APRIL 23, 2016 Mirror-SpeTHE ARMENIAN ctator Volume LXXXVI, NO. 40, Issue 4434 $ 2.00 NEWS The First English Language Armenian Weekly in the United States Since 1932 INBRIEF Gymnast Houry Gebeshian Qualifies for Olympics RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — Armenian- American gymnast Houry Gebeshian will be the first female gymnast to represent Armenia at the Olympics, after placing 21st out of 36 competitors and qualifying at the Pre- Olympic Test Event in Rio on April 17. Gebeshian was born in Auburndale, Mass. in 1989, Armenian Genocide Commemoration Billboards Installed in Massachusetts but obtained Armenian citi- zenship in 2010 to be eligi- WATERTOWN — Peace of Art, Inc. continues its annual leaders and dignitaries, including French President Francois ble to compete for Armenia. Armenian Genocide commemoration campaign in various Hollande, Russian President Vladimir Putin, the presidents of She lives in Cleveland, Ohio. Massachusetts cities during the month of April with digital bill- Serbia and Cyprus. Together they placed their roses into the She was admitted to this final qualifier due to boards dedicated to the 101st anniversary of the Armenian main Centennial wreath. It would have been wonderful to see a strong performance at the first round in the Genocide. “On April 24, 2015 at the Tsitsernakaberd Armenian the U.S. president himself in attendance, placing a rose in 2015 World Championships at Glasgow last Genocide memorial in Yerevan, I participated in the 100th memory of the 1.5 million Armenian Christian victims of 1915 October. anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. I witnessed Armenian to 1923,” Said Daniel Varoujan Hejinian, president and Gebeshian has a GoFundMe page children presenting a yellow rose to each of the many foreign founder of Peace of Art, Inc. (www.Gofundme.com-hootingforhoury) which is already raising funding and getting equipment for the Armenian gymnastic team. She is sup- porting the existing men’s team as well as work- TCA Leaders Meet with Diaspora Minister Hakobyan in Armenia ing towards creating a women’s one. Mher Megerdichian Theater army.” Group Performs Vartivarian, who is also a Armenian Official leader of the Mher YEREVAN — On April 15, Minister of Megerdchian Theatrical Resigns Over Panama Diaspora Hranoush Hakobyan met with Group of New York, said that Papers Leak special correspondent for the Armenian this group has come to Mirror-Spectator Hagop Vartivarian, former Armenia for the performance YEREVAN (RFE/RL) — The head of Armenia’s editor of the Beirut-based Zartonk newspa- of Berj Zeytountsian’s “All State Bailiffs Service has resigned after local per Baydzig Kalaydjian, and chairman of Rise, Court is in Session” dur- news reports documented his alleged links to off- the Tekeyan Cultural Association (TCA) ing these troubled days in shore companies. Mher Megerdchian Theatrical Group of order to support the Major General Migran Pogosian said on April New York Harout Chatmajian. Armenian people. He A group representing the TCA, including Hagop 18 that he was stepping down in order to com- Hakobyan stressed how important it was declared: “The New York Vartivarian, Harout Chatmajian and Baydzig Kalaydjian ment on the situation as a private person. for the Armenian people during crises that Megerdchian members have met with Minister Hranoush Hakobyan. More than 11 million documents known as the all structures and individuals in the diaspo- come to Armenia with a great Panama Papers have been the basis for dozens ra remain determined to place the home- spirit of patriotism to once again be renewed national inheritance. They are the heirs of of news articles around the world detailing land above all else, with the readiness and and grow strong through contact with our immortals such as Vahan Tekeyan, Arshag shady financial transactions involving officials will to aid and strengthen the defense army native soil and homeland – with Sardarabad, Chobanian and Mihran Damadian, who were around the world. of Mountainous Karabagh. She said, “Our Dzidzernagapert and the Mother See of paragons of true patriotism throughout Armenian investigative website Hetq.am has foremost issue is the security of Armenia Holy Echmiadzin. They have come to their lives. This is because patriotism does published documents apparently showing that and Artsakh. We must do everything to Armenia, in order to renew their oath to not recognize ideology, political doctrine or Pogosian was linked to three Panama-registered strengthen Armenia and the Armenian serve the homeland, our people, culture and factional propaganda. We will return with companies — Sigtem Real Estates, Hopkinten renewed patriotism, to inspire the national Trading, and Bango Invest. feelings of New York Armenians with the Old State House Hosts Program vision of eternal Ararat.” Two Armenians Enter see DIASPORA, page 3 Syrian Parliament On Moses Gulesian DAMASCUS (Armenpress) — The Higher Judicial Peter Balakian Committee for Parliamentary Elections of Syria By Aram Arkun has published the names of the newly-elected 250 Mirror-Spectator Staff Wins Pulitzer MPs. Armenpress, citing the Aleppo-based BOSTON — The Bostonian Society hosted a special Gandzasar weekly, reports that Zhirair Reisian and evening program, “Becoming Bostonian,” on April 7 in For Poetry Nora Arisian will represent Armenians in the the Old State House to honor the life and works of Syrian parliament. Moses Gulesian, a Bostonian and Armenian preserva- NEW YORK — Prof. Peter Balakian’s lat- tionist. The event, cosponsored with the National est collection of poems, Ozone Journal, Association for Armenian Studies and Research won the Pulitzer (NAASR), was part of a growing wave of attention to Prize for poetry, it Gulesian’s philanthropic work, which helped both was announced on INSIDE Boston and Armenians, sometimes simultaneously. Monday, April 19. see GULESIAN, page 10 The 64-year-old’s Brian LeMay, president compilation con- and executive director of the Bostonian tains “poems that Peace in Society bear witness to the old losses and tragedies that undergird a global age of Caucasus danger and uncertainty,” according to the Pulitzer board. Page 5 Balakian often writes and speaks about the Armenian Genocide in his poems and non-fiction. Ozone Journal is no excep- tion. The title poem takes readers through INDEX the narrator’s memories and pursuit of Arts and Living . 11 meaning in life while excavating the Armenia . 2,3 remains of Armenian Genocide survivors Community News. 5 Editorial . 17 in the Syrian desert with a TV crew. International . 4 Balakian is Donald M. and Constance H. Rebar Professor of the Humanities, see PULITZER, page 20 2 S ATURDAY, A PRIL 2 3 , 2 0 1 6 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR ARMENIA News From Armenia Armenia Rebukes Kazakhstan over Nazik Avdalyan Becomes EEU Meeting Postponement Europe’s Weightlifting YEREVAN (ArmeniaNow) — Armenia Armenia decided not to skip the sum- Nalbandian reportedly added that the implied it was concerned over mit that was moved to the Russian cap- positions contradicting the wordings Champion Kazakhstan’s insufficient level of com- ital (and was held on April 13), where adopted by the OSCE Minsk Group FORDE, Norway (Armenpress) — April 10-16, the mitment as an ally in post-Soviet group- an agreement was made that the prime undermine the negotiations. European Weightlifting Championships were held ings as Foreign Minister Eduard ministers of the EEU will again gather During the April 2-5 armed clashes here. Nalbandian met with his Kazakh coun- in Yerevan on May 20. with Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabagh In the women’s 69-kilogram weightlifting division, terpart’s deputy in Yerevan on Monday. Addressing the matter at the meeting that left scores of Armenian soldiers Nazik Avdalyan, representing Armenia, title of Armenia is a member of the Eurasian with Kazakhstan’s Deputy Foreign dead and wounded politicians and civil Champion of Europe. Economic Union (EEU) and the Minister Galymzhan Koishybayev, society representative in Armenia lev- “I dedicate my victory to our soldiers fighting in Collective Security Treaty Organization Nalbandian reportedly underscored the eled criticism at a number of formal Karabagh,” Avdalyan said. (CSTO) — two Russian-led structures importance of “implementing the agree- allies, including Russia, Kazakhstan, where Kazakhstan is also a key member. ments.” He also expressed a hope that Belarus and others, over their marked Prime ministers of the EEU, including the May 20 meeting will “rectify this neutrality or even pro-Azerbaijani posi- the head of the Kazakh government, had omission.” tions in the conflict. Suspect Arrested for been expected to gather for a summit in Nalbandian also briefed the senior Hundreds of citizens marched Throwing Grenade at Yerevan on April 8. The venue of the Kazakh diplomat on “the situation towards the Russian embassy in meeting, however, was moved to formed as a result of the Azerbaijani Yerevan on April 13 protesting against Former President Moscow following Astana’s request. aggression and the harm caused to the Russia’s sales of offensive weapons to The Kazakh request came amid an negotiation process.” Azerbaijan. Kocharian’s House escalation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani “In this context, the foreign minister A report by RFE/RL’s Armenian YEREVAN (Armenpress) — The Investigative conflict in Nagorno-Karabagh. While stressed the importance of supporting Service suggested on Monday that peo- Committee said that 32-year-old Hovhannes being a political, economic and military the efforts of the [Organization for ple in the village of Harich, in Armenia’s Muradyan has been arrested on April 18 for throwing ally of Armenia as part of the EEU and Security and Cooperation in Europe] northwestern Shirak province, that has a dummy grenade at ex-President Robert Kocharian’s CSTO, Kazakhstan, as a Turkic-speak- OSCE Minsk Group toward the settle- a street named after Kazakhstan’s house. ing nation, is known to have strong cul- ment of the Karabagh conflict exclu- President Nursultan Nazarbayev, have Muradyan is a resident of Yerevan city.