Author: Badalian Vardan

`The Government’s inner conflict is a good sign’

Gözde Kazaz 01.30.2015 10:24

Executive director of HRW Middle East and North Africa Division Sarah
Leah Whitson will be visiting Istanbul on April 24 as part of the
`Project 2015′ group to take part in the Armenian Genocide 100th
Anniversary Commemoration. We interviewed Whitson in Istanbul, where
she held meetings with civilian society organizations in Turkey, which
will participate in the organization of the commemoration event; and
asked her about Turkey’s position in 2015, the Diaspora’s expectations
and the impact of Armenian identity on her life.

Sarah Leah Whitson, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch’s (HRW)
Middle East and North Africa Division, is a legal expert who for many
years has worked as a human rights advocate.

After graduating from the Harvard Law School, Whitson worked for an
international law firm and then in investment banking; she also
volunteered in civil society organizations including the Center for
Economic and Social Rights and the American Arab Anti-Discrimination
Committee. Since 2004, when she started work at HRW, she has published
numerous reports and articles on conflict zones including
Israel-Palestine, Egypt, Syria, and Lebanon. Whitson’s mother is
Armenian, and her family originates from Diyarbakır; so this year, she
has another significant agenda. Whitson will be visiting Istanbul on
April 24 as part of the `Project 2015′ group to take part in the
Armenian Genocide 100th Anniversary Commemoration. We interviewed
Whitson in Istanbul, where she held meetings with civil society
organizations in Turkey, which will participate in the organization of
the commemoration event; and asked her about Turkey’s position in
2015, the Diaspora’s expectations and the impact of Armenian identity
on her life.

We can perhaps begin with `Project 2015′. What will be the core
message of the people who will come from the Diaspora to Istanbul on
April 24?

This is a commemoration event that civil society in Turkey is
organizing, and has been organizing for several years. They started
this extremely important process. Diaspora Armenians have come from
abroad to Istanbul to participate in this commemoration event in
previous years, too. It is a very significant step in terms of
recognizing the Genocide in public space, and creating a platform for
debate. The aim this year is to make sure a greater number of Diaspora
Armenians come to Istanbul for the centennial.

We have three main messages. The first is, a 100 years later, we are
still here, we have survived. 1915 is not only a story of death and
destruction, but also one of survival against tremendous odds. The
second message is, 100 years later, we have not forgotten, and this
issue is not going away. And our third and most important message, not
only to the government of Turkey, but to the world, is this: Yes, it
is true, the government of Turkey may not be ready to do the right
thing, but many people, a large part of society in Turkey, is ready to
do the right thing. This April 24 will set an example for that.
Although States may not be prepared to act honestly because of
political reasons, societies are prepared to have an honest and open
debate, they are ready to do and say the right thing. We hope it is an
important show of solidarity between Turks and Armenians.

How does the Diaspora perceive the special commemoration event in Istanbul?

I can say that the people we have talked to have been tremendously
excited. Many people recognize that the most important conversation we
can be having right now is the one between Turks and Armenians. In
Armenia, and in places like Los Angeles, where there is a high
Armenian population, the Genocide remains a very vivid reality and
memory, and it is important that Armenians throughout the world all
have the opportunity to participate in a commemoration. But the
commemoration event in Istanbul is extremely important, because this
is where everything started, and this is where the problem remains;
the problem is not with the Armenians in the Diaspora, the problem is
not in Paris or Washington, the problem is here in Turkey. So this is
where we have to move forward.

What scale of participation do you expect?

Many Armenians have still not overcome the trauma. Therefore, it is
not easy to return to a land that nearly destroyed your entire
population. There is a lot of anxiety, a lot of fear. The vast
majority of the Armenian Diaspora, even though they are refugees from
these lands, have never been to Turkey, and the idea of coming here is
still very frightening to them. We want to help push that fear aside
and demonstrate that there are people for us to connect to, and we are
part of these lands as well.

You just mentioned that the problem continues to exist in these lands.
I want to ask you about Turkey’s position regarding 2015. As you know,
President ErdoÄ?an has announced that the 100th Anniversary of the
Dardanelles War will be commemorated on April 24. On the one hand,
Prime Minister Ahmet DavutoÄ?lu issues a message of condolence on the
anniversary of Hrant Dink’s passing and speaks of `a mutual future’
for Armenian and Turkish people, while on the other hand, high-ranking
state officials and Ministers like ÇavuÅ?oÄ?lu and Çiçek issue
statements about Turkey’s `action plan’ for 2015. What do you make of
these mixed messages coming from the government?

These mixed messages are in fact very obvious. We have to ask the
government, why do they send these mixed messages? Why are they taking
such a cheap shot, organizing a commemoration on April 24 for
Gallipoli, for the Dardanelles War, when it is not even the real
anniversary? It opens them up to a lot of mockery, because it so
transparently aims to distort the agenda.

But at the same time it shows that the government is conflicted. They
know that something is wrong, and certain steps must be taken, and
that is why they are making these few, small gestures. The condolence
message issued by former Prime Minister on 24 April 2014 was an
advance from what has been said in previous years. But we must still
underline that it is not far enough. Therefore, I suppose it is a good
thing that they are conflicted, because it means they are grappling
with this issue.

Sadly, in terms of action, they have failed to go beyond political
tactics. ErdoÄ?an has now been saying for a very long time that he is a
leader for Turkey, that he speaks with the voice of moral authority;
and on many international platforms he has expressed a voice of
principle. We’d like to see him act as that voice of principle, to
take that step forward, to show that he is perhaps the leader who can
take the issue forward. We are looking forward to the government of
Turkey doing the right thing; and that does not mean just agreeing to
what the Armenian Diaspora, Armenia, France or the US expects. They
should be guided by their own moral compass about coming to terms with
the past. Because, after all, not only Armenians, but the people of
Turkey are also held up, and cannot move beyond the horrors of the
past.

`We are looking forward to the government of Turkey doing the right
thing; and that does not mean doing what the Armenian Diaspora,
Armenia, France or the US expects. They should be guided by their own
moral compass.’

`The magnificence of the Surp Giragos Church showed me that the fire
of justice has not been extinguished’

Your grandfather was born in Diyarbakır. You visited Diyarbakır a few
years ago with your family. How did you feel when you returned to the
homeland of your family?

Yes, that was my second visit. I first visited Diyarbakır in 1994. I
was passing through on my way to Iraq. The Surp Giragos Church was in
ruins back then. I had met an old woman in her 90s, and people told me
that she was the only Armenian here. She was very old, blind, and
deaf. Then, I felt that this was the end of everything, and that
everything related to the past was lost. My grandfather was orphaned
in Diyarbakır, during the 1915 Genocide in Diyarbakır, and missonaries
took him to an orphanage in Lebanon.

To return, a year and a half ago, in 2013, and to see this beautiful
church, magnificently restored, to hear Abdullah DemirbaÃ…?, the Mayor
of the Sur District, talking about efforts to build a centre for the
Armenian community and heritage, and that there were Islamized
Armenians coming back to Diyarbakır, it was a tremendously moving
moment.

Being there in the church where my grandfather was baptized, to be
there not in ruins, but glory, and to be there with my children `
because it was very important for them to know where they came from,
who they are and in what conditions their forefathers lived ` evoked
incredible emotions. It was also very inspiring, too, because it
showed me that the flame of justice has not died, the people there are
doing this because it is the right thing, that flame continues to live
on in the hearts of the people of Diyarbakır. It’s so triumphant for
the human spirit. Hats off to the people of Diyarbakır, the Armenian
Diaspora community and the visionaries that made that happen.

You have been working in the field of human rights for many years, and
you hold an important position at your insitution. How did you choose
this path?

In fact, the path chose me. As an Armenian, you have a very strong
sense of being an underdog and having a sense of injustice. I was
raised with the notion of injustice, and the need for justice. I got
to know the broader world during my university education, and it was
natural for me to extend that compassion and take sides with the
oppressed. The Middle East was a natural place for me to focus,
because I speak Arabic, I have spent a lot of time in the Middle East
and I became very concerned about the issues there. Another reason for
me to focus on the Middle East is that I feel responsibility as a US
citizen. The US has been deeply involved in the region, and in such
bad ways. One of the first major activist challenges I took on was the
first Iraq War in 1994. I felt that the human cost of that war was
being kept secret from the US public. The non-transparent policy of
the US played a role in my continuing work regarding human rights
issues in the Middle East.

What you said about Armenian identity reminds me of a recent debate in
the Diaspora. Journalist Meline Toumani, the author of the book `There
Was and There Was Not’ speaks of how being Armenian requires that one
assume a mission regarding the Genocide, of some kind of
responsibility. What is your view on that debate?

I bought a copy but I haven’t read it yet. So it wouldn’t be fair for
me to comment without knowing precisely what Toumani says in the book.
What I do believe, however, is that Armenians have a responsibility.
We lost 75% of our population, and we are involved in a struggle,
because no one else will take up that struggle on our behalf. Black
Americans also have a responsibility, they continue to fight racism,
and they cannot escape that responsibility even if they want to. I
wish I carried no responsibility because of my Armenian identity, I
wish we were a problem-free society, yet biology and fate have
rendered that impossible.

`I wish I carried no responsibility because of my Armenian identity, I
wish we were a problem-free society, yet biology and fate have
rendered that impossible.’

`Christian minorities are specifically targeted in the Middle East’

You have close contact with the region. What is the situation of
Christian minorities, and of Armenians, who are part of that group, in
the war in Syria?

The current situation in the Middle East involves death and
destruction at a level we have not witnessed in a long time. The most
significant outcome of the war in Syria is of course the death of
almost 200,000 Syrians. This number will probably exceed 200 thousand
in the near future. It is a massive tragedy. Sunnis, Shiites,
Armenians: everyone is suffering. We are talking about a devastating
war against diversity. If we can imagine that the ethnic, cultural and
religious diversity that forms the richness of the Middle East is
being destroyed, then we can understand the magnitude of the tragedy
we face. However, Christian minorities are specifically targeted in
the Middle East. Armenians, one of the ancient Christian minorities of
the region, are about to be wiped out completely. On the other hand,
this war made me understand the value of the existence of the Armenian
state in a way I had not considered before. Armenia is one of the most
significant destinations where Armenians fleeing Syria can seek
shelter. They no doubt live in difficult conditions there, too, but we
can say that they have better conditions than the refugee camps in
Jordan or Turkey.

24heures.ch, Suisse
14 fevr 2015

L’Arménie s’invite toute l’année à La Goulue

Musique Le lieu de concert situé Ã Saint-Légier accueillera plusieurs
soirées dédiées à l’ancienne république soviétique. L’enregistrement
d’un disque est en cours.

L’Arménie sera sous les projecteurs internationaux le 24 avril
prochain, Ã l’enseigne des commémorations du génocide perpétré il y a
tout juste cent ans.

A Saint-Légier, c’est tout au long de l’année que l’on célébrera les
compositeurs et les musiciens de l’ancienne république soviétique.
Lieu de concert connu et prisé des mélomanes de la région, La Goulue
ouvre en effet grand ses portes aux artistes du pays cher à Aznavour,
à l’enseigne d’une véritable «saison arménienne».

«Les musiciens de ce pays sont légion en Europe, et nous en avons déjÃ
accueilli plusieurs en dix-sept ans d’activité. Mais j’entretiens
aussi des relations étroites avec ce pays à la culture musicale très
riche», témoigne Pierre-Alain Beffa, propriétaire des lieux.

Sept des dix concerts de la saison auront donc une couleur arménienne.
A noter que celui agendé dimanche à 19?h?30 sera, lui, dédié aux
musiques italiennes et anglaises des XVIe et XVIIe siècles.

En parallèle, Pierre-Alain Beffa réunit les fonds nécessaires à la
production du nouveau disque des Little Singers of Armenia, chÃ…`ur
d’enfants et d’ados qu’il soutient activement et pour lequel il
éprouva un véritable coup de foudre il y a douze ans.

«Ce chÅ`ur pourrait entamer une carrière internationale incroyable,
mais il réside dans un pays pauvre¦ Ce disque, consacré Ã des Å`uvres
de Benjamin Britten, est en cours d’enregistrement sous l’égide de
VDE-Gallo.»

En mai 2016, Ã l’invitation du propriétaire de La Goulue et grce Ã
l’appui d’une mécène, le chÃ…`ur arménien effectuera une tournée suisse
qui emmènera les chanteurs du Victoria Hall de Genève jusqu’au Tessin,
en passant notamment par Saint-Légier et Vevey. (24 heures)

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Feb 14 2015

Officer arrested in the case of death of cadet Haykaz Barseghyan

14 February 2015 – 4:46pm

The Investigative Committee of Armenia reported today that new data
has appeared in the case of the death of the cadet Haykaz Barseghian,
rejecting the version of his suicide. Barseghyan was found hanged at a
training ground in Yerevan.

According to the Ministry, within the framework of the investigation,
officer Artem Avetisyan was arrested in the Yerevan military unit. The
officer is suspected of committing a criminal offense under Part 1 of
Article 375 of the RA Criminal Code “Abuse of authority, excess or
inactivity of authority.”

IRAN READY TO STRIKE AZERBAIJAN’S KEY CENTERS

Igor Muradyan, Political Analyst
Comments – 13 February 2015, 17:31

As is known, Iran went for a compromise with the Western community
in regard to its nuclear program and is punctually fulfilling its
technological and political commitments. Meanwhile, under the powerful
pressure of Israel and its friends in the United States, despite its
strategic defeat, the West has been able to force the great powers
to extend the talks which were practically finished by the end of 2014.

Nevertheless, Iran does not stop the talks and continues them
consistently. Interestingly, at this stage it turns out that the
United States and the West are interested in Iran’s nuclear program
more than Iran’s geopolitical position, regional political intentions.

After the revolutions in Arab states, especially after the
deteriorating relations with Turkey and Pakistan the United States and
NATO turned to Iran as a potential partner in several regions at once.

A Shiite country with a European culture and an Indo-European language
is viewed as a primary partner in the Near East.

Iran is trying to benefit from changes in the regions, take a better
position and a more important role in the regions. Besides nuclear
programs Iran designs modern weapons, primarily missiles and different
other firearms, as well as warships of different classes.

Iran is working on the improvement of Shahab-4 ballistic missiles. Now
Shahab-3 missile with a range of 1250-1300 km with a 1000 kg warhead
has been delivered to the armed forces. After tests on 25 May 2002
the missile was approved by the state commission, and 16 missiles
were supposed to be delivered to the armed forces on 1 February
2003. There is information that there is an upgraded Shahab-3 which
possesses the characteristics of Shahab-4, primarily its precision
and range. During the test of the state commission it was established
that its range reaches 1500 km.

Shahab-4 must have two modifications, with ranges of 1500 km
and 2000 km. Shahab-5 will have a range of 10,000 km, it will be
intercontinental. Shahab-4 will become a medium-range base missile
and will have modifications. For this purpose the Iranian military
state in conversations with military attaches of friendly countries
that Iran has practically created Shahab-4.

Iran also has Zelzal-2 and Fateh-110 rockets, is currently working on
Tow rocket. The missile program is an important component of Iran’s
foreign policy.

Iran has an objective to sell missiles. In May 2002 Iran proposed
Iraq to start negotiations on acquisition of missiles. Iran’s missile
program is under consideration in U.S.-Iran and UK-Iran negotiations.

Iran thereby puts pressure on the entire region and the Western
community.

There is no evidence whether Shahab-3 is already on duty. The Americans
were worried about Iran’s tactical missiles with which Iran could block
the Persian Gulf and the Caspian basin rather than Shahab-4. Formerly
it was Iran’s last attempt to use hostile Iraq’s military potential.

Iran was able to use the possibilities of neighbor countries setting
up relations with the countries of Central Asia. Pakistan did not
cooperate with Iran because it depends heavily on the United States
and Saudi Arabia.

Iran’s key achievement, however, is training of human resources,
which allowed creating self-sufficient complexes to design and produce
nuclear weapons, missiles, aviation, artillery, armored cars.

Of course, over the past 10 years the Arab states have acquired an
unprecedented quantity of arms under the impression of Iran’s success
in the sphere of defense.

Iran’s leadership announced that it does not intend to design Shahab-4
and thereby demonstrates its readiness to pay attention to the concerns
of regional states and the United States. In reality, Shahab-3 has
the characteristics and political importance of Shahab-4.

With a range of 1500 km it allows blackmailing the entire region, i.e.

the political purpose has been obtained.

Shahab-4 may not be created officially or the existing missile with
its characteristics will not be named so. There are scientific and
technical reasons. This family of missiles is not distinguished for
high precision and reliability. Perhaps, the Iranians need to upgrade
Shahab-3 to a certain level, which will require a lot of time (most
probably, 2-3 years), presenting technical issues as pacifism.

At the same time, depending on the foreign political situation, Iran
will create an intercontinental missile with a range of 2500 km. Iran
has more success in tactical missiles with a range of 150-200 km.

Missiles for navy were a particular success.

Recently Iran has launched works on the analogue of C-300 which
is still at the stage of designing. The goal has been set, and the
Iranians believe that they will achieve a similar solution, China
may have certain participation. The final decision on designing this
system was made after Russia refused to supply these systems. No
doubt, Iran has a historical lack of confidence in Russia. Iran has
given up cooperation with Russia in the defense and security spheres,
which used to exist quietly.

Iran does not give up and is using different means for filling the gaps
in the sphere of defense. In particular, Iran was shocked when Russia
refused to supply C-300 systems to it but send them to Azerbaijan.

Iran launched Fajir satellite on orbit with Safir launcher. It is
the fourth in Iran’s satellites and is equipped with GPS.

Iran’s political leadership intends to sell missiles at any price,
and it would be desirable to supply missiles to EU or NATO member
states, such as Greece, Albania, Cyprus, as well as Central Asia and
the Caucasus. It seems realistic for the part of Greece.

In December 2002 Iran received 15 warships from North Korea,
including 6 Peykaap fast patrol boats, 2 Tir fast attack boats,
5 Taedong submarines. Each of them is armed with 2 32 cm torpedoes.

In 2001-2002 Iran ordered 45 fast patrol boats, small submarines
and small class warships to North Korea which Iran has equipped
with missiles. The 38 ones received in 2002 are in the Caspian Sea,
including 29 fast boats.

In 2006 Iran created a diesel submarine which can launch ballistic
missiles. In 2011 Iran restructured its missile forces, standing
among the Western states by its level of development.

Iran has a dominant position in the Persian Gulf. Its navy has resolved
almost all the problems, including complete lift of blockade on the
gulf. Iran falls behind in air force but there are expectations from
cooperation with the United States and France, which is necessary to
fight such phenomena as the “Islamic State of Iraq and Levant”.

In 2003-2012 Iran’s defense industry leaped forward and resolved a
lot of complicated problems. All kinds of strategic and tactical
missiles have been created which can carry warheads of different
calibers and purpose.

While earlier the defense capability of Iran’s missiles was questions
by American and Russian experts, the latest tests and maneuvers have
left no room for doubts about the Iranian missiles.

Considering the advantages of Turkey and Saudi Arabia over Iran in
terms of air force, Iran’s missiles gain special importance and would
have a key role in any large-scale conflict.

Besides problems in the Persian Gulf problems occur in the Caspian Sea,
primarily relating to Azerbaijan. Iran is ready to strike Azerbaijan’s
key centers and forces, especially that all the issues relating to
location of forces and important communication hubs and airports have
been resolved.

THE RENAISSANCE OF AN OTTOMAN ARMENIAN FEMINIST

Hurriyet Daily news, Turkey
Feb 12 2015

William Armstrong – [email protected]

‘The Gardens of Silihdar’ by Zabel Yessayan (AIWA Press, 163 pages)

The late 19th century witnessed an extraordinary flourishing of
Ottoman Armenian culture that has since been described as an “Armenian
renaissance.” The rapid growth of schools, social organizations,
periodicals and European trends led to a transformation in the
language and intellectual landscape of the Ottoman Armenian community –
similar to elsewhere in the empire.

Along with this cultural ferment was a new emphasis on the advancement
of women in Armenian society, and a number of women intellectuals
reached positions of prominence previously unheard of in a rigidly
hierarchical community. Although her name was almost forgotten in the
decades after her death in the 1940s, Zabel Yessayan is currently
experiencing something of a mini-renaissance of her own thanks to
a couple of new translations of her work by Jennifer Manoukian,
commissioned by the Armenian International Women’s Association.

Yessayan’s pioneering proto-feminism and her descriptions of the
social details of a fascinating period make “The Gardens of Silihdar,”
her memoir of growing up in late 19th century Ottoman Istanbul,
a fascinating artefact.

Born in the Silihdar neighborhood of Uskudar, on the Asian side of
Istanbul, Yessayan provides a vivid portrait of an introverted, deeply
conservative Armenian community and its characters. What starts as a
fairly unremarkable memoir develops into a more sophisticated portrait
of the artist as a young woman, describing her coming of age from a
restless and tempestuous child to a melancholy, talented young woman.

French and American schools were proliferating at the time, and new
fashions and ideas were shaking traditional life in metropolitan areas
across the Ottoman Empire. Yessayan’s father was himself influenced,
keen not to create obstacles for his daughter, open-minded and
encouraging Zabel to develop her interests and get a sound education.

Her portrait of him is as sympathetic as anyone in the book (there
aren’t many sympathetic portraits), although his spendthriftiness
meant that the household was wracked by financial instability. “The
days my father needed to repay his debts did not just arrive; they
exploded like bombs,” Yessayan writes.

As for communal relations, she draws a familiar picture of a guarded
tolerance being gradually, inexorably overtaken by political tension.

At one point her family temporarily moves to a Turkish village a few
miles away for her mother’s health, and she reflects: “A few years
later, it would have been impossible for an Armenian family to live
safely in an entirely Turkish village, but in those days there were
still no traces of ethnic tension between Armenians and Turks, and the
two peoples treated each other with a calm sense of shared humanity.”

Yessayan was born in 1878, and came of age at a troubled time. A
cultural renaissance may have been going on, but it was also
an era of accelerating social turmoil, and there are plenty of
references in this book to the plight of suffering Armenians in
Anatolia. Her growing up was simultaneously a process of awakening
and disillusionment. Reflecting on her time at one of the Armenian
high schools, she gloomily describes it as “just a miniature version
of the adult world that I would come to know, complete with its dirty
dealings, narcissism, hypocrisy, lies and selfishness.” It was, she
writes, “as if there were a courtroom in my mind where the people
I encountered and the things I experienced were subject to harsh,
endless judgment.”

Yessayan’s developing feminism was sharpened by the stultifying
conservatism of the community. “Those young women could not leave the
house by themselves,” she writes angrily, “some were even forced to
marry men they despised. They were not free to dress as they pleased
or behave as they saw fit. Essentially, they were deprived of their
most basic freedoms and feared that, sooner or later, they would be
constrained by motherhood – a fate they wished to escape in order to
create the lives they had envisioned for themselves.” Dismissive of
these tendencies, she had no time as a writer for the “sentimental
romanticism” that was the literary fashion of the day, and her own
memoir formally remains quite straightforward and undemonstrative.

Years after the events described in “The Gardens of Silihdar,”
Yessayan was included as the only woman on the list of Istanbul
Armenian intellectuals targeted for arrest and deportation by the
Young Turk regime on April 24, 1915. She managed to flee the empire
and almost two decades later ended up in Soviet Armenia, where this
book was published in 1935. Despite Yessayan’s prominence in late
Ottoman Istanbul, her work was essentially ignored after her death in a
Siberian labor camp, as a victim of Stalin’s Great Purge. Hopefully it
is now beginning to attract the attention that it deserves once again.

February/12/2015

CONGRESSMAN ISSA SUGGESTS RUSSIA & IRAN ARE USING ARMENIA TO AVOID SANCTIONS

Virtual Press Office
Feb 13 2015

Turkish Institute for Progress Suggests Stronger Turkish-Armenian
Bilateral Relationship to Avoid Foreign Policy Shift

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — At the U.S. House
of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs Hearing Wednesday,
Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA-49) raised questions about Armenia’s
banking relationship with Iran. In the Hearing, entitled, State Sponsor
of Terror: The Global Threat of Iran, the Congressman stated in part,
“…Armenia’s banking relationship with Iran, authorized, pushed
prodded and cajoled by Russia is new and concerning…”

Members of the Turkish Institute for Progress attended the Hearing
and are suggesting that by participating in a formal dialogue and
exploring more partnership with Turkey, Armenia can reclaim its
national sovereignty, be truly independent from Tehran and Moscow,
and prevent alienating itself from the west by allowing Iran and
Russia to, Congressman Issa asserts, circumvent US sanctions.

At the Hearing Mr. Issa stated, “Today’s hearing is important, but
it is not new. We will say a great many things, but very few of them
will be new. Certainly, questions about Armenia’s banking relationship
with Iran, authorized, pushed prodded and cajoled by Russia is new
and concerning.” He further stated, “I look forward to questions,
particularly questions about Russia’s involvement through Armenia in
the backdoor circumvention of the sanctions that are in place today.”

“Congressman Issa touched on some deeply troubling revelations,
however, we believe that a stronger Turkish-Armenian bilateral
relationship is a viable option to stabilize the balance of power
in the region, and we hope Armenia will join us in exploring ways to
avoid a foreign policy shift Mr. Issa suggests,” stated Derya Berk,
President of the Turkish Institute for Progress. “We welcome an
opportunity to work together with the Armenian community to explore
ways to work in the spirit of cooperation and for the greater good
of Turks and Armenians across the globe.”

To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:

SOURCE Turkish Institute for Progress

Gyumri slaughter: Official silence a month later

18:58 | February 14,2015 | Social

I cannot imagine how the Investigation Committee of the Republic of
Armenia is going to investigate the murder of the seven-member
Avetisyan family in Gyumri if the main suspect has not been handed
over to the Armenian side, says Artur Sakunts, Head of the Helsinki
Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor office.

“We still do not know the motives behind this hideous crime. It is
equally important to understand why the murderer chose the Avetisyan
family,” he said.

Today a public discussion was organized in Gyumri on the appalling
murder of the Avetisyan family. The event was attended by 60 people.

A month has passed since the murder but the law enforcement agencies
have failed to provide reliable information on the tragedy,” says
Levon Barseghyan, chairman of Asparez Journalists’ Club in Gyumri.
The

Daniel Ionnisyan, Coordinator of the Union of Informed Citizens NGO,
says, “Many details are kept confidential though the investigation was
supposed to be transparent. The National Security Service and the
Prosecutor General’s Office have not given their replies yet.”

Three working groups were set up during the first public discussion
which later submitted the results of their work. The groups involve
journalists, lawyers and human rights activists, who wall develop and
coordinate tactions aimed at solving the crime and preventing its
repetition in the future.

The working groups stress that today Armenia is facing serious
problems in view of security.

Six members of the Avetisyan family, including a two-year-old child,
were shot dead in their house in Gyumri in the morning of January 12.
A six-month-old baby, Seryozha Avetisyan, was hospitalized with stab
wounds. He died in hospital a week later. The main suspect of the
crime, Valery Permyakov, a serviceman of Russian Military Base N 102
stationed in Gyumri, was detained by Russian border guards late in the
same day while attempting to cross the Armenian-Turkish border near
Yerazgavors village in Armenia’s Shirak province. The murder of the
seven-member family sparked violent protests in Gyumri and Yerevan,
with people demanding that Permyakov be handed over to Armenian
authorities and to stand trial by the Armenian law.

Komitas Conservatory Instructor: Young Composers are Basically Forced
to Leave Armenia

Mаry Mamyan
14:21, February 14, 2015

Hetq talks to Artur Avanesov, a pianist and instructor at Yerevan’s
Komitas State Conservatory, regarding teh challenges faced by young
composers in Armenia.

We have young composers who mainly perform overseas rather than here
in Armenia. Is this a result of the general tendency to leave the
country or are there other reasons?

I fully agree that we have very good composers. Of course, most live
abroad. The question is whether or not we call them `our’ composers?

Yes, the link is maintained and their music is periodically performed
here. Let’s specify what expectations we have from such composers. For
me, it’s enough that they are professionals and that their music is
interesting.

The fact that the music of composers living abroad is rarely performed
here in Armenia is normal because the playing fields in Armenia and
overseas aren’t comparable. I am glad that this music is performed to
a greater degree outside Armenia. If their music were to be performed
more in Armenia than overseas, that would start one to worry.

And there is another question in this regard. If we are talking about
the recognition level of a composer, we must reconcile ourselves with
the fact that the recognition level of a contemporary compose will be
limited anyway.

The nature of contemporary music is such that it rules out wide
popularity in most cases as a rule. Even Tigran Mansourian, whom
everyone knows in Armenia, wouldn’t have been recognized by as many
people if not for his film soundtracks. I assure you that his academic
works, which make up the bulk of his pieces, wouldn’t have garnered
such popularity by themselves.

The same holds true for other composers. In any case, I wouldn’t
expect any composer, Armenian or otherwise, to garner the same level
of international recognition as, for example, pop stars.

If we are talking about contemporary composers, most people randomly
asked on the street would give the name of Tigran Mansourian and a few
others. We do not know many other names. Is there a new generation of
composers appearing on the scene?

At least here in Armenia we ask this question. I cannot imagine
someone in Germany, for example, asking passersby in the street to
name some composers.

>From a musical cultural perspective, Germany is perhaps the leading
country. I don’t think the issue of a new generation of composers is
ever raised. Only a few names would be cited. It would be rare indeed
for anyone to mention the names of composers after Stockhausen.

But our problems are different from those in Germany. It’s hard to
compare the two countries.

Which is our problem?

To start, Armenian is a small country and a segment of the population
is always leaving. We have a problem reminding ourselves that we
exist. Thus, we want to see proof that we have talent and a
reputation.

True. But I believe this is a vicious circle. People are leaving
Armenia because the country has problems. In turn, the fact that
people are leaving is another problem in itself.

I see how people are fleeing like birds. And it’s not because greater
success is waiting for them outside, but because at least they can
receive a better education there.

Let’s come clean. The Komitas Conservatory doesn’t afford such an
education. Working at the conservatory I can attest to this and
explain why.

Let’s say a young composer graduates the conservatory and has a degree
of knowledge and a will to get ahead. What must someone like this do?
Join the youth section of the union of composers? (He laughs). I
recently found out that a person stays in the youth section until the
age of 36.

Maybe this age is derived from the number of years that Mozart lived.
If so, such rational is the height of cynicism.

It becomes immediately apparent that young composers are shown their
place. They are told to sit, say quiet, and to heed their elders. They
would have also told Mozart and Schubert the same.

The question for me is whether our leaders want people to get up and
leave Armenia or not. My conclusion is that they want people to leave.
But I do not know why.

In that case, what is the function of the conservatory?

The function is to provide an education in some manner.

But you’ve noted that the conservatory doesn’t provide an adequate education.

The conservatory cannot because the methods used are lacking. The
conservatory administration has never gathered instructors in one
place to see what we are teaching and what the final aim of that
instruction is.

There is no unified program. For example, we have three instructors
teaching contemporary music. The administration has never asked any of
us to explain what exactly we are teaching or what we regard as
contemporary music.

As a result, we are teaching three different understandings of
contemporary music that occasionally overlap. The class on the history
of music is divided into three parts which have no relation to the
others.

Can this situation be changed?

It is possible. But the inference is that someone at the top doesn’t
want it to change.

So, this situation must continue as is? I’m sure that there are
students who really want to learn and that the conservatory in Yerevan
is their only option.

There are some great kids at the school. But there are no criteria for
evaluating them. Students get high marks because of who they are. The
rationale is, `That’s my student. I want him to receive a grade a 20.’
And he does.

Grading is a true embarrassment. There’s no way of sorting between the
good and bad.

Perhaps things can change by appointing young instructors.

But where are they. The next youngest instructor in my department is
over sixty year old.

So, there is no new cadre of composers?

In Armenia it’s impossible. The argument is made that there are so
many employees it’s difficult to decide who to dismiss in order to
hire someone new.

Perhaps they are waiting for all of us to die of old age.

Azerbaijani media give corpses of Armenians killed in 1905 in Baku for
‘Azerbaijanis killed in 1918 in Shamakhi’

17:05 14/02/2015 >> SOCIETY

Azerbaijani website “1news.az” attached faked photographs to the
article about fictitious “genocide in Shamakhi” allegedly committed by
the Armenian Dashnaks and Bolsheviks.

In the article the corpses of Armenians killed during the pogroms in
Baku in 1905 and gathered in the courtyard of the Armenian Church for
the funeral are presented as victims of “Armenian aggression”. On the
other photos from this series, but from other angles Armenian priest
is clearly visible. Moreover, the actual circumstances in which the
photo was taken cannot be denied at least because it was published in
French edition of “Le Grand Illustre” in an article published on
February 19, 1905 which was descriping the pogroms of Armenians in
Baku, naturally long before the events taken place in 1918 in
Shamakhi.

Most apparently, photographs with the corpses of Armenians killed in
Baku in 1905 and presented as Azerbaijanis, allegedly killed in 1918
in Shamakhi, have been taken by the Azerbaijani media from the book of
the Azerbaijani historian Solmaz Rustamov-Togidi titled “1918.
Massacre in Azerbaijan in photos and documents” in the annotation of
which was stated that in the book “rare photographs of the tragic fate
of tens of thousands Azerbaijanis killed in Baku and Shamakh are
reflected.”

The book of Rustamov-Togidi presents the same photo of the victims of
the Armenian pogroms noted as taken in Baku; however the victims are
resubmitted as the Azerbaijanis. The annotation to the photo reads:
“Armenian atrocities in Baku” which gives the readers wrong
impression.

Note that this is not the first attempt of the Azerbaijanis of using
falsified photos in propaganda purposes. A number of such attempts has
been documented and exposed on the website “Xocali.net” project.

Armenian Army Captain Arrested for “Dereliction of Duty” in Soldier’s
Murder Case

11:13, February 14, 2015

Captain Artyom Avetisyan, an officer at the Vazgen Sarhgsyan Military
Institute has been arrested and charged with “dereliction of duty” in
the death of Haykaz Barseghyan, a private in the Armenian army whose
body was found on January 29 hanging from a rope attached to the
horizontal bar in the gym of a training unit in Yerevan he was
assigned to.

On February 2, four Armenian soldiers from the same unit were indicted
for the murder of Barseghyan.

The official charge levied by the military investigative department of
Armenia’s Investigative Committee against the four was “murder by a
group of people, or by an organized group, resulting from hooliganism”
(RA Criminal Code Article 104).

An investigation into the killing of Haykaz Barseghyan is ongoing.