Author: Yeghisabet Arthur

Libero-News, Italia
27 / 3 / 2009

Nel rogo di Smirne la tragica fine del sogno armeno

Cultura | Caterina Maniaci

«Il grande tormento, l’angoscia vera del popolo armeno,
è quello di sapere che non si può più tornare
alla Patria Perduta, che non c’è scampo: è l’esilio, la
diaspora, il suo destino». Antonia Arslan è a Roma, a
presentare il suo ultimo romanzo, La strada di Smirne (Rizzoli,
pp. 280, euro 18,5), uscito poco più di un mese fa e già
giunto alla terza edizione. Lo fa nel Centro culturale, creato da poco
tempo, presso il Pontificio collegio armeno, nel cuore della capitale,
e cerca di spiegare perché le tragedie e le storie di una
famiglia armena, decimata dal genocidio perpetrato dai turchi nel 1915
– e finora sempre negato come realtà storica – contro questo
popolo di origini antichissime, fieramente cristiano, pacifico e
lavoratore, hanno conquistato schiere di lettori, non solo in Italia,
in Europa e nel mondo intero. Il suo precedente romanzo, La masseria
delle allodole, è diventato un vero e proprio caso letterario,
alla sua uscita nel 2004. E da allora i lettori chiedono, insistono,
vogliono sapere che cosa accadrà ai superstiti della famiglia
di Sempad e Shushanig, ai loro figli e nipoti, che poi sono i nonni, i
prozii, gli zii e i cugini della stessa autrice. Non rimarranno delusi
da questo secondo capitolo della saga. La strada di tutti quei
personaggi conosciuti attraverso le pagine della Masseria
porterà in Italia, in America, e per molti altri – amici,
parenti, benefattori – porterà appunto a Smirne, città
grande e bellissima, che si spegnerà nel rogo dell’estare del
1922: in quel tragico incendio moriranno a migliaia, greci, armeni,
anche turchi, e in quelle fiamme bruceranno le ultime illusioni e
speranze di ricostruire, per gli uni e per gli altri, una nuova vita
in una nuova e ritrovata patria.

Il segreto di tanto successo e partecipazione, forse, allora, sta
proprio in quel continuo intrecciarsi di Storia – terribile, accanita,
impietosa – con le tante, infinite storie, di uomini, donne, bambini,
scaraventati in terre lontane, ostili, o semplicemente straniere,
differenti. Ã? la forza delle radici negate, ma prepotentemente
sepolte nell’animo, della voce mormorante dei ricordi, di una patria
solo intravista, sognata o immaginata. Qualcosa che, forse, non
è solo `armeno’, ma ancestrale e impresso in tutti. Ã?
come ascoltare, certo in una tonalità più profonda e
tragica, la voce di qualche nonna che racconta, che ricorda,
un’immagine sempre più sbiadita ed estranea, per i ragazzi di
oggi, ma che conserva intatto il suo fascino. Il tutto attraverso un
linguaggio lussureggiante, lirico, dal sapore orientale, e insieme
robusto, fatto di materia, di sangue e di vita.

Certo, nella Strada di Smirne rimane intatto il senso della
testimonianza, come sottolinea Antonia Arslan: «La ferita del
genocidio rimane aperta, e non solo per gli armeni, per l’Europa, per
gli stessi turchi». Turchi che continuano a negare la
realtà della strage e, così facendo, negano una parte
della loro stessa storia e identità. Ma il viaggio continua. La
Arslan annuncia che ci sarà un terzo romanzo, ambientato in
America. E sarà il capitolo della speranza.

/531665

LEVON ARONIAN WINS 18TH AMBER BLINDFOLD AND RAPID TOURNAMENT

Daijiworld.com
March 26 2009
India

Nice (France), Mar 27: With two draws in the eleventh and final
round Levon Aronian has won the 11th Amber Blindfold and Rapid
Tournament. The Armenian grandmaster, who also triumphed in last year’s
Amber, survived scary moments in his blindfold game against Veselin
Topalov and next comfortably drew the rapid game to take the title.

Second place was shared by Vishy Anand and Vladimir Kramnik. The World
Champion defeated Wang Yue 1½-½, while his predecessor routed Peter
Leko 2-0.

In the blindfold competition three players shared first place. Magnus
Carlsen, who had long dominated the competition, lost his last game and
this allowed Levon Aronian and Vladimir Kramnik to catch up with him.

The rapid competition also ended in a three-way tie for first. This
year the best rapid players were Vishy Anand, Levon Aronian and
Gata Kamsky.

Levon Aronian won the Amber Blindfold and Rapid Tournament for the
second time.

Alexander Morozevich didn’t achieve anything tangible from the
opening in his blindfold game against Gata Kamsky. However, he got
a sizable advantage once they reached a queen and knight ending. The
white pieces coordinated much better and soon Morozevich was a pawn
up. This passed b-pawn proved unstoppable.

The rapid game ended in a draw after the game had more or less been
in balance throughout the game. Perhaps the one moment that deserved
attention occurred after 35 moves. Here Black had the possibility
of 35…Nc6, with the point 36.Nxc4 Nxd4, but when Morozevich missed
that opportunity the game fizzled out to a draw.

Sergey Karjakin was delighted with his win in the blindfold against
Vasily Ivanchuk. Apart from a win in a blitz game this was only
the first time he defeated his experienced compatriot (remember his
resigned reaction after he lost against Ivanchuk in Wijk aan Zee:
‘I always lose against him’). It was also the first time he played
1.d4 against him. Ivanchuk reacted with the double-edged Benoni and
a sharp game ensued. Karjakin was clearly better or even winning,
until he spoiled his advantage. The ending of queen versus rook and
bishop should be a draw, but when Black blundered 68…f4, a move
that essentially doomed the pawn, White was winning again. But it
took time and while the players worked on their 111 move epic, their
colleagues sat waiting for the second session, which started with a
30-minute delay. The final mistake of Ivanchuk (in a lost position)
was 111.c6. He believed that at that point his queen was on c1,
but he soon found out it was on e1 and resigned.

Karjakin was all smiles after the rapid game, because he won
again. Ivanchuk followed the game Topalov-Aronian, but Karjakin
deviated with 13…e5, looking for counterplay. Karjakin admitted that
in the next phase Ivanchuk, who rattled off his moves, outplayed him,
but he kept looking for practical chances. On move 37, Ivanchuk could
have dealt a deadly blow with 37.R4c7, but having missed Black reply
he played the weak 37.Rd1. Ivanchuk’s last blunder was 49.Be4+. Said
Karjakin: ‘He should have put it on f1 and I can never win.’

Vladimir Kramnik started the day with a crushing victory over Peter
Leko in the blindfold game. In fact he used quite an important novelty
to score this win. ‘I decided to use it as I am still fighting for
the top places,’ the Russian grandmaster said. He had analysed it a
long time ago, before the San Luis World Championship Tournament,
and might have used it for his match against Anand. Fortunately
for him he didn’t analyze it during that match as in that case he
could not have used it to surprise his former second Leko. In fact
Kramnik had already played it in a blitz game, but as that game was
published in a corrupted way it must have escaped his colleagues’
attention. The new move was 15.Re1, which according to Kramnik ‘opens
a new field for analysis’. Leko reacted in ‘the most natural manner’,
but couldn’t prevent that, facing such problems in a blindfold game,
he ended up in a lost position. After 27.Ne2 Kramnik saw no defence
for Black. His home preparation ended with move 28.Ng3.

After the rapid game Kramnik was happy that he had won the mini-match
with Leko, but at the same time he found it difficult to enjoy his
second win. ‘He was playing so passively.

There was a point when I considered offering a draw, but when he was
going back with all his pieces I was forced to play on.’ Kramnik
criticized the tepid 11.Nc4 and 12.Nb6 and suggested 11.a4 with a
white edge, and felt that after 23…d5 the position for White was
already very difficult. The rest, till the moment he resigned on move
43, was suffering for Leko.

The blindfold game between Veselin Topalov and Levon Aronian was a
close shave for the Armenian tournament leader. In a decent position
Aronian made a grave mistake with 24…b6 where he should have
played 24…Rbc8. Topalov immediately struck with 25.Nxe6 and now
Black was lost. But the game wasn’t over yet. Or as Aronian put it:
‘Then he was winning. But he didn’t see it and I escaped, as usual.’

In the rapid game Aronian secured tournament victory with a brief
draw in 17 moves. Once Black had equalized Topalov offered a draw,
and that was an offer Aronian had no wish to refuse.

Wang Yue seemed well on his way to a major upset when in the
blindfold against Vishy Anand he sacrificed a piece for a dangerous
initiative. The sacrifice was correct, but Wang Yue was also very
low on time (after 24 moves he had less than 2 minutes against 18
for Anand) and in the next phase Anand took over the initiative and
got excellent winning chances. His problem was that he ended up in an
endgame of two knights against king and pawn. There were two instances
that he was winning (as endgame specialist John Nunn pointed out with
the help of the tablebases), but these moments came and went without
the players really noticing. Anand tried for a long time, but gave
up his attempts after 85 moves: ‘I managed to make more than 40 legal
moves, I don’t think it’s winning.’ That was right, it wasn’t anymore.

In the rapid game Anand had a nagging edge all through the game and
the question was whether it was going to be enough or not. In any
case it was very unpleasant to play for Black and in the end Wang
Yue indeed succumbed to the pressure.

The blindfold game between Teimour Radjabov and Magnus Carlsen took
a dramatic turn when in an approximately equal position the Norwegian
erred with 29…Rd6. After White’s answer 30.Ra3 he suddenly realized
that his queen was trapped and that she could only be freed at the
cost of a piece. Obviously Radjabov was completely winning now, but
he slightly complicated his task by dropping his f7 pawn with 43.f7,
where 43.f3 would have ended any black resistance. But the position
remained winning for White and after 54 moves Carlsen resigned,
a couple of moves away from mate. In the rapid game Carlsen had
his revenge. Gradually he managed to get a better position and when
Radjabov went astray with 35…Nc6, White won a piece and the game.

ARONIAN WINS AMBER 2009 TOURNAMENT

PanARMENIAN.Net
26.03.2009 21:43 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Armenian grand master Levon Aronian won the
Champion’s title at 18th Amber Blindfold and Rapid tournament. In
the 11th tour, the Armenian grand master, drawing against Bulgaria’s
Veselin Topalov in blindfold and rapid games, won 1,5-0,5. Aronian,
outrunning India’s Viswanathan Anand by 0,5 points, won the tournament
with 14 points to his score, thus repeating his last year’s success.

The total prize-fund of 18th Amber Blindfold and Rapid tournament is
Euro 216,000.

11th tour scores

Blindfold

Alexander Morozevich (Russia)-Gata Kamsky (United States)- 1:0

Sergey Karjakin (Ukraine)-Vasily Ivanchuk (Ukraine)- 1:0

Vladimir Kramnik (Russia) – Peter Leko (Hungary)- 1:0

Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria)- Levon Aronian (Armenia)- 0,5:0,5

Wang Yue (China)- Viswanathan Anand (India)- 0,5:0,5

Teimour Radjabov (Azerbaijan) – Magnus Carlsen (Norway)- 1:0

Rapid

Kamsky- Morozevich- 0,5:0,5

Ivanchuk- Karjakin-0:1

Leko- Kramnik-0:1

Aronian- Topalov- 0,5:0,5

Anand- Yue-0:1

Carlsen- Radjabov-0:1

Final standings

Levon Aronian (Armenia)-14 points

Viswanathan Anand (India)-13,5 points

Vladimir Kramnik (Russia) -13,5 points

Magnus Carlsen (Norway) -13 points

Alexander Morozevich (Russia) -11 points

Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria) -10,5 points

Sergey Karjakin (Ukraine) -10,5 points

Peter Leko (Hungary)-10 points

Gata Kamsky (United States) -10 points

Vasily Ivanchuk (Ukraine) -9,5 points

Teimour Radjabov (Azerbaijan) -9 points

Wang Yue (China) -7,5 points

March 26, 2009

NEW ENGLAND REGIONAL CONFERENCE THIS SATURDAY
The Prelate,
Archbishop Oshagan will attend the New England Regional Conference for
members of the Boards of Trustees and National Representative Assembly
delegates, which will take place this Saturday, March 28, at Holy
Trinity Church, Worcester, Massachusetts.
Panel discussions will focus on the following topics: Spiritual
awakening; administrative duties; Sunday School; Armenian School; and
the role of the Prelacy.

PRELATE WILL ATTEND ARS CENTENNIAL GALA
This Saturday evening, March 28,
Archbishop Oshagan will preside over the Centennial Gala Banquet
presented by the Armenian Relief Society (Eastern USA), which will
take place at the Yale Club in New York City. Dr. Herand Markarian
will serve as the Master of Ceremonies. The Keynote speaker is
Representative Anna G. Eshoo, of California.

PRELATE WILL BE IN NEW JERSEY ON SUNDAY
This Sunday, March 29, Archbishop
Oshagan will attend and preside over the Divine Liturgy at
Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey.

BISHOP ANOUSHAVAN IN NEW JERSEY AND PHILADELPHIA
Tomorrow evening, Friday, March 27, following Lenten Vespers Service,
Bishop Anoushavan will introduce a new book, Zadig (Easter) by Rudig
Haroyan, at Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey. The event
is sponsored by the Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural
Society of New Jersey. Mr. Haroyan, a native of Armenia, was a special
teacher for several years at the Hovnanian School in New Milford, New
Jersey, where he taught the students authentic Armenian folk songs and
dance. on Sunday, March 29, Bishop Anoushavan will celebrate the
Divine Liturgy at St. Gregory the Illuminator Church in
Philadelphia. Following the service, he will make a presentation of
the recently published book by the parishs priest, Archpriest Fr.
Nerses Manoogian, called From the Pastors Desk: Pastoral Talks to His
Flock.

ST. SARKIS MORTGAGE BURNING IS FESTIVE EVENT
Parishioners and friends gathered to joyously burn the mortgage of
St. Sarkis Church in Douglaston, New York, on Sunday, March
15. Archbishop Oshagan celebrated the Divine Liturgy. During the
service His Eminence presented a pectoral cross to Rev. Fr. Nareg
Terterian, pastor of St. Sarkis. In his sermon the Prelate used
biblical references to show that it is easy to start and finish a
project when you have the money, but it doesnt have the same meaning
as when a goal is accomplished through the dedication of the people,
their faith and their perseverance. This, he said, is how you, the
parishioners of St. Sarkis, arrived at this point where today you are
burning your mortgage.
A luncheon, presided by the
Prelate, followed the Liturgy. Attending were Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian, Vicar General of the Prelacy and formerly the pastor of St. Sarkis Church;
Armenias Ambassador to the United Nations, H. E. Armen Martirosian; New York State Senator, Frank Padavan, and members of the Executive
Council, including Karen Jehanian, Noubar Megerian, and Bedros Givelekian. During the luncheon program, Dr. Aram Cazazian, chairman of the Board of
Trustees, was presented with the Eagle of the Prelacy award by Archbishop Oshagan in appreciation of his exceptional leadership.

LENTEN PROGRAM CONTINUES
The fifth in a series of six weekly Prelacy Lenten programs took place
last night, at the Armenian Center in Woodside, New York. Following
the Husgoom Service, Rev. Fr. Nareg Terterian, pastor of St. Sarkis
Armenian Church, Douglaston, New York, spoke on the Beatitude: Blessed
are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be
filled (Matthew 5:4). Of different uses of the word righteousness in
the Bible, Der Nareg briefly highlighted four, namely, righteousness
as Gods mighty saving deeds; righteousness meaning justice for us and
for others; righteousness in the sense of being declared righteous by
God; and righteousness as right-living before God and before
others. He focused on the notion of virtuous conduct before God and
men, giving examples from different interpersonal relationships in
society today. Der Hayr said, Before we do anything, we should ask: is
it righteous for me to do this? By reflecting g on the Beatitudes, he
said, we should all examine our lifestyle and aim to live righteously
before the eyes of God. The next and final Lenten lecture will be on
Wednesday, April 1, 2009, and will be presented by His Grace Bishop
Anoushavan, Vicar General, who will reflect on the Beatitude Blessed
are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God (Matthew
5:9). The Lenten program is sponsored by the Prelacys Armenian
Religious Education Council (AREC), the Prelacy Ladies Guild (PLG),
and the Ladies Guild of St. Illuminators Cathedral. For information
about forthcoming lectures click here
( 90/goto: er.pdf).

CLERGY VISIT SENIORS
Bishop Anoushavan and the clergy of the metropolitan New York area
visited the residents of the New York Armenian Home in Flushing, New
York, and the seniors of St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New York
yesterday, March 25. Bishop Anoushavan was accompanied by
Rev. Fr. Nareg Terterian, pastor of St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New
York, and Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian, pastor of St. Illuminators
Cathedral, New York City.

CLERGY WILL VISIT HOVNANIAN SCHOOL AND HOME FOR AGED IN NEW JERSEY
Next Wednesday, April 1, Archbishop Oshagan, Bishop Anoushavan, and
the Prelacy clergy of the Metropolitan New York area will visit the
Hovnanian School in New Milford, New Jersey and the Home for the Aged
in Emerson, New Jersey.

MEETING OF CAMECT NEXT TUESDAY
CAMECT (Christian Arab and Middle Eastern Churches Together) will meet
next Tuesday, March 31, at the Prelacys offices in
Manhattan. Archbishop Oshagan currently serves as President of the
organization. CAMECTs goals are to raise awareness of the continuity
and contribution of the presence of Middle Eastern Christian since
Pentecost in the region where Christ was born. CAMECT believes that
working together with other churches and institutions, it is possible
to go forward toward righteousness and peace in the world at large,
and especially in the Middle East.

NEXT FORUM SCHEDULED APRIL 16
The next Forum for young professionals will take place on Thursday,
April 16. The special presentation is entitled, Remembering the
Forgotten: The Untold Story of Clergymen Lost to the
Genocide. Yeretzgeen Joanna Baghsarian of Sts. Vartanantz Church in
Providence, will tell the story of how a group of her students took a
proactive role in remembering these forgotten martyrs, reminding us
that not even genocide could destroy our Armenian faith and
spirit. Between 1915 and 1938, the Armenian Church lost 5,000
clergymen to the Ottoman Empires genocide and to Joseph Stalins
purges. Admission is free, but RSVP is required. The presentation
will begin exactly at 7:15 pm and will take place at the Prelacys
Vahakn and Hasmig Hovnanian Hall. RSVP to [email protected]
(mailto:events@armenian prelacy.org) or 212-689-7810.

GENOCIDE ART EXHIBIT AT QUEENS COLLEGE
The Queens College Benjamin Rosenthal Library and The
Anthropology/Armenian Museum will host Armenian artist Lucy Janjigians
paintings of The Uprooted: Genocides, in the Carole and Norman Barham
Rotunda, from April 9 through May 5. The library is open from 9 am to
10 pm Monday through Thursday; 9 am to 5 pm Friday, and 11 am to 5 pm,
Saturday and Sunday. A Power Point talk will take place on Wednesday,
April 22 at 2 pm in the Presidents Conference Room. Call 718-428-5650
for reservations to the Power Point Talk and parking passes.
YEAR OF THE YOUTH
His Holiness Aram
I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, has designated the year
2009 as the Year of The Youth. To read His Holiness message in
Armenian click here
( 89/goto: doc/Pontifical%20Messages/messages68.htm).
To read His Holiness message in English click here
( 88/goto: cal.pdf).

BIBLE STUDY PROGRAM CONTINUES
A six-part program on Great Prayers of the Bible which began last week
will continue every other Thursday, from 7:15 to 8:45 pm (March 19,
April 2, 16, 30 and May 14), at the Prelacy. The program will include
a number of biblical prayers that have been incorporated into the
liturgical prayers and services of the Armenian Church. Dn. Shant
Kazanjian, director of the Prelacys Armenian Religious Education
Council (AREC), will conduct the Bible studies. The program is open to
all and is free of charge. To register, please send an email to
[email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) or call
212-689-7810.

EXTENDED BOOKSTORE HOURS
On Bible Study evenings, the Prelacy Bookstore will remain open until
7 pm. The dates of the upcoming Bible Study series are: March 5, 19,
April 2, 16, 30, and May 14.

DATEV SUMMER PROGRAM: MARK YOUR CALENDAR
The 23rd annual St. Gregory of Datev Institute Summer Program, for
youth ages 13-18, is scheduled to take place at the St. Mary of
Providence Center in Elverson, Pennsylvania, from June 28 to July 5,
2009, preceded by a weekend retreat (optional) from June 26-28,
2009. The Program is sponsored by the Armenian Religious Education
Council (AREC). For more information click here
( 87/goto:).

PILGRIMAGE TO DEIR ZOR
As part of the year-long celebration of the Year of the Youth, the
dioceses of Aleppo and Lebanon are organizing a pilgrimage to Deir Zor
for the youth on May 2. His Holiness Catholicos Aram I will join the
youth in this pilgrimage. Details will follow.

DAILY BIBLE READINGS
Bible reading for today, Thursday, March 26, are:: Isaiah 53:1-54:5; 1
Corinthians 15:1-28 Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of
the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in
which also you stand, through which also you are being saved, if you
hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to youunless you have
come to believe in vain. For I handed on to you as of first importance
what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in
accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he
was r raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and
that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to
more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time most of whom
are still alive, though some have died. Then he appeared to James,
then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he
appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be
called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the
grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward m e has not been in
vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of themthough it was
not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or
they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe. Now if Christ is
proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is
no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead,
then Christ has not been raised; and if Christ has not been raised,
then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in
vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we
testified of God that he raised Christwhom he did not raise if the
dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised, your faith is
futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have died
in Christ have perished. If for this life only we have hoped in
Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has
been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have
died. For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of
the dead has also come through a human being; for as all die in Adam,
so all will be made alive in Christ. But each in his own order: Christ
the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then
comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, after
he has destroyed every ruler and every authority and power. For he
must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last
enemy to be destroyed is death. For God has put all things in
subjection under his feet. But when it says, All things are put in
subjection, it is plain that this does not include the one who put all
things in subjection under him. When all things are subjected to him,
then the Son himself will also be subjected to the one who put all
things in subjection under him, so that God may be all in all. (1
Corinthians 15:1-28)

For listing of the coming weeks Bible readings click here
( 86/goto: df).

ST. GREGORYS COMMITMENT TO PIT
This Saturday, March 28, the Armenian Church commemorates one of three
days in the Armenian liturgical calendar in honor of St. Gregory the
Illuminator, the founder of the Armenian Church. The three days of
remembrances are: Entrance into the Pit; Emergence from the Pit; and
Discovery of his remains. This Saturday we commemorate his commitment
to the deep pit (Khor Virab).
Gregory stood fast to his faith and refused to renounce Christ. He
endured many tortures and his final punishment was banishment into a
deep pit where he remained for a period of thirteen or more
years. Miraculously he survived the ordeal, thanks to his faith and a
woman (identity unknown) who secretly lowered food and water into the
pit.
The Monastery of Khor Virab is a major destination for tourists and
pilgrims who visit Armenia. The monastery complex was built on the
exact location where St. Gregory was imprisoned. The pit is intact and
it is possible for visitors to climb down the ladder (we counted 27
steep steps) into the pit. The church, named Sourp Asdvatsatzin dates
to the 17th century. The area is one of the most beautiful in Armenia
and provides a view of Ararat that is breathtaking. There is no better
view of Ararat, even in Turkey.
We remind our readers that during Great Lent, commemoration of saints
takes place only on Saturdays. During the remainder of the year,
saints are honored on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, or
Saturdays. Never on Wednesdays and Fridays, these being fasting days.
Lord Gregory, you are the delightful new paradise planted in the land
of Armenia, which cost sweat and many toils.
Watered by the streams of the word of truth, you gave from yourself
wondrously beautiful offshoots, covered with a multitude of
flowers. You were on earth a heavenly light which received its
brightness from the sun of life, you dispelled thick darkness from the
Armenian people and it saw the light of the Holy Spirits grace.
(From the Liturgical Canons of the Armenian Church)

PILGRIMAGE DAY IN ANTELIAS
As noted above, this Saturday is one of
the three dates in the Armenian Liturgical Calendar honoring St. Gregory the Illuminator, the patron saint of Armenia. It is a day of pilgrimage at
the Holy See of Cilicia in Antelias, Lebanon. Thousands of pilgrims come to the Cathedral of St. Gregory the Illuminator for the service and
procession of the relics of St. Gregory housed in a golden arm. Consecrated relics of St. Gregory are preserved in Holy Etchmiadzin in Armenia and the
Holy See of Cilicia. The relics are displayed each year on this occasion. It is also part of the ceremony of the consecration of the Holy Chrism
(Muron) every seven years.

SUNDAY OF ADVENT
We are rapidly approaching Holy Week. This Sunday, March 29, is the
sixth and final Sunday of Great Lent, called Sunday of Advent
(Galstyan Kiraki). On Advent Sunday we are asked to ponder on the
mystery of the first coming of Christ and especially His second
coming, which is mentioned in the prayers read this Sunday. Christ
came to the world for the salvation of humankind. He will come again
for the judgment of sinners, and when the righteous will become worthy
of entering the Kingdom of God.
Advent Sunday has its own special hymn, which proclaims that the
apostles knew the mystery of the advent of Christ. The story of the
expulsion from paradise is repeated and an appeal is made to Christ to
ask the Heavenly Father to establish peace on earth.
Sunday of Advent is in preparation of next Sunday, Palm Sunday, which
is the celebration of the glorious entry of our Lord into Jerusalem
and the beginning of Holy Week.
Of old you announced beforehand the mystery of your coming through the
prophets of Israel chosen by you after Moses who spoke by the Holy
Spirit in many and various ways, grant us, O Savior, mercy and
remission of sins. With the approach of the last days the seers
announced your coming. O our Savior, at the end of time you appeared
among men adorned in the image of a servant, grant us, O Savior, mercy
and remission of sins.
(From hymn sung on Sunday of Advent according to the Liturgical Canons
of the Armenian Church)

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

March 27Armenian Spiritual Literature, presented by Rev. Fr. Mesrob
Lakissian, pastor of St. Illuminators Cathedral and with the
participation of youth, at the Armenian Center, 69-23 47th Avenue,
Woodside, New York. Organized by Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and
Cultural Society of New York. For information [email protected]
(mailto:hamazkayinny@yahoo. com).

March 28ARS Eastern USA Centennial Gala Banquet, Yale Club, New York
City. Dr. Herand Markarian, MC; keynote speaker Representative Anna
G. Eshoo. Cocktails 7 pm, dinner 8:30 pm. For information:
[email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) or 201-934-8930.

April 2New six-part Bible Studies program at the Prelacy continues on
the following Thursdays: April 2, 16, 30, May 14, from 7:15 to 8:45
pm. Dn. Shant Kazanjian, director of the Armenian Religious Education
Council will lead the sessions. Open to all and free of charge. For
registration and information contact [email protected]
(mailto:arec@armenianprel acy.org) or 212-689-7810. The Prelacy
bookstore will remain open from 5 to 7 pm on each of these evenings.

April 3Harry Koundakjian: 55 Years as an International
Photojournalist, a Jubilee celebration, sponsored by Hamazkayin of New
York, under the auspices of Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, 8:30 pm,
Armenian Center, 69-23 47th Avenue, Woodside, New York.

April 16Quarterly Forum Series for young professionals. Yn. Joanna
Baghsarian of Sts. Vartanantz Church, Providence, will speak about the
untold story of the Armenian clergymen lost to the Genocide and the
Stalin purges, at the Prelacys Hovnanian Hall. Program will begin
promptly at 7:15 pm. Reception will follow. Admission is free but RSVP
is required. Contact [email protected]
(mailto:events@armenian prelacy.org) or 212-689-7810.

April 17Armenian Genocide Commemoration, sponsored by the New York
City Council, City Hall, corner of Chambers Street &
Broadway. Featured panel on Armenian-Turkish Relations: Taner Akcam,
Harut Sassounian, Bilgin Ayata, Aram Hamparian, Khatchig
Mouradian. For information [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) or
646-288-6979.

APRIL 19On the Road (Jampoun Vrah) by Levon Shant (U.S. Premiere),
directed by Dr. Herand Markarian, at the Armenian Center, 69-23 47th
Avenue, Woodside, New York, at 8:05 pm. Sponsored by the Hamazkayin
Armenian Educational and Cultural Society of New York.

APRIL 25Cultural Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide, 7 pm, at the
Armenian Center, Woodside, New York. Participation from the New York
community including: New York City Dignitaries, Cultural and Arts
Organizations, Armenian Churches, Armenian Schools, Youth
Organizations, Community Organizers. For information: [email protected]
(mailto:[email protected]) or 646-288-6979.

April 2694th anniversary commemoration of the Armenian Genocide,
sponsored by the Knights of Vartan and participating organizations, at
Times Square (NYC), 2 pm. For information

(http: //e2ma.net/go/1847703509/1691137/62992985/goto:htt p://).

April 22 & April 29Introduction to the Divine Liturgy, St. Gregory
Church of Merrimack Valley, North Andover, Massachusetts. (Please
note: originally scheduled for January; dates have been changed.)

May 3Holy Trinity Church, Worcester, Massachusetts, will present the
musical Hello Ellis Island, by Hourig Papazian Sahagian, performed by
the musical ensemble The Way We Were, Sunday, May 3, 2 pm at
Quinsigamond Community Colleges Hebert Auditorium, 670 West Boylston
Street, Worcester. For information: 508-852-2414.

May 350th anniversary celebration of consecration of
Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey.

May 3Senior Hye Prom, sponsored by St.
Stephen Church Sunday School, Watertown, Massachusetts. Senior members of the community are invited to attend the Prom following
Badarak for lunch and a musical program featuring golden oldies. For reservations and information contact the church office at 617-731-6051, or by
email to Audrey Guzelian at [email protected].

May 7-9National Representative Assembly of Eastern Prelacy, hosted by
All Saints Armenian Apostolic Church, Glenview, Illinois. Clergy
Conference begins May 6.

May 7-8National Association of Ladies Guilds (NALG) annual
conference. For information 781-762-4253.

June 28Annual Madagh Picnic, St. Hagop Church (Racine), at Johnson
Park Picnic Grounds, 6200 Northwestern Ave., Racine, Wisconsin, 10:30
to 7 pm.

June 29 July 5St. Gregory of Datev Summer Institute, St. Mary of
Providence Center, Elverson, Pennsylvania.

July 18Sts. Vartanantz Church, Providence, Rhode Island, Ladies
Guild/ARS Chapter present a Hye Summer Night 4 Dance at The
Annunciation Greek Church, Cranston, Rhode Island. For information,
401-434-4467.

Web pages of the parishes can be accessed through the Prelacys web
site.

To ensure the timely arrival of Crossroads in your electronic mailbox,
add [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) to
your address book.

Items in Crossroads can be reproduced without permission. Please
credit Crossroads as the source.

Parishes of the Eastern Prelacy are invited to send information about
their major events to be included in the calendar. Send to:
[email protected] (mailto:[email protected])

PUBLIC COUNCIL GOING TO BE A LINK BETWEEN THE SOCIETY AND THE AUTHORITIES
Lilit Muradyan

"Radiolur"
25.03.2009 18:00

What is the Public Council? Was it necessary to establish the structure
in Armenia? Coordinator of the Council’s activity Vazgen Manukyan
told a press conference today that he believes the structure will
become a link between the public and the authorities.

According to Vazgen Manukayn, the most important is that the structure
is not politicized. Members of the council are representatives of
different layers of society, not politicians.

The Public Council has not been fully competed. According to the
charter, it will consist of 36 members, 12 of which have already been
appointed by the President. Another 12 will be elected by the public,
the remaining 12 will be elected by the other 24 members. The president
of the Republic will appoint the Chairman of the Council after it
is s fully completed. The 12 members of the Council appointed by the
President have been directed to form 12 commissions.

On one hand the Public Council is an advisory body adjunct to the
President.

On the other hand, it represents public interests. According to
Vazgen Manukyan, if the interests of the public and the authorities
contradict, the Council should find peaceful solutions to problems
rather than sharpen the situation.

TASHNAQ SECRETARY GENERAL MEKHTARIAN: STRONGLY COMMITTED TO ALLIANCE WITH FPM

Al-Tayyar
oliticalNews/en-US/128822767140482498.htm
March 23 2009
Lebanon

In an inteview with Assafir newspaper, Tashnaq Secretary-General
Hovig Mekhtarian stressed that his party was strongly committed to
it’s alliance with the Free Patriotic Movement and would support MP
Michel Murr for an Orthodox seat in Metn, but no other candidate on
Murr’s list.

Asked about the possibility of Tashnaq accepting Future Movement Leader
Saadadine Harriri’s offer of an election alliance, Mekhtarian said
that the party would announce it’s decision in this regard upon the
return of Harriri from his latest trip abroad; "Then we will explain
to the people about our viewpoint whether it is negative or positive,"
he told Assafir.

Mekhitarian told Assafir in an interview published Monday that his
last meeting with Phalange Party’s central committee coordinator,
Feudal leader Sami Gemayel, did not come up with any electoral result,
adding that he didn’t expect to reach an understanding with the party
given the current political and electoral circumstances.

The Phalange offered a "certain cooperation proposal but … we can
say that there is nothing serious," Mekhitarian said. "With all my
respect to Sheik Sami, the possibility of understanding requires a
higher level of dialogue, particularly with (former) President Amin
Gemayel". He said he was ready to meet with Gemayel if the latter
wanted to visit Mekhitarian.

Assafir also quoted Sami Gemayel as saying that he does "not understand
what prevents the Tashnaq from having a good political relationship
with the Phalange."

The Murr-February 14th Alliance are desperate to secure the
support of strong FPM ally, Tashnaq, which represents the bulk of
Lebanese-Armenian voters, in the hope that this can effect the outcome
of the elections in Metn, Zahle and Beirut 1 in their favour.

PROCREDIT BANK DECREASES INTEREST RATES FOR AMD LOANS

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.03.2009 13:05 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Starting from March 17 till April 30, 2009 ProCredit
Bank announces a new loan campaign for local producers in Armenia,
the bank’s press office reported.

The purpose of the campaign is to support small businesses involved in
production business to stimulate their production volumes, purchase
raw materials and equipment. In the framework of this campaign,
entrepreneurs can receive loans up to AMD 15 000 000 and interest
rate of 18% annually.

Bertolt Hertzfeldt, executive director of ProCredit Bank, said,
"ProCredit Bank is aiming to build stable and long term partnership
offering our customers good quality and transparent banking
services. We believe that these loans will stimulate the local
producers to keep their position in the market and help them to
develop their businesses".

ProCredit Bank launched its activities in Armenia in February
2008. ProCredit Bank is a full-service bank with a 100% foreign
capital, focused on lending to small and medium sized enterprises
and offering a full scale of banking services to private individuals
and legal entities. Another important area of ProCredit Bank’s focus
is to promote savings culture among the population, by starting even
from small amounts. ProCredit Bank in Armenia is a member of ProCredit
Group, consisting of 22 financial institutions operating in Eastern
Europe, Africa and Latin America, which are governed by ProCredit
Holding AG located in Frankfurt, Germany.

Founders of ProCredit Bank in Armenia are such well-known international
organizations as:

ProCredit Holding AG – 67.49% shares KfW – 15.84 % shares EBRD –
16.67% shares

Since February 2008 the bank is serving more than 4500 clients
including deposit clients and has an outstanding loan portfolio of
about USD 23.mln and deposit portfolio around USD 9.5 mln.

JOINT STATEMENT OF NAGORNO KARABAKH YOUTH NGOS REGARDING THE US STATE

Azat Artsakh Daily
20 March 09
Republic of Nagorno Karabakh [NKR

Department’s 2008 Human Rights Reports on Armenia and Azerbaijan On
25 February 2009 the US State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human
Rights, and Labor issued the 2008 Country Reports on Human Rights
Practices. As in previous years, these reports inter alia partially
cover the region of Caucasus, including Armenia and Azerbaijan. We have
read carefully these two country reports and made a number of
observations which are summarized in our joint statement. In
general, we welcome the US State Department’s attention to the human
rights situation worldwide, and the particular attention paid to our
region. We would encourage other governments, including those of our
region, to follow the example set by the United States in mainstreaming
human rights into their institutional practices and reporting cycles.
Government-produced reports, however, must be free of political biases,
partiality and preconceptions; otherwise they may quickly lose their
credibility and be seen by the public as yet another instrument of
unfair political pressure in international relations. In this
regard, it is very unfortunate that as in previous years, the US State
Department’s reports remained politically biased and partially
inaccurate. Instead of reporting on human rights situation and
violations per se, the reports on Armenia and Azerbaijan contain a
number of ambiguous political statements which demonstrate lack of
understanding of the causes and consequents of the disintegration of
the USSR, the independence of the Caucasian states and the conflict in
Nagorno-Karabakh. Both reports contain misleading statements that
`ethnic Armenian separatists [¦] continued to control most of the
Nagorno-Karabakh region’; these clauses entirely neglect the fact that
the so-called `Armenian separatists’ are in fact the aboriginal
population of Nagorno-Karabakh, and what they `control’ is in fact
their ancestral land and their right to live in their fatherland free
of the oppressive Azerbaijani regime. Today many international
independent human rights experts and researchers accept the fact that
Nagorno-Karabakh is far more advanced in democracy, rule of law and
human rights as compared to Azerbaijan. Since the independence day, the
people of Nagorno-Karabakh have effectively exercised their right to
elections and political participation by freely electing three
successive presidents. In the meantime, the citizens of Azerbaijan were
denied of similar rights and were forced to vote in favor of the Aliyev
clan in fake elections that were largely seen as neither free nor fair.
The oppressive authoritarian state machinery of Azerbaijan can be no
match to the dynamically developing democratic institutions of
Nagorno-Karabakh. Moreover, extreme Armenophobia and propaganda of
hatred against Armenians became part of Azerbaijan’s state policy.
Hatred against Armenians in today’s Azerbaijan can be compared to the
anti-Semitic hysteria in the Nazi Reich and in some respects exceeds
the latter. The above-mentioned reports of the State Department ignored
these obvious significant disparities between the level of democracy,
rule of law and respect for human rights in Nagorno-Karabakh and
Azerbaijan. The mentioned reports also failed to recognize
today’s realities by neglecting the existence of the Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic, which is one of the very few countries in Eastern Europe
created in the most democratic manner, i.e. through the popular
referendum and by the free will of people. The reports on Armenia and
Azerbaijan keep referring to Nagorno-Karabakh, as a `region of
Azerbaijan’, which is a factual error. Nagorno-Karabakh was never a
region of the independent Azerbaijani state and in the past was forced
under the jurisdiction of Communist Azerbaijan by the criminal
Stalinist regime. It is very disturbing that human rights reports of a
respectable state institution second the Stalinist regime’s criminal
legacy and effectively overlook the 1988-1990 acts of genocide (in
Sumgait, Baku and Kirovabad) against Armenians in Azerbaijan, as well
as the consequences of the Azerbaijani aggression and the failed
attempt to commit a new genocide against the Armenians of
Nagorno-Karabakh. Other factual errors in the two mentioned
reports are also associated with the consequences of the Azerbaijani
aggression. The report on Azerbaijan refers to the `IDPs’, which is a
factual error; most of those referred to are in fact refugees. While
mentioning the Azerbaijani refugees, whose number totals at 500,000 to
600,000 (i.e. much less than the official Azerbaijani propaganda
figures disseminated around the world), the report neglects the
Armenian refugees from Azerbaijan and the IDPs from the
Azerbaijani-occupied Shahumian district of the NKR, whose combined
number is at least 400,000. This may be seen as a clear manifestation
of double standards. The same report further mentions the `displaced
Meskhetian Turks¦ from the Lachin region controlled by
Armenia-supported Nagorno-Karabakh’. It fails to clarify as to what
business did the `Meskhetian Turks’ have in Nagorno-Karabakh ` where
they never lived before ` and who in fact were cynically abused by the
Azerbaijani leadership in an attempt to dramatically change the
demographic situation in the region. This reference is yet another
proof that prior to the conflict Azerbaijan was trying to conduct
de-Armenization and Turkification of the traditionally
Armenian-populated Nagorno-Karabakh, which in fact was one of the
causes of the conflict. The reports on Armenia and Azerbaijan
also make ambiguous references, which can be misleading for the
uninformed readers. For example, the report on Armenia states that `on
June 17 and 18, two civilians who were residents of the village of
Chinari in the Tavush region were shot by snipers while working in
their fields; they died on June 18.’ Uninformed readers could assume
that these civilians were shot at by Armenian snipers, which is not
true; in fact the civilians were targeted by the Azerbaijani snipers
across the border, which in itself is a violation of the cease-fire
agreement by the Azerbaijani side. Failure to specify this and similar
facts makes the report vague and in some respects useless, because the
perpetrators of human rights violations (in this case those violating
the right to life) do not feel any pressure to cease their criminal
practices. The report on Azerbaijan further states that `during
the year shootings along the militarized line of contact separating the
sides as a result of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict again resulted in
numerous casualties on both sides.’ While it is undeniable that the
Armenian side sometimes uses snipers in the cross-border shooting `
which we certainly condemn ` any unbiased observer would confirm that
such sniper shooting incidents are much more frequently initiated by
Azerbaijan. The same stands for the number of abductions and
disappearances; such actions are mostly carried on by the Azerbaijani
side. We strongly believe that the outside attention to human
rights record and practices in Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan
can be an important factor making the governments of these three states
more vigilant and sensitive to human rights. While reiterating that we
welcome in principle the US State Department’s reporting on human
rights situation in our region, we regret to see the repeated political
biases and factual inaccuracies in the latest reports, which seriously
undermine the value of these documents and make them yet another failed
opportunity to set the record straight and make the United States seen
as an objective observer and fair mediator. Defenders of Homeland –
Union of Freedom Fighters of Artsakh Club of Young Political Scientists
of Artsakh `Hayki Serund’ (Hayk’s Generation) Public Organization
`Armenian Youth Club’ Public Organization Alpha and Omega Public
Organization – Youth Branch Zephyr Public Organization Democratic Party
of Artsakh – Youth Branch 18 March 2009, Stepanakert, NKR.

Interfax, Russia
March 20 2009

ARMENIAN PM PRESENTS GOVERNMENT’S ANTI-CRISIS PLAN

Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan presented the government’s
anti-crisis concept to journalists on Friday.First, we should bolster
our country’s immunity [to the global crisis]. To this end, we should
significantly strengthen infrastructure and provide assistance to
small and medium-sized businesses and to enterprises that are
experiencing temporary difficulties, can increase their export
potential, and use local agriculture products and resources. These are
the three key points of our anti-crisis concept, Sargsyan said
following a meeting with President Serzh Sargsyan and leaders of
political parties, at which they discussed implications of the global
economic crisis.

The social programs that we are planning to carry out should
significantly downplay the difficulties, which chiefly the low-income
strata of society are facing, Sargsyan said.

The prime minister also praised the format of the Friday discussion,
which he said helped the president and the government to hear
criticism and proposals on overcoming the financial crisis.

The proposals particularly concerned the tax area, the scope of
taxation, the degree to which the state can intervene in various
fields and curb prices, and so on. What counts most is that the party
leaders who were present at the discussion expressed their willingness
to help the state find ways out of the current situation, he said.

The president discussed implications of the global economic crisis for
the Armenian economy with the leaders of 48 parties on Friday.

Presidential spokesman Samvel Farmanian told journalists that the
invitations to take part in the debates were sent to 63 out of the 72
parties officially registered in Armenia.

The remaining nine parties are either undergoing liquidation
procedures, or have actually stopped their activities, or do not have
an elected chairman, Farmanian said.

PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY: RESEARCH CONDUCTED AT A.H. POGHOSYAN AND CO-RESEARCHERS HAS UPDATED OUR KNOWLEDGE ABOUT PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY

Science Letter
March 17, 2009

"We have performed a 50 ns of molecular dynamics study of
poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC)/sodium dodecyl
sulfate (SDS)/decanol/water systems. The influence of the cationic
polyelectrolyte on the anionic SDS-based lamellar liquid crystalline
system was investigated," scientists writing in the Journal of Physical
Chemistry B report (see also Physical Chemistry).

"The main structural parameters have been calculated and compared
with experimental data. We obtain two types of PDADMAC conformation,
a more folded structure A and a structure B where the PDADMAC molecule
is adsorbed at the anionic head groups of the surfactant molecules,"
wrote A.H. Poghosyan and colleagues.

The researchers concluded: "The polyelectrolyte-induced coexistence of
two lamellar phases at a concentration of 2-3% of PDADMAC is observed,
which is in agreement with experimental findings."

Poghosyan and colleagues published their study in the
Journal of Physical Chemistry B (Molecular Dynamics Study of
Poly(Diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC)/Sodium Dodecyl
Sulfate (SDS)/Decanol/Water Systems. Journal of Physical Chemistry B,
2009;113(5):1303-1310).

Additional information can be obtained by contacting A.H. Poghosyan,
National Academy Science, International Science Education Center,
M Baghramyan Avenue 24D, Yerevan 0019, Armenia.

The publisher of the Journal of Physical Chemistry B can be contacted
at: American Chemical Society, 1155 16th St., NW, Washington, DC
20036, USA.