Author: Badalian Vardan

POUR LES ETATS-UNIS, NI GALLIPOLI, NI EREVAN

USA

Les Etats-Unis ne devraient pas etre presents aux manifestations
organisees par la Turquie a Istanbul le 24 avril pour commemorer le
centenaire de la bataille de Gallipoli, a en croire le journal turc
Sozcu, qui a precise qu’aucune delegation americaine officielle ne
serait presente ce jour-la. Mais la Turquie se console car le president
americain Obama ne sera pas present non plus a Erevan le meme jour,
pour les commemorations du centenaire du genocide des Armeniens dont
il fait savoir qu’il ne l’appellera pas, cette annee encore, de son
nom, a la grande satisfaction des autorites turques, qui ont organise
les ceremonies de Gallipoli a seule fin de torpiller les celebrations
armeniennes. L’ambassadeur americain en Turquie, John Bass, devrait
toutefois assister aux ceremonies de Gallipoli, auxquelles participant
une vingtaine de dirigeants etrangers. Le Vatican, qui avait reaffirme
que les massacres des Armeniens de l’Empire ottoman etaient un fait de
genocide, lors d’une messe du pape Francois a leur memoire le 12 avril
en la basilique Saint Pierre de Rome, a aussi decline l’invitation
de la Turquie, qui avait d’ailleurs critique en termes très vifs les
declarations papales. La chancelière allemande Angela Merkel, ainsi
que le president Joachim Gauck, ont egalement refuse de se rendre a
Istanbul, alors que le Parlement allemand s’appretait a voter une
resolution portant sur la reconnaissance du genocide armenien, au
sujet duquel la position de l’Allemagne a toujours ete ambiguë. Une
telle reconnaissance serait un geste fort de reconciliation avec les
Armeniens, la Turquie n’ayant pas besoin d’un tel geste de la part
de l’Allemagne, dont elle etait l’alliee durant la première Guerre
mondiale et qui a ferme les yeux sur les massacres perpetres contre
les Armeniens de l’Empire ottoman.

La Turquie organise en effet les commemorations de Gallipoli au nom
de la reconciliation avec les anciennes puissances alliees qu’elle
combattit et vainquit durant cette grande bataille de la Première
guerre mondiale, et les Australiens et Neo-Zelandais, qui prirent
part a cette bataille dans les rangs franco-britanniques, seront
representes en nombre a Gallipoli.

vendredi 24 avril 2015, Gari (c)armenews.com

SERBIA PRESIDENT: “WE HAVE NO MORAL RIGHT TO FORGET THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE VICTIMS AND THE SHOCKING FACTS OF THE PAST”

by Karina Manukyan

Friday, April 24, 13:23

“We have no moral right to forget the Armenian Genocide victims and
bury in oblivion the shocking facts of the past, ” President of Serbia
Tomislav Nikolic said at the Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan.

Nikolic condemned the denial or distortion of the historical truth
saying to forget that tragedy means not to honor the memory of the
victims. “We are living in the time when people call the thing by their
proper names depending on their benefits. We have come here today well
aware of the undisputable truth and the consequences of that tragedy
for the humanity. Such tragedy should never happen again,” he said.

“In the century when Genocide is used in favor of political interests
and double standards are meanly applied, when the victims of Genocides
and pogroms are presented as criminals, we – representatives of the
Serbian people that suffered huge losses during all the wars of the
last period – could not but come here today,” Nikolic said.

CYPRIOT PRESIDENT: WE REMEMBER AND DEMAND! (VIDEO)

13:09 | April 24,2015 | Politics

Both Cyprus and Armenia condemn genocides, President of Cyprus Nicos
Anastasiades said at the Armenian Genocide Memorial at Tsitsernakaberd
on April 24.

“Cyprus was one of the first countries to condemn and recognize the
Armenian Genocide. Today we are in Armenia to perpetuate the memory of
the Genocide victims. Impunity cannot be ignored. Armenia and Cyprus
are the victims of impunity. We pin our faith on International Law,
we shall determine our future on the basis of sovereignty and human
rights. Our peoples have fought and survived,” he said.

Nicos Anastasiades said in his speech that 100 year ago, numerous
Armenians escaped massacres and found a safe haven in Cyprus. “The
children and grand children of these refugees constitute today a
creative and important part of our society, preserving and developing
their worthy origins. We cannot ignore this historical reality,”
he stressed.

Mr Anastasiades said it is time to recognize the historical fact that
will pave the way for Armenian-Turkish reconciliation.” We are here
to pay tribute to the Armenian people who fought and survived the
Genocide with their strength and vigor. This legacy constitutes a
firm and most honourable basis for young generation of Armenians. It
constitutes the compass that should guide not only Armenians, but also
the civilized world. We remember and demand!” said Nicos Anastasiades.

LITHUANIA FM: WE SHARE GRIEF OF ARMENIANS

15:11, 24.04.2015
Region:World News, Armenia, Turkey
Theme: Politics

Lithuania shares the grief of Armenians caused by the 1915 events,
Lithuania’s Ambassador Linas Linkevicius said.

“We share #Armenians grief caused by horrifying events in 1915. World
must do everything poss 2prevent such tragedies from ever happening,”
hetweeted.

April 24, 2015 marks the centennial of the Armenian Genocide
perpetrated in the Ottoman Empire.

The Armenian Genocide is recognized by many states. The first to
acknowledge the fact was Uruguay in 1965. France recognized the
Armenian Genocide in 2001. Genocide was recognized by Russia, Italy,
Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Lithuania, Slovakia, Sweden,
Switzerland, Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, Canada, Venezuela, Argentina,
and 42 U.S. states. Armenian Genocide was recognized by the Vatican,
the European Parliament, the World Council of Churches.

HUGE LOS ANGELES MARCH COMMEMORATES ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

22:38, 24 Apr 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Thousands of people are marching in Los Angeles to commemorate the
100th anniversary of the killings of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians
under the Ottoman Empire, AP reports.

Throngs have joined Friday’s six-mile walk from the Little Armenia
neighborhood to the Turkish Consulate, carrying flags and signs.

The event comes after President Barack Obama once again stopped short
of calling the 1915 killings a genocide.

Turkey denies that the deaths constituted genocide, and earlier
this month recalled its ambassador to the Vatican after Pope Francis
described the killings as genocide.

Huge Los Angeles march commemorates Armenian Genocide

TURKEY RECALLS AMBASSADOR AS AUSTRIA RECOGNIZES 1915 ARMENIAN KILLINGS AS ‘GENOCIDE’

Today’s Zaman
April 22 2015

Turkey said Wednesday it is recalling its ambassador to Austria after
parties represented in parliament signed a declaration recognizing
the massacre of Armenians a century ago as genocide.

The six parties signed a declaration on Tuesday and held a minute of
silence in memory of the victims.

“Due to the historic responsibility – the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy
was allied with the Osman Empire during World War I – it is our
responsibility to recognize the terrible events as genocide and to
condemn them,” the declaration stated.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry recalled Turkey’s Ambassador to Vienna
Mehmet Hasan Goðuþ to Ankara for consultations after the Austrian
Parliament’s decision.

“This declaration….has caused outrage for us,” the Turkish Foreign
Ministry said in a statement. “We reject this biased attitude of the
Austrian parliament, trying to lecture others on history, which has
no room in today’s world.

“It is clear that this declaration…will have permanent negative
effects on Turkey-Austria relations.”

The ministry said it had recalled its ambassador from Vienna for
consultations over the declaration, one of a number by foreign
institutions and parliaments as the 100th anniversary of the killings
approached.

The killings of Armenians by modern Turkey’s predecessor, the
Ottoman Empire, have been one of the most debated issues on the
Turkish-Armenian political agenda. Armenians refer to the killings as
genocide, saying 1.5 million Armenians were systematically murdered
by Ottoman forces in the early years of the 20th century while Turkey
vehemently rejects the allegations, saying the death toll is inflated
and that Muslim Turks were also killed during the civil strife that
coincided with the final years of the deteriorating empire.

Around 268,000 people of Turkish origin live in Austria, according
to government figures, of which nearly 115,000 are Turkish citizens.

Earlier on Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoðan said he
did not expect US President Barack Obama to use the word “genocide”
in reference to the killings.

“I would not want Obama to use the word ‘genocide’, and I would not
expect such a thing,” Erdoðan told a joint press conference with
Iraqi President Fuad Masum.

Erdoðan has expressed condolences for the loss of Armenian life during
World War One, but refuses to call the mass killings a genocide.

Germany’s parliament is set to adopt a motion using the word genocide
on Friday. Earlier this month, Pope Francis also called the massacres
a genocide, prompting Turkey to summon the Vatican’s envoy and recall
its own.

DEMOCRATIC LEADER NANCY PELOSI’S STATEMENT ON THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

18:44, 24 Apr 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi today released the following statement
in remembrance of the centennial of the beginning of the Armenian
Genocide:

“The facts are clear: 100 years ago, from 1915 to 1923, the leaders
of the Ottoman Empire conceived and carried out a genocide against
the Armenian people. More than 1.5 million Armenian men, women
and children were killed in one of the greatest atrocities of the
20th century. Today, 100 years after the first acts of the Armenian
Genocide, we mourn the loss of the victims and once again share the
story of this nightmare with the world.

“This solemn centennial calls on us to renew our insistence on the
truth and our dedication to justice. We all have a moral responsibility
to remember the Armenian Genocide for what it was – for if we ignore
history, we know we are condemned to repeat it.

“We must speak the truth and not dishonor those who died by refusing
to acknowledge the calculated, widespread extermination of millions of
Armenians. On this centennial of the Armenian Genocide we will also
continue to speak out against attempts to silence those who document
the facts about this harrowing time in history.”

FRENCH MEP: ABOVE ALL, WE ASK TURKEY TO RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

21:26, 23.04.2015
Region:World News, Armenia, Turkey
Theme: Politics

Socialists and Democrats political group of the European Parliament
condemns all occurrences of crimes against humanity and genocide and
strongly deplores any attempts to deny them, the French MEP Sylvie
Guillaume told Armenian News -NEWS.am.

According to her, the European Parliament resolution came to a very key
moment. “Its message is clear: not only encouraging Turkish authorities
to use the commemoration of the centenary of the Armenian genocide as
an opportunity for Turkey to continue its efforts to come to terms with
its past and prepare for reconciliation with Armenia, but above all,
we ask Turkey to recognize the Armenian Genocide,” the French MEP said.

On April 15 the European Parliament adopted by a majority vote a
resolution condemning the Armenian Genocide and calling on Turkey to
pave the way for reconciliation with Armenia.

“CENTENARY OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE; ANATOLE FRANCE” STAMPED CANCELLED

18:36, 23 Apr 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Today, on April 23rd 2015, within the framework of the forum “Against
the Crime of Genocide”, HayPost has officially cancelled and put
into circulation a postage stamp dedicated to the “Centenary of the
Armenian Genocide; Anatole France”.

The president of the General Council of the state Hauts-de-Seine,
member of the Parliament Patrick Devedjian, leader of France-Armenia
deputy friendship group Francois Roshblua, President of the National
Assembly of RA Galust Sahakyan and HayPost Trust Management BV
Managing Director Juan Pablo Gechidjian participated in the ceremony
of cancellation of the Anatole France postage stamp.

Anatole France (1890-1945) was an outstanding French writer,
academician and a Nobel Prize winner as well as the founder
and publisher of “Pro Armenia” journal in Paris. He has shown
a bigcontribution and humanitarian help to the survivors of the
Armenian Genocide.

CANADA PM ISSUES MESSAGE TO ARMENIAN COMMUNITY

20:52, 23.04.2015
Region:World News, Armenia, Turkey
Theme: Politics

Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper issued a message to the
Armenian community on the centennial of the Armenian Genocide.

“On this day we remember the terrible loss of life during the demise
of the Ottoman Empire in 1915, and in particular the horrific suffering
endured by the Armenian people one hundred years ago.

Both the Senate of Canada and the House of Commons have adopted
resolutions referring to these events as genocide.

This is a day we acknowledge solemnly, not to cast blame back into
the distant past, but to guide us towards a better future. It reminds
us all why we must remain committed to ensuring that today’s world
is one where respect for human rights and democratic freedom prevails.

Today, Canadians of Armenian and Turkish origin live together, sharing
our values of tolerance and openness. In this spirit, we encourage
Armenia and Turkey to resume discussion of normalization protocols,
to seek a path towards reconciliation including an open border,
the establishment of diplomatic relations and the implementation
of a dialogue on the events of 1915. On this day of remembrance, we
praise individuals in both countries who are courageously examining
the historical record to seek to achieve a common understanding with
honesty and in a spirit of goodwill.

Now one hundred years later, I join all Canadians, especially those
of Armenian descent, in remembering the past and in sharing hope for
a future based on peace and mutual respect.