Author: Badalian Vardan

WHY THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REALLY MATTERS

The News Hub
April 16 2015

The Armenians are still being denied their rightful recognition of
the atrocities they suffered, and it’s outrageous

Sponsored by Rhea Christopher in International

At midnight on the 23rd of April, Armenians around the world will be
remembering a life-altering moment in their history. But this isn’t
just any year to commemorate the Armenian Genocide, it will be the
centenary of an event that took the lives of over a million people,
the loss of over half a country and pushed a community out of their
homes, forcing them to start again in a new country.

But why is there such a push for awareness of this Genocide? The
world knows of the Holocaust, the Rwandan Genocide, and still today
mass killings of communities are ever present; Syria, Palestine and
Kenya most recently. The answer is simple, we know who ordered these
killings. The Nazis, Civil War. But who ordered the mass murder of the
Armenians? This is what is driving the Armenian communities around
the world to march every year to receive recognition for the deaths
of their ancestors.

This is all they ask for: Recognition. A mere sign of respect to the
lost lives, from the Turkish Government. It was Jevdet Bey, a Governor
of the Ottoman Empire, who on 1915 ordered the siege of the Armenian
town of Van, forcing people out of their homes and the taking of lives.

It was this night that the Armenian Massacres began. Imagine going to
bed one night in fear because of rumours of sieges, because you have
either heard of or witnessed random killings of your fellow country
men, being comforted by your mother, or grandparent, that everything
will be ok, and then suddenly, you are forced out of your beds and
thrown onto the streets, random killings, blood glistening in the
moonlight, and as soon as dawn breaks, you find yourself being shoved
into the Syrian desert to find a new home, knowing that the scorching
heat of the desert and the dry sand in your throat could be the last
thing you ever experience.

Armenians have often been accused of inappropriately using the word
‘Genocide’ on the basis that there isn’t sufficient evidence to support
the claims. Let me ask you this, why is it then that Raphael Lemkin,
the creator of the term ‘Genocide’ stated this, “I became interested
in genocide because it happened so many times. It happened to the
Armenians, then after the Armenians, Hitler took action.”

The man who coined the term himself is said to have been influenced by
the killings of Armenians to put a name to the actions that can now
be found in your own dictionary to define the word ‘Genocide’. And
as we have mentioned Hitler, it was he himself who said “who now
remembers the Armenians”. So, if Hitler wanted to do to the Jewish
community, what we now call a Genocide because of what he saw the
Ottoman Turks doing to the Armenians, then how can we deny these
massacres as Genocide?

One excuse is that these events happened before the word ‘Genocide’
ever existed, but this is a completely narrow-minded argument. All
facts, eye-witness accounts, photographs, articles written around
the time by British and French reporters point to Genocide.

So why is the debate still going on? Most recently, Labour MP Stephen
Pound, representing the Armenian community of London, took the debate
to the House of Commons, and I watched the whole of Parliament TV that
day, patiently waiting. It seemed Parliament was more interested in
discussing issues surrounding broadband and Internet access than a
historical event that shaped a society. Just this month also, Kim
Kardashian, and her family, visited Armenia for the first time to
pay respects to their country and support this battle for Recognition.

Turkey to this day still denies the actions of their ancestors. If
Germany were able to apologise for their previous Government’s actions,
then why can’t Turkey? The Armenian communities around this planet will
not rest till they receive it, not only from notable countries such
as Sunny Ol’ England, but from Turkey herself. With other communities
who also experienced mass murders by the Ottomans, Kurds who still
battle with Turks, and Greeks whose battle began in 1453 during the
fall of Constantinople and 1922 just after the 1915 massacres, it is
fair to say that they are not alone and they have built such strong
communities around the world, that their history will never die.

MRAP : L’ONU DOIT RECONNAITRE LE MASSACRE DES ARMENIENS COMME UN GENOCIDE

Publié le : 17-04-2015

Info Collectif VAN – – Le Collectif VAN vous
invite a lire le Communiqué de presse du MRAP (Mouvement contre le
racisme et pour l’amitié entre les peuples) publié le 15 avril 2015.

MRAP

Communiqué de presse

100ème anniversaire : l’ONU doit reconnaître le massacre des
Arméniens comme un génocide

Le samedi 24 avril 1915, a Constantinople, capitale de l’empire
ottoman, 2345 Arméniens appartenant a l’élite intellectuelle sont
arrêtés et exécutés sur ordre du gouvernement. Le ministre de
l’intérieur Talaat Pacha envoie un télégramme a la direction du
parti des Jeunes Turcs a Alep : ” Le gouvernement a décidé de
détruire tous les Arméniens résidant en Turquie. Il faut mettre
fin a leur existence, aussi criminelles que soient les mesures
a prendre. Il ne faut tenir compte ni de l’âge ni du sexe. Les
scrupules de conscience n’ont pas leur place ici ”.

C’est le début d’un génocide, le premier du XXe siècle. Il va faire
entre 1,2 et 1,5 millions de victimes, massacres, déportations,
famines, soit les 2/3 de la population arménienne de l’empire
turc et conduire les survivants sur le chemin de l’exil. Au même
titre que les Arméniens, les Turcs ont exterminé toutes les autres
communautés chrétiennes présentes dans cette région de l’ancienne
Mésopotamie, aujourd’hui a cheval sur la Turquie et l’Iran : 500 000
a 750 000 Assyriens représentant 70 % de la population de l’époque,
environ 350 000 Grecs pontiques, sont massacrés de la même manière.

Comme les nazis, Le gouvernement ottoman s’emploie systématiquement
a éliminer toute preuve du génocide : les photographies des convois
de déportés sont interdites, les missionnaires sont empêchés
d’apporter nourriture, eau, vêtements aux rescapés, la censure
officielle interdit aux médias de faire mention des massacres.

Ce génocide avait eu des précédents : entre 1894 et 1896, comme
les Arméniens réclament des réformes et une modernisation des
institutions, le sultan en fait massacrer 200.000 a 250.000. Un
million d’Arméniens sont dépouillés de leurs biens et quelques
milliers convertis de force. Des centaines d’églises sont brÔlées
ou transformées en mosquées… Rien qu’en juin 1896, dans la région
de Van, au cÃ…”ur de l’Arménie historique, pas moins de 350 villages
sont rayés de la carte.

Après le crime, vient le temps de sa négation : la République turque
refuse de reconnaître l’existence du génocide arménien et qualifie
les événements de 1915-1916 de ” Sözde Ermeni Soykırımı ” (”
prétendu génocide arménien ”). Parler du génocide est passible
de peines de prison.

Aujourd’hui, le génocide arménien n’est reconnu que par 21 pays
dont la France en 2012.

Pour le MRAP, l’apologie ou la négation du crime est intolérable en
ce qu’elle prolonge et perpétue le crime lui-même. Il est nécessaire
de mettre fin au négationnisme quel qu’il soit car il laisse ouvert le
champ a d’autres crimes contre l’Humanité. C’est la reconnaissance
des responsabilités passées qui rend possible l’indispensable
réconciliation des peuples. C’est pourquoi, le MRAP souhaite que le
centième anniversaire du génocide arménien soit l’occasion pour
les Nations Unies d’intervenir en faveur de cette reconnaissance. Le
MRAP appelle a participer a la commémoration qui aura lieu le 24
avril a Paris a 18h sur les Champs Elysées a partir de la rue Balzac

Paris, le 15 avril 2015

TÃ~ILÃ~ICHARGER : Communiqué de presse

EU PARLIAMENT CALLS FOR #TURKEY TO RECOGNISE ‘GENOCIDE’

MWC – Media With Conscience
April 16 2015

The European Parliament has called on Turkey to recognise the “Armenian
genocide”, sparking condemnation from Ankara, which says the move is
“inconsistent with international law”.

“Armenia and Turkey should use the centenary of the Armenian genocide
to renew diplomatic relations, open the border and pave the way for
economic integration,” a statement by the EU legislature said on
Wednesday after it adopted a non-binding resolution on the issue.

The Members of the European Parliament (MEP) also called on Turkey
to open its archives and “come to terms with its past”.

The EU institution praised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and
other officials for “offering condolences and recognising atrocities
against the Ottoman Armenians”.

Ankara agrees that many Armenians died in ethnic fighting and the
deportation process between 1915 and 1917, during World War I,
putting its estimate at 300,000 causalities.

Armenia says 1.5 million died in the whole process, including the
march to Syria, in what they claim to be genocide. The accusation
is denied by Turkey, who says there was no systematic attempt to
destroy Armenians.

The centenary of the 1915 killings is to be commemorated on April 24.

MEPs invited Armenia and Turkey to use examples of successful
reconciliation between European nations by ratifying and implementing,
without preconditions, the protocols on the establishment of diplomatic
relations, opening the border and actively improving their relations.

‘Parliament’s jurisdiction exceeded’

In a statement made right after the resolution was passed, the Turkish
foreign ministry said that the resolution was “inconsistent with
international law” and it “exceeded the institution’s jurisdiction”.

“We don’t take seriously this resolution that slaughters history and
law,” the statement said.

“Through the resolution it passed, the European Parliament has repeated
the mistake it made in the past,” it added.

The European Parliament described the killings as a “genocide” in 1987
and has passed similar resolutions affirming its view in the years
2000, 2002 and 2005, calling on Turkey to recognise it as such too.

Avni Ozgurel, a Turkish political analyst, said: “It is not a
surprising resolution. Armenian diaspora have been effectively
lobbying for such resolutions as the centenary of the 1915 incidents
approached.”

He added: “This resolution is almost the same with the 1987 resolution
in terms of content. It creates no legal responsibilities towards
Turkey. However, it is still an important resolution, which is likely
to push Turkey to take on certain initiatives in the field of public
diplomacy.”

Earlier on Wednesday, President Erdogan said that Ankara did not care
about the European Parliament’s resolution.

“It is not possible for Turkey to accept a such a crime,” he said.

“It is hard for me to understand why our nation or media acts so
defensively on the issue. I don’t have any worries to defend [Turkey]
as the president.”

Pope Francis used the word “genocide” for the 1915 killings on Sunday
in a move that angered Ankara, which called back its Vatican ambassador
for consultations.

Countries such as Russia, Canada, France, and Italy recognise the 1915
incidents as “genocide”. It is a crime to deny the “Armenian genocide”
in Switzerland, Cyprus, Slovakia and Greece.

WHY DO THE INFLUENTIAL ESCAPE THE BLAME GAME?

The National, UAE
April 16 2015

Alan Philps

April 16, 2015

In recent days, 100-year-old black-and-white images of women carrying
infants through the desert have flashed up on the screens of news
channels. The images are followed by more recent footage of similar
head-scarfed women fleeing with their babies across the sand. The
first images are shots of the expulsion of Armenians from eastern
Turkey in 1915 during which up to 1.5 million were killed or died of
hunger and thirst. The modern footage is of Yazidi families fleeing
the onslaught of ISIL in Iraq last year.

Is it fair to put these two events side by side on screen, given the
power of images to suggest a continuum of oppression of religious and
ethnic minorities from the First World War to today? The question
will be hard to escape over the next week. Foreshadowing the 100th
anniversary of the start of the Armenian deportations on April 24,
Pope Francis lit the fuse for an explosive debate by describing the
Armenian massacres “the first genocide of the 20th century”.

The pope is used to poking sticks into hornet’s nests. The Vatican
diplomatic service cannot have failed to be aware of the likely
reaction in Turkey, a country recently visited by Francis and one
where the Roman Catholic hierarchy has invested much effort in good
relations. Turkey recalled its ambassador from the Vatican in protest.

On Wednesday, the European Parliament passed a resolution urging Turkey
to recognise the events of 1915 as genocide. The Turkish President,
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, responded angrily: “The stain of genocide on
our nation is out of the question.”

This is not the place to rehearse the arguments on both sides, which
have been aired in these pages, including by the Turkish ambassador
today. Under Mr Erdogan the taboo on discussion of the massacres has
been lifted, and he himself has expressed condolences to the Armenian
victims. But there is adamant refusal to accept the term genocide
even though the term is supported by many scholars.

The issue for the Turks is the context of these terrible events. They
took place during a war that caused industrial scale casualties and
against the background of the decades-long collapse of the Ottoman
Empire during which millions of Muslims died and were forced out of
their homes. The Armenians were far from the only victims.

The list of countries where genocide has been ruled by international
courts to have taken place usually includes Nazi Germany and Rwanda,
and in Bosnia at the hands of the Bosnian Serbs. But the powerful
countries escape. Was not Russia guilty of genocide by deporting the
Circassian Muslims in the 1860s from their homeland in the Caucasus,
land where the Sochi winter Olympics were held? And what about Stalin’s
treatment of the Muslim Chechens, deported en masse from their homes
in 1944 and left to die on the steppes of Kazakhstan? And shouldn’t
the European settlers in America be deemed guilty of genocide for
their destruction of the native peoples?

Americans would argue that this argument is ridiculous. After all,
that was in the past. But when did the past stop and the present
begin? Perhaps the line should be drawn from 1948 when the Convention
on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was adopted
by the UN General Assembly.

No one can deny that battles over other people’s history are deeply
attractive to the media and to legislatures looking for an easy vote.

It is much easier for the European Parliament to approve a motion
on 1915 than to tackle the tragedy unfolding in the Mediterranean,
where thousands – Syrians, Eritreans and others – are likely to
drown in leaky boats over the summer trying to reach Europe from
Africa. There are no easy solutions there.

A visitor from Mars would be shocked that countries are arguing over
events a century ago while a real humanitarian crisis is unfolding
along Turkey’s southern border.

Some 40 to 50 million people around the world have been forced to
leave their homes by war, civil unrest or climate stress. What to do
about these people and the wars that have ruined their lives is the
real issue of our time. Who, for example, has found a way to help the
16,000 remaining residents of the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp on
the outskirts of Damascus, besieged and bombed by government forces
and then laid waste by ISIL? The UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon,
made a desperate plea for outside intervention, describing Yarmouk
as the “deepest circle of hell”. There was not much response either
from Arab states or the outside powers.

Here lies the answer to why Pope Francis threw caution to the wind
last Sunday. It is not about redress for events 100 years ago. It
is about the future of the Christians in the Middle East at a time
of unprecedented war and dislocation. In the past, the Vatican has
spoken softly in defence of Christians in the region, aware that their
position as integral parts of their communities is undermined if they
appear to have colonial protectors. To put things in context again,
ISIL has killed many more Muslims than Christians or Yazidis.

That policy has not worked. Continuing war in Syria is hastening the
exodus of Christians from the region. If the pope took his gloves
off with Turkey, it is because of Mr Erdogan’s role in the Syrian
conflict, where he has given priority to toppling Bashar Al Assad over
containing the jihadists of ISIL. The Vatican sees things differently –
the triumph of ISIL would be a catastrophe.

Raising the Armenian issue is a stick to beat Mr Erdogan with. But
whether the western world has the right to give morality lessons in a
region where its intervention has caused so much pain and bitterness
is an open question.

Alan Philps is a commentator on global affairs

USA : BATAILLE DES POUR ET CONTRE UNE RESOLUTION ARMENIENNE AU CONGRES

1915-2015

La tension monte chaque jour un peu plus dans les couloirs du Congrès
américain a l’approche de la 100ème commémoration du génocide
des Arméniens. C’est ce qu’explique le correspondant au Congrès
pour Al Monitor Julian Pecquet.

Il y a d’une part les 55 membres qui ont présenté un projet de
résolution pour la reconnaissance du génocide des Arméniens, et
d’autre part les opposants, avec a leur tête le Président de la
Chambre des représentant John Boehner, dont l’argumentaire basique
met en avant le rapprochement stratégique de l’Arménie avec l’Iran,
et dans une certaine mesure avec la Russie, alors que les Ã~Itats Unis
voient en la Turquie “un allié très important dans notre guerre
contre les terroristes”, dit-il. Boehner ajoute que cette région
est un endroit très stratégique dans le monde. La Turquie est
“un grand allié, mécontent de cette résolution”. John Boehner a
rencontré le Président du parlement turc, Cemil Cicek, a la fin du
mois dernier et n’a pas encore décidé s’il permettra a la proposition
de résolution de se confronter au vote.

Du côté des partisans pour la reconnaissance, on compte surfer sur
les déclarations du pape Francois qui a exhorté les dirigeants du
monde a parler “avec un sens du devoir, sans céder a des ambiguïté
ou compromis.”

Le ministre des Affaires étrangères turc Mevlut CavuÅ~_oglu se rendra
a Washington entre le 18 et le 21 avril pour tenter de convaincre de
ne pas faire passer la résolution. Il devrait rencontrer John Kerry
a cette occasion.

J.E

vendredi 17 avril 2015, Jean Eckian ©armenews.com

FRENCH-ARMENIAN ACTOR SAYS THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IS LIKE A WOUND THAT NEVER HEALS

17:28, 17 April, 2015

PARIS, 17 APRIL, ARMENPRESS. During the television program called
“Stories of French-Armenians”, French-Armenian actor Simon Abgarian
talked about the Armenian Genocide, reflected on his past, the history
of his ancestors and called on Turkey to recognize the crime that it
committed in the early 20th century and turn a new page in its history.

As “Armenpress” reports, Abgarian emphasized that the Armenian
Genocide is like a wound that never heals and doesn’t allow one to
forget what has happened. “The wound is still open. It’s impossible
to forget the pain, and it has to remind the future generations,
including the Turks about what happened 100 years ago. It has to
remind them so that such events never happen again,” Abgarian said.

Talking about Turkey, the actor placed emphasis on the future
and stressed the fact that Turkey’s modern society and generation
acknowledge what their ancestors did.

“The events taking place today show that we have to learn the lessons
from the past because only be condemning will we be able to prevent
future crimes against humanity,” the French-Armenian actor mentioned.

ARMENIA AND CHINA IMPLEMENT PROJECTS IN INDUSTRIAL COOPERATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE CONSTRUCTION, AMBASSADOR

YEREVAN, April 17. / ARKA /. Armenia and China are implementing joint
projects in the fields of industrial cooperation and infrastructure
construction, China’s ambassador to Armenia Tian Erlun told ARKA.

According to him, both governments are taking additional measures to
stimulate diverse bilateral relations.

“We are discussing now a number of projects in the fields of industrial
cooperation and infrastructure construction, which means increased
cooperation,’ said Erlun.

During Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s state visit to China
on March 24-28, the sides signed more than a dozen agreements on
cooperation in various fields, including bilateral cooperation in
the legal, economic, techno-economic, customs, education, tourism
and other fields.

According to experts, Sargsyan’s visit will strengthen bilateral
economic ties, which have great potential both in terms of the
implementation of mutual investments and trade growth.

According to Armenia’s National Statistical Service, the trade
turnover between Armenia and China in 2014 increased by 29.4% from
the previous year to $588.4 million (9.9% of the total foreign trade
of Armenia). China is Armenia’s second largest trade partner.-0-

LEGENDARY FOOTBALL PLAYER HARUTYUN KEHEYAN PASSES AWAY AT 85

14:32 | April 17,2015 | Sports

Armenian legendary football player Harutyun Keheyan died on Friday,
April 17, at the age of 85.

Keheyan was the first football player in the Soviet Armenia who was
awarded the title of Honored Football Player.

He was also Honored Master of Sports and Honorary Citizen of Yerevan.

He was director of Hrazdan stadium for many years.

SOUTH CAUCASUS RAILWAY TO PARTICIPATE IN CAUCASUS TOURISM FAIR – 2015

YEREVAN, April 17. /ARKA/. The South Caucasus Railway is participating
in Caucasus Tourism Fair – 2015 in Tbilisi on April 16-17, the press
office of the company reported.

The exhibition was officially opened by the Mayor of Tbilisi David
Narmania, minister of environment Erguj Khokrishvili and deputy
minister of economic development Mikhail Janilidze.

The exhibition will showcase mainly internal and outgoing tourism
opportunities, rehabilitation of local resorts and promotion of
consumers’ interest toward new destinations.

More than 100 tour and related companies are participating in the
exhibition.

The South Caucasus Railway (SCR) company is presented through a full
description of its passenger routes, services and new tour products,
tours in Armenia and Georgia in particular.

As part of the exhibition the head of international links at the SCR
Aleksandr Boyko had talks with the Georgian deputy minister of economic
development Mikhail Janilidze and presented the company’s innovative
projects. Boyko said they cooperated closely with Georgian railroaders.

The main aim of the new tour packages is to increase the company’s
operational capacity the passenger traffic along the route
(Yerevan-Tbilisi-Batumi).

The Caucasus Tourism Fair is held at Expo Georgia Exhibition Center
by Expo Georgia, in cooperation with the Georgian ministry of economy
and Tbilisi Municipality.

The South Caucasus Railway, a subsidiary of Russian Railways, runs
Armenian Railway, which was handed over to the South Caucasus Railway
on February 13, 2008 for 30-year concession management with a right
to prolong the management term for other 10 years. -0–

KARABAKH PRESIDENT ATTENDS ASSEMBLY OF DEFENSE ARMY MILITARY DIVISIONS

14:54 17/04/2015 >> SOCIETY

Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Republic President Bako Sahakyan on Friday
attended the assembly of the Defense Army’s military divisions’
commanders and deputy commanders, the President’s press office reports.

In his remarks, President Sahakyan stressed the importance of such
events, held in parallel with multi-stage command staff maneuvers,
for the Defense Army and Armenian armed forces.

According to the President, they enable to refine theoretical and
practical skills and knowledge of the command staff, get acquainted
with the advanced experience and its application on the spot, raise
the combat readiness of the military divisions’ command staff, as
well as reclaim the existing shortcomings and omissions.

President Sahakyan gave concrete instructions to the Defense Army’s
command staff towards the solution of a number of strategic and
tactical issues.