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lUNI
Armenian lnternational Magazine December 1999
Volume 10, N0.12
OEPIRIMHUT$
6 tnom thc Edltor 7 LcttGr$ t0 thc Editon 10
AIM Uieuu
12 llotebook 15 Byte$ 16 HIUE 24 lhe l$tanbul $ummit Fifty Four Nations
Global Picture
18 lFmenia Bniels Discuss Regional Security and Conflicrs
GOUM SI(INY
qilEGilM
26 lhe
42
Yean in Reuiew Major Events in 1999 Shape Life in Armenia and the Diaspora
on File
l/,/e Hlstonical Present Two Scholars See the Present from the Annals of Ancient Times
20 Economic New$ & lndicatons 22 lirstota BFiels 65 othcn People's Mail 66 taGGS 68 70
Undenexposed Essay
REGIOTtl
39 tliland
Pipeline Politics
US-Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce Conference GOIUTEGIHITTS
50
ilfiIttI 34 lhe
Path to Powen
46
A Photojournalist Captures the Early Morning Moments
lntegnation Cabinet Minister Arthur Nazarian
Armenians Shaking Things Up in
Discusses Lebanon and the
California Politics
Armenian Communitv
YBnGUan Wakes Up
52
The 0ccult Clairvoyance or Sorcery
IRT$
59
New Uoices ol Music Talented Youth Serve as Examples Charity Well Spent
of
Cover design by Raffi Tarpinian AIM ( SSN 1050-3471) is pub shed monlhly $45 per year by Ihe Foudh Miilefnium Smiety, 207 Sollh Brand Boulevard. Suile 203 G lenda e CA 91 204: Phone 181 8) 246-7979, Faxr (81 8) 24Gm8 PeriodielsPoslagepardalGeidaeCAandaddhonalmaiin!oflices CanadaPostPubliâ‚Źlionsirail Produd Snhs Agreemenl No 051 6457 O Copyrighl 1 998 by The Fourlh M lennium Soclety. All riohls resefred AllV may not be reproduced n any manner ether in whok or I pad, wilhoulwrten pemsson lrom lhe publisher The ediloG are nol respons ble lor unso iciled manuscripls or an unh$ a slamped sel addressed envelope is endosed opinrons expressed in sgned adicl6 do not srlyrepresenllhevewsofTheFounh[/|llenniumSociely.Fo adverlsinoqleries@ll]818-24& 7979 Slbscriplion rales lor 12 issles US: M5 Foreign: $55. P0stm6ters: Sefd add6 ctBn06 to AlM. P0 Box 10793. G endale CA 91209 U S.A.
m-
AIM DECEMBER I999
Looking Forward to a Normal Past When this century began, our very existence was in doubt. The oppormnity,
Foundin0 Editor Vartan oskanian
then, to sit down at the end of the century
Founding Publisher Michael Nahabet
and think about the next hundred and even
Amenian lnlernalional Magazine
the next thousand years is a strange gift. It must be a sign of the times. We live in an era when each decade is different from the last. Many of us have also been
fortunate enough not
to
/UNI
Founded in 1990
207 South Brand Boulevard. Suite 203 Glendale, California 91204 USA Phone 818 246 7979 Fax 818 246 0088 E-mail aim4m@wenet.net 0r aimagazine@ao .com EdilotsPublisher
have lived
Salpi Haroutinian Ghazarian
through the kind of catastrophes which
Managing Edilor
make one doubt, even fear, the future. We can, then, with a level head and a hopeful
Associale Edilor
HratGh Tchilingiilan
A. H. Alerandrian, Yereva.t
heart think about what the next century and the next millennium will bring. Or, rather than waiting to see what comes, we can think and plan what we can do to make the next installment of our collective existence more normal, more productive. No one expects that it will be uniformly fortunate and positive. But we do have a right to expect that we
Senior Editor
Tony Halpin, london Design and Production l\.4anager
Patrick Azadian Photo Manager
Parik
Iazalian
Design
Ralli Tarpinian Subscriplions lvlanaoer
seta l(hodanian
can build a future that is normal. Just plain normal. Just like every other nation on the planet, we too have the right. And the responsibility. We owe it to our grandparents to justify their legacy. But we owe to it our kids that we do this in a way that is appropriate and effective in the next millennium. How? Honest, critical, thoughtful thinking and planning on the part of institutions, organizations and individuals is unfortunately not our standard operating methodology. But, in the next century it must be. Accountable political, religious and civic leaders performing in a transparent, democratic environment is not only desirable, but essential if a critical mass of new generation of worker bees is to be gathered. No more double standards for performance within and outside the community. No more double standards for what is tolerated in the Diaspora and rejected in Armenia. The awareness that a strong, prosperous Armenian Republic is the guarantor of the Diaspora's existence must be followed by the appropriate plan to ensure such a viable state. The list goes on. Developing an international presence and image that goes beyond identiflcation as victims of Genocide. Agreeing to disagree on means but supporting the same end. Finally, re-imagining and re-assessing our rightful place in the world, alongside all other peoples and nations. Not above them, not below them. Simply together with them.
And for all this, an honest, responsible, courageous media are basic requirements to shine a light on what we do, to hold up a mirror to what goes on, to give voice to the questions and look for the answers. AIM has begun down that path. These first ten years of AIM's life were just a tryout period. In the next century, we'll get better. It will be so good, in a thousand years, to look back and describe the fourth millennium of Armenian history as a rather normal thousand or so years.
4w+AIM DECEMBER I999
Adveilising manager
Fimi l[slhita]ian lntern
Karina Avedissian
Yerevan Buleau 5 Nalbandian Boom 24 Phone
583639 Phone/Fax 151849
E-mail aimarm@arminco.conl Coordinator
Anahil Marlirossian Advertising l\,1anager
Gohar Sahakian Design and Production
Areg Asatrian, Vahan Stepanian
Conlrlbuting Edilors
John Hughes, Bonald Grig0r Suny, Taline Voskeritchian Conlributors
Aitashss Emin, Yerevan; Susan Pattie, l-0ndon; Edi[ Balaian, Am Chouliirn, Los Angeles: Jansl Samuelian, Palm Spilngs; Mark ilalkasian, Bhode lsland; Georue Bournoulian, Lola Koundakiian, ilsw York; ilyriam Gaumo, Paris; Malthew Xaranian, iloorad ilooradian, Washington, 0C; vartan ilaliolsian,
BIsnos Ai]es. Photographers
ilthitar Khachatrian, Zaven (hachilian, Rouben Man0asa]ian, Yerovan; Ant0ine Agoudiian, Amiroh Johannas, Allns Manoulian, Parisi Edmond Teral0pial, London; xarine Amen, Nevoil( olansozlan, Rafii Ekmelli, E]lc ]laarian, An osha0an, Los Angolos; Gam Lachlnlan, lrlassachu88tt8; AdEm Aslanian, l{ow Jo68y; Harry l(oundalilan, },low Yorh B8i!8 Ara Zobian, Rhode lsland. Edilor Emerilus
Chailos ilazarian Editorial Consultanl
ilinas Xoiaian lnternational Subscriptlons and Advedisin0 Raprosontatives Ar000tl0a Coleoio Mekhitarista Vrrey de P no 351 1 (1426) Buenos Airâ‚Źs Phone 541 552 3690Au!tElia Varooj lskender an 148 Koola Ave. East Killara NSW 2071 Phone 02.9251 2882i Allred lvarkarian. P0 Box 370 Hads Park NSW 2150, Phone 029897 1846i Vahe Kateb P0. 8ox 250. Pon Melbourne vctorla 320/, Phone 03 9794 0009 Canad. Fazmig Haklmiai,6695 Henri Bourase Wesl, Monlrea. P0, H4R 2E1 Phone 514 339 2517 Hong l(000 Jack Maxian. RM. M, 1ln Block A 26 Kai Cheuno Rd, Kowloon Bay Kowloon, Phone 852 795 9888 llary Piâ‚Ź(e Balanian, Via Morlacca, 61 A4/5 Bome, Phone 995 1 235 Lr[aron Zarlouh i Kabak an P 0. Box 55669,Beirll,Lebafon Phone(1)5102l2UnilsdArrbEmiral0sGulizarJonian,P0.Box 44564. Abu Dhabi, UAE, Phone9712775l21,Fa\9712775 191 Unilod Xlngdom Mlsak ohanian, 105A Mill Hil Rd Acloi. Londoi W3&lF, Phone 0181 992 4621
Write to Aim! We w8lcome all communication. Althouoh we read all lelters and submissions, we are unable t0 acknowiedqe everylhing we receive due to limiled staffing and res0urces. Letlers 1o the Editor may be edited for publication.
the genes to be oppressed or expect oppression, even by your own. It may take generations to leave the darkness behind and gradually come into the light. One of the advantages enjoyed by the founding fathers of the US is the fact that they had always been free, coming from countries that ruled others England, Scandinavia and Germany. American law was based mainly on English law, and the English were quite influenced by the Romans. They were already prepared to do the ruling. And yet not all of the colonists wanted to break from England. In England they saw long-term stability and security, notwithstanding the fact that England taxed and policed its colonies rather unfairly. It protected them, too. In the end, the new Americans had many costly battles and wars to fight, the worst of which being against itself, before they could truly see the emergence of the US we have today. It would be wise not to focus too much time and energy on the details of what may be
-
Not Overnight This is in response to Tony Halpin's article (Cover Story, November 1999) on the five gunmen in the Armenian Parliament, arid how the assassinations may affect Armenia's political and economic future. write this as a relative outsider to Armenian history, its people and its culture. I was bom and raised in the US by parents who left Iran in the late 1950s because they saw no future there. For what it's worth, Armenian ways were never impressed upon me. Howeveq I am an enthusiastic student of history in general and the conditions that give rise to certain types of behavior. So, in a way, you might say I am able see the shape of the forest better than those who are in the middle of it. If one looks at Armenia's past, it is easy to see long periods of subjugation under a variety
I
of rulers or oppressors. This hasn't given the people much practice in self-government, and the inherent responsibilities which come with freedom have never been exercised. Armenia has been free from Soviet rule for only a very short period of time, although even I wonder skeptically whether or not freedom in the true sense really exists. Furthermore, Armenia is too limited in both resources arid geography to not have to depend heavily on its neighbors. As the Armenian Republic is still in its infancy, it will take time to break into the new shoes of a traditional democracy. And, as with breaking in a new set of shoes, often times there will be the familiar blisters associated with friction, in whatever form it takes. Changing the course of a nation is a difficult and painful process, made only more so
a long and strenuous journey. The birth of a nation, or any form of life for that matter, is accompanied by much kicking, screaming and bloodshed. This is natural and inevitable. I
share the author's closing argument that Armenians can and
will
endure hardship and
difficulty and move ahead with daily life in
a
relatively routine manner. What else can they do? Howeveq one must appreciate the circumstances of a people who haven't enjoyed self-government for several cennrries, and
have never experienced true democracy, which ideally requires each and every citizen to think and decide independently while working cooperatively towards mutually beneficial objectives at the local and national levels. Can a people so long accustomed to foreign and often hostile domination suddenly develop enough mutual trust and self-determination to forge a successful Armenian nation? Not overnight. It will take considerable time and effort, but the Israelis did it, and they don't even trust each other.
Arthur Saginian Saugus, California Dates
A small error had crept in your otherwise interesting article on the Catholicossal election (Focus, November 1999). Garegin II was
but failed to highlight the reasons or suggest possible solutions to the problem. I should like to add the following: Any successful competition finalist must next appear on the concert platform in a recital or as a soloist. We all know that such events are far from profirmaking affairs and need sponsors who are sympathetic, understanding and willing to dig deep into their pockets. Few nonArmenian sponsors are willing to support the Armenian pianists, therefore in the end the onus falls on Armenians. Most of these sponsors would happily contribute tens oreven hundreds of thousands of dollars to a church, but when it comes to supporting art and artists, there is a lack of cultural understanding and a lack of appreciation of the importance of the arts which prevents them from supporting young classical talent. Most probably, many of them have yet to attend a concert of classical music. I suggest that it is the duty of
all art and
music lovers to take up the task of "educating" these potential patrons and persuading them to sponsor the proper education and careers of young artists. We must bear in mind that helping young artists should not be considered a one-off proposition. A sponsor must be prepared to start support at the educational level and then carry on his/her assistance onto the concert platform and recording contracts. One other problem is the choice of repertory. Our young talents should be wary of presenting the standard Bach/Beethoven/Chopin and automatically leaving themselves open to comparison with the giants of the keyboard. Of course, it is not easy to choose a balanced,
new and yet interesting repertory for
the
musical public but it is a challenge that needs to be taken up.
As for recordings, these usually follow successful appearances on the concert platform and for newcomers, the assistance of sponsors is needed here, too. Arecording company may
be willing to record a young and unfamiliar artist ifthe repertory is interesting and unusual, provided there backing for the artist. The personal charm, confidence and assertiveness of the artist is also an important factor in presenting oneself to the musical
world and its impresarios, who after all
also motivated
are
by the market economy.
In Search of Patron Saints
However, once the talent is there, finding a suitable sponsor seems to be the key factor. It is up to our philanthropists and cultural funds to support and promote these young talents who are the most important assets of our nation. By doing so they will be promoting the
by people who must overcome centuries of
The article about the state of Armenian pianists (Arts, November 1999) provided
pararnount aspect ofour identity, our culture. Rouben Galichian
deceit and oppression. It is almost ingrained
some detailed information about some artists
London, England
in
consecrated bishop in 1983 and not in 1980. Gagik Stepan-Sarkissian Ruislip, Middlesex, United Kingdom
AIM DECEMBER I9SS
u independently funded and administered public chuity committed to the dissemination of infomation for the purpose of developing an infomed public. Underpinning all our work is the 6rm conviction that the vitality of an independent prcss is fundamental to a democratic society in Amenia and democratic institutions in the Diaspora. The Founh Millennium Seiety publishes Armenian Intemational Magazine in its effon to contribute to the national dialogue. The dircctos are gratelul to the Benefactors, Trustes, Patrons ed Friends of the Founh Millennium Society who [e committed to the well-being, growth and devel-
The Fourth Millennium Sciety is
opment of Amenians and Amenia lhrough the promotion of open discussion and the free flow of infomation among individuals and organizations. Their financial contributions $uppon the work of the Fourth Millennium S@iety and ensurc the independence ofAlM. Michael Nahabet, Raffi Zinzalian, Directors
DIRECTORS'9!) Shahen Hairapetian, Armen Hampar, Zaven Khanjian, Michael Nahabet,
Alex Sarkissian, Bob Shamlian. Raffi Zinzalian. BENEFACTORS Sarkis Acopian, Albert and Tove Boyajian, Hirair Hovnanian, The Lincy Foundation Louise Manoogian Simone
SENIOR TRUSTEES
AUSTRALIA Heros & Kate Dilanchian CANADA Razmig Hakimian, Kourken Sarkissian HONG KONG Jack Maxian CALTFORNIA Khachig Babayan, George & Flora Dunaians, Araxie M. Haroutinian, George & Grace Kay, Joe & Joyce Stein RHODE ISLAND Papken Janjigian FOUNDING TRUSTEES AUSTRALIA Varoojan Iskenderian CALIFORNIA Garen Avedikian, Mardo Kaprielian, Edward Misserlian, Bob Movelt, Varoujan Nahabet, Norair Oskanian, Emmy Papazian, Zareh Sarkissian, Raffi Zinzalian FLORIDA Hagop Koushakjian PENNSYLVANIA Zarouhi Mardikian ASSOCIATE TRUSTEES NH Jeannette John CAWalter and Laurel Karabian, Ralph and Savey Tufenkian
Commerce Casino: Hasmik Mgrdichian, George Tumanjan
Law Office of Aris Artounians: Aris & Karine Artounians NASA Services Inc: Sam & Elizabeth Sarkisian, Nick & Kamelia Sarkisian, Arsen Sarkisian Remax of Glendale: Vahe & Aida Yeghiazarian
PATRONS ARMENIA Khachatur md Rouzanna Soukicsim AUSTRALIA
Shahen md Martha Hdoutunian Arpir and Hemine Janoyan Jack and Mtro Kalaydjian
Arman ad Nairi Derderyan Artin Etmekjian George and Vanouhi Tavoukjian Mack Vahanian Anonymous
Kevork md Satenig Karajerjian Nishant and Sona Kazazian
CALIFORNIA Mihran and Elizabeth Agbabian Gaabed Akpolat Armand and Nancy Arabian Vartkes and Jean B6sam Hmy and Alvan Btrseghian Aram and Terez Bassenian Berj aod Hera Boyajian Hagop and Violet Dakessian Ardash and Mdian Derderian Dimitri and Tamda Dimirri Steve and Lucille Estephanian Manoushag Femanian Gagik and Knil Galstian Vahan md Audrcy Oregor Piere md Alice Haig
Armen and Gloriat Hampa
John and Rose Ketchoyan Gary and Sossi Kevorkian Zaven and Sona Khanjian
Krikor Krikorian
CANADA Louise Aznavour
Migirdic and Ani Migirdicym CONNECTICUT Louis T. Hagopian CYPRUS
Gdo Keheyan ITALY Krikor and Htrout Istanbulian
LEBANON
Avik Mahdesiant
Kevork Bouladian MASSACHUSETTS Kevork Atinizian
Stepan and Erdanik Mukuian Hrout and Rita Mesrobian Edwud and Alice Navasugian
Ceorge Chamchikian
Ammd O. Norehad Kenneth and Cindy Norian Rafi Ourfalian Michael and Hemine Piranian Hratch and Helga Sarkis
Larry and Seda Barnes NEW JERSEY Nazar and Afremis Nazarian
Dora Servidian Kuhn
Alex Sdkissian Roben and Helen Shamlian Perrcs and Carine Taglyan
Richard Simonian
MICHIGAN Alex Manoogianf Kirakos Vapurciyan
NEVADA
NEWYORK Harry and Aida Koundakjim Vahe Nishaniant Y John and Lucille G. Sarkissian
Ara md Avedis Tavitian
UNITED KINGDOM
Gaidzag and Dzovig Zeitlian
Diran and Suzi Chakelian
FRIENDS
OFAIM
The Fourth Millennium Society is gratetul to the following for conributing during the l6t month io ensure AIM's financial independence. AUSTRALIA Zaven Abku CANADA V Pailakim, E. Shehirim GREECE Roupen Kalfaym UK Amenag Topalia. Haout Topsacalian, Lu@s Yeghnaztr AZ Steve Khroye CA Dikmn Horcupim, George Minasim. Toros Volkm CT Dwin Jmgochian FL Jirair Haatunian IN James & Ctrol Litton Touloukiu MI Jack Kosaim NJ Harry Chmtikim, In Memory of Margret Chetikim NY Rafli Zohmbian WA David M, Ross
AIM DECEMBER 1999
A Chance at Reinc arctatron The Most Important Post-Independence Institution Moves Forward The Armenia Fund 's 1999 Telethon (See page 15) to benefit the construction of a north-south intemal highway in Karabakh was successfully completed. Just one month earlier, Armenia's top political leaders were assassinated, and many questioned the wisdom of continuing with the planned telethon. The organizers even were doubtful. They had reason to be. After a nearly two year absence from the scene, the amount and quality of support this telethon would receive was questionable. At a time when the Armenia Fund's name had slipped from ttre scene,
following waves of leadership changes both in Yerevan and in the Westem US (where the telethon was organized and broadcast), the telethon was a respectable success and everyone acknowledged it as such. Much of the credit goes to the organizers who stubbomly went forward despite a difficult political environment. But then, the telethon is accustomed to tough times. The May 1996 telethon was held in a contentious election atmosphere. The November 1997 telethon took place in the tense months which preceded the resignation of President l.evon Ter Petrossian. The November 1999 telethon will be remembered as the one which did not have a videotaped appeal from either the Prime Minister of Armenia (who had just been shot) nor the republic's president, who was busy trying to reconstitute a government. A great deal of credit also goes to the governments of Armenia and Karabakh who recognized a potential disaster, and sent their top guns
to Los Angeles to sow confidence. Karabakh's President Arkady Ghukasian and Armenia's Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian did just that. They spoke throughout the telethon and their comments were candid, forthright and blunt. So was their call for help. And, the people demonstrated deep understanding and wisdom. Nearly five and a half million dollars were raised. Of that amount, nearly three million came from major donors who could have easily supported their own Armenia-based projects without contributing to the Armenia Fund. Yet they did. The remaining two and half million came from 6,000-plus families who donated an average of $400. But none of the donors - big or small - were paying for asphalt.
They were all paying their "dues" to a pan-national institution which has been given the unique chance at reincarnation. With some vision and direction from Yerevan, and some seriousness and grasp of the big picture in the Diaspora, the Armenia Fund has a good second chance of becoming the quasi-governmental agency which can deliver the resources Armenia and Karabakh need to build much-needed infrastructure. The public has demonstrated its willingness to give. But the Armenia Fund can't take the people for granted. It can't rely on a biannual telethon, broadcast largely to Southern California, to simultaneously educate, convince and fundraise. It can 't rely on occasional lectures and a banquet - after all, it 's not a church board of trustees. Its mission and responsibility go beyond planning and carrying out individual events - even if they are on the scale of an I I -hour telethon. The Armenia Fund must develop a solid message and a broad audience. Right now, in the US at least, both fluctuate. Yet, it can have bottr more easily than any other institution around. The concept of the Fund is solid: An Armenia-based instihrtion which makes decisions emanating from government needs and recommendations, and implements them with resources generated largely from the Diaspora. The capabilities of
the Fund have been demonstrated: a strategically crucial road linking Armenia to Karabakh has been constructed, as have a few elecricity and water distribution systems, residences, hospitals, schools. The people's readiness to participate and contribute has been proven: $20 million plus has been raised in four years. What remains is for the Fund to decide to invest resources in identifying and developing the non-traditional audience. That audience must grow over time. That audience must be offered a thoughtful, reasonable, well-explained message regularly in order for it
to recognize the Fund as the vehicle for nation-building.
That message will drive its public relations and education campaign. It will also determine its choice of fundraising methods: A regular telethon? A system of monthly contributions? The Fund has the legitimacy to do all this. It remains for it to have the will and the vision.
Almost a Force Armenian-American Votes, Money, Candidates and Agenda Fall into Place For effective political representation, a group or a cause needs four things: votes, money, willing candidates and an agenda. Until this last decade, there haven't been enough Armenian votes in any one district to affect an election anywhere in the US. That is now changing in Southern California (See page 34.) There, the numbers in a few districts are so concentrated that notjust local but state
Armenians, too, benefit regularly from Armenian fundraising. Supporters of the Armenian Assembly of America and the Armenian National Committee of America give regularly and generously to US senators, congressmen and presidential candidates, too. Finding candidates who will do more than simply pay lip service to
and federal elections, too, may swing on the "Armenian Vote." It used to be that money replaced votes. Armenians have always been generous to Democrats and Republicans who agree to speak up for Armenian causes. Governor George Deukmejian's election was due, at least in part, to the financial support he received from
Armenian issues is getting easier. Armenians are getting smarter. The list of needs is becoming more varied. There have always been plenty of candidates willing to say that Genocide is bad. It is harder to find and support those candidates who are also willing to say that Karabakh independence is good, that aid to Armenia is essential, that linking oil to peace is short-sighted.
Armenian-Americans. Armenian money has also helped elect Armenians to Massachusetts and California state houses. Non-
candidates
All of these factors, however - the votes, the money and the - can only be effective if there is a cohesive, thought-
AIM DECEMBER 1999
through, articulated agenda. The feel-good days of involvement for involvement's sake are over. It's the agenda that will determine whether Armenians can be politically effective locally or nationally. What requests should a candidate be held to? What kind of money should be raised for a candidate who is willing to support the Armenian foreign policy agenda, but not the local agenda? Do Armenians have a local agenda? Do Armenians have a stake in public education, health care and transportation issues which affect every major metropolitan area where Armenians live? Is it wise to diffuse the list and include both domestic and foreign pol-
icy items? Do all Armenian organizations and individuals have to support the same agenda? Can there be coordinated, or uncoordinated, multiplicity of opinions and voices? Should that come later? Should Armenian candidates be encouraged above nonArmenian candidates? Finally, who will ask the remaining questions and who will formulate the responses? Who will define the "Armenian agenda"? Will Armenians support candidates with money and now, votes, without a specific list of expectations? In order for the formula to be effective, all four have to fall into place: votes, money, candidates and agenda. So far, only three out
offour have fallen into
place. !
Defrauding the Future Understanding the Complex Reality that Gives Rise to Criminal Activity Armenians want to cease to be an invisible minority and have their history and politics recognized, but appearing on the front pages of US newspapers in association with FBI investigations is not what anyone had in mind. It goes without saying that all Armenians are not involved in the CaliforniaMedi-cal fraud scam (See Page23) currently being investigated. Authorities say that as much as $l billion may have been skimmed from govemment medical insurance funds. At the same time, one cannot ignore the reality that many of those implicated are Armenian. Because Armenians are fearful that the media, law enforcement agencies and the judicial apparatus will simply hear "ian" and automatically assume involvement in some scheme, they are fearful of acknowledging and trying to explain such pervasive involvement in such unethical and illegal activities. Fraud is both unethical and illegal and is not to be condoned. And the guilty should be punished. Anything short of that is a green light for others to follow suit. But, to prevent future catastrophes from hap pening, there must be some effort to understand why and how these things happen. To avail themselves of the economic opportunities of this country some immigrants will do many unconventional things. The Irish did it, Poles did it, Italians did it. Today, Russians, Iranians, Vietnamese and
Armenians are doing it. It is not at all unusual for three generations of a family to live cramped in a two-bedroom apartment, in order to put all earnings toward a small business - grocery store or gas station. They cook, clean and shop together. They work in the family business, managing, bookkeeping, stocking, selling, etc. Children are cared for by the entire household. And in this way, the Armenian saying "A business will bring a home, but a home won't bring a business" is proven correct, And not just a home. It also brings a nice car, jewelry, clothes and other things which appear out of place or extravagant, perhaps even illicit, to the outsider who only sees a bunch of newcomers without realizing the life-choices they have
consciously made. Sometimes, however, the skills they use to find this economic paradise are the ones which should have been left at the border. But those ways cannot be shed overnight, just as language is not learned
overnight. For many Armenian immigrants who trace their roots to the old Soviet Union, their experience of survival meant learning to live by one's wits. It meant figuring out creative and foolproof ways
of beating
a faceless system which was designed to subvert the individual. And Armenians did. Armenia (neck and neck with Estonia) had the highest standard of living among the 15 republics of the Soviet Union. A high standard of living meant a thriving black mar-
ket. Everyone in the Soviet Union lived that way. The system demanded it, indeed assumed it. Everyone learned that to survive they all had to cover each other's backs. To earn a little extra cash, a construction worker "put aside" a little brick and mortar to take home and use to build the neighbor's wall; the neighbor, a musician "took" a few extra tickets to sell to acquaintances; a teacher "offered" to tutor a student towards a better grade; a policeman "forgot" to write up a traffic ticket. In all cases, it was the "system" that was being circumvented, in order to allow individuals to live with a little more dignity. The Soviet authorities were too busy imposing and maintaining political restrictions to bother to restrain this kind of activity. Nor did they want to. It allowed for corrections in a socioeconomic system that was failing. In the West, too, there are many faceless systems which appear to be open and loose and easy to exploit. Insurance, welfare, health care - they are all monstrous webs of rules and services which can be manipulated to great personal benefit. And who loses? For the individual who does not understand the complexities, intricacies and interdependence of this civil society where the govemment and the govemed share responsibility and accountability, the victims of fraud appear to be the anonymous, unknown authorities. And, in the experience of many immigrant groups, authorities have traditionally not been on the side of the average citizen. Against this background, then, the US government is attempting to
curtail fraud and comrption. So is the Armenian govemment. After all, if the heirs of the Soviet system who left the country to live in a stable society with a prosperous economy have still been unable to shed their ways, then how much more difficult it must be in Armenia where there is less economic hope or predictability.
In both these countries, while trying to build, or rebuild, healthy societies, it is important to understand the survival instinct of those with no security. At the same time, it is just as important that peer pressure be applied to those who don't yet comprehend
that a society will not function
if its rules are not followed.
Everyone out to further his own interests means there is no chance that a collective structure which guarantees everyone's basic social securities can work.
AIM DECEMBER I999
Wish List AIM DECEMBER I999
rrThe successful negotiations by Armenian authorities lor the surrender ol terrorists who murdered people in the country's parliament, should be a good lesson lor the authorities in Thailand. u
t( lt is impossible to say that there is no torture in Turkey; there is torture. But torture is not state policy. Torture is a crime. And whoever commits this crime, no matter who that person may be, that person is investigates and is penalized accordingly.ll -Suleyman Demirel President of Turkel-
-Bangkok Post daily newspaper in Thailand
ll rr For almost a decade now, Armenia has undergone extraordinary translormation. Simply put, it has managed several translormations simullaneously, all at a dizzying pace that would doom even the
besl nation builders.
rl
-Jon M. Huntsman Jr.
had in mind amnesty only
stolen baklava or bicycles, [and pardon] lor crimes committed due to economic dilficulties or ignorance in a country with a !ot ol impoverished people but not enough social iustice. -Rahsan Ecevit
ll
wife of Turkish Prime Minister exltressing her uneasiness about the amendme tlt s in se rtetl bt' national i st party M H P in the amnesry bill she intnxluced to the Turkish porliament
Vice Chairman of the Huntsman Corporation and former US Ambassador to Singapore
rlOur second president is not Iike the first. He will not resign so easily and wish the nation good Iuck. rl -Aravol
rrWe do not accept any condition which will hurt the honor of the Turkish people and Turkey.
-Bulent Ecevit
rlThere is not a single woman in the ruling cabinet and very lew of them sit in parliament. Women are clearly discriminated in the decision-making process Iin Armenial.r, -Anahit Sarkisian of " Business Women" association
rrWhen entrepreneuria! activity is not prolitable in a state, people rush to the government system. The status ol a government otlicial becomes the most lucrative. r; -Hovannes Hovannisian
thesecondrrrr"rr!r1?i?lXi';::-?:;:'r'::;:;:,
r,
Prime Minister of Turkey, in reference to Turkev's prospect.fttr EU membership
a liberal daily paper in Armenia
head
forl ((children who had
rrTurkey's future will be critical to shaping the 21st centurY. rr
-Bill US President,
Glinton
told the Turkish Parliament
rrThe most surprising thing was that this sum exceeded the whole money collected by Turks living in the US.ll -Kahan Soyak Chairman, Turkish-Armenian Economic Cooperation Council,
referring to philanthropist Kirk Krikorian's one million dollar donciiott to Turket.for the August eartltquake relief
r(lt
is the ARF IDashnak Party] that is lirm in its delense ol the needs ol the Armenian nation and remains absolute in its opposition to any group 0r individual that harms the well being and security ol the Armenian nation. rl -Armenian Weekly 0n Line Boston-based ARF paper
IUS Secretary ol State Madeleine Albright's letter to President Aliyev regarding the Karabakh conllictl t(was one ol the gravest documents in the history ol world diplomacy. iln the pastl The Russian loreign minister had written a letter lo the 0ttoman sultan that your empire is breaking up. lt would be better that you adopt Christianity. And Mrs. Albright's letter to AIiyev is approximately in the same character. rr -Abullaz Elchibey opposition leader and former president of Azerbaijan
Ir In the days of old the nobles there [in Armenia] were valiant men, and did doughty deeds of arms; but knowdays they are poor creatriles, ffid good at nought, unless it be at boozing; they are great at that.lll ,*Marco Polo (1254 -1324) Souttc: Uat hc Ghazarin (ed.) Arunlans in the Oaonln Enpiru' (watd.an lrlA; 1997),
AIM DECEMBER I999
NOTEBOOK
Bnaue Nalar Immontalired Derenik Demirchian died in Yerevan, in December 1956 at the age of 79, leaving behind a long list of writings. The writer born in Akhalkalaki, Georgia, was known above all else for his prose - short stories and novels Demirchian had written a series of story-poems for children, among them Puy-puy Mukike.
Demirchian,
a
member
of Armenia's Academy
of
Sciences, was also the author of quite a few plays. Best remembered is the comedy Kach Nazar INazar the Bravel which was first staged in Yerevan in 1923 and in Baku and
Tbilisi a year later. It continues to be a mainstay of Armenian theater. The folk tale first recorded by Hovannes Toumanian takes on political overtones in Demirchian's work, as he focused all his comic and sarcastic energies on the village buffoon who accidentally becomes a political leader.
It is Demirchian's two-volume historical novel, Vardanank, which is the author's masterpiece. Written during World War II, the novel uses the Battle of Avarair, fought between Armenians and Persians in 45 I A.D. to present
a version of history based not on individual will, patriotism and collective
heroes, but on popular
strength. Demirchian also included references to class struggle, and in good Soviet fashion, brotherly relations
with one's neighbors.
The Missionany ol Music Garni started out as a CD mail-order service in 1991. ln 1994, it became a record company. By 1996 it had moved into a storefront in Glendale. When the store closed a few years later, those who depended on Gami for its non-mass market musical recordings began to worry. But Garni didn't disappear. Stepan Partamian, 36, Gami's founder remains and continues to be best known for his productions. With nearly 40 recordings to date, Partamian's passion remains producing quality recordings of authentic Armenian music.
But more than producing and distributing CDs, Partamian is really a promoter of Armenian music in the non-Armenian world. His most recent coup was staging an Armenian segment as part of a Hollywood Bowl summer program. Before that, he had become the Armenian music resource for such major outlets as Tower and Virgin Records. If world music started out as a craze, it has already turned into a viable segment of the recording industry, and Partamian is determined that Armenian music will be a permanent presence. "In order to be equally represented right alongside the African, Caribbean and the LatinArabic beats, I am going to continue to publish The Sound Collection, which will become a regular, monthly publication on world music," Partamian says. The recent irregularity of the publication was due to Partamian's health problems. Partamian, 36, underwent a quadruple bypass, last year, and this year has returned full force to his work. "It's ironic," says Partamian, "that the storefront closed because ofwhat appeared to be a lack of interest in authentic Armenian music. Yet, this is exactly what non-Armenians want to hear more of." AIM DECEMBER 1999
NOTEBOOK
2
BuildinU a Backhone
Number of Rockwell Kent paintings on loan from the National Gallery of Armenia to ttri Kent exhibition traveling in the US through February 2000
324 Number of years ago that the first modern Arrnenian (ashkharhabar) book a math textbook - was published, in Marseille, France
-
'
1,80J)
Number of manuscripts in the Matenadaran
in
1828
4r6ffi Number of manuscripts in the Matenadaran in 1914
16477 Number of manuscripts in the Matenadaran
Over 7,000 people contributed more than five million dollars during a Thanksgiving Day telethon in order for the Armenia Fund to begin construction of the 169 km. road linking Karabakh's various regions to each other (see AIM, August-September 1999.) Following the successful completion of the Goris-Stepanakert Highway which links Karabakh to Armenia, the board of the Armenia Fund had decided that a north-south highway within Karabakh was
in 1986
50 Number of extant copies of Moses of Khoren's Armenian History manuscript's oldest versions
Number of those extant copies which are in the Matenadaran in Armenia
essential.
"If we'd had this road during the war, I can say we would have lost only half as many soldiers," explained Karabakh President Arkady Ghukasian during the telethon, broadcast fiom Glendale, California. This strategically important thoroughfare will facilitate economic development, enable the delivery of health and education services, and simplify the lives of the people of Karabakh who continue to live under no peace-no war conditions.
Ghukasian, together with Armenia's Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian participated in the telethon to underscore the commitment of Armenia's and Karabakh's authorities to this project. "Less than a month after the assassinations of top political leaders in Yerevan. the presence of these two high-level officials helped to convince the viewing public that Armenia is determined to continue on the path of democracy, and that the Diaspora's involvement at this point is crucial," stressed Zaven Khanjian, President of the Armenia Fund. Inc. A little over half of the funds raised came fiom major donors. Salpi Haroutinian Ghazarian, AIM editor and one of the telethon hosts. stressed that the participation of these benefactors through the telethon was a vote of confidence for the government and underscored the Fund's unique role. "None of these donors have problems contributing funds to Armenia for countless projects. That they chose to donate such large amounts to the Armenia Fund is evidence of their understanding that the Fund does what no single organization can do - build roads, electricity and water distribution systems, sewage systems - construct the critical infrastructure that is necessary for nation-building."
1,695
of Moses of Khoren's Armenian History (in Amsterdam)
Date of the first publication
25,000 Number of new Armenian vobrs expected to be registered in the Southern California area by the 2000 elections
60 Number of Armenian generals in the Soviet Army during World War tr 8 Number of education ministers Armenia has had
AIM DECEMBER I999
in the
trast
seven years
2 Percentage of Armenia's 859 village chiefs
who were women. in 1998 AIM
Research, Axg, Votkcboik
Leaders and statesmen around the world sent messages of sympathy and encouragement to the President and Government of Armenia following the assassi-
nation
of
Armenia's Prime
Minister Vazgen Sargsian, National Assembly Speaker Karen Demirchian, Minister Leonard Petrossian
and five National Assembly Deputies on October 27. Over three dozen countries sent highlevel delegations to Yerevan to attended the funeral of the slain leaders on October 31. Among those present were Georgian President Edward Shevardnadze (above), Prime Ministers of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Ukaine and a host of ministers and ambassadors from Britain, Canada, China, Egypt, Finland, France, Italy, Iran, Israel, Kyrgyzstan, Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and the US.
Christian Ter-Stepanian, Armenia's Representative to the Council of Europe, attended the proceedings of the Commission for Political Issues of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in early November, where Armenia's (and Azerbaijan's)
application
to join the Council of
Europe was
discussed.
Subsequently, Demetrio Volcic, CE's Rapporteur on Armenia, visited Yerevan for a final assessment, which will be submitted to the Council's Parliamentary Assembly this month. "I see no obstacles to Armenia's swift entry into the Council of Europe," announced Volcic (below, right), assuring the country that the recent assassinations in the Armenian parliament would not have an impact on the process. "On arriving in Armenia, I was convinced that we had made the right decision to visit now when the wounds of the October 27 tragedy are still fresh," said Volcic. "We were convinced that not a single political body of the republic had halted its acrivities, which means that Armenia passed the
it."
difficult test with cred-
he added. During his meeting
with Volcic, President Robert Kocharian stressed that "integra-
tion into European remains" one
structures
of the "priority
tasks" of his administration.
Timothy Jones, 37, became Great Britain's new Ambassador to Armenia, and the youngest of Britain's ambassadors. The Californiaborn diplomat was a Deputy Head of Mission in Tehran. Working in the Foreign Office's Eastern Europe Department since 1984, he has served as a member of the UK Delegation to OSCE in Vienna, a Third Secretary of the UK Embassy in The Hague and has worked in the EU Mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
. While in Istanbul for the OSCE Security Summit, President Bill Clinton met separately with President Robert Kocharian and Azerbaijani President Heidar Aliyev. The Karabakh conflict was the main topic of discussion. A senior US administration official stated that during his meeting with Kocharian, "President Clinton indicated his sympathy for Armenia and the Armenian people over the recent massacre which took place in the Armenian parliament" and "expressed his admiration for President Kocharian for the way he handled the situation, his personal bravery in settling the conflict and the role that he played afterwards in reaffirming the importance
adhering
to the Constitution." As for the Karabakh
of
conflict, "President Clinton again indicated his respect and admiration for the work that President Kocharian and President Aliyev have done together and the fact that they had been willing to attack what has been an extremely difficult problem for both countries for a long period of time. He said he recognized that President Kocharian is going to probably need some time to rebuitd intemally within Armenia in order to be able to continue the discussions on peace at the same time, it's been a particularly important process and that the US and the intemational community stand ready to provide support." . Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian met with US Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott in Washington on November 10. The peaceful resolution of the Karabakh conflict and regional stability were the main topics of discussion. Talbott expressed his government's willingness to actively participate in the negotiations process, as the US is one of the three co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group.
. The US Senate passed the fiscal year 2000 Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill, under which Armenia is to receive some $102
million in US assistance. In 1999, Armenia received $79.8 million. In addition, the bill maintains Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act with existing exceptions. Congress had signed Section 907 into law back in 1992 in response to Azerbaijan's blockade of Armenia and Karabakh. The blockade began
in
1989.
President Robert Kocharian met
with the newly appointed Minsk Group co-chairman Jean-Jacques Gaillarde (Ieft, center). The French diplomat affirmed the group's willingness to actively mediate in the resolution of the Karabakh conflict. Meanwhile, French President Jacques Chirac met with Kocharian and Aliyev on the sidelines of the OSCE Istanbul summit. Chirac expressed optimism about prospects for the settlement of the conflict in the near future.
Armenia's National Assembly ratified the "Agreement on Cooperation in Disseminating Knowledge and Education among Older People," which was sigred in Moscow in early 1997 by the CIS member counties. Aimed at promoting integration of education, information networks, and cooperation in the disseminating information among older people, Armeni4 Azerbaijan and Moldova had signed the Agreement with reservations, while Georgi4 Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and tlkraine declined to sign.
AIM DECEMBER I999
At a
seminar on Refugee Programs funded
by the UN
High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Thomas Birath, the organization's representative in Yerevan, stated that the intemational agency
would gradually decrease its assistance budget for refugees in Armenia. This year's budget of $2.5 million is one million dollars less than its average budget in the mid-1990s. In the coming years it will be reduced to about $1.5 million. Birath noted that as "new flows of refugees appear in different parts of the world and the problems of those refugees require immediate resolution," Armenia will receive less attention and will no longer be considered a "priority" country. UNHCR has been instrumental in providing housing to thousands of refugees in Armenia, as well as dealing with unemployment problems and standard of living. There are no plans to close the UNHCR operations in Armenia and it will continue to work with the Amenian government in promoting the resolution of refugee-related problems.
According to UNHCR Armenia, there are more than 310,000 refugees living in Armenia, of whom 60,000 have temporarily left the country. More than 6,000 refugees have acquired Armenian citizenship.
Bal Anand. India's first ambassador to Armenia, presented his credentials to President Robert Kocharian. They discussed mutually ben-
eficial trade relations as well
as
cooperation in intemational organizations. Ambassador Anand also bnefed Kocharian on the problem ol Kashmir. a disputed tenitory on the Indian-Pakistani border.
President Robert Kocharian paid a visit to Moscow in early November where he met with President Boris Yeltsin. According to a Russian official, "both presidents wanted to meet in non official surroundings," thus, instead of the Kremlin, they met at the Russian President's Ogoryovo residence. Kocharian, who was accompanied by Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian and Defense Minister Vagharshak Harutiunian, also met with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, whose next meeting was with the visitrng Turkish Prime Minister, Bulent Ecevit. tn addition to a discussion of the situation in Armenia after the assassination of the country's top leaders, the processes of the resolution of the Karabakh conflict were the f'ocus of the encounters.
Armen Khachatrian, the newly elected Speaker
. Turkish State Minister Mehmet Ali Irtemcelik (right) offlcially represented the Turkish govern-
ment at the funeral of the slain Armenian political leaders. This
made Irtemcelik the highestranking Turkish official to visit
Armenia since independence.
He
stressed that Turkey itself victim of terrorism and
has been
understands Armenia's pain. Irtemcelik noted that Turkey expects Armenia's contribution
in
creating an atmosphere of stability and cooperation in the
region. He met with
Foreign
Minister Vartan Oskanian during his stay in Yerevan.
of the OSCE summit, Presidents Robert Kocharian and Suleyman Demirel of Turkey held a 30-minute meeting in Istanbul. Consistent with Turkey's long-held policy, Demirel stated after the meeting that the establishment of Armenian-Turkish diplomatic relations depends on the resolution of the Karabakh conflict, adding that a settlement depends on both Armenia and Azerbaijan. "Armenia is our neighbor," said Demirel, and "We support establishment of peace in the Caucasus which will be profitable for Armenia, Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan. Upon his return to Yerevan, President Kocharian stated that Armenian-Turkish "relations are now definitely better than they
. On the sidelines
were one or one-and-a-halfyears ago." He expressed hope that the "progress" will continue. . Unlike in the aftermath of the August earthquake in Turkey, the Turkish government accepted Armenia's assistance in rescue work after a second major earthquake hit the country's northwestem region of Bolu in November. A group of 22 Armenian rescue workers arrived in Turkey within twoy days to join local and intemational teams searching for survivors trapped in the rubble.
Armenian President Robert Kocharian and Azerbaijani President Heidar Aliyev met for the fifth time this year on the sidelines of the OSCE summit in Istanbul. Both leaders had meetings with US President Bill Clinton and French President Jacques Chirac. Together
with the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers, the two presidents also met with US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrin, and Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov. The resolution of the Karabakh conflict was the main topic of discussion.
of the
National Assembly, met with Egypt's newly appointed ambassador to Armenia,
Bakri Rushti al-Ammari. Noting the 'tenruries-old history" ofAmenianEgyptian relations, Khachatrian wished the ambassador a "fruitful" mission in Armenia. Ambassador al-Ammari said that bilateral economic cooperation will be a prionty for him and hoped that the establishment of direct flights between Yerevan and Cairo would enhance further economic development and trade.
Iceland's newly appointed ambassador to Armenia, John Edil Egilson (resident in Moscow), presented his credentials to President Robert Kocharian and said that his country is ready to develop multilateral relations with Armenia.
AIM DECEMBER I999
t7
Following the assassination of Prime
Armenia's National Assembly replace those who were assassinated on October 27. Armen Khachatrian (nght),42, was elected On November
2,
(NA) elected a new leadership to
Minister Yazgen Sargsian, his brother Aram (right), 37, was appointed head of government by President Robert Kocharian. However, the formation of the new cabinet was delayed by internal political haggling, especially over the posts of Interior and
Chairman; Gagik Aslanian, 45, Vice
National Security ministers and
the Prosecutor General, who had resigned under pressure from the military establishment. They were replaced by Carlos Petrosian, 48,
Haik Harutunim, 44, and Boris Nazarian, 41, respectively.
Serge Sargsian, outgoing Minister of National Security and a Kocharian ally, was named the President's Chief of Staff.
The Ministry of Operational Issues, which was headed by the slain minister Leonard Petrossian, was abolished. Karen Chshmaritian, 40, was appointed Industry and Trade Minister. Other members of the 24-
member cabinet retained their posts, including the controversial
Chairman. Both men belong to parliament's Unity faction and are members of the People's Party of Armenia, which was founded by slain leader Karen Demirchian in 1998. Tigran Torosian, 43, was elected Mce Chairman and is a member of the Republican Party, founded by the slain Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsian last year. The assassinated leaders were the co-chairmen of the Unity faction. Meanwhile, Armenia's Central Electoral Committee approved five new deputies to replace those who were slain. They were chosen because they had received the second highest votes during the May parliamentary elections. Elections will be held in May 2000 to replace the three vacant positions for the majoritarian seats.
Minister for Industrial Development Vahan Shirkhanian (below), who is an ally of the new Prime Minister. The crisis over the formation of the new govemment focused on the choice of candi-
Three weeks after eight political leaders were assassinated at the National Assembly (NA), a bomb was found in the same building, tipped off by an anonymous telephone call, but was quickly defused
dates to head the "power ministers." But Shirkhanian was at the center of the contro-
versy as he had admitted being behind the October 28 statement addressed to President Kocharian by senior defense ministry officials calling for the firing of the two power ministers immediately after the assassinations in the parliament. Indeed, Defense Ministry officials had suggested Shirkhanian's name as the new Prime Minister. But Kocharian refused the "ultimatum," even reportedly threatening to resign. The dispute between Kocharian and Prime Minister Sargsian, who enjoys the backing of the parliament majority, ended with a compromise, whereby Shirkhanian retained his post as minister of infrastructure and Kocharian appointed "non-partisan career professionals" to the post of Interior and National Security ministries. The new cabinet was announced after extensive "consultations" between the President, the Premier and parliament political factions.
The final section of the Goris-Stepanakert highway was officially opened
on November 12. The $10 million project was funded by the Diaspora through the Hayastan Armenia Fund. Attending the ceremony, Karabakh Prime MinisterAnushavan Danielian characterized the completion of the strategically important highway linking Armenian and Karabakh as an expression of the "common will" of the Armenian nation.
Yerevan Zoo received a four-year old elephant, Elbrus, from Moscow, replacing Vovo, who died eight years ago. Baby Elbrus, which was renamed I-lrant after his anival in Armenia, weighs one ton. Zoo officials assured that I-Irant's living quarters meet "intemational standards." According to local Hl TV, the Indian government has promised to donate a female elephant to Yerevan Zoo "so that I-Irant has a companion."
l8
by a police bomb squad. The incident obviated further security problems around government buildings. Several NA Deputies characterized the incident as "tenorizing" the parliament, calling it another attempt to "destabilize" the country. On November 10, Major Vardan Gnuni, 34, the Defense Ministry's chief of armament department, was killed when a bomb exploded in his office. The following day, an unexploded grenade was found at the entrance of controversial Minister of Infrastructure Vahan Shirkhanian's apartment. No damage was caused. On November 6, the corpse of Vartan Grigorian, 39, was found in a car on Parbetsi street in Yerevan. As the car was parked there for an entire day, the residents out of fear alerted the police, who found the body on the back seat covered with a rug. Most recently, a grenade exploded in the compound of the Russian Embassy in Yerevan but did not cause any damage. Both Russian and Armenian officials assured that the incident would not have an affect on bilateral relations. All the incidents are still under investigation. Meanwhile, some l0 people have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the assassination plot, among them NationalAssembly Deputy Mushegh Movsisian. Upon the Prosecutor General's request, the parliament voted 90 against 6 to lift Movsisian's immunity. ProsecutorAghvan Hovsepian, told the parliament that "all actions [in the assassination plotl so far were motivated and implemented with Movsisian's participation." Movsisian refuted the charges.
The Armenian govemment allocated some $380,000 in the state's 2000 budget for the celebration of the 1700th anniversary of adoption of Christianity as the state religion in Armenia. The State Council for Religious Affairs is in charge of the state plans and the allocated funds. Ahost ofevents are being organized for the occasion, including exhibitions, architecture and sculpture workshops, musical performances.
AIM DECEMBER I999
!:ar',:r..::: ai'.r'
The parliament's Defense, National Security and Internal Affairs Commission presented a draft law against comrption to the National Assembly. The bill is designed to "discover and prevent legal violations and corruption and to punish the culprits." In addition, it proposes the creation of a separate parliamentary commission to fight corruption. One of the provisions of the proposed bill states that "individuals authorized to execute state functions cannot assume positions, subordinated directly to their relatives." Meanwhile, Transparency Intemational published its 1999 Transparency Intemational Comrption Perceptions Index (CPD, which provides the degree of com.rption in 99 countries as seen by businesspeople, risk analysts and the general public. The top 10 most corrupt countries (seven of them former Soviet republics) are:
l.
Cameroon
10.
Armenia and Bolivia (tied)
2. Nigeria 3. Azerbaijan and Indonesia (tied) 4. Uzbekistan and Honduras (tied) 5. Tanzania 6. Yugoslavia, Paraguay and Kenya (tied) 7. Kyrgyzistan, Pakistan, Uganda (tied) 8. Albania, Georgia, Kazakhstan (tied) 9. Russia and Ecuador (tied) While on a trip in Moscow Sergey Badalian,52, the leader of the Communist Party of Armenia, died of a heart attack on November 25. Yerevan-born Badalian was a graduate of the Yerevan Polytechnic Institute where he was educated in Physics and Mathematics. He joined the Communist Party in 1970 and held various positions in the party's political apparatus. ln 1994, he was elected First Secretary of Party's Central Committee at its 3lst Congress in Yerevan. Since 1995, he had been a deputy in Armenia's National Assembly and was the chairman of the Communist faction. He is survived by his wife
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) also published a report analyzing bribe taking in former Soviet countries.
Penmnta$e
0lll,iles
[andsd
oil ilt lfie altrual ittcolns 0luom[anies
and two sons.
The final section of the Goris-Stepanakert highway was officially
Et0RSrl
opened on November 12. The $10 million project was funded by the Diaspora through the Hayastan Armenia Fund. Attending the ceremony, Karabakh Prime Minister Anushavan Danielian characterized
the completion
of the strategically
lRlrttillI
AIERBIIJA|ll
important highway linking
Armenian and Karabakh as an expression of the "common the Armenian nation.
will" of
Penmltla$ 0lcomunies t[all's$ulal'ly 0r Imqusilly lay [ri[s$
In mid-November, Armenia's mountainous regions were hit by a powerful hurricane, with heavy winds blowing at 100 kilometers per hour. Roof tops and electricity poles were damaged in a number of villages on the hurricane's path. No casualties were
reported. According to government spokesman Nikolay Grigorian the town of Kajaran, more than 200 kilometers southeast of Yerevan, was the worst hit. The central Gegharkunik province, Spitak and Stepanavan and nearby areas in the north
AIERBIIJIII ROilIilIN UIBEIflSI[ttI IRIIEiIII
also suffered damages. AIM DECEMBER
1999
EEOREI[
As Kiriakos Christodoulidis, ArmenTel CEO, Armenia's monopoly telecom company, announced plans to introduce price increases, Ruben Tonoyan, Minister of Postal Services and Telecommunications, warned the company that it has to fulfill its obligations to extensively upgrade telephone stations in Yerevan before any new price hikes. In addition to the fixed 900 Dram monthly fee, ArmenTel wants to start charging customers by the minute for local calls. The company is entitled to such charges and fee increases under its 1998 purchase agreement with the Armenian government, for which OTE, the Greek parent company paid $142.5 million. OTE had pledged to invest some
$300 million in modernizing Armenia's communications infrastructure in return for a lS-year market monopoly in Armenia. But so far only a quarter ofYerevan's telephone stations have been converted to
digital systems. "lnvestment targets to which ArmenTel had committed itself must be met. And as soon as possible," said Tonoyan. In a five-year plan presented to the Armenian govemment, OTE had agreed to spend $100 million in 1999, but only $23 million has been invested so far. Christodoulidis insisted that the company would meet its obligations by the end of 1999, explaining that ArmenTel has already signed $60 million worth of contracts to purchase equipment and a further $40
million will be invested by January. Tonoyan admitted that "lt's difficult for us to change anything" and insisted the government "will fight and will not allow [fee hikes] until 75 percent ofYerevan is digitized." Meanwhile, Christodoulides also announced that the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) would become an ArmenTel shareholder. EBRD has told OTE that it will consider acquiring stakes in ArmenTel only if its monopoly over cellular communications in Armenia is broken. EBRD insists that the 15-year monopoly should be shortened to five years. Indeed, reportedly, at a meeting with Armenian government representatives in Washington in December, U.S. Trade Secretary Advisor Jan Calicki, said that ArmenTel's monopoly in mobile communications was the main obstacle for Armenia to join the World Trade Organization (WTO). Christodoulides believes that in the event his company's monopoly is ended, Armentel should be paid compensation. Early this yeaq ArmenTel came under strong public criticism and protest (below) when it announced plans to increase telephone fees.
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lll'[nt$bl-, dntn{Pth
Meeting with Armenian Vartan Oskanian in Washington, World Bank President James D. Wolfensohn expressed the international financial organization's condolences for the October assassinations in Armenia and assured that the World Bank will take into consideration the impact ofrecent events and continue its strong support for economic development and poverty reduction inArmenia. On his part, Oskanian reiterated the Armenian government's resolve to continue on the path of economic reforms. WoHensohn expressed hope for the resolution of the Karabakh conflict and indicated that once a peace agreement is signed, the World Bank could provide additional resources to bothArmenia andAzerbaijan under its Post Conflict Reconstuction Policy, to develop a Transition Support Strategy. Assistance could include financing for the integration
of
refugees and rebuilding of
important infrasructure, including fansportation links that would enhance regional tade and investrnents.
ffi
Similar discussion on "peace" assistance were held between World Bank representative Sven Sandstrom and Azerbaijani Prime Minister Zade during a meeting in Washington.
Anur Rasi-
Meanwhile, President Robert Kocharian met with an IMF delegation, headed by Thomas Wolf, in Yerevan, where they discussed trends and developments in the Armenian economy, as well as issues pertaining to privatization and management of Armenia's energy sector. The delegation's visit to Armenia is in advance of the release of another loan tranche at the end of this month. Kocharian assured the delegation that, "It goes without saying that Armenia will not deviate from democratic and economic reforms, which is the essence of our
political line."
The French-owned Pernod Ricard company invested an additional $5 million in the
development
of the Yerevan
Company (YBC), which
it
Brandy
purchased last
year for $30 million, bringing its total investment for 1998-1999 to $10 million. YBC General Director Pierre Lanetche stated that during 1998 and 1999 the compa-
ny
purchased some $10 million worth of
grapes from Armenian farmers (16,100 tons in 1998, and 18,100 tons in 1999).
Recently YBC launched a major advertising campaign in Russia with the slogan "The Legends of Ararat." YBC "will continue its marketing campaign around the world. We started in Russia which is a traditional consumer of the Armenian brandy," said Larretche. Some $500,000 has been allocated for advertising in Moscow and St. Petersburg until January 2000 to promote the company's famous Ararat brand. Over the years, YBC has produced 18 brands ofbrandy and has received 83 gold, 37 silver, and 3 bronze industry medals. Cunenfly, the Yerevan Brandy Company produces 1.2 million liten ofbrandy annually.
AIM DECEMBER 1999
British businessman Vache Manoukian announced that he will invest a further two million dollars this year in Armimpexbank. Manoukian owns a controlling 75 percent
share
in the bank, which is one of
Armenia's leading banks. The new investment will increase the bank's capital to about five million dollars. Currently, the total assets of Armimpexbank stand at about $55 million. Manoukian also holds a major stake in HSBC-Armenia, the country's largest bank. Since Armenia's independence, Manoukian has been the biggest Diaspora investor in Armenia and a major partner with various foreign companies operating in Armenia.
The Energy Commission, the only state body authorized to set energy tariffs in Armenia, announced that the current rates for electricity and natural gas will not be raised next year. The announcement was made by Commission Chairman Vartan Movsisian in advance of the upcoming privatization ofArmenia's energy sectoq probably next year. The policy preempts attempts by prospective new owners of the energy sector to raise tariffs before 2001. Also, World Bank loan conditions stipulate the eventual liberalization of energy tariffs in Armenia. Currently the price of one kilowatt of electricity is 25 Drams which makes the energy sector virtually self-sufflcient with little government subsidies. However, further development and maintenance of the sector will require major capital investments. This would eventually raise costs for consumers. As electricity is the main source of heating in most urban areas, many residents have difficulty paying for energy at the existing rate. Additionally, due to the energy blockade which has been imposed since the early 1990s and the resulting disuse of the the gas distribution infrastructure, that system is in dire need of repair. The government announced plans to privatize the sector through an intemational tender. On December 7, bids were opened for four
state-owned energy distribution enterprises and winners may be announced as soon as February 2000. Armenia's current electricity surplus is sold to Georgia and Turkey (by the Georgians) and some of it is exchanged with Iran seasonally.
agreement was singed between Grand Tobacco, an ArmenianCanadian joint venture and main producer of cigarettes in Armenia, and the Russian Brogus Company to produce various kinds of sweets in Armenia. The two companies will own 51 and 49 percents of shares respectively. Grand Tobacco president Hrant Vardanian announced that some nine million dollars would be invested to start the company, which is expected to employ 600-800 people. Already preliminary payments have been made to acquire the necessary equipment. Vardanian stated that cuffently about 50 percent of confectionery consumed inArmenia are imported from Iran, Turkey and the UnitedArab Emirates. Local confectioneries have only l0 percent market share in the country.
An
ln million Drams as ol September 30, 1999
IOT[t r0RH0r{
00ilEsTr8
4$2,700 0[otll 881 0.5 tnllliolt)
3f,000
0lflil
$85.1 lnllllolt)
(T-bills & Central Bank credits) Source: Ministry of Statistics, State Register and Analysis
Roland Adonts, Executive Director of Armrosgazprom, the RussianArmenian joint venture, announced that Russia's gas giant Gazprom is ready to supply the proposed Armenia-lran pipeline with equipment and pipes, which would cover 60 percent of the overall cost of the project, worth some $120 million. The pipeline consortium will the
include Armenian Energy Ministry, Gazprom, and possibly Gaz de France and the lran National Gas Company. Meanwhile, negotiations are continuing over the details of the projected l40-kilometer pipeline - 40 km. running in Armenia and 100 km. in Iran' After completion, Armenia is expected to receive one billion cubic meters of gas annually from Iran. Eventually, the pipeline will also deliver Iranian gas to Georgia, the North Caucasus and northeastern Turkey.
Ruben Valesian, a member of the Board of Armenia's Central Bank, stated that inflation inArmenia would not exceed the five percent mark in 1999. He added that the 1999 state budget targets inflation of no more than l0 percent for the year. The Bank's inflation forecast for 2000 ranges from two to eight percent depending on the country's eco-
nomic developments.
.
Jermuk OJSC announced that it will start to bottle some 20 types of juice next year. Company executive Gaidzag Zeitlian stated that during July-October 1999, the company produced 2.5 million glass and plastic bottles of the Armenian mineral water, which were sold mostly in Armenia and exported to Russia, Lebanon, Germany, Great Britain and the US. If current demands increase, said Zeitlian, pro duction volume could increase by 500,000 (plastic) and one million (glass) bottles per month.
Companies from Armenia participated in Canada's 1999 Machine Tools Show and signed about two dozen contracts with foreign companies. Rafik Boghosian, Chairman of AssEx, a trade organization in Armenia, stated that the Canadian Basco Machinery company has ordered semi-automatic wood processing tools from Armenian companies and other agreements have been signed betweenArmenian and foreign companies.
AIM DECEMBER
1999
Khatchig Babikian, 75, Lebanon's longest serving Member of
Martin Marootian, an S4-year-old survivor
Parliament died in Beirut after a two-year battle with leukemia. He was one of five Armenian legislators in the parliament since 1957. A lawyer since 1944 and an affiliate of the Dashnak Party, over the years the Cyprus-born Babikian had served as minister in seven government cabinets, the latest as Justice Minister in 1990-92. He was one of the key authors and mediators of the Thif Accord, the agreement signed in Saudi Arabia in 1989 among the Lebanese factions which paved the way to ending the country's 1975-90 civil war. His former colleague at Taif, Hussein Husseini, stated that Lebanon "has lost a statesman of the first caliber. I will never forget our noble friend's contributions, which aimed to secure a new National Pact and his work to
Armenians during World War I, filed a lawsuit against New York Life, the giant US-based insurance company, to recover the life insurance benefits that were "wrongfully withheld" from his family. Marootian is claiming that New York Life failed to pay his mother on a policy taken out in 1910 by his uncle, Setrak Cheytanian, who was killed in 1915, together with his wife and two children.
make it a success."
On the news of his death, the Lebanese Parliament observed a moment of silence after which Speaker Nabih Beni, said, "One of our spokesmen, one of the banners of the Francophonie, who served Lebanon his entire life, has fallen." Fluent in Arabic and six other languages, including Turkish and Latin, and an expert in Lebanese political and legal affairs, Babikian was the President of the National Ecclesiastical Council of the Catholicosate of Cilicia since 1975. A few years ago, he donated
$250,000
for the newly built library of the
Lebanon-based
Catholicosate. He is survived by five daughters.
Turkish authorities in Kirikhan, a town in the province of Hatay, south of Adana in Cilicia, have seized the building of.St. Gregory Armenian Church and three other church properties and denied the small Armenian community legal jurisdiction over them. While there is a sizable Armenian community in the Hatay province, mainly in Musa Dagh, Iskenderun (Alexandrette), Mersin, and smaller communities in Antakya and Adana, only fourArmenians remain and work in a farming area called Atik, the outskirts of Kirikhan. In 1938, the province of Hatay was annexed to Turkey. When the Armenian community there left for neighboring Syria, the Armenian Apostolic, Catholic and Evangelical church properties were seized. In the mid-1940s, some Armenians retumed to their ancestral towns and demanded the retum of their church properties. The govemment gave the handful of Armenians living in the area the Armenian Catholic Church building and three income-producing properties. However, in the late 1950s, the community's church was seized again. Then Patriarch of Istanbul, Karekin I Khachaturian protested. This time the community was given the former Armenian Protestant church building in the area, which in the 1970s was consecrated as the St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Church by Patiarch Shnork Kalustian. Through the years, visiting priests from Istanbul, as well as the parish priest from Iskenderun, had paid occasional visits to the small Kirikhan community and a bishop from the Istanbul Patriarchate visited at least once a year. On many occasions Armenian pilgrims visiting holy sites in Kayseri (Gesarya) and Antakya (Antioch) would also pay special visits to the Armenian Church in Kirikhan. Over the years, most Kirikhan Armenians had left the area either for Iskenderun, or Istanbul or the Diaspora, and only four Armenians were left. And they live at a distance from the church. Meanwhile, in early 1998, the roof of the church had collapsed. Neither the parish
of the genocide of
The case, filed in the US Federal Court as a class action by Marootian on behalf of all Armenians who owned New York Life insurance policies and were massacred during the genocide and whose descendants never received the insurance benefits, may be worth $3 billion. Reportedly, some 10,000 New York Life insurance policies were sold to Armenians by the end of 1914, as the company expanded its operations in the Ottoman Empire. Thousands of policy holders were among the 1.5 million victims of the genocide. California-based attorney Vartkes Yeghiayan is representing Marootian. According to Yeghiayan, his client is seeking legal redress in court for an order
requiring New York Life to identify the insurance benefits which belong to the Armenians, to identify the rightful heirs, and to pay benefits to the victims of the genocide. The lawsuit also claims that while New York Life transfened the policy to a French insurance company, it remains liable for honoring the policies held by Armenians between 1880 and 1930.
council members, who all live in Iskenderun, nor the four-member family had the funds to repair the collapsed roof of the church. Recently, the parish council had contacted the Armenian Patriarch
in Istanbul, and the Turkish Governor in Hatay, and had proposed to transfer ownership of the church building and churchyard to the Ministry of Education on condition that they would only be used for educational purposes. In retum, they had asked the regional govemment to ffansfer the jurisdiction of the three income-producing properties to the Holy Forty Martyrs Armenian Church in Iskenderun, since the former members of the Kirikhan parish now live in Iskenderun, a 35-minute drive from Kirikhan. The Armenian Patriarch approved the proposal of the Parish Council and the Turkish governor of Hatay was in favor
of the arrangement. Howeveq since that initial agreement, Hatay's governor was transferred to another province and a new governor was appointed. On November 22, the new govemor confiscated the Armenian Church building and its properties. Observers were surprised at the government's move immediately after the OSCE Summit in Istanbul and right before the European Union's Helsinki summit where Turkey's membership to the EU will be discussed once again. The governor's motives remain unexplained as the tiny Armenian community was about to legally and willingly transfer the property to the Ministry of Education. The unlawful siege of community properties is a throwback to the 1920s and the Turkish state's treatment of its minorities. Meanwhile, Patriarch Mesrob II of Istanbul and All Turkey has sent a letter of protest to Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit and State Minister Yuksel Yalovali demanding the return of all confiscated properties to their rightful owners - the Armenian community of Hatay.
AIM DECEMBER 1999
President Robert Kocharian paid a courtesy visit to the Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul. "Since I was in Istanbul for the OSCE summit, I could possibly not have bypassed this important meeting with the Armenian Patriarchate and the Armenian community in this city"' said Kocharian. In his remarks, Patriarch Mesrob said, "At the end of this century and at the threshold of the third millennium, you are the second President of the Third Republic to visit us here. This is inspiring. It is my hope and prayer that, led by yourself and your illustrious fellows in the govemment, the state and people of Armenia will have a bright future in this coming century in prosperity, security, peace and hope."
After months of controversy and political pressure, the Board of the Califomia Public Employees'Retirement System (CaIPERS) fired an advisor for "insensitive and inaccurate" comments on the massacre of Armenians and Greeks in Turkey during World War I. CaIPERS had hired Marvin Zonis, a University of Chicago professor, as a consultant for its foreign investments. In a paper presented to the Board, Zonis wrote that before World War I "the very large Greek minority [in Turkey] fled to Greece. The Armenian minority was dealt with in a different way." Califomia State Treasurer Phil Angelides, a Greek American and member of the CaIPERS board, whose own family had fled Turkey when Turkish troops began buming Greek villages, found the statement offensive to the large Greek and Armenian communities in California. Attempts by Zonis to explain that his comments in the six-page analysis of Turkey - where CaIPERS has $90 million in investments - as an investment opportunity do not reflect his views on the Turkish treatment of Greeks and Armenians did not help his case. Zonis added he has been an avid critic ofTurkey for refusing to acknowledge the Armenian genocide and the mass murder of Greeks. The protest of the Armenian and Greek communities, which vigorously campaigned against the consultant's "dismissive attitude" toward a "historical truth," played an important role in the flnal outcome of the controversy, which in addition to Zonis's dismissal, includes a unanimous vote by CaIPERS Board that consultants hired in the future will be required to "put a premium on historical truth.
Organized by the Catholic Archdiocese of Genoa and the International Community of Saint Egidio, a major ecumenical conference was held in Genoa, Italy, on Christianity at the threshold of the third millenni-
um. The event brought together Roman Catholic, Oriental and Byzantine Orthodox as well as a host of other Christian leaders (above). Archbishop Mesrob II Mutafyan, Patriarch of Istanbul and All Turkey, headed to Genoa with an Armenian delegation which included the Primate of Ukraine Bishop Natan Hovanissian and Bishop Narek Shakarian of Nice, France.
Patriarch Mesrob delivered
two papers during the
Proceed-
ings of the conference on "The Other East and Christian UnitY" where he presented the ecumenical contributions of the Armenian Church in the last four decades. He called upon the Oriental Orthodox Churches - Armenian, Coptic, Syrian, Ethiopian and Indian - to "resolve their inner problems" before engaging in the process of "overcoming the hurdles on the way to unity with the other historic churches."
Following the conference, the Patriarch presided over the celebration of the Armenian LiturgY
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and California officials
in the San
alleged that an extensive criminal activity by Armenian immigrants in
where the Sayat Nova Armenian
Califomia has ripped off more than one billion dollars from the Califomia Medi-Cal system, the federal-state program that provides health care for the poor. According to govemment investigators, the case is the largest fraud incident against a state in US history. The alleged criminals are accused of setting up fake businesses which sent millions of dollars in false claims to Medi-Cal for medical services and supplies, such as crutches, adult diapers, and prescriptions' Charges have been filed against 64 such businesses and their owners, mostly in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles' So far 35 have pleaded guilty to the charges and the rest are pending. An addi tional 300 businesses, mostly owned by individuals with Armenian sumames. are under investigation.
Lorenzo Cathedral,
church choir from Nice
sang
Armenian hymns. Mutafyan delivered a selrnon in English to the hundreds of worshippers. The following day, at a solemn Divine Liturgy in the Catholic Cathedral of Genoa (below), the Patriarch
a message in Italian (above), where he said, "Church unity will never be a reality unless there is genuine repentance for past animosities and alienation."
delivered
AIM DECEMBER 1999
The lslanhul $lllnlnll Fifty-Four Nations Discuss Regional Security and Conflicts
By HRATCH TCHILlNGlRlAl,l
he much touted European security
strategic and economic deals were made
summit of the 54-nation Organization
among various states. Most notable were the
for Security and Cooperation
in
Europe (OSCE) was held in Istanbul in late November. President Robert Kocharian headed an Armenian delegation to the summit, where member heads of states and govemments adopted a new Charter for European Security and a revised Treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE).
For a few days during the summit,
signing of the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline agreement to transport Caspian oil to Turkey's Mediterranean seaport - without traversing either Russia or Iran - and the RussianGeorgian agreement whereby Russia would reduce or redeploy its weaponry in Georgia. The increasing US role in the region, too, was apparent.
Istanbul tumed into a diplomatic bazaar. On the sidelines of the gathering, numerous bilat-
President Kocharian met with several leaders, including US President Bill Clinton, French President Jacques Chirac and Turkish
eral and multilateral diplomatic,
President Suleyman Demirel, and discussed
security,
AIM DECEMBER I999
both regional and bilateral issues. The 48-point Istanbul Summit Declaration made official statements on several major conflicts in the "OSCE area." In addition to noting the "humanitarian situation" in Kosovo, the "democratic shortcomings" in the former Yugoslavia, the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the conflicts Georgia, Moldova and especially Chechnya, the OSCE summit "applauded" developments toward the resolution of the Karabakh conflict.
in
The declaration stated: "We applaud in particular the intensified dialogue between the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan,
whose regular contacts have created opportunities to dynamize the process of flnding a
lasting and comprehensive solution
to
the
problem. We firmly support this dialogue and encourage its continuation, with the hope of
resuming negotiations within the OSCE Minsk Group. We also confirm thatthe OSCE and its Minsk group, which remains the most appropriate format for finding a solution, stand ready to further advance the peace process and its future implementation, includ-
ing by providing all necessary assistance to the parties." This was a far cry from the OSCE Lisbon summit in December 1996, where all reference to the Karabakh dispute was removed
from the final document but
where Azerbaijan's demands were included in a separate statement, drawn up despite Armenia's
Minister Vartan Oskanian said that the cochairmen will not discuss "concrete peace proposals," but will "reassess the situation and look for ways to continue the ArmenianAzerbaijani dialogue." Since 1992, the OSCE has sponsored over two dozen different negotiation sessions among the parties to the conflict, but so far, the oldest conflict in the former Soviet Union remains unresolved. New in Armenia's foreign policy was President Robert Kocharian call for the creation of a South Caucasus security system. "The present treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe does not appear to be sufficient in
resolving the existing security problems in our sensitive and complex region," said Kocharian. "It is therefore necessary to devise a regional security system for the South Caucasus, in the wider system of pan
in flank regions, rather than the bloc-tobloc limits agreed between NATO and the former Warsaw Pact. "The adapted Treaty will provide a greater degree of military stability... increased transparency and a lower level of conventional armed forces in its area of application," stated the summit's final declaration. Nevertheless, regional stability is built on "normal" bilateral and growing multilat-
eral diplomatic and security
which has been "hostage" to the resolution of the Karabakh conflict and the two nations' history President Kocharian made a momentous statement to the world leaders gathered in Istanbul. "We are well aware that the evolution of regional stability and cooper-
ation in the South Caucasus is not possible wi*rout having Armenian Turkish relations enter a
objections. The state-
ment of the
OSCE
phase. Our muoal willingness to open a new page in these relations cannot be based on selective memory and amnesia. We cannot forget the sad chapter of our
Chairman-in-Office, attached as an annex to the Lisbon summit declaration, stated that a) the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia and
the Republic of Azerbaijan is inviolable; b)
qffff*}:.:"
the legal status of Nagomo.
Karabakh will be defined
in an agreement
on
based
trLL[A\]S
self-determination,
Karabakh
the
within
security of the population of NagornoKarabakh will be guaranteed, including mutual obligations to ensure compliance by all parties with the provisions of the settlement. Armenia rejected this on the
grounds that the OSCE Chairman's statement, in effect, determined the outcome of negotiations, before such negotiations had even begun. Buq speaking about the Istanbul summit, President Kocharian declared, "I think that the bad consequences of the Lisbon summit have been corrected. I think it was a diplomatic success which allows us to make rather serious steps towards the resolution of the Karabakh conflict." While the assassination of Armenia's top political leadership on October 27 set the negotiations process back, the OSCE Minsk Group's Russian, French and American cochairmen will visit the region again by the end of this year in an effort to provide fresh
to the peace process.
trauma of the Genocide. But we are not willing to
We must search for the formula with which the
highest
Azerbaijan; and c) the
impetus
nation's history and the
hold the evolution of our relations captive to contentious interpretations.
conferring on Nagornodegree of self-rule
cooperation.
Referring to Armenian-Turkish relations,
Foreign
European security, which will engage all the parties concerned and primarily those in the region itself. Today, it is our collective chal-
lenge
to
transform the Caucasus from
a
region of conflicting armies and senseless terrorism to an economic crossroad of peace and
prosperity," he added.
Azerbaijani President Heidar Aliyev made a similar proposal. The security system would involve Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, plus regional players Turkey, Russia, and the US, Aliyev said and added that under such
security arrangements all foreign troops
should be withdrawn from the region. However, such a prospect leaves the issue of existing Russian military bases in Armenia in contention.
The landmark CFE treaty updates the armed forces and artillery equipment limits which were set in the final days of the Cold War in 1990. The treaty is designed to eliminate the risk of surprise attacks in Europe by setting national ceilings, with sub-limits AIM DECEMBER I999
problem can be resolved and we must therefore be able to discuss the underlying issues." But, after his meeting with Kocharian, Turkish President Demirel reiterated the longstanding policy of successive Turkish govemments that the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between the two states depends on the resolution of the Karabakh conflict.
While official Turkish policy has not changed much in recent years, it remains to be seen whether increased US "engagement" in normalizing Armenian-Turkish relations will bear fruit in the coming year.
After three years of diplomatic effort toward political recovery subsequent to the Lisbon Summit - and despite the national tragedy in October - Armenia scored high marks in Istanbul. More diplomatic challenges are ahead for Armenia in the new year, both concerning the resolution of the Karabakh conflict and with regards to Armenia's place and role in regional development.
he decade that began with calls for
Armenian independence
is
ending with a bittersweet against-all-odds reaffirmation of Armenian statehood.
The imperfect state
structures and the constitution established and developed over the last decade withstood even the shocking impact of political assassination.
They did so despite institutional shortcomings, despite the inevitable personal and political inadequacies individual leaders. Indeed, they withstood the shock and political vacuum precisely because the political leader-
of
of the last 10 years had created irreversible, albeit still delicate, conditions that assure the continuation of Armenian statehood beyond any specific official or political party. Still, 10 years into a democratic and free ship
market state, the population of Armenia continued to look for quick solutions and resolutions
in the person of
individual politicians.
Throughout 1999, the question which kept popping up in all discussions about Armenian politics was "who is calling the shots?" The same question was being asked at the end of the year, but under horribly different circumstances.
Following the forced resignation of President Levon Ter Petrossian, power appeared divided among then-Prime Minister
Robert Kocharian, then-Defense Minister Yazgen Sargsian and then-lnterior Minister Serge Sargsian. After Kocharian's election as president, that balance seemed to hold. A year later, in May 1999, regularly scheduled parliamentary elections were held and they served to consolidate the various political parties and forces in the country Most significant was the
by the Soviet-era leader Karen Demirchian and Yazgen Sargsian. The emerging Unity Alliance, made of Sargsian's alliance created
AIM DECEMBER I999
Republican Parry and Demirchian's People's Party, became the strongest group in the National Assembly and effectively the "ruling
party" in Armenia. Sargsian was appointed Prime Minister, and Demirchian was elected head of the National Assembly.
Although the street pundits wanted to
identify the "real power" among the three leaders, the Sargsian-Demirchian-Kocharian triumvirate proved to be strong, stable, balanced. So comfortable did they feel, that they publicly took on the country's two major challenges: the economy and Karabakh. After all, the Ter Petrossian administration was toppled,
in part because Kocharian and Demirchian believed that the country's economy could and should see marked improvement, despite the still unresolved Karabakh conflict. Raising the population's living standard was this administration's primary focus. Prime Minister
Sargsian was not coy about speaking publicly and frequently about the need to run a tighter
economic ship, collect taxes more effectively.
In
early October,
following a trip
to
Washington to visit the World Bank and the
IMF, he announced
-
at first with apparent
Kocharian. the new Prime Minister Aram Sargsian,38, certain military chiefs, certain members of parliament and various political parties. The strongest criticism of Kocharian was
heard
in
early December at the Fourth
Congress of the Yerkapah (Protectors of the
that the continuing corruption at all levels was a major obstacle to the greater involvement of foreign investors, and that he would be seeking to curtail this widespread phenomenon. He did not live long enough to make good on his promise - or threat. On October 2l , five gunmen entered the chambers of the National
Land) Union, the organization made of the Karabakh war veterans. In his address to the Union's 800 delegates, the party's deputy chairman (Vazgen Sargsian was chairman) and Mayor of Yerevan Albert Bazeyan blatantly accused Kocharian of "exacerbating political disputes and of failing to guarantee
Assembly, and during the Prime Minister's
Shirkhanian, the controversial Minister for lndustrial Infrastructure and former deputy defense minister (who had presented himself as a prime ministerial candidate in the hours following the assassinations) called for Kocharian's outright resignation and new
surprise
-
regularly-scheduled Question-Answer period, shot eight officials dead. Sargsian and Demirchian were among them.
The post-assassination political scene was dominated by differences among President
political stability in Armenia."
AIM DECEMBER I999
Vahan
elections, as "an absolutely justified step both
politically and morally" for "Armenia's advancement." Although no one provided any alternative proposals or strategies to advance the country, the various calls for the president's resignation and new elections indicated that the search for
quick fixes is not limited to the masses. Political differences, even excessive and extreme ones, between a chief executive and other elected officials is the natural state of affairs in any country. Calling for a premature end to the president's term rather than trying to resolve those differences is not the standard course, however. Moreover, such a shortsighted cure is seriously destabilizing. No elected official can feel confident that he has a predetermined number of years in which to try to
affect change. No one feels the urgency to compromise if resignation is even an option.
27
COVER STORY Still, the president's spokes-
inability or unwillingness of
person shrugged off the comments as "normal for democratic
middle and high level officials to make decisions. Specific proposals for the expansion of the Zvartnots Airport and for additional foreign carriers to fly into Yerevan are just two examples of the many significant job-producing project which remain
states" where there is freedom of expression.
The calls for resignation came not only from the Yerkra-
pahs but also from Yazgen Manukian, of the National Democratic Union who said, not
unanswered. This may be one reason why, despite success in economic sta-
be long-lasting and [new] elec-
bilization, institrrrtional reform,
"even
if
the inner-govemment
squabbles end, stability
will
tions will be inevitable." Meanwhile, the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) which confrols ttre National Assembly
and record-low inflation, direct foreign investments in 1999 ($78 million) were about 50 percent less than that of 1998. [n a com-
distanced itself fiom the Yerkrapah
parative study
leaders' call for Kocharian's resignation. The Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutiun, too, has argued against fresh elections.
European and CIS counfties by
If
the various political factions are unable
highest court ruled that the contract can not be revoked. Still, as the public relations manager of the Armenia Hotel stated, "various govemment agencies and middle level managers still do not know how to create good working relations with the private sector. As a result, unnecessary, absurd, even extra-legal requests
the domestic political process, it is not surprising that they have been unable throughout the
year to tackle serious economic issues. The perennial tax collection issue was resolved by imposing pre-programmed cash registers on all retail operations. The issue ofprivatization was somewhat threatened by the ongoing pub-
lic calls to revisit each of the major
Review Review, Armenia ranked 18 with a favorable "invest-ment climate" (Azerbaijan 13, Georgia 16). Exports in 1999 (11.7 percent of GDP) were ten percent lower than last year and imports
Hotel. Officials say that in many cases, the govemment didn't get the best possible deal. Still, as in the case of Armentel, the nation's
to agree about such an important element in
were three times greater than exports. Bilateral and multilateral aid and financial inflows from expatriates remained vital to the economy. A large trade imbalance made Armenia vulnerable to extemal shocks, such as the still stuggling Russian economy. The govemment has been forced to rely on intemational financial institutions to meet its budget shortfalls. At the end of the year, Armenia's foreign debt constituted about 47 percent of GDP.
are made that hinder rather than help the growth and expansion ofthese enterprises." Another continuing hindrance for potential and existing business owners is the
sales
approved over the last several years, including the state's telephone monopoly, Armentel, the
Central
the Central Europe Eurone Economic
Yerevan Brandy Company, and the Armenia
-
of 27
ffitmI
. After three months closure, Metsamor Nuclear Plant return to full-capacity operation .100 new ludges sworn in to launch new judicial system in Armenia . Soil from the grave of US Ambassador Henry Morgenthau Sr., who reported on
Turkish atrocities against Armenians in Turkey 84 years ago, was lifted from his York grave site for ceremonial reinterment
in Armenia
.
Pegple's Party (formed by Karen Demirchian) holds first Congress . Dqputy Minister of lnterior and National Security of Armenia killed near Yerevan . A parliament commission reports 9151 .5 million of the $382.35 million in foreign loans used inetficiently . A public opinion poll finds 53 percent of Armenia's population does not believe existing political parties express the interests of the people
AIM DECEMBER 1999
. Catholicos Karekin I met with
. .
. .
Pope John Paul ll Former ruling party ANM convened 1 1th congress Constitutional Commission proposed stronger presidential veto power Parliament chairmen of the three South Caucasus states held first meeting at Council of Europe headquarters in Strasbourg Germany gave Armenia copies of archival material related to the Armenian Genocide collected by German diplomatic missions in Turkey
COVER STORY Armenia's economic growth in the first
between the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents throughout 1999 may have been leading to some announcement. But without a strong
ten months of 1999 was 5.4 percent, surpass-
ing the four percent forecast for the
year.
Armenian political base, a president from Karabakh surely won't be able to make any
Industrial output was up 7.3 percent, construction increased by 23 percent, and agriculoral output was up 1.3 percent. Armenia's Central Bank estimated inflation in 1999 at 3-4 percent as opposed to the government's eight percent forecast. For the first ten months in 1999, consumer prices rose by one percent only. Despite the Russian economic crisis and
such pronouncements anytime soon.
Still, Armenia's foreign relations appeared
to be reaping rewards in
1999. Active and in the
multidirectional efforts culminated
OSCE Istanbul Summit, where
a
major
Foneign Allairs
European security treaty was signed, regional bilateral and multilateral relations were discussed and efforts toward the resolution of the Karabakh were reassessed without reference to either territorial integrity or to any final status for Karabakh. In 1999, security concems, increased economic development and foreign trade partnerships received special attention. This year's foreign policy agenda included visits to a host of countries in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. While these countries may appear peripheral and not directly linked to regional developments, the establishment of diplomatic and formal relations with distant countries beneflts Armenia's long term policy in securing the support of"friendly" states in international fora, such as the UN and other multinational organizations.
indusrial production will continue to decline, which would have an affect on the rate of
The assassinations not only cut short efforts to push forward a stalled economy, but
repeated policy of complementarity
inflation and the exchange rate. The new government of Prime Minister Aram Sargsian expects higher growth rates
they also stopped apparently
hopeful
ing even relations both with the East and the
in their tracks.
West required active engagement with the two major regional players, Russia and the US.
industrial production declines, the Dram exchange rate against the US dollar remained stable. The crrrency depreciated by only 2.9
per cent during 1999. However, this
was
achieved at a high cost. In an effort to protect the Dram, interest rates remained over 50 percent, thus limiting the development of smallscale enterprises.
While successive government reforms have been praised by intemational financial organizations, the decline of the Russian market, Armenia's relative isolation from regional
economic developments and the fear of further instability have seriously affected the country's economic development. Armenia's trade and current account deficits would most probably increase in the coming year and
next year. It affirmed that the economy is on track with a 5.5 percent growth this year and stated it has set a goal for an annual growth target of seven percent for the next four years. It also pledged to raise the amount of annual foreign investments to $350 million by the year 2002. GDP growth in 2000 is expected to be 4-6 percent and inflation around l0 percent.
Karabakh negotiations dead
Five seemingly fruitful one-on-one meetings
.,'ffi.
.
Kocharian and Aliyev met at Russian Foreign
Ministry in Moscow . Paris Mayor called {or international recognition ol the Genocide even as French senate continued to reluse to discuss it . A Turkish delegation came to Yerevan to pay homage to victims of the Armenian Genocide . Deliveries of Chinese typhoon missiles to Armenia were revealed
Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian oft-
-
develop-
-
JITE
. .
Unity Alliance won maiority of seats in parliamen-
tary elections
Kocharian and Aliyev met in Washington during the NATO summit . Armenia's foreign debt reached $738.8 million
.
Greek President visited Yerevan
. Japan donated technical supplies to Ministry of Environment
. Armenia-lran signed electricity exchange agreement
AIM DECEMBER I999
.
Karekin I passed away after serving for four years as Catholicos of All Armenians and 17 years as Catholicos ot Cilicia .0SCE noted problems with parliamentary elections, but praised progress . Vazgen Sargsian appointed Prime Minister, Karen Demirchian elected Speaker of National Assembly . Central Bank reserves rose to $312 million . World Bank President Wolfensohn visited Armenia
29
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ry
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General distributor for DaimlerChrysler in Armenia
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COVER STORY In
interest in the $120 million project.
into intemational and multinational structures
addition to the implementation of military agreements, focused on energy supply
Turkish-Armenian relations are still not normal, despite increasing diplomatic contacts
will preoccupy Armenia's policy makers for
arrangements and further trade and economic developments. Diplomatic traffic between Yerevan and Moscow was heavy at all levels.
between the two states. In recent months, the
1999, Armenian-Russian relations, in
Likewise, Yerevan-Washington relations saw increased activity in 1999. In addition to some $80 million in US aid to Armenia, the Clinton Administration was actively engaged in both the process of the resolution of the Karabakh conflict and in playing a role in the improvement of Armenian-Turkish relations. At the same time, Congress upheld Section 907 ofthe Freedom SupportAct, which bans direct US government aid to Azerbaijan long as it continues to blockade Armenia.
as
Since independence, Armenia has striven for good neighborly relations with its immediate neighbors. This year, Georgian-Armenian relations were spuned fonvard by both countries. In March and August, the defense ministers of bottr countries met in Tbilisi and signed defense cooperation agreements. In late September, Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze paid a two-day official visit to Yerevan. There are continuing efforts to strengthen and improve Iranian-Armenian relations. The Armenia-Iran-Greece economic cooperation agreement is one of several bilateral and multilateral steps in that direction. Negotiations to build a 140-km. gas pipeline to deliver Iranian gas to Armenia are still continuing. Russian, French and Iranian companies have expressed
US administration has been quite active in facilitating the establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey. US President Bill Clinton, while in Istanbul for the OSCE Summit, discussed ArmeniaTurkish relations on separate occasions with
his Turkish and Armenian
counterparts.
a
long time. Chief among these concerns is the security system for the Caucasus, proposed by both Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents at the OSCE Istanbul Summit. In the absence of agreement on Karabakh, working on reaching consensus on other areas of mufual concern may prove useful in the short and long term for the entire region.
Turkey still insists that the establishment of
Diaspona
diplomatic relations with Armenia depends on the resolution of the Karabakh conflict. Integration into European structures was another top priority in Armenia's foreign policy. Efforts focused on increased bilateral relations, especially with Greece, France, England and Germany and membership in various European multinational "clubs." Armenia is
Just as a variety of political, economic and social transitions are taking place in Armenia, major transformations in the Diaspora became more apparent, in 1999. For sure, Armenia's independence has introduced major changes in the way the Diaspora, as a whole, thinks and operates. While individual communities
most likely to become a full member of Council of Europe next year. The OSCE, which continues to be the main forum for negotiations on the Karabakh conflict, opened a perrnanent office in Armenia. As part of a Partnership for Peace program, Armenia continues cooperation with NATO and its various structures.
The rapid political, military, strategic and economic developments in the region provide both opportunities and major challenges for Armenia in the coming year. While Karabakh
will
remain
a focal point of attention
in
Armenia's foreign affairs, further integration
still struggle with their perennial
internal feuds and petty politics, the Armenian state has been relatively successful in initiating and giving legitimacy to several significant panArmenian fora where all Armenians can participate toward the ultimate goal of strengthening Armenia's statehood, and as a result, their own communities. Indeed, at the end of a century that started with a Genocide, it has become obvious that only a strong Armenian state assures the collective vitality of the Diaspora. And even a not-so-strong homeland
has been able
to
motivate coordinated,
focused functioning in the Diaspora. The year 1999 was a year of several firsts
ltffitsT
. Armenia experienced fuel shoftage . Armenian government sued ArmenTel and for.
. .
.
mer shareholder TWT for lailing to pay $18 million in taxes An American Jewish delegation visited Yerevan European Union-Armenia agreement came into force Azerbaijan reiected the latest 0SCE proposals on the Karabakh conllict Kocharian and Aliyev met in Geneva
.
First Pan-Armenian Games held in Yerevan with over '1 ,000 athletes . EBRD opened office in Yerevan . President Kocharian laid flowers at former Nazi death camp in Poland . Kocharian and Aliyev met again in Geneva . Turkey accepted Armenia's humanitarian aid for earthquake victims . Foreign Minister 0skanian visited China, Japan, and Korea
AIM DECEMBER
1999
.
First Armenia-Diaspora Conference held in Yerevan with over 50 Diaspora communities represented by 1,000 delegates . Former interior minister Vano Siradeghian's trial began . Kocharian and Aliyev met in Yalta, Ukraine . Armenian and Azerbaiiani defense ministers met 0n common border . Kocharian visited Kazakhstan . Prime Minister Sargsian attended annual IMF meeting in Washington
3l
COVER STORY from Armenia, Karabakh and 23 countries participated in a week-long series ofevents in seven different sports. The athletic skills ofthe various teams were as impressive as the cama-
in the Armenian Diaspora. In April, the first Europe-wide meeting
of
Armenians took
place in Brussels. Representatives of organizations and institutions from throughout
nearly 100 individuals who had gathered
raderie that was created among the mostly young representatives from each region. The Armenia-Diaspora Conference held just a few weeks later, in Yerevan's Sports Concert Complex, attracted 1,000 delegates who represented political, social, sports, cultural and charitable organizations from 53 countries around the world. Two solid days of meetings in the presence of Armenia's top political leadership allowed concerns to be
together to see if such an umbrella organization could, or even should, exist. Those from
raised on every aspect of Armenia and Diaspora relations. from communication to
Eastem and Westem Europe came together to participate in a conference on common themes which took place in the European parliament. Later, they laid the foundations for a coordi-
nating body which would provide resources and networking for the purpose of pursuing Armenian interests throughout Europe. It was a tough organizational effort: All generations and professions were represented among the
well-established and large communities like
Armenian Jewelers Association which was
France were a bit skeptical about the need for
established in 1997, with the active participation of the Armenian government. Today, the Jewelers Association has chapters in nearly half a dozen cities around the world. As a pro-
a coordinating body. Those from well-structured communities like Hungary where each Armenian has a chance to participate in elections for community leaders wondered how "representation" would be defined. The needs and agendas of huge and old communities like Ukraine differed significantly from those of Sweden or Switzerland. Language barriers had to be overcome. Still, the first organizational meeting ended with a tentative list of principles, and a follow-up is scheduled in Budapest in 2000. As an outgrowth of that first European meeting, a forum of Euro-Armenian businessmen met in Budapest in November. They have
before them the successful example
. .
. . .
. .
32
of
the
Country's top leadership, including Prime Minister and Parliament Speaker, assassinated in the National Assembly building Yerevan State University celebrated 80th annrversary Kocharian and Aliyev met at Nakhichevan border First European Union-Armenia Cooperation Council held Georgian President visited Armenia IMF approved $29 million credit t0 Armenia US increased efforts for Turkish-Armenian rapprochement
fession well-represented by Armenians in every city in the world, the AJA intends to turn
its numbers into collective strength for the good of its members. At the same time, the jewelers are well-placed to affect the economic urgencies of Armenia. The active mediation of Armenian government representatives facilitated the organization of these business coalitions. But in the case of the first Pan Armenian Games and the first Armenia-Diaspora Conference, govemment committees were the acfual organizers. In late August, in Yerevan, 1,200 athletes
.
Catholicos Garegin ll (Nersissian) of All Armenians consecrated in Ejmiatsin . Aram Sargsian appointed to'succeed his slain brother as Prime Minister . Funeral of slain political leaders in Yerevan drew world attention . New National Assembly leaders elected . Political and military forces haggle over the formation of new government . At 0SCE lstanbul Summit, reference to Karabakh sets no preconditions, makes no reference to territorial integrity
AIM DECEMBER I999
conunon technology to deflnitions of culture and identity, to economic challenges. A second conference is scheduled for next year. Perhaps more than at any time in its centuries-old existence, the Armenian Daspora has not seen such large scale and inter-national gatherings. Despite its inadequacies, the Armenian state became the catalyst to gather although not necessarily unite - the Armenians
-
in the Diaspora. Based on the relative success of these pan-
it is obvious that when human and financial resources are combined with a clear purpose, agenda and a plan of implementation, they can generate benefits that are beyond the capabilities of any individual organization or community. That, after all, is what the Diaspora dreamed for centuries. Armenian projects,
r
. . . . .
.
.
Bulgarian President visited Armenia Central Bank said overall '99 inflation was 3-4% Government reported 5.4 percent economic growth for the first 10 months of 1999 Yekrapah Union of War Veterans fiercely criticize Kocharian Armenicum enterprise opened a 52-bed clinic for HIV-infected patients Communist Party leader Segei Badalian died of heart attack in Moscow Prime Minister Sargsian visited Moscow and Foreign Minister Oskanian visited lran
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NATION
ThnPillhluPmBr Armenians Shaking Things Up in California Politics By KRISTEN KIDD
transformation is taking place, and it is expected to change the political landscape for Armenian
Armenian-American voters in Glendale have achieved a critical mass, say pundits, at
next year. Observers and activists
come of any election involving Glendale. The
from varying political persuasions agree November 2000 will be the election
large number of recently
Armenian-Americans, and other recently-
their camp, while the Republicans are desperate to hold onto what they've got. "So all of a sudden we're able to get the attention of not only the local Democrats and Republicans, not only the state Democrats and Republicans, but also the national Democrats and Republicans," noted Vicken
when Armenian-American voters in Glendale finally step up and flex their collective mus-
arrived ethnic groups, have transformed
Papazian, Executive Director
Glendale into a so-called swing district. No
cle, sending a wake-up call all the way to
longer
Washington DC and beyond.
Democrats are eager to invite Glendale into
Armenian National Committee of America's Western Region office. Ara Bedrosian of the National Organization of Republican
Americans dramatically over the
last reaching a sufflcient number with adequate interest in voting to determine the out-
a
naturalized
conservative stronghold, the
AIM DECEMBER I999
of
the
NATION
Armenians also shares the enthusiasm and high expectations for next Novembeq saying "it is going to be one of the greatest opportunities." Glendale political consultant Eric Hacopian puts it more bluntly. "The community has the perfect opportunity to highlight all of our issues and make every political hack
out there care about what these
damn
Armenians are going to do," says Hacopian. Never before in the US has an ArmenianAmerican community been so well-positioned to command the political discourse. The excitement is apparent in the words of those absorbed in promoting involvement among Glendale's Armenian-American citizens. In fact, many are so confident the Armenians
will
dictate election results from now on, they speak of it as a foregone conclusion. To anyone harboring skepticism, the waming from an outspoken Hacopian is this, "If they don't see the light, they'll eventually feel the heat!" Rhetoric aside, what is irrefutable is the set of
circumstances now being played out in Glendale politics. A unique combination of elements that together make for an ideal open-
ing that community activists are determined not to let close again. It's a situation those outside the Armenian community are trying to grasp. "Now you're seeing newspapers like the Glendale Na,ys-Press and the Glendale Gazette starting to take a greater interest in what goes on in theArmenian community, trying to define this new politically emerging block," noted Papazian. The phenomenon has also been the subject of lzrs Angeles Ttmes and Daily News articles.
The Candidates Next November, Glendale voters will decide who will represent them in the US Congress and the State Senate and Assembly. The Congressional race would, under any cir-
cumstances, have.been of the highest profile. This year, because of the candidates running, it is likely to be the most closely watched race in the country. The incumbent, Republican
James Rogan,
a former Deputy District
Attomey in Los Angeles, led the Republican charge to impeach President Clinton earlier this year. Democrats are eager to avenge that act, and to claim the 43rd congressional district as their own. Republicans are desperate to maintain all the California seats they can. Peter Abajian of the Armenian Assembly's Westem Office, explains that there's more. "Califomia is a key state in the presidential elections, as well. Republicans want to take back the White House in November, and will need the majority of California's electoral votes to be successful. It is a situation that has placed the Glendale Armenians in an enviable position," according to Abajian. Hacopian agrees, "This is the most targeted race in the country and anybody who's got political eyes knows that those new Armenian voters will decide this election." If so, that means Rogan and his Democratic opponent, State Senator Adam Schiff, must do what it takes to win the hearts and minds of Glendale's Armenian voters. "I think people in the community would be foolish not to use this to their advantage," stated Hacopian who says the time is ripe to let candidates know what Armenians expect in exchange for their votes. That is, a representative who will actively advocate US acknowl-
edgement
of the Genocide, protection of
Section 907 ofthe Freedom SupportAct, aid to Armenia and Karabakh, and support of a free and independent Karabakh. Lofty expectations, but not beyond reason considering the stakes both parties have in the outcome of this
election. "We're lucky in that regard, if we were out in Missouri somewhere - 50,000
Armenians, would we have the same impact?
AIM DECEMBER I999
Probably not," pondered Papazian.
Albert Abkarian, head of the Armenian American Republican Council, says it is also the perfect time for Armenians in Glendale to focus on local issues, such as improved relations with the Police Department and an easing of racial tensions in the city. Of course the temptation may be there for some candidates to pay the necessary lip service before the election, with no intention of making good on certain promises afterward. "There's going to be a certain amount of pandering by candidates and one of ourjobs is to make sure the Armenians aren't being bamboozled in the process," explained Papazian. "We'll make sure that people are actually delivering what they say they're going to deliver, and we'll hold their feet to the fire. One of the reasons
NATION Krekorian, whose campaign is managed by Hacopian, and Republican Craig Missakian,
39, whose campaign manager is Aram Chaparyan, 23, a recent graduate of the University of Califomia at Irvine, where he was Student Body President for two years. Missakian is a Glendale native, a third generation Armenian-American, a former prosecutor, active in Republican circles. He ran for the State Assembly in 1996, in a pool of eight Republican candidates. Chaparyan, bom in Armenia, represents the new generation of Armenians in state politics. The two teams' names alone make a statement. "Craig has a diverse team working on this campaign," notes Chaparyan. "In my case, he didn't go looking for an Armenian. I just happened to be at the right place at the right time."
ArmenianAgenda
we can do that is because our agenda is pretty clear cut, I mean we don't hide what we're asking. We say this is what we want, and if
they don't deliver, then we won't make the same mistake twice." Rogan for his part has made great strides recently toward showing the Armenians of Glendale they have his attention. In July, Rogan hired an Armenian-American, Lena Kaimian, to work as his field representative.
In
September, Rogan took his first
trip
to
Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh to see the living conditions, and to gain a better understanding of what it is Glendale Armenians would like him to do for their homeland. And at the urging of the newly formed Armenian-
American Republican Council, a group Rogan advises, the California Republican
Party passed a resolution condemning the Genocide at its general convention in September. He has also voted to maintain Section 907 and promises to remain on this side of the issue (see AIM, Nov. 1998).
being vacated by Schiff. They are Scott Wildman and Jack Scott. Wildman has attended numerous functions and rallies in the Armenian community during his tenure in the Assembly. He employs ArmenianAmerican staffers and has been highly proactive about courting the Armenian community. Scott's district is centered in Pasadena and
he has not had much involvement in the Armenian community up until now. Many expect that to change. The race that may cause the most debate among Armenian voters is the State Assembly race. Two Armenian candidates are running: one Democrat, one Republican. They will first run against other candidates within their own
parties with the primary election in March determining who will represent each party in the main election in November. If may come
down to a race between Democrat
State Democrats say they have done the same at their conventions, and Schiff just used his position in the state Senate to secure a $463,000 grant to fund the Armenian Film Foundation's documentary, The Witnesses, in
which Genocide survivors recount their memories of loss and survival. The fllm will eventually be shown at the US Holocaust Museum in Washington DC.
At the same time, the field is growing in the races for State Senate and Assembly seats. Two current Democratic crowded
assemblymen are running for the Senate seat
AIM DECEMBER I999
Paul
The best thing may be that both Missakian and Krekorian make it beyond the primaries so that a healthy debate will take place to define an Armenian agenda. This is important for many voters, and even some candidates, for whom an "ian" is not enough. "The tendency on the part of the Diaspora is to seek individuals for posts, rather than to develop a domestic Armenian agenda. Yet, anything that we do as a state or a city will have an affect on a significant portion of the Armenian community," notes Krekorian. "Take public education. It's critical for the continuing success of our community. We also have a generation of young people at risk," continues Krekorian. "That is not to say
NATION we forget the Genocide and other important issues. They are not mutually exclusive. We have to start to realize that there is a significant domestic set of circumstances which affect us, and at the same time, demand that our members of Congress continue to pursue our foreign political agenda, and eventually
Energized Electorate Most agree the Glendale City Council race in April is the spark that ignited this new Armenian political activism. In that election two Armenian candidates, Bob Youseflan and Raffi Manoukian, went head to head with other candidates in a race for two open seats. Some
have Armenian-Americans
have described that campaign as a bloodbath the politically connected Manoukian viewed as
in
-
Congress
working on those foreign policy issues." Hacopian notes that intemal politics in the US "absolutely defines what happens in
an insider versus the outsider Yousefian. Nonetheless the emergence of two ArmenianAmerican candidates certainly galvanized a previously sluggish constituency.
foreign policy." He says, "This is a unique opportunity for Armenians to demand more. But we have to be careful. We don't need
Manoukian's successful campaign was
run by Hacopian who is now
friends, we need advocates. For that, we need an agenda." Who forms that agenda? Who is the Armenian "political elite?" Hacopian says it's whoever gets involved, not just people
with money. "Those who got involved in the last election are the ones who are able to determine the issues this time around, too."
managing
Krekorian's bid for State Assembly. Hacopian intends to use a similar campaign strategy, aimed directly at the Armenian voters, highlighting Krekorian's involvement and leadership in Armenian organizations. Missakian is
counting on the sizeable support
of
the
Tllt [ttll{tttltJlAll! tt0mY
mand any serious attention. "It's my contention, and others may disagree, that one of the reasons the Armenian community was taken much more seriously than its numbers deserved was because of the Deukmejian victory" said Kahwajian, "because when you elect a govemor with an 'ian' name, when
there has not been a Jewish, Hispanic or African-American Govemor, it sort of accel-
This so-called new political activism in Glendale is anexciting development formany long-time activists, especially those close to former California Govemor George
relations consultant, is gratified by the surge of grassroots activism in Glendale. "Up until this last election, you couldn't really point
your finger at one election and
saY
kukmejian's govemorship. Long-time polit-
Armenians made the difference with their votes. They have with their money, but the votes weren't there before." Kahwajian believes leaders like Deukmejian and former Glendale Mayor Larry Zarian helped blaze ttre rail for today's Armenian-American
ical activist Z. Cireg Kahwajian, then Special Assistant to Deukmejian, now a government
candidates, building goodwill long before the community had the fiue clout to com-
Deuknejian, the first and only ArmenianAmerican to be elected governor (1982 and 1986). In the longer view, the current spirit of activism is something of an expansion on the
groundwork
laid in large part
bY
AIM DECEMBER I999
erates the pace of recognition." Former [,os Angeles Disrict Attorney Robert Philibosian agrees, calling this November a great opportunity for the Armenian-Americans to reinforce the respect Deukmejian's victory earned in the 1980s. "It's very important that the nonArmenian community understand that this community has an interest in government, an ability to influence govemment, and is going to infl uence govemment." Philibosian credits his friend with creating a positive image of Armenian-American candidates in Califomia "George Deulanejian broke ttre gound forArmenian-American candidates. He was really the first one to achieve
prominence, and suddenly non-Armenians understood what an Armenian was, and Armenians understood that they could get elected." Philibosian feels the new activism is not really new, but an extension of a movement that began 20 years ago. "It didn't hap pen this year- this has been going on. It's been burlding and growing, so what's happening in Glendale now is a natural progression."
37
NATION just doesn't happen."
that
Armenian Republicans in Glendale, many of
whom first became active when
George
Deukmejian was running for Govemor [see accompanying storyl. Hacopian and others watched an apathetic community spring to
life in April.
Krekorian says, "Raffi
Manoukian, beingArmenian and reaching out to them directly energized a previously disinterested population." The showing at the ballot box in unprecedented numbers convinced the community is finally ready to start pushing its weight around. "In Glendale, there's Before-theApril-Elections and After. The culture has totally been transformed," claimed Hacopian. "You had 2,000 people registering to vote in the City Council election - something like
Krekorian says, "I want to make it a priority of this campaign - aside from hopefully winning the office - to bring in young, dedicated Armenian-Americans into this process." "Armenians really wanted to do something. I remember several times answering phone calls until I I pm, people asking how they can register," remembers Simonian. NORA, AARC, ANC and other groups are again planning another aggressive get-outthe-vote campaign leading into the March primary. "We will probably have 9,000 registered voters in Glendale by 2000, and then add to that Burbank, Pasadena, the Los Feliz area,La Crescenta and so forth, we're probably talking l2-13,000 voters who will be able to vote in 2000, if we do our work well," estimated the ANC's Papazian.
The November 2000 election
will
be
more than just proof the Glendale Armenians
are a political force to be reckoned with. Activists say it will be a wake-up call to Washington that even the White House cannot ignore. Hacopian sums up a far reaching
vision shared by fellow observers, "I think what's going to happen is that one day the Armenians in general will become a big force in Califomia politics at large, given the fact they're getting more active. But the reality is that if you've got a block of 200 to 300,000 voters you can decide who's going to be
President."
AIM DECEMBER I999
r
REGION
0ll alld Plpellne Pulltlcs US-Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce Sponsors a Conference in Washington, DC Withdrawals such as this one, together with the depressed price of crude oil on international markets, has created "cause for caution," according to Julia Nanay, an oil industry analyst who attended the conference. 'The industry is still testing the commercial
By MATTHEIU KARAillAll
mil Sanamyan pointed to the nametag on his lapel.
"Look at this," he said in a hushed tone of mock disbelief. "Look, they left off my affiliation." Sanamyan is the Assistant to Director of the Nagorno Karabakh Public Affairs Office in Washington, DC. He's young. He's easy-going. He goes to
a lot of
viability of [oil development] projects against an oil price of $10 to $12 a barrel," she said. Still, this event was sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, and not by the oil industry. The organizers of the conference were eager to discuss other issues, as wellissues such as exploiting the other natural resources of the Caspian Sea region. Chief among the other resources is natural
meetings and conferences in
Washington where he, and the other attendees, wear name badges. And he is not offended by the indignity
of
being issued a badge that doesn't identify him as a representative of the government of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. But this time he just couldn't resist simply pointing out the snub. And then saying nothing further about it. What more could he have said? He was attending a conference that had been sponsored by the United States-Azerbaijan Charnber of Commerce. Sanamyan was fortunate that they even let him in. Sanamyan was among the roughly 300 people who attended this two-day conference, which had been dubbed "Azerbaijan in the 21st Century: Strategic, Political and
Commercial Priorities." He was one of only perhaps six attendees with direct ties to eitherArmenia or Karabakh. Others includedArmen Kharazian, the Charge d'Affairs Ad Interim at the Armenian Embassy in Washington. Kharazian made a brief speech about the prospects for achieving
peace and stability
in
was somewhat muted. This is because oil exploration projects
or unprofitable, prompting some companies to withdraw from the Azerbaijan market. The timing of some of the bad news from the oil sector couldn't have been worse. Just have been disappointing,
gas. Govemment leaders have proposed constructing a gas pipeline from Turkmenistan, across the Caspian, and then through Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. This pipeline would be available to transport Azeri gas, as well as gas originating in Turkmenistan. "A year ago in Azerbaijan the major story was oil. Today, natural gas is also in the picture," said Nanay during a speech. Because of this, Nanay says, "the air of doom and gloom [associated with disappoint-
ing oil explorationl has lifted." The US govemment has helped with this
before the start of the nvo-day confercnce on Oct. 25, tlre press had reported that Conoco, a major US oil company, was pulling out of Azerbaijan. Conoco was unable to reach an agreement with Azerbaijan on the terms for rehabilitating
dissipation of gloom. The US Trade and Development Agency announced, during the conference, that it had awarded Azerbaijan $425,000 for the purpose
a major oilfield - one where production has fallen off steadily since the early 1990s.
supplies. Azerbaijan is contributing the balance of the cost for this $750,000 project'
of studying how to develop its natural
gas
Azerbaijan has assigned the
the
work to Enron, an American energy company. This grant
southern Caucasus.
Judging from the nametags, more than half of the attendees were affiliated with the oil and gas industry, and most of the rest were Turkish
was signed over to Azerbaijan DeveloPment Agency Director JosePh
by US Trade and
Grandmaison, during a ceremony at the conference. Natig Aliyev, the president of the
or Azni. A handful of low ranking or former US
Azeri state
government officials were also
oil
company,
SOCAR, signed the formal
present.
agreement accepting the grant. The economic effects from
Unlike in past years, how-
ever, the enthusiasm at this conference from the oil sector
the conflict with Karabakh AIM DECEMBER I999
REGION was a recurring topic, as well.
An advisor to President Clinton
made a veiled reference to the conflict during his comments about a planned oil pipeline that would run from the Azerbaijan's capital of Baku to Turkey's Mediterranean port of Ceyhan. "We want the pipeline to benefit all countries of the region," he said. "And hopefully, Armenia in time, as well," said the advisor, John Wolf, who is the Special Advisor to the President and Secretary of State for Caspian Basin Energy Diplomacy. The economic sanctions that the US imposes on Azerbaijan, through section 901 of the Freedom Support Act, was also roundly criticized, but not just by representatives of Azerbaijan such as Farhad
Aliyev, the Minister of Commerce, and by Hafiz Pashayev, Azerbaijan's ambassador to the US. Several Americans also faulted section 907, which limits direct government to government aid to Azerbaijan from the US. This bill was enacted in 1992 in response to Azerbaijan's blockade of humanitarian assistance to Karabakh and Armenia, and it has been maintained despite vocal opposition from the Clinton administration.
Criticisms were voiced
by
Terry
Koonce, the president of an Exxon Oil Co. affiliate, Graham Allison, a Harvard academic who heads a Caspian Studies Program which was funded by Azerbaijan,
and Zbigniew Brzezinski, the National Security Advisor to Jimmy Carter, two decades ago.
Sonia Crow, an Armenian American businesswoman who attended the conference, scoffed at the criticisms, especially those voiced by Brzezinski who, she said, was simply singing the same tune that he learned from the Azeris several years ago. The Azeris "view [section] 907 as an
affront, more than as a genuine impedi-
to receiving assistance. They are merely offended by it," she said. Crow is the director of the US-Armenia Business and Investment Association, in ment
Washington, DC. This was the third time in as many years
that the
US-Azerbaijan Chamber of
Commerce had sponsored a conference and exhibit in Washington. The event was supported financially by an array of oil
companies, lawyers and media groups
that included Chevron, Exxon, BPAmoco, the law firm of Baker and McKenzie, and Metromedia International Telecommunications,
Inc.
r
SAVE 40o/o'7 0o/o EVERYDAY
,*"-_.+'',_a'i.'_
i ;l!kli,
","'-tri;i.:L
CONNECTIONS
Ths }|lslurlcal Prssenl Two Scholars Provide New Perspectives on the Past By HRATGH TCHILIl'lclRlAN
utting together the dismembered body parts of gods - discarded in museum warehouses around the world - is not an easy job. But for archeologist and Egyptologist Hourig Sourouzian, 51, it is a pr+ I fessional passion. oassion. Painstakingly Painstakinslv searching, searchinsidentifying and matching pieces of heads, torsos and legs of ancient statues has made
Sourouzian one
of the most
sought-after
experts of Egyptian art.
One of her recently restored five-meter statues (consisting of 236 pieces) was exhibited at the Cairo Museum. The pieces had come from flve different places. Another Sourouzian find was the body of a statue
tall
whose head, alone, had been on display at the museum for years. In another case, a headless statue in Egypt was made complete with the
cast reproduction
of the
head found by
Sourouzian at the Louvre in Paris.
Sourouzian's groundbreaking research has led her to document over 500 ancient Egyptian royal statues from the l9th Dynasty (1320-1200 BC), including those of Ramses the Great who, by himself, was responsible
for 300 statues.
A typical
Diasporan, she was born in
Baghdad, raised in Lebanon and is a German citizen currently living and working in Egypt. Born into a family of art lovers where the children received books instead of toys, Sourouzian received her primary education at
Beirut's Nishan Palanjian School with "trvo dreams" in her heart. "First, I wanted to become a journalist and second, I wanted to go to Armenia," she remembers. In the mid-1960s with a growing wave of emigration from Lebanon to the West, the
Sourouzian family found themselves in "a terrible place, Montreal," she says. "In Canada, we spent three exfiemely difficult winters; especially coming from Lebanon, that was not easy."
The curious Sourouzian moved to Paris and studied history of art at Ecole du Louvre, focusing on Egyptian art and archeology, and learning to read hieroglyphics. She received
CONNIiCI'I0NS her doctoratc ll'orr l-ouvrc
in
1982 r,,'ith hi-lrh
distinction.
Afier writin-s a thesis on an E-u1'ptiln monument. which was later published irl Paris. shc worked at the Louvre Museuttt's L,gyptian section fbr one year. BLrt her first real experience with Egyptiiin art and arcltcology was gained in Karnak. Uppcr Eg1-pt. rvhere she w'as sent to r.lork at a Frcllch-
pictures
of which Ihad
remained in
sccn as
a
hope
Arnrcnian lu't \\ as lllcl)tioned."
dama-uc and to seek lirnds tirr rcstolrttion $'ol'k.
But. thnrLrghoLrl hcr prolcssitlnal career. Sourouziarr ncrcr lirtgot her clrearn about Arnrcrria.
Hcl lirst risit to,\rnteltia wts right afier thc lglllJ ciilthquake . Sourouzian and her collcagr.re. lLrchitcct and art hrstorian Nairy
Egyptian archeological centcr. "l likccl it verl' much and decided that thrs is u,hat I want ttr do for the rest of mv lit-e." sa1's Sottrouzian with a big srnile. "But ttry' dreattt to ilig in Armenia. cspecialll' Urartian Ittonttrrtcnts. the
Harupikian travcled to Armertia several tintcs bctwccn 1989 ancl 1993 and suI\e)'ed the danraged architectural and historical trorlunrents in the earlhquake zonc. Thel sent thcir reports to international illstitntions. illclr.rtlin,g
child.
my rt.tind."
In Egypt. she rroved fhrrt one archeolo-l-
ical proiect to xnother. but aluars kept her links with F-rrnce. In 1995. shc corrpletcd a
second doctorate
at thc
L-'nir
crsin
of
Sorbonrrc-Paris IV. rcccivin-s the Doctorat d'etat" and producing a six-volutne disserlation on the l9th Dynasty ol Egypt.
Ttrday, she is a r isiting protbssor at the
American Universitl,
ol Cairo ancl the
University ot Munich in Gerntanl'. Mean*hile. shc contirtues hcr archeological digs and publisl-rcs hcr rcsearcl.t. ln addition. tbr three Icars until 1997. Sourouzian rvas Cultural Aflairs Counsekrr lirr thc Arnrenian Embassy in CrLil'o.
UNESCO. the \\trrld N{ortt-ttttcttt F-trlttl rtrrtl thc German Associatiott o1' N{ontttttcttts u,ith thc
in passint u hcn disctrssing Gothic at'chitercture lnd hot', ther had lirttntl lt solutiott 1o calry the dorrc ol r builtlins. Tltat *'as the only time
t'
.C
f-+
er;.{ ;:s
i"r
_,
rvorking on cultural and altistic cxchangcs betwcen Eg1'pt and Armenia. Shc is alstr
inxrlved with several projccts with Egi'1tt's Minister of Culture. Most reccntly shc w'as ilt charge of an exhibit of Egyptian at1 in Flore ttce As tbl her interest in Arntenian ar1. shc
.
remembers with surprise - and a toLrch ol anger - that while stud)ing at the Ecole cltr Louvre, Amrenian ar1 \\'ils hat'dlv Ittr'rrtiotted.
"lmagine. in lirul reut. trl slutlr .ltr'tlrlr. "l only heard once about Arnrcnirn art, This made me very sad. Arnrenians \\'crc tttentioncd
r\lM I)liCI'l\l Itl'lR
I
99e
ol drlniing
attcntion to thc cnot'tnoLts
"Whcn I rnet Nairv." crplains Sottt'ottzilltl. "Wc discovcrccl that wc ltavc sirttilltt' intcrcsts dcspite our clillcrcnt prtttcssiorlal c\llcrtisc." Harnpikiarr. Cailo bont. irt hcr 30s. I'ras a r.rnique cotnbir)lltion ot' cxpcrtise : she is an architect. it rcstorer and an rrl historian. She lirst studicd t'estoration ol alchitec1u|al nronuments and history ol architecture
at thc Anrelican University oi Cairo (AUC) ancl thcn at thc ICC-'ROM in Rorne. r,n'hele thc
scicnce
of rcstoration is quite advanccd. Itl
CONNECTIONS 1982-1984 she studied
in Armenia at
the
Polytechnic Institute's Department of Restoration, wrote a thesis on Armenian buildings in Egypt and came back to Egypt to work on restoration of historical buildings. At AUC, Hampikian received a Master's Degree in Islamic Art and Architecture. "I wanted to research Armenian and Islamic architecture simultaneously, because I believe there is an important connection between the two. Generally, experts have studied either one or the other, but not the two together," she explains. Indeed, she had an advantage over other scholars as she was trained in both Armenian and Islamic art and could read original sources in both languages. "lf you do not
consult or look into primary Arabic sources, you will see only half of the truth," she says. Hampikian, who received her doctorate
from the University of California
Los
number of Armenians in Cairo grew so rapid-
Angeles, Department of Archeology, in 199i, has directed several important restoration projects, under the supervision of the German
ly that the Patriarch of Jerusalem himself
Institute of Archeology - among them the of al-Salihiyya Madrasa and the Mausoleum of al-Salih, a circa 1250 monument dedicated to the last Ayyubite Sultan of Egypt. Currently, she is the director of a major conservation project at the Bab
Minaret
Zuwayla, sponsored by a four-year grant from the American Research Center in Egypt and the Egyptian Antiquities Project.
Bab Zuwayla was the city gate
of Al-
Kahira, the old city of Cairo, during the Fatimid Dynasty (12th-l3th centuries). '"This gate in what is now known as the old city was built by Armenian brothers," explains Hampikian.
She
is
cuffently conducting further research to determine what exactly these "three Armenian brothers did." Some historians
claim they are Syrian,
some
say they are Coptic, and some
say they are
Armenian. Hampikian says that one of the walls she is currently working
on in old Cairo should
shed
further light on this question. "This wall is literally in my hands, I can touch and see every
inch of the wall through scaffolding and read the signs and symbols of the stone masons who built the wall," says Hampikian, with excitement. "It is clear that the wall was built by the Armenian brothers." She is also checking to see
what connection these walls and these brothers have with the architecture of the ancient Armenian capital city of Ani. in what is today Eastem Turkey.
From Ani to Cairo? Hampikian explains that one of the most prominent flgures in the
Fatimid period was
an
Armenian vezir (prime minister) called Badredeen al-
Gamali al-Armeni, who was brought to Egypt from Syria. Hampikian says that the first nucleus of the Armenian community in Egypt was formed in the I Ith century. when the city
of Ani fell. Many Armenians came to Egypt via Syria.
by Badredeen's high position in the royal court. The helped
AIM DECEMBER 1999
came to Egypt and installed one of his relatives as the first Archbishop of the Armenian community in Egypt. Hampikian is quick to add, "I'm saying that these monuments and walls were built by Armenians, not out of pride, but because I discovered a truth. Armenians, as refugees, have been builders everywhere they've established themselves. To be refugees, spread all over the world, is not a matter of pride. It means that your home country was unstable. There are two schools of thought on this. Some say, proudly, that Armenians built great monuments and are great builders all over the world. I do not share this view. It is not a mat-
ter of pride that Armenians built the first church in Singapore; it is simply a matter of truth, a historical reality. Yes, Armenians built great monuments in Egypt, but we have to also remember or acknowledge that at the same time, there was the destruction of Ani." Hampikian's connections with Armenia have been more frequent as she studied there and used to visit every year since her gradua-
"I had a very nice connection with Armeni4" she explains. "One of my dreams is to have a restoration project in Armenia, tion.
which right now is almost being realized." Her association with Sourouzian came immediately after the earthquake in Armenia. While after the 1988 earthquake people in Armenia expected primarily humanitarian aid and health care, the two scholars wanted to do offer something in line with their expertise.
"We thought there aren't many people
who can help Armenia with its
damaged
monuments," says Hampikian. "We thought, we are not millionaires, but we can contribute our scientific knowledge and network of connections for the reconstruction effort," continues Sourouzian. "We both love monuments and we thought that there would be a lot of medical and humanitarian assistance, but monuments would not even make the list of needs. When you have a natural disaster, art and culture are almost for-
gotten. We got organized very quickly, through our own means, and went to Armenia. During three consecutive visits, we surveyed all the monuments in the earthquake zone, village by village, city by city." Together, they surveyed and catalogued some 1000 historical buildings and monuments. This was a first - in kind and scope. It was the first time in any countlry that destruction and damage of cultural monuments in an earthquake zone were surveyed and recorded in detail by experts.
CONNECTIONS As a result of the reports they prepared, groups of experts from Germany, Italy and the US went to Armenia and conducted their own research. However. "the Karabakh war interrupted the project," Sourouzian explains with disappointment. "These researchers were afraid of the war and left Armenia. Then came the collapse of the Soviet Union and the economic hardships which followed, immediately after independence. So, while some work is continuing today, the bulk of the project remains incom-
plete."
Still, Hampikian and Sourouzian gave a of lectures and presentations in Egypt, Europe and North America and collected about $10,000 for restoration work. "We gave the money to local experts in Armenia who started work on Astvatsungal, series
a monument near Yerevan," says
Hampikian.
"This was a nice beginning for further longterm work in Armenia." The team plans to restart the project again and restore some monuments for the l700th anniversary of the establishment of Christianity in Armenia. "Restoration means preserving what you have in the present not reconstruction of what was in the past," explains Sourouzian. "The old school used to think that restoration meant reconstruction - by adding a fallen dome or wall. This mentality is no longer valid. They used to do that in the Soviet Union. The Egyptians used to do the same.
The 'new' school of thought leans
more
toward preservation of what exists and prevention of further deterioration. The visitor to these monuments should see the old, the ancient, and not what has been reconstructed in the 20th century.
"My fear is that in Armenia they will
be
to
reconstruct old churches and monuments on the occasion of the l700th anniversary; it is difficult to change the mentality and say you should preserve what has come down through the centuries and not
tempted
add or reconstruct through modern intervention," warns Sourouzian.
Through their work
in
Armenia,
Hampikian and Sourouzian have also developed professional and personal ties in Egypt. Currently, they are involved in a large project with a grant from the World Monument Fund to do work at the great temple of the
Third Pharaoh involving restoration
and
preservation of monuments. But Armenia is never out of mind. They are also submitting
grant proposals to international organizations for assistance in the restoration of historical monuments in Armenia. r
Pel'spoctiug$ olt the [iaspotrr Nairy Hampikian and Hourig Sourouzian are scholars ofancient history an and archeology. Yet, they hold clear opinions on the "reality" of the Armenian Diaspora. NAIRY HAMPIKIAN To be a Diaspora is not something for one to be happy or proud about. The Diaspora is a reality. I say this consciously. This is a sad reality. When you read history whenever the community in the Diaspora is happy, with bustling intellectual and cultural life, you see that people are being massacred in Armenia or going through horrible times.
There are many who look at the history of the Diaspora communities outside the context of Armenia. This results in a different picture of reality. By themselves, Diaspora communities might look prosperous and well off, but the larger context - developments in Armenian life elsewhere - tells a different story. We have to remember that Diaspora communities did not come into existence in a vacuum. There has always been input from the 'motherland' which brings freshness to the community. Los Angeles today is a good example of this. The discussions in Los Angeles today are the same as at the turn of the century in Egypt, right after the genocide. People were debating about the shape of the dome of a church they want to build, they were having heated arguments about fundraising, and so on. You can find connections between building churches and monuments in Egypt and the turn of events in Armenia. Studying Armenian architecture in Egypt was a wonderful way of researching my Diaspora identity. The Diaspora can justify itself only by contributing to Armenia. What you build in the Diaspora is temporary - you build palaces, great monuments, etc. In time, they become part of the respective culture and heritage ofthat country. One sees this process over and over again in history. Look what happened to the Armenians in Ethiopia and Sudan - what you build and establish is ultimately not yours. It is temporary and only a matter of time. What I'm saying is neither depressing nor a source ofpride. It is the reality. H0uRtG souRouztAl,l We have two personalities as Diasporans: we are born Armenian and we are citizens of a given country. But we are raised as Armenians regardless of citizenship. The day I landed in Armenia, I realized that being an Armenian in the Diaspora does not mean anything. The work that needs to be done is in Armenia. You have to live there in order to be an 'ideal'Armenian. Otherwise, being a typical Diasporan does not mean much. I hope that my final destination and the last phase of my career will be living and working in Armenia: to do what I do now, but in Armenia. The Diaspora is always transitory. A church building in Los Angeles or Sydney or Paris does not have the same historic value as the churches in Armenia. For example, an Armenian church building in Egypt that resembles the church architecture of Ani was sold to the Coptic Church. History will probably not even record that this church was once Armenian. Perhaps only those who recognize the characteristics of Armenian architecture will identify it as an Armenian building. And unfortunately, the Armenian community that was around that Armenian Church is no longer there. Armenian organizations in the Diaspora expect individuals to work or contribute to community life following a set mode or mold and this inhibits individual creativity. We do not support each other in the Diaspora. We support individuals who are successful outside the community; that's when we embrace them. I used to think that being affiliated with community organizations was part of having a sense of belonging, but since Armenia's independence, and since going to Armenia, I no longer think that you need to be affiliated with any organization in the Diaspora. I believe, with Armenia's independence, the question of identity has been wonderfully resolved. I feel a sense of belonging only to Armenia and not to any Diaspora organization or structure.
AIM DECEMBER
1999
45
CONNECTIONS state budget shortfalls have forced Nazarian secure funds from non-state sources for the ministry's projects. "We have an impor-
to
tant role to play in making sure there is clean, safe and inviting environment for tourists to come. And we have to flnd the funds from somewhere." In the Ministry of Environment, Nazarian faces even more challenges. "In this area our
T]lE POIIIIT OT IllO HTT[|HIII Cabinet Minister Arthur Nazarian Discusses Lebanon and the Armenian Community
efforts focus on repairing the destruction done during the l7-year old civil war in Lebanon and fixing the damages that were done to the environment in the last two decades. We are trying as much as possible within the limitations of our budget. The state budget is very limited. We have to create new infrastructure, such as water and waste management. What little there was, was destroyed or damaged during the war. So
we have a daunting challenges before us," admits the minister.
Under Nazarian's leadership an educa-
tional program on the importance of the environment has been started by the Ministry to make the population better informed and cognizant of their responsibil-
ity in protected nature. Public schools have instituted environmental awareness programs, but Nazarian points that adults should leam first, "While the children are teaching the adults, the government needs to have certain programs in
place to create awareness whole," he adds.
in society as a
Unlike in the previous government where most ministers were "political appointees" affiliated with various parties, the new Prime Minister of Lebanon, Selim Hoss, appointed only professionals to his cabinet. Arthur Nazarian is a textile engineer and manufacturer, who joined his family business upon completing his studies in Philadelphia. There is also another political "tradi-
By HRATGH TCHILINGIRIAN
tion" in Lebanon. "The formation of fter the l1-year devastation of
the
lrbanese civil war, Arthur Nazarian, 48, has been assigned, arguably, the most thankless job in the Lebanese govemment. The Beirut-bom industrialist is both Minister of Tourism and Minister of the Environment.
"Our main effort in the Ministry of Tourism is to make tourism one of the important income generating sectors of Lebanese economy," explains Nazarian.
In its better days, considered the "Paris of the Middle East," Lebanon attracted thousands of tourists from around the world. The Mediterranean coastline spreading north to
south on the country's east and easily accessible luscious green mountain resorts on the west made Lebanon one of the most attrac-
tive vacation and entertainment destination in the Middle East. But the minister's task is daunting. The amelioration of infrastructure and restoration of confldence among tourists "require large amounts of funds and efforts," says Nazarian. "The World Bank and some Arab countries are helping us with loans, but what we need most are grants, not loans, which are generally for conducting studies rather than implementing projects."
The struggling Lebanese economy and AIM DECEMBER I999
a
new cabinet is based on a 'quota system' reflecting Lebanon's sectarian makeup," explains Nazarian. "According to this system, when the government is made of up to 16 ministers, at least one Armenian is appointed to the cabinet. When the cabinet is made of over 24 ministers, two Armenians are appointed. (In the previous government of Rafik Hariri there were
two Armenian ministers.) Nazarian was chosen in the Hoss government from a short list of candidates for his professional career and experience, and most important for not being affiliated with any political party.
CONNECTIONS A New School ofThought Nazarian, the father ofthree children, grew
up in lrbanon and attended the Demi{ian Armenian School. An active member of community cultural and social life, he has been one ofthe proponents ofa "new school" ofthought in lrbanon that advocates coming out of the Armenian ghetto and integrating into main steam society. "I believe the current period is one of the best periods in the history of the Armenian community of Lebanon, despite the fact that
many emigrated during the last two decades," Nazarian affirms with optimism. "We have opened up to society from our
ghettos more than anytime
before.
Armenians used to associate and socialize only with Armenians, but now we have a dif-
ferent picture. Armenians freely associate and open up to a variety of circles in society.
in terms of education or social affairs, an Armenian is able to compete
Weather
alongside others," he explains. Giving his own case as an example, he
points out the importance of involvement in government affairs. "Until recent years, we had not entered into government and state structures. We rarely had Armenian civil servants working in the government apparatus. Perhaps because Armenians were more ambitions and thought of a government job as limited, both financially and in scope."
Nazarian mentions that the general director of the Ministry of Environment is a 3l-year-old Armenian, Berj Hajenian, a PhD who has taught at the American University of Beirut. "This is new for Lebanon because generally high government positions are appointed from within and not outside. But now we have professionals from outside fill-
ing important positions. Hajenian was appointed to the post and not promoted from within," he says. The debate over "integration" versus
"preservation"
is a thorny topic in
Lebanese-Armenian community circles. The traditional political parties and institutions, holding on to their well-established roots and modus operandi, argue that integration would lead to assimilation.
Meanwhile, integration has been taking place, especially among the youth, beyond the control of the Armenian "establishment." Today Armenian professionals and university graduates are less likely to affiliate with political parties, which still enjoy large clout in Lebanese politics, and have found greater opportunities and success in main stream Lebanese society. Indeed,
whether in the arts, sciences or the media, many Armenians have reached prominent positions without the support or perceived legitimacy that once the Armenian political parties provided. Perhaps the most unexpected change in the "mission" of the established community institutions - the preservation of Armenian
identity
Union.
- was the collapse of the Soviet "I would say, especially after
Armenia's independence some of the burdens of 'preservation of the nation' has been eased," says Nazarian. "Now Armenians are much more united, in terms of the youth and political issues," he adds. Most Lebanese are quick to mention that
Philanlhropiu T'adilion The Nazarian family's roots go back several centuries. According to The History of the Nazarian Family 1475-1988 (published in Beirut), the Nazarunis, were well-known merchants and philanthropists in the ancient capital city ofAni. After the fall ofthe Bagratuni kingdom, the clan moved to Julfa in northern Iran, which was a major trade center between Asia and Europe. Later generations moved to Isfahan, Upper Akulis, Geghargunik, Nakhichevan, Karabakh, St. Petersburg and Moscow. There, the family known as the Lazarians built the Lazarian Academy in 1815. It is still a famous Moscow landmark and currently houses the Armenian Embassy and diplomatic mission to the Russian Federation. No matter where they've been, the Nazarians have built churches and schools, and even sponsored the printing of Explanation of the Book of Psalms in Venice, in 1687. The same sort of philanthropy continues today. The Nazarian brothers in Beirut and New Jersey were the donors of the Armenian Embassy building in one of Beirut's most prestigious suburbs. This is fitting, since Arthur's father Garbis Nazarian was the president of AGBU Lebanon District for many years. His uncle Nazar Nazarian has long been the Vice President of AGBU Central Board. The Nazarians are well-known benefactors of Armenian schools, churches and community centers in Lebanon, Argentina, the US and Armenia.
AIM DECEMBER I999
CONNECTIONS Lebanon's President Emile Lahoud, a gener-
al, is half Armenian and is married to
an
I G[tt FRIIIUI HIIIIIE
[RilElIIA ATII IORABAGH tIU JOURIIIL By Caroknn S. Najarian, M.D.
Armenian; that the wife of Health Minister Karam Karam is Armenian as well.
"I believe Armenians are more integrated into society than before. In the past you hardly heard that an Armenian married
a
Lebanese. But now there are a lot of mixed marriages," says Nazarian.
But he indicates another significant "change" that has taken place in Lebanon since the end of the war. "In general, the Armenian community is widely embraced and accepted by the other religious and ethnic communities in Lebanon. The Armenian community, having lived through the civil war, is seen as part and parcel of Lebanon like any other community. The Armenian community
in
Lebanon
is a
permanent
community." In the past Armenians also played a significant role in Lebanon's economy. "Before the war, most of the factories in Lebanon used to be owned by Armenians, but that has
changed since the war," observes Nazarian.
Hundreds of Armenian businessmen emigrated or lost their assets in Lebanon since the mid-1970s. Today, Armenians have much smaller role in the economy, however, there is increase in involvement in professional careers.
Nazarian is cautiously optimistic about Lebanon's future as it is related to the future of the entire region. "A peace settlement with Israel will make things better," he says. Since Lebanon is not a major exporting country, regional peace and stability is a must he adds. "The economic
prosperity and stability of the Gulf and Arab countries greatly reflect and impact Lebanon's economy. So far one of the greatest source of revenue for Lebanon has been the financial input of Lebanese expatriates around the world," As for the Armenian community in Lebanon, Nazarian is enthusiastic in his observation. "I believe we are advancing and giving a lot more to society than anytime before and that's a very good sign. Our presence is felt in Lebanon. We are proud of being Armenians at the same time very proud to be Lebanese. Until Armenia's independence, the Lebanese might have thought that Armenians would eventually 'return' to their homeland, but now they
know that Armenians are part
of
the Lebanese social and cultural landscape. It is a permanent community. This is our country, despite the fact that the whole world is open before us." r
"Naj*rian urites with
compassion and an
eyfor t lling the mtth about how
ordinary haman beings can endure what seetts unmdurable, Her baoh is a uniaersal story and a cestirnony to how one person can mako a -PETER BALAKT N, AUTHoR oF BL{CK
Doc oF
Wencc,"
FATE
"Dn Caroknn Najarian
is a rarc souL and thb is a rare booh. Ve arcforatnaa madc this extaordinary contribution and shared htr experiences blt wrirtng tbis booh. Please rcad
sbe
h*
it!'
_CARoLYN G. MUGAR
Btrx3*:,]lffi :*'#il:r#"yi,Jl
fifffi i^t*
ArD'
usA
'A Call From Hone
I*
dctaik.
is a wondtrful story, wrtfien with pdssion and. an qe for rich aignettes show the Arrnenian generusity of spirit, ability nface
adaercity, comnzitment to family lradition, and aery rnooing couragc." -CHARIES HATEM, M.D. DrREcroR oF MEDrcAr EDUCATTON, MoUNT AUBURN HosprrAl
IgS,
r
would like to order
r
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tfl0il ll0tlE:
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Phone: Please make checks payable to Arpen Press and mail to the following address: Arpen Press, PO. Box 400-135, Cambridge, MA 02140 or call/fax (617) 661-8589 Books are also available through most Armenian bookstores
Ple ase send me c:opv(ies) of the video SURVIVING ON THE RICHTER SCALE ar $25.00 each (in IJS funds), including shipping & trandling.
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Erew
sUp
Photojournalist Armineh Johannes Captures the Early Morning
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{,ry
opposite page clockwise lrom topClassroom, Going to Work when the Elevator ls Out of 0rder (Government Building No. 3), Women Praying at St. Zoravar Church.
This page clockwise lrom lop leftCentral Market, Tamanian Square, Yerevan Choreographic School, Winter in Yerevan.
AIM DECEMBER I999
51
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I Hal Flloyilllr8 or $urGBry I
Psychics, Healers and Fortunetellers Continue Armenia's Occultist Traditions By MARIE AUDE PAN0SSIAN & ANNA ARMAGAI,I; Photos by MAX SIVASLIAN
only believe what I can see!" Trying to apply this Thomas Aquinas principle to Armenia's clairvoyants and faith healers is to see exactly what can't be seen - the future. Not by reading coffee cups (that would be too simple), crystal balls (that's too Westem) or palms (plain ridiculous), but by studying wax, lead, nails, and
divine voices. These are the tools
of
the
prophets at the foot of Mount Ararat.
There
is nothing simpler than
coming
face to face with one. In this country ofgrand seers of the future who seem to be increasing as quickly as the hope of a better tomolrow
fades. Surely that's the reason why so many people, here and elsewhere, consult such more or less official oracles. Even if girls admit (without shame) wanting to know about their tomorrows singing with their hopes. Boys admit their curiosities with greater reluctance. To the point where they
don't even believe what they see.
Private Chapel It is in the midst of holy candles that clair-
voyant and faith healer Nadia operates. A calling she practices since 1957. "Between the ages of 8 and 15 I had contacts with God who asked me to explore my gift. It is only after a dream years later that I gave in," she adds. "I help the sick or those with psychological problems, I help people with their phobias and other ills." Young policemen consult her in secret to be released from spells. A heavy silence fills the chapel attached
to a small house made of odds and ends. There is an end of the world atmosphere in this lost place nestled on a plateau a few kilometers from Yerevan. The giant Khatchkar (cross stone) resting at the entrance is the only indication that man has ever ventured into this deserted place. But, despite appearances, it is a dwelling place. Sixty-one years old Nadia and her two sons have been living here for many years. Here, she receives clients three times a week worried about their future or afraid by even-
tual evil spirits that may come their way. Painfully, the old woman sits up in her bed, loosely straightens her dress and passes her hand across her face. She whistles, mumbles a few words before greeting a group of impromptu visitors. In this early moming, a young girl accompanied by her mother has come to consult her. Nadia lights the little butane heater at her feet, drops a pile of white wax into a heating pot while talking. She empties the contents into a
container full of watet passing it over the young client's head and stalts once again. "The wax is like a mirror to me, it allows me to see inside a person," explains Nadia. "And then I hear a voice from God that I repeat to myself." From the form taken by the cold wax, she describes this adolescent's future and tells her that there is an evil spell on her.
Impossible to say when this Tbughtakir (written spell) will befall her because it has been thrown in the water. Not surprised by the news ("I had strong headaches, that's why I
came" the client explains), the young girl
AIM DECEMBER 1999
accepts to return three times a week to be released from the spell.
An almost identical operation is repeated with only one difference. It is not wax that is boiled but lead. This is supposed to remove the evil eye. Ten minutes later these visitors are replaced by a young police officer in civilian clothes. They have also come to have spells removed. No doubt ashamed, they
refuse to discuss it. They leave as they came - in complete confidentiality.
"I use my eyes to heal, this is not cery" explains Nadia,
sor-
Suburban Fortuneteller "Me, I don't need a mysterious d6cor to demonstrate my power," insists Anahid. In fact, there are neither candelabras, pious images nor esoteric books at her place. This clairvoyant refuses to play the grand priestess. She is on the fifth floor of a typically Soviet building and she receives an abundance of clients in the third sector where her apartment is located.
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With a quick gesture she removes the white tablecloth covering the table in the living room, lowers the volume on the television and sends away her five giggling children.
"because I don't want to make a business out it. But if someone wishes to leave something, I thank them." That easy.
Good, now we can begin. By way of introduction she warns me: "I don't use Toughtakir because I don't believe in black magic. But I can say that if someone has
Village Healer In front of this white house with a small
received one. I can dispel them."
Since 1995, she "helps" all those who come to see her. She does this almost against herself because she was never really attracted to the divine arts. It took a series of unfortunate circumstances that forced her to finally use her powers. "It was a few years ago, my legs hurt terribly," she says sighing deeply. "I prayed that
of
garden, men and women wait for hours some-
times. Some whisper, others cry while others have serious faces, as though facing an important day. Often, they come from tens of
kilometers away, by foot and by bus, to come to Badikian's little village. They arrive to consult "Saint Vartig,"
told, who suc-
cessfully healed a major personality from Karabakh. Their eyes raised toward the window, they all wait upon this prophet waiting for into her holy place so that she may listen to the miseries of the world, All ofthe sudden the unthinkable happens: The sun is covered and enormous hailstones
a sign to let them
fall on these troubled souls. Apocalyptic atmosphere in the middle of summer...
Finally Vartig invites us all into
her
house. Without moving a chair, this imposing woman tells us to sit down - boys on one side and girls on the other. Silence. No one dares look at anyone else. And then she speaks
again.
I'll
God would help me, but nothing happened. Until the day I saw myself in a dream. I was on my hands and knees climbing up the stairs of the Madenataran," the ancient manuscript
us
"If
someone is bad or doesn't believe
send them away," she says staring back at
with her green eyes. And as if giving us proof of the gift
she
has had since age seven, this woman leans her
library in Yerevan. "The statue spoke to me and said 'Stand up and walk, tell people what you see.' When I woke up I felt beffer than
head and starts narrating haphazardly. She gives our dates of birth, discusses the most private parts of our lives, some of the health problems concerning members of our families and even their first names (in French). Normally, these would be impossible to guess. But here, nothing is normal. "I work with my hands and with my eyes," she confides. "I have a force and an energy that allows me to heal people. From hormonal problems to ulcers and cancer, she claims she can beat most ills. "But this has nothing to do with sorcery" she is quick to add. "I do all of this in God's name." Even at that, a single look is enough for her to see the little ills in each of us and otherwise invisible to the naked eye. Troubling for strict Cartesians. It's a good thing she repeats that she wants to "do good, only to do good."
ever. Even more incredibly, I acquired the ability to see inside people," she explains. Friends close to her advised her to start divining. She refused. It took her son's illness a while later lying between life and death to accept the unlikely: She is guided from the inside. "lt is enough for me to take a quick look at someone in the entrance to know with rare
precision that person's character,"
as some
won't hesitafe to call this claiwoyant and faith healer. The only woman, we are
she
explains and then lights a small candle dropping a little wax to decipher your destiny before attacking the cards.
The result? Interesting. Unstuck in the past, dead right on the present. As for the future, we are just asked to believe! This oracle doesn't cost a Dram. "I never ask for anything," she says with a smile,
-Translated by Harry Dikranian
AIM DECEMBER I999
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fulrrpru!urG Shlh[ruurnrnrplrrG Statement of Revenues and Expenses From July L, 1997 to December 3L, 1998 (L8 months) UNFSq
REVENUES Activities
8,015
Sn tp f /!n t[rpu*nn tn tp]rtG thnGurp\Ghp
Other
1,957
9,urGurqurG
General Contributions
$ 238,183
f
$ 248,155
blq
EXPENSES Office Rent
$
Telecommunications
1,297
$puruhGhu\|r {urpaf thnGurp\Ghp {hnrudur ;0 /{h nurq ru ur8 k0
Postage
3,619
tpn2ilurpntrlp
Printing Office Expenses Advertising / Promotions Taxes (GST, TVQ) Bank Charges Office Help
6,406 2,924
Sqrugpur\ruG Eurluuhp
4,840
Computer
4,301
Functions & Events
5,031
6,328
$puruhGhur\ |r Surluuhp UurGntgntrlGhp
3,381
Sntpfhp tpunlulnurG burluuhp $puruhGhur\ [r iluruGur\ [r
1,313
423
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165,6t2
Transfer to Armenia
On fuur0gn t
J
{|nfGurrppulf
gGn
trl
<<2,ur,1ururnurG
-
>>
bphturG
$ 205,465
E
'.
Excess ofRevenues
= =
Cash/Bank Balance beginning of the
uo o
Cash/Bank Balance end of period
E
overExpenses
$ 42,690
Brurhlhrul rfnr-urf' \f[ r1til Qururpruuur qnrrlrup 4prurftuurru0 rfou' 1 Bnrllru 1997 (lururpruuur qntrhup ryprurfrurnru0 rforn' 81 th\urhilphp 1098
period $ 10,029 fi 52,719
a .9
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=o
Approved on behalf of the Board of Directors HrairAmirian - Treasurer Zareh Tchelikdjian - Co-chairman
6 d
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lllutuUolcus nl ll|lll$lc Talented Youth Serve as Examples of Charity Well Invested By John Hughes
ilit Grigorian
is sitting atop tlree books
added to a stool so that she may reach
the grand piano keyboard inside the Aram Khachatrian Museum Hall and fill the room with music of uncommon vimtosity from the fingen of a 13 year old. Across the room, Silva Mekinian is on the edge of her chair, too, clurching in her fingen the concertgogramas if to queezefrom itthe will to make her young potege's performance flawless. Mekinian and arts patron Roy Kelegian (himself a concert pianist born in Istanbul, who lived in New York for years before moving to Armenia several years ago) have organized this Yerevan performance to honor the Greek Ambassador to Armenia - to thank his country for inviting young Lilit and a half dozen others to showcase their considerable
lies could barely afford essentials - to speak nothing of luxuries such as music lessons. A time when a piano like the one in this concert hall was found minus its legs, which had been pilfered for flrewood. Against those conditions, Mekinian peti-
But it is salvation with a price. According to Mekinian, Armenia has more than 100 art schools. Education is not the issue; affordability is. TMay, tuition costs around $200
tioned Armenian communities ouside Armenia. The first to respond was a Syrian orgaruza-
out other things in order to afford
tion, then a French cultural organization, then others whose donations were first used to buy stoves to heat homes otherwise too cold for practice. Then a fund was established from which qualified families received $10-15 a month to pay for tutoring. "In spite of what we tried to do, we couldn't reach all the talented children," Mekinian says.
skills abroad. Twelve pieces will be played this aftemoon by musicians no older than 16. And 12 times, an audience that includes government dignitaries. music conserva-
applause before pouring her energy into the next student. On piano, cello, violin, saxophone and
these.
Ten years ago Mekinian saw the need for a
music education progrtrm in Armenia that went beyond the standard music school curriculum:
a support group that would keep talented young musicians passionate for their art against discouraging circumstances. In the dark aftermath of the earthquake and the struggles of independence, Mekinian founded the New Voices charitable progarn with little more than the simple belief 'that our nation is rich wittr taleng especially musical talent."
The program began at a time when fami-
music
school, but many have nothing left to cut from. In such circumstances, teachers frained in the great music schools have unusable skills. "Musical education is based on a one-on-one relationship," Mekinian says,'The conditions of
our schools don't affect music sfudents much, because the teacher is more important."
Mekinian was reminded of that fact when at a New Voices concert in Bonn, a man handed her eight sealed envelopes containing money and asked that she take it back to Armenia to the eight teachers who were represented by the performing students.
about 15 have the talent for study
relax just long enough to enjoy the
flute, the young render the ageless music Chopin, Komitas, Khachatrian. And it is worth wondering who sat where Mekinian and Kelegian sat when those giants were the ages of
Some families, Mekinian says, have cut
To become part of the New Voices program children must audition before a council made up of professional musicians. Last year 95 students applied and 28 were accepted. Of the 49 currently in New Voices,
tory students, Miss Armenia and an intrusive hive of video cameramen will bathe these children in appreciation. And 12 times, Silva Mekinian will
of
ayea\
But those who have been reached through New Voices are evidence of charity well invested. In recent years, students ofNew Voices have performed in England, France, Switzerland, l,ebanon, Syria, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Greece and the US. It currently supports 49 students th,roughout Armeni4 l0 of which have won intemational competitions. Eight New Voices students are now studying at the Juliard School of Music. "Our mdn issue," Kelegian says, "is to find the young talent and to find sponsors to enable children to get a good education here in Armeni4 then go to major competitions outside the country. The cultivation of young talent is the salvation
ofArmenia."
AIM DECEMBER 1999
abroad, Kelegian says. But while university scholarships might be available, housing costs are prohibitive for most Armenian students unless they get help from programs such as New Voices. (At present, students from the program are being sponsored in Switzerland, Russia, the US, Israel and Germany.) "In the beginning we weren't interested in having them leave Armenia," Mekinian says. "But we learned that they need that experience." If Mekinian's passion for young musicians is somewhat maternal, it is also nationalistic, as she sees talent as a commodity of cultural pride. "ff there is a talented Armenian child in Australi4 that is our nation's child and we
should take responsibiliry" Mekinian says. 'Music is a subject that can be presented to tlre world. You can't present a businessman to tlrc world, but these children are an asset that can be presented to people who can see their value."r
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OTHER PEOPLE'S MAIL
Ihese ane neal lettens lnom neal peoplc. $end us youn$.
Dear B,
Dear S, Had thanksgiving dinner yesterday. The turkey, they tell me, was wonderful (as a vegetarian, I didn't have it), but I must tell you that the mashed potatoes were WONDERFUL and the pumpkin pie made me feel like I was in the good ole U. S. of A. I have decided that I have the best driver in all of Yerevan. He seems to be the only person in town that has figured out that you DO NOT save gas by turning off the ignition when you come to a stop light. Most other cars and almost all other taxis turn off their engines at stop lights. Once the light shows signs of turning to green everyone starts their cars and guns their motors. This makes me crazy everyday. My driver has realized that it takes more gas to start the car than it does to let it idle at the light. Thank God for small things. It's getting cold in Yerevan. For the last few days there has been the smell of snow in the air. It seemed to be coming any day. My friend and I made murraba
(raspberry and apricot
jam
I'm not surprised that you didn't quite like Armenia; I love Armenia very much, but I can understand that someone else doesn't have to feel the same. Besides, I think you stayed in Yerevan long enough to see the bad sides, but not enough to see the good things here or to feel at home. Anyway, you are not the first person, who loses his sense of home after visiting this country. Imagine, D came unwillingly, because she was afraid of this. Yet, she liked Armenia and, as a result, her feeling of home has become stronger. I'm not going to convince you that this is a good place, yet I remember you said that you never felt as close to God as you did in Geghard. Well, we, who live in Armenia, are lucky. If I move to the West, and like it, Armenia will
still remain
"l
-
yummy!) a few months ago. She forbade me from opening the jars until the flrst snowfall. This moming she called and told me to look outside as it was snowing. She then heartily told me that I could open the murraba. I feigned excitement. Of course I did not tell her that they had been opened from the {irst day. I must
admit, however, that there
Wow, never got such a long message from you.
"my
place."
One thing is true: there is never a way back, one can only
move forward. When trying to restore your balance, you should not fight with yourself, trying to find what you had before. When you
';*' 'a l['r,'
stop fighting, you'll gain something new, which will compensate for what you had, or more. In fact, the new thing you gain, is the
is
nothing like hot tea and murraba on a cold, snowy Yerevan day. My friend opened a pastry shop today on Abovian Street. This could be the end of my clothes fitting. I just had everything altered and made smaller. There's nothing like living in Yerevan for your waistline. I get so busy that I forget to eat and practically live on coffee. Now that my friend has the shop I could be in trouble. Talk to you soon - cell phone only, my real phone hasn't worked for two weeks. I'm off to the gym. Love, L.
old plus something else.
Often, we don't want this "else," fearing to lose the old. Thinking a little deeper, what do we have at all? If we may lose something, this means we never actually had it. Similarly, one can never bring one's childhood back. Perhaps, you grew older after visiting Armenia, and there is nothing terrible about that. I hope you restore your inner balance soon; home is rather an inner notion. I hope you feel at home inside. G.
AIM DECEMBER
1999
0ne $cholarb Pursuil 0l ]listul'ical Juslice In a very real sense, ProfessorVahakn Dadrian is a lone warrior in the oft-frustrating struggle to have the Armenian genocide recognized as history. Not that Dadrian is the sole scholar of this genocide that ushered in the 20th century, tirelessly grappling with those denying its
tion with respect to the suppression of genocide. In the second article, "The Armenian Genocide
and the Evidence
"
of
German
historicity. Professor Richard Hovannisian immediately springs to mind. Yet no one has so single-handedly and single-mindedly literally
Involvement
devoted his academic time, talents and energy than has Dadrian. His definitive The History of the Armenian Genocide (Berghahn Books, 1995) might have sufficed. Instead, this work was followed by a steady banage of publications that systematically have taken the wind out of the deniers' sails. In the last two years, Dadrian has produced a number of additional publications that demonstrate the power of the pen and betray a cool though passionate dedication against the anti-intellectual assaults of those who irrationally seek to destroy the past. Two of these were lengthy articles in the University of West lns Ang,eles Law Review in 1998. The first "The Armenian Genocide and the Legal and Political Issues in the Failure to Prevent or to Punish the Crime" traces the serious consequences fostered by the lack of accountability. Not to bring the guilty to trial sets major precedents for future genocidists. For the genocides to come, Dadrian advocates the principle of humanitarian intervention as an intemational obliga-
extracted from German sources,
Pululal' $cience
Dadrian follows a
significant thread
of
evidence
namely, the degree of knowledge and involvement on the part of the Imperial government regarding the Turkish govemment's war of extermination against its Armenian citizens. That article later became a book, German Responsibility in the Armenian Genocide, published by Blue Crane Books. In a third article which appeared in 1998 in The Yale Journal of
International Law, "The Historical and Legal Interconnections between the Armenian Genocide and the Jewish Holocaust: From Impunity to Retributive Justice," Dadrian focuses on the absolute need for the rule of law, however imperfect the application of that principle. Civilization rises and falls on the insistence on or failure to respect the primacy of law. What is so amazing about Dadrian's work is that he does not repeat himself unnecessarily. That means new themes and new sources. Just when it looks he must have exhausted his materials; he unearths more and uses it to good ends, always maintaining strict scholarly discipline. Most recently, Dadrian produced what seems his opus magnum Warrant for Genocide, a title he openly and purposely borrowed from Norman Cohn's earlier book about the Holocaust. However, Dadrian modifies it with his own subtitle, "Key Elements of the
Turko-Armenian conflict," which Emil Gabrielian, 68, Director-General of the Drug and Medical Technology Administration in Armenia and Vice President
of the National
is not a
happy wording.
Nevertheless, the book is a superb study of the international character of the Turkish policy to annihilate the Armenian population in its fading empire. Again he steeps himself into new sources and comes up with renewed proof of the genocide, thereby further limiting the space for those who continue to prevaricate and deny for nothing but
Academy of
Sciences, received UNESCO's 1999 Kalinga Prize for the Popularization of
base
Science at the organization's headquarters in Paris, in recognition of his contribution to the popularization of science, technology and research. Mrian EwunamaAddy of Ghana was co-recipient. Each scientist received the Albert Einstein Medal and a $750 award. Six other individuals and institutions also received prizes and medals by UNESCO Director-General Federico Mayor for excellence in the promotion and popularization of science. Professor Gabrielian has held the Chair of Pharmacology at the Medical Institute of Yerevan. He has published numerous scientific articles as well as many popular articles and two books (one about controlling tobacco consumption and alcoholism and one about natural disasters). Gabrielian is also Project Director of theArmenicum program, the HIV virus treatment drug developed in Armenia.
political reasons.
His most recent work, published this fall by the Zoryan Institute, is The Key Elements in the Turkish Denial of the Armenian Genocide: A Case of Distortion and Falsification. The 83-page booklet rebutts point-by-point the Turkish government's allegations that genocide did not take place against the Armenians of the Ottoman Empire. This should be the last nail in the coffin but obviously it will not be because biased politicians are not swayed by honest historians. Policy made to preserve stubborn self-interest will not bend to the voice of reason. Thus, Dadrian's work will never be done if his goal is only to discredit the deniers. But it is not. His dedication lies with
history and its most accurate depiction according to authentic sources. His is the crusade of a dedicated craftsman, who miraculously shuns partisanship and unsubstantiated subjectivity.
AIM DECEMBER
-By Henry R. Huttenbach 1999
Talenl olt lhe Rise At first glance, the
ThelllaWBand 16-year-
old Mariam Nazaian appears as a
slim and shy girl interested in shopping, pop music and TV
CD production (Svota Music
shows. Those who know her well,
1999).
however, are astounded at her
"When I decided to name the group the Armenian Navy Band,
thorough knowledge of the classi-
cal piano
repertoire, which includes virtuoso pieces by
zg ? z
Chopin and Schumann. Mariam, known by her stage name, Marie Nazar, was born in Armenia where as a child prodigy
5 she received her musical
training under Professor Zaven Parsamian at
the Tchaikovsky School of Music for gifted children in Yerevan.
Upon arriving in the US, she continued to study with pianist Alexander Fiorillo at Temple University in Philadelphia. She performed a number of recitals which spread her name among a handful of connoisseurs of piano music, who encouraged her to prepare for a major concert.
Earlier this year, Nazar performed with the Boston
Pops
Symphony Orchestra. On October 21, she made her Camegie Hall debut performing Bach's monumental Goldberg Variations. She chose to perform the work with all the repeats, therefore playing a total of 75 minutes without intermission - a Herculean task for even an established pianist. For those who had heard her years earlier, a radical transformation was apparent. By the end of the second variation, a listener had to remind himself that this was a tiny teenager playing one of the most demanding works in the piano repertoire. Her fast tempos did not cloud Bach's polyphony or take away from the subtle nuances. The lyric quality ofthe fughettas, dances and the French overture had a singing quality. Neither hand overpowered the other. The canons were controlled and the effect was mesmerizing. The hall was half full, and very quiet. New Yorkers favor Russian or European prodigies. However, those who were present knew their Bach, for the customary coughs, sneezes, shifting in seats and other distractions were totally absent. It was if everyone in the large hall was in a trance, afraid to wake up or disturb the young lady's concentration. Nazar has recorded the Goldberg Variations for the Ardani Classics
label, a company that manages artists of the former Soviet Union. They also organized the Carnegie concert.
The 16-year-old used to play tennis, but doesn't any because
Armenian Navy Band, slbtitled Bzdik Zirwor (Small Soldier) is Arto Tungboyaciyan's newest
longer
it's "not good for my hands." Even badminton is only occa-
sionally allowed. Walking and running are acceptable, however. Even school and homework were resfructured, so that she is completely selfsufficient at home. Under a home-schooling program, she is able to devote nearly five hours a day to piano practice. Nazar's father is a composer, her mother is a music teacher. Even her nine-year-old sister plays the piano. "When we came to the US, three years ago, ttrey could have changed their careers. But they decided not to," she explains. And she, too, has no dream beyond a l-ife of music, either. -By George Bournoutian
I
did not intend any political
message," says Tungboyaciyan.
"As you know there is no
sea
surrounding Armenia. My point was to express how powerful positive belief can be - enough to create trust in people, that
they too can imagine how to move a boat without water," explains the 42-y ear- old, international ly-acclaimed percu ssioni st. Bom in Turkey, Tungboyaciyan played with one of Turkey's most famous musicians, Burhan Toguc and his band Metronome when he was just 13. However, as a teenager and budding musician, he was most influenced by his older brother Onno, a well-known musician blending Eastem and Western music in Turkey. Onno was killed a few years ago in a plane accident. In 1981, TunEboyaciyan moved to New York where his musical talent and individuality made him stand out in the music industry. He was soon in great demand as a studio musician. Over the years he has worked with famous musicians, including Arthur Blythe, Don Cherry, Jim Pepper, Chet Baker, Paul Winter and Joe Zawinul and has accompanied them on European and world concert tours. His first successful solo tour came in 1986 when he played in various Scandinavian cities, which was followed by his first solo album Virgin Innds in 1986, produced by Chris Hinze. Since then he has pro. duced several CDs which defy conventional characterizations, but could be best described as a melange of jazz, percussion and vocals where East, West and "universal" music meet. "Arto is indisputably a superb percussionist," says Nareg Antabian, co-producer of Armenian Navy Band, who accompanied TunEboyaciyan during his two visits to Armenia where the CD was recorded. "It was long overdue for him to return to the larger family [of Armenians] and let the sound of his songs soar under the sky of the Fatherland," says Antabian, adding that it was important for Tungboyaciyan to share his vast
and avant-garde artistic vision with many talented musicians in Armenia. "For me, music means love, experience
hope and truth," says Arto. And
"until next time," he writes in the jacket of his new CD, 'the best nutrition is a smile, the best vitamin is happiness."
AIM DECEMBER I999
SqantumLfury Even as roads are being built,
and peace negotiarions are somewhat moving forward, life in-Stepanakert, the capital of Karabakh, continues. Photographer Hrair Hawk Khacherian captures moments on a recent trip.
The Diverse Collection of
Calouste Gulbenkian Calouste Gulbenkian's art collection is on display year-round in Lisbon, Portugal, in the museum which bears his name. One of the world's wealthiest men had a collection as diverse as his own complex, cultural background. Eighty objects from that collection, including a painting by Gainsborough, decorative objects from Iran and Turkey and jewelry by Lalique are on display at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art through February 27. Gulbenkian, below left, was known as a sharp, determined, particular collector, who only kept what he really liked. What he liked included a lTth century Armenian illuminated Bible, a work by Degas (below) Russian Empress Elizabeth's I silver, and a Roman medalbearing the likeness of Alexander the Great. Gulbenkian made his first acquisition as a teenager and he didn't stop until his death in 1955 at age96.
Looking for a Good Match Children suffering from leukemia danced on stage and joined performers in a benefit concert to raise funds for the Armenian Bone Marrow Registry Charitable Trust in Yerevan. Armenian First Lady Bella Kocharian, herself a physician, is the Honorary Chairperson of the trust which will make it possible to link donors whose blood type matches with those who need bone marrow transplants to survive. The trust works through the Boston-based Armenian Health Alliance. The benefit concert in Yerevm featured well-known singen Thta, Shushanik Perossian and othen.
AIM DECEMBER I999
ttss,\\'
rrronc Irrnrilnr-uith Kllkls 77rr 7)irrluill hr \\e lI l)r'.1)lr'a(l iI 1lt.'r lrrc crcr-trlrlirrlrulrlc crtotrlh 1() Iinrl tlr.nr\.1re. in Yclcrun's OVIII olllcc. .\ltlrorrrlr nr)l ()n lhc illlllliclttion lirnn. lr rcltlt \LlPl)l\ (rl trlrrrtlrrilizcrr ltrc 0\senttirl \\'ll0ll lllllkiltr ;, .rttrlri, r.\lLr..l l1r .1r \rr1."rr.,1 Ir r\\l\\rrl \\ lrilt' in.\r-ntcrtir tlris srrnrntcr'. I :oLrllrl iln,.\nrLniln Pu\\Pr)ll lirl nrr tllLr.thlcr'. u ho li lrr hollr in Ycrcr ln :tnrl h:L: lr Sovict plrss (i()\clnnrcnt r'agrrlirti()n\ r-c([rirc(l holrlers ol Sor ict Pr\\l]()r-t\ t(r ll()r-1. c()n\c|t thcnr inlo.\rnrcnilrn ()nc\ []) .lLrlr l. It sccr)le(l cor)rpletclv nltrLliil thiit r)r\ rliiughlL'r':hotLltl llric olrc l(x) iirst rnistakc. I cntc'rerl O\ IR lnd \\u\ \cn[ lhrnr onc ollict'to anothcr. At last. I $us t0itl 1r\ fL-rlr-lc\t \\a\ \() Lllru\ul.ll that onlV the director olovlR coLrlcl clecitle on rt. I retr,rrnerl the tirllosing c1a1'. uhich happc-ned to hL' a llrhlic reception dar lirr the ciilectLrr. ..\lr ina Zakarian. Her secrctitrr arked tltc teusor.r lirr rlr prr'senec lncl. alter hearing mv cxplanutron. r'eplrr'tl: 'lt i: inrposrrblc to girc- ltn.Arnienian passport to lr chiirl u lrosr' 1'lrrrltts hlr r lirrcisn lin this cttse Fre nch I plrsspofts." Zukariurt's tlrircr. rittirtu ncrLrb\. utklctl ctlrrfirrnulion. I ttlrs rlutit'1o rruit until. l0 nrirtrttt's Iater. thc tlircc:tol-wls reudt. Ikttockcrl. entcrcrl lltc roortt. lnrl. uithoitt cvL-n iln ()PPr)ttunit\ t() c\l)llin r)l\ l)r'c\cnec. sltc lliurtelicrl into a fiu-ious rclbal assault. slrouting lnrl e lllinu nrc ni.ulrc\ . "\()u g\ ps\r". \ou ull corrrc herc rn(l tr\ l() elrclt urrtl usk lirr uhlt rou hltrc no light lirr:.. lrnd why lru \ou rrcriling \()ur {lilssc\ ()n \ouf hclrl'.)... r,u'ho tlarccl to givc
lour
tlrrLruhtcr-thrs Sor ict 1-lussl'xrrl in thc lirst place -get out
ol rlv
olliec. rou :lroulrl hc eshantcrl...
[]irlillr. shc clllerl hcr rlcputr. Nlnatsakanian. and handccl ovcr rnv rluughtcr'r Pa\\P()rt. telling hrnr to contiscatc it. I hatl tricd 1o kL'.,) cllln. but lt this I lost total control and. like a lrrsinl: li()lr uho uants to protr'ct her babr. I sprang lrorn nry chair. shor.rting t'ren Iourlel tlran Zakarian hc'r'sell'. and tried to rny -urab pas\poft back. Zakarian cllled a securin guard and I u,as led out of the roont and into N{natsakanian's ofhce. He tried to calm me down. assuring nre the pirssport uould be returned. Trio ancl a halfhours passecl as nrv driver and I sat in Nlnatslkanian's ottlce. "Are uc hostagt's )" I asked ]\'lnatsakanian. "No. no..just be plticnt. I have- to u,ait until Zakarian calnrs dorin be tirr-r' I carr so untl ask hcr if I can return volrr daughter's pas\pori'. hc rcplicd. Lltcr. I lcurn thut Zaklrrian. u lilrnrer clcrDentarv school teacher.
:
Posl becuuse shr.r usctl lo be l schooln]lrlc ()1 .ort'tchotlr or 0tlrt'r. \t'1l0tisnt is collrrnon in Armcnia (ltntl rrot.jrr:t in ,-\rnrcnili) hLrl lll the rnorc intolcrablc whcn acc()lnpxni(-(l hr inconrpctcncc. \lnlrtsakiuriun. linallt' sutllcrs cnough cor.lragc to go untl scc thc rlircctor hut rcturns nlinr.lte s lltet grirn-tnccd. "'fhc rlircclor \\lnt\ \()r.l to hrirrg u Ir'ttcr liont 1hc Frcnch ['-nrbassr atte\tilrg that rour claughtcr rlocs nol have Fr-cnch nationalin. \irrr nrust hur c this lcttL-r trilnslutccl inlo Arnrcnian and appnrvcd b\ r n()tar'\'pubJic". hc savs. l-rclirlc I'rancling back nrv daughtcr's
uls girtn this high nrnkinu
passport.
At thc Flench Enrbassr'. the Ct-rr:ncilor's assistant writes the requested lt-tter and hands it over to nre with a "good luck". A feu' dar,s later. u rth the letter translatecl and certified, I return to see Ninatsakanian. u'ho sr'rrds me to see Minasian. who in turn sar s. "\iru nrust go and sc-c \,lulaclkhanian". N{ulailkhanian reads the letter and asks me to return in the afiernoon. The French Embass\''s lcttcr points out that, rvhen an Anncnran passport is obtainccl. tlic Sovict passport should be rctunre(l 1oo because it carrics sereral visas in it. When Ireturn to Nlulatlkhunian's officc. he savs the tlirector has agrced to issuc an Arnrcnian l)rssporl lirr rrv daughter but u'ill have to keep thc Srx'ict passp()rt. I ohiect hut N'luradkhaniiln says only that he will ask Zakarian oncc a-uain. and that I shoLrld rctllrn the tirllowing dav. I lose patiencr'and seek assistunce fiom u fiiend who is r-ror,,'a \'linistcr in Arrncnja. "ls that all vou u'ant'lWhy didn't you conre luncl scc mc ll'onr thc bcginningl" I're says. Hc chr-rcklcs. picks Lrp thc phonc and calls Zakarian - "Dorr't sivc rny lt'icnd any tnrublcr. return her cllLrghter"s olcl passport to lrer"'. The lbllou,ing clay. Nluradkhanian hands me the old Soviet passport punched $,ith holes. and at last a new Armenian passport fin' my claughtcr. Inside. her names are spelt correctly in Armenian but lr'ronglf in the Latin alphabet. Nluradkhanian sa)'s. "There is nothing we can do about that because \\'e have installed 3 \\/stem in our computers which automaticall;- translates the name into Latin", he says. "But. m,v daughter's last name must correspond with that of her father's - it cannot be written differently", I reply. "lt is impossible to change. so that is all you can have", he raises his voice. I refuse to take the passpo( and leave in despair Once again. I resort to my influential friend, who admits the problem has caused rnan)/ complaints. The lbllowing day, he directs l'ne k) Aghajanian. another deputy to Zakarian. Unlike everyone else. he is polite. gentle and understanding. He sends me to see Muraclkhanian. rvho now looks like a bull who has lost the fight. "Here is vour new passport." he tells me "but you must know that cloins this was likc cornn-ritting a crime."
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ffiffire%ffiffiffiffi AIM DECEMBER 1999
Arus
MuNrANs Law
Offices
Bankruptcy Business & Co"porate Law
Wills, Trusts & Probate Family Law Immigration Criminal Law
520 North Central Avenue Suite 660
Glendale
California 91203
819.265,1920
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