Special for the Armenian Weekly

Hundreds of people in a well-lit room dotted with tables, and somehow I’m discovered amidst it all. I’m the shy, 14-year-old being approached by a short, stubby, eager man with graying hair and a face carved with wrinkles. He’s smiling.

Ara and Shamiram, 1950 – paper, water color, pencil. By Gevorg Grigoryan (National Gallery of Armenia)

On second thought, it’s not all too surprising. I’m a blonde in a room full of Armenians.

“Are you Shamiram?”

He speaks English—a relief. I smile sweetly and nod. The man beams and thrusts out his arms—ta-da!

“I am Ara!” he says, “You know the legend, yes? We must have a picture!”

We pose and smile. I’m too timid to make conversation with him and he melts back into the crowd.

I’m at an event with my Auntie Pauline and Uncle Armen, celebrating the donation of an osteoporosis machine to an Armenian hospital by Auntie Pauline’s brother, John Bilezikian. The machine is the reason for our trip, as its donation is in honor of their late mother Zabelle Bilezikian. We make up a little posse of Bilezikians and Barooshians: John and his wife Sophie, their nephew Greg and his wife Nancy, Uncle Armen Barooshian, Auntie Pauline (a former Bilezikian) and me, Shamiram Barooshian.

There’s also Larry. His last name is Mowat. He’s here for work, representing the company that makes the osteoporosis machine. He’s not Armenian.

***

Roughly three thousand years ago, on the banks of the Tigris River near modern-day Baghdad, there lived a beautiful woman named Shamiram.

Shamiram was queen of the city, then called Ninevah, which was part of the great Assyrian Empire. Queen Shamiram was rumored to be a sorceress, the daughter of a fish goddess, and is famous for her beauty and sexuality.

On the northernmost banks of the Tigris lived Ara, called “The Beautiful,” Prince of Armenia.

Word of Ara’s beauty had spread across the region, and soon reached Shamiram’s ears. She quickly fell in love with the idea of the handsome Armenian prince. She desired to marry him, and began lavishing him with gifts. He would be her second husband. Sources say her first, Ninus, left her in a rage because of her infidelity; others say he was killed in battle.

Ara was already married. He refused Shamiram’s proposal and, one by one, sent her messengers and the tokens they brought back to her.

***

There’s a name for people like Larry Mowat who aren’t Armenian: odar.

I learned it at AYF Camp Haiastan, where my cousins, brothers and I went later that summer. One of the counselors—we called them unger or ungeroui, the word for “friend” or “comrade” in Armenian—was a non-Armenian. Everyone gossiped about the odar. They wondered why he’d want to be a counselor at an Armenian summer camp if he wasn’t Armenian.

He left after the first week. No one was surprised, really, me least of all. I felt bad for him. Armenians have a way of knowing each other, mostly through the church but also through youth organizations like Armenian Church Youth Organization of America (ACYOA) or the Armenian Youth Federation (AYF). I quickly discovered that most of the campers not only knew each other, but had also been going to Camp Haiastan since they were little. And, many of them spoke Armenian. I’d always been jealous of my classmates at school who could speak more than one language. I had a strange childhood fantasy of needing to call my parents from school and switching to Armenian to communicate with whoever answered the phone.

Being at camp, I was glad that I knew at least a little bit. I’d spent the last two years walking up to the Armenian Church with my brothers to take language lessons. Our teacher’s name was Miss Emma. We’d meet her, my dad, and a few other students in one of the Sunday School rooms and practice writing and speaking. She taught us simple words like gndak (ball), kapik (monkey), and lolik (tomato). This was enough vocabulary for me to parse aghchik shun, something I kept hearing some of the older campers saying to one another. Aghchik is girl; shun means dog.

Still, more often than not, my brothers, cousins and I were lost. We mouthed our way through morning prayers: the Hayr Mer, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Jashagestsook, a prayer said before meals. I didn’t know the steps to the dances at the camp socials. I’d even missed out on the history, hearing about things like the Battle of Sardarabad for the first time when my cabin sang a song about it on Song Night.

Even though I’d been to Armenia, eaten plenty of chorek and pilaf and kebabs, even though I had an Armenian name and Armenian blood, I was something of an odar at Camp Haiastan. My friends referred to me as the albino, albeit endearingly. My blue eyes stood out in the sea of brown ones, winning me an award for best eyes by default.

***

Shamiram was outraged but undeterred. She led an army to Armenia to kidnap Prince Ara. Though she and her soldiers won the battle, Ara was killed in the fighting. Devastated, Shamiram called on the gods to resurrect him.

“I have prayed to the gods to lick his wounds and heal him,” she told the angry Armenians, “Ara will revive.”

He didn’t and, devastated, Ara’s countrymen tried to avenge their Prince’s death.

***

I’m talking about myself as different. Having studied difference and outsiders in history and literature, I feel uncomfortable using this word. I am blonde-haired, blue-eyed, white, American, native English-speaker. But I’m also something of an odar outside of camp because of my name.

“What was that?” I repeat it two, three, four times. They say, “Where is that from?” or “That’s a unique name.” They try to sound it out. “ShAM-ee?” “ShAR-mee?” “Sham-ee-RA?”

“ShAHmee,” I say. I’d repeat it over and over on the first day of school each year. By high school, I learned to raise my hand and say “Shami” when teachers paused at the “Sh.” I avoided pronouncing the full “ShAH-mee-RAHm” because I felt embarrassed.

As I’ve gotten older, it’s not the uniqueness of my name that shocks people, but the fact that my remarkably non-Armenian face is attached to it. When students sign up for tutoring appointments with me, there is no picture next to my name. More than one, at some point in the session have said something like, “I thought you would be Indian.” One of those was Indian himself. A boss I had a few summers ago thought she’d brought the wrong resume to my job interview.

The place where I am proud of my name is amongst my family, as I am named for one of its most endeared members. My great grandmother Shamiram was a source of incredible strength and love in the Barooshian family, and she is still spoken of as such, missed by everyone who knew her.

I learned recently that friends and acquaintances that couldn’t pronounce or spell her name called her Charlotte. I go by Sarah, but only at Starbucks and Panera and other places that ask for a name to go with your order. It’s easier than spelling out Shami three times and then cringing as the person who puts my order on the counter fumbles over the pronunciation. Sometimes, when I say Sarah, they ask “with or without the h?” and I don’t know how to respond.

When I was younger, it used to drive me crazy that my name wasn’t on keychains and stationery. Now it feels special. I’ve never met another Shami or Shamiram, so it’s a conversation piece, a topic for my college essay, something memorable. Sometimes it’s nice to feel like one in a million.

***

To stop the fighting, Shamiram dressed one of her men as Ara and presented him before the Armenians, who believed her magic had saved him. Legend has it that, on her return to Ninevah, Shamiram buried Ara at the foot of Mount Ararat and his spirit rose, giving the mountain the shape of his sleeping form.

***

I’m not one hundred percent Armenian, by blood or in practice. I go to the Armenian Church on rare occasions, my language skills are no better than they were at camp, and I don’t participate in the network of Armenian youth in my area—partly out of shyness, partly because I don’t speak the language or go to church, and partly because they do and are closer because of it. Who am I to call myself Armenian, except that my name suggests it?

And even the name Shamiram is not a name common among Armenians because Shamiram herself was not Armenian. She was an Assyrian Queen who plays a part in an old legend about an Armenian prince named Ara. She fell in love with him but he didn’t return the affection, so she did what was sensible in the ninth century BCE and invaded.

I think about that word—invasion—as I write about Armenian people, food, traditions, and secrets, and me with only a 25 percent claim to them.

Special for the Armenian Weekly

What happened in Artsakh in the month of April of last year contains a historical mystery—it was not merely a limited war. If we dig deeper, we may uncover an important secret.

NKR Servicemen in Shushi (Photo: Araz Chiloyan)

We were proud of our army’s performance during that war and many of us justifiably said, “Long live our soldiers”. They were able to stop a surprise attack by a better-equipped enemy.

We all understand that Azerbaijan could not dare to start such a war by its own decision. Without talking to the Big Powers, such events never happen. From the first day of the enemy’s actions, military analysts were saying that this was not a big and a long-lasting war—that it was a “limited” war. The goal of Azerbaijan was clear, and that was to gain as much territory as possible within those limits.

The permission from the Big Powers to start a limited war was granted to Azerbaijan in order to make its position stronger during the negotiations with Armenia and to get more concessions. Karim Pakradouni, a Lebanese politician of Armenian origin, who was one of the leaders of the Lebanese Christians during the civil war in Lebanon, tells an interesting story. In the beginning of 1970s, he tried to talk to Yaser Arafat in order to ease the tension between the Palestinians and the Christians. On one occasion, Arafat visited the Christian area and he saw extreme and unrealistic anti-Syrian slogans everywhere. After seeing this, he advised Pakradouni, that it would be better if the Christians could avoid repeating the mistake of the Palestinians, by hysterically using such slogans, because when the time comes for a political solution, it would be difficult for the leadership to denounce them in front of its own people.

That is exactly what is happening with the Azerbaijan leadership. For the last several years, it has been constantly threatening Artsakh and Armenia. After making much noise—and perhaps bluffing—the Azerbaijani leadership became trapped by its slogans of taking Artsakh back. On one hand, it knew that it was not capable of doing it, but on the other hand, it something should be done: a short war, a blitzkrieg with the objective to take large territories from the buffer zone and, if possible, from Artsakh itself. It was also to show a historical and a big victory in front of the world and most importantly in the front of its own people.

The war started with Azerbaijan sending well trained and well equipped Special Forces to break the line. From our side, the first line was protected mostly by 18-20 year-old mandatory service soldiers. It seemed that they were no match and it would be an easy victory for the enemy. Here I will repeat the question that was asked for many times—How it was possible that the first line was protected mostly by young inexperienced soldiers?

Let us go back to the main topic and to see who these young soldiers were.  Most of them are from impoverished families. In Armenia, it’s common for the rich to use their connections and bribe the officials to prevent their sons from serving in the army or at least from serving in Artsakh and on the front-lines. It is safe to assume that these young soldiers come from environments where they heard words of disappointment about their country from a young age. The disappointment is so deep, that people do not only talk negatively about the government but about the entire nation, which is a very concerning phenomena. These young soldiers could have very well been raised by continuously hearing the well-known words “Yerkiruh yerkir chi…” (“The country is not a country…”).

Logically, we can think that anyone who is in a similar circumstances will not be willing to endanger his life for a country that caused him and his family such disappointment. We can see that in the history of many nations. For example Russians, in the beginning of the WWII, switched sides by large numbers and fought with Germans against their own country, because they were disappointed with the communists. Another example are the Arabs, who were and are continuing to betray each other on both the lower and the upper levels, and in fact are working against their national interests. Coming to our young and inexperienced soldiers, to those poor people who felt betrayed by their own leadership, we witnessed a completely different picture.

And this is the miracle. They didn’t flee, they didn’t panic, and they heroically held up the line, having about a hundred martyrs until the main forces came in. In a few of days, the enemy was asking for a ceasefire, because it was afraid of losing territories. The blitzkrieg was stopped; the surprise did not happen; the plan was not accomplished and the war ended with Azerbaijan gaining a very small territory which was much less than the initial objective.

These youngsters are born in free Armenia—they are the representatives of the generation of independence. This heroic spirit is the secret that I was referring to in the beginning of the article. This spirit is the reason for our survival in the most desperate moments of our history—the same spirit of Vardanants, the same spirit of the Musa Ler and Van defenses, the same spirit of Sardarabad, and finally the same spirit of the Artsakh War of the 1990s. This is not foolish, nationalistic bragging, but a historical fact. Alongside with our culture, this spirit is the reason that we still exist and many nations of the empires who conquered us in the past do not.

It is painful to talk about our history, it is painful to talk about the loss of our territories, and it is painful to compare the sizes of the historical and the current Armenia. Vladimir Pozner, an internationally known Russian journalist and Putin critic, says that it is a miracle that Armenians still exist, despite the geographical location of our fatherland, which has often been in the middle of the policies and interests of the Big Powers.

I think the truth lies in the middle. On the one hand, it is true that the geographical location of our country was and is the main reason for our difficulties. But on the other hand, our internal problems had a big role in complicating our challenges and difficulties. Otherwise, why would Garegin Nejdeh say “the sins of the Armenians had more impact in the destruction of our country, than the enemies that invaded our land from time to time.” We can see that what was accomplished by our young people during the 2016 April War was a highlight in our history which we have been lucky to witness.

We bow down in the front of these heroes and pray for the souls of the martyrs. May the numbers of such heroes increase within our nation. May their example be an inspiration for us and especially for the young and future generations. And finally, may the existence of such chosen ones be a sign to our internal enemies, the corrupted system and officials who suck the blood of our people in Armenia, and to our external enemies as well.

BERLIN, Germany (A.W)— Germany says that it would be inappropriate for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to hold a rally in front of his supporters in Germany on the sidelines of the G20 summit.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

In a June 29 statement released by the German Foreign Ministry, Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel confirmed that Erdogan’s request for the G20 summit next week would be rejected.

“I had already communicated to my Turkish colleague weeks ago that we do not believe this is a good idea,” said Gabriel in the statement. “I also openly stated that such a public appearance would neither be appropriate nor politically apposite, given the current tensions that exist with Turkey.

“I think we should now tell all countries that are not EU members—not only Turkey—that we will not permit campaign appearances here that are intended to import another country’s internal conflicts into Germany,” continued the statement.

The German Foreign Minister also said that the federal government agrees with him on the issue.

In response to the statement by Gabriel, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hüseyin Müftüoğlu said that the Turkish Foreign Ministry condemns and refuses Gabriel’s “unacceptable remarks.”

“It is regretful that some German politicians make unacceptable political remarks ostensibly for domestic consumption while German authorities request for organizational purposes, the placing of a formal request as regards the venue for the meeting with the Turkish nationals within the context of the visit that President Erdogan will make to Hamburg for the G20 meeting,” said Ministry spokesperson Müftüoğlu in a statement.

Erdogan will attend the G20 summit in Hamburg next week where the summit will be taking place from July 7-8. This will be his first visit to Germany since he and several of his Ministers accused Germany and other European countries of “Nazi-like” practices for blocking campaigning for the most recent constitutional referendum in Turkey that granted him all-encompassing presidential powers in April.

In the last year, Turkish-German relations have greatly declined.  The leader of Germany’s Social Democrats (SPD) Martin Schulz told German daily “Bild” any Erdogan rally should be banned over concerns about the authoritarian nature of his government.

“Foreign politicians who trample on our values when at home must not be allowed a stage for speeches in Germany,” said Schulz, according to German based Deutsche Welle news. “I don’t want Mr. Erdogan, who jails opposition politicians and journalists in Turkey, to hold big rallies in Germany.”

On June 7, the German Defense Ministry announced that it would pull out its troops from Turkey’s Incirlik airbase. Approximately 270 troops stationed at Incirlik, as well as Tornado reconnaissance jets and a refueling plane, will be moved to Jordan over the next two months.

The decision to remove German troops sparked when a group of German Parliamentarians were refused to access the airbase. The German troops in Turkey have been responsible for operating reconnaissance and refueling flights as part of the international mission against ISIS/Daesh.

German politicians have also condemned Erdogan’s crackdown on those opposing the government since a coup attempt against him in July 2016.

Special for the Armenian Weekly

It was a busy, bustling day in the Cascade—a communal square in the heart of ancient Yerevan. Accessed by steep stairs, the Cascade was full of vendors, tourists, and students dashing to their destinations. I had just attended a lecture at the Musical Armenia Program and was heading to my piano lesson for the day.

At that moment, I decided it was about time to trip down those steep stairs. My sheet music flew everywhere and a cart vendor rushed to help me gather my music saying, “Ari, ari! Tsavt tanem.” Embarrassed, I thanked him and soldiered on to my lesson, but I could not help but wonder why this man had said what translated to “here, here, let me take your pain.”

The rear window of a Yerevan taxi cab reads “Kez tegh tanem—tsavt tanem” (“Let me take you somewhere and take your pain away”)

After three weeks of intensive music, history, and culture lessons, I thought I was in tune with the idiosyncrasies of the Armenian culture and language. However, the phrase “tsavt tanem”—and I kept hearing it—was perplexing.

My confusion accompanied me into my lesson where I asked my no-nonsense piano teacher what it meant. She confirmed my initial thoughts, declaring, “Tsavt tanem? It means—how you say in English?—‘let me take your pain.’ Now, please continue with Babajanov.”

I was not satisfied; there was more to this peculiar phrase. I needed to grasp its deeper meaning—its essence. So I turned to the foremost expert on the Armenian language I knew and I asked my grandma, Nami.

Since Nami was a teacher for over thirty years, she took this simple question as an opportunity to launch into a twenty-minute Armenian grammar lecture. Here is the shortened version: “tsavt tanem” («ցաւդ տանեմ») is an Armenian phrase that literally means: “let me take your pain.” Tsav (ցաւ) means pain, and the –t (-դ) the second person singular. Tanem (տանեմ) comes from the infinitive verb tanel (տանել), which means “to take.” The -em (-եմ) ending signifies the first person; hence, “let me take.”

Finished with deconstructing the phrase, Nami then defined three different meanings for “tsavt tanem”: sympathizing with someone’s plight; poking gentle fun at someone’s shortcomings; or conveying endearment.

That summer, I experienced all three…

After my sheet music debacle at the Cascade, my second encounter with the phrase was when my father, who had accompanied me on my trip to Armenia, suggested we grab an ice cream cone. My father received a call from his friend right as we were about to walk into the ice cream shop, so I went in myself.

Haggling in Armenian is not my strongest skill, so I ended up paying what amounted to five dollars for one scoop of vanilla ice cream. My father sauntered in and proceeded to order a chocolate-covered cone with three scoops of fudge orange chip swirl and paid a dollar. Needless to say, my father happily flaunted his superior negotiating skills by waving his change from the transaction and declaring, “Nareg, tsavt tanem… You were just ripped off.” Gee, thanks…

My adventures with “tsavt tanem” continued when I finished my time at the Musical Armenian program by performing the pieces that I had learned. All of my family’s friends, their extended families, their neighbors, their neighbor’s friends (and their second cousins) came to witness this historic event. I had not even finished bowing when my “Aunt” (a formidable women) came rushing up the aisle towards the stage. Before you could say “tsavt tanem,” she was upon me in a whirlwind, pinching my cheeks, declaring I had grown up so much, throwing “tsavt tanem”-s this way and that. Bellowing over her shoulder to my father, “Sevag, tsavt tanem, tell your wife Nairi that your son is a genius,” she turned back to me. “Tsavt tanem, you’ve grown up! Tsavt tanem, are you hungry? I have made dinner! Tsavt tanem, you must eat!” I inched my way to the door, thinking if I don’t get out soon, she’s really going to have to take my pain.

Last summer I traveled to Armenia to study, learn about, discover, and connect to my ancestral homeland. What I had not expected was for Armenia to completely envelop me. When my music flew across the Cascade, someone I did not know jumped to my aid, telling me that he would take my pain. My father, in what was one of many moments of levity, made sure that we laughed off any pain from tourist-trapping ice cream vendors. My “Aunt,” who had seen me only once before, showed me so much warmth and affection—I needed her to take my pain.

Every “tsavt tanem” experience brought me closer to my heritage. Embodying the generosity, the good spirit, and the love in Armenia, “tsavt tanem” is both untranslatable and universal.

WATERTOWN, Mass. (A.W.)—The Armenian Weekly and Hairenik Weekly are pleased to announce that the two newspapers will be adopting a new format in the coming month.

The Armenian Weekly and the Hairenik Weekly are pleased to announce that the two newspapers will be adopting a new format in the coming month.

Beginning with the July 22 print issue of the Armenian Weekly, the two newspapers (English and Armenian) will be distributed to all subscribers. Both newspapers will continue to be published as separate 16-page publications, but will be distributed together at no extra cost to subscribers.

With the new format, readers will receive a higher quality print, and the number of color pages will increase from four to eight. The Armenian Weekly and Hairenik Weekly print issues will not be published on July 15 and 14 respectively, during our scheduled summer break.

Few institutions can claim as distinguished a place in recent Armenian history as the Hairenik Association, publishers of the Armenian Weekly and Hairenik Weekly newspapers. Hairenik is the longest-running Armenian-language newspaper in the world.

Hairenik, published in the Armenian language since 1899, has reported, analyzed, and commented on the historic events of modern Armenian history, often in their staggering proportions. At its helm as editors were such outstanding national figures such as Arshak Vramian (1900-1907), Siamanto (1909-1911), Simon Vratsian (1911-1914), and Rouben Darbinian (1922-1968).

In June 1932, a column in English appeared in the Hairenik to address the needs of English-speaking Armenians. The response was so positive that by March 1934 Hairenik Weekly, entirely in English, began publication, mostly through the efforts of young volunteer contributors.

In June 1934, Hairenik Weekly acquired a full-time editor, James Mandalian, and an assistant editor, Queenie Pambookjian. Of special interest from those days were the translations of short stories by such prominent Armenian writers as Avetis Aharonian and Hamasdegh and the poems of Gostan Zarian. Moreover, the very stories that initially brought William Saroyan national recognition by the American public were first published in Hairenik Weekly (under the pseudonym Sirak Goryan). In 1969 the paper’s name changed to the Armenian Weekly.

Today, along with news of general interest to the Armenian-American community, the Armenian Weekly publishes editorials, political analyses, regular columns, and short stories and poems. The newspaper, while reflecting the current of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), is also open to a wide variety of views and opinions in which the pros and cons of issues can be discussed openly and honestly.

Although the Armenian Weekly’s headquarters are located in Watertown, Mass., subscribers hail from as near as Boston and as far as Buenos Aires and beyond. The Armenian Weekly continues to meet the expanding needs of a more sophisticated, news-conscious Diasporan-Armenian public.

To subscribe to the Armenian Weekly and Hairenik Weekly visit: https://hairenik.com/subscribe/

Trott and Pallone Lead Congressional Letter Calling on State Department to Reject Deal Following May 16 Beatings by Turkish President Erdogan’s Security Detail

WASHINGTON—Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Dave Trott (R-Mich.) and Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) were joined by House Intelligence Committee Chairman and Ranking Member Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Ranking Member Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), and key leaders of House Foreign Affairs Committee, in calling on the State Department to reject the pending sale of semi-automatic guns for use by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s security detail, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

Dave Trott and Frank Pallone are leading a call for the State Department to reject the pending sale of semi-automatic guns for use by Turkish President Recep Erdogan’s security detail. (Photo: ANCA)

“We greatly appreciate the bipartisan leadership of Representatives Trott, Pallone and their Armenian Caucus colleagues against the controversial sale of U.S. handguns to the very same armed Erdogan security detail that, on this dictator’s direct command, attacked Americans exercising our Constitutional rights at the peaceful May 16th protest organized in Washington, D.C. by the ANCA and our coalition partners,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.  “Erdogan and his henchmen should be brought to justice for their crimes, not rewarded with American weaponry.”

Rep. Trott explained, “Right here, on U.S. soil, we witnessed President Erdogan’s blatant disregard for democracy as his henchmen waged a brutal attack on peaceful protesters.  As the very model of freedom and liberty around the world, the United States cannot condone such an overt suppression of democracy and this proposed arms deal would be nothing less than an endorsement of Erdogan’s henchmen’s brutal attack. We need to call out and hold accountable President Erdogan and his bodyguards for who they really are—thugs.”

News of the proposed $1.2 million gun sale to Turkey and Congressional opposition was first reported by The New York Times reporter Nicholas Fandos.  The request for Congressional review of the matter was submitted on the eve of the May 16th attack in front of the Turkish Ambassador’s residence in Washington, D.C., videotaped live by the ANCA’s Hamparian.  Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Democrat Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Ed Royce (R-Calif.) were among the first to raise objections to the sale.

The Trott-Pallone letter states, “We can no longer enable Turkey to compromise our democratic values, and this proposed arms sale is nothing short of an endorsement of the actions of President Erdogan’s security force. As such, we strongly urge you to reject this proposed sale and any potential weapons transfer to President Erdogan’s security detail.”  The complete text of the letter is provided below.

Thousands across the U.S. contacted their Congressional leaders in support of the letter through the ANCA’s Rapid Responder program and online activism portal by visiting anca.org/NoGunsforTurkey.  ANCA Leo Sarkisian Internship and Hovig Apo Saghdejian Capital Gateway program participants reached out to Congressional staff and constituents in support of the measure.

Congressional leaders joining Representatives Trott and Pallone in co-signing the letter include Representatives: Don Beyer (D-Va.), Mike Bishop (R-Mich.), Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.), Tony Cardenas (D-Calif.), Judy Chu (D-Calif.), David Cicilline (D-R.I.), Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), Jim Costa (D-Calif.), Ted Deutch (D-Fla.), Lloyd Doggett (D-Tex.), Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), Bill Foster (D-Ill.), Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.), Sander Levin (D-Mich.), Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.), Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), James McGovern (D-Mass.), Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Devin Nunes (R-CA), Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Calif.), Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.), John Sarbanes (D-MD), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jackie Speier (D-Calif.), Dina Titus (D-Nev.), and John Yarmuth (D-Ky.).

A similar letter opposing the gun sale was led by Congressional Hellenic Caucus Co-Chairs Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.) and Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) and secured the support of Representatives: Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.), Ted Deutch (D-Fla.), James McGovern (D-Mass.), Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), John Sarbanes (D-Md.), Brad Schneider (D-Ill.), Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.), and Dina Titus (D-Nev.).

On June 6, with a vote of 397 to 0, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously condemned Turkey in response to the attacks, taking a powerful stand against Ankara’s attempts to export its violence and intolerance to America’s shores.  H.Res.354, spearheaded by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-Calif.), Ranking Democrat Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), received the public backing of House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.).

The vote followed broad-based Congressional outrage expressed by over 100 Senate and House members through public statements, social media, and a series of Congressional letters.

ANCA live footage of the attack served as source video for CNN, AP, The Washington Post, The Daily Caller and other major media, transforming the violent incident into a global spotlight on Erdogan’s attempt to export his intolerance and aggression to American shores.

The Sunday, June 4 edition of The New York Times featured a two-page center-spread investigative report on the May 16th attack, with online version of the coverage translated to Turkish and shared widely on social media. The ANCA is cited by The New York Times as a source for this report.

The New York Times coverage is available here:

The May 16 protest in front of the Turkish Ambassador’s residence was a continuation of a demonstration held earlier in the day in front of the White House, co-hosted by the ANCA. As President Trump met with President Erdogan. Human rights and religious rights groups were joined by representatives of the Kurdish, Yezidi and Armenian communities to call attention to the Erdogan regime’s escalating repression against free press, the Kurdish and other ethnic communities, as well as Turkey’s ongoing obstruction of justice for the Armenian Genocide.

***

Text of Trott-Pallone Letter to Secretary of State Tillerson Opposing Gun Sale to Turkish President Erdogan’s Security Detail

Dear Mr. Secretary:

We write today to urge you to reject the proposed sale of semi-automatic handguns and ammunition to a Turkish government controlled entity authorized to import firearms to the Department of Security of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey.

As you know, on May 16, members of President Erdogan’s security detail violently attacked peaceful protesters outside the residence of the Turkish Ambassador in Washington, D.C. With President Erdogan just feet away, looking on, armed members of his security detail unleashed a vicious attack, targeting non-violent protesters and American Diplomatic Security Officers, resulting in severe neurological, oral, and maxillofacial injuries. Unfortunately, this is only the latest in a series of disturbing attacks by President Erdogan’s security forces in the United States, including a brawl at the United Nations, and a series of physical fights in Washington, D.C. in May 2016. This same security force now stands to be the beneficiary of a potential arms deal.

On June 6, 2017, the House of Representatives spoke strongly and swiftly, voting unanimously to pass House Resolution 354, condemning the violence that took place outside the Ambassador’s residence on May 16, and calling on the perpetrators to be brought to justice under U.S. law. We can no longer enable Turkey to compromise our democratic values, and this proposed arms sale is nothing short of an endorsement of the actions of President Erdogan’s security force. As such, we strongly urge you to reject this proposed sale and any potential weapons transfer to President Erdogan’s security detail.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this important matter.

The “AYF Summer 2017” section of the Armenian Weekly’s Youth page will highlight the 2017 summer programs of the Armenian Youth Federation – Youth Organization of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (AYF-YOARF) Eastern United States.

***

Lost In Revelation

By Rita Bahnan, 2017 AYF Intern and member of the AYF-YOARF Worcester ‘Aram’ chapter

One of the most prominent features of the Armenian culture that we take pride in claiming ourselves as the first Christian nation. Growing up in the diaspora where religion is not necessarily prioritized by our generation, I had always dreamed of a more tangible way to experience this part of our history. The first excursion we took as participants of the AYF Internship was to Etchmiadzin—the mother church of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

‘The first excursion we took as participants of the AYF Internship was to Etchmiadzin—the mother church of the Armenian Apostolic Church.’

Considering this is my first visit to Hayastan, my first week had been far from what I had expected. And my experience at the Sunday Feast badarak at Etchmiadzin was beyond what I could have ever imagined.

As my group scattered within the confinements of the cathedral’s perimeter, I was independently drawn to the energy of the hundreds of Armenians lined up patiently waiting for the Der Hayr to walk through the middle of us with a bag of rocks. I hadn’t a clue of the significance of these rocks until the deghatsis (locals) explained to me that they have been, and will continue to be, blessed by the priests of Etchmiadzin.

Hand in hand trading rocks with the members of the church, I was overwhelmed with the connection I felt to the religious part of my heritage. After I placed the rocks into the bag that the Der Hayr held in front of me, I quickly moved onto the next step. Everyone slowly filed through to kneel down and kiss a beautifully carved khatchkar (cross stone) structure. Not sure of where to go next, I was pulled towards the middle of the cathedral, directly where the light of God beamed down on the small alter. I looked down to see the young boy who was drinking water from the fountain outside with my peers and me, standing next to my leg. He tapped me and told me to kneel down so that we could kiss the Holy Bible on the altar together.

‘My experience at the Sunday Feast badarak at Etchmiadzin was beyond what I could have ever imagined.’

Being led in church by a 4-year-old spoke volumes of how the people of our holy Etchmiadzin city are raised. Once Vehapar entered, I was pushed towards him in a mass of Armenians where he blessed my head. An hour or so passed when one of the interns called me out of the crowd to tell me that our group (and the vosdigans-police officers) had been looking for me for over an hour. No matter how hangry everyone was because of me, nothing can even compare to the revelation I encountered standing before that alter; not even the google image searches.

‘Being led in church by a 4-year-old spoke volumes of how the people of our holy Etchmiadzin city are raised.’

As if this day wasn’t emotional enough, our next stop was Sardarabad. Stepping foot onto the grounds of what I have always learned to be one of the most important battles for the first independence of Armenia brought forth an indescribable feeling of pride and faith.

Personally, this experience felt like home to me in more ways than one, since Aram Manoukian, whom my chapter was named after, was one of the organizers of the Armenian side. Being there with the group of interns by my side ensured me that our generation of thriving Armenians today will continue the sacrifice that our fedayees made on that field, leading us to Armenia today. Without the triumph of this battle, we would not be able to sing, laugh, and pray again in our motherland today.

‘The time is now, the freedom is ours.’

Our ancestors battled all odds through their heroic deeds, which we will continue to do in honor of them for generations to come.

The time is now, the freedom is ours.

«Սերունդնե՛ր, դուք ձեզ ճանաչէք Սարդարապատից»:

Yesterday, I was talking to a friend when a question posed prompted this topic of discussion.   I’d been stuck, with no good ideas for this week’s piece, so I owe a debt of gratitude for this question.

The entry for the word Spyurk (diaspora) in an Armenian dictionary published in Constantinople in 1910

Especially since I’ve put out two pieces about language in recent weeks, let’s start with that aspect of the diaspora’s life.  Clearly, Armenian speaking in the diaspora is getting hammered.  Everywhere, the number of speakers and the quality of Armenian spoken is declining.  Fortunately, some serious efforts to counter this are afoot (among them from the Gulbenkian Foundation).  Also, the issue seems to be getting more attention and discussion lately, an important sign that people are concerned and willing to approach the matter maturely and conscientiously.  While there are traces of the “if you don’t speak Armenian, you’re not Armenian” mindset still around, I think they have been tempered by realities of the diaspora and modern communications.  If we can figure this one out, Armenians worldwide will be in great shape.  But, at a minimum, I think that what Vahe Oshagan said to us in a class, more than a third of a century ago, must serve as a baseline—anyone aspiring to leadership in our communities and nation must be able to communicate in Armenian (and realistically, at least one other language).

We speak freely and loosely of the diaspora.  Yet, according to many experts, it is more accurate to refer to many Diasporas.  I have a problem with this.  While it may be a technically, sociologically, academically more correct, it begs the question, “What do we want?”  Do we want to be many, different diasporas or do we want to be one?

What does all this mean anyway, in the context of having only about 20% of our homeland reasonably freely accessible to us.  Do we want to legitimize, deepen, and perpetuate the differences imposed on us by host country realities?  Do we want to strive for some semblance of national unity while scattered internationally?  Lots of questions, insufficient discussion, and very few answers—at least as of now—make this matter, diasporan identity, a sore spot.

Culture is of course another grave concern—art, church (unfortunately this too must be included since it has become the repository for many things Armenian that predate its existence), dance, film, folk tales, food, history, legends, literature (in Armenian and in other languages), local village lore, medicine-old remedies, metalwork (gold, silver, and other metals), music, mythology, numismatics, philately, photography, poetry, Sasoontzee Tavit (our epic), theater, stories, traditions and values (particularly those that are specific to us rather than Christian or village-life based), yerazahan (our dream interpreting book).

We have always said we have to “maintain” or “preserve” these.  That’s a tough one.  With few exceptions, these components of culture are all fluid and evolving.  So, trying to keep them frozen is likely to fail.  Our approach should be one of allowing them to develop.  In fact, we should insist on that mindset so that obsolescence will not sheer them from us over time.  Fortunately, it seems to me “development/evolution” approach is gaining ever more acceptance.

But why bother?  That’s really the more fundamental question.

In a diasporan context, it’s all about motivation.  Why should any human, who happens to be Armenian, bother with any of this while living in… pick any country other than Armenia?  That person really needs a good reason.  And that’s where inspiration and Armenian spirit come in.

But again, why would Armenian spirit arise in anyone?  For me the answer is simple—it comes from the innate human desire for justice.  Is there any doubt that Armenians have a massive project of reestablishing justice?  Once someone is plugged in to this multi-generational challenge of recognition, reparations, and return of the lands, then, it’s a small step to recognizing that success in reestablishing justice for Armenians entails enlivening, relishing, and thriving in all the items listed above.

So where the diaspora goes will be determined by our collective desires, will, and most importantly, activation of Armenian spirit.  Get out there and inspire your compatriots!

By Harout Manougian
Harvard Kennedy School – Class of 2019
2017ANCA Leo Sarkisian Intern

The motto on the coat of arms of the City of Toronto reads “Diversity Our Strength.”  Having grown up in that multicultural city, I always considered it a privilege to be surrounded by students, professors, and coworkers with experiences that spanned the globe.  They taught me the basics of different languages, history that was not included in the Canadian curriculum, and new perspectives from which to view current events.

The ANCA’s Aram Hamparian and Tereza Yerimyan with the 2017 Leo Sarkisian Internship and Hovig Apo Saghdejian Capital Gateway Program team at a Carnegie Endowment for Peace event with former U.S. Ambassadors to Armenia John Evans and John Ordway, as well as, former Armenian Ambassador to the U.S. Ruben Shugarian.

After spending a week at the Armenian National Committee of America’s (ANCA) Washington, D.C. office, my city’s motto rings truer than ever.  The Armenian-American community itself is a truly diverse collective.  We have members whose families arrived in North America a century ago and also many who themselves were born overseas.  We have community members who can speak different languages and different dialects.  Armenian-Americans live across the 50 states and have taken on many different career paths.  Some are Democrats, some are Republicans, and some are not bound to any one party.

In the microcosm of the ANCA Leo Sarkisian Internship, that diversity remains well-represented.  We are the largest group of interns in the program’s history, hailing from Northern and Southern California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Virginia, and even Montreal and Toronto.  Each one of us brings our own unique set of skills and experience to the national office from public relations and communications to data systems and business analytics.  Many of us have been to Armenia, Artsakh, and Javakhk, and some have yet to embark on those adventures.

With such an amazing group of people, coached by our veteran staff members, we have the perfect environment to learn and grow in our personal development and make a meaningful contribution to advancing the Armenian Cause on Capitol Hill.

The ANCA is the largest and most influential Armenian-American grassroots organization. One reason for that is its recognition of diversity as a major strength.

2017 Interns Learn Grassroots Advocacy, Advance Policy Priorities, Make Connections in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON—Hailing from California to Massachusetts, Michigan and Montreal, they have all gathered in Washington, D.C. for a singular purpose—to hone their leadership in advancing Armenian American policy priorities. The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Leo Sarkisian Internship (LSI) and Hovig Apo Saghdejian Capital Gateway Program (CGP) have welcomed their largest group of summer fellows for this unique boot camp for the Armenian Cause, with additional participants arriving in the upcoming weeks.

Hailing from California to Massachusetts, Michigan and Montreal, they have all gathered in Washington, D.C. for a singular purpose—to hone their leadership in advancing Armenian American policy priorities.

“The ANCA is fortunate, once again, to have an incredible crew of energetic and committed students from top universities devoting their summer to expanding their leadership and community organizing skills to advance our collective cause,” said Tereza Yerimyan, ANCA Hovig Apo Saghdejian Capital Gateway Program Director, who manages both programs.  “During eight weeks of intensive training, they’ll get first hand insight into how our federal government works and how best to empower locally to shape policies nationally.”

The Leo Sarkisian Internship and Hovig Apo Saghdejian Capital Gateway Program team with the ANCA’s Aram Hamparian and Tereza Yerimyan.

ANCA LSI and CGP participants went through a rigorous application process with acceptance based on academic excellence as well as a strong track-record of community involvement and student leadership.  Fellows engage in a wide range of research projects tailored to their areas of interest while increasing their political understanding through Congressional meetings, think tank talks, and  bi-weekly lectures by members of the diplomatic community and public policy experts.  Summer interns in need of housing stay at The Aramian House, located in Washington DC’s historic Dupont Circle neighborhood, just a short walk from the ANCA headquarters.

The Leo Sarkisian Internship and Hovig Apo Saghdejian Capital Gateway Program team at the annual ANC Richmond picnic.

The 2017 Leo Sarkisian interns include Shant Eulmessekian, Shushan Gabrielyan, Hagop Housbian, Harout Manougian, Taleen Simonian, Mari Tikoyan, and Leonardo Torosian.  They are joined by CGP fellows Anna Avannesyan, Gregor Bayburtian, Monique Bolsajian, Stephen Boursalian, Garen Kosoyan, Marie Papazian, and Noor Varjabedian, with additional interns arriving throughout the summer.

Each intern is motivated and eager to do their part in furthering the Armenian Cause while utilizing the resources and opportunities provided by the ANCA and the city of Washington, D.C., while truly living out the motto of the ANCA: “Educate, Motivate, Activate.”

ANCA National Chair Raffi Hamparian, ANCA-WR Chair Nora Hovsepian, ANCA-ER Chair Steve Mesrobian, ANCA National Board Member Aida Dimejian discuss the broader ANCA agenda advocacy agenda with the Leo Sarkisian Internship and Hovig Apo Saghdejian Capital Gateway Program team.

Established in 1986 and named in memory of the late ANCA Eastern U.S. community leader who spearheaded grassroots activism to advance the Armenian Cause for more than four decades, the ANCA Leo Sarkisian Internship program now has hundreds of alumni across the world, spreading the message of truth and justice for the Armenian Genocide, freedom for Artsakh, and a secure, prosperous, and democratic Armenian homeland.

Artsakh Human Rights Defender Ruben Melikyan discusses the ongoing Azerbaijani attacks on Artsakh and the war crimes committed during the April, 2016, 4-day war with the ANCA’s Leo Sarkisian Internship and Hovig Apo Saghdejian Capital Gateway Program team.

Launched in 2003, the ANCA Hovig Apo Saghdejian Capital Gateway Program helps secure permanent employment and professional internships in Washington, DC for young Armenian American professionals and students. Through the years, the ANCA has developed many relationships in and around Capitol Hill and identified a wide range of opportunities in the Washington, DC area.  The CGP utilizes these resources and contacts to help candidates identify and secure jobs that fit their interests and needs.

Photos from the 2017 LSI and CGP internships will be posted to the ANCA Facebook Page at:
https://www.facebook.com/pg/ancagrassroots/photos/?tab=album&album_id=10154893462981859


Meet the 2017 ANCA Leo Sarkisian Interns:

Shant Eulmessekian

Shant Eulmessekian is a freshman at Glendale Community College (GCC), who will be applying to the University of California Los Angeles in the fall of 2017. In addition to serving as Senator of Activities in student government, he was recently announced as President of the Honors Program at GCC.

“The Leo Sarkisian Internship will allow me to solidify my political interests while giving me the opportunity to work with dedicated, motivated, and talented individuals,” said Eulmessekian. “Living in the nation’s capital, and working 10 minutes away from the White House—I look forward to exploring all that this great city has to offer.”

Shushan Gabrielyan

Shushan Gabrielyan was born in Yerevan, Armenia and moved to the United States with her family at the age of 5. In the fall, she will be studying philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley. She has been involved in the ANCA for many years, including an internship in the local ANCA-Glendale chapter. Recently, she concluded an internship with Congressman Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.). She is deeply passionate about social progress, specifically relating to gender inequality in Armenia.

“I am thrilled to be spending the summer with other students from across North America, learning about the mission and vision of the ANCA, advocating for the Armenian Cause, and building relationships that will last for a lifetime,” explained Gabrielyan. “I hope to return home inspired and emboldened, ready to share with my community what I have learned this summer.”

Hagop Housbian

Hagop Housbian is a senior at the University of La Verne majoring in International Studies and minoring in Psychology. He has been an active member at the La Verne Model United Nations club, having served as an Executive board member for two consecutive years. Last year, Hagop was among a handful of his peers in founding and initiating the ULV Armenian Club. Since then, he has worked with his fellow Armenian peers in hosting several on-campus events on genocide recognition, cultural education, and traditional showcasing – an initiative that he considers as a regional grassroots movement inspired by the ANCA.

“My aim for these next eight weeks is to learn and accumulate the tools and strategies necessary for the push toward the common struggle in the name of righteousness and freedom. Bearing cognizance that I am among the future leaders of the Armenian Cause, surrounding myself with my fellow peers with the same vision is a true emblem of shared responsibility toward the greater good of our community,” noted Housbian. “I believe the ANCA Leo Sarkisian Internship will prove to be the prevailing impetus in galvanizing the shared Armenian Dream at the behest of the Hai Tahd.”

Harout Manougian

Harout Manougian will be starting a Master of Public Administration at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government this fall, focusing on electoral design and administration.  He has served on the Armenian Students’ Association at the University of Waterloo in Canada, as well as the Central Executive of the Armenian Youth Federation of Canada.  In 2012, he was elected as one of 22 Trustees at the Toronto District School Board. More recently, he was a board member with the Ranked Ballot Initiative of Toronto.

“The work that the ANCA accomplishes is unmatched,” stated Manougian.  “It’s an honor for me to be spending the summer with such a talented, dedicated team.”

Taleen Simonian

Taleen Simonian is a rising junior at Boston University majoring in Public Relations and minoring in Political Science. She is an active member of the Boston University Armenian Students Association and the Providence “Varantian” AYF chapter.  She also serves on the AYF Eastern Region Public Relations Committee.

“I am extremely excited to work with the ANCA this summer as a Leo Sarkisian Intern. Not only will this opportunity challenge me, it will allow me to impact causes I am passionate about,” explained Simonian. I cannot wait to immerse myself in meaningful projects that will give me a first-hand look at the foundations of politics.”

Mari Tikoyan

Mari Tikoyan is a rising senior at the University of Maryland-College Park. She is studying public health science and hopes to attend law school after graduation. Her interests lie in health education, advocacy, health equity, and human rights. At university, she is a Peer Health Educator and a mentor for College Mentor for Kids. In addition, Mari has been heavily involved with the Washington DC AYF chapter for the past 11 years, holding several leadership positions. Regionally, Mari has served on the AYF Central Javakhk Committee and the Central Junior Committee.

“I am excited to spend my summer as a Leo Sarkisian intern,” said Tikoyan. “I have heard wonderful things about this program and all the opportunities it provides. I always grew up with the ANCA in my backyard, but I am excited to finally see how it operates and how I can help my community from the tools I learn this summer.”

Leonardo Torosian

Leonardo Torosian was born in Córdoba, Argentina and moved to Canada at an early age with his family. He studies Political Science and Philosophy in Montreal, at the McGill University. He is also an active member in the Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) and Co-President of the McGill Armenian Students’ Association. Very interested in local politics, he is the President of one of Montreal’s 19 boroughs’ Youth Councils. He is also part of the Youth Council of Montreal and the Québec Youth Parliament.

“I am enormously proud of being a Leo Sarkissian intern,” said Torosian. “I hope these two months will be a hands-on experience where I will be able to learn and serve my community. My philosophy is that knowing is not enough, we must apply. I am honored to work for an organization that shares my deepest values.”

Meet the 2017 ANCA Hovig Apo Saghdejian Capital Gateway Program Summer Fellows:

Anna Avanesyan

Anna Avanesyan is a student at Sidwell Friends School in Washington DC, where she is in the 11th grade. She enjoys playing tennis and theatre, and greatly looks forward to working with the ANCA this summer to further connect with and learn about her Armenian heritage. Avanesyan believes that the best way to become in touch with one’s roots is to “educate oneself on the affairs of the state, and advocate for the well being of the people,” leading to a stronger connection, and sense of affinity to create a deeper understanding of the people and culture which one stems from.”

Gregor Bayburtian

Gregor Bayburtian is a rising Senior at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, MD  interested in political science and languages.  Gregor participated in the Arakadz Summer Camp with the Fund for Armenian Relief, where he was Director of Sports for Syrian Armenian Children at the Camp.

“The ANCA program is a rare opportunity which will allow me to prepare for my future career while simultaneously maintaining a strong connection with my roots,” explained Bayburtian.

Monique Bolsajian

Monique Bolsajian is a rising junior at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she is currently double majoring in Global Studies and English. She is a member of the UCSB ASA and participates in their genocide awareness events, and is also active in Homenetmen Massis Chapter’s scouting program through their venturing crew. Monique also works in UCSB’s Residential and Community Living department where she plans community development programs for undergraduates in campus housing.

“I’ve always wanted to participate firsthand in the work that the ANCA does for the Armenian-American community, and to do that in the nation’s capital is an incredible opportunity,” said Bolsajian. “I am looking forward to learning about the ways the ANCA works with the federal government, and I know that the Capital Gateway Program will provide me with the skills I need to continue this work in the future.”

Stephen Boursalian

Stephen Boursalian born in Springfield, Va. and is currently a senior studying Management Information Systems at Oakland University.  Boursalian produces two podcasts — AutoLink and Detroit / International – interviewing members of the automotive community as well as Detroit-area artists of all media.

“I want to give back to a community that has given me so much over the years in one of the best ways I can,” said Boursalian. “I’m looking forward to applying the skills I’ve developed in my time, and I’m glad the ANCA will help me develop as a professional.” He also noted, “I’m excited to experience the dynamic of NGOs and governmental organizations at large.”

Garen Kosoyan

Garen Kosoyan is a rising junior at Pepperdine University majoring in Political Science and Economics. He will be serving as Vice President of the Armenian Student Association of Pepperdine University beginning this fall. Through the CGP, Garen is interning for the Armenian Legal Center for Justice and Human Rights (ALC).

“Working with the ALC’s Kate Nahapetian has been an amazing opportunity,” said Kosoyan. “Through my various research projects, I‘ve been able to explore the richness of Armenian culture and heritage as well as participate in the legal fight for justice of the Armenian Genocide.”

Marie Papazian

Marie Papazian is a rising college freshman from San Jose, California. She recently graduated from Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, Connecticut, and will be attending Barnard College of Columbia University this coming fall. She is hoping to study both Human Rights and Creative Writing during her undergraduate years. She was the public relations officer of her school’s gender equality club and hopes to further understand how to alleviate gender inequalities in Armenia.

“Given my interest in Public Policy, coupled with my hope to become a strong advocate for Armenian issues, I am incredibly excited about the opportunity that the ANCA has granted me,” said Papazian. “I am most excited to make contacts with our Armenian allies in Washington, as well as to learn more about ways in which I can become a strong activist in my own region. One day, I hope to return to D.C. to continue our work.”

Noor Varjabedian

Noor Varjabedian is a rising senior at the University of Mary Washington (UMW) in Fredericksburg, Virginia. She is working towards her Bachelor’s Degree in marketing with a minor in sports management. Last summer, she participated in AYF Youth Corps Program in Armenia and Artsakh, where she worked with Armenian youth in Proshyan, Gyumri and Askeran.  She plays field hockey at UMW and enjoys traveling whenever possible.

“I am extremely excited to be participating in ANCA’s Capital Gateway Program and am eager to learn more about the importance and impact ANCA has on the Armenian-American community,” said Varjabedian. “I hope my time interning in D.C. will be an impactful one.”

WASHINGTON—Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) national and regional leaders explored opportunities for broader U.S.-Armenia cooperation, expanded foreign assistance, checks on Azerbaijani aggression, and justice for the Armenian Genocide during a week of policy-level consultations with the White House, State Department, and Members of Congress.

ANCA national and regional leaders explored opportunities for broader U.S.-Armenia cooperation, expanded foreign assistance, checks on Azerbaijani aggression, and justice for the Armenian Genocide during a week of policy-level consultations with the White House, State Department, and Members of Congress.

ANCA National Chairman Raffi Hamparian led the delegation, which included ANCA Eastern Region (ANC-ER) Chair Steve Mesrobian, ANCA Western Region (AMCA-WR) Chair Nora Hovsepian, Esq. and national board member Aida Dimejian. They were joined by ANCA staff, including Government Affairs Director Raffi Karakashian, Esq.

A special focus was placed on ANCA priorities in the Fiscal Year 2018 Foreign Aid bill, including increased aid to Artsakh for HALO Trust de-mining and healthcare services provided by the Lady Cox Rehabilitation Center.  Also among the ANCA’s top aid priorities are maintaining U.S. economic aid to Armenia and expanding U.S. support for Armenia as a safe haven for Middle East refugees.  The President’s proposed FY 2018 budget included extremely sharp proposed reductions to all aid programs, including those for Armenia.  Parallel to the ANCA’s assistance advocacy, the delegation pressed for key provisions of Armenia’s aid-to-trade transition, including a Double Tax Treaty and direct commercial and cargo flights between Los Angeles and Yerevan.

Among topics of discussion were the May 16th beating of peaceful protesters in Washington D.C., by President Erdogan’s security forces and the need for a fundamental re-evaluation of U.S.-Turkey relations, including its policies regarding justice for the Armenian Genocide and the ongoing occupation of Cyprus.

“On behalf of the hundreds of thousands of Americans of Armenian heritage east of the Mississippi River, we welcomed this most recent opportunity to build on our grassroots base and our Washington advocacy to ensure that our community’s voice is heard and that our priorities are advanced in our nation’s capital,” said ANCA National Board Member and ANCA-ER Chair Steve Mesrobian.  “Our Eastern U.S. community is truly blessed with both great diversity and rock-solid resolve on our shared national aspirations for our homeland and heritage.”

“I was pleased to join with Aida Dimejian from our national board in representing Armenian Americans from California and across the Western United States in once again personally conveying the depth and scope of our community’s concerns in support of Armenia, in defense of Artsakh, and in pursuit of our Western Armenian homeland,” noted ANCA WR Chair Nora Hovsepian.  “Our community across America stands shoulder to shoulder with the brave soldiers who stand guard on the frontiers of Armenian freedom, working in the civic arena here in the United States for the same universal liberties, security, and freedom that these brave souls protect on the field of battle.”

At the State Department, the ANCA held policy meetings with officials responsible for a range of regional areas and issues, including senior Trump Administration appointee Pam Pryor.  Within the Europe and Eurasia Bureau, meetings were held with Acting Assistant Secretary John Heffern, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Bridget Brink, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Mark Libby, Director of the State Department Office of Caucasus Affairs and Regional Conflicts Natasha Franceschi, and the U.S. Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, Ambassador Richard Hoagland.  At the White House, ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian took part in a meeting with National Security Council officials, lead by Admiral Garry Hall, a Trump Administration appointee who serves as Senior Director for International Organizations and Alliances.  A separate meeting was held with the U.S. Department of Commerce regarding the growth of U.S.-Armenia bilateral economic cooperation.

ANCA-WR Chair Nora Hovsepian, Esq., ANCA-ER Chair Steve Mesrobian, ANCA National Board member Aida Dimejian and ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian at the State Department following discussions with Acting Assistant Secretary John Heffern and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Bridget Brink.

On Capitol Hill, the ANCA leadership spoke with several dozen Members of Congress and key staff, including Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), senior Committee member Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.), House Select Committee on Intelligence Ranking Democrat Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.), U.S. Helsinki Commission Co-Chair Chris Smith (R-N.J.), Ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), Nevada Congresswoman Dina Titus (D), Rhode Island’s Jim Langevin (D), Texas Republican Ted Poe, Central California’s Jeff Denham (R) as well as Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs David Valadao (R-Calif.) and Jackie Speier (D-Calif.).  Rep. Valadao, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, has been an outspoken advocate for expanded U.S. assistance for Artsakh.

ANCA Chair Raffi Hamparian discussing Republic of Artsakh security concerns with Nevada Congresswoman Dina Titus (D).

Extensive consultations were also held with key staff from the offices of Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Democrat Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Senators Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Marco Rubio (R-FL), House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe Chairman Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), and House Appropriations Committee members Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) and Jeff Fortenberry (R-Nebr.).

ANCA Chair Raffi Hamparian, National Board member Aida Dimejian and ANCA-WR Chair Nora Hovsepian discussing efforts to expand US aid to Artsakh and Armenia with House Appropriations Committee member David Valadao (R-Calif.).

ANCA leaders held a meeting with the senior leadership and staff of In Defense of Christians, led by President Toufic Baaklini, to discuss expanding legislative and other efforts to address the ongoing violence against Christian and other minority communities in the Middle East as well as passage of the Armenian Genocide Prevention Resolution (H.Res.220). The ANCA joined with IDC in co-hosting their 2016 convention, which brought together hundreds of citizen advocates from across the U.S. in support of a broad range of issues, including the protection of Christian communities in the Middle East and U.S. reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide.

ANCA-ER Chair Steve Mesrobian discussing the recent Erdogan-ordered attacks against peaceful protesters in Washington DC with US Helsinki Commission Co-Chair Chris Smith (R-N.J.).

Discussions also held with San Jose State University President Dr. Mary Papazian regarding education policy and opportunities for future cooperation.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee member Ed Markey (D-Mass.) with ANCA-ER Chair Steve Mesrobian and ANCA Government Affairs Director Raffi Karakashian, Esq.

During consultations with Armenian Ambassador to the United States Grigor Hovhannisian and Artsakh Permanent Representative to the U.S. Robert Avetisyan, ANCA leader discussed expanding U.S. ties with both republics.

Hey Canada,

Even though it’s been a while since I’ve left, I have not forgotten about you or how good you’ve been to me…

‘Even though it’s been a while since I left, I have not forgotten about you or how good you’ve been to me…’

Every time I tell people here that I hail from your shores, you end up being the butt of all the jokes.

From our love of poutine and maple syrup, to the way we say “sorry” and overuse “eh?”… I’ll admit—Canada and Canadians are an easy target.

All jokes aside though, as I begin to reflect on your 150^th birthday, I realize there are many reasons to be thankful for you…

Thank you for welcoming my people with open arms during our most vulnerable of times. Thank you for allowing 110 orphaned boys of the Armenian Genocide to come to Georgetown, Ontario, in what became known as “Canada’s Noble Experiment”—your first humanitarian act on an international scale. Thank you for bringing over an additional 40 orphaned Armenian girls and for making the story of the Georgetown Boys and Girls an integral part of your evolution into a country known worldwide as a humanitarian and peace-keeping leader.

Thank you for being a nation that accepts people from all over the world and from all walks of life with open arms, where they are able to practice all aspects of their culture freely and openly. Thank you for allowing my community to thrive and to flourish over the past century. Thank you for allowing us to build our community centers, schools, churches, and organizations, which have produced generations that speak our language and uphold our people’s customs and traditions.

Thank you for giving the world Atom and Arsinée, Raffi and his banana phone, Karsh, Bayrakdarian, and so many other countless national treasures of Armenian heritage.

Thank you for recognizing the plight of my people—for courageously acknowledging the Armenian Genocide despite much pressure not to do so. And thank you for unyieldingly reaffirming your commitment to human rights and justice year after year.

Thank you for acknowledging that your own history has had dark moments and for being a moral example to the rest of the world by apologizing for them. Thank you for looking back at the Chinese head tax; the internment of Ukrainian, Japanese, and Italian Canadians during the WWI and WWII; the turning away of boats of Jewish, Punjabi, and other refugees; your history of slavery; and the longtime government policy of taking aboriginal children away from their families and cultures, in regret and shame. Thank you for proving that admitting past wrongs is not only the right thing to do, but is the only way to be true to yourself.

Thank you for allowing your people to protest peacefully and to stand for something they believe in—a fundamental freedom guaranteed in your Charter.

Thank you for your recent, warm welcoming of Syrian refugees—yet another honorable example to the rest of the world. Thank you for continuing your international humanitarian tradition, which began over a century ago, and for offering and providing refuge not only to the people of Syria, but to all people in dire straits.

And finally, thank you for passionately defending the rights of all your citizens, regardless of race, cultural heritage, ethnicity, religion, ancestry, place of origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. Thank you for truly regarding diversity as a national asset and for ensuring that a multicultural, integrated, and inclusive citizenship will be every Canadian’s inheritance.

I may be not be there physically, but you’re always in my heart.

Here’s to you, Canada… 150 has never looked so good!

– Rupen Janbazian,
Watertown, Mass. 

Backs Resolution Calling for Turkish Acknowledgement of Armenian Genocide

WASHINGTON—Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.), a decades-long outspoken advocate of justice for the Armenian Genocide, has cosponsored bipartisan Senate legislation condemning that crime and calling for an end to international complicity in the Turkish government’s denial, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

‘All countries should recognize the horrific genocide that occurred 102 years ago to the Armenian people,’ said Senator Schumer. (Photo: ANCA)

“All countries should recognize the horrific genocide that occurred 102 years ago to the Armenian people,” said Senator Schumer. “It is my sacred duty to speak out against the terrors of the past and against those who cannot speak of it themselves and that’s why I am a proud co-sponsor of this Senate resolution. I stand with the worldwide Armenian community in labeling the atrocities against the Armenian people as genocide.”

S.Res.136 was introduced by Senator Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) with the bipartisan support of Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX), Ed Markey (D-MA), and Tom Udall (D-NM) earlier this year on April 24th, the international day of commemoration of the Ottoman Turkish Government’s murder of over 1.5 million Armenians from 1915-1923.  The resolution calls on the President to “work toward an equitable, constructive, stable, and durable Armenian-Turkish relationship that includes the full acknowledgment by the Government of the Republic of Turkey of the facts about the Armenian Genocide.” It goes on to urge that “the foreign policy of the United States reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity concerning issues related to human rights, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing, and genocide documented in the United States record relating to the Armenian Genocide.”

Other cosponsors of the measure include Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Cory Gardner (R-Colo.),  Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

“Since before he joined Congress, during his tenure representing Brooklyn as a U.S. Representative, while a rank and file Senator from New York, and now as Minority Leader of the world’s greatest deliberative body, Chuck Schumer has remained true to his principles – consistently commemorating the Armenian Genocide, relentlessly seeking official American remembrance of this atrocity, and openly challenging Turkey’s efforts to obstruct justice for this crime,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.  “We join with friends of Armenia and anti-genocide advocates from across New York and around America in thanking Senator Schumer for his support, and in encouraging the Senate leadership to move this measure to a vote.”

Each year, Senator Schumer joins with Armenian Americans from across the East Coast in commemorating the Armenian Genocide at a rally in Times Square.  His remarks at the April 23, 2017, event, videotaped by Parev-TV,  are available on the ANCA Facebook page and below.

Travelers to Armenia visit our beautiful churches, fortresses, archaeological sites, and scenic vistas in Armenia’s mountains and valleys. But other venues can bring visitors closer to Armenian life and traditions. These are the numerous village celebrations, commemorations, and festivals of both religious and secular origin.

Unseen Armenia: Armenia’s Festivals (Photos: Hovsep Daghdigian)

Some of these include…

The Berd Berry and Honey Festival

(Photo: Hovsep Daghdigian)

The city of Berd is in mountainous Tavush province, northeast Armenia, the center of a region called Shamshadin—an Arabic name which retains popular usage. Many of the villages to the east of Berd are perilously close to the border with Azerbaijan.

(Photo: Hovsep Daghdigian)

A church service at Berd’s Surb Hovhannes Church (consecrated 2014) was officiated by Der Aram Mirzoyan from Berd, and Der Dajad Davidian, the former pastor of St. James Church in Watertown, Mass. The badarak was mostly attended by women and children with few young or middle-aged men present. The choir was magnificent, with solo parts of the Mass sung by an immensely talented 14-year old young lady. Part way though the badarak, there was the shuffle of feet outside the church. In came soldiers, dressed in their fatigues, apparently done with their shift of securing the nearby border. Immediately, many of the children present went to be with the soldiers who were perhaps their fathers or older brothers.

(Photo: Hovsep Daghdigian)

At a large field on the edge of town, booths were set up offering local handicrafts and foods. By the time I completed my visits to the booths, trying to decide which delicacies to select for my lunch, I was full from all the free samples I was offered! I did actually buy some food as well, and also bought a number of jars of local honey for ourselves and friends back in the U.S. The festival included Armenian music, with young people dancing. Der Aram and Der Dajad together blessed our soldiers who gathered in a group. There was a dance dedicated to our soldiers as well.

This was not part of the festival, but Der Aram accompanied us to a visit to a nearby military compound. At the compound’s entrance, two armed sentries looked inside our car. When they saw Der Aram, both sentries snapped to attention, saluted, and opened the gate. Such is the respect Der Aram has earned. During a brief talk with the local commander I asked, “What message do you have for the diaspora?” “Tell them that we are not fighting for this or that political party. This is our land. We will fight to defend it,” he said.

(Photo: Hovsep Daghdigian)

The Dolma Festival

Since 2011, the Dolma Festival has been held in various sites around Armenia. In 2013, my wife and I attended the festival at the Sardarabad Museum and Memorial, the site of the victorious battle which, together with the victories at Bash Aparan and Karakilise, saved Armenia from extinction in 1918.

Master chefs from around Armenia produced some of the most amazing Armenian dishes I’ve ever tasted. There were dolmas stuffed with fish, and dolmas wrapped with the grape leaves still attached to lengths of vine—as if the dolma itself was growing on the vine. Present were then U.S. Ambassador John Heffern, wandering from booth to booth with his wife, chatting with the chefs and enjoying the food. There were dance groups from local schools, and live Armenian music featuring a group of bagpipe players (parkapzuk). I believe this instrument was more popular in medieval times, but it seems to be making a slight comeback.

(Photo: Hovsep Daghdigian)

(Photo: Hovsep Daghdigian)

(Photo: Hovsep Daghdigian)

Vardavar–Christian Feast of Transfiguration

It’s hard to miss Vardavar since just about wherever you are, someone is likely to drench you with water, and it’s all perfectly acceptable on this day. This once pagan festival was transformed into a Christian feast, but it retains some of its pre-Christian tradition.

(Photo: Hovsep Daghdigian)

Getting doused is not bad, as Vardavar is usually in July; it’s usually hot, and you may welcome a drenching as long as your camera stays dry. But to get a flavor of the pagan aspects, it’s best to visit the Garni temple. There, pagan priests offer their blessings to bread, apricots, flowers, and especially water, all of which are important to life and are distributed to attendees. There is, of course, Armenian music and dancing, and a spectacular view of the Garni temple and the valley below.

(Photo: Hovsep Daghdigian)

(Photo: Hovsep Daghdigian)

Navasard

Navasard is the start of the ancient Armenian New Year, which is on Aug. 11. This commemorates the date that Hayk and his comrades, escaping the tyrant Bell’s tyranny, fled north to the Armenian highlands. As Bell approached, Hayk’s powerful arms let fly an arrow which passed through Bell, killing him instantly. Hayk established himself and his family in Armenia, in what Armenians call Hayots Tsor. Hayk’s descendants, Armenians, are called Haykazunk. This, according to Armenian tradition, was in 2492 B.C.

Again, for a pagan celebration of this pre-Christian holiday, visit Garni. Alternatively, there is usually a ceremony at the statue of Hayk on the highway in the Nor Nork district of Yerevan. A taxi driver can easily take you there.

The Raspberry (Aznavamori) Festival

(Photo: Hovsep Daghdigian)

The 2016 Raspberry Festival took place in Ashotavan, near Sisian in Syunik province. There were many craft and food booths from the various villages in the region, as well as booths set up by a number of NGOs operating in Armenia. Authentic Armenian music was provided by musicians playing traditional instruments such as the kamancha, kanoon, duduk, and zurna, with dance groups comprised of dancers of various ages from young children to young adults. Besides the music, there was the performance of a tightrope walker, a traditional Armenian art form, in which the performer on his tightrope seemed to levitate above the mountains of Syunik on the horizon.

(Photo: Hovsep Daghdigian)

The Sheep Shearing Festival

In June 2017, the village of Khot hosted a “Sheep Searing Festival.” Khot, in Syunik province, is not far from Sisian and is next to Shinuhayr, the departure point for the aerial tramway ride to the Tatev Monastery. Various village crafts were demonstrated; foods such as pickles, preserves, and pastries were for sale. For those who wanted to get out of the sun for a spell, there was a restaurant at one end of the field. Music, both Armenian and non-Armenian, was provided with many of the young people dancing.

(Photo: Hovsep Daghdigian)

The highlight of the festival, however, was the sheep shearing contest. Representatives of various villages competed to see who was best. Criteria for the best sheep shearer was not only time, but the wool had to be completely removed from the sheep, and the sheep must not be injured with cuts or nicks. Attendees from various villages loudly cheered for the shearer from their village. During the hot summer months, sheep will naturally shed their wool if not removed by their keepers.

(Photo: Hovsep Daghdigian)

***

Armenia’s festivals provide a unique opportunity for visitors to interact informally with Armenian culture and traditions. I believe the Armenian Ministries of Culture and Tourism should do more to promote information about such events, including village celebrations, festivals, and cultural performances (Armenian cultural performances, please, not more amateur western noise pollution). This should be done early each year, in time for visitors to plan their trips. Listings should include all events throughout Armenia and Artsakh and not just in or around Yerevan.

How about the two ministries cited above, working with tour agencies, getting on board with this?

By Varak Ketsemanian and Raffy Ardhaldjian

Special to the Armenian Weekly

May 28 just passed and Armenians celebrated Republic Day—the holiday that commemorates the day when Armenia became a republic and a reference to the first modern Armenian state of 1918 since the loss of Armenian statehood in 1375.

A demonstrations in Yerevan in the late 1980s (Photo: Ruben Mangasaryan)

This year marked the 99 years of independence for Armenia. While it is a small blip in our long history, it is an important milestone to critically reflect on. It was an attempt at establishing both a physical Armenian statehood and the best government possible at the time.

Since then, also in 2017, Armenia just passed through historic Parliamentary Elections that transitioned the country into a parliamentary democracy enshrined by Armenia’s new constitution. While the elections were at times tainted by instances of vote-buying and interference, technical solutions and procedures to address voting irregularities and fraud seemed to have improved election standards as Armenia limps in its post-Soviet transition. While most diasporan communities were busy campaigning for the movie The Promise, an unprecedented conference took place in Yerevan in April, addressing a political vision that has recently gained momentum in Armenia’s political parlance—namely “Azg-Banak” (A Nation in Arms/Das Volk In Waffen).

Against this backdrop, there seems to be misdirected anger, much confusion, and some apathy within the nation globally as it transitions into its next century of post-genocide collective future and faces the challenges of stable and sustainable statehood.

In this article, the authors aim to address some key questions for Armenian political thought in the 21^st century. What does May 28th evoke in Armenians 26 years after Armenia became an independent country? Is it the century old Turkish-Azeri existential threat as demonstrated in populist nationalism that underlies modern Armenian identity? Is Armenia a failed state? Or does it trigger even deeper issues like Armenia’s transitional struggles from “post-Soviet” to being an “Armenian state” as Armenians face the challenges of statehood?

Both authors matriculated in the Lebanese-Armenian community, where May 28th was always a favorite holiday, as it evoked a sense of hope and rebirth. At the Hamazkayin Palandjian Djemaran Lyceum of Beirut (where both authors went to school), generations of Armenian public intellectuals were educated, including Dr. Vartan Grigorian (President of the Carnegie Foundation). Statues of previous principals Levon Shant (Vice Chairperson of the Parliament of the First Republic) and Simon Vratsian (the last Prime Minister of the First Republic of Armenia) were constant reminders of hope for diasporan generations. Intellectual discourse in this “exilic nationalist” context[1] often addressed “Armenian values” as youth interacted with leaders of the First Republic like Garo Sasouni and others.

A 1994 Armenian postage stamp dedicated to the 125th Anniversary of the birth of Levon Shant (1869-1951)—Vice Chairperson of the Parliament of the First Republic

The sense of hope that the founding fathers of the republic were able to achieve stands in contrast in many ways to today’s reality. The future of Armenian attempts at statehood is frankly unclear to many in the diaspora. The Armenian pursuit of nationhood and statehood seems to have followed a thorny path since the 1860s—a path that included genocide, Sovietization, Bolshevik terror in the 1930s, huge losses in World War II, and recently blockade and war with Azerbaijan.

But things worsened for the Armenian republic since 1991, as one third of Armenian’s population left the homeland, mostly as a result of the de-industrialization of the national economy and increasing unemployment rates.  In the various communities of the diaspora, on the other hand, Armenian identity seems to be facing assimilation, and some drift into once familiar ethno-religious identities and communities. A phenomenon, nowadays much accelerated by technology and globalization, turning communities into various local sub-cultures, and away from the Armenian “collective agency” of the post-genocide generation.

It seems that humanity and globalizations are providing more communion to Armenians than the nascent nation state itself and global Armenians seem to be drifting towards local ethnic commitments rather than genuinely multi-local diasporic engagements[2]. Ethnics differ from diasporics in the fact that their perspectives are not “multilocal” and do not link their local identity with their imagined relationships with other Armenians elsewhere as well as the homeland. Armenians also seem to be moving passively into the realm of “individual agency” as more are able to work globally in more places. But is humanity too large and too diverse to provide meaningful communion to the members of the small Armenian nation? Are local ethno-religious communities enough to counter transnational liberalism & multicultural pressures? Are “paper Armenians” without any political attachment (inside and outside Armenia) enough to further develop a nation state after 100 years of statehood?  While it is hard to envision a perfect society, we feel it is appropriate to bring up key questions on Armenian society in the aftermath of Republic Day.

Ideologically speaking, looking at Armenian nationalism of the last quarter century, we feel that by itself, it has mostly been insufficient to create the key objectives of an ideology for a nation-state. Mainly, Armenian nationalism has been unable to:

• Create a sustainable national economy;
• Create proper governance that integrates communities and regions of Armenia outside of Yerevan and the diaspora(s);
• Create a minimal national political culture (a system of common values and Armenian worldviews) and identification for the entire nation, including the diaspora(s);
• More fundamentally, we feel it failed at creating efficient governance that responds to citizen needs. One that learns from others in devising policies and uses data and scenarios in its long term planning and execution.

In a larger context, while the language of the Armenian “transnation”[3] and now the “Global Armenian” (by the likes of Ruben Vardanian among others ) is employed to describe or evoke new identities, in fact there seems to be no substantive collective, national identity that can be the source of mobilization and “collective agency” in the face of crises or a national vision.

We feel that the only real rallying cry came in April 2016 during the four day April War as worldwide Armenians  felt a familiar existential threat for a brief period. The globalization of Armenians today might require reconstructing new principles to motivate the nation’s “best and brightest “within and outside the homeland. It might require multifocal identities linking them to their locality and the homeland, combining transboundary, cross-border culture, politics and democracy, and encompassing a larger segment of Armenians than the ever shrinking two million citizens of Armenian (35% of whom seem to be trapped in post-soviet poverty) or any tiny ethno-religious community of the diasporan sub-cultures.

The authors believe that an alternative to the existing ideological void could be the gradual development of civic forms of Armenian constitutional patriotism as a value system within the nation state and its diasporas.  What does patriotism mean?  According to Ron Paul (a U.S. populist ideologue). “A patriot is an individual who is also willing to stand up against one’s own government if need be when the government is wrong.” In the case of Armenian identity, the attachment to the homeland will need not only be triggered when external threats exist, but also guided with deep common social values that can provide a more cohesive platform for effective and inclusive work. We call it the “Armenian value stack.”

We argue here that Armenian political thought in general should recast itself as a defender to an “Armenian values stack” in the fast changing realities of the 21^st century.  Political scientist Irina Ghaplanyan would call this “meaning creation”[4] which could also signify articulating what the new processes and institutions of nation building development would entail beyond a normative understanding. If the Armenian modern nation is going to revive past its post-Soviet identity  as the primary political vehicle to sustain the trans-nation going forward and differentiate it from the alternatives of migration, then at a minimum better definitions of “meaningful Armenian values and a sense of destiny” need to be articulated by Armenian political thought.

In this context, we feel that these values should contain much more than what’s being omitted from modern Armenian nationalism; these values need to go beyond just ethnic traditions and ritualistic religious norms (yes, our church is ritualistic and not necessarily spiritual) and address relevant economic and social policies that impact Armenian citizens and diasporans the way other small nation states like the Nordic countries, Singapore, and even Dubai have done.

What has been omitted from populist liberal nationalist narrative today is Armenian society’s deep social, structural and institutional issues. These include the crackdown on civil society, Armenian women’s issues, and most importantly financial inequality and the cause of the poor.

The other aspect in today’s Armenia that troubles the authors is Armenia’s neo-liberal elite’s often-ferocious sense of entitlement (including the self-serving diasporan ones) that views Armenia as a personal canvas and experimentation zone. Increasingly, we are seeing “non-inclusive elitist and often exclusive tendencies” in all aspects of societal life ranging from education to culture and business.  It is as if the elite has imposed its own cast system on society between the haves and have-nots.  The haves feel entitled to control politics, business, country governance as well as the attempts at designing/institutionalizing how a future Armenia will look like and operate. And the rest are expected to serve in the Army, perform sideline cheers, act as the help/workers, or be miserably poor.  The authors are less worried about relative differences in economic equality here, and more about fairness articulated through, institutional efficiency and opportunity.

The First Republic of 1918, ruled for a brief period by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) as a “center left party” at the time, was not the monopoly of a single party or societal class in the context of its times. It can be argued that it actually was a progressive bastion in many ways—it had the first ever woman ambassador in the history of modern diplomacy, Diana Abgar. We will not begin to comment on women’s rights in Armenia today, since much has come out in media recently.  We feel we have collectively regressed.

Diana Abgar

Practically speaking, the authors believe that the next Armenian ideological war will not be fought on nationalistic battlefields or even in the hearts and minds of Armenians. It will be fought with cold, hard facts delivering answers to questions like if Armenia’s economy can deliver growth and if impoverished citizens have a chance to rise from poverty based on their merit. Citizens will look at how efficient the allocation of labor and capital in Armenia are, and if the rules of the game are stable enough to encourage growth and a better future for their offspring. Otherwise, they will emigrate. This is a reason for Armenian political minds to make essential services like the education system work better, and not leave it to chance. For instance, children born in the regions outside of Yerevan today will enter the workforce much less prepared than those of the elite in Yerevan.

The Declaration of State Sovereignty of Armenia (1990) which included 12 statements, and which later served as the “basis for the development” for the Armenian Constitution until today, does not seem to reflect the “Armenian value stack.”  Outside of the nation state, we feel that most trans-state Armenian institutions, including the church and others, are not in sync with the times and failing to sustain the “feeling of communion” and common bonds between the nation as a whole and the homeland.

A man sits outside a lean-to he calls home outside of Yerevan. (Photo: Tom Vartabedian)

A girl holds her cat in an impoverished part of Dilijan (Photo: Raffy Ardh

In such an environment, narrow Armenian nationalist political ideology merely based on ethno-religious identities of a small nation that wants sovereignty and self-governance, is becoming increasingly ineffective in the complex dynamics of the 21st century.  In the post-Cold War era, Armenians dreamed of a “new world order,” in which the spread of democracy and work ethic would automatically bring about a free, independent, and prosperous Armenia. That dream seems to be over, and a long road towards much needed development lies ahead if Armenians want to face up to the challenges of statehood.

In 2017, the Republic of Armenia officially shifted into a parliamentary democracy like most European countries. Yet the political spectrum (along the left–right axis) in Armenian life leaves much to be desired for and has room for further development.  For instance, despite the presence of the ARF in the government, the party’s left wing ideology has hardly been felt in Armenia in the last 25 years. Calls for social justice by the ARF have not been backed by redistributive social and economic policy action. A recent a study commissioned by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung shows most Armenian youth are firmly on the socialist end of the spectrum.[5]  Similarly, other key issues, such as feminist and green ideologies, have not yet found their proper place in the Armenian left–right political spectrum

While Armenians throughout the world get ready to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Republic next year, a lot remains to be done to be true to the spirit of the founding fathers of the 1918 Republic beyond the usual commemorative efforts and statue erecting ceremonies. Just like Aram Manoukian, who is widely regarded as the founder of the First Republic of Armenia, “forged an army from disheartened men,”[6] today’s challenges in Armenia require similar political will and resourceful minds.

The coat of arms of the First Republic of Armenia

We would like to end with a quote from a blog post of the late Allen Yekikian. “Years ago amid the chaos of the First World War and the turmoil of genocide, a small but resilient people drew on their legendary past for strength as they made their last stand for freedom at the gates of Sardarabad. At stake was their very survival.”[7]

Today almost a century later, at stake is the survival of the very Armenian state. This time its security is not only threatened by the Turkish-Azeri axis (and Russian geopolitics)—it is also threatened by the vacuum in Armenian political values and the lack of an Armenian worldview that connects Armenian identity with the state as we continue facing the challenges of statehood. Reversing these trends will require nothing less than a moral renaissance in Armenian life. Armenians need to develop a passion for righteous discontent with the status quo if a collective state is of any importance.

Two-hundred thousand years ago, humans originated in Africa and expanded through migration and evolution into the Armenian plateau and beyond.  That evolution is still constantly at work as global migration and adaption figures show.  The amount of information that comes into our brains today in one day exceeds what the average Armenian experienced throughout the 19^th and early 20^th centuries.  It seems that the path forward in statehood will require that Armenians refine a clear, differentiated positioning to give their nation state an advantage in attracting investment, business and tourism, and in building markets for its exports. Most importantly, it will require Armenians to further define the principles of “the Armenian dream” so that the Armenian identity provides “meaningful communion” in the context of a challenged nation state when many alternatives exist. For instance, the Nordic countries with a population of only 26 million provide a strong example of a collective “value stack” that has been evolving and adapting to modern life.  Many that choose to live there do so partly because they like the “Scandinavian Dream.”

Liberal or populist nationalism cannot simply be the answer to Armenia’s statehood challenges. There is the urgent need to dig deeper in the midst of the intellectual crisis as Armenian ethno-national identity continues to adapt and evolve. “Mer Hayrenik,” the national anthem of the Republic of Armenia in 1918, was re-adopted as the anthem of the newly-independent state in 1991. Today, it is practically an element of civic education in Armenia and the diasporas.  For it to provide meaningful communion to the Armenian trans-nation for generations to come, it will need to continue to evoke a deep sense of patriotism and devotion to not only a geography and an ancient culture, but increasingly to novel civic values of a modern and efficient Armenian society.

***

This is the first article in a series dedicated to the 100th Anniversary of Armenian statehood.

Varak Ketsemanian is a frequent contributor to Aztag Daily, Asbarez and Armenian Weekly. He is currently a PhD student at Department of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University

Raffy Ardhaldjian is a finance/technology professional and diasporan Armenian political thinker with an engaged history in social entrepreneurship in Armenia since independence. He holds graduate degrees from the Fletcher School of law and diplomacy and the University Of Chicago Booth School Of Business.

Notes 

[1] Tölölyan, Khachig. “From exilic nationalism to diasporic transnationalism”. The Call of the Homeland: Diaspora Nationalisms, Past and Present, co-edited by Allon Gal, Athena Leoussi, and Anthony Smith, Brill (The Netherlands, 2011).

[2] Tölölyan, Khachig. “Rethinking Diasporas,” Diaspora: a journal of transnational studies, Volume 5, Number 1. pp. 16-7.

[3] Tölölyan, Khachig. ”Elites and Institutions in the Armenian Transnation,” Diaspora: a journal of transnational studies, Volume 9, Number 1. pp. 1-16.

[4] Ghaplanyan, Irina. personal communication, (Feb 1, 2017).

[5] “Independence Generation Youth Study 2016 – Armenia”. Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (Yerevan, 2016)

[6] Tsarukyan, Andranik. “Tught Ar Yerevan” (“Letter to Yerevan”) 6^th ed. Hairenik (Boston, 1954). pp. 22-23.

[7] Excerpt from the blog May 28: At stake was the survival of a nation (May 28 2008)

Azerbaijani Military Post Damaged, Servicemen Killed in Response to Heavy Shelling of Armenian Positions

STEPANAKERT, Artsakh (A.W.)—In the evening of July 4, the Artsakh Ministry of Defense announced that Artsakh Defense Army forces had responded to Azerbaijan’s shelling of Armenian positions earlier in the evening. According to a statement issued by the Artsakh Ministry of Defense, the Azerbaijani side suffered human losses and a military post in the Azerbaijani village of Alghanlu was damaged.

Artsakh Armed Forces (Photo: Artsakh Defense Ministry)

Earlier in the evening, the Artsakh Defense Ministry announced that the Azerbaijani side had violated the ceasefire along the Artsakh-Azerbaijan Line of Contact (LoC) using TR-107 rocket launchers. In the statement, the Ministry also called for the attention of relevant international bodies regarding the incident and warned Azerbaijani forces that the response would be disproportionate.

Shortly after the incident, Azerbaijani media outlets reported that three Artsakh servicemen had been killed. The Artsakh Defense Ministry released a statement on July 5 refuting the Azerbaijani claim. “Unlike the Azerbaijani side, the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Artsakh is committed to transparency and it regularly provides information on the incidents taking place, whereas disinformation by the adversary is directed exclusively to a domestic audience,” a part of the statement read.

In the morning of July 5, the Artsakh Defense Ministry published a video showing Azerbaijan’s use of the TR-107 rocket launcher. According to the time schedule fixed on the screen, the Armenian side began firing at 8:31 p.m. on July 4, after several fire-strikes by Azerbaijani forces.

The Ministry also released an audio recording of a conversation between members of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, which they said proves the retaliatory fire targeted the Azerbaijani position. “Azerbaijan habitually deploys its posts inside settlements, turning civilians into human shields,” read a part of the statement, which was released along with the recording.

On July 5, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Tigran Balayan said in a tweet that in order to prevent further Azerbaijani provocations and losses, Baku must agree to implement the Vienna and St. Petersburg agreements. “To continue provocations on the LoC, Azerbaijan’s [President] is blocking the establishment of investigation mechanism of incidents,” Balayan also tweeted.

In his annual congratulatory message to the President of the United States on U.S. Independence Day, Armenian Presdient Serge Sarkisian stressed that the active engagement of the U.S. will contribute to a lasting resolution of the Artsakh conflict. “…I cannot understate the importance of the contribution by the United States, as a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, to promoting peace in the southern Caucasus. I am convinced that the active engagement of the United States, alongside with the other co-chair countries—Russia and France—would contribute to the desirable outcome—a peaceful and lasting resolution to the Nagorno-Karabagh conflict,” read a part of his message.

2017 Armenian Youth Federation Senior Olympic Games, Hosted by the AYF-YOARF Racine “Armen Garo” Chapter, to Take Place in Downtown Milwaukee

The supreme aim (mission) of the Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) is to aid the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) in the establishment of a united, free, and independent Armenia on the historical territories of the Armenian homeland.  The AYF could not accomplish their mission without financial support and the AYF Olympics provides 40% of that support through the souvenir ad book and the weekend dances.  And you can’t have dances without the bands!

This year’s Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) Olympic Games are here in Downtown Milwaukee and hosted once again by the AYF-YOARF Racine “Armen Garo” chapter, Aug. 31-Sept 4.

The weekend dances kick off Friday evening at 8 p.m. with the joint Alumni Reception and AYF Dance featuring Chicago’s own Hye Vibes. The Hye Vibes were founded in 2004 by original members John Paklaian on dumbeg and vocals and AYF Boston “Siamanto” alum John Harotian on clarinet.  Harotian named the band to reflect both the heritage and cool style of play of this group. AYF Detroit “Kopernik Tandourjian” alum Mark Gavoor on oud and vocals and Kraig Kuchukian on keyboards make up the rest of the band. The Hye Vibes perform mostly in the Chicago area and Southeastern Wisconsin. The Hye Vibes will be joined for this evening by Stepan Fronjian on kanun and vocals. Fronjian is a pillar in the St. Hagop Armenian Church community in Racine and an accomplished musician on a variety of instruments.  Fronjian was a member of the famous Five Fingers Band that played Armenian, continental, and rock music in Beirut during the 1970s.

Following in the footsteps of former AYF bands such as Masis, Michael Gostanian, and Aravod Ensembles is the reigning AYF band, Yerakouyn, who take over from the Hye Vibes at 12 midnight.  Brothers Shant and Raffi Massoyan from New Jersey have been friends with Raffi Rachdouni from Providence going back to their days as campers at Camp Haiastan.  However, it was not until the 2010 AYF Senior Seminar that the brothers realized that Raffi Rachdouni was also a musician and using a dumbeg, mini electric guitar, and keyboard, they had their first jam session.  The magic was immediate!  The trio combines ancient, authentic Armenian instruments with beloved songs and modern technologies to help broadcast sounds that might otherwise be forgotten.  Yerakouyn has played in Rhode Island, Detroit, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts, New York, and Canada, and they are thrilled to play in Wisconsin for the first time.

The Saturday Night Spectacular starts at 9 p.m. featuring the amazing Kevork Artinian and Friends.  Anyone who was in New Jersey at last year’s AYF Olympics knows how spectacular Kevork Artinian and Friends are, as they blew the roof off the ballroom Saturday night and came back late Sunday night for an encore.  Although he has been singing for 15+ years throughout North America, including the ACAA Heritage Cruise, and the world, Kevork Artinian has become spectacular on the Saturday night of the AYF OIympics.  Originally from Lebanon and growing up in Montreal, love brought Kevork to Philadelphia to get married and, as fate would have it, meet drummer Jim Kzirian.  Kevork continues to work with one of the most amazing keyboardists, maestro George Tebrejian.  The three were later joined by Yerakouyn member Raffi Massoyan on saz and percussion and the legendary Steve Vosbikian on clarinet to create the unique ensemble that amazes audiences wherever they go.

The Saturday Night Spectacular continues after 2 a.m. with local DJ Angel Eyes.  Nationally and Internationally known for helping to coordinate the unofficial House Music meet up spot at the annual Winter Music Conference in Miami, DJ Angel Eyes’ niche is the Deep/Tech/Vocal side of House Music.  Her goal as a DJ is to play sets no matter what genre and she loves throwing down some DNB.  On this spectacular night, DJ Angel Eyes will mix in current radio hits to her House style.

The Sunday Night Grand Ball starts at 9 p.m. and featuring a new set of All Stars from Philadelphia led by vocalist Michael Gostanian.  Michael Gostanian and the Philadelphia All Stars includes some of this generation’s greatest musicians, coming together from various groups that have been entertaining audiences for 20+ years.  The band features…

…Michael Gostanian on vocals from New York

…Aram Hovagimian on keyboard and Jim Kzirian on dumbeg from Philadelphia’s Aravod Ensemble and Artzakh Band

…Antranig Kzirian on oud from the Aravod Ensemble and the Los Angeles rock band Viza

…David Hoplamazian on violin from the Michael Gostanian Ensemble and Philly Kef Band

…Christopher Vosbikian on dumbeg also from the Michael Gostanian Ensemble and third generation musician from The Fabulous Vosbikian Band

… Steve Vosbikian, Jr on clarinet from the Artzakh Band and also third generation musician from The Fabulous Vosbikian Band.

The Sunday Night Grand Ball continues after 2 a.m. with the return of DJ Angel Eyes.  On this final night, DJ Angel Eyes will debut mixing Armenian music into her House style for a once in a lifetime music experience.

The Sunday Night Grand Ball will be a special night of premiere performances and a night that you will not want to miss!

For more information, stay tuned to this column or go to www.ayfolympics.org, https://www.facebook.com/AYFOlympics/ or https://twitter.com/ayfolympics.

“Oor eh? Hos eh!”

Amnesty Secretary General Calls for Their Immediate and Unconditional Release

LONDON, U.K. (Amnesty International)—Idil Eser, the Director of Amnesty International Turkey, was detained on June 5 along with seven other human rights defenders and two trainers during a digital security and information management workshop in Büyükada, Istanbul.

Idil Eser (Photo: Amnesty International)

“We are profoundly disturbed and outraged that some of Turkey’s leading human rights defenders, including the Director of Amnesty International Turkey should have been detained so blatantly without cause,” said Amnesty International’s Secretary General Salil Shetty.

Shetty called the detention a “grotesque abuse of power” and said that the arrests highlight the dangerous situation facing human rights activists in Turkey. “Idil Eser and those detained with her, must be immediately and unconditionally released,” Shetty said.

“World leaders currently sitting in Hamburg have been remarkably tolerant of Turkey’s human rights meltdown. With President [Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan now in their midst, this would be a good time to speak out firmly and call for the release of all human rights defenders currently behind bars,” Shetty added.

The whereabouts of Idil Eser and the others detained alongside her are currently unknown.

Idil Eser and the other detainees, are understood to have been denied access to lawyers, which police are entitled to do for 24 hours, and the right to contact a family member, which must be granted immediately.

Police have told lawyers that they will be given information at 2: 30 p.m.

In addition to Idil Eser, the seven human rights defenders detained were: İlknur Üstün, Women’s Coalition, Günal Kurşun , lawyer, Human Rights Agenda Association, Nalan Erkem, Lawyer, Citizens Assembly, Nejat Taştan, Equal Rights Watch Association , Özlem Dalkıran, Citizens’ Assembly, Şeyhmuz Özbekli, lawyer, Veli Acu, Human Rights Agenda Association.

Two foreign trainers—a German and a Swedish national—as well as the hotel owner, were also detained.

“The United States is deeply concerned by the July 5, detention of prominent human rights defenders from Amnesty International Turkey and other respected institutions,” read a statement released by U.S. State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert. “As with past arrests of prominent human rights defenders, journalists, academics, and activists, we underscore the importance of respecting due process and individual rights, as enshrined in the Turkish Constitution, and consistent with Turkey’s own international commitments. As we have expressed on numerous occasions, persistent curbs on freedom of expression erode the foundations of democratic society. More voices, not fewer, are necessary in challenging times,” continued the statement.

The detentions come less than a month after Amnesty International’s Turkey chair, Taner Kiliç, was remanded in prison custody on baseless charges.

Special for the Armenian Weekly

Armenia is known for its ancient monasteries in the mountains, its historic brandy, and its warm-hearted hospitality—a small country in the southern Caucuses bridging Europe and Asia. It is a land of undiscovered natural beauty both above and below the ground.

Getting There

Most visitors to the country, fly into the capital city, Yerevan. Several reputable tour companies based in Yerevan offer rough-road and off-road touring and guiding.  Since I was traveling without equipment or transportation, DA Tours (Discover Armenia Tours) was an excellent choice to lead my personalized trip to one of the best caves in Armenia: Mozrov Cave.

Mozrov Cave along with Arjer (meaning “Bear”) Cave and several others in the area are located in the Vayots Dzor province, in the southern part of Armenia, located near the village of Areni, about a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Yerevan. A great way to enjoy the region is to stay at the Areni Wine Art Bed and Breakfast (options for lunch and dinner) with some of the tastiest home-cooked food in all of Armenia.  Its knowledgeable owner, David Simonyan is always eager to lead sightseeing and hiking trips in the area.

Mozrov Cave along with Arjer Cave and several others in the area are located in the Vayots Dzor province (Photo: Carolyn Rapkievian)

Mozrov Cave

Vladimir Grigoryan, owner of DA Tours, provided hard-hats, head-lamps, and flashlights and we turned off the Yerevanyan Highway near the village of Arpi, crossed the Arpa River and ascended a dirt road to around 1560 meters with spectacular views of the valley along the way.

Vladimir Grigoryan, owner of DA Tours, provided hard-hats, head-lamps, and flashlights (Photo: H. Tadevosyan/AMAP)

Mozrov Cave was discovered in 1965 during road construction. The entrance partially collapsed due to heavy snowfall in 2012 but the cave is still accessible. This karst cave is about 300 meters in length and is one of Armenia’s most decorated caves.

Mozrov Cave was discovered in 1965 during road construction. (Photo: Carolyn Rapkievian)

We carefully descended, slipping under the protective tin plates covering the entrance and sliding down the dry, loose rubble.  We soon encountered flowstone, stalactites, stalagmites and columns, pristine popcorn, cave coral, active soda straws, bacon-rind, and draperies.  I was heartened to discover that there was very little evidence of vandalism or damage.  The cave is ideal for intermediate-level recreational cavers on their own and novice cavers with a guide.

Mozrov Cave (Photo: H. Tadevosyan, AMAP)

Mozrov Cave (Photo: H. Tadevosyan, AMAP)

Mozrov Cave (Photo: H. Tadevosyan, AMAP)

Mozrov Cave (Photo: H. Tadevosyan, AMAP)

Mozrov Cave (Photo: H. Tadevosyan, AMAP)

Mozrov Cave (Photo: H. Tadevosyan, AMAP)

Underground and Beyond

Many other caves in Armenia are known for their historic and prehistoric habitation and religious uses. Nearby, in the Areni-1 cave complex, archeologists discovered the world’s oldest known shoe (5,500 years old) and the world’s earliest-known (6,100 years old) wine making. The human remains, fermentation vats, a wine press, and storage jars clearly point to a sacred religious use of the cave.  Tourists are not allowed in the cave but are welcome to explore the ancient cave settlement of Khndzoresk, located near the town of Goris and UNESCO World Heritage Site Geghard, a medieval monastery carved out of a mountain cave with a sacred spring that still flows inside the ancient sanctuary.

in the Areni-1 cave complex, archeologists discovered the world’s oldest known shoe (5,500 years old) and the world’s earliest-known (6,100 years old) wine making. (Photo: Carolyn Rapkievian)

Many of the local wineries still practice the ancient Armenian tradition of wine-making and are happy to take visitors to see their underground cellars–and of course celebrate a great day of caving with a toast!

Many of the local wineries still practice the ancient Armenian tradition of wine-making. (Photo: Carolyn Rapkievian)

MEP Kati Piri: ‘This Parliament Speaks with One, Clear, and Loud Voice in Condemning the Turkish Government’s Serious Decline in Democratic Standards…’

BRUSSELS, Belgium— Turkey’s European Union (EU) accession talks should be suspended if proposed changes to the constitution go ahead, as these go against EU membership criteria, warned Members of European Parliament (MEP) on July 6.

The resolution was approved by 477 votes to 64, with 97 abstentions.

The resolution was approved by 477 votes to 64, with 97 abstentions.

“MEPs are concerned about Turkey backsliding in the rule of law, human rights, media freedom, and the fight against corruption. They condemn the repeatedly declared support for the reintroduction of the death penalty by the Turkish President, which would put into question Turkey’s membership in the Council of Europe and lead to an immediate end of EU accession talks,” read a part of a report published by the European Parliament’s press service.

Taking note of the outcome of Turkey’s recent referendum and the expansion of presidential powers, the resolution calls on the EU Commission and the EU national governments “to formally suspend the accession negotiations with Turkey without delay if the constitutional reform package is implemented unchanged.”

MEPs also noted in their annual assessment of Turkey’s reform progress that 2016 was a difficult year for Turkey as a result of the war in Syria, the influx of refugees, a string of heinous terror attacks and a coup attempt. They condemned the coup attempt and expressed their solidarity with the people of Turkey, but at the same time condemned the Turkish government’s disproportionate response, resulting in large-scale dismissal of civil servants, the closing of media outlets, the arrest of journalists, judges and human rights defenders, and the closure of schools and universities.

The resolution also recognizes the importance of good EU-Turkey relations and maintaining a constructive and open dialogue. MEPs also supported upgrading the EU-Turkey Customs Union, asking for human rights and fundamental freedoms to be a part of a new agreement.

The European Parliament also called on Turkey to show active support for a rapid and successful conclusion to the negotiations and to start withdrawing its troops from Cyprus. “The European Parliament supports a fair, comprehensive, and viable settlement of the Cyprus problem, based on bi-communal and bi-zonal federation,” read a part of the report.

”This Parliament speaks with one, clear, and loud voice in condemning the Turkish government’s serious decline in democratic standards, and continues to support the Turkish population—millions of whom would like to continue to see the EU as an anchor for reforms in their country. Together with you [Turkish people] we hope “Adalet” (justice) will return to Turkey soon,” said MEP Kati Piri.

The European Parliament is planning to send an ad-hoc delegation to Ankara in the autumn with the aim of renewing parliamentary dialogue.

The procedure for suspending EU accession negotiations is set out in article 5 of the Negotiating Framework for Turkey. This stipulates that “in the case of a serious and persistent breach in Turkey of the principles of liberty, democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and the rule of law on which the Union is founded, the Commission will, on its own initiative or on the request of one third of the Member States, recommend the suspension of negotiations and propose the conditions for eventual resumption”.