Glendale - July 1996 by Armenian International Magazine

TnnNK You May 27, during the Armenia Fundt first US telethon, to build the highway linking fumenia to Karabakh. ruction work continues.

the sooner the highway will be completed.

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add@sâ&#x201A;Źs only, lore(tn addresws: One-Year: Canada, 965 Camdian; Mijdle East & Austratia, US gSO; ard olher countries, US $55 . lntemational Money Oder required from oulsjde Nonh America. Clffer expires June

151h. 1996.

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Pleas ailN 4-6weeks lordelivery.

ffiffiffiYffiffiHffiffiry* EDIT()B'S NOTE

LETTERS T()

IHE EtlIT()B

BYTES ON TILE

r0rus ABMTNIAN SUHVEY FOREGROUND COVER STORY

Glendale's Armenians had a strong economic and

social impact on this small city. Yet, their political B

presence is negligible.

ELECTIONS AGAIN

lffu

Tony Halpin looks at the upcoming presidential elec-

G|_ENDA|.E,

A MTCRoCoSM 0FrHE DTASP0RA

They numbet one tftitd ol

fie

city's population, yet

tey've

had litfle impact on Glendaleh civic and economic life.

tions in Armenia: Even in lhe absence of serious challengers, the president faces tough challenges.

INTEBNAIIONAL Deputy Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian proposes

new model for an understanding of ethnic conflicts.

SOCIETY

It's more than a radio station; it's a symbol of freedom-

z z

(r)

ECONOMY

Can the Nairit Chemical Plant manage to regain its

HELIGION

place as a leading rubber manufacturer in the region?

[l9ltn0oHJd wit hilre hope drat it wourd

leadrer in Ameniah ecoromic cap. Can lrlaidt do it?

RELIGI()N

Morc

tan

obseruanm

a lreedom

tat

ol conscience, ith fie lreedom ol

is a sourue ol stâ&#x201A;Źngt..

A Photo Essay depicts faith and piety in Armenia and Karabakh

PEOPTE

UNDIRTXPOSED

z &

AHTS

ARMENIA'S STAIE SONG THEATER

F E

THE MONUMENTS OF KELBAJAR

tt 46

GI-OBATAGENDA

Monumens arc a living wihess t0 Kelbajars history.

Coven Desrcr.r av Rerrr OTHER PE()PLE'S MAIL

AHTS

Tanprrureru

42 fffi\rr*,,iilr

new artists and new music.

AIM (ISSN r 050-3471 ). JLJLY 1996, Vol. 7. No. 7 is published monlhly. $45 per year, by The Fourth Millennium Sociely. 207 South Brand Boulevard, Suite 107. Glendale. CA 91204: Phone: (818) 246-7979, Fa: (818) 246-0088. Second Class Poslage pad al Glondale, CA and addilional maihno ollrces. Canada Post Pubhcations Mail Produd Sales Agreemenl No. 05 1 6457. O Copyrght 1 996 by The Fouilh Millennium SocEty. All righls reserved. -AlM may nol be reproduced in any manner, elher in whole or in parl. wilhoul wfinen permission kom the puDlrsher. The edilors are nol rearcnsble ror unsolicilea, manuscripls or arl unless a stamred, sell.addressed envelooe is enclosed. Ooinions exoressed in sioned anicles do nol ne@ssarilv reoresent lhe views ol The Foudh Mrllennruh Societi For advertisrng querres iall: 1-81|A-246-79i9. Subsinption rales lor one year, US: g45, Canada'$ss, France: 350 FF ($55): Europe. Far Easl, S. America. Ahica, Commonwealth of lndepeMent Srates: $55; Middle East, Australd, Armenia: g5o. Postmasrers: Send address changes to: AlM, PO. Box 3296, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266, U.S.A.

AIM July

1996

t[llT0R'SN0If

."";,':

:: :! :i

WnAT Do

THE NUTNSERS MEAN?

ome of you say we don't write enough about California-the largest piece of the Diaspora. Others of you say the Los Angeles community is not typical, and has nothing to do with the rest of the real world---or even the rest of the Armenian world. What will you say about this month's cover story? It's about Glendale, yet it's not. It's really a look at the Diaspora under a magnifying glass. The City of Glendale covers all of 30 square miles. It is home to 193,000 people, up from 140,000 just 15 years ago. A good part of that influx is due to Armenians migrating from Iran, Armenia, Iraq, Lebanon-and Hollywood. In other words, it wasn't just new immigrants who found their way to this city on the freeway-a sort of postmodern crossroads-but also those immigrants who had spent some time in the city of Angels and decided to move on to suburbia.

II fe wanted to look at the Armenians of Glendale because they are, like W a.rn.riuns anywhere. a strong economic presence in a city which is itself an important component in the economy of the region. Here, Armenians are also a social presence not to be overlooked-from paying cash up front for hillside homes reminiscent of Tehran or Beirut, to appearing regularly in the city's overloaded courts. What is not part of the Armenian story in Glendale is political visibility and participation. This article examines the situation and points to possible

FOURIH MIIIEUIUUM $OCIETY A Not-torProfit, Public Benefit Corporation

DIRECTORS

MICHAEL NAHABET VARTAN OSKANIAN RAFFI ZINZALIAN ASSOCIATE TBUSTEES

KHACHIG BABAYAN FLORA, GEORGE DUNAIANS CAI-II'ORNIA

RAZMIG HAKIMIAN CANADA

LOUISE MANOOGIAN SIMONB NI.]W YORK

JACK MAXIAN HONG KONG

FOUl{DING TRUSTEES

explanations.

GARENAVEDIKIAN wo newly elected Catholicoi visiting the same Diaspora community within months of each other was a unique pleasure offered the Armenians of California. If nothing else, by his mere presence, Catholicos Aram I (see FOCUS, page I 2) reinforced the need for the church to become more active both in community life and in resolving matters related to its own structures. Unfortunately, AIM was not given the opportunity to interview the Catholicos and further explore the challenges he set forth for himself and for the church, and in particular the tasks facing him as the leader of uncerlain communities in a troubled Middle East.

CALIFORNIA

VAROUJAN ISKENDERIAN AUSTRALIA

MARDO KAPRIELIAN CALIFORNIA

HAGOP KOUSHAKJIAN FLORIDA

ZAROUHI MARDIKIAN PENNSYLVANIA

EDWARD MISSERLIAN CALIFORNIA

A IM

proudly presented

Alex

ltlMunoogian's life and work in a cover story by Mark Arax in October 1994. As this issue prepares to go to press, we have received the sad news of Mr. Manoogian's death. A man whose name defined the look and character of Armenian

institutions throughout the Diaspora

will

remembered gratefully by generations who bene-

fitted from his willingness and commitment

BOB MOVEL CALIFORNIA

VAROUJAN NAHABET CALIFORNIA

NORAIR OSKANIAN CALIFORNIA

EMMY PAPAZIAN CALIFORNIA

ZAREH SARKISSIAN CALIFORNIA

RAFFI ZINZALIAN

sharing and giving.

CALIFORNIA

207 SOUTH BRAND BLVD.

/,?fu*an-6/

AIM July

1996

SUITE IO7 GLENDALE, CA91204, USA Telephone: 818 - 246 - 7979 Fax: 818 - 246 - 0088

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L it T T t ffi $ mmm*'remuwxmmm*'*ffi*wffiffiffiffi

WARPED VISIONS With My first reaction upon reading

Editor - Publisher Selpr HanourrNreN GH.qzenreu

"Rendering Maternal Care

Assistant Editor SYLVA DAKESSIAN

of shock. Dismay, that any

tary party, whether confessing political aspirations or not, could be so naive in its portrayal of the political reality and

Dentr Becren Yerevan Bureau Coordinator CoHAR SAHAKIAN

Production and Photo Assistant PARIK NAZARIAN

the social issues in Armenia. Shock, that it was really serious after all, about that

Editorial Assistants MEGAN BARRoN. ZARoUG KABAKIAN LoursE A. SMrrH

kind of a rhetoric. Shamiram's is an immature outlook, to say the least. And why the defensive attitude in proclaim-

Translators ARSINE ARAKELIANS. HARRY DICKRANIAN ARAM OHANIAN, ARIS SEVAG

Director of 0perations SETA KHoDANIAN

ing that they are not feminists,

Subscriptions AsH0r BocHosstAN. YFREVAN Advertising

M..::r or*]1o^

ANYBODY LISTENING? Contributing Editors

TALINE VoSKERITCHIAN

Compliments again

MooRAD MoORADTAN, WASHTNCToN, DC

Photographers MKHITAR KHACHATRIAN, ZAvEN KHACHIKIAN, RoUBEN MANCASARIAN. YEREVAN: ALINE MANoUKIAN, ARMINEH JoHANNES, PARIs; EDMON TERAKoPIAN, LoNDoN: KARINE ARMEN, KEvoRK DJANSEZTAN. Los ANGELES: ARDEM ASLANIAN, NEw JERSEY: HARRY KoUNDAKnAN, NEw YORK; BERGE ARA ZoBIAN, RHODE ISLAND

Editor Emeritus CHARLES NAZARIAN

Editorial Consultant MINAS KoJAtAN FoUNDED tN 1990 FOUNDINGEDII'OR FOUNDING PUBLISSER VARTAN OSKANIAN MICIIAEL NAHABET

PLBLISreD A

AS A PUBLIC SERVICE BY

NON-PROFIT CORrcRATION

INTERNATIONAL SUBSCRIPTION AND ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES CANADA: Razmig Hakimim, 6695 Henri Bourassa West, Montreal. PQ, H4R 2El, Phone 514 339 2517 UNITED ARAB EMIRAIES: Sebouh Amenagim, PO. Box 3000, Sharjah, UAE, Phone 971 6 331 361; Gulizar Jonian, PO. Box ,t4564, Abu Dhabi, UAE, Phone 971 2 775 721, Fax 971 2 775 19l UNITED

KINGDOM: Misak Ohmim, l05A Mill Hill Road, Acton, London W38JF, Phone O8l 992 4621 FRANCE: Jean-Patrick Mouradian, 3 Rue Jules Guesde, 94l4O-Alfonville. Phone 33 I 48 93 l0 33 IIALY: Piene Balmim, Ma Morlacca, 6l A4/5, Rome, Phone 995 1235 HONG KONG: Jack Maxian, RM. 42, I l/F, Block A, 26 Kai Cheung Rd., Kowloon Bay, Kowloon, Phone 852 795 9888 AUSTRALIA: Alfred Mukarian, PO. Box 370, Haris Park NSW2I50 Sydney, Phone 02 897 1846: Anin Goc, 29 Mayfair Ave., Femtree Gully, Victoria 3156, Phone 03-7523873 Fax 03-752-3638

WRITETOAIM! We welcome all communicarion. Although we read ail letters and submissions, we are unable to acknowledge everyhing we receive due to limired stalling and resources.

Write to usl We can be reached at AIM4M@WELL.COM or the traditional way at AIM P.O. Box 10793 Clendale, Calitbrnia 9 1209-3793, or by fax, 81B.216.0088, or phone, 8 18.246.7979. lrtters to the Editor may be edired lor publication.

another

issue with substance.

In reading through the

Contributors ARAM ABRAHAMIAN, ARTASHES EMIN, YEREVAN; HRATCH TcHrLrNcrnren, SusaN PATT|E, LoNDoN; SAvUELTAN, Hnnc VenjqsEoreN, Los ANCELFS; MARK MALKASIAN, RHoDE ISLAND; GEoRCE BouRNourrAN, LoLA KoUNDAKJTAN, NEw YoRKI

the

was one of dismay. The second was one parliamen-

Art Director RAFFI TARPINIAN

Design and Production

MARK GRIGoRIAN, TONY HALPIN, SARKIs SHMAVoNIAN, RONALD GRIGOR SUNY, JIVAN TABIBIAN,

Country" (Armenian Survey, April '96)

May-June see that Jirair Libaridian saying "the Diaspora does not deal

1996 issue,

with the security and prosperity

needs

of Armenia, because the Diaspora is not a state. Anyone who does not realize this difference is not dealing with reality...but with with ideology or propaganda." In a letter to the editor, Assadour Derderian of Los Angeles says that the Armenian government "has gone out of its way to make enemies of the political

opposition and alienate large segments

of the Diaspora." Meanwhile, Catholicos Karekin I speaks of "nation-building" by developing "the work ethic, kindness and the Golden Rule-simple moral missing from Soviet society...70 years of inertia,

apathy and stagnation must

removed..."

Maybe no one is wrong. But is

even

before stating anything about the party's platform? It seems that such a 'powerful'organization is either not able to get rid of the anxiety stigma the term 'feminism' apparently offers, or has not even probed the definition of the term. On the other hand, in a previous issue of AIM (Cover Story, December 1995) Shogher Matevosian of the same party describes the programs and goals

oftheir organiza-

tion with these words: "We want to achieve rights and successes for other women, as well. Developing a legal assistance center, providing aid to the poor and needy, an information and referral center, working on providing health reform, particularly in the arena of post-natal care, etc." If this isn't feminism, I don't know what is.

In the April

article, the

speaker

declares that the party provides "maternal care" to the country and that as soon as this baby (Armenia) "grows up", the party will naturally "dissolve and give way to the men". If this statement in any way signifies the political maturityof this

party, I hope the day of its dissolution comes even sooner. It is unfortunate that, at the advent of the 2 I st century, the

anybody listening or is everybody talking at the same time? No one is going to win without understanding the realities on all sides and not expecting too much too soon from either side. Meanwhile. let everyone remember how Babylon

party with the second-most seats in the Armenian parliament has such a warped vision of its own future. Maybe it and its

started.

"Shamiram"? One wonders what symbolic, historical, maternal significance the name might hold for an Armenian

Nation-building should be the focus of the 7 million Armenians everywhere, not just in Armenia. This is the best chance we have gotten in our history-if we fully rroo".,

Bi1l",ij,:;:^*

leaders have their own growing up to do! By the way, does the party explain

anywhere why

chose to name itself

organization. Hounrc ArrenreN

Mournnal, CeNaoe

LlvrNcsroN, Npw Jensey

AIM July 1996 l7

COBBECTIONS

Many of you called to express your displeasure at the way the mailing labels had been placed on the cover of the May-June issue.

It is dif-

ficult for labels to adhere to black ink, and in their search for a non-black space, our mailing house had identified the Vehapar's beard. The mailing house has been cautioned and we sincerely apologize. We don't wantAIM's covers defaced any more than you do.

Our apologies to

UK's

Ambassador to Armenia, David Miller, who was incorrectly identified in the photo on page 20 of the MayJune issue.

The profile of

Ara

Harmandayan, the last Dro defendant in the May-June issue (Armenian Survey, page

33t should have read

llELP REEUIH FIREBO]'IBEI I||URIHES

III I]lE SOljltl

follows:

During the past six years, at least 60 predominantly African-

Ara Harmandayan, 35, a citizen of Lebanon, has been

ARF member

since 1980, and had participated in the

defense of the Armenian neighborhoods during the kbanese civil war. He moved to Armenia in l99l , married there and has two children. He had worked in the Artsruni business as deputy director. He was arrested on December 3, on narcotics charges. He is accused of picking up the suitcase carrying narcotics, and together with co-defendant Mkrtchian, transporting

it to the Zvartnots airport. Together with co-defendant Zakarian, they are of moving the other suitcase to the Afisruni offices. ln searching accused

Harmandayan's home, authorities dis-

covered the journal documenting the

Tbp I action-the Sahakian assassinations-as well as a floorplan of their home, and paperwork describing the structure of Dro.

American churches in the southern and midwestern !S have been firebombed, burned, or vandalized-more than half olthem during the past lB months. All olthe af'f'ected congregations have shown a deep commitment to serving their communities. The attacks have been characterized by the use of Molotov cocktails, other incendiary devices, and spray-painting of racial graFfiti. Churches with a history of advocacy work seem to be the primary targets. Some pastors have received racist hate mail and even death threats. The Church World Service (CWS) of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the US has launched a one-million-dollar appeal to help rebuild and repair these churches. It hardly needs to be pointed out to Armenians that the destruction ol churches is a serious matter. During the genocide perpetrated by the Turks against Armenians, not onlywere 1.5 million Armenians massacred, but all their churches were burned,.destroyed and confiscated. The Armenian Missionary Association of America (AMAA) has allocated an initial contribution of $2,000 from its Disaster Relief Fund to the CWS to help rebuild these churches. The AMAA is also appealing to all churches, members, and friends of the Armenian communiqz to demonstrate their indignation at this cowardly destruction, and show their support lor the beleaguered congregations by donating to this rebuilding program.

During the preliminary investiga-

tions, he said he did not know about the contents of the suitcases, nor the paperwork. He had transported the suitcases, as a favor to friends, and the

paperwork had been left there for someone from Beirut to pick up. He repeated this testimony during the trial.

trlill tlou shdre in this uorthq proiect? Please be as generous as you can to help rebuild the frrebombed churches.Complete this coupon and mail it along with your donation. ARMENIAN MISSIONARY ASSOCIAIION OF AMERICA

Defense attomey Sahakian insisted that the prosecution had not proven

that Harmandayan had previous knowledge about the contents of the suitcase or the papers. He aiso malntained that Harmandayan's having a code name within Dro, did not necessarily mean membership in the band, even

such exists.

140 F'orest Avenue, Paramtrs, NJ 07(152

I'd like t() support the AMAA s effon to help rebuild firelrcmbed churches, Enclosed is rny giti.

Yes,

Name A<ldress

City, State, Zip Make

you hdedudtble

check payable to AMAA Rebutldlng Progr@

AIM July 1996 l9

ffiffitffi l5,ooo Number of land mines manufactured each year

to Average cost in dollars to manufacture each one

too,ooo Number of land mines estimated to be in and around Karabakh

V t4 Percentage decline expected in Turkey's stock market values over the next year

V 700 Estimated number of Jehovah's Witnesses in Armenia

4O,OOO Estimated number of Christian Pentecostals in Armenia

V 5O+ Number of peoples and nations involved in regional conflicts

3(XD Minimum population of each of the conflicting nations

3,5OO,OOO Maximum population of each of the nations involved in regional ethnic conflicts

Armenia's Mission to the uN, Manchester Guardian,Wall Street Journal, Economist, School of Oriental and African Studies

The Sound Collection NEw' RELEASES

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AIM July

1996

Ir[ew Leaders I{ew Hope

&:!

&. I W::,i ffi-:::tz

A I

lam I was elected Catholicos of the Holy See of Citi.io -to the rhronr.' vr.rcnted by Karekin ll. who I b..,,,r. Karekin I. Catholicos of All Armenians - in

Jurre 1995.

June and July i996, Aram

formerly prelate of

Lebancxr, establisherl direct, personal links with what is undoubtedly the largest, weirlthiest. most influential of the Cilie iln rcgions. Throughout his visit. everyonc strained to rcad hclween the lincs and unclcrstand how this patriarch vicws the issue ol juri:diction in a geographic area where everything has been argrrable. Most seemecl pieased with what they heard-thc Iluly Fathers at rhc lop of the hielarchicai sees have agrced that the administrative divisions and contcntions within thc church musl bc rctlified. The oniy Armenian elected to the post of Moderator o1'the World Council of Chulches, Aram I used his diplomatic skills with local ciry touncils. rchool'. politiciuns. church, yorrth

ffi

#* .14

rq'

!{qr .&

and community groups. to bring thc sanre message: the

Armenian ChLtrch and the Amcrriln nation nre oue. It remains to bc seen how this eonviction of both church leaders plays out; whether thc e hangcs which have come to pass in the Arrrrenian world-from the establishmeni of an independent republic to the election of new catholicoitranslate 1<l a new approach rn lcsolving thc nation's (and church's) sorc point: a divitlcd r'()nilr)unity. Aram I's surprise announcement that herctofbre the names of both Catholicoi will be celebrated during the rrass was met with a sigh of relief by those in Califbrnia who were

uncomforlable wi{r the awkward situation crcated atier Karekin l's and beft-rrc Ararn I's elcctions. when ncr names were nrentioneil at ail. lncleer.l, this gesture was seen as a sincerc et'lbrt on the purt oi rhe Catholicos ol Cilicia lo work toward unity. Skeptics in the Ejmiatsin canrp were amuse.d at this step which holds no historic precedence. But then, neithcr did Catholicos Anrm I's repeatc<i acknowlcdgments of the "unnaturalness" ol'lwo prelales in onc rcgron and the historic legitimacy ot'Ejrniatsin's jurisdictiorr in Norrh America. Al the conclusion ol Aram I's month"long visit. the ohvious question was: What nert? Will small successes bc achieved only eluring pontifical visits'.' [-ocal church leaders, with local agendas and power bases to pr()tect. and lots ol rcal estate to account lbr-what plan trl'action will they litrrnulate? Will the people at the bottom antl the men at fhe top manage to join forces and movc the process tbrward? Do the5 want to'.' lly S,\r-pt Ha.notnNlr.x Gtta.zatt,qN R{oros BY N0|BAR

Aram l, releasing the doves in center; Inset photo. standing from lefi to right: Armen Buihourtian, Consul General o1'the Rcpuhlic of Armenia in [.os Angeles: Rt. Rev. Moushegh Mrrrdrro.sian. Prelare ol lhe Wcrtcrn US (Cilicia): ('ntholicos Aram l, Archbishop Mesrob Ashjian, Prelate of the Eastem US (Cilicia); Archbishop Vatche Hovsepian. Head of the Wcstcrn Diocese t Eimiatrirr

-W,

D& Effi-

ilffid&"*l krur }1.

ru "t &

ffi

ffii,',',';,iii ?;it.tlirtttaiitlt:iii

A.S'tt{

tEl.A [ $ U B V E Y

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France was the first to open an Armenia four years ago and France d'Hartinghe was the first member of Armenia's foreign diplomatic corps. Last month, she concluded her tenure in Yerevan and was assigned to Vienna as France's ambassador to Austria. She was succeeded by Michel

embassy in

Legras (right) who presented his credentials to President Levon Ter

Petrossian

changed

in July. Germany also its guard in Yerevan.

Ambassador Norbert Heinze was reto Bahrain and Carola Muller-

assigned

Holtkemper (left), formerly ambassador to Egypt, arrived in Yerevan in July.

US Under Secretary Baku and Tbilisi in July, to

for

Disarmament and Arms Control Lynn Davis came to Yerevan after visiting discuss

security issues within the context ofthe Conventional Forces in Europe agreemenl, to which Armenia is a signatory as of 1993. Davis (above with President Ter Petrossian) came to get Armenia's support for the implementation of new

provisions recently agreed to at the CFE Review Conference in Vienna.

14 I AtMJuly 1996

order to be officially recognized as a candidate. fhe Election Commission is charged with overseeing the presidential campaign and elections. The election itself will be monitored by foreign and local observers. The OSCE has already announced its intention to send observers. The nine who have declared

their intent are Yuri Mkrtchian and Rafayel Hambartsumian, Sergei Badalian ol the Communist party,

Council

Paruir Hairikian of the National Self-

Determination Union,

Ashot Manucharian, Lenser Aghalovian of

the Artsakh-Armenia Party, Vazgen Manukian of the National Democratic Union, Aram Sargsian of the Armenian

Democratic Party and incumbent President Levon Ter Petrossian, as can-

didate

of the

Armenian National

Movement.

Europe Secretary

General Daniel Tarchis and the chairman of the Committee of Ministers, the

Foreign Minister

Estonia, visited

Yerevan as part of a regional tour to discuss the Council of Europe's coopera-

tion with Armenia. Armenia was the first of the Caucasian republics to be

at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe earlier this year, and immedigranted special Guest status

ately after, Armenia applied

for full

membership. These issues were discussed during the visit. Armenia expects to receive full membership within a year to 18 months.

The most recent round of the Minsk Group negotiations on the Karabakh conflict, under the cochairmanship of Russia and Finland, was concluded in Stockholm in early July, with no visible progress on the political agreement among Azerbaijan, Armenia and Karabakh. The process remains in limbo because of the continuing uncompromising position of the parties to the conflict and the mediators' inability to produce new proposals to reconcile the harsh differences. No new date was announced, in an apparent wait for Armenia's presidential elections to be concluded.

The Central Election Commission, chaired by Member of Parliament Khachatur Bezirjian, has received and acknowledged applications by nine potential candidates in the September 22 presidential elections in Armenia. Armenian law requires that candidates gather 25,000 signatures in AIM July 1996 I 75

ARMENIAN SU.BVEY

l6 / AIM

JUr.r, 199(r

t least 50.000 Armenians live in the

be anyone around to either speak up for

English letters were inadvertently

30 square miles that make up the city of Glendale. That's over half of

the victims and defend their rights, nor explain to those accused of crimes, why and how to behave differently. Richard Jouroyan is an exception.

removed and the Armenian title was left by itself on the big sign facing a busy thoroughfare, local residents called to vociferously complain about a "foreign alphabet" on their college

what's left in either Beirut or

Tehran.

That should come as no surprise, since many of those who left Lebanon, and most of those who left Iran seem to be in Glendale now. lf Los Angeles is the capital of the Diaspora, Glendale is its center. Yet. for all their numbers. it's hard to find Armenians in positions that count. The City Council, elected every four years to govern the city and its 200.000 residents.

Born and raised in Los Angeles of genocide survivors, he's lived in Glendale for nearly 60 years. Without the help or backing of any group, he applied for and got himself on the city's largest commission, that dealing with

city employees-civil service. He says, "People need to get educated and not

campus.

"A strong reaction on the part of

the local Armenian

establishment

would have gone far

to quiet such

absurd reactions and show support for a caring and involved college instructor," pointed out one college employee. Instead, he said, several calls to the local

Armenian Revolutionary FederationDashnaktsutiun (ARF) office, for

includes one Armenian.

The

Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, until recently

example, received no

ffis.m&

had no Armenians. Today,

four of 29 directors are .r

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Armenian.

The Glendale school board has no Armenian representation and the local community college board has just one-and he isn't particularly active in

'.'ir:,lf

l*_

sffi

dinator of the college's volunteer servrces

center. that

"Armenians have

serious public rela-

tions problem. This

to the college sign was a simple denial of the large reaction

Armenian

presence

in Glendale.

Koreatown, you're not surprised to see

services,

transportation and safety. Of 51 possible positions, only eight are occupied by Armenians. Most say they achieved their positions through individual effort and not as a result of collective political planning.

The other important

Hoover Zarani. coor-

explains

m.hfrrm

Armenian issues. The Glendale city commis- i sions-nine in number- E are where city policy is ! developed on such *utt"rrQ as property zoning, plan- v

ning, public

response.

Glendale

agency with some Armenians is the police department, which has a couple

signs in Korean. Why

feel threatened, especially to speak up in the city. Perhaps, the reason Iranian Armenians and Lebanese Armenians are not active politically is because they are used to keeping their mouths shut during the years they lived under foreign rule."

the outrage over Armenian letters? It's because Armenians are ea9er to assimilate and don't defend their rights." Zarani exp'\ains that Armenians,

who are accustomed

to being

the

minority everywhere they've lived, are "nearly a majority in Glendale, and don't know how to handle their new-

Armenian officers and one very active community liaison-since a good part of the police caseload

Even if that's the case. it's hard to understand why the city's nearly two

found situation.

involves working with Armenian vic-

dozen Armenian organizations don't

tims or defendants. The victims have been sub.jected to hate crimes or gang violence, as well as domestic violence and child abuse. The

get involved in Glendale's political life-very tense political life. A recent

freeways, you see signs that say Little Saigon, or Little Tokyo, referring to the

incident over a billboard at the local community college is a good illustration of prevailing misunderstandings. A play about the l9l5 genocide produced and presented by the college's mostly non-Armenian drama

regime with different values and ethics. In any case, there doesn't seem to

group was being promoted on the college's outdoor marquee. When the

defendants are those charged with fraud, corruption, assault and other criminal acts which are sometimes the

product

of years of living

under

"Driving down the Los Angeles concentration

Vietnamese or

Japanese in certain areas. Last year, there was a proposal to have a sign in

Glendale which said 'Little Armenia'.

You should have seen the number of bigoted and intolerant comments which were addressed to the Glendale News Press. Where was the Armenian reac-

tion?"

AIM July 1996 I 17

otry and intolerance is more destruc-

client does not stand a chance." The benefits of a concentrated and

Pierre

large Armenian community have not

Sometimes, that expression of big-

tive-so much so, that

Charaghchian is now a member of the Glendale City Task Force on Hate

Crimes, and he's not the only

Armenian. Nor should he be, since the majority of the city's (reported) hate

crimes are aimed

Glendale's Armenians. From swastikas drawn on

overriden the problems.

"Anytime you take 40,000 or more people and inject them into a community, you will see a reaction. Glendale originally wasn't used to so many subcommunities," observes the Hate Task Force's Charaghchian.

Executive Director, acknowledges that "Armenians are not as politicized as they should be." Still, he is hopeful. "ln five years, there will be a larger impact, because Armenians are becoming more com-

fortable. kids are becoming more 'American' and do not have the hangups their parents have, they do not hesitate to participate."

One wonders why what

the local Homenetmen center, to assaults on individual no Armenians, there

didn't happen over the last five years, will necessarily happen during the next

doubt that there is "friction" between the city's Armenian minority and its

five.

Nevertheless, in

anticipation

such ganizvoters, there is the

majority population. Sometimes that friction is in the form of police-

activisim, beyond

men harrassing

young Armenian women who have been stopped for traf-

candidates willing to take

violations. One

such Z recent case ended up in a

Armenians have appeared

court, with the driver and her friend accusing the

running against each other

fic

police of demanding sexual

favors. In other

ing problem

z A v &

V I8/

AIM July 1996

for the same seat-and

Z d

lost.

John Krikorian,

cases,

outright that "Armenians are known to be involved in such activity and your

elections,

on election ballots-often

attorney who has many Armenian clients said prosecutors have told him

organizing

on leadership roles. In

recent

attorneys complain of local judges and prosecutors automatically assuming that if defendants are Armenian, they must be guilty, particularly in certain types of crimes where Armenians are often charged, such as personal injury, insurance fraud and vehicle theft. One

local

registered voters and to have a say in

businessman, fell victim to that a few years ago, as he ran for city council. He also fell victim to insufficientArmenian

the city."

encouragement-financial and logisti-

For nearly 20 years, the Armenian National Committee (ANC), the lobbying arm of the ARF, has been the main organization in the city helping Armenian immigrants prepare for citi-

cal.

He continues, "I hope to see more people involved in the city, to become

zenship and register to vote. Yet, Vicken Sonentz-Papazian, the ANC's

Today, he complains about the lack

of collective

economic strength in

Glendale. "Armenian purchasing power has increased, but we haven't leveraged that strength. There is no demographic material on our population. Steps need

to be taken by Armenian organizations

acquire this information. The

Armenian media should take more of

stand, provide more local news and explain local laws."

the city's shopping centet older men and women are seen sitting on benches watching the people go by. They're in the parks, too,

Fundamentally, Krikorian insists

reading their newspapers and

must

carrying their own chairs.

become a major effort. "We must put in the same energy into this community, as we do for Karabakh."

heard on every block most

' organizing the community

Some energy does go into long-

term work. Zarani talks about

the

Crossroads program, where immigrant students and local students spend a day together practicing speaking and listening skills, interacting, often for the first time, and developing new attitudes about each other.

Jouroyan describes various programs, including the Kiwanis Service Club's Freedom Foundation Youth Tour, which sends some fifth grade students to Washington, DC. Although other cities help fund such programs

and Glendale doesn't,

Jouroyan explains that he is still pleased to be making inroads in "helping a new generation of Glendale children understand the American heritage and American values." Charaghchian describes art projects which bring together people of different cultures to understand each other. But no one talks about a concerted effort to develop an organized economic and political power base to acknowledge and promote the Armenian presence in Glendale.

Not that they're hard to miss. In

Loud Armenian music can be

weekend evenings-to the of neighbors, and Armenian bread and spices

chagrin

have evep made it into the chain grocery stores. In every corner mini-mall, Armenians

own small businesses

and

professional offices. Yet. no special organizations have been created to bring them together. There is no lightning rod, no ombudsman who consistently plays Armenian advocate.

Almost none.

Oddly enough, when speaking with city agencies and officials, only one or two

Armenian names recur frequently enough to stand out. One is Larry Zarian, the only Armenian on City Council. Zaian, originally from lran, has been mayor several times and is currently also chairman of the powerful Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The other is Alice Petrossian, a

high-level administrator public schools, active

Glendale's state and

Republican party politics, and a vocal

advocate Petrossian

of Armenian needs. is often a speaker at

Armenian functions where she explains the needs and ways to become involved and active. She also does not hesitate to accuse churches and other organizations of not being sufficiently vocal.

zo c o

z V AIM July 1996 / 19

Like Jouroyan, her constant refrain

that one can comfortably and actively be both Armenian and American, defend Armenian rights while maintain-

DO NOT Wnr.r rx L:ll fd. FI}tc*n::

ing a comfortable position in American

.'l "-ri

enough in their dual identity, to first acknowledge the need for a collective

;:i

society.

Apparently,

it will

take more

Jouroyans and Petrossians, comfortable

economic and political presence; it will take more Zaranis and Charaghchians to actually try to identify common needs and work towards their resolution. Right now, enough people don't seem to think this is sufficiently importantgyu. l;l

sv CvNrHh BInsr BIRET IS A FREELANCE WRITER AND

FILM EDITOR.

& d

z & !Z

z E zd a

ll,gl;iai;g**(,'i'ry'e'*i'|''

zd V 20 / ArM July 1996

rr-

#ffiffiffiffifl#ffi $ilflMW[f

Electing to Gontinue A GERTAIN WIN AND AN UNGERTAIN ROAD AHEAD ou would have to search long and hard for evidence that an election to choose the republic's president is imminent in Armenia. There are no posters urging support for one or another of the candidates, no

disputes raging over the merits and faults of rival contenders.

With weeks to go before the September 22 poll, it is impossible,

outside the small bands of supporters maintaining the morale of the other candidates, to find anyone in Yereval

who believes Levon Ter Petrossian

will not be retumed to power by

with the party banned and

leading

vatism has settled over the population after years of radical upheaval. What they value most now is a sense of continuity and the absence of political upheaval. Business, not politics, has taken center stage as people try to build security for themselves and their

result of a criminal investigation, as the authorities insist. It remains the biggest question mark over Ter

families.

Petrossian's leadership.

Despite the protestations of his opponents, the widely held belief is that Ter Petrossian has done a good job in the toughest of circumstances and deserves his second term. It is difficult for those outside Armenia to grasp the profound respect he com-

a populace which

members put on trial. The dispute still rages about the degree to which this was a political decision rather than the

But few in Armenia considered the Dashnaks likely to gain sufficient support to challenge the ruling party. Neither has any other opposition group emerged with the cohesion and organ-

isation

of the ANM. The political

scene remains fractured and incapable

massive margin, regardless of whether

mands from

has

of placing a serious check on the Ter

they support him personally. The election is seen in some quar-

endured the privations of the last four years with dignity. After decades of being lied to by the state, Ter Petrossian's bluntness in spelling out the dificulties ahead only added to his credit. But there is a wider question

Petrossian steamroller. This hardly bodes well for a healthy democracy. When the ruling party has all the resources of the state at its disposal while opposition groups struggle in an

about why the political scene in

The government also continues to

Armenia appeafs so atrophied. Instead of a healthy democratic structure, with

maintain a vice-like grip on the republic's television station-still the critical information medium.

ters almost as window dressing-a confirmation for the benefit of foreign

democracies

what everyone in

Armenia already knows. The absence

of political activity is easy to understand after eight years of unprecedented turmoil which has brought revolu-

tion, war, liberation, economic meltdown, and now the first green shoots

of a revival.

Exhaustion mixes with cautious optimism that the worst may now have passed, but the electors are in no mood to take chances by tossing out the president for an unknown and untested alternative. A deep conser-

rival parties vying for support, the Armenian National Movement (ANM) has overwhelmed all opposition.

The Armenian

Revolutionary

Federation - Dashnaktsutiun, of course, was quite literally crushed,

impoverished society for financial supit is perhaps hardly surprising.

port,

Many people say it is too early for

the kind of civil society to develop in Armenia which is commonplace in

other democracies-the network of social, business. and political interest groups in which citizens discuss, cam-

AIM July

1996

121

paign, and advocate change. Such a development also has to overcome a legacy of suspicion from

the Soviet days in which they organized almost every sphere of human activity into some form of union sim-

ply as a means of exercising greater control over them. Armenians are understandably nervous about invest-

ing power in groups which have the potential for such abuse.

It took three attempts even to

form an association of industrialists and businesses in Yerevan to promote the economic interests of the new pri-

vate sector. The Assembly

Manufacturers and Industrialists was eventually founded in March after two false starts. Arsen Ghazarian, 37, is head of

and l0 percent are state-owned. Ter Petrossian expressed a clear hope at the launch of the union that it might develop into a political force lor change. almost as if he were trying to wish into existence a counterveiling force to some of the more troublesome elements in his own party. Ghazarian points out that shortly after the business association came into existence, an Agrarian Union was formed to represent the interests of the farming community . "The president has the same hope

for both-that they will serve as

the

economic base for those forces which are interested in reforms. This is the political value given to these unions," Ghazarian explains.

Such organizations may well

the Apaven freight company, one of

become the wellspring of future pres-

the most successful new enterprises in

idential candidates.

Armenia. and a member of the new association's board of directors. "The earlier organizations were unable to

The 0pposition

develop activities and represented only a small circle of companies. Maybe this was natural lor that time because

people were mostly concerned with their own businesses," Ghazarian says. "Now, we have laws on investments, customs, taxation and conditions made it necessary to unite the business community in Armenia."

He claims the assembly now has 80,000 members throughout the country, making it the largest non-govern-

mental organization

Armenia.

Seventy percent are private businesses,

20 percent semi-private enterprises.

I Arll

Jury 1996

But, this year, the principal opponent for Ter Petrossian. in as much as he has one at all, is Vazgen Manukian, founding member of the Karabakh Committee and former Prime Minister. Manukian is all too aware of the

deterioration

in Armenian political

life since the heady days of the Opera Square rallies and the struggle for independence.

"If you compare with 199 l, we are going backwards. People who are oppressed by the government are not defended any more because we don't have an independent judicial system

in Armenia. Human rights are

not

defended and businessmen's rights are not defended," he said.

"The government doesn't carry any responsibilities for the economy but it is conlinuing to use its income. Cooperation between goverment and business is not economic but

political-

whoever is closest to the government is protected and makes more money.

"Today, if an Armenian businessman returns from Moscow to start a business in Armenia, he would suffer in both legal and illegal ways, if he tries to conduct his business without having contact with the existing clans," Manukian continued. He also accepts as a certainty that there will be considerable political bias on Armenian television in the runup to the election. But he can do little to stop it, he says, "whether I complain or not." There has been considerable lobbying on the part of some political groups for no opposition candidate to stand against Ter Petrossian in an attempt to deny him legitimacy from an election whose results they consider to be pre-determined. But Manukian

has no truck with such arguments, arguing he has no choice but to participate, since the ballot box is the only legitimate way to seek change. Those who advocated a boycott were really permitting a political vacuum to develop into which would rush those deter-

mined

to force

change

violent

means. However he does, he says, he

must show that movement in a democ-

political struggle through the mecha-

Karabakh conflict from spilling over into regional war, introducing a new

nism of an election.

currency, rebuilding a shattered econ-

ratic society can only be achieved by

He has few illusions about the

omy. The

list is

exhaustive

and

task ahead. Without a political earth-

exhausting.

quake occasioned by a sudden sharp-

Foreign diplomats marvel that, despite everything, the government has refused to be diverted from its stated path of reform. The weakness of the opposition, in part, has been

of the Karabakh conflict

widespread social discontent-both

ening

which he discounts-the "oppositional struggle" can only take place one step at a time. He rejects, too, calls for opposition parties to unite and present a single candidate to maximize the vote against Ter Petrossian, as politically immature. He could no more ask his supporters to back a Communist as the unified candidate than they could ask theirs to vote for him. For a man who risked his life to

lead the initial protests

Opera

Square in 1988, he professes himself optimistic about his prospects in the

two years already. the economy is growing robustly. and foreign investment is increasingly evident. Eye on

election.

"Many people believe it is

due to the fact that they have put forward no equally credible alternativeindeed, virtually everyone agrees that Armenia had no alternative but to pursue market reforms speedily and without any social cushion. The effects are becoming obvious in the streets of Yerevan. The Dram has been stable against the Dollar for

hope-

less situation and that Levon Ter Petrossian will be re-elected. But my campaign team is enthusiastic and thousands of people believe the situation must be changed. So it is not so hopeless."

Manukian sees little hope for change emanating from parliament, claiming no more than 15 of the 150 deputies can be considered to belong to the opposition. The other parties, he says, are in some shape or form merely another aspect of the ruling ANM. Differences occur over the division of privileges not over substantive policy or philosophy of outlook. Indeed, the failure of parliament

as an effective check on executive power in the last five years has been

one of the disappointments of Armenia's political development. Years were frittered away on hostile

confrontations with Ter Petrossian over every minor detail of power instead of establishing a clear delineation of rights and responsibilities. Parliament lost much credibility in the process, while Ter Petrossian got used to going over their heads, straight to the people, further undermining parlia-

ment's status. Ter Petrossian's first term was littered with tough decisions in extreme-

ly trying conditions-maintaining

internal stability in the face of blockade and deprivation, keeping the

the History Books

Will Ter Petrossian now use his second term to perform similar "shock therapy" on the political system?

The Armenian

Movement broke the mold but the pieces remain scattered on the ground. With one eye on the history books, Ter Petrossian faces the challenge of leaving as his legacy a healthy democracy representative of all the new interests in society.

Hopes that the Dashnaks would sever their foreign connections and become an indigenous Armenian force appear to have been dashed. His own party, aware that there are no political opponents to keep them in check, is often more problematic than

supporlive. Corruption remains

ever-present threat without a forceful opposition snapping at their heels. Can Ter Petrossian foster political forces capable of challenging the ANM he so brilliantly led to power? It may seem perverse even to expect him

to rise above party and encourage potential opponents to develop. But, five years from now, he may well be judged on the success of this task. sv ToNv HaLprN

National

EMPLOYII,IENT ARMENIA FUND, INC. is seeking qualified candidates for

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Job Description: To direct operations of the

Fund

throughout the Western United States. Oversee administration, staff and volunteer activities. Coordinate activities with All Armenia Fund in Yerevan and other affiliated organizations in various countries. Plan and implement fundraising and p.romotional activities. Working knowledge of computers, word and data processing software essential. Armenian and English skills a must. Salary commensurate with experience. Mail or fax resume to ARMENIA FUND, INC. Executive Director Search Committee 50 North La Cienega Blvd. Suite 203 Beverly Hills, CA 90211 Fax: 310-657-1 184. No telephone inquiries please.

AIM July t996 123

lH TtBilATl0

HAL

:i;:i'':i:li i":-:qr':r'!rr;"" :'si;i'*.r'"; i;;{;ed:i;iid;r''"i*:rr:ii'1'::iri!rqd'r'"'#sw@*'

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FOR PEI\GE ars used to be fought over economic stakes or ideological differences. Not any more. Today,

inter-ethnic hostilities are the

-il

main cause of the overwhelming majority of military conflicts. In fact,

iffi

gerous precedent, almost categorically rejects all self-determination claims. This approach has not only proven ineffective, but it can even be said that in some ways it has caused the prolonging of some conflicts. After all, a blanket rejection of all

integrity that is preserved within a mother state challenged by the secessionist claims of an ethnic group. The horizontal axis presents the level of self-determination that secessionist movement has achieved. The greater the degree of con-

trol the mother state exercises over its entire territory (including the tenitory occupied by the insurgents) the higher up a conflict is placed on the vertical axis. The broader the degree of self-determination achieved by a secessionist movement, the further to the right it is placed on the horizontal axis. During the evolution of each conflict, it can be placed at different points on the matrix, depending on the de facto achievements and losses of each side. Each movement can, at different times, fall into a different quadrant. Without addressing the historical background or legitimacy of each conflict, the distribution in Figure I simply illustrates today's de facto situation.

reffi

under the banner of self-determination, there are active movements to achieve full sovereignty or some degree of self-

claims does not take into account the

rule in more than 60 countries around the world. Indeed, a number of these movements have even developed into ongoing civil wars. Further exacerbating the situation is the reality that we live in a post-cold war world. There are no longer any super-

alike or even similar, and different selfdetermination struggles have evolved in

powers to impose artificial peace and brotherhood. Thus, the challenges of self-determination movements are not likely to abate in the near future. In spite of all this, the intemational community has still not come up with appropriate paradigms to facilitate a fair understanding and accurate characterization ofeach of these conflicts and the adoption of corresponding policies to resolve each one.

On the contrary. The intemational community, concemed that any successful secessionist movement will set a dan24

I AIM

JULY 1996

very real fact that self-determination movements are, by their nature, not all

decidedly different ways. Therefore, each ought to be treated differently. The intemational community's first challenge today is to adopt policies that will contribute to the peaceful solution of each conflict. In order to adopt the correct policies, criteria must be adopted by

which to characterize and judge each case on its own merit, realistically taking

into account the real situation on

the ground. Therein lies the problem-finding ways to accurately understand the real vs. the perceived status of each situation. The model proposed here may facilitate envisioning the de-facto status of

some of today's long-term conflicts. ln the figures on the next page, the vertical

axis presents the degree of territorial

Quebec and Northem lreland, for fall in Quadrant I. In both cases,

example,

presents

the

degree of territo-

rial integrity that

STATE

(II) r*.* (Kurds) 3

preserved

within

mother

slate challenged

by the

is that the offer of such rights en the pressures to secede.

TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY OF

The vertical axis

Timo0

Sri Lanka (TamilTigers)

Russia (Chechnya)

Canada (Quebec) United Kingdom (N. keland)

on its own. This is certainly true in the case of the conflicts in Quadrant IV.

seces-

The problem, however, is that the two goals are not simultaneously achievable in all conflicts. This is especially true when a national self-determination movement is being offered rights which it has already achieved and sustained-

lndonesia (E.

Mountainous Karabakh already has political, civil and human rights under its own elected govemment. To offer it the

sionist claims of

an ethnic group.

The

horizonlal

axis

presents

the level of

selt

determination that secessionist

movement has achieved.

(m) Figure

the territorial integrity of Canada and the United Kingdom is preserved, while the provinces maintain self-determination to such a high degree that they conduct referendums and even decide their own

legal and political status.

The overwhelming majority of today's secessionists fall in Quadrant II,

where the movements struggle without any degree of self-determination and the mother state continues to fully control the territory under question. Those in Quadrant III are the borderline cases where neither the motherstate is able to crush the insurgents, nor are the insurgents themselves strong enough to maintain control over their territory with any certainty of permanence, and the outcome can go either way. East Pakistan, later Bangladesh, was in a sim-

ediators (or the intemational community at large) pursue two policy goals in all of these conflicts. One, as already indicated, is to resist the break-up of the state. The other is to search for a peaceful resolution. This is done by simultaneously protecting the state's territorial integrity while arguing for full political, civil and human rights for all citizens (including the insurgent minority.) Sometimes they go so far as to even suggest some autonomy. The hope

MOTHER STATE

several steps backward.

A clear understanding of the status of each movement, therefore, is essential if mediators are to find ways to move a conflict forward toward a resolution. Observers can argue where that optimal point

of conflict

resolution

The black arrows represent the poli-

approaches

necessary to bring

a conflict

in Quadrant ll closer

to Point

However, those

fi same torces J would push a conf; ni.t in Quadrant lV further away 3 "u"n the desired { trom 9 solution. The gray 9 arrows represent

were

to 1991, and Mountainous Karabakh prior to Eritrea from the 1960s

Azerbaijan's acceptance of an uncondi-

tional cease-fire on May 1,2, 1994, following Azerbaijan's failure to crush Karabakh's declared independence. Today, Mountainous Karabakh, along with Taiwan, falls in Quadrant IV. Azerbaijan and the People's Republic of China have no control whatsoever over

the different set ol policies required to bring the conflict in Quadrant IV

those territories as both Taiwan and Mountainous Karabakh enjoy complete sovereignty.

same rights within the mother state, while expecting that Karabakh will give up its self-determination claims is neither logical nor acceptable. It is even less reasonable if one considers the not-sodistant historical and experiential realities for the people of Karabakh. How this particular region came to be incorporated into the larger state, the ruling govemment's treatment of the people opting for self-determination, and the people's support-at all costs----of their land, their govemment and their own destiny are irrevocable realities which render the mediators' formula offer of civil and human rights totally irrelevant. Indeed, it is simply asking the population to take

TEBRITORIAL INTEGRITY OF

ilar situation in the1960s prior to its recognition as an independent state by the intemational community. So

will damp-

to Point O-the point of resolution.

Figuru 2 AIM JuLY 1996 I 25

{-ThH

should be on this matrix. Should it be point 0 where minimal levels of selfdetermination and territorial control combine to ensure peace, or should it be point X where maximal levels of both selfdetermination and territorial integrity are

somehow achieved? Either

may

reality is that the Mountainous Karabakh

conflict indisputably falls

Iv-the

people

Quadrant have

achieved a maximal level of self-determination, and the mother state of Azerbaijan does not have any control over this part of its territory. Applying to a conflict located

applicable in different cases. Once that optimal resolution point is set, however, it becomes clear that each one ofthose conflict points needs to be moved in a differ-

especially after India became involved in support ofEast Pakistan's secession from Pakistan, the international community concluded that the independence of

Bangladesh was inevitable and their recognition would facilitate the resolution of the conflict, and minimize-and even

stop-further bloodshed. In the case of the majority of

con-

flicts----on and off the graph-and especially where the secessionist movement has not achieved a certain degree of selfdetermination within the mother state,

ent direction in order to get it closer to the

target (Figure

Karabakh

the height of the military conflict, and

2). In other words, to

achieve a peaceful solution to each conflict, different policy directions need to be adopted. It is also evident from the graph that the same policy directions for one point if applied to another point will have the exact opposite effect and push the conflict away from a peaceful solution. Therefore it is essential to correctly characterize a conflict and identify its location

securing the territorial integrity of the state can indeed also contribute to a peaceful resolution. On the other hand, the matrix here, and today's political realities, provide clear cases of self-determination struggles which have gone beyond the point of no retum. In those cases, a heavy reliance

in the typology of various conflicts.

on the principle of territorial integrity

Otherwise, the opposite of the desired effect is certain, and the conflict will be

appears artificial and out

pulled further away from the desired

there is no integral territory left. Thus, it is important to accurately identify achieved (as opposed to desired) self-determination and real (vs. ideal) territorial control and the intemational community would have to apply the corect

of sync with the situation on the ground where, indeed,

solution.

Let us (merely for the sake of argument) choose Point O as the theoretical objective for the Mountainous Karabakh conflict. This is merely a hypothetical tar-

policy mix to strike the right

get and not necessarily the desired political end. If the ultimate goal of the peacemakers is to get to Point O, they must adopt corresponding policies to achieve their peaceful ends. In graphic terms, that would mean adopting policies in a direction which would push Karabakh up to point O (Figure 2).

The problem,

between the principles

balance

of territorial

integrity and self-determination in a way

that would take into consideration the existing realities and address the concems

ofall

involved.

in the case of

Mountainous Karabakh, is that the inter-

national community, influenced by

By VARTAN OsxaNteN

OsrlruN

Azerbaijani arguments, perceives the Karabakh conflict as being located in Quadrant

I[, thus completely ignoring the

REPUBLIc on

past five years-ignoring Karabakh's

popularly elected govemment, its efficient govemance of its population of 150,000, its effective control of its 4,000 square kilometer territory and its suc-

Karabakh- those same

cessful engagement in intemational relations. Indeed, the intemational community's heavy reliance on the principle of territorial integrity as a basis for the solution of the Mountainous Karabakh conflict is evident in their policies of the last several

Quadrant

or rHe AnueNn

rs DEpr,Ty FoneicN MINIsrun

IV-as is

downward forces (or those same policy approaches)

would mean pushing

the

conflict even further away from the desired solution. A good case which illustrates the intemational

community's

successful

and realistic approach to

years. This approach (represented by

conflict resolution is its

downward arrows in Figure 2) could have been effective and yielded some results had the Mountainous Karabakh conflict truly fallen in Quadrant II. But today's

recognition of Bangladesh's

26 I AlMJurv 1996

in l97l-

unfortunately the only such case since World War tr. At

independence

S00lfilfm,''**n,uwaem,ww,*ms*#l*Hiiiiji:lh":i**::#j}$$lsi;ij;llliluc+w:g$;H$:-}iffifrHP#-1:.,E{.,,};3ffi

hDlo [[n{rr hY{r

the name of an early Peace Corps volunteer, Dan Bolder, enters the conversation. They speak of him warmly. "Dan was really crazy about radio and started to work with us from the very beginning, through all the preparatory

stages-starting with writing business plans and ending with the equipment installation. But he considered his mission finished on the first day HiFM went on the air." That day, September 19, 1994, they broadcast four hours a day, six days a week. Now, HiFM can be heard around the clock. Initially, almost everything was a problem. It was almost impossible to find a cable to connect with the antenna on the state radio and TV transmission tower, nor was it easy to agree with the authorities about an independent source of 24hour electricity. The creative process was no less problematic. For example, the "professional" announcers on the

familiar state radio didn't speak with the audience, but read everything from a prepared script. There was no live

programming, and certainly no live audience interaction. So, a new gener-

ation henYerevan's flrst FM radio station started up nearly two years ago, a listener called in and, in all seriousness, asked: "Listen, guys, how is it you all have the same name?"

"We don't," said the DJ on

the

phone, "We aren't even related." The surprised listener, accustomed to the intemational way of identifying oneseli last name first, continued, "Why, then, do you always say Deejay Arthur,

Deejay Sedrak, Deejay Arman?"

DJ-the accepted abbreviation for Disc Jockey, someone who plays records and coddles an audience-was an exotic, or even unknown term even one year ago, not so any more. Today, many young residents of Yerevan dream of becoming DJs. All this because four students

from the first graduating class of

the

American University of Armenia decided to give life to their Master's project. Anahit Tarkhanian, Suren Shahinian,

Gagik Yeghiazarian and

Armen

Vahradian, working on their degrees in Business Administration, sat around and, as Yeghiazarian remembers, "we started talking about a project around precious metals production, and other

DJs had

to be found and

possibilities, and then somebody said

trained. HiFM's DJs are mostly students. The producer and announcer of

the word Radio. That defined our future." Today, Yeghiazarian lives in

Margarita Kanaian,

Moscow and works for the accounting firm Arthur Andersen, Shahinian is an

administrator at the American University of Armenia and Vahradian

in Yerevan. Tarkhanian, however stayed on, and she

works at the US Embassy

the

classical music program

Komitas

student at the Conservatory. Natalie

a graduate of Yerevan's Foreign Language Institute runs the French music and Russian programs. She conducts the French program in

Avetisian,

took the initial steps to establish the station, there is such horror in her voice that one thinks that if she had it to do

French, and the Russian-in Russian. Gayane Hunanian, a student of the Pedagogical Institute has a popular program on current horoscopes. After sharing with her listeners their astrologicalforecasts, Avetisian plays the works of musicians born in that particular week.

again, she would refuse for sure. "It seemed in the beginning that the most difficult thing would be to find the

student at the State Architectural University conducts the Alternative

is the station's director and co-owner with Transcom Ltd. As she talks about "the good old days" when they under-

start-up capital. As the idea

of an FM

Beirut-bom Markos Ohanian, a

Music program in English. The only DJ

station was completely new for

who had had any sort of prior track

Armenia, there was little chance of finding local investors. Finally, the project

record is Alice Kalantarian, a specialist

got seed money by the

Soros

involved with radio and TV. On HiFM,

Foundation and

States

Information Service." Tarkhanian was trained as an architect and had been working in Armenia's Foreign Ministry. She left behind both careers to run the

her program is called Rock Legends. With a run down like that, it's obvious that HiFM's programming focus is music. "Music takes up about 95 percent of our broadcasting time," says

station. As Tarkhanian and Yeghiazarian describe the early days, very quickly,

Director. "We work in the Top-40 for-

the United

rock music, who has long

Harutiun Aivazian,

been

Programming

AIM Jurv

1996

/ 27

mat, which means that we try to play new pieces and the most popular hits." At the same time, Aivazian explains, "We are different. I choose the songs that I like, without paying attention to whether they are well known, or not. "Sometimes, long-time radio listeners hear songs they'd never heard. We broadcast music from very different directions and styles. During any two

hour span, on HiFM, one can

hear

blues, rock, soul, rap, techno... We try to choose the best numbers, because everybody enjoys beautiful melodies. And, at the same time, we must take

into

consideration

our

ming, HiFM allots time to the UN office in Yerevan which broadcasts UN News. The Center for National and International Studies headed

by former

Foreign Affairs minister

Raffi

Hovannisian prepares short daily segments about events in the regionRussia, the Caucasus, the Middle East. Each day they present one theme about a country or a specialevent." HiFM has also initiated various public service programs. There is, for example, I Create Mine with My Own Hands, which is dedicated to various issues associated with the privatization process. Then,

and economic reforms in Armenia."

Another important indicator of HiFM's importance is that it has already been copied. Now, a relatively new station, LASTO, on the air since January, broadcasts music and news in about a three to one ratio. News is broadcast in Armenian, English, French and Persian.

The third FM station is the 24-hour

Radio France Internationale (RFI) which has been on the air since November, with one hour broadcast in Russian and23 in French. broadcast of

Although Pavel Dallakian, LASTO's Director, claims, "There is no

listeners'

requests. They want rap, techno, rock.

Tarkhanian adds that "there isn't much Armenian music on our air, but we are trying to fill that gap. Popular Armenian musicians do appear on our waves. But I am, in principle, against the so-called rabiz style of popular music. We'll never play that." And what about the other five per-

t:::tri

cent of broadcast time? HiFM is the only source of real news and information for the English-speaking foreigners working and living in Yerevan. A regular listener noted that although "the

BBC gives better information about events around the word, local news I can get only here. And they are good."

But Tarkhanian, the station director, demands more. Artur Bakhtamian, HiFM's news director explains that the news is received from various news agencies and from the station's own correspondents. But those correspon-

dents are not experienced and the of receiving news needs to be improved, while the contacts with the press services of Armenia's various process

regions must be expanded. "The links are not reliable yet, but we are working on them. We give mostly local news. We speak about only a few intemational events, and only when they are of great importance. Our news segments are short, five to six minutes only," says Bakhtamian. Nevertheless, news is broadcast every two hours, with a once-a-day English broadcast at 4 pm.

In fact, HiFM has a contract with

of America, which broadcasts news in English directly from Voice

Washington DC every day at noon and every night. HiFM has a satellite aerial

specifically for that purpose. In addition to its own news and music program28

/AIMJury

1996

there is the Daily Precept prepared jointly with the Armenian Apostolic Church. And perhaps the biggest achievement of HiFM was the series called Your Choice, which focused on the parliamentary elections and the referendum on the new Constitution, last year.

Aimed at the ordinary listener to clarify an individual's rights, the demo-

cratic experience and a comparative look at other constitutions, the program was so successful that the UN translatit and distributed it among other CIS countries. HiFM staff members could comfortably and honestly say "we are not a political radio station, but we have our input in the social and political life ed

Yerevan.

In fact, the

Development Report on Armenia 1996, states, "It is symbolic that being the offspring of democracy, HiFM is at the same time an advocate of democratic

real FM radio market today and that the state radio is still the main station," still, the existence of three independent radio stations in just two years, attests to the contrary. Also, there is no avoiding the

fact that the permanent barrage of sound heard inside

all new kinds of

establishments-from the 24-hour corner store Aragast, to the new offices of Armenian Airlines-is from the new stations, mostly HiFM, at that. As their formats further develop and change, it remains to be seen whether the immediacy and accessibili-

ty of radio will serve to create yet new bonds between the cultural and news worlds of the radio producers and the social and informational needs of their listeners.

Manr GnrconrlN lNo Ane TrrevosreN PHcrros BY Mxsru.n Kn.a,csarnl.a.r.r

ffffiilmffiv

ilalrll-Iuminu

lulter lnto Golilfl

or the citizen with soviet memories, the name Nairit evokes rwo thoughts: poison and rubber. The history of this industrial giant goes back to 7940, when a dated carbide manufacturing company was replaced by the Kirov chemical complex. Kirov boomed. ln 1976, the Kirov Chemical Complex merged with the Research and Technology Institute and the Nairit industrial science complex was born-a city within a city encompassing 300 hectares. In Soviet days, Nairit enjoyed a monopoly for its chloroprene-based rubbers and latex, not just in the USSR but also in Eastern Europe.

After years of protests about the plantt environmental dangers, Nairitt most toxic production units-those sectors that produced rubber-were closed in 1976. For a long time the Green party continued to denounce the environmental danger of Nairit, and the success of the Karabakh movement ensured that more of Nairit would remain closed. They weren't reopened until the Armenian National Movement (ANM) came to power in March 1991, when under the government of Vazgen Manukian, Nairit was reoPened. To date, it is impossible to quantify the losses incurred by dozens of Armenian and Soviet companies due to Nairitt shutdown. But, all the current directors of the plant agree that Nairit itself suffered most. AIM Jurv 1996 I 29

Nairit's director. A I bcrt Sukiasian. 60, has bitter regrets about the losses during thc closure. According to Sukiasian, che urical rnrrnul'aelunnu rcquircs continuous care ancl production thc machinery ages quickly if not well takcn care of. "Luckily wc were able to salvage thc esscntials," Sukiasian says. With a hint of pride. he adds, "Other firctories that had closecl in the sarne period were

f actory uses lbrei-en equiprncnt, ancl Armenian spccialists are familiar with

the ncw technology from

Dupont. Furthcr, to counteract tl.re cf-fbcts ol'the land blockacle around Armenia imposed by Azerbaijan ancl Turkey lirr alnost livc yeals. the lactory has cven introducccl innovations that allow improvecl storage of the flnal products until even-

tual clelivery.

unable to restart."

Restaning Nairit was a tough job. 198 I and 1986. Nairit hacl alreacly gone through a period of seri-

Between

ous

structuring. The corrplex

hacl

collaboratecl with a number of forei-qn

enterprises, including Dupont, to chlrnr:c llte plodur'tit,rr base. using rrcir technologies to nranut-acture rubber. Nairit also worketl with thc French to convert chloroprenc to butacliene, and

the enginccring scctors collaborated with Japan's Kobc Steel. Wherr it cltnr limc l(r reslitrl in 1991, thc lactory had lost its market ancl its sources lbr raw rnaterial. as well. It was fbrcccl to start l}om scratch to re-establish tics with 1he rlilitary industrial complex of the f orn'rer Soviet Union ancl Eastcln Europe Today. Nairit competes with US, Cerntlut untl JuPanc:c corp()r'illion\. According to Sukiasian, latex and rubber protlucl: l'rr1trr \11i1i1 ure irr no wlry inferior to intcrnational standarcls. Thc

30 /

alu

Jr:r.v lt)96

7f!he Ilttorr.

in southr.lc:t Yercvun, is ,urrourrtled by harbed wire. With its hundreds of procluction units, research labs. restaurants iind acltrinistrative buildings, it's like a city wirhin a city. Tree-lined roads leacl front one unit to anothcr. In ccrtain places, olcl si-gns

I Inrg"ll

and Conrrnunist slogans can still bc scen. Sukiasian. laughingly cxplains that thcrc were so many of these posters lhat thcy have not mannged to removc them all yet. Nairit currcntly employs 4,000 peoplc workin-g three shifis. 24 hours a day. These enrployees eat free every clay in the factory's restiuJrants and receive

ll'ee rrredical attcntion lrom any one of the -5-5 doctols available on site. On thc fitclory grounds, there is also a stadium, a swirnming pool. a nursery school ancl a library.

This inclustrial -tiant's products are increclibly varled. Today, it makcs 20 dil'l'erent lirrms of rubber and latex and

produces 40 to 45 different productsl5 of which are totally new innovalions. For example, Nairit's sodium bicarbonate is used by the hydraulic factory, the nuclear reactor and is also used in the production of soap. Hypochlorite from natrium is used

to bleach fabrics. Liquid chlorine is used to purify drinking water. Carbonic acid is used in the production of foods

and lime in agriculture. Hydrochloric acid is used in mechanics and metallur-

National Marketing Institute of Mexico and the "Trade Leaders Club" prize from Madrid was awarded for commercially efficient production in 1995.

For Nairit, the environmental question, too, is resolved. According to

its

director, the factory

longer

dumps harmful waste into the environment. Only after a filtering treatment is waste mixed with sewage.

ll this doesn't change the lact that the plant faces enormous

gy and special glues for hydric insula-

Atoday,

tion. Nairit's own 21,000 square meters of ceiling was recently insulated with products produced by the factory. Antiseismic padding was also added and

financial difficulties. There is a serious debt burden and Nairit owes money to the govemment and to its employees. According to its director, Nairit's customers cannot pay for the products they receive because they are operating at

tested with successful results on a ninefloor building in Vanadsor. Finally, the

complex produces calcium chloride which, in the past, was imported from Sumgait.

mid-capacity themselves and barely surviving financially. As a result, employees have not been paid for

Unfortunately, the blockade, and the resultant transportation and delivery problems limit Nairit's ma"rket to Armenia, Georgia and Iran. Cunently, 70 percent of production is distributed

months.

in Armenia, whereas in the past,

Some workers tried to strike but this was not very successful. "Older

the percent.

republic used only five to l0 As evidence of Sukiasian's conviction, Nairit recently received two inter-

The director admits that sometimes employees are given products instead of salaries or as further incentive.

workers felt a certain tie to the factory,"

national awards for having improved

says Patvakan Avetisian, director of the rubber production unit. "It was a fami-

performance and maintained high quality products and services. This, despite economic hardships and inflation. The "Diamond Star" was awarded by the

younger workers are having difficulty adjusting: they come, can't last and

feeling that was difficult to part with." On the other hand, some

AIM JULY 1996

leave.

Avetisian's sector employs 50 peo-

ple, some of whom have a second job.

Others manage with the factory's salaries. A mechanic from the lime production unit, Igit Manukian, says he has worked at Nairit for 24 years. His wife doesn't work and they manage to

survive on

his

10,000 dram ($25)

monthly salary.

The Minister of Industry, Ashot Safarian, announced in April that the govemment has devised a new plan to allow the enterprise to stay afloat and reimburse its debts. The minister said he is convinced that Nairit's fortunes will turn, since it is one of the most promising enterprises in the country and a pillar of the Armenian economy.

According to Safarian, Nairit will only turn a profit when its production levels increase significantly. One of the reasons for the weakening of Nairit is that the price for steam constitutes 77 percent of the costs of production. At present, the price

steam has been

halved but the cost of electricity has increased.

Nairit's director agrees, and emphasizes the importance of foreign investment. According to Sukiasian, the factory would need approximately a $300 million investment to allow it to purchase the most recent technology. With such fbreign investment, the complex could extract raw materials, train the work force and establish local infrastructures for future projects and new products.

Throughout these changes, the concerns of the environmentalists have

not gone away. Hagop Sanasarian, president of the Green Party of

Armenia, who was always opposed to the restarling of Nairit, underscores his perspective by noting that in the last few years Nairit has failed to achieve the $100 million proflt mark predicted by Vazgen Manukian at the time when

jected not for Nairit alone but for all the industries that benefit from Nairit's production. A number of other enterprises benefit indirectly from Nairit, as well, which is part of what makes this complex an essential fixture in Armenia's

the plant was reopened. He

industrial landscape.

also bemoans the excessive use of electrical energy by the plant and its accumulating debts. In response, Nairit's director maintains that these accusations result from

misunderstanding. The $100 million profit figure. says Sukiasian. was pro-

Today, the objective is to maintain and develop Nairit's scientific and productive potential. Nairit's relative success at starting over is explained by the availability of high caliber scientists in Armenia and the availability of research laboratories. Nairit alone employs 290 scientists. In the past, part of the research was conducted in the Azeri

town of Sumgait, but since the

mas-

in 1988, all su. -, ties have been severed and all

sacres of Armenians there

research is conducted in Armenia.

Even with all the new conditions and today's limitations, Nairit still accounts for eight to 12 percent of the republic's industrial output. It is easy to understand, therefore, why so much is riding on its continued progress.

sv Hecop AsATnrnN PHoros BY Mex SrvesneN ron NouveI-Les o'AnMsNIe MAGAztNE Tn,qNsr,qrpo sv Hannv DxnaNreN

32 I

AIM APRrr. 1996

KRD €(+)? \-_--., \\auery/ /

lnternational Committee of The Hed Cross

LAI{DMII{ES UUST BE STOPPTD

nEilGl0t\l

,ln a country :*hich bcasts th$ii;i stinds of. khuchkaii (slone. crosse:S) and hundred. of churches aird motasrerips, most ol whiclr lre older than

:,{-p

most western cormtrics.) i:rug,iayti:f r".aditional:religion;,Ther.q,!q!s

was neithcr dcsirable nor even con,i1{4Ss{,{ar 70 ye,ers, yet khac$,Ebtgi :iu$$.ttgrffiialong th$r landscapgr t{$j$till visited as pilgrimage siter. acring as ears fol hunclrcds ol wishes whis-

"big

rrlai ly,:, f',i}-r$, 6arn$,gov. ernment which tolL'ruled and aetually

:peied :l{ol:thelriii

embarked upon t he restoration of .'inedtpiili, ,0nurches con$ide'rsdl 9th and 20th century ehurches uriimportant artistically. rrncl let them fall into total. ireglect.

:::So, is the mas.ses''llti$orott$i ent in religious 1ilb, sirsâ&#x201A;Ź:

,in

Armenia's independencc "a. sign .of

fashion or rerolt.) Pelhirpr it's reflei. Af{er all. cullure. counlry and

Chiistianity arc .so intertwined for Aiiitj-enia**,, tlrut if :,,is irxpdssible:!fiCI

prhctice'.one rryi.thout the

orheJ.

Whatever'rhe reasons behind .this ;tEirst for spiritual Iife, it is at the very ,Ii*t$t'ra::in$$v'iWg,*W';,p,Wvrl$$i"q.ld social raditions. There 'is no shirrp distinction bet*een social and reli-

gious'ceremonies. Armenia's tradi-

;*i$rl h*.Ie al w ay s c onsisted' rlf:ltiyCi! rf, p$ffi; Ch ri stian, and social hbbits;

:.ac{rumglhtedandroterlappe$i g.h, '. time. This ne\\ wi.rve ol religion ii either':the newest layer on Arirenian history. or n pas\ugc lrom a stag,e to.a

.,il ' ,:ii

;i1,

, .ji

Waman

frum ht,rtbm lrfr': pt ayin q at. tht S"t. Sarkis

A \tdiih

Clotku'ise

:,,.I|irevcriii::i',14&${ir&,,iig ;i6ip,

Catholic Clturclt

itt rtrc i'illage of

Nbrshen: i n Akhdhskh(. Gegrgia

rh(

mona\t('t.\' "o1 Gtgiarcl:

,|ffid,lyanllfw

;'at "tin

; a mdh k i s s n 9,, e. p" ia,*ilg 1: o{ Jesus at the Kdrmrcivoi'Church in rr

'Yerevan: .Wome!"{!adinS the

furure in p1t1txs.'bt*el@lpda;iSr#t-ra.a*ffi I, 34 / AIM Juty t996

AIM July t996 135

;l :l

:V :il i<

tu :>

ram Khachaturian's name is well

known. Gohar

Harutunian's shouldbe as well. She has, for the last 17 years, been the founding director of the Khachaturian Home-Museum, which today is a veritable cultural beehive in Yerevan. Upon Khachaturian's death in 1978, there was a government decision to transform Khachaturian's Yerevan quarters into a Home-Museum. But it soon became evident that those modest couple of rooms would not do for one of the 20th century's greatest composers. Harutunian, who was until then the director o( the Romanos Melikian Musical College, left her position of 26 years to take on the

job of creating and administering

the

Khachaturian memorial.

new building was designed and

constructed on Bagramian Boulevard, alongside other impressive structures by

the same architect-Mark Grigorian. Harutunian's next task was to develop an appropriate Khachaturian collection prior to the 80th anniversary of the composer's birth, celebrated in 1983. She did, collecting over 15,000 exhibits, 7,000 artilanguages, all of Khachaturcles in

ian's manuscripts, over 3,000 pho-

stands

out, partly because of its founder. There, organizations hold their gatherings and music-lovers can come to enjoy a unique resource: a CD center with 1200 classical and contemporary recordings, donated Canada. Harmik Grigorian "Khachaturian wanted this to be a center and home for new and experienced musi-

and music-lovers," points out Harutunian. To succeed in making the Home-Museum such a center, "It was cians

often a 24-hour a day job, to gather together all these documents," comments Harutunian, who was named Armenia's Woman of theYear in 1995. Based on the Museum's collection, Khachatua 24-volume collection rian's works was published in Moscow in 1983. Still, the museum continues to be a research and reference center for those better understand want Khachaturian, the man and his music.

who

Although this center is what Harutunian speaks of most, her fame does not rest with her academic accomplishments. She is Armenia's first and

only symphony conductor. And,

director of Yerevan's only musical college, she contributed to the training of

tographs, more than 1,000 original

most of the country's accomplished per-

they are housed in a twostory building with several halls and

formers, She illustrates this point by remembering a trip to Los Angeles in 1993. "I was invited to participate in a

scores. Today,

libraries. Khachaturian's chairs, tables, instru-

ments, pianos are all there. In a city where Home-Museums dot every street,

36 /nrMruty tgso

the Khachaturian Home-Museum

celebration marking the 90th anniversary of Khachaturian's birth. They asked me to conduct the orchestra on that occasion,

noting that 15

of its

musicians are

Armenian. I don't know who was more surprised, me or the audience, when we discovered that all 15 had been my students at some point."

The

76-year-old, Gumri-born

Harutunian has not slowed down even though the museum is firmly established.

"Just as the composer himself

was

boundless, so are the resources about him. Material about Khachaturian and his works keep pouring in. Posters, tickets, letters, photographers-they all contribute to enriching this resource," expounds the conductor tumed archivist. BY GoHAR SAHAKIAN

tem, established in the early 50s,

has

become the industry standard. GIA certi-

fication is a ticket

to credibility

and

authority in the often uncertian world of the diamond and colored stones market. Boyajian proudly says, "From the first day, I knew what I wanted to do: become an instructor at GIA. I first became a graduate gemologist, then was retained as a staff gemologist, and then became an instructor. I was 23 years old at the time, and I taught for four years. I wanted to get into management, and I began supervising the colored stone iden-

tification division. Four years later, I moved to new projects development, where I became an assistant to the president, and handled a lot of marketing and promotional trade shows and outside exposure for the institute. When the president retired, the boaid of govemors at GIA voted me in as active president, over the vice president, which is a little unusual. I was 34." Boyajian has wibressed a number of changes through the years. 'A number of new retailing format have surfaced. Over a billion dollars of jewelry is sold on TV through home shopping. That never existed 10 years ago. Sams, Walknart, K mart, and other mass merchandisers have entered the scene in the last 15 to 20

A Shining G areer illiam

Boyajian's career

unprecedented---eleven

after walking into

is years the

Gemological Institute of America

(GIA) as a student, he became president of this most prominent educational institution within the gem and jewelry world.

In his

1Oth year as president, Boyajian remembers the path that led him to the Santa Monica, Californiabased GIA 2l years ago. "I was going to college in Fresno, and while working at a parttime job, I met the manager of a department store. When the man talked about jewelry, I became fascinated. Every jeweler in Fresno told me to go study at the GIA if I.wanted to have a career in the jewelry business.

Founded in 1931, GIA is the institution responsible for the standardization

of color and clarity terminology in the gem world. Further, its gem grading sys-

years. There are also major jewelry

Founded in 1 993, the Fourth

Millennium Society is an independently funded and administered

public charity committed to the dissemination of information for the purpose

developing

an informed public.

Underpinning all our work is the

firm conviction that the vitality of an independent press is funda-

mentalto a democratic society in Armenia and democratic institu-

tions in the Diaspora. The Fourth Millennium Society supports

chains that are a big force in the industry. From home shopping to credit card marketers to the fine Tiffany and Cartier

Armenian I nternational Magazine

lines, there is a wide spectrum, but I believe that there is room for everybody. Intemet might even one day have an

national dialogue.

influence on how you buy jewelry." Boyajian is very aware of the strong Armenian presence in the jewelry world. "There are many similarities between the Armenian and the Jewish communities. When the Jewish state was reinstated in 1946, after World War II, for religious and political reasons, there was a tremendous investment there. In the last 50 years, some elements have existed in

Israel that

in its effort to contribute to the

Please remember the Fourth

Millennium Society with your gifts. Think of the Fourth Millennium Society as you prepare your will. We can help you with planned giving and estate planning.

do not see occurring in

Armenia today. I can't say that it couldn't happen. Twenty-five years ago, Israel was still a poor country, now it is a rich country. Who knows, maybe in 25 years, Armenia will become a rich country." Until then, Boyajian is well-positioned to monitor changes in the gem world and its entry into a new millennium. BY CYNfl{rA

Fourth Millennium Society P.0. Box 10793 Glendale, CA 91209 Phone (818) 2467979 Fax (818) 246 0088

BREr

AIMluly

1996

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NEWS AGEI{CY .

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1996

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Arthur Grigoria.n's State Song Theater

fI ^" ascends a typical staircase-narrow dark, with water marks on the ceiling-in a conventional, 1980s Soviet nine-story buitding. Open a door on ff ffi u the third floor and the ambience changes completely. Suddenly, you are stepping into a different world-it is the entrance to the State Song Theater. Neither a traditional variety music hall, nor a modern show-business center, the State Song Theater is more than just a new entertainment organrzation. It is one of the public enterprises representing the new lifestyle in the new Armenia. ii,"

iil;.,

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42 I

AIM July 1996

The theater hall is rather small. It merely seats 120 spectators, but it is always full. "We produce a new perfor-

mance every week," says Arthur Grigorian, 38, the artistic director and inspiration behind the Song Theater. "To keep up the tempo, we hold our performances in the evenings and rehearse and change sets at nighttime. I work 28 hours a day, and my children try to accompany me." Grigorian's nickname in the theater

is "Papa," and he likes the role. Grigorian's name is synonymous with the Song Theater. Without him, it probably wouldn't exist. His energy and his vision have brought together a team free to create and participate. The proof is in the theater's popularity. Tickets for the State Song Theater are more expensive than for any other Yerevan theater, concert hall or club. But Grigorian is sure that the artists are worth it. And for good reason-a dozen

the 30

singers have won prizes at

various national and CIS music

competitions.

But ticket

revenue is not enough to pay expenses,

all including

the

salaries of the 85 staff members who work in this theater

hall located right alongside the popular Vernissage

Weekend

Crafts Bazaar. Does this

mean the State Song Theater is

operating at a loss? "This is not a business," announces Grigorian, sound-

ing pleased.

"It

the realization of

mydreams

Although only six

tickets were purchased

for

today's

performance, yet

the theater

was

full."

For those who haven't been at the receiving end of an

"invitation",

this means a free ticket

from a friend, or a friend of a friend,

very entertaining show of modern renditions of folk favorites along with his own modern pop pieces. Now, flnally,

associated with the theater. Obviously, if it weren't for the theater's good luck, it would close its doors in a very short

there is the permanent State Song

time. The good luck comes in the form of Martin Hovanessian, the President of the Board of Credit Yerevan Bank. It is very unusual for one govern-

Theater. "Grigorian and the Song Theater are creating their own style in today's Armenian music," points out Harutiunian. One only has to recall his

mental organization (Credit Yerevan

signature pieces

Bank) to sponsor another governmental organization (the State Song Theater), yet that is exactly the case here. "I don't like the word sponsor," says Grigorian. "Hovanessian is our patron." Or patron saint. Hovanessian and the Credit Yerevan Bank sponsor the theater to the tune of several tens of thousands of dollars. Oddly enough, although show business is one of the most profitable industries in the world, that's not the case in Armenia-yet. According to one of the

theme song of the Armenia Fund, heard throughout the US in May during the

members

"Sharm," an established

company which imports big-name

Russian pop stars to Armenia, they, too, very often function in the red. In spite of the lack of big financial reward, Grigorian says, "I am happy with my work. am writing songs, am surrounded by young talented musicians." Susanna Harutiunian from the Ministry of Culture notes, "Grigorian is happy because he is free in his creative work, without having to think about money and other administrative matlers. He has come a long way-from the

Romanos Melikian Yerevan Music College to the Moscow State Theater Institute, and then involvement with different rock groups." In 1989, in one of the first private cafes in Soviet Armenia, Grigorian produced and sang (together with Datevik Hovannesian, who was then the number one Soviet female iazz vocalist) in a

agree. From the

Fund's first telethon, to the album Doors, featuring his work sung by

Datevik Hovannesian, Grigorian's compositions are well known and easily recognized medleys of the old and

Tigran Mansurian, the celebrated modem composer, comments,'Arthur came without a conservatory diploma and became accepted by the professionals. Of course, it took time, but he has

his own handwriting, his own style." Validation for the young theater has come from varied corners. The

young and popular singer Arthur

Ispirian confesses, "I spent four years in the US. I came back to Armenia because of the State Song Theater." One recent evening Prime Minister Hrand Bagratian visited the theater and immediately became one of its stars. One of the singers danced with the prime minister; one of the hosts interviewed him about the electricity problems in his flat. And finally, the staff presented him with a guitar. "Thank

you, I enjoyed the show," said Bagratian at the end of the perfor-

mance. For the performers, this was a valuable sign of recognition.

BY MARK GnrconrlN

PHoros nv ZeveN KulcHrrhN AND RoUBEN MANGASARIAN

AIM July 1996 I 43

Psoros CounrEsv op REssa.ncs

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AIM

JuLy 1996 I 45

THESE ARE REAL LETTERS TO REAL PE,OPLE. SEND US YOURS

trE&ffi:. DearA, This is great! For the first time, I'm getting e-mail from Armenia. Thank Godll-ife in New York City is just bearable. We do and see a lot of things but we don't have people around us to share them with. Yesterday, actually, I was talking to your cousin, one of the rare people in New York with a similar backgrounfl-a pslsen to whom you can speak without having to think about limiting your thoughts and vocabulary so the person doesn't get confused. V, by the way, is another person with a fine understanding of things, but we don't have time to get together frequently. Miss you,

came

Armenia

in May and

......BOUGHT A HOUSE......Yes, ladies and gentlemen. you are now receiving email from a person who is sort of a homeowner (a quarter or so) of a twostory house with swimming pool, in the lovely and beautiful area of Dsorakhbiur, the Beverly Hills of Yerevan! I think he met your dad, while he was there.

Dear Mom, When was I ever a letter-writer?

having

a hard time gathering

I'm

my thoughts and putting them down on

paper. Now that we have Angeles, I can try.

left

Los

Los Angeles isn't really a city, like

Take Care,

Yerevan. It's a bunch of small cities stuck

I trust the family are not at all carsick? Can't say how much I envy youspring, spectacular weather (is it?) the whole world at your wheels.

together. The weather is beautiful, just like Yerevan in May. And so is the nature. Every kind of tree and plant imaginable. Pine growing next to palm trees. This is one place where it's obvious that really, it's a small world. All our friends are in Hollywood, Glendale, Pasadena and Burbank. Everyone's managed to find a way to make a living. Imagine, almost all

Fellas, yesterday we received a chocolate bar from A in Boston. Just a

the gas

Armenians-and they don't even try to leam English.

Hey, what's happenin'? Yes, it is I, part time renovator, has-been actor but altogether a fine specimen of Homo sapiens. As you must have gathered by now, I am, for the first time, using this wonderful new thing called The Intemet, and I can tell you that I'm already tired! This is all possible because of my brother who has just come from Lalaland (Los Angeles) and has brought with him chit'u chamich u mondarin, as well as his Intemet address, a modem and a knowledge of computers that is well

nice bar of milk chocolate. The length is approximately 50 cm, the width is about 25 cm, and it is about 5-7 cm thick. The weight is 5 kg. I just wonder how long it will take the eight of us to eat it. If you hurry back from your world tour, you might even get a piece. We had a lengthy debate with C on how to break it. He suggested thal my head (can you imagine?) could be the best tool, since his is not hard enough. Do you miss Yerevan yet? Want a description of a typical Yerevan street scene? The other day, A and I met on Tumanian street and were having a nice chat about nothing. Suddenly they

beyond

passed by: three square bowlegged guys

IE@ffi:. DearA,

my limited faculties-then

I@ii Dear N,

again even my five year old's knowledge

with identical absolutely

of computers is beyond me! Tomorrow, we are christening him along with my niece, so we are very busy with every-

faces, in identical black slacks, identical

thing.

My oldest brother and my mom are also here from that aforementioned hell on earth.

The bigger news is that my father

46 I ArMJuly 1996

expressionless

impossibly bright ties, and identical indescribably violetjackets. It was thoroughly enjoyable! Maybe not as much as the Niagara falls, but still... Keep in touch, C

stations

are staffed

The clothes we brought with us don't fit any more. The zippers burst on the jeans. We've all put on weight. Everyone eats beef here, not lamb. And no one eats fresh fruit or vegetables. (You have to wash, chew...) The variety

of food-fresh

and prepared-is over-

whelming. But the prepared foods are not tasty and they are very expensive. Your favorite grandson has put on weight

too. He says even when his stomach is full, his eyes are still hungry. Now, I think his eyes are full, too. So, don't worry about the kids and what they're eating. They're doing fine. Just as I'm writing this to you, a large truck pulled up outside, cut down the large tree that was clearly sick, ate up the branches and leaves, cut up the bark and arranged the pieces nicely on the

sidewalk. Couldn't they send this to Yerevan?

Kisses to everyone,

MftA

EVENTS AND EXI{IBITIONS AROUND THE WORLD General Principles

the Organization of the Judiciary in a State Governed by the Rule of Law: A conference orga-

International Exhibition, in

Olympiad. Yerevan,

Chess

Armenia,

September 15 to October 2.

the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the

of Armenia. Yerevan,

The 63rd Annual Armenian Youth Federation Olympics,

September 4-5.

Olympic Games at Bowditch Field in

20th International Festival

conjuncrion wirh

the 32nd World

nized by the Council of Europe and

Republic

Philately

Film and International Film

Framingham. Picnic

Camp

Haiastan in Franklin. Marlborough,

Market. Armenia's HaiFilm Studio will participate with 20 full-length

August

Massachusetts,

29-

September 2.

feature films, 15 short features and a dozen animated films. Cairo, Egypt,

December 2 - 15.

The Workshop Days of for Children and Youth will feature Hovannes Theatres

Tumanian tales enacted by the Henrik

Malian Theater Group of Yerevan, together with theatrical groups from Bulgaria, Denmark, Italy, Croatia, the

Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland,

the US and Germany. Grosses Thalia Theater, Halle, Germany,

Ancient Armenian Cultural Theasures from Armenia's origins to the fourth century. Includes 300 exhibits

borrowed from the collections

the

Armenian State Museum, the Sartarapat Museum, the Erebuni Museum and the

Shirak Geological Museum. Musee September 15.

Sharakans to lazz Variations, a con-

cert