Month: February 2015

The Inquisitr
Feb 15 2015

Russell Crowe Sees Aussie Success With `The Water Diviner’

Russell Crowe’s directorial debut, The Water Diviner, has seen great
success in Crowe’s native homeland of Australia and was named the
country’s top grossing film of 2014, netting $5.6 million at the box
as of December 31, 2014.

It also won several awards at the 4th annual AACTA, or Australian
Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, including Best Picture,
Best Supporting Actor Yılmaz ErdoÄ?an, and Best Costume Design.

Yet with all of the buzz surrounding The Water Diviner, the U.S. will
see only limited showings starting April 24, 2015.

The historical fictional drama is set in Turkey 1919 during the
aftermath of WWI. Crowe plays Joshua Connor, an Australian farmer who
travels to Turkey upon hearing that his sons were killed during the
fighting at Gallipoli in hopes of bringing their remains back home.

Russell’s character has a knack for finding things throughout the
film, the most obvious being water, but his talents are put to the
test when he finds himself in the war-torn region of Gallipoli in
search of answers regarding the whereabouts of his sons’ remains.

With the help of hotel owner Ayshe (Olga Kurylenko), with whom Connor
forges a romance, and a Turkish officer who is himself a veteran of
the war, Joshua discovers the bodies of two of his sons, with the
possibility that one is still alive after being captured during the
battle.

The film has been hailed as being a fantastic work of historical
fiction, but The Water Diviner has also come under fire from critics
who claim the film is implausible and sentimental.

The ABC (Australian Broadcasting Company) reports that while the film
is doing well in Turkey, even outperforming recently released films
regarding the battle at Gallipoli, Greek and Australian critics alike
have condemned the film, saying it glosses over the Armenian Genocide
and considers it an exercise in myth-making.

But Russell Crowe is certainly no stranger to controversy. As reported
by the Inquisitr The Water Diviner star has ruffled more than a few
feathers with recent remarks that Hollywood actresses need seek
age-appropriate roles if they want to continue to work in the
industry.

This, of course, sparked a flurry of comments and debate about the
unrealistic demographics the industry has regarding movie roles, with
actress Jessica Chastain being quite vocal about her disagreements
regarding Crowe’s comments.

While both the film and its director are busy making waves of
controversy, the numbers don’t lie. The film has achieved much success
worldwide and shows no signs of slowing down.

From: A. Papazian

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Feb 15 2015

AK Party steps up anti-Israel rhetoric ahead of elections

DENÄ°Z ARSLAN- ANKARA February 14, 2015, Saturday

As a central part of its election campaign strategy, the ruling
Justice and Development »»

As a central part of its election campaign strategy, the ruling
Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government has begun to step
up its anti-Israel rhetoric, and Foreign Minister Mevlüt ÇavuÃ…?oÄ?lu’s
decision not to attend the Munich Security Conference last weekend due
to an Israeli presence has caused concern, given the government’s
previous anti-Semitic outbursts.

Apparently aiming to please the conservative voter base of the AK
Party before the June 7 parliamentary elections this year, President
Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an, Prime Minister Ahmet DavutoÄ?lu and ÇavuÅ?oÄ?lu
have increased their anti-Israel rhetoric considerably. At the last
minute, Foreign Minister ÇavuÅ?oÄ?lu canceled his plans to attend the
Munich Security Conference upon learning that an Israeli
representative would also be attending a session ÇavuÅ?oÄ?lu was
scheduled to address. `I was, in fact, going to attend the conference
but we decided not to do so since they added an Israeli representative
to the Middle East session at the last minute,’ ÇavuÃ…?oÄ?lu told
reporters at the Turkish Embassy in Berlin.

Turkey opting out of attending an international conference due to the
attendance of an Israeli representative is unprecedented. Turkey and
Israel used to enjoy good military and political relations until in
2009 then-Prime Minister ErdoÄ?an walked off the stage after an angry
exchange with Israeli President Shimon Peres during a panel discussion
on Gaza at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. During the panel,
ErdoÄ?an told Peres, `When it comes to killing, you know well how to
kill,’ then vowed never to return to the annual gathering in Davos.

Diplomatic ties between Turkey and Israel took another downturn in
2010. In May of that year, Israeli commandos killed eight Turkish
citizens and an American of Turkish origin in international waters on
the Mavi Marmara ship. The Mavi Marmara was leading a “Gaza Freedom
Flotilla” carrying humanitarian aid and construction materials for
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which has been under an Israeli
blockade since 2007. The Israeli ambassador was expelled from Ankara
in September 2011 after Israel refused to apologize for the killings.
Israel formally apologized in 2013 for what it called `operational
mistakes’ that might have led to the deaths of the victims.

Turkey and Israel have been negotiating a compensation deal, but an
agreement has not yet been forthcoming.

Following Israel’s Gaza offensive in the summer of 2014, ErdoÄ?an’s
comments about Israel have caused the rift between the two countries
to grow. ErdoÄ?an said in July that Israel had agreed to lift its
blockade of Gaza as part of normalization talks between Israel and
Turkey but Israel’s attack on Gaza reveals that it does not want
normalization and that Turkey would delay the continuation of talks as
a result of the offensive.

Last month, tension increased between Israel and Turkey after
DavutoÄ?lu compared his Israeli counterpart, Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu, to the perpetrators of recent terrorist attacks in Paris,
saying both had committed crimes against humanity. DavutoÄ?lu said
Israel’s bombardment of Gaza and its storming in 2010 of the Mavi
Marmara were on par with the Paris attacks, whose dead included
employees of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and shoppers at a
Kosher supermarket.

ErdoÄ?an’s recent criticism of Netanyahu’s attendance at a Paris
solidarity march for the Paris attack victims also escalated the war
of words between the former allies. ErdoÄ?an said that while Israel is
committing `state terror’ it is hypocritical of Netanyahu to attend a
march supporting freedoms.

Netanyahu responded to ErdoÄ?an by calling his remarks `shameful.’

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman slammed Netanyahu on Feb. 6
for his 2013 apology to Turkey, hours after ÇavuÅ?oÄ?lu announced he had
pulled out of the Munich conference. Lieberman said that Turkey’s
decision to drop out of the security conference once again proved that
Netanyahu’s apology was a `great mistake,’ according to reports in the
Israeli media.

The Israeli delegation at the conference was headed by Intelligence
Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz. “ErdoÄ?an’s Turkey is a country that
wishes only to attack and to goad Israel,” Haaretz quoted Lieberman as
saying. He said Israel must act accordingly “and safeguard Israeli
interests.”

Steinitz also released a statement criticizing the Turkish decision.
“Israel will take part in any international conference, whether Turkey
likes it or not,” he said, adding that more than hurting Israel, the
decision “casts a heavy shadow on Turkey’s future and character.’

With the general election date approaching, Prime Minister DavutoÄ?lu
has also begun to use anti-Semitic rhetoric in his election campaign
speeches. On Feb. 7, speaking at a rally in Sakarya province,
DavutoÄ?lu claimed that Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, who lives in
the US, is trying to provoke the Jewish lobby in the US — along with
Greek and Armenian lobbies — against the Turkish government.

Gülen is often a target of AK Party criticism for allegedly
controlling a `parallel state’ within the Turkish state. DavutoÄ?lu
claimed that Gülen’s Feb. 3 article in The New York Times — which
called on the Turkish government to reverse its current path and
respect democracy and human rights — aims to provoke lobby groups
against Turkey. On Feb. 8, DavutoÄ?lu said in speech he delivered in
Ä°stanbul that Turkey has never succumbed to the Jewish, Armenian or
Greek lobbies and that he is determined that that not change.

By creating a fog around the corruption investigation of Dec. 17, 2013
— which implicated a number of AK Party members, including four
ministers and some of their family members — anti-Western and
anti-Semitic rhetoric is apparently being employed in an attempt to
distract the attention of the public from the investigation. The
government has characterized the graft probe as part of a `foreign
plot’ against Turkey.

The rhetoric of a plot against Turkey by the `evil West’ led by the US
with the participation of Israel — which is sometimes referred to by
ErdoÄ?an as `that country in the south’ — easily finds support among
ErdoÄ?an’s conservative voter base in Turkey.

The idea that certain powers `jealous of Turkey’s success’ are trying
to drag Turkey down by attempting to topple the government has been
used by AK Party officials many times, such as before last year’s
March 30 local elections and during the election campaign for the Aug.
10 presidential election.

From: A. Papazian

Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
Feb 14 2015

Pamuk: ‘Authoritarian and Islamist government’ replaced soldiers in Turkey

ISTANBUL ` AFP

Submerged in his new novel, Turkey’s Nobel prize laureate Orhan Pamuk
gazes out over the city of Istanbul, the main protagonist of his
books, keeping a troubled eye over the development of his country.

Pamuk, author of best-selling modern classics including the “My Name
is Red” and “The Museum of Innocence,” has for some three decades been
the face of modern Turkish literature at home and abroad.
His novels, translated into dozens of languages, won him the 2006
Nobel Prize in Literature — but also the sometimes unwelcome status
as the moral voice of a fast changing nation.

Receiving Agence France-Presse for an interview at his Istanbul
apartment overlooking the Bosphorus,
Pamuk made clear he wanted to be seen as a novelist and not reduced to
a secular opponent of President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an.

“Not only (do) I have to maneuver myself to fight with the government
but I also have to hear people’s demands,” he told AFP.

“In a way, anyone who is in trouble or feels that the government is
not doing well for them wants me to rightfully represent their
problems.

“My (Nobel) prize didn’t make my life easy but of course I’m happy to
deal with all these problems.”
Compared to “generations of writers” in Turkey who were jailed, exiled
or even killed, “I feel myself very lucky,” he said.

He expressed discomfort with media interviews, saying that after
discussing literature for half an hour and politics for 20 minutes
what is ultimately broadcast is one minute of literature and 20
minutes of politics.

Sitting behind a desk piled high with books, Pamuk’s view takes in
almost two millennia of Byzantine and Ottoman history in Istanbul —
the Golden Horn, the Ayasofya and the Blue Mosque.

Taking pains to speak in precise and accurate English, Pamuk said his
last published novel, “A Strangeness in My Mind,” was an attempt to
show a changing Istanbul through the eyes of one character.

The story is about a street vendor who sells items including boza, a
traditional drink made from fermented wheat “that people enjoy at
night and associated with Ottomanness, Turkishness and romantic dreams
of Ottoman life.

“On the other hand, my character… shows the reader how this city —
street by street, shop by shop, window by window — changes.”

When the book begins in the 1970s, Istanbul’s population was just two
million, but now it is up to 16 million, he noted.

Whether Pamuk is writing about 20th century Turkey (as in “The Museum
of Innocence”) or mediaeval times (as in “My Name is Red”), the city
of Istanbul has almost been the main character in his works.

“For me, the sense of Istanbul is Bosphorus, history, a palimpsest of
civilization, with monumental buildings and a continuous construction
where people built and complain, complain and complain but enjoy
their… modern life.

“Which is all the contradictions that define Istanbul.”

Pamuk may be reluctant to be seen as a political figure, but he
remains unequivocally critical of ErdoÄ?an who has boasted of
transforming the country into a “new Turkey” with ambitious building
projects.

He said that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) was
“destroying the balance of powers, which is in fact the key to any
democracy.”

“In that sense, Turkey is only an electoral democracy, but a democracy
where the respect of human rights, free speech are violated every
day.’

Pamuk leaves Turkey every year to teach for a semester at New York at
Columbia University and said he could sense the change when he
returned last.

“When I came back, I felt a climate of fear, people whispering.”

Commenting on Turkey’s recent history, from coup-happy generals to
ErdoÄ?an, he said: “Authoritarian soldiers were (pushed) out, (an)
authoritarian and Islamist government took their place.”

ErdoÄ?an and the AKP have dominated Turkey’s highly diverse society for
over a decade but have been facing unprecedented challenges after 2013
mass protests followed by stunning corruption allegations against the
elite.

“In a sense, the mystery of political Islam vanished because of the
convincing power of corruption allegations,” said Pamuk.

He is far more reticent when asked to comment on the mass killings of
Armenians by Ottoman forces during World War I, a tragedy which Pamuk
had in 2005 labelled a “genocide.”

Those comments brought him death threats as well as legal proceedings
that were eventually abandoned.

“I had a lot of trouble eight to 10 years ago because I talked freely
about this subject.”

For now, Pamuk is focusing on putting the finishing touches to a new
novel which he says will be a surprise for some readers.

In typical Pamuk style, it tells the story of a well digger in
Istanbul and his apprentice and is “allegorical.”
But this time there is a difference.

“The whole problem here is that this time I want to write a short
novel, and break the heart of my traditional readers who always tell
me to write a long one,” he said.

February/14/2015

Trend Daily News (Azerbaijan)
February 14, 2015 Saturday 5:37 PM GMT +4

Iran’s mediation not enough to solve Karabakh conflict

Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 14
By Umid Niayesh, Fatih Karimov – Trend:

Iran alone can’t solve Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,
other states also are important, Hassan Beheshtipour, Iranian expert
on international affairs told Trend Feb. 14.

Iran can play a key role in resolving the conflict, Beheshtipour said,
adding, “of course, the role of other countries, such as Russia and
the US should not be disregarded. The intermediation of Iran is not
sufficient to resolve the problem.”

Beheshtipour said that Iran’s stance regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict is to secure Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and wants the conflict
to be resolved as soon as possible.

“Iran says rights of Nagorno-Karabakh people should be met and
sovereignty of Azerbaijan should be secured,” the expert added.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result
of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent
of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven
surrounding districts.

The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs
of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently
holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

While commenting on the current level of the ties between the two
neighboring countries Beheshtipour said that after the visit of
Iranian and Azerbaijani presidents on the sidelines of the World
Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos last year, relations between
the two countries were improved significantly.

Visits of high-ranking officials of the two sides show that both Iran
and Azerbaijan are determined to remove hurdles and expand bilateral
cooperation, he added.

Beheshtipour said bilateral ties have been facing with problems over
the past years, especially relations between Iran and Armenia and
relations between Azerbaijan and Israel have created problems in
Tehran-Baku ties.

For the time being, such sensitive issues have been alleviated and the
two countries think about expanding bilateral relations far from
political interests, he noted.

“There was a speculation in Iran that Israel may use Azerbaijan’s
territory to attack Iran, but Azerbaijani official have stressed that
such a thing will not happen,” the expert explained.

He further noted that the volume of propaganda against each other in
the two countries’ mass media has also decreased and the media have
helped improvement of the relations.

Any improvement in bilateral relations will be beneficial for both
people and governments, Beheshtipour said, adding that in this line
upcoming visit of the Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to
Baku will be a welcome opportunity to resolve the extant problems.

The two countries should not entwine their relations to a third
country, he stressed.

The Iranian FM is scheduled to visit Baku on Feb.16 at the invitation
of the Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.

During the visit, the Iranian top diplomat will hold several
high-level meetings and discuss the intensification of the bilateral
relations.

Beheshtipour also forecasted that the lifting of sanctions against
Iran within the framework of nuclear talks with the West can give
Azerbaijan more freedom to improve relations with Iran.

Iran and the P5+1 (the US, the UK, Russia, China, France and Germany)
group have extend their negotiations to reach a comprehensive nuclear
deal, with the aim of reaching a high-level political agreement by
March 1, and confirming the full technical details of the agreement by
July 1.

After the sides failed to meet the November 24, 2014 deadline they
also extended the Geneva nuclear deal, which was signed in November
2013 to provide Iran with some sanctions relief in exchange for Tehran
agreeing to limit certain aspects of its nuclear activities.

The US and its Western allies suspect Iran of developing a nuclear
weapon – something that Iran denies.

Trend Daily News (Azerbaijan)
February 14, 2015 Saturday 3:35 PM GMT +4

Azerbaijan protests against US aid to separatist regime of Nagorno-Karabakh

Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb.14
By Elchin Mehdiyev- Trend:

Azerbaijan considers the United States a strategic partner, supported
the country after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 in the
issues related to Afghanistan, as well as other issues, political
analyst Elman Nasirov said Feb.14.

He made the remarks in the Milli Majlis (Parliament) of Azerbaijan
during the hearings on the topic “Relations of Azerbaijan and the
United States in the context of human rights, energy and security
issues.”

The political analyst went on to add that such actions should not be
one-sided. He said that the US is the only country that supports the
so-called Nagorno Karabakh Republic.
Nasirov said according to Armenian media, the US has allocated $2
billion to Armenia. Also, this country opened representative offices
of the separatist regime, he said.

If the US doesn’t change its policy in this issue, the entire
responsibility for the consequences will fall on it, according to
Nasirov.

The MP Chingiz Ganizade said in turn that two hearings on Azerbaijan
during the month were held in the US, during which certain claims on
human rights issues in Azerbaijan were put forward.

In order to understand how objective these statements were, it is
necessary to pay attention to the composition of participants of the
hearings, according to him.
Representatives of the Armenian lobby, pro-Armenian forces, NGO
associated with the radical opposition of Azerbaijan participated in
these events, he said.

Ganizade said that since gaining its independence, Azerbaijan
highlighted the national interests, and in connection with this fact,
a number of states exert pressure on the country by the application of
double standards.

MP Asim Mollazade said at the hearings that the activity of the
Armenian Diaspora is also detrimental to the security of the United
States itself.

He said that the Armenian lobby stands behind the anti-Azerbaijani
policy in the US.
Also during his speech, the MP noted the importance of holding such
hearings, which is the result of parliamentary traditions development
in the country.

MP Fazail Agamaly said at the hearings that Azerbaijan continues to
follow the path of democracy being guided by international, European
values and human rights. This is the path followed by all progressive
mankind in recent years, he said, stressing that he considers position
of the US biased in this direction.

He urged the United States not to follow the interests of the
Armenians in its policy.

From: A. Papazian

Le Parisien
Mardi 10 Février 2015

Cette expo inédite en France raconte le génocide arménien

par Agnès Vives
VAL-DE-MARNE; ALFORTVILLE

Cent ans que les Arméniens se battent pour la reconnaissance du
génocide arménien. Alors, en ce début 2015, il était impossible de ne
pas marquer l’événement, à Alfortville, où la communauté arménienne
avoisine les 8 000 personnes. Jusqu’à vendredi, le 148 accueille une
exposition sur le Carnet de Talaat. Ce rapport manuscrit trouvé sur
Talaat Pacha, lors de son assassinat en 1921, et conservé par sa
famille jusqu’à la publication en 2008 par un journaliste turc
comporte des données démographiques sur les Arméniens dans l’empire
ottoman. Talaat Pacha était à l’époque ministre de l’Intérieur et
responsable de l’élimination des Arméniens. Ses notes montrent la
diminution de la population arménienne de plus d’un million de
personnes entre 1914 et 1917. Pour la première fois, ce manuscrit est
présenté en France.« Nous avons voulu montrer à tous ceux qui pensent
encore que le génocide arménien n’a pas existé que si, l’élimination
des Arméniens était préparée, organisée », souligne Henri Ararad
Yesilcimen, de l’association Nazarpek, organisatrice.Jeudi soir,
l’historien anglais Ara Sarafian, qui a traduit toutes les données,
était d’ailleurs présent pour le lancement de l’exposition, au côté
d’une centaine de personnes. « On se bat pour préserver la mémoire.
Sinon dans quatre ou cinq générations, cette histoire pourrait
disparaître », poursuit Henri Ararad Yesilcimen.Une large communauté
présente dans la communeUn événement qui marque le coup d’envoi des
célébrations du centenaire du génocide à Alfortville. L’association
Nazarpek prévoit quant à elle, d’autres événements, notamment des
conférences sur la situation actuelle et géopolitique de la région.A
Alfortville, la communauté, l’une des plus importantes de France,
s’est constituée au gré des différentes diasporas, au début du XX e
sicèle mais aussi lors du putsch dans les années 1980.De 10 heures à
19 heures, au 148, rue Paul-Vaillant-Couturier.

From: A. Papazian

Latest Armenia TV Episode features interview with Forbes Rich List
Billionaire, Ruben Vardanyan

Source: armenia.com.au | Wednesday, 11 February 2015

SYDNEY: The second episode of the 2015 season of Armenia TV has been
released, with an Exclusive One on One Interview with Russian-Armenian
Forbes Rich List Billionaire and Philanthropist, Ruben Vardanyan.

The episode also features an interview with His Grace Bishop Haigazoun
Najarian (Primate of the Armenian Apostolic Church of Australia and
New Zealand) and Sarkis Manoukian – both members of Australia’s
Armenian Genocide Centenary Commemoration Committee.

From: Baghdasarian

`The Government’s inner conflict is a good sign’

Gözde Kazaz 01.30.2015 10:24

Executive director of HRW Middle East and North Africa Division Sarah
Leah Whitson will be visiting Istanbul on April 24 as part of the
`Project 2015′ group to take part in the Armenian Genocide 100th
Anniversary Commemoration. We interviewed Whitson in Istanbul, where
she held meetings with civilian society organizations in Turkey, which
will participate in the organization of the commemoration event; and
asked her about Turkey’s position in 2015, the Diaspora’s expectations
and the impact of Armenian identity on her life.

Sarah Leah Whitson, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch’s (HRW)
Middle East and North Africa Division, is a legal expert who for many
years has worked as a human rights advocate.

After graduating from the Harvard Law School, Whitson worked for an
international law firm and then in investment banking; she also
volunteered in civil society organizations including the Center for
Economic and Social Rights and the American Arab Anti-Discrimination
Committee. Since 2004, when she started work at HRW, she has published
numerous reports and articles on conflict zones including
Israel-Palestine, Egypt, Syria, and Lebanon. Whitson’s mother is
Armenian, and her family originates from Diyarbakır; so this year, she
has another significant agenda. Whitson will be visiting Istanbul on
April 24 as part of the `Project 2015′ group to take part in the
Armenian Genocide 100th Anniversary Commemoration. We interviewed
Whitson in Istanbul, where she held meetings with civil society
organizations in Turkey, which will participate in the organization of
the commemoration event; and asked her about Turkey’s position in
2015, the Diaspora’s expectations and the impact of Armenian identity
on her life.

We can perhaps begin with `Project 2015′. What will be the core
message of the people who will come from the Diaspora to Istanbul on
April 24?

This is a commemoration event that civil society in Turkey is
organizing, and has been organizing for several years. They started
this extremely important process. Diaspora Armenians have come from
abroad to Istanbul to participate in this commemoration event in
previous years, too. It is a very significant step in terms of
recognizing the Genocide in public space, and creating a platform for
debate. The aim this year is to make sure a greater number of Diaspora
Armenians come to Istanbul for the centennial.

We have three main messages. The first is, a 100 years later, we are
still here, we have survived. 1915 is not only a story of death and
destruction, but also one of survival against tremendous odds. The
second message is, 100 years later, we have not forgotten, and this
issue is not going away. And our third and most important message, not
only to the government of Turkey, but to the world, is this: Yes, it
is true, the government of Turkey may not be ready to do the right
thing, but many people, a large part of society in Turkey, is ready to
do the right thing. This April 24 will set an example for that.
Although States may not be prepared to act honestly because of
political reasons, societies are prepared to have an honest and open
debate, they are ready to do and say the right thing. We hope it is an
important show of solidarity between Turks and Armenians.

How does the Diaspora perceive the special commemoration event in Istanbul?

I can say that the people we have talked to have been tremendously
excited. Many people recognize that the most important conversation we
can be having right now is the one between Turks and Armenians. In
Armenia, and in places like Los Angeles, where there is a high
Armenian population, the Genocide remains a very vivid reality and
memory, and it is important that Armenians throughout the world all
have the opportunity to participate in a commemoration. But the
commemoration event in Istanbul is extremely important, because this
is where everything started, and this is where the problem remains;
the problem is not with the Armenians in the Diaspora, the problem is
not in Paris or Washington, the problem is here in Turkey. So this is
where we have to move forward.

What scale of participation do you expect?

Many Armenians have still not overcome the trauma. Therefore, it is
not easy to return to a land that nearly destroyed your entire
population. There is a lot of anxiety, a lot of fear. The vast
majority of the Armenian Diaspora, even though they are refugees from
these lands, have never been to Turkey, and the idea of coming here is
still very frightening to them. We want to help push that fear aside
and demonstrate that there are people for us to connect to, and we are
part of these lands as well.

You just mentioned that the problem continues to exist in these lands.
I want to ask you about Turkey’s position regarding 2015. As you know,
President ErdoÄ?an has announced that the 100th Anniversary of the
Dardanelles War will be commemorated on April 24. On the one hand,
Prime Minister Ahmet DavutoÄ?lu issues a message of condolence on the
anniversary of Hrant Dink’s passing and speaks of `a mutual future’
for Armenian and Turkish people, while on the other hand, high-ranking
state officials and Ministers like ÇavuÅ?oÄ?lu and Çiçek issue
statements about Turkey’s `action plan’ for 2015. What do you make of
these mixed messages coming from the government?

These mixed messages are in fact very obvious. We have to ask the
government, why do they send these mixed messages? Why are they taking
such a cheap shot, organizing a commemoration on April 24 for
Gallipoli, for the Dardanelles War, when it is not even the real
anniversary? It opens them up to a lot of mockery, because it so
transparently aims to distort the agenda.

But at the same time it shows that the government is conflicted. They
know that something is wrong, and certain steps must be taken, and
that is why they are making these few, small gestures. The condolence
message issued by former Prime Minister on 24 April 2014 was an
advance from what has been said in previous years. But we must still
underline that it is not far enough. Therefore, I suppose it is a good
thing that they are conflicted, because it means they are grappling
with this issue.

Sadly, in terms of action, they have failed to go beyond political
tactics. ErdoÄ?an has now been saying for a very long time that he is a
leader for Turkey, that he speaks with the voice of moral authority;
and on many international platforms he has expressed a voice of
principle. We’d like to see him act as that voice of principle, to
take that step forward, to show that he is perhaps the leader who can
take the issue forward. We are looking forward to the government of
Turkey doing the right thing; and that does not mean just agreeing to
what the Armenian Diaspora, Armenia, France or the US expects. They
should be guided by their own moral compass about coming to terms with
the past. Because, after all, not only Armenians, but the people of
Turkey are also held up, and cannot move beyond the horrors of the
past.

`We are looking forward to the government of Turkey doing the right
thing; and that does not mean doing what the Armenian Diaspora,
Armenia, France or the US expects. They should be guided by their own
moral compass.’

`The magnificence of the Surp Giragos Church showed me that the fire
of justice has not been extinguished’

Your grandfather was born in Diyarbakır. You visited Diyarbakır a few
years ago with your family. How did you feel when you returned to the
homeland of your family?

Yes, that was my second visit. I first visited Diyarbakır in 1994. I
was passing through on my way to Iraq. The Surp Giragos Church was in
ruins back then. I had met an old woman in her 90s, and people told me
that she was the only Armenian here. She was very old, blind, and
deaf. Then, I felt that this was the end of everything, and that
everything related to the past was lost. My grandfather was orphaned
in Diyarbakır, during the 1915 Genocide in Diyarbakır, and missonaries
took him to an orphanage in Lebanon.

To return, a year and a half ago, in 2013, and to see this beautiful
church, magnificently restored, to hear Abdullah DemirbaÃ…?, the Mayor
of the Sur District, talking about efforts to build a centre for the
Armenian community and heritage, and that there were Islamized
Armenians coming back to Diyarbakır, it was a tremendously moving
moment.

Being there in the church where my grandfather was baptized, to be
there not in ruins, but glory, and to be there with my children `
because it was very important for them to know where they came from,
who they are and in what conditions their forefathers lived ` evoked
incredible emotions. It was also very inspiring, too, because it
showed me that the flame of justice has not died, the people there are
doing this because it is the right thing, that flame continues to live
on in the hearts of the people of Diyarbakır. It’s so triumphant for
the human spirit. Hats off to the people of Diyarbakır, the Armenian
Diaspora community and the visionaries that made that happen.

You have been working in the field of human rights for many years, and
you hold an important position at your insitution. How did you choose
this path?

In fact, the path chose me. As an Armenian, you have a very strong
sense of being an underdog and having a sense of injustice. I was
raised with the notion of injustice, and the need for justice. I got
to know the broader world during my university education, and it was
natural for me to extend that compassion and take sides with the
oppressed. The Middle East was a natural place for me to focus,
because I speak Arabic, I have spent a lot of time in the Middle East
and I became very concerned about the issues there. Another reason for
me to focus on the Middle East is that I feel responsibility as a US
citizen. The US has been deeply involved in the region, and in such
bad ways. One of the first major activist challenges I took on was the
first Iraq War in 1994. I felt that the human cost of that war was
being kept secret from the US public. The non-transparent policy of
the US played a role in my continuing work regarding human rights
issues in the Middle East.

What you said about Armenian identity reminds me of a recent debate in
the Diaspora. Journalist Meline Toumani, the author of the book `There
Was and There Was Not’ speaks of how being Armenian requires that one
assume a mission regarding the Genocide, of some kind of
responsibility. What is your view on that debate?

I bought a copy but I haven’t read it yet. So it wouldn’t be fair for
me to comment without knowing precisely what Toumani says in the book.
What I do believe, however, is that Armenians have a responsibility.
We lost 75% of our population, and we are involved in a struggle,
because no one else will take up that struggle on our behalf. Black
Americans also have a responsibility, they continue to fight racism,
and they cannot escape that responsibility even if they want to. I
wish I carried no responsibility because of my Armenian identity, I
wish we were a problem-free society, yet biology and fate have
rendered that impossible.

`I wish I carried no responsibility because of my Armenian identity, I
wish we were a problem-free society, yet biology and fate have
rendered that impossible.’

`Christian minorities are specifically targeted in the Middle East’

You have close contact with the region. What is the situation of
Christian minorities, and of Armenians, who are part of that group, in
the war in Syria?

The current situation in the Middle East involves death and
destruction at a level we have not witnessed in a long time. The most
significant outcome of the war in Syria is of course the death of
almost 200,000 Syrians. This number will probably exceed 200 thousand
in the near future. It is a massive tragedy. Sunnis, Shiites,
Armenians: everyone is suffering. We are talking about a devastating
war against diversity. If we can imagine that the ethnic, cultural and
religious diversity that forms the richness of the Middle East is
being destroyed, then we can understand the magnitude of the tragedy
we face. However, Christian minorities are specifically targeted in
the Middle East. Armenians, one of the ancient Christian minorities of
the region, are about to be wiped out completely. On the other hand,
this war made me understand the value of the existence of the Armenian
state in a way I had not considered before. Armenia is one of the most
significant destinations where Armenians fleeing Syria can seek
shelter. They no doubt live in difficult conditions there, too, but we
can say that they have better conditions than the refugee camps in
Jordan or Turkey.

National Race Affairs Ministry

Uygar Gültekin 01.29.2015 01:03 NEWS

The `race code scandal’ in minority schools continues despite a broad
public outcry. In the most recent case, two students were barred from
registering at Armenian schools. An official from the Istanbul
National Education Directorate made a statement, saying, `We are
checking the race status of the students’. Ä°smail Cem Halavurt, lawyer
of the parents of the students who were not admitted to the schools,
said, `The Ministry is committing a crime’.

A 5-year old student, whose father had been baptized at an Armenian
church, was registered at an Armenian nursery school. The school
administration notified the Provincial National Education Directorate
of new registrations according to the procedure. However, in the case
of one student, the Provincial National Education Directorate
responded with an official notification stating, `Investigation into
the status of the student has revealed that his/her race is not
Armenian, and that therefore his/her registration has not been judged
as appropriate’. The official notification went on to demand the
necessary notifications to be made to the parent of the student, the
cancellation of the student’s registration, and the notification of
the Provincial National Education Directorate of the outcome.

In another case, a student was registered at an Armenian school where
his/her cousins had studied and graduated from, however the
registration procedure was blocked by the Provincial National
Education Directorate on the same grounds. The Ministry of National
Education issued a warning to the school administration and demanded
the cancellation of the student’s registration. There are other
students who have faced similar incidents.

A National Education Directorate official who spoke to Agos regarding
the issue, said: `We first look at the birth certificate data, and
check the race data of the mother and father. If no race data exists,
the school will already be unable to accept the registration. That was
probably the cause of rejection in this case. We check the race status
of everyone, whether Armenian, Greek or Jew. We do not have a database
containing race status information. We request information from the
Civil Registry.’

In 2013, the National Education Directorate had rejected the
registration of a student who wanted to study at an Armenian school,
and the document of rejection had revealed that the State kept records
on its citizens according to race status. The official document
bearing the signature of a Deputy Director at the Istanbul Provincial
National Education Directorate stated that `exceptional’ [`vukuatlı’]
birth registries were marked with a secret `race code’. The same
document presented an example for the `race code’, and included the
expression, `The race code of our Armenian citizens is 2′.

Leave it to schools

Garo Paylan, Member of the Education Commission of VADÄ°P, also reacted
strongly against the implementation of the Ministry of National
Education. Stating that the practice should be ended immediately,
Paylan also made a proposal: `There is absolutely no legal basis for
the Ministry of National Education to decide whether the children are
Armenian or not. The initiative on registration should belong to
schools. A commission formed of our School Heads, or our foundations
should make the decisions.’

There is an existing legal regulation on which students can study at
minority schools. The Special Educational Institutions Law No. 5580
defines minority schools as, `pre-schools, primary schools and
secondary schools founded by Greek, Armenian and Jewish minorities,
under the assurance of the Lausanne Treaty, and attended by students
who are citizens of the Republic of Turkey, and members of their own
minority’. The Ministry of National Education decides whether a
student can study at these schools.

Confusion reigns

This implementation of the Ministry of National Education has led to
confusion at Armenian schools as well. The criteria of the procedure
are neither clear nor open. The Ministry bears the authority to decide
who is Armenian, and who is not. There are students who have been
refused registry despite both families and students having been
baptized at Armenian churches. On the other hand, the registration of
some students whose birth certificate states their religion as Islam
has not faced rejection.

Ministry is committing a crime

Parents are now preparing to take the matter to court. Ä°smail Cem
Halavurt, lawyer of the families, reacts strongly against the
implementation of the Ministry of National Education. Halavurt, who
had also acted as the lawyer of the family whose child was barred from
registration on the grounds of the race code, said, `This procedure is
entirely against the law. It has no legal basis whatsoever. It is a
racist, discriminatory and arbitrary practice. The right to education
is being restricted. There are international conventions outlining the
right to education. In the previous case that we won, the court
clearly ruled that this was an illegal practice, stating that the
right to education was among the most fundamental rights that needed
to be protected. The administration had not only failed to make the
necessary legal arrangements following this decision, but it also
forces people to suffer at court. This is an illegal procedure and the
Ministry is committing a crime. This practice must be evoked
completely.’

Halavurt pointed out that a new system where the decision on
registrations is left to schools could be introduced: `The initiative
should be left to the school. School heads should decide which student
to accept, and this obstacle should be lifted. Students and their
parents must not be made to suffer at court houses.’

Center for Research on Globalization
Feb 14 2015

How Stupid Do They Think We Are? Misleading Public Opinion on Russia and NATO

By Eric Zuesse

Newsweek magazine headlined on February 5th, “Biggest NATO
Reinforcement Since Cold War’ Sets Frontlines Against Russia,’ and
reported that, `According to general Charles Wald, former-deputy
commander of U.S. European Command, ¦ `The question for Europe is:

`is Putin creeping further and further west?”

Wald is quoted as saying that the case of Ukraine especially worries
him. This article continues:

“Is this a precursor to Russia moving into Moldova? Nagorno Karabakh
has been bubbling up, and the Georgia issue is still unresolved. NATO
has essentially set these [new military] bases in its frontline
states,’ Wald says, referring to the countries’ proximity to Russian
territory.’

So: Russia is moving too close to NATO countries, according to the
U.S. `Defense’ Department.

But it’s a blatant lie. Actually, since 1999, 11 former members of the
Warsaw Pact, countries, which had been allied with Russia during the
communist Soviet Union throughout the Cold War, have switched to the
U.S. military alliance against their former ally Russia, NATO: Czech
Republic, Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania,
Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Albania.

So: Russia hasn’t been moving at all, not an inch; but the U.S.
certainly has ‘ by surrounding Russia with its NATO missiles.

This Newsweek story is `news’ that’s published in a mainstream U.S.
`news’ source, which people pay bad money for ‘ it’s worse than a
waste, it’s their being charged for U.S.-Government propaganda.

Here is authentic news, from an authentic news source ‘ news which had
been posted just four days earlier than that Newsweek lie, on February
1st ‘ news that was posted at the Fort Russ blog, which not only is
free, but it’s the most thorough and reliably truthful news site of
all on the Ukrainian conflict:

`NATO is moving closer to Russia and blaming Russia for being close to
NATO.’ A video is shown there.

This video, which was posted to youtube on 17 October 2014, shows a
Pentagon spokesperson being asked at a press conference about
`Defense’ Secretary Chuck Hagel’s accusation, that Russia’s army is
`on NATO’s doorstep’; and the (extremely unusual, skeptical American
journalist) questioner then asks `Why is that?’

Hagel’s press spokesperson insists there that it happens because
Russia has been seizing nations and thus moving closer to NATO; he
refuses to acknowledge that NATO has instead been expanding up to
Russia’s very border, bringing U.S. weapons surrounding Russia’s
periphery. How would the U.S. react if, say, Russia had tried to
install nuclear missiles in, say, Cuba ‘ like the Soviet Union tried
in 1962?

Here’s that video:

There are lots of reader-comments to that video, many of which are
from fools who are treating Russia as being evil and dangerous, and
ignoring the insult to their own intelligence that came forth from
Chuck Hagel’s spokesperson in this video, which they had just watched.

However, Fort Russ reports this videoed statement without comment, as
being instead a self-evident lie from the U.S. Government, and it is
that; not as being (like Newsweek does) a supposed truth from the U.S.
Government, a supposed truth that’s being unchallenged by Newsweek’s
`journalist,’ though if Newsweek had been an authentic news-source it
would have reported that the U.S. Government was simply lying there ‘
since that’s the actual fact.

As regards the reader-comments to this Newsweek article, here’s a
typical sequence of these reader-comments, so that you can see how
American readers responded to this piece of sheer American propaganda:

COMMENTS:

‘-Bong Valencia · Don bosco academy pampanga

Everybody needs to stop calling Ukraine’s enemies as Russian[backed
rebels. Let’s call a spade a spade. Let’s call them Russians! They
came from and were sent by Russia.

· 24 · February 5 at 7:57pm

‘-Kevin Quinn · Top Commenter

But they LIVE in what’s called `eastern Ukraine’ and have been there
in some cases for centuries. That is Kyiv’s main point. And theirs.
Some have received military training in the Soviet forces, as well as
the UA. Some of the younger have been trained in `militia camps’ `
safe in Russia.

¢ · 3 · February 6 at 10:57am

‘-Sergy K · Top Commenter · Harvard Kennedy School

Kevin Quinn there are at most 15% of locals, 85 % came from Russia,
and the military organizers came from Moscow

¢ · 1 · February 6 at 12:54pm

‘-Ð`иÑ…аил Ð`оÑ?аÑов · Top Commenter · Ð`Ð?Ð?Ð` им. Ð’.Ð?. Ð?ÑÑ?пÑ?кой

Sergy K, Where did you take those percentage from? Maybe from The
History Of Russian State by N.M.Karamzin or Primary Chronicle Where
Did Russian Land Come From or The History Of Kiev Rus? Look these
books through in the Harvard Kennedy School Library or at least use
Google ‘Russian-speaking population in Ukraine’.

¢ · February 10 at 5:06am

‘-El D Den · Top Commenter

My hope is NATO destroys Russia once and for all.

· 9 · February 5 at 10:36pm

Noting the claim of one reader there (`Sergy K’) to be from Harvard’s
Kennedy School, the present reporter looked to see whether there is,
actually, any `Sergy K’ who has been associated with that supposedly
august and supposedly authoritative School. This is what I came up
with:

So: apparently, an `expert’ at Harvard’s Kennedy School, and even one
whose sole published work deals with Ukraine, does, indeed, actually
think that 85% of the fighters against the Kiev-based Ukrainian
Government’s invasion of Ukraine’s Donbass region are Russian
soldiers, not residents.

On that matter, here is the actual evidence (there’s lots of it, but
these are perhaps the most striking):

Furthermore, to the exact contrary of all the similar allegations by
the U.S. Government (which say that Russia wants to add to Russian
territory the land where Ukraine’s pro-Russia rebels live), the
present reporter had headlined on 19 September 2014, `Russia’s Leader
Putin Rejects Ukrainian Separatists’ Aim to Become Part of Russia,’
and reported that not only did Putin reject it verbally, but that the
Ukrainian separatist leaders took his statement as being his final
word on the subject, and so decided `We will build our own country.’

In other words: the only reason why the Obama Administration is
pushing the fraudulent line that Putin is trying to seize the Donbass
region of Ukraine away from Ukraine, is because Barack Obama needs to
portray his own sponsorship of an ethnic-cleansing operation to get
rid of the residents in Donbass (the rebellious region of Ukraine) as
being instead an `Anti Terrorist Operation’ by the Government against
rebel fighters who (as the Harvard Kennedy School `Expert’ said) `85 %
came from Russia.’

We’re supposed to be this stupid, and this misinformed, by a
propaganda-line that doesn’t even make sense ‘ the line that says the
people who are bombing the residents in Donbass and destroying the
region, are the invading Russian army, and/or the residents who live
there (the `Terrorists,’ as the Ukrainian Government calls them),
instead of being the Government forces that are trying to exterminate
the residents there, and who are actually terrorizing those residents
in order to get them to die or else to leave Ukraine.

As to the reason why Obama wants to get rid of those residents, look
at this map. It shows the results in the final nationwide Ukrainian
Presidential election, the one that was held in 2010 and which pitted
the pro-Washington Yulia Tymoshenko against the pro-neutral-Ukraine
Viktor Yanukovych. As you can see, the dark purple area is the region
that voted 90% for Yanukovych. That’s also the area which the
Ukrainian Government has been bombing. If the voters who live there,
ever again vote for a President of Ukraine, then Obama’s February 2014
coup which overthrew Yanukovych will be elected out of office: the
Obama coup-regime will end. That’s why Obama wants those voters to
either die or else leave Ukraine. He needs them gone. (And official
Washington wants this mass-murder of them to increase; and this
genocidal push is bipartisan, both Republicans and Democrats.)

No wonder why the U.S. Government keeps lying, and its
propaganda-organs (virtually the entire U.S. press) are lying. The
press are controlled by the same aristocracy that control the
Government. But, in order to do this, they are playing the American
people for suckers. Maybe enough of the American public are, but
that’s no justification for what America’s aristocracy are doing. The
people who are being slaughtered aren’t Americans at all, but are
instead the entirely innocent residents in the Donbass region of the
former Ukraine.

Prior to Obama’s February 2014 Ukrainian coup, that entire country was
a democracy, and there was no ethnic cleansing there. But Obama has
the nerve now to accuse Russia of `aggression,’ when in fact it is he
that is the aggressor. And that’s the sole basis for the economic
sanctions that Russians now suffer.

What a massive crime: a war-crime that would be worthy of being tried
as such at Nuremberg ‘ but, this time, notby Americans. Obama is
instead the anti-FDR President. An American President like this would
make Franklin Delano Roosevelt turn over in his grave.

Investigative historian Eric Zuesse is the author, most recently, of
They’re Not Even Close: The Democratic vs. Republican Economic
Records, 1910-2010, and of CHRIST’S VENTRILOQUISTS: The Event that
Created Christianity.