AVC

I'm a professional blogger now. Opening up blogs left and right...

A few weeks ago we launched a new site for my organization, the Armenian Volunteer Corps. It gives more of an up to date picture of what we're up to here in Armenia than our official website does.

www.armenianvolunteer.blogspot.com

Activism without Borders

I will once again reiterate why I love living in a still maleable and nebulous democracy such as Armenia-- because you can actually play a role in what happens. Your actions can have tremendous ripple effects. In our case- something organized haphazardly in a matter of a few days rippled all the way to the president's office and resulted in a Government response.

Let me try to set up a timeline of exactly what's been going on this month on the civic action front:

1. Arsen Kharatyan, son of a member of parliament, and a die-hard optimist for the progress of Armenia, is a close friend of the Armenian Volunteer Corps. He brought to my attention the issue of several violent racially motivated murders of Armenian young people committed by so-called skinheads in Russia in recent months.

He informed me that the Russian government had largely been looking the other way, barely investigating or arresting anyone for these crimes, and not bringing any of the accused murders to justice. Perhaps worse still was that the Armenian government had not made any formal comments or condemnation of these acts for fear of disrupting the delicate (subservient...) political relationship it has with Russia.

Arsen's organization- the For Science Development Initiative- approached me and asked if we could mobilize the diasporan Armenians (Armenians who were not born in the country) in town to join in and organize a demonstration publicizing this issue.

He asked for our help because he was convinced that people with a Western experience would be more likely to take a pro-active stance and join the demonstration.

I obliged.

2. Below is an excerpt from the e-mail I sent out to dozens of people in Yerevan asking them to join us at the protest:

“A 19-year-old ethnic Armenian man was knifed to death on a Russian passenger train last week by a group of youths shouting "Glory to Russia", Ekho Moskvy radio station reported yesterday…A wave of killings and beatings in cities across Russia has raised concerns about the rise of racist groups in the country.”
– Rueters, May 31 2006

The Issue:
Fellow Armenians, as you may already know, in the last 10 days 2 more Armenian teenagers have been murdered in Moscow, which proves that Russian xenophobia runs deep.

Anti-Caucasus sentiment has reached a new level. We believe that we cannot remain silent about this matter and if the Foreign Ministry and our politicians are not going to speak out, then we as citizens must do something!

The Action:
The Armenian Helsinki Committee and For Science Development Initiative Group are organizing a DEMONSTRATION IN FRONT OF THE RUSSIAN EMBASSY ON MONDAY JUNE 5th.

3. Here's a photo of me getting harrassed by a police officer outside the Russian Embassy on the day of the protest. Apparently "free speech" doesn't mean much to him. He asked rudely to see all of the photos I had taken. I asked him why, and he told me that it's "illegal" to take pictures of the Russian Embassy building. I, obviously pissed off, angrilyscrolled through all the pictures I had taken and said "SEE!" Then he left me alone.

A few minutes later he got right in the face of one of my volunteers and screamed at her "Don't take pictures!!" Before she even had a chance to put the camera down, much less respond, he lunged at her and tried to swipe the camera out of her hands into the ground! I managed to catch it before it fell and shattered and started yelling at this cop like I've never yelled at anyone here before. It earned me quite a bit of attention and now I'm sortof considered a bad-ass...



The demonstration didn't bring an enormous crowd, but there were a fair amount of concerned people there, and a LOT of media. After 25 minutes of hectic interviewing and disorganized clumps of people only half-enthusiastically holding up their signs I made the executive decision that there MUST be a more effective use of our time. Truly it didn't look like a demonstration- if someone drove by they would have no idea what this group of people was assembled for. So, I grabbed a few volunteers and we dragged everyone into a solid formation- we formed one long line facing the Embassy, holding our signs. We stayed like this for another 25 minutes, and I think it ended up fairly effective.

4. Here's one of many articles that was published about our protest. Myself and many of our AVC volunteers were interviewed by journalists that afternoon. They spoke about their disgust as such racist acts, and that they felt the Armenian citizens should be more pro-active in asking the government to respond. This is just one of many ways in which the presence of our volunteers makes an effect on the development of Armenian society.


Armenian Civic Groups Protest Racist Killings In Russia
By Anna Saghabalian
Published in Human Rights in Armenia

Several dozen people staged a rare demonstration outside the Russian embassy in Yerevan on Monday to condemn and protest against the continuing racially motivated killings of Armenians and other dark-skinned residents of Russia.

The protesters, most of them representatives of several Armenian civic groups, accused Moscow of connivance and even complicity in the xenophobic violence widely blamed on tens of thousands of neo-Nazi skinheads operating across Russia. They also denounced the Armenian government’s reluctance to bring the Kremlin to task over the killings.

The protest was sparked by the fatal stabbing of a Russian citizen of Armenian descent by a group of rampaging youths on a train in a Moscow suburb. Artur Sardarian, 19, is the sixth ethnic Armenian reportedly killed in Russia this year.

Russian human rights organizations say a total of at least 15 people from the Caucasus, Central Asia and Africa have lost their lives in racist attacks since January. The death toll for the last year is estimated at 28.

Few of the perpetrators of those killings have been arrested and brought to justice, with Russian law-enforcement agencies and courts notoriously lenient towards them. A case in point was the trial in Russia’s second largest city of St. Petersburg of seven teenagers who were convicted of collectively stabbing to death a 9-year-old Tajik girl but were sentenced to only between 18 months and five years in prison last February.

In a petition handed to Russian embassy officials, the organizers of the Yerevan protest suggested that the neo-Nazi groups guilty of the attacks are openly operating “with the sponsorship of some Russian state structures.”

“There is no way such illegal acts could have been carried out for so long and so indiscriminately without the backing of some state structures,” said Avetik Ishkhanian of the Armenian Helsinki Committee.

The protesters also marched to the Armenian Foreign Ministry to condemn its failure to publicly criticize the Russian authorities for their failure to stop the violence. Armenia’s ambassador in Moscow and other diplomats say they regularly raise the issue with Russian officials. But the organizers of the protest insisted that Yerevan is scared of openly challenging its ex-Soviet master and closest ally.

“I am convinced that if the Armenian authorities took a tougher line the situation would not be so grave,” said Ishkhanian.

“The Armenian authorities are not doing anything to stop the killings,” charged another protester, Arsen Kharatian. “Their failure to speak out is a crime in itself.”

Sardarian’s violent death came in the wake of an uproar caused by the killing of another young Armenian. The 17-year-old Vigen Abramiants was stabbed to death on a Moscow subway platform on April 22. The crime, which has still not been solved, prompted an outburst of anti-Russian rhetoric in the Armenian media which dealt a further blow to the traditionally strong pro-Russian sentiment in Armenia.

5. Below is our first yardstick measuring a succesful effect of our demonstration. I've highlighted in blue the sentences that I believe refer directly or indirectly to our efforts in Yerevan at the beginning of this month. I will once again reiterate why I love living in a still maleable and nebulous democracy such as Armenia-- because you can actually play an active part in its future.

Kocharian, Markarian Press Russians To Tackle Racist Murders

By Emil Danielyan

Published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (www.ArmeniaLiberty.org)

Official Yerevan stepped up its hitherto timid pressure on Moscow to prevent further racist killings of ethnic Armenian residents of Russia, with President Robert Kocharian and Prime Minister Andranik Markarian raising the issue with a visiting senior Kremlin insider on Friday.

The two men told President Vladimir Putin’s representative to southern Russia, Dmitry Kozak, that they expect tougher action against Russian neo-Nazi groups responsible for the increasingly serious violence, indicating their dissatisfaction with measures taken by the Russian authorities so far. Kocharian said the Russian law-enforcement bodies, widely accused of inactivity and even connivance in the deadly attacks, should act in a more “quick, steadfast and understandable” manner. “

The interlocutors condemned nationalist murders committed in Russia in recent months and noted that they do not stem from the interests of Russia and the Russian people,” his office said in a press release.

Markarian, for his part, urged Moscow to take “serious steps to identify and bring the guilty to justice as well as to avert more such incidents.” At least six ethnic Armenians were beaten, stabbed or shot to death this year in a wave of xenophobic extremism targeting dark-skinned immigrants from the Caucasus, Central Asia and Africa that has plagued Russia. The Russian authorities’ failure to solve the vast majority of those crimes has is increasingly raising eyebrows in Armenia, contributing to the erosion of a traditionally strong pro-Russian sentiment there.

The Armenian government has been attacked by local civic groups, opposition parties and prominent intellectuals for its reluctance to bring the Kremlin to task. Kocharian’s and Markarian’s remarks were apparently Yerevan’s first high-level criticism of Moscow’s handling of the violence. They came the day after an official announcement that senior diplomats from the two countries will hold a special meeting in the Russian capital on the issue later this month.

According to Markarian’s press service, while condemning the racists murders, Kozak said that “they are not specifically directed against Armenians” and that “the Russian authorities are doing everything to solve and rule out such crimes.” He also cited a “good treatment” of hundreds of thousands of Armenians living in Russia’s southern regions.

However, reports of vandals desecrating Armenian churches and cemeteries in the area have not been uncommon in recent years, and at least one of the local governors, Aleksandr Tkachev of the Krasnodar Region, has irked Armenian community leaders and Russian human rights activists in the past with xenophobic statements.

Kozak, who was accompanied by Russian regional officials, also discussed with the Armenian leaders economic cooperation between Armenia and southern Russia. Kocharian and Markarian pointed to the persisting high transportation costs involved in bilateral trade, with the latter urging the Russians to do more to restore rail communication between Russia and Armenia via Georgia.

Kocharian was quoted by his press office as noting with satisfaction that the lack of “efficient transport communication” between the two countries does not prevent Russian companies from “playing an increasingly large role” in the Armenian economy.

In the Company of Artists

Meet the impressive crowd with whom I spent an enchanting evening last weekend. I love them.

Michael: the Emmy-winning television and film actor/director from LA (you may recognize him from Party of Five, Leaving Las Vegas, episodes of House, CSI, or as the director of Illusions starring Kirk Douglas)
Ivana: the miniature-manuscript artist and theater actress from Belgrade
Vrej: the professional cartoonist/caricaturist from Syria
Bella: the print and television journalist
Vaughan: the Cambridge/Oxford/Harvard educated (not kidding) filmmaker from London
Eric: the Newsweek journalist from Paris
Arzvin: the Armenian film scholar and critic, organizer of the International Golden Apricot Film Festival
Serj/“Ioj”: the extremely-animated pantomimist and stage actor
Mika: the film and stage director

The stylish cocktail party at Vrej's studio continued on into a fantastic night of ridiculous dancing at Monte Cristo...

International Childrens' Day and First Republic Day

Yerevan celebrated International Childrens' Day by setting up a major show on the Cascade. I don't know if I've ever seen so many people buzzing around one place in Armenia before. The Cascade is a fantastic venue. The peformances were great(including my favorite, the Armenian Navy Band). The city was filled with energy. It made me so happy and hopeful to be a part of such a vibrant and colorful evening solely devoted to celebrating children. For all those who complain that the development process is too slow here and that it will still take another generation to really see some changes: here are those children who will make those changes.


Another cause to celebrate recently was May 28th. This marks the independce day of Armenia's First Republic (1918-1920). The Dashnagtsutyun (the political party who won that victory and ran the Armenian government during the first republic) organized a performance up at "victory park," complete with dancing and fireworks late into the night...

Geo-politics

Stephanie has a cousin in Tblisi, Georgia. Her cousin has a friend from the UK. This friend from the UK became my friend last week when he came to visit Yerevan.

His name is William, and he has a degree in post-Soviet studies, and now works in Tblisi as the editor of an English language weekly newspaper. While we were strolling through Yerevan and chatting I gave him my opinions and various insights on the country, which are generally illicited from me by visitors as I am their de-facto expert resident.

I pointed out where the old US embassy was and mentioned that with the completed construction of the new Embassy compound, Armenia houses the 2nd largest embassy in the world second only to Iraq. I mentioned that per capita, Armenia receives more US aid per capita than almost any other country, probably thanks to the strong Armenian lobby that exists in the United States. The aid money is an achievement (or perhaps consolation prize), even though the US continues to avoid recognizing the Genocide because of it's friendly relationship with Turkey. We discussed the fact that because of Armenia's closed borders with Turkey, it has forged good trade relations with Iran. We discussed Armenia's good relations with Russia (Russian troops help patrol some of Armenia's borders)- manifested most recently by the results of Euro-vision song competition where Russia gave it's highest votes to Armenia and Armenia likewise gave its highest votes to Russia.


As it turns out, it's true that you never know what seeds you have planted. Little did I know, that the journalist in William was taking mental notes that evening. See the op-ed William wrote which was printed this week:


Armenia: having their cake and eating it too
By William Dunbar

Outside every public building in Georgia the flag of Europe flutters awaynext to the five crosses of Georgia - a testament to the nation's westernambitions. But Georgia is paying a price for its occidental inclination; thedrive west has incurred the wrath of the northern neighbor, and with everystep Georgia takes towards 'Euro-Atlantic structures' a reprisal is issuedfrom Moscow. Be it visa regimes, embargoes on wine and mineral water, orincreasingly vocal support for the separatists in Abkhazia and SouthOssetia, Russia-like a jealous lover-seems determined to punish Georgia forgetting too friendly with the west.

The Georgian authorities are at pains to point out just how far the countryhas come on the road to western integration, and significant progress hascertainly been made. Inclusion in the new European Neighborhood Policy(ENP), the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) and the solidarity shownGeorgia by Dick Cheney at the recent Vilnius summit of Baltic-Black Seanations-not to mention last year's Bush visit, and the praise he heaped onthe ' beacon of democracy'-all of these are achievements the Georgiangovernment can be proud of.

However, each of these achievements has been accompanied by deterioration in the relationship with Russia. Both the Russian and Georgian authorities aretrapped in a lose-lose situation. They each see influence in Georgia as being like a cake: if the West gets more cake then Russia gets less, there is only so much cake to go round, after all. This 'zero-sum' thinking is economically and/or tarnishing their international image, and it seems it can only get worse.

Yet there is a prime example to the south reminding us that influence doesn''t have to be like a cake at all. Armenia is living proof that you canhave it both ways. Armenia-a small, impoverished and landlocked country of some three million people-is home to the second largest US embassy in theworld (Iraq is number one). Little Armenia receives more US government aid per capita than or almost anywhere else (including Georgia), it is also signed up to the ENP and the MCA. And how are Armenian/Russian relations? Well they're just peachy. No visa regime, no trade embargoes, no fiery rhetoric, and Armenian cognac is still readily available in Moscow.

The historical hatred they continue to bear towards their Turkic neighbors notwithstanding, the Armenians are quietly getting along with the realpowers that be; they even manage to have friendly relations with Iran and still get a huge slice of military assistance from the US. Armenia should be a lesson to both Russia and Georgia, politics doesn''t have to be a zero sumgame, and everyone can be a winner. You really can have your cake and eat it too.

The newest "Stansi"

I am officially a "hayastansi".

Just got my Armenian Passport :-)

I have official "special residency status" for 10 years...to quote the Ministry of Foreign Affiars: "The Special Residency Status is granted by the President of Armenia to the foreign citizens of Armenian ancestry and other distinguished individuals, who have provided significant services to the Armenian nation and/or are engaged in economic and cultural activities in Armenia."


Clearly, I'm ecstatic

Caught in the hype

Armenia's debut in the Eurovision contest was VERY fun to witness...and even more fun to celebrate tonight as our own Ricky-Martin-esque Andre took Armenia to the top 10 finalists, guarunteeing us a spot in the contest next year! Find the music video online somewhere, it's very amusing.
lalallal without your love...
This contest has all the fun of any where nations compete against one another like the Olympics or World Cup, plus the pressure and feeling of involvement as American idol, because each country gives its top votes to the other countries to determine the winners. I also thoroughly enjoyed hearing english song lyrics sung with a multitude of accents. adorable. what a united colors of benetton evening.

"Best of" Day 2

How to show 2 non- Armenians a fabulous time in Armenia, Day 2

1. Grab a professional repat who really knows his way around because he has been living in Armenia for 7 years already and has even written his share of travel books on the country (Raffi), AND your favorite tour guide/collegue (Arshak) and plan a road trip for the day!

2. Start by renting a car from Lemon Rent-a-Car (rest assured that all the Americans here have already acknowledged the humor in the name of this company). Our trusty volkswagen is pictured below.

3. First stop: the always stunning Lake Sevan from the vantage point of the peninsula, where the monastery of Sevanavank stands. Lake Sevan covers 5% of Armenia's surface area and is nestled inside the Geghama mountain range at 2,000 meters above sea level. The waters seem to change from crystal blue, to deep purple to turqouise depending on the time of day. We point out to our guests that it's customary for the locals to sell fish that they have caught from the lake on the side of the road. How do you know who's fish are best? Apparently size does matter and each vendor tries to boast by showing you through his armspan just how big the fish he caught are!

5. Stop for another meal of Khorovats, on the banks of a river that runs through Dilijan. We happened to catch the photo-op of the year as a group of WWII veterans were assembled in honor of May 9th, victory day.




















6. Cruise further north still into the depths of the lush Tavush region and check out Haghartsin Monastary nesstled in the rolling hills...a stop made even more amusing if you manage to stumble upon a group of locals throwing themselves a party in the middle of the mountain, complete with accordion playing, singing and drinking. You must, of course, join in for a toast or two!

7. Meet the old man and woman who bake sweet bread and sell it by the church, and offer to help them...chop wood?!

8. Stop through the actual town of Dilijan and walk around. The Tufenkian foundations is renovating this old street to make it a site for artisans to set up workshops and sell their crafts.

9. Head back to Yerevan in time to catch the ARMENIAN NAVY BAND's last performance in town for the season! They play at their own venue, called Avante-Gard which is always cozy and packed with the Navy Band's adoring fans. There really isn't a way to describe how incredible and unique this band is, so you'll just have to come see one of their shows for yourself.

Editorial

Check out this editorial about the Armenian genocide that was published in the New York Times today (I can't figure out who wrote it however...). In case you can't open the link, here is the full text:

May 16, 2006

Editorial

Turkey, Armenia and Denial

Turkey's self-destructive obsession with denying the Armenian genocide seems to have no limits. The Turks pulled out of a NATO exercise this week because the Canadian prime minister used the term "genocide" in reference to the mass killings of Armenians in Turkey during and after World War I. Before that, the Turkish ambassador to France was temporarily recalled to protest a French bill that would make it illegal to deny that the Armenian genocide occurred. And before that, a leading Turkish novelist, Orhan Pamuk, was charged with "insulting Turkish identity" for referring to the genocide (the charges were dropped after an international outcry).

Turkey's stance is hard to fathom. Each time the Turks lash out, new questions arise about Turkey's claim to a place in the European Union, and the Armenian diaspora becomes even more adamant in demanding a public reckoning over what happened.

Granted, genocide is a difficult crime for any nation to acknowledge. But it is absurd to treat any reference to the issue within Turkey as a crime and to scream "lie!" every time someone mentions genocide. By the same token, we do not see the point of the French law to ban genocide denial. Historical truths must be established through dispassionate research and debate, not legislation, even if some of those who question the evidence do so for insidious motives.

But the Turkish government considers even discussion of the issue to be a grave national insult, and reacts to it with hysteria. Five journalists who criticized a court's decision to shut down an Istanbul conference on the massacre of Armenians were arrested for insulting the courts. Charges against four were subsequently dropped, but a fifth remains on trial.

The preponderance of serious scholarship outside Turkey accepts that more than a million Armenians perished between 1914 and 1923 in a regime-sponsored campaign. Turkey's continued refusal to countenance even a discussion of the issue stands as a major obstacle to restoring relations with neighboring Armenia and to claiming Turkey's rightful place in Europe and the West. It is time for the Turks to realize that the greater danger to them is denying history.

"Best of" Day 1

How to show 2 non-Armenians a fabulous time in Armenia in just 3 days:

1. First and foremost, those people should be wonderful people themselves who have the open mind and itch to find out more about the world! Let me introduce mine: Steph, my best friend from high school and Dace (pronounced Dat-sey) from Riga, Latvia.
2. When they come in tired and broken from being squeezed into a mini-bus sharing seats with babushkas and being married off by said babushkas on a 7 hour ride from Tblisi, Georgia take them out for their first taste of KHOROVATZ (armenian bbq) and Armenian red wine at the Caucasus Tavern.
3. Let the weary traveler's sleep in and head out for a day of touring after tea and breakfast. Hire a driver to take you to three of the heavy hitters: The pagan temple of Garni, 13th century Geghart Monastery, and the Holy See- Etchmiadzin (the Vatican of the Armenian church). In retrospect, interestingly enough, this little triumvirate makes for a nice breezy tour of the relgious progression of Armenia as a nation...

Of course the travelling day couldn't be complete without a stop at a local store to purchase fresh bread, cucumbers, tomatos and cheese for an open air picnic on the road!


4. Come back to Yerevan, and have authentic DOLMA (stuffed grapeleaves) for dinner at the adorable The CLUB restaurant.

Furthermore, if your guest shows even an inkling of interest in finding out what Tutti Oghi might be (mulberry vodka), it would be unfathomable not to have a shot or two so she can taste the potent liquor (80% alcohol!) for herself. Be prepared to stumble around for the rest of the night...it's not suprising to find yourselves acting like fools at a local bar later on...

Long-winded entry on Urban Planning

Clearly I have spent a lot of time in the villages and rural areas of the country, and I tend to take more photographs out there as I find those areas so picturesque. But, I realize that it’s only fair that I take some pictures of my city as well. Yerevan is the largest city in Armenia (population of about 1 mil.), and is growing to be quite metropolitan. Girls, it’s true: there’s even the Spanish-retailer MANGO here.

These are pictures of Republic Square (which is very close to my apartment) at dusk: my favorite time of day. It’s not quite dark yet, but the lights are turned on, and the sky is always lovely at this hour and leaves a blue haze. These pictures are very unique for one reason: there are no people in them! In about a month or so, seeing the Square so empty will be a virtual impossibility. Bring on tourist season!

There is a LOT of construction underway as the new “Northern Boulevard” slowly breaks ground. Apparently, the original plans for Yerevan, as conceived by the architect Alexander Tamanyan, foresaw a street that went directly from Republic Square to the Opera House (the two main features of the city). So now, this plan is being actualized. The street will be pedestrian-access only (this is a GREAT idea), and will feature many modern (and very expensive- think $100,000-$150,000 2 bedroom apartments) apartment buildings, and shops/cafes.

Though it will certainly be good for business, attracting tourists, upping the overall aesthetic of the city, and encouraging investors, this whole project has been rather controversial. One reason is because many people were ejected from the homes they’d been living in for generations, to make way for the developers to put up new buildings. These displaced people were compensated minimally for their troubles. They weren’t paid anything near market value, and thus in most circumstances, the money they were given won’t be enough to purchase another home in Yerevan as real estate continues to skyrocket. Furthermore, if you simply ask around, you’ll come to find out that it is common knowledge that most of the buildings going up on the Northern Boulevard are being financed by the Russian mafia. People in government and so-called “oligarchs” are going to profit handsomely however. To be sure, there is a lot of money to be made in construction here. It is a grand scheme of money laundering and personal profit for the very few, and there’s really nothing anyone can do about it (case in point: the one lawyer who tried to defend the displaced people who were being kicked out of there homes on human rights/anti-corruption grounds, was thrown in jail for months on trumped up charges. The government’s message to “shut up” is clear).

And finally, the design is rather controversial as there is no unified plan for the architectural style of the Boulevard. It seems each developer is building in whatever style they want without heed to what the others are doing, or to preserving the historical aesthetic of the city (one of the finished buildings closest to the Opera looks more like a Tyson’s Corner-style corporate office building than anything else): thus, the result may be a rather motley sight of buildings completely dissimilar to one another…but only time will tell.

Still hugging trees

Photos from another AVC tree-planting trip, this time in Kotayk Village, this time with the Armenian Forests NGO (http://www.armenianforests.am/). The trees are Apricot trees, and so in the future, hopefully, under the care and watering of the villagers hired by Armenian Forests, they will grow to be handsome trees which will fulfill not only environmental and aesthetic purposes, but will be utilitarian as well.

And...finally, here are some pictures to make your mouth-water :-) My cousins decided to have a Khorovatz party on Monday, as it was a national holiday and no one had to go to school or work (May 1st- "May Day" or Worker's Day)