Armenia and Diaspora Reaching Out - July 1998

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DEPARTMENTS

4 Editor's Note 5 Letters to the Editor 7 View 8 Notebook 9 Bytes on File 42 Communities 44 Faces 58 Cyberpages 59 Other People's Mail 50 Underexposed 62 Essay NATION

10 Thousands are serving time in Armenia, but some prisoners are not behind bars. AIM surveys the nation's correctional instltutions and their inmates

Cover Story - Redefining the Relationship

The word Diaspora is an abstraction to many; now, the people for whom the concept is a reality are trying to find a common ground with which to relate to the government of their homeland.

ECONOMY

22 Yerevan's

Modern Day Entrepreneurs

The Soukiassian Family has made a big name for itself while making a lot of money. They talk about their success in a rare interview.

26

The Factories of Karabakh

There's no war, but there is no peace. Yet, industrious villagers and city residents are trying to pick up the pieces of their disrupted lives.

CONNECTIONS

35 Could Your

Kids Commit Murder?

Six California teens, present and former students

of

local Armenian

schools, are in jail on murder charges.

38 Definitely

Not Wise Council

A Clendale city leader speaks out about federal funding of local projects; what follows are outbursts of hatred and criticism.

The See of Cilicia celebrates a rich history by opening a new four-story museum in Lebanon.

ARTS

50

The Bicoastal Curus of Art

MUSIC

54 55 56

British CD Producer Puts Karabakh on the Map. Egoyan's New Operas: the Atomic Bomb?

Roaming Through the Dream-The Rock Band lo

AIM (SsN 1050-3471), luly 1998, Vol.9, No. 6 is published monthly, 145 per yea[ by The Fourth Millennium Society, 207 SouthBrandBoulevard,Suite203,Clendale,CA912O4;Phone:(818)246-7979,Fax:$1$245-(n88.

PeiodicalsPostagepaid at Clendale, CA and additional mailin8 otfices. Canada Pod Publicatons Mail Prcduct Sales Atreement No. 0516457 - @ Copyright 1998 by The Fourth Millennium Society. All right5 Eened. AIM may not be reproduced in any mannei either in whole or in part, witfiout written pemission from the publisher The editors are not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or at unless a stamped, self-addressed envelope is enclosed. Opinions expressed in sitned articles do not necessarily represent the viewt of The Fourth Millenni um sociery For advedising querie5 c all: 1 -a18-246-7979. Subscriptlon rates for 1 2 issues. U S: ,45, Foreitn:$55.Postmasters:Sendaddresschangesto AlM,PO.Box3295,ManhattanBeach,CA90266,U.S.A.

Stefani Booroojian is one of the most recognized and trusted people in Central California; thousands ol viewers tune to her every night for the news.

ED ITO

R'S NOTE

Invitation to Dialogue On the day that Nancy Kricorian sent in her essay (page 62), she sent along a note saying "l'm going to Philadelphia tonight to a covered dish supper with the combined Ladies Guilds of the five churches. I'll be reading at an historic

gathering. Leave it to the rank and file women to forge a kind of unity that escapes the leadership."

Leave it to the rank and file, indeed! This issue is probably more about rank and file, then any we've ever done.

Fascinating people in inter-

esting places doing things that matter. Some of these stories come to you because

we have contributors who care.

Professor

George

Bournoutian (left) of Iona College, New York, called with the story about Toronto's large music store, Atelier Grigorian, and its political coup (See Music, page 541. Besides his obvious interest in his own

field-Armenian

and

Russian history-George is a classical music aficionado and a stamp-collector.

AIM's readers have benefitted from both of those hobbies.

The 'international' part of this magazine's mission is sometimes tough to accomplish. After all, to be international in content, means having contributors in as many places as there are Armenians. Fortunately, the prof'essionals tind

the magazine. Photojournalist Gina Taro (below), from Central Califbrnia, called one day last year and oftered her services, in between the work she does for major international corporations and photography setninars. Her photo in this issue of news anchor Stefani Booroojian (Media, page 48) is one of many you will see over the months to come.

The new "Nation Without Borders" section (page 42) also depends on the inititave of readers from around the world whose communities are involved in significant projects

GinaTaru

and programs.

Another

new

addition to the maga-

zine is the editorial

,J/,tsn'r.s

in

207 south Brand Blvd. Sulte 203 clendale, CA 91204, USA fel 818 246 7979 Fax. 81 8 246 0088 E-mail; aim4m@well.com EDITOR. PU ELISHER Salpi Haroutinian Chazarian

MANAGING EDITOR Paul Chaderjian ASSOCIATE EDITOR

A. H. Alexandrian, Yerevan SENIOR EDITOR

Tony Halpin, London PRODUCTION AND PHOTO MANACER Parik Nazarian DESICN AND PRODUCTION Ray Hartoonian/DigiLith Craphics lnc.

INTERNS

Karine Avedissian, Sonig Krikorian

YEREVAN BUREAU COORDINATOR

Anahit Martirossian DESICN AND PRODUCTION

Vahan Stepanian

ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR Dania Ohanian SUESCRIPTIONS MANAGER Seta Khodanian ADVERTISINC

Raffi Ohanian

CONTRIBUTINC EDITORS Ronald Crigor Suny, rivan Tabibian, Hratch Tchilingirian, Taline Voskeritchian

CONTRIBUTORS Kidd, Los Angeles; Janet Samuelian, Palm Springs; Mark Malkasian, Rhode lsland; George Bournoutian, Lola Koundakjian, New York; Moorad Mooradian,

rhc .l{aktng

Washington, DC; susan Pattie, London; Myriam Caume, Paris; Vartan Matiossian, Buenos Aires; Tanya Bedrosian, Toronto; Anais Deratopian, Vancouver

PHOTOCRAPHERS Mkhitar Khachatrian, Zaven Khachikian, Rouben Man8asarian, Yerevan; Aline Manoukian, Armineh Johannes, Paris; Edmond Terakopian, London; Karine Armen, Kevork Djansezia0, Raffi Ekmekji, Eric Nazarian, Ara Oshagan, Los Angeles; Cina Taro, San.losei 6aro Lachinian, Maryland; Ardem Aslanian, New

on subjects which are covered elsewhere in the magazine in the hope of encouraging

ierseyi Harry Koundaklian, New York; Berge Ara Zobian, Rhode lsland.

EDITOR EMERITUS

dialogue and debate

Charles Nazarian

issues

which are critical to

EDITORIAL CONSULTANT Minas Kojaian

our collective future.

Unfortunately,

INTERNATIONAT SUBSCRIPTION AND ADVERTISINO

there is such a sensi-

tive and troubling topic in this issue (Connections, page 34). Beyond the usual concems about the Armenian Diaspora, a recent tragedy in Southern California should serve as a serious catalyst for discussions of alienation, assimilation, responsibility and identity.

AIM

Armenian lnternational Magazine

ArtashesEmin, JohnHughes,Yerevan; AraChouljian, HragVariabedian,Kristen

section (page 7).

AIM will comment

about the

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H4R2E1,Phone5143392517 CANADA: RazmigHaklmian,5695HenilEoura$aWest,Montreal,PQ /UNITED ARAB EMIMTES: Sebouh Armenatian, PO. Box 1000, Sharjah, UAt, Phone 971 5 311 351; culizar Jonian, PO 8ox 44564 Abu Dhabi, UAE, Phone 97 1 2 775 721 Fax 91 1 2 715 191 I UNIIED KINCDOM: Misak Ohanian, 105A Mill Hill Road, Acton, London W38JF, Phone 081 992 4521 |TALY: Pietre Ealanian, via Moria(a, 51 A4l5, Rome, Phone 995 1235 / HONC KONC Jack Marian, RM.42, A, 26 Kai Cheunt Rd., Kowloof, 8ay. Kowlooi, Phone 852 795 9888 / AUsTRALIA: Varooj PO. 8ox tskenderian, 148 Koola Ave. East Killara NSw, 2071 Phone 02.9251 2882; Alfred L elbourne, Vi.toria 370, Harn5 Park NSW 2150, Phone 029897 1845; Vahe (ateb PO. 8ox 250, Port ^la.karian,

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WRITE TO AIMI

we welcome all communication. Although we

read all letters and submissions, we are unable to acknowledge everything we receive due to limited statfing and resources. Letters to the tditor may be edited for publication.

AIM

J(JI-Y I99II

R

s derer; Abortion is sanctioned only in three

Exchange

cases: when the lit'e of the mother is in dan-

I am very disturbed about the statements made by the Catholicos of Cilicia

guages. Nevertheless, the discussion of moral issues is not new in the Armenian

ments are no difl'erent than the ones made by the current Catholicos of All

Church. For example, more than a century

ion, a Traditional Christian could easily answer this type of question. When will we demand that the hierarchy preach

Ariz.ona

the true words of our Lord Jesus Christ: that life belongs to Cod, not us? When will they start to listen to the people? I have written both Catholicoses on this issue and they have not answer my letters. Armenians are leaving our church, because the church does not care about abortion, homosexuality, divorce, adul-

tery, child abuse, enough

to take a

little has been translated into western lan-

in the official journal of Holy Ejmiadsin written by a Father ago, an article

Vahram Manguni, not only discusses the position of the Church on aboftion, but also masturbation, bestiality, fornication, adultery, apostasy and a host of other issues.

It is one thing to have positions, canons and rules, it is another thing to practice. implement them in

Hypothetically,

mits adultery. the canons of the Church prescribe " I 2 years of tearful penance outside the church door, six years barred from

nion."

BRAUO IIUilE!

of nonsense.

What do you think? Am I alone?

Is money more important than God? Should I just follow the priest, bishop, patriarch no matter where they take me.

article

of

example, if a person fbrnicates and/or com-

None that we know of. But if our readers do, we'll let you know.

AIM for your

if only a portion

Armenians would adhere to the penitential prescriptions fbr the various moral offenses ("sins"), Armenian Churches would be packed with penitents every Sunday. For

stand. The only thing they take a stand on is that you should send money to the Patriarchs to build a strong nation. Well my money goes to God, not to this kind

Thank you

classical

types of statements about abortion/sexuality. In addition, these types of state-

How long are we going to put up these types of statements by the hierarchies of the church? In my opin-

have read the February issue of AIM on the survivors of the Sumgait Massacres and would like to know if there are any non-profit US organizations which have a fund for financial assistance for them.

Victor Pambuccian

is in

Armenian and not readily available. Very

with

I

exists on these issues

(AlM, April-May, 199t3). However. it is not the first time he has made these

Armenians.

SUMGAIT SURUIVORS

ger and in cases of rape and incest.

Unfortunately, the ample material that

taking communion, and three months of fasting every year." Only after this s/he "shall enter the church and receive commu-

In response to questions as to why the Armenian Church "does not deal" with abortion, homosexuality, etc., the response

read about her and hear her beautiful voice. In May I was able to do both. I read your interesting interview and I

Hratch Ichilingirian Responds-

attended her concert in San Francisco.

If any of your readers are fortunate enough to have the chance to see her in

North America over the Church's "mis-

of the hierarchy oI the Armenian Church has been a "pastoral" rather than a "doctrinal" one: that these issues are of personal nature and pertain to one's personal relationship with God. It is up to the individual believer to discern what is right and what is wrong in his/her relationship with God. The Church is there to provide guidance and pastoral

concert, they should absolutely posi-

placed" priorities especially when it

care to those who seek it.

tively NOT miss the opportunity. She is simply a GEM! What a voice! What charm! What presence! What a won-

comes

about Nune Yesayan in the May issue.

Since seeing her on Horizon Armenian television, I've wanted to

derful performer!

I wish her a lifetime

of

success.

We are privileged to have such a talent-

ed, young artist that breathes new life into some beautiful Armenian melodies.

Janet Demirjian Leist Belmont, California

Garabed Sarkessian Erdenheim, Pennsylvania

The frustration of a considerable segment of the Armenian community in

to

addressing contemporary moral issues is well founded and legit-

imate. However, this does not mean that the Armenian Church does not have a

position on moral and social issues.

Conceming abortion, for example, the position of the Armenian Church is very clear. The writings of the Church Fathers and the canons consider "willful abortion" of a fetus to be equivalent of "murder" and prescribe the offender the same penitential discipline as a mur-

AIM

JUI-Y1998

Unlike the Roman Catholic Church, this "spiritual liberalism" is consistent with the traditions of the Armenian Church; that is, the doctrines, theology, and canons of the Church are guidelines, rather than legal documents by which a believer is judged-in a legalistic sense.

One could argue that sometimes a "no

position" is a position itself.

Hratch Tchilingirian Bo ston, M as sachus sett s

A Diaspora Polioy

lfi

Armenia, or

An Armenia Policy lor the lliaspora? n I \-,

nce upon a time, the future viewed by any Armenian

lanywhere was a simple one. One day, something would happen. Armenians everywhere would gather around, fight for the independence of their country, and achieve it. Then, Armenians everywhere would live happily ever after. Never mind that whole chapters were missing between the "once upon a time" and the "happily ever after".

In 1988, something did happen, some Armenians did gather around and somehow independence was achieved.

We'll leave the detail to the historians. What interests us now is where Diaspora Armenians fit in writing the middle chapters of our future history.

For the past six years, Armenia has juggled a variety of different (and sometimes inconsistent) Diaspora policies.

The Diaspora, too, has juggled a variety of certainly inconsistent (and often opposing) Armenia policies. The record of the past several months (regarding international recognition of the Armenian Genocide of l9l5 by Ottoman Turkey) shows that when Armenia and Diaspora give their full, coordinated attention to a policy issue, and work together, not against each other, they can produce results. More on that next month.

What is apparent now is that there is still no consensus on the most immediate set of issues arising out of Armenia's independence-the very places where a strong Diaspora can

have the most impact: how to ease the transition to democracy and market economics; and, no less important, how to coordinate approaches to the resolution of the Karabakh conflict.

The points raised by those invited to comment in this issue on Armenia-Diaspora relations have three common elements: recognition of each other's existence and dignity, the need to learn more about each other, and the need to create

working, institutionalized channels of communication and interaction.

A tall order? Perhaps, but two of the three needs are conceptual. They're in our heads. They are dependent simply on will and information. The third requires practical cooperation between the two entities-Armenia and Diaspora. To tackle this, the new team in Yerevan (and let's hope they're a team and not an uncoordinated group of bureaucrats) has decided to place the Diaspora Department in the Ministry of Foreign

Affairs (rather than, say, under Culture or Tourism or Economy). This means the Diaspora is as important to Armenia as France or Russia. Such a department, once it begins to work, will show a commitment to developing new institutional, systematic channels between Armenia and Diaspora.

Next, the Diaspora must demonstrate its own seriousness. must set aside old attitudes and institutions which do not work, and create new mechanisms for interacting with the homeland. After all, it is the future we are talking about.

Ihe Death ol lnnocence

t's

been a long time since anyone associated with an Armenian school in the US promised to produce the community's teachers, editors and priests. That was back in the

1960s when Armenian day schools were new, and the groupings

of Armenians in American metropolises still considered themselves "community".

Now, Armenian schools offer safety and familiarity: Their biggest and most tempting promise is a sometimes adequate, sometimes excellent education in a social environment that is free of the drugs, sex and violence that appears

to run rampant in public schools. At an average annual tuition of $3000, parents buy a safe education, coupled with familiar Armenian environment. The community subsidizes this education at an equal amount per child.

This cost also serves (intentionally or unintentionally) to a

carve

a dividing line

among Armenians, especially in

Southern California. Armenian school students have largely

AIM

been the children

of

those who immigrated before the

onslaught of some 100,000 Soviet Armenians in the 1980s.

The newer immigrants, often poorer, always "different", send their children to public schools, where they become involved in all kinds of unspeakable ills which are "typical" of the public school environment. These involvements are a source of frustration for old time Armenian-Americans convinced that "Armenians don't do this sort of thing".

But, in May, a l7-year-old youth was killed in Los Angeles and six Armenian teens (none of them Soviet immigrants!) all from comfortable, suburban homes, all current or former students of Armenian schools, were arrested and charged with the murder (see page 34). The doubts, fears and questions haven't stopped.

Some things are plain. Being Armenian is not a vaccine against social problems. Armenian schools are not, cannot be, expected to serve as the sole barricade against the ills of JULY I998

The Fourth Millennium Society is an independently funded and administered public charity committed to the dissemination of information for the purpose ol developing an informed public. Underpinning all our work is the firm conviction that the vitality of an independent press is fundamental to a democratic society in Armenia and democratic institutions in the Diaspora. The Fourth lVillennium Society publishes Armenian lnternational Magazine in its effort to

contribute

to the

national dialogue. The directors are grateful

to

the

Benefactors, Trustees, Patrons and Friends of the Fourth Millennium Society

THB FOURTH a post-modern society into which these children have been brought.

Some other things are plainer. The strength of the Armenian Diaspora has, over the centuries. not been in its collective economic power. It has not been its ability to change the political fortunes of Armenia. It fta.s been in its sense of community. Armenians have lived as a social

MI[[ENNIUM SOCIEIY, Inc.

BENEFACTORS

Sarkis Acopian, Hirair Hovnanian, The Lincy Foundation, Louise Manoogian Simone

SENIOR TRUSTEES

AUSTRALIA: Heros & Kate Dilanchian; CALIF0RNIA: Khachig Babayan, George & Flora Dunaians, George & Grace Kay, Joe & Joyce Stein;

CANADA: Razmig Hakimian, Kourken Sarkissian; HONG KONG: Jack Maxian

FOUNDING TRUSTEES AUSTRALIA: Varoolan lskenderian; CALIF0RNIA: Garen Avedikian, Mardo Kaprielian,

students are asking, "Could that have been me? Could that have been my child?"-is when community interaction and support must kick in. Now is the time to deal with

of one high-placed community leader that the killing is not "a serious subject" worth addressing in this magazine is, in the are the parents. But the insistence

l\ilichael Nahabet, Raffi Zinzalian, Directors.

Alex Sarkissian, Bob Shamlian, iivan Tabibian, Ralfi Zinzalian.

Now is not the time to sweep this event under the carpet and go on with lif'e as usual. Now-when parents, teachers,

The students are already talking. So

information among individuals and organizations. Thelr financial conkibutions suppo( the work 0f the F0urth Millennium Society and ensure the independence of AlM.

DIRECTORS'98

each other.

strange values?

and Armenia through the promotion of open discussion and the free flow 0l

Shahen Hairapetian, Armen Hampar, Zaven Khanjian, Michael Nahabet,

group whose members share a common heritage, common values, and provide social, spiritual and practical support to

this tragedy collectively. We thought the "old ways" could be maintained and adapted in the West. We are daily seeing that's not possible. From language and music to more complex indicators like customs and values-everything is changing in unfamiliar, uncomfortable and sometimes unacceptable ways. How does one teach children to keep the good in the old and find the good in the new?

No longer can we naively assume that insulation is protection. Nor can we look for easy culprits. No one is to blame.

After all, this event simply underscores every parent's profound questions-Who is my child; What will s/he become? How will s/he define and maintain a strong identity and traditional values growing up in a modern society with new rules and

lvho are committed to the well-being, growth and development of Armenians

Edward

Misserlian, Bob Movelt, Varoujan Nahabet, Norair 0skanian, Emmy Papazian, Zareh Sarkissian, Raffi Zinzalian; FL0BIDA: Hagop Koushakjian PENNSYLVANIA: Zarouhi Mardikian

ASSOCIATE TRUSTEES Araxie M. Haroutinian, Ralph and Savey Tufenkian

PATRONS AUSTRALIA

CALIF0RNIA (cont.)

CANADA

Arman and Nairi Derderian

Walter and Laurel Karabian

Migirdic and Ani [/igirdicyan

George and Vartouhi Tavoukjian

Kevork and Satenig Karajerjian

Artin Etmekjian

Nishant and Sona Kazazian

CYPRUS

John and Rose Ketchoyan

Garo Keheyan

CALIFORNIA

Gary and Sossi Kevorkian

l\4ihran and Elizabeth Agbabian

Zaven and Sona Khanjian

ITALY

Garabed Akpolat

Krikor Krikorian

Krikor and Harout lstanbulian

Armand and Nancy Arabian

Dora Serviarian Kuhn

Vartkes and Jean Barsam

Avik Mahdesian

LEBANON

Harry and Alvart Barseghian

Stepan and Erdjanik Markarian

Kevork Bouladian

Berj and Hera Boyajian

Harout and Rita [/esrobian

Haoop and Violet Dakessian

Jasmine Mgrdichian

MICHIGAN

Ardash and l\ilarian Derderian

Edward and Alice Navasargian

George Chamchikian Alex [/anoogiant

Dimitri and Tamara Dimitri

Kenneth and Cindy Norian

Steve and Lucille Estephanian

Rafi 0urfalian

Manoushag Fermanian

Michael and Hermine Piranian

NEVADA

Gagik and Knar Galstian

Alex Sarkissian

Lany and Seda Barnes

Vahan and Audrey Gregor

Robert and Helen Shamlian

Alice Haig

Pekos and Garine Taglyan

NEW YORK

Armen and Gloria Hampar

Ara and Avedis Tavitian

Hany and Aida Koundak1ian

Arpiar and Hermine Janoyan

Gaidzag and Dzovig Zeitlian

Vahe Nishaniant

Pierre and

FRIENDS OF AIM

words of one parent, "frightening". Not to mention short-sighted.

It is indeed a serious subject and must be addressed openly for the sake of family, community and Diaspora.

The Fourth Millennrum Society is grateful to the following for

contributing during the last month to help secure Allr/s financial future.

CALIFORNIA: Michael & Terri Smooke; INDIANA: Raffy and Vicki Hovanessian

AIM

JULY 1998

N

T

E

B

Action Alert lique Topalian, age four, has a rare form of leukemia.

Her only chance of survival is to receive a bone marrow transplant from a donor whose blood matches hers as closely as possible in every aspect. Sound familiar? It should.

In these pages, AIM has raised this issue frequently. In July 1991, November 1993, and again in September-October 1996, AIM highlighted cases of Armenians with this fatal blood disease to stress that their only hope comes from a rich bank of donors who may have similar blood. And whose blood is similar? Family members are best. Members of the same ethnic or national group are second best.

Simple, isn't it? You go to a Red Cross Center. They take a little blood. If they like what they see, they ask you for more. If

you match, you will be saving the life of someone's child, or husband. or mother.

So, if Alique Topalian stands a chance of survival, Armenians have to give blood in greater numbers than they have done so until now. The fact that Alique's parents are wellknown in the community (Mourad Topalian has been a long-

time chairman of the Armenian National Committee of America) may make it easier, perhaps, for ostensibly "clannish" Armenians to step forward? Perhaps. Armenian Relief Societysponsored blood drives in Boston and Los Angeles, where Armenian populations range from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands, have seen turn-outs in the hundreds. It's a beginning.

Gooooaaaaaall!

Y Yarut Karapetian. a lJ fn*'*d with the Los Galaxy I Inng.t., Soccer Team. made soccer history last month. After a running battle with his coach, Octavio Zambrano, who had not played the popular for-

ward very much Galaxy's current

in

the

season,

Karapetian finally got some playing time last month.

No sooner was he on the field in the game against the Dallas Bum, than Karapetian scored

a

goal. Then another,

then

another. In hve minutes, the 26-year-old immigrant from Armenia (AIM, January-

February 1997) had scored three goals-a record in US soccer history.

Karapetian has had plenty of playing time on the field since then.

AIM

It]I,Y I998

N

o

T

E

B

o o

K

Airmen's Tribute

J-tour LI

years ago on July 9th four guys from the Glendale, California, area did something special in honor of eight young soldiers they had never met. The eight young men had been killed in a military training accident in 1944 when their B-24 bomber crashed into the San Francisco mountains of Aizona. The bodies had long since been recovered and buried, but in 1994, 50 years after the accident, four men decided to take a trek to find that crash site and to honor the crew.

"Our group drove to the hiking trail closest to the crash site," explained group leader and airplane fanatic Grigor Haroutounian. "After a moment of silence at a memorial plaque erected at the trailhead we started our hike." Haroutounian goes on to describe the mission, "Some two and one half miles up the trail we left the trail and hiked up the steep, rocky and heavily forested mountain. Spreading out to cover more ground, we came across the remains of a Pratt and Whitney radial engine resting against a fallen tree trunk. We were getting close and the fatigue of the arduous

imb did not seem to matter. Another 45 minutes we found a turret next to a tree. A few minutes later a second engine and

Number of researchers who apply for to use the Ottoman archives each year: lOOO

permission

Number of documents in the archives:

150 million Amount of energy in kilowatt hours that Armenia sells to Ceorgia

2.4 million Average number of hours

that

Ceorgians

have electricity each day:

4 Electricity tarifl, in dollars, in Armenia per

kilowatt/hour:

.05 Cost

of production, in dollars, of one kilowatt/hour of electricity: .05

Percentage of Lebanon's industrial enterprises owned by Armenians:

18 Amount, in Dram, spent by Robert Kocharian on his presidential campaign:

56.05 million Amount spent by Karen Demirchian:

21.36 million

pieces of aluminum aircraft skin.

"At an altitude of 12,500 feet we came across a clearing in the forest made by a large rockslide. On this rockslide lay the remains of the heavy bomber. The crash and explosion had apparently triggered the rockslide which buried pieces of the aircraft and sent the heavy engines tumbling down the steep mountain. After examining the wreckage, the group installed a plaque on the largest piece, one ofthe wings. The plaque reads: In Memory of the crew of 42-50890, American Armenian Airmens Association, July 9, 1994, along with the initials of each of the four men who made up the group: Aris Matevosian, Grigor Haroutounian, Razmik Gozalian and Roobik Manokian.

Four years after their first trip, the group has gained new members who continue to search for other forgotten crash sites. Gozalian, who is a geologist, says the trips are like treasure hunts for them. They each share a love for the history of flying, and a thirst for challenge and discovery. In addition to their searches, the American Armenian Airmens Association also seek to offer support where they can. The group recently donated tools to the Airport Academy in Yerevan.

Daily number of flights in and out of Armenia's Zvartnots Airport until 1990:

35 Number of flights today: 15 Number of those flights operated by Armenian Airlines: 5 Ranking of Surp Hagop High School among Montreal's 143 private schools: 5 Rank, in size, of Armenians among Turkey's non-Muslim minorities: 1 Oxford Anab.tica, Reuters, Aravot, New York llmes, The Montreal Gazzette, BBC

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"For every Armenian, Armenia should be a holy homeland whose victory is his own victory and whose future is his own future. It is essential that we realize that a nation which comprehends the value of its collective power is invincible," he told those assembled at his inauguration.

From someone who had personally led an army to victory against superior forces for the right to establish his connection-

both physical and

DIASPtlRANS

emotional-with

Armenia, these were words weighted with conviction. He quickly followed them up with practical measures designed to stress the "inclusive" nature ofthe country he now

It has become a cliche lo obserue that

led.

Armenia's greatest asset is its lliasrura. like mosl cliches, it is a g]oss ouelsimplilication ol a complex reality, but it is not without a leassufing edge ol truth. ln

create as broad a representation of political

the symposium that follows, AIM has asked ohseruers lrom lliasruIa Gommunities around lhe uuotld to Gommenl on the state ol the relationship, and where it can anil should go.

By I01{Y

HAtPlll

obert Kocharian's election as President of Armenia has thrust Diaspora relations back to the center

of the republc's

political

life. He

had

promised to do as much during his election campaign and used his inaugural speech to underline the importance of the issue.

Standing before the great and the good of Armenian society assembled in Yerevan's famous Opera House, crucible of the independence struggle, Kocharian dedicated the

country

to its

"noble responsibility" of

national unification.

It was their duty, he declared, to harness "the efforts of all Armenians and the active and immediate participation of the Diaspora

in the political

and economic

life

of

fresh hope that a relationship between the its scattered compatriots could be composed of more than warm sen-

homeland and

timents and fine words.

Indeed, so soured had that relationship become in sections of the Diaspora during the last years of the Ter Petrossian regime that even these commodities had fallen into short supply.

Kocharian, whose own status as an "outsider" had been an issue of contention with election opponents, and whose strange

accent still marked him out as different, capitalized on the symbolism inherent in his candidacy to breathe new life into the faltering relationship. Just as he represented unity between Karabakh and Armenia, so he

to

extend that symbolism to

Armenia".

wanted

The message rang loudly in Armenian communities around the world, offering

embrace Armenians worldwide in the business of nation-building.

10

AIM JULY I998

Kocharian set out very deliberately to

opinion within his administration as

he

could, offering posts to those who had supported him as well as those, like the

National Democratic Union, which had been among his most strident critics. Pairur Hairikian, long a maverick raging on the fringes against Ter Petrossian's government, was brought

in to rewrite the constitution.

His new Foreign Minister, Vartan Oskanian, was a Diasporan who took Armenian citizenship on the day of his for-

mal appointment, forsaking his American passport in the process. The American-born Raffi Hovannisian, the republic's first postSoviet Foreign Minister in an earlier era of

symbolism, became chairman

of

the

Armenia Fund, personifying the renewed effort to build bridges between the country and its Diaspora.

Most significantly of all, while acting president, Kocharian had lifted the ban on the Armenian Revolutionary FederationDashnak party's activities in Armenia and

its leader Vahan Hovhanessian from prison. The conflict which had poireleased

soned relations between the government of the republic and the Diaspora's most endur-

ing

political organization had been defused.

The appointment of Dashnaks to government office, as well as Hovhanessian's own elevation as presidential advisor, marked for many the restoration of an historic link with the first Armenian Republic of 1918.

But symbolism, however resonant, only gets you so far. What counts now is how the message of unity is translated into concrete action. Kocharian has quickly identified the

issue of a constitutional amendment to per-

mit dual citizenship as the key to creating a tangible link between the two parts of the Armenian nation.

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balanced by the urgent need to stop it going under. These were heady days, when extravagent desires and promises seemed to flow from both constituent parts of the nation.

Anything seemed possible since what had only recently been impossible had actually occurred.

But as time wore on and the immediate

:

=

crisis eased, the differences

in

outlook

between the two sides became more apparent. It is a fact unpalatable to some that many Armenians in the republic feel more in common with the Russians, alongside

whom they had lived and worked for 70 years, than with their hyphenated compatri-

ots from the Americas and Europe. There was irritation, naturally, at the outsiders' we-know-best attitude which seemed at times to discount everything achieved in Armenia during Soviet times in the rush to Westernize.

Bobert l(ocharian, born and raised in l(arabakh, led l(arabakh's liberation struggle. ln March, he was elected Armenia's president.

In truth, the original decision to write

a

ban on dual citizenship into the constitution

Kocharian set our very deliberately to creare as broad a representation of political opinion within his administration as he could.

tionship now to be? The early months of independence saw the Diaspora commit a huge effort in time, money, and support for a country battling to prevent economic collapse while mobilizing huge resources to support the war of liberation in Karabakh.

The sudden shock of seeing the long- cherished dream of a homeland come to life was

Equally, some in the Diaspora found it difficult to come to terms with the fact that Armenia had gained independence largely by its own efforts. The long-nurtured myth in the Dashnak ranks, that they would lead the liberation struggle and reap the reward of power from the grateful masses, proved to bejust that. But other organizations, too, found that their traditional role as guardians of Armenian identity had been overtaken by events.

The Ter Petrossian govemment increas-

Foreign Minister Uartan Oskanian, born in Syria, educated in Amenia and the US, has been working in Armenia's loreign ministry since 1ggil.

had never made any sense, erecting a legal

and psychological barrier

to

relations

between Armenia's citizens and their diasporan compatriots. It was driven by fear that the residents of Armenia would opt to live and work elsewhere in the Soviet Union, rather than pay their dues to their own country.

The rather silly spectacle of Diasporan Armenians being allowed to buy souvenir passports, recognized nowhere beyond Yerevan's Zvartnots airport, for $1,000, added insult to injury. Rather than create a formal, legal structure for the acquisition of citizenship, the process appeared bound up in politics, seemingly a gift to be dispensed at the whim of those in power.

But if a newly self-confident Armenia has overcome its fears and is prepared to throw open the door to the Diaspora, will the challenge be taken up? What is the rela-

AIM JULY 1998

l1

COVER STORY ingly sought to assert the primacy of the state over the Diaspora, insisting that fundraising and other aid initiatives be directed through official channels so that they could be properly controlled. This seemed a reasonable enough position. After all, the government is responsible for the welfare of 3.5 million people and the continued survival of the republic in a harsh environment far

The breakdown in relations between the Dashnaks and the authorities in Yerevan only widened the gulf in understanding, leading elements within the Diaspora to withhold support for the republic.

of Armenia as the best guarantor of stability in the region. Will dual citizens be willing to serve? Can they be regarded as citizens if they don't? Should you enjoy the luxury of being Armenian without shouldering any of the risks involved in securing the future of your country?

For Armenia, the test of faith will be its

to live with the wealth of its Diaspora. Paradoxically, wealthy individuals can commit to the task of rebuilding the willingness

country without creating tensions. When Kirk Kerkorian pledges $100 million of investment in the republic, no one worries that he will price native Armenians from

times to be riddled with bureaucracy, crony-

ism and graft. But if the Diaspora proves unwilling to invest hard cash in the possibility of change, it is hard to see how the new government will persuade disinterested foreigners that the republic offers a better bet than any of dozens of newly emerging markets around the world.

It is unlikely that there will be any mass

homecoming

on the Israeli model for

Armenia and its Diaspora. People are, by

:

I

their homes and businesses. But just such

concerns have been expressed when

Return that grants automatic citizenship to any ethnic compatriot opting for a new life in the ancestral homeland? If so, how many of those proclaiming patriotic allegiance to the republic would actually take the plunge and invest their wealth and skills and those of their families in the task of state-building?

So far, for economic reasons, the flow has been almost entirely in the opposite direction, creating a new Diaspora at the very moment when the republic most needs

Diasporan Armenians buy land and homes on a more modest individual basis, for fear of a spiralling property market which leaves the locals unable to compete.

Kocharian clearly accepted during his election campaign that the potential benefits of such investment far outweighed the risks for Armenia, creating large inflows of money into the country and a firm stake in the future prosperity of the republic for possibly thousands of Diasporans.

But if he opens the floodgates will Armenians in the Diaspora be up for doing more than buying a sentimental holiday

t2

achieve

newspapel editorc in Armenla in February: Left to tlght: Giro Manoyan' Ganada; llazareth Berbetian, Greece; and Ualant Papazian, Lebanon..

gration into the republic with a Law of

Citizenship will bring rights and responsibilities. Kocharian has repeatedly stressed the importance of a strong army in defense

to

ARF

removed from the daily experience of most well-off diasporans.

But often it was couched in terms which made people feel they were being treated simply as cash cows, told to stump up the money by occasionally arrogant ministers while being offered little opportunity for active involvement in return.

The breakdown in relations between the Dashnaks and the authorities in Yerevan only widened the gulf in understanding, leading elements within the Diaspora to withhold support for the republic.

Kocharian's initiative aims to heal those wounds but also returns to the so-far unanswered question of how the ties between Armenia and its Diaspora will be balanced.

Will Armenia, for instance, follow the Israeli model, actively encouraging immi-

talent.

needs this money and expertise

the first aim of his inaugural speech-"a state where we can work and be productive". Granted, Armenia has appeared at

home? Will broad small-scale business investment follow? Kocharian knows he

AIM JULY I998

and large, too settled, too much a part now of the cultures and societies in which their families have made new lives. Ironically, many Armenians this is a new state of affairs. For two or three generations after the Genocide, Armenians continued to be migrants or refugees even in their adopted

for

countries. It is just now that a large number seems to have

finally "made it" in the West.

They are not likely to let go of that so soon.

Nor would it necessarily be a good

thing-the political influence, financial muscle and cultural enrichment offered by a

thriving, self-confident Diaspora is almost certainly of greater benefit to Armenia in the long term.

The state necessarily takes on the role now of guarantor and guardian ofArmenian

COVER

STORY have a positive impact on their mutual trust

but promote stability and security in the region as well. I believe that in Turkey, a country that strives to be like Europe, there are politicians like Willie Brandt who will be able to muster sufficient strength to come to Dzidzernakapert to pay tribute to the memory of innocent victims."

It is hardly possible to exaggerate the effect such an event, should it ever occur' would have on the Armenian pysche, binding the scattered elements of the nation

more tightly together in vindication.

Kocharian, whose personal experiences in

The Republic of Ireland, a country similar in size and history to Armenia, wields political influence far beyond its geopolitical significance thanks to the huge l(ocharian appointed US-born Ralli Hovannisian, Armenia's firct post-Soyiet foreign minister, to head the Armenia Fund.

identity in the world. Its foreign policy asserts Armenian interests, its schools, scholars, sportsmen and women, stamps, flag, anthem, all proclaim the vitality of a people who have struggled for a century to prevent their disappearance from the map.

That struggle has been won.

In the process, Armenians all around the

world have proved their adaptability

and

remarkable talent for success in all fields of life, enriching both themselves and the societies in which they live. They are the investment upon which the new republic will capitalize in the years and decades to come precisely because they are Americans, French, Australians, Lebanese and the myriad other nationalities that make up the Armenian

experience. The Republic

of

Ireland,

a

country similar in size and history to Armenia, wields political influence far beyond its geopolitical significance thanks to the huge lrish-American communities and emigrant populations in Australia and elsewhere. To be Irish today is to be the epitome of a self-confident culture at ease in the world, something that would have been unthinkable even 20 yezus ago.

The remarkable and consistent success of the Armenian lobby in Washington, ensuring the republic is the second-largest per capita recipient of United States aid, underlines what can be achieved by a selfconfident Diaspora. The unanimous vote in

the French parliament to recognize Genocide demonstrated

that

the

300,000

lobbying skills and political arm-twisting that the Turkish Government could bring to

Irish-American communities and emigrant populations in Australia and elsewhere.

bear.

case.

Karabakh are likely to have colored his view of the importance of the issue, clearly appreciates its moral power as a unifying

The necessity in the early years of securing the existence of the republic in the region through a balance of relationships has given

force for all Armenians.

So too with the Karabakh conflict. In asserting a tougher line, Kocharian express-

way to more confident declarations of national interest. The issue of Genocide recognition by Turkey has been placed firmly at the forefront of foreign policy, not as a

es the gut feelings

But if a newly self-confident

international diplomacy. In

Armenia, in turn, has begun to assert a more broadly national policy in its foreign relations than has hitherto been the

Armenia has overcome its fears and is prepared to throw open the door to the Diaspora, will the challenge be taken up?

of many in the Diaspora,

engaged emotionally

in the struggle for

a

decade, even ifdoubts remain over whether

the change of tack will produce results in the long term. It taps into people power as a counter-balance to the pressure exerted by an

Independence Day message read by Vahan

Hovanessian

Armenians

to a

gathering

of

Diaspora

in California, Kocharian

declared: "Step by step we shall realize the motto of 'one nation, one homeland'."

Earlier that same day, at a festival at Sardarabad to mark the 80th anniversity of

Armenian independence, Kocharian had stick with which to beat Armenia's neighbor but as a question which must be resolved if relations are to make proper progress in future.

Foreign Minister Oskanian expressed the policy on a recent visit to Lebanon, say-

ing the Genocide issue "cannot be withdrawn from Armenia-Turkey relations since it exists in the psyche ofboth nations."

He continued, " Open discussions and a final solution to this problem may not only

praised the Diaspora for remaining "true to national roots and secure national values and the Armenian spirit" despite being so far from the Mother country.

An independent, progressive Armenia, he declared, "will surely be achieved by joint efforts". For half the nation, the homeland will remain a space in the heart. The trick for Kocharian in the next five years will be to connect those hearts to the body of the republic in living, breathing ways.

French Armenians counted for more than all

AIM JULY

1998

13

COVER STORY Mihran Agbabian CALIFORNIA Agbabian is Founding President and President Emeritus of the University of Armenia. e in the Armenian Diaspora have

a unique oppoftunity to exercise

our dual allegiance to our

host

country and to Armenia. We should take advantage of our rights as citizens of the host country to gain its support of Armenia.

Creating a positive image of Armenia and helping the government and the people to gain their rightful place in the world com-

munity are the responsibilities

of

the

Diaspora. However, constructive criticism

should not be withheld, when necessary, without undermining a new republic that has not yet embraced all the principles of democracy. The continuing progress toward democracy in the US, France and other countries, should be a guide to the Diaspora

in

helping the new republic toward

a

democracy that recognizes human rights, fully adheres to the rule of law, and provides equal opportunity for gainful employment.

As to the future relations of

the Diaspora and Armenia, we should accept

the fact that the Diaspora will not have a uniform view of Armenia. The leading political party of the Diaspora will not be satisfied until it is at the helm of the new republic, and all we can hope for is that they function as a loyal opposition without escalation of destructive strategies. The larger group of Diaspora Armenians who are on

will continue to remain on the sidelines. Small groups, however, will

the sidelines

emerge from time to time whose impact on

positive Diaspora-Armenia relations will be significant. Such groups already exist in the US and other parts of the world and their

political, humanitarian, educational,

and

business activities provide strong support and benefit to the people of Armenia.

As a realistic outlook. the next five

years of Diaspora-Armenia relations will not be very different from the five years since Armenia's independence. Diversity in

Armenians in Armenia have had the privilege of living on their own land but have had the misfortune of living under harsh

extract maximum benefit from this, there needs to be a re-orientation of perceptions which Armenia and Diaspora have of each

political and economic conditions. Diaspora

other.

Armenians have lived in exile, but have found hospitable countries where they have flourished in business, education and culture. A patriot would prefer the former, but a person concerned about freedom and social amenities would prefer the latter. If patriotism were the only motivation, there would have been a mass migration to Armenia. This has not happened. However, this does not mean that Diaspora Armenians do not have spiritual ties with their homeland. Such ties are also being manifested in practical ways. The Diaspora has been a major influence in attracting assistance to Armenia from intemational organizations and governments agencies.

Volunteer groups have worked to improve health care, introduce new programs in education. and train non-govemment organizations to build the economy and social life of the country. Armenia as a fragile republic has been energized by the

\What does the

Diaspora expect from Armenia? All that we need from Armenia is respect and 'We in the a spirit of cooperation.

Diaspora should not expect more.

Diaspora in its effort to pull up from the disastrous earthquake and the crippling war for Karabakh's independence.

What does the Diaspora expect from Armenia? All that we need from Armenia is respect and a spirit of cooperation. We in the Diaspora should not expect more. However, we should give more than we receive to the country of our ancestors so that new generations of Armenians may live in peace and

prosperity.

In time, mutual

respect and

Armen r4

la

by a foreign power using the ideology of Communism as an instrument of oppression and extending and infiltrating the Diaspora

to eliminate the voices of dissention and neutralize aspirations of independence.

Communist Armenia was actively dividing

the Diaspora by rewarding its supporters and denigrating its critics. In doing so, its primary interest and involvement in various Armenian communities in the Diaspora was motivated by political consideration.

On the other hand we had a Diaspora divided deeply. Those opposed to the dominance of Armenia were resentful of the intrigues to which they were subjected and

to counter them.

Others, who were enjoying the paternalistic and sometimes profitable support of the regime, had an interest in promoting the were actively seeking

division and denigration

of their

fellow

Armenians. Regrettably, some of these attitudes and deep-rooted mistrust on both

sides survived the transition to independence and persisted in some form or another during the term of the first president.

Kocharian's election as president represents a second window of opportunity for the Republic of Armenia to tap into the relatively vast resources of the Diaspora for mutual benefit.

New channels of communication, links

and networks can be established on the basis o[economic and business imperatives.

As an independent Republic, Armenia now

enjoys an unparalleled and unique status within the Diaspora. In its dealings with the Diaspora there is no need for it to get involved in local community politics. To do so would permanently damage the sense of euphoria many young Armenians now feel because of the very existence of an inde-

cooperation will bring us closer together as one nation.

pendent Armenia.

What are the opportunities?

Bilateral Chambers of Commerce could be established in various countries. Armenia

Stepan Kefiyashatian

would provide them with formal recognition and support. Many countries would

AUSTRALIA Kerkyasharian is Ethnic Affairs Commissioner.for New South Wales. s an independent and democratic republic Armenia has an unparalleled status in the Diaspora. To

welcome such initiatives because they are mutually beneficial.

Armenia could issue international interest-bearing bonds and use the proceeds to finance (on a commercial basis) initiatives in the Diaspora for business and trade with

Diaspora attitudes toward Armenia will remain, and it would be futile to work for unity. Rather, it would be constructive to follow the exhortation that we may differ in non-essential matters but we should work together on essential matters involving the security and continued independence of

Some entrenched attitudes on both sides of them were the necessary product of a country subjugated need to be changed. Some

AIM JULY I998

COVER STORY Armenia.

Armenian Overseas Citizenship could be given to any person who can demonstate Armenian lineage. Suitable models already exist in other countries where overseas citizenship status does not equate to the right of residence or the right to vote. There is nothing sinister in that. Many would take up such an opportunity for either sentimental reasons or for the practical purpose of having a second passport. This would provide a modest level of foreign exchange and income. Conversely it will reinforce people's affinity with Armenia.

Bilateral Chambers of Commerce could be established in various countries. Armenia would provide them with formal recognition and support.

Parliamentary Friendship groups can be established in many countries by parliamen-

tarians who have

a positive

disposition

towards Armenia; and there would be many.

Sister City relationships can be estab-

lished between municipal authorities in Armenia and those overseas, providing bonding at local government level; facilitating the exchange of ideas on town planning, environmental and population issues.

Closer collaboration between the

Armenian judiciary and similar local and

international bodies such

as

the International Jurists would be mutually ben-

eficial.

The government of Armenia could also encourage cooperation by Armenian Non-

Government Organizations (NGOs) with in other countries, creating very important informal networks.

The opportunities are endless in the

those

matter of an Armenia-Diaspora relationship.

What is needed is a fundamental shift away from the politics of division end party politics by all sides to cooperation based on economic imperatives based on mutual trust and respect.

Uahe Aghabegians CAUFORNIA Aghabegians owns businesses in Glendale and Yerevan, and is a resident of both cities.

f T That has the Diaspora done wrons over the last decade? \A/ V Y "prosicutor" in the court of

The

"Armenian Public Opinion" would probably have charged the Armenian Diaspora with the following: By and large, the masses of Armenian Diaspora, over the past decade, have failed to appreciate the 'moment' of statehood and have failed to take advantage of all the privileges and values it has to offer.

To defend this allegation, the "prosecutor" would argue: Despite the fact that some Diaspora Armenian individuals and organizations took an active and constructive part

process of nation-building from the early days of the formation of the

in the critical

republic, nevertheless, the masses

in

the

Diaspora did not.

Excluding those few tens of thousands I choose my numbers carefully) who have reacted spontaneously to the realify of "The Republic of Armenia" the Diaspora (and

has largely remained idle, detached, selfserving or at most, become highly opinionated critics.

The Republic of Armenia needs to harness all its resources to forge a mature, pros: perous and enduring state all Armenians can be proud of. And the "resource" called "The Armenian Diaspora" should not expect an invitation to deliver on its decades-old promise.

To give perspective to the matter, consider the "Special Residency Status": the "simplified procedure" for entering the

country reserved for all

Diaspora Armenians by Armenia's Constitution. This means ethnic Armenians get preferential treatment when applying for residency permits valid for 10 years. Thus far, out of 2,000,000 potential applicants, about 1,300 individuals have applied and been granted such residency rights.

Diaspora Armenians are living in com-

fortable deception, not realizing that the fateful time is already upon us to become fully engage in the reality of Armenia's life.

The time is here and now for paftaking in activities that will foster the consolidation of some eight million ethnic Armenians scattered throughout the world and the utilization of their "potential" for the good of their homeland.

How? Visit Armenia, if you have not done so yet. Help a fellow Armenian visit Armenia, for the first time. Consider doing

AIM JULY 1998

business with or in Armenia. Give to Armenia. Move to Armenia. Love Armenia What has Armenia done wrong? When

Armenia declared

its

independence in

September 1991, one of her last concerns was the harnessing of the "potential of millions of Armenians throughout the world".

Due to reasons that history will judge best, Armenia failed by failing to recruit all Armenian individuals and organizations.

Without judging who was right or wrong, skirmishes with the ARF were uncalled for.

Actions taken by the government vis a vis

the Diaspora, probably well-intentioned, resulted in the undesirable polarization that we witness today.

When a government inherits a unique Diaspora like ours, where individuals would go so far as to disown the country for a TerPetrosian, turn into patriots for a Kocharian, and do who knows what for a Manukian or a Demirchian, the government must take utmost care in first understanding these

Visit fumenia, if you have not done so yet. Help a fellow Armenian visit Armenia, for the first time. Consider doing business with or in Armenia. Give to Armenia. Move to Armenia. Love Armenia. intricate dynamics and then embarking on cultivating this invaluable asset.

This is not in defense of a Diaspora where the majority can not even recall the year in which Armenia declared its indence but clearly remember exactly what they were doing and where they were when they heard about the death of Princess Diana.

Nevertheless, it was the up to the government to induce the best out of its own Diaspora.

What is a possible model for the Armenia-Diaspora relationship? Armenia, a country lacking major natural resources, and an infrastructure, which was left in shambles after the fall of the Soviet Union possesses an invaluable resource: The Armenian Diaspora-possibly numbering over six million people and multi-billions of dollars in assets.

The establishment of a full-fledged Ministry of DiasporaAffairs seems to be the

r5

COVER STORY most sensible approach to addressing the neglected issue of Diaspora-Armenia. A ministry that will have as its clear agenda

remains neglected. Random or ad hoc relationships should become part of a long-term

the

between the Armenian government, people and the Diaspora should be institutionalized in a national agenda or policy.

The initiative for an Armenia-Diaspora relationship should come from the Armenian state. Currently, there is neither an organization nor a structure for comprehensive and long-term cooperation between

the addressing and harnessing of

of the Armenian Diaspora, with the ultimate interest of a united Armenia and Armenians in mind. Such a ministry would have as much long term weight in the

resources

long-term strategic interests of our nation as the ministries of defense, economics or tourism.

and larger mission. The

relationship

tives where relevant issues could be discussed, clarified, prioritized and presented to the wider public. This forum could also advise the Diaspora Department in setting its policies.

Fr. Boghos Leuon Zekiyan ITALY Zekiyan heads the Armenian ktnguage and Literature Department at the Universiry of Venice.

ArchbishoB Hounan Ilerderian CANADA

Derderian heads the Canadian Diocese of the Armenian Church. n order to overcome the obstacles, first, the govemment of Armenia should have a clear policy toward the Diaspora; second, structures for exchange of information should be instituted; third, an environment

for

openness and cooperation on vital national issues should be created; fourth,

specific targets should be set which would be achieved within a given period of time.

The most important aspect of ArmeniaDiaspora relationship should be its concilia-

tory structure. Complementary, mutually beneficial and considerate policies should provide the background for such a relationship.

The lack of information and knowledge about each other is one of the key problems,

followed by the lack of institutionalized

structures-both

in

Armenia and

the

Diaspora.

As a nation, we are still trying to grasp the rapid turn of events in our recent history, especially since 1988. Particularly in the

Diaspora, we are going through a new "identity crisis" via a vis the creation of an independent homeland. We have not been able to sort out the conceptual gap between

The lack of information and knowledge about each other is one of the key problems, followed by the lack of institutionalized structures-both in Armenia and the Diaspora.

Armenia and the Diaspora. The means and ways for a permanent and fruitful relation-

ship should be seriously studied, discussed-with consultation with Diaspora organizations and entities-and put forward for implementation.

The starting point could be the setting up of a commission consisting of individuals who are most familiar with Armenia and the Diaspora. This commission would

develop the policies, guidelines

and methodology for the establishment of a permanent bridge between Armenia and the Diaspora. must be familiar with the dynamics, inner workings, conventions and institutions of the Diaspora. The widest possible geographic representation from the

It

Diaspora would be desirable. In the initial phase, the difficult task of deciding who represents the Diaspora could be managed by working with the existing Diaspora organizations. A major national conference can be convened on Armenia-Diaspora relations where a relative consensus over the issues

While some individuals and certain organizations have close contacts in

could be built and where possibly a fiveyear plan can be adopted. (The Hellenic Congress or the Jewish Congresses could provide useful examples and case studies for such endeavors). Once a structure is created, the problems related to "representation" can be ironed out over time.

Armenia and carry'out specific (and muchneeded) projects, the Diaspora as a whole

ing of Diaspora and Armenia

an "imagined Armenia" (with its national symbols, history and culture) and the State ofArmenia. The debate over our role, connection and sense of belonging to Armenia continues.

16

Establish a consultative forum consist-

AIM JULY

1998

representa-

here has been,

in

recent

years,

Diasporans frequently approached

Armenia and Armenians

of

the

Motherland with a certain "superiority complex". This attitude was reinforced by the disastrous situation in which the country

found itself after the quick collapse of the Soviet power. As a colleague in Armenia once told me, many Diasporans had almost forgotten that this country, lacking at present light, water, and even sometimes bread, was still as of a few years ago, capable of competition with the most advanced countries in the world in more than one field; and Yerevan was one of the most luminous cities, notwithstanding the everyday limits that the communist way of life imposed.

Another basic Diasporan attitude in of some adjustment is the belief of

need

many Diasporans that we are always and absolutely on the right side in the fundamental questions concerning vital issues of national life and culture. Very often this is due to a lack of professionalism combined with a romantic or sentimental approach.

Let us consider, for instance, what in my opinion is one of the most critical issues for the unity of Armenian culture-the question of reestablishing the "Mashtotsian" orthography or classical spelling as it was before Stalin forcibly changed Armenian spelling rules more than six decades ago. Very few people in the Diaspora realize that what we now call "Mashtotsian" orthography is basically the spelling which was prescribed by the large printers of the l8th century; in some cases, the classic western Armenian spelling which we use in the Diaspora is not even the one standardized in the first half of the last century by the Nor Haykazian Bararan, the greatest and most authoritative Dictionary of classical Armenian! In other

words, even as we grandstand

about

COVER STORY in

Armenia and

in

Armenia "returning" to classical Armenian

behavior both

spelling, we are not aware that the orthography rules we follow in the Diaspora are not the "classical" ones, either.

On the other hand, with the "inebriation" brought on by independence, the new Armenian officials ignored the multisecular, millennia-old traditions and conceptions of Armenian identity, based not on citizenship as is, for example, the Western, and especially the French conception of national identity. The newly independent Armenian state mimicked the ideology of the French

Diaspora. Such committees must be recongized in some way by the Armenian government in order for their findings and recommendations to serve some purpose.

Revolution

in ways that even the great

Westem European German state does not.

Even the internationalist, supranational Soviet state did not go as far as the present Armenian state. In fact, the present Armenian State considers the Armenians abroad to be "foreign citizens of Armenian descent". Just some days ago I read once

again this hurtful expression in an announcement for scholarships issued by

the Armenian Embassy in Washington. The Soviet state, on the other hand, had a more delicately labeled high-level departrnent

"For Cultural Relations with Armenians Abroad" The current conception of the Armenian state is, I would say, at the opposite pole from

the ideology which allowed

the Armenian people to survive through centuries and millennia under the most unfavorable circumstances. Such ignorance of a people's past is indeed very hazardous and cause for concern.

During the past seven years, the Armenian government unfortunately contributed to seriously and dangerously deepening the psychological gap between the two main segments of the Armenian population which had already felt such a gap due to their different natures and experiences, and to the limitations in communication imposed during the Communist period.

Thus, to move forward, both sides must

give up all convictions of superiorify; the Diasporans must cease believing that they know and do things better, the citizens of Armenia must forgo their conviction that they are the "true" Armenians; in other words, each must accept the perfect legitimacy of the others as Armenians.

Perhaps there can be formed mixed committees of specialists to explore and exarnine the fundamental issues pertaining to the presentArmenian identity, culture and

the

Garo l(eheyan CYPRUS

Keheyan is a businessman who heads Pharos Publishers.

prepared to meet any contingency.

Diaspora institutions, consisting mainly of political parties and the church, have been divisive and parochial, while Armenia may lack experience and knowledge of the outside world, this will change gradually. A new climate of trust and goodwill can be created by agreeing on common goals and working together to implement them. This strategy may be initiated by a strictly non-

partisan group of men and women of vision, culture, and organizational skill,

ur nation must be seen as unified whole existing in its two aspects.

Successful Armenia-Diaspora rela-

tions are crucially important because they strengthen and revitalize both elements of the nation. If developed creatively they have the potential of inaugurating a new

Armenian Renaissance at the beginning of the next century. The survival and evolution of the nation depends on the level of its economic, political and above all spiritual life and values. These may be judged

by the contributions the nation and

its members make to the culture of the world and to human evolution and progress.

Unfortunately at the moment both the Diaspora and Armenia are weak, divided, vulnerable and often at odds with each other. In addition, Armenia, because of its geopolitical situation is particularly vulnerable to adverse currents. Therefore, it is

for fumenia and the uniff their efforts towards a commonly envisaged strategy that especially urgent Diaspora to

strengthens and secures the nation's future over the next century. This strategy must be comprehensive and grand in its scope and conception. A serious nation must have short, medium and long-term objectives

encompassing at least 100 years.

First, the nation must have a plan, developed by a group of independent thinkers fromArmenia and the Diaspora to identify all its resources on a global basis-be they material, intellectual or

unaffiliated to parties, churches, and other

vested interests, but dedicated to the renewal of the nation as a whole. The exist-

ing institutional organizations would be supported and encouraged to adapt so they could play their role, whatever it may be, within the framework of the strategic plan.

The new government must articulate a grand strategy of co-operation between Armenia and the Diaspora and inspire confidence in that co-operation through concrete support.

The new govemment must help estab-

lish and lend support to an international group such as a new Institute for Armenian Policy Research that will formulate a strategy for the nation-wide in its scope and vision, detailed and precise in its organiza-

tional aspects.

The new government must help

identi

fy one or two points from the

strategy that may have mass appeal and ensure they are

successfully implemented.

The nation must have a plan, developed by a group of independent thinkers from Armenia and the Diaspora to identify all its fesources on a global basisbe they material, intellectual or spirirud.

spiritual. Secondly it must develop a strat- '

egy to make maximum use

of

these

resources by, among other ways, creating a

communication network among them, allowing their efficient interaction.

Knowledge is power. We have to harness all our strength and wisdom to forge ahead towards our goal of a strong, secure nation, at peace with itself and its neighbors, and

AIiU ruLY 1998

Such a strategy would transcend sectarian interests, and the coming together of an impartial, highly prepared and motivated group of individuals on a pan-Armenian basis would have a direct moral and intellectual impact on all facets of governing the nation.

17

Nazis in World War II and had endecl up in r\rnrcnia.

There were precious books. nianuscripts. ancl scores by

great composers including Mozalt. Ilce tlrovcn. [Iayden.

Handel, Bach and Marchner'. Most ol thc nranuscripts corrprised theological texts ll'orn thc Midclle Ages. the oldest dating back to thc l l th- l 2th ccnturics. Othcrs rclated to thc early history ol' Gernrany.

To appreciatc thc signil'icancc of thc rrrove. onc has only to remernber tha1. shortly belbre. the Russian Duma l-rad voted against thc re stilr"rtion of German antiquities in its possession. Klaus Kinkcl, thc German Foreign Minister called Arrncnia's soiturc of goodwill "one of the tbunding stoncs ol sutrscqucnt tiicndly rclatiorrs" and said it would be

"highly appreciated" by his country.

Minister Kinkel declared: "Armenia knows clearly that it can count on Germany. As for political questions, Germany is starting its co-operation anew. This is a beginning step, and Germany will intensify its activity for a resolution of the Karabakh problem".

The visit was a first in several aspects. It was the first official visit to a foreign country since the power change in Armenia, and for Oskanian as foreign minister. But more importantly, apart from visits to France by Levon Ter Petrossian and then-Prime Minister Robert Kocharian, this was the first official trip in recent years to a Westem country of Germany's stature. As such, it ended the partial intemational isolation Armenia found itself in following the controversial presidential elections of 1996 and the Lisbon Declaration of the OSCE later in December.

Moreover, it occurred at a moment, when Armenia was shifting its foreign policy both in regard to Karabakh and over relations with Turkey, where the issue of Genocide recognition was now to play a more central role.

The simple fact was that Armenia's economic and political relations with Germany were not what they should have been. In the Transcaucasus, Georgia and Azerbaijan were recipients of German aid, while Armenia lagged behind.

German businesses were opening representations in Tbilisi and Baku, but disregarding Yerevan.

Last fall's visit of Klaus Kinkel to Armenia was characterizedby attempts to pressure both the authorities and

the opposition in Armenia into accepting the latest proposals of the Minsk group of the OSCE. Earlier, Armenian hopes that Frank Lambach, the German representative to the group would help to bring about direct negotiations between Karabakh and Azerbaijan, came to nothing. Thus, for Armenia, it was necessary to resort to active diplomacy to restore the balance between countries in the region.

From another perspective, the visit to Germany achieved a linkage between foreign policy goals and economic endeavours. The Armenian delegation included an economic team, headed by deputy minister of trade and industry Armen Petrossian, whose described investment opportunities to German firms.

They met representatives of important companies, including BMW, Mercedes and Siemens. BMW agreed to open a representation in Armenia this yeaq providing technical services at first. Later, the company Lada-Armenia will organize the sale of BMW cars in the republic. Siemens opened its office in Armenia a month after the visit.

Other German firms have expressed interest in areas of telecommunications, energy and tourism in Armenia.

The concrete outcome of the visit was an agreement on air communications between Germany and Armenia, and a joint declaration setting out the principles and spheres of co-operation between the two countries. But above all, Armenia was seeking German understanding of its position on Karabakh and help in easing the international pressures on the republic. In meetings with Kinkel and Lambach, Oskanian explained that Armenia favors a comprehensive or "package deal" approach to the problem, without any preconditions, but now rejects the phased approach.

In fact, Armenia is genuinely interested in a quick and

fair settlement, which is why it defines its positions clearly. Negotiations must resume, with direct talks between Karabakh and Azerbaijan. But Karabakh's submission to

Azerbadani rule is excluded. Thus, the words "autonomy","largest autonomy", and "self-government" must be banished from the agreement. It is wrong to say that negotiations have to start Below: Oskanian (!eft| and Kinkel sign agleements as Armenian delegation page: Kinkel (center) holds a manuscript with 0skanian from scratch, since perhaps 70 percent looks on. 0pposite (leftl and Hasmik tanaserian lrom the Armenian State library looking on. of issues have been agreed. The blank page relates only to questions directly related to Karabakh's status.

Last, but not least, came the issue

of

recognition

of the

Armenian

Genocide by the official bodies

offor-

eign countries. Germany, which

has

publicly acknowledged its responsibilrd ity in the Jewish Holocaust, has until now, remained silent on the Armenian Genocide. Oskanian met with Prof. Karl Heinz Ornwes, chairman of the Bundestag Foreign Relations Commission. The Armenian delegation was surprised when the German side itself raised the issue and the possibility of the Bundestag's recognition of the Genocide was discussed. On the issue of Turkish-Armenian relations, Armenians underlined the point that German-Israeli relations

were normalized only after Germany's recognition

of

the

Holocaust.

In total, this first official visit by the new foreign minister of a new government was representative of Armenia's intention to turn all bilateral relations around the various foreign policy objectivesfrom Karabakh to Genocide----of this new administration, while broadly supporting and facilitating Armenia's economic agenda.

AIM JULY I998

t9

in the massacreS and underlining the complicity of Imperial

Turkish government

Germany. Johannes Lepsius also served as a

defense

witness in the Berlin trial of in 1921, after Tehlirian

Soghomon Tehlirian,

confessed to having assassinated former Turkish Prime Minister Talaat Pasha.

This year, Armenia paid special tribute to its three friends.

In each case, some soil from each gravesite was transported to Armenia and on the even of April 24, three ums containing soil were solemnly deposed in the wall of the taken to Tsitsernakaberd, the Genocide Memorial Monument

in

Yerevan, while officials

unveiled commemorative tablets bearing the names and giant photographs of the three men.

The ceremony was held in the presence of many foreign guests from Germany, Austria,

Italy and Britain. Lepsius's cousins Reiner Lepsius and his wife, Lepsius' grandson Judge Mamfred Jaschke and his son, Maximilian Jaschke, were among the guests. So was Hermann Goltz, the director of the Lepsius personal archives established five years ago at the Martin Luther ??? University of Halle, Germany.

Goltz officially presented the Genocide Museum, located adjacent to the Memorial Monument, the complete catalog of the Lepsius archives-Germany, Armenia and Turkey--1895 to 1925. He indicated that next year microfilms containing portions of the archives will be brought to the Museum. The final stage will be the preparation of an ency-

!i..9-:

Lord James Bryce, 1838-1922, was

By 1AUBA BAGHOASSARIAI{; Pholos [y llll0lllAB KHACHAIBIA]I

a

humanist and British statesman. In 1866, he was vice-minister of foreign affairs and from 1907 to 1913 served as Britain's ambassador

chess game, Armenians

to Washington. In 1876, he founded the

have been soldiers. They were sacrificed at times,

English-Armenian Society, and as its president, visited the Caucasus and Armenia. He then published several works on Armenia and the Armenians, including a Blue Book of documents pertaining to the Turkish government atrocities against Armenians. Bryce publicly condemned Sultan Abdul-Hamid, the Young Turk government, and finally, Kemalist

In the diplomatic

and pushed forward at others.

Johannes lzpsdus Deutschland und Armenien

fohannes [rpsius. Franz

Werfel and

I

James Brvce are revered as intellec,uul, who, in the international community, denounced and condemned the Armenian Genocide by Ottoman Turkey.

J

Franz Werfel, 1890-1945, an Austrian writer and publicist, wrote Forty Days of Musa Dagh, which was recognized as the best book of 1934, and which depicts the struggle of a handful of Armenians living in a village on a mountain in the Ottoman Southeast, in

what is today Northern Syria.

20

Turkey, for persecuting Armenians.

Johannes Lepsius,1858-1926, was

a

German missionary and orientalist. In 1914, he founded the German-Armenian Society and became its president. He personally attempted to pressure the Young Turk govemment to stop

the massacres, but failed. He wrote several books on the subject, exposing the role of the

AIM JULY

1998

clopedia of the archives.

In an interview with AIM, Goltz and Mamfred Jaschke spoke directly about the contents and value of the Lepsius archives.

Jaschke explained that the catalog, prepared

by Goltz and Axel Meissner, contained more than 30,000 documents including letters and documents, an index of names and information from the 13 different periodicals which Johannes Lepsius had edited.

Goltz referred to the controversy over the Lepsius archives among historians, some of whom claim that Lepsius watered down his data for political reasons. The man who has worked on these archives for five years believes that the archives themselves shed light on this issue.

"Lepsius's life and activity were oriented towards the future, since everyone had not acknowledged the Armenian Genocide yet.

Words were Lepsius's only weapon, and we

are continuing the work with the

Somewhat pointedly Goltz said that

tude towards Lepsius, the German."

Goltz recounted how he had met Lepsius's daughter, Veronica Lepsius, some 20 years

in

1980, they

visited Armenia together. She gave Goltz some

of the documents from her father's

archives.

After her death in 1981, Lepsius's family turned over Lepsius's personal letters and other important documents to Goltz as well.

Jaschke, Lepsius's grandson, is a member of the German-Armenian Society. "My mem-

bership is not symbolic," he explains. "My aim is to acquaint the German people with the history of the Armenians. Many Germans do not have any idea about what happened to Armenians at the turn of the century or about

Armenian

I

believe that one way of resolving the Armenian Case is to talk about it extensively .

Attention must be focused ."

The catalog of the Lepsius archives is not the only document that has been brought to the Genocide Museum. Artem Ohanchanian, historian, documentary film producer and vicepresident of the Franz Werfel Committee in Austria, brought his own l2-volume compilation of over 9000 documents from the Austrian Case.

whereas "women and children saved by Lepsius are grateful to him and his companions, Germany has not yet shown any grati-

ago, and how, a few years lateg

the

same

weapon," said Goltz.

Archives dating from 1872-1936, on

the

Armenian Question and the Genocide.

The annual Genocide conference of Armenia's National Academy of Sciences also centered on Lepsius, his work and legacy. At the conclusion of the conference, a member of Lepsius's family stated, "To confess a sin is a difficult task, but such confessions are neces-

sary,

to

sins". of the

prevent new

Barseghian, Director

Lavrendi

Genocide Museum, concluded with the statement that "each time the Genocide is officially recog-

nized, that is in fact the continuation of the work of the great humanists who lent a helpful hand to the Armenian people in its direst moment."

This preceded the French National Assembly's recognition just weeks later, as well as the German government's willingness to officially raise the issue with members of the Armenian govemment. Present at the cere-

mony honoring the three men was an Italian delegation from the Municipal Council of Milan. Its president, Massimo di Carolis, noted that the Municipal Council of Milano had recognized and condemned "the genocide perpetrated in 1915 by the Turkish authorities against the Armenians and humanity" and although Turkey's consul in Milan had person-

ally conveyed his country's protest, Massimo diCarolis expressed his conviction that even-

tually "Turkey will recognize the Armenian Genocide".

1915

ECONOMY

Ihe Sukiassians share their lormula lor success.

B, UUm mE[DlSSAnltr ttrD moUE[ Gil.SItAl{ inomr dy Zrnr rflAcllllfllil,

ilil|filn rXlmlrnnr,

ilAnilil

SltAHBAZtAlt

hey are probably the most famous family in Armenia. Better known to everyone as the Gerzos, the Soukiassians have emerged from the collapse of the Soviet Union as one of the leading forces shaping the business, and by extension, economic life ofthe republic.

It is a common belief in Yerevan that Armenia's economy is controlled by just a dozen families, of which the Soukiassians are, if not the most successful, certainly the most discussed.

Their exact wealth remains a secret, but the family claims to employ some 8,500 people. Khachatour Soukiassian, the president of the family's business empire, declared recently that he would be proud if their 1998 tax bill was $10 million. From import and trade to cafes, bars and restaurants, from building projects to industrial production and banking, no economic sector is beyond the scope of their activities. They recently founded Soukiassians International Limited, or the SIL Group, to handle this ever-growing range of economic projects.

But the very fact of the continual growth of the family's business given Armenia's precarious condition this decade has inevitably aroused rumors and suspicions over possible involvement in illegal business activities.

Locals have dubbed one of Yerevan's busiest and most populated regions "Gerzostan". The neighborhood around the

Zorayar Andranik metro station

is strewn with businesses

belonging to the Soukiassians, not to mention the family home.

The Soukiassians first entered the business world in 1986-87 with the advent of Gorbachev's more permissive Perestroika era. Their first enterprise, the cornerstone of their present empire, manufactured brake parts for cars.

Profits were soon invested in a service station and car wash. Similar car wash points were then mushrooming throughout the Soviet Union and symbolized for the population the new spirit of reforms in the country. Next, they opened the Royal Club casino, their first joint venture-this one with a Swedish company. A simple gambling house at the beginning, the casino soon acquired all the characteristics of a real business center, continuously multiplying its activities and enlarging the circle of the family's contacts. The future

"Gerzo" empire snowballed from here as the Soukiassians established relations with the outside world, getting acquainted with foreign partners and technology.

According to Khachatour Soukiassian, the years 19901992 were the most beneficial, when they succeeded in laying the foundations of their enterprise and stealing a march on their competitors. At the time, the govemment favored imports, and the Soukiassians specialized in the import, wholesaling and retail sale of food products---+ven setting up an outdoor bazaar in their own neighborhood. After the collapse of the Soviet economy, trade in simple consumer goods registered a boom as whole sections of the population abandoned their former careers in a bid to survive.

Business for the Soukiassians soared and they began to invest the profits in factories manufacturing furniture and plastic products. They set up a construction company to

AIM JULY

1998

ECONOMY capitalize on the building boom in a new society, eager for cafes, shops, restaurants and offices.

One such project, SIL Plaza, the first shopping center in Armenia grouping famous international brands, has opened recently on Abovian street. A business hotel is currently under construction. The financial, or more precisely, the banking sector has not been neglected either-the family has acquired most of the shares of HayEconomBank.

How to explain such success? Some say, they have made good choices at the appropriate moment; others say they have had friends in high places. The Soukiassians say their success is due to their own skills and hard work, and the fact that they quickly grasped the principles of a liberal market economy.

In Armenia, where those principles are not yet fully understood by a society which still expects that the hand of government is always some-

how present, such business leads

how to make money in this environment, and blame their own weaknesses or inabilities on us. We serve as an excuse or a reason. I'm not interested in reasons. If someone comes to me and says 'such thing can't be done because...', I tell them I'm not interested in the cause. I'm interested in getting the thing done.

Now, find a way, or someone else will."

a

left !ftachatout Soukiassian;

Below: lnterior 0l the neuly-opened SIL plaza.

Far

They all live together in the same house, although Robert is in Paris and Edward has been in Dubai with his family for two years.

Albert and his wife Anzhela's oldest grandchildren will start school either in Paris or London this year. Younger grandchildren are educated in Yerevan.

There is always a guard at their house, but that is no obstacle for the neighborhood children to come to their yard and play. "I wanl our children to socialize with others as much as possible."

Albert and Anzhela often

dine out at their

restaurants,

although she always requires the family to get together around the table at least on holidays.

"What did we have on our Easter table?" Khachatour repeats

the question. He goes on to answer: "Eggs dyed red, pilaf, fish, fried greens-the things everyone else had."

success

to a natural assumption of

Ihe SIT GROUP Soukiassians International Limited or SIL Group was established a year ago and comprises

a

strong presence in the shadow economy, unfair practices in dealings with

competitors, and the patronage of influential personalities in the ruling

several dozen industrial, trading,

construction and service establishments belonging to Albert and his four sons. Khachatour is the Chairman. Sevak Keshishian is a

elite. Observers are quick to point out that the former interior minister and mayor ofYerevan, Vano Siradeghian is a brother-in-law.

distant relative of

the Soukiassians and in charge of the their foreign economic relations.

All industrial enterprises

Khachatour Soukiassian denies that the family's links to the former (or present) authorities was a boon. "On the contrary," he says, "Their frequent indecision, or unwillingness to make some tough economic choices hurt us, and not just us. Those of us in business need people in government who are ready to allow the market to develop, and who do not allow their staffs to create difficulties for the new businessman."

Soukiassian acknowledges that although they are not the only ones whose names are linked to unsavory

belonging to the SIL Group are joint ventures-the family insists on a minimum of 50 percent of the

shares. Khachatour says most of their investment goes into industry, although t'that requfues a lot of hard work and causes irritation, not to mention the fact that any investment made today may only yield revenue in two or three years. And then, only if you have

practices, yet the "Gerzos" have acquired a larger-thanJife reputation.

The Soukiassians were thus accused of obtain-

ing properties at absurdly low prices, of elim-

inating competition through underhanded means, of avoiding state taxes-at least until Robert Kocharian's accession as prime minister-and of illegally operating monopolies.

Soukiassian rejects these accusations. He says it takes more than just money and guts to enter into business ventures.."Above all, it takes intelligence," he asserts, "and there are many people who are not smart enough to see

The Soukiassian family lives in "Silachi," an old district of Yerevan. The eldest of the family, Albert Soukiassian, 63, was bom here

as were his five children: Khachatour, 37, Saribek, 33, Edward, 31, Robert, 28 and Hasmik, 26, the only daughter. The unusual name Gerzo reputedly comes from a time when the family lived in the Hrazdan region and the eight-year-old Albert was said to resemble a villager named Gerzo. Today Gerzo is a nickname for the whole family.

AIM JULY 1998

worked correctly."

The Bjni mineral water plant was privatized in 1995. For a year the SIL managed this plant together with the Castel Concern. Together they produced mineral water and carbonized drinks. When the Soukiassians bought the plant, it was in a decayed state. Now production takes place in a clean environment, meeting all sanitary and hygiene requirements. Recently the Soukiassians sold their shares. "The plant is already established, we have nothing to do here any more," explains Khachatour.

23

Slt PROFlt produces doors

and windorc;and the lamily also own the Yereuan Furniture Factory and llolshin Gonstruction.

The cardboard factory in Massis was acquired in 1995. A year ago it became ajoint venture with "Harval Ltd," of the United Arab Emirates.

It

makes packing containers and

napkins-all sold in Armenia.

The wine factory in Parakar, a suburb of Yerevan, was privatized in 1997 and became another joint venture with Castel. Swiss and French equipment will be installed by September to produce red table wines from Armenian grapes.

The pharmaceutical joint-stock company

Avan was privatized

in 1995. The Armital

company, which makes high quality flour as well as pasta, from imported wheat using

Italian technology, was bought

in

Today's daily output at the Sevan flour

1997.

mill

is

equal to a year's production under the former owner, according to the Soukiassians.

Another joint venture with Harval is the Poliplast factory ofYerevan. It was bought in 1996 and is now the largest producer of plastic commodities in Armenia. Before it was privatized, the plant had been idle for five years.

It now produces plastic tubes, various utensils used in everyday life and automobile floor mats. The factory employs 104 people who own 20 percent of the shares.

The only enterprise that is not ajoint venture is the Furniture factory of Yerevan-the fbrmer Alexander Myasnikian furniture facto-

ry. This was the first

enterprise

the

Soukiassians acquired. Apart from making furniture, the factory handles interior repair of buildings. Ten percent of the shares belong to the 70 employees, the rest to the Soukiassian family. The SIL PROFIL company, producing aluminum windows, doors and retail booths, became a part of the factory last year.

The list goes on. The family also owns the Norshin construction company which is currently building a hotel that will operate by "high European standards."

Possibly the most visible of Norshin's jobs is SIL Plaza, a shopping mall in the center of Yerevan which opened in

24

April.

One

of

The SIL Group's Wholesale lllarke, just a lew blocks fiom RepuDlic Square, is like a giant outdoor swap meet for all kinds of lood items.

Abovian Street's

signature

one-story l9th century building was renovated and tumed into a three-story center with products from 27 famous firms-among them

Christian Dior, Cacharel, Yves Rocher, Wrangler, Adidas, Rio, Cirottie. Yerevan's cognac factory has a stand at the center of the structure, in plain view of the upstairs cafe.

Soukiassian explains that it is not just the mall concept that is new and unique here. By renovating and beautifying the building, he is very aware that he is lending to the improvement of the neighborhood and thus increasing

the value of his own property. At the same time, he has introduced the idea of high quality, attractive, ready to rent and use space-a first for Armenia.

SIL

has also established dealer-represen-

tations for firms such as Daewoo, Adidas, Proctor & Gamble and Mitsubishi in Armenia.

Then there are the cafes, bars and other consumer outlets. Three Pizza di Romas, one

Queen Burger, the Shamiram bar and five

open-air cafes comprise the SIL Food Company, employing about 100 people. But more than the western food, "it is the concept of service" that Khachatour Soukiassian is proud to have introduced.

A majority of shares in HayEconombank also belongs to the family. According to Soukiassian, banking activities are govemed by the following rules: preference is given to small loans, to people engaged in small and medium size businesses. The family's policy is never to borrow from its own bank.

"l do not take absurd risks. A risk is when you do something out of ignorance or stupidity, but a calculated risk, one you take with your eyes open isn't a risk any more. I want to change our bank to reflect a new model of banking for Armenia. That is why I am not afraid to put 25-year-olds in executive positions, with financial specialists as second or third level managers."

Soukiassian continues about other new economic models for the country. "Everyone

AIM JULY

1998

in Armenia says they are for a free market.

Unfortunately, sometimes the free market's greatest supporters are those who do not see the big picture, who think small. So, those of us who think big and want to tackle the economy as a whole are not well understood."

Discussions with Soukiassian always come back to his own relationships with government and government officials. For him, there is no question of unfair advantage. He says they got in on the ground floor of a developing economy and that intelligence was their greatest capital.

Now, he says, experience in various spheres has been added to that capital.

"However," he points out, "one of our greatest problems as a country is that relationships between business and govemment, between businessmen and officials has not yet been defined." He pulls out drafts of upcoming leg-

islation from a file-Soukiassian's office is one of the few in Armenia where there are actually papers and files on desks and in people's hands as they go from office to office to confer. "You see this new bill?" he asks. "In other countries, legislators would have held hearings, talked to experts, included the busi. nessman's point of view and experience in the development of such legislation. Here, the relationship between us-business and government-is still unclear. Those in office are sometimes afraid to ask us what we think,

because people may construe

this

as

favoritism. If we prompt them, there might be an impression that we think only about our own business. AII this hurts the development process."

lfiac[atou

Souklasslan 0n Business, Govemment GhariU

AIM: At the outset of economic reform, businesses were at an almost equal

starting point. Today the Soukiassians ane among the most successful-if not the only oneswho have maintained their progress. How

0n Abouian Street, S[ Plaza occupies pdme real estate; its ad campaign says at the cen' ter of town and the center of everyone's attention. do you explain that?

First, I used to work at the "Sirius" military plant which was under Moscow's direct control. There, being late for five minutes even could cause serious problems. That was the best factory in Armenia. I was a simple worker in the beginning, then I became a foreman, a senior foreman, head of the unit, head of the workshop, head of the production and finally, director. That was a real education.

Second, we have never paid for any commodity until it arrived in Yerevan. We have taken extreme care not to poke our nose into other people's affairs.

there are only four million people in this country; we do not have a large market.

I

consider communication and transporation infrastructures very important-everything from roads to telephones, from computers to using the Internet. Then, there are minimum standards which must be met: for example, in appearance and function, SIL Plaza meets European standards; everything in business should conform to these standards. Then, you won't have problems. Economic trends may change, causing problems, but not recurrent business problems. Recurrent problems are the result of a lack of intellect.

Many people did the same thing we were doing during these years. Some failed; others, not a few today, are successful. There are at least 30 casinos like our Royal Club, at least 1,500 businesses are engaged in the import of food, not to mention the multitude of people

engaged in small-scale import. However, those who have made mistakes always blame other people.

Did you feel more comfortable under the old authorities or the new ones?

I feel more confident with the new authorities.

Some people say the economic policies of the new authorities are not clear. I don't think so.

The policies are not clear for those people who do not read the papers, who cannot see the details and the essence. The president's and prime ministerrs statements inspire hope.

What is the greatest obstacle

business

faces? What economic reform is necessary?

The only obstacle is a lack ofbrains. An intel-

ligent business person will not initiate anything without studying and analyzing the mar-

ket and will never lose track of economic information. There is a market economy in this

country. The economy runs smoothly and there are no abrupt changes. On the whole, structured and correct policies toward domes-

tic production are necessary to achieve economic development. We must keep in mind,

Is it necessary to co-operate with foreigners

to succeed?

Foreign partners are better educated, they know the subtleties ofthe business world better but they are not familiar with the peculiarities of our local infrastructures. In order to

ofthe local situation, foreign investors prefer to co-operate with the business community of Armenia. Local enterprises also have a chance to prove themselves in the process of co-operation. have a clear idea

There can hardly be in Armenia another businessperson who

you. Is your fame

is as well-known as a result of economic

monopoly?

You surprise me. Armenian laws do not allow monopolies. Export and import are free, although monopoly of technologies is possible. We produce beer, three other kinds are produced by other people in Armenia. We have different enterprises and other people have similar ones. There are thousands of import companies engaged in wholesale trade, as we are. What monopoly?

As for fame, I must say that probably there were some forces that wanted to do us harm by making us famous. However, we were able to

make use of the situation in a clever way.

When we openly said that, for instance, 50 percent of this or that investment is ours, peo-

AIM JULY1998

S![ Group has cafes, lestau]ants, a bulger ioint and a Gouple ol pilza parlors. ple came to us, saw what we really had and what we could do: they trusted us and signed contracts with us.

You contribute to charities?

Yes, and we face a terrible situation. We do not receive as many business proposals as requests for donations. We contribute and do not know where that assistance goes. Benevolent organi-

zations should publish open reports in Armenian papers to show where, when and for what purposes the money was used.

Charitable donations are not tax exempt in Armenia?

I am happy that they are not. There is no need to exempt us from taxes.

What have you made contributions to?

It would not be an exaggeration to say that we have received requests from all spheres.

However, an idea occurred to me recentlyperhaps we should choose one sphere and providing regular assistance from start to finish.

Frankly speaking, I always prefer the future: I

have in mind those talented children who do not have the opportunity to develop their talents. There is no one seriously dealing with children today, supporting them through the whole process of their development. If you invest in 100 people, at least one person will certainly be of use to Armenia. However, we have not yet been able to concentrate on any specific projects up to now, because some. times people come to you that you simply cannot refuse.

Have you achieved your goals?

Wouldn't it be great if I were a world-famous businessman? Am I worse than the others?

Expansion is my aim. Bringing a lot of investment into Armenia is my aim. I would also like to have a role in the development of all organizations in Armenia, a role in making them work. God willing, if I stay healthy, I would like to have done something great forArmenia by the time I'm 60.

I

25

E

C

o

N

o

M

Y

lhe Repuhllc That Gould Ihe wheels ol industry slorruly begin to lurn once again in Kara[akh.

Photos by Al{TOlllE AGOUJIAI{

improved standard ofliving are essential for that war-weary population to stay and

f / arabakh's Prime Minister Leonard l( Petrossian recently resigned under I Lpressure. Deputy Prime Minister

rebuild. In fact, Armenia's former President Levon Ter Petrossian repeated on countless occasions that life in Karabakh must even be one notch better than life in Armenia, in order for it to remain a viable place to live

Jirair Poghosian has been named to take his place. But the pressure's not off. Part of the dissatisfaction with the former prime minister was the slow pace of economic growth ln Karabakh The enclave's leaders have always stressed

that economic development and

an

and raise a family. Karabakh's Defense Minister Samvel Babayan had recently complained that the economy must be tackled the way the war was tackled-singlemindedly and win the intention to win.

he groundwork is there. In the 1980s,

68.7 percent of its GNP was industrial, and 31.3 percent was agricultural.

Karabakh is not lacking for factories. In 1985, there were 52 large factories-some for production of construction materials, others for production of textiles, rugs and silks, still others to produce electrical fixtures, shoes and furniture.

Today, it is the rugs, silks, wine and construction materials which are still functionig. So is the sewing factory-but largely for military uniforms. The rugs and wine are for export, and the construction materials are used locally.

1.and 2. Rug Factory;3 and 4. Silk Factory; 5 and 6. Wine Factory; 7.

Gonstruction Matefials factoly;

:1.;i

C

o

N

N

E

C

T

o

N

S

the hour when the prisoners are let out for exercise. They mill around in the yards.

"Hey, did you know they gave me

Ll ul

eleven years? For stealing!" The voice comes booming up out of the darkness behind the bars. "l'm24 years old!"

"He forgot to tell you it's the fourth

rs

time he's been pinched," the guard mutters.

The yard measures three paces by five.

Fifteen square meters. One can only make

Behin'd ars

By MYRIAM GAUME; Photos by MAX SlUAStlAll

Some fiaue iust slarled, others haue alleady spenl a lllelime [ehind Dars. illen and women liue uery dlllerenl llues in Amenia's [risons t this time of the morning, the sun stands straight above the men's shaved heads.

Sounds float in from the street: children shouting, drivers honking their horns. The maximum security prison is located in the heart of the town of Goris.

"This is the most godforsaken hole in the Republic," says the guard, making his rounds on the walkway that looks down on the three prison yards closed off by grillwork fences. It is 28

AIM JULY

1998

out the men's heads, which seem to roll slowly by. Their bodies are hidden by the shadows. In the next yard over, the faces look up. Striped by the grillwork, they shout, in different voices, "Where do you come from?"

"From France."

"Listen, we need a TV set here, and the sports. Are you with the Red Cross?"

"No, I'm a reporter."

"What about Varoujan? You going to let him go?"

"Varoujan who?"

"Garbidjian. It's time you set him free."

"You ought to worry a little about your-

right to do

selves first, no?"

"But there are laws in your country, aren't there? Let him go!"

There is no contact between the prisoners in the different yards. Troublemakers, repeat offenders, con-men, and thieves are put into separate groups, depending on the length of the sentences they've been meted out and their record of behavior in prison.

One hundred seventy-one prisoners live six, eight, or ten to a cell inside the high - was built by walls of the penitentiary, which the Czarist Empire in 1870.

Every cell, whether bare or decorated, has its own special temperature, smell, and lighting. The tension and pain can be felt in each of them. In one, candles are sputtering on an altar to the Virgin Mary. On the wall hangs an oil painting, a head of Christ. In another is a string of plastic bottles containing a back-up supply of water. Laundry is drying on a line. As the guard throws the bolts on the doors, one after the other, there unfolds a living catalog of the ages of Man in Prison. Faces are thrust eagerly forward to the sound of the key grating in the locks.

Five years ago, did the men in Cell 6 look like the young man in the leather jacket who, without uttering a word, gave me the worry beads with the cobra's head design that he had been nervously fingering

r,:fr''':w'

A &

&

& re";,

AIM JULY

1998

CONNECTIONS down the yard? Faces of mature men. Stiff, angular shoulders. Some of them have clipped their hair down to the

"Mariam."

unfold like spiders whose webs have been disturbed, and clamber down out of their bunk beds. They fall into line silently, with fixed stares. One of them is 70 years old.

He has spent 50 years of his life behind bars. Which regimes have sent him to prison? What does he know of the wars or of the march to independence that have taken place without him? "These walls are all the home he has," the guard says. Life is

"That's the name of the Holy Virgin."

"How long have you been here?'l

taken on the chalky color of the

"Five years."

they live out their tightly circumscribed

"Does your family come to see you?"

lives, with their short-range vision ofthings.

In the light that filters through the little grar ed window, this part of the prison resembles nothing so much as a poorhouse.

After four or five years,.or perhaps 10, everyone forgets about the men stuck in this remote spot. The two rooms that have been set aside for family visits go unused. Once

as he paced up and

scalp,

like convicts in the old

penal colonies, so as to finish more quickly with the unwelcome task of washing up in the morning. Their faces are pallid under their berets or wool caps.

"What's your name?"

The man shakes his head. No one

out ofreach for them now. Their faces have walls where

comes to visit him any more. The men are already beginning to look alike, with their tense, attentive features. Standing in a tight knot, they speak rapidly, urgently: a letter for the warden, my address for a letter to be sent on later. The man who has done five years holds a little church of painted cardboard out toward me. A gift. It is orange

a month, for 100 Dram per person per day, the prisoners can spend two days and two

and green.

nights

Cell 7 is in the shadows. One can make out the movements of men sitting up in their beds. Time weighs on their gestures, slowing them down. In their white shorts, they

cooking their own meals. But the regular visiting room, with its glass dividers and red plastic telephones, usually suffices for such visits as they receive.

What life there is here belongs to those who spend their time fabricating things with

All the church domes in Armenia suddenly turn orange, against a backdrop ofbright green grass.

30

in them with their families,

AIM JULY I998

even

their own two hands: wony beads made of ivory or bread whites, religious miniatures, churches made ofglazed sand, a cross made of wire and set with pearls and bits of velvet

stuff that has been kneaded, worked,

-mastered.

Everything they fashion takes a religious turn. The most talented of them is carving a wooden door worthy of the master

workman of a Gothic cathedral. It commands the guards' respect and is the warden's pride.

An old woman without an iota of fear in her face walks into the office of the head warden, Hagop Manucharian.

"I've brought butter for my son; I'd like to give it to him."

"I said once a month and you know it.

Are you going to lay down the rules in this prison? Yesterday you brought sugar; now it's butter."

The old woman keeps on pleading her case. She assumes a humbler tone, but it is obvious that she does not mean to back down.

"All right, all right," the warden says, giving in. He looks at her with a serious expression. "He's your son, it's your duty, I know. . . But don't forget what he did."

TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH BY G.M. GOSHGARIAN.

,::.,:;;!r.,:ii,

CONNECTIONS

The Femal e lnmates ol Text and Photos by ARMII|EH J0HAllllES e are just like other women; we simply made mistakes in our lives," says Larissa, one of 233 women prisoners at the Women's Colony in Abovian.

Built in 1958, the prison originally served as a correctional facility for boys

under 18 years old. The boys and young men are still there; but after Armenia's independence, female prisoners were also transferred

there. This is the only long-term correctional facility for women in Armenia.

Unlike

jails in other countries, the

Abovian Women's Colony is free of barbed wire, watch towers, and even barred cells.

Only during pre-trial custody are women kept behind bars in groups of seven or eight.

After the trial is over, those who are found guilty are transferred into the main building, where a single large dormitory sleeps 123 women; two other dormitories sleep 24 and

three. They can stay until they are of school age (seven), but Prison director Major Yura Jamalian says they try to release the children earlier (their mothers with them). After all, "the children are not condemned to the same sentence as the mothers."

This is considered quite a new and progressive idea in Western countries-allowing children to stay for long or short term periods with their incarcerated mothers.

"Children add a feeling of normalcy and humanity to this difficult situation," says one

psychological report. Of course, in prison, women with children in residence receive

incarcerated.

somewhat better treatment, too.

In general, conditions for women prisoners appear quite comfortable. "While the young men are required to wear a navy blue jacket, we have not imposed a uniform on our female prisoners, so that they may continue to feel feminine; they are free to dress as they want, to put on make-up, and even to dye their hair," says Jamalian.

On Mother's Day, the women received gift packages containing hand cream, coffee, milk, toothpaste and stockings from the

so until the child reaches the age of two or

Armenian affiliate of the Washington DCbased Prison Fellowship International. The

l4

female prisoners each.

There are another eight women in custody who have their own rooms. That's because each gave birth to a child while

If mothers wish to keep their children with them in the colony, they can do 32

AIM JULY 1998

prison administration presented the women

with flowers, and cake and ice

cream.

Meroujan Ghazarian, the Prison Fellowship representative in Armenia, also invited

singers and a band to perform for the women. Ghazarian says they provide similar material and moral support to the prisoners several times a year. The gifts which range from cigarettes to first aid are donated by Armenian companies and factories.

"Here, we have women who have committed murder, theft, embezzlement, or drug dealing. Our oldest prisoner is 75 years old. The longest sentence is for 15 years, but

in 90 percent of the cases the prisoners serve

only two thirds of their sentence and are released," says Jamalian.

Jamalian, the director, is in his 40s. He is paid 25,000 Dram a month and

appears

proud of his position and his responsibilities.

He is extremely popular and well-respected.

Even when he wasn't around, none of the inmates expressed the slightest dissatisfaction regarding the way they are treated.

"He is kind and considerate with all of us. When the prison hasn't had the medicine

we need, he has paid for it from his own pocket," says Filtura. Other prisoners join

children that what I did was wrong, and I have to pay for it by spending time in jail."

Her eyes fill up with tears and start running down her cheeks; minutes later, she is again in control of her emotions and continues.

"The only consolation I find here is the presence of children. they remind me of my own

I would have preferred to serve my sentence in a different way, for example working for the state, where I could be more useful. They call this place a correctional facility, but I don't feel like I can learn something here or be corrected. I already know that I was wrong in what I did."

The facilities at the colony may be comfortable, but Zita remembers her pre-trial detention.

"They kept me in custody for I I months in humid cells, where we could only go out for 20 minutes a day. Here, I feel much better. I write letters every day and receive letters from my family. I read books in the library, and I also play tennis with the prison director from time to time," says Zita.

Notjust tennis. Prisoners play volleyball and soccer, too, and can walk around freely on the vast prison grounds. Some receive 5000 Dram a month in exchange for working at the sewing workshop or feeding the grandchildren.

The convicts come from different walks

of life and diverse backgrounds; some are

Ahoulan in, "We have never had such a nice director.

We can literally breathe; he is always there to support us morally and give us hope. If we need to talk about a problem, we can reach him at all times through a closed circuit telephone, and he also lets us receive outside calls. He is like a member of the

family," says Nelly Gigoian,27.

Under these circumstances,

it isn't

odd

that there aren't many attempts to escape.

"There have been a few," Jamalian says,

"but we would never fire on

women.

Actually they cannot go too far; they will just be arrested again and returned."

Nelly is from Gumri and has served three and a half years of her eight-year sentence. "What bothers me is the corrupt system of justice. I was a:rested for theft with assault. Then, they asked me to pay $3000 in order to have a lighter sentence. Three years instead of eight. So, if you pay, you can get away with almost anything. Here, have learned how to deal with prisoners and with

I

those outside the prison. When

I

leave, I

want to join the aflny, as

I

served as an assistant nurse

in Karabakh. I

have already

know that that is the environment which suits me best," says Nelly.

well educated, well spoken and

well is an economist and former director of one of the many banks which proliferated between 1992 and 1994.

Promising high interest rates, the banks attracted thousands of customers. As each of the banks began to go under, many were charged with fraud and theft. "I know that I dressed. Larissa

was wrong, but I want to protest against the justice system and denounce its illegal procedures as soon as I come out of prison. I will name those who asked for bribes. I can

prove that the prosecutor asked me for $50,000 initially, and at the end, he was willing to settle for $20,000 to guarantee my liberty. I didn't pay. I ended up injail, but those guys are the real thieves, and they're free," says Larissa bitterly.

Zitu 54, who was employed at Vanatzor Travel Agency for 20 years, was convicted for embezzling public property; out of her eight year sentence, she has served one and a half years. '"The worst thing here is that I am away from my family and my loved ones. I have three children and six grandchildren."

Zita is fortunate. Her family comes to visit every two or three weeks. Although the

rules limit visitations to once a month for several hours, no visitors are tumed away.

"The families often come such long disHow can we turn them back?"

tances.

Jamalian asks.

Zita's family sympathizes with her; they never reprimand her.

"I explain to my grand-

AIM JULY 1998

animals which the prison breeds-ducks, hens, chickens, turkeys, cows, sheep, pigs, rabbits, mice. They also keep beehives.

There are no training or education programs for the inmates; they are provided three meals a day-not square meals exactly, but meals, consisting of bread and something like a soup. Prisoners are allowed to

receive 50kg. of food from their families every month; the can cook their own meals if they wish to, and they do. Discounting the occasional fight, do the women share their food and other possessions with each other?

Jamalian, the director, is astonished at the question. "They're Armenian aren't they?

Of course, they share." In fact, most of their activities are conducted together. They can watch TV in a large TV room, and once a

week they see a movie on a large screen.

Finally, Jamalian says that a gynecologist and psychiatrist are always available.

The women appear to have few major complaints. Their quarters are clean, if in an

apparent state of permanent disrepair.

Electric lines are extended from holes in the wall, small bumers for heat or cooking are underfoot. Nevertheless, for some of these women, and especially for those with children, the calm environment may be a step better from their options at home.

33

CONNECTIONS

By PAUL GHAIIERJIAI{

anoga Park. Woodland Hills. Tarzana.

Encino. These are the upper middleclass suburban cities of Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley; these are the very neighborhoods where Armenians from all four corners of the world live out what they've been sold as the American Dream. In meticulously planned communities are their spacious homes

with perfectly groomed lawns. Not too far away are their churches-Holy Martyrs associated with the Cilician See, and St. Peter, associated with the Mother See of Ejmiatsinand their children's private schools-Holy Martyrs Elementary and Ferrahian High School

in Encino, and the AGBU ManoogianDemirjian School just five miles away in Canoga Park-places they had hoped would shelter their young from the violence and gangs

plaguing large US cities. They have invested their charitable confibutions in schools and community centers which they hope will protect their children from the outside world.

Something happened in these neighborhoods during the last week of May. Exactly

34

what happened, how and why, is something that neither the students, their parents, their powerful attomeys, investigators or school personnel agree on, or will talk about----on the record.

"It happened away from the school. It was a simple street fight," is the explanation of one community leader. "An incident like this is 'out of character' for the Armenian community and just not talked about," says another.

The authorities are also keeping a tight lid on the case since all suspects in custody are juveniles; the law prohibits them from naming the suspects or making public information which they could share if the suspects were adults. As a result, local newspapers have written little on the case, and Armenian newspapers have nothing to reprint. The fact that the community newspapers aren't printing anything is then used by some of the leaders to demonstrate that this "unimportant" subject needn't be publicly discussed. :f f /'hile the details are sketchy, what is on public record is that there was a V V birthday party at the Encino home

\ru

AIM JULY

1998

of a family successful in business, active and respected in community organizations. The party was for twin girls, friends of the couple's

daughter. Seventeen-year-old

Abtin

Tangestanifar of Tarzana, an immigrant from Iran, was an invited guest. Police say that during the course of the party on Saturday, May 30, Tangestanifar refused to let into the house a group of five to eight Armenian teens who were not invited to the gathering. One young

woman who was

at the party says

the

Armenian boys were allowed in, but then exchanged words with the non-Armenians there. When the suspects left the house in Encino, they loitered outside.

Sandi Gibbons of the LA County District

is prosecuting the case, says when Tangestanifar and his friends Attorney's office, which

were leaving the party, the boys outside confronted them. During the scuffle, the suspects beat Tangestanifar who, by all accounts, was trying to mediate; one ofthe suspects allegedly used a buck knife while a second suspect allegedly used a screwdriver to stab the vic-

tim. Tangestanifar was later found rolled under a car; his stab wounds proved

fatal.

"These are privileged kids,"

says

"A lot of them go to private Armenian schools." One of the susGibbons, almost in surprise.

pects in custody is a student at the Manoogian-

Demirjian School in Canoga Park, a second is enrolled at the Holy Martyrs Ferrahian High School in Encino, and a third is a student of the Armenian Mesrobian School in Pico Rivera; the remaining teens in custody are former students at these schools and are currently in nearby public schools.

Students at the victim's school wore black ribbons for a few days. Perhaps because of the size of these public schools, life did not appear very affected by this event.

At the Armenian schools, on the other hand, and in the community at large, the question on everyone's lips was: How could this happen? Faculty and parents are trying to cope with the idea that their kids may have killed one of their peers.

"We don't have wild savages at our schools," says one staff member at Mesrobian. "This boy was not a troublemaker," she says referring to the student who was asked to leave

pects were students at the schools, there would be a retaliatory drive-by shooting.

"We had no threatening calls," says Hagopian, just as school let out for the sum-

mer a few weeks later. But the school did receive endless calls from parents. "They were concerned about the security of their children, so we invited them to spend time here." ln addition, Hagopian hired two uniformed and armed security guards to help the school's regular security staff. "Our school is a closed campus, we don't allow strangers to walk in, and we haven't seen any strangers in the vicinity of the school." Rumors also circulated about the cancellation of year-end activities, but Hagopian says they have canceled none.

Concerned that this event not be seen as

student's innocence. "His

members

of the

gangs."

The

District

Attomey's office validates Hagopian's opinion saying that the suspects most likely used the name of a

Filipino gang-Jef Rox-for

status

and attention.

Rumors of gang affiliation and a police report which said that the suspects asked if

Tangestanifar was affiliated with a gang before he was victimized sent widespread panic among parents and students at both valley schools. Some feared that since the sus-

in this kind of activity,"

says

Hagopian. "How can they think about using violence to resolve their differences?" says

better guide young people. "I've

what constitutes criminal acts, what

are the consequences, how

you choose your friends. Especially as

they step out from this

sheltered

environment into the real world outside, upon graduation. These issues have to be addressed in our programs and in our curriculum."

Administrators at the other two schools wouldn't speak to AIM---on or off the record-about this event.

The administration indicated to the students that counselors were available if students wanted to talk. One

Manoogian-Demirjian Principal

in his

and

resolved to do this in our school, to incorporate in the ninth grade civic education course information about

parents enrolled him at Mesrobian, a campus 30 miles away from their home.

"The one student in custody is one of the l0 most polite and courteous students in our school," says

friends have said repeatedly that he was inside the house throughout the whole night."

While police say several of the suspects are members of a mixed North Hollywood gang, Hagopian believes "none of the students in Armenian schools could be in this type of association. We have not had any previous manifestations of such involvement. It's the newspapers that are alleging that they are

involved

The veteran educator

both Ferrahian and Manoogian-

believes

for arraignment. All pled "not guilty"

remain locked up at separate juvenile detention facilities without bail.

"It saddens me that Armenian youth are

something has to be done at home, at school and in the community to

Demirjian before his

Hagop Hagopian. "He was always helping whenever possible." Hagopian says he

gang, the District Attorney's office wants the tried as adults. Gibbons says a hearing, scheduled for July 14, will determine whether there is enough evidence against the teens for trial, and whether they'll be tried as adults.

"At the hearing in juvenile court," says Gibbons, "the prosecutor will present evidence as to how heinous the crime was and that will determine whether they'lI be tried as adults." The suspects were in court on June 5 teens

an inter-ethnic problem, Archbishop

Vatche

Hovsepian asked that Father Shnork Demirjian, the parish priest of St. Peter, speak with the local Muslim cleric who performed

Tangestanifar's funeral

service.

Tangestanifar's family, too, cared enough to tell a Los Angeles Times reporter that these were all good kids from good homes.

"We advised students," says Hagopian, "to refrain from expressing opinions about it, not acting like judge and jury. There's an ongoing investigation by the authorities. Let them find the facts, and let the law take its course."

Hagopian says his students have cooperated with Los Angeles Police Department detectives who were on campus to gather information about the crime. There are also six other investigations being conducted by each of the law firms representing the suspects, adding up to a total of seven investigations.

Whether any of the investigators prove or disprove that the suspects are members of a

AIM JULY

1998

teacher was very complementary about the Ferrahian student in custody, saying he was kind, polite and looking forward to graduation "to get away from all this". No one from the Executive Council of the Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America, which administers the two schools, would speak about the event either. "It isn't a serious matter," was the explanation. Yet, parents and members of the community couldn't stop talking.

Indeed, the lack of official information and discussion left much room for speculation. Some talked about drug use, others talked about tattoos and gang membership. Although

such attributes may make

a difficult

event

more understandable, they are not substantiated either by witnesses or by the authorities.

o one is blaming the schools.

"We just used to think that if

J. \

they're with nice kids from nice

families like ours, we wouldn't have

these

35

CONNEC

TIONS

problems," says one shocked mother.

Even parents of elementary school children are concemed. A group ofparents at the Orange County Ari Guiragos Minasian Elementary School (whose graduates feed into Mesrobian High School) say they will think twice now about driving the 30 miles one way

to send their children to an Armenian high school. Another parent from one of the valley schools wonders aloud why they should continue to make sacrifices if,

ing a child to become violent. A way of controlling this is reducing exposure to violent events and stressing on community, harmo-

ny and religion."

Another says, "Many youth today have no sense of identity. They don't know who or what they are, and fall under the hands of violence, for comfort. When individuals are not strong family oriented, or parents aren't very hung up on their children or unfortunately for-

get to stress the impor-

of family, as a

in the end, children are

tance

still exposed to these same

result, they turn to gangs for a substitute of "famiIy", which in turn leads to violence."

social ills and tragedies.

Some parents

say

they should have seen this coming. After all, much of

"Some

chil-

attend

Armenian school all their lives don't learn about other cultures and when they gb out into the real world, they get lost in the

promotes the gang culture as cool and hip. "There

isn't anything in these kids' lives, except televi-

crowd," says one high schooler who came into

sion and movies and loud,

obnoxious music," says one educator. "There is

nothing

of the

dren that

mainstream entertainment glamorizes violence and

an Armenian high school from a public school.

Some say it's up to the parents. "I think the

to keep them

grounded. Everything they see and hear is possible."

"Today's youth are bombarded daily by an

main reason why there is so much violence is that parents don't spend too much time with their kids.

They are so busy trying to make a living and provide

array of stimuli, all depicting what is considered

"cool" "in" and "hip"acceptable-in today's

for their kids that they sometimes forget what

society," says Sarkis Ghazarian, a Marriage, Family and Child Therapist, who

counsels young people

really matters. This doesn't mean they don't love

and their families.

their kids; they do; but

"The

some just don't realize that sometimes there are

conflicting

messages they receive --on

one hand from television, movies, magazines, movie stars, singers and professional athletes and on the other hand, parents and educators-must be addressed by all of us, parents, children, educators, members of the community and its leaders, before we lose the core moral fabric which have bound us as a people for thousands of years," Ghazarian continues.

Oddly enough, when asked what makes kids do what they do, young people's answers aren't very different.

One 10th grader says, "Juveniles nowadays are growing very violent because of all

the violence they're exposed to in various ways: music, television, movies, friends and bad neighborhoods all contribute on influenc-

36

more important

things

than material things."

Others say it's the

NewsWatch, a full tqxt general reference database of the publications of the ethnic, minority and native press, dat-

ing back to 1990

AIM is one of more than 200

newspapers, magazines and journals reflecting the ethnic, minority and native press

(African American, Carribean, Arab and Middle Eastern, Asian American, European,

European, Eastern

Armenian, Hispanic, Jewish, Native American and Multi-Ethnic) that are now part of the Ethnic NewsWatch database.

Now Ethnic NewsWatch is available in academic, public, school and government libraries nationwide.

peer pressure, being scared, trying to look cool and psychological problems to the spread of violence among the youth."

Finally, another one continues, "Parents and teachers need to have open and honest relationships with their kids which allows them to say what's on their minds or come to them when they have a problem. When they don't get these things, some kids turn to friends; the only thing you can hope for is that they choose the right friends, because if they don't their kids will be headed for a path of destruction."

AIM JULY 1998

Ask for AIM and Ethnic NewsWatch on CD-rom at your public library as well as local high school and college libraries.

For more information, contact

Sofiline Information, Inc. 20 Summer Street Stamford, CT 06901 (800) s24-7922 Fax (203) 975-8347

C

o

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M

U

T

N

E

s

Liltleftmeni a,

t.rs=/E\

ls Glendale lruly a metropolis ol strangers inhaling one another hut alienated and isolaled hecause ol [igotrU and hatred? Some belieue it is.

that federal funds were being distributed to

Armenian organizations disproportionately,

By PAUL GHAIIERJIA]I; PhOIOS Dy EBIG IIAZARIAI'I The annual controversy over how to spend federal funds allocated for community projects in the city of Glendale for the next fiscal year may be over for the moment, but the public debate which surfaced over the issue was a wake-up call for

some city and community leaders. A few interpreted the xenophobic comments of a Glendale City Council mem-

and ascribed this to Armenians' political

Although the monies involved are not the actually issue, the discussion over allocations said much about the interrelationship between city leaders and this segment of their population. Four million dollars was the total amount on the table for distribution to community service projects and organi-

zations; $62,000 was proposed for Homenetmen, and $43,000 for the

ber and Glendale residents as evidence that there is a definite absence of positive pub-

lic relations on behalf of

the

large local Armenian community; others simply dismissed

it

as another example

of the deep-seated hatred which exists against Armenians.

The city

of

Glendale

covers about 30 square miles in suburban Los Angeles

W

AAAM AND ABMENOUHI NAZIKIAN

It boasts a population of over 200,000; nearly 50,000 are of Armenian descent, and some who live here refer to it

Armenian Relief Society. Although both

firestorm

as "Little Armenia." The most recent of bigotry erupted against this

organizations were approved to receive the amounts in question after a final vote of 4-0 (Bremberg abstained), what was evident in the aftermath was that Bremberg's outburst

sizeable minority when City Councilwoman Ginger Bremberg opposed funding slated

which blames all of Glendale's social and

General Athletic

Association (Homenetmen), and then used the local media to question the funding allocated to the Armenian Relief Society (ARS) Social Services over the last l0 years.

38

tled dinosaur who hates everyone

played

to

economic

Glendale's "silent majority"

ills on newcomers-mostly

Armenians and Persians.

Most of the published letters to the editor in subsequent issues of the Glendale News - P re s s cheered Bremberg's objections

AIM JUNE

1998

and

everything other than herself."

The letters published by the local paper ranged from support for Homenetmen to heaping blame on Armenians for the city's skyrocketing crime and murder rates. "We are the people who have watched our neighborhoods demolished," said one letter. "We have listened to bullets ring out at night.

Uhnhfohhl, SoCIETI unlll bh lt0ublnh$ tuuqhqbul, srrh\,

County.

for the Armenian

contributions to city leaders.

Insiders say Bremberg's agenda was to get even with a community which has not financially supported her political career; some, who know her professionally and socially, go as far as calling her "a disgrun-

IIOI{E

Weapons are hoarded and bank jobs are used to bilk people out of thousands of dollars. Busrnesses are operating in homes and public

entities bend the rules

because

'that's the way we do it back

home."'

One couple voiced their support of the

councilwoman, writing that "Glendale needs people on the council

who look after

our tax dollars." Others agreed with Bremberg that "groups like this [Homenetmen] get anything they want, and the rest of us go without."

Bremberg's stated objection to funding Homenetmen was because the organization plans to use the grant to convert a ware-

of

C

o M

M

U

N

T

Housing and Urban Development allows federal funds to be spent outside a city as long as it is mostly serving city residents.

Homenetmen's Glendale chapter has over 500 active members who participate in a variety of activities including scouting programs and afterschool athletics; it is these active members who will eventually use the new gym. Council member David Weaver expressed his support of Homenetmen

because he says the group helps keep

"off the street, out of gangs and away from drugs."

Bremberg had told the local media that she planned to speak against funding for the ARS, but she said after she was informed by city staff of the organization's activities, she

Glendale kids

was satisfied over how the agency

house (across the street from into a gym.

city limits)

Before the vote, the council was informed that the US Department of

was

spending its money. The grant in question is less than one-tenth of the ARS's annual budget of over $600,000. Yet, of the 50,000 clients which the organization serves every year through five regional offices, 20,000-

nearly half-are

in Glendale. The ARS

office in Glendale provides services ranging

E

s

from finding employment, filling out social service applications and citizenship forms, translating and counseling. Supporters of the ARS say that $42,000 is "laughable" assistance for an organization which is help-

ing l0 percent ofthe city's total population.

Critics say Armenians in Glendale fail in public relations and don't keep nonArmenians informed about their community, organizations and activities. Last year, when the Glendale News-Press listed the city's "103 Most Influential People," out of

a population where one out of four

is

Armenian, only eight made it into the newspaper's list.

One Glendale

cily infiler ;ayr.

hart

Homenetmen and the ARS kept ?re'rb::g and citizens informed about all their activities and persuaded the local non-Armenian media to cover their events, the whole funding fiasco could have been avoided. The city employee says the only time one hears

a

reference

to his people is when

an

Armenian blows up his apartment complex or kills his family.

Moratzoum Chiga Hay Acher Atznoum e gyankis jahel orere Karoun E Patzvel Yerevani Siroon Agchig Ko Anoune Ser 6

Hayotz Ashkhar Gumri

Ari Portzenk (Russian) Jan Yerevan (Russian) Sev Acherov Aghchig Ask Parabantz Karoun Yerevan

Pakhed Giorgj Minassian is among Armenia's great pop artists who introduced the "estradayin" sound to the modern music vocabulary Estradayin, which means stadium music, is distinguished by its biq sound, intricate orchestral arrangements, and seamless fusion of divergent genres. Since his early performances in the'705, Minassian has helped bring Armenia's rich repertoire of classical and folk songs to large concert halls in Yerevan and elsewhere. With lush vocals that were typically accompanied by string sections and jazz and rock instruments alike, Minassian ushered ln a novel sensibility to the appreciation of traditional music, making it accessible to modern audi ences.

Armenia's pop composers were also quick to take notice, and soon many of them, including Alexander A.iemian, Robert Amirkhanian, Arno Babajanian, Gonstantin Orbelian and Khachadour Avedissian, were writing songs specifically for Minassian. These collaborations were to spawn many of the greatest estradayin songs produced in Armenia in the past two decades.

The winner of numerous "Song of the Year" awards from Armenia's State Radio and Television lnstitute, Minassian went on to tour widely throughout the republics of the former Soviet Union and the Armenian diaspora. To date, he has recorded over 200 songs.

Today, Minassian continues to inspire audiences with his distinct estradayin style all over the world. MinassianS first U5 release,"Hayotz Ashkhar," is a collection of new songs and

new arrangements of alltime favorites.

P.O.Box 3035 Santa Monica, CA 90408 Te* 818.244.2468 Fax:81 8.244.1 930

AIM JUNE 1998

39

I} t\

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The new lour-story structule in Antilias, Lehanon, houses the treasures ol the See ol Gilicia.

Photos by ZAUEN UARIAI,I

Antilias atter thc deportations and

A t thc ntrrlheil\leIn c()lner ol thc /\ C,,ttr.,tic()\ulL' r)l Ciliciit is a lirttt\true tulc ti hich :tands ttr -la-r,.,.r

Cilicia

Cilicia presided ovcr the opening ol' the Museur.n and Khachig 13abigian

nrasSis, Cilicia. The salvaged church vessels. vestments and rclics, together with rnanuscripts, old coins, rugs, ancient pottcry and the works of Armenian painters ancl sculptors are housed in two-thirds ol the newly constructe d space-the work of architect

I-ibrary in late March, iu the prcscncc of

Hagop Ateshian.

sacres

bccornc one of thc Armenian Diaspora's nrost significant njrrscum-library complcxcs. Catholicos Ararn I olthe Great House ol'

By its size and scope, the

Lcbanese Pre siclcnt Elias Hararvi. othcl rcli-

the

historic See of Antilias, gathered and accunrulated over the centuries. and brought to

40

Cilicia

Museum can even be considered Beirut's third most important depository of art and artif-acts, according to observers. The curator of the Ciiicia Museunr. Sylva A.jemian.

gious comrrunity leaders, and ncally 100 pilgrims fl'onr around the world.

Thc maiority of objects housed at the

Cilicia Museunr are the possessions of

of l9l5 llom its treasuly in

AIM

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has organizccl displays by thenre and type.

The first floor f'eatures displays of relics and

ritual objects, including the relics of

Sts.

Nicolas and Seghbestros. as well as the right alm of St. Barsum. Altar decoratiolts. crosses, incensiaries. chalices and dove-shaped

bowls are also featured. together rvith church vestments, including one given by Constantinople's Amira Bezjian.

The second floor houses old and rare publications. including 200 manuscripts, and especially a New Testament dating from

The Khachig Babigian Library consists

of 80,000 itcms. ncarly hall' of' which arc Armenian language books. Catholicos Karekin l's own personal collection of 650i) titles is part of the Library's holdings. The planning and work of the Museum-Liblaly complex began when Karekin I was still Catholicos of Cilicia. They have been curcluded through the efforts <tf Catholicos Aram l, as part of the 1700th anniversary celebration of Armenia's acceptance of Christianity.

1293.

AIM JT]I,Y I998

41

8HIA1?OITHTAPMENMT

&dgxaa'Ex{letnlg:

XryqydE:

J AfiQt}"i$ll - iS

l*uviot l9}S

I0liIKH TfAn&X,{

Left to right: The president ol the Megaton Concefl Hall, the Greek Minister ol Culture and the Armenian Ambassador to Greece.

Shared Byzantine HeritaUe T'he Treasures of Arnrenia made it to Athens. Fronr Aplil through Junc,sculptures, artithcts. ecclesiastical clbiects, works of scultpure. luxuly objects in gold and silvel and manuscripts flom the flfih to the 18th centuries were on display at the Megaron Cr)rtccrl Hall. Boll'orved [r'om Arrtteuia's three major museurns-the Armenian State History Museum. the Museum of the Holy See of Ejmiatsin and the Matenadaran Depository of Manuscripts-the exhibition is part of the Megaron's Crossroads cycle, which, over three consecutive seasons will trace the dissernination of Orthodox ad Byzantine heritage ir.r the nations of lJurope, the Caucasus and the Meclitcrranean. Kevork Kolanian, one of the exhibit's orgartizers. says that ncver befbre have so m.rny items bcen on display out-

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Venizelos. Creek Ministcr ol Culture , as well as Archbishop Voscan Kalpakian. Pontifical Legate of Almenians of Greece, who dectrlatetl Christos Llnrbraki'. the plesident ol'the Megalon Concen Hall with the Orcler of Sts. Sahak and Mesrob.

AIM JI]I,Y 1998

Til; Agprvfn;*

H1r'lirir,.,\plrrviui

lr,

rl AlrL;*" Ll lll,irrv

llu

llilrhfiliadlifi "

l:.tchnii;ri"irin, Appeviu)

z,.i K t'r'r9,', \.r r poilriq.i'ry kl l t*rt { }:.11{iil.r. Aplr *,r

Ionian Bank sponsored the exhibition and government and church officials rvere present at lhe opening. They irrcluded Arrran Evangelos

trri ttt cxoi"*u{?rr fig,tt$ri*:

t;r *i.rr xri 1.'l$1,r; r i{r {

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rncnts.

42

rr"trtlirlv oni A,jrl1

1'r7ii: llr rtrrrf

r

*rrrl*l' lcrd r*r'5* iri; ror, llir urivr]. *i:rl:rrigg*uv rni.q: {6,{rctilpr,: rnrlv Xtrl}rllrrqriirl }lij pr r:*,rrxritrlti'* U1"iri*x}.,uexr;ll!q. ;;.t:r,nillr rtt zri xorxo{pr.r: ti:i trv 1!o trra:lu

Tjeknavor-ian. the Orchestra Choir led by Gevorg Muraclian ancl individual artists on traciitional Armenian instru-

to Greece,

rr

z*i-ri:rr*rt, rr:gio&* *ll,txguilr,

,"rril

by l,olis

Kirakossian. Armenia's Ambassador

r'.r i,

{-11::,r(1rr"llttrrIr,l'\ 'I:Tr11,r,';-t'-II{i.t',t7rtrrtZ,g,r','i.r,fftZ11:

side ol' Al'menia. The 10.{.XX)-slrong Armenian community ol' Alhcns receivccl a great dcal of meclia coverage ils a t:csnlt of this signil'icant cultural event. 'l'he exhibition. culatecl by Eti Andreitcli. was accompanied by scvcral corrcerls l'eaturing the Armcnian Philharnronic Otchestra led

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Gclebraling the tlonastie

lile

A room in a medieval Armenian scriptorium won the Pnze of Excellence at the annual Festival of Nations multicultural folklife festi val IN Minnesota.

For the seventh time in eight years, the exhibit of the Anr,renian Cutlrual Organization of Minnesota. developed and curated by Lou Ann Matossian. exhibit chairperson.

At the entrance of the exhibit was a replica of a l5rh century khachkar. Visirors were invited inside where reproductions of Armen.ian manuscript pages. in various regional styles. were mounted on the walls. There. they could pick up small glass jars of powdered minerals that give Armenian manuscripts their durable. brilliant colors. They also handled a sample book to discover the characteristic features of

Armenian leather trinding.

Dennis Ruud of the Minnesota Center for Book Arts created the sample binding especially for the exhibit. Dressed as an Armenian monk, the Minneapolis-based artist demonstrated the ancient techniques of quill cutting,

calligraphy, painting, gold leaf and sewing of the pages.

In an adjacent courtyard, samples of traditional and contemporary Armenian decorative arts were on dispaly. The works of contemporary artists Seeroon Yeretzian. Raquel Jaramillo, Jan Fleck and Fred Africkian were also on display.

life and Bcath in Buenos Aires Relocate: That's the name of the City of Buenos Aires's Cultural Center which attracts 20,000 people every week to view its many simultaneous exhibitions. Two Armenian exhibitions were highlighted at the Center this last spnng.

First, in March, it was the tun of the Armenian Children's Museum,of Yerevan, represented by 92 painlings and texiiles,,flm' ffiussum's director Itrerrik Igitian was present.to,qpgak about the first of its kiad childien's museum,iri the:whole of the former Soviet Urrion' The children's'works which have in the past been exhibited in North America and Europe, x ryell as the Middle East, made it to

Li*in America and the large art cornmunity of Buenos Aires. Large numbJrs of schoolchildren. too, came to see the works of children, on the other side of the globe, as did the press. The exhibirion

was sponsored by the All-Armenia

Fund.

In April, the Armenian Dioces of Argentina and the

Institute for Armenological Research

presented

"Images of Our Century; The Armenian Genocide

of

1915-16,"

a photographic exhibition by the

Paris-trased Land and Culture Organization. A total of 120 pictures, many of them unpublished. maps and texts, depicted in full detail the whole account of the Cenocide. Thousands of visitors experienced the power of images in a cily with 80;O0Anlenians.

8y

AIM JULY19S8

VARTAN

MATIAS.SIAI'I

'

43

housands of Denver, Colorado, radio listeners know and love him as "Lou from Littleton," but the weeknight sports talk show host's real name is Tom Manoogian. He came up with the alias not to throw off would-be stalkers, but to avoid his father's wrath. "I used to call the station from my dad's used car business where I was working, and I didn't want him to hear me and think I was goofing off. So I made up the name." That was back when he was just a caller, now Manoogian, 40, hosts one of the city's most popular programs on 850 KOA AM Sportsradio, or as he likes to call it, "the 50,000 watt blowtorch of the Rockies." After dark the signal reaches 38 states, and some evenings listeners in Mexico call in.

"I love my job," Manoogian said, "and I enjoy sports. I think it's a lot of fun and entertainment, but I put it in perspective. It's not the most important thing." Not surprising to hear from a man whose wife is expecting their first child in August. "I want to name her Almast, the Armenian word for diamond," Manoogian announced. Is that a reference to the gem or to baseball? Probably baseball considering Manoogian once quit working altogether and went to a game at every Major League ballpark in the US. The team Manoogian pays the most attention to right now is the Colorado Rockies. Between '92J94 Manoogian worked for the ball club in its corporate sales department. He's proud of bringing in $16 million dollars from Coca-Cola and other corporations in exchange for exclusive rights to sell their products and advertise at Coors Field. It's a strategy Manoogian is now using to fund a new sports stadium in the Jefferson County School District outside Denver. School districts nationwide are watching to see how it works out.

Manoogian has lived in Colorado more than 20 years, but grew up in Detroit where some of his family still lives; "no relation to the Manoogians with that big mansion," he's quick to point out. Manoogian's parents also live in Denver and just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. He's got a long way to go to catch up with mom and dad; this month Manoogian and his wife celebrate their first year of marriage.

Armenianaroundtheparents,',explainedtheworldchampiono,nuK'j,'l1 Chivichyan's obsession with fighting disturbing. Chivichyan has earned black belts in sambo, combat sambo, judo and karate. He is an expert in jujitsu, wrestling, boxing, kick-boxing and aikido, and a five-time world champion in the extreme sport known as bare-knuckle fighting. Chivichyan's dojo is filled with plaques and trophies, photographs and write-ups from his many fighting triumphs' To the parents of his young students, Chivichyan is a testament to strength and discipline, a great teacher and role model. "Do you see this dojo?" Chivichyan waves a hand around the studio. "90 percent of it was put together by the parents of my students. They all contributed. We're like a big family here. There's a lot of respect."

Chivichyan's son Artur is following in his father's footsteps. Like his dad, Artur began training in the martial arts at the age of five.

Someday he may return to his father's homeland to compete against the children of Chivichyan's old rivals.

44

AIM JULY 1998

ward-winning author Laura Kalpakian has a new book out. It is her eighth to be published and one of several to be set in the fictional town of St. Elmo, Califomia, a place Kalpakian describes as "East of L.A. and West of everywhere else." Caveat (Blair,l998) is the name of this new novel. It is a story inspired by an article Kalpakian read in the L.A. Times about a flood that happened back in 1916. Kalpakian frst read that article 18 years ago and has been intrigued by the story ever since. "I tore it from the paper and carried it with me in my wallet until it disintegrated," Kalpakian recounted.

Now the story Kalpakian carried with her for so many years is finally told in expanded version. Kalpakian spins the tale of a rainmaker hired to save St. Elmo from the drought of 1916. Unfortunately the drought is broken by a devastating flood and the rainmaker is blamed and driven away without payment. The rainmaker stews over his plight for eight years before finally returning to seek revenge.

Kalpakian is a native of California, but she now lives with her two sons in Puget Sound, Washington. She is the daughter of a Mormon father of Scottish-Irish descent and an Armenian mother. Kalpakian credits her parents with influencing her creative impulses. She attributes her "restless, contentious, generous spirit"to her Mormon ancestors. The author credits her Armenian ancestors for giving her "an ambivalence about the past that discourages remaining anistically in any one place." Kalpakian admitted, "I never know quite where my work will take me."

Kalpakian is the author of two award-winning collections of stories and five other novels including Graced Land, Cosette: The Sequel to Les Miserables, Dark Continents and Other Stories, and These Latter Days.

isaAnn Kalustian began playing politics four years ago, and it's clearly a game she's good at. A few weeks ago California Governor Pete Wilson appointed Kalustian to his cabinet as deputy cabinet secretary. Now the 34-year-old from Southern California oversees the state government's Health & Welfare and Education Departments among others. Her job is to make sure the Governor's policies are implemented in those areas, to help formulate policy and troubleshoot solutions to problems that come up involving health, welfare and education.

"I've been very privileged to work in this administration with a group of people that I consider to be the best," Kalustian stated. This is Kalustian's second post in the Govemor's Offrce. In October 1996 Wilson appointed her as his deputy press secretary.

Kalustian's promotion followed two years of hard work, long hours and many working weekends. "It was an opportunity to serve the Governor in a different way, and to use different skills," she explained.

Before moving to the Governor's office, Kalustian served as deputy associate secretary of external affairs for the Health and Welfare Agency for two years. She also worked three years at Heidrick

&

Struggles, a consulting and executive search firm, and three

years at the Wessell Company, a community and government relations firm.

Kalustian is a native of North Hills, California. Her mother, grandmother and two sisters still live in the Los Angeles area, and Kalustian says she may return after this year. Gov. Wilson is in his final year of office due to term limits, and Kalustian says she hasn't decided where she'll go after that.

One plan she does have is to get more involved in the Armenian community again. While a student, Kalustian was a member of the Armenian Church Youth Organization Western Diocese Central Council. Between the years of 1982-86 she served as chair, vice-chair, corresponding secretary and advisor.

Kalustian graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a bachelor's degree in psychology from UCLA in 1986; she received her master's degree in public administration from USC in 1993. She was a student when former Goyernor George Deukmejian was first running for public office. When she registered to vote, she signed up as a Republican and voted for Deukmejian. "I remember at the time the Armenian churches set up voter registration tables, and a lot of people were switching to the Republican party to vote for Deukmejian," recalled Kalustian. She's been a Republican ever since, and some have suggested she run for office herself. "I've had several people ask me if I ever would, but I don't have any immediate plans. Not in the immediate future." Spoken

like

a

true politician.

AIM IULY

1998

45

April 24

Catharsis

DHOL Armenian Drum CDOO3I AVO CHAKHLASYAN Traditional lnstrumental Music

Communion

Armenia

Palpitation of

CD0034

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M

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Gentral

Galilornia's Most Watched Anchorwoman By lffilsTEl{

!flllll; Pholo by GlllA rAB0

Ueteran broadcast-ioumalist Stetani Bootoollan ls a hard-

wofting, resrccted and trusteil leleuision anchotwoman. She has the demeanu 0l a nctwotk tepoflet, an endeafing and altruisllc personalily, and the insighl and talent lo use lhc IU news medium lo its maximum Dotcnlial.

A I

I

her hairstyle, make-up, clothing, voice. "It has been that way throughout my career," Booroojian notes nonchalantly, "I have

sk anvone in California's Central vurr.i to name the first TV anchor

\who

comes to mind, and odds are

received so many calls and letters it's

Stefani Booroojian will top the list. Now into her l6th year of reporting the news in

always been amazing and amusing."

Television anchors learn to grow a thick skin and take the bad with the good.

For Booroojian, TV news provides a unique opportunity to make a difference in people's lives. "I am very proud to be asso-

Fresno and the San Joaquin Valley, Booroojian is a name and face tens ofthousands of people know and trust. That recognition is both a blessing and a curse.

"It's like you are on the payroll

24

ciated with my station's campaign to raise

hours a day," says Booroojian. "If people recognize me, that means they're watching, but it can also be negative. My kids don't get it," admits the petite and well-dressed mother of two. Booroojian says she is often engaged by strangers in supermarkets, at the bank and other public places. Her children frequently wonder why "that lady" or "that man" was talking to their mommy. "I look at it as being an ambassador for my station," says

of breast cancer," says

Booroojian. "It's a project I've been working on for the last two and a half years. There's a kit they can get, and we've given out

around 20,000 of them. I profiled two women who found cancer because of the

Booroojian.

She is always on, and it's fitting that her station KSEE-TV channel 24 uses the slogan KSEE 24 Hour, News. It's a motto that defines Booroojian's life. Both on and off-air Booroojian is in the spotlight, but not every review is a friendly one. Some viewers leave messages or send letters critiquing

48

awareness

j

program; and maybe it sounds comy, but it makes me very proud."

Booroojian, 39, has a special interest in health issues, and she practices what she preaches. She's been training to run in the San Francisco Marathon this month. She decided to get involved with some friends through the "Leukemia Society" as a way to raise money for the organization and to get in shape. For Booroojian, the challenge and the opportunity to push herselfand help oth-

AIM JULY

1998

ers at the same time is the best part of being

in this demanding business. That and the anchoring, which she describes as "proba-

bly the most fun two hours of the day!"

On the downside, delivering the five, six and eleven o'clock news five nights a week in Fresno can sometimes be a depressing experience. Crime often leads the news, and sometimes there are half a dozen stories

involving violence and destruction. "It's very disturbing, and that gets to you after a while. And some nights it seems story after story focuses on negative events in our community," Booroojian says. She suspects all the years ofreporting bad news has shaded her view of her hometown. "You become somewhat paranoid about your community," she admits.

However, as with any story, there are always at least two sides, and Booroojian sees a lot of good in Fresno and its surrounding communities. She was born and raised here, graduated from California State University at Fresno (CSUF) and has spent

her entire career in the Central Valley. In a nomadic profession, where most people move to climb the ladder to larger markets, Booroojian has chosen to stay.

"My family is here. I ended up marrying someone with roots here, and now our

kids are strongly bonded to their grandparents." Booroojian runs through her reasons

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business, "He's always understood the demands."

For Long, trusting Booroojian to keep secret exclusive stories, news gathering decisions, and promotional campaigns has never been an issue. "How can you not trust Stefani," he asks laughing.

Booroojian's career has been strongly supported by the Armenian community in and around Fresno. "I'm not as involved as probably some people would like; but the Armenian community has been very very supportive, and I'm grateful for that," says Booroojian. She has been a frequent guest

speaker and emcee at Armenian events.

Booroojian has also narrated several reports for the Armenian National Committee's

to bettering the lives of Armenians in the homeland. In 1994, at a time when the nation was under a blockade and winter conditions were at their harshest, Booroojian co-wrote and co-hosted a one-hour documentary on the fuel crisis in

Armenia.

The program helped raise awareness about the conditions in the homeland and put the call

out for financial assistance. Reporter Pablo Pereira travelled to Armenia to gather the video and interviews for an S-part series he produced.

He and Booroojian then re-packaged the material into a one-hour program that provided phone numbers to relief organizations.

The program won an award for best news

"I

documentary in the Radio & Television News Directors Association awards that year.

Booroojian has several more years left on her current contract; but after eleven years on the evening news shift, she has asked to move to a daytime schedule in order to spend more time

believe very strongly in helping whenever I can," she says modestly; and she has.

Booroojian's humanitarian concem has gone above and beyond her call of duty as a broadcaster. She has also dedicated her time

with family. Loyal viewers need not worry about her leaving the airwaves altogether; Booroojian says she still loves what she does and has no plans of giving it up. With a bashful laugh she remarks, "It hasn't gotten boring yet."r

Horizon television program and hosted

a

half-hour documentary on filmmaker Atom Egoyan's last feature, The Sweet Hereafie4 and the film's parallel themes of loss as they

pertain

to the Armenian Genocide.

Booroojian anchors Fresno's KSEE news pr0grams.

with just a slight hint of regret. "While it would be great to work in a big market, I think we would be missing out on other important things in life," she concludes.

KSEE News Director Chris Long says Booroojian's loyalty continues to be a great asset to her station. "Stefani could go anywhere she wanted and be successful," he says. "It's not often you find someone with such deep ties to the community; she is an integral part of everything we do here."

Long hrst saw Booroojian when he was a student at CSUF over ten years ago.

Now that he's her boss, he understands and appreciates the notoriety Booroojian has

with viewers. "She's the type of person who everyone loves to have in their home. She's very comfortable to watch and comfortable to listen to," observes Long.

Balancing career with family has been a tricky feat at times for Booroojian. Her husband, Marc Cotta, is News Director at competing station KJEO-TV. They work opposite schedules in order to minimize the amount of time their children spend with babysitters, and they have to be careful not to reveal any of their station's secrets to each other. Even so, Booroojian says it's nice being married to someone in the same

AIM JULY

1998

49

Blr0n$lal firru$ q& k

,;rffi*#fl@

;fu

&.

Ihe Beylerians are latiler and son; and what one only drsamt ol doing in his youth, the othel is making a rsality.

by PAUI GHADERJIAN; Photos hy ARA OSHAGAI{

all. nrillions r,,atch the FOX drama narncd aftcr tl'ris place. But unlike those who are trying to keep up '"vith a beat set by Wall Street and Madison Avenuc. a young designer is marchin-e to the heat ol'his own drums ancl to the tune ol' the duduk. an instrument he prurctices as reli-ciously as he does his sacralnents, [ituals and martial arts.

Gregory Beylerian's resume includes

work lbr Disney, King and Miranda and " lf't,otr ure ulerl to the Creutittc, tou will rneet v'illt gootl .frtrtLtnt nov'."

--.fiottt

"l Ching - Book

o.f Cltonges"

-f t'. ,t :rrnrtl .prirr.:: ll'lclno()n in l.()s I Anrel.r. \lclrrr.e Ar crtuc i: I hLr.tlirrr rr rrlr tlrrl l i, . ( )rt tltr' rirlt'rvalks. yor-rn-t ieople mill ar.ouncl posinu fbr the invisiblc canrcnr: thcy arc the rvalkin-u acls tirr C.K.. Dockcls ancl Levi's. A

-group of conscrvativcly drcssed Cen X'ers. in white shirts and ties. slurp srnoothies and cat vcgetarian sanduiches at a juice ban a roaring Harlel' u'hizzes by calling attcntion to itsell'. lt's all for shorv. hcre- all lirr the ego. It's not only about being Itxrked at and looking. but it's also about being a somebody in a sca of bodics.

Melrose has always attractcd thc hippe st and coolest of visitors ancl rcsiclcnts: al'tcr'

artist C;aetano Pescc in Ne u' York. Over the past sevcn ycars. howevcr. Bel,leriax has becr.r on u .joulncy which has takcn him off tlte hrute rt tllrt k.

It was altcr a visit to one oi'the fbur holicst placcs lix Buclclhists. Salnoth. when Bcylcriln clcciclccl to lbcus on his art. His -uoal is to havc his first one-man show by agc 30. ancl he has been creating a countless nLrnrbcr ol paintings, clrawings and sculpcontinued on page 52

50

AIM JT]I-Y I998

!l llloflillilIor

by At{AlS DERAG0PIAII; Photos by HARBY l(0U1{DAl(JlAl{

dffin,

in life-.gS$n most adults are

starting to seriotisly contemplate

c{lk

in their retirement tending to their gmdens, George offon yet anotherbold

ground-building materials-i

s

rre interesting than people nk. I invented and re-invented myself. When I came to

New

York#il was offered a job in buiffig materials, similar to

matic and engaging desi and educator is the brains York City based resource

architects,

designers, environmenta

contractors,

Ger#ffi. I

industrial designers and

interested in

for until I was bored stiff.

The standards of building mate-

New

new materials. "Material Connexion" is a veritable treasure chest for design professionals.

This merchant cum entrepreneur cum educator and author is indeed a busy man. In Milan one day, New York City another, Boston yet another. Recently profiled in the prestigious New York Times Bi-annual Home Design Magazine as "The Material Man" and about to be featured in the upcoming issue of Italiamagazine, Beylerian is a hard man to pin down.

Beylerian has come a long way from his original roots in Alexandria and Cairo, Egypt.

From Turkey to Lebanon, France and Egypt, his family has always been a merchant of hard goods, luxury items and toiletries with a later specialty in architectural building materials.

This early exposure to exquisite design coupled with his exotic upbringing played a pivotal role in shaping the young Beylerian's design sense. 'I was lucky to grow up in Egypt, going on those forced visits to museums". He sites the guidance of the prominent

my dusiness in Egypt with sim-

ilar

sq4fpliers

tffi

as

I

had in

continued to work

rials are more exciting in Europe, Here we are stuck

with

old fashioned standard locks and everything was so boring, very institutional. I burst out of that and into a retail shop."

Beylerian's retail furnishings store Scarabaeus became the "mecca of the avant garde" aud brought to the US key home furnishings designed by

Ieading Italian

designers Joe Colombo, the Castiglioni brothers::and Etforo Sbtsass,, I*.'his eclectic and innovative shop Italian avant garde items coexist alongside 14fr)-year-old Coptic 0extiles. 'iI organized myself into a decorative home

including Gae Aulenti,

aceqsSories

placelike

a

gift.shop.

W

F,ro1n there

went into wholesaling and had a wonderful

I

lit-

Hraztan Balian who "informed my taste

York

l, he earned his degree in and business from New York University. While studying, he worked with Elmer T. Herbert Inc., specialists in elegant architectural custom hardware.

Thus began his long standing association with the leading architects and designers in the city. He now counts many of the top international design talents as friends. "My back-

to Kartell's line Italian plastics. Bloomingdale's Kartell products and by 1980 the Beylerian At Home shop was opened. A couple of years latet with a vision to shift gears, he sold the plastics collection to Kartell and acted as its US based marketing consultant.

"I then got into plastics and produced Kartell furniture made here. Now some of these pieces are

in museums."

Most recently, before founding Material

Coffion.

he was the creative director of design partnership; a division of Steelcase, the major American office fumiture manufacturer. In this capacity he worked as a liaison between furniture manufacturers and the design community at large.

This self described "knowledge broker" intent on connecting the international world with new material technology. In iaftinnovation gallery of hrs

SteeN'case

of bold pop mes-

proclaiming such maniis more important than every material," "If we can recycle materials we can renew ourselves."

With support from Steelcase, Beylerian set up Material Connexion a little over a year

is a purpose for

continued on page 53

AIM JULY 1998

51

tures of faces, all for the show he calls "Soul Shop".

Italy was a complete contrast. It was very

"Soul Shop is a multi-media experience," says Beylerian. "There'll be drawings, paintings and photographs. There are sculptures, there's sound, there's even a

While in Milan, Beylerian worked for King and Miranda. "They did sophisticated designs for Olivetti interfaces, Alfa Romeo dashboards and interiors for high-end furniture companies in Tokyo."

vehicle." The car Beylerian uses in the show

is his late grandmother's blue Volvo which now has hundreds of stuffed animals glued to its exterior and handpainted faces all over the interior.

"What happens for the viewer, we'll see," he says. "But the intention and the love I'm putting into it, my hope is that it will make people reflect on their experiences through

it."

Beylerian believes the greatest good that someone can do and the greatest happiness can come when a person serves others. "I

also strongly believe where there

is

no

vision, society perishes," he says.

First Steps Beylerian credits his interest in design to his father (see accompanying article).

The younger Beylerian studied industrial

design and philosophy at the Rochester School of Design in New York and eamed his master's degree in design at Domus Academy in Milan, Italy.

"The New York school of thinking was very technical," he says. "You leamed how to do things, drafting, building, model-making. Very American engineering minded.

heartfelt. More of the essence of design."

Upon his return home, Beylerian landed

a job with architect, designer and artist Gaetano Pesce, one

of his idols.

"Pesce

merged the art world with the design world, because he did unique things," says

Beylerian.

"He created everything from entire building structures that were conceptually tough and wild to fumiture to lighting.

Everything was made by hand, and we built these things in the studio. He really hit the mark, bridging the worlds of art and design together."

"Future Mouse" was Beylerian's next project. He moved to Burbank, California, and worked for Disney for over two years designing for the conglomerate's consumer product division. "Future Mouse was taking the techno-rave generation and integrating

Mickey into fashion, jewelry, toys, housewares, graphics, all kinds ofthings, and cre-

ating

a whole new graphic

approach to

him."

Buddhism

clocks and watches, he follows his internal clock and a strict schedule of when he creates his art, when he practices Kung Fu and when he meditates. His religion is a big part of his creative process; his altar and shrine are the centerpiece of his living room.

It was during his freshman year in college when Beylerian had to choose an ath-

letic activity as part of his undergraduate curriculum that he discovered martial arts.

"I

found an incredible man who taught

Northern Shaolin Kung Fu. It had been kept a secret for 4000 years. It was a very rare connection, and I found this person, of all places in Rochester, New York."

The Kung Fu master interviewed Beylerian to see what his intentions were.

"Because he didn't teach this practice, this knowledge,

to

anyone interested

in

"We're all trying to discover ourselves," "We're all doing our best in

says Beylerian.

a

situation which comes our way." He believes people need to share their difficulties and obstacles in order to resolve them.

"Often times, a Buddhist will say congratulations after hearing your troubles. The perspective is that it's a sense of fortune, because the universe

in a weird way is giv-

ing you this opportunity to realize Beylerian is very disciplined in how he spends his time. Even though he doesn't use

doing

harm," says Beylerian, who now teaches Kung Fu, too. "It had to be someone who was going to use it to heal or as a service.

He changed my life."

thing, to grow."

'i#

some-

ago (www.materialconnexion.com is the weh site.) In its new home, he has assembled an international team of scouts who search out ncw materials. "lf a large architectural tlrm contes along, and they like a material enough, yor,r know they have a battery of engineers and can gct thcmsclves to the Philippines. or wherever. to begin acqr"ristions and production inrrlcdiately. We do the scouting. We are not a US lab nor are we a cartel; we cannot be. We are propa-qators of' material s, basically".

Right rtow he is excitecl about the pairing o1' Harvard's Gracluate School oi Design students with "the nrost larrous Frcnch architects and designers and also thc hotsy new ones." In this capacity, he would invitc all designers to create three new nraterials each rnd get the students to work with thcrn to create a wonderful experience fbr thc student. He encourages students to "knock on doors ol'sleepy German factories and invite them to nranuluc ture the newly createcl product."

Beylerian has so much on his plate. A titanium exhibition in the gallery, the rlraterirl library for architects, the new wall to display thc latest innovation samples waiting fbr the

dcpcndontheWesttotaskfront,receiveinspiration fl'om and then, to add theil own imprinlatur. It is very encouraging that with the little they have they can do so much."

He speaks wistfully about the prospects lirr comr.nerce in Armenia. "With a country as small as that, and as flexible, creativity can do

.jury's revicw. About himself he states, "l not a technician you know, I'rn just a dirty

well know. they have brilliant people there-

nrerchant. I'rnjust an entrepreneur with

am old

ideas."

Future plans include selling educational

prod-

ucts. serninals, and eventually offering "a little dcglec in material specialty fol librarians and

architectural researchers."

None of this is tirr-fetched. Those in the industry, in the words of one architect, consider Beylerian "the center. A lot of prominent designcrs and architects consider this to be the place."

When the conversation switches from general design to the intportance of art in Arrrenia, he says "there is nothing more important than to inspire the creative spirit of Armenians who are already talented and creative and bring them up to date with what's going on."

Beylerian remembers that when he visit-

ed Armenia at the invitation of ACBU President Louise Simone "to absorb and look," he was amazed by "how much they

much to solve problems and needs and as you

scientifically speaking. There could be a challike in my case, new mate-

len-9e. say to create

Beylerian refers to his resource as "a petting zoo for matetials."

rials."

He optimistically points out that native materials such as stone could be exported and draws an analogy with ltaly. "What do you think the Italians have been living off o1'? They quarry their marbles to death and yet they are famous." The light bulb is on and Beylerian sug8ests that uhile the tufa:tone is not going to become tamous overnight, "we are going to have to create a market lbr it snob appeal, desire and make it into a tashionable thing instead of a 'rinky dink stone coming fiorn the third world'.

In 1995, Beylerian and his wife were

involved with Edward and (artist) Sonia Balasanian and a few others to bring Armenia to the Venice Biennale. It is clear that this dicussion of things Armenian is leading the entrepreneur to cooking up another idea.

"Let's do an annual Armenian geniuses book," he suggests. It becomes abundantly clear that anything is possible if he is the captain ol'your ship.

He is firll of advice lbr those who want to enter the world ol design. "Read a lot, go to many museurns, observe, observe, observe and think why things are the way they are. Be curious, be interested in the past, study the history of design and look at real things, not the fakes. "

A

R

T

S

Anthern for

Karabakh A Ganadian Gomposer Puts l(arabakh on the Map.

By GE(IRGE BOURI{OUTIAII

national anthems of the world and that he was en route to Bratislavia to complete the project with the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra. Grigorian, whose daughter had just returned from Karabakh, suggested that the anthem of Karabakh be included in the

collection, as well. Breiner agreed-if a score was found in time. Fortunately during

of the Prime Minister of Karabakh, the anthem had been performed in Canada and a piano-voice

the just-concluded visit

score was available in Toronto. It was faxed to Breiner who proceeded to orchestrate and

record it.

The committee in charge of the project in London rejected the idea of including the anthem of Karabakh. Anthems of Palestine, Chechnya, Ossetia, Abkhaziaand other similar entities, they argued, were not included among the more than 200 anthems. Breiner, who is an ethnic Slovak, resisted. He had assured Harmik that not only would he fight to include it, but he would arrange the score in such a way as to reflect the special heroism of the people of Karabakh.

The result is a superb recording of the anthem of Karabakh which is included in

3 of the 6-CD collection of the Complete National Anthems of the World.

volume

The Armenian anthem is on volume

1.

This is not Harmik Grigorian's first coup. Atelier Grigorian had made possible the establishment of the music room at the Aram Khatchaturian Museum in Yerevan.

There, students and professionals have access to thousands of CDs

from around the

world in expertly constructed listening posts. The Khachaturian Museum is a unique public source ofclassical music performances at a time when music and art education is suffering in Armenia.

The GD listening room in the Aram lftachatruian Home-f,luseum in YereYan.

TTlhe

and his staff not only know music, they live it. The store stocks every minor and

I por"., conductor, and performer visited his favorite music store in Toronto, the Atelier Grigorian. The music store, located in the center of town, is considered by many music connoisseurs as one of the top th-ree music stores in North America.

Specializing in classical" jazz, and international music, the store is more than a place to buy CDs or cassettes. Top artists from around the world have experienced there a unique ambience not felt in other music stores. The proprietor, Harmik Grigorian,

major label and receives orders from the four corners of the globe. It's a major supplier of recorded music to libraries, opera houses and orchestras, as well as

I

54

story begins in the winter of 1997 when Peter Breiner, Canadian com-

performers and conductors.

During this particular visit, Breiner,

who over the years of visiting Atelier Grigorian had come to learn about the history of the Armenians, had a surprise with him-a recording of the national anthem of Armenia. He told Grigorian that the UK-based Marco Polo label had

just commissioned him to prepare the AIM JULY 1998

A

R

T

S

By IAI{YA BEIIRIISSIAN

1-tollowing

l-{ I

his two Oscar nominations

for The Sweet Hereafter. filmmaker Atom Egoyan is in Europe preparing

to direct Felicia's Journey for actor Mel Gibson's production company. The film is based on William Trevor's novel of the same name and deals metaphorically with the subject of Irish martyrdom through the story of a young pregnant girl searching for her lover.

Before heading to Ireland, Egoyan ventured into the passionate world of opera. His first involvement with opera was in 1996 when he directed the Canadian Opera Company's production of Salome.

Last April, at Canada's World Stage Festival in Toronto, Egoyan directed Elsewhereles.r, an opera he also wrote.

When Egoyan wrote the piece in 1982, it was a play titled External Affair; but along with its title change, the play evolved into

an opera with the collaboration

of

Vancouver composer Rodney Sharman.

Elsewhereless daringly combines Egoyan's words with Sharman's music, with the latter trading operatic conventions of dramatic vocals and spine-tingling music for a somber score that complements

Egoyan's cerebral

story.

Egoyan described the opera as "a story about colonialism and self-determination-in relationships, states, and states of

mind." And according to

a

Toronto music critic, it's "more of a sung play than on opera"-

an apt description for an opera which was once a play after all.

With the sparing use of the vio-

lin, bass, guitar, mandolin, harp, flute, clarinet and percussion, the scoring is unusual, and it transports you to another place-a strange African world-and by then the finely arranged notes become an uninspiring backdrop to the story.

This quiet and moody musical backdrop gives Elsewhereless its color, while smoothly blending with its dark setting; a diplomatic home in an undisclosed volatile African country. At the opera's core is the character Malcolm, who dreams of going to university, but remains a servant for two generations of Canadian diplomats. The music, setting, and Malcolm are the constants of Elsewhereless. while the only real variable is time; the story moves back and forth between two time periods over the

and listen, the characters and their stories

pull you in, to the point where even as an audience member you become trapped in your chair in the theater. Just when you are as desperate to escape as

the characters, you

a "BOOM!". You awaken from your Egoyan induced coma-like stupor, and hear

recall the sign you dismissed as you entered

the theater. "Beware

of

gunshot sound

of

effects."

Later this year Elsewhereless will travel within Canada, to Ottawa then Vancouver, and there are plans to take it on an international tour in 1999.

Egoyan's latest venture into the world of opera is called Dr Of s Experiment, a production which debuted at the English National Opera in London on June 15. The production is based on a little-known short story by Jules Verne and centers on an insular little town concerned only with its own customs and traditions, until everyday life is suddenly shattered by the arrival of an outsider. It is a theme which is classically Egoyan, though he says he was attracted to it by chance, to work with "the most unbear-

diplomats from fleeing the war-torn country. Like the characters in many of Egoyan's films, these characters are in a sense imprisoned, but in their own specific situations and due to their own specific reasons. As you watch

sion producer of CTV Network's weekly news pro gram called Entertunment Now.

course of 10 years.

Everyone in Elsewhereless des-

perately wants

to be elsewhere.

Malcolm is essentially trapped in a life he does not want, because his employer refuses to write a recommendation letter. In later years, the same diplomat becomes the ambassador, and blocks a new generation

AIM JULY

1998

able artifice of opera" and to collaborate with the composer, Gavin Bryars.

Bedrossian is

a Toronto-based televi-

55

MUSIC

Eoaming Thl"oughThe Dream

while Sam, 19, guitar and vocals, waits his cue, a playful glint in his eyes and a smile

on his face. Vigen, 24, percussion and vocals, sits behind the drums, observing the movements of his fellow musicians while balancing his 1940s style hat on one finger.

A few moments later, they are all called onstage to check their sound levels and begin to sing from one of their songs-"Orange Sky"-I fly through an orange sky...

These young men make up the band lo, an all-Armenian Los Angeles-based band whose name, among other things, phoneti-

cally is the Armenian word for "yes." All four members were born outside the US and moved to Glendale before 1990. Sam and Narek, raised in Yerevan, often joke with

Sebu and Vigen (originally from Saudi Arabia and Iraq, respectively) about differ-

By IAMAB SAIIBIAil; PhOtOS DY ABA OSHAGAI{ Four young men-Sebu Simonian, Sam Babayan, Narek Pogosian, and Vigen Sayadian-are preparing for their evening

show at the Loft

in

Pasadena. Sebu, 19,

vocals and keyboards, stands stoically, waiting to go on stage for a soundcheck. Narek, 20, bass and vocals, meticulously tests his sound levels,

d

Above, from lett to right: Sebu Simonian, 19, uocals and keyboarr Uigen Sayadian, 24, percussion an uocals, llalek Pogosian, 20, bass i vocals and Sam Babayan, 19, guiti and uocals, form the band lo, bast in Los Angeles. They haue a loyal I lowing ol teenage fans who find tlr music and perconalcham irresistiDle. Some are in school, they wo*, and they haue managed a su cesslul mix of their two cultures.

55

AIM JULY 1998

MUSIC ent Armenian dialects and their uses of them. They joke around as only brothers can. In fact, judging from the interaction of these four young men, it seems that they have created a kind of second family in Io. At Glendale High School in 1994, Sebu and Sam, who had met in the school choir, began a Pink Floyd cover band that they called Distant Cousin. They played with various other musicians but met

more and more stylishly until he begins to rock out as Sam, barefoot and enthusiastic, jumps up and down as he hits each chord with his manic hands. Vgen drums fiercely while Sebu alternates between playing the

of a 90s alternative band. Another of their songs, "Stroll" describes a fantasy or perhaps an unacknowledged

love; Sebu begins

with his lush and melodic voice, "I know the road to your house, it's one I've never used,

in April 1997, he agreed to play the drums with them on very short notice. "Before the show," recalls Sebu, "we just sort of tapped the beats of the songs out and Vigen when,

went with it." They had actually heard of Vigen who had graduated from Glendale High a few years ear-

{

keyboards and twisting his hands fluidly about as he sings. When the chorus begins, the group becomes one solid voice, utterly devoted and loving every minute of it.

Music was always around during their childhoods, they each say. All of them

played various instruments growing up. including the flute, violin and piano. Narek attended the Sayat Nova Music School of Yerevan to study piano before moving to the US. Sam taught himself music by following his father's advice to pay attention to each individual instrument as he lis-

; tened to a song. Sebu remembers how his uncle, Shahe Harboyan, bombarded him flud with ;80s pop-rock sLngs such as those by lier and was known as somewhat of a master of the drums. Later, when looking for a bassist, Sam remembered Narek, someone he'd known since the seventh grade. Narek joined the band and in the summer of 1997, Io was formed and the band began writing its own songs.

They all write: sometimes one may even

write a song for another member to

sing.

Each band member has a distinct personality which shines on stage. On stage, Narek plays the bass carefully at first, and then

I've seen you many times now, but we've never been introduced." Journeying from verse to chorus, the lyrics plead, "Roam through my dreams tonight... Stroll through my heart again and again and again."

Io says that their songs are about "love, escape, youth, history and fame." One of their songs is also about the Armenian

For these young men, there to be little conflict between being

Genocide. seems

Armenian and singing Western rock songs; their ethnicity is almost a given. All of them speak the language, live with or near their families and can communicate with their

community simply by affirming that they are Armenian.

the Human League. Their musical tastes range from Narek and Sam's love of the Beatles and Pink Floyd to Vigen's devotion Sinatra. Sebu listens to many British bands such as Radiohead and Blur and the entire band seems to love the British group Suede, whose cassette has a pernanent home in Sebu's car stereo.

To describe lo's sound is a bit difficult for they are a young band, still creating their distinctive voice. It is a mix of 60s and 70s rock with a Brit-pop influence and the force

to Frank

AIM JULY

1998

Salibian is a recent photography graduate of the Massachusetts College of Art. Io can be found at www.labands.com on the internet.

57

CYBERPAGES

by ARA GH0UUlAll What is it? Armenian Embassy Website Where you'll find

it: http://armeniaemb.org

What you'll find: The official home page of the Armenian Embassy in the US is a detailed presentation of the Republic of Armenia; it includes a brief history of Armenia, its politics, economy, geography, culture, religion, travel news and investment opportunities There is also an interesting archive of press releases, speeches and newsletters. Also on the page is information on visa regulations. The cyber-visitor will have a comprehensive view and understanding of the country.

Upside: Very professional and well-organized site.

Worth a visit by every wishful and cyber-traveler.

The author: Michael Bagratuni..

What is it? The on-line version of Asbarez daily newspaper published in Glendale, California.

Where you'll find it: http://www.asbarez.com What you'll find: In addition to the day's top

iruNE

. r

10,

news, there are community digests from the Eastern and Westem US. There is also a selection of articles from other newspapers (in Armenian), as well as a French version of GamVHorizon. Another feature is Armenville , a searchable listing of professional services.

Possibly most interesting is a page which lists important links to other Armenian and Armenian-related sites, as well as international news agencies.

1998

Pafiies Support Reprasentative Legslahrre Turkey Shclvas Fraace Deal to A.6ect Senate Passage of Ganocide Brll Pressure Mounts for Suss Genocide Recognilion Swrtzerland Rafirses Turkey's Request for the

Upside: Masterfully organized site. Well updated. A valuable source of information and user-

Celebraton ofdre Lausarme Trcaty Pemod ?ucard Brandy Factory Purchase Frnatzed

friendly.

The author: The site is organized and maintained by Callinet

General features and documents 58

AIM JULY 1998

.

OTHER

PEOPLE'S

MAIL

THESE ARE REAL LETTERS TO REAL PEOPLE. SEND US YOURS. ters applied to the course. I was assured that they will be in the next session.

I'll keep you posted.

Dear S, We are trying out a new project at work

tornmy trojan everyday.. but look at me now wondering why it hasn't happened.l.. you can see M's name everywhere on cable. she's earning a living, but it's gone to her head. some suspect drugs... V has a deal

V

called Training For Youth (TRY). The program involves training 17-25 yearolds in all

facets

of radio production-interviewing skills, radio production, editing, writing,

dear x.

with one of the big movers and shakers, but deals are a dime a dozen in this town.. L is skilled and talented and is hoping sundance

dolly parton said it best...

will

etc.

hollywood, hollywood. dungeon of

When the project was still being developed last year, I was very enthusiastic about

it. Between November and December, I broadcast announcements about the new TRY project in English and Armenian twice a week during my programs.

Very soon I realized that I was the only one enthusiastic about it.

Our youth were very busy in everything except getting involved in the media. And I think this attitude came from their parents, who encouraged their kids to learn a trade or get involved in the family business. They are living in a country like this; and after 30 years, they haven't grasped the role of the

media in the Western world and the power of media personnel.

The project coordinator told me they were flooded with Turkish youth who wanted to be a part ofthe project. "It's like every young Turk wants to be part of TRY" he said.

Through friends we tried

to

contact

young Armenians and encourage them to apply, but they were always busy. A friend of mine once told one of our self- appointed leaders about the TRY project and asked if his son would like to be a part of it. The reply was the same; his son was very busy with his university courses. A few days Iater my friend met his son at the club and asked him what he was doing to

fill

his days

and found that most of the time he was hanging out with friends doing nothing.

Finally, a l7-year-old youth and two sis-

help. he deserves more... G says he's the first ever, but self-promotion didn't get him anywhere.. D had the connections in the business community, but he mocked all of us and ran to the woods... S has also been

drama, center of sorrow, city of dreams. holof trauma,

lywood, hollywood. terrace palace

of promise, and dealer in

dreams.

you spin them around like the merry-goround. mold them and shape them then

bitten, but he's focusing on marketing his talents in the ghetto... H could've done it. he has a great eye, but mom and dad convinced him otherwise... V has a gift for words, but he got used and is bitter... B was enthusiastic till he was burned by the entire bunch of them... and T was forced to go off alone and try to make something happen, even after

throw them down. all of your glitter and all your gold, is that what you give in exchange for a soul. they'll sell their souls to the likes ofyou, while you chew up and spit out what you cannot use. maybe it's because we all live here, but everybody's been bitten.. everybody's got the dream.. it's typical.. foreigners, first or second generation trying to prove they belong in the mainstream.. [the sons of the holocaust did it in the golden days of the

one of the bunch messed up the sound on his film...but none of us have "made it." doesn't it make you wonder why? yeah, there's lots of talent, and we each know ten other gifted and determined hyes, but our egos can't stand each other's. can't we just be a little more buddhist and forget egos? can't we pool our talents and resources and start getting busy? collectively, we're a bunch of shmucks, losers, players, posers, wannabees, and it ain't gonna change. maybe atom will be the only one to have ever succeeded from this generation.

studio system.. now the grandsons and grandaughters of the genocide are attempting..] and what's more mainstream than that which is celebrated by the masses? there's lots of us.. too many to count.. and lots of dirt... we all know each other and at one point tried to get "into bed" with one another..

A acts the part well. the starving artist.

Iots of beautiful actresses fall for it... C thinks there's drama in depression and drinks a lot, but i understand. we both think leaving las vegas was the best film ever made... N is headstrong and determined, but she's been bumed by the ghetto lords who use us and then throw us out.. E is still the optimist and young dreamer. maybe he'll be the one to do

it.

[he reminds me of

10 years ago when

i

used

myself

to walk past

AIM JULY 1998

had we not been the lost tribe of the jews, we'd be running this town by now and helping each other out. is it too late? maybe we should all go up to AYF camp for the weekend to brainstorm and leave our egos in tinseltown. maybe then we'll come up with a way to make all

of our collective and individual

dreams

come true.

I

i

b

59

U

N

D

E

R

E

x

P

o

S

E

D

he fence along Yerevan's Opera House serves two purposes. One of them is to provide a kind of public bulletin board of upcoming concerts. And Yerevan's entertainment log is nothing if not varied. From left to right, these billboards announce a concert by Russian pop star Angelika Varum, the Hamazkaine Theater Group's presentation of Moliere's Tartuffe, a performance of Armenia's Chamber Orchestra led by Aram Gharabekian, and a concert by Ruben Hakhverdian. Tickets range in price from $1 to $4

-F\ H ,-t

efore France, Uruguay was the first country in the world ,o recognize the Armenian Genocide-in 1971. In Uruguay's capital, there is a square and an avenue called Republic of Armenia. Now, in Yerevan, there is a square right between the Dvin and Hrazdan hotels called Uruguay.

his monkey works for a living. So does his master. One poses for photos with willing and curious children (and some adults) near Yerevan's Republic Square at the center of town; the other shoots the picture and sells it to eager rela-

tives.

50

AIM JULY 1998

UNDEREXPOSEF 7-f!h.

I

I

Armenian

I

Gull and the cuu"u.iun

Otter are in good company. The rest of the notable collectibles issued in silver or gold-plate by

Armenia's Central Bank feature the usual grand monu-

ments-Garni.

Geghard, Sardarabad and the rest. But, with the support and help of the World

Wildlife Fund, the new 100 Dram coins feature these rarelyseen specimens

of

Armenia's natural habitat.

ni, the Women's String Quartet, has been performing in Armenia, Greece and Iran since November 1997. Especially I \Lun. The group is sponsored by Levon and Bella Aharonian of Tehran. Under the guidance of fbunder and director Ani Aslanian (second from right), the four women (all in their 20s) perform a varied repertoire which includes Mozart, Haydn, Babajanian, Brittain,

A A

Mirzoyan and the Beatles. Another concert is planned soon, in lran, at the invitation of the Iranian government. From left to right, Ruzann Abrahamian, Anna Torchian, Aslanian and Lianna Gabrielian.

Miss Armenia is chosen each year by a group ft's become a tradition. ofjournalists and performers. This year's winner, l9-year-old Gohar !

IHarutunian

is a student of art at the Armenian State Pedagogical Institute. She wants to become a painter. But first, she will spend a year representing Armenia at various intemational competitions, including the Miss Europe competition this summer.

AIM JULY

1998

E

S

A

S

By ]|A]{CY

Y

lffilc0RlA}l isn't Armenian. But as an American book it's pretty good." Someone else said, "The

religion of your characters

isn't Armenian, with all those divine revelations and so on." I said that I couldn't make claims for other Armenians, but in

my family

it

was normal

for God to

appear with messages. A man in the audience burst out, "Of course it is. When my grandfather was in a cave outside his village near Kharpert, God spoke to him and told him that the massacres were coming, so they

all

escaped."

As I signed copies of the book I heard

out mothers and grandmothers named Zabelle, people who came from Hadjin and Mersin like my grandmother's peoordinary Armenian woman, Peter shouted,

"Your grandmother was no ordinary

W[#1"1i#'ri:#[

Monthly Press sponsored a six-city tour

which spanned from Boston to Los Angeles. At every reading, there were many Armenians. I gazed out at those faces and was reminded of old friends and families from Watertown. One man looked like my uncle; in Glendale one man actually was my uncle whom I had-

in

n't seen

13 years.

woman!" Amen, brother.

Only family has a right to ask questions like, "Honey, are you all Armenian?" and "Is your husband Armenian?" Only cousins could say, "I never knew your grandmother had an affair!" (She didn't, by the way. The book is fiction, but family has a hard time making the distinction between novel and memoir.)

Someone said, "I've decided your book

ple, mothers and grandmothers who were in arranged marriages that were more or less happy, and all kinds of survivor tales.

Two sisters thanked me for writing down their grandmother's story because they didn't feel able to. A woman from Beverly Hills gave me two strands of seed pearls.

A group of church women in Philadelphia

invited me for coffee in the bookstore cafe, and we sat in a circle chatting as though we had known each other for

It was

one could come from in the way that someone of an earlier generation hailed from Adana, Zeitun or Kars. There

are like, especially large Armenian ones---everybody

has to put his or her two cents in. At a reading in Boston, during the question and answer session, my

are Armenian villages all over

America, so wherever I went,

loving, critical and possessive cousins came out to greet me.

And I feel lucky when I compare myself to my American

and

explained how the names for two of my charactersToros Chahasbanian and Moses Bodjakanian---came from one of his jokes. One

of my

writer friends who

group. Those hapless first

grandmother's

time novelists go from city to city reading to audiences of 15 or five people with no one to give them gifts, no one to invite them for chicken and pilaf dinners, and no one to

friends, Peter Bilizekian,

I

said that

I

had

invented the character of

Zabelle Chahasbanian I wanted to write

because

not about the first woman !(ricorian signing a copy 0f Zabelle fot AIM contributor lola dentist in the state of l(oundakjian.

Massachusetts, but about an

62

don't

belong to any definable ethnic

was in the audience as well.

When

When Sylva Manoogian in Los Angeles referred to herself as a "Watertownrsi," I realized that my hometown was a kind of Armenian village that some-

like being part of a vast and far-flung family.

You know what families

father stood up

years.

AIM JULY

1998

thank them for writing down the story oftheir tribe.