Author: Badalian Vardan

TAOISEACH’S SOLIDARITY WITH ARMENIANS ON MASSACRES’ CENTENARY

Irish Times
April 24 2015

Government declines to use the word ‘genocide’ to describe events of
100 years ago

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has expressed his sympathy to the Armenian people
on the centenary of massacres which resulted in the deaths of up to
1.5 million of its people between 1915 and 1922.

Armenia and its large disaspora is marking the start of the killings.

Events take place on Friday in the capital Yerevan to commemorate
the centenary. Irish ambassador to Armenia John Biggar will attend.

On Thursday night the Armenian-American band System of a Down played
its first concert in Armenia which was broadcast worldwide.

Turkey disputes that any genocide took place and Ireland’s Department
of Foreign Affairs has declined to use the word in describing what
happened to the Armenians.

Dr Paul Manook, who is involved in the Armenian Church in Ireland,
wrote to the Taoiseach to invite him to the community’s remembrance
service on Sunday in Taney Parish Church, Dundrum. Dr Manook lost
his grandfather during the massacres.

Mr Kenny said he was unable to attend but expressed his condolences
to Dr Manook and stated it was a “an example of the terrible suffering
and loss which Armenians endured a century ago”.

He added: “Here in Ireland, of course, we know well how difficult
it can be to come to terms with the past through a process of
reconciliation. It is fitting that the Armenian community in Ireland
will mark these events with a service of commemoration.”

Dr Manook said he was impressed with the tone of the Taoiseach’s letter
which he described as “very sensitive and understanding”, but he urged
the Irish Government to recognise the Armenian massacres as a genocide.

“I just hope Ireland will help us in this area. It is not just forgive
and forget. It needs to be dealt with. Perhaps Ireland can use its
diplomatic channels to influence the US, UK as well as Turkey,”
he said.

Refusal to call it ‘genocide’

Officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs are likely to be
called before the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade next
week to explain the rationale behind the decision not to call the
Armenian massacres a genocide.

Committee chair Pat Breen said he was not happy with the four line
explanation given by the Department to the effect that it did not
have the necessary information one way or another to make a definitive
stand on the issue. Mr Breen asked for a “comprehensive reply”.

Senator Mark Daly brought a motion before the committee seeking to have
the massacres acknowledged as a genocide. He said the DFA response
amounted to a “four-line reply to the deaths of 1.5 million people”
and called on Ireland to follow the example of countries such as
France and Canada, along with the Vatican and the European Parliament,
in recognising what happened as genocide.

He added that Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the modern Turkish
state, acknowledged the events as genocide, but successive Turkish
governments had chosen a different path.

A Department of Foreign Affairs statement earlier this week did not
use the word genocide to describe the experiences of the Armenians.

It acknowledged the “enormous suffering of the Armenian people during
that period. As we in Ireland know well, the process of reconciliation
and coming to terms with the past is never easy.

“In this year of centenary commemorations, Ireland would urge Armenia
and Turkey to take advantage of any opportunity to progress their
bilateral relations for the good of their people, the region, and
their shared future.”

The statement added that President Michael D Higgins had recently
expressed the sympathy of the Irish people for the enormous suffering
of Armenians in that era to Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan.

The Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has responded to calls from
the Armenians for Turkey to finally acknowledge that had a genocide
had taken place.

Mr Davutoglu expressed a desire that Armenia and Turkey could come
to an understanding over what happened 100 years ago.

“However, laying all blame – through generalisations – on the Turkish
nation by reducing everything to one word and to compound this with
hate speech is both morally and legally problematic.”

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.”

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

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.

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.

KEY: OPERATION “NEMESIS”

April 24, 2015 13:47
EXCLUSIVE

This time the Key section reflects on the history of establishment
of Operation “Nemesis” aimed at the punishment of the perpetrators
of the Armenian Genocide.

1. What is “Nemesis?”

“Nemesis” was an operation, which aimed to punish the leaders of the
Young Turks who perpetrated and implemented the Armenian Genocide
in 1915 as well as perpetrators of the Baku Pogrom – the massacre of
Baku Armenians in 1918.

2. When and how was “Nemesis” conceived?

After Turkey was defeated in World War I, the leaders of the Young
Turks fled to Germany. On December 16, 1918, a suit was brought
against them – Talaat, Enver, Nazım, Djemal and their accomplices
were accused of drawing the Ottoman Empire into war and organizing
the deportation and massacre of Christians (Armenians). The court
pronounced a death penalty for four out of the 31 accused – Talaat,
Enver, Djemal and Nazim.

In order to execute the sentence of the criminals who escaped it,
the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) established “Nemesis.” At
its 19th General Assembly in Yerevan, ARF singled out 41 out of the
650 criminals. A responsible authority led by special Ambassador of
Armenia to the United States Armen Garo and a special fund headed by
Shahan Satchaklyan were set up to carry out Operation “Nemesis.”

Shahan Natalie and Grigor Merjanov stood accountable for the
operational management and the logistics of the operation.

3. Which sentences were executed?

– Berlin, March 15, 1921 – Soghomon Tehlirian assassinated principal
perpetrator of the Armenian Genocide Talaat Pasha.

– Rome, December 5, 1921 – Arshavir Shirakian killed head of the
first office of the Young Turks Said Halim.

– Berlin, April 17, 1922 – Arshavir Shirakian and Aram Yerkanian
assassinated Cemal Azmi, who had ordered to drown 15 000 Armenian
children in the sea, as well as Behaeddin Shakir.

– Tiflis, July 22, 1922 – Petros Ter-Poghosyan and Artashes Gevorgyan
killed Minister of the Navy Djemal Pasa.

– May 31, 1920 – One of perpetrators of Baku Pogrom in 1918 Nasib
Yusifbeyli was killed.

– June 19, 1920 – Aram Yerkanian assassinated former Prime Minister
of Azerbaijan Fatali Khan Khoyski.

– Tiflis, July 19, 1920 – Aram Yerkanyan killed Hasan bey Aghayev,
one of the main figures accountable for the massacres of Shushi and
Baku Armenians.

– July 18, 1921 – Misak Torlakian assassinated Behbud Khan Javanshir,
Minister of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan.

Three traitors – Mkrtich Harutyunyan, Vahe Ihssan (Yesayan) and Adur
Yasyan were also killed during Operation “Nemesis.”

4. The execution of which sentences failed?

-The list of Operation “Nemesis” included the names of former War
Minister Enver Pasha and Secretary General of Committee of Union
and Progress Nazim Bey. The members of Operation “Nemesis” failed to
assassinate them.

Enver had fled to Central Asia from Germany. He was assassinated by
Armenian Commander of Red Army Hakob Melkumov in Tajikistan in 1922.

Nazim was sentenced to death in Turkey. He was accused of attempting
to assassinate Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

5. What caused Operation “Nemesis” to discontinue?

In 1922, the governments in exile of Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan
signed “Prometheus” bill of joint struggle against Bolshevism and
the ARF Bureau decided to discontinue Operation “Nemesis.”

This decision was not unanimously accepted and came to be known as
“most embarrassing” in the history. Years later Shahan Natalie
suggested restoring Operation “Nemesis,” but his proposal was
rejected. He established “Western Armenian Liberation Alliance”
in Paris.

Mari Taryan

LA RECONNAISSANCE DU GENOCIDE ARMENIEN, >

LIBAN
À l’occasion du centenaire qui sera commemore demain vendredi 24 avril,
la classe politique libanaise et la communaute armenienne du Liban
se mobilisent pour la reconnaissance de ce massacre par la Turquie.

Le depute de Beyrouth, Michel Pharaon, s’est rendu hier au
catholicossat de Cilicie des armeniens-orthodoxes a Antelias pour faire
part de sa solidarite avec la cause armenienne et la revendication
du droit a la reconnaissance du genocide. , a-t-il precise. Il a egalement invite
les autorites turques >. Il a enfin remercie les pays arabes,
et plus particulièrement la Syrie et le Liban, pour avoir accueilli
les Armeniens.

L’hommage de Samir Geagea À Maarab, où s’est deroulee une ceremonie sur
le thème de l’arrivee des Armeniens
au Liban, le chef des FL a evoque >
de ce peuple et > pour se reconstruire, >. >, a-t-il martele. . De son côte, le depute Kataëb, Samy
Gemayel, a affirme que .

Dans une interview recueillie par l’Ani, le patriarche de Cilicie
des armeniens-catholiques Nerses Bedros XIX a invite la Turquie > les victimes. Il a
qualifie les propos du pape Francois en ce sens de >. Le catholicos a rappele que l’objectif de l’Empire ottoman
etait >. Et de preciser
que >.

Depuis l’Armenie, Raï appelle les Libanais a casser le conflit
politique qui brise le dos du Liban

Le patriarche maronite Bechara Raï est arrive hier en Armenie pour
une visite de quatre jours a l’invitation du patriarche supreme et
catholicos de tous les Armeniens, Karekine II. Après avoir salue la
memoire de tous les martyrs armeniens, tombes il y a cent ans, et mis
l’accent sur l’importance de l’aspect religieux de cette commemoration,
Mgr Raï a invite les Libanais >, a-t-il souligne a ce propos.

“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.

OUT OF MEDIA PLAYER. PRESS ENTER TO RETURN OR TAB TO CONTINUE.

Why Armenia is welcoming Syrian Armenians

14 minutes ago
23/04/15

Over 15,000 Syrian Armenians fleeing the war in their country have been
welcomed by the Armenian authorities who have given them citizenship
and helped with their resettlement.

Many who could not make it in the biggest Armenian cities have settled
in neighbouring Nagorno-Karabakh, where they face difficult living
conditions and the threat of a looming war.

Reda El Mawy reports.

ARMENIAN JOURNALISTS APPEALED TO PUTIN

Lragir.am
Politics – 23 April 2015, 20:53

Leaders of the independent Armenian newspaper Third Force Plus (“TFP”),
illegally closed by the efforts of the Russian FSS (Federal Security
Service) and their representatives in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh,
addressed an open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Copies of
the appeal of Armenian journalists are given the Presidents of Armenia
and Nagorno-Karabakh, chairman of the parliament and government of
the two Armenian states, UN, OSCE and EU, all embassies in Yerevan,
human rights and journalistic organizations, the media in different
countries. It states:

“Dear Mr. President!

This is the fourth year that the legal authorities of the Russian
Federation violate the rights of the international staff of our
newspaper, refusing to investigate the theft of its funding from
the FSS Lieutenant Colonel Vadim Pozdyshev officially presented
us as a member of the Federation Council. As a result of the crime
committed by the Russian official, the newspaper, promotes only the
idea of friendship and cooperation of different nations, was forced
to suspend its activities.

In 2010 the FSS opened a criminal case against V. Pozdyshev for this
crime, and in 2011 he was dismissed from the government service. This
fact is confirmed by numerous testimonies not only from relatives and
a representative from the FSS authorities, but also of the offender
(the newspaper can provide you with a copy of their written messages).

Crime against “TFP” was proved repeatedly and in documentary form.

Preserved even written acknowledgment of Pozdyshev that he was
dismissed from the public service for this theft. In other words,
the FSS itself was assured of the fraudulent actions of V. Pozdyshev,
“punished” him for the robbery of journalists and even forbade him
from travelling abroad, at least until 2015. But return money honestly
earned by an international staff of the newspaper, it’s not, to put
it mildly, in a hurry.

We notified about this egregiously criminal act the director of FSS
A.V. Bortnikov, the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation Y.Y.

Chaika, Chairman of the Investigative Committee of the Russian
Federation A.I.Bastrykin, asking them to help in the restoration of
an elementary rule of law in this matter and return the publication
collective funds misappropriated FSS officer. But all Russian law
enforcers, frankly covering criminal, do not make the simplest
procedures prescribed by law, even the most backward countries in
the world. Silent also the Russian Embassy in Armenia. Visibility of
some investigation attempted to create only the Interior Ministry, but
after three months of serious deliberation decided to refer the matter
to the Federal Security Service, citing his “special importance”.

Representatives of the Russian Themis, in flagrant violation of the
law, even afraid to question us as witnesses, as well aware of the
validity of claims of Armenian journalists. As we are told colleagues
from the Russian Federation, the cause of all these iniquities one:
if the offender – the FSS, he will not be prosecuted in Russia.

We also inform you that on September 29 and on October 5, 2012
Presidential Plenipotentiary, the Russian government and the party
“United Russia” informed us in written that our appeal to the
consideration by the FSS. The Russian government has instructed the
FSS to the staff of the newspaper, quote, “substantiated response on
the merits of the raised issues” contained in our circulation, and
“send a copy to the Government of the Russian Federation”. Moreover,
your press secretary Dmitry Peskov assistants, who introduced Julia
and Veronica, told us that the treatment of journalists “lying on his
desk” (audio recording of a conversation with them also saved). But
the situation has not changed…

Dear Mr. President! On Your arrival to Armenia on the occasion of
the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide we were going to go on
hunger strike in protest against the arbitrariness of Russian officials
in the attitude of the team edition. However, the reluctance to
overshadow the visit of the President of the Russian Federation and be
misconstrued the public and colleagues from the media, we have decided
to postpone the protest until your response to this appeal. We believe
that the President of the Russian Federation, has repeatedly spoken in
favor of strengthening the Armenian-Russian relations, will respond
to the call of journalists seems to be a friendly country and take
action to recover the most-most elementary laws. Fair investigation
of this case under the law – our only desire. If the edition of the
newspaper is wrong in its demands, we are ready to make a public
apology to the public of the two countries and even suffer for it
corresponding responsibility. If it rights as we demand return our
funds stolen by Russian officials. Emphasize again: for the theft,
he was dismissed from the civil service in the Russian Federation.

Mr. President! As the management of the Russian Embassy in Armenia
systematically demonstrates the “problem” with vision and hearing and
apparently blocking our letters to the authorities of the Russian
Federation, we are sending copies of this appeal and the embassies
of other countries in Yerevan with a request to submit it to the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation through the
Russian embassy in their country. The Russian Ambassador to Armenia Mr.

Volinkin did not leave a choice.

We ask you to reply to the letter in accordance with the order of
consideration of citizens.

Vahram AGHAJANYAN

Editor-in-chief of “Third Force Plus”

Nelson SARGSYAN

Executive Director of “TFP”

Tel. 097-31-03-67; 077-15-65-15

April 18, 2015