Author: Badalian Vardan

ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY RELEASES UPDATED FACT SHEET ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE AND U.S. RECORD

11:11 23.01.2013

The Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) announced the release
of an updated edition of its widely-used fact sheet on the Armenian
Genocide and the U.S. Record. The 11-page fact sheet provides a summary
of the extensive U.S. historic record on the Armenian Genocide from
Ambassador Henry Morgenthau’s earliest condemnations to Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton’s visit to the Armenian Genocide Memorial in
Yerevan. As the world observes the start of President Obama and Vice
President Biden’s second term, with John Kerry nominated for Secretary
of State, the Assembly is making the updated fact sheet available.

When the Armenian Genocide was implemented in Ottoman Turkey, the
United States responded swiftly with the largest overseas humanitarian
assistance program organized during World War I. This proud chapter
of American humanitarianism was supported by U.S. presidents who were
fully aware of the atrocities committed during the years 1915 to 1923.

The American diplomatic corps, through its many eyewitness reports
submitted to the Department of State, created a voluminous record
on the first mass genocide of the 20th century, and it was through
the services of the U.S. State Department that the first crucial
international condemnation of the Armenian Genocide as a crime against
humanity was communicated to the Turkish authorities. That May 24,
1915, cable transmitted on behalf of the governments of Britain,
France and Russia reads:

In view of those new crimes of Turkey against humanity and
civilization, the Allied governments announce publicly to the
Sublime-Porte that they will hold personally responsible [for] these
crimes all members of the Ottoman government and those of their agents
who are implicated in such massacres.

These developments formed the early background to the U.S. position on
wartime atrocities against civilians, which, in the aftermath of World
War II, propelled U.S. support for the United Nations Convention on
the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, a position the
United States expressly stated in 1951 to the International Court of
Justice when it listed “the Turkish massacres of Armenians” among “the
outstanding examples of the crime of genocide,” and which President
Ronald Reagan affirmed in a 1981 proclamation and the U.S. Court of
Appeals for the District of Columbia further confirmed in 1993. The
Armenian Genocide was also cited as a precedent at the Nuremberg
trials. However, the passage of time and the growing influence of
denial efforts promoted by the government of Turkey have worked to
relegate this proud chapter in American foreign policy from public
awareness.

President Barack Obama, like other U.S. Presidents and officials, has
taken steps to rectify this problem. President Obama has defined the
events using the dictionary definition that fits the term Genocide,
he has used an Armenian term, Meds Yeghern, for the Armenian Genocide
in his annual April 24 Remembrance Day statements and he has referred
back to his prior views as a senator and presidential candidate when
he explicitly referenced the Armenian Genocide. President Obama,
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and the Administration also made
an historic effort to reconcile Turkey and Armenia. In the universal
effort to join allies and other major countries in using the term
Armenian Genocide, the United States record on its own history cannot
be deleted or compromised.

LE PRESIDENT SARKISSIAN FUSTIGE L’AZERBAIDJAN ET LA TURQUIE : DEBUT DE LA CAMPAGNE ELECTORALE ?
Stephane

armenews.com
mercredi 23 janvier 2013

La reunion du Chef de l’Etat avec les autorites des pouvoirs
legislatif, executif et judiciaire constitue le principal sujet
d’actualite. Y ont pris part les Ministres, vice-ministres, presidents
des commissions parlementaires et chefs des groupes parlementaires (a
l’exception de ceux du parti Heritage, du CNA et d’Armenie prospère),
les presidents des tribunaux, ainsi que les prefets des regions. La
reunion avait pour objectif de faire le point sur les resultats des
man~uvres militaires ” Cooperation 2012 ” de l’OTSC que l’Armenie
a accueillies en septembre dernier et des man~uvres militaires des
forces armees armeniennes qui les avaient suivies. Les quotidiens
soulignent la longueur du discours du chef de l’Etat rappelant un
discours electoral. Principaux thèmes evoques :

Renforcement des forces armees- Les questions relatives a la securite
et a la defense ne relèvent pas de la seule responsabilite des organes
concernes, mais de celle de chaque citoyen d’Armenie. Selon le chef
de l’Etat, desormais, l’on fera preuve de zero tolerance vis-a-vis de
ceux qui discreditent l’honneur et l’autorite des forces armees, qui
cherchent a echapper au service militaire a tout prix, qui se servent
de leur uniforme d’officier a des fins personnelles. Des actions
concrètes doivent etre prises pour accroître l’autorite de l’officier.

Il est prioritaire, selon lui, de fournir aux forces armees des
armements et des techniques militaires modernes y compris de production
armenienne. Il est donc primordial de renforcer le lien entre l’armee
et l’economie, en stimulant l’industrie militaire.

Conflit du HK- L’objectif principal de la politique etrangère d’Armenie
demeure la traduction juridique de la victoire du HK lors de la guerre
declenchee par l’Azerbaïdjan. ” La Republique du Haut-Karabakh doit
etre reconnue par la communaute internationale, puisqu’il n’y a pas
d’explication logique au fait de savoir pourquoi un peuple qui a
realise son droit a l’autodetermination dans le respect de la loi
et qui l’a defendu dans une bataille inegale devrait faire partie
de l’Azerbaïdjan ? Pourquoi le sort de ce peuple devrait dependre
de l’injustice commise naguère par Staline ? “. Le chef de l’Etat
a rappele que la politique ” armenophobe, fasciste et militariste
” des autorites azerbaïdjanaises demeure la principale menace a la
securite armenienne. Il a accuse l’Azerbaïdjan de violer le regime
de cessez-le-feu non seulement sur la ligne de contact avec le HK,
mais aussi sur la frontière armeno-azerbaïdjanaise, de revenir sur
ses propres engagements souscrits a Sotchi il y a un an, de rejeter
les propositions des mediateurs de retirer les snipers des positions
avancees etc. Toute une generation grandit en Azerbaïdjan remplie
de haine envers tout ce qui est armenien. ” L’Armenie et le HK ne
souhaitent pas une nouvelle guerre, mais ils sauront relever tout
defi. Plus jamais le peuple du HK ne fera face a un aneantissement
physique. La Republique d’Armenie s’en porte garante “. Et d’ajouter
que le peuple du HK decidera lui-meme de son sort. ” La participation
des autorites du HK aux negociations s’impose “. Une nouvelle guerre
sera destructrice pour l’Armenie, mais encore plus pour l’Azerbaïdjan.

Les autorites azeries reprendront les hostilites lorsqu’elles
seront sûres de leur superiorite absolue par rapport a l’Armenie, ou
lorsqu’elles en auront besoin pour des raisons de politique interieure.

Turquie- Le President Sarkissian a rappele qu’en parlant de
l’Azerbaïdjan, l’on ne devait pas oublier qu’il existe un deuxième
pays dans la region qui soutient la politique anti-armenienne de
Bakou, la Turquie. Le tandem turco-azeri constitue selon le slogan ”
une nation-deux Etats ” continue a imposer un blocus a l’Armenie et a
exiger d’elle des concessions unilaterales. ” La politique turque zero
problème avec les voisins a donne zero resultat, car la Turquie essaie
de resoudre tous les problèmes avec ses voisins a leur detriment “.

Aujourd’hui la Turquie est un pays developpe qui enregistre de grands
progrès, mais tant qu’elle n’aura pas fait face a son histoire,
son parcours sera toujours inacheve.

Armenie-diaspora- Une union forte avec la diaspora doit etre une
composante de la securite et de la defense de l’Armenie. L’Armenie et
le peuple armenien a travers le monde ne peuvent pas avoir d’interets
divergents. Le Chef de l’Etat a egalement evoque l’instabilite au Moyen
Orient, la qualifiant de defi serieux pour l’Armenie. Il a rappele
que 6000 Syriens d’origine armenienne ont trouve un abri en Armenie,
dont une partie a acquis la nationalite armenienne.

Processus d’integration et partenariat strategique armeno-russe-
La Republique d’Armenie prend activement part a des processus
d’integration, privilegiant au premier chef ses interets economiques
et politico-militaires. Elle a adopte une politique equilibree,
en developpant des relations avec tous les pays amis. Toutefois,
le partenariat strategique armeno-russe, qui a prouve sa vitalite,
demeurera l’axe de la securite de la RA. Dans ce contexte, l’Armenie
accorde une importance particulière a son appartenance a l’OTSC,
tout en developpant une cooperation etroite et transparente avec
l’Alliance transatlantique. Et de conclure que l’Armenie a des allies,
des partenaires et des amis dans le monde, mais qu’elle compte avant
tout sur ses propres forces.

Extrait de la revue de presse de l’Ambassade de France en Armenie en
date du 16 janvier 2013

mercredi 23 janvier 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

OBSERVERS FROM GEORGIA, CIS AND BALTIC STATES TO ARRIVE IN ARMENIA

10:34, 23 January, 2013

YEREVAN, JANAURY 23, ARMENPRESS. Delegations from Georgia, CIS and
Baltic states will visit Armenia on observation mission for the
upcoming presidential elections, which will be held on February 18,
2013. As reports “Armenpress” the official website of the Government
of the Republic of Armenia states that there are 26 observers included
in the official delegations of the Central Electoral Commissions from
CIS countries, Georgia, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

The election campaign launched on January 21 and will last until
February 16. The deadline of submitting resignations to the Central
Electoral Commission of the Republic of Armenia is 18:00 o’clock,
February 8. The electronic votes will launch at 08:00 o’clock on
February 9 and last until 20:00 o’clock February 13. The votes will
kick off on February 18 at 08:00 and will last until 20:00 o’clock.

Final results of the presidential elections will be announced on
February 25, 2013.

ARMENIAN PATRIARCHATE GEARING UP FOR ELECTION OF 97TH INCUMBENT

12:07, January 23, 2013

Arthur Hagopian

Jerusalem, Jan 23 – The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem is gearing
up for one of the most momentous events in the 2,000 year-old
history of the Armenian presence in the Holy Land. Preparations
for the election of a new patriarch to succeed the late Archbishop
Torkom Manoogian, are proceeding at a brisk rate, with the main event
scheduled to take place tomorrow.

Patriarchate sources told this correspondence tomorrow’s agenda is
designed to narrow down the list of potential candidates to five. This
will later be pared down even further, to two, before the final vote is
cast. Under the rules and regulations of the Patriarchate, any member
of the Priestly Brotherhood of St James, that is, priests ordained
in Jerusalem, would be eligible for election. But in practical terms,
the incumbent is chosen from among the ranks of the highest princes –
the archbishops – of the Armenian church.

The total number of Armenian archbishops who were ordained priests by
the Jerusalem Patriarchate today stands at 8, three of them based in
Jerusalem, and the remaining five ministering to the needs of Armenian
congregations in the diaspora.

The sources revealed that the front-runners to become the 97th
Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem, in a direct transmission from
the first patriarch, Abraham, are the Grand Sacristan, Archbishop
Nourhan Manoogian and Director of Ecumenical Relations, Archbishop
Aris Shirvanian, the current Locum Tenens.

Manoogian (no relation to the late patriarch) was born in Aleppo in
1948 and ordained a priest in 1971. He was anointed bishop in 1999.

Shirvanian, who is older, was born in Haifa in 1934 and ordained a
celibate priest in 1957. He became a bishop in 1974.

Archbishop Sevan Gharibian, born in Beirut in 1940 and made bishop in
1988, is the third potential Jerusalem candidate. Observers have named
the Primate of the Eastern Diocese of the United States, Archbishop
Khajag Barsamian (born in 1951 in Arapgir, in the former Armenian
district of Malatya), as another leading candidate.

The late Primate of the Australian and New Zealand diocese, Archbishop
Aghan Baliozian, had been seen as yet another powerful possibility. As
the members of the St James Brotherhood pray for guidance and wait for
the fateful day to dawn, Armenians all around the world are watching
developments in Jerusalem with great anxiety.

The Armenian church in the Holy City has been forced to wade through
the morass of debilitating challenges in recent years, and needs the
strength and endurance to maintain its stature and standing not only
as the second most vital font of spiritual rejuvenation after the
Mother Church in Armenia, but also as one of the three Guardians of
the Holy Places.

Tomorrow “will be two important dates not only for the new person
succeeding Patriarch Torkom II and leading the church in the Holy Land
but equally importantly for the Armenians still living and witnessing
in those biblical and also historical lands,” says one of the leading
commentators of the Middle East religious scene, Dr Harry Hagopian,
Ecumenical, Legal and Political Consultant to the Armenian Apostolic
Church.

Observers note that both of the leading contenders, Manoogian and
Shirvanian, are blessed with the requisite qualifications to lead the
church into the future. “Nourhan is a man of steel who is not afraid
of a challenge, and has the charisma and bearing of a force to be
reckoned with. He has been a pillar of strength in times of crisis
for the Patriarchate. He may be brash at times, but his indomitable
courage and determination are undeniable. The Patriarchate needs a
strong man like him at the helm,” they add.

Manoogian is keen to maintain Jerusalem’s traditionally strong ties
with the diaspora. His recent visit to Sydney, to attend the funeral
services for Baliozian, has been seen as further indication of his
inclinations. Observers believe Shirvanian’s pronounced tact and
diplomacy will be fundamentally important in steering the church
through the morass, particularly of the political tint, surrounding
it on all sides.

“Despite his soft-spoken approach, Shirvanian has the inner strength
of a majestic lion, his sagacity and wisdom evident in all the moves
he orchestrates.” Although Shirvanian is not one to shirk a challenge,
his preference is for a more softly-softly approach.

In his recent Christmas message, he dwelt heavily on the topic
of peace in the region, among the Semitic cousins, Arabs and Jews,
ending it with an invocation in Arabic and Hebrew. The late patriarch,
Manoogian, has been known as a reformer and a modernizer, a man of
vision although not all his dreams were realized. One of his grand
designs was the construction of a hostel for Armenian pilgrims and
tourists, another was a residential project that never got off the
drawing board.

Will the 97th Armenian Patriarch build on those dreams, or will he
have a different agenda to follow? The next few days may, hopefully,
give us an indication of where the wind will lie.

TURKISH PUBLICIST: HAVING LINKED ITS RAPPROCHEMENT WITH ARMENIA WITH THE NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT TURKEY HAS BECOME A PARTY TO IT

arminfo
Wednesday, January 23, 09:38

Having linked its rapprochement with Armenia with the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict Turkey has become a party to it, well-known Turkish human
rights defender, the owner of Belge Publishing House Ragip Zarakolu
said at a press-conference in Yerevan on Tuesday.

He said that by supporting Azerbaijan Turkey is preventing the
settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Zarakolu believes that the conflict was a result of nationalist
moods in Baku – something that urged the Armenian people to demand
self-determination in order to avoid a new genocide.

Zarakolu said that being an advocate of self-determination for other
nations, Ankara does not wish to give this right to the Armenians. And
this is the key obstacle to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict and the key proof that Pan-Turkism is still alive in Turkey.

Zarakolu believes that Turkey’s refusal to open its border with
Armenia is a shameful act. He admitted that Armenia did it best to
improve its relations with Turkey, while Turkey did all it could to
wreck this process. Though saying that Kurds and the Armenian Genocide
constitute a threat to its national security, Turkey has got involved
into a dangerous adventure in Syria.

According to Zarakolu, now that the Turkish society is becoming more
civilized, this unacceptable position is changing. There are a number
of human rights organizations in Turkey that have already begun to
commemorate Apr 24 as the Day of the Armenian Genocide. “This is a
hard process, but it has already been started,” Zarakolu said.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT AWARDED FILM DIRECTOR KAREN SHAHNAZAROV WITH THE ORDER OF HONOR

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan received today the film director,
Executive Director of the Mosfilm movie production concern Karen
Shahnazarov. Press service of Armenian President informs about this.

The President of Armenia awarded Karen Shahnazarov with the Order of
Honor for his contribution to the strengthening of the Armenian-Russian
cultural relations, as well as for his years-long and prolific work
in the cinematography.

21.01.13, 14:28

IRANIAN WEBSITE: TURKEY, AZERBAIJAN PROVOKE SEPARATISM AMONG IRANIAN AZERIS

Source: Panorama.am
17:08 21/01/2013

Turkey and Azerbaijan provoke separatism among Iranian Azeris, says
an article in Tabnak.ir.

According to the website, satellite GunAz TV, which propagates
separatism among Iran’s Turkish-speaking Azeris, will soon start to
broadcast in Turkish.

One of the co-founders of the above mentioned TV channel, Ahmed Obal,
told Today Zaman in an exclusive interview that GunAz TV’s broadcast
in Turkey in 2006 was probably stopped due to pressure from Iran but
the TV channel is working to return to Turksat.

According to Iranian media, Turkey’s state-run TV channel TRT recently
called “Southern Azerbaijan” those provinces of Iran which have
Turkish-speaking population and added that the 30 million Azeris
undergo pressure in Iran.

More, Valley of the Wolves, a Turkish television serial aired by a
television channel controlled by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
has been turned from anti-Israeli and anti-American into anti-Iranian.

Read also:

Turkey supports Iran’s separatist forces on state level

SAMVEL BALASANYAN TO BACK SERZH SARGSYAN

08:23 pm | January 21, 2013 | Politics

Mayor of Gyumri, member of the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK),
Samvel Balasanyan is going to back Serzh Sargsyan in the upcoming
presidential election.

“As a member of the BHK Political Council I endorse the party’s
decision not to nominate a candidate in February’s presidential
election or support the candidate of other forces.

At the same time, as an individual and citizen of the Republic of
Armenia I have taken a personal decision to back Serzh Sargsyan’s
candidacy in the election. Naturally, I have informed BHK leader Gagik
Tsarukyan about my intention,” Mr Balasanyan said in a statement
adding that the decision is determined by the care and tremendous
work shown by Serzh Sargsyan towards Armenia’s second largest city.

POLICE OPENED HOTLINE FOR PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

03:53 pm | January 21, 2013 | Official

The police in Armenia have opened a hotline for the presidential
candidates and their authorized representatives.

Police urge the campaign headquarters and authorized representatives of
the presidential candidates to inform the police hotline (010-54-69-12,
010-54-46-48, 010-52-65-70) about the date and venue of campaign
rallies in advance for proper maintenance of public order and security
during the pre-election period.

ARMENIA TO CHAIR CE COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS THIS YEAR

Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan received the newly-appointed Head
of the Council of Europe Office in Armenia Oleksandr Pavlyuk, the
government press service reported.

The prime minister congratulated Mr. Pavlyuk on his appointment and
wished him success in his work.

“We will do our best so that you will feel at home in Armenia and be
able to carry out your mission without hindrance”, Tigran Sargsyan
stated.

O. Pavlyuk thanked the Armenian prime minister for reception, stressing
that this year Armenia will chair the Council of Europe Committee
of Ministers, which will allow promoting cooperation between Yerevan
and Strasbourg.

The interlocutors exchanged views on the priorities and prospects
of cooperation.