Celebration of Faith - March 2001

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0eparlments

Destinations

31 Discover Karabakh Visit Karabakh,

check out Yerevans new breed of restauranls, tour the Berlin

tourist expo, and lollow Nancy Kricorian, a New York-based writer on her lirst tour of Yerevan.

8 From the Editor 9 Letters 12

AIM View Notebook

14 0uote Unquote 17 Bytes on File Nation

57 Elections in California, 60 Resettlers in Karabakh 62 Gerard Chaliand

Part 2

0n genocide recognition and peace negotiations

66 68 70 74 75 76

Embassy 0pens in Baghdad Region Tempting the Fates in Abkhazia Arts Vachag: A living icon

0ther People's Mai! How I Got This Shot

Underexposed 78 Essay

Focus

18 Exhibitions in London and Paris

Cover Slory

22 Celebration ol Faith

The British Library and the Musee des Halles

Catholicos Karekin ll speaks on the Churchs 1700 year past, and present and future challenges;

are the sites ol exhibitions highlighting the

Hratch Tchilingirian looks forward and back on the nations spiritual center.

Armenian legacy.

Armenian lnternational Magazine Volume 12, lssue

Gover design by Patrick Azadian photo by Kevork Djansezian

Two

AIM MARCH

2OO1

/\INI

What you see is what you get

EdilorPublisher

Salpi Haroulinian Ghazarian Senior Editor

John Hughes

Independent journalism is the right to publish whatcver. That\ it. That's how simple this is.

Of course, with such a right comes a responsibility to be as correct, factual, accurate, fair, thorough and comprehensive as possible.

This might sound obvious. But since rcaders sometimes still judge us by other (old, irrelevant, misplaced) criteria, please allow me to go through the litany of do's and donl's as prac-

Arl Director

Patricl Aradian Assislanl lo lhe Edilor

Hiail Sa*is Sartissian Editor al Laroe

Parik llazarian

ticed at AIM. 1. AIM doesn't publish press rcleases. Period. Not anyone's. This is not such a revolutionary step. Neither do the other magazines you see in your mailbox each month. We do read everything you send however, develop (our own) stories around whatever we can, and we file the rest away to get to - someday.

2. AIM doesn't publish children's stories, poems - adult or children's - or pictures of fam-

Associate Editors

A. H. Alerandrian, Yereyan Tony Halpin, London Conlr buting Editors

Matthew Kamnian, Ronald Grigor Suny, Taline Voslclitchian ContribuUng Writers

Felix Coiley, l(rist8n Kidd, Hralch Tchilingirian

ily weddings. Sorry.

3. AIM docsnt take directives from anyone. (And to be fair, no one - neither officials nor donors - have tried to give AIM any directives.) This seems so apparent to us that even saying it sounds funny, but because people ask all the time, let me respond. No one tells us what to write about all the standard community subjects. This should be visible to those who read more than one page or more than one issue. The same organization whose certain projects are lauded one month. can be panned the next month. lt's all fair game. No, we dont have an anti-ARF policy. Nor do we have a pro-ARF policy - or regarding any other institution, including the Republic of Armenia. We simply dont have a pro or anti anything policy. The idea of such'policy'is absurd for an independent publication. We publish what we think makes sense.

And we invite you to agree or disagree.

4. AIM does take for granted that its readers read. Based on this assumption, we invite our readers to dialogue with us, and with you, through the letters page. But even when readers don't read, and writc letters anpvay, we publish them, without a response. Not because they are right. or because we agree, but becausc they have a right to be heard. This approach, too, is unusual in this community, so we don't blamc you for thinking that we agree with everything that appears on AIM'.s pages. But really. we don't.

5. AIM does assume its readers think.'l'hat is why our headlines are not judgmental. We dont

Associate Publisher

Teni

Seta Khodanian Advertising Manager

Fimi Mekhitarian l\4arkeling Manager

Anahid Der Vananian Administralive Assislant

Estor l(sshishyan lnlerns

Christina Shirinlan, Caroline Minassian Yeteuan Bureau 67 Koghbalsi Slreel, No.

1

Phone 533699

E ma

I

aimarm@arminco.com Coordinator

Anahit Marlirossian EditoriaL Assislant

Sona Danielian Assislants

Narine Arushanian, Anna Gevorkian

have any problem letting you read the article and make up your own mind as to the intelligence

Advedising l\4anaOer

or absurdity of its contents.

Gohar Sahakian

AIM

does presume you have lived long enough to have flgured out that life is not simple.

Everything is not black and white. There are more than two sides to most subjects. In any single issue of AIM, there can bc an article that adheres to one perspective and another article 6.

ilelidonian

Subscriplions Manager

that is diametrically different. In this issue, for example, Other People's Mail presents letters which lay out very disturbing re alities in Armenian government. At the same time, AIM Views embrace government actions in other areas. Who said life was going to be uncomplicated?

Why should Armenia and Armenians be any different?

7. AIM's resources are very limited given its huge scope and the weight of expectations placed upon it. There is much out there worthy of covcrage that simply doesn't make it into AIM. This situation will only change with a whole lot of additional subscribers. So, everyone who calls from now on requesting that AIM cover an event, issue or individual, will be asked to help expand AIM's subscription base so that AIM will have the time, resources, staff and pages to cover more.

8. Finally, although we'rc honest about our shortcomings, that does not mean that we are not very proud of our successes. And we hope you, too, are proud of your association with AIM.

Conlribulorsi Mashes Emin, YeEvan; Susan Patlic, London; Edit Balaian, Los AngGles; Janet Samuelial, Palm Sprinos; ila* ilalkasian, Rhode lsland; George Boumouti8n, Lola Koundakiian, l{eu Yol*; t{yriam Gaume, Patis; ilo0nd Mo0radiao, Washington, 0C; Valtan Matiosslan, Buenos Ailes, Diego Xammanuklan, Mo[tEyidro.

Pholographer: Mkhitar l(hachafian, Zaycn l0Bchilian, Bouben ilangasilan, Amcnia; Ailoin8 Agoudiian, Amineh Johannes, Aline lranoulian, FEnce: Edmond Tetal00ian, U(; Xarire Amen, (evorl Dlansezian, Rafli Ekmekii, Eric l{aarian, AE oshagan, Calilomia; Garc Lachinian, lrasechuselb; Hary f,oundakiiar, llew Y0*; BeOe &r Zobian, Rh0d0 lsland.

Editor Emerilus

Charles J{azarian

lntemational Subscrillions and Adverlisin0 Eeptesentetlves Aro.ntim

Colegio Mekhilarisb. Vrrey dei Plno 3511 (1126) Bwnos Aires, Phone 5411 Au8tElia Var@i lslenderian 148 Koola Aw Easl Killara NSW m71 Phone 029251 2882i Allred MadGian. P0 80x370, lh(is Parl NSW 2150, Pnore 029897 1 8,46; Vah€ Kaleb P0 Box 250. Pon Melbourre.

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write t0 Alil!

We welcome all communiffit0n A[h0Lgh we rmd all retters and submissions we are unable l0 acknowledoe evertlhing we rmerve due lo limitd staffing and resourm. Letlers l0 lire Edilor nEy b€ dited for Bjblication.

/r*r

Armenian lnlernational Magazine Founded in 1990

Founding Editor Uarlan 0skanian Founding Publisher Michael llahabel 207 South Brand Boulevard, Suite 203 Glendale, California 9'1204 USA

P.S. Please

go out thcre and round up a few more subscribers like you.

Phone 818 246

7979 Fax 818 246 0088

E-mail aimagazine@aol.com

AIM MARCH

2OO.I

media lagged far behind in their efforts.

Armenia Fund definitely deserves the full

of Eastern European countries, you will hear the same shameful stories about crimes and

support of all Armenians. After six yean of negative approach towards it, it's encouraging to see that for the past two years the ARF has changed course. Its rehabilitation however, should not come at the expense of discrediting other organizations.

injustices of your ancestors.

Also, your notebook "Precious Relic" contained a similar lack of objectivity. You state that "This music [nationalistic, revolutionary and liberation songs] had been forbidden in the USSR for so long, that the songs were either forgotten, or in the case of the liberation songs, associated with just the ARF, which was the one political party still featuring the music as part of its own folklore." The liberation songs were deflnitely not associated just with the ARE Harut Der-Tavitinn Tujunga, Califumia Landmark Direction I was gratified to read Asbed Pogharian's piece on Rouben Mamoulian (Notebook, December 2000) but astonished to see his American stage career prior to his being *offered work in Hollywood" summed up in terms of a few operettas with Rochester's American Opera Company.

In

fact, for years, Mamoulian was in

demand on both coasts. Among other things, he ran the drama school sponsored by New York City's Theatre Guild and directed three

landmarks in the history of the American musical stage: the original production of Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, and the original productions ofboth Oklahoma! and Carousel

by Rogers & Hammerstein.

Professor John O gasapian Univ ersity of Massachusetts Lowell" Massachusetts

Short-Sighted and Petty

In "Short-Sighted and Petty", you advocate more responsible reporting; accurate, objective and thorough. I share your concern trlly. You however, regretftrlly fall short of these standards. You state that "Unlike years past, his year, the Armenian Revolutionary

Federation-Dashnaktsutiun and

were supportive

of the

its

efforts

press

of

the

Armenia Fund. The other two parties were confused." As a reporter for Massis Weekly

(the offlcial publication of the

Social

Democratic Huntchakian Party) and their T[ I can certainly state that

Nor Serount

there was no confusion, as I alone wrote several articles and conducted four one-hour

live broadcasts advocating the Armenia Fund and its mission. The "supportive" ARF

It's not shameful if somebody doesn't know, but it's shameful if somebody doesn't know that he doesn't know. You, as a key member of your government, have the possibility and opportunity to conect the past by being brave and honest. Do not lie to yourself and try to protect wrongs. Try to be honest, at least to yourself. You have only one choice, to accept the fact that something ter-

rible happened in 1915 and you and your

it, and you have the opportunity to change it to good.

You have no right talking about "common government are responsible for

sense" and oppression, since you are denying

your past.

Mr. Cakmakoglu, at the end, I don't believe these few words would change your way of thinking, but I strongly believe that in the near tuture the

In your "Short-Sighted and Petty," (AIM Mew, December 2000) you state that Armenian newspapers are printing non-truths or distorted facts. I agree that this condition has prevailed for more years than one wants to remember. I also feel that it will continue into the future as long as no one takes the time to

prove thattheir statements are WRONG and then give the CORRECT answers. The people are entitled to know the truth. It is now time to ident$ those who make wrong statements and challenge them. us stop pointing fingers and start calling for the truth.

Karney Ovian Henderson, Nwada

kt

Not-So-Common Sense I had to write a few words in response to Tirkish Defense Minister Sabahattin Cakmakoglu's statement (Regional Briefs, November 2000). I tried to read the statement as news, but I couldn't digest it.

Mr. Cakmakoglu, in your statement you are talking about "Common Sense", and urging Armenia to withdraw from "occupied territories" in Azerbaijan. Mr. Cakmakoglu,

if

your government knew the meaning of "common sense," I wouldn't have to write this letter. Let me tell you that the territories you are referring to and much more that are under your occupation right now, historically belong to Armenia and used to be Armenian

territory.

Centuries ago, when your ancestors first arived to the region, they did nothing but to oppress people who were living there, and you have the heart to talk about "oppression." If you talk to Greece, Clprus and most

AIM MARCH

2OO1

,*rn#,lrf]#;r*n*n Vancouveti Canada

Amen!

I must say that keeping connected to the Armenia Scene via internet is convenient.

But it just can't take the place of what AIM does or has been doing for me ever since you started printing.

I feel totally and utterly gratefrrl to AIM for helping quench my great thirst for anything Armenian. Living in small out-of-theway places all my life and now, in Barcelona, so far from any community of Armenians, makes my need for your ongoing success a must. I know many - and perhaps the majorrty - of your readers may feel the same. On behalf of all of us, thank you, AIM - for ris-

ing above the stupid trivialities of many Diaspora organizations! We deserve better and you have he$ed us promote an image of ourselves that makes us feel more on par

with a[ other nationalities. Long live AIM! Craig Markarian

Barcelon4 Spain

Editofs addenfuru

Just ss the lanuary-Feb-

ruary special End-of+he-Century issue con-

lN pages, it also included over photograplu. Credits were lefi off several

sisted of over

rn

photos, however, and AIM wishes to acknowledge the invaluable contibutions ofphotographcrs Kevork Djanserzia Harry Kowdakjia

Edo Teragopior,, Erik Nazaiua Paik Nazafim, Armineh lohannes, Zaven Khachikinn, Zav en Vartan, Roubm Mangassarinn and Mkhitar Khachatrian, os well as Herbert Baghdasarian andArmenpress.

The F0urth N4illennium Society is an independently funded and administered public charity committed t0 the dissemination 0f informati0n lor the purpose of developin0 an intormed public. Underpinning all ourwork is the lirm convicti0n that the vitality 0l an independent press is lundamental t0 a dem0cratic society in Armenia and democratic instituti0ns in the Diaspora. The Fourth Millennium Society publishes Armenian lnternati0nal MagaTine in its effort to contribute t0 the nati0nal dialogue. ihe directors are orateful to the Benefactors, Trustees, Patrons and Friends 0f the Fourth Millennium Society who are committed to the well-being, growth and development 0f Armenians and Armenia throuoh the promoti0n of open discussion and the free flow 0f inlormation am0ng individuals and

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Talk is Cheap Belligerent and bellicose demands about Karabakh are reckless It doesn't take a geopolitical strategist to figure out that war is bad and peace is good, that economic growth requires a peaceful, stable environment, and that Armenia and Karabakh (and Azerbaijan) lack peace, stability and economic growth.

A successfnl conclusion of negotiations over Karabakh's status would take everyone down the road towards this long-awaited growth.

Of course, the expectation is that it will be a just peace. There are certainly those inside and outside Armenia who dont believe Robert Kocharian wants or can get peace. Notwithstanding all the talk about Karabakh being sold down the river, no one has yet explained what anyone has to gain by such an act, let alone the President of Armenia, who used to be President of Karabakh. So, until reasonable explanations are offered, that option can be discounted as baloney.

It is, of course, possible to argue over the 'right' solution to this complex conflict. Right, in this case, means lasting, secure, just, sensible, doable, possible, affordable, desirable, maintainable, defendable - or some combination of the above. [n fact, intelligent, grounded arguments overpolitical optionswould be veryuseful and healthy for Armenia and Armenians. Political Scientist Gerard Chaliand offen (see page 62) certain pragmatic wap of approaching the subject of peace.

But debating or arguing over the 'right' path is not the same as intractably, arrogantly, categorically demanding'my' path.

Yet the document isued by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation - Dashnaktsutiun (ARF), on the eve of the Karabakh talks slated for Key West, Florida, did just that.

In this magazine in December, ARF representative Flrand Margarian stated clearly that the party does not recognize 'occupied territories.'

He called them 'liberated territories.' In its public declaration

this

month, the ARE, a party with eight members in Armenia's parliament, goes further and declares that the "return ofthe occupied areas ofthe Shahumyan regron, the Gedashen sub-region, the plains of Mardakert, the Noyemberyan and Thvush regions is not negotiable."

In the same tone, the declaration demands that "Any agreement at the resolution of the Artsakh issue must rwognze the unification of ktsakfi with Armeni4 or at a minimum, the independence of Artsakh."

We do not question the party's right to advocate these positions.

In fact, although there is no unanimity on the various nuances of the occupied territories issue, there are few Armenianswho do not agree that Artsakh's independence or unification with Armenia is the only sensible, lasting solution to this political impasse.

What can be rightfully questioned, however, is the tone and style of such discourse, as well as its timing and venue.

To make such public and aggressive demands just weeks before a critical meeting means shaking the delicate balance that must have been achieved if peace talks have gotten this far at all. If the party's intent was to make its position known, it could certainly have done that (and probably has countless times) directly with the Fresident.

Does this belligerence then have another motive?

Demanding is easy. Nothing to lose, and lots of attention to gain.

Lots of points to be made for taking the high road, holding principles aloft, and hanging tough. And it's a certain feel-good.

Demanding is particularly easy when those making the demands are not responsible for the situation they wish to create. Actually, in such instances, those making such demands are acting irresponsibly. r

Time toThink Big 1.700

years later, churches should be more than monuments

There are more than 400 churches in the tiny republic of Armenia.

Four in Yerevan alone, despite the decades of atheism inculcated by the Soviets. But please note: All four of Yerevan's churches together don't hold more than 700 people - 800 if they really like each other and stand close. The churches outside Yerevan are certainly no bigger.

The world's oldest Christian nation (see page2Z) c,anleven fit 1,000 people into church on any given Sunday.

This is a problem, especially for a church and its faithful who insist that teaching Christian values and morals is high on the agenda.

The solution is a cathedral being built in the center of Yerevan, perfectly visible from Republic Square, that will searl70[- Consecration is expected in September.

Supply according to demand, says the West. Yet, it is successful busiin Armenian communities in the West who are complaining about the 1700-seat St. Gregory the Illuminator church, being built at a cost of several million dollars.

Just what we needed right now, they say. Couldn't the funds have been more 'usefully' spent, some ask. It's a huge church that no one needs, is another complaint. Instead of building a church, we should be - and the sentence is completed many different ways. ness people and entrepreneurs

It's funny how even a familiar institution like a church, is viewed so differenfly - suspiciously almost - when the location is Yerevan.

Why is it either - or? Why is it that there can be a church, or a factory?

Why can't this society, like all other societies, construct both worship centers and economic centers?

When was the last time someone dared ask why we need newer, la,rger churches in the Daspora? Communities of 25,000 to 50,000 often have several drurclres. (Ustrally oun and theirs) But to blame tlre Church for constructing a cathedral in a city with a population of one million is nonsense.

Instead, the decision to make a priority of the need for a sanctuary should be applauded, donors who have given speciflcally for that purpose should be credited for their foresight. And, most importantly, those who are truly concerned should work towards making the church more accountable, more relevant, more accessible, more responsive to the spiritual needs of its people. And, finally, in the next 1700 years of Armenian Chdstianity, the church must become so strong and its teachings so well-rooted that this cathedral (and every other sanctuary) are more than monuments. Otherwise, the next time there is a plan to build a huge edifice, it won't be possible to defend it as a legitimate need and

AIM MARCH

concern.

2OO1

r

Not a Simple Two-Step Armenia is maneuvering through complexities Many say Armenia should pursue an independent foreign poliWhat they sometimes mean, however, is that Armenia should pursue a foreign policy that is in accordance with their own point

Iraqi capital and agreed to keep talking about trade and economic

cy.

relations.

of view.

weighs in on the argument about Iraq and its political future is not all

Still, throughout this decade, Armenia's assertion that it wants positive, productive relations with all power blocks - Russians,

Europeans and Americans - has been proven doable. Last summer, the Economisr identffied Armenia's three strongest allies as Russia, the US and Iran. That's an inarguable sign that an independent policy is in fact being successfully pursued.

Armenian officials have called this policy complementarity. It can also be called balanced, even-handed or far-sighted - after all, having more than one friend is a good thing.

The Armenian Foreign Minister's one-day trip to Baghdad in late February (see page 66) was another such sign of good sense. Quietly, without fanfare, Armenian diplomats and businessmen visited the

On the grand scale of intemational relations, where Armenia that signiflcant. Howeveq Armenia's bilateral relations with Iraq can produce dividends - in terms of opportunities for Armenia's businessmen, for example - that are too important to pass up.

Armenia recognized this reality and chose to act on it. The US and the UN understood this political equation. After all, if the West can be revisiting the difficult issue of lifting sanctions against Iraq, it would have made no sense for it to stand in the way of Armenia's attempting to find its own place vis-i-vis this potential economic powerhouse, and neighbor.

Politics is a complicated game, where partners change from time to time. Armenia knows this, and is playing by the rules. And playing well.

On Being Accountable Candidates for public office are no less responsible than officeholders Armenians in Califomia have begun to believe they can get elected to public office. After all, there are more Armenians in the Los Angeles area than anywhere else in the world, except Yerevan. And over the last several decades, new waves of immigrants have become acculturated enough that they can not only vote, but also run for office.

That's a good thing.

But when those running for office dont understand the pact they further ahead than they

are making with the public, Armenians are no

were before.

During the elections in November and now during the municipal elections in Southern California (see page57) AIM has approached candidates of Armenian descent, and others who are campaigring for the Armenian vote, for answers to questions which are on the voters' minds.

Is ethnicity a sufficient reason to vote for a candidate is one of our A candidate can respond by agreeing that ethnicity

standard questions.

in this case being Armenian - is reason enough for them to be elected, or by disagreeing and explaining why other criteria are more important. Sounds logical?

Apparently not. During the last elections, both the winner and loser (one non-Armenian, the other Armenian) in the state assembly race from the Glendale area objected to the question. Now, fourmontls later, some candidates either didn't like the question or didn't think they had any responsibility to answer it.

Not a good showing for individuals who want the public to believe that they have the public's interests at heart, and the skills with which to defend those interests. Thinking, explaining and engaging in dialogue are key skills for an elected official.

Certainly this magazine, and we think voters, too, expect that those individuals who deserve to win will be those who do not begin their career by dismissing the public's right to ask.

I

-

AIM MARCH

2OO1

13

NOTEBOOK

rlt is not Turtey's recognition

ol the Genocide that will create legal consequences - in this case, the consequence lt is another matter whether the descendants ol the uictims of the Genocide can Armenia. by being demands attempt to resolve compensation issues, in certain matte6, through the courts. But I repeat, they can do that today as well. lt is not the recognition of the Genocide that will lead to such tonttJTrti;ftt_;ll_ Kocharian ln an lnterview on CNN Turk with Mehmet Ali Birand, 01.29.01

ll Without any separating force, we have managed to preserve the cease-fire between Armenia and Azerbaiian lor more than six years. This is not only out merit, and we should probably admit that the Armenian side, too, had a positive attitude to this, the pteservation ol the cease'fire.

We are saying - I have rammed this formula down the people's throat - the Amenian-Azeftaiiani conflict, the ]lagomy Karabakh conllict. But otherc are saying - the Nagorny Karabakh conflict.

Because everyone is saying this contlict is not between two countries, but between Nagorny Karabakh and Azerbaiian.

I haue said many times, if this is the Gase, let Armenia stay away.

Then we shall negotiate with I'lagomy Karabakh and what we do is our problem. We can solve it very quickly. But now Nagorny Karabakh and Amenia ale one Gountry. They have been one Gountry for 11 yearc. Bul no one wants to admit this.

Some people say: we should light a war or we should have a strong amy. Azerbaiian does haue a strong army. I discussed this several times at the Security Gouncil. Azerbaiian has a sttong

army. We can light a war. But should we? Those who back the war, let them wtite down what the resulh ol this war would be.

Some people say that no, we should crcate a strong amy during the nert live or 10 yearc and then start [a warl. 0lheru say let us lreeze the issue. How long can we lreeze it loP Fot erample, we will freeze the problem lor another live years. And let the pool relugees live in tents lor another liue yearc? Whal will we do then? Some people are suggesting such an idea because Armenia's economy is in a very bad state, people are leaving the country, etc. There is a gtain of truth in it. fumenia's economy is in a bad state. But Georgia's economy is in an even worse state.

Everyone, allworld erperh, representatiues - l received EU leaderc two days ago, they have lull inlormation - say that our country has a strong economy. How long should we wait for the Armenian economy to be destroyed, lor Armenia to be completely destroyed, for l,lagorny Karabakh to be destroyed, s0 we can go in hnd take those places? How long should we wait?

Diaspora Meets Armenia AIM MARCH 2OO1

!!

President Heidar Aliyev In a speech to the tuerbaijani Parliament, 2.23.01

NOTEBOOK

A $lrull is a $kull

Visit the three'story Van Museum, in the city ol Van, Turtey, and you may be led to the Genocide Seclion on the second floor. That's the section with skulls and bones, and photos that depict the genocide. The one where Armenians massacred Tudts. ln 1915. ln Van. ilowhere else is lhere mention ol the word Armenian, not with the Urattian gold iewetry display, nor along the stone statues and clay pots, not wilh the tombstones and headstones lound in the museum's yard. Photos and text by Parik ilazarian.

AIM MARCII

2OO1

NOTEBOOK

Rise anil

tall ol thc BluGs

Armenians know two major lakes: Sevan and Van. The first is on this side of the Armenian bordel the other isn't. Lake Sevan and its island have been the source of pride and bounty. This special haven for migrating birds, this home to a monastery this habitat for the special princely ishkhan fish are all endangered by the continuously decreasing water level. During the last century Sevan has lost19 meters (60 ft.) of depth, and as a result the island has become a peninsula, the native mammals in this sweet water habitat have been endangered, and migrating birds have been forced to adapt.

Lake Van, which is in Turkey, is 2.5 times the size of lake Sevan, an area slighly smaller than that of Karabakh. UnJike Sevan, the salty 16

waters of Lake Van increase each year, the level rises and the island which is home to the Aghtamar Monastery shrinks as a result. During the last several decades, the one kilometer (0.6 miles) island has shrunk to twothirds of its size. Portions of the walls and construction around the ancient Holy Cross complex are underwater. Like Sevan, lake Van, too, is home to the same type of migating birds and its own famous fish callednreWt. In a symbolic gesture almost willing the waters of Lake Sevan to rise, Archbishop Mesrop Ashjian poured a bottle of Van water into Sevan last fall, after returning from a pilgrimage to Western Armenian sites in Turkey last summer. -Text and photos by Parik Nazarian

AIM MARCH

2OO1

NOTEBOOK

82

Benue $ings Eharents

Number ol business eslablishments named eilher Araral 0r Masis in the US 1 I

Number ol Exterminator Seryices named Araral 1

Number ol Taxi services named Ararat 1

Percenlage ol Armenia's employsd, working within the hotel-restaurant sector 131

Age, in years, ol the Cathedral Museum at Eimiatsin, which houses holy relics and religious art

4 Number ol museums at the Mother See ol Ejmiatsin Yeghishe Charents, born this month fell victim to Stalin's purgest because of the patriotic content of his writings. His intense poems and

11

heartfelt essays are not the stuff of light entertainment.

Yet his poem Yes Im Antuh Hayastani, which begins "I love the sun-baked words of my sweet Armenia." has been set to music and is among a handful of songs, which pass as Armenia's unofficial anthems.

Howevel no other songs based on Charents' poetry come to mind, as there are only a rare few. That is. until recently.

As a tribute to Charents on the centenary of his birth, Berge Turabian, a librarian from New York, released a CD of 13 songs, all based on the works of the great poet. This is a f,rst. Setting the master's poetry to music on such a large scale had not been attempted before this.

Tirrabian was born in Egypt. At the age of 15, he repatriated to Armenia, where "Charents permeated our literary universe... I used to spend long nights with Khachik Dashtents, listening to his narratives about the poet's lif'e. his imprisonment and his mysterious death in the cells of the KGB," recalls Tirrabian. Dashtents, a Charents disciple. a literary giant in his own right, became Turabian's father-inlaw The Charents legacy Turabian turned into song. His tiiend, the actor Azad Gasparian encouraged him, Tigran Nanian helped with the arrangements.

The result is called "Charents, the Armenian Poet in Songs."

Turabian's raspy voice delivers the philosophical ballads with a minimum of musical intervention. The beautifully designed CD cover (which includes the words of all songs in Armenian and in English translation) was nominated for best album at last year's Armenian Music Awards.

Turabian, who immigrated to the US in 1986, received a Masters degree in Library Science from Columbia University and works as a librarian at the New York Public Library. But music is part of his life [www.bergeturabian.com] and besides the Charents CD, he also has a recording of his own songs.

Age, in years, ol the School ol Miniature Arl in Kanaker (just outside Yerevan)where children are taught the ancient art ol miniatures

7000 Number 0f people employed by the SIL Group, a group ol 25 private enterprises ensaged in production, trade, conslruction, $eruice, maintenanGe and banking 21

Humber ol branches ol Armenia's Armeconomhank

15,000 ilumber ol clients served by Armeconombank's 21 branches 2

Percentage 0f non-Armenians in Armenia's

population in 1998 952 Number ol villages in Armenia

Ministty ol Foreign Allaig, Minisry al Shtistics, IJN

-Asbed Pogharian

AIM MARCH

2OO1

htellpnent Pr1gnn

Focus ol

fie Muilt

]|eaugnlylnGa$unGs The L700th Anniversary of Armenian Christianity is Celebrated by Museums in London and Paris

BY HBATCH TCHILltlGlRlAil; PHOTOS G0URTESY 0F THE BRITISH MUSEUM

rlen years in the making, the British I UUrary in fondon is stagiig a large-scale I and first of its kind exhibit, called "Tieasures from the fuk - 1700 Years of

Armenian Christian Att," that will be on display through May 28.

At the same time, in Paris, at the Pavillon des Arts in Irs Halles, "Ani - Capital of Armenia in the Year 1000," an exhibition organized by the museums of Paris and the Amrenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) will run through May 13.

Head of exhibitions at the British Library, Allen Sterenberg, says, "This is one of the most ambitious projects the Library has ever undertaken - with such a large number of objects from so many countries. The exhibit is designed to locate the visitor in Armenia." o'Tleasures from the Ark" is also one of the most expensive projects the Library has organized. The f300,000 (over $450,000) cost of the exhibit is fully funded by the Londonbased Vatche and Thmar Manoukian Charitable

Foundation.

The over 150 items in the exhibit - which include khachkars (cross stones), illuminated manuscripts, sculptures, gilt silver bindings,

reliquaries, wood carvings, textiles and ceramics - have been brought together from institutions and museums in 20 countries, but most are fromArmenia. A 10th century gospel with ivory covers from the Matenadaran in Yerevan and a 15th century khachkar from Sevan are among the items being shown for the first time outside Armenia. Also for the first time, a complete Armenian Bible manuscript, King Hetum's illuminated Bible dated 1269, and a 10th century manuscript from the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem will be on display.

"This exhibition will bear witness to a clear origrnality and a tenacious attachment to old

traditions, along with an equally sigriflcant ability to absorb and regenerate models coming from the outside world," explained Father Nerses Nersessian, head of Collections of the Christian Orient at the British Library, and curator of the exhibit. *Big Five" The British Library is one of the 18

AIM MARCH

2OO1

Focus of

fte

MonUr

holden of Armenian manuscripts, with close to 100 manuscripts, many of them donated by

Lord Curzon

n

1917. Some 60 manuscripts have been added to the collection since 1975

of the Oriental collection.

The beginning of the Arrnenian book collection at the Library goes back to 1836, when the Mekhitarist Fathers inVenice sent an unsolicited Amenian Dictionary to the Library.

Impressed by the publication, the curators decided to acquire Armenian books. Today, it has one of the richest collections of 17th and 18th century Armenian printed books.

The French exhibition, which was visited when Nersessian became curator

during its opening days by Presidents of Armenia and France, Robert Kocharian and Jacques Chirac, in mid-February (photo at righQ is advertised by billboards throughout Paris. The opening was held under the auspices of Paris Mayor Jean Tiberi.

French historian Jean-Paul Mahe was among the fint to call attention to Ani's history and cultural legacy. This extensive exhibit does the same. "The illuminated manuscripts present evidence of the intellectual dynamism of Ani. The religious objects and artifacts of daily life reveal a refined lifestyle. The old photographs (dating from the tum of the last century) place the churches and other buildings throughout the city. Finally, the eyewitness accounts of European travelers of the 17th through 20th centuries provide minute details and precise depictions of the city and

for engravings depicting the voyages of Euro-

the sites," writes Anahid Samikyan in

pean

Achkhar, a French-Armenian periodical published in Paris.

"Ani- Capital of Armenia in the Year 1000" not onlydocuments ancient history but alsocalls

Through the cooperation ofvarious institu-

tions, this exhibition brings together rare

attention to the huge restoration and presewation

taskthatawaitstheintemationaloommunity.

r

objects: some 100 bronze, copper, wood, stone

and ceramic pieces from the State History Museum in Yerevan, manuscripts from the Matenadaran, enamel cups and richly decoratedvases from the Louvre's Oriental Antiquities

section, the French National Library for ancient map,s, and the AGBU'S Library Nubar

tavelen.

President and First Lady Kochailan and President Ghirac at the Ani Exhibit in Pails.

Photo by Mailin Shahbazian/ Armenpress.

Above, center:

Below, lefl A proiecting lion head sculpture lrom the pagan Temple of Garni in Armenia, owned by the British Museum, on display tor the lint time. Below, right Khachkar lmm the State

History Museum of Amenia.

0pposite page: Tapestry representing St. Gregory the llluminator, 1448, lrom the Mother See ol Holy Ejmiabin.

Ihe Gycle ol lile

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Performed by Parik l{azarian Photography by Antoine Agoudjian Each of these songs is a page of life, a mirror of a time, a link to our history. These bittersweet pieces sung with the occasional accompaniment of duduk, dhol and shvi, depict the disparity of birth and death, the pain of loss and the joy ol birth, love and joy and war and vengeance, ln these songs, the beauty of love is symbolized by the seed of a pomegranate, the vigor ol life by a blade of wheat. Nominated for "Best Traditional Album", "Best Female Vocal" and Winner of "Best Album Cove/'Armenian Music Awards 2000.

More than 150 black and white photos

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Gelehnatlon Ihe Anmenlan Ghupch Gdebmtes

BY HRATCH TCHIIINGIRIAi{; PHOTOS BY ARIVIINEH JOHANNES

I

maeine a giant organization with over 350 and branches in some 40 countries, *itt SOO top executives, thousands of fulland part-time employees, tens of thousands of volunteers, serving millions of people.

That's the Armenian Apostolic Church today and, this year, it's celebrating the 1700th anniversary of its founding.

The Church is the largest national structure - historically, even older than the state and almost inarguably, the most institutional-

lofflces

I

-

ized Armenian establishment anywhere in the world. In the last 1,700 years, the Armenian Church has proven to be the most durable and continuous institution in the life of Armenians wherever they may be - from Armenia to cities and towns as far as the Far

and political role that is easier to understand

Gregory the Illuminator (c. 240-325) -

tual liberalism" that makes it harder to grasp its religious function.

Unlike, for example, the Roman Catholic Church, the doctrines, theology, and canons of the Armenian Church are guidelines,

a

descendant of a noble house in Parthia and

brought up as a Christian in Cappadocia (currently Tirkey) - baptized Armenia's

III. St. Gregory became the first bishop (catholicos) of Armenia after his consecration in Caesarea and established the nation's Holy See in Vaghanhapat, Ejmiatsin.

Ejmiatsin, literally means "the only begotten descended", based on the legend that Christ came to Gregory in a vision and indicated to

King Tiridates

him where to build the fint Armenian Church.

Following the adoption of Christianity and establishment of the Church, the inven-

tion of the Armenian alphabet by Mesrop

East.

Today, the Armenian Church is comprised of four Hierarchical Sees (four main "headquarters") to which the overwhelming majority of Armenians belong - at least nominally. The largest is the Catholicosate of All Armenians in Ejmiatsin, established in the fourth century. The Catholicosate of the

Great House

and Bartholomew. However, it was in the fourth century that Christianity became the ofiflcial state religion of Armenia, when St.

of Cilicia (established

in

Antelias, Lebanon in 1930) has roots which go back to the L3th century. The Patriarchate of Jerusalem and Constantinople are almost as old, with the first established in the 14th century by the St. James Brotherhood and the second established in 1461. Each hierarchical See has its own religious order (brotherhood) has ecclesiastical jurisdiction (with dioceses and parish churches) over a specific region, and internal administrative byJaws.

They are not separate churches, but part of the "One, Holy, Apostolic Church" and are one in dogma, theology, liturgy and rendered services.

17fi) Years Ago This year also marks the 1700th anniversary of adoption of Christianity as the state religion in Armenia.

It is believed that Christianity was introduced to Armenia as early as the second half of the fint century through the evangelical activities of two of Christ's disciples, Thaddeus

Mashtots made the Christian faith accessible

to the people in a written form. Until then, Greek and Syriac were the languages used in church services. Soon after the invention of the alphabet, a group of monks, headed by Mashdots and Catholicos Sahak, translated into Armenian the Holy Scriptures followed by other biblical, theological and liturgical literature. "The missionary and literary labon [of this period] shaped the destiny of the Armenian people and Church for succeeding generations," says church scholar Archbishop Tiran Nersoyan. "This period was one of intense activity and rapid development for the Church, and was decisive in its consolidation and nationalization."

Throughout history whenever Armenians faced political and social dfficulties or challenges, the Armenian Church was at the forefront of national life, at times serving as a surrogate govemment. But what makes the Armenian Church different from any other institution is its primary raison d'etre: "the salvation of people's souls," as articulated by Catholicos Karekin II of All Armenians; or what Catholicos Aram I of Cilicia describes as a "c,ommunity of faith sustained by the Holy Spirit." Still, when people speak about the Armenian Church and itshistory verylittle is said about its "religious" or "spiritual" dimension. It is the church's cultural, ethnic AIM MARCH

2OO1

and explain.

It may be the Armenian Church's "spiri-

rather than legal documents by which

a

believer is judged. Pastoral theology, rather than dogmatic theology, has been the basis of the relationship between the Church and its

olFalth 1700fi ffiniumsmy ol its Bhtlishment and Adoption ol State Rdiglon ln lnmenia

faithful. Issues of a private nature, such as abortion or homosexuality that pertain to one's personal relationship with God are left to the individual believer to discern what is right and what is wrong. While providing basic "moral principles," the Church has not "legislated" in a legal sense, the depth and extent of an individual's relationship to such complex moral and social issues.

Indeed, for Armenians, religion is not a coherent set of dogmas and practices, but an eclectic set of beliefs. Like the Jews, religion

is incorporated into the national ethos of

Church, as a signfficant, historical, national

Armenians. This "belief system" is preserved and transmitted primarily through the family and its extended network of relationships rather than directly through the Church. The practice of. madagh or animal sacrifice, for example, is a traditional ceremony in the

institution, enjoys widespread respect by

Armenian Church, with roots

Still, in addition to the general trends of secularization and globalization that are redefining society and religion everywhere, the Armenian Church has other short and long-term challenges, the least ofwhich is the jurisdictional disputes started almost half a century ago between the Sees of Ejmiatsin and Cilicia. Major church leadership changes

in

preChristian Armenian history and one that

continues to be widely accepted, especially in

Armenia and throughout the Middle East.

Through such practices, the Armenian

who view their Church - and religion fusion of beliefs, language, land and history or a source of affirmation and validation of Armenian collective identity regardless of

those as a

one's personal views.

in the last decade did not resolve what is seen as a painful chapter in the modern history of the church, especially in the Diaspora.

Since Armenia's independence, on the

other hand, the Church's role in Armenian society is still not clear. How does it address the problem of comrption in Armenia, especially after long years of moral dislocation of society? Teaching basic moral and ethical values and their relevance to everyday life is a sipificant responsibility of the Church in Arrnenia and in the Diaspora, and one that it has not yet found a way to meet.

Indeed,

the

challenges facing the

Armenian Church are many (see AIM July 1999 and November 1999), but, perhaps, the most dire is the recruitment and training of new cadre of clergy and lay leaders, who would carry out the mission of the Church in the 21st century. Instead of producing only liturgical functionaries in the existing handful of seminaries, the Church needs scholars, theologians and professionals who would make Armenian Christianity relevant to increasingly sophisticated congregations.

Other than hagiographic literature and translations of ancient writings of church fathen, there's virtually no literature or discourse produced by the Church that addresses the thinking and feelings of the contemporary member of the Armenian Church. The question is whether to continue the slow-moving status quo, or to create a new mission for the Church canied out by a highly qualified

AIM MARCH

2OO1

Couen

Stony

corps of worken.

The hierarchs of the Armenian Church characterized the 1700th anniversary of Christianity in Armenia as an opportunity to re-evangelize, re-Christianize Armenia after 70 yean of communism, and as an opportu-

nity for renewal for all Arrnenians around the world. While the celebrations and festivities taking place this year would hiChliCht what the Church has been in the past, in the coming decades the Church and its leadership will have to articulate what the Church is

0n the Armenian Church's two greatest accomplishmenls over the past 1700 yearc.

day life?

0n lhe challenges and problems ahead.

lwould phrase the question ditlerently, since the Ghurch is a mission whose purpose is not accomplishments but a process ol enlightenment and saluation ol the laithful.

The Armenian Ghurch is the good shepherd ol the Armenian nation. The alphabet, literature, scholarchip, architecture, art and music have all grown undel the care ol the Ghurch. The Armenian Ghurch has led and sustained the Armenian people through centuries ol advercity.

Armenian theology and liturgy are among the world's great spiritualtreasures, our unique witness to Ghristianity. The stewardship ol our nation is oul Ghurch's greatest accomplishment and our Gontinuing mission.

-Archbishop Hovnan Derderian Primate of the Armenian Church ol Canada, and Executive Secretary ol the Ecclesiastical Commission lor the Celebration ol the 1700th Anniversary ol Christianity in Armenia

First and loremosl the Armenian Ghurch became the unifying lorce lor the Armenian nation. Because ol political, geographical and social realities, the church became the common denominalor which gaue our people a distinct Gharacter, identifying and separating us lrom surounding nations. Second, alter unilying the people, the religious and secular leaderc were able to lurther deline the identity ol the people through the creation ol our alphabet which inspired the rich Greatiue outpul of the nation in literature,

arts, music, and architecturc. prerate,Armeniar^ffi ?;'H[,3r',tE8fl

and will be for Armenians, both collectively and individually. If "faith, hope, love and charity" are the fundamental tenets of the Church's teaching, how are they taught, practiced, translated and made relevant to every-

':!'Jr'''ril

The evenh ol the past Gentury and especially the past decade have been momentous lor the Armenian people.

Not unlike the world 1700 yean ago, when St. Gregory enlightened Armenia and guided King Trdat to proclaim Ghristianity as the basis of our national lile, we live in a world that demands deep rooted laith and the gathering ol the faithful. Il this 17Ollth jubilee Gomes and goes without giving a new impulse to St. Gregory's mission, then this cele[ration will have been like a clanging cymbal. Our greatest challenge to live up to our responsibility as Ghristians and as the lirst Ghristian nation. lt is a heavy responsibility and I pray each day that we will be woilhy ol it.

One ol the greatest problems lacing the Ghurch in the next century is overcoming the eflects ol the Genocide and dispersion. 0urs is a worldwide Ghurch, dedicated to the aim 0l one church, one nation. The unity and Gontinuity ol our people was loreyer shattered by centuries ol oppression culminating in the Genocide. We no longer live side by side on our ancestral lands, next t0 the sacred places where our forefathers created our Ghristian lile and national culture.

Through the centuries, our people have grown apart. Our Church is one ol the ties that binds us together. This year's iubilee celebrations are an occasion for re-gathering the flock, especially our youth. The bonds established by youth are direct, spontaneous and lasting. With God's help, we will begin to bind up our wounds and find the inspiration to

continue the mission entrusted to us so many centuries ago.

-Archbishop Hovnan Derderian

The greatest challenge is the renewa! ol our church. The existence ol a church is iustilied by its mission; a church without a mission is not a church. We must not be afraid ol change, not lor the sake of change, but so that the Ghurch can properly serve the people. We must be the people's church, a living church, loved and understood by the people. We are not a living church now; we do not have the answers to many modern questions be they theological, social, moral, or ethical. Furthermore, we live in an ecumenical age. We cannot remain isolated, but must consider ourselves to be a part ol the uniuercal church.

Our true maturi$ as a religious poople will be measured through our approach to ecumenism.

-Archbishop 0shagan Choloyan

AIM MARCH

2OO1

Gouen $tony

ln 39 countries around lhe world, there are 355 Armenlan Apostollc Churches. Thes6 flgures havo bâ&#x201A;Źen compiled

by AIM lrom varlous sources. The churches lall, administrallvsly, under the lurisdicllon ol lhe Catholicosate o, Ejmlatsin, ihr (l.rlttL,1rr J:i^rlt'+; Ciii.:ii, the Patriarchate o, Jerusalem or . Cerlain countrlos are of mlxed (Ejmiatsin and Cilicla) iurisdiction.

I[eEBoUrnIltyol IhefirmGrianGhurGI

mllEnntum ilnnEns & PH0r0 EllHlBlIS 2001

r\Ilt

IUETIRV, RPRI1 17, LEBI Gohar Harutunian

- Miss Armenia 1999

Harutunian, crowned Miss Armenia in 1999, is pursuing educational and career opportunities in hotel and restaurant management. She will address the politics and economics olwinning pageants, as well as participating in the Miss Universe competition and opportunities for the future.

Brandview Collection 7:30

p.m.

109 East Harvard Street, Glendale, California, Phone 8'18.246.7979, Emailaimagazine@aol.com, $30 subscribers, $35 non-subscribers

m0n[[U, mRV Zl

children's Rights

Razmik Martirossian, Minister ol Social Wellare, Republic of Armenia Martirossian, appointed in May of 2000, has aggressively pursued social policy beneliting Armenias children and society's most vulnerable. He will address issues and policies regarding adoption, orphanages and the overall social development of Armenia. Brandview Colleclion 7:30 p.m.

109 East Harvard Street, Glendale, California, Phone 818.246.7979, Email aimagazine@aol.com,

m[V 200f Hace lor City Hall The Los Angeles City Mayoral Gandidates lUnE

I[0]

Adventure Edge of Time: Traveling in Armenian & Karabagh

Forum and Dinner

Complete kavel guide,

$30 subscribers, $35 non-subscribers TBA

-

Dinner in the City of Los Angeles

Matthew Karanian & Robert Kurkiian

UPTOMINE CUENIS Politics Gulture

-

Photo

Exhibits Outside Looking ln: Ann Dohefi

AIM MARCH

2OO1

-

Geratd Chailiand on

Caucasian Geopolitics

A British photojournalisl, will discuss her experiences in Armenia.

25

Gouen Stony

A$ltowolAncienltailh PHOTOS BY ARMINEH JOHAI{]{ES

A nation

dispersed over the globe, practices its ancient faith in a variety of old and new ways. the Armenian Catholic church is strong, and where rosaries are an integral part of the prayer ritual.

In northern Armenia where

AIM MARCH

2OO1

Goven $tony

At St. Sa*is Ghurch in Yerevan, old men join the women in praying Easteln style, with open palms extended to lhe heavens. Women, old and young, continue to covertheir heads in the Easl, even as pants become acceptable church wear in the Wesl. Photos by Armineh Johannes.

AIM MARCH

2OO1

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Reaching Karabakh

ing an additional visa. Georgia is one of them. So is Russia. IGrabakh is not. Karabalih requires visas of all visitors, orcept those bearing Armenian passports.

But IGrabakh does not have official diplomatic relations with any of the states of the world, and it therefore has no embassies abroad. So visitors seeking visas must apply at lGrabakh's unofficial embassy -their "Permanent Representative" - on Moscovian Sreet in Yerevan, near the Yed-tah+ardahgahn subway station. [This is the station located between the Bagramian and the

Republic Square stations.]

Bring trro passportsized photognphs,

and fill out the short application form, which asks where you will stay while you are in Karabakh, and why you are going there. You will be charged $25 for a one-week visa. An additional fee of 1,000 Armenian Drams (ess than $2) may also be requested. The tumaround time for a visa is about 30 minutes, making this perhaps the most efficient and

Ihsilmflons wer phob by Hralr Hawk lfiatdrerian. Gouer design Dy Patld( Azadlan.

Prsulous pago: lloar Shushl.

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Sarsang [osermft ldds lumping lnto a pond on tho rvay to Askeran lrom Stepanakeil, Gdldr Monastery ln Hadrut.

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least bureaucratic office in Yerevan.

TIP: Save time, and bring a couple of e:ftra passport sized photos from home.

You might pay less to have the photos made in Yerevan, but it may be difficult to get

them made within 24 hours. Ifyou're stud<, the photo shop at the traffic circle where

ty

Bagramian Street and Sarian Street intersect, where charge about $2 for four photos, whiclr they make while you wait.

There are no commercial airline flighs to Karabakh, so visiton generally anive by private car or bus. At the Karabalrh frontier, an immigration officer may ask for your passport, but this has been a haphazardly applied

procedure during the past year. It seems that officers recognize most travelers. They look for anyone who appean to be a foreigrrer, and wave past the Armenians, with whom they are often acquainted.

Regardless of the scrutiny a visitor receives at the border, all foreigrrers are required to register upon their a:rival at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is located in central Stepanakert, KarabalJr's capital city. At this registration, you will be advised where you may travel, and you will be issued travel papen for those regions.

Fxpect to be forbidden entry to regions near the Azeri frontier, or to any of the

AIM DESTINATIONS MARCH

2OO1

towns or villages that formerly had Azeri populations, and whicl are now polluted with land mines. Visiton should orpect the authorities in Karabakll to be vigilant in the enforcement of the travel restrictions.

Geilfing lnto llarabakh Thanlc to a new highway that linla Karabakh and Armenia (built by donations collected by Armenia fund's Telethons between 1996 and 1998), the joumey to IGrabakh has been dramatically shortened.

One can expect to drive from Yerevan to Stepanakert in a private car in only about seven or eight hours. This is roughly half of

the travel time of just a few yean ago. And today the joumey no longer requires a fourwheel driveJeep or Niva automobile.

Car rentals are rare in Armenia, but drivplentiful. Ask around, and you'll find a driver who will drarge about $150 for a round trip joumey of two or three days.

Negotiate the fare, as well as compensation for food and lodging, before departure. ers are

For a less expensive altemative, travel by bus or minivan for a one-way fare of only about $10. There is a comfonable minivan that goes to Stepanakert each day at about 8 a.m. The vans are modem and clean, and eadr ofthem carries up to 12 passengers.

Reaching lhrabakh

A second run

is offered at 10 a.m., but departure times are sometimes delayed briefly if the seats are not filled.

Buses are also available, but they are old and uncomforable. They are also dreadfully slow, and the rip frequendy akes 12 hours or more. The one-way fare, however, is only about $Z so there are still riden.

Get an up to date schedule ofvan and bus departures from the bus station on the 'Ejmiatsin road,' just outside Yerevan, near the Kilikia Brewery and the fuarat Distillery.

TIP: Arrive at the bus station one hour before the scheduled departure ofa van, in order to claim a good seat next to a vrindow.

Sit on the right side of the van, where you'll have unobstructed views ofMt. Ararat Bring a botde ofwater, and some food, since you may be in the van for four or more hours before stopping. And don't ride the big red bus.

GetUng Aruund Stepanakert Travelers

in Stepanakert will be able

to walk just about anywhere in town. The sfreets are mosdy arranged in a grid, with residences and reail shops mixed together,

and most of the industry on the ouskirs

of town.

Parla and ffees are plentifi.rl, making a

stroll on even a hot August aftemoon pleasant. There are only a handful of sites one will want to visit in Stepanakert, however. One is the cenffal square, which is home to the IGrabakh Parliament and to the Karabakh Hotel - Karabakh's oldest operating lodge.

This square, which is still known as knin Square to many residents, but

which most

today simply call "Square," is perched above the football stadium, where the game that Americans call soccer is played on most evenings in summer and fall.

Just about 50 meten from the square, on Sasunsti David Street, visitors will find the Artsakh State Museum. Here, an assortrnent

dozens ofeager driven in Stepanakert, any of whom will be pleased to eam 100 Dram (20 cents) for eadr kilometer traveled. Negotiate the fare, and the duration of the rip, before

you depart.

Buses are also available. But

with inorpen-

sive drivers in plenitude, there is litde reason for a visitor to endure the agony of a slow and rundown bus, which is often loaded with farm

produce or other cargo, and whidr may leave a distant village.

TIP: You have just traveled halfway around the world to reach Karabakh. Now is not the time to skimp on travel expenses. Pay a local driver $20 ead-r day, or roughlyl00

you stranded ovemight in

of ancient artifacts and Cluistian manuscrips

Dram for eadr kilometer Q5-30 cents for

are on display, alongside modem relics &om World War II and from the evens of the past decade, whicJr, in the local nomenclature, is

Ifyou can, avoid a hotel and say family instead. A local host will appreciate receiving the $10 to $20 that you leave as a gift, for each night of lodging and the additional $5 you give for a light brealdast oftea, bread, and an egg or two. But be sure to be discreet when leaving the gift.

simply "ourwar." The building is open Monday through Saturday until 5 p.m., or sooner if the handful of worken grow weary.

Admission is free, but donations are accepted.

Ti:avelen seeking antiquities that aren't inside a museum will need to venture ouside Stepanakert. Most of Karabalch's historic sites

each mile).

with

a

Ostentatious giving isn't fashionable anywhere in the world

r

are outside the capital. To readr these sites,

Ifyou wish n

you'll need a private car and driver. And a local driver is prefened, since many of the locations are remote. You'll find dozens and

AIM

AIM DESTINATIONS MARCH

2OO1

receioe copies

ofpast

issaes

of

Datirutions, pbasefax I 1 8.246.0088

or ema:il

toAIM.

ainagazke@aolcorn)oilr reqilest

Getting ftound lhrabakh

GodbLlttlehnd Ef, ilIAITHEW IURA]IIAII

There are no commercial flights into ! XroUA.fr, so most visiton-must travel I by car. Ludcy thing for the visiton, too.

into IGrabakh. A new churdr, built from a centuries-old traditiond desigrr, was complet-

on the way to Stepanakert, don't stop here until after you have obained your travel

They won't be disoriented when they arrive.

Th.r'[ be able to drive across the border and sense the drangs. Visiton will be able to enjoy Karabakh from the beginning.

At this beghning is the 60-hlometer

to the town

ed last year, and now stands at the entrance as muc.h a symbol of the town's

documents from the Foreign Ministry in Stepanakert. [See related story.] Tiavel time by car from Stepanakert: about 20 minutes.

TIP: Say out of damaged and vacant buildings, and don't sray from well-wom paths or streets. Vacant buildings and open fields may contain mines, especially in towns such as Shushi, which had large Azeri popu-

freedom, as it is of Christianity.

After passing through tiny Ber&or, Shushi is the first major town. This small

lachin Corridor. The conidor is located

town is just 15 kilometen oubide Stepanakert, and it should be on every visi-

between the Armenian town of Goris, and

to/s itinerary.

the KarabaLh town of Shushi.

This is Karabakh's umbilical cord.

Intemational observers dubbed it a humanitarian corridor, and they attadred the name lachin to it because this is the main town along the route. Azerbaijan had used Lachin as a choke point, until is liberation

by Karabakh several yean ago.

Today, Iac}in is known by its original Armenian name, Ber&or. The mountainous region that it sis astride, and which had once been a mere pass, has now been integrated

and trvo Armenian churches. You'll also get a good view ofStepanakert from Shushi's high percJr. It was from this same perch that Azerbaijanis laid siege to Stepanakert during the war.

But life in Shushi is not eary. It is here that you can a(pect to be stopped by soldiers or by the police ifyou are aking photo.

D6

There,

you will find

a fortress,

Don't photograph military sites or buildings that were destroyed in the war.

And carry your passport and travel documents. Even though you will pass Shushi graphs.

AIM DESTINATIONS MARCH

2OO1

lations before the war. There are some who say that the number of mines left behind by the Azeris rivals the number of Armenians who are living in IGrabakh. Many of these explosive devices have been cleared, but those that remain claim lives (and limb$ eadr year.

For an easy day trip from Stepanakert, consider the Monastery ofAmaras, whicl is located south of Stepanakert in the Martuni region, near the village of Macikalashen.

Mesrop Mashtots, the inventor of the

Getting Around lhrabakh

of

Armenian alphabet, was a teacher here about

the cl-rurches of lGrabakh. This complex

1,500 years ago.

several buildings and cupolas features elaborate engravings and inscriptions on its walls, and several khachcars [stone crosses].

The Gandsazar Monastery which is locatof Stepanakert in the Martakert region, near the village ofVanlq is another worthwhile day trip. Travel times by car from ed north

Stepanakert: about two

houn for either

site.

The Vanlasar Monastery stands a lonely vigil ouside Martakert. This building is located on a sparsely vegetated hilltop just offthe main road that links Martakert to Aghdam, and it is visible from several kilometers away as one approaclres by car. The tiny churdr is built of a cream colored stone, and it sits on a peak

that is about 100 meten from a mili-

tary radx and observation post. ItrTatdr for wild rabbits, owls and other rare birds while

you are there.

But stay away from the army post. This

posg whidr is operated by just a handful of soldien, occupies a house that had been the summer home of a high ranking Azeri officid before the war. Ironically, locals credit this official with having repaired the clurch before the war. Point your cameras in the opposite direction, to avoid problems.

Thvel time by car from Stepanakert: about 45 minutes.

Dadi Vank, a stunning monastery that was built early in the 13th century, is unequaled in is mysterious majesty amont

The road to this monastery winds past the Sanang Reservoir, and along the Tartar Canyon, on generally poor and winding roads. The location is remote and forested, and the unlikely appearance of the complex of religious buildings in this mountain region adds to is mysterious clarm. Tiavel time by car from Stepanakert: about tluee and one half hours.

Visitors who are interested in leaming about the people of Karabakh may also c-hoose to visit the town of Marakert, which was the site of fierce fighting during IGrabakh's war of liberation. The people here can give you fint hand accounts ofthe fight-

ing that they call 'our war.o This had been a wealthy community before the wa6 but there's no money there today.

Touriss in some parts of the world treat the local people as mere curiosities -uinker

that they pass while on the way to the cherished monuments. The people of lGrabal,.h are not trinkets, and thdre not mere footnotes. Instead, they form the volumes of its history. Ifyou have time to see only one thing during your visit to Karabakh, then see - and talk with - the people

r

AIM DESTINATIONS MARCH

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Photos, left to right The Tartar

ilvel ncar l(elbaiar,

"Life and dealh" In Martakert, Dadivank, Wedding at Paplk and Talik statuo, Dadlvank.

Restaurateurs

ANewBrced BY

l0Hll

I I I

rood

HUGHES;

PllllT0S gY illl0llIAR lffiAGHAInnil

t is a meat and potatoes city, Yerevan. and an meet when

liis ue wiped

orr,o flowered p"p.r rr"pkitr, but ntt before. With few exceptions, menus are interchangeable and the taste of "chicken Kievslg/ is unwavering from one kitchen to the next. If you've tasted one "julienne' or "cutlet' or even "pizza," the next one won't surpnse you.

Pasta means spaghetti. And if meat isn't well done, it isn't done well.

Two middle-aged men with young men's passion are successfully encouraging culinary curiosity in Yerevan with restaurants that thrive on foreign customers but are enticing progressive locals as well.

One, a Renaissance man. One, a Revolutionary.

One debonair, silky. One daring, shadowy. Both avant guard. At least on the palette of Yerevan palates...

Thelmpressionists "People get the idea that I'm over here suffering," Jirair Avanian says, 'that I've given up something to come to Armenia . . . ThaCs old news. I'm very much alive here.

I'm happy that I am participating in a bit of

historymaking...

There are 120 years ofpaint on

"I'm having the time of my life here."

He left New York nine years ago and now the time of Avanian's life is spent between Salt Shads his carpet/arts/crafts shop, on Abovian Street and Dolmama, arguably the finest restaurant in Yerevan, about 100 meters away on Puskin Street.

A step through the heavy wood doors of the unremarkable building into Dolmama is a step into something not orpected. Like step ping into a multidimensional work in

- a diorama that seduces several sensbefore the taste buds have even surfaced.

pro$ess es

AIM DESTINATIONS MARCH

The walls talk. They speak in colors laid one atop the other, stacked for more than a century and then undone by the careful eye of the new owner. Avanian himself took off layer upon layer of paint until setding on a pastiche that is multi-colored and textured, cloth-like.

2OO1

Dolmama's walls. Avanian, who's 48, scrapped and peeled making less of more.

"The process can't be too thought out " Avanian, the decorator, says. 'You come to a color that makes sense to you and you stop."

Avanian, the chefl uses arl opposite equation for the menu that would make Dolmama unique in any city, and practically alien in Yerevan.

One of his most recent creations is an entree that went through several c-hanges on its way to meeting the Dolmama requirements of "dishes that take traditional food

Restaurateurs

and present them in a new way."

Qrail, Avanian says, is a traditional Armenian dish, but he "wanted quail that belonged to Dolmama. To make it mine, it had to have something of our own."

Nothing is more Dolmama than dolma.

So Avanian wrapped the quail first in bacon, then in grape leaves, and found that the delicate tastes

ofthe leafis subdy absorbed in

the delicate meat of the bird. Then he tried another recipe, wrapping it fint in fruit lavash, then the grape leaf Then another, stuffing the bird with a sour plum.

All the ingrediens are Armenian. But not likely to have ever been combined until concocted by the chef who talks about "the taste buds of the eyes" and relates food preparation to his favorite art, German expresslon$m.

The quail entr6e is a bit of a marketing test for Dolmama - "a first step in getting the new Armenian customer who is willing to e:rperiment."

Three years since opening, Dolmama recently doubled its seating capacity to 60.

Rarely, if ever, is it filled by locals. Its European-influenced cuisine comes with European prices. (About $35 a meal, including wonderfirl wine, salad, ingenious soup, entrâ&#x201A;Źe.)

"Dolmama," Avanian says, "is exacdy who I am. It smiles a lot. It offers comfort.

"I hate making anyone unhappy and I don't like refusing anyone. But I am not cheap."

GhefGh6 'I can't talk about the first three-quarters of my life," Monte Cristo restaurant owner Midrael Kazanjian says.

Hint: The first thing seen when walking into his Republic Square restaurant is a large painting of Che Guevara, which is opposite a wall with a poster of the Cuban revolutionary quoted in French "un revolutionnaire ne demissionne jamais."

A revolutionary never gives up.

There is revolution of an unmentionable sort in Kazanjian's 45 year past - a veiled resume that gives likeable cache to the rebel restaurateur who named his restaurant in

memory of Monte Malkonian, para-military hero of the Karabakh \tr(lar.

Monte Cristo is a blend that reflects its owner - mixing traditional Armenian ingredients into dishes that combine Frende (he lived in Pari$ and lrbanese (he grew up in Lebanon).

"There is nothing traditiond in this restaurant,' IGzanjian says. "(Before independence) even eating and drinking were hidden. People didn't want to be seen, to be asked where did they get the money."

And so it was with purpose that when l\azanjian opened his restaurant a year ago, he created open spaces in a comerbuildingwith all windows - not at all like typical Yerwan dining where the Soviet sryle of booths or even individual dining rooms prevails.

And he took the revolution a step further by offering sidewalk dining - the fint,

AIM DESTINATIONS MARCH

2OO1

he claims, in Yerevan, to serve a full menu al fresco. Unlike some revolutions, there has been no quick culinary coupe sparked by Kazanjian's efforts.

Filet au poiwe, for example. The very deF inition of the entr6e is of meat barely cooked.

"It happens very often," I\azarrjian says, "that customers send the fillet au poiwe back and ask for it to be cooked more."

IGzanjian laughs offthe potential insult.

He even added steak tartar (raw) to the menu, just to see what would happen. And frogs.

And snails.

"For 70 years people here have known only the taste of Soviet (style) meat," Y',azafiian says. "Even if you tell them this is something different, they orpect it to taste the same. Buq little by litde, they leam to like it." At Monte Cristo customers - mostly orpatriates and Westem (lots of French) tourists - come for the ambience as well as the food. For the paintings, Kazanjian collects from locals who he wants to help by selling their art; for the weekly "petango (French lawnbowling) toumament; and for IGzanjian himse[ bearded and cigar-ed like his hero. Kazanjian shops at the market and oyersees preparation for all his dishes, including a'pig pate" of sorts that is a six hour process for an appetizer made from the neck of wild boar.

The appetizer is called Rilettes and, at about $2, is one of the dreapest items. The most orpensive? A Monte Cristo cigar: $15.

Real Cuban, like the revolutionary. The one on the wdl

r

n an age of shameless greed it seems odd to come across anyone whose professional motivation is to lower the cost of anything. It's perhaps even less likely to find someone actually willing to give money back to customers unaware of their own overpayment. But to Paul Yalnezian, President of Right Home@, chivalry still stands for something in the new millennium. He has singlehandedly turned the residential real estate industry on its ear by developing a more convenient, more secure and much more affordable way to buy or sell property. Unfortunately, there's a swarm of Southern California independent Real estate agents who would just as soon see him dangle from his own loophole.

Although Yalnezian spent his formative years attending a boarding school in his native Beirut, then high school at Melkonian Institute in Cyprus, he has adapted to the American business culture remarkably well. His 9 years as a successful mortgage broker in Southern California not only earned him a place among the nation's top 50 brokers, it exposed him to severe shortcomings in the residential real estate industry as well. It wasn't until he bought his own home however, that he realized the scope of opportunity for positive change. With up to 30 different people involved in a sin-

i{l# ':::,yi;!;

gle transaction, commissions as high as 7o/o and inconveniences ranging from mild initations to having to rent back your own home after it sells, the answer seemed genuinely obvious-Right Home.

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Right Home, now a two-year-old Glendale, California company, has adopted a completely different approach to the age-old practice of representing homebuyers and sellers. It features a full-time, salaried agent staff that is both multi-lingual and multi-cultural, in-house mortgage brokerage and banking services as well as in-house closing services. While the support staff and technological capabilities of the firm are formidable, the real payoff to consumers is the savingsSellers pay as little as 1.5% total commission (instead of the typical6To) and buyers of non-Right Home listings receive as much as l.5o/o ofthe selling price in cash. "One recent client (a newly divorced mother of two) sold her home, purchased a new one and saved nearly $30,000 in fees and commissions," commented Yalnezian. Many Realtors@ are affiliated with franchises that simply don't allow discounts anyrvhere near that level. With some local agents making as much as 7 figure incomes, one can easily se-e why Righi Home spells trouble.

Aside from the signif,cant cost differences that Right Home offers, it brings something even more important to the table- responsibility. To the traditional system that relies solely on independent commissioned agents, the concept of security seems a distant ideal. "Until Right Home, there was no real accountability to the client regarding the big picture," says Yalnezian. "Home sellers and buyers have had to contract with outside vendors. That means when something goes wrong there really isn't anyone they can hold accountable. lt's no wonder psychologists have long regarded moving as the third most stressful experience a human will ever endure," he said.

As part of its marketing and public service, Yalnezian has even taken Right Home to the airwaves. In fact, he has become the real estate version of "Emeryl Lugassi-the star t; l:)

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"With some local agents mal<ing as much as 7 figure incomes, one can easily see why Right Home rp,a.],lr,al:: b1e,",,,,.,,,:.:.i,,, ,,...:..:.:::.:

.

chef of cable television." He appears on several local cable channels three times a week, in both Armenian and English.

From the intricacies of a negative amortizing mortgage to the marketing ramifications of pet odor, Yalnezian addresses it all with candor, humor and a genuine desire to help consumers understand the arcane workings of real estate. Given the large amount of positive feedback received by the cable stations. including requests for additional airings, his efforts seem to be very well accepted and appreciated by the community.

Yalnezian himself was without a family home for the better part of 20 years. During that time he yearned to experience the essence of a famrly unit and the stability that home ownership can provide. "During my childhood I had to rely on the benevolence of my immediate family and relatives for my own housing, " says Yalnezian. It's perhaps that memory that inspires the 45 year-old bachelor to devote more than 80 hours a week to the cause of helping others achieve their dream of home ownership. "Momentum is really starting to build and people are finally realizing that this is for real," remarks Yalnezian. Whether a shrewd deputy district attorney or a gregarious violinist in the LA Philharmonic, Right Home clients have been sharing their elation and gratitude by willingly giving video testimonials that are aired during the TV shows. One ex-MIT scientist was so impressed with

the service that he actually gaye a video testimonial even though he, as the seller, was represented by a traditional agent. "One of our clients actually cancelled her listing with a major franchise after 2 months and incurred a large penalty just to switch," says Yalnezian. Her hunch paid off when Right Home sold her property in just one week and saved her over $10,000 in commissions.

Although the biggest objection raised by prospective clients is that it sounds "too good to be true," Yalnezian has found a niche that suits him well. In an industry known widely for big commissions, big cars and big hair Right Home's president has sworn to breathe new life into its integrity and value.

"Like Home Depot or Southwest Airlines, we've built

a

superior working business model with national potential and are committed to finding the right flnancial backing to help take it to the next level," he said. Mike Sekits, President of Sekits Capital that is undertaking the task of raising more capital for the company's growth, adds, "Right Home has created a compelling consumer proposition that threatens the long term future of traditional Realtors@ and mortgage lenders while presenting an opportunity for Right Home to achieve tremendous growth and profitability."

While he doesnt actually steal gold from traveling aristocrats, he has helped create a service that aids MiddleAmerica in gaining a foot-up in the quest for home ownership and for that, he seems proud. " I dont mind being ...:l.r1.ai t,r.tr.ii

.

"we've built a superior and worl<ing business model with

national potential" viewed as a Robin Hood," says Yalnezian. "However, I am just the spokesperson and carry out the mission of our company and the goals of our existing investors. All Right Home employees are also committed to changing real estate for the better and even have a stake in our future via their stock options. We all believe that honesty is, and will continue to be, an extremely profitable business ethic in years to come," he said. Right Home has literally become the talk of the town and given the growing number of admirers and clients, the good people of "sherwood" should fear not of their bright future. Paul Yalnezian can be reached at 1.818.24A-7840 and can be found on the Internet at wwwRighthome.com.

uring a fiveday enposition in Berlin, more people had the crhance to get information about tourism in Armenia than all the tourists who visited the country last year.

At the Intemational Tourism Fxchange,

in 10,148 displays, walked past, glanced, stopped at and visited by more than 50,000 members ofthe tourism trade and about 2000 journalists from 90 countries. These are the numben that might explain the logic of USAID's $180,000 gant - with support from Intemationd E:recutive Service Corps 179 countries were represented

flESC) to finance participation in this yeafs M.rdr 3-7) er,po by the newly-formed Armenian Tourism Development Agency

(ArDA.) In a comer of hall 3a in the sprawling complex of Berlin's fairgrounds, 90 square meten (9fi) sq. ft.) cloaked in Armenian carpets - with Armenian cotnac and Armenian fruits and Armenian wines and herbal teas to entice guests - about 20 representatives from various Armenian travel agencies sold their country to the world.

It was not an easy sell, especially to an audience whose first question often was "Where...?"

But it is the way tourism commerce is conducted in the multi-billion dollar industry', and even a smdl slice of success could mean justifiable payoffs for those atents.

And tax revenues for Armenia.

"Armenia is like a flower that is just opening," said Vahakn Hovnanian, a New Jersey businessman who is chairman of the board of ATDA. Hovnanian is not new to Armenia. He is dweloping an Americanstyle residential district there, as well as tourist lodgings near key monuments around the country.

"I have been telling people that Armenia is a virgin country waiting to be known."

At the expo, Armenia waited among acres of otfiers courting the same rade. Waited DLz

the aisle from Turkey's booths that offered visitors a chance to get a facial massage from a luxury hotel or to make pottery under the supewision of a villager.

Florida with its pink flamingos and Califomia with its movie-themed display, and so many thousand others trying to be seen in a sea of sights mostly proffered themselves in bright lights and stark white. ln contrast, the dark carpeted, cozy Armenia booth offered the country's best across

product

-

hospitality

- inviting

guests to

stop in, sit, drini(, eat. Leam.

Private travel companies have participated in other ffavel rade shows, but Berlin marked the first time a collective group has represented Armenia. The USAID funding paid for transport, leaving only hotel and per diem expenses for individual companies.

While many participants of such expos plan all year for how they will represent themselves, the Armenia contingent only found out in December that funding would be available to make their involvement possible. That left only a couple of months to put together a plan and solicit participation.

IESC director Lisa Scorsolini led a team that recruited New York marketing consultant Rid( Hibbert to advise the group on how to best present itself Hibbert, whose experience includes marketing of the 100th Anniversary of the Statue of Liberty and the reopening/renovation of Ellis Island, devised the "Cafd Armenia" theme.

Denia Bouza, sales manager for Best I07estem in Greece, was among guests who spent time at the Armenia displan looking at walls of pictures, sampling apricots.

Bouza complimented the display's desigr, but suggested that ATDA narrow its

tacts made during the exposition - some accusing ATDA of wanting too much control.

But Scorsolini explained that the pupose of requiring the contact information was so that ATDA could create a mailing database for follow-up and future expositions.

"A[DA" Hovnanian said "is not promoting a company, we are

promoting a country.'

It is a country that, during Soviet times, says AIDAs press release received 'hundreds of thousands" of tourists.

Since independence, the numben have been closer to 20,000 annually.

Participation at the Berlin trade show

isn't likely to produce immediate increases

ouEeach.

"Armenia should focus on getting busi*because

I don't think that the average leisure traveler will be going there." But Bouza was overlooking ness travelers,"

the Christian tourist and the adventure tourist.

Highlighting the l700th Anniversary of Christianity, the Armenian representatives presented their country as "timeless, undiscovered."

And, typical of the tiny place with several dozen politicd parties, there were varying opinions among participants as to their effectiveness or as to whether their direction was well considered.

According to Nina Dadayan, manager of Armenia Travel + M, individual agencies appreciate the support of ATDA, but are not unanimously pleased with the way it was created, nor that it is led by an American.

"There is nobody under that name [ATDA] who understands what tourism should be in Armenia," Dadayan said.

"Armenia needs a market plan. There is no sign now of what needs marketing. Now [tourism in Armenia] is like a blank page; you can put anything on it."

Othen in the party were unhappy about ATDAs requirement that they sigp a document a8reeing to tum over their list of con-

Botza said,

AIM DESTINATIONS MARCH

2OO1

in those numbers. More likely, say travel experts, it will be at least t'wo yean before seeds planted

in Berlin yield

vest in Armenia

r

a

tourist har-

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Yercuan

lliary

Attandsoul BY

llAllgY l0lG0ilAll; PHOI0S

BY

tlllAt

DIB

esterday aftemoon, Dahlia and I visited the Sharan Handmade Crafts Center, housed nort door to the Tree Project's Yerevan offices. We admired the delicate, hand-knit baby sweaten and booties, most of them destined for shipment abroad and sale under various fancy labels.

There were also doth dolls in traditiond village attire, needlepoint caps, hand{arved wooden spoons, embroidered linen duvet

rrirrg fikn about the life of Sayat Nova, because my husbandJames was coincidentally showing it to his film class at Columbia, so I was prepped for this visit.

A woman at the museum guided us thro"gh the rooms, tuming on the light as we entered and shutting it as we moved to the

building had been purchased as a home for Sergei Paradjanov, the great film director and

like a fragment in a vast, multi-faceted selfportrait. There was one room devoted to the pieces that Paradjanov had produced while he was in prison. (He had been sentenced to five years hard labor n l%4 for violating atrcle l2l of the Homosexual Law and for

covers and so on. Everything was of the finest quality. 'We were told that Armenian

artist. All his fumishings and artrrork had been brought to Yerevan from Tiflis, where he was bom and raised, but the director had died before he was able to take up residence.

The walls were covered with intricate and arnazrngcollages made from a variety of homely objects: broken plates, buttons, shells, pieces of dolls, mirror fragments, pho-

smuggling foreign cuffency and art. He was released tn lyTl because oflobbying by the intemational film community.) Even when prevented from making his films, he was making art. The sheer volume of pieces in the museum gave the sense that Paradjanot's eyes and hands were never idle.

We walked back into town and stopped

women did the handwork at home and then brought the finished pieces to the center.

We left with bulging shopping bags.

Laura and Henry dropped us at the Paradjanov Museum. last week I again saw the Color of Pomegranates, Paradanot's stun-

nort gdlery. Our guide told us that the

AIM DESTINATIONS MARCH

2OOI

tographs, ribbons, watch components, wid<er, feathers, dried flowen, and scrub brushes.

Some of the worls were whimsical, some suffirsed with sadness, but each one seemed

Yereuan

lliary

at the Hay-Art Cultural Center, which was housed in a large concrete building on Mashtots not far from the covered market.

W'e met Ruben, the art director, just inside the entrance. He led us to a circular central section of the building, where some sunshine came in through a slcylight above, but the galleries were dim. W'e enjoyed a show of sharp, witty photographs all of them taken in Yerevan by a young Syrian artist named

- the placards explained the building's rules, such as no spitting, no garbage on the stairs and so on - and treated them by blocking out some letters and words to make other phrases.

I was interested in buying a photograph and Dahlia one of the Hovanessian paint-

made, the photographer, Aiham sat down next to me and we started talking about the process of setting prices for his wor( whid'r he found to be something of an ordeal.

He explained that if someone who lives in Yerevan is buying the piece someone scraping by on a post-Soviet-style salary of Drams the price is of necessity different than it is for a person from New York with a wallet of dollars. "I can't do it," Aiham said. "I can't say a number." I told him, "That's why you have to let Ruben do it for you. You're the artist, he's the dealer."

Once the deal making had concluded we all chatted for a while about the curent art scene in Armenia and what Dahlia and I had observed in Yerevan. Ruben told us, "To get more than a superficial understanding ofthis place you need to stay for three or four months shorter than that you see only surface details." That sentence has been

ings. Ruben tumed on the lights so we could examine them more carefully. W'e then moved to his office to discuss the details.

Ruben telephoned Ara Hovanessian, who was at the Armenian Center for Contemporary and Experimental Art, to set up a meeting between him and Dahlia. \7trile these arrangements were being

reverberating in my head since I heard it.

Aiham, Dahlia and I walked over to the Armenian Center for Contemporary and Experimental Art, a cavemous building across the street from the Vemissage. !?'e met fua in an upstairs gallery to look at more of his paintings. IThile Dahlia and Ara continued talking, Aiham and I retumed down-

-

Aiham Dib. ![e fell in love with a series of paintings by fua Hovanessian. The artist had taken old metal placards that during Soviet times had been posted in the entrance halls

of apartment buildings

-

-

-

AIM DESTINATIONS MARCH

2OO1

to the hangar-like meeting hall where about forty people in their 20s and 30s sat, Iistening to a young woman. She was alternating between playing segments from the music of the American avant-garde composer Steve Reich on a boom box and then giving a sort of informal lecture on the selecstairs

tion. Only 10 days ago I heard Steve Reich and musicians performing in New York and here he was on tape in Yerevan. Felt like some kind of strange coincidence. I wished my Armenian skills were better because I only understood about a quarter ofwhat the young woman was saying.

Dahlia, Aiham and I strolled towards Republic Square and then up Abovian Street. They decided to stop for tea, but I headed to the Yerevan Children's Art Gallery. The ground floor was given over to an exhibit of children's paintings illustrating scenes

from Hovhannes Toumanian's

Armenian folk tales. Each painting was labeled with the name of the artist and the child's age - they ranged fiom six to 15 years old. I was struck by the vibrant colors, the sophisticated compositions and the intricate details in the representation ofclothing, architectural features and plant life.

I wondered if the kids had been shown

* il

t:Ilf,;ffii

Yereuan lliary

slides and reproductions of Armenian

illumi-

nations. There were arches similar to those on canon pages, familiar decorative motift, and faces characteristic of the illuminated manuscripts. The work was produced under the direction of "The National Center of Aesthetics" and I wish that I had been able to ask somebody about the pedagogical philosophy of that institution. There was a sameness to the kids'pieces that made me wonder if there had been a formula in the teachers' expectations. "You can paint the sky any color you wan! but the eyes should be almond-shaped with serious eyebrows."

Overall, the work was inspiring whatwer the method. Next I went to the basement galleries where the walls were covered with vivid paintings by drildren from all over the world: Ireland Pdestine,Japan, Ivory Coast, Australia, Indonesia.

This moming we went to the open-air market ln Frendr the word omtissageisused to describe an opening the reception at the sart of a gdlery show but Yerevan's Vemissage is what the French ca[, a rnarchi d:uxpilces (flea market). This was the place to find arts books, dental supplies, Soviet army badges, glassware, pots and pans, baby clothes, and car parts.

As a connoisseur of flea markets, I was impressed by the highqudity handicrafts for sale, from cloth dolls to calpets. I bought a smdl badcpad< made from a fragment of an Armenian inscribed rug dated 1909. We stopped to look at stingp of hand-painted worry beads, some of them made from plastic and some from actual cow bones. One

-

set featured the faces ofpious-eyed Armenian saints on one side and Armenian

revolutionaries with bandoliers on the other.

A man was selling polished stones on which were etc.hed the faces ofArmenian heroes and celebrities, among them David of Sasun and the recendy assassinated prime minister, Yazgen Sargsian. I felt compelled to buy

like iron. It will last forever. Twenty dollan."

I knew that the c.:hambermaids at our hotel eamed eighteen dollan a month, but I wasn't in the mood to hrggl..

Leaving the market we paused to look at some small oil landscape paintingp. The

one of Monte Melkonian, if only for the hand<arved wooden AK47 attadred to the

artist stood unobtrusively nearby. It seemed like a miracle that not one of the canvasses portrayed Mount Ararat. Dahlia bought a painting of Mount Aragats for a modest

stone stand.

seven

One aisle of the market was given over to needle-lace and embroidery. Tablecloths and napkins fluttered on improvised clotheslines.

Sitting on a cement wall under a tree, a grayhaired woman was busily working with crochet and thread. Behind her, exquisite doilies were tacked to a piece ofboard. One glance told me this woman was a gifted artist. I a circular doily in ivory cotton thread and asked her how mudr it cost.

"This one took a lot of time," she told me, pointing to a circle of double peals. "It is

dollan.

Painful in a way how many of our interactions came down to dollan. Art and commerce. We heard from Ruben that the committee that granb permission for the orport ofart had assigrred a valuation ofzero dollars to the Ara Hovanessian piece that Dahlia bought. Conceptual art had no taxable vdue. This was a badge ofhonor r

pointed to

Nanq Kricorian

is a New York-based poet and novelist. Aibam Dib is a Yeranan-hased

photographen

-

AIM DESTINATIONS MARCH

2OO1

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tUlodEnnGhallenUG$ lnterview with the Supreme Patriarch and Gatholicos ol All Armenians Karekin Il INTERVIEW BY LAURA GOtTOl{IAil; PHOTOS BY ARMII{EH JOHANilES

AIM: What challenges are laclng the Armenian Ghurch today? What are you goals, objectives and programs?

Gatholicos Karekin !l: One of the biggest challenges facing our the Armenian Church today is educating our faithful - bringing the Word of

trained clergy and laymen and laywomen to effect a change. But, with God's help, we will find suitable candidates, nourish them in sufficient numbers, educate them so that they can go forth and revitalize the religious, social and cultural life of our people.

entered a new phase. Both the Church and the State wanted a relationship governed by law, hence an agreement was signed according to which both formed commissions to regulate the rights and responsibilities of the Church with regards to the different aspects of social and public life, as well as relations

is your opinion and what are your erpectations regading relations belween the Armenian Apostolic Ghurch and the state?

With independence, Church-State relations

with the state authorities. These

God to allArmenian Christians ttuoughout the

world. My job

as Vehapar is to lead my flock closer to God and closer to our Holy Chwch.

Today, the Armenian Apostolic Church is

facing various questions regarding ritual,

What

canons, traditions, celibacy of priests, cremation of deceased, moral and ethical issues, language, length ofthe liturgy, and so on. The

Church should approach these questions carefully, remembering our traditions and looking towards the future. In the coming years, the Council of Bishops will address these concerns and make appropriate recommendations so that the Church and her teachings will be more accessible and comprehensible to the faithful, thus making their spiritual life richer.

Another challenge is specific to Armenia, and former CIS countries. During the Soviet

regime, our people were cut off from their Church. They were deprived of church tradi-

tions and spiritual life. The state, which was promoting atheism, could not destroy the faith that remained in people's hearts.

However, many churches were closed and others fell into ruin. Thankfully, today the citizens of these countries have freedom to worship openly. With independence, the faithful flooded the churches demanding a spiritual life.

I pray that all Armenians, not just those in the CIS countries will live according to Christian principles and in Christian corrmunities. In order to reach this goal, it is necessary for our Holy Church to penetrate into each Armenian hearth. To accomplish this, we must reorganize and restore our churches, our communities and our educational programs. We must revitalize our communities throughout the world and bring the faithful into the loving arms of our Holy Church.

The Armenian Church is presently confronted with the reality that we have a lack of AIM MARCH

2OO1

councils have been formed and will meet to apply the principles of the signed ageement; presently we will find appropriate solutions to all of our

Goum Stony

problems by holding discussions with ministries and representatives of government.

The church and state are two separate entities, but cooperation is natural and essential.

They share a common goal - to serve the people - but have different roles in that service.

religion in schools, and assisting the poor. Of course, prayer will be at the core of their

lives. We hope to enlist the assistance of other churches in this undertaking, utilizing their experiences and knowledge in this area.

We hope to send our future sisters to convents throughout the Christian world to receive training in teaching, community out-

We understand that the church has envisaged lorming a Gommunity ol Nuns. How, and by uuhom will they be lormed and what wil! their

tion and history of women in religious life

activities be?

and we hope to leam from their experiences.

reach and conyent life. There is a great tradi-

After the collapse of the Soviet

regime, the Church faced enormous demands and we

saw that women could play a great role in meeting those needs. Both His Holiness Vasken I, and Karekin I of blessed memory gave their blessings to form a community of nuns. In the coming years, Holy Ejmiatsin will form a community of nuns who will live in monasteries in order to serve the people as teachers and social workers - taking care of the sick, elderly and abandoned, teaching

At the main entrance ol Eimiabin, it says, "ln

the memory 0l the

Deaconess Hripsime

Tahiryants. " What is the position 0l the Armenian Apostolic Ghurch with regards to the ordi-

nation ol women. ls it likely?

Our Church has had female deacons, but not female priests. The Nuns that we will be training will be able to become deaconesses.

Today, the question of priesthood for women is not at the center of the Armenian Church's concerns.

Do you think that the number ol students studying in the seminaries is suflicient? How many new students enroll every year and how many graduates d0 you have per year?

In1917, the Gevorkian Seminary in Holy Ejmiatsin was closed. It was reopened in 1945, but was only permitted to have 3040 students who studied for six years. After the independence of the Armenian nation, the demand for clergy grew, seminaries were established in Sevan and Gumri and enroll-

ment at the Gevorkian Seminary

was

increased bringing the total number of seminarians to 200.

Each year we have approximately 25 if we become content with these numbers, it will take a century to ftrlfill the spiritual needs of the faithful throughout graduates, but

the world. Therefore, the Church is consider-

ing the establishment of an

accelerated

course to train men who are at the graduate level of study to become ordained and to serve our communities. ln order to accomplish this, we have to solve some organiza-

tional problems relating to housing

and

finances. We also have plans to open two more seminaries and increase the number of students to 500 so that we can quickly meet the demand for clergy to serve the Church and the faithful.

What is the position 0l he ffmenian Ghurch conceming the presence 0l sects in Armenia, and especially seob like Jehouah's Witnesses who arc woddng without ollicial rcgistration? !n your opinion, how do these sect affecl the laith

AIM MARCH

2OO1

ol the people, and what Gan the Amenian Ghurch do to keep believerc auuay lrom secb and attract them to the Church?

After the devastating earthquake in Gumri and Spitak and especially after the independence of Armenia and the introduction of free-

dom of religion, numerous religious

sects

arrived in Armenia. They tried to attract the people through financial means, including offering food and money. At the time our people were desperate and many accepted this "assistance." The sects employed unchristian methods, which moved people farther from the Armenian Church, and I would say from Christianity itself.

Sects break up families and often prey on those who are in the worst situations. They claim that they are doing all in the name of Christianity and of Christ. They claim that they speak "the truth" and that the Armenian Church is not a true Church.

It is painful to hear these groups invoke the name of Christ, and in His name destroy people, families and communities, deny health assistance, avoid laws, and undermine the Armenian Church in the hearts of the people instead of bringing them closer to each other and to Christ.

Christianity has been in Armenia for 2000

years and as the first Christian nation we have a long tradition, culture and history that is linked to our faith.

The Armenian Church understands that we can not, forcefully, stop the work of sects in Armenia. The best way to stop the work of these devastating groups is by focusing on the work that we have before us which is true and God pleasing. We are conscious that it is not through prohibitive rules that we can prevent

their proliferation, but through hard work administering to the needs of the people and preaching the Word of God to the faithful.

The Church has taken certain steps in order to prevent the proliferation of sects and to keep our people faithful to our Church and her teachings. Seminaries have been opened, religion classes are in session, youth groups have been formed, religious programs are being aired on television and radio, churches have been repaired and others built to meet the needs of our people and a Christian education center has been opened in Gayane Church in Ejmiatsin all with the aim of arming our people with the teachings of our Church, to give them strength, courage and hope for their futures and the futures of their children.

Today, the maiority ol Amenians liye under dillicult social Gonditions. How can the church

Gouen

ttony

help the people?

The Church operates over 15

souP

kitchens in various cities throughout Armenia, serving over 200 meals a day to the elderly and needy members of our communities. We also administer an outreach program to more than 4,000 orphans where they receive $10 per month. Also in operation is a credit pro-

gram to small entrepreneurs who present promising business projects. This program is operated

in

collaboration with the World

Council of Churches.

Four fomter Pioneer Palaces that were operated as youth clubs during the Soviet Regime are being operated by the Church and the AGBU and have been re-baptized "The House of the Children." More than 3,000 children (ages G16) come to the centers to participate in countless activities including music, dancing, art, computer haining and sports. The centers also organize summer programs and camps for the children.

We have received underwriting to create employment opportunities and are presently considering various options. In the near future we will operate a hospital in Yerevan, offering medical treatment to the citizens of

Armenia. We are also finalizing plans to reconstruct and operate a home for the elderly members of our communities.

Many of these programs are operated

through the generosity

of the Armenian

faithful in the Diaspora, the AGBU, and various dioceses. And we are most grateful for this assistance.

he position ol fie Amenian Apos- tolic Ghurch regarding such issues as homosexu' aliiy, abortion and Gapital punishment?

What is

The Armenian Church rejects all

acts

which go against the message of Our Lord.

The Church's mission is to teach the Word of God and to care for the spiritual welfare of its faithful. The moral and ethical teachings of our faith are based on the Gospels and the teachings of the Church Fathers and provide the faithful with a basis to make choices.

What is being done lo solve the ptoblem ol dlvision belween Eimiabin and Antilias. Do you thinkthat diocesan unity might be achieved?

There are differences between Ejmiatsin and Antelias. We are constantly in contact

with Antelias, and we are aware that these differences prevent us from moving ahead. We are the same Church and we are

trying to solve our differences. We have a brotherly relationship and I am confident that we will be able to solve these problems and use our energies to strengthen our

Church and our homeland.

The division in our Church makes it dfficult for us as a people, a nation and as a Church to move forward. It makes it difficult for us to speak with one voice. The most painful part of this division is that the young people in our churches are disappointed and are leaving the Church. We, as a Church and as a people, cannot afford to lose our young people, many of whom do not even understand why there is "the other church."

For some, the lact that the mass is Gelebrat'

ed in ancient Armenian (Grabat) which is not understood by the maioriu ol people is disGouraging; othors cilticize the inaccessibili'

ty and distance ol the Ghurch authorities lrom the population. Many adults, who, due to the Soviet legime, do not have any leli' gious knotilledge, deplore the absence ol religious education. How do you respond to these criticisms? my opinion, the use of ancient Armenian in our liturgy is not an obstacle to the understanding of our faith. In the Diaspora, if a member of our faithful community is a churchgoer, he/she will realize that the liturgy is exactly the same each and every week. Most churches have a vernacular ftanslation in each pew. If one follows the liturgy and reads the translation, it is not dfficult to leam and undentand what is happening on the altar. After some time, even the translation is not necessary. However, I do undentand and agree that the teaching parts of our liturgy should be in the language of the people. In Armenia, this means Modern Amtenian, and in the US this may mean reading the Holy Bible and $ving the sermon in English.

Concerning the relations between church leaders and the faithful, the revitalization of communities is essential to building strong bonds. Most priests only meet the faithful during services, liturgy, weddings, baptisms and funerals. Today we are trying to reestablish community life and reinforce ties between the clergy and the people. The lack of churches and priests in suffrcient numbers makes this a bit more dfficult.

In

Concerning religious education, the Church must continue to publish instructional materials aimed towards both adults and children. In Armenia we have instituted a religious education program for children in almost every diocese. Over 2,000 children between the ages of eight and 13 have graduated from this intensive program this year. We are also airing religious programming on television and radio and we are trying to include religious educaAIM MARCH

2OO1

tion in public schools.

What is your opinion 0l Gelibacy and does

the Armenian Ghurch envision relorms Gon' Gerning this matter?

In the past centuries, celibacy was confined to monasteries where celibate priests devoted their lives to the educational and scholarly work of the Church. In the parishes, married priests did the pastoral work.

Throughout the years, many celibate priests had to leave the monasteries to serve as parish priests in the communities.

The celibacy issue was discussed during the reign of His Holiness Vasken I, of blessed

memory and will most likely be discussed again at the next Bishop's Conference.

This year, Armenia celebrates the 170llth Annivesary ol the Acceptance 0l Christianity as the State Religion. Many events are

planned, including pilgtimages, religi0us events, symposiums, the Gonsec]ation 0l Holy Ghilsm [Muronl and the consec]ation ol the St. Gregory the llluminator Cathodral in Yerevan.

Whal do you thinft that such celeblations hing to Armenians and Armenia?

It is my hope that this celebration will bring Armenians throughout the world closer to their Church and closer to Armenia.

The 17CIth Anniversary provides a unique opportunity to strengthen our national and church unity - to renew our Holy Church and our faith.

I

pray to God that the light that

was

brought out from Khor Virab will spread all over the world and give light and warmth to Armenian homes and hearts. I pray that it will be possible for every Armenian to come to Armenia and to light his candle in the Cathedral at Holy Ejmiatsin where Christ himself descended and where Christianity was declared as the state religion.

I also pray that God strengthen each and every one of us as we work together to renew our Church. It is only with all of our talents that we can revitalize our Holy Church. The Gospel says "so let your light so shine among men that they may see your good work." Each and every Armenian must be a Iight for the Church and the nation

-

they must bring their

talents, their patience, their ideas and their love.

If each one of

us

lights a candle signifying

our Christian works, our communities, our Church and our nation will shine Laura Gononian

forever.

o{ the Armenia Tree Proiect

conducted this interview for AlM, on the eve of the Patriarch's Pontijical visit to North America in May 2001.

I

Gouen $tony

L700tn flnniuer$ary

[uent$0alsnilar Events are organized throughout the year by the

Armenian Church and Govemment to celebrate the 1700th anniverury o{ adoption of Christianity as state religion in Armenia. The highlight will be

July 11-20 Mass Baptisn

September 21 in

Laka

Sayarwith participa-

tion of the Catholicos of AllArmenians and

l7&seat

church is the largest Armenian

Church ever built. The other will be the mass baptism of thousands of Armenians on this occa-

sion. Already, several large baptisms have taken place in difterent parts of Armenia (200 children in Shirak, 451 students in Chambarak settlement,

September 22 July 21-31

Blesslng and Consecration ol tho Holy

Ravenna Festiual featuring world{amous Ricardo Mutti and the Philharmonic 0rcheslra ol the La Scala Theaterwill per-

Ghrism (Muron) at Ejmiatsin

form in Armenia

the llluminator Cathedral in Yerovan

August 18-26 Seeond Pan-fumenlan Games and Conceil

$eptemher 14-15

Pllgrimage to Der Zor Syria,

led by the

Aradzani, organized by the Armenian Patriarshate of lstanbul and all Turkey.

May 28-29 Pllgrimage to Oer Zor Syria,

September 26 Ihe Armonlan World

Juillee Pllgrimage to Ani, Alrltamar and

Catholicos of All Armenians

September 23 Gonsecration of the newly built $t. Gregory

and 301 children in Yerevan).

April24

10th anniversary ol the independenee of Armenia

President ol Armenia

the consecration of a new cathedral in Yerevan.

The

Ecumenlcal Seryics at Efmiaklnon the

a concert of sacred

music in contemporary anangernents, in Yerevan's Republic Square, accompanied by

a light show

!,:,r:i;i

$eptemter-llougmbgr

led by the

l

For You, Christian Armenia Fe$iual ol

Catholicos of Cilicia

Clasic Music with open-air eoffifu'ffir1' :, Pod(Rusra), Ear{HungaryIlffil .,

June&? '

(Hungary),

:

london $infofiisila

!.

Yd

(UK),

Bashmst and hsem Enserffi ol $oloish (Russia), $tevon fsortB tUR, Gftllingirian 0milS(UK),

Jubilse Pilgrimags to Gacsarua Cappadocia, where St. Gregory the lllumimtor

LWiB,r,

wa$ consffirated the fimt bishop of Armenia, organized by the Patriarchate ol lstanbul

Ensamble (ltaly), lfim lk*ildrilllil (USAI, Surcn Bagratunl (USA), Ani &.ldt{'

June 1-10

thfayians

;

For Yoa, Chrtilian Armenia

World Music

Tozlan

June Z6tluly 1, 2001 at

lhe

hnanhn

Ctu

rsf

hosted jointly

(Argentina).

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i

'l700th

bythe

ol the Anniversary fostivitlds and cslehration of Armenia's entry into the 21st cenfury. ,

lnlorrution

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l7@chrniadzin.am i. , I

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Pilgdmfis,fi0l

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Woltomo to the 21cl Csnilryeorcluslon

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Ejmiatsin

BEMlii{t

December 31 $ptrl'tualtty

Catholicosate ol Cilicia, the Ecumenical lnstitute, Bosey, and fir University of Genew

Yorffr

$orgoy

Aloxandor Ghaushyan (UK) and,ffrla

Festival featuring international ensembles

lnternational Conlorence on The

(USA),

to l$or Ulmp

cathcil@inco.com.lb

ad'Yeisan.

Divan@ArnenianPatriarchde.org

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MaHnU Uotes Gouil Armenian Americans and the Electoral Process

BY TENI MELIDONIAN

!

I I

n 1999, Armenians elected Rafl Manoukian

to the Glendale City Council. He was not the first Armenian elected -Larry Zaian had preceded him and William Paparian had been a member of the nearby Pasadena City Council - but the fint candidate who could

trace his election victory to the Armenian vote.

A few months later, there were two Armenians in the race for California State Assembly from a district which includes Glendale and Burbank, both heavily populated by Armenians. In the primaries, split Armenian endorsements and a split vote helped defeat one of those two candidates, Paul Krekorian, the Democrat. Inthe November 2000 general election, Krekorian's opponent, Dario Frommer, with some Armenian help, defeated the Republican, Craig Missakian.

During the same highly-watched election (see AIM, November 2000) - in the first real test of the Armenian vote -incumbent Congess man James Rogan, a Republican, was defeated by then-State Senator Adam Schiff, a

Director of the Armenian Assembly of

takes more to win the Armenian vote than says a community

America, Western Region. The Armenian

just trips to Armenia,"

Assembly, a Washington, DC-based nation-

observer.

As candidates and interest groups target Armenians, the Armenian voter still needs to be educated. And candidates themselves realize this.

"Conducting educational forums where the process is discussed in detail, in the primary language of the citizens, is a key step in helping the Armenian community to begin getting involved," says Armine Hacopian, a

wide advocacy organization focusing on

"The community has shifted its political

important to the Armenian American community, is becoming ever more interested in statewide and even municipal races.

This, despite the fact that the Assembly's main agenda items are Genocide recognition and support for the Republic of Armenia.

One reason for this local interest is reapportionmenl the upcoming once-every-tenyears battle over how districts are drawn up, and which incumbents will be threatened.

Based on the 2000 census, California's senate and assembly will redraw certain districts based on population changes and political needs. Armenians don't want to lose the one district where their concentration produces electoral leverage.

agenda and outlook in favor of social justice and basic everyday economic issues, and is seeking politicians who address such needs,"

negative information provided by Armenians and non-Armenians. "We absolutely have to be a political power base," she adds.

"As a community, we need to be aware of the process and have long term goals and sfrategies, and be involved at the decision making

Armenian vote is one of two Armenian candidates for the Board of Tlustees which gov-

Democrat. Of the 32 precincts identified as Armenian in that district, 29 went to Schiff.

"It was very clear that the kinds of issues Schiff cared about resonated with Armenian American voters," says Eric Hacopian, a political mnsultant who worked on the Schiff campaign.

Once known for voting along Republican lines, the community's agenda now includes housing, senior issues and social security.

explains Hacopian.

As

it

turned out, voter turnout

in

this hotly contested district was 60 percent, compared to a52percent averuge for the state of California. This meant the Armenian vote mattered - and matters - even more. "Given the high rate of voter turnout in the Armenian community and the ever increasing number of Armenian voters, anyone who wishes to win political office in these districts can't help but search out issues important to

the

community," says Peter Abajian,

issues

candidate

for the Glendale Community of Tiustees in the April

College Board

municipal elections. The political education of the community can help alleviate the dependence on inconsistent, inaccurate and

Hacopian who

is

actively courting the

table," says Adrin Nazarian, a former appointee to the California Tiade and Commeroe Agency. "Especially relating to

leges, where the student body is at least onethird Armenian. The other'ian'in the race is

reapportionment," he adds.

Philip Kazanjian.

That Precious Yote A decade ago, the "Armenian" issues were Genocide recognition and humanitarian aid to Armenia. Today, with the influx of new immigrants from Armenia, Iran and the Middle East, domestic, social and welfare issues outweigh intemational concems. "It AIM MARCH

2OO1

erns one of the state's largest community col-

There are also two Arrrenians running for Glendale Unified School Board of Education: Greg Krikorian and Katherine Yesayan.

Morc Candidateg More Yoters "We have seen an increase in Armenian participation in the electoral process," adds Frank Quintero, a candidate for Glendale

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City Council. "The community can utilize its size at the ballot box, but also by involving itself in homeowner associations, business organizations and municipal commissions," he continues. Quintero is an example of such cross-over basebuilding. A longtime resident of Glendale, he has been active in education issues which effect immigrant populations.

Long before became involved in programs to prevent youth violence, Quintero was developing and seeking support for specific youth-oriented initiatives.

Quintero is one of L3 candidates vying for seats on the Glendale City Council. Two are

Armenian

"We have the concern for the community in mind. We want Armenians to be in political positions, but priority is to put the most qualified candidates, whether Armenian or not," he said.

The ANC and the ACA share concerns for access to affordable housing, easing ofyoutlr/ ethnic tensions, and job,s. But not on candidates.

"In reality, the community is fragmented.

You're seeing more examples of Armenian

political groups endorsing opposing candidates. The sense of what is best for all doesn't

exist," says a community observer who has volunteered on local campaigns. Darakjian

Armenian: Hamo Rostamian and Bob

offers another explanation. "Apparently

Yousefian. Three seats are up for grabs. That means voters cast votes for three candidates.

And just as Armenian political organtzations split their endorsements during the Assembly and Congressional races of 2000, they have gone separate ways againthis time around.

Rostamian, a Glendale real estate broker, has the endorsement of the local chapter of

each organization has a sub-platform deciding who is going to be best for the organuation, and not who is best for the community," he says.

organization, has also endorsed Quintero and

If it is not the parties' agendas that result in the split vote, "It may be just a strategy to back obvious winners to gain future political leverage," says a longtime ANC activist. That same strategy may be the reason no one has yet been endorsed by an Armenian group in the race for mayor of the City of Los Angeles.

Mary Boger. Yousefian, a contractor, picked

This huge, sprawling municipality, which

up endorsements from the Armenian Council

includes the San Femando Valley, has more Armenians than Glendale will ever see, but there is no single concentration area anywhere in the city. As a result, there isn't the same frenzy of interest between the electors and the would-be elected.

But there is interest. T[vo of the six candidates responded to AIM's questions.

the Armenian National Committee (ANC), The ANC, respected for its strong grass-roots

of

America (ACA) and the Armenian

American Political Action Committee (AAPAC).

TJne Glendale News Press has called into question both Rostamian's business acumen and Youseflan's commitment to Armenian issues, because he had been quoted agreeing with those who did not see the need to lower the CityHall flag on AprilZ. Yousefian refuted this charge. "I have brought the flag down in the past. If I'm a council person or not, I will work to bring it down again," he said.

The ACA also gave the nod to Tony Tirtaglia fq Qlly Council. The AAPAC added Quintero and Tilrtaglia to its list of candidates for the council seats.

All parties have argued that their particular candidates would best serve both the

Armenian community and the city of Glendale. The parties are adamant that endonements are not based on ethnicity, but on qualifications. "We based our vote on past records," says Artin Manoukian, the local ANC chairman. "Quintero has helped the Armenian American community with jobs, was the fint non-Armenian to call for corlmemo-

rating the Genocide and has paid special attention to South Glendale. And Mary Boger will help bring dialogue with different stakeholden in the community," he continued.

Peter Darakjian, executive director of the ACA, said much the same thing.

Antonio Villaraigosa is, according to some, one of the two front-runners for the race together with Clty Attomey James Hahn.

Vrllaraigosa says, "the [Armenian] community is playing an increasinglypivotal role in Los Angeles politics."

Villaraigosa is one of two major HiSpanic candidates, a reflection of that ethnic group's significance in the area. C,ongressman Xavier Becerra, is the other. He says, if elected, he "will establish regular ties and communica-

tion between the Mayor's office and the Armenian American community - through

town hall meetings, one-on-one sessions, and appointments to boards and commissions, as well as staff that includes Armenian American representation."

What is at stake this

outcome

of the

April

is not just the

elections, but also the

Armenian community's ability to build coalitions with candidates - Armenian and nonArmenian - who can best represent their interests and help usher in a new generation of leaders working for the collective benefit of the

community.

r

I s Albina Aroushanian cooks spas for the llririrorr of a triendly cat'e-iestaurant, Jlp*ao( rn Karabakhicapital, she recalls lile in

Uzbekistan, where she lived before returning to Artsakh, with her son, a few months ago.

There, too, she worked as a cook in one of

fling

- especially

in villages

-

get considerable

help from the government through the Decree on Resetfl ement Program.

If a family chooses to resettle in a village,

they get a credit of 150,000 Drams (about $270) to be repaid in 20 years, with a 05% interest rate for acquiring agricultural com-

Samarkhand's restaurants. And there she made a home with a husband and raised a son.

And there she made friends and spoke their

modities, and an additional 50,000 Drams

conrmon language.

"No one ever said or did anything bad to

hectares per person) and a house with no taxes for the first five years (after which it becomes

us in Uzbekistan. I still have many good friends there," Albina says. "We have an Armenian Church and community and Armenian language is taught in Russian schools where Armenian children study.

Uzbek people kept us in high respect and are very hospitable people." But in Uzebekistan, somethingwas missing.

"As you grow old, yourblood calls for your origins," she says. "It is just that there came a moment when I thought of my family's future and wanted to be here where my people are. I had missed them enough and wanted to be back with them. Here I feel more at home. .."

Albina's is a sentiment finding more and more expression as natives of Karabakh most displaced by war and hardship are

-

-

returning to the one place they can truly call home.

-

-

Since 19% the year of the cease-fire approximately 2,950 families have resettled in Karabakh. At least 857 Karabakhis (19{ families) returned just last year.

While the queue of want-to-leavers / havetoleavers in front of the American Embassy in Yerevan grows day by day, the rows of newly built houses grow in Karabakh villages. These are the houses for the families re-settling in Karabakh. The houses for those that once left who are re-settlers no\ry'.

They retum for personal reasons, but they are getting government help to do so.

According to lrnstone Ghoulian, Minister for Social Welfare in Karabakh, families reset

(about $90) to buy house ware.

A

family is given tax-exempt land

(0.6

the family's property.)

If a family decides

to resettle in the major city, Stepanakert, the government's mmmitment is less sigrrificant.

Families choosing to live in the capital receive only 20,000 Drams (about $35) and 5,000 Drams (about $9) per household member. The govemment also pays transportation costs from Yerevan to Stepanakert.

The Decree on Resettlement Program has become succesfirl enough to have captured the attention of the Karabakh media. On a recent State

TV broadcast, Arthur Thvaratsian

told a reporter that his family recently retumed from Krasnovodsk, Tiukmenistan, where about 70 percent of the community is

from Karabakh.

"Life was easy there, gas was nearly free of charge, petrol very cheap," Thvaratsian o'But we were missing out on the spiritusaid. al side of life. There was not much there for our children. Their future was looking gray and we decided that while we were young enough to build a new home, we should do it sooner than later."

Arthur met his wife, Mareta (a Karabakhi) there. Now she, too, is in Karabakh.

"I still have many relatives there who are deliberating over coming to Artsakh," Mareta said. "Every time my Dad gets a letter from

me,

he

goes from house

to

house in

Krosnovodsk and reads it aloud to others.

Everyone is interested to know how we've settled here, do we have jobs, how people met AIM MARCH

2OO1

us here. There are many that want to come,

it

just involves great difficulties with selling house and property, and requires time.

Maybe in one to two years more will follow our example."

Albina and her son, Arkady, first retumed to tend to her father who was seriously ill. But now, they are hoping to convince her husband Mtaly to join them.

Albina is sure that dwing one of the next phone conversations with her husband she will be able to persuade him to come to their homeland. After all she and Arkady, who is 23, both have jobs (he works for a butcher) and have overcome a great deal of uncertainties.

"At first it was strange to be here," Albina says. "I had a feeling that everyone notices that I was not local and was feeling uneasy about it.

It was strange to hear Armenian being spoken around wherever went, but pleasant and

I

warming."

Not all the re-settlen are recenfly displaced.

More than 30 yean ago, Mayor Aroushanian (no relation to Albina) left his native village of Grin-Thk for Turkmenistan where he had a shoe-making enterprise.

He came back to Karabakh two years ago and has built a home, and hopes to move his

family into it this spring.

Aroushanian and the others say that nostalgia for home did not vanish over years but

grew deeper year by year and that's what brought them back.

They returned and othen are following.

They face the common problems of resetflement. Some have to rent a house, some yet have to look for a job, some have to start a home from scratch.

But they are here to share a common fate and they get used to their new life, their new neighborhood, their new problems.

Albina is hopeful that her family will celebrate their Silver anniversary in Stepanakert.

And Mayor Aroushanian will probably have a "house-warming" as soon as this spring with his whole familypresent. And life will go

on. r

:,,til

!lill

Opportunities in all sectors of the economy, including rnanufacturing, hospitality and tourism, food processing, technology, transportation, public utilities, natural resources, medical services, etc. Privatization legislation and public attitude support and encourage Diaspora and other foreign investors to

llautynu

provide ownership. capiral. srategic invest-

in lhs ntilUnriltn?

ment and business knolv-how for enterprises and assets being privatized,

lu

W tr

PRIVATIZATION & BANKRUPTCY PROJECT

IN ARMENIA

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[[ll,lI]il[}t tiffRpRt$t$ l1ll[ [$$il$

ilclurrs dealing tlltil]t il $[Eritir luilr? il]r,|'o BrfiBltrittg pltolr

For niore information contact THE MrNrstny op

Smlr Pnopenry

atc]lrll8

MANAGEMENT

Republic of Armenia Telephone (37 41) 520-628, 528-61 4 Ernail tender@arminco.com

h al Yollr dispoml

M[Rtll,HIII

liu,wprivatization,am Additionally, you may contact IBTCI, USAID funded advisors to the MSPM. IBTCI is available to respond promptly to most inquiries.

Tel/Fax (3741) 151-054, 523-7 s9, 569-1 Email IBTC I@arminco.coni

ynu ltEEil a rontillalion ul

10

207 South Brand Blvd, Suite 203 Glendale, California 91204 USA Phone 818.246.7979

0t Photo fees vary and copyright laws and regulations apply.

Ihtion

Whene lllstony anil $Gcunily lnflensect

Unilen$tanilinu thc Reality 0n the Enoum An Interview with Political Scientist Gerard Chaliand IIITERUIEW BY SALPI HAR0UTINTAN GHAZARIAI,I; erard Chaliand has spent

a

total of 1 5 years con-

ducting field studies in Africa, the Middle East,

PH0T0 BY S0SSI MADZ0UlllAil

connected to advanced countries - which was Karl Marx's proletariat theory. kstead, revolu-

Southeast Asia, the Far East, Latin America and

tion became characteristic of the counties of

Eastern Europe. He has been a direct observer of guer-

Asia, Africa and Latin America.

This was, and is also, an era of movements of national liberation, minority movements, an era when victims of genocide and crimes against humanity claim reparation, and the era started wth Nuremberg.

All this together with the very beginning of exploration of the Armenian Genocide question at the I-IN (which in 1973 was rejected because ofTurkish opposition) had a bearing on Armenians, especially in a country like kbanon, where there were large numbers of them, well-organaed,in a countrywhere violence was no unknown in the 70s.

So, Armenians woke up from a long historical absence, and dreamt ofjustice and guerrilla. They kept the dream of guerrilla activity alive, pretending they were an army, while actually practicing terrorism. And essentially, what I call, advertisement terrorism, directed

rilla movements and other armed conllicts from 1964

to 1999, from Sri Lanka to

Vietnam, Afghanistan to

Colombia, Angola to Nagorno Karabakh. He is adviser

to the Center for Analysis and Planning of the French

Ministry

of Foreign Relations, and director ol

the

European Center for the Study ol Conflicts. He is also consultant to various governments on guenilla move-

ments, resistance efforts, minority rights and tenor-

ism. Chaliand has authored several dozen books, among them The Penguin AtlasolDasporas (Penguin), Strategh Atlas: A comparative geopolitics of the worldb

powers(Harper and Row), and Revolution in the Third World: Myths and Prospecls (Penguin.)

AIM: What is the ditlerence between lenorism and guenilla warfare?

Ghaliand: Terrorism is carried out for the purposes of advertising a cause, or causing a

scare. Guerrilla tactics require the use of organized force by irregulars, essentially in the countryside aiming at fficting losses on a regular army and a state.

The tenorist activities that Amenians caried out in the second hall ol this century: why did they start in the 70s, and why in Lebanon?

They started, geographically, in Lebanon because Lebanon, from 1970 to 1982 was the place where all movements connected to the far left - whether Palestinian, Irish, Basque,

the Red Brigades, the Beider-Meinhof Group, the Tirrkish far left - all met and trained.

That's one reason. Second, historically, that was an era of what was called third-worldism,

which means that revolution was no longer

which stubbornly denies the reality of the Genocide. So, embassies, ambassadors, consuls, were the targets, and although one may resent such a poliry, but to the symbols of

a state

one has also to acknowledge that only hot news gets the media's attention.

So, a people who from L923 to 1975 had

presented to the lrague of Nations and the UN several memoranda, which were probably just thrown somewhere, sought a solution of Iast recourse. Can you go to a newspaper and say, "We have a problem dating back to 1915?"

Whocares-although a genocide doesnthave a statute of limitations - still, who cares?

What lorm did the Armenian tenotist organizations take?

AIM MARCH

2OO1

There were two currents of terrorist activity: One, ASALA, had the chutzpah to call itself the Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia, no less, and the other was the Justioe Commandos of the Armenian Genocide (JCAG) which were the Armenian Revolutionary Federation - Dashnaktsutiun (ARF).

The first was absolutely third-worldist and dreamt of alliances with the Kurds and other revolutionary movements and found some logistic bases in Syria. The other was more nationalist in orientation and acted in countries where they were not expected to act -

such as Bulgaria, Yugoslavia. The third-

worldists - ASALA - would not carry out such acts in the so-called socialist countries. This was a calculated move by the Dashnaktsutiun.

Thus they performed their deeds, and at the same time, called the attention of the Americans and won favor in the Cold War. This went on from 1975 to 1983 and was without doubt, successful, because a historic cause which had been absolutely forgotten, came back as a current problem.

And this permitted those who wanted to Whether we condemn those acts or not, whether we flnd them morally correct or not, for the cool political observer, such violence was useful act legally and do something, to do so.

and c.oherent.

The organization and convening of the People's Tiibunal in Paris in 1984 which found

Turkey guilU of Genocide would have been

-

unthinkable in 1975. The tribunal's members Nobel prize winnen including Sean McBride, the founder of Amnesty International - met,

heard experts, heard survivors, and issued their sentence, which was received by the President of the French Republic.

One of those who testified was the Kurdish

Illaffon

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filmmaker (from Tirrkey) Yknaz Guney, which infuriated the Tirrks, but put the whole thing on a new path. The Genocide issue went on to be remgrized by a Subcommittee of the flN in 1985, and in 1987 by the Council of Europe.

So, all in all, all that third-worldism, all that bravado, the Jewish precedent of a genocide recogrrized - albeit with a huge difference from the Armenian case: the recognition came from a perpetrating state which was vanquished, which Armenians tend to forget - all were usefirl to mobilize young people. l{ow What?

With the collapse of the Soviet Union and

the creation of independent states, including

the earthquaks - sglding money, docton, cadres. On the other hand, there has been

parliament, t}te Italian parliament, the Greeks, the Russians. And, also, by France, and this is important, because it's the first big European country to have recognized it.

That's a real breakthrough, and it was only the intervention of the State Department and President Clinton, that stopped the US recog-

enolmous work done toward the recogrition of the Genocide - essentially in two coun-

nition. The State Department has policy of not hurting Tirkey.

Armenia, there has been mobilization of effort in new ways: On the one hand, there has been the help given to Armenia and Karabakh, starting with the movement, and

a

real clear

tries: the US and France.

And compared to 25 years ago, today there is an independent Armenia - even if it's in an economic difficult situation, even if it's demographically bleeding - and it is involved in this proces ofgenocide recognition: today,

there has been recognition by the Belgian

AIM MARCH

2OO1

Why is it dillerent lor France?

The French are caught in a rhetoric of human rights where a public opinion far beyond that of the Armenian thinks that justice should be done to the victims, and it's very diffrcult to entirely resist

lllation

Armenian Assemblv- of America Executive Dircctor Washington, DC

-

The Armenian Assembly

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The ED must have no less than 10 years

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the pressure to recognize something so historically obvious. It's much more popular (in real sense of the word) in France than in the US. Imagine, after the French Senate flrst refused to consider this bill in October, there was a tent pitched outside the Senate with a permanent Armenian presence there, asking people to sign petitions, and people signed in large numbers. I don't know how many nonArmenians would have signed in the US. Of course, there is the Turkish attempt at blackmail, saying the French will lose contracts, etc. But the EU may one day have a policy that says You can't blackmail us. And, after all, what can Turkey do without the US or Europe? They don't have such a margin of options.

What do you say to the argument that the his-

lorians should be letl alone to discuss the Genocide?

The US and the EU are not discussing the reality of the Genocide. Thath not even a question. They have been considering the cost of recognizing it.

What do you say to those who say bringing third countries into the debale is not good, it's

dangerous,

it

repeats lhe errors of 1915?

-

then all they will gain will be the alliance of the Russians who might one day - after all Armenia's not the one with the oil - cause you to lose much more than you expect. You never know what might happen if you have just one ally. I believe it is wiser to seek an agreement with Azerbaijan. Peace is important especially if you seek economic growth. I think it makes sense for Armenia to have good rlations with Russia and Europe and the US. The Diaspora wants Armenia to be the shndad bearcr on his. Mary have rcsponded very negativelyto staiemenb by President Kocharian in an

interview on Tu*ish television, about what Armenia would claim as a result ol Genocide recognition. Are we expecting too much by wanting the Armenian president to articulate Armenians' emotional-psychological claims that arc somelimes defined in territorial terms?

As far as I'm concerned, Armenia has to act according to its means. Armenia's means are limited to the settlement of the problem of Nagomo Karabakh. After 80 yean in the West, some segments of the Diaspora seem to have learned very little on assessing the balance of forces, or even grasping what that is. The fact that a claim might be legitimate doesn't make it realistic.

They say that il anyone it's the Turks that should be convinced.

It's irrelevant. A genocide mncems the intemational communify. Besides, in 19i5, those third countries were seen as the allies of

Armenia, today, has no interest whatsoever to claim anything from Georgia, for example. If you have a problem in the east, you dont want a problem at the same time in the

TMay, it is the allies of Turkey which are pressuring it. France, an ally and an economic partner of Turkey is pressuring Turkey to look into its own past.

even dumber, you can also add to that a ter-

the ChristianswithinTirkey.

Where does Armenia ligure in this?

Armenia has to be willing to solve the tension in the Caucasus. If Armenia does what the Russians, until noqhavewishedthem to do, and keeps the fire of tension going,

north, unless you're dumb. And

if you

are

ritorial problem with T[rkey. And if you're an absolute fool, you can rely on the 1920 Tieaty of Sevres which makes no more sense than going back to the Roman Empire. It is a reality largely acknowledged in today's political and juridical laws that the right of selfdetermination concerns the people who live on a deflned land. This is why the claim on Nagorno Karabakh is legitimate. Armen ians

to the Chairman of the Board of Directors and work out of the Washington, DC headquarters.

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AIM MARCH

2OO1

lh[on

live there. You cannot claim a tenitory by saying that 85 percent or a 100 percent ofits population are Armenian, so the territory should be Armenian, and, at the same time, ask for lands that are absolutely empty of Armenians, saying that those lands used to belong to the Armenians. At best, one can only claim what he is able to defend. This is realism. And it might be the only policy which presents a chance for a future for Armenia.

Anything else is empty dreams and adventurAnd if such dreams are acted uporl there can only be guaranteed failure not just of that qpecific dream but ofother endeavom, too. Those who make loud demands should also clearly state what they are willing to pay for them. isrn.

What makes strategic and geopolitical sense

relations with Russia, and for Russia it's impor-

lor Armenia today?

tant to have an ally in the South Caucasus.

And it is also in Armenia's interests to have friendly relations with Europe and the US, because no small state wants to only have

To try to reach an honorable peace which guarantees the freedom of the people of

Nagorno Karabakh, which gives Heidar Aliyev the possibility of not losing face and taking back, with the exception of the Lachin corridor, the territories surrounding Nagorno Karabakh, in order to end the blockade. This will mean that once the military problem is solved, everyone can go back to the main problem, which is economic growth. We are Iiving in an era when only economic growth justifies the existence of a regime. China has understood this, but it seems Russia has not.

It is in Armenia's interest to maintain good

one protector.

As for Ttrkey, it should be made clear to them that recogrition of the Genocide does not imply financial reparations and does not mean tenitorial claims. It is a recogrition of the massacres that is e4pected The admission that there was an intention put into effect to get rid of the

Amrenianpopulation of all of Anatolia. Suctr a prooess is called a genocide. Armenians want

themoralreparation.

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BY SALPI HAROUTINIAN GHAZARIAN

ore than 15 ambassadors, charge d'affaires and heads of mission from various European, Middle Eastern and

workers who are familiar with Soviet slistems," said a director of a Yerevan ement factory.

Iraq, a country that has been under [.N sanc-

Asian countries, were present on February 25 when the Armenian Embassy in Iraq opened in Baghdad.

This 31st embassy of the Republic of Armenia. located in a comfortable residential part of the Iraqi capital, was a two-story

tions for much of the last decade. is home to nearly 20,000 Armenians. The head of the Armenian

willed to the Armenian

bors. The mmmunity grew to include schools, churches and organizations. Today, those organizations number over a dozen. There are 10 churches in Iraq, a large prelacy complex with school facilities, an old age home, a cemetery cultural and sport associations, as well as social services for the couple of hundred needy families who are in need of regular assistance.

Members of the community and heads of community organizations are quick to point out that this has been a comfortable and well to-do community, which earlier this century was very involved with the British oil community in Iraq. "It is only during these recent years," said one organization chairman, "that we have been faced with this reality of poor families unable to care for their own needs.

But forlunately. our community institutions have the means to help them."

According to Iraqi law, personal funds cannot be taken out of the country. At the same time, there is a scarcity of consumer goods due

home which was

Prelacy in Baghdad, which in turn presented it to the Iraqi government to give to the

Republic of Armenia.

The opening of the embassy was a well-attendForeign Affain of the Republic of Armenia, Vartan Oskanian, was

ed event. The Minister of

a delegation of nearly a dozen diplomats, and three times that many businessmen for a 24-hour official visit.

Oskanian, the highest-ranking Armenian official to visit the Iraqi capital, had come with the aim of strengthening relations and expanding trade and economic ties between the two countries.

present, with

The businessmen who arcompanied the minister represented various secton of industry, including enerry, consfruction, trarsportation and trade. "Soviet expertise helped build much of kaq's infrastructure. Now, we want to use our know-how to revive certain rrdusfies here. and at the same time, to create jobn for skilled Armenian

Chtrch n Iraq, Archbishop Avak Assadourian explained to the visitors that the survivors of the Genocide who made it to kaq in the early 20th century, were treated well by their Arab neigh-

AIM MARCH 2OOi

to the effects of continuing economic sanctions on the population. As a result, wills are often large, and frequently, the Armenian Church is named as beneficiary of family properry.

In a speech to members of the community just hours before his departure, the Foreign Minister spoke about the attitude of the Iraqi leadership toward the Armenian community.

"At all governmental levels, I have sensed the warmth and respect that is felt toward this community," said Oskanian. "And I have

expressed

to the Iraqi authorities

that

Armenians are grateful to Arab hosts for the hospitality which they demonstrated towards our parents and grandparents fleeing massacre and deportation."

Oskanian's 24-how schedule included meetings with President Saddam Hussein

and Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz, well as various ministers.

as

r

Photos, above: Minisler 0skanian, center, accompanied by Archbishop Assadourian and Armenia's ambassadors in the Middle Easl, lour the Armenian Prelacy in Baghdad; opposite page, top lelt: Cutting lhe ribbon al the opening ol the Armenian embassy in; top right, lelt to right: Oskanian, lhe Archbishop and Almenia's ambassador to lran, at the Armenian Prelacy; bottom: Upon arrival at the Saddam Airport, Tariq Aziz, center, greets Oskanian, right.

Photos by Petros Petrosian.

IUation

AIM MARCH

2OO1

Region

Iem[Iln$theFatg$ Abkhazia and Georgia Play a Dangerous Waiting Game

BY BRUI{O COPPIETERS

possible break-through in the negotia-

tions on Nagorno-Karabakh is raising great expectations. The political leader-

ship of Azerbaijan and Annenia have substantial interests in demonshating goodwill in the search for a compromise. Western and Russian diplomats also have an interest in declaring that both parties are close to an agreement. This does not mean, however, that any solution may be found soon. A similar situation exists in South Ossetia. The relative normalization of the situation in this region andthe attitudes of the South Ossetian

and Georgian leaderships have likewise raised hopes for a near settlement of that conflict. Still, no agreement has been found.

But the war in Chechnya and the so-called frozen conflict of Abkhaziapresent a very dif-

ferent picture. In these

cases,

no solution is

expected soon. No negotiations are even taking place conceming political status. There is reason to believe that both parties do prefer the status-quo over substantial compromises,

yet that position has consequences.

In the Georgian Soviet Republic, the Georgian nationality represented 70 percent of the population, and in Abkhazia 45 percent. The Abkhaz leadership attempted likewise to establish political hegemony over its "state," claiming the right to national selfdetermination, despite the fact that the Abkhaz represented only 18 percent of the population there.

At the end ofthe 1980s, the conflict escalated politically, and in August 1992, with the entry of Georgian troops into Abkhazia, it also escalated militarily. But, the Abkhaz received support from the Russian military stationed in the region as well as various other groups, especially from the Northern

Georgia and Abkhazia were Soviet

and had the right to secede. Abkhazia was an Autonomous republic inside Georgia, and

had some autonomy on the administrative level. It was not sovereign, had no formal right to secede and was dependent on Tbilisi and Moscow Soviet potcies failed to sup-

press continuous conflicts between the Georgian and Abkhaz national communities.

After the death of Stalin in 1953, Abkhaz intellectuals and party members sent repeated

requests

to Moscow to

secede

from

the

Georgian Soviet Republic. The demoqatization of Soviet political life in the 1980s led to large nationalist mobilization in both counfies.

The Georgian leadership attempted to extend its political hold over the territory of

Abkhazia.

the war on Abkhazia n 199-93, there had been violent conflict between Georgian and Ossetian nationalists concerning the status of the Autonomous region of South Ossetia (which is situated in the north of Georgia at the Russian border.) The Georgian authorities had also been incapable of establishing

reuniflcation with the "lost territory" of

control over this autonomous region by force.

A cease-fire was established in 199. The OSCE failed to achieve substantial results in mediating a political solution despite the signiflcant progress made regarding normalization of trade and retum of refugees.

The South Ossetian leadership is waiting for the final settlement of the Abkhaz question, because it doubtless will not agree to a lesser status than the one which will be ageed to with Abkhazia. This position is unacceptable for the Georgian side, however, which considers the Abkhaz an indigeneous people, just like the Georgians. But the Ossetes settled in the region of South Ossetia only a few centuries ago, the Georgians say, and North Ossetia, a republic located in the Russian Federation, is the motherland of all Osetians.

Abkhazia. Constitutional reforms involving

In practical political terms, this means that

the federalization of Georgia proper, however, were to be put off until such reunification could be achieved.

This shelving of a solution led to a postponement in the search for settlements to the

South Osetia (in Georgia) would have to satisfy itself with a lower status than Abk:trazia.

It is difficult to know what a lower status would mean concretely. Today, the future of apossible Georgian federation is still dependent on a combination of factors: the speculation of historians regarding the origins of the various peoples of the region, together with a very Soviet outlook on relations between national communities. In any case, political considerations concerning the most effective and stable form of a federal arrangement will not be the determining facton.

Caucasus, in particular

from Chechnya.

The Georgian troops had to retreat from Abkhazia in September1993. The Georgian civilian population fled in panic. A cease-flre was implemented but, despite the mediation

of the UN and Russia, no progress could be achieved on the question of political status.

Only a minority of the displaced Georgian population could return to Abkhazia.

Historical Background

republics of unequal rank. Georgia was a Union republic which was fonnally sovereign

Abktrazia declared its independence.

The lack of progress concerning the question of status for Abl:trazia reflects the wider problem of uncertainty concerning the political status of the various national communities and political entities in Georgia itseH. Before

Unifi cation through Federalism During the 1995 debates on the Georgian C-onstitution, Eduard Shevardnadze announced

that he saw federatsm as a way to achieve

other ethnic conflicts in the country The Abktraz leadership has refused to discuss anything beyond a confederal solution or the status of a free associated state. Neither proposal can be considered a compromise solution, as they simply amount to the international recognition of Abkhazia's sovereigtty and unilateral right to secession. In 1999,

AIM MARCH

2OO1

Region

This stalemate concerning the political status of Georgia and Abktrazia is also affect-

ing the cohabitation of the various national communities in Abkhazia itself. According to the Abkhaz side, the war of l9V2-93 was a defensive war against external aggression by a colonizing power. It was fought for the selfdetermination of the Abkhaz people, and was supported by the non-Georgian popula-

tions of Abkhazia. Little has been done, since the war, however, to integrate these var-

ious communities into Abkhazia's political structures. Despite the presence of some non-Abkhaz politicians in the parliament and the government, ftg "inng1 core" of political power is exclusively in the hands of Abkhaz nationals. The fact that the Abktraz nationality constitutes only a minority on its own territory makes it easy to foresee difficulties in achieving democratization. There are no ideas on how to integrate the large

Georgian minority into the political strucof Abkhazia, regardless of whether Abkhazia is an independent state or a member of a federal arrangement.

Both the Georgian and the Abkhaz lead-

tures

erships are convinced that the refusal to initiate political reform constitutes the most pru-

dent choice in the present situation. The Georgians keep hoping for a change in Russian poliry while the Abkhaz expect that international recognition of Kosovo may pave the way to the recognition of the de facto independent states in the Caucasus.

The consequences ofthese "wait and see" policies may be fateful for Georgia and Ablrtazia. The popular mobilization against govemmental mismanagement and corrup-

tion in Georgia, which was evident in November 2(X)0, demonstrates the extent to which the Tbilisi regime has been delegitimized. The Abl'haz leadership has likewise lost much of its popular legitimary. Despite the fact that it boasts of having achieved a certain level of economic growth in recent years, due an increase in tourism and export of agricultural products, the prospects for the young generation remain gloomy and many are attracted away by the higher salaries to be found in Russia.

A depopulation of Abkhazia and persist-

ent problems of political instability in Georgia may be the most obvious result of the lack of creative imagination and political will on both sides.

Bruno Goppielers teaches Political Theory and of Political Thoughlal Vrije Universiteitin

History

Brusels. He is co-editor ol Federal Pndice. Explwing Alternatives for Georgia and Abkhaia, 2000.

SAVE 40a/o'7 $a/o MRYDAY

Uachau Ten $ankissian

An Euenyday lcon

BY HRAIR SARKIS SARKISSIAN

I

n his parents' l2 x 24 loot garasc con\erlled int',r a studio. in the heart oi GIcndale, ICrlitornia. \'achag transl'orms everyday people into icons of time. with Armenian culture and religion as their backdrop. "l reject Abadan [Iran] as my birthplace." says Vachag. which he remembers as hot and humid. with the all-permeatins stench of oil. tar and rotting fish. and the self-eftacing stinginess and proper snobbism ofthe British. Instead. he considcrs New Julfa (lsfahan) as his truc birthplace. whcrc he livecl during thc lirst I 4 ycars of

his life, before movins to Atmcnia

in

1971.

New Julfa. "full of supelstitious mad pcople, its flowerin-e quincc ancl pomegranato trces. and the sweet smell of spring flowers." has left an immense impression on Vachag. and emerges

in most of his work.

Around the age of eight. Vachag - he was Vachik then. Vachik Ter Sarkissian - remembers being infatuated b,v the act of painting,

as he watched his two uncles paint. "They weren't very good at it. It was just a hobby for them," he says. Later, Vachag discovered the numerous frescos on the walls and ceilings of the 12 churches in the small city of New Julfa. which became his sanctuaries. "My friends and I used to laugh at the primitive faces of the images," he says. But those exact humanistic disfigurations are subconsciousl-v mimickecl through the images of his rvork.

Sincc his move to Los Angeles in 1981.

Vachag has becn painting kings, saints and

other religious figures. Those imagcs

are

merc snapshots of the people that he crcates, somc of which are based on his memory of the day he left New Juila. watching the people along the way, looking out their windorvs.

"I have never painted Jesus. but my regular

people look like religious characters." he says. The "Windows Series," as well as the "Windows to New Julfa Series" feature more

AIM MARCH

2OO1

of these images than anything else. "In paint.

Ter Sarkissian manipulates time and produces memor.v. His art does not seem to be about the original meaning of the images he adapts. nor about their original appearance; it's about their life in time and in the human mind." says Alice Tayloq Ph.D., an expert on medieval Armenian art. According to Peter

Frank. an art critic for the Los Angeles Weekll,. Vachag assimilates all he can, not jusl ol the past, but also of thc present. "Latter-clay lilc may impress itscll lcss on Vachag'.s art

than does thc artilacts of the past." he says.

In depicting everyday peoplc with images reminiscent of ancient times, Vachag incessantly travels through history and has become extremely knowledgeable in Armenian culture, its language and religion. "I imagine that I am living in the 10th or L1th century and I try Top photo by Ara Oshagan

Irts

to paint like them. I also look at the images and try things that they have not tried," he says. In doing so, Vachag successfully revives a collective memory of the Armenian nation and combines it with a distinctive dose of modernism.

The addition of letters from the Armenian alphabet gives his work a sense of age and authenticity. "It just happens that those images are religious and nationalistic. There are also Byzantine and Islamic influences," he adds.

Vachag's works vary in size from 4x6 inches to 4x4 feet. An average piece, which has about four or five layen and takes at least 20

houn, over days and sometimes weeks or months,

to

complete, reveals images from undemeath with an aged look, reminiscent of frescos and archeological finds. Sometimes, images are completely covered and lost. "I

work on a piece until

I

I

think

it is done.

Sometimes, destroy works that I feel are over-painted or overdone," says Vachag. Some pieces have been lying around the studio for 10

years and are not yet completed. Ia lW7, Arvest, a voluntary arts organization, pub-

lshed Memoikon, a photo album of Vachag's paintin5, edited by Stephan Astourian.

Since early childhood, Vachag has preferred to be alone. "I didn't like having people over our house. I used to hide under the bed so they would not find me. I used to tell my mother to ask the guests to leave," he says. But these days, Vachag enjoys a certain warmth created by crowds, but not necessar-

ily of people he knows. So, he creates his own cluster of people in his work. "It's like a family album around me. I know all of them, one by one," says Vachag. "When I sell or give a piece to someone, it is like having a person in mylife leave the muntry. But inmymind, they still exist." The pain oeated by this separation is reminiscent of the loss he experienced leaving his friends behind in New Julfa, when the family emigrated to Armenia. "It sort of satisfies my masochistic fgslings," he adds.

But

those close

to him don't see

masochism. They know a different Vachag, one with a sharp, witty and often a sarcastic sense of humor. "This comes from my shyness," he says. "I am very boring when with just one other person. But when in a triangle, you cant hold me back," he adds. Vachag knows he's bad at regular conversation - serious or small talk - but believes that his sense of humor is born of his need to communicate.

"You can tell the truth with humor, without offending or hurting. It is much easier and breaks the shyness barrier," he says.

During the last several yean, audiences in Los Angeles have enjoyed Vachag's humor through several stand-up acts and his contributions as an actor and co-writer of Arvest's highly successful and irreverent Comedy

Nights. "The great thing about Vachag's humor is that there is a sense of absurdity in it. His is not a humor that tries desperately to teach you something or to make a point, AIM MARCH

2OO1

which is exactly why it's funny. It's light, good-hearted humor with no agenda," says Vahe Berberian, a close friend and co-writer

of Comedy Nights. "Working with him is sheer pleasure," he adds. Vachag, Berberian and Henrik Mansourian together developed hilarious sketches around sacrosanct events in Armenian history such as Mesrop Mashtots'

of the Armenian alphabet - but with a tw'ist. "There is humor in both history and art," says Vachag, who has also

creation always

published a humorous series of stories, based

on Armenian historic characters in Utsunakan, an ArmenianJanguage monthly magazine of the arts and literature, published

in Los

Angeles

in the

80s, by Anahid

Aramouni. Because Vachag does a lot of time traveling in his mind, "I feel like these historical figures are my friends, and I have passed by them many times during my travels. Some people get offended, but I think these characters become more real, more interesting through humor," he says.

Vachag, an architect by profession, and

his wife Nora, live in Glendale with their one and a half year old son, Monteh Guyl. "The

wolf (guyl, or gayl in Armenian) is my favorite animal. There is a certain sadness in its eyes, which I feel is a reaction to humans' destruction of nature," says Vachag. "Not anger, but sadness," he persists. A sadness that can also be found in the eyes ofVachag's everyday icons.

7L

HAYASTAN FOUNDATION CANADA INC.

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"National Givings'

'National Givings' - through Armcnioa

Ewngclical Chttrth Holy Tlinity Armcnlan Chutch Eain Gregory rte l0amhuor Armenian Catholic Charch Saint Mory

Amqfua

Church

Travel PrinUng Goods & Services Tax - recovel6d

'SeMces Received'' Total

Party

Social Democrat

Hencha* Party

Armenhn Generul Benevoleil Anion Amcnlan Relief Socieg Armenian Associotion olTorunto

Anenlan Medical Assoctatton Bobahay Cultuml Associalion

CanadionAnenian Businas Council

Associarion

$

133,245.91

49p.24

14,327.13 2,515.46 333.83 176.23

1r6556J4

150,598.s6

15,900.00 6,000.00 '1E.34

10,800.00 11,000.00 995.00

26,067.22

39p72.87

1,2fi.79 600.00 549.42

5,965.03 4,000.00 602.15

50,365.77

72,435.O5

246,921.91

$

223,033.61

EXPENSES A. ADMINISTRATIVE Ofiice Rent / Tax / Maintenance / lnsurance

10,000.00 212.57

rz,ooo.oo

Wages

21A.49

Office General Postage Telephone & Fax Bank S/C

1,76430

1,9s8.22 594.63

Administrative - Total

B. 'SERVICES RECEIVED'

$

Office Rent / Tax / Maintenance / lnsurance

Wages Office General Functions Travel

Printing Goods & Services Tax

"services

110.00

688.87 80.00

14,881.34

12,745.74

15,900.00 6,000.00 258.47 26,067.22 1,23p'79 643.00 2,375.33

$

I

TOTAL EXPENSES

67,556.15

10,800.00 11,000.00 687.26 39,072.87 5,965.03

4,426.@ 1,674.08 73,625.84

52,674.81

Received' - Total

t

86,371.58

--E-E=----E=--

$ Jln8jJ

TRANSFERS TO ARMENIA Netcash lnf,or (Oufrotr) - Beginningofyear (Jan 1, 2000) Closing Balance - Endofyear (Dec31'2000)

Opening Balance Union of Marash

122,432.E5 71,924.05 1,700.00

===E====E-=:E=

Knights ofVarua

Tckeyn Culnral

$

TOTAL REVENUE

Hamaz*ain Cataral Assoaiaion

Not Sercanl Cultanl Associtlion

nclions

B. DONATIONS .'SERVICES RECEIVED' Office Rent / Tax / Maintenance / lnsurance Wages Offce general Functions

Arnenian Rewlutionary Federation

fu

Organization membershiPs 'Kantsanag' collections (piggy bank) lntor6st General - Total

Atmenian Democrdic

Libml

1999

2000

PARTICIPANTS

$

21,441.O3

57,947.66 25,182.61

$

83,130.27

ji:23199

$

3,741.58 _2_119_2:61

Zoryan Institute

of Canada

FUND, Toronto, Canada

Jaauary 20,2001 NOTES: NAZARIAN' rNyEsLt EIVT TRUsT FUND established of c$ 173'000 in 1998 in favour of 'HAYASTAN' ALL - ARMENIAN FUND Toronto, had a market value

2. on december 31, 2000, the'ANDRE & sEzA

HAYASTAN FOUNDATION CANADA INC. 5OO5

STEELES AVENUE EAST, SUITE 208, TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA Tel: (416) 332 0787 ' Fax: (416) 332 0736

MIV 5KI

(qU[CIUIIDSGtua &UtUUt&UtOqUtUUttu q[uUtuUSnU[D FONDATION HAYASTAN CANADA INC./}IAYASTAN FOUNDATION CANADA INC.

tu[tu0 Shqh[ruutnrnrpfrrG Statement of Revenues and Expenses From January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2000 (Montreal Chapter)

gg DEC"/00 $ 106,336 140.063 822 10,775 1,740 2.108

REVENUES

DEC"/

General Contributions

Activities Other

UNFSA Sn r-Jr f / tn tlr p urmn tn tp[r tB thnGurp\&hp 9ur[iuqurGf

$ 108.898

152,946

$ 3,532

3,620

1,062

1,749

$pruuhGhru\[r t[urpaf thnGup\0hp

928

I,l0g

{Lprud

Postage

1,770

1,109

tpn2tfupnrlp

Printing

1,630

369

Office E:eenses Advertising / homotions

435

2,01I

532

854

Suluqpru\ruG &ruluuhp $pruuh0hru\[r 6ur[uuhp lIruGnrgnr-rIGhp

Taxes (GSI WQ)

533

474

Sntpfhp

Bank Charges Office Help

159

13l

2,913

0

rlprutlururruG &urluuhp $puuhGhur\[r rfruu0ur\[r

oqGnrplrt0 $puruh0hur\[r uurpfhp

bfq

EXPENSES

Office Rent Functions & Events Telecommunications

Office Equipment

430

0

93,635

84,719

$ 107,559

96,144

Tlansfer to Armenia

ru

g0/{ hn

On luur0gn

trf

2,[rrf0ur4purtf

Excess ofRevenues over

1,339

56,802

52,719

54,058

Expenses $

Casl/Bank Balance beginning $ of the period CashlBank Balance end of period $ 54,058

1I0,860

ru u1 unnG kG

<<{ur,;ruurnruG>>

-

bphrur&

Brurhltul rlar-rnf' \f[r ahr

lhnurprnurn gnrrftup

4purftnrnu0 rtour' 81 tlt\ur.1099 Quupuun qar-rlurp qpurfturnu0 rfour' 81 ,Ih\rn. 2000

Approved on behalfofthe Board ofDirectors Hrair Amirian - Tleasurcr Zareh Tchelikdjian - Chairman

2340 CH. LUCERNE, *3O, V.M.R., QUE. CANAOA H3R 2J8

TEL: (514) 738â&#x201A;Ź530

o

FA)(: 1514173/8.-2622

llfien Peode's Mail

Yeneuan Dear

S,

Ohyouhave no idea howdownl have been these past two, three days on the tax mess.

Well, here we go.

They did a 15 month detailed audit and found a problem of several hundred dollan.

Except - are you sitting down???? - they have presented a demand for $30,000... yes! The justification is that a year ago in November they

perfectly see how people can sellwhatever they have, for however much, and leave this place.

Next time someone seH-righteously complains about "why hayastantsis leave their country," send them to me, I will "enlighten" them.

Everything you have going for you is at the mercy of an "illiterate bum" and how

make someone like me even think what I am ashamed of thinking, let alone sitting down, writing and sharing it with you.

One more time, my friend, you came through as the "crying shoulder" I so much needed to unload my anger and go forward.

v Itfuuu Yonlt Dear A,

My mother saw your letter and then remyour mom. Did you know they taught together during the same years? Then my mother told my brother about the letter.

Now, you have to understand, my brother is the family's black sheep from the Armenian point of view. Speaks fluent Armenian, reads it OK, but never actually picks up and reads anything Armenian if he doesn't have to. He avoids Armenian life while living in the mid-

came and stood in the store one hour each day, for two days, during the rush hour and count-

inisced about

ed the foot traffic, then they multiplied their numben and arrived at an astronomical figure of $10,000+ in supposedly unpaid taxes and the same amount in penalties.

Imagine.

The simple answer is "they think a food store like ours makes a $100,000 profit a year."

The probable answer is "someone wants us out of that place."

The naive answer is "they slap you with

dle of it. From time to time, he and

his

American wife express amazement that people come from all over to see my mom, their

30K so you will happily pay 5K in the end

old teacher, and they wonder about an

it."

Armenian life that makes this possible. Years ago someone you knowwell flew in from DC to take my parents to dinner, and my brother could never get over the notion that somebody really important would take time to visit

and feel good about

This all reminds me of a movie

I

saw

about life in Chicago not-too-long ago.

The worst thing is that if I give up, then how and what am I going to say to the next guy who needs to be persuaded to invest and do business in Armenia?

It feels like a dead end, from where I stand. But then again, the news is only a few hours old. Maybe I'11 wake up in the morning and realize it was all just a bad dream.

If not, and if this matter is not properly settled, shutting the place down is just a matter of time. There is no way to fight the "good fight" on our own and you can't imagine the arogance in the atmosphere. We have been practically idle since February 1 and Gohar and Gevorg are mentally paralyzed since the 40K decision. This is the season to do good business for them and they just are unplugged, mentally.

It has done a'Job" on me too. I now can

helpless you can be if you dont have an important friend. And even then...

I'm so furious I can believe that those who have not left yet are either the absolutely helpless ones or the ones that can live off the helpless. Believe me, I am not being sarcastic here... remember, I am the "practical" guy. The old "mafiosos" have been replaced by legal ones. The old ones were worth fighting against by hook or crook. But how do you go against the "government?" I know how.

You pack up your bags and leave. Let them eat each other up. And when they are done, maybe the Turks can pick up the pieces...

Do you see what they are capable of? To AIM MARCH

2OO1

someone as unimportant as retired teachers who happen to be her parents.

On another note, remember I had asked you about real estate in Armenia? When I was there in September, last year, the things that officials said about commercial and residential real estate laws in Armenia gave me the chills: They want a market in real estate for Diasporans, but Parliament doesnt have the laws necessary to protect such investments, so foreign citizen Armenians need to come and invest their money and sue the government until the laws change.

Still, I remain interested, although puzzled by and worried about buying there.

Yours,

T

llow I Eot T[is $hot

Entcrinu the NeulMillennium PHOTO BY ROUBEN MANGASSARIAiI

j,-=e*";*ai#,i

This photo is taken in Goris, near the monaslery ol Datev (which is seen in the background). These villagers are gfl t0 work in the lields. For them, this day is like any olher- For me, this courageous duo symbolize their - and our - enlry inio the new miilennium - in traditional ways, each in his own unique way, according to his own means.

AIM MARCH

2OO1

Undenexposed

Menci Inom Yeneuan to Panis Students lead demonstrations following French resolution ebruary in Yerevan was a time for saying "merci" to France. Delighted with the French govern-

ment's decision

to

recognize the Armenian

Genocide, children marched, students rallied and a couple even named their twins "Jacques" and "Chirac" in honor of the President of France.

A group of children - members of the Armentan

Dance Union - dressed in traditional Armenian costume and led a march from their center to the French Embassy. The children carried Armenian and French

flags and toted banners claiming France as "the Number One Country in the World."

"France Woke the World's Mind" and "Vive la France" were also popular sentiments, as adults along the parade route joined the demonstration, taking with them bouquets to place at the embassy steps.

"These children dont fully realize the importance their action dedicated to the French Parliament and of French people," said Karen Gevorkian, director of the Dance Union. "They do it with clear hearts, but years later, people will realize and understand how important it was to point to the mistakes of history. Only after the acceptance of the Genocide by the whole world will the victims of that mass murder rest in peace."

Students led

a

separate demonstration from

Yerevan State University, organizing a small motorcade decorated in banners that said "Thanks France."

"We always make demands," said that

event's

organizer, student Aram Ananian, "and when the demand is satisfied we forget to thank people. It is our debt to thank France for what they did for Armenia."

Each group of demonstrators ended its march in silence at Tsitsernakaberd, the Genocide Memorial.

The groups took letters of thanks to French Ambassador Michel Legras, who told them that their flowers would be enjoyed by the embassy, then taken to be laid at the Genocide Memorial.

-Ara Husik

The February 2001 issue ol PhotoWorld Magazine, leatures an article and photos by Robeil Kurkiian and AIM contributlng editor Matthew Karanian, on photo oppoilunlties in Armenia. lfurklian and Karanian, eoauthorc ol Out of $tone, a book ol photographs lrom Karabakh and Armenia, provids tips on getting around, and a checklist lor ilems needed while photo-

Anmcnia in PlrotoWonlil

graphing in Armenia.

AIM MARCH 2OO1

Undenexposed

I i l' -r l' t 54:.a ,...:.- ::

I

:.+_i:i

r,t:i:i:E ,5= o::+r!,+;

't !r

"JW,e*. ils

::: '.n

$&

L.,l

!li

,1.

{ffi n December 24,2000,

Karo Ovasapyan,

resident of Glendale , California. started his journey to the South Pole, along with nine other skiers, each representing a different country.

The expedition, led by South and North Pole explorer and expedition leader, Laurie Dexter. started out from Patriot Hiils base camp in Antarctica.

It lasted 13 days and covcrcd 1t30 km (100 a

miles.) Only eight of the original l0

skiers made it, arriving at the South Pole on January 9,2001, at 1:10 PM.

Ovasapyan, representing

the

United to him by the Consulate General of Armenia in Los Angeles. "Being the first Armenian to

days. The

Armenian flag, along with the oth-

ers. remains at the

American Scientilic Station

at the South Pole.

Ovasapyan, 41, started skiing at the age of

States also brought an Armenian flag given

12, first in his native Tehran. and latcr in Armenia. He plans to take the Armcnian flag to all seven of the world's summits. beginning

make it to the South Pole was a great honor," says Ovasapyan, who had no difficulty making it there, but lost around 25 pounds in those 13

with Mount Acancangua, Argentina, in December of 2001. the North Pole in 2002

AIM MARCH

2OO1

and Mount Everest in

2003.

r 11

Essay

UlnUin

BY JOHN HUGHES

inter. I haven't seen the sky for a week.

f f

The Yerevan fog is a damp, cloying veil, not at all dream-like, as in those

English movie adaptations of Arthur Conan

Doyle stories.

So thick, this fog, that the night I took minibus Number 88 from the Physics Institute, the driver missed the circle at llrazdan tumabout and abusload ofuswentupanarrow dirt road barely mising kiosks on either side. And, as we were the leader of a pack of other buses - blind leading blind - a whole caravan of riden trying to get to Republic Square or the Opera House were instead stranded on a dark hillside, bus lamps barely denting the thick air, like a string of holiday lights tossed in a closet still lit.

And when the driver tried to get the bus in reverse, the gears slipped and we couldn't move and horns started blaring. And, like this

#'

,#

#",:;l:

town: Nobody going anywhere they haven't been before, but impatient to get there.

When the air is clear, I can see Ararat from my window But these days that monument is barely a rumor.

Nights are long. And that's good. More time, then, for lying under warm blankets in cold rooms that seem to let the outside dampness seep through stone. I lie there waiting for sleep and wonder what it must have been like in these buildings during the dreadful winter of.V2-93.And I feel shame -but only a tiny bit - for complaining about conditions now.

Nothing works as well as it should. I live in a flat that has been remodeled. New tile, new paint, new fixtures, Old water pipes. And that means constant problems.

There's a new water heater but it is fre-

quently too powerful for the old electrical lines and the power goes out at odd and inconvenient times.

I called a plumber, recommended highly for years of service. "Masters" they call such people here, Varbet.

When he arrived, I had no hot water, only cold. When he left four hours and $24later, I had neither hot nor cold.

This is the way of life here. The creaking bones of infrastructure betray the facelift that

*r4tch

:n and their stubby brooms making Yerevan streets tidy then disappearing before anyone is out to appreciate their work.

The temptation toward clich6 is to call them "old women." But I'm not sure they are.

I am sure, though, that enough of their work will age them quicker than the corlmon effects of time.

They push the discarded effects of Yerevan life into tiny mounds of dirt, decorated with bits of paper and cigarette butts and I wonder what opinion they hold of this place, based as it is on the research of refuse.

I

go into their moming, wrapped in silk

tights and high-tech athletic gear, to jog - an attempt to stymie my own aging process, and an untested belief that if I can conquer the wintertime streets of Yerevan, the springtime streets of Boston will be no match come April

AIM MARCH

2OO1

Winter. Yerevan dogs are They haven't seen the slry either, and a sullied mood. They oul themselves tightly rise with some reluctance when duty demands.

So when I enter their darkness they are disturbed on several levels.

The beggar dogs of Republic Square bark threats. The guard dogs of Flrazdan Market do the same and one of them snips at my heels as I try to not slip in the shiny patches made by the dampness of fog. The mangy mutts outside the Russian Army post near Bagramian Street bark, too. In Russian, maybe.

Finally, near the Opera House, the street dogs of Sayat Nova bark their angry protest under the lighted gauge telling me in a misty blur that the temperature is minus 5 degrees.

Somewhere between Mashtots Avenue and Terian Street, I tum to face the last of the mongrels, and I bark back with unexpected anger into the Yerevan foggy moming.

I think it

is a

start...

r

Events & Exhi[itions

The Sharakan:

San Francisco War Memorial 0pera House

Crown Jewel ol the Armenian Liturgy

You Gan Bet 0n Us:

World premiere of the complete original version oI

A lecture-performance by Composer Sahan

Armenian Assembly ol America

Tigran Chukhadjian's

Arzruni

NationalGala 2001

Arshak ll

April 16, 2001

June 8 and 9, 2001

September 8, 2001

7:30pm

Bellagio Hotel and Casino

World Premiere and 0pening Night Gala

Coolidge Auditorium of the

Las Vegas, California, USA

September 11,16, 21,27,30, 2001

Thomas Jefferson Bui lding

cboyaj@pacbell.net

www.arshakopera.com

49th International Art Biennale ol Uenice

AYF 0lympics 2001 Boslon:

Pavilion of Armenia 2001

An 0lympics 0dyssey

Library of Congress, Washington, DC, USA

lavd@loc.gov

Ani: Capital ol Armenia in the Year 1000

15 Armenian artists will showcase

68th Annual AYF-Y0ARF 0lympics Weekend

Musee des Halles in Paris, France

contemporary Armenian art.

Hosted by the Greater Boston Nejdeh Chapter

Huns thru May 13, 2001

Sponsored by Armenian Center for

August 30 to September 3, 2001

Contemporary Experimental Art

ww.ayf.org

Treasures lrom the

Afi

June 8 thru November 2001

1700 Yearc ol Armenian Ghristian Arl

St. Lazarro lsland, Venice, ltaly

British Library in London, UK

Edbal@arminco.com

0pen thru May 28, 2001

The Armenian Divine Liturgy ol Komitas

A

liturgical oratorio, to be performed in

Boston's Symphony Hall AGBU Focus 2001:

Boston Symphony 0rchestra, and four soloists:

Canada Post unveils commemorative stamp

Gelebrating 95th Years ol Vision

Kallen Esperian, Tigran Mardirosian, Kegham

celebratingl 700th anniversary of

Camp Nubar

Christianity in Armenia

New York Summer lntern Program Alumni and

Art Exhibit Sarkis Assadourian

Young Professionals gala weekend

late fathet Rouben Gregorian.

Parliament Building, 0ttawa, Quebec, Canada

Grand Hyatt Hotel @ Grand Central Station

Sponsored by the Friends of the

May 21, 2001

July 19 thru July 22,2001

Armenian Culture Society

613-995-1843

agbu95youth@hotmai Lcom

Rmavakco@aol.com

AIM MARCH

2OO1

Gregorian, Stella Grigorian; conducted by Levon Gregorian will conduct the score

ol his

fuJJy

s*.r3' g

e"':i?i s$ljiJrjr il cr.!.tg',isiJ..re ,t.', 'liii

..'..:,tti.5Y.^ :. . .:i.:iiii

j

.t5^"j

"#'%\*

:i.:

Tbilisyan Cirde ilr:;,i

I

Yerevan 375014 . Republic of Armenia Iblephone 288090, 285982. Fax 288185