Author: Kamalian Hagop

Turkish President of European Council Should be Barred from Armenia
Harut Sassounian

Panorama.am
18/05/2010

Mevlut Cavusoglu, the Turkish President of PACE (Parliamentary Assembly
of the Council of Europe), offended his hosts by refusing to lay a
wreath at the Armenian Genocide Monument during his visit to Yerevan
last week.

When the Armenian media questioned him about his refusal, Cavusoglu
lied by saying that his predecessors had not done so either. Armenian
journalists corrected him by pointing out that his predecessors
had in fact visited the Genocide Monument. After getting caught,
he changed his tune and confessed that it was his personal decision
not to visit the Monument and asked that Armenians respect his wishes.

Why should Armenians respect a genocide denier and a liar? Although a
founder of the ruling Justice and Development Party and member of the
Turkish Parliament, Cavusoglu was not visiting Armenia as a Turkish
official, but as President of PACE. It is regrettable that earlier this
year Armenia’s delegates to PACE were not successful in blocking his
election to the Presidency of this influential European institution.

The real issue is not Cavusoglu’s ethnic background. No one should be
disqualified from any post due to his or her ethnicity. The objections
are based on his long-standing opposition to Armenian issues, including
denials of the Armenian Genocide and support for Azerbaijan in the
Artsakh conflict.

Upon learning that Cavusoglu would not visit the Genocide Memorial —
a standard protocol for all high-ranking dignitaries visiting Yerevan
— the Armenian government decided to downgrade the status of his
visit from "official" to that of a "working" one. Needless to say,
this was just a slap on the wrist, given the gravity of his offense.

Regrettably, Armenian officials did not issue a single word of
criticism or condemnation. They should have taken a harsher measure
against Cavusoglu and cancelled his trip to Yerevan. By not enforcing
the country’s long established protocol, Armenian officials are simply
encouraging future visiting dignitaries not to respect the memory of
Armenian Genocide victims.

A bad precedent was already set in September 2008, when Pres. Gul was
invited to Yerevan. I wrote a column then urging Armenian authorities
to ask the Turkish President to lay a wreath at the Genocide Monument.

Unfortunately, no such request was made of Pres. Gul, and he was more
than happy to sidestep the issue!

I must commend the Armenian Revolutionary Federation for refusing to
meet with Cavusoglu during his Yerevan visit, because of his disrespect
for Armenian Genocide victims. His visit was also condemned by the
local Student Union of the Hnchag Party.

Unfortunately, officials of an opposition party met Cavusoglu in
Yerevan to pursue their own agenda, asking him — a Turk — to
condemn the Armenian government’s human rights record. Meanwhile,
pro-government parties met Cavusoglu to familiarize him with Armenia’s
position on major regional issues, as if he would be willing to change
his views on the Armenian Genocide, Artsakh and Armenian-Turkish
relations.

Regardless of his own and his government’s denialist position on the
Armenian Genocide, Cavusoglu should not be excused for not having
visited the Genocide Monument. Even Ambassadors of countries that do
not formally acknowledge the Armenian Genocide take part in the solemn
procession on April 24 and lay a wreath at the Genocide Monument.

By refusing to follow protocol, Cavusoglu not only insulted the
Armenian nation, but also violated the long-standing recognition of
the Armenian Genocide by the European Parliament.

In the end, by his words and deeds, the Turkish diplomat managed to
embarrass himself and undermine his own credibility as a political
figure unworthy of representing a prominent European institution and
its values.

To avoid similar scandals in the future, Armenian officials must
contact foreign dignitaries in advance of their planned visits and
impress upon them the importance of respecting Armenia’s established
protocol on laying a wreath at the Genocide Monument. Should they
refuse, their visit should be promptly canceled. Can anyone imagine
a foreign dignitary visiting Jerusalem and refusing to lay a wreath
at the Yad Vashem memorial for Holocaust victims? He or she would
not be allowed to set foot in Israel again. The Armenian government
should take a similar stand vis-a-vis the Armenian Genocide Memorial!

At the end of his first visit to Armenia, Cavusoglu announced that
he would be back in Yerevan in October. I hope Armenian officials
do not let him into the country, unless he is prepared to respect
Armenia’s established protocols for all foreign dignitaries.

If Armenian officials do not insist on applying their own rules and
regulations, foreign dignitaries would have no reason to comply!

ARMENIAN PEACEKEEPERS AWARDED MEDALS AND CERTIFICATES IN AFGHANISTAN

Panorama.am
18/05/2010

20 servicemen of the Armenian peacekeeping unit participating in
the activities of the International Security Assistance Force in
Afghanistan were awarded with medals and certificates by the German-led
RC North in Afghanistan.

The award ceremony took place near the Kunduz airfield in front of
the Armenian chapel built by Armenian peacekeepers, information and
public relations department of the Ministry of Defense reported.

PRESS RELEASE
National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR)
395 Concord Ave.
Belmont, MA 02478
Tel.: 617-489-1610

LECTURE AT NAASR ON HUMANITARIAN ROLE OF
ALEPPO PRELACY DURING THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Dr. Vahram Shemmassian will give a lecture entitled
"Humanitarian Intervention by the Armenian Prelacy of Aleppo during the
First Months of the Armenian Genocide," on Thursday, May 20, at 8:00
p.m., at the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research
(NAASR) Center, 395 Concord Ave., Belmont, MA 02478.

In 1915, the city of Aleppo in northern Syria constituted
the main funnel through which thousands of Armenian deportees from
across the Ottoman Empire filtered on their forced marches to extinction
by genocidal design. During their transitional sojourn or, in the case
of the more fortunate ones, permanent stay in that metropolis, the
outcasts received humanitarian assistance, albeit often with difficulty
and clandestinely, from several corners including the U.S. Consulate and
Swiss missionaries. Similarly, the Armenian Prelacy of Aleppo played a
pivotal role in alleviating the misery of incoming deportees during the
turbulent years of World War I and beyond.

This talk will shed light on the humanitarian mission
embarked upon by a special instrument of the Prelacy, called the
Refugees Committee, which was constituted for the specific purpose of
aiding the victim element. Although the Refugees Committee remained
active at least through early 1917, the paucity of sources does not
allow for a fuller investigation of the entire period. On the other
hand, two extant files in the Prelacy archives enable us to focus on the
months of May, June, and July 1915 with considerable detail, although
certain points continue to remain moot.

Five areas of interest will be dealt with: first, the
formation of the Refugees Committee; second, the arrival of deportees in
and their relocation from Aleppo; third, fund raising, relief, and other
accommodations; fourth, the extension of succor to the outlying
districts; fifth, a viability report.

Dr. Vahram Shemmassian is Associate Professor of Armenian
and Director of the Armenian Studies Program at California State
University, Northridge. He holds a Ph.D. from UCLA and wrote a
dissertation entitled "The Armenian Villagers of Musa Dagh: A
Historical-Ethnographic Study, 1840-1915."

More information about Shemmassian’s lecture or NAASR and
its programs for the furtherance of Armenian studies, research, and
publication may be had by calling 617-489-1610, faxing 617-484-1759,
e-mailing [email protected], or writing to NAASR, 395 Concord Ave., Belmont,
MA 02478.

ARTHUR POGHOSYAN: THE VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT VERY OFTEN FOREVER DEPRIVES CHILD FROM THE JOY OF REAL BEAUTIFUL AND SENSIBLE WAY

ARMENPRESS
MAY 17, 2010
YEREVAN

"Armenpress" news agency spoke with professor of California University,
psychologist Arthur Poghosyan about the influence of Internet on
children, parent-child relations.

– What must a parent know, with which he/she must be guided during
upbringing not to bother, divert the child and guide him/her in a
right way?

– First of all a parent must be aware to what type of parents he/she
belongs. First "authority" parent who considers that a child must
without caprices and immediately do everything what the parent will
say. Such parents more frequently bring up such people who during
the whole life are waiting what they will be said to do or when they
will show their will for moving forward. The second group includes
such parents who are more closely cooperating with children: they
"cooperate" – they do not demand indirect obedience, they hear them
and guide them, explaining and letting the child choose. This demands
greater time and efforts, patience. There are also parents of the
third type who are not dealing with the development of children,
letting him/her do what he/she wants. Usually in this case the roles
change and the child starts dictating his/her wish or what must be
done. Here the parent becomes child’s hostage whom the child forces
to do what he/she wishes: this finally harms the parent and the child.

The fourth group includes parents who are not dealing with the
upbringing of children as they are violating laws or for some other
issues: such children are growing under care of grandparents, uncle
or other people or institutions. The enumerated types are usually
not fixed: parents incessantly pass from one type to another choosing
the most convenient one for that moment.

– The Armenian parents, having big expectations from their children,
overburden them may be more than the child can bear. How dangerous
is this phenomenon?

– It is peculiar not only to Armenian parents. In the USA, working with
people of different groups, I see this phenomenon among representatives
of small nations. It is good when education is being highlighted,
it would be good if all have higher education. But, at last, it is
not a sign of good-breeding which is much more important.

Also if we press the child and he/she according to our wish, and
with overstraining strength reaches some position he/she will never
feel convenient and happy. The same is in the opposite case as well,
when the child is left completely free and does not use its potential
according to his/her wish, during the time he/she sees that in some
point he/she could have become a realized personality, worthy of some
status, bus failed. In this case he/she feels incomplete during the
whole life as understands that he/she has unused potential. Thus our
goal must be to find the potential of our children, force them to
use it and they will consolidate in what they have chosen and not
in our imagined completeness. In that case we will have completely
happy people of different professions.

– How does Internet influence on the development of a child?

– Internet has dual impact – positive and negative. Usually the
anti-American association of pediatricians claims that till three
years old child must not bear the impact on any of mass media as
it may have a negative impact on his/her development. Near the many
times registered positive impact of the Internet the harms must also
be mentioned like in Mozart theory. Some time ago researches have been
presented according to which the child who listens Mozart in future
has higher IQ-Intelligent content. Economically in respect of sale
of Mozart music it was beneficial for some people and different CDs
and videos have been quickly sold and after it Bach became another
part of economy, followed by other composers. In future, already
recently, it was rejected and it was stated that the child does not
display mental abilities from listening to the music, vice versa
it loses its own imagination…which develops in child when he/she
gets an opportunity to recognize, disclose the world on his/her own:
it happens when he/she contacts with nature. It is also important to
read fairy-tales for children.

– Is the bothered development of imagination the only obvious negative
side of the Internet?

– Internet is territory without borders. A person and particularly a
child, needs borders and when he/she appears in a place where there
are no borders, he/she confuses. Child needs parent to guide and
explain that here is this border, from here the phenomena changes. If
a child is making use of Internet without the oversight of the parent,
sooner or later he/she visits web sited where he/she may see pictures,
phenomena which may trouble his/her soul. The virtual environment
very often forever deprives child from the joy of real beautiful
and sensible way. My impression is that Armenia is making the first
small steps on the way to taint for which we would like to remind
the parents that children must not use Internet without oversight.

VIVACELL-MTS SERVES 800,000 3G SUBSCRIBERS

ArmInfo.
2010-05-17 13:19:00

ArmInfo. VivaCell-MTS (the subsidiary of MTS in Armenia) serves
800,000 3G subscribers, Ralph Yirikian told media no Monday.

He said that 3G subscribers use nearly 6.5-7 gigabyte traffic monthly.

A year ago this figure was 6-7 times lower. "We are constantly working
to expand our network. A new stage of 3G network building has commenced
and you will see the results in the near future," R.

Yirikian said.

The average monthly MoU of VivaCell-MTS subscribers in 2009 was 203
minutes, which was 14% more than in 2008. In Q4 2009 this indicator
totaled 237 minutes.

U.S. REITERATES CONCERN OVER ARREST OF TRANSDNIESTER JOURNALIST

Asbarez
Friday, May 14th, 2010

WASHINGTON (RFE/RL)-The United States has reiterated its concern for
an Armenian-born journalist held in Moldova’s breakaway Transdniester
region on charges of high treason.

The head of the U.S. mission to the OSCE, Ambassador Ian Kelly, on
Thursday asked the OSCE’s Permanent Council in Vienna to continue
working to ensure that Ernest Vardanean’s rights are respected.

According to RFE/RL’s Moldovan service, Kelly said reports about
the conditions in which Vardanean is being held and that he has been
denied the right to choose his own legal counsel are "worrying."

Vardanean, 30, is an independent journalist based in Transdniester’s
capital, Tiraspol. He was arrested on April 7 and accused of spying
for Moldova’s secret services.

Transdniester’s official television channel aired a videotape on May
11 in which Vardanean confessed to spying for the Moldovan secret
service. Officials in Chisinau and Vardanean’s family have said that
the confession was probably made under extreme pressure.

If found guilty, Vardanean could be sentenced to up to 20 years
in prison.

His wife, Irina, has appealed to Russian government officials to
intercede on her husband’s behalf.

DEEP PURPLE LEAD GUITARIST: WE HAVE ONLY HEARD GOOD THINGS ABOUT ARMENIA

Panorama.am
14/05/2010

Deep Purple lead guitarist Steve Morse said in an interview to
that members of the band have heard many good things
about Armenia from the lead singer of the band Ian Gillan, who visited
Yerevan twice in the course of the past year.

"We have only heard good things, and expect an enthusiastic audience
and a great show", Steve Morse stated.

Deep Purple concert will take place in Yerevan on May 25 at 19:00 in
Sport-Concert Complex after Karen Demirchyan.

Answering the question of , on how important it is for
Deep Purple to perform in a place the band has never performed,
Steve Morse said:

"Since I have been in the band, which has been 17 years, we have
regularly played in new places for the band, and it has always been
a good lesson that people are more alike than they are different".

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Director
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Watch our latest videos on YouTube here:

THE ARMENIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH ATTENDS THE WCC ECUMENICAL OFFICERS’ MEETING

The two Ecumenical Officers of the Armenian Orthodox Church, Bishop Hovaguim
Manoukian of the Holy See of Etchmiadzin and Bishop Nareg Alemezian of the
Holy See of Cilicia attended the meeting held 4-6 May 2010 at the Ecumenical
Institute Bossey (Switzerland).

The meeting of the Ecumenical Officers of member churches of the World
Council of Churches provides the opportunity for the staff of member
churches to meet, share their experiences and concerns, and discuss WCC
programmatic priorities.

Following greetings by the General Secretary of the WCC, the programme staff
presented their plans for the coming year, and a thematic outline of the
International Ecumenical Peace Convocation to be held in Kingston, Jamaica
next year.

Bishop Nareg reported on the ecumenical implications of the recent visits of
His Holiness Aram I to India as the guest of the Malankara Indian Orthodox
Church, the Pontifical visit to the Church of Greece, and the visit of the
Ecumenical Officer to the Church of Cyprus. The Bishop also mentioned the
forthcoming interreligious dialogue with Iran to be held in Antelias.

##
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the Ecumenical
activities of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician
Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is located in
Antelias, Lebanon.

STRATEGIC PARTNERS: RUSSIAN PRESIDENT’S VISIT TO TURKEY MARKS A NEW STAGE OF RELATIONS BETWEEN THE TWO POWERS
Naira Hayrumyan

ArmeniaNow
11.05.10 | 13:49

Analysis

"Strategic partners-to-be" Medvedev-Gul

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev begins a two-day official visit to
Turkey today, and as he has already stated "Russia and Turkey are
becoming strategic partners, and Moscow views Ankara as a good and
reliable neighbor."

In an article for the Turkish newspaper Zaman Medvedev calls
attention to the fact that a fundamentally new mechanism of interstate
consultations will be formed during his visit to Turkey – a high-level
council for cooperation. Moreover, it has been stated that this body
will also coordinate foreign policy steps.

Experts estimate the Russo-Turkish rapprochement as counteraction to
Western pressure on Ankara. One of the main levers of this pressure
is the "Armenian Question". However, Turkey refuses to open the border
with Armenia until progress is observed in the Karabakh settlement.

And Ankara hopes that Russia will persuade Armenia to cede several
districts around the former Nagorno-Karabakh autonomous region.

Turkish political scientist, Ankara University Professor Milat
Celikpala, elaborates on what conditions Turkey might have to Russia.

"Russia knows well that it must do something for Azerbaijan, but on
the other hand it fears that it will lose Armenia. And in order not
to offend either Ankara or Baku and Yerevan, Moscow may facilitate the
[Armenian] withdrawal from several occupied districts of Azerbaijan.

If it doesn’t, then Moscow will have to answer for the failure of
the Turkish-Armenian negotiations and the Nagorno-Karabakh process,"
said Celikpala.

"Russia is trying to get the maximum from Turkey, giving nothing
in return," says expert of the Armenian Center for National and
International Studies (ACNIS) Manvel Sargsyan. "I do not think that
one meeting is enough to find a solution to the Karabakh conflict
and offer it to the parties – the parties have too different views
and visions for settling the conflict." Sargsyan practically rules
out the possibility of Russia exerting pressure on Yerevan over the
Karabakh settlement.

Senior lawmaker of the pro-government Prosperous Armenia Party Vardan
Bostanjyan believes that the friendship of Russia and Turkey will be
limited to energy projects. In the "war of pipelines" Russia is trying
to talk Turkey into refusing to participate in the Nabucco project, an
EU- and US-backed natural gas pipeline, and directing all investments
to a rival Russian pipeline project – Gazprom-led South Stream.

On the eve of the visit Moscow and Ankara agreed on natural gas
deliveries: from now on, Turkey will receive natural gas from Russia
at a price that is 10 percent less than the market price. At the same
time, Russia and Turkey have initialed an agreement on the abolition
of the visa regime between the two countries. The signing ceremony
is scheduled during Medvedev’s current visit to Turkey.

TURKEY AND RUSSIA TO SIGN 20 DEALS

Panorama.am
11:12 10/05/2010

Region

Ankara hosts on May 11 the President of Russian Federation Dmitry
Medvedev. RF President due paying two-day working visit to Turkey
will be accompanied by a large delegation of ministers and officials.

Turkish "Cumhuriyet" reported the sides are intended to sign about
20 deals in the frames of the visit.

Russian FM Sergey Lavrov is included in the president’s delegation and
is intended to have a separate meeting with his Turkish counterpart
Ahmet Davutoglu. According to the Turkish source Armenian-Turkish ties
and Karabakh issue are supposed to be discussed by the FM-s. It’s
worth reminding that last time Russian delegation arrived in Ankara
was in 2004 when President Vliadimir Putin ruled the country.