SEPTEMBER 23, 2017 Mirror-SpeTHE ARMENIAN ctator Volume LXXXVIII, NO. 10, Issue 4504 $ 2.00 NEWS The First English Language Armenian Weekly in the United States Since 1932 INBRIEF Military Hospitals in Nicole Babikian Hajjar Leads Mirror Armenia to Be Merged With Civic Ones 85th Anniversary Gala Benefit YEREVAN (Arka.am) – Military hospitals in Armenia will be integrated with civilian hospitals, WATERTOWN – The Armenian Armenian Defense Minister Vigen Sargsyan said at By Sara Janjigian Trifiro Mirror-Spectator will mark its the 6th Armenia-Diaspora forum that started in 85th anniversary with a two-day Yerevan on September 18. “Military hospitals are celebration including a sympo- often better equipped and have more resources sium titled “Journalism and Fake News: The Armenian Genocide and Karabagh” on than district hospitals. Together with the ministry November 2 at Wellesley College, and a gala benefit under the theme of “Reflecting. of health we will launch a pilot project to merge Connecting. Inspiring” on November 3 at the Boston Marriott Newton. These cele- military and civic hospitals in Sisian, Berd and bratory events will feature an impressive line-up of speakers and honorees, includ- Vardenis,” he said. He said the planned merger will ing internationally acclaimed British journalist Robert Fisk, Middle East corre- allow the army to help ordinary citizens, adding spondent for The Independent and that military hospitals too have problems. One of seven-time recipient of the British Press these problems, he said, is modernization of the Awards’ “Reporter of the Year”; colum- Central Military Clinical Hospital. “We have the nist for Diken and Al Monitor and former best resuscitation and surgical departments. Turkey correspondent for The However, the condition of the building is unsatis- Economist Amberin Zaman, writer and factory. With our foreign partners, we are dis- director of Alternative Radio David cussing the construction of a new modern military Barsamian, and Philip Terzian, a senior hospital. We also aim to purchase modern equip- editor of The Weekly Standard in ment,” Sargsyan said. Washington. Chairing the gala benefit is Nicole Babikian Hajjar, of Lexington Massachusetts. Health Ministry Nicole Babikian Hajjar see GALA, page 9 Declares No Import of Chickenpox Vaccine to ‘The Last Inhabitant’ Armenia Now Shown at Venice YEREVAN (PanARMENIAN.Net) - The Armenian Health Ministry on September 19 said that Film Festival no chickenpox vaccine will enter the Armenian market for now. VENICE, Italy (Artsakhpress) — The film Earlier, Cadila Healthcare had said it entered into “The Last Inhabitant” was screened at the an exclusive agreement with Russia-based Pharm- Venice Film Festival under the patronage of Aid for the technology know-how for chickenpox the governor of Venice Luca Zaia, upon the ini- vaccine production. tiative of the Italian partner Blue Art General view of the gathering Through this agreement, Zydus would gains access Association, Fisch Art Cultural Foundation, in to the public and private market segments in Russia, association with Orietta Trevisanato Zampieri. Armenia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and The director of the film, Jivan Avetisyan, ADL Youth Forum in Yerevan Kyrgyzstan, Cadila Healthcare said in a statement. along with Lithuanian producer Kestutis Chickenpox vaccine, also called Varicella, is Drasdauskas, American producer Adrineh YEREVAN – On September 17, Yerevan hosted the first Armenian caused by the varicella-zoster virus, which leads to Mirzayan, and actress Sandra Daukshitte Democratic Liberal Party (ADL or Ramgavar) Youth Alliance Forum, attended a highly contiguous childhood disease. Petrulene, were present at the festival earlier by ADL members, Armenians from both the Diaspora and the Republic of Gayane Sahakyan, the National Immunization this month. Armenia, leaders of the ADL Central Executive Committee and the Supreme Program Manager at Armenia’s Health The exhibition was promising, as the main Council, as well as representatives of Tekeyan Cultural Association from around Ministry, said the country’s national vaccination purpose was to spread word of the film in Italy the world. schedule envisages no investments in chickenpox and organize its distribution. The negotiations The purpose of the Youth Forum was to present to the party members and vaccines at least to 2020. “Our vaccination budget are continuing. guests the activities that the younger members of the party have been carry- has been approved until 2020, and no such amend- The showing of the film was paired with a ing out during the past months. It showcased future projects, raised questions ment is expected,” Sahakyan said. cocktail party. The audience shared their and issues of concern for the young people. It also attempted to provide solu- “Armenia acquires all the vaccines from the impressions, and in general the opinions were tions together with implementation methods. United Nation Children’s Fund and from pharma- very positive and full of praise and gratitude. The opening speeches were made by Chairman of the Central Board of the ceutical companies pre-qualified by the World In this regard, Jivan Avetisyan singled out a Liberal Democratic Party of Armenia Hagop Avetikian, Chairman of the ADL Health Organization. The standards are high, and a rumor that many Italians touched upon. Supreme Council Vartan Nazerian, and Edmond Y. Azadian, member of the pharmaceutical company with a one- or two-year “The Venice Film Festival is one of the few Supreme Council of the ADL as well as Chairman of the Central Board of the history cannot pass pre-qualification.” Sahakyan unique ones that evaluates the horizons, high- Tekeyan Cultural Association of the United States and Canada. said that the newly-established company cannot lights and accepts movies about human des- In their talks, they highlighted the role of youth in the party, and highly consider Armenia as a potential market for the tinies, and it is not an accident that within the appreciated their enthusiastic activities in the regional clubs, where they coming 10 years. framework of the Italian film festival, under remain loyal to party ideology and principles. the high patronage of the governor of Venice At the end of the event, 100 young men and women joined the ADL ranks, Luca Zaia, ‘The Last Inhabitant’ had an solemnly taking their oaths. see VENICE, page 5 INSIDE Getting to the Heart of the Matter Glendale’s SAN FRANCISCO — In a San Francisco lab, Dr. Yerem By Alin K. Gregorian Yeghiazarians hopes to treat heart disease, stroke and a Mayor whole host of other serious illnesses with the pioneering Mirror-Spectator Staff use of stem cells and newly discovered technologies. Page 6 Yeghiazarians is the Director of the University of California, San Francisco, Translational Cardiac Stem Cell Program. Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in the world. There are about one mil- lion heart attacks and about half a million strokes yearly in the U.S. Estimated cost of care for car- INDEX diovascular diseases is staggering (more than $320 billion). Yeghiazarians’ lab was the first to iden- Arts and Living . 12 tify a specific protein secreted by stem cells that has the ability to protect heart muscle cells under Armenia . 2,3 low oxygen conditions that are created during a heart attack and the first to demonstrate that spe- Community News. 6 cific proteins secreted by stem cells have the ability to rescue dying brain cells during a stroke. The Editorial . 17 work is geared to treating patientswho suffer a heart attack or a stroke with novel therapies that International . 4-5 Dr. Yerem Yeghiazarians decrease the damage to the heart and the brain respectively. see HEART, page 9 2 S ATURDAY, S EPTEMBER 2 3 , 2 0 1 7 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR ARMENIA News From Armenia Sixth Pan-Armenian Armenia-Diaspora Armenian Scientists Conference Begins in Yerevan Possess Knowledge YEREVAN (combined sources) – The cy, the attempt to eliminate the conse- have launched reforms in all parts of Sixth Pan-Armenian Armenia-Diaspora quences of the Armenian Genocide and our country, in all spheres to ensure Necessary to Make conference, initiated by the Armenian the task of world-wide preservation of Armenia’s worthy place in the world. Nuclear Weapons Diaspora Ministry, opened Monday, the Armenian identity. That is why our reforms are aimed at September 18 at the Karen The event began with welcoming not only settling today’s problems, but YEREVAN (News.am) – Some Armenian specialists Demirchyan Sports and Concerts remarks by Armenia’s Diaspora also laying foundation to make possess the knowledge for nuclear weapon technolo- Complex in Yerevan. The conference, Minister Hranush Hakobyan, and was Armenia competitive on the interna- gy. Samvel Harutyunyan, President of the State called “Mutual Trust, Unity and followed by speeches by Armenian tional arena.” Committee of Science, on September 11 stated the Responsibility” brought together President Serzh Sargsyan, Artsakh He expressed his belief in the abilities aforesaid at the session of the National Assembly. In around 1,800 representatives of Republic President Bako Sahakyan, of Armenians to succeed, declaring: “We his words, there are such scientists in Armenia and Armenian diaspora organizations from Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II, are proud of the fact that our nation, beyond, they are aware of this matter, and they can more than 71 countries. Various lead- and Catholicos of the Great House of unlike many other nations, preserved its start the respective work at any time. “But it’s not ers and representatives of the clergy, Cilicia Aram I. identity and managed to constantly hard to imagine that, unfortunately, Armenia has no pan-Armenian structures and commu- Sargsyan expressed his hope for a develop and create. We have survived such technical means yet,” Harutyunyan added. battles, persecutions, oppression, geno- cide and extermination attempts. Amid all the hardships, our nation has never Armenia Imports lost its self-respect and dignity, never Transportation Worth abandoning the dream to build an inde- pendent Armenia.