LIBAN
Aram I attire l’attention internationale sur les crimes turcs à Kessab
Sa Sainteté le Catholicos Aram Ier du Saint-Siège de Cilicie a présidé
la session extraordinaire du Département central national d’Arménie.
Au cours de la session Aram 1er a rendu compte de la situation à
Kessab, des activités dans ce domaine, et des difficultés des
Arméniens de Kessab à Lattaquié.
Sa Sainteté le Catholicos Aram Ier a souligné :
From: Baghdasarian
Syrie
L’Appel de « Terre et Culture » au Président Hollande
Appel au Président de la République française
Appel aux instances européennes
Appel aux États membres de l’OTAN
Le vendredi 21 mars 2014, des groupes armés se revendiquant de
plusieurs mouvances islamistes (dont Jabhat Al Nusra et Ahrar Al Sham,
toutes deux affiliées à Al Qaïda) sont entrés en Syrie par la Turquie,
franchissant le poste frontière de Kessab, ce qui engage de fait la
responsabilité des autorités de la République de Turquie. L’attaque de
la localité de Kessab a provoqué dans l’urgence la fuite de la plus
grande partie de sa population, qui a trouvé refuge à Lattaquié.
Aujourd’hui, la région de Kessab est presque entièrement vidée de sa
population, et les groupes islamistes armés occupent et pillent les
maisons et les églises.
Le gouvernement de Recep Tayyip Erdogan a soutenu le franchissement de
la frontière par les assaillants, les a couvert lors de leurs
attaques, et a accueilli les blessés qui ont été soignés dans un
village turc près de la frontière. On sait par ailleurs que la Turquie
est devenue la plaque tournante des candidats au « ¯Djihad¯ » venant
notamment d’Europe et de France et qu’elle a une part de
responsabilité dans la confessionnalisation et l’ethnicisation du
conflit syrien.
La participation de la Turquie, membre de l’OTAN, rend cet État
complice de l’attaque délibérée de ces forces « ¯djihadistes¯ » sur
une zone peuplée de civils non combattants, membres d’une communauté
minoritaire de Syrie. De plus, Kessab représente pour l’ensemble de la
Nation arménienne un symbole. La Turquie n’est pas sans l’ignorer.
Kessab est l’unique groupement de villages arméniens ayant échappé Ã
la politique de turquification et n’ayant pas été vidé de sa
population de manière définitive dans les années 1920. Quel est
l’objectif de l’État turc aujourd’hui ? Ã un an du centenaire du
génocide des Arméniens, quel sens peut-on donner à un acte aussi
délibéré ?
Nous lançons un appel au Président de la République française, aux
instances européennes et aux États membres de l’Organisation du Traité
de l’Atlantique Nord en demandant une intervention résolue et rapide
auprès de l’État turc, afin que les attaques venant de Turquie cessent
et que les populations arméniennes de Kessab puissent retourner dans
leurs foyers.
Paris, le 25 mars 2014
Organisation Terre et Culture
vendredi 28 mars 2014,
Jean Eckian ©armenews.com
From: Baghdasarian
Syrie
Le Nor Seround appelle à Manifester à Paris le 31 Mars
A la suite de l’attaque du village arménien de Kessab (Syrie), par des
djihadistes en provenance de Turquie, la FRA Nor Seround Nouvelle
génération appelle à manifester le 31 mars devant l’ambassade de
Turquie à Paris.
MANIFESTATION DE PROTESTATION APPEL A LA MOBILISATION CONTRE
L’épuration ethnique des arméniens de Kessab commanditée par Ankara !
La FRA Nor Seround appelle à manifester contre la politique criminelle
de l’Etat turc pour dénoncer l’opération de parachèvement du génocide
des Arméniens orchestrée par Erdogan.
L’attaque terroriste de Kessab par des djihadistes envoyés par la
Turquie vendredi 21 mars, a contraint près de 670 familles à l’exil
forcé. La FRA Nor Seround exprime sa vive indignation et dénonce la
volonté de l’Etat turc de poursuivre sa politique anti-arménienne en
planifiant l’élimination et l’expulsion des populations arméniennes de
leurs terres historiques.
MOBILISONS-NOUS TOUS
Contre le racisme – Contre le terrorisme – Contre la politique génocidaire
DE l’ETAT TURC !
Tous devant l’ambassade de Turquie à Paris
LUNDI 31 MARS A 18h30
Place de Bolivie/Rue d’Ankara – Métro : Passy (Ligne 6)
Le Bureau National de la FRA Nor Seround – France
Clicuer sur le document pour agrandir
vendredi 28 mars 2014,
Jean Eckian (c)armenews.com
From: Baghdasarian
“LE DERNIER JOUR DU JEUNE” AVEC SIMON ABKARIAN
France Info
27 mars 2014
“Le dernier jour du jeûne” est une pièce ecrite, mise en scène et
jouee par Simon Abkarian,. Il est entoure, entre autres, d’Ariane
Ascaride. Elle est jouee au theâtre des Amandiers a Nanterre. Simon
Abkarian, adopte au cinema par la tribu de Robert Guediguian, est un
comedien qui sait tout faire : jouer chez Ariane Mnouchkine comme dans
un James Bond,. Il se lance ici dans une tragi-comedie mediterraneenne,
une ode aux femmes, drôle et emouvante.
Voici donc un objet theâtral, enfante par Sophocle et Pagnol,
accouche par un armenien ne au Liban et qui se passe dans une ville
mediterraneenne qui pourrait etre Marseille, Beyrouth, Oran ou Athènes,
dans un quartier populaire où la vie est un theâtre qui se joue chaque
jour en poussant les chaises sur le trottoir.
Une mère courage Ariane Ascaride, un patriarche debonnaire – Simon
Abkarian -, une vieille tante cultivee, feministe et lesbienne –
Judith Magre – et deux soeurs, l’une qui veut brûler la vie en femme
libre, l’autre qui attend le grand amour en jeunant, se privant de
tout plaisir terrestre. Sur scène, cela parle fort, avec l’accent,
et Ariane Ascaride jubile de retrouver dans cette pièce la culture
populaire de son Marseille natal : “quand vous avez un cadeau comme
cela, vous mourrez de peur mais vous y allez!”
Cette pièce est aussi un plaidoyer pour les femmes mediterraneennes.
Dans les instants du quotidien de cette tribu où les hommes se
font servir, dans les desirs d’emancipation des jeunes femmes,
dans l’evocation d’un viol pedophile, Simon Abkarian, qui a grandi
au Liban, se sent redevable envers ces femmes, piliers des societes
mediterraneennes. “Mais je ne fais que commencer a en parler. C’est
s’amender des degâts faits aux femmes!”
Alors si on est un peu deroute par le melange de dialogues pagnolesques
et de grandes tirades version tragedie grecque, le public fait un
triomphe aux dix comediens. Mention speciale pour Cyril Lecomte
et Marie Fabre qui sont un redoutable cakou et sa mère, hilarants,
naturels, on se croirait vraiment dans un quartier de Marseille.
“Le dernier jour du jeûne” de Simon Abkarian au theâtre des Amandiers
a Nanterre jusqu’au 6 avril, puis a Limoges du 9 au 11.
From: Baghdasarian
AUSTRIAS BEARDED LADY BATTLES AGAINST ARMENIAN EUROVISION RIVAL
Austrian Independent
March 27 2014
A war of words has broken out between Austria’s bearded lady entry for
the Eurovision Song Contest and an Armenian singer after he described
her as “abnormal” and “unsuitable to take part in the event”.
UK comedian Russell Brand had earlier described Conchita Wurst as
his double while on a recent visit to the Austrian capital Vienna,
tweeting a picture of her in local media and saying: “Look, I am
already on the front page.”
But Conchita failed to impress Aram Sargsyan, 29, better known by his
stage name Aram Mp3, who is set to open the semifinals at the the
Eurovision Song Contest 2014 in Copenhagen, Denmark, where he will
represent Armenia. In an interview he made it clear that he was not
impressed with having to share the stage with Austrian drag queen
Thomas Neuwirth, who is performing under the stage name Conchita Wurst.
He called her lifestyle ‘not normal’ and ‘not adequate’ and that
competing in a contest with her ‘will be difficult’. And he advised
her to take some time to decide whether she was really a man or woman.
He then broadened his criticism to include the gay community generally,
who he tries to avoid. He said: “When I pass through Kom aygi [a gay
district in the Armenian capital Yerevan] I speed up my car.”
He added however that he would be unable to avoid the song contest and
therefore added: “In this case, I will try to somehow put up with it.
I do not live such a life, and regardless how the world has progressed
or regressed, this is an unacceptable subject matter for me.”
Neuwirth, 25, graduated from the Graz School of Fashion in 2011
and worked as a shop window decorator before reinventing himself as
Conchita Wurst after taking part in the Starmania talent show.
When told about the comments she said: “I guess that means he doesn’t
want to marry me.”
She then added with a wink: “It seems as if Aram wants me to be a
woman, but I can say this to you Aram my dear, I am a working woman
and an incredibly lazy young man in my free time and that is not going
to change. If you have problems understanding that, then I would be
happy to sit down with you and explain it to you in more detail. And
with your homophobic comments, that is a conversation that we really
need to speak about.”
From: Baghdasarian
ARMENIA HAS ONE OF THE LOWEST BIRTH RATES- MINISTER
YEREVAN, March 27. / ARKA /. The birth rate in Armenia (the total
number of births per 1,000 of a population each year.) is approximately
1.4 being one of the worst in the world, economy minister Vahram
Avanesyan said today.
According to him, low birth rate coupled with migration is one the
most pressing problems in Armenia. Avanesyan said the perspective
development strategy of the government for 2014-2025 approved today
includes measures to address demographic challenges. As for migration,
the minister said it could be stopped by creating high-paying jobs.
According to the National Statistical Service (NSS), the average
salary in the country is about 158,000 drams.
According to the NSS, the number of babies born in the country in
2013 decreased by 1.7% from the previous year to 41,770. The number
of deaths last year also decreased by 1.6 % to 27,165 . Thus, the
number of births exceeded the number of deaths by 1.5 times. The
natural population growth in 2013 was 14,605 people.
According to official numbers, the population of Armenia on January 1,
2014 was by 9,500 people less than in the beginning of the previous
year. On January 1, the permanent population stood at 3, 017,400
people. -0-
– See more at:
From: Baghdasarian
DAVUTOGLU DEFENDS SYRIA POLICY
AL Monitor
March 27 2014
Author: Tulin Daloglu
These two incidents show just how dark the situation has become along
the Turkey-Syria border. Since March 16, Turkish government authorities
have expressed concern that the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham
(ISIS) threatens to lower Turkey’s flag at the Tomb of Suleiman
Shah in Syria — the only sovereign Turkish territory outside its
borders. They say the Turkish military is fully authorized to defend
the tomb. Then, Turkey shot down a Syrian fighter jet on March 23,
claiming it violated Turkish airspace.
While Turkish political commentators raised doubts over whether there
is any link between these two events and the local elections on March
30, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on March 25 that
the event cannot be seen as an “election maneuver.” Davutoglu blamed
the media for “being a spokesperson for [Syrian President Bashar al-]
Assad’s regime,” calling them “evil-minded.”
Davutoglu could be using these fear-mongering tactics to rally
people behind his Syria policy. A December 2013 public opinion
poll conducted by Kadir Has University found that almost 50% of the
Turkish people believe Turkey’s Syria policy has been a failure. If
this figure is applied to the constituency of the ruling Justice and
Development Party (AKP), it may also show that the country is direly
divided along political leanings, even on key foreign policy issues
that could drag the country into conflict. Furthermore, Davutoglu’s
description of all those dissenting as “evil-minded” is no different
than Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan accusing people who
have different views on Syria of “treason.”
This kind of overblown and unsubstantiated narrative unfortunately
kills the opportunity to rethink the country’s Syria policy.
Meanwhile, the AKP government fails to admit its failed policy to
topple the Assad regime.
There certainly is an ambiguity surrounding the Turkish government’s
decision to shoot down the Syrian jet fighter. “It looks like Turkey
has deliberately brought down that [MiG-23],” a NATO source, who
did not want to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue, told
Al-Monitor. “We doubt that there was any threat to Turkey. It looks
like Turkey took down this Syrian jet to help the radical groups.”
The Syrian MiG-23 was shot down near the Syrian border town of Kassab
when it violated Turkish airspace by 1 kilometer (0.6 miles). “It
is highly likely that those radical Islamic groups, like Jabhat
al-Nusra and others, entered Syria through Turkey to take control
of Kassab, very close to the Turkish border,” Yasin Atlioglu, an
assistant professor at Nigde University who specializes in Syrian
affairs, told Al-Monitor. “The Syrian army and the local militia
fired back at these radical groups. The Syrian regime and Armenian
publications directly blamed Turkey for these radical groups’ attack
on Kassab. While Turkey may become the target of the Islamic State
of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), it is also, on the other hand, helping
facilitate the attacks of these radical groups at the border.”
On March 25, the Armenian Bar Association sent a letter to US President
Barack Obama urging him to take concrete steps for the safety of the
Armenian people in Syria. “The fate of Armenians and other Christians
in Syria should never be deemed or accepted as collateral damage
of the rebels, who have and continue to receive the support of our
government,” they wrote. “The incursion from Turkey into the town and
villages of Kassab in Syria, and the ensuing carnage, the reported
killings and the taking of Armenians as hostages, should be met
with your condemnation and strategic plan of recovery, restitution
and return.”
There certainly is a real debate outside Turkey’s borders about its
Syria policy. “Turkey has done [its] best to encourage this chaotic
situation,” one European source, who asked not to be identified,
told Al-Monitor. “Turkey picked up the strategy of helping these
radicals [because they considered it a helpful tool to bring about
Assad’s end.] This cannot be reversed now. It’s been a stupid move
by the Turkish side, as that prevented the United States from acting
in Syria.”
The same European source added, “The United States was clear on Jabhat
al-Nusra from the beginning; it labeled it as a terrorist group from
early on. That, however, did not prevent the Turkish side from doing
what they’re doing. The bombing of the Syrian [MiG-23] was for helping
these radicals.”
NATO sources told Al-Monitor that, in an unofficial setting, NATO
member countries expressed concern over the Turkish action at the
Turkey-Syria border to Fatih Ceylan, Turkey’s permanent representative
to NATO ambassador. “In next week’s NATO foreign ministers meeting
[April 1-2] …, I assume that people will directly share their concern
with Minister Davutoglu over Turkish behavior. They will probably
give the message that they do not want to be dragged into the Syrian
quagmire while the Ukraine issue is keeping them busy at this stage,”
a NATO source told Al-Monitor. “Unless Turkey brings this issue to
the agenda, these issues will not be discussed in an official setting.”
European sources told Al-Monitor that when Turkey called NATO for
an emergency session in October 2012, after a cross-border incident
with Syrian mortar fire left five dead in the Turkish border village
of Akcakale, Turkey briefed NATO member countries about the Tomb
of Suleiman Shah. Turkish authorities said that beginning March 16,
the tomb has received threats from ISIS. Turkish media reports even
claim that special forces are positioned at the border in case of an
attack on the tomb.
A YouTube clip, uploaded on March 21, shows four men in front of the
ISIS flag giving Turkey three days to lower its flag at the tomb, or
else they will raze it. “We don’t know who these people are, exactly,”
the European source told Al-Monitor. “All I can tell is that Turkey
does not need to brief us each time about the Suleiman Shah Tomb. They
did it in October 2012. But if there is a direct threat, they should
tell NATO members. In the absence of it, we really do not believe
that this threat is a serious one.” This supposed deadline extended
by ISIS ended on March 24, and the tomb has not been attacked.
NATO has deployed Patriot missiles to Turkey to help strengthen its
security in case of a potential Syrian attack on its territory. NATO
sources say that Turkey is acting as if it does not appreciate the
support. It is, however, clear that NATO and EU member countries
are doubtful of Turkey’s Syria approach, and they don’t find Turkey
innocent with regard to allowing these radical groups to exploit its
borders and turn the situation in Syria to carnage.
From: Baghdasarian
POLICE INTENTIONALLY TARGETED BERKIN ELVAN, FATHER SAYS
16:28 â~@¢ 27.03.14
The father of 15-year-old Gezi victim Berkin Elvan, who died due
to injuries from a tear-gas canister after 269 days in a coma,
has accused police officers of intentionally killing his son, the
Hurriyet Daily News reports.
Sami Elvan explained during testimony to an Istanbul public prosecutor
that officers called them for an interrogation at the police department
10 days before Berkin Elvan was fatally hit by a tear gas canister
as he went to buy bread during a police crackdown on June 15, 2013.
During the trip to the station, Sami Elvan said a few plainclothes
officers sat down and talked with Berkin in his presence. “We were
left alone with what we assumed were police officers: four men and
a woman. Two of those people started to ask Berkin questions. They
mentioned Grup Yorum,” he said in reference to the popular leftist
band known for its revolutionary stance and for its members who are
often the target of police raids in connection with the outlawed
Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C).
“They told him that although they liked Grup Yorum, the band was
opposed to the state, adding they did not approve of Berkin going to
see Grup Yorum and participating in demonstrations. They gave him
‘advice,’ telling him to stay away from such things [while telling
him], ‘Your father is a working man,'” the father said.
As with nearly all of the Gezi victims, Berkin Elvan was an Alevi and
his family lived in Istanbul’s Okmeydanı neighborhood, an area where a
number of leftist groups, including the DHKP/C, receive strong support.
Sami Elvan told the prosecutor that the incident led him to believe
that his son was known and closely followed by police, adding that
during the conversation, the police officers gave the boy examples
that could be perceived as threats.
“I believe my son was killed intentionally because from the examples
they gave to Berkin, they said there were people who were condemned
to wheelchairs and became disabled. They said things to him like he
could become one of those people. That’s what makes me think Berkin
was hit intentionally,” Elvan said.
“They said when they go to jail, many become disabled and others have
paid for it with their lives. They told him he could be one of them,
and warned him to remain with his family. They even showed him leftist
publications, such as the ‘YuruyuÅ~_’ [March] magazine and told him
that they were wrong,” he said.
During his testimony, Sami Elvan gave the description of the officers
who talked with Berkin.
The boy, who turned 15 while in a coma, died after 269 days on March
11, sparking renewed nationwide protests against police brutality
and producing one of the biggest funerals in the country’s history.
The Elvan family has also filed complaints against Prime Minister
Recep Erdogan and top government officials for describing their son
as a “terrorist.”
Erdogan incited his ruling Justice and development Party (AKP)
supporters to boo Elvan during an electoral rally after the
15-year-old’s death.
For her part, mother Gulsum Elvan repeated that her son went out to
buy bread and not to join the protesters on the day he was attacked.
“The prime minister has previously said he was the one who gave the
orders to the police and congratulated their heroic action. That’s
why we filed a complaint about him,” she said.
In comments after his death, she also said, “It’s not God who took
my son away, but Prime Minister Erdogan.”
Armenian News – Tert.am
From: Baghdasarian
EU AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA REGARDS UNACCEPTABLE ATTACKS AGAINST ARMENIANS IN KESAB
YEREVAN, MARCH 27, ARMENPRESS: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of
the Republic of Armenia informed the European Union about the events
ongoing in town-village Kesab of Syria around which the EU will express
an official viewpoint. The Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia,
Ambassador Traian Hristea stated this in a conversation with the
journalists. “We have already conveyed our message to Brussels and
will follow up on how they will react on this issue. But our message
is one- attacks against Armenian citizens in Kesab are unacceptable,”
Traian Hristea said as reported by Armenpress.
A group of deputies of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia
– Samvel Farmanyan, Arman Sahakyan, Naira Karapetyan, Tevan Poghosyan,
Edmon Marukyan and Levon Martirosyan – have left for Syria. The
deputies were to get acquainted with the problems and the conditions
of our compatriots in Syria in place. They will present information
on the current state of Kesab upon arrival.
Earlier it was reported that the Catholicos of the Great House of
Cilicia Aram I contacted the presidential palace of Syria appealing to
send army to Kesab to provide for the security of the local population.
In his turn the Syria’s ambassador to Lebanon visited Catholicos
Aram I in Antelias on March 22, conveying to him Syrian president
Bashar al-Assad’s assurances that peace will be restored in Kesab. The
Catholicos welcomed the Syrian President’s initiative and noted for his
part that Kesab has a symbolic significance for the Armenian people.
According to the Armenian Weekly, the armed incursion began on Friday,
March 21, 2014 with rebels associated with Al-Qaeda’s al-Nusra Front,
Sham al-Islam and Ansar al-Sham crossing the Turkish border and
attacking the Armenian civilian population of Kesab. The attackers
immediately seized two guard posts overlooking Kesab, including a
strategic hill known as Observatory 45 and later took over the border
crossing point with Turkey. Snipers targeted the civilian population
and launched mortar attacks on the town and the surrounding villages.
According to eyewitness accounts, the attackers crossed the Turkish
border with Syria openly passing through Turkish military barracks.
According to Turkish media reports, the attackers carried their
injured back to Turkey for treatment in the town of Yayladagi.
More than 700 Armenian families, the majority of the population of
Kesab, were evacuated by the local Armenian community leadership to
safer areas in neighboring Basit and Latakia. Ten to fifteen families
with relations too elderly to move were either unable to leave or
choseto stay in their homes. On Saturday, March 22, Syrian troops
launched a counteroffensive in an attempt to regain the border crossing
point, eye-witnesses and state media reported. However, on Sunday,
March 23, the extremist groups once again entered the town of Kesab,
took the remaining Armenian families hostage, desecrated the town’s
three Armenian churches, pillaging local residences and occupying the
town and surrounding villages. Located in the northwestern corner of
Syria, near the border with Turkey, Kesab had, until very recently
evaded major battles in the Syrian conflict. The local Armenian
population had increased in recently years with the city serving as
safe-haven for those fleeing from the war-torn cities of Yacubiye,
Rakka and Aleppo.
From: Baghdasarian
HORRIFIC SUICIDE IN ARMENIA: TEENAGER HANGED HIMSELF
March 26, 2014 | 09:10
YEREVAN. – A horrific suicide occurred recently in the Voghji village
of Shirak region of Armenia.
As Armenian News-NEWS.amlearned from its sources, a 12th grader of
the village school Karo Kirakosyan committed suicide. The teenager’s
parents found the hanged body of their son in the morning. The
causes of suicide are not known yet. A criminal case is initiated. An
investigation is underway.
News from Armenia – NEWS.am
From: Baghdasarian