MAY 26, 2012 THE ARMENIAN Mirror -Spe ctaItn Ouor Mirror -Spe ctatror 80th Year Volume LXXXII, NO. 45, Issue 4240 $ 2.00 NEWS IN BRIEF The First English Language Armenian Weekly in the United States Since 1932 Events Dedicated to Armenia Barton at Genocide Museum-Institute Boycotts YEREVAN (Hetq) — On May 23, upon the initiative of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute (AGMI) and with the support of the US Embassy, events dedicated to Clara Barton, the founder of NATO the American Red Cross, took place at the museum. Hayk Demoyan, the director of the AGMI, John Heffern, the US ambassador to Armenia, and Kevin Summit Patti, an American historian, spoke at the event. The program included the presentation of the YEREVAN (RFE/RL) — Armenia boy - English and Armenian editions of Clara Barton’s cotted a North Atlantic Treaty Organization American Relief Expedition to Asia Minor under (NATO) summit in Chicago this weekend in the Red Cross report. The translation and publica - protest against a declaration adopted by the tion of the Armenian edition of the report was leaders of the alliance’s 28 member-states made possible through the US Embassy. referring to the unresolved conflicts in The AGMI will also house a temporary exhibition Nagorno-Karabagh as well as Georgia and in honor of Barton. Moldova in a long list of security challenges The event concluded with a ceremonial burial of facing the West. It seems to single out terri - soil from Barton’s grave and placing of the plaque torial integrity of internationally-recognized at the Memorial Wall of the complex. states as the guiding principle for their peaceful resolution. “We remain committed in our support of Armenian Church, the territorial integrity, independence, and School Attacked in sovereignty of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and the Republic of Moldova, and Syria will also continue to support efforts towards a peaceful settlement of these DAMASCUS, Syria (PanARMENIAN.Net) — An regional conflicts, based upon these princi - Armenian church and school were attacked in the ples and the norms of international law, the Syrian city of Homs on Saturday, May 19, by mem - United Nations Charter, and the Helsinki bers of the Syrian opposition, Asbarez reported. Final Act,” it says. The representative of the local Armenian com - The document makes no references to munity, Nazareth Elmadjian, said the Isahakian The abstract sculpture at the heart of the Armenian Heritage Park (Jirair people’s right to self-determination, which School attacked by the opposition works under the Hovsepian photo) has been championed by the Armenian side auspices of Armenian Apostolic Church’s Syrian in the long-running international efforts to Prelacy. resolve the Karabagh conflict. A combina - The school is located in Hamidia district of tion of this principle and territorial integrity Homs, which is mainly populated by Arab Heritage Park Dedicated see SUMMIT, page 2 Christians. The opposition forces seized the school and church, which will be used by them as a hos - sented the city and the state as well as pital and convalescence center. By Alin K. Gregorian the Armenian community. Finally, the Mirror-Spectator Staff abstract sculpture, a split dodecahe - Papken Megerian Serge Avetikian to dron designed by architect Donald Tellalian, the labyrinth and the reflect - Receives Ellis Island Portray Paradjanov BOSTON — The almost decade and ing pool all had come together at their a half of work for a park dedicated to permanent home on the Rose Medal of Honor YEREVAN (Armenpress) — More than dozen docu - the Armenian people culminated with Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway. mentary films have been made about artist, writer a one-two punch celebration on Under rainy skies, surrounded by and film director Sergey Paradjanov. However, a Tuesday, May 22, which marked the colorful bobbing umbrellas, a plethora By Florence Avakian new film based on his life is being made, starring dedication and official unveiling of the of dignitaries spoke or were present to Special to the Mirror-Spectator French-Armenian actor and filmmaker Serge Armenian Heritage Park. The event lend their support. Originally, Avetikian. featured dignitaries from both the US Titled “Paradjanov, Lover of Beauty,” the film is Armenia’s president, Serge Sargisian, ELLIS ISLAND, N.Y. — With his family and Armenia and speakers that repre - see DEDICATION, page 11 currently shooting, with Avetikian playing watching proudly, entrepreneur and philan - Paradjanov. thropist Papken Megerian was one of 104 The actor said this is a hard project, as he has distinguished recipients, (including eight been a fan of the late filmmaker and had met him Banquet Kicks off Heritage other Armenian-Americans) of the Ellis several times. Island Medal of Honor on Saturday, May 12 The film, like may of Paradjanov’s films, will con - Park Opening Celebration at Ellis Island at its 26th annual ceremony. tain dialogue in Russian, Armenian, Georgian, This award is given yearly to individuals Farsi, Georgian and Ukranian. BOSTON — A reception at the By Alin K. Gregorian Renaissance Hotel on Monday, May 22, kicked off the celebra- Mirror-Spectator Staff tion of the opening of the INSI DE Armenian Heritage Park, during which the community and dignitaries from Armenia and the US came together in a show of support and gratitude. The event was hosted by the Armenian Embassy in Celebrate Washington, the Armenian Heritage Foundation and the local Armenian community. Heritage The sold-out gala was emceed by Registrar of Motor Vehicles Photos Pages 10-12 Rachel Kaprielian, who as a for- mer state representative, was Papken and Anahid Megerian actively involved in helping pave the way for the creation of the park along the Rose Fitzgerald who “represent the very essence of the INDEX Kennedy Greenway. Nubar Berberian and Archbishop American way of life, having greatly con - Arts and Living . 15 Her former colleague, Middlesex Khajag Barsamian (Jirair Hovsepian tributed to its national identity while pre - Armenia . 2, 3 County Sheriff Peter Koutoujian, Photo) serving the distinct values and heritage of Community News. 6 see BANQUET, page 10 their ancestors, individuals who took the Editorial . 18 American dream from just a hope and made International . 4,5 it a reality.” see MEDAL, page 20 2 S ATURDAY , MA Y 26, 2012 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR ARMENIA News From Armenia Recent Seismic Activity Worries Public a while,” recalled 21-year-old Gumri resident Naira Armenia Ranked 59 in By Gohar Abrahamyan Gevorgyan. “We were very scared, but we couldn’t go World Economic Forum’s outside at that hour.” At a press conference in Yerevan on Monday Global Trade Report YEREVAN (ArmeniaNow) — Dozens of relatively Director of the National Service of Seismic strong quakes and aftershocks that have hit the Protection (NSSP) Hrachya Petrosyan said that their YEREVAN (News.am) — Armenia is ranked 59th in region in general and Armenia in particular in the analysis shows the entire region is now in the seismic the World Economic Forum’s Global Enabling past several months have caused anxiety among the regime activation phase. Trade Report 2012. Armenia registered regress as population here where many remember the devasta - “We have a certain deficit in seismic energy release, compared with the report issued in 2010 when it tion and massive loss of life brought about by a pow - which may recover with one magnitude 7-8 earth - was 52nd. erful tremor more than two decades ago. quake or through a series of weaker seismic shocks The report on 132 states focuses on measuring Seismic protection agency specialists, however, do that are more likely to occur in the territory of whether economies have in place the necessary not see a cause for panic, discarding all short-term Azerbaijan in the zone of recent tremors,” said attributes for enabling trade and where improve- predictions of a powerful earthquake as false. Petrosyan, adding that weak tremors typical of recent ments are most needed. Earthquakes in the region (Georgia, Azerbaijan, days are not excluded in the time to come. Enabling Trade Index is calculated based on four northern Iran, eastern Turkey) have been more fre - According to Petrosyan, the NSSP works in a 24- factors: market access, border administration, quent and intense since last October when a magni - hour mode to study in detail the data received from transport and communications infrastructure, and tude-7.1 earthquake occurred near the city of Van, seismic stations located in the territory of Armenia business environment. now within the borders of Turkey. In May alone, seis - and Nagorno Karabagh and monitoring the changes The most problematic factors for Armenia’s trade mic monitoring agencies have so far registered about in underground waters, the geophysical magnetic are burdensome import procedures, corruption at two dozen earthquakes in the region, with seven in field and others, as well as other phenomena that the border and others. Armenia. could predetermine earthquakes so as to take appro - Singapore topped the index, followed by Hong Some of the most powerful of the tremors were reg - priate preventive measures. Kong SAR, Denmark and Sweden, placing third and istered in Azerbaijan, where panic started among the A few days ago one of the local seismologists told fourth, respectively, showing excellent performance population of some western areas in recent days amid media that “a strong earthquake is expected in based on their strong business environments, effi- vast destruction caused by the quakes. The most pow - Armenia”. That word spread quickly among the pop - cient border administrations and highly-developed erful of the tremors, measuring 7 at the epicenter, ulation, causing great concerns and even panic. The infrastructures. occurred near the Azeri town of Zakatala last Friday. Ministry of Emergency Situations, however, refuted Armenia left behind many Commonwealth of In Armenia, a number of tremors occurred in the the information, urging the public to “keep calm and Independent States, including Azerbaijan, which is small hours of May 21.