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The Armenian Mirror-Spectator
755 Mount Auburn St.
Watertown, MA 02472
Tel: (617) 924-4420
Fax: (617) 924-2887
Web: http://www.mirrorspectator.com
E-mail: [email protected]
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1. Legendary Singer and Philanthropist Charles Aznavour Is Honored in New
York
2. New Jersey Benefit for St. Giragos Church of Dikranagerd
3. Historical Novel Depicts Waning Ottoman Empire's Turmoil
4. The Oracles Speak in Deauville
5. Congratulations on Upcoming Anniversary Celebration of Mirror-Spectator
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1. Legendary Singer and Philanthropist Charles Aznavour Is Honored in New
York
By Taleen Babayan
Special to the Mirror-Spectator
NEW YORK - Only the rare individual can conquer the international music
scene while using his renown and resources to improve the lives of people
around the world.
Such a man is Charles Aznavour, whose music has bridged two centuries and
countless international boundaries, and whose humanitarian efforts have
elevated cause of vulnerable people in Armenia and elsewhere.
In recognition of his lifetime achievements - and to mark the 20th
anniversary of the Republic of Armenia - Aznavour was honored by the Fund
for Armenian Relief (FAR) at Cipriani's Wall Street Restaurant, on Friday,
May 20.
More than 600 people attended the program. During the banquet, guests,
dignitaries, artists and musicians from around the globe recognized Aznavour
for his philanthropy and for his efforts in improving lives in Armenia over
the past two decades.
`Our love for Armenia keeps us glued together,' said Randy Sapah-Gulian,
chairman of FAR, in his welcoming remarks. `And we are here tonight to honor
an artist, a visionary, a man of great integrity and Armenia's favorite son:
Charles Aznavour.'
Aznavour's initiatives in Armenia took place in the immediate aftermath of
the 1988 earthquake in Spitak and Gumri, which left death and destruction in
its wake. In response to a disaster that claimed 50,000 lives, the singer
and his long-time producer Levon Sayan established Aznavour Pour l'Armenie,
a foundation that provided a way for the singer to send relief aid to
Armenia. Helping shift the world's focus to the suffering of Armenians, he
gathered 89 artists in the months after the earthquake to record the pop
single Pour Toi, l'Armenie (For You, Armenia), an international hit and
chart-topper, which sold two million copies in France alone.
Liza's Loving Tribute
Eric Bogosian, the critically-acclaimed actor and author, served as a witty
and urbane master of ceremonies. Bogosian spoke of Aznavour's talents, his
accomplishments and his philanthropic works.
`Tonight is truly pour toi, Charles,' said Bogosian, who had a chance to
work alongside Aznavour in Atom Egoyan's 2002 film, `Ararat.' `Tonight is
the community's tribute to a man who has inspired us and whom we love and
respect.'
Liza Minnelli, a student and long-time friend of Aznavour, who also chaired
the Honorary Committee for the FAR tribute, welcomed her mentor onstage to
receive his award.
In a touching short film documenting Aznavour's achievements, Minnelli
described her early worship of Aznavour's singing and performing style,
which evolved first into a student- teacher relationship and eventually into
a series of international artistic collaborations. She recalled his pride in
being Armenian and the determination he showed when disaster struck his
homeland in 1988.
`When he put all his passion, all his time and stubbornness, into helping
Armenia, it was spectacular,' she said.
At Minnelli's introduction, the crowd rose to its feet to welcome the
evening's honoree, who walked onstage with his famous Gallic swagger and
expressed his gratitude for the tribute.
`It is moving to be honored by your own community,' said Aznavour, in brief
but poignant remarks. `Thank you for honoring me and thank you for our
country.'
An Enduring Legacy in Armenia
Aznavour's humanitarian efforts in Armenia have outlived the earthquake
crisis, and continue to aid the needy and vulnerable as the country develops
as an independent republic.
His concerts have raised money for important causes throughout Armenia,
including child protection, education, healthcare and especially the care of
Armenia's elderly citizens.
Awakened early on to the precarious living conditions of senior citizens in
Vanadzor (Armenia's third- largest city), Aznavour Pour l'Armenie
established the Vanadzor Old Age Home. A decade ago, by agreement with the
Aznavour foundation, FAR began overseeing the operations of the home and
receives generous support in this effort from the Kevork and Sirvart
Karamanuk Foundation. At present, 55 local senior citizens live at and are
cared for by 30 staff members at the Vanadzor Old Age Home.
Aznavour's humanitarian endeavors have also reached beyond Armenia.
Following the earthquake in Haiti last year, he collaborated with 40 singers
and musicians to record Un Geste Pour Haiti Cherie to raise money for
victims.
Addressing the honoree at the May 20 event, Armenia's Foreign Minister
Eduard Nalbandian spoke from the heart about the man he had come to know and
admire during his earlier tenure as Armenia's Ambassador to France.
`You are 100-percent French and 100-percent Armenian,' said Nalbandian, `and
you can add 100 percent world citizen. You sow seeds of love in people's
souls and in our souls.'
Nalbandian went on to highlight Aznavour's strong ties to Armenia. In very
personal remarks, he related the inspiration he drew from Aznavour's music
and from the singer's devotion to his Armenian heritage.
The honoree's daughter, Seda Aznavour, a talented singer in her own right,
sang a song in honor of her father, titled Voch Mi Dzaghig (Not a single
Flower). Seda Aznavour's lively rendition in Armenian paid homage to her
family's ongoing commitment to preserve the Armenian culture.
Gift to the World
In addition to his humanitarian work, Charles Aznavour has taken up roles in
the diplomatic arena, serving as Armenia's ambassador to Switzerland and
Armenia's permanent delegate to the United Nations in Geneva. He has also
been a leading voice for Genocide recognition in his native France.
A number of foreign dignitaries were among the distinguished guests at the
May 20 gala, including Armenia's Ambassador to the US Tatoul Markarian,
Armenia's permanent representative to the United Nations (UN) Karen Nazarian
and Switzerland's ambassador to the UN Paul Seiger.
The May 20 tribute also served to celebrate the 20th anniversary of
Armenia's independence, and to highlight the many humanitarian outreach
programs undertaken by FAR since its founding more than two decades ago. In
the course of its history, the organization grew and prospered under the
leadership of its great founding chairman, the late Kevork Hovnanian.
Initially, FAR focused on medical and humanitarian assistance to the
earthquake-ravaged region. But as Armenia was reborn as a free and
independent republic, it was Hovnanian's determination that caused FAR to
expand its projects to include housing, food and social programs as well as
economic development.
Since its founding, FAR has provided $285 million in aid to Armenia - making
it one of the most effective, respected and honored humanitarian agencies
working in the region.
To conclude the tribute evening, Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern) and president of FAR,
spoke of the strength that Charles Aznavour has always found in his Armenian
roots. He recalled an occasion in 2001 - during the celebration of the 1,700
th anniversary of Armenia's conversion to Christianity - when Aznavour
sang
Ave Maria during a requiem service at the Dzidzernagapert Genocide Memorial,
leaving `everyone in tears' - including the visiting Pope John Paul II.
`Charles Aznavour is an internationally loved and respected figure, and is a
great example for all of us,' said Barsamian. `Charles, your presence among
us has been a gift to the world - and a gift to your fellow Armenians.'
In addition to the film presentation tracing Aznavour's life and
contributions to Armenia, a musical performance of Armenian songs was
offered by Nina Stern (on clarinet) and Glen Velez (percussion). Anoosh
Barclay sang the Armenian national anthem, and Karim Sulayman the anthems of
the United States and France, which opened the evening's formal program.
The Honorary Committee for FAR's Charles Aznavour Tribute was chaired by
Minnelli, and included Tony Bennett, Celine Dion, Placido Domingo, Atom
Egoyan, Arsinee Khanjian, Sir Elton John, David Furnish, Nalbandian, New
York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York Sen. Charles Schumer, New Jersey
Rep. Frank Pallone, Greek Orthodox Church Primate Archbishop Demetrios,
Roman Catholic Archbishop of New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan, Episcopal
Church Bishop of New York Bishop Mark Sisk, Appeal of Conscience Foundation
President Rabbi Arthur Schneier, France's Ambassador to the US Francois
Delattre, France's Ambassador to the UN Gerard Araud, Armenia's Ambassador
to the US Tatoul Markarian, Nazarian, Mexico's Ambassador to the US Arturo
Sarukhan Casamitjana, former US Ambassador Edward Djerejian, Carnegie
Corporation President Vartan Gregorian, Carnegie Hall Artistic Director
Clive Gillinson, Lincoln Center President Reynold Levy, Juilliard School
President Joseph Polisi and President Emeritus of the World Bank James
Wolfensohn.
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2. New Jersey Benefit for St. Giragos Church of Dikranagerd
By Aram Arkun
Mirror-Spectator Staff
NEW MILFORD, N.J. - Some 360 Armenians from the greater New York
metropolitan area came together on May 14 at the Hovnanian Banquet Hall here
to raise funds for the restoration of Saint Giragos Church in Dikranagerd
(Diyarbakir), Turkey. This is the first church in the interior of Turkey to
be restored by Armenians. Speakers came from Turkey, Los Angeles and other
parts of the United States to support this unusual effort which will
culminate this fall in the reopening of the church with the celebration of
the Divine Liturgy in Armenian.
Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church
of America (Eastern), explained to those present that though most openly
Armenian families have left the Dikranagerd area, `I, and I am sure many
of
you, believe that we must renovate our historical churches so that they
remain standing and testify to the fact that Armenians lived and worked, and
created Armenian establishments in those cities and regions, so that
Armenian life continues.' He fervently then declared to great applause,
`And
why not85we believe that in the future Armenian Christians can still live
on
those historical lands, because those lands are Armenian lands.'
Vartkes Ergun Ayik was the main speaker. Chairman of the St. Giragos Church
Parish Council, Ayik began the renovation project three years ago. He has
visited the United States, Canada and Europe at his own expense to raise
money for the church. Ayik explained that Saint Giragos, with its seven
altars, was the largest Armenian Church in the Middle East. Although
according to some sources it was built in the early 16th century, a stone
bearing the date of 1367 was found among the ruins during the renovations.
The church was renovated several times in the 19th century, and finally was
built out of stone. It included a small chapel, guest house, school, kitchen
and other structures around the church. It had a tall bell tower which was
bombarded in 1915 and toppled by Ottoman cannon fire. The church was
converted into a government warehouse sometime in the late 1950s, and
Sümerbank used the property. It was only taken back in 1962 by the
Patriarchate through the efforts of the local Dikranagerd-Armenian
community. After 1980, however, practically no Armenians were left living in
the city.
In 2007, after several visits Ayik noticed that the local situation had
changed. New officials in Diyarbakir were willing to cooperate. The
municipality promised to pay one-third of all restoration costs, and
architects and specialists joined the efforts. Ayik said that they preferred
not to ask for any financial support from Armenians in Turkey or abroad
until construction began. Only a few Armenians believed in the success of
this project, but by now 60 percent of the work has been completed. The
construction cost of the buildings and bell tower together altogether is
roughly $3 million. So far, the municipality has provided $660,000, and
$675,000 has been collected from donations in Turkey. With undeniable
evidence of the viability of the reconstruction in hand, Ayik felt the time
had come to ask support from Armenians abroad.
Ayik pointed out that the St. Giragos Foundation has some rental income.
Furthermore, some important pieces of property belonging to the church are
at present occupied by government offices, schools and apartments. Court
cases have been initiated to recover these properties, but will take some
time. In the program booklet for the evening benefit Ayik is quoted as
saying that Ertugrul Gunay, Turkish minister of culture and education,
visited Diyarbakir several months ago to see the restoration and promised
that the state would provide the equivalent of $16,000 in funds as a
donation, but the St. Giragos Foundation is still awaiting these funds.
St. Giragos will differ from other Armenian churches like that of Akhtamar
which the Turkish government renovated as a museum. The Patriarchate will
keep St. Giragos open every day, and the Divine Liturgy can be held there
any time without government permission. Cultural activities will also be
organized there.
Senior members of the East Coast St. Giragos Church Restoration Committee
Hagop Uzatmaciyan and Bayar Karakashian joined Archbishop Aram Ateshian,
vicar general of the Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul, to present a gold
medal to Ayik in gratitude for his efforts. Dikran the Great is pictured on
one side of the medal, and Mount Ararat on its obverse. The medal was
specially created here in the US.
Ateshian, who came especially for the St. Giragos fundraising efforts to the
United States, encouraged the audience to give donations for this worthy
project. He gave a brief synopsis of the difficult efforts to create a
responsible Parish Council for the St. Giragos Church and stressed that it
was important to have a church in Diyarbakir as proof of Armenian existence
there. He noted that though only two openly Armenian families are left;
there are some 70 Armenian families who have converted to Islam out of
pressure or who hide their Armenian identity. Ateshian's own sister's
children are among them. The restoration of the church gives these Armenians
strength to recover their ancestral identity and faith, and so some of his
relatives have agreed to be baptized on the day the church is reopened.
Archbishop Viken Aykazian, diocesan legate in Washington, DC, also spoke in
favor of the project and stated that the time for donations was now.
Armenians had to invest in their own heritage. Ateshian pointed out that the
three archbishops present that evening had all come from the provinces to
become students together in Istanbul in the Holy Cross Tbrevank or seminary.
They then went to Jerusalem to continue their religious education and rose
in the ranks of the hierarchy.
Author and journalist Osman Köker, visiting the US from Turkey to present
his book, Armenians in Turkey 100 Years Ago, showed the audience slides on
the Armenian presence in the Ottoman Empire as well as specifically some
pictures of Diyarbakir. He is preparing a special exhibition on the
Armenians of Dikranagerd from the same Orlando Calumeno collection he used
for his book, and will inaugurate his exhibition when St. Giragos is opened
this fall. Köker's work has been important in providing information on
Armenians to contemporary Turkish society.
The New Jersey benefit included in the audience the Assyrian Orthodox Church
Parish Council from Paramus. Many Assyrians lived in the Diyarbakir area.
There were also a number of personalities from various parts of the US
present, including representatives of the various Armenian political
parties, as well as Ambassador Garen Nazarian, permanent representative of
the Republic of Armenia to the United Nations. Panos Titizian, a veteran
member of the Armenian Democratic Liberal Party from California, discussed
contemporary Turkish politics concerning the Armenians as part of a
patriotic speech in Armenian, while Armenian Weekly editor Khatchig
Mouradian briefly spoke in encouragement of the project.
The master of ceremonies for the evening was Hirant Gulian, who is one of
the active leaders of the restoration committee for the Eastern US. He
exclaimed that `tonight, everybody is Dikranagerdtsi [originating from
Dikranagerd].' Indeed, the food that everybody enjoyed that evening was
typical of the region and was prepared by Suren Kilerciyan, also a committee
member, while the Onnik Dinkjian band played Armenian and regional music.
Oudist Zaven Uzatmaciyan of Dikranagerd sang, and a Dikranagerd
halaydance was led by Bayar Karakashian and his friends.
At the entrance to the hall, an embroidered curtain from St. Giragos, lent
by Virginia Clark, was on display along with a picture of the St. Giragos
bell tower. When Clark and her husband visited St. Giragos in 1995, the
latter found the curtain buried in the earth and somehow managed to bring it
back to the US.
Fundraising for the effort continued a week later in Toronto. Among the
personal donations made so far are 50 crosses made of gold alloy for each of
the 38 columns in St. Giragos Church and for the walls, which is being given
by Hirant Gulian. He and a group from the East Coast will visit the church
in June prior to the formal opening, and the Divine Liturgy will be
conducted there.
Contributions towards the reconstruction of St. Giragos may be made out to
the Diocese of the Armenian Church and sent to Zakar Dikme (575 Stewart St.,
Ridgefield, NJ 07657), with the notation `Dikranagerd Church.'
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3. Historical Novel Depicts Waning Ottoman Empire's Turmoil
By Daphne Abeel
Special to the Mirror-Spectator
The Winter Thief. By Jenny White
W.W. Norton & Co. 2010. 400 pages
$14.95 (paperback) ISBN: 978-0-393-33884-3
The Winter Thief, the third novel in the Kamil Pasha series by
anthropologist Jenny White, is part detective story, part historical novel. Set
in the late 1880s in the Ottoman Empire, during the reign of Sultan
Abdulhamid, it spins a complicated tale that has, at its core, the sultan's
suspicions that a small colony of socialists, who are also Armenian, is
planning a coup against the empire.
Gabriel Arti, an Armenian idealist, is indeed the co-founder of a commune,
New Concord, in the Choruh Valley, that intends to live by socialist
principles. Accompanied reluctantly by his Russian wife, Vera, he is
implicated early on in a violent incident that involves the theft of arms
from a ship, a violent explosion and a bank robbery. These events set an
investigation in motion that involves both Kamil Pasha, the magistrate of
Beyoglu, and his sinister counterpart, Vahid, the sultan's chief of the
secret police, who is a closet sado-masochist. The novel explores the
complexities of the period by means of a panoply of sharply-etched
characters, including Elif, a woman artist, forced to flee her native
Macedonia, having lost her husband and son. Now, caught up in fabric of
events taking place in Istanbul, she is transformed into a fierce and
vengeful being, capable of dressing like a man - and killing like one.
Other important players include Vizier Koraslan, who is most eager to
convince the sultan that the Armenians are plotting against him, hoping to
arouse a counterattack that will stimulate western sympathies and bring the
British and the Russians to their side; Omar, the police chief of Istanbul,
who eventually partners with Kamil to defend the Armenians and Feride,
sister of Kamil, who is married to Huseyin, a pasha, who also becomes
sympathetic to the Armenians.
White paints a canvas rife with confusion. At times, the Armenians are
called socialists, revolutionaries or nationalists and the Henchak Armenians
are a target of particular suspicion regarding their disloyalty to the
sultan. The story also paints a portrait of desperate men, vying for power
and favor in what are to be the waning days of the Ottoman Empire.
The novel contains several romantic subplots. Feride suspects that Huseyin
is conducting an adulterous affair with another woman, Rhea. Vera, although
married to Gabriel, is deeply attracted to another socialist idealist,
Apollo, an Armenian friend from childhood, who seems more sympathetic than
her husband, who thinks only of his cause.
There is a great deal of action in the novel, descriptions of rape, torture,
battles and killing. Kamil, who is accused by the vizier of having
masterminded the theft of guns and the robbery at the bank, is sent by the
sultan to investigate the Armenian commune. But, he is then persuaded by the
vizier to unleash an attack on it led by Kurdish mercenaries.
Kamil and his Armenian cohorts are able to repel it with the aid of some
Ottoman gendarmes who remains loyal to him, although there is great loss of
life and the survivors become refugees who must be taken back to Trabzon.
Amazingly, Kamil is rewarded by the sultan, who realizes that his vizier has
been lying to him. He bestows upon Kamil the High Order of Honor and also a
yali (villa) on the Bosphorus.
The novel is sometimes confusing, but then it is describing confusing times.
And there are passages where plot elements are suddenly explained so quickly
by the author that the reader must be exceedingly vigilant to catch all the
twists and turns.
Readers can enjoy this novel for its cultural and historical accuracy. The
author, Jenny White, is a professor of anthropology at Boston University,
specializing in Turkey. She possesses a detailed command of Armenian and
Ottoman cultures, customs, food and protocol that lend the novel a
believable authenticity.
As her protagonist, Kamil Pasha, is alive and well at the end of the story,
it seems likely that another volume in the series may follow. As a
character, he seems ready for further definition.
Near the end of the novel, he muses, `He had come face-to-face with an evil
greater than lying, stealing, betrayal, or even, he thought wonderingly,
murder. Three months ago, he would have argued on principle that one life
was worth the same as many. Every unnecessary death, every killing equally
reprehensible. But that was before New Concord, before so many innocents had
been trodden underfoot. Hundreds of people killed and for what - as fodder
for men's ambitions. Whether that man was Vahid or Gabriel was immaterial.
Or Kamil himself. Now he was being honored for all of it, he thought with
despair - for his treason, theft, deception, subverting the army and killing
the sultan's men, and for the loss of hundreds of lives that he had set out
with hubris and naiveté to save, but had failed to do so. He had compromised
everything he believed in and failed.'
This is a man for whom life still holds some adventures.
For more information on the author and her work, visit www.kamilpasha.com.
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4. The Oracles Speak in Deauville
By Edmond Y. Azadian
Every time the leaders of major powers meet, they issue statements on
topical political problems of the day and the Karabagh conflict has become
one of those issues. On the sidelines of G-8 meeting in the French city of
Deauville, the presidents of US, France and Russia issued that routine
statement which begs for interpretation.
The warring factions or parties to a conflict read into those declarations
whatever they would like to see, and the statements are intentionally vague
and equivocal in order not to divulge fully the issuing parties' positions
and to allow room for interpretation and misinterpretation.
This reminds us of the story of the oracles in ancient Greece. The most
important oracle would sit in Delphi and many kings, priests and warriors
would make pilgrimages there to learn from the prophecies or sage advice
from the oracle, who was supposed to speak on behalf of the god Apollo. The
ritual of the prophecies would begin with the sacrifice of a goat to find
out if the time and the atmosphere were ripe for the rituals.
The predictions of the oracle were phrased very shrewdly, causing many
supplicants to misinterpret the advice.
The interpretations, coming from different quarters, about the May 26
declaration reminds us of the prophecies of the Delphi oracle, and perhaps
the sacrifice of the goat may symbolize Karabagh.
The Armenian side hailed the declaration as a positive statement consonant
with its position on the issue, especially its emphasis on the `peaceful
means,' which was officially endorsed also by Armenia and Azerbaijan in the
Meindorf declaration. `The statement made today on the sidelines of the G-8
Summit in Deauville by the leaders of OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries
contains important messages and may become an impetus for the settlement of
the issue,' said Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian.
`Armenia has always been in support of the settlement of the conflict
between Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabagh through exclusively peaceful means
and has repeatedly proven it in practice. Therefore, it is clear to whom the
unequivocal message of the statement in this regard is addressed,' added
Nalbandian.
The Azeri side gave a completely different interpretation to the joint
statement by Presidents Barack Obama, Nicholas Sarkozy and Dmitry Medvedev,
indicating that the declaration heightened the pressure on Armenia. `It
follows from the statement that Armenia must start the withdrawal of its
armed forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan,' the Foreign
Ministry statement cited by Azerbaijani news agencies indicated.
`Unfortunately85Armenia continues to drag out that process and thereby impede
the conflict's peaceful resolution,' it said.
In his turn Novruz Mammedov, Ilham Aliyev's chief foreign policy advisor,
said, `As a matter of fact, the negotiating process has dragged because of
the Armenian side.'
All political parties in Armenia commented on the declaration that whoever
triggers the war will be the loser.
The ARF representative, Ardsvik Minassian, brought up a subtle and
unsettling point in the declaration, which is equally directed at Armenia
and Azerbaijan, without any distinction which party is talking about the use
of force and actually violating the ceasefire agreement. There is parity in
the two parties.
The statement also recommended respective governments to prepare their
populations for a peaceful settlement, which calls for mutual compromises.
The settlement will be made around the basic agreements of principles, which
may be announced at the forthcoming summit in the Russian city of Kazan.
After years of tough negotiations, finally a document has been drafted,
which will be put to the test at the forthcoming summit. Those principles
were comprehensively outlined in an article by Thomas de Waal in the
National Interest, paraphrased as follows: `The Basic Principles document
offers constructive ambiguity. It stipulates gradual Armenian withdrawal
from the territories around Karabagh; `interim status' for Karabagh itself,
giving it enhanced international legitimacy but not full independence; and
the promise in the future of a popular vote, a `legally binding' expression
of will to determine the future status of the territory.'
This sounds like a hopeful start, but public pronouncements have a different
tone.
The meeting will be held on June 25 between Medvedev, Sargisian and Aliyev.
The principles advocated by the major powers constitute a square wheel,
which will not move forward, unless those powers force that wheel to move
or85break. Those principles are incompatible; right for self-determination
and territorial integrity, unless a diluted self-determination is imposed on
the Armenian side, within the boundaries of Azerbaijan, which Baku is
advocating and dreaming.
Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Rybakov has sounded a more positive
note by indicating that `we are not at the threshold of new conflicts but
close to a resolution.'
Russia's role is crucial for Armenia, because we know where the US and
France stand on the Karabagh conflict.
While Armenians have pinned their hopes on Moscow, Russia's foreign policy
lately has become ambiguous, enigmatic and sometimes erratic.
The G-8 declaration in Deauville addressed the conflicts in different hot
spots on the globe as well, and particularly in Libya and Syria, when
Russian positions came out to be pragmatic, unpredictable and implausible.
When the UN resolution on Libya came to a vote in the Security Council,
Moscow abstained and later on mumbled that the resolution was meant `to
protect the Libyan people' while NATO took it as a mandate to invade a
sovereign country and topple its government.
Russia's position was interpreted that many of its oligarchs had invested in
Libyan oil and Muammar Gaddafi had guaranteed their interests. But it turned
out that in Deauville Moscow sided with the West, calling for Gaddafi to
quit. Russia also abandoned its Syrian ally, where its Mediterranean fleet
is anchored in Latakia, thus giving Russia its only access to the
Mediterranean. President Bashar Assad was certainly disappointed by Russia's
defection.
Based on Russian foreign policy's direction, or misdirection, we cannot
count on Moscow to support a Karabagh solution favoring Armenia, the Russian
base in Armenia and the rhetoric of `eternal friendship' not withstanding.
Indeed Russia has a military listening post in Azerbaijan, has oil interests
and above all it has strategic interests. Georgian President Mikheil
Saakashvili's intent to integrate Georgia in the NATO structure has
irritated Russia to no end. Until recently Azerbaijan was also playing the
NATO card, when Moscow cajoled the Azeri leaders to take a neutral position.
Today Baku is refraining from joining to any military block, which pleases
Kremlin policymakers.
Russia intends to keep Baku at bay. On the other hand, Armenia has given
away to Russia what little it had. Therefore, Moscow does not expect
anything more from Armenia, which means it has a free hand to treat Armenia
any way it likes, with impunity.
Today, while we are trying to analyze the declaration of the oracles in
Deauville, we are reminded of King Croesus of Lydia who solicited the advice
of the oracle in Delphi, before attacking Persia, and contrary to the
prophecy of victory the Lydian army was defeated.
This should serve as an omen for Armenians not to read too much into the
prophecies of the oracles of Deauville.
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5. Congratulations on Upcoming Anniversary Celebration of Mirror-Spectator
By Hagop Vartivarian
During the beginning of the 20th century the generation of immigrants to
America was already ceding its place to a new American-born generation, a
generation which did not have the opportunity to attend Armenian schools. In
those days, Armenian schools did not exist in America where one could learn
the Armenian language. Although an Armenian-filled atmosphere still existed
in Watertown, Worcester, Providence, New York and other towns, the Armenian
language was already imperceptibly in retreat.
Baikar, the Boston daily newspaper published by the Armenian Democratic
Liberal Party (ADL), remained sought-after by the Armenian-speaking
generation, but it was necessary to provide the new generation a newspaper
in the English language. In 1932, the leadership of the time, headed by
Diradour Dikijian, was audacious enough to begin publication of the weekly
Mirror. Later, in 1939, the Mirror merged with the Spectator in New
York in order to better reach the younger generation in particular.
In addition to being the mouthpiece of democratic liberal ideology,
the Mirror-Spectator
became the unofficial organ of all national patriotic organizations, which
believed in the creed of the ADL. Only one year after its establishment, the
Primate of the day, Archbishop Ghevont Tourian, was martyred. From his
demise until the present, the Mirror-Spectator has advocated the unity of
the Church of Armenia and directed the unvarying respect of the Armenian
Americans towards the Mother See of Echmiadzin.
For decades it has chronicled the wide-ranging activities of the Armenian
General Benevolent Union, holding high their role in Armenian communities.
Similarly, it praised the exemplary work of the brotherhood of the Knights
of Vartan and later extensively reported on the activity of the Armenian
Assembly of America, which was created as a result of Armenian national
demands.
During the sad days of the Cold War, it focused the patriotism of the
Armenian-American masses on the homeland, and filled the masses with
enthusiasm over the cultural, educational, scientific and architectural
successes of Armenia. During World War II, it recorded on a daily basis the
heroic deeds of Armenian soldiers serving in the Red Army against Hitler's
armies. It championed repatriation to Mother Armenia from 1946 to 1948.
It became the true voice of the Tekeyan Cultural Association and presented
its educational, social and cultural life. It connected our communities of
the diaspora to Armenia. And it trumpeted our independence, awaited for
centuries, with the arrival of the third Republic of Armenia.
(Hagop Vartivarian is the chairman of the New York chapter of the Tekeyan
Cultural Association and is the chairman of the ADL Press Committee.)
755 Mount Auburn St.
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1. Legendary Singer and Philanthropist Charles Aznavour Is Honored in New
York
2. New Jersey Benefit for St. Giragos Church of Dikranagerd
3. Historical Novel Depicts Waning Ottoman Empire's Turmoil
4. The Oracles Speak in Deauville
5. Congratulations on Upcoming Anniversary Celebration of Mirror-Spectator
************************************************** ****************
1. Legendary Singer and Philanthropist Charles Aznavour Is Honored in New
York
By Taleen Babayan
Special to the Mirror-Spectator
NEW YORK - Only the rare individual can conquer the international music
scene while using his renown and resources to improve the lives of people
around the world.
Such a man is Charles Aznavour, whose music has bridged two centuries and
countless international boundaries, and whose humanitarian efforts have
elevated cause of vulnerable people in Armenia and elsewhere.
In recognition of his lifetime achievements - and to mark the 20th
anniversary of the Republic of Armenia - Aznavour was honored by the Fund
for Armenian Relief (FAR) at Cipriani's Wall Street Restaurant, on Friday,
May 20.
More than 600 people attended the program. During the banquet, guests,
dignitaries, artists and musicians from around the globe recognized Aznavour
for his philanthropy and for his efforts in improving lives in Armenia over
the past two decades.
`Our love for Armenia keeps us glued together,' said Randy Sapah-Gulian,
chairman of FAR, in his welcoming remarks. `And we are here tonight to honor
an artist, a visionary, a man of great integrity and Armenia's favorite son:
Charles Aznavour.'
Aznavour's initiatives in Armenia took place in the immediate aftermath of
the 1988 earthquake in Spitak and Gumri, which left death and destruction in
its wake. In response to a disaster that claimed 50,000 lives, the singer
and his long-time producer Levon Sayan established Aznavour Pour l'Armenie,
a foundation that provided a way for the singer to send relief aid to
Armenia. Helping shift the world's focus to the suffering of Armenians, he
gathered 89 artists in the months after the earthquake to record the pop
single Pour Toi, l'Armenie (For You, Armenia), an international hit and
chart-topper, which sold two million copies in France alone.
Liza's Loving Tribute
Eric Bogosian, the critically-acclaimed actor and author, served as a witty
and urbane master of ceremonies. Bogosian spoke of Aznavour's talents, his
accomplishments and his philanthropic works.
`Tonight is truly pour toi, Charles,' said Bogosian, who had a chance to
work alongside Aznavour in Atom Egoyan's 2002 film, `Ararat.' `Tonight is
the community's tribute to a man who has inspired us and whom we love and
respect.'
Liza Minnelli, a student and long-time friend of Aznavour, who also chaired
the Honorary Committee for the FAR tribute, welcomed her mentor onstage to
receive his award.
In a touching short film documenting Aznavour's achievements, Minnelli
described her early worship of Aznavour's singing and performing style,
which evolved first into a student- teacher relationship and eventually into
a series of international artistic collaborations. She recalled his pride in
being Armenian and the determination he showed when disaster struck his
homeland in 1988.
`When he put all his passion, all his time and stubbornness, into helping
Armenia, it was spectacular,' she said.
At Minnelli's introduction, the crowd rose to its feet to welcome the
evening's honoree, who walked onstage with his famous Gallic swagger and
expressed his gratitude for the tribute.
`It is moving to be honored by your own community,' said Aznavour, in brief
but poignant remarks. `Thank you for honoring me and thank you for our
country.'
An Enduring Legacy in Armenia
Aznavour's humanitarian efforts in Armenia have outlived the earthquake
crisis, and continue to aid the needy and vulnerable as the country develops
as an independent republic.
His concerts have raised money for important causes throughout Armenia,
including child protection, education, healthcare and especially the care of
Armenia's elderly citizens.
Awakened early on to the precarious living conditions of senior citizens in
Vanadzor (Armenia's third- largest city), Aznavour Pour l'Armenie
established the Vanadzor Old Age Home. A decade ago, by agreement with the
Aznavour foundation, FAR began overseeing the operations of the home and
receives generous support in this effort from the Kevork and Sirvart
Karamanuk Foundation. At present, 55 local senior citizens live at and are
cared for by 30 staff members at the Vanadzor Old Age Home.
Aznavour's humanitarian endeavors have also reached beyond Armenia.
Following the earthquake in Haiti last year, he collaborated with 40 singers
and musicians to record Un Geste Pour Haiti Cherie to raise money for
victims.
Addressing the honoree at the May 20 event, Armenia's Foreign Minister
Eduard Nalbandian spoke from the heart about the man he had come to know and
admire during his earlier tenure as Armenia's Ambassador to France.
`You are 100-percent French and 100-percent Armenian,' said Nalbandian, `and
you can add 100 percent world citizen. You sow seeds of love in people's
souls and in our souls.'
Nalbandian went on to highlight Aznavour's strong ties to Armenia. In very
personal remarks, he related the inspiration he drew from Aznavour's music
and from the singer's devotion to his Armenian heritage.
The honoree's daughter, Seda Aznavour, a talented singer in her own right,
sang a song in honor of her father, titled Voch Mi Dzaghig (Not a single
Flower). Seda Aznavour's lively rendition in Armenian paid homage to her
family's ongoing commitment to preserve the Armenian culture.
Gift to the World
In addition to his humanitarian work, Charles Aznavour has taken up roles in
the diplomatic arena, serving as Armenia's ambassador to Switzerland and
Armenia's permanent delegate to the United Nations in Geneva. He has also
been a leading voice for Genocide recognition in his native France.
A number of foreign dignitaries were among the distinguished guests at the
May 20 gala, including Armenia's Ambassador to the US Tatoul Markarian,
Armenia's permanent representative to the United Nations (UN) Karen Nazarian
and Switzerland's ambassador to the UN Paul Seiger.
The May 20 tribute also served to celebrate the 20th anniversary of
Armenia's independence, and to highlight the many humanitarian outreach
programs undertaken by FAR since its founding more than two decades ago. In
the course of its history, the organization grew and prospered under the
leadership of its great founding chairman, the late Kevork Hovnanian.
Initially, FAR focused on medical and humanitarian assistance to the
earthquake-ravaged region. But as Armenia was reborn as a free and
independent republic, it was Hovnanian's determination that caused FAR to
expand its projects to include housing, food and social programs as well as
economic development.
Since its founding, FAR has provided $285 million in aid to Armenia - making
it one of the most effective, respected and honored humanitarian agencies
working in the region.
To conclude the tribute evening, Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern) and president of FAR,
spoke of the strength that Charles Aznavour has always found in his Armenian
roots. He recalled an occasion in 2001 - during the celebration of the 1,700
th anniversary of Armenia's conversion to Christianity - when Aznavour
sang
Ave Maria during a requiem service at the Dzidzernagapert Genocide Memorial,
leaving `everyone in tears' - including the visiting Pope John Paul II.
`Charles Aznavour is an internationally loved and respected figure, and is a
great example for all of us,' said Barsamian. `Charles, your presence among
us has been a gift to the world - and a gift to your fellow Armenians.'
In addition to the film presentation tracing Aznavour's life and
contributions to Armenia, a musical performance of Armenian songs was
offered by Nina Stern (on clarinet) and Glen Velez (percussion). Anoosh
Barclay sang the Armenian national anthem, and Karim Sulayman the anthems of
the United States and France, which opened the evening's formal program.
The Honorary Committee for FAR's Charles Aznavour Tribute was chaired by
Minnelli, and included Tony Bennett, Celine Dion, Placido Domingo, Atom
Egoyan, Arsinee Khanjian, Sir Elton John, David Furnish, Nalbandian, New
York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York Sen. Charles Schumer, New Jersey
Rep. Frank Pallone, Greek Orthodox Church Primate Archbishop Demetrios,
Roman Catholic Archbishop of New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan, Episcopal
Church Bishop of New York Bishop Mark Sisk, Appeal of Conscience Foundation
President Rabbi Arthur Schneier, France's Ambassador to the US Francois
Delattre, France's Ambassador to the UN Gerard Araud, Armenia's Ambassador
to the US Tatoul Markarian, Nazarian, Mexico's Ambassador to the US Arturo
Sarukhan Casamitjana, former US Ambassador Edward Djerejian, Carnegie
Corporation President Vartan Gregorian, Carnegie Hall Artistic Director
Clive Gillinson, Lincoln Center President Reynold Levy, Juilliard School
President Joseph Polisi and President Emeritus of the World Bank James
Wolfensohn.
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2. New Jersey Benefit for St. Giragos Church of Dikranagerd
By Aram Arkun
Mirror-Spectator Staff
NEW MILFORD, N.J. - Some 360 Armenians from the greater New York
metropolitan area came together on May 14 at the Hovnanian Banquet Hall here
to raise funds for the restoration of Saint Giragos Church in Dikranagerd
(Diyarbakir), Turkey. This is the first church in the interior of Turkey to
be restored by Armenians. Speakers came from Turkey, Los Angeles and other
parts of the United States to support this unusual effort which will
culminate this fall in the reopening of the church with the celebration of
the Divine Liturgy in Armenian.
Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church
of America (Eastern), explained to those present that though most openly
Armenian families have left the Dikranagerd area, `I, and I am sure many
of
you, believe that we must renovate our historical churches so that they
remain standing and testify to the fact that Armenians lived and worked, and
created Armenian establishments in those cities and regions, so that
Armenian life continues.' He fervently then declared to great applause,
`And
why not85we believe that in the future Armenian Christians can still live
on
those historical lands, because those lands are Armenian lands.'
Vartkes Ergun Ayik was the main speaker. Chairman of the St. Giragos Church
Parish Council, Ayik began the renovation project three years ago. He has
visited the United States, Canada and Europe at his own expense to raise
money for the church. Ayik explained that Saint Giragos, with its seven
altars, was the largest Armenian Church in the Middle East. Although
according to some sources it was built in the early 16th century, a stone
bearing the date of 1367 was found among the ruins during the renovations.
The church was renovated several times in the 19th century, and finally was
built out of stone. It included a small chapel, guest house, school, kitchen
and other structures around the church. It had a tall bell tower which was
bombarded in 1915 and toppled by Ottoman cannon fire. The church was
converted into a government warehouse sometime in the late 1950s, and
Sümerbank used the property. It was only taken back in 1962 by the
Patriarchate through the efforts of the local Dikranagerd-Armenian
community. After 1980, however, practically no Armenians were left living in
the city.
In 2007, after several visits Ayik noticed that the local situation had
changed. New officials in Diyarbakir were willing to cooperate. The
municipality promised to pay one-third of all restoration costs, and
architects and specialists joined the efforts. Ayik said that they preferred
not to ask for any financial support from Armenians in Turkey or abroad
until construction began. Only a few Armenians believed in the success of
this project, but by now 60 percent of the work has been completed. The
construction cost of the buildings and bell tower together altogether is
roughly $3 million. So far, the municipality has provided $660,000, and
$675,000 has been collected from donations in Turkey. With undeniable
evidence of the viability of the reconstruction in hand, Ayik felt the time
had come to ask support from Armenians abroad.
Ayik pointed out that the St. Giragos Foundation has some rental income.
Furthermore, some important pieces of property belonging to the church are
at present occupied by government offices, schools and apartments. Court
cases have been initiated to recover these properties, but will take some
time. In the program booklet for the evening benefit Ayik is quoted as
saying that Ertugrul Gunay, Turkish minister of culture and education,
visited Diyarbakir several months ago to see the restoration and promised
that the state would provide the equivalent of $16,000 in funds as a
donation, but the St. Giragos Foundation is still awaiting these funds.
St. Giragos will differ from other Armenian churches like that of Akhtamar
which the Turkish government renovated as a museum. The Patriarchate will
keep St. Giragos open every day, and the Divine Liturgy can be held there
any time without government permission. Cultural activities will also be
organized there.
Senior members of the East Coast St. Giragos Church Restoration Committee
Hagop Uzatmaciyan and Bayar Karakashian joined Archbishop Aram Ateshian,
vicar general of the Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul, to present a gold
medal to Ayik in gratitude for his efforts. Dikran the Great is pictured on
one side of the medal, and Mount Ararat on its obverse. The medal was
specially created here in the US.
Ateshian, who came especially for the St. Giragos fundraising efforts to the
United States, encouraged the audience to give donations for this worthy
project. He gave a brief synopsis of the difficult efforts to create a
responsible Parish Council for the St. Giragos Church and stressed that it
was important to have a church in Diyarbakir as proof of Armenian existence
there. He noted that though only two openly Armenian families are left;
there are some 70 Armenian families who have converted to Islam out of
pressure or who hide their Armenian identity. Ateshian's own sister's
children are among them. The restoration of the church gives these Armenians
strength to recover their ancestral identity and faith, and so some of his
relatives have agreed to be baptized on the day the church is reopened.
Archbishop Viken Aykazian, diocesan legate in Washington, DC, also spoke in
favor of the project and stated that the time for donations was now.
Armenians had to invest in their own heritage. Ateshian pointed out that the
three archbishops present that evening had all come from the provinces to
become students together in Istanbul in the Holy Cross Tbrevank or seminary.
They then went to Jerusalem to continue their religious education and rose
in the ranks of the hierarchy.
Author and journalist Osman Köker, visiting the US from Turkey to present
his book, Armenians in Turkey 100 Years Ago, showed the audience slides on
the Armenian presence in the Ottoman Empire as well as specifically some
pictures of Diyarbakir. He is preparing a special exhibition on the
Armenians of Dikranagerd from the same Orlando Calumeno collection he used
for his book, and will inaugurate his exhibition when St. Giragos is opened
this fall. Köker's work has been important in providing information on
Armenians to contemporary Turkish society.
The New Jersey benefit included in the audience the Assyrian Orthodox Church
Parish Council from Paramus. Many Assyrians lived in the Diyarbakir area.
There were also a number of personalities from various parts of the US
present, including representatives of the various Armenian political
parties, as well as Ambassador Garen Nazarian, permanent representative of
the Republic of Armenia to the United Nations. Panos Titizian, a veteran
member of the Armenian Democratic Liberal Party from California, discussed
contemporary Turkish politics concerning the Armenians as part of a
patriotic speech in Armenian, while Armenian Weekly editor Khatchig
Mouradian briefly spoke in encouragement of the project.
The master of ceremonies for the evening was Hirant Gulian, who is one of
the active leaders of the restoration committee for the Eastern US. He
exclaimed that `tonight, everybody is Dikranagerdtsi [originating from
Dikranagerd].' Indeed, the food that everybody enjoyed that evening was
typical of the region and was prepared by Suren Kilerciyan, also a committee
member, while the Onnik Dinkjian band played Armenian and regional music.
Oudist Zaven Uzatmaciyan of Dikranagerd sang, and a Dikranagerd
halaydance was led by Bayar Karakashian and his friends.
At the entrance to the hall, an embroidered curtain from St. Giragos, lent
by Virginia Clark, was on display along with a picture of the St. Giragos
bell tower. When Clark and her husband visited St. Giragos in 1995, the
latter found the curtain buried in the earth and somehow managed to bring it
back to the US.
Fundraising for the effort continued a week later in Toronto. Among the
personal donations made so far are 50 crosses made of gold alloy for each of
the 38 columns in St. Giragos Church and for the walls, which is being given
by Hirant Gulian. He and a group from the East Coast will visit the church
in June prior to the formal opening, and the Divine Liturgy will be
conducted there.
Contributions towards the reconstruction of St. Giragos may be made out to
the Diocese of the Armenian Church and sent to Zakar Dikme (575 Stewart St.,
Ridgefield, NJ 07657), with the notation `Dikranagerd Church.'
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3. Historical Novel Depicts Waning Ottoman Empire's Turmoil
By Daphne Abeel
Special to the Mirror-Spectator
The Winter Thief. By Jenny White
W.W. Norton & Co. 2010. 400 pages
$14.95 (paperback) ISBN: 978-0-393-33884-3
The Winter Thief, the third novel in the Kamil Pasha series by
anthropologist Jenny White, is part detective story, part historical novel. Set
in the late 1880s in the Ottoman Empire, during the reign of Sultan
Abdulhamid, it spins a complicated tale that has, at its core, the sultan's
suspicions that a small colony of socialists, who are also Armenian, is
planning a coup against the empire.
Gabriel Arti, an Armenian idealist, is indeed the co-founder of a commune,
New Concord, in the Choruh Valley, that intends to live by socialist
principles. Accompanied reluctantly by his Russian wife, Vera, he is
implicated early on in a violent incident that involves the theft of arms
from a ship, a violent explosion and a bank robbery. These events set an
investigation in motion that involves both Kamil Pasha, the magistrate of
Beyoglu, and his sinister counterpart, Vahid, the sultan's chief of the
secret police, who is a closet sado-masochist. The novel explores the
complexities of the period by means of a panoply of sharply-etched
characters, including Elif, a woman artist, forced to flee her native
Macedonia, having lost her husband and son. Now, caught up in fabric of
events taking place in Istanbul, she is transformed into a fierce and
vengeful being, capable of dressing like a man - and killing like one.
Other important players include Vizier Koraslan, who is most eager to
convince the sultan that the Armenians are plotting against him, hoping to
arouse a counterattack that will stimulate western sympathies and bring the
British and the Russians to their side; Omar, the police chief of Istanbul,
who eventually partners with Kamil to defend the Armenians and Feride,
sister of Kamil, who is married to Huseyin, a pasha, who also becomes
sympathetic to the Armenians.
White paints a canvas rife with confusion. At times, the Armenians are
called socialists, revolutionaries or nationalists and the Henchak Armenians
are a target of particular suspicion regarding their disloyalty to the
sultan. The story also paints a portrait of desperate men, vying for power
and favor in what are to be the waning days of the Ottoman Empire.
The novel contains several romantic subplots. Feride suspects that Huseyin
is conducting an adulterous affair with another woman, Rhea. Vera, although
married to Gabriel, is deeply attracted to another socialist idealist,
Apollo, an Armenian friend from childhood, who seems more sympathetic than
her husband, who thinks only of his cause.
There is a great deal of action in the novel, descriptions of rape, torture,
battles and killing. Kamil, who is accused by the vizier of having
masterminded the theft of guns and the robbery at the bank, is sent by the
sultan to investigate the Armenian commune. But, he is then persuaded by the
vizier to unleash an attack on it led by Kurdish mercenaries.
Kamil and his Armenian cohorts are able to repel it with the aid of some
Ottoman gendarmes who remains loyal to him, although there is great loss of
life and the survivors become refugees who must be taken back to Trabzon.
Amazingly, Kamil is rewarded by the sultan, who realizes that his vizier has
been lying to him. He bestows upon Kamil the High Order of Honor and also a
yali (villa) on the Bosphorus.
The novel is sometimes confusing, but then it is describing confusing times.
And there are passages where plot elements are suddenly explained so quickly
by the author that the reader must be exceedingly vigilant to catch all the
twists and turns.
Readers can enjoy this novel for its cultural and historical accuracy. The
author, Jenny White, is a professor of anthropology at Boston University,
specializing in Turkey. She possesses a detailed command of Armenian and
Ottoman cultures, customs, food and protocol that lend the novel a
believable authenticity.
As her protagonist, Kamil Pasha, is alive and well at the end of the story,
it seems likely that another volume in the series may follow. As a
character, he seems ready for further definition.
Near the end of the novel, he muses, `He had come face-to-face with an evil
greater than lying, stealing, betrayal, or even, he thought wonderingly,
murder. Three months ago, he would have argued on principle that one life
was worth the same as many. Every unnecessary death, every killing equally
reprehensible. But that was before New Concord, before so many innocents had
been trodden underfoot. Hundreds of people killed and for what - as fodder
for men's ambitions. Whether that man was Vahid or Gabriel was immaterial.
Or Kamil himself. Now he was being honored for all of it, he thought with
despair - for his treason, theft, deception, subverting the army and killing
the sultan's men, and for the loss of hundreds of lives that he had set out
with hubris and naiveté to save, but had failed to do so. He had compromised
everything he believed in and failed.'
This is a man for whom life still holds some adventures.
For more information on the author and her work, visit www.kamilpasha.com.
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4. The Oracles Speak in Deauville
By Edmond Y. Azadian
Every time the leaders of major powers meet, they issue statements on
topical political problems of the day and the Karabagh conflict has become
one of those issues. On the sidelines of G-8 meeting in the French city of
Deauville, the presidents of US, France and Russia issued that routine
statement which begs for interpretation.
The warring factions or parties to a conflict read into those declarations
whatever they would like to see, and the statements are intentionally vague
and equivocal in order not to divulge fully the issuing parties' positions
and to allow room for interpretation and misinterpretation.
This reminds us of the story of the oracles in ancient Greece. The most
important oracle would sit in Delphi and many kings, priests and warriors
would make pilgrimages there to learn from the prophecies or sage advice
from the oracle, who was supposed to speak on behalf of the god Apollo. The
ritual of the prophecies would begin with the sacrifice of a goat to find
out if the time and the atmosphere were ripe for the rituals.
The predictions of the oracle were phrased very shrewdly, causing many
supplicants to misinterpret the advice.
The interpretations, coming from different quarters, about the May 26
declaration reminds us of the prophecies of the Delphi oracle, and perhaps
the sacrifice of the goat may symbolize Karabagh.
The Armenian side hailed the declaration as a positive statement consonant
with its position on the issue, especially its emphasis on the `peaceful
means,' which was officially endorsed also by Armenia and Azerbaijan in the
Meindorf declaration. `The statement made today on the sidelines of the G-8
Summit in Deauville by the leaders of OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries
contains important messages and may become an impetus for the settlement of
the issue,' said Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian.
`Armenia has always been in support of the settlement of the conflict
between Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabagh through exclusively peaceful means
and has repeatedly proven it in practice. Therefore, it is clear to whom the
unequivocal message of the statement in this regard is addressed,' added
Nalbandian.
The Azeri side gave a completely different interpretation to the joint
statement by Presidents Barack Obama, Nicholas Sarkozy and Dmitry Medvedev,
indicating that the declaration heightened the pressure on Armenia. `It
follows from the statement that Armenia must start the withdrawal of its
armed forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan,' the Foreign
Ministry statement cited by Azerbaijani news agencies indicated.
`Unfortunately85Armenia continues to drag out that process and thereby impede
the conflict's peaceful resolution,' it said.
In his turn Novruz Mammedov, Ilham Aliyev's chief foreign policy advisor,
said, `As a matter of fact, the negotiating process has dragged because of
the Armenian side.'
All political parties in Armenia commented on the declaration that whoever
triggers the war will be the loser.
The ARF representative, Ardsvik Minassian, brought up a subtle and
unsettling point in the declaration, which is equally directed at Armenia
and Azerbaijan, without any distinction which party is talking about the use
of force and actually violating the ceasefire agreement. There is parity in
the two parties.
The statement also recommended respective governments to prepare their
populations for a peaceful settlement, which calls for mutual compromises.
The settlement will be made around the basic agreements of principles, which
may be announced at the forthcoming summit in the Russian city of Kazan.
After years of tough negotiations, finally a document has been drafted,
which will be put to the test at the forthcoming summit. Those principles
were comprehensively outlined in an article by Thomas de Waal in the
National Interest, paraphrased as follows: `The Basic Principles document
offers constructive ambiguity. It stipulates gradual Armenian withdrawal
from the territories around Karabagh; `interim status' for Karabagh itself,
giving it enhanced international legitimacy but not full independence; and
the promise in the future of a popular vote, a `legally binding' expression
of will to determine the future status of the territory.'
This sounds like a hopeful start, but public pronouncements have a different
tone.
The meeting will be held on June 25 between Medvedev, Sargisian and Aliyev.
The principles advocated by the major powers constitute a square wheel,
which will not move forward, unless those powers force that wheel to move
or85break. Those principles are incompatible; right for self-determination
and territorial integrity, unless a diluted self-determination is imposed on
the Armenian side, within the boundaries of Azerbaijan, which Baku is
advocating and dreaming.
Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Rybakov has sounded a more positive
note by indicating that `we are not at the threshold of new conflicts but
close to a resolution.'
Russia's role is crucial for Armenia, because we know where the US and
France stand on the Karabagh conflict.
While Armenians have pinned their hopes on Moscow, Russia's foreign policy
lately has become ambiguous, enigmatic and sometimes erratic.
The G-8 declaration in Deauville addressed the conflicts in different hot
spots on the globe as well, and particularly in Libya and Syria, when
Russian positions came out to be pragmatic, unpredictable and implausible.
When the UN resolution on Libya came to a vote in the Security Council,
Moscow abstained and later on mumbled that the resolution was meant `to
protect the Libyan people' while NATO took it as a mandate to invade a
sovereign country and topple its government.
Russia's position was interpreted that many of its oligarchs had invested in
Libyan oil and Muammar Gaddafi had guaranteed their interests. But it turned
out that in Deauville Moscow sided with the West, calling for Gaddafi to
quit. Russia also abandoned its Syrian ally, where its Mediterranean fleet
is anchored in Latakia, thus giving Russia its only access to the
Mediterranean. President Bashar Assad was certainly disappointed by Russia's
defection.
Based on Russian foreign policy's direction, or misdirection, we cannot
count on Moscow to support a Karabagh solution favoring Armenia, the Russian
base in Armenia and the rhetoric of `eternal friendship' not withstanding.
Indeed Russia has a military listening post in Azerbaijan, has oil interests
and above all it has strategic interests. Georgian President Mikheil
Saakashvili's intent to integrate Georgia in the NATO structure has
irritated Russia to no end. Until recently Azerbaijan was also playing the
NATO card, when Moscow cajoled the Azeri leaders to take a neutral position.
Today Baku is refraining from joining to any military block, which pleases
Kremlin policymakers.
Russia intends to keep Baku at bay. On the other hand, Armenia has given
away to Russia what little it had. Therefore, Moscow does not expect
anything more from Armenia, which means it has a free hand to treat Armenia
any way it likes, with impunity.
Today, while we are trying to analyze the declaration of the oracles in
Deauville, we are reminded of King Croesus of Lydia who solicited the advice
of the oracle in Delphi, before attacking Persia, and contrary to the
prophecy of victory the Lydian army was defeated.
This should serve as an omen for Armenians not to read too much into the
prophecies of the oracles of Deauville.
************************************************** ****************
5. Congratulations on Upcoming Anniversary Celebration of Mirror-Spectator
By Hagop Vartivarian
During the beginning of the 20th century the generation of immigrants to
America was already ceding its place to a new American-born generation, a
generation which did not have the opportunity to attend Armenian schools. In
those days, Armenian schools did not exist in America where one could learn
the Armenian language. Although an Armenian-filled atmosphere still existed
in Watertown, Worcester, Providence, New York and other towns, the Armenian
language was already imperceptibly in retreat.
Baikar, the Boston daily newspaper published by the Armenian Democratic
Liberal Party (ADL), remained sought-after by the Armenian-speaking
generation, but it was necessary to provide the new generation a newspaper
in the English language. In 1932, the leadership of the time, headed by
Diradour Dikijian, was audacious enough to begin publication of the weekly
Mirror. Later, in 1939, the Mirror merged with the Spectator in New
York in order to better reach the younger generation in particular.
In addition to being the mouthpiece of democratic liberal ideology,
the Mirror-Spectator
became the unofficial organ of all national patriotic organizations, which
believed in the creed of the ADL. Only one year after its establishment, the
Primate of the day, Archbishop Ghevont Tourian, was martyred. From his
demise until the present, the Mirror-Spectator has advocated the unity of
the Church of Armenia and directed the unvarying respect of the Armenian
Americans towards the Mother See of Echmiadzin.
For decades it has chronicled the wide-ranging activities of the Armenian
General Benevolent Union, holding high their role in Armenian communities.
Similarly, it praised the exemplary work of the brotherhood of the Knights
of Vartan and later extensively reported on the activity of the Armenian
Assembly of America, which was created as a result of Armenian national
demands.
During the sad days of the Cold War, it focused the patriotism of the
Armenian-American masses on the homeland, and filled the masses with
enthusiasm over the cultural, educational, scientific and architectural
successes of Armenia. During World War II, it recorded on a daily basis the
heroic deeds of Armenian soldiers serving in the Red Army against Hitler's
armies. It championed repatriation to Mother Armenia from 1946 to 1948.
It became the true voice of the Tekeyan Cultural Association and presented
its educational, social and cultural life. It connected our communities of
the diaspora to Armenia. And it trumpeted our independence, awaited for
centuries, with the arrival of the third Republic of Armenia.
(Hagop Vartivarian is the chairman of the New York chapter of the Tekeyan
Cultural Association and is the chairman of the ADL Press Committee.)