Month: February 2015

DOCUMENT REFLECTS CUP’S DEPORTATION POLICY

By Ari Sekeryan on February 17, 2015

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Special for the Armenian Weekly

Sait Molla was a lawyer, member of the Turkish Council of State, and
founder of the Anglophile Society (Ingiliz Muhipleri Cemiyeti). In
1918, he began to publish a daily paper in Istanbul calledTurkce
Ýstanbul. On March 25, 1919, the newspaper published what it claimed
was the Letter of Instruction from the head office of the Committee
of Union and Progress (CUP) to the Special Organization (Teþkilat-ý
Mahsusa) units as the deportation of Armenians during the genocide
began.

On March 25, 1919, Turkce Ýstanbul published what it claimed was the
Letter of Instruction from the head office of the Committee of Union
and Progress (CUP)

The newspaper called it “A Tragic and Dreadful Document,” and noted
it was reprinting the document without making any changes. The Letter
of Instruction consists of 10 articles that describe the steps to
be taken in the deportation process. These are the same steps that
scholars like Taner Akcam, Donald Bloxham, and Uður Umit Ungor have
described as being part of the deportations.

Of course, the authenticity of such a document is not guaranteed.

Turkce Istanbul neglected to mention the source of the letter.

Moreover, the archives of the CUP disappeared following the defeat
of the Ottoman Empire in World War I.

Regardless of these questions, however, it is noteworthy that there
were Ottoman Turkish dailies like Turkce Ýstanbul, Alemdar, and Peyam,
which criticized the CUP and discussed the topic intensively in the
wake of World War I.

The text of the newspaper’s piece follows.

‘A tragic and dreadful document’

Article 1. Close all of the Armenian associations by using the third
and fourth articles of the Law of Associations; arrest the executive
members who were opposing the CUP government, deport them to provinces
such as Mosul and Baghdad, and kill them en route or at their final
destination.

On March 25, 1919, Turkce Ýstanbul published what it claimed was the
Letter of Instruction from the head office of the Committee of Union
and Progress (CUP)

Article 2. Collect all of the weapons of the Armenians.

Article 3. Prepare Muslim public opinion through appropriate means,
organize some planned incidents–like Russia did in Baku–in cities
such as Van, Erzurum, and Adana, where the Armenians by their own
actions have earned the hatred of the Muslims.

Article 4. Leave the implementation totally to the general populace
in provinces like Erzurum, Van, Mamuretulaziz, and Bitlis, and use
the troops and military forces to appear as if they are preventing
the massacres. On the contrary, support Muslims with military force
in places like Adana, Sivas, Bursa, Ýzmit, and Ýzmir.

Article 5. Apply [measures] of annihilation to school teachers and
especially to men below 50. (Leave the women and children to be
converted to Islam.)

Article 6. Clear away the families of those who managed to run away and
take measures to cut off their ties with their hometowns completely.

Article 7. Discharge all Armenian officials from all government
offices and branches by accusing them of spying.

Article 8. Annihilate the men serving in the army by the military in
an appropriate fashion.

Article 9. Start all measures at the same time in order to leave no
time to prepare means of defense.

Article 10. Keep this letter of instruction private and take utmost
care to keep it between one or two persons.

It is a reality that those Armenians who were deported were killed
and annihilated in accordance with the letter of instruction written
above. While we avoid elaborating on it further, we publish the
document exactly the same.

Turkce Ýstanbul

March 25, 1919

Editor’s Note: Similar documents were published in the Turkish press
during the post-World War I years.

PETITION: STOP UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO FROM GIVING A PODIUM TO GENOCIDE DENIERS JUSTIN MCCARTHY AND BRUCE FEIN

We would like to bring to your attention an event taking place at the
University of Toronto which should be cause for concern to the student
body as it threatens the integrity of this Canadian institution.

In line with Turkish President Erdogan’s numerous calls to its
embassies to actively challenge Armenian Genocide recognition and
commemoration in light of its 100th anniversary, on February 27,
the Federation of Canadian Turkish Associations has invited infamous
genocide deniers Justin McCarthy and Bruce Fein to be the keynote
speakers at an event titled “WWI 100th Anniversary-Human Suffering
in Eastern Anatolia”. The event will take place at the University
of Toronto’s University College. At a time when the world will be
commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, events
of this sort attempt to trivialize the issue through denialist claims.

According to genocide scholar Gregory Stanton denial is considered
the 10th and last stage of genocide. As in the past, McCarthy and Fein
are once again on tour to parrot the Turkish Government’s propaganda
and denial which amounts to hate-speech and is considered to be the
perpetuation of the cycle of genocide.

In commenting about the denial of the Armenian Genocide writer and
Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel has said “Genocide kills twice, the
second time by silence.”

Please sign the petition below to voice your concern to the University
of Toronto president and leadership. Let us stand together against
genocide denial.

Stop the University of Toronto from giving a podium to genocide
deniers!

From: A. Papazian

US CONGRESSMEN TO INTRODUCE NEW ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BILL

14:28, 25 Feb 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Four members of Congress in the U.S. last week invited their colleagues
to become an original co-sponsor of the Armenian Genocide Recognition
Resolution, which accuses the Ottoman Empire of committing genocide
in 1915 and asking President Barack Obama to pressure the Turkish
government to resolve the issue.

A letter addressed to U.S. congressmen, penned by Robert J. Dold
(Republican from Illinois), David Valado (Republican from California),
Adam B. Schiff (Democrate from California) and Frank Pallone (Democrat
from New Jersey), claims that the Ottoman Empire killed 1.5 million
Armenians between April 24, 1915 and 1923, Daily Sabah reported.

“Forty-two U.S. states have recognized the Armenian Genocide, as have
11 of our NATO allies. On this special year, it is time for the United
States government to officially join with those voices standing against
this genocide denial. We can help bring closure to this longstanding
moral issue that continues to impact U.S. interests,” the letter read.

Representatives declared that they would be introducing the resolution
on February 24 and the same language as in House Resolution 227 from
the 113th Congress would be used.

Adam Schiff’s spokesman Patrick Boland confirmed to Hurriyet that the
bill would be presented in the coming weeks. Boland did not mention
the reason for the delay.

House Resolution 227, which last year became obsolete, urged President
Obama to work toward durable Armenian-Turkish relations based upon
Turkey’s full acknowledgment of the facts and ongoing consequences
of the Armenian Genocide.

The draft resolution also cites President Obama’s statements before
entering office, saying he held the conviction that the Armenian
genocide is not an allegation but rather a widely documented fact
supported by historical evidence.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

A CONCERT IN JERUSALEM COMMEMORATES THE CENTENNIAL OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

13:59, 25 Feb 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

A special concert will take place on March 5 at the Jerusalem Theatre.

The Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of internationally
acclaimed Estonian violinist cum conductor Andres Mustonen, will
perform a program dedicated to the commemoration of the Centennial
of the Armenian Genocide, theJerusalem Post reports.

The JSO, in collaboration with the music festival Yerevan Perspectives
(Armenia), will perform music written by the foremost Armenian
composers, as well as Beethoven’s “Eroica” Symphony.

Veteran Armenian composer Stepan Rostomyan, the initiator of the
concert, explains that the performance in Jerusalem is the first in
a series of international concerts.

“The Centennial of the Armenian Genocide will be noted by remarkable
concerts all over the world,” he says. “Two dozen renowned musicians
will give memorial concerts in the world’s most prestigious concert
halls through a series of concerts under the title “With you, Armenia,”
which will start in Israel. Further venues include St. John Church in
Tallinn; the Beaux Arts Palace in Brussels; the Mariinsky Theatre in
St. Petersburg; Carnegie Hall in New York; Santa Cecilia Hall in Rome;
Cadogan Hall in London; and Musikverein Hall in Vienna.

The roster of top-class musicians includes the Belgium National and La
Scala philharmonic orchestras; the Royal Philharmonic and Mariinsky
symphony orchestras; Camerata Salzburg; conductors Valery Gergiev,
Pinchas Zukerman, George Pehlivanian and John Axelrod; and soloists
Evgeny Kissin, Maxim Vengerov, Mischa Maisky, Julian Rachlin and
Sergei Nakariakov.”

In regard to the Armenian Genocide, Rostomyan says that this tragic
page in his people’s history is a wound that every Armenian bears in
his/her heart.

“This was not only the loss of human lives but also of our cities,
which are now in Turkey, and of our cultural monuments that were
destroyed,” he says.

He stresses, “I have nothing against the Turkish people; I have
musician friends in Turkey. But the world – and Turkey in particular
on the governmental level – has to accept the fact that this terrible
thing happened at all. Otherwise, it can be repeated – and that is
the fear that every Armenian feels.”

The program features the following pieces: Komitas’s Fragments from
Liturgy (arranged for violin and orchestra by Andres Mustonen);
Rostomyan’s Fourth Symphony; Adagio from the ballet Spartacus by Aram
Khachaturian; and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3, “Eroica.”

From: A. Papazian

AMNESTY CALLS ON UN POWERS TO LOSE VETO ON GENOCIDE VOTES

13:22, 25 Feb 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Amnesty International has urged the five permanent members of the
UN Security Council to give up their power of veto in cases where
atrocities are being committed, the BBC reports.

In its annual report, the rights group said the global response to
an array of catastrophes in 2014 had been shameful.

Richer countries were guilty of taking an “abhorrent” stance by not
sheltering more refugees, Amnesty said.

The outlook for 2015 was bleak, the group added.

Saying that 2014 had been a catastrophic year for victims of conflict
and violence, Amnesty said world leaders needed to act immediately
to confront the changing nature of armed conflict.

Salil Shetty, the organisation’s secretary general, said in a
statement that the United Nations Security Council had “miserably
failed” to protect civilians.

Instead, the council’s five permanent members – the UK, China,
France, Russia and the US – had used their veto to “promote their
political self-interest or geopolitical interest above the interest
of protecting civilians,” Mr Shetty said.

Part of the solution would be those countries surrendering their
Security Council veto on issues related to mass killing and genocide,
Amnesty added.

From: Baghdasarian

SABOTEURS AS KEY ISSUE?: RUSSIA, U.S. ADDRESS FATE OF TWO AZERIS JAILED IN KARABAKH AMID STALLED TALKS

KARABAKH | 25.02.15 | 10:51

By NAIRA HAYRUMYAN
ArmeniaNow correspondent

Representatives of the foreign-policy departments of Russia and the
United State took turns in addressing the problem of two Azerbaijani
nationals who were convicted and jailed in Karabakh last year.

Dilham Askerov, 54, and Shahbaz Quliyev, 46, were sentenced to life
and 22 years in prison, respectively, after being found guilty on
charges that included murder, espionage, illegal border crossing,
and illegal weapons possession.

Earlier this year, answering a question of an Azerbaijani journalist,
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that he would discuss the
issue of the release of the two Azeri saboteurs to Azerbaijan. He did
not deny that one of them, Dilham Askerov, was a citizen of the Russian
Federation. Then Russian Foreign Ministry official representative
Alexander Lukashevich said that Lavrov’s statement remained in force.

During her tour of the South Caucasus last week, U.S. Assistant
Secretary Victoria Nuland also asked the Armenian side to show a
“humanitarian gesture” by returning the Azeris to Baku. The same thing
was repeated by U.S. Department of State spokesperson Jen Psaki at
a press briefing on Monday.

The Armenian society rather harshly reacted to these calls. First,
it is noted that both Russia and the United States should advise the
leadership of Azerbaijan to turn to the president of Karabakh with
a request for extradition. Karabakh is an unrecognized country, but
the decision was made by its court, which is independent from Armenia.

While Karabakh is also “an Armenian side”, the decision is to be made
by the NKR leadership.

Press secretary of the NKR President David Babayan said that the issue
is closed, the court has already made its verdict and the convicted
saboteurs will serve their sentences in Karabakh. He stressed that
they were tried not as hostages or prisoners or war, but as criminals.

The court in Stepanakert proved the saboteurs, a group of three (one
resisted arrest and was killed by Karabakh forces) committed at least
two murders and also wounded one woman.

Secondly, experts say that such a step cannot be a gesture of
goodwill, and Azerbaijan will have to be ready to pay for it. What
Baku is going to give up in exchange for its men? Especially that, as
those present at the trial in Stepanakert said, one of the saboteurs,
Askerov, apparently, is an important person for the special services
of Azerbaijan and has considerable information.

Armenian analyst Hakob Badalyan believes that Russia was going to
“make an operation” on the release of the saboteurs by putting pressure
on the Armenian government and thus win the favor of the Azerbaijani
leadership. The analyst says that having this information, the United
States officially called for the release of the saboteurs in order
to also win the favors of Azeri President Ilham Aliyev and prevent
the planned “operation” of the Russian side.

There are many versions, but it is clear that the issue of the
saboteurs is becoming one of the key issues in the negotiation process
on the Karabakh settlement, especially that at the moment the process
seems to have been frozen: the proposed settlement options are not
considered and the mediators appear to be unable to organize a meeting
of the presidents.

One of Armenia’s leading online newspapers, Lragir.am, assumes that
Azerbaijan has put a condition to the mediators for the resumption
of talks at the highest level and this condition is the return of
the saboteurs.

ARMENIAN EXPERT: TURKISH PLANS FOR APRIL 24 BATTLE OF GALLIPOLI COMMEMORATION SUFFER DIPLOMATIC SETBACK

GENOCIDE | 25.02.15 | 10:40

Andranik Ispiryan

GOHAR ABRAHAMYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter

The Turkish government may have denied a pro-opposition newspaper’s
report that it plans to cancel celebrations of the 100th anniversary
of a historical event scheduled for April 24 – and widely believed
to be aimed at eclipsing the Genocide Centennial commemoration in
Yerevan – but in Armenia many believe “there’s no smoke without fire”.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan angered Armenians in mid-January
by proposing to stage on April 24 celebrations of the 100th anniversary
of the Battle of Gallipoli, one of the major World War I campaigns
in which the allied powers (France, Britain, Australia, New Zealand)
fought Ottoman forces. He invited leaders of more than a hundred
nations, including Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, to attend the
events in Istanbul.

Sargsyan rebuffed the invitation, calling it a “primitive” attempt
to overshadow the centenary of the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman
Empire. In his reply the Armenian leader also reminded Erdogan about
his earlier invitation to him to visit Yerevan “to face up to history”
on April 24.

The Armenian side also noted that no previous anniversary of the
battle that commenced on April 25, 1915 and ended on January 9,
2016 was marked on April 24.

Sunday’s Zaman, citing its sources, reported over the weekend that the
Turkish government had canceled the event “due to the unwillingness
of international leaders to visit Ankara and overshadow the genocide
ceremonies in Yerevan”. Official Ankara later denied the report.

Andranik Ispiryan, a Yerevan-based specialist on Turkey, thinks that
even after this denial the whole story appears to be a big diplomatic
blow against the Turkish government.

“If Turkey understands that with this ceremony they get disgraced
even more than by not holding it, they will cancel it, thus they
will choose between the bad and the worst. A step is taken already,
Turkey has already taken the risk by planning to hold the project on
April 24,” he said at a press conference, adding that both Turkish
media and society took the decision to hold the celebrations on April
24 negatively.

From: A. Papazian

DERSIM-ARMENIANS LEARNING NATIVE TONGUE

13:30 * 25.02.15

The Armenian residents of Turkey’s Dersim region have started learning
Armenian as part of a recently announced cooperation initiative with
the Alevis.

The Istanbul-based Armenian publication Hye Tert reports that the
two communities have already launched an association to realize
joint projects.

“An important concern for the Dersim-Armenians is that they have
forgotten their language. To bridge that gap, our first task was to
organize courses. Tigran Lokmagyozyan, an Istanbul-Armenian currently
residing in Armenia, has now come to Dersim for that reason. We
have 15 students for the starting period,” Serkan Meriatash, the
association’s founder, told the publication.

He unveiled plans for conducting different events in April, ahead of
the Armenian Genocide centenary. Meriatash said that a delegation of
Dersim village mayors is now considering a possible visit to Armenia
from April 16 to 20 for organizing a public screening of movies.

ARMENIA NEEDS ALTERNATIVE WAY FOR EXPORT – RAFFI MKHCHYAN

14:51 * 25.02.15

Chairman of the Union of Exporters of Armenia Raffi Mkhchyan points
out a decline in Armenia’s exports primarily because of the situation
in Russia, which is Armenia’s strategic partner.

The second cause is the daily declining population, labor force and
number of specialists.

“No essential changes have been observed since before Armenia’s
accession to the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU). Such changes would be
possible if relevant surveys had been conducted in Armenia. We have
no domestic production, we have to re-operate our production shops
and modernize our economy. We can increase our exports when we have
sufficient essential agricultural produce, but exports are not large
either,” Mr Mkhchyan said.

Armenia joined the EEU just about two months ago and great expectations
would be too much.

Armenia continues exporting products to Russia it has to date been
exporting.

“We have to wait to see weak and strong points of the Eurasian
Economic Union. But one thing is clear: we need an alternative way
for exports. We cannot gain high profits by using Lars alone.”

CHORRORD ISHKHANUTYUN: RUSSIAN ARMENIAN BUSINESSMAN TO BUY ELECTRIC NETWORKS?

10:08 * 25.02.15

The paper says it has learned from “well-informed sources” that the
prominent Russian-Armenian businessman Samvel Karapetyan is planning
to purchase the Electric Networks of Armenia.

The company, whose shares are now controlled by the Russian joint-stock
venture Inter RAO, is said to have accumulated debts amounting to
$300 million over the past years. The paper claims that Karapetyan
is now negotiating the company’s purchase in return for the debts.

Citing further its sources, the paper adds that the Electric Networks
of Armenia is now conducting inventory, although no final decision
has been made for now.