SEPTEMBER 12, 2020 MMirror-SpeirTHEror-SpeARMENIAN ctator Volume LXXXXI, NO. 9, Issue 4651 $ 2.00 NEWS The First English Language Armenian Weekly in the United States Since 1932 IN BRIEF New COVID Cases in CyArk Uses 21st Century Technology to Armenia YEREVAN (Armenpress) — A total of 108 new Preserve Ancient Armenian Monuments cases of COVID-19 were registered in Armenia last week, bringing the cumulative total number By Isabelle Kapoian of confirmed cases to 44953 , the Armenian Center For Disease Control reported. 471 Special to the Mirror-Spectator patients recovered, raising the number of total Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, accessi- recoveries to 40592. ble online models of Armenian cultural Three people died from COVID-19, increasing sites can transport Armenians to the the death toll to 903. This number doesn’t Motherland from the safety of their homes. include the deaths of 276 (1 in the last 24 hours) These 3-D models are available online via other people infected with the virus who died CyArk, a nonprofit organization committed from other pre-existing conditions, according to to "digitally record, archive and share the health authorities. world's most significant cultural heritage As of, September 8 the number of active cases and ensure that these places continue to stood at 3182. inspire wonder and curiosity for decades to come." The global breadth of their digital Memorial to March 1 database has been used to educate on a multitude of histories and cultures, docu- Victims Will Be ment the existence of threatened monu- ments, inform on-the-ground preservation Installed in Yerevan work of ancient sites, and tell the stories of YEREVAN (Armenpress) — The Yerevan City the people who still use them today. Council this week approved the installation of a CyArk has worked with the My Armenia memorial in honor of the 2008 March 1 victims. Program at the Smithsonian Institution for The memorial will be installed at the Children’s their “Armenia: Creating Home Folklife Park near the St. Gregory the Illuminator and Festival” in 2018, the United States Agency Using a light scanner in Geghard Monastery Zakiyan intersection. for International Development, the During the City Council session the councilors Ministry of Culture for the Armenian gov- held a moment of silence in memory of the vic- such as the Geghard Monastery, churches I had the opportunity to sit down with ernment, and trained many Armenian stu- tims of the unrest. in Ani, the Areni-1 cave complex, and the Kacey Hadick, CyArk’s Director of Project dents from the TUMO Center for Creative Earlier the government had allocated 2 million Noravank Monastery. see TECHNOLOGY, page 5 Technologies in Armenia to document sites drams to the Yerevan City Hall for the designing works. The design of artist Albert Vardanyan was awarded the project in an open tender. Bishop Daniel Findikyan Elected to Appeal of Russian, Armenian Army March 1 colloquially refers to the 2008 post- election unrest in Yerevan, when 10 people — Conscience Foundation Board of Directors Chiefs Meet Amid Drills including two police officers — died in clashes between protesters and security forces. NEW YORK — Bishop Daniel Findikyan, MOSCOW (RFE/RL) — Russia’s and Primate of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenia’s top army generals met in Moscow Armenian Church of America, was elected over the weekend as troops from the two Gyumri Gifts 1 Million by unanimous vote to the board of direc- countries began a joint military exercise near tors of the Appeal of Conscience the Armenian-Turkish border. Drams to Lebanon Foundation, the New York-based humani- Lieutenant-General Onik Gasparyan, the GYUMRI (Armenpress) — Gyumri, Armenia’s tarian organization that has advocated chief of the Armenian army’s General Staff, second largest city, will provide 1 million drams throughout the world on behalf of human held talks with his Russian opposite num- ($2,000) in aid to Lebanon’s Armenian communi- rights and religious freedom. ber, General Valery Gerasimov, after attend- ty affected from the recent explosion in Beirut. Findikyan received the welcome news ing the closing ceremony of the annual The respective decision was made by the City in August, during a personal phone call International Army Games organized by the Council. from Rabbi Arthur Schneier, who leads Russian Defense Ministry. The money will be provided to the Hayastan All the foundation as its president since Official Armenian and Russian sources Armenian Fund as a donation which in its turn establishing it in 1965. said the two men discussed close military Dr. Noubar Afeyan and Bishop Daniel will direct these funds for that purpose. The Eastern Diocese has long played an ties between their nations but gave very Findikyan in 2019 “This is the case when we all unanimously sup- active leadership role in the organization few details. port providing that assistance. Even 1 million under the tenures of Bishop Daniel’s pre- In a statement, the Russian Defense AMD is not enough, but our budget now has this decessors as Diocesan Primate, Foundation Annual Awards Dinner, Ministry cited Gerasimov as calling Armenia capacity, if we manage, we will further increase Archbishop Torkom Manoogian and scheduled to go forward as a virtual event Russia’s “ally and key partner in the that money,” Gyumri Mayor Samvel Balasanyan Archbishop Khajag Barsamian. on the evening of Thursday, September Transcaucasus.” For his part, Gasparyan said. Later this month, Findikyan will be tak- 24. The hour-long program will involve described Russia as his country’s “strategic ing part in the 55th Appeal of Conscience see AWARD, page 9 see DRILLS, page 2 Istanbul Pogroms of 1955 Not Forgotten: INSIDE Sirapian Publishes French-Language Book By Aram Arkun PARIS – Among other notable historical Mirror-Spectator Staff anniversaries with significance for Armenians, Dinkjian at this year brings the 65th anniversary of the pogroms in Istanbul on September 6-7, 1955. They had an important impact on the ethnic makeup of Istanbul Princeton and served to stiffen the resolve of many Greeks, Armenians and Jews to emigrate from Turkey. Page 12 Varoujan Sirapian’s new book, Les pogroms de 6-7 septembre 1955, Istanbul-Izmir (Paris: INDEX Sigest, 2020) provides the basic Armenia . .2-3 information on these events for Arts and Living . 12 Community News. 6 French-language readers, as Editorial . 17 there have been few works in International . .4-5 French on this topic. The destruction of a café/restaurant on Istiklal see POGROMS, page 11 Caddesi (Street) (photo copyright Fahri Çöker) 2 S ATURDAY S EPTEMBER 1 2 , 2 0 2 0 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR ARMENIA News From Armenia Ambulances Given to Rural Regions YEREVAN (Armenpress) — The Armenian govern- ment adopted a decision on September 3 according to which hospitals operating in the provinces will be provided with modern ambulances within the frames of the 2020 state budget. During the Cabinet meeting first deputy minister of healthcare Anahit Avanesyan said five ambulances would be provided to Tavush province, three to Syunik and two to Aragatsotn provinces. The deputy minister said that a total of 21 ambu- lances have been purchased. National Archives Director Dismissed Top Russian and Armenian military officials meet in Moscow, September 5, 2020. YEREVAN (Armenpress) — Director of the National Archive of Armenia SNCO Amatuni Virabyan has been relieved from the position by the decree of Justice Minister Rustam Badasyan, the minister’s spokesperson Lusine Martirosyan said on Russian, Armenian Army Facebook. “As I receive inquiries from media outlets about the grounds for Mr. Virabyan’s dismissal, I would like to inform that based on a number of appeals the Justice Ministry has started an examination aimed at Chiefs Meet Amid Drills checking the legal activity of the SNCO and submit- ted an inquiry to the State Revenue Committee for DRILLS, from page 1 taries. It said the jets, which are nor- The Armenian government responded getting information about the tax inspections car- ally” and stressed the “special signifi- mally stationed in Yerevan, then landed by accusing Ankara of undercutting ried out in the National Archive. According to the cance” of Russian-Armenian relations at an airfield in Gyumri, Armenia’s sec- international efforts to resolve the information received, Director of the National for Yerevan. ond largest city located just 10 kilome- Karabakh conflict and posing a serious Archive of Armenia SNCO Amatuni Virabyan con- According to the statement, he also ters from the Turkish border. security threat to Armenia. Armen ducting the accounting with such violations which thanked the Russian military for help- The Armenian Defense Ministry did Grigoryan, the secretary of Armenia’s caused tax decline as a result of which the tax liabil- ing to contain the spread of the coron- not issue any statements on the drill as Security Council, said on August 2 that ities were not made on time”, the spokesperson said. avirus among Armenian and Russian of Monday afternoon. Yerevan counts on Moscow’s support in Virabyan had been serving as director since 2003. military personnel serving in Armenia. Armenia hosts up to 5,000 Russian its efforts to counter that threat. Moscow sent a team of Russian army soldiers as part of its military alliance Armenian Defense Minister Davit Tainted Vodka Kills 11 medics and special equipment to the with Russia. Successive Armenian gov- Tonoyan clearly alluded to Turkey when South Caucasus state for that purpose ernments have regarded the Russian he denounced the “expansion of some YEREVAN (Armenpress) — Lab tests of the bootleg in April. military presence as a crucial deterrent countries’ ambitions” in the South vodka which left 14 people dead from poisoning in Later on Saturday, September 5, against Turkey’s possible military inter- Caucasus in a speech delivered in the town of Armavir confirmed that the drink con- Russia’s Southern Military District vention in the Nagorno-Karabakh con- Moscow last Friday.