Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Sunday TURKISH TUMULT; NO EXCUSE FOR BEATINGS BY ERDOGAN'S BODYGUARDS the Editorial Board Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The visit to Washington of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan included a violent confrontation at the Turkish ambassador's residence between Mr. Erdogan's bodyguards and protesters against his visit. Some of the protesters ended up in the hospital. High-level visitors normally bring their own armed bodyguards to supplement the efforts of various American services. These can include the U.S. Secret Service, Department of State security and Washington-area police forces. Protection of the visitors sometimes becomes complicated, particularly when there are present in the United States natives of those countries or Americans who are opposed to the particular foreign leaders or their regimes. Sometimes it gets really complicated. There was one instance in which American security services were obliged to disarm the bodyguards of a visiting African president when what was believed to be an attempted coup d'etat occurred in his country during the visit and the loyalty of his bodyguards came into question. One of the worst nightmares of an American government would be the assassination of a foreign leader during a visit to America. No one would ever believe that the United States was not complicit. The visit of the Turkish president presented particular difficulties for U.S. security services because Mr. Erdogan and his government are opposed in Turkey and by some in the United States by Kurds, Armenians and the adherents of a Turkish opposition figure resident in Pennsylvania, Fethullah Gulen. A small group of protesters gathered at the Turkish ambassador's residence in Washington, and were, in a nasty melee, beaten by Mr. Erdogan's bodyguards. Visiting VIPs' bodyguards are considered part of the visiting delegation, with diplomatic immunity. In this case, the Turkish bodyguards have since left American shores. The bodyguards were absolutely wrong to behave brutally on American soil, to the degree that they acted off the Turkish ambassador's property, which is considered Turkish soil; the question is still under study. There is also fault to be allocated to the various American security elements for not keeping the bodyguards and demonstrators apart. They are, in fact, quite accustomed to do so. Mr. Erdogan is by no means the only controversial foreign figure to visit Washington. Nonetheless, the Turkish bodyguards did their country and their government's cause no favor by beating up what were apparently peaceful demonstrators. https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.post-2Dgazette.com_opinion_editorials_2017_05_21_Turkish-2Dtumult-2DNo-2Dexcuse-2Dfor-2Dbeatings-2Dby-2DErdogan-2Ds-2Dbodyguards_stories_201705200015&d=DwIBaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=LVw5zH6C4LHpVQcGEdVcrQ&m=VIDgXOvBWnPcX9gqp-fv573K3_520Xa_yAyL0lE70-o&s=DuCc762uqvQiGeRVD7Dtnpf1svD6h_zR9JlJ9KWGDUY&e=
Author: Edgar Tavakalian
Hayastan All-Armenian Fund begins project-site visits in Artsakh and Armenia
Hayastan All-Armenian Fund Governmental Building 3, Yerevan, RA Contact: Hasmik Grigoryan Tel: +(3741) 56 01 06 ext. 105 Fax: +(3741) 52 15 05 E-mail: [email protected] Web: https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.himnadram.org_&d=DwIF3g&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=LVw5zH6C4LHpVQcGEdVcrQ&m=q5Wuo_q_554-atwQvIvTOZqToJbT7-_dO7PB8y-aXAY&s=TQUdoPptS0JBXcjJwMZv7OC_-2MxjBFq_2P8FDmHlIA&e= Hayastan All-Armenian Fund begins project-site visits in Artsakh and Armenia Yerevan, Within the framework of the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund Board of Trustees' annual meeting in Yerevan, a delegation led by Executive Director Ara Vardanyan began a string of project-site visits and unveilings of newly completed projects in Artsakh and Armenia. The delegation comprises close to 45 trustees, representatives of affiliates worldwide, colleagues, and benefactors. The events kicked off on May 20, as the delegation traveled to Artsakh via the Vardenis-Martakert Highway, the construction of which will be completed in autumn. The first event was the official opening of the newly built community center of Kochoghot (Martakert Region), a village near the Vardenis-Martakert Highway. The construction and furnishing of the multifunctional community center were made possible by the financial support of the fund's French affiliate, with additional support from the government of Artsakh. The Kochoghot community center houses the village mayor's office, a medical clinic, a library, a game room, and a large hall equipped with a kitchen. In recent years, French-Armenian support has enabled the fund to build similar community centers in 12 villages throughout Artsakh, helping vastly improve the daily lives of close to 7,700 residents. On May 21, the delegation held opening ceremonies for two more community centers, in the villages of Kyuratagh (Hadrut Region) and Sargsashen (Martuni Region). The construction of both community centers - which, as with all such structures built by the fund, feature a full complement of modern amenities - was likewise sponsored by French-Armenians, with additional assistance from the government of Artsakh. Given its ongoing and instrumental role in the realization of major development projects across Artsakh, the French-Armenian community is held in high regard by the grateful citizens of the republic. Today, on May 22, the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund delegation visited Stepanakert's School No. 9, which is undergoing a large-scale renovation sponsored by the fund's US Western Region affiliate, with a generous donation from benefactor Gerald Turpanjian. With 395 students, the school is unique in that it complements primary and secondary education with inclusive education for special-needs children, as well as specialized classes for hearing-impaired children. The School No. 9 is the latest of several Stepanakert educational institutions that have been rebuilt and modernized by the fund. Subsequently the delegation will visit the newly built Stepanakert Oncology Center, which opened its doors in April. The state-of-the-art medical center was made possible through the sponsorship of French-Armenian benefactor Richard Ohanessian, with additional support from the government of Artsakh. Later today, the delegation will attend the opening ceremony of the second wing of the Shushi Cultural and Youth Center comprising a large auditorium. The extensive renovation of the building was sponsored by the government of Artsakh and supervised by the fund. The newly renovated second wing, which comprises a hall with a seating capacity of 368, will now become the permanent home of the Mkrtich Khandamiryan State Theater. The building designed for theatrical performances and other events, dressing rooms, administrative offices, and a storage room. The main building of the center, which was reconstructed in 2012 with the financial support of the Hayastan Foundation Toronto affiliate, is home to a youth choir; classrooms for painting, ballet, instrumental folk music, and embroidery; and a puppet theater named after Canadian-Armenian filmmaker Atom Egoyan. Following the opening ceremony, the delegation will visit the Harutyunyan family, in the village of Krasni (Askeran Region). The Harutyunyans are one of the beneficiary families of the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund's latest housing program, through which private homes are built and donated to low-income Artsakh families with five or more children. Since the launch of the program three years ago, 16 families have been provided with brand-new homes, and currently 15 more homes are under construction. All of these houses are distinguished by the fact that they come fully furnished and feature all necessary home appliances.
Music: Exploring Roma persecution in Shoah ‘Remembrance’ concert
J-Weekly: Jewish news of Northern California
The Nazis’ murder of 220,000 Roma, or Gypsies, has always been a historical anecdote overshadowed by the extermination of 6 million Jews in the Holocaust.
Mina Miller, president and artistic director of Music of Remembrance, wanted to focus on the persecution of Roma and decided it would be best told through the artwork and writings of Ceija Stojka, an Austrian Roma who survived internment at three concentration camps.
Miller was at a concert by the Kronos Quartet at UC Santa Barbara in December 2015 when she heard “Silent Cranes,” a multimedia work by composer Mary Kouyoumdjian commemorating the centennial of the Armenian genocide.
Miller immediately knew she had found the right person to create a piece about the Roma, but at first Bay Area native Kouyoumdjian was reluctant to take on the commission. Once she discovered Stojka’s work, she changed her mind.
“I didn’t really feel comfortable writing a piece about the Roma in the Holocaust because that’s not the community that I’m from,” Kouyoumdjian, 34, said in an interview from her home in Brooklyn, New York. “But I was comfortable writing about another artist. I really connected with her writings, and especially
her paintings.”
Kouyoumdjian’s composition, in a program titled “Mirror of Memory,” will be performed Wednesday, May 24, at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music — three days after the world premiere in Seattle. The program includes San Francisco Opera mezzo-soprano Catherine Cook singing Yiddish songs written in the Vilna Ghetto.
Stojka, who survived the Auschwitz, Ravensbruck and Bergen-Belsen camps, went on to write three autobiographies that focused on Nazi persecution of Roma. She began painting at the age of 56, and her artwork was heavily based on depiction of the death camps, where her father and one of her five brothers were killed. She died in 2013.
Miller, who founded the Seattle-based nonprofit Music of Remembrance, said she felt it was time to focus on the plight of Gypsies, who like Jews were deemed racially inferior by the Nazis and targeted for extinction.
Last year, Miller, the daughter of Holocaust refugees who lost all their family members, commissioned an opera by Jake Heggie that was based on the writings of a Polish dissident and a gay man. “When you think about the victims of the Holocaust — the 6 million Jews, the gays, the Gypsies, political dissidents, journalists — it’s been the goal of Music of Remembrance from the beginning to illuminate not just the tragedy of the Jews but others as well,” she said. Kouyoumdjian, an Armenian American who grew up in Pleasant Hill and now is working toward her doctorate in music composition at Columbia University, is a big fan of Roma music and said it’s similar to Armenian tunes.
Her 26-minute piece based on Stojka’s artwork, “to open myself, to scream,” is scored for violin, cello, bass, clarinet and trumpet. It includes live music and an electronic track recorded by the musicians, the latter symbolizing a survivor’s reflections on the past.
With Stojka, “There’s this constant burden of a horrific past. She’s sort of exploring these horrific things that make no sense,” Kouyoumdjian said. “A lot of people who have gone through genocide feel this too; they create artwork to express their feelings.”
The music is complemented with a film by Syrian Armenian projection artist Kevork Mourad, who animated Stojka’s artwork and synched it to the music.
Miller said this year’s focus on Roma will be followed in 2018, Music of Remembrance’s 20th anniversary, by pieces focusing on the World War II experiences of Japanese and Japanese Americans. One work will be about internment in the U.S. and two pieces will be based on texts from victims of the atomic bombings.
For 2019, she plans to commission a work focusing on the current refugee crisis “because that mirrors what Jews experienced during the Holocaust.”
“We’re extending our focus beyond the Holocaust itself,” Miller said.“It’s really important today that Music of Remembrance is not just an organization for Jews talking to Jews, it’s about moral lessons.”
Kouyoumdjian supports such a change. “We still have genocide happening today, so this is a conversation that continues. Anything that gives listeners a connection to history is incredibly important.”
video of one of Kouyoumdjian's compositions can be watched at http://www.jweekly.com/2017/05/21/exploring-roma-persecution-in-shoah-remembrance-concert/
Karabakh Defense Ministry: Azerbaijan shells its own positions
Panorama, Armenia
Following the intentional escalations of the situation along the Artsakh-Azerbaijan Line of Contact and various provocative measures taken in recent days, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces on Friday took actions that can no way fit into logic.
As the Press Service of Artsakh Ministry of Defense informed Panorama.am, the video recording devices installed along the frontline have detected that at around 12:15-12:19 and 13:32-13:36, the adversary opened fire on its own positions from 60mm mortars by preliminary data in Seysulan-Yarmja section of the Contact Line, which resulted in explosions in the mentioned area.
“This once again comes to prove that either military of the adversary’s camp does not master its professional responsibilities or there is a lack of vertical management and any commander on the frontline can make a decision on launching an operation. Or, if not the case, Azerbaijani military-political leadership paves a way for its further provocations through such insidious acts.
Artsakh Defense Ministry informs that during the day the Armenian side adhered to the ceasefire regime and refrained from taking any measures, in particular using weapons of large calibres,” the statement of the ministry reads.
Sen. Markey urges Trump call killings of Armenians genocide
Sen. Edward Markey is calling on President Donald Trump to commemorate the slaughter of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Turks a century ago as the first genocide of the 20th century — something Turkey has refused to do, the Associated Press reports.
Massachusetts is home to a large Armenian community and includes the genocide in its public school curriculum. April 24 commemorates the day the killings began in 1915.
When he ran for president, Barack Obama promised to recognize the killings as genocide.
In office, he stopped short of doing so, instead calling the killings the first mass atrocity of the 20th century and a tragedy that must not be repeated.
Markey, a Democrat, noted Friday that past Republicans, including former President Ronald Reagan have labeled the mass killing as genocide.
Lebanese Forces commemorates 102 anniversary of Armenian genocide
Photo: The Daily Star/Mohammad Azakir
The Lebanese Forces Friday held a ceremony commemorating the anniversary of the Armenian genocide, the reports.
“April 24, 1915 is not just another day… Humanity was stabbed with the dagger of cruelty,” LF chief Samir Geagea said in a speech during the ceremony held in his Mount Lebanon residence at Maarab.
He added that Lebanese and Armenians have forged historical bonds.
“Our cause is one,” Geagea said. “Armenians struggled for a free Armenia, and so did the Lebanese.”
“It is true that the land of Armenia wept your ancestors … but you have found fathers and mothers in Lebanon,” he added.
A large number of Armenians fled to Lebanon in the wake of the massacres and now make up roughly 4 percent of the population
Geagea also expressed his sympathy with the current regional crises, namely the ongoing war in neighboring Syria.
“We have to be honest with ourselves by condemning the assassins of today like we condemn the assassins of the past,” he said.
Human Rights Watch ‘thankful’ to ‘The Promise’ film
The Human Rights Watch has excpressed gratitude to creators of The Promise film.
“Thank you Eric Esrailian & The Promise Film for supporting Human Right Watch’s work against the worst atrocities,” the NGO tweeted.
Thank you @EricEsrailian & for supporting 's work against the worst atrocities.
— Human Rights Watch (@hrw)
The Promise tells the story of the Armenian Genocide in Turkey at the outset of WWI. It was written by Terry George and Robin Swicord and directed by Terry George, who also directed Hotel Rwanda. The Promise stars Oscar Isaac, Christian Bale, Charlotte Le Bon, and Angela Sarafyan. It was produced by Open Road and Survival Pictures. Eric Esrailian is the producer of the film.
Vardan Toghanyan appointed Armenia’s Ambassador to Russia.
President Serzh Sargsyan has signed a decree, relieving Oleg Yesayan of the duties of Armenia’s Ambassador Extraordinary and plenipotentiary to Russia.
According to another presidential decree, Vardan Toghanyan has been appointed Armenia’s Ambassador to Russia.
Divine Liturgy celebrated in Armenian Church in Singapore
Asbarez – On February 26, the Eve of Great Lent (Great Barekendan), a Divine Liturgy was celebrated at St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Apostolic Church of Singapore by Very Reverend Father Zaven Yazichyan, Pastor of the Armenian Spiritual Pastorates of Singapore, Myanmar and Bangladesh and the Representative of the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians to The Far East. The event was planned with the blessings of His Holiness Karekin II Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of all Armenians.
The day was significant and momentous. The celebration of the Divine Liturgy was an proclamation for Great Lent which lasts 48 days beginning on the Eve of Great and lasts till the Eve of the Feast of the Glorious Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Holy Easter). According to the church traditions during the fasting period, people not only refuse of certain kinds of food, but also of ill habits – talkativeness, lying, swearing, and other sins, and increases mercy, kindness and kindheartedness.
The Divine Liturgy was attended by Haig Didizian of London, UK and Tunyan family of Singapore, the benefactors of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin as well as the members of the community and committee of Armenian Church in Singapore, friends and visitors. Gayane Vardanyan, one of the prominent and talented members of Armenian community in Singapore, assisted Father Yazichyan during Holy Mass by her brilliant singing and organ playing.
In his pastoral message, Father Zaven Yazichyan expressed his appreciation for the community for their devotion and dedication to the Armenian Church. Father Yazichyan explained that Great Lent is a spiritual journey and time for reflection to ourselves; it is not only about refusing from some kind of food, but also it is about avoiding the sin; without it would be useless.
The period of Great Lent consists of seven remarkable Sundays. Each Sunday during this period is named after a parable and the Scriptural readings for each Sunday underscore the day’s lesson. The Sunday of the Expulsion, the Sunday of the Prodigal Son, the Sunday of the Steward, the Sunday of the Judge, the Sunday of Advent is the sixth and last Sunday of Lent, when the church recalls the revelation of the Savior, who sacrificed His life for mankind. This day is devoted to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ; Great Lent ends with Lazarus Saturday, which recalls how Jesus raised His friend from the dead.
This episode foreshadows Resurrection of Jesus Christ and serves to remind us of the promise of new life to those who love Him. Palm Sunday, celebrates the victorious entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, when He was hailed as the Messiah and King of Israel. The Eve of Great Lent (Great Barekendan) which is the manifestation of the virtues of the soul, through which people can transform mourning to joy, and torment to peace. It is with this comprehension, with bowing of our souls, penitence, fasting and hope for mercy, that each Christian individual should take his first step on the long, forty days journey of Great Lent, culminating with the Glorious Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ” – said Father Yazichyan
Following the Divine Liturgy, the curtain on the Holy Alter was closed off; the first visual appearance of Lent in the Armenian Churches. This the last opportunity for the faithful to eat and drink abundantly, which symbolizes the spirit of innocent joyfulness during man’s days in Eden. The closed curtain symbolized the expulsion of Adam and Eve from paradise, when God brought them out of the joy of Eden, and ordered the Cherubim to guard the way to the tree of life by the flame of the flashing sword. During Great Lent the curtain will be closed and the Divine Liturgy would be celebrated with closed curtain.
The day was concluded with the special Requiem service. The prayers were offered in memory of Marine Tunian, who unexpectedly past away in Armenia.
Although a small community, the Armenians of Singapore have played a very vital role in shaping the early history of Singapore. The Armenian Church, the first-ever Christian Church built in Singapore, located at Armenian Street and Hill Street which is currently the central business ward in Singapore is one of the proud testimonial of the rich legacy of Armenians.
In 1827 Reverend Grigor Hovhannes became the first priest appointed to serve as the Pastor of the Armenian Community in Singapore. In 1835 the Armenian Community was granted the land to build the Church and in the same year the construction of the Church building was completed. In 1836 the Church was consecrated.
The Armenian Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator, undoubtedly the finest masterpiece of the renowned architect George Drumgoole Coleman, was designated. The Armenian Church was officially acknowledged as a national monument on June 28, 1973 by the Preservation of Monuments Board of Singapore.
As an unfortunate consequence of the rapidly diminishing numbers of the Armenian community in the overall population of Singapore, the last Armenian resident priest had to leave in the 1930’s. After a long lapse of more than 80 years finally on March 29, 2016 by the Pontifical Order of His Holiness Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, Very Reverend Father Zaven Yazichyan has been appointed to serve as the Pastor of the Armenian Spiritual Pastorates of Singapore, Myanmar and Bangladesh and as the Representative of the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians to the Far East.
Father Zaven Yazichyan, currently based in Yangon, Myanmar till the completion of the renovation work of the rectory-church house in the church compound. The parsonage was built in 1905 by Nanajan Hovhannes in memory of her late husband, Shanazar Sarkisian and was donated to the Armenian Church to use as the residency of the pastor. As part of a broad government strategy to protect and preserve buildings and monuments in a city that has so rapidly modernized and developed that its precious heritage is on the verge of disappearing, on May 20, 2016, eight national monuments in Singapore received a $2.22 million direct grant from the Government for restoration of heritage monuments. Playing an active and serious role in this regard, the Singapore government has also created and distributed a new class of funds that are especially intended to be utilized for regular maintenance and repair of these buildings and monuments postrestoration.
Among those selected being the Roman Catholic Churches, Indian Muslim Heritage Centre and other heritage monuments, the St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Apostolic Church of Singapore is the first-time recipient. Due to ongoing repair works more than six couple of months Armenian Community in Singapore did not have an opportunity to worship, celebrate the Divine Liturgy and Sacraments․ Fortunately, today the major restoration works in Armenian Church has been accomplished and it stands proudly on its all beauty. However, the parsonage is still under ongoing renovation work.
Karabakh reports over 400 shots from Azeri side overnight
The Azerbaijani side used firearms of different calibers, including sniper rifles, as it violated the ceasefire about 30 times at the line of contact with the Karabakh forces last night.
The rival fired more than 400 shots in the direction of the Armenian positions, the NKR Defense Ministry reports.
The Azerbaijani forces used Instiglal sniper rifles in the southeastern direction, the Ministry said.
The front divisions of the NKR Defense Army refrained from response actions and confidently continued with their military duty all along the line of contact.