Deepening Quicksand in the Armenian Wild West
Posted on June. 7. 2020
Former ADL-Ramgavar Party Chairman, tekeyan cultural assoc. leader
Edmond Azadian Calls Western Diocese Primate Hovnan Derderian a ‘Liar.’
BY APPO JABARIAN
The April 16 passage of a new law by Armenia’s parliament on confiscation of assets illegally obtained by corrupt state and church officials sent shockwaves throughout the inner circles of a number of oligarchs.
The disaffected oligarchs include a number of officials connected to former presidential administrations of Levon Ter-Petrosyan, Robert Kocharyan and Serge Sargsyan and Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II, Arch. Navasard Kchoyan, Arch. Hovnan Derderian along with their Armenia- and Diaspora-based allies.
The media exposés shedding light on the nefarious activities of the oligarchs and their clans has well received by wide audiences in Armenia and the Diaspora.
The media accounts of the last several years have been raising serious charges levelled against members of various clans on such issues as
- Money Laundry;
- Tax evasion;
- Fraud;
- Forgery;
- Monetary theft;
- Drug Trafficking;
- Abuse of the Faithful;
- Elderly Abuse;
- Physical violence;
- Bullying;
- Character assassination;
- Murder;
- Rape of women;
- Child molestation;
- Kidnapping and illegal child trade
- Sexual slavery and trade
- Illicit sexual activities by celibate priests and religious leaders
- By-Laws violations by Derderian, Karekin II, Yezras of Moscow and proxies at Holy See, various dioceses, parishes, in Armenia and Diaspora.
- By-Laws violations by Derderian, Karekin II, Yezras of Moscow and proxies at Holy See, various dioceses, parishes, in Armenia and Diaspora.
The accused individuals have failed to address those charges. Instead they adopt the three monkeys’ policy of acting deaf, blind and mute.
THE STRAW THAT BROKE THE CAMEL’S BACK:
In early May, in a televised interview with BAC TV (OPEN TV) of Armenia, two investigative American-Armenian journalists, Voskan Mkhitaryan, and the author of this article, made several revelations about Azatian’s comrade-in-arms Catholicos Karekin II.
The BAC TV’s 27-minute documentary aired on television channels in Armenia receiving wide audiences. It went viral on YouTube and Facebook.
To date the TV documentary has been viewed by more than three hundred and thirty thousand —330,000 Armenians. The program has received thousands of comments from various viewers with the overwhelming majority condemning Catholicos Karekin II and clan’s corruption and nepotism in Armenia and the Diaspora.
The program also received more than 6,400 “likes” and “331” rejections. Thus, the percentage of supporters of such investigative reports made up more than 95% vs. 5% that disapproved. And the percentage of comments is about the same with 95% critical of Karegin II and only 5% supportive.
These figures clearly confirm the results of an early April public opinion polling by an online pollster in Armenia.
It has now become clear to the accused that they were losing ground in the public opinion arena. Instead of addressing the real issues, one of the accused Edmond Azadian has initiated a campaign of character assassination and mudslinging against investigative reporters. Some of the targeted individuals include investigative journalist Vosgan Mekhitarian and others.
Why has Azadian abruptly become so concerned and aggressive? Why has he resorted to mudslinging and character assassination against investigative reporters? Why doesn’t he DENY or ACKNOWLEDGE the veracity of the accusations and assume responsibility for his actions?
As an autocrat of Tekeyan Cultural Association (TCA), Azadian stands accused for massive closures of Armenian schools, cultural and community centers belonging to TCA. Reportedly he has overseen the selloff of real estate and financial assets amounting to tens of millions of dollars without transparency and accountability.
A leading ADL-Ramgavar Party and Tekeyan Cultural Association (TCA) member Hagop Vartivarian wrote an article in 1997 titled “THE LIQUIDATION CONTINUES.”
Mr. Vartivarian blew the whistle on the occasion of the shuttering and sale of ADL-Ramgavar Party’s and TCA-Tekeyan Cultural Association Watertown Club. The article continues to be relevant today. It reflects a continuing trend that negatively impacts an important segment of the Armenian Diaspora. Ongoing counterproductive practices by organizational autocrats such as Armenian General Benevolent Union’s (AGBU’s) Berge Setrakian and Tekeyan Cultural Association’s (TCA) Edmond Azadian undermine the preservation of Armenian identity, culture and heritage in Diaspora.
Since the writing of the 1997 article, many more Armenian schools and cultural centers were liquidated and the assets were sold-off without accountability and transparency.
Two recent such major Armenian school closures occurred in the last few years: ADL-TCA Arshag Dickranian Armenian School in Los Angeles in 2015; AGBU Vatche and Tamar Manoukian High School in Pasadena/Los Angeles in 2019. TCA Dickranian school’s real estate properties were sold for more than $ 14.5 million. Nobody knows of the funds whereabout.
Mr. Vartivarian wrote: “For more than two decades, the trio – Edmond Yervand Azadian – Arshavir Geonjian – Haroutiun Arzoumanian that has ‘captured’ the leadership of the East Coast ADL– Ramgavar Party (Armenian Democratic Liberal Party), has been undermining the party’s reputation and liquidating its possessions that were accumulated throughout several decades of hard work and sacrifice.”
He went on to list the properties and assets that were intentionally liquidate by Azadian and his collaborators:
I) ARARAT CAMP (MAYNARD, MASSACHUSETTS)
II) RAMGAVAR-ADL’S “THE MERITORIOUS MEMBERS’ FUND”
III) “BAIKAR” PUBLISHING HOUSE
IV) YOUSOUFIAN CENTER OF NEW YORK
V) “BAIKAR” OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER
VI) THE ARMENIAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
VII) CLOSURE OF THE ADL/TCA CHAPTERS
VIII) WATERTOWN ADL CHAPTER – GATHERING CENTER
Vartivarian continued: “Having witnessed the misdeeds of this trio, New York and New Jersey Ramgavars became increasingly critical of them. During the general meetings by party delegates, the delegates expressed anger, doubt and condemnation against the trio.”
No wonder many party delegates ejected Edmond Azadian from the party’s leadership at the party’s 1993 convention in Yerevan Armenia.
Investigative reporter Vosgan Mekhitarian recently wrote that In the summer of 1993, he was in Venice for the 150th anniversary celebrations of the Mekhitarist Congregation’s Pazmaveb Magazine. At that time, for the first time in a restaurant, he met Edmond Azadian who had just come from Armenia en route to Detroit. He asked Azadian: “Mr. Azadian, you have just arrived from the Homeland. What is your opinion about the Homeland and its people? “ As if Mekhitarian had pressed a wrong button, suddenly Azadian became moody and reportedly stated that the people in Armenia “are not Armenians, they are by-products of Turks and Tatars.”
Apparently, Azadian, who was not re-elected by the delegates representing the party members of the Diaspora and the homeland, called them all “Turks and Tatars.”
Now, I would like to ask Mr. Azadian, who has shut down so many Armenian schools, party and cultural centers in the Diaspora and liquidated unilaterally. Who are the real “Turks and Tatars?”
According to Mekhiatrian, on another occasion, Azadian has talked boldly about Western Diocese Primate Hovnan Derderian saying that “Serpazan Hovnan is a liar.” Look who’s calling whom ‘a liar!’
Vartivarian concluded: “Finally, in order to liquidate the party’s vibrant New York District Chapter, the Yousoufian Center was sold three years ago in broad daylight. Thus, the trio wearing the hat of Tekeyan Cultural Association Central Board leaders, has deprived the Ramgavar Party from its most active and vibrant center in Eastern U.S.”
Modus operandi of organizational autocrats such Edmond Azadian of ADL-TCA, Vicken Hovsepian of Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Western U.S. and Nora Hovsepian of Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Western U.S.: Anytime courageous and lucid members dare to criticize their misdeeds, eliminate them at all cost instead of heeding their advice to improve the organizations.
Vartivarian also underlined: “Boston’s Tarpinian Youth Chapter which was established some twenty years ago, was shut down in a short time to help the trio get rid of potential future headaches (young thinkers) … Most of these chapters could have been saved for sure through the injection of fresh blood arriving from the Middle East during recent years. But no work was done in this regard. The top trio were only concerned about clinging to their chair …. And, as such, the liquidation goes on and on.”
Matthew 7:3 states in the Bible, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?”
Azadian of ADL and TCA has the moxy to criticize another culprit – Berge Setrakian of AGBU who has unjustifiably in 2005 shut down one of the finest educational centers in the Armenian Diaspora, Melkonian Educational Institute in Nicosia, Cyprus.
Azadian wrote about Setrakian’s AGBU: “Melkonian’s closure… resulted in two particularly damaging missteps. The European Union had designated Western Armenian as an endangered language; therefore, funds would be forthcoming for its preservation… the closure of Melkonian at that delicate moment served as a stab in the back (to the Armenian Diaspora). So much for the political prudence of the AGBU leadership. … (which) has not come up with a plausible explanation. … If the Patriarch (Moutafyan) were alive, it would be within his right to question the AGBU leadership about the whereabouts of the endowment fund and the use of its income. … But even worse, there is apparently a reversal of the educational mission and philosophy among the AGBU leadership, particularly in the mindset of its current president, my respected friend, Berge Setrakian.”
One liquidator of Armenian school calls another liquidator of other Armenian schools, “my respected friend!” How hilarious!
The investigations are underway in Detroit, New York, Etchmiadzin, Yerevan, Boston, Los Angeles, Burbank, Las Vegas, San Diego, Paris, Athens, Moscow, Buenos Aires, Toronto and other dioceses.
More details coming soon. Stay tuned.