APRIL 2, 2016 Mirror-SpeTHE ARMENIAN ctator Volume LXXXVI, NO. 37, Issue 4431 $ 2.00 NEWS The First English Language Armenian Weekly in the United States Since 1932 INBRIEF 19 Percent of President Sargisian Arrives in Boston Armenian Children Under 5 Are Stunted Reception Hosted YEREVAN (Mediamax) — Around 15 percent of At Baikar households in Armenia have not had adequate food since 2010 and a significant proportion are at risk WATERTOWN — President Serge of becoming food insecure. This statistic was stated Sargisian and his entourage arrived in in the joint report of Armenian National Statistical Boston on Monday, March 28, for the Service, UN World Food Programme (WFP) and Armenian leader’s inaugural visit to UN Children’s Fund, which reports that numerous Massachusetts. households have serious nutrition problems. As part of his first day’s activities, the According to the report, the dual malnutrition president, accompanied by Diaspora burden hampers the ability of Armenia to reach its Minister Hranoush Hakobyan, as well as his full human and socio-economic potential. chief of staff, Vigen Sargisian, and a large The report indicates that Armenia is exposed to entourage including the Primate of the multiple risks, and that 28 percent of households Diocese of the Armenian Church of are at risk of becoming food insecure if affected by America (Eastern) Archbishop Khajag any financial downturns. Moreover, 19 percent of Barsamian, Armenia’s Ambassador to the children under age 5 are reported to have stunted US Grigor Hovhannisian and Minister of growth, and almost 15 percent were found to be Education Levon Mkrtchyan, visited the overweight. The stunted condition is caused by offices of the Tekeyan Cultural Association chronic malnutrition in which children are small for and the Armenian Mirror-Spectator, spon- their age. sored by the parent organization, the UN World Food Programme Representative in Armenian Democratic Liberal Party. Armenia Pascale Micheau noted that previous About 50 people awaited the arrival of international studies had shown that child under- the Armenian president. Young children, nutrition impacts negatively the Gross Domestic Raffi Arkun and Patil Mardiros, dressed in Product of the country as a result of increased Armenian costumes, greeted President healthcare costs and lower productivity. Sargisian as he was entering the building, The report recommends early identification of with the traditional bread and salt. malnutrition risks as a means of reducing stunting, Another half a dozen youth surrounded while tackling obesity through increased awareness the president and his entourage on their The President was greeted by Raffi Arkun and Patil Mardiros with the traditional salt and on proper nutrition. way into the building. bread. Hasmik Mardiros stands with the children. It also suggests strengthening food security see VISIT, page 8 through investments in youth and women employ- ment, rural development, social protection and edu- cation. Writer Smpad Deputy PM Says Joining Diyarbakir’s Surp Giragos Devletian Dies EEU Has Been Positive YEREVAN (Armenpress) — Based on the analysis Church Expropriated by of one-year membership rates, this week Deputy By Hagop Vartivarian Prime Minister of Armenia, Minister of Turkish Authorities International Economic Integration and Reform NICOSIA, Cyprus — Writer and Vache Gabrielyan said he is happy with Armenia joining the Eurasian Economic Union. ISTANBUL (Agos, Armepress) — While clashes and curfews continue in Armenian Democratic Liberal activist “We analyzed the indicators of the first six Diyarbakir, the Turkish cabinet took an urgent decision to expropriate Surp Smbad Devletian died here on March 24 at months of Armenia’s accession to the Eurasian Giragos Church, the largest Armenian church in Middle East. the age of 93. Economic Union, which are posted on the min- Left to its own fate for years, the church was finally restored and opened to wor- istry’s website. There is also a brief overview of the ship in 2011. With the same decision, Assyrian, Chaldean and Protestant church- whole year. This analysis separates the develop- es have also been expropriated. ments of Russian economy from EEU opportuni- According to the cabinet decision published in Official Journal on March 25, an ties, which in any case, being a union member or “urgent expropriation” decision is taken concerning 6.300 plots of land in the Sur. not, the effect of the economic situation of the With this decision, many places in Abdaldede, Alipasa, Cemal Yilmaz, Camikebir, Russian Federation impacts all the surrounding Cevatpasa, Dabanoglu, Hasirli, Inönü, Iskenderpasa, Lalebey, Malikahmet, countries, including Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and Özdemir, Süleymangazi, Savas, Semhane and Ziyagökalp neighborhoods and two others. From this perspective, our analysis shows neighborhoods in Yenisehir province are expropriated. that Armenia’s membership has been positive,” he Aside from Surp Giragos, Surp Sarkis Chaldean Church, the Armenian Catholic said, adding that the situation could have been Church, Virgin Mary Ancient Assyrian Church and the Protestant Church are have worse if Armenia had not joined the Eurasian also been expropriated. see DIYARBAKIR, page 16 Economic Union. INSIDE Smpad Devletian He was born on the Greek island of TCA Lesbos in 1923, where his parents had fled to from Turkey. He studied through fourth grade in the Greek school in Kavala. He Laughter went to fifth and six grades at the Armenian school of Kavala, and afterwards Page 11 continued his education at the Melkonian Educational Institute of Cyprus, from which he graduated in 1942. He went to England to attend university, INDEX and after passing all the law examinations Arts and Living . 10 of the Council of Legal Education, he Armenia . 2 received the title of Barrister-at-Law. In Community News. 4 addition, he graduated from the depart- Editorial . 14 Surp Giragos Armenian Church in Diyarbakir International . 3 ment of jurisprudence of the University of London. see DEVLETIAN, page 3 2 S ATURDAY, A PRIL 2 , 2 0 1 6 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR ARMENIA News From Armenia Physics Lecture Series Continues at Alikhanian National Laboratory Flemish Region to Help YERVAN — The primary goal of the edge gained during the first two semes- In March a foreign member of the Karabagh out of Master’s program started at the ters, these abilities were strengthened National Academy of Sciences of the Blockade: Parliament Yerevan Physics Institute (YerPhI – A. during the one-year-long research Republic of Armenia (NAS RA) and for- Alikhanyan National Laboratory) in phase of the third and fourth semes- mer employee of the National Speaker 2014 was to impart expertise in current ters. Laboratory, Prof. Alexander research topics based on a deep knowl- Since the beginning of the new Khodjamirian from Siegen University, YEREVAN (PanARMENIAN.Net) — Flemish and edge of the fundamentals of experi- semester in February, a series of new Germany, has been invited to present a Nagorno Karabagh schools will cooperate in the mental physics. YerPhI physicists with lectures with invited speakers are lecture series at National Laboratory. framework of a new project, in a move to help broad international expertise teach planned. Prof. Ashot Chilingarian, direc- His lectures will cover the modern the- Artsakh out of blockade, Belgian MP, Flemish parlia- research methods, data analysis and tor of YerPhI and head of its Cosmic ory of elementary particles, recent dis- ment speaker Karl Vanlouwe said Monday, March 14. modeling, critical evaluation of scientif- Currently in Armenia, the Flemish delegation, ic findings, and the ability to proceed headed by Vanlouwe, will visit the Nagorno Karabagh methodically in high-energy physics and Republic afterwards. At a meeting with Armenia’s astrophysics. Building on the knowl- deputy parliament speaker Eduard Sharmazanov, Vanlouwe stressed the importance of protection of human rights and, in this context, Karabagh people’s right to self-determination. Sharmazanov, in turn, thanked the Flemish dele- IDeA and National gation for their willingness to visit the Karabagh, Geographic Announce reiterating Armenia’s resolve to achieve an exclusive- ly peaceful settlement to the conflict. Collaboration for Also, the Armenian official expressed gratitude to the Flemish delegate for his participation in the Tourism Boost events commemorating the Armenian Genocide cen- YEREVAN (Mediamax) — The tennial and the global forum Against the Crime of Initiatives for Development of Armenia Genocide. In addition, Sharmazanov hailed the (IDeA) Charitable Foundation and Belgian parliament’s reaffirmation of its stance on National Geographic Partners have the first genocide of the 20th century. Sharmazanov signed a memorandum of understand- described Turkey’s policy of denial as a threat to the ing to conduct a preliminary review of region and humanity in general, citing the develop- sustainable tourism development ments in the Middle East. opportunities in Armenia. The initial research will include rec- Physics Lecturer Ara Daryan with Armenian master’s program physics students at Yerevan Physics Institute / AANL Russian PM Dmitry ommendations on product potential for developing Armenia’s cultural and nat- Medvedev to Visit ural attractions based upon the three Ray Division (CRD) has started joint coveries at Large Hadron Collider, the pillars of sustainable tourism: environ- video lecture courses for YerPhI master basics of Quantum