Thursday,
Indicted Ex-Official’s House Searched
• Naira Nalbandian
• Naira Bulghadarian
Armenia - Parliament deputy Mihran Poghosian at a session of the National
Assembly in Yerevan, 19 May 2017.
Law-enforcement officers searched on Thursday the Yerevan house of Mihran
Poghosian, a former senior Armenian official prosecuted on corruption charges.
Poghosian’s office was the first to report the search, saying that armed
officers of the National Security Service (NSS) “broke into” the house in the
morning. “We regard these repressive actions as a manifestation of political
persecution,” it said in a statement.
An RFE/RL correspondent saw security officers outside Poghosian’s villa. One of
them confirmed that it was raided by law-enforcement bodies.
An NSS spokesman, Samson Galstian, said afterwards that the search was
conducted by the Special Investigative Service (SIS) as part of its criminal
case against Poghosian. The NSS only assisted in that operation, he said.
A court in Yerevan on Monday allowed the SIS to arrest Poghosian after he was
charged with abusing his powers to enrich himself while in office. Poghosian
ran an Armenian state agency enforcing court rulings from 2008-2016.
The SIS claims that he embezzled, through individuals and companies linked to
him, at least 64.2 million drams ($132,000) in public funds.
It also accuses him of giving privileged treatment to a real estate valuation
firm that was contracted by the Service for the Mandatory Execution of Judicial
Acts (SMEJA) in 2014. According to SIS investigators, the firm was registered
by shadowy companies set up by Poghosian “through foreign citizens” in Panama
in 2011.
Citing leaked documents widely known as the Panama Papers, the Hetq.am
investigative publication reported in April 2016 that Poghosian controls three
such companies registered in the Central American state. Poghosian dismissed
the report but resigned as SMEJA chief shortly afterwards, despite continuing
to deny any wrongdoing.
Poghosian’s office on Monday denied the charges as politically motivated. It
said the authorities have effectively disproved his detractors’ allegations
that the once powerful ex-official held hundreds of millions of dollars in
offshore bank accounts.
The office also scoffed at the SIS’s decision to launch a domestic and
international hunt for Poghosian. It released the address of an apartment in
Moscow where it said Poghosian currently resides. The SIS was notified about
his current place of residence “from the outset,” it added.
The office did not specify whether the former SMEJA chief, who had close ties
to Armenia’s former leadership, is planning to return to the country.
Tensions Mount Between Ruling Bloc, Tsarukian
• Gayane Saribekian
• Astghik Bedevian
Armenia - Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian (C) arrives for a business forum
organized by Gagik Tsarukian (L), October 26, 2018.
Tensions between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s alliance and Gagik
Tsarukian’s Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) rose on Thursday as their senior
representatives traded fresh accusations in the parliament.
Vahagn Hovakimian, a senior pro-government lawmaker, hit back at BHK claims
that many of his younger colleagues from the My Step alliance are incompetent.
He noted that Tsarukian delivered his first-ever speech on the parliament floor
in January, nearly 16 years after being first elected to the National Assembly.
“They need to remember that the leader of their parliamentary group, having
been a deputy for 16 years, spoke from this rostrum for the first time ever in
January this year,” said Hovakimian, who is thought to be close to Pashinian.
BHK parliamentarians reacted angrily to that statement, triggering a shouting
match with Hovakimian and other members of the parliament’s pro-government
majority.
“How dare you bad-mouth that person?” said the BHK’s Sergey Bagratian.
“’First-ever speech,’ ‘second-ever speech’ … There are so many things you
haven’t done for the first time in your life.”
“You must not say anything about the leader of our faction anymore,” added
Bagratian.
Tsarukian also slammed Hovakimian when he spoke to reporters afterwards. “What
have you done in your life to be able to utter Tsarukian’s name?” he said,
appealing to the former journalist who had long worked for Pashinian’s
“Haykakan Zhamanak” daily. “You haven’t done a tiny bit of what Tsarukian has
done.”
The tycoon, whose opposition party is the second largest parliamentary force,
used the row to reiterate his criticism of the current government’s economic
policies. He said that the government has yet to bring about economic
betterment which was promised by Pashinian during and after last year’s “velvet
revolution” backed by the BHK.
Tsarukian charged early this month that many government officials are
incompetent. This was followed by bitter recriminations traded by My Step and
the BHK over a transgender activist’s bombshell speech delivered in the
Armenian parliament.
On April 9 Pashinian accused a senior BHK lawmaker of organizing a “political
provocation” against the parliament majority loyal to him. Tsarukian and his
associated rejected the accusation.
Tax officials raided some of the businesses belonging to Tsarukian in the
following days. BHK representatives said the tax audits may be politically
motivated. The State Revenue Committee denied that.
Yerevan Denies Discussing Russian Peace Plan On Karabakh
• Sargis Harutyunyan
Armenia - The Armenian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Anna Naghdalian, at a news
briefing in Yerevan, December 20, 2018.
Armenia said on Thursday that Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanian did not
discuss with his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov a 2016 Russian plant
to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh at their meeting held in Moscow on Monday.
Azerbaijani media quoted Mammadyarov as saying that the plan proposed by Russia
shortly after the April 2016 fighting in Karabakh was on the agenda of his
talks with Mnatsakanian. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who mediated
the talks, confirmed this on Wednesday.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Anna Naghdalian, denied
Mammadyarov’s claim, however.
“No negotiations on any plan are underway at present,” she said in written
comments to RFE/RL’s Armenian service. “Furthermore, the substantive part of
[Armenian-Azerbaijani] discussions continues to center on getting familiarized
with, clarifying and ascertaining each other’s positions.”
Naghdalian said Mammadyarov’s claim undermined efforts to boost “mutual trust”
between the conflicting parties because it contradicted a joint statement
issued by the three foreign ministers after the Moscow meeting.
According to that statement, the warring sides reaffirmed their earlier pledges
to strengthen the ceasefire regime and take other confidence-building measures
in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone. Mnatsakanian and Mammadyarov also
“exchanged detailed views on key aspects of the settlement process,” it said
without elaborating.
The Russian peace plan has still not been made public. Lavrov on Wednesday
refused to disclose its key details. He said only that the plan is in tune with
the basic principles of a Karabakh settlement which have repeatedly been laid
out by the U.S., Russian and French mediators in recent years.
In a March 9 statement, the mediators reiterated that “any fair and lasting
settlement” must involve “return of the territories surrounding
Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijani control; an interim status for Nagorno-Karabakh
providing guarantees for security and self-governance; a corridor linking
Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh; future determination of the final legal status of
Nagorno-Karabakh through a legally binding expression of will.”
Senior Armenian Official Indicted In Corruption Probe
• Nane Sahakian
Armenia - Davit Sanasarian, the head of the State Overisght Service, speaks to
journalists in Yerevan, June 21, 2018.
Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS) on Thursday brought corruption
charges against a senior government official and political ally of Prime
Minister Nikol Pashinian who actively participated in last year’s “velvet
revolution.”
The NSS said that Davit Sanasarian, the head of the State Oversight Service
(SOS), will therefore be suspended pending investigation. But it decided not to
arrest him for now.
Two senior officials from Sanasarian’s agency, which is tasked with combatting
financial irregularities in the public sector, were arrested in late February.
The NSS said they colluded with a private firm linked to them in order to
personally benefit from government-funded supplies of medical equipment to
three hospitals.
A senior executive of the firm, Zorashen, was also taken into custody. All
three suspects denied the charges.
Sanasarian defended his arrested subordinates and protested their innocence at
the time. He was subsequently questioned by NSS investigators.
In a statement, the NSS said that it has collected sufficient evidence to
charge Sanasarian with an abuse of power aimed at benefiting the “company
effectively managed by his subordinates.” The SOS chief will face up to four
years in prison if convicted.
Armenia - Davit Sanasarian (L), head of the State Oversight Service, and Artur
Vanetsian (R), director of the Natonal Security Service, at a cabinet meeting
in Yerevan, February 21, 2019.
Sanasarian strongly denied any wrongdoing when he spoke to reporters several
hours before the NSS’s announcement. “Nobody, no structure can link me with any
corrupt practice because I reject any corrupt practice,” he said after
attending a weekly cabinet meeting in Yerevan.
Sanasarian declined to comment on a news report that one of the arrested SOS
officials, Samvel Adian, gave incriminating testimony against him. “I’m not
authorized to speak about that,” he said. “But I can say one thing for certain:
I could not have been involved in any corrupt deals. There can be no such
evidence.”
Sanasarian also reiterated his concerns about the NSS investigation, saying
that he has conveyed them to Pashinian. He stressed that he does not believe
that the prime minister ordered the NSS to prosecute him for political reasons.
Sanasarian, 34, is a former opposition and civic activist who had for years
challenged Armenia’s former government, accusing it of corruption and
incompetence. He played a major role in the mass protests which brought
Pashinian to power in May 2018. The latter named him to manage the SOS shortly
after becoming prime minister.
Sanasarian ran in Armenia’s December 2018 parliamentary elections as a
candidate of Pashinian’s My Step alliance.
Armenia -- Davit Sanasarian (L) and other opposition activists lead a
demonstration in support of gunmen that seized a police station in Yerevan,
July 29, 2016.
The NSS claimed earlier that the arrested SOS officials arbitrarily forced
medical institutions to rig rules for the choice of companies supplying
expensive equipment for hemodialysis, a treatment of kidney failure. It said
they wanted to make sure that “the business entity sponsored by them” wins
tenders for such supplies.
Health Minister Arsen Torosian told RFE/RL’s Armenian service on February 26
that he asked the NSS to investigate “external interference” in
dialysis-related procurements because the new tender rules threatened to
disrupt the vital medical services provided to around a thousand patients
across the country.
The dialysis equipment tenders were until then won by a handful of private
firms. Earlier in February, one of their owners accused Sanasarian of
deliberately driving his Frezen company out of business. Sanasarian dismissed
the allegations, saying that the SOS has simply broken up Frezen’s “monopoly”
on supplies to one of the hospitals.
U.S. Lawmakers Visit Armenia
Armenia -- Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian poses for a photograph with members
of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Ambassador Lynne Tracy, Yerevan,
.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian called for U.S. assistance to what he called
“radical reforms” implemented by his government when he met with eight members
of the U.S. House of Representatives in Yerevan on Thursday.
The U.S. congressional delegation comprised David Price, the chairman of the
House Democracy Partnership, and other members of the bipartisan commission
tasked with supporting legislatures in emerging democracies. It met with
Armenian parliament speaker Ararat Mirzoyan on Wednesday.
Pashinian told the visiting American lawmakers that boosting Armenia’s
relations with the United States is one of his administration’s foreign policy
priorities. According to a statement by the prime minister’s office, he briefed
them on political and economic reforms launched in the country after last
year’s “velvet revolution.”
“Nikol Pashinian emphasized that his government is taking consistent steps to
strengthen the institutional and economic power of democracy and expects the
support of our international partners, including the United States,” said the
statement.
“The Congress members assured of their willingness to assist Armenia in
promoting democracy, implementing economic reforms and strengthening the
Armenian-American friendship,” it added.
Speaking in the Armenian parliament late last month, Pashinian complained about
Washington’s “zero reaction” to democratic change in his country. He seemed
unhappy with the fact that there has been no significant increase in U.S.
economic assistance to Yerevan since he came to power a year ago.
The U.S. ambassador to Armenia, Lynne Tracy, responded to the criticism when
she spoke to RFE/RL’s Armenian service on Monday. Tracy, who accompanied the
U.S. lawmakers during their meetings in Yerevan, argued that the U.S. has
provided over $2 billion in aid to Armenia since 1992 and is committed to more
such assistance.
Press Review
“Haykakan Zhamanak” reports that residents of a growing number of rural
communities across Armenia are taking to the streets to demand the resignation
of their mayors. “In some cases the work of local administrations is paralyzed
because members of local councils boycott sessions,” writes the paper. “In
other cases, the confrontations take more serious forms: demonstrations,
clashes, street blockades and so on.” It says one of the reasons for this
unrest is that village councils want to play a larger role in local governance,
emboldened by Armenia’s transition to a parliamentary system of government.
Also, it says, community mayors “performed different functions” under the
country’s former regime.
“Zhamanak” reports that prosecutors have reopened a criminal investigation into
the 2013 assassination of Hrach Muradian, the Dashnaktsutyun-affiliated mayor
of Proshian, a big village just west of Yerevan. The paper links the
development to Dashnaktsutyun’s recent criticism of law-enforcement
authorities’ failure to solve the murder and threats to stage regular street
protests. It claims that the prosecutors are thus “turning the situation
against the former authorities.” It recalls that Muradian was shot dead shortly
after defeating an election challenger nominated by Serzh Sarkisian’s
Republican Party (HHK).
“Zhoghovurd” says that many in Armenia have for decades felt that knowledge and
professional skills are less important than connections for making a career in
the public and even private sectors. “It is therefore not accidental that
whenever there is talk these days of appointing someone to a [government]
position few care about the latter’s professional qualities,” writes the paper.
“Many are curious instead to know what party they are from, who they are
related to and whether they marched during the [2018] revolution … And when an
official slips up or messes up their area of responsibility everyone starts
pointing the finger at the intermediary [who presumably helped them get the
job] and point to their political connections or relatives. So it’s about time
we also had a revolution in the field of evaluation of officials.”
(Lilit Harutiunian)
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2019 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
www.rferl.org
Author: Sonya Jalatian
The California Courier Online, April 11, 2019
The California Courier Online, April 11, 2019
1 - Armenia’s Leaders Take Strong
Positions Against US & Azerbaijan
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
2- Anna Hakobyan Visits Armenian Communities Throughout United States
3 - Maestro Constantine Orbelian Dismissed
by Culture Minister From Yerevan Opera
4- Councilmember Ara Najarian selected as Glendale mayor
5- Two Armenians Among Candidates Vying
for LA City Council District 12 Seat
6- Disagreeable Distinction: Arabs, Armenians, Iranians
Considered White in US Census
******************************************
******************************************
1 - Armenia’s Leaders Take Strong
Positions Against US & Azerbaijan
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
Haber Turk TV recently interviewed one of the thousands of Turkish
gravediggers who try to recover Armenian treasures leftover from the
genocide era of a century ago. It is not enough that 1.5 million
Armenians were killed and dispossessed of their properties and
homeland, now some Turks are ‘proudly’ rummaging for precious metals
by desecrating Armenian graves and other ancient Armenian sites such
as churches and homes.
Here is the text of the interview on Haber Turk:
“How can Armenian Gold be Stolen?”
Host: Oylum Talu
Guest: Ugur Kulac
Guest: An infidel does not show the place of the treasure to a Turk
because we are trying to find their money. We are looking for money of
Armenians or Greeks.
Host: So you are a professional treasure hunter?
Guest: Yes, I am.
Host: You are a very interesting person. First of all, your books are
amazing. I want to give these books to the people as a gift.
Guest: Thank you.
Host: Maps, explanation of maps. It is a very amazing book. What is a
treasure hunter?
Guest: The treasure hunter is a gold digger. The only thing the
treasure hunter thinks of is gold; nothing else. Of course, they are
destroying places where they dig carelessly. The treasure hunters know
many secret places which are even unknown to archaeologists. That is a
gold finder.
Host: Wow! So cool! Gold finder! How many treasure hunters are there in Turkey?
Guest: There are more than 500,000 treasure hunters who are registered
with my company.
Host: Really?
Guest: Yes!
Host: 500,000 treasure hunters?
Guest: I am in this field for about 18 years. I have been producing
these devices and selling them. Right now, I have sold them to 25,000
people. And now we are 130 companies in Turkey. We are serving in this
field for the people. For example, if the state would ask treasure
hunters to bring all historical materials, these materials would then
be more than the materials in the museums.
Host: Wow!
Guest: The treasure works in Turkey are in three types. In tons, pots
and kettles.
Host: What are you talking about? Pots, tons and kettles?
Guest: Yes.
Host: You mean, they put all the gold into the kettle, they covered
the top because there were no banks at that time. They escaped…
Guest: Of course.
Guest: The history of this work is approx. 100 years. At the time of
the deportation, some minorities were deported out of the country.
They could not take their belongings with them. They buried them in
different places, thinking that they would return. But most of them
could not find any way to return. But their children, at a certain
time of the year, are coming to Turkey where their ancestors lived.
And then they dig and take the money where their ancestors buried.
They have the maps. They stay as a guest of their ancestors’
neighbors. When the owner of the house falls asleep, they go out and
dig the ground, take the money and leave. Treasure hunting is divided
into two groups. The first group is near term — hunting of
minorities’ belongings. The second group is composed of those who are
looking for treasures of ancient civilizations. [The guest then
demonstrates how he finds treasures through his search device which
unfortunately does not work!]. If you get caught the first time by the
state, there is no penalty! The region of Izmit was the capital of the
Roman Empire and there are very nice buried treasures in there. Of
course, there are small buried treasures which belong to minorities of
the near past. Magic must be done over there. The treasure is given to
the genies for protection. We are looking for gold coins. Gold is very
important for treasure hunters. For example, statues made of gold or
anything else or gold coins. These are very valuable. They can be sold
everywhere. They melt them and sell them or directly sell to smugglers
or can be sold to the state. Let them give me permission, I will find
the money to repay the Turkish government’s debt to the International
Monetary Fund.
Host: Why is then this gold not coming out?
Guest: Because these countries do not want this gold to come out of
Turkey! Treasure hunters are not interested in ancient cities or
areas. The only interest for them is to find the grave, dig it, and
take the valuable things and leave.
Host: Why don’t archaeologists like you?
Guest: Because we break the historical materials.
Host: So you say that “we are looking for the money of the deported
minorities in the last 60 to 90 years?”
Guest: I have parliamentarians, doctors, businessmen, professors as
customers. Now Spring is coming, the treasure hunters liven up. They
have been patient for months. They will attack now. It is always like
that every year. The materials found in the digs made this year will
be sold abroad again. We are not materialistic. We believe in
spirituality too. Muslims must be rich and powerful. Why should we be
poor? We are a special country created by Allah!
Host: Thank you very much.
These thieves are not only stealing the treasures belonging to
Armenians and other minorities, but are also breaking Turkish laws. It
is incredible that such thieves are appearing on Turkish television
and recounting their criminal activities with such brazen arrogance.
Turkey has strict laws for treasure hunters whose permits are limited
to 30 days and an area of 100 square meters. There is a long list of
“cultural areas” such as religious sites and graves where even
licensed treasure hunters are not allowed to dig.
*********************************************************************************************
2 - Anna Hakobyan Visits Armenian Communities Throughout United States
WASHINGTON—Anna Hakobyan, the spouse of Prime Minister Nikol
Pashinyan, began her visit to the United States on Wednesday, April 3,
by visiting Capitol Hill for a reception hosted by members of
Congress.
The reception was organized by Armenian American Members of Congress
Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) and Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) and
attended by Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone
(D-Calif.) and Vice-Chair Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) as well as
Representatives Judy Chu (D-Calif.), Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), T.J.
Cox (D-Calif.), Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.), Raja Krishnamoorthi
(D-Ill.), Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), Doris Matsui (D-Calif.), Tom Suozzi
(D-N.Y.), and Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.).
Hakobyan delivered remarks introducing Armenia’s achievements and
stating that the country is fully on the path to democracy and
ensuring real economic growth. She emphasized that any support by
Armenia’s friends to ensure success on this path is welcomed.
In her remarks, Speier stated that the Congress will take every step
to ensure economic and assistance to Armenia from the United States.
“We want to be sure that democracy in Armenia not only will be
maintained, but also will prosper, and the country will fully
develop,” said Speier.
In his remarks, Schiff praised Armenia-U.S. partnership saying, “We
need to raise the partnership of our countries to a new level in order
to help your wonderful government to succeed.”
Hakobyan also discussed her “Women for Peace” initiative through which
Armenian women call on all women around the world to raise their voice
for peace so that no soldiers are killed on the border.
Hakobyan’s visit to Washington started with a tour of the Library of
the Congress where she was acquainted with the exhibits on Armenian
literature.
She also met with members of the Armenian community, with who she
discussed the “My Step” Foundation that aims to advance the goals of
her husband’s political alliance, as well as the “City of Smile”
charity that she founded to combat pediatric cancer.
On April 5, Hakobyan visited Boston where she was greeted at St.
Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School accompanied by the Ambassador of
the Republic of Armenia, H. E. Varuzhan Nersesyan, as well as the
executive director of My Step Charitable Foundation, Hovannes
Ghazaryan and the Director of City of Smiles Foundation, Esther
Demirchian.
Hakobyan received a warm welcome by the students, teachers,
administration and the pastor of St. Stephen’s Church, Archpriest
Antranig Baljian. Two students greeted the First Lady with the
traditional bread and salt, wearing Armenian national costumes. The
rest of the students, with Armenian flags in hand, sang the Armenian
National Anthem.
In her welcoming remarks principal Houry Boyamian explained that St.
Stephen’s maintains high educational standards to encourage parents to
send their children to an Armenian school. She stated that in addition
to providing a quality education, the school passes onto each new
generation the Armenian language, culture and history, while
instilling a sense of identity and profound love for the Motherland.
For this reason, every year, in May, the school organizes the
Graduating Class Trip to Armenia. The Principal ended her remarks by
wishing Hakobyan success in all her charitable work.
The students presented a short program, then Hakobyan and her
delegation visited the classrooms and interacted with the students who
charmed them with their questions, poetry recitals and their fluency
in Armenian.
Hakobyan will visit Los Angeles, where on Saturday she will deliver a
keynote address and be honored at the Armenian American Medical
Society’s annual gala. On Sunday, she will preside over the 25th
anniversary celebration of Armenia’s Consulate General in Los Angeles.
On Monday, Hakobyan will speak at a public gathering at Glendale’s
Alex Theater.
***************************************************************************************************
3 - Maestro Constantine Orbelian Dismissed
by Culture Minister From Yerevan Opera
By Polina Lyapustina
Grammy nominee maestro Constantine Orbelian was dismissed from the
post of the National Opera theatre director by the acting Armenian
Culture Minister Nazeni Gharibyan. Gharibyan justified her decision by
noting that the director cannot be engaged in other paid activities
except scientific, pedagogical, and creative work; Orbelian served as
the general director in addition to the position of the artistic
director. Gharibyan clarified that maintaining the two posts
simultaneously was unlawful since position of artistic director was
managerial, not creative.
The Actors and staff of Armenian National Opera have openly opposed
this decision and protests against the Ministry of Culture’s actions
are scheduled for April 1, 2019.
There’s also a petition to the Prime Minister of Republic Armenia
Nicol Pashinian, which was signed by more than 2,500 people as of this
writing. Lithuanian-Armenian soprano Asmik Grigorian said to
OperaWire, “I can’t believe it could happen. I know how much
Constantine (Orbelian) did for the theatre, and it finally started to
work and live the way it should. They never gave a chance to my father
(Gegham Grigoryan) to bring his ideas to life there, but Constantine
has got the ball rolling. And the biggest fear is that there’s
literally no one to replace him.”
The Grammy-nominated Orbelian became the Director and Artistic
Director of the State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater in 2017. He is
also the chief conductor of the Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra in
Lithuania since 2013.
Artists at Opera and Ballet Theater were set to protest Orbelian’s
dismissal, on Saturday, April 6, against what they describe as
arbitrary decision of the acting culture minister and to express
solidarity with maestro Orbelian. “There will be continuous protest
actions to make the culture ministry consider the concerns of the
proud citizens of Armenia and in this case, the fair cause of the
artists representing the high art,” reads the message posted on Opera
theatre Facebook page.
*****************************************************************************************************
4- Councilmember Ara Najarian selected as Glendale mayor
GLENDALE—On Tuesday, April 2, Glendale City Council Member Ara
Najarian was selected as the City’s mayor by fellow council members.
Najarian takes over the position from outgoing Mayor Zareh Sinanyan.
This is Najarian’s fourth time serving in the position of mayor.
Najarian was first elected to office in April 2005. During his tenure,
he has served as Chair of the Glendale Housing Authority, and the
former Glendale Redevelopment Agency.
“I’m truly grateful for the opportunity to serve as Mayor,” said
Najarian. “I look forward to working closely with my Council
colleagues and staff to keep Glendale the special place that it is.”
In addition to serving on the City Council, Najarian is past chair and
a current member of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority
(MTA) Board of Directors, and a vice-chair of the Southern California
Regional Rail Authority (Metrolink) Board of Directors. He is also
past chair and a member of the San Fernando Valley Council of
Governments and serves as a member of the Southern California
Association of Governments Transportation Committee. Najarian
previously served as a member of the Glendale Community College Board
of Trustees from 2003-2005. He is an attorney and has a bachelor’s
degree in economics from Occidental College and Juris Doctor degree
from USC. He is married to Palmira Perez-Najarian, and has two adult
children, Alexander and Christopher.
**********************************************************************************************************************************************
5- Two Armenians Among Candidates Vying
for LA City Council District 12 Seat
By Jessica P. Ogilvie and
Mary Plummer
When Mitch Englander resigned his L.A. City Council seat last October,
District 12—which includes Chatsworth, North Hills, Northridge,
Granada Hills, Porter Ranch, Reseda, Sherwood Forest and West
Hills—was left with temporary representation (Greig Smith, his former
chief of staff, stepped into the role) Now, a special election will be
held to find his replacement. The primary election will be held June
4. If no candidate receives 50 percent plus one of the vote, a general
election will be held August 13.
Englander was the lone Republican on the 15-member council. Even
though the body is officially nonpartisan, a win for a Democrat would
signal a significant shift for the council which has had Republican
representation for many decades.
“This may well be a historic first if it happens,” said Jaime
Regalado, emeritus professor of political science at Cal State, L.A.
Regalado said the opposite has been true: before the mid to late
1950s, the city was politically conservative, and at times was
controlled by an all Republican council.
Englander’s departure from the council is the second in the last few years.
Former Councilmember Felipe Fuentes left abruptly in 2016. Both
Fuentes and Englander left for job’s in the private sector. Fuentes
took a job as a lobbyist and Englander took a job as executive vice
president for government affairs at Oak View, an entertainment and
sports facilities company founded by AEG’s former chief executive.
Among the 15 candidates, two Armenian-Americans are vying for Englander’s seat.
Jack Kayajian (Democrat) is an administrator at City Attorney Mike
Feuer’s office. Previously, Kayajian worked as a Valley area
representative for former L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. His
platform includes reducing overcrowding in classrooms, improving
public safety officers’ response times and supporting small
businesses.
Stella Maloyan (Democrat) is an executive at the Los Angeles Alliance
for a New Economy and a commissioner on the city’s Tourism and
Convention Board. Maloyan is a resident of Porter Ranch, having
immigrated to the area from Iran at age 15. Her past work includes
advocating for gender equity and equal pay, working to secure
resources for the city’s middle class and pushing City Hall to develop
affordable housing.
LAist has confirmed each of their party affiliations. Other details
regarding platforms, stances on issues and personal or professional
life, were gathered from candidates’ official websites and are
publicly available.
This article appeared in LAist on April 1, 2019.
**********************************************************************************************************************************************
6- Disagreeable Distinction: Arabs, Armenians, Iranians
Considered White in US Census
By Sarah Parvini and
Ellis Simani
Samira Damavandi knows that when she fills out her 2020 census form,
she will be counted. But it pains her that, in some way, she will also
be forgotten.
When asked to mark her race, Damavandi will encounter options for
white, black, Asian, American Indian and Native Hawaiian — but nothing
that she believes represents her family’s Iranian heritage. She will
either have to choose white, or identify as “some other race.”
“It erases the community,” she said.
Roughly 3 million people of Southwest Asian, Middle Eastern or North
African descent live in the United States, according to a Los Angeles
Times analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. No county is home to more
of these communities than Los Angeles, where more than 350,000 people
can trace their roots to a region that stretches from Mauritania to
the mountains of Afghanistan.
In past census surveys, more than 80 percent in this group have called
themselves white, The Times analysis found.Arab and Iranian
communities for years have lobbied the bureau to create a separate
category for people of Middle Eastern or North African descent.
Over the last decade, it seemed the tide would turn — the Obama
administration was considering proposals to ask questions about race
and ethnicity in a different way, shifting not only how the government
would count the Middle Eastern community, but the Latino population as
well.
In 2018, however, the bureau announced that it would not include a
“MENA” category. Instead, the next survey will ask participants who
check “white” or “black” to write in their “origins” for the first
time. Lebanese and Egyptian are among the suggestions under white.
For many, a write-in doesn’t go far enough because they identify as
people of color. The bureau’s move was seen as a blow to a group
already grappling with feelings of invisibility. Advocates say the
category goes beyond issues of self-identity and has real-life
implications for Arab and Middle Eastern communities, including the
allocation of local resources.
“We are our own community,” said Rashad Al-Dabbagh, executive director
of the Arab American Civic Council in Anaheim. “It’s as if we don’t
count.”
At stake in the decennial count is nearly $800 billion in federal tax
dollars and the number of seats each state receives in the U.S. House
of Representatives. Many of the services people rely on are tied to
funds and programs determined by the census.
In addition to those resources, advocates argue, the “white” label
could hurt universities and companies that use the information to
promote diversity and could result in the gathering of little or no
statistical data on important issues, such as health trends in the
community.
Maya Berry, executive director of the Arab American Institute, said
this lack of proper representation has “deprived our community of
access to basic services and rights,” such as language assistance at
polling places and educational grants.
“I think it’s a big disappointment to people because there was a real
effort made from the last census to create that category,” said Persis
Karim, director of the Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies at San
Francisco State University. “It’s another erasure of both Middle
Eastern and North African people.”
Those communities have struggled to become visible for decades, Karim
said, especially in the post 9-11 period.
In 2015, the census bureau tested creating new categories — including
MENA. Government research showed that Middle Eastern and North African
people would check the MENA box if given the option. Without it, they
would opt for white or “some other race.”
“The results of this research indicate that it is optimal to use a
dedicated ‘Middle Eastern or North African’ response category,” a 2017
census report said. Still, census officials have said they need more
research before committing to a change, citing feedback suggesting
MENA should be treated as an option for ethnicity, not race —
something the bureau has not researched.
Sarah Shabbar grew up in Santa Barbara feeling underrepresented. In
school, she was counted among the white students and wondered why she
had to “conform to something I don’t agree with.”
“It was such a weird thing to grow up and be told, ‘You should be
proud to be Jordanian. You should be proud of where you come from,’”
said Shabbar, now a graduate student at Cal State Northridge. “None of
these forms are allowing me to feel proud of it, because I’m just
white according to them.”
Her parents would tell her to choose “white” if that’s how Middle
Eastern people were classified by the government, she said. There
wasn’t a discussion about identity, or what it would mean to properly
classify the community.
“It’s like, khalas, just put it,” said Shabbar, using the Arabic word
for “enough.” “For them it doesn’t matter. Until you apply for college
… then it’s like, there’s no money for Arabs?” the 25-year-old said
with a laugh.
Experts say that generational divide is a common split within the
Middle Eastern and North African community. For some, it stems from
the notion of being from the Caucasus region — and therefore,
literally Caucasian — and for others, identifying as white became a
means of survival in a new country.
“Our parents came as immigrants and worked with this idea of
aspirational whiteness, that if you work hard and put your head down
you’ll be successful,” said Khaled Beydoun, who teaches law at the
University of Arkansas. “But for young people, with 9/11 and now with
Trump, whiteness means something specific.”
Some worry that in the current political climate, it may be dangerous
to create a separate category.
Beydoun, who is Egyptian and Lebanese, served on a committee of field
experts that provided the Census Bureau with feedback on the idea of a
MENA box on the 2020 census. He supported adding the classification,
he said, but also worried that the information could be used to track
where Arabs or Iranians live or be used against the community “during
times of crisis.”
Prior to the 2010 census, the Arab and Iranian communities in Southern
California teamed up to spread a message: “Check it right, you ain’t
white!”
The tongue-in-cheek campaign encouraged people to choose “some other
race” and sought to combat the notion that Arabs and Iranians are
white — an idea that experts say has roots in a legal battle from the
early 1900s. Arab immigrants from modern-day Syria and Lebanon, who
were considered Asian, successfully fought to be classified as white
and thus eligible for citizenship.
That classification was cemented in the late 1970s when the Office of
Management and Budget listed all Middle Easterners as white.
“In the Arab community, there are varying degrees of assimilation,”
said Omar Masry, who was part of the 2010 census movement. “They are
categorized as white, but they aren’t treated the same as the white
guy in front of them in line when they are in an immigration line
coming back from a trip.”
For David Shams, the census question codifies a feeling he’s known all
his life: a sense of straddling two worlds, both fully American and
intensely proud of his Iranian heritage. The 36-year-old remembers a
conversation he had with an administrator about the lack of inclusion
of Middle Easterners in diversity scholarships when he was a student
at Murray State University in Kentucky. The school official told him
Iranians weren’t considered for diversity scholarships because they
were white, and minorities needed help more than “you all do.” All the
talk did was push “the misconception that we’re white,” Shams said.
“Having the federal government label us as white, while our social
status is anything but, further stigmatizes our position in society,”
said Shams. “We have no recourse. We have no way to talk about
diversity or discrimination because if we’re white, we can’t be
discriminated against based on race. And so we’re left in this gray
area.”That wasn’t a topic Shams had delved into with his father until
two years ago. The two were sitting at a beer garden in Washington,
D.C., during the Persian New Year when they started discussing Trump’s
administration and the rise of white nationalism. The elder Shams
emigrated from Iran in 1964, more than a decade before the Islamic
Revolution.
“They hate brown people,” Shams told his father as he sipped his
favorite lager. “But we’re white,” his father replied. “I’m white.
You’re white.” “Stand up on this bench right here and say that,” Shams
said. “Nobody in this bar would agree with you.”
This article appeared in Los Angeles Times on March 28, 2019.
*********************************************************************************************************************************************
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Protesting Yerevan Opera Theater staff ‘satisfied’ with outcomes of meeting with PM
Panorama, Armenia
April 1 2019
The artists at the Armenian National Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet named after Alexander Spendiaryan protesting the theater director’s dismissal are at the moment satisfied with the outcomes of a meeting with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, conductor Harutyun Arzumanyan told reporters outside the government HQ.
The Opera House staff gathered outside the government building on Monday morning to protest the 28 March decision of Acting Minister of Culture Nazeni Gharibyan on firing Director General of the theater Constantine Orbelian and to demand the minister’s resignation for ‘disrespect’ towards culture and cultural figures and her decisions contradicting the law.
Gharibyan justified her decision with the fact that Orbelian, who is also the theater’s artistic director, cannot hold both offices simultaneously by law.
Arzumanyan, who met with the PM together with six other artists of the Opera House earlier on Monday, says Pashinyan has guaranteed that no one will assume the theater director’s duties, except for the Opera House’s deputy director until the theater staff receives arguments of the ministry over Orbelian’s dismissal, after which they will submit their counterarguments.
The PM vowed that if the dismissal order of the ministry turns to be unlawful, those responsible will be immediately fired, the conductor said.
He also added the acting culture minister was not present at the meeting.
Orbelian, a three-time Grammy-nominated conductor, was appointed Artistic Director of the Yerevan Opera Theater in 2016. A year later, he also started serving as General Director of the theater.
Stefan Visconti: The meeting of the Prime Minister of Armenia with the President of Azerbaijan was long, intensive and effective.
Arminfo, Armenia
Ani Mshetsyan
ArmInfo. The meeting of the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan with the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev was long, rich and effective. This was stated on March 29 by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair Stefan Visconti, Tert.am reported."Let's hope that all this will be long lasting," he said. When asked about when the next meeting of Pashinyan-Aliyev will take place, Visconti replied that the Prime Minister and the President would say so.
It should be noted that on March 29, Aliyev and Pashinyan met in Vienna in the presence of the Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia and the Co-Chairs, then continued in a tete-a-tete format. Three hours later, the ministers of the two countries and representatives of Russia, the United States and France again joined Aliev and Pashinyan. In total, the negotiations lasted three and a half hours.
Nearly 5000 trees to be planted in Yerevan: Countrywide clean-up and tree planting to be held on March 23
Nearly 5000 trees to be planted in Yerevan: Countrywide clean-up and tree planting to be held on March 23
09:38,
YEREVAN, MARCH 22, ARMENPRESS. Within the frames of “Clean Armenia” program, on March 23, from early morning the republic-wide clean-up will be started in Yerevan, the City Hall told Armenpress.
“On this day it is planned to clean up all public areas, lawns, parks and squares. Tree pruning will also be continued, besides, tree planting is also provided for”, noted acting head of the Department of Nature Protection Khachik Hakobyan.
Tree planting will be carried out in concrete irrigated areas.
On March 23, about 5000 trees are to be planted. Besides traditional sorts of trees it is planned to plant flowering trees as well.
The action will be accompanied by festive events. Via phone numbers functioning in all administrative districts citizens can get information on the addresses where the actions will be carried out.
Forecast: Over time, Baku will find it harder to explain to the world the reluctance to talk with Stepanakert
Arminfo, Armenia
David Stepanyan
ArmInfo. Baku is already difficult and over time it will only be harder to explain to the world its own unwillingness to speak with a Stepanakert. Director of the Armenian Center for Strategic and National Studies Manvel Sargsyan expressed such opinion to ArmInfo.
"The current situation around the Karabakh conflict is characterized by the withdrawal of old approaches around its settlement. The Vienna agreement on the implementation of control mechanisms and the identification of the violator of the truce led to the fact that the so-called military diplomacy worked against Azerbaijan itself. In other words, the shots began to play against the violator of the truce which is extremely dangerous for Baku. Plus, the change of power in Yerevan led to the failure of the Yerevan-Moscow-Baku triangle whereby Azerbaijan repeatedly forced Serzh Sargsyan and to the solutions that are necessary. In April 2016, this became obvious, "he stressed.
In this light, according to analysts, the negotiation process will resume only with the return of the Artsakh people to the negotiating table. At the same time, in Baku, in his opinion, he will not agree. However, no one in the world, except Turkey and Pakistan, is going to recognize the de facto formal rights of Azerbaijan to Artsakh, while not recognizing its right to use force. Thus, Baku, according to Sargsyan, it remains only to conduct formal negotiations, trying to return to the situation before April 2016.
According to the analyst, while recognizing the preservation of the status quo around Artsakh for an indefinite time, the world community will not accept military resolution of the conflict and no one will allow Azerbaijan to be shot. According to his estimates, it is becoming more and more dangerous to play with the Karabakh conflict. And the high legitimacy of the new authorities of Armenia and, as a result, the degree of sovereignty deprived even the former methods of influence on Yerevan.
Conflict resolution Sargsyan connects with the achievement of international consensus on this issue. On the example of Kosovo. In this light, he noted the achievement of a similar consensus on the issue of the non- use of force to resolve the conflict. In this light, according to his forecasts, the unauthorized provocation by Baku of a new round of escalation will end very badly for Azerbaijan. Especially, taking into account the results of the "four-day war" of 2016. "Starting a war today is a serious matter, but rather a serious one. Especially full-scale, which will then be very difficult to stop. Such a war would destabilize the entire vast region, part of which is the South Caucasus, up to the Russian North Caucasus. Fortunately, today everyone understands , hence the international consensus prohibiting Azerbaijan from using force, "the analyst concluded.
Number of tourists visiting Armenia will increase 15% in 2019, Tourism Federation Chairman predicts
Number of tourists visiting Armenia will increase 15% in 2019, Tourism Federation Chairman predicts
15:51,
YEREVAN, MARCH 16, ARMENPRESS. The number of tourists who visited Armenia in 2018 increased by 10.5% compared to 2017. In 2019 their number will grow by at least 15%, Mekhak Apresyan – chairman of the Armenian Tourism Federation told reporters today, reports Armenpress.
“We must be ready to the increase of number of tourists and do everything so that they leave Armenia with bright impressions”, he said.
He informed that the number of Georgian and Iranian tourists in Armenia decreased in 2018. A great tourist flow was recorded from Russia, the European countries, the US, China, Korea, Japan, Arab states, India and Philippines.
“In order not to disappoint the tourists, high-quality services are needed in all sectors. The state policy should also be directed for this goal. The settlement process of the field must launch within the public-private partnership in order to be able to ensure stable quality of the services provided, favorable competitive environment which can lead to the investment activeness”, Apresyan said.
As a problem of the field Apresyan mentioned the fact that foreign businessmen visit Armenia with their buses, tour guides, hold tours in Armenia by not paying taxes. “The whole circulation is being carried out in cash. By this they are in better competitive conditions compared to all operating businessmen in Armenia and gradually they are removed from the market. We face a problem of not properly presenting our country”, he said.
Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
Transit tariff for Russian gas supplies to Armenia through Georgia increases
Transit tariff for Russian gas supplies to Armenia through Georgia increases
20:03,
YEREVAN, MARCH 12, ARMENPRESS. The tariff paid by Gazprom to deliver gas through Georgia to Armenia has increased, Georgian Minister of Economy Natia Turnava announced.
“Negotiations with Gazprom have finished successfully and soon Georgia will define the agreement with the Russian state-run gas company. Georgia has improved its positions against the Russian company. The transit price paid by Russia to us has increased, while the cost of the Russian gas has declined”, Turnava said.
She could not say exactly how much the tariff has increased since it’s a commercial secret.
Before 2017 Georgia received 10% of the gas transited through its territory. Later, Georgia changed the conditions and started to get money instead of gas.
Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan
Film: Turks flock to Istanbul’s first art exhibition of Armenian filmmaker Parajanov
EurasiaNet.org
Mar 12, 2019
The first-ever show in Turkey of artwork by the late Armenian filmmaker Sergei Parajanov illustrates both the challenges and necessity of cultural exchange across closed borders.
More than 45,000 art lovers have visited the show since it opened in December at Istanbul’s Pera Museum, one of Turkey’s most important cultural institutions. It brought 76 works of art – including collages, storyboards, costumes, drawings and photographs – from the Sergei Parajanov Museum in Yerevan, making it the largest overseas exhibition of the museum’s collection.
It pulled this off despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties between Turkey and Armenia, bitterly divided for a quarter century since Ankara closed its frontier in 1993 to protest Armenia’s occupation of Nagorno Karabakh and show support for its close ally Azerbaijan. An older wound also bedevils the relationship: The forced displacement of Armenians living in Ottoman Turkish lands during World War I wiped out a millennia-old culture, and Armenians, as well as most historians, say the massacres were genocide. Turkey denies they were systematically orchestrated.
Yet interactions between artists, businesspeople and civil society groups continue. Now, the Pera introduces Turkey to Parajanov, a master of 20th century cinema who was also a prolific plastic artist. The show runs through March 17 to coincide with what would have been Parajanov’s 95th birthday in January.
“Art is the shortest way to reach somebody’s heart,” said Zaven Sargsyan, director of the Sergei Parajanov Museum, who curated the show at the Pera. “This is a chance for Turkish people to get to know Armenians. It is unfortunate that they don’t hear the names of Armenians here. But we are making the connection with this show.”
Called “Parajanov With Sarkis,” the show is actually a duo exhibition with one of Turkish contemporary art’s most important and original voices. At age 80, Sarkis, who is of Armenian descent, continues to create art in his Paris studio that explores themes of remembrance, displacement and identity, and he credits Parajanov as a seminal influence.
Sarkis’ work occupies the top floor of the Pera and is pure homage to Parajanov. The director’s signature in the Armenian script is rendered in neon lights, his photograph is embellished with water color and stained glass, and a sculpture of wood, fabric and VHS film is called “Portrait of Parajanov.”
“My installations have always been in conversation with other artists, philosophers, musicians and filmmakers, but Parajanov holds a separate place for me,” Sarkis said in an interview, estimating he has watched Parajanov’s films more than 100 times. “In his work, and in mine, there is a confluence of cultures. For example, he uses Azeri, Georgian, Armenian and Turkish languages in his films. This blend of identities informs my work as well.”
Born in Tbilisi in 1924, Parajanov was fascinated by the swirl of cultures of Transcaucasia. The Georgian capital was still home to a large Armenian community while Parajanov studied music and dance at the Tbilisi Conservatory before enrolling at VGIK, the Moscow film school.
His early films were state-backed genre movies, but seeing Andrei Tarkovsky’s “Ivan’s Childhood” in 1962 triggered Parajanov to disavow his earlier work and pursue his own vision. Subsequent films contain highly stylized acting and painterly mise-en-scenes that maximize the color saturation of Soviet-era film stock, making everything appear lurid and fantastical.
Costume for the Ashik Kerib, 1988
While his distinctive poetic ideals earned him accolades from maestros like Federico Fellini and Jean-Luc Godard, back home it raised suspicions about his political leanings as he defied the state-sanctioned art of socialist realism.
Parajanov’s elaborate costume designs stand alone as works of art, and some are on display at the Pera, including a kaftan made of patchwork squares from Oriental rugs that appeared in 1988’s “Ashik Kerib,” based on an Azeri fairy tale. It was the last film Parajanov completed.
Sarkis hangs his own robe, adorned with children’s garments and trimmed with fairy lights, directly one floor above Parajanov’s kaftan. It dangles over a room blanketed with Caucasian kilim rugs and punctuated with vintage television sets playing scenes from Parajanov’s surrealist masterpiece, “The Color of Pomegranates.”
The 1968 biopic of the great 18th century Armenian poet Sayet Nova is a lyrical, avant-garde meditation on color and composition. But the Soviet censors saw the religious and ethno-nationalist iconography of “The Color of Pomegranates” as evidence of Parajanov’s subversive streak and sent him to a gulag for four years following his arrest on trumped-up sex-crime charges in 1973.
Self-Portrait in Istanbul, 1989 (photo: Ara Güler)
Art that Parajanov made in his prison cell – with ball-point pens, nail polish, magazine clippings and metal scraps – is on display at the Pera. After leaving prison, he was banned from making movies and dedicated himself to other artistic pursuits, including the transformation of everyday objects like a leather suitcase into an elephant’s head and kitchen chairs into mosaic-clad baroque objects, also in the show. “When he wasn’t allowed to make films, he had to find new ways to express himself,” Sargsyan said in an interview.
Another stint in prison in 1982 ruined Parajanov’s health, and he died eight years later at the age of 66. He had only recently returned to filmmaking amid the thaw of glasnost, and a year before his death, Parajanov visited Turkey to receive a jury prize from the Istanbul Film Festival for “Ashik Kerib.”
After the Istanbul screening, he reportedly faced intimidation for comments he made about Karabakh. The exhibition includes four works Parajanov created while in Istanbul.
Both Parajanov’s artwork and his films skirt the line between truth and the unreal; for the filmmaker, that line was always blurred. In a 1988 interview ahead of “Ashik Kerib’s” premiere, Parajanov said: “I ask, ‘Did I make it up or is it the truth?’ Everyone says, ‘It’s made up.’ No, it’s simply the truth as I perceive it.”
Ayla Jean Yackley is a journalist based in Istanbul.
Sports: Anush Grigoryan and Ani Hovsepyan score at least bronze medals at U22 European Boxing Championships
News.am, Armenia
Two of Armenia’s female boxers made it to the semi-final and scored at least bronze medals after winning the U22 European Boxing Championships taking place in Vladikavkaz.
Ani Hovsepyan (64 kg category) outscored Italy’s representative sooner than expected.
Anush Grigoryan (51 kg category) defeated her French opponent.
Four boxers of the Armenian team will be competing for passes to the March 13 semi-final.