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California Courier Online, June 24, 2004
1 - Commentary
Armenia Boldly Threatens To Veto
Turkey's OSCE Chairmanship
By Harut Sassounian
California Courier Publisher
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2 - Replica of Medieval Sailing Ship
'Cilicia' to Begin Trip in Mid-July
3 - Canadian Deputy
Sarkis Assadourian
To Travel to L.A.
4 - GCC's Jacqueline Demirjian Rewarded for
Academic Achievement, Community Activism
5 - John Boyajian Appointed to L.A.
Board of Transportation Commission
6 - Commentary
How Long Shall We Remain Complacent About Armenian Art?
By M.S. Herguelian, Ph.D.
Special to The California Courier
************************************************** **********************
1 - Commentary
Armenia Boldly Threatens To Veto
Turkey's OSCE Chairmanship
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, California Courier
Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian was in Washington last week to meet with
various officials, including Secretary of State Colin Powell, National
Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, and members of Congress.
According to news reports, Minister Oskanian spoke with American officials
about U.S.-Armenian relations, the Millennium Challenge Account, the latest
developments in the Karabagh negotiations, issues related to Turkey, and
the upcoming NATO Summit in Istanbul.
While in Washington, the Foreign Minister also delivered a talk at the
Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He covered Armenia's
foreign policy, its democratic and economic challenges, and security needs.
While the press covered various aspects of the Minister's talk, there was
one important issue that was not mentioned in any of the news reports.
During the question and answer period, Oskanian was asked for his views on
the role of the OSCE in the Karabagh conflict and relations with Turkey.
In his response, the Armenian Foreign Minister dropped a diplomatic
bombshell. According to the transcript of the proceedings, he disclosed for
the first time that Armenia would use its veto power to prevent Turkey from
assuming the chairmanship of the OSCE. This is a very serious decision with
far reaching consequences. If Armenia does carry out its threat, it would
antagonize Turkey and would displease the United States, Ankara's long-time
supporter. Here's the text of Minister Oskanian's answer:
"OSCE does two things for security. One is negotiate the Nagorno Karabagh
conflict, which is extremely important. The other one is the CFE treaty.
It's a visionary thing. It's been extremely helpful - sets corridors for
the member states for armaments and personnel. There's an inspection
mechanism. Even Turkey can send inspection into Armenia; Armenia can send
to Turkey or vice versa. So this provides balance and transparency in the
region. So the OSCE indeed plays a very positive role on security matters
in our region and we hope it will continue.
"Turkey is a member of the OSCE. They aspire now to become chairman in
office in 2007. Decisions at the OSCE are made by consensus. This puts us
in an extremely difficult situation, and that decision has to be made this
year during the ministerial meeting towards the end of this year, because
there is the troika mechanism. The next year chairmanship we know who it
is, the next year is already clear, so this year we need to decide who will
be chairman in office of OSCE in 2007. And Turkey is the only candidate,
and Armenia has the veto power, which we will use, because Turkey has not
risen to the occasion. We cannot allow a country to be chairman in office
with which we don't have diplomatic ties. We cannot allow a country to be
chairman in office of OSCE which negotiates the Nagorno Karabagh conflict,
and the chairman has certain rights and privileges that can be used against
Armenia. And given their policy in these past 12 years towards the region,
which has been extremely unbalanced, and given their unequivocal support
and solidarity toward Azerbaijan and one-sided policy toward Nagorno
Karabagh, Armenia simply - even if we want - cannot afford to have, for a
whole year, Turkey as a chairman in office.
"So these kinds of problems rise because Turkey has not risen to the
occasion and has not given us the chance to look at Turkey differently. And
this, as I said, puts us under a lot of pressure by different countries so
that we accept Turkey as chairman in office, but it will be an extremely
difficult political decision for Armenia."
This is a gutsy decision by the Armenian government. It comes on the heels
of a similar bold move announced just last month: Pres. Kocharian's refusal
to go to Istanbul at the end of June to participate in the NATO Summit
which would be attended by the leaders of most NATO member states,
including Pres. Bush, French President Jacques Chirac, British Prime
Minister Tony Blair, and the heads of state of Georgia and Azerbaijan.
Foreign Minister Oskanian would represent Pres. Kocharian at that meeting.
According to my sources, high-ranking U.S. officials are very unhappy with
Armenia's intent to veto Turkey's OSCE Chairmanship. They have asked
Armenia's leadership to reconsider their decision.
While Armenia should not seek confrontation with the U.S., Armenia's
leaders, in my opinion, have made the right decision in not catering to the
whims and wishes of any foreign government whether it be the United States,
Russia, France, China or Turkey. Armenia should only cater to its own
national interest.
It is incumbent on the Armenian-American community to counter those in the
Bush Administration who are pressuring Armenia on this issue. Given the
political clout of Armenian-Americans and the fact that this is an election
year, we should use our voting power and financial muscle against those who
want to force Armenia's leaders to do favors for Turkey.
We need to back Armenia's strong stand on this issue. We hope that
Armenia's leaders do not make the same mistake as in 1999 when they were
talked by U.S. officials into dropping their veto of holding the OSCE
Summit in Istanbul. In return, the State Department made the promise that
"good things would happen to Armenia." Of course, after Armenia lifted its
veto, the Americans forgot their promises and offered nothing in return.
Armenia should stick to its guns. If the United States and Turkey
desperately want the latter to assume the chairmanship of the OSCE, they
would have to provide "good things," such as the lifting of the Turkish
blockade or the recognition of the Genocide, in advance of Armenia lifting
its veto. That way, Armenia's leaders would not end up holding an empty bag
once again! This is one of the rare occasions when Armenia is holding a
valuable trump card in its hands. It should use it to its maximum
advantage!
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2 - Replica of Medieval Sailing Ship
'Cilicia' to Begin Trip in Mid-July
YEREVAN (Arminfo) - The replica of an Armenian sailing ship, the "Cilicia,"
built in Armenia according to 13th century drawings, will put out to sea in
mid-July from the Georgian port of Poti to retrace the route of sailors
from the medieval Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, a member of the "Ayas"
Sailing Club Karen Danielyan said last week.
Danielyan said the project is an historical experiment. Recreating the
sailing ship of the 13th century of the Cilicia trade fleet, the crew of
the ship will sail it on the trade route from the Ayas port in the
Mediterranean.
Danielyan said in the course of the first stage of its trip, Cilicia will
visit 12 countries: Georgia, the Ukraine, Russia, Romania, Bulgaria,
Turkey, Greece, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria. Cyprus and Italy.
The second stage will start in May-September, 2005 on the route
Venice-Amsterdam. In addition, the project participants will try to restore
the way of life and cuisine of Cilician sailors, excluding potatoes and
tomatoes from it.
"We have some difficulties with tobacco, as there was no tobacco in
Cilicia, but several members of the crew could not refrain from smoking,"
Danielyan said. He added that the ship would have a special smoke-allowed
area.
It should be noted that the Cilicia sailing ship is a replica of one of the
largest ships of the Cilicia commercial fleet.
Danielyan said that the project participants recreated the atmosphere of
that time. Especially for this purpose, earthenware crockery was made with
the inscription "Cilicia" on it. In addition, navigation engineering of the
period will be used. The only exception will be the use of up-to-date
communications channels and rescuer facilities, which is a mandatory
requisite for sailing today.
Danielyan said that four to five passengers could sail aboard the ship as
tourists. He said he could not estimate what the trip would cost to a
passenger. Cost will be determined during the trip, since this was the
first such voyage, he said.
************************************************** ************************
3 - Canadian Deputy
Sarkis Assadourian
To Travel to L.A.
OTTAWA, Canada -The first Canadian Parliamentarian of Armenian origin,
Sarkis Assadourian and his wife Zaza will travel to California from July
7-14 to visit with friends in the area.
Western Diocese Primate Archbishop Hovnan Derderian will host a reception
on July 12 to welcome Assadourian and his wife to Los Angeles.
Before coming to California, Assadourian is scheduled to attend a committee
meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in
Strasbourg, June 21-25.
Armenian President Robert Kocharian is scheduled to address the PACE's
Committee on Economic Affairs and Development.
************************************************** ************************
4 - GCC's Jacqueline Demirjian Rewarded for
Academic Achievement, Community Activism
GLENDALE - Jacqueline Demirjian, a current student at Glendale
Community College, will be attending the USC Annenberg School of
Communications this fall as a Presidential Scholarship recipient, their top
grant, which offers half-tuition to the University.
She had attending Chamlian and Pilibos schools, prior to enrolled at
Glendale College.
She was accepted to every University she applied for the fall semester.
Demirjian was offered admission to UC Berkeley. USC, UCLA, UCSB, and UCSD.
She was offered many scholarships to attend all universities but has
decided to attend school for the fall semester at USC.
Transfer students must have at least a 3.75 GPA. Demirjian has maintained a
3.90 average GPA very semester. She was also offered an $11,000 university
grant.
Sarkis Ghazarian, Transfer Center Director at Glendale Community College,
said, "Jacqueline's achievements at GCC represent the goal we have for all
of our students, in which she has achieved academic excellence in
combination with using her education to better her community." The young
Armenian-American student has been very active in her community and at the
campus.
A summary of her extra-curricular activities indicates her level of
activism: Photo editor and photographer at the Glendale College campus
newspaper, Vice President of the GCC Armenian Student Association, active
member of the Alpha Gamma Sigma Honor Society.
In addition, Demirjian has served as volunteer in the political campaigns
of Cong. Adam Schiff, Glendale City Council member Raffi Manoukian, and
Burbank Board of Education, Paul Krekorian, translator and assistant
campaign manager. She has also interned at ANC-TV, for youth-oriented
programming, and was the supervisor for the Armenian Fund Thanksgiving
Telethon. She remains an active member of the Armenian Youth Federation as
Chairperson for Public Relations.
She has won several scholarship awards, the highest being College Women's
Club of Pasadena Scholarship. Only five students are chosen from Southern
California community colleges and must be recommended by a counselor to
apply. The $4,000 scholarship was presented at an annual luncheon on June
8. Jacqueline was present with her mother and was the only Armenian student
receiving such a scholarship. She is also the recipient of the Bank of
America $3,500 Joe Martin Scholarship for her community activism,
involvement and academic merit. She has also won scholarships on campus for
her academic achievements as the top prizewinner of the Classified
Employee's Scholarship ($500), and two Patrons Club scholarships in two
separate semesters each ($250).
She has received the Glendale Community College Dean's List Academic
Achievement Award every semester, and was the winner of the National
Deans' List Academic Achievement Award for four years.
************************************************** ************************
5 - John Boyajian Appointed to L.A.
Board of Transportation Commission
LOS ANGELES - Mayor James Hahn appointed John Boyajian to the Board of
Transportation Commissioners last week.
"I am pleased to announce John's nomination to the Board of Transportation
Commissioners," said Mayor Hahn. "John has spent years working in the
Armenian community as an engineer and a leader. I am confident that he
will be an outstanding asset to the Board."
"It is an honor to have Mayor Hahn's confidence and it is a special feeling
of reward that he is promoting me from my present commission to the
important city transportation commission," said Boyajian. "I am grateful
for his confidence and will continue to work diligently on behalf of the
city."
Boyajian has a long history of Armenian civic activities, including serving
as the chairman of the board for Marie Manoogian High School. Boyajian
also served as the Honorary President for the Armenian General Benevolent
Union's Summer Olympic Games.
Throughout his career, Boyajian focused on engineering at prominent
California firms, including Xerox Corporation, TRW Systems, Litton Systems
Group and Teledyne Systems Group. Most recently, he became president of
First American Diversified Securities, Inc. His experience with the
intricacies of engineering as well as his long history of management and
Armenian civic activities lead to his latest appointment to the Board of
Transportation Commissioners.
The Board of Transportation has the oversight and authority to investigate
all privately-owned public utilities in the city, establish regulations
that govern the operations of such utilities, make recommendations
regarding the public utilities franchises and permits granted by the city,
and is responsible for managing the Special Parking Revenue Fund.
************************************************** ************************
6 - Commentary
How Long Shall We Remain Complacent About Armenian Art?
By M.S. Herguelian, Ph.D.
Special to The California Courier
At the beginning of the present century, the Americans realized that Paris,
being the "city of light" and/or the "center of art," had great
significance in the social, economic and, in particular, political arenas.
>>From then on, the U.S. government spared no effort to bring the best
artists of the world (especially Europe) to the United States, through a
systematic plan. In this sense, New York today is not only a serious
competitor to Paris, but even has pretensions of becoming the international
center of the art world. Based on the same logic, all Western countries
have been propagandizing and venerating their national art and artists.
Now, what about the Armenians?
Despite having a rich cultural heritage and a high quality of contemporary
art, Armenians continue to hibernate. Each of those Western countries has
not only developed and put into effect a specific national cultural policy
to advance and disseminate its national culture, but also wages a fierce
struggle to surpass one another and become the world's best.
Armenians, on the other hand, "imprisoned" their talents in communist casts
during the Soviet era. They were not able to turn either Martiros Saryan or
Minas Avetisyan (Armenians have an exceptional love and
respect for both artists) into international figures. On the contrary, we
brought Yervand Kotchar, who aspired to become an international figure and
gave exhibitions in Paris at the beginning of the past century on a par
with such greats as Joan Miro, Fernand Leger and/or Pablo Picasso, to the
homeland, and his name remained within the confines of Armenia and
patriotic circles. Even the Diaspora doesn't know and appreciate him to the
extent he deserves. In reality, the communist government of Armenia had
neither the right nor the ability to cultivate its own national cultural
policy, let alone execute it.
Now, what about today?
If the works of Martiros Saryan have found their way into the international
marketplace and begun to be appreciated, the credit for this goes to the
Russians, because they valued him as a Russian "avant-gardist," an artist
belonging to the Russian school of fine art.
If émigré artists such as soprano Hasmik Papian, fine artist Yuroz [Yuri
Gevorgyan], and actor and director Vardan Petrosyan have begun to become
known internationally, that is solely due to their personal efforts and
diligence. The Armenian government and/or Diasporan organizations have
contributed nothing to their success. The same goes to other Diasporan
artists, from Arshile Gorky and Charles Aznavour to Atom Egoyan and Isabel
Bayrakdarian. All of them began to be appreciated and receive attention,
only after they registered successes in foreign circles and achieved
international acclaim.
Apparently this behavior is part of our national temperament and character.
We have not yet reached a level of national cognizance, wherein national
interests (especially in the cultural realm) are placed above partisan and
individual interests, and/or we still haven't been able to grasp the
concept that the Nation itself is simply the national culture.
The prevailing general opinion is that it is difficult and practically
impossible to make a dent in the marketplace of international art,
specifically the visual arts. Although there are indeed difficulties, this
opinion does not correspond to the truth. Experience shows that
well-planned initiatives and well-thought-out efforts lead to success, and
that it is possible to propel our talented young artists to international
heights. As a matter of fact, thanks to a few enterprising individuals,
many fine young artists from Armenia are highly sought after in the
marketplace of international art. Of course, these successes have been
reached after great sacrifices and at the risk of large sums of money.
When we say marketplace of international art, we understand, first of all,
the exhibitions of international art which are held in different cities of
the world, and, secondly, the buying and selling of art over the Internet.
In both cases, although quality plays a vital and primary role, persistent
and meticulous efforts and investments are necessary in order to make that
top-quality art accessible to those lovers of art who will understand and
appreciate it. In this case, the art market does not "like" financial
economizing.
For example, Vahram Davtyan is practically an unknown name in Armenia, yet
he is not only known in certain cities of Europe and the U.S., his works
also sell well during international exhibits. Here, the sorry
factor of assisting the homeland and/or encouraging the artist plays no
role; rather, their salability is aided first by their quality and then by
the ways and means by which they are presented. One particular collector of
art works, who lives between New York and Bel Air, California, has
purchased approximately 30 works of art from Davtyan. Incidentally, his
works and those of the others are not being sold for small pitiful sums; on
the contrary, they sometimes even fetch tens of thousands of dollars.
And, nowhere near as many highly favorable reviews regarding any other fine
artist of Armenia have been written by international art critics. Many of
these writers have Ph.D.'s in art history and/or are members of an
international organization of art critics. Even Martiros Saryan hasn't been
rated by foreigners as high as Vahram Davtyan. In order to achieve such a
result, financial and personal sacrifices are mandatory and vital. In order
not to be misunderstood, we should immediately add that it is not possible
to bet on any given artist. When it comes to quality, we understand, first
and foremost, strong individuality, powerful and catalytic expressiveness,
fine taste and, especially, a unique and original conception. In this case,
duplications and being a follower are rejected by discriminating art
lovers.
We now have more than 2,000 creative visual artists in Armenia. Considering
Armenia's population, this is a very large number. As far as quality is
concerned, the fine arts of Armenia, in general, do not fall short of the
internationally accepted and honored standards. Often, the first-rate art
of Armenia is exhibited in the Diaspora and is sold for humiliating prices.
The homes of Diasporan art lovers and even their garages are filled with
works of fine art from Armenia. The absolute majority of Diasporan art
collectors are accustomed to buying works of fine art from Armenia at very
low prices. On the other hand, wealthy Diasporans are ready to pay millions
of dollars for the work of a French or Italian fine artist of international
renown. But, they won't pay $20,000 to obtain a work by Saryan, Avetisyan
or Kotchar.
The reason?
The main reason and scourge of all this is that we haven't cultivated a
national cultural policy. We are not engaged in a collective effort to
present our cultural values in an optimal fashion to non-Armenians. For
example, we celebrated the centennial of Aram Khachaturian's birth
(supposedly on an international scale) but we did not benefit from it,
either economically or politically, as the Western countries would have
done on the occasion of a similar jubilee.
Culture is the only requisite and vital factor that must transcend all
kinds of denominational and political disputes and endeavors. Culture is
the only factor around which it is possible to rally without bargaining,
color and form.
Until we develop our national cultural policy and put it on the right
course, the destiny of our art will rest on the shoulders of individuals.
Most probably, we shall continue to individually succeed, but the question
is -- how long shall we remain complacently superficial?
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authorship.
1 - Commentary
Armenia Boldly Threatens To Veto
Turkey's OSCE Chairmanship
By Harut Sassounian
California Courier Publisher
************************************************** ************************
2 - Replica of Medieval Sailing Ship
'Cilicia' to Begin Trip in Mid-July
3 - Canadian Deputy
Sarkis Assadourian
To Travel to L.A.
4 - GCC's Jacqueline Demirjian Rewarded for
Academic Achievement, Community Activism
5 - John Boyajian Appointed to L.A.
Board of Transportation Commission
6 - Commentary
How Long Shall We Remain Complacent About Armenian Art?
By M.S. Herguelian, Ph.D.
Special to The California Courier
************************************************** **********************
1 - Commentary
Armenia Boldly Threatens To Veto
Turkey's OSCE Chairmanship
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, California Courier
Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian was in Washington last week to meet with
various officials, including Secretary of State Colin Powell, National
Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, and members of Congress.
According to news reports, Minister Oskanian spoke with American officials
about U.S.-Armenian relations, the Millennium Challenge Account, the latest
developments in the Karabagh negotiations, issues related to Turkey, and
the upcoming NATO Summit in Istanbul.
While in Washington, the Foreign Minister also delivered a talk at the
Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He covered Armenia's
foreign policy, its democratic and economic challenges, and security needs.
While the press covered various aspects of the Minister's talk, there was
one important issue that was not mentioned in any of the news reports.
During the question and answer period, Oskanian was asked for his views on
the role of the OSCE in the Karabagh conflict and relations with Turkey.
In his response, the Armenian Foreign Minister dropped a diplomatic
bombshell. According to the transcript of the proceedings, he disclosed for
the first time that Armenia would use its veto power to prevent Turkey from
assuming the chairmanship of the OSCE. This is a very serious decision with
far reaching consequences. If Armenia does carry out its threat, it would
antagonize Turkey and would displease the United States, Ankara's long-time
supporter. Here's the text of Minister Oskanian's answer:
"OSCE does two things for security. One is negotiate the Nagorno Karabagh
conflict, which is extremely important. The other one is the CFE treaty.
It's a visionary thing. It's been extremely helpful - sets corridors for
the member states for armaments and personnel. There's an inspection
mechanism. Even Turkey can send inspection into Armenia; Armenia can send
to Turkey or vice versa. So this provides balance and transparency in the
region. So the OSCE indeed plays a very positive role on security matters
in our region and we hope it will continue.
"Turkey is a member of the OSCE. They aspire now to become chairman in
office in 2007. Decisions at the OSCE are made by consensus. This puts us
in an extremely difficult situation, and that decision has to be made this
year during the ministerial meeting towards the end of this year, because
there is the troika mechanism. The next year chairmanship we know who it
is, the next year is already clear, so this year we need to decide who will
be chairman in office of OSCE in 2007. And Turkey is the only candidate,
and Armenia has the veto power, which we will use, because Turkey has not
risen to the occasion. We cannot allow a country to be chairman in office
with which we don't have diplomatic ties. We cannot allow a country to be
chairman in office of OSCE which negotiates the Nagorno Karabagh conflict,
and the chairman has certain rights and privileges that can be used against
Armenia. And given their policy in these past 12 years towards the region,
which has been extremely unbalanced, and given their unequivocal support
and solidarity toward Azerbaijan and one-sided policy toward Nagorno
Karabagh, Armenia simply - even if we want - cannot afford to have, for a
whole year, Turkey as a chairman in office.
"So these kinds of problems rise because Turkey has not risen to the
occasion and has not given us the chance to look at Turkey differently. And
this, as I said, puts us under a lot of pressure by different countries so
that we accept Turkey as chairman in office, but it will be an extremely
difficult political decision for Armenia."
This is a gutsy decision by the Armenian government. It comes on the heels
of a similar bold move announced just last month: Pres. Kocharian's refusal
to go to Istanbul at the end of June to participate in the NATO Summit
which would be attended by the leaders of most NATO member states,
including Pres. Bush, French President Jacques Chirac, British Prime
Minister Tony Blair, and the heads of state of Georgia and Azerbaijan.
Foreign Minister Oskanian would represent Pres. Kocharian at that meeting.
According to my sources, high-ranking U.S. officials are very unhappy with
Armenia's intent to veto Turkey's OSCE Chairmanship. They have asked
Armenia's leadership to reconsider their decision.
While Armenia should not seek confrontation with the U.S., Armenia's
leaders, in my opinion, have made the right decision in not catering to the
whims and wishes of any foreign government whether it be the United States,
Russia, France, China or Turkey. Armenia should only cater to its own
national interest.
It is incumbent on the Armenian-American community to counter those in the
Bush Administration who are pressuring Armenia on this issue. Given the
political clout of Armenian-Americans and the fact that this is an election
year, we should use our voting power and financial muscle against those who
want to force Armenia's leaders to do favors for Turkey.
We need to back Armenia's strong stand on this issue. We hope that
Armenia's leaders do not make the same mistake as in 1999 when they were
talked by U.S. officials into dropping their veto of holding the OSCE
Summit in Istanbul. In return, the State Department made the promise that
"good things would happen to Armenia." Of course, after Armenia lifted its
veto, the Americans forgot their promises and offered nothing in return.
Armenia should stick to its guns. If the United States and Turkey
desperately want the latter to assume the chairmanship of the OSCE, they
would have to provide "good things," such as the lifting of the Turkish
blockade or the recognition of the Genocide, in advance of Armenia lifting
its veto. That way, Armenia's leaders would not end up holding an empty bag
once again! This is one of the rare occasions when Armenia is holding a
valuable trump card in its hands. It should use it to its maximum
advantage!
************************************************** ************************
2 - Replica of Medieval Sailing Ship
'Cilicia' to Begin Trip in Mid-July
YEREVAN (Arminfo) - The replica of an Armenian sailing ship, the "Cilicia,"
built in Armenia according to 13th century drawings, will put out to sea in
mid-July from the Georgian port of Poti to retrace the route of sailors
from the medieval Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, a member of the "Ayas"
Sailing Club Karen Danielyan said last week.
Danielyan said the project is an historical experiment. Recreating the
sailing ship of the 13th century of the Cilicia trade fleet, the crew of
the ship will sail it on the trade route from the Ayas port in the
Mediterranean.
Danielyan said in the course of the first stage of its trip, Cilicia will
visit 12 countries: Georgia, the Ukraine, Russia, Romania, Bulgaria,
Turkey, Greece, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria. Cyprus and Italy.
The second stage will start in May-September, 2005 on the route
Venice-Amsterdam. In addition, the project participants will try to restore
the way of life and cuisine of Cilician sailors, excluding potatoes and
tomatoes from it.
"We have some difficulties with tobacco, as there was no tobacco in
Cilicia, but several members of the crew could not refrain from smoking,"
Danielyan said. He added that the ship would have a special smoke-allowed
area.
It should be noted that the Cilicia sailing ship is a replica of one of the
largest ships of the Cilicia commercial fleet.
Danielyan said that the project participants recreated the atmosphere of
that time. Especially for this purpose, earthenware crockery was made with
the inscription "Cilicia" on it. In addition, navigation engineering of the
period will be used. The only exception will be the use of up-to-date
communications channels and rescuer facilities, which is a mandatory
requisite for sailing today.
Danielyan said that four to five passengers could sail aboard the ship as
tourists. He said he could not estimate what the trip would cost to a
passenger. Cost will be determined during the trip, since this was the
first such voyage, he said.
************************************************** ************************
3 - Canadian Deputy
Sarkis Assadourian
To Travel to L.A.
OTTAWA, Canada -The first Canadian Parliamentarian of Armenian origin,
Sarkis Assadourian and his wife Zaza will travel to California from July
7-14 to visit with friends in the area.
Western Diocese Primate Archbishop Hovnan Derderian will host a reception
on July 12 to welcome Assadourian and his wife to Los Angeles.
Before coming to California, Assadourian is scheduled to attend a committee
meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in
Strasbourg, June 21-25.
Armenian President Robert Kocharian is scheduled to address the PACE's
Committee on Economic Affairs and Development.
************************************************** ************************
4 - GCC's Jacqueline Demirjian Rewarded for
Academic Achievement, Community Activism
GLENDALE - Jacqueline Demirjian, a current student at Glendale
Community College, will be attending the USC Annenberg School of
Communications this fall as a Presidential Scholarship recipient, their top
grant, which offers half-tuition to the University.
She had attending Chamlian and Pilibos schools, prior to enrolled at
Glendale College.
She was accepted to every University she applied for the fall semester.
Demirjian was offered admission to UC Berkeley. USC, UCLA, UCSB, and UCSD.
She was offered many scholarships to attend all universities but has
decided to attend school for the fall semester at USC.
Transfer students must have at least a 3.75 GPA. Demirjian has maintained a
3.90 average GPA very semester. She was also offered an $11,000 university
grant.
Sarkis Ghazarian, Transfer Center Director at Glendale Community College,
said, "Jacqueline's achievements at GCC represent the goal we have for all
of our students, in which she has achieved academic excellence in
combination with using her education to better her community." The young
Armenian-American student has been very active in her community and at the
campus.
A summary of her extra-curricular activities indicates her level of
activism: Photo editor and photographer at the Glendale College campus
newspaper, Vice President of the GCC Armenian Student Association, active
member of the Alpha Gamma Sigma Honor Society.
In addition, Demirjian has served as volunteer in the political campaigns
of Cong. Adam Schiff, Glendale City Council member Raffi Manoukian, and
Burbank Board of Education, Paul Krekorian, translator and assistant
campaign manager. She has also interned at ANC-TV, for youth-oriented
programming, and was the supervisor for the Armenian Fund Thanksgiving
Telethon. She remains an active member of the Armenian Youth Federation as
Chairperson for Public Relations.
She has won several scholarship awards, the highest being College Women's
Club of Pasadena Scholarship. Only five students are chosen from Southern
California community colleges and must be recommended by a counselor to
apply. The $4,000 scholarship was presented at an annual luncheon on June
8. Jacqueline was present with her mother and was the only Armenian student
receiving such a scholarship. She is also the recipient of the Bank of
America $3,500 Joe Martin Scholarship for her community activism,
involvement and academic merit. She has also won scholarships on campus for
her academic achievements as the top prizewinner of the Classified
Employee's Scholarship ($500), and two Patrons Club scholarships in two
separate semesters each ($250).
She has received the Glendale Community College Dean's List Academic
Achievement Award every semester, and was the winner of the National
Deans' List Academic Achievement Award for four years.
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5 - John Boyajian Appointed to L.A.
Board of Transportation Commission
LOS ANGELES - Mayor James Hahn appointed John Boyajian to the Board of
Transportation Commissioners last week.
"I am pleased to announce John's nomination to the Board of Transportation
Commissioners," said Mayor Hahn. "John has spent years working in the
Armenian community as an engineer and a leader. I am confident that he
will be an outstanding asset to the Board."
"It is an honor to have Mayor Hahn's confidence and it is a special feeling
of reward that he is promoting me from my present commission to the
important city transportation commission," said Boyajian. "I am grateful
for his confidence and will continue to work diligently on behalf of the
city."
Boyajian has a long history of Armenian civic activities, including serving
as the chairman of the board for Marie Manoogian High School. Boyajian
also served as the Honorary President for the Armenian General Benevolent
Union's Summer Olympic Games.
Throughout his career, Boyajian focused on engineering at prominent
California firms, including Xerox Corporation, TRW Systems, Litton Systems
Group and Teledyne Systems Group. Most recently, he became president of
First American Diversified Securities, Inc. His experience with the
intricacies of engineering as well as his long history of management and
Armenian civic activities lead to his latest appointment to the Board of
Transportation Commissioners.
The Board of Transportation has the oversight and authority to investigate
all privately-owned public utilities in the city, establish regulations
that govern the operations of such utilities, make recommendations
regarding the public utilities franchises and permits granted by the city,
and is responsible for managing the Special Parking Revenue Fund.
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6 - Commentary
How Long Shall We Remain Complacent About Armenian Art?
By M.S. Herguelian, Ph.D.
Special to The California Courier
At the beginning of the present century, the Americans realized that Paris,
being the "city of light" and/or the "center of art," had great
significance in the social, economic and, in particular, political arenas.
>>From then on, the U.S. government spared no effort to bring the best
artists of the world (especially Europe) to the United States, through a
systematic plan. In this sense, New York today is not only a serious
competitor to Paris, but even has pretensions of becoming the international
center of the art world. Based on the same logic, all Western countries
have been propagandizing and venerating their national art and artists.
Now, what about the Armenians?
Despite having a rich cultural heritage and a high quality of contemporary
art, Armenians continue to hibernate. Each of those Western countries has
not only developed and put into effect a specific national cultural policy
to advance and disseminate its national culture, but also wages a fierce
struggle to surpass one another and become the world's best.
Armenians, on the other hand, "imprisoned" their talents in communist casts
during the Soviet era. They were not able to turn either Martiros Saryan or
Minas Avetisyan (Armenians have an exceptional love and
respect for both artists) into international figures. On the contrary, we
brought Yervand Kotchar, who aspired to become an international figure and
gave exhibitions in Paris at the beginning of the past century on a par
with such greats as Joan Miro, Fernand Leger and/or Pablo Picasso, to the
homeland, and his name remained within the confines of Armenia and
patriotic circles. Even the Diaspora doesn't know and appreciate him to the
extent he deserves. In reality, the communist government of Armenia had
neither the right nor the ability to cultivate its own national cultural
policy, let alone execute it.
Now, what about today?
If the works of Martiros Saryan have found their way into the international
marketplace and begun to be appreciated, the credit for this goes to the
Russians, because they valued him as a Russian "avant-gardist," an artist
belonging to the Russian school of fine art.
If émigré artists such as soprano Hasmik Papian, fine artist Yuroz [Yuri
Gevorgyan], and actor and director Vardan Petrosyan have begun to become
known internationally, that is solely due to their personal efforts and
diligence. The Armenian government and/or Diasporan organizations have
contributed nothing to their success. The same goes to other Diasporan
artists, from Arshile Gorky and Charles Aznavour to Atom Egoyan and Isabel
Bayrakdarian. All of them began to be appreciated and receive attention,
only after they registered successes in foreign circles and achieved
international acclaim.
Apparently this behavior is part of our national temperament and character.
We have not yet reached a level of national cognizance, wherein national
interests (especially in the cultural realm) are placed above partisan and
individual interests, and/or we still haven't been able to grasp the
concept that the Nation itself is simply the national culture.
The prevailing general opinion is that it is difficult and practically
impossible to make a dent in the marketplace of international art,
specifically the visual arts. Although there are indeed difficulties, this
opinion does not correspond to the truth. Experience shows that
well-planned initiatives and well-thought-out efforts lead to success, and
that it is possible to propel our talented young artists to international
heights. As a matter of fact, thanks to a few enterprising individuals,
many fine young artists from Armenia are highly sought after in the
marketplace of international art. Of course, these successes have been
reached after great sacrifices and at the risk of large sums of money.
When we say marketplace of international art, we understand, first of all,
the exhibitions of international art which are held in different cities of
the world, and, secondly, the buying and selling of art over the Internet.
In both cases, although quality plays a vital and primary role, persistent
and meticulous efforts and investments are necessary in order to make that
top-quality art accessible to those lovers of art who will understand and
appreciate it. In this case, the art market does not "like" financial
economizing.
For example, Vahram Davtyan is practically an unknown name in Armenia, yet
he is not only known in certain cities of Europe and the U.S., his works
also sell well during international exhibits. Here, the sorry
factor of assisting the homeland and/or encouraging the artist plays no
role; rather, their salability is aided first by their quality and then by
the ways and means by which they are presented. One particular collector of
art works, who lives between New York and Bel Air, California, has
purchased approximately 30 works of art from Davtyan. Incidentally, his
works and those of the others are not being sold for small pitiful sums; on
the contrary, they sometimes even fetch tens of thousands of dollars.
And, nowhere near as many highly favorable reviews regarding any other fine
artist of Armenia have been written by international art critics. Many of
these writers have Ph.D.'s in art history and/or are members of an
international organization of art critics. Even Martiros Saryan hasn't been
rated by foreigners as high as Vahram Davtyan. In order to achieve such a
result, financial and personal sacrifices are mandatory and vital. In order
not to be misunderstood, we should immediately add that it is not possible
to bet on any given artist. When it comes to quality, we understand, first
and foremost, strong individuality, powerful and catalytic expressiveness,
fine taste and, especially, a unique and original conception. In this case,
duplications and being a follower are rejected by discriminating art
lovers.
We now have more than 2,000 creative visual artists in Armenia. Considering
Armenia's population, this is a very large number. As far as quality is
concerned, the fine arts of Armenia, in general, do not fall short of the
internationally accepted and honored standards. Often, the first-rate art
of Armenia is exhibited in the Diaspora and is sold for humiliating prices.
The homes of Diasporan art lovers and even their garages are filled with
works of fine art from Armenia. The absolute majority of Diasporan art
collectors are accustomed to buying works of fine art from Armenia at very
low prices. On the other hand, wealthy Diasporans are ready to pay millions
of dollars for the work of a French or Italian fine artist of international
renown. But, they won't pay $20,000 to obtain a work by Saryan, Avetisyan
or Kotchar.
The reason?
The main reason and scourge of all this is that we haven't cultivated a
national cultural policy. We are not engaged in a collective effort to
present our cultural values in an optimal fashion to non-Armenians. For
example, we celebrated the centennial of Aram Khachaturian's birth
(supposedly on an international scale) but we did not benefit from it,
either economically or politically, as the Western countries would have
done on the occasion of a similar jubilee.
Culture is the only requisite and vital factor that must transcend all
kinds of denominational and political disputes and endeavors. Culture is
the only factor around which it is possible to rally without bargaining,
color and form.
Until we develop our national cultural policy and put it on the right
course, the destiny of our art will rest on the shoulders of individuals.
Most probably, we shall continue to individually succeed, but the question
is -- how long shall we remain complacently superficial?
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