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TOP STORIES
03/10/2006
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1) Armenians Wounded and Killed in Georgia
2) ANCA-WR Participates in California Republican Party Convention
3) OSCE Minsk Group Urges Armenia And Azerbaijan to Prepare Publics for Peace
Not War
4) Bay Area ANC Hosts Publishers Hrant Dink And Ragip Zarakolu
5) President Bush's Trade Policy Report Cites Progress on US-Armenia Economic
Cooperation
6) State Department Ends Silence on Azerbaijan's Destruction of Historic Julfa
Cemetery
7) ARF to Hold Conference Titled "Armenians And The Left"
8) Geragos, Yeghiayan, And Kabateck Receive 2006 CLAY Award
9) Harvest Gallery Presents Rafael Atoyan Exhibit
10) Publishing House Established in Honor of Archbishop Mesrob Ashjian
11) SKEPTIK'S OSCAR PARTY RECIPE FOR GOLDEN RICE A LA "ESH"
12) Homo Ottomanicus? By Garen Yegparian
13) ANCA Endowment Fund Purchases New Washington, DC Headquarters
1) Armenians Wounded and Killed in Georgia
(Armenpress/PanArmenian.Net)--A group of ethnic Ajarian or Svani Georgians
attacked three young Armenian men, stabbing one of them to death in Tsalka,
southern Georgia.
According to A-Info news agency, which is based in the predominantly Armenian
populated region of Javakhk in southern Georgia, the Armenians were attacked
Thursday by a 15-member group in Tsalka's busy town center.
The men were attacked after leaving a restaurant as they were getting into a
car. The unidentified attackers dragged them out of the car and started
beating
them, some armed with heavy metal objects.
In the attack, 23-year-old Gevorg Gevorkyan of the Ghushchi village was
stabbed multiple times and died the scene. V. Saakyan, 25, was wounded in the
leg and 25-year old K. Baloyan was transported to a hospital in Tbilisi with
severe injuries.
A-Info quoted the wounded Armenians as saying they did not know the reason
they were attacked. The perpetrators escaped after the attack.
A special squad of Georgia's interior ministry, deployed to the region to
prevent inter-ethnic violence, has arrested three suspects.
Following the attack and closure of roads leading to the Armenian villages,
local Armenians held a protest. A crowd of 300 people demonstrated outside the
building of the local police department demanding a fair trial of the suspects
and broke some windows.
According to Georgian parliament member Hayk Meltonyan, some 100 protesters
were beaten by truncheon-wielding police officers trying to disperse the
crowd.
Tsalka, population 22,000, is predominantly populated by ethnic Armenians and
Greeks. It is located close to Javakhk.
In the early 1990s, the Georgian government moved a group of about 2,500
ethnic Georgians (mostly Ajarians and Svans) to Tsalka after a devastating
landslide in their native mountainous villages.
Conflicts between Armenian and Greek communities and Georgians do
periodically
occur in the Tsalka area. Nevertheless, Georgian officials continuously argue
that the conflicts in Tsalka have no ethnic context and represent mostly
"communal violence."
2) ANCA-WR Participates in California Republican Party Convention
SAN JOSE--Representatives of the Armenian National Committee of America -
Western Region (ANCA-WR) traveled to San Jose to participate in the California
Republican Party (CRP) Convention held February 24-26. During the three-day
convention, ANCA-WR Director Armen Carapetian and ANCA activist Jack Hadjinian
met with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as well as other Republican
leaders to discuss issues of concern to Armenian Americans.
Carapetian and Hadjinian joined the CRP Volunteer Organization Committee
meeting with the California Congress of Republicans, California State
Republican National Hispanic Assembly, and California Federation of Republican
Women, among others, where participants discussed opportunities to collaborate
on initiatives. Many candidates for statewide offices were on-hand during the
meeting to provide updates on their campaigns. Governor Schwarzenegger greeted
the volunteer organizations and thanked them for their support. "Volunteers
have always been extremely important in campaigns," said the Governor in his
remarks.
Following the meeting, Jack Hadjinian spoke with the Governor and thanked him
for his principled stance on the Armenian genocide. Hadjinian, a Montebello
resident, extended a special invitation to the Governor for this year's
commemoration of the Armenian genocide at the Armenian Martyrs Memorial
Monument at Bicknell Park. Paying homage to the victims of the Armenian
genocide at the monument is an annual tradition for Los Angeles area Armenian
Americans. This commemoration regularly draws over 10,000 visitors, including
many elected officials. Most notably, in 1969, then Governor Ronald Reagan
joined His Holiness Khoren I in commemorating the Armenian genocide at the
monument. This year's remembrance event will take place on Sunday, April 23.
The convention provided the ANCA-WR the opportunity to reach out to
California
Republican elected officials and candidates for elected office. Congressman
Darrell Issa (CA-48), who was the only Congressional member at the convention,
reiterated his support for the Armenian genocide legislation pending in the
House of Representatives. State Senator Chuck Poochigian (Fresno) invited the
ANCA representatives to a special reception and briefed them on his campaign
for Attorney General. Carapetian and Hadjinian also met many Republican Party
activists over the weekend, including Armenian Americans involved in the CRP
and various campaigns.
"It's important for us to be here, and it's good to see that Armenian
Americans are involved at this crucial level of the political process," said
Carapetian. "We have received nothing but appreciation for coming to this
convention, and we will continue to build on the relationships we established
this weekend."
The ANCA-WR sponsored an exhibit table at the convention to familiarize those
in attendance with the organization, its programs and initiatives. Carapetian
and Hadjinian also took part in workshops hosted by the CRP aimed at training
activists in all areas of campaigning. The next CRP Convention will be held in
the fall.
The ANCA is the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots
political organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices,
chapters, and supporters throughout the United States and affiliated
organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the concerns of the
Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.
3) OSCE Minsk Group Urges Armenia And Azerbaijan to Prepare Publics for Peace
Not War
YEREVAN (Armenpress)--The three co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, which deals
with the Karabagh conflict, have issued a statement regretting the lack of
forward movement in the recent negotiations and calling on Armenia and
Azerbaijan to "work vigorously" to achieve a result in 2006.
In the statement: "The Co-Chairs reaffirmed their belief that a great deal of
progress has been achieved in the past year and a half... they urged both
parties to build on the basic principles for a future settlement that have
already been developed in order to achieve an agreement in 2006."
"They regret that the process has not moved forward in recent weeks though,
despite ample opportunity to do so," but reiterated their belief that 2006
is a
highly favorable year for substantial progress.
The Co-Chairs called on the governments of both Armenia and Azerbaijan to
work
toward this goal and "to take steps with their publics to prepare them for
peace, and not for war."
The Co-Chairs also said that they will decide when their next trip to region
will be after assessing the readiness of the parties. Their next meeting will
take place March 20 in Istanbul.
4) Bay Area ANC Hosts Publishers Hrant Dink And Ragip Zarakolu
SAN FRANCISCO--The Bay Area Armenian National Committee (ANC) hosted its
annual
"Hye Tad Evening" at Treasure Island, with special guests including Turkey's
Agos Armenian Weekly editor, Hrant Dink and Belge Publishing House owner,
Ragip
Zarakolu.
Hrant Dink is the publisher and founding editor of the only bilingual
Turkish-Armenian newspaper, the Agos Weekly, established in 1996.
Dink thanked the Bay Area ANC for inviting him to the event. Speaking in
Armenian, he said, "I am delighted to have the opportunity to meet the
Armenian
community here," adding that he was happy to have had the chance to meet and
talk with ANC committees all over the world.
Dink grew up in Malatia, attended Armenian school in Istanbul, and studied
Philosophy and Zoology at Istanbul University. Through his writings,
publications, and public statements, Dink has been an outspoken advocate for
the democratization of Turkish society and for the need to break the silence
about the Armenian genocide.
Dink recently went on trial for "insulting the Turkish state," because of his
remarks about reciting the Turkish oath. Dink said about the oath, which says
"I am Turkish, I am honest, I am hardworking," that although he was honest and
hardworking, he was not a Turk, but an Armenian. Although he was finally
acquitted in that case, he was later convicted of "insulting the Turkish
identity" for writing an article about the impact of the Armenian genocide on
the diaspora.
Although his suspended sentence requires that he not repeat the crime, Dink
said, "I will not be silent. As long as I live here, I will go on telling the
truth," and vowed that he would appeal to Turkey's supreme court and to the
European Court of Human Rights if necessary. "If it is a day or six months or
six years, it is all unacceptable to me," he said. "If I am unable to come up
with a positive result, it will be honorable for me to leave this country."
Dink now faces new charges for attempting "to influence the judiciary,"
because of his comments about his conviction.
Despite government pressure on people who are speaking out, Dink said, "It
was
a dream 10 years ago to imagine seeing the publication of books and
articles on
the Armenian genocide. There is no doubt that there has been some positive
change."
"People are starting to defend their rights," said Dink, hoping for "great
changes."
"The activities of the diaspora, the Genocide resolutions passed by other
countries every year, have contributed to the growing consciousness in
Turkey,"
said Dink, who also attributed much of the growing recognition of the Armenian
genocide in Turkey to the Kurdish struggle for national rights there.
"The government used to say, 'We don't have Kurds or a Kurdish problem. Those
people fighting up in the mountains are actually Armenians,'" said Dink. "And
to prove their assertions, they would publish photographs in newspapers
showing
the uncircumcised corpses of the defeated fighters. The Kurdish leader
Abdullah
Ocalan was referred to as 'The Armenian Bastard.'" Dink said that one of the
first things his paper did was to prove a certain priest who appeared in a
government newspaper photo with a Kurdish leader, was not, in fact, an
Armenian
priest, as was claimed.
"We said we're going to speak in their language," Dink said of the
decision to
publish Agos in Turkish as well as Armenian, against the protests of many in
the Armenian community. "Since then we began to speak about our history and to
counter their lies. We said, 'Now, it's our turn.'"
Dink said that the process of democratization in Turkey can no longer be
turned back. "There is a movement to talk about the past and a desire to know
what happened to Armenians, " he said. One of the unexpected consequences of
this movement was that many people in Turkey are now revealing that their
ancestors were Armenian.
"On the other hand, the Turkish government has responded with more
propaganda," said Dink, citing the fact that four years ago, new textbooks
were
distributed to all the schools which claim that Armenians massacred the Turks.
Comparing the small number of books on the Genocide now being published, with
the millions of government textbooks denying the Genocide, Dink said, "My hope
is that those 3,000 books will vanquish the governments' millions." He said
that the process of recognizing the Armenian genocide is going to take place
from within the country, starting from the general population. He said that
outside pressures for change must find a partner from within the country, or
there is a danger for extreme nationalism. Dink described a new ideological
movement within Turkey which brings together the Turkish and the Islamic
identities to form one unifying identity. He also pointed out that the
nationalist groups and Islamist groups are competing with one another and as a
result attacks against Armenians have increased.
Nevertheless, Dink expressed optimism about Armenian genocide recognition.
"One day they will recognize that the Armenian genocide has to be addressed.
But they will try to delay it and water it down as much as possible."
Regarding Turkey's entry into the European Union, Dink said, "Turkey is
like a
young man in love with a young European woman. But by the time a union can
actually take place, the man will be old and the woman will be ugly... But
love
is the important thing. It keeps men young, because they try to look better,
act younger, take care of themselves. Joining the European Union is not the
important thing, but being in love is important." Dink also expressed his hope
that one day Armenia would join the European Union.
Ragip Zarakolu is the owner of Belge Publishing House. Through the
publication
of books deemed subversive by the Turkish authorities, Zarakolu has given
voice
to countless victims of injustice whose stories have been silenced, denied,
and
banned by successive Turkish regimes. The first book on the Armenian genocide
which he published in Turkish was Yves Ternon's, Le Genocide des Armeniens,
under the title, Armenian Taboo, in 1994. Later came Vahakn Dadrian's Genocide
as a Problem of National and International Law. When Zarakolu was acquitted of
charges against him for that publication, the possibility of more free
discussion about the Armenian genocide in Turkey increased.
Among Zarakolu's other translated publications about Armenian and
non-Armenian
human rights issues is Mgrditch Armen's Heghnar's Fountain, Franz Werfel's
Forty Days in Musa Dagh, Avetis Aharonian's, The Fedayees, Tessa Hoffman's
Talaat Pasha Trials in Berlin, Peter Balakian's Black Dog of the Fate, and
most
recently, Turkish translations of Ambassador Morgenthau's Story.
Because of his work, Zarakolu spent three years in prison in the 1970's. His
wife also spent several years in prison.
Zarakolu spoke about his first exposure to the Armenian genocide, when his
mother, a witness to the deportations, told him about being kept in the house,
while hearing Armenians being taken away outside.
"My mother said, 'The Armenians were crying outside, and we were crying
inside,'" said Zarakolu. Referring to Turkey's involvement in WWI as a
"stupid,
adventurous war of the Ittihadists," Zarakolu said his mother lost both her
parents. She was also able to save two Armenian girls from deportation, but
the
government later removed those girls from their home.
Zarakolu also spoke admiringly of Sarkis Cherkezian, an Armenian genocide
survivor born in a Syrian refugee camp who just passed away at 90 years of
age.
"We learned many things about the realities of what happened to the
Armenians," he said of his close relationship to Cherkezian. He said it was
because of people like Cherkezian that he is able to write.
Zarakolu discussed the initial years of the Belge publishing house, during
which his work was not only banned but received little attention. "We had a
press conference for our collection of writings of the first reports on the
Armenian genocide, but there was no coverage in the press," said Zarakolu.
Since then he has withstood a constant barrage of criminal charges, further
imprisonment, confiscation and destruction of books, the bombing of his
publishing house, and heavy government fines and taxes. His publishing house
has endured more than 40 criminal indictments. Zarakolu is currently being
tried for publishing George Jerjian's History Will Set Us Free, and Dora
Sakayan's An Armenian Doctor in Turkey: Garabed Hatcherian: My Smyrna
Ordeal in
1922.
Economic means permitting, Zarakolu hopes to publish the Turkish editions of
the Blue Book from the United Kingdom, Armin Wegner's testimonies, Captanian's
testimonies, and a selection of Zabel Yeseyan's works, as well as a
photographic documentation of the Armenian deportation to the Syrian Desert.
5) President Bush's Trade Policy Report Cites Progress on US-Armenia Economic
Cooperation
WASHINGTON, DC--President Bush's annual Trade Policy Report cites progress
across a broad range of areas of US-Armenia economic cooperation, reported the
Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
"We are gratified to see that the steady progress in US-Armenia economic
relations is reflected in the President's annual trade report to Congress,"
said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA. "We look forward, in the
weeks and months ahead, to building on this momentum by encouraging the
negotiation of both a treaty eliminating double taxation and an agreement
clarifying the Social Security obligations and entitlements of those dividing
either their careers or their retirements between the US and Armenia."
The President's annual trade report is submitted to Congress by the United
States Trade Representative (USTR). It details the benefits of foreign trade
for US businesses, farmers and ranchers, service providers and consumers,
reviews the Administration's accomplishments of 2005, and lays out its agenda
for 2006. Additional information on this report can be found at: www.ustr.gov.
The provisions of the report that deal specifically with Armenia are as
follows:
1. Normalization of US-Armenia Trade Relations
"In 2004, Congress passed the Miscellaneous Trade and Technical Corrections
Act of 2004 which authorized the President to terminate application of
Jackson-Vanik to Armenia. On January 7, 2005, the President signed a
proclamation terminating application of Jackson-Vanik to Armenia and granting
Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) tariff treatment to products of
Armenia. Based on the President's proclamation granting products from Armenia
PNTR treatment, the United States and Armenia can apply the WTO between them
and have recourse to WTO dispute settlement procedures."
2. Expansion of US-Armenia Trade and Investment
"The United States continues to actively support political and economic
reforms in Central Asia and the Caucasus, which includes the former Soviet
countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,
Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The United States has been striving to construct
a framework for the development of strong trade and investment links with this
region. This approach has been pursued both bilaterally and multilaterally.
The
United States currently has Bilateral Investment Treaties (BIT) in force with
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, and has signed a BIT
with Uzbekistan, which has not yet entered into force."
3. Cooperation on Intellectual Property Rights
"In 2003, due to improvements made to Armenia's Intellectual Property Rights
(IPR) regime, the US Government closed the review of the IPR industry's
petition with respect to Armenia."
4. Promotion of Economic Growth Through Duty-Free Exports
"Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan participate in the
GSP program. In 2004, Azerbaijan submitted an application for designation as a
beneficiary developing country under the GSP program which is under
consideration." (The GSP is a program to promote economic growth in the
developing world by providing preferential duty-free entry for more than 4,650
products from 144 designated beneficiary countries and territories.)
6) State Department Ends Silence on Azerbaijan's Destruction of Historic Julfa
Cemetery
WASHINGTON, DC--In the wake of a sustained international outcry, growing
Congressional protests, and a forceful condemnation by the European
Parliament,
the US State Department ended its three-month long silence Tuesday on the
Azeri
government's destruction of the medieval Armenian cemetery in the Julfa region
of Nakhichevan.
Speaking Tuesday at a press conference in Yerevan, Armenia, Deputy Assistant
Secretary of State Matthew Bryza responded to reporters' questions by
describing the destruction as a "tragedy," and noting that, "it's awful what
happened in Julfa. But the United States cannot take steps to stop it as it is
happening on foreign soil. We continually raise this issue at meetings with
Azeri officials. We are hopeful that the guilty will justly be punished. We
are
hopeful that in no other state of the region such things will happen again, as
there are great historic monuments in the Caucasus and, frankly speaking, in
all three states they are endangered."
"We welcome the end to the State Department's long silence on Julfa, but
regret that it took three months and sustained international protest before
our
government summoned the will to utter its first public condemnation of a clear
cut and thoroughly documented case of cultural desecration," said ANCA
Executive Director Aram Hamparian.
"It's neither fair nor accurate for the State Department--in an apparent
exercise in artificial evenhandedness--to imply that both Armenia and
Azerbaijan are guilty of cultural destruction," added Hamparian. "In
commenting
on this subject in the future, we would hope that our diplomats will limit
themselves to the actual facts on the ground, which point unmistakably to
Azerbaijani culpability for the Julfa desecration and a long-standing pattern
of deliberate demolition of Armenia religious and cultural treasures."
In December of 2005, approximately 200 Azeri forces were videotaped using
sledgehammers to demolish the Armenian cemetery in Julfa, a sacred site of the
Armenian Apostolic Church. The cemetery dates back to the 7th Century and once
was home to as many as 10,000 khatchkars (stone-crosses). An on-line video of
the destruction can be viewed at:
www.hairenik.com/Haireniktv/HA_TV_Clip04.htm.
The ANCA has widely distributed DVDs documenting the destruction, educated
Congressional offices about this desecration, and worked in concert with ANCA
affiliates around the world to protest Azerbaijan's worsening anti-Armenian
behavior. The Congressional Armenian Caucus, led by Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and
Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), has formally condemned Azerbaijan's actions, as have
Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Congresswoman Grace Napolitano (D-CA). On
February 16, 2006, the European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning
Azerbaijan's destruction of the cemetery and demanding that Azerbaijan
allow an
European Parliament delegation to survey the site.
On February 28, Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian met with UNESCO
Director General Koichiro Matsuura. During the meeting, the Foreign Minister
called attention to the destruction of the Julfa cemetery and urged UNESCO to
send a team of experts to assess the situation and take appropriate action.
7) ARF to Hold Conference Titled "Armenians And The Left"
--Robert Fisk, Noam Chomsky, and David Barsamian to speak
In an effort to develop ties with political currents outside the US
mainstream
and broaden the range of participation among an increasingly diverse Armenian
community, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) in the Eastern United
States is planning a conference called "Armenians and the Left." The
conference
is scheduled for the weekend of April 8 in New York City and is
co-sponsored by
the Nation Institute and City University of New York's (CUNY) Study for Place,
Culture, and Politics.
On the eve of the conference, Robert Fisk of the British-based newspaper The
Independent will deliver a plenary lecture at the New York Society for Ethical
Culture at 7:30 PM on April 7. As the author of two highly acclaimed books on
the region, Fisk will address global issues such as US imperialism in the
Middle East and Transcaucasus and the implications for small, struggling
nations like Armenia.
The conference will begin the following day at CUNY Graduate Center, where
panels of scholars, activists, and opinion makers will take a critical look
at,
and offer progressive analyses of a range of subjects pertinent to Armenia's
political situation within a global context. The website
armeniansandtheleft.com provides a full description of the panels and
biographies of the panelists. Robert Fisk that day will join David
Barsamian of
Alternative Radio on a panel titled, "War, Propaganda, and the Media."
Barsamian has built Alternative Radio into one of the few remaining
independent
forums for critically analyzing US domestic and foreign policy.
On the following day, Fisk will join Noam Chomsky at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology to address an audience about the topic of "War,
Geo-Politics, and History: Conflict in the Middle East." Chomsky is perhaps
the
nation's most well known critic of US Foreign Policy. The talk will take place
at Room 10-250 on MIT's Campus on Sunday, April 9 at 1:30 PM.
8) Geragos, Yeghiayan, And Kabateck Receive 2006 CLAY Award
SAN FRANCISCO--Out of more than 200,000 eligible attorneys, California Lawyer
Magazine chose attorneys Mark Geragos, Brian Kabateck, and Vartkes
Yeghiayan to
be among the few attorneys which will receive the prestigious California
Lawyer
Attorneys of the Year (CLAY) Award in litigation.
The CLAY Award recognizes those attorneys throughout the state whose work has
had a profound, far-reaching impact over the past year. The attorneys honored
changed law, broke new ground in various areas, and substantially influenced
public policy.
Armenian-American lawyers Mark Geragos, Brian Kabateck, and Vartkes Yeghiayan
were recognized for their work in reaching two settlements of $20 million and
$17.5 with insurance companies on behalf of descendants of Armenians killed
during the Armenian genocide.
Martin Marootian, et al. v. New York Life Insurance Company and Kyurkjian,
et.
al. v. AXA were momentous since they represent one of the oldest unresolved
cases in history--that have now been settled 90 years later. They are also the
first recorded cases addressing issues involving the Armenian genocide.
All three attorneys are of Armenian decent and descendants of Genocide
victims
and survivors. Through these cases, they feel honored to have helped people
understand the magnitude of the atrocities committed during the Armenian
genocide.
9) Harvest Gallery Presents Rafael Atoyan Exhibit
GLENDALE-- A rare solo exhibition of internationally acclaimed artist Rafael
Atoyan's works will be held March 10-22 at Harvest Gallery in Glendale.
Rafael Atoyan is one of the former Soviet Union's baby boomers, the so-called
"60's generation," which played a significant role in withstanding the
oppressive regime of the time. This generation of artists (whose leader Minas
Avetissian was later victimized by the regime) sought creative freedom and
struggled for the right of self-expression.
"Ato knows what it is that he is after," Avetissian said. "He treads slowly
but surely. He's our Cezanne."
Atoyan is a graduate of the Terlemezian College of Fine Arts and the Yerevan
Institute of Theater and Fine Arts. He uses watercolors as he would use oil on
canvas--meticulously, layer by layer, with painstaking elaboration of detail
and form. His watercolors are conveyed through a real visible picture.
Atoyan's exhibit will be on display from Friday, March 10 through Wednesday,
March 22.
For general information about the exhibit, please call Harvest Gallery at
(818)546-1000 or visit www.harvestgallery.com.
Harvest Gallery
938 North Brand Blvd.
Glendale, CA
Exhibition Dates: Friday, March 10 through Wednesday, March 22
Gallery Hours: Tuesday-Sunday from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM
10) Publishing House Established in Honor of Archbishop Mesrob Ashjian
In 2003, the Armenian Apostolic Church lost one of its most devoted servants,
Archbishop Mesrob Ashjian.
The Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Society organized a public
gathering on the first anniversary of his passing with the aim of keeping his
memory alive.
A total of $20,000 was raised by the public in memory of the Archbishop. Part
of the contributions were allocated for the establishment of the "Mesrob
Ashjian Publishing House" at the Armenian Academy's History Department, under
the guidance of Professor Ashod Melkonian, Head of the History Department.
Mesrob Ashjian Publishing House has already published ten books.
The rest of the contributions were used to put up a life-size sculpture of
the
Archbishop in Armenia.
His Holiness Karekin II has offered His blessing for the placement of the
statue in front of St. Kevork's Church at Moughni Village. The ceremony will
take place on May 28, the day Archbishop Ashjian was ordained.
The public is invited to attend the dedication ceremony on May 28, 2006 in
the
Moughni Village of Armenia.
For more information please contact: [email protected]
11) SKEPTIK'S OSCAR PARTY RECIPE FOR GOLDEN RICE A LA "ESH"
Dear Readers,
I was sick for the last two weeks and no one even noticed. But that's OK.
Don't bother asking me how I AM!! Anyway, just bear with me. This week's
article will take a while to kick into second gear but I'll make it worth your
while. Promise!
Your friend,
Skeptik
I didn't watch the Oscars. I was at an Armenian wedding in North Hollywood.
And what a wedding it was! Let me just say that the whole time, I was taking
notes of "Do's" and "Don'ts" for future reference and a gazillion ideas for
future columns. The whole time as two young people professed their love to one
another in a timeless ceremony and celebration of Holy Matrimony, I kept
thinking thoughts like "I can't believe I'm missing Jon Stewart hosting the
Oscars" and "I wonder if Jennifer Aniston and Angelina Jolie are going to have
a cat fight on the red carpet??" I don't even like the Oscars and the last
time
I remember watching it, that old guy from "City Slickers" did one-handed
pushups after winning his award. That was pretty awesome!
The person who thought of getting Jon Stewart to host the Academy
Awards/Oscars is a genius. I like this idea mainly because I think Stewart
does
a brilliant job on the "Daily Show" on Comedy Central. That show alone is
enough reason to buy one of those packages for satellite or direct TV and then
get stuck with over 20 home shopping channels, that Christian Evangelical
Channel with the woman that wears all the makeup, and the Oxygen channel,
which
ironically, makes me crave carbon monoxide and not oxygen. I heard he did a
good job and he made some great political jokes which included a Dick Cheney
hunting joke, but from what I heard around the water cooler the next day, it
looks like they'll probably go with someone else next year.
WARNING! WARNING! SKEPTIK DIGRESSION ALERT! I don't know why the Oscars
screwed around with a proven formula. I remember when Billy Crystal was the
host every year. It was comforting. Now the Oscar host changes every year.
It's
like that friend who dates the same girl for like three years and she even
starts to grow on you because you're so used to them together. Then they break
up and no one knows why. For the next three years he keeps bringing a
different
girl to your annual Christmas party and some are okay and others are disasters
but you always end up comparing them to the previous girl. And that's all I
have to say about that. END OF DIGRESSION (if you wish to see more of my
critique of the Oscars, visit my blog.)
One of the things that I find funny during the Oscars is when some Hollywood
nobody wins an award and then for the next fifty years, any time that
person is
in any type of play, movie, cartoon, commercial, advertisement or ribbon
cutting of a new International House of Pancakes, they are introduced as
"Academy Award Winner." Does anyone else think that it's absolutely ridiculous
that Cuba Gooding Jr. and Marissa Tomei both have this moniker? So this has
given me an idea to give out my own awards to mock the Oscars and leave my
legacy for posterity's sake. Ladies and gentlemen... I introduce to you... the
Golden Esh Award! (For non-Armenians reading this column, the word "esh" means
donkey or jackass in Armenian.) Ta-Dah!
The Golden Esh Award is meant to coincide with the Academy Awards, the
People's Choice Awards, and the Golden Globes. The Golden Esh memorializes
great accomplishments in idiocy. It is awarded to people who do or say things
that only an ESH would do or say.
The nominees for the 2006 Golden ESH are:
US SECRETARY OF STATE CONDOLEEZA RICE for recalling US Ambassador to Armenia
John Evans for comments he made reaffirming the Armenian genocide. In case you
missed the news recently, Ambassador John Evans has been forced to resign his
post as Ambassador to the Republic of Armenia because during a visit with
diaspora Armenians in the US he actually said, and I quote:
"I regard the event as an act of genocide. No American official has ever
denied this fact. I think it will not bring honor to Americans to play with
words concerning this issue. I know that everything should
be called by their names. However, the US policy has not changed. We have
military relations with Turkey in the framework of NATO. The Armenian genocide
was the first genocide that was committed in the
20th century. I assure you that we shall seriously deal with this issue."
So because of his candor and courage, Ambassador Evans is being rewarded with
a pink slip and has probably been blacklisted from ever working in the State
Department again. In fact, Armenia is now the lucky recipient of the US
Ambassador from Tajikistan. Which means that if we're getting the Ambassador
from Middle-of-nowhere Tajikistan, then Evans is probably going to be made the
assistant to the Ambassador to some penguin colony in Antarctica. What a damn
shame! Condoleeza Rice has sullied the reputation of not only her department
but of the American people as well!
The next nominee is the PUBLIC BROADCAST SYSTEM (PBS) for airing a discussion
with a panel of Genocide Deniers immediately following a documentary on the
Armenian genocide. (By the way, if you want to know more about either of these
issues, you can read about them on the Armenian National Committee website at
www.anca.org.) Having a panel of Genocide Deniers speak after a documentary
about the Armenian genocide is like having a group of former Nazis and
Holocaust Deniers speak right after a screening of Schindler's List. Over
10,000 Armenians have already written to PBS to complain about this
decision to
no avail. The folks at PBS have responded to their viewers and supporters with
the same arrogance as one of their characters from those stupid Victorian era
British shows that they are always promoting.
This an all time low for the channel that brought us Sesame Street and
Contact! Even worse, is that PBS has yet to see the error of its ways and
remains unwavering in their complete and utter disregard for human decency.
Thanks to this ESH move, I won't be able to watch Sesame Street ever again
without picture a big ugly Turkish fez on top of Big Bird's head! Next time
PBS
has a telethon fundraising drive, I'm grabbing a bag of Lahmajouns and a six
pack of beer, sitting by the TV with my cordless phone, and calling them over
and over again just to tell the volunteers there that I will not donate a dime
to their Genocide Denying idiots!
And the final nominee for this year's ESH Award is SEMIH IDIZ, Editor of
Turkish News who recently wrote an editorial in Milliyet (a Turkish paper)
claiming that Turkey didn't deserve its bad reputation. This was a response to
an international survey of attitudes towards 35 countries and Turkey was
viewed
as the least favorable. SURPRISE! SURPRISE! Idiz writes that evidently "the
world sees Turks as ignorant, lazy, poor, radical Islamist, crazy, barbaric,
and dangerous" and claims that these labels are completely unfair.
Well, Idiz my effendi, in your list of "How Turks Are Perceived," you forgot
genocidal, ungrateful, violent, oppressive, racist, fascist, arrogant, and
delusional. And I almost forgot: Bird Flu Spreading!
When delving into the roots of this so-called misconception, Idiz observes
that foreigners may misunderstand Turkish society because "such
developments as
the police beating women demonstrators" just a few months ago, "looks bad."
Idiz baby, the women beatings are just the tip of the iceberg.
And now for the winner. Orhan Pamuk, if you can please pass me the envelope
through the bars of your Turkish jail cell. Thank you.
(Cough to clear throat) So we have three VERY worth nominees for this year's
Golden ESH Award. In fact, the panel of judges has had such a hard time
deciding who to award that we actually have a historic THREE WAY TIE!! That's
right Condoleeza, PBS, and Idiz, you are all Golden ESHes! As part of
receiving
this honor, you will henceforth be known as "Golden ESH winners." So hold your
heads up high and enjoy the company you're in. In addition to your goody bag
filled with grade-A manure just like the stuff you like to peddle around town,
all three of you have been selected for an exclusive hunting trip with Vice
President Dick Cheney! Enjoy and don't forget to write!
Skeptik Sinikian is currently working on a design for the statue of the
Golden
Esh Award. If anyone knows an Esh or would like to model for one, contact him
at [email protected] or visit his cool (OK, not) new blog at
www.SkeptikSinikian.blogspot.com.
12) Homo Ottomanicus?
By Garen Yegparian
A few days ago, at a presentation about our political operations, the speaker
described a pattern of behavior as being "the Armenian way" when describing
the
approach of a certain organization.
It was the go-along-to-get-along approach to life in its worst manifestation.
Cowering before the mighty. Abiding by their wishes even when those impinge on
or harm one's own needs, desires, and goals. This is how we made it through
Ottoman times. We became servile creatures, barely recognizable as human.
Fortunately, our revolutionary period reinserted our backbones, but evidently
not into all of us. The Soviet period wrought its damage too. To this day,
people who grew up in that time and place, still speak while barely opening
their mouths, as if to avoid being discovered.
But what of those who grew up in and have known only the relative freedom of
the Diaspora? Why are some of them so eager to please their "betters"? Or
is it
perhaps their "masters" they're pleasing in their own pathetic minds?
Why would Armenians not proudly advocate Armenian interests? Why would they
not set out what we really want, in toto, then work as reality allows for
pieces of that whole until we've attained it all? To strategically and
tactically back off a demand for good reason and for a time is wise. To not
ever state it, deny its existence, negotiate it away, or only pursue it when
permission is "granted" by those "wiser" than we is treasonous.
This cowardly mindset is an anachronism. It is no longer warranted
anywhere we
are.
It can be particularly detrimental when navigating the ship of state. Current
leaders of the two Armenian republics seem to be doing a good job on this
front. No one should undercut them by advocating policies based on fear of
regional or super-powers.
But the concern is not limited to Yerevan. The same thing happens closer to
home. We can often be too accommodating to those in power on the local level
too. We might support people for office who are not the best (or least worst)
choice from an Armenian perspective, just for fear of retribution. Thus we get
to be the "loyal millet" of yore all over again.
I do not a call for loudmouthed posturing with no substance or ability to
deliver.
I call for ridding ourselves of this Ottoman pathology (with due credit to
Ara
Baliozian who wrote on this repeatedly a decade and more ago) once and for
all.
13) ANCA Endowment Fund Purchases New Washington, DC Headquarters
WASHINGTON, DC - The ANCA Endowment Fund announced Friday the purchase of a
new
national headquarters, cementing the grassroots organization's presence in the
nation's capital and creating a platform for the continued growth of the
political power and influence of the Armenian American community.
"At its heart, this purchase speaks to our respect for our roots--our
enduring
historic roots as a people, our grassroots communities around the country, and
the deep roots that we have planted here in the nation's capital," said ANCA
Endowment Fund President Ken Hachikian. "Roots represent our identity--and our
strength. Grassroots advocacy is in our very soul. Our roots have been the
wellspring that has nourished us from our fledgling days, through decades of
struggle, and to our status today as a world-class organization, recognized
internationally as the principled, forceful, and effective voice of the
Armenian American community."
The four-story building, formerly owned by AOL founder Steve Case, is located
near prestigious Embassy Row, blocks from the White House and the nation's
leading think tanks, including the Carnegie Foundation and the Brookings
Institution. The newly renovated structure features the latest in computer,
communications, and
networking technology.
"Now is the time to build on our successes," added Hachikian. "We look
confidently to the future--forging new paths and embracing new
technologies--to
generate the political power, influence and respect that the Armenian American
community deserves--and that the Armenian homeland needs."
With a proven track record of results and a rock-solid base of support to
build on, the leadership of the ANCA Endowment is currently in the planning
stages of a campaign to cover the full cost of this state-of-the-art building,
expand a broad range of advocacy programs, and grow the organization's life
sustaining endowment fund. These efforts will cement the long-term stability
and continuing success of Armenian American advocacy, substantially reinforce
the Armenian presence in Washington DC, and create an even more powerful voice
for Armenian Americans--in short, provide a sound footing for the future and a
permanent home for the Armenian Cause in the United States.
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TOP STORIES
03/10/2006
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1) Armenians Wounded and Killed in Georgia
2) ANCA-WR Participates in California Republican Party Convention
3) OSCE Minsk Group Urges Armenia And Azerbaijan to Prepare Publics for Peace
Not War
4) Bay Area ANC Hosts Publishers Hrant Dink And Ragip Zarakolu
5) President Bush's Trade Policy Report Cites Progress on US-Armenia Economic
Cooperation
6) State Department Ends Silence on Azerbaijan's Destruction of Historic Julfa
Cemetery
7) ARF to Hold Conference Titled "Armenians And The Left"
8) Geragos, Yeghiayan, And Kabateck Receive 2006 CLAY Award
9) Harvest Gallery Presents Rafael Atoyan Exhibit
10) Publishing House Established in Honor of Archbishop Mesrob Ashjian
11) SKEPTIK'S OSCAR PARTY RECIPE FOR GOLDEN RICE A LA "ESH"
12) Homo Ottomanicus? By Garen Yegparian
13) ANCA Endowment Fund Purchases New Washington, DC Headquarters
1) Armenians Wounded and Killed in Georgia
(Armenpress/PanArmenian.Net)--A group of ethnic Ajarian or Svani Georgians
attacked three young Armenian men, stabbing one of them to death in Tsalka,
southern Georgia.
According to A-Info news agency, which is based in the predominantly Armenian
populated region of Javakhk in southern Georgia, the Armenians were attacked
Thursday by a 15-member group in Tsalka's busy town center.
The men were attacked after leaving a restaurant as they were getting into a
car. The unidentified attackers dragged them out of the car and started
beating
them, some armed with heavy metal objects.
In the attack, 23-year-old Gevorg Gevorkyan of the Ghushchi village was
stabbed multiple times and died the scene. V. Saakyan, 25, was wounded in the
leg and 25-year old K. Baloyan was transported to a hospital in Tbilisi with
severe injuries.
A-Info quoted the wounded Armenians as saying they did not know the reason
they were attacked. The perpetrators escaped after the attack.
A special squad of Georgia's interior ministry, deployed to the region to
prevent inter-ethnic violence, has arrested three suspects.
Following the attack and closure of roads leading to the Armenian villages,
local Armenians held a protest. A crowd of 300 people demonstrated outside the
building of the local police department demanding a fair trial of the suspects
and broke some windows.
According to Georgian parliament member Hayk Meltonyan, some 100 protesters
were beaten by truncheon-wielding police officers trying to disperse the
crowd.
Tsalka, population 22,000, is predominantly populated by ethnic Armenians and
Greeks. It is located close to Javakhk.
In the early 1990s, the Georgian government moved a group of about 2,500
ethnic Georgians (mostly Ajarians and Svans) to Tsalka after a devastating
landslide in their native mountainous villages.
Conflicts between Armenian and Greek communities and Georgians do
periodically
occur in the Tsalka area. Nevertheless, Georgian officials continuously argue
that the conflicts in Tsalka have no ethnic context and represent mostly
"communal violence."
2) ANCA-WR Participates in California Republican Party Convention
SAN JOSE--Representatives of the Armenian National Committee of America -
Western Region (ANCA-WR) traveled to San Jose to participate in the California
Republican Party (CRP) Convention held February 24-26. During the three-day
convention, ANCA-WR Director Armen Carapetian and ANCA activist Jack Hadjinian
met with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as well as other Republican
leaders to discuss issues of concern to Armenian Americans.
Carapetian and Hadjinian joined the CRP Volunteer Organization Committee
meeting with the California Congress of Republicans, California State
Republican National Hispanic Assembly, and California Federation of Republican
Women, among others, where participants discussed opportunities to collaborate
on initiatives. Many candidates for statewide offices were on-hand during the
meeting to provide updates on their campaigns. Governor Schwarzenegger greeted
the volunteer organizations and thanked them for their support. "Volunteers
have always been extremely important in campaigns," said the Governor in his
remarks.
Following the meeting, Jack Hadjinian spoke with the Governor and thanked him
for his principled stance on the Armenian genocide. Hadjinian, a Montebello
resident, extended a special invitation to the Governor for this year's
commemoration of the Armenian genocide at the Armenian Martyrs Memorial
Monument at Bicknell Park. Paying homage to the victims of the Armenian
genocide at the monument is an annual tradition for Los Angeles area Armenian
Americans. This commemoration regularly draws over 10,000 visitors, including
many elected officials. Most notably, in 1969, then Governor Ronald Reagan
joined His Holiness Khoren I in commemorating the Armenian genocide at the
monument. This year's remembrance event will take place on Sunday, April 23.
The convention provided the ANCA-WR the opportunity to reach out to
California
Republican elected officials and candidates for elected office. Congressman
Darrell Issa (CA-48), who was the only Congressional member at the convention,
reiterated his support for the Armenian genocide legislation pending in the
House of Representatives. State Senator Chuck Poochigian (Fresno) invited the
ANCA representatives to a special reception and briefed them on his campaign
for Attorney General. Carapetian and Hadjinian also met many Republican Party
activists over the weekend, including Armenian Americans involved in the CRP
and various campaigns.
"It's important for us to be here, and it's good to see that Armenian
Americans are involved at this crucial level of the political process," said
Carapetian. "We have received nothing but appreciation for coming to this
convention, and we will continue to build on the relationships we established
this weekend."
The ANCA-WR sponsored an exhibit table at the convention to familiarize those
in attendance with the organization, its programs and initiatives. Carapetian
and Hadjinian also took part in workshops hosted by the CRP aimed at training
activists in all areas of campaigning. The next CRP Convention will be held in
the fall.
The ANCA is the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots
political organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices,
chapters, and supporters throughout the United States and affiliated
organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the concerns of the
Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.
3) OSCE Minsk Group Urges Armenia And Azerbaijan to Prepare Publics for Peace
Not War
YEREVAN (Armenpress)--The three co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, which deals
with the Karabagh conflict, have issued a statement regretting the lack of
forward movement in the recent negotiations and calling on Armenia and
Azerbaijan to "work vigorously" to achieve a result in 2006.
In the statement: "The Co-Chairs reaffirmed their belief that a great deal of
progress has been achieved in the past year and a half... they urged both
parties to build on the basic principles for a future settlement that have
already been developed in order to achieve an agreement in 2006."
"They regret that the process has not moved forward in recent weeks though,
despite ample opportunity to do so," but reiterated their belief that 2006
is a
highly favorable year for substantial progress.
The Co-Chairs called on the governments of both Armenia and Azerbaijan to
work
toward this goal and "to take steps with their publics to prepare them for
peace, and not for war."
The Co-Chairs also said that they will decide when their next trip to region
will be after assessing the readiness of the parties. Their next meeting will
take place March 20 in Istanbul.
4) Bay Area ANC Hosts Publishers Hrant Dink And Ragip Zarakolu
SAN FRANCISCO--The Bay Area Armenian National Committee (ANC) hosted its
annual
"Hye Tad Evening" at Treasure Island, with special guests including Turkey's
Agos Armenian Weekly editor, Hrant Dink and Belge Publishing House owner,
Ragip
Zarakolu.
Hrant Dink is the publisher and founding editor of the only bilingual
Turkish-Armenian newspaper, the Agos Weekly, established in 1996.
Dink thanked the Bay Area ANC for inviting him to the event. Speaking in
Armenian, he said, "I am delighted to have the opportunity to meet the
Armenian
community here," adding that he was happy to have had the chance to meet and
talk with ANC committees all over the world.
Dink grew up in Malatia, attended Armenian school in Istanbul, and studied
Philosophy and Zoology at Istanbul University. Through his writings,
publications, and public statements, Dink has been an outspoken advocate for
the democratization of Turkish society and for the need to break the silence
about the Armenian genocide.
Dink recently went on trial for "insulting the Turkish state," because of his
remarks about reciting the Turkish oath. Dink said about the oath, which says
"I am Turkish, I am honest, I am hardworking," that although he was honest and
hardworking, he was not a Turk, but an Armenian. Although he was finally
acquitted in that case, he was later convicted of "insulting the Turkish
identity" for writing an article about the impact of the Armenian genocide on
the diaspora.
Although his suspended sentence requires that he not repeat the crime, Dink
said, "I will not be silent. As long as I live here, I will go on telling the
truth," and vowed that he would appeal to Turkey's supreme court and to the
European Court of Human Rights if necessary. "If it is a day or six months or
six years, it is all unacceptable to me," he said. "If I am unable to come up
with a positive result, it will be honorable for me to leave this country."
Dink now faces new charges for attempting "to influence the judiciary,"
because of his comments about his conviction.
Despite government pressure on people who are speaking out, Dink said, "It
was
a dream 10 years ago to imagine seeing the publication of books and
articles on
the Armenian genocide. There is no doubt that there has been some positive
change."
"People are starting to defend their rights," said Dink, hoping for "great
changes."
"The activities of the diaspora, the Genocide resolutions passed by other
countries every year, have contributed to the growing consciousness in
Turkey,"
said Dink, who also attributed much of the growing recognition of the Armenian
genocide in Turkey to the Kurdish struggle for national rights there.
"The government used to say, 'We don't have Kurds or a Kurdish problem. Those
people fighting up in the mountains are actually Armenians,'" said Dink. "And
to prove their assertions, they would publish photographs in newspapers
showing
the uncircumcised corpses of the defeated fighters. The Kurdish leader
Abdullah
Ocalan was referred to as 'The Armenian Bastard.'" Dink said that one of the
first things his paper did was to prove a certain priest who appeared in a
government newspaper photo with a Kurdish leader, was not, in fact, an
Armenian
priest, as was claimed.
"We said we're going to speak in their language," Dink said of the
decision to
publish Agos in Turkish as well as Armenian, against the protests of many in
the Armenian community. "Since then we began to speak about our history and to
counter their lies. We said, 'Now, it's our turn.'"
Dink said that the process of democratization in Turkey can no longer be
turned back. "There is a movement to talk about the past and a desire to know
what happened to Armenians, " he said. One of the unexpected consequences of
this movement was that many people in Turkey are now revealing that their
ancestors were Armenian.
"On the other hand, the Turkish government has responded with more
propaganda," said Dink, citing the fact that four years ago, new textbooks
were
distributed to all the schools which claim that Armenians massacred the Turks.
Comparing the small number of books on the Genocide now being published, with
the millions of government textbooks denying the Genocide, Dink said, "My hope
is that those 3,000 books will vanquish the governments' millions." He said
that the process of recognizing the Armenian genocide is going to take place
from within the country, starting from the general population. He said that
outside pressures for change must find a partner from within the country, or
there is a danger for extreme nationalism. Dink described a new ideological
movement within Turkey which brings together the Turkish and the Islamic
identities to form one unifying identity. He also pointed out that the
nationalist groups and Islamist groups are competing with one another and as a
result attacks against Armenians have increased.
Nevertheless, Dink expressed optimism about Armenian genocide recognition.
"One day they will recognize that the Armenian genocide has to be addressed.
But they will try to delay it and water it down as much as possible."
Regarding Turkey's entry into the European Union, Dink said, "Turkey is
like a
young man in love with a young European woman. But by the time a union can
actually take place, the man will be old and the woman will be ugly... But
love
is the important thing. It keeps men young, because they try to look better,
act younger, take care of themselves. Joining the European Union is not the
important thing, but being in love is important." Dink also expressed his hope
that one day Armenia would join the European Union.
Ragip Zarakolu is the owner of Belge Publishing House. Through the
publication
of books deemed subversive by the Turkish authorities, Zarakolu has given
voice
to countless victims of injustice whose stories have been silenced, denied,
and
banned by successive Turkish regimes. The first book on the Armenian genocide
which he published in Turkish was Yves Ternon's, Le Genocide des Armeniens,
under the title, Armenian Taboo, in 1994. Later came Vahakn Dadrian's Genocide
as a Problem of National and International Law. When Zarakolu was acquitted of
charges against him for that publication, the possibility of more free
discussion about the Armenian genocide in Turkey increased.
Among Zarakolu's other translated publications about Armenian and
non-Armenian
human rights issues is Mgrditch Armen's Heghnar's Fountain, Franz Werfel's
Forty Days in Musa Dagh, Avetis Aharonian's, The Fedayees, Tessa Hoffman's
Talaat Pasha Trials in Berlin, Peter Balakian's Black Dog of the Fate, and
most
recently, Turkish translations of Ambassador Morgenthau's Story.
Because of his work, Zarakolu spent three years in prison in the 1970's. His
wife also spent several years in prison.
Zarakolu spoke about his first exposure to the Armenian genocide, when his
mother, a witness to the deportations, told him about being kept in the house,
while hearing Armenians being taken away outside.
"My mother said, 'The Armenians were crying outside, and we were crying
inside,'" said Zarakolu. Referring to Turkey's involvement in WWI as a
"stupid,
adventurous war of the Ittihadists," Zarakolu said his mother lost both her
parents. She was also able to save two Armenian girls from deportation, but
the
government later removed those girls from their home.
Zarakolu also spoke admiringly of Sarkis Cherkezian, an Armenian genocide
survivor born in a Syrian refugee camp who just passed away at 90 years of
age.
"We learned many things about the realities of what happened to the
Armenians," he said of his close relationship to Cherkezian. He said it was
because of people like Cherkezian that he is able to write.
Zarakolu discussed the initial years of the Belge publishing house, during
which his work was not only banned but received little attention. "We had a
press conference for our collection of writings of the first reports on the
Armenian genocide, but there was no coverage in the press," said Zarakolu.
Since then he has withstood a constant barrage of criminal charges, further
imprisonment, confiscation and destruction of books, the bombing of his
publishing house, and heavy government fines and taxes. His publishing house
has endured more than 40 criminal indictments. Zarakolu is currently being
tried for publishing George Jerjian's History Will Set Us Free, and Dora
Sakayan's An Armenian Doctor in Turkey: Garabed Hatcherian: My Smyrna
Ordeal in
1922.
Economic means permitting, Zarakolu hopes to publish the Turkish editions of
the Blue Book from the United Kingdom, Armin Wegner's testimonies, Captanian's
testimonies, and a selection of Zabel Yeseyan's works, as well as a
photographic documentation of the Armenian deportation to the Syrian Desert.
5) President Bush's Trade Policy Report Cites Progress on US-Armenia Economic
Cooperation
WASHINGTON, DC--President Bush's annual Trade Policy Report cites progress
across a broad range of areas of US-Armenia economic cooperation, reported the
Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
"We are gratified to see that the steady progress in US-Armenia economic
relations is reflected in the President's annual trade report to Congress,"
said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA. "We look forward, in the
weeks and months ahead, to building on this momentum by encouraging the
negotiation of both a treaty eliminating double taxation and an agreement
clarifying the Social Security obligations and entitlements of those dividing
either their careers or their retirements between the US and Armenia."
The President's annual trade report is submitted to Congress by the United
States Trade Representative (USTR). It details the benefits of foreign trade
for US businesses, farmers and ranchers, service providers and consumers,
reviews the Administration's accomplishments of 2005, and lays out its agenda
for 2006. Additional information on this report can be found at: www.ustr.gov.
The provisions of the report that deal specifically with Armenia are as
follows:
1. Normalization of US-Armenia Trade Relations
"In 2004, Congress passed the Miscellaneous Trade and Technical Corrections
Act of 2004 which authorized the President to terminate application of
Jackson-Vanik to Armenia. On January 7, 2005, the President signed a
proclamation terminating application of Jackson-Vanik to Armenia and granting
Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) tariff treatment to products of
Armenia. Based on the President's proclamation granting products from Armenia
PNTR treatment, the United States and Armenia can apply the WTO between them
and have recourse to WTO dispute settlement procedures."
2. Expansion of US-Armenia Trade and Investment
"The United States continues to actively support political and economic
reforms in Central Asia and the Caucasus, which includes the former Soviet
countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,
Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The United States has been striving to construct
a framework for the development of strong trade and investment links with this
region. This approach has been pursued both bilaterally and multilaterally.
The
United States currently has Bilateral Investment Treaties (BIT) in force with
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, and has signed a BIT
with Uzbekistan, which has not yet entered into force."
3. Cooperation on Intellectual Property Rights
"In 2003, due to improvements made to Armenia's Intellectual Property Rights
(IPR) regime, the US Government closed the review of the IPR industry's
petition with respect to Armenia."
4. Promotion of Economic Growth Through Duty-Free Exports
"Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan participate in the
GSP program. In 2004, Azerbaijan submitted an application for designation as a
beneficiary developing country under the GSP program which is under
consideration." (The GSP is a program to promote economic growth in the
developing world by providing preferential duty-free entry for more than 4,650
products from 144 designated beneficiary countries and territories.)
6) State Department Ends Silence on Azerbaijan's Destruction of Historic Julfa
Cemetery
WASHINGTON, DC--In the wake of a sustained international outcry, growing
Congressional protests, and a forceful condemnation by the European
Parliament,
the US State Department ended its three-month long silence Tuesday on the
Azeri
government's destruction of the medieval Armenian cemetery in the Julfa region
of Nakhichevan.
Speaking Tuesday at a press conference in Yerevan, Armenia, Deputy Assistant
Secretary of State Matthew Bryza responded to reporters' questions by
describing the destruction as a "tragedy," and noting that, "it's awful what
happened in Julfa. But the United States cannot take steps to stop it as it is
happening on foreign soil. We continually raise this issue at meetings with
Azeri officials. We are hopeful that the guilty will justly be punished. We
are
hopeful that in no other state of the region such things will happen again, as
there are great historic monuments in the Caucasus and, frankly speaking, in
all three states they are endangered."
"We welcome the end to the State Department's long silence on Julfa, but
regret that it took three months and sustained international protest before
our
government summoned the will to utter its first public condemnation of a clear
cut and thoroughly documented case of cultural desecration," said ANCA
Executive Director Aram Hamparian.
"It's neither fair nor accurate for the State Department--in an apparent
exercise in artificial evenhandedness--to imply that both Armenia and
Azerbaijan are guilty of cultural destruction," added Hamparian. "In
commenting
on this subject in the future, we would hope that our diplomats will limit
themselves to the actual facts on the ground, which point unmistakably to
Azerbaijani culpability for the Julfa desecration and a long-standing pattern
of deliberate demolition of Armenia religious and cultural treasures."
In December of 2005, approximately 200 Azeri forces were videotaped using
sledgehammers to demolish the Armenian cemetery in Julfa, a sacred site of the
Armenian Apostolic Church. The cemetery dates back to the 7th Century and once
was home to as many as 10,000 khatchkars (stone-crosses). An on-line video of
the destruction can be viewed at:
www.hairenik.com/Haireniktv/HA_TV_Clip04.htm.
The ANCA has widely distributed DVDs documenting the destruction, educated
Congressional offices about this desecration, and worked in concert with ANCA
affiliates around the world to protest Azerbaijan's worsening anti-Armenian
behavior. The Congressional Armenian Caucus, led by Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and
Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), has formally condemned Azerbaijan's actions, as have
Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Congresswoman Grace Napolitano (D-CA). On
February 16, 2006, the European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning
Azerbaijan's destruction of the cemetery and demanding that Azerbaijan
allow an
European Parliament delegation to survey the site.
On February 28, Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian met with UNESCO
Director General Koichiro Matsuura. During the meeting, the Foreign Minister
called attention to the destruction of the Julfa cemetery and urged UNESCO to
send a team of experts to assess the situation and take appropriate action.
7) ARF to Hold Conference Titled "Armenians And The Left"
--Robert Fisk, Noam Chomsky, and David Barsamian to speak
In an effort to develop ties with political currents outside the US
mainstream
and broaden the range of participation among an increasingly diverse Armenian
community, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) in the Eastern United
States is planning a conference called "Armenians and the Left." The
conference
is scheduled for the weekend of April 8 in New York City and is
co-sponsored by
the Nation Institute and City University of New York's (CUNY) Study for Place,
Culture, and Politics.
On the eve of the conference, Robert Fisk of the British-based newspaper The
Independent will deliver a plenary lecture at the New York Society for Ethical
Culture at 7:30 PM on April 7. As the author of two highly acclaimed books on
the region, Fisk will address global issues such as US imperialism in the
Middle East and Transcaucasus and the implications for small, struggling
nations like Armenia.
The conference will begin the following day at CUNY Graduate Center, where
panels of scholars, activists, and opinion makers will take a critical look
at,
and offer progressive analyses of a range of subjects pertinent to Armenia's
political situation within a global context. The website
armeniansandtheleft.com provides a full description of the panels and
biographies of the panelists. Robert Fisk that day will join David
Barsamian of
Alternative Radio on a panel titled, "War, Propaganda, and the Media."
Barsamian has built Alternative Radio into one of the few remaining
independent
forums for critically analyzing US domestic and foreign policy.
On the following day, Fisk will join Noam Chomsky at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology to address an audience about the topic of "War,
Geo-Politics, and History: Conflict in the Middle East." Chomsky is perhaps
the
nation's most well known critic of US Foreign Policy. The talk will take place
at Room 10-250 on MIT's Campus on Sunday, April 9 at 1:30 PM.
8) Geragos, Yeghiayan, And Kabateck Receive 2006 CLAY Award
SAN FRANCISCO--Out of more than 200,000 eligible attorneys, California Lawyer
Magazine chose attorneys Mark Geragos, Brian Kabateck, and Vartkes
Yeghiayan to
be among the few attorneys which will receive the prestigious California
Lawyer
Attorneys of the Year (CLAY) Award in litigation.
The CLAY Award recognizes those attorneys throughout the state whose work has
had a profound, far-reaching impact over the past year. The attorneys honored
changed law, broke new ground in various areas, and substantially influenced
public policy.
Armenian-American lawyers Mark Geragos, Brian Kabateck, and Vartkes Yeghiayan
were recognized for their work in reaching two settlements of $20 million and
$17.5 with insurance companies on behalf of descendants of Armenians killed
during the Armenian genocide.
Martin Marootian, et al. v. New York Life Insurance Company and Kyurkjian,
et.
al. v. AXA were momentous since they represent one of the oldest unresolved
cases in history--that have now been settled 90 years later. They are also the
first recorded cases addressing issues involving the Armenian genocide.
All three attorneys are of Armenian decent and descendants of Genocide
victims
and survivors. Through these cases, they feel honored to have helped people
understand the magnitude of the atrocities committed during the Armenian
genocide.
9) Harvest Gallery Presents Rafael Atoyan Exhibit
GLENDALE-- A rare solo exhibition of internationally acclaimed artist Rafael
Atoyan's works will be held March 10-22 at Harvest Gallery in Glendale.
Rafael Atoyan is one of the former Soviet Union's baby boomers, the so-called
"60's generation," which played a significant role in withstanding the
oppressive regime of the time. This generation of artists (whose leader Minas
Avetissian was later victimized by the regime) sought creative freedom and
struggled for the right of self-expression.
"Ato knows what it is that he is after," Avetissian said. "He treads slowly
but surely. He's our Cezanne."
Atoyan is a graduate of the Terlemezian College of Fine Arts and the Yerevan
Institute of Theater and Fine Arts. He uses watercolors as he would use oil on
canvas--meticulously, layer by layer, with painstaking elaboration of detail
and form. His watercolors are conveyed through a real visible picture.
Atoyan's exhibit will be on display from Friday, March 10 through Wednesday,
March 22.
For general information about the exhibit, please call Harvest Gallery at
(818)546-1000 or visit www.harvestgallery.com.
Harvest Gallery
938 North Brand Blvd.
Glendale, CA
Exhibition Dates: Friday, March 10 through Wednesday, March 22
Gallery Hours: Tuesday-Sunday from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM
10) Publishing House Established in Honor of Archbishop Mesrob Ashjian
In 2003, the Armenian Apostolic Church lost one of its most devoted servants,
Archbishop Mesrob Ashjian.
The Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Society organized a public
gathering on the first anniversary of his passing with the aim of keeping his
memory alive.
A total of $20,000 was raised by the public in memory of the Archbishop. Part
of the contributions were allocated for the establishment of the "Mesrob
Ashjian Publishing House" at the Armenian Academy's History Department, under
the guidance of Professor Ashod Melkonian, Head of the History Department.
Mesrob Ashjian Publishing House has already published ten books.
The rest of the contributions were used to put up a life-size sculpture of
the
Archbishop in Armenia.
His Holiness Karekin II has offered His blessing for the placement of the
statue in front of St. Kevork's Church at Moughni Village. The ceremony will
take place on May 28, the day Archbishop Ashjian was ordained.
The public is invited to attend the dedication ceremony on May 28, 2006 in
the
Moughni Village of Armenia.
For more information please contact: [email protected]
11) SKEPTIK'S OSCAR PARTY RECIPE FOR GOLDEN RICE A LA "ESH"
Dear Readers,
I was sick for the last two weeks and no one even noticed. But that's OK.
Don't bother asking me how I AM!! Anyway, just bear with me. This week's
article will take a while to kick into second gear but I'll make it worth your
while. Promise!
Your friend,
Skeptik
I didn't watch the Oscars. I was at an Armenian wedding in North Hollywood.
And what a wedding it was! Let me just say that the whole time, I was taking
notes of "Do's" and "Don'ts" for future reference and a gazillion ideas for
future columns. The whole time as two young people professed their love to one
another in a timeless ceremony and celebration of Holy Matrimony, I kept
thinking thoughts like "I can't believe I'm missing Jon Stewart hosting the
Oscars" and "I wonder if Jennifer Aniston and Angelina Jolie are going to have
a cat fight on the red carpet??" I don't even like the Oscars and the last
time
I remember watching it, that old guy from "City Slickers" did one-handed
pushups after winning his award. That was pretty awesome!
The person who thought of getting Jon Stewart to host the Academy
Awards/Oscars is a genius. I like this idea mainly because I think Stewart
does
a brilliant job on the "Daily Show" on Comedy Central. That show alone is
enough reason to buy one of those packages for satellite or direct TV and then
get stuck with over 20 home shopping channels, that Christian Evangelical
Channel with the woman that wears all the makeup, and the Oxygen channel,
which
ironically, makes me crave carbon monoxide and not oxygen. I heard he did a
good job and he made some great political jokes which included a Dick Cheney
hunting joke, but from what I heard around the water cooler the next day, it
looks like they'll probably go with someone else next year.
WARNING! WARNING! SKEPTIK DIGRESSION ALERT! I don't know why the Oscars
screwed around with a proven formula. I remember when Billy Crystal was the
host every year. It was comforting. Now the Oscar host changes every year.
It's
like that friend who dates the same girl for like three years and she even
starts to grow on you because you're so used to them together. Then they break
up and no one knows why. For the next three years he keeps bringing a
different
girl to your annual Christmas party and some are okay and others are disasters
but you always end up comparing them to the previous girl. And that's all I
have to say about that. END OF DIGRESSION (if you wish to see more of my
critique of the Oscars, visit my blog.)
One of the things that I find funny during the Oscars is when some Hollywood
nobody wins an award and then for the next fifty years, any time that
person is
in any type of play, movie, cartoon, commercial, advertisement or ribbon
cutting of a new International House of Pancakes, they are introduced as
"Academy Award Winner." Does anyone else think that it's absolutely ridiculous
that Cuba Gooding Jr. and Marissa Tomei both have this moniker? So this has
given me an idea to give out my own awards to mock the Oscars and leave my
legacy for posterity's sake. Ladies and gentlemen... I introduce to you... the
Golden Esh Award! (For non-Armenians reading this column, the word "esh" means
donkey or jackass in Armenian.) Ta-Dah!
The Golden Esh Award is meant to coincide with the Academy Awards, the
People's Choice Awards, and the Golden Globes. The Golden Esh memorializes
great accomplishments in idiocy. It is awarded to people who do or say things
that only an ESH would do or say.
The nominees for the 2006 Golden ESH are:
US SECRETARY OF STATE CONDOLEEZA RICE for recalling US Ambassador to Armenia
John Evans for comments he made reaffirming the Armenian genocide. In case you
missed the news recently, Ambassador John Evans has been forced to resign his
post as Ambassador to the Republic of Armenia because during a visit with
diaspora Armenians in the US he actually said, and I quote:
"I regard the event as an act of genocide. No American official has ever
denied this fact. I think it will not bring honor to Americans to play with
words concerning this issue. I know that everything should
be called by their names. However, the US policy has not changed. We have
military relations with Turkey in the framework of NATO. The Armenian genocide
was the first genocide that was committed in the
20th century. I assure you that we shall seriously deal with this issue."
So because of his candor and courage, Ambassador Evans is being rewarded with
a pink slip and has probably been blacklisted from ever working in the State
Department again. In fact, Armenia is now the lucky recipient of the US
Ambassador from Tajikistan. Which means that if we're getting the Ambassador
from Middle-of-nowhere Tajikistan, then Evans is probably going to be made the
assistant to the Ambassador to some penguin colony in Antarctica. What a damn
shame! Condoleeza Rice has sullied the reputation of not only her department
but of the American people as well!
The next nominee is the PUBLIC BROADCAST SYSTEM (PBS) for airing a discussion
with a panel of Genocide Deniers immediately following a documentary on the
Armenian genocide. (By the way, if you want to know more about either of these
issues, you can read about them on the Armenian National Committee website at
www.anca.org.) Having a panel of Genocide Deniers speak after a documentary
about the Armenian genocide is like having a group of former Nazis and
Holocaust Deniers speak right after a screening of Schindler's List. Over
10,000 Armenians have already written to PBS to complain about this
decision to
no avail. The folks at PBS have responded to their viewers and supporters with
the same arrogance as one of their characters from those stupid Victorian era
British shows that they are always promoting.
This an all time low for the channel that brought us Sesame Street and
Contact! Even worse, is that PBS has yet to see the error of its ways and
remains unwavering in their complete and utter disregard for human decency.
Thanks to this ESH move, I won't be able to watch Sesame Street ever again
without picture a big ugly Turkish fez on top of Big Bird's head! Next time
PBS
has a telethon fundraising drive, I'm grabbing a bag of Lahmajouns and a six
pack of beer, sitting by the TV with my cordless phone, and calling them over
and over again just to tell the volunteers there that I will not donate a dime
to their Genocide Denying idiots!
And the final nominee for this year's ESH Award is SEMIH IDIZ, Editor of
Turkish News who recently wrote an editorial in Milliyet (a Turkish paper)
claiming that Turkey didn't deserve its bad reputation. This was a response to
an international survey of attitudes towards 35 countries and Turkey was
viewed
as the least favorable. SURPRISE! SURPRISE! Idiz writes that evidently "the
world sees Turks as ignorant, lazy, poor, radical Islamist, crazy, barbaric,
and dangerous" and claims that these labels are completely unfair.
Well, Idiz my effendi, in your list of "How Turks Are Perceived," you forgot
genocidal, ungrateful, violent, oppressive, racist, fascist, arrogant, and
delusional. And I almost forgot: Bird Flu Spreading!
When delving into the roots of this so-called misconception, Idiz observes
that foreigners may misunderstand Turkish society because "such
developments as
the police beating women demonstrators" just a few months ago, "looks bad."
Idiz baby, the women beatings are just the tip of the iceberg.
And now for the winner. Orhan Pamuk, if you can please pass me the envelope
through the bars of your Turkish jail cell. Thank you.
(Cough to clear throat) So we have three VERY worth nominees for this year's
Golden ESH Award. In fact, the panel of judges has had such a hard time
deciding who to award that we actually have a historic THREE WAY TIE!! That's
right Condoleeza, PBS, and Idiz, you are all Golden ESHes! As part of
receiving
this honor, you will henceforth be known as "Golden ESH winners." So hold your
heads up high and enjoy the company you're in. In addition to your goody bag
filled with grade-A manure just like the stuff you like to peddle around town,
all three of you have been selected for an exclusive hunting trip with Vice
President Dick Cheney! Enjoy and don't forget to write!
Skeptik Sinikian is currently working on a design for the statue of the
Golden
Esh Award. If anyone knows an Esh or would like to model for one, contact him
at [email protected] or visit his cool (OK, not) new blog at
www.SkeptikSinikian.blogspot.com.
12) Homo Ottomanicus?
By Garen Yegparian
A few days ago, at a presentation about our political operations, the speaker
described a pattern of behavior as being "the Armenian way" when describing
the
approach of a certain organization.
It was the go-along-to-get-along approach to life in its worst manifestation.
Cowering before the mighty. Abiding by their wishes even when those impinge on
or harm one's own needs, desires, and goals. This is how we made it through
Ottoman times. We became servile creatures, barely recognizable as human.
Fortunately, our revolutionary period reinserted our backbones, but evidently
not into all of us. The Soviet period wrought its damage too. To this day,
people who grew up in that time and place, still speak while barely opening
their mouths, as if to avoid being discovered.
But what of those who grew up in and have known only the relative freedom of
the Diaspora? Why are some of them so eager to please their "betters"? Or
is it
perhaps their "masters" they're pleasing in their own pathetic minds?
Why would Armenians not proudly advocate Armenian interests? Why would they
not set out what we really want, in toto, then work as reality allows for
pieces of that whole until we've attained it all? To strategically and
tactically back off a demand for good reason and for a time is wise. To not
ever state it, deny its existence, negotiate it away, or only pursue it when
permission is "granted" by those "wiser" than we is treasonous.
This cowardly mindset is an anachronism. It is no longer warranted
anywhere we
are.
It can be particularly detrimental when navigating the ship of state. Current
leaders of the two Armenian republics seem to be doing a good job on this
front. No one should undercut them by advocating policies based on fear of
regional or super-powers.
But the concern is not limited to Yerevan. The same thing happens closer to
home. We can often be too accommodating to those in power on the local level
too. We might support people for office who are not the best (or least worst)
choice from an Armenian perspective, just for fear of retribution. Thus we get
to be the "loyal millet" of yore all over again.
I do not a call for loudmouthed posturing with no substance or ability to
deliver.
I call for ridding ourselves of this Ottoman pathology (with due credit to
Ara
Baliozian who wrote on this repeatedly a decade and more ago) once and for
all.
13) ANCA Endowment Fund Purchases New Washington, DC Headquarters
WASHINGTON, DC - The ANCA Endowment Fund announced Friday the purchase of a
new
national headquarters, cementing the grassroots organization's presence in the
nation's capital and creating a platform for the continued growth of the
political power and influence of the Armenian American community.
"At its heart, this purchase speaks to our respect for our roots--our
enduring
historic roots as a people, our grassroots communities around the country, and
the deep roots that we have planted here in the nation's capital," said ANCA
Endowment Fund President Ken Hachikian. "Roots represent our identity--and our
strength. Grassroots advocacy is in our very soul. Our roots have been the
wellspring that has nourished us from our fledgling days, through decades of
struggle, and to our status today as a world-class organization, recognized
internationally as the principled, forceful, and effective voice of the
Armenian American community."
The four-story building, formerly owned by AOL founder Steve Case, is located
near prestigious Embassy Row, blocks from the White House and the nation's
leading think tanks, including the Carnegie Foundation and the Brookings
Institution. The newly renovated structure features the latest in computer,
communications, and
networking technology.
"Now is the time to build on our successes," added Hachikian. "We look
confidently to the future--forging new paths and embracing new
technologies--to
generate the political power, influence and respect that the Armenian American
community deserves--and that the Armenian homeland needs."
With a proven track record of results and a rock-solid base of support to
build on, the leadership of the ANCA Endowment is currently in the planning
stages of a campaign to cover the full cost of this state-of-the-art building,
expand a broad range of advocacy programs, and grow the organization's life
sustaining endowment fund. These efforts will cement the long-term stability
and continuing success of Armenian American advocacy, substantially reinforce
the Armenian presence in Washington DC, and create an even more powerful voice
for Armenian Americans--in short, provide a sound footing for the future and a
permanent home for the Armenian Cause in the United States.
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