Armenia: At the Crossroads

by David Zenian "Music has been my whole life," says Iranian born Loris Tjeknavorian. The stories he had heard as a student in Vienna inspired his dream "to bring some measure of comfort to the people of Leninakan. I remember being told how the Austrian government immediately restored the opera house in Vienna after World War II, even before housing, hoping to bring joy to that devastated city. I thought I might be able to do the same in Armenia."

by David Zenian "I want to do whatever I can to help" said Vahe Jazmadarian, General Manager of Credit Suisse, in Paris, France, as he concluded his one week visit to Yerevan to explore and analyse the banking system in Armenia. Impressed by the thorough study Armenian officials had done before his visit, Mr. Jazmadarian spent all his days in intensive 8 to 10 hour meetings with finance and economic ministers.

by Louise Manoogian Simone Q. Our U.S. government structure is quite different from that of the Soviet Union. Can you explain Armenia's structure? A. Our structure is inherited from the Soviet Union. To be frank with you it's not a good structure. The system was working when, besides the Supreme Soviet and the Council of Ministers, the Communist party Central Committee existed, coordinating and regulating the work of the other two bodies. The structure was intended as a kind of pyramid. Now the top (Communist party) of that pyramid has been removed.

by Louise Manoogian Simone

by Phillip L. Kohl During the decade of the 1980s American archaeologists participated on field programs in the Soviet Union with increasing frequency. In 1986 my own research interests shifted westwards, and I decided to familiarize myself with the results of years of excavations in the various republics north and south of the main Caucasus. My work consisted of meeting archaeologists active in the area and studying and photographing museum collections in Moscow, Leningrad, Yerevan, Tbilisi, and Baku.

by David Zenian During the recent Azerbaijani and Soviet attacks on Armenia, President Levon Ter-Petrossian was asked what the Diaspora could do to support Armenia. His response was clear: "Exert pressure on world public opinion." The President did not elaborate, but keeping the public informed - here in the United States and the world - has been one of the main tasks of the Washington based Armenian Information Service of the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU-AIS).

by Louise Manoogian Simone Papken Ararktsian First Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Soviet (Parliament)