SEPTEMBER 27, 2014 MirTHErARoMENr IAN -Spe ctator Volume LXXXV, NO. 11, Issue 4354 $ 2.00 NEWS IN BRIEF The First English Language Armenian Weekly in the United States Since 1932 Meeting of Erdogan Catholicosate of Cilicia to Sue Turkey And Primate Cancelled NEW YORK — Turkish newspapers such as Daily Over Historic Headquarters in Sis Sabah had reported that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey was to meet with Jewish and YEREVAN (Panorama) — Catholicos the Sis Catholicosate, to its rightful own - Armenian leaders in New York as a part of his trip Aram I of the Great House of Cilicia ers—the Armenian Church and the to participate in the United Nations General announced at the Armenia-Diaspora Armenian people,” said His Holiness. Assembly Climate Summit, between September 22 Conference here last week that his office Aram I’s message was delivered before the and October 1. will initiate legal claims against Turkey to attendees of the fifth Armenia-Diaspora Pan- According to Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, regain ownership of the historic headquar - Armenian meeting at the Yerevan Opera Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of ters of the catholicosate, which is in Sis, House on September 19, organized and host - America (Eastern), the request for a meeting came now part of Turkey. ed by Armenia’s Ministry of the Diaspora. from the Turkish side. The Diocese however was “The Armenian Catholicosate of the Great The city of Sis (modern-day Kozan) was later informed that the meeting was cancelled, with House of Cilicia will soon present its legal where the headquarters of the Catholicos of the Great House of no reasons given. claims to Turkey’s Constitutional Court, Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia Cilicia Aram I The meeting with a World Jewish Congress demanding the return of its historic seat, see SIS, page 3 (WJC) committee led by Ronald Steven Lauder was also cancelled. Daily Sabah stated that its cancella - tion was due to Erdogan’s “busy schedule.” — Aram Arkun Genocide Memorial, Armenia-Diaspora Conference TCA Condemns Attack Church in Deir Zor On Armenian Church Damaged by ISIS The Tekeyan Founders’ Committee, The Tekeyan Trust of London, Tekeyan Cultural Association of DAMASCUS (SANA/Tert) — The Armenia and the Tekeyan Cultural Association of Armenian Genocide monument and the USA and Canada vehemently con - Holy Martyrs Church of Deir Zor were sub - demn the terrorist act of destroy - stantially damaged as a result of a direct ing the Armenian Holy Martyrs attack by the group Islamic State (ISIS). Church in Deir Zor, Syria. The i24news.tv website reports that the The church complex, built to dome of the church, with a cross atop, has commemorate the 1.5 million remained standing. The terrorists did not Armenian Martyrs of 1915 Genocide, served as a allow anyone to take pictures of the church, museum, archive center and exhibition that destroyed church. contained relics and historical documents. After ISIS occupied the territory, they This act should be condemned by all civilized laid mines round the church and destroyed countries, including Turkey. it. The sound of the explosion was heard in Tekeyan Founders’ Committee different parts of Deir Zor. The Tekeyan Trust of London The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) Tekeyan Cultural Association of Armenia, reports that the terrorists have desecrated Tekeyan Cultural Association of USA and Canada the holy places and tombs in Syria. September 23, 2014 The church was built in 1989-1990, and The fifth annual Armenia-Diaspora Conference, organized by the consecrated a year later. A genocide memo - Armenian Ministry of Diaspora, took place last week. See story rial and a museum housing the remains of and photos on pages 8 and 9. Catholicos Receives the victims of the genocide were also built in the church compound. Baroness Caroline Cox Thousands of Armenians from Syria and Armenian Genocide are kept in the attack. “We strongly condemn the explo - ECHMIADZIN — On September 17, in Mother See neighboring countries gathered at the Armenian Genocide museum. sion by terrorists of the Holy Martyrs of Holy Echmiadzin, Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch memorial every year on April 24 to com - Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Armenian Church in Deir el-Zor, dedicated and Catholicos of All Armenians, received Baroness memorate the genocide. Nalbandian and the President’s Chief of Caroline Cox and her delegation, accompanied by Moreover, numerous records of the Staff Vigen Sargisian condemned the writer and publicist Zori Balaian. The catholicos noted that cox had become a familiar and cherished person for the Armenian people. The patriarch also conveyed his great appre - Armenian Independence Day Celebration ciation to the baroness for her efforts toward the protection of the rights of Armenians in Artsakh Is Held in New York Diocesan Center and a fair resolution of the Karabagh conflict. Cox also expressed her gratitude to the catholi - NEW YORK — The 23rd year of indepen - Daughters of Vartan, the Armenian cos for the warm reception, and presented her dence of the Republic of Armenia was cele - Democratic Liberal Party (Ramgavars), the impressions of her 82nd visit to Armenia. brated at Kavookjian Hall of the Diocese of Tekeyan Cultural Association and the the Armenian Church of America (Eastern) Armenian Assembly of America. on September 21 under the auspices of the Tigran Sargsyan of Noyan Tapan served Diocese and the Permanent Mission of as master of ceremonies, and Vagharshag Armenia to the United Nations (UN). The Ohanyan accompanied Dr. Lloyd Ariola in event was organized by Noyan Tapan, Inc., the presentation of the American and INSI DE with the participation of the Knights and see INDEPENDENCE, page 16 The Armenian church in Der ez-Zor substan - tially damaged Genocide to the memory of the Armenian Genocide, which housed the remains of its many vic - tims,” Nalbandian said in a statement. And Art “This horrible barbarity against a holy site yet again demonstrates the savage Page 10 nature of the so called “Islamic state” ter - rorist group,” he added. “The international community should immediately stop and eradicate this plague, INDEX which threatens the civilized world and Arts and Living . 10 should uproot the channels of its financing, Armenia . 2 support and sponsorship,” Nalbandian con - Community News. 4 cluded. Editorial . 14 International . 3 Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II Speakers and participants in the NYC Armenian Independence Day Celebration and Catholicos of Cilica Aram I both expressed their outrage about the attack. 2 S ATURDAY , S EPTEMBER 27, 2014 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR ARMENIA News From Armenia NKR Foreign Minister Receives President of France-Armenia Friendship Group STEPANAKERT (Armenpress)— On September 23, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Nagorno Karabagh Republic (NKR) Karen Mirzoyan received President of the France-Armenia friendship group of the French Senate Philippe Kaltenbach. Mirzoyan expressed his satisfaction with the French legislators’ frequent visits to Artsakh. He emphasized that such visits not only contributed to the intensification and development of the tradi- tionally warm relations between Artsakh and France, but also played an important role in form- ing a full and comprehensive picture of Artsakh in the world. During the meeting, issues related to the cooper- ation between Artsakh and France in various spheres, as well as the activities of France-Artsakh President Serge Sargisian Meets with Pope Francis I Circle of Friendship were touched upon. The sides also exchanged opinions on the current stage of peaceful settlement of the conflict between Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabagh, as well as a range of issues related to the regional develop- Armenian President Visits Vatican ments. NKR Permanent representative in France Hovhannes Gevorgyan was also present at the meet- VATICAN (Public Radio of Armenia) inexorably point out the dictator who of the church in the history of the ing. — On an official visit to the Holy See keeps all his people in servitude and Armenian people. Underscoring that (Vatican), Armenian President Serge threatens to drown his neighbor in the Armenian people did not have state - 32-Person Contingent of Sargisian attended the opening of the blood?” hood for a long time – the last exhibit “A Fable of the East: Sargisian finally mentioned the cen - Armenian kingdom faded away 600 Armenian Peacekeepers Christianity Facing the Challenges of tennial of the Armenian Genocide, still years ago – Sargisian said that in the the New Millennium” at the Vittoriano often not properly characterized. He absence of statehood, the church under - To Go to Lebanon Museum Complex. The aim of the exhi - said: “The truth is that we can’t ensure took many state functions. This helped YEREVAN (Armenpress) — A 32-people contingent bition is to draw the attention of the a peaceful and safe future without con - the Armenian people survive to the of the Armenian peacekeepers of the Armed Forces international community to the state of demning the crimes of the past. For this 21st century. of the Republic of Armenia will leave for Lebanon thousand-year-old endangered Christian very purpose we cannot allow using Sargisian underlined that St. for a mission, Commander of the Peacekeeping communities in the Middle East, as well faith in the name of xenophobia or Bartholomew after whom this church Brigade of the Armed Forces of the Republic of as to the need for preserving Armenia, Major-General Arthur Simonyan said. “We the Christian cultural her - are getting prepared, but do not know when we will itage in the region. The exhi - get the order,” he said. bition includes photos taken Negotiations were conducted with the United in nine Middle Eastern coun - Nations and Defense Ministry of Italy on involving tries and a separate section the Armenian brigade in the UNICEF peacekeeping devoted to a documentary mission related to deployment position, contin- film about the destruction of gent’s structure, technical support, etc.