MAY 28, 2016 Mirror-SpeTHE ARMENIAN ctator Volume LXXXVI, NO. 45, Issue 4439 $ 2.00 NEWS The First English Language Armenian Weekly in the United States Since 1932 INBRIEF Bundestag Armenian Genocide Deranian Publishes Story of First Armenian- Exhibit in Riga Museum American Millionaire, Hagop Bogigian Resolution RIGA, Latvia (Public Radio of Armenia) — On May 18, a permanent exhibition on the Armenian WORCESTER — Hagop Bogigian (1856- Genocide opened at the Riga Ghetto and Latvian By Aram Arkun 1931) was one of the early emigrants from On Armenian Holocaust Museum. Ottoman Armenia to the United States. This exhibition is a joint effort of the Riga Mirror-Spectator Staff Though penniless upon arrival in 1876, he suc- Ghetto, Baltic International Tolerance Center and ceeded beyond his own expectations in the ori- ‘Genocide’ the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute (AGMI). ental rug business in Boston, and became a millionaire. As a philanthropist, he The AGMI design group prepared the design and supported Armenian and non-Armenian causes. Is Imminent the AGMI has donated original exhibits. Dr. Hagop Martin Deranian, Bogigian’s great-nephew, has written a short biog- The work was assisted by a representative of the raphy of his relative titled Hagop Bogigian: Armenian American Pioneer and BERLIN (Deutsche Welle) — When Armenian community of Latvia, Mkhitar Philanthropist, published by the German Chancellor Angela Merkel met Mkhitaryan. AGMI Director Hayk Demoyan, the Armenian Cultural Foundation Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan leader of the Shamir congregation, Rabbi of Arlington, this year. This on Monday, May 23, she presumably had Menahem Barkahan, and representatives of the 115-page volume is richly illus- to deal with his anger at plans by a broad Armenian community of Latvia were present at the trated. The author has used Bundestag coalition to describe the crimes opening of the exhibition. personal family papers and of the Ottoman Empire against ethnic The event featured the ambassador of Israel to reminiscences, Bogigian’s own Armenians as “genocide.” For the first Latvia and the Patriarch of the Lutheran Church. published 1925 autobiography time, the conservative Christian Demoyan awarded the Franz Werfel medal to the (In Quest of the Soul of Democratic Union (CDU) and Christian Riga Ghetto Museum and the Fridtjof Nansen gold Civilization), and articles in Social Union (CSU) parties and center-left medal to Mkhitar Mkhitaryan. various newspapers and peri- Social Democrats and Greens look set to odicals to present the arc of make the nomenclature official. Aznavour Family to Bogigian’s life, stretching from There have been debates on the subject the town of Hussenig in the for years, and those ratcheted up in the Receive Tribute from Ottoman Empire to Boston. context of last year’s centenary of the During his long life, events that left more than a million Israel Bogigian interacted with Armenians dead or deported from the land NEW YORK (Public Radio of Armenia) — In a many notable individuals. The that would become Turkey. Bundestag recent meeting with the International Raul first customer of his rug store President Norbert Lammert and German Wallenberg Foundation (IRWF) was the poet Henry President Joachim Gauck have already representatives Mordecai Paldiel and Zvika Kichel, Wadsworth Longfellow, and used the term “genocide,” which provoked Charles Aznavour confirmed the riveting story of through him he came to protests from Ankara. However, several courage in which his late parents, Knar and Mischa, know many New England attempts to reach consensus on how to offi- as well as his sister Aida and himself, had played a intellectuals. Longfellow sent cially refer to the tragedy have been put off. key role during the dark days of the Nazi occupa- Harvard professor Charles German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter tion in France. see BOGIGIAN, page 20 Steinmeier remains skeptical as to whether Aznavour related how his parents gave shelter at the Bundestag’s likely position will be their own home to Jews, Armenians and others see BUNDESTAG, page 20 who were persecuted by the Nazis. The IRWF has resolved to set-up a special research team to further investigate the feats of the Turkish Parliament Chile Condemns Aggression of Aznavour family and at the same time, all the Board Members of the NGO have unanimously Approves Stripping decided to pay tribute to the Aznavours. Azerbaijan toward Nagorno-Karabagh In a letter signed by IRWF Chairman Eduardo Lawmakers of Eurnekian, and by its founder, Baruch SANTIAGO, Chile (Agencia Prensa strict observance of the truce signed by Tenembaum, Aznavour was greeted on his 92th Their Immunity Armenia) — The Chamber of Deputies of both countries in 1994” and “requests the birthday and told that there would be a commem- Chile issued a historic resolution which Government of Chile to urge the parties to orative stamp issued by the Israel Postal Authority ISTANBUL (New York Times) — passed unanimously that condemns the circumscribe the conflict settlement within with the pictures of Mischa and Knar Aznavour. Lawmakers from President Recep “armed attack of Azerbaijan on the the framework of the negotiations held in The second one is to award the Raoul Wallenberg Tayyip Erdogan’s governing party Nagorno Karabagh Republic,” on the Minsk Group, and thus avoiding a Medal to Aida and Charles Aznavour. pushed through an amendment to the Wednesday, May 18. The resolution, intro- regional explosion with unpredictable con- Eurnekian said, “The Aznavour family is an Turkish Constitution on Friday, May 20, duced by Deputies Gustavo Hasbun sequences.” example of decent people who did not stand idly by that would strip members of Parliament Selume, Issa Kort Garriga, Denise Pascal “What Azerbaijan is doing undoubtedly when faced with evil. His mother, Knar was a sur- of their immunity from prosecution, a marks a break not only of vivor of the Armenian Genocide and she under- move that is likely to lead to the ouster bilateral and international stood the plight of the Jewish people and all those of Kurdish deputies. relations, but a perma- who were brutally persecuted by Nazism. It is our After months of fierce debate — nent violation to the duty to recognize the heroism of the Aznavour fam- including a brawl in Parliament that left world peace and has to be ily and instill their spirit of civic courage in the one deputy with a dislocated shoulder condemned by the world, hearts and minds of young generations.” — 376 of the 550 deputies voted in a the citizenship and espe- secret ballot to approve the constitu- cially the countries like tional amendment, allowing it to pass ours, that feel some without a public referendum. Erdogan degree of brotherhood is certain to approve the change. with Armenia,” said INSIDE The contentious amendment was pro- Deputy Gustavo Hasbun posed after Erdogan called for members Selume, President of the of the Kurdish People’s Democratic Armenian-Chilean Group Party, or HDP, to face prosecution for of Friendship and the one Human alleged ties with Kurdish militants who who presented the pro- have carried out a three-decade-long ject, said in an interview. insurgency against Turkey. “This will allow Chile to Rights “This is a historic vote,” Erdogan Chilean Deputy Gustavo Hasbun Selume take a more active role in said on Friday, speaking in his home- defending the sovereignty Page 6 town, Rize, on the Black Sea coast. “My of individual countries.” people do not want to see guilty law- Allende, Aldo Cornejo Gonzalez and Jorge The deputy admitted that they received makers in this Parliament, especially Sabag Villalobos, sets a crucial precedent, pressures from Naciye Gökçen Kaya, the supporters of the separatist terror- since it is the first in South America that Ambassador of Turkey in Chile, so that INDEX ist organization.” condemns the attacks of Azerbaijan and this resolution could not be approved, like Arts and Living . 13 The HDP is the third-largest party in also call Nagorno-Karabagh a republic. the one approved last year, in which the Armenia . 2,3 Parliament with 59 seats; 50 of those The Chilean Chamber of Deputies “reaf- Chamber of Deputies of Chile sympa- Community News. 6 lawmakers face prosecution. Under the firms its commitment to peace and urges thized “with the Armenian nation con- Editorial . 18 International . 4,5 new amendment, they can be prosecut- the Republic of Azerbaijan for the immedi- demning the genocide of its people that ed for a number of charges, including ate cessation of all acts of war against the began in 1915.” see IMMUNITY, page 4 Republic of Nagorno-Karabagh and the see CHILE, page 5 2 S ATURDAY, M AY 2 8 , 2 0 1 6 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR ARMENIA News From Armenia Armenia, China Vow to Deepen Silk Road Offers Security, Anti-Terror Cooperation Expanded Market YEREVAN (RFE/RL) — A member of President Xi and Premier Li Keqiang. military ties between their nations. Opportunities the Chinese Communist Party’s deci- In a 5-page joint declaration released Their joint statement referred to “mutu- sion-making Politburo reportedly after their talks in Beijing, Xi and al visits by military delegations, training YEREVAN (ArmeniaNow) —The Silk Road project expressed China’s readiness to forge Sargsyan noted “mutual understand- of military personnel and provision of undertaken within the Eurasian Economic Union “even closer” links with Armenia when ing on issues relating to pivotal inter- military aid.” (EEU) could be a good opportunity for Armenia to he met with President Serzh Sargsyan ests and concerns of the two coun- China has trained Armenian army cooperate with China and for access to an inex- in Yerevan on Saturday. tries.” They also presided over the officers and supplied multiple-launch haustible market of that country, economist Tatul Meng Jianzhu, who is also the secre- signing of a dozen Chinese-Armenian rocket systems to Yerevan since the late Manaseryan told media Monday.