OCTOBER 31, 2015 Mirror-SpeTHE ARMENIAN ctator Volume LXXXVI, NO. 16, Issue 4410 $ 2.00 NEWS INBRIEF The First English Language Armenian Weekly in the United States Since 1932 Teen Killed on OSCE Mission Comes under Azeri Fire Turkish-Syrian Border ALEPPO (Armenpress) — New details have emerge STEPANAKERT (PanARMENIAN.Net) Chairman-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Aberle (Czech Republic) conducted the about an attack against an Armenian family in the — The Organization for Security and Kasprzyk. monitoring from the positions of the NKR vicinity of Turkish-Syrian border. Armenian resi- Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Mission Field Assistants of the Personal Defense Army. dents of Qamishli, the Avetisyans, became targets Field Assistant Yevgeny for snipers in the vicinity of Turkish-Syrian border Sharov (Ukraine) and staff mem- on October 22, according to Gandzasar newspaper. ber of the Office Peter Svedberg The son of the family, Armen Avetisyan, was shot conducted the monitoring from twice and died on the scene. The source informs the opposite side. Gandzasar that the four members of the family, During the monitoring, the father, mother, son and daughter, were travelling OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs from Qamishli to the Turkish border when the and Kasprzyk crossed the line snipers attack began. After the incident the of contact from Karabagh to Avetisyans returned to Qamishli. The funeral of Azerbaijan. Armen Avetisyan took place this morning at St. At the end of the monitoring, Hagop Armenian Apostolic Church, Qamishli. however, shots fired from sub- According to UN data, more than 220,000 people machine guns by the Azerbaijani have died in Syrian clashes in the past five years. side were registered. The number of Armenian victims exceeds 100. Representatives of the NKR Defense and Foreign Ministries accompanied the monitoring Borussia Beats Gabala mission on Karabagh side. in Baku without “During our line of contact The OSCE mission crossing the border crossing, repeated gunfire Mkhitaryan’s Help forced OSCE monitors to take cover. This is unacceptable,” BAKU (Armenpress) — The German team on Tuesday, October 27, conducted a Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in- the OSCE Minsk Group US Co-chair James Borussia defeated the Azerbaijani Gabala team monitoring of the contact line between Office, Khristo Khristov (Bulgaria) and Jiri Warlick later said in a tweet. here last week as part of the Europa League Nagorno Karabagh and Azerbaijan in group stage, with a score of 3-1. Martakert-Tartar road section. The Dortmund-based club managed to score a The monitoring was headed by the goal on the 31st minute. Personal Representative of the OSCE Fourth Annual Knights of Vartan Ararat Lodge Armenia national team midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan, a star player on Borussia, did not go to Evening Fundraiser Record-Breaking Success Baku with his team. The decision was made by the club administration based on security concerns. Koutoujian at White What is perhaps most significant about By Aram Arkun this event is that every year, it provides the Syrian Parliament House for Criminal opportunity for the Knights to choose wor- Mirror-Spectator Staff thy schools and organizations with Speaker Visits Armenia Justice Reform Armenian cultural, educational, or athletic Discussion with WATERTOWN — The Ararat Lodge of the programs for children or young adults YEREVAN (Armenpress) — Armenian Prime Knights of Vartan held its fourth annual which they will financially assist. This is Minister Galust Sahakyan met with Syrian President charity fundraiser dinner on September 24 done in a non-partisan and non-denomina- Parliament Speaker Mohammad Jihad Al-Laham at the Armenian Cultural and Educational tional manner, and consequently this leads who expressed his gratitude to Armenia for WASHINGTON — Middlesex Center in Watertown. The draw for the to broad backing of the evening in many assisting them. Country Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian record number of guests, 227, was to enjoy segments of the Armenian community in The meeting took place in the frames of 133rd was one of the law enforcement lead- good food, drinks and Armenian cama- the Boston area. For example, clergy from IPU Assembly. Welcoming the Syrian parliament ers from around the nation who raderie while assisting worthy local different denominations and hierarchies speaker, Sahakyan said Armenia feels the pain of arrived in Washington on October Armenian institutions. The participation of were present at the dinner, along with the people in Syria. 22 as part of Law Enforcement noted comedian Lenny Clarke in the members of their parishes. This approach “We are more than friends with Syria. We Leaders to Reduce Crime and evening’s program was an unusual addition- brings greater unity to the Armenian never forget that Syria accepted warmly the al element leading to increased attendance. see KNIGHTS, page 16 Armenians who escaped from the Genocide and helped them create a life for themselves,” Sahakyan said. Al-Laham invited Sahakyan to Syria and expressed his gratitude for the meeting. He said, Fr. Andon Atamian “The Russian-Syrian cooperation has recorded Is New Priest at serious successes. We are grateful to you for staying near us and supporting us and I ask you Belmont’s Holy to transmit Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s gratitude to Armenian President Serge Cross Church Sargisian.” Presentation of His New Book November 21 INSIDE By Aram Arkun Mirror-Spectator Staff AWWA BELMONT, Mass. — Fr. Andon Atamian has been the pastor of Holy Cross Armenian Church of Belmont Gala Incarceration. The group focuses on for 10 months. He is also the vicar effective ways to reduce incarcera- general of the Armenian Catholic Page 9 tion for people who are mentally ill Eparchy of Our Lady of Nareg in the or suffering from substance abuse, United States of America and while ensuring public safety. He Canada. Following the much-beloved noted, “As a Sheriff, former prosecu- Fr. Raphael Andonian as the pastor INDEX tor and former defense attorney I responsible for the New England Arts and Living . 10 have seen the justice system from region, he came to Boston with Armenia . 2 many perspectives and I look for- great pastoral experience and ora- Community News. 4 Editorial . 14 ward to bringing my experiences to torical skills. International . 3 this crucial, important dialogue.” see ATAMIAN, page 16 2 S ATURDAY, O CTOBER 3 1 , 2 0 1 5 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR ARMENIA News From Armenia Trees Planted in Yerevan in Honor of First US Ambassador to Armenia Harry Gilmore St. Louis Zoo to Help YEREVAN — On Wednesday, October Open Reptiles 14, the Armenian Assembly of America Conservation Center in and the Armenia Tree Project (ATP) planted trees to honor the first US Armenia Ambassador to Armenia Harry Gilmore (1993-1995). Ambassador Gilmore YEREVAN (PanARMENIAN.Net) — Armenia may be passed away on April 23, 2015 at the getting its first conservation center for reptiles and age of 77. Close to two hundred guests amphibians thanks to a crowd-funding campaign attended the ceremony at the Parakar launched by the Saint Louis Zoo, Missouri, St. Louis Memorial Park in Parakar Village, west Public Radio reports. of Yerevan. The goal of the online fundraising is to raise While in Armenia, Ambassador $40,000, so the zoo’s WildCare Institute Center for Gilmore oversaw massive assistance and Conservation in Western Asia can buy a building to relief programs to help the Armenian help breed and ultimately save endangered species people, including tireless efforts like the Armenian viper. responding to the energy and food Center director and zoo herpetologist Jeff shortages caused by the blockades Ettling has been working in Armenia for more than a imposed by Azerbaijan and Turkey. He (L-R): Deputy Foreign Minister Ashot Hovakimian and Assembly Regional Director decade, particularly studying the viper. In that time, worked with Armenia’s young govern- Arpi Vartanian plant a tree together in memory of Ambassador Harry Gilmore. he said he learned a lot about how important conser- ment to help rebuild the country after vation efforts are to the country that’s one of 24 unique biodiversity hotspots in the world. spoke about Gilmore. “It has a high level of endemism; quite a few Before planting the trees, youth from species of reptiles and amphibians occur there and Parakar Village performed several nowhere else in the world,” he said. songs by Komitas. Local children also Ettling said the country’s Minister of Nature laid flowers by the plaque and displayed Protection, Dr. Aramais Grigoryan, and other their artwork for the event. researchers also recently completed a new analysis of Assembly Board Co-Chairman & ATP the state of the country’s animals. Of Armenia’s 58 Executive Committee Member Anthony unique species of amphibians and reptiles, 30 are Barsamian joined the speakers, considered endangered. Vartanian, Mugar, and Hovakimian, to “Really what we need to do is develop some sort of plant the symbolic trees. captive breeding facility, where we could pull in the “Tree by tree, region by region, they 11 most critically endangered amphibians and rep- are “greening” Armenia. Nearly 5 million tiles, so we could breed them...and then put the off- trees have been planted by the Armenia spring back in the wild to augment the populations, Tree Project to date,” said Vartanian. similar to what we’ve been doing here in Missouri Also in attendance were Nagorno with the Ozark hellbenders,” he said. Karabakh Speaker of Parliament Ashot While he’s learned a lot from his Armenian col- (L-R): US Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Woodward Clark Price and Assembly Ghoulian, Assembly Board Member leagues, he has also been able to share some tech- Regional Director Arpi Vartanian talking with Parakar Village children. Raffi Kassarjian, ATP Country Director nology and conservation science with them.