Author: Badalian Vardan

Xinhua General News Service, China
March 27, 2014 Thursday 10:17 AM EST

Armenian lawmakers condemn rebel attack on Syria’s border town of Kasab

DAMASCUS March 27

A visiting Armenian parliamentary delegation on Thursday condemned the
rebels’ attack on Syria’s coastal town of Kasab, where most of the
inhabitants are of Armenian descent, according to the state-run SANA
news agency.

The delegation, headed by parliament member Samvel Farmanyan,
expressed the condemnation of the attack by the Turkey-backed militant
groups on Syria’s border town of Kasab, during a meeting with Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad on Thursday, SANA reported.

It said the delegation delivered a message from Armenian President
Serzh Sarkisyan who expressed his condemnation of ” terrorist groups
attacks backed by Turkey” against Kasab.

The Armenian delegation voiced full support for the Syrian
government’s efforts to restore security and stability to the country
and its efforts to secure the return of the people who have been
displaced to their homes, according to SANA.

For his part, al-Assad warned of the danger of the “Western and
regional-backed terrorism,” saying that the extremist ideology poses a
threat of fragmenting the region that has been historically
characterized by cultural and social diversity.

The battles in Kasab which is near the Syria-Turkey border erupted on
Friday, when a large number of armed militant groups infiltrated the
Syrian territories from Turkey, according to SANA news agency.

The Syrian government has accused Turkey of providing support to the
rebels, mainly the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, who are waging their
attacks from the Turkish side of the borders against Kasab, which is
denied by Ankara.

On Wednesday, Syria’s Foreign Ministry urged the U.N. Security Council
to take “all measures required” to condemn “the Turkish involvement in
supporting the armed terrorist groups which attacked Kasab… and to
compel the Turkish government to stop its aggression.”

World Bulletin, Turkey
Mrarch 29 2014

A French missionary’s notes of his travels in Mesopotamia

In the springtime of 1860 was the period in which his journey began
from the docks of Iskenderuntaking route through the well-known cities
of Antakya, Aleppo, Urfa and Antep. During his journey he recorded
important information about the relationships between communities,
living conditions and its geography.

Omer Aymali / World Bulletin / History

For hundreds of years, thousands of Christian missionaries studied in
various regions for the purpose of spreading their religion to all
walks of life. Since the 16th century, these people learned to
specialized in diverse fields such as teaching and medics, and began
nourishing their new goals to be able to influence every society in
which they entered into. As well as working out the ways to spread
their influence to the local people of foreign lands, they also spent
of their riches to strengthen the colonialist cause.

As such, the missionaries’ works within Ottoman lands seems fitting in
this perspective. The initial aim was to spread the religion of
Christianity and form connections, elongate and improve relations with
Christians living in Ottoman territory. With the Ottoman Empire losing
power, the aim was also to determine their weak points and acquire
privileges. In turn, the Ottoman Christian elements would serve their
aims to connect them with European societies.

In every period, missionary activities within Ottoman lands was used
in an influential manner. The first step of these activities was to
roam the land as individuals or as a group to establish connections
with Christian populations. The second step was to compete and make
lasting the providing of various privileges, permanently placing
European culture, language and religion among the Ottoman Christians.
An unfounded opportunity for the missionaries was the confessional
community’s `personal law’ system, which the Ottoman Empire would
implement for its minorities. The Ottoman Empire would give rights to
those who belonged to different cultures and religious groups,
allowing them to practice and preserve their own culture and beliefs.
This situation made it easier for the missionaries to work more
effectively. Like this, the missionary travellers found helpful allies
every where they went.

Victor Chapod was one of the missionaries who embarked on important
travels in Ottoman regions. Chapod, an important member of the French
Catholic missionary academy, was famous amongst the Catholic
communities living in Anatolian lands. He travelled in the lands of
the Mediterranean, North Africa and the Middle East, where French
missionary activities took place. Chapod also gained a doctorate in
social sciences from the French School in Athens due to some of his
discoveries.

His journey began in the spring of 1860 from the docks of
Alexandretta, taking route through the well-known cities of Antioch,
Aleppo, Urfa and Antep. During his journey he recorded important
information about the relationships between communities, living
conditions and its geography. Even if the information on the notes
isn’t objective enough, it gives us an important understanding of the
area and the community.

The observation of exit and entry into the Alexandrian docks:

The travels which I did in this area, did not contain the intent of
pleasure or tourism. The main purpose of the travel in this area was
to expose the traces of Greece, Rome and the Byzantine. Also it was to
identify just how much these traces had been wiped out or disappeared.
I travelled with an Austrian ship via Izmir-Rodos route and my Western
Mesopotamia journey started with my ship casting anchor at the docks
of Iskenderun. By looking from sea, from the first light of dawn, in
an image that reminds the cold weather and the pollution, was what
could be seen of a small, desolated and old city whose straight back
has leant itself on the mountains. This gloomy city which gives one
negative feelings, only made the two factories which were situated in
the middle of this port city make the houses around seem small.

In an instant the seaport moved with the ship casting anchor to it and
then beggars and carriers began to approach the port which we were
nearing. After the bargaining made by the experienced sailors, our
luggage were brought and given to these carriers¦

The moment I stepped foot onto dock, starting from the customs
officers, many discontent eyes had set upon me. Due to these officers,
from my clothes to my luggage, ever part of me and my provisions was
thoroughly searched. Especially with the suspicion that I was carrying
dynamite, the boxes where I put my photography machine and utensils
drew attention and was also shown as much care. In this time the
officials treated me like I was some spy. When they couldn’t find a
thing on me they let me go and I was taken by a guide to a hotel in
what could be said was the cleanest area at the port. Immediately
after settling in and taking a short rest at the hotel, myself and
some others who were here for other purposes were taken to the
authority in charge of the mobile security forces and responsible for
the safety of the city. This mobile security force was strikingly
disorganized, held weapons that didn’t resemble each other’s, wore
diversely fashioned clothing and were far from being disciplined
soldiers. I was questioned by their commanders. They took my
valuables, in which was my photograph machine. The French Consulate of
this city had to coerce and struggle in order to retrieve them.

After this it was time to return to the city. Following a route that
had turned to swamp we entered Iskenderun by tracking on foot for
maybe 2, maybe 5 kilometres in rainy and very dull weather¦ They took
me to a hotel which they told me was better. But it was far from every
health and safety regulation, the salon was full of smoke and there
was pots on top of fire which they grabbed the food with their bare
hands from placing it onto the plate making it all an unforgettable
scene for me. I couldn’t stand the scene and smell of it all so I
retreated to my room. The next day when I decided to go around the
city to do some exploring I was shocked at what I saw because I wasn’t
expecting to see such a thing here. On the eve of Easter, the whole
city was furnished with Spanish, Norway, Swedish and our flags and
banners. Of course, the French governor who was protecting the
Christian missionaries was acting as their leader.

Two hours after we set travel for Iskenderun we arrived at a town
named Belen. This place was like an eagle’s nest or a summer
sanatorium village. A little while after this we reached the Antakya
Lake. This lake resembled a swamp more than anything. We suffered a
lot from the drenched, awful road that forced us to pass through and
in between the puddles that lead back into the lake. One day later at
around noon we could finally see Antakya. We entered a dense green
field that was soothing to our eyes. The entrance to the city
contained houses with gardens and trimmed grass.

Antakya maybe this geography’s most beautiful Ottoman city, a wide
oasis has been established here, it is for this reason that its open
to strong winds but still due to their being a few hundred year old
gigantic trees and forests it isn’t affected as much from the winds.

This city, throughout its history and even today holds an important
place for being central for trade and education since the Hellenistic
and Roman era. The old and new city is mixed within one another. But
their still remains relics from history’s old periods that is slowly
decaying within the new Antakya. The history as a whole, even the
graves are about to be lost. Our dinner was surprisingly modern and
this area seemed unusual to me. Beautifully prepared with herbs was a
lamb roast, and we were servedby waiters who somewhat copied the
European style service and our environment was very peculiar in that
it was illuminated by lanterns which gave it a dark lighting effect.

We roamed around the streets of Antakya with Shakir the day after the
enthusiastic Holiday celebrations. This travel made me feel emotions
that resembled my last tour of Paris. The women were separated into
two groups, veiled and non-veiled. The non-veiled women were the
Christians and were well dressed, and using makeup. But everyone in
this Muslim town was celebrating this Christian holiday with
enthusiasm. The next day I went with my guide to the north of Antakya,
at around four hours walking distance by foot there was a town that
was built over old Byzantine remnants and this town’s old name was
`Soueidie’ or now called Suadiye. The town locals were very welcoming
to us. What took my attention was that this place had a wealthy
community and that they were generally Arminian and Arab. When I was
roaming around I saw two things which affected me deeply. The first
was an old canal that passed through every residential area. I learnt
that this canal which had 40 meter high walls, was used for
transferring water. The second was a splendid rocky road that lead to
the Christian cemetery. I learnt that both things were built by the
Romans.

The next day we started our trip from Antakya to Aleppo with the small
group that I gathered. We started our journey on horse and foot, and
continued on the old Roman road leaving the barren desert like land
and the ocean line behind us. Five or six hours later we arrived to a
residential area named `New City’. This place left me surprised right
from the beginning. Iskenderun’s repulsive and stuffy weather wasn’t
present here. Even though it appeared to be like an uninhabited place
within the desert, there was wide spread and comfortable tents and
less buildings. And as a hotel there was this type of tent pitched.

Our journey to Aleppo took two days and in the end we could finally
see its grey hills. The first and most outstanding thing was the grey
colour that dominated the surroundings.Other than the small patch of
green field that could barely be seen, the city that attached itself
around the magnificent Aleppo tower showed that this was one of
Syria’s biggest residential areas. Also the mosques thin long minarets
within this crowded view added to the environment a striking feature
and emphasized that this town had Muslim attributes.

We entered Aleppo through a wide precinct and the first thing to come
across us was the governor’s mansion, the empire high school and the
army barracks. After this the roads became like a maze. Everywhere had
crowed markets and lots of people. When I compared this city to those
I had visited before, for example Cairo, it was packed with
provisions, and there was magnificent long thin minarets but had areas
beneath in its shade people who were in all sorts of pain and
suffering.

Damascus was an important central and a city which had short levelled
buildings that stopped the light from coming in. However Aleppo, to me
seemed colder, grey and more serious than the others. Other than this,
it had narrow roads between houses which were joint to one another,
small windows and more of a commercial trade atmosphere, and for all
this to be jammed into a narrow area gave a prison like feeling.

Generally due to the outside climate being very hot the daily life
stopped from ten in the morning until five in the evening. The city’s
community would withdraw to the shade of the straw rooftops and the
women and men would smoke argyle. Army vehicles would constantly roam
the streets, and was a city that was strikingly militant. This city
had great importance for Istanbul, it is for this reason that every
term a strong, energetic governor is appointed, additionally the
number of soldiers of the garrison here would continuously be high.
Because, I’ve been told that the governor’s first task here is to
secure the Sultan’s authority.

We left from Aleppo with seven people and eight horses, and started
trailing a dusty and damaged road heading to the north-east. Our first
stop was the residential area of Telafer. This place was most probably
a Yezidi village. They told me that these people worshipped the devil.
The thing that caught my attention most about this village was that it
was very dirty everywhere and on one side had piles of bones and skin
from various animals. Instead of houses, the locals were staying in
shelters made from stone and mud that was amidst the filth of the
place.

Our hike which started again the next day, ended with our arrival to
Nizip. From what I’ve been told, to the north of Aleppo, the next
biggest residential region after Kilis was here and it was
surprisingly lively. With commercial liveliness, cleanliness,
orderliness and well maintained fruit gardens, I learnt that this was
a real Turk town. This Turk town was stupendous. One of the most
important attributes of this place was that Turks and Armenians lived
together here.

After roaming around here I understood that the Euphrates completely
changed the geography here and created a living within the nature. Due
to the water flowing from the Euphrates it was made use of by every
living thing around the area. After following the Euphrates bank for a
little longer we came across a place that allowed us to pass to the
other side. This place was Birecik.

The next day we ended our short trip in `Rakka’ and set camp just
outside the city. Rakka was an antique city left over from the Romans.
The thing which caught my attention most was that the majority of its
population were from Circassia. I must explain here the Circassians.
They do not resemble the people of this area at all, they are of a
completely different nature¦

Although they are Muslims, they still don’t resemble the Muslims,
Kurds and Bedouins from other areas that I’ve travelled. Actually they
are close to Turks but still possess a difference. Their houses are
nice, they’re attractive, clean and well maintained, they take care of
their appearance and they certainly do not wear rags. They are
migrants which fled from Caucasia and sought refuge with the Turks and
were accepted. The empire allowed them to settle in this region. They
produce quality leather. It’s due to this that their boots and vests
are made from leather and are generally black, they wear pants that
stick to their figure and come over their knees, and this attire makes
them look very courageousand gives them confidence.

Swarms of Locust go around the area like black clouds, they destroyed
critical water deposits along our path, so these people advised me to
change my course. Due to this I needed a new route and guide. We
changed our course to `RaÅ?-el Ain’ and from their propositions of
guides, I chose the region’s best and most reliable, an old
Circassian. After 20 Bedouins cut our path, under normal circumstances
they would have attacked us, but when they saw a Circassian fighter
next to us they just gave greetings and withdrew.

Urfa in this region looked like a gleaming fortress city. A city that
was surrounded by thick and high walls made it look like a big castle.
When looked at from outside it was apparent that deeper inside Urfa
split into two. At the front was the Prophet Abraham Lake, with
sparkling waters and encircling it were great trees and green fields,
giving it a spectacular appearance. The city starts from behind this.
The city is generally like the others, tall and small windows and the
grey colour is dominant, but with one difference, every house here
resembles the Italian verandas with the houses being in the front and
having gardens and entrances. And this creates an important
difference. The work which caught my eyes attention most was the
Abraham Mosque. The detailed minarets made from marble gave a majestic
and attractive appearance, outside of the mosque there are two wide,
and clean pools. It is all kept fancy and maintained well.

We reached Antep. This city occupies an important area in the region.
It doesn’t look like remnants from the middle ages. It has illuminated
and wide roads and can be easily understood from the surroundings that
it has specifically professionalized in the painting industry. The
city population is made up of Turks and Armenians. The Armenians
however secluded themselves to the outer side of the city. When I get
closer to them I encounter the same question constantly. `You
travelled everywhere, do you like this place also?’ This city has a
live and active French school which the Armenians send their children
to it. The Schoolbooks come from France¦

I was told about the remnants of an old town near this city called
`Cyrrhus’. Without wasting any time I quickly went there and came
across an amazing scene. I saw the remains of a monument belonging to
Theodaret from the 5th century. Encompassing it was a 400 metre
fortress wall, at some points its height reached 50 metres. Later we
left this beautiful city. With this route, our journey from the south
towards Aleppo was quite active. It was very interesting seeing the
stone bridges from the Roman period, groups of men and women wearing
the same clothes, farms and working villagers. However the thing that
gets ones attention most in this region was that everywhere women
worked more. The men would either lay in a shade of a tree or sit down
and smoke cigarettes.

After two days of rest we left for our trip again. This time our goal
was a monastery half a day’s length from Aleppo. After an enjoyable
hike I reached the Saint Simon Monastery. Out of all the places that I
travelled in Syria this was definitely the most beautiful. For Europe
to spread its religious beliefs and continue its existence this place
is a protected and maintained, and an important political central.

The priests were free to do any type of ritual and sermon within the
church. Also there is a system here for it to maintain itself. Around
the building that was made for worship are barns for stock animals, a
school and a dormitory. We left here with very pleasant memories and
again continuing our path we arrived at Islhiye. I learnt that this
places historical name was `Nicopolis’. We found a large caravan area
where we could eat our lunch. We received a lot of attention from the
guests after they learnt we were foreign travellers and we spoke with
them for a great while. This was my final stop on these lands. On my
journey which lasted over four months I saw great and impressive
hospitality and tolerance from the Turks. On my travel I also had the
opportunity of getting to know the native people who lived in the
areas of Mesopotamia and the Euphrates.

Reference:
Olcay Ozkaya Duman, Haktan Birsel
Updates from A France missionary’s notes of his Mesopotamian travels:
>From Iskenderun to the Euphrates, North Syria-West Mesopotamia

Anadolu Agency, Turkey
March 27 2014

Turkey denies backing Syrian opposition in Kesab

26 March 2014 19:16
Syria’s allegations “totally unfounded and untrue,” says Turkey’s
Foreign Ministry

ANKARA

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday allegations that Turkey is
providing support to opposition forces in Kesab by letting them use
its territory or through other means during the country’s conflict are
“totally unfounded and untrue.”

“We consider the efforts of such circles and the developments in the
Kesab region and the painful incidents of the past as a
confrontational political propaganda attempt and particularly condemn
it,” said a statement from the ministry.

Remarking that Turkey is one of the most affected countries of Syria’s
three-year civil war, the ministry said that the country is continuing
to eliminate threats against its national security “as was the case on
23 March,” when the Turkish armed forces downed a Syrian military jet
for violating its airspace.

Turkey has also been sheltering around 800,000 Syrians and has now “in
accordance with its humanitarian and conscientious responsibility
notified the relevant U.N. bodies that Syrian Armenians residing in
Kesep region could be admitted into Turkey too where they will be
guaranteed protection,” the ministry concluded in its statement.

Fresno Bee, CA
March 29 2014

The day Saroyan held class

By Brenda Magarity

On January 26, 1977, I parked my bronze Toyota in front of William
Saroyan’s Griffith Street home to pick him up on my way to work. Even
though I had been driving him around the San Joaquin Valley for 21/2
years, today was different. This time I was taking him where I wanted
to go. I had been teaching English and drama at Madera High School
since 1971, the year I had gotten to know him, and I’d finally found
the courage to ask my hero to spend a day with me at my job.

In contrast to the usual ragged clothes he wore on our trips to the
Laundromat, the market or my father’s dry – cleaning shop, he had on a
dark suit. His black hair, slightly graying and long on his neck, was
neatly brushed back. His face appeared illuminated in the morning
light, and a thick white mustache drooped down on each side. With the
style of a man with a bigger – than – life personality, he appeared
younger than his 68 years.

As we arrived at my school, we were greeted by an immediate uproar as
I escorted one of the great American 20th century authors through the
hallway of the Language Arts building. Everyone appeared stunned, yet
within a few minutes, teachers organized a schedule to bring their
classes to my oversized drama classroom throughout the day.

“Miss Najimian, is that your father?” a student asked as we entered my
room. “No, Juan.” I tried to contain my laughter. “This is William
Saroyan, the writer.”

In the first class, Richard Flores shot up his hand and squirmed in
his seat. Saroyan asked him to stand and state his name. “What do you
like most about coming to school?” “The girls,” Richard answered, and
the audience giggled.

When Rick Elias raised his hand, Saroyan made him stand and spell his
name as he wrote it down. He explained that he was deaf in one ear and
needed students to speak up. “How many books have you written?” Rick
asked him. “I’ve published more than 44 books in 43 years,” Saroyan
answered.

“Are you Aram?” Mary Ann Brown asked.

“That’s a good question. It is best if a writer writes what he knows.
Aram is based on the experiences of my Uncle Aram, myself and those of
my brother and cousins.

“And, Mary Ann,” Saroyan continued, “what is the best thing you like
about coming to school?”

“The boys,” she said. Once again, laughter filled the room.

“Rick Flores said the girls, and now, you say the boys.” He nodded as
if pointing out the irony and the honesty of that. By 10 o’clock, the
press arrived, and locals came with books to sign. A general hurricane
of excitement blew through the school. Unfazed, he spoke to hundreds
of students and visitors who filled my classroom to capacity.

While he remained center stage in the eye of this swirling eddy of
respect and admiration, I became the observer. Once again I was struck
by how capable he was of capturing and maintaining the attention of
his audience just as he did in his books. Within minutes, he
captivated the admiration of some of my wildest freshmen boys.

Although Saroyan’s tone still carried that man – child wit, he grew more
serious by fourth hour. “What would you have done if you didn’t become
a writer?” a student asked. “I would’ve become a car thief.”

Over the years, I often thought about this answer, a brilliant
observation about the fine line between how one uses the gift of
creativity and the choices involved. Writer or car thief? Teacher or
what?

Saroyan wrote about this experience in the last book published before
his death in 1981. This man who turned down thousands of dollars in
speaking engagements, wrote, “And so why did I … talk four times for
free … I was asked if I might pay such a visit to a school by an
Armenian girl who fetched me lemons, oranges and grapefruit from the
trees in the garden of the house of her parents. …”

Of all the moments I shared with him, I’ll always remember that day
when his voice boomed through the hallways of Madera High. He marched
more than walked and carried himself more like a general than a poet.

In his presence that day, I felt the entire Armenian nation was with me.

Syrian army takes 2 villages near Lebanon

16:30 29/03/2014 » SOCIETY

Syrian government forces captured Saturday two villages near the
border with Lebanon after clashes with opposition fighters, cutting a
major supply route for weapons and fighters into Syria, state TV said,
according to The Associated Press.

The report said the villages of Flita and Ras Maara fell into the
hands of government forces early in the day. The Britain-based Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights confirmed troops were inside the two
villages and advancing, although it had no immediate word on whether
they fell to government forces.

The Observatory said government forces are backed by members of
Lebanon’s Hezbollah group, which openly started taking part in Syria’s
war last year against opposition forces.

The villages were the latest targets of a government offensive in the
rugged Qalamoun border region after troops captured the town of
Yabroud earlier this month. Tens of thousands of Syrians fled into
Lebanon since the Qalamoun offensive began in November.

Flita, which is about 5 miles (7 kilometers) from the border with
Lebanon, had been a major crossing point for rebels coming from across
the border into Syria to fight President Bashar Assad’s forces.
Syria’s mostly Sunni rebels draw supply, recruits and support from
Sunni communities in Lebanon.

Qalamoun holds strategic value for the government since it is crossed
by the main north-south highway that links the capital to government
strongholds along the Mediterranean coast.

The TV said the villages fell after government forces “wiped out the
last remnants of armed terrorist groups and destroyed its weapons and
tools they used in their crimes.” The Syrian government refers to
rebels as “terrorists.”

An activist based near Damascus who goes by the name of Abu Yazan
al-Shami who is in touch with colleagues near Yabroud confirmed that
government forces have captured parts of the two villages but are
still facing resistance from rebels inside.

“Fierce and difficult battles are taking place. It is a rugged area
and both the regime and the rebels have gathered lots of fighters for
this battle,” said al-Shami via Skype. He added that the main battle
expected to follow Flita and Ras Maara will be the rebel-held town of
Rankous in order for the government “to completely cut supplies from
Lebanon into Qalamoun.”

Source: Panorama.am

Kocharyan’s role in coup may be crucial for main opposition force – opinion

15:24 * 29.03.14

Second President Robert Kocharyan’s possible involvement in a coup
d’état may have a crucial impact on the Armenian National Congress
which is a central political force, says a youth activist.

“Robert Kocharyan, as any other former president, was expected to
demonstrate a desire for returning power. And that’s what he has been
doing for quite a long time. It’s hard not to notice the Prosperous
Armenia party’s connections with Kocharyan, but on the other hand, it
would be fatal for the [Armenian National] Congress,” Armen Aghayan, a
member of the nationalist party Hayazn, told reporters, adding that
the ANC has received guarantees for ruling out Kocharyan’s return to
power.

He said their party treats the former and incumbent authorities
exactly the same way, not seeing essential differences between policy
lines. “[First President] Levon Ter-Petrosyan is on an equal line with
Kocharyan and [incumbent President] Robert Kocharyan, so we do not see
an ideological difference. Neither are there essential differences in
ensuring a legitimacy of governance,” he added.

Armenian News – Tert.am

We have to monitor our business competitiveness in CU – Armenia PM

March 29, 2014 | 13:35

YEREVAN. – Armenia needs to monitor its business competitiveness in
the Customs Union (CU).

Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan noted the above-said at
Saturday’s Second Economic Forum–titled “Armenia-Customs Union:
Opportunities and Challenges”–of the ruling Republican Party.

Sargsyan stated that the average import customs duty is 2.4 percent in
Armenia, whereas this is about three times more in the CU.

As per the PM, the high customs duties of a variety of products may
cause a price increase in Armenia. On the other hand, if Armenia
protects its market within the CU, it will open before local
production and investments.

“We are getting a lot of complaints that the Armenian farmers are
forced to compete with cheap Indian, Brazilian, and American meat.
Such matters should be at our focus,” the premier said.

On the other hand, according to Sargsyan, the increase of the customs
duties from third countries can mean a reorientation on the product
demand from the CU. In this regard, problems may arise for those
producers and manufacturers who export products and technology to
non-CU countries.

The PM also noted that Armenia will have to reconsider some of its
World Trade Organization commitments, and therefore negotiations
should start with this institution.

Following the talks that were held on September 3, 2013 in Moscow
between Armenian and Russian Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Vladimir
Putin, Sargsyan had announced that Armenia plans to join the Customs
Union and subsequently engage in the formation of the Eurasian
Economic Union. In December 2013, the “road map” for Armenia’s
accession to the Customs Union was adopted. And in January of this
year, the Government of Armenia approved the action plan for the
implementation of this “road map.” The formal joining is expected in
May. Aside from Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan likewise are members in
the Customs Union.

Photo by Arsen Sargsyan/NEWS.am

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

State Department ‘Deeply Troubled by Kessab Attacks

By Admin // March 29, 2014

Fails To Condemn Turkey’s Role In Anti-Armenian Incursion

WASHINGTON–The State Department today announced that it was “deeply
troubled” by the recent violence in the historically Armenian
populated city of Kessab, Syria, but failed to condemn Turkey’s role
in facilitating the attacks by the al-Qaeda affiliated extremist
forces, that have forced the Armenian and civilian populations to
evacuate the region.

“The ANCA welcomes this initial expression of U.S. Government concern,
in the wake of our recent consultations with the State Department, and
look forward to these words translating into concrete action in
defense of Armenians, all Christians, and other at-risk minorities in
Kessab, Aleppo, and throughout Syria,” stated ANCA Chairman Ken
Hachikian. “We remain troubled, however, by the Administration’s
silence – in the face of compelling evidence – on Turkey’s role in
facilitating the cross-border incursions by extremist forces and look
to Secretary Kerry to send a strong message to the Erdogan
Administration to end its complicity in these attacks.”

In a statement followed by an question and answer session during the
daily State Department press briefing earlier today, State Department
Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf began, “We are deeply troubled by
recent fighting and violence that is endangering the Armenian
community in Kasab, Syria and has forced many to flee. There are far
too many innocent civilians suffering as a result of the war. All
civilians, as well as their places of worship, must be protected.”
Harf continued to note, ” We have long had concerns about the threat
posed by violent extremists and this latest threat to the Armenian
community in Syria only underscores this further.”

The complete State Department statement and the relevant question and
answer session transcript are provided below.

Just yesterday, the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
joined a delegation of Armenian American community and religious
representatives to forcefully urge the U.S. government to take
immediate action to end the vicious onslaught on Kessab. During the
meeting, the community representatives stressed, in urgent and frank
terms, that “the United States has a unique responsibility to protect
the citizens of Kessab especially since a large proportion of them
have American families desperately seeking to provide protection and
refuge for them.” The representatives then outlined a series of
requests, which are outlined in the ANCA Fact Sheet available here:

Earlier this week, ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian sent a strongly worded
letter to calling on President Obama to direct his Secretary of State,
the U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, and his Ambassador to the United
Nations to demand that Turkey halt the cross-border attacks on Kessab
that have forced the immediate civilian evacuation of the area and led
to the looting of properties and the desecration of churches.

Over the past week, thousands of Armenian Americans have contacted
President Obama and their Senators and Representatives urging
immediate condemnation of the attacks against the civilian population
of Kessab and, specifically, Turkey’s role in facilitating those
attacks.

Representatives Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), Jim
Costa (D-Calif.) and James McGovern (D-Mass.) have condemned the
attacks and urged the State Department to investigate Turkey’s
involvement. In a joint letter to President Obama issued earlier
today, Congressional Armenian Caucus co-Chairs Frank Pallone (D-N.J.)
and Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.) and Armenian Genocide Resolution
(H.Res.227) lead authors David Valadao (R-Calif.) and Adam Schiff,
commented on the Kessab attacks, noting ” When coupled with a mass
exodus of the Armenian community, these events are far too reminiscent
of the early days of the Armenian Genocide, which took place nearly
100 years ago in Ottoman Turkey under the cover of World War I.” The
letter goes on to note, “With the Christian Armenian community being
uprooted from its homeland, yet again, we strongly urge you to take
all necessary measures without delay to safeguard the Christian
Armenian community of Kessab. We also believe that now is the time to
redouble America’s efforts to ensure that all minority communities at
risk in the Middle East are afforded greater protection.”

Located in the northwestern corner of Syria, near the border with
Turkey, Kessab had, until very recently, evaded major battles in the
Syrian conflict. The local Armenian population had increased in
recently years with the city serving as safe-haven for those fleeing
from the war-torn cities of Yacubiye, Rakka and Aleppo. On the
morning of March 21st, extremist foreign fighters launched a vicious
attack on Kessab civilians, forcing them to flee neighboring Latakia
and Bassit.

***

State Department Daily News Briefing

March 28, 2014

State Department Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf:

[Questions and Comments Unrelated to Kessab have been omitted – ANCA]

Well, happy Friday, everyone. Welcome to the daily briefing. I have a
few items at the top and then we will open it up for questions.

A quick travel update. Today, Secretary Kerry is in Riyadh, Saudi
Arabia with President Obama. He has accompanied President Obama to his
meeting with Saudi King Abdullah. I think — I believe it just ended,
and there will be more of a readout coming from the road.

Second item at the top. We are deeply troubled by recent fighting and
violence that is endangering the Armenian community in Kasab, Syria
and has forced many to flee. There are far too many innocent civilians
suffering as a result of the war. All civilians, as well as their
places of worship, must be protected.

As we have said throughout this conflict, we deplore continued threats
against Christians and other minorities in Syria. And as you may have
seen from the readout of President Obama’s conversation with Pope
Francis yesterday, they discussed, among other things, the plight of
minorities, especially Christians, inside Syria today.

We have seen some statements by groups fighting in Kasab saying they
will not target civilians and will respect minorities and holy places.
We expect those commitments to be upheld.

The United States will continue its steadfast support to those
affected by violence in Syria and throughout the region, including
Syrian Armenians. We have long had concerns about the threat posed by
violent extremists and this latest threat to the Armenian community in
Syria only underscores this further.

QUESTION:

Regarding this statement that you made about the Syrian Armenians, I
was just wondering if you have anything update about the situation. Or
just — is this a past tense? Did something happen? Or it’s — I think
it’s the ongoing…

HARF:

It’s an ongoing issue, certainly, that we’re concerned about.

QUESTION:

And then, how you…

HARF:

But there has — as I noted in my statement, that there has been some
recent fighting and increase in violence, which is why we wanted to
note it specifically today.

QUESTION:

So they — because there are some news reports from different sides
regarding this issue either from the Armenians or from the Turks and
from the Syrians in the same time.

Are you following this story — I mean, this case?

HARF:

Well, we are — I don’t know if you’re referring to a specific case.
We’re certainly following the situation for Armenians inside Syria,
for all minorities including Christians. And know that violent
extremists, such as ISIL (ph) have targeted them among many people,
but we’re particularly concerned about these minority communities and
want to make sure that their rights are protected.

QUESTION:

Besides being concerned — because let me be specific about — are you
in touch with any of the governments including the Turkish government
or other U.N. organization to figure out exactly, because it’s some of
their — there is a deportation of people taking place in the last
week, which is like starting from last week until now. Anything is
going on in that regard?

HARF:

I can check and see who we’re talking to. Obviously, we talk to a host
of countries in the region — Turkey and others — about a wide range of
issues, but I can check on that.

QUESTION:

So you don’t have any — you’re — what — what we have is just like
observation of what’s going on, or you have information?

HARF:

Well, I think we have both.

Right, we’ve seen reports, as I said, recent fighting, violence
against the Syrian-Armenian community. We see the reports coming out
of there. Obviously, we talk — we try to get as much information from
the ground as possible, as we do in all places in Syria, but it’s hard
to get. But, clearly there have been some very troubling trends
lately.

QUESTION:

Because, according to some reports that those people were Chabet (ph)
and Nusra (ph) people. I’m not sure if you mentioned them in the
statement or not?

HARF:

What I’m talking about is extremist groups like ISIL (ph) attacking
innocent civilians, in this case the Syrian-Armenian community, a
minority community, as they have with other minority communities,
Christian communities and others inside Syria.

So this is what I’m talking about, is those kinds of attacks. I know
there are a lot of dynamics broadly in the Syrian conflict, but I was
speaking to one specific dynamic.

QUESTION:

There is another thing which is (inaudible) about this. When you
mentioned the president and he raised the issue with the Pope or the
Pope has…

HARF:

They discussed it.

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION:

Maybe, I’m not accurate. Is this issue is raised with the Syrian
Opposition people? Because, you know, it’s like sometimes they don’t —
according to what I heard last week from the Ambassador Ford — that
definitely they are usually avoiding to condemn publicly what’s going
on by Islamic groups or a jihadist group in Syria.

HARF:

Well, let’s be clear when we’re talking about the opposition — have to
be very clear that the violence I’m talking about is being perpetrated
by groups like ISIL (ph). So not the moderate opposition, not the
folks we work with repeatedly and consistently on things inside Syria.

I think that the Opposition has been very clear in condemning
extremism and saying that they will fight extremism inside Syria and
that, that’s something they’re committed to, absolutely. They’ve said
that for many, many months.

QUESTION:

On Syria.

(inaudible) the foreign minister, Mr. (inaudible), (inaudible)
provocated (inaudible) inside Syria so Turkey has the excuse to invade
Syria.

Do you want to comment on this?

HARF:

Are you referring to an alleged phone conversation?

QUESTION:

Yes.

HARF:

As I said yesterday, I don’t have anything for you on alleged calls or
conversations that are out there among Turkish officials.

QUESTION:

Yes, but this is…

HARF:

It’s not for me to comment.

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION:

(OFF-MIKE) Mr. (inaudible) said that the tape is genuine.

HARF:

Again, not for me to comment on those allegations that are out there.

Russia MFA condemns Armenian-populated Kesab’s capture by militants

Saturday, March 29, 2014

Russia condemns the terrorist acts and crimes committed against
peaceful population of Syria, particularly Armenians, according to the
correspondent of Gazeta.ru.

Russian Foreign Ministry released a statement saying that the
confrontation between the Syrian government forces and illegal armed
groups has intensified in recent days.

On March 21 Al-Qaeda-linked extremist groups launched attacks on the
Armenian-populated town of Kesab in Syria, near the Turkish border.

The Armenian residents of Kesab and nearby settlements had to flee
their homes. The capture of Kesab sparked outrage of the Armenians
across the world. A protest was staged outside the UN office in
Yerevan. Protesters demanded putting an end to persecution of
ethno-confessional minorities by armed groups in Syria. The Armenian
National Committee of America (ANCA) called on President Obama and the
Congress to exert pressure on Ankara in order to make it end its
assistance to militants who attacked civilians in Kesab.

In connection with this situation, Russian MFA believes that the
intensification of extremist actions also aims to disrupt the process
of Syria’s chemical demilitarization. Such a scenario is inadmissible,
Russian MFA notes.

190 thousand Armenians lived in Syria prior to the conflict. About 60
thousand Armenians remain in that country now.

TODAY, 16:14
Aysor.am

ARMENIE
La France soutient la traduction de la littérature française en Arménie

Dans le cadre du séminaire régional > organisé par The Book platform du 21 au 22 février 2014 à
Erevan, l’Attaché de coopération pour le français de l’Ambassade de
France en Arménie est intervenu pour présenter la Politique française
en matière de soutien à la traduction. Le forum The Book plateform,
financé par l’Union Européenne dans le cadre du programme EuroEast
Culture, avait rassemblé de nombreux éditeurs, agents littéraires et
écrivains venus du Caucase et de l’Europe pour l’occasion.

Face à ce public d’experts, M. Fabien Neyrat a rappelé les programmes
de soutien à la traduction littéraire mis en oeuvre par la France. Il a
notamment souligné l’importance du Programme d’Aide à la Publication
mené par cette ambassade : depuis son lancement il y a 25 ans, ce
programme international a contribué à la traduction et à la
publication de plus de 60 titres d’auteurs français et francophones en
Arménie. Cette année encore, a déclaré l’attaché linguistique, un
large choix d’auteurs sera aidé, notamment dans la cadre du Centenaire
2014.

Ambassade de France en Arménie

samedi 29 mars 2014,
Stéphane (c)armenews.com