Author: Andres-Papazian

Armenian, Azerbaijani Women Talk Peace in Tbilisi
Epress.am ()
Sept. 20, 2010

With the assistance of the UN Fund for Women and Belgian Senator
Dominique Tilmans, Armenian and Azerbaijani women will hold a press
conference in Tbilisi dedicated to the International Day of Peace.

The press conference will take place on Sept. 21 in Hotel Betsy,
reports Trend News.

During the press conference, the results of meetings held in Georgia
will be presented. The peace dialogue was the initiative of Tilmans;
the first such meeting was held in Brussels, May 4-5.

Within the frames of these “peace meetings,” Armenian and Azerbaijani
women’s role in the peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict were discussed, as well as the prospects for implementing the
UN Security Council resolution which relates to “Women, Peace and
Security” in Armenia and Azerbajian.

From: A. Papazian

PRESS RELEASE
September 20, 2010

Armenian Volunteer Corps
Contact: Sharistan Melkonian
37 Hanrapetutyan
Yerevan, Armenia
(374 10) 54 00 37
[email protected]

AVC VOLUNTEERS FOSTER SERVICE, LEADERSHIP, AND COMMUNITY IN ARMENIA

Yerevan, Armenia -Former US President Ronald Reagan once said “No matter how
big and powerful government gets, and the many services it provides, it can
never take the place of volunteers.” US President Barack Obama recently
concurred: “The need for action always exceeds the limits of government.”
The Armenian Volunteer Corps (AVC) wholeheartedly agrees and apparently so
do the volunteers who come to Armenia from all over the world.

Forty three volunteers, from 21-55 years of age, came to Armenia this summer
from Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Greece, United Kingdom, France, Jordan, and
the United States. They served in governmental, private and non-profit
sectors including, but not limited to, Gyumri IT Center, Historic Armenian
Houses, Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets,
Gyumri Healthy Center, Caritas Armenia, Civilitas Foundation, Manana Youth
Center, TUMO Center for Creative Technologies, Erebuni Hospital, ReAnimania
Yerevan International Animation Film Festival, National Competitiveness
Foundation, Journalists Club Asparez, Shirak Regional Museum of Archeology,
Center for Health Services Research, American University of Armenia, the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Nagorno-Karabagh Republic, and the list
goes on.

Shogher Demirdjian-Jabrayan, 30, and Nayiri Panossian, 28, both teachers,
spent their summers here in Yerevan teaching English. Shogher spent seven
weeks at the Mascedan Foreign Languages Educational Centre and the Pyunic
Association for the Disabled teaching summer school, while Nayiri spent six
weeks teaching a class to AYB Educational Foundation students and
volunteered at a summer youth program. In addition to their specific
volunteer placements, they jointly organized and facilitated a “Building
Thematic Units” workshop for Armenian teachers.

Twenty-three year old Amaras Zargarian, a 2008 graduate of the University of
California, Berkeley, volunteered at the State Hygienic and Antiepidemic
Inspectorate, the Shirak Competitiveness Center and the Artsakank
kindergarten in Gyumri. In addition to her volunteer placements, Zargarian
organized all of her fellow Gyumri-based volunteers in a day of beautifying
and cleaning the Artsakank kindergarten to prepare for the start of the
school year. Volunteers cleaned the grounds, planted flowers, and painted
the children’s playhouse.

Amaras’ brother, Amasia Zargarian, 22, a graduate student at Stanford
University, served at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Nagorno
Karabakh Republic, where he worked on, among other things, a project to
bring Diasporan youth in closer ties with Artsakh.

“Karabakh has a lot of potential but can also benefit from hands on
assistance, says Amasia. “As an unrecognized state, the NKR misses out on
much of the benefits that other countries enjoy, and therefore, an
individual’s contribution can be of much more significance. By attracting
Diasporans, Karabakh can fill in many strategic gaps. To this end,
volunteers like me establish a connection with the place that will bring us
back later when we have more to contribute, while older more experienced
professionals can bring the expertise and skills that are vital for
Karabakh’s development. The challenge lies in identifying what these crucial
needs are and matching them with the individuals who can help. AVC put my
skills to good use in Karabagh.”

Twenty-two year old Alexandra Achkarian from Toronto volunteered with
Armenian Caritas in Gyumri where, among other things, she helped develop a
volunteer guidebook. She found that volunteering extended beyond the doors
of her placement. “My work experience was not just about gaining skills in
my area of expertise and lending a hand to my workplace but it was a give
and take between peers who were learning about each others’ culture and way
of life,” Alexandra said. “My experience was more than I expected and could
have asked for. It was humbling and rewarding while it also changed my view
on volunteerism at the same time. There need not be a material outcome from
your efforts as a volunteer; it may show itself as a change within you, a
change within someone else or simply a learning experience. Mine was a bit
of all of those.”

Nouny Benchimol from France, 21, is an Agronomy student. She volunteered at
the Center for Agribusiness and Rural Development (CARD) visiting farms
around Armenia to help small farms increase food production. Nouny, who had
volunteered on a farm in France last year, decided to volunteer in Armenia
to study the animal breeding practices in Armenia first hand. But, this was
also an important journey of self discovery – her grandfather is Armenian.
“I have always wanted to learn about my Armenian origins,” says Benchimol.

Alis Nini, 27, of Greece, and Jirair Garabedian, 21, from Vancouver, both
volunteered with KASSart Studio helping to prepare for ReAnimania’s Second
International Animation Film Festival held earlier this month. Alis helped
with outreach and Jirair put his animation background to use.

Rebecca Kandilian, 22, a PhD student in pharmacy at the University of
California at Santa Barbara, volunteered with the Foundation for the
Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets (FPWC). For eight weeks she
traveled across Armenia with FPWC staff on a “Green Bus.” Actually, the bus
was white covered with colorful children’s paintings. But, the bus was fixed
with environmental educational materials and the team, including Rebecca,
helped to raise awareness for conservation and recycling by setting up
children’s activities in villages throughout Armenia.

Twenty-seven year old Selin Sookiasians is a Special Education teacher in
Los Angeles. She spent seven weeks volunteering at the Endanik Youth
Creative Center and the Huys orphanage in Gyumri. “Maybe I shouldn’t have
had any expectations, but this experience was beyond any expectation that I
ever had,” said Selin. “Volunteering and being exposed to so many
experiences was simply amazing.”

In addition, this fall, AVC launched a Teach program. Talin Aghanian from
the United Kingdom will be teaching English to middle and high school
students for one full school year in one of Armenia’s schools. Talin arrived
in August to participate in three days of training which included an
opportunity to meet and talk with local teachers.

AVC was founded in 2000 to serve Armenia through volunteerism. Almost 300
volunteers have served in 200 organizations throughout Armenia. The
organization’s volunteer program is completely flexible. Once accepted,
volunteers determine their time and term of service. AVC accepts
applications 365 days per year from individuals at least 21 years of age.
For more information about AVC please visit

###

Alexandra Achkarian from Toronto at Caritas Armenia

AVC volunteers Nayiri Panossian (USA) and Shogher Demirdjian-Jabrayan
(Canada) facilitating an English language teacher training

Nouny Benchimol (France) milking cows

Amasia Zargarian (USA) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Nagorno
Karabakh Republic

From: A. Papazian

Those who posted that footage on YouTube with a “pass” from certain
activitists within the ruling elite

Chorrord Inknishkhanutiun Daily
11:01 =95 18.09.10

The well-known video recording about pulling of soldiers’ ears
uploaded on the web remains the hottest topic for
discussions. Naturally, young people lingering on the margins of the
authorities’ circles couldn’t help trying to grab the chance for
self-realization through these interesting topics.

Thus, the news is Menua Harutiunyan who carries the badge of the
Republican Party of Armenia has uploaded the video recording in
question on YouTube following a “pass” received from activists within
the ruling elite. However, when interrogated, Menua said that he had
taken the video from a former Haylur employee Aram Harutiunyan’s
website. As a matter of fact, the footage of Hrant Tokhatyan’s and
Albert Azaryan’s “nice expressions,” which appeared at the same
website not too long ago were ascribed to this very Aram
Harutiunyan. And considering the previous experience, A. Harutiunyan
was immediately taken to the 6th Division of the Armenian Police,
where someone called and said to set Aram free. Yesterday, Aram
Harutiunyan told us that he had no connection with that video
recording. As a reminder, Seyran Ohanyan has threatened to severely
punish those who have disseminated the video material.

Chorrord Inknishkhanutiun as quoted by Tert.am

From: A. Papazian

SHAME IS CONCEALING IT AND REFUSING TO STRUGGLE AGAINST IT
by Hovhannes Kiramijian

Chorrord Inknishkhanutiun
#186 (Internet Issue #965), (internet article #11235)

September 17, 2010, Friday

The latest YouTube video remains the number one topic for discussions
in social and political circles. It’s still a hot topic for debates in
various social networks.

Here’s a recap: a half-naked male, most likely a serviceman, beats up
conscripts alternately by inflicting blows on their ears. The copy of
the video at alone had
over 8000 viewers as of yesterday, and the number of comments had
grown beyond 400. Curses are dominant in the comments. The 4 minutes
and 42 seconds long footage is most likely only a chunk of all that
has happened in reality since it begins when the soldiers are already
being hit, and it ends when the other conscript comes to get his share
of the beating.

On the 2nd second of the footage one can hear “come close and take a
seat”=3B 00:12 – a cuss in Armenian=3B 1:49 – “Pour me some beer”=3B
2:01 – “That one is Bakur, right?”, an old man’s coarse voice “Now
what is he doing?”=3B 3:20 – “Run!” After that the soldier who was
being hit goes away to fetch water. “Come a little forward” is heard
at 3:26 – it is the offender saying it to the soldier who is squatting
a little farther from him. After that the soldier comes near and gets
a beating. There’s a 3-liter plastic bottle of natural juice made in
Armenia in the video recording. On the right side of the screen,
there’s a roll of toilet paper – judging by its cover it’s sold at
numerous stores throughout Armenia. The conscripts and the offender
wear military uniforms used in the Armenian army. The video was
recorded on a cell-phone – the videographer can be seen hiding the
cell-phone behind some cloth, probably his uniform. Considering all
this, it can be concluded that the people in the video recording are
citizens of the Republic of Armenia and serve in the Armed Forces of
the Republic of Armenia. Below is a list of comments left by YouTube
viewers regarding the incident
()

-razmik88: Whoever has uploaded the video is a traitor and must be
shot dead against a wall. Anyone can make such a video, the uniform
is sold in Vernisazh.

-snver: The murdered soldiers’ blood, young men’s blood has been
lately up for sale in Vernisazh. Think a little, then write. Treason
is to concealing such facts and tolerate them. The behavior of people
like yours lowers the military efficiency of our army.

-torgom91: I don’t understand why you feel about – if this is
authentic Armenian footage, then that is our face. Let them see. Why
not? He has done a good job by posting it – we show what we are.

-snver: Nothing surprises in this country anymore. The President,
Prime Minister and the Ministers talk big and are capable of
pretending to be even more catholic than the Pope himself. That’s why
people leave the country (at all cost), young men avoid serving for
the country (the recent incidents in the army are an evidence),
people with high scientific/scholarly potential leave the country.

-StepanGor: Bro, let’s say the minister is not in his position. But
the servicemen and officers are who make the army what it is, right?
What minister are you talking about? How can that fat pig torture
those kids. Or those beasts who silently relish the situation behind
the scene or simply do nothing. Let’s speak about a regular Armenian
not being in his position. There will never be “kind tzars” or kings
in life. There’s no such thing. People themselves have to be stand up
for their rights. You, myself and the rest.

-ArmenAntonyan: Shame on you, Armenians, take this video out of
here. Are you the enemy of the nation or what?

-snver: Not the video ought to be removed but the Defense Minister of
the Republic of Armenia because such things are taking place in the
army. This is an order? How about the recent murders?… Those have
been orders, as well. The shame is concealing it and refusing to
struggle against it.

-serobo100: I’m already fed up – they are Azeris, not Azeris, they are
Kyrgyz, Turks=85 We see what we see: a thick neck whose face is
clearly visible humiliates other persons and tortures them. Those
people who express doubts on the authenticity of the footage in their
comments are either women or guys who have been exempt from the army
due to lunacy.

A struggle is necessary to make sure such immoral people are tried,
and not to find out who uploaded the video: Everybody’s faces are
clearly visible. It just requires some work.

-arturo3312: Dear people, send this video to your friends, let
everyone watch it, someone may recognize either the soldiers or that
son of beast commander. That’s the only way to find and punish him.

-tikooo1: Well, after all this go ahead and have your son join the
army. this scum should be publicly disgraced so that it becomes a
lesson for the others.

P.S. Judging by the discussions it becomes clear that a lot of people
don’t understand the part of the statement made Armenia’s Ministry of
Defense, where the military leadership condemns not the offender but
the one who has dared disseminate the video recording. In a normal
country, the Defense Minister would offer a reward for any information
about the video recording, whereas in Armenia everything is done so
that even someone who knows something keeps silent, forever. It is a
pity but a fact that having won the war, we’re losing in the times of
peace. We won the Artsakh war because people who fought there loved
their country, their homeland. We won because if we didn’t, we would
lose Artsakh, a part of Armenia. We gained victory because our freedom
fighters knew what they were dying for=3B we won because we were
fighting not for the hatred toward the enemy, rather for the love of
our homeland=3B the homeland whose soldiers are being humiliated in
the army and “commit suicide”=3B the homeland whose policemen stood up
against the people, as a result of which 10 people died=3B the
homeland where Levon Gulyan and Vahan Khalafyan died while giving
testimony to the policemen=3B and, finally, the homeland whose heroes
were sent to jail.

From: A. Papazian

Times.am, Armenia
Sept 19 2010

Turkish diplomats stay awake every April 24

By Times.am at 18 September, 2010, 1:48 pm
If there wasn’t Armenian Diaspora, Turkey could have easier and better
dialogue with Armenia, Selim Yener, assistant of Turkish FM’s
consultant told Armenian reporters on 17 September, Panorama.am
reporter tells from Ankara.
The reporters told Armenian Diaspora appeared during those events of
Genocide. Yener nodded positively: `surely, surely.’

To the question if Turkey impatiently waits every April 24 what U.S.
President Barack Obama would say, Yener said: `We don’t sleep that
night, we wait impatiently what will happen.’

Turkish diplomat said we should get rid of those phenomena through
dialogue and said 1915 events are much spoken about, while in 70th
people never spoke about it. `Everything has its time. Could you
understand we have our concerns, if Turkey recognizes those events,
what will happen later, what demands will be put?’ he said.

Turkish diplomat said after the 70th Turkey got alarmed if there was
Genocide or not.
`We are charged as a nation committed Genocide; it’s natural that we
should say no. But today we have people who think there really
happened such events.’

Armenian reporters asked to comment on the scientists’ action to
apologize from Armenians, Turkish official said: `It means Turkey has
changed, it’s new Turkey, Turkey thinks more widely and freely.’

/Times.am/

From: A. Papazian

Times.am, Armenia
Sept 19 2010

Azerbaijan hopes to transfer Karabakh issue discussions to UN

By Times.am at 18 September, 2010, 2:08 pm
Mr. Walter Fust, Director of the Global Humanitarian Forum and
Chairman of UNESCO’s International Program for the Development of
Communication, has stated that it’s time to resolve the Karabakh
issue.

He said he supports the initiative on appointment of a UN special
representative for Nagorno Karabakh, Panarmenian.net reported.

`It’s an interesting idea and I think it may contribute to the
conflict settlement,’ Fust said, quoted by SalamNews.

The idea to appoint a special representative for Nagorno Karabakh was
suggested by Vaira Vike-Freiberga, Vice-president of the Reflection
Group on the long-term future of the European Union, and Anne-Marie
Lizin, President of the Senate of Belgium.

/Times.am/

From: A. Papazian

Times.am, Armenia
Sept 19 2010

CNN: `At least they cannot forbid me to pray silently,’ Father Anno

By Times.am at 19 September, 2010, 12:52 am
For the first time in nearly a century, the Turkish government will
allow Armenian Christians to hold a prayer service in one of the
area’s oldest and most famous churches, CNN reported.

More than two months before the scheduled September 19th church
service, nearby hotels were booked solid. Cunduz is hoping for a burst
of new tourist business.

`I hear up to 10,000 Armenian visitors will be coming,’ he says, as he
steers his boat towards a small island at one end of the lake.

Nestled amid the rocks, stands a stone church with a pointed dome.
Armenian Christians built it 11 centuries ago. The only way to get to
Akhtamar Church is by boat.

Visitors have to climb up a steep pathway to reach the church’s low
entrance, where on a recent visit, chanting echoed from inside the
building.

Inside, a man was seated barefoot in lotus position on the floor,
singing. His voice echoed off vaulted ceilings decorated with
hand-drawn icons painted cobalt blue and charcoal black.

An embarrassed Turkish security guard approached and interrupted.

`This is a museum. Prayer is illegal in here,’ the guard explained.
`Even if someone comes and reads a poem out loud, even if a Muslim
prays here, we have to stop them.’

He offered the man a candle, and directed him towards a dark alcove in
the church where visitors were invited to light candles.

The singer turned out to be Father Anno Schulte-Herbrûggen, a visiting
Catholic priest from Austria.

`At least they cannot forbid me to pray silently,’ Father Anno later said.

A few years ago, the church’s roof was leaking, its ancient icons in
danger of being destroyed.

The Turkish government embarked on a million dollar restoration of the
building. It was re-opened in 2007, but this month will mark the first
time Armenians will be allowed to pray here.

The church is an architectural gem. Its rock exterior is decorated
with ornately carved sculptures of warriors, saints and gargoyles. The
façade is also scored with countless small crosses and Armenian
messages, apparently graffiti carved into the rock by pilgrims over
the centuries.

`This place is really wonderful!’ exclaimed Dilan Bal, an ethnic Kurd
from Switzerland. `It’s a church and we are Muslims… so its
interesting.’

Bal and several other friends from Europe had been performing
impromptu folk dances inside the church. They were among the day’s
handful of visitors to Akhtamar.

The church stands as a lonely symbol of a culture that has all but
disappeared from this corner of Eastern Turkey.

Some observers hope Sunday’s church service will mark a step towards
healing the deep scars left by this bloody chapter of history.

But suspicion between Armenians and Turks still runs deep.

Armenians have objected to the Turkish government’s decision not to
allow a cross to be placed on the dome of the roof. In recent weeks,
Turkey has allowed a cross to be erected on the grounds in front of
the church.

Meanwhile, in October 2009, Turkey and Armenia signed U.S. and
European-backed agreements aimed at restoring normal diplomatic
relations between the two neighbors. But as of this month, the
Turkish-Armenian border, which is located less than 200 miles from
Akhtamar Island, still remains closed.

`The church, it belongs to the Armenians,’ says Muzbah Cunduz, the
ferryboat captain. `But the land around here does not.’

/Times.am/

From: A. Papazian

Trend, Azerbaijan
Sept 17 2010

UN envoy: It’s time to resolve Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
17.09.2010 22:56
Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept. 17 /Trend S.Agayeva/

The Director-General of Kofi Annan’s Global Humanitarian Forum, Chair
of the UNESCO International Programme for the Development of
Communication (IPDC), Ambassador Walter Fust, supports the initiative
to appoint a UN Special Representative on the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict.

“It’s a quite interesting proposal, I think it will contribute to
solving the conflict,” said Fust, YES Azerbaijan international
advisory group reported.
The UN must appoint a special representative for the
Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Vaira Vike-Freiberga,
the president of Latvia from 1999 to 2007 and special envoy to the UN
Secretary General and Vice-Chairman of the Group of Experts on the
long-term development of the European Union, told in Baku.

It is time to resolve the conflict, which creates so many problems for
the region, said Fust.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994.

The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the United
States – are currently holding the peace negotiations.

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

From: A. Papazian

Today’s Zaman , Turkey
Sept 19 2010

‘Vahram Çerçyan designed Atatürk’s official signature’

Last month, an objection came in from America in regards to a news
story carried in Turkish newspapers about the signature of Atatürk
having been designed by Sabiha Gökçen.

Dikran Çerçyan, the 90-year-old son of legendary teacher Hagop Vahram
Cerçyan, notes that it was in fact his father — who in his time
taught many important people in Turkey — who designed Atatürk’s
signature, and what’s more, many people have known this fact for
years. Çerçyan insists the story carried in Turkish newspapers was
wrong, that his father designed five different styles of signature for
Atatürk and that one of them was chosen and used by Atatürk until the
time of his death. Çerçyan goes on to note that one of the business
cards designed by his father for Atatürk is still on display at the
Atatürk Museum in Þiþli.
He says his father designed the signature on a night in March and that
during the first hours of the project, he even watched his father at
work. Recalls Çerçyan: ”I don’t remember the exact day, it was
probably the evening of the day when the Surname Law had been passed,
and there was a policeman, a civil servant and a parliamentary worker
who came to our door. My mother opened the door, and when she saw the
policeman, she thought something had happened at school. My father
worked through the night all the way until the morning on that
signature. I watched him the first hours he worked. He used up many,
many pieces of paper, trying different signatures, but he wasn’t
pleased by any of them. I was just a 13-year-old child, and after a
while, I got bored and walked away. When I woke up in the morning,
some officials came by our home and took the sample signature with
them. For years and years, Atatürk used my father’s design as his
signature, and we were so proud of this. My father even received a
letter of thanks from Atatürk on this subject.”

The original request for Vahram Çerçyan to come up with an official
signature to be used by Atatürk came from some MPs. Çerçyan notes that
he doesn’t understand why such baseless allegations are being made
about the actual origins of the signature but says there are those in
Turkey who are uncomfortable that it was an Armenian citizen who
designed it. Çerçyan says he received phone calls from many Turkish
friends living in Turkey when the incorrect story about the signature
emerged and that the friends all urged him to object to the story.
Says Çerçyan, “I just laugh at what has been said.” He also notes his
father never received any payment for the signature and that he
definitely wouldn’t have accepted any if it had been offered.

Among the 25,000 students taught over a 55-year-teaching career by
Çerçyan, there were some very important names, mostly linked later
with the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Some of Çerçyan’s
students included former Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit and Foreign
Ministers Selim Sarper and Turgut Menemencioðlu. Dikran Çerçyan
explains that his father also prepared many books for Turkey to help
the new Turkish alphabet spread over the nation after the alphabet
revolution and that he always told his students: “Write well. Legible
writing will give you at least a 50 percent chance of being
successful.”

Çerçyan notes that his father was always very proud of Turkey.
Insisting that there is really no difference between Turks and
Armenians, Çerçyan says: “There never was any problem between these
two peoples. These days here in New York, my best friends are Turks.
When I get together with my Armenian friends, we all speak Turkish. I
was born in 1919 in New York, but when I die, I wish to be buried in
Ýstanbul.”

19 September 2010, Sunday
MEHMET DEMÝRCÝ NEW YORK

From: A. Papazian

Sunday’s Zaman , Turkey
Sept 19 2010

`No cross on Akdamar as wrong as Europe’s minaret ban’

Not allowing a cross at the historic Armenian church on Akdamar
Islandin the eastern Turkish province of Van, which today has been
opened for a religious service for the first time in 95 years, would
be as wrong as the ban imposed by some European countries on the
construction of new minarets, a senior government official has said.

Upon a proposal by the Van Governor’s Office and approval of the
Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry, the church will host a religious
worship once a year, and the first ritual takes place today.

Justice and Development Party (AK Party) deputy leader Hüseyin �elik
said, in an exclusive interview with Sunday’s Zaman, that the debates
on the need for a cross on the church are wrong.

`A ban on a cross on the church would be as wrong as the ban on
minarets in Europe. When the construction of minarets issue was made
the subject of a referendum in Europe and when the public disapproved
of the construction of minarets in the referendum, we were very
saddened and disturbed. It is out of the question for us to act the
same way,’ Ã?elik said.

In 2009, Swiss voters shocked the world and surprised their pollsters
by approving a ban on the construction of minarets, the most symbolic
element of Islamic architecture, in Switzerland.

More than 57 percent of Swiss voters and 22 out of 26 cantons — or
provinces — voted in favor of the minaret ban, which led to great
disappointment in many Muslim countries, including Turkey, with regard
to respect for religious diversity in Europe.

Noting that the 900-year-old Church of the Holy Cross is of as great a
value for humanity as Ephesus or Pergamum, Ã?elik said what a crescent
means for Muslims is the same as what a cross means for Christians.

`Just as important as the elements of our mosques, a cross is that
important, as an inseparable element of a church. This issue is so
clear that it requires our empathy. Not solving the problem of the
absence of a cross on Akdamar would be as wrong as preventing a
crescent in a mosque. The existence of an integral part of the church,
the cross, does not make us lose anything, and its absence does not
make us win anything,’ explained Ã?elik.

He also suggested that religious services be held in the church on
Akdamar Island throughout the year.

Many believe a religious service at the historic church, which is now
a state museum, could be a symbol of reconciliation between Turkey and
Armenia, two neighbors bitterly divided over history and the fate of
the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region

Ã?elik underlined that the scope of religious freedoms in Turkey should
expand with the progress of democracy and that a reform package, which
was approved in a referendum on Sunday, will expand the scope of
freedom of religion, thought and expression, in addition to expanding
the scope of fundamental rights and freedoms.

Around 58 percent of Turks voted in favor of a 26-article
government-sponsored constitutional reform package on Sept. 12, which,
according to many, will bring Turkish democracy and the judiciary
closer to EU standards.

Noting that restrictions on religious freedoms are a legacy of the
single-party era in Turkey, Ã?elik said: `Religious freedoms of pious
citizens of this country have been restricted for years just like the
freedoms of non-Muslims. They were victimized and `otherized.’ The
totalitarian mentality of the single-party era also victimized and
`otherized’ Kurds and Alevis. The AK Party’s conservatism is not one
that restricts freedoms; to the contrary, it is one that expands
freedoms. Just as we say zero tolerance to torture, we say zero
tolerance to all the obstacles confronting freedom of religion and
thought.’

——————————————————————————–
Head of Religious Affairs: We support expansion of freedoms

Religious Affairs Directorate President Ali BardakoÄ?lu stated that
places of worship complement freedom of religion. `We are in favor of
expansion of freedoms. Just as church and cross will not Christianize
Turkey, minaret and crescent will not Islamize a Christian country,’
he said.

Stressing that people’s need for places of worship should be met
regardless of their race, color, religion or geography, BardakoÄ?lu
said he was of the view that the need for a place of worship for
believers no matter in which country they live should be met.

He said he welcomes the holding of religious services and the placing
of religious symbols in places of worship.

`At the Religious Affairs Directorate, we support tolerance for people
from various views. We support expansion of freedoms. Turkey does not
deserve to be seen as a country where religious freedoms are
restricted. Turkey will not be harmed due to the opening of churches
or other places of worship. We have places of worship in Rhodes,
Western Thrace and Macedonia that are waiting to be opened for
religious service. Meeting the demands of Muslims for the opening of
their places of worship there will not cause harm to anybody. To the
contrary, it will make a big contribution to societal peace,’ said
BardakoÄ?lu.

19 September 2010, Sunday
ALI ASLAN KILIÃ? ANKARA

From: A. Papazian