1- Don’t Let Turks Buy Land in Armenia;
Impose Tariffs on Turkish Imports
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
2- Armenian Librarian, Scholar Gia Aivazian Passes Away
3- Sarky Mouradian Passes Away:
Armenian Writer-Director, TV Host Was 90
4- Marderosians sue NBC, US figure skaters over use of song
during Olympics
5- Armenia Continues Fight Against COVID-19
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1- Don’t Let Turks Buy Land in Armenia;
Impose Tariffs on Turkish Imports
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
The Armenian government must take two important steps prior to opening
the border with Turkey: 1) Forbid Turkish citizens from buying real
estate in Armenia; and 2) Place tariffs on the import of products from
Turkey.
Obviously, Turkish citizens do not have to cross the Armenian border
to be able to buy real estate in Armenia. But, with the opening of the
mutual land border, more Turkish citizens will be able to come to
Armenia, thus increasing the flow of people and products from Turkey.
Allowing the citizens of a hostile country like Turkey to purchase
real estate in Armenia is a serious national security threat,
particularly if these properties are located near sensitive border
areas.
There is a big contradiction between what the Constitution and laws of
Armenia stipulate regarding the purchase of real estate by foreigners
and what is actually practiced. Now that a Constitutional Committee
has been set up to reform the existing Constitution, last amended in
2015, this is the right time to reconsider the existing provisions as
to who can buy real estate in Armenia. There should be a ban on
foreigners’ purchase of properties near Armenia’s border. In addition,
citizens of Azerbaijan and Turkey should not be allowed to purchase
any kind of property anywhere in Armenia.
This problem is particularly urgent because several years ago the
Turkish government adopted a law that forbade the purchase of property
in Turkey by citizens of four countries: Armenia, Cuba, North Korea
and Syria. Citizens of another 35 countries are restricted to purchase
property in Turkey based on the nature and location of the land. One
would think that since the Turkish government has forbidden Armenian
citizens from buying land in Turkey, Armenia should have reciprocated
by banning the purchase of land in Armenia by Turkish citizens.
I wrote an article in 2012, informing Armenian officials of the
Turkish law that banned the citizens of Armenia from buying land in
Turkey and urged “the Armenian Parliament to consider adopting
retaliatory measures against citizens of Turkey interested in
purchasing Armenian properties.” Regrettably, my suggestion was
ignored.
The 1995 Constitution prohibited foreigners from purchasing land in
Armenia. However, this was contradicted by the Armenian government’s
subsequent report to the World Trade Organization: “foreigners have
the right to own real estate properties built on Armenian land.” The
report also stated that “the [Armenian] legislation grants the
Government the power to limit and prohibit foreign investment for
national security concerns.”
In line with the Constitution of 1995, the subsequent Armenian
Constitutions of 2005 and 2015 also stated that “Foreign citizens and
stateless persons shall not enjoy ownership right over land, except
for cases provided for by law.”
If foreigners are not allowed to purchase land or real estate in
Armenia, then how were they able to buy them? In 2019 alone,
foreigners, contrary to the Armenian Constitution, purchased 186
apartments, 72 houses, two factories, nine public properties and even
121 plots of land. How was this possible?
Much more concerning is that citizens of the enemy states of
Azerbaijan and Turkey have been buying properties in Armenia without
any objection. According to the figures released last week by the
Armenian government’s cadastre or official registry of real estate,
from 2010 to 2021 citizens of Azerbaijan purchased six properties in
Armenia, which included five apartments and one public property.
During the same period, citizens of Turkey bought 71 pieces of real
estate, including 55 apartments, five houses, one garage, seven public
properties and three plots of land in Armenia.
I assume that many of the Turkish citizens who purchased real estate
in Armenia are of Armenian origin. I suggest that the Armenian
government make an exception for those who are of Armenian origin, if
and when the purchase of real estate by Turkish citizens is banned.
Finally, turning to the import of products from Turkey and other
countries, the Armenian government must impose tariffs to protect the
viability of domestic production. Since Turkey has a very large
population, it is able to produce items much cheaper due to mass
scale. Armenian producers, unable to compete with them, will go out of
business. Already the Armenian market is flooded with Turkish
products. After opening the border, Turkish products will no longer
have to go through the expense of importing them via Georgia, which
means that they will be even cheaper creating a bigger problem for
domestic producers. Making matters worse, the collapsing value of the
Turkish Lira has made the prices of imported products from Turkey
cheaper.
Before several sectors of Armenia’s economy are completely devastated,
the Armenian government must place tariffs on imported Turkish
products to protect Armenia’s vulnerable producers.
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2- Armenian Librarian, Scholar Gia Aivazian Passes Away
LOS ANGELES — Armenian librarian and scholar Gia (Dziadzan) Aivazian
passed away on February 10. Aivazian was born in Kavala, Greece on
December 22, 1934.
She received her B. A. (1966) in English literature, a Master’s in
Library Science (1967) and a Candidate in Philosophy degree in Near
Eastern Languages and Cultures (1982) specializing in Armenian
literature — all from the University of California, Los Angeles
(UCLA).
She was the Librarian for Armenian and Greek at UCLA’s Young Research
Library for many years and was the primary person responsible for the
development of the large internationally known Armenian collection of
that library. Aivazian was awarded the Hagop Meghabard Medal for
Achievement in Armenian Bibliography and Librarianship by the National
Library of Armenia in 1991.
Aivazian lectured, taught, and published articles and conference
papers, primarily in the areas of Armenian literature, folklore, the
press and Armenian women. She strongly supported the UCLA Narekatsi
Chair in Armenian Studies and served for some years as president of
the Friends of the Narekatsi Chair, starting in 2006/7.
She was a co-founder of the Tekeyan Cultural Association (TCA) of Los
Angeles and was a member of the board of the TCA Arshag Dickranian
School. She served on the Armenian General Benevolent Union’s central
committee of America from 1987 to 1990.
Funeral services will be announced.
She is survived by her brother Adam and Ani Aivazian; nephews Sevag
and Krikor Aivazian; great-nephews and nieces Nathan, Sevana, Atam,
Christopher and Haylen; sister Arshalouis Stevenson; nephew and niece
Damian and Anoush Stevenson; great-niece Poppy Stevenson; cousin
Takouhi Torosian and family; Susan Apamian and family; the Apamyan
family in Armenia; the Chuchian family; Sylvia and Dr. Haig Minassian;
Levon and Marie Missirli; Asadour Kouyoumjian; and the entire Aivazian
and Apamian families, relatives and friends.
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3- Sarky Mouradian Passes Away:
Armenian Writer-Director, TV Host Was 90
By Erik Pedersen
(Deadline)—Sarky Mouradian, an Armenian writer-director who also
hosted a U.S. TV series in which he interviewed celebrity countrymen,
has died. He was 90.
The Armenian Film Society said he died February 10 in Los Angeles,
where he’d been based for decades.
“The passing of Sarky Mouradian is a huge loss, not just for the
Armenian community but for the film community at large,” the group
said in a statement. “Mr. Mouradian was a pioneer in more ways than
one and was prolific up until his passing at the age of 90. The
Armenian community will remember him for his incredible contributions
to film and television.”
Born on November 15, 1931, in Beirut, Mouradian began performing music
at the age of 16. In 1955, he moved to Boston to continue his
education in music then relocated to Los Angeles in 1960 to pursue his
passion for film. There he attended the Theater of Arts and began
working in the industry.
He wrote and directed such films as Sons of Sassoun (1973), Tears of
Happiness (1975), Promise of Love (1978) and Alicia (2002). Mouradian
also successfully adapted Franz Werfel’s 1933 novel The Forty Days of
Musa Dagh into a feature film in 1982, after numerous unsuccessful
attempts by filmmakers ranging from Louis B. Mayer to Sylvester
Stallone, the Armenian Film Society. The adaptation repeatedly was
objected to by the Turkish government.
Known as “the Godfather of Armenian Television in the U.S,” Mouradian
established one of the first Armenian TV shows in Los Angeles in 1978.
Armenian Teletime featured interviews with various Armenian celebrity
performers and politicians. The program was also notorious for its
flamboyant ads—for instance, Brand Furniture—which almost invariably
featured Mouradian’s booming tenor.
He continued his work in cultural preservation and documentation on
YouTube, archiving decades of footage while producing original
episodes of his popular show up until his passing.
In 2016, he was awarded a gold medal by the Ministry of Culture of the
Republic of Armenia.
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4- Marderosians sue NBC, US figure skaters over use of song
during Olympics
By Jordan Mendoza
(USA Today)—Music group Heavy Young Heathens filed a lawsuit on
Thursday against NBC, U.S. Figure Skating and figure skating pair
Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier, saying their copyright for the song
“House of the Rising Sun” was violated when the pair used it for their
short program earlier this week.
The group, comprising brothers Robert and Aron Marderosian, are known
for their compositions in numerous television shows, movies, trailers,
advertisements and video games, such as ESPN’s “30 for 30,” Adidas,
“Deadpool” and “The Simpsons.” One of their compositions, “House of
the Rising Sun” is based on a traditional folk song, but their version
of it “is a signature song of theirs throughout the world,” as it has
been famously used for the film “The Magnificent Seven” and Ford auto
commercials.
During the team figure skating event of the 2022 Winter Olympics,
Knierim and Frazier used the composition for the short program portion
of the event in which the United States won a silver medal for.
In the lawsuit first obtained by Reuters, the Marderosian brothers
allege they were never contacted by Knierim or Frazier, Team USA or
U.S. Figure Skating about licensing the track for their performance.
They also allege NBC, USA Network and Peacock never inquired either
since it was broadcasted on all mentioned platforms.
“These violations cause great harm to the value of (the Marderosians)
command for such a well known piece of their recording catalog, and
insults the integrity of their professional reputation. While
Knierim/Frazier, USFS, NBC, USA, PEACOCK are all profiting from the
revenue the 2022 Winter Olympics generate, (the Marderosians) have
been and continue to be deprived of what their creation ‘House of the
Rising Sun’ earns them per license,” the lawsuit reads.
Mick Marderosian, the group’s attorney and father, told Reuters the
Knierim and Frazier’s agent “basically refused to listen to our
issue.” He also said NBC removed posts of the performance since the
lawsuit was filed.
The group says they are “entitled to damages in an amount to be proven
at trial.”
This isn’t the first time the group has filed a lawsuit over licensing.
In 2017, they sued Warner Bros. over the use of the theme song for
FOX’s “Lucifer.”
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5- Armenia Continues Fight Against COVID-19
Armenia continues the fight against COVID-19, as the country continues
promoting the vaccination phase. Armenia's Ministry of Health
announced on January 11 new restrictions to curb the fast spreading of
the Covid-19 pandemic in the country. From January 22, people above 18
must present either a vaccination certificate or a negative recent
test result prior to entering restaurants, hotels, cinemas and other
similar venues. As of January 30, 842,212 people have been fully
inoculated against COVID-19, or approximately 28-percent of the
population. About 64-percent of the population, or 1,883,413 people,
has received at least one dose of the vaccine. The highest rate of
inoculation is among people between the ages of 35-60. Only 18 to
19-percent of citizens over the age of 65 have received two doses of
the vaccine. The vaccination mandate for employees might be
responsible for the age disparity in vaccination rates. Since October,
employees have been required to provide proof of vaccination or a
negative PCR test every 14 days to their employer. Employees who
choose not to get inoculated against the coronavirus must take tests
at their own expense. A PCR test in Armenia costs roughly 10,000 drams
(about $20).
The MoH also instituted a coronavirus “green pass” in January to enter
cultural and entertainment venues. As of January 22, people can only
enter restaurants, hotels, gyms, libraries, museums, theaters, cinemas
and other cultural sites if they present proof of vaccination, a
negative PCR test from the previous 72 hours or an antibody test from
the previous 24 hours. The mandate, which was announced on January 9,
excludes children under the age of 18, pregnant women, people who
cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons and people who have been
previously infected with the coronavirus.
The U.S. State Department on July 26 warned American citizens to
reconsider travel to Armenia due to the increase in cases of the
Covid-19. “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has
issued a Level 3 Travel Health Notice for Armenia due to COVID-19,
indicating a high level of COVID-19 in the country.” The State
Department also urged U.S. citizens not to travel to the
Nagorno-Karabakh region due to armed conflict. “The U.S. government is
unable to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in
Nagorno-Karabakh as U.S. government employees are restricted from
traveling there,” the State Department added.
The Armenian government last week made changes in the COVID-19
response measures, shortening the recommended self-isolation time from
14 days to 7 days for vaccinated people and 10 days for unvaccinated
people starting the day of an administered PCR test. The
self-isolation period for the unvaccinated can be shortened down to 7
days in case of producing a negative PCR test result. The Armenian
government cited the policies of the United States CDC and a number of
European countries. The government changed airport regulations,
allowing visitors to enter the arrival hall by maintaining safety
guidelines. The decision took effect February 1. Armenian health
authorities recorded a peak number of positive COVID-19 cases on
February 2.
The Ministry of Health (MoH) of Armenia reported 3,956 new cases on
Wednesday, the highest number of positive cases registered in one day
since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Coronavirus cases have
been steadily increasing in Armenia since mid-January.
There were 15,339 active COVID-19 cases in Armenia as of February 21.
Armenia has recorded 415,757 coronavirus cases and 8,338 deaths;
392,080 have recovered.
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