Category: 2019

BURBANK, Calif.—The Armenian National Committee of America, Burbank (ANCA-Burbank) hosted its annual Armenian Christmas reception on January 14 at the Beshir Mardirosian Burbank Youth Center’s Liberty Hall.

Elected officials from Burbank, neighboring cities, and state offices, members of various boards and commissions, and other community leaders attended the festive dinner. Representatives from the various organizations that call the Burbank Youth Center home as well as from the ANCA-Western Region were also in attendance.

“For many years, this event brings together the community in a fun setting,” said Silva Kechichian, chairperson of the ANCA-Burbank Chapter. “We discuss accomplishments of the past and plan future cooperation with each other, providing a networking opportunity to all attendees,” Kechichian continued.

The event was generously hosted by the Atamian family, in memory of their recently deceased mother, Mrs Janette Atamian. Mrs Atamian was married to her late husband in 1951 in Beirut, Lebanon. They were happily married for 66 years.

Long-time ANCA activist Garen Yegparian served as emcee for the event, providing updates about the ANCA’s recent accomplishments, and the activities of the other organizations that operate out of the Burbank Youth Center, including the Armenian Youth Federation “Varak” and AYF Juniors “Gaidzag,” Homenetmen “Sipan,” the Armenian Relief Society “Araz,” and the Armenian Cultural Foundation Burbank chapters. “Through our commitment to community relations, we have worked with the Burbank Temporary Aid center,” said Yegparian. He also spoke of ANCA Burbank’s commitment to local schools, where the chapter has educated students on Armenian history, and has shared the Armenian Genocide education curriculum to BUSD teachers. “ANCA Burbank has also donated books to Burbank library and has organized a career path at Woodbury University with BUSD,” added Yegparian.

ANCA Burbank encourages greater interaction between members of the Armenian community and public officials. It organizes Town Hall events and meetings for citizens with their elected officials and city administrators to provide forums for direct interaction with those in government.

ANCA Burbank engages in voter rights education, voter registration drives, and get out the vote efforts. It encourages community participation in the political process through voting and other civic activities and involvement. Yegparian thanked the benefactors of the Burbank Youth Center, Mr Timmig Mardirossian and the Mardirossian family, for providing a home to the hundreds of youth, athletes, and activists who use the Burbank Youth Center as the home for their community activities. Finally, he thanked the city and state officials in attendance for their unwavering support and commitment to making Burbank a safe and inviting home to hundreds of Armenian-American families.

The Armenian National Committee of America, Burbank advances the social, economic, cultural, and political rights of the area’s Armenian American community and promotes increased Armenian American civic participation at the grassroots and public policy levels.

BY HARUT SASSOUNIAN

Pinar Tremblay, a Turkish reporter for Al-Monitor news website, exposed Pres. Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s recent announcement to legalize the plantation of cannabis.

Tremblay wrote in the January 24, 2019 issue of Al-Monitor that the Turkish leader has been an outspoken opponent of selling or using alcohol, tobacco, and drugs due to his Islamic beliefs, however, he has now decided to advocate the plantation of cannabis in order to boost the country’s failing economy and provide farmers with additional income on the eve of municipal elections in Turkey.

Tremblay explained that for decades the Turkish government burned cannabis fields using the excuse that this was a fight against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Erdogan is now presenting the plantation of cannabis as resistance to the West!

“Drug wars are enforced with harsh punishment for users and dealers. [Turkish] government spending to prosecute drug dealers has gradually increased, reaching up to $140 million. That is precisely why Erdogan’s advocacy for cannabis cultivation in his campaign speeches surprised audiences,” wrote Tremblay.

The Turkish government relaxed restrictions on planting hemp since 1990. The Parliament adopted even more liberal laws in September 2016. “It is already legal to grow hemp in 19 cities, but you need government permits,” according to Tremblay.

Erdogan has suddenly realized that there is a big profit to be made by the cultivation of marijuana, at a time when the Turkish economy is sinking. As the saying goes, “desperate times call for desperate measures!” On January 9, 2019 Erdogan criticized the “enemies of Turkey who pretend to be friends,” stating that they have forced Turkey to end its cannabis production. Amusingly, Erdogan recalled that in his ancestral hometown of Rize the locals used to make underwear from hemp which is more absorbent than any other material!

According to Tremblay, most Turks interpreted Erdogan’s statement “‘enemies who pretend to be friends’ as a reference to the United States, which pressed to ban opium poppy production in 1971. Up until then, Turkey was a major producer of legal opium, but farmers were known to produce also significant amount of the plants illegally. Currently, Turkey has one alkaloid processing plant in Central Anatolian province of Afyon, which means ‘opium’ in Turkish. Afyon is known for its high-quality poppy seed production. The factory produces ingredients to be used in prescription drugs.”

The Turkish media began obediently promoting Erdogan’s declaration about the benefits of cannabis production to the health sector and the economy. Sabah newspaper even wrote about the use of hemp by the Ottoman Turkish Navy.

“Turkish government television TRT started airing infomercials about cannabis while referring to it as an ‘Anatolian plant’ and elaborating on countless uses of hemp. Islamist media particularly was quite eager to back Erdogan. For example, Mehmet Toprak, a columnist for Dirilis Postasi, wrote a piece titled ‘Cannabis will make the US dollar weapon explode in their own hands.’ Toprak emphasized that ‘President Erdogan’s decision on cannabis production is a turning point in our history. It is as revolutionary as the July 15 [2016 failed coup] victory. This decision shows us how crucial it is to stand behind Erdogan for the future of our country and the Muslim lands,’” Tremblay reported. “Cannabis production is now presented as a form of national resistance to the West,” stated a Turkish Agriculture Ministry official.

However, several Turkish agricultural experts warned that the production of cannabis could have an adverse effect on the growth of food items. One government employee, an expert in this field, was quoted by Tremblay stating: “food prices have skyrocketed, particularly in the last year. For example, onion [which is a staple ingredient for most recipes in Turkish cuisine] prices went up 185% in 2018. While its population is increasing, Turkey is producing fewer basic crops like wheat, barley, chickpeas, beets, beans and potatoes now than it did five years ago. Plus, cotton and flax production, just like hemp, has been decreasing in volume gradually over the last 15 years. This can be blamed on the government’s lack of planning for the impact of climate change on crops; its policies to lift tariffs on these goods, encouraging cheaper imports; and the rise in pesticide and fertilizer prices, making production more expensive. The government has failed to support farmers almost every step of the way, leaving them alone to the whim of the weather, cheap exports and inadequate storage disasters.”

Another expert at an Istanbul university told Tremblay: “These great promises on cannabis cultivation as a form of ultra-nationalistic stand against the West are exciting for the crowds … but how about other staple goods people need to survive? The arable land and number of farming families are dwindling. In 2017, meat [red and white] consumption in Turkey per person was averaging around 30 kilograms. In the European Union, that average is almost 70 kilos per person. We are much more dependent on grains and vegetables in our diet. Now if we switch to cannabis, what will people eat?”

The 39th Session of the UNESCO General Conference held in Paris, France has decided to include the 150th anniversaries of Gomitas and Hovhannes Tumanian in the UNESCO Calendar of anniversaries of eminent personalities and important events of 2018-2019.

The proposals on “The 150th anniversary of the birth of Soghomon Soghomonian, known as Gomitas Vardapet (1869-1935), composer, ethnomusicologist, researcher and singer” submitted by Armenia with the support of France and Germany, and “The 150th anniversary of the birth of Hovhannes Tumanian (1869-1923), poet, writer, translator” submitted by Armenia with the support of Georgia and Russia have been approved by the organization.

It should be noted that since 1998, 23 anniversaries submitted by the Republic of Armenia have been included in the UNESCO Calendar of anniversaries of eminent personalities and important events.

Two anniversaries submitted by the Republic of Armenia were included in the Calendar for the 2016-2017: “The 350th anniversary of the first printed Bible in Armenian by Voskan Yerevantsi,” and “The 200th anniversary of the birth of Ivan Aivazovsky (1817-1900).”

Women’s Support Center Executive Director Maro Matosian to speak on February 10 in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO—The San Francisco Armenian community will gather to learn about the status of women in Armenia and raise funds for the Women’s Support Center.

Based in Yerevan, Armenia, the WSC is a domestic violence center providing services that include a 24-hour hotline, counseling, safe houses, legal assistance, professional training, and education and advocacy programs for women and girls. Its mission is to combat and prevent domestic violence through the protection and empowerment of the victim, the rehabilitation of family members, advocacy regarding social and legal reform to prevent intimate partner and family violence, and raising awareness about domestic violence and its consequences.

Maro Matosian, executive director of the Women’s Support Center will discuss the status of women in Armenia, government policies to combat domestic violence, and the work of the Women’s Support Center. Violence against women is a pervasive public health and societal problem in Armenia, with one in four women experiencing domestic abuse.

Organized by the Friends of the Women’s Support Center, the event will be held on Sunday, February 10, 2019 from 4:00 to 6:00 pm at Vasbouragan Hall, 51 Commonwealth Ave., San Francisco, California. Tax–deductible donations are $50. Tickets can be reserved via email at [email protected]. Online donations can also be made here. For online donations, please note “SF Feb. 2019 Event” in the comment section.

All proceeds will go directly to the Women’s Support Center to help end the cycle of domestic violence in Armenia. For more information, please visit http://www.womensupportcenter.org/.