Armenians of Ukraine celebrate Feast of Palm Sunday
28.03.2010 16:26 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Today the Ukrainian Diocese of the Armenian
Apostolic Church celebrates the Feast of Palm Sunday, the Triumphant
Entry of Christ into Jerusalem. In Kiev, worship was held in the
Armenian Chapel. The festive liturgy was served by the head of the
Ukrainian Diocese of AAC Archbishop Grigoris Buniatyan,
Analitika.at.ua reported.
6 failed the exam
1 1:53 am | March 25, 2010 | Social
Out of 17 applicants, only 11 accountants were granted certificates of
qualification after an ensuing examination and one of the applicants
hadn’t shown up to the exam.
As reported by the RA Ministry of Finance, a total of 10 qualification
exams were held for accountants this year and out of 149 applicants,
76 received their certificates.
Based on the results of March 24, there are 296 qualified accountants
in Armenia.
RA Diaspora Minister Hranush Hakobyan is on a visit to Lebanon
26.03.2010 18:42 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On March 25, RA Diaspora Minister Hranush Hakobyan
left Syria for Lebanon, where she was welcomed by Armenian community
representatives in a town of Anjar, Diaspora Ministry press service
reported.
Hranush Hakobyan focused on strengthening Anjar-Armenia ties, also
presenting the projects implemented by the Ministry.
‘POLITICIZED DISCOURSE DISTORTS DEBATE OVER ARMENIANS’
Today’s Zaman, Turkey
March 25 2010
Turkish-Armenian journalist Hayko Bagdat has said the air of negativity
that exists within the mentality of many in Turkey regarding Armenians
is obscuring the true identity of that people.
Bagdat is a spokesperson for the Friends of Hrant Group, established
in the memory of slain Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink.
"There is a concrete definition of ‘Armenian’ in our minds — and
there’s a negative emphasis that has been attached to it. It must be
asked, just who are these Armenians?" he commented in an interview
with Today’s Zaman, questioning whether this negative perception is
a result of experience or a willful attempt to create such an attitude.
Armenians are a group of people who have a civilization and who have
lived in Anatolia for a long time, and who until recently had no other
homeland, Bagdat said, adding that a century of mental manipulation
has led many to forget this.
"Let’s not forget with the Armenian issue that first and foremost we’re
talking about people. States can do this, but I don’t understand how
everyday people can view the Armenian issue from the point of view of
an official, dominant ideology. People aren’t states. We should set
everything aside and just feel upset over the people who died. Right
now, Turkey is the [regional] country in which the least Christians
live. But it wasn’t like that a century ago," he said.
Bagdat said that the state tried to designate the Armenian issue
as one that involves foreigners, recalling that in fact there
are Armenians native to places like Malatya and Trabzon who are
citizens of this country. He also criticized the state for focusing
all of its concentration on what US President Barack Obama might say
regarding the issue on April 24 — touted by defenders of the Armenian
"genocide" position as a day of remembrance — instead of the Armenians
here. Calling the influential Armenian diaspora important for Armenians
worldwide but not exciting to him personally, Bagdat commented:
"You can’t do this by getting an invitation to a dinner held by
George Bush’s Republican Party, and attending and then investing in
his campaign and getting him to say ‘genocide.’ Bush recently killed
1.5 million people. Is calling what Bush did a genocide or not calling
it a genocide going to be of any benefit to humanity whatsoever?"
Bagdat also spoke about the recently uncovered Cage plan — an alleged
military plan to destroy the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK
Party) through the assassination of prominent non-Muslim figures in
Turkey — saying that the current dominant ideology in Turkey wanted
to perpetuate its own existence through killing Christians. Bagdat
said that the assassination of Dink brought down this sort of official
state ideology in part because the Turkish people for the first time
grieved over a fellow citizen who was an Armenian. Bagdat called for
an abolishment of political and academic language on such issues,
saying that a "mentality initiative" was necessary to change minds. He
also commented on the ongoing Ergenekon trial, saying it would be an
important test of where the nation stands and in which direction it
is heading.
RA AMBASSADOR MET UAE MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT AND WATER
news.am, Armenia
March 25 2010
March 23, RA Ambassador to United Arab Emirates Vahagn Melikyan met
UAE Minister of Environment and Water Rashid Ahmad Bin Fahad.
The officials touched upon issues on enhancement of the cooperation
in agricultural fields of both states, particularly the opportunities
to export Armenian agricultural products to UAE, the organization
of mutual visits of agricultural exerts, RA Foreign Ministry Press
Service informed NEWS.am.
Melikyan handed Rashid Ahmad RA Vice-Premier’s letter.
L.A.
SIX MAJOR POWERS RESUME TALKS ON IRAN’S NUCLEAR PROGRAM
PanARMENIAN.Net
25.03.2010 11:36 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Britain’s UN ambassador said senior officials of
the six major powers held a conference call Wednesday on possible
new U.N. sanctions against Iran for its nuclear program.
Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant told reporters that political directors
from the five permanent Security Council member nations, plus Germany,
spoke together on Wednesday.
"I have not had full readout of that meeting yet," said Mark Lyall
Grant. "But they have agreed they will have a further discussion of
possible measures early next week."
Those possible measures include new sanctions against members of
Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards Corps as well as sanctions
against Iran’s insurance and shipping sectors.
Security Council member China, which has been the most reluctant of
the six to support new sanctions against Iran, took part in Wednesday’s
conference call.
Iran’s leaders have worked to pursue nuclear energy technology since
the 1950s, spurred by the launch of U.S. President Dwight D.
Eisenhower’s Atoms for Peace program. It made steady progress,
with Western help, through the early 1970s. But concern over Iranian
intentions followed by the upheaval of the Islamic Revolution in 1979
effectively ended outside assistance. Iran was known to be reviving
its civilian nuclear programs during the 1990s, but revelations
in 2002 and 2003 of clandestine research into fuel enrichment and
conversion raised international concern that Iran’s ambitions had
metastasized beyond peaceful intent. Although Iran has consistently
denied allegations it seeks to develop a bomb, the September 2009
revelation of a second uranium enrichment facility near the holy city
of Qom -constructed under the radar of international inspectors –
deepened suspicion surrounding Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
ARMENIA-AZERBAIJAN: BBC AZERI FACEBOOK DIARY II
by Onnik Krikorian
t/uploads/2010/03/bbc_azeri_small-75×75.jpg
Thursd ay, March 25th, 2010 @ 14:02 UTC
As part of the BBC Superpower Season, the BBC’s Azeri service
approached Global Voices Online’s Caucasus editor to participate in
its own reflection on the power of the Internet. What follows is Part
II in English.
As part of the BBC Superpower Season, the BBC’s Azeri service
approached Global Voices Online’s Caucasus editor to participate
in its own reflection on the power of the Internet. Locked into a
bitter stalemate over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh,
BBC Azeri were specifically interested in how new and social media
could bring the two warring sides together.
What follows is part two of the series, originally published yesterday
in Azerbaijani, translated or using the original texts in English. It
followed one already republished in English on Global Voices Online
yesterday. The third and final part will appear tomorrow.
The BBC Superpower season is in March. In these programs we discussed
the power of Internet and the way it affects the lives of people.
The Internet has brought big changes to the lives of people starting
from personal relations to business contacts. New media has opened up
a new way not only for journalists. It has also inspired an audience
and civil society towards free thought and social activism.
The wide use of social media has changed cultural and political values
throughout the world. People are willing to communicate, participate
and share their thoughts.
This new online project prepared by the Azeri service of the BBC
within this Internet season is called Facebook diary.
Every day the participants of this project will follow social media
sites like Facebook and Twitter and share their observations with
readers of this site.
The first part of our Facebook diary is called Social media and
conflict resolution.
As an observation, the main purpose of using Facebook is about the
opportunities offered to users of social media as well as using it
as a think-tank platform.
What opportunity does social media offer to peace activists from
Armenia and Azerbaijan? Can new media tools change the current
situation? What are the negative effects of social media in the light
of nationalists using new media for an attack on the "enemy"?
Answers to these questions will be given by diarists writing on
"Social media and conflict resolution" – Arzu Qeybullayeva from
Azerbaijan and Onnik Krikorian from Armenia.
Arzu Qeybullayeva is the political program manager at the National
Democratic Institute in Baku, has a blog and conducts trainings on
social media.
Negative Moments
While we talk of Facebook as an opportunity shared by all, there are
unfortunately also times when it can become a war zone. I would like
to share with you a discussion that took place on my wall, several
weeks ago, regarding a link I posted on an incident that took place
in Yerevan.
After posting this on my wall, I received a sad face smiley from Edgar,
an Armenian friend of mine, who then sent me a link to the video from
that incident.
However, it didn’t take long before a young Azerbaijani boy posted
this: "Ä° don’t want both nations’ freedom.. good for us bad for
them….main thing is our freedom…"
Edgar responded:
Araz jan, you seem to be a young guy with kind eyes and friendly
smile. My advice to you: try to overcome the hatred in your heart,
never treat things which have human dimension as purely political.
Don’t forget that democracy is an absolute category, which doesn’t
recognize any nationalities or borders. After all, the more democratic
regimes we have in the region the less possible is the war here. The
human history doesn’t remember any case of war between two democratic
countries.
Araz replied:
First of all don’t say me "jan"…Ä°’m not your friend…Second
yeah I have friendly smile but it is only for my nation-TURKS…I
will never smile to you country and nation…I hate Armenia and all
armenians….and now I only want to kill all of armenians which killed
my citizens in Karabagh and even killed women and children in one
night (Khojali)…why killed?? for friiendship?))You are such nation
which can’t live and make war as a human…In history turks didn’t
kill women and children in war…only you nation and fascist soldiers
did it….Don’t advice me about democracy and friendship…After the
freedom of Karabagh and Ä°ravan,killing of minumum 30000 armenian
soldiers, and then if Ä° have time Ä° will think about it….democracy
and firendship…
After that, the conversation didn’t lead anywhere and I tried
explaining to Araz that another war wont change anything and nor would
such negative attitudeseither. Perhaps, he is too young to see it the
way I do, but I hope his mindset does change and that there are more
real as well as virtual friendships on Facebook to share positive
messages rather than ones full of hatred.
—————————————– —————————————
Onnik Krikorian is the Caucasus regional editor of Global Voices
Online as well as a freelance journalist and photojournalist based
in Yerevan, Armenia.
A Year of Change: Despite fears, alternative voices emerge online
A year ago, I could never imagined that I’d now be sitting in Yerevan
getting ready to co-present on the role of new and social media in
conflict transformation with Arzu Geybullayeva next month in Tbilisi,
Georgia. What started out as a few email exchanges before connecting
on Facebook eventually transformed itself into offline friendship as
well as a project to show that ethnic Armenians and Azeris can and
do co-exist together outside of the conflict zone.
True, after our initial contact, many other Armenians and Azeris
have also been connecting, but I don’t think either of us could
have expected it to have happened so quickly and, more importantly,
so easily. Certainly, I could never have imagined that last year I’d
be genuinely cooperating with Azerbaijani bloggers and journalists.
However, we did, and photos, articles, podcasts and videos were mainly
disseminated via blogs and social networking sites.
Of course, not everyone is convinced that such moves are to be
applauded or promoted. Unfortunately, fears about open communication
between Armenians and Azerbaijanis still persist.
Last month, for example, a short message from Azerbaijan went out
on Twitter. "Media report: Police & NatSec detains Baku resident for
chatting with Armenians in Internet forums," it read. However, there
was no link to the story although that didn’t stop some Armenians from
re-tweeting it. Finally, when the original story was tracked down,
it was anything but what it initially had seemed.
Instead, two Azerbaijanis had quarreled about Armenians on a forum
and decided to meet up to ‘discuss matters’ in person. This being the
Caucasus where emotions often run wild, you can guess what happened
next. A fight in a public space followed and the police intervened.
After checking the story with a journalist friend to Baku, neither
man was apparently taken for questioning by National Security.
Of course, it’s understandable why many Armenians and Azerbaijanis
believed the somewhat misleading tweet, but what about positive stories
of Armenians and Azerbaijanis coming together? Why does everyone seem
to focus on the negative? Why have a myriad of voices been ignored
or drowned out by less tolerant ones in the local media?
Instead, and speaking as a journalist, the Internet now allows me
access to such some very important sources.
A few months ago, for example, after reading some of my blog posts,
Zamira, an ethnic Azeri refugee contacted me by email. A few weeks
later, I asked her about her own personal history. Her words were
both touching and thought-provoking to say the least.
My family left Armenia during the displacement in 1988. I was only
4 when I left, but I don’t know if it’s fortunate or unfortunate not
being able to remember everything I left behind.
Our house, the garden, playground, my friends, my apple tree and
rooster, which I really loved. After coming here I used to dream
about our house a lot and then at some point everything faded away.
For many years we couldn’t adjust which influenced my psychology as
a whole. You can’t imagine how horrible it feels to be a refugee. I
miss my home and hope that before I die I will have a chance to see
it again.
This war made me become a peacemaker. My struggle is more complicated,
though, because on the one hand I have to help those who are in
conflict and on the other help myself.
We’re now Facebook friends and regularly communicate with each other
both openly and privately. There are other examples existing online on
both sides as well, but so far not heard in the mainstream media. Some
recent examples of videos posted on YouTube illustrate this point
incredibly well.
Last month, for example, a small group of young Armenian and
Azerbaijani youth visiting Tbilisi held a flash mob and walked
peacefully to the Georgian Parliament. Their message, scrawled on
large cards in Armenian, Azerbaijan, French, Georgian, German and
French, was simple. It was a message of peace in the South Caucasus.
Or what about the YouTube video of a young man and woman dancing to a
North Caucasian tune, location unknown, draped in the flags of their
respective countries, Armenia and Azerbaijan?
Or my own video interview, shot on a simple mobile phone and uploaded
to YouTube, with an ethnic Azeri living in Tbilisi next door to
Armenian neighbors speaking of peaceful coexistence between ethnic
groups?
Yet, with the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan apparently
involved in negotiations to finally end a conflict which threatens to
destabilize the region and frustrate its long term development, isn’t
it about time the media objectively covered such examples as well?
Until they do, perhaps, this is where new and social media can step in.
The original text in Azerbaijani is available on the BBC Azeri web
site. Many thanks to Konul Khalilova for permission to post a version
in English. The main collaboration between the BBC and Global Voices
Online for the Superpower Season is here.
THE 1915 GENOCIDE IS AN AXIOMATIC REALITY, SAYS YEGHIAZARIAN
Aysor, Armenia
March 25 2010
Armenia’s government underestimates diplomatic opportunities of Turkey,
said at today’s press conference member of the Social Democratic
Gnchakian Party, former deputy minister of national security of
Armenia, Gurgen Yeghiazarian.
He said considers it unacceptable to agree to the historical commission
to study the 1915 Genocide, which is contained in Armenia-Turkey
protocols.
"Genocide is an axiomatic reality to us as well as for the world.
Turkey is trying to harm the process of international recognition of
the Genocide through the historical commission," said politician.
Gurgen Yeghiazarian also pointed out that Turkey is setting out
terms and conditions, when at the very beginning of the process it
was spoken of normalisation of relations without any preconditions.
"There are numerous preconditions throughout the documents, while
exactly the Turkish side itself is obligated to open the border.
"They can’t keep the border closed for a long time," he added.
MARIE YOVANOVITCH: ARMENIAN-TURKISH RECONCILIATION PRIORITY FOR U.S.
PanARMENIAN.Net
25.03.2010 18:20 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Contacts between civil societies in Armenia
and Turkey are essential for reconciliation, Director of the
Global Political Trends Center (GPoT), Mensur Akgun, said during
Armenia-Turkey policy discussions going on in Yerevan on the initiative
of Eurasia Partnership Foundation (EPF) and GPoT and with funding
from USAID.
The meeting brought together a number of distinguished opinion
makers and media professionals from Turkey and Armenia. The list of
participants includes retired Armenian and Turkish diplomats and
high-level government officials; as well as renowned Armenian and
Turkish media professionals.
U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Marie Yovanovitch said, for her part, that
Armenian-Turkish rapprochement is a priority for United States. "The
political process between Armenia and Turkey is a challenge but
the civil societies in both countries can help the leaders reach
reconciliation," she said.
AN EMINENT MOTHER-DAUGHTER WRITING DUO IN ARMENIA
by Tom Vartabedian
=/go/article/2010-03-23-an-eminent-mother-daughter -writing-duo-in-armenia&pg=2
Tuesday March 23, 2010
Yerevan – One book doesn’t necessarily make an accomplished author
but with Knarig Svazlian, it’s a step in the right direction.
The 41-year-old just published a work titled "The History of the
Armenian Community in America, " dating back to 1618 when Armenians
first set foot on this land to the period just following the genocide
in 1924.
For that, she feels a sense of accomplishment and gratitude after
eight years of arduous research. But more than that, she’d like
nothing better than to catch up with her mother some day.
That’s a rather tall order. Dr. Vermin Svazlian, a noted folklorist
and ethnographer, has authored no fewer than 23 books in various
languages. At age 75, she has no intentions of slowing down but rather
heightened by the literary and historic word.
Her latest, "The Armenian Genocide and The People’s Historical Memory,"
documents the eyewitness accounts of 700 survivors throughout Armenia
and the Diaspora.
Together, they represent the eminent mother-daughter writing duo
of Armenia.
We met the Svazlians over lunch at a popular restaurant in Yerevan
called "Sherlock Holmes." In their hands were copies of their books
and a wealth of information regarding the Armenian Question and other
vital matters.
Much as the daughter spent eight years compiling her work, the mother’s
book proved more gregarious, beginning in 1955, and extending a half
century. Wherever Dr. Svazlian attended a conference, her notepad
and video camera were sure to follow.
As fate would have it, not one of the 700 survivors she encountered
is alive today.
"When my father died, his final words to me at age 14 were well
calculated," said Dr. Svazlian. "He wanted me to become an intelligent,
tireless worker for the homeland. He was a genocide survivor and
wanted to write this book. I wrote it for him."
The 1,600-page publication was ultimately translated into seven
languages and subsidized by the Armenian government on the 90th
anniversary of the Genocide.
Editor Sarkis Harutyunian, associate member, National Academy of
Sciences for Republic of Armenia, calls it "an enormously laborious
and gratifying work designed to save and perpetuate the unique memoirs
and songs depicting this tragic and heroic history."
"In this study, the author skillfully conjoined her rich and diverse
materials with actual historical evidence," he said. "They support
to great extent the defense of the Armenian Case and, in particular,
refute the distorted accounts of history as written by Turkish and
pro-Turkish historians."
As much as Dr. Svazlian’s literary achievements have been inspired
by her dad, no doubt Knarig remains a chip off her mother’s block.
Granted the output is far askew but the spirit remains on a parallel
course.
"My mother played a major role in the publication of my book with her
ability to translate and her concise economic ways," said Knarig. "I’m
indebted to her in a lot of ways, especially the way she motivates
me to write."
She praises her mom’s vast literary accomplishments and admits to
gaining a strong influence by both parents. Her father is an attorney
and also writes. His stories touch upon the social and human climate
of Armenia. The family lives in a 3-room Yerevan tenement and shares
one computer.
"It doesn’t mean the other two stop writing when I’m using the
computer," Knarig says. "They prefer having me use the updated
technology while they write in long-hand, then pay to have it printed.
They’re usually sacrificing for me."
Knarig started her project in 1992 and finished eight years later with
a completed volume of 240 pages. A second edition is being compiled
from 1924 to the present. Among those contributing to the project
are Professor Dennis Papazian, Nancy Kolligian, Mark Mamigonian,
Van Aroian, Gary Lind-Sinanian, NAASR and ALMA.
Why America?
"A family matter close to the heart," she points out. "My
great-grandfather (Mehran Svazlian) was founder of the first Armenian
lobbying organization in America which took place in Boston in 1917.
He also published the Armenian Herald Journal for five years."
With a doctorate in history from Yerevan State University, Verjine
Svazlian continues to teach and lecture on Diasporan history at the
National Academy of Sciences. Her $120 monthly salary is irrelevant.
"I don’t work for money," she says. "I work for the idea — for the
welfare of my country and the preservation of our history so those
outside our race will recognize the genocide and respect our people
with moral understanding."
About Dr. Verjine Svazlian Dr. Verjine Svazlian, 75, author,
ethnographer, folklorist, was born in 1934 in Alexandria (Egypt)
in the family of writer Karnik Svazlian, an eyewitness survivor of
the Armenian Genocide.
She had her elementary education at the local Poghossian Armenian
National School and secondary education at the Armenian Nuns’
Immaculate Conception School with a French language bias.
In 1947, she repatriated with her parents to Armenia and graduated with
honors nine years later from the Historico-Linguistic Department of
the Yerevan Khachatour Abovian Armenian State Pedagogical University.
On her own initiative, she started to jot down the various folklore
relics communicated, in different dialects, by the Armenians forcibly
exiled from Western Armenia, Cilicia and Anatolia to the various
countries of the world.
In 1958, Dr. Svazlian began work at the Manouk Abeghian Institute
of Literature of the Armenian Academy of Sciences. Other areas of
employment were National Academy of Sciences and Museum Institute of
the Armenian Genocide of the National Academy of Sciences.
She has participated in a number of international conferences,
discoursing upon folklore, ethnography, Armenian Genocide and the
Armenian Question.
She has authored 23 books in different languages, including her
latest "The Armenian Genocide and The People’s Historical Memory,
along with more than 500 academic and public papers published in
Armenia and abroad.
Dr. Svazlian has written down and taped, word by word, fragment
by fragment, studied and published during a period of 50 years
the various relics of the oral tradition. She has documented the
testimonies and historical songs (in Armenian and Turkish) of genocide
survivors deported from more than 100 localities of Historic Armenia,
Cilicia and Anatolia.
Her efforts saved from a total loss the collective historical memory
of the Armenian nation with a view to presenting it to the world
in different languages (Armenian, Russian, English, Turkish, French
and German).
She is the mother of published author Knarig Svazlian, 41, who has
just released her own book titled, "The History of the Armenian
Community in America."