April is Armenian Heritage Month for Los Angeles County and KTLA is paying tribute by shining a light on those making a positive impact in their community.
KTLA’s Ellina Abovian sits down with Steve Papazian, the former President of Production at Warner Bros. Studios and takes a look back at his storied career in Hollywood.
Watch the video at the link below:
An earthquake, cement factory, portable baptismal font are all part of the story of the Church in Armenia
YEREVAN, Armenia — Hripsime Zatikyan Wright was born when Armenia was part of the Soviet Union, and she was never taught that there was a God.
When she was 12 years old, a huge earthquake destroyed 90% of her hometown, killing at least 25,000 people and leaving tens of thousands homeless. Wright, who has recounted her experience in an article found in Gospel Library, was in school when the shaking began. As a crowd started to run down the stairs, she followed an impression to go back and get a red knit scarf her mother had made.
She then watched, red knit scarf in hand, as the stairway collapsed, killing everyone on it. Her family also survived the earthquake and its ensuing destruction.
After college, Wright met two missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Yerevan. She learned the gospel from them, praying for the first time in her life and receiving a witness that Heavenly Father was real and the gospel was true.
Wright was baptized, and later served a mission on Temple Square in Salt Lake City. Eventually her family was also baptized, as well as other relatives and friends.
Elder Noah Zatikyan Wright, center, with his mother, Hripsime Zatikyan Wright, and one of the missionaries who taught her in Armenia in 1999, Ben Mathews, are pictured together at Elder Wright’s mission farewell in Bountiful, Utah, Aug. 28, 2022.
Provided by Hripsime Zatikyan Wright
Wright later married and now lives in Utah. She started to cry when her son, Elder Noah Zatikyan Wright, opened his mission call and read that he had been called to serve in her homeland.
Elder Wright has been in Armenia since November 2022, teaching the gospel like the missionaries who taught his mother.
“My whole family — we are covenanted together for eternity,” he told the Church News in Armenia on April 18. “How could I not love my mother? She wouldn’t give up, and because she knew it was true and wouldn’t deny it, I am here.”
Elder Wright’s first area on his mission was Gyumri — formerly known as Leninakan — the same town where his mother survived the earthquake. “From that moment, her life was consecrated, it was different.”
During a ministry assignment to Europe this April, Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles visited Armenia — where approximately 50,000 people died and half a million became homeless after the Armenian earthquake on Dec. 7, 1988.
One week after the 1988 disaster, then-Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles met with the Soviet ambassador in Washington, D.C. to convey condolences and present a check for humanitarian aid, according to information about Armenia on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
Meanwhile, after visiting Leninakan, businessman Jon M. Huntsman Sr. also felt that he must do something about the humanitarian crisis.
The poorly-built buildings collapsed quickly in the earthquake. He felt that he could help the people the most by helping them rebuild safer, stronger buildings.
Jon M. Huntsman Sr. and his sons, David H. Huntsman and Peter Huntsman, in Gyumri (formerly known as Leninakan), Armenia, on Jan. 4, 1990.
Huntsman family
Huntsman’s son, Elder David H. Huntsman, currently serving as an Area Seventy in the Church’s Utah Area, said one of the things his father noticed was that all of the humanitarian efforts were short-term.
“My father wanted to do something different,” Elder Huntsman said. “He knew that to truly recover from such a devastating natural disaster would take decades.” He decided to make an investment in the country by helping build new, safer apartments and to build self-reliance at the same time.
Jon M. Huntsman Sr. and his business associate, now-Elder Rasband, came to Armenia in January 1990 to begin the process of starting a cement factory.
In response to the earthquake and resulting crisis, humanitarian and rebuilding efforts at the factory were completed in partnership with volunteers from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Jon M. Huntsman Sr. and Elder Rasband attended a dinner at Lake Sevan with government officials. Huntsman talked about how the endeavor would need humanitarian missionary couples to come and serve at the plant and also have a place to worship.
Elder David Huntsman remembers sitting around the table with his father, Elder Rasband and the others.
“I remember the question being asked about missionaries,” he said. “I remember the minister giving permission for missionaries to get into the country. That was the formal opening of the door. It was at a government retreat, a private residence. I’ll always remember the meal and the conversation.”
The Republic of Armenia — a mountainous country bordered by Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Iran — became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991.
Visits from Church leaders in the early 1990s included President Howard W. Hunter, who traveled with Jon Huntsman Sr. and Elder Rasband to the country. Then-Elder Nelson and then-Elder Dallin H. Oaks, serving at the time in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and the area presidency worked to ensure the Church could be recognized in the country.
Meanwhile, the Huntsman factory was producing materials to help re-house tens of thousands of Armenians left homeless by the earthquake.
David M. Horne lived on the ground in Armenia for the Huntsman Corporation and was instrumental in this process. He also coordinated the shipment and delivery of dozens of railcars of food to residents during the severe winters.
In light of these efforts, the Church was officially registered in Armenia in December 1995.
But Horne died in January 1996 after an accidental propane gas explosion in his Yerevan apartment. A plaque was placed on the outside of the cement factory to honor Horne as a longtime friend of the Armenian people.
The Huntsman cement factory — which helped so many Armenians rebuild — has long been out of operation and the property has new owners. But Elder Rasband was able to briefly see the site once again on Wednesday, April 19.
With emotion he touched the plaque on an outer wall honoring Horne, who was Elder Rasband’s friend.
Margarit Ayvazyan walked to the old building with Elder Rasband. “Standing by his side and watching him feel so deeply, I could tell he loved the place. I’m glad he could see it,” she said.
Elder Paul Picard, an Area Seventy in the Europe Central Area who accompanied Elder Rasband to Armenia, was a young full-time missionary in the country in the late 1990s. From the street he pointed to the window of the room where he and other missionaries before and after him baptized new members in a portable baptismal font.
Elder Paul Picard, General Authority Seventy in the Europe Central Area, is pictured on the back row, third from left, when he was a young full-time missionary in Armenia in 1998. He and other missionaries baptized people in a portable baptismal font at offices by the Huntsman concrete factory in Yerevan.
Provided by Elder Paul Picard
“The people of Armenia have great faith and they have a real commitment,” Elder David Huntsman said. “You knew once the gospel got there and took root, it would grow and flourish.”
Armenia has some of the oldest Christian roots of any nation in the world. The restored gospel of these latter-days began to grow in the Ottoman Empire in 1884 when a Mr. Vartoogian wrote a letter asking missionaries to come teach his family in Istanbul. Many people from the Armenian community became converted, and by the early 1900s, branches had been established in the area.
But in 1921, with fighting in the area, many Church members were suffering. The mission president, Joseph W. Booth, was able to get the group permission to leave Aintab (now called Gaziantep) for Aleppo, Syria. This was called the Armenian exodus. When they safely arrived, Booth said, “This is an incident wherein the power of God has been clearly manifested, and the Saints are grateful for His wonderful care and mercy.”
Over time, the Saints left Aleppo, most immigrating to Utah or to other countries.
The Book of Mormon had been translated in 1937 into Western Armenian, which is spoken by Armenians living outside of Armenia. In March 1991, the first translation of the Book of Mormon into Eastern Armenian was published.
Mikhail Oskar Belousaov, the first man to join the Church in Armenia, was baptized in March 1992. In April, 1992, Nara Sarkissian was baptized as the first woman to join the Church in Armenia. The Yerevan Branch was organized in January 1994.
In the 1990s, as missionary work increased, baptisms moved from the temporary font at the Huntsman cement factory offices to a chapel. Membership steadily grew in Armenia, and a stake was formed in June 2013.
But a few years later, activity and membership numbers declined and Church membership in the country was organized in a district; members and the missionaries are working to rebuild its branches.
Like the physical rebuilding after the earthquake in 1988, the visit of Elder Rasband this week to Armenia brings hope of a spiritual rebuilding for the Church.
Margarit Ayvazyan said: “When an Apostle comes to visit, it means the heavens are open.”
24 April is International Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide. The Wuppertal alliance "Gathe for everyone" is organizing a memorial in Gezi-Gathe-Park.
On the international day of remembrance of the genocide of Armenians, 24 April, the alliance "Gathe for everyone" will organize a memorial in the Gezi-Gathe-Park (Gathe / corner of Markomannenstraße) in Wuppertal.
The organizers said about the memorial that “on 24 April 1915, the deportations and massacres of the Armenian civilian population in the Ottoman Empire began on the orders of the young Turkish Minister of the Interior, Talat Pasha. The crimes happened with the knowledge, toleration and partial support of the German Reich, which was allied with the Young Turk rulers, and culminated in the expulsion of the last Armenian survivors into the Mesopotamian desert, where they died in agony of thirst, hunger and exhaustion.”
The organizers continued: “Most of the Ottoman army's Armenian soldiers were murdered; Women, children and the elderly were sent on death marches across the Syrian desert. On the way, special units massacred the deportees; the last survivors were killed in camps in the desert near Deir ez-Zor. According to calculations by independent historians, at least one million, probably more than 1.5 million Armenians fell victim to the deportations and mass murders. In addition to the Armenians, around 600,000 Aramaic, Chaldean, Assyrian and Greek Christians were also affected by the murderous measures.”
On this edition of Parallax Views, Peter Bahlwanian, producer of Mariam Avetisyan’s documentary The Desire to Live, to discuss the secret ethnic cleansing of Armenians by Azerbaijan. In this conversation we’ll discuss a territorial and ethnic dispute that has become known as the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as well as the history of Armenian persecution dating back to the Armenian genocide of 1915 (which has often been called the first genocide of the 20th century).
We’ll also delve into how Turkey and its President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, plays a key role in the Azeri persecution of Armenians. In this regard we’ll discuss Erdoğan’s geopolitical aspirations and his consolidation of power in Turkey. Also covered is Turkey’s relationship to the United Nations (UN), NATO, the United States, UNESCO, and Russia. Moreover, Peter and I delve into oligarchy, the attempted coup d’état against Erdoğan in 2016.
Additionally, Peter and I will also discuss:
– The Khojaly massacre of 1992 and claims of Armenian atrocities against Azeris
– Parallels between Israeli treatment of Palestinians and the Azeri treatment of Armenians in the Republic of Artsakh
– The Nagorno-Karabakh War of 2020
– The Turkish Lobby and the Azeri Lobby’s influence in Western politics
– Why did it take 100 years to recognize for the U.S. to recognize the Armenian genocide of 1915?
– Is the conflict between Azeris and Azerbaijan a conflict between Muslims and Christians?
– Pro-Armenian activism by celebrities like Kim Kardashian and the rock band System of a Down
– Human rights and U.S. credibility/loss of credibility on a global scale; democracy vs. autocracy
– Why has the U.S. often been silent on the issue of the Azeri persecution of Armenians?; assessing President Joe Biden’s record on this issue
– The Israel Lobby and U.S. silence on Armenian persecution
– The role money plays in buying off politicians, media, and institutions from speaking about the persecution of Armenians
– Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev and anti-Armenian sentiments in Azerbaijan’s culture
– The strength and perseverance of Armenians and the people of the Republic of Artsakh; the Armenian diaspora; hope in times of war and despair; the power of the human spirit
– Azeri fears that Armenians will seek revenge against them if a reconciliation is attempted; the attempted erasure of Armenian identity
– And more!
Genocide happens most easily in darkness. If Biden truly understands the lessons of the Armenian Genocide, on Monday, when the White House releases its annual declaration, he will call out those who would continue the genocide through a deliberate campaign of starvation, harassment, incitement and murder.
For too long in Washington, promises to affirm the Armenian Genocide were akin to promises to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem: Every major candidate made them, but none followed through. Donald Trump disrupted that pattern with regard to Jerusalem. Rather than undermine peace, it catalyzed it. Joe Biden did the same with Armenian Genocide. He not only promised as a candidate but also followed through. On April 24, 2021, he stated clearly, “We remember the lives of all those who died in the Ottoman-era Armenian genocide and recommit ourselves to preventing such an atrocity from ever again occurring.” Today, not only the White House, but also the Senate and House of Representatives, all 50 states, and the District of Columbia officially recognize the Genocide.
Despite Turkey’s bluster, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan did nothing. He showed himself to be a paper tiger. Biden and many other world leaders showed that truth trumped spin and propaganda. Unfortunately, Secretary of State Antony Blinken tarnished Biden’s moral clarity. Without forewarning Congress, whom he had briefed just days earlier on the Armenian issue, he quietly decided to waive Section 907, which enforced a weapons embargo on Azerbaijan. That section of the Freedom Support Act ties military assistance to Azerbaijan to its commitment to solve its dispute with Armenia through diplomacy alone. Blinken simply ignored the facts not only that Azerbaijan’s surprise attack had killed thousands, but also that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev openly declared he sought to take his conquests further.
In April 2022, Biden issued another statement about the Armenian Genocide on Armenian Remembrance Day. It was a good declaration and addressed all the key points. “As we reflect on the Armenian genocide, we renew our pledge to remain vigilant against the corrosive influence of hate in all its forms. We recommit ourselves to speaking out and stopping atrocities that leave lasting scars on the world,” he said. Once again, the State Department waived Section 907.
As White House speechwriters craft a statement for Monday, Biden must go further. For five months, Azerbaijani militias have blockaded the only route into Artsakh, the Armenian-governed enclave in Nagorno-Karabakh. Earlier this week, Aliyev called for population transfer of the region’s 115,000 remaining Armenians. He has cut off food, water, and gas. Genocide looms.
Genocide happens most easily in darkness. If Biden truly understands the lessons of the Armenian Genocide, on Monday, when the White House releases its annual declaration, he will call out those who would continue the genocide through a deliberate campaign of starvation, harassment, incitement and murder. He will not simply cut-and-paste from his previous two declarations. There is nothing cheaper and more morally corrupt than condemning a genocide from a century ago while enabling its continuance today.
MOSCOW, April 21. /TASS/. Russian peacekeepers have registered a ceasefire vilation in the Martuni district of Nagorno-Karabakh, the Russian Defense Ministry said in its daily bulletin, published late on Thursday.
"A ceasefire violation was registered in the Martuni district. There were no casualties," the ministry said.
"The Russian peacekeepers’ command is investigating the incident, jointly with the Azerbaijani and the Armenian side," the bulletin said.
BAKU, April 21. /TASS/. Azerbaijan’s embassy in Russia has submitted a note of protest to the Russian Foreign Ministry over State Duma (the lower house of parliament) member Oleg Matveichev’s remarks to Armenia’s RusArmInfo media outlet, the embassy said on Thursday.
The embassy noted that the lawmaker’s remarks were unacceptable as they were aimed at destabilizing the situation in the region and "inciting revanchist forces in Armenian society to revive the conflict that is already a thing of the past.".
YEREVAN, April 21. /TASS/. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is poised to put his signature on Armenia’s draft of the peace agreement with Azerbaijan, but Baku is not reciprocating, Pashinyan said at the parliament on Friday.
"I am ready to sign the document which we submitted to the Azerbaijani side, but Azerbaijan is not accepting it. We have to decide what to do. We have enough legitimacy, a sufficient mandate to make decisions concerning Armenia’s future," he said.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have exchanged drafts of a peace agreement several times through international mediators.
The parents of Armenian soldiers killed in a military barracks fire in January blocked the streets around Republic Square in central Yerevan on Thursday morning, accusing Armenia’s authorities of trying to cover up their deaths.
They demanded a meeting with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Defense Minister Suren Papikyan.
Fifteen Armenian servicemen were killed and three others were severely injured following a major fire that broke out in the barracks of an engineer and sapper company in a military unit in Azat, a village in Armenia's eastern Gegharkunik Province, on January 19.
Pashinyan and Papikyan announced shortly after the deadly incident that the fire was sparked by an officer who poured gasoline into a woodstove in violation of the fire safety rules.
The victims’ families distrust the criminal investigation into the incident, claiming their sons were deliberately killed.
“We aren’t going to keep quiet. What have they been up to for three months? Our children must have known something, that’s why they were killed," one of the protesters said.
Pashinyan has said he will not meet with the soldiers’ parents until the ongoing probe is completed.
MP Taguhi Tovmasyan of the opposition Pativ Unem (With Honor) faction has denounced Thursday’s “disgraceful” incident in which security officers forcibly removed a group of lawmakers from the parliament.
The incident happened after Tovmasyan refused to leave the parliament rostrum after finishing her speech in protest against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s latest statements on Artsakh.
She accused the premier of “spreading lies and casting doubt on Artsakh’s Armenian identity.” Nearly a dozen other opposition MPs joined the protest. Speaker Alen Simonyan announced a break and ordered security guards to force the deputies out of the parliament podium, prompting a scuffle.
“Yesterday’s incident in the National Assembly was a total disgrace,” Tovmasyan told a news conference hosted by the RPA office on Friday.
She claimed the speaker’s order was unlawful and its executors “had no right to obstruct the MPs’ activities”.
“They are supposed to neutralize a threat, whereas we were just standing there and were not threatening anyone’s security. This is a blatant violation which must have consequences," Tovmasyan stressed, adding she has asked law-enforcement authorities to hold the offenders to account.
The MP warned Pashinyan against “telling more lies” to the people from the parliament podium.
"If Nikol Pashinyan continues to spread lies, he will receive an adequate response. From now on, we will not allow him to tell lies from the National Assembly rostrum,” she said.