Author: Badalian Vardan

HOVHANNISYAN SET TO RETURN ON FNF

ESPN
June 11 2014

June, 11, 2014
By Dan Rafael | ESPN.com

In February 2013, lightweight Art Hovhannisyan suffered his first loss,
a 10-round decision to Alejandro Perez.

But Hovhannisyan has won two fights since and will look to extend it
to three when he meets Jonathan Maicelo in the main event of “Friday
Night Fights” (ESPN2, 9 ET) on July 11 at Little Creek Casino Resort
in Shelton, Washington, promoter Gary Shaw announced on Tuesday.

In the co-feature, middleweight Tureano Johnson (14-1, 10 KOs) will
face Mike Gavronski (14-0-1, 10 KOs). Both bouts are scheduled for
10 rounds.

“As a fighter, I’ve come to realize you learn most about yourself after
a defeat,” said Hovhannisiyan (17-1-2, 9 KOs), an Armenian living in
Glendale, California. “I’ve rededicated myself to training smarter,
and my drive to be a world champion is greater than ever.

Shaw knows I’m hungry to get back on top. Maicelo will have his hands
full when we step in the ring.”

Maicelo (20-1, 12 KOs), who is from Peru but living in New Jersey,
is coming off a three-round no contest with Jorge Luis Rodriguez in a
fight that ended prematurely because of an accidental head clash. Two
fights before that, Maicelo got knocked out in the eighth round by
Rustam Nugaev.

“I feel like my back is against the wall,” Maicelo said. “I’m coming
to make a statement, and I’ll be going for the knockout. Hovhannisyan
is a good boxer, but he’s not better than me. I know I can win this
fight and continue marching toward a world title. The fans can expect
to see me bring the fight to Hovhannisyan.”

Johnson (14-1, 10 KOs), of the Bahamas, got stopped by Curtis Stevens
in his last fight in April, but it was a tremendous fight and highly
competitive before a stoppage many believed was premature.

“In my last bout, the referee stopped the bout early, and I suffered
my first loss,” Johnson said. “It was a very disappointing moment
in my career, but I’m ready to move on and show the world I’m one of
the best fighters in the middleweight division.

“I’m coming back stronger than ever, and I can’t wait to mix it up
with Gavronski. Nothing is going to stop me from getting this victory.”

Gavronski, who is from Tacoma, Washington, and will have the crowd
on his side, will be fighting in his first 10-rounder and stepping
up his level of opposition.

“I’m happy to be fighting at home in front of all my family and
friends,” Gavronski said. “Johnson is a very tough fighter coming off
a tough loss to Stevens, so he’s going to bring it when we step in
the ring. I look forward to the challenge, and I’m confident I can
defeat him.”

ISIS EXPANDS CONTROL, BEGINS PERSECUTING CHRISTIANS IN MOSUL

Assyrian International News Agency AINA
June 12 2014

Posted 2014-06-12 06:13 GMT

An ISIS flag hangs from a bridge in Mosul. On the left it says
“Nineveh Governorate welcomes you” and on the right it says “There
is no God but Allah.”(AINA) — The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria
(ISIS, also known as Da’ash and ISIL) yesterday took control of Mosul,
Iraq’s second largest city. Various agencies are reporting that
between 150,000 to 500,000 residents have fled Mosul. Two divisions
of the the Iraqi army which were stationed in Mosul abandoned their
posts and fled, offering no resistance to the invasion. According to
reports, the army personnel donned civilian clothing and left Mosul
by blending in with the fleeing residents. Some reports say the Iraqi
commanders in Mosul said they were given orders not to fight but to
flee, but this has not been confirmed.

AINA contacted a former member of the Iraqi Parliament, whose identity
cannot be revealed for his safety, who said “The Mosul provincial
government was in collusion with ISIS. The innocent citizens of
Mosul are paying the price of the manipulations of Atheel and Osama
al-Nujaifi.”

Atheel al-Nujaifi is the current governor of the Nineveh Governorate
and is a hard-line Sunni. It is reported that he fled Mosul ahead of
the ISIS attack.

Today the city of Tikrit, a Sunni stronghold, also fell to ISIS. A
source from Tikrit, which AINA contacted via email, said “We are now
calling on all international organizations for help because we are
terrified by what we are hearing from the street. I wish you could
convey our voices to those who can help to end the farce. The people
are currently in the hands of a conspiracy between the government and
the militias.” She added “In Tikrit today, the prisons were opened
and looting and pillaging began.”

Unconfirmed photo of a church in Mosul set on fire by ISIS.

According to reports from Mosul, ISIS has gone on a rampage, looting
and burning government buildings, raising its black flag throughout
the city and burning churches. According to an AFP report, it stormed
the Turkish consulate yesterday and kidnapped 48 people including
the head of the diplomatic mission.

World Watch Monitor reported that ISIS have moved into Christian areas
near Mosul, and have occupied the Assyrian (also known as Chaldean
and Syriac) village of Qaraqosh and entered the St. Behnam Monastery.

ISIS has warned the Christian residents of Mosul, specifically women,
to wear the Islamic veil. The warnings have come at checkpoints setup
throughout the city by ISIS. The husband of an Assyrian woman was
abducted at a checkpoint and threatened with death if his wife did
not don the Islamic veil.

ISIS members bombed an Armenian church which was under construction
in the Left Bank neighborhood, near al-Salaam hospital.

The Church of the Holy Spirit was looted by ISIS members, who removed
most of its electrical equipment.

Patriarch Sako of the Chaldean Church issued a statement to Fides,
saying “We believe that the best solution to all these problems is
the creation of a government of national unity in order to strengthen
the control of the State and the rule of law in order to protect the
Country, its citizens and their property and preserve national unity.”

HELSINKI COMMISSION CALLED ON BAKU TO FULFILL ITS OBLIGATIONS IN HUMAN RIGHTS’ SPHERE, INSTEAD OF SLIPPING INTO AUTHORITARIANISM

23:30 12/06/2014 >> LAW

The US Congressional Commission on Security and Cooperation in
Europe, known as the Helsinki Commission, June 11, strongly urged the
Azerbaijani government to fulfill its obligations on human rights and
greater democracy, instead of heading further towards authoritarianism,
the Azerbaijani news agency Turan reports.

Senator Benjamin Cardin, a Maryland Democrat and chairman of the
Helsinki Commission, stated Washington has significant concerns
regarding Azerbaijan’s domestic political situation, which, as Senator
Cardin put it, “is troubling because Azerbaijan is moving in the wrong
direction.” According to the Senator along with the consistently seen
problems with freedom of the media and association, last two years
have marked a high number of arrests and convictions of activists that
had all been the hallmark signs of politically motivated prosecutions.

“Our concern is that rather than working to live up to its commitments
in the OSCE and the CoE, Azerbaijan is instead heading towards greater
authoritarianism,” Benjamin Cardin stated and added that the U.S.

wants to see a stable and prosperous Azerbaijan. But absent real
democratic progress, there will not be seen true stability and
development there.

Speaking in front of the commission Deputy Assistant Secretary of State
Thomas Melia, who has been refused to enter Azerbaijan last September,
underlined the importance of the democracy in dialogues between the
two countries, saying that he “would like to visit Azerbaijan again
soon to continue these dialogues”

According to Melia the situation of civil liberties in Azerbaijan
has steadily worsened over the past five years and continues to
deteriorate. In 2009, it was already difficult for advocates of
democratic reform – especially opposition political parties – to
participate in the political life of the country, but it was still
possible for NGOs and independent activists to operate.

As Melia notes, the situation has worsened significantly since then
while the suppression of peaceful dissent increased in 2011, with
the arrests of young Azerbaijani activists who sought to organize
peaceful pro-democracy rallies in Baku. Since early 2013, the space
for peaceful dissents has narrowed more dramatically, and the exercise
of fundamental freedoms has become still more tenuous. A number of
leading peaceful democracy advocates, civil society activists, and
journalists have been incarcerated.

“Restrictions on the ability of selected Azerbaijani activists to
travel outside of the country are also a problem, calling into question
the extent of the government’s commitment to freedom of movement, a
founding tenet of the OSCE,” Melia said, reminding, that since 2006,
the government has prevented the foreign travel of Popular Front
Party Chairman Ali Karimli by refusing to renew his passport.

“Today in Bern, the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human
Rights is discussing the important role of human rights defenders in
OSCE participating States. Unfortunately, one of Azerbaijan’s leading
human rights defenders, Leyla Yunus, was unable to attend the event,
because Azerbaijan’s authorities confiscated her passport – as well
as her husband’s – in April. On April 19 well-known journalist Rauf
Mirkadirov was arrested. All three have been strong proponents of
people-to-people diplomacy, which helps build ties between Azerbaijanis
and Armenians and is crucial to the peaceful resolution of the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict,” Melia noted.

In his speech Eric Rubin, deputy assistant secretary of state in the
Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, underscored Azerbaijan’s
positive security and energy cooperation with the west, adding, that
U.S.’s strongest relationships across the globe are with democracies
and the human rights of their citizens.

Dr. Miriam Lanskoy, director for Russia and Eurasia, National Endowment
for Democracy, emphasized that the oil-reach country leadership
“changes the subject” of human rights to divert attention away,
“no follow through” on commitments to OSCE.

Nevertheless Azerbaijan is about to host the OSCE PA at the end of
the month. Despite participation in these international forums, over
the last decade freedoms in Azerbaijan have declined substantially.

Overall, the country has gone from semi-free to state of consolidated
authoritarianism.

According to her recent events in Ukraine have major implications for
Azerbaijan, and are seen as part of the reason that the crackdown on
government critics has continued. The climate has also become much
more difficult for the NGOs.

Azerbaijan should be bringing its legislation in compliance with
ECHR and Venice Commission opinions rather than imposing even greater
burdens on NGOs, believes the representative of NED.

Agency notes that the Azerbaijani Ambassador to the US refused to
attend the hearing, bringing a reason that he had other meetings on
the security front.

Eric Rubin, deputy assistant secretary of state in the Bureau of
European and Eurasian Affairs touched upon the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict settlement in his speech.

As it is noted on the official site of Helsinki Commission Eric Rubin
said the United States is working diligently to facilitate a peaceful
settlement to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

“We are focusing on pragmatic steps to bring the sides into
negotiations on a peace agreement based on the core principles of
the UN Charter and the Helsinki Final Act. We hope the presidents
of Armenia and Azerbaijan will agree to meet in the near future
to continue the constructive dialogue begun at their summit last
November. It also is important that both governments support Track
II efforts to build people to people contacts between Azerbaijanis
and Armenians. These kinds of confidence building measures can help
to prepare citizens of both countries for peace,” Rubin said.

He also noted that the U.S. is troubled by the recent 3 arrest of
well-known journalist Rauf Mirkadirov, the subsequent investigation of
Leyla Yunus and her husband Arif Yunusov. All three have been strong
proponents of the Track II process and the Azerbaijani government’s
actions will have a chilling effect on any contact between Azerbaijanis
and Armenians.

Source: Panorama.am

CHAIRMAN ROYCE SCHEDULES COMMITTEE VOTE ON ‘RETURN OF CHURCHES’ BILL

Thursday, June 12th, 2014

‘Return our Churches’

Turkish Government Attacks Religious Freedom Measure

WASHINGTON–The U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, under the
leadership of Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA), is set to consider H.R. 4347,
the Turkey Christian Churches Accountability Act, on Wednesday,
June 18th at 10 am Eastern Time. Capitol Hill sources report that
the Turkish Government is actively seeking to block adoption of this
bipartisan religious freedom measure.

Introduced this March of this year by Chairman Royce along with the
panel’s Ranking Democrat Eliot Engel (D-NY), H.R. 4347 would require
that the U.S. Department of State formally report to Congress on an
annual basis about the status of Turkey’s return of stolen Christian
churches and properties in Turkey and occupied Cyprus. H.R. 4347
builds on a measure (H.Res.306), spearheaded by Chairman Royce and then
House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Democrat Howard Berman (D-CA),
which was overwhelmingly adopted by the House of Representatives on
December 13, 2011. That resolution set the groundwork for H.R.4347
by calling upon the government of Turkey to honor its international
obligations to return confiscated Christian church properties and to
fully respect the rights of Christians to practice their faiths.

“We want to thank Chairman Royce and Ranking Member Engel for advancing
this religious freedom legislation and look forward to the Committee’s
consideration of a principled and practical American stand in support
of the rights of Christians in present-day Turkey and occupied
Cyprus to practice their faith in their own houses of worship,”
said ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian. “We are pleased to join with all
believers in religious freedom – including of course our Cypriot,
Greek, Pontian and Syriac brothers and sisters – in supporting this
measure, and encourage all our friends to urge their legislators to
support its timely passage by the Foreign Affairs Committee and the
full House of Representatives.”

Prior to consideration of H.R. 4347, the Committee will be holding
a hearing on “Protecting Christian Heritage in Turkey,” which will
include testimony from Dr. Elizabeth H. Prodromou, Visiting Associate
Professor of Conflict Resolution at the Tufts University Fletcher
School of Law and Diplomacy; and Mr. Khatchig Mouradian, Coordinator
of Armenian Genocide Program at the Rutgers University Center for
Genocide and Human Rights.

Both the hearing and consideration of H.R. 4347 will be webcast LIVE
on the House Foreign Affairs Committeewebsite.

In a statement he issued upon the introduction of this religious
freedom measure, Chairman Royce outlined the need for passage
of H.R.4347: “This legislation holds Turkey accountable for its
international obligations to protect and promote human rights, and it
calls attention to Turkish leaders’ broken promises to return church
properties to their rightful owners. Over decades, Christian church
properties, particularly those belonging to the Armenian, Syriac,
and Greek Orthodox communities have been either violently overtaken
or illegally confiscated by Turkish authorities under various excuses.

These churches under Turkish control have been looted, converted
to mosques, storehouses, casinos, vandalized and often irreparably
damaged,” stated Chairman Royce. “Vulnerable religious minorities
deserve more than just piecemeal returns of their stolen religious
properties. It is important that the United States continue to
encourage Turkish leaders to uphold their commitments and return
all remaining properties without further delay. This bill will make
promoting religious freedom and tolerance in Turkey a U.S. diplomatic
priority.”

Ranking Democrat Engel concurred, noting, “The Republic of Turkey,
and indeed all nations, have a responsibility to protect, restore,
and return religious properties which have been unlawfully seized from
their communities and rightful owners by state authorities. Armenian,
Syriac, and Greek Orthodox communities in Turkey have for many years
been seeking the return of their confiscated properties. The claims of
these communities must be respected and addressed in a comprehensive
and timely manner. This legislation calls on the Republic of Turkey
to meet its international obligations, and urges the United States
to prioritize the return of unlawfully seized religious properties in
order to begin to resolve the legitimate claims of these communities.”

H.R.4347 specifically requires the Secretary of State to “submit to the
Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a report on the status
and return of stolen, confiscated, or otherwise unreturned Christian
churches, places of worship, and other properties in or from the
Republic of Turkey and in the areas of northern Cyprus occupied by
the Turkish military that shall contain the following:

(1) A comprehensive listing of all the Christian churches, places of
worship, and other properties, such as monasteries, schools, hospitals,
monuments, relics, holy sites, and other religious properties,
including movable properties, such as artwork, manuscripts, vestments,
vessels, and other artifacts, in or from Turkey and in the territories
of the Republic of Cyprus under military occupation by Turkey that
are claimed as stolen, confiscated, or otherwise wrongfully removed
from the ownership of their rightful Christian church owners.

(2) Description of all engagement over the previous year on this issue
by officials of the Department of State with representatives of the
Republic of Turkey regarding the return to their rightful owners of
all Christian churches, places of worship, and other properties, such
as monasteries, schools, hospitals, monuments, relics, holy sites,
and other religious properties, including movable properties, such
as artwork, manuscripts, vestments, vessels, and other artifacts,
both those located within Turkey’s borders and those under control
of Turkish military forces in the occupied northern areas of Cyprus.”

The resolution goes on to urge that a summary of the report be
included in the annual U.S. State Department Human Rights Report and
International Religious Freedom Report.

An ANCA Call Alert in support of H.R.4347 is available here.

FREEDOM HOUSE: ARMENIA LISTED AMONG STATES WITH SEMI-CONSOLIDATED AUTHORITARIAN REGIME

June 12, 2014 | 18:21

Armenia continues to be listed among semi-consolidated authoritarian
regimes in the Freedom House report titled “Nations in Transit 2014.”

Armenia has scored 5.36 points and has low rating in the survey’s
civil society category.

As to the neighboring countries, Georgia is listed among the states
with transitional government or hybrid regime, while Azerbaijan is
named a country with consolidated authoritarian regime. The report
indicates crackdown on civil society activists, political opponents,
and the media following presidential elections in Azerbaijan last
October.

“After six consecutive years of decline, the largest and wealthiest
country in the Caucasus–and the newest chair of the Committee of
Ministers for the Council of Europe–now has the democracy rating of
a deeply entrenched Central Asian dictatorship, with less freedom of
assembly or expression than Tajikistan and more flagrant corruption
than Kazakhstan,” the report reads.

Besides, the report indicates Russia’s key role in decline of democracy
in post-Soviet area.

“Even in states where government and law enforcement already
surpass their Russian counterparts in institutionalized brutality and
intolerance, the Kremlin’s legislation has served as an inspiration,”
the experts say.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

THOMAS DE WAAL: AZERBAIJAN CANNOT HAVE GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH WASHINGTON IF IT DECLARE WAR ON STATE DEPARTMENT

20:00 12/06/2014 >> REGION

There are currently few prospects of a thaw between Azerbaijan and the
U.S., reads the article of Senior Associate Russia and Eurasia
Program Thomas de Waal, that was published on the site of Carnegie
Moscow Center.

According to the article in the last year, Azerbaijan has embarked on a
crackdown targeted specifically against Western-leaning human rights,
civil society activists and opposition politicians. The victims have
included two opposition leaders, Ilgar Mammadov and Tofiq Yaqublu,
jailed in March; Anar Mammadli, head of a respected election monitoring
organization, recently imprisoned for five and a half years; prominent
Russian-language journalist Rauf Mirkadirov, arrested in April;
and, well-known experts Arif and Leyla Yunus, who have been stopped
from leaving the country and are under investigation. This is not
to mention many other lesser-known individuals who are in jail as
well as USAID and other Western-funded organizations, such as the
National Democratic Institute and Radio Liberty, that are under
constant pressure, de Waal notes.

According to him critical statements have rained down from the
United States and the European Union, Azerbaijan is the subject of
hearings in the Helsinki Commission in Congress on June 11. But when
Western officials have sounded the alarm they have been accused of
“interfering in the internal affairs of Azerbaijan.”

The author notes that this has made for an ongoing clash between U.S.

Ambassador to Baku, Richard Morningstar and the Azerbaijani
government. The hawkish presidential official Ali Hasanov condemned
the ambassador’s interview to Radio Liberty as an attempt to foment a
“Maidan” in Azerbaijan.

“The attacks, some of them quite personal in tone, have been made
even though Morningstar is the man the Azerbaijanis specifically
requested to be ambassador, having been the United States’ envoy
on Caspian Sea oil and gas issues and one of the architects of the
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline project, which is the cornerstone of
the country’s independence,” the expert writes.

According to him the Azerbaijani elite has many factions. There is
a Western-leaning group, in the Foreign Ministry and some other
ministries, which has clearly been losing the argument in recent
months. But it is not as though Baku has made a strong pivot to Moscow
either. It may be that the Azerbaijanis feel they can compartmentalize
the relationship. Yet, it should be obvious that you cannot have
a good relationship with Washington if you declare war on the main
interlocutor, the State Department.

The Armenian lobby still makes Baku’s life difficult. Section 907 of
the Freedom Support Act, passed by the U.S. Congress in October 1992
during the Karabakh conflict, barring many types of U.S government
aid to Azerbaijan was never repealed, even though the Azerbaijanis
were defeated in the conflict. Yet, of course, the latest actions
only strengthen the anti-Azerbaijani message of the Armenian lobby.

There are currently few prospects of a thaw. Ambassador Morningstar
leaves in the summer after a scheduled two-year posting and there may
well be another long hiatus before his replacement is appointed. The
relationship is likely to become even more transactional and piecemeal,
the journalist writes.

According to de Waal the simplest explanation for the recent crackdown
may be that, after more than a decade in ruling power in Azerbaijan
are paranoid and isolated as their actions suggest.

“In that case the challenge for those in the U.S. administration who
want to maintain influence in Azerbaijan is to find messengers who
can get through some thick palace walls,” he concludes.

Source: Panorama.am

ARMENIAN, GEORGIAN ELEPHANTS TO MARRY IN TBILISI TODAY

17:08 12.06.2014

The Armenian Grand elephant will arrive at Tbilisi Zoo today. A female
elephant named Malka is looking forward to his arrival. In preparation
for the wedding the bride is even doing manicures and pedicures.

The broom weighing 6 tones will arrive in Tbilisi in a special trailer
accompanied by a delegation of employees of Yerevan and Tbilisi Zoos.

“Grant will stay in Georgia. In exchange, the Tbilisi Zoo will
send a young elephant to Yerevan,” Press Secretary of the Zoo Mziya
Sharashidze told Gruzia Online.

Today the Tbilisi Zoo will be closed to visitors connected with the
arrival of a new inhabitant.

According to the Press Service of the Yerevan Zoo, Grand will not
only marry, but will also undergo a surgery in Tbilisi. He has been
suffering from tusk problems for eight years now.

DISPUTED REPORT FROM NAKHIJEVAN: BOTH SIDES DENY ATTACK TOOK PLACE

News | 12.06.14 | 16:02

By Gohar Abrahamyan
ArmeniaNow reporter

On Wednesday Azerbaijani media and Russian Regnum agency reported
that the Armenian armed forces started an attack in the direction of
Lakatagh village of Nakhijevan’s Julfa region. Azeri casualties were
reported and residents evacuating.

This news was rejected both by the Armenian Ministry of Defense and
by the Azerbaijani Defense Ministries, however the information still
is widely circulated.

There is an opinion that with such instigating information Azerbaijan
tries to exacerbate the situation on the Armenian-Azeri frontline; it
is also supposed that the Azerbaijani side informs about the victims
that it had a few days ago around Yeraskh when the Armenian side had
two victims.

Political analyst Levon Ter-Shahnazaryan did not specify but said
that days ago within a few nights the Armenian side improved its
positions in the Nakhijevani section and according to the political
analyst today there can be no clashes there.

“By yesterday’s announcement they are probably trying to justify
their actions,” Melik-Shahnazaryan told reporters Thursday.

On Wednesday at a parliamentary question and answer session the Defense
Minister Seyran Ohanyan stated that the state at the frontline is
stable but tense.

“We do all possible not to have another center of tension, and now
in Nakhijevan. However, our soldiers along the whole borderline with
Azerbaijan are prepared to shift from military duty to military
actions, and we have perfectly established positions for that,”
Ohanyan said.

Melik-Shahnazaryan said that recently shootings became more frequent
both on the territory of Armenia and Karabakh than last years; however,
both the Armenian and the Azeri sides had fewer casualties this year
compared with the previous one.

On Thursday French Ambassador to Armenia, Henry Renault spoke about
the unrest in the border saying that it is vital to discharge the
tension on the border.

“All interactions, exchange of opinions should take place at a
negotiation table, because for the resolution of Karabakh conflict,
and any conflict in general, there is no other way but resolution
through peaceful negotiations,” said the ambassador.

CLINTON CALLS ERDOGAN ‘FORCEFUL’ AND ‘EFFECTIVE’

Daily Sabah, Turkey
June 11 2014

AA
Published : 11.06.2014 10:05:29

WASHINGTON D.C. – “One man in particular held the key to the future
of Turkey and of our relationship: Prime Minister Erdogan,” writes
Hillary Clinton, former US Secretary of State, in her newly released
book titled “Hard Choices.”

Considered as the foundation for Hillary Clinton’s candidacy for the
2016 US presidential election, “Hard Choices” describes her four
years – from 2008 to 2012 – as Secretary of State under President
Barack Obama.

In the book, the former Secretary of State not only wrote about
her visits around the world but also shared her perspective on key
policies and key political figures from different countries.

Clinton grants a fair share of her book to Turkey, namely its Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Stating that she first met Erdogan in the nineties when he was
Istanbul’s mayor, Clinton describes Erdogan as “an ambitious, forceful,
devout and effective politician.”

“Turks first elected his Islamist Party in 2002 and reelected them in
2007 and 2011,” she writes. “Prime Minister Erdogan viewed all three
elections as mandates for sweeping change. His government aggressively
went after alleged coup plotters in the military and managed to gain
a tighter grip on power than any of its civilian predecessors.”

Clinton goes on saying that, under Erdogan, Turkey has been testing
whether democracy, modernity, woman’s rights, secularism and Islam
could co-exist.

Clinton praises changes under Erdogan such as easing restrictions
on teaching and broadcasting in Kurdish language, abolishing state
security courts-which had greatly restricted democratic values.

Despite positive developments in the country, writes Clinton, arrests
of journalists, the hard crackdown on Gezi Park protests in May 2013
and the probe against high-ranking government officials on graft
allegations have constrained Erdogan’s leadership.

Clinton insists on the fact that it is in American interests to
encourage all religion-based political parties and leaders to embrace
inclusive democracy, referring to Erdogan’s AK Party and its vision
for Islam in politics.

Clinton writes that Turkey will continue to play a significant role
in both the Middle East and Europe and remain of vital importance to
the US.

Turkish economy boomed with one of the fastest growth rates in the
world, adds Clinton.

“As the rest of Europe staggered under financial crisis and the Middle
East stagnated, Turkey emerged as a regional powerhouse,” she notes.

She also praises Turkey’s policy of wanting “zero problems with
neighbors,” describing it as an overall constructive policy,
which paves the way for solutions in “long running disputes” in,
for instance, Cyprus as well as “frozen conflicts” such as the
Turkish-Armenian dispute over 1915 events. Clinton adds that she put
all her efforts to ameliorate Turkish-Armenian relations.

Still, she writes, the “zero problems” philosophy “also made Turkey
overeager to accept an inadequate diplomatic agreement with its
neighbor Iran that would have done little to address the international
community’s concerns about Tehran’s nuclear program.”

Recalling the Israeli raid on Turkish ship, Mavi Marmara in 2010
which killed eight people, Clinton writes that she had to calm down
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu who considered the attack
as “9/11 for Turkey” and managed to convince Turkey not to take any
serious action against Israel.

FIRST LOOK AT JOSEPH ASSADOURIAN IN THE BULLPEN, BEGINNING TOMORROW AT THE PLAYROOM THEATER

Broadway World
June 11 2014

June 11
by BWW News Desk

Actor/playwright Joseph Assadourian, like Charles Dutton and Lead
Belly before him, discovered his theatrical voice while serving time
behind bars. His new one-man play, The Bullpen, which he wrote and
stars in, will begin an open-ended Off-Broadway engagement at The
Playroom Theater (151 West 46th Street between Broadway and 6th Avenue)
on Thursday, June 12th. Richard Hoehler directs this black comedy,
which features Assadourian in 18 different roles. Opening night is
set Sunday June 22nd. Check out a first look below!

In The Bullpen, a man is arrested, arraigned and put on trial for
a crime he claims he did not commit. Consequently two systems of
jurisprudence judge him – one a jury of his peers in the courtroom
and the other: the fascinating and hilarious denizens of the bullpen
in which he is being held. Mr. Assadourian mercurially transforms
from character to character and from court to court.

Joseph Assadourian was released from prison in 2013 after serving
12 years for attempted murder. Two years before his release, he
reluctantly became one of two-dozen inmates who joined a theatre
workshop at Otisville Correctional Institution in upstate New York.

Actor/director Richard Hoehler, a volunteer at the institution, used
acting techniques to guide inmates through the rehabilitation process.

Joseph, who had never before even seen a play, quickly discovered
his special skills and, with Hoehler’s guidance, began creating an
8-minute scene that incorporated characters he had met during his
incarceration. The Bullpen evolved from that short sketch into a
full-length production, which was developed at Otisville Correction
Facility; upon his release from prison, Assadourian performed the
completed, full-length at the Fortune Academy (The Castle) – a
residence in NYC for formerly incarcerated men and women. Producer
Eric Krebs saw the show there and realized it needed to be seen by
a wider audience.

Assadourian received the 1st Place PEN Prison Writing Award for
his play, Heaven and a 2nd Place PEN Award for Joey Shakespeare,
co-written with Brandon Cochrane, which was featured at the New Work
Now reading series at The Public Theater and subsequently presented
by The Collective Theatre in Miami. He is also the author of a
full-length play, Deliberation, a modern recounting of the Armenian
Holocaust. As an actor, Joe has appeared in Race by David Mamet,
Tuff Love (including works by Sam Shepard and John Patrick Shanley)
and Inside Out, an original theatre piece co-written with the inmates
at Otisville Correctional Institution.

Performances will be Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings
at 8PM and Sunday at 3PM. Special Matinees Friday June 20th at
4PM and Saturday June 21st at 3PM. Tickets, which are $20, are
available online at or by calling toll-free
866-811-4111. Performances take place at The Playroom Theater at 151
West 46th Street (between Broadway and 6th Avenue).