Author: nina hovnanian

SEFILYAN AWAITS CITY HALL DECISION – ARMTIMES.COM

18:41 | March 27,2015 | Politics

The Yerevan Municipality has been notified of an April 24 rally to
be organized by the movement called “The 100th anniversary without
the regime,” a successor of the Pre-Parliament initiative, Gagik
Baghdasaryan, a senior official at the Yerevan municipality, told
Armtimes.com.

The city authorities are now discussing the notification submitted
by Varuzhan Avetisyan, a spokesperson for the movement.

The rally will be followed by a march.

PM BRIEFED ON FOOD, DRUG SAFETY EXPERTISE LAB ACTIVITIES

18:52, 26 Mar 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan visited Tonus-Les Company’s food and
drug safety expert lab in Nor-Gyukh village community of Kotayk Marz.

The Prime Minister toured the lab getting acquainted with the works
and activities and achievements, the Government’s Press Office reports.

The laboratory enables quality and bioequivalence, as well as
biological and microbiological examinations of imported medicines
and food, promoting thereby the necessary quality standards.

Introducing achievements, company executives said that the lab has
recently been granted the international ISO 9001-2008 accreditation,
which is the first in the region.

It was noted that the international accreditation will enable local
producers to get expert opinion and product quality certification in
Armenia that will substantially reduce costs and time. Appropriate
steps have been taken to provide training to qualified personnel and
enhance international cooperation.

Prioritizing and welcoming the international accreditation of the
lab, Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan said that it will stimulate
the production of high quality local products, get reliable data on
production, increase export volumes and strengthen the protection of
consumer rights.

The Premier stressed the need for the lab to keep on developing in
order to provide high-quality expertise, as well as to build on the
confidence with business circles.

The lab executives assured that owing to its international
accreditation, the laboratory’s findings will be acknowledged in all
countries of the world. The laboratory has modern equipment of German,
Swiss, Japanese and Israeli manufacture.

BABAIAN-KHACHIKIAN PUTS FOCUS ON ARMENIANS OF IRAN

ARTS, MASS., NEWS | MARCH 26, 2015 12:29 PM
________________________________

Sourp Amenaperkich Church in Isfahan

By Aram Arkun
Mirror-Spectator Staff

WATERTOWN — Ani Babaian-Khachikian gave an illustrated lecture on
the Armenians in Iran at the St. James Armenian Church’s Men’s Club
on March 2, with a specific focus on the New Julfa Armenian community.

Men’s Club Chairman Dick Janjigian served as the master of ceremonies.

Nearly 100 people were present at this talk.

Babaian-Khachikian started by expounding on the ancient ties between
Armenia and Iran. For centuries Iran ruled over Armenia, and even in
modern times parts of historical Armenia lie within Iran’s borders,
including areas to the west of Lake Urmia. Armenian conversion to
Christianity, and Iranian conversion to Islam, increased tensions
between the two peoples. The famous Battle of Avarayr of 451 AD,
for example, took place on territory today located in Iran.

In the 17th century, Shah Abbas I, king of Iran, deported several
hundred thousand Armenians from Ottoman-controlled historical Armenia
into new locations in Iran as part of a scorched earth policy against
his Ottoman enemies. This led to new Armenian settlements outside
of historic Armenian territory, especially in Isfahan. Further
new communities of Armenians were created in the 1930s due to the
expansion of the Iranian oil industry in the southwest of the country,
though during the recent Iran-Iraq war (1980-88) most of them were
depopulated.

Babaian-Khachikian turned her attention to the Armenians of New Julfa
(Nor Jugha in Armenian), who were deported in 1605 from the famous
medieval trading center of Jugha on the Araks River in the heart of
historical Armenia. They were settled in a new suburb of Isfahan named
after their old city. One of the many bridges connecting New Julfa to
Isfahan was built by the Armenian general Allahverdi Khan. It has 33
arches, Babaian-Khachikian said, which are said by some to symbolize
the 33 years of Christ on earth.

Many of the streets of New Julfa bear Armenian names even today. The
oldest one, Nazar Street, is named after the famous merchant
Khoja Nazar. More recently, the city hall of Isfahan replaced many
non-Armenian street names with the names of Armenian soldiers for
Iran killed in the Iran-Iraq war.

Many of the homes of the wealthy Armenian merchants of New Julfa had
beautiful interiors. While most have been destroyed, the state Iranian
Cultural Heritage Organization added the few that are still standing
to its architectural heritage list. They are being used by the Isfahan
Art University and are still known by their original owners’ names.

Babaian-Khachikian pointed out that education was important for the New
Julfans even in the 17th century. At that time the Surb Amenaprkich
Monastery was a center not only of religious education but also
provided practical lessons necessary for the Armenian mercantile class.

Armenian girls were taught by nuns at the St. Katarine Armenian
Apostolic Church until the founding of the first girls’ school in
1857. In 1880, the Armenian central school was founded for the needs
of all students.

Today, the Armenian schools go from kindergarten to high school,
following the official state curriculum. Graduates get both state
diplomas and Armenian ones. Furthermore, in the 1960s the University
of Isfahan established a Center for Armenian Studies. Today, there
are only Persian students studying at this center, though some of
the teachers are still Armenians.

Until the beginning of the 20th century, Armenians continued to wear
their traditional costumes from Old Julfa. Today in public Armenian
women must wear a headscarf, but are free to dress as they please
at home.

New Julfa had 24 Armenian Apostolic churches in the late 19th century,
and 13 are still operational today. Each of their domes has the form
of an Islamic mosque’s dome, but the dome of the mosque is covered
with ceramic tiles, while the Armenian dome uses brick and has a cross
on top. During the 18th century, bell towers with conical domes were
added to the churches.

Surp Amenaprkich Monastery (1664), and the churches of the Holy Mother
of God (1613), Holy Bethlehem (1628), and St. Stepannos (1666) are
decorated with extensive mural paintings. The clerics of New Julfa
produced a unique style of manuscript illustration.

Surp Amenaprkich Monastery includes a cathedral, museum, offices,
chancellery, bell tower, clock tower, an Armenian Genocide monument,
and a library with the second largest collection of manuscripts in the
diaspora. The first Armenian printing press in Iran was established
in this monastery complex in 1636, 192 years before the printing of
the first Persian-language book in Iran. The monastery’s publishing
house is still active today. The church still commemorates all the
important Armenian church holidays and many Iranians come to place
flowers before the Armenian Genocide monument every April.

Ani Babaian-Khachikian participated in restoration works of the murals
of the gavit or narthex of the cathedral of the monastery thanks to
the support of Iran’s Cultural Heritage Organization. It is thanks to
the Islamic Republic of Iran that three Armenian churches on Iranian
territory have been placed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, and now
efforts are being made to add the Surp Amenaprkich Monastery to the
same list.

Babaian-Khachikian, a native of Isfahan, has a bachelor of fine arts
degree from Islamic Azad University and a Master of Fine Arts degree
from Alzahra University in Tehran. Her thesis at Alzahra was entitled
“Mutual Influences: New Julfa and Isfahan Mural Paintings of the 17th
Century.” She has authored numerous articles on Armenian and Persian
art and has taught art courses in Iran. After marrying Saro Khachikian
from Peabody she moved in 2010 to Massachusetts, where in 2013 she
joined the National Association of Armenian Studies and Research as a
cataloguer of the Mardigian Library. Aside from her scholarly work,
she is also a fine arts painter who frequently participates in solo
and group exhibitions.

DEPO SHOW EXPLORES UNSEEN HISTORY OF ANATOLIA

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
March 24 2015

The exhibition “Spectrography: Tracing the Ghosts” continues until
April 12 at the Depo art center in Ä°stanbul.

March 24, 2015, Tuesday/ 15:47:08/ RUMEYSA KIGER / ISTANBUL

With the Armenian centennial commemorations of the 1915 killings
approaching on April 24, a new exhibition delving into the painful
history of Anatolia through a collective exhibition by Anna Barseghian,
Stefan Kristensen and Uriel Orlow is on view at Depo in Ä°stanbul’s
Tophane neighborhood.

Titled “Spectrography: Tracing the Ghosts,” it can be considered as
the result of a joint visit to the eastern and southeastern parts
of Turkey, which was once home to an Armenian community. It is a
visual and aural exploration of a haunted territory, as written in the
exhibition text about the show. “The artists describe the experience
of ghosts; their work makes visible the absence of the disappeared,
in landscapes and ruins. By relating to people, and listening to
the silences of their words, and the expressions on their faces, the
works allow untimely memories to emerge at a turning of a path, on
the side of a mountain and in the radiance of a face,” it elaborates.

On the first floor of Depo, an installation titled “No Voice is Lost”
by artist and curator Barseghian and her collaborator Kristensen
features various videos intersecting with one another and constituting
a layered visual history. The videos include shots from the cities
of Kars and MuÃ…~_ — where Barseghian and Kristensen’s grandparents
once lived, and the stories they heard about Gulizar, whose name
became a resistance symbol for both Armenians and Kurds following
her abduction by Musa Bek in 1889 — and vast Anatolian landscapes,
ruins of old churches and so on. Méliné Ter Minassian, a French
actress and performer who is also a descendant of Gulizar, put on
a performance for the exhibition together with Barseghian that is a
collection of memories from the descendants of Gulizar. Another work
on the same floor that is also realized by the descendants of those
killed is titled “Journey to the Land of Ghosts.” Part of the project
“Armenography” and filmed in 2005, the video was shot during a tour
conducted by the Van Vaspourakan association and it features second-
and third-generation descendants visiting their grandparents’ villages
in Anatolia for the first time.

On the second floor, an installation titled “Remains of the Future”
by London-based artist Orlow includes a video filmed in a previously
Armenian town around the city of MuÃ…~_ on the orders of Gorbachev in
1988 for people who lost their homes in the Spitak earthquake. “Holy
Precursor,” by the same artist, features a Kurdish village this time,
delving into the history of former Armenian monastery Surp Garabed,
whose remains were used to build the current town.

“Spectrography: Tracing the Ghosts” will run through April 12 at Depo.

CHICAGO ARTIST’S HUGE PAINTING TO MARK CENTENNIAL OF ARMENIAN KILLINGS

Malay Mail Online
March 24 2015

Photo: Artist Jackie Kazarian poses in front of her painting for
‘Project 1915,’ a commemorative piece marking the 100th anniversary
of the Armenian genocide, in Chicago March 23, 2015. — Reuters
picCHICAGO, March 24 — One hundred years after the mass killing
of Armenians, a Chicago artist has created a monumental painting to
honor the victims and celebrate a culture that nearly vanished.

The 1915 massacre of Armenians by Ottoman troops became a defining
element of Armenian national identity.

Seeking to promote awareness of the tragedy and Armenian culture,
Chicago-based artist Jackie Kazarian embarked on a painting of enormous
scale in an endeavor called Project 1915.

The painting, which Kazarian has titled Armenia (Hayastan), will be
displayed for the first time in Chicago’s Mana Contemporary gallery
from April 17 to May 29.

The work is a semi-abstract landscape splashed with bold images and
text from ancient Armenian maps and church architecture, united by
a pattern of needle lace by Kazarian’s Armenian-born grandmother and
with colours and symbols from illuminated manuscripts.

Kazarian, who has Armenian roots, drew on Pablo Picasso’s epic painting
Guernica, which depicts the horror of a northern Spanish village’s
bombing during Spain’s civil war, for her painting.

It is the same size as Guernica at 11.5 feet by 26 feet.

“No one would have known what happened in Guernica if it wasn’t for
that painting,” Kazarian said.

The nature and scale of the killings of Armenians by Ottoman forces
during World War One remain highly contentious.

While a number of countries define the massacres as genocide and
while Turkey accepts that many Armenians died in partisan fighting,
the Turkish government denies that up to 1.5 million were killed and
that it was an act of genocide.

Last year, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan made unprecedented
condolences to the grandchildren of Armenians killed at the time, but
the legacy remains an obstacle to reviving frozen relations between
Turkey and neighboring Armenia, a small former Soviet territory.

In Kazarian’s painting, two open hands span the bottom corners, as if
holding up the work and an entire culture. It is a gesture Kazarian
said she remembered her grandmother often using.

“This is a very visceral, emotional project. But like any art that
references a painful past, it is about remembering, healing and
educating ourselves to make a better world,” Kazarian said.

After its Chicago exhibition, the painting will be displayed at
universities and galleries across the United States and the world. —
Reuters

MONUMENTS DEDICATED TO VICTIMS OF GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR ARE OUR SANCTUARIES: ARMENIA’S PM

16:20, 25 March, 2015

YEREVAN, MARCH 25, ARMENPRESS. The Prime Minister of the Republic
of Armenia Hovik Abrahamyan gave an interview to TASS and reflected
on how Armenia is getting ready to celebrate the 70th anniversary of
the victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War.

Among other things, Hovik Abrahamyan underscored: “May 9 – the Day
of Victory and Peace, is one of the holydays fixed in our republic’s
calendar. It is also a noteworthy date of the Armenian people’s
history, which is dear to each of us. The Armenians fought in the
heroic battle against fascism along with other peoples of the USSR
and made their worthy contribution to the Triumph.”

“There were 600 thousand Armenians fighting in the fronts of the
Great Patriotic War. Over 100 Armenians were awarded with the title
of the Hero of the Soviet Union for their courage. Brave pilot Nelson
Stepanyan (1913-1944) and Marshal of the USSR Hovhannes Baghramyan
(1897-1982) were awarded with that highest title for two times. 27
individuals became Full Cavaliers of the Oder of Glory,” Hovik
Abrahamyan concluded.

In addition, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Hovik
Abrahamyan noted that a committee for the 70th jubilee of the victory
against German fascism in Great Patriotic War has recently been
formed in Armenia. The Prime Minister chairs the aforesaid commission,
which is engaged in the development of the festive events.

(THE FULL VERSION OF THE INTERVIEW IS AVAILABLE IN ARMENIAN AND
RUSSIAN)

Interview by Tigran Liloyan (Yerevan, TASS)

ARMENIA’S ANTI-NGO LAWS INSPIRED BY MOSCOW

EurActiv
March 24 2015

Moscow’s push for Yerevan to adopt anti-NGO legislation is just the
latest sign of its determination to mold Armenia into a loyal vassal
that does its bidding with no questions asked, writes Armine Sahakyan.

Armine Sahakyan is a human rights activist based in Armenia.

Some countries in the former Soviet Union have viewed non-governmental
organizations as positive forces in the building of their societies
and have taken steps to foster them.

A prime example is Kazakhstan, which has declared that NGOs not only
complement the work of the government, but in some cases — such as
serving the disabled — do it better.

It has passed laws empowering NGOs and appointed NGO leaders to many
government-led task forces that address social needs.

Another country that’s developed a vibrant and progressive NGO sector
is Armenia.

In fact, in 2014, the international human rights organization Freedom
House praised civil society here as “active, diverse and independent.”

In recent months, though, the sector has come under threat. It’s
not a homegrown Armenian problem. The threat is coming from Moscow,
which wants its smaller neighbor to adopt the same anti-NGO policies
that Russia has.

It’s one more example of Russia exporting repressive policies to
its neighbors.

The Kremlin despises NGOs. It believes they helped finance and marshal
support for the so-called ‘color revolutions’ that were aimed at
democratizing Yugoslavia, Georgia and Ukraine between 2000 and 2004.

It was no coincidence that Russia enacted anti-NGO legislation only
18 months after the Orange Revolution in Ukraine ushered in the
pro-Western President Viktor Yushchenko.

Russia’s legislation regulates the activities of a half million
NGOs, including domestic branches of more than 5,000 international
non-profits.

The law requires an NGO to report every detail of its activities and
to submit to stringent audits of the way it spends its money. The
form used to document just one activity is seven pages long.

This law, plus raids on international NGOs’ offices and a recent
requirement that some non-profits register as “foreign agents,” have
had the effect Moscow wanted: Many domestic NGOs have disbanded,
and several international ones have closed their offices in Russia
rather than subject themselves to continued harassment.

The big loser in the closings, of course, is the Russian people,
who lost services that NGOs provided.

Now Russia has exported its anti-NGO legislation to Armenia, over
which it has been exerting increasing control in recent months.

Armenian lawmakers have drafted legislation that would require NGOs
to submit detailed financial reports to the government each year.

Non-profits would also be subjected to annual government audits.

In addition, the proposed revisions to current NGO law would allow
the government to rescind the registration of any non-profit that
twice failed to comply with the requirements.

On paper, the decision about whether to rescind an NGO’s license
would be made by a court. But it would be hard for a court to reject
such a request from the government. So the request itself would be
tantamount to a kiss of death for the NGO.

The most onerous provision of the legislation would give Justice
Ministry officials the right to attend non-profits’ board meetings.

Talk about a chilling effect on an NGO’s free discussion of issues
and policy proposals!

Russia sees Armenian anti-NGO legislation as a way to ensure that
its neighbor toes the Kremlin line.

Moscow’s ambassador to Armenia, Ivan Volinkin, declared in May of 2014
that any NGO that “created obstacles” to Russian-Armenian relations
ought to be “neutralized.”

Although Armenia’s anti-NGO legislation was drafted in November of
2014, the Armenian Parliament has yet to take it up, perhaps fearing
a backlash.

Many Armenians are upset about our country becoming a defacto colony
of Russia. In fact, hundreds turned out to protest President Vladimir
Putin’s visit to Yerevan in December of 2013, three months after
Armenia backed away from a commitment to join the European Union
under pressure from Moscow.

Armenia’s delay in enacting the anti-NGO legislation has irritated
Moscow, which has ratcheted up the pressure on Yerevan to pass it.

Just three weeks ago, in late February of 2015, influential Russian
lawmaker Konstantin Kosachev complained that about 350 Armenian NGOs
had undermined Armenia’s ties with Russia.

The ploy the non-profits had used, he said, was encouraging Armenians
to embrace European values. He didn’t say “as opposed to Russian
values,” but he didn’t have to. The implication was clear.

Moscow’s push for Yerevan to adopt anti-NGO legislation is just the
latest sign of its determination to mold Armenia into a loyal vassal
that does its bidding with no questions asked.

The most blatant sign was Russia forcing Armenia to join the
Moscow-dominated Eurasian Economic Union rather the European Union.

Armenia had spent three years laying the groundwork for joining the EU.

Its abrupt about-face came an hour after Putin talked with Armenian
President Serzh Sargsyan, whom he had summoned to Moscow on 3
September, 2013.

No one except Sargsyan and a few trusted aides know what combination of
carrots and sticks Putin used to “persuade” Armenia to drop its dream
of joining the EU. Whatever the combination was, it was effective.

The turnaround angered many Armenians, and underscored the fact that
the Russian-Armenian relationship was not one of equals.

Armenia dutifully joined the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) on 1
January 2015, along with Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus.

EEU membership was a milestone in the Kremlin’s bid to turn our
country into a Soviet-style Russian satellite.

Moscow’s determination to strong-arm Yerevan into passing anti-NGO
legislation is its latest move to tighten the noose.

With every tightening, Armenia gets more of the Russian-style
repression that many Armenians wanted to avoid.

And that’s exactly what the Kremlin wants.

PRESS RELEASE
Support Committee of the Armenian Museum of France
Mail: [email protected]
Tel: +33 (0)783 073 628
Web:
FB:
Petition Link:

We must save the Armenian Museum of France.

The Armenian Museum of France (AMF), which holds one of the largest
collections of Armenian art in Europe, some of which master pieces were
exhibited at the Louvre, is closed and no longer has access to its
collection. The museum is thus obliged to decline all institution’s lending
requests that are addressed to it for the centenary commemoration of the
Armenian genocide, which takes place in April 2015.

Lies, broken promises, prohibiting access to the museum’s team…, we call on
the Ministry of Culture to honor its commitments and to return the Armenian
Museum to its exhibition status.

Remembering the facts:

1953: A ministerial decree assigned the use of the ground floor of the
Ennery building (59 Avenue Foch, Paris, 16th) to the AMF. The Ennery
Museum, located on the top floor and under the authority of the Guimet
Museum, was originated by the donation of the Ennery spouses of their hotel
and its collection to the State (doc. n°1).

1995: Security problems on the first floor caused the closure of the
building. This closure was extended until 2011 due to lack of public
funding for the upgrading. An exceptional opening on the ground floor was
obtained through the intervention of the President of the Republic Jacques
Chirac during the Year of Armenia in France (doc. n°2 and 3). This
showcased the exhibition “The Paths of Armenia” which received 6000
visitors in six weeks. During this year, several works from the collection
of the AMF were loaned to the Louvre for the “Armenia Sacra” exhibition.

2011: The Ministry of Culture through the voice of its Head Director of
Heritage (Directeur Général des Patrimoines), wrote to the AMF that the
rehabilitation of the Ennery Museum was finally on the agenda and required
removal of the collections of the AMF for safety. He stated: “I certify the
resettlement -of the Armenian museum- in the same Ennery building at the
end of construction in April 2012” (doc. n°4 and 5). Collections of
the
AMF were thus put in crates and moved for the rehabilitation. The Ennery
museum was inaugurated in March 2012 in the presence of the Minister of
Culture Frédéric Mitterrand.

May 2012: Following the return of an AMF exhibition outside its walls,
museum’s team found all of the designated AMF rooms occupied by storage for
the Ennery museum, and the Guimet museum authority refused to remove
them (doc.
n°6). On intervention of the Direction des Musées, following many requests
from the AMF, the Ministry of Culture approved partial repatriation of the
Armenian museum collections, which were kept in crates in their spare room
in the Ennery building, but access to the exhibition rooms was still
prohibited. French Presidency also recognizes the commitment of the
Ministry of Culture to have the AMF back in its exhibition space (doc. n°8
and 9).

March 2014: The Guimet museum authorities changed the locks of the AMF
premises, and denied access to AMF’s team. The lack of response from the
Ministry of Culture thus actually prevents any participation of the
Armenian Museum to commemorate the centenary of the Armenian genocide (doc.
n°10 to 15). Today, the museum work is totally stopped, and no one knows
what has happened to the Armenian museum collections.

Since April 2014: Proceedings are pending in the Paris courts so that the
museum’s rights can be restored, regain access to its collections, and
obtain an explanation of the determination by the Ministry of Culture not
to reinstate the Armenian Museum of France in its agreed place.

2015: Noting has changed and the AMF situation is still the same. A
petition that has already collected more than 8,000 signatures on change.org
has been launched and is addressed to the President of the Republic
François Hollande and the Minister of Culture Fleur Pellerin.

Press contact

Support Committee of the Armenian Museum of France

Mail: [email protected]

Tel: +33 (0)783 073 628

Information on the Armenian Museum Of France

Website:

Facebook:

Petition Link

PRESS RELEASE

I/ 1953 – 2012: BIRTH AND LIFE OF THE ARMENIAN MUSEUM OF FRANCE

The Armenian Museum of France, depository of the cultural heritage brought
to France by Armenians refugees escaping the genocide of 1915, has been
allowed in April 24, 1953 by a decree of Minister of Culture (document n°1)
to depose his collections in the ground floor at Hotel d’Ennery, 59 avenue
Foch in Paris with the mission to preserve them.

Inauguration of the Armenian Museum of France on October 9, 1953 with the
attendance of French Republic President Vincent Auriol, Foreign Affairs
Minister, Minister of the Interior and the Minister of Education.

[image: Images intégrées 1]

1) 1953 – 1995: FIRST PERIOD, OPENING TO THE PUBLIC

Established by Armenian refugees for the benefit of French people and for
future generations, the museum’s collections regroup nearly 1200 works
retracing 3000 years of the history of Armenia. On October 2, 1978, by a
decree of Prime Minister Raymond Barre, the collections were recognized to
be of public interest and inalienable to the benefit of France.

Archeology, religious arts, manuscript arts, profane arts, folk arts,
paintings, sculptures, form this unique collection in Europe presented on

For half a century in Paris, the public have been able to discover this
exceptional heritage.

Several works from the collection has been exhibited at the Louvre and
Maritime Museum in Paris during the `Year of Armenia in France’ in 2007.

[image: Images intégrées 2]

Exhibition space of the Armenian Museum[image: Images intégrées 3]

of France, 59 avenue Foch, Paris

2) 1995 – 2011: SECOND PERIOD, OPENING TO THE OUTSIDE

In 1995, in the need of rehabilitation works the Armenian Museum of France
and the Ennery Museum was closed to the public.

French state owning the building, Armenian Museum of France had to wait for
the works to be done.

During these times the museum presented its collections through external
exhibitions, meanwhile continuing scientific studies and restoration works.
At the same time the realization of his web site opened
virtually the museum to all public.

In 2007, during the Year of Armenia in France, the Armenian Museum of
France after the intervention of French President Jacques Chirac, has been
authorized to open temporarily for six weeks after an urgently upgrading of
the showroom.

Letter from the President of the French Republic to the Armenian Museum of
France

The Councillor for Education and Culture of Mr Jacques Chirac, April 13th,
2007.

“…The Head of State thanks you and has instructed me to answer you.

This museum has a unique collection, and this is a chance for our country
to host it. The President is pleased that he has been associated with the
Year of Armenia in France, with the exhibition “The Paths of Armenia.”

“… The Ministry of Culture and Communication, especially the Direction
des Musées de France, will implement all the means at their disposal to
ensure that the Armenian Museum collections include a place that reflects
their importance.” Document n°2

Exhibition “The roads of Armenia” in the Armenian Museum of France
sponsored by the Minister of Culture, Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres (Document
n°3), March-April 2007.

More than 6,000 visitors – the majority French – were received in
six
weeks for this exceptional opening.

The Armenian Museum of France, during the Year of Armenia in France and up
to 2012, participates in Armenian art exhibitions and is exposed in the
major French museums.

Hope of a long sustained reopening for the Armenian Museum of France is
born.

Louvre Museum

` Armenia Sacra ‘ exhibition

February 21 – May 21, 2007

Musée National de la Marine

` Aïvazovski, la poésie de la mer ‘ exhibition,

February -May 28, 2007

Montmartre Museum

` de l’Arménie à Montmartre ‘ exhibition,

April 4 – June 24, 2007

Scriptorial d’Avranches, partnership with the

French National Library

` Reflets d’Arménie ‘ exhibition,

February 1 -May 6, 2012

II/ THE PROGRAMMED DEATH OF THE ARMENIAN MUSEUM: 2012-2014

>From 2012, the desire to see the Armenian Museum of France disappear has
arisen within certain institutions. This has resulted in illegal attempt to
spoil the Armenian Museum of its space and forbid access to its
collections, all this with an astonishing silence of the Ministry of
Culture…

1) FIRST STEP: 2011, REMOVAL OF THE ARMENIAN MUSEUM COLLECTIONS FOR
PARTIAL RENOVATION OF THE BUILDING AT THE REQUEST OF THE MINISTRY OF
CULTURE

In July 2011, the Ministry of Culture, through the voice of its Director of
Heritage, Philippe Belaval, informed the Armenian Museum that renovations
works must be undertaken in the building to allow the reopening of the
Ennery museum. Same letter asked to move away the collections for security
reasons, while certifying their resettlement at the same place at the end
of works. Letter from the Director of Heritage (Direction des Patrimoines),
July 26, 2011. Document n°4

The Armenian Museum logically released its showrooms early September 2011,
and carried its collections on hand in a warehouse in the Paris suburbs
waiting to come back to the Ennery Hotel.

Letter from Frédéric Mitterrand, Minister of Culture, February 23, 2012 to
the Director of the Armenian Museum. The Minister thanked “personally and
very deeply” the Armenian Museum for leaving its rooms available in order
to allow the renovation of the Ennery Museum. Document n°5

2) SECOND STEP: 2012, SPOLIATION OF THE ARMENIAN MUSEUM’S ROOMS

The renovation, financed entirely by the Ministry of Culture, was completed
on time, and the Ennery Museum – beautifully restored – was inaugurated on
March 13, 2012 in the presence of Frédéric Mitterrand, the Minister of
Culture.

In a letter from April 2, 2012, the Armenian Museum of France logically
asked the Ministry of Culture and the Guimet Museum to notify on what date
it will reintegrate its rooms, but the commitment of the Ministry of July
26, 2011 was no longer considered valid.

Response from Mr. Olivier de Bernon, President of the Guimet Museum, in
his letter of April 26, 2012:

“The rooms occupied by your collections are not available.” See photos
below.

“Therefore I cannot offer you more, while waiting for a better solution,
than to seek with you in the Ennery building, a suitable place to receive
your collections, kept in their packaging.” Document n°6

Since 2012, the halls of the Armenian Museum have been used for storage
(empty shelves, boxes …).

Today, these shelves still occupy the rooms.

[image: Images intégrées 4]

Pictures taken during a bailiff visit on May 30, 2012, after the refusal of
the Ministry of Culture to honor its commitment of 26 July 2011 (document
n°4) to return these rooms to the Armenian Museum of France.

[image: Images intégrées 5]

After many requests from the Armenian Museum, the “Direction des Musées de
France”, given the high cost of abroad warehouse storage of collections,
authorized only the partial return in October 2012 to the former reserve
room at the Hotel Ennery.

However up today it is impossible to recover the showroom. The rest of the
collections remains stuck in the warehouse near Paris.

3) THIRD STEP, A KIND OF DEFAMATION BY THE MINISTER OF CULTURE?

In the book “La récréation” (The recess) by Frédéric Mitterrand, published
October 24, 2013, on his visit to the Armenian Museum, the “author”
disavows “the Minister”, without comment…

Letter from Frédéric Mitterrand, Minister of Culture, 14.03.2012 addressed
to the Head of the Armenian Museum of France:

“You know my attachment to the history of art particularly that of
Armenian heritage, the Armenian Museum of France is one of the most
successful expressions.”

“You also call my attention to the difficulties currently faced by your
establishment….” Document n°7

>From June 2009 to May 2012, during the time which Frederic Mitterrand was
Minister, the director of the Armenian Museum addressed 17 letters to the
Ministry of Culture, mainly to search for a suitable and sustainable
location for exposure.

Excerpt from “Recess” by Frédéric Mitterrand, page 90:

“… On the ground floor, an Armenian museum filled with caftans and an
incredible bric-a-brac from multiple inheritances. An old and anxious
gentleman (note: the President of the Armenian Museum of France), out of a
closet, panics at the idea that someone might one day be interested in this
nice mess; he made up his mind to keep it hidden until the end of time.”

[image: Images intégrées 6]

The case of the official residence of the Hotel d’Ennery:

[image: Images intégrées 7]

Remember, the rooms on the ground floor are occupied by the Armenian
Museum, those of the first floor by the Ennery Museum, the 2nd and top
floor houses an apartment.

This apartment is used as the official residence of the President of the
Guimet Museum and was completely renovated between 2008 and 2009.

Hôtel d’Ennery, 59 avenue Foch, Paris 16ème

Frédéric Mitterrand writes in “La récréation” when visiting the Hotel
Ennery in November 2009:

“I hear scraping from the top floor and notice a small staircase that
leads to carpeted fees. “It’s nothing up there, there is nothing to see,
sir,” cries the chorus of guides increasingly supplied with heart-rending
anguish. I go upstairs, two Moroccan workers are now scratching the floors,
giving the final touches to a superb renovated apartment that opens onto
the foliage of the avenue. Given the price per square meter in this area, I
mentally calculate the happiness of the mysterious tenant.

The two Moroccans are excited by my surprise visit, they saw me on TV and
are very talkative in telling me about the workflow. The procession that
followed me hears this innocent confession in stony silence. Some very
pale, some others red as a lobster, all looking at their feet. Finally,
someone denounces: the `official residence’ of the Museum’s President, he
said under his breath. I shorten the agony and left the whole company
petrified. There are other abandoned museums like this in Paris,
disappeared from the field of view of the State which is in charge yet, but
not lost for everyone … ” (page 91 of the first edition).

Despite this refurbishment, the official residence has been occupied only
for a few months. It has been vacant since 2011. Since then, the President
of the Guimet Museum now occupies another official residence in the 16th
district of Paris.

4) FOURTH STEP, 2012-2014: THE SILENCE OF THE MINISTRY OF CULTURE, THE
INACTION OF THE PRESIDENCY

Since the letter from the Guimet Museum’s Director on April 16, 2012
prohibiting the return of the Armenian collections at the Hotel Ennery,
despite the validity of the ministerial decree of 1953 and despite the
written commitment of 26 July 2011 from the Ministry on the reintegration
of the Armenian Museum collections, the 17 letters sent by the Armenian
Museum to the Ministry of Culture – between April 16, 2012 and May 27, 2014
– remain unanswered.

Letters from the President of the French Republic to the Armenian Museum
of France

The Chief of Staff of François Holland, on March 13th, 2013

“Stay assured that has been noted with a particular attention your wish to
have the Armenian Museum of France reinstated in the two rooms on the
ground floor of the Ennery Museum in Paris, occupied by your collection
until September 2011, as it has been promised by the Head Director of
Heritage.”

The Presidency thus recognizes the commitment of the French government to
restore the Armenian Museum into its halls. Document n°8

The Chief of Staff of François Holland, on October 31st, 2013

“The President of the Republic received the correspondence in which you
share your repeated concerns about the fate of the collections of the
Armenian Museum of France at the approach of the centenary celebrations of
the Armenian genocide. At the request of the Head of State, your comments
have been shared to the new Minister of Culture and Communication to make
it proceed with the careful consideration of this matter. She will keep you
directly informed of the follow up given to your intervention.` Document
n°9

The Ministry of Culture did not contact the Armenian Museum of France.

5) FIFTH STEP: NEW EVICTION ATTEMPT OF THE COLLECTIONS OF THE ARMENIAN
MUSEUM OF FRANCE

While the public was invited less than a year ago to the Ennery Museum’s
opening without any limitation, and the apartment on the top floor has
undergone renovation, security problems were put forward as a reason to ask
for, once again, the departure of the collections of the Armenian Museum in
France.

Letter from the President of the Guimet Museum, Ms. Makariou to the
Armenian Museum of France, February 6th, 2014

The president of the Guimet Museum, Mrs Sophie Makariou, successor of Mr.
Olivier de Bernon, informed the Armenian Museum of France on her desire to
place in the Guimet warehouse in March 2014 the Armenian museum collections
that had been partially reinstated in October 2012 in the reserve room of
Hotel d’Ennery, while indicating the search for an exhibition solution for
the Armenian Museum. Document n°10

The Armenian Museum, by a letter on February 25, 2014 to the Director of
the Guimet Museum, sensing a new eviction maneuver this time definitive,
answered that it refuses to move without any confirmation on a new
exhibition space, and emphasized the commitment of the State end the
Ministry to restore it to its exhibition rooms in April 2012.

In a new letter, it is now water infiltration problems that threaten the
ground floor and these are put forward to call for the departure of the
collections. Note that the reserve room of the Armenian Museum is located
on the ground floor, and if water infiltration problems with the roof of
the building had been detected, it would be all the collections, including
the ones of the Ennery Museum on the 1st floor that should be immediately
evacuated (not to mention the official residence on the top floor!).

Letter from the Head Administrator of the Guimet Museum, Mr. Frederic
Sallet to the Armenian Museum of France, on March 12th, 2014

The head administrator of the Guimet Museum, Frederic Sallet, informed the
Armenian Museum that he contacted several transportation companies,
offering to arrange the transfer of the collections before the end of
March. Document n°11

All amicable remedies have been exhausted, the dozens of letters warning
about the situation of the Armenian Museum addressed to the President of
the Republic, the Ministry of Culture and the Director of Heritage remained
unanswered, the Armenian Museum of France has now no other choice to seek
the help of a lawyer to assert its rights.

On March 24th, 2014, arguing the commitments of the State, the lawyer
informs the head administrator of the Guimet Museum, Frederic Sallet, that
the Armenian Museum refuses this forced relocation. Document n°12

6) SIXTH STEP: SILENCING THE ARMENIAN MUSEUM COMPLETELY

The locks of the building have been changed, so the Armenian Museum of
France no longer has access to its collections. The Armenian Museum is
forced to cancel the lending requests from other museums for the 2015
exhibitions, and a TV team from France 2 which came to cover the story has
been prohibited to access to the collections. The relocation of the
collections is “ongoing”.

On March 31st, 2014, the Armenian Museum no longer has access to its
collections. Access to the Hotel d’Ennery is cut off. The keys to the gate
of the building on the avenue have been changed, and the guard of the
Hotel d’Ennery informs in front of witnesses that he has been ordered to
block access to the Armenian Museum of France to its President and anybody
else.

Letter from the Armenian Museum of France addressed to the President of
the Republic of March 31st, 2014 concerning the prohibition that has been
made to access its collections. Document n°13. The letter remained
unanswered.

Calendar coincidence? Pressure attempt? On March 31st, 2014, the Armenian
Museum of France received a bill of 35,000 =82¬ for storage costs (April 2012
– March 2014 period) for the collection that could not be reinstated in the
Hotel d’Ennery, due to the occupancy of its rooms by the Guimet Museum.

The storage company, the Chenue Company, that manages the storage of the
largest national museums, were aware of the deadlock orchestrated by the
Guimet Museum and the Director des Patrimoines. Note that since April 2012,
when the company was made aware of the blockage, and in the expectation
that the Ministry of Culture would unravel the situation, no invoice was
sent to the Armenian Museum.

Letter from Frederic Sallet, head administrator of the Guimet Museum, to
the Armenian Museum of France, on April 4th, 2014. Mr. Sallet informed the
Armenian Museum that he had received the letter from its lawyer on its
refusal to move, but still for safety reasons, he “invites” the Director of
the Armenian Museum `to be present to assist and monitor the transfer
operation and set aside (…), transfer that will be supported materially
and financially by the public institution (note: the Museum Guimet)’ and is
at the disposal of the Armenian museum to communicate the date of the
transfer. After changing the locks on the building, Mr. Sallet thus takes
the unilateral decision to move the Armenian Museum’s collection! Document
n°14

Since April 2014, the Armenian Museum no longer has access to its
collections, and is unable to respond to lending requests from the MuCEM
in Marseille, the Catholic Institute of Valencia, and Museums of Toulon and
Monaco for the centenary commemoration of the Armenian Genocide.

Letter from the President of the Armenian Museum of France
to Frederic Sallet, head administrator of the Guimet Museum, on April 24th,
2014. Document n°15. Mr. Sallet was questioned about his behavior and his
decision to move the collections of the Armenian Museum. The letter
remained unanswered.

7) SEVENTH STEP: THE BLOCKING OF LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

In early April 2014, the Armenian Museum filed a request in front of the
Administrative Court, but the judge of Administrative Court considered that
this case does not fall under its jurisdiction, but under the High Court
(Tribunal de Grande Instance).

On May 13, 2014, on the eve of the hearing, a surprising event occured: The
Prefet of Paris came in requesting the Prosecutor of the Republic of Paris
and asked for the incompetence of the High Court, after the initial
rejection by the Administrative Court on April 10, 2014.

Letter from the Armenian Museum to the President of the Republic, on May
26th, 2014, explaining the situation faced by the museum, and asking him
to intervene for the commitment of the State to be respected. Document
n°16. The letter remained unanswered.

On June 4th, 2014, at the hearing, the High Court was agreed with the
opinion of the Prefect of Paris and declared itself incompetent to judge
the case. However, the judge proposed a mediation. The Armenian Museum
accepted the mediation, hoping to participate in 2015 with its collections
to commemorate the centenary of the genocide.

On June 6th 2014, the management of the Guimet Museum made known through
his lawyers, its refusal of the mediation.

The situation regarding the access to the Armenian Museum collections has
been completely blocked ever since.

III/ THE ARMENIAN MUSEUM OF FRANCE TODAY

Still today, nobody knows what has happened to the Armenian Museum
collections left inside the Hotel d’Ennery in March 2014.

Facing the blocking of legal proceedings, and the moral duty of the
Armenian Museum of France to participate in the commemoration of the
centenary of the Armenian genocide of 1915, the Support Committee of the
Armenian Museum of France has launched a petition and started to
communicate over social networks.

More than 13,000 supporters around the world – from Facebook and Change.org
– have asked for this unique heritage to be rescued.

One question remains: Why this desire for destruction of the Armenian
cultural heritage in France, on the eve of the centenary of the 1915
genocide?

Press contact
Support Committee of the Armenian Museum of France
Mail: [email protected]
Tel: +33 (0)783 073 628
Information on the Armenian Museum Of France
Website:
Facebook:
Petition Link

ARF YOUTH UNIONS WILL RALLY TO URGE EU MEMBER STATES TO RECOGNIZE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

18:17, 25 Mar 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

On Thursday, March 26, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Youth and
Student organizations of Armenia will rally in front of the Office of
the EU Delegation to Armenia. On the same day the ARF Youth Unions
will rally in front of EU Offices in different countries of the
world and will hand over petitions. The initiative aims to unite the
young people in Armenia and Diaspora and raise the voice of Armenians
worldwide. The petition reads:

“April 24, 2015 marks the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

As we approach the centennial, we, the descendants of the survivors
of the Armenian Genocide, stand ever resolute for the international
recognition of this crime against humanity and the reinstatement of
historical justice for the one and a half million innocent victims
it claimed.

The Republic of Turkey continues to profit from the spoils of the crime
committed by its predecessor regimes. Furthermore, Turkey continues
the genocidal policies by denying the reality of the Genocide and
by waging an international campaign of distortion of historical
truth. Ankara’s record of hiring political lobbyists and its tactics
of political blackmail have long been exposed.

As Armenian youth, we welcome and support the European Parliament’s
recent call on the European Union member states to acknowledge the
Armenian Genocide.

We regard this position as a reiteration of the European Parliament’s
historic 1987 decision, which recognized the Armenian Genocide and
posited that “the Armenian question and the question of minorities in
Turkey must be resituated within the framework of relations between
Turkey and the Community.”

We call upon the leadership of the European Union, namely, the
European Council, the Council of the European Union and the European
Commission to uphold the moral standard set by the European Parliament
by recognizing and condemning the Armenian Genocide.

We urge the leadership of the European Union to encourage its member
states to recognize the Armenian Genocide and to criminalize its
denial.

We demand that the European Union pressures Turkey to unequivocally
acknowledge the Armenian Genocide and initiate steps that would
conclude by reparations for all material and non-material losses and
by restoration of the historical rights of the Armenian nation.

We regard that the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by Turkey and
the restitution of justice and restoration of historical rights of
the Armenian nation must be set as preconditions for the membership
of Turkey to the European Union.

On the eve of the Armenian Genocide centennial, we, the descendants
of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide, declare, that we remain
ever resolute for the just cause of the Armenian Genocide victims
and the timeless rights of the Armenian Nation.”

GAGIK GEVORGYAN RE-ELECTED AS HEAD OF ARMENIAN JEWELERS ASSOCIATION

YEREVAN, March 25. / ARKA /. Gagik Gevorgyan was re-elected as head
of the Armenian Jewelers Association (AJA), an AJA press release
said today.

The election was held on March 21 in the Swiss city of Basel. Sarkis
Nurian, Shant Haytayan and Raffi Marukyan are the newly elected
members of the executive board of the organization, it said.

Armenian Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan sent her congratulations
to Gevorgyan on his reelection, the press release says.

“The Armenian Jewelers Association deserves the highest appreciation.

Since its inception, the organization’s goal has been to unite the
entire potential of Armenian jewelers and contribute to the development
of jewelry in the homeland,” the minister’s letter says, in particular.

Gagik Gevorgyan is also an advisor to the president of Armenia on the
development of the jewelry sector. On his initiative, Armenia was
elected as the host country for the 2016 annual forum of the World
Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO).

Armenian Jewelers Association was founded in 1998. It is one of the
first Armenian international trade and development associations. The
Association’s aim is to unite Armenian jewelers in order to develop
Armenia’s jewelry industry. It has regional representatives in the
Unites States (East & West Coasts), Europe, the Middle East, South
America, Australia and Armenia.-0-