Details of the Talks Were Not Revealed; No New Light in the Dark Tunnel

By Sargis Harutyunyan and Lusine Musayelian

U.S, Russian, and French mediators have visited Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia and met with top government officials there in a fresh round of shuttle diplomacy aimed at kick-starting the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace process.

The three diplomats co-chairing the OSCE Minsk Group began the tour with meetings with Karabakh Armenian leaders in Stepanakert on Tuesday. They met with President Serzh Sarkisian and Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian in Yerevan on Thursday. The troika is due to travel to Azerbaijan early next month.

“We don’t have results. We are still talking. We are going to meet with the president in a few minutes,” Ian Kelly, the recently appointed U.S co-chair, told Radio Free Europe after the meeting with Nalbandian.

“We are exchanging ideas at this point,” Kelly said without going into details.

The mediators announced plans to again tour the region after meeting separately with Nalbandian and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov in Paris early this month. In a joint statement issued in the French capital, ‘they repeated their concerns’ regarding Armenian plans to launch commercial flights to Karabakh and Azerbaijan’s threats to forcibly prevent them. They also expressed concern at the continuing ceasefire violations in the conflict zone.

The flight controversy was apparently high on the agenda of the troika’s talks in Stepanakert. “Rest assured that we keep working in that direction and have concrete proposals which we are discussing with the parties,” Jacques Faure, the French co-chair, told journalists in Karabakh capital. He did not elaborate.

The mediators’ latest regional tour began amid fresh accusations trade by Baku and Yerevan.

The big science and education award for “Outstanding Achievements” given by Kadir Has University has been given to world renowned economist Daron Acemoglu.

The awards, given in honor of the late founder of the university, Kadir Has, for the ninth time this year, have been given to the recipients at a ceremony held on March 22, the sixth anniversary of the death of Has.

Acemoglu, who is an economist of Armenian descent living in the U.S, is a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is known and cited for his international works on political economy, economic development and the role of institutions over the economy.

In addition to Acemoglu, the other big prize at the awards, the “Promising Science Person Award,” went to Sabanci University Engineering and Natural Sciences Faculty member Ali Kosar.

Greek Orthodox Patriarch, Bartholomew was also honored with Kadir Has University Friendship and Neighborhood plaque during the ceremony.

The chairman of the Kadir Has foundation Nuri Has, Kadir Has University Rector Mustafa Aydin, Istanbul Governor Huseyin Avni Mutlu, Fatih District Mayor Mustafa Demir and Bartholomew were among the attendees of the ceremony held in the university.

Kamer Daron Acemoglu born in Istanbul in 1967. He graduated from Galatarasay High School in 1986. He got his BS Degree from the University of York, UK and his MS degree in Econometrics and Mathematical Economics and then his Ph.D in 1992 from the London School of Economics.

He is currently the Elizabeth and James Killian Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and winner of the 2005 John Bates Clark Medal. He is among the 10 most cited economists in the world.

Ameriabank CJSC CEO Arak Hanesyan and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Yerevan Office Director Valeriu Razlog signed a cooperation agreement. Within its framework the EBRD will provide $12 million loan to Ameriabank in the sidelines of “Raise of Energy Efficiency and Small and Medium Sized Business Financing” program.

The $9 million of the provided sum will be addressed to the financing of small and medium sized enterprises and 3 million to the financing of restoring energy saving “Ameriabank highly rates the cooperation with the EBRD and finds that the involvement of financial means will create new opportunities for diversification,” Hanesyan told reporters, adding that the funding of small and medium-sized enterprises is one of the priorities of Ameriabank’s loan policy and this plan will help to raise the volume of bank’s crediting of small and medium sized businesses.

He also said the project will essentially promote the development of small and medium-sized enterprises and growth of their competitiveness both in internal and external markets. The EBRD’s financing will also help to increase the electricity production and promote the effective usage of energy resources and energy saving.

EBRD Yerevan Office Director Razlog said this contract will help to provide available financing to small and medium sized enterprises and noted that the other goal of it is development of energy.

The Church in Wales has become the first member of the Anglican Communion to recognize the massacre of at least a million Armenians during and after World War One as the first genocide of the 20th century.

From next month, April 24 will appear in the Church in Wales’ official calendar as Armenian Genocide Day. The date recalls the day in 1915 when the Ottoman Empire arrested Armenian community leaders in Constantinople.

YEREVAN – a generous multi-year pledge of $750,000 from the Turpanjian Family Education to the American University of Armenian was announced last week.

Mr. and Mrs. Gerald H. Turpanjian live in Southern California and have contributed to many institutions – the AUA, the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church in Burbank, Lark Musical Association of Glendale, USC Armenian Institute, and others.

Part of the fund will go toward establishing a Continuing Education Program in rural Armenia.

“AUA is a small institution that’s a kaleidoscope of Armenia,” remarked Gerard H. Turpanjian, AUA Trustee and President of the Turpanjian Family Educational Foundation. “we are pleased to increase our support to allow AUA to expand its reach.”

The program, to be implemented by AUA Extension, will offer a tailored curriculum to develop the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the local workforce in rural communities, The ultimate aim is to increase local employment and stimulate stagnant rural economies.

“We are keenly aware that rural-urban migration is a serious problem in Armenia, as it is in many developing countries throughout the world,” said AUA president Dr. Bruce Boghosian. “Thanks to the vision and philanthropic leadership of Mr. Turpanjian and the Turpanjian Family Education Foundaton, AUA wil offer high-quality Extension courses for professional development i Armenia’s rural areas, playing an important rile in mitigating this problem.”

“Improving human capital in rural Armenia is essential to creating new opportunities that will eliminate the need to migrate,” explained AUA Extension Director Dr. Arpie Balian. “The courses offered through these programs will address the respective labor markets and the demand for different kills and competencies.”

AUA Extension’s mission is to expand Armenia’s academic, industrial, and technological development by fostering growth through accessible, high-quality education, adult training and lifelong learning opportunities. For more information on AUA Extension, visit: http://extension.aua.am

In a letter addressed to His Holiness Pope Francis I, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I congratulated the election of the Pope “with profound spiritual joy and in the spirit of Christian love and fellowship”, expressing hope that “at these challenging times, facing the Roman Catholic Church, his election will bring a new hope toward the Church’s mission and witness”. Aram I also hope that that “the simplicity of His Holiness” life”, his particular emphasis on the ‘church of the poor’, and firm commitment to the pastoral outreach of the church will certainly generate a new vitality for the Catholic Church’s evangelistic engagement.”

Referring to the ecumenical involvement of the Catholic Church, Aram I expects that it will “acquire even broader articulation on global, regional and local levels”, and the ecumenical collaboration, which is deeply rooted in the history, between the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia and the Church of Rome will continue “with renewed impetus.”

By Astghik Bedevian

On March 14, Armenia’s Constitutional Court, rejected opposition leader Raffi Hovannisian’s and another candidate’s demands to invalidate the official results of the February 18 presidential election that gave victory to incumbent President Serzh Sarkisian.

In a 34 page verdict read out by its chairman, Gagik Harutiunian, the court said that both Hovannisian and Andreas Ghukasian, an election outsider, failed to substantiate their allegations of fraud.

It also rejected Hovannisian’s separate demand to declare him the rightful winner of the vote, saying that the leader of the opposition Zharangutyn (Heritage) party claim failed to present any compelling evidence in support of that claim.

The Constitutional Court scrapped the official vote tally in only one of Armenia’s 1,988 electoral precincts where two local observers claimed to have witnessed large-scale ballot stuffing by government loyalists. The precinct covers part of Artashat, a town 30 kilometers south of Yerevan notorious for election-related violence and other violations. The number of voters living there is too small to have any impact on the overall election outcome.

According to the Central Election Commission (CEC), Sarkisian won re-election outright with 58.6 percent of the vote, while Hovannisian finished second with around 37 percent.

The panel of nine judges at the same recognized widespread public distrust in official vote results. In a carefully worded sentence, it blamed this on the ‘merger of political, economic, and administrative resources’ in Armenia.

Tigran Mukuchian, the pro-government chairman of the CEC, welcomed the widely anticipated ruling. He said the court highlighted ‘baseless judgements and evaluations’ made by the opposition candidates.

Zaruhi Postanjian, one of Hovannisian’s legal representatives, condemned the decision, accusing Armenia’s highest court of “sponsoring” Sarkisian. She also said that the Hovannisian campaign plans to organize alternative ‘court hearings’ on the election at Liberty Square, the main venue of the opposition leader’s post-election protests.

By Daniel Siegal
Los Angeles Times

Glendale City Councilman Ara Najarian won the fight for what he said was his “future in local politics” Thursday, defeating a movement to unseat him form the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation authority’s board over his opposition to a potential tunnel extending the Long beach Freeway (710). In December, representatives from 10 San Gabriel Valley cities voted against Najarian’s confirmation after member form the North cities sector, which includes Glendale and Burbank, nominated him for another four-year term on the MTA Board of Directors. Representatives from those cities have said they voted against Najarian because of his public opposition to the MTA’s efforts to close the so called “710 gap” with a tunnel extension of the 710 Freeway from its terminus in Alhambra to the Foothill Fwy (210) in Pasadena. This time around, however, Najarian managed to receive support from those cities such as Alhambra and Duarte that bed been most vocal in locking his nomination. At the meeting in Monterey Park, Barbara Messina, Mayor of Alhambra, stood to address the room before the vote to explain that Naharian had softened his stance on the 710 project, which Alhambra has long supported. “We did come to a meeting of the minds,” Messina said. “[Najarian] has indicated he is willing to look at the region as a while, and this project is very important to the region.” With only representatives from Lancaster and Palmdale voting “nay”, Najarian received 316 votes, easily clearing the 254 he needed for re-election at the City Selection Committee meeting.

Votes are apportioned to each of the 87 independent cities in Los Angeles County by population.

Najarian did tell assembled mayors that although he continues to oppose the tunnel, he has decided that the project’s environmental impact study should be allowed to run its course. “It’s now we let the experts work to determine the impact [of the project],” Najarian said. “Neither of us is going to roll over, but at least we’ll have the facts.”

On the campaign trail for re-election to the Glendale City Council — his campaign will have to be successful to allow Najarian to keep his MTA seat — Najarian has frequently hammered on the 710 tunnel option.

The vote came after a contentious start that saw mayors Rex Parris of Lancaster and Tom Lackey of Palmdale attempt to submit a motion to send Najarian’s nomination back to a subcommittee for re-consideration — a move that generated a chorus of boos form the audience.

Najarian has previously alleged that Palmdale, Lancaster and Santa Clarita were being pressured by county Supervisor Michael Antonovich to oppose his nomination — a claim that Antonovich has vehemently denied.

Santa Clarita did not send a representative to the meeting.

YEREVAN — On March 10, before thousands of people at Liberty Square, Raffi K. Hovannisian declared a hunger strike until Serzh Sargsyan resigns and formally concedes the Armenian people’s victory in the February 18 presidential elections.

“If on April 9th, the Archbishop puts Serzh Sargsyan’s hand on the Bible and in the name and breath of God swears in a false president, he will do so over my dead body,” Hovannisian said.

Hovannisian announced that he will not leave Liberty Square during the strike and that any de facto authority, including Sargsyan, who wishes to meet with him must do so at the square,Before making his way to his strike spot on a square bench, he urged people not to think of this as a typical hunger strike. “This is a fraud strike, a fear strike, a lie strike,” he said.

During the rally in Liberty Square, parallel rallies were held in the cities of Artashat and Kapan at which Raffi Hovannisian’s representatives addressed the public.

On March 11, the Armenian Constitutional Court will hear the case of Raffi Hovannisian’s claim against the Central Election Committee to nullify the official results of the February 18 election.

The court session beings at 10am.

Hovannisian relentlessly visited the regions of Armenian where people rallied around him and expressed their dismay with the elections, His representatives also visited various regions.

Hovanniian said.

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Affiliate of the Armenian International Women’s Association (AIWA) are proud to announce that they will be holding a celebration luncheon honoring Katherine Sarafian, producer of the award-winning animated feature film, “Brave.”

Congratulations are still pouring in for her rile as producer on Disney-Pixar’s most recent Golden Globe and Oscar winning film. The event will be held on Saturday, April 27, 2013 at the Beverly Hills Hotel, with a reception at 11:30am, followed by lunch and the program at 12 Noon.

“We are truly delighted,” noted Silva Katchiguian, President of AIWA-LA, “that the Armenian community will have the opportunity to join in recognizing the stellar career and outstanding accomplishments of Katherine Sarafian. She exemplifies AIWA’s mission and purpose to recognize Armenian women in leadership positions and to acknowledge their contribution to their profession as well as their positive impact on society.”

Katherine Sarafian has been a supporter of AIWA and its mission to unite Armenian women worldwide and to address the critical issues facing them everywhere. She has previously addressed both the Los Angeles and San Franciso Affiliates. She has had a notable career at Pixar Animation Studios, holding a variety of key leadership positions, and has been an integral part of its success and growth.

Sarafian joined Pixar in 1994 as a production coordinator on the studios’ first full length feature film, “Toy Story”. From there, she continued to develop he film production experience as production manager in Pixar’s short film department, and as art department manager on the studio’s second feature film, “A Bug’s Life”. Sarafian then moved on to positions in the creative services and consumer products departments, eventually becoming a director of marketing for the studio. In 2000, she returned to production at Pixar, first as production supervisor on “Monsters, Inc.” and then as production manager on the Academy Award winner feature, “The Incredibles.” She next took on the role of producer for the Academy Award nominated short film “lifter”, which screened in theater worldwide with Oscar winner “Ratatouille” in 2007.

Sarafian has taught undergraduate film and television courses and has represented Pixar at a variety of film festivals throughout Japan, Europe, and the United States.

An exciting program is planned for the luncheon with many guests and celebrities from the entertainment industry. Proceeds from the luncheon will benefit the scholarship fund for Armenian women college student; the Women’s Entrepreneurship Program at the American University of Armenia to educate women in Armenia to start and run their own businesses; and support of the Women’s Support Center project in Armenia which provides a safe haven for abused women.