Author: Badalian Vardan

Le Figaro , France
vendredi 16 janvier 2015 11:02 AM GMT

Le président arménien invité en Turquie en avril

Le président turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan a invité son homologue arménien
à la commémoration du 100e anniversaire de la bataille de Gallipoli en
avril, en même temps que celui des massacres d’Arméniens d…

Le président turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan a invité son homologue arménien
à la commémoration du 100e anniversaire de la bataille de Gallipoli en
avril, en même temps que celui des massacres d’Arméniens de 1915,
a-t-on appris vendredi de source officielle.

M. Erdogan a envoyé des lettres d’invitation à Serge Sarkissian ainsi
qu’à 101 autres chefs d’Etat et de gouvernement, dont le président
américain Barack Obama, pour les deux jours de célébrations prévus les
23 et 24 avril.

Le 25 avril 1915, des troupes anglaises, néo-zélandaises,
australiennes et françaises ont débarqué dans la péninsule de
Gallipoli, dans le détroit des Dardanelles, pour porter la guerre au
coeur de l’Empire ottoman, allié de l’Allemagne. Elles ont battu en
retraite neuf mois plus après une bataille qui a coûté la vie à
180.000 alliés et 66.000 Turcs.

C’est au cours de cette bataille que s’est illustré le colonel Mustafa
Kemal, qui proclamera en 1923 la République turque moderne née de la
chute de l’Empire ottoman. Les festivités de Gallipoli attirent chaque
année des milliers de visiteurs venus d’Australie et de
Nouvelle-Zélande, où le 25 avril est un jour de fête nationale. Elles
coïncident avec le jour retenu pour célébrer le souvenir des massacres
d’Arméniens par les Ottomans pendant la Première guerre mondiale,
qualifiés de génocide par Erevan.

Le 24 avril 1915, des centaines d’Arméniens ont été arrêtés et plus
tard massacrés à Constantinople, l’ancienne Istanbul, marquant le
début des tueries. La Turquie a toujours refusé d’admettre toute
élimination planifiée, évoquant la mort d’environ 500.000 Arméniens
(contre 1,5 million selon l’Arménie), qui s’étaient rangés du côté de
son ennemie la Russie, lors de combats ou à cause de famines.

En avril 2014, le président Erdogan, alors Premier ministre, avait
offert des condoléances sans précédent pour les victimes arméniennes,
parlant d’une “douleur commune”. Mais la semaine dernière, il a
formellement écarté toute reconnaissance du génocide. Selon un sondage
paru cette semaine, moins de 10% des Turcs souhaitent que leur
gouvernement reconnaisse un génocide des Arméniens.

Le président Sarkissian a formellement invité l’an dernier son
homologue turc à participer aux commémorations du génocide.

Les deux pays voisins n’entretiennent pas de relation diplomatique.

Cihan News Agency, Turkey
Jan 19 2015

Thousands march to mark 8th anniversary of slain journalist’s murder

ISTANBUL – 19.01.2015 15:38:46

Thousands of people have started marching from Taksim Square to the
headquarters of the Agos newspaper to commemorate slain
Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink, who was shot dead outside his
newspaper’s office in Ã…?iÃ…?li on Jan. 19, 2007, on the eighth
anniversary of his assassination.

The large-scale march kicked off at 1:30 p.m. on Monday in Ä°stanbul’s
Taksim Square and will end in front of the Agos newspaper, which is on
Halaskargazi Street in the Ã…?iÃ…?li district.

Pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Co-chairpersons Selahattin
DemirtaÅ? and Figen YüksekdaÄ? will also attend the march.

Security forces have taken strict security measures in Taksim for the march.

Dozens of people, including Dink’s wife, Rakel Dink, and other members
of the Dink family, gathered at the Balıklı Armenian Cemetery in the
Zeytinburnu district of Ä°stanbul on Sunday, one day before the eighth
anniversary of Dink’s death. Carnations were laid on Dink’s grave.

Various journalists’ unions released statements on Monday to commemorate Dink.

Turkish Journalists Federation (TGF) Chairman Atilla Sertel said the
case launched to find the perpetrators of Dink’s murder has not
reached a conclusion that satisfies the public even though a long time
has passed since the murder. Noting that justice has not yet been
served despite eight years having passed since Dink was shot to death
in the middle of the street, Sertel said they want the real
perpetrators to be revealed and they want them to justly suffer the
consequences of their deeds.

The Turkish Journalists Association (TGD) stated in its commemoration
message on Monday: `The murderers and the dark powers behind the Dink
murder have not yet been punished, although years have passed. Hrant
Dink, a journalist who was defending the unity and peaceful
co-existence of communities in Turkey, and thus fighting against
racism, was killed by a fascist mindset.’

In its commemoration message, the Turkish Journalists’ Society (TGC)
highlighted that the real criminals behind the murder have not yet
been revealed. It said the public conscience, which was damaged by the
murder, can only be recovered after the real perpetrators are punished
in a fair trial.
Dink was shot and killed by an ultra-nationalist teenager. The hit
man, Ogün Samast, and 18 others were brought to trial. Since then, the
lawyers for the Dink family and the co-plaintiffs in the case have
presented evidence indicating that Samast did not act alone. Another
suspect, Yasin Hayal, was given life in prison for inciting Samast to
murder.

WILL SERBIA BE ABLE TO SOBER AZERBAIJAN?

Monday, 19 January 2015 17:19

The calendar year of 2015 has come into force, like the
political year. What will it bring to the process of the
Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict settlement, can we hope for some
progress in the issue’s solution, and are there the necessary
prerequisites for this? To answer these questions, we should cast a
retrospective glance at the past year.

It should be recognized that the negotiation process,
which hadn’t either been extremely dynamic previously and had been in
a state of chronic slippage, experienced an obvious regression in
2014. We believe that Switzerland, which chaired the OSCE last year,
is less likely to be blamed for the failure of the settlement process.
In early 2014, OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Minister of Foreign Affairs of
Switzerland Didier Burkhalter stated that the Karabakh conflict would
be among the most important priorities of the OSCE. “We are well aware
that progress cannot occur instantly and that no settlement can be
achieved until the parties to the conflict wish it themselves”, said
the former head of the OSCE. And we cannot but agree with him. He, as
the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, can be just chided for his complacent
attitude to the authorities of Azerbaijan, which is precisely the
party, which does not seek the settlement.

The situation in the settlement process was really quite
shaky and blurry last year, however, the gross violations of the
ceasefire by Azerbaijan, its repeated acts of sabotage on the border
with Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, which led to human losses,
escalated extremely the situation. These actions, actually, reflect
the policy of the ruling regime in Azerbaijan, which, regardless ofthe
appeals by the co-chair states of the OSCE Minsk Group for a peaceful
resolution of the conflict, continues its militaristic policy that
threatens the whole region. Realizing the extreme danger of the
consequences of such a policy of official Baku, Russia, the USA and
France, as co-chair states of the OSCE Minsk Group, initiated last
year meetings between the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan for
preventing dangerous developments and a new round of hostilities.

To be fair, it should be noted that the efforts of the
mediators allowed, to a certain extent, to defuse the situation, but
just two weeks after the last meeting of Serzh Sargsyan and Ilham Alev
in Paris, the Azerbaijani party downed a helicopter of the NKR Defense
Army, which was carrying out a training flight. The incident with the
helicopter became the culmination of the provocative and hostile
actions of Azerbaijan and, one might say, nullified the situation in
the conflict settlement process. The question whether the negotiation
process can be revived is very difficult, especially given the armed
provocations and sabotages by the Azerbaijani party, which have
recently intensified and even acquired a permanent character. This
question is to be answered by Serbia, which took over from Switzerland
in 2015 and headed the OSCE.

Before taking the position of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office,
Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic stated, “The Nagorno Karabakh
issue will be a priority for the Serbian chairmanship at the OSCE.
Surely, it is yet early to talk about a new format, but we will work
objectively with all parties. I … will make every effort to reach
the conflict settlement”. Attention is drawn to certain restraint by
Dacic, who did not assume any overrated commitments, and his words can
be considered as a “protocol of intents”. But, it is also worth
considering his idea of willingness to work with all parties. As we
know, the previous Chairmen-in-Office of the OSCE, in favor of
official Baku, didn’t want to change the current deformed format of
negotiations, which lacks the major party – the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic, which distorts the real configuration of the conflict.

In any case, the achievement of the conflict settlement,
noted by the Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs, will largely depend
on whether the international community and, in particular, the
co-chairing states of the OSCE Minsk Group, will manage to sober the
Azerbaijani authorities and to encourage them to engage in a
constructive dialogue based on objective perception of the post-Soviet
realities. The question is equally topical and difficult, as official
Baku does not display even the slightest desire to move away from its
unrealistic position. According to the recent statements by President
Aliyev, the actions of official Baku convincingly prove Azerbaijan’s
refusal to settle the conflict on the principles proposed by the OSCE
Minsk Group Co-Chairmen. Moreover, at the January 10 meeting of the
Government, Aliyev criticized the Minsk Group, accusing it of failure,
without wishing to notice that this failure is a consequence of his
tough and dangerous policy relying on a military force. After all, in
spite of the mediators’ proposals, Baku offers to determine the status
of Nagorno Karabakh exclusively within the territorial integrity of
Azerbaijan, which contradicts the concept of settlement and is fraught
with a new war.

To be objective, it should be noted that an important
factor, impacting the Karabakh settlement process, is also the
political situation in the region and in the world. It is obvious that
against the background of the events related to the dangerous
processes in the Middle East, in particular, to the activities of
theIslamic State terrorist organization, as well as to the Ukrainian
crisis and thedeterioration of relations between the West and Russia,
the Karabakh conflict isfalling by the wayside. Despite the complexity
of the geopolitical situation, theNKR, nevertheless, should strengthen
its sovereign statehood and seek theinternational recognition of its
independence in 2015.

Leonid MARTIROSSIAN
Editor-in-Chief of Azat Artsakh newspaper

Armenian turkologist: Erdogan’s decision is disrespect to genocide victims

14:00, 19.01.2015

YEREVAN. – Turkey was preparing a long time ago to mark in 2015 the
centenary of the victory at the Battle of Gallipoli, but the decision
to commemorate it on April 24 is quite low in terms of any
civilizational and ethical dimension, turkologist Andranik Ispiryan
said at a press conference on Monday.

“It is clear and simple that, with this decision, the president of
Turkey will attempt to divert the world’s attention from the events
[to be held] devoted to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide.

“For any reasonable person, [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan’s
decision to declare April 24–which is the Day of Genocide–day of
victory at the Battle of Gallipoli, is cynicism and a disrespect
towards the 1.5 million Armenians killed [as a result of the
genocide],” Ispiryan stated, in particular.

The turkologist also stressed that Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s
response to Erdogan’s invitation to take part in the Battle of
Gallipoli centenary events was long, correct, accurate, and
appropriate.

“The response of the President of Armenia was penned within the limits
of diplomatic ethics,” Ispiryan added.

The Daily Star, Lebanon
Jan 19 2015

Armenian baby becomes seventh casualty of killing spree blamed on
Russian soldier

Policemen block protesters near the Russian embassy in Yerevan,
January 15, 2015.
REUTERS/PAN Photo/Hrant Khachatryan

MOSCOW: A six-month-old boy became the seventh member of an Armenian
family Monday to die after a killing spree blamed on a Russian soldier
serving at a military base in the tiny Caucasus nation that has
strained ties between Moscow and Yerevan.

Armenia’s law enforcement officials say the soldier is their main
suspect after military uniform boots with his name on them were found
at the site where six members of the Avetisyan family were killed last
week.

The baby, Sergei, died in hospital of his wounds.

The soldier’s motive remains unclear. Several thousand people staged
protests last Thursday in the capital Yerevan and in Gyumri, Armenia’s
second largest city where the shootings took place, demanding the
soldier’s handover.

Russia’s defense ministry has confirmed that a soldier went missing
before the killings, which it called a tragedy, but has given no other
details.

The incident has whipped up tension between Russia and Armenia, a
former Soviet republic which normally enjoys close ties with Moscow
and has signed up to a Russian-led Customs Union, a pet project of
President Vladimir Putin.

In a telephone call Sunday with Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan,
Putin promised a swift investigation to bring the culprits to justice.

Local officials said the suspect was being held at the Russian military base.

In 1999, a court in Gyumri sentenced two soldiers from the same
Russian base to 14 and 15 years in jail for killing two people and
wounding several more in indiscriminate firing in the city, local
media reported at the time.

Full-Time Whistle
Jan 16 2015

Erdogan invites Armenia leader to Gallipoli service

Editor : David JACKMAN

ANKARA: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Friday warned of a “clash
of civilisations” following the wake of the Islamist militant attacks
in Paris and he also appeared to criticise France for allowing the
wife of one of the gunmen to travel via Turkey to Syria.

Erdogan, a devout Sunni Muslim, has already accused the West of
hypocrisy after the attacks last week in which the gunmen killed 17,
including 12 at the offices of the satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo.
The three gunmen were also killed.

Speaking at a businessmen’s meeting in the capital Ankara, Erdogan
said Charlie Hebdo was known for its provocative publications.

“We are following with great concern the attacks against Islam hidden
behind the attack on the satirical magazine in France,” said Erdogan,
who has become an increasingly vocal critic of what he sees as
mounting Islamaphobia in the West.

“Despite all our efforts to prevent it, the clash of civilisations
thesis is being brought to life.”

Charlie Hebdo has published numerous cartoons mocking religious.

Erdogan said the decision to print millions of copies of the magazine
had nothing to do with freedom of expression and was instead
“terrorising the freedom of others”.

A Turkish newspaper which reproduced part of the magazine is currently
being investigated by prosecutors.

Without giving names, Erdogan also appeared to take aim at the French
authorities for allowing Hayat Boumeddiene, the wife of one of the
gunmen, to travel to Turkey in the days before the attacks. She is now
thought to be in Syria. “They are talking about people who go through
Turkey, but they should first learn how to check passports when these
people are leaving their own country,” Erdogan said.

Turkey has tightened its border security after facing criticism for
allowing hundreds of European would-be militants transit into
neighbouring Syria to join up with radical groups, including Islamic
State.

A French official said this week that intelligence co-operation
between Paris and Ankara was strong and emphasised that Turkey was not
at fault for not picking up Boumeddiene.

“This is not and should not become an issue, because there’s lots
still to do, there’s other people that we need to track. We’re not
blaming Turkey at all,” the official told Reuters.

Interfax, Russia
Jan 16 2015

Child injured by Russian soldier successfully operated by Russian
doctors in Yerevan

YEREVAN. Jan 16

Six-month-old Sergei Avetisian, who was injured by the Russian
military serviceman Valery Permyakov in Gyumri, has undergone a
successful neurosurgical operation in Yerevan, the Armenian Health
Ministry said.

“The operation was a success. The child remains stable but critical,”
a ministry spokesperson told Interfax.

Earlier on Friday Armenian specialists held extensive telephone
consultations with specialists from clinics in Cleveland, Israel,
Fribourg, Moscow and St. Petersburg, the spokesperson said.

“It was decided to conduct a neurosurgical operation to prevent the
threat of further profound disability,” the spokesperson said.

The operation was conducted jointly with specialists from Armenia by
William Khachatryan, Director of the Children’s Clinic at the Polenov
Research Institute of Neurosurgery in St. Petersburg, the spokesperson
said.

The child suffered multiple penetrating stab injuries, some of them in
the abdomen, Armenian Health Minister Armen Muradian said earlier. The
first surgery was conducted on January 12.

On January 12 six members of one family, including a two-year-old
child, were killed in the city of Gyumri in northern Armenia. The
six-month Seryozha Avetisian survived the stab injuries and was
hospitalized in a critical condition.

Permyakov, a soldier from the Russian military base N102 in Gyumri,
was arrested shortly afterwards and is currently being held at his
base. On January 14 he was formally charged both in Russia and
Armenia.

Kk ap

MyArkLaMiss
Jan 16 2015

AgCenter Project Teaches Food Safety in Armenia

BATON ROUGE, La. – An LSU AgCenter project that teaches Armenians
about food safety could help more producers and processors in the
Eurasian country get certifications that will help them expand global
trade.

David Picha, director of AgCenter International Programs, said the
AgCenter has been involved in the project for several years. Armenian
agriculture has great potential but needs significant improvement, he
told attendees at the Global Agriculture Hour on Jan. 13.

Aging infrastructure and a low level of education mean most food
processors in Armenia, a former republic of the Soviet Union, do not
comply with international food safety standards, Picha said. That
confines most of Armenia’s trade of agricultural products to Russia.

About a dozen AgCenter faculty members have traveled to Armenia in the
past decade to provide training in two major food safety certification
programs: GlobalGAP, which the European Union requires, and Hazard
Analysis and Critical Control Points. They also are teaching Armenian
producers and processors about rules in the forthcoming U.S. Food
Safety Modernization Act, which imposes new requirements for imported
foods.

The National Center for Biomedical Research and Training at LSU and
the Southern University Ag Center also participate in the project.

The AgCenter’s work in Armenia is done through the Center for
Agribusiness and Rural Development, an Armenian foundation mostly
funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. CARD is a farm service
center, Picha said, that provides farmers with much-needed technical
information, financing, supplies and equipment.

Armenia is a poor country, with about 36 percent of its population
living below the poverty line. Three million people live in Armenia;
one million live in the capital, Yerevan.

Armenia became independent in 1991, but the transition from being part
of the Soviet Union to being an independent country was difficult. The
gross domestic product fell 60 percent between 1989 and 1992, Picha
said.

There was an “overnight shock” in the agriculture sector when the
Soviet Union collapsed, Picha said. The Soviets grew fruits and
vegetables on large collective farms in Armenia, processed them in
local factories, sent them to Moscow and distributed them throughout
the Eastern Bloc. When the USSR ceased to exist, so did Armenia’s
markets for agricultural products.

Agriculture is still important in Armenia, however, making up 19.2
percent of its GDP. About 40 percent of jobs are in agriculture. But
the sector is not globally competitive.

“Much of the agricultural production in Armenia is still for
consumption at home,” Picha said. “It’s not processed or exported.
It’s much like our country was 60 or 70 years ago on rural family
farms.”

In Armenia, about 340,000 family farms average around one acre in
size, Picha said. Potatoes, other vegetables and tree fruits are key
crops. Families often also raise chickens for eggs and a couple of
cows for meat and milk.

Wine, cognac and cheeses are Armenia’s major agricultural exports,
which mostly go to Russia. Armenia’s borders with Turkey and
Azerbaijan are closed, which restricts trade even further. Gradually,
however, Armenia is exporting to more countries, including the U.S.,
Picha said.

Armenia faces a challenging future. Agriculture is mostly done using
old machinery and outdated production practices, and food processing
plants rarely meet certification requirements for international trade.

For example, apricots are an important crop in Armenia, but yields
there can be one-half to one-third lower than other countries produce,
Picha said. No breeding program provides farmers with new varieties to
replace Soviet-era planting stock. Armenia also has only one
agricultural research university that conducts limited outreach work,
so farmers are often unaware of modern cultural and pest management
practices.

The aging Soviet-era factories where foods are processed have outdated
equipment and technology, lack cold storage and are energy
inefficient, Picha said. Those problems prevent most Armenian
processors from exporting their products to the EU and U.S.

The Armenian government has made a strategic plan for agriculture that
prioritizes improvements to food processing, Picha said.

“Armenia was a leader in that area in the Soviet days,” he said. “They
want to try to recapture that in today’s global market.”

SCVNEWS.com
Jan 16 2015

Jan. 31: CSUN Conference on Armenian Genocide

California State University, Northridge | Friday, Jan 16, 2015

California State University, Northridge’s Armenian Studies Program
will host a one-day conference from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on
Saturday, Jan. 31, in the Grand Salon at the University Student Union.

“The Armenian Genocide: Accounting and Accountability” is dedicated to
the generations of 1915 and 2015 as a part of the United Armenian
Council of Los Angeles’ Armenian Genocide Centennial Commemorative
Events.

“The significance of hosting the conference at CSUN is three-fold,”
said Vahram Shemmassian, director of CSUN’s Armenian Studies program
within the Department of Modern and Classical Languages and
Literatures. “CSUN has the largest number of students of Armenian
background outside of Armenia, as far as four-year universities are
concerned. The greater Los Angeles area is home to the second-largest
community of the worldwide Armenian diaspora. Lastly, the conference
also aims to further expose CSUN to the Armenian community at large,
hopefully attracting more friends and supporters as a result.”

The morning session will include two panels. The first panel,
“Language as a Victim,” will be moderated by Hagop Gulludjian and will
feature the following speakers and topics: Vartan Matiossian,
“Pleading no Context: On Uses and Abuses of the Word Yeghern;”
professor Barlow Der Mugrdechian, “Western Armenian Language and
Literature in Exile: Genocide and Its Consequences;” and Shushan
Karapetian, “The Burden of Language as a Moral Obligation.”

The second panel will explore “Teaching Genocide,” with Rubina
Peroomian moderating. Hasmig Baran will talk about “Content and
Pedagogy of Genocide Education in the 21st Century: The Armenian
Case”; Roxanne Makasdjian will talk about “Armenian Genocide Education
in Secondary Schools Today;” and Kori Street will talk about
“Educating for Change: Using Testimonies in Teaching about Genocide.”

Third and fourth panels will be held in the afternoon session.

Levon Marashlian will moderate the third panel, “Those Who Were Forced
to Assimilate.” It will feature the following speakers and subjects:
Khatchig Mouradian on “Un-Hiding the Past: Myth-Making and the ‘Hidden
Armenians’ of Turkey;” Elyse Semerdjian on “‘The Girl with the Cross
Tattoo:’ Field Notes on Crypto-Armenians;” and Vahram Shemmassian on
“The Fate of Captive Armenian Genocide Survivors in Syria.”

The Armenian Bar Association will conduct the fourth panel, titled
“Legal Responses to Genocide-Related Liabilities.” Garo Ghazarian will
introduce the panelists. Armen K. Hovannisian will moderate the panel.
The speakers and their topics include: Saro Kerkonian on “Justice for
Genocide: Opportunities and Challenges in United States Courts;” Edvin
Minassian on “Justice for Genocide: Opportunities and Challenges in
Turkey’s Courts;” and Karnig Kerkonian on “Justice for Genocide:
Opportunities and Challenges in International Courts.” The conference
will conclude with a commentary by Richard G. Hovannisian.

The Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures at
CSUN is co-sponsoring the event, along with the United Armenian
Council of Los Angeles, the National Association for Armenian Studies
and Research, The Knights of Vartan – Los Angeles County Chapters, the
Armenian Bar Association and the Armenian General Benevolent Union.
The Ararat-Eskijian Museum of Mission Hills will exhibit American Near
East Relief posters during the conference.

The nearest parking lot to the University Student Union is G3 on
Prairie Street (on campus) at Zelzah Avenue, near Nordhoff Street.
Parking permits ($6) can be obtained at the information booth or via
machines. For further information, please contact Vahram Shemmassian
at [email protected] or (818) 677-3456.

Armenia-Georgia military cooperation plan for 2015 signed

January 16, 2015 17:42
Davit Tonoyan and Levan Girshiashvili
Photo: Press service of Armenian Defense Ministry

Yerevan/Mediamax/. Armenia-Georgia bilateral military cooperation plan
for 2015 was signed in Tbilisi today.

The document was signed by First Deputy Defense Minister of Armenia
Davit Tonoyan and Deputy Defense Minister of Georgia Levan
Girshiashvili.

At the meeting preceding the signing, the sides discussed the present
and prospects of defense cooperation, touching upon regional security
issues. As a key area of cooperation, the sides attached importance to
military education and trainings.

Davit Tonoyan thanked the Georgian side for having created
professional retraining opportunities for the staff of Armenian Armed
Forces in the Sachkhere Mountain Training School.

The delegation of the Armenian Defense Ministry also met with Georgian
Defense Minister Mindia Janelidze, visited the National Defense
Academy of Georgia situated in Gori.

– See more at: