Author: Babajanian Karo

LE 98E ANNIVERSAIRE DU GENOCIDE ARMENIEN COMMEMORE DANS 8 VILLES DU CANADA

Le bureau de la Cause armenienne du Canada (ANCC) a presente la liste
des actions planifiees a l’occasion du 98e anniversaire du genocide
armenien au cours de la semaine. Des ceremonies et manifestations
commemoratives se derouleront dans huit villes du Canada. Elles auront
lieu a Montreal, Laval, Ottawa, Toronto, Cambridge, Hamilton, Saint
Katarina et Vancouver. Le docteur Jiraïr Basmadjian le president de
l’ANCC a affirme la determination de son organisation de commemorer
le 24 Avril en compagnie de la communaute armenienne du Canada.

Krikor Amirzayan

mardi 23 avril 2013, Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

MEMORIAL TO SO-CALLED “ARMENIAN GENOCIDE” ERECTED IN HUNGARY

APA, Azerbaijan
April 22 2013

Baku. Anakhanum Hidayatova – APA. A memorial to the so-called “Armenian
genocide” has been erected in Szeged, the city of Hungary.

APA reports quoting Hungarian media that the memorial has been erected
in the Park of Christian Solidarity near Szeged cathedral.

Armenian ambassador to Hungary Levon Sargsyan (brother of Armenian
President) said that the two nations have strong ties and some
difficulties are left behind. Hungarian Foreign Minister Janos Martonyi
said that bilateral relations will be further expanded.

Armenia suspended diplomatic relations with Hungary, after in
August 2012 Budapest extradited Azerbaijani officer Ramil Safarov,
who killed Armenian officer Gurgen Markaryan and was sentenced to
life imprisonment.

ACROSS THE ARMENIAN-TURKISH DIVIDE

Los Angeles Times
April 22 2013

For years, the genocide fueled my anger at all things Turkish. Then
I met Murat Kayali.

By Michael Krikorian April 23, 2013

In 2001, I wrote a story for the Los Angeles Times about April 24,
the annual Armenian Day of Remembrance, that had this lead: “The
Armenian genocide.”

That was it, the entire first paragraph.

I was proud of it because it didn’t say “the alleged genocide” or
“what the Armenians consider a genocide.” It just called the 1915
massacre of a million Armenians what it was, even though the U.S.

government – in deference to official Turkish denials and our air
bases in Turkey – won’t use the word.

When I was a teenager, I used to go with my grandfather Nahabed to
April 24 protest marches on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood and later
on Wilshire Boulevard. I’ve been to maybe 25. I’ll probably go again
this week.

I heard the tales of horror from both pairs of grandparents, Nahabed
and Siranoush, from the city of Kharpert, and Moses and Siran, from
a village near Van. Siranoush saw her pregnant sister bayoneted, the
fetus coming back out on the blade. For my other grandmother, Siran,
there was never enough distance to completely wipe away what happened.

It all enraged me, eliciting a young man’s desire for revenge.

When 19-year-old Hampig “Harry” Sassounian shot and killed the Turkish
counsel general at a stoplight on Wilshire Boulevard and Comstock
in Westwood in 1982, I mostly admired him. What a bold thing to do,
I thought then, to kill this Turkish official who denied the ultimate
crime.

In those years, whenever I saw or heard about anything Turkish,
I hated it. Even Turkish Taffy. I’m not joking. On Redondo Beach
Boulevard near Prairie Avenue there was a bar called Turk’s Grass Hut.

I doubt the owner was even a Turk, but every time I drove by at night,
I considered shooting out the sign with my .38.

When I met Turks, which happened a few times, I immediately said I
was Armenian. It’s an example of my vast ignorance that I was always
surprised when they didn’t recoil in hatred.

One of them said he had been engaged to an Armenian girl, but her
parents wouldn’t allow the marriage. Big deal, I thought. Why would
anyone want to marry a Turk anyway?

I knew, of course, that all Turks weren’t bad. My Uncle Harry and
Uncle Aram told me that many had helped Armenians in their darkest
hour. But the rest of them had killed my ancestors, or stood by and
then denied the atrocities.

Years passed. My anger eased. And I met Murat Kayali.

He was a delivery driver for the restaurant my girlfriend owns. When I
saw this new guy lingering in the parking lot, I introduced myself. As
I do with just about everyone I meet, I challenged him with a “Where
you from?” (I’ve probably been hanging out in Watts too long.)

“Turkey,” he said.

I said, “I’m Armenian.”

And his face lit up.

He told me of the many Armenian friends he had back home in Ankara
and how much he loved the Armenian people. He had this engaging smile
and a contagious exuberance. We talked for a while.

I walked into the restaurant thinking, “Hmm, I liked that guy. I like
that Turk.”

Every time I saw him, he greeted me with “Michael, eench bes es?” –
the phonetic version of “How are you?” in Armenian. I started to seek
him out.

Turned out he had a UCLA engineering degree and was working at the
restaurant to put away some money. His goal was a good job in his
homeland. He invited me to his wedding at home in Ankara, promising
me I would be treated like family.

How could I not like him? How could anyone not like this guy, even
someone like me?

On the afternoon of the Oscars last year, the to-go orders were piling
up at the restaurant. I went into the kitchen to help. Organize the
time sequence of the orders for the delivery drivers, I was told.

Soon, Murat joined me, sorting the tickets.

“Check it out,” I said loudly to the staff. “An Armenian and a Turk
working side by side.”

“And having fun,” Murat said. “Someone take a picture.”

We laughed and gave each other a hard sideways five. Pop. The sting
felt good.

Murat finally moved back to Turkey. Two weeks ago, he Facebooked me.

He had his dream job as an engineer in Ankara. His marriage was a
delight. He was happy. I was happy for him. He wrote, “You are one
of my best friends in USA.” He told me to come visit. Again.

Imagine that. Me going to Ankara to see a Turkish friend. Maybe I
will. Maybe there’s hope for the planet after all.

Michael Krikorian, a former Times staff writer, is the author of a
crime novel, “Southside,” due to be published in November.

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RALLY COMMEMORATES ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Newsday (New York)
April 22, 2013 Monday
ALL EDITIONS

BY EMILY NGO

A 16-year-old sign, weathered and held together with tape, helped
Anahid Ugurlayan yesterday honor her grandfather at a Manhattan rally
that commemorated the massacre of 1.5 million Armenians nearly a
century ago.

“If we don’t acknowledge the genocide, if we don’t learn from the
mistakes of the past,” said Ugurlayan, 37, of Jackson Heights, Queens,
“we’re bound to repeat them.”

Her grandfather was a genocide survivor, she said.

“I will never forget,” reads the sign that she said she brings every
year to the annual rally, which attracted hundreds to Times Square
yesterday to mark the 98th anniversary of the massacre under the
Young Turk government of the Ottoman Empire.

Attendees demanded that the United States and Turkish governments
formally recognize the genocide and urged younger generations to
never forget the atrocity. Turkey has rejected the term “genocide”
and regards the killings as a consequence of war.

Speakers yesterday acknowledged the large Armenian population in
Watertown, Mass., the site of firefights last week that led to the
death of one Boston Marathon bombing suspect and the arrest of another.

Armenian-Americans at the rally, which took place in a pedestrian plaza
ringed with NYPD barricades and guarded by dozens of police officers,
said the violence in Boston had not deterred them from attending.

“I always feel safe in New York,” said Aret Kartalyan, 53, of
Ridgewood, N.J., who brought his father and daughter to the event.

Yesterday was his 20th year at the rally, he said. “It has to change,”
he said of the lack of formal recognition of the genocide. “It’s been
almost a century, and, if Turkey continues to deny it, it’s never
going to end.”

GAGIK KHACHATRYAN TO BE CHECKED

2013-04-22 21:45:27

By a decision dated 10 April 2013 the Ethics Commission launched
proceedings on the basis of the application of Transparency
International Anti-Corruption Center to check if there is a conflict
of interest between the entrepreneurial activities and official powers
of the head of SRC Gagik Khachatryan.

On 17 December 2012 TIAC applied to the Ethics Commission after the
Armenian Time published an article in its 18 October 2012 edition
listing the companies owned by the head of the SRC Gagik Khachatryan.

According to the newspaper, he owns Alexserv which has been awarded a
tender for supplies of paper for cash registers and signed a framework
agreement with Procurement Support Center SNCO. The head of SRC is
also reported to own Apeiron LLC, Megafood LLC, Galaxy Supermarket,
Mega Motors LLC, Santa Fe Cafe, Galaxy Bakery, Mega Sport chain
of stores, Chronograph store of luxury watches, Chimeg LLC, Ucom,
Amasia Milk Company, Alliance Customs Terminal etc.

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MEMORIAL ERECTED IN HUNGARY

20:47, 22 April, 2013

YEREVAN, APRIL 22, ARMENPRESS: A memorial dedicated to the victims of
the Armenian Genocide was inaugurated in Szeged, Hungary, on Saturday.

As reports Armenpress, referring to Politics Hungarian daily, the
cross stone was erected in the Park of Christian Solidarity near
Szeged cathedral.

Addressing the ceremony, goodwill Ambassador Levon Sargsyan, President
Serzh Sargsian’s brother, welcomed that a memorial of this kind was
unveiled in Hungary.

“Although the recent period has witnessed some difficult moments,
they have been swept away like ash in the wind,” he said.

Although diplomatic relations between Armenia and Hungary were broken,
ties between the two nations date back to centuries, Levon Sargsyan
said.

The ambassador stressed the need to pay tribute to the 1.5 million
victims and fight to prevent similar atrocities anywhere in the world.

Addressing a letter to the participants, Hungarian Foreign
Minister Janos Martonyi said that the two nations had been bound by
centuries-long friendship, arising from a common Christian faith,
common fate and the remarkable achievements of Armenians who had
settled in Hungary.

Martonyi said that Hungarian-Armenian friendship should be further
deepened and cooperation extended in all fields of life, including
diplomatic relations.

Despite the regrettable cessation of political contacts, Hungary
supports Armenia’s endeavor for integration into Europe and would
welcome if talks on the association and free trade agreements were
concluded at the Vilnius summit of the Eastern Partnership and the
European Union, Martonyi.

Armenia unilaterally suspended diplomatic relations with Hungary last
August after an Azeri officer, serving a life sentence for murdering
an Armenian officer in Budapest, had been repatriated to his homeland
where he had been released.

PAP’S LAST CHOICE

Member of Parliament Vartan Oskanian of the PAP stated in his Facebook
post that the PAP must assume the role of opposition and declare
itself opposition in September.

The rules of procedure of the National Assembly states that if a
parliamentary force does not form a government, it must posture as
opposition. Since 6 May 2012 the PAP has not made any such statements,
stating instead that the party is not opposition but alternative.

Now Vartan Oskanian states about declaration of opposition in
September. Vartan Oskanian says it is his personal opinion. The PAP
has an interesting style in general. Any statement differing from
the so-called standard party line is defined as a personal opinion,
leaving the flexible right to “official opinion” up to Gagik Tsarukyan.

In other words, the PAP voices popular issues, statements, and as
soon as the government complains about them, Gagik Tsarukyan settles
the situation by means of an “official statement” or official silence.

In this case the question is whether only Vartan Oskanian thinks
that the local election could be the last election for the PAP as an
alternative, and the PAP will run in the next election as opposition.

If it is only Vartan Oskanian’s opinion, it is possible that the PAP
will not run in the next election. The next election will be in 2017.

If the institution of “personal opinion” is not a party style or game,
it is not ruled out that the PAP will not declare itself opposition and
Vartan Oskanian will leave the party. At least, the question is what
Oskanian will do if the PAP does not follow the “personal opinion”
and does not declare itself opposition. Even if Oskanian or others
do not leave the party, the party will become a participant of the
government’s game. This will eventually neutralize the PAP and any
difference between it and the Rule of Law Party if there is such
difference now.

If the PAP declares itself opposition, a really interesting situation
will occur. It exists de facto but it will be laid down de jure. Now
the ANC that is performing PR functions for the PAP will have to
think about joining the PAP or to criticize the PAP and prevent it
from becoming the biggest opposition. In both cases the ANC will find
itself in an awkward situation.

The declaration of opposition of the PAP will be a challenge to
Raffi Hovannisian’s New Armenia Movement because with its level of
organization de jure opposition PAP may hit New Armenia.

It is not accidental that the idea on declaring PAP as opposition
comes as soon as Raffi Hovannisian declares the movement New Armenia.

In addition, Serzh Sargsyan may use official opposition PAP as a tool
for controlling the movement and therefore encourage the PAP to follow
Oskanian’s “personal opinion”.

It will depend on the relations of Serzh Sargsyan and New Armenia,
and the agenda that New Armenia will put on the table of Armenias
domestic and international politics.

Apparently, the main two political poles which will try to negotiate
possible developments of the national elections of 2017-2018 are
outlining. It is obvious that Sargsyan’s issue is to make sure these
poles do not become three or one.

Hakob Badalyan 21:47 22/04/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

HIS HOLINESS ARAM I RECEIVED THE REPRESENTATIVES OF PATRIARCH IGNATIUS ZAKKA I

On Tuesday 16 April 2013, His Eminence Metropolitan George Saliba and
representatives of the Syriac Orthodox community met with His Holiness Aram
I. After transmitting the brotherly greetings of the Patriarch, the
Metropolitan introduced the representatives from Lebanon and the
Netherlands, and said that the purpose of the visit was to discuss
cooperation between the two communities in the Diaspora.

THEY LEAD TO SOLDIER’S SUICIDE?

20/04/2013 13:49:00
Oratert News

On April 19, about 11.40 in one of the military units, located on the
north-eastern direction of the NKR Defense Army in yet unexplained
circumstances Raffi Marashlyan, born in 1994, received fatal gunshot
wound.

An investigation is carried out to clarify the circumstances of the
incident, press service of the NKR Defense Ministry reports.

In an interview with Lurer.com public relations officer of Police
Department of Ministry of Defence Mery Sargsyan said that an
investigation and criminal case was carried out on soldier’s death
under Article 110 of the Criminal Code, Part 1 features (to commit
suicide).

According to Mery, yet there are no suspects or arrests and the
investigation is going on.

TORCH VIGIL TO ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MEMORIAL TO KICK OFF ON TUESDAY EVENING

April 22, 2013 | 12:24

YEREVAN.- The torch vigil to the Memorial to the Armenian Genocide
victims will start in Liberty Square at 6pm on Tuesday.

Numerous student, youth organizations and NGOs have joined the
traditional torchlight procession organized by the youth branch of
ARF Dashnaktsutyun.

The participants will mark the 98th anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide. The event will be joined by the regional branches of Youth
Foundation of Armenia.

The fact of the Armenian Genocide is recognized by many states. It was
first recognized in 1965 by Uruguay. In general, the Armenian Genocide
in Ottoman Turkey has already been recognized by 21 countries and 43
out of 50 U.S. states.

Turkey denies accusations of mass killings of Armenians during the
First World War and is extremely sensitive to criticism voiced by
the western states.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am