and assist potential
victims of trafficking, and the United States invested in
informational and child-protective prevention efforts.
The report mentions that the United States also launched a program to
strengthen Armenian NGOs through 82 grants in various sectors. `This
program has demonstrated success as citizen advocacy programs deepen
and broaden, and according to USAID’s NGO Sustainability Index, NGOs
in Armenia have significantly increased their self-sustainable
capacity’ reads the report.
The United States also provided 38 small grants in 2004 to NGOs and
independent media outlets that work to strengthen democratic
institutions and promote civil society in Armenia. These embassy-based
“Democracy Commission Small Grants” addressed issues such as citizens’
use of the newly passed Law on Freedom of Information, patients’
rights, environmental education, the promotion of volunteerism, media
literacy and the integration of disabled youth into society.
Among positive factors the report mentions tolerance of the government
towards religious freedom.
`As a direct result of international engagement, the Government of
Armenia legally registered Armenia’s Jehovah’s Witnesses and enacted
new laws to allow conscientious objectors an alternative to mandatory
military service.’
Armenia’s neighbors Georgia and Azerbaijan also were criticized for
poor human rights records in their countries. Referring to human
rights in Azerbaijan the reports says that prison conditions in the
country continued to be harsh and life threatening, and pretrial
detention remained lengthy. `Members of the security forces continued
to commit serious abuses, including beating and torturing persons in
custody. The Government restricted freedom of assembly by denying
permission for any opposition political party demonstrations during
the year, at times detaining those who protested without permission.’
The Georgian Government’s human rights record remained poor despite
improvements following the November 2003 Rose Revolution. `While
reform of the traffic police was welcomed, abuses by other law
enforcement agencies continued. Although the Government has taken
some action against the abuse of detainees and the planting of
evidence by law enforcement officers, these problems continued to be
widespread, especially in regions outside Tbilisi. Non- governmental
organizations blamed some deaths in custody on physical abuse,
torture, or poor prison conditions.’
ABLE FOR ART: DISABLED CHILDREN HOLD EXHIBITION
By Lika Lazarian
ArmeniaNow intern
An exhibition of crafts made by mentally and physically disabled
children was held in Yerevan Wednesday (March 30), organized by the
Prkutyun center, where the children study.
About 30 children with different problems gathered to prove by their
works that they are a viable part of society. A 10 minute theatrical
performance by the children announced the exhibition open. Children
who hardly could help their excitement were singing, dancing and
reciting poems.
Ghevond Dalakyan, 19, who suffers from epilepsy, says he is very
patriotic. He draws pictures of soldiers and makes various clay models
of military machinery.
`I wanted to serve in the army and protect my country, but they didn’t
enlist me, they said I couldn’t serve.’
Ghevond, one of the center’s star pupils, hopes to see his artwork in
a famous exhibition hall one day.
Another pupil of the school Aida Mkhitaryan, 23, is specializing in
knitting and embroidering. `I know that it is harmful for my health
and eyesight,’ says Mkhitaryan who lost one eye during an accident. `I
do it with pleasure and can’t imagine my life without these
classes. Besides, I have many friends here.’
The director of the center Arpine Abrahamyan says that the school is
not only for disabled but for healthy children as well.
`We want the children with special needs to feel that they are full
members of our society who can also earn money for their
families. Maybe the cost per one item is not big (500 drams,
approximately $1), but it makes them be self- confident,’ says
Abrahamyan.
Among the guests of the exhibition were Nane Oskanian, wife of
Armenia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs.
`I am greatly impressed how these children were able to organize such
a marvelous exhibition,’ says Oskanian. `They can create such
wonderful pieces of art and help their families. I bought several
pieces to encourage the children. I am going to keep them in my
collection’.
This center (its name means `Salvation’) was founded in 1997 and has
around 500 members.
Its director says that the mission of the center is to support
disabled children and their parents in finding solutions to social,
educational and health problems. It aims at helping the children with
special needs to overcome psychological barriers of self-expression,
to teach them specialization subjects, arts and computer skills.
According to the Ministry of Health there are about 120,000 disabled
registered in Armenia (including veterans of Afghan and Karabakh
wars).
More than 100 Non Governmental Organizations in Armenia are dealing
with disabled people to promote their integration into society and to
find additional allowances to their $8 monthly pension.
Prkutyun’s Karine Khachatryan says the children need encouragement to
resist the outside pressures of society.
`There are several children in our center who were simply kicked out
of secondary schools because of falling behind their classmates,’ she
says.
Several benefactors such as the Armenian branch of German Red Cross,
the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Social Welfare and individual
benefactors cooperate with Prkutyun and provide it with food,
furniture, technical equipment, money, etc.
Martin Sargsyan, the mayor of Shengavit Community, (where the center
is located) also takes responsibility and care of the children. The
community took the expenses of baptizing 76 children and promises to
baptize more during the year.
(Editor’s note: Lika Lazarian is one of two students from the State
Linguistics Institute (Brusov University) participating in a
journalism internship program sponsored by ArmeniaNow. This is her
first report.)
FOR BETTER HEALTH: NEW GUIDELINES ISSUED FOR TREATMENT/PREVENTION OF
VENEREAL DISEASES
By Gayane Lazarian
ArmeniaNow Reporter
The Dermatology and Venereal Diseases Medical and Scientific Center of
the Ministry of Health this week presented modern strategies and
programs on preventing venereal diseases in Armenia. A new national
guideline for venereal diseases published by leading doctors was also
presented.
`The new national guideline will present a new vision of how to deal
with this problem, how to diagnose, treat and prevent the diseases. It
is useful not only for specialists in skin and venereal diseases, but
also for specialists in related fields, such as gynecologists and
obstetricians, urologists, primary health doctors, and especially
family doctors and therapists from rural areas. They are the first to
whom patients turn especially in remote regions where it is difficult
to diagnose diseases,’ says the director of the Dermatology and
Venereal Diseases Medical and Scientific Center, Armenia’s chief
specialist in skin and venereal diseases Karen Babayan.
Deputy Minister of Health Tatul Hakobyan says that the development of
the new national guideline does not mean that there was not one
previously. Simply, he says, there has been no such classified
textbook before.
According to data of the Dermatology and Venereal Diseases Medical and
Scientific Center, 28,931 cases of venereal diseases were registered
in 2004. Trichomoniasis, chlamydia, gardnerelosis, candidosis are the
most common types of venereal diseases. Only 75 percent of infected
people actually know about their being infected, 65 percent turn to
doctors, 50 percent are diagnosed, and only 35 percent receive
treatment.
Babayan explains: `Few people turn to specialists, not only because
there is a low sanitary-hygienic level, but also because of the secret
development of the disease. The presence of a venereal disease with a
man doubles the likelihood of his catching HIV. Prostitutes and
homosexuals are considered to be the main spreaders of venereal
diseases in Armenia. There are not so many homosexuals, only 4-5
homosexuals turn to our center annually.’
Hakobyan said that unlike in the case with other diseases, the
ministry has serious problems treating venereal diseases, since it is
a sphere monitored with difficulty. In case of late diagnosis these
diseases can cause a number of grave diseases endangering particularly
reproductive health.
The initiative was implemented with assistance from the United States
Agency for International Aid (USAID) and the Education Development
Academy.
Three-day seminars will be held in Armenia’s regions in April-May for
the purpose of applying the guideline. Around 400 doctors from the
primary health sector will attend.
ON THE HOOK: LAKE SEVAN’S `SIG’ IN DANGER FROM OVER FISHING
By Suren Deheryan
ArmeniaNow Reporter
On Easter Eve last week many Armenian families already knew that fish,
the most important meal of the Christian dinner, would be absent from
the feast table. The reason was that this year prices of sig, the
popular whitefish from Lake Sevan, have reached record prices in
markets.
In the markets of Yerevan this Easter season average-sized whitefish
sold at 1500-2000 drams ($3-5), which is about 10 times more than
previous years. And fish weighing about two kilograms were estimated
at 5000AMD ($11).
The dramatic increase in price reflects an equally dramatic decrease
in the amount of sig now to be found in Lake Sevan.
According to estimations of the Institute of Hydroecology and
Ichthyology of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia 1,600 tons
of whitefish were taken from the lake last year – nearly four times as
much as the limit set by the Ministry of Ecology.
`Formerly, more fish were seined (than should have been allowed), but
it didn’t have essential consequences, as the resource of whitefish
was big. Today any fish caught inappropriately, seriously damages the
restitution of fish resources,’ says Boris Gabrielyan, Deputy Director
of the Institute of Hydrogeology and Ichthyology.
According to scientists last year industrial resources of whitefish
was 740 tons – a severe decrease from the 2,200 tons of just five
years before.
Such decrease of whitefish resources is not only serious ecologically
but also creates a social problem for Armenia. Whitefish, together
with potatoes became the staple by which much of the Armenian
population fought hunger in the difficult times of the 1990s.
The whitefish business found a successful market also in neighbor
Georgia, where it was `obscurely’ sold at almost the same price as in
Armenia, in some cases even during the time when fishing was supposed
to be prohibited according to the egg-laying season.
If formerly this `white dainty’ was considered just a tasty means of
survival for many, and for thousands of fishermen and merchants an
excellent source of earning, today it changes its status competing
with other fishes, like trout and karmrakhayt, produced in artificial
lakes.
Almost all the villages located on the shore of the lake have joined
Noratus, Tsovagyugh and Lchap villages where fishing previously was
predominant. Two years ago fisherman Armen Grigoryan told ArmeniaNow:
`If fishery is banned, then my children will stay hungry, as people in
our village have no an alternative of job.’ (Spawning Extinction?)
Today some people insist on another opinion:
`If previously there were few in each village occupied in this
business, now everybody is involved in it. But today whitefish fishing
hasn’t the same social meaning as it had 10-15 years ago, it is a
source of becoming rich for certain people,’ says Gabrielyan.
According to scientists today all the fish types of the Lake Sevan are
in bad conditions. The only fish which swiftly breeds in Sevan is
carp. This fish appeared in the lake in the 1980s and competes with
whitefish for food.
`Resources of the industrial fish types are either exhausted or in bad
conditions. In taste there is no an alternative for whitefish in the
lake and fishing it must be organized accurately, so that it revives
its resources,’ Gabrielyan says.
Ignoring scientific investigations, the Ministry of Nature Protection
of Armenia insists that the rise in fish prices has another basis.
Artashes Ziroyan, head of the Vital Resources Agency of the Ministry
once again certified what was said by Minister Vardan Ayvazyan., that
is: the acute appreciation of whitefish price is related with common
appreciation of prices in the republic.
According to the economists if this were related to common
appreciations, then the price of whitefish must have increased by
15-20%. In fact, the price increase has been 500 percent.
`If the price of any commodity increases, than it is reflected also on
the other goods, but in the case of whitefish, there is an acute
decrease of supply, which has affected also the price,’ says economist
Hovsep Aghachanyan.
Today in customary trading places the most available fish is the
smallest whitefish. These are immature fishes, known as `malyok’
(Russian for `little’). They are about 30 centimeters in length –
smaller than the legal catch size. Still, they are widely sold for
150-200 drams (about 30-45 cents).
Gabrielyan says that the `malyok’ make up more than 90 percent of the
sig and that Sevan fishermen take them because `they have no
alternative’.
The fishery scientists have estimated that no more than 200-250 tons
of sig should be taken from the lake this year. The Ministry of
Nature Preservation, however, has set the limit at 350 tons.
`If more fishing than stated occurs, natural reproduction process of
whitefish resources will be violated. It will be a pity if only carp,
among all the other types of the industrial fishes remain,’ says the
scientist.
LABORIOUS DISCUSSION: EXPERTS ADDRESS MIGRANT WORKER ISSUES
By Suren Musayelyan
ArmenianNow Reporter
Labor migration may have helped Armenia overcome the hardest period of
its economic transition, but it still remains a controversial field
that needs regulating, according to experts who met in Yerevan
Wednesday to discuss the matter.
Local and foreign participants of the First Workshop on Labor
Migration presented their vision of the problems related to this
field, reviewed international experience and discussed changes in the
national legislation. The meeting was organized through the combined
efforts of the RA Ministry of Labor and Social Issues and the OSCE
Yerevan Office and supported by the British Foreign and Commonwealth
Office.
Head of the Labor and Employment Department of the RA Ministry of
Labor and Social Issues Gagik Bleyan addressed some concerns related
to the issue.
`On the one hand, there was a liberation of the economy, the country’s
recognition on the international level and the integration of
Armenia’s economy into the world economy,’ he said. `But on the other
hand, there is a continuing brain- drain and outflow of capital from
the country.’
Blanka Hancilova, Democratization Officer at the OSCE Office in
Yerevan, said that Armenia has been experiencing a stable economic
growth during the last few years. But she added: `A considerable part
of the country’s GDP is still generated due to remittances from
abroad.’
She thinks that along with the improvement of its economic situation,
Armenia should create conditions for the return of those migrants who
wish to do so.
`It is necessary to develop a sound policy that will allow for labor
movement, but at the same time will create labor conditions in the
country so that those who wish to return will have a reason and
possibilities to return,’ she said.
According to the data presented at the workshop, there were annually
25-40,000 labor migrants in Armenia during Soviet times. Meanwhile,
the number of labor migrants drastically increased in the early `90s
following the collapse of the USSR when hundreds of thousands of
people left the country. The exodus in search of work remains strong
today.
In this regard, OSCE Yerevan Office Head, Ambassador Vladimir Pryakhin
called labor migration an important and controversial issue for
Armenia. `A large part of the discussion is connected with the
devastating earthquake in the north-western regions of Armenia in 1988
and the consequences of the break-up of the Soviet Union when hundreds
of thousands of Armenians had to leave their homeland,’ he
said. `Nevertheless, labor migration helped Armenia overcome its worst
economic crisis and provided livelihood for hundreds of thousands of
families.’
The workshop participants agreed that the resolution of numerous
issues related to the field requires a detailed analysis of the
present reality and a clear idea about the phenomenon and its
different manifestations.
It was said during the workshop that international migration is the
priority issue for the OSCE Yerevan Office this year and that it will
become the main subject of the 13th Economic Forum of the OSCE.
The workshop was followed by a discussion with the participation of
international expert Hana Kabeleova (Czech Rep.) and Armenian
government officials.
In their interim report reviewing the Armenian migration legislation
and administrative framework Hana Kabeleova and AUA professor (of
international law) Armen Mazmanyan, in particular point out the
absence of a single law act dealing with international migration in
Armenia. They mention that the variety of aspects of migration is
governed by a series of laws and governmental decisions and decrees.
As regards the legislative framework they also point out: `The issue
of labor migration is not explicitly addressed in a legal act
currently in force, although some references, often indirect, may be
found in the Labor Code, as well as the draft Law on Employment.’
Kabeleova and Mazmanyan conclude that the key characteristic of the
current Armenian legislation on migration issues is that it lays down
only the basic principles, leaving all procedures and administrative
processes to be further defined and resolved by the subsidiary
legislation.
In terms of the administrative framework they see certain
institutional discrepancies `as there are two state agencies claiming
authorities over the issue of international migration in Armenia.’
These are the Ministry of Labor and Social Issues and the Department
of Migration and Refugees.
The report suggests two options – either to appoint by law a special
state agency responsible for coordination of activities in the field
of international migration or ensure a detailed division of
authorities among the existing agencies.
The report raises numerous issues in terms of the entry and residence
regime connected with such areas as border control, exit visas and
travel documents, which, according to the authors of the report, are
not in line with the international requirements, residency permits in
which, they say, the related law relies on too many generic
requirements, and others.
The report also advises the Armenian government to consider
formulating a policy concerning money transferred form abroad by
migrant workers, `thus maximizing the benefits of migration.’
The report also deals with such a major aspect of migration as data
protection, pointing out that `there is no legal act governing the
mechanism of the data collection and data sharing in Armenia’ and that
`the responsible bodies in Armenia may consider a revision of the
current Law on Personal Data.’
The second workshop on issues of labor migration is due to be held in
September.
HONOR OR BURDEN?: THE TRADITION OF THE ARMENIAN `KELEKH’
By Vahan Ishkhanyan
ArmeniaNow Reporter
Vazgen Pirijanyan spent about $800 on the funeral of his father who
died in the town of Abovyan in January at the age of 87. About 80
percent of the money was spent on the funeral banquet, or `kelekh’, as
it is known by Armenians.
As with weddings, births, holidays, holy days, and just about any
other form of commemoration, food and eating and drinking is part of
the Armenian tradition of honoring the deceased.
`The kelekh table is like a wedding banquet,’ says Vazgen. `For a week
you lay a table every day, and people keep coming. I don’t mind, a man
has died, it is like he lays his last table. You can do that if you
can afford it, and it should be only for family. But everyone comes,
they are hungry people, and keep eating.’
Vazgen doesn’t work in winters, only in warm weather he sometimes
works as a repairman. His wife is the only breadwinner in their
family. She earns 35,000 drams ($77), which is enough only to pay the
utilities bills and their daughter’s school fee. Therefore, the
expenses they incurred for his father’s funeral seem like
squandering. But he had no option. It is regarded as dishonorable in
society when someone cannot lay a table after the funeral.
`We must do it, if we don’t, then we will be disgraced,’ says Vazgen’s
wife, Aida. She is from the village of Talish in Karabakh and
remembers that when her father died, they slaughtered two oxen and
brought a Yeraz van full of food from Yerevan. At least one person
from each village family must be presented at the funeral
banquet. More than 50 people attended the funeral banquet for Aida’s
father. Relatives in the United States helped with money for the
funeral banquet for Vazgen’s father. These relatives, in their turn,
spent $4,000 to organize a funeral banquet there.
However, the funeral banquet organized by Vazgen in Abovyan is not
considered to be very pompous. For example, when their neighbor’s wife
died, there were several times as many people attending the banquet
and instead of seven days they kept laying the table for 40 days.
Another man from Abovyan, Khachatur Grigoryan, is campaigning to see
the habit of funeral banquets to be done away with. The Church, he
says, could ban the habit, but doesn’t: `Once after a funeral we went
to a rented hall for the funeral banquet,’ he says. `There were about
150 people. The table gradually turned into a feast. The grieving son
of the dead person got confused among that eating and drinking crowd
and was complaining to me about how hard it will be for him to repay
his debts.’
Grigoryan became concerned and turned to the priest: `I told him that
a man must be respected while he is alive and that the expenses made
after his death do not add to the honor of the dead person. And people
say spiteful things and consider him to be a bad son because he has no
possibilities to make those expenditures. Shrugging his shoulders, the
priest said: `I don’t care, if they can’t afford it, do not let them
(stop the tradition)’.’
Grigoryan says that a funeral banquet is not Christian, and people did
not have this habit in the past. It is, he says, an unnecessary
burden. Feasts and drinking during funeral repasts are not pleasant to
God, Grigoryan says, and is also destructive for many
families. Grigoryan immigrated from Iran in the 1980s and says that
Iranian-Armenians have no such habit. There they only give out halva
(a sweet confection) in the cemetery.
`If the dead person’s soul is to be saved with a pompous table and
many shots of drinks for the soul of the dead, then those driving
around in jeeps will be raised to heaven in their jeeps, because much
more shots will be drunk during their funeral banquets,’ says
Grigoryan. `But Christ says: It is easier for a camel to pass through
a needle’s eye than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.’
St. Sargis Church priest Ter Koryun says that a funeral repast for the
soul of the dead is arranged so that it is pleasant to God and that it
is a heresy to think that those alive cannot speak a word to God for
the soul of the dead after his death. For example, when a toast for
the soul of the dead is drunk at the funeral repast, the meaning is
that God should show mercy to the dead person and should not judge him
harshly: `I always say: a funeral banquet must not be turned into a
feast. A man has come a long way for the funeral, and at the end he
should be given some food to eat. A funeral banquet is an offering for
the soul of the dead, but must never be turned into a show,’ he says.
Another priest of the same church, Ter Shahen, calls a funeral banquet
a crazy race in which everyone tries to surprise the other with their
table. Recently he witnessed a pompous table laid during a funeral
banquet at the Ani hotel’s restaurant: `A funeral becomes a nightmare,
there is a dead body on one side, on the other side they are cooking
khashlama. A funeral banquet must be symbolic, for example, Armenians
living abroad give out sweets and pastry to the poor in the
cemetery. The remaining sums are given to charity purposes, which is
more pleasant to God.’
The priest remembers that when he was a child a man died in his
birthplace. The family of the dead gave no funeral banquet at their
house, furthermore they didn’t even make a fire for 40 days and the
neighbors heated water for them. He doesn’t consider the habit of
funeral banquets to be Armenian, especially that the main component of
the table is Russian vodka, other beverages are not used. As an
exemplary case he mentions the recent funeral of one woman. The dead
woman’s son-in-law was a Diaspora Armenian. He declared at the
cemetery that there would be no funeral banquet and that the money to
be spent on that banquet would go to charity.
CAREFUL BUILDING: NEW CLINIC OFFERS UNIQUE TREATMENT FOR TROUBLED CHILDREN
By Marianna Grigoryan
ArmeniaNow Reporter
Colorful soft toys put on the box-like sofa wait for the children who
will enjoy them in brightly lit rooms of a new center designed for
children with psychiatric and psychological problems who have been
ignored for years.
For the first time in Armenia a children’s psycho-rehabilitation
center has opened in the Nork Psychiatric Clinic that, according to
the specialists, will radically change the further development of
psychiatrist and psychologist- patient relationships.
`Child psychiatry is the sphere that has been paid no attention for
years,’ says the head of the Nork clinic Robert Harutyunyan. `These
patients are ousted from the society and cannot expect normal
help. Therefore we hope this one step will give an opportunity to
change the attitude towards people with such problems.’
It took nearly four years to build the $120,000 clinic. The project
had two sources of funding. Swiss Armenian Linda Van left $80,000 the
Ministry of Health Protection of Armenia in her will. Her brother,
psychiatrist Harutiun Van, faithfully accomplished his sister’s will
by allocating the money to the Ministry. The Ministry decided to set
up a mental clinic for children. The remaining money donated by
`Armenian Os’ Swiss Fund.
Harutyunyan says it is outside the traditional definition of a
psychiatric facility.
`This will be home to all those children who will need such kind of
care,’ says Harutyunyan. `Here there are no bars and locks as
usual. Here the people in need of help will get warmth.’
In the hospital, named for Linda Van, the children aged 2-14 will have
the opportunity to get medical aid and psychological support in
hospital during the day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
During these hours the children will play with special modern toys and
get professional help. Treatment for mentally challenged citizens in
Armenia is free of charge.
`We have had a special training abroad and have brought the special
toys that soothe the nerves for the children,’ says psychiatrist
Gevorg Yeghyan. `All these will facilitate children’s quick recovery.’
According to Senior Psychiatrist of Yerevan Samvel Torosyan child
psychiatry in Armenia is on a very weak basis.
According to the specialist, until today the children with psychiatric
problems have been receiving help either in the neuro-psychiatric
departments of hospitals or in psychiatric clinics along with adult
patients where frequently they appeared on the same department with
those suffering from alcohol, drug addiction or other psychological
problems. In such an unhealthy atmosphere it is useless to talk about
recovering.
Torosyan says there is still no research on how many children in the
republic have psychological problems, which itself says that the field
is ignored.
`This hospital is a true gift to all of us. Very conditionally
speaking today there are approximately 2,000 ill children in the
republic who need care,’ says Torosyan. `Here all the modern methods
of treatment and therapeutic means – music, painting, computers,
etc. will also be used that will largely facilitate the development of
child psychiatry. Here juveniles may also get support.’
Harutyunyan says separate programs will be aimed at parents who also
need support.
`Those patients are shunned by society and we will try to at least
partially alleviate their loneliness with this hospital,’ says
Harutyunyan.
The specialists insist the hospital will give opportunity to realize
many projects that were impossible to realize due to the lack of a
facility.
`Children will get full treatment and it is also important that those
with psychological problems – children with decrease of mood, phobias
and emotional problems,’ says Maruke Yeghyan, president of the
Association of Child Psychiatrists and Psychologists. `This will also
be a place where specialists of the field will gather and pursue
important projects.’
POP PROTEST: CONCERT CANCELLED AFTER OPPOSITION BY STUDENT UNIONS
By Gayane Abrahamyan
ArmeniaNow Reporter
A concert by Russian pop singer Fillip Kirkorov has been cancelled,
after protests charging that the entertainer is pro-Turkish and has
disparaged his own Armenian heritage.
`Student councils from 12 state and private universities have
addressed the mayor asking to prevent Kirkorov’s concert,’ said Deputy
Mayor Arman Sahakyan at a press conference Thursday. `The Municipality
has responded to the request of the young people and has cancelled the
singer’s concert, at the same time encouraging Manukyan ltd. to
organize the return of the money for tickets.’
Only three days earlier the Deputy Mayor stubbornly insisted during a
press conference that the municipality has no authority to prevent or
obstruct the concert and gave his support to the event.
`Culture should not be politicized,’ Sahakyan said then. `I do not
like his performance myself; I think my preferences are not
significant, but if I manage I will go to the concert.’
Before canceling the concert, for two weeks TV broadcast and the
Yerevan streets were filled with advertisements of the singer.
However news of Kirkorov’s first scheduled performance in Armenia was
met with anger by several youth organizations and unions, who turned a
pop concert into a political debate.
`To organize a concert for a singer who propagates Turkish songs,
wears clothes with the Turkish flag while on tour in Turkey and
insults an Armenian journalist before everybody on the eve of the 90th
anniversary of the Genocide is at least a treason,’ said Ishkhan
Saghatelyan, president of the Nikol Aghbalyan Youth Union.
The union had posted leaflets across the city calling Kirkorov persona
non grata and explaining point by point why it protested his visit.
`First of all, he is a singer who has been singing Turkish songs
during all his creative life, and has denied his Armenian descent. He
has declared in Azerbaijan he was ashamed of having Armenian blood
running in his veins and a year ago has publicly cursed and insulted a
Rostov journalist of Armenian descent Irina Aroyan,’ said the
representatives of the union.
The concert was planned for April 9 at the Karen Demirchyan Cultural
Center. The Yerevan Municipality had alloted 3 million drams (about
$6,500) from in support of the concert.
Tehmine Hayrumyan press secretary to promoters Manukyan Ltd., said her
company conducted a poll before signing a contract with the singer,
and found that the singer has a strong fan base in Armenia.
Prior to Thursday, about a third of the concert tickes (costing
3-10,000 drams, about $6 to $20) had been sold, she said.
But it turns out that, while people in the 30-40 age range welcome
Kirkorov, the younger generation has other opinions.
FOR BETTER HEALTH: NEW GUIDELINES ISSUED FOR TREATMENT/PREVENTION OF
VENEREAL DISEASES
By Gayane Lazarian
ArmeniaNow Reporter
The Dermatology and Venereal Diseases Medical and Scientific Center of
the Ministry of Health this week presented modern strategies and
programs on preventing venereal diseases in Armenia. A new national
guideline for venereal diseases published by leading doctors was also
presented.
`The new national guideline will present a new vision of how to deal
with this problem, how to diagnose, treat and prevent the diseases. It
is useful not only for specialists in skin and venereal diseases, but
also for specialists in related fields, such as gynecologists and
obstetricians, urologists, primary health doctors, and especially
family doctors and therapists from rural areas. They are the first to
whom patients turn especially in remote regions where it is difficult
to diagnose diseases,’ says the director of the Dermatology and
Venereal Diseases Medical and Scientific Center, Armenia’s chief
specialist in skin and venereal diseases Karen Babayan.
Deputy Minister of Health Tatul Hakobyan says that the development of
the new national guideline does not mean that there was not one
previously. Simply, he says, there has been no such classified
textbook before.
According to data of the Dermatology and Venereal Diseases Medical and
Scientific Center, 28,931 cases of venereal diseases were registered
in 2004. Trichomoniasis, chlamydia, gardnerelosis, candidosis are the
most common types of venereal diseases. Only 75 percent of infected
people actually know about their being infected, 65 percent turn to
doctors, 50 percent are diagnosed, and only 35 percent receive
treatment.
Babayan explains: `Few people turn to specialists, not only because
there is a low sanitary-hygienic level, but also because of the secret
development of the disease. The presence of a venereal disease with a
man doubles the likelihood of his catching HIV. Prostitutes and
homosexuals are considered to be the main spreaders of venereal
diseases in Armenia. There are not so many homosexuals, only 4-5
homosexuals turn to our center annually.’
Hakobyan said that unlike in the case with other diseases, the
ministry has serious problems treating venereal diseases, since it is
a sphere monitored with difficulty. In case of late diagnosis these
diseases can cause a number of grave diseases endangering particularly
reproductive health.
The initiative was implemented with assistance from the United States
Agency for International Aid (USAID) and the Education Development
Academy.
Three-day seminars will be held in Armenia’s regions in April-May for
the purpose of applying the guideline. Around 400 doctors from the
primary health sector will attend.