Author: Nahapetian Lilit

MINISTER NALBANDIAN PRESENTS ARMENIA’S FOREIGN POLICY PRIORITIES TO FOREIGN DIPLOMATS

armradio.am
30.04.2008 10:11

RA Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian had a meeting with Heads of
diplomatic missions accredited in Armenia.

During the meeting Minister Nalbandian presented the priorities
of Armenia’s foreign policy and the approaches towards a number of
contemporary processes in international politics.

Minister Nalbandian said Armenia will continue taking steps in the
direction of developing relations with its partner states.

Edward Nalbandian said Armenia will continue deepening the special
strategic partnership with Russia, will take steps to deepen the
friendly partnership and cooperation with the US. According to the
Minister, the European direction has become one of the priority
directions of Armenia’s foreign policy.

Turning to Armenia’s cooperation within international organizations,
the Foreign Minister noted the cooperation and active involvement
in the UN, OSCE< the Council of Europe and other international
organizations will develop.

Armenia attaches importance to the ties with immediate neighbors,
and is ready to make every effort to improve the relations with those
neighbors with which it still has problems.

Minister Nalbandian referred to the relations with those countries
which have permanent diplomatic representations in Armenia.

Edward Nalbandian noted that the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh
issue remains the main priority. He reconfirmed Armenia’s commitment
to continue the negotiations in the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group.

Turning to the normalization of relations with Turkey, Minister
Nalbandian reconfirmed Armenia’s readiness to develop relations
without any preconditions.

Concluding his speech, Minister Nalbandian stressed the importance
of Diaspora’s role in developing friendly relations between Armenia
and other countries.

GEORGIA WILL GO TO ANY LENGTHS TO UNLEASH WAR

RIA Novosti, Russia
April 29 2008

MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti political commentator Pyotr Romanov) – Fanning
up tensions on its border with Abkhazia, Georgia has worn out even
its potential allies.

Last night’s Georgian television quoted NATO spokesman James Appathurai
as saying that the members of the alliance stand for the withdrawal
of Russian peacekeepers from the conflict area, although they do not
know at this point whether they will be replaced by NATO troops.

In simpler terms, this means that NATO has given the green light to
Georgia’s invasion of Abkhazia. If Russian peacekeepers are withdrawn
from the conflict zone without any replacement, the corridor will be
open for Georgian tanks.

This is what Tbilisi wants, but Brussels does not wish to spoil
relations with Moscow over this issue. Moreover, NATO soldiers are
very reluctant to move to dangerous places.

As a result, Mikheil Saakashvili received a public and very unpleasant
reprimand. NATO accused Tbilisi of crudely distorting the facts. Today
in the morning, Apparuthai publicly denied this statement. He added
that nothing was said on this score in the NATO Council, either.

Let us leave the NATO Council alone. Georgia is prepared to lie
greatly for the sake of war. When George W. Bush, who is not likely
to be well-versed in Georgian history, visited Tbilisi, Saakashvili
gave him a totally distorted account of Georgia’s forced enslavement
by Russia. There is historically documented evidence that Tbilisi
(then called Tiflis) repeatedly asked Russia to protect it and save it
from inevitable collapse. Georgia was a tiny Christian island amidst
the stormy Muslim sea after the Fall of Constantinople.

Taking Georgia under its wing was a huge responsibility for
Russia. Moreover, it would have to assume that position for
centuries. This is why Russian Tsar Paul I turned down the request
of Georgian King George XII in 1798. His son, Alexander I, did not
want to shoulder this burden, but the State Council insisted that it
was the duty of Orthodox Russia to help its brethren-in-faith.

The account of the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict is equally false. On
each piece of land inhabited by man, every inch is covered by thousands
of footprints of his predecessors – modern sneakers, military boots,
women’s shoes, jackboots, legionnaires from Rome, and bare feet. So,
this eternal scream "This is my land!" must always be backed by
evidence.

As distinct from many other nations, the Abkhazians are lucky – their
connections to their land can be traced back many centuries. Abkhazia
was independent since times immemorial, and was known to chroniclers
as a land bordering Kolkhida.

However, this independence was repeatedly infringed on over the
centuries. There were Greek colonies in Abkhazia, for one, but Athens
does not claim its land. Mongols owned Abkhazia, but they never claim
it either. Once, Abkhazia belonged to Mitridat. Abkhazians are still
there, but Mitridat is not. They were colonized by Ancient Rome, but
Berlusconi is not rushing to don the legionnaire’s clothing. They
were also conquered by the Turks in their long history, but Ankara
does not claim the land either.

Abkhazia was part of Russia many times. On several occasions, it
came under Russia’s wing on its own free will, and in 1811 it was
incorporated into Russia under the Treaty of Bucharest. But Russia
is not planning to annex it by force.

Abkhazia’s independence is older than Georgian, but it belonged to
Georgia as well – for a historically short time; but Abkhazians were
not particularly fond of Georgians.

Modern history is even worse. After Greeks and Armenians were evicted
from Abkhazia on Joseph Stalin’s orders, more than 100,000 Georgians
had to move there against their will. This is how their compatriot
resolved the ethnic issue. At the same time, Georgians were given
Balkar lands and the Elbrus region; some of them were settled in
Chechnya, from which they all fled later on.

Current bilateral problems started when the first Georgian President
Zviad Gamsakhurdia came to power in Georgia. Posing as an intellectual,
liberal, and democrat for the outside world, he was a fascist-like
nationalist and extremist at home. Having left the big Soviet empire,
he immediately tried to create a mini version in Georgia. But
his attempt was rebuffed. Even tanks did not make their way to
Abkhazia. His successors continue on the same course, but in new
conditions, under the cover of new patrons and new demagogy.

I believe that the dispute over Abkhazia is pointless. By his actions,
nationalist Gamsakhurdia gave Abkhazians a full-fledged license for
independence.

Abkhazia has lost and regained its independence many times, and it
is used to this. Abkhazians have enough patience. Since they managed
to survive under Mitridat, Genghis Khan and Ancient Rome, they will
cope with Saakashvili.

The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s and do not
necessarily represent those of RIA Novosti.

The Spectator
April 26, 2008

My dream for Turkey, by Boris’s great-grandfather;
Norman Stone on the dramatic life and death of Ali Kemal, one-time
interior minister of Turkey and our mayoral candidate’s forebear

by Norman Stone

Boris Johnson is one eighth Turkish.

His great-grandfather (there is, if you abstract the fez and the
moustache, a family resemblance) was a well-known writer, Ali Kemal
(1868-1922) who came, because of his politics, to a tragic end. He
knew England very well, and when the British occupied Constantinople
for four years at the end of the first world war, he collaborated with
them. They had left the Sultan on his throne, and there was a puppet
government which controlled a few back-streets. Poor Ali Kemal made
the awful mistake of becoming its minister of the interior for some
three months. As happens with collaborationist regimes, he quarrelled
with his colleagues (there is a very funny scene of this sort, about
Vichy France, in Céline’s D’un chteau l’autre, where Alphonse de
Chteaubriant ends up throwing the crockery). Then he spent his time on
journalism, and taught at the university: he knew a great deal about
literature.

But a nationalist resistance built up in the interior (based on
Ankara) and when, late in 1922, it triumphed, Ali Kemal did not leave.

It was crazy: the Sultan himself was smuggled out in a British
ambulance to Malta, and the Ottoman dynasty was thrown to the four
winds. History does not reveal the reasons for Ali Kemal’s staying. At
any rate he was picked up, while being shaved at the Grand Cercle
d’Orient in the European city – it was the Levantines’ club, and only
Turks of a high rank were admitted – and put on a train for trial in
Ankara. His captor, Nurettin Pasha, had lost his two sons in the war,
and had gone a little mad. Somehow, he allowed a mob to take Ali Kemal
off the train at Izmit, the old Nicomedia, and they lynched him. The
episode is written up in Louis de Bernières’s Birds Without Wings.

That book is a homage to the Turkey that might have been, with Greeks
and Armenians taking their place. Ali Kemal thought that that should
have happened. That was why he supported the British, in whom he put
his faith. But at the time Lloyd George was really after the partition
of Turkey: Greater Greece, Greater Armenia, even an Anglo-Kurdistan,
with bits and pieces for the French and the Italians.

There would have been a rump Turkey, run by a puppet Sultan. Ali Kemal
was the puppet of a puppet. Everyone, including himself, let him
down. The story ends, none the less, with some uplift. He had had two
wives, one British – hence the Boris connection – and, after her death
from childbirth, one Turkish. Boris (and his father, Stanley Johnson)
has done him proud. On the Turkish side, there was a boy, Zeki
Kuneralp, who was very bright and needed a state scholarship. Kemal
Atatürk, the chief target of Ali Kemal’s journalistic attacks, was by
then the Turkish equivalent of de Gaulle. He said: give that boy the
money.

Zeki’s son is now a chief negotiator on the subject Turkey-in-Europe.
Another son is a leading publisher.

Curiously enough, Ali Kemal wrote a book, predicting what would happen
to his progeny. It is called Fetret, meaning ‘interregnum’, and the
word itself has some significance. In 1402, the first Turkish (or,
more accurately, Ottoman: ‘Turk’ until the 20th century was a word
used by foreigners) state was overthrown by Tamerlane, and for three
decades there was in effect a war of succession, between men who
identified with the east and men who identified with the west; that
war, in various forms, has gone on to this day. You could have used
that word to describe the Ottoman empire of the later 19th century and
this is reflected in the architecture. The Sultans had given up the
old Topkapi Palace, and moved to the Dolmabahce Palace on the
Bosphorus, over which the spirit of Queen Victoria hovered. Old
Stambul had become a museum piece, and even then a chief building in
it – now a school – was the Caisse de la Dette Ottomane, the
headquarters of foreign money-men who were collecting the debts from
charges on the railways or the customs. The heart of town was the
European quarter, Pera, with the Cercle d’Orient where Ali Kemal was
finally caught. Now, what was a bright young Turk to make of all this?

In 1840, there had been some hope. At the time of the Crimean war,
even Karl Marx applied himself to learning Ottoman Turkish, because he
thought that ‘the Asiatic Mode of Production’ would adapt to
capitalism in a modernising Turkey (or Egypt). But by 1870, the debts
had gone up and up, and by 1890 more or less everyone was writing off
the Ottoman empire as yet another derelict nonEuropean concern – what
was soon to be called ‘the Third World’. Not just the Greeks but now
also the Armenians, who had been called ‘the most loyal’ of the
Sultan’s Christian subjects, were falling prey to separatist
nationalism. Sultan Abdul Hamit reigned for 30 years and reckoned that
modernisation could happen, provided politics did not get in the way.

He practised a sort of absolutism, but promoted schools to train his
officials, whether civilian or military. These schools in effect
produced an opposition to him, of young men who spoke good French and
who knew something about Europe. Ali Kemal was one of these, dreaming
of a liberal and European Turkey. Most of his peers – they can loosely
be called ‘Young Turks’ – were meritocrats, often from the southern
Balkans, but Ali Kemal was socially a cut above them, the son of the
head of a guild, living in quite grand circumstances in a villa above
the castle of Rumeli. As such, he must have had some private money,
because he spent much of his time abroad, and married an Anglo-Swiss
wife, Winifred Brun, in 1903.

She died, leaving two children, in 1910, and, when the radical Young
Turks were briefly out of power in 1911-12, he went back to Istanbul,
marrying again.

Then the Young Turks, led by the formidable and ruthless Enver Pasha,
came to power again, and took Turkey into the first world war. Ali
Kemal sat it out, disapprovingly, in Bournemouth, and the two English
children were brought up by their grandmother in a village near
London. Fetret is a book dreaming of the Turkey that his little son
will one day see.

It is liberal, modelled on England. It has room, and more than room,
for Christian minorities, but it is Turkish. It is Muslim, but the
Islam is generous and tolerant. It adheres to its own identity,
especially linguistic, but the young must learn French, because French
literature is far ahead of any other.

Ali Kemal (incidentally a pseudonym: he was originally called ‘Ali
Riza’, after one of the very first, tentative, Turkish nationalists)
apparently belongs quite high up the tree in Turkish literature. I
have to say ‘apparently’ because he wrote in Ottoman Turkish, and that
is a very far cry from the modern language: my copy of Fetret has a
small dictionary at the back, translating the old (Arabic and Persian)
words for today’s readers. When Kemal Atatürk took over, he changed
the script, and drastically modernised the language; and in the
Sixties it was even mutilated (there is a superb book on this by
Geoffrey Lewis, A Catastrophic Success). Turks disagree quite
violently as to the language reform: slavish imitation of the West, or
Turkey’s ticket to the modern world?

Ali Kemal, who read and wrote very widely, was clearly in two
minds. He was quite right to disapprove of the Young Turks’ taking
Turkey into the first world war. That produced endless disasters,
including the loss of a quarter of the population – Turkish, Greek,
Armenian and Kurdish.

Ali Kemal hoped that the British would pick up the pieces and realise
his ambitions. His timing was quite wrong; and he ought to have gone
with the people who joined Kemal Atatürk in the depths of Anatolia.
But he was a decent man, living a lonely life as an exiled
litterateur, speaking broken English to a small son who must have seen
him as a sort of Martian, and dreaming that one day the little boy
would see a different Turkey. And lo and behold.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Turkey makes strange demands of Armenia to establish
diplomatic relations

What concerns the normalization of the relations with
Armenia, such opportunity is rather doubtful, if only
Yerevan doesn’t deny the recognition of the Armenian
Genocide committed by the Turks, which is not to be
expected.
22.04.2008 GMT+04:00

Turkey has found itself in a rather difficult
situation: on the one hand Turkey is already tired of
waiting for 10-15 more years to be integrated into the
EU; on the other hand, this idea seems too tempting to
give it up. The demands of the EU after all are no
fancy but necessity for the Turkish officials. As it
has already been said more than once, Turkey must
prove by its actions and not by words that the country
has chosen the democratic way of development.

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ According to the European
Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn, now Turkey is
suffering the most crucial moment in the entire
negotiation process, `however, if it continues
actively carrying out European reforms, the country
may be integrated into the EU in 10 years. We are
waiting for the time when there will be freedom of
speech for each person, and protection of the rights
of women and minorities. Active efforts should be made
for this. We shouldn’t hope that these and alike
problems will ever be solved on their own,’ announced
Rehn.

The vice-chairman of the Bavarian Christian-Social
Union and the representative of the European
Parliament Ingo Friedrich spoke of the third possible
way for the non-EU member countries. Likewise the
Union for the Mediterranean, an East European Union
may be established. According to him, Ukraine, Moldova
and the countries of South Caucasus could be included
in such a union. `At present the EU has exhausted all
the possibilities of expanding, but leaving the
European countries without prospective would be
unfair,’ says Friedrich. The idea of establishing a
Union for the Mediterranean has been first spoken of
in March. Besides the EU member countries, a number of
countries of the Mediterranean region will be included
in it. Turkey, Libya, Lebanon, and Israel are among
these countries. Regular conferences in the sphere of
energy, migration, terrorism and trade are planned to
be held. The Union will be officially declared about
in July.

What concerns the normalization of the relations with
Armenia, such opportunity is rather doubtful, if only
Yerevan doesn’t deny the recognition of the Armenian
Genocide committed by the Turks, which is not to be
expected. `The position of the Armenian side towards
the dialogue with Turkey is still unclear, in spite of
Ankara’s calls to the start of a new era in the
two-sided relations between the two neighboring
countries, which presently do not have any diplomatic
relations,’ writes Turkish Daily news in its article
`Armenia is indifferent to the Turkish calls for
dialogue.’ The author of the article mentions that the
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey Ali Babacan
congratulated the new Minister of Foreign Affairs of
Armenia on his appointment. `Turkey is open to
dialogue, and to the normalization of the
Turkish-Armenian relations. There are no doubts that
the relations of the two countries are not very
healthy, but this can be solved via dialogue. We are
open to it,’ said Babacan during a joint
press-conference with the Minister of Foreign Affairs
of Austria Ursula Plassnik. Earlier the Minister of
Foreign Affairs Edward Nalbandyan announced:
`Regarding our relations with Turkey, we have
announced more than once that we are ready for
normalization of the relations without any precedent
conditions. The Genocide is a black page in our
history, and we must work together and turn this page
and build our stable future. I would like to repeat
that Armenia is ready for the normalization of its
relations with Turkey without precedent conditions.
Armenia will continue working towards this.’

Turkish Daily News also quotes the words of an
Armenian diplomat, who had preferred to remain
anonymous, and who said that the calls for the
dialogue must not be only in words, but in actions.
`We are waiting for some actions,’ had said the
Armenian diplomat, and then added, that Armenia keeps
to its viewpoint regarding the normalization of the
relations and opening the Armenian-Turkish borders
without precedent conditions. `This is only one of the
key factors. This is nonsense, when a country, being a
candidate for the EU membership, keeps the borders
with its neighbor closed,’ he said.

The newly elected president of Armenia Serge Sargsyan
also mentioned that the recognition of the Genocide by
Ankara is extremely important for Yerevan, but its
denial shouldn’t be a barrier in the relationship of
the two countries. `We have always said and will say
that Armenia is ready and willing to establish
diplomatic relations with Turkey without any precedent
conditions. It is Turkey, that sets rather strange
demands to Armenia for establishing diplomatic
relations,’ he said.

Meanwhile on April 21 the Committee for International
Issues of the European Parliament held hearings on the
traditional report about the `progress’ in Turkey. The
members of the Committee reviewed the project of the
Resolution of the Dutch parliamentarian, as well as
the 262 amendments in the document. The current
document is not as laconic, as the one from last year,
which was a gesture of a good will to the new
government of Turkey, yet it is far from the
expectations the Europeans have, since it reminds of
the serious violations by the Turks. Like in the
section `international relations’, the project of the
Resolution calls the Turkish government on abolishing
the economic blockade and opening the borders with
Armenia, but refrains from blaming Turkey. As for the
issue of the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, the
author avoids using the term `Genocide’ and limits
himself with `the call to the Turkish and Armenian
governments on starting the process of coming to an
agreement over the present and past problems and the
initiations of the debates of the historical events.’
`This wording definitely belongs to Ankara. The denial
of reminding the Genocide means denying the Genocide
itself,’ said the president of the Armenian Federation
of Europe Hilda Choboyan. The EAFJD reminds that the
position of the European Parliament, confirmed in 1987
and 2005, presupposes the recognition of the Armenian
Genocide as a precondition for Turkey to be integrated
into the EU. Meanwhile, Ankara has never reached any
success in this issue, and any indulgence is
interpreted by Turkey as a free way to carry on the
policy of denial not only in Turkey, but in Europe as
well. The 6 out of the 262 amendments have immediate
connection to the Armenian case, in particular, to the
problem of the Armenian Genocide.
«PanARMENIAN.Net» analytical department

April 25, 2008
Press Release
Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate
6252 Honolulu Avenue
La Crescenta, CA 91214
Tel: (818) 248-7737
Fax: (818) 248-7745
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

PRELATE TO PRESIDE OVER DIVINE LITURGY
AT ST. SARKIS CHURCH

On Sunday, April 27th, H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian,
Prelate, will preside over Divine Liturgy at St. Sarkis Church in Pasadena.
The Prelate will also deliver the sermon.

LIGHTING OF THE NAVASARTIAN GAMES TORCH
AT THE PRELACY CHAPEL

On Sunday, April 27th, the lighting of the torch of the 33rd
Homenetmen Navasartian Games will take place at the Prelacy "St. Dertad and
St. Ashkhen" Chapel. A group of Homenetmen scouts will gather at the
Prelacy to light the torch from a candle in the Chapel.
Very Rev. Fr. Barthev Gulumian and Rev. Fr. Vazken Atmajian will
offer the opening prayer of the ceremony.

PRELATE TO ATTEND HASMIK PAPIAN RECITAL

On the evening of Sunday, April 27th, an opera recital featuring
renowned soprano Hasmik Papian and pianist Avo Kuyumjian will take place at
the Vibiana Cathedral in Los Angeles.
The Prelate will attend the recital.

PRELATE TO BE REPRESENTED AT A MEETING WITH
AMBASSADOR JOHN DANILOVICH

By the invitation of Congressman Adam Schiff, community
representatives will have to opportunity to meet with Ambassador John
Danilovich, CEO of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, on the morning of
Thursday, May 1st, to discuss the work of the corporation in Armenia. The
event will take place at the Autry National Center in Los Angeles.
Executive Council member Mr. Varoujan Der Simonian will attend on
behalf of the Prelate.

ACYA MEMBERS TO PARTICIPATE IN
ORTHODOX DAY OF PRAISE

On the morning of Saturday, May 3rd, members of the Armenian Church
Youth Association (ACYA) will participate in an Orthodox Day of Praise at
the St. Peter and St. Paul Coptic Orthodox Church in Santa Monica.
The event will begin at 8:30 a.m. with joint Divine Liturgy will the
participation of youth from the Armenian, Coptic, and Syriac Churches,
followed by the presentation of hymns and traditional songs by each church.

COMMEMORATION OF THE 93RD ANNIVERSARY
OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

In commemoration of the 93rd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide,
on the evening of Wednesday, April 23rd, the Prelate presided over Divine
Liturgy at St. Mary’s Church in Glendale, in which the Armenian Catholic and
Evangelical Churches participated. In attendance were Executive Council
members and members of community organizations.
Divine Liturgy was celebrated by Very Rev. Fr. Barthev Gulumian,
during which remarks were offered by the Prelate, Very Rev. Fr. Andon
Saroyan, Rector of the Armenian Catholic Church, and Rev. Joe Matossian,
Minister of the Armenian Evangelical Union of North America. Requiem
service followed in front of the Genocide memorial in the church courtyard.
On the afternoon of Thursday, April 24th, clergy from the Apostolic,
Catholic, and Evangelical Churches conducted requiem service at the Genocide
Memorial Monument in Montebello. Among those in attendance were the Consul
General of Armenia Armen Liloyan, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and members of
community organizations.
In the evening, Very Rev. Fr. Muron Aznikian represented the Prelate
at a commemoration held at Alex Theatre in Glendale. Later in the evening,
the Prelate offered a prayer at a community gathering at the Glendale Civic
Auditorium. Accompanying the Prelate were clergy and Executive Council
members.

PRELATE DELIVERS THE INVOCATION
AT THE OPENING OF THE CALIFORNIA STATE ASSEMBLY

On Monday, April 21st, H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian,
Prelate, departed for Sacramento to deliver the invocation at the opening of
the California State Assembly session in commemoration of the 93rd
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The Prelate was accompanied by Holy
Trinity Church Pastor Rev. Vahan Gosdanian and Armenian National Committee
Western Region Board members.
In his invocation the Prelate thanked God for His guidance in
leading us in the pursuit of justice and truth, and thanked the Governor and
elected officials for their commitment to our cause.
Remarks were also offered by Assembly members Paul Krekorian and
Greg Aghazarian as well as community members who paid tribute to our martyrs
and stressed the importance of proper recognition and justice. The Assembly
then unanimously adopted Senate Joint Resolution 24 in remembrance of the
victims of the Armenian Genocide.
Following the session, the Prelate and delegation met with Assembly
members Kevin De Leon and Anthony Portantino at which time the Prelate
expressed his appreciation for their support of the Armenian cause.
On the morning of Tuesday, April 22nd, the Prelate participated in a
special session of the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors weekly meeting
during which a proclamation was adopted in recognition of the Armenian
Genocide. The Prelate was accompanied by Very Rev. Fr. Muron Aznikian, Rev.
Fr. Vazken Atmajian, and ANC Board members.
The Prelate commended the Board of Supervisors for once again
adopting a resolution in remembrance of our martyrs, stressing that such
recognition is crucial for the cycle of genocide to be put to an end.

HOLY TRINITY CHURCH PASTOR, DELEGATES,
AND BOARD OF TRUSTEES VISIT THE PRELACY

On Tuesday, April 22nd, H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian,
Prelate, welcomed Rev. Fr. Vahan Gosdanian, Pastor of Holy Trinity Church in
Fresno, Delegates, and Board of Trustees members to the Prelacy. Among the
delegation were Board of Trustees Chairman Mr. David Sarabian, Vice-Chairman
Mr. Philip Parnagian, Treasurer Mr. Levon Baladjanian, and Advisor Ms. Mary
Alice Kaloostian.
Religious Council Chair Very Rev. Fr. Muron Aznikian participated in
the meeting, as did Executive Council Chairman Dr. Garo Agopian and member
Mr. Varoujan Der Simonian. Among the items on the agenda was the evaluation
of the parish’s activities, specifically with regards to Christian
Education, and issues relating to the upcoming Representatives Assembly
which will be held in May.
The meeting concluded with lunch hosted by the Prelate.

The Armenian Church eNewsletter

April 25, 2008

Diocese of the
Armenian Church
of America (Eastern)
630 Second Ave.
New York, NY 10016

Contact Us <mailto:[email protected]>

Diocesan News

COMMEMORATING THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE AT ST. VARTAN ARMENIAN CATHEDRAL

On Armenian Martyrs Day, April 24, Archbishop Khajag Barsamian presided over
a Divine Liturgy and requiem service, celebrated by Rev. Fr. Daniel
Karadjian at St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral. Toward the end of the service,
the faithful gathered for prayer around the Cathedral’s Genocide memorial,
which holds the bone of an Armenian martyred in 1915.

Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Armenian Church of America
(Eastern), blesses the incense before a requiem service commemorating the
victims of the Armenian Genocide at St. Vartan Cathedral.

The faithful light candles Thursday at St. Vartan Cathedral in memory of
victims of the Armenian Genocide.

On Sunday, April 27, Rev. Fr. Hagop Khachatryan, a clergyman from Holy
Etchmiadzin, will celebrate the Divine Liturgy. Very Rev. Fr. Davit
Karamyan, who is also visiting the Eastern Diocese from Holy Etchmiadzin,
will deliver the sermon. A requiem service and blessing of madagh will
follow the Divine Liturgy, which begins at 10:30 a.m.

The annual Genocide Commemoration sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Region
Knights and Daughters of Vartan will be held in Times Square at 2 p.m. St.
Vartan Cathedral is located at 630 Second Avenue, New York, N.Y. Click for
more information in English < t;
or Armenian < t; .

_____________________________

ARCHBISHOP VICKEN AYKAZIAN SPEAKS AT GENOCIDE EVENT ON CAPITOL HILL

Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, Diocesan legate and president of the National
Council of Churches, offered the opening prayer at the Armenian Genocide
Observance held on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, April 23. Archbishop Aykazian
prayed for the victims of the Armenian Genocide and reminded participants
that "others have endured and are enduring today the tragedy that afflicted
our ancestors."

The event was organized by Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.) and Rep. Joe
Knollenberg (R-Mich.), cochairmen of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian
Issues.

_____________________________

P RIMATE PARTICIPATES IN CONFERENCE AT UNITED NATIONS

Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Armenian Church of America
(Eastern), spoke on the relationship between religion and today’s
technologically-advanced world at the fourth annual global forum of ATHGO
International, held at the United Nations on Thursday, April 24.

Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Armenian Church of America
(Eastern), participated in a discussion Thursday at the fourth annual global
forum of ATHGO International.

ATHGO was founded by Armen Orujyan to provide future leaders with the
entrepreneurial skills needed to deal with complex global issues. A
nonprofit NGO, ATHGO helps create professional networks through forums,
conferences, internships and other programs.

Archbishop Barsamian said that recent technological developments in
communications give us pause to reflect on our relationships with other
people and with God, and to find ways to overcome the differences that
divide us.

The Primate spoke about how his grandmother survived the Armenian Genocide,
never losing her faith in the midst of suffering. "It was thanks to her
faith that she was empowered to break the cycle of hatred," he said. "And it
is thanks to her that I have the opportunity to communicate to you the need
for understanding, respect and love."

_____________________________

PRIMATE GREETS POPE BENEDICT XVI IN NEW YORK

Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Armenian Church of America
(Eastern), was among more than 250 Christian leaders gathered for an
ecumenical prayer service led by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI at St.
Joseph’s Church in New York on Friday, April 18.

Following the service, Pope Benedict greeted 15 leaders individually,
including Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Armenian Church of
America (Eastern), and Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, Diocesan legate and
president of the National Council of Churches. Rev. Fr. Mardiros Chevian,
dean of St. Vartan Cathedral, also was present at the ceremony. To read
more, visit <; .

Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, Diocesan legate and president of the National
Council of Churches, Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Armenian
Church of America (Eastern), and Archbishop Demetrios, Primate of the Greek
Orthodox Archdiocese of America, at the ecumenical prayer service led by His
Holiness Pope Benedict XVI.

_____________________________

DIOCESAN COUNCIL PREPARES FOR ASSEMBLY

Meeting at the Diocesan Center on Tuesday, April 22, members of the Diocesan
Council discussed final preparations for the 106th Diocesan Assembly,
scheduled for May 1-4 at Sts. Sahag & Mesrob Church in Providence, R.I.

Also at the meeting, Vice Chairman Dr. Raffy Hovanessian and Assistant
Secretary Sandra Leitner spoke about their April 17-20 trip to St. Sarkis
Church in Charlotte, N.C. During the trip, Diocesan Council members met with
parish leadership and discussed ways the parish and the Diocese can work
together to address the challenges facing St. Sarkis Church. The meeting
culminated in a banquet on Saturday, April 19, and the celebration of the
Divine Liturgy on Sunday, April 20. Following Badarak, a brunch was held,
bringing together Diocesan Council members, St. Sarkis parishioners and
representatives from the Armenian Church of Atlanta Mission Parish.

_____________________________

ST. NERSESS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETS AT DIOCESE

The Executive Committee of St. Nersess Armenian Seminary met at the Diocese
on Monday, April 21, to discuss student recruitment and fundraising.
Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Armenian Church of America
(Eastern), presided at the discussion. Plans were made to hold a daylong
meeting this summer with members of the Board of Directors of St. Nersess
and the Diocesan Council to focus on the topic of recruitment.

_____________________________

CHURCH AND HOME MATERIALS AVAILABLE ONLINE

A wealth of new Church and Home materials are now available on our Web site,
<; . Click on the
"Church and Home" button on the homepage and you will be directed to a
listing of a variety of online tutorials and programs designed to offer
"Back to the Basics" educational tools that can be used from the comfort of
your home. Learn about Armenian Church feasts, the calendar, modern and
classical Armenian and much more!

_____________________________

CLERGY FROM HOLY ETCHMIADZIN VISIT EASTERN DIOCESE

Very Rev. Fr. Davit Karamyan and Rev. Fr. Hagop Khachatryan are visiting the
Eastern Diocese from the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. They will
participate in next week’s Clergy Conference and Diocesan Assembly and visit
a number of parishes in the Eastern Diocese.

Rev. Fr. Hagop Khachatryan, left, and Very Rev. Fr. Davit Karamyan arrived
at the Diocesan Center on Tuesday, April 22. They will spend a month
visiting parishes in the Eastern Diocese.

_____________________________

PRIEST FROM HOLY ETCHMIADZIN STARTS INTERNSHIP AT ST. JOHN’S ARMENIAN CHURCH
OF GREATER DETROIT

Rev. Fr. Hrach Sargisyan, a priest from the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin,
has been invited by the Primate of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
to intern and prepare to serve as a pastor in the Eastern Diocese.
Archbishop Khajag Barsamian asked Rev. Fr. Garabed Kochakian of St. John’s
Armenian Church of Greater Detroit to supervise Fr. Sargisyan’s internship.
Fr. Sargisyan arrived in the United States with his wife, Naira, and
daughter, Tatev, on April 22.

_____________________________

PRIMATE TO ORDAIN DEACON AT HARTFORD PARISH

Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Armenian Church of America
(Eastern), will visit St. George Church in Hartford, Conn. on Sunday, April
27, to ordain subdeacon Ashot Ghokasiyan to the deaconate. Archbishop
Barsamian will celebrate the Divine Liturgy, with St. George’s pastor, Rev.
Fr. Gomidas Zohrabian, assisting. A reception will follow the service.

_____________________________

106TH DIOCESAN ASSEMBLY TO BE HELD NEXT WEEK

The 106th Annual Diocesan Assembly and Clergy Conference will be held at
Sts. Sahag & Mesrob Church in Providence, R.I. next week. The Clergy
Conference is scheduled for April 28 to May 1; the Assembly is scheduled for
May 1 to 4.This year’s theme is "Church and Home: One in Spirit." For more
information, visit the Sts. Sahag
< l> & Mesrob Church Web site.

The eNewsletter will not be published next Thursday, May 1 while the
Diocesan Assembly is underway. Please check our Web site,
<; , for updates from
the Assembly. Publication of the eNewsletter will recommence on Thursday,
May 8.

_____________________________

LECTURE AT ST. NERSESS ARMENIAN SEMINARY

Professor Paruyr Muradyan, senior researcher at the National Academy of
Sciences of the Republic of Armenia, will offer a lecture on the
translations of early Christian texts at St. Nersess Armenian Seminary on
Monday, April 28, at 7:30 p.m. The free lecture will be in Armenian, with an
English translation provided. Refreshments will follow.

It is well known that many important early Christian writings were
translated into Armenian by Armenian scholars and clergy. Less well known
are a number of Armenian Christian writings that were translated into other
languages, such as Syriac, Greek, Arabic, Georgian and Latin. Professor
Muradyan will trace the travels of early Christian ideas to and through the
Armenian language. For more information, call 914-636-2003.

_____________________________

FEAS T OF THE ASCENSION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST

On May 1, the Feast of the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ, Archbishop
Yeghishe Gizirian will celebrate the Divine Liturgy at St. Vartan Armenian
Cathedral. The Liturgy begins at 11 a.m. A traditional Ascension Day
celebration will follow services.

_____________________________

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE EXHIBIT OPENS IN FLORIDA

An exhibit entitled "The Greatest Crime of the War: The Armenian Genocide
During World War I" opened at the Florida Holocaust Museum in St.
Petersburg, Fla. this month. The exhibit features text and image panels on
the history of the Genocide. It will remain on view through October.

A new exhibit at the Florida Holocaust Museum invites visitors to learn
about the Armenian Genocide through text and images.

Rev. Fr. Hovnan Demerjian, pastor at St. Hagop Church in Pinellas Park,
Fla., held a requiem service at the museum on Thursday, April 24. Eileen
Barsamian Jennings, a child of Armenian Genocide survivors, gave a talk on
how the tragic events affected her family. For more information on the
exhibit, call the Holocaust Museum at 727-820-0100.

_____________________________

VIOL ATION OF ARMENIAN STATUS QUO RIGHTS AT CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE IN
JERUSALEM

Several international press reports on Orthodox Palm Sunday’s incident in
the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem wrongly portray the reasons
that led to a scuffle involving the Armenian and Greek Orthodox Churches.

Despite several written protests by the Armenian Patriarchate, a Greek monk
once again placed himself inside the Edicule, a vestibule that lies just
outside the entryway to the Tomb of our Lord Jesus Christ, during the
Armenian solemn procession. Armenian priests persuaded the Greek monk to
exit from the Edicule and peacefully led him out. The Israeli police,
however, attempted to reinstate the monk inside the Edicule, but that
attempt failed due to the opposition of the Armenian priests. A scuffle
followed between the police and members of the Armenian community who had
witnessed the reinstatement attempt that appeared to support Greek efforts
to capitalize on their cordial relationship with the Israeli authorities.

The presence of the Greek monk inside the Edicule is a serious violation of
the Status Quo terms governing the Holy Places, of which the Armenians,
Latins and Greek Orthodox share equal rights of custodianship. The Armenian
Patriarchate has made its position clear that on the Feast of the Holy
Cross, the First Sunday of Great Lent, Palm Sunday and Holy Fire Saturday,
when they are in possession of the Holy Tomb, the Greeks should refrain from
placing their monk inside the Edicule.

_____________________________

DIOCESAN PILGRIMAGE TO THE MOTHER CATHEDRAL OF HOLY ETCHMIADZIN SCHEDULED
FOR SEPTEMBER

The Eastern Diocese will make a pilgrimage to the Mother Cathedral of Holy
Etchmiadzin this fall to participate in the blessing of the Holy Muron
(Oil). The two-week pilgrimage begins in late September and concludes in
early October. The blessing of the Holy Muron will take place on Sunday,
Sept. 28.

For more information, click here
< df> or contact Arto Vorperian at
the Diocesan Center at 212-686-0710 ext. 213 or e-mail [email protected].
Please note that the number of spaces is limited. Those interested in the
pilgrimage should make reservations without delay.

His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians,
blesses the Holy Muron (Oil) with the relic of St. Gregory the Enlightener
in 2001. This special ceremony occurs once every seven years.

_____________________________

PARISH NEWS

Brooklyn, N.Y. – St. Gregory the Illuminator Mission Parish to Host Health
Fair at Diocesan Center

St. Gregory the Illuminator Mission Parish of Brooklyn, N.Y., will host a
health fair at the Diocesan Center, 630 Second Avenue, New York, N.Y., on
Sunday, May 4. Click here < df>
for more information.

New York, N.Y. – Food Festival at Holy Cross Church

Holy Cross Church of Armenia, 580 West 187 St., New York, N.Y., will host a
food festival in the Kachajian Hall following services on Sunday, May 18.
The event will feature live music by John Vartan, festivities for children
and an array of delicacies, including kebabs and Armenian pastries.

SAVE THE DATE : June 19 and Oct. 12

Diocesan Celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the Consecration of St.
Vartan Armenian Cathedral

This year, the Diocese will host a series of programs in celebration of the
40th anniversary of the consecration of St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral.
Upcoming events include:

. A concert in the Cathedral and an art exhibition at the Diocesan Center
beginning on June 19.

. A ceremony honoring the godfathers of St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral and
original committee members of the Cathedral-building project and the
distribution of the Holy Muron (Oil) from the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin
during a celebration of the Divine Liturgy on October 12. A luncheon will
follow. (Please note that the ceremony honoring Cathedral founders has been
rescheduled from May 18 to October 12).

Individual parishes will be invited to make pilgrimages to the Cathedral
throughout the year.

The Diocese would like to recognize everyone who was involved in the
Cathedral project. If you have information on any members of working
committees who helped build the Cathedral, please contact the Diocesan
Center at 212-686-0710 or e-mail [email protected].

_______________________________

Prayer for the Week

I entreat you, O merciful and good Lord, with those who have fallen asleep
in faith, receive us who have the same hope into the heavenly city,
Jerusalem, where the just are assembled, to sing and glorify you always!
More prayers
< .asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=5246&
HS=1 > <;

Scripture for the Week

Acts 20:17-38

1 Jn 3:2-6

Jn 9:39-10:10

Saints & Feasts

5/1 Feast of the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ

5/4 Second Palm Sunday

May God bless and keep you and your family.

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

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version: nian.htm

HIS HOLINESS ARAM I RECEIVES THE AMBASSADOR OF THE UNITED STATES

The Ambassador of the United States to Lebanon, Michele J. Sison, visited
His Holiness Aram I on April 22. This was the first visit by the American
diplomat since her appointment as the new Ambassador to Beirut.

The Pontiff and the Ambassador held a private meeting, which lasted over an
hour and featured discussions on important issues concerning the current
situation in Lebanon. His Holiness spoke about the structure and mission of
the Catholicosate of Cilicia and expressed his viewpoints on solving the
problems Lebanon faces currently. He also answered some questions regarding
the Armenian community and its role in political life in Lebanon. The
Ambassador explained the position of the United States on the Middle East
and particularly Lebanon. Various other problems from around the world were
also discussed during the meeting.

##
View the photo here:
tos/Photos253.htm
*****
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
the mission 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.

St. Nersess Armenian Seminary
150 Stratton Road
New Rochelle, NY 10804
Tel.: 914-636-2003
Email: [email protected]
Web:
Contact: Levon Altian

PRESS RELEASE

Free Lecture by Renowned Professor Visiting from Armenia

"Early Translations TO Armenian and FROM Armenian"

New Rochelle, NY – Prof. Paruyr Muradyan, Senior Researcher at the Armenian
National Academy of Sciences, will offer a lecture at St. Nersess this
Monday, April 28, at 7:30PM that is free and open to the public.

It is well known that a great many extremely important early Christian
writings were translated into Armenian by saintly Armenian scholars, many of
them clergy. Some of these writings have been lost in their original form,
and survive only by the grace of these Armenian translations. Less well
known are a number of Armenian Christian writings that were translated into
other languages such as Syriac, Greek, Arabic, Georgian and Latin. Prof.
Muradyan, one of Armenia’s foremost experts in this area, will trace the
travels of early Christian ideas to, and through the Armenian language.

Prof. Muradyan is the foremost authority on Armenian and Georgian relations
>From the earliest times to the present. He is the author of numerous books
including The Passion of St. Shushanik, daughter of St. Vartan Mamikonian.
This ancient text survives in very early Armenian and Georgian versions. The
lecture will be in Armenian with an English translation provided.
Refreshments will follow. St. Nersess is easy to reach by car or train.

UPCOMING LECTURE

Monday, May 12, 2008 at 7:30PM

Annual Bishop Zkon Der Hagopian Memorial Lecture

Between Text and Icon: The Beautiful Body of Christ

Abraham Terian, Professor of Armenian Patristics

2007 PRIZES FOR CONSIDERABLE CONTRIBUTION IN ISSUE OF RECOGNITION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE AWARDED

Noyan Tapan
April 22, 2008

YEREVAN, APRIL 22, NOYAN TAPAN. On April 22, RA President Serge
Sargsian signed a decree on giving prizes to people, who have made a
considerable contribution in the issue of recognition of the Armenian
Genocide. By the decree 2007 prize was given to: Yuri Barseghov
(RF) for his two-volume work under the title The Armenian Genocide:
Turkey’s Responsibility and International Community’s Commitments and
to Yves Ternon (France) for his considerable scientific contribution
made in the issue of recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

According to the report provided to Noyan Tapan by the RA President’s
Press Office, by S. Sargsian’s another decree of the same day Roger
W. Smith (United States) was awarded Movses Khorenatsi medal for his
considerable contribution in the issue of international recognition
of the Armenian Genocide.

RUSSIAN-ARMENIAN URANIUM JV TO START PROSPECTING BY LATE 2008

RIA Novosti
April 22 2008
Russia

MOSCOW, April 22 (RIA Novosti) – A joint venture established between
Russia and Armenia plans to start uranium prospecting in the south
of Armenia by late 2008, the venture’s Russian participant said
on Tuesday.

Atomredmetzoloto, which manages all Russian uranium-producing assets,
and the Armenian Environmental Ministry, signed on Tuesday in Yerevan
an agreement on establishing a joint venture to prospect and mine
uranium and other mineral resources on the territory of the South
Caucasus state.

The JV agreement is the first stage in the implementation of a
cooperation memorandum signed in February between the Russian nuclear
corporation Rosatom and the Armenian environmental ministry.

Atomredmetzoloto is a subsidiary of Rosatom.

Armenian uranium reserves are estimated at 30,000-60,000 metric tons.