Day: January 8, 2024
There are endless scandals involving the Aliyev clan in Azerbaijan. President Ilham Aliyev, who has ruled the country with an iron fist since 2003, took over from his father Heydar Aliyev, who was the head of state from 1993 to 2003. To make sure that the Aliyevs rule Azerbaijan for several generations, Ilham Aliyev appointed his wife as his vice president. I am certain that she will name one of her children to succeed her, thus prolonging the Aliyev dynasty in Azerbaijan.
The latest scandal in Azerbaijan was exposed by Ardi Pulaj, first published on Abzas Media with an edited version republished by Globalvoices.org. The article is titled, “In Azerbaijan, an entire village was vacated for the President’s son-in- law.”
The village of Garachayli was initially owned by the Grand Mufti of Azerbaijan, Allahshukur Pashazade—the top Muslim cleric of Azerbaijan, who had leased the land to the villagers. In 2007, the village was leased to Shabran Agrocomplex LLC for 49 years, after which the company ordered the villagers to vacate the land. One of the villagers, Tahir Rasulov, sued the company for remuneration, but lost his lawsuit after two years. “They tortured and tormented me a lot. They threatened me with the police. They took me out of my ancestral home. The company surrounded the village with a wire fence. We now look at our ancestral lands from outside the wires,” Rasulov told Abzas Media.
Arzu Aliyeva (Wikimedia Commons)
The founder of Shabran Agrocomplex is Baku Agropark, which belongs to businessman Samad Gurbanov. Gurbanov is married to Arzu Aliyeva, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s youngest daughter.
Gurbanov’s personal investment of $6.9 million in the company was matched with an additional $6 million loan for 10 years at five-percent interest by the State Entrepreneurship Development Fund. The article reported, “Gurbanov’s company was exempted from paying for the electrical wiring installation during the construction of the greenhouse, which was done by a company named Retro Holding, owned by Arif Pashayev, Ilham Aliyev’s father-in-law. Other investment favors included favorable loans for the irrigation infrastructure of the agrocomplex—all on the state’s dime.”
Shohrat Gardashaliyev, a former resident of Garachayli village, said, “The gas line goes through here to Agropark and does not provide gas to the people. They give manure to the fields. It’s true, they spend millions on manure, but the people don’t have as much value as manure. We can’t plant crops here. We don’t have land. We don’t own property. It’s all the people’s land, but look, they’ve invaded and taken it away…I am simply told just fall down and die, let me kick you in the throat and die.”
Tahir Rasulov said, “Names are mentioned here—the name of the president, the name of Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva (the first lady and vice president) is mentioned. As soon as one of our cattle crosses to that field, we are told by the management that this is Mrs. Mehriban’s place. So has Mrs. Mehriban appointed a representative here to kill, beat, torture or threaten a citizen?”
Since there are no employment opportunities for the villagers, the only possibility is to work for Agrocomplex, which has either refused to hire them or has offered a monthly salary of only $200. One villager described the deplorable situation as “modern day slavery.”
Court documents show that Baku Agropark paid “incredibly cheap rent for the land it leased in the village of Garachayli—an annual rent of $1,500 for 4,300 acres of land.” Rasulov said that he used to pay “a rent of $45 per acre of that land. And yet, Baku Agropark pays less than $2.2 per acre.”
Samad Gurbanov also owns “the Baku Agropark Trading House, engaged in the wholesale trade of fruits and vegetables; Maxitrading LLC, engaged in the import and distribution of food products; as well as several other companies belonging to Mirlex Group (Mirlex Development and Mirlex Construction LLC), engaged in the sale of fire extinguishers, installation of automatic fire alarms, parking and video surveillance systems. The offices of many of Samad Gurbanov’s companies are located in Port Baku Towers, an elite business center owned by Pasha Holding [belongs to Mrs. Aliyev’s father].”
When Abzas Media journalists tried “to speak with the managers of Agrocomplex in Shabran, it was proved futile. The film crew was stopped by a security guard and told none of the managers were at the complex.”
Sadly, “after the residents of the village were forced to flee, they left behind the village graveyard. Ever since the complex was built and their land was taken, they must seek permission from the Agrocomplex management even to visit the graves of their late relatives.”
It is very tragic that a government that earns billions of dollars a year from its vast oil and gas reserves is unwilling to share a small part of that wealth with the poor villagers in Azerbaijan.
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Harut Sassounian
California Courier Editor
Harut Sassounian is the publisher of The California Courier, a weekly newspaper based in Glendale, Calif. He is the president of the Armenia Artsakh Fund, a non-profit organization that has donated to Armenia and Artsakh one billion dollars of humanitarian aid, mostly medicines, since 1989 (including its predecessor, the United Armenian Fund). He has been decorated by the presidents of Armenia and Artsakh and the heads of the Armenian Apostolic and Catholic churches. He is also the recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.
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All roads lead to Armenia
Ernest Hemingway once said: “There are only two places in the world where we can live happy—at home and in Paris.” For thousands of Armenian Genocide survivors, Paris became their refuge and home. In the 1920s, more than 50,000 Armenians lived in France. Among them were writers, artists and poets, but many were laborers, working hard to provide for their families. As the Armenian community grew, the newcomers became members of French society, but they never forgot their homeland and proudly preserved their history, traditions and culture.
So many Armenians are now part of France’s collective memory. Exceptional artists like Charles Aznavour and Sylvie Vartan entertained millions of French people. Talented footballers like Youri Djorkaeff enabled the French football team to win its first World Cup title in 1998. During World War II and the German occupation of France, resistance fighters like Missak Manouchian and Louise Aslanian defied the Nazis and sacrificed their lives to defeat tyranny. Today, around 650,000 members of the Armenian diaspora live in France, and more than 150,000 French Armenians live in Paris, where they perpetuate their unique heritage.
Let’s start our little visit to Paris in the eighth arrondissement near the famous Pont des Invalides. Along the right bank of the Seine River is a beautiful and peaceful park named “Le Jardin d’Erevan,” which means the Garden of Erevan (Erevan is the French name for Yerevan, the capital of Armenia). This lovely park was inaugurated in 2009, in the presence of the legendary Charles Aznavour and Helène Ségara, a popular French singer of Armenian and Italian descent. In the Jardin d’Erevan stands a monumental statue of Komitas, who was an Armenian priest, musicologist, composer, singer and choirmaster. He was the founder of the Armenian national school of music and is recognized as one of the pioneers of ethnomusicology. The imposing statue commemorates the victims of the Armenian Genocide and the Armenian heroes who have fought and died for France.
We continue our exploration of Paris in the neighboring ninth arrondissement. While walking down rue Lamartine, you smell Mediterranean aromatic herbs and Middle Eastern spices. These familiar scents may bring back old memories and make your mind travel back in time. At the N°6 of rue Lamartine is an extraordinary Armenian grocery store founded in 1925 by the Heratchian brothers. For a century, this colorful and timeless place has sold exquisite spices, herbs and products from countries including Egypt, Greece, Morocco and, of course, Armenia. Many French Armenians have been going to this unique store for decades, first with their grandparents and now with their grandchildren. The grocery store “Heratchian Frères” is open from Tuesday to Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
After awakening our taste buds at “Heratchian Frères,” let’s head towards the rue Bleue, which is five minutes away by foot, for lunch. The Armenian restaurant we are looking for is known by all French Armenians of Paris, but it’s a hidden treasure. Some tourists have spent ages looking for it in vain. This mysterious restaurant is named “La Maison de la Culture Arménienne” (translation: The House of Armenian Culture), at N°17 rue Bleue (9th arrondissement). When you arrive at this address, there will be no sign of a restaurant, other than an ordinary Parisian residential building and a large wooden door with a keypad. No code is needed to enter the building. You must push the button at the bottom of the keypad, wait for the door to click and let yourself in. After crossing the residential courtyard, you will reach the back building and see Armenian and French flags above a doorway marked “Maison de la Culture Arménienne.” From the moment you walk through that door, you will be welcomed by the smell of Armenian cuisine. Located on the first floor, this secret restaurant is like no other, and the food is amazing. Having lunch or dinner at the “Maison de la Culture Arménienne” is a fantastic culinary experience that you will never forget. The restaurant is open every day, except Sunday, from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. and from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Let’s pursue our pleasant journey in Paris in the 16th arrondissement and visit another hidden treasure of the French capital. At N°11 of the Square Alboni stands an elegant residential building that was designed by a famous French Armenian architect, Léon Nafilyan. This residential building seems like an ordinary building, but it’s not. Since 1928, this building has housed the Nubar Library (Bibliothèque Nubar), which holds Europe’s largest collection of Armenian books, periodicals and personal archives of Ottoman Armenian individuals. Founded by Boghos Nubar Pacha, the mission of the library was to collect and preserve every document or publication in Paris regarding the Western Armenian world. Today, the Nubar Library is one of the richest documentation centers on the history of the Ottoman Armenian world and the Armenian Diaspora. The library holdings currently include 43,000 printed books, 800,000 archival documents and 10,000 original photographic prints. In order to visit the Nubar Library, make an appointment by email, bnu@bnulibrary.org, or by phone, +33 1 45 24 72 77.
We conclude our expedition through Paris in the 20th arrondissement at Père Lachaise Cemetery. With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, the Père Lachaise Cemetery is the most visited cemetery in the world. Among the famous people buried in this cemetery are Jim Morrison, Frédéric Chopin, Édith Piaf, Marcel Proust and Oscar Wilde. But let’s head towards Division 94 and search for the statue of General Andranik. Born in 1865, Andranik Ozanian was an Armenian military commander and a key figure of the Armenian National Movement. This national hero died from angina on August 31, 1927, in California, and was initially buried at the Ararat Cemetery in Fresno. After the General’s first funeral, the plan was to take his remains to Armenia for final burial, but when they arrived in France, the Soviet authorities refused to give permission to transport them to Armenia. After a second funeral service held in the Armenian Church of Paris, General Andranik was buried at the Père Lachaise Cemetery on January 29, 1928, and he remained there for 72 years. In February 2000, the General’s remains were finally taken to Armenia and buried at Yerablur in Yerevan. Today, at the Père Lachaise Cemetery, a monumental equestrian statue of General Andranik stands where this true national hero was buried.
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John Dekhane
John Dekhane grew up in Paris before moving to the South of France. He works for a sport organization in Monaco. Since he was a child, he has always been interested in World War II with particular emphasis on American soldiers. In order to honor them, over the past years, he has located and purchased WWII U.S. artifacts in Europe and donated these items to more than a hundred museums in the United States.
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89th annual AYF-YOARF Convention delegates, representatives and members of AYF Canada
ALBANY, N.Y.—The Armenian Youth Federation – Youth Organization of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (AYF-YOARF) Eastern U.S. held its 89th annual Convention on December 26-30, 2023.
The Convention hosted 33 delegates representing 14 of the region’s 16 chapters. AYF Canada and the Bureau Office of Youth Affairs (BOYA) also sent representatives to the Convention.
Convention delegates — the highest body of the AYF-YOARF — reviewed and analyzed the work carried out by the Central Executive (CE), the 16 chapters of the region and 13 central councils during the 2023 year. The delegates discussed new objectives for the organization and adopted resolutions for the organization’s upcoming year’s agenda, both regionally and internationally. Isabel Hagopian (New York “Hyortik” Chapter) and Hagop Taraksian (Providence “Varantian” Chapter) led the Convention as the tivan.
The following AYF members represented the outgoing 2022-2023 CE:
- Nareg Mkrtschjan (Providence) – chairperson
- Ani Khachatourian (Boston) – vice-chair
- Harout Tashian (Providence) – treasurer
- Meghri Dervartanian (Boston) – secretary
- Daron Bedian (Chicago) – advisor
- Alec Soghomonian (Manhattan) – advisor
- Niree Kaprielian (New Jersey) – advisor
- Areni Margossian (Washington, D.C.) – advisor
- Talene Sagherian (Manhattan) – advisor
Delegates began each day with deliberations at 9:30 in the morning and ended past midnight in an effort to accomplish the goals and conclude the Convention’s detailed and thorough agenda. Guest representatives included George Aghjayan of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Central Committee, Kenar Charchaflian of AYF Camp Haiastan, Moses Arzoumanian and Talia Jabrayan from AYF Canada, and Tsoghig Ashekian and Sebouh Hamakorzian from the ARF Bureau Youth Office. Representatives provided a brief presentation on their respective organization’s current projects, goals and plans.
The newly-elected 2024 CE members
On the evening of December 29, Holy Cross Armenian Apostolic Church hosted a dinner for the delegates in Troy, New York followed by a delicious dessert spread. The Central Educational Council took the opportunity to present the Gharib Memorial Trophy, which is awarded to the chapter with the best educational program throughout the calendar year. This year, the trophy was awarded to the Manhattan “Moush” Chapter.
The Convention elected a new Central Executive for the 2024 year consisting of the following members:
- Nareg Mkrtschjan (Providence) – chairperson
- Daron Bedian (Chicago) – vice-chair
- Isabel Hagopian (New York) – treasurer
- Lori Samuelian (New Jersey) – secretary
- Lori Baronian (New Jersey) – advisor
- Niree Kaprielian (New Jersey) – advisor
- Alec Soghomonian (Manhattan) – advisor
The 2024 CE is motivated to start the year’s work efficiently and successfully, with roughly 35 resolutions passed from the Convention to guide them.
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Founded in 1933, The Armenian Youth Federation is an international, non-profit, youth organization of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF). The AYF-YOARF Eastern United States stands on five pillars that guide its central activities and initiatives: Educational, Hai Tahd, Social, Athletic and Cultural. The AYF also promotes a fraternal attitude of respect for ideas and individuals amongst its membership. Unity and cooperation are essential traits that allow members of the organization to work together to realize the AYF’s objectives.
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