The California
Courier Online, June 22, 2023
1- Prime
Minister Pashinyan Disparages
Armenia’s Coat
of Arms & National Anthem
By Harut
Sassounian
Publisher,
The California
Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
2- Armenian
Basketball Classic: Nat'l Teams of Armenia,
France
Face Off in LA
3- French-Armenian
Resistance hero Missak Manouchian to enter France’s Panthéon
4- Jerusalem Armenians Fear
Shadowy Land Deal Marks ‘Beginning Of The End’
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1- Prime
Minister Pashinyan Disparages
Armenia’s Coat
of Arms & National Anthem
By Harut
Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
With each passing day, the situation is getting worse in Armenia and Artsakh because of Prime Minister
Nikol Pashinyan’s endless compromises to Azerbaijan
and Turkey,
his defeatist attitude and incompetence.
Coming to power, he misrepresented himself as a democrat,
but soon turned out to be a dictator. Five years ago, Pashinyan promised at a
huge public rally: “If in the result of the process of [Karabagh] negotiations
there will be an option for settlement that I would personally consider to be a
good option, let no one think that I will sign any confidential paper or take
any secret action. If I see that there is an option that really needs
discussing, I will come, stand here and present to you all the details, after
which you decide whether to accept that settlement option or not. If you decide
to do it, we will do it. If you decide that we are not, we will not do it. You
are the supreme authority and you will have the final say. There can be no
doubt.” However, ever since that solemn pledge in 2018, he has not asked the
people to make a single decision on any issue.
Pashinyan:
— Made threatening statements against his political
opponents, jailed his party’s rivals in local elections, had protesters
arrested, and banned prominent Diaspora Armenians from entering Armenia because
of their criticism of his regime;
— Divided Armenia’s
population into two hostile camps and alienated the Diaspora from Armenia;
— Completely mismanaged the 2020 disastrous war resulting in
the deaths of thousands of young Armenian soldiers and the loss of most of
Artsakh;
— Failed to secure the release of Armenian prisoners of war
from Azerbaijan;
— Was unable to protect Armenia’s borders from repeated Azeri
attacks in the last two years;
— Was unable to open the Lachin Corridor blockaded by Azerbaijan for
six months, resulting in the deprivation of 120,000 Artsakhtsis from food and
medicines;
— Repeatedly criticized Armenians’ yearning for Mount
Ararat, saying that it is no longer in Armenia’s territory.
— Weakened Armenia’s
military;
— Dismissed Armenian claims to Western Armenia by announcing
that Armenia
has no territorial demands from any of its neighbors;
— Traveled to Ankara to
attend Pres. Erdogan inauguration, embarrassing himself and Armenia;
— Gifted Artsakh to Azerbaijan. Contrary to Pashinyan’s
misrepresentation that Armenia’s
former leaders have given away Artsakh, Josep Borrell, High Representative of
the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said last week:
“For the first time… Armenia
has recognized Karabagh as part of Azerbaijan.”
No wonder, Aliyev and Erdogan are pleased with Pashinyan.
Last week, while addressing the Parliament, Pashinyan made
questionable statements about Armenia’s
coat of arms and national anthem, both of which are enshrined in Armenia’s
Constitution. In other words, Pashinyan’s criticisms were anti-constitutional.
Here is how Pashinyan described Armenia’s coat of arms: “What is
depicted there? Noah’s ark on Mount Ararat;
the emblems of the four thrones, dynasties, kingdoms…. Moreover, what has
that emblem to do with the state founded in 1991? Looking at the center [of the
emblem], Noah’s ark is on Mount Ararat; today’s territory of Armenia’s
Republic is under floods; and a lion that has not lived here for a long time
under normal conditions.” This is “about the duality that exists in each of us,
historical Armenia and real Armenia….
Should real Armenia serve
historical Armenia or should
historical Armenia serve
real Armenia?
… After all, six of the 12 capitals of historical Armenia
are located in the territory of the Republic
of Armenia. And when was
the last time you were in those capitals. Did you see their condition? Did you
assess their condition? We are talking so much about traditions; we are talking
about the values; our capitals. Our historical symbols are in ruins today.
Forgive me, this is also not something to say, but certain [historical]
capitals located outside Armenia
may turn out to be in better condition than those located in the territory of
the Republic of Armenia.”
Closing his remarks, Pashinyan did not miss the opportunity
to also complain about another one of Armenia’s
state symbols—the national anthem—on the very day that Armenia celebrated
the Day of State Symbols. He said: “Today, the official words of our anthem end
as follows: it ends in ‘sacrifice.’ The ideology itself is correct, so I don’t
have any problem with the text, but it ends with a ‘sacrifice’ line and
‘sacrifice’ scene. I’ve been thinking a lot lately, of course, it may not be
easy to implement from a purely esthetic, poetic point of view, but I think it
would be very correct from a political point of view for the anthem of the
Republic of Armenia to end with the following lines: ‘Look at it, our sacred
sign in three colors, let it shine against the enemy, let Armenia be always
glorious.’”
Pashinyan was suggesting shortening the anthem by cutting
its last four lines: “Death is the same everywhere, a man will die but once,
but blessed is the one who is sacrificed for the freedom of his nation.” This
is yet another attempt by Pashinyan to weaken the nationalistic feelings of
Armenians to appease Armenia’s
enemies. The lyrics of the anthem were written by well-known poet Mikayel
Nalbandian in 1861. The anthem was adopted by the first Republic of Armenia
in 1918. It was readopted by the current Republic of Armenia
with minor wording changes.
What will Pashinyan suggest next: Changing Armenia’s flag
and the country’s name? Yet, this is the same man who self-righteously
declared: “I can’t imagine a man who can love my homeland more than me. Such a
thing is not possible. It is out of question.” Even the Soviets kept Mount Ararat on Soviet Armenia’s coat of arms. How can
the Prime Minister of independent Republic
of Armenia be less
nationalistic than the leaders of Soviet Armenia?
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2- Armenian Basketball Classic:
Nat'l Teams of Armenia, France
Face Off in LA
By Jenny Yettem
Armenia’s
National Basketball Team and the French National Basketball team played two
friendly games on Friday, June 16 and Saturday, June 17 at the California State University,
Northridge (CSUN) Premier America Credit Union Arena.
The players arrived in Los
Angeles on Monday, June 12 and Tuesday, June 13, and
intensive, daylong practices with the whole team began immediately, as this
roster had never played with one another prior to this week. It’s also a major
milestone as these games mark the first time the Armenian National Basketball
Team—winners of the 2016 and 2022 FIBA European Championship for Small
Countries—played in the United States.
The roster for the two friendlies vs France National Team on
June 16 at 17, comprised: Guard Ronald March, Jr.; guard Corey Silverstrom;
forward Zach Tavitian; forward-center Ryan Kiachian; guard Connor Essegian;
forward Evan Manjikian; forward Tigran Mkrtumyan; guard Hassani Gravett; guard
Avand Dorian; guard Makani Whiteside; guard-forward Albert Tatevosyan; shooting
guard Andre Spight; guard Gabriel Ajemyan; guard Anto Balian; and center Davit
Khachatryan. Assisting head coach Rex Kalamian were Mikael Pogosyan and Vardan
Khachatryan.
The team is being coached by Rex Kalamian, who is also the
assistant coach for the Detroit Pistons. Kalamian previously had coaching terms
with the Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves,
Sacramento Kings, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Toronto Raptors.
Friday night, the arena saw a capacity crowd of 2,500
people—the first in the history of the gym. Emotions were running high in the
stands and on the court, as fans enthusiastically cheered for the Armenian team
who seemed to be struggling to get their bearings.
It was very much a David and Goliath game—the 87th-ranked
and untested underdogs against a team that has won numerous EuroBasket; FIBA
World Cup; and Summer Olympics medals including most recently the silver in
2021. But the Armenian team didn’t disappoint with the effort to defend against
guys who physically outmatched them, and they made more quick attacks to avoid
being blocked by the taller France
players.
France
took advantage of its size and stature, as well as the Armenian team’s
burgeoning chemistry and ball control, and made a lot of driving plays that
ended in slam dunks. Armenia
nonetheless ably navigated the court with Hassani Gravett, Albert Tatevosyan,
Andre Mkrtchyan-Spight, Gabriel Ajemyan and Connor Essegian making a lot of
fast breaks, and sinking three-pointers. Avand Dorian came in during the fourth
quarter and immediately made a dagger shot, giving the capacity crowd renewed
optimism that Armenia
could close the gap.
But between Armenia’s
nerves not under control and France’s
century-long playbook, the game ended 74 – 107—France
running away with a 33-point lead that Armenia couldn’t overcome.
After Friday’s game, Dorian told The Courier that he had
been nervous before the game, but nonetheless kept his cool when Coach Kalamian
put him in. Eighteen-year-old Dorian, who is headed to USC after recently
graduating from AGBU
Manoogian-Demirjian High School, said he was “ecstatic”
making the shot within seconds of being subbed in. Dorian acknowledged the
challenges Armenia faced in
the game: “We only had four days of prep and we knew the France team was
taller, bigger and more experienced—but we still had confidence going in. And
we are optimistic about doing better, or even winning, on Saturday.”
It was a sentiment echoed throughout the stands and on the
bench. Former NBA player and coach Derek Fisher joined Kalamian on Friday night
in a show of support for the Armenian team. Fisher, who played for the Oklahoma
City Thunder in 2012 when Kalamian was the assistant coach, told The Courier
that Armenia would improve with time and chemistry—as well as national pride.
Media director Richard Elmoyan, himself a former national
basketball team member and assistant coach, told The Courier that Fisher
delivered a 20-minute pep talk after the game and encouraged the team to think
about “the front of their jerseys and how they represent Armenia” to
crystallize their confidence and chemistry.
Elmoyan also said that despite what might look like a
lopsided match-up, it’s important that Armenia plays teams that are better
in ranking and skills because it challenges the team to improve. Elmoyan, too,
was confident that the Saturday game would unfold far better than Friday’s
debut. He said the unwavering support of the capacity crowd had a deep impact
on the team.
Coach Rex Kalamian told The Courier “what defines us is the
people who came out to cheer us on—the packed gym and fans. Moving forward it’s
about giving Armenians and the diaspora a sense of being among the best in the
world.” Kalamian and Elmoyan both acknowledged that France was much more
experienced—having had over a century of national basketball—and also outsized
Armenia. But they were both certain that Armenia could effectively counter
with their guard play, pace of play, and shooting three-pointers.
Connor Essegian told The Courier he and the team had
practiced nonstop since their staggered arrivals, and they learned from
Friday’s game about how to play as a cohesive team against a formidable
opponent. Essegian said they were looking forward to applying their insights to
the second game.
On Saturday, an even greater level of enthusiasm filled the
arena with fans cheering and using noisemakers to bolster the Armenian team.
And between their settled nerves and increased chemistry,
the Armenian team made significantly more decisive plays and defended much more
effectively. Their court-spreading three-point strategy worked, as they held
the France
defense at bay.
France
took note of the challenge—they made far less drives to the basket, drew more
fouls, and fumbled a number of passes.
The game was even-keeled and Armenia played hard, trailing just
by a small margin throughout—40-55 at the half, and 59-73 at the end of the
third quarter. The game ended 83-98. International games are 40 minutes long,
with 10-minute quarters. Quite a few people said that if this were on NBA time
with a 48-minute game of 12-minute quarters, Armenia’s momentum would have
catapulted them to victory.
Les Bleus shooting guard Juhann Begarin told The Courier
that Armenia
is “a good team. We didn’t know what to expect with a new team—we just played
our best. It was challenging and fun. Hopefully Armenia will enter the European
league.”
Elmoyan was elated after the game, having rightly predicted
his team would silence any naysayers. He said the level of enthusiasm from the
community was unparalleled, and that he hopes other Diaspora strongholds like Argentina and Canada will receive the team with
the same welcome. With the way the Armenian team upped their game literally
overnight, Elmoyan said he is confident about their upcoming international
tournaments scheduled for November of this year and February 2024.
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3- French-Armenian Resistance hero
Missak Manouchian to enter France’s
Panthéon
(France
24)—“Manouchian carries a part of our greatness,” Macron said in the statement
issued by the Élysée Palace, adding the French-Armenian poet and communist
embodied France’s
“universal values” of liberty, equality and fraternity.
Macron said Manouchian will be inducted into the
Panthéon—which already honors eight other French Resistance heroes, including
Jean Moulin—on February 21, 2024.
According to the wishes of his family, his wife Mélinée will
join him in the mausoleum, although she will not receive the “pantheonisation”
of her husband—the rare tribute reserved only for those who have played an
important role in French history, such as Victor Hugo, Voltaire and Marie
Curie.
Manouchian arrived in France in 1925 as a stateless
refugee after fleeing the Armenian genocide with his brother, and joined the
country’s communist Resistance movement in 1943 during World War II. He led a
small group of fighters that carried out a string of successsful attacks
against the occupying Nazi forces.
In 1944, the group, which included a number of Jews, was put
out of action when 23 of its members were rounded up and sentenced to death by
a German military court.
Manouchian was shot by a Nazi firing squad on February 21,
1944.
The collaborationist Vichy
regime later tried to discredit the group and defuse the anger over the
executions in an infamous red poster depicting the dead fighters as terrorists.
By entering the Panthéon, Manouchian will become both the first foreign and
communist Resistance fighter to be awarded the honour.
In his tribute, Macron also pointed to the “bravery” and
“quiet heroism” of Manouchian and other foreign Resistance fighters. Macron
decorated Robert Birenbaum—part of the foreign Resistance fighter group
alongside Manouchian—at the Mont Valerien site where Manouchian and other
resistants were executed by the Nazis.
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4- Jerusalem Armenians Fear
Shadowy Land Deal Marks ‘Beginning Of The End’
By Amos Chapple
(RFE/RL)—A secretive real estate agreement by the Armenian
Patriarchate of Jerusalem has signed away some 25 percent of the Armenian
Quarter of Israel’s holy city. Now residents are fighting to hold on to their
historic land.
When Khachik Yeretsian, a former priest of the Armenian
Patriarchate of Jerusalem fled his residence in disgrace on May 10, Israeli
police had to bustle the defrocked priest to safety through an enraged crowd of
his fellow Jerusalem Armenians. As protesters hurled insults at Yeretsian, one
waved the flag of the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Bedig Giragosian was among the crowd that night and says the
flag of Nagorno-Karabakh symbolized the parallel crises unfolding in the
Caucasus and in Jerusalem.
“The same thing that’s happening in Artsakh is happening
here,” Giragosian said, using the Armenian name for Nagorno-Karabakh and
referring to fears that blockaded Karabakh Armenians could soon be forced off
land their people have lived on for centuries. “If this deal goes through it
will be the beginning of the end of our community in Jerusalem. The story of 1,600 years will
finish.”
The deal Giragosian refers to is a secretive real estate
contract signed by the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem that recently came to
light. The explosive agreement hands a quarter of the Armenian sector to an Australian-Israeli
investor for 99 years.
The patriarchate has blamed former priest Yeretsian alone
for the deal, while Yeretsian, who now lives in California, says he is being
punished “for an act that the patriarch signed and now I am being accused,”
adding that “one day the truth will be revealed.”
No one outside those directly involved has seen the secret
land deal, but when signage for XANA Capital was erected at the entrances to a
carpark known as the Cow’s Garden, it confirmed the parking lot—named for its
historic use as a grazing area for livestock—as slated to be leased out. A
low-rise luxury hotel is reportedly planned for the site.
But the contract apparently goes further. Setrag Balian is a
Jerusalem Armenian who has been working alongside lawyers to try to overturn
the lease agreement. Balian says draft development plans he saw while meeting
with the Jerusalem
municipality “include five residential homes” belonging to ethnic Armenian
families, raising the specter of forced evictions.
Armenians first established a presence in Jerusalem in the fourth century after the
nation became the first to officially adopt Christianity. Ethnic Armenians have
lived within the walls of the holy city ever since, making the Jerusalemite
community the oldest living diaspora outside Armenia.
Jerusalem Armenians today number around 2,000, down from a
peak of some 25,000 a century ago when the sacred city served as a refuge for
those who fled the Ottoman-era massacres that are widely referred to as the
Armenian genocide.
Treasures inside the Armenian Quarter, which is largely
closed off to the public, include a gnarled olive tree where Jesus is said to
have been bound as he awaited his trial. Armenian couples who are unable to
become pregnant are instructed to eat one olive from the tree each day for
seven days while praying for the miracle of a child.
Some in the Armenian community fear geopolitical interests
may be behind the land deal. “I cannot state it with proof, but there is
obviously a political aspect to it,” Setrag Balian says of the lease agreement,
adding that as the highest point of Jerusalem’s ferociously contested Old City,
the Armenian Quarter “has been eyed by many passing empires and occupation
forces.”
Ripples from the land controversy have already reached
regional powers of the Middle East. In May,
Palestinian and Jordanian leadership formally withdrew their recognition of Jerusalem’s Armenian
patriarch for signing away the territory. The Arab leaders accused the church
head of making the deal, “without consensus and consultation with the relevant
parties.”
Apo Sahagian, a Jerusalem-Armenian musician, says the
looming fight over the Jerusalem land may serve
as a bellwether for wider struggles to come for the Armenian people amid
lingering shock over the 2020 war with Azerbaijan.
“Right now in Armenia there’s a bit of
uncertainty, people are confused, their spine is broken. And maybe a glimpse of
resilience and audacity by the Armenian Jerusalemites would give some morale
boost to the Armenians in Armenia,”
he told RFE/RL while sitting in a courtyard of Jerusalem’s
Old City. “The Jews have a saying that ‘the
redemption comes from the east.’ I wouldn’t mind if the Armenian redemption
comes from Jerusalem,”
he said.
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