Author: Andres-Papazian

Cercle d’Amitié France-Karabagh
Le Cercle d’Amitié France-Karabagh condamne l’arrestation de Leyla et
Arif Yunus par l’Azerbaidjan
Le Président Hollande appelé Ã évoquer la situation des Droits de
l’Homme lors de son prochain déplacement à Bakou

Le Cercle d’Amitié France-Karabagh condamne fermement le procédé
violent et arbitraire par lequel la militante azerbaïdjanaise, Leyla
Yunus et son mari Arif, se sont vu notifier leur interdiction de
quitter le territoire azerbaïdjanais ce 28 avril 2014.

Leyla Yunus est la directrice de l’Institut pour la Paix et la
Démocratie, une organisation azerbaïdjanaise Å`uvrant pour le
rapprochement et l’amitié entre les sociétés civiles arménienne et
azerbaïdjanaise, qui est une clé essentielle d’une paix et d’une
sécurité durable au Haut-Karabagh et dans toute la région.

En 2013, Leyla Yunus a été décorée de la Légion d’honneur et du prix
allemand Théodore Haecker pour son action en faveur des Droits de
l’Homme.

« Les initiatives pour le rapprochement arméno-azéri de Mme Yunus et
de son époux, ainsi que leur prise de distance critique avec le régime
Aliev constituent les vraies raisons de cette arrestation. D’ailleurs
Mme Yunus avait confié qu’elle s’attendait de manière imminente à une
telle arrestation » a déclaré François Rochebloine, le président du
Cercle d’Amitié France-Karabagh.

En partance pour Paris, les Yunus ont été arrêtés à l’aéroport de
Bakou en violation de toute disposition légale. Mme Yunus a été
soumise à un traitement dégradant alors que son mari, faisant un
malaise, était hospitalisé.

Cette arrestation fait suite à un appel à la paix lancé conjointement
par Mme Yunus et une militante arménienne des Droits de l’Homme trois
jours auparavant. Elle suit également l’arrestation ce 19 avril du
journaliste Rauf Mirgadirov, lui aussi engagé dans le rapprochement
arméno-azéri, au motif fantaisiste d’espionnage au profit de
l’Arménie.

Mme Yunus a été honorée par la France au titre de son action en faveur
des Droits de l’Homme et son assignation à résidence résonne donc
aussi comme en camouflet pour notre pays » a rappelé François
Rochebloine. « En outre, ces arrestations politiques ne sont pas des
actes isolés. Elles s’inscrivent dans le cadre d’une stratégie du
régime Aliev visant à terroriser tous ceux qui militent pour la paix
et le rapprochement entre les sociétés civiles azerbaïdjanaise,
arménienne et karabaghiote » a-t-il ajouté.

Le Cercle d’Amitié France-Karabagh souligne qu’en ce sens, de telles
arrestations arbitraires mettent en péril les fragiles tentatives de
dialogue et constituent autant de menaces pour la paix et la sécurité
régionale.

« La France, coprésidente du groupe de Minsk, devrait donc
sérieusement se préoccuper de tels abus. Nous enjoignons le Président
à rappeler fermement l’Azerbaïdjan à ses obligations lors de son
déplacement dans ce pays » a conclu le Président du Cercle d’Amitié
France-Karabagh.

Le Cercle d’Amitié France-Karabagh a été créé le 19 mars 2013. Il
regroupe aujourd’hui une trentaine de responsables politiques
(députés, sénateurs, maires et autres élus). Le Cercle a pour objectif
de soutenir l’action du Groupe de Minsk de l’OSCE (ce Groupe coprésidé
par la France, les Etats-Unis et la Russie, est chargé de médiation
pour trouver une solution au conflit du Karabagh), de sécuriser les
peuples de la région, de rompre l’isolement international du peuple du
Haut-Karabagh et de favoriser un espace de dialogue et d’échanges
entre les peuples du Caucase du Sud.

vendredi 2 mai 2014,
Stéphane ©armenews.com

From: A. Papazian

20 Minutes, France
25 avril 2014

Hollande à Erevan le 24 avril 2015 pour le centenaire du génocide
arménien 1 contribution

Publié le 24 avril 2014.

Le président François Hollande a annoncé ce jeudi qu’il serait présent
à Erevan (Arménie) le 24 avril 2015 pour assister aux cérémonies du
centenaire du génocide arménien.

«La commémoration d’aujourd’hui est une répétition parce que nous
préparons ensemble la célébration du centenaire de 2015. La France
sera à vos côtés pour cette célébration et le 24 avril (2015), je ne
serai pas là parmi vous, je serai à Erevan pour le centenaire», a
déclaré le chef de l’Etat qui assistait à Paris à la cérémonie de
commémoration du génocide arménien.

From: A. Papazian

France Culture
mercredi 23 avril 2014

Les Arméniens en Éthiopie / Revue d’Histoire Arménienne Contemporaine

Boris Adjemian : La fanfare du négus. Les Arméniens en Éthiopie
(XIXe-XXe siècles (Editions EHESS) / Revue d’Histoire Arménienne
Contemporaine

En 1924, quarante enfants rescapés du génocide de 1915 et qui
formaient une fanfare à l’orphelinat du Patriarcat arménien de
Jérusalem sont recrutés et en quelque sorte adoptés par le prince
héritier, futur empereur d’Éthiopie, alors en visite officielle. Cette
première étape de sa tournée diplomatique s’inscrivait dans un cadre
traditionnel, celui des relations anciennes de l’Église d’Éthiopie
avec l’Église arménienne, et la présence d’une communauté monastique
éthiopienne à Jérusalem est attestée depuis le XIIIe siècle. Il faut
peut-être rappeler que l’Éthiopie est à majorité chrétienne, les
musulmans ne représentant que 34% environ de la population, qui compte
également une minorité juive très ancienne, les Falashas. L’Église
éthiopienne quant à elle date des premiers siècles du christianisme,
elle revendique une filiation dynastique et biblique pour le pays, en
ligne directe de l’union du roi Salomon et de la reine de Saba.

Cette tournée diplomatique du négus Tafari, qui devait notamment le
conduire en Italie, correspond à une période où l’Éthiopie s’emploie à
affirmer sa souveraineté sur la scène internationale et au sein d’une
Afrique sous domination coloniale. Elle vient d’intégrer la SDN et son
entrée dans le concert des nations se ferait volontiers avec tambours
et trompettes. La fanfare des quarante orphelins y pourvoirait à
merveille. La décision n’est pas anecdotique, elle s’est inscrite dans
la mémoire collective comme l’acte fondateur de la musique éthiopienne
jusqu’à nos jours, la préfiguration du Swinging Addis ou du jazz
éthiopien. Et dans le contexte de l’époque, la création d’une fanfare
royale vient parachever la mise en scène de l’État souverain et
indépendant. Son chef d’orchestre, Kévork Nalbadian, composera
d’ailleurs l’hymne national.

Boris Adjemian, qui élargit sa focale à l’ensemble de la communauté
arménienne en Éthiopie et à son rôle économique et politique, insiste
sur l’aspect symbolique de l’événement dans l’histoire du pays. Au
départ engagés pour assurer la musique lors de la Fête de la Sainte
Croix et pour de très rares prestations officielles, les jeunes
musiciens découvrent que – je cite le témoignage d’un ancien de la
fanfare >. Rançon du succès de
l’opération, notamment au sein de la population, la fanfare du négus
est sur tous les fronts, qu’il pleuve ou qu’il vente et sous
l’insolent cagnard du haut plateau d’Addis-Abeba. Elle sera aussi
mobilisée pour transmettre les messages subliminaux de la diplomatie
éthiopienne lors des rencontres internationales, avec une compétence
diversement appréciée par les délégations étrangères. On parle en
effet de la > et de ses >
qui saluent le départ des diplomates,

Dernier numéro :

LE LIBAN, A LA VEILLE ET AU DEBUT DE LA GRANDE GUERRE

Mémoires d’un gouverneur, 1913-1915 Ohannès Pacha Kouyoumdjian

From: A. Papazian

Anadolu Agency, Turkey
April 29 2014

US and West insensitive towards Syria

Turkish Deputy PM says if the urgency shown in Ukraine was shown in
Syria the Syrian situation was not going to be like it is right now.

WASHINGTON (AA) – If more urgency had been shown by the international
community in dealing with Syria as it has been done in case of Ukraine
then the Syrian situation might have been different and inaction in
Syria is also to be blamed for Russian power permutation, said Turkish
Deputy PM on a visit to Washington on Monday.

Besir Atalay on a visit to Anadolu Agency’s recently opened Washington
Bureau said he had met the new US Homeland Security Secretary, Jeh
Johnson to discuss the situation in Syria.

Atalay said they discussed the fight against terrorism and that some
terrorist organizations are on the US agenda. However he stressed
again that dealing with the terrorist threat from groups in Syria has
become more difficult due to delayed intervention in Syria.

Atalay said, “It’s easy to have a table talk on Syria in Washington
however we have a thousand km long border, relatives live on both
sides. It’s impossible for them to hear, understand and live the
difficulties we are going through.”

He again stressed that the Syria opposition was not supported by the
international community. He added, “The United States and the West
continue their sensitivity regarding organizations like Al-Qaeda while
we are telling them that you are the reason for their emergence.”

Atalay said Johnson accepted his invitation to visit Turkey and the
Syrian refugee camps on Turkey’s border. He added that Turkey has
opened its doors to more than one million Syrian refugees -230
thousand of these are in camps on the border. Turkey has spent more
than $3 billion on these refugees so far, but “has not seen any
assistance from the international community in this regard” said
Atalay.

Atalay said that he discussed bilateral cooperation in security and
fight against terrorism in his meeting with Assistant National
Security Adviser Tony Blinken and drew attention to Armenian
resolutions discussed at Foreign Relations Committee of the US Senate
and 5-6 resolutions regarding Turkey brought to US Congress.

Replying a question whether Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s
latest statement regarding the 1915 incidents was discussed during his
contacts Atalay said, “The statement of the Prime Minister regarding
the Armenian issue was the most advanced step. We always intended to
solve this problem. We have always said that this kind of advanced
steps must be taken, historians should work, let’s open all archives
and solve the problems. Neither US President nor the White House has
referred to Prime Minister Erdogan’s statement. They pretended that
they did but actually they didn’t because it was mere a comment made
by the US State Department Spokesperson. Now they say that they will
make a statement.”

Criticizing supply of Apache helicopters to Egypt Atalay said, “God
willing the Egyptian government steps back on death penalties while
many people have already been killed in peaceful demonstrations in
Egypt however the United States and West have displayed contradiction
in this regard and failed to put forward a clear stance against the
coup.”

Atalay said Turkey has done its part as a NATO member however Turkey
has different relations with Russia because of Crimea and the
situation of Crimean Tatars is very important for Turkey.

“Erdogan has expressed his condolences over the Armenian people who
lost their lives. But again Armenia did not reply positively.”

The details behind the incidents in 1915 continue to be a contentious
issue between Turkey and Armenia which has kept relations sour between
the two neighbours.

The 1915 incidents took place during World War I when a portion of the
Armenian population living in the Ottoman Empire sided with the
invading Russians and uprose against the Ottoman authority. The
uprisings were followed by a relocation decision of the Ottoman Empire
concerning Armenians living in eastern Anatolia.

Turkey says that both Turks and Armenians died during clashes between
Ottoman forces and armed Armenian groups backed by Russia.

Meanwhile, Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan’s message has been well
received by Armenians living in Turkey’s southeastern region.

From: A. Papazian

Hurriyet, Turkey
April 29 2014

Turkish opposition party sees condolences to Armenians as “apology for genocide”

ANKARA
April/29/2014

(HurriyetDailyNews) – – > Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s recent
extension of condolences to the grandchildren of Armenians killed in
World War I by Ottoman forces has been criticized by opposition
parties, with the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) describing it as
“an apology for genocide.” However, Erdogan himself sounded
self-confident over the condolence message, saying it was a symbol of
Turkey’s “walls of fear being destroyed.”

Addressed a parliamentary group meeting of his party on April 29, MHP
head Devlet Bahceli described Erdogan’s words as “non-national.” “In
his message, which was written in its entirety with a non-national
look, Prime Minister Erdogan spoke of a ‘just and conscientious
stance’ and understanding that era’s grievances regardless of
religious and ethnic roots,” Bahceli said.

“But the prime minister’s condolence is sort of an apology for
genocide,” he added.

On the other hand, People’s Democracy Party (HDP) co-chair Sebahat
Tuncel said opening state archives concerning the events of 1915, as
pledged by Erdogan earlier in the day, would be a “significant but
insufficient step.”

“A Truth and Justice Commission should be founded and the past should
be faced,” Tuncel said, delivering a speech at the first-ever
parliamentary group meeting of the HDP, which now has the required
number of seats to form a group after 19 Peace and Democracy Party
(BDP) deputies joined the party on April 28.

In a statement issued on April 23, the eve of the 99th anniversary of
the Armenian killings, Erdogan unexpectedly described the events of
1915 as “inhumane,” using more conciliatory language than has been the
case for Turkish leaders in the past.

The exact nature and scale of what happened in 1915 continues to sour
relations between Turkey and Armenia. Turkey accepts that many
Armenians died in clashes, but denies that up to 1.5 million were
killed and that this constituted an act of genocide -a term used by
most historians and foreign parliaments.

In his April 29 speech, Erdogan stressed that Turkey had “nothing to
be ashamed of” in its past. “We are getting rid of the past’s weights,
its balls and chains, with courage. We are rooting out fears of the
past one by one and destroying the walls of fear in front of Turkey.
We have faced every incident and we will continue to do so,” he said.

Erdogan’s April 23 statement was unusually released in nine different
languages, including Armenian, and repeated previous calls for
dialogue between the two countries and the setting up of a historical
commission to study events surrounding the killings.

“It is with this hope and belief that we wish that the Armenians who
lost their lives in the context of the early 20th century rest in
peace, and we convey our condolences to their grandchildren,” the
statement said.

“Having experienced events which had inhumane consequences -such as
relocation -during the First World War, should not prevent Turks and
Armenians from establishing compassion and mutually humane attitudes
towards one another,” it added.

From: A. Papazian

Interfax, Russia
April 29 2014

Russian military officials discussing cooperation plans with Armenian military

YEREVAN. April 29

A delegation of the Russian Defense Ministry is in Yerevan on a visit,
the Armenian Defense Ministry told Interfax.

The Russian military officials are to discuss the joint employment of
armed forces, methods of coordinated strategic planning, the
development of the armed forces, armaments and military hardware, and
the revision of the defense strategy.

Armenia is represented by Armenian Defense Ministry officials and
delegates of the Armenian General Staff’s Department for Tactical and
Strategic Planning.

From: A. Papazian

Associated Press International
April 29, 2014 Tuesday 3:34 PM GMT

Turkey: Ready to ‘confront’ killings of Armenians

by SUZAN FRASER, Associated Press
ANKARA, Turkey

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) – Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said
Tuesday his nation was ready to “confront” the nation’s history of
killing ethnic Armenians nearly a century ago, but stopped short of
admitting it was genocide.

In a weekly speech in Parliament addressing his ruling party’s
legislators, Erdogan reiterated a call for Armenia and Armenians
living abroad to participate in research with Turkey to document
precisely what happened.

In the same speech, Erdogan also criticized German President Joachim
Gauck, who raised human rights concerns during his visit to Turkey
this week.

Historians estimate that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by
Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I, an event widely viewed
by scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century. Turkey however,
denies that the deaths constituted genocide, saying the toll has been
inflated, and that those killed were victims of civil war and unrest.

“We are saying, let’s wipe away the tears, push prejudices to one
side, and reveal historic truths … in an objective manner,” Erdogan
said.

“I hope that Armenia and the Armenian diaspora recognize our
courageous step and reciprocate in the same courageous manner,” he
said.

Last week Erdogan issued condolences to descendants of Armenians
killed. A prominent American-Armenian group rejected that message,
demanding that Turkey admit that genocide happened.

Erdogan also rejected criticism of Turkey’s human rights record by the
visiting German president, saying Germany should save comments for its
own domestic troubles, such as racist attacks on Turks in Germany.

“We cannot tolerate meddling in our country’s internal affairs,”
Erdogan said, the day after Gauck, who is ending a three-day visit,
questioned Turkey’s crackdown on freedoms.

Erdogan said Gauck – a former Lutheran priest who opposed the former
East Germany’s communist regime – was acting like a pastor instead of
a statesman.

From: A. Papazian

CLAREMONT COLLEGES COMMEMORATE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE COMMENTS

The Student Life: Pomona College
April 25, 2014 Friday

by Natalie Honan

The Claremont Colleges hosted a public screening of the documentary
A Wall of Silence, a live violin performance by Maya Martirossyan HM
’17, and a play entitled Found at the Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum on
April 24 to commemorate the 99th anniversary of theArmenian genocide,
in which approximately 1.5 million Armenian people and otherminorities
were systematically killed in present-day Turkey.

The Armenian genocide is not as well-known as otherlarge-scale
tragedies such as the Holocaust. Most survivors have passed away,
but there are descendants across the world, including at the 5Cs.

Harvey Mudd College physics professor Vatche Sahakian’s grandparents
were victims of the genocide. He said that events on campus serve
as an important outlet and memorial for those personally affected by
the Armenian genocide within the Claremont community.

“It’s really become a struggle of raising awareness,” Sahakian said.

“We want to not only commemorate and remember the deaths. We want to
speak of it because we know that when something like this is ignored
and not discussed in society, then there’s a very real danger of
history repeating itself.”

Anoush Baghdassarian CM ’17, who wrote, directed, and acted in
Found (see Life & Style, page 6), is Armenian, and her parents are
descendants of survivors, which she said makes the Armenian genocide
especially significant to her.

“It’s always had this connection to me,” she said. “It’s been a part
of who I am since I’ve grown up.”

She said that in addition to commemorating the victims of the Armenian
genocide, she wants to raise student awareness of similar atrocities
around the world.

“One thing I’m really hoping is that students don’t only look at this
as an opportunity to learn about the Armenian genocide, but also look
at it as an opportunity to realize that we need to be aware of all
the genocides that happen,” Baghdassarian said.

Both Baghdassarian and Sahakian mentioned thatmany of the tactics of
the Armenian genocide were reused by the Nazis duringthe Holocaust.

“When you have a traumatic event that is left to fester … there’s
an element of closure which is crucial, which is why it’s essential
for the perpetrator to make an apology,” Sahakian said.

While Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a statement
April 23 offering condolences to Armenians in Turkey and in the
diaspora, the Turkish government refuses to describe the event as
genocide.

Sahakian said he hopes the events raise awareness of the Armenian
genocide, as the tragedy has received very little attention compared
to other events involving mass violence. Furthermore, he said, when
genocides are overlooked, there is a higher likelihood of recurrence.

“The only way you can act is if you have knowledge about something,”
Baghdassarian said. “If you don’t have knowledge, there’s no way for
you to take any action. With this knowledge, people can come more
empowered to then have a voice about issues like this.”

From: A. Papazian

AFTER THE EXODUS: HALIL OZSAVLI’S RESEARCH ASKS HOW ARMENIANS ADAPTED TO THEIR ENVIRONMENT IN THE EARLY 1900S

US Official News
April 26, 2014 Saturday

Dearborn

The University of Michigan-Dearborn has issued the following news
release:

Imagine being forced to flee your hometown, leaving behind friends,
family and other treasured keepsakes.

Then imagine thousands of your neighbors being forced to do the same.

That’s what happened in the early 1900s when droves of Armenians
were forced to vacate the Anatolian provinces of the Ottoman Empire
(now in the east of modern Turkey). Many were killed or died on
the deportation routes, and a significant number of the survivors
relocated to parts of Syria and Lebanon.

What happened to these Armenians after this mass exodus and how they
adapted to their new environment are questions Halil Ozsavli is trying
to answer.

A doctoral student at Hacettepe University and a scholar at
Kilis 7 Aralýk University in Turkey, Ozsavli joined University
of Michigan-Dearborn’s Armenian Research Center (ARC) as a
scholar-in-residence to study how Armenians created a new communal
life in Lebanon, keeping their language, culture and traditions.

“They essentially had to find new lives,” said Ozsavli, an Arab who
was raised in Turkey.

Ozsavli plans to include his findings in a dissertation, which will
focus on Armenians living in Syria and Lebanon from 1914-1939.

The center provides an ideal research hub for Ozsavli, as it includes
countless microfilms, periodicals and books that detail not only
Armenian history, but also the history of the Arabic countries of
the Middle East and Turkey.

“This is a great opportunity for me,” said Ozsavli, who plans to
return to Turkey in July to defend his dissertation. “I would have
never found these Armenian periodicals, microfilms and books in
Turkey. You can find all types of resources here.”

Ozsavli commended ARC Director Ara Sanjian and Gerald Ottenbreit Jr.

for their assstance throughout the research project.

“Professor Ara’s suggestions guided my research when I got lost among
an endless sea of historical information,” he said. “Without Gerald’s
assistance, I could not find particular books among the thousands of
books in the center. He never hesitated to buy microfilms or a book,
which I needed if the center did not have it already. And thanks
to him, my wife and I could settle in Dearborn without having any
problems when we arrived in this country.”

UM-Dearborn is the first American university with an Armenian Research
Center. In an effort to preserve Armenian history and culture, staff
there collect Armenian periodicals, establish exchange programs with
Armenian libraries and schools, as well as forge domestic partnerships
with prominent institutions.

“The Armenian Research Center is unique in that scholars have, in
one location in a university setting, a rich reference library about
the Armenians and their neighbors, with research assistance at hand,
and a knowledgeable director who will mentor young scholars,” said
Ottenbreit, the center’s longtime research assistant. “If a scholar
needs something we do not own, we will obtain it, within reason,
either through purchase or interlibrary loan. During Halil’s stay,
we purchased several dozen microfilms from the National Archives and
an additional half-dozen from Gale.”

From: A. Papazian

THE REGIME GATHERS MONEY BY INTRODUCING “THE MANDATORY”

19:32 | April 29,2014 | Interview

“Today the RA Government, realizing that it violates human rights,
still does it,”- in “Ayb-Fe” hall turning to the education field
workers’ action in front of the MOE and mandatory funded pensions
system deductions, noted civil activist Gevorg Safaryan.

According to the activists, some people of our government and regime
need money, “When have you seen this regime to return money taken
from the society? It is obvious that they won’t return. They need
money to keep that regime. The regime, criminal oligarchic system
owns that money and they understand that they have little time to
govern and so they gather money, they need,”- said Gevorg Safaryan.

Turning to Hovik Abrahamyan’s activities connected with the funded
system, the activist said, “For example, when a person is hired as a
cleaner, he tries to show during first days, that he is good. Hovik
Abrahamyan also wants to show something new, it is a regular farce.”

From: A. Papazian