Friday, July 10, 2015 10:49 AM EDT
Omar Sharif, the Egyptian actor who rode out of the sands of the Sahara in the 1962 screen epic “Lawrence of Arabia” into a glamorous, if brief, reign as an international star in films like “Dr. Zhivago” and “The Night of the Generals,” has died in a Cairo hospital. He was 83.
The cause was a heart attack, his agent, Steve Kenis, said.
Mr. Sharif was a commanding presence on screen. He was multilingual as well, and comfortable in almost any role or cultural setting.
12 Armenian families living abroad want to settle in Artsakh
12 Armenian families who arrived in Nagorno Karabakh from Russia and Ukraine expressed wish to settle in the republic. The families currently spend their holidays in their fatherland, Artsakhpress reports.
Artsakh Compatriotic Union called on Armenians living abroad to visit NKR and spend at least one week there.
“More than 500 families have already arrived in Artsakh since the launch of the initiative. Those people once lived in Artsakh and now have relatives there or even possess houses,” member of Artsakh Compatriotic Union, MP Hamlet Harutyunyan said.
Nagorno Karabakh Republic was included in The Guardian’s list of best adventure holidays for 2015, while British travel agency Regent Holidays organizes tours to Karabakh through Yerevan.
Around 200 mainly Russia-based families arrived in Artsakh on June 20, in the framework of the initiative of president of Artsakh Compatriotic Union, Varuzhan Grigoryan.
Russia businessman: Karabakh is source of ancient human relations
Russian business man, German Sterligov
Nagorno-Karabakh is a glamorous place where magnificent people live; and happy are those Armenians that have such Motherland, such history, and such beauty.
Renowned Russian businessman German Sterligov told the aforementioned to REN TV of Russia, as he revealed the secret behind his sudden departure from Russia and settling in Karabakh with his family.
Sterligov stated that Nagorno-Karabakh is a very amazing place.
“I have traveled around the world, and I haven’t seen such a place anywhere. Such fertile soil, and most importantly, such human relations—kind and open-hearted. There is no aggression here, at all.
“I’m happy to have brought my children here, since I had told them how people should treat each other in theory. (…). And this exists in Nagorno-Karabakh.
“So, come to Nagorno-Karabakh to understand what I’m talking about! This is a unique place in the world. This is the source of ancient human relations which the Armenian people have maintained,” German Sterligov said, in particular.
Yerevan: International Genocide Scholars Meet In Armenia
Armenia – President Serzh Sarkisian addresses a conference of the International Association of Genocide Scholars, Yerevan, 8Jul2015.
The International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) began a conference of its members in Yerevan on Wednesday, underscoring its strong support for greater international recognition ofthe 1915 Armenian genocide in Ottoman Turkey. Report azatutyun
The five-day forum titled “Comparative Analysis of 20th Century Genocides” is attended by some 180 scholars from around the world specializing in research of crimes against humanity and seeking the prevention of more such atrocities.
“2015 is an important year for all Armenians worldwide in terms of commemoration of the centennial of the beginning of the Armenian genocide,” the IAGS said last year in a statement announcing the venue of its 12th meeting.
“The Armenian genocide is sometimes considered as the first genocide of the 20th century and in many ways served as a template for subsequent genocidal crimes,” it said. “2015 is also is the year of 70th anniversary of the end of World War II and the Holocaust.”
“Therefore, it is a significant time to analyze both crimes and all genocides of the 20th century in global and comparative perspectives,” added the association founded in 1994.
The IAGS conference is taking place under the auspices of the Armenian Genocide Museum- Institute in Yerevan. President Serzh Sarkisian underlined its significance for the Armenian government with a speech at the opening session of the forum.
“One hundred years have passed since the Armenian genocide but nothing has been forgotten,” said Sarkisian. “We have also not forgotten those intellectuals, scholars and humanists who … have shed light on the crime committed 100 years ago, making sure that it is not veiled by time.”
Sarkisian went on to thank Pope Francis, other world leaders and foreign states who publicly described the 1915 slaughter of some 1.5 million Armenians as genocide shortly before or after the April 24 ceremonies in Armenia that marked its centenary. “It is in this context that I regard your decision to hold your conference in Armenia in this important year of commemoration,” he said.
The IAGS, which unites over 500 mostly Western scholars, has been openly urging more nations to recognize the Armenian genocide since 2007. “The historical record on the Armenian Genocide is unambiguous and documented by overwhelming evidence,” it said in a 2007 letter to members of the U.S. Congress.
Armenia: 4 youth join Yerevan Council member on hunger strike #ElectricYerevan
YEREVAN. – Four 19-year-olds that are participating in the sit-in at Liberty Square, in Armenia’s capital city of Yerevan, have joined the ongoing hunger strike by member of the opposition “Barev [Hello], Yerevan” faction at Yerevan Council, activist Davit Sanasaryan.
These youth told Armenian News-NEWS.am that their hunger strike is for an indefinite period, and that they will continue it until people assemble at Liberty Square and they achieve their ultimate goal: the revoking of the recent decision to raise the price of electricity in the country.
The youth on hunger strike added that they are fighting against this electricity price hike ever since the first days of the respective demonstrations.
Yerevan police on Monday dispersed the demonstrators that had closed down Baghramyan Avenue—which leads to the Office of the President—for the past two weeks. Subsequently, the protesters assembled at Liberty Square, where their demonstration had initially started. They also wanted to hold a march, but the police did not allow it. Many protesters are staying at the square overnight.
Armenia’s capital to host 12th conference of the International Association of Genocide Scholars
Armenia’s capital Yerevan will host the 12th conference of the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS), on July 8-12, with the participation of 130 delegates from about 30 countries.
Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum Institute Hayk Demoyan told a press conference on Tuesday that an unprecedented number of reports on the Armenian Genocide is expected at the upcoming conference.
“About 20 reports are expected to be delivered this year,” Mr Demoyan said. Being comparative analyses, the reports will be to Armenians advantage.
Donna-Lee Frieze, IAGS First Vice-President, who participated in the press conference, said that this is the best way of making people know about genocide. Numerous papers have been published in recent years, particularly on the Armenian Genocide, she said.
Istanbul: Protesters demand return of an Armenian orphanage in Istanbul
Protesters demanding return of an Armenian orphanage held an action in Tuzla district of Istanbul.
The march was attended by 500 people, among them two MPs from Republican People’s Party, Bir Gun reported.
MP Baris Yarkadis said the authorities tried to make an impression that the building will be transferred to Armenians, but now it is clear they want to take it away to divide between themselves.
Camp Armen Armenian orphanage was confiscated by the Turkish authorities back in 1987. Subsequently, it was sold to a Turkish businessman who, in turn, decided to demolish the orphanage and build luxury homes in the premises. As a result of public pressure, however, the demolition of the orphanage has been temporarily halted.
The camp was once home to around 1,500 Armenian children, including the late Hrant Dink—the founder and chief editor of Agos Armenian bilingual weekly of Istanbul, and who was shot dead on January 19, 2007 outside the office of his weekly—, and his wife Rakel.
Armenia: The power of Electric Yerevan
Strong-arm tactics and cynical compromises are yet to send Yerevan’s protesters home. Is this the beginning of the end for the politics of old in Armenia? published on opendemocracyOn 22 June, roughly 2,000 protesters gathered in front of the Opera House at Yerevan’s Freedom Square to protest planned hikes in electricity tariffs. From Freedom Square, they marched towards the presidential residence at 26 Baghramyan Avenue to voice their demands, but were blocked by police. In response, the protesters sat down where they were and remained through the night. The next morning, police forcibly dispersed the protest with water cannons, and detained around 250 people.
The dramatic images of the dispersal and video clips showing plainclothes officers harassing and attacking journalists galvanised the city. Personal anecdotes from protesters on social media describing the use of excessive force were widely circulated. One account in particular was shared widely online and on the street: a girl, around 17 years old, spoke of how she had been attacked by a plainclothes officer. Later, the girl lost consciousness after hitting her head on the asphalt. She ended up in hospital.
The next evening, around twice as many protesters showed up at Baghramyan.
#ElectricYerevan
A few days later, the numbers of protesters peaked at around 20,000. Although the numbers of protesters have abated since then, the barricades on Baghramyan Avenue remain.
The protests have now entered the next stage. Organisers are now trying to implement better management, disseminating protester guidelines (no alcohol, mutual respect, tidiness), and organising a general assembly with broad representation from civic initiatives and thematic working groups open to the public for discussing issues related to the protests.
Although it is predominantly young people that pull all-nighters on Baghramyan Avenue, central Yerevan sees a much broader representation of society at night. This fact, as well as protests in the cities of Gyumri and Vanadzor, further demonstrate Armenian society’s wider support for the movement.
Russian Connection
Little covered by international media, evidence of corruption in and gross mismanagement of Armenia’s energy monopoly, the Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA), owned by Russian Energy Company Inter RAO UES, has been a key grievance of protesters.
ENA has accumulated debt by habitually overpaying suppliers and contractors, as well as renting luxury cars and apartments. Director of the ENA, Yevgeny Bibin, who has publicly admitted his mismanagement of the company, was invited to a meeting by the Armenian Regulatory Commission to explain the proposed tariff hikes and to defend himself against allegations of corruption. The fact that Bibin did not even show up to the meeting only added to people’s feelings of injustice and resentment toward the proposed hikes.
The corruption and mismanagement of ENA reflect wider problems of governance and the political environment in Russia. When Russian state-owned companies (in which theft is not the exception but the norm) take over infrastructure in neighbouring countries, this is, in effect, ‘exporting corruption’.
This process strengthens Russia’s hand in the region, where the local elite see Moscow both as an administrative model to emulate and the power that guarantees their personal political survival (as long as they are malleable to Russian interests).
Although the Electric Yerevan protests are not anti-Russian in nature, against the backdrop of these geopolitical realities, these demonstrations are nevertheless a display of citizens’ dissatisfaction with their leaders’ lack of accountability.
Deals offered to Armenia by Russia in quick succession over the past few days belie Moscow’s stake in the matter. In the course of just a few days, Russia offered to hand over Russian soldier Valery Permyakov (who murdered a family of seven in Gyumri earlier this year), to extradite Armenian truck driver Hrachya Harutyunyan (currently serving out a prison sentence in Russia for a traffic accident), and $200 million in arms. If any appeasement was expected for these overtures, it did not happen.
Furthermore, information and analysis coming from Kremlin-aligned information sources demonstrate that Moscow is incapable of understanding civil society in Armenia. Viewed through a Kremlin lens, the Armenian citizenry cannot attempt to hold its own government accountable for corruption and abuses without a hidden hand or greater conspiracy being involved.
Russian state media has largely framed of Electric Yerevan as stemming from ‘outside influence’. This response has only further insulted Armenians, denying them their agency and discounting the legitimacy of their grievances.
Anatomy of protest
Electric Yerevan is the latest manifestation of a tradition of dissent and contention against government abuses, which include successful protests against mining projects in Armenia’s north and planned transport fare hikes for Yerevan.
The informal activist networks, established through face-to-face interaction and routines that resulted in solidarity building during those contentious actions, set the stage for Electric Yerevan.
Taking into account this history of contention, as well as the non-democratic nature of the Armenian context, it becomes clear why Electric Yerevan is structured in such a loose, informal way. In non-democratic states such as Armenia, NGOs and social movement organisations seldom constitute the most salient component of civil society when it mobilises. Rather, loose and horizontally structured networks of people forming a more informally organised movement emerge as more significant.
In Armenia, where a ‘power vertical’ similar to Russia’s exists, there is no straightforward process for movements to make open coalitions with institutions or establish structured channels of interaction with political elites. As the Armenian state is incapable of responding to or channeling dissent in institutionalised ways, repression or cooptation from the state emerge as the main danger to movements.
The loose, horizontal structure of the Electric Yerevan thus presents a significant obstacle to the Armenian state’s capability to attack or dismantle it. This structure is both a strength of the movement and a logical adaptation to the realities of the Armenian political arena.
Challenges, advantages
The demands of the protesters are specific: to repeal the electricity tariff hike, to review the current fare, to hold the police accountable for the excessive use of force on 23 June. Chances for the movement to succeed in its demands depend on several factors.
Two major obstacles to the movement exist. First, there are no major elite conflicts within the halls of power that might prompt officials to look for support outside, potentially allowing challengers such as Electric Yerevan a way into the official political arena.
Second, there are no influential elite allies inside the state apparatus that could offer material and symbolic resources to the movement or pressure for movement goals. The local soap opera celebrities and MPs who attempted to form a ‘human shield’ at the barricades have yet to offer any substantive benefits to the movement beyond a show of moral support. President Serzh Sargsyan’s power vertical, where formal mechanisms of policy making are limited to those in or allied with the ruling Republican Party, has assured the exclusion of outsiders to administrative support. The few oppositional MPs who support the movement are themselves largely marginalised and excluded from power.
On the positive side, Armenia’s relative media freedom is as an important resource for the movement. Although a large part of Armenian media remains under the control of official and semi-official Yerevan, alternative media sources, such as Civilnet and smaller independent publications such as Hetq and Epress, speak to movement participants directly, allowing them to represent themselves.
These channels have provided a powerful counter narrative against mainstream media representations of the movement, which remain predominantly negative.
Social media, and Facebook in particular, has also become an important site for disseminating ideas, coordinating action, and drawing in participants. Rather than threatening to replace bodies-in-the-street action, it augments it, offering an important alternative space where participants can circumvent state-controlled media constraints, disseminate information and counter any misinformation.
Online memes poking fun at the Russian media’s extremely politicised ‘colour revolution’ style coverage and humorous clips of Armenia’s thuggish police chief Vova Gasparyan shouting overlaid on well-known movie scenes have enlivened and confronted serious topics. These practices can transcend activist boundaries, creating common ground with wider audiences.
A second advantage of social media has been the way it has attracted international attention and coverage of the protests. In part due to the post-Soviet sphere’s history of ‘Colour Revolutions’, any confrontation in this part of the world automatically attracts the world’s scrutiny as the ‘next revolution’.
Although much of this attention has encouraged faulty depictions and comparisons of Electric Yerevan to revolutions in Ukraine and elsewhere, it is clear that the international media attention has constrained the ability or willingness of the authorities to crack down.
What next?
While the protest’s stated goals are limited to a narrow set of aims, the movement is about much more. It involves a much wider range of claim making around social and political issues, all falling under the umbrella of transparency and accountability.
It is not a given that the tariffs will be repealed or reviewed, or that the police will be held accountable. But if judged within a broader framework of bringing cultural and social change, then the movement can be a success. The sustained social interaction and the expressing of values and grievances through these protests have reinforced peoples’ identities around values and norms related to contention. This can take the movement through lulls in mobilisation and increase participants’ likelihood of future mobilisation when the time comes.
Electric Yerevan’s protests have provided a chance to tie individual identities to collective ones through contention – a crucial resource of citizen empowerment in a non-democratic state such as Armenia.
Chants of ‘no to plunder’ and ‘we own this country’ heard on Baghramyan speak of common cause: the rejection of exploitative opaque governance and the conscious desire of protesters to reassert their identities as Armenian citizens – with the rights and responsibilities which that entails.
Standfirst image: Electric Yerevan protesters on Baghramyan Avenue.
All photographs courtesy of the author.
Police Disperse #ElectricYerevan Protests, Detain Young Activists
Yerevan police remove protesters from Baghramyan Ave. (Photolure)
YEREVAN (RFE/RL)–Riot police forcibly unblocked on Monday a central Yerevan avenue that has been the scene of a nonstop demonstration for the past two weeks against a controversial rise in electricity prices in Armenia.
Only between 100 and 200 protesters remained camped out on Marshal Bagramian Avenue when the police began dismantling their barricade. They went on to carefully disperse the small crowd.
Youth activists leading the protests and dozens of their supporters were detained in the process. A police spokesman subsequently put the number of detainees at 46. Police confirmed that nine of those arrested were released.
“I think everyone will be set free within three hours,” General Hunan Poghosian, a deputy chief of the national police, told several opposition parliamentarians who arrived at the scene immediately after the start of the operation overseen by him.
The police did not use batons and a water cannon or attack reporters in sharp contrast with their violent crackdown on a larger number of mostly young protesters who first occupied the street leading to the presidential palace in Yerevan on June 22-23.
That crackdown only backfired, leading thousands more Armenians to block the street and demand that the authorities revoke the more than 17 percent energy price hike. President Serzh Sarkisian announced on June 27 that his government will subsidize the price, meaning that Armenian households will not have to pay more for electricity for the time being.
No To Plunder, a youth group that launched the “Electric Yerevan” campaign, urged the protesters on June 28 to unblock Marshal Bagramian Avenue. Most protesters rejected the appeal. Nevertheless, attendance at the protests fell dramatically in the following days.
The police ended the protests early in the afternoon, just hours before the expiration of an ultimatum that was issued by the new leaders of the movement on Saturday. The latter said they will advance further towards the presidential palace unless the authorities fully and unconditionally meet their demands by Monday evening.
The police warned the remaining protesters to disperse in a statement that was issued shortly before the operation. The protesters sat on the road in hopes of making their dispersal harder. The more numerous police officers did not need much time to drag them away and reopen traffic through the street.
Speaking to RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am), Ashot Aharonian, the chief police spokesman, praised the crowd for not putting up strong resistance to security forces. He said none of the detained individuals will be prosecuted or fined.
Aharonian would not be drawn on a police response to possible fresh attempts to occupy Marshal Bagramian Avenue.
The international community has to unite efforts to prevent new crimes against humanity: Armenian FM
Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian‘s interview with Brazilian newspaper “Estadão”
“Estadão”: I would like to ask you at the beginning with the more general question, I think this is the main question right now. It is regarding the 100-years Anniversary of Genocide. So, I’d like to ask you how important was this date, this time for the efforts of international recognition of Genocide?
Edward Nalbandian: The main message of the commemoration of the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide is “Never again”. The recognition of the Armenian Genocide is important not only for Armenia or the Armenian nation, it is important for the international community to prevent new crimes against humanity, new genocides. And that’s why the recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide, as well as other genocides is of utmost importance. Maybe it would be possible to prevent other crimes against humanity if the Armenian Genocide was duly recognized and condemned hundred years ago.
“Estadão”: You think something we’ve seen already nowadays could be avoided?
Edward Nalbandian: Yes, I think so. After the Armenian Genocide the world witnessed Shoa, Genocides in Rwanda, Cambodia, Darfur, other places. The international community has to unite efforts to prevent new crimes against humanity. On March 27th the new resolution on Genocide prevention, initiated by Armenia, was adopted in the UN’s Human Rights Council in Geneva, co-authored by 72 countries, including Brazil. And the resolution passed by consensus. Almost every two years we are initiating such resolutions with the aim to consolidate different mechanisms of prevention. It is important that the resolution was adopted on the eve of the commemoration of the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide.
This April the European Parliament adopted a special resolution on the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide with a strong message. This was not the first time that the European Parliament recognizes it, but the new resolution contains a very clear and strong message to Turkey to come to terms with its past, to recognize the Armenian genocide and thus pave the way for a genuine reconciliation between Turkish and Armenian peoples.
It is very important that new countries are recognizing the Armenian Genocide. Here I would like to emphasize very important steps made by Germany and Austria: the first on the level of President and second on the level of Parliament. I mean statements of German President and the Austrian parliament, not only recognizing the Armenian Genocide, but also mentioning their part of responsibility for what has happened 100 years ago. While Germany and Austria are talking about their part of responsibility, Turkey – the successor of the Ottoman Empire continues to its policy of denial.
“Estadão”: In this context we have this resolution from the Brazilian Senate.
Edward Nalbandian: Very important one. It is the first step and we hope that it will be completed by other steps to recognize the Armenian Genocide on the State level in Brazil.
Here, I’d like to stress the importance and moral significance of the statement made by his Holiness the Pope on the Armenian Genocide during the special Mess organized in Holy See this April. Then just after the Mess, the journalists asked me how I would comment on the reaction of the Turkish Government, I didn’t know yet about their reaction because I was at the mess. And I asked back the journalists what was their reaction. They said Turkish side criticized harshly…
“Estadão”: As usual.
Edward Nalbandian: I said: it is the problem of Turkey, not of His Holiness. His Holiness is representing 1bn. 200 m. Catholics of the world, he is a spiritual leader of this very important part of the world population. Ankara is criticizing the European Parliament, because of its resolution on the Armenian Genocide, is calling back its Ambassadors from those countries, which recognized the Armenian Genocide, as they did after Brazilian Senate’s resolution.
“Estadão”: Yes, and you think that this has some political change right now with Turkey. Do you think this will affect somehow, have some effect, some impact for Armenia, if the…
Edward Nalbandian: You know, by the initiative of our President we started very important process of normalization of our relations with Turkey. We had several rounds of negotiations and we came to the agreement on two documents – two protocols, which were signed in Zurich on October 10th, 2009.
But the Turkish side rejected to ratify and to implement those two protocols. And the position, the stance of the international community was and is very clear, that the ball is in the Turkish court. You have to respect the main principle of the international relations – the principle of pacta sunt servanda – you have to respect reached agreements and to implement them. The Turkish side made step back. What will happen in the future? I’m sure that sooner or later, of course, we have to turn the page together…
“Estadão”: Sure.
Edward Nalbandian: ...But not with the policy of denial. It is very clear, that Armenia will never question the fact of the Armenian Genocide and the importance of its recognition. Look how many countries and how many international organizations recognized the Armenian Genocide. And Turkey is pretending that it was not happened, that it was not genocide.
“Estadão”: Is the same position for years?
Edward Nalbandian: Unfortunately, yes.
“Estadão”: You were in Damascus. I’d like to ask you regarding Syria, Diaspora, Armenian-Syrian Diaspora. I know there is a… Can you comment a little bit on how is the situation of Syrian-Armenians?
Edward Nalbandian: Armenians in Syria are a part of the Syrian people, which is in a very difficult situation today. And I think in order to find a way out of this situation it is essential, first of all, to stop military hostilities, secondly to conduct a dialogue between all political groups in Syria without exclusion, third, to respect the rights of the minorities, including the Christian minorities, including the Armenian minority, fourth – to unite efforts to combat terrorism and terrorist groups. Terrorism in the Middle East with so called ISIS, Al-Nusra, other groups represents real danger not only for minorities, Christians, but in general for the peoples of the Middle East and beyond. The international community must to join efforts in their fight against terrorism.
“Estadão”: Right now the government has dealing with the situation that there are lots of Syrian-Armenians, the diaspora coming back to Armenia, right?
Edward Nalbandian: Yes, we have about 14000 Syrian-Armenians now in Armenia. In some other countries you may have much more refugees, but for small Armenia it is a very big number.
And of course we are trying to help those who are coming to Armenia. But still we have many Armenians, tens of thousands living in Syria, including in Aleppo. It is very difficult to say the exact number. That’s why our Consulate General has never stopped to operate in Aleppo and now it is the only diplomatic mission working there. Of course we have also our Embassy in Damascus.
Our information on what is going on in this country comes not only through our Embassy and Consulate General but also from Armenians living in Syria.
“Estadão”: Regarding the diaspora, now I would like to change for Russia. There is very important community of Armenians in Russia as one of the main community. I would like to ask you if the last few months or … since the Crisis in Ukraine and US and also European sanctions against Russia that it has been affecting its economy. I would like to ask if Armenia, Armenian economy have been somehow affected by the consequences of this economic situation in Russia?
Edward Nalbandian: When we talk about the consequences, we have to say that there are consequences not only on Russia, and those countries, that have strong economic relations with Russia, but also on those, who decided to impose sanctions against Russia, all they are affected.
We consider that all issues should be treated and addressed through dialogue, through negotiations, not through using force, including economic coercion.
On Diaspora. Yes, we have very big Armenian community in Russia, about 2 and half million. We have about 500.000 Armenians living in Ukraine as well.
“Estadão”: Regarding another neighbour of Armenia, how would I say, a friend country. Yesterday I saw lots of tracks with Iranian license plates on the way to Tatev – in the South. There are lots of good economic ties with Iran. So I would like to ask you in your view, in Armenian government’s view, how do you see, how do you expect the deal regarding Nuclear Problem of Iran? How do you see this deal with Iran?
Edward Nalbandian: Armenia was among first, if not the first country, which welcomed the framework agreement on Iranian Nuclear issue, negotiated by Iran and 6 countries and we hope very much that the solution could be found until the end of this month as it is expected or in the nearest future, and will bring a comprehensive settlement of this issue which will be in the interests of not only of Iran and neighboring countries, but also entire region and even wider. So we hope very much that the solution could be found and the countries of the region could have more possibilities for economic and trade relations.
“Estadão”: I have talked to some people here and I met very interesting historian, Professor in Armenia. He was talking to me, explaining to me regarding to the Genocide the role of the people who fight in the Genocide in self-defense in some places against the Ottoman troops like in Van, in Musa Ler… He was telling me that to suggest also when we remember the Genocide and the Genocide victims also remember those who play role in self-defense. How do you see how the Government see this request to change the name of remembrance of victims also for remembrance of victims and heroes. Is something working on this?
Edward Nalbandian: Our Church, Armenian Apostolic Church decided to canonize the 1.5 million victims of the Armenian Genocide this April 23rd on the eve of the Centennial and we consider the victims of the Armenian Genocide as martyrs, as saints. Of course, our nation remembers its heroes.
“Estadão”: I would like to ask you about the relationship with Brazil. Which points, which issues are more important by now between bilateral relationship and where do you expect to be more expanded, to become bigger the relationship?
Edward Nalbandian: I think that we have a big potential to be explored by our joint efforts, but I don’t think that much has been done till now.
We have an embassy since 2011 in your beautiful country and you have the Embassy in Armenia since 2006. We have established also a Consulate General in San Paolo since 1998. We paid several visits from Armenia, including on the level of the President, on the level of the chairman of the Parliament, on the level of different ministers, including of Foreign Affairs. I visited your country for the inauguration of President Dilma Rousseff in January 2011. And of course, I had an opportunity also to meet with my colleague former Foreign Minister. He promised to visit Armenia but that never happened.
“Estadão”: And now?
Edward Nalbandian: We hope very much to expand our bilateral cooperation. We hope to consolidate the legal framework of our relations. The volume of our economic and trade relations is small. With many countries, which are several times smaller than Brazil we have much more trade and economic exchanges.
We hope very much that from the Brazilian side also some concrete steps will be done to enhance, to deepen our cooperation and partnership in all possible fields. From our side we are very interested and we expressed our interest many times and as a Foreign Minister I could confirm again that we are looking forward to have really strong partnership with Brazil. We have more economic and trade cooperation with Argentina, than with Brazil. Geographically we are far from Latin America, but geographically Argentine is not much closer, than Brazil.
“Estadão”: Especially considering the size of the Armenian community in San Paolo in Brazil, it is the second one in Latin America.
Edward Nalbandian: Yes, this is also an important factor. Armenian community is playing a bridge role in our relations and could play more active role in deepening our cooperation in different dimensions. There are tens of thousands of Armenian living in Brazil, most of them in San Paolo. Two third of our people lives in in hundred countries of the world Armenia is a small country in this geographical part of the world, but we have many Armenians all over the world, we have hundred “Armenias” in the world.
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