MAY 14, 2011 MirTHE rARoMENr IAN -Spe ctator Volume LXXXI, NO. 42, Issue 4188 $ 2.00 NEWS IN BRIEF The First English Language Armenian Weekly in the United States Yovanovitch to Leave Shushi Armenia in June YEREVAN (Azg) — US Ambassador to Armenia Marie Yovanovitch will conclude her three-year tour, the US Embassy in Armenia reported on Anniversary May 5. Yovanovitch will return to Washington, DC to take up her new duties as deputy assistant sec - Marked retary for Northern and Central Europe at the US Department of State, in June. Sargisian Warns Azerbaijan France-based Against Hostile Moves Participants of Artsakh SHUSHI, Karabagh (RFE/RL) — President Serge Sargisian warned War Receive Honors Azerbaijan against attempting to resolve PARIS (Armenpress) — A medal ceremony for the Nagorno-Karabagh conflict by force on Armenian and Diaspora-Armenian participants of Monday as he visited the disputed territory the Artsakh War was held May 6 at the AGBU Alex to mark the 19th anniversary of a key Manoogian Cultural Center here. Armenian military victory. Ani Cathedral An official from the Armenian Foreign Affairs “We silenced, and if need be will silence Ministry said that Hayk Harutunyan, chairman again all those fire spots from where our of the Azatamartik military-patriotic benevolent World Monuments Fund to children and our parents were shot,” he NGO, former commander of the Sose Mayrik said in a written address to the nation. Detachment, gave the Azatamartik memorial “However, I hope that it will not be neces - order to six France-based participants of the Conserve Ani Cathedral sary: our troops, who are guarding peace of Artsakh War. Several participants received cer - our Fatherland, hold the greatest promise tificates from the NGO. NEW YORK (armradio.am) — Bonnie Burnham, president of the New York- that it will not happen again.” At the evening program, Prof. Richard based World Monuments Fund (WMF), has announced that WMF and the Sargisian issued the statement as he cel - Hovannisian, soon-to-be retired UCLA professor, Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism have embarked on a historic partner - ebrated the anniversary of the 1992 cap - delivered a talk. ship to conserve the Ani Cathedral and the Church of the Holy Savior. ture by Karabagh Armenian forces of Once the site of hundreds of religious buildings, palaces, fortifications and Shushi, Karabagh’s second largest town other structures, Ani was, in the 10th century, one of the world’s great cities. that was mostly populated by Azerbaijanis. Istanbul Court Annuls Today, however, it stands abandoned, and its celebrated historic buildings are The military operation led to the opening in a precarious state. of a land corridor between the disputed Demotion of Police see ANI, page 4 enclave and Armenia and thus proved cru - cial for the outcome of the 1991-1994 Chief over Failure to Karabagh war. Prevent Dink Murder A native of Karabagh, Sargisian was one of the top commanders of Karabagh ISTANBUL (PanARMENIAN.Net) — An adminis - see WARNING, page 2 trative court on Monday, May 9, annulled an ear - French Senate Drops lier Interior Ministry decision to demote Ramazan Akyürek, the former head of the National Police Department’s intelligence depart - Genocide Denial Bill ment, over his alleged negligence in protecting the late Turkish-Armenian journalist and Agos PARIS (RFE/RL) — The French Senate already allowed the state to counter pub - newspaper’s editor, Hrant Dink. has effectively rejected a bill that would lic denials of what it has declared was a Akyürek, who was at the helm of the intelli - make it a crime to publicly say the World genocide against Armenians. gence department at the time, was demoted by War I-era mass killings of Armenians in Baroin said France recognized the the Interior Ministry after allegations emerged Ottoman Turkey did not constitute geno - Genocide with a special law adopted in that he was among a number of police officers cide. 2001. “France continues to believe that who had failed to prevent the assassination of The bill — which was drafted by lawmak - [genocide] denialism is unacceptable in any the journalist despite having credible evidence ers from the opposition Socialist Party — form,” armenews.com quoted him as saying. that it was imminent. was adopted by the French lower house, the A standing committee of the Senate The Ankara 14th Administrative Court National Assembly, in 2006 amid vehement made similar arguments as it openly reviewed an appeal filed by Akyürek against his protests from the Turkish government. opposed the bill on May 4. The full cham - demotion and decided to annul the decision to But it also needs to be passed by the ber then voted 196 to 74 to block a formal demote the former police chief. The court said Senate, parliament’s upper house, in order debate on the issue. “there was no concrete evidence that required to become law. The move angered several hundred his demotion over allegations of negligence,” The French-Armenian community has French people of Armenian descent who Today’s Zaman reported. for years been trying to push the bill had gathered outside the Luxembourg Dr. Movses Housepian, a for - through the Senate, which is dominated Palace in Paris, the seat of the Senate, mer editor of the Armenian by supporters of President Nicolas during the debate. Mirror-Spectator , will be INSI DE Sarkozy. The effort has faced tacit resis - “It’s clear that the French Senate bowed remembered at the gala to tance from the government. to Turkish government pressure and sim - Spokesman Francois Baroin said on ply found an excuse not to adopt this law,” be held in New Jersey on May 4 that the government did not sup - Hratch Varjabedian, one of the organizers June 4, paying tribute to the port the draft law co-sponsored by three- of the demonstration, said. longevity of the newspaper. Illustrating dozen Socialist senators. Varjabedian said community leaders See story on page 10. He said existing French legislation see FRANCE, page 4 Possibilities page 13 New Reality in the Middle East in Wake of Revolts, Reforms and Religion Eroding Diasporas Cling to uprooted or altered the lives of many ras shed some light on the changing nature Traditions Armenians living in Middle Eastern of the Middle Eastern communities, once countries. From Iran to Lebanon, and home to the largest Armenian Diaspora. INDEX now Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq, com - Prof. Ara Sanjian, director of the Armenia . 2, 3 By Alin K. Gregorian munities that seemed well-established — University of Michigan at Dearborn’s Arts and Living . 13 Mirror-Spectator Staff and well-heeled — now seem to have Armenian Research Center, suggested Calendar . 18 either shrunk dramatically or shifted as that in the past three decades, there has Community News. 6 equally dramatically because of past, pre - been a shift out of the Arab world for Editorial . 18 WATERTOWN, Mass. — Political sent or anticipated revolutions. Armenians. International . 4, 5 events of the past three decades have Two scholars studying Armenian diaspo - see DIASPORA, page 20 2 S ATURDAY , M AY 14, 2011 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR ARMENIA News From Armenia Armenia Remembers Soviet Victory in WWII YEREVAN (RFE/RL) — Armenia offi - ing up an educated and healthy young gen - problems must be at the center of the cially marked the 66th anniversary of eration – a generation which is true to the government’s attention.” Aznavour House-Museum the end of World War II on Monday, vows of its forefathers and which will build “But we must also understand that with thousands of people visiting a war a new Armenia. For the Armenian nation, our financial resources are not enough Completed memorial in Yerevan to pay their the World War II was the Great Patriotic to solve all problems properly,” the YEREVAN (Armenpress) — The construction of the respects to Soviet soldiers who defeated War indeed,” he added. Armenian speaker told journalists. house-museum of Charles Aznavour here has been Nazi Germany. At least 320,000 residents of completed. Urban Development Minister Vardan A steady stream of people, among Armenia, then a republic of approxi - Vardanyan said the building is ready and that the them gray-haired veterans wearing their mately 1 million people, were drafted to next step is to bring in the collection. wartime decorations, silently filed past the Soviet army during the bloodiest Armenia to Aznavour’s Paris office is organizing the stage- an eternal flame in the city’s Victory war in history. The total number of by-stage transportation of the items. Vardanyan Park after an official ceremony led by Soviet Armenian participants is esti - Extend, Expand noted that the date of opening of the museum parliament speaker Hovik Abrahamian, mated at more than 500,000. Only half would be reported soon. Prime Minister Tigran Sargisian and returned home alive. The building is situated on the left side of other senior Armenian officials. There are currently about 3,600 vet - Afghan Mission Cascade complex. The construction of the building An honor guard of Armenian and erans living in Armenia. May 9 is a rare started in 2007. The house-museum will have a hall Russian soldiers stood to attention as moment of nationwide attention to YEREVAN (RFE/RL) — Armenia plans with a seating capacity of 150, a reception hall, they laid wreathes and flowers around them and their needs. to almost triple the number of its troops museum and an open-air café. the fire. Sargisian and Abrahamian “This is wonderful because it’s about serving in Afghanistan under NATO com - mand and extend their mission at least until the end of 2012, Defense Minister Foreign Minister Meets Seyran Ohanian confirmed on Tuesday.