Author: Badalian Vardan

ARMENIA CAN IMPORT NEW TECHNOLOGIES TO CUSTOMS UNION – SOCIOLOGIST

January 09, 2014 | 14:45

YEREVAN. – Armenia’s accession to Customs Union and liberalization
of customs duties will lead to price reduction, sociologist Aharon
Adibekyan told reporters.

“If the Customs Union turns out to be the future format of our life,
it is clear that we will have much more profit. We will have to deal
with the settlement of migration issues,” Adibekyan emphasized.

Sociologist is hopeful that Armenia will continue strengthening ties
with EU. He is confident that the country needs new technologies in
the field of education.

“Education is our vulnerable area. The education system is 50-60 years
behind educational trends. With the consecutive ties with EU, we can
also import new technologies into the Customs Union,” Adibekyan said.

Armenian president announced country’s aspiration to join Customs
Union during his visit to Moscow last September.

REMEMBERING THE ASSYRIAN GENOCIDE: AN INTERVIEW WITH SABRI ATMAN

By Varak Ketsemanian // January 8, 2014 in Featured, Headline, Interviews

BOSTON, Mass. (A.W.) -Exploiting an opportune moment during World
War I, the Ottoman government carried out its intent to eliminate the
empire’s Christian elements. Although a vast amount of scholarship has
been conducted on the annihilation of the Armenians, one aspect of the
genocide remains obscure-the extermination of the Assyrians. In the
interview below, Sabri Atman, the founder and director of the Assyrian
Genocide and Research Center (Seyfo Center), brings to light some of
the various characteristics of the Assyrian Genocide (or Seyfo).

Sabri Atman

Atman is one of the most well-known lecturers on the Assyrian
Genocide. He was born in Nsibin (Tur Abdin) in southeast Turkey, moved
to Austria due to political reasons, and to Sweden five years later.

He has studied economics at the University of Gothenburg and
has a master’s degree on human rights and genocide studies from
Kingston University in London, Siena University in Italy, and Warsaw
University in Poland. Atman continues to contribute immensely to
worldwide awareness of the Assyrian Genocide. He is currently a
doctoral student in genocide studies at Clark University in Worcester,
Mass. His dissertation is on the Assyrian Genocide and the involvement
of the Kurds.

Varak Kestsemanian-What is the primary sequence of events that
constitute the Assyrian Genocide?

Sabri Atman-We Assyrians call the genocide of 1915 Seyfo, meaning “the
sword.” The reason we called it the sword was that the perpetrators
were using Seyfo as a weapon for the killings. Seyfo is a term that
seeks to highlight the Assyrian share of the genocide, perpetrated
against the Armenians and Greeks as well, during the First World War.

The genocide that wiped out more than half the population of the
Assyrians took place mainly in southeastern Turkey, but also in the
northwestern town of Urmiya in Iran.

The Assyrians initially put the number of their victims at 250,000
people in both the Turkish territories and Urmiya, Iran. But, the
Assyrian delegation to the Lausanne peace talks of 1923 presented the
number of victims as 275,000, since they had collected more information
on the numbers of those who perished. But, according to some scholars,
up to 400,000 civilian Assyrians perished in the systematic killings,
which were ordered and carried out by the Ottoman state, with the
collaboration of its Kurdish subjects and with troops and divisions
of the regular Ottoman military and police forces combined.

The 1915 genocide did not target only the Armenians but also the
Greeks, Assyrians, and the Ezidis. The strategy that the perpetrators
had in mind was ethnically annihilating all non-Muslim citizens living
under the Ottoman occupation, with the objective of homogenizing
Turkey in accordance with their goal to create a nation of “One
Religion.” Indeed, their motto was “One Nation, One Religion.” To
achieve their goal, jihad (or holy war) was declared on Nov. 14,
1914 in all of the Ottoman mosques. Jihad was declared against all
Christian subjects living within the Ottoman territories without
having a particular victim. The main plot was to get rid of all the
Christian minorities of Turkey.

The execution of their primary plan to create one Muslim-Turkish
nation started with attempts to assimilate the non-Turkish Muslim
populations like the Kurds and other immigrants from the Balkans.

These Muslim groups were relocated to such cities as Ankara, Adana,
and Konya, and spread among the Turkish majority. The next step
was the removal of the non-Muslim groups from Turkey. Two million
Christian (mainly Armenians, Assyrians, and Greeks) were massacred,
starved to death and deported as a result of that policy.

V.K.-How does the Assyrian Genocide differ from the massacres
perpetrated against the Greeks and Armenians?

S.A.-The witnesses I’ve interviewed all have wanted to clarify that
neither the architects nor the perpetuators [of the genocide] made
any distinction between any ethnic Christians. They were claiming that
“An onion is an onion, whether it’s red or white. All must be chopped!”

This was a direct reference to the planned and calculated slaughter
of the Assyrian, Armenian, and Greek Christians.

While a large number of Armenians died during the deportation, many
Assyrians were killed in their villages and towns.

V.K.-What are the primary sources that make up the research material
for your dissertation?

S.A.-The primary sources for my research are the oral testimonies of
the events, which I’ve collected over the past decade. These sources
include unpublished interviews-that I and many other people conducted
with survivors of the genocide-which we will transcribe, translate,
and put into both historical and socio-political context.

Most of the sources addressing and documenting the Assyrian Genocide
are scattered and written in languages that are not easily accessible
to genocide scholars. These sources are either written in Assyrian,
Arabic, or Turkish.

Furthermore, oral history and testimonies are entirely ignored
by academia since most scholars concerned with the 1915 genocide
have little knowledge of the Assyrian language. However, these
oral testimonies of genocide survivors are central and immensely
important, as they can shed light on many opaque aspects of the
Assyrian Genocide. These oral testimonies represent an extensive pool
of information ready to be subjected to academic scrutiny.

Although the written sources are of paramount importance, they have
not yet been translated to modern European languages, rendering them
inaccessible to most genocide studies scholars. To mention a few,
they include Isaac Armalto’s eye-witness account that he published in
Arabic in 1919 in Lebanon; and Mar Israel Audo’s documentation of the
tragedies, which is available in an unpublished manuscript in Assyrian.

Many of our oral history documentations gathered at the Seyfo
Center are first-hand testimonies of eye-witness accounts. I had the
opportunity to interview and record many survivors, and they not only
provided me with valuable information then, but their testimonies
continue to provide me with an endless moral boost in what I do.

Today, we have been able to extract much information regarding the
1915 massacres from eye-witness accounts who reported back to their
respective embassies. The following are some examples:

-American Ambassador Henry Morgenthau, Jr. in Constantinople gave
reports about his contacts with the government of the Young Turks.

-A document was published already in 1916 entitled “The Treatment of
Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, 1915-1916” by James Bryce, a British
expert in political science, and Arnold Toynbee, a historian. Over
100 pages of this document are about the Assyrians.

-Johannes Lepsius, a German missionary who lived in Anatolia, informed
the authorities in Berlin about what was happening at the time. The
documentation was published in 1919 in Potsdam.

-Prof. David Gaunt together with Dr. Racho Donef published the book
Massacres, Resistance, Protectors in 2006 and covers the fate of all
the Christian groups of eastern Anatolia during World War I.

V.K.-What is the primary function of the Seyfo Center? How does it
contribute to genocide scholarship?

S.A.-The Seyfo Center has a big pool of sources and provides
research assistance to scholars, writers, journalists, filmmakers,
and government agencies. We also document the Assyrian Genocide by
collecting oral histories and publishing written evidence; presenting
the Assyrian Genocide in parliaments and government bodies; educating
non-Assyrians in political and academic forums; participating in
activism on behalf of [recognition of] the Assyrian Genocide; and
publishing books, reports, brochures, and other media. We lobby
[for recognition].

I am very glad to say that we have made great strides in the last
ten years regarding the Assyrian Genocide. First of all, the word
Seyfonow is more known on both the national and international
levels. For example:

-On May 13, 2009, a press conference took place in the Swedish
Parliament. A Kurdish intellectual called Berzan Boti apologized for
the genocide of 1915 and, as an act of restitution, handed back his
property to its rightful owners, Assyrians. The deeds of his property
were then transferred to the Seyfo Center.

-On March 10, 2010, the Swedish Parliament recognized the Assyrian
Genocide.

-Thanks to the Assyrian Universal Alliance (AUA) and the efforts by
the Assyrians in Australia, a monument was erected on Aug. 7, 2010,
for the Assyrian victims during World War I and the Simele Massacre.

-On May 1, 2013, the Australian Parliament of New South Wales (NSW)
recognized the Assyrian and the Greek Genocide.

-On April 25, 2012, the Assyrian Genocide Monument was unveiled in
capital city of Armenia, in Yerevan.

-On April 27, 2013, the third Assyrian genocide monument was unveiled
in France.

I am sure that in the very near future, we will have more monuments
erected around the world, and the number of countries who recognize
the Assyrian Genocide will have increased dramatically.

V.K.-What are the primary demands of the Assyrian people from the
Turkish government?

S.A.-First of all, we want the Republic of Turkey to stop the lies
they have been practicing now for 98 years and recognize the Assyrian,
Armenian, and Greek genocides.

Denial is a form of continuation of the genocide. It is to be killed
twice. Failure to recognize the genocide has led to even more genocides
against Assyrians in their homeland.

We Assyrians also don’t understand the fact that the Republic of
Armenia has not recognized the Assyrian Genocide yet. Today, I am
very happy that so far about 26 countries have officially recognized
the 1915 Armenian Genocide.

March 10, 2010 and May 1, 2013 are historical days especially for us as
Assyrians and Greeks. The Swedish and Australian Parliaments passed a
resolution and recognized the Assyrian and Greek Genocides in addition
to the Armenian Genocide. I hope other countries will follow suit.

Our Armenian friends living in Armenia and around the world have to
help us and add the Assyrian and Greek Genocides on the international
agenda.

Remember: Assyrians and Greeks were subjected to the genocide in
Turkey, too. We also demand that today the whole world officially
recognize this fact. Of course, the Republic of Armenia, for many
reasons should be one of the first countries in the world to recognize
the Assyrian Genocide!

We are would very much like to have a strategy based on friendship
between Armenians, Assyrians, and Greeks. We, who were subjected to
the same genocide, should finds ways and means of an internal dialogue
and then speak with one voice.

POLICE CITE ‘NO NEWS’ IN IDENTIFYING YOUNG MEN WHO BERATED JOURNALISTS

01.08.2014 22:13 epress.am

On Dec. 26, 2013, the Armenian Police informed Epress.am that it
“began to study [materials]” in connection with the incident at the
Armenian State University of Economics. Recall, a group of unidentified
young men prohibited journalists from attending Yerevan Mayor Taron
Margaryan’s public defense of his PhD dissertation, insulted members
of the media and obstructed their professional activities.

Epress.am today attempted to find out if police efforts to identify the
guilty were successful, but to no avail. The Epress.am correspondent
rang police press officer Armen Malkhasyan 5 times, but each time
Malkhasyan told her to call back later, citing a lack of news.

The incident at the university was captured on camera by several news
outlets. On the same day, articles were published that identified the
perpetrators, who are young members of the ruling Republican Party
of Armenia.

Peru this Week, Peru
Jan 7 2014

Peru opens free trade agreement talks with Armenia

Via Andina

Peru moves closer to establishing itself as a force in international commerce.

Peruvian Foreign Minister Eda Rivas and her Armenian counterpart
Edward Nalbandian met in Lima on Monday to discuss the prospect of a
free trade agreement between the two countries.

Other topics discussed at the meeting were the establishment of a
political consultation mechanism and the mutual waiver of visa
requirements for holders of diplomatic, service, and special
passports.

Moreover, the two ministers talked about the appointment of honorary
consuls in both countries and Peru’s interest in signing a free trade
agreement with the Customs Union, formed by Russia, Belarus and
Kazakhstan.

The meeting was held at the headquarters of the Peruvian Ministry of
Foreign Affairs.

Minister Nalbandian arrived in Lima on Monday as Armenia’s first
foreign minister to visit Peru since the two nations established
diplomatic relations in 1992.

During his stay, Nalbandian also met with the head of the Peruvian
Congress’ Committee on Foreign Affairs, Martin Belaunde Moreyra.

Customs Union

Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan founded the Customs Union in 2010 as a
counterweight to the EU’s economic sphere.

Its three member states launched the so-called Common Economic Space
in 2012. They said the goal is to set up a Eurasian economic union
modeled after the EU by 2015.

Meanwhile, Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian recently announced that
his country would complete all procedures to join the Russian-led
Customs Union in 2014.

National News Agency Lebanon (NNA)
January 6, 2014 Monday

Aram I calls for formation of Cabinet, election of President

NNA – Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia of the Armenian Apostolic
Church , Aram I Keshishian, chaired Monday Christmas mass at the
Orthodox Armenian Church in Antelias, in the presence of
representatives of senior Lebanese officials as well as political and
social figures.

The prelate said in his homily that there was a need for the
establishment of the new government and the election of a new
president.

“Lebanon is unique in the Arab world, due to its religious pluralism,
its democratic principles, balanced positions, the Christian-Muslim
coexistence and its role as a bridge between East and West. We must
preserve these characteristics of Lebanon away from regional turmoil
and its impact on the people of the area,” he said.

Classical music must be a little difficult to catch, says musician

14:41 – 07.01.14

The Youth Orchestra’s art director and chief conductor says he isn’t
much concerned about the fact the low- class music commonly known as
rabies (from the Russian `workers’ art’) has gained somewhat a wide
popularity in the Armenian society.

Speaking to Tert.am, Armen Smbatyan explained that he does not feel
the lack of what he called propaganda of classical music which he said
must be a little bit unreachable to wide masses.

`I don’t feel the lack of it because I don’t think classical [music]
has to be widespread enough to lose its value. Classical [music] must
be much more neutral and listened to by people with better
understanding skills capable of evaluating it, because it is very
complicated,’ he said.

`Believe me that classical music must be a little unreachable even to
those whose intellectual but also emotional understanding and
mentality do not fit it. What’s even more, I do not agree to the
opinion that classical music is being ignored today. Classical music
is now more popular than it was 4-5 years ago.’

Smbatyan further spoke of his orchestra’s latest achievements, saying
that he is very proud of the results. `Today, I speak of an orchestra
that has reached the peak of its success. Ours is perhaps the only
orchestra that receives invitations from abroad two or three times a
year; it performs concerts in different formats and is very
successful. It is necessary to be successful a little and have an
ability to present [the music] in the right way,’ he noted.

The musician said it is also important to be optimistic and have a
better eye for the positive to see the real progress in the sphere in
Armenia.

`There is an interest in Armenia; we have groups that receive a state
sponsorship. There is nothing of the kind in other countries. It is
very good, so we must be able to evaluate it. It must be propagandized
more, of course, but it is necessary to little by little awaken that
enthusiasm in the people. And that is already noticeable,’ he said,
bringing the example of the orchestra’s success particularly after
Hollywood Non-Stop.

`We performed the concert program Hollywood Non-Stop after which we
have 1,200 young people in Armenia coming to our concert. Do you
understand what a big mass it is? That means they have joined our
orchestra, so we are the first to attract members and have an audience
or friends,’ Smbatyan added.

At the end, the musician called for being optimistic in the new year
and giving up the gloomy outlook of the future. `The colors through
which a person may look upon things depends only on him or her. We
have a stereotyped opinion that everything is bad, but if you do an
analysis, you will see that we more speak than really face the
negative,’ he added.

Smbatyan said he prefers to spend the New Year and Christmas holidays
at home, surrounded by his family. `On very rare occasions have I seen
New Year in in Armenia, but since very childhood I have developed the
understanding that it’s a very intimate holiday. So I don’t understand
how people can prefer restaurants.

`For me, holidays marking the start of the year are a new phase of
life that see you try to forget all the difficulties and embark on a
new period, waiting for the best. That’s why New Year is a very
intimate family holiday in my understanding, which I think will never
transform into something else for me,’ he added.

Armenian News – Tert.am

ARMENIE
L’Arménie a enregistré un développement socio-économique négatif en
2013 selon la FRA

La dynamique du développement socio-économique en Arménie peut être
évalué négativement pour l’année 2013 a déclaré le député de la FRA
Artsvik Minasyan.

Selon le député ce ne sont pas uniquement les indicateurs, que les
autorités avaient noté qui n’ont pas été remplis, mais c’est une
régression qui a été enregistrée dans la croissance économique et dans
le niveau de vie de la population.

M.Minasyan a ajouté qu’il est très difficile de prévoir, à l’heure
actuelle, comment la future adhésion de l’Arménie à l’Union douanière
va impacter le pays et son économie.

`Nous avons mis en place une commission qui examine la conformité de
nos lois et de celles de l’Union douanière. La Commission présentera
également les exigences de l’Arménie en matière de développement
socio-économique en Arménie. Nous pouvons dire que provisoirement
entrer dans l’Union douanière peut à la fois donner des avantages
importants et entraîner des pertes pour l’Arménie` a déclaré Artsvik
Minasyan.

mardi 7 janvier 2014,
Stéphane ©armenews.com

Turquie – Justice
La Turquie Met en Prison Un Opposant Blogueur Arménien

USA Armenian Life n°1397

5 janvier 2014

Un blogueur arménien de Turquie a été envoyé en prison sous
l’inculpation de construction illégale, dans le contexte de critiques
généralisées liées au scandale de corruption frappant le gouvernement,
ont rapporté vendredi les media.

Sevan Nisanyan a été condamné en décembre à deux ans de prison dans
une affaire qu’il qualifie de réaction à ses opinions sur les
restrictions à la liberté d’expression en Turquie.

` Malheureusement, ce pays est gouverné par des nains politiques qui
n’ont aucune vision. Nous méritons tous un pays meilleur `, aurait-dit
cette personne gée de 57 ans, selon CNN Turk, tandis qu’il était
conduit jeudi en prison dans la ville d’Izmir de l’ouest.

` Je ne regrette pas ce que j’ai fait. Je suis fier de ce que j’ai fait `.

Le Premier ministre Erdogan est pris dans une enquête qui implique
plusieurs de ses amis politiques, dont quelques uns sont suspectés de
corruption dans des dossiers de permis de construire dans des zones
protégées.

Et la condamnation de Nisanyan à la prison a provoqué des remous sur Twitter.

` Dans un pays où quelques uns peuvent construire un grand magasin
dans la vieille ville, comment se peut-il que Nisanyan soit mis en
prison pour construction sans permis ? `, écrit un visiteur, Yesin
Tekin.

Nisanyan encourt en outre 16 an de prison pour d’autres accusations
liées à des travaux de btiment d’hôtels dans un village proches
d’Izmir.

Nisanyan avait auparavant été accusé de blasphème dans un blog de 2012
défendant un film anti-islamiste qui ridiculisait le prophète Mahomet
et qui avait provoqué des protestations coléreuses à travers le monde.

Ses mots ont touché un nerf dans la nation résolument laïque mais à
majorité musulmane et il avait reçu des centaines de menaces de mort.

La Turquie est critiquée depuis longtemps pour ses restrictions à la
liberté de la presse, et en décembre, le Comité de Défense du
Journalisme basé aux USA l’avait désignée comme numéro un des geôliers
de journalistes du monde pour la deuxième année consécutive

mardi 7 janvier 2014,
Jean Eckian ©armenews.com

SUSPECT IN HRANT DINK MURDER CASE DETAINED IN TRABZON

Journal of Turkish Weekly
Jan 7 2014

7 January 2014

Gendarmerie forces have detained one of two suspects whose arrests
were demanded by an Istanbul court in the case into the murder of
Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, CNNTurk has reported.

Zeynel Abidin Yavuz, who was said to be the first person chosen as
part of the conspiracy to murder Dink, was detained by gendarmerie
forces in the Black Sea province of Trabzon’s Pelitli neighborhood
on Jan. 7 and sent to the courthouse.

The Istanbul 14th Court of Serious Crimes has also ordered the arrest
of Osman Hayal, the brother of Yasin Hayal, who was charged with
being the instigator of the assassination.

Dink, the renowned editor-in-chief of Agos, was shot dead by Ogun
Samast in front of his office in Istanbul on Jan. 19, 2007. Samast
was subsequently sentenced to over 22 years in jail for the murder.

The trial into his murder resumed on Sept. 17, 2013, with 18 suspects
being retried after the Supreme Court of Appeals ruled that all
suspects in the case had acted as part of a criminal organization,
instead of individually.

A group of activists called the “Friends of Dink” gathered in front
of the courthouse and chanted slogans ahead of the hearing.

Popular novelist Ahmet Umit, speaking on behalf of the group,
said their demand to try the public servants who allegedly bear
responsibility for Dink’s murder had yet to be heeded.

“Instead, these same public officials have been promoted,” Umit said.

7 January 2014

Press TV, Iran
Jan 6 2014

Iranian Christians celebrate Christmas

Iranian Christians celebrate Christmas on January 6th, to mark the
annual commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ, Press TV reports.

Armenian-Iranians celebrate Christmas in Iran on January 6th, which is
the historical date of the celebration in Eastern Christianity and for
the Armenian Apostolic Church.

`Armenians consider 2014 as the year of success every year we gather
at Sarkis Cathedral (Church) and pray and celebrate Christmas day,’ an
Iranian Armenian said.

Over 150,000 Christians in Iran, most of them Armenians, celebrate
Christmas with friends and family members in churches throughout the
country.

PG/HGH

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