Author: Badalian Vardan

BRUSSELS COMMITTED TO FUTURE COOPERATION WITH ARMENIA, EU EASTERN PARTNERSHIP PROGRESS REPORT SAYS

NEWS | 28.03.14 | 09:35

The European Commission on Thursday presented updates on the progress
made by the countries in its Eastern Partnership program.

The report focuses on six participants of the program, including
Armenia.

Yerevan walked away from the initialing of an Association Agreement
with the EU in September 2013 in order to join a Russian-led customs
union, says the report on the part of Armenia.

Brussels does, however, state that it is committed to future
cooperation with Armenia, although it still isn’t stated what this
cooperation might look like, according to RFE/RL.

The report notes that “public mistrust of the judicial system remained
high and there was a lack of convincing results in the fight against
corruption, including in police and judiciary.” Brussels urges Armenia
to “cooperate with and protect civil society; investigate the cases
of attacks and intimidation of human rights defenders; and ensure
that the perpetrators are brought to justice.”

On Nagorno-Karabakh, the EU stresses that Armenia needs to ensure
unimpeded access for representatives of the EU to the area, as well
as the surrounding region, and to stop actions and statements that
could heighten tension.

SERJ TANKIAN: GENOCIDE IS STILL A MODERN HUMAN DISEASE THAT’S NOT FULLY LOOKED AFTER BY INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

15:40 28/03/2014 >> SOCIETY

By David Farrier, 3 News

Tomorrow night, Serj Tankian is playing a one-off show at
Christchurch’s CBS Arena.Known to many as the frontman of System
of a Down, for many this concert will show a different side to
the Grammy-award winning musician. He’ll be joined on stage by the
Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, who will perform some of Serj’s
symphony found on his recent Orca album. He’ll also be performing with
them as they rock through his Elect the Dead record. Serj doesn’t
perform these shows often, so it seemed like a good opportunity for
me to sit down with the musician in New Zealand to talk about what
he’s up to.

– Are you looking forward to the Christchurch show?

– I am looking forward to it very much. In fact, we’ve been planning
on having a show with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra for many
years. My friend Hamish McKeich, who conducted our APO show years
ago in 2009 in Auckland, he’s the one who called the Christchurch
Symphony Orchestra, and they were keen on working with us. So we’ve
been trying to plan this for a few years, and we’ve had very busy
schedules, and touring elsewhere, so this year knowing I am going
to be spending a nice chunk of time in New Zealand I decided let’s
definitely go ahead and do the show.

– You’ve been touring a lot with System – is it hard to get your head
into another space with the orchestral music, or is it quite organic?

– It’s not really difficult jumping from one band or musical project to
the other. In fact in Europe and Russia I went from doing three weeks
with System, to doing three weeks with an orchestra. It’s actually
really great. It’s kind of like going to the gym: With System, you
are getting your cardio, because you are just running, jumping and
doing these crazy acrobatics both vocally and physically.

And with the orchestra you are sitting there and it’s more of a
spiritual, emotional, intimate connection musically. And it’s a
different value in terms of the connectivity with the audience. One
is a huge festival type of audience with System, and the other is a
beautiful theatre, like the Auckland Town Hall, or as it will be in
Christchurch. I like the diversity.

– Well it’s exciting for Christchurch, too.

– I am really excited about going there, in fact we’ve been looking
at a number of non-profits to work with there as well, and we will
donate the net proceeds of the show actually. There’s a lot of great
work happening there, it’s really interesting. Obviously the effects
of the earthquake and everything else that’s happened since then have
been devastating – [but] it’s created all these spaces, because all
these people have moved and gone away. So it’s a city with a lot of
spaces, which is something we’re not used to, as most areas are so
concentrated. So the creatives of the city have been trying to see how
they can take advantage of those spaces, in a creative and positive
way. So there are these organizations doing some really out-of-the-box
thinking. There are instruments set up in a park for example, and
random people can go up and play them. There’s areas where people can
go and dance and put in their CD, and it’s all set up with a little PA
system. Just creative spaces that would not otherwise exist in a city.

So I guess these are some of the good things that we can say have
come out of this experience.

– For someone that wasn’t at your Auckland Town Hall show, what can
people expect from your show?

– Since the Auckland Town Hall show in 2009, we’ve done 26 orchestral
shows, throughout Europe and Russia and Ukraine and all these
countries. And it’s been incredible, with all these different sorts of
orchestras. So Auckland was the first to kind of put us on that road.

So the show we are going to do in Christchurch is similar to what
we did last year in Europe and Russia. It’s a hybrid show between
the Elect the Dead Symphony, which are my orchestral pieces that I
did with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra in 2009, and also Orca,
my new symphony. Orca is a traditional symphony. It’s instrumental –
it’s not rock songs with symphonic variations. So it’s actually a
beautiful show. A very unique show, and a way of showing off the
dynamics of an orchestra: Playing almost very heavy rock kind of
orientated moments and coming down and playing really beautiful,
intimate pieces from Orca. We have a duduk player, an Armenian reed
instrument player, from Armenia, coming. He is just stunning, and
plays on movement four of Orca, as well as a few other songs. So it’s
quite a joy putting on these shows. And so far every audience we’ve
interacted with have been quite moved by it.

– It must be nice to play with different energy levels; the rock,
through to the orchestral stuff.

– People are so used to musical segmentation. With a rock show
everyone is on their feet, yelling, screaming, and having beers. With
a classical show, everyone is sitting down, well-dressed and quiet.

Now – we’re breaking those barriers. So we’re not going to have
the typical classical setting. Yes, you will have to sit down. For
most of the show you will have to be quiet, because they’re acoustic
instruments, they’re not electric instruments. However, the attitude,
the dress code, the way we interact with the audience and have them
get up at the end of the show and go wild, that is not typical of the
classical world. And the orchestras we’ve worked with really seem to
enjoy that kind of attention and outpouring of emotion from audiences.

And vice versa!

– What do rock journos think of your classical stuff, and what does
the classical world think of your rock stuff?

– I would bet that rock critics wouldn’t love a symphony record,
I would bet classical critics are not going to love someone coming
from the rock world and doing a symphony record. I would bet that jazz
purists writers, in fact I know jazz purist writers, are not into my
Jazz-Is-Christ record. But hey, that’s okay! Because I am making the
music that is coming to me from the universe, and I am presenting it
the best way I can. And I am putting a spin on it that is uniquely
what I do. And as long as my fans and people who are following me
like it, I’m happy with it and thankful for it.

– And obviously people like John Psathas are along for the ride!

– We’re actually working together now in doing a new piece, it’s called
‘100 Years’, and we will have it out next year. It will be about
genocide and holocaust. It’s a heavy topic. The piece is a beautiful
piece, that goes from ethnic to orchestral to many different things,
and we’re having friends from all over the world participate by
playing on it. And we’re going to be showing them on videos, as well
as recording their audio, and basically having their own emotional,
spiritual stamp on the piece. And we’re going to be displaying it at
festivals, as well as probably on YouTube and whatnot.

– That’s a pretty heavy topic to focus on.

– We want to bring awareness to the fact that there are still –
even with the genocide convention at the UN, and all these different
committees and sub committees designed to tackle genocide – genocide
is still a modern human disease that’s not fully looked after by the
international community. We saw in Darfur for example the Chinese had
economic ties they wouldn’t back off from. So we need to have some kind
framework that makes genocide, or holocaust, a kind of ‘no-fly zone’:
Anytime that is happening, all nations break immediate ties, they get
together and discuss humanitarian aid etcetera. We’re seeing with Syria
as well – I don’t necessarily call that a genocide – but we’re seeing
with the Syrian civil war how confusing it is for the international
community. Nations don’t know what side to support. You know, you’ve
got a tyrant on one side, and then you’ve got terrorist groups on
the other side, along with a truly rebellious part of the population,
you’ve got sectarian violence, you’ve got religious factions… it’s
difficult, you know? But we have to take a stand against this modern
disease called ‘genocide’.

– Do you find it refreshing to be in New Zealand where I guess
politically we’re a bit more – I suppose the issues are a bit smaller
here. Do you find that an encouraging thing?

– I do. I mean obviously New Zealand has its own issues that we
grapple with here, but yeah the geo-political issues are way more
tame. The semi-neutrality of the country is definitely very progressive
outlook. Many nations can benefit from that kind of perspective. And
kiwis are quite wise politically, in terms of international politics,
because they read. Most people in America don’t read! And the education
system is great. I think it’s not just enough to have a democracy, it’s
important to have an educated democracy, because without an educated,
literate democracy, you can have a George Bush as your leader. And
that can be maybe as dangerous as having Assad as your leader in some
cases! [laughter]. Coming to New Zealand it’s refreshing, every year
I live between here and Los Angeles and it slows things down on a
beautiful level, and increases the lifestyle for me. The quality of
the lifestyle, the people I interact with and the relationships that
I develop. And it’s a different world and I’d love it to stay like
that forever.

– Totally changing track – you’ve been painting, right?

– I’ve been doing art for the first time! I’ve been painting and
creating these musically linked paintings. And we’ve developed an app
called “Eye for Sound” that lets you take your smart phone and through
optical recognition, allows you to play music while viewing a painting
or piece of sculpture. So we have a number of artist friends who have
joined into this Eye for Sound community. We’re doing a multi-artist,
multi-media exhibition. We’re looking to do something in Los Angeles
this year and we’re also looking at doing something major at a museum
in Auckland early next year. It’s exciting and very unique because
the same artist is doing both the visual and the musical piece. So
they both complete the picture together. And we’re also talking to
visual artists here in New Zealand who have musical ability, who play
the piano and do other things, so we want to incorporate their talent
into it as well.

– You are basically incapable of taking time off, right?

– No look at me man, I am chilling. I’m on a farm, relaxing, doing a
little work. I am travelling less. I’ve slowed down this year. I’m
spending more time on the farm here in New Zealand and enjoying my
life, and growing veggies and beautiful orchards. Compose and compost.

That’s my new thing. Composting and composing, all in the same day. I
swear, going out and working on a farm for two to three hours,
getting your sweat on and your body going, and physically feeling
the difference you make on the land, and then coming in – showering
[laughs] – and starting to work on music and do something creative.

Music or painting. They’re both the same, really. It’s a continuation,
one to the other.

– Are you glad you moved to New Zealand?

– I’m more than glad, I am ecstatic. It’s my haven. And it’s also a
place where I feel more creative. And I feel more at home in myself
to be honest with you. And I have lived in LA since 1975, which is a
lot of years. And I have a lot of friends there, and family there, and
it’s difficult to move away. My work is mostly there, the entertainment
industry is there, and I’ve been scoring for films and video games,
and the music industry is based there in the world. And to have
that excitement and working there is great. But when I get off tour,
I don’t think of going to my place in LA, I think of coming to New
Zealand as home. Because I feel more at home here.

– You must be glad it all worked out. I mean, you could have moved
here and found it to be terrible!

– It wasn’t an experiment for me, it was more of… ‘This is where
I know I have to be, how do I make this happen realistically?’ And
obviously that takes time, whether it’s residency or purchasing a
place. But it’s been the most rewarding experience. And everyone
always asks me about New Zealand. I had a friend of mine call me the
other day and he’s like, ‘Alright, tell me about New Zealand!’ and
I’m like ‘Woah! You should just come down first!’ And I’ve spoken
to many people from famous directors to different people about New
Zealand because there’s a lot of interest, especially from creative
people who can afford to make the change in their lives, and I think
that’s wonderful. And I think the government’s policy of actually
helping be a catalyst for that change and bringing in creative people,
people with vision, is a great thing. It’s a beautiful thing. I think
it will pay off.

– I bet you find a lot of musicians who come through town probably
want to hang out with you! Like you were on stage with Tool at the
Big Day Out.

– It’s been amazing, it’s cool having friends come to play a show in
Auckland and me saying, ‘Hey come out to the farm and let’s hang out,
and go to the beach and chill out’ and give them a day off from the
tour, away from their camp. It’s a beautiful thing. We did that with
Tom Morello who was here with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band,
and before the show he came up to me and was like, ‘So, what are
you going to sing with us tonight?’ And I was like ‘Ah, nothing! I
am a viewer in the audience, I will drink with you and watch your
show and congratulate you after, but I do not have the guts to get
up with you on a Bruce Springsteen stage!’ I’ll be the first to say
it, I was scared. That time I went up with Tool [at the 2007 Big Day
Out], I was like, “I don’t know the song by heart” and he was like
“Just do whatever you want to do” – but I was nervous as f–! Look,
I look at it this way: These people have tens of thousands of fans
that know that music, like the back of their hands, and here I am
about to jam on it, and you know, it’s a bit gratuitous!

HOMELESS PEOPLE FALL INTO IN DESPAIR AS THEY FIND CONSTRUCTION SITE EMPTY (VIDEO)

11:50 | March 28,2014 | Social

About 430 families in Armenia’s Gyumri city left homeless after the
1988 devastating earthquake and included on the waiting list were to
receive apartments in 2013, but the construction of the residential
building has not started yet.

Gyumri-based Shirak Centre reports that the families frequently visit
the construction site in the neighbourhood of Mush 2 district to find
out news about the construction. However, they do not find any hustle
and bustle there.

During its recurrent visit to the construction site, the NGO
interviewed some of the homeless people there.

ANALYST: GEORGIA SHOULD HAVE NON-ALIGNED POSITION

March 28, 2014 | 16:41

YEREVAN. – Georgia should have non-aligned position and close
cooperation with Russia, primarily in economic terms, Georgian
political analyst Badri Nachkebia said.

The analyst participated in the international conference “Eurasian
choice 2014” held in a form of a space bridge.

Despite the fact that he fully shared the idea that Georgia and
Russia have good relationship, the Eurasian Union, in his opinion,
at this stage will unlikely be something to strive for.

“There are many reasons in this term for Georgia, so many you can
name at least unresolved territorial disputes. For us, these areas
are not some part of the land, but a part of the country,” he said.

The analyst believes Georgia should seek “the golden mean”. At the
moment every leader of Georgia must have special pragmatic approach,
as the world came to a stage when a terrible conflict can be too close.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

MP: ARMENIA WAS RIGHT WHEN VOTING AGAINST CROMEA RESOLUTION AT UN

March 28, 2014 | 16:46

YEREVAN. – Armenia was right when voting against Cromea resolution
at the UN General Assembly, said head of ruling party’s parliamentary
group Galust Sahakyan.

He said Armenia must respect and support principle of free
self-determination of nations.

“For us this principle must be the major and unalterable value,”
he said.

On Thursday UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on territorial
integrity of Ukraine with 100 votes for, 11 against (including Armenia)
and 58 abstentions.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

UNION OF ARTSAKH WAR VETERANS CALLS ON ARMENIAN DIASPORA TO START MASS DEMONSTRATIONS TO SUPPORT KESSAB

by Nana Martirosyan

Friday, March 28, 15:27

The Union of Artsakh War Veterans calls on the Armenian Diaspora to
start mass demonstrations to support the Armenians of Kessab. In
particular, the veterans expressed their concern over the Turkish
aggression against Armenians and call on the international community
to condemn the situation in Kessab. “All measures should be taken
to evacuate the citizens and keep their property in Kessab”, the
statement says.

The Armenian-populated town of Kessab has been attacked by Turks
since March 21. Nearly 700 Armenian families have been evacuated to
Lattakia. Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Armenian political
parties have already made statements drawing the international
community’s attention to the actions of Turkey. An Armenian
parliamentary delegation left for Syria and met with Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad.

HIS HOLINESS ARAM I SUGGESTS THE UN TO CONSIDER THE DEMILITARIZATION OF KESSAB

15:31 28.03.2014

On Thursday, March 27, His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the
Great House of Cilicia, called Jeffrey Feltman, the United Nations
Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs.

Jeffrey Feltman told His Holiness that the UN is concerned about the
situation in Kessab and added that he discussed the issue with United
Nations-Arab League Special Representative for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi,
as well as the Armenian and Turkish Ambassadors to UN.

His Holiness Aram I briefed the UN representative on the current
situation in Kessab, specially emphasizing the role of Turkish factor.

The Catholicos suggested that the UN discuss the demilitarization
of Kessab.

Feltman said the suggestion was constructive and promised to consult
with Lakhdar Brahimi on the issue.

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.