AZERI MEDIA MISLEADS: ARMENIANS REJECT
Panorama.am
17:06 24/12/2008
According to Azeri mass media publication Armenian Armed Forces
murdered Afig Shaldiev a citizen of Azerbaijan who was pasturing his
cattle near Heyrakh village.
"They want to mislead and that does not correspond to the reality. In
the front line of Artsakh-Azerbaijan the armed forces of Karabakh
did not break the armistice," said the press secretary of NKR Defence
Ministry Senor Hasratyan to Panorama.am.
DEFENSE STRATEGY REVIEW
;p=0&id=694&y=2008&m=12&d=17
15.12 .08
On December 15, 2008 the recurrent sitting of the interdepartmental
commission coordinating the review of the Defense Strategy of the
Republic of Armenia was held at the Ministry of Defense. The sitting
was chaired by Co-Chairs of the Commission, RA Defense Minister
Seyran Ohanyan and Secretary of the National Security Council Arthur
Baghdasaryan.
Participants of the sitting discussed the draft document on assessment
of RA security atmosphere and challenges. All the suggestions of
the members of the Commission and the disputable questions were
agreed upon.
The Commission took the decision to edit the document and present it
for the approval to the President of the Republic of Armenia.
AZERBAIJAN, TURKEY GOING TO SPLIT GEORGIA INTO AUTONOMIES?
PanARMENIAN.Net
07.10.2008 14:18 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ According to some Turkish and Azeri sources, Baku
and Ankara intend to increase pressure on Georgia for "federalization"
of the country.
Turkey and Azerbaijan are going to urge Tbilisi to restore Ajaria’s
de facto autonomy, to grant a special status to the Azeri minority
of Kvemo-Kartli and repatriate Turks-Meskhetians to Georgia.
Ajarian autonomy has been actually abolished by Saakashvili’s
government in 2004. Pursuing a tough policy of "georgification",
Tbilisi forces Ajars to register as Georgian Muslims. Turks-Meskhetians
are urged to restore "their Georgian surnames."
Azeri media quoted a source in the Foreign Ministry as saying that
Baku launches the procedure of granting Azerbaijani citizenship to the
residents of Georgia’s Kvemo-Kartli (Borchaly). The source said that
upon completion of the procedure, Azerbaijan will demand a status of
autonomy for the region and in case of Georgia’s rejection will send
troops there, RBC-daily reports.
Meanwhile, Milliyet Turkish daily quoted a Turkish MFA official who,
on condition of anonymity, spoke of ‘guarantees of Turkic population
in Georgia.’ Creation of a federation is the only way to maintain
Georgia’s territorial integrity, according to him.
RA FM UNDERSCORES IMPORTANCE OF MAINTAINING OSCE MINSK GROUP FORMAT
DeFacto Agency
Sept 18 2008
Armenia
YEREVAN, 18.09.08. DE FACTO. On September 17 a meeting of RA FM
Edvard Nalbandian with OSCE Minsk group French Co-Chair Bernard
Fassier was held. In the course of the meeting Minister Nalbandian
highly estimated OSCE Minsk group format’s maintenance.
According to the RA MFA, RA FM underscored importance of maintaining
OSCE MG format, which proved its viability.
The parties discussed current situation and perspectives of Karabakh
talks. In this context RA FM again reaffirmed Armenian party’s
principal stand to resolve conflicts via peace talks.
ARMENIAN GENOCIDE INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION WILL ENSURE SECURITY AND FUTURE OF ARMENIAN NATION
PanARMENIAN.Net
09.07.2008
The Armenian Genocide is an indisputable fact. Its international
recognition is immediately linked with security and future of the
Armenian nation, AFR Dashnaktsutyun members stated during the newly
elected Bureau’s plenary session held in Yerevan July 3-8.
The Bureau members are confident that all Armenian high-ranking
officials are unanimous about the issue.
Just resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict was mentioned as
a priority task among with the Genocide recognition, resistance to
challenges, reanimation of Armenia’s international image, efficiency
of political, social and economic reforms.
The ARFD Bureau devoted special attention to reorganization of the
Diaspora as a strong political and economic factor and welcomed
formation of Ministry for Diaspora Affairs.
POLISH FESTIVAL AWARDS IRANIAN CHOIR
PRESS TV
; sectionid=351020105
June 16 2008
Iran
An Iranian church from Isfahan Province has won the second award of
Poland’s International Festival of Orthodox Church Music ‘Hajnowka’.
In its first participation in the annual event, the Children’s Choir
‘Komitas’ received the second award of the ‘parish choirs’ category.
Iran’s Armenian Community formed the choir in 2005 and its members
were trained by Armen Amirchanian, a graduate of Armenia’s National
Conservatory.
The international event, which aims to present the artistic and
spiritual values of church music, has been organized by the Orthodox
Church Music Foundation in Hajnowka, Poland.
The 27th edition of the polish festival was held from May 20 to 25,
2008 in Bialystok, Poland.
KATHLEEN CHALFANT SHINES AT THE EL PORTAL IN A STORY OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
By Charles McNulty, Times Theater Critic
Los Angeles Times
May 20 2008
CA
‘Red Dog Howls’ by Alexander Dinelaris
In a long and exemplary stage career, Kathleen Chalfant is giving
one of her most shattering performances at the El Portal in North
Hollywood. Audiences beware: It’s a harrowing experience, not for the
faint of heart. Few actresses would be as courageous — never mind
capable — of traversing this particular moral abyss. But then her
searing work in "Angels in America" and "Wit," along with decades of
infusing combustible human truth into classics, couldn’t have prepared
her better for the challenge.
The play, Alexander Dinelaris’ "Red Dog Howls," had its world premiere
Monday in a production sharply directed by Michael Peretzian. The
story concerns the legacy of the Armenian genocide on a troubled
thirtysomething New York writer who’s haunted by psychological ghosts
he wants to banish before his first child is born. But to get to a
place of light, he must tunnel into a pit of darkness that threatens
to swallow his identity, his marriage and even his unborn baby.
Addressing us directly, Michael (Matthew Rauch) explains that after
his father died, he found a stash of his letters. A note instructing
him to burn them is heeded, but not before he jots down the address
of the sender. This clue leads him to a 91-year-old woman, who turns
out to be his grandmother — and the one person who can tell him why
his beloved father and grandfather lived under such a pall.
Related ‘Red Dog Howls’ But answers to agonizing questions do not
come easily, and Dinelaris has written the play as though it were a
detective novel, with Michael leading the investigation, Oedipus-like,
into his mysteriously besieged soul. One can’t help thinking of the
Greeks, even though this isn’t a tragedy but a tale of redemptive
survival. The catastrophe lurks in the past, not the future, but the
events described rival the horror of the House of Atreus, Agamemnon’s
blood-soaked clan who similarly understood a traumatic history as a
hereditary curse.
Michael, who has only the sketchiest sense of his background, doesn’t
want the misery confounding him to be passed down. He’s afraid of
losing his wife, Gabriella (Darcie Siciliano), and ominously reflects
on the way the wives of his grandfather and father vanished from their
lives. "It was, for lack of a more exact term, a plague on our family,"
he says.
Dinelaris’ focus is on the developing relationship between Michael and
his grandmother, Vartouhi, who slowly prepares him for the terrible
knowledge he seeks. She feeds him bowl after bowl of rice pilaf
soup with lemon, which he laps up as nourishment from the Armenian
culture he knows precious little about. She tests his strength,
practically vanquishing him at arm wrestling and somehow lifting him
into bed one night after he falls asleep on her couch. To survive the
Armenian massacres that began in 1915 and wound up decimating a world,
Vartouhi has had to turn herself into steel. And the play affectingly
shows why she cannot readily confide in her grandson. What happened
to her defies speech. The two must inhabit the dim memory together,
often in silence while she lovingly watches him eat.
The material is inherently devastating, which makes some of Dinelaris’
punched-up dramatic strategies seem unnecessary. There’s a bit too much
"character" business going on with Vartouhi, Michael’s intermittent
narration grows ponderous and the ending is marred by a melodramatic
twist that undermines the drama’s credibility.
But for the most part, the production is beautifully executed. Tom
Buderwitz’s sets, particularly his old-world conjuring of Vartouhi’s
Upper Manhattan apartment, are superb. And the onstage musical
accompaniment of composer Ara Dabandjian deepens the mood with its
fusion of Mediterranean sounds.
Rauch is the drama’s solid center, and he lets us feel the urgent
struggle taking place inside Michael as though a clock were ticking
and his very stability were on the line. Siciliano’s Gabriella makes
a formidable spouse — she won’t accept anything less than an equal
partnership. Her edges may be severe, but she reveals an authentic
tenderness as well, and it’s too bad Dinelaris allows her to fade
into the background.
The spine-stiffening cry emanating from "Red Dog Howls," however,
comes courtesy of Chalfant, whose artistry, moral passion,
intelligence and heartbroken humanity combine into an indelible
act of witness-bearing. It’s a miraculous performance, rallying the
forces of art against atrocity and permitting us to see in the midst
of meaninglessness an ember of hope and repair.
The Armenian Church eNewsletter
April 17, 2008
Diocese of the
Armenian Church
of America (Eastern)
630 Second Ave.
New York, NY 10016
Contact Us <mailto:[email protected]>
Diocesan News
PRIMATES OF NORTH AMERICAN DIOCESES MEET IN CANADA
Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Eastern Diocese, Archbishop
Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western Diocese, Bishop Bagrat Galstanian,
Primate of the Canadian Diocese, and clergy representing the three dioceses
met in Montreal, Canada on April 14 to 16 to discuss the future of the
Church. Participants spoke about present-day challenges facing clergy on a
pastoral level and focused on how to best meet the needs of parishes in
today’s world.
In addition to the Primate, Diocesan Vicar Very Rev. Fr. Haigazoun Najarian,
Very Rev. Fr. Vahan Hovhanessian, Rev. Fr. Karekin Kasparian and Rev. Fr.
Untzag Nalbandian represented the Eastern Diocese at the conference. Similar
meetings are planned in the future to bring together clergy of the North
American dioceses for further discussion.
Clergy of the Eastern, Western and Canadian dioceses gathered in Canada for
a series of presentations and discussions on adapting 1,700 years of
tradition to meet the needs of today’s society.
_____________________________
ST. SAHAG CHURCH OF MINNESOTA CELEBRATES FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF CONSECRATION
St. Sahag Church of St. Paul, Minn., marked the fifth anniversary of
consecration on Sunday, April 13. Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of
the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), celebrated the Divine Liturgy and
presided at a banquet featuring musical performances by students of the St.
Sahag School of Music. The Primate also ordained seminarian Ben
Rith-Najarian as subdeacon and nine young parishioners as tbirs.
Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Armenian Church of America
(Eastern), ordains seminarian Ben Rith-Najarian as subdeacon at St. Sahag
Church.
Newly-ordained tbirs at St. Sahag Church reach out to touch the "Mashdots,"
a book of rituals given to tbirs during the ordination ceremony.
_____________________________
SAINTLY WOMEN’S DAY CELEBRATION IN MASSACHUSETTS
Members of the Women’s Guild of Sts. Vartanantz Church in Chelmsford, Mass.,
hosted 125 guests on Saturday, April 12, on the occasion of Saintly Women’s
Day. An inspiring service extolling the virtues of Sahaganoush Mamigonian,
mother of St. Vartan Mamigonian, was celebrated by Rev. Fr. Khachatur
Kesablyan, pastor of Sts. Vartanantz Church, with the assistance of clergy
>From six other New England parishes.
Diocesan Christian Education Coordinator Elise Antreassian spoke about women
in the Armenian Church at a Saintly Women’s Day celebration at Sts.
Vartanantz Church.
Diocesan Christian Education Coordinator Elise Antreassian presented an
interactive program entitled "Women in the Armenian Church: Hearth Keepers
or Midwives?" Members of Sts. Vartanantz Men’s Club graciously served a
delicious meal, which was prepared by the Women’s Guild.
Members of Sts. Vartanantz Men’s Club served the meal prepared by the
Women’s Guild for the celebration of Saintly Women’s Day at Sts. Vartanantz
Church.
_____________________________
POPE TO GREET ARMENIAN CHURCH LEADERS
During his first apostolic visit to the United States since he was elected
to lead the Roman Catholic Church in 2005, Pope Benedict XVI will greet
ecumenical leaders, including Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the
Armenian Church of America (Eastern), and Archbishop Vicken Aykazian,
Diocesan legate and president of the National Council of Churches. The
meeting is scheduled for Friday, April 18, following an ecumenical prayer
service at St. Joseph’s Church in New York City.
_____________________________
HOLY CROSS CHURCH OF UNION CITY, NEW JERSEY TO CELEBRATE PASTOR’S MILESTONE
Holy Cross Church will mark the 25th anniversary of the Sacred Ordination to
the Priesthood of their pastor Very Rev. Fr. Vazken Karayan on Sunday, April
20. Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Armenian Church of America
(Eastern), will preside over the Divine Liturgy and the banquet, which is
scheduled to follow the Badarak at 1 p.m. at the Landmark in East
Rutherford, N.J. For more information, call Alice or Sylvia Bozoyan at
201-865-2790.
_____________________________
C HURCH AND HOME MATERIALS AVAILABLE ONLINE
A wealth of new Church and Home materials are now available on our Web site,
<; . Click on the
"Church and Home" button on the homepage and you will be directed to a
listing of a variety of online tutorials and programs designed to offer
"Back to the Basics" educational tools that can be used from the comfort of
your home. Learn about Armenian Church feasts, the calendar, modern and
classical Armenian and much more!
_____________________________
COMMEMORATIN G THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE AT ST. VARTAN ARMENIAN CATHEDRAL
On Armenian Martyrs Day, April 24, a Divine Liturgy and requiem service will
be held at St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral at 11 a.m. A memorial meal will
follow services.
On Sunday, April 27, Rev. Fr. Hagop Khachatryan, a clergyman from Holy
Etchmiadzin, will celebrate the Divine Liturgy. Very Rev. Fr. Davit
Karamyan, who will also visit the Eastern Diocese from Holy Etchmiadzin,
will deliver the sermon. A requiem service and blessing of madagh will
follow the Divine Liturgy, which begins at 10:30 a.m.
The annual Genocide Commemoration sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Region
Knights and Daughters of Vartan will be held in Times Square at 2 p.m. St.
Vartan Cathedral is located at 630 Second Avenue, New York, N.Y. Click for
more information in English < t;
or Armenian < t; .
_____________________________
PLANS UNDERWAY FOR 106TH DIOCESAN ASSEMBLY
The 106th Annual Diocesan Assembly and Clergy Conference will be held at
Sts. Sahag & Mesrob Church in Providence, R.I. The Clergy Conference is
scheduled for April 28 to May 1; the Assembly is scheduled for May 1 to
4.This year’s theme is "Church and Home: One in Spirit." For more
information, visit the Sts. Sahag
< l> & Mesrob Church Web site.
_____________________________
FEAST OF THE ASCENSION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
On May 1, the Feast of the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ , Archbishop
Yeghishe Gizirian will celebrate the Divine Liturgy at St. Vartan Armenian
Cathedral. The Liturgy begins at 11 a.m. A traditional Ascension Day
celebration will follow services.
_____________________________
SHUSHI ARMENIAN DANCE ENSEMBLE TO PERFORM AT ST. VARTAN ARMENIAN CATHEDRAL
The Shushi Armenian Dance Ensemble of St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral will
celebrate its 15th anniversary at the Cathedral on Friday, May 30. This
much-anticipated event, featuring music, dance, dinner and a performance by
the Shushi dancers, will mark the Ensemble’s success since its inception and
honor the steadfast dedication of the group’s artistic director and
choreographer, Seta Paskalian-Kantardjian. Funds raised at the event will
help Shushi travel to Armenia in July, where dancers will have the
tremendous opportunity to perform at the Opera House.
For more information, visit
< /> .
_____________________________
FAR 2008 YOUNG PROFESSIONALS TRIP RESCHEDULED
The 12th annual Fund for Armenian Relief Young Professionals Trip to
Armenia, planned for May 31-June 12, has been rescheduled to July 25-August
6. The two-week trip will include overnights in Yerevan, Gyumri, Dzoraget,
Lake Sevan and Goris. Participants will visit FAR’s projects as well as
meet with high-ranking officials in Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs
and with His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All
Armenians, at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.
Participants visit Gandzasar Monastery in Martakert during the 2007 FAR
Young Professionals Trip to Armenia.
The FAR trip provides the ideal opportunity for young professionals between
the ages of 23 and 40 to travel to Armenia as a group. Participants learn
about Armenia’s place in the world – the country’s religious, political and
economic heritage – and engage government and religious leaders in official
state visits.
The cost, which includes airfare and hotel accommodations, is $3,050. Space
is limited. To sign up, contact Arto Vorperian at 212-889-5150 or
[email protected].
_____________________________
DIOCESAN PILGRIMAGE TO THE MOTHER CATHEDRAL OF HOLY ETCHMIADZIN SCHEDULED
FOR SEPTEMBER
The Eastern Diocese will make a pilgrimage to the Mother Cathedral of Holy
Etchmiadzin this fall to participate in the blessing of the Holy Muron
(Oil). The two-week pilgrimage begins in late September and concludes in
early October. The blessing of the Holy Muron will take place on Sunday,
Sept. 28.
There is some flexibility in travel dates: pilgrims can opt to depart from
New York on Friday, Sept. 19 or Saturday, Sept. 20, and return to New York
on Friday, Oct. 3 or Saturday, Oct. 4. The cost per person, which includes
airfare and hotel accommodations, is $2,950.
His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians,
blesses the Holy Muron (Oil) with the relic of St. Gregory the Enlightener
in 2001. This special ceremony occurs once every seven years.
For more information, click here
< df> or contact Arto Vorperian at
the Diocesan Center at 212-686-0710 ext. 213 or e-mail [email protected].
Please note that the number of spaces is limited. Those interested in the
pilgrimage should make reservations without delay.
_____________________________
PARISH NEWS
Greenfield, Wisc. – Armenian Martyrs Day Events
On Thursday, April 24, a vespers service and a requiem service will be held
starting at 7 p.m. at St. John the Baptist Church, 7825 W. Layton Avenue,
Greenfield, Wisc., in memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide. Other
area churches will participate, including St. Hagop Church of Racine, St.
Mesrob Church of Racine and Holy Resurrection Church of South Milwaukee.
St. John the Baptist Church also will commemorate Armenian Martyrs Day on
Sunday, April 20 with a Divine Liturgy and a requiem service followed by
madagh and a program. David Blinka, a graduate of Marquette University and
the University of Wisconsin, will speak on "Creating a New Armenia in
America and the History of the Armenian Genocide."
For more information on these events, please visit
<; .
Southfield, Mich. – ACYOA at St. John’s Church of Greater Detroit Heads Up
Project White Cross
Following services on Sunday, April 13, parishioners at St. John’s Church of
Greater Detroit, led by the ACYOA Juniors and Seniors chapters, installed
1,500 white crosses on church grounds. With each cross representing 1,000
lives lost in the Armenian Genocide, the 1,500-cross installation
commemorates the 1.5 million martyrs of 1915.
Parishioners at St. John’s Church of Greater Detroit put up 1,500 white
crosses to represent victims of the Armenian Genocide.
"It really puts things into perspective for people who underestimate the
severity of the lives lost," said Raffi ElChemmas, cochairman of Project
White Cross and an ACYOA member. "It is our right to struggle. It’s the only
thing we have known for 93 years. Without struggle, we might have forgotten
about the Genocide, given up hope for a resolution or an acknowledgement."
Pinellas Park, Fla. – St. Hagop Church Hosts Picnic
St. Hagop Church organized a regional picnic to reach out to Armenians in
the area and gather for fun and fellowship on Saturday, April 12. Held in
Sarasota, Fla., the event drew 75 people. Highlights included delicious
dishes and a Tavloo tournament. To learn more about the St. Hagop community,
visit <;
.
Parishioners enjoy food and games at St. Hagop Church’s regional picnic last
Saturday in Sarasota, Fla.
SAVE THE DATE
Diocesan Celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the Consecration of St.
Vartan Armenian Cathedral to begin in June
This year, the Diocese will host a series of events in celebration of the
40th anniversary of the consecration of St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral.
Upcoming events include:
. A concert in the Cathedral and an art exhibition at the Diocesan Center
beginning on June 19.
. A ceremony honoring the godfathers of St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral and
original committee members of the Cathedral-building project and the
distribution of the Holy Muron (Oil) from the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin
during a celebration of the Divine Liturgy on October 12. A luncheon will
follow. (Please note that the ceremony honoring Cathedral founders has been
rescheduled from May 18 to October 12).
Individual parishes will be invited to make pilgrimages to the Cathedral
throughout the year.
The Diocese would like to recognize everyone who was involved in the
Cathedral project. If you have information on any members of working
committees who helped build the Cathedral, please contact the Diocesan
Center at 212-686-0710 or e-mail [email protected].
_______________________________
Prayer for the Week
Lord, clothe me with heartfelt mercy, with kindness, humility, meekness, and
patience. Help me bear with others and forgive as the Lord has forgiven me.
Over all these virtues put on love, which binds the rest together and makes
them perfect.
More prayers
< .asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=5246&
HS=1 > <;
Scripture for the Week
Song 4:9-15, 8:14
Is 7:10-16
Gal 3:29-4:7
Lk 2:1-7
Saints & Feasts
4/20 Apparition of the Holy Cross
4/24 Armenian Martyrs Day (93rd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide)
May God bless and keep you and your family.
PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:
PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon
Armenian version: nian.htm
ANTELIAS MARKS GOOD FRIDAY
"OUR NATION’S RESURRECTION IS GUARANTEED
BY THIS EMPTY TOMB"
SAYS HIS HOLINESS ARAM I
Good Friday, marked solemnly by the entire Christian world, has become an
annual opportunity for the renewal of our nation’s faith at the St. Gregory
Cathedral in Antelias, where His Holiness Catholicos Aram I officiates the
mass.
While "Trisagon" was being recited during the service, His Holiness and
members of the Cilician Brotherhood knelt before the flower-laden platform,
which signified Jesus Christ’s tomb and carried out the Savior’s burial
order. Covered with valuable cloths, the tomb was also decorated by a relic
of the Holy Cross.
Addressing the faithful, the Pontif conveyed the strength of Jesus Christ’s
empty tomb and the breath of resurrection and immortality bursting from it.
"This is not a usual burial service; God’s Son went to the grave for
humanity, as an expression of love, as a full-fledged commitment to save
humanity. Today it is not only the memory of this even that we remember.
Jesus Christ’s burial is an invitation to all of us to participate in the
salvation that Jesus Christ brought to humanity," the Pontiff said.
At the end of the service, His Holiness blessed the faithful with the relic
of the Holy Cross placed on Christ’s tomb. According to an old tradition,
people passed from under the empty tomb. The faithful were given the flowers
laid on the Holy tomb taking home with them the hope of resurrection and
immortality.
##
View the photos here:
c/Photos/Photos221.htm
http://www.armenianorthodox church.org/v04/doc/Photos/Photos222.htm
http://www .armenianorthodoxchurch.org/v04/doc/Photos/Photos2 23.htm
*****
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
the mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician
Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is located in
Antelias, Lebanon.
"TURKISH POPULATION FIGHTS WITH IDENTIFICATION CRISIS"
Panorama.am
17:38 17/03/2008
"The Turkish nation fights with the identification crisis," said Ruben
Safrastyan, the director of the institute of the oriental studies in
a press conference held on today.
He said that according to the latest data the 40% of Turkish population
don’t treat themselves as being Turkish or they have some doubts what
nationality they do belong to. He said if Armenia does not miss the
chance, it is possible and more than real to "show the dark pages of
their past".
"Armenia has not yet get use of its diplomatic resources, and we should
hurry to create relations and large communication with Turkish nation,"
he said and added that after the murder of Hrant Dink all the Turkish
nation organized demonstration and were crying "we are Armenians,
we are Dink".