JANUARY 27, 2018 Mirror-SpeTHE ARMENIAN ctator Volume LXXXVIII, NO. 27, Issue 4522 $ 2.00 NEWS The First English Language Armenian Weekly in the United States Since 1932 INBRIEF Hamshen Group Dink Anniversary Commemorated Nominates Paylan for Nobel Prize Hrant Dink Remembrance ISTANBUL (Public Radio of Armenia) — Saida Event Held in Istanbul Ohanyan, President of the International Association of Hamshanuhi of the Armenian women of ISTANBUL (News.am) — A commemora- Hamshen, announced that they nominated the HDP tion event devoted to the 11th anniversary Armenian deputy Garo Paylan for the “Nobel Peace of the assassination of journalist Hrant Prize,” Ermenihaber.am reported. Dink, was held Friday, January 19, outside The association is struggling to protect the the former office of Agos weekly, which the rights of women, and get recognition and condem- late Dink had founded. nation of the genocide of Hamshens, Islamized The Friends of Hrant organization as Armenians. well as several NGOs coordinated the event. About Paylan, whose life has been dedicated to Hrant Dink, the founder and chief editor of the protection of the rights of Armenians and other Agos, was gunned down on January 19, 2007, peoples in the region, the association has included outside the then office of this newspaper. the following statements: “Today, Paylan is one of In 2011, the perpetrator, Ogün Samast, the few people who undertake responsibility for was sentenced by a juvenile court to 22 protecting the human rights of local people, reli- years and ten months for the murder. gious and ethnic minorities. Tolerance between dif- After long court proceedings and ferent ethnic and religious groups, and its seeds are appeals, however, a new probe was ulti- sown on the mutual understanding between the mately launched into this murder case, Republic of Turkey is giving positive results in peo- pointing the finger at numerous former ple. And despite all the actual pressures and threats and current senior Turkish officials’ com- he has suffered from nationalist and extremist plicity in this assassination. Thousands gathered to remember Hrant Dink on the 11th anniversary of his death. forces who are all connected by the ruling and Crowds flocked to the former address of demanding him to end his human and political Agos in Istanbul’s Shishli district, Hurriyet activities. Daily News reported. Street and side streets linking to it to traffic. barricades, subjecting them to brief secu- Before the commemoration ceremony Police officers allowed people wishing rity searches. kicked off, police closed off the Haskargazi to join the ceremony to enter through see ISTANBUL, page 20 Top Obama Aides ‘Sorry’ They Did Not Dink Commemoration ARAM ARKUN PHOTO Carrying on Hrant Recognize Genocide WASHINGTON (Politico) — Two top aides to for- Held in Watertown Dink’s Legacy mer President Barack Obama said last week his administration failed by not officially declaring that the mass slaughter of Armenians 100 years ago constituted genocide. By Aram Arkun By Muriel Mirak-Weissbach Mirror-Spectator Staff “It was a mistake,” said Ben Rhodes, who served Special to the Mirror-Spectator as a deputy national security adviser in the Obama administration. “We should have recognized the WATERTOWN, Mass. — On Sunday, Armenian Genocide.” COLOGNE, Germany — On the 11th January 21, St. James Armenian Church’s “I’m sorry,” added Samantha Power, Obama’s anniversary of the murder of Hrant Dink Armene and Veronica Tarvezian Hall was ambassador to the United Nations. “I’m sorry that in front of his Agos office in Istanbul, packed, with standing room only, for a pro- we disappointed so many Armenian Americans.” Turks and Armenians and Germans gath- gram sponsored by Friends of Hrant Dink The two shared their regrets earlier this week in ered in several German cities, not only to commemorating the 11th anniversary of response to an audience question during an commemorate his passing but to cele- Dink’s death. There were two main speak- episode of Pod Save the World, a podcast hosted by brate his life’s work, with a pledge to con- ers, Ohannes Kıliçdaı, and Gaye Özpinar, Tommy Vietor, another former Obama aide. tinue his struggle for equality, dignity and a special guest. As a presidential candidate in 2008, Obama and reconciliation. Berlin, Hamburg and St. James pastor Fr. Arakel Aljalian wel- The two speakers with their plaques promised that he would formally recognize the Cologne were among the several venues comed the audience and introduced Armenian Genocide but as president, he passed up for events on January 19-20, where Herman Purutyan who served as master of multiple chances to do so. speakers from the Armenian community ceremonies. Purutyan in turn introduced ate from Bogaziçi University in Istanbul “Every year there was a reason not to,” Rhodes joined with Turkish intellectuals, jour- the speakers. and taught the social and cultural history explained. “Turkey was vital to some issue that we nalists and artists — many in exile here — First was Ohannes Kiliçdagi, a graduate of Turkey at Bilgi University, again in were dealing with, or there was some dialogue and German human rights activists. of Getronagan Armenian High School in Istanbul. He was a research fellow at the between Turkey and the Armenian government.” his native city of Istanbul. He has a doctor- see WATERTOWN, page 11 see GERMANY, page 5 “Frankly, here’s the lesson, I think, going for- ward: Get it done the first year, you know, because if you don’t it gets harder every year in a way,” Rhodes added. Garo Armen Trains Steely Focus On Rural Armenia INSIDE NEW YORK — For Dr. Garo Armen, time is running out for rural Armenia and therefore he is focusing on reviving it as quickly and efficiently as possible. Every year, the Children of Armenia Fund (COAF), which Armen founded 14 years ago, Orbelian By Alin K. Gregorian hosts swanky galas in New York featuring Mirror-Spectator Staff many entertainment standouts, including Andrea Martin, Leonardo DiCaprio, Vanessa Honored Williams, among others, who raise money to Page 15 help people whose lives and poverty they cannot even imagine. The organization has raised $35 million to help rural Armenians. When asked how is he able to get so many high-profile celebrities for the annu- al winter fundraising ball, he cited the importance of the cause. “If what you’re doing is real, and you convey the urgency of what needs to be INDEX done in a realistic way, it will attract genuine people in pursuance of the cause,” Arts and Living . 12 he said. “These people come not because we are paying them but they genuine- Armenia . 2,3 ly believe in the cause. We are blessed that [it has] almost [become] a phenome- Community News. 6 non that feeds on itself.” Editorial . 17 International . .. 4,5 Dr. Garo Armen with Tony Shafrazian – Artist, see ARMEN, page 10 Inventor, Curator and Chair of COAF Honorary Board 2 S ATURDAY, J ANUARY 2 7 , 2 0 1 8 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR ARMENIA News From Armenia Republican Party Nominates UK Ambassador, Former PM Sarkissian, for President Minks Group Co-Chairs YEREVAN (RFE/RL, From 1976 to 1984 he was Meet with Armenian, news.am) — Armenian professor of physics and Azeri Foreign Ministers President Serzh Sargsyan has founder of the Department of named former Prime Minister Computer Modelling of YEREVAN (Public Radio of Armenia) — The Co- Armen Sarkissian as the rul- Complex Systems at the Chairs of the Organization for Security and ing Republican Party’s nomi- Yerevan State University. Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group (Igor nation for the next president. From 1984 to1985 and from Popov of the Russian Federation, Stephane Visconti Sarkissian, who is no rela- 1989 to 1991 he was a visiting of France, and Andrew Schofer of the United States tion to the outgoing presi- research fellow and later pro- of America), together with the Personal dent, was Armenia’s prime fessor at the University of Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office minister from 1996 to 1997 Cambridge, Institute of Andrzej Kasprzyk, met with Foreign Minister of when he resigned from the Mathematics of London Armenia Edward Nalbandian on January 17 and post because of illness. University. From 1991 to Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov He currently is Armenia’s 1995 he was Armenia’s on January 18. The co-chairs met jointly with the ambassador to the United ambassador to the UK. After two Foreign Ministers on 18 January. Kingdom and, in accordance he served other countries in The ministers and the co-chairs discussed next with recent constitutional Europe as ambassador, he steps for facilitating realization of the agreements reforms regarding the presi- was again reappointed ambas- reached at previous summits dedicated to the dency, is not a member of any sador to the UK. Nagorno-Karabakh settlement. The Foreign Ministers political party. He is the founding presi- agreed in principle to the Co-Chairs’ revised concept Serzh Sargsyan, who heads dent of the Eurasia House paper for implementing the expansion of the Office the Republican Party, International. For more than of the Personal Representative of the OSCE announced the nomination on a dozen years he served as Chairperson-in-Office with a view toward finalizing it January 19. senior adviser to British as soon as possible. Earlier in January, the pres- Petroleum, Alcatel, Telefonica, During the meetings, the parties exchanged views ident said the Republican Bank of America Merrill on core issues contained in the working proposals Party’s candidate should be a Lynch and other multination- currently on the table. The co-chairs also called for person who is not involved in al corporations. pursuing trust-building measures as an important politics and is highly regarded On November 1, 1996, he contribution to the negotiation process.