Author: Karlen Baghdasarian

Chairman of the Religious Council of the Armenian Patriarchate in Istanbul Bishop Sahak Mashalian has announced his resignation in a statement released on Monday, stating that General Vicar Aram Ateshian is to blame for his decision, reported Istanbul-based newspaper.

Mashalian stated in his resignation letter that his decision came after the Clerical Assembly meeting on February 13, where he stated that Archbhishop Ateshian had “unfavorable attitudes.” Mashalian also announced that he will step down from his candidacy for the patriarchal seat, and has plans to leave Istanbul.

The Religious Council voted Archbishop Aram Ateshyan to lead the Patriarchate after Patriarch Mesrob Mutafyan II withdrew from his duties due to his diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.

Mashalian in his letter presented the proper procedure of holding elections for the patriarch, indicating Ateshian’s attempts to sabotage the process.

He informed that the religious council had set up a commission comprised of 4 clerics, which was to submit an application to the authorities about holding new elections. But Ateshian did not allow the letter to be submitted to the governor of Istanbul as a result of which the submission process has been suspended.

Mashalian noted that the elections should be held following the constitutional referendum in Turkey, referring to the Armenian community leader Bedros Sirinoglu and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan January 27 meeting, adding that it should have accelerated the election process. Ateshian, however, used this information as another pretext to avoid elections.

“Ignoring his promise given to the community, he told the media without consulting with anyone that no application will be submitted for holding elections. The Religious Council of the Patriarchy, and I, the chairman of the Council, got to know about it from media,” the bishop stated.

During the February 13 meeting, Mashalian stated that the application of the commission should be immediately submitted to the governorate and released to the community. “His Eminence Aram managed to manipulate this issue with his capricious and threatening attitudes; he even threatened us with leaving the meeting,” he wrote in the letter, adding that his proposal was rejected.

“It’s evident there can be no Patriarchal elections as long as Aram Ateshian holds the position of the General Vicar of the  Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople. Today already everyone shares the opinion that the existing situation, when the post is vacant, while the chaos goes deeper, worsens due to Aram Ateshian,” said Mashalian, adding that the Patriarchal post has never been vacant for eight years in the Armenian Church’s history. “Manipulating for 8 years by using his powers, abusing his position has criminal nature and he deserves punishment according to Church laws,” the Bishop said, announcing that he steps down from the post of chairman of the Religious Council.

“Clerics, leaders and people, leave me alone. This is a speech of defeat. But I am not the only defeated, you are all defeated. Once again only one person remains victorious,” Mashalian concluded in his letter.

Mashalian’s letter can be read below:

It is a duty for me to inform all of my people on the following problems in the light of recent developments concerning the patriarchal election.

General Assembly of the Church decided to elect a new patriarch since our patriarch was superannuated and started the process. This process should have proceeded per tradition: a değabah (locum tenens) should have been elected, an Enterprising Committee should have been formed and governor’s office should have been informed with a letter in order to start the legal process. This simple process, which should have taken only a few weeks, has failed once again due to Vicar of Patriarch Archbishop Aram Ateşyan’s resistance and reluctance, and no legal application has been made so far.

His Eminence Aram displayed the following unfavorable attitudes:

1. Right after the seat was declared vacant, a Değabah should have been elected. However, His Eminence Aram prevented this election with all kinds of threats and caprices. Considering some sensitive issues, the Clerical Assembly had to tolerate vicarship of His Eminence Aram. However, His Eminence Aram continued to have his own way in accordance with his old habits, instead of acting like a real değabah. This revealed the vital importance of the değabah in order to have a decent election process.
2. General Assembly formed a commission consisting of four clerics to write the letter of application to the state. This commission reviewed the previous applications and wrote a letter that includes main elements. This letter was supposed to be an informing letter. It should have included the existence of the Enterprising Committee and stated that their names will be given to the governor’s office later. His Eminence Aram vigorously insisted that the Enterprising Committee shouldn’t be mentioned and permission of the state should be asked. A letter was written after some compromises and we started to wait for an appointment from the governor’s office.
3. Meanwhile, Chair of Surp Pırgiç Hospital Foundation Bedros Şirinoğlu came together with President Erdoğan and announced that the problem of election will be solved right after the referendum. This development should have accelerated the process. However, His Eminence Aram used this good news as another excuse for evading the election. On January 6 Dzınunt feast, he even broke the promise that he made to our people and announced that he won’t apply for holding an election without talking to anybody in advance. The Clerical Assembly, and I as the head of that assembly, learned about it from the press.

Today, on February 13, Clerical Assembly came together and His Eminence Aram managed to manipulate this issue with his capricious and threatening attitudes; he even threatened us with leaving the meeting. Majority of the Clerical Assembly refused the proposal of His Eminence Sahak, which was the following:

The news that we received from the president informally should have accelerated the process. For instance, we could form a new Enterprising Committee on Wednesday, give the letter of application to the governor’s office on Thursday and disclose the letter to our people. In this way, we could wait for an election that will be held after the referendum with inner peace. This was the prudent and honorable action that the people should have expecting from the Clerical Assembly. This suggestion of mine is refused.

However, the problem went beyond the issue of waiting for the referendum and His Eminence Aram made the Clerical Assembly decide to ask for STATE’S PERMISSON after the referendum. This means that the Enterprising Committee will be formed after the permission. In a friendly manner, I tried to explain him with legal terms that a secular state would never give such permission and this would mean that the election will be held when two Sundays come together. However, His Eminence Aram, who seems to be scared of Enterprising Committee more than he is scared of the devil, has got he wants. In sum, there WON’T be an election after the referendum!!! I don’t know how many times more this issue will be brought to this confused people, but I cannot stand it anymore.

It is obvious that this election won’t be held as long as His Eminence Aram is the vicar. Everyone agrees on the fact that His Eminence Aram makes the situation worse in a time when the patriarchal seat is vacant and the chaos is getting intense. In this regard, it is impossible to consider His Eminence Aram’s attitudes and actions as unintended simple mistakes.

1. He hadn’t realized the decision of the General Assembly immediately; on the contrary, he used his authority as the vicar for postponing the election by leaving the process hanging in midair.
2. He ignored the consultation of the Clerical Assembly, which is a higher authority than him, he hadn’t informed the assembly on the developments and decided not to hold an election on his own. Thus, His Eminence Aram committed a serious disciplinary action against the General and Clerical assemblies.
3. In the 1717-years-old history of the Armenian Church, the seat of the patriarch or catholicos has never been vacant for 9 years. The manipulations that he has been doing for 9 years by using his authority and his abuse of his seat and authority for the sake of his personal interests constitute crime and require penal sanctioning upon the ecclesiastics law.

For me, it is impossible to be together with clerics who are nothing but a bunch of cowards and His Eminence Aram, whose scandalous actions are rewarded instead being punished.

1. I resign from my duty as the head of Clerical Assembly.
2. I resign from my duty as the vice president of Hovagim 1461 Foundation, which stinks so much that I cannot take it anymore.
3. I don’t want to serve for imprudent foundation executives who hand over all the authority to a single person and for a people who are indifferent to the problems of the church and their society. I am leaving this city.
4. Let me answer the most intriguing question: I am not a candidate for the patriarchal seat. I want to use my productivity and the rest of my life for more meaningful services. There are more than enough people who would die for that seat anyway.

Clerics, executives and people; you left me alone. This is a cry of defeat. However, I am not the only one who is defeated; you are defeated as well. After all, a single person won once again.

God help you all.

Sahak Bishop Maşalyan

A new World Bank policy report urges developing countries and international development agencies to rethink their approach to governance, as a key to overcoming challenges related to security, growth, and equity.
The 2017 World Development Report: Governance and the Law explores how unequal distribution of
power in a society interferes with policies’ effectiveness. Power asymmetries help explain, for example,
why model anti-corruption laws and agencies often fail to curb corruption, why decentralization does not always improve municipal services; or why well-crafted fiscal policies may not reduce volatility and
generate long-term savings.
The report notes that when policies and technical solutions fail to achieve intended outcomes, institutions often take the blame. However, it finds that countries and donors need to think more broadly to improve governance so that policies succeed. It defines better governance as the process through which state and non-state groups interact to design and implement policies, working within a set of formal and informal rules that are shaped by power.
“As demand for effective service delivery, good infrastructure, and fair institutions continues to rise, it is vital that governments use scarce resources as efficiently and transparently as possible,” World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim said. “This means harnessing private sector expertise, working closely with civil society, and redoubling our efforts in the fight against corruption. Without better governance, our goals of ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity will be out of reach.”
The report looks at country examples, including state building in Somalia, anti-corruption efforts in Nigeria, growth challenges in China, and slums and exclusion in India’s cities. It identifies three winning ingredients of effective policies: commitment, coordination, and cooperation. As three core functions to produce better governance outcomes, institutions need to:
● Bolster commitment to policies in the face of changing circumstances. This would help, for example,
in cases where decision makers spend windfall revenues instead of saving them for the future, or when
leaders renege on peacebuilding agreements in the absence of binding enforcement.
● Enhance coordination to change expectations and elicit social desirable actions by all. Challenges
occur in many contexts, from finance to industrial clusters and urban planning. Financial stability, for
example, relies on beliefs about credibility. Just consider how despite the rationale for leaving their
money in the bank during times of distress, the public may rush to withdraw their deposits if they believe that others will too – ultimately causing the banks to lose liquidity and crash.

● Encourage cooperation: Effective policies help promote cooperation by limiting opportunistic behavior
such as tax evasion- often through credible mechanisms of rewards or penalties. Individuals may have
incentives to behave opportunistically. Not paying taxes does not prevent them from enjoying public
services that others are funding. Similarly, when groups fail to benefit from policies or feel short-changed (for example, by low-quality public services), it can further weaken compliance.

“Government officials do not act in a vacuum. Their decisions reflect the bargaining power of citizens who jockey with each other to advance competing interests,” said World Bank Chief Economist, Paul Romer.
“So this report launches a very important discussion for governments, their countries, and people in the
development community about how we can make sure that society is on a path that’s generating progress.
We need to confront a complicated political process in every country where power can influence the
outcome of that process and we have to ask how can make sure that process leads to progress for
everyone.”
According to the report, unequal distribution of power can exclude groups and people from the rewards
and gains of policy engagement. Yet meaningful change is possible with the engagement and interaction
of citizens, through coalitions to change the incentives of those who make decisions; elites, through
agreements among decision makers to restrict their own power; and the international community, through indirect influence to change the relative power of domestic reformers.
Based on extensive research and consultations in many countries over the past two years, the report
proposes principles to guide reform and change the dynamics of governance for equitable development.
The report finds that good policies are often difficult to introduce and implement because certain groups in society who gain from the status quo may be powerful enough to resist the reforms that are needed to
break the political equilibrium.
“This year’s World Development Report ‘Governance and the Law’ has a wealth of insights that will inform and further strengthen the Bank’s work on governance,” said Debbie Wetzel, Senior Director of the World Bank’s Governance Global Practice. “As the report notes, successful reforms are not just about
“best practice”. They require adapting and adjusting institutions in ways that build more effectively on local dynamics and address specific problems that continue to stand in the way of development that serves all

citizens.”

Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan received today the Ambassadors of Iran and Turkmenistan to Armenia, Seyed Kazem Sajadi and Muhammad Niaz Mashalov.

The Prime Minister said the high level of relations with Iran and Turkmenistan allows to further deepen the economic ties and launch cooperation in trilateral format.

“We are interested in developing the Armenia-Iran-Turkmenistan trilateral economic cooperation. We have the capacity to increase the volume of commodity turnover between our countries and this meeting is a testament to the importance we attach to our cooperation,” he said.

The Ambassadors, in turn, reiterated the willingness of their respective countries to expand the cooperation with Armenia and discuss the future steps in that direction.

During the meeting reference was made to the perspectives of trilateral cooperation in the energy field, the supply of energy resources and joint projects.

The parties reached an agreement to set up a joint task force to discuss concrete programs.

The Red Devils striker hailed a “beautiful” goal from his Armenian team-mate in Thursday’s Europa League win at Zorya, according to Goal.com.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic believes Henrikh Mkhitaryan is poised to make his mark on Manchester United after playing a starring role in Thursday’s 2-0 win at Zorya.

Armenia playmaker Mkhitaryan scored his first goal since leaving Borussia Dortmund for Old Trafford in the Europa League success, which secured Jose Mourinho’s side a place in the knockout rounds.

After a shaky start to life at United – including being hooked at half-time on his first start, a Manchester derby defeat – Mkhitaryan has blossomed in recent games.

He offered a glimpse of his true quality in sub-zero Ukrainian conditions, charging from the centre circle before nutmegging Rafael Forster and finishing smartly.

Ibrahimovic rounded off the win with a late breakaway goal – his 13th of the campaign – but the Swedish icon was quick to put the limelight on Mkhitaryan.

“The first goal was magnificent,” Ibrahimovic told MUTV. “Henrikh had speed and control all the way, and the timing to put it through the defender’s legs… it was beautiful.

“Henrikh had speed and control all the way, and the timing to put it through the defender’s legs… it was beautiful.

“He killed the game off by scoring the goal and did a great job tonight.

“I’m very happy for him because he’s a quality player and I hope he continues; I know he will. I’m super happy for him.”

President Serzh Sargsyan received today Russia’s Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov, who has arrived in Armenia to participate in the “Anti-Counterfeit -2016”4^th international conference.

President Sargsyan attached importance to the event dedicated to the state and perspectives of fight against illegal turnover of goods in the EEU area.

“The fight against illegal turnover of goods is part of the great work we are doing in our countries to improve the business environment,” President Sargsyan said. He added that “issues of cooperation in the field of industry and trade are high on the agenda of Armenian-Russian cooperation.”

The parties discussed issues related to the expansion of trade-economic ties and deepening of cooperation.

The Armenian National Assembly voted 102 to 3 with no abstentions today to pass the proposed changes to RA Law on Social Security of Servicemen and their Families at first reading.

The draft proposes to make a one-time payment amounting to 10 mln AMD to the families of the servicemen killed in action or during combat duty, and 5 mln AMD to handicapped servicemen.

The amendments also envisage annual social security benefits in the course of 20 years.

Asbarez – The Armenoid Team announced on October 21 that the award-winning filmmaker, Bared Maronian’s opening sequence of “Women of 1915” documentary has been nominated by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) 40th Annual Suncoast Regional Emmy Awards among its Craft Achievement Nominees for directing. Already a four-time Emmy award winner, this is Maronian’s first Emmy nomination as a director.

“I’m honored and grateful to be among the 2016 NATAS nominees—for the first time as a director,” said Maronian.  “My heartfelt gratitude to my sponsors and the entire Armenoid Team without whose continued support and expertise the production of ‘Women of 1915’ wouldn’t have been possible.”

“Women of 1915” premiered in New Jersey in June, under the sponsorship of the Armenian Relief Society (ARS) of the Eastern United States—a non-profit women’s organization—and also premiered in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, sponsored by the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU). The documentary has already been awarded the Armin T. Wegner Humanitarian Award—and accepted into the following upcoming film festivals:

ARPA Film Festival at the Egyptian Theatre, November 5, 3:30pm in Hollywood, California.

Pomegranate Film Festival, November 20, 1pm in Toronto, Canada.

“Women of 1915” is the first documentary to unveil the role of the Armenian women of the era and the horrors they lived through the first Genocide of the 20th century.  The documentary highlights the integral role the Armenian women played in their respective communities and the heroic, humanitarian women advocates who came to their aid from around the world, and some who even died at war-ravaged Ottoman Empire to empower the Armenian women as pillars of war-torn, post-Genocide societies.

Maronian’s “Women of 1915” follows his highly acclaimed documentary “Orphans of the Genocide” on the plight of the Armenian Genocide orphans. “Orphans of the Genocide” was selected by the Hong Kong World International Film Festival, and nationally distributed by the National Educational Telecommunications Association to over 250 TV stations across the U.S.  Since its release, “Orphans of the Genocide” has been awarded a Telly Award, nominated to the 2014 Regional Emmy Award in Historical Documentary category, was part of the NYC Filmmaker’s Festival, nominated as Best Documentary at the 2013 ARPA Film Festival, featured at New York’s Unspoken Human Rights Film Festival, and received the Audience Choice Award at the 2013 Pomegranate Film Festival in Toronto.

As the founder of the Armenoid Team, Maronian specializes in producing thematically Armenian documentaries, and has produced three Armenian films. Maronian is a graduate of Haigazian University with a major in Political Science, and has attended Palm Beach State College of Florida and the Broadcast Career Institute of Palm Beach.

A last-minute header by Robert Lewandowski  sent Pland to a 2-1 win over ten-men Armenia in a 2018 World Cup qualifier held at Warsaw’s National Stadium.

Armenia’s Gael Andonian was dismissed after earning a second yellow card on the 30th minute.

An own goal by Hrayr Mkoyan sent Poland to 1-o on the 48th minute.

Marcos Pizzelli scored the equalizer on the 50th minute with a left-footed shot to the centre of the goal.

Robert Lewandowski headed from very close range to the top left corner after an assist by Jakub Blaszczykowski in the injury time.

Asbarez – Armenian-American designer Vicken Derderian showed off his Spring 2017 collection at LA Fashion at a show on October 1 at the Hollywood Athletic Club.

 (Women’s Wear Daily), the preeminent industry publication, called pieces in Derderian’s collection “a refreshing addition to the wardrobe of a woman who leads a busy life but still wants to look polished with a creative flair.”

This was the second collection for Derderian, who teamed up with his classmate from the fashion design program of the Academy of Art University, Kyung Hwa Kim, to create knits, dresses, high-waisted palazzo pants, culottes and separates, with sweater dresses highlighting the collection.

Derdian and Kim retreated to Armenia, where they set up an atelier and made the meticulously constructed pieces featured on the runway.

WWD said that Derderian’s collection for his eponymous label was informed by his background as an architect, saying the designer “is always thinking about movement.”

Dederian himself qualified that by telling WWD that “at the end of the day, for me, it’s a more intimate architecture of the body — the knits, softness, the textures.”

Derderian was born and raised in Pasadena. He graduated with a Bachelors of Architecture from the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-ARC) and received his Masters of Arts in Fashion Design from the Academy of Art University.

His love of design and fabrication became clear at a very young age. He has always been fascinated with the way objects are assembled and the ideas they bring forth once they are assembled. Due to his constant desire and willingness to learn different methodologies of design and fabrication he has been able to bring to fruition a series of his concepts.

Prior to pursuing his masters in fashion design Vicken received his Bachelor of Architecture from SCI-ARC. Architecture is his specialization, his broader interest in the world of design which has prompted him to look outside his specific field to other industries to explore new ideas to try and push his current design methodologies. His interest in Fashion is parallel to architecture due to its constant dialogue with its surroundings. He views Fashion as an intimate architecture of the human body.

The Council of the Italian region of Basilicata (Consiglio Regionale della Basilicata) unanimously recognized the Armenian Genocide on September 27, expressing its support to the Armenian people.

The bill was submitted by MP Aurelio Pace at the request of the Armenian community.

The bill says the historic fact of the Armenian Genocide has been recognized by a number of international organizations, including the Turkish Tribunal in 1919.

The document underlines that it’s necessary to inform the public, especially the younger generation, about the tragedy that befell the Armenian nation with a view of preventing similar crimes in the future.

The Regional Council of Basilicata became the 180th regional council in Italy to recognize the Armenian Genocide.