SASSNA DZRER - ՍԱՍՆԱՅ ԾՌԵՐ

Iran Offers to Mediate Karabakh Conflict

2008-06-19T13:43:00.002+05:00

We just came upon a June 11th UPI article claiming that Iran has once again offered to broker a settlement to the Karabakh conflict.

Several interesting points are raised in the article which readers can go to HERE

Guardian.co.uk Article Claims Karabakh A "Dangerous Black Hole"

2008-06-09T12:06:00.003+05:00

Alexandros Petersen's June 7th article in the Guardian entitled "Negotiating a Black Hole" is a fairly decent reflection as to how world public opinion, particulalry the "informed" western press, portrays the Karabakh conflict.

Mr. Petersen describes the Karabakh issue in the following words:

"The simmering stalemate pits Armenian Christians against Azerbaijani Muslims, with several lives lost on either side every year. But why should an obscure ethno-religious conflict concern us, and why is today's meeting more significant than the numerous failed negotiation attempts of the past 20 years?"

The issue isn't placed in any type of historical context nor does the author provide any basis on which to substantiate the following absurd conclusion of his that:

"Should a transnational terrorist group such as al-Qaida ever get its hands on former Soviet nuclear material, it is almost a given that a territory such as Karabakh will be involved."

Those interested in reading the full article can do so HERE

Turkish Minister Declares - We Will Not Open Border Until Conditions Are Met

2008-05-26T15:17:00.003+05:00

Turkey's Economy Minister Mehmet Şimşek, while attending a meeting on regional development in the far eastern province of Iğdır, located near the border with Armenia stated that - Turkey will not open its border with neighboring Armenia, closed for more than a decade, unless Yerevan resolves its problems with Ankara and regional ally Azerbaijan.

To read the entire article that appeared in Today's Zaman: Click

Protestors & Police Clash in Istanbul on May 1st

2008-05-04T14:52:00.005+05:00

For the first time in some 30 years protesting trade unions and other socialist forces tried to enter Istanbul's Taksim Square to stage their annual May1st demonstration.

This year the demo's organizers decided not to try to force their way to the Square but riots did break out nevertheless between riot shock-troops of the government and protesters.

Officials set up barricades in and around the square, where May Day celebrations have been banned since 1977, when unknown gunmen opened fire on demonstrators, killing 37 people - most of who died in the resultant stampede. Does this sound just a bit familiar???

SURPRISINGLY THROUGHOUT THE MELEE - NO ONE WAS KILLED!!!!!

Now let's rewind the clock to the night of March 1st in Yerevan - 10 Killed

It seems that the Turkish Lawyers' Union has called on the Ankara Police Chief to resign for the heavy-handed approach of his forces. Now we know that a similar organization, at least in name, exists here in Armenia. Have they made a similar demand regarding those responsible for the events and deaths of March 1st??

When will those responsible be held accountable for their actions?????

DON'T HOLD YOUR BREATH!!!!

" The elections I observed in Armenia were the worst I have seen so far."

2008-05-02T10:20:00.003+05:00

Election Secrets Revealed: Crying foul over chicanery at Armenia's polls and the honeyed tones of European diplomacy.

by Marietta de Pourbaix-Lundin and Matyas Eorsi; 22 April 2008

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has threatened to suspend Armenia’s voting rights in the body unless it makes considerable progress toward democratic and judicial reforms by PACE’s June session. PACE sent observers to witness Armenia’s presidential election in February. It declared the voting to be “mostly in line with the country’s international commitments, although further improvements are necessary to address remaining challenges.” John Prescott, a former British deputy prime minister who headed the delegation, said, “While we noted improvements in the framework for these elections, problems with its implementation, especially during the vote count, in some cases undermined the trust of the people.” Marietta de Pourbaix-Lundin, a parliamentarian from Sweden who was part of the Armenia mission, considered that an understatement. She delivered her speech during PACE’s 14 April session.

I have been in this parliamentary assembly since January 2007 and I have observed elections in four countries: Turkey, Ukraine, Russia and Armenia. The elections I observed in Armenia were the worst I have seen so far. The opening of the polling stations and the proceedings on the day were not too bad, but the counting in the polling station that I chose to visit was a disaster. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong. The number of voters who had voted and who had been marked on the list of voters was not counted, unused ballot papers were not destroyed and the protocol in which the results were to be entered had already been signed by members of the election committee.

CLICK for full text of the speech

Two Catholicoses Visit President Sargsyan

2008-04-22T12:48:00.002+05:00

On April 21 Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, and Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, visited President Serzh Sarkissian.

Oh, if only I was a fly on the wall....

I can only imagine what, if anything, was discussed of a substantive nature. Or was it all a big PR event for some much needed support for the new president.

Did the two church leaders actually express their support for Sargsyan without any reservation?

Should we really care????

Council of Europe to Armenia - Clean Up Your Act!!!

2008-04-18T11:38:00.002+05:00

Yesterday, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe passed a fairly scathing report regarding the political state of affairs in Armenia, touching on the recent presidential elections and the restrictions in place regarding legal political dissent. A number of demands were put on the regime in Yerevan that must be immediately implemented, otherwise Armenia would be denied the right to vote at the next PACE session in June.

Kommersant, a leading Russian online news source, has an interesting article regarding the resolution and some of the backroom negotiations involved.

CLICK HERE

Nune Yesayan - Please Shut Up !!!

2008-04-15T18:56:00.007+05:00

Artists are citizens too and thus have the right, like the rest of us, to express their personal opinions on a wide range of issues, politics included.

However, the rantings of Nune Yesayan regarding the events of March 1st border on the idiotic and are repulsive, to say the least.

Yesterday, she comfortably stated that those who died that night "were in the wrong place and only have themselves to blame for their deaths." (Basically - they got what they deserved) I wonder, how do people like her sleep at night???

She then went on to praise Serzh Sargsyan for helping her out with a personal matter (money) when he was Defense Minister. The rest of her comments are too far-out to include here.

So Nune - please stick to dancing and singing on stage.

You do more harm than good when you do otherwise.

Bill To "Amend" Controversial Article 301 Sent to Turkish Parliament

2008-04-14T16:10:00.002+05:00

In a much needed respite from the sorry state of politcal affairs in Armenia we would like to inform our readers that the Turkish Parliament will be debating a bill to amend Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code.

Briefly, in addition to a few symbolic changes in the lexicon of the article, the Turkish Parliament will be debating whether or not to take away the mandate to file a lawsuit under the article from the president and give it to the Ministry of Justice.

The European Union has been calling on Turkey to amend Article 301, which has been the basis for charges against Turkish writers and journalists such as Hrant Dink, Elif Safak, and Orhan Pamuk. That provision makes denigrating Turkish identity or insulting the country’s institutions a crime punishable by up to three years in prison.

Doesn't seem like the bill intends to strip Article 301 of its teeth to go after dissidents in Turkey not towing the regime's line. In Turkey you get charged with "insulting the Turkish nation" while here in Armenia you get charged with "fomenting mass public havoc" and "seeking to usurp state power". Here, they lock you up and throw away the key. In Turkey, you can get shot for expressing your ideas. That doesn't happen in Armenia.... Oops, I spoke a bit prematurely.

Human Rights Watch States - Sargsyan Should Restore Rights !

2008-04-09T15:18:00.002+05:00

On April 8th the influential organization Human Rights Watch published a report covering the present political situation in Armenia on the eve of the inaguration of Serzh Sargsyan as the country's new president.

In the report Holly Hunter, Executive Director of the organization's Europe and Central Asia Division, declared that,

" Armenia’s new president has a chance to start with a clean slate. This is an opportunity to restore Armenia’s tarnished image, and Sargsian should not miss it."

The Executive Director goes on to state that,

“The new Armenian leader is facing serious challenges,” said Holly Cartner, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “He should take decisive steps to investigate the excessive use of police force and lift restrictions on freedom of assembly.”

To read the complete report CLICK HERE:

International Crisis Group Forecasts Gloomy Future for Armenia

2008-04-08T15:36:00.002+05:00

The International Crisis Group, is generally recognised as the world’s leading independent, non-partisan, source of analysis and advice to governments, and intergovernmental bodies like the United Nations, European Union and World Bank, on the prevention and resolution of deadly conflict.

Today it has published a briefing entitled: Armenia - Picking Up The Pieces

We urge our readers to read the full report and leave their comments here.

Armenia’s flawed presidential election, the subsequent lethal crackdown against a peaceful protest rally, the introduction of a state of emergency and extensive arrests of opposition supporters have brought the country to its deepest crisis since the war against Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh ended in 1994. The situation deprives Serzh Sarkisian, scheduled to be inaugurated as president on 9 April 2008, of badly needed legitimacy and handicaps prospects for much needed democratic reform and resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict alike. Unless the U.S., EU and others with significant diplomatic leverage over the regime in Yerevan exert pressure, Armenia is unlikely to make progress on either. The Sarkisian administration must urgently seek credible dialogue with the opposition, release prisoners detained on political grounds, stop arrests and harassment of the opposition and lift all measures limiting freedom of assembly and expression. Unless steps are taken to address the political crisis, the U.S. and EU should suspend foreign aid and put on hold negotiations on further and closer cooperation.

To continue reading the full report CLICK HERE

Dim Prospects for Sargsyan After Armenia's Post-Election Violence

2008-03-25T13:45:00.002+04:00

As is usually the case within the sphere of Armenian politics, one is forced to turn to non-Armenians for an objective analysis of recent developments.

Below, we would like to bring to the attention of our readers a recent article by Dr. Blanka Hacilova that appeared in "Diplomatic Traffic" online.

Dim Prospects for Sarkissian after Armenia's Post-election Violence

The violent suppression of the opposition rally on 1-2 March has opened up a gaping schism in the Armenian body politic. Following the deaths of several dozen protesters, the Kocharyan-Sarkissian duo is bound to lose some supporters, while some neutral voters may chose to join the opposition. The battle for power may be drawn out, and its conclusion is far from certain but, so far, it is evident that the foundations of the ruling regime have been profoundly shaken.

Click to see full text.

Large Police Presence Confronts Silent Vigil In Yerevan

2008-03-22T19:45:00.007+04:00

Yesterday's silent candlelight vigil and procession to honor those who died during the March 1st civil protests in Yerevan should have been a time of healing and reconciliation.

Rather it appears that the ruling authorities wanted to seize the opportunity to make a show of force for all to see. Detachments of police and security forces, with helmets, rubber batons and stun guns, lined the procession route, in an overt display of power and intimidation.

All along Northern Avenue and down into Republic Square, officers in blue camouflage gear and other nefarious types wearing sunglasses, were brazenly video recording those participating in the event - mothers, teenagers and old men. Welcome to the new "Armenian Order"!!!

It was truly a tragic display of a government gone seemingly psychotic with fear and trepidation of its own citizens. And this is the backdrop against which the regime is calling for dialogue and mutual respect???

Luckily, it appears that the average Armenian wasn't fazed by this massive show of force. People were chastising those filming the crowd and ridiculing their efforts by saying - "Go and videotape everyone!!!" Others were declaring that, "This is where I live and I can go where I please."

All in all it was a hopeful sign, one day after the State of Emergency was lifted, that things will not go back to the bad old - good old days.

LIST OF DETAINED OPPOSITION MEMBERS AND ACTIVISTS

2008-03-20T10:44:00.003+04:00

The Helsinki Association of Armenia has compiled a list of opposition members and activists in detention as of March 17, 2008. Other sources of those detained and/or arrested in the political witch hunts initiated by the ruling clique in Armenia following the mass social protests of the last few weeks put the number of these individuals much higher.

Please click HERE for complete listing:

(Thank-you Keghart.com)

Commissioner Hammarberg Highly Critical of Armenian Government's Recent Actions

2008-03-19T13:42:00.003+04:00

Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe's Commissioner on Human Rights, in his report after a 3-day visit to Armenia, has called on the government to lift emergency measures, ensure media freedom and initiate an impartial investigation into recent violent acts.

Rest assured that the Commissioner's findings will not be broadcast over the airwaves now effectively controlled and monitored by the Armenian government.

Please click HERE for the complete official statement.

SILENT PROTEST PROCESSION IN YEREVAN THIS FRIDAY

2008-03-18T15:30:00.003+04:00

We have just learnt from the Nazarian Blog that a Silent Protest Procession will take place in Yerevan this Friday, March 21st.

The Procession will begin at Opera's Freedom Square at 5 P.M. It will wind its way down Northern Avenue, through Republic Square and end up at Miasnikyan Square.

The notice calls on all citizens who wish to voice their protest regarding the tragic events of March 1st , the senseless use of force by the authorities and the continuing political repression of dissenting voices, to take part in this peaceful civil action.

It also calls on all those who wish to pay their respects to the memory of all 8 individuals who died that day to also participate.

Washington Post Publishes Letter by Serzh Sargsyan

2008-03-17T12:16:00.004+04:00

Unbelievable but true. Below is an article penned by Serzh Sargsyan and Artur Baghdasaryan, his new partner in the coalition government to be foisted upon the country published in today's Washington Post. We were aghast at the hypocrisy contained within and the manner in which the social upheavals of the recent past were shrouded underneath the regime's hollow calls for dialogue and cooperation. This is damage control at it's most primitive level. Luckily many in Armenia have shown that they will no longer toleate such blatant attempts to mollify the righteous dissatisfaction that has surfaced among all segments of society. Hopefully, international readers of the Washington Post will also be skeptical of the views of a government that call for dialogue on one hand but muzzles the independent media on the other.

Moving Forward In Armenia

By Serzh Sargsyan and Arthur BaghdasaryanMonday, March 17, 2008

Armenia's reputation as a stable, democratic country in a troubled region has taken a battering recently. Although international observers gave an overall positive rating to the conduct of last month's presidential election, opposition forces took to the streets, seeking to overturn the people's will. Riots and armed demonstrations left more than 100 injured. Tragically, seven protesters and one police officer died.

Public faith in our economy and political institutions has been undermined. Simply put, we had a competitive election. Dragging this crisis on, literally through the streets, only hurts Armenia. For almost a decade -- since then-President Levon Ter-Petrosyan resigned -- our country has avoided civil uproars and armed violence, allowing for a period of internationally recognized democratic and socioeconomic progress.

But after he lost his bid to reclaim the presidency in February, Ter-Petrosyan resorted to a dangerous and profoundly undemocratic form of populism. He radicalized a part of the opposition and guided it into a standoff with the state, which led to the March 1 riots in which armed demonstrators confronted police. It was clear to all moderate political forces -- pro-government or supporters of the opposition -- that declaring a state of emergency was the only possible option to protect our citizens. We have until Thursday, when the state of emergency is lifted, to find political solutions and ensure that Armenia does not slide back into chaos.

The two of us were competitors in the presidential election. But we are united in our desire to end the current crisis and put Armenia back on track. Cooperation is the way forward.

The political alliance we have created, between the president-elect and the Rule of Law Party, is an effort to do things democratically and through compromise. Between us, we represent 70 percent of the votes of the Armenian people. This is a serious and solid mandate. On this basis, we will pursue ambitious but realistic reforms that will strengthen our democracy and our nation's socioeconomic progress. In this moment of crisis, we have agreed to assume responsibility for joint governance.

This form of government has not been imposed upon Armenia; we have chosen it as the best way forward. This new, grand coalition will guarantee that the people's will is reflected.

We insist, however, that continued progress is possible only through dialogue and reform. Violence has no place in democracy. Therefore, we ask those who are still promoting instability on the streets to join us in political dialogue and to help us guide our country toward prosperity.

Armenia faces a series of external challenges that we hope to address. First among them is the long-standing conflict over who should control the Nagorno-Karabakh region between our country and Azerbaijan; second is the normalization of relations with Turkey. Only a government with wide popular support, not one created through street violence, can successfully resolve these problems. We will also continue to ask the international community to recognize the Armenian genocide, though this issue should not prevent us from moving forward.

We do not assume that all of our country's ills will be solved through a coalition government. And we will certainly address the expectations of the several thousands of voters who are dissatisfied; we must do so to build consensus. But we must also recognize the expectations of the many more thousands of voters who chose the government that is in power. We will do our utmost to restore public trust in the electoral process and to unite the nation again.

Our priority is to run a transparent government and have a clear agenda, which we will announce. We will fight corruption head-on. We are confident that with the world's help, reason and responsibility will regain the upper hand in Armenia. We have no time to waste -- there is a lot of work to do. Despite recent events, our country is still moving forward. The international community has everything to gain through supporting a stable, transparent and elected government in Armenia.

Serzh Sargsyan, prime minister of Armenia, is chairman of the Republican Party. He is the country's president-elect. Arthur Baghdasaryan, a former speaker of Armenia's parliament, represented the opposition Orinats Yekir (Rule of Law) Party in the February election; he placed third.

U. S. Dept. of State Releases 2007 Country Reports on Human Rights

2008-03-14T12:50:00.003+04:00

The United Sates Department of State has released its 2007 country reports regarding human rights.

According to its Armenia Report:

The government's human rights record remained poor, and serious problems remained. Citizens were not able to freely change their government; authorities beat pretrial detainees; the National Security Service (NSS) and the national police force acted with impunity; authorities engaged in arbitrary arrest and detention; prison conditions were cramped and unhealthy, although slowly improving; authorities imposed restrictions on citizens' privacy, freedom of press, and freedom of assembly. Journalists continued to practice self-censorship, and the government and laws restricted religious freedom. Violence against women and spousal abuse remained problems, as well as trafficking in persons, discrimination against persons with disabilities, and societal harassment of homosexuals. There were reports of forced labor.

Pokr Mher: Let us remember that the report does not cover the February 2008 presidential elections in Armenia nor the events that followed.

European Parliament Condemns Violence Used By Armenian Authorities

2008-03-14T12:02:00.002+04:00

Strasbourg, March 13, 2008

In four human rights resolutions adopted at the end of this week's Strasbourg session of the European Parliament, MEPs deplored the violence used by the authorities against opposition demonstrators following presidential elections in both Armenia and Russia. Here is the complete official text:

Violence following the elections in Armenia

In the wake of the presidential elections in Armenia on 19 February, a police crackdown against opposition supporters who were peacefully contesting the results left eight dead and dozens injured. A state of emergency was declared on 1 March and media freedom has been restricted. Parliament's resolution, adopted by 60 votes to 1 with 2 abstentions, deplores the loss of life, urges all parties to act responsibly and calls on the authorities to investigate the violence and take other measures.

The International Election Observation Mission stated that the elections were "administered mostly in line with OSCE and Council of Europe commitments and standards" but also identified a number of concerns, in particular concerning the media’s commitment to providing impartial information.

In the resolution, Parliament "expresses its concern at recent developments in Armenia" and "calls on all parties to show openness and restraint, to tone down statements and to engage in a constructive and fruitful dialogue aimed at supporting and consolidating the country’s democratic institutions".

Call for inquiry, with punishment for perpetrators of violence

It also calls "for a prompt, thorough, transparent, independent and impartial investigation of the events of 1 March" and "for all those responsible to be brought to justice and punished for misconduct and criminal acts of violence". The Council and Commission should offer EU assistance to help with the investigation.

The Armenian authorities are asked to lift the state of emergency, restore media freedom and take all measures necessary to ensure a return to normalcy. In addition, they are urged "to release citizens detained for exercising their right of peaceful assembly".

EU support for Armenia to improve democracy and rule of law

Parliament points out that the EU's Action Plan with Armenia under the European Neighbourhood Policy covers the strengthening of democratic structures and the rule of law. In this context, it urges the Commission "to focus its assistance to Armenia on the independence of the judiciary and the training of police and security forces" and calls on the Armenian authorities "to implement swiftly all the remaining recommendations made by the International Election Observation Mission".

MEPs urge the Armenian authorities "to cooperate fully with the international community on finding an agreed solution" and they express support for the EU Special Representative to the South Caucasus and the OSCE’s Special Envoy.

Turning to Armenia's conflict with neighbouring Azerbaijan over the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, the resolution "deplores the recent loss of life on the ‘line of control’ during fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces" and "calls on all sides to refrain from further violence and to return to the negotiating table".

Lastly, MEPs reiterate "the clear EU commitment to building closer ties with Armenia and the South Caucasus countries" but emphasise that "closer cooperation with the European Union must be based on real and tangible progress and reforms and a full commitment to democracy and the rule of law".

Reflections on Recent Events in Armenia

2008-03-11T11:37:00.002+04:00

Below is an article that has been circulated in the Diaspora. We reprint it unedited and without comment.

Much has been said and yet not said about the recent presidential election in Armenia .

Protagonists of both sides try to point fingers towards their respective opponents for the tragedy that occurred on March 1, 2008 in the streets of Yerevan resulting in 8 people dead and many wounded. The authorities are in no retreat at all, but in damage control by misinforming the public; at least one leader of the opposition is widening the scope of demands calling for an “international” investigation of what transpired.

Individuals, organisations and church leaders are all in unison in trying to call for sobriety, and underlining the potential of further deterioration that could compromise the security and unity of Armenia itself. Diasporan Armenians are engaged in this process at least by voicing their opinions.

Probably we as a nation (the term loosely used) should not be surprised of what was to come. It was written on the wall and unfortunately we did not have the guts to intervene before it was too late. Hindsight is right it is said, but foresight is much in need specially now.

Blaming this or that faction diverts us from the path that will lead us out of the impasse. The present primary leader of the opposition and the oligarchs ruling the country were in many ways cut from the same cloth. The elections of 1995 were a foretaste of what to come and the present authorities had their first lessons of how to exercise fraudulent and rigged elections then; subsequent occasions served to refine the practice in violation of human rights and deepening the roots of authoritarianism in a fragile country that can survive only and only through the participation of the majority of its people in the process of governance. Unfortunately that was not meant to be and people felt disenfranchised and disempowered

Compared to countries of similar size and emerging from a system of state capitalism on a grand scale, Armenia to its credit registered favorable economic growth. However, the beneficiary was the small elite of oligarchs and kleptocrats. Time and again in subtle and not so subtle ways authorities were cautioned of potential dangers, but they chose to ignore well intentioned advice. Instead they continued their insatiable appetite for more by amassing new fortunes and leaving the vast majority of people to its own skills in poverty. The disparity that ensued bloated the ranks of frustrated people who would express themselves in whatever way whenever an opportunity arose.

Well intentioned Diasporan organizations and individuals since the earthquake and subsequently lent a helping hand in many ways. Caught in fervor of romantic patriotism people prayed, hoped and wished that a new democratic Armenia would evolve - a country that respects human rights and is respected in the international arena. Over the years many intricately laced relations developed. In the course anomalies were noticed. At times some were very critical of how Armenia as a society was shaping. Yet despite that effort overall Diaspora was timid in drawing the line in the sand, forcefully making clear where it stands and what its expectations were. In a sense by being a reluctant bystander it de facto sanctioned ongoing violations of human rights and looting of the bounty.

It’s deplorable to notice that people who were minor partners in the present regime are now talking about introducing changes that would ameliorate the situation in future. They knew very well what was wrong prior to this recent tragedy. They were enjoying having ministers. Where were they prior to this tragedy? Why did they not introduce legislation to prevent what was to come? Now they accept the status quo and extend an olive branch to the authorities. That is pure and simple jockeying to secure positrons in a future government.

Equally deplorable are statements by a person in the government who had earned the respect of many in Armenia and Diaspora. Prior to the elections he made allegations that a particular opposition leader would do anything to get to power. What about the present regime? Isn’t it using all its might, including firing on its own people to remain in power? Why is he remaining silent? Is it a service to secure a position in the next government? Does he buy the Chief Prosecutor’s spokesperson’s denying any shots had been fired by the police?

Over years much has been said about outside interferences and influences in the internal affairs of Armenia . Now, that factor is being twisted in so many ways in order to silence opponents, dissidents and confound the understanding of what’s going on. All what’s left is to declare that so and so has committed treason and is a traitor. It’s an advantage of any authoritarian regime to pull out this or that document from the past and present to the public out of context to prove its point. The regime already had discredited itself in so many ways and its integrity was tarnished prior to the elections that now such measures will fall on deaf ears of many.

Speaking of outside interference, it’s a touchy subject and hard to document. All what can be done by an outside amateur observer is to glean from certain facts and make an educated guess at best. Why a country as small as Armenia boasts of having the largest USA embassy in the CIS countries? Why Armenia needs such a vast land ceded to a foreign jurisdiction, when it processes only a handful of visa applications and other matters in a day? Wasn’t it during this regime that the embassy was built? What’s its purpose?

If history has any advice to us it is resisting outside infiltrations as best as we can. The call for an investigation by international bodies is at best an ill advised measure. It will further intensify and confound the present tense atmosphere and the security of Armenia .

After all said and done it is the responsibility of any country’s government to restore normalcy and it’s an inescapable part of that obligation to take responsibility for whatever crisis. Blaming the opposition is not the route and will lead nowhere. Earnest cooperation is the only venue as long as it is not understood as co-optation.

Dikran Abrahamian BA, MD
March 9, 2008
Ontario, Canada

Armenia: Vote Observers More Critical

2008-03-10T12:26:00.002+04:00

The following article appeared in the New York Times on March 8, 2008.

By Sabrina Tavernise

An election observation team from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe issued a second report on the presidential election that handed an overwhelming victory to the prime minister, delivering a more negative assessment of the Feb. 19 vote and its recount than it initially gave. The report documented numerous cases of violence, including a case in which a domestic observer lost consciousness, and “implausibly high voter turnout” at a number of polling stations. It assessed the vote count at 17 percent of the stations as “bad or very bad” and reported “significant procedural errors,” including placing ballots on the wrong candidate’s pile.

Massive Cover-Up of the Facts Taking Place in Armenia

2008-03-09T14:54:00.003+04:00

Today, in Armenia, the state authorities are engaged in a massive cover-up of the facts surrounding the events of March 1st. No sane person can deny this reality.

The ruling regime, by declaring a State of Emergency, has proven that it cannot and will not organize an objective, all inclusive, review of what transpired that day which resulted in the death of 8 individuals.

To date, official pronouncements from the State Prosecutor's office deny that law enforcement personnel fired on the protesting crowds. To date, no rational explanation has been given by the government regarding who fired on the crowd. All reports show that those who perished died from gunshot wounds.

There can be no independent inquiry of the facts when the government has effectively blocked any opposing point of view from being heard. The government says it is engaged in such an inquiry but no one, especially the average person on the street, believes that such an examination will be impartial.

Let us put aside, for the moment, all the finger-pointing and name-calling that is rampant in Yerevan today as to who was to blame for letting tensions reach such dangerous levels. The fact remains that people were killed.

The question remains did they have to die?

" DARK DAYS IN ARMENIA " - New York Times Editorial

2008-03-07T12:21:00.003+04:00

The New York Times editorial of March 7, 2008 has described the present situation in Armenia as a " Brutal State of Emergency ".

Here's the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/07/opinion/07fri2.html?ref=opinion

We ask that all of you contact the newspaper and urge that they continue to cover developments in Armenia since the current regime has imposed a blackout of all dissenting news and opinion.!!!!

Some Alternative Websites During News Blackout in Armenia

2008-03-06T17:22:00.005+04:00

Here are some websites readers can turn to for information regarding developments in Armenia. It's only a partial list of course but we'll add to it when we get more addresses. Please let us know of other sites you might know of.

http://infoarmenia.org/en/

http://www.hetq.am/eng/

http://www.armenialiberty.org/

http://www.iwpr.net/?p=crs&s=p&o=-&apc_state=henprca

http://www.eurasianet.org/resource/armenia/index.shtml

http://www.armenianow.com/?

http://www.voanews.com/armenian/2008-03-06-voa2.cfm ( VOA - in Armenian )

SILENCE ON ARMENIA

2008-03-05T16:45:00.002+04:00

Below is a link to today's Washington Post which published a letter from Levon Ter-Petrosyan regarding events in Armenia:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/04/AR2008030402329.html

Armenia's "Bloody Saturday"

2008-03-05T15:23:00.002+04:00

(We reprint the following submission to us without comment)

36 years ago on January 30, 1972, British soldiers opened fire on unarmed civilian protestors in the city of Derry, Northern Ireland, who were demonstrating in defense of their civil and political rights. As a result, 26 people were killed. It took the British government decades to objectively review this tragic event and to take ultimate responsibility for what occurred. That day is remembered in contemporary Irish history as “Bloody Sunday”.

In Armenia, on March 1st and into the morning of Sunday, March 2nd, armed troops mercilessly beat and fired upon civilian protestors in the capital city of Yerevan, resulting in scores of injured and 8 civilian deaths. March 1st will be recorded in Armenian history books and in the collective memory of Armenians as “Bloody Saturday”.

On that fateful day in Derry the large Catholic minority were merely demanding equal rights and a stake in the government imposed by England. In Armenia however, the movement we have been witness to over the past two weeks was a much wider and deeper phenomenon. Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets, challenging the very legitimacy of the ruling regime. Triggered by another in a series of fraudulent and manipulated presidential elections, a large segment of the populace felt that they had no other recourse but to voice their protest at “politics as usual” through mass public demonstrations.

Sadly, in Armenia, elections are the only formal avenue by which citizens can voice their concerns and discontent. When this only form of expression is effectively stolen from them they are left with no real alternative. Staged elections come and go, the people return to their difficult daily lives, and the governance of the country remains in the hands of those who wield the levers of power. This state of affairs has resulted in a palpable apathy within the majority of the society – a division between the governed and those who govern in their name and supposedly with their best interests at heart. People are disenfranchised from the very state structures that nominally exist to represent them. This has resulted in a lack of confidence that a change of government will improve their lives in a tangible way. Thus many are content with the fact that they have electricity round the clock and that their pensions have risen by a few thousand drams. A mentality reigns that its better to receive such crumbs rather than seek to struggle for a new, truly representative government for such an aim is one based on lofty, invisible principles rather than concrete, visible results. This is the state of political discourse and civic participation in Armenia today. It is personality driven and not based on ideology or conviction.

Whether you like him or not, whether you view him as an ambition-driven cult leader or not, whether you fault him for his past political actions or not, Levon Ter-Petrosyan understood the pent up frustration of the people much better that the authorities and tapped into it. Despite the fact that I wasn’t totally pleased with everything that Levon Ter-Petrosyan and his inner circle did or said during the rallies at Freedom Square, in terms of raising the hopes of the crowds that gathered for ten straight days, he effectively served as the symbolic leader of the movement taking hold. Whatever the statements of the ruling regime to the contrary, those tens of thousands who came to the rallies were not mislead or manipulated in any way. Rest assured that they clearly understood what was at stake and why they had to participate in those public expressions of protest. The absurd statements of the regime’s representatives, in the persons of National Assembly President Tigran Torosyan or Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian, are laughable if they weren’t so tragic.

The government attempts to justify its brutality and repressive measures to squash all freedom of expression and assembly, as set forth by President Kocharyan’s declaration of a State of Emergency, by raising the specter that a coup d’etat was in the works. They attempt to prove this by a handful of guns and metal pipes that were conveniently found at Freedom Square after the army attacked the peaceful crowd gathered there early on the morning on Saturday, March 1st. These “revelations” are all the more puzzling since the Freedom Square rally organizers constantly called for the crowds to remain calm and to refrain from clashes with the police. For ten days straight tens of thousands of Armenians, men, women and children, both rallied and marched through the streets of Yerevan without incident. What then triggered the bloodletting that occurred on March 1st?

The ruling regime, naturally, seeks to portray the demonstrators as people who were mislead and manipulated by a few populist demagogues. It would be folly for them to actually accept the fact that in the country they have ridden roughshod over for the past ten years there exist deep social cleavages. Their attempts to discredit ordinary Armenian citizens for openly expressing their concerns border on the ridiculous and merely serve to expose the contempt in which they hold the average citizen of Armenia. Then there are the armchair political commentators and social psychologists who spew out the standard rhetoric of a “psychology of the masses”. Of course Levon Ter-Petrosyan is blamed for stirring up the most base and primitive emotions in the people which ultimately led to the carnage and destruction of March 1st. No where, at least that I have seen, do they speak of the mentality that drove the ruling regime to resort to the actions that it felt necessary to take in the end, the “psychology of the besieged”. Hold up in their well barricaded institutions of power, the authorities fully realized what was developing in the streets of Yerevan. Their authority to rule was actually being challenged and in the end this was unacceptable. It did not matter that the movement was peaceful and sought to merely have the rigged presidential election declared null and void. Such a movement, if allowed to grow and develop, questioned the regime’s legitimacy and threatened its continued hold over the country. The regime had everything to lose and used all the means at its disposal to crush the movement in its tracks. It lashed out with its full force and left the protestors with no alternative but to defend themselves. It remains to be seen what role the government actually played in instigating and organizing the looting of a few stores that occurred in the melee. Clearly, the facts of what actually took place and who were responsible cannot be exposed given the current news blackout imposed by the regime.

That this was a popular movement larger than the personality of Levon Ter-Petrosyan and encompassing more than simple frustration regarding the February 19th elections must be clear to all. Those who lament the fact that Armenians came to blows with fellow Armenians or that such events only bring shame upon the nation need to open their eyes to the realities that surround them and to free themselves from such outdated stereotypical illusions. Contrary to the absurd proclamations made by Parliament Speaker Torosyan, such social and political processes have occurred in the historical development of many nations that are now held up as shining beacons of civilization and democracy. The French Revolution had it numerous beheadings of royalty, the civil rights movement in the United States was not totally peaceful and majority-rule in South Africa wasn’t achieved merely by sit-down strikes.

The illusion that Armenians are content to bow their heads before those who seek to violate their basic rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness has once and for all been shattered by the thousands of ordinary Armenians who displayed the personal courage and determination to take the streets. Today, there are tanks and armed soldiers patrolling those same streets. If anything positive is to result from all that has transpired, those same people and thousands more will once again fill the streets resolute that their renewed struggle will finally create the conditions for true democracy to take hold in Armenia.

Personal Reflections of a Resident Spyurkahye
March 5, 2008

Post Election Upheavel In Armenia

2008-02-25T16:04:00.002+04:00

Just a few observations on the state of affairs in Armenian after the "official" vote count of the fraudulent presidential election in Armenia:

1) This election must be declared null and void. It would be a travesty for any sane-minded person to accept such an election as free and fair.

2) The so-called impartial OSCE election monitors were ill-prepared fro the level of bribery, fraud, intimidation and coercion that the ruling RPA party used to put their candidate Serzh Sargsyan over the 50% threshhold.

3) The current movement to free the nation from the clutches of ruling criminal regime and its lackeys goes well-beyond the question of Levon Ter-Petrosyan as president. This movement is bigger than any one person.

4) This is a confrontation betw the haves and have-nots; between those who control the resources of the nation for their own personal aggrandizement and those who receive the crumbs thrown to them; between those who govern the nation as their personal fiefdom and those who want to have a true stake and say as to how their coun is run and for whose benefit.

5) At this critical juncture, it behooves all segments of society to rally around the banner proclaiming - "Democracy and Justice Now" !!!! The people cannot stomach another five years of deceit, corruption and lies.

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS MARRED BY WIDESPREAD VIOLATIONS

2008-02-19T19:43:00.002+04:00

It appears that the elections process for the next President of Armenia have been marred from widespread voting fraud and violations, including physical intimidation, ballot box stuffing, bribes, outright beatings of election observers and God knows what else.

If these elections are declared "Free and Fair" it will be a travesty of the entire process and an insult to the Armenian nation and people!!!

Let us wait and see for the final "official" results. There's still some 8 minutes to go before the polls close.

But all freedom-loving Armenians should be ready to take to the streets if necessary.

Let's all hope it doesn't come to that.

I for one am not holding my breath.

WHY IS MANUAL LABOR IN ARMENIA SO DESPISED????

2007-06-29T14:57:00.000+05:00

It might be that I'm wrong in asserting that a large percentage of what appears to be able-bodied males in Yerevan spend their waking hours in an imaginary pursuit of "unearned income". This process involves constant cell phone conversations with who knows whom that mostly take place with their cronies at some cafe or such place. It's an endless series of meetings and conversations leading to???? Your guess is as good as mine.

It seems that the need to appear as if one is a "player", whether imagined or real is more important than actually achieving something. God forbid, actual work was involved or their hands were dirtied or their shoes scuffed.

No wonder it takes so long for simple road work or other repairs to the infrastructure to be completed. There's one poor soul in the ditch digging away and ten guys in suits watching and talking on their cell phones. It appears that when it comes to "public works projects" ANYTHING GOES!!!!! The picture is reversed when it comes to constructing a store or another private establishment. You'll see people at the work-site till late into the night making sure that all progresses correctly.

And you'll never see, or mostly never see, guys working at the various cafes in town. It's all women and young girls. At the larger establishments there's usually a guy walking the floor keeping an eye on things.

Maybe i'm just not with the times...But sometimes I long for the days when there were civilian work brigades DOING ACTUAL, PRODUCTIVE, TANGIBLE WORK. But that would be described as a violation of one's civil rights, or some such nonsense......

WIFE OF SLAIN HRANT DINK ACCEPTS HONARY AWARD FROM PRESIDENT KOCHARIAN ON BEHALF OF HER LATE HUSBAND

2007-06-19T13:19:00.000+05:00

Yesterday in the Presidential palace in Yerevan awards were handed out by President Kocharian to those who have accomplished high levels of work in their professional fields.

One very emotional moment was when Rakael Dink accepted a posthumous award on behalf of her late husband Hrant Dink for his work in improving relations between Turks and Armenians in the spirit of mutual cooperation based on the acceptance of historical realities.

All in attendance rose to their feet and warmly applauded this brave woman. President Kocharian's words were equally evocative and he promised that the Republic of Armenia would always be a "home" for the Dink family and that Hrant's death was a irreplacable loss for the Armenian people.

Also presented an award for their work in the cultural field were the Taviani brothers for their film "Skylark Farm" based on the events of 1915. Only one of the two elderly brothers could make the trip to Armenia but he was deeply moved by the award.

On a personal note, I cannot fail to mention the award given to an old friend, Raymond (Harutiun) Kevorkian from Paris for his groundbreaking and scholarly reserach in the field of modern Armenian history, notably the Genocide. His recently published 1,000 page tome is the definitive work on the subject and he expressed hopes that the work would be translated into English in 2008. It is not a inexpensive undertaking and we can only hope that he finds a degree of financial assistance within the diaspora. The book entitled "Le Genocide de Les Armeniens" is available on Amazon.com.

UNITED STATES POINT-MAN IN YEREVAN WARNS ARMENIA ABOUT DEEPENING TIES WITH IRAN

2007-06-18T17:17:00.000+05:00

On June 15th, the Bush Administration's official representative in Armenia, Charge d'Affaires Anthony Godfrey, bluntly warned Yerevan that the United States would not kindly look on Armenia strengthening its relations with neighboring Iran, especially in the economic sphere.

It would appear that the United States forgets that it ally in the region, Turkey, continues to close its border with Armenia. Thus Iran, despite its internal political shortcomings, remains Armenia's only outlet to markets and products from abroad, aside from Georgia. Currently, Armenia's border with Georgia is still under a health watch due to the outbreak of a strain of swine flu in Georgia. All pork products from Georgia are confiscated and vehicles are sprayed down.

Getting back to Godfrey's remarks, they've stirred up some resentment here in Yerevan. And rightly so. Iran is Armenia's neighbor. Why shouldn't Armenia be on friendly terms with Tehran and explore all possibilities to circumvent its blockade by Turkey?

Furthermore, what is Washington afraid of? That Armenian specialists in the field of nuclear energy will assist Tehran in the development of atomic bomb-making capabilities? It's absurd.

It's about time that the Armenian government categorically outlines its intention to foster mutually beneficial relations with its Iranian neighbor and that such a policy in no way threatens United States interests, either real or perceived.

SON OF HRANT DINK FACES JAIL TIME

2007-06-16T12:06:00.000+05:00

According to a June 14th INFO-TURK news article Arat Dink, son of slain Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, faces jail time if convicted for slander against the Turkish state according to the now infamous Article 301.

It appears that he reprinted in AGOS a 2006 interview in which his father describes the events of 1915 as genocide.

Arat is quoted as telling the court at his arraignment that it is "primitive, absurd and dangerous for the true history of these events to remain a taboo subject in Turkey."

Along with Arat Dink, Serkis Seropyan, a deputy editor at Agos also faces the same charges.

14th ANNIVERSARY OF DEATH OF NATIONAL HERO MONTE MELKONIAN

2007-06-14T15:59:00.000+05:00

Monte Melkonian, a prominent player and leader of the reemerged Armenian national liberation movement of the past 30 years, was killed in battle on June 12, 1993 in the Aghdam region of Artsakh.

Our heartfelt condolences to his family, comrades and friends.

His presence is sorely missed even today, after so many years, but his legacy lives on, especially through the good work being carried out by the Monte Melkonian Fund in Artsakh.

Hetq Online has several articles relating to Monte. Click Here

EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT RESETTLEMENT NOT RETURN OF "LIBERATED LANDS"

2007-06-14T15:44:00.000+05:00

More than 10 years after the Karabakh cesaefire it appears that officials in Armenia and Karabakh are just now starting to seriously talk about the need to resettle the seven regions under Armenian control that surround the NKR.

Lately, there appears to be no scarcity of bureaucrats, political commentators and ideologues that have taken up the banner to urgently tackle the resettlement issue. They're all over the media. It would appear that since the meeting between Kocharian and Aliyev in St. Petersburg was a bust, there is some empty space to fill with all type of conjecture and hyperbole.

The other day we attented a public meeting where the Kashatagh issue was debated and discussed by Baghdasaryan of Hetq and the Editor of the ARF Droshak publication, Khanlaryan. As to be expected the ARF mouthpiece wasn't able to cite what his party has accomplished in Kashatagh when he was pointedly asked to do so. As Baghdasaryan noted, its mostly been the diaspora that's involved in working in the liberated lands. And this is mostly thru non-traditional organizations like the Monte Melkonian Fund and others.

It seems that all this talk is 10 years too late and too little!!!!!

WHAT HAPPENED TO FEMALE NEWS CASTERS IN ARMENIA

2007-06-13T16:42:00.000+05:00

I am not one to nit-pick when it comes to how people wear their hair or their style of dress . My credo is live and let live.

But I must say something about what I find to be a very artificial and Western-influenced trait among a large segment of female TV reporters here in Armenia.

It seems they all have shaved their Armenian eyebrows and in place have taken a pencil and drawn in a narrow line where their eyebrows should be. Not only does it look artificial and the result of some distorted sense of what a professional female broadcaster should look like, but its a reflection on the dimunition of Armenian genetic characteristics as well. Well defined eyebrows are out and pencil-thin ones are all the rage.

PLUCK AWAY AND LOOK BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!

YEREVAN TO GORIS >>>AND BACK

2007-06-10T15:10:00.000+05:00

Just to let our thousands of readers know we are now in Armenia. We have been here a week, crossing the border from Anatolia, via Georgia.

Here's an abridged update of some activities and news from the ROA.

1) It appears the recent meeting of OSCE co-chairs with the Presidents of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Karabakh have proves fruitless. We were especially struck with the strong statement of President Ghoukasian of the NKR on Armenian TV where he stated without a prior settlement of the status of Karabakh proper, talk of other issues, most notably the withdrawal of Armenian troops from the "liberated lands" and the gradual return of those lands themeselves, is pointless. Watching the OSCE co-chairs (from France, USA and Russia) on TV we can understand why most people are saying....here we go again. Bryza, the US co-chair, exudes a great deal of optimism which doesn't seem to be shared by any one else. The news from Azerbaijan on the talks appears to be just as pessimistic.

2) Had a chance to visit Goris for two days on personal matters. Our driver, Davit, really floored his Mitsubishi and some of us were biting their nails. Goris is really picturesque but its needs are great as we were told. Tourists really need to stay for a few days on their way to Artsakh. There's much to see in the region, the monastery of Datev, etc. Unfortunately, there's only one hotel, Mirhav, and a small B&B. The friends we stayed with were gracious to a tee, like most in the small towns and villages. A favorite pasttime seems to be sitting on the balcony in the evening and watching the comings and goings on the street below. Both on the trip there and back our driver stopped a few times to pick up hapless and helpless people on the highway walking to their destination. Whether young woman with their kids or school pupils, they were grateful for the lift and complained about the lack of inter-city transport. And it's understandable. One more thing, someone needs to compile a dictionary of the Goris dialect-lovely, but incomprehensible to most, even Yerevan.

3) It's been three years since our last visit to Armenia. Changes? Where to begin. Much of North Avenue is completed or under construction. The central part of Yerevan is congested during the week and the air quality, at least during midday, is stifling. It seems like 70% of the population is under 25 years old. Something which makes most of us feel ancient when you think some of us studied here back in the Brezhnev "era of stagnation".

4) What is also interesting is the amount of news regarding diasporan matters. We heard an article about some Armenians entering the Parliament in Turkey. And one is the GREY WOLVES party-a pretty rabid nationalist bunch. The radio program interviewed a guy from the Marmara paper in Bolis and he said none of the four had any real dealings with the Armenian community, but it was an advantage to hasve some "minorities" in the parliament. Don't hold your breath.

5) Went to the Soorb Katoghike church off Abovian. It seems like the surrounding houses facing te street are being demolished. During the services, workmen were throwing their collected rubble into a huge pile that has almost reached the church entrance. Some tourists, probably Russian, were almost struck by the rolling stones.

OK. That's it for now. We'll keep in touch with new submissions at least once a week. Stay Well

TURKEY'S NATO GROUP CHAIRMAN SAYS TURKISH SOLDIERS READY TO SERVE AS PEACKEEPERS IN KARABAKH

2007-06-02T04:24:00.000+05:00

First it was Kosovo, then Afghanistan, then Lebanon...

Now there is speculation that if NATO peacekeepers are called to Karabakh as part of a negotiated peace deal, Turkish troops might be included in their ranks.

As reported in the Azeri-Press Agency, Vahit Erdem, the Turkish Parliament's NATO Group Chairman and member of the AKP (Justice and Development Party) stated that:

“If NATO decides it, Turkey will join this campaign as Turkey has close historical links with the Caucasus too. So deploying Turkish soldiers to Nagorno -Karabakh conflict zone will be useful for everyone."

That's like the fox guarding the hen house. We're sure Ankara would like nothing better to get its troops in the conflict zone. They've never really given up their Pan-Turkic ambitions of extending their influence eastwards.

A SECULAR TURKISH CITY FEELS ISLAMIC PULSE BEATING STRONGER

2007-06-01T23:18:00.000+05:00

This is the headline of an interesting article that appeared in today's New York Times regarding the growing divide between the segments of Turkish society popularly described as "secularists and Islamicists and the political ramifications these divisions are giving rise to.

Here are some excerpts:

At the heart of the issue is a debate about the fundamental nature of Islam and its role in building an equitable society. Turks like Mr. Zeybekci contend that their country has come a long way since Mustafa Kemal Ataturk’s secular revolution in 1923, and that it no longer needs to enforce controls like preventing women from wearing head scarves in public buildings. “It’s like locking everybody in a stadium, when you know that only three are thieves,” Mr. Zeybekci said, in his office, which has pictures of Mr. Erdogan and Ataturk.

But secular Turks contend that Islam will always seek more space in people’s lives, and therefore should be reined in. They look to the military as secularism’s final defender.
“Islam is not like other religions,” said Kadim Yildirim, a history teacher in Denizli from an opposition labor union. “It influences every part of your life, even your bedroom.”

Perhaps the most sensitive point for teachers like Mr. Yildirim are the changes they say are occurring in textbooks. Changes were already under way, part of an upgrade needed to join the European Union, but some officials say that as the nationalism is taken out, a new conservatism is being put in. One of the country’s primary eighth-grade science books, for example, “Science Knowledge,” has lost its detailed description of Darwin’s theory of natural selection and gained a reference to a theory that holds that living beings did not evolve but came into being exactly as they are today, attributed to several ancient Asian scholars. The reference was not there before, nor was the word Islamic to describe the originators of the theory.

It is still unclear where today’s changes will lead the country. Mr. Oran says that although the ideology of Mr. Erdogan and his allies “is inevitably Islam,” they are workers and tradesmen who are ultimately motivated by profit. “They are very rapidly becoming bourgeois.”

Mr. Yildirim draws hope from a recent exchange among his students he overheard. One posed a question: If you were rowing a boat with only one extra seat and passed by a deserted island with the Prophet Muhammad and Ataturk, whom would you save?

Another answered: “Ataturk is resourceful. He can save himself. Take Muhammad.”

Pokr Mher: Secularists or Islamicists...You won't be reading about the Armenian genocide in any Turkish school textbooks anytime soon....

SETTLEMENT ON KARABAKH NOT ENOUGH FOR ANKARA TO OPEN ITS BORDER WITH ARMENIA

2007-06-01T22:48:00.000+05:00

Turkey, Azerbaijan's prime military and economic ally in the region, seems dubious that a breakthrough will result in the Karabakh peace talks to be held June 9 in St. Petersburg. The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan will be attending these talks.

According to a report in the June 1 edition of the Turkish Daily News:

The settlement may help normalization but this would not be sufficient in itself,” a well-placed Turkish diplomat told the Turkish Daily News yesterday. Turkey additionally insists on Armenia giving up claims of an alleged genocide, and dropping claims on Turkey's lands.

“If they agree on the settlement, then Turkey has to give an award by opening its border which was closed in 1993,” said Ömer Lüthem, retired ambassador and chairman of the institute for Armenian Research at ASAM.

OK..Now we get it. Turkey, a historic colonizing nation, which by the way in the fall of 1920 invaded the Republic of Armenia and was able by threat and military intimidation to annex Kars, Ardahan and the lands around Mt. Ararat, are now demanding that the people of Karabakh, who waged a war of liberation, now turn around and hand back those very same regions that are the only thing standing between them an a resurgent Azeri military machine.

It all makes sense...right???

TURKISH THINK-TANK ALLEGES ARMENIANS ARE INATELY ANTI-SEMITES

2007-05-31T05:41:00.000+05:00

Well...we thought we heard it all. But no....

Here's what passes as ACADEMIC RESEARCH in a Turkish think-tank with the ornate name of: Center for Eurasian Studies:Institute for Armenian Research.

They have reprinted an article that appeared in the May 29 issue of the Turkish Weekly entitled: Armenian Atrocities Against Jews in the Ottoman Empire, written by Belma Buzcan.

Here's just a portion of that article:

The Ottoman experience vividly proves that anti-Semitism is an 'old Armenian habit'. The first reason for anti-semitism among the Ottoman Armenians was mainly religious biases. Then the economic competition was added to the reasons. The Armenians together with the Greek Ottomans attacked the Jewish bankers, doctors and businessmen in the Ottoman Palace and main cities. It is unfortunate that the Armenian attacks continued during the First World War and the armed Armenian groups targeted not only the Turks and Kurds but also the Jewish people in the Eastern Ottoman State. The Dashnaks blamed the Jewish people of being supporter of the Turks. Even today some Armenians in Armenia and diaspora believe that the 1915 Relocation Campaign (tehcir) was a Jewish-made plan to destroy the Armenian nation. The San Fransisco Chronicle's report clearly show how the Jewish people was target of the Armenian attacks during the First World War:

"We have first hand information and evidence of Armenian atrocities against our people (Jews). Members of our family witnessed the murder of 148 members of our family near Erzurum, Turkey, by Armenian neighbors, bent on destroying anything and anybody remotely Jewish and/or Muslim... Armenians were in league with Hitler in the last war, on his premise to grant themselves government if, in return, the Armenians would help exterminate Jews. Armenians were also hearty proponents of the anti-Semitic acts in league with the Russian Communists." (San Francisco Chronicle_ (December 11, 1983).

To read the entire article, click

PRESIDENT SARKOZY CALLS FOR IMPROVED RELATIONS WITH ANKARA...BUT STILL OPPOSES EUROPEAN UNION MEMBERSHIP FOR TURKEY

2007-05-29T21:28:00.001+05:00

Both Radio Free Europe and the International Herald Tribune, among others, report that Jean-David Levitte, chief international advisor to newly-elected French President Nicholas Sarkozy, flew to Turkey over the weekend to discuss French-Turkish relations, including Turkey's European Union membership bid.

While a candidate for the Presidency Mr. Sarkozy expressed strong reservations regarding Ankara's drive to enter the E.U., arguing that most of Turkey's territory is in Asia and that the idea of a united Europe would be diluted if its borders stretched that far. Sarkozy's opponent in the election, Ms. Segolene Royal, a Socialist Party candidate, favored Turkey's admittance into the E.U.

Most E.U. member nations also are in favor of Turkey's admittance to the organization.

TURKISH PROPAGANDA MACHINE CONTINUES EFFORTS TO DENY ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BY LABELLING ARMENIANS THE " REAL AGGRESSORS "

2007-05-29T05:29:00.000+05:00

We at Sassna Dzrer believe it's instructive to occasionally refer our readers to what is appearing in the so-called mainstream Turkish press when it comes to efforts undertaken by these "moderate and rational" sources to counter the historical reality of what happened to Armenians in the Ottoman Empire in the late 19th and early 20th century.

What follows is an article that appeared in the May 27th on-line edition of the Turkish Weekly, entitled: Unarmed Armenians, The Photos Say the Reverse, by Belma Sankaya

Dr. Nilgun Gulcan said "the Armenians committed genocide against the Turks of the Ottoman State and the testimonies, archives and the photos prove it."

Dr. Gulcan continued further:

"The radical Armenians say that the relocated Ottoman Armenians in 1915 were unarmed and innocent people. However the photos and the official documents say the reverse. The New York Times reported that hundreds of thousands Armenians were armed and ready for a war at that time. The following testimony of Russian Lt. Colonel Toverdohleyov also shows the clear fact:

"More than 800 unarmed and defenceless Turks have been killed in Erzincan. Large holes were dug and the defenceless Turks were slaughtered like animals next to the holes. Later, the murdered Turks were thrown into the holes. The Armenian who stood near the hole would say when the hole was filled the corpses: "Seventy dead bodies, well, this hole can take ten more." Thus ten more Turks would be cut into pieces". (Gunter, p. 18-19)."

Mrs. Gulcan also showed a photo to our correspondent about the Ottoman Armenians:
(The photo in question is of a band of ARF fedayees; the year and location of which remains uncertain)

The above Gunter book notation refers of course to one Michael Gunter, a historian of questionable credibility who is a favorite of the forces who wish to bolster their allegations that the Armenian Genocide never took place. The book quoted is entitled, "Pursuing the Just Cause of Their People"; A Study of Contemporary Armenian Terrorism. It was published in 1986

THE KARABAKH CONUNDRUM - LAND FOR PEACE -WILL IT WORK??

2007-05-23T19:01:00.000+05:00

There is an interesting article in the current issue of KarabakhOpen that deals with the topic of who exactly is representing the wishes of the people of Karabakh in the ongoing negotiations process to reach a political settlement after a decade of " No Peace-No War".

Recently there has been a rash of statements emanating from Karabakh refuting any possible deal that includes a return of the "liberated territories" that surround the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Even NKR President Ghukasyan has recently declared that Kashatagh, the region sandwiched between the Republic of Armenian and the NKR that included the Lachin Corridor, will never be returned to Azerbaijan hegemony.

The writer of the article advances the theory that an agreement has already been reached in the tri-party negotiations that include Armenia, Azerbaijan and the international community, most notably the OSCE Minsk Group. The alleged deal includes a withdrawal of Armenian forces from the "liberated lands", a gradual return of displaced refugees and a public referendum to be held down the road to finalize the status of the NKR.

What the article implies is that the recent Parliamentary elections in Armenia were given a satisfactory "nod" by the international election observers mainly due to the fact that a "legitimate" government is needed in Armenia to sign on to the existing agreement; an agreement that the Minsk Group believes is the best option for all parties involved.

However, the KarabakhOpen commentary points out that Karabakh government is not a participant in these talks and the wishes of the people who fought and survived the war are not taken into account.

ACCORDING TO AZERI PRESS AGENCY - TWO ARMENIANS RECENTLY ARRESTED IN UNITED STATES FOR ALLEGED ACTS OF "TERRORISM"

2007-05-22T21:55:00.000+05:00

Sassna Dzrer just came across two items in the Azeri-Press Agency's (APA) website that deal with the alleged recent arrests of Armenians in the United States due to their past and present criminal actions. It goes without saying that these reports have yet to be verified.

1) The first APA report states that a certain Vigen Patatyan, described as a former lieutenant in the Armenian army who participated in the Nagorno-Karabakh war, was recently detained in San Diego by U.S. Immigration and Customs officials and later returned to Armenia.

The APA report states that Patatyan confessed to the Customs officials that he delivered weapons to soldiers fighting against Azeri forces in Karabakh and that these Armenian soldiers committed terrible massacres against the local Azeri civilian populace.

According to the APA a certain Alan Rabinovich, of the U.S. Customs Enforcement group, stated that his agency, " will not allow criminals who committed terrible massacres against civilians during conflicts to hide in the United States."

The APA does report that Patatyan tried to enter the United States for a second time with forged documents but rather attributes his extradition to his past "criminal activities".

2) The second APA item reports on the arrest of Murad Topalayan, described as the Chief of the Armenian National Committee, by U.S. law enforcement officilas. The APA alleges that Topalayan was caught planning to bomb various offices of Turkish and Azeri diaspora organizations in the United States.

UNITED STATES WILL PROVIDE TECHNOLOGY TO KEEP TURKISH F-16 AIRCRAFT BATTLE READY -- ԿԵՑՑԷ ԱՄԵՐԻԿԱՅ -ԹՈՒՐՔ ԽԱՂԱՂԱՍԷՐ ԲԱՐԵԿԱՄՈՒԹԻՒՆԸ

2007-05-21T08:09:00.000+05:00

The photo to the right shows Turkey's Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul and the United States Ambassador to Turkey, Ross Wilson, announcing an agreement regarding technology transfers to Turkey that will help modernize its fleet of F-16 fighter planes.

In the immortal words of Ambassador Wilson....

“This program and others of its type demonstrate what our alliance and US-Turkish collaboration mean in very practical terms. Turkey obtains advanced equipment necessary for its defense, jobs are created…and our countries together advance their operational ability to work together for their common defense.” (Read entire speech)

Isn't it nice to know that your taxpayer dollars (if you reside in the United States) are going to a worthy cause, namely the Armed Forces of Turkey. It's a grand gesture with a long history dating back at least to the end of WW II. Since then the United States has assisted in building up the Turkish military to the tune of at least some 1 billion US dollars.

Good luck Nancy Pelosi and her Armenian cheerleaders. By the way what ever happened to the much touted GENOCIDE RESOLUTION in the U.S. Congress???

And please a bit more political maturity to those Armenians, some of them naive bloggers, who spout nonsense about GENOCIDE REPARATIONS without a political ideology and concept of struggle.

EUROPEAN UNION WILL FUND BUILDING OF BOAT TO CARRY TOURISTS TO AKHTAMAR ISLAND

2007-05-20T01:34:00.000+05:00

According to the Turkish Daily News, a boat that has partially been funded by the European Union will soon begin ferrying tourists across Lake Van to the island of Akhtamar.

It appears that indeed the recent renovations of the Holy Cross Church there and its much heralded "reopening" as a cultural museum was intended to serve as a tourist magnet for the region and a source of income rather than any goodwill gesture on the part of Turkey.

Hikmet Deniz, manager of the boat project and general director of Grand Deniz Tourism hopes that the boat will, "carry all domestic and foreign tourists, particularly Armenians, to the island."

We believe Armenians should be organizing tours of their own to flood the site and in essence make all understand who the real owners and guardians of Akhtamar are. Light candles!!! Recite prayers!!!! Sing songs!!!!! Let the Armenian language once again reverberate within its hallowed stone walls!!!!

" AZERBAIJAN IS A STRATEGICALLY IMPORTANT COUNTRY FOR ISRAEL " - SO SAYS ISRAELI LIKUD CHAIRMAN

2007-05-18T05:31:00.001+05:00

TODAY.AZ has published an interview with Gideon Sa'ar, chairman of the Likud faction in the Israeli Knesset.

We've pulled several comments from the interview where the Israeli politician comments on Armenia, Karabakh and the growing Israeli-Azerbaijan relationship. We urge our readers to read the entire interview here.

1)I myself was very pleased to see that Muslim country Azerbaijan is liberal European country and keeps friendship relations with Israel and Jewish nation. We have common interests with Azerbaijan. Today Azerbaijan is the leader in Caucasus and initiator of all big geopolitical projects. I think Azerbaijan is a true friendship bridge between Europe and Asia. Most Israelis have no idea about Azerbaijan , but I want to tell them that prosperous Azerbaijan is a country where Jewish people are loved.

2)Within your visit to Guba you also visited the mass graves which are the result of Armenians' genocide committed against Azerbaijanis and against Jewish people of Guba. What are your impressions?

We got thorough information about this tragedy and were given a lot of materials concerning this issue. But it is difficult for me to express an objective position on the issue. I think that historians should clarify it. I want to mention that Knesset has recently rejected the proposal of Merets Party member Khaim Oron on debating the problem of 'Armenian genocide.' This fact demonstrates the official position of the Israeli government on the problem called Armenian genocide. I consider Knesset's decision right. It could ruin strategic relations between Turkey and Israel.

3)What is Israel's position on the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan and occupation of Azerbaijani lands?

I want to say that Israel does not ignore interests of friendly Azerbaijan and hopes that official Baku will also take into account Israel's interests. Azerbaijan is a strategically important country for Israel. We understand the country’s problems and interests

ISLAMIC CONFERENCE CALLS ON ARMENIA TO WITHDRAW FROM KARABAKH

2007-05-18T04:49:00.000+05:00

According to TODAY.AZ, the 34th session of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers (ICFM) ended its deliberations in Islamabad, Pakistan with a call to Armenia to immediately and unconditionally withdraw its troops from "occupied" Azeri territories.

The ICFM passed two resolutions regarding Nagorno-Karabakh. These condemn the Armenia occupation of Azeri lands and the destruction of Azeri cultural monuments by Armenians

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OSCE CO-CHAIRS TO VISIT KARABAKH

On May 21 the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs are scheduled to visit Nagor-Karabakh. They will also travel to Armenia and Azerbaijan in order to arrange a meeting of the presidents of both nations scheduled for June 10 in St. Petersburg, Russia.

HRANT DINK MURDER TRIAL TO START ON JULY 2

2007-05-08T21:47:00.000+05:00

The trial of those responsible for the murder of Hrant Dink, editor of the Istanbul-based Agos weekly news magazine, is scheduled to begin in that city on July 2.

A total of 19 people, the actual gunman and 18 others charged in aiding and abetting in the January 19th shooting of Hrant Dink outside the offices of Agos, will go on trial.

The prosecution will demand a prison term of between 18 to 24 years for Ogun Samast, a 17 year-old jobless secondary school graduate who confessed to the shooting. Samast also faces an additional prison term of between 8 1/2 to 18 years for being a member of a terrorist group.

It is the claim of the prosecution that Hrant Dink was targeted by this terrorist organization based in the Black Sea city of Trabzon, a bastion of Turkish nationalism.

The indictment call for life sentences for two alleged ringleaders of the group for instigating the killing. Both Erhan Tuncel and Yasin Hayal, the two in question, also face additional prison terms for being "leaders of a terrorist organization."

KARABAKH NEWS ROUND-UP

2007-05-05T05:14:00.000+05:00

Let's start our round-up of news from Nagorno-Karabakh with the following quote of the week from President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan... (see entire Azeri Press Info article)

I have stated several times that the conflict can be solved in the framework of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. Armenian people already achieved their self-determination, they have their own state. If the Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh again want self-determination, they should go to Armenia…

Regarding the ongoing peace negotiations , we read in PanArmenian Net that President Robert Kocharian of Armenia told students at Yerevan State University that he expects to see his Azerbaijani counterpart, President Aliyev in St. Petersburg on June 10th. According to the Azeri Trend News Agency, officials in Baku have not yet officially confirmed their readiness to attend. On that day a informal summit of CIS member states will take place in St. Petersburg.

A report in TODAY.AZ quotes President Aliyev as saying that...

A principal demand consists in that all seven occupied area of Azerbaijan, including Kelbajar and Lachin must be freed. There is already an agreement about that.

He goes on to say that the future status of Nagorno-Karabakh will be determined only after the occupied territories are returned and all the displaced refugees allowed to go home. Even then, however, any status given Nagorno-Karabkh must be within the framework of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity. President Aliyev says he is flexible on the use of the Lachin corridor as a conduit between Armenia and Karabakh.

According to PanArmenian Net, Serzh Sargsyan, Armenia's newly appointed Prime Minister responded by saying, "Let him speak what he wants". The Prime Minister underlined the fact that he has no notion what objectives Aliyev pursues by making such statements.

We then read in a DeFacto news item that Seyran Ohanian, the Defense Minister of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR), during a press conference in Stepanakert stated that the territories surrounding the NKR had historically belonged to Armenia and he considered them to be liberated. According to Ohanian these areas constitute a security zone and cannot be returned until the conflict is finally settled. We should also note that Lieutenant General Ohanian will soon be appointed Chief of the General Staff for the Republic of Armenia's Armed Forces. Possible candidates as his successor have not yet been put forth.

And finally, here's a list of the five likely candidates to run in the July 2007 NKR Presidential election. May 5th is the last day for nominations to be officially registered with the Central Electoral Commission.

Armen Abgaryan - Member Of Parliament

Vania Avanesyan - Professor at Artsakh State University

Masis Mayilyan - NKR Deputy Foreign Minister

Hrant Melkumyan - First Secretary of NKR's Communist Party

Babko Sahakyan - Chief of NKR's National Security Service

DOCUMENTARY FILM ON KARABAKH WAR WINS PRESTIGIOUS TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL AWARD

2007-05-04T21:55:00.000+05:00

We just read that the documentary film "A Story of People in War and Peace", directed by Vardan Hovhannisyan , has won the Best New Documentary Filmmaker Award at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York.

The buzz regarding this hard-hitting but poignant film, the first for Vardan Hovhannisyan, has really been positive from mostly all who have seen it. It is not a documentary about the war itself, but rather it weaves a narrative around the experiences of a few individuals who fought in the war on the Armenian side and how their lives were forever changed as a result.

The Tribeca Film Festival web page describes the film as:

A deeply personal meditation on the horrors of war and its effects is shown through the eyes of Armenian journalist Vardan Hovhannisyan. Weaving together footage from his country's 1994 conflict with neighboring Azerbaijan over the Nagorno- Karabakh region, Hovhannisyan creates a devastating portrait of lasting damage inflicted by the battlefield. In English and Armenian.

The film was produced by Bars Media, an independent film studio company in Yerevan, Armenia. Mr. Hovhannisyan, the film's director, is also the founder and president of the company.

In the film we learn that in the early 1990's with the war in Karabakh in full swing, Vardan went to the front lines as a journalist and cameraman. His 70 minute documentary shows only a tiny portion of the images he witnessed and the people he met while there. He was also taken hostage twice during the conflict.

An extended version of the film is in the works and should be out by year's end. The producers also say that the current version of the film will premier in Armenia sometime this summer.

What a one-two knockout punch. First "Screamers " and now "A Story of People in War and Peace".

" MERHABA KAPTAN KIRK...KLINGON BILIYOR MUSUNUZ ??

2007-05-03T00:28:00.001+05:00

On a way lighter note. We just had to pass along this link.

It's STAR TREK in Turkish. And we're not talking Turkish dubbed over the original sci-fi classic. No, this is an original Turkish production that's wacky and wild.

Anyone who speaks even some Turkish will find the dialogue really "out of this world".

"Hic Vulcan'ya gittiniz mi?"

"Evet, iki yil once ordayim...cok zevkli..."

MAY DAY CELEBRATED IN ARMENIA - WILL THE WORKERS HEED THE CALL???

2007-05-02T06:02:00.000+05:00

May 1st is International Workers Day and it is celebrated in much of the world as a day of solidarity and renewal in the struggle for workers rights. Despite having been born in the United States during the labor movements of the 1880's it is notably absent as a national holiday in that country today. But not in Armenia....

Yes, comrades, even in the depoliticized Republic of Armenia, where an unregulated free market of labour and production is in full swing, some 2000 die-hard supporters of the Armenian Communist Party (HKK) rallied in Yerevan, waving the red banners of the Soviet Union and chanting "Long Live May 1st" and "Long Live the Communist Party".

Some of us who were in Armenia during the Brezhnev era remember the throngs of people who marched through Lenin Square proclaiming the supremacy of the Soviet state and the ruling Communist Party.

True to form, the Stalinists of that era betrayed the lofty ideals of May 1st. Soviet Armenia was no "workers democracy"; far from it. Perhaps a tiny minority actually believed the official Soviet rhetoric of the time, but for the vast majority of workers it was a day when they were obliged by local party officials and party apparatchiks in the factories to attend these gratuitous state-sponsored manifestations of alleged workers' power and ideological purity.

We also remember, with much amusement and a bit of resentment, how even diaspora Armenians studying in Yerevan at the time were organized into "foreign solidarity contingents" and urged to march as well or else been seen as trouble makers.

But it was an ideology empty of any real content and devoid of any mechanisms for workers to exercise their democratic rights in a so-called "workers state".

Some in Armenia today recollect those days with a fond nostalgia bordering on collective amnesia. Those in power back then cared little for the plight of workers and peasants, and nothing much has changed today. At least those in power today don't conceal their true convictions in further developing an undemocratic market economy.

One wonders whether the "left" in Armenia has anything to offer the people, especially those segments who ask themselves whether a true alternative exists, or might arise, to counter the free market forces running amok today. Devoid of any overarching national collective ideal (something that briefly appeared after the Karabakh victory but long since squandered), perhaps there is an opening for those who envisage a need to rally those sectors in Armenia that are being left behind in the wake of the monopolization of the means of production and the absolutist political power it affords a tiny minority of oligarchs and business king-pins.

Ruben Tovmasian, the Armenian Communist Party's First Secretary stated the following at the party's May Day rally in Yerevan...

At a time when the whole country is unemployed, when the worker sits idly at home, when blood rather than tears drop from his eyes, I call on all of you to be with the Communist Party on May 12th (He refers here to the date for parliamentary elections)

Comrade Tovmasian, if he is a good student of history, especially that of his own party's sordid past, must realize that it will take more than patriotic rhetorical exhortations to stir the m,asses to seek a real alternative to the representatives of the economic oligarchs and their political cronies who run the country today.

The socio-economic contradictions appear to exist in Armenia for such a movement to take hold. What is visibly lacking is the political leadership, ideological conviction, and clarity of purpose needed to transport this potential into the realm of possibility.

AZERI FOREIGN MINISTER DECLARES AN "UNDERSTANDING" HAS BEEN REACHED IN KARABAKH NEGOTIATIONS

2007-05-01T03:51:00.000+05:00

Recently, Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov (see photo) has made a series of optimistic statements regarding an impending settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh question.

According to Mammadyarov, a basis for a negotiated settlement has been reached in principle by both Azerbaijan and Armenia. The broad outlines of the understanding is a phased withdrawal of Armenian troops from the "occupied territories" surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh proper, the deployment of peace-keeping troops and the eventual return of displaced Azeris and others.

The Azeri Foreign Minister also stated that the best Nagorno-Karabakh could hope for is a high-level of autonomy within the framework of Azerbaijan proper.

This would appear to contradict statements made by Armenia's Foreign Minister, Vartan Oskanian, who, while during a recent workingtrip to Austrai, commented that the issue of the Lachin Corridor has not been discussed as yet during the negotiations. If correct, this would seem to be a major unresolved issue in the talks that Mamadyarov seems to have neglected in his optimistic analysis of the talks.

What Oskanian did say however is that, "This corridor is a guarantee of free and unhampered communication between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. But it must be viewed as part of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic."

Someone else who has commented on the state of negotiations between the opposing sides in the conflict is Matthew Bryza, a United States Assistant Secretary of State and co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group. In a recent interview given to the Voice of America after the recent round of talks Bryza made the following comments...

These principles will be the formal essence of agreement. We hope if the presidents reach an agreement on the basic principles soon, it will be followed by intensive stage of negotiations when the final peace treaty will be debated. In other words, basic principles are the main terms of these negotiations. These main principles envisage withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from the five regions adjacent to Nagorno Karabakh, returning them to Azerbaijan, deploying peacekeepers and bringing IDPs back to their original places. The negotiations on the conditions of releasing of Kalbajar and Lachin still continue. We are close to the agreement on this issue. The principles also cover providing a corridor uniting Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia that will be used for trade and civil purposes. Following this, the status of Nagorno Karabakh will be determined by negotiations and referendum.

It must be remembered that the Azeri Foreign Minister has been known to make such optimistic observations of the negotiations process in the past, which have been proven to be unfounded. This time it would appear that there might be some substance to his claims. But with Armenia embroiled in a heated parliamentary election campaign and a presidential election in Nagorno-Karabakh scheduled for this July, one might have some reason to doubt such claims. Only time will tell.

ARMENIAN ART: AN ARTISTIC BRIDGE BETWEEN EAST AND WEST

2007-04-28T08:54:00.000+05:00

A unique exhibit of religious Armenian art is now taking place in the Louvre museum located in Paris, France.

Entitled "Armenian Sacra", the exhibition, the first of its kind, is devoted to Armenian Christian art, dating from Saint Gregory the Illuminator’s conversion of the country in the early 4th century to the dawn of the 19th century.

Running through till the end of May, the exhibition would not have been possible without the exceptional loans from the Museum and Treasury of the Holy See in Etchmiadzin and from the National History Museum and the Matenadaran (Institute of Ancient Manuscripts) in Yerevan, Armenia.

While Armenian illuminated manuscripts are a prime focus of the exhibition, there are also some 30 "khatchkars" - massive stone slabs carved with lace-fine crosses - that dotted that Armenian plateau as early as the 4th century.

One, the Djulfa Khatckar, is one of the few surviving stone crosses from the extensive Armenian cemetery in Djulfa, Nakhichevan, that has been systematically vandalized by Azeri soldiers. Recently, Azeri troops were videotaped destroying what "khatchkars" were left in the cemetery.

The exhibit is part of the so-called year of Armenia in France. French President Chirac and his counterpart Armenian President Robert Kocharian, opened the exhibit which Chirac called "sublime".

WHY MERE " GENOCIDE RECOGNITION " MISSES THE POINT

2007-04-25T19:11:00.000+05:00

(Editors Note: The following article authored by a group calling itself RAHAGEETS, first appeared in the Armenian press some 25 years ago. Some of our readers will remember the events and developments taking place at that time, most notably the emergence of Armenian political violence, which created a deep division with the Armenian community. Since those tumultuous years much has changed in both the Armenian reality and psyche. However, we believe that the issues raised in the article regarding the 1915 Genocide and its aftermath, remain for the most part valid today and thus deserving reexamination. We agree with the article's primary argument that the Armenian pursuit of Genocide Recognition , as presently constituted, fails to address the real meaning and import of the events of 1915.)

Genocide, Eviction, and Exile

Too often, the overpowering effect of the fact of the near extermination of our people in their ancestral lands submerges our presently evermore important and continuing collective experience - forced exile. Armenians as a group no longer face the danger of physical annihilation. 1915 is behind us. Although alive in the eyes of our grandparents, 1915 is history and while we must strive to counter those revisionists who would rewrite history to justify the status-quo, it is a mistake to accord 1915 the centrality which it now enjoys in Armenian self-definition. Focus on the past has overshadowed most perception of the great and more pressing injustice of today, when the American-armed Turkish army, much of it stationed in occupied Armenia, obstructs our return.

The Turkish policy of 1915 was to tear the Armenians from their land such that Armenia without Armenians be incorporated into an expanded Turkish homeland. But the crime did not end with the last massacre of an Armenian village or the last human convoy to set out on the death march to Deir ez-Zor. The crime continues still today for it is, in essence, the disassociation, the eviction, of the Armenian from the land. Massacre and deportation formerly served as instruments of that crime. Today, it is the prohibition against our return which functions as the final stage in its implementation. If, over time with the assimilation into the life of their countries of exile, Armenians give up all claims of their right of return, the crime will be complete since then Armenians will have been completely disassociated from their lands: their eviction, final and unchallenged.

The media understandably finds it awkward and difficult to relate the attempted genocide of 1915 with the assassinations and bombings today and so it often attributes actions by ASALA and others to motives of revenge or retaliation. References in newspaper editorials to "innocent Turkish diplomats not even alive during the massacres" illustrates the failure of Armenians to properly project their grievances. If the crime addressed by the Armenians was the attempted genocide of 1915 and that alone, then of course the present Turkish government and its diplomats are innocent or at least guilty of nothing more than distortion of history. If such were the case, a journalist might rightly consider Armenian attacks after the passage of so many years astonishing, inexcusable, and racist. But the crime is eviction of a people from their homeland, and, by seeking to ensure our continued exile, the present Turkish Government, along with its tanks and diplomats, is a party to that which began in 1915 and continues to this day.

When we Armenians perfunctorily look to April 24 activities as central to our struggle or when one of our well-intentioned Armenian underground groups refers to itself as "Justice Commandos of the Armenian Genocide", we tend only to reinforce impressions that Armenians protest against or seek revenge for events which occurred over 60 years ago. The Genocide is the how and why of our exile and enhances our moral right of return, but it is our forced exile, then and now, which must serve as the substantive basis of our claims to the occupied territories.

Palestinians suffered eviction from their homeland in 1948 and again in 1967, but despite the passage of over 30 years, the media would never suggest that the motivational underpinnings of Palestinian military activity rest in vengeance for deaths and orphans of the past. Journalists depict Palestinian actions as part of their struggle for self-determination and an end to their exile. However, instead of likening the struggle of the Armenian seeking to return to Van with that of the Palestinian seeking to return to Jaffa, the media likens Armenian attacks on Turkish targets to what would be today - were they to take place - senseless attacks by Jews on German targets.

But if journalists are confused on this point, perhaps it is because so many Armenians, dazed by the enormity of the horror that was the Genocide, have themselves failed to develop a perspective and orientation that looks beyond 1915. A people cannot struggle against an historical event. We no longer struggle against the prospect of physical annihilation and once our presentation to outsiders centers upon our exile of today and not events of the past, then there can be no more talk in the media of innocent Turkish diplomats, the passage of so many years, race hatred, vendetta, and the desire for revenge.

TURKISH JOURNALIST ASKS, " ARE WE THE REAL MURDERERS " REGARDING SLAUGHTER OF CHRISTIANS IN MALATYA

2007-04-24T02:22:00.000+05:00

Many of you will have heard the news regarding the April 19th brutal killing of 3 Christians in Malatya, Turkey.

It is alleged that those zealots who did the killing were angered that their victims were distributing bibles and had lead a church service in a local hotel a week before.

The above photo shows the burial of the slain German evangelical minister on the premises of the Armenian Church in Malatya.

The minister and two Turkish converts to Christianity were found with their hands and legs bound and their throats slit.

The Hurriyet columinist Bekir Coskun ( see video) asks whether the Turkish educational system is ultimately to blame for these and similar acts of violence which stem from a deep fear and hatred of anything non-Turkish and non-Islamic. Paradoxically, Christians make up a fraction of 1% of the country's 71 million population.

Coincidentally, slain Turkish-Armenian editor Hrant Dink was born in Malatya and was working towards reopening the local Armenian Church there.

APRIL 15, 1915 - APRIL 15 2007 ......92 YEARS OF CONTINUOUS SACRIFICE AND STRUGGLE

2007-04-23T05:54:00.000+05:00

FROM GENOCIDE, EVICTION AND EXILE

RESISTANCE AND REBIRTH

Today, on the eve of the 92nd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide of 1915 we pause to remember the one and a half million men, woman and children whose lives were brutally extinguished merely because they were Armenians living on their ancestral lands. We remember their stubborn perseverance over decades of misrule and repression to remain on the lands of their ancestors and thus remain Armenian. And finally, we commemorate their courage and will to survive when confronted with those forces of evil, racial hatred and nationalistic xenophobia whose desire it was to wipe Armenia and the Armenian people off the face of the map. We honor their memory and the ultimate sacrifice they made.

We remember all those who resisted, in deed and word, so that out of the ashes of 1915 the Armenian nation would rise again . We salute all our dedicated freedom fighters, intellectuals, community activists, religious leaders, artists, and all Armenians from all strata, who sought to reinstill in our people the noble notions of struggle in the name of justice and truth. We salute their efforts to reforge a new, revitalized Armenian consciousness that might be better able to tackle and comprehend the new set of realities that faced the Armenian nation in a post 1915 world.

Today, hopefully, Armenians in both the homeland and globally, will take the time to reflect on what truly transpired in 1915 and its aftermath - GENOCIDE, EVICTION, EXILE. It is a history that we collectively share and it presents us with a host of challenges and unresolved issues that we must collectively tackle.

This is a responsibility that none of us should shy away from . For there is no better way to immortalize the memory of our "martyrs" and the legacy they bequeathed us but to... SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER.

IN MEMORY OF HRANT DINK

ՀՐԱՆԴ ՏԻՆԻՔԻՆ ԱՆՄԱՐ ՅԻՇԱԿԻՆ

ARMENIA'S FOREIGN MINISTER DECLARES SIDES CLOSE TO A DEAL ON KARABAKH CONFLICT

2007-04-19T06:32:00.000+05:00

Reports today in the Armenian and Azeri press quote Vardan Oskanian, Armenia's Foreign Minister, declaring that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict could be close to a resolution.

Oskanian, who is on a working visit to Austria, supposedly made the statement at a meeting of the OSCE's Permanent Council where he discussed a variety of issues, including the upcoming parliamentary elections in Armenia.

Regarding Karabakh Oskanian said, " We could be close to a resolution. I have seen all the proposals that have ever been produced by the mediators. I can assure you we have never been this close."

Hot on the heels of Oskanian's statement regarding an imminent deal in Karabakh, the Azeri press lambasted his declarations as mere political propaganda in light of the upcoming parliamentary elections in Armenia.

No less a figure than Novruz Mammadov, the Chief of the International Relations Department of the Azeri Presidential Administration, described Oskanian's optimism as mere 'speculation" noting that, " Armenia's leadership very frequently resorts to such measures."

Today, the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan were scheduled to meet in Belgrade, Serbia, for their second meeting within the Prague process of 2007. Their first meeting was held in Geneva on March 14th.

We doubt that anything groundbreaking will come out of the Belgrade meeting given that a presidential election will take place in Karabakh on July 19th. Azerbaijan has already declared the election as illegal and damaging to the peace process.

WHAT WILL AN ERDOGAN PRESIDENCY MEAN FOR DEMOCRATIC REFORM IN TURKEY?

2007-04-18T23:53:00.000+05:00

While Armenia is enmeshed in an election campaign for the National Assembly, things are also heating up across the border in Turkey in a lead up to the nomination of candidates for a new president.

Last weekend some 300,000 so-called secularists converged in Ankara to protest any presidential aspirations of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayip Erdogan, whom many view as a closet Islamist. Many secular Kemalists (followers of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of ther modern Turkish Republic) feel threatened by the possibility that Erdogan's Justice and Development Party will use its majority in parliament to elect an Islamist to the post of president. (In Turkey the parliament elects the president.)

Erdogan is seen as the leading contender for the presidency despite not having declared himself as a candidate. And what would an Erdogan presidency mean for democratic reform in Turkey, and by extension a reappraisal of the Armenian Genocide of 1915?

When Erdogan was Istanbul's mayor he compared democracy to a bus..." You ride it until your destination and then you get off."

Of particular interest is how political pundits and government analysts in the West view developments in Turkey. It appears that the dominant view in the ruling circles is that despite all its flaws Turkey remains the best model for Islamist and secularist coexistence within a 'democratic' state that is friendly to the West. Simply put....better the devil we know than the democrat we don't.

For many in the West, Turkey's strategic importance in the Middle East cannot be minimized in a post 9/11 world. In other words Turkey , if managed correctly, could serve as a cooperative proxy for various western interests in the Middle East and the Caucasus.

Thus, the introduction of Armenian Genocide recognition legislation in the United States and genocide denial bills in France only serve to alienate Turkish popular opinion even further against the West. Continued pleas for some form of "closure" vis-a-vis Turkey's responsibility for the Armenian Genocide are viewed as mere irritants to be dismissed in the context of keeping Turkey as a major ally in the U.S.-led global war against terrorism and the neo-cons fantasized concept of democracy building through regime change.

Redressing the wrongs of the past may seem the right thing to do after all these years of collective silence and official neglect. But for the politicians and their moneyed backers, such periodic urges remain no more than that. Nice sentiments with no real chance of being realized.

CANDIDATES FOR ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT TAKE TIME OUT FOR A LITTLE LEVITY DURING GRUELING POLITICAL CAMPAIGN

2007-04-18T07:55:00.000+05:00

We've stayed away from the political circus that comprises the pre-election campaigning and confusion surrounding the upcoming Parliamentary elections in Armenia. We try to keep up with the parties, their leaders and what exactly they propose to do in the name of the country and the people but.......IT'S ALL TOO MUCH TO FATHOM!!!!!!!

Who exactly was it who said that a given electorate deserves what they get for electing a bunch of clowns and buffoons into office?

We haven't read any real analysis, anywhere, regarding the main political contenders and what they actually represent and why they would be either good or bad for Armenia.

It's all form and no substance. Who looks good; whose ads are well prepared; who attracts the most onlookers to rallies; etc..........

Can someone out there pick a party or local candidate and rationally explain why they should be elected to represent the will of the people in the National Assembly??

ACCORDING TO TURKISH PRIME MINISTER - " IN TURKEY RELIGIOUS MINORITIES HAVE MORE RIGHTS THAN IN EUROPE "

2007-04-17T05:42:00.000+05:00

In an April 16th interview with SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL, Tayip Erdogan, Turkey's Prime Minister made the following outrageous statement when asked about freedom of religion in Turkey:

SPIEGEL: Brussels complains that the pace of reforms in Turkey has slowed. For example, you still have the infamous Article 301, which makes the denigration of Turkishness prosecutable and limits freedom of opinion. The EU is also demanding complete freedom of religion.

Erdogan: In Turkey the religious minorities have more rights than they do in Europe. What aspect of their faith are they not allowed to live out here? Do we tear down their churches?

Actually Mr. Erdogan that is exactly what you and successive Turkish governments have been doing for decades. Please do not insult our intelligence. We suggest you go to the following website for a partial list of destroyed Armenian churches: The Genocide Education Project

Further along in the interview the following give and take took place regarding the infamous Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code and the murder of Hrant Dink earlier this year:

SPIEGEL: Why are authors still tried in Turkey under Article 301?

Erdogan: I see that you are influenced by the Turkish press! Please check how many have been sentenced under this law or are in jail.

SPIEGEL: But people have been convicted. For example, murdered journalist Hrant Dink, who had Armenian roots, was sentenced to probation.

Erdogan: I met the writers who say that Article 301 must be completely eliminated. I asked them: Do you want to make it easier to decry the state, the parliament or the prime minister? I am saying yes to criticism, but no to insults. There are similar laws in Europe -- but for us it is about Turkishness, and for you it is about the German nation.

SPIEGEL: But we are protecting the state, there is no protection for "Germanness." So you don't want to change 301?

Erdogan: I don't think it should fall completely. The article also protects the right to criticize.

OK - The man is evidently smoking something in transit from Afghanistan to Europe. But Erdogan might actually be elected Turkey's next president. In fact, voting in Turkey's parliament for the next head of state will start after the closing date for nominations, April 25th.

So far, Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) which has a clear parliamentary majority has not yet announced whether Erdogan will be its candidate.

This past Saturday a demonstration in Ankara protesting a possible Erdogan candidacy rallied some 300,000 "secular Kemalists". Many in Turkey view Erdogan as a closet Islamicist who if elected will slowly dismantle the bureaucratic state structures and secular nationalism founded on the teachings and tenets of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

Read the entire SPIEGEL interview HERE

U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL CALLS ON TURKEY TO OPEN BORDER WITH ARMENIA

2007-04-17T00:52:00.000+05:00

Daniel Fried, the United States Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of European Affairs, during a press briefing held today, commented that, " We think that Turkey ought to open the border with Armenia and restore normal relations."

Continuing the official said, " We're pleased by recent steps Turkey has taken, like restoring the Armenian Church in eastern turkey, even if as a museum."

Fried described Turkey as a "good ally" and a country where the transformation towards democracy has lately taken deep roots. According to Fried, it is this growing "freedom of expression" that has permitted a greater discussion in Turkey about its past, especially the mass killings of Armenians in 1915.

In conclusion Fried commented that, " We encourage them (Turks) to examine their history and the painful, what can be called "dark spots", and they're not the only country that has them. The U.S. has plenty of its own."

Now, what is painfully apparent to the astute reader is the double speak of this U.S. bureaucrat.

This is the same Daniel Fried who on March 15, 2007 stated that passage of the Armenian Genocide Resolution would " undercut those voices emerging in Turkey who call for a truthful exploration of these events in pursuit of Turkey's reconciliation with its own past and with Armenia."

This is the same Daniel Fried who that same day attempted to hold the Armenians in Turkey hostage by stating that passage of the Genocide Resolution at this time would only serve to threaten their security .

While we agree with Fried's call for Turkey to open the border and sit down with Armenia to normalize relations, with no preconditions, the fact remains that, We have to admit this is the United States encouraging its Turkish ally to undertake some necessary

" damage control " and not much else.

Then too, the entire Akhtamar Church restoration farce, which Fried points to as an example of Turkey's desire for reconciliation, was nothing more than a base public relations move on the part of Turkey to appease the conscience of various European powers on the eve of Turkey's ascension negotiations regarding the European Union.

What forces in Turkey does Fried consider " open to exploring Turkey's dark spots"? Those handful of intellectuals who have broached the Armenian Genocide issue have either left the country for fear of their lives or have been intimidated into silence. Is this the flowering of democracy that Fried so eloquently speaks of?

The degree of Fried's hypocrisy boggles the mind but is to be expected on the eve of April 24th. In essence not much has really changed!

GARY KASPAROV DETAINED IN MOSCOW ANTI-PUTIN DEMONSTRATION

2007-04-15T03:03:00.000+05:00

International news agencies are abuzz with the news that Gary Kasparov, the former world chess champion, was detained in Moscow on April 14th during an anti-Putin demonstration in central Moscow.

Kasparov (see photo), along with scores of other protesters, were rounded up by the thousands of riot police and Interior Ministry camouflaged soldiers that locked down the city to prevent a march by the "Other Russia" coalition of groups that accuse President Vladimir Putin of dismantling democracy in Russia.

Mr. Kasparov, one of the leaders of "Other Russia" was detained as he tried to lead the demonstrators into historic Pushkin Square, despite a ban to do so by city authorities.

After several hours of detention, Kasparov was finally released from police custody.

For more pictures of the demonstration see BBC

UNITED STATES DIPLOMAT IN BAKU STATES THAT WASHINGTON WILL NOT RECOGNIZE UPCOMING PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN KARABAKH

2007-04-13T06:32:00.000+05:00

According to a April 11th report in the Azeri Trend News Agency, Jonathan Henick of the Public Affairs Office of the U.S. Embassy in Baku has declared that the United States will not recognize presidential elections scheduled to take place in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) on July 19, 2007

Mr. Henick (see photo) allegedly stated that the United States continues its policy of not recognizing the legitimacy of the NKR and views it as Azeri territory "occupied" by Armenian forces.

In a related matter, news has surfaced regarding the plans of "SEMA Associates", a U.S.-based private company to draw up an urban revitalization scheme for the town of Sushi in the NKR.

It appears that Baku, after hearing of the actions of SEMA, protested to the U.S. Embassy in Baku. In response, Jonathan Henick commented that the U.S. has nothing to do with the actions of its country's citizens or private companies.

And finally, according to TODAY.AZ (an Azeri on-line news service), a group calling itself the "Public Union of the Azeri Community of Nagorno-Karabakh", has sent a letter to various OSCE officials protesting the actions of the SEMA company. It goes on to say that 547 architectural, 205 archaeological and over 900 libraries have been destroyed by Armenian forces in Karabakh.

" SCREAMERS " SERJ TANKIAN DENOUNCES CANCELLATION OF U.N. GENOCIDE EXHIBIT MENTIONING ARMENIANS

2007-04-11T04:56:00.000+05:00

Some of you will have already heard of Turkey's attempt to shut-down a United Nations exhibit on genocide entitled "Lessons from Rwanda" that included a sentence regarding the 1915 Armenian Genocide.

After official Turkish protests, the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon agreed to see to it that the "objectionable" reference be removed.

In dispute was the following sentence, "Following WWI, during which 1 million Armenians were murdered in Turkey, Polish lawyer Raphael Lemkin urged the League of Nations to recognize crimes of barbarity as international crimes."

James Smith, the Chief Executive of the Aegis Trust, the exhibit's organizer, bravely refused to accede to the Secretary General's request.

“Had we been asked to remove reference of atrocities to Jews because Germany objected, we would have been equally resistant,” said Smith. “We can’t apply one rule to some and not to others because the political wind in the UN is blowing against the Armenians,” he said. Removing the sentence would amount to a “denial of elementary facts.”

Serj Tankian, activist and lead singer of the group System of a Down appears in the film "Screamers" which traces the history of genocide in the last century, starting with the Armenian Genocide.

Tankian had the following to say regarding the exhibit's closing..

“We are very shocked by this decision by the Secretary General to remove mention of a historical event which is well-documented by thousands of official records of the United States and nations around the world, including Turkey’s wartime allies, Germany, Austria and Hungary; by Ottoman court martial records; and by eyewitness accounts of missionaries, diplomats and survivors; as well as decades of historical scholarship. In the U.S., President Bush has called the events the ‘forced exile and annihilation of approximately 1.5 million Armenians.’

(See more regarding Screamers' reaction)

AZERIS LIVING IN IGDIR, TURKEY, GATHER TO PROTEST " ARMENIAN AGGRESSION "

2007-04-08T00:10:00.000+05:00

As the 92nd anniversary of the 1915 Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey approaches the Turkish , as well as the Azeri, propaganda machine is being shifted into high gear. One merely has to sift through the pages of the Turkish and Azeri press to see examples of how this campaign is being manifested. The anti-Armenian propaganda machine no longer spews out denials of the 1915 Genocide but lately has taken to portray Armenians as the aggressors and not the victims.

The following April 2nd report from the Azeri ANS press website is one example. It describes a recent protest meeting organized by the Igdir Society of Victims of Armenian Aggression that took place in the Igdir region of Turkey, close to the Armenian border.

Participants included Azeris now living in the region as well as faculty of the Nakhichevan State University. What resulted was a blanket condemnation of alleged "historic Armenian aggression" against Turks and Azeris alike which supposedly started in Ottoman times.

It concluded that Armenian claims of a 1915 genocide are false and that Ottoman Turkey was forced to exile its Armenian populace because of Armenian revolts against the Ottoman state at the behest of various western powers. The claim was also made that only 10,000 Armenians died during the exile due to "bad weather".

Jefer Chor, a lawyer for the Igdir Society described the Republic of Armenia as, " a state unaware of democracy, human rights and modern values and where dictatorship reigns."

What should be clear to all, Diaspora and Armenia alike, is that the unresolved issues emanating from the 1915 Genocide affect us all. One can prioritize issues that currently need to be addressed in the Armenia-Diaspora duality, but one cannot naively neglect the interdependence of these issues.

KURDISH DEMONSTRATORS CLASH WITH TURKISH SOLDIERS ON OCALAN'S BIRTHDAY

2007-04-05T19:43:00.000+05:00

According to an April 4th Associated Press report:

Police and soldiers fired warning shots into the air and used tear gas and truncheons Wednesday to disperse hundreds of stone-throwing Kurdish protesters in southeast Turkey.

The protesters wanted to travel to the village of Kurdish rebel chief Abdullah Ocalan to mark his 58th birthday, reports said.

The clashes erupted when police and soldiers blocked a highway and stopped a convoy of around 4,000 Kurds near the town of Halfeti in Sanliurfa province. Angry Kurds, shouting slogans in support of Ocalan, began throwing stones at the soldiers and police, prompting them to open fire into the air, the private Dogan news agency said.

Some of the protesters and at least one police officer were slightly injured, it said. The group wanted to travel to the village of Omerli, where Ocalan was born, near the town of Birecik.

Another aspect of the story caught our eye. It appears that the local Turkish officials gave food and gifts to the Kurdish kids in school in an attempt to keep them away from the demonstration. "We distributed kebabs at the high school and toys at the primary school to prevent the manipulation of the children", stated Birecik's governor Tuncay Sonel.

Sounds a bit similar in methodology to the "Handouts For Votes" campaign of Gagik Tsarukyan's Prosperous Armenia party. After all it's just a harmless bribe right? No harm done...

ARMENIANS SHOULD FLOCK TO AKHTAMAR FOR APRIL 24TH ( Ապրիլ 24-ին Առթիւ - Համահայկական Ուխտագնացութիւն Դէպի Ախթամար )

2007-04-04T05:12:00.000+05:00

The time has come for Armenians, if they are sincere in their proclamations regarding Genocide recognition and their desire for justice regarding their being exiled from western Armenia, to take a PRO-ACTIVE stance regarding the unresolved Armenian Question.

We use the term Armenian Question (Հայկական Հարց) because the Armenian dispersion still has not categorically stated what it wants or is willing to do regarding the events of 1915 and its consequences.

Some, if not a majority, who still talk about the injustices done to the Armenians in the final years of the Ottoman Empire and the subsequent initial phases of the Kemalist Turkish republic use the term Hay Dat ( Հայ Դատ) which translates into the Armenian Case ( as in legal case). We have always been repulsed by this terminology since it connotes the idea that the unresolved issues of 1915 will somehow be resolved through arbitration and legal proceedings. Something which is absurd and misleading!!!!!

The diaspora is a reality which is here to stay. It will evolve and develop according to a host of factors both external to it and internally intrinsic to it. In fact, if the number of Armenians in the diaspora number some 5-6 million as guesstimates say, then it is fairly logical to say that there are 5-6million individual mini-diasporas as well. Such is its complexity and scope.

Now, there are Armenians both in the diaspora and Armenia, who are living a set of contradictions, social, psychological and spiritual, etc, due to the forced exile and eviction of Armenians from western Armenia. Some may find answers to their own personal set of contradictions as diasporan Armenians in the Republic of Armenia (ROA). Others, for whatever reasons, may not. In fact, there are those who categorically state that the ROA is not the homeland of their fore bearers and thus not theirs as well by extension. (This is a political and philosophical debate for another time).

Thus, let us for the moment, agree with those who look to eastern Anatolia for answers. What has this segment and their ideological/political leadership done to bridge the gap between dispersion and the reality that exists in Turkey today. PRECIOUS LITTLE.

If the ultimate goal of this segment of the dispersion is their REINTEGRATION into an Anatolian reality, on the land of their ancestors of a mere ninety years ago, then we would say fine, this long term objective goes a long way to conceptualizing what is meant by the Armenian Question.

How will this reintegration be achieved? Through proclamations recognizing the events of 1915 as Genocide?? Of course not. By dusting off the Treaty of Sevres and parading it around the hall of government and courts in Europe? Let's not fool ourselves..

The minimum we can do of an immediate nature would be to take an active and vocal stance regarding the Armenian cultural inheritance that is left in Turkey today. This has to be organized a large scale, with a pan-diasporan scope. The possibilities are varied and can include research, archaeological digs and ultimately pilgrimages to certain important sites . Of course, all this will have to be done in coordination and with the consent of the Turkish authorities. Many will say it's a pipe dream, something Turkey will never consent to. But the attempt must be made!!!!! And each time Turkey attempts to hinder or block these efforts we must expose the government for doing so before the tribunal of world public opinion.

We must make it clear to all involved that we are dedicated to maintaining our links with western Armenia. Anything less would be a clear signal that Armenians have given up the idea of ever returning to the lands that a mere 90 years ago constituted the bulk of the Armenia homeland.

But first we must decide what exactly we mean when we say the unresolved Armenian Question. For the vast majority the Question has been resolved years ago. For those for whom it remains an open wound, what lies ahead is a struggle that will take place on many levels and in a variety of forms.

(To be Continued)

THE PERILS OF BOILERPLATE LEFTISM...Or Why Certain Left Intellectuals Fail To Characterize Turkey As A Colonialist, Racist State???

2007-04-02T05:05:00.000+05:00

The following article by Thomas Lifson, a lecturer of political science at Columbia University (New York), appeared in the April 1st issue of American Thinker, a daily internet publication devoted to the thoughtful exploration of issues of importance to Americans.

April 1st, being April Fools Day, what Lifson has done is to take an article by Joseph Massad, a faculty member at Columbia's Middle East Studies Department, that appeared in the Cairo paper Al Ahram, which asks why more European intellectuals and leftists have not spoken up in defense of the Palestinians and their struggle against Zionist aggression. Lifson then substitutes the word Turkey for Zionism (Israel) and Armenian, Kurd or Greek everywhere the word Palestinian appears in the original. The result makes for interesting reading despite the fact that Massad's original critique raises some important issues.

Below is Lifson's article in its entirety

Joseph Massad is a member in good standing of the Columbia University Middle Eastern Studies faculty, teaching Modern Arab Politics and Intellectual History. He is up for tenure soon, by the way Just for April Fools' Day fun, we took one of his intemperate essays on Israel (from al Ahram no less) and substituted Turkish everywhere he had Zionist or Jewish, and wrote Kurds, Armenians and Greeks when he had Palestinians, cut out the rambling middle paragraphs and - voila. The headline "Turkey is a Racist, Settler-Colonial State" is not based on his, however, which focused on Sartre.

Until European intellectuals take on board the racist basis of the Turkish State, their support for the struggle of native peoples will always ring hollow, writes Joseph Massad.

What is it about the nature of Turkish nationalism, its racism, and its colonial policies that continues to escape the understanding of many European intellectuals on the left? Why have the Greek, Armenian, Kurdish and Roma peoples of Anatolia received so little sympathy from prominent leftist intellectuals such as Jean- Paul Sartre and Michel Foucault or only contingent sympathy from others like Jacques Derrida, Pierre Bourdieu, Etienne Balibar, and Slavoj Zizek?

While most of these intellectuals have taken public stances against racism and white supremacy, have opposed Nazism and apartheid South Africa, seem to oppose colonialism, old and new, most of them partake of a Sartrian legacy which refuses to see a change in the status of Turks, who are still represented only as a nation deserving entry into the European Union.

The status of the Turk as a colonizer who has used racist colonial violence for the last several centuries against the native peoples of Anatolia is a status they refuse to recognize and continue to resist vehemently. Although some of these intellectuals have clearly recognized Turkish violence in Anatolia, and the deliberate genocide committed against the Armenians, they continue to hold on to a pristine image of a Turkish State founded by democratic secularists rather than by armed colonial settlers.

Despite Derrida's opposition to White supremacist South Africa in the mid-1980s, he believes that Turkey, a racist Turkish state, should be recognized by all. Clearly, Derrida is attached to a certain image of Turkey that is defiled by some of its actions, like the occupation of Kurdish, Greek and Armenian land.

THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY - A MUST SEE FILM!!!!

2007-04-01T00:53:00.000+05:00

The film medium, if properly utilized, can be not only an artistic experience for the viewer but can be a means to convey more substantive, dare we say philosophical, messages on a host of issues both current and historical.

A case in point is director Ken Loach's fine new film, The Wind That Shakes The Barley.

Set in Ireland during the 1920's, it is a story of a people ravaged by the cruelties of British colonialism and the liberation war they wage to free themselves from foreign occupation. It is a brutal, but honest depiction, of how common people decide to take action to liberate their country and themselves from the powers and restrictions imposed by others and the ruling elites. It is also the story of how ruling elites, in this case the British, sought to divide and conquer the rebellious Irish, by offering them " Home Rule ", something less than total independence. What ensued was a civil war in Ireland between those who rejected the British offer and those who did not.

Today, the six northern counties in Ireland still remain under the control of Britain.

Today, many are proposing, similar compromises regarding Artsakh. That is to say, a semi-autonomous status but not totally free of Azeri colonial rule and jurisdiction. Of course, Azerbaijan, just like Great Britain, is loathe to acquiesce to total political independence for its colonial possessions.

The Easter Rebellion in Ireland took place in 1916. Today, some 90 years later, Ireland still waits for total independence.

Let those Armenians who are deciding the fate of Artsakh and its people take Ireland as just one example of promises betrayed before they sign on to any document that will ultimately betray the hopes and aspirations of Artsakh as well.

A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS....

2007-03-31T03:08:00.000+05:00

AKHTAMAR ISLAND (March 29, 2007): In a sign of mutual understanding and cultural goodwill, Turkish security forces are posted around the Holy Cross Church to safeguard Turkey's US$2 million investment.
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HOLY CROSS CHURCH, AKHTAMAR ISLAND: This is the Turkish tourism sign that welcomed guests to the island for years. Note the reference to Islamic-influenced bas-reliefs.
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CATHEDRAL OF KARS (Holy Apostles Church): Photo of the church after being converted to a mosque. Note the Islamic crescent where the cross should be.
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CHURCH OF ST. GREGORY - ANI: A government approved sign that fails to mention the Armenian origins of the church.
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(Bottom three photos: Suren Markosian - Land of Crying Stones)

(For more info & pics on Armenian religious and cultural sites in eastern Anatolia in varied states of disrepair and abuse please see the website: Western Armenia

RESTORED CHURCH OF AKHTAMAR HAS OFFICIAL OPENING TOMORROW....ETCHMIADZIN TURNED DOWN INVITATION

2007-03-29T05:34:00.000+05:00

The official opening of the Church of the Holy Cross, on the island of Akhtamar in Lake Van, takes place tomorrow, March 29th.

Representatives of the Catholicosates of Etchmiadzin and Cilicia of the Armenian Church have refused to participate since the centuries-old church will be maintained as a museum and that it will remain the property of the Turkish state.

A delegation from the Republic of Armenia, headed by Deputy Acting Minister of Culture Gagik Gyurjian, has left for Turkey to participate in tomorrow's ceremony.

After decades of neglect and abuse, the restoration of this shining example of medieval Armenian architecture is sadly being used by Turkey to garner undeserved goodwill. Of course we are all gladdened that this monument no longer faces imminent collapse, but the situation reached this crucial stage specifically because the Turkish authorities failed to take appropriate action years ago. But then, they had no real need to rectify the situation. They hadn't applied for European Union membership nor had voices in the international community been raised to take Turkey to task for the crumbling walls and washed-out frescoes of Akhtamar. It was only Armenians who were demanding that something be done.

Thus we applaud the refusal of Etchmiadzin and Cilicia to participate in this farce, thus putting their stamp of approval on the US $2 million restoration. If Turkey wanted to make a real gesture of goodwill, especially just after the tragic murder of Hrant Dink, it could have easily done so by inaugurating the edifice as a church and transferring it to the jurisdiction of the Armenian Patriarchate in Istanbul. But even this small step is too much for Turkey to take!!!

Even Zakaria Mildanoglu (see photo), one of the architects involved in the restoration made the following comment, " though there is no chance to see the structure in service as a church, it could be opened for a few times a year; at least services would be allowed during the Feast of the Holy Cross and this is spiritually important. "

Erected in the 10th century, the Church of the Holy Cross is the only remaining structure of a much larger settlement that was built on the island by the Armenian King Gagik I (908-943 AD). Between 1116 and 1895, the island was the location of the Armenian Catholicosate of Akhtamar.

In 1915, the monks living on the island were massacred, the church looted and the monastic buildings destroyed. The US $2 million spent by Turkey thus can be seen as the first drop in the renumeration bucket for the countless other religious and secular Armenian edifices and monuments that today lie in ruins across the length and breadth of Turkey.

THE HRANT DINK AFFAIR CONTINUES: Resolution in the U.S. Senate and Detention of Turkish Nationalist Politicians

2007-03-29T04:19:00.000+05:00

We would like to inform our readers regarding developments following the murder of Hrant Dink on January 19th...

1) The United States Senate Committee on Foreign relations today is planning to vote on a resolution condemning the murder. The resolution cals on Turkey to abolish the infamous article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code and asks Turkey to establish diplomatic, political and economic relations with Armenia.

Authored by Joe Biden, a Democrat, the resolution had been scheduled for a vote three weeks ago but was delayed after Richard Lugar, a ranking member of the committee, objected to the wording which included the term "Armenian Genocide". (More tomorrow...)

It's official. The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, by a voice vote late today, approved a resolution condemning Hrant Dink's murder and urging the people of Turkey to "honor his legacy of tolerance." Notably, while the resolution does not explicitly refer to the events of 1915 as "genocide", it observes that before his death Dink was subjected to legal action in Turkey for doing so.

2) Last Sunday, Yasar Cihan (see photo), the leader of the Great Unity Party (BBP) in Trabzon and three other party officials, including Cihan's son Bahadir, were detained and taken to Istanbul for questioning in the Hrant Dink murder investigation. Cihan has since been released but the other members of the conservative and nationalist Turkish party were still being questioned.

According to the Turkish Daily News, Cihan admitted that, " Almost everyone in Trabzon knew there were plans to murder Hrant Dink." The TDN states that Cihan told the police that he knew both Yasin Hayal and Erhan Tuncel, the alleged main instigators of the murder.

A report in the Journal of Turkish Weekly alleges that Cihan admitted that he spoke by phone with Tuncel just a few days before the murder on a non-related matter. He also admitted to giving Yasin Hayal a sum of money while Hayal was in jail for the bombing of a Trabzon McDonald's some two years ago. Cihan insisted that the money was part of the assistance he regularly gives needy families.

As to why Yasar Cihan was detained in the first place remains murky. Some Turkish media reports say Cihan had in his possession a photo of him and another BBP member, along with Tuncel. Today's Zaman reports that Mushin Yazicioglu, the BBP's national leader, was also unclear why Cahin and the others were picked up for questioning.

In the meantime rumors persist that Tuncel, alleged to be a police informant, had warned the Trabzon police about the Hrant Dink murder plot some seventeen times before Trabzon authorities passed the information to the Istanbul police. Authorities have neither confirmed nor denied reports that Tuncel's phone conversations had been monitored and that records showed that two of the BBP detainees had been in phone contact with Tuncel.

BOOK ALERT - THE HEMSHIN (Islamicized Armenians)

2007-03-24T03:58:00.000+04:00

For all those who want to delve deeper into the world of Armenian historical development in Anatolia , we'd like to bring to your attention the publication of the book entitled, The Hemshin: History, Society and Identity in the Highlands of Northeast Turkey.

The Hemshin, investigates this community of Islamicized Armenians living in the eastern Black Sea region of Turkey and in the former Soviet Union. The Hemshin, who live around Rize and Artvin in northeastern Turkey, are the descendants of Armenians who converted to Islam beginning in the seventeenth century, in a process that took several centuries to complete. While maintaining Armenian elements in their culture and continuing to speak an Armenian dialect, the Hemshin have tended to dissociate themselves from their Armenian ancestry, with many actively seeking assimilation into the larger Islamic community.

Surprisingly, many Hemshin communities still retain their original Armenian dialects, despite converting to Islam. Of course, most Western Armenian dialects were irretrievably lost due to the genocide and eviction of Armenians from their homeland in eastern Anatolia. (Some remnants of Western Armenian dialects survive in The Republic of Armenia , Kessab, Anjar, etc..)

KURDISH " NOWRUZ " CELEBRATIONS IN TURKEY LEAD TO CLASHES AND ARRESTS

2007-03-22T22:44:00.000+04:00

Thousands of Kurds throughout Turkey celebrated the spring festival of Nowruz on March 21st, using the occasion to call for greater political and cultural rights and to assert their identity as Kurds.

Some 50,000 Kurds in Diyarbekir gathered to celebrate and small clashes broke out between celebrants and local police. During the festivities, Leyla Zana, a former Kurdish member of the Turkish parliament and well know leader of Turkey's Kurdish minority made the following comment, " The Kurds have three leaders. One is Iraqi President Talabani. The other is Barzani . And the third is President Ocalan." ( Referring to Abdullah Ocalan , the jailed leader of the Kurdish Workers Party)

For Kurds, the Nowruz (the Farsi word for New Year) festival is an occasion to highlight their cultural identity. They sing, dance and jump over lit fires to symbolically burn away past impurities. Celebrations took place throughout the Kurdish regions of Turkey plus the cities of Istanbul, Izmir and Mersin.

In Ankara, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan called for peace and unity between Turks and Kurds. He lit a small fire and three of his ministers hopped over the flames, (see picture).

The Prime Minister, due to a bad back, stood to the side and watched this merry-making and commented, "May the seeds of hatred that aim at our brotherhood burn and disappear in the fires that are being lit." ( Էֆէրիմ Էրտօղան Էֆենտի )

CURRENT PRESIDENT OF AMERICAN - TURKISH COUNCIL WAS U.S. DIPLOMAT SERVING IN ANKARA IN 1990'S

2007-03-22T00:36:00.000+04:00

Another fascinating tidbit for those following the news regarding the passage of the Armenian Genocide resolution in the United States Congress is that the head of the American-Turkish Council (ATC), a powerful pro-Turkish lobby, used to be the Deputy Chief of the Mission in the United States Embassy in Ankara from 1992 to 1995.

Retired Ambassador James H. Holmes, President and CEO of the ATC visited Turkey last month to confer with allies there to formulate a united plan of action to derail passage of the genocide resolution. While in Turkey, Holmes made the following comment in an interview given to the paper Today's Zaman...

The Armenian genocide resolution is the cause of great distress for us, for the commercial interests of our members as well as for the national security and foreign policy interests of both countries. We, as the ATC, are fully committed to the preservation and promotion of these relations. We see an enormous potential for cooperation and growth in commercial relations between Turkey and the US. There is increasing commerce between Turkey and the European Union, but we don't want Turkey with its 72 million population to become the property of the EU. The strong future of Turkey is one in which the US should participate as well.

For the US to risk our relations with Turkey on the basis of a meaningless resolution is just not right. Our interest is seeing this resolution defeated, derailed, delayed. I don't care what the formula is. We want it to fail. We want Congress to realize the consequences from the Turkish side.

Well, at least Mr. Holmes doesn't mince words when it comes to expressing his opposition to the genocide resolution. You can't call the man a hypocrite, unlike others who, when the s--t hits the fan, seem to find any excuse to escape the promises they once made. Case in point: For years we at SASSNA DZRER were fairly indifferent to the whole genocide recognition issue and viewed it as a meaningless exercise since all we were trying to do was to convince those very same European and American governments, who failed to fulfill the promises they made at the end of World War I to right the wrongs of the 1915 Armenian Genocide, TO NOW TAKE THE MORAL HIGH GROUND AND AND LEAST RECOGNIZE THOSE EVENTS AS A GENOCIDE!!!!

These are the same nations that felt no remorse to carve up the Middle East and Anatolia into spheres of influence for their own strategic interests and who for decades have enjoyed deep economic and military ties with successive regimes in Ankara. Democrats or Republicans -is there any essential difference between the two when it comes to safeguarding American national interests??? Of course not. After 90 years of silence, it will take more than the passage of resolutions for Armenians to reconstitute a presence in their historic homeland in eastern Anatolia.

There is a deep-rooted alliance of individuals and organized interests intent on quashing even this non-binding, symbolic resolution from passing. It's amusing to watch them squirm and squiggle in an attempt to distort the truth and their complicity in the cover up of historical reality. If this is how they react to such an innocuous initiative, one can only imagine their fear if true pressure was brought to bear down on them.

TURKEY PULLING OUT ALL THE STOPS TO DERAIL PASSAGE OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION IN UNITED STATES CONGRESS

2007-03-21T04:38:00.000+04:00

The official Turkish propaganda machine is going into high gear during the weeks before April 24th to make sure that the Armenian Genocide resolution does not pass in the United States Congress.

Recently, a Turkish parliamentary delegation concluded a visit to Washington D.C. during which they met with some thirty members of the House of Representatives, sending the message home that passage of this non-binding resolution would severely impact Turkish-American interests at a crucial stage in United States policy in the Middle East.

At a news conference held at the Turkish embassy in Washington D.C., Egemen Bagis, a parliamentarian of the ruling Turkish Justice and Development Party (AKP) stated that....

" following the visit of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to New York, Chief of General Staff Gen. Yasar Buyukanit, Foreign Minister & Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul, and Turkish parliamentary delegations to Washington D.C., both the Congress and U.S. administration better understood Turkey's sensitivity on the matter."

The Turkish press has also reported that the Turkish delegation also met with executives of the organization AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee), which describes itself as " America's pro Israel lobby." We visited the AIPAC website but could not find any reference to this purported meeting. What we did come across was the following photo of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the much touted prime supporter of the genocide resolution, addressing an AIPAC audience and expressing her staunch support of Israel.

The Turkish press also reports that a third delegation from Turkey will travel to Washington D.C. at the end of this month with the same anti-genocide resolution agenda

TURKISH EDITION OF ROBERT FISK'S BOOK - LATEST VICTIM OF NATIONALIST INTIMIDATION

2007-03-20T01:08:00.000+04:00

Award-winning British journalist Robert Fisk, who has covered the Middle East for some 30 years, revealed in a March 19th article in The Independent, a London-based newspaper for which he writes, that his Istanbul publishers for a proposed Turkish language edition of his latest book "The Great War for Civilization" are now pulling out of the deal.

According to Fisk, the reason is that his book includes a chapter entitled "The First Holocaust" which records the genocide of one and a half million Armenians by the Ottoman Turks in 1915.

In The Independent article entitled, " The truth should be proclaimed loudly", the journalist reprints the following letter form his Istanbul publishers as their rationale for postponing the book's Turkish edition.

"We would like to denote that the political situation in Turkey concerning several issues such as Armenian and Kurdish Problems, Cyprus issue, European Union etc do not improve, conversely getting worser and worser due to the escalating nationalist upheaval that has reached its apex with the Nobel Prize of Orhan Pamuk and the political disagreements with the EU. Most probably, this political atmosphere will be effective until the coming presidency elections of April 2007... Therefore we would like to undertake the publication quietly, which means there will be no press campaign for Mr Fisk's book. Thus, our request from [for] Mr Fisk is to show his support to us if any trial [is] ... held against his book. We hope that Mr Fisk and Harper Collins can understand our reservations."

Mr. Fisk goes on to draw parallels between this latest example of Turkish nationalist intimidation of proponents of freedom of speech, the murder of Hrant Dink and the general philosophical quagmire that exists in Turkey regarding a fair and frank expose of past historical realities.

BUSH ADMINISTRATION "HINTS" THAT PASSAGE OF GENOCIDE RESOLUTION MAY POSE DANGER TO ARMENIAN COMMUNITY IN TURKEY

2007-03-17T04:12:00.000+04:00

In a statement dated March 15, 2007, that Daniel Fried, United States Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian affairs, made before the House Foreign Affairs Committee's Subcommittee, Fried had the following to say regarding House Resolution 106 (Armenian Genocide Resolution),

"Against this backdrop, we believe that H.Res. 106 would undercut those voices emerging in Turkey who call for a truthful exploration of these events in pursuit of Turkey's reconciliation with its own past and with Armenia. We hear from members of the 60,000-70,000 strong Armenian-Turkish community that any such resolution would raise popular emotions so dramatically as to threaten their personal security."

Fried's testimony, entitled "U.S. - Turkish Relations and the Challenges Ahead", basically spells out how the current Bush Administration views Turkey as an important strategic and political ally in the Middle East and in particular in the "Fight Against Terrorism."

True to form, the Assistant Secretary stresses that Turkey and the United Sates share interests and common values. He concludes that,

" Our common values start from our two countries' deep commitment to democracy. Turkey, a majority Muslim state with a deepening democracy with a tradition of secular governance is of strategic importance to the U.S. It's 160-year legacy of modernizing reform, dating back to the late Ottoman period, can inspire people throughout the broader Middle East who thirst for democratic freedom and market-based prosperity."

Rhetoric? To be sure! But does Fried actually believe his own words? The whole convoluted analysis is part and parcel of what is called the "Shared Vision" statement that the U.S. Secretary of State Rice and Turkish Foreign Minister Gul came up with in Washington last July.

Fried continues in this same hackneyed vein of praising Turkey's steadfast march to greater democratic reform and specifically as it relates to Ankara's coming to grips with its historical past by stating,

"But after a long silence, Turkey is making progress. The terrible murder of Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink by an ultra-nationalist accelerated an intellectual opening in Turkish society, with more than 100,000 Turkish citizens of all political, confessional, and ethnic backgrounds demonstrating at Dink's funeral in support of tolerance and a candid exploration of Turkey's past. Their shouts of "We are all Hrant Dink; we are all Armenian" resonate in the ears of millions of people in Turkey and the world over who believe in freedom of speech, freedom of expression, and human dignity for all of Turkey's citizens."

To add insult to injury Fried also hinted that the passage of the Armenian Genocide resolution would lead to greater anti-American sentiment in Turkey which in turn might prompt the Ankara government to close the U.S. Air Force base at Incirlik, which is used in U.S. actions in Iraq and Afghanistan. Who knew that Armenians enjoyed such far-flung leverage??

Seriously though, Fried and his ideological mentors in the upper echelons of the United States government should hang their heads in shame for their not too subtle ploy to hold the Armenian community in Turkey hostage!! It's as if they are saying - Armenians, don't wag your tongues too much over the genocide issue or the 60,000 Armenians left in Turkey might face the same fate as their grandparents did in 1915 at the hands of the reform-minded Ottomans..

All concerned, including the government in the Republic of Armenia, need to read the Fried Statement. We might have to deal with the Turkish-American alliance, but we should know who and what they represent!!!

ISRAELI KNESSET, IN NOD TO TURKEY, OPTS NOT TO DISCUSS ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

2007-03-15T05:54:00.000+04:00

The above is the headline of an article that appears in the March 15th edition of Haaretz Online. True to form, the Turkish media has given extensive coverage to this development, portraying it as somehow giving credence to the Turkish state's continued denial that the Armenian Genocide ever occured.

While it is no secret that Turkey and Israel have enjoyed a regional alliance of sorts in the political, economic and especially military fields, despite many in Turkey condemning last year's Israeli invasion of Lebanon, the Knesset's shelving of a proposal for a mere parliamentary discussion of the events of 1915 would appear to be a new benchmark in placing one's political interests before any principled moral position.

Both Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and his Foreign Minister had made several requests that the proposal be removed from the Knesset's calendar because they believed it would severely damage Israeli-Turkish diplomatic relations.

Knesset Member Haim Oron who initially proposed the parliamentary discussion had this to say before the vote to shelve the proposal took place, "This inquiry is something we owe the Armenians, primarily at a time when we are struggling to preserve the memory of our own people."

Despite the fact that many courageous and conscientious Israeli genocide scholars have called on the Israeli government to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide, such a development appears as elusive as United States recognition, despite the euphoria that surrounds the genocide resolution making the rounds in the U.S. Congress presently.

In fact both Unites States Secretary of State Rice and Defense Secretary Gates have sent letters to senior members of Congress warning that passage of the genocide resolution would damage American-Turkish relations and would be detrimental to the national interests of the United States. ( Read more of the Bush regime's attempts to sabotage the Armenian Genocide Resolution see: International Herald Tribune

TURKISH PROFESSOR FACES CHARGES OF INSULTING ATATURK

2007-03-15T04:29:00.000+04:00

In yet another example of just how sensitive the Turkish establishment remains regarding any hint of dissident voices commenting on the orthodoxy of the establishment of modern Turkey, a professor of political science at Ankara's Gazi University was charged on Tuesday with allegedly insulting the legacy of Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey.

Professor Atilla Yayla, in a speech given last November, had stated that the era of one party rule under Ataturk from 1925 to 1945 was not as progressive as the official ideology would have Turks believe but was regressive in some aspects. He also criticized the omnipresent statues and paintings of Ataturk, saying that Europeans would be baffled to see such depictions of just one man all over Turkey.

Gazi University Chancellor, Kadri Yamac, was inundated with calls for Yayla's removal soon after the speech and temporarily removed him from his position pending an investigation.

Professor Yayla has stated that he was not insulting Ataturk personally but only questioning his legacy. "As an academic, I must be free to think, to search and share findings," Yayla, 50, has said in an interview at the Ankara-based Association for Liberal Thinking, an organization he co-founded in 1994. "If Turkey wants to be a civilized country, academics must be able to criticize and evaluate Ataturk's ideas."

The academic could receive up to three years in prison if tried and convicted. No trial date has been set as yet.

AN INDEPENDENT KURDISTAN: ARMENIA'S NEW REGIONAL NEIGHBOR????

2007-03-13T04:47:00.000+04:00

Will federalism in Iraq lead to an independent Kurdistan a stone's throw from Armenia??

How will a Kurdish state affect political developments in Anatolia and the immediate region??

These and a host of other questions inherently flow out of the recent talk of a "federalist" political solution to the chaos now taking place in Iraq. The possibility of an independent Kurdish state just a few hundred miles from Armenia, let alone bordering Turkey, should get our collective minds speculating as to what the effects would be for the region in general and Armenia in particular.

A March 12th report published by the influential United State think tank, the American Enterprise Institute, focuses on the possibility of an independent Kurdistan created on the territory that now comprises the Kurdish Provisional Government in northern Iraq.

For it seems that there's a growing consensus for transforming Iraq into a federalist state, based on ethnic and sectarian lines, as the most likely approach that could lead to a political settlement in that war torn country. No one doubts that federalism will eventually lead to total independence for Kurdistan, despite what Iraqi Kurdish politicians and leaders state to the contrary.

The report quotes United States Senator Joe Biden, the democratic chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, as stating that his proposed federalist plan, " offers a road map to a political settlement in Iraq that gives its warring factions a way to share power peacefully and a chance to leave with our interests intact."

Biden claims endorsement of his plan by a bipartisan group of heavyweights including former Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger, Madeline Albright, and James Baker, former senior State Department officials and a number of senators and congressmen.

HRANT DINK'S MURDER INVESTIGATION REVEALS MORE MURKY DETAILS

2007-03-13T03:53:00.000+04:00

According to an article that appeared in the March 8th edition of "Reporters Without Borders", the family of slain Agos editor Hrant Dink filed a complaint in an Istanbul court on February 18th against those who failed to take adequate measures to protect Mr. Dink.

It appears that after the French Parliament passed a law last year making the denial of of the Armenian Genocide a crime, the Istanbul Security Directorate compiled a list of "possible targets" needing greater police protection. The offices of the newspaper Agos was twelfth on the list but police authorities at the time concluded that Hrant Dink didn't warrant extra protection.

A total of 28 people have been detained in several Turkish cities regarding the murder and eight have been taken into custody.

Yasal Hayal, the alleged instigator of Mr. Dink's young murderer, has recanted his original statement after he learnt that Erhan Tuncel, an ultra-nationalist and student at Karadeniz University, was a police informer. Tuncel, it turns out, had informed the police several times of a plan to murder Hrant Dink.

As the investigation plods on the offices of Agos continue to be a target of nationalist threats. On February 12th, ten people in Kayseri were arrested for emailing threatening messages to the newspaper. The suspects were later released.

For the complete article see: Reporters Without Borders

ՔԱՇԱԹԱՂԻ ՂԵԿԱՎԱՐ ՅԱՄԼԵՏ ԽԱՉԱՏՐՅԱՆԸ ՊԱՇՏՕՆԷՆ ԱՐԶԱԿՈՒԱԾ Է

2007-03-09T06:21:00.000+04:00

6-03-2007

Հաւաստի աղբիւրներուն համաձայն կը տեղեկանանք որ Քաշաթաղի շրջանի ղեկավար Յամլետ Խաչատրյանը, Լեռնային Ղարաբաղի Հանրապետութեան որոշմամբ պաշտօնազուրկ եղած է:

Ըստ Հետք Online-ին, իր փոխարինորդը նշանակուած է Պրն. Էռնեստ Ղեւոնդյանը, որը անցեալին «Արցախ» կոմիտէի ղեկավար եղած է:

Տակաւին կանուխ է ըսելու թէ Քաշաթաղի շրջանի ղեկավարի հեռացումով էապէս բան մը փոխած պիտի ըլլայ թէ ոչ: Թէ Քաշաթաղի բազում նեղութիւններ քաշած բնակիչները, թէ ալ իրենցմով մտահոգուած հայութիւնը, անհամբեր կը սպասեն դրական արդիւնքներ որպէս հետեւանք: Այլապէս գանգանտները եւ բողոքագրերը ԼՂՀ-ի ղեկավարութեանն ուղղուած վերստին պիտի տեղան:

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION IN U.S. CONGRESS - RHETORICAL GRANDSTANDING OR MEANINGFUL LEGISLATION ?????

2007-03-07T07:51:00.000+04:00

In the on-going saga of the Genocide Resolution in the United States Congress, we bring to our readers the following two commentaries that recently appeared in prominent United States' publications. While both are critical of the resolution, they approach the issue from quite different perspectives and make for somewhat interesting reading.

1) An Op-Ed piece by Jackson Diehl that appeared in the March 5th edition of the Washington Post basically belittles the resolution as "Much Ado About Nothing."

2) A piece penned by Mark Parris, a former U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, that appeared in the March 2nd issue of the Wall Street Journal. Mr. Parris, who served as ambassador under the Clinton Administration, laments the probable passage of the resolution and says it will result in a " train wreck with a longstanding American ally - Turkey."

KURDISH POLITICIAN IN TURKEY SENTENCED TO SIX MONTHS IN PRISON FOR REFERRING TO ABDULLAH OCALAN AS " MR. OCALAN"

2007-03-07T07:14:00.000+04:00

In yet the latest example of how the nuances of language can be used to silence and harass dissident voices in Turkey, we now read that Ahmet Turk, a leader of the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party, has been sentenced by a court in Diyarbakir to six months imprisonment for referring to jailed Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan as "Mr. Ocalan."

The court stated that the prefix "Mr" implied respect for the leader of the Kurdish Workers' Party who is serving a life sentence of imprisonment after being found guilty of treason for leading a decades long armed struggle in Turkey's Kurdish regions.

A BBC report states that this is the second conviction for Mr. Turk in the past seven days. Last week he and another DTP official were sentenced to an eighteen months jail sentence for distributing party materials in the Kurdish language. Turkish law allows the distribution of political literature only in Turkish.

The Democratic Society Party , despite being a legitimate political body working for democratic and minority rights for Kurds in Turkey, claims to have been subjected to various forms of harassment in the lead-up to Turkish elections later this year.

"IT'S LIKE NAZI GERMANY...IT'S A TICKING TIME BOMB" - SO SAYS LEADING TURKISH NOVELIST REGARDING RISE OF IDEOLOGICAL RIGHT IN TURKEY

2007-03-07T06:16:00.000+04:00

In yet the latest of a series of reports from the international press commenting on the rise of outward manifestations of nationalist sentiment in Turkey, The Independent of March 3rd, focuses on how this growing trend had affected Turkey's beleaguered liberal intelligentsia ever since the murder of Hrant Dink in January.

The article focuses on the plight of Perihan Magden, a prominent female novelist and commentator, and others like her who have, in the past, run afoul of the law and particularly Article 301 of the Turkish Penal code that has been used to bring individuals to trial for the crime of " insulting Turkishness and the Turkish state".

According to this report and others, so menacing have conditions become in Turkey for dissenting individuals that many, like Orhan Pamuk, have fled the country or have gone into self-imposed seclusion in the country, rarely venturing out in public.

The Independent article quotes Perihan Magden as describing her plight thusly...

"We don't want to live like hunted animals, but we have been made international targets. It's a lottery and this time it stopped at Hrant's slot. What if next time it stops at mine?"

The report holds out little hope that calls to repeal the infamous Article 301 will be realized in the run-up to elections in Turkey later this year.

Read the entire Independent article !!!

ԲԱՐՈՎ ՉԳՆԱՍ....ՊԱՐՈՆ ՅԱՄԼԵՏ ԽԱՉԱՏՐՅԱՆ

2007-03-06T07:37:00.000+04:00

Ըստ «Հետք Online» ընթացիկ թւի մէկ յօդուածին, ներկայ Քաշաթաղի շրջանի վարչակազմի ղեկավարը, Պրն. Յամլետ Խաթատրյանը, շուտով պաստօնազուրկ պէտք է ըլլայ: Հակառակ անոր որ Արցախեան կառավարութիւնը հերքած է նման փսփսուքներ, Հետքի խմբագրական կազմը կը հաստատէ թէ իր հաւաստի աղբիւրներուն համաձայն, Պրն. Խաթատրյանը իր «չանթէ»ները լեցուցած է եւ իր պաշօնասենեակին առջեւ taxi մը կ՛սպասէ:

Յօդուածը իր ամբողջութեամբ կարդալու համար այցելեցէք Հետք

TRABZON, HOMETOWN OF HRANT DINK'S KILLER, A HOTBED OF TURKISH NATIONALISM

2007-03-02T08:24:00.000+04:00

Below, we reprint a March 1st BBC report from the city of Trabzon, Turkey, the hometown of Ogun Samast (Hrant Dink's killer), and eight other accomplices charged with plotting to kill Mr. Dink. The report contends that this Black Sea coast city, to a greater degree that other Turkish towns, has given rise to a strain of blind Turkish nationalism that is virulently intolerant of others. The report cites issues such as unemployment and alienation of the young people as prime motivating factors behind this phenomenon. It fails, however, to explain why Trabzon is the focus of such ultra-nationalism and not other areas of Turkey where the same socio-economic problems are present. Then again, that's not to say such nationalist sentiments are indeed limited to Trabzon.

On match days Trabzon turns claret and blue as thousands of football fans stream towards their stadium.

The Black Sea port city was always famous for its football. The only team outside Istanbul ever to win the league title, Trabzonspor, is the pride of this place - its identity.

But the city is now notorious as home to the teenage boy and eight accomplices charged with plotting to kill ethnic Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, who was shot dead in Istanbul last month.
Some here seem proud of that connection.

When Dink was murdered, tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Istanbul and declared themselves Armenian in solidarity.

In public people will say it is bad that [Hrant Dink] was killed, but to most Trabzon people he was not an intellectual - he was just an Armenian.

"People here are proud to be Turks, without thinking about what it really means. There is a blind nationalism here. Racism has flourished," says local political activist Zeynep Erdugul.

Two years ago she and her friends were beaten in the streets of Trabzon by a furious mob that mistook them for supporters of the Kurdish separatists, the PKK.

Ms Erdugul fears nationalist feeling is now climbing to dangerous new heights.
In public people will say it is bad that Hrant Dink was killed, but to most Trabzon people he was not an intellectual - he was just an Armenian," she says.

(Read the entire BBC article)

HEAD OF KASHATAGH NGO ACCUSES LOCAL OFFICIALS OF EMBEZZLEMENT

2007-03-01T23:31:00.000+04:00

Below is a translation of a news report from Arminfo that originally appeared in Russian on February 27th. It deals with the unresolved problems faced by residents of Kashatagh and the unwillingness of the responsible authorities to take the needed measures to rectify these issues.

Robert Simonyan, head of the Kashatagh non-governmental organization for the protection of resettlers, accuses the administration of the Kashatagh (Lachin) district of embezzlement.

Speaking to journalists, Robert Simonyan, who in 1990s was the head of the administration of five villages in the Kashatagh district, accused both the former and the current heads of the district administration, Aleksan Hakobyan and Hamlet Khachatryan, of pillaging Azerbaijani villages and embezzling funds they had been given to reconstruct the district.

The disagreement with the district administration over its policies resulted in Simonyan's persecution. A Yerevan resident, who had moved to Kashatagh, was forced to go back again, but he claims that his persecution did not stop there either.

Simonyan claims that he had repeatedly informed all possible instances in Armenia - from the president to foreign diplomatic corps - of the embezzlement by the district administration and the persecution of himself and family members, but has not received a reasonable answer.

Today, Simonyan made a statement describing the talk about a possible return of the liberated territories around the Nagorno-Karabagh Republic as a crime and treason.

"On the one hand, they speak of keeping the Lachin corridor under the Armenian control, but on the other hand, the local authorities and the Armenian leadership create such inhuman conditions that the resettlers run from those strategically important territories," Simonyan said. He said that while 15,000 people lived in Kashatagh in 1988, only 2,500 people now remained there. He also said that the residents of the border regions of Armenia - Ijevan, Tavush, Goris and Kapan - should be entitled to a compensation for the damage caused by Azerbaijan.

"In addition, we demand that the Armenian and the NKR authorities do their for both the protection of the NKR borders with Iran and opening of bilateral communication through it," the statement said.

(Lachin Photo by Onnik Krikorian)

ՅՈՒԶՈՒՄՆԱԼԻՑ ՀՐԱԺԵՇՏ ՄԸ ԵՒՍ ՀԱՆԳՈՒՑԵԱԼ ՀՐԱՆԴ ՏԻՆՔԻՆ

2007-02-24T21:53:00.000+04:00

Կուզենք մեր կարդացողներուն ներկայացնել յետեւեալ " Հրաժեշտի Նամակ " ուղղուած Հրանդ Դինքին: Մեր ձեռքը նոր անցած այս յուզիչ գրութիւնը մեզ բոլորիս վրայ մեծ ազդեցութիւն թողուց:

ՆԱՄԱԿ ' ՀՐԱՆԴ ՏԻՆՔԻՆ

Սիրելի Հրանդ,

Կը հաւատամ, որ արդէն ջուրը իր հունը գտած է, եւ դուն գտած ես անոնք, զորս մենք կորցնցուցած ենք 92 տարի առաջ: Քեզմէ խնդրանքներ ունիմ:

Իմ կողմէ ողջագուրէ Գրիգոր Զօհրապը: Ըսէ անոր, որ իր նորավէպերը կը կարդամ: Ողջոյններս փոխանցէ Դանիէլ Վարուժանին: Ըսէ անոր, որ ան իր բանաստեղծութիւններով լուսաւորեց պատանեկութիւնս: Հրանդ, մի մոռնար Սիամանթոյին հետ յոյսի երգեր երգելու:

Ըսէ անոնց, որ անոնք մեր դարաններուն վրայ են, անոնք մեր գրասեղաններուն վրայ են, անոնց խօսքերն ու բառերը մեր շրթներուն վրայ են ու հոգիներուն մէջ:

Ըսէ անոնց որ...Օր մը անոնց արձանները, նաեւ քուկդ, պիտի կանգնեցուին Պոլսոյ մեջ:

Մի մոռնար Կոմիտասին հետ աղօթելու եւ ըսէ անոր, որ օր մը հայ կիները կրկին պիտի երգեն Անատոլուի գիւղերուն մէջ:

Հաճիս, գտիր մեծ հայրերս: Ըսէ անոնց, որ մենք իրենց անունները ու սէրը կը տանինք մեզի հետ հոն, ուրկէ անոնք երբէք չեն հեռացած եւ զոր մենք երբէք չենք տեսած:

Հրանդ, համբուրէ օրհնեալ ճակատները 1915-ի Մեծ Եղեռնի իւրաքանչիւր նահատակի:

Ըսէ անոնց, որ մենք մեզի հետ կը տանիք իրենց անունները ու սէրը այն հողին նկատմամբ, զոր երբէք չլքեցին, իսկ մենք երբէք չտեսանք:

Ըսէ անոնց, որ անապատները պիտի ծաղկեցնենք իրենց յիշատակներու բուրմունքով:

Ըսէ անոնց, որ Թալէաթէն մինչեւ Սամասթ' մենք վերապրողներ ենք:

Ըսէ անոնց, որ բոլորս Զօհրապ, Վարուժան, Սիամանթօ, Կոմիտաս եւ Հրանդ ենք:

Սիրով'

Խաչիկ Մուրատեան

ARMENIAN POLITICS: FROM THE RATIONAL TO THE RIDICULOUS

2007-02-22T08:44:00.000+04:00

Here at Sassna Dzrer, we have recently come upon two news items emanating from the Republic of Armenia - one from the Executive and the other from the Legislative branches of government. The one is rational and the other borders on the ridiculous...

First the Rational....While in France on a state visit Republic of Armenia (ROA) President Robert Kocharian, during an interview with the newspaper Le Figaro, renewed his offer to establish diplomatic ties with Turkey without any preconditions. When asked by journalists why his country had refused Turkey's offers to form a joint research committee to debate the World War I killings of Armenians, which the overwhelming majority of recognized genocide scholars categorize as a genocide, President Kocharian answered by stating,

"Normalization of bilateral relations is up to governments, not historians. That's why we are ready to establish diplomatic relations with Turkey without conditions and to create an intergovernmental commission and to discuss all questions, even the most sensitive."

President Kocharian also commented that Armenia continues to be under threat by having Turkey as its neighbor since the failure of Turkey to recognize the armenian Genocide was not only an ethical problems but one that posed a national security risk as well.

"We have the same neighbor now that refuses to accept its guilt in 1915. There is a risk that what happened before could happen again," Kocharian said, in Paris for the official start of France's Armenia Year, which will involve a variety of social and cultural activities

And the Ridiculous...It appears that the ROA National Assembly has just passed the first draft of a bill that would grant dual citizenship to Armenians living abroad. We haven't yet got our hands on the nuts and bolts of the bill since it appears the proponents of the legislation are formulating its provisions "on the go". That's to say someone raises the question about military service or taxation and they come up with a variety of options addressing such sensitive topics.

We have always failed to see the urgency in drafting such legislation in the first place. Its supporters argue that dual citizenship would encourage many more in the dispersion to feel a real connection to the ROA and would increase travel to and investment in Armenia. As if that is not possible now. Such symbolic gestures may be well-meaning but they miss the mark almost entirely. Legislation may facilitate such cross-pollination between the two Armenian realities but what is crucially needed is the building of true bridges of communication and contact between the ROA and the dispersion.

According to Viken Hakobian, Academic Secretary of the Natural Sciences Division of the Natural Academy of Sciences, and a supporter of the dual citizenship legislation,

"I want to stress that dual citizenship will also restore to some extent historical justice. Armenia is the homeland of our nation that is spread throughout the world. Why should we consider Armenia our home while the Diaspora Armenians should not be able to feel the same? This is not fair, and dual citizenship must be introduced. I am sure that once dual citizenship is adopted Armenians living in different countries will be inspired to come to Armenia more often which will in its turn result in an increase of economic investments. Finally, the most important feeling is the feeling that you have a homeland. I have met many Diaspora Armenians that have a great wealth in other countries but they feel they are guests in those countries, they do not have a sense of a homeland. This should be changed."

(These are fine sentiments indeed but for the most part based on emotional desires and not on concrete analysis of the situation and conditions involved. Before we can even contemplate dual-citizenship , concerned individuals and organizations on both sides of the Armenian divide need to get serious regarding how we can, to the extent possible, bridge the cultural and communications gap that has kept the two sides strangers for the past fifteen years since independence. Those who claim we are One Nation, One People need to look beyond the easy fix of symbolism and be creative when it comes to scaling the barriers, both externally imposed and self-made, that continue to keep us apart.)

CONTROVERSIAL FRENCH BILL ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE APPEARS SHELVED FOR NOW...

2007-02-22T06:51:00.000+04:00

France's National Assembly last October passed the bill criminalising the denial of the Armenian Genocide and called for penalties of one year in prison and fines of 45,000 Euros for those who did. The bill has not yet been included in the Senate's agenda where it would have to be pass in order to become law. In the French Upper House the current Center-Right government of President Chirac, who opposes the bill, holds a majority.

Since France's parliamentary session is almost over ahead of the electoral campaign for the presidential and legislative poll to be held this spring, the draft bill would have to be voted on again by the new National Assembly to resume the process

Elif Shafak, the Turkish novelist who is a strong critic of Article 301 of Turkey's Penal Code (which enables legal prosecution undermining the freedom of expression in Turkey), has stated that the French move sparked nationalist reactions in her country that eventually harmed people like herself who are trying to push for an open debate on such sensitive topics.

Ms. Shafak is quoted as saying that,

"I think that 1915 is such a sensitive and delicate political theme that it shouldn't be subject to political power games. It should not be up to politicians to decide which version of history should be acknowledged by everyone," she told the EU Observer. I criticise my own government for curbing freedom of expression. But it is a universal principle. If I defend it in Turkey, I will defend it in France or everywhere with the same zeal and determination. And the French bill was very much against this principle."

(One can only commend Ms. Shafak for her principled stand when it comes to defending a person's freedom of expression, especially in a country like Turkey where the consequences of such pronouncements can be quite lethal. However, it appears that she skirts the real issue when she categorizes the near total destruction of a two thousand year old nation on its historic homeland as a "delicate political theme" that should not be utilized for "political power games". Unfortunately, the Armenian Genocide has been used as a political football by the powers that be whilst Turkey has taken on the role of referee, tooting her whistle and calling "foul" against the side that forgot to pay the bigger bribe before the game got underway..)

CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE CAMPAIGN UNDERWAY IN TURKEY TO PROTEST ARTICLE 301 - CITIZENS URGED TO DECLARE SOLIDARITY WITH HRANT DINK

2007-02-19T08:00:00.000+04:00

The Initiative for Freedom of Expression, a coalition in Turkey that works towards promoting democratic change through peaceful civil disobedience, has recently organized a unique campaign whereby Turkish citizens can sign an affidavit stating they agree with those particular statements made by Hrant Dink for which he had been prosecuted under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code and that they, in turn, wish to be prosecuted in a similar fashion.

(Below we present a copy of the letter that appeared on this group's website that some 500 people, including Taner Akcam, have already signed.)

I TOO AM HRANT DINK!!!!!!

The Initiative for Freedom of Expression is broadening the civil disobedience campaign launched earlier for Hrant Dink entitled: " I TOO AM HRANT DINK "

I agree with his words quoted below and considered as crime, I want to be tried too.

1. Quoted from the decision of 9th. Penal Department of Highcourt which approved six months prison sentence for Dink: (This decision was approved by General Assembly of Penal Departments and got finalised despite the objection of the chief prosecutor.) “There is no doubt that the phrase ‘The fresh blood that would replace the poisoned blood that Turk would bleed out, exists in the noble vein of Armenian that he would form with Armenia’ is an insult to Turkishness.”

2. Dink’s words that were published in the 21.07.2006 dated issue of Agos paper and led to the ongoing trial in Şişli Primary Court Nm. 2: (The next hearing is on 22 March 2007 at 10.00 am.) “Of course I say that it was a genocide since the consequences reveal and define it anyway. We see that the people who had lived on this land for four thousand years disappeared during the incidents ."

For more on this campaign and to see a list of signatures CLICK HERE

ARMENIANS IN IRAQ ARE RESETTLING IN AUTONOMOUS KURDISH REGION

2007-02-18T01:08:00.000+04:00

(09-02-2007; Kurdish Aspect)

According to an article that appeared in The Kurdish Aspect, there has been a recent influx of Armenians to the Kurdish-controlled region in northern Iraq. The report states that many Armenians are fleeing the violence and political instability in Baghdad for the relative security in the territory administered by the Kurdish Regional Government.

The article's author states that some 1,000 Armenians now reside in the Kurdish town of Zakho, which straddles the Iraqi-Turkish border. More amazing, the report cites that efforts are underway to rebuild a few former Armenian villages in the region, most notably that of Hawresk.

Early in the 20th century, many Armenians fleeing persecution in the Armenian villayets in the Ottoman Empire resettled in these border areas. Gradually, many moved to Baghdad and other urban areas. It seems that the trend has now reversed, however slightly.

ARMENIA: EXPENSIVE ADVERTISING RATES A POLITICAL HANDICAP !!!

2007-02-17T22:03:00.000+04:00

(16-02-2007, EurasiaNet)

As Armenia's parliamentary election campaign takes shape, opposition parties are crying foul after public and private television broadcasters set what leading government critics consider to be exorbitantly high prices for campaign ads.

One minute of airtime will cost candidates and political parties about 80,000 drams (US$225) on public television and as much as approximately 130,000 drams per minute on private television stations. The parliamentary election will be held 12 May. The prices are more than double the approximate US$120 per minute charged during Armenia's 2003 parliamentary elections.

Armenia's election law grants political parties an hour of free airtime on state television and two hours on state radio during the campaign season. Parties must pay for any airtime over that limit. A 5-million-dram (roughly US$14,000) limit set on each candidate's campaign spending could pose an additional obstacle for opposition parties. Assuming no other campaign expenses, each candidate would only have enough money to pay for about one hour of advertising during the campaign, based on the current pricing structure.

Click HERE to read the entire article...

TOP TURKISH GENERAL SAYS U.S. ADMINISTRATION FIRMLY AGAINST GENOCIDE RESOLUTION

2007-02-17T20:59:00.000+04:00

16-02-2007 ; Today's Zaman

According to news reports, General Yasar Buyukanit, Turkey's top military official, has stated that during his visit to the United States he has observed a firm resolve on the part of the Bush administration to block a resolution now in the U.S. Congress to recognize the Armenian Genocide of 1915.

According to the article, General Buyukanit sated that, "I have heard senior U.S. administration officials saying decisive words on stopping the Armenian genocide resolution from securing recognition in Congress." These comments refer to recent talks he had with Vice President Dick Cheney and National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley.

On Friday, February 16th the General was to meet with U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Tom Lantos regarding the Genocide resolution , among other issues.

" ANATOLIAN ROCK " FUSION OF EAST & WEST...STILL ALIVE & KICKIN!!!!

2007-02-17T04:48:00.000+04:00

We came across an interesting article in Today's Zaman that deals with the musical genre called "Anatolian Rock".

If focuses on the upcoming instrumental album of one of the pioneers of the genre, Cahit Berkay. Back in the early 1970's he and others started to turn to Anatolia for musical inspiration, fusing these traditional melodies with the sensibilities of 1960's rock.

Interestingly enough, a major force in this field was a popular singer named Cem Karaca, who's mother was an Armenian theater actress in Turkey. Cem Karaca, was ultimately forces to flee Turkey due to his leftist political leanings and lived in exile in West Germany until his return to Turkey in the early 1990's.

In the late 1960's and early 1970's there were many such attempts to fuse the traditional and rock genres , some of the better known being Pentangle and Fairport Convention in England, Planxty and Moving Hearts in Ireland, etc.

Then too we have the ground-breaking album "ZARTONG", the one and only LP by a group of young French-Armenians of the same name in the late 1970's. But don't go looking for the album. It was privately produced and the last time I saw a copy being sold on e-Bay it was going for quite abit of money. Luckily I still have a cassette that the band gave me. (Pokr Mher)

ARTISTS IN ARMENIA CRITICAL OF GOVERNMENT'S MOVES TO LIMIT ARTISTIC EXPRESSION

2007-02-13T21:54:00.000+04:00

The following statement has come to our attention regarding a group of Armenian artists in Yerevan who have criticized the government for limiting freedom of expression and artistic expression. In particular, they cite the governmen't banning of British performance artist Nigel Charnock's solo show. Readers will remember that Mr. Charnock was taken to task for wrapping himself with the Armenian flag and walking on it. He has since apologized for this act but described himself as being quite fond of Armenia.

*****************************

Yerevan - February 2, 2007

By this letter we express our principal disagreement with the situation in Armenia concerning art, culture and freedom. We find it very important to let you know and ask your support as the violation against freedom of art, expression and though has no geography and should be STOPPED and PROTESTED world-widely by all the means we have.

Please, forward and inform everybody about our pain and send/ show your position to the Armenian Government and all the people and organizations dealing with Armenia.

Here are the addresses:

Government of the RA:
1. Republic Square. Yerevan, Republic of Armenia Tel:. (374 10) 52 87 12, 52 74 02, Fax:. (374 10) 52 87 12 http://www.blogger.com/

Ministry of the Culture:
Government Building 3, Republic Square, Yerevan
Tel.: 52-93-49http://www.blogger.com/

Here is a copy of their full statement:

The Ministry of Culture Puts Veto on Freedom

It would be much better if the Minister of Culture would be capable to explain to the uneducated “pure Armenian” audience, who is far away from real art , having included the cotemporary in anachronic ethnic and militaristic, that the ART in THE WORLD is liberated times ago and the ARTIST is FREE to CREATE.

The art, the artist and the thought in Armenia are forbidden from now on. The announcement of Minister of Culture from 01.02.2007 recovers long-term Soviet totalitarian repressive machinery aimed to exclude alternative thinking and pluralism. Actually by this decision the artistic freedom without the approval of the Ministry of Culture in Armenia is forbidden.

From now on the art is arrested by the power- holders conditioned by their doubtful education, by soc-realistic spirit and by nationalistic vision. From this moment the government declares the existence of the only possible and nationally admitted culture in Armenia and “the one nation- one culture[1]” becomes the general slogan of state repressions against free creation and free artist.

By the banning the performance of the British artist the artist in Armenia is forbidden too and the audience is forbidden to see, to listen, to feel and to think by his/ her own. This announcement has a direct trend to exile from the country all those, who are not agree to fit with state cultural standards.

In this context it becomes clear why in independent Republic of Armenia liberated from Soviet totalitarism the KGB Day is celebrated nation-widely and enthusiastically, the whole cultural space is filled with militaristic spirit, and the folk and rabiz are mixed and propaganded broadly.

This is the way how the fascism enters and becomes reality accompanied by the society’s excitement.

Such kind of insult was never given to the art in post-Soviet times. The real intellectual must react to this unprecedented violence.

Harutyun Simonian, artist
Lala Aslikyan, citizen
Astghik Melkonyan, artist
Tigran Khachatryan, artist
Mariam Elmasyan, professor- orientalist
Lori Yapujyan, musician
Aram Talalyan, professor, Conservatory
Karen Hakobian, musician, “Hope” NGO
Artur Avanesov, composer, culturologist
Karine Talalyan, musician
Lilit Zakaryan, art critic
Vigen Tadevosyan, artist
Vahe Boyajyan, professor, Yerevan State University
Anahit Vardanyan, lawyer
Avetis Avagyan, civil servant
Natalya Martirosyan, human rights activist
Shushan Vardanyan, pharmacist
Anna Barseghyan, art curator, utopist
Stephan Kristensen, scientist, political activist
Vakhtang Siradeghyan, RA citizen
Armen Ohanyan, RA citizen
Gayane Sargsyan, RA citizen
Suren Saghatelyan, RA citizen
Naira Sultanyan, RA citizen
Vehanush Hovhannisyan, “Meghvik” NGO
Bella Sargsyan, RA citizen
Marish Manucharyan, RA citizen
Sona Abgaryan, artist
Ruben Arevshatyan, art curator
Nika Yepiskoposyan, sociologist
and others.