...
By Hratch Tchilingirian
In mid-October, Cairo-born Bishop Bedros Tarmouni, 59, was elected Catholicos Patriarch of the Lebanon-based Armenian Catholic Church by the Synod of Bishops at the Monastery ...
Armenian International Magazine (AIM), November 1999, Vol. 10, No. 11, pp. 24-25
A New Beginning Catholicos Garegin II Faces the Task of Healing and Leading the Church
By HRATCH TCHILINGIRIAN
The Armenian Apostolic Church elected the 132nd Catholicos of All Armenians on October 27. Archbishop Garegin Nersissian, Vicar of the Ararat Diocese, succeeded Catholicos Karekin I, who passed away in June after serving for only four years as the head of the 1700-year old Church.
Armenian International Magazine (AIM), October 1999, Volume 10, Number 10, pp. 52-53
Big Player Joe Baroutjian Reaches New Height in Lebanon’s Music Industry
By HRATCH TCHILINGIRIAN
“Studio Joe” is tucked in the ground floor of an old, war-scarred building in a narrow alleyway of Beirut's Armenian neighborhood of Bourj Hammoud, where at night you can still park your car in the middle of the street and get away with it.
... Church was the first national institution that was restored in Karabakh. In the late 1980s it provided much needed moral strength to the struggling population under the spiritual leadership of Archbishop ...
... worth of medical equipment and supplies to the earthquake zone.
The Patriarchate’s courtyard, and the large front yards of the Armenian churches in Ferikoy and Samatya were opened to the public to use ...
Armenian International Magazine Volume 10, Number 10, October 1999, p. 10
[Editorial by Hratch Tchilingirian]
Two Different Islands Cooperation among state officials, policy makers and businesses benefits all
In the last few years, Great Britain, a huge and important island in Europe, has gone through a process of reassessing its foreign policy in the South Caucasus, Central Asia and Armenia in particular.
... and lead the Church into the next century?
At the end of October over 450 delegates from around the world, elected by their respective communities, will convene the National Ecclesiastical Assembly (NEA), ...
... mornings at the Armenian Church and school complex, which was built last year—on a government-donated parcel of land—through the efforts and financial contributions of the community. “The school is 'purely ...
Armenian International Magazine (AIM) July 1999, Volume 10, Number 7, pp 37 & 39
Crisis Without Borders The Media in the Middle East
By Hratch Tchilingirian
In the old days, when things looked bleak in the Diasporan communities of the West, everyone looked to the Middle East for hope. There, Armenians spoke, read, wrote Armenian. There, the future of the language and the culture was guaranteed.
... tenure was marked by Soviet pressure and state control of the church. The nation anticipated the beginning of a new era under the leadership of Karekin I.
Upon his election, Karekin I had listed four ...
Armenian International Magazine (AIM) June 1999, Volume 10, Number 6, pp 46-48
Master of Grand Theater Gerard Avedissian in the Cultural Landscape of Lebanon
By Hratch Tchilingirian
Playwright, actor, director and producer Gerard Avedissian, 55, is one of the most sought-after artists in the Middle East. A regular guest on the Lebanese television talk show circuit and the cultural scene, Avedissian is the master of the grand theater. “People expect something big and something well done,” he says, when they see his name associated with a theatrical production. In 1997, when he wrote, directed and co-produced “Ghadat Al-Camilla”—a musical play inspired by Alexandre Dumas Jr’s The Lady of the Camellias—some 55,000 people saw the production in one season.
Armenian International Magazine (AIM) April 1999, Vol. 10, No. 4, p 58-59
AN ARAB HISTORIAN AND HIS CAUSE Saleh Zahredeen Takes on the Armenian Genocide
By Hratch Tchilingirian
"The truth shall be told even while hanging on the gallows," confidently affirms Saleh Zahreedin, 48, Lebanese Druze historian and author of a dozen books and pamphlets in Arabic on the Armenians and the Genocide.
Armenian International Magazine (AIM) April 1999, Vol. 10, No. 4, p 56-57
The Armenian [Diplomatic] Mission in Egypt Ambassador Edward Nalbandian goes to Paris with acclamation
By Hratch Tchilingirian
Unlike countries with decades-old (even centuries-old) state apparatus and experience in diplomatic relations, the "first generation" diplomats of virtually all newly independent countries carry enormous responsibilities and challenges. In addition to representing political and economic interests of their respective countries, diplomats of new states bear the responsibility of creating new diplomatic infrastructures in their host countries with virtually no (or at best very little) state budgets. From finding, acquiring and maintaining decent embassy buildings to obtaining cars, computers, faxes and staff, the first few years for a "new diplomat" are most challenging.
Armenian International Magazine (AIM) April 1999, Vol. 10, No. 4, p 34
From Activism to Diplomacy Karabakh finds a place in the geostrategic architecture of the Caucasus
By HRATCH TCHILINGIRIAN
In the last decade, the Karabakh leadership has effectively transitioned from the political activism of the late 1980s and armed conflict in the early 1990s to serious diplomacy-with a combat-ready, disciplined army to back its political and geostrategic interests. Today, having acquired the constituent elements of statehood, Karabakh functions as a de-facto independent state.
Armenian International Magazine (AIM) February 1999, Vol. 10, No. 2, pp. 18-19
NOBODY'S LISTENING Who is Responsible for Maintaining Armenia's Telephone System?
By HRATCH TCHILINGIRIAN
"Everything is being done to do nothing," said Makich Demirian, Chairman of the Merchants Guild of Armenia, regarding the recent and growing dissatisfaction with ArmenTel, Armenia's sole telecommunications company. An exasperated population in Armenia is caught between company executives looking out for corporate interests, a government trying to figure out which official made what deal with whom, and a political opposition garnering momentum on a critical economic issue prior to the May parliamentary elections.
Armenian International Magazine (AIM) January 1999, Vol. 10, No. 1, pp. 20-21
A VOICE IN THE WILDERNESS Armenia moves to reinforce the UN Genocide Convention
By HRATCH TCHILINGIRIAN
"Genocide shaped the founding of the United Nations" said UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in a message on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. The legally-binding Genocide Convention was adopted in 1948 and entered into force in 1951.
... attitude has contributed to the frustration of groups who are tired of "transitions"
The World Council of Churches (WCC) which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this month (see page 62), has come under ...
... in March of this year.
On October 14, the General Assembly of the Armenian Church Community-made of 10 clergymen and 79 lay delegates representing 15,811 church members from Istanbul, Kayseri, Diyarbakir, ...
... is to negotiate with the Istanbul Governor's Office for the state required permission to hod church elections.
The last two patriarchal elections in 1961 and 1990 were carried out by the Patriarchal ...