Meeting The First Years Challenges - May/June 1996 by Armenian International Magazine

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EDITOR'S IIOTE

LErTERST(lTHE EDITOR

BYTES OIII FIIE

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ARMENIAN SURVEY FOREGROUND COVER STORY

1 a

MEETING THE FIRSTYEAR'S CHAL. LENGES: Catholicos Karekin I renews, reedu-

EC0l'l0MY

cates and reconstructs.

Armeniab skilled diamond polishen see a spadding

lutum.

DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN POLITICS AND POLICY

Presidential Advisor Jirair Libaridian speaks about

Armenia's relations with Turkey, Azerbaijan and the Diaspora.

CHERNOBYL CONTINUES Ten years ago, they went to help the victims of Chemobyl. Today, they need help themselves.

THE TRIBULATION

S OF

z f v U

V zo

q F

THE DRO TRIAL

+r q

As the legal proceedings against the I 1 defendants winds down. here's a look at the defendants, the

qq L

charges and the defense.

ARMEiIIAN SURVEY Amenia's Senior Prcsidential Adyisor Jimir Lihaddian, analpe$ regional policy and intemational perceptions.

I R COVEB STOHY 34

ECONOMY Armenia's trade with Belgium sparkles and the reason is

Caholicos Karckin I

ht fie hlnb 0l Mesr0h Mashtot,

has met some ol his own challenges ol

rec0nstucli0n dudng a pace-setting

mn&{al

above)

rceducation and

fiN yeal

diamonds.

AHTS THE WORK OF SCULPTOR BENIK PETROSIAN 38 NEW RECORDING OF ARMENIAN MEDIEVAL MUSIC IS DIVINE

STREAM OF FIRE, GALLERY NOAH,S ARK

ANd

MINAS-THREE NEW ART BOOKS

TDUCATION The Melkonian Educational Institute in Cyprus faces tough questions in an unceflain environment.

11 EOUCATION Tt The Melkonian [ducafional lnstnrm celehmtss

ib Tllh

annivenary amid

conlinuing rumon about an unceltain tuturc.

AHIS [[l lu

Seveml new affi publications (including one on Minas Avetisian one 0f whoss

skethes is shown above) shed light on Amenian ailish, old and new.

UNDEREXPOSED

CoveR Puoro ev ZeveN KHAcHtKtAN CoveR Destctt ev Rnrrt TeRptutnu 1 050-347 1 l. MAY-JUNE 996. Vol. 7. No. 5.6 s oublished monthly, $45 Er year, by The Fourth Millennrum Society, 207 Soulh Brand Boulevard. srii.ioi.ct"noit".CAsrzoa:phoni:tbretza67979,Fix:(818)246-0088. SeionriCtasdPostagepaidalGlendale.CAandaddilionalmaiingotlices. Ci',iiOi pbii FuOtiiironj i,lirt Frooua Satei lqreement No. 0516457 O Copyrighl 1996 by The Fourth Mrllennium Sociely. All rights reserved AlM mav iu ud i"oi6ari"o in anv manner. eilher in ,hole or in pad, wilhout wrinen #rniission lrorir tne publisher. The edilors ar6 nol reaponsible lor unsoliciled

AtM I |SSN

OTHER PEOPI.E'S

MAII

manuscriiXs or art untesl a stamred, sell-addressed

GI.OBALAGTNDA

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olTheFdudhl/illennrumSocietv. Foradvertrsrnooueriescall:1.818-245-7979. Sub$riDtionEtesloroneyear,US:$45.Canada$55.France:350tsF iSSSi,gr-o".f"igasf,S.Ame;ca,Atrica,Comm-odweahhollndependenlStates:S55iMiddleEasl.Ausralia,Armenia:$50. Poslmaslers:Sendaddress changes ro: AlM. PO. Box 3296. Manhanan 8each. CA 90266. U.S.A.

AIM

MAY/JuNE 1996

As I began to describe a typical Glendale day-spent either on the telephone or screen-I thought of a recent AIM day in yerevan. In early May, Yerevan Bureau Coordinator Gohar Sahakian had just completed a move from our first offices shared with the Arka News Agency near the opera, to the Nalbandian 5 building, with many new and wonderful neighbors, including Hill at the computer

International, TARA and, of course, the landlord, Hy-Shen, a joint venture of Yerevan's Arts cooperative and Fourth Millennium Society patron vartkes Barsam from Southern Califomia. Minutes into a conversation about how and when new telephone lines would be installed, we are intemrpted by an eamest gentleman who walks in confidently, greets me as if we're old school friends and asks if Anahid had sent him anything. Since I don't know either Anahid or the gentleman, I'm at a loss, until he opens a bag and begins to show us museum-quality embroidery which Anahid and Gigi are planning ro marker. Ah! Gigi is Gigi Bilemjian and now rhe unintemrpted narrative falls into place. The orphaned and adult students of his school in Gumri produce (exquisite) replicas of traditional westem and eastern Armenian embroidery pattems. I tell him that this sounds like a wonderful future article. He leaves, not quite satisfied with the response, but at least having delivered his message about the need to encourage employment and self-suffrciency. Just as we begin a discussion about Arminco, a yerevan-based telecommunications company and our e-mail savior, the door opens and Koko Hovsepian of Jet Line cargo makes a special delivery. with boxes of AIM's recent issues hoisted on his shoulders, Koko goes up and down three flights of stairs and then proceeds to describe his new Lamaca hub. As Koko leaves, AIM's photo and production staff walk through the door just in time for a meeting, accompanied by someone who talks as if I should know him. Hovsep seferian, a Beirut-born businessman who is Armenia's Honorary Consul in India introduces himself and asks to set up a meeting at which we can speak about possible future AIM projects in Armenia. on to the presidential palace for an appointment with Jirair Libaridian, senior presidential advisor. A request for information to attempt to better understand Armenia's recent political involvements tums into an interview, complete with photographer Zaven Khachikian who had spent half the previous day dogging His Holiness, Karekin I, for the same purpose. Back at the office, just as contributing Editor Mark Grigorian begins to speak of administrative and staff issues, in walks Dr. carolann Najarian, a physician from Massachusetts, and head of the Armenian Health Alliance. Mark will accompany her to Gumri the next day to do a story on the Health Alliance's primary Care clinic there. But Carolann doesn't want to talk about Gumri. She has just come through Lachin, with her husband George, a businessman with projects of his own, and Gurgen Melikian of Yerevan State University. she had stopped in Lachin to help a nurse identify and label a recent shipment of medication. A soldier who had returned to Lachin to rebuild his home walked in to the nurse's hut, carrying a severed finger. Najarian herself was still amazed as she described how they kept the poor man sitting up (near a window for light) and sewed his finger back (without anesthetics). She then completed her duties as pharmacist.

Walking home in the early evening hours, the familiar face of Varoujan Iskenderian, a Fourth Millennium Society patron from Australia, greeted me. varoujan and his wife were enjoying the last days of a tnp which began with the Business Forum and would conclude with a trip to Westem Armenia. There was enough material in that one day to fill a daily newspaper for a week.

TOURTH MITEUUIUM SI|CIEIY A Not-forProrit, Public Benefit Corporation

DIRECTORS

MICHAELNAHABET VARTAN OSKANIAN RAFFI ZINZALIAN ASSOCIATE TRUSTEES

KHACHIG BABAYAN FLORA, GEORGE DUNAIANS CALIFORNIA

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FOU]IDI]IG TRUSTEES

GARENAVEDIKIAN CALIFORNIA

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6 / AIM MAY/JUNE 1996

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Editor - Publisher SrLpt HntoutlNIrN GHAIAR|AN

Editor Drxesst,rl Art Director RAFH TARPINIAN Design and Production DARIN BECKER Yerevan Bureau Coordinator Gosnt SrHnxtax Editorial Assistants MECAN BARRoN. Dellr OuerteN PARrK NAZARTAN. LoursE A. SMrH Translators Assistant

Svlve

ARSINE ARAKELIANS. HARRY

I I I I

Nnrrt WrrHneLD UPoN RsQuesr

I I

CLOSED MINDS

I I

'Armenian National Committee of

I I

America (ANCA) Executive Director

DICKRANIAN

KHODAMAN SubsriPtions AsHm BocHosstN. YErevel Advertising EqwARD JAMcorqHter, Mertlr OuNtteN

I I

work with the Assembly and

I I

Contributors ARAM ABRAHAMIAN. ARTASHES EMN, YEREVAN; HRATCH TCHILINGIRIAN. SUSAN PATTIE, LONDON; Ie.Npr SeMusLIeN. Hnec Venjlseol,4N, Los Aruce us;

MARK MALKASIAN. RHODE ISLAND: GEORGE

BouRNourrAN, LoLe KounonrltrN, NEw YoRK: McnRAD MooRADIAN. WAsHINcroN. DC

PhotograPhers MKHITAR KHACHATRIAN. ZAVEN Kuncutxtlru. RoUBFTN MANCAsARtAN. YEREVAN; ALINE MANotTKIAN. ARMINEH JoHANNES. PARIs: KARTNE ARMEN.

KEVORK DJANSEZIAN. LOS ANCELES: ARDEM

Ngw Jensevl HARRY KOUNDAKJIAN. NEw

YORK; BERGE ARA ZOBIAN, RHODE ISLAND

Editor Emeritus CHAIEs NAzARIAN Editorial Consultana MINAS KO,AIAN FoUNDED IN l9m f,DTOR FOUNDNG PUBLISHER VARTAN OSKANIAN MICHAEL NAHABET

FOUNDING

PIIBI,ISHED As A PUBLIC SERVICE BY THE FOURTH MILLENNIUM StrIMY A NON-PROFIT CORrcUTION

INTERNATIONAL SUBSCRIPTION AND ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES CANADA: Razmig Hakimiil, 6695 Henri Bourassa West. Montreal. PQ, H4R 2El, Phone 514 339 251'7 UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Sebouh Amenagiu, PO. Box 3000, Shujah, UAE. Phone 971 6 331 36lt Gulizar Jonim. PO. Box 44564, Abu Dhabi, UAE, Phone 971 2 715'72t.Fax97l2 775 l9l UNITED KINGDOM: Misak Ohmim. l05A Mill Hill Road, Acton, London W38JF. Phone 0El 992 4621 FRANCE: Jeu-Patrick Mouradim. 3 Rue Jules Guesde.94l40-Alfortville, Phone 33 I 48 93 l0 33 ITALY: Piene Baluian. Via Morlacca, 6l A4l5. Rome. Phone 995 1235 HONC KONC: Jack Maxian. RM. A2. ll/I, BlNk A, 26 Kai Cheung Rd., Kowlmn Bay, Kowlmn, Phone 852 795 9888 AUSTRALIA: Alfred Mukman, PO. Box 370, Hanis Park NSW 2150 Sydney, Phone 02 897 1846; Artin GG, 29 Mayfair Ave., Femtree Gully, Victoria 3156, Phone 03-752-3873 Fax 03-

WRITE TO AIIVI!

Shugarian. He said ANCA is willing to

TAr rNE VoSKERITCHIAN

Washington, Ambassador Rouben

Contributing Editors

we uelcome all . ommunication. *. "r. unable Although *" r."d all letters a"d "ubmissions. to ackno*ledge eveqthing *e rec.ive due to limited staffing

Armenia's representative

MARl( GRIGORIAN. TONY HALPIN. SARKIS SHMAV0NTAN. RoNALD GRlcoR SuNy. JtvAN TngtstA'N.

752-3638

Aram Hamparian recently issued a conciliatory message to the Assembly and

and resources. Write to usl We can be reached at AIMINI@WELL.COII or the traditional way at AItrl PO. Box 10793 Glendale, Califbrnia 91209-329J. or by fu,818.246.0088, or phone,818.246 7979. tf,fters to the Editor may be edit"d fbr publication.

People.

SETA

ASLANTAN,

Annu OHlttt,ttl, ARls SEvAc Director ofoperations

EovoN TsrexoptnN. LoNmN;

and be denied his seat? There are myriad topics that could be considered. These are only illustrative of the frustrations experienced and the causes of suffering for our

the

Armenian govemment on issues they can all agree on... 'Our door is always

KEEP DIGGING

open,' Hamparian offered." (Cover Glad to see that your publication schedule is picking up. Also particularly glad to see that rather than bury your heads in the sand, you have begun some serious investigative reportinS. Re: "Hear No evil, See No Evil" (Cover, March 1996), it is refreshing to leam that there is at least one Armenian

media outlet that

will also look on the

dark side of Armenian affairs rather than

trying to continually "gild the lily".

you are to continue to publish the nefarious side of Armenian life, I'm sure you can find various topics to Pursue. Perhaps the publication of various activities reeking of corruption in Yerevan may also help. The longer we avoid facing this issue, the longer our

people

will suffer.

Unfortunately, the prevailing attitude in Armenia is that it's

Story, February 1996). In the same story, "TimothY Jemal,

the

Armenian Assembly's chief

Congressional lobbyist, said collaboration between the Assembly and ANCA is impossible because of the 'partisan' nature of the organization."

Further,'Ambassador Shugarian... criticized ANCA for 'living in a dream' that does not bear resemblance to the Armenian reality. For 70 years they were creating a make-believe Armenia." Armenians are at the crossroads of several vital foreign policy issues-the settlement of the Karabakh conflict, the

establishment

of normalized

relations

with Turkey, the building of oil

pipelines through the Caucasus, among others. The terms of these settlements

will

guide Armenia's diplomacy and

always been this way, and changing

fundamentally impact the security and

politicians doesn't help. Having worked in Armenia numerous times since the mid 1980s, I've begun to question the validity of trying to

welfare

help, especially when there

bined energies of a united nation if we are to emerge from this juncture in our

are

Armenians hurting the very people for whom aid is intended. These things are also becoming apparent to the growing foreign community in Yerevan. Consider: l. Why does a cartel control all the sugar coming into the country? 2. Which government ministries are

guilty of taking kickbacks? 3. Which hospital directors are guilty of taking kickbacks? 4. Who is invoh'ed in siphoning off foreign aid or govemment-owned supplies for private use and/or sale? 5. How can a candidate receive over 50 percent of the vote to the National Assembly

the Armenian peoPle for come. Given the high stakes and powerful players involved in these developments, we will need the comdecades to

history with the best possible deal. As we approach the end-game of these complex scenarios our adversaries

are applying tremendous pressure to secure maximum advantage for themselves and to extract the greatest concessions from Armenia and Karabakh. A key element of their strategy is to

divide Armenians-in Armenia, in Karabakh, and the Diaspora. By all accounts. it appears as though they have already succeeded in driving powedul

wedges into the Armenian

nation-

AIM MAYIuNE 1996 I 7

ARMII{EH JOHA}IT{ES

Wwffiffiffi.Wffi#ffitW#B

Lmrrxms

dividing us exactly when we need to close ranks and fight together for our common future. The Armenian govemment and its supporters in the US appear to be the pri-

mary victims of this well-orchestrated campaign to divide and conquer. They have rejected the concept of a united Armenian front and have, instead, directed their energies against the Armenian

opposition. Rather than confront

the

Turkish government, which blockades Armenia, arms Azerbaijan, and denies the

Genocide, they reserve their harshest

attacks for Armenians with opposing views. Instead of criticizing Azerbaijani efforts to subvert Karabakh's independence, they direct their denunciations against other Armenians in Armenia and in the Diaspora. The Armenian govemment, which seeks conciliation, at seemingly any cost, with neighboring Turkey and Azerbaijan, has gone out of its way to make enemies of the political opposition and alienate large segments of the Diaspora. Despite this harsh treatment at the hands of the Armenian govemment, the healthy elements of our community remain committed to building a common front to meet the challenges faced by the Armenian nation. Sadly, the government has rejected every call for reconciliation, both in Armenia and in the Diaspora, and. in

doing so, has unilaterally allowed

the

Armenian people to be divided.

The Assembly went further, completely ruling out any cooperation with ANCA as "impossible," even where there is common agreement.

It is unfortunate that

these shortclosed minds,

sighted policies, bom of today govern the Armenian govemment's thinking about how to meet the challenges faced by the Armenian people.

Even more tragic

is that

there

tradition-who are going along with these misguided efforts to foster division just when we must work together. We must not fall victim to those who

us. We are, in the final

analysis, one nation. We have one struggle. When the fate of our homeland is at stake, we must set aside our differences. To do less is to betray the enduring values and proud history that bind us together.

Asseooun DenoenleNl Los ANcelEs, CeltPonuta

BUILDING A BETTER MALAYSIA

EXCHANGE

A letter to the editor is the reader's opportunity to respond to the magazine's content. No response from the editors

I would like to commend your magazine for its intriguing alticles, prepared in the utmost professional manner. AIM's articles are crisp and genuine. Bravo! I would like to add one minor correction with respect to "Building a Better Bangkok" (Economy, March 1996).

does not constitute

agreement. Nevertheless, some letters do merit an answer, and occasionally we will use this space to disagree or explain.

Specifically, Bob Kevorkian's assertion regarding the following item: "In Asia, governments, through instability or financial constraints, have not developed infrastructure. This is true in Thailand,

A PICTURE IS WORTH... Your report on "The Beast on the Moon" production (Arts, April 1996) was very newsworthy. This play has a tremendous impact not only on Armenians who are already aware of the inhuman cruelties suffered, but also on the largely nonArmenian audience. There is a powerful and unforgettable scene in the second act that arouses the emotions of everybody in the audience. The significance of the main prop in the play, a photograph of an Armenian family, becomes evident in this scene.

The photograph was supplied

Malaysia and Indonesia."

While I cannot comment on Thailand's and Indonesia's politics, economy and infrastructure, Malaysia's overall economic system, inclusive of its govemment, is rated a "very low risk" by the Intemational Country Risk Guide and further supported by Standard & Poor's'A+"

rating. In addition, unlike Bangkok

tor is Ruth Thomasian. She has been largely instrumental in building up this enormous photographic archive.

partial

towards Malaysia in view of the fact that I am the Head of Credit & Business devel-

BeluoNr, MessacuusBrrs

opment for the New York Branch of Malaysia's second largest bank, Bank

Project SAVE, 46 Elton Avenue,

I am more

Admittedly,

ARMENIE NAJARIAN

Watertown, Massachusetts,

and

Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur is completing the construction of a state-of-the-art light rail system. Malaysia has already completed the construction of a north/south highway system further complementing its almost ten years of eight percent GDP growth.

Project SAVE, whose founder and direc-

always

Bumiputra Malaysia Berhad.

worth a plug. A

unique PhotograPhic archive of Armenian people and places, Project SAVE gathers, catalogs and pre'

Jacoe Hacop YeHIaYeN Bnoorr-vN, NEw YoRK

serves photographs to promole Armenian

history.

WELCOME BACK, AGAIN

CATCHING UP I

am an

AIM

reader.

Thank you

receive AIM

My problem is that the magazine issues that

for giving me

get are always two months

a better

Armenia.

late.

E. Mlll-En

would appreciate if you catch uP with the magazines because the news is

ENcl-eNo

almost outdated by the time I get it. So, don't keep me waiting for long and keep up the good work.

My family and I have been enjoying your magazine for many years. I am glad you were able to come back and reissue the magazine that covers wide variety of issues of interest to Diaspora Armenians.

Nontx Gueott',rl Brc SpmNc, Trxls

Ceno J. MINes GLeNoar-r, CeI-Ironum

We, too, are pleased to be able to come to you each month. This combined issue will help keep us in sync with the

calendar.

the

opportunity to keep in touch with my roots. You always inspire me to hope for

monthly and enjoy every bit of it.

are

Armenians in the United States-people with long experience in the democratic

would divide

t--

AIM

MAY/JuNE 1996

TTOOOTOOOTOOO Annual cost to Turkey in dollars of its war with the Kurds

SOO,OOO Number of soldiers in Turkey's army

2,ooo

Estimated size of Kurdish forces

V 40 Number of religious organizations registered in Armenia

V 20 Number of Byzantine emperors of Armenian origin

3l'0 Number of 16th century buildings srill exrant in Istanbul, designed and engineered by Sinan, the Armenian architect

Y 4OO,OOO Amount in dollars won by Garry Kasparov in his battle with IBM's Big Blue computer

V t5 Percentage of all World War I fatalities who were civilians

6(, Percentage

all World War II fatalities who were civilians

9(, Civilians as a percentage of all of today's fatalities (mostly due to internal civil conflicts) Arme ni an I nfoTe xt, M anche st e r G uardi an, Arme np re s s, E c onomi st

The Sound Collection NE\T RELEASES PIIROIT$

Tlf

II|URIH

IIIIEIIII;UI

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I E c

sPunKw* M 8u0s lmillil

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MTHRAN AND

ELrzlserH

Zaver

AcBABTAN

HARRY AND

AvrK MAHDESTAN

Ar-vlnr BmseoHtau

Alex MaHooctnr

BERJ AND Henn Bovrurnu

Mlnrlnnru

STEPAN AND ERDJANTK

DAKESSTAN

ABDASH AND MARY ANN DEROCRIEru

HARour AND RrrA MESRoB|AN

ARMEN DERDERIAN

JASMTNE McRDtcHtAN

Sreve nruo LUqLLE

PreRRe eruo

a =

KEVoHK MTNASSTAN

Rarr OuRmLrat

Gnlsrtmt

M6HAEL AND Henurrue PrRlr'ttet

VAHAN AND AUDBEY GBEGOR

ARAXTE

MrcrBDrc AND ANt MIGTFDTcYAN

ESTEPHANTAN

MANoUsHAG Fenttnruten GAGrK AND KIAR

KRtKoR KRTKoBTAN

eruo JEAN BABSAM

Hacop eruo Vtoler

SoHl KttltUtaru

HARRY AND AIDA KOUNDAKJIAN

LARBY AND SEDA BARNES

VlRtxes

nruo

Alex Smxrssreru

Alrce Heto

! OANE$ APBIKIAII

mtnh*

n!llto[DiltdH

DoRA SERVTABTAN-KUHN

M. HenourtHntt

RoBERT AND Herelr

KRIKoR AND HAROUT ISTANBULIAN ABPIAR AND HeRurrue JlruoveN

JosEPH AND JoYcE STEIN

KEVoRK AND SATENIG KARAJEBJIAN

PETRoS AND GARINE TAGLYAN

GeoRce eruo Gnrce Krv

RALPH AND SAVEY TUFENKIAN

Gnrozno

GABo KEHEYAN

SnaulnN

ato Dzovc

Zetruer.t

JosH aNo RosE KEToHoYAN

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MHTE

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NONK MANOUKIAN

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The Fourth Millennium Society is gratetul to the following for contributing $10-$999 during the last month to help secure AIM'S financial future. Van & Mary Aroian, MA; VM. Demirdjian, Australia; lsabelle Dokouzian, CA; Boghos Guiragossian, Austria; Stepan Kassabian, Canada; Harout Krikorian, UAE; Hrand Kurkjian, VA; Ann Lousin, lL; Roupen Mangassarian, Lebanon; Caro Minas, CA; Tenny Nigoghossian, Canada; Gary Setian, MA; Hrayr Terzian, CA;Thermodyne Engineering Ltd., Canada;Toyota Centre Vllle, lnc,, Canada; R. Vadjaraganian, England

rHE MUSIC OF ARIIIENIA

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The troubles of the Azg newspaper

lion for regional projects, $36.7 for

are over, at least for the time being.

Georgia and $30.5 for Azerbaijan. The

Azg's founders had brought suit against Armenia's Justice Ministry claiming it

refugee assistance programs

went beyond its jurisdiction when it sided with the Beirut-based Armenian

Democratic Liberal Party's leadership and chose not to recognize the paper's individual founders as the paper's legit-

imate owners.

In mid-May,

Arg

resumed publication by its former staff and owners. Foreign embassies and other agencies had protested that the

Justice Ministry's interference was a breach of press freedoms. The court's decision was hailed as a triumph of the separation of powers. At the same time, during the period of uncertainty, journalists in the capital refused to provide the "new Azg" with news. It remains for the ADL leadership to resolve its internal problems and determine the footing

of the newspaper which has always

been the ADL standard-bearer without necessarily bearing its name.

department expects that food and

will

those most easily funded.

No sooner did Armenia form its Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Union

it visited Karabakh's industrial enterprises and met with (AIEU) than

Karabakh's Vice-Prime Minister Yuri

Kazarian, Industry Minister Gurgen Nersisian as well as with Karabakh businessmen. The sides discussed Karabakh's industrial potential, investment and trade opportunities and the possibility of integrating Karabakh's industry with that of Armenia's. They decided to set up a regional branch of the organization in Karabakh.

Armenia's National Assembly passed a bill on Children's Rights, which sets out the rights of children as well as the{Mrâ&#x201A;Źgflgtrftof the government and citizens in the protection of children.

The United Nations Department of Humanitarian Affairs has issued a consolidated appeal for $101 million in assistance to Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia. Of that amount, $24.4 million is forArmenia-based projects, $9.4 mil14

AIM Mev/JuNe 1996

Armenian wrestlers Rudik Markarian (a8 kg) and Ara Markarian (57 kg) won gold medals in a recent competition that took place in Minsk, Belarus. At the same time, Armenia's boxers participated in the Acropolis

Cup Championship. Following

the

competition, Armenian athletes stayed to train in Greece. Armenia will not impose a ban on abortions, for fear that such a ban may lead to an increase in the number of illegat abortions. During a seminar on

Women's and Children's Rights in Armenia, Deputy Minister of Health Vahagn Demirchian noted that women would be offered consultations to make appropriate decisions regarding abortions, men with more than three children will be advised to consider sterilization and physicians of women who are advised to use contraceptives and do so for a year will receive additional

fees.

o B

AIM Mav[uNr

1996

MEETING THE FIRST YEAR'S

CHALLENGES KAREKIN

I RETHINKS, RECONSTRUCTS, REEDUCATES

ny way you look at it,

being

Catholicos of All Armenians is a

gargantuan task. Catholicossate

The

of Ejmiatsin sits on

J.4 hectares of land, employs over

z s

)

400 people, oversees dozens of

monasteries in Armenia and over 200

c o

churches abroad, includes 60 clergy

as part of the Brotherhood

Ejmiatsin, alone, and another couple

of hundred outside. At the same time, the Mother See maintains membership in two international ecumenical organizations. So much for the administrative side. Spiritually, the 1700-year-old Armenian Church is the oldest church in christendom. Among the other Eastern Orthodox churches (including the Greek, Coptic, and

Assyrian) the Armenian Apostolic Church plays a leadership role. It is an active participant in the continuing rapprochement among the various wings of Christian churches. As the oldest Christian church

in the world, Ejmiatsin oversees hundreds of old monasteries and ancient church monuments within Armenia and throughout the Caucasus. Its leader is simultaneously theologian and major contractor. 16 /

AIM Mev /June

1996

In the realm of education, the Catholicosate's (and therefore the

the head of the republic, Karekin I is quite camera-friendly, willing to be

Catholicos's) responsibilities used to

accessible in ways that President Levon Ter Petrossian is not and cannot be, and you have a very visible church head under constant scrutiny. Indeed, the Catholicos is altemately lauded and blamed by many in his immediate circle

begin and end with the Seminary. Today, with no restriction on religious education, the Catholicosate is scurrying to make up for lost time.

Ejmiatsin is particularly active in developing Christian Education pro-

All Armenians

throughout the Diaspora.

so. On the other hand, many in

Additionally, as spiritual center for an ancient people who have been stateless for most of their modem existence, the church has over the

quite taken by His Holiness's accessibility. "I've never seen a live

centuries transformed itself into a powerful political force, especially in the Armenian Diaspora. Ejmiatsin's constituency, therefore, goes far beyond the territory of Armenia, or its

E c

nearly four million people. The Mother See, and the Catholicos of All

N E

Armenians, has jurisdiction over the

spiritual and community life of in nearly 100 countries

Armenians

around the world.

All this by way of

Catholicos of All Armenians just over one year ago, was hailed as significant by almost all observers. According to Viken Guroian, one of the few academicians who specialize in the history of theArmenian Church, "Two factors have led to this judgment. The first is the nature of the times. The tight yoke of the Soviet system has come off and new possibilities and opportunities for the Armenian Church have been opened up. The second concems thecharacterand special qualities of the man who has ascended to this high ecclesiastical office. Karekin I is the product of an intemational edu-

cation, has been active in the ecumenical movement worldwide, and Karekin I's rhetoric is always inspiring."

THE MAt{

It can easily be said that for

the

same reasons that his ascension to the

"throne of St. Gregory" is considered most significant, the expectations sur-

rounding Karekin

I's

tenure

and

accomplishments are extraordinarily high. Add to that the fact that, unlike

z N

o 18

/AIM

MAYruUNE 1996

has the opportunity to do

Armenia. and many foreigners, too, are

Catholicos before," said one young pro-

fessional who had just been afforded the opportunity.

These and other visits which appear not to be critically important fill up much of the Catholicos's day. Those "other visits" include every visiting dig-

nitary to the republic. Indeed, although pro forma courtesy calls, these visits do much to provide guests with contentful, significant information and impresions on Armenian society and the Armenian

background.

Onto this crowded and busy stage came Karekin I, whose election as

even, because "almost anyone" who wishes to meet with the Catholicos of

grams throughout Sunday Schools and day schools in Armenia and

is very much an insider, yet still has the benefit of an outsider's perspective. Throughout the repetitive, detailed efforts required to restructure an institution that is slow and unresponsive, Karekin I is quite aware that the expectations of his reign are nothing less than the renewal of a nation's soul, the rerepublic from someone who

education and reorientation

younger generation, and the reconstruc-

tion of the church as a relevant

and

meaningful institution.

So, Karekin I

simultaneously

embarks upon such specific activities as encouraging the establishment of an e-

mail address for the

Catholicosate

(mairato@arminco.com) and the massive task of teaching Sunday School teachers so that they in tum will imbue the nation's young with morality and faith. "Fax, e-mail, I don't understand all this technology," he explains to someone who has come to troubleshoot, 'And I don't want to. But I want to use them because communication is important."

Communication

is a

frequent

theme and a source of pride for a clergyman who speaks at least half a dozen languages and reads incessantly. He is on top of the latest literature on religion

April.

1995.

Others, less diplonratic artd less patient. say that the Catholicos's ilnage is stronger than the reality. that he is far too conscious ol history to act swiftly' and radically. They point to the singlc

greatest sore spot lll contelllporary church aft'airs: the adrninistrative divi

sion within certain diocesc,

rnosl

notably in North America.

Clcrgymcn lrt prontittettt ilnl()tt! the skeptics r.r'lro say that nothing will change in local church politics ancl that only a major decision fiorn the top citn bring about "uniti'''. The Catholicos hirnself is aware of the criticism. IIc is also quick to acknowledgc that hc has a longer view of history. He fully utilized

ar in ttll'ice t,r \ in ()\ cr il cloubtful constituency. "Ope ration Charm" is how one church lcader rclerretl to Kurckirt l's ltisttlric risit lo his llrst

# *

the North American diocese. whcle his

new flock truly "flockctl" to hcar and sce him. 'I'hus thc gencral acquireci an army.

Now, irtto his scconci ycar, th.' Catholicos must count ott this llew groundswell of suppttrt in ordcr to provide the grassroots backing necessar)' fbr the fundarnental cotnprornises which have to bc made at each parish lcvcl if "unity" is to bc rcached. After all, what good is an ortler tct cease ncw church construction. or holci cornbined

will

parish ccluncil meetings, or-even worse-not replace a retiring prelatc, or any one ol' a dozen other cttnceivable steps toward a retnoval of tl're adlrrinistrative divisions, if the pcople don't support and fbllow the decision. So, rather than working on the orders first, he is working orr the pcople first. The other rnajor area of criticisnt is the slow rate ol progress in renewing the church and making it a major player tn Armenian and Diasporan life. There is little new blood lt Ejmittsin. e ritics say. and one rnan can't do everything. Or maybe he can. If the Catholicos has chosen for his mission the adoption

of a new path, a new attitude and outlook by the church and its various administrative heads, a new relationship between the church and the people, then maybe one man can bring a new sPirit

and spirituality to an ancient church, and start it on a new road. ur

S.qL.pt

fl,rHot

7 o a a

ltrt,rr Gttrz'rnt",l

AINf M,rv/JLrnr-.

1996

l2l

tI .

Distinguishing Betwr Ar lnrERvtEw wln{ Jtnlln hglnlollil AIM: What

is the

currtnt

state

dialogue between Armenia and Tirkey? Libaridian: Ttt'ay, there is a realization in Tirkey that bilateral relations, Docummts and Face on ilu Qaestion of Mountainous Karabahh, I918-19t8,

(Cambridge, Zoryan Institute) did much to bring to the fore the primary materials necessary ro establish the legitimacy and historiciry of rhe popular demands for self-determination in Karabakh. His subsequent" Armmia on the Cmssrvads, (Cambridge, Blue Crane Books, 1991) was the first analysis

Massachusetts-based zoryan Institute for contemporary fumenian Research and Documentarion, Libaridian pur Genocide and Diaspora sudies on the map. For many in the Diaspora, Libaridian's lectures and anicles have served as the foundation of their own involvement in and commitmenr ro

He has lived in fumenia since 1991, and served first

as the head of the

president's oftice of research and analysis, then as presidential advisor, as

depury foreign minister, and, since 1994, as senior advisor and principal player in the administration's relations with rirrkey. He is altemately credited and criticized as being rhe "architect" of President Levon Ter Petrossian's 1995, Libaridian organized a State

Conference on the Genocide, as parr of the Armenian govemment's 80th anniversary commemorative activities. During the same year, he accompa-

nied a Tirrkish mayor and rirrkish journalists to Tsitsemakaberd, the Martyrs Memorial Monument in Yerevan.

over the lasr several monrhs, Libaridian has travelled the globe ro discuss matters related to the Karabakh negotiations with govemments

involved in the Minsk process. Additionally, private meerings between Libaridian and Azerbaijan's vafa Gulizade,

well

as berween

Libaridian

and rirrkish offrcials have raised new questions about Armenia's policy

neighbors.

p.tu Mev/JuNe 1996

has

evolved from advocating total linkage

tions to the recent statement of the former

prime minister, Mesut Yilmaz [about opening the Ttrkish-Armenian border once Azerbaijan and Armenia sigr the statement of principles regarding the Karabakh conflictl. Our position is very clear. We think linking has damaged the negotiation process.

Armenian causes and activities.

towards two of

prime ministers, Ttrkish policy

with the normalization of bilateral rela-

than a decade, director of the Cambridge,

Tilrkey-and Diaspora-policies. In

also to the afrnosphere within which negotiations are being carried out. In Turkey, over a period of time and various

the resolution of the Karabakh conflict

fumenia's Democratic Movement and its leadership.

fu a founder, and for more

whether trade or economic, are beneficial Armeni4 but also to Tirkey. We have always maintained that these contribute not just to regional stability but not just to

What has Azerbaijan's reaction to the Armenian-Tlrrkish dia-

been

logue? What about Russia? The Armenian-Ttutish dialogue has made Azeftaijan extremely nervous. Not because there is in fact any danger to Azerbaijan, but because Azerbaijan sees firll Turkish support of its own negotiating

April,

1995.

Others. less diplonratic and

less

patient, say that the Catholicos's ima-ue is stronger than the reality, that he is far too conscious ol history to act swifily

and radically. They point to the single greatest sore spot in contemp0rary church affairs: the administrative divi-

sion within certain cliocese,

rnost

notably in Norrh America.

Clergymen rrc prontintttl un)()n! the skeptics who sav that nothing will change in local church politics and that only a major clecision frorn the top can bring about "unitr'". The Carholicos himself is aware ol'the criticrsm. He is also quick to acknow'ledgc that hc has a longer vicw of history. tle fulll' utilized his Ilrst yelr in ol'l'ir'r' Io u in t,rcr il d<lubtl'ul constituency. "Operation

Charm"

is how one church

leader

l$qm]

rclcrrcd to Karckin I's historrr'risit to the North American diocese. where his new flock truly "flocked" to hear and see him. 'I'hus thc general acquired an anny.

Now, into his second year. thc Catholicos must count 0n this new groundswell of support in orclcr to providc the ttrus\r'oot\ ba. kirrg nL'ec:sitr) fbr the fundarnental compromises which

rvill have to be made at each parish

lcve

if "unity" is to be rcaclrcd. Alier

all,

what good is an order to ceasc new church construction. or hold cornhined

parish council mcctings. or-cve n worse not replace a retiring prelate, or any onr: of a dozcn othcr conccivable steps towarcl a renroval of the adnrinistrative divisions. if the pcople don't support and fbllow the clecision. So. rather than working on the orders flrst, he is working on the people lirst. The othcr major area of criticisnr is the slow rate of progress in renewing the church and making it a rnajor player in Armenian and Diasporan life. There is little new blood at Ejmiatsin, critics say, and one man can't do everything. Or maybe he can. If the Catholicos has chosen for his mission the adoption of a new path, a new attitude and outlook by the church and its various administrative heads, a new relationship between the church and the people, then maybe one man can bring a new spirit

and spirituality to an ancient church, and start it on a new road.

X C C

z o

gv S.rr.t,t IL.rnot ttrt,rr (irrn,z,tntqu

AIlVI M.qr/Jur,rE 1996

/21

II?

Distinguishing Betwr Ax ImERvrEw wrrH Jrnnn hslnrorlr T fl I-

f I-

istorian Jirair Libaridian is Senior Advisor to the President

AIM: What

is the current state

dialogue between Armenia

and

the Republic of Armenia. Beirut born, UCLA trained,

Tbrkey?

Libaridian came to the attention of fumenia's leadership

ization in Ttrkey that bilateral relations,

wirh Tht Karababh Fib, abook he edited in 1988. Tlu Karabahh Fib,

Libaridian: Ti:day, there is a realwhether trade or economic, are beneficial toArmenia, but also toTiukey. We have always maintained that these confribute not just to regional stability but not just

Doarmcnts and Facts on tlu Qaation of Moantainous Karabalh, 1918-1988,

(Cambridge, Zoryan Institute) did much to bring to the fore the primary materials necessary to establish the legitimacy and historicity of the popular demands for self-determination in Karabakh. His subsequent, Arnunia on the Cmssroads, (Cambridge, Blue Crane Books, 1991) was the first analysis

also to the atrnosphere within which negotiations are being carried out. In T[rkey, over a period of time and various

prime ministers, Tiukish policy

has

evolved from advocating total linkage

the resolution of the Karabakh conflict with the normalization of bilateral rela-

fumenia's Democratic Movement and its leadership. As a founder, and for more than a decade, director of the Cambridge,

tions to the recent statement of the former

Massachusetts-based Zoryan Institute for Contemporary fumenian Research

prime minister, Mesut Yilmaz [about opening the Turkish-Armenian border

and Documentation, Libaridian put Genocide and Diaspora studies on the map. For many in the Diaspora, Libaridian's lectures and articles have served as the foundation of their own involvement in and commitment to

negotiation process.

fumenian causes and activities. He has lived in fumenia since 1991, and served first

as the head of the

president's offrce of research and analysis, then as presidential advisor,

deputy foreign minister, and, since 1994, as senior advisor and principal player in the administration's relations with Tirrkey. He is altemately credited and criticized as being the "architect" of President Levon Ter Petrossian's

Tirrkey-and Diaspora-policies. In

1995, Libaridian organized a State

Conference on the Genocide, as part of the Armenian govemment's 80th anniversary commemorative activities. During the same year, he accompa-

nied a Tirrkish mayor and Tirrkish joumalists to Tsitsemakaberd, the Marryrs Memorial Monument in Yerevan. Over the last several months, Libaridian has travelled the globe to discuss matters related to the Karabakh negotiations with govemments

involved in the Minsk process. Additionally, private meetings between Libaridian and Azerbaijan's Vafa Gulizade,

well

between Libaridian

and Tirrkish officials have raised new questions about Armenia's policy towards two of its neighbors.

22 I

Mev/JuNe 1996

once Azefuaijan and Armenia sign the statement of principles regarding the Karabakh conflictl. Our position is very clear. We think linking has damaged the

What has Azerbaiian's reaction to the Armenian-Thrkish dia-

been

logue? What about Russia? The Armenian-Tiukish dialogue has made Azerbaijan exffemely nervous. Not because there is in fact any danger to Azerbaijan, but because Azerbaijan sees full Turkish support of its own negotiuing

)n Politics and Policy positions as essential to its strategy of dealing withArmenia and Karabakh. And, in fact, Turkey realizes that their full 110 percent support of Azerbaijan's position has merely strengthened the hand ofhardliners in Baku. Russia has no problem in

understanding our foreign policy: to normalize relations with all of our neighbors, including establishment of trade and eco. nomic relations with Turkey. Russia, too,

has historically had problems with Turkey, but it has also had diplomatic relations with Turkey. This is the way normal countries behave to solve their problems.

Tirkey's position

has evolved over

time. Has Azerbaijan's? Azerbaijan has become more nervous about Turkish-Armenian dialogue. Azerbaijan finds itself in a strange situation. It does not feel that it has lost the wa4 it does not want to recogrize that it

while we're ready to do so, we think

only Armenia and Azerbaijan

Karabakh is, we think Azerbaijan is not ready. For example, we lost one year in

involved in the conflict. The purpose is not, could not, be to exclude Karabakh. We worked too hard to have Karabakh

the negotiations because Azerbaijan believed that the countries supporting the Caspian Oil consortium would exert enough pressure on Armenia and Karabakh to make compromises which we would not otherwise make. But we would not do so just because of a pipeline. At the same time, ttrey realize that tlrc restart of hostilities endangers their own projections for their future. I think it is a big mistake on their part to rely solely on oil for their development. Yet, the evidence is that they do not have any other basic radical reforms-in society, land owner-

ship, privatization

or in

democratic

reforms. And because they're depending on that one aspect, they think that the peaceful resolution of this conflict is going

to make the development of that source

are

There will

pa4y to the conflict for us against that principle. never be any agreement on

any aspect

of the conflict which will

recognized as

to do anything

exclude Karabakh. That is not possible, it is not feasible, it is noi desirable, even for

Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan must know that for an agreement to be effective pragmat-

ically,

must have the support of

Karabakh.

After four years of discussion, iltere has been a lot of progess made in the

Minsk hocess. The current problem arose when the main parties to the con-

flict, Karabakh and Azerbaijan, felt uncomfortable proceeding wth the discussion wittrout some understanding of how the future status of Karabakh would look. through this direct dialogue, we still can't find common ground, then we will have to retrlm to the stepby-step process. The dialogue is a way of firying to break ttre deadlock in the Minsk group

has even lost the battle. Yet, there is a gen-

possible.

uine desire in Azerbaijan to see that the issue is resolved peacefully. It is not in ttreir interest to restart hostilities. This doesn't mean they may not do so in the future. Buq at present, they continue to

Tirrkish dialogue impacted the Minsk

rely on exfraneous factors to try to resolve the issue in their favor, instead of negotiating the issue. All parties will have to

taken to make progress in the negotiations has come flom Armenia What we have now, we call direct dialogue----not bilater-

ferences between the Armenian gov-

make important, tough decisions, and

al, which would mean that conceptually

ernment's approach to Tirrkey and

Has the bilateral

Armenian-

process? Just about every step that has been

slowdown.

How would you explain the dif-

z s

o M

AIM Mnv/IuNs 1996 123

the Genocide issue and

the

Diaspora's?

The foreign policy of Armenia must pursue what all foreign policies must-that is establish the security and the conditions for the prosperity of its people. The Diaspora does not have a foreign policy because it is not a state. And it does not deal with security or prosperity issues. They have two different agendas. We are one nation. we are one people, but the Diaspora's agenda is different from a state's. Anyone who does not realize this difference is not dealing with reality and is not serving the Armenian people or the Armenian nation. They are dealing with ideology or propaganda. The political parties'agenda in the Diaspora was to organize the community-not as a state, but with the attributes of a state-and deal largely with cultural and regional matters, ethnicity, language, sense of identity. This is a serious agenda, and a very important agenda, to which have been added the issues of Genocide recognition and the Armenian Cause. But neither Genocide

Turkey closer to recognition than has

results, not in a manner that

I1JM MAY/JUNE 1996

How do you compare each of the lj

a r

regional matters? On the one hand, we have Georgia,

which tries to start at the highest possi-

ble level of regional cooperation. Indeed, I think Georgia would favor a regular structure to deal with regional issues. On the other hand, Azerbaijan is

not willing to do anything at this point, and may be pursuing a policy of isolat-

ing Armenia in the region. I think Georgia's approach is unrealistic in the absence

of a resolution of the

various

regional conflicts. Azerbaijan is, to some extent, naive. Armenia's position is we should start with whatever is feasible at

say manipulated-by political organizations is the issue. They have taken the public relations aspect, the emotional aspect, of the Genocide and not the academic or scientific aspects, which

Iran or Turkey? We have brought

the

Caucasian republics' policies on

ry. This is extremely legitimate and real, but the way it is dealt with-not to

seriously. Someone has to answer this question before they accuse this government of anything. I think this govemment has done more in the last three years, in terms of Genocide recognition, more than anyone imagines, by its mere existence and very rational policies. If the purpose is recognition, whose recognition counts more-that of China, the US, Russia,

is at the basis of

Turkish Republic. This is a very difficult thing for a state to do, because every nation ideologizes its birth in everything from formal policy statements to textbooks. The change in Turkey, therefore, will have to come in smaller increments.

"velvet revolution" in Turkey (as there was in Armenia) in thinking in general,

tance of Genocide for every Armenian individual and for the collective memo-

it occurred? Something either failed or these matters were not taken

positive things)

Has Thrkey been able to set aside emntions in its dealings with Armenia and Genocide recognition? Not as much as Armenia. To some extent because there has not been a

I do not question at all the impor-

that

founders. It is obvious that this republic was made possible, to some extent, because Armenians were no longer in Turkey. or in Anatolia, and to recognize the Genocide means to recognize that something negative (along with other

will pro-

was the added part.

Genocide had been that essential to the agenda, why in 1996, after 30, 40 yeus of politicizing the Genocide, should we still feel uncomfortable and try to prove

Also, today's Turkey as a republic based on Kemalism (Ataturkism).

Like every country, Turkey idealizes its own birth and makes heroes out of the

duce noise.

recognition nor the Armenian Cause were the essence of the agenda. This

individuals alone have pursued. If, indeed, the Armenian Cause and

been done in the last 40 years. I don't know if anyone can deny either this fact or its logic. Some Diaspora organizations have decided to fight this govemment for political reasons, where they think they have an advantage, but it's a lost case, because we will continue to work in a manner that will produce

this point, and build on each step. a difference in diplomacy.

There's

Armenia's diplomatic and negotiating positions are based on what serves Armenia's and Karabakh's national or in domestic or foreign policy. In fact, it took a long time for Turkey to realize that Armenia is a state and it has its own foreign policy and that they should not project onto the state their own images of things Armenian. Another reason is that Turkish politics is a strange breed: On the one hand, policymakers feed the press, and you can say therefore that the govern-

ment can create conditions within which it can do anything it wants; on the other hand, the press can create an environment where it becomes impossi-

If it's a document, a statement, any step which helps Armenia and Karabakh, we will do it. Azerbaijan has a different approach. Even at the cost of rejecting something that might have been good to Azerbaijan, they will adopt anything that they think will harm Armenia, or they will reject anything interests.

that may help Armenia, even if that same

step would have helped Azerbaijan. I think this is the result of Azerbaijan not having come to terms with the realities today, and still always hoping that someone else

will

resolve its problem.

ble for the government to implement policy it finds rational. This paradoxical situation is another factor.

sy Selpr

HARoU-ID,uAN Guez,rnreN

/isfl J.[HIIJ.:Y}f

ffirxwdH}

Chernobyl Continues cate for its 2,500 members, trying to draw attention to their plight, according

to Committee Chairman, Konstantine Sahakian.

But because of the country's dire economic circumstances, the committee's efforts have been largely ineffec-

tive. It

receives no govemment support

and instead must rely on membership dues paid by the survivors. Many of them, however, arc too impoverished to support the cause. "The average salary in Armenia is $10 to $15 per month. The

committee is in a highly catastrophic condition now. We don't even have an

rmenians who responded to the Chemobyl disaster find themselves

today miserable and abandoned. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, they have received little in the way of medical treatment

or financial support. "What can I tell you. They've let us down, just left us to the mercy of fate," explains Aramais Petrossian, a Chemobyl volunteer. "[n 1986, we were told that we were heroes, that we were saving humanity. Now no one wants to speak for or listen to us." Petrossian, 40, was one of 3,000 Armenians who rushed to provide assis-

tance

in the aftermath of the

disaster.

They included professionals from

the

Armenian nuclear power plant and members of the military called up for three months of service in the Soviet army. Many now suffer from a variety of radiation-related illnesses or illnesses that may have been caused by Chernobylrelated stress. Petrossian, who received an estimated radiation exposure of 180 Roentgens, is bedridden. Before the Soviet Union collapsed, he and many other survivors received special treatment at the All-Union Center

for Medical Rehabilitation in Ukaine. But facilities in Russia and Ukraine,

which are equipped to provide advanced treatment to radiation victims, no longer treat nonresidents. Ukraine asserts that it is not obliged to compensate victims of a Soviet-designed nuclear plant for the

impact of the catastrophe. "We don't know whom to blame. The Soviet Union

which sent people to Chernobyl no longer exists," Petrossian says. The burden of caring for these men fell to Armenia, a country unable to afford their treatment. With the country mired in poverty and beset by ethnic war neighboring Azerbaijan, the predicament of the Chemobyl survivors is not a high priority. "Unfortunately, we

ofEce at our disposal, as everything costs money," says Sahakian. And things are only getting worse, Hovhannesian adds. "It seems that in the course of time the issue of Chemobyl is losing its urgency, while annual checkups show that the health of our registered patients is gradually becoming worse." The noble gesture of the Armenian volunteers at Chemobyl has ended in bittemess. "I was a volunteer, but if I could

go back to 1986 I'd never go

Chemobyl," says Petrossian. "I don't know how much is left for me to live. But I have two kids and I have to think about how long I can be their father." sv AsrcHx VARDII\'IIN ron rnr Bullrrnr or Aror\,rrc Sctpmsrs

with

have extremely limited finances at our disposal to provide basic medical assistance, even for those patients who were subjected to high radiation doses," says

Nikolai Hovhannesian, head of the Radiation Research Institute of Armenia. All the govemment provides is a pension equivalent to $5 a month for those unable to work - compared to the $65 a month received by Russian liquidators. In an attempt to represent the forsaken victims and compensate for government neglect,

the Victims

Chemobyl Committee was founded in 1987. Since then, it has acted as an advo-

AIM M-ry/JrNs

1996

125

flT

HIIm:ff$ ffiffffircffiF

THE DRo DETAILS n December 17,1994, Hambartsum Galstian, former mayor of Yerevan and former

member of the Karabakh Committee, was assassinated. Just a few weeks earlier, several members of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaktsutiun (ARF) had been arrested on various criminal charges ranging from murder to fabricating false

documents. On December

28,

President Levon Ter Petrossian took to the airwaves to

announce that security services had unearthed a clandestine organization called Dro, created by and operating within the ARF, which dealt in narcotics and conducted other

criminal activity, including assassination, for the purpose of destabilizing the country. On that basis, the president banned the ARF, a foreign-based political party, from working in Armenia for at least six months (see AIM, December 1994.) A week later, the court upheld the president's order. The trial of the 12 men charged with Dro-related illegal acts began in July 1995. After nearly one year of testimony, attorneys concluded their arguments in March 1996 and verdicts are expected soon. Sara Petrosian, of Azg, was present throughout the trial proceedings and presents this overview of the charges, countercharges, pleas and declarations.

itavazd Manukian. +0. a

-{a.resident of

Yerevan and father of

tlxeen was ann*ted irt Moscow on December

1994, by Ruesian securify for dealing in

narcotics. Manukian died in an lnterior Ministry hospital facility in May 1995, during preliminary questiordng. His family and oth-

AIM Mev/JuNp 1996

ers insisted the dosth was duo to phyrical abuse at the hands of the authorities.

Authorities said he had beâ&#x201A;Źn ill even when under arrest in Moscorc. Manuleian hd $krdied in ttrc elecmtechnical school of Yerevan.

1990, trc joined the ARF and fought in

Karabakh.

f.frand

Markarian,

I ft8, is a citizen of Iran. He studied Armenian language and literature at the

University of Isfahan, and worked as a teacher und a joumalist. An ARF member since 1977, he moved to Amrenia in 1987. Markarian was arrested on December 4, l9()4. accused of having moved to Armenia as an ARF functionary. As members the

ARF's security Markarian and co-det'endant Artsruni created a nrmed, illegal band callecl

Dro. Markarian

council, secret, well-

introduced co-defen-

Artsruni. He personally gave an F,82261 gun to Menjoyan-the sarne [kind of] weapon used in

dants Menjoyan and Zakarian to

several murders. He possessed iltegal fuearms, eurd false identifi-

cation. He was known by the code names 03 and Saddam. He gave his consent to Artsruni tbr the murder of Ashot Nersesian, which took place on the night of October 3, 1993. On May 2,

1994, he ordered the killing of Gagik Sahakian. On Decerntrer 1. 1994, during a search of his home, Markarian voluntarily presented written permission fiom the defense minister of Karabakh to carry a gun. False identification papers werc provided by various govemment agencies

Karabakh until I 991

tion ceased until February 1995, when he was brought face-toface with Artsruni, who insisted that the former had, in December

'92 or January '93 ordered him to form Dro, had given his conkill Nemesian, and expressly ordered the murder of Gagik Sahakian. Markarian denied everything, calledAnsruni a liar and questioned his motives. Markarian denied the charges against himself and the ARF. He said he had sent Menjoyan and Zakarian to Artsruni as potential employees. He could not have provided Menjoyan with a weapon, since the latter was not "a fighter." The name Saddam was given to him by Igor Muratian, for having at times resembled Iraq's Saddam Hussein, As far as the murders were concemed, he said there was no proof of his prior knowledge. All the accused had testified that they had applied for membership to Dro in 1993, a time when Markarian was hospitalized with head injuries, caused by a car accident. Markarian's attomeys acknowledged that he was in charge of the ARF's military, athletic and security functions, that he was involved in organizing the fighting in Karabakh and Shahumian, and had provided supplies to the units in Shushi. Markarian said the couft had not established the existence or lhe membenhip of the security council. None olthe witnesses mentionedArtsruni as a member of the council. The accusations against Markarian are based on Artsruni's preliminary testimony, with no supporting evidence. The atlomeys also argued that based on the existence of an extensive body of Dro paperwork, Artsruni should have written a report to Markarian and no such report exists. According to his attomeys, he is being punished for his political beliefs. sent to

for use in

. As a result of these findings, the interroga-

rsen Artsruni,

-15. is a

of Lebanon.

educat-

Acitizen

ed at Haigazian College. He has

of the ARF since 1981. His first visit to Amrenia

been a member

was in 1989, as a computer specialist. He eurd his wife moved to Yerevan and established a business called the Artsruni Company

1990. They have one daughter.

He was arrested on December 3, 1994 in Yerevan and charged

with

dealing in narcotics. Artsruni was a member of the ARF's security council. ln 1992, on the orders of Markarian, he created Dro. He wrote the organization's bylaws, devised the military-type hierarchy, created covers. He provided meeting rooms in his business offlces. He had a secret hideaway, various weapons, and the necessary means of communications. He

organized the operations "Kerop"-the murder of Ashod Nersesian-and "Top-1"-the murder of Gagik Sahakian. The files which d<lcument these are on computer diskettes. In late 1994, through wiretaps on co-defendants Mekertichian and Manukian. Russian secret services were able to prove that Artsruni and defendant Harmandarian were involved in narcotics dealings. During a search of his apartment, Artsruni gave an unmarked gun to the authorities. His office was also searched. A suitcase containing narcotics was discovered. A flre-resistant saf'e was rnissing a drawer and had another draw-

er which could not be opened. Two days after his

arrest,

Artsruni was charged with drug dealing. During a sutrsequent search, reports about Dro were discovered. On December 15,

1994, he pled guilty as charged. During a preliminary interrogation on December 27, Artsruni attributed Dro to the ARF but refused to say who had ordered it set up. On January I I, 1995,

Artsruni said that he had created Dro based on Markarian's orders. He repeated this during a face-to-face encounter with Markarian on February 20: "Hrand Markarian was my only leader." On April 4, he recanted his accusations against Markarian and ARF, when he learned that he might face the death penalty. During the trial, Artsruni denied having been involved in narcotics or murders. Once, he admitted involvement in narcotics He also completely rejected only to immediately reject Markarian's and ARF's links to Dro and denied any connection to the frles saved on his diskettes, except those pertaining to his own financial affairs. A computer expert (testiffing for the prosecution) said that the interpretation of the codes regarding the murders was revealed to him by Artsruni. In the meantime, he was lying fo his friends and telling them the codes had not been revealed. Tkoughout, he demanded to know how the court had opened his office door and how they had discovered the papers pertaining to Dro. The witness testified that by the second search on December 10, they already knew what to look fbr-Artsruni had given them the keys to his oflice and the fireproof safe. His attomey, Vahag Avakian, said that Afisruni's time was his computer completely taken up with business matteru; diskettes contain something other than his financial affairs, these do not belong to Artsruni. He had not been an ARF member in Armenia, had not planned murders, and all the documents are forgeries, Written reports about the murders were obtained by physical coercion. He added that in 1993 Artsruni could not have been busy creating Dro, because "he was pleasantly occupied by having a child." CoNrrNrrns oN Plr;r Jo

ir.

AIM

M rv/Jr

rr,

1996

121

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t \'\t

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TO SHOP

* vou wANT To RENEw YouR SUBCRIPTION

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,\INI P.O. Box 10793

Glendale, CA 91209

-31

II \4,

r_menak Menjo_van, is a citizen of Armenia

and has a higb &ol efucation. He served in fu Sovier Anny. He has been a filember of the ARF since 1989. Hâ&#x201A;Ź is manied atd has

y-ere fired fuam a 2267 gun --rhe same gun rhar had killed the There were also handwritten reporrs on

X*":I"and Tq Fh"k-"" "K.r"p" in Menjoyan's handwriting. In 1991, _Pp:l" Merygym had obained false Soviet identification piperu h Menjoyan maintained that there ur" no,"uf reports ., on tk "oy, What exists was fabricated in solitary

ryurders

wo childrren. "orrfin"_ Ir$rif I{e was,&ryed ro, Adrnit to murders, so he did. Iiesides, he On Febnrary 2, tggS h was -rsw4l a 2?,87 gun. Ihe only events which were tilhfuIly arrestsd in Odffsa, tlkaine and &scdbed were those in the rostaurant. He was out of b!r.ir.,&e U1o. ye.nt.to

arrnonia, He is ctrarged

with being u rx"npt*

d *,1*

three murders and turp amults, *s

well as having false identification papers. In 1993-94,Menjoyan ptanneA arfd of Ashot Nersesian and his wife, and E,B.2267 gun. In addirion, on Sstrstr@l{ IlestarySlt, he tued eight shos wounding Bagrad Mirakian, following ao flrgrgfi$,: hearings, Menjoyan admitted to &e

,9X ths Nersesian couple were murdered. At Sle 6irie'of_l

Sahakian's murder, his car had broken down. Y*4loyun's defsnse afiornly; Rouben R.shru$i agsemed_ hisclient had fired at the twr in the rpstauraatio sqff+*fcoo-Un

,,.

1rytive for Ashot Nersesian's

d;S;i..**',;ild;;;;;.

Rshtuni complained that alttrough the prosee liad,not derer, ruined which of three defendant*-hua rhst xcru9si*$-ii#.fr,il",

g{anrkian) all three,were U"ine ,!.o$.e. Tlte was committed

attomey was also

ctflryt ;#ffi.**.,grimiual

sonviptfid;tl6tn#eiorrf,, murCrr*

wttha2Z67 gun. The weapons.onn*"ut"a

's office

fro*

*ur nor.sob;q"ea,to.la6"aCIry;;il;il{,

tct rlieffings were aftributed-to,

ZAf-?

Markarian.

in JCerto

ird;ii

Ai the preliminary heuings Zakannadmifted having fired lp"r"t. .a{ry1tan! . -rl.Al.32, at the Nersesians. and having cornpleted an application .Soviet tJ*a -o*ud. e the " *d was inuolved in tre conhactwittrDro.HewasnotallowedtoparticipaieinSahakian's " ITI in Karabkfi tom -dry tne T*do because he had been drunk tt" before. He denied Iehfuq u"*J !eeug11a He is rwriea md has ghooting Nune Marukian. He said h" *; i*;;;; two childla- [Ie uras arrested in Hning on lVtenjoyan and Grigorian, when he came "ra face-toF 15,-1ry, rud ecused rqe Yyu-. 1ft *rym'. At lhe conclusion of the preliminary hearings, he oI lmng m tlrc l{ersesim and rc.h5ed to plead guilty or irurocant, saying he would do ,o it-tt" particrpating in th dflEitg of trrat.Att}rckial, hedidneirher s ah ak_i an's krsfea(zakarian askedthecourttopaycloseattentiontothe m urder. He had a.fatroe SCI.iet ID colqr of the ink on his intenogation report,-saying that it indicai-

il. th.e nqe of fslarn Sharnil P ft* T3*-** someone other than-himr"if ul-to wrltlng. His p"fTl qp1,"g;xr g*:.ry,,{.{$64. r3.-vt,=,Ha",r"t u*rrr*rr", rJa ;;,|tt## ;J ffi"ffi, *rctfu; n':T",T,5."3,T:Tl,1r:1??l:9&t H1"..,*:ed opposite'uie*s on Marukian's ;;;iil: were murdered, Zakarian's child was bmrt. Thc 0r,osectm oghli Babavev. H{

ment with ttre murders.

30/AIM

Mav/Jurve I996

, -

Takrian participate in Sahakian,s murder.

:,&riryi At the pe T Tovhanes Mekertichian, orderdhirnardffiit af is a citizen unmrri€4 -FfuS, Arrn€ni& engirrcer

Mffihiao the

wockod

tre

Yqrtr Tfpater. lle per-

{oie4pd ln :fu ,#Sting in Karaba*$-,i'

and is a {t@&"sf dto AnF- QF.Dmcnrhmr2l*$llrh,lto wm ffrs$kd,'ir*:', Moscorr m narcotics charges. He was transferred tc,,4rrasnia on lh&t!i!!r..-f::, 28, 1995 ard pld in solitary con-

fircnpnt

haviag&lt in necotic$ipraparing ttre $ffi&r of i(erop'" ard'dhite planning the "pp"J" *ond.", &awing tlre floor ptran'of'Sahokim's honr'd' '&t:tho

or innoccnl

pholre) Mlrrjoyan and Crigorim to lot tlrcm'ktow that B*tu*i*'lad returnod. & lrlevamber 8, 1994' tr;e$:to.thspo kg, ,qf.trtemin wore ssnttc MWow in Me*stiehim:s sritcaso & u,**gafiIrnon ease. A*er ihe episo&.at dp'Ararat rcstau; ,r*r, M"Gdrhi* Uaa *h*skod:!&rrjofaa & a:-villagp calkd

traruportiog

He is charged with

planned dayof the rmudsr he bsd*all€d (using awitele*stole-

elIar*rd. ard hd hitlde*,ihe,latteiis hir *l{sEr3,{h#{re. L,ffi, to Odessa and hid thw- After l0 dayt b"fr ;,U"* "*"p.1 preprd false papers for'&&ion. tm'rnftrrnd. He

Dtring the trid the pr€serfr rcglnrc,

he again refrsod

tE@,

fu cort aetld not tffinf,i

mqncy tlmine [Ialeian oestifid

dxat ]lo Gaffi

6 psses$lq hffd& 9ry- *tP ad;'h;ir eiim". ifr"a'*niu, * Uisryeqryd mtil tds alre$, ed

tleffiIsdfl@

st*e ru tsrm. Ib did d were ping !o kitl I'lcrsesian Ha$ian dEEffidcrof Sahakiei $irce hsr oliqat Artsrmi's offcernc aflmof eruphrynr 83{i grarns of lw{oin

!--nota'+rn&iagp!$;r&'i@i

l :,,..*

A rmcn Grigorianra.b la.a citizcn of Arnrenia ad a ff i of trs A*F. He is nd msried. He lms been involved in

tke Sghting ,in.Kmhakh since 190. IIe wac ar*stod on Decernber 25, 1994 in Gorky,

ftrea Cdgdian

;had:

ESer'fu

Frffirniua{y Migg,,,}x;

tlefu{ed

t4tt@*rsEiaL'k*qfrldryaiit. I Afrmsncv SJbett

Russia. tle is accused of the murders of ttrc l,lerse.sian corple d

Ksmriary

i:i.i.i,.r':rr

*ml*d

Sahakian, as tell as membershiP in Dro. Or,liMr 29, 1994, h*$

apartment was searched and a

GM2686 gunq,".ls found"

filtt

Tlsewerediscrepmiee fu

add ttle second copics

Flimfulary irwesdg$m

repqrt-*th* rr*pon's serial nrurbq was

ddl

and

$igqstffi

effi"

it $m&,t@ mlay withot*,tlry..m,lqril.Thp

were misxing.

Bring &e prelirninry heairlgs, Griesian tmtifid

dtat

hd ap$isd 6 Dro given him ft&g*rtj 'trm 1988 Menjoyan ad was acsetred. He had persmpUy givort his *fpliexion to

AIM Mnv/Jtxr

1996

I 3l

(-r

\Iisi

egham Manukian,

zo.

cirizen ol Armenia. He

graduated with honors in Oriental Studies from Yerevan State University. He has been a member

ol' the ARF since 1990, and a fbunding member and president of the Nigol Aghbalian ARF student association. He was also the head of the ARF's Research Center. PROSECUTION: He was accepred in Dro in 1992. on Hrand

Markarian's urging, and became its archivist. He received the Kerop documents from Arlsruni, studied and analyzed them. His code number was t I 2 and he was assigned a cover.

During the preliminary hearings, he stared that in 1992 he only helped Artsruni write the frst drati of Dro's bylaws, which in itself is not a criminal act. These bylaws were rejected by the ARF's Regional Convention in Armenia. Subsequently they were presented to ARF's World Congress in paris, where they were not discussed, because they were not sent through the correct party channels, but were taken by a friend. He said he was not aware of the existence of a code, or secret activities of Dro. Artsruni had sent a copy of the secret document on Kerop so that he would become familiar with it and agree to work with the economic research ofice which was to be created. However. he did not understand a thing from the secret documents and refused to work on the project. It is possible that once he may have seen the blue notebook containing the Kerop files on Markarian,s desk.

Regarding the secret document of ,.Kerop," he said he had not trusted its authenticity. For the first time, Manukian said that there are two bylaws for Dro. He had already talked about the first. He leamed about the second after having read the records of

the preliminary hearings. The intenogators*had implied that he should give false testimony about Markarian. He had begun to write a few things, under pressure, but left them incomplete. He leamed about his pseudonym and code from the interrogators. He was instructed to say that Dro was somehow tied to the ARF and Markarian, and that all of this became known while analyzing the second set of bylaws written by Artsruni. It was from rhe docu_ ments that his membership in Dro became known. His member_ ship application and contract were on t'ile as well. Nevefiheless, according to the documents, as of March 1994 he was not a registered member of Dro. Regarding the position of archivist for Dro, he maintained the archives were located in Arlsruni,s office where he has never set foot, so how could he be the archivist,l Manukian's attomey, Jora Khachatrian, said Artsruni once mentioned in passing, that Manukian was responsible for cadretraining^ tiy'ithout Manukian's knowledge Artsruni assigned him a

code, hoping to pull him in to work at some future date. But Manukian had realized that Artsruni was involved in dangerous games, so he severed his ties. The attomey reminded the court

that in one of Artsruni's letters there is the following passage: "We must be careful so that l 12 does not leam about our pio_

grams." This proves Artsruni was cautious of Manukian, hence he could not have been involved in Ar-tsruni's activities. His attomey insisted there was insufficient direct and circumstantial evidence,

During the trial, he repeated the same facts about Dro.

dik Simonian, 17. is a ciri[r| ')zen of Armenia. and a high school graduate. He served Soviet Army, and participated in

in the fighr

ing in Karabakh. He is married, and is not affiliated with any political party. In 1993, he started to work in one of Artsruni's businesses, but after a while, resigned. He was arrested on December 23,1994. He is accused of being a member of Dro and having participated in the',Kerop,'assassination. Within Dro he had a code number and a name. He also had an applica_ tion and a signed contract on file. During the preliminary hearings, he confessed that per defendant Menjoyan,s instruction, he stalked Ashod Nersesian. During the murder he stood guard out_

12 /,ttttt M.$./Jr rr, t996

side. But he was not told that there was going to be an assassination. When he ieamed about the murders of Nersesian and his wife, he left his job. Menjoyan had ordered him to keep quiet about the murders. In court, he said he had completed an application, just for the purpose of "going to Karabakh." He admittdhaving trailed some of the victims, but said he did not know what happened to rhem afterward. He acknowledged having written reports, but added that the contents were false. He did not reafftrm any ofhis testimony given during the preliminery hearings. His attomey, Ruzan Hovanesian, rejected the assertion that his client was a member of a gang, or that a gang existed. He had gone to Artsruni,s for employment, and they had not told him rhey were going to kill Nersesian. After the murders he did nor get along with his co_ rlorkers, so he lefl. During the preliminary hearing he was genuinely grieved over the events.

l#"riiit*i:ile,Bi$ fli:lllis,+o*t*tt's

rFatul

Gabrielian, 27, is a I citizen of Armenia. He is

divorcd, is a carpenter, and

does

no{ belong to a political organiza-

tion

He was anested on Decernber 28, 1994. He is accused of being a member of Dro.

In 1993, he joined Dro, and undertook an assignment to follow a Diasporan ArmeniaoSubsequently, he PrePaede

wrim

presented

,"port urd

Mekertichian. In 1994, again based on MekerJichim's insts'w' tions, he railed someone known by the pseudonym Frih and wrote a report. During the preliminary hearings he revealed

tharherreanlfto

join the ARF, and was taken there by Arrner G'rigorian: L{g 6lss ruiO tt rt it was not clear to him that ttre infsfinatio{l}K gatrsred

aoceptsd

ARE fk cmfEss€d k M pedor'md &mo, l*et *or*Dmfrorr&apresi&nths h,

ths

a$$igltff€nis'

fu$

&e rnurdw and not be*ie,ye,ie i$s.coroBidered himself pemiailb l Dtrirrg theei fui&sisilLd h€ hqd flned'enrt *m&caisolie or&r to gq--t$'Kaql?okli, @njoyan hd CIld him ttey

wtUL i* confiln@wt" rtb,h&d not knorrn

ggi$.

wM e himq

cream a ftrEnimre','lklsfurew in the Aimtab rcCIw, andrlmd

$"*IF kiry tk pred mlg,yUmiagt hs wa not allorrcd adefu &rpy' e*g'aqurcr*,with *ern. t*e.cqepfie{ btrt a morEtr 1e[, k& dratpeition. They next met irl Emr&

tFgd

G# to *ritJ ru.* statcments. , , ' Itris ae{rn€&, Atbert KararniarL tfistiffi @$ w@-'I,$*t*#$

the criminal tc.r*U* ho did not conre anmffsi'Fn*uX

mHiant

r*ame. Ttpre is no record on him. Thus @'meW. firt: He ir implieated inAshod

Nersesiantrn

tifisdmatkwas.notarrareofthemurde4ortm ThEfore he should be considered irnoqefit.r 'l ' ': ' :

;

r'r:'

::r

could lead to a murder. He filed a Dro applieation in ordor to got

cYorg Alaverdian, 23, a citiren of Armenia. He

is marrisd aad has one child. Itre is not affitriated wi*r any political eaxties. Dne to illness, he was relierred of his military duties. IIe worked at the Artsruni enterprisos, Aintab Bazaar, as a security guard. He was arrested on Decernber 28, 1994 in Mosca*'. He is accusod of being a member of

Dro, and plotting ttre

murders'

*re preliminary hearings, he admitted t&at in 1993 he cma' pleted an ryplication and joined Dro" because lvhejgyanhd'told trim ono iswestem Armenia's branch of theA'$(F, qs}:ffuir pifi sion was to expose Armenia's traitors' He was as*igprd a.s@'

Dring

ra Harmandarian, z:. is a

Acitizen

oi Armenia Hc is mar-

ried and has one child. He is not affiliaedwith any peiliticalparties. Due to illness, lre was relieved of his military

duties. He worted at the Artsruni enterprises, Aintab Bazaar, as a secwi-

ry guard. He was arrested

hcember 28,1994 in Moocow.

ltre is

accused of being a mertber of Dro, and plotting the nnrders. Duing 8rc thet in 1993 he cornpletrd an lre admitted pretiminary hearings, and joined Dro, becarue Meq,ryan had toH him Dro "p6irei* is Westem Armenia's b,ranch of the ARF, and their missim was m exposeArmenia's tmiton. He was assigned a code ed't$ldthis

ard telel this was'cotmm, practice in the ARF, *k rcEil'od ondsrsts,&llorfl q,gfut l@idrrat* elik $immiaa etqed t&q! tolm*,a te grqtili't1!.{-rn,gd:em come o'f Keropi' }trq&tr$cilti

€dM he,e@arl apprcation "to go toKcabdtil*sdid mcqlsi&rhi d$tilry; Ideftoughtlehdbpoewee

&r'ar

ths,,efuX;:he m&rted his prior srawxm- LIo tfie Getaoa* of',salking and filing of a persmd ryIicatimAE t&c reut of Sre accusalions wera elttwr fahrieared by &c i@rr rcggas m were,wrimr by him rmder durffis. I*is e,&rtp"ryt, atser ass€rtsd his clienl was ffiff iitrd@ rri*ih f.hs

mr-iag

msy; @

wer,

fl*

of.a

erdwod'@4

he waf cst eyeu atwaxe of lhs gone to Afisruni's tur employryti:@ HE asked the coont to

mly

m*er.

wa* cmnrnon pactbe in tlre ARF- I*e ceqtain

ffiry

dCIclme:hir.$$f-,ffi,

idvidtmls* Edik Si$rnlim

grqror "No good,ca* coqre of

rewid: €$dtrqt*

advto€d lqinl'rtcr

Kry,*

@lqt'tl'

Fk ffb&eryted

eg{S

foril*ee:d@Ueau*'-to go to' K*rabn$;1 t&ed md er:Lrir*sclf$$S &,thotrghthehadbeearxod.

*riing $ai;@refured his priu stat€,$leoffi' H0 &botre e tne,6e@rof cta,lkiag 6td ffliag of apsls@d ry*o**oq' s6itr s wem eitlrer f&iEM by' e }ry.nU *- *-i e

"+ s r%mu*w:W9rsrimnryAmrlnd;er

}Ikffi'ry;@ @

gbdrezimn,slbq,,as*orted his clisat wffi !r08 iwsetd SitXi lrqs:ne* cnen awarc of the exi*tsmo od sd:a

Mwqr;k

f*" lme **y gW

Artsruri's

f.or ernplo,yWm"

@'di'tr#"ha#

ef ansgd6, Hcqsked the courltodsslwe hix*c$e$

AIM Mev/JuNs 1996 t33

Draw up a list of Armenia's principal tradin g partners and you'll very likely include Russia, Iran, maybe even Turkmenistan. But Belgium?

DmmoNDS Anu FoREvER f I I I

he glinering pize is not chocolate but diamonds. A legacy of the for-

benefi tted this development.

But price must also be balanced against available skills, since workmanship is the vital factor in adding value to the rough stone. It is here, many of the Belgian Armenians believe, that yerevan can ciwe its niche in the market. Costs are lower than in Israel while levels of

mer Soviet Union, the diamond z indusfiry in Armenia has the poten-

tial to become one of the success

stories of the independent republic.

{ t

*tign ? in value, permanently in demand, and E easy to transport, diamonds meet all the fi requirements

of a

landlocked countrv B

whose greatest capital is the skill people.

of its

As a result, the small Armenian community in Antwelp has acquired an importance far beyond its numbers in helping to develop the diamond connection. Belgium is Armenia's third largest trading partner thanks to the handfuls of sparkling rock shuttling between the two countries each month. Armenians have gained a significant position in a diamond industy traditionally dominated by Jews and Indians. It is this vital expertise centered in Antwerp

which is helping Armenia to develop a in the global diamond business.

role

Diamonds may be forever, but the indusny is restless and constantly shifting to the most favorable business location.

Antwerp remains the capital of ttre diamond world, centered on a close-knit business district cloaked in intrigue and secrecy where the great trading houses buy and sell the rough and polished products of mines and factories around the globe. Eighty percent of the world's rough diamonds, as well as 50 percent of the polished stones, pass through its trading houses.

34 txuMAy/JuNE

1996

For decades after World War tI, as many as 30,000 people were involved in

polishing diamonds

in and around

the

city. But Anfwerp's status as the world,s main cutting center gradually disappeared as Belgian labor costs rose and manufacturers looked elsewhere. Thus began Tel Aviv's rise to prominence as Jews involved in the polishing business located their factories in Israel.

skilled and cost-effective workforce

combined with the sentimental pull of the Jewish state to produce a new power in the diamond world.

For similar

reasons, India has

become another key location as traders sought out new low-cost production centers. Here, it remains very much a cot-

tage industry with whole families involved in polishing small quantities of

rough diamonds

at prices

virtually

nobody can beat.

Altemative diamond centers have also emerged in Sri Lanka, Thailand, and, recently, China as manufacturers search

for competitive advantage. Belgium's taxation system, which permits diamonds

to be imported and exported freely, has

craftsmanship, honed under the Soviet system since the 1970s, are higher than in many of the Asian competitors. Add to that political stability and a locarion considerably closer to the Antwerp market than China or Thailand and conditions look right for growth. Different countries tend to atfiact different categories of rough diamond. India and Sri I-anka, for instance, usually receive low-grade stones which do not require intricate polishing but can be produced very cheaply.

Armenia, schooled in the Soviet tradition of very high qualiry polishing, is considered more likely to attract business away from Tel Aviv and NewYork by working expensive stones at cheaper rates. Around 25 Armenian dealers oper-

ate in Antwerp's diamond quarter-

many of them having fled I.rbanon in the mid 1970s when the civil war broke out.

A number of the most prominent have been building links with the republic, helping to find supplies of rough stones and offering an outlet to the world market for its finished poducts. Under the Soviet system, rough diamonds were sent by Moscow for polishing in several state factories in Armenia, one of only three centers established out-

in 1973' the

"There is a very good future for

employed some

main Shoghagn factory 2,000 staff as part of a Soviet network

Armenia in diamonds if the govemment creates the right conditions. Prices are

producing hundreds of millions of dollars worth of diamonds each Year. Armenians, who alreadY had a good

similar to Thailand or China but the workmanship is better. The only thing

side Russian borders. Set up

reputation for working jewelry became equally skilled at polishing diamonds. But the dissolution of the Soviet Union brought chaos in the intemational market,

most of which has always been tightly regulated from London bY the South African conglomerate De Beers. Suddenly, the Russians were selling rough diamonds to anyone, threatening to undermine the system of quotas operated

by De Beers, which suPPlies some 300

that has to be provided is the rough diamond in reasonable quantities," he said. Vartkess Knadjian, general manager in Antwerp for Backes and Strauss, one of the world's largest diamond corporations, concurs. He has bought polished stones from the Yerevan factory since 1993 and is impressed by the commitment of its management to compete in the intemational market.

"They are able to Produce some very high quality work but it varies and The mdn potential obstacle identi-

"siteholders" with material from mines

fied by all the traders is the high social security and income tax costs facing

10 times a year.

Siteholders are given volumes of stones worth anything from $100'000 to $30 million each time, which must then go to manufacnrers for polishing'

businesses in Yerevan.

The Soviet collapse flooded the marDealers were even able to buy directly from mines

"Tax rates are 38 Percent in Armenia. The same tax is 12 percent in Thailand and 10 percent in China," said Oskanian. "If we are to compete they have to bring income tax down to the

in the Russian Far East at prices well

levels of other countries."

ket with unregulated stones.

below those set by De Beers. But in February, De Beers struck a deal with the Russian govemment to buy $1.2 billion of rouglr diamonds every year, cutting offthe supply outside of its cartel. This suited both, but left Armenia in the lurch, without a supplier. A con-

sortium

of four Armenian traders

Antwerp has been helping to plug the gap, finding sotuces of rough diamonds

Air links with

fourth flight opening uP soon from Frankfurt. Airport security has been

tightened since the chaotic early days of independence and the govenrment has

on the open market for the Shoghagn factory to polish. The finished stones then come back to Antwerp for sale to whole-

needs consistent supervision and control." he said.

salers supplying jewellers around the Each month, the Yerevan factory buys about $3 million worth of rough stones, which its 1,500 workers convert

tionship I have had. They are very open to new ideas and very quick to imPlement changes. The business has moved to low-cost centers and a place like Armenia can be very attractive provided

into polished diamonds worth around $5 million. By comparison, the monthly traffic between Bombay and Antwerp is $100 million, indicative of the scale of the diamond game and Yerevan's still lowly position within it. But Kevork Oskanian, one of the four dealers within the consortium, along with the Arslanian, Artinian and Ipedjian families, is optimistic about Armenia's prospects. He points out that

there is no blockade, a regular supply of energy, transport, and securitY." Compared to other state enterprises, salaries at Shoghagn are quite high' The most skilled workers receive about $300. Most diamond cutters are young men, and they work as long as their eyes and hands allow them to carry out the micro operations necessary to create 57 facets on small precious stones-where every

theYerevan factory delivered $8.5 million in net profits to the state last year.

blunder is very costlY.

world.

Yerevan via

Amsterdam and Paris each week are considered good, and there is talk of a

have been pleased

with the rela-

AIM MAY/JuI.{E 1996 135

isin{ the ashes o! Spitak,

uiling

classified the diamond trade as a strategic industry, entitling it to special protection and privileges. President Levon TerPetrossian is said to take a personal inter-

est in the development of the business,

conscious

diamond's potential for

Armenia's economy. Knadjian sums up its attractiveness thus. "It is an environmentally clean industry labor-intensive, and does not take anything out of the country. It brings in added value," he says. But Armenia's image as a counbry under siege---cven as one at war---{ontinues to harm invesfinent. "There is not enough being done to promote the country, and this is a responsibility that has to be shared between us and the Armenian govemment," said Knadjian.

Haig Arslanian, one of the world's largest rough diamond dealers, has a dual role in promoting Armenia as a destination for footloose investrnent money. He is Armenia's honorary consul in Antwerp md has also invested in his own polishing plant in Yerevan.

Send Armenia's Sailinp Team to

the 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta. Support our disabled athletes heading from Spitak to Atlanta! Make your tax deductible donation payable to:

Armenian Health Alliance P.O. Box 29369 LosAngeles,CA 90029

A large, gegarious man of 69 he is fond of telling a story of growing up in Aleppo, Syria, where his family came as refugees from the Genocide. "My mother used to tell me, 'don't play with the poor children, go and play

in the rich neighborhood and make friends there and one day maybe you'll do business with them.' I am following my mother's advice," he says with a smile. Arslanian buys rough diamonds flom 16 countries, mostly inAfrica where political turbulence and official coruption are simply business risks to be taken into account. It is clear in conversation that a major attraction for investing in Armenia is the stability it offers by comparison.

36 / AfM Mav/Jur{E

1996

Healthy business interests played as much a role as patriotism in the decision of Arslanian and his son Shahen, who runs the polishing arm of the family firm to take the plunge into Armenia by establishing their own factory. The Lori plant started with 40 polishers transferred from the Shoghagn plant and has since added another 60 recruits who have leamed the

trade.

polishes stones sent

the

Belgian company and business

expanding fast.

now boasts 180 staff and will

expand into new purpose-built premises in September. The new factory more closely resembles a three-story private

villa than an industrial complex and deputy dtector Isaac Aghajanian says it is large enough to accommodate 300 employees. "This is a proper business, not humanitarian aid," comments the directorYura Mkhitarian. But the factory nevertheless takes its social responsibilities seriously, sponsoring a local school, some 16 families of soldiers killed in the Karabakh war, and a local cable TV station. The Arslanians' decision to invest in

the diamond plant was probably influ-

enced too

by the unwillingness of

Shoghagn to remain solely a processing center.

Gagik Abrahamian explained. "Last year, when our conditions were bad, we met with Haig Arslanian. His company

suggested

to work like we did with

Russia in Soviet times. That meant they

would send us the raw material, we would process it and send it back. And we would be paid for that. It was not the best solution for us. In the first period, we

received stones worth $1 million per month, but this has fallen to $500,000. It

is not a big amount for us, though I can-

not say what

represents since our

turnover is a secret."

Whatever the mixture

interests

and conditions, the result has

supplies of rough stones and improve its links with the Antwerp trading system. Having been used only to polish diamonds for retum to Moscow, theY know

been dia-

relatively little about selling their own production in the fiercely competitive international market. The connections

"We believe others will follow.

with Russia will also have to be rebuilt to open up what is still the second largest source of diamonds after De Beers. And Armenians in the DiasPora will have to demonstrate that diamond investments make hard business sense before non-Armenians take the plunge

expanded investment and trade monds in Armenia.

Armenia has the potential to become a big center but whether it does or not depends on the role Armenians in the business play today," Shahen Arslanian said.

'All

the assistance should be given to the state factory because it is of national importance that it succeeds. All of us have a role to play in that but in addition there should be private factories." He lists Armenia's many advantages as a business location, from its political stability to tax breaks in the early years of operation and a liberal trade policy promoted by the government. But he also views the anarchic individualism of Armenians as another key advantage for the growth of the diamond industry. When everything depends on

how a stone is cut, then intelligence and

application become vital to success. "Diamonds are going to cheaper and cheaper labor forces but if it was just a mafier of price then even Armenia would not have a good chance. What makes the

difference is that diamonds don't have perfect form," Arslanian says. 'A rough stone can be aPProached thousands ofways. You have to use your brain, to be really individualistic and not a robot or simply following exact orders. When it comes to thinking as an individual, Armenians do a good job.

"Armenia then has

looked on

and set up manufacturing facilities in Yerevan.

The rise of many of the Asian countries is proof that the will to invest in any

country is there

the conditions are right. But Yervant Artinian, one of the consortium helping the state factory, believes it will be a long haul. Knadjian agrees the diamond business is "a lot more mobile than it used to be" and argues that Armenians involved in it have to organize seminars and special events in Antwerp so that the govemment can make its case forYerevan. "When one has an invesfinent You are looking to invest over a long period

of time," he said. "Under ideal conditions, You need the state factory getting strong to act as a

magnet to draw in entrepreneurs, not necessarily Armenians, from the diamond world to work in Armenia in small factories creating employment. It is possible and it should happen."

wrTH REPoRTING nv

nY Totw HePnl Menx Gnlcoru,cN

Founded in 1993, the Fourth

Millennium Society is an indePendently funded and administered

public charity committed to the dissemination of

information for the purpose

develoPing

an informed Public. Underpinning all our work is the

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

mentalto a democratic society in Armenia and democratic institu-

tions in the Diaspora, The Fourth Millennium Society suPPorts Armenian lnternational Magazine

in its effort to contribute to the national dialogue.

Please remember the Fourth

Millennium Society with Your gifts.

competition for

Think of the Fourth Millennium

Israel and not against cheap

Society as you prepare your will.

labor countries. We have much

We can help you with Planned

giving and estate Planning.

lower labor costs than Israel and

we are able to organize, then inevitably we will be a better place to polish diamonds." But, first, the state factory will have to estab-

lish more

Fourth Millennium Society P.0. Box '10793 Glendale, CA 91209

Phone (818) 2467979 Fax (818) 246 0088

secure

AIM MAYIuNE

1996

Moxuruplrrs Connr, rN Arr SgapF,.s AND StzF,s

The Life, Works and Death of Sculptor Benik petrosian A prime example of his public and communal sculptures are the works done

stone

at the Annual

Symposium in Ijevan, north-

tufa and onyx. Petrosian's work was exhib-

east of Yerevan, where for J

seveial summers young sculptors from throughout Armenia and elsewhere

ited throughout the former Soviet Union, as well as

Belgrade, New York, Los

Angeles, Boston,

would congregate to live and create in the same environment. Petrosian was not only

Yerevan

elements

would become a school of

was also one of its most pro-

miniature sculpture. Even before his death, during the

public

many months

works also manifest his love of nature, regardless of the size or medium of the work. In his early works in basalt, granite or tufa, and his later pieces in metal, Petrosian's figures

were the foxes, snakes and lions of Armenia's forests.

The sculptor had never seen

of age 60, Benik

Petrosian was already known as a

sculptor who was consistently unpredictable, bold and refined. His first work-a clay snake made before he began to attend schoolmade it clear he would choose sculpting as his creative medium. And he did. From his first show in Holland in 1957, where he displayed works of wood, to his last years, when his home had become a studio-workshop-museum, and the open spaces of Ijevan, had become a kind of school and gallery, Petrosian's work was never one-dimensional. He was one of Armenia's few sculptors able to use different styles and functions of sculpting to express his creativity. There is a formal simplicity to his multi-faceted sculpture. For him, sculpr ing was both a public and private display, a communal and an intimate experience, at the same time.

38 lenr

M,qv/Jur.re 1996

serve as the

behind the symposium, he

Petrosian's

few years shy

will

basis for what he had hoped

ductive participants.

hen he died in early May, just a

Paris,

Italy and Switzerland. Now, more than 5fi) of his works in Canada, Japan,

ohe of the driving forces and

inspirational

loved most-miniature sculptures in metal, marble, basalt and his favorites,

the

forests of his parents' Goght region, but he loved to hunt and he knew the forests and mountains of Armenia well. Siirce the 1980s, he was at his most prolific, concentrating largely on miniature sculptures, which were the works that presented the intimate and private

ofhis creative output. Ttie forms were such that they could be displayed in private dwellings

illness,

Peffosian had begun to plan.

Now, his wife and greatest fan, Alice Adamian, will pursue his dream. A Petrosian Fund has been established to make possible a museum and workshop as Petrosian's legacy. Artashes Hovannisian, a great sculptor in his own right, whose statues of

Alexander Tamanian and Armen Tigranian grace Yerevan's public spaces, commented that "Monumentalism is, first of all, idea and form, not just the size of the sculpture. Beno can do the things I do but I cannot do the things he does."

side

By Gosan SesaxraN Pnoros By ZA\EN KHecsrxrax

or even buried by ancient civilizations as the most cherished mementos of one's life. In all cases, there was a duality to Pefrosian's work-the public and private, the stone and metal. And yet, in both style and function there is a compactness and self-sufficiency in his sculpture. He was able to turn them into timeless symbols, reduced to their most basic shape and essence. He was among the few lucky artists whose work was appreciated and com-

mended. For six years running, from 1985 to 1991, he received the USSR's "Best Sculpture" award for the work he

AIM MAY/JuNE 1996 I 39

Fmps, exo Oro Npw of Art A Sampling

f I f f

Recent

ven when there was no shortage

coffee table art books from Soviet

n.*.n,u,

Publications

of Minas's y761[s-n61 in the sense of allinclusive. but in its complete .orerug" of

rhere was a tacu uncierstandinS among those in the know tnat a whole range ot contemporary

overlooked, or outright censored.

now, the rules of the

But

Saryan Museum, has authored the main

full of anecdotal commentary and personal experiences.

essay, .,

What makes Minas Avetisian a piv-

game have

otal figure in the national art scene is that he was the first to bring new life to the stagnant world of socialist realism. In the 1960s, he emerged with dynamic style, energetic colors and underlying emotions that broke through and overtook the prevalent ideological bonds. To understand his role at this critical juncture of art history it was time that a complete collection of his works were gathered under one cover. With the pub-

in Armenia, and the

complete works of the more established ones-not all of them dead-are available.

Through the combined efforts of the major art museum directors and art critics of Armenia and publishers in the Diaspora, a more comprehensive-and long overdue-picture of the Armenian an world is now emerging.

One of the most recent, and most impressive, books is Minas, a catalogue of the work of Minas Avetisian, who died unexpectedly in 1975. This book is probably the most comprehensive presentation

40 /AIM

MAY/JUNE 1996

names in the artistic world. Editor Shahen Khachaturian, the director of the National

Gallery of Armenia and the Martiros

changed. Suddenly, publications covering both the works of contemporary

artists residing

the major categories of the artist's oeuvre.

Color reproductions of Minas's oil paintings, stage and costume designs, frescoes,

graphic works, drawings and archival photographs are combined with previously published articles and interviews with Minas, as well as comments by eminent

lication of Minas, a whole new dimension is revealed, especially to those living outside Armenia who didn't have much access to his public works. There are rarely seen pictures of his stage and costume designs for famous ballet pieces, such as Gayane, Almast Md Antuni. But

the most revealing aspect of Minas's work is in his mural paintings, depicting the

the strong tie Minas felt to the early works of

daily activities of village life. They have been executed in factory lobbies and fac-

Martiros Saryan and Henri Matisse. Not only are the energetic colors of those two Fauvists prevalent in Minas's paintings,

whose travails in trying to open the museum in 1972 are well documented in the

tory canteens in Gumri (or Leninakan, the center of the 1988

This collection also reveals

years old. Henrik Iguitian, the

founder and director

book, is apparently vindicated. His efforts

have paid looks

earthquake which destroyed a large

number

places.

stage designs, it

striking in the body of work of these 34 artists (two appear in both volumes) is the non-national character of their art. Except for a few scribbles of Armenian text, there is nothing in the works to betray the country of ori-

tried to

preserve his national culture

and heritage, but developed his art based on the tradiearly

Renaissance fres-

gin or the nationality of the artists. Even though

coes. Instead of religious themes,

Minas's subjects are national and cultural. In executing At a Well, Minas appropriates the Sccra Conversazione scheme-very popular from the mid-fifteenth century, where

new type of altar panel which included an enthroned Madonna was framed by archi-

tecture and sulrounded

by saints

who

were in conversation with her. Instead of Renaissance architecture. Minas uses Armenian architecture and women in their

traditional attire. The setting is not reli-

gious but national,

in this

case, the

Armenian village. Rather than congregating around a central figure. the attendants in Minas's scenes stand aloof.

The Nativitv

of Tlnros

Ros/in is

another example of the same rural setting, with a mother holding a newborn child, and a second woman kneeling in reverence. Here, baby Jesus is replaced by Roslin, the prolific illuminator of the

l3th century, and the respectful

Magi

have become village women.

Almost

the

two vol-

installations assemblages to Conceptual Art. Taken together, what is

and

becomes apparent that Minas not only

tion of

off. By

these

easily compete in their category within contemporary international artranging from Pop Art to

Seeing his murals in conjunction with

his paintings

umes, Armenia today has a group of artists that can

these

masterpieces) and other village gath-

ering

of the Museum,

all of the characters

in Minas's murals are women and their inner lives are conveyed by glances and gestures, not by facial expressions. They communicate in an austere and stern fashion. There is a gravity to their expressions akin to Greek sculpture of the Severe style (480-450 BC). Their faces have a pensive, somewhat faraway look.

but like Matisse, there is the delicate bal-

ance achieved between the two- and three-dimensional aspects of both his paintings and murals. There is no doubt thal Miruts makes it possible to evaluate Minas's legacy in a new light. Two other wotks-Stream of Fire: New Art from Armenia and Gallery Noah's Ark together give the viewer a fine idea of today's contemporary art world. Stream of Fire was published in Cyprus to accompany an exhibition of l2 artists (all male) from Armenia, as part of

the overall program of the European Cultural Year. The life. work and environment of each artist is presented in separate short essays, most of which have been written by Phillip Marsden, the heralded author of The Crossing Place.The critical essay in this 132-page illustrated catalogue is written by the publisher, Garo Keheyan, who explains that throughout

Armenian history-from mythology to consciousness-fire is the essence of the creative spirit, and as such, the art "coming out of Armenia today reflects an exciting and historic opportunity for renewal." Gallery Noah's Ark, published by the

Modern

Art

Museum

of Armenia

and printed in Lebanon, is a collection of 24 contemporary artists (including some

women) from Armenia, ranging from l7

Armenia has experienced one of the most dire periods in recent history, no social, political or economic factors manifest themselves in these works. Whether that's a result of a self-imposed definition of modernity. a conscious effort to appeal to an intemational market, or whether the selection and compilation process has weeded out such work is unclear. Although there is a work entitled Gulf Wars, there is nothing on the Karabakh conflict or the rampant energy shortages of the last several years. Absent are the social commentaries and the idealism of the village that was so prevalent in Minas's works. Gone are the national and cultural themes. Armenian contemporary artists today have become urban and cosmopolitan, and are engaged in transnational discourse. The publishers promise more such books. If they continue to be of this caliber, the art-appreciating public will be able to follow the evolution of the Armenian art scene from anywhere in the world. BY HRAG VNzuISEOIIN Minas, AAA Publishing House, Montreal, Canada, 1996. ISBN 0-9697620-0-5. 208 p.

of Fire, Pharos Publishers, Nicosia, Cyprus. 1995. ISBN 9963 8068 0 5. 132 p.

Stream

Gallery Noah's AtR, Museum Yerevan, Armenia. 200 p.

Modern Art,

AIM MAY/JIrNE 1996 I

ffiffiIr.B

PnouD PrsT, UucERTArtrtr

FUTURE

The Diaspora's oldest school, Melkonian is facing more questions than answers. found influence on the resurrection of Armenian life in the Diaspora following the Genocide that even to contemplate its demise touches raw nerves. But it is equally true to say that the Melkonian is not the intellectual powerhouse that it was-nor has it been for some time. Sentiment aside, then, should an institution losing a rumored $800,000 a year be saved and why? What is the misssion-a word constantly invoked by those imbued with the Melkonian ethos----of

this school in a Diaspora

coming to terns with an independent Armenia? The importance of Melkonian as a symbol is all the more impressive when you realize that the boarding school has produced just 1,400 graduates since it opened

1926.

Many of these men and women, imbued with Armenian history, literature and language, have gone on to become the backbone of communities scattered around the world, providing leadership and maintaining a sense of

national purpose. Few investments have produced such rich dividends. The

list of well-known alumni includes painter Hagop Hagopian, encyclopedist Parsegh Toughlajan

and

diplomat

Benon Sevan. The Nshan Palandjian Jemaran in Beirut is perhaps the only other Diaspora educational institution with an equal legacy.

Although Melkonian's role

has

always been an international one, it is the Armenians in Cyprus who feel the

uncertainty surrounding it now most acutely. The institution is literally the heart of this 2,000-strong community,

giving shape to its sense

Armenianness down the generations.

he 70th anniversary year of the Melkonian Educational Institute finds it shrouded in doubts about its

future. If the celebrations have

been filled with recognition of all

that this

remarkable school

has

achieved, they have been tinged, too, with a sense of foreboding for its well-

42 lAlM MeY/JuNe

pear within five years. This school is sacred, it has to be maintained here," he

in the air.

says.

The school has had such a pro-

being. 1996

Father Yeghishe Manjikian, Prelate of Cyprus, speaks for many in the community in expressing the passions the Melkonian arouses. "If they close the school or move it somewhere else, the Armenian community here will disap-

In short, many of the hundreds of people who gathered at emotional reunions in Cyprus and the United States were uncertain whether the Melkonian would still be around to mark its 75th birthday. As one guest observed, there is the "smell of crisis"

"They" are the Central Board of

a in '96 lnternational Medical Conference Armenia

The medical conference

will be held for 4 days. You will also

be able to par-

ticipate rn pre-arranged 0ne-to-0ne hands on meetings with your Armenian colleagues in their hospitals. Travel via Aerof lotwrth transatlantic flights on Beoing 767, arrangements through A. R.Travel lnc.

Accommodations will be at the Hotel Armenia 1, the renovated section, based on double occupancy. Spouses programs are planned daily sightseeing tours planned including visits to the Turkish Armenian border to view the ruins of Ani from the Armenian side, Garni Etchmiadzin, Khor Virab, Genocide Memorial, and many other sites, via private motor coach

with an English-speaking guide throughout the period. Prices include all transfers sightseeing, breakfast and one meal daily. 0ptional helicopter tour ol Karabagh is available. 0ptional arrangements will be made for those wishing to attend the 0pera or Philharmonic 0rchestra. Tour ends a day after the Blessing of the Muron at Holy Etchmiadzin, set for September B.

Tour departs New York's Kennedy airporton August28, 1996 at.1:00 p.m. to Moscow. Returns on September 9, 1996 at 1:00 p.m. or Tour departs

LosAngeles atrport on August 28 1996 at 5:05 p.m. and returns on September 9, 1996 at B:30 p.m. lncluded will be a sightseeing tour of Moscow. Total Tax deductible cost is: $2,500 00, per person lrom New York City's

JFK A Registration fee oi $500.00, per person is required at this time. Departures from Los Angeles lnternational Airport cost is $2,750.00 per pers0 n.

THIS TOUR IS OPEN TO ALL, AND IS NOT LIMITED TO PERSONS WITH

A MEDICAL BACKGROUND. R.S.V.P. to:

MEDICAI OUTREAGH FOB ARMEIIIAIIS, I]IG. Vaftkes Najarian M.0.,

Arthur M. Halvajian, Co-Chairman

Co-Chairman

33-00 Broadway, Suite 201

1030 S. Glendale Ave, Suite 407

Fairlawn, New Jersey 07410

Glendale, CA 91295

(20r ) 7e6-0050

(B1B) 548-1990 PROGRAM COORDINATOR:

Murat Acemoglu,

M.D.

P0.Box (51 B)

438

Newtonville, New York 12128

235-6606

EfvfS, Lwish to attend. Enclosed is my check in the amount of $500.00 per person made payable to: Medical ]utreach for Armenians. lnc. or Charge My Credit Card: # Expiration date

My departure is pre{erably from

Please PRINT

NAME: ADDRESS:

TELEPH0NE:

(

)

MEDICAL SPECIALTY

FAX:

(

)

the Armenian General

Benevolent

teaching staff placed under competence

Union in New York. Its leaders have

evaluation. Most controversial of all, selection tests for admission to the

given no indication that the Melkonian is to close or be uprooted to somewhere less prohibitively expensive than Cyprus.

But, equally, it has done nothing to

dispel rumors that the

school are to be introduced.

The aim, says Hagop Kasparian, the school's principal and driving force behind the changes, is to give

ground is being quietly prepared for such a decision,

which some believe

has

on their

install them

Nicosia in

"They were not aware in New York about what was

The absence of anyone

of half the

school's seven-

strong management board in January.

Out went four long-serving locals; in came replacements from Lebanon and Syria, including the chairman, the

first time in Melkonian's history that control has passed out community.

of the Cyprus

This was followed quickly by plans for radical reform of the way the school operates. Revisions of the cur-

riculum are being drawn up and the

lAlM. Mev/Jur.re 1996

in the bath-

rooms.

April.

purging

telephone calls,

of toilet paper to lessons because no one was willing to break with tradition and

of the AGBU's

from AGBU headquarters, on that occasion only added to a sense of disquiet already heightened by the ovemight

institution hidebound by tradition and unwilling to consider even

where children carried rolls

intention at the reunion cel-

A soft-spoken man with a lifetime

educational experience both in Lebanon and New Jersey, Kasparian found he had taken over a moribund

students and eavesdropped

Assistant Secretary General Benon Sevan was moved to call for an unequivocal

ebrations

minor change. Far from being a thriving scholastic community, it was a place where staff routinely censored letters home from

already been made behind closed doors. The nervousness has swollen to such a degree that United Nations

statement

already left and the second was encouraged to move on soon after.

Melkonian a future as an elite establish-

ment

shaking

off its past as an

were satisfied and the reports they sent

over did not indicate there were any

orphanage.

In the process, the new school board is willing to see student numbers virtually halve to as few as 130 il as Yeran Kouyoumdjian, one of the survivors of the purge, observes, that is what it takes to attract "quality stu-

dents." Kasparian, 69, has been head for three years though he arrived originally as a consultant to the AGBU Central Board to advise on which of two co-principals should be retained.

By the time he got there, one

really going on here. The local people

had

problems," Kasparian said.

"The local board decided everything, the principal was a puppet here and they told him what to do. If the principal had some ideas, they gave him a hard time and either asked him next year not to come back or he got so disgusted that he quit. "If you wanted to make a minor change, you always faced opposition. They considered there was 70 years of tradition and nothing new was needed."

Many of the best teachers have gone, their enthusiasm sapped by an employment system which effectively requires them to reapply for their jobs every year. Salaries, already two-thirds below average levels in other Cypriot schools, have not risen beyond cost-of-

living increases for

result of changing times. The school's early years coincided with the infancy

communities around the which needed the kind of leadership

world

skills produced at

Melkonian.

Gradually, these communities have matured and developed their own struc-

This year just 24 are Lebanese, while onty 12 more come from other parts of the Middle East-none of them from Iran, another traditional source. As a result, Melkonian's poPulation has become more fragmented. The 215 students this year are from 22

countries, as diverse

seven

Ethiopia, Brazil

years.

No pay scale exists

Bulgaria, all with very different educational and linguistic backgrounds.

reward good service or senior-

ity-indeed, those arriving

a wonderfully cosmopolitan mix, their grasp of Armenian or English, the languages of instruction, is often much weaker than in the past.

Though

later often secured better contracts than staff who had given years of dedicated service.

The school had lost

its

way, the sense of decay compounded by a tumover of five principals in the last eight

and

This requires

greater

the

remedial instruction and

founding brothers, Krikor and Garabed Melkonian (see AIM, October 1991) had been to provide a home for the orphaned survivors of the Genocide,

the nub of the reforms

years.

the vision of

slows the pace of education at the school. This is

offering them love, dignity. and a sense of national pride, now, years later, it no longer seemed clear that the school fulfilled any useful purpose. Kasparian gives one measure of its decline, arguing that until the 1970s more than half the

Armenian language teachers

Diasporan schools were Melkonian graduates. In his three years as prinicipal, just one graduate has declared an interest in teaching.

The identity crisis is partly

the

tures, including schools

to nurture

sense of Armenian identity.

being introduced, intended says Kasparian, to modernize the school and give it a bright new future. "In the past, the practice has been to accept anyone who applied regardless of age, ability, and academic background. Now we will

The students have changed too. For years, the bulk of the pupils came from the Armenian community in

take reports from their previous two

Lebanon but these have declined sharply in numbers over the Past

entrance examination," Kasparian said.

decade as the devaluation of the Lebanese pound has put the school beyond the pockets of most families.

years

come

in school and those wanting to to Melkonian will take an

Those with poor language skills will be required to spend the first year

on intensive English and Armenian

ACiHIDIIAiMIB.v.B.n. Plul Hllc AGHDJIAN DIAMOND IMPORT. EXPORT

Tel.

3.21

Ogl23l.O4.l5

Fax. 321 0,31233.20.60

78, PELIKAANSSTRAAT 201t, B.ANTWERP . BELGIUII OFFIGE: 284-85

AIM Mev/JuNe

1996

I 45

courses before crossing into the Sth

to give quality education to

grade. No one over 14 will be admitted. The school teaches a British curriculum leading to Ordinary levels at l6 and Advanced levels at 18, which can be used for entry at any of the world's

coming from all parts of the world, and to give a strong sense of ethnicity," she

universities. But the old division of pupils into rigid Science and Commerce streams, which limited the range of aca-

demic options available

to them,

being scrapped. The teaching staffhas been offered a five percent pay raise as a gesture of goodwill but also placed on probation for the next 12 months. Those who fail to make the grade will go while others will be offered contracts of up to five years to give them greater security. Though the school can accommodate 400 boarders, in future there will be at most 200 and quite possibly only 120 as a result of the introduction of selection. But the purpose is to rejuvenate Melkonian for the 2lst century not gradually run it down for closure, insists Kouyoumdjian. "We are strengthening the mission, which is the same as it has always been,

said.

"We will be concentrating on quality and not quantity. Investing in quality students is better for the future of the Armenian nation, these are the ones who will be the leaders in the communities." Whoever is accepted in the future is likely to be able to pay as well. Fees are a modest $3,865 a year but only eight percent of students pay the full amount and two out of three pay less than a third. Charges will rise and assistance

will

grounds. Such

brave new world does not

convince everyone, however. The prospect of local Armenian children being refused access to the only Armenian secondary school on the island appalls some.

the

Nareg elementary school in Nicosia opted to send their children to other secondary schools in the city this year because of nervousness about the possi-

ble closure of Melkonian.

It is having an effect also on the search for a new principal. Kasparian's headship ended in June with no replacement in place and the school facing the prospect of starting the new year leader-

less.

Kouyoumdjian and Kasparian admit the Central Board has yet to flrnd anyone of suitable quality, and the atmosphere can hardly be an encouragement to the most able to step forThe contrast with the stability at the three Nareg schools on the island, all funded by the Cypriot government,

could hardly be greater. Vartan Tashdjian, a Melkonian graduate and

real agenda is eventually to wind down the Melkonian presence in Cyprus, per-

serving their national and cultural her-

3. Minimum of thrce years of employment or leadership experience in non-profit organizations. Experience in fundraising and public relations activities. 5. Self motivation and creativity.

Quolified oppliconts should send or fox their resume ond solory requirements by July 15, I996 to EDC, c/o Aris Artounions, 550 N. Brond Blvd., Suite 2150, Glendole, CA

46 t elvMAY/JuNE 1996

of uncertainty is creating a self-fulfill-

ing prophecy-most parents at

former teacher there for nine years, has been principal of Nareg for 22 yearc. "Other countries take pride in pre-

Others continue

1. Higher education. 2. Fluency in English and Armenian.

Fox: 8l 8/265-1928

haps to move it to Armenia. The period

ward.

Homenetrnen Glendale Ararat Chapter, a growing non-profit scouting and athletic youth organization, has an opening for the challenging position of Executive Director. The Executive Director will initiate, plan, coordinate and implement progmms and activities, supervise full-time and part time employees and represent the organization in various community activities. The interested applicant should meet the following requirements:

91203.

be targetted at academi-

cally able pupils from the poorest back-

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR POSITION HOMENETMEN GLENDALE ARARAT CHAPTER

students

to fear that

the

pupil in 1942, stayed on as a teacher, and her eyes blaze passionately still as

itage and for us Melkonian is a national monument. There has surely been mis-

management

in the past which

of what Melkonian has meant for all her "boys and girls." "It is a difficult moment, a critical she talks

has

brought Melkonian to its present condition, but the answer is not to move it or sell it." A member of the organizing committee for the 70th anniversary celebrations on the island, he agrees that

moment, but it could be trasformed into

an opportune moment. There is

reform is overdue but opposes the "obsession" with selection. The school's role is as much to mold good Armenians as it is to tum out successful businessemen and professionals and should not seek to exclude Armenian

children. He

Kong businessman Jack Maxian notwithstanding, alumni contributions

argues that stability and

have not been significant over the years.

authoritative leadership in establishing a clear educational policy will do more to raise standards and restore parental

The current state

see

quash the rumors of

the smoke. we don't

see

the fire. But seeing the smoke, we suspect there is a fire," he said.

Akaby Nassibian, a historian, a former principal and one of the board members ousted in January, is equally pained and bewildered by the silence in New York. She entered the school as a

uncertainty

alumni. Yet, they are all waiting for some conclusion to the discussion. All agree with Benon Sevan that the decision on the future of Melkonian "must

impending doom.

"We

has raised the interest level among most

confidence than entrance exams. Above all, he argues, there must be a statement of support from AGBU headquarters in

New York

much goodwill among the alumni, why not mobilize it? In our history, never have the Armenians been so well off as now," she argues. Some in leadership positions have wondered where the alumni has been all along. Exceptions such as Hong

from them? It is these questions that are at the heart of the Melkonian debate.

"Everything must be transparent. Armenian public opinion must be taken into account," Kouyoumdjian said. Few believe anyone could step in and take over the running of the school should the AGBU ever announce an intention to pull out, acknowledging the sacrifice and effort made by that organization in maintaining Melkonian.

commercial center established

on part of the school grounds has now moved into profit and is expected to help lighten the burden of funding the

Melkonian

in future.

Currently the

school recoups just $200,000 of its $l

million budget in fees from students. But there is a deeper question of commitment to a school set up when the Middle East was the center of diasporan life, but which makes far less an impression on the American communi-

not be taken behind closed doors." In many ways, the discussion may be specific to Melkonian, but the questions are equally applicable to many Diaspora schools. Are they Armenian

ty which now dominates. Is there a

"public" schools or schools for the elite? Where will the teachers, princi-

seems as much then about a search for

pals and students come from? Who

Kasparian appears

shall fund them? Who shall benefit

someone installed by the Central Board

$,$

constituency in the United States that sees a point to the continued survival

the Melkonian Institute?

The search for a new princial

identity as

it is for in

leadership.

retrospect

with a mandate to see if the sinking

ship could be saved. His plan has the support of senior staff at the school but is dependent on a successor with the vision and energy to see it through. It

is a

high-stakes gamble which,

unsuccessful, could hasten Melkonian's demise.

Has Melkonian's historic function as repository of Armenian identity and nursery of Diasporan leadership come to an end, particularly in the light of an

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independent republic which claims ownership of both? Is its future now as some sort of Armenian Eton, to which parents from all over the Diaspora will flock to send

their children in search of academic excellence, as the new board clearly hopes?

Or is Melkonian destined to slip slowly away, having played its part in

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the ongoing Armenian story but unable any longerto find arole? Cyprus is full of questions but they know the answers are elsewhere.

i:,r{tii&!ra

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AIM Mx/JuNr 1996 147

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48 lntU

M.AY/Jr

NE 1996

AIM MAY/JuNE

1996 I

THESE ARE REAL LETTERS TO REAL PEOPLE. SEND US YOURS anyone who sees them. These people

Deu Z,

their image kept in our mind. It is in that

I've just come back from Nantes, I had the occasion to see your photos exhibited at the City Hall under the title "Images et Visages d'Armenie" [Images and Faces of Armenia]. I am writing to tell you how much I liked them. After the visit, I had a peculiar sensation, as if I was better able to imagwhere

ine that country and its Armenia seemed then to

[Z.fr+alrcr

seem to be here, so present that we have

inhabitants. have a real

shape and a human reality.

What also impressed me

the

great power of evocation that is brought about thanks to the talent ofthe photographer-{he sadness of an old woman, a pale, blue-eyed old man, a volunteer from Karabakh with a grenade and an Armenian cross around his neck-these have strong impact.

I liked very much the little

boy of

Yerevan and the young man celebrating a holiday by sprinkling everyone with water, at Gami. You superbly caught the expression which emanates from both

his face and his whole person. An incredible intensity is felt from this photo. These photos impress, they reach

Dear G,

moment that I realized a photo can mean

much more than what it seems to be at first-just a sheet of paper. I guess that is the art ofphotography. Sincerely,

E@ffii, A, Dear

It's true, I am often criticized for my behavior, some people consider it despicable. "You have no shame," someone told me once, "hanging out with kanians for money." Frankly speaking, I didnl want to explain anything to him or try to convince him that money has nothing to do

with it. Your last e-mail was the geatest joy to read. Especially the last two words. I can't imagineYerevan changed. What are

the prices like? Is it true you can take money out of the wall, using a credit

card? And the rate

the dram? Everyone says it's normal. I don't believe ir!

Our men shouldn't feel offended but they are too rude and insolent in the way they treat women, even women who are streetwalkers. They don't merely throw nasty words or curses in the direction of such women, but they also beat them. That's the main reason why streetwalkers prefer making love with foreigners. They

I'm looking for a new place here, but it's not so easy. Soviet design and soviet fumiture prevail. And, as you know Nicole ran away with someone else. So, now, I am looking for a girl with western education and concept of life,

appeil to be gentlemen and have far more dignity than our so-called "businessmen" who, I am very sorry to say,

but with Armenian habits-such

seem witty so as to have a better image of themselves in their own eyes. And after you see a quite different attitude towards you from others, you let

cooking well, taking proper care of the house, not complaining. You know... Take Care,

are quite awkward in bed. It's disgusting

seeing all those "swollen turkeys," helpless and miserable, trying very hard to

your heart choose-the one that

suits

you best ofall. I can't say that I'm fond of my lifestyle, but at any rate I am not faced with problems of loneliness now. I

am a real woman, thanks to my tranian friends. It's also true that it's hard to detach yourself from those you begin to feel so close to. But what can I do. It's too late to change my ways. Of course if I wish I can make a family of my own, too. I only

finally feel that

need a careful and attentive husband. And not a rude one who only cares for his own pleasures. Yours,

50 /AIM Mev/JuuE 1996

EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS

AROUND THE WORLD.

A Symposium on Vardavar,

International Exhibition, in

organized by the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople.

Philately conjunction with

the 32nd World

Chess

Armenian mythology, the pagan feast

Olympiad. Yerevan,

of Vardavar and the Christian feast of

September 15 to October 2,1996.

the Transfiguration,

Armenia,

Medieval

Armenian pilgrimages and other top-

ics will be T[rkey, July

Sixty-third Annual Armenian Youth Federation Olympics, Watertown, Massachusetts,

discussed. Istanbul,

10-17.

August 30-September

1996.

The Armenian Community of Sydney, Australia is represented in Photo Documentary, Recent Images of

ing the work of 14 Australian photog-

Armenian Music, Present and Future.

raphers, including Teny Aghamalian.

Sharakans to Jazz Variations, a con-

Everyday Life, an exhibition showcas-

The State Library of New South Wales, through July 28.

International Women's Association.

Orchestra's fall season, with a concert

Performers include Gedigian, flute; Sylvie

featuring Khatchaturian, Strauss and

marimba; and others. Regis College

1991,

Christopher Rouse. JoAnn Falletta,

Fine Arts Center,

Ejmiatsin, on

Conductor. Terrace Theater, Long

Massachusetts, October 6.

of the Holy Muron,

last celebrated in Ejmiatsin

will take place in

From

cert sponsored by the Armenian Pianist Dora Serviarian-Kuhn opens the Long Beach Symphony

Blessing

Past

Sunday September 8.

Marianne

Zakarian,

Weston,

Beach, California, September 21.

The Fourth The Armenian Evangelical

Union of North America Bienniale Convention will

Ancient Armenian Cultural

mark the organization's 150th

Treasures from Armenia's origins to the fourth century. Includes 300

anniversary. Program activities will

include seminars, talks and prayer

International Conference of the Alumni of Egypt's Kalustian, Nubarian, Boghosian Schools. September 11,1997, in Cairo.

exhibits borrowed from the collections

meetings and a special program for

of the Armenian State Museum, the Sartarapat Museum, the Erebuni

l3-23 year olds. San Francisco,

Museum and ttre Shirak Geological

but please reconfirm dates and times. Readers are welcome to submit infor-

Calvary Armenian Church, August

Museum. Musee Dobree, Nantes, France, through September 15.

mation listing.

22-25.

Information is correct at press time,

for possible inclusion in this

AIM Mev/JuNe 1996

l5l

NelrPubficntion

BO(

Presenting the Complete Vorks ol the Highly Acclaimed Armenian Fainter

Minas Avetisian

Compiled andVritten by

Shatren Ktrachatudan

'$ffth the sudden and traglc death in 1975 of Minas Avetisian, the most grfted of the young genera-

tion of

Armenian painters,

Armenia lost not only of its greatest talents, but also one oI its most original minds.

In thi$ collection of his works,

the fteedom and boldness that Minas came to represent in

Soviet art, surfaces brifliantly on

each page, through both the reproductions of his paintings album is testimony to the moral strength that he po sQ@qthing very rare among the artists whose careers coincided with the

sessed Sor"iet era.

ln compiling this art book,{re author, Shahen Khadraturian, the renownArmenian art historian, critic and director of the National Gallery ofArmenia, has drawn upon a wid6*mqgg of sources: A hardcover of 208 pages of 10" x 12", this beautifully

(tsntains I5O high quality color reproductions, presenting Minas's desigffild ffi -bil baintings, stage designs and frescoes. In addition, there are 3o reproductions of his graphic wotts, drawings, frrd o\rer 25 archival photographs.The book also convieup,,olt af,t, previous$ published in articles and interviews, and np,q his art by eminent people in fie artistic world.

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