Author: Badalian Vardan

REVUE DE PRESSE
Europe 1 : Le pape parle de génocide à propos du massacre des Arméniens

Le pontife s’est exprimé à l’ouverture d’une messe à la mémoire des
Arméniens massacrés entre 1915 et 1917.

L’INFO. C’est la première fois qu’un pontife prononce publiquement ce
mot pour parler du massacre des Arméniens il y a 100 ans : génocide.
Et le pape François a choisi le cadre solennel de la basilique
Saint-Pierre de Rome pour le faire, à l’occasion d’une messe à la
mémoire des Arméniens massacrés entre 1915 et 1917, concélébrée avec
le patriarche arménien Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni et en présence du
président du pays, Serzh Sargsyan.

1,5 millions de morts. “Au siècle dernier, notre famille humaine a
traversé trois tragédies massives et sans précédent. La première, qui
est largement considérée comme ‘le premier génocide du XXe siècle’ a
frappé votre peuple arménien”, a déclaré le pontife en citant un
document signé en 2001 par le pape Jean Paul II et le patriarche
arménien. “Les deux autres ont été ceux perpétrés par le nazisme et
par le stalinisme. Et plus récemment d’autres exterminations de masse,
comme celles au Cambodge, au Rwanda, au Burundi, en Bosnie”, a-t-il
ajouté.

Les Arméniens estiment que 1,5 million des leurs ont été tués entre
1915 et 1917, à la fin de l’empire ottoman. Nombre d’historiens et
plus d’une vingtaine de pays, dont la France, l’Italie et la Russie,
ont reconnu un génocide.

dimanche 12 avril 2015,
Stéphane (c)armenews.com

The American Register
April 12 2015

Pope Francis’ Armenia “Genocide” Declaration Angers Turkey, Recalls
its Vatican Ambassador

By Jessica Smith

Turkey recalled its ambassador to the Vatican on Sunday after Pope
Francis declared the massacre of Armenians under Ottoman rule 100
years ago as genocide.

The Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement that the pope’s
comments were “null and void” to the Turkish people, and withdrew its
envoy in the Vatican back to Ankara.

It added that the Turkish people would not recognize the pope’s
statement “which is controversial in every aspect, which is based on
prejudice, which distorts history and reduces the pains suffered in
Anatolia under the conditions of the First World War to members of
just one religion.”

Earlier on Sunday, Francis described the massacre of up to 1.5 million
Armenians the “first genocide of the 20th century,” marking the
centenary of the mass killing.

Armenians have long campaigned for recognition that the killings,
which happened between 1915 and 1917 under the rule of the Ottoman
Empire, constituted genocide.

Turkey accepts that many Christian Armenians died in clashes with
Ottoman soldiers when Armenia was part of the empire ruled from
Istanbul. But the country denies hundreds of thousands were killed and
that this amounted to genocide.

The killings are recognized as genocide by a number of countries
around the world, but Turkey’s allies Italy and the United States have
avoided using the contentious term.

The United Nations defines genocide as acts intended to destroy a
national, ethnic, racial or religious group, in whole or in part.

Prior the recall of its ambassador, Turkey’s embassy to the Vatican
canceled a planned news conference for Sunday. Instead, the Foreign
Ministry in Ankara issued a terse statement conveying its “great
disappointment and sadness” over the pope’s statement.

It said the pope’s words signaled a loss in trust, contradicted the
pope’s message of peace and was discriminatory because Francis only
mentioned the pain of Christians, not Muslims or other religious
groups.

Pope Francis on Armenian Genocide: Concealing or denying evil is like
allowing a wound to keep bleeding

11:34, 12 April, 2015

VATICAN, APRIL 12, ARMENPRESS. It is necessary, and indeed a duty, to
honour the victims’ memory, for whenever memory fades, it means that
evil allows wounds to fester. As reports “Armenpress”, Pope Francis
stated this in his sermon during the Divine Liturgy dedicated to the
100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide offered in St. Peter’s
Basilica. The full address by Pope Francis runs as follows:

“On a number of occasions I have spoken of our time as a time of war,
a third world war which is being fought piecemeal, one in which we
daily witness savage crimes, brutal massacres and senseless
destruction. Sadly, today too we hear the muffled and forgotten cry of
so many of our defenseless brothers and sisters who, on account of
their faith in Christ or their ethnic origin, are publicly and
ruthlessly put to death – decapitated, crucified, burned alive – or
forced to leave their homeland.

Today too we are experiencing a sort of genocide created by general
and collective indifference, by the complicit silence of Cain, who
cries out: “What does it matter to me? Am I my brother’s keeper?” (cf.
Gen 4:9; Homily in Redipuglia , 13 September 2014).

In the past century our human family has lived through three massive
and unprecedented tragedies. The first, which is widely considered
“the first genocide of the twentieth century” (JOHN PAUL II and
KAREKIN II, Common Declaration , Etchmiadzin, 27 September 2001),
struck your own Armenian people, the first Christian nation, as well
as Catholic and Orthodox Syrians, Assyrians, Chaldeans and Greeks.
Bishops and priests, religious, women and men, the elderly and even
defenceless children and the infirm were murdered. The remaining two
were perpetrated by Nazism and Stalinism. And more recently there have
been other mass killings, like those in Cambodia, Rwanda, Burundi and
Bosnia. It seems that humanity is incapable of putting a halt to the
shedding of innocent blood. It seems that the enthusiasm generated at
the end of the Second World War has dissipated and is now
disappearing. It seems that the human family has refused to learn from
its mistakes caused by the law of terror, so that today too there are
those who attempt to eliminate others with the help of a few and with
the complicit silence of others who simply stand by. We have not yet
learned that “war is madness”, “senseless slaughter” (cf. Homily in
Redipuglia , 13 September 2014).

Dear Armenian Christians, today, with hearts filled with pain but at
the same time with great hope in the risen Lord, we recall the
centenary of that tragic event, that immense and senseless slaughter
whose cruelty your forebears had to endure. It is necessary, and
indeed a duty, to honour their memory, for whenever memory fades, it
means that evil allows wounds to fester. Concealing or denying evil is
like allowing a wound to keep bleeding without bandaging it!

I greet you with affection and I thank you for your witness.

With gratitude for his presence, I greet Mr Serzh Sargsyan, the
President of the Republic of Armenia.

My cordial greeting goes also to my brother Patriarchs and Bishops:
His Holiness Kerekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All
Armenians; His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of
Cilicia, His Beatitude Nerses Bedros XIX, Patriarch of Cilicia of
Armenian Catholics; and Catholicosates of the Armenian Apostolic
Church and the Patriarchate of the Armenian Catholic Church.

In the firm certainty that evil never comes from God, who is
infinitely good, and standing firm in faith, let us profess that
cruelty may never be considered God’s work and, what is more, can find
absolutely no justification in his Holy Name. Let us continue this
celebration by fixing our gaze on Jesus Christ, risen from the dead,
victor over death and evil! ”

NO ONE WANTS CONFLICT IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH TO ENTER HOT PHASE – LAVROV

ITAR-TASS, Russia
April 8, 2015 Wednesday 12:56 PM GMT+4

MOSCOW April 8.

No one wants the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh to enter the hot phase,
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday after talks
with his Armenian counterpart Edward Nalbandyan

“We do not even allow ourselves to think that the conflict may
enter its hot phase,” Lavrov said. “I am convinced that, despite the
rhetoric, no one from the interested parties wants this,” he added.

“All actions are directed at finding a mutually acceptable solution
as soon as possible,” the foreign minister stressed.

Consultations on this issue are held regularly, Lavrov added.

“Representative of co-chairing countries [in the OSCE Minsk
Group] often visit the region, including the capitals of Armenia
and Azerbaijan, including the line of contact. The presidents of
co-chairing countries pay personal attention to searching for ways
of settlement [of the conflict],” he noted. “Our president took
special measures last year, after which consultations continued on
possible practical steps. They would allow the implementation of
process of ending the conflict that benefits no one, which would
make Transcaucasia the region of cooperation without any blockades,
sanctions, restrictions,” Lavrov said. “Everyone will benefit from
this, including our Armenian friends,” he noted.

There is no alternative to negotiations in settling the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan
said on Wednesday. “Up to this day, Azerbaijan has been refusing the
proposals of co-chairs of the Minsk group both on settling the conflict
in Nagorno-Karabakh and on strengthening trust-building measures,”
Nalbandyan noted. “However, there is no alternative to talks,” the
foreign minister stressed.

The mountainous area of Nagorno-Karabakh remains a so-called “frozen
conflict” on the post-Soviet space as it is the subject of a dispute
between Azerbaijan where the region is located and its ethnic Armenian
population.

In 1988 a war broke out there between Azerbaijani troops and Armenian
residents, which resulted in the region’s de facto independence. In
1994 a ceasefire was reached but the relations between the two states
are still strained.

Russia, France and the US co-chair the Minsk Group of the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which attempts to broker an
end to hostilities and the conflict. –0 –sap

SARGSYAN: ABSENCE OF EEU BORDERS NOT A BIG OBSTACLE TO YEREVAN

Central Asia General Newswire
April 9, 2015 Thursday 7:25 PM MSK

MOSCOW. April 9

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan believes the absence of borders
between the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) countries will not hider
business activities in this integration association.

“Our businessmen have to fill out transit declarations to carry goods
through the neighboring countries. But I think it’s not something
that can considerably affect the cost of goods or business profits,”
he said in an interview with MIR television.

At the same time, Sargsyan said that “the EEU is not just trade.”

“This association is base don four principles: freedom of movement of
goods, services, capital and workforce. And technical capabilities
in the 21st century make it possible to use these freedoms without
much effort,” he said.

Sargsyan also spoke for more intensive cooperation in the CIS.

“I think humanitarian cooperation cannot be replaced with anything
now. We have lived together in one country for a long time. We had
very strong ties and now that we are independent these ties need to
be strengthened, or at least we should ensure that these ties do not
stop,” Sargsyan said.

“For this reason, I think this organization is very useful and it
needs to be strengthened,” Sargsyan said.

2 ARMENIAN OPPOSITION GROUP MEMBERS CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTING TO ORGANIZE UNREST

Greenfield Daily Reporter
April 10 2015

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

YEREVAN, Armenia — Two leaders of an Armenian opposition group have
been charged with attempts to organize mass disorder.

The charges on Thursday came two days after police detained four
members of the Founding Parliament opposition group. The Investigative
Committee said weapons were found in the search of homes and offices
that accompanied the detentions.

Group leader Jirair Sefilian and activist Varuzhan Aventisian would
face sentences of up to 10 years if convicted on the charges.

Investigators said the detentions were aimed at preventing disorder
allegedly planned for April 24, the day the country will mark the
centennial of the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks. Turkey
denies the deaths constituted genocide, saying the toll is inflated
and that those killed were victims of civil war and unrest.

Glendale News Press, CA
April 11 2015

Editorial: Sacrifice in the name of awareness

As the spring municipal election season comes to a close — with
Glendale’s voting having taken place last Tuesday and Burbank’s
ballots due by April 14 — the next important date on local calendars
is April 24, the 100th anniversary of the start of the Armenian
Genocide. Numerous events to mark this centennial year of the
atrocities committed by the Ottoman Empire in 1915 have already taken
place or are in the works throughout the greater Los Angeles area,
from photo exhibits to blood drives; from church services to vigils.
Marches and rallies are planned, and on Sunday, April 26 Glendale’s
Alex Theatre will be the venue for the Armenian Genocide Commemorative
Event.

All of the above are group activities designed so we may jointly
remember the 1.5 million victims of the genocide, as well as those who
survived but were displaced. The various event organizers have gone to
great pains to give this solemn anniversary its due consideration. But
one man, Agasi Vartanyan, is doing an extraordinary solo feat to
commemorate the Armenians who died those many years ago — he’s
conducting a 55-day fast. Vartanyan, who is 55, conducted a similar,
50-day fast 10 years ago. Nothing in the intervening decade has
managed to convince, once and for all, the highest office in our
country to push for the Republic of Turkey’s full acknowledgment of
the crime.

And so, Vartanyan is marking his days in a glass enclosure on Glenoaks
Boulevard in Burbank, outside St. Leon Cathedral, with nothing but
water and his faith to sustain him until his fast concludes. He hopes
his solitary sacrifice will help raise awareness about the genocide
among those who pass by his perch, which was built with help from the
nonprofit Crimes Against Humanity Never Again.

It’s a powerful personal statement and an example to all of us who
would do well to imagine how much we might be willing to sacrifice so
that atrocities such as the Armenian Genocide are recognized and that
perpetrators of such actions are held accountable.

,0,652932.story

Diario Buenos Aires, Argentina
11 abril 2015

El Papa on Nuestros Armenios

Histórico encuentro de la comunidad armenia de Argentina con el Papa Francisco

El Sumo Pontífice recibió este mediodía en una audiencia especial a un
grupo de representantes de la comunidad armenia de Argentina que se
encuentra en Roma para asistir a la misa que su Santidad oficiará este
domingo 12 de abril en homenaje a las víctimas del Genocidio Armenio,
en el centenario de ese crimen de lesa humanidad.

La delegación, integrada por el Arzobispo Kissag Mouradian, Primado de
la Iglesia Apostólica Armenia de la Argentina y Chile, el Arzobispo de
Buenos Aires y Primado de la Argentina, Cardenal Mario Aurelio Poli;
el Arzobispo de Córdoba, Monseñor Carlos Ñáñez, el Exarca Apostólico
Armenio de América Latina y Obispo de la Eparquía San Gregorio de
Narek de los Armenios Católicos de la Argentina, Monseñor Vartán
Boghossian; el ex Ministro de Justicia León Carlos Arslanian; el
Subsecretario de Derechos Humanos y Pluralismo Cultural del Gobierno
de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Claudio Avruj, el presidente del Centro
Armenio de la República Argentina, Alberto Djeredjian y dirigentes de
la comunidad armenia de Argentina; le hizo entrega de un “jachkar”
(cruz de piedra) a Su Santidad.

El encuentro se desarrolló como preludio de la mencionada misa
pontifical que se celebrará este domingo en la Basílica de San Pedro,
en el Vaticano, constituyendo ese uno de los actos de mayor
trascendencia mundial dentro del marco del centenario del Genocidio
Armenio.

Para entrevistas

Comunicarse con Carlos Manoukian, Responsable de Asuntos Culturales y
Prensa del Centro Armenio de la República Argentina, al 15 57131950

Prensa

Alex Hadjian: 1550184536 – Leo Moumdjian: 1533766903

PRENSA CENTRO ARMENIO – [email protected] – Tel: (00 54
11) 4772-3558 interno 110 – Armenia 1353 (C1414DKC), Ciudad Autónoma
de Buenos Aires

TURKISH MEDIA CONCERNED OVER KIM KARDASHIAN’S VISIT TO ARMENIA

20:17, 10.04.2015
Region:Armenia, Turkey
Theme: Politics, Society

The Turkish media is concerned over Kim Kardashian’s visit to Armenia,
her ancestral homeland.

Haberturk newspaper published an article entitled “Great interest in
Kardashian’s visit ahead of the Armenian Genocdie Centennial.”

According to the newspaper, Kim said the details of the visit will
be shown in the Keeping Up With the Kardashians.

Cumhuriyet newspaper touched upon Kardashians’ visit publishing
an article about their meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Hovik
Abrahamyan during which the sisters pledged to continue fighting for
recognition of the Genocide.

Rotahaber website said Kim will shoot a documentary about the Armenian
Genocide.

Another Turkish website Superhabertv says Kardashian will visit
Memorial to the Armenian Genocide victims which “can be propaganda
of genocide recognition on American TV channels”.

Armenia News – NEWS.am

Aznavour, Caballé and Spivakov join “Millions of Lives” project

15:12, 11 April, 2015

YEREVAN, APRIL 11, ARMENPRESS. “Not only to recognize, but also to
prevent the repetition of history!” In April 2015 is the 100th
Anniversary of the extermination of Armenians by the Turks of Ottoman
Empire. Unfortunately, on the eve of the centennial many countries
haven’t yet recognized the fact of Genocide. Being confident that our
owe to our nation is to fight against such violence, three friends
Karen Margaryan, Tigran Petrosyan and Grisha Aghakhanyan together with
KMsounds Production initiated a project to remind once again the World
about the verity of the Genocide.

The initiators of “Millions of Lives” project informed “Armenpress”
that the peculiarity of the event is that the world known figures
express their attitude towards the genocide in a unique and
comprehensible way – via song. The video clip was shot with
participation of such prominent artists as Charles Aznavour,
Montserrat Caballé, Vladimir Spivakov, Armen Jigarkhanyan, Mariam
Merabova and many others.

Within the scope of the program a video with participation of
world-renowned artists was screened. The project is quite wide and
complex in realization, as it includes shooting and recording in many
countries of the world – USA, Russian Federation, France, Italy,
Luxembourg, Germany, etc. Though overcoming all faced challenges the
team made and presents you the video “Millions of lives”.

The song of the video is about the devastated destiny of a little
girl, who lost her family and stayed alone in this World. In the video
we can see the act of outstanding Armenian as well as international
artists, who are friends of the Armenian nation and who share the
sorrow of the little girl and millions of families whose dreams
vanished in the desert sand. We can’t let the history be repeated. We
don’t want any other nation to experience the horror the Armenians
went through. KMsounds Production and each artist shot in the video
address their message to the World: “The violence of 1915 was
Genocide. It must be recognized by the whole world to prevent the
repetition of the history”.