Author: Garik Boshkezenian

Henrikh Mkhitaryan may return from injury in Manchester United’s Europa League match at FC Rostov and that would be good news for every Reds supporter, as well as a group of Armenian journalists who have driven over 1,300 kilometres to attend Thursday’s tie in Russia.

Stewart Gardner interviewed Robert Gasparyan from Vivaro News before the press pack amusingly sang the ever-popular Mkhitaryan chant.

Firstly, after travelling so far, how much do you hope to see Henrikh in action?
“We heard about the injury and hoped to see him here. We didn’t know if Mourinho would pick him up for this Europa League game against FC Rostov, but we came here and finally on Tuesday we knew Mkhitaryan would be on board. We heard Mourinho say in his press conference that he doesn’t know whether it is possible for Mkhitaryan to play because the conditions are awful. Maybe he will keep Mkhitaryan for the second half and let him play for 20 to 25 minutes, because there is a very important game against Chelsea that is more important than the first leg against Rostov.”

Can you give us an idea of how much interest there is in Mkhitaryan back in Armenia? 
“The transfer of Mkhitaryan from Dortmund to Manchester United was like a boom for Armenia! Everybody expected he would move to Juventus or Arsenal, but he decided on Manchester United so Mkhitaryan has made a step up in his career. It was amazing for us to know and hear about an Armenian player who plays in England, the best league in the world, at Manchester United. There was a hard situation for Mkhitaryan after the Manchester derby when he was not playing for two months, but we hoped that one day he would start playing and show he is world-class.”

How difficult was it getting to Rostov?
“By plane it is much easier for us, but we came by car here and drove 1,300 kilometres across Armenia, into Georgia and then Russia. We went through many passport controls, it was awful, but we got here finally and now we hope that Mkhitaryan will play. We hope to see his best play and, here, there are many Armenian people. Forty per cent of citizens here are Armenians so it is very interesting for the people of Rostov. There are Armenian flags, people screaming Mkhitaryan, singing the famous Sting song [Englishman in New York]. There is a very big interest in Mkhitaryan.”

Finally, as somebody who knows Russian football, what do you expect from the game?
“The draw will be a really good result for Manchester United, because we know about the field. I hope that MU will win, but on 9 March when the fields of Russia are not in a good condition then maybe the draw will not be a bad result. The next game will be in Manchester and, there, I think United will win.”

On February 28, a telephone conversation between Foreign Ministers of the Republic of Artsakh and the Transdniestrian Moldovan Republic (TMR) Karen Mirzoyan and Vitaly Ignatyev took place at the initiative of the Transdniestrian side.

The TMR Foreign Minister appreciated the conduct as well as the results of the February 20 referendum held in Artsakh on the new draft Constitution in the context of consolidation of democratic values, respect for human rights and the rule of law and further development of the statehood. In turn, Karen Mirzoyan expressed his satisfaction with the active participation of the observation mission of the Transdniestrian Moldovan Republic in the referendum to monitor the voting process.

Vitaly Ignatyev expressed his deep concern over the attempted attack on the positions of the Defense Army of the Republic of Artsakh by the Azerbaijani armed forces in the early hours of February 25 and its consequences, as well as conveyed his support for the Artsakh side.

Karen Mirzoyan briefed his counterpart on the situation on the Line of Contact and the efforts of the Artsakh side aimed at stabilizing the situation and ensuring conditions for the resumption of the negotiations.

During the conversation, the TMR Foreign Minister also expressed his condolences in connection with the Armenian massacres committed 29 years ago in Sumgait, conveying his support for the relatives of those murdered or injured during the tragic events. The sides noted that the impunity of such crimes paves the way for new crimes against humanity.

The sides also discussed a range of issues related to the cooperation between the foreign offices, stressing the importance of further consolidation and expansion of the traditional friendly relations between the Foreign Ministries of the two countries.

Massis Post – Dr. Umit Kurt, currently a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard University, will give a talk entitled “The Curious Case of Ali Cenani Bey: The Story of a Genocide Perpetrator During and After the 1915 Armenian Genocide,” on Thursday, February 23, 2017 at the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR) Center.

Within the scholarship on the history of Armenian Genocide, studies of the perpetrators have received and continue to receive special attention. Seen from a wider perspective, it is important to conduct research on the executors of the Armenian Genocide, for even when the agents of genocide are not explicitly mentioned, the consequences of their deeds remain all too visible. Yet case studies of individual perpetrators remain rare.

In this lecture, Dr. Umit Kurt will focus on Aintab—situated on the boundaries of Cilicia and Syria, near both the Mediterranean Sea and the Gulf of Alexandretta—and reveal the activities of the perpetrators and their involvement in the destruction of Armenians at the local/provincial level.

Presenting a wide range of people, functions, actions, and motives that highlight the complexity of the persecution process, but without neglecting the crucial element of personal responsibility, Kurt will explain who these perpetrators were and what their roles and motivations were. The lecture will focus especially on one major perpetrator, Ali Cenani Bey (1872-1934), his background, deeds, active and involvement in the 1915 Armenian deportation and genocide as well as his life story in the post-genocide period in modern Turkey.

Umit Kurt received his Ph.D. in history at Clark University in 2016, with his dissertation focusing on the confiscation of Armenian properties and the role of local elites/notables in Aintab during the Armenian Genocide, 1915-1921. He is the author of numerous historical and political articles in scholarly journals and newspapers, several books in Turkish, and co-author with Taner Akçam of The Spirit of the Laws: The Plunder of Wealth in the Armenian Genocide.

Six people have been found alive in Italy’s Rigapiano hotel, two days after it was buried in an avalanche, the BBC reports.

Rescuers said the six survivors had been discovered buried under snow, but had not yet been extracted.

They have now requested rescue helicopters to help with the efforts, Italian media reported.

At least four people have been confirmed dead, and about 20 are still missing, as the rescue effort continues in difficult conditions.

The Museum for Islamic Art is hosting Dor Guez’s solo exhibition in Jerusalem. The project’s title, The Sick Man of Europe, quotes a term coined in the 19th century to describe the disintegrating Ottoman Empire, accoding to .

Using this term, Guez examines the culture and history of some of the nation states that have emerged from the Ottoman debris. He appropriates this metaphor by reconstructing “the sick man” as a historic figure. Each section of the project recounts the story of an individual who embodies a subject fallen victim to military conditions,

The exhibition is centered on a film in which Guez presents the story of Hagop, an Armenian composer whose family was expelled from Kütahya during World War I. Guez accompanies Hagop on his first visit to sacred sites in contemporary Armenia. Along the way we hear an archival conversation between Komitas and Suni, two renowned early Armenian composers. The two compare composing to a journey, and point out a connection between the art of composition and Armenian topography.

The exhibition also includes a series of photograms featuring ground plans of Armenian churches, ceramic objects from Kütahya that Guez traced and extracted from the museum’s collection, and showcases containing prints reproduced from glass slides, documenting the Ottoman army during WWI, among them, a slide showing Enver Pasha, one of the principal perpetrators of the Armenian genocide.

Photo: Getty Images

A expert committee has established a new world record wave height of 19 meters (62.3 feet) measured by a buoy in the North Atlantic.

The wave was recorded by an automated buoy at 0600 UTC on 4 February 2013 in the North Atlantic ocean between Iceland and the United Kingdom. It followed the passage of a very strong cold front, which produced winds of up to 43.8 knots (50.4 miles per hour) over the area.

The previous record of 18.275 meters  was measured on 8 December 2007, also in the North Atlantic.

The WMO Commission for Climatology’s Extremes Evaluation Committee classified it as “the highest significant wave height as measured by a buoy”. The Committee consisted of scientists from Great Britain, Canada, the United States of America and Spain.

“This is the first time we have ever measured a wave of 19 meters. It is a remarkable record,” said WMO Assistant Secretary-General Wenjian Zhang. “It highlights the importance of meteorological and ocean observations and forecasts to ensure the safety of the global maritime industry and to protect the lives of crew and passengers on busy shipping lanes,” he said.

Donald Trump’s election as US President will have a positive impact on the situation in the Middle East, since the confrontation between Russia and the US will tend to weaken, expert of Turkish studies Ruben Safrastyan considers.

Speaking about the perspectives of development of American-Turkish relations, Safrastyan said “the close allied relations will be maintained, but the relationship will be void of extra sensitivity.”

What’s more important to Armenians is the perspective of recognition of the Armenian Genocide. “American Armenians face a tough task in this respect as they have not raised the issue during Trump’s candidacy,” political scientist Stepan Grigoryan says. According to him, this is the first time American Armenians get no promise, the first time they do not work in that direction.

“Trump, who has a reputation of an unpredictable man, may once recognize the Armenian Genocide in the same unexpected way,” Stepan Grigoryan says.

According to Ruben Safrastyan, for the first time American Armenians will have to deal with President, who has never been related to Armenians or the Armenian Cause, which is a challenge to both American Armenians and Armenia.

“Before the inauguration ceremony scheduled for January 20, Armenians have to do their best to have Trump’s administration present him true information about Armenia-related issues,” Safrastyan says.

He notes that “Donald Trump has not given importance to the South Caucasus during his campaign, which means  he will approach the issues of the South Caucasus from the Russian perspective.”

The former Red Devils winger has backed the big-money summer signing to come good despite enduring a tough start to life at Old Trafford.

Former Manchester United winger Jesper Blomqvist, whose 38 appearances for the Reds included the 1999 Champions League final, believes it is only a matter of time before Henrikh Mkhitaryan proves his quality for the club.

The Armenia captain has been kept on the fringes of the first team by manager Jose Mourinho for much of the season, making just one appearance since he was replaced at halftime of the 2-1 loss to Manchester City on Sept. 10.

Blomqvist, who won the treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in 1999 with United, is confident that Mkhitaryan will be a success in England.

“He can definitely become a star,” the former Sweden international told .

“United is a big club and it takes longer to settle in for some players. Maybe Henrikh needs a little more time to settle in but, when you see how he reads the game and what he has achieved elsewhere, it’s surely only going to be a matter of time before he shows us what he can do at Old Trafford.”

Blomqvist also praised the impact of compatriot Zlatan Ibrahimovic since his move to United on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain in July.

The Armenian National Committee of America Eastern Region (ANCA-ER) announced today the launch of its new GoHye fundraising and social media challenge campaign. The aim of the campaign is to ensure the sustainability and expansion of the range of organization’s programs and activities throughout the region.

In 2016 alone, the ANCA Eastern Region has registered many successes, including:

·         Expansion of its strong local ANC network into Minnesota, Kentucky, South Carolina, North Carolina, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, Northern Ohio, and Central Florida;

·         Halt of an anti-Armenian resolution in Kentucky State Senate;

·         Passage of an Artsakh independence recognition resolution in the state of Georgia;

·         West Virginia becoming the 44th state to officially affirm the Armenian Genocide;

·         Protest and coordinated campaign against the genocide denial ads and billboards, which resulted in formal policy changes and apologies issued to our community;

·         Commemoration of the atrocities committed against Armenians during Sumgait and Baku Pogroms;

·         Dozens of meetings with elected officials in Washington, DC and in the districts to advocate for the issues our community cares most about – deeper U.S.-Armenia partnership; safety for the Syrian-Armenians; independence of Artsakh; truth and justice for the Armenian Genocide;

·         And so much more.

“These are challenging times everywhere. The Armenian Nation especially is faced with many challenges in the Diaspora as well as in the Homeland,” said ANCA Eastern Region Chairman Stephen Mesrobian. “ANCA-ER has been on the front-lines advocating on behalf of our nation in all corners of the Eastern United States. We are asking our friends and supporters to join our GoHye campaign for us to be able to go higher and achieve even more together.”

While there have already been many achievements, there is a lot more work ahead, and today – more than ever – there is a need for greater community involvement and engagement to rise up to the challenges facing us. By joining the GoHye campaign and making a symbolic donation of $19.15 per month, community members can help ensure that the ANCA Eastern Region has the necessary resources to continue to get the job done.

In an effort to raise awareness about the campaign, ANCA-ER has also launched a GoHye challenge encouraging Armenians to share their cultural pride on social media. The GoHye Challenge is very simple:

1.    Record video on what makes you proud as an Armenian (what makes you GoHye?)

2.    Tag and challenge three of your friends, giving them 48 hours to complete the challenge

3.    Share the video on social media and use the #GoHye hashtag

Participants have 48 hours to respond to the challenge or they have to donate to ANCA Eastern Region Endowment Fund to support its activities.