JUNE 4, 2016 Mirror-SpeTHE ARMENIAN ctator Volume LXXXVI, NO. 46, Issue 4440 $ 2.00 NEWS The First English Language Armenian Weekly in the United States Since 1932 INBRIEF At Least 4 Killed in Genocide Is Genocide: Views from Berlin Aleppo Rocket Attack ALEPPO (PanARMENIAN.Net) — At least four Stick to ‘Genocide’ Wording despite Turkey, people were killed and dozens more wounded as By Muriel Mirak- armed militants shelled the Armenian neighbor- Weissbach Armenia Urges Bundestag hood of Nor Kyugh in Aleppo, Kantsasar newspa- Special to the Mirror-Spectator per announced in a Facebook post, on May 30. REUTERS PHOTO BERLIN (DW) — Armenia’s president A total of eight rockets landed in the neighbor- has urged German politicians to brand hood on Sunday, May 29, causing a building to col- BERLIN — The resolution on the deaths in 1915 Ottoman Turkey as lapse. Armenian Genocide, long awaited by the “genocide” and to not be intimidated by Days earlier, the Armenian neighborhood fell Armenian community especially in the dias- Ankara. Turkey’s president and prime under a heavy rocket attack. pora, and long-feared by the Turkish estab- minister have both spoken out against The street where the Armenian nursing home is lishment, is set to be put to a vote on June the wording. (The Mirror-Spectator is situated was also bombarded. 2. As the Mirror-Spectator goes to press going to press before the June 2 vote.) One of the rockets landed on a building where an before that date, it is impossible to predict Serzh Sargsyan, Armenia’s president, Armenian family resided. Luckily, no human losses here how the proceedings will unfold and told Germany’s daily newspaper Bild on were registered in the region. what they will yield. What is possible, how- Wednesday that he was sure that The Armenian nursing home was seriously dam- ever, is to present the content of the reso- German lawmakers would adopt the aged; windows broke, some parts of the ceiling col- lution, based on a draft proposal leaked to wording submitted in a motion from lapsed. the press a few days before — a draft which Germany’s opposition Greens. as such is subject to changes in the course The draft resolution on Thursday’s Argentina’s Entre Rios of the actual debate — and to sketch the agenda of the Bundestag, Germany’s parameters of the political debate it has President Serzh Sargsyan lower house of parliament, contains the Province Recognizes unleashed. see WORDING, page 5 The unified text agreed upon by the par- Armenian Genocide liamentary factions of the Christian makes on the government. Christian communities, “especially the BUENOS AIRES (Prensa Armenia) — The Democratic Union/Christian Social Union The Bundestag honors “the victims of Aramaen/Assyrian and Chaldean province of Entre Rios in Argentina, on Tuesday, (CDU/CSU), Social Democratic Party the expulsions and massacres of the Christians.” It was a “systematic expulsion May 31 recognized the Armenian Genocide, approv- (SPD) and Green Party, is entitled, Armenians and other Christian minorities and extermination of over one million eth- ing a law adhering to the National Law 26199, “Remembering and Commemorating the of the Ottoman Empire which began over nic Armenians.” To characterize it as geno- which establishes every April 24 in Argentina as Genocide against the Armenians and other 100 years ago.” These “crimes of the then- cide, the text cites a formulation used last the “Day of Action for Tolerance and Respect Christian Minorities in 1915 and 1916.” In Young Turk government … led to the near year on April 24, 2015, by President between Peoples.” a series of premises, the Bundestag pre- total extermination of the Armenians in the Joachim Gauck, and repeated in the The Entre Rios Senate passed the adherence by sents its position before listing demands it Ottoman Empire” and victimized other see BERLIN, page 5 unanimous vote of those present “in commemora- tion of the Genocide that the Armenian people fell COMMUNIQUÉ: victim to and with the spirit that its memory is a permanent lesson in present and future.” ADL Reform and Unity Also on Tuesday, the Deputy Governor of Entre Rios and President of the Senate, Adan Humberto Movement Coordinator Bahl, along with other Senators met with Nicolas Nazerian Meets with Sabuncuyan and Jorge Dolmadjian, members of the Armenian National Committee of South America. Diaspora Minister “The meeting was extremely positive. In addition, Hakobian this will be the beginning of a way to work togeth- er with the province on human rights issues in var- YEREVAN – On May 31, Armenian ious fields,” said Dolmadjian. Democratic Liberal Party (ADL) leader The bill was filed on March 30, 2015 by deputy Vartan Nazerian, the chief coordinator of Maria Laura Stratta, who is now Minister of Social the ADL Reform and Unity Movement, met Development. On May 12, 2015 it obtained the ini- with Minister of the Diaspora of the tial approval in the Chamber of Deputies. Republic of Armenia Hranoush Hakobian “Ten years after the enactment of the law that in the latter’s office. They discussed devel- put Argentina in first place in the struggle for the opments in the various ADL regions and recognition of the Armenian Genocide, it is very exchanged views on methods of changing important that the representatives of the people of the existing situation. The minister repeat- Entre Rios decided to join that path,” said From left, School Director Galina Najarian; Eddy Bahadrian of Tekeyan Founders ed her desire to see the ADL reconstructed Sabuncuyan, director of the Armenian National Body; Dr. Hovig Vartanian, chairman of Vahan Tekeyan School Board of Trustees; and unified, and exhorted that no efforts Committee of Buenos Aires. Nar Khatchadourian, member of Tekeyan Founders Body and Mike Vayedjian, ADL should be spared to this effect. Nazerian The provinces that have joined the recognition Lebanon chairman revealed the viewpoints held by the law are: Buenos Aires, Catamarca, Chaco, Chubut, Reconstruction and Unity Movement and Córdoba, Corrientes, Jujuy, La Pampa, Misiones, himself, and presented his proposals. This Neuquen, Rio Black, San Juan, Santa Cruz, Santa Tekeyan Central Board Allocates $10,000 meeting concluded with the exchange of Fe, Santiago del Estero and Tierra del Fuego. To Vahan Tekeyan School in Beirut good wishes. BEIRUT – The Vahan Tekeyan School is located in the hub of the Armenian community in this vibrant city, in the Bourdj Hammoud neighborhood. Since the INSIDE inception of the school, the American- Armenian community has supported it generously. In the initial years, there were active Tekeyan School auxiliary Pops Night committees on the East Coast and West Coast of the US dedicated to fundrais- ing. The role was later relegated to the Central Board of the Tekeyan Cultural Page 14 Association of the US and Canada. With the deteriorating economic sit- uation in Lebanon, the school has fall- en on hard times. As an emergency measure, the Central Board allocated INDEX $10,000 in April 2016 through Nar Arts and Living . 14 Khatchadourian, member of Tekeyan Founders Body. Armenia . 2,3 The Tekeyan Board also has an ongoing program to support five Tekeyan Community News. 6 schools in Armenia and Karabagh, its Sponsor a Teacher, which raises $40,000 Editorial . 18 Diaspora Minister Hranoush Hakobian and International . 4,5 annually. Coordinator of the ADL Reform and Unity Movement Vartan Nazerian 2 S ATURDAY, J UNE 4 , 2 0 1 6 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR ARMENIA News From Armenia Kocharian Faults Russia Over MFA Official Says Karabagh Escalation Azerbaijan Destroys YEREVAN (RFE/RL) — Russia’s government for failing to thwart the Russians.]” Armenian Cultural large-scale arms sales to Azerbaijan Russian-Azerbaijani arms deals worth The ex-president claimed that the cur- changed the Armenian-Azerbaijani mili- an estimated $5 billion and to provide rent Armenian government could have Heritage tary balance and greatly facilitated the the Armenian armed forces with more also countered the “noticeable” superi- YEREVAN (Armenpress) — In an interview this April 2 outbreak of heavy fighting modern equipment that would have off- ority gained by Baku by providing the week, the head of the international organizations around Nagorno-Karabagh, former set the Azerbaijani military buildup. Armenian military with more, relatively department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of President Robert Kocharian said this “Everyone wanted to believe that the inexpensive equipment such as night- Armenia, Vahram Kazhoyan, said all Armenian cul- week. military alliance with Russia at least vision devices and radios. “The existing tural heritage presence has been destroyed in He also criticized Armenia’s current guarantees the maintenance of the mil- shortcomings must be immediately Nakhichevan, now an exclave of Azerbaijan. itary balance, namely Armenia’s and eliminated, and efforts are obviously According to him, Azerbaijan insists on saying that Karabagh’s security,” Kocharian said in being made in that direction,” he said. Armenia is preventing the formation of a fact-finding comments posted on his unofficial web- “But this has to be done at an institu- mission there. Three Senior Defense site, 2rd.am. “Before the implementa- tional level, not on a patriotic basis, as He said, “All allegations, which state that Armenia tion of [defense] contracts signed by was the case at the start of the [1988] is against the monitoring missions of historic-cultur- Ministry Officials Baku and Moscow in 2011 the balance Karabagh movement.” al monuments, including the fact-finding mission between the [conflicting] parties in “Volunteers must go to the frontlines within the UNESCO “Protection of Cultural Arrested on terms of the quality of weaponry was not spontaneously but be sent there by Property in the Event of Armed Conflict” Hague maintained.