New Hotel Complex toBe Built in Jermuk

YEREVAN (Armenpress) — The municipality ofJermuk is going to see the construction of a newhotel, expected to be completed by next year. Withthe new hotel, the town is expected to be betterable to handle increased tourism and become amore inviting place for visitors.The Urban Ministry’s press department reported

that construction documents for the hotel complexhave been approved. The complex will have twobuildings, one of which will have a spa center.

Visitors Flock toGenocide Museum

YEREVAN (Armenpress) — The Armenian GenocideMuseum-Institute had more than 120,000 visitorsduring the first five months of the year. DeputyDirector Arpine Bablumyan said that among thevisitors were foreign delegations, students, schoolgroups and tourists.During the five months, about 25 foreign top offi-

cials put notes in the Commemoration Book.The museum presents permanent and changing

expositions, documents connected with theGenocide and photos.The museum is in cooperation with institutions

in Germany, France, the US, Austria, Italy andRussia.

RI Gov. Signs GenocideEducation Bill

PROVIDENCE — Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln D.Chafee on June 23 signed legislation passed by theGeneral Assembly earlier this month instructingthe state Department of Education to help localschools teach about genocide as a critical compo-nent of civic education.The legislation, sponsored by state Sen. Joshua

Miller (D-Dist. 28) and state Rep. Anastasia P.Williams (D-Dist. 9), directs the state Department ofEducation to post on its website materials to helpschools teach students about genocides, includingthe Holocaust and those in Armenia, Cambodia,Iraq, Rwanda and Darfur.In 2000, the General Assembly passed a law

requiring the Department of Education to developmaterials on genocide and human rights issues andguidelines for teaching them.“Genocides and human rights violations carried

out by governments are ugly chapters of history,but students are future leaders and voters and theyneed to learn about mistakes of the past to keepthem from being repeated,” said Williams.Said Miller, “Making the curriculum on genocide

available to Rhode Island teachers online will makeit much more likely that students will learn aboutthese subjects.”

INDEXArmenia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Arts and Living . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Community News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,4

Mirror- SpectatorMirror- SpectatorTHE ARMENIAN

Volume LXXXII , NO. 1, Issue 4195

JULY 2 , 2011

$ 2.00

ZohrabCenter

page 10

INSIDE

The First English Language Armenian Weekly in the United States

NEWS IN BRIEF

KAZAN, Russia (RFE/RL) — RussianPresident Dmitry Medvedev is frustratedwith the failure of his Armenian andAzerbaijani counterparts to reach a frame-work agreement on Nagorno-Karabagh andcould stop organizing regular talksbetween them, one of his senior aidesreportedly said last Monday.“If Azerbaijan and Armenia fail to display

soon a readiness to solve the accumulatedproblems, then we will consider this media-tion mission to be over,” a leading Moscowdaily, Kommersant, quoted a high-rankingKremlin source as saying.The unnamed official commented on the

outcome of Medvedev’s latest trilateralnegotiations with Presidents SergeSargisian and Ilham Aliyev that were heldhere last Friday. Despite facing strong inter-national pressure, the two leaders failed toagree on the basic principles of ending theKarabagh conflict put forward by Russia,the United States and France.The Kazan meeting was the ninth

Armenian-Azerbaijani summit hosted byMedvedev in the last three years, a facthighlighting the Russian president’s centralrole in the Karabagh peace process.According to the Kremlin source,

Medvedev told Aliyev and Sargisian that hewill organize another summit only if they“firmly express their readiness to sign up tothe principles of the settlement.”The conflicting parties blamed each

other for the failure of the Kazan talks thatlasted for more than three hours. In partic-ular, Armenian Foreign Minister EduardNalbandian claimed that Aliyev scuttled anagreement by demanding “about a dozen”last-minute changes in the latest version ofthe basic principles.Kommersant cited an unnamed diplomat

involved in the negotiating process as say-

ing that the Kazan summit “unexpectedlyrekindled disagreements which were longdeemed settled by the mediators.” Some ofthem related to “the determination ofNagorno-Karabagh’s future status,” saidthe diplomat.“But the problem is not so much these

disagreements as the fact that the partieshave repeatedly changed their positions.And that’s unacceptable,” he added.The official may have referred to practical

modalities of a future referendum on self-determination in Karabagh. The holding ofsuch a plebiscite is a key element of thepeace framework advocated by the threemediating powers.The Kommersant source also down-

played the three presidents’ statement, say-ing that Aliyev and Sargisian reached a“mutual understanding on a number ofissues whose resolution would help to cre-ate conditions for the approval of the basicprinciples.” He said the parties simply“once again confirmed the remaining con-tentious issues.”

From left, Azeri President Ilham Aliyev, Armenian President Serge Sargisian and RussianPresident Dmitry Medvedev

Medvedev ‘Frustrated’ with Karabagh Impasse

Karabagh Status, GenocideAnd Peace with Neighbors

AddressedSTRASBOURG — President Serge

Sargisian, on the eve of the Kazan summitin Russia, addressed the ParliamentaryAssembly of the Council of Europe(PACE) on June 22.Among other topics,

Sargisian stressed thatArmenia was trying tobecome a more democraticcountry, while acknowledg-ing stumbling in the past.He also stressed thatArmenia shares much withEurope historically.“The people of Armenia

have made their historicand irreversible choice. Ourroad to becoming closer toEurope has been unique ina natural way. However,there have been obstacles,which are not natural, suchas the artificial and unlawful blockadeimposed on Armenia by our two neigh-bors. However, in spite of all the diffi-culties, our society knows preciselywhere it is going.”“In 2008, our country experienced

serious problems and challenges. Thesteps taken by the government to over-

come the consequences of the tragicevents of March 2008 have been dis-cussed in detail with all of our partners,including those in the Council of Europe.We have sometimes had serious discrep-ancies and have respectfully disagreedwith each other’s assessments. We have,however, benefited from the exchange,the wisdom of the experience and the

constructive dialogue.“We are determined to continue the

reforms. We recognize that Armeniacannot develop without further funda-mental improvements that will perhapsbe no less painful than the ones imple-mented in the past.”

see PACE, page 16

AzerbaijanWarns ArmeniaWith Show ofMilitary MightBAKU (AFP) — Azerbaijan paraded thou-

sands of soldiers and hundreds of militaryvehicles through its capital on Sunday, in ashow of force two days after talks failed toresolve a bitter territorial dispute withArmenia.Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who

has overseen massive increases in defensespending, warned in his speech that he wasready to take back Nagorno Karabagh,which was seized from Azerbaijan in the1990s by Armenian separatist forces.“The war is not over yet,” Aliyev said at

the showpiece parade in the center ofBaku, vowing to end what he called the“occupation” of Karabagh.“The territorial integrity of Azerbaijan

must be restored and the territory will berestored,” he said.Six thousand troops marched in the

parade, accompanied by tanks, armoredcars and rocket launchers, as fighter planesand combat helicopters roared overheadand warships lined up in the nearbyCaspian Sea bay.In his speech, Aliyev also spoke approv-

ingly about the increases in defense spend-ing financed by the energy-rich state’s hugerevenues from oil and gas exports.“Azerbaijan has fulfilled the task that I

set, which was that Azerbaijan’s militaryexpenditure must exceed the entire statebudget of Armenia,” he said, noting thatdefense spending reached $3.3 billionthis year.Military hardware manufactured in

Azerbaijan, including unmanned drones,

see AZERBAIJAN, page 3

President Serge Sargisian speaks at PACE.

Sargisian Addresses PACE

YEREVAN (RFE/RL) — Industry willbe the main driving force of Armenia’songoing economic recovery this year,having already grown by over 10 per-cent, Economy Minister Tigran Davtiansaid last Friday.Industrial production has been great-

ly helped by the increased internationalprices of copper and other base metals,Armenia’s number one export.Davtian insisted that this was not the

only reason for the strong performanceof the manufacturing sector. He saidthere has also been robust growth indiamond processing, machine buildingand light industry.Speaking at a news conference, the

minister forecast that industrial outputwill be up by more than 10 percent inthe first half of this year. The govern-ment therefore stands by its earlier pro-jections that the Armenian economywill grow by at least 4.6 percent in2011, he said.“I think that [GDP growth] will be a

little faster,” added Davtian.Armenia’s GDP increased by 2.6 per-

cent last year following a more than 14-percent slump registered in 2009because of the global recession. TheNSS has still not released collated GDPdata for the first quarter.Davtian claimed that the Armenian

government deserves credit for renewedgrowth in the domestic economy andindustry in particular. He pointed togovernment efforts to improve thecountry’s business environment andspur manufacturing activity.Davtian also stressed the importance

of government plans to open three “freeeconomic zones.” The Armenian parlia-ment approved a relevant governmentbill in May.Yerevan’s Zvartnots international air-

port will house one of the tax havens. Itwill mainly cater for domestically-grownagricultural produce to be exportedabroad.According to Davtian, another tax-

free zone will be located in Yerevan’sMars electronics factory that was hand-ed over to Russia in 2003 as part of aRussian-Armenian equities-for-debtagreement.

BBaannkkiinngg SSeeccttoorr iinnAArrmmeenniiaa,, GGeeoorrggiiaa SShhoowwss

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sseeccttoorr sshhoowwss ggoooodd ggrroowwtthh rraatteess iinn GGeeoorrggiiaa aannddAArrmmeenniiaa,, oonn aavveerraaggee 1155 ppeerrcceenntt..

PPaarrlliiaammeenntt DDiissccuusssseess VVAATTEExxeemmppttiioonn ooff IImmppoorrtteeddAAggrriiccuullttuurraall MMaacchhiinneess

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tthhee iimmppoorrtteedd aaggrriiccuullttuurraall mmaacchhiinneess,, ssppaarree ppaarrttss,, ffeerr--ttiilliizzeerrss,, ppeessttiicciiddeess,, sseeeeddss,, aanndd eessppeecciiaallllyy wwhheeaatt aannddbbaarrlleeyy..

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KKaarraabbaagghh dduurriinngg tthhee ff iifftthh ccoonnggrreessss ooff tthheeAArrmmeenniiaann jjoouurrnnaalliissttss,, oorrggaanniizzeedd bbyy tthhee AArrmmeenniiaannMMiinniissttrryy ooff DDiiaassppoorraa,, iinn 22001100..

News From Armenia

S A T U R D A Y, J U L Y 2 , 2 0 1 1 T H E A R M E N I A N M I R R O R - S P E C TAT O R2

ARMENIA

YEREVAN (RFE/RL) — TheArmenian government has attracted61 billion drams ($163 million) inbusiness investments as a result of its2009 decision to offer a temporarytax reprieve to companies importingindustrial equipment, Prime MinisterTigran Sargisian said last Thursday.The decision made at the height of

the global economic crisis allows thegovernment to delay by up to threeyears the collection of a 20 percentvalue-added tax (VAT) from suchimports. They have to exceed 300 mil-lion drams and be delivered to manu-facturing firms with export potential.The government has granted such

tax privileges on a case-by-case basis.According to Sargisian, 17 companieshave benefited from the scheme sinceit was introduced in early 2009.

“As a result, we have had invest-ment projects totaling 61 billiondrams,” the premier said at a weeklysession of his cabinet. “As of now,about 1,000 new jobs have been cre-ated and it is expected that a total of1,700 jobs will be created during theimplementation of this scheme.”“Thus, this legal instrument that

was given to the government [by theNational Assembly] is producing pos-itive results,” he told ministers.Sargisian spoke as the government

approved a VAT payment delay for acompany that plans to build a flowergreenhouse in a village in the centralKotayk province. A government state-ment said the company calledEcotomato will invest 2 billion dramsand create 30 jobs there.The government raised questions

about the fairness of the tax reprievein September 2009 when it rejected asimilar application from a prominententrepreneur whose son was chargedwith plotting to assassinate GagikKhachatrian, the controversial chiefof Armenia’s tax and customs service.The businessman, Albert Yeritsian,

planned to construct a new bread-making factory in Yerevan andimported $6 million worth of equip-ment from the Czech Republic forthat purpose. Yeritsian reportedlysent it back to the supplier after therebuff.VAT has long been the single

largest source of Armenia’s tax rev-enues. More than 60 percent of thegovernment’s VAT proceeds comesfrom imported goods, commoditiesand equipment.

Tax Reprieve Touted as Successful

Opposition PartyTo ContinueParliament BoycottYEREVAN (RFE/RL) — One of the

two opposition parties represented inArmenia’s parliament said on Mondaythat it will continue boycotting NationalAssembly sessions in protest againstwhat it sees as President SergeSargisian’s efforts to tighten his grip onpower.The five parliament deputies repre-

senting the Zharangutyun (Heritage)party demonstratively walked out of the131-member assembly on February 28following Sargisian’s new power-shar-ing agreement with his junior coalitionpartners, the Orinats Yerkir andProsperous Armenia (BHK) parties.The agreement commits Orinats

Yerkir and the BHK to supporting theincumbent president in the 2013 presi-dential election. It also states that thetwo parties as well as Sarkisian’sRepublican Party of Armenia (HHK)will have an even greater representationin the next National Assembly to beelected in May 2012.Like other major opposition forces,

Zharangutyun condemned this provi-sion, saying that it effectively predeter-mines the outcome of the 2012 parlia-mentary elections. Its lawmakers havesince refused to attend parliamentdebates and votes.

Industry ‘Key to Armenian Growth in 2011’

YEREVAN (RFE/RL) — A seniorPentagon official praised Armenia forcontributing troops to the NATO-ledmissions in Afghanistan and Kosovoand broadening military ties with theUnited States during a visit to Yerevanlast Monday.Celeste Wallander, the US deputy

assistant secretary of defense forRussia, Ukraine and Eurasia Policy, alsopromised continued US assistance to anongoing reform of the Armenian mili-tary aimed at bringing it into greaterconformity with NATO standards.Wallander met with Defense Minister

Seyran Ohanian and Foreign MinisterEduard Nalbandian to discuss what shedescribed as an “extensive list” of issueson the agenda of US-Armenian militarycooperation. “I commented to the min-ister [Ohanian] that each time we meetwe have more and more to discuss,” shetold a weekly television program pro-duced by the Armenian DefenseMinistry in an interview.“President Obama has made very

clear that the US continues to be com-mitted to providing stability and secu-rity by supporting the development ofthe Afghan security forces,” Wallandersaid. “So we are very grateful to the[Armenia] Ministry of Defense for mak-ing that commitment and contributingto that mission.”Armenia sent an additional 81 sol-

diers to Afghanistan a week ago, almosttripling its presence with the NATO-ledmultinational force stationed there.Another 80 Armenian troops have beenserving under NATO command inKosovo.“It is very important for people to

remember that Armenians are also serv-ing in Kosovo as part of the KFOR mis-

sion,” said Wallander. “We tend to for-get about it because it’s so successful.But I think it’s important for everyoneto understand that the reason it is suc-cessful is because so many partnershave been willing to be there and con-tribute to this post-conflict situation.”The US official added that the

Pentagon will continue to support aspecial peacekeeping brigade of theArmenian Armed Forces that has pro-vided military personnel for theAfghanistan and Kosovo missions aswell as the US-led occupation force inIraq.

Pentagon Praises Armenia forGrowing Defense Ties with US

Yerevan GenocideMuseum to HostProgram on RelatedBooks in 2012YEREVAN (Armenpress) — As part of

the events connected with the declara-tion of Yerevan as World Capital ofBooks, the Armenian Genocide-Museum Institute will organize on April23, 2012 a special exhibition of bookstitled, “Book as Testimony of theGenocide.”Director of the museum, Hayk

Demoyan, said that exclusive ancientsamples of literature have beenacquired for presentation at the exhibi-tion.“It will be a grand exposition where

we will present the Armenian Genocidethrough books,” Demoyan said, addingthat books printed during the past 150years will be presented, offering thewhole history of genocide.

ISTANBUL (Today’s Zaman) —Turkish President Abdullah Gul hasdefended Turkey’s plans to filteraccess to some websites, saying at ameeting with Google ExecutiveChairman and former Chief ExecutiveOfficer Eric Schmidt that it is meantto protect families.Schmidt, who had a meeting with Gul

at the Cankaya Presidential Palace onTuesday, June 21, spoke against theplanned filtering system, saying at ameeting with journalists earlier in theweek that it was a bad idea. But Gul saidin the one-hour meeting that the filter-ing system was not a restriction onInternet access. The meeting was closedto the press.Cihan news agency quoted Gul as say-

ing that he valued Internet freedom butthat the family, which he said keeps asociety alive, was also valuable.Schmidt, for his part, reiterated that hewas opposed to Internet restrictions.On August 22, all Internet subscribers

will be required to sign up for one of thefour levels of filtering, with the “stan-dard” option allowing subscribers toaccess all available websites, accordingto the government. Turkey’sInformation Technologies andCommunications Authority (BTK) hasnot revealed the exact details on whichwebsites would be restricted under thethree other filtering options.Gul also said advancements in infor-

mation technology contributed signif-

icantly to the strengthening of democ-racy, adding that revolutions in theMiddle East are a good example ofhow the Internet has helped spreaddemocracy. Social networking sitessuch as Facebook and Twitter havebeen major tools in the spread of pro-democracy demonstrations across theMiddle East.Gul also asked Schmidt to take steps

to reinforce Google’s presence in Turkeythrough its office.

S A T U R D A Y, J U L Y 2 , 2 0 1 1 T H E A R M E N I A N M I R R O R - S P E C TAT O R 3

INTERNATIONAL

CCyypprruuss’’ EEtthhnniicc SSpplliittSSttooppss PPllaayyeerr JJooiinniinngg

PPrraaccttiicceeNNIICCOOSSIIAA,, CCyypprruuss ((AAPP)) —— AA GGrreeeekk--CCyypprriioott cclluubb ssaaiiddoonn TTuueessddaayy tthhaatt aa TTuurrkkiisshh--CCyypprriioott ppllaayyeerr ffrroomm tthheebbrreeaakkaawwaayy nnoorrtthh ooff ddiivviiddeedd CCyypprruuss wwaass pprreevveenntteeddffrroomm jjooiinniinngg aa tteeaamm pprraaccttiiccee sseessssiioonn iinn aa ddeevveelloopp--mmeenntt sseeeenn aass ssppoorrttss bbeeiinngg iinnff lluueenncceedd bbyy ppoolliittiiccss..AAllkkii FFCC ssppookkeessmmaann MMiicchhaalliiss MMaarrkkoouu ssaaiidd tthhaatt

TTuurrkkiisshh--CCyypprriioott aauutthhoorriitt iieess ssttooppppeedd ffoorrwwaarrddMMuussttaaffaa YYaassiinnsseess oonn MMoonnddaayy ffrroomm ccrroossssiinngg iinnttoo tthheeiinntteerrnnaattiioonnaallllyy--rreeccooggnniizzeedd GGrreeeekk--CCyypprriioott ssoouutthh ttoojjooiinn tthhee sseessssiioonn..TTuurrkkiisshh--CCyypprriioottss ppllaayyiinngg ffoorr GGrreeeekk--CCyypprriioott tteeaammss

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International News

Azerbaijan WarnsArmenia with Show Of Military MightAZERBAIJAN, from page 1was on show for the first time to high-light the country’s expanding defenseindustry.The parade in Baku was the third in

the country’s post-Soviet history andalso marked this year’s 20th anniver-sary of independence.It was shown live on state television

in a broadcast preceded by a series ofpatriotic songs accompanied by imagesof troops in action and Aliyev wearingcamouflage fatigues.The parade was held after the leaders

of Azerbaijan and Armenia failed toagree despite strong international pres-sure to a roadmap document that wouldhave been a significant step towards aKarabagh peace deal.

MOSCOW (Epress.am) — Armeniancellist Narek Hakhnazaryan has accept-ed the apology from conductor MarkGorenstein for insulting remarks madeduring the 14th InternationalTchaikovsky Competition in whichHakhnazaryan is a participant.Hakhnazaryan conveyed this news him-self to Russian news agency Itar-Tass.“All is well. My head, my thoughts are

now only on the competition. I am con-centrating on the music for my upcom-ing performance in the finals,” he said.During the recital on June 25, artistic

director and chief conductor of the StateAcademic Symphony Orchestra of Russia(Svetlanov Symphony Orchestra),Gorenstein, told the orchestra: “Don’t letit concern you at all what this talent, thisaul [someone from a small village in themountains; meant to indicate lack ofrespect] presented to us is playing. Yourtask is to play what is written there in thescore and to do it with me.” This state-ment offended journalists who were atthe recital, after which the story gainedpublic attention.Since then, an official statement has

appeared on the competition website,which reads as follows: “The OrganizingCommittee of the XIV InternationalTchaikovsky Competition regards asinsulting the statements addressed byArtistic Director of the Svetlanov StateSymphony Orchestra of Russia Mark

Gorenstein to competition participantNarek Hakhnazaryan.“We consider that words reflecting on

an individual’s dignity do damage to thecreative atmosphere that we haveworked so hard to establish. The pur-pose of the Tchaikovsky Competition isto support young musicians, and every

one of the competition’s organizers andparticipants is obliged to treat its com-petitors with the utmost respect.”“I would like to explain my position

regarding the incident,” Gorenstein toldItar-Tass. “First, it was a conversationwithin the team. Second, I assure you, I

neither conveyed nor did I wish to con-vey any nationalist undertones in myremarks, since that is totally foreignboth to me personally and to our team.”According to the chief conductor, the

orchestra he conducts is a multination-al group, which employs Armenian,Bashkir, Belarussian, Georgian, Jewish,

Russian, Tatar and Ukrainian peoplesand “never during my leadership hasthere been conflict on ethnic grounds.”“I am very sorry about what hap-

pened and I offer my sincere apologiesto all those whom I hurt with mywords,” said Gorenstein.

Conductor Mark Gorenstein

Russian Symphony Conductor ApologizesFor Insulting Armenian Cellist

Cellist Narek Hakhnazaryan

PARIS (PanArmenian.Net) — Theyoungest contender for the French pres-idency in 2012 has said he is alreadywell-acquainted with Turkey thanks tofamily roots that go back to easternTurkey.Maxime Verner’s mother is Armenian,

and her family is from Erzurum, whilethe 21-year-old candidate’s father is eth-nic French.“I know Turkey very well; I am inter-

ested [in Turkish] history also. I feel[that the] Turks are very close to me.They are open-minded. I want to build abridge between Turkey and other coun-tries. I would like to tell them that theworld of tomorrow is ours. We haveresponsibilities to conquer and obtainsolidarity,” Verner said in an interviewwith Hurriyet Daily News.“I am not expecting any support

[from] the French-Armenian communi-ty; I am French. But lots of Armeniansand Turks do support me,” Verner said.The candidate also said he attended

Istanbul’s Galatasaray University as anexchange student recently.Verner, whose father was a taxi driver,

said his interest in politics began whilehe was working in his father’s cab in thevillage where he was born. “Today, I donot belong to any party; my family hasnever belonged to any [parties either.] I

became popular [through the supportof] the working class,” he said.“I want to change the future, the

young generations, the long-term per-spectives, the world. I want to helpFrance open itself to the world. I wouldlike to free society where anything ispossible for anyone. I believe emotionscan change the world,” he said andadded that he made extensive use ofmodern technology during electioncampaigns.Verner also said he was a member of

the Association des Jeunes de France(The Association for the French Youth)and said the youth wanted to earn thetrust of the French people.“We want to elucidate [people on]

how great the potential of young peopleis and what we can do,” he said.

Maxime Verner

French-Armenian Presidential Hopeful Says Turks ‘Are Very Close’ to Him

Gul Defends Turkey’s Plans to Filter Internet Access

S A T U R D A Y, J U L Y 2 , 2 0 1 1 T H E A R M E N I A N M I R R O R - S P E C TAT O R4

For Your Internal News of Armenia Log on to

www.AZG.am In English, Armenian, Russian and Turkish

WASHINGTON (AFP) — The United Stateson Monday put Estonia and Belarus on ahuman trafficking watch list, alleging theyfailed in the last year to step up efforts tofight prostitution and forced labor.In its 2011 annual Global Trafficking in

Persons Report, the State Department alsomaintained Russia on the list for the eighthconsecutive year for the same alleged failures.“Estonia is a source, transit and destination

country for women subjected to forced pros-titution, and for men and women subjected toconditions of forced labor,” the StateDepartment said.Not only are Estonian women from the

countryside forced into prostitution in thecapital Tallinn, they also end up in the sextrafficking trade in Finland, the Netherlands,Britain, Germany and Italy, it said.Both men and women from Estonia are

also “subjected to conditions of forced labor”in Spain, Sweden, Norway and Finland,according to the 2011 Global Trafficking inPersons Report.“The government of Estonia does not fully

comply with the minimum standards for theelimination of trafficking; however, it is mak-ing significant efforts to do so,” the reportsaid.“Despite these efforts, the government did

not demonstrate evidence of increasing

efforts over the previous reporting period,” itadded, placing Estonia on the Tier-2 watchlist.Belarus was put on the list for the same rea-

son, with the report charging that the gov-ernment in Minsk “demonstrated decreasedlaw enforcement efforts” while the report wasbeing conducted.The report said women and children are

sold into the sex trade in Russia, Germany,Poland, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Spain,Greece, Belgium, Turkey, Israel, Lebanon,Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.There were also continuing reports of

women from poor families forced into prosti-tution in the capital Minsk.“Belarussian men, women and children are

found in forced begging, as well as in forcedlabor in the construction industry and othersectors in Russia and Belarus,” it said.The State Department also reprimanded

Russia once again.Citing the Migration Research Center, it

said around one million people in Russia areexploited by business leaders who withholdtheir documents, fail to pay for services, phys-ically abuse them and deny them proper liv-ing conditions.Abuses occurred in the construction, man-

ufacturing, agriculture and domestic servicesindustries, it added.

“There are reports of many men andwomen from North Korea subjected to condi-tions of forced labor in the logging industryin the Russian Far East,” it said.“There are also reports of exploitation of

children, including child prostitution in largeRussian cities and forced begging,” it added.“Russian women were reported to be vic-

tims of sex trafficking in many countries,including in Northeast Asia, Europe andthroughout the Middle East,” it said.It said that because it had a written plan,

Russia was not dropped to the lowest Tier-3group, countries which are deemed not to bemaking significant efforts to meet the mini-mum standards of fighting trafficking.“Russia is devoting sufficient resources to

implement that plan,” it said.Tier-3 countries may “be subject to certain

sanctions, whereby the US government maywithhold or withdraw non-humanitarian, non-trade-related foreign assistance,” the StateDepartment said.The State Department’s report character-

ized Armenia as a source country for womenand girls subjected to sex trafficking, as wellas a source and destination country forwomen subjected to forced labor and a sourcecountry for men subjected to forced labor.“Women and girls from Armenia are sub-

jected to sex trafficking in Germany, the

United Arab Emirates and Turkey. Armenianmen and women are subjected to forced laborin Russia, while Armenian women are sub-jected to forced labor in Turkey. Armenianboys are subjected to forced labor andArmenian women and girls are found in sextrafficking within the country. Women fromRussia are subjected to forced labor inArmenia,” the report said.As the department noted, the government

of Armenia does not fully comply with theminimum standards for the elimination oftrafficking; however, it is making significantefforts to do so. In 2010, the government pro-vided partial funding for an NGO-run shelterfor victims of trafficking and pursued part-nerships with NGOs to provide training tohundreds of officials. The government contin-ued to ensure that all convicted traffickerswere appropriately sentenced and that thosesentences were enforced. In March, the government enacted amend-

ments to the Criminal Code that furtherstrengthened its anti-trafficking statutes.However, of particular concern was a precipi-tous drop in the number of victims identifiedduring the year, as well as the absence ofinvestigations of forced labor offenses.

(PanArmenian.net contributed to thisreport.)

Estonia, Belarus Put on Human Trafficking Watch List

ISTANBUL (CNN) — Opposition boycottsmarred the swearing-in ceremony of Turkey’snewly-elected parliament on Tuesday. The contentious session took place less

than three weeks after Turkey’s incumbentJustice and Development Party (AKP) won aresounding victory in national elections. Led by two-term Prime Minister Recep

Tayyip Erdogan, the party captured 327 seatsin the 550-member body. But the main Kurdish nationalist party and

the largest secularist opposition party bothobjected after they saw several of their newlyelected candidates barred from entering par-liament. More than 30 lawmakers from the Kurdish

Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) boycotted

Tuesday’s session.They protested a decision by Turkey’s elec-

toral board last week, which disqualifiedKurdish candidate Hatip Dicle for “not meet-ing the requirements for being elected intoparliament.” The board cited Dicle’s 20-month prison

sentence after he was convicted of “makingpropaganda for a terrorist organization,”Turkish official-speak for the separatist rebelgroup known as the Kurdistan Workers’Party, or PKK.The electoral board replaced the disquali-

fied Kurdish candidate with the runner-up, amember of the ruling political party. Thereplacement AKP candidate was sworn intoparliament on Tuesday.

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Opposition Lawmakers in TurkeyBoycott Swearing-in Ceremony

ECHMIADZIN (a1plus.am) — At a pressconference this week, Bishop ArshakKhachatryan, head of the divan of theMother See of Holy Echmiadzin, said that theCahtolicos of All Armenians Karekin IIrespects the age and experience of GeorgianPatriarch Ilya. The comment was in responseto the Georgian’s suggestion that Karekin IIwas too inexperienced to conduct diplomacy.He had said, Karekin II is “an inexperi-

enced youth who rushes to get everything.” Overall, Khachatryan gave a positive

assessment of the supreme patriarch’s five-day inter-ecclesiastical and pontifical visit to

Georgia, however, he regretted to mentionthat the Georgian Church’s recent intoler-ance toward other churches and religiousorganizations impedes the speedy solution toexisting issues facing the sister churches to acertain extent.According to him, the Mother See does not

object the granting of legal status to theGeorgian Church by following the example ofother religious organizations registered inArmenia. The clergyman says Georgia isobliged to do its part by showing the sameattitude toward the Georgian-Armenian com-munity and the church diocese.

Mother See: Georgian Church Is Intolerant

5S A T U R D A Y, J U L Y 2 , 2 0 1 1 T H E A R M E N I A N M I R R O R - S P E C TAT O R

Community News

Garden Creates SpecialConnection between

Nursing Home Residents,Holy Trinity Kids

JAMAICA PLAIN, Mass. — There is a rose garden at the Armenian Nursingand Rehabilitation Center (ANRC) and the Sunday School and ArmenianSchool children at the Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church in Cambridgeare primarily responsible for this gift to the center.

For almost 40 years, the children of Holy Trinity Sunday and ArmenianSchools have visited the Nursing Center and donated rose bushes in honor ofthe residents and staff. Seta Buchter, the superintendent of the SundaySchool for the past 25 years, is excited about this annual tradition, which isalso a mandatory part of the Sunday School and Armenian school curricu-lums. “It is important for our students to stay connected with the elderly atthe Nursing Center,” she says, “we need to honor and respect them since theypaved the way for our generation and should not be forgotten.”

When this tradition was started almost 40 years ago, students presented aprogram and were given juice and cookies before their departure. Twentyyears ago, the parents and teachers from Holy Trinity expanded this traditionto also include a cookout. Students recite poetry and sing religious and patri-otic songs. The children make an effort to engage the residents. Following theprogram, these students have a “meet and greet,” where they introduce them-selves to the residents and try to learn about their lives and their stories. Theolder students also help the younger ones interact with the residents, so thatthey, in turn, will learn the leadership and communication skills that Buchterfeels is important.

“Our students develop a relationship with God and our church, and it helpsmake religion relevant to our children through practical, not theoreticalmeans,” said Buchter. “We try to emphasize the importance of God, family andChurch and we try to raise the sensitivity level of our youth. We are so fortu-nate to have our Parish Council, our parishioners and our pastor, morally andfinancially supportive all the way.”

Rev. Vasken Kouzouian, pastor of Holy Trinity, is committed to the ANRCand celebrates liturgical services for the residents and staff on a regular basis.“The work of the Nursing Center is a continuation of our church’s work,”reflected Kouzouian. “We are taking care of Armenian seniors and needy mem-bers of our community; it is part of our Armenian identity and where our faithand heritage come together.”

This year, more than 55 students, their families and teachers attended thisevent, held on Sunday, May 22. Alexis, a first-grade student at the Holy TrinitySunday School, perhaps said it best: “The residents look at the children andremember when they were that age.”

For more information, visit ANRC at www.armenianhome.org.— Lalig Musserian

Bike-a-thonRaises MoneyFor ChildrenIn Armenia

By Nancy KalajianSpecial to the Mirror-Spectator

QUINCY, Mass. — On Memorial Day weekend,Isabella Boyajian, 3, sat in a borrowed trailerattached to her dad’s bike and rode fromCambridge to Lexington on the MinutemanBike Path, all to benefit her peers in Armenia.Joining them were a dozen other bikers, manyof whom have made repeated annual rides tosupport the Nish Boyajian MemorialFoundation whose mission is to help the chil-dren of Armenia.

The Bike-a-thon was started by RichardBoyajian of Quincy, a retired barber, nine yearsago in memory of his brother, Nish, who diedabout 16 years ago from cancer. Since 2000,Boyajian has raised money for playgrounds andother school-related projects in Armenia, with afocus on rural schools.

After the Bike-a-thon, bikers and other sup-porters attended a traditional Armenian BBQheld at the home of Richard Boyajian nearWollaston Beach. About 100 people stopped bythroughout the afternoon to enjoy the BBQ

and support the cause. “It’s a great communityactivity and a great cause,” said HouryYoussoufian, a guest who has long supportedthe group’s mission. So far, more than $5,000has been raised after this year’s bike-a thon.

“I ride every year and usually get my friendsto join me. It’s a very reasonable bike ride. Myuncle’s been doing it for years. Some of mycousins race to support my uncle and what hebelieves in,” shared Melissa Boyajian, hailingfrom the Lowell area. “I’ve been to Armeniathree times; two times was with my uncle soI’ve helped him with this project as videogra-pher (documenting the) before and after, andmade a promotional video for the Foundation.The foundation is getting bigger and biggerevery year. They really needed the help, withbad plumbing and terrible classroom facilities.”

During the BBQ, Douglas Boyajian, Richard’snephew, said this was his young daughter’s sec-ond race, the first being when she was 6month’s old. This time “she wanted to ride herown bike” to help. “This is something we lookforward to every Memorial Day Weekend,” hesaid. “We don’t have enough exposure to theArmenian culture, music and food so this eventgives us that opportunity.”

Of course, no traditional Armenian BBQwould be complete without some good old-fash-ioned Armenian music and many talented musi-cians donated their talents to the delight of theaudience including Garo Papazian, Harrry

see BIKE-A-THON, page 9

GenocideStudies Focus ofNew Institute

By Sarah Platanitis

AMHERST, Mass. (The Republican) — InApril 2009, the traveling exhibit of “A Reason toRemember: Roth Germany, 1933-1942” madeits way to the Herter Gallery at the Universityof Massachusetts-Amherst.

Two years later, the teacher exhibition is apermanent fixture at the university’s Institutefor Holocaust, Genocide, and Memory Studiesthat officially opened in late March at 758North Main St.

The institute space includes an audio-visualequipped exhibition hall, program office andresearch library where it is hoped researchersand visitors will be able to learn from the pastto prevent future genocide.

“We opened exhibitional approval for theinstitute in Fall 2009 and raised money throughprivate donations and gifts,” said James Young,the institute’s director and distinguished uni-versity professor whose specialty is theHolocaust and memory studies.

“Two generous founder families inSpringfield and Washington DC have givengifts for endowment and operating expenses. Afriend of the project and local philanthropistbought the house outright and put it into a pri-vate, non-profit foundation and rents it to us for$1 a year.”

Deborah Roth-Howe, of Amherst, the daugh-ter of Roth-native Herbert Roth, was instru-mental in creating “A Reason to Remember,”which was housed at the Hatikvah HolocaustEducation Center, from 2004 to the center’sclosing in September 2010, on the campus ofthe Springfield Jewish Community Center.

Roth, was a small village of 500 residents,about a quarter of whom were Jews, whenAdolph Hitler became Germany’s chancellor in1933.

The exhibit tells in detail through originalartifacts, photos and documents, the destruc-tion of its Jewish community during the Naziera.

The Hatikvah center whose last executivedirector, Rabbi Robert Sternberg, was instru-mental in developing curriculum, programs andtours around the center’s resources, was underthe umbrella of the Jewish Federation ofGreater Springfield.

“The Hatikvah Center approached the uni-versity and asked if they would be interested inhousing the permanent exhibit,” Young said.“They felt it was time it had a new life.”

Lara Curtis, the institute’s assistant director,said she was a doctorate student at the universitywhen she approached Young about the project.

Others consulted about the possibility of aninstitute dealing with the Holocaust and geno-cide were Donald Maddox, professor emeritusof French studies, and Dean Joel Martin of theCollege of Humanities and Fine Arts.

Organizers said Michael F. Malone, vice chan-cellor of research and engagement, gave hisapproval if those involved could raise themoney for a site location.

Curtis, Young and Hatikvah center memberswere said to have walked through many poten-tial houses before finding the former site of theEpiscopalian Diocese of Western Massachusettsin March of last year.

Those involved said they easily envisionedspace after renovation work at the site for theinstallation of the Roth exhibit.

“It was uninstalled, packed, moved and re-installed in November,” said Curtis of the exhibit.“James and I are very grateful to the JewishFederation of Western Massachusetts for theirgift.”

The exhibition room will also house pho-tographs from Young’s work, “The Texture of

see UMASS, page 7

Sharing some patriotic songs and getting some help from older students, theyoungest children from Holy Trinity help set the mood for the Armenian NursingCenter residents

Douglas Boyajian and daughter Isabella afterthe bike ride

NANCY KALAJIAN PHOTO

BROOKLINE, Mass. — Marguerite Amirian,wife of noted structural engineer and Armeniancommunity leader, Thomas T. Amirian, died onMay 25 at the age of 100. She was living in herhome in Brookline until her hospitalization twoweeks before her death.

She was born in Lynn, the first of four chil-dren of Melkon and Satenig Noroian, bothimmigrants from Kharpert, Armenia. A sister,Lily, was born one-and-a-half years later, and abrother, Krikor, four years later. Tragically, hedied after being accidentally scalded. His deathleft an indelible impression on 8-year-oldMarguerite.

When Marguerite was 3, the family moved toShawmut Avenue in Boston, where her fatheropened up a grocery store. The family wasinvolved in the establishment of the HolyTrinity Armenian Church on Shawmut Avenue,the first Armenian church in Greater Boston.She proudly talked about how she met GeneralAntranig there when he was visiting on a fund-raising mission for the defense of Armenia.

The family eventually settled in Dorchester.When Marguerite was 16, her mother hadanother son. He was named Krikor after thefirst son, but was known as Jerry, or Gerald.Unfortunately, her father became blind fromglaucoma that same year. Her mother had to goto work and Marguerite, her sister, Lily, andtheir grandmother took care of the baby.

She attended Roxbury Memorial HighSchool for Girls, graduating in 1929. After grad-uation, she worked for an insurance company,then as a secretary for a lawyer. When theDepression affected the lawyer’s business shehelped him get a WPA job and she went to workfor Dr. Golden as a dental assistant.

She met her husband at a Boston branchmeeting of the Armenian Students’ Association(ASA). Thomas, or Tzolag as he was known toeveryone in those days, was already very activein the organization. After his graduation fromMassachusetts Institute of Technology, he madeit known that his intentions were serious, butthat he needed time, because, having lost hisfather during the Genocide, he was supportinghis mother and putting his younger brotherthrough college. Marguerite was in no hurry;she was attending Portia Law School at night.

As soon as his brother graduated college,Tzolag Amirian presented her with an engage-ment ring and they married the followingSeptember. As it was wartime, in OctoberTzolag Amirian was sent away from Boston towork on the Manhattan Project. MargueriteAmirian stayed behind to help her sister pre-pare for her wedding. When his part of the pro-ject was finished they settled in the Fenwayarea of Boston. They had two children, ThomasTzolag Amirian Jr. and Adrianne.

Marguerite Amirian was always supportive of

her husband’s involvement in the Armeniancommunity and their home was an open house.When he and two of his ASA friends foundedthe National Association for Armenian Studiesand Research (NAASR), she became one of thefounding members.

Tom Amirian died in 1993, after 51 years ofmarriage. Her sister Lily died two years later.

Marguerite Amirian was known for her mem-ory of family history and stories of the old days.She also amazed people with her health,because at the age of 92, she had not been to adoctor in 50 years. However, at the age of 94,she had an episode of some unknown causethat led to a hospitalization and then to rehabto regain her strength. She came home fromrehab walking again, but she had lost those pre-cious memories and from then on needed to betaken care of by family members.

However, in September she fell and broke herhip. Although her heart was strong enough toundergo a reparative operation, and she waswalking again in the rehabilitation program,she no longer had the strength to walk safely.Her lack of mobility led to a decline of healthover the last six months, until she was hospital-ized three weeks ago with aspiration pneumo-nia.

She was one week away from her 101st birth-day.

In addition to her two children, Thomas T.Amirian, Jr. of Brookline and Adrianne Amirian,of Watertown, she leaves her three nephews,Ronald Krekorian, Russell Krekorian and Roger

Krekorian. One brother, Gerald Norian, prede-ceased her, in addition to her husband and sis-ter.

Funeral services were held Wednesday, June1, at the Holy Trinity Armenian Church inCambridge. Burial was in Mt. Auburn Cemeteryin Cambridge in the family plot.

Expressions of sympathy may be made in herhonor to the Holy Trinity Armenian Church,145 Brattle St., Cambridge, the ArmenianStudents’ Association, 333 Atlantic Ave.,Warwick, R.I. 02888 or the NationalAssociation for Armenian Studies andResearch, 395 Concord Ave, Belmont, MA02478.

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WYNNEWOOD, Penn. — Dr. VahakenTachdjian, a noted doctor, who in addition topracticing medicine, wrote several volumes,died on June 11, at home.

Tachdjian was born in Ourfa, Turkey, onFebruary 28, 1921, to Ohannes and ShoushanTachdjian, the oldest of six children. Since hewas born in the years immediately following theGenocide, he and his family suffered from theconsequences of deportation and upheaval. By1922, the family had moved to Beirut, Lebanonand become the owners of Oriental RugCompany.

Tachdjian attended high school at theArmenian Evangelical College in the western

part of the city,and then theA m e r i c a nUniversity ofBeirut (AUB)Medical School.It was at AUBthat he receivedmultiple honorsfor his efforts,including theBayard DodgeMedal. Tachdjianwas also offeredthe opportunityto expand his

expertise in the United States at medicine, atMassachusetts General Hospital in gastroen-terology, at New York University and theUniversity of Pennsylvania. He came to be well-known as a pre-eminent internist, teaching andpracticing in his specialty, gastroenterology.

Throughout his medical career, Tachdjian dis-tinguished himself not only as a practicinginternist, but also as a researcher, writer andassistant professor. His research can be read ina now-rare edition of the encyclopedic textbookon gastroenterology. Other research can befound in the Journal of the National Academyof Sciences and he was named as author ofmany other articles in scientific journals. Hisprofessional memberships and associationswere numerous, including Bockus International- Society of Gastroenterology, founded at theUniversity of Pennsylvania. Tachdjian and oth-ers recognized the importance of having aforum for Armenian doctors and he was instru-mental in establishing the work of theArmenian Medical International Committee(AMIC), for which he served as its first presi-dent at its formation in Montreal in 1990. AMICbegan to sponsor the fledgling ArmenianMedical World Congress and Tachdjian wasnamed its honorary president.

In Pennsylvania, he was named Doctor of theYear (2002), was the Commonwealth’s

Commissioner of Medical Education (from1996) and was given the Key to Philadelphia bythen-Mayor Frank Rizzo.

Tachdjian’s efforts on behalf of Armeniansextended beyond the medical field. He was oneof the founding members of the Armenian-American Medical and Dental Association(AAMDA) here and abroad and served as presi-dent. He was a participant in the Inter-Communal Committee of Philadelphia, whichsponsors events at the five local Armenianchurches. The Inter-Communal Committee part-nered with the Armenian MissionaryAssociation of America to present Tachdjianwith a special award for his ecumenical service.The Catholicos Aram I of the Great House ofCilicia also named him as a Knight of Cilicia inApril 2004. At one time he was also president ofthe Association of Armenian Doctors of theAmerican University of Beirut. Tachdjian wasalso consulting physician to many dignitaries,including Catholicoi Sahag Khabayan, PapkenGulserian, Bedros Sarajian, Karekin Hovsepian,Khoren Paroian, Karekin Sarkissian, ZarehPayaslian and Vazgen Baljian. Other notablesincluded King Faisal of Iraq, the Shah of Iranand King Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia.

For the Tachdjian family, however, it wasTachdjian’s design of an Oriental carpet thatbrings the greatest pride. At the lowest point inArmenian history, the period following theGenocide, Ohannes Tachdjian took in theArmenian orphans who had come to Beirut andtaught them the trade of Oriental rug making.Tachdjian, then a young man, designed a carpetas a gift of thanks which the orphans at hisfather’s business wove in tribute to the UnitedStates and sent during President CalvinCoolidge’s term. In the 1950s the carpet’s ori-gins were researched and confirmed; the carpetnow resides in the Coolidge Collection at theForbes Library in Northampton, Mass.

An indefatigable servant of the people,Tachdjian retired from active medical practicein 2007. His health declined in recent years andon June 11, Tachdjian died at his home.

He is survived by his wife of 67 years,Asdghik (Der Bedrossian); daughters AshkhenSetrakian and her husband, Aram, Houry,Maral Tekirian and her husband, Steven; fivegrandchildren and five great-grandchildren, aswell as by a brother, Ishkhan Tachdjian, SanFrancisco, Calif.; a sister, Mary Henne, PhD,Columbus, Ohio; two brothers and one sisterpredeceased him.

The family requests that gifts in lieu of flow-ers be made to the Armenian Martyrs’Congregational Church (AMCC), or to theArmenian Sisters’ Academy in Radnor toward aspecial scholarship fund established inTachdjian’s name.

Dr. Vahaken OhannesTachdjian

Dr. Vahaken Ohannes Tachdjian

Marguerite Amirian, 100, NAASR Founder

Marguerite Amirian

CAMBRIDGE — At the May 11 annual meetingof the Cambridge-Yerevan Sister City Association(CYSCA), former mayor and longtime city coun-cilor, Frank Duehay, recounted the origins of theassociation, which was founded 25 years ago.

He described the roots of the project in theCold War. When President Ronald Reagan cameinto office, the Cambridge City Council reacted tohis bellicosity towards the Soviet Union by initiat-ing a search for a sister-city somewhere in theSoviet Union, as a vehicle for citizen-to-citizen con-tact and discussion. In 1982 the Cambridge CityCouncil created the Cambridge Commission onNuclear Disarmament and Peace Education,thereafter known as the Peace Commission, witha small budget and staff, which was given the man-date (among many others) to find such a city.

A committee formed by the Peace Commissionresearched several cities and settled on Yerevan,since there was an Armenian-American commu-nity in Cambridge and adjoining towns in whichindividuals were already traveling back and forth.In addition, it became apparent there would nothave been a supportive political climate in whichto choose among cities in various otherrepublics.

At the time it was unclear what the receptionin Cambridge would be, but a great deal of pro-gramming was done in advance to introduceCambridge citizens to culture in the SovietUnion, and once Yerevan was chosen, to encour-age children in Cambridge schools to write let-ters and make art to share with students there.Letters of support were obtained from a hugerange of city organizations and officials and insti-tutions, which were then taken in a thick boundbook with this first delegation. Duehay notedthat “This whole initiative really came from alarge number of activists — really kind of a grass-roots movement.”

Supporting the idea was Eisenhower’s initiativein 1956 to promote many sister-cities between US

and foreign cities. In the early 1980s, there wasonly a handful of US-Soviet sister cities, and mid-1980s Cambridge became one of the first of anewly-approved round of partnerships.

Duehay recalled “I got involved because I hadjust been mayor and the current mayor, (WalterSullivan) thought I would be a good one to leadthe first delegation. Although the delegation was

really originally a grassroots group, the councilhad to vote on it and approve it and designate anelected official to lead it.” He recalled with someamusement, “The delegation had to accept me.”An 11-person delegation was formed, with PeaceCommission Director Jeb Brugmann and othercommission members playing major organizingroles. Duehay recalled, “We wrote the committeewho had to approve this venture in Moscow andgot no answer. Finally, a prominent journalistand MP from Yerevan who was here doingresearch met with us and said, ‘You have just gotto go. I’ll help you anyway I know of.’”

The group made the trip in late May 1986.Duehay continued, “Here we are in Moscow. Wewere told we were going in to the office of thehead person who establishes Sister City relation-ships. The first thing we presented was the boundvolume of support letters. The first one was frommember of the US House of Representative TipO’Neill, the second from Sen. Ted Kennedy. Ithink that made an impression: showing that wewere in the business of trying to improve relation-ships — in our own tiny way to thaw the icebetween both countries. There was of course agreat deal of suspicion — not only there but in ourcountry too. They listened to us, liked what wesaid, but when we left the next day we were on theway to Yerevan, and I realized we knew nothing —didn’t know what we would be doing.” He recount-ed an amusing incident. “I realized I might have tosay something formal. When the plane came inthere was a crowd of hundreds of people and Ithought ‘I’ve got to get on my toes for this one.’But everyone got out of the plane and it turnedout the crowd was there for a bunch of rock starswho were on our plane!”

“But soon we encountered the people whowere there to meet us, including the vice mayor,who was grinning ear to ear. They were delight-ed to greet us and had an incredible itineraryplanned with meetings and visits to cultural orsocial sites throughout Yerevan. It was a won-derful introduction to those (most of us) in thedelegation that were not of Armenian back-ground. We were stunned at what we saw andwho we met. It was incredible, almost a life-chang-ing experience for all of us.”

Duehay said he particularly remembered visit-ing Yerevan State University. “There was a hugecrowd of people there to meet us in the audito-rium. It was my job to explain why we were there— why our City Council and our communityseemed to want to reach out to Yerevan. I did itto the best of my ability. They seemed quite inter-ested — then all of a sudden I thought I would dosomething. There was only one way out of theauditorium: when I got finished speaking, I stoodby the door and shook every hand of every per-son as they left the room. Some knew English,so we had a chance to chat and one young mansaid to me, ‘Are you going to be president?’ A lotof college and graduate students didn’t knowmuch about this country. It was really strikinghow we ran into friendliness and hospitalityeverywhere.”

Summing up, he said, “The accomplishmentsof the sister city committee are really quite extra-ordinary, and I know it’s not easy for non-profitsto do these things. It’s the enormous amount oftime that people have put into it. And it doesn’tend — the wonderful Community Connectionsprograms that are going on, helping schools —what you’ve spent money on.

This is what the sister-city thing is all about.Who knows who is affected by these universityadministrators who visited last fall? This is thepeople-to-people thing at its very best.

7S A T U R D A Y, J U L Y 2 , 2 0 1 1 T H E A R M E N I A N M I R R O R - S P E C TAT O R

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Genocide Studies Focus ofNew InstituteUMASS, from page 5Memory” and smaller exhibits of freestandingwalls.

The first planned temporary exhibit will befrom The Haiti Jewish Refugee Legacy Project,chronicling the little-known story of Jewishrefugees taken in by the Haitian governmentduring World War II and how their familieslater raised money after the 2010 earthquaketo repay their gratitude.

Young has given his 5,000-book library and thou-sands of photographs to the institute that has alsoreceived the book donations from other sources.

Donations of furniture and other necessitieswill allow graduate students to travel and stayat the institute while they do research.

“We want all middle and high school groups tovisit because there is no exhibit like this anywhere.It is community based with universal teaching pos-sibilities,” said Curtis, who is building a Holocaustcurriculum for the state of Massachusetts and edu-cational programs for visiting groups.

“The extraordinary part of this whole projectis being able to work with so many different pro-grams, departments at the university and thecommunity,” Curtis said.

“Seeing how Holocaust, genocide and memorystudies cross discipline and converge in these dif-ferent places is what makes this so special for me.”

Rev. BoynerianReceives Doctorate

NEWTON, Mass. — The ArmenianMemorial Church of Watertown’s pastor,Rev. Avedis Boynerian, was awarded adoctorate of ministry from AndoverNewton Theological School on May 21.Andover Newton is the oldest theologicalseminary in the country.

Boynerian earned this degree in a programdesigned for ministers who have been serv-ing a church for a period of seven to 10 years.He completed the program in five yearswhileserving the church full time. After complet-ing the nine-course program, he wrote a dis-sertation, titled “Whose Church Is It?,”focused on the challenges of the ArmenianEvangelical Church inNorthAmerica empha-sizing solutions and the role of leadership.The dissertation received high honors.

His studies were made possible by abequest from the lateDr. Edward and LucyKarian of Watertown,who were members ofthe church.

He holds a bache-lor’s from HaigazianCollege (nowUniversity) in Beirut,Lebanon, a master’s intheology from the

Near East School of Theology in Beirutand Princeton Theological Seminary inNew Jersey. He has held numerous lead-ership roles in the Armenian ProtestantCommunity in Syria, where he was pastorfor 16 years in Aleppo.

Boynerian has been pastor of theArmenian Memorial Church sinceOctober 2003. He served as president ofthe Watertown Ministerial Associationfrom 2005 to 2006. He has held numer-ous positions in the ArmenianEvangelical Union of North America(AEUNA) including chair of the MinistryCommittee from 2006-2008, member ofthe Board of Directors from 2006-2010and moderator from 2008-2010. In addi-tion he has broadcast Armenian sermonson the Armenian Independent Radio ofBoston from 2004 through the present,as well as co-authoring a book and pub-lishing several articles.

Boynerian lives in Belmont with hiswife, Dr. Arpi Pamboukian, and their twosons, Antranig, 12, and Arek, 10. Heplayed soccer with Homenetmen, a firstdivision Armenian soccer team in Beirut,Lebanon, from 1977-1981 and co-coachedthe Belmont second soccer team in the2004-2005 season.

Rev. AvedisBoynerian

Heating the Cold War: Cambridge-YerevanSister City Celebrates 25th Anniversary

Frank Duehay addresses CYSCA’s AnnualMeeting.

ELSA RONNINGSTAM PHOTO

WASHINGTON — Now in its 34th year, TheTerjenian-Thomas Assembly InternshipProgram welcomed 20 college-aged studentshailing from seven US states as well asArmenia, Canada and the United Kingdom.

They join the ranks of more than 900 alumniand will spend the summer living, learning andworking here.

The Terjenian-Thomas Assembly InternshipProgram is made possible by the MemorialFund established by Aram Terjenian, AnnieThomas and Florence Terjenian of Belmont,Mass. Additional support comes from theRichard Tufenkian Memorial Fund, the JohnHanessian Scholarship Fund, the ArmenAstarjian Scholarship Fund, the OhanianMemorial Fund, James and Connie Melikianand the Knights of Vartan.

This year Giselle Davidian is the recipient ofthe Richard Tufenkian Memorial Fund scholar-ship, while Sonya Babayan and Yelena Mayilyanreceived scholarships from James and ConnieMelikian. The 2011 Knights of Vartan scholar-ship awardee is Michael Daniell.

Participants are gearing up for an active summerschedule of meetings, lectures and events that hasalready included: Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA); guestlecturer Kathryn Porter, president of theLeadership Council for Human Rights; BryanArdouny, executive director of the ArmenianAssembly; Taniel Koushakjian, the Assembly’sgrassroots director and Dr. Rouben Adalian, direc-tor of the Armenian National Institute.

“The Terjenian-Thomas Assembly InternshipProgram has been outstanding in providing itsinterns a demanding mix of a professional work-place experience, an intellectual challenge, aca-

demic seminars, and social events,” saidDavidian, who is particularly excited about allof the upcoming educational opportunities andevents. “I am truly relishing the unique oppor-tunity to interact with key figures influencingour global future and to foster what willinevitably become lifelong friendships withbright fellow interns.”

In addition, Representatives Ed Royce (R-CA)and Brad Sherman (D-CA) will kick off this sum-mer’s Capital Ideas Lecture Series. Interns willalso tour the White House, US Department ofState, Library of Congress, US Bureau ofEngraving and Printing and the ArmenianEmbassy. Additional presentations from local

academics and professionals speaking on arange of topics from current events to issues ofcommunity interest will fill out the summerschedule.

Ardouny noted the success of the internshipprogram. “For more than three decades, withmore than 900 college-aged students from vir-tually every state and eight countries, theTerjenian-Thomas Assembly’s InternshipProgram in Washington has cultivated the nextgeneration of leaders. The Assembly’s pioneer-ing internships represent one of the organiza-tion’s flagship programs that would not havebeen possible without the generosity and sup-port of our donors and members.”

8 S A T U R D A Y, J U L Y 2 , 2 0 1 1 T H E A R M E N I A N M I R R O R - S P E C TAT O R

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Armenian Assembly Thanks McCotter asMomentum on Genocide Resolution Grows

WASHINGTON — This week, Executive Director Bryan Ardouny, Grassroots DirectorTaniel Koushakjian and Wayne State University student and Government Affairs intern RaffiNersessian of the Armenian Assembly of America thanked Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI)for his renewed support of the Armenian Genocide resolution.

Meeting in his House Rayburn office, McCotter told the Assembly that the Armenian-American community can “continue relying upon my steadfast support.” First elected in2002, McCotter represents the 11th Congressional District in Michigan and currently serveson the House Financial Services Committee.

“We appreciate Congressman McCotter’s standing commitment in support of Armenian-American issues,” stated Ardouny.

“It was an honor to meet Congressman McCotter,” added Nersessian.Also this week, a dozen members of Congress on a bipartisan basis joined as cosponsors

of H.Res. 304, the Armenian Genocide Resolution introduced by Representatives RobertDold (R-IL) and Adam Schiff (D-CA) along with Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Frank Pallone(D-NJ) and Ed Royce (R-CA).

The newest cosponsors to the bill include: Representatives Karen Bass (D-CA), RobertBrady (D-PA), Ken Calvert (R-CA), Dennis Cardoza (D-CA), Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Bob Filner(D-CA), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Steve Israel (D-NY), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Edward Markey (D-MA), Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) and Jared Polis (D-CO).

From left, Raffi Nersessian, Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI), Taniel Koushakjian and BryanArdouny

Terjenian-Thomas Assembly Interns with Kathryn Porter, president of the Leadership Council forHuman Rights (center)

Armenian Assembly InternsArrive in Washington

Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Giselle Davidian

WATERTOWN, Mass. — In June, St.Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School(SSAES) concluded its 27th academic year.Graduation ceremonies were held on June 16for kindergarten students and June 17 for ele-mentary students in the presence of parentsand friends of the school as well as the pastorsof St. Stephen’s, First Armenian, ArmenianMemorial and St. James churches.

On June 17, 12 students graduated fromSSAES. They are: Sena Changelian, SepahnChiloyan, Mary Galstian, AnastasiaGoulopoulos, Saro Karaguesian, AnoushKrafian, Liana Nalbandian, Rita Orchanian,Sonia Ourfalian, Daniela Rizza, RubinaVosbigian and George Yeghyayan.

On June 16, 24 students graduated fromKindergarten. They are: Taleena Anserlian,Taline Antoine, Chris Ashjian, Haig Atinizian,Nicole Babyan, Alexa Balian, Alec DerSirakian,Vanessa Goebel, Sophia Goulopoulos, AliqueHaserjian, Sophia Kahvejian, VanaKaraguesian, Hovanes Kehyeian, LevonMarkosyan, Alexander Nalbandyan, AndrewSarkisssian, Philip Sarkissian, , RobertSohigian, Sevan Soukiasian, Aris Stefanis,Alique Stepanian, Sevana Stepanian,Benjamain Surenian and Izabell Tenekedzhyan.

On both days, the principal, Houry Boyamian,focused on the school’s recent achievements,especially the graduating class trip to Armeniaand the results of the Comprehensive Test of

Basic Skills. This year, students in the fourthgrade scored in the top 12 percent nationwide inlanguage skills and in the top 24 percent in math-ematics. Students in the second grade scored inthe top 23 percent in reading and in the top 15percent in math computation.

Boyamian thanked the faculty, the administra-tive staff, the PTO, parent volunteers, the schoolboard and committees, St. Stephen’s Churchboard of trustees, Rev. Archpriest AntranigBaljian, Rev. Karekine Bedourian, as well as allthe organizations and individuals that contributeto the advancement of the school.

During the elementary program, Boyamian hon-ored with a special plaque Krista Aslanian, who hasbeen one of the school’s staunchest supporterssince 1995. Aslanian has wholeheartedly donatedher time serving as a member and then as chair ofthe Education Committee.

The preschool director, Maral Orchanian, hadchosen the theme of “community helpers” forthe younger students’ program. Through songand dance they paid tribute to various profes-sions serving the community.

The elementary program was dedicated tothe Armenian Child. Elementary students pre-

sented the theme with poems, songs, dance anddrama followed by a video presentation of thefifth-grade trip to Armenia coordinated byArmenian teacher Ardemis Megerdichian.

After the presentation of the diplomas the fol-lowing awards were given:

Awards for Excellence in Armenian Studiesfrom the Prelacy went to Prelacy Award: MaryGalstian, Liana Nalbandian, Rita Orchanian,Sonia Ourfalian, Anoush Krafian and GeorgeYeghyayan; Armenian Relief Society Award,Rubina Vosbigian; St. Stephen’s School Award,Sepahn Chiloyan and Daniela Rizza; St.Stephen’s Education Committee Award: SaroKaraguesian; Certificate of Recognition forInterest in Armenian History, AnastasiaGoulopoulos; Certificate of Recognition inArmenian Heritage, Sena Changelian;Presidential Award for Academic Excellence,Anastasia Goulopoulos, Liana Nalbandian andRita Orchanian; Presidential Award forAcademic Achievement, Mary Galstian, AnoushKrafian and Saro Karaguesian; CitizenshipAward, Sonia Ourfalian and Rubina Vosbigian;Nishan and Arshalouys Najarian Scholarship($200 each) for interest in music, SananMaroukhian; for Interest in the Arts and Music,Narek Sahakian, Sam Sagherian and KarylAshjian; ARS Essay Contest, Anoush Krafian;Perfect Attendance Award, Vanessa Goebel (K),Shant Karamousayan (Gr. 2), Ara Changelian(Gr. 3), Sena Changelian (Gr. 5).

Grades 4 and 5 students perform on Graduation Night. (Mardo Kevorkian photo)

Graduation Ceremonies Held at St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School

9S A T U R D A Y, J U L Y 2 , 2 0 1 1 T H E A R M E N I A N M I R R O R - S P E C TAT O R

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BIKE-A-THON, from page 5Papazian, Mal Barsamian, John Berberian,Hagop Garabedian, Joe Kouyoumjian, MikeGregian, Costa Maniatakos, Richard Boyajianand Gregory Smyrlian. Some other musiciansand guests couldn’t resist, and grabbing a sparedumbeg, tambourine or oud, joined in on themusical fun. Others danced Armenian style,encouraging other guests to join their snake-like line.

And it wasn’t just Armenians enjoying theBBQ. Majid Bensellam, originally from Moroccobut now residing in Boston, has been a friendof Richard Boyajian for 16 years. “I am sympa-thetic to this cause. It was a pleasure to do thebike ride early in the morning,” declaredBensellam.

Echoing the sentiment was Nancy St. John ofCohasset. “We think what he is doing is greatand we like to support it.” She heard about thebenefit event through her husband, who makesflags, including ones representing Armenia.

Boyajian thinks of every little detail in plan-ning for the annual event. Indeed, he even goesto a local farm in the western suburbs to pro-cure meat so that’s it’s freshly killed “like you’dfind in Armenia,” he says. Boyajian not only pre-pares his home and outside yard for the daysleading up to the event, but procures and cooksmuch of the food served at the post-ride BBQ.

Twenty-four hours before the event findsBoyajian with a volunteer team making dozensof yalanchi. Then there is a huge salad to puttogether as well. The next day, the finishedproducts are brought outside and laid out on along table next to the hugest, deepest platter of

hummus that I’ve ever seen. And of course, noArmenian meal would be complete withoutpilaf. One really busy place is the BBQ pitwhere chefs Ara Ghazarian and Ben DerTorosian are constantly moving, flipping andturning the meat, serving an admiring crowd.

Boyajian has tackled numerous projects, oftenplayground-related, in various parts of Armenia,including Sissian, Gumri, Zeitoun and NorMarash. The foundation’s latest project is in thevillage of Hnaberd in the Ararat Valley. He saidthis is the first time they have taken on theresponsibility of rehabbing an entire building.How he found Hnaberd is the story of one con-nection leading to another. After he visited atreasured archaeological site at Dvin, an ancient

capital of Armenia, “Deagin Frina, the archaeol-ogist, asked me, Peggy Hovanissian, a member ofmy Board of Directors, and her dad to meet themayor of a nearby bordering village. The mayorsaid, ‘We don’t need a playground. We need help

with this building!’” recalls Boyajian.On a future trip, Peggy Hovanissian repre-

sented the board and oversaw the constructionin purchasing the materials from local sourcesand hiring the local skilled labor to put a roofon the building, add doors and windows,remove the outhouse and redo the plumbing.Half of the building is now used as a communi-ty center, and the other half is used as a teach-ing and napping area for Kindergarten age chil-dren. Hopefully, cots, a stove, refrigerator andcabinets will soon be added — essential whenthe staff must prepare meals since the childrenstay there half the day and need to nap whiletheir parents are working long hours in thefields and farms to earn a living. In three years,

the Foundation has raised around $25,000 forthis Hnaberd project. The building, named theMary Boyajian Parechanian Kindergarten, is inmemory of Boyajian’s late mother. The sign onthe playground acknowledges the donation bythe Nish Boyajian Memorial Foundation for itscreation.

All the monetary donations received godirectly to each project. Boyajian himself paysfor his plane fare and hotels.

For this summer’s trip to Armenia, Boyajianwill take quilts made by a group of senior volun-teers from the Beech Street Center in Belmont,to be used by the children when they take naps.“Not one of the quilters is Armenian,” said

Boyajian, “It transcends nationalities. It’s justhuman beings helping other human beings withtheir needs.” Some of the quilts were displayedand admired by guests at the BBQ.

Besides helping across the Atlantic, the foun-dation has also worked to help children locally.Through contact with Precision Fitness’s CEODavid Aykanian, a life cycle was donated for useby children attending the Abaka ArmenianSchool for Performing Arts. Apo Ashjian,Abaka’s founder, was grateful for the gift as ithelps the dancers prevent injury.

The foundation’s website(www.boyajianmemorialfoundation.com) haspictures of some of its projects.

Bike-a-thon Raises Money for Children in Armenia

Guests enjoy sitting in the garden.

Musicians play at the BBQ.

More music entertained guests at the BBQ.

NANCY KALAJIAN PHOTO

NANCY KALAJIAN PHOTO

NANCY KALAJIAN PHOTO

LEXINGTON, Mass. — On June 13, the Armenian Sisters’ Academy (ASA) completedits spring visiting speakers series with a presentation on colonial New England by mem-bers of the Billerica Historical Society.

The elementary classes at the ASA have on many occasions read about colonial life insmall New England towns, the dynamic presence of historical actors and their demon-strations brought history to life.

Among the demonstrations the students saw up close included an antique foot-pow-

ered toaster and candle-making tools. These demonstrations left students with a strongersense of how past generations appreciated each and every item in their homes since inmost cases these were grown, built or made by families themselves — the concept ofreduce, reuse and recycle really hit home.

“Students loved learning about the daily lives of children in colonial America,” statedCathy Izzo, social studies teacher at the ASA. “After the presentation, students were ableto compare their lives to children living in colonial times.”

Topics covered this spring by the speakers included world geography with theEarthView Project out of Bridgewater State University; chemistry with graduate stu-dents from the MIT Department of Chemistry; classical Armenian instruments withmusician Mari Bertlizian; meteorology with Chris Lambert of WHDH TV and sociologywith Dr. Susan Pattie, author of Who are the Armenians?.

Volunteers from the Billerica Historical Society demonstrated tools used by Colonialists forthe students of the Armenian Sisters’ Academy of Lexington.

Armenian Sisters’ Academy GetsCloser Look at Colonial New England

By Taleen Babayan

NEW YORK — The Krikor and Clara ZohrabInformation Center of the Diocese of theArmenian Church of America (Eastern) hasbeen a hub of activity in the summer weeks, as

the library’s doors have opened to its summerinterns.

The dedicated interns, including ArmenBandikian, Jennifer Manoukian and NicoleSaglamer, have been working hands-on to help

further the vision of the Zohrab Center and tomake its resources more accessible to individu-als interested in Armenian studies around theworld.

The interns have been tackling a range ofresponsibilities this summer, including cata-loging books and digitizing the center’s holdingsto make them available for the general public.

Last summer, with the help of the interns, thecenter’s online catalog was launched. Morethan 15,000 books in the library’s collectioncan now be accessed around the world by visit-ing www.zohrabcentercatalog.com.

While the interns’ contributions have indeedbeen valued in the center, they too come awaywith a newfound appreciation for Armenian lit-erary traditions and culture.

“For me, working at the Zohrab Center hasbeen more than a job, but rather an experiencethat allows me to leave work each day havinglearned something new,” said Saglamer, asophomore studying chemistry at NYU, who isinterning in the center for the second consecu-tive summer.

In fact, it was the center’s materials on ZabelYesayan that created Manoukian’s ties to theZohrab Center. While working on her thesispaper on the author, she found useful one-of-a-kind resources for her research.

“I relied heavily on the Zohrab Center’s peri-odical collection for my project,” saidManoukian who studied Middle Eastern studiesand French at Rutgers University. “While doingmy research, I realized how valuable and uniqueit is to have such a vast collection of Armenian-language resources open to everyone.”

Echoing Manoukian’s sentiments, Bandikian,a senior studying information systems at StonyBrook University, said he felt “compelled” to

intern in the center for another summer.“After working here for two years I am still

amazed to see the types of books I come acrosswhile doing my work,” he said.

The Krikor and Clara Zohrab InformationCenter was founded in 1987 by Dolores ZohrabLiebmann, in honor of her parents, Krikor andClara. Her father, Krikor Zohrab, was a promi-nent lawyer, author and Parliamentarian in theOttoman Empire, who was arrested and killedduring the Armenian Genocide.

The Zohrab Center serves as a researchlibrary and has a rich and diverse collectionripe with books relating to Armenian history,literature and religion. It also serves as a cul-tural center, hosting conferences, lectures, filmscreenings and book presentations amongmany other events tailored to the localArmenian community.

Saglamer notes, “Interning at the center hasgiven me the opportunity to meet otherArmenian youth and most importantly, it hasallowed me to stay connected with myArmenian identity.”

For more information, visitwww.zohrabcenter.com.

10 S A T U R D A Y, J U L Y 2 , 2 0 1 1 T H E A R M E N I A N M I R R O R - S P E C TAT O R

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CATSKILLS, N.Y. — On Saturday, July 2,AGBU Camp Nubar’s 48th summer season willkick off and the first session is officially soldout. Campers from near and far are gettingready for an exciting summer with fellowcampers hailing from the United States (includ-ing New York, New Jersey and Michigan),Canada (Montreal and Toronto), France andTurkey. A handful of spots remain for the sec-ond and third session, so parents are urged tosign up before it is too late.

This year, Camp Nubar will be introducing agreat addition to its Armenian Program as theywelcome two instructors from the AGBUChildren’s Centers in Armenia. From July 16 toAugust 6, ballet master Arman Julhakyan andart instructor Ella Pepanyan will conduct class-es for the youth in traditional Armenian dance,arts, crafts and pottery. The Armenian Programis an integral part of Camp Nubar’s outstandingclassic activities, such as archery, ceramics,boating, sports, tubing, horseback riding, artsand crafts, digital media technology, photogra-phy and much more.

While Nubar staff will be arriving at the campshortly, they have been hard at work on thisseason’s calendar. Led by director JenniferOmartian, the camp staff create an unforget-

table learning experience that encouragesfriendships and community. Omartian has beena member of Camp Nubar for the past 18 yearsand her dedication and love of AGBU’s campensures a nurturing and fun environment forthe campers and staff.

Omartian has a strong team of head staffworking together throughout the summer.Returning for his fourth year as assistant direc-tor is Daniel Antreasyan, whose passion forCamp Nubar and the Armenian community isevident year round in his work at AGBU, wherehe serves as the manager of the organization’sUniversity Outreach Program. Jackie Distasiwill be the waterfront director for the third sum-mer. Taking on the role of girls’ head and boys’head counselors are Tamar Merjian and ArmenShamamian, who together will motivate theirstaff and keep campers smiling each day.

If a child is too young for camp, they can stillbe a part of Camp Nubar. On Saturday, June 11,Nubar Kids enjoyed a day at Alley PondEnvironmental Center in Flushing, Queens.Twenty children, ages 1-8, took part in playtime, an outdoor nature hike, arts and craftsand a bagel brunch. They were joined by CampNubar alumni, parents and friends.

To enroll online, visit www.campnubar.org.

AGBU Camp Nubar First Session SoldOut, 48th Summer Poised to Start

Armen Bandikian organizing the Zohrab Center’s 18th- and 19th-century Armenian book collection

Summer Interns Begin New Projects in Zohrab Center

Jennifer Manoukian and Nicole Saglamer assist at a Zohrab Center-sponsored event.

Students Participate inEnd-of-Year Hantes

By Taleen Babayan

TENAFLY, N.J. — This year the annual hantesat Kirikian Armenian School was like noneother. Not only did it mark the school’s end ofthe year cultural program, it was also a time tocelebrate the 50th anniversary of the schooland to pay tribute to its historic past.

As alumni, parents and teachers gathered onSunday afternoon, June 13 at St. ThomasArmenian Church, they were greeted by morethan 100 Armenian school students whoentered Saddler Hall to the patriotic song,Garmeer, Gaboyd, Dziranakoyn. The students,from nursery to the seventh grade, took their

places on the stage, which was flanked by twolarge banners of every Armenian school gradu-

ate’s favorite characters, “Ara” and“Maral.”

The afternoon also paid homageto long-time Armenian educatorSylva Der Stepanian, the master-mind of the Armenian school cur-riculum now widely used inArmenian schools around theworld, which in the 1970s intro-duced the popular “Ara” and“Maral” characters. Serving as thefirst principal of Kirikian ArmenianSchool, Der Stepanian’s efforts anddedication laid a strong foundationfor educating generations ofArmenian-Americans over the nextfive decades.

Siblings Shahe and KatiaJebejian, emulating “Ara” and“Maral” in dress and character, wel-comed everyone to the program —to much fanfare — promising anafternoon of song and dance andmany other Armenian cultural ele-ments.

In her welcoming address, AniCapan, principal of the school forthe past 25 years, said it was a mem-orable day for the KirikianArmenian School community. Shenoted the most-recent successes of

the school, with its record-high enrollment of130 students — vowing to “double this number”in the future. She credited the teaching staff’shard-work in providing quality Armenianinstruction to the students week after week.

Commending Capan and the teaching stafffor their dedicated service to the school, VeryRev. Papken V. Anoushian, pastor of St.Thomas Armenian Church, said, “they are alldeserving of our applause and our respect,because they have given respect and love to ourchurch and to our school.”

“Before they leave Kirikian, our studentshave to be proud of the Armenian Church, lan-guage, culture, history and of our motherArmenia,” he added.

A testament to Anoushian’s words was the50th-anniversary reunion committee, whosemembers had been preparing for this milestonesince last year. Sarkis Jebejian, chairman of thecommittee, said the members were proud tocontribute to this memorable occasion.

“We realized that we had very importantmemories of our childhood here,” he said. “Wedidn’t just learn to read and write or dancehere. We learned to be good Armenians and tobe good people.”

He expressed his gratitude to Capan and toall the teachers for their continued support andcommitment to the school.

“I was so proud watching a committee of for-mer students, full of enthusiasm, helping theschool to organize this 50th anniversary,”Capan later said. “They made us feel youngagain and look to the future with renewedhope.”

Throughout the afternoon, each of thegrades presented various aspects of Armenianculture, including poem recitations, dance, songand theater. Graduation ceremonies for thekindergarten and seventh-grade classes alsotook place. In her farewell speech, seventh-grade graduate Carla Sabbagh reflected on herand her classmates’ time as students at KirikianArmenian School and the lessons they learnedthat they would carry with them in theirfutures.

Another highlight of the afternoon was avideo presentation tracing Kirikian ArmenianSchool’s history from its beginnings to present-day, filled with footage and photographs of stu-dents and teachers from the past 50 years.

Following the hantes, the celebration contin-ued in the adjacent atrium. Rose-filled vasesadorned with Armenian letters served as cen-

terpieces, reminding former students abouttheir lessons of the “ayp, poo, pen.” A life-sizecut-out board of “Ara” and “Maral” was also ondisplay where many children posed for pho-tographs with the beloved characters.

As different generations of alumni, teachersand students gathered together, they enjoyedconversation, Armenian food and the cutting of

the celebratory cake.“A success of 50 years does not come to real-

ization by itself,” said Capan. “Unity with onesingle goal and working hand in hand is thesecret of all success.”

11S A T U R D A Y, J U L Y 2 , 2 0 1 1 T H E A R M E N I A N M I R R O R - S P E C TAT O R

MM EE TT RR OONewYork

Claire KedeshianReceives Henry L.Stimson Medal

NEW YORK — Claire S. Kedeshian, afederal prosecutor in New York, receivedthe 2011 Henry L. Stimson Medal fromthe City Bar Association on behalf of theUnited States Attorney’s Office for theEastern District of New York, CivilDivision.

The medal is awarded annually to out-standing assistant US attorneys fromboth the Eastern and Southern Districtsof New York, one from the Civil Division,one from the Criminal Division, whoexemplify the characteristics of integrity,fair play and superior commitment to thepublic good. The US Attorney’s Office forthe EDNY is one of the largest and mostactive offices in the country and repre-sents the government in federal casesthroughout New York City and LongIsland.

Kedeshian is a two-time recipient of theAttorney General Director’s Award for herwork on civil racketeering and interna-tional narcotics forfeiture cases. She hasalso been honored with the Departmentof Justice’s John Marshall Award for out-standing achievement in asset forfeiture.

A graduate of Barnard College,Columbia University and Brooklyn LawSchool, Kedeshian has served as an elect-ed member of the board of directors forthe Armenian Bar Association andnumerous other non-profit organizations.She has been a guest lecturer to lawenforcement communities and at educa-tional institutions throughout the UnitedStates, including West Point Academy, aswell as internationally in Armenia, SouthAmerica and Mexico.Students performing a traditional Armenian dance during the hantes

Kirikian Armenian School Celebrates 50 Years

Sarkis Jebejian, chairman of the reunion committee

The graduating class of Kirikian Armenian School

From left, Dr. Levon Capan, Junior Choir director and St.Thomas Parish Council chairman; Ani Capan, principal ofthe Kirikian Armenian School; Artemis Arslanian, ExecutiveCommittee member and pianist and Very Rev. Papken V.Anoushian, pastor of St. Thomas Armenian Church

Kindergarten graduation students

12

PhotographicExhibition: GreeksOf ArmeniaNEW YORK — The Association of Greek

American Professional Women (AGAPW),under the auspices of the Greek GeneralConsulate and Ambassador Aghi Balta, recentlyorganized a photographic show and presenta-tion by Dr. Marina Mkhitaryan, titled “Greeks ofArmenia: In Memory of My Mother,” on Greeksof Armenia, which is dedicated to the memoryof her Pontic mother and in celebration of themothers of the Greek diaspora. The event tookplace at the Greek Consulate May 2-16.Each year AGAPW celebrates mothers of

Greek descent by featuring the body of work ofartists or other professionals inspired by anddedicated to Greek mothers and mothers of theGreek diaspora.Born and raised in Yerevan, Armenia, to an

Armenian father and a Pontic-Greek mother,

she has done extensive photographic researchon the Greek community in Armenia. Her col-lection of archival family photos, together withher own original photographs of GreekArmenians in their homes, communities andclassrooms, where the Greek language is beingtaught, records the community’s rich historyand accomplishments, their contributions totheir homeland and continuous efforts to pre-serve the Greek language and culture and con-nect to the motherland.Mkhitaryan has dedicated her work to the

memory of her mother, Nina Lazareva(Lazaridou) and to all Greek mothers.For more information, visit

www.greeksofarmenia.com.

T H E A R M E N I A N M I R R O R - S P E C TAT O R

Arts & LivingS A T U R D A Y, J U L Y 2 , 2 0 1 1

Khachaturian TrioPerform OutstandingConcerts in Sydney

SYDNEY, Australia — From their first performance as guest artists during theApril 24 commemoration to two sell-out concerts at The Independent Theatre, theKhachaturian Trio captivated audiences with their mesmerizing performances ofInternational and Armenian masterpieces.The members of the Khachaturian Trio are Armine Grigoryan (piano), Karen

Shahgaldyan (violin) and Karen Kocharyan (cello), who are not only distinguishedvirtuoso performing artists individually, but as an ensemble have managed to suc-cessfully create an almost perfect musical trinity through interweaving their pro-found sense of harmony with brilliant technique and craftsmanship.Although a trio should have only three members, the group has adopted a fourth

member, Sona Barseghian, who is in her own right a virtuoso pianist and a laureatefrom many distinguished international competitions. Barseghian accompanies thetrio and performs with her mother, Armine Grigoryan, pieces written for two pianosor for four hands.The trio’s tour of Sydney was the brainchild of Avo and Jacqueline Tevanian, who

heard the trio perform in Yerevan earlier in the year at a special concert organizedby Assadour Guzelian. Upon hearing the Khachaturian Trio perform, Avo Tevanianwas so inspired that he decided to sponsor their trip to Australia so they could per-form in Sydney as well. He contacted Toros Boghossian, chairman of the AGBUSydney Chapter, and requested AGBU’s collaboration in organizing the trio’s tourand concerts in Sydney.The AGBU Special Events Team was formed in 2006 to organize events to mark

the 100th anniversary of the founding of the AGBU. The team successfully stage-managed the performance of Tigranian’s “Anoush” Opera, with Arax Mansourian inthe lead role.Since then, the team has been involved in organizing many artistic and cultural

events presented by the AGBU.It is rare to find a team like theirs that can successfully work together over five

years with absolute unity and camaraderie — each one of the members bringingtheir own special talents into the group.The members of the team are (in alphabetical order) Sylvia Aghabekian, Lucy

Aroyan, Nora Bastajian, Tatar Bedikian and Sylvia Jamcotchian. The team was ablysupported by members of the AGBU Executive Committee: Arto Karagelinian,Hovhaness Kouyoumdjian, Dikran Dikranian and Sarkis Manoukian with the lead-ership of Toros Boghossian. A large production such as this takes months to coor-dinate and requires a lot of support from the community.On Tuesday, May 3, the trio gave a master class in Sydney open to Armenian

advanced-level music students and performers. It was an unprecedented event (prob-ably the first event of its kind in the community) attended by talented young musi-cians. The master class was held at The Theme and Variations Showroom inWilloughby courtesy of Ara and Nyree Vartoukian who opened their studios late inthe evening to accommodate the event. All the performers, including their parentsand teachers who were present, benefited from the opportunity to attend.The Khachaturian Trio had a busy 10 days in Sydney. Their first performance was

during the commemoration ceremony of the Armenian Genocide, which was heldon April 29. The trio was also invited to join the panel for the auditions to theupcoming Armenian Community Performing Arts Concert (taking place in Sydneyin early June). The trio was invited by many organizations in the community andattended many cultural events, graciously performing wherever the opportunity pre-sented. The trio members also took time to tour the city, meet local Armenians andnon-Armenians and left great impressions on everyone they met.The highlight of the Khachaturian Trio tour was their two concerts held on May

6 and 7 at the Independent Theatre in North Sydney. Both events were sell-outsee KHACHATURIAN, page 13

Record Number ofYoung Adults atAznavour Tribute

By Florence Avakian

NEW YORK — The Fund for Armenian Relief(FAR) tribute to international legend CharlesAznavour on May 20 is still very much on theminds of many of the attendees. The banquet atthe Wall Street Cipriani was unique in severalways, including being one of the largest attendedArmenian events ever — more than 600 present— and for the great attraction it had for youngadults who attended in impressive numbers.“Inspired,” gushed lawyerMarthaMensoian, one

of the many young professionals in attendance.“FAR is one of the few Armenian organizations Iam absolutely committed to supporting. AndAznavour is an icon, both in and outside theArmenian community. To combine the two in oneeventmadeattending anon-issue,” she commented.Melanie Dadourian, a producer of documen-

taries for the Fox News Channel, and also astrong supporter of FAR development programs,felt that “it was important to honor someone likeCharles Aznavour who has given so much toArmenia.” Dadourian added that she was “espe-cially moved” that despite Aznavour’s fame, suc-cess and busy schedule, he still devotes time andmoney to the Armenian people. “On that warmMay evening, I walked away from Cipriani feelingso much hope and pride that the tradition of giv-ing continues,” she saidFor Alex Topakbashian, a financial analyst,

FAR has been the vehicle by which he and hiswife, former ACYOA members, had the opportu-nity to travel to Armenia with the annual tripthat FAR sponsors. While in Armenia, theTopakbashians “experienced firsthand the kindof work that FAR is doing and the contributionsit is making to the development of Armenia.”Since then, they have felt a strong connection toFAR “as the primary vehicle for making a differ-ence in Armenia.”He called the tribute “fabulous. The venue, the

atmosphere and the experience were exquisite.With Charles Aznavour as the honoree, who isquite possibly the greatest example of an Armenianindividual who has an impact on a global scale, thiswas an evening we knew we would remember.”Topakbashian related that seeing so many peo-

ple at the event that he has interacted with overthe years, he was left thinking about “howArmenians can leverage the strength of our com-munity, and what kind of impact it would haveon Armenia, if we did.”Marine Vorperian, a criminal justice investiga-

tor, found the Aznavour tribute “flawless andmagnificent. The organizers planned it to perfec-tion,” she said. “It was wonderful to see so manypeople of all ages, attending.”Since childhood, Vorperian related that she

has been a “great fan” of Aznavour’s music. “Ihave always found him inspirational, and haveloved the passion and energy he puts into hisperformances. He is second to none. So when Ihad the opportunity to attend this event, therewas no hesitation.”Project Manager Aline Markarian, who is also

the chairperson of the AGBU Young Professionalsof Greater New York, also was inspired to see “theimmense contribution” that Aznavour has madetowards helping Armenia which she said wasshownwith particular poignancy during the videoportion of the tribute.Markarian, whose mother was a member of

the evening’s planning committee, noted the“incredible energy” among the attendees, andthe notable showing of young adults. “The eventwas even more special for who was being hon-ored, this incredible legend, Charles Aznavour, ahumble man who has made such a great impacton this world, not only for Armenians, but alsofor the world at large. In such a beautiful spacewith its impressive grandeur, one could not helpbut feel how special the occasion was,” shedeclared. “This was an event that I will alwaysremember.”

Arax Mansourian,left, with Karen Shahgaldyan

Dr. Marina Mkhitaryan

Three Generations SingTogether in MichiganMIDLAND, Mich. — On June16, three genera-

tions performed Carmina Burana by Carl Orffwith the Midland Symphony Orchestra.Participating with 300 singers on one stagewere Sarah Dergazarian, her daughter, AnnetteMamassian, and Annette Mamassian’s daugh-ter, Anna Mamassian.Dergazarian, a retired public school music

educator and choral director of the MidlandYouth Honors Chorus, which she founded in1981, is recognized in the music societythroughout Michigan. Upon graduation fromthe University of Wisconsin, she became thedirector/organist of the Armenian Church inGreenfield, Wis. As a resident of Midland for 52years, she has established herself as a driving

see MICHIGAN, page 13

KHACHATURIAN, from page 12performances attended by Armenian and non-Armenian music loving audiences. Playing a dif-ferent program each night, the trio presented awell-selected group of works — challenging butat the same time enjoyable works for all toappreciate.For the Saturday concert, audiences were

delighted when the local prima donna ofAustralian Opera, soprano Arax Mansourian,joined the trio. Mansourian was one of the lead-ing sopranos of theArmenian NationalOpera before movingto Australia in 1994.Since her arrival inSydney, she hasachieved more thanany other Armeniansoprano, landing lead-ing roles with the pres-tigious Opera Australiaand receiving acclaimfrom critics, who havepraised her for herexquisite timbre, broadvocal range and fineacting ability. The nos-talgia expressed whenMansourian sangGanachian’s Oror andKomitas’ Garun-a wasso overwhelming thatone could see tears flowing from some of theaudience members.What sets the Khachaturian Trio apart is

their gift of generosity. Having found successand fame not only in Armenia but also on theworldwide stage, the trio members have been

on a quest to identify and nurture new talent.Technology and globalization have shiftedinterests in many young children away fromclassical music and the arts to spending timeon computers playing games. Many parentsin the villages and regions in Armenia lackthe financial means to support their chil-dren’s musical development. Recognizing thisproblem, the trio tour Armenia and give mas-ter classes at music schools in order to iden-tify gifted young musicians and provide them

with the opportunity to further develop theirmusical education. With the help of AssadourGuzelian of London, they have formed a spe-cial fund called “Young Talent Quest” to helpsupport the musical education of theseyoung children and already the fund is sup-porting many gifted Armenian children tocontinue their music studies in Yerevan.All good things come to an end and the trio

have returned back to Yerevan to continue withtheir busy schedule of tours and concerts. Theorganizers thank Mr. and Mrs. Tevanian and theAGBU Sydney Chapter for inviting the trio,whose music will remain vivid for years in thememory of those who attended the concerts.

— H. J. Sebouhian

13T H E A R M E N I A N M I R R O R - S P E C TAT O R

ARTS & LIVING

S A T U R D A Y, J U L Y 2 , 2 0 1 1

Since its inception in 2001, TCA’s ‘Sponsora Teacher’ program has raised over $477,750and reached out to 3,700 teachers andschool workers in Armenia and Karabagh.

� Yes, I want to sponsor teachers in Armenia and Karabagh to continuehelping them to educate the children, our future leaders. I would like to havethe teacher’s name and address.

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Make check payable to: Tekeyan Cultural Association – Memo: Sponsor a Teacher 2010Mail your check with this form to:

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Three Generations SingTogether in MichiganMICHIGAN, from page 12force in youth choral music and continues tomentor young vocal students. In 1989, she wasnamed Musician of the Year by the MidlandSymphony Orchestra and Music Society and in1999, she received a special tribute from thegovernor of the Michigan. She has conductedworkshops at the University of MichiganMidwest Music Conference and at numerousMichigan colleges. In the Armenian Church,she has conducted workshops for the St. JohnChurch Komitas Choir in Detroit, St. MesrobChurch in Racine, Wis. and for the ChoirAssociation of the Western Diocese inCalifornia. Dergazarian and her late husband,Thomas, have an education endowment for St.Nersess Seminary, and she also has an endow-ment with the Midland Area CommunityFoundation providing scholarships to studentsmajoring in vocal music education.Annette Mamassian, a University of Michigan

graduate, has sung with the U of M ArtsChorale, Michigan Opera Theater and currentlysings with the Madrigal Chorale of Southfield,where she has performed twice at the WhiteHouse. She has been a member of and soloist tSt. John Armenian Church Komitas Choir ofDetroit for more than 25 years. Having per-formed this cantata many times, she was invit-ed by the director of the Midland Music Societyto sing in this production.Anna Mamassian, a junior at Central

Michigan University, is a member of theUniversity Concert Choir and is pursuing a dou-ble major in music education in instrumentaland vocal. A graduate of Detroit St. JohnChurch School, in 2007 and 2008 she partici-pated in the Eastern Diocese Junior ChoirLeadership Program. Upon completion of hertraining, she conducted parts of the badarak inNew York and with the St. John Komitas Choir.

Khachaturian Trio Performs in SydneyDDaanncciinngg AAtt tthhee MMoonnaasstteerryy.. Poems by

Diana Der-Hovanessian, Sheep MeadowPress, Box 1345, Riverdale, New York,

10471 103 pages 16.50

By Susan Pahigian

These poems may be telling a true storyabout a lost love, or they may be a series ofimagined dancing adventures, either waythey are heart-wrenching and filled with sur-prises. They are interspersed with the smalltouching poems, referring to the poet’sArmenian heritage.This is Diana Der-Hovanessian’s 12th col-

lection of her own poems and 24th book,counting her translations, which have beencalled “works of genius” by the New YorkTimes critic Nona Balakian. The TimesLiterary Review called her a “brilliant poetwho has opened up the book of her peopleto the English-speaking world.”In this new book we find many love

poems, many to a boy drowned in theTyrrhenian Sea, some to dancers in the hillsof Sassoun, to musician friends such as MaroAjemian and mountains, especially for “theone mountain that lies in clouds and snowsacross the border, Ararat, that like a dreamcomes and goes.”There are poems about her university days

in New England, others about New York,and still others based in Armenia where shewas a Fulbright scholar and teacher ofAmerican poetry. The thread that ties themtogether is the music of the Armenian dance.

In “Dancing With the Dead” she writes:The best waltzer I ever danced withwas a Russian in a Moscow café.Next best was my college friend Lindy.I wonder if his mother had sent him todance

lessons too. We always had so much tosay

to one another we talked even when wedanced.

Except now when there is a great Strauswaltz

on the radio, we dance without saying aword.

Some of the strongest poems are connect-ed to her inherited background:I have come to Yerevan;My father earned for me the right.My father earned more than the right.He shed his blood and spent his lifewanting to return to Yerevan.In the battle where General Murad diedmy father also left for deadrose with a bullet in his headthat like this ache always remained.I have inherited his pain.I have inherited his claim.I have inherited his fight.I have inherited his rightto return to Yerevan.There are many, prosy poems, telling sto-

ries such as “The Horse Whisperer,” abouther father’s horses in Armenia and poemsabout her friendship with other poets, suchas Frances Minturn Howard.The volume also contains poems in form,

sonnets and villanelles, all well suited fordancing on paper.

Ode to Many Forms of Love in Der-Hovanneisan Book

From left, Karen Shaggaldyan, Armine Grigoryan, Sona Barseghyan andKaren Kocharyan

14

LETTERS

S A T U R D A Y, J U L Y 2 , 2 0 1 1 T H E A R M E N I A N M I R R O R - S P E C TAT O R

COMMENTARY

By Edmond Y. Azadian

His Holiness Karekin II had been planning to visit GeorgianArmenian communities for a long time. His visit would be onlythe second one since Khrimian Hairig, Catholicos of allArmenians, visited more than a century ago. On again and offagain, the visit finally happened when Georgian Church author-ities, and especially Georgian Patriarch Illya II, extended theinvitation, when all his traps and plots were in place to intimi-date his Armenian counterpart.Georgians are known to be fun-loving people, always at the

expense of others. During the last several centuries, Armeniansbuilt their capital, Tbilisi, which in the 19th century had becomethe Paris of the Caucasus. When the Soviet revolution came tobe, it was a very handy excuse to get rid of the capitalist class —mostly Armenian — and they took over what that class had builtin terms of culture, architecture, material wealth and religiousinstitutions.Georgia is the only other Christian nation in the Caucasus,

but it has always been envious of the Armenians and thus isalways plotting against Armenia, in collusion with its enemies.It turns out that that competitive envy had also permeated

the Georgian religious order, beginning from their PatriarchIllya II down to the ordinary priests usurping Armenian church-es, all along and trampling human and minority rights.In Georgia, Armenians are mostly concentrated in the capital

Tbilisi and the Javakhk region. During the Soviet period andsubsequent independence years, Georgians have repressedArmenians into becoming a docile community.Although the Armenian government tries to help fellow

Armenians in Georgia, it has to do so with kid gloves, becauseArmenia’s economic lifeline to the world beyond goes throughGeorgia. In addition, gas and oil from Russia pass through theGeorgian territory. The Tbilisi government has deftly used thosefactors every time it has decided to exert political pressure onArmenia.Javakhk is an Armenian territory, which has fallen under

Georgian administration by an accident of history, during the1918-1920 period. The Georgians have used tacit and not-so-tacit methods to depopulate the region of Armenians.The catholicos’s visit this month brought out the true colors

and intentions of the Georgian clergy.To begin with, the Georgian Patriarch accompanied Karekin,

under the pretext of hosting him on Georgian land, but in real-ity, he tried to steal the show, because Armenians all over thatland gave a warm reception to the Armenian pontiff. HisHoliness also raised some outstanding issues between thechurches: confiscation of Armenian monasteries and places ofworship and above all the status of the Armenian Church inGeorgia. As of today, the Armenian Church does not have a legalstatus in that country. The government gets away with murder,thumbing its nose at Armenian demands.

It is ironic that the European Union, the US StateDepartment and human rights groups are at Armenia’s backto accept and register all kinds of esoteric sects which wreakhavoc in Armenia, undermining the authority of the ArmenianApostolic Church and infiltrate the military to incite soldiersto give up arms against the enemy. Armenia is criticized asbeing a partially free country, whereas Georgia enjoys impuni-ty though it has refused to recognize any church as a legalentity, because Georgia is the West’s spoiled brat in theCaucasus.During His Holiness Karekin’s visit, a joint communiqué sur-

faced in Tbilisi, with preposterous demands. The Armenian sidewas quick to clarify to the public that it has not signed such acommuniqué. The outrageous demand in that communiquéclaimed parity between the two churches, meaning, whateverstatus the Armenian Church enjoys in Georgia, the same statusshould be accorded to the Georgian Church in Armenia.Georgian clergy have confiscated Armenian churches in their

country, whereas no Georgian churches exist in Armenia, evenif the Armenian clergy harbored the same intensions versustheir Georgian counterparts.Despite this fact, the Georgian Patriarch announced a few

years ago the formation of the Diocese of the Georgian Churchin Northern Armenia, where very few Georgians live and nochurches exist.Adding insult to injury, the Georgian Patriarch made some

derogatory remarks about our Catholicos, dispensing advicethat he should wait to have more experience and that changecannot be brought overnight, forgetting that he needs to learnsome common courtesy and religious conduct and not tobehave like a Georgian guindo.Although the Catholicosate rebuked the remarks of the

Georgian pontiff, further action is needed to tame the Georgianarrogance.In the first place, the European governments who request

compliance from Armenia must be alerted. If necessary, legalaction needs to be taken.Armenians in Javakhk have limited resources and the

Armenian government is in a precarious situation and realizesthe cost of rocking the boat. Therefore, it is incumbent on dias-pora organizations — and especially religious institutions — toassume the responsibility and to meet the challenge.Washington, the patron saint of Georgia, has to be apprised

of the religious intolerance and abuse of human rights rampantin that country. In this instance, since the issue is mostly reli-gious in nature, both the Diocese and the Prelacy can cometogether to draft a position paper and appeal to our legislatureswho have become so generous in spoiling Georgia in order tospite Moscow.In addition, letters, e-mails and phone calls should inundate

the State Department and congressional offices.Sitting idly will not change the desperate situation of the

Armenians in Georgia.This boundless arrogance has to be contained.

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Time to Contain Georgian Arrogance

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S A T U R D A Y, J U L Y 2 , 2 0 1 1 T H E A R M E N I A N M I R R O R - S P E C TAT O R 15

COMMENTARY

Hanging Armenia’s DirtyLaundry in PublicPresident Serge Sargisian made an important appear-

ance at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council ofEurope (PACE) in Strasbourg last week. In a whirlwind30-minute speech, he covered Armenia’s internal and for-eign affairs, presenting his country in the best possiblelight before a distinguished foreign audience.On the domestic front, President Sargisian spoke about

fighting corruption, holding “fair and transparent elec-tions,” and overcoming “the consequences of the tragicevents of March 2008.”The President then reminded the European

Parliamentarians about Armenia’s “shared historical andcultural legacy” with Europe and discussed the ongoingnegotiations to resolve the Artsakh (Karabagh) conflict.He condemned “the extreme level of Armenophobia andracism” in Azerbaijan, and spoke of the difficulty of mak-ing “a concession to the side that is looking for a conve-nient excuse to shoot at us.”President Sargisian went on to accuse the Turkish gov-

ernment of undermining the “normalizaton” of Armenia-Turkey relations “by setting preconditions and failing tohonor its commitments, which rendered the ratificationof the signed Protocols impossible.” He called on Turkeyand Azerbaijan to end the “unlawful blockade imposedon Armenia” and accused Turkey of “not only failing to

recognize, but also engaging in a policy of blunt denial ofthe genocide of Armenians committed in the OttomanEmpire in 1915.” He pledged that Armenians and allthose concerned with crimes against humanity “willhenceforth remain focused on the international recogni-tion of the Armenian Genocide.”After his speech, President Sargisian spent another 30

minutes answering questions from PACE delegates rep-resenting Lithuania, France, Switzerland, Russia,Moldova, Holland, Armenia and Ireland. Five Azerbaijanishad placed their names on the list of parliamentarians toask questions, but none of them did so. The delegatesfrom Turkey had also made a unanimous decision not toquestion the Armenian president, as reported byHurriyet Turkish newspaper.The question that attracted most attention was the one

asked by Parliamentarian Zaruhi Postanjyan fromArmenia, a member of the opposition Heritage Party. Sheasked President Sargisian: “Since an authoritarianregime has been established in Armenia and all electionsfrom 1995 on have been rigged,” wouldn’t it be prefer-able if he organized special and fair elections and then“resigned?”As the Turkish president of PACE, Mevlut Cavusoglu,

snickered at the question, President Sargisian calmlyresponded that he was well aware of Postanjyan’s views,which she had freely expressed in the Armenian parlia-ment, on the street and in the media. He added that hewas not prepared to hold special elections because it isneither necessary nor constitutionally feasible to orga-nize such elections. He urged Postanjyan to participate inthe next regularly-scheduled parliamentary elections.Not surprisingly, President Sargisian’s PACE speech

was welcomed by his supporters and criticized by hisopponents at home. The most important issue for all con-cerned should have been whether the President’s impres-sive words would translate into action in the near future.However, the immediate controversy revolved around the

appropriateness of Postanjyan’s criticism of thePresident, while on foreign soil.Some Armenian politicians were of the opinion that it

was improper for Postanjyan “to attack” PresidentSargisian in the chambers of the European Council.Others felt that her “harsh words” inadvertently madethe president look good, because in a truly “authoritari-an regime,” she would have been excluded fromArmenia’s delegation, stripped of her parliamentaryimmunity and prosecuted. In fact, some EuropeanParliamentarians wondered whether Turkish or Azeri del-egates would dare to criticize their president at PACE?American politicians use the expression “politics stops

at the water’s edge” to indicate their willingness to setaside internal disputes for the sake of presenting a unit-ed front to outsiders. Applying that adage to Armenia,one could question the wisdom of making such dis-paraging comments before the Council of Europe, regard-less of whether one agrees with the President or his poli-cies. Since Armenia is routinely attacked by Turkish andAzerbaijani delegates in international forums, it is unwiseto add one’s voice to those tarnishing Armenia’s reputa-tion.This issue also comes up when some Armenians try to

pressure their authorities by taking their internal dis-putes to foreign governments and international courts.While their frustration is understandable, dragging a for-eign entity into an internal dispute detracts fromArmenia’s image overseas. In such cases, however, theblame must be shared by the Armenian government forfailing to ensure the integrity of domestic courts, there-by forcing citizens to turn elsewhere for justice.Before making critical comments about Armenia’s lead-

ership outside the country, especially by parliament mem-bers who have ample opportunity to express their viewsat home, one must weigh the benefits of pressuring theauthorities to respect the people’s rights with the dam-age caused to the country’s international reputation.

My TurnBy Harut Sassounian

hey say that genocide is “thedeliberate and systematicdestruction, in whole or inpart, of an ethnic, racial, reli-gious or national group.” Sowhy is it then that PonticGreeks continue to seek insome cases a separate recogni-tion for the genocide thatoccurred in the historic region

of Pontus? They were not a separate ethnicgroup — they were Greek. They were not aseparate racial group either — they were ofthe same race as the Greeks. Or so they tellus. They were not a separate religious group— they were Greek Orthodox. And they werenot a national group since Pontus was mere-ly a region of the then Ottoman Empire — itwas not a nation.Most would be aware of the resolutions

passed in US parliaments acknowledging orat least commemorating the day of May 19 asa day that genocide occurred in the Pontusregion. Most of these resolutions would havecome about as a result of efforts of Ponticassociations, which are mostly run by ordi-nary citizens. As a result of the lack of well-informed personnel, most if not all of the res-olutions contain factual irregularities. Forinstance most of them differ in the naming ofthe genocide, the number of victims, theinclusion or omission of other Greeks, whichalso were victims of the same genocide(Greeks of other parts of the OttomanEmpire) and a general lack of uniformity.Mistakes have continued in other parts of

the world namely in Australia where PonticGreeks sought a separate recognition andplaced the other Greek victims (which by theway outnumbered the Pontic Greeks) into acategory of “other minorities.” It must bestressed that more Greeks perished duringthe Greek Genocide of 1914-1923 outside ofPontus than within it. So why do PonticGreeks do it?In Sweden last year a resolution was

passed which only recognized the genocideof Pontic Greeks. The resolution was adopted

after additional information (which pointedto the genocide in regions outside of Pontus)was used. It was a result of efforts by a politi-cian of Pontic descent who resides inSweden. So we can see a clear pattern here.Pontic Greeks are only concerned about

their own people. They have little or no con-cern for the other Greeks that lived outsideof Pontus and who also died in the same cir-cumstances as their own people. In otherwords, the Greeks who were sent on deathmarches, massacred, raped and left to die inregions such as Smyrna, Nicomedia,Constantinople, Eastern Thrace, etc. are notworthy of recognition. This behavior is cer-tainly worrying. A genocide is certainly adreadful act. But recognition should encom-pass all the victims and not just those fromone region. After all, if we look at the defini-tion of the term genocide as mentionedabove, the Pontic Greeks are acting outsideof the definition of the term. They are not adistinct race, ethnic group, religion or nation-al group.Aside from pride in their own separate cul-

ture (they danced and spoke Greek different-ly) there is another reason why they seek sep-arate recognition. And that is, because theycan do it and get away with it.In much the same way as the Turks com-

mitted genocide and thought they could getaway with it, the Pontic Greeks too are behav-ing in much the same way. If a Pontic Greekwas to read for instance The Blight of Asia byGeorge Horton or an article in the New YorkTimes, which talks of massacres of Greeks inthe former Ottoman Empire, he or she imme-diately uses that information to say that agenocide occurred just in Pontus. Which isnot true. Pontic Greeks have filtered outinformation detailing the genocide of allGreeks of the former Ottoman Empire to sup-port their own case. And this must stop.If Pontic Greeks are in fact Greek as they

insist they are, then they must behave so.Seeking recognition for a genocide based onjust one region is immoral. My efforts tohighlight this injustice has got me into a lot

of trouble. I have tried to bring this injusticeto the attention of Pontic Greek organiza-tions in Australia and around the world, andI have been treated with utmost disrespect. Ihave been verbally abused by Pontic Greekswho consider me a troublemaker. But howso? Are these the actions of a civilized race?Why can’t Pontic Greeks accept someoneelse’s opinion? Why must they resort to vio-lent means to silence me? How can I be atrouble maker when I am seeking the recog-nition of all the Greeks who perished due togenocide? Is this such a bad thing? In effect,according to Pontic Greeks, people who seekrecognition based on the true meaning anddefinition of genocide, are simply getting intheir way.Pontic Greeks will continue to get in the

way of the international recognition of theGreek Genocide if they continue this path.Their continual insistence in using the falla-cious term “Pontian Genocide” will onlydelay worldwide recognition. The term“Pontian Genocide” means nothing to a non-Greek. Most people would have no idea whata Pontian actually is. In fact a Pontian is sim-ply someone from Pontus, in much the sameway as an Indian is someone from India. Theterm doesn’t define if that person is Greek,Turkic, Armenian or a Laz.Which brings another issue to light. Many

Pontic Greeks insist that Pontus was a Greekstate and it should be returned to its rightfulowners meaning the Greeks. This is non-sense. Pontus was a region in which manyraces of people lived. When Greeks first setfoot in Pontus, they found other racesalready living there. And throughout historythe region was always inhabited by otherraces. Pontus was always a region where peo-ple of many races resided.As Greeks we can only hope that the

efforts of Pontic Greeks in seeking separaterecognition stops. Exclusivity of sufferingshould have no place in genocide recognitionor even memorial. Which brings in the issueof the separate dates of commemoration.There are currently two official days

approved by the Greek state, and one unoffi-cial commemoration date for the genocide.For the Pontus region it is May 19, for thegenocide of all Ottoman Greeks,September14, and for the Thrace region,April 6 (this date is unofficial meaning it isnot recognized by the Greek state). TheGreek state should be held accountablesomewhat for assigning May 19 as a day ofcommemoration for the Pontic Greeks. Thisoccurred in 1994. In doing so, albeit underpressure by Pontic Greek politician MichalisCharalambidis, they have given PonticGreeks belief that the genocide in Pontuswas a separate event. Which it wasn’t.The existence of so many dates of com-

memoration only adds to the confusion.However September 14 should be adoptedby all Greeks as being the date of commemo-ration for the Greek Genocide as attested byGreek Law 2645/98. It was on this day thatSmyrna was set afire by the Turks, a vitaldate for all Ottoman Greeks. And the factthat Greece officially made this day a day ofcommemoration in 1998, four years afterassigning May 19 as a day of commemorationfor the Pontus region, only serves to high-light that the Greek state believes recogni-tion of the genocide should be more inclusivethan exclusive.We can only hope that common sense will

prevail and that Pontic Greeks will put asidetheir ego and join with all Greeks in com-memorating the Greek Genocide on the oneday. Having said that, there is nothing wrongwith Pontic Greeks or other Greeks mourn-ing on a separate date and in private if theyso wish. But if we are to take the GreekGenocide seriously, a single day of mourningmust be put aside for all Greeks to mourntogether.There is currently no country in the world

that has officially recognized the GreekGenocide. The Armenian Genocide, however,has been recognized by over 20 countriesworldwide.

(This commentary originally appeared inthe May 24 issue of Pontos World.)

Why Do Pontic Greeks Seek Separate Recognition?

T

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia commit-tee of the AGBU Young Professionals (YPPhilly) has marked this year by hosting majorcultural events and collaborating with localArmenian organizations to better provide abroad range of events for the young profession-al community.On February 17, together with Philadelphia-

area Birthright Armenia alumni, YP Philly host-ed “I LOVE Armenia” at Plays & PlayersTheater and Bar in Rittenhouse Square.Organized as an opportunity to share, mingleand get informed about travel and volunteerismin Armenia, the event drew 55 young profes-sionals and guests. The evening served as a plat-form for performers to share stories, poetry andphotography from their travels and discusstheir volunteer experiences in Armenia andKarabagh. In turn, attendees were given infor-mation about how they can make the most oftheir own visits.Colette Seter and Karina Ambartsoumian

served as co-chairs for the February event.

Others who participated in the evening’s activi-ties were emcee Vicken Bazarbashian and theperformers and photographers, including YPPhilly Chair Meredith Avakian, YP Philly Vice-chair Julie Paretchan, Paul Sookiasian, ArmenBazarbashian, Birthright alumni Ani Jilozian,Taleen Khoury Moughamian, Ross Norian andVicken Kazanjian.On April 6, together with the University of

Pennsylvania Armenian Student Association(ASA), YP Philly hosted a film screening for“Finding Zabel Yessayan,” a documentary byLara Aharonian and Talin Suciyan. The screen-ing, which was chaired by Julie Paretchan,Nubar Dailerian, Tina Hagopian and ASAPresident Alexis Williams, attracted more than40 individuals of various ages and backgrounds.“It was a privilege to have [the filmmaker] Talinjoin us on her first American film tour and visitto Philadelphia. We appreciated the strong sup-port and audience engagement around a grass-roots film and look forward to creating moreunique cultural event opportunities for the

community,” said Paretchan.This summer, YP Philly is hosting their third

annual “Coast in the City” at Positano Coast(212 Walnut St.) in Old City, Philadelphia, start-ing at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 11.The AGBU YP Philadelphia officers and com-

mittee meet monthly to plan social, profession-al, cultural and community service events.Committee members include KarinaAmbartsoumian, Meredith Avakian, Vicken

Bazarbasian, Nubar Dailerian, Gina Ekmekjian,Tina Hagopian, Julie Paretchan, Colette Seter,Jackie Santerian, Paul Sookiasian and GinaTerkanian. YP Philly is proud its events attracta cross-section of people from the fiveArmenian churches and various Armenian orga-nizations throughout the Greater Philadelphiaarea and the Northeastern US. For more infor-mation about the chapter, contact MeredithAvakian at agbuypphilly@gmail.com.

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Filmmaker Talin Suciyan discusses her recent documentary, “Finding Zabel Yerssayan,” on April 6.

PACE, from page 1Sargisian spent a great deal of time speak-

ing about the problems of Nagorno Karabaghand relations with Turkey and Azerbaijan. Hecomplained about the warmongering byAzerbaijan and the fruitless peace processwith Turkey.“Peaceful and just resolution of the

Nagorno-Karabagh conflict remains the mostimportant issue for us. The negotiations areconducted in the framework of the OSCEMinsk Group. We are grateful to the co-chairstates for their efforts. “I believe you would agree that the most

important current and potential contributionof the Council of Europe to this process isthe promotion of tolerance. To this end, wenote with pain and concern that hotbeds ofracism and xenophobia still exist in the terri-tory of the Council of Europe.The European Commission against Racism

and Intolerance, in its recent regular reporton Azerbaijan, reconfirmed the extreme levelof Armenophobia and racism prevailing inthat country. We regret this fact, because it ishard to imagine such a situation in a memberstate of the Council of Europe. We regret,because we clearly understand that the poi-son of intolerance strikes most heavily thesociety bearing such poison. “Even under these circumstances, we trav-

el to Kazan in anticipation of progress, as weattach great importance to regional stabilityand development, to securing a safe futurefor the generation growing up in Armenia,Nagorno Karabagh and Azerbaijan, and todemonstrating good will and a constructiveapproach. However, we all should realize thatan agreement can be finalized and effectivelyimplemented only when the patterns ofArmenophobia and racism are eliminated inAzerbaijan and an atmosphere of trust isformed. Naturally, no one may question theinherent right of the people of Karabagh tolive freely and safely on their land and to bethe masters of their destiny.“Regardless of different visions for the final

resolution of the Nagorno-Karabagh conflict,one thing is certain. Karabagh has been, is,and will remain a part of Europe, albeitunrecognized. Do we realize that society inKarabagh today is a part of European society,a part of the European family regardless ofthe de-jure status of Karabagh? Has the timenot come for the Council of Europe toengage directly with Karabagh in terms of itsprimary functions of protection and promo-tion of human rights, formation of civil soci-ety, democracy, tolerance, and the like?”Regarding Turkey, he said, “Two years ago,

we initiated a process of normalizationbetween Armenia and Turkey, which wouldhave allowed, through the establishment of

diplomatic relations and opening of the bor-der, to gradually overcome the divide thathad existed for almost a century. I would liketo note that, throughout the process, wegreatly appreciated the inspiration and per-manent support of not only the mediatorstates, but also the international communitymore broadly, including various senior offi-cials of the Council of Europe. Unfortunately,in spite of this support, Armenia-Turkey nor-malization process ended up in a deadlock.“The sole reason was that Turkey reverted

to its practice of setting preconditions andfailing to honor its commitments, which ren-dered the ratification of the signed protocolsimpossible. “It is important to emphasize that Armenia

initiated the process with good intentions,true to the 21st-century imperative of peace-ful coexistence of nations and peoples, all onthe backdrop of Turkey still not only failingto recognize, but also engaging in a policy ofblunt denial of the Genocide of Armenianscommitted in the Ottoman Empire in 1915.Meanwhile, Armenians worldwide are expect-ing an adequate response. Our tirelessefforts, and hopefully also the efforts of thoseconcerned about crimes against humanity,will henceforth remain focused on the inter-national recognition of the ArmenianGenocide.“However, we are determined not to leave

this problem unsolved for generations tocome. The normalization of relationsbetween Armenia and Turkey is importantnot only for Armenians and Turks, but alsofor the whole region, I believe even for thewhole of Europe in terms of creating anatmosphere of peace, stability, and coopera-tion. The unlawful blockade of Armenia mustcome to an end.”Interestingly, the only aggressive question

for Sargisian after the speech came fromArmenia’s delegate to PACE, oppositionmember Zaruhi Postanjian, who in her ques-tion suggested Armenia was a dictatorshipand far from democratic.“The idea that Mrs. Postanjyan is a mem-

ber of PACE delegation is speaking for itself.That is to say, we are not an authoritariancountry, for the representative of the opposi-tion in an authoritarian country cannot beincluded in a delegation of internationalorganization and to pose such a question tothe head of the country,” said the Chairmanof the Republic of Armenia NationalAssembly Standing Committee on Defense,National Security and Internal Affairs HrayrKarapetyan.

For the full comments of Sargisian, visitwww.president.am/events/statements/eng/?id

=91.

Sargisian Addresses PACE