Month: February 2015

LES PROTOCOLES ARMENO-TURCS RETIRES DE L’ASSEMBLEE NATIONALE D’ARMENIE

Publie le : 26-02-2015

Info Collectif VAN – – Le president de la
Republique armenienne, Serge Sarkissian, a adresse une lettre au
president du parlement, Galust Sahakian, l’informant de sa decision
de retirer les protocoles armeno-turcs de l’Agenda de l’Assemblee
nationale : >
qui ont ete signes le 10 octobre 2009 a Zurich. >>

Traduction de l’anglais Collectif VAN – 18 fevrier 2015 –

Lire aussi :

Erevan se retire des protocoles de Zurich sur une normalisation

Grand froid sur les relations bilaterales

Cinq ans après les protocoles armeno-turcs

Source/Lien : Presidence de la Republique d’Armenie

BILLIONAIRE KIRK KERKORIAN FUNDING EPIC FEATURE FILM ABOUT ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

12:53, 26 Feb 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Kirk Kerkorian is 97 years old and worth $4 billion. The one time
owner of MGM, and wealthy Las Vegas real estate and casino over (
he also owned the MGM Grand), is not done, however. He still has
one more wish. Kerkorian is funding a secret feature film about
the Armenian genocide that took place concurrent with World War I,
showbiz411.com reports, quoting its sources.

Kerkorian is hoping to produce the Armenian “Schindler’s List” to
memorialize the Genocide.

There is already an Oscar nominated director and screenwriter signed
to the project. Various actors’ names have come up, and some of that
may become clear soon. The movie has been described by the director-
who asked not to reveal his name yet- as a “Reds” or “Dr. Zhivago”,
a sweeping World War I romance set against the Armenian genocide.

Kerkorian, who’s always been fascinated with Hollywood, is said to
have contributed over $1 billion to Armenian charities and causes
over his long life time.

Author of the article Roger Friedman reveals that the still untitled
film wil begin shooting this summer in Europe. And the budget should
be pretty big, considering there’s one backer. This movie has the
potential to be something on a large historic scale, unseen for
many years.

Friedman is assured the Kardashians, the most famous Armenian Americans
since the great writer William Saroyan, will be not be appearing in
the film under any circumstances.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

REP. SHERMAN CALLS ON SECRETARY KERRY TO “SHOW COURAGE” AND RECOGNIZE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

11:04, 26 Feb 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Congressman Brad Sherman (D-CA) – speaking today from the dais
of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee – directly called upon
Secretary of State John Kerry, and by extension the entire Obama-Biden
Administration, to stop enforcing Turkey’s gag-rule against an honest
American recognition of the Armenian Genocide, reported the Armenian
National Committee of America (ANCA).

“As Senator Kerry, you championed recognition of the Armenian
Genocide. We are now at the 100th anniversary and I would hope that
you would show the courage, that you are personally known for, and
on April 24th use the word genocide to describe what happened in
Anatolia 100 years ago,” urged Rep. Sherman, as part of a series of
questions to Secretary Kerry during today’s House Foreign Affairs
Committee hearing, titled, “Advancing U.S. Interests in a Troubled
World: The FY 2016 Foreign Affairs Budget.”

Video of Congressman Sherman’s questioning of Secretary Kerry is
available at:

Secretary Kerry’s response to this question and others submitted by
Congressman David Cicilline (D-RI) and several Committee members on
a broad range of Armenian American concerns are anticipated in the
upcoming weeks.

Rep. Cicilline, a leading voice for Armenian Genocide justice on
the Committee, explained, “Today, at a hearing of the House Foreign
Affairs Committee, I directed questions to Secretary of State John
Kerry regarding our bilateral relationship with Armenia and the
Armenian Genocide. As we prepare to mark the 100th anniversary of
the Armenian Genocide, it is especially important to raise awareness
of these atrocities and work to ensure that the world never again
experiences a similar tragedy. I will continue to closely monitor
these issues and I look forward to continuing to work with advocates
both in my district and across the country, especially the Armenian
National Committee of America.”

ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian expressed appreciation to Rep.

Sherman, Rep. Cicilline and all Committee members submitting
inquiries. “With Representative Sherman today – as he spoke his
powerful words – were the spirits of those killed in this still
unpunished crime, and the hopes of all those working for the day when
America’s response to genocide is not determined by a geopolitical
calculation, but rather driven by a moral imperative,” said Hamparian.

Secretary Kerry has participated in a marathon set of Senate and House
hearings this week focusing on President Obama’s proposed Fiscal Year
2015 foreign aid budget.

‘CHHANGE’ TO COMMEMORATE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

11:37, 26 Feb 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

The Center for Holocaust, Human Rights and Genocide Education (Chhange)
will be hosting a number of events in commemoration of the Centenary
of the Armenian Genocide, the Armenian Weekly reports.

On Sun., April 12, the Chhange at Brookdale Community College in
Lincroft, N.J., will host a special reception that will showcase
“A Journey to Life: Armenia,” an interactive exhibit that features
the personal histories of local Armenian survivors and their families.

Internationally recognized Armenian scholar Khatchig Mouradian
will introduce the exhibit and its historical content. In
addition, the commemoration will reveal “Illuminating Images: A
Hundred-Year-Remembrance,” an exhibit of 3-D artistic cityscapes
of Armenian life before and after the genocide. It reflects the
collaborative efforts of hundreds of middle school, high school,
and college students throughout New Jersey.

At the event, Chhange will also release its latest publication,
Hundred-Year Legacy of Courage: Celebrating the Lives of Armenian
Genocide Survivors in Our Community. This publication shares the
personal accounts of 54 Armenian survivors from across the Ottoman
Empire. The book honors individual survivors by preserving their
voices–a demonstrated, powerful vehicle to teach genocide history
and its lessons. In conjunction with publishing Hundred-Year Legacy,
Chhange has launched a Kickstarter fundraising campaign to help with
the publication costs.

On April 20, Chhange will host “Narrating Genocide,” featuring
Khatchig Mouradian and renowned author Chris Bohjalian. They will
explore different routes to the past, through history and literature,
and discuss how each genre informs the other. Discussion will be
moderated by renowned scholar Deborah Dwork, Ph.D.

In October 2015, Chhange will sponsor “Operation Reality: Historical
Perspective on the Assassination of Talaat Pasha.” Actor, novelist,
and historian Eric Bogosian will present his recent research and
book about the assassination of Talaat Pasha, the mastermind of the
Armenian Genocide.

Chhange will also present a commemorative public broadcast,
“Commemorating Genocide: Celebrating Survival.” This multi-part
TV series with 30-minute segments will contain interviews with
staff/consulting scholars of Chhange, as well as members of the local
Armenian community.

CONCERT IN LONDON DEDICATED TO ARMENIAN GENOCIDE CENTENNIAL

19:20, 25 Feb 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

The Aram Khachaturian Trio will perform in London on April 13, 2015.

The concert to be held at the Queen Elithabeth Hall will be dedicated
to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

The program includes works by Komitas, Edward Mirzoyan, ErnÃ…’
Dohnányi, Aram Khachaturian, Rachmaninov and Arno Babadjanian.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

GEORGIA MAY SELL 25% OF SHARES OF RAILWAY

February 26, 2015 14:28

Yerevan /Mediamax/. Minister of Economy of Georgia Georgi Kvirikashvili
stated that to fight economic crisis, they may consider selling
minority interest of the state from the package of shares of the
railway.

The Minister said speaking on Maestro TV channel that “25% of
shares” of this state-owned company “could be sold”, Mediamax’s own
correspondent in Tbilisi reports.

The length of the Georgian Railway including the roads in Abkhazian
territory makes approximately 2340 km.

The Abkhazian sector linking Russia to Armenia wasn’t operating after
1992-1993 war.

Now the railway transports about 20mln tons annually. The maximum
capacity makes 30mln tons, without the new section of Baku-Tbilisi-Kars
highway which will operate by late 2015.

65% of them are transit cargoes transported mainly from Azerbaijan
and Armenia.

The Georgian government decided to sell a part of the state objects
to manage lari devaluation which had depreciated by 30% over the
past days.

UWC DILIJAN COLLEGE FIRST IN ARMENIA TO BE BREEAM CERTIFIED

February 26, 2015 12:09

The building of UWC Dilijan College

Photo: Danil Kolodin/IDeA

Yerevan /Mediamax/. The building of UWC Dilijan College was the first
in Armenia to be BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental
Assessment Methodology) certified and to be assigned a “good” level
in BREEAM rating of eco-efficiency of buildings.

BREEAM is one of the most known and widespread methods of assessment
of the eco-efficiency of design solutions and construction works from
their planning to putting into operation. Around the world, BREEAM
certification is perceived as a sign of a building’s environmental
quality and its compliance with international “green” norms.

According to the method, solutions such as green roofs, green walls
and building management system (BMS) were assessed. The building was
also assessed based on categories such as health, environment, life
security, water, materials, recycling, ecology, land-utilization and
pollution as well as based on the impact of its use on the environment.

The College is the joint project of philanthropists Ruben Vardanyan and
Veronika Zonabend and their partners – individuals or organizations –
carried out by IDeA Foundation.

UWC Dilijan College is a full member of United World Colleges (UWC)
educational movement and has been accredited by the International
Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) to deliver its Diploma Program.

The construction of the College was carried out by “Camp Ventures” CJSC
(Armenia) – project originator, Tim Flynn Architects (London) – chief
architect of the project, RD Construction Management CJSC (Russia) –
general designer and general contractor for the project. In summer
2014, first phase construction works completed (around 37 thousand
square meters of the building and 43 thousand square kilometers of
developed area).

ARMENIA’S STANCE ON TURKISH BORDERS IS TO AVOID A DEAD-END

February 26, 2015 10:29

Photo: unknown author

Yerevan /Mediamax/. Armenian Foreign Ministry disseminated the
transcript of the interview of Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh
Kocharyan to the anchor of Kentron TV Petros Ghazaryan.

Below we present an excerpt from the transcript on Armenia’s
recognition of Turkey’s borders:

[…Anchor: When we signed the Protocols which read that we recognized
the borders of modern Turkey…

Shavarsh Kocharyan: There is not such thing in the Protocols.

Anchor: And we accept the Declaration… We recognize Turkey…

Shavarsh Kocharyan: It is written -in accord with the documents of
international law.

Anchor: Yes, borders of modern Turkey.

Shavarsh Kocharyan: In accord with the documents of international law:
Under which agreement?

Anchor: Here we recall Treaty of Sevres, Turkey’s claims and Woodrow
Wilson. Agree with me that they contradict each other.

Shavarsh Kocharyan: If the Protocol endorses- under the documents of
international law- which document of international law endorses that?

Anchor: Borders outlined by the UN Charter.

Shavarsh Kocharyan: The UN Charter has never concerned any border
including the borders in our region, Armenia-Turkey borders or
Armenia-Azerbaijan ones or others. You can also recall Kars Treaty.

But there is no mention of Treaty of Kars on the Protocols. And it’s
not by mere chance. It was really Turkey’s dream during the talks.

Anchor: So, doesn’t Armenia currently recognize Turkey’s borders?

Shavarsh Kocharyan: They dreamed that Treaty of Kars be mentioned in
the Protocols but that didn’t happened, and this is what matters.

There are 2 different approaches – interpretation of Armenians and
interpretation of many political forces in Turkey. Regarding this
issue, people in our country say that by signing the Protocols,
we in fact recognize the current borders. Now I’ll give you an
opposite approach adopted by the Turkish National Assembly when
current PM Ahmet Davutoglu who was then Foreign Minister of Turkey,
was presenting the Protocols in the parliament. Leader of one of the
Turkish parties Deniz Baykal stated directly that the Turkish side
didn’t endorse the current border and the Protocols didn’t refer to
Treaty of Kars. Thus the issue of borders remained open to question.

Their criticism was based on this. That’s why it is the case when
we don’t need any clarifications to move forward: each side has his
own approach.

What is the process aimed at? This is the problem. If the goal is to
clarify the issues after which it won’t be possible to speak about
normalization, we could have adopted the path. However, originally
our goal and the approach of the Armenian side and President were
quite different: despite all the discords, disputes and tough past,
we are destined to live side by side, we need to try to normalize
the relations sincerely and step-by-step

Anchor: Anyways, you didn’t answer my question, Mr. Kocharyan.

Shavarsh Kocharyan: I am answering.

Anchor: Does Armenia recognize Turkey’s borders or not?

Shavarsh Kocharyan: I did answer very clearly. If one is willing to
rule out settlement, any issue can be stalled, and there won’t be
any progress in this case. Now I reiterate and state that our goal
was to try to move forward in normalization without preconditions,
despite various comments, discords and tough past.

Anchor: Does Armenia recognize Turkey’s borders or not?

Shavarsh Kocharyan: What to do think?

Anchor: I don’t know. You are an official, and I’m a journalist. My
notions are not essential.

Shavarsh Kocharyan: Before recognition, we need to establish diplomatic
relations. Till there are no diplomatic relations, it’s no use talking
about the border.

Anchor: That means- do we recognize?

Shavarsh Kocharyan: If there are no diplomatic relations, we can’t
talk about it.

Anchor: Many countries don’t have diplomatic ties but it is not a
mandatory condition.

Shavarsh Kocharyan: So, let’s start again. There were two Protocols,
one concerning the diplomatic relations, and the second – normalization
of relations. The Protocol “On Establishment of Diplomatic Relations”
should have concerned the borders and it mentioned the following:
recognition of borders in accord with the documents of international
law.

Anchor: We started talking about the Declaration. I am reading the
Declaration dedicated to the Armenian Genocide Centennial. It mentions
the Treaty of Sevres, Woodrow Wilson and Turkey’s claims. I want
to figure out the following: doesn’t our state recognize Turkey’s
territorial integrity and advances topics envisaged by the Treaty
of Sevres and Wilson’s Arbitral Decision, or is it a moral issue
after all?

Shavarsh Kocharyan: Our state’s stances are clearly presented in the
Protocols- no more, no less. Protocols are for us to move forward.

That’s it.

Anchor: I’m not talking about moving forward. You mean do we not have
a stance on this issue?

Shavarsh Kocharyan: We have a very clear position.

Anchor: Do we recognize Turkey’s territorial integrity?

Shavarsh Kocharyan: We can’t talk about recognition till there are
no diplomatic ties. If we set diplomatic ties, under the Protocols,
we will have…

Anchor: So, we don’t have a position, do we?

Shavarsh Kocharyan: We do have, and it’s mentioned in the Protocols.

Anchor: If there is, do we recognize it or no?

Shavarsh Kocharyan: I’ll repeat it. We do recognize what is
written in the Protocols, in accord with the current documents of
international law. That’s it. Nothing more. Deniz Baykal is also
trying to get a commentary from anyone in just the same way. Let him
try to understand. I won’t waive the goal we have set and we sincerely
strive to reach.

Anchor: Mr. Kocharyan, I think I am trying to understand a very
simple thing.

Shavarsh Kocharyan: I see. Any question can be voiced in a very simple
way and lead to the understanding that we will advance preconditions
to establish relations with Turkey. We don’t support it.

That’s why I let myself speak the language of preconditions. We have
never done it. During this process, Turkey always spoke the language
of preconditions, and we were always sincere that’s why we had an
agreement – to move forward without preconditions. We were committed
to it. And we will be committed until the prospect is lost for good…]

TURKEY KEEPS INSISTING ON NON-CONSTRUCTIVE PRECONDITIONS – EXPERTS

10:33 * 26.02.15

Turkologists in Armenia express their criticism of Turkish foreign
minister’s recent statement linking the bilateral reconciliation
process with the unsettled Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

According to Artak Shakaryan, Mevlut Cavushoglu’s call for leaving
Nagorno-Karabakh without Armenians fully fits within the logic adopted
in the 1990’s (when Turkey closed its state border with Armenia as
a sign of solidarity with Azerbaijan).

“Back in the 1990s, Turkey would insist on the Nagorno-Karabakh
issue, with Armenia always saying that the relations should never be
contingent upon third countries. Armenia never imposed any condition
on Turkey to urge for the withdrawal of its troops from Cyprus, and
it never made it a precondition for [normalizing] the Armenia-Turkey
ties,” he told Tert.am.

“We have always been ready for the unconditional normalization
of ties, but we also saw that Turkey wouldn’t back away from its
preconditions. So Turkey alone is to blame for the failure.”

In a speech in the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, on Wednesday, the
Turkish official slammed Armenia for a “failure to pass the openness
test” which he said led to the decision to withdraw the 2009 bilateral
protocols from parliament. He also reiterated the Turkish authorities’
earlier calls for “liberating the Azerbaijani territories”.

Noting that the Turkish authorities have so far taken no essential step
to enforce the bilateral protocols signed in Zurich (Switzerland), the
Turkologist said he finds that the ball is now in that country’s court.

“For them, the protocols’ signing was not principally essential;
what mattered was their availability. The Turkish side was doing all
its best to keep the protocols on the agenda, so the withdrawal from
the Armenian parliament makes them nervous,” Shakaryan said, adding
that he expects the country to do everything possible to keep the
documents alive.

Speaking to Tert.am, Turkologist Levon Hovespyan described the
Turkish official’s remark as an attempt to justify the country’s
earlier efforts towards derailing the process.

“The entire process’ failure is due to Turkey, as their activities
in the past six years were targeted at killing the process. So Turkey
translated that into action. All they can do now is to pretend, with
statements of the kind, that they are ready to keep the process going,”
he added.

The expert said he hasn’t seen any constructive step by Turkey over
the past period, with the only strategy remaining the rhetoric of
preconditions.

“It is important to note at the same time that the Armenian side’s
decision did not come as a surprise to Turkey, but they will long
speculate that fact, demonstrating that the ball is in Armenia’s
court. That’s for certain. Turkey has clearly shown what policies it
pursues and what intentions it has, i.e. – the language of blackmails
and use of pressure mechanisms,” he added.

KEY FIGURE IN HRANT DINK MURDER DETAINED IN ANKARA

13:50 â~@¢ 26.02.15

A high-ranking Turkish police chief has been detained in Ankara as
part of the investigation into the 2007 murder of Turkish-Armenian
journalist Hrant Dink, the Hurriyet Daily News reports.

Ramazan Akyurek, who was detained in Ankara on Feb. 26, had served as
the head of the police in the Black Sea province of Trabzon between
December 2003 and May 2006. He then served as the head of Police
Intelligence between May 2006 and October 2009. Dink was murdered in
January 2007.

Akyurek was removed from his position right after the Dec. 17, 2013,
corruption and graft operation, along with hundreds of other senior
police officers allegedly linked to U.S.-based Islamic scholar
Fethullah Gulen, the government’s ally-turned-nemesis. An Ankara
court had rejected Akyurek’s dismissal in January 2014.

The Istanbul Prosecutor’s Office initially aborted an ongoing probe
into the alleged negligence of nine public servants, but the 8th Heavy
Penal Court in Istanbul’s Bakırköy district cancelled the decision,
reopening the probe on June 6, 2014.

Akyurek was detained after all the criminal files regarding the Dink
murder were combined into a single probe in Istanbul, as instructed
by Istanbul Prosecutor Gökalp Kökcu.

In his testimony in October 2014, Akyurek had placed the blame of
the murder on the Istanbul Police Director, while using the phrases
“I don’t remember” and “I don’t know” a total of 27 times in response
to the prosecutor’s questions.

Under Turkish law, the crime described as “committing a premeditated
murder through an act of negligence” has the penalty of a maximum 20
to 25-year prison sentence.

Previously, three high-ranking police officials, Muhittin Zenit, Ozkan
Mumcu and Ercan Demir, had been arrested by the court in the Dink case.