Author: Nyrie Kalashian

On April 28, Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian received Edward Djerejian, eminent US diplomat, director of Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.

The interlocutors discussed steps carried out towards strengthening of Armenian-US relations.

Upon the guest’s request, Minister Nalbandian presented the situation unfolded due to large-scale military aggression launched by Azerbaijan against Nagorno-Karabakh, continuing gross breaches of the cease-fire regime by Baku, attempts to undermine negotiation process on peaceful settlement of the issues.

Edward Nalbandian and Edward Djerejian exchanged thoughts on developments in the Middle East, pressing international issues.

President Serzh Sargsyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State John Kerry today at the initiative of the American side, President’s Press Office reports.

Issues related to the situation established as a result of gross violations of the ceasefire regime by Azerbaijan earlier this month were discussed.

President Sargsyan stressed that the irresponsible steps of Baku have caused a great harm to the negotiation process.

The US Secretary of States reiterated the full support of the US to the process of peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

The parties agreed there is no alternative to a peaceful solution and noted that it’s necessary to find mechanisms of mutually acceptable solution on the ground of basic principles.

The interlocutors emphasized the role of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, taking into consideration that it is the only internationally recognized format for the settlement of the issue.

Andrew E. Kramer

On a crystalline spring morning, Iosif Adamyan sipped coffee on the veranda of his guesthouse, overlooking a pear orchard in bloom and, in the distance, a range of snowy mountains.

In this picturesque spot, he entertains guests from England, France and Russia; in fact, people from “the whole world,” wind up here, he said, with the peculiarity that many of them speak Armenian.

At the stately Hotel Armenia, which caters to the diaspora visiting the capital of the disputed mountain enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, dear to the hearts of Armenians everywhere, the dining room clings to the traditional starched tablecloths and, of course, aged Armenian cognac.

“Karabakh is the cradle of Armenia,” said Lyudmila A. Oganyesyan, the director of School No. 3, beautifully restored in a facade of tan, locally quarried stone and paid for, naturally, by a wealthy Armenian benefactor, in this case an insurance executive from Moscow.

For being the capital of a war-afflicted former Soviet splinter region, a category of places better known for mud and misery, Stepanakert, with a population of 50,000 or so, is surprisingly livable.

Throughout the city, which went onto a war footing this month during three days of fighting with Azerbaijan’s military, signs of the careful attention and largess of a wealthy diaspora are everywhere: a new hospital rising on a hillside; smooth new asphalt on the road into town.

This support from the broader world of Armenian émigrés, not least from the large community in Southern California, adds an improbable metropolitan flair to the tiny republic of Karabakh and its capital.

The city still has some rough edges, beginning with the six-hour drive to get there on endless switchbacks that take you past a parade of burned and abandoned villages of the Armenians’ enemies, the Azerbaijanis, and terrifying thousand-foot cliffs. In its mountain perch, the region is surrounded, marooned in Azerbaijan, with this road the only supply route. No airport functions.

The sustenance from the diaspora makes all the difference. Funds flowed in from the late Kirk Kerkorian, the California financier. A Swiss-Armenian built a sturgeon farm called the Golden Fish. California and six other American states have recognized the splinter republic, though the federal government and in fact no other country have.

During the fighting, Stepanakert’s main square — immaculately paved, with stunning views of an alpine valley — became a hub of excitement for young and old alike.

Jeeps wheeled about, screeched to a stop for soldiers to hop in. An old veteran from the 1991-94 war stood nearby to see them off, the empty right sleeve of his jacket carefully ironed and tucked into a pocket.

David Agamalyan, 14, stood with two friends gaping at the armed men and bustle. In this city, any boy on the street has two numbers on the tip of his tongue, his age and his best time for disassembling and reassembling a Kalashnikov rifle, a skill that is taught in schools from age 13.

David’s best time is 27 seconds, certainly a feat considering all the springs and rods and sheet metal parts involved. Girls are taught first aid. Both boys and girls are taught to march and stand at attention.

At School No. 3, children’s drawings adorning the walls show in crayon and colored pencil the smoldering fight that is all they have ever known: a tank in a mountain landscape; men marching with rifles.

All boys join the army. Asked whom he would fight in four years when he signs up, David shrugged at the ridiculous question. “Our neighbor, of course,” he said.

Photo: Getty Images

Within the framework of the working visit to the United States, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan visited the Kennedy School of of Government at Harvard University and met with Armenian students there. The President delivered a lecture and answered the questions of the attendees related to the agenda of Armenian-American interstate relations, the current state of negotiations on the Karabakh conflict settlement, the existing problems and challenges, the Armenian Constitutional amendments and the development of the Electoral Code, Armenia’s economic development potential, Armenia-Diaspora relations.

President Sargsyan held a meeting with Harvard University Marshal Jackie O’Neill. After the meeting the Armenian President left a note in the book of honorary guests. “Investment in education is perhaps the best investment as it is for lifetime. The Harvard University has set a unique benchmark of high-quality education with its rich modern technological laboratories, research centers, libraries and, most importantly, human potential.

I’m glad that Armenian young people have the opportunity to study at this University and use their fundamental knowledge for the sake of progress of mankind, Armenia’s strengthening and public prosperity,” President Sargsyan wrote.

President Sargsyan’s speech in full is provided below:

Dear Faculty and Students;
Ladies and Gentlemen;

I am delighted to be hosted at this prestigious academic institution. Born in the Land of the Free, and named after John F. Kennedy—one of the iconic presidents of the USA, this school generates ideas that transform into policies in the United States of America and beyond its boundaries. Hundreds of leaders—statesmen and public figures, scholars and journalists—educated here over the decades have indisputably beena strong influence on national and global matters.

Kennedy School is the most international professional school at Harvard. I was impressed to learn that in recent years, it has educated students from 115 countries and territories, which evidently broadens the geography of the academic and scholarly impact of the School. Indeed, the School’s true wealth are its students – the people who study under the motto “ask what you can do” and strive to make the world a better place.
For us – Armenians, the world became a better place when we restored our statehood 25 years ago, after nearly 600-year-long interruption. Millennia-old Armenian history may be generalized as “a struggle for freedom” – political freedom, religious freedom, freedom to be the master of one’s own fate on one’s own land. Our new statehood rose again by regaining freedom in 1991 to bring about new challenges stemming both from the responsibility to build a statehood and specific external threats.
Laying the foundations of our state to meet the needs of democracy and free-market economy was of high priority. As we pursued that goal, we had to overcome the consequences of a devastating earthquake that had struck Armenia in 1988, the war, and the economic blockade imposed on us. In a word, we had embarked on a journey through straights that seemed to be impassable.
Today, perhaps the greatest achievement at home, as I see it, is the respect for free speech and a vibrant civil society. Secondly, I believe that nowhere else than within the walls of this school the importance of effective decision-making mechanisms by state institutions can be best appreciated. The large scale domestic reforms currently underway in Armenia are aimed exactly at building such mechanisms. To that end, we closely cooperate with all of our international partners.
We are concluding the first quarter century of Armenia’s independence with a reformed Constitution – the backbone of our statehood. Last year, we amended the Constitution for a second time since independence. I consider them a breakthrough, as the renewed Constitution provides a transition from a semi-presidential to a parliamentary form of government, opening a new chapter for the development of political parties. These amendments lay foundations for a new political system and a new political culture in our country.
What do we aim to achieve? It is very straightforward: we want to have better governance. We have a small country and limited natural resources, but the challenges we face are enormous. Well, there is a disproportionality of resources versus challenges i.e. addressing big problems with little capacities. This is exactly where the good governance makes big difference and this is where the strategic objective of the Constitutional Reform underlies. More democracy and a more targeted fight against corruption. Here we have great potential we need to capitalize on.
It goes without saying that unfavorable external circumstances – closed borders with Azerbaijan and Turkey, the global economic problems, a complex geopolitical situation in the region, and others create certain limitations. However, we see the solutions to our problems primarily at home. More than anything else, we rely on our own strengths and abilities. We do understand that it is our responsibility to make our country a better place. No one is going to do it for us. Yes, we have allies, partners and friends, and we value our cooperation within various formats: but let me be clear, it is our own duty to materialize the dream of a more prosperous and a more free country. We do understand it.
In the meantime, we take persistent action in the economic field, where free-market economies are taken as a development model. We try to tap into all the possibilities for economic growth, relying on our competitive advantage anchored in human capital, on the one hand, and synergizing different integration processes, on the other.
Armenia is obviously a small market: no matter how liberalized the economic environment is and how sound the financial system is, the country needs to be integrated with larger economic arrangements in order to be attractive to larger economies. This was rationale behind our accession to the Eurasian Economic Union.
However we do not see this at all as an obstacle to broaden our cooperation with the EU, including deep partnership in economic reforms.
The agreement on Iran’s nuclear program was a very positive development for Armenia. The lifting of sanctions from neighboring Iran creates new opportunities for Armenian businesses in a familiar market of 77 million. We pursue joint energy and transport projects with our neighbors. We have initiated a number of regional infrastructure projects-construction of a modern highway connecting the North and South of our country is underway, the construction of an Armenia-Iran railway is being discussed with Iranian partners, and are actively engaged in the implementation of joint economic projects between Eurasian Economic Union and Silk Road Economic Belt. Through such initiatives, Armenia seeks to mitigate the damage caused by the decades-long unlawful blockade by her neighbors to the East and to the West.
Some of our neighbors are yet to disown their policy of economic blackmail, which has created dividing lines in the region leaving the Armenia-Turkey state border as the last closed border in Europe, given that, Turkey is a member of NATO and they are linked with the EU by Customs Union. However, Turkey keeps its border sealed against Armenia – a country that has effective partnership with these two organizations.
Economy is a key factor in international relations, and economic relations often dictate the political agenda. However, economic diplomacy should not under any circumstances, be a tool for political blackmail. Economic diplomacy is a tool for development, a tool for cooperation and integration. Economic cooperation, especially in conflict zones, is one of the best means for confidence building, which is a shortcut to peace. There is plenty of evidence of this in European history.
Ladies and Gentlemen;
We have been struggling for security and peace from the first days of independence. The demand of the people of Nagorno Karabakh to exercise their right to self-determination, constantly raised in the Soviet period, transformed in the 1990s into the bloodiest post-Soviet war. The people seeking to exercise their constitutional right under international and domestic law confronted weapons, violent force, and ethnic cleansing.
22 years have passed since the 1994 ceasefire but the people living near the state border of Armenia and in various parts of Nagorno Karabakh are still living under a daily threat of shootings. It is clear that the Azerbaijani regime abuses the combination of this conflict and the oil-and-gas revenues to justify domestic problems. I believe such a behavior may be familiar from the theory of democracy and international relations. This is the reason why the Azerbaijani authorities are keen on maintaining tension along the border and presumptuously brag about it, publicly blame the mediators for inaction, and try to appear as a hero in front of their own people. They dub the proposal of the OSCE Minsk Group for security measures along the line of contact is “strange” and pretend to be surprised by such a proposal.
There are frequent speculations around the word “occupation” in the context of Karabakh conflict. Without entering into the realm of history, I have to make a small observation here. Those that use the word ‘occupation’ often forget that Karabakh was a victim of occupation herself for 70 years. To all those who consciously or unconsciously use the word “occupation”, I would like to ask: but “what was Karabakh’s annexation to Azerbaijan in 1921, thanks to Stalin if not occupation? After receiving this generous gift, Azerbaijan, instead of creating normal conditions for the people of Nagorno Karabakh and using soft-power tools, created such unbearable conditions that the people of Nagorno Karabakh were the first to rise up immediately after the emergence of the first signs of weakening of centripetal Soviet power. Was it because of a happy life? The protests of 1988 were so powerful that the beginning of the collapse of the USSR is commonly associated with the Karabakh Movement. The initial occupation was the very cause of the conflict. Hence, Nagorno Karabak has nothing to do with the notion of territorial integrity of the present-day Azerbaijan.
Armenians had firsthand experience of Azerbaijan’s policy of complete depopulation of Nagorno Karabakh from Armenians. There was indeed the bitter precedent of Nakhijevan—another region populated by Armenians. In addition to driving out the Armenian population, the precious cultural legacy of the Jugha cross-stones was barbarically destroyed in 2005. Not even a tiny piece, not even a crumb of that marvelous medieval treasure survived. The whole region has been cleansed of Armenians and all traces of Armenian culture.
Anyone who nowadays views Nagorno Karabakh in the context of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity is implicitly endorsing the cruel Stalinist policy of dīvide et īmpera, a policy that inflicted deprivation and grief upon millions of families.
This logic is alive as we speak. It has reached the ridiculous point of not allowing foreign citizens with Armenian origin to enter into Azerbaijan. Regardless of whether Armenians are citizens of the United States, Russia, or any other state, they are banned from entering Azerbaijan. At the same time, they are promising to ensure the security of Armenians if Karabakh becomes a part of Azerbaijan. Why, on earth the people of Karabakh should believe this?
We confronted a situation in which our neighbor’s perception of negotiations is far from the modern understanding of this word. I believe that Negotiations is one of the most popular and widely-taught courses at Harvard. I am confident that one of the things you learn here is that the successful outcome of any negotiation requires at least a compromise. Maximalist and unilateral demands cannot solve any problem. Here is an example for you to imagine the situation we are dealing with when negotiating with Azerbaijan: Azerbaijan believes that non-resumption of warfare is a concession in itself. Clearly, maintaining peace is an obligation, international obligation rather than a concession.
Surely, many of you will take my comments with a grain of salt as I am an interested party. And that is fine for an academic community. Doubt is the engine of science. As I stand in this institution, I cannot resist the temptation to make you an offer. I would invite Dr. Allison to consider the possibility for a study by the Institute of Politics at Harvard University, which would thoroughly study the Armenian and Azerbaijani media coverage, scholarly articles, public statements of high-ranking officials, and reports of civil society institutions (if any can still be found in Azerbaijan), and draw your own conclusions. I am not asking to take my word as Gospel. You can study and see who is preaching war, who is inciting border tensions, who preaches hatred against not only the Armenian authorities, but also the Armenian people. Why do I emphasize this? Let’s assume that the governments reach agreement at some point: how are the societies, hating each other going to reconcile? I believe such a research project would produce interesting findings, including for us.
Ladies and Gentlemen;
President Kennedy said: “Mankind must put an end to war before war puts an end to mankind.” This statement unfortunately remains relevant in the 21st century.
The crisis in the Middle East again proved that no challenges stand alone in the present-day globalized world. We saw the Middle East crisis, especially the situation in Syria, escalate to a global humanitarian crisis that posed new challenges for all of us. It came as a sobering reminder that borders no longer divide, they unite. “They” are now a part of “us” and what “did not concern us” and was “far” now concerns us. The refugee crisis is a case in point: it has grown into a pan-European problem that has even challenged the EU’s solidarity and stability, an everyday threat absorbing enormous resources. Another horrendous byproduct of the Middle East crisis has been the expansion and proliferation of international terrorism: the horrific terrorist acts in Paris in November 2015 and in Brussels a few days ago, as well as the bomb explosions that occurred in this beautiful city during the Marathon three years ago, remind us that terrorism does not recognize borders; its main pursuit is to destroy the values and virtues created by civilized mankind. Hence, this evil can only be defeated through the collective will of the international community and a combination of persistent efforts.
By virtue of her geographic position and historical circumstances, Armenia is closely connected to the problems in the Middle East. We are experiencing all of its tragic consequences firsthand. The conflict has affected, among many others, dozens of thousands of Armenians living in the Middle East: Armenians that are the heirs of the survivors of the first genocide of the 20th century—the Armenian Genocide. The history of the ancestors is now repeating for the heirs, who have to leave their homes behind. Armenia has already accepted around 20,000 Syrian citizens. In per capita terms, this is the second highest figure in Europe.
This, however, is only one aspect of the problem. The rich Christian, including Armenian spiritual and cultural heritage of the Middle East is now referred to in the past tense: a heritage that for centuries enriched and diversified the region’s cultural palette. The Middle East is being emptied of Christians and the Christian heritage.
It is clear that the solution to the current refugee crisis lies in addressing its root causes – establishing comprehensive and durable peace in Syria. The international community must stand united. We very much welcomed the Russian-American initiative on peaceful settlement in Syria. Without this cooperation, the ceasefire in Syria, as fragile as it may be, would certainly not have been achieved. I can confidently say the same about the agreement on Iran’s nuclear program.
As a small state, we remain convinced that we should do our best to support cooperation between the superpowers. Our foreign policy model is based on the principle of combining the interests of different power centers. We are not trying to reap momentary benefits from disagreements between big players.
This foreign policy model of course has historical roots, too. Back in the beginning of the 20th century, when superpowers fell in the Thucydides Trap, to quote Mr. Graham Allison, and the World War One broke out, Armenia paid a high price: under the guise of the war, the Ottoman Empire perpetrated the genocide of the Armenians. We could certainly do nothing to keep the superpowers out of the Trap, but this is an illustration of the potential consequences for the small nation when the big ones clash. It has explicit or implicit painful consequences for any small nation, often with irreversible losses.
Irreversible were the losses of the genocide that befell the Armenians. The world now recognizes and condemns this atrocious crime, but what is of utmost importance to us is the recognition by Turkey and facing its own history. The Centenary of the Armenian Genocide showed that Armenian-Turkish reconciliation is not a top-down exercise. The Turkish authorities opted for flagrant falsification of history. I am not referring to the denial of the Genocide. In 2015, the Turkish authorities suddenly decided that on April 24, the main Commemoration Day of the Armenian Genocide Centenary, they will be commemorating the 100thanniversary of the Battle of Gallipoli – a date that is usually commemorated in March. This was clearly an act of absolute cynicism and a failed attempt at belittling this day of symbolic importance for the Armenian nation.
Nonetheless, I am glad or at least increasingly more hopeful that, the more aggressive the stance of the Turkish authorities, the louder the voice of the Turkish society about the Armenian Genocide. An intellectual generation is growing in Turkey today, and this crème de la crème of society will eventually become strong enough to make their government to speak the truth. I am sure that the day will come.
I am aware of a simplistic belief that exists outside of Armenia as if Armenians jubilate when bad things happen in Turkey, for instance when the Turkish military shell Kurdish-inhabited towns and villages, or when terrorist acts are committed inside Turkey. That is absurd. We are strongly interested in Turkey’s peaceful and democratic development. It is our belief that fundamental democratization is the only way in which all the peoples living in Turkey will feel as fully-fledged citizens and will be able to lead a dignified life. Ethnic and religious minorities will not be taken as second- or third-class. Unfortunately, we are witnessing the opposite trends in public and political life in some of our neighboring countries, which is worrisome.
Ladies and Gentlemen;
Being in the United States, I cannot but discuss the Armenian-American friendship. The evolution of our partnership is quite interesting. The USA was the first country to open an embassy in Armenia and implement aid programs. 25 years have passed, and we now have an extensive agenda of cooperation with the USA, a dialogue on international and regional security matters, and close cooperation in economic and democratic development and humanitarian, defense, and energy matters. The American-Armenian community, which is one of the most flourishing and largest communities in the Armenian Diaspora, is an essential bridge between us and the USA. We believe that our bilateral partnership is currently at the highest level.
Ladies and Gentlemen;
From here I will be heading to Washington DC to participate in the Nuclear Security Summit upon President Obama’s invitation. I am proud to note that, in the 25 years of independence, Armenia has grown from a country receiving international aid to a contributor to the world peace. Armenia, being a responsible member of the international community, currently has stationed in Afghanistan, Kosovo, Lebanon, and Mali.
We still have a road to travel to become a stable democracy. With the achievements of these 25 years, we sum up the history of a so called “newly-independent” state and turn the chapter to embark upon the ‘maturity’ stage. I am ready to take your questions.
Thank you.

 

 

 

The Armenian State Chamber Orchestra will perform the “Eternal Melodies” concert on April 2 with Italian saxophonist Federico Mondelci as soloist and Vahan Martirosyan as artistic director and conductor. The program includes works by Armenian composers – Komitas, Mansuryan, Harutyunyan, Babajanyan.

Federico Mondelci has performed as soloist with all the major orchestras in Italy, including the Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala at La Scala, Milan, conducted by Seiji Ozawa and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. During recent seasons, Mondelci has frequently performed in Russia and now enjoys a particularly close relationship with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra.

The current visit to Armenia is not the first one for Mondelci. The saxophonist says he’s always glad to return to Armenia and play with Armenian musicians.

“Armenian melodies always have spiritual roots,” Mondelci told Public Radio of Armenia. Speaking about the peculiarities of Armenian composers’ works, the musician said “they are melancholic, but very kind, something that gives freedom to the soul,” he said.

Photo: Valeriy Matytsin/TASS    

Flights have resumed from Rostov-on-Don’s airport for the first time since Saturday’s crash of the FlyDubai’s Boeing 737-800.

Two Donavia flights have taken off from the airport, the company’s press secretary Inna Churliayeva told TASS on Monday adding that the two planes were bound for Russia’s St. Petersburg and Armenia’s Yerevan respectively.

A FlyDubai’s Boeing 737-800 crashed at Rostov-on-Don’s airport in the small hours on March 19 during a second attempt to land in complicated weather conditions of strong side wind and rain. The plane served regular Flight FZ 981 from Dubai. The passenger jet capable of carrying 189 passengers had 62 people aboard, including the crew. No one has survived.

 

A woman who invited US President Barack Obama to her home in Cuba has received a response from the president, as direct mail links between the two countries were restored, thе BBC reports.

Ileana Yarza, 76, wrote to Mr Obama in February, inviting him to have “a cup of Cuban coffee” at her home in Havana.

The president’s letter, thanking Ms Yarza, was dispatched to Cuba on Wednesday.

It was among the first batch of letters to reach Cuba from the US in 50 years.

Direct postal service between the two countries was suspended at the height of the Cold War, meaning mail was re-routed through other countries – usually Mexico or Canada.

Ms Yarza wrote to Mr Obama on 18 February after finding out he would be visiting Cuba in March, telling him: “There are not many Cubans so eager as I to meet you in person.”

The president thanked Ms Yarza for her support, adding that the letter “serves as a reminder of a bright new chapter in the relationship between [their] two nations.”

An American president has not traveled to Cuba in almost 90 years. But on March 20, President Obama will set foot on the island country that’s only 90 miles off the coast of Florida. The visit is a historic milestone after more than a year of progress from the day in December of 2014 when the President first announced he was abandoning a failed, Cold War-era approach to Cuba in favor of a new course to normalize relations.

The Armenian town of Anjar in Lebanon is part of an EU-funded project aimed at highlighting the history of the Umayyad dynasty via an ambitious tourism trail around the Mediterranean basin linking three continents. 

– At its peak in the eighth century, it was the largest empire in the world, linking East and West and giving rise to a rich heritage of art, architecture, literature and science.

But even in its native countries, the legacy of the Umayyad dynasty has fallen largely into obscurity. Now, a new EU-funded project aims to highlight the shared history via an ambitious tourism trail around the Mediterranean basin linking three continents.

It is a bold concept for a tourism initiative at a time when relations between East and West are strained by terrorism, a refugee crisis and Islamophobia. The Umayyads are historically known as aggressive expansionists, but the project seeks to examine a lesser acknowledged by-product: the opening of new channels of communication between different cultures. Linking Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia, Italy, Spain and Portugal, the trail will cost more than €4m to develop.

“This route seeks to publicise the profound human, cultural, artistic and scientific relationship between East and West,” explained a booklet produced by project leader El Legado Andalusi (Andalusian Public Foundation). “To forge links and strengthen the relations between the different peoples they encompass, united by a common past.”

The locations on the trail are disparate, even obscure: a small, out-of-the-way Lebanese town near the Syrian border known for its Armenian community; a former centre of Islamic learning in the heart of Tunisia; a Spanish city famed for its cathedral built within a mosque; a Roman Catholic island at the southern tip of Italy. But together they create a picture of one of the greatest eras of Arab innovation.

“Umayyad is a euphemism for cultural exchange in the Mediterranean,” said Abdallah Kahlil, a heritage expert for the Lebanese part of the trail and an assistant professor at the Lebanese American University. “During the heyday of the Umayyad presence in Spain in the 10th century, we had the Fatimids in Egypt, the Byzantines in Constantinople, the Normans in France, and there was continuous cultural exchange between them.”

Before moving to Cordoba in Spain in AD750, the Umayyad capital was Damascus, where they built the Great Mosque. With Syria off limits today, the trail starts in Lebanon. In the ancient city of Baalbek is the Umayyad Mosque, a miniature of its sister in Syria’s capital. The structure, which dates back to the seventh or eighth century, was originally a Byzantine church, and before that was the site of the city’s Roman forum, granite and limestone columns from which were used to build the mosque.

This exemplifies the Umayyad attitude of reusing rather than razing previous civilisations, said Rima Abou Baker of Lebanon’s Safadi Foundation, which is in charge of boosting local involvement in the trail. “The Umayyads really had respect for others,” she said. “They preserved what was there and tried to innovate and bring new ideas and new architecture to all the countries they passed through. Through this project people can learn that Islamic culture is not what we are seeing in the news now.”

In Anjar, the small Lebanese town near the Syrian border, sightseers can wander the well-preserved ruins of what would have been a palatial Umayyad city, displaying a mix of Roman-Byzantine and Islamic architectural styles typical of the period. An Umayyad museum is planned.

In Baalbek and Anjar, tourists will likely have the place entirely to themselves. Embassies counsel against travel to the Bekaa Valley due to vague security concerns, meaning that while both cities are usually safe, very few people make it there.

“We are worried a bit about the situation,” said Ms Abou Baker. “We know that for now it’s a bit hard to bring international tourists here, so we are counting on local communities and tourists.”

For Lebanon’s project co-ordinator Dr Rachid Chamoun, such concerns are pointless. “If we want to base future projects on fears about conflicts, we would never do anything,” he said. “Maybe Lebanon now is safer than Paris or London, or even the US with its gun crime. Are there any safe places in the world?”

Instead, he is focused on creating the best possible experience for those who do come to try out the trails. “These trips put you in contact with Lebanon’s gastronomy, its natural reserves, the social fabric of cities,” he said. “We hope it will bring people closer together.”

 

 

 

The National Opera and Ballet Theatre after Alexander Spendiaryan will stage a ballet La Boheme based on the songs of Charles Aznavour, choreographer, People’s Artist of Armenia Rudolph Kharatyan told reporters today. The one-act play will track Aznavour’s creative path.

Among the important works of 2012, Rudolph Kharaytyan pointed out the “Two suns” ballet dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

In 2016 Kharatyan will also stage “Anush” ballet, which, he said, has nothing to do with Armen Tigranyan’s famous work.

Through combination of classical and Armenian national motifs, he will try to create something that will allow the Armenian ballet to enter the international arena. He’s confident we cannot be part of world ballet with “Gayane,” because the latter is too ‘Armenian.’

“Folklore is interesting to foreigners, but within limits,” Kharatyan said.

Photograph provided by Bill and Jadwiga Smith

 

Hundreds of letters and photographs that tell the story of Pope John Paul II’s close relationship with a married woman, which lasted more than 30 years, have been shown to the .

The letters to Polish-born American philosopher Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka had been kept away from public view in the National Library of Poland for years.

The documents reveal a rarely seen side of the pontiff, who died in 2005.

There is no suggestion the Pope broke his vow of celibacy.

The friendship began in 1973 when Ms Tymieniecka contacted the future Pope, Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, then Archbishop of Krakow, about a book on philosophy that he had written.

The then 50-year-old travelled from the US to Poland to discuss the work.

Shortly afterwards, the pair began to correspond. At first the cardinal’s letters were formal, but as their friendship grew, they become more intimate.

The pair decided to work on an expanded version of the cardinal’s book, The Acting Person. They met many times – sometimes with his secretary present, sometimes alone – and corresponded frequently.