Month: February 2012

ENERGETIC EAST TENNESSEE SENIOR VOLUNTEERS IN ARMENIA
Emily Stroud

WBIR-TV

Feb 10 2012

You know her last name because her son, David Dewhirst, is a downtown
developer, but Emily Dewhirst is an adventurer in her own right.

“I’ve done this all my life just about. I started out when I was 17
and bicycled through Europe, actually mostly France. And I’ve been
going ever since,” Emily Dewhirst explained via Skype from nine time
zones away. “I went in to the Peace Corp, oh I hate to think of how
many years ago, back right after the Berlin Wall came down and went
to Kazakhstan for over two years and absolutely loved it.”

Now Emily Dewhirst is doing another stint with the Peace Corp. She’s
part of the Peace Corp’s Response Program.

“It’s a volunteer job but it’s a little different from the regular
Peace Corp volunteer job. They take people who have expertise in a
certain field and they match it with somebody all over the world who
needs that expertise. And I happened to choose Armenia and I’m here
basically for six months although I’m extending for seven,” she said.

That’s to give more time to fully implement her enrichment program
in Armenia.

Her assignment is with the Children of Armenia Fund, COAF.

“I’m an educational consultant and basically I’m here to try to train
teachers in a more modern methodology. They’re still using the old
Soviet memorize and regurgitate,” she said.

She says the capital city is modern but the villages are more
primitive. They were set up during Soviet times and decayed after
factories closed down.

“COAF has taken over and has helped them immensely in providing water
and sewage and education, new schools and so forth,” she said.

Emily Dewhirst is enjoying her COAF assignment.

“The kids are so enthusiastic and they’re wonderful to work with,”
she said.

So what does she look forward to on her return to East Tennessee?

“Food,” she said with a laugh. “The food isn’t bad here, don’t
misunderstand me. It’s just not like home.”

Meantime, she’s making herself at home nine times zones away.

“I am amazing Armenians because I am 82 years old and their 82 year
olds have long since retired and have been wheelchair bound or home
bound for heaven knows how long, so I am kind of a one of a kind here,”
she said.

She’s a one of a kind anywhere.

The organization she’s working with, COAF, partners with local and
international organizations to revitalize rural villages in Armenia.

ARMENIAN PARTIES BECOME OBSERVERS AT EUROPEAN PEOPLE’S PARTY

Vestnik Kavkaza
Feb 10 2012
Russia

The Republican Party of Armenia, Orinats Yerkir and Heritage have
become observers at the European People’s Party (EPP), News Armenia
reports.

Armenian Minister for Education and Science Armen Ashotyan said in
Brussels that such status is the only option for non-members of
the EPP. Becoming observers demonstrates the parties’ commitment
to European values and readiness for reforms in all spheres, the
official says.

The Republican Party and Orinats Yerkir are part of the ruling
coalition in Armenia, while Heritage is an opposition party.

From: Baghdasarian

OPINION: LA REVOLUTION FRANCAISE – REPRISE
By Haldun Anil

The MIT Tech

Feb 10 2012

How the country that once put freedom first butchered it thoughtlessly

In 1789 the French people overturned their government in one of the
bloodiest revolutions that Europe has ever seen. With it came the
downfall of much of the feudal government of the past, swept away
by the rise of nationalism and demands for liberty. At this time,
the French coined their famous motto, “Liberte, egalite, fraternite”
(liberty, equality, fraternity), which served as a potent example
for the rest of Europe. Over 150 years later, France was party to the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the European Convention on
Human Rights, which have been ratified by the United Nations and the
EU, respectively.

History clearly demonstrates that the French care about their civil
liberties – which is why I find it so hard to believe that a law about
genocide denial in France passed through both houses of the French
Parliament last week. This law makes it illegal for French citizens
to deny that a genocide against the Armenian people occurred shortly
after the First World War. In 1915, many Armenians were killed in a
confrontation with the then-crumbling Ottoman Empire. These events
have been dubbed the “Armenian Genocide” – the deaths of hundreds of
thousands of Armenians who were trying to escape the war. Whether or
not this confrontation can be considered genocide has been a matter
of debate, among some, for nearly a century.

I do not presume to know whether those events constituted a genocide or
not. This question is one for historians and philosophers to debate;
it is the job of the academic world and those knowledgeable about
the time to think about it. We are all entitled to our opinion,
it is perfectly acceptable for the French people to believe that a
genocide occurred. It is also OK to think the opposite. This debate
is not why I am dismayed.

I’m appalled is because if the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy,
signs the bill into law, it will be illegal for anyone to deny that
the events of 1915 were genocide. Further, the denial of the events
will be punishable with a one-year prison sentence and a fine of
up to $58,000. Please take the moment to read that again, because
every time I do, I am once again horrified that the government of a
country supposedly in love with the ideals of freedom, equality, and
brotherhood is willing to throw all three of these out the window. I

If we examine the original French revolutionary document, the
Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, Article 11 reads
as follows: “The free communication of ideas and opinions is one of
the most precious of the rights of man.” But wait, one quote isn’t
enough, so let’s look at the European Convention on Human Rights’
Article 10: “Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This
right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart
information and ideas without interference by public authority and
regardless of frontiers.”

So how did the French government let the law get this far? I cannot
comprehend how they let themselves be swayed to massacre the freedom
of expression, to view those who believe in a way that does not agree
with their opinions as second-rate citizens, and to forsake important
political, strategic, and cultural ties. Ladies and gentlemen,
I present to you the oppressive, dark-ages style way of thought in
which opinion has lost meaning and expression has been replaced with
a pitch-black void.

With this new law, France has taken the first step in starting a
new revolution: one in which basic human rights are ignored out
of self-interest. Having opinions is a fundamental and essential
reality of the human condition. Believing that the events of 1915
were genocide is perfectly acceptable; it is an opinion and just like
every opinion, it has merit. Criminalizing those who disagree with this
opinion, however, is unjust and hypocritical. I hope that the French
Constitutional Court, which has been called upon by French lawmakers
to reexamine the constitutionality of the bill, quickly comes to the
realization that such a law would not only be devastating by itself,
but would also set a precedent asserting politics’ dominance over the
citizens’ thoughts and opinions. I don’t know about you, but that’s
an Orwellian future that I am not willing to accept.

‘SEVAG WAS KILLED BECAUSE HE WAS ARMENIAN’

Today’s Zaman
Feb 10 2012
Turkey

Pvt. Sevag Å~^ahin Balıkcı — a Turkish soldier who died last year
when, according to official reports, his friend’s rifle accidentally
discharged — was killed because he was Armenian, organizers of the
“Justice for Sevag” campaign claimed at a press conference on Friday.

Speaking to the press, the campaign’s spokesperson, Kerem Kabadayı,
claimed Balıkcı was killed intentionally on the date the Armenian
diaspora has chosen to commemorate the incidents of 1915, when hundreds
of thousands of Armenians were allegedly killed in the Ottoman Empire
during World War I.

Pvt. Balıkcı was killed on April 24, 2011. Officers and other
privates in his unit, which is stationed in Batman province, testified
that Balıkcı was shot accidentally while “joking around” with a close
friend, Kıvanc Agaoglu, who allegedly fired the lethal shot. They
were serving at the Kozluk GumuÅ~_göru gendarmerie station at the
time of the alleged murder.

Baku doubts Paris’ role

Hurriyet Daily News
Feb 10 2012
Turkey

Azerbaijan considers ending France’s position in the Minsk Group,
charged with the task of resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh problem,
saying that Paris’ neutrality is in question, Ambassador to Turkey
tells Hurriyet Daily News

Baku is mulling whether to move to end France’s role in the Minsk
Group, which is tasked with solving the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute,
on the grounds that it has lost its impartiality following legal
moves in favor of its strong Armenian diaspora.

“The Minsk Group has 15 members and Turkey is part of it, too.

[France’s position as the body’s co-chairman] could be brought to the
agenda of the group either by Turkey or by Azerbaijan,” Azerbaijani
Ambassador to Turkey Faik Bagirov told the Hurriyet Daily News in an
interview Feb. 8. The Minsk Group was formed by the Organization of
Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 1992 with the task of
resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh problem between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Alongside France, Russia and the United States are co-chairs of the
group, which has been mediating for the last two decades without any
solid success. France’s recent attempt to punish denials of the 1915
incidents as genocide caused a reaction both in Ankara and Baku and
has brought its role as a mediator into question.

“The Minsk Group was formed March 24, 1992; thus we are commemorating
its 20th year. A meeting could be held on this occasion in which
France’s role would be discussed as well. It’s no doubt that France’s
neutrality is already a matter of question,” Bagirov said, but added
that there was no clear procedure on how to expel a co-chairing
country.

Minsk Group under scrutiny

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said France would no longer
play a constructive role in the South Caucasus since it had already
shown itself to be pro-Armenian.

“Of course, 20 years is a very long time. The group whose task was
to find a solution to this problem failed to do so. In the meantime,
some acts taken by France only helped Armenia to distance itself
from the main principles of international law and to ease its hands
in negotiations,” the ambassador said.

Bagirov said Azerbaijan was also closely following France’s legislative
process with particular attention to the Constitutional Council, which
will decide whether or not the “genocide” denial bill is admissible.

“From the very beginning, we have said this attempt was in violation
of democratic principles and freedom of expression,” Bagirov said,
expressing his disappointment over media claims that Baku did not
exert enough efforts to stop the legislation in France.

“I want to underline this fact: No country in the world other than
Azerbaijan supported Turkey in this process. Not a single country of
the Islamic Conference Organization [lent it support]. It was only
Azerbaijan which gave this support because our ties are based on
brotherhood and friendship,” he said.

For Bagirov, those who planted the idea of a lack of Azerbaijani
support among the Turkish public were members of “some hostile circles
who tried to sow discord between Turks and Azeris.” “Their purpose is
to damage Turkish-Azeri friendship. The media should be very careful
in regards to internal and external attempts to this end,” he said.

Turkey-Armenia reconciliation

One of the fault lines between Turkey and Azerbaijan was observed
during the unfinished reconciliation process between Ankara and
Yerevan in 2009. Though the two countries signed two protocols to
normalize ties and open their sealed border, Turkey refused to ratify
the agreements due to strong Azerbaijani reaction.

“Consider if these protocols had been approved,” he said, noting that
they would have only served to support “an occupying state.” “The
Turkish Republic openly understood this.”

End of visas this year

Touching on an end to visa requirements between Ankara and Baku,
Bagirov said the process could be completed by the end of the year
after Azerbaijan harmonizes its relevant laws. The issue will be raised
during a high-level strategic council meeting that is expected to be
held in the coming months.

INTERNATIONAL DISABILITY FILM FESTIVAL: PICTURE THIS

Calgary Herald

Feb 10 2012
Canada

Now in its 11th year, Picture This showcases films about disability
and films that were produced, directed or written by people with
disabilities. Over 40 films will be screened over three days, including
The Piano by Armenian-French filmmaker Levon Minasian. The film,
which won the Best of Festival award, is about Louissine, a young
talented pianist who is blind. Unfortunately, her piano doesn’t fit
through the door of her house, leaving her to practise the same piece
over and over again in her front yard. -Jon Roe

Monday, Feb. 13 to Wednesday, Feb. 15. At Albert Park-Radisson Heights
Community Centre, 1310 28th St. S.E. ptff.org.

FRANCE’S SARKOZY CALLS ON TURKEY TO ‘FACE ITS HISTORY’

Hurriyet Daily News

Feb 10 2012
Turkey

Sarkozy (L) is seen with Gilad Shalit (R) and Shalit’s mother in the
Elysee Palace. REUTERS photo French President Nicolas Sarkozy has
again called on Turkey to “face its history” in reference to Armenian
genocide claims stemming from the 1915 incidents.

France collaborated with the Nazis during World War II, but it later
faced up to that period in history, the ntvmsnbc news website reported
him as saying.

Sarkozy spoke Feb. 8 at the annual dinner honoring France’s Jewish
community. Before the dinner, Sarkozy met with Gilad Shalit,
an Israeli-French soldier who was held hostage for five years by
Palestinian militants, according to Associated Press.

Shalit made an unusual public appearance, meeting with Sarkozy in
his presidential palace in Paris. Shalit did not speak to reporters
afterward but his father, Noam Shalit, said, “We are very moved.”

Sarkozy praised Shalit for his “exemplary courage” and his parents for
“their determination and their dignity in the face of the ordeal and
the anguish,” according to a statement from the president’s office.

Armenia calls on Israel to recognize ‘genocide’

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian has called on Israel
to stop the “play of words” and recognize the Armenian genocide
allegations, referring to a statement from the chairman of the
Holocaust Institute, Israel Charny, Panarmenina.net reported.

Nalbandian quoted Israel Charny, founder and director of the Jerusalem
Institute of Holocaust and Genocide: “Everyone in Israel must realize:
Charny knew the meanings of both the Holocaust and the Genocide.”

Nalbandian was responding to his Israeli counterpart Avigdor Liberman,
who suggested that “the term Holocaust is inapplicable in reference
to any other tragedy.” Nalbandian said the term Holocaust was never
used to describe the Armenian “genocide.”

Israel-Armenia row on ‘Genocide’ YEREVAN

Israel Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said “the term Holocaust
is inapplicable in reference to any other tragedy,” Panarmenina.net
reported.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian responded to Lieberman
calling for Israel to recognize the Armenian genocide allegations.

Nalbandian urged Israel to stop the “play of words,” referring to a
statement from the chairman of the Holocaust Institute, Israel Charny.

Nalbandian quoted Israel Charny, founder and director of the Jerusalem
Institute of Holocaust and Genocide: “Everyone in Israel must realize:
Charny knew the meanings of both the Holocaust and the Genocide.”

Nalbandian also said the term Holocaust was never used to describe
the Armenian “genocide.”

From: Baghdasarian

ISRAEL-ARMENIA ROW ON ‘GENOCIDE’

Hurriyet Daily News

Feb 10 2012
Turkey

Israel Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said “the term Holocaust is
inapplicable in reference to any other tragedy,” Panarmenina.net
reported.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian responded to Lieberman
calling for Israel to recognize the Armenian genocide allegations.

Nalbandian urged Israel to stop the “play of words,” referring to a
statement from the chairman of the Holocaust Institute, Israel Charny.

Nalbandian quoted Israel Charny, founder and director of the Jerusalem
Institute of Holocaust and Genocide: “Everyone in Israel must realize:
Charny knew the meanings of both the Holocaust and the Genocide.”

Nalbandian also said the term Holocaust was never used to describe the
Armenian “genocide.”

TURKISH GOVERNMENT DISTRIBUTES TABLETS TO ARMENIAN STUDENTS

Sabah
Feb 9 2012
Turkey

Students and teachers from Istanbul’s Ozel Esayan Armenian High
School are experiencing the excitement of the Fatih Project as the
sole private school included in the pilot stage.

The only private school to be included in the 52 school pilot program
for the Fatih Project, the Private Esayan Armenian High School has
already integrated the tablet computers provided by the government
in their classes. Students have expressed that having the tablets
in class has made their lessons much more educational and enjoyable,
while teachers are pleased at their student’s increased interest in
the lesson.

The Fatih Project was kicked off the day before yesterday by
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Yesterday, the first series
of 12,800 tablet computers were distributed to the 52 schools in
17 provinces that were selected for the pilot program. The Beyoglu
Private Esayan Armenian High School is the only private school that
has been included in the pilot program. The 32 teachers in the high
school and 45 students from the ninth grade class began their first
classes yesterday with lessons integrated into the tablet computer
and smart board system.

Students explained that the computer, which contains all of their
course books and lessons with animation features, is a great
convenience, while teachers commented that even from the first day
of their integration, students are already displaying an increased
interest in class.

According to Armenian teacher Maral Ebeoglu Satar, the animated
lessons that can be displayed via internet access on the smart boards
has drawn students’ interest which allows them as teachers to teach
class even more effectively.

Geography teacher Zafer Kurtar states, “The trouble of writing on a
board with chalk is over. Students are able to follow the subjects
we are lecturing on through their tablet computers. We have already
begun to feel the positive affects this is having on our students.”

“IT IS VERY EXCITING” School Principle Satenik NiÅ~_an states, “It
is a very exciting, modern process. It is also extremely meaningful
that our school was selected for the pilot program.”

The students who have received the tablet computers are also pleased.

Ninth grade student Linda Muratyan states, “Class passes by so
enjoyably now. Everyone has their full attention on the teacher. Even
if the lesson is difficult, we are able to easily understand it.”

Karolin Nas states, “The tablet computers have everything we need. We
have been saved from having to carry around heavy backpacks. This
has lifted a big burden off of us.”

The “Fatih” project becomes the ‘Conquerer’

According to the Democratic Educators Union (DES) General Chairman
Gurkan Avcı, with the Fatih project, the Turkish education system
has taken a revolutionary step for the future. “Over time, the Fatih
project may turn into the “Conquerer Project”. Avcı emphasized that
they are in full support of the Turkish educational system reaching
a high-quality and modern state and that this program will provide
equality in education, will eradicate the obligation to attend
additional tutoring or special courses and marks the end of an
education system based on memorizing and tests.

AMBASSADOR AGSHIN MEHDIYEV: “RECOMMENDATIONS MADE BY THE OSCE 2005 AND 2010 FACT-FINDING MISSIONS TO THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES OF AZERBAIJAN REMAINED “ONLY ONPAPER””

MilAz.info
Feb 10 2012
Azerbaijan

“Azerbaijan supports the OSCE concept of comprehensive, cooperative
and indivisible security”, Agshin Mehdiyev, Permanent Representative
of Azerbaijan stated in New York, during the Security Council meeting
February 9.

“OSCE had the potential to play a more consistent role in encouraging
participating States to comply with their obligations and the 1974 OSCE
Helsinki Final Act. OSCE provided a forum for discussions towards a
settlement of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, sometimes
mistakenly referred to as the “dispute” over Nagorno-Karabakh or the
“conflict” in Nagorno-Karabakh. The conflict was being addressed by
the OSCE Minsk Group, as noted in four Security Council resolutions
adopted in response to the illegal use of force against Azerbaijan
and occupation of its territories, as well as the General Assembly
resolution on the occupied territories of Azerbaijan”, said Ambassador
Mehdiyev, APA’s correspondent reports.

He also mentioned that Azerbaijan was committed to a negotiated
conflict settlement, based on a formula of ending the illegal
occupation of its territories, restoring its sovereignty and
territorial integrity, the return of forcibly displaced persons and
ensuring peaceful coexistence of Azerbaijanis and Armenians in the
Nagorno-Karabakh region within Azerbaijan.

“The lack of agreement on political issues could not be used as
pretext for disregarding international law”.

He was concerned that recommendations made by the OSCE 2005 and 2010
fact-finding missions to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan
remained “only on paper” and nothing was being done to translate
those into deeds.

The Ambassador expected the OSCE chairmanship to continue work on
all conflict cycle elements. “Better interaction between OSCE and the
United Nations would serve the greater unity of purpose in addressing
transnational threats. Also, OSCE might provide a forum for addressing
safety standards and timely decommissioning of ageing nuclear power
plants”, he said.