National, International, Armenia, and Community News and Opinion

Number 87November 8, 2008the armenianreporterArmeniaDecember 7, 1998 – 20 years onAt 11:41 A.M. on December 7, 1988,a massive earthquake rocked Armenia.In its wake, cities, towns,and villages were decimated andover 25,000 people perished. Thisyear will mark the 20th anniversaryof that earthquake, which willforever be remembered as one ofArmenia’s darkest days. On December7, 2008 Armenians aroundthe world will commemorate thosewho perished and those who had tofind a way to carry on.The Armenian Reporter begins aseries of articles dedicated to ourcollective memories of that day andArmeniathe days and weeks that followed.Armenians around the world, incommunities across all continentsmobilized and secured aid for theircountry. Armenians in the homelandrushed to the earthquake zoneand began, at times, digging withtheir hands to find survivors. Thisweek, Armen Hakobyan recounts hisexperiences immediately followingthe earthquake as a university student,and Maria Titizian in her “Livingin Armenia” column recalls howher community in Toronto reacted.See stories on pages 21, 23 mArmenia Fund announces $30 million in pledgesThe Armenia Fund announced onNovember 3 that some 120 donorsfrom Armenia and Russia hadpledged some $30 million in donationsto the fund during a dinnerheld in Yerevan on November1 under the auspices of Armenia’sPresident Serge Sargsian. TheThe American University of Armeniaopened a new, state-of-the-artbuilding, which will allow the universityto double its enrollmentand expand adult and professionaleducation programs and conferences.The Paramaz Avedisian Building,which was inaugurated on November1, is a five-story, 108 thousandLuthier Martin Yeritsyan is thehero of this new installment ofthe Armen Hakobian’s “Armenia atWork” series. A talented musicianand pedagogue, Mr. Yeritsian isalso the son and successor of a renownedmaster of violin making orluthier, Shahen Yeritsyan. Preservingthe rich musical heritage he inheritedfrom his forefathers, MartinYeritsyan continues to make allInternationalArmeniaArmeniapledges were announced less thanfour weeks before the fund’s annualtelethon, scheduled for ThanksgivingDay, November 27. They surpassby far the pledges announcedduring last year’s telethon, whichamounted to $15 million.See story on page 20 mVic Darchinyan makes history by taking WBC,WBA, and IBF super flyweight titleVic Darchinyan became the world’s first unified super flyweight championin history after a 9th-round knockout against Mexican Cristian Mijares.The title unification bout against Mijares took place on Saturday, November1, at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. In addition towinning the IBF super flyweight title, Darchinyan captured Mijares’ WBAand WBC titles.A new building sets the stage for the expansion of theAmerican University of Armeniasq ft edifice of honed and rustictufa, basalt, and glass curtain wall.Mihran Agbabian, the university’spresident emeritus, told the ArmenianReporter that the universityplans to “expand its academic programsto cover areas not coverednow and to attract a larger numberof students from outside Yerevan.”See story on page 17 mProfessor Yeritsyan’s immeasurable wealthkinds of bowed instruments in hisstudio in Yerevan. “I am rich whena student plays on one of my instrumentsand afterwards, seeingme, greets me with a smile. I feelthat I am doing a good thing for mynation, for the Armenian child, fortalented violinists and for people ingeneral,” Mr. Yeritsyan says.See story on page 18mPresident-elect Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, left, and Vice President-elect Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, wave afterMr. Obama’s victory speech at his election night party at Grant Park in Chicago, Nov. 4. AP Photo: Morry Gash.Armenian-Americans welcomeelection of Obama and BidenA strong showingin Congress butJoe Knollenberg isdefeatedby Vincent LimaIn an unmistakable call for a newdirection for the United States ofAmerica, voters on November 4 decisivelyelected Democrats BarackObama and Joe Biden as the nextpresident and vice president of theUnited States. The winning tickethad firm support in the Armenian-American community, and Armenian-Americanadvocacy groupswelcomed the results of the election.“I have hope that Obama will bethe president to bring Armenian issuesto the forefront,” an Armenian-American voter who identified himselfonly as Hovhannes told theArmenian Reporter’s Lory Tatoulian.(See story on page 13.) But, headded, “That is not the only reasonwhy I am voting for him. . . . I wantto make sure that this country canget back to fulfilling the promisethat it has meant for all of us.”Voters also handed Democrats alarger majority in the Senate andHouse of Representatives, returningmost allies and most adversariesof the Armenian-Americanagenda to Congress. The most notablechange, from an Armenian-American perspective, was the defeatof the co-chair of the HouseCaucus on Armenian Affairs, Rep.Joe Knollenberg (R.-Mich.)“The freely given, multiple commitmentsby candidate BarackContinued on page mRussia brokers Armenia-Azerbaijancommitment to a political settlementDeclaration is firstmajor developmentin peace processsince 1994 cease-fireShort on substanceNews analysis by EmilSanamyanWASHINGTON – The presidentsof Armenia and Azerbaijan, meetingon the invitation of the Russianpresident in Moscow on November2, pledged to reach “a political settlementof the Nagorno-Karabakhconflict” via intensified talks mediatedby Russia, the United States,and France.The text of the five-point declarationwas read out by PresidentDmitry Medvedev on Russiantelevision and carried in full by theRegnum news agency.In substance, the declarationdoes little more than reiterate theparties’ previously announcedreadiness to achieve a settlementRussia’s President Dmitry Medvedev, right, with Armenia’s President SergeSargsian, center, and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, at Meiendorf Castleoutside Moscow, Nov. 2. AP Photo: RIA-Novosti, Dmitry Astakhov, PresidentialPress Service.through continued negotiations. Itpainstakingly avoids contentiousissues and waters down any languagethat could be interpreted asa concession by either Armenia orAzerbaijan.Continued on page m