Month: April 2016

The National Armenian Genocide Commemoration Evening on Sunday, April 24 will host supporters and friends of Armenian-Australians from both the Federal and NSW governments, who will gather with the community to honour and remember the over 1.5 million innocent victims of the first Genocide of the 20th Century.

The gathered will hear from Keynote Speaker, prominent Military Historian and Co-Author of the recently-published Armenia, Australia & the Great War, Professor Peter Stanley.

The Member for Bennelong, John Alexander OAM will be in attendance, continuing his full-fledged support to the cause of Federal recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Alexander has been vocal in raising the issues and concerns of the Armenian community in the Australian Parliament.

In recent weeks, he has been vigilant and attentive to the violent aggression by Azerbaijan upon the Armenians of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, and has made a public statement regarding this.

The new Member for North Sydney, Trent Zimmerman will also be attending the Commemoration for the first time in his capacity as a Member of the Australian Parliament since taking over his seat from Joe Hockey, now Australia’s Ambassador to the United States.

On March 2, Zimmerman gave his maiden speech in Australia’s House of Representatives, calling on Turkey to recognise and atone for the Armenian Genocide.

Senator Lee Rhiannon will be joining the Commemoration. Rhiannon became the first Federal member of the Greens Party to declare support for formal acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide, and has been a prominent advocate in the Greens ranks, making speeches in the Upper House of Parliament.

NSW Treasurer and prominent Armenian-Australian, Gladys Berejiklian will be in attendance representing the Premier of NSW, Mike Baird.

From the NSW Parliament, the Member for Davidson, Jonathan O’Dea, who is the Chair of the Armenian-Australian NSW Parliamentary Friendship Group, will be present to be a part of the remembrance.

O’Dea has been a champion for all issues and concerns of the Armenian community, and has continuously called on the Australian Government to recognise the Armenian Genocide. In recent weeks, he has also been vocal in condemning Azerbaijan’s aggression, and remembered the innocent victims of Sumgait.

Also joining Armenian-Australians on the night will be the  Hon. Reverend Fred Nile MLC, Leader of the NSW Christian Democratic Party, who continues to pursue his party’s policy of full recognition of the Armenian Genocide by Australia. Rev. Nile famously introduced a Motion to the Legislative Council, recognising the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek Genocides. This motion was passed unanimously. Rev. Nile is also a member of the Parliamentary Friendship Group.

The Hon. David Clarke MLC will also be in attendance. He has been a long time supporter of Armenians, advocating for recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the Federal Government and has also travelled to Armenia with other members of the Parliamentary Group.

Also in attendance will be the Hon. Courtney Houssos MLC from the NSW Upper House and member of the Parliamentary Friendship Group.

Arin Markarian of the organising Armenian Genocide Commemorative Committee said: “It is great to see our good friends join us on this very important occasion to remember and honour those 1.5 million innocent lives that perished during the Armenian Genocide.”

“It is with their continued support, that we will one day finally see Australia recognise the Armenian Genocide, like other countries have.”

The National Armenian Genocide Commemoration Evening will take place at The Concourse in Chatswood from 7pm on Sunday, April 24th.

The Melbourne Armenian Genocide Commemoration Evening will take place on Satuday, April 23rd from 6pm at the Mazenod College (5 Kernot Avenue, Mulgrave). The Keynote Speaker will be the other Co-Author of Armenia, Australia & the Great War and prominent researcher at the Australian Institute for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Vicken Babkenian.

The Armenian-Australian communities of Sydney and Melbourne have organised the following events to mark the occasion of the 101st Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide:

St Gregory of Narek, a Doctor of the Church, urges us to recognise the evil within us and the world

By Vahan Dilanyan

This Sunday Armenians and people of good will around the world will commemorate the victims of the Armenian Genocide.

A century ago millions of men, women and children – including Assyrians and Greeks – were brutally tortured and exterminated upon the direct order and plan of the Ottoman Turkish government, thereby emptying the region of its indigenous populations and deliberately destroying millennia-old Christian heritage.

Armenians were martyred also because of their Christian faith and as recently as last year the Armenian Apostolic Church canonised all the victims of the genocide as saints.

It is tragic that the cycle of genocide continues to this day in various parts of the world. Part of the reason behind it is the impunity of the past crimes and the unwillingness of the international community to undertake meaningful measure to stop it. Only by fully facing the tragedies of the past and dealing with them in a truthful and just manner can the humanity move forward.

These ideas are enshrined in the work of a 10th-century Armenian monk, St Gregory of Narek, whom Pope Francis proclaimed a Doctor of the Church for his invaluable contributions towards the Christian theology and community at-large.

St Gregory of Narek is best-known for his work the Book of Lamentations (also called Book of Prayers), which outlines profound ideas about the purification and sanctification of humanity. The book is a monologue structured as a prayer to God “from the depths of the heart” in which St Gregory ascribes to himself all possible sins, exposing himself and confessing to God.

The saint suggests a way of human perfection through repenting to God. This was a revolutionary idea aimed at dispelling the ignorance of the Middle Ages. Long before Martin Luther, St Gregory advocated direct communication with God. Centuries later this idea was to become the basis of Reformation.

It is worth mentioning that there is not a single mention of “Armenian” or “Armenia” throughout the entire text, which proves the work’s universal nature.

St Gregory’s ideas have a crucial meaning in the modern world full of violence and intolerance. While losing spiritual and moral values in the euphoria of development of civilisation, humanity’s image of divinity has been degraded. St Gregory provides for a path towards salvation through repentance.

The idea of repentance is of particular importance in the context of the recognition of Armenian Genocide, since the 101st anniversary of the genocide serves as a new milestone to dispel the gloom and struggle against the denial of the crime by Turkey in the 21st century. As Pope Francis said, “concealing or denying evil is like allowing a wound to keep bleeding without bandaging it.”

The denial and impunity of a crime enable its repetition in the future, as proven by the cases of the Holocaust, Cambodia, Rwanda, Darfur, as well as the ongoing genocide against Yazidis, Christians and other minorities in the Middle East at the hands of ISIS.

This cycle will continue for as long as the world does not repent of the sins that have remained unacknowledged to this day. Only with the proper recognition and true justice can peace be established in the world. St Gregory’s ideas are as relevant today as they were in centuries past.

Vahan Dilanyan is the Assistant to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia. He previously served as the Adviser to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh. He has a PhD in Political Science

The finalists of the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity are arriving in Armenia for the award giving ceremony scheduled for April 24.

The Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity is a new global award that will be given annually to individuals who put themselves at risk to enable others to survive. Recipients will be recognized for the exceptional impact their actions have made on preserving human life and advancing humanitarian causes, having overcome significant challenges along the way. One of the four finalists, the ultimate Aurora Prize Laureate, will receive a grant of US$100,000 and the chance to continue the cycle of giving by nominating organizations that inspired his or her work for a US$1 million award.

The finalists

President Serzh Sargsyan received today the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov who has arrived to Armenia on official visit.

At the meeting discussed were issues pertinent to the Armenian-Russian relations and situation resulting from the military offensive unleashed by Azerbaijan on April 2-5 in the NK conflict zone.

Welcoming the RF Minister of Foreign Affairs to Armenia, President Sargsyan noted that the agenda of the Armenian-Russian relations is pretty full and that at different, including high-level meetings, the parties discuss a wide range of issues. “As it happens, the visit of the Chairman of the RF Government Dmitry Medvedev and your visit are taking place at the moment when the situation in our region is rather tense. It is no secret that the situation has been created by the irresponsible actions of Azerbaijan. By unleashing large-scale military actions against Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan has proved once again that Karabakh and Azerbaijan have nothing in common. Azerbaijan, which utilized its entire military force, certainly received a worthy counterblow. However, in my opinion, the actions of Azerbaijan have thrown the process of negotiations far from its track. In that process, we were always constructive, were always confident that eventually the Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group would present their vision for the resolution of the problem, and would spell out the name of the party which rejects the proposals. Unfortunately, the Azeris decided that they could violate with impunity the agreement signed in 1994-95 as well as the commitments which were reached in the course of these lengthy negotiations. We started this phase in 2007. Nine years in a row, we were an active participant and witness to the process, trying to find mutually acceptable solutions; we were trying to be constructive. We were convinced that the problem could be solved exclusively based on compromise, through peaceful means, however today we have what we have. For that very reason, your point of view is very important to me: why did it happen? We certainly have our own ideas, however you are much more informed and we would appreciate if you present us your point of view,” said President Serzh Sargsyan.

The RF Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov thanked the President of Armenia for the opportunity to meet with him and presented the results of the negotiations conducted prior to his meeting with the President of Armenia. “We have already had good negotiations; have observed the course of implementation of the bilateral agreements which you have reached with President Putin. In some instances we are having delays; however adherence to all principled agreements is there. It is our main objective – to work on the tasks issued by the Presidents. We have also discussed the situation with the resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh issue, and we are deeply concerned with what has happened. As you know, from the very beginning, the Russian side, the President personally has been working to stop the breach of the agreements signed in 94-95 which are of permanent nature. Today we have reiterated that and called to under no circumstance disregard these most important documents. The bloodshed was stopped. Nevertheless, as you understand, the situation has not entirely stabilized, and we believe that at this stage it is extremely important to call to life agreements between you and the President of Azerbaijan reached five years ago with the Russian mediation – about the mechanisms for the investigation of the incidents, prevention of incidents and confidence building measures, so that any threat of confrontation is reduced even if through simple technical steps. Corresponding instructions have been given to the OSCE, and now we want the German presidency engage in it actively. I understand what you mean, Mr. President, of course, that at the moment it is difficult to come back to the table of negotiations. The situation should calm down a little, people should calm down a little. We once again express our condolences for the victims of this conflict, but I agree with you that there is no military solution to the conflict, which means we need to make efforts for its political resolution.

As for why the situation has reached such a critical point, I cannot speak for Armenia, Azerbaijan, or Karabakh, but I think if we were able to move forward in the political process, even a little, if we were able to preset the general principles which could have been accepted by the sides at least as a basis for the creation of the legally binding documents, it would certainly played an important role for resuming the negotiations and would also become a constraint against the outbreak of hostilities. But I repeat that only the parties themselves can find solutions. We have been trying and will continue to try to help the Co-Chairs together with Americans and French. We have a consolidated position, and as I understand, Armenia supports the position that the triumvirate of the Co-Chairs together with the OSCE should continue its work as the main coordinator in accordance with the mandate which the parties agreed to provide to that mechanism. We do not welcome a search for other, parallel avenues, or attempts to create mechanisms which are not endorsed by all parties. It will only deviate from the main problem, i.e. to ensure security, to prevent new loss of lives, but at the same time conditions for the political process should be created,” said the RF Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov.

George Clooney has arrived in Armenia. In the evening of April 24, Armenian Genocide Memorial Day, Aurora Prize Selection Committee Co-Chair, George Clooney, will present the $100,000 grant to the inaugural Aurora Prize Laureate.

The Laureate will then invite his or her nominated organization(s) to the stage to receive the $1 million award.

On behalf of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide, and in gratitude to their saviors, the Aurora Prize celebrates the strength of the human spirit that compels action is the face of adversity.

The Aurora Prize will be awarded annually on April 24 of each year in Yerevan, Armenia.

 On April 22, Foreign Minister of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic Karen Mirzoyan received members of the Pontian Federation of Greece.

Karen Mirzoyan welcomed the visit of the members of the Pontian Federation of Greece to the NKR as a manifestation of the Armenian-Greek traditional friendly relations and stressed its importancefor getting acquainted with the political, educational, cultural and social life of Artsakh.

During the meeting, Karen Mirzoyan briefed on the current situation in the process of peaceful settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict, referring to the large-scale military aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan against the NKR on April 2-5 and itsconsequences. In this regard, the NKR Foreign Minister noted that in their brutality, the war crimes committed by the Azerbaijani armed forces did not differ from the Genocide committed against Christians in the Ottoman Empire a century ago.

During the meeting, the sides exchanged views on the possibilities and prospects of establishing relations between the PontianFederation of Greece and Artsakh, in particular, its Greek community.

US President Barack Obama on Friday marked the anniversary of the Ottoman Turks’ massacre of 1.5 million Armenians in 1915, but once again stopped short of labeling it a genocide. The statement released by the White House reads:

“Today we solemnly reflect on the first mass atrocity of the 20th century—the Armenian Meds Yeghern—when one and a half million Armenian people were deported, massacred, and marched to their deaths in the final days of the Ottoman empire.

As we honor the memory of those who suffered during the dark days beginning in 1915—and commit to learn from this tragedy so it may never be repeated—we also pay tribute to those who sought to come to their aid.  One such individual was U.S. Ambassador Henry Morgenthau, Sr., who voiced alarm both within the U.S. government and with Ottoman leaders in an attempt to halt the violence.  Voices like Morgenthau’s continue to be essential to the mission of atrocity prevention, and his legacy shaped the later work of human rights champions such as Raphael Lemkin, who helped bring about the first United Nations human rights treaty.

This is also a moment to acknowledge the remarkable resiliency of the Armenian people and their tremendous contributions both to the international community as well as to American society. We recall the thousands of Armenian refugees who decades ago began new lives in the United States, forming a community that has enormously advanced the vitality of this nation and risen to prominence and distinction across a wide range of endeavors.   At a moment of regional turmoil to Armenia’s south, we also thank the people of Armenia for opening their arms to Syrian refugees, welcoming nearly 17,000 into their country.

As we look from the past to the future, we continue to underscore the importance of historical remembrance as a tool of prevention, as we call for a full, frank, and just acknowledgment of the facts, which would serve the interests of all concerned.  I have consistently stated my own view of what occurred in 1915, and my view has not changed. I have also seen that peoples and nations grow stronger, and build a foundation for a more just and tolerant future, by acknowledging and reckoning with painful elements of the past.  We continue to welcome the expression of views by those who have sought to shed new light into the darkness of the past, from Turkish and Armenian historians to Pope Francis.‎

Today we stand with the Armenian people throughout the world in recalling the horror of the Meds Yeghern and reaffirm our ongoing commitment to a democratic, peaceful, and prosperous Armenia.”

AFP – As the world prepares to mark the Armenian genocide, filmmakers and musicians are attempting to raise awareness among an American public largely ignorant of one of modern history’s darkest episodes.

It is 101 years on Sunday since Turkey’s Ottoman government began arresting minority community leaders and setting in motion a campaign of systematic slaughter that had left 1.5 million Christian Armenians dead by the early 1920s.

Turned out of their homes and sent on death marches through the Mesopotamian desert, they were stripped naked and forced to walk until they died of thirst or collapsed and were shot dead.

At the same time, the ruling “Young Turks” created death squads to drown countless thousands in rivers, throw them off cliffs, crucify them and burn them alive, raping women and forcing them to join harems or serve as slaves.

The collective trauma has been transferred from the original victims to every subsequent generation of Armenians who have carried the unresolved suffering of their ancestors to their new homes across Europe and the United States.

On Sunday thousands of Armenians are expected to rally in Los Angeles — home to the largest diaspora community in the world — to demand that the Turkish government finally recognize the massacres as a genocide.

Yet there is frustration among the campaigners that ordinary Californians may not have even heard of the events they refer to as “Medz Yeghern” — or “The Great Crime.”

French-Armenian filmmaker Robert Guediguian’s “Don’t Don’t Tell Me The Boy Was Mad,” which gets its US premiere on Friday at COLCOA, the world’s largest festival of French film, staged annually in LA, aims to change that.

“I don’t think the rest of America is conscious of what happened. But it’s not only America, it’s also Europe and a lot of Western countries. They are ignorant of the story. They are not aware,” he told AFP.

“It’s only in places where there is a big Armenian community where people have their voices heard about this subject… Cinema can absolutely educate people and make them aware of what is happening in the world.”

“Don’t Tell Me The Boy Was Mad” is set around the Armenian diaspora in 1970s and 80s Marseille, France and follows a wave of bombings and assassinations perpetrated by Armenian radicals against Turkish targets across Europe in response to the genocide.

Guediguian based his story on “The Bomb,” an autobiographical novel by Jose Antonio Gurriaran, who was semi-paralyzed by an Armenian terrorist attack in Madrid but became a leading advocate for international recognition of what he called “the forgotten genocide.”

Despite a history of support for laws formally recognizing the Armenian genocide, US President Barack Obama — accused of kowtowing to Turkish sensitivities — hasn’t used the term to refer to the killings while in office.

“Barack Obama took the stand that most people in politics do. They come to the community and say ‘we will absolutely recognize that your community or people have been in a genocide.’ But then once they are elected and become president they don’t,” said Guediguian.

Many of the stories of abuse related by characters in the film are derived from the 62-year-old’s own family history, passed down from his grandparents’ generation.

“In the movie Anoush tells the story of her mother who had been raped several times before she made it to France. This story really happened, to my great aunt,” Guediguian told AFP.

The director, who describes reaction to his movie as “very warm,” is looking for a US distributor while in Los Angeles for the nine-day COLCOA.

Meanwhile a second film about the genocide, “Armenia, My Love,” had its premiere in Pasadena, California last week, also opening at several Los Angeles locations including Glendale, home to around 80,000 of the 200,000-plus Armenians in Los Angeles.

Written and directed by Romanian American Diana Angelson, who also stars, the film tells the story of a family living in the occupied territory of the Armenian homeland, now eastern Turkey, in 1915.

Angelson says that while she needed to depict the horror of the massacres, it was the film’s “strong messages of hope, love, faith, perseverance and strength” that she wanted to prevail.

“Hopefully it will travel the world and it will teach many people kindness,” she added.

Friday also sees the release of Grammy Award-winning Los Angeles-based Armenian American musician a thriller inspired by the events of the genocide which was released last year.

“Genocide has become the defining factor of the Armenian character worldwide,” Tankian, whose heavy metal band System of a Down has sold over 40 million records worldwide, told students at the American University of Armenia in Yerevan after the film’s release.

“That is a good thing and a bad thing. No culture, no people, want to be known as victims forever. We have a very old, amazing, gorgeous culture to share with the world.”

French Secretary of State for European Affairs Harlem Desir will visit Armenia on April 25, Press Service of the Embassy of France in Armenia reports.

Within the framework of the visit the Secretary of State will meet with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian.

Harlem Desir will visit the Armenian Memorial.

“I’m gravely disappointed that President Obama will now leave office without fulfilling his commitment to recognize the ‎Armenian Genocide‬,” Rep. Adam Schiff said in a statement.

“For a President who knows the history so well, who spoke so passionately about the genocide as a Senator and Presidential candidate, and who has always championed human rights, the choice of silence and complicity is all the more painfully inexplicable. Remaining silent in an effort to curry favor with Turkey is as morally indefensible as it will be ineffectual,” Rep. Schiff said.