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IN THE 14TH PLACE
[12:09 pm] 29 January, 2007
The figure skating European Championship in Warsaw is
over. Armenian pair Anastasia Grebenkina-Vazgen
Azroyan took the 14th place. The French pair, Isabelle
Delobel – Olivier Schoenfelder became champion of
Europe.
Las year the Armenian pair had the same result in the
European championship.
Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Jan 29 2007
Assailants break windows of a church in Samsun
Unknown assailants on Sunday stoned a two-story building housing a
Protestant church in the Black Sea port city of Samsun, the pastor of
the church said.
"The assailants broke at least 10 windows in an overnight attack,"
said Mehmet Orhan Pıçaklar, the pastor of the Agape Church.
"This is the seventh or eight such attack over the past three years.
Separately, I am constantly receiving death threats by e-mail."
Pıçaklar said the church had moved into the building just two
weeks ago. Uniformed police officers were deployed outside the church
after the attack. The attack was the latest against Christians in
predominantly Muslim Turkey.
Ethnic Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, who spoke out about the mass
killings of Armenians in the early 20th century, was gunned down
outside his newspaper on Jan. 19.
Last February, a Turkish teenager shot dead a Catholic priest, the
Rev. Andrea Santoro, as he knelt in prayer in his church in the Black
Sea port of Trabzon. The attack was believed linked to widespread
anger in the Islamic world over the publication in European
newspapers of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. Two other Catholic
priests were also attacked last year. Of Turkey’s 70 million people,
some 65,000 are Armenian Orthodox Christians, 20,000 are Roman
Catholic, and 3,500 are Protestant, mostly converts from Islam.
Around 2,000 are Greek Orthodox and 23,000 are Jewish. İstanbul
Today?s Zaman with wires
MORE FAVORABLE COEFFICIENT OF RIGHTS OF RECEIVING FAMILY BENEFITS
ESTABLISHED FOR LONE PENSIONERS
YEREVAN, JANUARY 26, NOYAN TAPAN. This year 26 bln 429 mln drams
(nearly 72.4 mln USD) will be allocated from the state budget for
family benefit payments against 24 bln 337 mln in 2006. As Astghik
Minasian, Head of Social Assistance Department of RA Ministry of Labor
and Social Issues, reported at the January 26 press conference, in 2007
the average family benefit will amount to 17 thousand drams (in 2006 15
thousand drams). In her words, it is expected that 125 thousand 400
families will be included in family benefit system this year. And 130
thousand out of 182 thousand families registered in family security
estimation system received family benefits in 2006. Deputy Minister
Artsvik Minasian said that for receiving family benefits the limit unit
of family security in 2007 will remain the same, 33.00. In her words,
the basic part of family benefit will amount to 7500 drams (in 2006 700
drams) for families not having members aged 18 and below and 7000 drams
for those having members aged 18 and below (in 2006 7000 drams).
A.Minasian said that according to the change made in the order of
estimation of family security, more favorable coefficient was
established for lone pensioners. Thus, formerly the latters were left
out of the system due to rise of pension, while in 2007 even in case of
rise of average pension by 2500 drams they will continue to receive
benefits. A.Minasian also reported that the families registered in the
system, in which third child or child following the third will be born,
starting January 1 2007, will receive one-off benefit amounting to 200
thousand drams.
Hollywood Reporter, CA
Jan 26 2007
Berlinale Special tackles tough subjects
By Scott Roxborough
Jan 26, 2007
COLOGNE, Germany — Politics past and present, an apocalyptic fantasy
set in modern-day Russia and the art of cooking a good meal are among
the highlights of this year’s Berlinale Special, the gala sidebar of
the Berlin International Film Festival.
"I Have Never Forgotten You — The Life and Legacy of Simon
Wiesenthal," Richard Trank’s documentary on the legendary Nazi
hunter, will have its world premiere in Berlin. The documentary,
narrated by Nicole Kidman, includes previously unseen archival
material as well as interviews with Wiesenthal’s closest friends and
family.
Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean and founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center,
who co-wrote and co-produced the film, will attend the premiere.
Another highly political film, "The Lark Farm," from Italian brothers
Paolo and Vittorio Taviani, will debut in the sidebar. Starring Paz
Vega, Germany’s Moritz Bleibtreu, Arsinee Khanjian and Angela Molina,
the film focuses on an Armenian family in Turkey in May 1915 as the
Ottoman Empire orders the expulsion and widespread slaughter of the
Armenian minority.
The events, which many regard as an act of genocide, are at the
center of a heated debate in Europe. Turkish-Armenian journalist
Hrant Dink, one of the most outspoken critics of the mass killings,
was assassinated earlier this year by a young man who accused him of
"insulting Turkey." Thousands of mourners attended Dink’s funeral in
Istanbul this week.
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Krisztina Goda’s "Children of Glory" takes a slightly different look
at European politics, examining the infamous water polo match between
the Soviet Union and Hungary at the 1956 Olympic Games. The match,
held shortly after the Soviets violently crushed the Hungarian
uprising, has been called the bloodiest ever played as even the
spectators attacked the Soviet players.
A more personal look at politics comes from Jay Anania, whose "Day on
Fire" chronicles the lives of five very different people who meet by
chance on a winter’s day in New York.
Other films screening at the Berlinale Special program include
"Sakuran," the debut feature from Japanese photographer Mika
Ninagawa; Fernando Perez’s "Madrigal," a look at the theater
community in modern-day Cuba; and the documentary "Comrades in
Dreams," from German director Uli Gaulke, which follows film fanatics
from around the globe.
Food and Zen are the focus of Doris Doerrie’s docu "How to Cook Your
Life," which looks at the principles of Zen Buddhism and how they can
apply to cooking dinner. It features California Zen master Edward
Espe Brown.
Finally, for pure escapism, the Berlinale Special program will
feature the international premiere of Timur Bekmambetov’s "Day
Watch," the second installment in his fantasy adventure series. The
first film in the series, "Night Watch," had its international
premiere at the festival in 2005 and broke all boxoffice records in
Russia.
"ARMENIANS ALSO REMEMBER "BLACK JANUARY" WHEN SOVIET ARMY CAME TO SAVE ARMENIANS OF BAKU WHO BECAME VICTIMS
OF MASSACRE FOR ALREADY SEVERAL DAYS," SPOKESPERSON FOR ARMENIAN FM SAID
Armenpress
YEREVAN, JANUARY 25, ARMENPRESS: "Armenians also remember the "Black
January" in Baku when the Soviet Army came not to press the movement
for freedom but to save the Armenians of Baku who become victims of
massacre for already several days," spokesperson for the Armenian
foreign minister Vladimir Karapetian told Armenpress, referring to the
circumstance that January 20 in Azerbaijan is considered the Day of
Tragedy in January when in 1990 the Russian army entered Azerbaijan
and killed innocent people.
"Really, the Soviet army was late and when they blockaded the 8
tyrants the crime had already been committed. As a result over two
hundred thousand Armenians escaped from Baku," Karapetian reminded.
Speaking to a news conference in Yerevan the chief of the Communist
party Ruben Torosian said he had raised the issue last week in Moscow
when meeting with his Russian counterpart Gennady Zyuganov.
The murder of darker-skinned immigrants from the Caucasus and Central
Asia is widely blamed on neo-Nazi skinhead groups openly operating
in Moscow, Saint-Petersburg and other Russian cities.
Torosian lamented in Yerevan saying it was very difficult to see
how a nation that was on the forefront of fighting against fascism
is giving birth to neo-Nazi groups. Tigran Karapetian, head of the
People’s Party, said Russians have always been ‘pronounced chauvinists’
and their attacks are not against Armenians alone, but against people
from the Caucasus and Central Asia.
"Friendship is over when blood spills. We can accept Russians as
friends but when they kill Armenians we deem it unacceptable," he said.
The most recent of those killings was reported last week when a
16 year-old Armenian boy was stabbed to death near Moscow, but
reports from Moscow were overshadowed by the murder of Hrant Dink,
an Armenian-Turkish journalist, slain in Istanbul.
Armenian and Azerbaijani delegations met in Strasbourg
ArmRadio.am
26.01.2007 11:41
January 25 in Strasbourg the Armenian and Azerbaijani delegations
met in the framework of the PACE ad hoc Commission on Nagorno
Karabakh. Charmin of the Commission Lord Russell Johnston presented
the further deeds. Agreements were reached on a number of questions:
first, in the first half of 2007 the Commission will visit the region –
Armenia, Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh – to have meetings; second,
everything should be done to accomplish Resolution #1416; third,
propaganda of hatred and military rhetoric should be stopped; fourth,
the meetings should continue for the benefit of further development
of relations.
According to the Chairman of RA National Assembly, head of the
Armenian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council
of Europe Tigran Torosyan, one can speak about the results of
such meetings only after speeches are voiced during the next PACE
session, which will include no propaganda of hatred, dissemination of
insincerity. Then we can say that such meetings are useful. Otherwise,
it is hard to anticipate any use, since such meeting are not targeted
at the resolution of the issue, but can promote the improvement of
the atmosphere and relative normalization of relations.
Pamuk sees defenders of 301 responsible for Dink’s murder
NTV MSNBC, Turkey
Jan 22 2007
People are still paying tribute to Turkish-Armenian journalist
Hrant Dink, who was killed on Friday, by laying flowers at the scene
of murder.
Guncelleme: 16:32 TSÝ 22 Ocak 2007 PazartesiISTANBUL – The
responsibility for the murder of Turkish-Armenian writer Hrant Dink
should be laid at the door of those who tried to portray him as an
enemy of Turkey, Turkey’s Noble Laureate Orhan Pamuk said late Sunday.
Speaking during a visit to the offices of the Argos newspaper in
Istanbul, where Dink was gunned down Friday, Pamuk said that those
who were still defending article 301 of the Turkish penal code were
responsible of Dink’s death.
"Certainly we all are responsible…. But firstly, those who declared
our brother an enemy of Turkey are responsible," Pamuk said.
Pamuk, who along with Dink was also tried under notorious article
301 of the Turkish Penal Code, which covers the crime of "insulting
Turkishness", said that Dink, who was the editor in chief and founder
of Agos, was killed because he expressed his thoughts.
Famous Turkish singer Sezen Aksu visited the Dink family and spoke
of her sadness at having lost one of Turkey’s most courageous citizens.
–Boundary_(ID_5y+vBPvZnw+07qpPQa71PQ)- –
PRESS OFFICE
Department of Communications
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Jake Goshert, Coordinator of Information Services
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 160; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
January 22, 2007
___________________
PRIMATE MEETS WITH FAMILY OF SLAIN JOURNALIST, SPEAKS TO INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian
Church of America (Eastern), has arrived in Istanbul for the funeral
of slain Armenian journalist Hrant Dink. Archbishop Barsamian will be
representing His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos
of All Armenians, and the Armenian-American community at the funeral.
The Primate was received at the Patriarchate by His Beatitude
Archbishop Mesrob II Mutafyan, Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul.
The Patriarch and the Primate met privately to discuss the state of
the Armenian community in Turkey following the assassination. They
also reviewed plans for Dink’s funeral, which will be held Tuesday,
January 23, 2007, at the St. Mary Church next to the Patriarchate.
Following his meeting with the Patriarch of Istanbul, the Primate was
received at the offices of Agos, the paper Dink led as editor. He had
an opportunity to comfort and speak with the colleagues and friends
of Hrant Dink who plan to carry on his work in publishing Agos. It was
on the doorstep of his office that Dink was assassinated last Friday.
Following his visit to the Agos editorial offices, the Primate paid
a private, pastoral visit to Rakel Dink, Hrant’s wife, at their home.
The Primate conveyed the personal prayers of His Holiness Karekin II
as well as those of the more than 1 million Armenian-Americans.
Following his pastoral visit with Rakel Dink and her children, the
Primate spoke with CNN International, which is in Turkey covering
the assassination.
Dink, a long-time champion of the Armenian community in Istanbul, was
shot down Friday outside his office. In 2005, Dink was charged with
insulting Turkey by writing about the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman
Turkey between 1915 and 1918. The Turkish government’s official policy
is to deny that the genocide occurred. One suspected killer has been
arrested, and authorities have several others in custody.
Before departing for Istanbul the Primate led a requiem service at New
York City’s St. Vartan Cathedral. He directed all Armenian Churches
throughout the Eastern Diocese to hold such services on Sunday,
January 21, 2007.
"We are gathered today to join the world in grieving the loss of a
brave man, a talented journalist, Hrant Dink. His assassination in
Istanbul represents not only a loss for the Armenian people, of whom
he was a faithful son and articulate writer, but a loss for all people
of the world who love truth, free speech and responsible journalism,"
the Primate said in his remarks before those gathered at the St. Vartan
Cathedral. "He used his position to challenge those who deny the
Armenian Genocide, to shine the light of truth upon that dark chapter
and educate his neighbors about a shameful past that is hidden."
"For discussing the truth – the attempted extermination of the
Armenians in Ottoman Turkey – he was harassed on the street, tried
in court, and, ultimately, shot dead outside of his office," the
Primate continued. "May God rest his soul, and may He welcome this
noble champion of the Armenian people into His heavenly kingdom."
For the Primate’s complete remarks, visit the News and Events section
of the Eastern Diocese’s website:
— 1/22/07
# # #
The New Anatolian, Turkey
Jan 19 2007
Besnainou: Turkey’s membership is in EU’s interest
Turkey’s European Union membership is in the interests of the EU
itself, said Pierre Besnainou, chair of the European Jewish Council,
on Thursday, adding, "Turkey is a country that can also positively
contribute to the stability of the region."
Besnainou met with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
during a visit to Ankara yesterday, a meeting he later described as
"very interesting."
Speaking to reporters following his meeting with the premier,
Besnainou expressed his firm belief that Turkey’s EU membership will
benefit both sides, and underlined Turkey’s positive role in the
Middle East. "Turkey is a country that can ensure stability in the
region, and this has been Turkey’s policy for many years," Besnainou
said. He also expressed belief that Turkey can be effective in
convincing the Palestinians to reassure Israel about the condition of
an Israeli soldier who was abducted early last summer. Adding that he
also discussed with Prime Minister Erdogan rising anti-Semitism in
Europe, Besnainou said he was happy with the situation of the Jewish
minority in Turkey.
Asked to comment on the Armenian genocide claims, Besnainou said he
supports the approach by Erdogan for reconciliation with the
Armenians. "We believe that Turkey’s opening all its archives to
historians and scholars will help illuminate this matter," he added.
The Turkish government is seeking the support of the strong Jewish
lobby, particularly in the U.S., to block efforts for recognition of
the so-called Armenian genocide. A draft resolution seeking
recognition of the Armenian genocide claims is likely to be approved
by the U.S. House of Representatives this week.
Turkey strongly opposes the claims that its predecessor state, the
Ottoman government, caused Armenian deaths in a planned genocide. The
Turkish government has said the toll is wildly inflated and that
Armenians were killed or displaced in civil unrest during the
empire’s collapse and World War I conditions. Ankara’s proposal to
Yerevan to set up a joint commission of historians to study the
events of 1915 is still awaiting a positive response from the
Armenian side.
Asia News, Italy
Jan 19 2007
Journalist who spoke out on Armenian genocide killed
by Mavi Zambak
Hrant Dink, editor of Agos, had received death threats and in 2005
had been condemned for "insulting Turkish national identity."
Istanbul (AsiaNews) – Hrant Dink, Turkish journalist of Armenian
origin, was killed this afternoon around 3 p.m. local time, as he
left the offices of the newspaper he directed. He was shot four
times by, it is thought, a young man of 18 or 19 years who then fled
through the crowd of one of the busiest streets of the European
quarter of Istanbul, Sisli.
Dink, age 53, had been given a six-month suspended sentence by judges
in Istanbul in October 2005 for having "insulted Turkish national
identity." Editor of the bilingual Turkish-Armenian newspaper, Agos,
Dink had been tried for an article he wrote in 2004 on the genocide
of the Armenians. His murder is a shock for all Turks: an improntu
protest took place among those who gathered at the doorway where he
was shot; protesters shouted "Hrant is not dead, his freedom shall
not die."
In a television interview broadcast shortly after the shooting, his
friend and fellow journalist, Aydin Engin, who had been sentenced
together with Dink on the basis of the same article 301 of the
Turkish penal code, recalled how just yesterday the two had spoken on
the telephone about their six-month sentence, which had simply been
postponed indefinitely, but had not been definitively suspended. And
how Hrant said that he was not afraid and was ready for anything.
Aydin had urged him many times to accept the bodyguard that police
had promised him after the latest threats made against him, but Hrant
once again refused saying that he did not want to be defended in his
freedom and that he did not fear the dangers he faced.
Engin recalls his colleague as a man who always spoke openly about
the search for truth, freedom and democracy. "All of Turkey has been
wounded by this assassination, it is a source of mourning for the
entire nation," Engin said without hesitation; he sees in this murder
a further attempt by those who are against Turkey’s entry into Europe
to arouse indignation against Turks among Europeans. Various
government figures have explicitly condemned this horrible
occurrence. President Sezer himself said without hesitation that it
was a "brutal" act.
In an emergency press conference organized in Ankara, Turkish Premier
Erdogan said: "The spilling of this blood has left us dumbfounded and
this act was certainly committed to destroy our peace, freedom and
democracy. In the name of the Turkish people and nation, I condemn
this act and everything will be done to find those responsible. I
deplore those who have bloodied their hands. We do not accept this
provocation which aims at destroying the unity of this country and
creating contrasts between the different cultures and religions of
Turkey. Nothing is known about who committed this murder, nor what
motivated it, but I can already say that I will do everything
possible to take part in the funeral of our journalist, wherever and
with whatever rite it is held."
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