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The Armenian Reporter | September 6, 2008NationalWashington briefingby Emil SanamyanState Departmentofficials tout ArmeniarelationsThe United States hopes that Armeniawould contribute to its effortsto “knit” the Caucasus “backtogether” following the Russian-Georgian military confrontation,U.S. Undersecretary of State BillBurns said in remarks just priorto a swearing-in ceremony, heldon September 2, for the newly confirmedU.S. Ambassador to ArmeniaMarie Yovanovitch.Mr. Burns went on to praiseArmenia’s “humanitarian effortsin support of Georgia,” accordingto video of the remarks released bythe Armenian National Committeeof America (ANCA).Bill Burns.The State Department’s thirdmost senior official described thevarious areas in which the UnitedStates and Armenia have cooperatedand said that the bilateral relationshipis based on “shared values.”Mr. Burns also called Armenia the“model of economic reform in itsregion.”Referring to fighting over SouthOssetia, Ms. Yovanovitch argued,“especially after the events of thelast few weeks, it is clear thatending Armenian isolation inthat region must become a priority.”She said normalization ofrelations between Armenia andTurkey would help in achievinga peaceful settlement with Azerbaijan.She praised President SergeSargsian for “bold leadership” inboth efforts, while also promisingto help the Armenian governmentto “restore democratic momentum”following the post-election crisisearlier this year.Ms. Yovanovitch also had goodwords for the Armenian-Americancommunity, which she said “is inso many ways a foundation andstrength of our bilateral relationship.”U.S. seeks toencourage “endangered”AzerbaijanOn a regional tour that aims toshore up U.S. influence badly damagedby Russia’s military incursioninto Georgia, Vice President DickCheney and his wife Lynne arrivedin Baku on September 3 for oneday of talks with Azerbaijani leaderIlham Aliyev, local U.S. embassystaff, and Baku-based representativesof Chevron and the companyformerly known as British Petroleum.Mr. Cheney’s priority in Azerbaijanwas to make certain thatCaspian oil and gas continues to beexported via Georgia, as it has beenfor the past several years, ratherthan through Russia. The Russianroute would help Moscow controlsupplies from its Central Asiancompetitors.Clearly wary of antagonizingRussia, Mr. Aliyev made no clearpublic commitments. Azerbaijaniofficials have instead commentedon a possible revival of the cross-Russia route while they also refusedto criticize Russia’s treatmentof its “strategic partner” Georgia;Mr. Aliyev avoided mention of thatcountry in his joint remarks withMr. Cheney.Earlier, Azerbaijan rebuffed persistentlobbying by former DefenseSecretary Don Rumsfeld to expandbilateral military cooperationagainst Iran. It is unclear whetherMr. Cheney had renewed a militarycooperation offer this time around.In remarks cited by Eurasianet.org, U.S. Ambassador to AzerbaijanAnne Derse said, “many in theregion are afraid now that [Russia’srecent] actions are directed notonly against Georgia, but againstall of those who have democraticaspirations”; she was apparentlyreferring to Ukraine and Azerbaijan,even though Azerbaijan hasnot exhibited such aspirations.Speaking to the Financial Times,Assistant Secretary of State DanFried described Azerbaijan, Georgia,and Ukraine as “three of themost endangered countries” in theregion.In comments released by theWhite House and apparently craftedto entice Azerbaijan’s sympathies,Mr. Cheney told Mr. Aliyev,“America strongly supports the sovereigntyand territorial integrity ofAzerbaijan. We are committed toachieving a negotiated solution tothe Nagorno-Karabakh conflict – asolution that starts with the principleof territorial integrity, andtakes into account other internationalprinciples.”The United States, together withthe two other lead mediators, Russiaand France, has for the pastdecade supported a settlement formulathat formalized Karabakh’sreunification with Armenia. WithFrance now mediating betweenthe United States and Russia overGeorgia, the future of the mediatingtroika’s role in the Karabakhconflict has been put into doubt.Captured_M-16s.Vice PresidentDick Cheneymet by DeputyPrime MinisterYaqub Eyubovof Azerbaijan inBaku. Photo: AP.A former energy sector executive,the vice president has had along personal history with Azerbaijan,including through his pastaffiliation with the U.S.-AzerbaijanChamber of Commerce, the country’sWashington-based lobby.Although Mr. Cheney becamethe most senior U.S. official everto visit Azerbaijan, Baku has uncharacteristicallyplayed down thevisit’s importance. According toEurasianet.org “local reporterswere barred from having access tothe US vice president.”In a symbolic display at the HeydarAliyev airport, the Cheneyswere greeted by Deputy PrimeMinister Yaqub Eyubov, who hastraditionally handled lesser assignmentsfor Mr Aliyev and his latefather, the former president.Bush pledges $1 billionin Georgia aidThe United States will providemore than $1 billion in economicCaptured and destroyed Georgian light arms.aid to Georgia, President GeorgeW. Bush announced on September3, as Vice President Dick Cheneywas about to arrive in Tbilisi.The $1 billion figure was first suggestedby Sen. Joe Biden, who hassince become the Democratic Party’svice-presidential nominee. Ofthe amount $570 million is due tobe allocated before the end of theBush administration.The proposal would make Georgiaone of the largest U.S. aid recipientsin the world, after only Iraq,Israel, and Egypt, and on par withwhat war-torn Afghanistan hasbeen receiving recently.Since Georgia launched its failedattack on South Ossetia on August8, the United States has alreadyprovided Georgia with $30 millionworth of humanitarian aid, dispatchingnaval vessels and militarycargo planes to deliver the assistance.More supplies are due to be deliveredby the flagship of U.S. navalforces in the Mediterranean, USSMount Whitney, which on September3 was crossing the Turkishstraits.Although members of Sen. JohnMcCain’s presidential campaignhave called for military aid to Georgiato counter Russia, the Bush Administrationhas not taken a publicposition on whether it would continueor expand its existing militaryprograms in Georgia.Nonetheless, the massive foreignassistance program will helpGeorgia free up even more fundsfor its already large military budget,which stood at $1 billion in 2007and was expected to reach a similaramount this year. Russia this weeksaid it will seek to prevent Georgia’sre-armament.In addition to U.S. assistance, theInternational Monetary Fund announcedthat it would open a $750million credit line on which Georgiacould draw.In other news, members of theEuropean Union met on September1 and limited the EU’s threatsto Russia to a possible postponementof talks on a new treaty withMoscow unless Russia sticks to thecease-fire agreement mediated byFrance. The decision was given apositive spin by both the UnitedStates and Russia.On a visit to Uzbekistan, PrimeMinister Vladimir Putin saidthat by and large “common sense”prevailed at the EU summit andargued that Russia was complyingwith the cease-fire. But healso criticized the EU for failure tocondemn Georgia’s attack againstSouth Ossetia that sparked thewar last month.Republican presidentialcandidate selectsrunning mateIn a surprising development, Sen.John McCain (R.-Ariz.), who thisweek officially became the GOP’snominee for the White House, selectedAlaska Governor Sarah Palinas his running mate.Ms. Palin was elected governorless than two years ago. Prior tothat she chaired the Alaska Oil andGas Conservation Commission in2003–2004 and between 1996 and2002 was mayor of Wasilla, an Alaskantown of 6,000.She has no known record on Armenianissues.f—Lusine Sarkisyancontributed to this week’sbriefing.Trustee contributions to the AGMMFinancial contributions by former and current members of the Board ofTrustees of Armenian Genocide Museum and Memorial (AGMM) for thebenefit of the AGMM as of September 2006.
The Armenian Reporter | September 6, 2008InternationalLiana Yedigarian: a bridge between the Armenianand Chinese peoplesby Artsvi BakhchinianI can say that no article of mine hasgenerated as much interest as theone about Liana Yedigarian, a nativeof Yerevan studying in China.That article, published in 2002 inAzg daily, was translated into English,French, Spanish, and Turkish.Subsequently Liana began to receiveinvitations to appear on variousChinese television shows andmovies. She went on to become astaple on Chinese television, owingas much to her mastery of the Chineselanguage as her acting talentand good looks.Liana, who has had a great loveof China and its culture since childhood,is also featured in my 2002book Hayere HamashkharhayinKinoyum (The Armenians in InternationalCinema). She is the mostexotic of the principal “heroines”portrayed in the volume.Today Liana is back in Armenia,with her daughter, five-year-old Arpine,and newborn son, Adel.AB: How have your universitystudies progressed in the pastyears?LY: After graduating from theDepartment of Chinese Languageand Culture of Beijing University,I continued my education in theMaster’s-degree program of theDepartment of International Relationsin the Chinese city of Ukhan,and now I’m pursuing a doctoral degreethere. My Master’s thesis wason the topic of “Historical Sino-ArmenianTies.” Those ties date backmany centuries, to the times of theSilk Road, and continue down tothe present. In my doctoral dissertation,I’m covering history, culture,economy, and politics.AB: Are you writing in Chinese?LY: Yes.AB: Are you tapping Chinesesources for the writing of your dissertation?LY: Unfortunately, there is verylittle material about Armenia inChinese sources. A lot of work isrequired to check the accuracy of apiece of information once it’s found.For example, I recently read in thepress that Indians and Armenianslived in the city of Guangzhou(Guandu Province) in the 13th century,and that an Armenian churchwas built there through a woman’sbeneficence. This information mustbe verified through other sources.AB: Isn’t writing in Chinese difficult?LY: No. It’s more difficult totranslate Armenian or Russian intoChinese.AB: In effect, your mastery ofChinese is equivalent to that of Armenian.Have you attempted anytranslations of Armenian literatureinto Chinese?LY: When I was in my junior yearat the university, we were given anassignment to translate somethinginteresting from our respectivenational literatures. I attemptedto translate Tumanian’s Akhtamar.Mostly I’ve done ordinary oraltranslations and I continue doingthem, from Armenian to Chineseand vice versa.AB: To date only a few pieces ofArmenian literature, such as SassuntsiDavit (David of Sassun), havebeen translated into Chinese, viaRussian. Since the 21st century isChina’s century, I think everythingmust be done to familiarize the Chinesepeople with the Armenians.LY: Despite the fact that Sino-Armenianties date back to the distantpast, the 2nd century AD or earlier,there aren’t any Armenian-Chineseor Chinese-Armenian dictionariesyet, so we use Russian-Chineseor Chinese-Russian ones. One ofmy goals is to write an Armenian-Chinese dictionary. I have actuallystarted the project, though I realizeit entails a prodigious effort,requiring the assistance of linguisticexperts. Initially this work willperhaps take the form of a phrasebook, to be followed by more seriousworks. I recently completed mytranslation of Tumanian’s Barekentan(Carnival), which has been submittedfor publication.AB: More than anything else,you’ve been active in the field ofacting during the 11 years you’velived in China. Tell us how that gotstarted.LY: Only nine days after my arrivalin China, in 1994, I was approachedby people from Chinesetelevision who proposed to filmme. At that time, I still didn’t knowthe Chinese language well, but theywere only interested in my appearance.My first role was playing thedaughter of an ambassador of a Europeancountry. Then, when I hadalready learned Chinese, the offerspoured in, since Chinese-speakingactors with European features arefew and far between. Film shootingsfollowed one another. I don’teven know the exact number oftelevision movies I have appearedon, much less their titles, sincemost of my roles have been in singleepisodes or group scenes. Therewere days when shooting tookplace in three different locations,as I played the roles of girls of variousnationalities.AB: But you have also playedprincipal roles. I saw excerpts froma television serial in which youwere the lead actress.LY: Yes, I’ve appeared in principalroles in six television movieseries. My first major role was Felicia,crown princess of Germany,in the 30-part series The Messengerof the Chinese Dynasty. My sister,Marina, also appeared in a smallrole in this series. My other majorroles were: American policewomanKatie (Exceptional Business); theAmerican woman (Zhou Guan TsunStreet); the Dutch woman (TaiwaneseHero Jin Chin Gun); and Jesse(The Old-fashioned Emperor). Thefilm you mentioned, The Flower thatFaded Early, is the series in which Iplayed my biggest role, that of anAmerican woman named Jenny,Liana Yedigarianshown in photostaken fromthe Chinesetelevision film“The Flower thatFaded Early.”Below right:Liana withDonaldSutherland.who marries a Chinese man in the1940s and has a lot of issues withher husband’s family and Chinesesociety.AB: Your sister and you havebeen named Yameyniya jiemey hua,“Armenian sister flowers,” in China.I’ve also seen a videotape, in whichyou, along with your sister, weresinging a Chinese song.LY: Marina and I have participatedin numerous programs and televisionshows; we’ve acted togetherwith Chinese actors and actressesin small satirical productions; we’veperformed Chinese songs and oftenArmenian songs too, wearingArmenian costumes. One time,Marina performed Komitas’ “Gakavik”(Partridge) and I accompaniedher on the kanon. In anotherconcert, I performed Sayat-Nova’ssong “Eshkhemed” on the kanonand the Ughur popular song “TheGirl of Tabanchin,” which is commonlyheard in China and which Ihad transcribed for the kanon. Theaudience gave a very warm receptionto this piece. The entire performancewas also shown on television.AB: And what is Marina doingnow?LY: She graduated from the Departmentof Chinese Languageat Beijing University. Now she’sworking for a Russian airline as atranslator. Sometimes she’s invitedto participate in Chinese televisionshows on Saturdays and Sundays.In 2002, Marina won the BeijingOpera’s “Golden Dragon” prize.AB: How many Armenians livein China presently?LY: I don’t know the exact number,but I don’t think it’s more than30. Armenians in China don’t havetheir own center; sometimes theyget together at the Armenian embassyin Beijing.AB: What are your plans for thefuture?LY: I dream of acting again. Iwould like to settle down in China,but since that country doesn’t grantcitizenship to foreigners, it doesn’tmake any sense to look for permanentwork there. My life’s purpose,wherever I may be, is to serve as abridge between the Armenian andChinese peoples, to make an importantcontribution to the developmentof their ties.fTranslated from the Armenian by ArisG. Sevag
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