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Armenians dominate in the world of chessThey always have. And it looks like they will continue to do so.
tniltiltlil ilIEntllil0ilfl. Mltliltt November 2000, Volume 11, No. 11
llenarumms 12 Fnom the Editon 13 LEttGnS 18 ilM Uicw
20 23 26 28 30 32
luots[od( Bytc$ on tile Global Pictune
lflnGnh Brlels
Economic lllews & lndlcators R8gional Bniets Begion 46 The Pipelines Game Goes On
lnneda Bnlels 28 IhG La$t Monft In lnmenia
llation 48 Armenia, Azerbaijan Join Europe
During Yerevan Medical University's 80th anniversary celebrations, Dr. Levon Nazarian of New Jersey officially opened the AGBU Ultrasound riaining Center.
54
faces
lrts 62 The
Hokis Phenomenon
64 $poPts
66 0fien Peoplet Mai! 67 How lEot llris $lnt 68 Undenexposed 70 Essay
foctrt 24 Gatholicos ln Bome Pope John Paul II receives Catholicos Karekin II in a historical visit
lnts s6 lloc[msntary Photo0raphcn
Itltr
lhxanlil -
Recorfrng the Rcal
60 lnmGnla's Nati0nal Jaz onclnstna get$ a socond llle and a wonld tou'
Cover design Patrick Azadian
AIM NOVEMBER
2OOO
Ihe Gycle ol Lile on GomPact llisc
Fnagile llneams
Songs for the Soul
Armenia
Performed by Parik Jlazarian Photography by Antoine Agoudiian Each of these songs is a Page of life, a mirror of a time, a link to our history. These bittersweet pieces sung with the occasional accompaniment of duduk, dhol and shvi, dePict the disparity of birth and death, the pain of loss and the ioy of birth, love and ioy and war and vengeance. ln these songs, the beauty of love is symbolized by the seed of a pomegranate, the vigor of life by a blade of wheat. Nominated lor "Best Traditional Album", "Best Female Vocal" and Winner of "Best Album Cover" Armenian Music Awards 2000.
More than 150 black and white photos
from 1989 to 1998 depict various moments of joy and pain in the lives of Armenians after the earthquake. "Antoine Agoudjian ... did it with a talented and watchful eye, as an artist devoting his sensibility to his art, with love. He took his time so he would not miss anything. Thanks to him, I went back, saw again and took a new measure of all that my eyes had only brushed past and -Charles Aznavour skimmed through." prn6?s.oo pages Paperback - 80
1 CD, accompanied by a 20-page fullcolor booklet with Armenian text, Prlce $15.00 English translations and related
photos
Price $14.00
Glay $alt and Pemen llisFnsens
0niginal Manoon Bolhana MouseBug
Clay Salt and Pepper dispensers made in Armenia, and distributed only by AlMarketplace, this pair ol table-top salt and pepper shakers take off on the traditional salt shaker design. The traditional dispenser with candleholder, comes with a spoon used to scoop the salt out of the goddess's belly. (6")
The finest and most comfortable computer mousing surface available. Modeled on real hand-woven oriental carpets, this mousepad adds elegance to any workstation. Dimensions 7.125" x 10.25"
(including fringe).
Price: $14.00 The modern pair has shaker tops, and the figurines evoke the traditional village grandmother and grandfather. (3") Pair ol shakers $10.00
Price $21.00
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Passive No More The US elections this month were no mundane affair.The contests waged before November 7 and the turmoil created afterwards gave us much to ponder. AIM had planned a Millennium Dinner for October 19 featuring Congressman James Rogan and State Assemblyman Adam Schiff, both of whom were vying for theZTthcongressional seat in the House of Representatives.This was to be one
of only four joint appearances scheduled by the two contenders for the most watched congressional race in the country And it was the Armenians' initial out-
/UNI 207 Soulh Bffind Boulevard, Suite 203 Glendale. Calilornia
91204 USA
Phone 818 246 7979 Fax 818 246 0088
E-mail aimagazine@aol.com Editor-Publisher
Salpi Haroutinian Ghazarian
ing into national politicq because they were billed as a significant vote in the single district with the largest Armenian representation in the West. The meeting did not happen because the House did not adjourn in time to allow
Senior Edilor
its members to return to their districts. Coincidentally, during that extended session, on the very day when we were to have the debate with the two candidates, the House had scheduled a floor vote on a non-binding resolution that called for greater sensitivity in the US Congress regarding the Armenian Genocide.
Assistant lo lhe Edilor
Hratct Tchilingirisn Art Director
Palrlcl Aradian
Hrair Sartis
Ssddssirn
Editor at Large
ParlI l{azarlan Associate Edito6
A. H. Alorardriafl, Yerovan Tony Halpln, London Contribulin0 Edito6
John Hughas, Malthow Karanian, 80nald Gligor Sury, Talino Vosk6ritchian Contribuling Writers
Felir Corley, l(ristsr Kidd Associate Publisher
Teni Molidonian Subscriptions l\4anager
Sela KtodaIian Adverlising Manager
Fimi lilelhilarian Administralive Assistant
l(arina Ausdissian lnlerns
CarolinE Minassian Yslevan Eureau 67 Koghbatsi Street, No.
1
Phone 533699
Jennifer Hamm of the Daily Nelvg the secondJargest Southern Califomia newspaper, came to the AIM offrces to watch Armenians watching the House proceedingg the speeches and the vote. But at the last moment,literally, the Tirrks and the US administration succeeded in convincing the House Speaker to pull the Resolution. It was therefore not voted on. Congressman Rogan,concerned that his constituents not misunderstand the decision by his Republican colleague, called Hamm, a reporter in his district, to explain the decision. So we at the AIM office heard of the move even before our reporter, Matthew Karanian, who was sitting in the House Gallery waiting for this item to come up for discussion. As Hamm concluded her conversation with the Congressman, she told him she was atAlM,waitingto watch the proceedinp with us He asked if that evening's dfurter was still on. She laughed, explaining that it would hardly have been a debate without him, and that it had been cancelled because of the House's schedule. That was Thursday, October 19. That day's events - the resolution, its originq its fate, its future - were the subject of articles in papers around the world. The discourse surrounding the Armenian presence on the world stage has expanded from
to Armenians as players and negotiators. Sometimes moral victory sometimes as real victors (such as in the battle waged in the French Senate - see this month's Global Briefs) and other times as persistent (and optimistic) losers. But no longer just observers.
Armenians as victims Armenians are seen
as
Coordinalot
Anahll
I{aiirossian
Assislanl
Anoa Govor*ian Advertising Manager
Gohar Sahakian Design and Produclion
Valmn Stepanian Conlribulors; Artash8s Emin, YcrEW[; Susan Pattie, London; Edil SahiaL Los Angsls$ Janst Samuslian, Palm SprinCs; ,ra* lltllesiar, Ri0di ld.nd; Gs0rg6 Bournoullan, Lola Xoundalji.n, il6w Yo*; liyrian Galme, P.tu;
iloorad moorrdlan, washin0ton, DC; vartsn lilati0tdan, Surnos lllGa, Dls0o Kanmalulian, Moolorld6o. Pholographersi ilkhltar l(hachat7ian, Zavon Xiacilllal, Routil ilanCata]hn, Armnnia; Anlolno Agordlian, Amimh J0hanm6, Allm ltanofirl, Edmord T6rak0plan, UX; Kadn0 tumil, l(rw* oianrrEitn, Raff Elmdli, Eric llararian, AE oshagan, Calll0ml.; Grro Lachlilatr, ta$act[stb;
F.m;
Hary Koundatlian, llew Yort Bslls An Zotian, Bhodc hl8nd. Editor Emeritus
Gharlss
llaarian
lntcrnalioml Subccriptions rnd Adrcillslne Bsprurodtliula Arlerlim Cole0io Mekhitarisla, Vi(E del Pin0 3511 (1426) Bmos Ans, ftone
St&t, Sl
Laurenl, ouebâ&#x201A;Źc H4R1E3, PnoE 514 339 2517
1n
Mill Hill Bd. Acton, London W3&JF, Ph00em0 89924621
Wrile t0 Aiml
We welcome all communication. Althouoh we read all letlers and submissions, we are unable lo acknowledge everything we Ieceive due to limilsd stafling and resources. Letlers lo lhe Editor may be edited l0r publicati0n,
Founding Editor
Vartan 0skanian MichaBl ilahabel
Founding Publisher
2OOO
Jack Mdian, RM. 42, I
Via
Founded in 1990
AIM NOVEMBER
IorI (dI
Kwloon Bay, l(w,oon, Phofle 852 7$5 9888 lhly PiorE Balanian, Mod@. 6l A4l5. Rom. Phore 995 1zB5 L!!.ru Zartouhi Kabakian, P0. B0r 55669, Brkut, Lebanon. Phone (1) 510212 Ulibd AEt Emlnbr Guliar Jonian, P0. Box 44564, A[u Dhabi, UAE, Phone 971 2 M4 7721. Fa 971 644 8191 Udbd flI3dom Misk ohanian, 1054
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Amenian lnlenational l[agazine
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stand alone. I believe the Diaspora can participate in the development ofArmenia better as investing partners and share in the rewards.
I believe that the government of Armenia should sell bonds abroad at a reasonable rate of 10-207". Plus pay commissions to the selling agents to motivate them in promoting the bonds Last year in Armenia, the government was paying 48%
per annum. The money collected on these bonds should be used to privatize and open idle factories and open new ones which produce exportable products.
After operating costs, profits should be split between the investors, the workers (as stocks or cash as motivation for being productive and profitable) and a reserve fund.
With young, ambitious and energetic young graduates as managers and with Did you know that... I enjoyed your discovery (Notebook, October 2000) that the Armenian word for woman-gin -is related to the English word "g5mecology" (glme - Greek: woman.) As a matter of fact, this is not the only English cognate for that particular word. Queen, virgin and wench are also related to glre. Since both Armenian and English are Indo-European languages, it is not surpris-
ing that there are many such
rotating accountants and treasurers doing regular auditq the companies will instill confidence in potential investors. Armenians are great donors to Armenian causes. But they can be educated to be even better investors in rejuvenating the Armenian economy and feeling proud to own part of
(i.e. the original) pronunciation of Armenian. For example, the Armenian word for river - get - is the same as the English word wet and simply means "water." Ver "above" is English "over;" and nstel "to sit" is both English "sit" and
earlier Olympics, it is clear to me why His Holiness was so pushing those areas. Obviously, it was not only sports on his mind for "a healthy body carried a healthy mind." But fair sportsmanship can win for our homeland still more gold, silver and bronze and show the world that we exist and we excel. Maybe now, with all the medals won by our compatriots, all our sports and educa-
tional institutions in the Diaspora will put
hand
in
hand and plot and win more
medals in future Olympics. I am enclosing a photo of His Holiness
CatholicosVazken I of AllArmenians with His Holiness Karekin I of the Great House
of Cilicia, (below) during one of
Harry Koundakjian New York, New York Some Real Numberc
In AIM's August/September 2000 edition, the editors'response to a letter from Varoujan Gureghian on bringing the tragic picture in the earthquake zone to the "front burner." Included in that response
The Golden Catholicos
are
Regarding your "The Gold is Gone," (AIM View, October 2000:) Over 10 years ago, after the devastating earthquake in our homeland, when Catholicos Vazken I was pleading for money to build schoolq soccer stadiums, athletic training centers
estimates, quoted from the All Armenia Fund, which are extremely low;
perhaps these are only the Fund's projects
The actual estimates, as taken from the official "Investment Plan" developed by the Government of Armenia and the Urban Institute, Washington D.C. are, for
"nest." Nste/ thus means specifically "to sit down," which is precisely what a bird does in its nest. Mernil "to die" is related to English "mortal" and also to "murder." Finally, the -inn atthe end of Armenian names has exactly the same sense and origin as the -ian in such English words as Italian, Martian, sectarian, vegetarian and Presbyterian.
Robert H. Hewsen Pitrnan, New lersey
Thandorming Donors When I saw an article about a Turkish company wanting to buy the biggest textile
company
in Gyumri (Economic News,
August-September 2000) [ felt Armenians everywhere should wake up and invest in Armenia. I believe it is time Armenia learned to
their
meetings here in New York City.
Armenia's economy. Name withheld upon request Tbronto, Ontario, C anada
cognates
between the two, though they are usually not apparent unless one uses the eastern
and swimming pools, almost every one in NewYork laughed at him and his thinking. I cannot recall if any cash was raised. But with the youth in Armenia winning gold, silver and bronze medals now and in
Vazken l, Gatholicos ol All Amenians and Karekin I ol Cilicia in New York in 1989. Photo by Harry Koundakjian
AIM NOVEMBER
2OOO
The Fourth Millennium Society is an independently funded and administered public charity committed to the dissemination of information for the purposâ&#x201A;Ź of developing an informed public. Underpinning all our work is the firm conviction that the vitality of an independent press is fundamental to a democratic society in Armenia and democratic institutions in the Diaspora. The Fourth Millennium Society publishes Armenian International Magazine in its effort to contribute to the national dialogue. The directore are grateful to the Benefactors, Trustees, Patrons and Friends of the Fourth Millennium Society who are committed to the well-being, growth and development of Armenians and Armenia through the promotion of open discussion and the free flow ol information among individuals and organiationsTheir frnancial contributions support the work of the Founh Millennium Society and ensure the Michael Nahabet. Raffi Zinzalian. Directors independence of AIM
housing alone, using five methods of recov-
ery - reinforcements, completionq new construction, acquiring existing units from the marketplace, and small home improvement loans: $96.6 million in Gyumri (as opposed to $5 million), $72.9 million in Vanadsor (not $3 million) and $25.7 million in Spitak (not $3 million).The official Investment Plan for total shelter recovery in the entire zone is estimated at $L80 million. Stevenl.Anlian The Urban lratitute Washington D.C.
DIRECTORSZMO Shahen Hairapetian, Armen Hampar, Zaven Khanjian, Michael Nahabet, Alex Sarkissian, Bob Shamlian, Raffi Zinzalian.
BENEFACTORS Sarkis Acopian, Albert and Tove Boyajian,The Cafesjian Family Foundation, Inc. Hirair Hovnanian,The Lincy Foundation, Louise Manoogian Simone
Addendum The Dsor-Dsor chapel was moved, stoneby-stone, to a higher elevation (by zu fi.) due tfu anstrunion of a datn rcarby ( Focug Augtut-
n
zm.) The ardtilect and engineer who financed and supervised the tj-year process was Varoujan Arakelian of Tehran. Technical ossbtance was provided by the Organization for Preservation of Hbtorical Monuments and Cultural Heritage of the Govemment of lran. Exper* from the Office of the Preservation of Cultural Monuments of Armenia also assisted in the reconstruction of September
SEtrtIORTRUSTEES
AUSTRALIA Heros & Kate Dilanchian CANADA Razmig Hakimian, Kourken Sarkissian HONG KONG Jack Maxian USA CA Armand & Nancy Arabian Khachig Babayan, George & Flora Dunaians Araxie M. Haroutinian, George & Grace Kay, Joe & Joyce Stein RI Papken Janjigian FOUNDING TRUSTEES AUSTRALIA Varoojan Iskenderian USA CA Garen Avedikian, Mardo Kaprielian, Edward Misserlian, Bob Movelf,Varoujan Nahabet, Norair Oskanian, Emmy Papazian, Zareh Sarkissian, Raffi Zinzalian FL Hagop Koushakjian PA Zarouhi Mardikian ASSOCIATE TRUSTEES USA CA Vartkes and Jean Barsam, Armen and Gloriat Hampar, Walter and Laurel Karabian, Gary and Sossi Kevorkian, Ralph and Savey Thfenkian NH Jeannette John
the dome of the chapel.
srATEIttEl{T
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noll
'1. Publication Title: Armenian lnternational Magazine 2. Publication N0. 1050-3471 3. Filing 0ate: october 12. 2000 4. lssue Frequency: Monthly excepl August & Seplember (combined) 5. No. ol issues publislrcd annually: '11 6. Annual Subscriplion Price: $55 US 7. Complele Mailing Address ol Known ollice ol Publication: 207 S. Brand Blvd. t2m, Glendale, CA 91204 Contact Person Salpi H. Ghazarian Telephone (818) 246-7979 8. Complete l\,lailing Address ol Headquarlers ol General Business otlice ol Publisher: 207 S. Brand Blvd. 1203, Glendale, CA91204 L Full Narnesand Complele Mailing Addresses ol Publisher, Edilor and Managino Editol: PublisherEdilor: Salpi Haroulinian Ghazarian, Managing Editor: Hratch Tchilingirian. 207 S. Brand Blvd. 1203, Glendale, CA 91204 10. Onner: Known Fourth Millennium Sociely. Non-Profit 0r0aniation Bondholders, Moflgages, or olher securilies: None 12. Tax Stalus (For
Aesthetic & Reconstruc'tive Plostic Surgery Dr. Kassabian Armenisn Jewelers' Association Commerce Casino Hasmik Mgrdichian, George Tirmanjan Grand Tobacco Hrand and Mikayel Vardanian ISB Group Armen & Ketty Kazandjian Lrw Office o1a6. a6ounians Aris and Karine Artounians Ourfalian and Ourfalian Rafi and Sarkis Ourfalian NASA Services Inc Sam and Elizabeth Sarkisian, Nick and Kamelia Sarkisian,Arsen Sarkisian Paciffc Sales Jerry Tlrpanjian Remax of Glendale Vahe and Aida Yeghiazarian Yerevan Hotel
ll.
Completion by Non-Prolit 0rganiations Authorized to Mail at Special Rates): Has Not Changed During Preceding 12 Monlhs 13. Publication Title: AIM 14. lssue Date lor Ciiculation oale Belou,: Augusti&ptember 2m0 15. Extentand I'hture ol Circulation A. Total No. Copies (Net Press Run): 10,000 Average No. Copies Each lssue During Preceding 12 Months; 10,000 B) Paid and/or requested circulalionl) Paidnequested outside2,800 N0. County lilail Subscriplions Shled on F0rm 3!11: Awrage copies of Single issue published nearest to liling date: 2,984 2) Paid incounty subscriplions Average, 1.300 No. copies ol single issue published
{
nearest to tilino date 1,339 Sales Through Dealels and CarIiers, Street Vendors and Counler Sales and other non-USPS paid distribution: Averaoe t 1,500 No. copies ol single issue published nearestto liling date 1,483 4) otherclassesmailed through the USPS: None C. Total Paid and/or tequested Circulation: Average ,5600 No. copies 0t single issue published nearesl lo liling dale 5.806 0. tree Distribulion by Mail (Samples, Complimenlaryand other Free): 1) outsidFCouniy as Slaled 0n Form 3311 Average , None N0. copies 0l single issue published nearesl l0 liling dale none 2) ln-County as stated on Form 3541 Averaoe, None N0. copies ol single issue published nearest lo liling dale none 3) other Classes Mailed 2,500 No. copies 0l single issue published throuoh the IJSPS Average nearestto filing dale 100. E. Free Distribulion oulsidelhe Mail (Carrie6ol other means) Average # 1,500 No. copies ol single issue publisied nearesl l0 liling date 2,700 F. Tolal tree Distribution (Sum ol 15d and 15e): Average ,4,000 N0. copies 0l single issue published nearesl tofilinq date 2,800 G. Total Distribulion (Sum ol 15c and 151) Average r 9,600 No. copies ol single issue published nearest to tiling dale 8,6m H. Copies Not Distribuld Average # 400 No. copies ol single issue published nearest to liling date 1394 L Total (Sum ol 159, 15h): Average10,000 No. copies ol single issue published nearest t0 liling dale 10,000 J. Percenl Paid and/or requested circulation (15c divided by 159. times 100) Avera$ 156% No. copies 0l sinole issue published nearesl lo liling dale 58% 16. Publication 0l Statemenl ol ownership: November 2000. I cerlily hat all inlomalion on lhis form is true and complele. I understand that anyonewho lurnishes talse or misleading inlormalion on this lom or rvho omils lrEterial or information requested on the lorm may be subiect t0 criminal sanclions (including fines and imprisonment) and/or civil sanctions (including mulliple damaqes and civil penalties); Salpi Haroutinian Ghaarian Editor-Publisher.
,
1.4
PATRONS KeYork and Satenig Karajerjian Nishani and Sona Kaazian Kirk and Ann Kesapyan John and Rose Ketchoyan Zaven and Sona Khanjian
ARMENIA
Khachatur and Rouanna Soukiasian AUSTRALIA
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Mack vahmian Anonymous CAUPORNIA USA
Krikor Krikorian Julie Kulhanjian and Roger Strauch kuis and Grae Kurkjian Dora Serviarian Kuhn
Avik Mahdesiant Stepan and Erdjanik Markarian Harout and Rita Mesrobian Edward and Alice Navasargian Armand O Norehad Kenneth and Cindy Norian Rafi Ourfalian Michael and Hermine Piranian Hratch and Helga Sarkis Alex Sarkisian Roben and Helen Shamlian
Mihran and Eliabeth Agbabian Garabed Akpolat Harry and Alvan BaEeghian Aram and Terez Brenian Daniel Behesnilian Berj and Hera Boyajian Hagop and Violet Dakesian Ardmh and Marian Derderian
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and Tamara Dimitri SteYe and Lucille Estephanian Manoushag Femanian Gagik and Knar Galstian Vahan and Audrey Gregor Pierre and Alice Haig Shshen and Martha Haroutunian Arpisr and Hermine Janoyan Z. Greg Kahwajian Jack and Maro Kalaydjian
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aidng atd Dzovig zeitliaa CANADA Louise Aaavour
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CONNECTICLTT USA
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Garo Keheyan ISRAEL
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Kevork Atinizian Richard Simonian M]CHIGAN USA George Chamchikian
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Larry and Seda Barnes NEW JERSEY USA
Margaret Chantikiant Nazar and Artemis Nazarian NEW YORX USA Harry and Aida Koundakjian Vahe Nishaniant V. John and Lucille G. Sarkissian Harout Topsacalian UNITED KINGDOM Diran and Suzi Chakelian
OFAIM
The Fourth Millennium Sciety is grateful to the fouowing for contributing during the last month to ensure AIM\ financial independence. CANADA Anonymous
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A Decision for the Board Making a quantum leap into the internet age will prolong Armenia's supremacy It is a source of immense pride that Armenians excel at the highest levels at a game that depends on intellect, strategy, and not a little cunning. Chess brilliance emerges not from multi-million dollar train-
andArmenia has an inherited advantage in the matter of chess.The internet provides a means of making the most of this Chess seems made for the intemet age,with the computer screen
ing facilities but from the individual mind, simultaneously steeped in the history of the game and searching for new solutions That continuum sits well with the Armenian mind-set, conscious of the past even as it seeks to meet the challenges of the future.The success of so many young Armenians at chess also provides an instructive lesson - that individual talent and teamwork are not contradictions but the keys to even greater achievements
as the park table of the global village. All the moves of an intricate, sixhour game can be contained in a flle a fraction of the size required to present a visual image or a piece of music.The intemet makes sharing theorieg strategres and analyses easy and quick. Hamessing the know-how within the Chess House to the world wide market offers a potential money-spinner forArmenia's coaches and players Online teach-ins, global tournamentg the marketing of brains and fame can all produce the vital additional resour@s to maintain the success of the chess business in the republic. After all, like all modem sportg it isn't just a game. Without help, there is an ever-present risk that coaches will take their talents abroad or simply cease to be involved because they have to make their living some other way. Prornising talent, seeing no future in chess, may give up or miss out on opportunities for development that can make the difference between being good and being great. The achievements of Armenia's players are a fantastic advertisement for the country's talents. The chance to make chess a win-win game for the individual and for Team Armenia should r not be passed up.
all-round. Fostering talent takes teamwork. And the team, in turn, benefits from the higher levels of individual genius that become available to it. Armenia's master players are the products of the teaching strength built up within its Chess House. Their achievements will feed back into the fund ofknowledge available to coaches ofthe next generation of players. But you can't eat chess pieces and the food that feeds the mind won't hold body and soul together for the men and women who dedicate their lives to the game. The answer must be to exploit this intellectual capital. Ideas are now the most important exports of the most advanced economies
God BlessAmerica Its transparency inspires faith and hope for Armenia Democrary is messy. Elections are imperfect. And these realities are as true in mature democracies like the United States of America as in countries like Armenia where there is little or no experience in democracy. These are the lessons of the 20ff) presidential elections in the US. There are others. One is that there is a difference between fraud and unintentional error, although in the end both may subvert the will of the voters. In searching for remedies and improvements for an election procedure that is acknowledged to be defective, it is important to distinguish between inadvertent mistakes and deliberate plots. And if mistakes can be made in a country with tens of thousands of precincts, and with the experience of more than L,000 elections, then mistakes, or bad decisions, or poor judgement can also be obstacles in the search for solutions in Armenia. Watching the process in the United States, one learns that the sanctity of the goal - citizens picking a leader through a one person - one vote process - can easily be compromised by a ritual that is taken for granted, and ripe with human error. One also realizes that free elections are not necessarily fair elections, and not because of any grand conspiracies and dark forces. Most ironically, every piece of analysis on this public civics debate begins or ends with the assertion that the inherent flaws
and problems in the US system are and have been known. It's just
that the magnitude of those problems had made them inconsequential. Until now.
seem
This year, everyone heard that ballot boxes are missing, ballots are overlooked, forgotten or outright destroyed, poll booths arbitrarily open late or close early, ballots are confusing or unintelli-
gible, some vote-counters are biased, incompetent or outright intent on securing a certain outcome. And all this in the country as the greatest democracy of all time. Still, no one, no one, has called for the overthrow of the system, or rejected the legitimacy of the next President of the United States.
that is seen
That's because the experience of democracy has taught these very competitive politicians that one cannot call for the overthrow of a system which one aspires to lead. You can't destroy the presidency if you want to become president because then you will have broken or destroyed the chair you wish to occupy. And so, everyone from voter to president, waited. The transparency of the process inspired tolerance. At the same time, an undeniable faith in the system meant that significant mistakes, oversights and deceptions that are indeed consequential have not
turned calamitous or critical. It turns out that faith pation
AIM NOVEMBER
-
-
and partici-
in democrary is neither a luxury nor a sign of naivete, but
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a prerequisite for a functioning civil society. Those then, are the lessons of November. And the final lesson:
Don't throw the baby out with the bath water. Elections may be imperfect, but with goodwill, they can be fixed. Americans have
not wasted time and energy labeling the US unfair and undemocratic. But they will use considerable reserves of both to put right problems in time for the next election. Armenia, take note.
Golf is Good Armenia's flrst golf course contributes to the quality of life There are two ways to respond to the news that the flrst golf course has opened in Armenia (see Economic Briefs, page 3&31).
One way is to disparage the effort and point to the country's myriad economic, social and political needs, the emigration crisis, unemployment, poverty and other priorities which should be addressed before building a luxury golf course. The other way is to hail the enterprise. And to applaud it exactly because of the country's myriad economic, social and political needg the emigration crisis, unemployment, poverty etc, etc. There is no one elixir that will solve all Armenia's problems. Nor is there a straight, single path to a solution leading from the situation today to ideal conditions tomorrow.Job creation,quality of life, hope, investment, all of these are factors that will contribute to an improvement in Armenia's socio-economic circumstances And the golf course in the Vahakni residential district contributes in its own way. For starterq it is an economic investment and creates jobs.
But it does more.Armenians and Diasporans wantArmenia to turn into a regional hub.They wantYerevan to be the place where international agencies headquarter their regional offices, where foreign airlines set up shop for regional activity, where regional health, financial, legal and education services are offered and where tourism is promoted. A golf course, together with tennis courts, concerts, sports eventg nightlife, restaurants and cafes attract foreigners to Armenia. The availability of these kinds of pastimes is one factor which determines where a company or an agency will be based, and where its employees will live for three to 30 months, or longer. After all, how long can you expect an employee to live in a town where there is little or nothing to do on weekends and holidays, or where the major activities are sit-
[llffiil[il$
ting at sidewalk cafes or visiting the weekend crafts fair? The eco-
nomic impact of Westerners with Western money to spend in Armenia is huge and cannot be ignored. The derivative political value of having people who will make program and investment decisions for Armenia living in Armenia is obvious too. So, if Armenia seriously wants to become a hub, it has to take into consideration the needs of its "clients." Then there is the exhortation that more Diasporans should go live in Armenia permanently or for extended periods of time. Again, the same questions can be asked about recreation and leisure activity. And the same answers have to be found. A variety of pastimes is good for immigration. Living in a place is not the same as visiting it. One does not uproot home and family simply out of a sense of patriotic duty. All the practical, day-to-day issues, all the personal preferences have to be addressed and resolved. The answer to "what's there to do" has to be acceptable. And even for stemming the tide of emigration, a golf course is good. People emigrate not because they're destitute and povertystricken and living homeless on street corners. They emigrate because they have some money, some skills and no hope for the future. No one talks about the homeless leaving Armenia in tattered clothes. Everyone points to the "brain drain," the absence of the "best and the brightest." One young doctor's wife saw the joy on her child's face at the opening of Yerevan's Waterpark this summer, and told a friend that maybe they should rethink their decision to move. Quality of life is important for everyone. That's why Armenians left the Middle East for the West, it's why Soviet Armenians left Yerevan for America. AII efforts to improve the quality of life in Armenia - golf courses among them
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1\INI 207 South Brand Blvd, Suite 203, Glendale, California 91204 USA
I Phone 818.246.7979 | Fu: 818.246.0088
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19
According to the California Judicial Council, Armenian
is among
the top live loreign languages used in Calilornia courts.
Courts
use language interpreters for victims, witnesses, defendants as well as attorneys and judges. lnterpreters are used not just during trials, but also hearings and depositions. The study covered 56 of the state's 58 counties during liscal year 1998/99 and measured foreign
language use by the need for interpreters. Spanish led with 145,661 interpreter days. The top ten include:
1
rrAt that time it appeared that a group of individuals had made oft with power, and by removing them euerything would improve. However, life showed that such conditions are not predicated on a group of individuals. Problems are more Gomplex than they appear at firct glance, the Gauses arc deep and they rcquire other solutions.rr -Vazgen Manukian
. Vietnamese (9,197),
2. Korean (3,716),3. Cantonese (3,252),4. Armenian (2,730),
on the porticar mooo ourins tne
5. Cambodian (2,112),6. Mandarin (2,100),7. Tagalog, (1,986), 8. Russian (1,957), 9. Punjabi (1,491).
yelor'IuJJ6r]$tHl',:fl,T:,i;'3$?ll\1#{'rtffi:
Ir The most prominent and expensive House race in the country is being fought in Los Angeles county between candidates killing themselves to win the Armenian vote, despite the fact that registered Latinos greatly outnumber Armenian-Americans in the 27th Congressiona! District. t,
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His leadership, he said, is dedicated lo serving the Armenian diaspora. By contrast, Karekin must, ol necesity, be concerned with seruing the church in Armenia. r, -Larry Stammer about cathoricos Aram I ot ciricia, on me occasion
lflsnf1/''31e|0'gfil[illlityJ[:l
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Maybe, just the economic power ol Armenian lobby is based 0n a more capitalthan that ol Turkey's budget. That is, we are struggling against a very powerlul Iobby rather than a sroup with 2.5 million FoFulatiouoll,lf;lilfrl.,irl", Turkish State Minister during a press conlerence, November 2,2000
"Wouldn't it be nice if we could all return to our homeland someday?"
rr Azerbaiian's record ol backlracking on its commilments on democratization, pailicularly those made to the Council ol Europe, gained broader meaning in a statement by the head ol the Presidential Administration, Ramiz Mehtiev. ln 0clober he announced that Azerbaijan does not consider any Council ol Europe recommendations on democratization to be legally binding, and that attempts to pressure their adoption should be considered as inlringements on the country's sovereignty.
r,
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II Gongressman Rogan and ! strongly urge our Stale Department to aggressively seek cooperation ltom both the Turkish and Armenian governmenls to allow a lull and lair investigation designed to seek the truth. r, -From
a statement
by US House of Representatives Speaker Dennis Hastert
on the Armenian Genocide Resorution
flHly$:Jil]iflJ,Bii,ffi Hlifif,?:Xffi
(.
Soghanalian resembles an Armenian vercion ol Sydney Greenstreet, the portly British character actor who played globe-trotting rogues in "Casablanca" and other lilms. r,
'Wouldn't it be nice if they all stayed in Armenia and didn't
i,tn,i,,,q,s,/#ll]i3l,[',iHf l3tg,if,i?:13:,l3gik
think about coming out here?
20
to ousted Peruvian spy chiel Vladimir0 Montesinos.
AIM NOVEMBER
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AIM NOVEMBER
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zl
NOTEBOOK
I
1i
il, #. it
I was everywhere; I was 50 places in
a day
and I was everywhere." Cher made most of the traditional stops. "One of my nicest,most memorable days was spent at Etchmiazin Church. I met a stone cut-
ter there.This man let me sit by his side, and he taught me to do it with him. I could have
stayed there with him forever."'Armenia was the strangest trip l've ever taken, and the most difficult one. But it was also the most rewarding one - a trip I will remember as long as I live," concludes Cher. An earlier chapter is entitled "The First Time I Met My Father.""My mother never talked about John Sarkisian and neither did anyone else in the family. One night, when I was eleven years old, my mother asked me out of nowhere,"Would you like to meet your father?" "Sure," I said in a casual way, like we'd talked about him a
million times... The doorbell rang, and I went to the door. I was nervous and when
I
opened the door my first thought was... Whoa, that's my smile. (My mom used to look at me strangely when I made a certain kind of smile. Now, I suddenly realized
Since her 1993 visit to Armenia, which was featured on 20120 with BarbaraWalterg Cher has been silent about her trip to the land
of her father, John Sarkisian. That silence was broken in November of 1998 with the publication of her autobiographical book, The First Time (Simon & Schuster.) In the book, the singer and actress writes about the things she has done for the first time, frot'n her flrst car to her first kiss, flrst bra, first Oscar - and her trip to Armenia, which was organized by the
United Armenian Frurd.
Under the heading "My First Visit to Armenia," Cher writes, "Somehow I knew when we landed [in Yerevan] that this trip would be different than any other I'd ever taken.We stayed in what was once a beautiful old hotel. But now there was no electricity... We'd all sit around our candles at night
and tell storieg and laugh and laugh. (We laughed a lot.You'd think that wouldn't have been the case but it was) I slept with all my clothes on all the time, even my bootg because I was freezing." Cher treats the people of Yerevan very sympathetically. "The people of Yerevan were gracious and kind. They were so unselfsh. When we went to someone's homg they would offer us tea and cakesWe knew it was probably their whole week's allotment of food,
and yet they wanted to share what they had with us." She goes on to recount the desperate state of the city, with "every tree in sight" cut down for firewood. "But no one acted desperate. Nobody begged, and
why.) My father was Armenian... He had
curly black hair and dark, slanty eyes like mine and big fluffy eyebrows. He looked a Iot like me, and I thought once again... Now I understand. This is where I come from. I knew then why I looked the way I looked." Cher's book was just republished by Pocket Books last year. -Asbed Pogharian
the poorest people still grew flowers in their yards... And it was the only place I d
Photo: Gher in Eimiatsin, 1993. Photo by Mkhitar
ever been where everyone looked like me.
lftachatrian.
AIM NOVEMBER
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Above: Cover
ol The Firsl Time.
NOTEBOOK
Weak Resolue J
F'
500,000,000
Amount, in millions of dollars, of vehicles sold by General Motors during 24-how period
a
t#
a
495,000,000
Amount, in millions of dollars, of Armenia's annual budget 300 Contrary to all the talk about closure. the US Congress's weak resolve regarding the Armenian Genocide may have actually opened some wounds.The US House of Representatives had held two hearings last month on the matter of the events of 191-5-1923 (Nation, October 2000.) Then, Congress had an event of its own called a "markup," during which a bili is marked up - edited ancl amended - before finally scheduling a floor vote. A11 of this was lor a non-binding resolution that would have characterized those events of 7915-1923 as "genocide," and which would have called for a US foreign policy that "reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity" of the 'Armenian Genocide." The resolution had advanced as far as the House floor, when House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, a Republican, succumbed to pressure from President Bill Clinton. a Democrat. and withdrew the matter from consideration. Moments earlier, AIM had watched while Congressional members of the Armenian Caucus prepared to speak on the
Number of foreign students at Yerevan State University 9,500
Total number of students at Yerevan State University 3
Rank of US among countries which Armenia should focus on for investment (after Russia and Western Europe) according to business and investment experts surveyed by Armenia's Ministry of Tiade,1998
resolution's behalf. The co-sponsor of the resolution, Congressman James Rogan, a California Republican up for reelection, suggested that the advance of the resolution to within a mallet head of victory was "great progress." Indeed, this was the furthest that legislation on this theme has ever advanced. For many Armenians, however, Hastert's withdrawal of the resolution, on the cusp of what Hastert himself admits would have been its probable passage, wasn't progress, but was instead cowardice.And Hastert's explanation that his actions had been "patriotic," and that "Every patriotic American should heed the President's request [not to pursue this matter in Congress] puzzled many more. The President's request was made in light of growing violence in the Middle East and "fear for the safety of American lives." Hastert had previously pledged to bring the matter to the House floor for a vote, at least partially in an effort to strengthen Rogan's re-election bid. Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of America said it was offer.rsive. says Aram Hamparian, to suggest that refusal to comply with a Tirrkish "gag order" is somehow un-American. Hastert withdrew the resolution from consideration in the waning days of the Congressional session. He issued another statement a few days later, suggesting that Congress would re-consider the issue next year, if "the full truth of what happened during r those troubled years" has not yet been determined. A]M NOVEMBER
48 Percentage of Armenia's population between the ages of25 and64 30
Percentage of Armenia's population under the age of 14 1.50 Cost, in dollars, to ship 1 kg by air from Yerevan to Paris 0.50 Cost, in dollars, to ship 1 kg by air
Hong Kong to Paris AIM Research, UN reports
2OO0
from
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Heads of Sister Churches Renew Ties By HRATGH TCHltll{GIBlAll he heads of the Armenian and Roman Catholic Churches met in the Vatican
as Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II's paid an official three-day visit to Rome. Pope John Paul II formally welcomed the Catholicos and his large delegation at theApostolic Palace,his official residence in theVatican.After a45-minute pri-
vate meeting between the two religious leaderg the Catholicos introduced his delegation to the Pope, which included senior bishops from Armenia and the Diaspora and Armenia's Ambassador to Italy, Gagik Baghdasarian. Some 75 layArmenians from
the U$ Europe and South America also participated in the ceremonies. "The Armenian Church has paid dearIy for its fidelity to the Gospel of Jesus Christ," said the Pope in his welcoming
remarks "By God's grace, Armenia has found new freedom and independence.Yet Armenia still faces enornous challengeg" he continued. "On the cultural and religious level there is still much to be done to fill the spiritual void left behind by a godless and collectivist ideology," a reference to Soviet years in Armenia. The Roman Pontiff assured that "the Catholic Church
wants to stand with the Apostolic
Armenian Church, to support its spiritual and pastoral ministry to the Armenian people, in complete respect for its way of life and characteristic identity." In turn, Catholicos Karekin thanked the Pope for his warm welcome and invited him to Holy Ejmiatsin andArmenia to participate in the 1700th anniversary of adoption of Christian as state religion in Armenia, scheduled to take place next year. In a Joint Communique, the Catholicos and the Pope acknowledged the Armenian and Catholic Churches' religious traditions and "complementary" doctrines and recognized the validity of each other's sacramentsThe two leaders pledged to intensi$ their search for "closer communion" and cooperation. Most notewo(hy, the Vatican formally
acknowledged the Armenian Genocide. "The 20th century was marked by extreme violence. The Armenian genocide, which began the century was a prologue to horron that would follow. TWo world warq countless regional conflicts and deliberately organized campaigns of extermination took the lives of millions of faithful," stated the Joint Communique. In his own address, Catholicos Karekin added, "We harbor a deep sense of gratitude to all those who rendered support to us in those terrible days. This feeling will never be extinguished from our hearts; nor will the affection we feel towards others who came to our aid during the Genocide, and during the earthquake of Spitak, the tribulations associated with our transition to independence, and the Karabakh movement." He then thanked the Pope for his "comforting and encouraging words spoken on numerous occasions [which] still ring in our ears." Predictably, the recogrition of the Genocide stirred anger in Tirrkey. Inundated with questions from the Tirrkish media, Patriarch Mesrob Mutafyan of Istanbul, in a diplomatically worded statement, said, "It had been our wish that the deliberations in Rome would be within the spheres of ecumenical dialogue and would not touch upon politically sensitive issues. The Joint Communique could have taken this point into consideration." Patriarchs Mutafyan and Torkom Manoogian of Jerusalem did not go to Rome to participate in the ceremonies due to the sensitivity of the political environment in both Tbrkey and Israel. But the high point of the Catholicos' visit was the return of the relics of Armenia's patron saint, Gregory the Illuminator. During n lsligious service in St. Peter's Basilica, the
relicg which for five centuries had been kept in the St. Gregory Convent in Napleq were handed to Karekin II. They will be placed in the new Cathedral being built in Yerevan,dedicated to the 1700th anniversary. Interestingly, Armenians have had relics
AIM NOVEMBER
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centuries, but it was generally not reported in the media. The
of St. Gregory for
Hierarchical Sees
of the
Armenian
Church - in Ejmiatsin,Anteliag Jerusalem and Istanbul - have carefully kept, guarded and venerated St. Gregory's relics which
are used especially to bless the Holy Muron (oil) in the Apostolic Church. Indeed, many remember the controversy
in the
1950s when St. Gregory's "right
hand" was stolen from Antelias, challenging the Cilician Catholicosate's "legitimacy" to bless the holy oil. They were eventually found and returned. Karekin II's visit to the Vatican follows the trail of his predecessors. The late Catholicos Yazgen I met Pope Paul VI in 1970 (AIM May 2000), followed by two meetings between Catholicos Karekin I and Pope John Paul II n 1996 and 1999. In 1967 Catholicos Khoren of Cilicia paid the first offlcial visit of an Eastern Church leader to the Vatican, which was followed by the visits of Karekin I and Aram I. r
[uHB
Clockwise, Ieft to right: Pope John Paul ll, right, listens to Gatholicos Karekin ll at the Vatican; Catholicos Karckin ll and Pope John Paul ll wave to the laithlul in St. Peter's Basilica; Catholicos Karekin ll, amid the incense, kisses a vessel containing the relics ol Sl. Gregory the llluminator, returned to the Armenian Church by Rome; Catholicos Karekin ll blesses a loal ol bread during a visit with Rome's Armenian community.
AIM NOVEMBER
2OOO
ous blow to Tirrkish-French relations."
It
a few less notorious names, from
between Ankara and Yerevan and would not contribute to peace in the Caucasus, the letter said. The French, quick to stave off a diplomatic dilemma, issued a statement. "This vote was taken at the initiative of parliament... and in no way signifies a judgement on Tirrkey," the statement said. "France
such as Rhode Island and Nevada. The most famous Senator-elect, Hillary Clinton (D- 1.1-Y) hasn't stated her posi-
will continue to work to bring Tirrkey closer to the European Union." The French bill, submitted by the representatives of five parties, is not a non-binding resolution like the one eventually withdrawn from the US Congress. It contains the expression,
Gonllict in Mideast
"France offrcially recogrizes that Armenians were subjected to an act of genocide in 1915."
Italy's parliament, due to debate a similar bill, decided to postpone its consideration until mid-November.
Candidate$ Supponting lnmenian lssue$ Faned Well in U$ Elections Candidates supporting issues of interest to Armenian Americans fared well at the polls this month, but the Congressional
tnance Recognizes Genocide
Thking advantage of the continuing rivalry between French President Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Lionel Jospin,
the Armenians of France were able to push through the French Senate a bill recognizing as genocide the mass killing of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire in 1915. The vote was adopted by a vote of 164-40 in the French upper house. Last year, the French National Assembly approved a similar bill but after various threats by Tirrkey including suspension of a $145 million deal to buy Eryx missiles
from a French firm, the French Senate put off its own similar discussion.This month's approval of the bill could again trouble Tirrkey's relations with France as well as with the European Union,of which France currently holds the rotating presidency,
Armenian Caucus will still shrink from 97 to 86 members in the next session, at least until new members are recruited. Caucus co-chairmen Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Joe Knollengerg (R-MI) both retained their seats. The defeat of Rep. Sam Gejdenson (D-CT),the ranking Democrat on the House
International Relations Committee, was perhaps the greatest upset. Gejdenson is a friend of the Armenians, with a long and distinguished career in the House.TirrkeysupporterTom I-antos (D-CA) is Gejdenson's likely replacement as ranking Democrat on the Committee. Four Representatives who actively opposed issues of concern to Armenian Americans retired, however, thereby tempering the losses among Caucus
states
tions on Armenian issues.
Yenevan Galls lon Peacelul $ettlement ol Armenia expressed concern over the deteriorating relations between Israel and the Palestinians and developments in the Middle East. A Foreign Ministry statement urged the sides to "show restraint and reason" and called for the implementation of agreements already in place. The statement went on to state,'Armenia is interested in the establishment of lasting peace and security in the Middle East and expresses its concern about the latest events, expanding military actions, violence and confrontation." The Foreign Ministry hoped that the conflicting sides would overcome their differences and end the crisis based on relevant UN resolutions. Armenia, along with 92 other countries, voted in favor of a UN General Assembly resolution which condemned Israel for its "excessive use of force against Palestinian civilians," and demanded the prevention of "illegal acts of violence by Israeli settlers."
Anmenia Signs Rapid-lleployment Fonce Agneement Armenia sigrred a joint security agreement
with flve CIS countries (Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan) during the meeting of heads of state in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek. The six states are
members
of the
1992 CIS Collective
members.
Security Tieaty and the new agreement
In the nation's most celebrated Congressional race, Democrat Adam Schiff
gives "practical meaning," said Russian President Vladimir Putin, to the CIS treaty. The new document, signed by President Robert Kocharian and his counterparts,
defeated incumbent Republican James Rogan for the California district seat that
Tirrkish officials have said. A Tirrkish foreign ministry spokesman had said President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Parliament Speaker Omer Izgi sent
includes Glendale and Pasadena. Both candidates were strong supporters of Armen-
warning letters to their French counter-
would have recognized the genocide. In the Senate, there was a string of victories among candidates who are supporters of Armenian issues.The string included familiar names such as Ted Kennedy, Paul
parts last week over the pending vote. The official quoted Sezer's letter to French President Jacques Chirac as saying that "the passage of the bill would deal a seri-
Sarbanes and Dianne Feinstein, as well as
would also block efforts to normalize relations
ian issues. Rogan was a co-sponsor of last
month's failed House resolution that
AIM NOVEMBER
2OOO
calls for the creation of a joint rapid-
deployment force which could be called in case the security of a member state is threatened by outside forces or terrorism. The agreement needs to be approved by the parliaments of all six states. However, despite Yerevan's ongoing participation in CIS security arrangements, Armenia is hesitant to commit troops to third country
conflicts. Defense Minister Serge Sargsian said,"I wouldn't want to see Armenian sol-
diers f,ghting
in Central Asia, Siberia or
anywhere else." In another development, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan andThjikistan signed an agreement to create the "Eurasian Economic Union," a political and economic "club" along the lines of the
European Union.
Bilatenal Relations
. Defense Minister Serge Sargsian met with his Greek counterpart Akis Tsochatzopoulos in Athens and signed an agreement on establishing a joint ven-
ture for military industrial production. "These ventures will be operating under the aegis of Armenia's Defense Ministry and the Greek Pirkal company," explained Sargsian.
of Stafl
Mkhitarian, Advisor
to the
Foreign
Minister, was appointed Armenia's temporary Charge d'Affaires in Iraq. . Armenia and Russia signed a formal protocol on visa-free travel for the citizens of the two countries. Beyond enhancing free movement of people, "The protocol would ensure the rights of Armenian citizens in Russia and Russian citizens in Armenia," said Anatoli Driukov, Russia's Ambassador to Armenia. . Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian paid working visits to Norway, Sweden and
Finland where he held talks with his counterparts and state officials aimed at strengthening Armenia's political and economic ties with Oslo, Stockholm and Helsinki.
Presidential Chief
.
Tirmanian, led a delegation to Beijing for a joint Armenian-Chinese inter-governmental commission meeting. Deputy Foreign MinisterThtoul Markarian
The lrbanese political showdown between powerful new Prime Minister and the Armenian community continues. The row started during the recent parliamen-
led a delegation to Washington for
tary elections (AIM October 2000) when
Armenia- US dialogue on issues of security. The sides discussed bilateral security issues, regional developments and bilateral cooperation to stop proliferation of
weapons of mass destruction in the region. Meanwhile, the US Congress allocated "no less than $90 million" for Armenia for the Fiscal Year z0f1, $92 million for Georgia and maintained Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, with a "partial waiver", which bans direct US government aid to Azerbaijan as long as Baku continues to blockade Armenia. . The US Agency for Intemational Develop-
ment and mayors of nine cities in Armenia signed an agreement whereby the US will provide $4.5 million to promote "effective and transparent gover-
nance" in Armenian cities. The assistance is aimed at improving financial manage-
ment and planning on municipal levels,
of city staff and purchase of equipment. . The Armenian-Japanese Committee on Economic Cooperation held a meeting in Yerevan. The committee, set up last June, discussed Japanese aid and technitraining
cal assistance projects and
possible
Japanese investments in Armenia.
. Armenia's Ambassador
for
Economic and Political Issues David Hovhannisian said Iraq would open an embassy in Yerevan by the end of this year. Murad
achieving unity." Similarly, Zalie MP George Kassardji called for an "open- ended strike" until the matter is resolved.
Iliplomatic Pontlolios Pnesentcd to Pnesident .
Indonesia's Ambassador to Armenia Gde Ars Kajar (below), who is completing his diplomatic mission in Yerevan, met with President Robert Kocharian. The president underlined the importance of developing bilateral economic cooperation with Indonesia, despite the vast geographic distance between the two countries
Post Election $honudown in lehanon
o
Artashes
discontent is likely to grow and it would end up rallying all the community behind its leaderg putting aside its disputes and
differences between billionaire politician
Rafik Hariri and the Dashnak Party-led Armenian Coalition led to the defeat of candidates supported by the Armenian establishment. Only one Dashnak-sup-
. Thailand's Ambassador
to
Armenia
ported candidate, Sebouh Hovnanian, was
Rangsan Phahuoti (resident in Moscow
elected to the 120-member parliament.The
below) presented his credentials to
four other Armenians who were elected
President Robert Kocharian. The sides discussed the development of a legislative framework to enhance bilateral economic relations and cooperation in international organization.
were on Hariri's list.
After his victory Hariri was appointed
Prime Minister and was asked
by
President Emil Lahoud to form a new gov-
ernment. Early in November, Parliament approved Hariri's 30-member cabinet,
which includes Hovnanian as Sports and Youth Minister. However, the five Armenian MPs abstained from voting to protest the appointment of only one Armenian minister in the new cabinet. Tiaditionally, Armenians are given two ministerial portfolios whenever the cabinet (equally divided between Christians and Muslims) is made up of more than 20 ministers. Hariri's move is perceived as an effort to undermine the political clout and "entitlement" of the Armenian community, which numbers about 10 percent of Lebanon's population.And the Armenians are determined to fight it out. Beirut MP Hagop
Kassarjian (ADl-Ramgavar), who was elected on Hariri's list, insisted that "unless justice is done, and the Armenians get an extra portfolio, the Armenian community's AIM NOVEMBER
2OOO
. Norway's Ambassador to Armenia, Pet Tiesselt, presented his credentials to Presi-
dent Robert Kocharian. The Norwegian ambassador expressed his country's willingness to develop political relations and economic cooperation with Armenia.
Kocharian administrations, made his accu-
sations at about the same time that Russian President Vladimir Putin headed to Baku for consultations withAzerbaijan's just-returned and still-frail president.
US industrialist and philanihropist Jon Huntsman, chairman ol the Salt Lake City, Utah-based Huntsman corporation, was in Gumri t0 wilness the opening ol the school which was built with his $1 million donation. Huntsman, who has pledged another $10 million lor earthquake zone construction, has been a benelactor and inveslor in Armenia throughout this decade. His cement-production lactory was one ol the Iirst loreign investments in the country. Newsweek Magazine rated Huntsman the sixth largest philanthropist in the US.
$peaken on $haky Gnound
speaker. President Kocharian attempted to stay above the fray calling on the members of
Just days after Manucharian's public demands, Russian businessman Arkady
An increasingly unpopular Speaker managed to hold on to his position after weeks
the National Assembly to make their own
Vardanian (above) called people to the streets
leadership decisions.
to protest. Vardanian, who according to
Ilemonstnation$ in
insiders" has been seeking every government position from Prime Minister down, accused President Kocharian and his administration of mismanagement and inep-
of squabbles. Armen Khachatrian, who had been elected to the position following the National Assembly assassinations last year, has not appeared to be maturing in his position. Khachatrian is a member of the People's Party, a partner of the Republican Party in the parliamentary Unity bloc.The bloc has not been functioning as much of a coalition since the assassinations of its leadersVazgen Sargsian and Karen Demirchian, and Khachatrian's inability to galvanize forces and move legislation has been one of the reasons for his unpopularity. When he announced his frustration and resignation at the end of September, it took the
Yenevan A series of anti-government demonstrations cropped up inYerevan as chilly autumn weather set in.Ashot Manucharian (below) took to the microphones to demand President Kocharian's resigration, insisting that Kocharian had agreed to give awayArmenia's southem regions to Azerbaijan. Manucharian, a regular face among Armenia's opposition during both the Ter Petrossian and the
Parliament just a short time to accept his resigrration by a vote of 63 deputies The People's Party insisted that he needed to be removed by as many deputies as had voted him in (66). His opposition insisted that would be the requirement only if he were being removed from office, but since he offered his resignation, that rule doesn't
titude. Vardanian's supporters were bussed in from Yerevan's surrounding towns and
the size of the crowd was estimated at around 10,000.Vardanian, who had said he
would like to be president, was arrested immediately following the demonstration. He was charged with calling for the downfall of the government, and for marching on the Presidential offices without a permit. He is being kept in jail pending trial.
Gouennment taGcd truith Budget Guts The Armenian government reported that it expects a $102 million revenue shortfall in this year's state budget, due to insufficient collection of tax revenues and the delay of a World Bank deficit-relief loan. By the end of October, only 60 percent of the expected $380 million in taxes were collected. Finance and Economy
apply. Armenia's Constitutional Court reinstated Khachatrian, holding that his resignation was forced and tainted by several procedural errors and violations and therefore unconstitutional. Reacting to the decision, the Republican Party leadership vowed to renew attempts to remove the
Minister Levon Barkhudarian announced austerity measures and cuts in state expenditures for the remainder of the year. This year's budget expenditures included public AIM NOVEMBER
2OOO
sector debts from previous years.The cuts would be in state procurements and are not expected to affect salary payments to state employees. Barkhudarian lost his job a few weeks after this announcement. It was not
two more years. Deputy Finance and Economy Minister Gagik Arzumanian said the number of casinos in Armenia has
job because an insufficient amount was being collected, or whether his efforts to
to 15. Starting in August, gaming establishments were required to pay 25 million Drams per gaming table, a steep rise from previous rates. However, tax laws
km (6 miles) of other cities. Existing gaming facilities will be allowed to operate for
clear whether he was fired, or if he resigned. Nor was it clear whether he lost
declined
his
collect more were blocked.
continue to look favorably upon casinos, which therefore become ideal spots for
tonmen Energy
money laundering - a common phenomenon around the world.
0llicials Ghanged Armenia's Prosecutor General Boris Nazarian confirmed, at a session of the National Assembly, that the findings of its ad hoc Commission on corruption and mismanagement in the energy sector "correspond to reality." Last June, the multi-party Commission, led by MP David Lokian (ARF), presented its findings after a six-month investigation, which said since 1992 Armenia's energy sector has suffered from fraud, mismanagement and inefficiency, costing the state some $200 million. After investigating the allegations of the Commission, Nazarian said charges were brought against 11 ener-
gy officials and the director of Hrazdan Power Station was arrested. However, the chief investigator said that the prosecution of other senior officials is complicated due to a lack of documentary evidence. Presenting the govemment's own report to the National Assembly, Deputy Minister of Energy Robert Nazarian said the allegation of $200 million in losses "needs
additional argumentation," adding that so
Uisit on Mignation
Prime Minister Aram Sargsian expressed concern about the efficiency and efficacy of the long investigation. He said, "To believe that the entire plan was plotted and carried out by five gunmen is nonsense." Karen Demirchian's widow, attending the inauguration of a memorial plaque dedicated to her husband (above), expressed similar views. "There has been no coup attempt, but there was a well-planned political murder," she said. The government's own explanations about the process, and about the evidence available to date, have been unsatisfactory according to most observers.
Pouenty on the Rise A report prepared by the UN High
far 25 people have been charged with embezzlement of public funds and abuse of power. He said $1,717,000 in stolen
31 percent of Armenia's population is
funds has been recovered by the state. The
ing in "extremely poor" conditions, earn-
investigation is continuing. More arrests are anticipated.
ing less than $1 a day. The income of pen-
Finst lnniuensan y0l
Commissioner and
the UN
for Refugees (UNHCR)
Development Program said
sioners is even less. The report further notes that 44.5 percent of refugees in Armenia are "poor" and 21.6 percent "extremely poor" compared with 39.6 per-
cent and 14 percent respectively for the
flational Tnagedy Gommemonated
world's population.
On the one-year anniversary of the political assassinations in the National assembly, several monuments were unveiled in memory of the victims. The
Panliament Rcgulate$ Gaming lndustny
National Assembly, which was the site of the slayingq was also the site of one of the monuments. During a book-launching ceremony dedicated to slain Prime Minister Yazgen Sargsian, his brother and former
liv-
The National Assembly voted overwhelmingly in favor of
a law regulating the operation of casinos in Armenian. According to the new law gaming facilities and casinos cannot be located within s0-kilometer (31 miles) radius of Yerevan or within 10
AIM NOVEMBER
2OOO
Intemational Organization of Migration Director General, Branson McKinley (above) paid a working visit to Armenia and met with high-ranking Armenian officials. The talks focused on the possibilities of joint projects to reduce emigration and ways to create new jobs.
GEltllttmnmsffinmrd Azerbaijan and Thrkey once again blocked Armenia's application
for full
membership in the European Conference of TLansport Ministers (CEMT) at the Paris-based international organization's meeting in early October. Baku fears that Armenia's full membership in the organization would mean allowing Armenian vehicles to transit through its territory.
Media Gonlenence A
media conference on "Reporters
against Terrorism and Violence," was held in Yerevan on the flrst anniversary of the National Assembly assassinations. Constitutional Crurt Chairman Gagik Harutiunian,who had just attended a forum in Brussels on the occasion of Armenia's becoming a full
member of the Council of Constitutional
Courts of Europe, emphasized journalisb role in a ountry's figfrt against terrorism and violence.
29
ing blockade of Armenia by Azerbaijan and Ttrrkey. Galustian explained that "cal-
culations have shown that substituting the nuclear power station with new, altemative sources of energy requires very serious flnancial investments," adding that it is difficult to find such large investments by20[,4,
opened last month. Hovnanian had invited digritaries including US Ambassador Michael kmmon (below, left), Yerevan Mayor Albert Bazeyan (below, center) and others to tee
off. Hovnanian celebrated the opening of this recreational area as an example of Armenia's readiness and willingness to
to live
EU. Russian Minister Adamov assured that the power plant could operate safely, with all relevant technical requirements, until 2015.
receive foreigners who want
tinst Bank Bnanch
lntennational Ilonons Pledge lange Assistance PaGlmgG
the closure date preferred by the
0pened in Panis Ardshinbank (ASHB), a leading indus-
try and construction bank in Armenia, opened a branch in Paris At the opening
in
Armenia, contribute to its economy, but want homes which meet their needs. This is one step in addressing quality of life issues in Armenia, said one dignitary.
ceremony, attended by French banking offrcials and corporate representatives' ASHB
chief executive officer l-evon Farmanian
Aluminum Factony's Hall-Gentuny The Kanaz Aluminum factory located in Yerevan's Kanaker district celebrated its 50th anniversary this October. The former Soviet giant now known as Armenal began operating last year after years of idleness. Russian investment made possible the refitting and re-opening of the factory
which provided a living to hundreds in the area. Aluminum foil, as well as other aluminum products are produced at the site.
Nuclean Pouuen Plant to Remain 0penational Beyond 2004
Armenia's Energy Minister Karen
Galustian and Russian Minister of Atomic Energy Yevgeni Adamov announced, on the sidelines of a meeting of the CIS inter-
governmental commission on nuclear energy held in Yerevan, that Armenia's Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) would continue to operate until 2008, four years more
explained Armenia's banking system, which analysts consider one of the most developed among the former Soviet countries Armenia's Ambassador to France, Edward
Nalbandian, said the establishment of the branch would enhance further bilateral trade and economic relations with France, which is a major investor in Armenia. In 1998, Ardshinbank was listed as one of the most attractive companies on the Yerevan Stock Exchange. In 1999 private deposits at Ardshinbank increased by 65 percent compared with the previous year.
U$ GonstnuGtion Expeniencc at Ullonk in
Inmenia Vahakn Hovnanian (below, right), a US citizen and philanthropist, is applying his decades of construction experience in the US to building theVahakni residential district in Yerevan. More than 100 US-style residences will be built and sold, in wood, or stone, according to the preference of the customer.As part of the complex,theVahakni
district has a golf course, which was just
than the expected date of closure agreed by Armenia and the European Union. The NPP operates on two units of Soviet-
made W'AR-440 reactors and provides
Finance and Economy Minister Levon Barkhudarian (above, left) announced that Armenia is expected to receive some $350 million in new loans and assistance from a range of foreign countries and organizations through the end of 2001. Some of the funds will be used to help the country's agricultural sector, which suffered greatly this summer due to a severe drought. The announcement was made after a two' day meeting in Yerevan between Armenian officials and assistance-providing west-
ern states and financial
institutions. Participants included the World Bank,
IME, EBRD, EU, UNDP, USAID, thE Japanese JBIC Bank and representatives from Canada, Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Greece, Switzerland, Iran, Italy, the Netherlands and the US. In a joint statement at the conclusion of the meeting, the participants said, "The Development Partners agreed to support the thrust of the government's overall economic development policy, but wished to onpotcies to remove
some 40 percent of Armenia's annual energy
see more resolute action
needs (see AIM October 2000). The decision to extend the operation of the power plant was primarily due to the
constraints on private sector development and privatization, to improve the rule of law and governance... and to ensure welltargeted public services like health, education and social protection."
lack of alternative energy sources in Armenia, especially in view of the continu30
AIM NOVEMBER
2OOO
A Poverty Reduction Strategy was a key item on the agenda of the meeting,
in August between the Armenian government and OTE to settle their disputes with-
which recommended "future efforts on alleviating poverty, particularly by estab-
out resorting to legal proceedings. The Armenian government is attempt-
lishing a better environment for job creation,
ing to re-negotiate some of the terms of OTE's purchase agreement, especially in view of the company's failure to meet its
assurances for their operations. "That doesn't say anything good about the investment climate here," added Sahakian. She concurred with the assessment of the report, adding that because of low salaries and job insecurities, government employees are prone to seek bribes from businessmen
cles" to the country's economic development, but said the government intends to work towards the recommendations made at the gathering, such as creation of more
investment obligations in Armenia. So far, OTE has invested only one third of the $100 million it had pledged to invest in Armenia's communications network, which under the 1998 purchase agreement was to be implemented by March 1999.
and investors. Despite these shortcomings direct foreign investments in Armenia have grown since last year and could reach $200 million by the end of this year.A larger increase is expected next year.
favorable conditions for foreign investments, creation of jobs and better devised
More importantly, OTE's 15-year monopoly over communications services is ham-
and strengthening the social protection system for the vulnerable." Barkhudarian affirmed that government bureaucracy continues to be "one of the biggest obsta-
social programs.
local Gompany Pnouides Aduanced Banking Soltwane
develop. Similar programs costs about $500,000 in the West.
"The advanced banking technologies we've prepared allow carrying out operations in two, three minutes instead of what used to be 20 minutes," explained the soft-
ware company's manager Alexandra Lambru-Grinyuk, adding that the software processes a range of documents at high speed and provides modeling of banking operations with high efflciency and reliability. Armenian Programs' other highly successful flnancial software is used by 16
local banks in Armenia.
Currently, there are over two dozen software companies operating in Armenia (about 12 of them US-flnanced) which employ over 300 programmers. Some 100 of them are employed by HPtArmenia, a subsidiary of the Silicon Valley-based Heuristics Physics Labs.
in
Athens between Armenian officials and the giant
Greek OTE, owners
tions infrastructure.
Gross National Product (GNP)
the monopoly rights or reducing the term of the agreement. Justice Minister David Harutiunian, the Armenian's govemment's chief negotiator, said the negotiations are complicated, but both sides are ready to make changes in
of 90 percent of
ArmenTel, Armenia's monopoly telecom. The talks were held following an agreement
January-August 2000 Compared with same period last year
Kazakhstan +10.5%
Taiikistan + 9.6%
+8.8%-
Russia
Wond Bank Reponts on lnuestmcnt Glimate
Ukraine
+ 5.3%
Belarus
+
Elaborating on the concerns expressed at the Development Partners meeting (see previous item), a Word Bank report, pre-
Kyrgyzsian + 6.3%
I Armenia + 3.1% I Uzbekistan + 3.8%
+ 2.8o/o A
Georgia
While affirming the Armenian government's efforts in establishing legislative measures for the development of market economy, the report said current conditions fail to guarantee the rule of law and equal con-
lndustrial 0utput
for all
FIAS's Frank Sadder, one of the authors of the report, businesses.
added during a press conference that due
to lack
of
"transparent rules of the Eame"
and bureaucratic hurdles, investors are large-
ly dependent on government connections
by foreign investors in Armenia. Indeed, Ministry of Industry and Tiade's Narine Sahakian pointed out that large foreign companies and individuals investing in Armenia generally seek the President's or Prime Minister's personal
made
AIM NOVEMBER
2OOO
-
4.0%J -
pared by its Foreign Investment Advice Service (FIAS,) said rampant corruption and inefficient law enforcement are the key factors hampering a larger inflow of foreign investments in Armenia.
ditions
I
Azerbaiian + 9.2o/o
the contract. He said it would take several months for a consensus to emerge.
to conduct business in Armenia. According to the study, government structures were involved in 87 percent of business deals
Ielecom Mono[oly Negotiations were held
GIS lndicaton$
Armenia is aiming at abolishing
Armenian Programs Ltd. (APL) unveiled its powerful banking software after a month of testing by Yerevan-based International Merchant Bank (IMB). The bank, established by the Merchant Bank of Greece, has EBRD as a shareholder. It is the first to use the powerful new software, which costs about $60,m0 and took three years to
Ialks Gontinue
pering Armenia's membership in the World Tiade Organization and EBRD's intentions to provide large loans for the development of Armenia's communica-
Moldova + 1.7oh f
Kazakhstan +15.6%
Ukraine
+12.0o/o
Russia
+10.0%-
Taiikistan + 9.5%
+8.8%Kyrgyzstan + 8.4% Georgia
Belarus
+7.8'h
Uzbekistan
+ 6.3%
AzerDarian
+ i.21o -I
I-
Motdova + 4.6o/o I
Armenia + 3.5% I Source: CIS Statistrcs Committee,
under Georgian control. Howevel this is not
a complete solution. Georgia says Azerbaijani border guards have moved some 500 meters nearer the village of Erisimedi, the area known as the Red Bridge. Georgia also has a dispute with Russia at the Chechen border. As for its borders with Armenia, Yerevan and Tbilisi have not yet formally demarcated their borders.
lirkey
Boosts Militany and Seeunity Belation$ with Azenbalian and Seorgia The defense ministers of Azerbaijan and
T[rkey signed an agreement in Baku on "Cooperation in the Field of Defense Industries." The agreement calls for TLrkish
for the development of Azerbaijan's military-industrial complex. Since 1996, Baku and Ankara have signed several military cooperation agreements, including training of military personnel. assistance
Private Investment Corp., Ex-Im Bank and
Pipeline Agneement $igned in Ankana Tirrkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia and sponsoring companies signed the final agreements on the US-supported, almost $3 bil-
lion Baku-Ceyhan pipeline,which they still oil to Western markets via Georgia and through
hope will transport Azerbaijani
TLrkey's seaport town on the Mediterranean. "This project will lead to the strengthening
of the political structures of the Central Asian and Caucasian countries,' said Tirrkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit at the signing ceremony in Ankara, adding that "Turkey is determined to ensure all support necessary for the project."
However,
oil
analysts and investors
continue to question the commercial viability
of the proposed pipeline as doubts still exist over the volume of oil deposits in the Caspian region. The US has backed the pipeline project as an alternative to the existing Novorossiisk route in southern Russia. The 1,730-km
(1,074 miles) pipeline is expected
to
be
completed by 2O04 and will carry one mil-
Iion barrels of oil per day. In addition to Azerbaijani, Georgian and Tirrkish state oil companies, a number of multinational
the USTiade and DevelopmentAgency are ready to provide funds, as well as US materials and services for the construction of the
pipeline.
But, ExxonMobil, which has significant interests in Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan oil fields, said it is not ready to commit to the pipeline project. While the company is not opposed to the plan, it'still needs to be convinced," said company production president K. Terry Koonce.'A pipeline outlet [should] be economically viable and [a company should] have the right kind of reseryes to back it up," said Koonce, adding, "We"re not entirely convinced that BakuCeyhan has reached that point yet." In another development, Georgia approved a project for a 60-kilometer (37 miles) pipeline, which would carry Russian natural gas to Tirrkey via the Georgian town of Kobuleti. The pipeline, to be built by the Russian Itera company, is expected to be completed in a year.
ments, including BP, Unocal, Norway's Statoil, T[rkish Petroleum, Japan's Itochu,
mended by
UK's RamCo, and Delta Hess. US President's Special Advisor for
a border demarcation commission set up by the two states, the Georgian village on theAzeri borderreceived what was
Caspian Energy, John Wolt attended the ceremony in Ankara, and said the Overseas
formerly Azerbaijani land and Azerbaijan received an equal plot of land formerly
32
Defense
Minister Sabahattin Cakmakoglu's (below) meetings with high ranking Azerbaijani
offlcials, including President Heidar Aliyev, Prime MinisterArthur Rasizade and Foreigr Minister Vilayet Guliyev. Cakmakoglu reiterated Ankara's long-held poliry toward Armenia as the "occupier" of Azeri territories
Azen[a]ian and Geongia Suuap Lands Azerbaijan and Georgia agreed to an unusual resolution of their dispute over plots of land on their common borders. They exchanged 66.5 hectares. As recom-
corporations have singed sponsorship agree-
The Karabakh conflict was also discussed
in Baku during visiting Thrkish
AIM NOVEMBER
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"We want Armenia to withdraw from the Azerbaijani territories it occupied as soon as possible," said Cakmakoglu. "We would like to see that common sense will prevail, and our Azerbaijani brothers and sisters exposed to oppression may return to their homes," he added. In another development,Tirrkey signed
an agreement with Georgia on cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking, smuggling and organized crime, during Turkish Interior Minister Sadetin Thntan's visit to Tbilisi. And in early October, the estimated $330,000 cost of t2 Czech-made tanks delivered to the Georgian armed forces was paid from a $5.5 million loan provided byTLrkey.
Meanwhile, the US announced it will donate two patrol boats to Azerbaijan for "the struggle against international terrorism," and to strengthen the country's border patrol. Russian politicians expressed concern over the growing US presence in the Caspian region under the pretext of battling the "threat of terrorism" in the Caucasus and Central Asia. "We do not want to see alien ships in the Caspian," said Gennady Seleznyov of the Russian State Duma.
Militany Handwane Inanslenned lnom Geongia to Armenia Russia withdrew clusters of military equipment from one of its militarybases in Georgia as part of an agreement signed by Moscow andTHlisi last year in Istanbul as a supplement
gy and military spheres with his Ti-rrkish counterpart Bulent Ecevit and high-ranking Turkish officials, including President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Defense Minister Sabahattin Cakmakoglu and Energy Minister Cumhur Ersumer.
to TLrkey. However, Tirrkey's anger over the US House vote on the Armenian Genocide might effect such prospects. Prime Minister Ecevit affirmed thatTirkey had requested Russia to influence Armenia.
I
know
The talks focused especially on the12l3kilometer (758 miles) pipeline, known as the Blue Stream Project,the construction of which started in February and is expected to become operational in April 2001. The pipeline will deliver eight billion cubic meters of Russian gas to Tirrkey per year. Russia already delivers some 10 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually toTirrkey via a pipeline that runs through Romania and Bulgaria.
Russia can be influential on Armenia.
I told
Tirrkey buys electricity also from Iran, Georgia and Bulgaria to satisfy its growing for energy. Ankara is looking for alternatives to declining domestic energy volumes due to falling water levels at the
need
country's hydroelectric dams. Kasyanov told journalists that Russia would also deliver electricity to Ti-rrkey via Georgia, and possibly supply electricity generated in Armenia, as Armenia's nuclear power plant runs on Russian-supplied fuel. He added that Yerevan is interested, with Russian assistance, to sell surplus electriciry
to the updated version of the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty. Seventy-six armored vehicles were transferred from the Russian Military Base 62
at Akhalkalaki, southern Georgia, to Military Base 102 at Gyumri in northern Armenia from mid-October to mid-Novem-
ber. Armenia welcomed the move and Defense Minister Serge Sargsian assured that the redeployment of the military hardware does not violate the (CFE) treaty.
Tirkey and Azerbaijan complained about the transfer. Azerbaijan's Defense Minister Safar Abiyev said the move presents a "real threat" to the region and'seriously worries Baku." The Armenians in Georgia's southern regions are concemed about the Russian move, fearing it will leave them unprotected against Georgian chauvinism.
Russia and lunkey Iliscuss Enengy $upply Militany Goopenation Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov
paid an official three-day visit to Tirrkey and held talks on cooperation in the enerAIM NOVEMBER
2OOO
"I
particularly requested that, as
[Kasyanove] that nearly 20 percent of Azpr-
baijani territory is under occupation and
requested him to contribute to reaching a consensus between these
two states."
Moscow and Ankara also agreed to increase cooperation in the economic and military spheres and the defense industry. Russia, in competition with the US-based Bell Helicopter Textron company, is bidding to provide Turkey with 145 combat helicopters at an estimated cost of $4 billion.
"We have reached agreement to deepen and enhance our cooperation on military and security issues," said Kasyanov, adding,
"Our relations in the defense industry should also be solidified." In turn, in the context of regional developments, Ecevit hoped that bilateral cooperation in the defense and security sphere would "install an
atmosphere of trust" and would make the two important regional players "partners
rather than competitors."
Goven Stony
fiII{E$ ETTHE By ARAM HA.llAN
J t's a game, an art form, the ultimate men- chess talent pool on earth. Armenia's I A ri*ggt". Benjamin Franklin said chess Chess Olympiad team, anchored by I teaches "foresight, by having to plan Vladimir Akopian, Rafael Vaganian, ahead, vigilance, by having to keep watch over the whole chess board, caution, by having to restrain ourselves from making hasty moves and finally, we learn from chess the greatest maxim in life, that even when everything seems to be going badly for us we should not lose heart, but always hoping for a change for the better, steadfastly continue searching for the solutions
to our problems." Perhaps that is why Armenians are among the world's best chess players. They have delivered two of the world's five most recent champions, several of the junior champions, the current European team champion, in addition to some of the best trainers, authors and puzzle makers of all time. Armenians consistently constitute a larger representation in the world's top 100 players than players representing France, Germany, India or even the US. Per capita, Armenia boasts the highest
Artashes Minasian and Smbat Lputian
consistently outperforms the expected results (based on ratings) and is renowned to be "better than the sum of the parts." Over the years, Karen Asrian, Levon
Aronian, Gabriel Sarkissian and Sergei Movsesian have held various European and/or world junior titles, and they are at the head of Armenia's new generation of grandmasters.
These young wizards were raised dur-
ing the years when Armenia was reeling from earthquake, economic collapse, and a severe dive in state-sponsored funding financial support that has not been replaced adequately by alternative sources. Several of the parents of today's promising players recall with sad pride the tough days during the harsh winters of the early 90s. One of the mothers reflected on those times. "It still brings tears to my eyes remembering the young men coming to the Chess
Is chess in ffit?
House with their kerosene heaters in one hand and their chess sets in the other.They would gather in the unheated basement huddled with scores of kids all playing and analyzing chess games despite the fact that most had not had a square meal in days. Chess kept a segment of our youth active, it kept them mentally alive, especially during those trying times. May God always bless our young trainers," she said. Constructed 30 yean ago, the Chess House is the epicenter of the game in Yerevan and home to a legendary school where some 500 students strive to become future champions. Its beautiful third floor auditorium also plays host to around 20 tourna-
ments annually, many
of
international
stature. At the entrance stands a statue of Tigran Petrossian, the godfather of Armenia's chess tradition, after whom the building is named. He set the standard by which all the young players who pass through its doors seek to measure themselves. Widely considered the best defensive
Yes, il is. How else should one deline onE Ean ErpEriEnce lhe dnepert narlhptic
such a kind oI actiuity when pleasure? How else could onE Eslimate the rEsult oI one's aEliuity which hrings ryiriirral *ninynrenl Io other peoplE?
-Tigran Petrossian
34
AIM NOVEMBER
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COVER STORY
xffire
EHE$5
ITIASPORA
WfJ;:MiT'ff'Jr#trillu:}: historically, Armenians from Tbilisi (Tigran Petrossian, Sergei Movsesian, Henrik Kasparian among others), Baku (Garry Kasparov,
Vladimir Akopian, Vladimir Bagirov, Ashot Nadanian, Melik Khachian, Elina Danielian to name a few), as well as many
from Russia, Moldova and Ukraine have 0pposile page: Soldiers called out alter the 1996 elections watch one of lhe matches of the 1996 Woild Chess 0lympiad held in Yerevan. Above, left to right: Minasian, Lputian, Akopian
player in chess history Petrossian's achieve-
ments as world champion provided the booster rocket that propelled Armenian chess
forward throughout the last half-cen-
tury even after his death. His opening theory and subtle yet paralyzing style are
For example,
it
might be possible to
copy what many western countries provide in the form of corporate sponsorship and increased exposure for soccer players or artists and musicians. This would be of
tremendous help to Armenia's promising
immortalized by grandmasters all over
chess players (or even established veteran
the world. Some say that ironically, the dark, cold
role-models) who must come up with money from their own, often empty, pockets, even for the most basic costs such as plane tickets and hotel fees necessary to
evenings may have contributed to the growth of the current outstanding chess generation. "What else could you do at home,
in the evenings, without television
or other distraction? Chess was easy and cheap and an endless source of entertainment," explains one young trainer. Although there is heat now, and light, chess remains in desperate need of funding. Neither the players, nor the trainers, nor the Chess House itself are paid regularly or sufficiently. "When players excel in fiercely contested international competitions, the potential individual payoffs are high. Some players make do by playing in European countries on club teams. However, these individual successes are insufficient for nurturing and supporting the local chess scene. When considering what giant strides are
being made by Armenia's chess players without wide scale institutional or organized support, one could only imagine what could be achieved with focused suppolt," says a Diasporan who has been quietly helping individual players as well as the Chess House over the years
made a big impact on the world of chess Kasparov,of course,is the first among firsts widely viewed as one of the best chess players in history. He is the Pavarotti, the
Michael Jordan. the Jackson Pollock of chess. He has made very large strides in popularizing chess on the internet, in schoolg in marketing matches between man and computer, but little of this has had any effect on exposure forArmenian chess players in particular. His website, wwwkasparovchesscom is headquartered in Moscow, with offices
play in international tournaments. Still, the su@ess of the Armenian players has nurtured the image of Armenian dominance. After Minasian, Lputian and Akopian swept the prestigious New York Open in 198, headlines in the chess press declared "BigAp,ple becomes Little Armenia." And whenAkopian and Movsesian reached the quarter-finals in the 1999 Knock-out Championship in Las Vegag the world watched in wonder as Armenians had bigger representation among the late round flnalists than other chess-playing countries including the US, Ukraine, Israel, Germany and China.And, even without their two toprated players - Akopian chose not to participate as FIDE (Federation Internationale des Echecs) had not yet paid out his purse from the Knock-out championship and he had reason to fear that they may default -
Armenia became the European Team
Champion in 1999,leading the rest of the
field from the first round until the
end.
And who says thatArmenians do not excel in group competitions? AIM NOVEMBER
2OOO
Kasparov in Armenia, 1996
35
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COVER STORY in Tel-Aviv and New York, and Kasparov himself plays under the Russian flag, not the Armenian. The story goes that about 30 years ago, after his Jewish father died in Baku, his
Armenian mother applied to the Soviet Armenian authorities for an apartment so that she and her child prodigy son could move to Yerevan. Although, the young Garry clearly demonstrated world class potential, the request was denied. Thus, his well-documented meteoric rise to become the youngest chess champion in history took place in Baku, which he and his Armenian relatives considered home until 1990 when the violence againstArmenians became wide-
spread and hundreds
of
thousands fled
,ffiti, ::' l:il':
irl
:::.:
ll
Azerbaijan. Kasparov has since considered Moscow his home. Perhaps as a consequence of that history, Kasparov has not been par-
ticularly helpful to his compatriots At least not in chess. But, following the beginning of the struggle for self-determination in Karabakh. Kasparov was vocal in his support of the Armenian side, and even
donated the winnings from one
of
his
championship defenses a decade ago to Armenian national causes.
YEREUAN: ; ++c:
EHESs HUB
! ven without the aid of the famous cousin. Ithe Armenian Chess Federation has expanded its purview. It has hosted many international events over the last few years including the 1996 Olympiad, several World Junior championships, and the 2000
Zonal for the FIDE World Championship Knock-out.
The Olympiad in 1996 was a special event.The chess world had suffered through poorly managed Olympiad two years earlier in Moscow. This time, over a hundred countries sent men's and women's teams to Yerevan where the host countrv a disorganized,
Above: Garry Kasparov, President Levon Ter Pelrossian and President ol the
lnternational Chess
Federalion, Kircan llyumzhinov, during the opening ceremony ol the World Chess Olympiad in Yerevan in 1996. Photo by Rouhen Mangasarian. Below: The Tigran Petrossian Ghess House in Yerevan. Photo by Mkhitar Khachalrian
surpassed all expectations from the thousands of participants, press and fans. Even
Kasparov participated - in what for him turned out to be his last FIDE match.
Yerevan welcomed the participants. Players successfully overcame each other over the chessboard, and managed to negotiate blockaded roads in downtown Yerevan (Armenia's government leaders had ordered tanks into the streets in an attempt to enforce controversial election results,) but were not able to outmaneuver the local kids in the parks between games. Stories still circulate about school kids who approached some of the world's top play-
for the 100-person FIDE Knock-out Championship. The World Under-2O Championship was held in Yerevan in September with GM Asrian winning the bronze medal. In 2001, the World Team Championship is scheduled to be held for the flrst time ever in Yerevan.
ers, between rounds in the parks and cafes
of Yerevan, and challenged them to a few friendly games of chess. For money. After "losing" a couple of games, the local amateurs swept the international pros for all they had. Just a few months ago, the Zonal qualiflcation was held in Yerevan, with players from Armenia, Georgia, Tirrkey, Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Yugoslavia, and Malta invited to participate, with the top four players advancing to the Championship Knock-out. All four winners were from Armenia. They go on next to Delhi, India
EuerT chess player simultaneously
silrrgglss wilh himssffi while pl*ying
with hls opponenl. Each chess trame or metclr is at lhe same lime an inirLnnosl conllicl.
-Tigran Petrossian
AIM NOVEMBER
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COVER STORY
EHAMPION Y'tr&&ffi IS
IN A
TIIEUII0 M E l[
WSHII?
N:":T:,ffi ;:i:xH*;3ilx."J[: rated separately in a'sport' that requires no
physical prowess Nevertheless, women
ll lthoush the terms champion and legitIli.nut" ur" widely bandied about in the world of
chess, this
sport (perhaps more
than most) suffers from its own soap-operalike and highly egoJaden controversies.
When FIDE (Federation Internationale des Echecs) was founded inl924it became the formal institution which established rules and created the framework within
which determining matches were held and titles were earned. Today, 156 member chess federationg grouped
into 2L geo-
graphic zones, constitute FIDE, representing over five million registered players. Tiaditionally, tournaments are held every three years in each zone, with the winners playing in Candidates Tournaments to
establish the challenger
for the World
Champion title. Of the world's 13'modern era'championships,Tigran Petrossian (of the USSR)
rerxru rnrsl
Above:
Elina Danielian. Below, right:
Lilil Mkrtchian.Photos
by Zaven
do have their own competitions and Armenian women players are quite formidable in their own right. Elina Danielian and Lilit Mkrtchian are the two strongest players today. They are both women's grandmasters and they're both young. Danielian is in her early 20s; Mkrtchian is just a
lftachikian
teenager. Just as for many of the men, it is often family members who are the greatest motivators in a woman chess player's life. For Mkrtchian, it was her grandfather. "He taught me theirt of chess when I was six years old, and all of a sudden that was all I was interested in," she said. Today, Armenia's women's chess is improving fast, with the team f,nishing fifth in the 1999 European Team Championship, and 1fth in the Olyrnpiad in Istanbul in November 2000. Danielian is the captain. Mkrtchian and the other players ascribe to her the "camaraderie of the playing environment". Their trainer, Norair Kalantarian, is also a source of pride The women respect him and he, in turn, pushes them. Mkrtchian wants to continue to excel.
"I
really want to study with the
Kasparov Academy's principal Valery Tsaturian, who I consider my mentor. I have studied with him before a few times, and those lessons have
proved themselves very helpful to me. But now,
unfortunately, there are
flnances, and I can't go to Moscow where he lives to continue
no
studying." Perhaps
it
is no surprise that the
women's game
is not as
highly
encouraged as the men's lv{krtchian says that's one reilson there are fewer young women players. But for those
of the caliber of Danielian and Mkrtchian, championship titles are inevitable.
from Anatoly Karpov (the previous champion) through three successive title defenses. Throughout his reign as champion,
Kasparov publicly disagreed with the decrees of FIDE and accused it of deep
corruption. In 1993, Kasparov, together with (British) Nigel Short broke away and
over Short, and following his divorce from the world of FIDE, Kasparov became the self-declared world champion of the PCA, a title which he defended successfirlly against the Indian Viswanathan Anand in 195.
After Kasparov spurned FIDE to form
held the title from 1963 to 1969 and Garry Kasparov (USSR/Russia) had held the title since 1985. Sort of. Kasparov, who had maintained his status as the best player in the world continuously for the better part
founded the Professional Chess Association (PCA) on the eve of the FIDE match, which would have seen them lock horns
a FIDE World Championship match, won by Karpov, who held that title until t999. At that time, Russia'sAlexander Khalifrnan beat
of the last two decadeq held off challenges
for the championship. After his victory
Armenia's Vladimir Akopian to win the
AIM NOVEMBER
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the PCA,FIDE quickly scrambled to arrange
COVER STORY close
to the Sanskrit chaturanga.
A millennium and a half after it got its start, chess, like everything else, has found its niche in the internet. Unlike music, art or film, however, chess has a glaring advantage when it comes to overcoming obstacles of bandwidth that bootstrap the ability of other pastimes to go cyber. Consider this: To download all of the symphonies written in the last hundred years, one would need millions
of
giga-
of data storage
capability, not to mention interminable hours of time to download the information. Yet collect all bytes
the games of Kasparov, or all of the games
played in the 20th century and the total data would flt on anyone's PC hard disk.A few short lines of chess notation captures all of the information in a played game, and encoded in those few short lines are hours of enjoyment and analysig human calculation and imagination at their best. In general, the combination of computers
Passing away the time on the streets ol Yerevan. Photo by Parik Nazarian
FIDE Championship Knock-out - not the world championship match but, save for the absence of Kasparov and Anand, all the world's big guns played - and become the FIDE World Champion. Neverthelesgsince the mid-S0S Kasparov has been regarded as the best player in the
world and the acknowledged road to the chess summit goes through Kasparov's Russia'sVladimir Kramnik recently found out in London. Kasparov tried to defend his title by playing Kramnik, the world no.Z player,and lost, relinquishing his grip on the championship to his former student. Kasparov has vowed revenge and will most likely come after Kramnik like a wounded bear. Meanwhile, FIDE continues to hold its Knock-out Championship annually, and this year, it will be held in India. Armenian representation will be high once again among the 100 chess players. At least six Armenians will participate.Vladimir Akopian and Sergei Movsesian will be among the automatic invitees by virtue of their high ratings, and joining them will be four more Armenians who swept the top places at the Zonal Tournament (hosted by Armenia last June.) All 100 players will be looking to wrest the FIDE crown from Khalifman's head. chessboard
-
as
and chess has had a profound effect on the world of chess First off, students of the game
ffiffiffiffiffi YESTERDAYE
Below: Nearly 100 competitors lrom more than 14 counlries participated in the Under-20 Youth Ghampionship in Yerevan. Photo by Melik Baghdassarian/Armenpress.
f0IvIBRRBW Ithough no one can say for sure, it seems that chess was invented in India approximately 1500 years ago,with precursors of the game being found in China.
The game was introduced to Europe and the west through Persia, and many contemporary chess terms can be traced accordingly.
Customarily, a player would warn his opponent when his king was in danger.The Persians did so simply by saying,"King," or in Farsi, Shakh.When the opponent's king is captured, the Persians would say, "The king is dead," Shakh mat.Hence the origin of today's "checkmate." Armenians use these terms handily. But
in this
case,
they can't take credit for
inventing them. Nevertheless, the Armen-
ian connection to the origins of chess
is
evident when considering the ancient Sanskrit
word for the
game.
The Armeniar. jatrak is
Not all oI you will become ElrEss plarcrs hut IrcilB oI you HiIl regrut lhe fme spent En EhEss since iI witt be oI eonsiderable help lo you in any ocEupation. -Tigran Petrossian 40
AIM NOVEMBER
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COVER STORY
ROTtrtTMtxS
trRMENIIN
f[he I
EHRIYIPIIilSOT GIIE55
titles grandmaster, international master, and FIDE master (GM,lM, and FM, rcspectively) are awarded for life, based on a combination of minimum ratings and strong performances (called norms) in EIDE torrnaments. Cunently,Garry Kasparov is the highest rated player, al ?&9. Eleven players are rated above 2700 and 89 above 2600. Vladimir Akopiaq Rafael Vaganian, Smbat Lputian, and Artashes Minasian, all from
Armenia, plus Kasparov (Russia) and Sergei Movsesian (Czech) are in the top
E M Vladimir Akopian, 29, is a three-time llworta Junior'Champion. the 1999 FIDE Vice Champion, and currently the highest rated player in Armenia. Born in Baku, he has played top board for the formidable Armenian Olympiad team since the Soviet Union collapsed a decade ago. GM Ashot Anastasian, 26,is a six-time
Champion of Armenia. His outstanding
100 rated players
Among juniors - under 20 years old Armenians have recent$ had strong rep-
-
performance at the 1999 EuropeanTeam Championship helped pave the way for
resentation, indicating that the chess-talent pipeline is thriving. Among boyg l(aren Asrian, Levon Aronian, Gabriel Sargsian, and Seryei Movsesian have over the last few
Armenia's Gold Medal. GM Kalen Asrian, 20, is the reigning Champion of Armenia. He surprised many by advancing to the third round of
years chalked up various championships for their age groups.
the 1999 FIDE Championship in I-asVegas,
polishing off two tough competitors. GM Leuon Aronian, 18, is Armenia's youngest Grandmaster. He tied with GM Asrian for first place in the 1999 Armenian Championship. GM Uladimir Bagimr, 64, won the Wsld Championship for seniors last year. He
GM Arhshes Minasian, 33, was the last Champion of the Soviet Union, a many time Champion of Armenia, and the 1998 winner of theNewYork Open.
WGM Lilil Mkrtctrian, 18, is Armenia's second women's Grandmaster and continues to improve with every international competition.
GM Sergei Mousesian, 22,has terrorized the German Bundesliga of late and established himself as one of the world's strongest chess players. Born in Tbilisi, Movsesian currently resides in and plays for the Czech Republic. GM Archak Petrosian, 46, is trainer and coach of the Armenian men's team. He currently resides in Germany. GM Ratael Uaganian, 49, is the elder statesman of the Armenian game, having played several world championship cycles at the height of Soviet Chess in the 7(h and 80s He currently resides in Germany, but
always plays for his country of birth. GM Asen Yegiazarian, 30, is Armenia's newest Grandmaster. Equally respected as a trainer, he has helped to nurhre many of Armenia's new generation of players
playedforl-aMa and coached the legendary World Champion from Riga, Mikhail Tirl. Bagirov died this year while playing in a tournament in Finland. WGM Elina Danielian, 22, is Armenia's firut women's Grandmaster and spearheads the improving Armenian women's team in international competitions GM Yuti Dokhoian, 36, is Garry Kasparov's long-time second (coach). Like the now fumer dranpioruDokkian plays under the Russian flag Henrik Gasparian, who died in 1995, competed four times in the Final of the USSR Championship and was ten times champion of Armenia. Regarded as one of the game's greatest chess study comr posers.
GM Garry Kasparsv, 37, was World Champion for over l5 years until defeated by his prot6gd Kramnik this monti. Born in Baku, he is acknowledged as one of the greatest chess players in history. GM Smbat lputian, 42.has long been a cenhal figure inArmenian Chess He is a several-time Champion of Armenia and member of the Olympiad team. AIM NOVEMBER
2OOO
Clockwise from top left: Artashes.Minasiar,
Valdimir Akopian, GaIriel Sargsian, Ralasl Vaganian.
ILLUSTRATION GRAPHIC DESIGN CARTOONING PUBLISHING VIDEO ANIMATION
(8{8) 246-9962
SAVE 40o/o-l 0o/o EVERYDAY
COVER STORY
THE TI{TATER BF atrNGi CIF ARMENII\
.a
NI[REK,EOM REEORDE
PREEiENT il-L-L-:L L-Li\t ri
itf rLN
WIYH A ERAND NEW trD RELEATiE
fvwyw*nn i*..,:lifi4:S
i +:
Above and below:2000 Youlh
championship in Yerevan. Photos by Melik Baghdassarian/Armenpress
can more easily organize, compile databases of gameg and systematically study and research
the game as never before. Result: kids are become better, and better quicker. Earlier this year, the Chinese super-youth Bu Xiangzhi became the youngest grandmaster in history two months shorl of his 14th birthday. Secondly, immense resources and manhours in the realm of adficial intelligence have gone into creating an invincible chessplaying computer. Although the jury is still
mate in 13 moves. Several internet chess sites have sprung up over the past few years, including The Week in Chess (British Mark Crowther is the founder and editor of the best weekly chess e-magazine). Kasparovchesscom (run by Kasparov and his entourage) is very active in covering worldwide events, promoting chess, and playing and teaching online. There are also several sites forplaying chess live across the internet. The most popular,
out on the comparative strength of the
the Internet Chess Club regularly boasts
best computers against the best humans, the reality for all chess players is that com-
around 1,000 people playing online at any time, including many IMs and GMs. Fall of 1999 and late spring of 2000 saw the opening of the Official website of the Armenian Chess Federation (www.armchess.am)
puters have become integral members of any analytical endeavor, whether to simply play a game, analyze an opening variation, or calculate a long line resulting in check
and the homepage for Armenian
AIM NOVEMBER
2OOO
Chess
The University of Michigan Armenian Studies Program is delighted to announce the continuation of its successful Summer Language Institute to be held in Yerevan, fumenia
fromJune 22 through August 20,2001,
Participants will study the Armenian language in an intensive format while surrounded by Armenian culture and
history. This program is open to all undergraduate, graduate and professional school students, who wish to learn Classical Armenian, as well as Modern Eastern and Western Armenian. A series of lectures on Armenian culture and history and an extensive program of excursions and cultural events
will supplement the
course. North
American undergraduate students are required to take the course for credit (8 credit hours); exceptions may be made for valid reasons. U.S. graduate students enrollfor a non-credit certificate for Eastern or Western Armenian, and may take Classical Armenian for credit (6 hours). European students may take any of the courses for a non-credit certificate only. The same academic and program criteria willapply to credit and non-credit students.
A few partial scholarships, based on need, are available to undergraduates taking the course for credit.
In addition to high qualiry intensive language instruction the program offers the opportunity to live and learn in Armenia. The program is directed by
Dn. KnVOnf BenOAfltAN,
Marie Manoogian Professor of Armenian
Language and Literature and Director of the Armenian Studies Program at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
For more information or for an application packet, please contact:
Knrsrv M. DruAS, CooRDINAToR 1080 South University, Suite 3663
The University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1
relephone
106
kdemas @ umich.edu
734 7641825
F^*734 763
C
OVER STO RY
(www.armenianknight.com), respectively. Each promises to cover events, promote chess among Armenians and to the world, and continue to hold a source of national pride in high esteem. The site at www.armenianknight.com is the primary
source
for promoting Armenian
,,*1"""
,#
chess
players and increasing their exposure, the critical first step in this potential source of aid and support.
But the internet can do much more. Armenians have not yet joined in the "internet as education" aspect of chess. It seems a natural fit. The chess talent is con-
centrated in a small country. Armenian players' track records are evidence of the fact that the country is the source of some of the best chess trainers in the world. The
chance
to
teach onJine would enable
teachers to stay in Armenia while making a living in their chosen profession. With international support in the form of sponsorship and a global Armenian presence that can only help marketing, there is reason to be optimistic. r Atam Haiian is a consultant living in Yerevan. He is the lounder ol www,armeniankni ght.com
(1 {
Future kings at a training school in Los Angeles. Photo by $ury Ounaians
www.ArbitrarySword.com
A(Iâ&#x201A;ŹK-(trq^vr^
The
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ffirough (Historl
reader to a snall uillage
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Arra
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Avakian Sc.D.
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Dr. Avakian presents a wealth of information about the Armenian people, their history, their significant events,
their important places, and individuals who did much to make the Armenian nation what it is. The work is composed of over 130 separate stories each one complete in itself, concise, and easy to understand and read. Armenia: A Journey Through History is highly accessible to both young and old and will make the perfect addition to your home library.
must struggle to suruiue
life's hardships and ultimately, the Turkkh gouernment's attempt to
rid itself of
its
Armenian
citizens. This book can be ordered through: Amlzon.com.
ISBN 0-916919-20-Xe338 pages. HC. $24.95 Available through Abril, Berj, Hye Keer, NAASR, Prelacy Bookstore, Sardarabad, Shirak, St. Vartan Bookstore, and on the internet at www.electpress.com/books The Electrlc Press o (559) 432-5670 o Fax (559) 432-0664
AIM NOVEMBER
2OOO
45
REGION
Ihe Encat EamG EoGs0n Means and Ends Get Mixed Up in the Caucasus BY DAVID LEWIS
isit any oil executive's office in Baku or Almaty and you can be sure that he'll have a huge map somewhere in the room, showing the Caucasus region covered by a spider's web of colored lines going off in all directions. It's a map of pipelines, some actually pumping oil out to export markets, but most existing only in the imaginations of strategists, analysts and
politicians.
The difference between one pipeline route and another is not just about finding quick routes to seaports, and avoiding mountains or difficult terrain. The routes are keys to future influence in the region: control the oil export pipelineg and political and economic influence will follow. Not for nothing do Caspian geopolitics provide the plot for the latest James Bond movie. Russian and US interests are at loggerheads in the region, with Iran, Tirrkey and China playing shifting roles on the sidelines. At the moment most oil from the two major oil-producing countries in the region, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, goes
north, along Soviet-era pipelines into Russia. For historical reasons
neither coun-
bly exceed the estimated $2.5 billion. The present levels of oil finds in Azerbaijan are
just not sufficient to justify that level of investment by oil companieg who have successfully resisted political pressure from the US and Azerbaijani leaderships to cornmit funds to the project.
The center of oil exploration in the Caspian has perceptibly shifted over the past year, from Baku to Atyrau and Aktau in western Kazakhstan. So far, exploration in Azerbaijan's territorial waters has been disappointing. No doubt further exploration is likely to be more successful, but much of the hydrocarbons found so far have been in the shape of natural gas.This may also become a profitable export to the growing Ti.rrkish market. British Petroleum is already planning an export pipeline through Georgia to eastern Tirrkey from its Shah Denis fleld. But these finds have diminished the attraction of another US-backed pipeline route, the Tianscaspian pipeline from Tirrkmenistan
to Azerbaijan and on
into
Tirkey. With the discovery of Azerbaijani gas,
there is little financial incentive to con-
try wants to be dependent on Russia for
struct an additional pipeline from Tirrk-
the transit of its main hard-currency eamer, and the US is keen to wean them away 1998 from Russian influence too.
menistan. Instead, much to the chagrin of US policy-makers, the Tirrkmen leader,
Azerbaijan and Georgia opened a new export pipeline, from near Baku to Supsa on the Black Sea coast, but that can only cope with a small proportion of the oil
export deal with Russia, to pump gas out
In
Azerbaijan expects to be exporting in 2010. Kazakhstan is building an additional export route through Russia, which should be completed by 2003, but new finds in offshore Kazak waters in the Kashagan field suggest that further pipelines will be needed. For geopolitical reasons, the US continues to support a new major export route from Baku to the Tirrkish port of Ceyhan, a plan which is also supported by all the
countries along the route: Azerbaijan, Georgia and Tirrkey. The problem with Baku-Ceyhan is the cost,which will proba-
President Niyazov, has concluded an through the old Soviet pipe network. He is also reportedly reviving hopes of a gas pipeline across war-torn Afghanistan, a controversial project that would require an unprecedented level of recognition to the Thliban regime. In Kazakhstan the Kashagan offshore deposit, which is being explored by a consortium of westem companies, may turn out to be the biggest fleld in the region. Although the real level of deposits will not be known for some time, early exploration
results has prompted Kazak officials to claim it may be the biggest oil discovery of the past 20 years. If the volumes are really there, they could be used to make the AIM NOVEMBER
2OOO
Baku-Ceyhan pipeline possible. But Russia is putting pressure on Kazakhstan to use its pipeline network for any new exportg and the Kazaks have been wary to commit to any particular route to avoid offending neighbon and allies. Again, politics rather than economics will probably decide the outcome. One reason for oil companies' procrastination is that many executives believe that routes to the south, through Iran, make
the most commercial sense. The problem, of course, is the troubled relationship between the US and Iran, and the sanctions that the US still applies to investments there. But economics is on the Iranians' side. It is the shortest route, and could link up with Iran's existing pipeline network and export facilities in the Gulf. US sanctions are likely to be lifted in August 200L, whoever wins the US presidential elections, opening the door to a whole new map
of the area. But some claim the potential is overrated. I"ocal animosities will stand in the way: relations betweenAzerbaijan and Iran remain at low ebb.And political developments in Iran are jmt as unpredictable as around other possible transit routes
inthe area.
Whicheverroutesyou look at on the map, one country in the region is free from thecriss. crms of potential pipelines Armenia has been bypassed on all the existing pipeline projects. And without a resolution of the Karabakh problem, Armenia will remain excluded
from all the potential transit
routes
through'the region. Both Azerbaijan and Turkey oppose any integration of Armenia
into the region's transport and pipeline corridors With talks still continuing on the Karabakh issue, it is interesting to speculate how a resolution of Karabakh might impact
on the various pipeline options In theory an old version of the
available.
Baku-Ceyhan major export route from Azerbaijan to Tirrkey, that passed through southern Armenia, could be revived. But the political diffrculties of achieving this
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SUPPOBTED BY:
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Map ol proposed oil and gas pipeline proiects.
would bc almost insurmoultlable lirrcseeahlc future. cven
mcnt wils reachccl. invest
in a maj<tr
in the if a pcace lgree-
Fer.r, hankcrs rvor-rld
pipeline projccl that
crossed such hotlv clisputecl territorics anci
lcccl donrcstic rcrluircmcnls. Somc cllrrent
ptrltosals at Arntcnian-r\zcr-bai.jirni taiks involvine transit corrickrrs or lancl-sr.r'aps could lacilitate tltis clevekrpment, lrut such rcleas rcntain a long lvar, l'r'om l'ull intplc-
borders.
rnentation.
From the point o1'view ol oil contltanies and their financial backcrs. a nctwork o1'
At plcsent thc pipclinc maps arc basccl luo t)iltr'l) 1,11 r,q,,1tgji[1Llrl llntlrsit.s rttl.tt't.
smaller pipelincs mar, providc a more clesirablc scenario for tl'rc l'uturc. l\lultrpic pipelincs spreacl the political risk. aroirl
tle
Pcn.lLn\'('()lt ()nL.L,\porl t()Ule
region wherc thc political situation
ancl
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chrtnu.' quickly. I lrtrs cxn()llL.r: Azcrbaijan
or
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in
Kazakhstan rvould havc
sevcrai options for getting oil to market. whethcr tl.rrough oil swaps or through onc of a number ol oil transil routcs via Russia.
Iran or
Ti.rrkcr,.
Manl of thc kev
transit
courrllies. such ls ( ir.orgia. .till llce tlitti cult transitions to fr-rll political stability. tJy sprcading thc risk Lo sevcral territories. companics bclieve that thcl, citn kecp the orl llorving whatever the domestic situation in one particu]ar countrv ntav be.And hcre Armenia could bcncflt. perhaps ir.r thc krns tcrm offering a transit routo fbr a sntaller
pipeline from Azcrbaijan that coLrld also
Ihtn tolrrrncrcilrl lcalities. Iltsturrtl rrl crctrt-
ing neu, divisions in this volalilc region. thet should l'acilitate cross-bortlcr coopcr ation, not .just alonu thc east-u,cst nrulc favorccl bv thc l.iS. which excluclcs Russia ancl Intn. bLrt llso north lo soulh. crcatinq new linkagcs bctwee n countr.ics nith rcla-
tivclv
trouble cl relationships. sr_rch as Iran
ancl Azcrhai.jan. -fhe US lltproach of crtlutlinr k. r plurt.r. lronr llrr' pil.. lirr. tlt lurtrk Wdr[5 1,, LnSLlrL' ill]linatl)\ in RLrssia aucl Iran to wcstern invctlvcntcnt in thc region. ancl rccrcittes a 'cold u,ar' tvpe sccnario that coulcl provokc ntore signiflcirnt conllict in thc l'uture. ILussian opposiliott 1o I S lrr]d rru.rtr'l't'l inr,rlrq.mclll it) the ( rrspilrn is l.as..tl on l()n.r .tlrndin-r eonccpts
of
Russia's 'spherc ol' inflr,rcnce' in
lllc
rcsi(,r1. hu1 Rtrrsiln gtr11rlri;361 lllr'()ries lL'u.arLling wcsle l lt intertti,rns in the rt.gion
AINl NOVENIIIF.R t000
:lrL'.oltl\ hcight,.rrt,tl hr tlr., [,S':
rr*'H:r: lrrrtago-
nrstrc sllrnce.
Thc l'ailurc to lullv involve all rcgional nuu\'r\ irt the rlt,relopnte nt ol ll L()mmCrcialll r irrlrle p1p";1r. nr,lwprk llstr does lit
tle to hclp rcsolve clil'lcrenccs
between
states r,'r,ithin the rcqion. Turkmcnistan ancl Azerbaijan have failed 1() cooporate on an
e.\port stratcgv. which could have becn tllutLtirll\ ctlr lrntlrgeous. Irartlv Pr
-
rlir)
l'rL.c1u59
[
I\
ensure rl tltat tht' ,rne nlir.ior pipr'lirrr thc 'lianscaspian - was destinec] to bc a
of conflict bctween thc two coulttrics. Likcwisc the Azerbaijani-Armenian conllict has been heightened rather than icsscned b1, international rivalrv in the rcgion. ancl conflict ovcr oil routes was certainlv one contributing factrtr to thc conIlict in Chcchnya. Most of the conllicts in thc regirtn have thcir roots in local historisource
cal tensior-rs or cthnic .lispLltes. but the interfcrence of extcrnal powers in these conflicts has tenclcd to clo ntore harr-n than good. A nrore imaginative approach fron.r polic_v--r.nakers rnight havc produced policics in thc region rvhere pipelincs became concretc symbols of regional integration rather than division.
NATION
AnlnGnlaJolns[unoPE What Council of Europe Membership Wll Mean for Armenia and Azerbaijan By HRATGH TGHILINGIRIAN
he Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers passed a resolution on November 9 acceptingArmenia as a full member of the 41-nation pan-European democratic and human rights organization. The Armenian flag will be raised outside the organization's headquarters in Strasbourg in January when the CE Partamentary Assembly,
which had also voted in favor of accession in June (see
AIM
July 2000)
formally raffies
the decision. Armenia's Foreip Minister Vartan Oskanian thanked the Committee in Strasbourg for their "vote of confidence in Armenia" and said: "In the past few years we have attempted to maintain a steady course in
for our Council of
Europe membership. I am truly honored and privileged to be here today and take this invitation forArmenia's membenhip back home." Since its membership application in 1996,
preparation
admission to the Council of Europe has been
one of the important goals of Armenian foreigr poliry, especially as it enables further integration into European structures. In his address to the Committee of Ministers, Oskanian explained Armenia's challenges and reiterated Yerevan's "commitment to democracy, rule of law and the principles and provisions" of the Council. "Our democracy, we understand, is still in its infancy," he continued. "We have a long
way to travel. And today we have a clear blueprint which will guide uq lead us on this path.We have problems, shortcomings and flaws not only domestically, but also in our region. We have differences with our neighbor Azerbaijan over Nagorno Karabakh. We have differences with our other neighbor Tirrkey on how we interpret history and our commonpast.We will notbring these problems to the Council; we simply want to use the Council and its values to address these issues We believe that the more democratic, open and transparent our societies become, it will be that much easier for us to address those most contentious political problems. We believe we
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(37411 s6.e3.99 Azerbaiiani soldiers smile near lhe entrance of a polling station during parliamentary elections in Baku, Azerbaiian. The poster in Russian at right reads: Sth ol November 2000, Day ol the tlection. This was Azerbaiian's second parliamentary eleclion since the country gained independence afler the 1991 break-up ol the Soviet Union.
AIM NOVEMBER
2OOO
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T\I/ENTIETH CENTURY IRANIAN.ARMENIAN PAINTERS This coffee-table album will lead you to the Orient, seen and understood through the eyes of Armenian painters. You will be charmed not only by the unique way of life, national customs, but also by the original artistic language of the painters who depict this world. The album contains 200 pages,
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ARMENIAN \UTOMEN OF THE STAGE This bilingual coffee-table book presents the life stories of more than sixty Armenian women of sound and stage in fumenia and Diaspora (circa 1840-1999). Siranoush, Lucine Amara, Gohar Gasparian, Siroon Mangarian, Zara Doloukhanian, Arlene Frances, Lili Chookasian, Lury Ishkhanian, Cathy Berberian, Louisa Bozabalian, Kallen Esperian and many more... with short biographies, and their dramatic personalities. The album contains 300 pages, including more than 280 photographs, both in sepia and
12".
full color. Hard cover 10.25" x
12.75".
copy(ie$ of "ARMENIAN IUIOMEN 0F THE SIAGE" at $79 (US) each, induding shipping and handling.
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at
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NATION can, together
with our neighborg transcend
bership of the two states should be "uncoupled." The Greek minister stated that on January 17 Armenia's dossier should be discussed separately and on its own merits
these problems"
The crucial vote was taken after weeks
of uncertainty. First, the decision that was to have been made in June was postponed
"There should not be any problems for full admission of Armenia in January" says Ter Stepanian, adding, "In the end, I believe Azerbaijan will concede to the
to November in order for Azerbaijan to hold its scheduled parliamentary elections. As a result, the decision on Armenia was also postponed since the CE insisted on admitting Armenia and Azerbaijan simultaneously. Any election-related fiascos could have derailed Yerevan's chances for accession and they almost did. Following the elections, Baku was criticized by the international community for massive violations and fraud. As a result, Azerbaijan's accession was in the air. In the end, both countries were accepted as full members although the CE's Committee of Ministers asked Baku "to submit, within a month, a report responding to the criticisms voiced by the international observer mission... and
demands of the Council." Indeed, in the end,Tlrrkey's request was rejected and the final statement said monitoring for Armenia shall be set up only "if necessary." Instead the statement made certain recommendations for both mem-
bers-to-be, although Armenia's list is slightly shorter. It did affirm, for example, thatYerevan and Baku "must step up their joint efforts to secure
assistance in legal reforms. Both countries will also have to encourage the develop-
to rectily the instances of A monitoring group has
of Tirrkey insisted on the "simultaneous admission poliry" and on instituting a similar monitoring mechanism for Armenia. CE decisions are based ononsensus,which means each member state has veto power.
"Tirrkey is aware of the large differences between Azerbaijan and Armenia, in terms of their qualifications and preparednesq and was concerned that Azerbaijan might fall short of qualifying. Thus,
peaceful settlement
upon the Vienna Commission to provide
ment and evolution of media outlets, inde-
reported fraud."
been set up for this purpose which will present a report by January 17. During the long deliberations and discussions which preceded the vote, the Republic
a
of the conflictin NagomoKarabakh." It called
Azerbaiiani President Heidar Aliev Gasls his ballot at a polling station during parliamentary elections in Baku.
Turkey insisted on keeping the membership admission of the two together," e4plained
Christian Der Stepanian, Armenia's representative to the Council of Europe, in a telefrrore interview with AIM from Strasbourg. While Tirrkey accorded full support to Azerbaijan, Greece was a most vocal advocate for Armenia. The Greek representative to the CE made it clear that the mem-
pendent of government control. Civil service legislation is required, as are regulations controlling the electoral process. The first obstacle Azerbaijan must overcome is the record of its most recent elections. Observers point out that since President Aliyev scored a major victory in his country's parliamentary elections and achieved his political goal, he will fulflll the recommendations for admission and even allow some opposition parties into parliament.Already, since the November 5 polls, the government has called for new elections in several districts. Having come so near to membership, failure to meet the
I
If
tvlee
tota
^t
\i*ioAtlrne'
./oh nor,lf
/
;aHneddovefu,c0m AIM NOVEMBER
2OOO
51
NATION
[[n
il1[
-ffi,
PRTVATIZATION & BANKRUPTCY PROJECT IN ARMENIA
Opporrunities in all sectors of the economy, including manu[acturing, hospitality and tourism, food processing, technology, Eansportation, public utilities, natural resources, medical services, etc. Privatization legislation and public attitude support and encourage Diaspora and other foreign investors to provide ownership, capital, sffategic investment and business know-how for enterpris' es and assets being privatized,
TrNnrn Coupmrnoxs Aucnorus Lrqurnarrous Assrr Sal.rs For more information contact Tne Mlnlsrnv or Srere Pnoprntv Maxncm,trur Republic of Armenia Telephone (37
t00%
0lil]ttn$lltp tlt
[[lllt]illlt IIIIIRPRI$I$
ilu ffi$il$ 52
4l)
520-628, 528-614
Ernail tender@arminco.com www.privatization.am
Additionally, you may contact IBTCI, USAID-funded advisors to the MSPM. IBTCI is available to respond promptly to most mqurles, TeVFax (3741) 151-054, 523-759, 569-1 10 Email IBTC I@arminco.com
AIM NOVEMBER
2OOO
NATION expectations of the Council would make it very difficult forAzerbaijan to get back on track. On the other hand, CE insiders are
"We expected to witness some falsifications during the vote count, but not so flagrant and on such large scale," said Gerard
convinced that
Studman, head of OSCE/ODIHR delegation.While noting improvements over pre-
if
they leave Azerbaijan
out, then they will have no leverage for instituting and monitoring legal reforms in the country.
Still, until January 17, behind-the-
scenes diplomatic efforts will continue, both byYerevan and Baku,to make sure the "political decision" made by the Committee of Ministers is sealed with full membership in the organization.
President Heidar Aliyev and his Yeni Azerbaijan Party (YAP) scored a massive victory in the oil-rich nation's second parliamentary elections, as expected. But all reports indicated that the poll was marred with widespread violationg ballot box stuffing, fraud, and heavy-handed government meddling in the process. An Azerbaijani man looks at election posters 0l candidate 0l the ruling New Aze6aiian Pafi llkham Aliev, son ol Azefiaiiani President Heidar AIiev, on lhe eve ol pailiamentary election in Baku, November 4, 2000. 0pposite page:
vious elections in Azerbaijan, Andreas Gross, head of the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly delegation, said:
"We haven't seen anything like this before." US-based National Democratic Institute's Nelson Ledsky observed that "the violations that were witnessed... raise doubts as to whether the final results will reflect the will of the people," adding that the poll did not even meet "the minimum international standards." Azerbaijani opposition parties had similar complaints Over 20 opposition parties said the elections were neither valid nor legal and should not be recognized. "It is not possible to tolerate this any longer," stated angry Lala Shovket Hajiyev,leader of the Liberal Party of Azerbaijan. "The people have been deprived of land, bread, water, gas and light, and now the time has come to deprive them of their vote," she said,urging the opposition to form an alter-
native parliament.
Officially, only two parties were successfut the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan Party, with 70 percent of the vote, and the
reform-minded faction of the Popular Front (see AIM October 2000), which barely met the minimum six percent threshold with 6.4 percent. The rest of the parties, according to election officials, gained less than five percent of the vote. However, long before the electiong the political objective of the Azerbaijani administration had become quite obvious: the "transfer of power" from 77-year-old President Aliyev to his 38-year-old son Ilham,who is expected to become Speaker of Parliament, the second most important position in the country. According to
Azerbaijan's Constitution, the Speaker assumes
the duties of the president in
the event he is incapacitated or dies. But,
President Aliyev, despite
his
health
problems, is far from retiring. "My presidential term runs through 2003 and the people are going to elect me once more in
the next presidential election," he
confidently.
said
r
taces
Muslcal rodigy: a person with talents so extraordinary or rare as to inspire wonder. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Catherine Manoukian, violinist. To undentand Manoukian requires some background into the lives
of her parents. Her Armenian father and Japanese-Russian mother are both accom-
plished violinists They met at the World Conservatory of Brussels, Belgium. Upon getting married, both moved to Tehran where they became concertmaster and co-
concertmaster
of the National
Iranian
Radio and Television Chamber Orchestra. In 1977,they moved one last time to Canada where Catherine was born. As an infant, Manoukian was constantly exposed to classical music, both through her parents and the numerous students who would always be found at her home receiving music lessons. She picked up the violin before she was three. By the age of four, she began taking lessons from her dad and made her flrst performance. What followed were years of extensive training. Manoukian appeared at numerous recitals and cultural events and won many awards. In 1994, she won first pize at the provincial and national finals at the National Canadian
Music Competition. competing against musiciansup to the age of 30.That was the tuming point. At both competitions, she received ex-
aequo, the highest mark in all categoriesWith
ian
these victories under her belt. Manoukian
Harutiunian' Molin C-oncerto in the Manitoba
was invited by the Vancouver Symphony
Chamber Orchestra's program to commemorate the 1988Armenian earthquake. She also managed to convince theToronto Symphony Orchestra to perform Khatchaturian exclusively for the second half of its program. In addition, Manoukian has included several
Orchestra
to
Concefto No.
perform Paganini's Violin
1. She
was only 12 years old.
Manoukian's European debut was in Paris, 1998, where Cesar Franck's Sonata was performed at the Cathedrale SainteCroix. She appeared as a soloist with the New Brunswick Symphony, the Reno Chamber Orchestra and the KitchnenerWaterloo Symphony. Manoukian has also had a successful debut recital at Carnegie Hall and just concluded a recording at the Glenn
Gould Studio for CBC radio programming. Manoukian has promoted various Armen-
composers. She included Alexander
Armenian works on one of her CDs. A freshman at the University of Toronto, 19 year-old Manoukian continues to study violin in New York with the renowned violin teacher Dorothy DeLay. To date, she has released 2 CDs: Chopin on Violin and Elegies and Rhapsodt"t' -rruon Thomasian
an you imagine havingTommy I-asorda as your godfather? He's Zack Minasian's. Minasian, the Equipment and Home Clubhouse Manager for the Texas Rangers baseball team was born an only child in Chicago, 1951, but grew up in Burbank. Minasian's humble beginnings in baseball can be traced back to 1966. Thanks to his dad, who was in the hotel business in Los Angeles, Minasian became acquainted with many people from the Dodgers baseball team. It was through these contacts, particularly the one with Tommy Lasorda, that Minasian became the clubhouse attendant for the LA Dodgers' Minor League. While in high school, he moved up to being batboy for
fl I Y
N tllTU
PI0Bflf
until
#Hfi,','*ti*fu#**,.#
1988, when he received a call from the Texas Rangers for a visiting clubhouse management position.The ball club's management changed in 1994, and Minasian became both equipment manager and clubhouse manager for the home side. His responsibilities include
running the locker roomq uniform care, oversight of food preparation services, and the ordering of all equipment and uniforms. According to The Dallas Morning News, Zack Minasian is one of the Rangers' most important people behind the scenes. I-asorda became godfather to Minasian's youngest son, Zack Thomas Minasian - the Thomas comes from the godfather's name. Minasian has three sons older thanZack - Rudy, Perry, Calvin, all of whom work in the clubhouse with their dad. Minasian has been with the Texas Rangers for approximately nine years and is considered by some to be one of the top equipment managers in the American and National Baseball Leagues. -Levon Thomasian AIM NOVEMBER
2OOO
taces
HUltl$GamGraAollon agop Edjourian's name has appeared
in the final credits of films such as Executive Decision (Kurt Russell), Daylight (Sly Stallone), Dante's Peak (Pierce Brosnan), U.S. Marshall (Tommy
Lee Jones), Sphere (Dustin Hoffman), Deep Blue Sea (Samuel Jackson), and most
recently U - 57 t (Matthew McConaughey).
Edjourian currently does most of the drafting, conceptual sketches and story-
boards for Grant McCune Design. Grant McCune was an Oscar-winning visual effects artist who was responsible for most
of the sets and
models used
in
such
ground-breaking movies as Star Wars, Star Trek and Spaceballs.
Edjourian was born
in
Salisbury,
Rhodesia. His father, Krikor, was employed
there as an architect. His mother, Anahid,
was from Beirut. They got married in Rhodesia,where Hagop and his two brotherqVahe and Levon,were born. Edjourian's father taught him how to draw at the age ofthree. He loved anything electronic or mechanical. "I loved to take stuff apart to figure out how they worked. I loved junk, gadgets, anything which lit up, that moved, with motorq made sounds. I remember building a robot dog that carried a tray on its back built out of leftover components from toyg broken applianceg etc." Edjourian became almost obsessive
around Armenians before. But this was different. Here, I heard people speaking Armenian on the streets. I had Armenian neighbors." When he flnally got his foot in the door
of the entertainment industry he
began
with his junk collecting."We didn't have surplus stores where we lived. No Radio Shacks. Even to this day, I stockpile what most people consider junk. It drove my
with a position at Stargate Films. His very first project was to help build a dinosaur
parents mad."
worked on building and designing models
As
a
result of the political situation and
mandatory military service in South Africa, the Edjourian family moved to
Glendale, California in 1986, leaving practically everything behind because the government wouldn't have allowed emigration at a time when military recruits were in dire need. Edjourian's perception of America was very different from what he had imagined.
"I
thought
I
was going
to
see break-
I also couldn't believe the sheer size of the Armenian community here in Glendale. I mean, I went to Melkonian in C.lprus for a couple of yearq so it wasn't like I haven't been dancers on every street comer.
set that was to be used for a back-through-
time theme park ride in Japan. He also
foot German submarines for U-57t."We also built 2 fully-operational 1/6th scale U2 spy planes for Days.It had a miniature jet engine and actually flew. But by far, the
q
most fun I've had was on the set of Storm of the Century, anABCTV movie." He's optimistic about his future. "I plan on doing this indeflnitely.There aren't many people who enjoy waking up early in the moming and look forward to going to work." -Levon Thomasian
for Sega games such as Surgical Strike, Flying Aces, Bug Busters and MidnightRaiders. A lull in the industry led to a change in jobs By 1995, he was working for Precision
Effects on the film Mortal Kombat (Christopher Lambert). Later, Pinnacle Films, he worked on the props and set models used in Hellraiser [V.Then,he got a call from Grant McCune Desigr. This was Edjourian's first real break. He began by making molds for huge prehistoric trees to be used in a test shooting
for
Disney's highly experimental fllm
Dinosaurs. His most memorable projects include helping build several 2l-foot 747 jets for Executive Decision and three 45AIM NOVEMBER
2OOO
55
A RTS
Nuhan Alemnlan A Photographer Working from the Inside Out By ARA OSHAGAN
I ll rl
n hour outside Boston, down a remote,
New York), a litany of major magazines on
Why photography?
,r""-"ouereo street, one nms lnto
his resume (Ltfu Geo, Time, New York
In high school I thought I was going to be a lawyer. I had a law professor who told me that there is nothing so compelling as a fact clearly described. And I thought that
on"-a,ory nouse ano
a
oarn.-rrus is Gloucester,Massachusetts and the house a smau
belongs to Nubar Alexanian. Inside the converted barn, the visitor is surrounded
by
photography, Nubar-style
-
huge
panoramic photos on ceiling cross-beamq a bulletin board covered with small working prints, walls adorned with large framed images, filing cabinets full of photos and books.And photos strewn about.These are
Times Magazine) and close friendships
with
some the most well-known photographers of our time. But, his name does not appear in mainstream publications anymore. Nor can he
be found making $10,000 a day directing commercials - which he successfully did for a time. Instead, it is much more likely that
graphic selection process. You must live
he will be found riding with trumpeter Wynton Marsalis on his tour bus, or on his own small fishing boat photographing the Gloucester Harbor or on the set of an Errol Morris film.And getting paid next to
with photoq he will tell you, spend time
nothing.
from his works-in-progress and their prominent display is part of his photowith them, move them around on your bulletin board and walls and see if you still like them after the 1000th look. Unassuming and simple, Alexanian is a world-class documentary photographer.
These are some of Alexanian's person-
al long-term documentation projects and
his name, a history of instruction at a number
they are the core of his creative output as a photographer. He has worked hard all his life to reach this place, to able to devote most of his time to his own projects while making a respectable living selling prints
of well-known institutions (including the International Center of Photography in
and images from his web site and teaching photography.
He has two photography books to
was one of the greatest things I'd ever heard. In 1968, I went to Boston University to become a lawyer. I was just anArmenian kid from Worcester who could not wait to get out of Worcester. It was in the middle of the Vietnam protestsThe camera provided
me two things: I could have a first hand look at everything,but it did notcommitme to any of it. I left school at the end of two years to become a photographer. So you went into documentary photographyand black and white photograpfi atthat.
I really wanted to abstract the image from what was in front of my camera. If an old woman, for instance, is wearing something colorful, the color would
be so beau-
see her face. I wanted people to look into her eyes. It was too easy in color. It is very easy to make a beautiful photograph out of something that is already beautiful.
tiful that you would not
And your
list
book was about Peru.
My first trip to Peru was in l974.lwanted to put myself into the everyday life of Peruvians and make compelling pictures of things that were more or less mundane. Peru taught me how to be a photographer.
It took L5
years. I was working toward the book and I was working for magazines like Geo and Life. And I was unhappy with photography for most of that time. I felt that the gap between my experience of
something and what
a
photograph
described was so great that I really needed
to think about working in another medium. It was not until the Peru book came out that t decided that I wanted to become a photographer.
he reuelation in the Peru booH I just liked it. There is a comment at the
What was
Alexanian at work. Photo by Ara 0shagan.
AIM NOVEMBER
2OOO
# ..4dffh '
erffi,
,:
a+f' 'q -@ffi1,:
Shantytown,Lima,Peru,lromStonesinlheRoad, PhotographsolPeru(ApeiweBooks,1991)byNoubarAlexanian back of the book by an anthropologist who wrote that it makes him feel strange that someone outside Peru can take pictures of
how he feels about his own country. Pictures can do that. It's not Peru, it's my Peru. Out of 15 years of work, there are 50 pictures in the book. I wanted it to be very tight. I'm proud of the book. Now, a lot of people have made the argument that I was photographing in the wrong country - that
I
should have been photographing in
Armenia.
I don't know the answer to that
Most people's contact with photogra-
phy is through newspaper photographs which are mostly about a subject. And there are spectacular moments captured. But, those pictures that endure have to do
with three things: the subject, the photographer and photography. When a photographer is willing to reveal something of himself by his/her approach to a subject, has a visual vocabulary which can articu-
late how they feel about that subject and they are celebrating the medium in which
question, but probably not.
they are working, then the images just take off. They affect people in ways which, I
You haue said your photograpts are more melaphorical than anything else. I'm writing a book called A Photograph Was Never Worth a Thousand Words.The subtitle which is very arrogantiscalledThe TruthAbout Photography.I think the general public misunderstands photography in that photography is inherently bad at narrative, at story telling. That does not mean there are no exceptions to that, like the work of Gene Richards. The descriptive power of photography is more poetic - its strength is in ambiguity.
think, are unpredictable or even subtle enough that they walk away with something that they don't even know they walked away with. I'll give a really good example.There is a picture in my calendar of Angela San Fellipo, the president of the Gloucester Fishermen's Wives Association (next page.) She is incredibly talented,
very aggressive and either loved or despised.A lot of people in Gloucester will not buy my calendar because of this picture. But, the picture has nothing to do with Angela. This picture is about hope. It AIM NOVEMBER
2OOO
is a picture of a man holding a baby dressed in white, holding a candle. And there is a man behind him, also in a suit, holding a baby dressed in white.That is the
difference between the narrative versus poetic or metaphoric. I read poetry books far more than photography books Poetry is image making. In photography, we need to deal with what's in front of our camera - our imagination cannot play a part in that. But, it can play a part in our vocabuIary in the medium,our visual vocabulary. What are some ol the elements of your uisual Yocabulary?
I
am interested in single compelling And ['m only interested in working from'inside out' rather than 'outside images.
in."Outside in'means looking at the marketplace, seeing what it needs and then shooting it - essentially the mainstream. In photography most of the work that is really compelling is not in the mainstream and is rarely seen by the public. Your second book, Where Masic Cones From,
(Dewi Lewis Pubs. 1996) is, in your words,
57
t From Gloucester 2000, A Millennium Calendar ol America's 0ldest $eaportby Noubar Alexanian
"about what inspires musicians to make the music they make." You tried to treat visually something which is essentially non-visual. Whal was your approach? It was difficult. I had to flnd people who
them see that. That's when
I was able to
have a rapport and make pictures that were difficult to make even with unlimited access. It was my main project for five years.
were doing something visual. Wynton Marsalis does workshops with kids all over the world. Philip Glass goes to India for inspiration. Joseph Shabala is from South
Africa and is trying to keep that culture alive. The book is about what inspires musicians to make the music that they make. To me the closest thing to religion is art, a means by which to elevate the human spirit. Music is one such means. I wanted to celebrate that. From what they tell me, my approach surprised many musicians. None of them had ever been photographed by a
photographer. documentary Photographers like Herb Ritts and Annie Liebowitz stage and heavily direct everything. They use musicians as props, trying to create an icon every time they make a picture. On the other hand, I did not want the musicians to do anything. I just wanted them to be who they are. They had never been photographed by someone who was sincere and serious about what they were doing.I think they all have people trying to ski behind their boats. But, I always felt I had my own boat and it was my job to help
58
You have wanted to do a project about Armenia
lor a while. Yeg more and more as I get older. But timing, circumstances and money have kept me from doing it.Three years ago, right after the music book, a woman approached me at a party and offered to sponsor the project. It was a good time for it and at that point I was thinking I would have to move to Europe with my family so I could travel to Armenia more frequently. I wanted to do it right - dig
in
and have my entire
life be
about
Armenia. It would have required a substantial amount of money. But that whole thing fell through. I approached other people after that but it became a nickel and dime kind of proposition and it tumed into such an enorrnous fundraising effort that I decided I could not do it. I had other projects that I could not leave aside. These days, I find myself surrounded by a lot of interesting work coming out of Armenia.
No, I am in touch with a lot of photographers working in Armenia and their work is very interesting. I think I would like to edit a book of Armenian photographs The pictures that I see of Armenia now are just amazing, incredible. I think it can show Armenia to Armenians as well as nonArmenians. These are photographers who, for their own reasons, are in love with Armenia. Each one of them has such a different point of view. It would be fascinating to weave and edit their images into a book. Some viewpoints are personal and passionate, like your photographs. Some are really photographed as an act of witness - from an outsider's point of view but compelling as hell. And, I think this would be a book that would work in the marketplace. lmages ol Armenia are typically not seen in the media nor published by the non-Armenian press. What are s0me ways t0 make Armenian
photos marketable to reach a laryer audience? What are some ol the things Armenian pholographers Gan d0 t0 make this happen? Typically you only see something Armenian il there is a news event.
I
am going to answer this indirectly.
I
Are you in touch with a lot ol Armenian photo-
am very moved by what RuthThomasian is doing at Project SAVE. If it was funded in
graphers?
a
AIM NOVEMBER
2OOO
larger way,I think Project SAVE could be
ARTS a place photographers could look to.When photography is really compelling, it shows
people and places in an elevated way. But, who is intercsted in publishing Peru or Armenia? What does it take to get an Armenia book published? I think it takes a collection of work that is convincing, compelling. I don't know if I should say this - I flnd the Armenian com-
munity as a whole incredibly divisive and that's a tragedy to me. There are other
nationalities that are much more generous in their support of their heritage and culture - far more than Armenians And I don't understand why. And it has to stop. The divisiveness has to stop. I almost insist that anyArmenianwalking the planet tithe in some way what they make to Project SAVE so it can flourish and be able to publish these kinds of books But, it needs an infusion of unconditional community support. h community suppoil crucial lor Amenian photographes to be able to compete at that level? No, a photographer's work is never dependent on anything like that. I will do
whatever work
I
am going to do in
Armenia whether the Armenian community supports me or not. If I want to edit a book of photographs of Armenia I will do that. I'll find a way. But, if it's without their help, that's something I will not be able to understand. If it's arduous and difficult, that's fine. But, it should not be impossible for the Armenian community to support these kinds of projectsAs I get older,I have
faces in huge ways. I felt my medium wholly inadequate to describe how I felt. When I came back, I was sure I had nothing. But, in fact, I had made some very moving pic-
tures of what had existed at the time of the Holocaust. The trees as witnesg for example. I thinkArmenian culture would be dif-
ferent
if we had
shrines
of that kind. A
place to go to and say, this happened here. You can go to the desert, but there is nothing there. The death machine is not there. These Holocaust camps have been turned into museums. The Armenian experience reminds me a little bit of a story I did a few years ago for the New York Times Magazine about teenagers in comas after horrible car accidents. Just like them, their parents were suspended between life and death as well. Armenians are sort of similarly suspended between their past and the future. Because of the Genocide. How orwhere would you begin to photograph the Armenian people? Let me speculate here. It is my intuition
that if
I were to go to Armenia
today,
I
would begin by photographing the church. The main parallel between the Peru book and whatever I would do inArmenia is this: I photographed the Andean people who looked like they were lost. Centuries lost. IJnsure of their identity in the present day because their culture was migrating out of mountains into shanty towns And I see a similar type of identity crisis amongArmenians. Where do Armenians belong? There
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seems to be a question there: where do they belong?
commercials.
lack of support even less
Whal was it like growing up Amenian? I feel like the message that I got was,
What are some ol the projec'ts you are wor*ing on now? I am working on a project on Gloucester,
'Never shine too brightly.'That would be the title of a book I would write.I did not
Helping your organization buy the most effective media time.
become more and more interested in Armenian culture. And I understand the
I
live
-
everyday li[e, unspectacular .I bought a little fishing boat just for this and I shoot a lot from it. For the last eight years I have been collaborating with where things
Errol Morriq the filmmaker. He did
The
Thin Bhrc Line,A Bricf History of Time and now a new film called Mr. Death about the Holocaust. I will probably do a book of his subjects to Bidrenau and Auschwits with him. Was that a moving erperience? You went
It
was more than moving. We had
to the whole place. You go through your first initial feelings of horror and tragedy and then it subsides. Then it resuraccess
know the history of the Tirks and the Armenians until I was a teenager. I went to Sunday school and all that. No one talked about it. And I grew up in Worcester, in the Armenian communiry at the Armenian
0rganizing conferences and
Apostolic Church.A lot of history there. One day, I told my father and a history professor who was at the dinner table about my book idea and he said, "My God, that would be a great book." And my father had this sort of distant look in his eyes and said, "It will never happen in my lifetime." And I asked him why. He said nobody will ever acknowledge what happened to the Armenians as a fact. There is so much sadness and tragedy around that.
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AIM NOVEMBER
seminars lor any number of participants,
and presentations. 22 lsahakian Street Suite 9 Yerevan Armenia Phone/Fax: (37 41) 56-71 -81
E-mail: dellin@arminco.com www.delfin.am Dolphin PuDlishers will make sure lhat euerything we do lor you is al lhe highest
level ol prolessionalism. 2OOO
A RTS
$oullul$ounils JazzThrives in Yerevan; Chick Corea Pays aVisit By
JOHll HUGHES
he sound rolling around the crowded Yerevan rehearsal hall could be Basie or Ellington or maybe even a taste of Woody fferman's swing kings Even if the tune is unfamiliar, the mood of the music needs no introduction as it pops and bops the jive language of big band jazz. The pattern is standard. You can feel it
coming, the orchestral wave that
is
an
introduction to one player's improvisation. It swells from these 20 musicians in this room where music warms the surprising chill of late October. The moment mmes for a solo and the ears prepare themselves to be led down a musical path cleared by a tenor saxophone. But here is where the road splits and nothing that happened in the last Vlbars could prepare the listenerforwhat is nowtaking shape. Where that saxophone might be if this
really were Ellington or the otherq the peculiar noise of a duduk is an added twist of the Armenian Jazz Band, turning this group of talented players into ambassadon of the state.
There is a sour tone to the woodwind instrument that cannot be disguised even when the score is jazz and if it has any similarity to an American sound it might be found in a minor-key clarinet of a New Orleans funeral band. It is completely unexpected and - especially in this context - totally appropriate. And it is the clever notion of maestro Armen Martirossian that gives the music
baked by a vicious sun, these musicians have survived harsh weathering for the
its distinct flavor. "Many people know
chance to produce their sweet music.
Armenia for its sweet fruitg" Martirossian says "But I have had fruits in other countries that were just as sweet. And I must say that the tomatoes of Iran are even
When Constantin Orbelian organized and directed the fimt State Jazz Band in L956 he had some explaining to do to the
tastier than what we have here.
"But there is one fruit that no other country can match. The Armenian apricot is the very best. It cannot be duplicated by any other country.The duduk is made from apricot wood and it has a sound that also cannot be duplicated." And, like the wood of the apricot tree,
Communist Party who demanded to know was necessary to playWestem music.
whyit
The Soviets bought the notion that
- the music of the downtrodden African Americans - would serye as an example of the oppressive evilness of capitalism. "Somehow," Martirossian say$ "Maestro Orbelian managed to make the jazzband famous."
playing jazz
AIM NOVEMBER
2OOO
And in 197'L,it became the first statesanctioned orchestra to visit the US. And in the 8& it toured 40 (mostly Socialist) oounnies Then came Glasnost, and the freedom
of individual travel took a toll on
the
orchestra, as musicians started leaving Armenia. The collapse of Communisrn would
bring worse times, and by 1992 the band had dissolved.
During the early 90s, Martirossian was playing in Switzerland. "Because here," he "Nobody needed musicians." Then in 1993 he decided to return to Armenia to put the band back together. He found there was nothing to put back saysr
ARTS and gave up after only two months. But in 1997 he tried again, this time with a flnancial sponsor from Moscow and,
slowly, the group got back in the groove and played its flrst public concert in May of that year. Then Martirossian discovered the down side of sponsorship, culminating when the band's sponsor would not allow the big band to participate in Armenia's first Jazz Festival in October, 1998.
Soon after,Martirossian went to President
Robert Kocharian. "We are a national treasure," he told the President. Further, he pleaded with Kocharian to find the group a sponsor,but with one condition. "I said I do not want to even know the name of the sponsor," Martirossian says, given how sponsors often attach conditions to their commitment to help. "I didn't want a sponsor who was going to say'We'll support you,but you have to let my girlfriend be your singer,"Martirossian says In May 1999, the band got a new underwriter who pays the musicians an)'rrhere from $50 to $200 a month. And none of
them, including Martirossian, knows their benefactor. They rehearse three hours a day, three days a week, under the leadership of musical director (saxophone play-
Festival was Chick Corea, with whom Martirossian struck a friendship and stays
expenses and are producing the December concert. The US concert will cap a long struggle to revive the tradition Orbelian started 34 years ago. Martirossian is hopeful the band's original leader, Orbelian (who now lives in Southern California) will appear at the public concert.
in touch, daily, via e-mail. One of the highlights of his life, Martirossian says, was see-
"I'm not even at Step 1 of being a Basie or Ellington," Martirossian says "But we have
ing Corea at Paplavok JazzCaf1,jamming
found the new sound of Armenian
er) Armen Husnunts. Last year, the star of the Yerevan Jazz
with Martirossian's duduk player. Before leavingArmenia, Corea wrote a note to Martirossian: "This music is alive and adventurous and beautiful..." Earlier this year, Martirossian's manager, Artur Asatrian, went to California, looking for opportunities for the band. He returned with an invitation for the Armenian Jazz Band to be the stage band for the annual Armenian Music Awards, followed, on December 3, by a public concert at the Alex Theatre in Glendale.
Two California businessmen who are also musicianq John Danielian and Gagik Adamian, are paying for the band's travel AIM NOVEMBER
2OOO
soul." r
ARTS
Ihe 0thGF ffind ol $oul The Hokis Phenomenon By HRATCH TCHILINGIRIAN
okis Volume Meg, the newly released Armenian rap-popR&B-hip-hop CD, comes with a warning: Parental Advisory. Explicit Content. The waming is not just a marketing stunt. "We have to lie to Armenian dads if we want to sleep with guys, starts the female voice in one song, called Overprotective Dad.
room equipped with sophisticated hardware and computers. The experiment excited Bozadjian and Cholakian, who also wrote a song for Chaparian. Bozadjian even rapped in one of the Armenian song$ which became a hit in Lebanon. "We got lots of
Defecation - to put it politely - on a denier's grave in a song called Genocide is another one. This is perhaps the most politically incorrect Armenian music ever heard. It is the work of a group of twentysomething British Armenians. However, the themes present contemporary realities of Armenian dispersion and its socio-cultural and political transformations, especially in the West, as seen by third-
says Bozadjian.
! I Il I I
generation Diaspora Armenians. The songs speak of the experiences of young Armenians
growing up anywhere in the Diaspora murtship problemg sexuality, politicg social life, rebellion, Armenian language and cultural differences. "Everything is based on our experience, even the interludes in between the songg the telephone calls to
-
LosAngeleq'
says Harry Harout Bozadjian, 27, songwriter and one of the producers of the CD. Interspersed between the songs are 11 actual phone conversations between British-
Armenian comedian Kev Orkian (Kevork Kapikian) and unsuspecting Armenian businesses and individuals in the Diaspora's most'multicultural' community - Los Angeles. In one random phone call to an
elderly Armenian
-
chosen from LAs - Kev wants to
good feedback, so we decided to do something more substantial,"
This was the beginning of the Hokis album. They contacted young Armenians in Britain who are involved in music to participate in the project. A versatile group of some 20 (mostly amateur) musiciang singers and songwriters emerged, including a female singer from Boston. They named the album project Hokis after the very successful Hokis social parties organized by the British-
Armenian youth organization, called RBO (Red, Blue, Orange - the colors of the flag.) RBO was set up in 1996
by f,rst generation British Armenians who were fed up with Armenian community politics. Some 120 young people showed up at their first function. Since then, their mailing list has grown to over 400,which includes many'alienated' young Armenians. "There are groups and organizations in the community who want to do culture and politics," says Ara Bozadjian, one of the organizers of RBO. "But we don't want to force anything on anyone. We are strictly a social group, we don't hold cultural or political eventg" he adds "Social is a safe and comfortable context for people to come together. Besideg we want to create the same
kind of atmosphere as English social outings, but with an Armenian flavor," he explains.
RBO provides a place for
to
Armenian phone directory
young Armenians
marry Rita, the daughter the old man does not
together without'being hit on the head' that they are Armenian. Here, there are
have.
"This album represents what Diaspora life is all about," adds Armen Cholakian, 27, co-producer and songwriter.That includes the confusion over Eastern and Western dialects spoken in the Diaspora, featured in a song called Ku Hyerent lYour Armenian) about a young man who attempts to chat up a young woman over the phone. Bozadjian and Cholakian own Duke Avenue Records (DAC). They conceived the idea for a CD, when Meher Chaparian,
L6, a singer from Beirut recorded two songs at DAC's new studio, a vault-like
come
no expectations or responsibilities attached to'being
Armenian.'Yet RBO
has
taken on the responsibility of promoting and marketing
the Hokis CD. Clever personalized e-mails are being sent to Armenian communities worldwide, and the hype around the CD is also channeled through the group's website: www.hokis.co.uk.
ARTS Defining Success "The real success is achieving success in non-Armenian circles," says Bozadjian confldently. "You can work as hard as you want in the Armenian community, but what's important is to accomplish things in the larger society, on a world scale. In fact, you don't need to be Armenian to be successful.You get involved with things Armenian because you grew up in it and you feel comfortable in it. Your life does not depend on being an Armenian, but it's an added advantage over being just English. That's all." And the Hokis album is expressive of this "new" attitude and culture in the Diaspora. Both Cholakian and Bozajian were successfully working in the corporate world - at the large European bank, Societe Generale, when
they decided to quit and work fulltime on their pas-
without Armenia, but wonders, "How is Armenia going to fit in the Diaspora? I don't know." But, the ultimate challenge, he spells out, is "Sharing the experiences of British and Armenian life, fitting in and maintaining your Armenian background. It's not by reading books, but by interacting with others." More than Armenia, the Armenian Genocide is a more familiar theme among the youth in Britain. One of the most serious (and controversial) tracks on the CD is Bozadjian's song on the Genocide.The song ends with a bomb exploding. He carefully explains,"This song is not political, but it attempts to express feelings of anger, pain, sadness, frustration [over the denial of the Genocide], which are felt by most Armenians at one point or another. This
track had to be there somehow It's part of reality. But people who are political might hear it as politics, but it is basically the feel-
- music. They launched Duke Avenue Records and moved to Chiswick, a fashsion
ionable London neighborhood. "We want to be very successful in the music industry" says Bozadjian with convincing optimism. Although DAC produces main stream
ings and thoughts of all Armenians." In this respect, as well as in social outlook and artistic genre, Hokis has much in common with System of a Down, a heavy metal American music group whose
members are Armenian. Like Hokis, System's self-titled debut CD includes a range of straightforward songs about, for example, getting high - the album
rock and pop music, and rents its studios for recordings, it has become both an artistic and social club for young British-Armenians, just like Cholakian's old house on Duke Avenue where young Armenians used to gather, for which the label is named.And the Hokis album,
begins with Suite-Pee - to a moving anthem about the Genocide. And the two groups met each other by chance. "We met Serge Thnkian [System's lead singer] by accident in a bar in Spain," explains Bozadjian. "He was there with his brother.They looked Middle Eastem and were
as their first major project, has required a great financial commitment and "it has to be successful," he insists
speakingArmenian.We went up to
them and said,'Hay ek?' \\ey
Bozadjian doesn't read or write Armenian, he never went to Armenian school,but wrote most of the songs himself * in transliteration. While critics might complain about Armenian grammatical errors in virtually all the songs
were as shocked as we were. Not only did they speak Armenian, but they
(including use of Armenianized Turkish expressions), the 'kitchen' Armenian used in the CD is the language they've learned growing up in Britain. It is the language used by third and fourth generation Armenians in the Diaspora. And however imperfect, it is also part of the Diaspora reality. "Those who do not speakArmenian and were raised in a nonArmenian environment have a harder time fitting in the community. The community has problems accepting Armenians who don't speak the language." Still, he continue$ "When you're with Armeniang you feel an automatic connection, even though some people have a stereotypical view of what an Armenian should be."
As for Armenia, while many young British-Armenians
are
somewhat aware of the situation in their ancestral homeland, it still remains a distant place - a country where "people are living diff,cult times," says Cholakian. Bozadjian, who has met very few Armenians from Armenia surmises that "perhaps we've evolved in different ways and we don't see eye to eye." He believes Armenian culture could exist
were musicians." System of a Down was in Spain for three days but Bozadjian and Cholakian have kept in touch with the group ever since and 'Jammed with them" when System was in London last year.They are thinking of developing projects together. Meanwhile, a Hokis concert tour across the United States is underway. And for those who declined participation in the Hokis project, there is a message for them in firle print on the last page of
the CD booklet. While acknowledging and thanking those who helped with the production, the NO THANKS section reads,'AIl the artists who turned down the opportunity to be a part of this - remember this: if you wanna sell records, it's a good idea to flrst get the support of your own people, don't ever ask us for anything ever again! All the political organizations who never realized how powerful music is. Stop holding each other down and bickering! All the pessimistic, non-believers who said it would never work. You know who you are. To all those who talk nice to our face and nasty behind our backs, don't dream, achieve. Gossiping Armenians who can't interact with other cultures. Stay secure.
AIM NOVEMBER
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63
Sponts
ffidne Bcat$ $anuis Andre Agassi and Sargis Sargsian con-
fronted each other across the tennis court in the first round of the Lyon Grand Prix in France on November 7. Agassi triumphed over his occasional doubles partner, though not before the young Armenian had taken the flrst set 6-7 on a tie-break. Agassi responded by taking the first five games of the second set, which finished 61. Sargsian tried to fight his way back into the match but the final set linished 6-4 to Agassi. The Armenian-American went on to the semi-finals of the $800,000 event but was forced to withdraw through injury after the flrst set of his match against Frenchman Arnaud Clement.
A talsc llatlln its
Armenia's national football team played fint oompetitive match in the newly-restored
Republican Stadium in Yerevan. They played
hosts to Ukraine in the World Cup Group 5 qualifying game on October 7. The home team, watched by a crowd of 14,fi)0, started brightly enough in their new surroundingg with two goals from Artur
Petrosian before AC Milan's star striker
Andriy Shevchenko pulled one back on the stroke of half-time. Determined attacking by the visitors in the second half resulted in two more goals in the first 15 minutes, including a second for Shevchenko, allowing Ukraine to run out 3-2 winners. The result, followed by a 2-l defeat in Belarus four days later,leftArmenia bottom of the six-team group with just one point from three gamesThe Armenian team had shown early promise in its opening 0'0 tie in Norway. The Norwegian team waspacked with anumber of stars who play for the English giants Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea. Armenia'snextWorld Cup match will be at
home to Wales on March 24. newly-restored Republican Nationa! Stadium in Yerevan. Photo by Melik Baghdasarian/Armenpress. Andre Agassi during a rest period. Armenian striker Arlur Petrosian, right, scored the two goals against Ukraine. Pholo by Melik Baghdasarian/Armenpress. Norway's (and Ghelsea ol london's) striker lore Andre Flo, center, in action against Armenia s Romik Khachatrian, left, and Karen Dokhoian, right, in Osfo on September 2,2000. Photos, clockwise from top left. The
0thcr People's Mail
lstanbul, Tuiley Dear H, In recent weeks individuals in Armenia
more difficult for its citizens of Armenian descent. The problems of administration of the Patriarchate, hospital, schools and
and the Diasporahave showered theArmenian Patriarch and the Armenian community in Tirkey with private and public criti-
churches mustbe solved as soon aspossible. d) The Ttrrkish and Armenian peopleg states and governments have to live side by side till the end of time. Therefore, it is important that they make efforts to understand each other, to confess sins and to forgive each other. A genuine effort must be made to launch a process of dialog. Any
cisms and,
at times, with obscene
pro-
nouncements. One of the most disturbing examples of such a hateful attitude toward theArmenians inTirrkey came in a statement made by an academic who wrote to the
Patriarch,"You deserve to be killed like the black cockroach that you are." I must confess, as a young Istanbul Armenian, I am disgusted and shocked at such racist
form of Armenian or Tirrkish nationalism/racism is dangerous and will hinder that process. Meanwhile, what are these
and ill-informed outbursts. Such individuals in theDiaspora andArmenia sit comfortably in armchairs, smoking their pipes and cigars, pontificating to the TUrkish Armenian
Patriarch with US Ambassador and Mm. Pearcon
250,000 or 1.5 million, are not important. Killing is a sin. Evil is evil. b) It was wrong for the Ottoman Tirrkish government to punish ALL Armenians liv-
ing in Tirrkey by ordering their "deportation" because some Tirrkish Armenians
had reportedly joined the ranks
of
the
Russian army. c) Because of the diplomatic problems facing Thrkey overseaq it is wrong for the
Tirkish Government today to make life
am getting after her for being too
"Russified" when her family is all Armenian. Her sister lives in Armenia and her niece is wanting to study at the Masters level in the States or England. I motivated her to start attending Armenian services on a regular basis.The priest was not wanting to give us a blessing until he understood that I was Jewish. I guess he realized that these two groups were connected in history and suffering. Do I understand you correctly that the attending the Church that they have been repairing? The US government is putting over $100 million into Georgia this year.I can't understand how they have the balls to play such games with the ethnic minoritieg not only Armenians, but others as well.
tary evidence. None needs a congressional
these types on their way with a few moves,
resolution to verify the tragedy. And, do you really think that a genocide resolution
and the suggestion to take a walk with us through town so everybody could see -
cide bills through third-country parliaments? Is it the recognition? There are
'owartime punishment," racism, national- Armenians were killed in massive numbers And numbers, whether
I
myriad press reports and other documen-
"moral" Armenians after by pushing geno-
onciliation and peace amongst peoples It seems that those who are attacking or criticizing the Patriarch are either ignorant of what he has publicly stated or are out to impose their opinions on others In his public
ism, or deportation
S,
The next time you are in Tbilisi, please give my wife a call. She works as a doctor at the Russian Military Hospital in Tbilisi. It would be interesting for me to hear her reaction to yourAmerican take onArmenia.
Tell me more. My trip was very short and within 15 minutes of arriving, the Georgian internal security was on our asses. Fortunately, I know how to send
past enmities and bittemess and call for rec-
statementg the Patriarch has clearly said: a)A verygrave and painfirl event occurred in 1915. Whatever the reason - whether a
Dear
Armenians inAkhalkalaki are prevented from
community about morals,whilst citizens of Armenia starve or wait in line for visas in order to escape the country. I am not a practicing Christian,but I support our Patriarch wholeheartedly. He is a high level church official, and it is only proper that he should urge the people to heal
Atlanta, Georgia
passed by the American Congress will bring about peace with Tirrkey? People living in Armenia and the Diaspora should not spill venom on the Armenians living in TUrkey, but rather
they should think about their attitudes. I am happy I was born in Istanbul.I have studied in Armenian schools I actively attend Armenian sports clubs I try to be present whenever there are cultural events orga-
nized by our L5 cultural
associations.
Whenever I feel the need,I have the services of the Armenian Church. I am happy I live here. And I do not need others to tell me how to live, where to live and what to think. Respectfully,
AIM NOVEMBER
2OOO
B
had them running off quickly. We switched hotels later and had some of the connect-
ed Armenians give us a complete tour, including the Russian base areas
My graduate paper will deal with
ethnography in the study of social and political processes. The pottical aspects of
identity has quite literally exploded in recent years, as traditional concepts like nation and nation state have been widely challenged. Some think lamcrazy for taking on this issue. Keep me posted on any job prospects. I am wanting to return soonest, just after flnally flnishing my MS this semester. Best regards, J
How I Eot
llris $hot
The Ride
By Hrair Hawk Khatcherian
A military heliCOptef
was scheduled to take a TV crew and me to get aerial shots of churches in Armenia and Karabakh.The pil6ts are very cauiious about flying the choppers in bad weather. But, thJweather was gorgeous - blue skies and white fluffy cloudg so we weren't expecting any problems. Still, as we waited for the flnal go ahead, we were getting anxious. An army general eventually came to brief us that we were approved for departure and wished us a good flight. The main rotor started spinning and the engines were making a lot of noise in the cabin. I turned the music of my Mini Disc player high enough to lessen the engine noise.The helicopter taxied over the runway facing Mt.Ararat and slowly picked up speed and lifted off even while the nose continued pointing downward. Over Khor Virab, near the border, we circled twice to give us a chance to photograph the church and the surrounding ramparts. My mind was glued to Mt. Ararat and wished there was a way the pilot could fly straight towards it. But the helicopter continued its journey towards Noravank. The distance between us and the mountain was growing and the only means left to reach it was my camera and its 180 degree fisheye lens. As a result, parts of the helicopter were also included in the viewfinder' but the dominant force' as usual' wasJVl;ffiffilffi, ian)s Artnkh - A photographic Journeyrras pubrished four years ago. He is about to complete his cunent project: photographic documentation of all the Armenian churches in the world.
AIM NOVEMBER
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6'1
Undenexposed
IunkishlleliUhts
Sneenlenin pins have ended up in bazaarq sidewalks or Yerevan's Vernissage for sale, cheap. But some remnants of the old'glorious' days remain. On a bare hilltop on the road from Yerevan to Sevan, a huge grove of trees is planted to read LENIN in Russian. No one is assigned to take care of the trees, and no one cares to destroy
ars or Erzerum cost just a few dollars - at Eastern Cuisine in Yerevan. In 1998, the owner of this restaurant invited a TLrkish chef toArmeniafor a year to initiate acomplete menu ofTUrkish dishes Now the trainees have mastered the chefs techniques The main ingredients like tomatoeg eggplant, meat and bread are local and the spices come fromTtrrkey, Iran and the Middle East.The food is cooked in specially built traditional stone ovens -- nnir.At the end of the meal,there is brewed tea,Eastern style,in small transparent glasses with a cube of sugar on the side. Many dishes are named after
them. So far, nature has been kind. The Lenin trees continue to stand tall and contribute their share to the surroundings.
Tirrkish cities, which had large Armenian populations like Urfa, Adana, Erzerum, Kars, Tlabizon.
uring the last 10 yearq the peoples and governments of the Flormer Soviet Union have brought down statues of Irnin, tom his pictures,destroyed his postergplacards and banners, or atbes! sent them to the basement. Some recyclable items like flagq medals or
-
AIM NOVEMBER
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Undenexposed
llistonic Ppes$ilGe in Pnouidence hen construction began on the Heritage Harbor Museum in Providence (right), Rhode Island
input their own family story and data
available for research. The Association, which was founded in 1997 to "promote Armenian culture, heritage and history in cooperation with the Heritage Harbor Museum and Library" has its hands full. Not only must it raise $1m,000 to design, produce and maintain the exhibits at the museum, there is also much work to be done in collecting data, photos and artifacts. A l0O-year-old power plant will be gutted and redesigned to accommodate the museum. which is a firstof-its kind institution in the state. Armenians are one of 17 principal partners. The Armenian Historical Association includes representatives from all community organizations, including the Armenian Relief Society, Knights of Vartan, Armenian Apostolic and Evangelical Churches and
which will be sorted, archived and made
other organizations.
in June,Armenians celebrated. By the time the museum is ready for opening in the fall of 2002 or the spring of 2003, the Armenian Historical Association of Rhode Island will have set up 1000 sq. ft. of interactive exhibits and artifactual displays. The permanent exhibition will provide a record
on families, distinguished individuals and important neighborhoods over the century and a half of Armenian presence in Rhode Island. It will represent their history and how their lives connected to a homeland so far away. One central feature of the Armenian Exhibition will be a Family Data Base, an interactive area where visitors can
lalmost deadl[ilsad [ut ilninking] here is an old Armenian saying that goes, "Go die and I will love you." That love-after-death is expressed on tombstones which sometimes cost more than what the family would have spent on the loved one while he or she was still alive. Death is expensive. It may cost thousands to buy the stone, pay for the carving, install it and turn the grave into a mini garden. Some spend their life savings just to show their love and respect and to keep family honor and pride alive. And since husband and wife must, of course, be buried together, why make for double work and double expense? In order to save money, after the image of the dead husband is carved with his name and date of birth and death, the image of his wife and her name and date of birth are also carved and her death date is left blank. But when she does die someday - as she certainly will - there won't be much to worry about, not much to spend and not much to add, just a date (below, right.) There's much to be learned from Armenia's cemeteries, which are a form of open-air museums. Just as economic circumstances are reflected on some tombstones, social customs are in evidence on others. The people of Kavar, a city near Lake Sevan, have made a name for themselves by their drinking. They take pride in this and believe that the drinking makes them charming, happy, fun loving and hospitable. Drinking is so much a part of their lives that it even finds a place on many tombstones. The photo of the deceased is sur-
rounded
by a carved bottle and
a drink even in the hereafter.
glass (below,
left)
-
guaranteeing
By
J0HN HUGHES
lrhe need to furnish a flat in Yerevan I nr. led me into a netherworld I have I avoided in my four-year relationship with this place: Into the dark and mysterious regions of the carpet market.
In numerous trips to vernissage and various other bazaars, I have taken delight in my apathetic response to the hustle and hassle of so many vendors and their perception that "foreign" equals "rich" in regard to my spending ability. Over the years, in fact, I have developed a little game I play when caught in the crosshairs of their sniper sales pitch. It's called Stump the Dealer. It goes like this: Dealer: "My friend, antique carpet. Very nice. Antique. S/rnr hin. Shat." Me: "Very old?" Dealer: "Yes, yes. Very old. Antique. Antique." Then he will say something to the effect that this is the very rug Noah unrolled down the Ark gangplank for his historic landing on Mt. Ararat. See those water stains? That's what 40 days and 40 nights of bad weather does to fine silk. But,
problem chika,we can clean those. Me: "Oh, very old? That's too bad. I was looking for a new one. Never been walked on. Do you have anything right out of the
wrapper?" You cannot imagine the confusion this causes.
Men who moments earlier were sharks in bloody water, turn palms upward and become butterflies in a whirlwind. Totally disarming, this tactic. Now, however, the very practical need
circling
to
have something cover'my floor has
forced me to play straight up. Dealing from their deck. House rules. I should tell you that I grew up in a home where linoleum was considered high class, so I'm not exactly a connoisseur in matters that join art with home design. I
once bought a rendering of the Beatles in black velvet, done by a Mexican painter. John, Ringo, George and Paul all had a PonchoMlla look to them that I took to be artistic interpretation. Sort of Tony Orlando meets Freddi e Prinze. Stylish. Anyway. I've got a 5 meter by 2.5 meter floor on Nalbandian Street that needs covering, so here I am on a Saturday playing consumer shopper with my American dollars in the balance between my ability to recognize deception and the craft of the dealer to masquerade swindle as favor. (I'm lobbying to make this an exhibition sport in the next Olympics.) I know little about this process. But trust me when I tell you this: Rug dealers lie. They don't mean to. No more than taxi drivers intentionally take the longest route or barkeeps pour from the lower shelf.
Like preachers making promises and doctors making appointments they can't keep. Like presidents under oath and husbands under pressure, rug dealers lie. Fish swim. Birds fly. It is the order of things. Like lawyers promising the truth. Like journalists promising to be objective. In the carpet netherworld, the extent to which truth is altered is directly related to the degree to which the buyer is perceived to be non-Armenian. In my case that degree is of unimaginable proportions. This country has taught me many lessons.
Among them: Use what you've got
till you get what you
need.
I have a friend who speaks Armenian, Russian, English. A very attractive friend. And she knows a bit about carpets. So, fighting deception with deception, we devised a scheme.
As I walked the gauntlet of vernissage rug dealers, she walked nearby but without indication that we were together. Our counterattack included code. I would speak only AIM NOVEMBER
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in English (not that I have
a choice) while doing the dealer dance.Then, if I saw a rug I was interested in, I would use the Russian word for good: kharasho. My covert partner memorizes the rug I am interested in, then goes back later to make the purchase for herself. Result:A small rug that was offered "specially" to me for $80, went to her for $45.
An alteration: Tii-lingual babe engages dealer in conversation. Goofy looking tourist with target on his wallet walks up and begins shopping. The following is an exact transcript:
Goofy tourist asks price.
Dealer says to babe: "Do you speak
English?" "Yes," babe says.
Dealer asks for her help making a sale. Babe to Goofy: "Excuse me. This man has asked if I'11 translate." Goofy: "Good, thank you." Dealer: "Tell him $300." Babe: "But I know about carpets. This one shouldn't be so much." Dealer: "He's a foreigner. Please, just
tell him $300." Babe and Goofy walk away together. Dealer says something that needs no trans-
lation. Mean? Maybe. Effective? Very. At one shop the dealer told my friend he would give her a present if she would bring more foreigners to see him. Well. I bought a rug and it looks splendid. Bought it from a dealer because I liked his face and because he wasn't fat. Honest men haven't time for gluttony.And because he took me to his house and I saw his wife and daughter. And because he hadn't shaved in a few days and neither had I and maybe that was a flimsy enough bridge between us that wasn't built by dollars. He told me his name and he shook my r hand. And I told him no lies.
-l
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