Author: Andres-Papazian

After 88 years Orthodox Christians hold mass at monastery in Turkey

13:04 – 16.08.10

Opened to worship for the first time in 88 years, Orthodox Christians
from Russia, Greece, Georgia and the United States poured into the
Black Sea province for a historic mass Sunday at the iconic Sumela
Monastery, Trabzon, north-eastern Turkey.

According to Turkish Daily News & Economic Review, Fener Greek
Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew led the mass, which was attended by
approximately 500 worshippers, marking the Assumption of the Mother
Mary, a sacred day for Orthodox Christians.

“We owe this day of worship to our government, which was kind enough
to grant us the permission,” the patriarch said Saturday at Trabzon
Airport. “We are most thankful as this day is sacred for not only
believers in the Black Sea but for all Orthodox and the Christian
world as it is the Assumption Day of Mother Mary. We are blessed to
celebrate this day here in Sümela. First it is grace from God and then
it is grace from the government.”

The monastery was opened to worship for a single day with special
permission from the Turkish government.

Tert.am

From: A. Papazian

US issues arms deal ultimatum to Turkey

By Daniel Dombey in Washington

FT
August 15 2010 23:05

President Barack Obama has personally warned Turkey’s prime minister
that unless Ankara shifts its position on Israel and Iran it stands
little chance of obtaining the US weapons it wants to buy.

Mr Obama’s warning to Recep Tayyip Erdogan is particularly significant
as Ankara wants to buy American drone aircraft ` such as the
missile-bearing Reaper ` to attack the Kurdish separatist PKK after
the US military pulls out of Iraq at the end of 2011.

The PKK has traditionally maintained bases in the remote mountains in
the north of Iraq, near the Turkish border.

One senior administration official said: `The president has said to
Erdogan that some of the actions that Turkey has taken have caused
questions to be raised on the Hill [Congress] … about whether we
can have confidence in Turkey as an ally. That means that some of the
requests Turkey has made of us, for example in providing some of the
weaponry that it would like to fight the PKK, will be harder for us to
move through Congress.’

Washington was deeply frustrated when Turkey voted against United
Nations sanctions on Iran in June.

When the leaders met later that month at the G20 summit in Toronto, Mr
Obama told Mr Erdogan that the Turks had failed to act as an ally in
the UN vote. He also called on Ankara to cool its rhetoric about an
Israeli raid that killed nine Turks on a flotilla bearing aid for
Gaza.

While the two men have subsequently sought to co-operate over Iraq’s
efforts to patch together a coalition government, the US makes clear
its warning still stands.

`They need to show that they take seriously American national security
interests,’ said the administration official, adding that Washington
was looking at Turkish conduct and would then assess if there were
`sufficient efforts that we can go forward with their request’.

US law requires the administration to notify Congress 15 days ahead of
big arms sales to Nato allies such as Turkey. Although technically
such sales can proceed ` unless Congress passes legislation to stop
them ` resistance on Capitol Hill can push administrations to abandon
politically unpopular sales.

Turkey has sought drones for several years. But its drive has taken on
greater urgencyboth because of the continuing US withdrawal from Iraq
and the tensions with Israel, which has provided Ankara with pilotless
Heron aircraft.

Turkish officials characterise the military relationship with the US
as very good but declined to comment on specific procurement requests.
The administration has not notified Congress of any big arms sale to
Turkey to date this year.

From: A. Papazian

Russia justifies deploying S-300 missile systems in Abkhazia

MOSCOW, August 13 (RIA Novosti)

The deployment of S-300 air defense systems in Abkhazia is not a
violation of Russia’s international obligations, the Russian Foreign
Ministry said on Friday.

“As to the S-300, this air defense system is an integral part of
military equipment deployed at our military base in Abkhazia, which is
intended solely for defensive purposes,” ministry spokesman Andrey
Nesterenko said.

The advanced version of the S-300 system, the S-300PMU1 has a range of
more than 150 kilometers (more than 100 miles) and can intercept
missiles and aircraft at a wide range of altitudes, making it
effective in warding off air and missile strikes.

“Its deployment cannot destabilize the situation in the region and
does not violate Russia’s international obligations,” Nesterenko said.

Russian Air Force head Col. Gen. Alexander Zelin said on Wednesday
S-300 systems had been placed in Abkhazia to protect the airspace of
Abkhazia and the other former Georgian republic of South Ossetia. He
did not say how many S-300s had been deployed.

Nesterenko reiterated on Friday that the military cooperation between
Russia and the two former Georgia republics was transparent and based
on bilateral agreements to counter potential threats to their security
and ensure stability in the region.

“The urgency of this cooperation is obvious in light of the tragic
events of August 2008 and

Tbilisi’s continuing efforts to take revenge [on the two republics],”
the official said.

Russia recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia two days after the brief
conflict with Georgia, which began when Georgian forces attacked South
Ossetia in an attempt to bring it back under central control.

Russia signed agreements with South Ossetia and Abkhazia earlier this
year on establishing permanent military bases in the republics.

The bases are located in Gudauta, on Abkhazia’s Black Sea coast, and
in South Ossetia’s capital, Tskhinvali. Each base hosts up to 1,700
servicemen, T-62 tanks, light armored vehicles, air defense systems
and a variety of aircraft.

On Wednesday, the Georgian Foreign Ministry described Russia’s actions
as “extremely dangerous and provocative,” saying it threatened “not
only the Black Sea region, but European security as a whole.”

Washington later downplayed the Russian move by saying that the move
was not a new development as Moscow had been deploying S-300 missiles
in Abkhazia for the past two years.

A Kremlin source confirmed on Friday that the S-300 systems were
deployed in Abkhazia two years ago and Russia informed its foreign
partners about the deployment.

“We merely changed the location of their deployment,” the source said.

From: A. Papazian

Jews seeking purchase of Azeri lands

press tv
Thu, 12 Aug 2010 06:41:06 GMT

The possible sale of Azerbaijani pieces of land to Jewish people,
following the flood, has made villagers of the country worried about
their future.

The Azeri government do not care about the flood-hit people who live
in villages around Sarisu Lake in Sabirabad, Azeri newspaper Yeni
Musavat reported in its Wednesday edition.

The report said that the government have not been successful to help
the victims of the incident in the area.

The natural disaster has forced the residents to leave their homes,
according to the report.

There had been some earlier reports about the sale project and the
compulsory leave made the possibility of the project stronger.

During the past years, Israel has rented tens of hectares of lands in
southern Azerbaijan, saying it aims to develop agricultural
activities.

From: A. Papazian

Azerbaijan implicated in the scandal with gang of illegal transplant
surgeons from Ukraine

2010-08-12 17:10:00

ArmInfo. Azerbaijan is implicated in the scandal with a gang of
illegal transplant surgeons from Ukraine.

Vesti.ru reported that a gang of “black” transplant surgeons has been
detained in Kiev. Citizens from Russia, Ukraine and Asian republics
suffered from activity of the illegal surgeons. The organized criminal
gang has been recruiting citizens of Ukraine, Russia, Moldova, Belarus
and Uzbekistan via Internet and transported to Azerbaijan and Ecuador.
Their kidneys were removed for wealthy kidney transplant patients in
Israel, Europe and Asia. Donors were often poor citizens who were
offered 10,000 US dollars for their kidneys. A total of 50 people
underwent nephrectomy. However, the number of the people who suffered
from illegal transplant surgeons may grow after study of the

The gang led by a citizen of Israel comprised 4 Ukrainian highly
qualified surgeons.

From: A. Papazian

Azerbaijan and Israel discuss cooperation and prospects of its development

[ 11 Aug 2010 14:01 ]

Baku – APA. Israeli ambassador to Azerbaijan Mikhail Lavon Lotem met
with Elkhan Nuriyev, director of the Strategic Research Center (SRC)
under the President of Azerbaijan, on August 11. They discussed the
current situation and prospects of the development of
Azerbaijan-Israel cooperation, SRC sources told APA. The sides
emphasized the importance of high-level mutual visits and political
dialogue and expressed confidence that the development of humanitarian
cooperation, joint projects in the fields of sciences, education,
particularly different projects carried out by think-tanks of both
countries will contribute to the extension of relations between
Azerbaijan and Israel. They also mentioned other subjects of mutual
interests.

From: A. Papazian

Dink Family Demands Eradication of Controversial Turkish Article 301
asbarez
Thursday, August 19th, 2010

Hrant Dink
ISTANBUL (Huriyet) – The infamous Article 301 will disrupt any sort of
settlement between the Turkish state and the family of murdered
journalist Hrant Dink, according to his brother, Khosrov Dink.

Article 301, which took effect on June of 2005, is a controversial
article of the Turkish Penal Code which makes it illegal to insult
Turkey, the Turkish ethnicity, or any Turkish governmental
institution.

The proposal comes after Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu
expressed regret over the defense that the Turkish state used at the
European Court of Human Rights in which it drew parallels between
Dink’s perspectives and Neo-Nazism.
Davutoglu said the defense could not be withdrawn but added that the
state could settle with the victim’s family. `The statements of the
foreign minister are important,’ said Hosrof Dink.

However, he also said that there could be no deal with the state as
long as Article 301 continues to exist, adding that the article’s
abolishment was a `struggle of honor’ since his brother was condemned
because of it.

`Hrant wanted to go to the European court to show the injustice of the
sentence he received and to explain that he was not an `enemy of
Turkey. It was the last thing he did before he was murdered.’

Khosrov Dink said that as long as Article 301 could be used to
sentence people, it would be as though his brother is still lying on
the sidewalk that he was shot on.

After Hrant Dink was murdered by an ultranationalist in January 2007;
his body lay on the sidewalk of a busy Istanbul street in what became
a famous image.

The journalist’s brother recalled Turkish President Abdullah Gul’s
comment that the state had its share of neglect in the assassination,
saying, `We expect the president to mobilize the State Control Board
[DDK] which operates under him.’

Davutoglu spoke on the matter in Kahramanmaras on Wednesday, saying:
`I feel regret for sending a defense to the European Court regarding
the freedom of expression.A defense like this could not have come to
mind. As an intellectual and a minister, I could not come to terms
with this.’

The minister claimed he was against the state confronting citizens in
the matter of freedom of speech at the European court and that he has
ordered his civil servants to not present such cases for his approval.

From: A. Papazian

Davutoglu Regrets Using Nazi Defense at Dink Trial

asbarez
Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

Murdered journalist Hrant Dink

ISTANBUL (Milliyet Daily News) – Turkey’s foreign minister has said he
regrets the defense the Turkish state gave at the European Court of
Human Rights in a case concerning murdered journalist Hrant Dink.

Rejecting the defense that drew parallels between Hrant Dink’s
perspectives and Neo-Nazism that were prepared by his ministry, Ahmet
Davutoglu indicated that Turkey could negotiate with Hrant Dink’s
family.

`I feel regret for sending a defense to the European court regarding
the freedom of expression. A defense like this could not have come to
mind. As an intellectual and a minister, I could not come to terms
with this,’ said Davutoglu, noting that he felt depressed when he
heard about the event on Sunday.

The foreign minister said he had not signed the document because he
was abroad in August 2009, when the defense was first filed at the
European court.

`Generally, I am the person who signs the negotiation and compensation
decisions, which are the heaviest ones for me because you accept both
the guilt and the deficiency of your country. Furthermore, money goes
out of the government’s pocket. We compensate what the judiciary lacks
from the government’s sources. You are also condemned in front of the
whole world. After Russia, we’re the country whose cases go to the
European court the second-most frequently,’ said Davutoglu.

From: A. Papazian

TOUR OPERATORS GEARING UP TO TAKE ARMENIANS TO TURKEY MASS

Hurriyet
Aug 17 2010
Turkey

Tourism operators serving diaspora Armenians, as well as members of
the community in Armenia and Istanbul, are organizing special tours
for those wishing to attend a special mass in September on Lake Van.

The sole operator to organize a tour to Van in Armenia, Ani Tour,
is planning to take their customers to the eastern province of Van
for the Sept. 19 service at Surp Hac church on Akdamar Island through
Georgia due to the closed borders between Armenia and Turkey.

The company chose to organize the tours after seeing an increase in
demand since early 2010, Ani Tour Assistant Manager Lusine Garabetyan
recently told the Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review.

The number of participants had already reached several hundred by July,
he said.

Tour prices start from $395 and are offered as package programs.

Garabetyan said since the land borders are closed it was impossible
for the tour group to reach Turkey without first going through
Georgia. “Therefore, the travel time will take almost a day.”

Istanbul Armenians to attend as well

Armenians from Istanbul will also travel to Van during the week after
Sept. 12 via tours organized by Turkey’s Armenian Patriarchate.

Armenians from Armenia, on the other hand, will set off Sept. 17
from Yerevan.

Armenians going to Van by bus will return following the same route
on Sept. 22, Garabetyan said, adding that applications to join the
tours were increasing every day and that they were experiencing a
surge in demand.

Not all the Armenians hoping to join the service will visit Turkey on
a tour as a small minority will make their own way to Van via Georgia,
with their own car or by bus.

One of the prospective travelers, Levon Astoyan, said he hoped the
mass would be the beginning of a new era for both Armenia and Turkey.

Thanks to permission granted by the Culture and Tourism Ministry,
the event on Akdamar Island will be the first mass at the church in
almost 95 years.

From: A. Papazian

WEIGHT OF HISTORY: UPHOLDING GENOCIDE STUDY GUIDE

Worcester Telegram

Aug 17 2010
MA

A federal appeals court has ruled that Massachusetts education
officials were within their rights to issue curriculum guidelines
that excluded specific references to materials suggesting the Armenian
genocide did not happen.

The ruling is being hailed by some as a major defeat for those who
would revise history to exonerate the Ottoman Turkish government of
its role in the mass killings of Armenians in the early 20th century;
it is being lamented by others who, whatever their view of that
history may be, believe it marks a loss for First Amendment rights
of free expression.

We believe the ruling was correct, and that neither reaction captures
the subtleties of what the appeals court was saying.

The case began in 1999 when David Driscoll, then state Commissioner of
Education, circulated draft history curriculum guidelines addressing
the study of genocide. After complaints from Turkish groups, officials
added websites and references questioning the Armenian genocide;
following further objections from Armenian groups, most of those
references were dropped before the guidelines were finally issued.

A district court upheld the state~Rs action. Turkish cultural groups
appealed, arguing that their First Amendment rights to ~Sinquire,
teach and learn free from viewpoint discrimination~T had been violated.

The appeals court has now upheld the lower court, finding that states
have considerable discretion in issuing curriculum guidelines, and
noting ~S~E the government~Rs authority to choose viewpoints when
the government itself is speaking.~T

But the critical point to understand is that the court found that
this case simply does not implicate First Amendment rights.

~S~Ethe terms of the Guide,~T the court wrote, ~Sallow teachers to
look beyond it, and its directions to sources with a particular point
of view are not meant to declare other positions out of bounds in
study or discussion ~E~T

The weight of historical fact weighs heavily against the view that
the Ottoman government did not perpetrate a genocide. We believe that
view remains a serious barrier to reconciliation between Turkish and
Armenian populations everywhere.

But this federal court ruling makes clear that Turkish cultural groups
and others remain free to advance their arguments that what happened
to the Armenian people was not a genocide.

Mr. Driscoll~Rs initial wavering on this issue was regrettable,
even if understandable given the intense pressures that attend
this topic. His ultimate decision, however, was sound. The state
guidelines will point students and teachers to solid sources, from
which they will surely learn that this is very contentious history,
indeed. Yet most teachers and students, when viewing the sources with
an open mind, will come to agree with the standard and, we believe,
incontrovertible view that the Armenian genocide is a historical fact.

From: A. Papazian