Trail of Tears

FEBRUARY 20, 2016 Mirror-SpeTHE ARMENIAN ctator Volume LXXXVI, NO. 31, Issue 4425 $ 2.00 NEWS INBRIEF The First English Language Armenian Weekly in the United States Since 1932 Three Arrested over Nearly 50 Killed in Missile Strikes on Murder of Armenian Man in Istanbul Hospitals And Schools in Syria ISTANBUL (Dogan News Agency) — An Istanbul court arrested three suspects on February 14 over the murder of an elderly Armenian man recently out strikes on civilian targets. found hogtied in an apartment in Istanbul’s Sisli By Loveday Morris and Erin Cunningham In a statement Monday, Kirby urged “the district. cessation of hostilities that the Syrian peo- Hagop Yakup Demirci, 85, was found dead in his ple desperately need.” apartment on Feb. 6. Burglars had left him and his BAGHDAD (Washington Post) — Nearly Doctors Without Borders did not say The fresh fighting comes after Syrian wife Seta Ayda Demirci, 79, hogtied inside their 50 civilians were killed in missile strikes on which group or military had fired the rock- regime forces — backed by Russian war- apartment stealing some 100,000 Turkish Liras. hospitals and two schools in northern ets; rights groups have documented planes, Iranian troops and Iraqi militia fight- An Istanbul prosecutor demanded the arrest of Syria on Monday, the United Nations said, numerous Russian and Syrian government ers — have made significant gains against 15 suspects on 13 different criminal charges includ- deepening the country’s humanitarian cri- strikes on hospitals and medical facilities rebel forces in northern Syria in recent ing homicide and looting. Some of the suspects are sis despite plans for a temporary cease-fire across the country. In total, at least five weeks. The advances have raised the stakes reported to be holding Armenian citizenship. later this week. medical facilities and two schools in Idlib of the nearly five-year-long conflict, which The court ruled for the arrest of three ethnic Doctors Without Borders said that at and neighboring Aleppo province were already has transformed into a proxy war. Amrenian men, identified only as Artur A., Aram E. least seven people were killed early attacked Monday, a U.N. spokesman said. Last week, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, and Serge B., on charges of “homicide,” “looting,” Monday when rockets hit a clinic that it State Department spokesman John which have supported the Syrian rebels, “seizure,” and “violation of dwelling immunity.” supports in Idlib province. The group also Kirby said Monday’s carnage “casts doubt said that they planned to intensify strikes Twelve women were released from detention upon said eight people were missing in what it on Russia’s willingness and/or ability” to on the Islamic State in Syria and that they a judicial control decision. called a “deliberate attack” on its facilities. stop the Syrian government from carrying were also considering deploying ground Homicide detectives captured three of the 15 ini- troops to the country. Turkish and Saudi tial suspects in the Black Seaprovince officials walked back those statements on of Trabzon late on Feb. 9, while five other suspects Monday after US diplomats called for calm. who are reported to have helped commit the bur- Papasian Is Trying to Put Armenian “It’s not true,” Turkish Defense Minister glary, were captured in Istanbul on the same day. see SYRIA, page 3 Opera on International Stage Turkey Summons US ADL Leader Avoyan Envoy Over Comments By Alin K. Gregorian On Kurdish PYD Mirror-Spectator Staff Describes Activities in ANKARA (Reuters) — Turkey summoned the US Armenia, Aids Gumri ambassador to express its displeasure on Tuesday, ANN ARBOR, Mich. Reconstruction February 9, after a State Department spokesman — Gerald Papasian lives to act, said Washington did not regard Syria’s Kurdish direct and Democratic Union Party (PYD) as a terrorist orga- entertain. nization, a Turkish foreign ministry official said. He has been By Aram Arkun Mirror-Spectator Staff Tensions between the two NATO allies have in movies, flared over the PYD, which Washington supports television in its struggle against ISIS militants in Syria. shows and WASHINGTON — Varazdat Avoyan Ankara sees it as a sister of the Kurdistan more often, joined the Armenian Democratic Liberal Workers Party (PKK), with which it has been plays and Party (ADL) in 1991, and soon became embroiled in fierce fighting in southeast Turkey light operas. He has done it for one of its most since their decades-old conflict reignited last many years around the world. prominent leaders July. The PKK is classed as a terrorist organiza- Now, this Egypt-born, multi- in the Armenian tion by Turkey, the United States and the talented and multicultural parliament. A European Union. artist, is putting his focus on native son of Asked about the difference in opinion with bringing world attention to Shirak province, he Turkey, State Department Spokesman John Dikran Tchouhadjian (Tchouhajian), personally suffered Kirby said: “This is not a new concern, as I said, the first composer of operas in a tragic loss during that the Turks have proffered. And we don’t, as the Ottoman Empire, who has ARSHAK II in 2001 at SAN FRANCISCO the 1988 earth- Varazdat Avoyan you know, recognize the PYD as a terrorist orga- been relegated to the forgotten OPERA Restored from original by GERALD quake in Armenia. nization.” pile. PAPASIAN Afterwards he dedi- Turkey fears advances by Kurdish YPG militia, The Paris-based Papasian, cated much of his life to remedying the backed by the PYD, on the Syrian side of the two who founded the Dikran destruction in his native region. countries’ 900 km (560-mile) border will fuel sepa- Tchouhadjian International Institute there, is spending two months as an artist-in- Avoyan was born in Medz Sariar village ratist ambitions among its own Kurds. residence at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, as part of the Armenian Studies of Shirak province, Armenia, in 1947. He It has been conducting a violent crackdown on Department. He is lecturing on Armenian theater and opera in the 19th century, graduated from the Mikayel Nalbandian the PKK in the southeast, with hundreds of mili- under Ottoman rule, in essence, lecturing on Tchouhadjian. While there, he is also Pedagogical Institute of Gumri (called tants, security force members and civilians killed. continuing his research on him. Leninakan in the Soviet period) in 1969, Papasian produced the integral version of Tchouhadjian’s opera “Gariné” in specializing in teaching and psychology. France, which was performed in Paris, London and New York. He has received note- From 1970, he worked as a journalist, worthy directorial credits in Detroit that include the Western world premier of the secretary of the Communist Youth see PAPASIAN, page 16 League of the Pedagogical Institute, INSIDE see AVOYAN, page 8 Armenian Assembly Seeks Key Priorities for Armenia Trail of And Artsakh from White House Budget Tears WASHINGTON — As President In addition, the Assembly also Azerbaijan, at $1 million for Foreign Page 12 Barack Obama sent his budget recom- expressed its concerns for the safety and Military Financing (FMF) and $600,000 mendations for Fiscal Year 2017 (FY17) well-being of Christians at risk in the for International Military Education and to Congress this week, leaders of the Middle East, including those fleeing Iraq Training (IMET), a decrease from last Armenian Assembly of America met with and Syria who are taking refuge in year. In addition, the Administration pro- INDEX State Department officials and reiterated Armenia. posed $1.7 million in international nar- Arts and Living . 10 their concerns over Azerbaijan’s ongoing The FY17 budget request includes cotics control and law enforcement, Armenia . 2 cease-fire violations, including the tar- $22.4 million in economic support funds which is the same as last year. The Community News. 5 geting of a kindergarten, and the dual for Armenia, an increase from FY16. The Administration’s budget also maintains Editorial . 13 blockade of Armenia by Turkey and President’s budget also maintains mili- Section 907 of the Freedom Support International . 3,4 Azerbaijan. tary parity between Armenia and see BUDGET, page 2 2 S ATURDAY, F EBRUARY 2 0 , 2 0 1 6 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR ARMENIA News From Armenia New Freeze? Latest Rhetoric on Karabakh Opens No Immediate Prospect for Solution Foreign Ministers of Official reports do not make particu- definitive solution to the conflict, but Armenia and Jordan By Naira Hayrumyan larly clear what Aliyev’s message to measures to stabilize the situation, Steinmeier was. Nor there is any clarity which will not allow the conflict to flare Stress Close Ties on whether the meeting between Aliyev up again. Azerbaijan rejects these pro- MUNICH (ArmeniaNow) — The and his Armenian counterpart, posals, which, according to many YEREVAN (Armenpress) — On February 12, Karabakh settlement is, apparently, President Serge Sargisian, will be held experts, may, at some point, lead to Eduard Nalbandian, Foreign Minister of Armenia, entering another frozen phase, but on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Baku’s being recognized as a destabi- who is participating in the Munich Security observers say the situation is tense Summit in Washington, DC, on April 1. lizing factor in the region. Conference, met with Nasser Judeh, the Foreign enough that one careless step could Probably, much will depend on the Minister of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. reignite the conflict. visit to Azerbaijan by Turkish President

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