Author: Babajanian Karo

ARMENIANS, TURKS BOTH EQUALLY AFFECTED BY VIOLENT CONFLICT A CENTURY AGO: READER

Inside Toronto
March 4 2015

Bloor West Villager

To the editor:

Re: ‘High Park artist channels Armenian genocide onto canvas to raise
awareness,’ News, Jan. 29

I read this article with interest and believe your readers deserve
to be made aware of some facts and the context in which these events
occurred 100 years ago.

I believe it is historically verifiable that prior to the First World
War, in the late 19th century, nationalistic Armenians in Europe and in
Russia, provoked and armed by the Russians, were already planning an
insurgency against the Ottoman Turks, with the intent of carving out
a state of ‘Armenia’ in northeastern Anatolia. While Armenians were
killed in the course of the conflict in which my father served as an
Ottoman reserve officer in the Caucuses, so were thousands of Muslims.

If civilian Armenians were displaced from the area of conflict in
the eastern provinces, it was intended for their own protection. The
Ottoman census prior to 1915 indicates the population of Anatolia
consisted of 13,390,000 Muslims, 1,564,939 Greeks and 1,173,422
Armenians.

It is therefore implausible that two million Armenians were massacred,
as is often claimed. Somehow with each retelling of this tragic chapter
of history, the number of Armenian victims tends to increase steadily.

The term genocide has come to characterize these events, even though
historians continue to discuss records and claims regarding what
occurred in the midst of this bitter conflict and its aftermath.

In April 2006, following a vote in the House of Commons on a Bloc
Québécois motion, these events were recognized by the Canadian
government as genocide. The vote was by no means unanimous and many
MPs were notably absent.

No one denies that tens of thousands of Armenians were tragically
affected by First World War events in which their nationalistic
brethren, in collaboration with the Russians, were essentially the
instigators and aggressors.

But it’s important that Armenians publicly recognize that tens of
thousands of Turkish-Muslim soldiers, civilians, men, women and
children were also killed, brutalized, displaced and orphaned by the
same events.

GuneÃ…~_ N. Ege, MD

THOMAS DE WAAL: NO MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH EXPECTED IN ARMENIA-TURKEY RELATIONS IN 2015

17:29 | March 4,2015 | Politics

2015 will not mark a major breakthrough in relations between
Armenia and Turkey, says Thomas de Waal, a senior associate at the
Washington-based Carnegie Endowment, specializing primarily in the
South Caucasus region.

The analyst says the sides will not ‘return to the Armenian-Turkish
Protocols’ as both sides have negative attitudes towards the document.

Details are available in the video of Voice of America’s Armenian
Service

EXPERT: ON MARCH 1, LEVON TER-PETROSYAN THREATENED MOSCOW TO YIELD LIBERTY SQUARE TO PRO-WESTERN FORCES

by Nana Martirosyan

Thursday, March 5, 15:50

In his speech in the Liberty Square on March 1, Levon Ter-Petrosyan
threatened Moscow to yield the Square to the pro-Western forces,
unless Russia supports him, Stepan Safaryan, Head of the Armenian
Institute for International Security, told reporters, Thursday.

He thinks both the Prosperous Armenia Party and Armenian National
Congress supported the country’s accession to the Eurasian Economic
Union. After the pro-Russian Prosperous Armenia Party was “liquidated,”
ANC has been beset with fear. This is what made Ter-Petrosyan to
announce himself the oppositionist number one and openly threaten
Moscow to give the Square to the adversaries of Russia and Putin.

Safaryan is sure that Levon Ter-Petrosyan made a hasty step by
proclaiming himself “the opposition king” given his decreasing
resources. Safaryan is sure that ANC will not overcome the 5% threshold
to the parliament in 2017.

Levon Ter-Petrosyan, the first president of Armenia, the leader of
the Armenian National Congress, said at the March 1 rally in Liberty
Square: “Armenian National Congress (ANC) has refuses from all the 15
rallies that were scheduled till April 24.” He said ANC is ready to
grant all the days of the sanctioned rallies to the political forces
that blame ANC for ‘privatizing’ the Liberty Square. Ter-Petrosyan said
ANC and he personally look to unmask all the pseudo- oppositionists
that try to bribe the opposition public and help the incumbent
authorities retain power. In this light, Ter- Petrosyan pointed at
the Founding Parliament. “The ANC members are happy to assist the
new Babel builders, if their intentions are sincere.

However, I have great doubts about it,” he said.

LA JUSTICE TURQUE A CONDAMNE ERDOGAN POUR AVOIR QUALIFIE DE > LE MONUMENT DE KARS DEDIE A L’AMITIE ARMENO-TURQUE

TURQUIE-ARMENIE

Le Tribunal turc a reconnu le president Recep Tayyip Erdogan -alors
Premier ministre- coupable d’avoir qualifie de >
le monument de l’amitie armeno-turque a Kars. Selon le site turc
Mynet la justice turque a ainsi recu la plainte du sculpteur Ahmet
Aksoy l’auteur du monument qui avait ainsi attaque pour ces propos
Recep Tayyip Erdogan en demandant au tribunal un somme de 10 000
livres turques pour prejudice. Le Premier ministre turc avait tenu
ses propos haineux en janvier 2011 lors d’une visite a Kars et avait
invite a demonter le monument > qui n’etait pourtant
que l’expression d’une partie importante de la population de la ville,
proche de la frontière armeno-turque. C’est l’ex-maire de Kars, Nayif
Alibeyoglu qui avait pris l’initiative de ce monument devant forger
l’amitie entre Armeniens et Turcs. Mais en 2009 Nayif Alibeyoglu perdit
les elections municipales et le monument en cours de construction fut
place provisoirement sur une colline de l’ancien quartier armenien
de Kars. Après le dictat d’Erdogan, le monument fut demonte.

Krikor Amirzayan

mercredi 4 mars 2015, Krikor Amirzayan (c)armenews.com

RED ZONE FESTIVAL IN OSLO DEDICATED TO THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

15:18, 04 Mar 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

The Armenian Cultural Association in Norway presents various
commemorative events marking the centennial of the Armenian Genocide
in Norway.

The events organized by Norwegian Church’s cultural agency Kirkelig
Kulturverksted (KKV) include a film screening, photo exhibition,
theater performances, a cultural workshop, a concert and a panel
discussion on political aspects of denial within the prestigious
annual Red Zone Festival, happening this week, sponsored by freedom
of expression foundation Fritt Ord and the Norwegian Ministry of
Foreign Affairs.

At the time when the world commemorates that 100 years has gone since
the genocide, KKV has decided to dedicate this year’s Red Zone festival
to the Armenian tragedy.

Red Zone is a festival, which highlights the freedom of expression
through the arts. It is annually arranged by KKV; every other year in
Oslo and in a city in the Middle East. The first edition took place
in Oslo in 2013. In 2014 it happened in Beirut and Cairo. In 2015 it
is once again back in Oslo.

The concert “A hundred years of oblivion” held within the framework
of the festival on March 3 featured musicians from Norway, Armenia,
Turkey and Iran.

The “Armine, Sister” performance will be staged at Kanonhallen, Løren
from March 4 to 6. Based on studies in Anatolia, the ensemble Teatr
ZAR has created a performance, which mirrors the Armenian genocide
through a wordless, densified theater play. Through their work Teatr
ZAR centers on the history of ignorance that feeds on inaction and
leads to inaction among today’s Europeans. The history of ignorance
also includes the social story of building an accord of silence around
each act of violence.

Suzanne Khardalian’s film “Grandma’s Tattoos” will be screened on March
4. The documentary shows the fates of women during the aftermaths of
the genocide.

The events will be concluded by a discussion on “Forgotten by the
world, the selective memory of the West,”featuring Ara Sarafian, the
founding director of the Gomidas Institute in London and historian
BÃ¥rd Larsen from Civita, Oslo and freelance journalist Frida Sebina
Skatvik from Oslo.

LE BUNKER DE GEORGE ET AMAL CLOONEY

Revue de presse

Le magazine populaire France Dimanche (tirage 345 000 ex / OJD) , date
du 27 fevrier au 5 mars, revient sur la construction d’une chambre
ultra securisee, autant dire un bunker, commande par l’acteur George
Clooney dans son manoir du Berkshire, un comte au Sud de l’Angleterre.

Le fait revele par l’US Weekly magazine, affirme que la panic room est
dotee de toutes les options de securite. Elle est notamment resistante
au feu, aux bombes et aux assauts.

Le bunker a ete construit pour proteger Amal, l’epouse de George
Clooney, menacee, très engagee dans la defense des droits de l’homme.

La brillante avocate travaille sur des sujets sensibles comme sur celui
de la negation du genocide des Armeniens qui l’a amene a plaider dans
l’affaire Dogu Perincek auprès de la Cour europeenne des droits de
l’homme le 28 janvier dernier.

mercredi 4 mars 2015, Jean Eckian (c)armenews.com

50 LEBANESE BUSINESSPEOPLE TO BECOME FAMILIAR WITH INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN ARMENIA’S AGRICULTURE

19:23, 4 March, 2015

YEREVAN, 4 MARCH, ARMENPRESS. A delegation of Lebanese businesspeople
led by Lebanon’s Minister of Agriculture will visit Armenia to
become familiar with the opportunities for making investments in
the sphere of agriculture. This is what Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Lebanon to Armenia Jean Makaron
said during a meeting with Minister of Agriculture of the Republic
of Armenia Sergo Karapetyan.

As the Department of Information and Public Relations of the Ministry
of Agriculture of the Republic of Armenia reports to “Armenpress”,
during the meeting, the minister expressed satisfaction with the
current level of cooperation in the sphere of agriculture.

In his turn, Ambassador Makaron conveyed Lebanese Minister
of Agriculture Akram Shahib’s greetings and the invitation to
visit Lebanon to become familiar with the innovations in Lebanon’s
agriculture and informed that a Lebanese company would like to donate
nearly 20,000 seedlings for fir trees to the city of Ashtarak, for
which a land parcel has already been allocated.

Mentioning that a delegation of nearly 50 Lebanese businesspeople led
by Lebanon’s Minister of Agriculture will soon be visiting Armenia,
the Ambassador expressed certainty that the visit could serve as
a wonderful opportunity for the establishment of Armenian-Lebanese
business relations and the inflow of Lebanese capital to Armenia.

NAIRA ZOHRABYAN TO REPLACE GAGIK TSARUKYAN AS BHK LEADER

17:05 | March 4,2015 | Politics

Leader of the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) Gagik Tsarukyan is
expected to resign as BHK leader during the party’s congress to
be held in Yerevan on March 5. Secretary of the BHK faction Naira
Zohrabyan will replace Gagik Tsarukyan as BHK Leader.

The party is also expected to announce its decision of joining the
opposition camp at the next four-day sitting of the National Assembly,
BHK lawmaker Mikael Melkumyan told A1+.

He added that Vartan Oskanian will renounce his deputy mandate but
will not withdraw from the party.

KIRO MANOYAN: EPP RESOLUTION ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE UNPRECEDENTED BY ITS CONTENTS

by Ashot Safaryan

Wednesday, March 4, 15:07

Armenia must focus on making the recognition on the Armenian Genocide
by the European People’s Party (EPP) exemplary for other organizations
and countries, Kiro Manoyan, Head of ARFD Bureau’s Hay Dat and
Political Affairs Office, told ArmInfo.

The politician welcomed the resolution for its content, which urges the
necessity of not only recognizing the Genocide, but also protecting the
Armenian people’s rights. Manoyan calls the recognition of the Genocide
by such an influential party as EPP as very important for Armenia. “EPP
resolution is unprecedented by its contents,” Manoyan said.

“Such resolution must be passed by all organizations, particularly,
the European Parliament, the Council of Europe, PACE and others,”
Manoyan said. The politician pointed at some provisions of the
resolution that are excerpts from the Pan-Armenian Declaration of
the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

The European People’s Party (EPP) adopted a resolution dedicated
to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The meeting took
place in Brussels on March 3.

The resolution entitled “The Armenian Genocide and European Values”
says that the EPP once again evidences and condemnds the fact of the
Armenian Genocide and the forced deportation of the Armenians on the
threshold of the 100th anniversary of that tragic event.

NEW SULEYMAN SHAH TOMB LOCATION ON 1915 DEPORTATION ROUTE

02.26.2015 10:17
NEWS

Following the evacuation on the night of 21 February Saturday by
military operation of the Suleyman Shah Tomb and the affiliated
Commemoration Station, the only piece of land that belongs to Turkey
that lies outside of its borders, attention is now focused on the
EÃ…~_me region in Syria, officially announced as the new location
for the tomb. However, the region Ankara has declared as the new
destination of the “heritage of forefathers” was along the deportation
route of the Armenian Genocide a century ago.

The EÃ…~_me region, which was located on the route of the convoys that
departed both from Urfa, and from Birecik and continued to Cerablus
and then to Deir ez-Zor in 1915, was later divided by the border drawn
between Turkey and Syria. The forefathers of Suphi Yavuz, the Village
Head of the EÃ…~_meler Village on the Turkey side of the border, were
also from the families that lived on the Syria side of the border
before the border was drawn. Yavuz states that the people of the
region always remember the Armenians in a positive light: “Armenians
are always remembered as very intelligent and hard-working; and they
are always referred to as trustworthy. The elders of the region tell
us that there used to be Armenian villages connected to Birecik.”

Suphi Yavuz also states that the people of the region do not speak
about how the Armenian population was destroyed.

However, Birecik and its environs are of great significance in the
history of the Armenian Genocide. Nıvard Å~^irinyan, who spoke to
Verjine Svazlian who compiled the memoirs of those who survived the
Armenian Genocide, was among those who passed through Birecik in 1908
when she was 5-6 years old: “Before the massacre we lived in Tokat,
we were very wealthy, we had everything. They first took the men, and
never brought them back. We heard that they had all been slaughtered…

We passed through Kırkız, Malatya and Birecik, and reached Carablus.

We reached Aleppo, there, my uncle’s two children died.”

While for some, Birecik was a stop on the deportation route, for
some others, it was a turning point. Like Toros Petrosi Tercanyan,
who was born in Sivas in 1912: “We stayed in the Birecik town camp
close to the Euphrates River for a few months. One day, my mother
was trying to make way through the crowds to reach the fountain when
a Turkish soldier hit her on the head with the back of his rifle. My
mother passed away a few days later. I embraced my dear mother’s body
and did not want to let her go for days.”

Hakob Cırcıyan, who was born in Antep in 1900, and was forced into
exile at 15, told the story of how Ironsmith Artin was killed in
Birecik when he tried to escape from the convoy: “I wish I had gone
blind so I did not see those horrific scenes. We arrived in Homs-Hama
on foot… They had tied the hands and feet of children and women and
lined them up along the shore of the Euphrates River to slaughter
them. One of the exiles, Ironsmith Artin, broke his chains, jumped
into the water, and reached Birecik swimming under water… But the
Daciks [Turks] killed Artin with seven bullets.”

Historian Raymond Kévorkian, in his book ‘The Armenian Genocide’
states that losses were great on the Urfa-Birecik route, the first
route of the exile of the Armenians. According to Kévorkian, only 20%
(around 130 thousand people) of the population along this route had
managed to reach the Syrian deserts.

The Aleppo Consul of Germany Walter Rössler, provided detailed
information about the victims of the Genocide on the shore of the
Euphrates in Birecik in the reports he wrote: “As I reported on July
17, the bodies on the Euphrates I mentioned before were visible for
twenty-five days in Rumkale, Birecik and Cerablus. All the bodies
had been tied together in twos, back to back, in the same way… A
few days later, the number of bodies increased. This time, most of
them were women and children.”