Month: February 2015

FATE OF SYRIAN CHRISTIANS KIDNAPPED BY ISIS STILL UNKNOWN

Aleteia
Feb 25 2015

Aid groups gear up to help more internally displaced persons.

John Burger

Christian aid groups were expecting to hear about the fate of some
150 Syrian Christian hostages today, but a promised ISIS announcement
about the captives was not forthcoming.

According to activists and state-run media in Syria, however, Islamic
State group militants moved the hostages to a city they control in
northeastern Syria, while they continue to battle Kurdish and Christian
militiamen for control of a chain of villages along the Khabur River,
according to the Associated Press.

Hassakah province, which borders Turkey and Iraq, has become the
latest battleground for the fight against the Islamic State group in
Syria. It is predominantly Kurdish but also has populations of Arabs
and predominantly Christian Assyrians and Armenians.

In pre-dawn attacks, the group on Monday attacked communities nestled
along the river, seizing at least 70 people, many of them women and
children. Thousands of others fled to safer areas.

However, the state-run SANA news agency and the Assyrian Network for
Human Rights in Syria said the hostages have been moved to the Islamic
State-controlled city of Shaddadeh, south of the city of Hassakah. The
United States and a coalition of regional partners are conducting a
campaign of airstrikes against the group, and have on occasion struck
Shaddadeh, a predominantly Arab town.

Archimandrite Emanuel Youkhana of the Christian Aid Program Northern
Iraq told Aleteia partner Aid to the Church in Need that 24 families
from Tel Gouran, 34 families from Tel Jazira, and 14 fighters from
Tel Hormizd were captured and taken to the Arab Sunni village of
Um Al-Masamier.

“Um Al-Masamier is another Syrian example of what we witnessed in Iraq
on how the Arab Sunni joining and supporting IS to attack their long
years Christian and Yezedian neighbors, Archimandrite Youkhana said.

He said that Assyrian Church of the East Bishop Aprem Athniel of
Hasseke hasn’t left his city despite the difficulties and is doing
its best to host and support the displaced. “However, due to the lack
of resources and the long years of the disaster, there is an urgent
need of action to support the displaced families through the Church,”
the priest said.

Michel Constantin, regional director for Lebanon, Syria and Egypt for
Catholic Near East Welfare Association, has been coordinating efforts
for emergency assistance to families in Iraqi Kurdistan. Speaking to
Aleteia from Beirut Wednesday, he said his organization is arranging
for food packages to reach the displaced families tomorrow.

What are you hearing about the Assyrian Christian villages that have
been threatened by Islamic State militants?

I contacted the Assyrian bishop in Hassakah, whose name is Mar Arpem
Athniel, and he informed me that already 700 families have been
displaced from the Christian villages to Hassakah, and another 200
were displaced to Qamishli, and at present the Pontifical Mission is
conveying funds to buy food packages for 900 families. It will be going
through Iraq because you cannot convey the money straight to Syria.

The families are not in tents or camps; they are settled in homes of
relatives, or in some cases Christian families have recently fled from
Hassakah because of fear of the security situation. So the bishop
opened individual houses, and families were settled in individual
houses within the city. … Of course, they lack everything: they
don’t have any food, heating fuel, medicines. They need many things.

We will try to respond to the emergency by tomorrow to convey some
money, and we will try to coordinate our efforts with other partners.

We expect another 200 families within a few days.

From: A. Papazian

JEWS, ARMENIANS SPONSOR GENOCIDE FORUM

New Jersey Jewish News
Feb 25 2015

Speakers in Whippany call for recognition of Turkey’s culpability

by Johanna Ginsberg February 25, 2015

Jews and Armenians gathered in Whippany last week for an event drawing
parallels between the Holocaust and the genocide of Armenians during
and following World War I.

Coinciding with an annual exhibit on local survivors of the Holocaust,
the Feb. 18 event at the Aidekman Jewish Community Campus featured
an Armenian diplomat and Armenian-American activists and clergy.

More than 80 people, evidently split evenly between Jews and Armenians,
attended the event, which included a screening of the 2007 documentary
The Armenian Genocide.

The event was cosponsored by St. Mary Armenian Church in Livingston
and the Holocaust Council of Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ.

All of the presenters are seeking official recognition and reparations
from Turkey for the events of April 1915 through 1918, when Turks were
accused of brutal forced deportations and massacres that annihilated
about 1.5 million Armenians.

Many historians say the massacres ushered in a century of brutal
ethnic cleansing and served as a model for Adolf Hitler as he planned
the Final Solution.

Turkey has never recognized the slaughter as genocide, claiming the
number of Armenian dead was far smaller and that there were atrocities
on all sides of an “inter-communal conflict.”

Speakers explained that the international Armenian community continues
to lobby for official recognition of genocide.

Last year the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee adopted
a resolution — spearheaded by its chair, NJ Sen. Robert Menendez —
calling upon Turkey to acknowledge that the massacres of Armenians in
1915 constituted “genocide,” and encouraging the president to reinforce
the lessons inherent in the historical record. Such legislation has
never been put to a full vote by the House or Senate.

However, said Karine Birazian Shorhokian, former executive director
of the Armenian National Committee of America, eastern region,
“the end game is not to get American recognition of the genocide;
we’ve done that.”

The end game, she said, “is to get Turkey’s recognition. To have
them acknowledge what they did. And then to take the next step:
retribution — what is owed to us as victims.”

Having spent much of her career advocating for recognition of the
Armenian community’s history, she said, “Launching these bills again
and again — it’s a little exhausting.”

And she pointed out that the Armenian community “must decide what we
want as a whole. My family still has a deed to our land in Marash. But
we are settled in the Diaspora.” A nurse at Holy Name Hospital in
Teaneck, she added, “I don’t want to give up my American citizenship.”

An audience member challenged her assertion regarding American
recognition, saying President Barack Obama “never followed through”
on promises to use the word “genocide” as president in referring to
the events of 1915-18 — presumably, say critics, out of deference
to Turkey, a NATO ally.

Shorhokian accepted the correction. “Shame on him,” she said, referring
to Obama. She elaborated that many politicians have signed official
recognitions. “Twenty years ago we had to educate people in Congress
about the Armenian genocide. Now, they know it happened. The battle
we are fighting today is: If we do this, Turkey will do that.

Everyone knows it happened, but we get excuses when we go to lobby
on the issues.”

The program was originally scheduled to coincide with the Jan. 26
opening of the 10th-anniversary installation of the exhibit “From
Memory to History: Faces and Voices of the Holocaust,” which profiles
survivors who live or lived in the Greater MetroWest area. This year,
to mark the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, it includes
additional material on “Who Remembers the Armenians?” The opening
event was postponed twice due to inclement weather. The dual exhibit
is on display at the Aidekman campus through April 30.

Armenian Ambassador to the United States Tigran Sargsyan paid tribute
to the late attorney Rafael Lemkin, a Polish-Jewish immigrant to
the United States who coined the term genocide. Sargsyan made the
first plea of many that evening for Turkey to recognize its actions
as genocide.

A man identifying himself only as Vartan quoted Elie Wiesel’s comments
on Israel’s reconciliation with Germany. “If it was easy for the Jewish
people in Israel to enter into a blessed period of reconciliation with
Germany — think about it. Jews and Germans can cooperate within the
framework of humanizing history. If we can do that, others can do it.”

He continued, “But there’s one problem I have here.” Armenians are
expected “to reconcile with Turkey. But unlike Germany — if we are
to forgive, someone must ask for forgiveness. Up to this century,
we have not had that.”

Shorhokian urged people to write to their members of Congress to
address the issue of official recognition of the Armenian genocide.

Baskets of forget-me-not seed packets were provided as a symbol of
remembrance of the events of 1915.

The event also included a reading by poet Deborah Gerrish and an
ecumenical prayer delivered by Father Arakel Vardazaryan, pastor of
St. Mary Armenian Church.

From: A. Papazian

ARTISTS SHOWCASE FEATURES CLARINETIST

Minuteman News Center, CT
Feb 25 2015

The Westport Arts Center’s annual young artists showcase will feature
Narek Arutuyninan on March 1 at the Pequot Library at 3 p.m. The
Washington Post described Arutuyninan as an artist who “reaches
passionate depths with seemingly effortless technical prowess and
beguiling sensitivity.” Arutuyninan was scheduled to perform in
March of 2012 but his performance was unfortunately canceled due to
a blizzard. He is back by popular demand and he and his accompanist,
Yekwon Sunwoo, will perform two showpieces, Jacob Weinberg’s “Hebrew
Melodies” and Luigi Bassi’s Fantasy on Themes from Verdi’s “Rigoletto,”
as well as two substantial sonatas for clarinet and piano, Prokofiev’s
tender and witty Sonata in D Major and Brahms’s rhapsodic Sonata
No. 2 in E-Flat Major, Op. 120, No. 2.

“Each season, we like to showcase an outstanding young artist on
our series,” says Chamber Music Curator Russell Platt. “This year
we have a brilliant young poet of the clarinet, a 2010 winner of the
coveted Young Concert Artists International Auditions. His recital,
which offers two of the great sonatas for his instrument as well as
entertaining smaller works, should be a great concert for connoisseurs
and young musicians alike.”

Arutyunian has performed extensively in Australia, Asia, and in
Europe, where he appeared at the Louvre in Paris and the Palazzo del
Principe in Genoa, among others. He has appeared as soloist with the
Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, and in Russia with the Kaliningrad
Philharmonic, the Moscow Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra and the Moscow
State Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Arutyunian’s festival appearances
include Juilliard ChamberFest, where he performed Osvaldo Golijov’s
The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind, the New York Festival of
Song, Musica Viva’s Huntington Estate Festival in Australia, and the
2013 Young Concert Artists Festivals in Tokyo and Beijing.

Winner of the 2010 Young Concert Artists International Auditions,
he was presented in debut recitals at Merkin Concert Hall and the
KennedyCenter to rave reviews. By the age of 16, he had already won
First Prizes in the International Young Musicians Competition in
Prague and the Musical Youth of the Planet Competition in Moscow. He
has performed concerts with violist and conductor Yuri Bashmet and
recorded the Weber Concertino for clarinet with the State Symphony
Orchestra of New Russia.

Born in Armenia in 1992, Arutuyninan’s family moved to Moscow when he
was three. Arutuyninan graduated from the Moscow State Conservatory
where he worked with Evgeny Petrov. Arutyunian’s clarinet is a
personal gift from the conductor and violinist Vladimir Spivakov, and
he receives general support for his career from the Guzik Foundation
in California.When not touring internationally, Arutuyninan works at
the Juilliard School with fellow clarinetist Charles Neidich.

Tickets to the concert are $30/ $25 for Members of the Westport Arts
Center and $10 for students. A limited number of discounted Senior
tickets will be available for presale at the Westport Center for
Senior Activities, 21 Imperial Avenue, Westport. Tickets are on sale
now and can be purchased at , 203-222-7070,
or at the door 30 minutes prior to the concert.

MANAT CONTINUES ITS FALL, THREATENING BANKS

Silk Road Reporters
Feb 25 2015

Published by Joe PeersonFebruary 25, 2015

Banks in Azerbaijan are facing risks to their asset quality after
the country devalued its currency by around 30%, Moody’s Investors
Service has warned, according to Bloomberg.

On February 21, the country’s central bank placed the manat at 1.05
against the dollar, compared with 0.78 earlier.

The step was taken to strengthen international competitiveness, amid
pressure on the the country from falling oil prices, the central bank
said in its statement.

Azerbaijan’s economy has slowed with failing oil prices from its
peak of 2014, while Russia’s crashing ruble has diminished the
competitiveness of local industry and has pushed other regional nations
such as Armenia and Kazakhstan to move to protect their currencies.

Azerbaijan’s decision has been credit negative for its banks, including
the unit of VTB Bank OJSC and the International Bank of Azerbaijan
OJSC, Moody’s said in its statement.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ANKARA ADDS TO CONFUSION OVER NATO, MISSILE COOPERATION

EurasiaNet.org
Feb 25 2015

February 24, 2015 – 10:35pm, by Joshua Kucera

Just days after Turkey’s defense minister said that its new,
controversial air defense system would not be integrated with NATO’s,
the president’s spokesman openly contradicted him.

“As one of the most important countries in NATO’s security line, we
will definitely ensure this integration and harmony,” said Ibrahim
Kalin, spokesman for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Kalin did not address the other recent plot twist in this long-running
saga — that Ankara’s decision on whether to continue as planned with
a Chinese system, or instead switch to a Western one, would be based
on how the bidding countries mark the upcoming 100th anniversary of
the Armenian genocide.

But his statement does — again — make it appear likely that Ankara
will eventually reverse course and decide to go with a Western,
NATO-compatible system. NATO officials have repeatedly argued that
they could not integrate a Chinese system into their own for security
purposes, and failing to integrate NATO’s system would be a big
handicap for Turkey. By not integrating with NATO “Turkey will lose
half of its radar capabilities,” one unnamed defense analyst told
Hurriyet Daily News.

Turkey analyst Aaron Stein notes that Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz,
whose remarks initially set all this off, may not know what he’s
talking about, and in any case the decision is not going to be made
in the defense industry but in the presidential palace.

“It is certain that there is some sort of confusion,” political
scientist Ersin Kalaycioglu told Today’s Zaman. “But other than that,
we have to wait and see what will happen, as some things have not
fully settled yet.”

CAVUSOGLU: WORLD NEEDS A RESOLUTION OF THE NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Feb 25 2015

25 February 2015 – 12:05pm

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that the South
Caucasus, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea have always been of
great importance for Turkey.”Unfortunately, there are lingering
problems such as Nagorno-Karabakh in this region,” he said.

“A peaceful solution to these problems within the framework of
Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity is a factor that serves not only
the interests of the peoples of the region, but also the international
community,” Cavusoglu said. “Therefore, the international community,
international organizations, the UN and the OSCE in particular, should
redouble their efforts to resolve conflicts in the region. I would
like to emphasize that a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan is one of the
main priorities of the foreign policy of Turkey. We always closely
follow the processes related to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict,” Cavusoglu said. According to him, Turkey, as a member
of the Minsk Group, always raises the issue of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict at multilateral platforms and during dialogues with third
countries. “We continue to work to inform the international community
and to find a resolution of this problem in the interests of fraternal
Azerbaijan” TASS cited him.

The European Union, according to the Turkish Minister, attaches great
importance to Azerbaijan.”Azerbaijan is a major gateway for the EU in
the Caspian region and Central Asia. Azerbaijan has potential which
can contribute to the EU in many areas, especially in the energy and
transport security,” Cavusoglu believes. At the same time, Turkey
is committed to ensuring the energy security of Europe. “So for the
past years Turkey has implemented very important strategic projects
with Azerbaijan,” Cavusoglu reminded.

For example, the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, which allows Azerbaijani
oil to be delivered to the world market, and the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum
pipeline. “Another project implemented with Azerbaijan is the TANAP
project, which is considered to be a major in the Southern Gas
Corridor. With the implementation of this project, Azerbaijani gas
will occupy an important place in Europe,” the Minister said. “At the
same time, TANAP is a project aimed at the future. Turkmenistan will
be able to deliver gas through this pipeline,” Cavusoglu stressed.

The diplomat also raised the topic of Turkey’s membership in
the EU, which, according to him, is a strategic objective of the
country.”Democracy, human rights, rule of law, the laws and values
of the EU are the main features of the reforms undertaken by Turkey.

First of all, the EU is a kind of center for Turkey, where these
values are intensively protected and developed in accordance with the
law. The main goal of Turkey’s efforts to join the EU is to achieve
the highest standards in terms of these laws and values. After the
expiration of discussions, the parties will make the final decision on
Turkey’s membership of the EU. One important feature for Turkey is to
ensure the highest standards in every area, including the well-being
of citizens,” the Foreign Minister said.

He noted that Turkey’s membership of the EU would not mean that the
country would be indifferent to the events taking place in the region,
or would pursue a unilateral foreign policy. “Turkey will continue to
implement the objectives of the multilateral foreign policy, dictated
by the geographical location, and historical and cultural ties of the
country. This process is mutually beneficial. From this perspective,
Turkey’s entry into the structure will create an opportunity for
the EU to have a big impact on more extensive territory, which will
affect the dynamics of the EU economy, ” the head of the Turkish
Foreign Ministry said.

“To discuss the items on which negotiations should be conducted,
it is necessary for the EU to make a unanimous decision. But the EU
prevents discussion of eight sections of Turkey, and the Republic
of Cyprus – of six. The political obstacles that we faced during the
adoption of the Republic of Cyprus into the EU without a solution to
the Cyprus issue affect the discussions between Turkey and the EU,”
the Foreign Minister of Turkey said.

The terrorist organization Islamic State directly threatens Turkey.

Cavusoglu said that in such circumstances, Turkey has shown itself as
one of the leading countries that protect international cooperation
in the fight against terrorism. On the one hand, Turkey is directly
involved in the Global Forum for Combating Terrorism and the Financial
Action Task Force, relating to the suppression of the financing of IS.

On the other hand, Turkey shares information related to IS and
foreign terrorists. “For a successful fight against terrorism, the
international community needs to connect to it and carry out activities
within the framework of a unified strategy to eliminate this danger,”
the minister said.

Cavusoglu said that Turkey, along with protecting its national
interests, is fighting radicalism in Syria. “As we noted earlier,
radicalism is not the cause but the result. The main culprit of the
occurrence of the terrorist organization IS, which is supported to
deal with various factions. Accordingly, in fighting IS, you should
not forget about the Assad regime, which is the main cause of the
spread of this threat,” Cavusoglu believes.

Speaking about the desire of the Syrian president to connect to the
fight against IS, Cavusoglu said that “no one can create a threat,
and then connect to fight to this threat.” “IS threatens the national
security of Turkey,” the head of the Foreign Ministry said. According
to him, the countries accusing Turkey of supporting IS are far from
the region, while Turkey is in this region. “That’s why Turkey ignores
the claims voiced to manipulate,” Cavusoglu concluded.

ELECTRIC NETWORKS OF ARMENIA TO PETITION PRESIDENT

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Feb 25 2015

25 February 2015 – 3:24pm

Inter RAO will petition Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan with a
request for an agreement on restructuring the debts of the Electric
Networks of Armenia, Company Executive Director Yevgeny Bibin stated
at the meeting of the Public Services Regulatory Commission of Armenia.

He recalled that an Inter RAO working group is in Armenia now, and it
is looking into the current situation in the enterprise. “Currently
we have problems in connection with taking loans and ensuring further
stability.

We assume that a corresponding document will be prepared within three
weeks for the meeting of Inter RAO CEO Boris Kovalchuk and Armenia’s
President Serzh Sargsyan,” NEWS.am cited Bibin as saying.

ARMENIA CITIZENS ALLOWED SPENDING 30 DAYS IN RUSSIA WITHOUT REGISTRATION

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Feb 25 2015

25 February 2015 – 4:36pm

The Federation Council of Russia on Wednesday ratified the agreement,
pursuant to which the Armenian citizens are permitted to spend thirty
days in Russia without registration.

The aforesaid agreement, which the governments of Armenia and Russia
had signed in July 2014, refers to the procedure of the Armenian and
the Russian citizens’ stay in one another’s countries.

Under the agreement, these citizens are exempt from the obligation
to register within 30 days when staying in each other’s countries.

The same law is also applied for the citizens of Belarus and
Kazakhstan.

TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER: OCCUPATION OF KARABAKH HAS BROUGHT ARMENIA NOTHING BUT TROUBLE

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Feb 25 2015

25 February 2015 – 7:02pm

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has delivered a lecture
“Foreign policy of Turkey: cooperation in the Caucasus and with
Azerbaijan” at the ADA University in Baku today. He said that
occupation of Azerbaijani territories only made life worse for Armenia,
Trend reports.

Armenia could not sign the EU association agreement because of the
Karabakh conflict, reminded the minister. Cavusoglu called the conflict
the most serious problem for peace and stability in the South Caucasus.

IVICA DACIC CONCERNED ABOUT GROWING TENSION IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Feb 25 2015

25 February 2015 – 2:43pm

The OSCE Chairperson, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic, expressed
concern about the growth of tension in Nagorno-Karabakh, while speaking
with a report at the UN Security Council meeting.

“I am particularly concerned over the recent developments related to
Nagorno-Karabakh. Last year’s three meetings between the Presidents
of Armenia and Azerbaijan were an encouraging indication of a renewed
appetite for dialogue,” Dacic said.

He said that Serbia’s OSCE chairmanship will continue to support
the efforts of the Minsk Group co-chairs to facilitate “high-level
meetings and to explore, together with the parties, all avenues that
may lead to a long-overdue settlement”.

“I also discussed the situation with the Foreign Ministers of Armenia
and Azerbaijan. And I shall continue my engagement with the leaders
in the region when I visit them in a few months,” Trend cited Ivica
Dacic as saying.

From: Baghdasarian