Community - Armenian Reporter

Tanahad: Life in 

the Armenian 

mountains 

See story on page 17m 

Preparing the 

palate for the 

finer tastes in 

life 

See story on page 5m 

PlayPenn 

promotes 

the theater 

See story on page C8m 

Western U.S. Edition 

Number 72 

July 12, 2008 

the armenian 

reporter 

Homenetmen scouts hold the Armenian tricolor with pride at ceremonies associated with the Navasartian Games. Photo: Hilma Shahinian. 

33rd Navasartian Games 

demonstrate the power of 

community 

Reporter.am 

See story on page 1 m

The Armenian Reporter | July 12, 2008

Number 72 

July 12, 2008 

the armenian 

reporter 

Community 

Debbie Poochigian elected to Fresno County 

Board of Supervisors 

Following 14 months of campaigning, 

Debbie Poochigian won the 

Fifth-District seat of the Fresno 

County Board of Supervisors in one 

of the most fiercely contested and 

expensive local races in Central California. 

A businesswoman, teacher, 

political leader, and community volunteer, 

Ms. Poochigian has served 

on numerous boards of charitable 

organizations ranging from the 

St. Agnes Medical Center to Crime 

Stoppers. Her father was five-term 

supervisor Deran Koligian, and her 

husband is former State Senator 

Chuck Poochigian. Debbie Poochigian 

enjoyed both grassroots support, 

with over 275 volunteers, and 

bipartisan endorsements. Her supporters 

included former Governor 

George Deukmejian, and former 

Secretary of State Bill Jones. 

See story on page 5 m 

Armenia 

Tanahad: Life in the Armenian mountains 

Grand Armenian “Prpoor” Festival set for September 

The Armenian Cultural Foundation 

of Fresno has announced that 

preparations are underway for the 

Second Annual Grand Armenian 

“Prpoor” Festival, wich will take 

place September 26-28 . 


Two families honored for their service to the church 

Ann Giragosian Daw is a food industry executive 

with a passion for food, Armenia, and helping others 

The National Association for the Specialty 

Food Trade is an international 

organization composed of domestic 

and foreign manufacturers, distributors, 

restaurateurs, caterers and others 

in the specialty food business. 

Heading this massive organization is 

Ann Giragosian Daw, a woman with 

a passion for food, her Armenian 

background, and helping others. 

Ann, who speaks fluent Armenian, 


The village of Tanahad, formerly 

known as Jomartlou, in the Sisian 

region, used to have a dense Azerbaijani 

population. The family of the 

world’s most famous Azerbaijani, 

the late Haydar Aliyev, came from 

Jomartlou. The mountainous village 

lies only a few miles from Nakhichevan. 

When the Azerbaijanis left in 

1988, Armenian refugees from Azerbaijan 

settled in some of the Azerbaijanis’ 

houses. However, since the 

conditions were mountainous, the 

city-based Armenians couldn’t survive 

more than a few winters and 

left. Today, it has only a few residents, 

and they are ready to leave if 

economic conditions in the border 

village do not improve. Tatul Hakobyan 

reports from Tanahad. 

2007 Grand Armenian Prpoor Festival. Photo: Ara Catchatoorian. 



Vacation Notice 


Archbishop Khajag Barsamian 

hosted a reception at the Eastern 

Diocesan Center in honor of Dr. Haroutune 

and Shake Mekhjian, and 

Hagop and Ica Kouyoumdjian. Both 

couples received Pontifical Encyclicals 

and Medals on behalf of His 

Holiness Karekin II, the Supreme 

Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians. 

At the request of the Diocesan 

Primate, Dr. and Mrs. Mekhjian 

received the “St. Nersess Shnorhali 

Medal” from His Holiness, while 

Mr. and Mrs. Kouyoumdjian were 

presented with the “St. Gregory the 

Illuminator Medal.” Both couples 

were recognized for their service to 

the Armenian Church. 


serves on the parish council of the St. 

Gregory the Enlightener Armenian 

Church is White Plains, N.Y. Three 

years ago, Ann traveled to Armenia. 

“I felt that there was a piece of 

my soul there that I wasn’t in touch 

with. It made me feel like home. The 

diaspora needs to support Armenia.” 

Florence Avakian reports. 


We’re going on vacation later this summer. The Armenian Reporter will 

not appear on August 9 and 16. After that, we’ll resume our regular 

weekly publication schedule. 

Homentmen 

scouts hold the 

Armenian tricolor 

with pride 

at ceremonies 

associated with 

the Navasartian 

Games. Photo: 

Hilma Shahinian. 

The power of community 

Sports, culture, 

and an innovative 

approach define 33rd 

Navasartian Games 

by Lory Tatoulian 

LOS ANGELES – Few public 

events in the Armenian world 

today rival the sheer scale and 

dynamics of the Navasartian 

Games – not only as an athletic 

tournament per se, but, more 

significantly, a grassroots effort 

that brings vivid evidence of the 

power of community. 

The figures themselves – over 

30,000 spectators, 8,500 athletes, 

300 teams, 17 Homenetmen chapters 

– are impressive enough. So 

are the PR accomplishments that 

by Armen Hakobyan 

YEREVAN – The majestic snow-covered 

peak of Mount Ararat can be 

seen from the living room window 

on this clear and sunny day. Looking 

away from this moving scene, 

one sees a simple, modestly furnished 

apartment. There is a little 

rug illustrated with eastern motifs 

hanging from the wall; it has come 

a long way before finding its place 

here, in this apartment – just as the 

residents have. The only thing that 

differentiates this apartment, part 

of a complex of high rises in the 

Arabkir district of Yerevan, is the 

provenance of the residents, Iraq. 

Avag Krikor Ghanaghounian 

lives here with his wife Silva, 

their daughter Nora, and their 

son Shant. They have been here 

for almost a year now. They found 

refuge in Yerevan through the help 

and assistance of the Iraqi-Armenian 

Relief Fund, which was set up 

in Los Angeles in 2004 after life in 

Baghdad had become unbearable. 

A year ago, the Armenian Reporter 

had written about the family and 

other Iraqi-Armenian families who 

had arrived at Yerevan’s Zvartnots 

Airport. 

What has changed in their lives 

over this year? Have they grown 

add to the prestige factor: sponsorship 

by Wachovia Bank, a glittering 

Victory Banquet at cbs Studios. Beyond 

the numbers and big names, 

however, the Navasartian Games 

remain a testament to a certain 

community-service ethos, an always 

at-the-ready spirit of volunteerism, 

that has been the hallmark 

of the Diaspora’s venerable organizations. 

At an immediate level, the almost 

mythical image and idea of 

Homenetmen are what animate 

the multitudes of parents, athletes, 

coaches, committee members, and 

other volunteers who pull off the 

Navasartian magic year in and 

year out. But at a deeper, perhaps 

spiritual, level, their enthusiasm 

and dedication are about the much 

larger idea of collective excellence – 

and one that ultimately transcends 

loyalty to a specific badge, to embrace 

Armenians of all stripes and 

backgrounds. 

accustomed to their new circumstances? 

What is their mood? Gayane 

Muradian, the representative 

of the Iraqi-Armenian Relief Fund 

in Armenia and I were received as 

guests under the Ghanaghounians’ 

hospitable roof. 

Mr. Ghanaghounian said that 

during this past year, his family 

had received assistance from the 

 

The Fourth of July weekend shined 

as ever brightly for the Armenian 

community of Los Angeles, as a record 

number of athletes, volunteers, 

and spectators filtered in and out 

of the sprawling Birmingham High 

School Campus in Van Nuys, site of 

the 33rd Annual Navasartian Games 

– now one of the largest sporting 

events in the United States. 

During the opening ceremonies 

on July 5, the Birmingham campus 

was abuzz with thousands of 

people enjoying the copious array 

of food and music. A vast kaleidoscope 

of merchant booths, 

selling everything from jewelry 

to health drinks, lined the periphery 

of the quad. From a towering 

stage flooded with colorful lights, 

Karnig Sarkissian serenaded the 

crowd with Armenian torch songs 

and patriotic ballads. As fireworks 

The Ghanaghounian family from 

Iraq: a year later 

Continued on page 12 

The Ghanaghounian family in their apartment in Yerevan. Left to right: Silva, 

Nora, Avag Krikor, and Shant. Photo: Armenian Reporter. 

Iraqi-Armenian Relief Fund and 

the United Nations High Commissioner 

for Refugees (UNHCR). They 

received food packages for three 

months, and their gas and electricity 

bills were subsidized during the 

winter months. VivaCell, the mobile 

phone service provider, has 

Continued on page 20 m

The Armenian Reporter | July 12, 2008 

National 

Sen. Menendez asks Amb. Yovanovich about the 

Armenian Genocide, Karabakh, and aid to Armenia 

Emil Sanamyan’s Washington 

Briefing will appear again on 

July 19. 

Senator Robert Menendez 

(D.-N.J.), a member of the Senate 

Foreign Relations Committee, submitted 

19 questions for the record 

to Ambassador Marie L. Yovanovitch, 

whose nomination as U.S. 

envoy to Armenia is under consideration 

by the committee. The senator’s 

questions and the nominee’s 

responses appear below. 

Question: Does the United 

States have military or economic 

interests in Turkey that influence 

its decision on whether to use the 

word “genocide,” when discussing 

the massacre of 1.5 million Armenians 

from 1915-1923? 

Answer: Turkey is a long-standing 

Nato ally of the United States 

and an important partner in promoting 

peace and stability in the 

broader Middle East, and one with 

which we share democratic values. 

We seek to maintain strong U.S.- 

Turkey relations, just as we seek 

to maintain strong U.S.-Armenian 

relations. We believe our partnership 

will deepen with Turkey as 

it reconciles with its own painful 

past and with Armenia. We are 

encouraging Turkey to open its 

border, reinstitute transportation, 

communication, and utility links 

between the two countries, and reestablish 

diplomatic relations. The 

Administration also has pressed for 

expanding freedom of expression 

in Turkey, which has helped to expand 

the public debate surrounding 

the events of 1915 and led to the 

amendment of Article 301 of the 

Turkish Penal Code, under which 

individuals have been prosecuted 

for “insulting Turkishness.” 

Question: What do you believe 

are the effects of Turkey’s statesponsored 

denial of a genocide on 

the survivors and their descendants? 

Answer: Turkey’s difficulty in 

coming to terms with this dark 

spot in its history only adds to the 

pain experienced by many Armenians 

and Armenian-Americans. 

The U.S. Government acknowledges 

and mourns as historical fact 

the mass killings, ethnic cleansing, 

and forced deportations that devastated 

over 1.5 million Armenians 

at the end of the Ottoman Empire. 

The United States recognizes 

these events as one of the greatest 

tragedies of the 20th century, the 

“Medz Yeghern,” or Great Calamity, 

as many Armenians refer to it. That 

is why every April 24 the President 

honors the victims and expresses 

American solidarity with the Armenian 

people on Remembrance Day. 

Question: Do you believe there 

can be reconciliation between Turkey 

and Armenia, without an acknowledgment 

of the genocide by 

Turkey? 

Answer: To achieve full reconciliation, 

Turkey must come to 

terms with its past. This will not be 

easy and progress so far has been 

slow, although there have been 

some signs of change, such as the 

outrage and ethnic solidarity that 

resulted from the murder of Hrant 

Dink, and recent changes to Article 

301. The Administration will 

continue to work to promote understanding 

between Turkey and 

Armenia, including by encouraging 

the normalization of diplomatic relations 

between the two countries 

and the opening of their land border. 

If I am confirmed, I will continue 

to promote not only government-to-government 

discussions, 

but also people-to-people cultural 

and economic contacts and partnerships, 

and other cross-border 

and regional initiatives. Contact 

begins to build trust, and trust is 

the necessary first step to reconciliation, 

facilitating Turkey’s ability 

and willingness to examine the 

dark spots in its history. 

Question: In a 1951 U.S. court 

filing with the International Court 

of Justice, the U.S. filing stated 

that, “the Turkish massacres of Armenians, 

the extermination of millions 

of Jews and Poles by the Nazis 

are outstanding examples of the 

crime of genocide.” Also, on April 

22, 1981 President Ronald Reagan 

used the term genocide to describe 

the Armenian Genocide, stating, in 

an official proclamation: “Like the 

genocide of the Armenians before 

it, and the genocide of the Cambodians 

which followed it - and like 

too many other such persecutions 

of too many other peoples - the lessons 

of the Holocaust must never 

be forgotten.” 

(a) What is your understanding 

of the reasoning behind the change 

in U.S. policy today that now prohibits 

Executive Branch officials 

from using the term genocide to 

describe the Armenian Genocide? 

Answer: It has been President 

Bush’s policy, as well as that of 

previous Presidents of both parties, 

not to use that term. The 

President’s focus is on encouraging 

Turkish citizens to reconcile with 

their past and with the Armenian 

people. He seeks to support the 

painstaking progress achieved to 

date. A key part of that effort is to 

end Armenia’s isolation in the region 

by encouraging normalization 

of relations between Armenia and 

Turkey and the opening of their 

land border. President Bush believes 

that normalization can and 

should be achieved. 

The U.S. government acknowledges 

and mourns the mass killings, 

ethnic cleansing, and forced 

deportations that devastated over 

one and a half million Armenians 






as many Armenians refer to it. That 

is why every April the President 


American solidarity with the Armenian 

people on Remembrance Day. 

Question: How can we expect 

Turkey to come to terms with its 

past when we, as Americans, are 

unwilling to speak honestly about 

the Armenian Genocide? 

Answer: The Administration has 

never denied the facts – over 1.5 

Senator Robert 

Menendez. 

million Armenians were murdered, 

starved, or deported at the end of 

the Ottoman Empire. This was a 

tragedy that we and the world must 

never forget, so that it is never repeated. 

Our focus is on encouraging 

the people of Turkey to reconcile 

with their past regarding these horrific 

events. We mourn this terrible 

chapter of history and recognize 

that it remains a source of great 

pain for the people of Armenia 

and of Armenian descent, and for 

all those who believe in the dignity 

and value of every human life. 

Question: As the Ambassador-Designate 

to Armenia you are 

clearly mindful of the work of your 

predecessors in this important 

diplomatic post, including former 

Ambassador John Evans, who was 

fired for speaking truthfully about 

the Armenian Genocide? What lessons 

do you draw from Ambassador 

Evans’ experience, particularly the 

way in which his tenure in Yerevan 

and his diplomatic career were 

ended? 

Answer: I understand that I 

have a duty to faithfully represent 

the policy of the President. There 

is the same expectation for all Foreign 

Service Officers and executive 

branch officials – regardless of the 

subject. This is a basic tenet of a 

diplomatic career. At the same time, 

the Secretary has made it clear that 

there are no taboo subjects for internal 

discussion and that all viewpoints 

are respectfully heard. 

Question: There were some 

questions about the characterization 

of the Armenian Genocide that 

you were unable to answer because 

you were not authorized to speak 

on them. Do you know of other 

cases where the President limits 

speech of Department of State employees 

based on his policy determinations 

on the characterizations 

of historical events? 

Answer: As part of the Executive 

Branch, the State Department 

follows the President’s policies on 

all issues. There is the same expectation 

for all Foreign Service 

Officers and Executive Branch officials 

– regardless of the subject. I 

understand that I have a duty to 

faithfully represent the policy of 

the President. This is a basic tenet 

of a diplomatic career. 

Question: Do you believe the 

1951 United States court filing with 

the International Court of Justice 

stating, “the Turkish massacres of 

Armenians, the extermination of 

millions of Jews and Poles by the 

Nazis are outstanding examples of 

the crime of genocide” was inaccurate? 

Answer: The U.S. government 

acknowledges and mourns the 

mass killings, ethnic cleansing, and 

forced deportations that devastated 

over one and a half million 

Armenians at the end of the Ottoman 

Empire. The Administration 

also understands that many Americans 

and many Armenians believe 

that these horrible acts should be 

called “genocide.” It has been President 

Bush’s policy, as well as that of 

previous presidents of both parties, 

not to use that term. 

President Bush believes that the 

best way to honor the victims is to 

remember the past, so it is never 

repeated, and to look to the future 

to promote understanding and reconciliation 

between the peoples 

and governments of Armenia and 

Turkey. A key part of that effort is 

to end Armenia’s isolation in the 

region by encouraging normalization 

of relations between Armenia 

and Turkey and the opening of 

their land border. The Armenian 

government has requested that we 

facilitate this process. It will not be 

easy nor will it likely be quick, but 

there are some hopeful signs. President 

Bush believes that normalization 

can and should be achieved. 

Question: How does the Administration’s 

non-use of the genocide 

term advance U.S. efforts to promote 

Armenian-Turkish reconciliation? 


never denied the terrible events 

of 1915 and acknowledges the human 

tragedy of the mass killings 

and forced exile of over 1.5 million 





that these events should be called 

“genocide.” It has been the policy 

of this Administration, as well as 

that of previous administrations of 

both parties, not to use that term. 

The President’s focus is on encouraging 

Turkish citizens to reconcile 

with their past and with the Armenian 

people. The Administration’s 

goal is to stimulate a candid exploration 

within Turkish society of 

these horrific events in an effort to 

help this reconciliation. This is not 

easy. It was not easy for the United 

States to address its own historic 

dark spots. We seek not to undercut 

voices emerging in Turkey 

who call for a truthful exploration 

of these events in pursuit of Turkey’s 

reconciliation with its own 

past and with Armenia; we share 

their goal of opening Turkey’s past 

through honest, if painful, self examination. 

Question: The President’s policies 

are not promoting an honest 

reexamination of its history, but 

actually intensifying Turkey’s denial 

of the Armenian Genocide. 

What evidence can you identify for 

us today that can inspire any trust 

by the Senate that those words of 

facilitating dialogue have borne 

any real results? 

Answer: The Administration’s 

goal is to stimulate a candid exploration 

within Turkish society of 

these horrific events in an effort to 

help this reconciliation. This is not 

easy. It was not easy for the United 

States to address its own historic 

dark spots. 

The Administration has long 

pressed for expanding freedom of 

expression in Turkey, which has 

helped to expand the public debate 

surrounding the mass killings, 

forced exile, and ethnic cleansing 

that occurred during WWI at the 

end of the Ottoman Empire. After a 

long silence, Turkey is making progress 

addressing these issues. More 

than 100,000 Turkish citizens of all 

backgrounds demonstrated at the 

funeral of Hrant Dink, an Armenian-Turkish 

journalist murdered 

by a Turkish ultra-nationalist, and 

they demonstrated in support of 

tolerance and a candid exploration 

of Turkey’s past. 

In May 2008, the Turkish government 

amended Article 301 of the 

Turkish Penal Code, under which 

individuals have been prosecuted 

for “insulting Turkishness.” While 

the Administration would have preferred 

to have seen the repeal of Article 

301, the amendments reduce 

the maximum possible sentence 

from three to two years and, most 

importantly, require the Minister 

of Justice to determine whether 

to accept the case for prosecution. 

The Minister’s role should help to 

reduce significantly the number 

of cases brought by zealous prosecutors. 

The Administration will 

continue to encourage the Turkish 

authorities to continue this progress 

and to end legal action against 

citizens for expressing their views 

on this (and any) issue. 

The U.S. Embassy in Ankara also 

is committed to working with the 

Government of Turkey on ways in 

which the terrible events of 1915 

can be studied. As a recent example, 

the USG is currently laying the 

groundwork for an International 

Visitor Program that would bring 

archivists from the Turkish State 

Archives to the U.S. to look at the 

ways in which we do historical research. 

As a confidence building 

measure, we also have contacted 

Armenian archivists to participate 

in the program, in the hope that, 

upon return, the archivists from 

both countries could work together 

on a joint program that would 

study the atrocities. 

In addition, our embassies take 

every opportunity in meetings 

with the Governments of Armenia 

and Turkey, and with civil society 

leaders from both countries, to 

encourage improved dialogue between 

them. Since 2006, the USG 

has provided over $700,000 in support 

of initiatives to increase people-to-people 

connections between 

Armenia and Turkey, including research 

projects, conferences, documentary 

production, and exchange 

and partnership programs with 

the goal of increasing cross-border 

dialogue and cooperation. These 

programs are focused on bringing 

together Armenian and Turkish 

NGOs, think tank researchers, academics 

and business leaders at the 

grass roots level by creating opportunities 

for them to work together 

on common projects that will benefit 

both countries. 

Question: The President opposes 

the recognition of the Armenian 

Genocide because he believes it 

will harm reconciliation, however, 

he does not take this same position 

with the genocide in Darfur, 

although it is still heartily denied 

by the Sudanese government. How 

is the Armenian Genocide any different? 

Answer: The mass murder and 

ethnic cleansing of over 1.5 million 

Armenians in 1915 is a tragedy of 

epic proportions for all of humanity 

and one that is commemorated 

every year in the United States so 

that we never forget this dark chapter 

in history. Many Americans believe 

that these events should be 


Bush’s policy – as well as that 

of several previous Presidents on 

both sides of the aisle – not to use 

that term. The Administration’s 

focus is on encouraging people in 

Continued on page m


National 

 

We are ready to talk to Turkey 

by Serge Sargsian 

The following commentary appeared 

in the Wall Street Journal for 

July 9, 2008. See also the Armenian 

Reporter’s editorial on page 22. 

YEREVAN, Armenia – The problems 

of newly independent nations 

attempting to build a novel, democratic 

way of life did not end with 

the break-up of the Soviet Union. 

Armenia, a small country strategically 

located between Turkey, Russia, 

Iran and the energy-rich Caspian 

region, is a case in point. Postindependence 

Armenia’s potential 

for peaceful development has not 

been realized as best it could. 

During the Nagorno-Karabakh 

conflict, Turkey closed its border 

with Armenia as an expression of 

ethnic solidarity with Turkic Azerbaijan. 

The regrettable result is 

that for almost 15 years, the geopolitically 

vital border between 

Armenia and Turkey has become 

a barrier to diplomatic and economic 

cooperation. It is closed not 

only to Armenians and Turks who 

Mr. Sargsian is president of Armenia. 

President Serge 

Sargsian. Photo: 

Photolure. 

might want to visit their neighboring 

countries, but to trade, transport 

and energy flows from East 

to West. 

Strategic projects such as the 

Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline 

and the projected Baku-Tbilisi- 

Kars railroad bypass Armenia, 

while the existing railway between 

Turkey and Armenia remains shut. 

And the Armenian people are not 

the only ones who have suffered 

from these restrictions and detours. 

All countries in the region, 

and the broader community of European 

nations, pay a high cost for 

these unnatural barriers to commerce, 

progress and international 

cooperation. 

The time has come for a fresh effort 

to break this deadlock, a situation 

that helps no one and hurts 

many. As president of Armenia, I 

take this opportunity to propose a 

fresh start – a new phase of dialogue 

with the government and 

people of Turkey, with the goal of 

normalizing relations and opening 

our common border. 

After my election in February, my 

Turkish counterpart, Abdullah Gül, 

was one of the first heads of state 

to congratulate me. Turkey’s Prime 

Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan 

suggested that the doors are open 

to new dialogue in this new period. 

There is no real alternative to the 

establishment of normal relations 

between our countries. It is my 

hope that both of our governments 

can pass through the threshold of 

this new open door. Establishing 

normal political relations would 

enable us to create a commission to 

comprehensively discuss all of the 

complex issues affecting Armenia 

and Turkey. We cannot expect tangible 

progress without such structured 

relations. Only through them 

can we create an effective dialogue 

touching upon even the most contentious 

historical issues. 

Already, on a more personal scale, 

many Armenians and Turks have 

found ways to get around the closed 

border. They take advantage of regular 

charter flights from Yerevan to 

Istanbul and Antalya. There are numerous 

bus and taxi routes through 

Georgia, and container trucks even 

make the long detour, enabling some 

trade between our two countries. 

And just as the people of China 

and the United States shared enthusiasm 

for ping pong before their 

governments fully normalized relations, 

the people of Armenia and 

Turkey are united in their love for 

football – which prompts me to extend 

the following invitation. 

On Sept. 6 a World Cup qualifier 

match between the Armenian and 

Turkish national football teams 

will take place in Yerevan. I hereby 

invite President Gül to visit Armenia 

to enjoy the match together 

with me in the stadium. Thus we 

will announce a new symbolic start 

in our relations. Whatever our differences, 

there are certain cultural, 

humanitarian and sports links 

that our peoples share, even with a 

closed border. This is why I sincerely 

believe that the ordinary people of 

Armenia and Turkey will welcome 

such a gesture and will cheer the 

day that our borders open. 

There may be possible political 

obstacles on both sides along the 

way. However, we must have the 

courage and the foresight to act 

now. Armenia and Turkey need 

not and should not be permanent 

rivals. A more prosperous, mutually 

beneficial future for Armenia 

and Turkey, and the opening up of 

a historic East-West corridor for 

Europe, the Caspian region and the 

rest of the world, are goals that we 

can and must achieve. f 

Sen. Menendez asks Amb. Yovanovich about the Armenian 

Genocide, Karabakh, and aid to Armenia 

n Continued from page 

Turkey to reconcile with their past 

and with the Armenian people regarding 

these horrific events. 

Question: What will you do to 

help end Turkey’s over 15 year-long 

blockade against Armenia? 

Answer: Facilitating Armenia’s 

regional integration by opening 

its border with Turkey is a priority 

for the United States. If confirmed, 

this would be one of my key priorities 

as Ambassador – not only by 

supporting government-to-government 

discussions – but by promoting 

people-to-people contacts and 

partnerships, and other cross-border 

and regional initiatives. Contact 

begins to build trust, and trust 

is the necessary first step to reconciliation 

and conflict resolution. If 

confirmed, I also look forward to 

working with my colleagues at our 

embassy in Ankara in this common 

effort. Clearly, the status quo is not 

helpful to anyone. 

Fortunately, some progress has 

been achieved in recent years: there 

are regular charter flights between 

Yerevan and Istanbul and other 

flights to Antalya; bus connections 

via Georgia are numerous; and 

trade with Turkey through Georgia 

is common. However, both countries 

would benefit greatly from 

increased direct trade, connecting 

their electrical grids, and implementing 

other measures natural to 

neighbors. 

The U.S. also supports more crossborder 

dialogue and cooperation 

between the people of Armenia and 

Turkey through research initiatives, 

conferences, and exchange programs. 

Our Embassies take every 

opportunity in meetings with the 

Governments of Armenia and Turkey, 

and with civil society leaders 

from both countries, to encourage 

improved dialogue. Since 2006, the 

USG has provided over $700,000 in 

support of initiatives to increase 

people-to-people connections between 

Armenia and Turkey, including 

research projects, conferences, 

documentary production, and 

exchange and partnership programs 

with the goal of increasing 

cross-border dialogue and cooperation. 

These programs are focused 

on bringing together Armenian 

and Turkish NGOs, think tank researchers, 

academics and business 

leaders at the grass roots level by 

creating opportunities for them to 

work together on common projects 

that will benefit both countries. 

Question: How does Turkey and 

Azerbaijan’s blockade of Armenia 

harm U.S. interests in the region, 

in particular our interest to promote 

an East-West trade corridor 

and minimize the influence of Russia 

and Iran? 

Answer: Facilitating Armenia’s 

regional integration is a particular 

priority for the United States. The 

USG has worked to end Armenia’s 

isolation both by promoting reconciliation 

between Armenia and Turkey 

to reopen their land border, and 

by working to find a peaceful and 

lasting settlement to the Nagorno- 

Karabakh conflict with Azerbaijan. 

The USG believes regional integration 

is in the economic interest of 

all three countries and certainly in 

our interest. For example, U.S. investment 

is hampered by regional 

divisions. With its borders to the 

east and west closed, Armenia relies 

more than we would like on its 

relations with Iran. In terms of Russia’s 

influence, Armenia’s history 

and currently complicated relations 

with Azerbaijan and Turkey provide 

the impetus for a close relationship 

with Russia. In looking at the region 

as a whole, our strategic interests 

are focused on several issues: 

the advance of freedom and democracy; 

security, including counterterrorism 

and peaceful resolution 

of separatist conflicts; and energy. 

All would benefit greatly from good 

neighborly relations and regional 

integration of the South Caucasus. 

Question: Currently, the United 

States assistance to Nagorno Karabakh 

is limited to only humanitarian 

assistance, however, there are 

serious needs for economic development, 

which have been ignored 

for over a decade. Do you support 

a shift from humanitarian to developmental 

assistance for Nagorno 

Karabakh to facilitate the construction 

of a hospital and other projects? 

Answer: Since 1998 the United 

States has provided roughly $29 

million in funding for projects that 

meet the highest priority needs, 

such as de-mining, health, drinking 

water, shelter, and infrastructure 

reconstruction. The Administration 

believes these are the most 

appropriate and pressing priorities, 

based on a very recent (December 

2007) needs assessment conducted 

by USAID in Nagorno-Karabakh, 

actual humanitarian conditions 

on the ground, and international 

legal constraints arising from the 

unresolved nature of the Nagorno- 

Karabakh conflict. 

Question: What restrictions, if 

any, are in place that prohibit communications 

between U.S. and Nagorno-Karabakh 

officials? What is 

the justification for such restrictions, 

considering that the Nagorno-Karabakh 

officials have been 

democratically elected in free and 

internationally-monitored elections 

and are the legitimate representatives 

of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh? 

Where are these restrictions 

codified or enumerated? 

Answer: No country, including 

Armenia, recognizes Nagorno-Karabakh 

as an independent 

entity. In accordance with the international 

legal principle of territorial 

integrity, Nagorno-Karabakh 

remains a part of Azerbaijan, and 

its future status is the subject of 

negotiations currently mediated by 

the OSCE’s Minsk Group, of which 

the United States is a Co-Chair. The 

United States strives to remain an 

honest broker of these negotiations. 

Because of these sensitivities, 

our level of interaction with 

de facto officials from Nagorno- 

Karabakh is limited. State Department 

policy authorizes only the 

U.S. Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk 

Group and his staff to maintain 

regular contact with the de facto 

Nagorno-Karabakh authorities and 

to travel on a regular basis to Nagorno-Karabakh, 

with other U.S. 

officials meeting with the de facto 

authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh 

with the permission of the U.S. Co- 

Chair. This policy is not codified in 

official State Department regulations, 

but is widely disseminated to 

all U.S. officials planning to travel 

to Armenia or Azerbaijan. 

Question: Would you permit 

USAID personnel, who are not Armenian 

nationals, to visit Nagorno- 

Karabakh? 

Answer: USAID personnel, like 

other U.S. officials, may travel to 

Nagorno-Karabakh with the permission 

of the U.S. Co-Chair of the 

OSCE Minsk Group, who has the 

U.S. lead in mediating the Nagorno- 

Karabakh conflict. USAID personnel 

have traveled to Nagorno-Karabakh 

in the past with the permission of 

the U.S. Co-Chair to implement humanitarian 

aid programs. 

Question: Would you visit with 

government officials from Nagorno-Karabakh, 

if they requested 

such a meeting? 

Answer: The U.S. Co-Chair and 

his staff maintain regular contact 

with de facto officials from Nagorno- 

Karabakh. Under current U.S. policy, 

if confirmed, I would not meet with 

such officials unless requested to do 

so by the U.S. Co-Chair. 

Question: U.S. assistance to 

Armenia has demonstrated effectiveness 

in promoting free market 

reform and is vital to democracy 

building in Armenia. What actions 

will you take to continue to facilitate 

a robust assistance program? 

Answer: If confirmed, I will 

strongly support the continued 

evaluation and fine-tuning of our 

assistance programs and will coordinate 

closely with the Office of the 

Director of Foreign Assistance, the 

Office of Management and Budget, 

and Congress to ensure that future 

budget requests meet USG policy 

goals as well as the development 

needs of Armenia. 

Many of the USG assistance programs 

in Armenia have achieved 

measurable success, particularly in 

promoting economic growth. For 

example, in part because of USG assistance, 

the poverty rate in Armenia 

fell from 56 percent in 1999 to 

30 percent in 2005 (based on IMF 

reporting); rural poverty fell from 

48 percent to 28 percent. However, 

the events surrounding the flawed 

Presidential elections in February 

and its aftermath prove that there 

is still much work needed to foster 

democratic reform. In the wake 

of these developments, the USG is 

evaluating how to target our assistance 

programs to better achieve 

our policy objectives, focusing 

more on increasing the capacity 

of civil society to seek accountable 

and transparent governance. 

Armenia was recently chosen as 

one of ten pilot countries for which 

the U.S. Government will develop 

a “Country Assistance Strategy” 

(CAS). The CAS will identify goals 

and priorities for U.S. assistance 

over a five-year period, and will 

cover not only the Department of 

State and USAID, but all other U.S. 

Government agencies providing 

assistance to Armenia. The process 

of developing the CAS should 

assist us in determining how the 

United States can best contribute 

to Armenia’s economic, social and 

democratic development. 

Question: Please explain the rationale 

behind the Administration 

decision to reduce aid to Armenia 

by over 50% in its FY 2009 request, 

while maintaining or increasing aid 

to every other former Soviet republic? 

Answer: The reduced request for 

FY 2009 does not detract from the 

critical importance of Armenia to 

U.S. interests nor does it signal a 

change in U.S. policy. Rather, the 

request level meets the country’s 

development needs and is appropriate 

within the context of assistance 

priorities within the region 

and around the globe. Armenia 

has made real progress on reversing 

rural poverty; nevertheless, 

the government’s commitment to 

democratic reform is not as strong 

as others in the region, and Armenia 

still struggles with rampant 

corruption and weak democratic 

institutions. 

Within the FY 2009 assistance 

request for Eurasia, funding is prioritized 

to help the most reformoriented 

countries in the region 

– Georgia, Ukraine, and Moldova 

– by promoting economic and energy 

independence, helping to diversify 

export markets, and improving 

democratic governance in the face 

of increasing Russian economic 

and political pressure. f


National 

Sen. John Kerry asks Amb. Yovanovich about the 

administration’s Armenian Genocide policy 

Senator John Kerry (D.-Mass.), 

a member of the Senate Foreign 

Relations Committee, submitted 

12 questions for the record to Ambassador 

Marie L. Yovanovitch, 

whose nomination as U.S. envoy to 

Armenia is under consideration by 

the committee. The senator’s questions 

and the nominee’s responses 

appear below. 

Question: I strongly believe 

that the killings and other atrocities 

perpetrated against some 1.5 

million Armenians by the Ottoman 

Empire beginning in 1915 clearly 

constituted genocide. Acknowledging 

when genocide has occurred is 

not simply a theoretical or legal exercise. 

It is key to preventing genocide 

from happening again. That’s 

why, in my view, we must change 

U.S. policy to reflect the true nature 

of the tragic events that were 

perpetrated against the Armenians 

by calling them what they were: 

genocide. 

I understand the following to be 

accepted facts: 

• Article II of the 1948 Convention 

on the Prevention and Punishment 

of Genocide defines genocide 

as “any of the following acts 

committed with intent to destroy, 

in whole or in part, a national, 

ethnical, racial or religious group” 

– and it lists “killing members of 

the group” as one of these acts. 

• The United States has “never denied 

the tragic events of 1915,” 

and the Bush Administration has 

acknowledged “the forced exile 

and mass killing inflicted on as 

many as 1.5 million Armenians,” 

as indicated by the State Department 

in its response to my letter 

of June 5, 2006. 

• The atrocities conceived and carried 

out by the Ottoman Empire 

from 1915 to 1923 resulted in the 

deportation of nearly 2,000,000 

Armenians, of whom about 

1,500,000 men, women, and children 

were killed, the expulsion 

of 500,000 survivors, and a concerted 

campaign that resulted in 

the elimination of the more than 

2,500-year presence of Armenians 

in their historic homeland. 

• The Honorable Henry Morgenthau, 

U.S. Ambassador to the Ottoman 

Empire from 1913 to 1916, 

described to the Department of 

State the policy of the Government 

of the Ottoman Empire as 

“a campaign of race extermination,” 

and was instructed on July 16, 

1915, by Secretary of State Robert 

Lansing that the “Department approves 

your procedure . . . to stop 

Armenian persecution.” 

• Raphael Lemkin, who coined the 

term “genocide” in 1944, and who 

was the earliest proponent of the 

Convention on the Prevention 

and Punishment of Genocide, 

invoked the Armenian case as a 

definitive example of genocide in 

the 20th century. 

• Proclamation 4838 of April 22, 

1981 (95 Stat. 1813) issued by 

President Ronald Reagan, stated, 

in part, that “[l]ike the genocide 

of the Armenians before it, and 

the genocide of the Cambodians 

which followed it–and like too 

many other persecutions of too 

many other people–the lessons 

of the Holocaust must never be 

forgotten.” 

• President George W. Bush, on 

April 24, 2004, stated, “[o]n this 

day, we pause in remembrance of 

one of the most horrible tragedies 

of the 20th century, the annihilation 

of as many as 1,500,000 Armenians 

through forced exile and 

murder at the end of the Ottoman 

Empire.” 

(a) Do you dispute any of the 

above? If so, which facts and why? 

Answer: As noted above, the 

Administration has never denied 

the facts of what happened in 1915, 

and it does not deny the facts that 

are listed above. The Administration 

believes that the best way to 

honor the victims is to promote 

understanding and reconciliation 

between the people and governments 

of Armenia and Turkey 

and to help Turkey come to terms 

with this dark chapter in history. 

The Administration continues to 

encourage both Turkey and Armenia 

to work towards reconciliation. 

There are some hopeful signs that 

they are engaging each other. 

Many Americans believe that 

the events of the past should be 


Bush’s policy – as well as that 

of several previous Presidents on 

both sides of the aisle – not to use 

that term. The Administration’s 

focus is on encouraging people in 

Turkey to reconcile with their past 

and with the Armenian people regarding 

these horrific events. 

There should be no doubt in anyone’s 

mind that the U.S. government—and 

I—certainly recognize 

and deplore the mass killings and 

deportations that occurred in 1915 

and after. No words of any kind can 

convey our sorrow for the suffering 

that still endures as a result of 

these terrible events. It is exactly 

this tragedy that makes us so determined 

to support reconciliation 

between the Armenian and Turkish 

peoples today. 

Question: (b) Do you personally 

believe that these atrocities meet 

the definition of a genocide? If not, 

please specify why not and provide 

your legal opinion. 

Answer: As the child of refugees 

– at a different time and place – I do 

feel very strongly about the great 

suffering experienced by the Armenian 

people both at that time 

and today as they remember this 

dark chapter in their history. I too 

mourn the loss of so many innocent 

lives and fully respect that 

the Armenian-American community 

and the Armenian people want 

their pain and loss to be acknowledged. 

The specific terminology the 

Administration uses to refer to this 

tragedy is a policy determination 

made by the President. Should I be 

confirmed as the personal representative 

of the President, I would 

have the duty to faithfully represent 

the policies of the President 

and his Administration. 

Question: (c) Can you explain 

how the Administration’s denial 

of the Armenian genocide can be 

reconciled with the United States’ 

long history of opposing genocide 

in any form? 

Answer: The Administration 

has never denied the facts of what 

occurred in 1915. President Bush 

acknowledges this horrific tragedy 

each year on April 24, Armenian 

Remembrance Day. 

Question: (d) Do you personally 

believe there should be a change in 

the Administration’s policy of nonrecognition 

of this genocide? 

Answer: The Administration 

has never denied the terrible 

events of 1915. The President annually 

recognizes this tragedy on 

Armenian Remembrance Day. This 

policy is determined by the President 

and, should I be confirmed as 

the personal representative of the 

President, I would have the duty to 

represent the policies of the President 

and his Administration faithfully. 

I pledge to provide the very 

best advice in this process that I 

can; this is what I have tried to do 

my entire career. 

Question: (e) Can you explain 

why the Administration still refuses 

to recognize these atrocities as a 

genocide? 


never denied the terrible events 

of 1915 and acknowledges the human 

tragedy of the mass killings 

and forced exile of over 1.5 million 





that these events should be called 

“genocide.” It has been the policy of 

this Administration, as well as that 

of previous administrations of both 

parties, not to use that term. The 

President’s focus is on encouraging 

Turkish citizens to reconcile with 

their past and with the Armenian 

people. Our goal is to stimulate a 

candid exploration within Turkish 

society of these horrific events in 

an effort to help this reconciliation. 

This is not easy. It was not easy for 

the United States to address its 

own historic dark spots. Turkey is 

making progress addressing these 

issues. The Administration seeks 

not to undercut voices emerging 

in Turkey who call for a truthful 

exploration of these events in pursuit 

of Turkey’s reconciliation with 

its own past and with Armenia; we 

share their goal of opening Turkey’s 

past through honest, if painful, self 

examination. 

Question: (f) To the best of your 

knowledge, is there any effort underway 

to reexamine this policy? If 

so, when can Congress expect the 

result of this reexamination? 

Answer: U.S. policy on all issues 

is open to discussion both within 

and from outside the Administration. 

The Congress has been instrumental 

in raising this issue, as 

have many American citizens, as is 

appropriate in our democracy. Secretary 

Rice has made it clear that 

there are no taboo subjects and 

that all viewpoints are respectfully 

heard. If confirmed, I would seek to 

provide unbiased information and 

the best policy advice so that Washington 

policymakers can make the 

best decisions. 

Question: (g) As the U.S. Ambassador 

to Armenia, would you 

personally work to change U.S. 

policy and have these atrocities acknowledged 

as a genocide? 

Answer: As the child of refugees 

– at a different time and place – I do 

feel very strongly about the great 

suffering experienced by the Armenian 

people both at that time and 

today as they remember this dark 

Senator John 

Kerry. 

chapter in history. I too mourn the 

loss of so many innocent lives and 

fully respect that the Armenian- 

American community and the Armenian 

people want their pain and 

loss to be acknowledged. We all have 

strong feelings about this. But, as the 

personal representative of the President 

of the United States, an Ambassador 

must faithfully represent 

the policies of the President and his 

Administration. The Secretary has 

made it clear that there are no taboo 

subjects for internal discussion and 

that all viewpoints are respectfully 

heard. I pledge to provide the very 

best advice that I can; this is what I 

have tried to do my entire career. 

Question: (h) As the U.S. Ambassador 

to Armenia, what actions, 

if any, would you take against your 

employees, if they properly characterized 

the massacre of Armenians 

during WWI as a genocide? 

Answer: As representatives of 

this Administration, all State Department 

officers have the duty to 

represent the policies of the President 

and his Administration faithfully, 

and I would expect the same 

of my staff. This is a basic tenet of a 

diplomatic career. 

Question: During your June 19, 

2008 confirmation hearing, you 

stated that referring to the Armenian 

genocide as genocide was a 

“policy decision” that senior officials, 

such as the President and the Secretary 

of State, could determine. 

(a) Please describe, in detail, 

the source, purpose, content, and 

conclusions of all Administration 

“policy” documents, “decisions” and 

other materials concerning the Armenian 

Genocide that you reviewed 

and provide copies of these materials 

to the Committee for its review. 

Answer: The President’s policy 

on this issue is described in the 

President’s yearly Remembrance 

Day statements, and I have reviewed 

all the statements of this 

Administration. They are part of 

the public record and are attached 

to this response. I have studied the 

history of the tragic massacres and 

forced exile that occurred at the 

end of the Ottoman Empire and 

U.S. policy in that regard. I have 

reviewed the “U.S. Official Records 

on the Armenian Genocide 1915- 

1917” and have read a number of 

books that examine the subject 

from various perspectives, including 

“The Burning Tigris,” “A Shameful 

Act,” and “Unsilencing the Past.” 

The individual stories are horrifying; 

the magnitude of this terrible 

act – over 1.5 million murdered or 

deported – is simply incomprehensible. 

I also have reviewed the statements 

made by various U.S. officials 

at that time, including those 

presented to me at my confirmation 

hearing on June 19. 

Question: What, if anything, 

has the State Department directed 

you to say in public statements on 

the Armenian genocide? Who, if 

anyone, directed you to make such 

statements in public? 

Answer: (b) I have not been directed 

to say anything. However, I 


faithfully represent the policy of the 

President. There is the same expectation 

for all Foreign Service officers 

and executive branch officials – regardless 

of the subject. This is a basic 

tenet of a diplomatic career. At the 

same time, the Secretary has made 

it clear that there are no taboo subjects 

for internal discussion and that 

all viewpoints are respectfully heard. 

The U.S. government acknowledges 

and mourns the mass killings, 

ethnic cleansing, and forced 

deportations that devastated over 

one and a half million Armenians 






as many Armenians refer to it. 

That is why every April the President 


American solidarity with 

the Armenian people on Remembrance 

Day. 

Question: Have you been directed 

not to use the word genocide 

when discussing the Armenian 

Genocide? 

Answer: Policy on this issue 

is determined by the President. I 


faithfully represent the policy of 

the President. There is the same expectation 

for all Foreign Service Officers 

and executive branch officials 

– regardless of the subject. This is a 

basic tenet of a diplomatic career. 

The Administration understands 

that many Americans and many 

Armenians believe that the events 

of the past that I have referred 

to should be called “genocide.” It 

has been President Bush’s policy, 

as well as that of previous presidents 

of both parties, not to use 

that term. The President’s focus is 

on encouraging Turkish citizens to 

reconcile with their past and with 

the Armenian people. 

Question: If the Republic of 

Turkey recognized the genocide, 

would the United States then recognize 

it also? 

Answer: The U.S. Government 

acknowledges and mourns as historical 

fact the mass killings, ethnic 

cleansing, and forced deportations 

that devastated over one and a half 

million Armenians at the end of the 

Ottoman Empire. The United States 

recognizes these events as one of 

the greatest tragedies of the 20th 

century, the “Medz Yeghern,” or 

Great Calamity, as many Armenians 

refer to it. That is why every April 

the President honors the victims 

and expresses American solidarity 

with the Armenian people on Remembrance 

Day. It is the prerogative 

of the President to set the policy 

on how the Administration characterizes 

these historical events. 

We have strongly encouraged 

Turkey to come to terms with its 

past. That will not be easy, just as 

it has not been easy for the United 

States to come to terms with dark 

periods of our own past. As one 

part of that effort, the 

United States is prepared to 

provide assistance if Turkey and 

Armenia agree to establish a joint 

historical commission. f

The Armenian Reporter | July 12, 2008 5 


Preparing the palate for the finer tastes in life 

Terry Zarikian 

and the quest for 

culinary bliss 

by Shahen Hagobian 

MIAMI, Florida – Often we get 

excited when we learn that an Armenian 

has found success in entertainment 

or in politics, and quite 

often they may be people we also 

happen to know in real life. There 

are, however, some Armenians 

who make it big behind the scenes, 

just below the radar of public recognition, 

turning their dreams to 

reality through their own, adventurous, 

outlets. One such individual 

is Terry Zarikian, whose life is 

full of delicious stories that could 

get anyone’s mouth watering. This 

culinary entrepreneur has been 

involved in some of the most successful 

ventures in the restaurant 

business for the last 30 years. 

Terry Zarikian. 

Uncertain beginnings 

Zarikian grew up in a family of 

Genocide survivors. He was born in 

1954 in Caracas, Venezuela, where 

his father had moved most of the 

family. 

“My father, who had brought my 

grandparents, my aunt, and two 

uncles to Venezuela, was spared 

the [1915] massacre as he was living 

in England at the time,” Zarikian 

says. “My grandparents and uncles 

had fled to Athens from Turkey.” 

Zarikian’s father sought to have the 

entire family move to the United 

States. But when he arrived in Ellis 

Island and was turned away because 

the immigration quota had 

already been met, he “decided not 

to return to England and instead 

took a boat to Venezuela, as he had 

heard that it was a new place with a 

great future and opportunities for 

immigrants.” 

Zarikian came of age in a “loving 

but controlling environment. I grew 

up as a grown-up and not as a child,” 

he says. His parents would keep a 

strict eye on him. They did, however, 

nurture his creative side. “Music 

was an interest when I was young,” 

he recalls. “I played the organ since I 

was seven years old and took music 

lessons for eight years. I also enjoyed 

cooking. Early on, since my parents 

entertained at home and both were 

great cooks, I learned from them 

how to entertain and cook as well. 

I prepared my first hors d’oeuvres 

when I was seven.” 

Zarikian was also a world traveler 

in his youth. “My father and I 

traveled extensively and at an early 

age I had been to places that none 

of my classmates had been to,” he 

says. 

Zarikian would get his first taste 

of the United States in 1964, when 

his family briefly moved to California. 

“My father took a sabbatical 

and we moved to San Francisco,” 

he says. “The purpose of this trip 

was for my sister and me to learn 

English. Since we arrived during 

the summer and school started in 

September, we spent three months 

with my father’s best friend, 

George Mardikian, at his ranch in 

Saint Helena. Thirty years later, six 

degrees of separation would place 

me at a dinner in Napa Valley, at 

Franciscan Vineyards, with Chilean 

winemaker Agustin Hunneus and 

his wife. We would later make a visit 

to their newly-bought piece of land, 

where they planned a new vineyard. 

When I entered through the gate, 

I realized that they had bought 

the Mardikian Ranch, where we 

had spent the summer of 64. Their 

vineyard is now Quintessa, [maker 

of] one of the best Meritage blends 

in California.” 

Zarikian spent the early 1970s, 

his college years, in the United 

States. He studied at the Philadelphia 

College of Textiles and Science 

– in Turkey and Venezuela alike, his 

family was in the textile business. 

“As I was about to change majors 

to engineering, my uncle visited 

my father and in conversation he 

suggested I come work for him,” 

Zarikian says. After graduating 

at the top of his class, he moved 

back to Caracas and began working 

in the family business. Many 

years and struggles later, in 1981, 

he moved to Miami and took his 

first steps into a much larger world. 

This was where his dreams would 

manifest into a lifelong career in 

the restaurant business. “I felt I finally 

arrived in a place where I was 

able to be myself,” Zarikian recalls. 

“I felt the same taste of freedom and 

security I had felt in 1964 in San 

Francisco.” 

A string of adventures 

In 1983, Zarikian opened L’Alouette, 

a restaurant that would go on to 

serve as a model for many high-end 

eateries. But it closed prematurely, 

in 1985, as a result of its very innovativeness, 

Zarikian explains. 

“Food critics and our clientele 

raved about the restaurant,” he 

says. “And even now, 23 years later, 

I encounter people who remember 

it.” Despite earning a Golden 

Spoon Award and four-star ratings 

in newspapers and magazines, “we 

were too ahead of the times and 

people perceived us as very expensive,” 

Zarikian continues. “We had 

$28 and $34 prix fixe menus, when 

New York and Chicago restaurants 

charged $38-$42. We could seat 

three times our capacity on weekends, 

but our service allowed us 

to accommodate only 1.5 seatings, 

and during the week we barely had 

20 covers.” 

Following the restaurant’s closure, 

Zarikian landed the position 

of PR director for Regine’s, 

the international disco/private 

club atop the luxurious Grand 

Bay Hotel in Miami. “Regine [the 

owner] herself gave me the tools 

to open up as a person, because 

I was shy and reserved,” Zarikian 

recalls. “I was able to create, with 

my office partner Sheila Shapiro, 

the best-themed events, which 

we marketed with the most creative 

invitations.” He and Shapiro 

eventually became partners 

in Shapiro & Zarikian, a PR firm 

that was active from 1995 until 

2006. 

In 1987, Zarikian was promoted 

by the Continental Companies, 

owners of the Grand Bay Hotel and 

Regine’s, to the position of product 

development director. He was 

responsible for consulting on food 

and beverage outlets for 60 hotels 

and for the creation of new food 

concepts. 

In 1987, Zarikian helped open 

Doc Dammers and Aragon Café, 

where he met chef Pascal Oudin. 

Zarikian hired Oudin to be executive 

chef of the Grand Bay Hotel, 

where the now-celebrated chef, 

owner of Pascal’s on Ponce, made 

his mark. 

In 1997, Zarikian joined China 

Grill Management (cgm) as restaurant 

consultant and regional director 

of public relations. “I needed to 

make a change, so after discussing 

the matter with Sheila and getting 

her blessing, I went to Jeffrey 

Chodorow [of cgm],” he says. In 

2006, Zarikian was appointed director 

of product development for 

cgm properties worldwide. “I could 

not be happier with my decision 

and working for a great and extremely 

challenging company like 

cgm,” he says. 

Under Zarikian’s supervision, 

cgm would go on to expand beyond 

what he even thought possible. Today 

he oversees PR agencies hired 

by the firm in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, 

San Francisco, London, New 

York, and elsewhere, bringing to 

the job his abiding passion for all 

things epicurean 

 

Debbie Poochigian elected to Fresno County Board of Supervisors 

CLOVIS, Calif. – Following 14 

months of campaigning, Debbie 

Poochigian won the Fifth-District 

seat of the Fresno County Board of 

Supervisors in June. With close to 

55% of the vote, Poochigian defeated 

Clovis City Councilman Nathan 

Magsig. She will replace current 

Fifth-District Supervisor Bob Waterston 

in January when his fouryear 

term ends. 

A businesswoman, teacher, political 

leader, and community volunteer, 

Poochigian has served on 

numerous boards of charitable 

organizations ranging from the 

St. Agnes Medical Center to Crime 

Stoppers. Her father was five-term 

supervisor Deran Koligian, and 

her husband is former State Senator 

Chuck Poochigian. 

“I have had an interest in public 

service for as long as I can remember,” 

Debbie Poochigian said. “This 

campaign was long and tough. I am 

humbled and grateful for the depth 

of support I received and the confidence 

placed in me by so many 

outstanding, highly respected local 

and state leaders.” 

The Poochigian-Magsig race is 

considered to be the most fiercely 

contested and expensive local race 

in Central California. Poochigian 

enjoyed both grassroots support, 

with over 275 volunteers, and bipartisan 

endorsements. Her supporters 

included former Governor 

George Deukmejian, former 

Secretary of State Bill Jones, Assemblyman 

Mike Villines, Senator 

Dave Cogdill, Congressman 

Jim Costa, Fresno Mayor Alan 

Autry, former Congressman Rick 

Lehman, as well as various local 

organizations and civic and business 

leaders. 

“Like many other local governments 

in California, Fresno 

County faces enormous challenges 

– beginning with big budgetary 

shortfalls,” Poochigian said. “I 

hope to bring a fresh perspective 

to the task and earn a reputation 

for showing common sense, being 

well-informed and prepared, and 

being prudent with our limited 

resources. I will advocate policies 

Above left and 

left: Community 

activist Debbie 

Poochigian 

talking to 

supporters with 

her husband, 

Chuck, a former 

state senator, 

standing next 

to her. 

Above: 

Supporters 

congratulate 

Debbie 

Poochigian, who 

was elected 

to the Fresno 

County Board of 

Supervisors. 

that guard public safety, protect 

taxpayers, and are conducive to 

economic growth.”

6 The Armenian Reporter | July 12, 2008 


THIS ARMENIAN LIFE 

Independence Day 

by Tamar 

Kevonian 

It was another 90-degree day that 

promised to turn into a warm 

and sultry summer evening. Heat 

like this, which normally prompts 

people to run for the beach for a 

lazy and languid afternoon, has 

quite the opposite effect on those 

attending the Homenetmen Navasartian 

Games during the 4th of 

July weekend. 

In a community of immigrants, 

where most of us have been here for 

only a generation, it’s comforting 

to know that there is a long-standing 

tradition that we can count on 

year after year. After 33 years, there 

is a set routine to the weekend, beginning 

with a Thursday-evening 

concert with Karnig Sarkissian and 

fireworks, championship games on 

Friday and Saturday, and a full-regalia 

parade on Sunday. There are 

tents with merchants selling their 

wares and services and a food court 

serves such delicacies as soujouk 

(Armenian sausage) sandwiches, 

lule kebab, and chicken press sandwiches. 

To me the Navasartian festivities 

are as synonymous with this weekend 

as fireworks displays that commemorate 

this country’s independence. 

This year’s opening-night 

celebration drew a record crowd 

numbering over 3,000 people, not 

counting the athletes or the army 

of volunteers required to make it 

all run smoothly. Given all this, 

imagine my surprise when, speaking 

to a friend, I discovered he had 

no intention of attending the event 

nor had he even heard of it. 

“What is it?” he asked. 

“It’s the biggest event that happens 

in the community,” I explained. 

“Really?” 

“Absolutely. Almost 10,000 people 

attend over the four days,” I said. 

“Listen, after all this time I finally 

took part in the April 24 march 

this year,” he said, attempting to 

offer an explanation for his lack 

of knowledge of the long-standing 

tradition and referring to his 

20 years of living in Los Angeles, 

most of them in Glendale. Sam’s 

reaction was in sharp contrast to 

Shake’s, who is a regular attendee 

of the Navasartians – particularly 

on opening night, when Karnig 

Sarkissian sings patriotic songs accompanied 

by a fireworks display. 

“I love Karnig,” she said. “Every 

time I hear him sing I just want 

to pick up a gun and go fight the 

Turks.” 

“Really? That much?” 

“Of course. I’ve been listening to 

him for 30 years,” she said. 

Although Karnig and the fireworks 

show are a huge draw for families 

attending opening night, there 

is yet another reason that brings 

people to the event: the food court 

with its plethora of choices. Usually 

the biggest draw here is the fresh 

manaeesh (flat bread topped with a 

mixture of thyme, oregano, sesame 

seeds, and olive oil), cooked fresh 

on a tonir (a cooking surface like 

an upside-down wok). This year the 

manaeesh (and half a dozen tonirs) 

where missing from the selection 

of delectable choices. 

“It is the biggest disappointment 

of the day,” said Shahe, who was 

there to watch his nephew play a 

soccer game. “I was saving my appetite 

all day for that manaeesh.” 

It seemed to be a common lament 

among many of those present. So 

I asked the person manning that 

particular food booth about the 

reason for the missing manaeesh. 

“We have manaeesh,” she said, 

pointing to a sample under their 

display case. Although fresh, it was 

made in an electric oven and didn’t 

look as appetizing as the ones in 

the past. 

“What about the made-to-order 

ones cooked on the tonir?” I asked. 

“We don’t have it this year,” she 

said, “the lady who prepared the 

dough passed away this year.” 

Later, some friends and I bemoaned 

the change, the seriousness 

of which seemed much amplified, 

given our empty stomachs. 

“See, this is another example of 

how Armenian traditions are dying,” 

exclaimed Stepan. For him 

this was yet another case of our 

lack of regard for the customs we 

let fall by the wayside and which 

have sustained us through our history. 

Yet the entire four-day festival is 

an example of a new tradition being 

born in a country half a world 

away from our ancestral lands. It 

is a testament to our tenacity and 

willingness to create a familiar 

home surrounded by a foreign culture, 

even if we’ve had to modify 

them to fit the practical necessities 

of our time. 

“You’re in this country now,” said 

Peter, a non-Armenian friend who 

believes that letting go of the past 

is the best way to forge a new and 

positive future. “Why do you have 

an Armenian event on July 4th 

anyway?” he asked. 

The appropriateness of a large 

ethnic event taking place during 

American independence is the most 

fitting way to celebrate the spirit 

of a holiday that marks the birth 

of this nation. This country was 

founded on the idea of fresh starts 

and people seeking a place free of 

persecution, as the famous poem 

by Emma Lazarus, engraved on a 

pedestal at the foot of the Statue of 

Liberty, clearly expresses: 

Give me your tired, your poor, 

Your huddled masses yearning to 

breathe free, 

The wretched refuse of your teeming 

shore. 

Send these, the homeless, tempesttost 

to me, 

I lift my lamp beside the golden 

door! 

What better way to commemorate 

Independence Day than a festival 

that celebrates our Armenian 

ethnicity through sports, food, 

music, and camaraderie in a country 

that allows us to do all that and 

more without fear or reprisal. 

The common bond between 

Sam, Shake, and Shahe is that 

they live during a time and place 

in Diasporan history where our 

large numbers allow them the 

freedom to express their bond 

to their community and ethnicity 

through personal motivations 

rather than obligation driven by 

a sense of victimhood. That is the 

true meaning of the Navasartian 

festival. 

 

Let us know what’s on your mind. 

Write to us at 

letters@reporter.am 

Joe Simitian and people power 

California state 

senator advocates 

grassroots activism 

by Alik Hovsepian 

We’re only halfway through the 

year, and he has already introduced 

12 bills, one of which would 

bring balance to an issue that has 

received major national attention. 

In addition, he invites his constituents 

to submit ideas about new 

laws and holds conventional sidewalk 

hours. As busy as his schedule 

is, California State Senator Joe 

Simitian is always looking for more 

creative ways to stay in touch with 

the 900,000 people in his district. 

“It’s hard when you spend four days 

in Sacramento eight months out of 

the year,” he said. 

Simitian, born Saren Joseph Simitian, 

says Saren is the misspelled 

version of Souren. He was elected 

to the California State Senate in 

2004 and represents the 11th State 

Senate District, which includes 

portions of San Mateo, Santa 

Clara, and Santa Cruz counties. 

Prior to his current post, Simitian 

has served as a California State assemblyman, 

a member of the Santa 

Clara County Board of Supervisors, 

and mayor of Palo Alto. As a State 

senator, Simitian currently chairs 

the Environmental Quality Committee 

and serves as a member of 

the following committees: Appropriations; 

Business, Professions 

and Economic Development; Education; 

Energy, Utilities and Communications; 

and Transportation 

and Housing. 

In an effort to be more connected 

with his constituents, Simitian 

came up with a contest, welcoming 

voters in his district and other 

Californians to submit ideas for 

new laws or take existing laws off 

the books. Called There Oughta Be 

a Law, the annual contest started 

over six years ago. “It’s very powerful,” 

said Simitian. “A member 

Joe Simitian. 

can have an idea in January and by 

December it’s a law.” At least one 

contest winner is selected, and his 

or her idea is introduced the following 

spring as a legislative proposal. 

The winners are invited to the State 

Capitol to have lunch with Simitian 

and will have an opportunity to testify 

on behalf of their respective bill 

at a formal hearing. 

Simitian said that since the 

launch of the contest, 11 entries 

have been signed into law. One 

hundred entries were submitted in 

the contest’s first year. That number 

has grown tremendously over 

the past few years. This year alone, 

429 entries have been submitted. 

Three of those have been chosen 

to turn into bills and are moving 

into the Assembly. “My colleagues 

pay attention because they aren’t 

activists or lobbyists,” Simitian 

said, referring to the contest winners 

testifying on behalf of their 

bills. 

One of this year’s winning entries 

deals with a local controversy 

that has received national media 

attention. It was submitted by 

Richard Treanor and Carolynn 

Bissett, who found themselves in 

the midst of a criminal prosecution 

because their redwood trees 

were blocking the sunlight to their 

neighbor’s solar panels. SB1399 

revises the California Solar Shade 

Paul Krekorian organizes Saroyan 

exhibition at State Capitol 

Control Act to exempt trees planted 

before the installation of a solar 

collector. The bill also requires a 

building owner to notify affected 

neighbors prior to installing a solar 

collector if he or she wishes to 

assert the protections provided by 

the control act. 

Under the current law, which 

protects homeowners’ investment 

in rooftop solar panels, trees that 

obstruct solar panels’ access to the 

sun can be deemed a violation and 

their owners may be fined up to 

$1,000 a day. However, with the enactment 

of the Million Solar Roofs 

Initiative, Simitian said the legislature 

needs to find a way to balance 

the legitimate interests of solar-collector 

owners and neighbors 

with shade trees. “It seems like a 

no-brainer,” he said. “It shouldn’t 

be trees vs. solar. It should be trees 

and solar. I am trying to avoid one 

million neighborhood arguments.” 

The bill passed the California State 

Senate on an unanimous 38-0 vote. 

It now moves to the State Assembly 

for a hearing this month. 

The second winning contest entry 

for 2008 addresses deceptive 

sweepstakes practices, particularly 

those targeting the elderly. The 

third winning entry is designed to 

ensure that California veterans returning 

from the wars in Iraq and 

Afghanistan are properly screened 

for traumatic brain injury, a condition 

estimated to affect as many as 

one in five returning veterans. 

Simitian also holds sidewalk office 

hours, which he calls “a little 

old-fashioned.” “I go to Farmer’s 

Market with a sign and people 

come to talk,” he said. “I have found 

it’s a very good way for me to stay 

in touch.” 

Simitian, the only Armenian 

State senator among his 45 colleagues, 

says he has a small Armenian 

community in his district. 

He is the author of the Genocide 

Resolution and has traveled to Armenia 

with the Armenian Assembly. 

“I’ve been able to meet with the 

Catholicos of all Armenians at Echmiadzin,” 

he said. “For me, that was 

very moving.” 

 

BURBANK, Calif. – A photographic 

exhibition celebrating William 

Saroyan’s contributions to 

the cultural history of California 

is currently on display at the State 

Capitol. The exhibition, which 

opened on July 3, was organized by 

Assemblyman Paul Krekorian (D- 

Burbank), in partnership with the 

Saroyan Centennial Committee. 

“The works of William Saroyan are 

among California’s cultural treasures 

and comprise an important 

part of our state’s story,” Krekorian 

said. “Saroyan was one of the 20th 

century’s greatest chroniclers of 

small-town life in California and the 

experience of hard-working people 

during the Great Depression. Generations 

of Americans have come 

to know and love the San Joaquin 

Valley and its people through the 

eyes and the pen of William Saroyan. 

I’m proud that our State Capitol 

is appropriately memorializing the 

centennial of his birth with this important 

exhibition.” 

The exhibition, a part of worldwide 

commemorative events marking 

the 100th anniversary of Saroyan’s 

birth, features, among other 

works, black and white photographs 

of Saroyan that were taken 

by photographer Boghos Boghossian 

during the author’s last two 

visits to Armenia. 

Housed in the historic State Capitol 

Museum, the exhibition, which 

is open to the public and is free of 

charge, will run until August 24, 

2008. It was made possible through 

the efforts and support of Assemblyman 

Krekorian, the Assembly 

Rules Committee, California State 

Parks, the Armenian Heritage 

Museum of Fresno, the Armenian 

Technology Group, Inc., and Proteck 

Imaging of Burbank. Varoujan 

Der Simonian is the curator of 

the exhibition. 

Krekorian represents the cities 

of Burbank and Glendale, and the 

Los Angeles communities of Atwater 

Village, Los Feliz, North Hollywood, 

Silver Lake, Toluca Lake, 

Valley Glen, Valley Village, and Van 

Nuys. 

 

connect: 

capitolmuseum.ca.gov 

William Saroyan. 

Photo: Photolure.



Transition to Armenia 

A new website 

provides a 

global forum for 

Armenians seeking 

to live and work in 

the homeland 

by Jon Alexanian 

FRESNO, Calif. – While growing 

up, Niary Gorjian always told 

herself she wanted to move to Armenia. 

She has always felt a deep 

connection with her motherland, 

and after her second trip there in 

2007, she realized she wasn’t alone. 

Gorjian holds a PhD in consulting 

psychology from Alliant International 

University and a BA in 

psychology from the University of 

California, Irvine (uci). She has 

held numerous positions in Armenian 

organizations. In 1997 she volunteered 

with the Land and Cultural 

Organization, by taking part in 

the renovation of the Datev village 

church, in Armenia. “I fell in love 

with Armenia so much, I wanted to 

stay,” she recalls. 

During her undergraduate studies 

at uci, she served as the social 

events coordinator of the university’s 

Armenian Students Association. 

Since 2005, she has been a 

member of the Armenian National 

Committee’s Professional Network, 

in California. 

After obtaining her doctoral degree 

in 2006, Gorjian applied for 

a visiting faculty position at the 

American University of Armenia 

(aua). “When I came across the 

job listing, I thought to myself, 

‘This is going to be the catalyst 

that will get me to Armenia,’” Gorjian 

says. 

She went on to apply for the position 

but did not get a response 

for nearly three months. Then she 

received an e-mail message from 

the dean of aua, asking if she was 

interested in a job interview. “After 

a three-hour phone interview and 

discussion, I was told, the next day, 

that I was selected to teach during 

the 2007 spring quarter at aua,” 

Gorjian says. 

In 2007 she lived in Yerevan for 

a quarter of the year and held the 

position of visiting assistant professor 

at AUA’s School of Business 

and Management, teaching mba 

courses for first- and second-year 

graduate students. 

While at aua, Niary made it 

a point to socialize in her spare 

time, in order to gain insight into 

the daily lives of people living in 

Armenia. To her surprise, she met 

many repatriates from around the 

globe and found that most were 

extremely excited about their 

lives in Armenia. But Gorjian 

also discovered that many of the 

repatriates did not know of one 

another. 

“Repatriates, compared to native 

Armenians, have very different 

perspectives,” Gorjian explains. 

“It’s almost as if the repatriates 

were in love with their decision 

to move [to the homeland]. After 

talking with many of them, I realized 

that there was this lack of 

communication between them because 

of the sheer fact that there 

was no real way of finding out if 

[someone] had relocated to Armenia 

or [had been living] there since 

childhood.” 

Gorjian recalls thinking to herself 

at that point, “I wish there 

was a website specifically made for 

Armenians who are interested in 

moving back (or have considered 

it), which will allow for interaction 

among repatriates. The repatriates 

are a great resource for people interested 

in making the transition 

and seem very willing to help.” 

Gorjian kept the idea in the back 

of her mind. She didn’t really think 

much of it until after her somber 

return to the United States, when, 

she says, friends and peers bombarded 

her with questions such 

as: “How can we set up a business 

there?” “Where do people go for 

medical checkups?” and “Did you 

meet Armenians who moved back 

from the Diaspora?” 

Given such curiosity, Gorjian 

caught herself thinking once more 

about how helpful it would be to 

have a place where Armenians can 

interact with another and share 

information and experiences about 

moving to Armenia – or at least 

having one foot in the homeland. 

She knew there was strong interest 

in various Armenian communities, 

and decided to take the next step 

in turning her idea into reality. The 

result was TransitionToArmenia. 

com, a nonprofit site which she 

launched in April this year. 

TransitionToArmenia.com serves 

as a social-networking site specifically 

for Armenians. Upon creating 

a free profile, members answer 

a few brief questions (country of 

origin, professional specialization, 

etc.) to explain who they are. 

Members are categorized into 

color-coded groupings. A red member 

is a repatriate; a blue member 

lives in the Diaspora but has 

a business in Armenia; an orange 

member lives in the Diaspora and 

is interested in moving or building 

a business in Armenia; and red-andblue 

members are those who both 

Grand Armenian “Prpoor” Festival set for September 

live in Armenia and have a business 

there. 

“We wanted to color-code in order 

to really get an understanding 

of where each member is coming 

from,” Gorjian says. “There are 

many Armenian websites out there 

but this one gives you much more 

of an interactive forum to get Armenians 

together and really understand 

each other. It’s bonding 

those who have had the experience 

with those who want to have the 

experience.” 

In addition to a personal profile, 

each account will give members a 

free personalized blog, along with 

access to all forums and news articles 

that are posted on the website. 

The discussion forum is currently 

divided into three major themes: 

Living in Armenia, Developing 

Business in Armenia, and Opportunities 

in Armenia (e.g., careers, 

loans, grants). 

According to Gorjian, both the 

immediate and long-term goal of 

TransitionToArmenia.com is to 

provide a global platform where 

members can exchange information, 

engage in helpful discussions, 

and support one another in their 

aspirations for building fuller lives 

in the homeland. 

 

connect: 

TransitionToArmenia.com 

FRESNO, Calif. – Preparations 

are underway for the Second Annual 

Grand Armenian “Prpoor” 

Festival, announced the Armenian 

Cultural Foundation of Fresno. 

The festival, featuring Armenian 

food, music, and dancing, will take 

place during September 26-28 at 

the California Armenian Home in 

Fresno. 

The main event of the festival is 

the prpoor – the bubbling of grape 

molasses that brew on the last day 

of harvest. According to the Armenian 

Cultural Foundation, the 

festival builds on an 800-year-old 

Armenian harvest celebration that 

has been carried on in the oldworld 

tradition for over 50 years in 

the Central Valley. 

Last year’s Grand Armenian 

“Prpoor” Festival drew 4,000 people 

from throughout California. 

This year’s event is expected to 

attract an even larger number of 

attendees. 

 

connect: 

prpoorfestival.com 

2007 Grand 

Armenian 

Prpoor Festival. 

Photo: Ara 

Catchatoorian. 

Western Diocese supports L.A.’s disaster-preparedness efforts 

Diocesan Council 

Chairperson 

Joseph Kanimian 

participates in annual 

meeting of American 

Red Cross of Greater 

Los Angeles as Board 

member 

BURBANK, Calif. – On June 

27, 2008, Western Diocesan Council 

Chairperson and American Red Cross 

(arc) of Greater Los Angeles Board 

member Joseph Kanimian, Esq., 

attended the 92nd Annual meeting of 

the arc of Greater Los Angeles. The 

meeting/luncheon, in “celebration of 

the spirit of partnerships,” was held 

at the California Endowment Center 

in downtown Los Angeles. 

The guest speaker during the 

meeting was James G. Featherstone, 

general manager of the 

Emergency Management Department 

for the City of Los Angeles. 

The department works with the Los 

Angeles Fire Department, Los Angeles 

Police Department (lapd), and 

other law-enforcement and emergency-management 

agencies to 

prevent and respond to natural and 

man-made disasters. Featherstone 

spoke about the city’s disaster preparedness 

and volunteer network, 

and praised all those who support 

the arc of Greater Los Angeles. 

The main speaker of the event was 

Los Angles Police Chief William 

Bratton, who spoke about the partnership 

between the lapd and the 

people of Los Angeles for the betterment 

of the city and its communities. 

Chief Bratton emphasized the 

importance of this partnership and 

stressed the need for better cooperation 

between all city and county 

agencies for optimal response to 

emergencies and disasters. 

Following the meeting, volunteers 

and board members who 

had provided five years of service 

or more to the arc of Greater Los 

Angeles were recognized by Board 

Chairman Edmond Lelo and ceo 

Paul Schulz. 

Joseph Kanimian, who continues 

to serve on the Board of Directors 

of the arc of Greater Los Angeles, 

is also on its Development Committee. 

According to Kanimian, the 

Western Diocese has been helping 

the arc of Greater Los Angeles by 

collecting contributions from the 

faithful and allocating the funds 

for the arc’s disaster-relief efforts. 

Commenting on its support of the 

arc, the Western Diocese renewed 

its call to the Armenian community 

for making tax-deductible contributions 

to the Western Diocese earmarked 

as donations to the arc. 

connect: 

armenianchurchwd.com 

Visit us at reporter.am 

You share the same 

community. Discover what 

happens when you share 

the same experience. 

For more information about 

Relay For Life and Paint the Town 

Purple, or to find an event near you, 

visit www.cancer.org/relayNYNJ 

or call 1.800.ACS.2345. 

1.800.ACS.2345 

www.cancer.org/relayNYNJ



Archbishop Mardirossian and Armenians of Orange County celebrate 

Feast of Transfiguration, renaming of community center 

SANTA ANA, Calif. – On June 

29, the Armenian community of 

Orange County came together to 

celebrate the Feast of Transfiguration, 

offer thanksgiving prayers for 

H.H. Aram I, congratulate Archbishop 

Moushegh Mardirossian 

on his reelection as Prelate, listen 

to a lecture dedicated to the Year 

of Christian Education, and participate 

in the renaming of the Armenian 

Center. 

The day began at the Forty Martyrs 

Church in Santa Ana with Arch. 

Mardirossian celebrating the Divine 

Liturgy, during which he presided 

over Pontifical thanksgiving 

prayers for the 13th anniversary of 

the enthronement of H.H. Aram I, 

Catholicos of the Great House of 

Cilicia. The Prelate was assisted at 

the altar by Christian Education Co- 

Director Very Rev. Fr. Barthev 

Gulumian and parish pastor Rev. 

Fr. Hrant Yeretzian. Rev. Fr. 

Varant Amiralian, who is visiting 

from Greece, also participated in 

the service. 

At the conclusion of the Prelate’s 

sermon, a reception was held at 

the adjacent Gugasian Hall, hosted 

by Mr. and Mrs. Sarkis and Manoushag 

Yegenian. Following 

welcoming remarks by the parish 

Pastor and Executive Council 

Chairman Dr. Garo Agopian, the 

Prelate commended those present 

for their service and dedication. 

In the afternoon, the first lecture 

in the Prelacy’s Year of Christian 

Education series took place. Organized 

by the parish Pastor and 

Board of Trustees, the lecture featured 

Very Rev. Fr. Barthev Gulumian 

speaking on the topic “Christian 

Education and the Armenian 

Youth.” Fr. Gulumian spoke of the 

importance of education in general 

and Christian education in particular. 

He went on to discuss the four 

core institutions – family, school, 

church, and community organizations 

– which he said are vital to 

the proper rearing of Armenian 

youths. 

The lecture was followed by an 

artistic program. The event concluded 

with Arch. Mardirossian’s 

closing remarks and benediction. 

Later on in the day, the Prelate 

presided over the ceremony of renaming 

the Armenian Center. 

During Divine Liturgy. 

New book sets forth Lemkin’s dossier on the Genocide 

GLENDALE, Calif. – Raphael 

Lemkin is well known to Armenians 

as the distinguished lawyer 

and human rights activist who 

coined the word “genocide” and 

became the prime mover behind 

the United Nations “Genocide Convention”: 

the international law that 

in 1948 made genocide an international 

“crime of crimes.” 

Distressed by the cyclical slaughter 

of Armenians by Turks in 1894, 

1909, and 1915, Lemkin compiled 

a dossier and searched for legal 

remedies to punish perpetrators of 

mass murder and to deter and prevent 

future genocides. 

FRESNO and CLOVIS, Calif. 

– The Men’s Society of the Charlie 

Keyan Armenian Community 

School announced that it will 

host a meet-and-greet evening 

on Saturday, July 19, when cigar 

aficionados and jazz lovers will 

have the chance to meet special 

guest Avo Uvezian. The event, 

beginning at 7:00 p.m., will take 

place at the Fresno residence of 

Jerry and Dzovig Kutumian (470 

W. Bluff). 

According to the organizers, 

Uvezian’s name has been synonymous 

with quality cigars for the 

past 20 years. More than 3 million 

cigars are produced annually 

bearing the avo brand, and this 

year marks the release of the avo 

Tesoro, to celebrate Uvezian’s 

82nd birthday. 

An acclaimed jazz musician who 

served as the Shah of Iran’s pianist 

in the 1940s and was later educated 

at Juilliard, Uvezian teamed 

with master cigar maker Hendrik 

Kelner in 1988 to produce what is 

considered one of the world’s finest 

lines of premium cigars. 

The $35 tax-deductible donation 

for the July 19 benefit includes appetizers, 

wine, and a sample cigar. 

The event will also feature a no-host 

bar and the introduction of the avo 

Club Card. 

Raphael Lemkin’s Dossier on the 

Armenian Genocide, a new book 

published by the Center for Armenian 

Remembrance (car), is an important 

contribution for scholars, 

human rights activists, and others 

seeking to know what the “father” 

of the Genocide Convention had to 

say about the Armenian Genocide. 

This timely book, published 

through the efforts of attorney 

Vartkes Yeghiayan, is an antidote 

to the denialist campaign against 

Genocide recognition. 

Perusing the eyewitness reports 

that Lemkin has meticulously compiled 

in this dossier, the reader 

“Ambassador to the Good Life” Avo 

Uvezian to be featured at Keyan 

Armenian Community School benefit 

Avo Uvezian. 

Tickets are available at Cigars Ltd. 

– (559) 221-0161 – in Fig Garden Village 

and Karkazian Jewelers – (559) 

431-0900) at the NE corner of Bullard 

and West avenues. 

All proceeds will benefit the Charlie 


School, which moved into its new 

Clovis campus earlier this year. 

will quickly be convinced that the 

brutal campaign against the Armenians 

was the very definition of 

genocide. 


Armenian Genocide also contains a 

lucid foreword by scholar Michael J. 

Bazyler, and a complete bibliography 

on Lemkin by Eddie Yeghiayan. 


Armenian Genocide is the fifth book 

in the “The Armenian Genocide and 

the Armenian Case” series put out 

by car Publishing. It can be purchased 

at car Publishing P.O. Box 

250322, Glendale, Calif. 91225, or by 

logging onto www.centerar.org. 

Keyan School finalist in national contest 

Armenian 

community urged to 

vote for school video 

online 

by Alik Hovsepian 

CLOVIS, Calif. – The Charlie 


School (ckacs) of Fresno is among 

the 100 finalists in the “Lots2Give” 

Contest, a nationwide video and 

essay competition launched by Big 

Lots Stores, Inc. ckacs is the only 

Fresno school to make it to the finals 

and the only Armenian school 

to participate in the contest. 

Jill Boolootian, a member of 

the Parent-Teacher Association at 

ckacs, said she found out about the 

contest in an e-mail message from 

Big Lots a couple of days before the 

end of the school year and contestentry 

deadline. The contest asked 

parents, teachers, administrators, 

and friends to submit a 90-minute 

video and a 50-word essay explaining 

why their favorite school could 

use a helping hand. 

The finalists were selected based 

on the following criteria: school 

need (50%); creativity (20%); inspiration 

(20%); and delivery of message 

(10%). Once the finalists were 

chosen, their entries were posted on 

St. Leon Church will hold its 12th annual 

golf outing 

FAIR LAWN, N.J. – St. Leon Armenian 

Church will hold its “Golf 

Open” on Monday, August 11. The 

12th annual outing will take place at 

the High Mountain Golf Club, 845 

Ewing Avenue, in Franklin Lakes. 

The tournament schedule will begin 

at 10:00 a.m. with registration, 

move on to lunch at 11:00, a noontime 

“shotgun start,” cocktails at 5:00 

p.m., and an awards dinner at 6:00. 

The entrance fee entitles participants 

to green fees, access to practice facilities, 

range balls, golf carts, lunch, 

dinner, and a door-prize raffle ticket. 

the Big Lots website, on June 30, and 

members of the public were invited 

to cast their votes for their favorite 

entries. The videos will remain on 

the site through July 22, 2008. 

“Now the push is to get the word 

out to everybody, everywhere,” Boolootian 

said. “Go online – it’s so 

easy to do - and submit your vote 

for our school.” 

The Grand-Prize, First-Prize, and 

Second-Prize winners will be determined 

based on voting results. 

Winners will be announced on or 

about August 2, 2008. “We’re excited,” 

said Mary Baloian, co-chair 

of the pta. “We’re hoping we get 

some prize money out of it and put 

it towards the school.” 

Boolootian said that after learning 

about the contest, she urged the 

other parents in the pta to enter 

the contest. They soon decided their 

new school could use the prize money 

to build an outdoor playground 

facility. “That would be putting 

grass in,” Baloian said. “We’d like to 

put in a baseball diamond. We’d like 

to have a blacktop area that’s away 

from the parking lot, with tetherball 

courts, basketball courts, hopscotch, 

and four-square courts.” 

“We wanted it all to be about the 

kids,” Boolootian added. “We wanted 

the students to make the video.” She 

and some of the other members of 

the pta wrote the video script, along 

with the bulk of the 50-word essay, 

in about 15 minutes, which Boolootian 

said was the easy part. However, 

The prizes include a Bose stereo 

system, Ben Hogan golf clubs, a 

Dell computer, and – for “hole-inone” 

competitions – a Jaguar XF 

and $10,000 cash. 

The entrance fee is $185 per player, 

and the registration deadline 

is July 21. Sponsorships and dinner-only 

options are also available. 

Checks payable to St. Leon Armenian 

Church should be mailed to: 

Richard Ohnikian, 23 Dogwood 

Lane, Montvale, N.J. 07645. For 

information call (201) 476-0561, or 

e-mail raohnik@optonline.net. 

shooting the video was a different 

story, she said, referring to the pta’s 

realization that the skills of a professional 

were needed for the task. 

That’s when the pta turned to Jim 

Sharp, a friend of one of the parents, 

who went on to shoot some 40 

minutes of video, and subsequently 

edited and finished the piece a few 

hours before the cut-off date. 

“We’re hoping to get a million 

votes,” Boolootian said. “It’s just 

a matter of getting the word out 

for everybody to do this for us. It 

doesn’t cost anybody a penny, just 

a couple of minutes of their time. 

It’s been a grassroots effort. We really 

want to show the kids how a 

small, determined bunch of people 

can make big things happen.” 

Boolootian explained that those 

wishing to vote can visit the Big Lots 

website at lots2give.com and enter 

the school’s zip code of 93612 to access 

the school video. “People can 

vote from all over the world,” Boolootian 

said. “If everyone tells everybody, 

we can easily get a million votes.” 

Founded in 1977, the Charlie Keyan 

Armenian Community School of 

Fresno moved to its present location 

in Clovis three months ago. “We are 

not a large school, we’re a small 

school, but we’ve always been able 

to do big things,” Boolootian said. 

“If we don’t win anything in the contest, 

it was still a chance for everybody 

to come together and work 

together. It’s been a very positive activity 

for everybody involved.”



Four Armenian candidates elected to Encino Neighborhood Council 

ENCINO, Calif. – With strong 

support from the West San Fernando 

Valley Armenian National Committee 

(wsfv anc), four Armenian- 

American community members 

were elected to the Encino Neighborhood 

Council (enc) on June 28. 

The newly-elected council members, 

who will each serve a twoyear 

term, are Arshavir Kitsinian 

(Religious Organizations representative), 

Harout Keosian, Esq. 

(Education representative), Tanya 

Barseghian (Public Safety representative), 

and Nareg S. Kitsinian, 

Esq. (Planning and Land Use 

representative). 

The centerpiece of a reformed 

City Charter that was approved by 

Los Angeles voters in 1999, Neighborhood 

Councils (in Encino and 

elsewhere across the city) seek “to 

promote public participation in 

government and make government 

more responsive to local needs by 

creating, nurturing, and supporting 

a citywide system of grassroots, 

independent, and participatory 

neighborhood councils.” 

wsfv anc Chairman Nishan 

Bostanian issued the following 

statement following the June 28 

election: “We celebrate the election 

of these dynamic and energetic 

young community members, who 

will represent the best interests of 

all members of the Encino community. 

We look forward to the leadership, 

guidance, and vision they will 

provide in the months and years 

ahead.” 

One of the winning candidates, 

Tanya Barseghian, stated, “On 

behalf of all four candidates, we 

would like to thank all members of 

our community who supported us 

in this landmark election. We look 

forward to working with everyone 

to make Encino a destination city.” 

All of the winning candidates 

are active members of the Armenian-American 

community, with 

backgrounds and professions that 

include law and business. 

Detroit Daughters of Vartan awards scholarships 

Newly elected 

members 

(from left to 

right) Arshavir 

Kitsinian 

(Religious 

Organizations 

representative), 

Nareg S. 

Kitsinian, Esq. 

(Planning 

and Land Use 

representative), 

Tanya Barseghian 

(Public Safety 

representative) 

and Harout 

Keosian, Esq. 

(Education 

representative). 

DETROIT, Mich. – On June 

11, the Detroit chapter of the 

Daughters of Vartan held its annual 

scholarship dinner. Children 

and grandchildren of Detroit-area 

Knights and Daughters of Vartan 

who maintain a 3.5 gpa are 

eligible to apply for this annual 

award. 

In the presence of family, friends, 

and members, chapter chair Jane 

Hovsepian gave an overview of the 

merit scholarship program, and introduced 

Matron Ann Movsesian. 

She congratulated this year’s winners 

and their families, and presented 

each scholar with an award 

of $750. 

Background on the two scholarship 

winners follows. 

Gena Rose Dirani is the 

daughter of Dr. Khalil and Anne 

Dirani, and the grand daughter 

of Vincent and the late Rose 

Kaye. She graduated from Cranbrook 

Kingswood High School in 

Bloomfield Hills, and graduated 

from Michigan State University, 

James Madison College, in 2008, 

majoring in International Relations. 

She is the recipient of the State 

of Michigan Merit Award, and has 

been named several times on the 

dean’s list. She is a member of the 

National Political Science Honor 

Society, the Honor Society of International 

Scholars, and Kappa 

Kappa Gamma Sorority. 

In 2006, Gena joined the group 

from St. John’s Armenian Church 

and traveled to Armenia to volunteer 

for Habitat for Humanity. 

Gena also spent a term in Rome 

studying the Italian language, art 

history, European economics and 

politics. 

In 2007, she was a research 

intern in Yerevan with Richard 

Giragosian, a Washington and 

Yerevan-based analyst. She also 

did an independent study at the 

Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs 

in Yerevan, and worked with 

the head of Arms Control and Security 

in the Organization for Security 

and Cooperation in Europe 

(osce). As an intern for osce, she 

Gena Rose Dirani. 

studied electoral reform, economic 

development, and human 

rights. Gena was a representative 

and participant with other 

Armenians at a European Unionsponsored 

International Youth 

Exchange. 

Michael Gregory Mamassian. 

This fall, Gena will be attending 

Suffolk University Law School in 

Boston. 

Michael Gregory Mamassian 

is the son of Harry and Linda 

Mamassian, and the grandson of 

Elizabeth and the late Jack Mamassian. 

Michael graduated with 

distinction from Athens High 

School in Troy. He has studied 

music and instruments for several 

years: he was a trombonist 

in the marching band for four 

years, and he won a music award 

from the Regional American Musician’s 

Guild for the bass guitar, 

and a Division One Rating in Solo 

Ensemble from the Music Department. 

His main interests are law 

and government. His academic 

achievements include the State 

of Michigan Merit Award and 

being named to the dean’s list. 

He is an active member of the 

msu Judo Club and the Prelaw 

Society. 

Michael’s community service 

includes training dogs for people 

with disabilities, and he currently 

chairs an organization which does 

this worthy task. 

This fall, Michael will begin his 

senior year at Michigan State University, 

majoring in Political Science/Prelaw. 

 

Detroit area Genocide essay competition winners are announced 

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – The 

Detroit-area Armenian Genocide 

Committee announced winners of 

its first annual “Armenian Genocide 

Essay Competition.” The competition 

was funded by the Hagopian 

Family Foundation to recognizes 

Michigan middle and high 

school students who had written 

essays explaining the relationship 

of the Armenian Genocide to other 

genocides of the 20th century. 

For the organizers, this first 

year’s response was gratifying, 

with more than 100 essays submitted 

for consideration. 

The winners in the high school 

category were: Rachel LoPatin (1st 

place), Grade 12, West Bloomfield 

High school, instructor Mara Hoffert; 

Nayiri Kayssarian (2nd place), 

Grade 12, Alex and Marie Manoogian 

School, instructor Judith 

Kadri; Jackson Hobill (3rd place), 

Grade 12 West Bloomfield High, instructor 

Mara Hoffert. 

In the middle school category, 

the winners were: Timothy Carroll 

(1st place), Grade 7, South Lake 

Middle School, instructor Todd 

Myers; Thomas Raleigh (2nd place), 

Grade 7, South Lake Middle School, 

instructor Todd Myers; Nicholas 

Aznavour (3rd place), Grade 8, Alex 

Edgar Hagopian presents the 1st place high school award to Rachel Lopatin. 

and Marie Manoogian School, instructor 

Dyana Kezelian. 

High school recipients won $500 

for first place, $250 for second, and 

$100 for third. Middle schoolers won 

$250, $150, and $100 respectively. In 

addition, each teacher of a student 

submitting a winning essay was given 

a $100 appreciation award. 

First place middle school winner Timothy Carroll, with Hagopian. 

In an April ceremony, Edgar 

Hagopian, chair of the Armenian 

Genocide Committee, presented 

awards to the winning students 

and their instructors, at St. John’s 

Armenian Church in Southfield. 

Hagopian said that he “felt this 

project is a critical and vital key to 

perpetuate the history of the Armenian 

people in the minds of students 

and hopefully pave the way to 

avert future tragedies.” All students 

who attended were given a copy of 

Adam Bagdasarian’s novel about the 

Armenian Genocide, Forgotten Fire. 

The winning essays can be read 

on the website www.essaycompetition.info. 

The Detroit metro-area Armenian 

Genocide Committee is made 

up of educators, former educators, 

and business leaders, including 

Edgar Hagopian, Ray Boujoulian, 

Corinne Khederian, Paul Kulhanjian, 

Richard Norsigian, David 

Terzibashian and Madeline Thomasian.



Bandazian scholarship announces recipients for 2008 

RICHMOND, Va. – The Virginia 

D. Bandazian Scholarship Fund has 

announced its 2008 grants, which 

are being awarded to four deserving 

young women. 

Lara Mary Sardarbegians, Sossy 

Tatarian, and Tamar Sivaslian, all 

of Rockville, Md., and Tania A. Zurnacian 

of Richmond, Va., each received 

$1,000 grants. 

Lara Mary Sardarbegians is attending 

James Madison University 

of Virginia in its School of Anthropology. 

Sossy Tatarian is attending 

the University of Maryland, studying 

Physiology and Neurobiology. 

Tamar Sivaslian is attending the 

University of Maryland, studying 

Pre-Medical Technology. Tania 

by Andrew Kevorkian 

Zurnacian is attending Purchase 

College of New York University, 

studying Business Administration. 

In a statement, the Bandazian 

Scholarship board of trustees 

wished each recipient well in her 

academic pursuits and Armenian 

community involvement. 

After her passing in 1997, the heirs 

of Virginia D. Bandazian – daughters 

Ardemis Jerikian and Melanie 

Kerneklian, and son Bedros Bandazian, 

and their spouses – established 

the Virginia D. Bandazian Scholarship 

Fund to honor the life and example 

of “a true Armenian mother.” 

The scholarship awards are restricted 

to Armenian women whose 

legal residence is in the Maryland, 

PHILADELPHIA – Armenians 

have the opportunity to sponsor a 

workshop that will support a young 

Armenian who has written a play 

about an Armenian family that explores 

the themes of love, loyalty, 

and filial duty. 

“It is a rare opportunity for Armenians 

to assert their support 

of their enrichment of the culture 

at large with an expression of our 

own particular cultural manifestation,” 

said Paul Meshejian, producer-director-actor 

who is artistic 

director of PlayPenn, which conducts 

a six-week series of workshops 

for young playwrights and 

their work. 

Each year PlayPenn invites 

six playwrights to Philadelphia 

to work on their plays and gives 

them the full support necessary 

to remove all friction from the artistic 

process for the two weeks 

they are in residence, Meshejian 

explained. “Nothing is more 

important to us than providing 

a fertile environment in which 

the playwright can work without 

commercial pressures. We pride 

ourselves on keeping outside 

pressures from influencing the 

path writers take during their 

time with us,” he said. 

Set in 1958 Beirut, Another 

Man’s Son, by Silva Semerciyan, 

tells the story of an Armenian 

family that is forced to confront 

the hidden consequences of genocide. 

Lucine, the central character, 

is an ambitious young nurse with 

a tyrannical father, five younger 

sisters, and a mother who refuses 

to leave her bedroom. When Lucine 

falls pregnant out of wedlock, 

she must choose between her 

future and the welfare of others. 

This play begins to get at how tyranny 

transmits itself from being 

Virginia, or Washington, D.C. area, 

and who are active in the various 

Armenian Church and community 

activities. Active participation in 

the Armenian Youth Federation 

(ayf), Armenian Church Youth 

Organization of America (acyoa), 

or Homenentmen is desirable, but 

activity in similar Armenian organizations 

is acceptable for qualification, 

along with academic standards 

and financial need. 

Application forms for scholarship 

grants for the upcoming academic 

year can be obtained from the St. 

James Armenian Church of Richmond, 

the Sourp Khatch Armenian 

Church of Bethesda, or the St. Mary 

Armenian Church of Washington. 

Donations being sought for Armenian playwright’s new work 

inflicted by others to being inflicted 

within a family and ultimately 

within oneself. “It is a thoroughly 

engaging story of one family during 

a transitional period in the 

rebuilding of a culture and of a 

life after the first genocide of this 

century,” Meshejian added. 

Semerciyan is a graduate of the 

University of Michigan. Her plays 

include Playthings, Filibuster, and 

Down the Packhorse. Reality, a musical 

for which she wrote the book 

and lyrics, premiered in the United 

Kingdom at Bristol’s Olympus Theater. 

In 2007, she made the long list 

for the King’s Cross New Writing 

Award. She currently teaches singing 

and drama in South West England. 

Originally from St. Joseph, Mich., 

Semerciyan is returning to the 

States after ten years of living in 

the United Kingdom. It is this opportunity 

to develop her play that 

is bringing her back. 

In describing how the organization 

works, Meshejian explained 

that when PlayPenn invites and 

playwright to develop a play at its 

summer conference, it is making a 

commitment to the artist that involves 

substantial resources including, 

but not limited to, travel, housing, 

per diem and a stipend for the 

writer, a director of the playwright’s 

choice who receives similar support 

– as does a dramaturge – trips to 

Philadelphia to cast the play from 

the professional acting community 

here, actor salaries and space and 

time to do the work involved with 

helping the playwrights find clarity 

and focus for their work. 

Since its inception, 60 percent of 

the plays that have been developed 

during PlayPenn’s summer conferences 

have gone on to be produced 

at major theaters around the United 

States and in the U.K. 

These workshops are costly, 

Meshejian explained, requiring 

Graduate fellowships in Armenian studies available at Ann Arbor 

Applications can also be obtained 

from Ardemis Jerikian, at (703) 242- 

1755; Melanie Kerneklian, at (804) 

784-4002; or Bedros Bandazian at 

(804) 741-8107. 

Applications must be submitted 

prior to March 31, 2009, and 

final determination by the selection 

committee for recipients of 

grant(s) will be made prior to June 

1, 2009. 

Lara Mary Sardarbegians, one of 

the recipients of this year’s Virginia 

D. Bandazian Scholarship. The other 

recipients of $1,000 awards were 

Sossy Tatarian, Tamar Sivaslian, and 

Tania A. Zurnacian. 

a minimum of $10,000 for each 

of the plays that make their way 

through the process. And, because 

there is only a single public reading 

of the play at the end of the process, 

there is no opportunity for earned 

income, making the organization 

dependent on contributed income. 

For the first time, PlayPenn is 

seeking support in the form of 

sponsorships for each of the six 

projects being developed. Majordonor 

sponsorship will guarantee 

recognition as the “Workshop 

Sponsor” in all printed publicity 

materials, as well as an invitation 

to a reception for all conference 

artists, in mid-July. 

A 501(c)3 charity, PlayPenn is 

supported by tax-free donations. 

Armenians who wish to support 

the Semerciyan workshop, should 

send their checks to PlayPenn, 220 

West Evergreen Avenue, suite D-2, 

Philadelphia, Pa. 19118, indicating 

that it is for her workshop. 

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The Armenian 

Studies Program at the 

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 

is pleased to announce the availability 

of two-year full fellowships 

in Armenian studies, beginning in 

the academic year 2009-2010, for 

students admitted in the Ph.D. programs 

in the departments listed 

below: 

Department of History (application 

deadline: December 1, 2008), 

Department of Near Eastern Studies 

(deadline: December 14, 2008), 

St. Gregory of Datev Institute meets 

ELVERSON, Pa. – Seventy-five 

students, ages 13 to 18, from 10 

parishes, convened for the 22nd annual 

“St. Gregory of Datev Institute,” 

sponsored by the Eastern Prelacy of 

the Armenian Apostolic Church. 

The gathering at the St. Mary 

of Providence Center in Elverson, 

under the direction of Prelacy 

vicar Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian, 

and led by seven clergymen, 

ran from June 27 to July 6. 

Sponsored by the Armenian Religious 

Education Council (arec), 

the summer program offers youth 

the chance to learn the essentials of 

Armenian Christianity in a wholesome 

and nurturing environment. 

Each day of the program includes 

a morning service, four classroom 

sessions, and afternoons featuring 

recreational activities like volleyball, 

soccer, basketball, and swimming. 

In the evenings, a general lecture 

is followed by three concurrent 

bible studies. Each day comes to a 

close with the Husgoom service. 

The instructors of the institute 

this year included Bishop Tanielian, 

Fr. Khoren Habeshian, Fr. 

Antranig Baljian, Fr. Nerses Manoogian, 

Fr. Sarkis Aktavoukian, 

Fr. Stephan Baljian, Dn. Shant 

Kazanjian, Nayiri Baljian, Denise 

Borekjian, and Jeanette Nazarian. 

In addition to the regular faculty, 

the institute welcomed four guest 

speakers: Fr. Paul Tarazi, Rev. Kenneth 

E. Bailey, Dr. Vahan Kouyoumdjian, 

and Dr. Tom Samuelian. 

The summer program came to 

an end on July 6 with the Divine 

Liturgy celebrated by Fr. Baljian, 

at the St. Gregory the Illuminator 

Church in Philadelphia. Bishop Tanielian 

delivered the sermon. Also 

in the service was a “Blessing of 

Water” service employing the newly 

consecrated myron from a June 

ceremony Antelias, Lebanon. 

After the liturgy, students who 

had completed the multi-year Datev 

Institute program were recognized 

as graduates. 

 

Department of Sociology (deadline: 

December 15, 2008), Department 

of Anthropology (deadline: January 

2, 2009), and Department of 

Political Science (deadline: December 

15, 2008). 

The fellowships are also available 

for students admitted in the Masters 

program of either of the following 

centers: 

The Center for Middle Eastern 

and North African Studies (cmenas) 

(January 15, 2009), and the 

Center for Russian and East European 

Studies (crees) (February 1, 

2009). 

Candidates must first apply to 

and be accepted in any of the departments 

or centers listed above. 

Applications for graduate studies 

for all above departments and centers 

at the University of Michigan 

are submitted through the Horace 

H. Rackham School of Graduate 

Studies. They must be submitted 

online at the website of Rackham 

Graduate School (www.rackham. 

umich.edu). 

Nominations of students whose 

interests fall within the purview 

of Armenian studies for the Manoogian 

Simone Foundation fellowships 

are made by the relevant 

departments and centers. The final 

selection of Manoogian Simone 

Foundation Graduate Fellows will 

be made by the Armenian Studies 

Program executive committee, on 

the recommendation of these departments 

and centers. 

These fellowships have been 

made possible by a generous gift 

Let us know what’s on your mind. 

Write to us at 

letters@reporter.am 

The Fuller Center for Housing 

launches Global Builders program 

in Armenia 

Be part of a two-week Global Builders team and build homes with Armenian families in need 

from the Manoogian Simone Foundation. 

The thrust of the research 

interests of candidates for these 

graduate fellowships must be in 

Armenian studies. 

Questions regarding applications 

should be addressed to the 

above departments and centers. 

Questions regarding Manoogian 

Simone Foundation fellowships 

can be addressed to Gloria Caudill 

at telephone (734) 763-0622, 

or via e-mail at gcaudill@umich. 

edu. 

 

Team dates for summer/fall 2008: 

August 2 to 15 - Yeghegnadzor, southern Armenia 

October 5 to 19 - Vanadzor, northern Armenia 

Approximately $1600 - $1870 not including airfare 

Fuller Center Armenia assists low-income families in 

Armenia to build and renovate safe, simple, comfortable 

homes by offering long-term, interest-free loans 

For information visit http://www.fullercenterarmenia.org/get-involved/int-v 

To receive information or to join a team, contact volunteer@fullercenterarmenia.org 

no construction 

experience is 

needed



A camper comes up to kiss the cross after the Divine Liturgy celebrated by Abp. Khajag Barsamian at 

the Ararat Center. 

Abp. Barsamian presents Shahen Guiragossian, of the White Plains parish, with an award for his 

contributions to the center. 

St. Vartan Camp kicks off with 5th annual Ararat Festival 

GREENVILLE, N.Y. – The 5th 

annual Ararat Center Festival 

marked the opening of the St. Vartan 

Camp season on Sunday, June 

22, in upstate New York. 

Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, 

Primate of the Eastern Diocese of 

the Armenian Church of America, 

celebrated badarak at the camping 

and recreation facility with a number 

of young people serving on the 

altar. In his sermon, the Primate 

compared Jesus’ walk on the Sea 

of Galilee with the brave journey 

young Armenian Christians must 

undertake to preserve their faith 

and heritage in America. 

“Have faith and storm clouds will 

break,” he said. “Have faith and you 

won’t be afraid.” 

The festival began with a short 

program dedicated to grandparents, 

who were lauded for the significant 

role they play as pillars of 

strong faith in their families. All 

grandparents were given “Ararat 

Center” coffee mugs as a token of 

the St. Vartan Camp community’s 

appreciation. 

In his remarks, Stephen Hovnanian, 

chair of the Ararat Center 

board of directors, told grandparents: 

“When you take a sip from 

this cup, may it remind you of the 

life you bring to us all.” 

The Eastern Diocese and 

members of the Ararat Center 

board also presented Shahen 

Guiragossian, a member of the 

St. Gregory the Enlightener parish 

of White Plains, N.Y., with 

an award for his contributions 

to the center. Guiragossian 

thanked his late father, a member 

of the clergy, for instilling 

in him Christian values. He also 

shared his vision for the youth 

of the Armenian Church. 

Following the program, campers 

and counselors joined parishioners 

from area churches for a 

barbeque on the pavilion and entertainment 

from the Philly Kef 

Band. Parents, counselors, and 

campers alike expressed their enthusiasm 

for the beginning of the 

camp season. 

“We wanted our kids involved in 

an Armenian Christian environment 

with a good blend of culture 

and Christian identity,” said Susan 

Piligian, a member of the Armenian 

Church of Holy Translators in 

Framingham, Mass. and a parent 

of a counselor. 

Piligian’s husband, Stepan Piligian, 

volunteered as a religion 

teacher at the camp for many 

years. “The camp has an excellent 

curriculum that balances 

culture, religion, and social activities,” 

he said. 

Visitors at the 

Ararat Festival 

dance in the 

Ararat Center’s 

new pavilion. 

St. Vartan Camp has garnered a 

record enrollment for all three of its 

sessions this summer, with more 

than 275 campers enrolling for the 

season. A few spots remain open for 

Session C; for information, call the 

camp office at (518) 966-8380.



The power of community 

Continued from page 1 

ignited the sky, Sarkissian’s voice 

thundered though the speakers 

and teenagers threw their fists in 

the air as they sang along. 

“There is a lot of energy in the air,” 

Homenetmen Western Regional 

Board Chair Steve Artinian said. 

“When you walk around, you can 

just feel it. People come here so 

they can experience the essentials 

that promote our culture through 

music, food, and sports. People just 

can’t get enough of it.” 

Artinian explained that Homenetmen 

pulled all the stops this year 

to improve and expand the Navasartian 

Games. Such efforts, made 

by a legion of some 500 volunteers 

and various committees, resulted 

in not only record attendance at 

the Games but also an innovative 

Victory Banquet at the CBS Studios 

in Studio City as well as the emergence 

of major corporate sponsors 

such as Wachovia Bank. 

“We wanted to do things out of 

the box,” Artinian said. “We just 

wanted to take everything to the 

next level.” 

Generations of fans 

As the world’s best athletes prepared 

for the Summer Olympics in 

Beijing, the focal point for aspiring 

Armenian champions was the intersection 

of Victory and Balboa boulevards 

in Van Nuys. With over 300 

teams and 8,500 athletes participating, 

Homenetmen officials say the 

only factor limiting the growth of 

the Navasartian Games is the lack 

of facilities, which must accommodate 

competitions in basketball (the 

most popular sport of the event), 

swimming, ping-pong, tennis, soccer, 

volleyball, and track and field. 

Salpi Jejeian, a self-proclaimed 

“soccer mom” and Homenetmen Regional 

Board member, has been involved 

in the organization since she 

was five years old. Now, as a mother, 

she attends every game, sitting on 

the bleachers and letting out yells 

and cheers during matches – including 

the soccer games in which her 

two son participate. A permanent 

smile graced Jejeian’s face when one 

of her sons, Serop, scored three goals 

and helped his team go to the finals. 

“I try to control myself at the 

games, but it gets so intense,” she 

said. “I just want to cheer my boys 

on.” Jejeian is one among thousands 

of frenzied parents who 

get very passionate at the games, 

whether firing salvos of applause or 

protest during the games. 

“These kids are truly inspired 

by seeing their parents out there 

cheering for them,” Artinian said. 

“We always think it is the parents 

who are trying to live their lives 

through their kids, but the reality 

is that the kids want to impress 

their parents.” 

But age didn’t seem to particularly 

matter at the Navasartians. Men 

in their 50s, sporting jerseys, played 

against athletes half their age. “My 

husband coaches and plays basketball 

and my sons want to emulate 

their father,” Jejeian said. 

The stuff of folklore 

The man who has been documenting 

the Navasartian Games since 

their infancy is Berge Jamjian. 

With a camera strapped around 

his neck, he has been capturing the 

prowess of Homenetmen athletes 

through the lens of his camera. 

As he scans through the library of 

his photographs, Jamjian points at 

kids he photographed in the 1970s, 

who have now become parents 

themselves and spectators at the 

Navasartian Games, cheering their 

own children on. Before the advent 

of the digital camera, Jamjian used 

Proudly showcasing their medals and trophies. Photo: Helena Gregorian. 

A high-five in the spirit of sportsmanship and friendship. Photo: Hilma Shahinian. 

The look of determination on their faces says it all. Photo: Helena Gregorian. 

to store his photos in his garage. 

Now his shots are uploaded in a 

couple of seconds to the Homenetmen 

website. 

“Homenetmen is in my heart and 

it is in my camera,” Jamjian said. 

“It has always been a part of my 

life, ever since I was a young boy 

in Egypt.” 

Oshin Harootoonian, who 

drove with his family from San 

Francisco to attend the Navasartians, 

has been attending the 

games since 1979. Now a member 

of Homenetmen’s Regional Executive 

Board, he attributes his successes 

in life to his training and 

experiences in Homenetmen. “As a 

scout, when I was young, I learned 

so much from my leaders,” he said. 

“I learned how to be organized and 

conduct meetings. I also learned 

how to handle conflicts and issues 

in a productive way. Overall, I 

learned about life and how to be a 

good person and a good Armenian.” 

Shoghig Thomasian of Pasadena 

attended the Navasartians 

to meet up with friends. As many 

Americans this past Fourth of 

July, she decided to avoid the 

high cost of traveling by taking 

a staycation - a vacation in one’s 

own city or county. “The cost of 

gas is too high to go anywhere 

with our large family, so instead 

we are enjoying the Navasartian 

Games for our Fourth of July,” 

Thomasian said. 

Entrepreneur and health advocate 

Hagop Nenejian came to the 

games to promote a health drink 

he promises will cure everything 

from heartburn to obesity. Standing 

under a white tent, surrounded 

by wine bottles that held his 

elixir, a health drink called Mona 

Vie, Nenejian passed out samples 

to passersby. “I’m here today because 

I see so many older Armenians 

suffering from diabetes and 

heart problems and I want to let 

them know about a product that 

can cure them,” he said. 

Young participants patiently waiting 

their turn. Photo: Hilma Shahinian. 

A very detail-oriented 4 year old, George Demirjian, making sure his wooden man 

is covered in green paint. Photo: Hilma Shahinian. 

As the scent of charred soujoukh 

and kebab drifted through the 

campus, Nenejian, soft-spoken as a 

sage, talked to potential customers 

about boosting their antioxidant 

levels with his blend of 19 fruits. 

People huddled around his tent, 

inquiring about a drink that could 

possibly be the panacea for their 

ailments and pains. 

The weekend culminated in an 

elaborate closing ceremony, when a 

tidal flow of scouts and athletes paraded 

around the tracks, hoisting 

up their banners and waving to the 

fans. Parents and friends, armed 

with cameras, kept taking pictures. 

Once the Navasartian victors 

were awarded with medals, thousands 

flocked to the main stage, 

where a host of singers entertained 

the revelers until midnight.



Albert Ounjuian with wife Shakeh and scouts giving him the award. Photo: Helena Gregorian. 

Ararat women win the championship. Photo: Helena Gregorian. 

Soccer player Sebouh Oshagan with his 

teammates. Photo: Helena Gregorian. 

17-month-old Lori Chloe Deirmenjian 

having fun at the face painting booth. 

Photo: Hilma Shahinian. 

Saluting under bright, sunny skies. Photo: Helena Gregorian. 

Saluting the flag. Photo: Helena 

Gregorian. 

Vahe Kambourian and father Haig. 

Photo: Helena Gregorian. 

The highest jumper wins. Photo: Hilma Shahinian. 

Karnig Sarkisian performing in front of fans. Photo: Hilma Shahinian.



She has a passion for food, Armenia, and helping others 

Food industry 

executive Ann 

Giragosian Daw 

by Florence Avakian 

NEW YORK – The National Association 

for the Specialty Food 

Trade (nasft) held its annual Summer 

Fancy Food Show at the cavernous 

Javits Center from June 29 

to July 1. Now in its 54th year, it is 

one of the most anticipated events 

in New York, and was attended by 

more than 24,000 people from all 

over the world, with 2,400 exhibiting 

companies from 79 countries. 

Heading this massive organization 

for the last two years is a highpowered 

woman, Ann Giragosian 

Daw, who serves as president of 

the nasft, an international organization 

composed of domestic and 

foreign manufacturers, importers, 

distributors, brokers, retailers, restaurateurs, 

caterers and others in 

the specialty food business. 

Ann Daw came to this prestigious 

position after 25 years of holding 

top-ranking jobs in the national 

and international food industry. 

Tall and elegant, with a warm, welcoming 

smile and dark Armenian 

eyes, she met me in the press area 

of Javits Center, and for the next 

hour, revealed her fascinating life 

and work. 

She was born of Armenian parents, 

Anoush and Antranig Giragosian, 

and raised in Methuen, Mass., 

with her three siblings – one of 

whom is her twin brother. Graduating 

from Merrimack College with 

a major in mathematics, she then 

received her Master’s in Business 

Administration from Boston University. 

Quickly rose to top 

positions 

Offered a job by General Foods, 

New York, her strong business 

acumen quickly took her to the 

position of “Product Manager of 

Marketing New Product Development” 

in what would be a 14-year 

career with the company. When 

Phillip Morris International 

bought General Foods, she took 

on high level positions with Phillip 

Morris for the next nine years 

– three years of which were spent 

in Hong Kong, where she headed 

up Marketing and Sales throughout 

Asia. 

With Kraft Foods International 

purchasing Phillip Morris International, 

she returned to New York, 

to become Senior Vice President 

of Business and Marketing Development 

for all of its enterprises 

throughout the world. 

“I left Kraft because the central 

office was in Chicago,” she related. 

Following a stint in consulting, 

she was appointed president of the 

nasft two years ago. 

“We manage an association with 

2,900 members in the food and 

beverage companies, and present 

two fancy food shows a year, in San 

Francisco in the winter, and New 

York City in the summer. The organization 

is involved in several projects,” 

she explained. 

The education program includes 

such areas as insurance, media, 

website services, and relations with 

government and its proposed bills. 

Most members are manufacturers 

who are connected with buyers and 

consumers. 

Ann Giragosian 

Daw, president 

of the National 

Association for 

the Specialty 

Food Trade 

(nasft). 

What were Ann’s personal prerequisites 

for taking the nasft 

job? 

“It had to be fun. It had to have an 

international bearing, and it had to 

be about innovation,” she declared 

without hesitation. 

Still, it’s a difficult job. “I try to 

give everyone individual attention. 

Also it’s important to strive for better 

relations with retailers so they 

can see our members.” 

Passionate about her 

Armenian background 

Named Adrine after her paternal 

grandmother, she is passionate 

about her Armenian background, 

and related that her grandparents 

came from Adish, Buldur, Bolis, 

and Gesaria. Her maternal grandmother, 

Vartoohi Babikian, who 

had gone to Greece, met her husband 

in Marseilles; and her paternal 

grandmother who had gone to 

Argentina, first saw her husband in 

America. 

Ann – who speaks Armenian fluently 

– serves on the parish council 

of the St. Gregory the Enlightener 

Armenian Church in White Plains, 

N.Y., and is a steward of the church. 

“I have the honor of organizing the 

annual picnic,” she said proudly. 

Her husband of 25 years, Tom 

Daw, is a chef and restaurateur. 

“I’m a good cook, but Tom is fabulous. 

His specialties are pilaf, fassoulia, 

and luleh kebab. But only I 

can make the paklava.” Ann’s husband, 

who was born Roman Catholic, 

converted to the Armenian 

Church. 

The Daws have two children: 

Adrina, 12, and Emma Anoush, 

6 – whom they adopted in China 

while Ann was working in the Far 

East. Abandoned at birth in China 

– which does not favor girls with 

its despicable “one child per family” 

rule – Emma’s infancy was spent in 

an orphanage for four months; she 

spent two years with a foster family 

before her adoption. 

“When we were in China, it was 

interesting to see the Chinese 

hovering around us, and thanking 

us for helping our newly adopted 

girl. Both children speak a 

little Armenian, and are so similar.” 

With Emma, Ann also takes 

Mandarin lessons each week. “Everyone 

in church loves her,” she 

said, smiling. 

The Daws have established the 

“Matthew R. Daw Scholarship 

Foundation” in memory of her 

husband’s son by a former marriage. 

It provides scholarships to 

youngsters to go to a cross-country 

camp. To date, 40 scholarships 

have been given. 

Fabulous trip to 

Armenia 

Three years ago, Ann, her mother 

and sister traveled to Armenia. “It 

was fabulous,” she declared with 

unabashed enthusiasm. “I felt that 

there was a piece of my soul there 

that I wasn’t in touch with. It made 

me feel like home. The diaspora 

needs to support Armenia.” 

The best part of the trip? Meeting 

Catholicos Karekin II, going to 

church in Etchmiadzin, and attending 

a wedding in an ancient Armenian 

church, officiated by Fr. Dajad 

Davitian, whom she remembered 

from his long service in Massachusetts. 

“These old, old churches in 

Armenia are magnificent, breathtaking,” 

she exclaimed. And then, 

looking away, Ann Giragosian Daw 

became quiet for a minute. 

Teens raise funds to help children in Armenia 

“My grandmother, who couldn’t 

come with us, was so thrilled that 

we had made this trip. She asked 

us to find some cousins; but there 

is no phone book there. Where do 

you look, and whom do you ask? 

We went to so many places. The 

people were so friendly.” 

Reverting to her specialty, she 

commented, “I especially loved the 

different variety of greens, and the 

rojig (a string of walnuts dipped 

again and again into grape juice 

until it hardens). “It’s the tradition 

after the harvest. We used to make 

it in church when I was growing 

up. We made it with pears, apples, 

grapes, anything with pectin.” 

What does Armenian mean for 

her? 

“It’s a great legacy: pride, survival, 

holding steadfast. Armenians are 

smart, talented, driven, with no 

procrastination,” all the qualities 

she obviously possesses. “However, 

they are also a little clannish,” she 

admited. 

“When you see someone Armenian, 

it’s like family. Like someone 

already knows you.” 

Making a difference 

Success for Ann is “loving what I 

do, and with whom I do it. It’s not 

financial, but rather, Did I make a 

difference in someone’s life or business, 

dealing with life and making 

something good of it? But of course, 

the best is my family.” 

In her free time, when she can 

find it, she does calligraphy and 

painting. And of course, “I love being 

in our vegetable garden,” she 

said. A versatile sportsperson in 

her youth, she also plays golf, basketball, 

field hockey, softball, and 

skis and swims. “My husband is 

teaching golf to the kids,” she related. 

Her favorite foods? 

“Cheese, tofu, chocolate, pasterma, 

sujuk, pilaf, paklava, all kinds 

of greens, and yoghurt – Colombo, 

of course,” she announced, making 

an extra pitch for the Armenianowned 

company. 

And what of organic foods? Ann, 

who buys organic milk for her children, 

remarked: “The trend is that 

people are trying to get closer to 

local produce. Everyone should not 

buy organic, but people want food 

to be natural. And of course, flavor 

is very important.” 

 

Youth raise money to 

help far’s program 

for homeless 

children 

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. – When 

members of the Armenian Church 

Youth Organization of America 

(acyoa) Juniors chapter at the St. 

Gregory the Enlightener Church of 

White Plains began planning their 

recent car wash fundraiser, they 

weren’t quite sure where the money 

should end up. 

The chapter’s advisor, Nectar 

Munro, decided to ask the parish 

priest, Fr. Karekin Kasparian, his 

opinion on what the 17 young acyoa 

Juniors members should support 

with their donation. 

“Nectar discussed it with me and 

said that it would be wonderful if 

this money was sent somewhere 

worthwhile,” Fr. Kasparian said. “I 

told her that there are homeless 

children in Yerevan and there is a 

project that far [the Fund for Armenian 

Relief] sponsors to help 

them, so why not send the money 

to them? We thought that would 

be wonderful.” 

The group raised about $300 

through the carwash, and sent it 

all to far for its Yerevan Homeless 

Children’s Center, which 

works proactively to keep at-risk 

children in intact, loving, functional 

homes – and out of institutionalized 

care. 

“Our kids in acyoa Juniors are 

guided by a principal of serving, of 

making the organization worthwhile,” 

Fr. Kasparian said. “They 

have sports, social events, spiritual 

activities, service, and educational 

experiences. They thought this 

donation was in keeping with the 

goals of the local chapter to serve.” 

Fr. Kasparian said while the 

money raised could have gone to 

other less-pressing needs in the 

parish community, he was glad the 

acyoa members decided to help 

others in Armenia. 

“For them to know that instead of 

appropriating the money for anything 

else here, where we may have 

less need, but rather to send it to 

Armenia where the need is greater 

– that makes me proud,” he said. 

And the acyoa Juniors are not 

the only group at St. Gregory the 

Enlightener making Fr. Kasparian 

proud. This past Mother’s Day, the 

7th- and 8th-grade Sunday School 

class, taught by Edward Dorian, 

sold breakfast to the community 

and sold plants. They raised about 

$450, and again decided to send the 

money to the homeless youth of 

Armenia through far. 

“The children thought it would be 

wonderful to send [the money] to 

children around their age, preferably 

the homeless children in Armenia,” 

Fr. Kasparian said. “They 

learn in Sunday School the importance 

of serving and outreach and 

extending themselves to people 

who are needier than they are. This 

donation is their education put 

into action.” 

Fr. Kasparian noted that the donations 

reflect the teachings of the 

church to serve others. 

“It makes me feel great,” Fr. Kasparian 

said of the two donations. 

“What they’re learning in Sunday 

School and as members of acyoa 

is not just theoretical knowledge. It 

can be translated into action. However 

humble and small this might 

be, it is the fruit of their labor and 

the love they share with people in 

Armenia.” 

“They also do this because, in a 

sense, they realize it is setting an 

example to other children,” he added. 

“So they are witnessing to their 

faith in a very tangible way. I think 

that’s a mature attitude.” 

Others helping 

While the children of White Plains 

were busy washing cars and selling 

flowers, they were not the only 

young people helping their peers in 

Armenia. 

Julia Masotti, a junior at Kellenberg 

Memorial High School in 

Uniondale, N.Y., on Long Island, is 

half-Armenian. She recently started 

an organization called Kids Helping 

Kids, which aims to turn youthful 

volunteer activities into action to 

make life easier for children. Her 

group raised $400 by selling used 

books, and they decided to donate 

the money to far to buy school supplies 

for children in Armenia. 

“I hope I can make a difference in 

the life of children,” she said. 

By providing hope and opportunity 

to the next generation of 

Armenians, far aims to empower 

them to build Armenia’s future. 

far’s programs for youth include 

its Homeless Children’s Center and 

the development of a modern foster 

care system for Armenia. 

far also works with the Women’s 

Guild of the Eastern Diocese 

of the Armenian Church of 

America, by handling the logistics 

of its Children of Armenia 

Sponsorship Program (casp), 

through which donors around 

the globe provide structured, direct 

financial support to orphans 

in Armenia. 

Other far programs that directly 

aid children include the renovation 

and operation of several schools 

throughout the nation, college 

scholarships, choirs, arts training 

programs, summer camps, and the 

Gyumri IT Center, which is training 

the next generation of computer 

specialists in the northern, earthquake 

devastated region. 

For information on far, or to 

send donations, write to 630 Second 

Avenue, New York, NY 10016; 

call (212) 889-5150; fax (212) 889- 

4849; or e-mail far@farusa.org. 

far’s website is www.farusa.org.



Sisters Academy’s holds its 19th annual golf fundraiser 

RADNOR, Pa. – It was another 

“hole-in-one” for the Armenian Sisters 

Academy’s 19th annual “Spring 

Scramble” golf outing, at Wedgwood 

Country Club in Turnersville, 

N.J., on June 9. The school’s second-largest 

fundraiser was a sellout, 

with 140 players and dozens 

of sponsors milling about through 

the day. 

The winners of the men’s competition 

were Ken Kapikian, Raffi 

Amirian, Dennis Gagliardi, and 

Gary Crescendo. The first-place 

women’s team included Sona Selverian, 

Helen Dervishian, Carol Mc- 

Conahy, and Patricia Donaghey. 

Mark Santerian soared to the 

top in the Putting Contest; his 

Calendar of Events 

son Mark Jr. enjoyed the honors 

of Closest to the Pin; and Michael 

Santerian won Longest Drive. 

Prizes included a 37-inch LCD TV 

provided by the cocktail reception 

sponsor, SuiteLinq. 

This year’s Spring Scramble 

committee included Mark Santerian 

(chair); Silva Santerian 

(sponsorship coordinator); Dave 

Sudjian, Theresa Sudjian, Raffi 

Jehanian, John Lion, Sako Etoian, 

Gina Kapikian, Ken Kapikian, 

Adrineh Hoplamazian, Vaughn 

Hoplamazian, Dori Keshgegian, 

Kayane Knudson, Ken Smith, Lori 

Pogharian Smith, and Mike Santerian. 

Volunteers of the day included 

Merle Santerian, Shnorhik Karakelian, 

Nancy Hovnanian, and Sosi 

Amirian. Also invaluable for their 

volunteer service were Academy 

alumni, Karine Keshgegian, Anna 

and Amy Hoplamazian, and Kristen 

Santerian. 

The afternoon included a barbecue, 

and the evening culminated in 

an extravagant buffet dinner. 

Proceeds from the event help 

fund the educational and technological 

programs at the school and 

provide scholarships to deserving 

students. 

To join next year’s golf committee, 

or to obtain sponsorship information, 

contact the Armenian Sisters 

Academy at (610) 687-4100. 

Organizers of the 19th annual “Spring Scramble” of the Armenian Sisters 

Academy. 

Northern California 

JULY 12 - VICTORY NIGHT - 

HAWAIIAN LUAU. Location: Los 

Altos Youth Center, 1 N. San Antonio 

Rd, Los Altos, CA. 7:30pm 

Admission: $15-$20. For more 

information contact Homenetmen 

Ani Chapter; homenetmenani@gmail.com. 

JULY 25 - THE FORGOT- 

TEN TALES OF ARMENIA, A 

TRIBUTE TO KOMITAS, THE 

FOUNDER OF ARMENIAN 

CLASSICAL MUSIC. Location: 

Pro Arts Gallery, 550 2nd St, 

Oakland, CA. 7:30pm Admission: 

$18 / $15 / $12. For more 

information contact Bay Area 

Classical Harmonies, (510) 710- 

3994; Artin@BayAreaBACH. 

org. 

SEPTEMBER 5 - WILLIAM 

SAROYAN CENTENNIAL CEL- 

EBRATION - RECEPTION & 

CONCERT. Location: Green Library, 

Stanford University, 557 

Escondido Mall, Stanford, CA. 

3:00 - 6:30 PM Admission: Free. 

For more information contact 

Stanford University Libraries, 

650-725-5813; mcalter@stanford. 

edu. 

SEPTEMBER 6 - ST. ANDREW 

CHURCH FOOD FESTIVAL. 

Location: St. Andrew Armenian 

Church, 11370 S Stelling 

Rd, Cupertino, CA. 11 am to 10 

pm Admission: free w/ coupon. 


St. Andrew Church, (408) 257- 

6743; standrews2@mindspring. 

com. 

SEPTEMBER 27 - ELEMENT 

BAND LIVE IN CONCERT. Location: 

Bayside Performing Arts 

Center, 2025 Kehoe Ave, San 

Mateo, CA. 8:00pm Admission: 

$25, $35, $50. For more information 

contact Homenetmen 

Santa Clara ANI Chapter, (408) 

406-5522; homenetmenani@ 

gmail.com.contact Armenian 

Relief Society, 650-296-5050; ars100thgolf@gmail.com. 

SEPTEMBER 28 - SERGEY 

KATCHATRYAN WITH ARME- 

NIA’S ERASIA ORCHESTRA AT 

DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL. Location: 

Davies Symphony Hall, 

201 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, 

CA. 4:00 pm Admission: 

tbd. For more information contact 

Naiyry Sarkiss, nsarkiss@ 

sbcglobal.net. 

OCTOBER 4 - ISABEL BAYRAK- 

DARIAN, SOPRANO. Location: 

Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness 

Ave, San Francisco, CA. 8pm 

Admission: $65/$40. For more 

information contact San Francisco 

Performances, (415) 398- 

6449; info@performances.org. 

OCTOBER 25 - ST. JOHN 

FOOD FESTIVAL. Location: 

St. John Armenian Church, 275 

Olympia Way, San Francisco, 

CA. 12:00noon-12:00midnight 

Admission: N/A. For more information 

contact St. John Armenian 

Church, 415-661-1142; 

nsarkiss@sbcglobal.net. 

NOVEMBER 1 - KZV ARME- 

NIAN SCHOOL BANQUET 

WITH VARTAN GREGORIAN. 

Location: Saroyan Hall, 825 

Brotherhood Way, San Francisco, 

CA. 6:30 PM Admission: tbd. 


Ani Ayanian; anizenop@yahoo. 

com. 

Southern California 

JULY 10 - OCTOBER 2 

– TOM BOZIGIAN BACK 

FROM ARMENIA PRES- 

ENTS SUMMER/FALL 

12-WEEK ARMENIAN/ 

GREEK DANCE COURSE. 

At Glendale Civic Auditorium, 

1401 N. Verdugo 

at Mountain Ave. Register 

6:30 p.m. Adults: $120, students: 

$105 (with current 

ID).Two dance levels. Free 

parking directly i front and 

in rear. Call 562- 941-0845 

or visit www.bozigian.com. 

Late registration accepted 

through July 24. 

JULY 12 - NATALINE’S FASH- 

ION LEGACY. Location: Mercedes 

Benz of Calabasas, 24181 

Calabasas Rd, Calabasas, CA. 

Call For Detail Admission: Donation. 

For more information 

contact Nataline Sarkisyan’s 

Foundation, (818) 512-5423, or 

www.myspace.com/fashionlegacy 

JULY 12 - MBFAF: MY BIG 

FAT ARMENIAN FAMILY OF- 

FICIAL MOVIE RELEASE. Location: 

Glendale High School, 

1440 E. Broadway, Glendale, CA. 

4:00 pm or 7:00 pm Admission: 

$12.00. For more information 

contact Ohanian Films, N/A; Sevak.Ohanian@Armenian-movie. 

com. 

JULY 13 - ZVARTNOTS 

DANCE ENSEMBLE. Location: 

Glendale High School Auditorium, 

1440 E Broadway, Glendale, 

CA. 6:00 PM Admission: 

Call For Details. For more information 

contact Zvartnots, 

(818) 265-0506;. 

JULY 13 - VAHAGN TUR- 

GUTYAN & FRIENDS LIVE 

CONCERT. Location: Pasadena 

Jazz Institute, 260 E 

Colorado Blvd Suite 206, Pasadena, 

CA. 8 p.m. Admission: 

$15-$25. For more information 

contact Pasadena Jazz 

Institute, (626) 398-3344; 

paul@pasjazz.org. 

JULY 14 - UACC VACATION BI- 

BLE SCHOOL!. Location: United 

Armenian Congregational 

Church, 3480 Cahuenga Blvd 

West, Los Angeles, CA. 9:30 am - 

12:30 pm M-F Admission: $25 for 

the week. For more information 

contact UACC Children’s Ministries, 

323-851-5265; searansalibian@hotmail.com. 

JULY 18 - THE GOR BAND: 

GOR GOES ETHNIC. Location: 

Levitt Pavilion @ Memorial Park, 

85 E Holly St, Pasadena, CA. 

8:00 PM Admission: E-mail For 

Details. For more information 

contact GOR, info_gormusic@ 

yahoo.com. 

JULY 20 - 2ND ANNUAL GEN- 

NEXT BEACH BONFIRE. Location: 

Huntington Beach, coming 

soon, Huntington Beach, CA. 

5:00 PM Admission: $20. For 

more information contact Gen- 

Next with support from YPLA 

and YPOC, (626) 794-7942; info@ 

agbugennext.org. Tickets on 

www.itsmyseat.com. 

JULY 31 - PILGRIMAGE TO 

ARMENIA AND KHARABAGH. 

Location: NA, NA, Glendale, CA. 

Call Admission: $2790 + Tax. For 

more information contact Valo 

Khalatian, (818) 679-8878; info@ 

ararat.org. 

AUGUST 2 - ARMENIA MANIA! 

AUGUST 2, 3. Location: California 

Plaza, 350 S Grand Ave, Los 

Angeles, CA. 8 PM Admission: 

FREE. For more information 

contact Grand Performances, 

213-687-2159; awah@grandperformances.org. 

AUGUST 2 - VARTAN MAMI- 

GONIAN FILM CHARITABLE 

GOLF CLASSIC. Location: Lost 

Canyons Golf Club, 3301 Lost 

Canyons Drive, Simi Valley, CA. 

9am Admission: $200 (tax-deductible. 

For more information 

contact Roger Kupelian, 323-666- 

6626; info@eastofbyzantium. 

com. Tickets on www.itsmyseat. 

com. 

AUGUST 15 - ARMENIAN 

NAVY BAND LIVE IN CON- 

CERT. Location: Walt Disney 

Concert Hall, 111 S Grand Ave., 

Los Angeles, CA. 8pm Admission: 

$40-$100. For more information 

contact Artists for Kids, 

818-808-8222; info@artistsforkids.com. 

AUGUST 16 - AN EVENING OF 

KATCHATURIAN: THE COM- 

POSER & HIS BALLET. Location: 

Alex Theatre, 216 North 

Brand Boulevard, Glendale, CA. 

7:30 PM Admission: $20 – $48. 


Media City Ballet, (818) 243- 

ALEX. 

AUGUST 23 - SAVE THE DATE: 

ADAA WEEK - AUGUST 23, 25- 

27, 2008. Location: Stars Palace 

Theatre, 216 N. Brand Blvd., 

Glendale, CA. 8:00PM Admission: 


contact Armenian Dramatic 

Arts Alliance, adaa.zk@ 

gmail.com. 

AUGUST 24 - KACH NAZAR - 

THE MUSICAL. Location: San 

Gabriel Mission Playhouse, 

320 S. Mission Dr., Pasadena, 

CA. 4:00 p.m. Admission: 

$15/$20. For more information 

contact Tiramisu Music & Entertainment, 

213-825-0047. 

SEPTEMBER 13 - 2008 4TH 

ANUAL ARMENIAN FESTIVAL 

OF ORANGE COUNTY SEPT 13, 

14. Location: Laguna Hills Community 

Center, 25555 Alicia Pkwy, 

Laguna Hills, CA. 12:00 PM to 

8:00 PM. Admission: $ 5.00. For 

more information contact Paul 

Aslanian, 888-HYE-FEST; paul@ 

armenianfestival.org. 

SEPTEMBER 16 - DOING 

BUSINESS WITH ARMENIA. 

Location: World Trade Center, 

One World Trade Center, Long 

Beach, CA. 8:00 am. Admission: 

RSVP. For more information 

contact Consulate General 

of the Republic of Armenia and 

AACC, 310-657-6102 x225; armconla@aol.com 

SEPTEMBER 25 - SAVE THE 

DATE: OC TREX 2ND CHARITY 

GOLF TOURNAMENT. Location: 

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Two families are honored for their service to the church 

NEW YORK – Archbishop Khajag 

Barsamian hosted a reception 

at the Diocesan Center on June 

20 in honor of Dr. and Mrs. Harout 

Mekhjian and Mr. and Mrs. 

Hagop Kouyoumdjian. Both couples 

received Pontifical Encyclicals 

and Medals on behalf of His 

Holiness Karekin II, the Supreme 

Patriarch and Catholicos of All 

Armenians. 

At the request of the Diocesan 

Primate, Dr. and Mrs. Mekhjian 

received the “St. Nersess Shnorhali 

Medal” from His Holiness. while 

Mr. and Mrs. Kouyoumdjian were 

presented with the “St. Gregory 

the Illuminator Medal.” 

Both couples were recognized 

for their service to the Armenian 

Church. 

“Today, we are honoring the 

dedication and commitment of 

two couples who have made their 

homes, parishes, communities and 

Church strong. We are recognizing 

the important impact these four 

individuals have had on our international 

Armenian community,” 

Archbishop Barsamian said. 

Amongst those in the crowd 

gathered to observe the bestowal 

of the medals were close friends 

and family members of the two 

couples, along with government 

officials from the Republic of Armenia, 

including Amb. Tatoul 

Markaryan and Amb. Armen Martirossian, 

respectively Armenia’s 

ambassador to the United States, 

and its ambassador to the United 

Nations. 

Also present was Diocesan Council 

chair Oscar Tatosian and Randy 

Sapah Gulian, chair of the Fund for 

Armenian Relief. 

The Master of Ceremonies for the 

evening was Dr. Tavit Najarian. 

“We are recognizing today the 

strength of the Mekhjian and 

Kouyoumdjian families,” Archbishop 

Barsamian said. “The children 

and grandchildren of these 

couples are a testament to their 

dedication to their Armenian 

heritage and to their Armenian 

Church. The Kouyoumdjians and 

the Mekhjians truly are role models 

for us all.” 

In the encyclical to Dr. and Mrs. 

Mekhjian, Catholicos Karekin 

wrote: “Dr. Mekhjian, it warms 

our hearts to know that both in 

Armenia and in the United States, 

you have garnered an impressive 

reputation for yourself and your 

family in becoming not only a renowned 

heart surgeon, but also 

Catholicos 

Karekin II, 

during a recent 

unofficial visit to 

the United States, 

and Abp. Khajag 

Barsamian, 

Primate of the 

Eastern Diocese, 

with (standing, l- 

r) Dr. Haroutune 

Mekhjian, Ica 

Kouyoumdjian, 

Shake Mekhjian, 

and Hagop 

Kouyoumdjian. 

in serving others. You serve the 

children of our people by means 

of your specialty, repairing them 

physically and restoring hope to 

their hearts.” 

The encyclical written in honor 

of Mr. and Mrs. Kouyoumdjian 

reads: “The true love you feel 

towards your people, our Holy 

Church and our fatherland has 

led you to become active participants 

in the Fund for Armenian 

Relief and at St. Nersess Armenian 

Seminary, and, at the same time, 

has driven you to fund the reparation 

of the Armenian Church 

in Suchava in the Romanian Diocese. 

We are happy that in our national 

and Church life individuals 

like yourself continue to enrich 

our Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin 

through your service.” 

Primate and Diocesan staff conduct workshop at St. Peter Church 

WATERVLIET, N.Y. – Archbishop 

Khajag Barsamian, Primate 

of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian 

Church of America, led members 

of the Diocesan Department of 

Youth and Education in conducting 

a “Church and Home” workshop at 

the St. Peter Armenian Church in 

Watervliet, N.Y, on Saturday, June 

21, helping members of the parish 

leadership strengthen outreach efforts 

and bring more people into 

the life of the church. 

Interim dye director Fr. Mardiros 

Chevian, dye Church and 

Home coordinator Maria Derderian, 

and acyoa executive secretary 

Nancy Basmajian accompanied the 

Primate, meeting with the parish 

leadership for a series of discussions 

and brainstorming sessions. 

Fr. Bedros Kadehjian, pastor at 

St. Peter Church, brought together 

more than 25 representatives of the 

parish council, the Women’s Guild, 

choir, Sunday School, building committee 

,and other church groups. 

A morning bible study, led by Fr. 

Chevian, focused on the Pentecost 

event, when the Apostles gathered 

in Jerusalem as the Holy Spirit descended 

and enabled them to speak 

many languages so that they could 

spread the Gospel throughout the 

world. “Today, we are the Apostles,” 

remarked Fr. Chevian. “They risked 

everything to follow Christ. Now 

we must do the same.” 

Archbishop Barsamian stressed 

the importance of bible study. 

“Christ’s words, ‘I’ll be with you always’ 

are the most important part of 

the Great Commission,” he told the 

group. “Our responsibility is to go 

out and make sure every Armenian 

home has a Christ-centered life.” 

Later, participants spent time witnessing 

their faith and reflecting on 

how their experiences growing up 

in Armenian homes brought them 

closer to the Armenian Church. 

“Never underestimate the power 

of sharing your faith experience,” 

Maria Derderian said at the end of 

the session. “Making the hidden 

treasures of the Armenian Church 

real means opening up about how 

your faith has inspired you and that 

speaks to others.” 

In addition, parish leaders worked 

in small groups, listing their longterm 

goals and drafting a parish vision. 

Goals set at St. Peter include 

plans to involve the younger generation 

in parish leadership, develop a 

program of study to increase active 

participation in the Divine Liturgy, 

and take steps to identify and reach 

out to those who are outside of the 

parish community. 

“When people are transformed, 

they go out inspired to witness and 

inspired to serve,” Nancy Basmajian 

said. “The church was called to 

go out into the world, and that is 

what we must do.” 

Parish leaders now will focus on 

compiling data about their parish 

and identifying existing resources 

upon which they can expand. 

“We really needed a day like this,” 

said Charlotte Sevaslian, Women’s 

Guild chair at St. Peter’s. “We’ve 

talked about some of these issues 

in passing, but this sort of program, 

with the Diocesan staff here offering 

support, really gave us the extra 

push to get things done.” 

The daylong workshop at St. Peter 

Church was part of an ongoing 

Diocesan initiative to assist parishes 

in coming up with ways to 

reach out to Armenian families in 

their local area and to strengthen 

the ties between church and home. 

Similar workshops were held in 

the spring. The Primate and DYE 

members will continue to visit 

parishes throughout the Diocese 

in the fall. 

 

Above: Diocesan 

Primate 

Abp. Khajag 

Barsamian, 

Fr. Mardiros 

Chevian, and 

Watervliet 

pastor Fr. Bedros 

Kadehjian, 

during a worship 

service at the 

recent “Church 

and Home” 

workshop at St. 

Peter Church. 

Left: Abp. 

Barsamian looks 

on as Church and 

Home workshop 

participants 

brainstorm 

outreach ideas.


Armenia 

An old mining town serves as an object lesson 

Dastakert is 

Armenia’s smallest 

and poorest city 

by Tatul Hakobyan 

SISIAN, Armenia – Mayor Nairy 

Filosian says he is the only one who 

will never leave Dastakert, even if 

all the other residents of this semideserted 

town leave. His decision is 

not motivated by patriotism; it is 

purely economic. Mr. Filosian has 

work; he is a beekeeper. In fairness, 

one would have to be extremely 

patriotic to stay in a town of 312 

residents, which has an uncertain 

future, if one had no work. 

The town had 8,000 inhabitants 

in the 1960s and 1970s – undoubtedly 

its most prosperous period. 

Dastakert was mentioned as a village 

in the manuscripts of historians 

for many centuries. It used to 

be a resting place for the monks 

of Datev. The area was rich in 

copper, and a copper mining operation 

began nearby in 1951. The 

mine operated until 1973. Later, a 

medical technology factory was 

opened, and that operated until 

1992. It was privatized and then 

scrapped. 

People had started leaving 

Dastakert even before the collapse 

of the Soviet government. The bulk 

of the residents of the town had 

been ethnic Azerbaijanis; when 

Armenian-Azerbaijani intercommunal 

clashes began in 1988, the 

remaining ethnic Azerbaijanis left 

town. In their place, ethnic Armenians 

driven from Baku, Sumgait, 

Dastakert’s young generation, Karen, Benik, and Gabriel. Photo: Armenian Reporter. 

and other parts of Azerbaijan 

moved in. 

Galina Osipova, now 60, came 

to Dastakert from Baku on December 

11, 1988; she lives with her 

husband and has no children. She 

is one of the few Baku-Armenians 

who say that even if the opportunity 

presented itself, they wouldn’t 

return to their native city. “What 

is it that connects me to that city? 

Where would we go at this age?” she 

asked. The always-smiling Galina is 

the owner of the only shop in the 

city. She used to have 20 shops. 

“In the beginning life was difficult 

in Dastakert,” she said. “Then 

we got used to it. Man is such a 

creature that he learns to live everywhere. 

When we first came, 

there were a lot of people from 

Baku. Then everyone left for Russia. 

Whoever had the opportunity 

to leave has left. The youth left first, 

then returned to take their parents. 

The medical technology factory was 

operating when we came to Dastakert, 

and we thought we would work 

and everything would be fine. But 

life is difficult here. We cannot even 

find wood for heating during the 

winter. The people who have stayed 

in Dastakert do not live; they just 

exist,” Ms. Osibova continued. 

Sisian native Hakob Hakobyan 

has built a little hydroelectric station 

on the river Ayri, which passes 

through Dastakert. There are many 

hydroelectric stations in this area, 

as mountain rivers are fast flowing. 

During the Soviet era, on the Vorotan 

River alone, a couple of large 

water reservoirs and hydro stations 

were built. The construction of new 

hydroelectric stations continues to 

this day. 

“The electricity generated is sold 

to the distributing networks. I’d 

been to Dastakert many times as 

a child. My father used to drive the 

bus from Sisian to this industrial 

city. Once this was a flourishing 

town full of life,” Mr. Hakobyan said. 

Today Dastakert is considered one 

of the poorest cities in Armenia. 

“Most of the residents, approximately 

70 percent, are refugees. 

The land has not been privatized 

here because Dastakert as a city did 

not have enough land; each family 

merely has 500 sq m (5,400 sq ft) of 

land to cultivate. There used to be 

12 apartment buildings, which are 

no longer habitable or in existence. 

Almost 40 percent of the population 

receives state benefits. People 

keep bees, breed cattle, and farm. 

Everyone will leave the city if the 

mine is not reopened,” the mayor 

said. 

If the exploratory surveys are 

promising, then the mines might 

be utilized again. That would restore 

some of Dastakert’s previous 

vigor – until the copper finally ran 

out. 

“It’s the second year that surveys 

have been going on,” Mr. Filosian 

said. “If the mines are opened, not 

only Dastakert but also the Sisian 

region would start to breathe again. 

Njdeh is the neighboring village, 

where exploratory gold mining has 

been going on. If there’s enough ore, 

then that mine would also open.” 

Mr. Filosian adds that even if the 

mines do not reopen, Dastakert is 

worth preserving for security and 

defense reasons. As the crow flies, 

it is 7 km (4.3 mi) from Dastakert 

to the Nakhichevan border. 

Translated from Persian, Dastakert 

means “handmade.” The smallest 

city of Armenia is located on 

the eastern slope of the Zangezour 

mountains, 150 miles from Yerevan. 

Zangezour has Armenia’s cheapest 

apartments; a one-room apartment 

can be bought at $600–$700. 

Copper mining is the leading 

branch of Armenia’s economy today. 

The industry provides thousands of 

highly paid jobs in Kajaran, Kapan, 

Agarak, Alaverdi, Akhtala, as well 

as in Nagorno-Karabakh’s Drmbon 

village. The Kajaran enterprise, 

which pays a considerable sum into 

the state budget, has been the top 

taxpayer in Armenia for several 

years now. The mining industry has 

another facet, however, an example 

of which is the empty and deserted 

Dastakert. 

The same sad destiny awaits the 

city of Kajaran, which was built on 

the bases of the mining industry. 

What kind of work will the thousands 

of people in Kajaran do after 

the mines are depleted? The Teghut 

mine promises around 2,000 jobs 

in the coming decades – at great environmental 

cost. And what about 

later? Are the ecologists right to say 

that the vicinity of Teghut will turn 

into a dead zone after the mines 

are shut down? 

Dastakert serves as an object lesson. 

“We will ask diasporan businessmen 

to set up a small factory in 

Dastakert if possible, and the municipality 

would help as much as 

possible and would save the businessmen 

from paying taxes,” said 

the mayor before bidding farewell. 

f 

Tanahad: Life in the Armenian mountains 

The native village 

of the world’s most 

famous Azerbaijani, 

Haydar Aliyev 

by Tatul Hakobyan 

SISIAN, Armenia – A 42-seat bus 

used to travel more than 500 km 

(310 mi) daily from the village of 

Jomartlou in the Sisian region of 

the Armenian SSR, all the way to 

Baku, the capital of the Azerbaijani 

SSR. Jomartlou was a small 

village of ethnic Azerbaijanis, with 

a population of about 60 or 70 

households in all. The bus passed 

through the city and region of Sisian, 

which used to have a dense 

Azerbaijani population. The world’s 

most famous Azerbaijani was from 

Jomartlou. The bus from his native 

village to Baku used to run on the 

request of the now deceased Haydar 

Aliyev. 

Mr. Aliyev, leader of Azerbaijan in 

the Soviet and post-Soviet era, may 

well have been born in Jomartlou in 

1921. His official biography asserts 

that he was born in Nakhichevan 

in 1923, right after the Aliyev family 

had moved to that autonomous 

republic. Haydar was the third of 

eight Aliyev children. In an interview 

in 2000, Haydar’s younger 

brother Jalal said that the Aliyevs 

were from the village of Jomartlou, 

but Haydar was born after the 

family had moved to Nakhichevan. 

The media has reported on several 

occasions that Haydar’s birth date 

was falsified so that he could avoid 

serving in World War II. 

We spent half a day in Jomartlou 

with the mayor of Sisian, Lavrent 

Sarkissian, who knew Haydar’s 

brother Hasan Aliyev well. 

According to Mr. Sarkissian, before 

the Karabakh Movement, Hasan 

used to visit the mayor’s house in 

the village of Vorodan. “Hazmat 

Hayirov, the village head, was 

a deputy to Armenia’s Supreme 

Council, I was friends with 

him, and Hasan used to come to 

Vorodan often. The Aliyevs’ mother 

was from Vorodan and their father 

from Jomartlou. As to where [Haydar] 

Aliyev was born, I don’t know. 

They say that Aliyev was born after 

moving to Nakhichevan,” said Mr. 

Sarkissian. 

Jomartlou was renamed Tanahad 

after an Armenian monastery from 

the Middle Ages. The mountainous 

village lies only a few miles from 

Nakhichevan. It has only a few residents, 

and they are ready to leave if 

the village continues to be ignored 

by the authorities. Even though Tanahad 

is only 10 miles away from 

Sisian, there is no bus service. 

When the Azerbaijanis left in 

1988, Armenian refugees from 

Azerbaijan settled in some of the 

Azerbaijanis’ houses. However, 

since the conditions were mountainous, 

the city-based Armenians 

couldn’t survive more than a few 

winters and left. Tanahad has good 

conditions for keeping animals; 

thus some families from the city of 

Sisian and other regional villages 

moved there. 

The mayor, Gomed Nercissian 

said that Tanahad has no future, 

and in a couple of years there will 

hardly be any residents left. 

“There are only ten families left in 

the village. They are mainly animalkeepers. 

There were 35–40 families 

living in Tanahad after the Azerbaijanis 

left; then they started to 

leave because the village has no 

school. When the children reach an 

age where they have to go to school, 

the family moves to Sisian or other 

villages. The village is far from the 

main road and the road is closed for 

a couple of months during winter. 

The connection with Sisian is very 

bad,” he said. 

Although there are prime conditions 

for cattle-breeding, Michael 

Arakelian, who moved to Tanahad 

from Sisian, has also decided 

to leave. “It is true that the conditions 

are good for the animals only, 

however, there is nothing for the 

people, absolutely nothing, not 

even a school,” said Mr. Arakelian. 

The villagers complain that the 

authorities have totally neglected 

the village and show interest only 

during elections, although there are 

only a few dozen voters. In order 

to be able to go to the city, people 

have to walk five miles to reach the 

nearby Tasig village, where there’s 

a bus service to Sisian. 

Yeghish Nazarian also moved to 

Tanahad from Sisian. “I have three 

children, but because there’s no 

school, the children stay here only 

during the summer. They go to Sisian 

during the other months and come 

during the summer. There would be 

a lot of people if there was a school, 

and if there were a lot of people, 

there would also be work. The conditions 

for cattle-breeding are good, 

thousands of sheep and cows could 

be kept like the Azerbaijanis used to 

do at some point,” he says. 

Villages with no future 

There are many villages with no future 

in Armenia. If those villages 

with no future were not on the 

GEORGIA 

ARMENIA 

Yerevan 

TURKEY 

NAKHICHEVAN 

RUSSIA 

KARABAKH 

Tanahad 

IRAN 

Armenian Reporter map by Grigor 

Beglaryan. A view of Tanahad. Photo: 

Armenian Reporter. 

border and had no strategic importance, 

then perhaps one would 

not feel their loss so acutely. But 

villages that lie on the border of 

Azerbaijan are the ones that are 

slowly dying off, void of villagers 

and livestock. As such, it is more 

difficult for our border guards to 

keep the country’s borders secure. 

The borders can only be secure with 

the existence of prosperous villages 

and working residents. 

Gvidon Karamian, 71, moved 

to Tanahad in 1990 from the village 

of Brnagot. He complains that 

there is no machinery and technology 

in the village and the road is 

closed during the winter. Tanahad 

is isolated from the world. 

“If they wish to restore the village, 

then there’s need for care. 

The frontier villages are subjected 

to desertion. They only come during 

the elections – even for only 10 

AZERBAIJAN 

Stepanakert 

Baku 

votes. We have written to the regional 

governor a couple of times; 

we have asked for housing for the 

residents. They should at least give 

them houses. There are only a few 

families and the houses will collapse 

upon their heads. When the 

Azerbaijanis used to live here, Aliyev 

had supported the village and 

the Azerbaijanis lived very well. 

Nobody takes care of the village 

now,” says Mr. Karamian. 

Tanahad is very isolated indeed. If 

a stranger comes to the village, everyone 

in the village, including the 

children instantly gather around. 

Any stranger’s visit to this village 

turns into a community event. 

When I tried to photograph them, 

the children ran away. Only one 

child, 5-year-old Barkev, was looking 

in amazement and smiling. f


Armenia 

From Armenia, in brief 

Serge Sargsian sends 

invitation to Turkey’s 

president 

President Serge Sargsian sent 

an official invitation to President 

Abdullah Gül of Turkey to attend 

the Armenia-Turkey World 

Cup qualifying game to take place 

in Yerevan on September 6. (See 

Mr. Sargsian’s commentary on the 

topic, which appeared in the Wall 

Street Journal, on p. 3. See editorial 

on p. 22.) During a recent meeting 

with Armenians in Moscow, Mr. 

Sargsian had announced his intention 

to do so. 

The move was implicitly criticized 

by former president Robert Kocharian. 

If he were still in charge, 

Mr. Kocharian said in an interview 

with Mediamax, “the Turkish president 

would not be invited for a soccer 

match to Yerevan, for sure.” 

Presidents Sargsian, 

Gül, Aliyev meet in 

Astana 

Armenia’s president Serge Sargsian 

was in Astana, Kazakhstan, 

on July 5–6 to participate in an informal 

summit of the leaders of CIS 

states. 

Mr. Sargsian spoke briefly with 

President Abdullah Gül of Turkey 

and President Ilham Aliyev of 

Azerbaijan on July 6 at the Akorda 

Palace in Astana. Today’s Zaman 

reported on July 9 that Mr. Gül 

“walked arm-in-arm with the two 

leaders. During the walk, Sargsyan 

started the conversation, saying, ‘I 

know Turkish,’ in Turkish.” Mr. Gül 

later called the encounter a “courtesy 

meeting.” He told reporters 

that he congratulated Mr. Sargsian 

for his election as president; he 

mentioned that he had received Mr. 

Sargsian’s invitation to watch soccer 

in Yerevan on September 6. 

The visit coincided with the 10th 

anniversary of the naming of Astana 

as the capital city of Kazakhstan. 

(The capital used to be Almaty.) Astana 

is the youngest capital in the 

world. 

Kazakh President Nursultan 

Nazarbaev awarded the CIS presidents 

with commemorative medals 

dedicated to the anniversary of the 

capital city. The leaders of the CIS 

states visited the Peace and Solidarity 

Palace in Astana. President 

Sargsian planted a tree in a special 

location designated for heads of 

state. A gala concert, “With Love 

from Moscow,” was performed by 

Russian stars for President Nazarbaev’s 

guests. 

Czech foreign minister 

visits Armenia 

Karel Schwarzenberg, the foreign 

minister of the Czech Republic, 

was in Armenia for a three-day 

official visit, July 5–7. Mr. Schwarzenberg 

met with President Serge 

Sargsian, Prime Minister Tigran 

Sarkisian, Foreign Minister Edward 

Nalbandian, and Catholicos 

Karekin II. He also met with 

opposition politician Levon Ter- 

Abdullah Gül. 

Petrossian. Mr. Schwarzenberg 

participated in the launch of the 

Armenia-Czech business forum, 

which took place at the Armenian 

Development Agency. The Czech 

delegation also visited the Armenian 

Genocide memorial, the Sergei 

Paradjanov Museum, and the 

Yerevan Brandy Company. 

Mr. Nalbandian met with his 

Czech counterpart on July 6. At 

a press conference following the 

meeting, Mr. Nalbandian said that 

they discussed bilateral relations, 

signed an agreement on avoiding 

double taxation, and initialed 

a memorandum on cooperation 

between the foreign ministries 

regarding European integration. 

Armenia has had diplomatic representation 

in Prague since 2006. Mr. 

Schwarzenberg said they had decided 

to expand relations. He also 

said that his government realizes 

the necessity of having an embassy 

in Armenia. 

At the launch of the Armenian- 

Czech Business Forum in Yerevan, 

Mr. Nalbandian suggested that 

Czech capital may want to participate 

in Armenia’s banking sector. 

Mr. Schwarzenberg said he was 

not happy with the level of trade 

and economic cooperation between 

the two countries, noting that the 

Reach over 100,000 Armenians 

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Left to right: Dmitry Medvedev, Nursultan Nazarbaev, and Serge Sargsian in 

Astana, Kazakhstan. Photo: Martin Shahbazyan. 

Tigran Sarkisian. 

trade turnover of the Czech Republic 

with Armenia makes up less than 

one percent of the foreign trade 

turnover of the Czech Republic. 

Among the priority spheres of 

cooperation, he focused on the increase 

of export of vehicles, glass 

and ceramic products, and medical 

products to Armenia, as well 

as participation in investment 

projects, the establishment of joint 

enterprises, and cooperation in the 

scientific-technical sphere. 

Karel Schwarzenberg (l.) and Edward Nalbandian. Photos: Photolure. 

President Sargsian noted that 

the Czech Republic will assume the 

presidency of the European Union 

in 2009. He discussed with the 

Czech foreign minister the current 

status of the Nagorno-Karabakh 

talks. Mr. Schwarzenberg said his 

country wished to expand cooperation 

with countries included in the 

European Neighborhood Program. 

Prime Minister Sarkisian said 

that he hoped the Czech Republic 

would assist Armenia achieve 

closer integration with European 

organizations. The prime minister 

focused on improving the administrative 

capabilities of Armenia’s 

civil servants. Mr. Sarkisian and 

Mr. Schwarzenberg also spoke 

about expanding and enhancing 

economic cooperation; they underscored 

the need to enhance bilateral 

private investments. 

Bako Sahakian. 

According to a statement issued 

by Mr. Ter-Petrossian’s office, discussions 

with Mr. Schwarzenberg 

centered on human-rights protection, 

democratic freedoms, and the 

release of detainees. 

Armenian government 

holds session in 

Nagorno-Karabakh 

The Armenian government, led by 

Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian, 

on July 4 arrived in Nagorno-Karabakh 

for a working visit. 

The government was received 

by the president of Nagorno-Karabakh, 

Bako Sahakian. Mr. Sahakian 

and Mr. Sarkisian initially met 

separately, Arminfo reported. 

Mr. Sahakian expressed confidence 

that this visit of the Armenian 

government would enhance 

bilateral cooperation and further 

deepen relations. Mr. Sarkisian 

said that the government would 

continue to assist Karabakh. 

From the Karabakh administration, 

Prime Minister Ara Harutyunyan, 

National Security Council 

secretary Marat Musaelyan, 

and Mayor Vazgen Mikaelyan 

of Stepanakert took part in the 

meeting. 

Participating from the Armenian 

government were Minister 

of Agriculture Aramais Grigoryan, 

Minister of Energy and 

Natural Resources Armen Movsisyan, 

Minister of Labour and 

Social Affairs Arsen Hambartsumyan, 

Minister of Education 

and Science Spartak Seyranyan, 

and Minister of Culture Hasmik 

Poghosyan. 

Also discussed were issues and 

potential solutions through joint 

cooperation in the areas of agriculture, 

energy, and finance, and 

the social, cultural, and educational 

spheres. 

OVIR head Col. Alvina 

Zakarian sacked 

The head of the government agency 

that issues passports and visas, 

widely known by its Russian acronym 

OVIR, was sacked last week. 

Col. Alvina Zakarian had been in 

that position for over 15 years. 

The prime minister on June 26 

had pointed to OVIR as one of the 

most corrupt agencies in the Armenian 

government. “We are receiving 

numerous complaints from both 

our citizens and [diaspora] compatriots 

visiting Armenia,” Mr. Sarkisian 

had told ministers. “Clearly we 

have a problem in this sphere and 

that problem is corruption, when 

a service is provided on behalf of 

the state but some people set tariffs 

and extort money. I think the 

environment there is such that we 

can’t tolerate it.” 

Alvina Zakarian. 

OVIR is also responsible for maintaining 

the country’s voter lists. 

Pan-Armenian writers 

conference kicked off in 

Armenia 

Organized by the Union of Armenian 

Writers in cooperation with 

the Ministry of Culture, the fourth 

pan-Armenian conference of writers 

opened on July 6 in Yerevan. 

Approximately 150 writers and literary 

critics will continue the conference 

first in the resort town of 

Tsaghgadzor, then in Stepanakert, 

the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh. 

The conference, held under the 

slogan “One Nation, One Culture,” 

will focus on strengthening ties between 

Armenian writers from the 

diaspora and Armenia. 

According to Mediamax, the 

chairperson of the Union of Armenian 

Writers, Levon Ananian, 

said that works by Armenian writers 

from Lebanon, Syria, Iran, and 

the United States are being published 

in Armenia. 

In conjunction with the conference, 

a book fair was held in Yerevan 

on July 7. More than 40 Armenian 

and diaspora-Armenian 

publishing housing presented over 

2,000 books, albums, and guides. 

Armenian lifeguards 

trained by the French 

Emergency Minister Mher Shahgeldian 

told reporters that the 

French organization Civil Defense 

without Borders is holding training 

courses for Armenian lifeguards. 

The minister said that there are 

many problems with regards to especially 

trained lifeguards, needed 

not only at Lake Sevan, but at other 

water reservoirs where people swim 

during the summer months. 

According to Armenpress, Armenian 

participants will receive special 

uniforms and equipment. 

Currently there are only about 

70 formal lifeguards in Armenia, 

33 of whom are stationed at Lake 

Sevan. Because of financial constraints, 

an increase in the number 

of lifeguards is not foreseen by the 

ministry.


Armenia 

From Armenia, in brief 

Armavia considering 

acquisition of a Boeing 

aircraft 

Mikhail Bagdasarov, owner of 

the air carrier Armavia, told reporters 

that the company is currently 

in negotiations to acquire a Boeing 

aircraft for a transatlantic Yerevan- 

Los Angeles flight, which the company 

plans to begin in 2009–2010. 

According to Mr. Bagdasarov, a 

small company like Armavia should 

have only one type of aircraft, either 

Boeing or Airbus, and he acknowledged 

that the company was 

also in negotiations with Airbus. 

He said that Armavia currently has 

nine planes; he hopes to increase 

that number to 15–20. 

Mikhail Baghdasarov. 

Armenian legislation entitles the 

country’s human rights defender to 

armed protection by the state. According 

to RFE/RL, the incumbent, 

Armen Harutiunian, has requested 

armed protection for himself 

and his family from the country’s 

National Security Service (NSS) 

The NSS asked whether he had 

any particular reason for the request, 

so that it could determine 

the degree of protection required. 

Mr. Harutiunian said he was simply 

exercising his legal rights. 

Elected as ombudsperson two 

years ago on the recommendation 

of President Kocharian, Mr. Harutiunian 

issued a report in April in 

which he raised tough questions 

about the official response to antigovernment 

demonstrations in the 

aftermath of the February 19 presidential 

election this year. 

United Nations FAO 

to hold European 

conference in Armenia 

The United Nations Food and Agriculture 

Organization (Fao) will 

hold its 2010 European conference 

in Armenia, Armenpress reported. 

Armenia will be the first former 

Soviet republic to host this conference, 

which is held every two 

years. 

f 

—M.T. 

Ter-Petrossian gives the president an ultimatum 

by Armen Hakobyan 

Levon Ter-Petrossian at the July 4 opposition rally. Photo: Photolure. 

Armenian first president, the opposition 

politician Levon Ter- 

Petrossian, at a rally on July 4, 

issued an ultimatum to President 

Serge Sargsian. Unless certain 

demands are met by August 1, “the 

movement will henceforth demand 

Serge Sargsian’s resignation and 

the conducting of new presidential 

elections,” Mr. Ter-Petrossian 

declared to the cheers of 10 to 12 

thousand supporters at the rally. 

After the rally, protesters marched 

around the city, and a handful began 

a sit-in on Northern Avenue. 

The sit-in is meant to continue 

24 hours a day through August 1, 

when another rally is to take place. 

The rally, march, and sit-in were 

not permitted by the city; police, 

however, posed no serious obstacles 

and allowed the protesters to 

proceed with their plans. 

Mr. Ter-Petrossian placed the following 

demands: 

“The political prisoners must be 

released immediately, including an 

end to the political retribution toward 

the opposition and the public. 

“Undertake immediate means 

to end the political prosecutions 

throughout the republic, which 

are being organized by the head of 

the Special Investigations Service, 

[Andranik] Mirzoyan. 

“Urgently reveal and legally prosecute 

the people responsible for 

the March 1 murders, firstly Robert 

Kocharian. 

“Immediately dismiss those who 

played a sinister role during the 

March 1 events, and who are totally 

discredited in their practice 

and are despised by the public. 

They are Deputy Prime Minister 

Armen Gevorkian, Presidential 

Chief of Staff Hovik Abrahamian, 

Prosecutor General Aghvan Hovsepian, 

National Security Service 

chief Gorik Hakopian, and Public 

Television chief Alexan Harutiunian.” 

Mr. Ter-Petrossian said that they 

have given the authorities enough 

time and means to seriously think 

about the initiation of a constructive 

dialogue on the condition that 

the political prisoners are released. 

However, the authorities “did not 

understand or falsely appraised 

the motivations behind our step, 

apparently judging that by keeping 

the political prisoners hostage, 

they would force us to deal with 

this issue only and thus lose track 

of the movement’s main purpose.” 

Mr. Ter-Petrossian said that during 

the month of July his supporters 

will hold events both large and 

small, marches, pickets, sit-ins, and 

sport rallies, the purpose of which 

would be to practice for the August 

1 rally, which they plan to hold 

across the country. At that time, 

he said, they will summarize Mr. 

Sargsian’s first 100 days and offer 

their future plans will be presented. 

Meanwhile, he said, the movement 

will seek to organize itself further. 

Kocharian accuses Ter- 

Petrossian of selling out 

There has been no official response 

to Mr. Ter-Petrossian’s ultimatum. 

Instead, former president Robert 

Kocharian spoke out through an 

interview with Mediamax. 

“Levon Ter-Petrossian cannot just 

leave the field of radical opposition. 

His masters and creditors will not 

allow him doing so,” Mr. Kocharian 

said. Although Mr. Kocharian 

has repeatedly accused Mr. Ter- 

Petrossian of trying to incite a coup 

d’état, this may have been the first 

time he directly accused his predecessor 

of having sold out. 

“It is the loser’s complex speaking 

in him. He lost twice, and he never 

had the merit to lose with the dignity 

of a man,” Mr. Kocharian said. 

Mr. Kocharian also took the unusual 

step of distancing himself 

from policies adopted by his successor, 

Mr. Sargsian. Mediamax 

asked him about claims in pro-Ter- 

Petrossian newspapers that Mr. 

Kocharian continues ruling the 

country from behind the scenes. According 

to Mediamax, Mr. Kocharian 

responded: “That is complete 

nonsense. If that were true, Levon 

Ter-Petrosian, most likely, would 

now already be in jail for criminal 

activity. (By the way, in that way I 

would correct my mistake of 1998.) 

And the Turkish president would 

not be invited for a football match 

to Yerevan, for sure.” 

The former president added: 

“The country should be ruled by 

the people who are meant to do 

so under the Constitution. And 

they should be responsible for the 

country. Power and responsibility 

are inseparable and cannot be exercised 

in the shadows. This is my 

deep belief.” 

Some 80 protesters continue 

with a rotating sit-in on Northern 

Avenue. 

f 

Lake Sevan. 

Two police officers 

arrested on charges of 

bribery 

Captain Sevak Khachatrian, an 

investigator with the Kotayk police 

department, and Lieutenant Colonel 

Viktor Papian, head of the investigative 

division, were arrested 

by Armenian National Security 

Service (NSS) officers while allegedly 

taking a bribe. 

According to the NSS, Capt. Khachatrian 

attempted to extort $5,500 

from a resident in Kotayk, with the 

knowledge of Lt.Col. Papian. The 

resident’s son had been accused of 

a criminal offense and the officers 

allegedly offered to charge the boy 

with a lesser offense. After negotiations, 

the bribe was reduced to 

$5000, the NSS claims. A criminal 

case has been launched. 

Ombudsperson asks for 

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Armenia 

The Ghanaghounian family from Iraq: a year later 

n Continued from page 

also helped the refugee families 

with their utility bills. 

The family said that the UNHCR, 

in collaboration with Mission Armenia, 

a benevolent organization, 

also initiated a winter clothing 

project last December. Each family 

member was given the dram equivalent 

of $190 to spend in a store in 

downtown Yerevan. The family is 

grateful for the gesture, although 

Mrs. Ghanaghounian said she 

would have spent the overall sum 

of $760 on other priorities if given 

the choice. 

The Ghanaghounian family has 

not been sitting around waiting 

for handouts. Finding employment 

has been a challenge for the family, 

however. Mr. Ghanaghounian is 

an electrician and his wife is an accountant. 

Along with their children 

they have been trying to find jobs, 

but their efforts so far have been 

in vain. Mr. Ghanaghounian has 

found temporary work, but nothing 

long-term. 

Shant, 18, has been accepted 

to the Yerevan State College of 

Industry, where he will major in 

programming. His older sister 

Nora will be applying to Yerevan’s 

Northern University. Having two 

students in college, however, will 

mean higher costs for the family. 

Although life in Armenia is 

pleasant and he has friends here, 

Shant thinks his future might 

be outside Armenia. “What will 

I do here? What will I work?” he 

asked. 

Even with all the difficulties, 

the family acknowledges that life 

is better now. “Life in Armenia is 

very sweet, very comfortable,” Mr. 

Ghanaghounians said. “It seems 

sweet since one cannot find this 

life in other countries; one cannot 

find this air and water elsewhere. 

We visit and see each other. We 

communicate. It is good in Armenia; 

it is nice and safe. You can 

walk without being scared; no one 

would scare you while you walked 

at night.” 

f 

Help for Iraqi-Armenian refugees 

YEREVAN – The Office of the 

United Nations High Commission 

for Refugees (UNHCR) in Armenia 

assists asylum seekers in Armenia 

during all stages of the asylum 

procedure. Armenia has received 

asylum seekers for several years. 

There has been a marked increase 

of refugees from Iraq over the last 

two years. Many Iraqi-Armenian 

families have made their way to 

Armenia via transit countries like 

Syria. They have often arrived in 

Armenia with few resources and 

knowing few people if any. 

The UNHCR representative in Armenia, 

Bushra Halepota, told the 

Armenian Reporter in an interview 

that there are many issues facing 

Iraqi-Armenian refugees who are 

seeking asylum in Armenia. Ms. 

Halepota said that although the 

immediate need is shelter, there 

are matters of employment, language 

barriers, cultural differences 

and overall integration that the 

refugees need assistance with. 

The UNHCR has recently started 

its activities assisting displaced 

persons in Armenia from Iraq. It 

has received $1,000,000 this year to 

implement its programs. Through 

the advocacy efforts of USAPAC, 

the Washington-based Armenian 

advocacy organization, along with 

awareness-building, funds are also 

being raised for emergency financial 

assistance to displaced persons 

arriving in Armenia. 

Armenia’s State Migration Agency 

(SMA) has exclusive responsibility 

for determining asylum requests 

and the naturalization process 

for Iraqi-Armenian refugees. 

Gagik Yeganian, head of the SMA, 

told the Armenian Reporter in an 

interview that his agency is handling 

about 1,000 cases. 

The SMA is also the UNHCR’s 

principal partner in the Iraqi-Armenian 

refugee program. The 

UNHCR’s assistance has been invaluable, 

Mr. Yeganian said. “Provisions 

are being made for shelter 

for the most vulnerable Iraqi-Armenian 

families. The UNHCR’s 

program can serve as a very good 

example of cooperation with the 

government,” he added. 

The Armenian government, for 

its part, has also made a commitment 

to assist the Iraqi-Armenian 

refugees. In a letter addressed to Mr. 

Antonio Guterres, the UN High 

Commissioner for Refugees, Foreign 

Minister Edward Nalbandian 

stated, “I wish to express to you the 

Armenian Government’s commitment, 

in support of UNHCR’s international 

resettlement program, to 

continue to accept Armenian/mixed 

Armenian Iraqi refugee families 

Nora and Silva 

Ghanaghounian 

standing in front 

of their window 

with a view of 

Mount Ararat in 

the background. 

Photo: Armenian 

Reporter. 

from countries of temporary asylum 

in the region that have opted to 

resettle in Armenia.” 

Independent of the UNCHR’s 

activities, a U.S.–based nonprofit, 

the Iraqi-Armenian Relief Fund, 

has helped 17 families come to Armenia. 

The fund raises money in 

the United States and spends it 

to relocate Iraqi-Armenians who 

wish to move to Armenia. The 

refugees have to get to Syria on 

their own, where the Armenian 

consulate arranges their paperwork 

at no charge. The fund pays 

for their Aleppo-Yerevan airfare 

and the rent for their first year in 

Armenia.. 

f 

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Mobile: 646.642.2241 

www.bozoghlian.com


Armenia 

Market update 

by the Cascade 

Investments team: 

Yeghishe Keropyan, 

Hasmik Alekyan 

Central Bank focuses 

on resisting inflation 

For June 2008, the monthly yearon-year 

inflation rate climbed to 

9.6 percent. It is well above the 4.5 

percent inflation target set by the 

Central Bank of Armenia (CBA). But 

it is half a percentage point lower 

than it was in May. The CBA raised 

the refinancing rate another 25 basis 

points to 7 percent. In an interview 

with the ARKA news agency, 

CBA chair Arthur Javadyan said 

Armenia’s inflation rate was affected 

by the rise of international 

commodity prices, an increase in 

real wages, and an increase in foreign 

remittances. (The net income 

increase from last year on a yearon-year 

basis was 543 percent; net 

transfers increased 27 percent.) The 

CBA, he said, seeks to moderate internal 

demand and to depress inflationary 

expectations. 

Secondary markets reacted with 

an increase in short-term yields 

as well as a correction of 1–2 year 

yields to around 7.5 percent. 

Buying 

/selling of 

government 

securities 

to 1 years 

May’08 

June’08 

Exchange rates are 

expected to be stable 

Difference 

% % % 

1-2 years 8.1 7.5 -0.6 

2-5 years 8.8 8.0 -0.8 

5-10 years 9.6 10.6 1.0 

Repo 

to 7 days 6.5 7.3 0.8 

to 14 days 7.5 8.0 0.5 

to 28 days 7.7 7.9 0.2 

over 28 days 7.4 7.5 0.1 

Source: CBA 

Major foreign currencies fell 

against the Armenian dram (AMD) 

in the second part of the month. 

USD/AMD and EUR/AMD rates fell 

by 1.7 percent and 2.1 percent respectively 

over the second quarter 

of the year. 

Mr. Javadyan observed that the 

USD/AMD exchange rate has stabilized 

compared to the steep decline 

seen in 2007. He said imports and 

transfers have been balancing each 

other out. 

It would be useful for now to 

follow the inflation differential as 

well as changes in current accounts 

to estimate the future stability for 

USD/AMD. At Armex, the average 

price was 302.87 drams for 1 USD 

for June. 

Corporate securities 

On June 9 Araratbank OJSC issued 

corporate coupon bonds with the 

total volume of 400,000,000 AMD. 

They issued 40,000 notes with a 

par value of 10,000 AMD, an annual 

yield of 9 percent, and 18 months’ 

maturity. 

Indexes 

Cascade Business Sentiment Index 

(CBSI). The CBSI has reached 

6.2 from last month;’s 5. This rise 

can be explained by the usual increase 

of business activities during 

the summer. 

Cascade Commodity Index 

(CCI). The CCI for June 2008 is 

19,056. The index for June indicates 

a 5.7 percent increase over 

May. Almost all the commodity 

prices in the index have risen. 

The price of petroleum has, of 

course, skyrocketed in international 

markets. Only the price of 

flour has remained unchanged, 

due mostly to a slight decrease 

in international prices for grain 

and rice. 

The CCI has risen almost 26 percent 

since the beginning of the 

year. 

Major Events 

Union of Armenian Banks meets 

The Union of Armenian Banks 

(UAB) met in Dilijan on June 21. Mr. 

Javadyan of the CBA spoke about 

the establishment of an All-Armenian 

Bank. The basic goal of the 

bank will be to fund projects within 

the framework of decisions taken 

by the National Competitiveness 

Council. 

According to Mr. Javadian, the 

All-Armenian Bank will be guided 

by commercial principles; however, 

it will not get involved in competition 

with commercial financial 

institutions in Armenia. Instead, 

the All-Armenian Bank will turn to 

Reach over 

100,000 Armenians 

with your message 

Advertise in the Armenian Reporter, on the new 

USArmenia Television, and on Armenia TV on 

the Dish Network. For more information, from 

the Western U.S. call 818.800.3311 or from the 

Eastern U.S. call 201.226.1995. 

% 

12 

10 

8 

6 

4 

2 

0 

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 

Years 

Spot rate Forward rate YTM 

Source: CBA 

Yield Curve 26/06/2008 

commercial banks and other investors 

with proposals to participate 

in investment projects. He noted 

that the bank is being established 

as an open joint stock company. 

International financial organizations 

and private investors, as 

well as the government of Armenia 

(with a minimum share participation 

of 20 percent) will become the 

founders of the bank. 

The bank is proposed through 

a law On the All-Armenian Bank, 

which is expected to be considered 

in September. The bank would be 

launched in the end of 2008. 

The capital of the Armenian 

banking system in 2007 grew by 

38.3 percent, which is 2.8 times 

GDP growth times, the chairperson 

of the UAB, Emil Soghomonyan, 

stated at the meeting. He noted 

that the amount of credit provided 

by Armenian banks in 2007 increased 

by 67.9 percent over 2006, 

and the profitability of the banks 

with respect to their capital was 

12.78 percent. 

Mr. Soghomonyan stated that in 

2007 the general assets of the banking 

system grew from 20.4 percent 

of GDP to 25 percent; overall credit 

investments grew from 9.5 percent 

of GDP to 13.6 percent; the overall 

capital of the banking system grew 

from 4.5 percent of GDP to 5.3 

percent; and individuals’ deposits 

grew from 5.4 of GDP to 

6.3 percent. 

Armenia’s banks all among CIS 

top 1000 

All Armenian banks were included 

in the list of 1000 top CIS banks 

for 2007, according to the volume 

310 

308 

306 

304 

302 

300 

4/1/2008 

4/8/2008 

494 

490 

486 

482 

478 

474 

470 

4/1/2008 

Source: CBA 

of assets. The top Armenian banks 

were 

HSBC Bank Armenia, which occupied 

the 272nd place in the list, 

with assets of $343 million; 

Ardshininvestbank, which occupied 

the 294th place, with assets of 

$308.1 million; 

ACBA-Crédit Agricole Bank, 

which occupied 330th place, with 

assets of $263.7 million. 

New brand and strategy for 

Armimpexbank 

Armimpexbank announced on 

June 26 the conclusion of its rebranding 

and the new name of the 

bank, Ameria Bank. 

Ameria Bank will come up with 

a new corporate style developed by 

Britain’s Identica agency, Mediamax 

reported. 

Comprehensive insurance 

coverage for investors 

Property and Casualty 

Cargo 

Auto 

Exchange Rates 

USD/AMD 

4/15/2008 

4/22/2008 

4/29/2008 

5/6/2008 

5/13/2008 

EUR/AMD 

4/8/2008 

4/15/2008 

4/22/2008 

4/29/2008 

5/6/2008 

5/13/2008 

5/20/2008 

5/27/2008 

Your risk is our business 

5/20/2008 

5/27/2008 

6/3/2008 

6/10/2008 

6/17/2008 

6/24/2008 

6/3/2008 

6/10/2008 

6/17/2008 

6/24/2008 

Ameria Bank, continuing the 

100-year history of Armimpexbank, 

intends to occupy a special place 

in the banking system of Armenia, 

establish itself as an investment 

bank, simultaneously offering the 

whole spectrum of banking services, 

based on modern technologies 

and international standards. 

Central Bank registers a new 

credit organization 

The board of the Central Bank of 

Armenia registered and licensed the 

CARD Agrocredit Universal Credit 

Organization and reregistered and 

relicensed eight investment companies: 

Cascade Investments, Yerevan 

Broker, Private Invest, Future 

Capital Market, Renesa, Capital Asset 

Management, Tonton, Alfasecurities, 

and Ameria Invest. f 

Short term coverage 

for visitors 

Travel 

In Country Medical 

Auto 

Renter’s Insurance


Editorial 

the armenian 

reporter 

Commentary 

Armenia takes the 

initiative 

President Gül invited to visit Armenia 

President Serge Sargsian took a bold initiative this week. He invited his Turkish counterpart, 

Abdullah Gül, to Yerevan to watch the soccer match between Armenia and Turkey 

scheduled for September 6. 

Armenia is a country where practically the whole population heads for the memorial 

monument at Tzitzernakaberd every April 24 to remember the people and patrimony destroyed 

and lost in the Armenian Genocide. And Mr. Gül is a leader who continues the 

policy of vigorously denying the Armenian Genocide. 

Meanwhile, the Armenian people face Turkey’s continued hostility, manifested in its 

refusal to establish diplomatic relations with Armenia and its unilateral closing of the land 

border between the two countries. 

Polls conducted in Armenia have suggested that 40 to 50 percent of Armenian citizens are 

opposed to diplomatic relations and an open border with Turkey unless it apologizes for the 

Genocide. Even Mr. Sargsian’s close ally, former President Robert Kocharian, said this week 

in an interview with Mediamax, that he would not have extended such an invitation. 

For Mr. Sargsian to extend an invitation to the Turkish president thus required a great 

deal of political will. We are encouraged by his willingness to take that initiative – in the 

hope that in can lead in a positive direction. 

It is not a step taken in desperation. Armenia showed over the last decade, under Mr. 

Kocharian’s leadership, that it can thrive in spite of the Turkish blockade. 

Yet it is also clear that the people of Armenia and Turkey alike have an interest in normal, 

good-neighborly relations. The dropping of artificial barriers will benefit the people of 

Armenia and Turkey through trade and regional projects. And thus, since independence, 

Armenia has advocated open borders and normal relations with Turkey. Armenia has set 

no preconditions. 

Many have been resigned to no movement in these matters until the formal resolution 

of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. In congressional testimony in June, Assistant Secretary 

of State Daniel Fried said quite rightly that the establishment of relations between Armenia 

and Turkey should not be linked to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. We would like to 

see the United States do more to urge Turkey to end its hostility toward Armenia. But it is 

worth remembering that the Bush administration has been able to have only limited influence 

on Turkey in Iraq and Iran policy, which are higher priorities for the administration. 

So instead of waiting for others, Mr. Sargsian saw an opportunity to retake the initiative 

and jumpstart a process that lay dormant. 

It is a calculated risk. In the coming months, Mr. Sargsian’s administration will have to 

maintain political discipline and focus – even restraint – to ensure that this initiative does 

not evolve into something he did not intend it to be – and Armenians in Armenia and the 

diaspora do not want it to be. 

The onus is now on Mr. Gül to demonstrate political will and goodwill. 

Helping Turkey come to terms with its past 

As he announced his intention to invite Mr. Gül, Mr. Sargsian also announced a willingness 

to see a commission of historians review the historical record regarding the Armenian 

Genocide. This comment raised concerns about whether Armenia was going to acquiesce in 

a process that would question the veracity of the Genocide. 

No Armenian would ever agree to study the veracity of the Genocide. Many – apparently 

including President Sargsian – are willing to engage in dialogue with Turkey to help that 

country come to terms with its past. 

As we reported on June 28, the president’s spokesperson, in response to our inquiry, 

emphasized that there has been no change in policy. And as we reported on July 5, the 

foreign minister, also in response to our query, asserted that the Armenian Genocide issue 

remains on Armenia’s foreign policy agenda. 

The president’s spokesperson suggested that a commission – which could be considered 

only after the borders are opened – would not review the veracity of the Genocide but conduct 

research on aspects of the events. 

What kind of research might it conduct? Some ideas come to mind: 

• Historians and attorneys need to work in Turkey to track down the history of title deeds 

to real property throughout Turkey but especially in areas where Armenians were heavily 

concentrated. We know that contrived laws and rules were put into place to confiscate 

the property of Armenians. But there's a lot that remains to be learned from case studies 

of specific areas. 

• The genocidal policy met some resistance on various levels. Which leaders of the ruling 

Committee of Union and Progress opposed the policy? Which provincial and district 

officials refused to fully carry out their orders? Which officers? Which Kurdish tribes 

helped Armenians? There are numerous stories of Turks who saved Armenians. If Turkey 

is going to come to terms with its past, it will need new sources of national pride 

rooted in truth. Such research could be important. 

• Further documentation of cultural monuments, including ancient churches, needs to be 

done with an eye to preservation. 

We have no reason yet to believe that the Turkish government would agree to this sort 

of a research agenda. But it's a good idea to know what kind of agenda we would favor. And 

much, perhaps all, of this work can be done without state support. 

The pages of this newspaper are open to a further discussion of research on the Armenian 

Genocide. Whether or not you're a historian, write in with your thoughts and ideas. 

The address is comment@reporter.am 

f 

Letters 

In defense of Dr. 

Hovannisian 

Sir: 

My mother always told me that, when I get 

angry with someone, I should count to 10 

before responding. The fact that I am writing 

this letter a number of days after Ara 

Sarafian’s attack on Dr. Richard Hovannisian 

appeared in the Armenian Reporter 

should indicate the depth of my anger and 

frustration. 

Quo Vadis, Sarafian? I first heard Mr. Sarafian 

speak some years ago at one of the conferences 

at UCLA organized by Prof. Hovannisian. 

I was impressed with his paper and his 

delivery, and I felt that this young person 

could be an asset in presenting the Genocide 

Question to the world and could contribute 

to silencing the deniers. Alas, my hopes have 

been dampened. 

The most recent example of Ara Sarafian’s 

questionable disputes with a distinguished 

senior scholar appeared in a letter on “Black 

Sea Drownings” (Jun. 21 Reporter) in which 

he implied that Hovannisian has possibly 

been deluded by a highly exaggerated New 

York Times article of October 7, 1915, into 

believing that Armenians were drowned en 

masse in the Black Sea. 

Several times this past year I have heard 

Dr. Hovannisian’s PowerPoint presentation 

describing his travels through Western Armenia. 

He has never once referred to “massive 

drownings” of Armenians in the Black Sea. 

Prof. Hovannisian has clearly stated that he 

has never used the term “en masse” or “mass” 

to describe the drownings; but he insists 

as a matter of record that Turkish courtmartial 

proceedings in 1919, and reports 

of both Armenian survivors and Ottoman 

officials, do indeed verify that drownings 

occurred. 

Mr. Sarafian is simply putting words into 

the professor’s mouth by suggesting otherwise. 

Very truly yours, 

Hagop Arshagouni 

Northridge, Calif. 

Not exactly a cultural 

ascent 

Sir: 

I’m writing in reply to two recent letters in 

the Reporter discussing “Cultural Decline,” by 

Ani Vartanian, and Tamar Simonian. 

I greatly see it necessary to be praiseworthy 

of these writers. I acknowledge and recognize 

these women with nothing but decency, 

bravery, and honor. I’ve never seen such 

heart-felt honesty, concern, and hope for the 

future with such public declaration, sincerity, 

and warmth. The feelings and views of these 

women have been brought to life through 

these magnificent writings. 

The topics discussed were not things to be 

proud of. However, our whole purpose in life 

is to be honest with ourselves. 

I, too, have difficulty being proud of my 

heritage – due to the cultural and religious 

neglect and disregard. Family has also played 

a part in having lack of support, and unattached 

emotional commitment. As Ms. Vartanian 

stated, we are exposed to endless 

amounts of information about any topic of 

interest with the aid of computers. With 

the click of a mouse, all our question can 

be answered, through numerous search results. 

Because of my extended education, I 

don’t believe I’m more knowledgeable or 

skilled than the person sitting across from 

me. However, there are some points I’d like 

to cover, in order to help people understand, 

and hopefully bring back the lost values and 

importance of our culture and family. 

When we think of people, we tend to think 

of them as belonging to a specific category, 

through their physical characteristics. We are 

labeled as being men, women, children, adults, 

blondes, brunettes, tattooed, light-skinned, 

dark-skinned, blue-eyed, brown-eyed – the 

physical characteristics are endless. 

But hen has anyone ever stopped to think 

about the emotion and psychological characteristics 

that a person has endured in his/ 

her lifetime, and may never overcome? The 

top 10 stressful life events are these [in order 

from 1 to 10]: the death of a spouse, or 

child; divorce; martial separation; jail term 

Trustee contributions to the AGMM 

Continued on page 23 m 

Financial contributions by former and current members of the Board of Trustees of Armenian Genocide Museum 

and Memorial (AGMM) for the benefit of the AGMM as of September 2006. 

Armenian Reporter (ISSN 0004-2358), an independent newspaper, 

is published weekly by Armenian Reporter llc. 

Gerard L. Cafesjian, President and ceo 

Publisher Sylva A. Boghossian Editor Vincent Lima 

Office managers 

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Commentary 

Living in 

Armenia 

The cows, the overgrown garden, and the little 

cottage 

by Maria Titizian 

I have decided that I can be a farmer. Or at 

least a farmer’s wife. Technically I could. Logically, 

maybe not. But surprisingly, I can see 

myself living in a village, planting vegetables, 

and raising cattle. I made the announcement 

to my husband a few days ago. He was bewildered. 

But why he should be is beyond me because 

technically he already is a farmer, not 

because he is from Kessab, but his primary 

obsession, passion, and occupation in Armenia 

has been and continues to be agriculture. 

I told him that I wanted to buy 10, maybe 

12 cows. All I would need, I told him, is a 

barn in which to keep said cows, and maybe 

a milkmaid because I don’t think I can milk 

the cows myself. At least I don’t think so. 

Other than the barn, I would like a small 

cottage with as few rooms as possible. A fireplace, 

large windows, and a porch would be 

nice. I already know what my house in the village 

will look like because I have seen it. The 

house exists not in my imagination but in 

Dilijan. I’m sure the owner will be surprised 

to know that I intend to copy his house down 

to the last detail because it is the most beautiful 

little house I have ever seen. I can’t even 

describe it, as architectural terms are not my 

forte. I suppose I could search terms like balusters, 

brise soleils, and porticos on Wikipedia 

or Google, but that would not be doing 

it justice. I don’t even have a picture of it, although 

every time I go to Dilijan, I make my 

fellow travelers stop and admire the house 

that I have claimed as my own. One day I will 

muster the courage to go knock on the door 

and ask the owner for a tour, hoping that he 

doesn’t think to himself, “Who’s this crazy 

woman?” All I need to do is settle the small 

issue of finding the money needed for this 

little venture of the barn, the cottage, and 

the cows, which I fear is not so little. 

“Having a house in the village 

is about reestablishing a 

connection with the land, 

with my broken history” 

The wish for a babenagan home in the village. 

I wouldn’t need the mandatory manicured 

lawn we had back in Toronto, so my husband 

needn’t worry about purchasing a lawn 

mower – even overgrown weeds can be beautiful 

when one is being romantic as opposed 

to realistic – especially since I think I might 

be needing Internet access and maybe even 

a satellite dish. After all there’s not much 

to do in a village, other than milk the cows, 

sell the milk, tend to the garden, cook, read, 

write, and daydream. I don’t think that I’m 

asking for a lot. I explained to my still-bewildered 

husband that if I do go stir-crazy, I can 

always drive to Yerevan to get a quick fix of a 

bustling, dusty city taken over by construction 

cranes, SUVs, and traffic jams. I wouldn’t 

miss the movie theaters because the movies 

are all dubbed in Russian anyway. I wouldn’t 

miss the restaurants; I’ve been to every single 

one, several times over. As for my friends, 

I’m sure they’ll visit often to find some peace 

and quiet in my little cottage with the barn, 

the cows, and the overgrown garden. 

The spirit and essence of Armenia is not 

its capital city Yerevan. The real soul of the 

country can only be found in the villages, 

even the ones that have been forgotten, the 

ones that no longer have any young people, 

and the ones in danger of disappearing off 

the map. There is a simplicity and pureness 

among the desolation there that cannot be 

replicated. The fruit trees, the roaming cattle 

and sheep on the unpaved roads, the little 

children chasing each other through gardens 

and orchards, the men and women tilling the 

soil under a golden sun, the hues of the rainbow 

scattered across its landscapes.... 

My vision of village life is obviously absurdly 

idealistic. I acknowledge it completely. 

But is it so wrong to want that image to be 

real? As a nation we have to nurture our villages 

and our villagers. We have to ensure 

that they have the basic infrastructure and, 

perhaps most importantly, water to irrigate 

their crops. 

“My vision of village life is 

obviously absurdly idealistic” 

It is now apricot season in Armenia. All 

of us can see crates of overflowing apricots 

on every street corner in Yerevan. We savor 

their taste, make jams and jellies with them, 

and serve them to tourists with unbridled 

pride and patriotism. We forget, however, 

the years of love, patience, and hard work 

that have gone into producing this divine, 

golden fruit. 

I used to feel horribly guilty about living a 

comfortable life in a country so overwhelmed 

by wretchedness. I have learned to come to 

terms with the fact that my situation is different, 

perhaps even privileged. Even thinking 

about this idyllic village existence is a 

sign of privilege because the reality is that 

village life in Armenia is excruciatingly harsh 

and unforgiving. 

When some of my friends back in Canada 

found out that I had to hang my laundry to 

dry because I didn’t have a dryer (I still don’t), 

I could see the veiled pity in their expressions. 

Some of them probably thought I had 

given up so much to move to my idealistically 

warped version of the homeland. One of 

them asked, “What will you do when the novelty 

wears off?” I certainly didn’t need their 

pity because little do they know how much 

I appreciate every single “privilege” that I 

have; that there are women today who live in 

villages throughout Armenia where there’s 

no running water; women, who although 

young and beautiful, have swollen, parched 

hands and who can only dream about having 

a washing machine. Little do they know that 

I take pleasure out of hanging my laundry, 

that while I wait for the laundry to dry under 

the sun, I can really enjoy a cup of coffee. 

And what about the men in Armenian 

villages who can only dream about owning 

a cow, let alone a dozen? When one 

cow can cost anywhere from $700 to $1,000, 

owning a dozen becomes a fairy tale. So, 

yes, my dreaming of a dozen cows caused 

some bewilderment. But there is more to 

having a house in the village than the cows, 

the peace, and the overgrown garden. For 

me it’s about fixing something that was 

broken. It is about reestablishing a connection 

with the land, with my broken history. 

It’s the ability to bequeath to my children 

and their children a babenagan home. My 

own grandparents, orphans from Western 

Armenia, had their babenagan homes destroyed, 

wiped out, obliterated. This desire 

for a house in the village therefore has a 

deeper meaning, however idyllic, however 

privileged. It’s about survival. It’s about life. 

It’s about continuation. It’s a dream. Where 

better than in your homeland to make that 

dream a possibility? 

f 

Letters 

n Continued from page 22 

or death of a close family member; personal 

injury or illness; marriage; loss of a job due to 

termination; martial reconciliation or retirement; 

pregnancy; a change in financial state. 

Isn’t it amazing what makes up the top 

three on the list? As we all know, nothing can 

be worse than death: it tops the list. But have 

you ever even thought about the top three 

events coincidentally constituting something 

to do with marriage? Divorce is right 

up there, immediately after death of a spouse. 

Psychologists have categorized divorce as being 

the next most devastating, life-changing, 

stressful event a person can experience. 

Our life situations can either be chosen, 

or given to us due to uncontrolled circumstances. 

When a person chooses to marry, 

a new unit has been formed between the 

two of them, to stay together, till death do 

they part. When a sacred vow and trust has 

been broken, it is always unintended. Nobody 

gets married to get divorced. If there 

are children involved, this only causes extra 

emotional stress, and complicates things for 

the parties involved. If you have never been 

in this situation, you will never understand 

what the affected person has experienced, 

and will still be experiencing throughout 

their lifetime. Unfortunately, some of these 

pains stay with us until we perish from this 

earth. 

When one of our relatives suddenly is diagnosed 

with a terminal illness, we haven’t 

chosen the sickness, and purposely assigned 

it to our loved one, to become sick and disabled. 

This kind of situation has been given 

to some people, where only the strong-willed 

ones can survive, or master the task of caring 

for the ill family member. 

These stressful life events can cause a multitude 

of behavioral issues, which can include 

some or most of the following: constant anger, 

fits of rage, hostility, irritability, anxiety, lessened 

social behavior, highs and lows of happiness 

and sadness simultaneously, deep depression, 

hopelessness, powerlessness, and a feeling 

of being overwhelmed. How are individuals supposed 

to handle their lives after experiencing 

one, four, or all of these stressful life events? 

There was a remarkable statement made by 

Ms. Simonian in her letter, where she stated 

that even though a subject is not being discussed, 

that doesn’t necessarily mean it does 

not exist. People unfortunately place more value 

and interest on non-pertinent, unimportant 

topics, instead of focusing on how to be the 

change you wish to see in the world. This may 

sound like a cliché, but all in all, it is the truth. 

People spend more time, and give more importance 

to reading about the celebrity who made 

the Forbes 100 list, and what are the chic new 

fall fashion pieces appearing on the runway. 

If we all spent more time reading, researching, 

and educating ourselves, we would 

discover the unknowns, and hopefully find 

answers to our own questions. This kind of 

research can provide people with the vital 

information on how to have a better understanding 

of the human psyche, from a psychological 

and physiological point of view. 

Very truly yours, 

Dr. Kevork Sahagian, Ph.D. 

Oradell, N.J.

24 The Armenian Reporter | July 12, 2008


Ensuring the Future 

of Armenia’s Past 

Project Discovery! is dedicated to the discovery and 

preservation of Armenia's archaeological and cultural legacy. 

Armenia has a long and continuous past that is both culturally rich 

and historically significant. And yet, our history is largely unknown to 

the academic community outside of Armenia primarily due to lack of 

funds available to Armenian scientists. 

Project Discovery! was organized to 

meet this challenge. We have supported 

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websites, libraries and laboratories. 

We are unique, in that we are the only public charity dedicated 

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At a time when exciting discoveries in Armenia are attracting 

the attention of scientists from the international community, it 

Tufts University professor Lucy Der Manuelian 

describes Armenia as “an archaeological 

paradise”, containing a wealth of internationally 

significant archaeological material remains which 

embody our heritage and testify to our 

contributions to world civilization. 

has never been more important to develop and support the 

infrastructure of archaeology in Armenia. 

We are proud of the contribution we 

are making to discover and preserve 

the archaeological and cultural legacy 

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over the past several years has enabled 

us to achieve major accomplishments – 

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The past is a heritage we all share. Won't you join us in our 

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Please send your tax deductible contribution to ensure the future of 

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Project Discovery! 

Ensuring the Future of Armenia’s Past 

“Detail of Vishap” c 1,500 B.C. 

340 Lakewood Drive | Bloomfield Hills, Michigan 48304 | 248.563.0016 | projectdiscovery@comcast.net | www.projectdiscovery.net


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