Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

ARF-D Comments On Vorotan HPP Privatization Plan

June 12, 2013

(azatutyun.am, June 12) – A U.S. energy company announced on Wednesday
that it is close to buying three big hydroelectric stations generating
a considerable part of Armenia’s electricity.

The New York-based ContourGlobal said it is engaged in `advanced
negotiations’ with the Armenian government over the takeover of the
plants built along the fast-flowing Vorotan river in the southeastern
Syunik province.

`While commercial terms are still being finalized the purchase price
will be very significant and all of the funds will be sourced from
outside of Armenia using a combination of ContourGlobal’s own
resources and those of prestigious international financial
institutions,’ it said in a statement. They include the U.S. Overseas
Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) and the International Finance
Corporation, a World Bank Group division, according to the statement.

`In addition to the full purchase price, ContourGlobal will be
committing to invest further in a major overhaul of the main
generating equipment at the power plants,’ added the company. `This
investment is urgently needed given the age of the plants and the
under investment in recent years.’

Constructed in the 1970s and 1980s, the Vorotan Complex cascade is the
largest power-generating facility still owned by the Armenian state.
With an operational capacity of over 400 megawatts, it is nearly as
powerful as the Metsamor nuclear plant that accounts for roughly 40
percent of Armenian electricity production.

The Soviet-era hydroelectric plants were supposed to be refurbished
with 51 million euros ($66 million) in loans that were provided by a
German development bank to Armenia in 2010. Officials said at the time
that the modernization will be complete by 2015.

The Armenian Ministry of Energy declined to comment on their possible
takeover by ContourGlobal. The Vorotan Complex management also
declined a comment when contacted by RFE/RL’s Armenian service
(Azatutyun.am).

Energy Minister Armen Movsisian did not deny the plants’ impending
privatization when he was confronted by opposition lawmakers in the
Armenian parliament on Wednesday.

ContourGlobal operates 33 power plants in 17 countries around the
world. Its operational revenues exceeded $1 billion in 2011.

In recent weeks the Vorotan cascade has been at the center of media
speculation resulting from ongoing Russian-Armenian negotiations over
the price of Russian natural delivered to Armenia. There have been
suggestions that Yerevan is ready to grant Russia’s Gazprom giant
control over the facility in return for a 30 percent price discount.
Energy Minister Movsisian has dismissed this speculation.

Energy Minister Is Lying, Says Minasyan
News. am reports that during the Parliament’s debate about the `Report
on the Execution of the RA State Budget for 2013′, ARF-D MP, Artsvik
Minasyan said that the Minister for Energy and National Resources,
Armen Movsissyan is not aware of the situation and has made false and
incorrect statements at the Steering Committee sessions regarding the
Vorotan hydropower plant. Minasyan said that the Vorotan HPP was
removed from the privatization plan that was approved in 2006-2007
while the Minister has included it.

The ARF-D member emphasized that after reviewing the price of
electricity, Vorotan HPP turns into a hyperprofitable corporation, the
privatization of which would be harmful.
According to Minasyan, the Vorotan Complex has a capacity of 405 MW,
half of the nuclear power plant capacity and in general it is of vital
importance for the economy of Armenia.

From: Baghdasarian

Antranig Baghdassarian Elected Armenia Fund Chairman

Friday, June 21st, 2013

Antranig Baghdassarian

GLENDALE – During its June 19 plenary session, the board of directors of
Armenian Fund, Western US unanimously elected Antranig Baghdassarian
as chairman of the board.

Baghdassarian has been a long-time benefactor to Armenia Fund and is
the owner of Karoun Dairies in California.

The Armenia Fund board of directors also expressed it gratitude to its
former chairman Ara Agishian who has been on the board since 2001 and
was its chairman from 2009.

From: Baghdasarian

Boghossian to assist Blanc at PSG

June 22, 2013

Retired French-Armenian football player Alain Boghossian, who had won
the 1998 World Cup with France, will become the assistant of Paris
Saint-Germain (PSG) new manager Laurent Blanc.

Aside from Boghossian, 42, former French international goalkeeper,
World Cup winner Fabien Barthez likewise will be among Blanc’s
coaching staff.

French football manager and former midfielder Jean-Louis Gasset will
be Blanc’s personal assistant, L’Équipe reports.

To note, Alain Boghossian was Laurent Blanc’s assistant in the French
national team, as well.

NEWS.am Sport

From: Baghdasarian

Armenian Education Minister to pay official visit to Jordan

14:38 22/06/2013 » EDUCATION

Armenian delegation led by Education Minister Armen Ashotyan will pay
an official visit to Jordan on June 24-26, Ministry’s press service
reported.

Armen Ashotyan and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific
Research of Jordan Amin Mahmoud will sign an agreement on cooperation
between the governments of Armenia and Jordan in the field of
education and science.

Ashotyan is scheduled to have a number of meetings as part of his Jordan visit.

Source: Panorama.am

From: Baghdasarian

New offshore scandal linked to Armenian PM – newspaper

June 22, 2013 | 08:57

YEREVAN. – Processes are taking place outside Armenia which could
cause yet another scandal, 168 Zham daily reports.

`And the name of [Armenian] PM Tigran Sargsyan may again be circulated
in this. It refers to the story about the Nairit [rubber] plant [of
Armenia].

The Interstate Bank vs. Rhinoville Property Limited trial was held
[and again adjourned] in Moscow. To note, the management of Nairit had
been handed over to this company and the Interstate Bank had granted
it a loan [worth] around $170 million.

Rhinoville Property Limited, which again is registered in the offshore
zone, refuses to repay this loan, and the Government of Armenia might
have to repay it, since it was the guarantor of the [loan] borrower
company.

Whether or not the Russian Rosneft Company will purchase Nairit also
depends on the repayment of this loan,’ 168 Zham writes.

From: Baghdasarian

Another Destiny Ruined

Problems with Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s transfer to Liverpool caused
another wave of disappointment. Some citizens are likely to protest
against the president of the Armenian Football Federation Ruben
Hairapetyan nicknamed Nemets who is blocking Henrikh’s career.

Henrikh’s transfer from Shakhtar to Liverpool is hindered by the
`owners’ of his transfer Nemets Rubo and his friend Oleg Mkrtichyan.
The owner of Shakhtar Rinat Ahmetov, one of the richest people in
Ukraine, also has interests.

As a result, Henrikh Mkhitaryan who has a chance to be one of the best
footballers of Europe may lose interest in football and spend the rest
of his career in the marsh of the Ukrainian football.

Henrikh is another victim of the marsh of the oligarchy to which
development and progress are unknown. Thousands of talented young men
with dreams drowned in this marsh. Having usurped all the spheres of
life, the oligarchy imposes its anti-hygienic and criminal nature on
the country and public. The marsh is a perfect nest for the oligarchy
which reproduces itself by killing the others.

It has enslaved the political parties, destroyed culture, sports,
science, history which distinguish the country and instead created a
pseudo-science, pseudo-sport, pseudo-culture. These people now
represent Armenia and the citizens of Armenia.

As a result, the talented and vibrant young people who are supposed to
replenish the country with their talents, hopes and chances for the
future and content either leave the country or stay and drown in the
marsh.

The country goes to several dozens of families which need the marsh to
prosper there. It is already stinking because there is no fresh blood,
ideas and dreams.

Will Nemets Rubo get away with Henrikh’s story, like he got away with
Vahe Avetyan killed in his restaurant last year?

Haik Aramyan
12:57 22/06/2013
Story from Lragir.am News:

From: Baghdasarian

Documentary on NKR’s Shahumyan Region produced in Moscow

11:41, 22 June, 2013

YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS: The Russian Ray of Peace Filmmaking
Company, headed by the Armenian director Gagik
Simonyan, is producing a documentary film in Moscow telling about the
Shahumyan Region of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, which
was taken by Azerbaijan in 1992.

As Armenpress was reported by Gagik Simonyan, the film is made by the
motives of the book of the Armenian businessman Ashot
Khachatryan living in Moscow `Tragedy of my nation’ and will have the
same title. The idea and the financial assistance as well belong
to Ashot Khachatryan.

The creative group has been working on the film for a year. The
director emphasized that the creation of the film aims at keeping
the young generation vigilant and showing with what cost the
independence of our country was achieved and what wars were on
the way.

The documentary will be ready on July 20 and the premiere will be held
in Moscow and then in the United States of America and
Armenia.

The Shahumyan Region is one of the eight regions of the Nagorno
Karabakh Republic. It covers the northern and north-western parts of
the country.

In 1992 Shahumyan was taken by the Azerbaijani army. Damage was severe
and the Armenian population (about 20,000) fled. The
historical name of the town of Shahumyan was abolished and renamed to
AÅ?aÄ?ı AÄ?cakÉ’nd in 1992 and the town was populated by ethnic
Azerbaijanis.

From: Baghdasarian

A region in flux: recent developments in Armenia’s neighborhood

Today – 12:53

By Vilen Khlgatyan

In the past two weeks several developments have taken place within
Armenia’s neighborhood that are likely to present both opportunities
and challenges to official Yerevan. These include the ongoing protests
in Turkey; the election of a moderate candidate to the Iranian
presidency; and Baku’s crackdown on dissenters and democracy advocates
ahead of their upcoming presidential elections in October. How these
develop and how Armenian officials react to them will determine
whether Armenia is able to reap any benefits from these recent
sociopolitical changes currently taking place in the region. With that
said, much of what will occur is largely outside the realm of
Yerevan’s control.

The protests in Turkey, which began in late May over a government plan
to redevelop Gezi Park, quickly morphed into a national movement
against a regime that a large segment of the Turkish population regard
as overly authoritarian and increasingly Islamist in word and deed.
Prime Minister Erdogan’s mishandling of the protests have only made
the situation worse domestically and exposed Turkey to criticisms from
its Western partners. The outcome of the protests and political
upheaval in Turkey may very well determine what course that country
takes. On the one hand if the AKP hold on to power in all likelihood
they will continue with their Islamist agenda, though perhaps at a
slower pace than before. On the other hand if they concede too much
politically than the return of the Kemalists is a likely outcome,
which incidentally means the reappearance of the Turkish military as a
dominant force in shaping Turkey’s political agenda, regardless of
whether or not the protesters themselves wish this to transpire. The
protests have also put a serious dent into the Erdogan regime’s
neo-Ottoman plans to increase Ankara’s sway and soft power projection
over countries of the Near East, the Caucasus, and the Balkans. It was
not that long ago that Turkish influence was on the rise in the Middle
East, and Erdogan was treated like a rock star when he would tour
regional states. But with the Turkish stance on the civil war in
Syria, and the current instability within Turkey, the Arab world has
come to see that Turkey is not a model to be emulated nor admired. For
Armenia this is a welcome development as Turkey has worked against
Armenian interests since Armenia’s independence and continues to
present an existential threat to Armenia. However, in case Erdogan’s
government is thrown out, whichever party comes to power will very
likely continue Turkey’s anti-Armenian course. Kemalist or Islamist
does not make much of a difference as far as Armenia is concerned.

The unrest in Turkey contrasts with the relative calm in neighboring
Iran, which elected a new president on June 15th. And contrary to what
some analysts predicted, a moderate candidate won, and no protests
took place. The election of Hassan Rouhani has raised expectations of
a thaw in Iranian-Western relations, which will no doubt have positive
consequences for Armenia should it come to pass. Due to the duel
blockade imposed by Azerbaijan and Turkey, Armenia has had to
partially rely on Iran for access to the outside world, a difficult
task since Iran has been under Western sanctions for several years,
thus limiting the amount and level of interaction Yerevan can pursue
with Tehran. Any easing or lifting of sanctions against Iran will
allow Armenia to deepen its economic, and specifically energy ties
with the Islamic Republic. Furthermore, during his presidential
campaign, president elect Rouhani was quoted as saying that
`Azerbaijan has become a threat to Iran’s security.’ Rouhani is
evidently referring to several events in the past year and months
which have strained Tehran’s ties with Baku. These include the
revelation that Israel may have come to an understanding with
Azerbaijan to use its airbases in case of an aerial attack on Iran;
the arrest of Azerbaijani citizens who were charged with provoking
socio-ethnic unrest in northern Iran; and the support the Azerbaijani
navy continues to receive from the United States, which Iran sees as
ultimately aimed against its geo-economic interests vis-à-vis Caspian
undersea oil and gas deposits. As such, Rouhani’s comments are further
evidence that the problems in Iranian-Azerbaijani relations are
systemic, not intermittent and likely to remain that way.

Over the past year or so the geopolitical situation has changed
negatively for Azerbaijan: The election of Ivanishvili in Georgia;
Russia pulling out from the Gabala radar station; and Iran’s uptick in
diplomatic and media accusations of Azerbaijani provocations. With the
political marginalization of Saakashvili and his party, Baku lost a
willing partner in its isolation campaign against Armenia. While the
ongoing thaw in Russo-Georgian relations coupled with Russia’s exit
>From Gabala decrease the Baku’s leverage over Moscow, to the point of
nullification. Meanwhile on the domestic front, the Azerbaijani
dictator, Ilham Aliyev, has decided to run for a third term at a time
when his popularity is at an all time low, and oil and gas revenues
have plateaued. This comes at a time when Western states have upped
their support for democracy promotion activities via local proponents
as well as foreign funded NGOs. Unsurprisingly, the Aliyev regime has
cracked down on democracy advocates and anyone else deemed to be a
threat to Ilham and his clan. Moreover, Aliyev has had to consider
what ramifications the protests in Turkey will have on his own regime.
While Turkey is no beacon of freedom, it is however, more
representative of its citizen’s desires than Azerbaijan, and often
imparts its socio-cultural values upon Azerbaijanis. As President
Sargsyan recently stated, Azerbaijan is very likely to face turbulent
times internally and externally, which is why Armenia must remain
vigilant in case hot-heads in Baku convince Aliyev to launch a new war
so as to divert public attention from his misrule.

Thus far, Aliyev has fully understood that resumption of hostilities
against Armenia is fraught with many negative consequences for his
reign, but should he be pressed into a corner due to domestic turmoil
he may very well take the risk and resume the conflict. Incidentally,
now may be the worst time for Azerbaijan to gamble on a war since its
main partner, Turkey, is embroiled in an identity crisis; regional
power Iran has scored one geopolitical victory after another; and the
Russian Federation has further strengthened its strategic position in
the South Caucasus with the regime change in Tbilisi, and with the
recent stationing of Iskander-M ballistic missile systems in Armenia.
Yet, as Albert Einstein once said: `only two things are infinite, the
universe and human stupidity.’

Vilen Khlgatyan is the Vice-Chairman of the Political Developments
Research Center (PDRC).

From: Baghdasarian

VICTIM ON THE DEFENSIVE: ASSASSINATION PLOT SURVIVOR ENRAGED BY QUESTIONS OVER CASE EVIDENCE

Human rights | 21.06.13 | 12:34

Photolure

By Siranuysh Gevorgyan
ArmeniaNow reporter

Former presidential candidate Paruyr Hayrikyan, who survived an
apparent assassination attempt in the middle of the election race
earlier this year, now has to answer questions as to why the coat,
jacket and shirt that he wore on the day of the attack did not have
bullet holes.

Enlarge Photo

Hayrikyan’s bloodstained clothes had been examined in the court as
tangible evidence of the attack. It became clear from the publication
of the results that it was impossible to determine when the shots were
made as well as the sequence of the shots.

The Soviet-era dissident reacted angrily to speculations that spread
based on the news that no bullet holes were found on his clothes. “I
know all the wounds that I have on my body. I don’t care a bit about
what the dumbasses might say,” he told media. Hayrikyan did not rule
out that his clothes could have opened up when he made an abrupt
movement to deflect the first of the two shots that only scratched his
forearm. The second shot, according to the materials in the case, hit
Hayrikyan in the right side upper chest area.

Hayrikyan continued to batter his critics on Facebook where he left a
few poignant comments on his account about people asking questions
about the evidence.

The shooting attack on Hayrikyan took place on January 31 night as he
was returning home after a campaign outing. Two men were arrested a
week later in connection with the attack. Khachatur Poghosyan, who,
according to investigators, shot at Hayrikyan, and his accomplice
Samvel Harutyunyan, proved to be acquaintances of another presidential
candidate, Vardan Sedrakyan, an obscure politician who was not known
to the general public before engaging in the campaign.

Sedrakyan was arrested soon after the end of the presidential
elections and was charged with masterminding the attack. He protested
his innocence, claiming to be a victim of an elaborate frame-up.

During the latest court sessions Poghosyan and Harutyunyan, however,
changed their preliminary testimonies, insisting that Sedrakyan wasn’t
the one who commissioned the attack. Harutyunyan, in particular, said
that by giving Sedrakyan’s name he intended to blackmail him and
extort money from him. And Poghosyan said that he was told only to
scare Hayrikyan. To the question as to why particularly Hayrikyan, he
was told that “it is none of your business”.

On Thursday evening Hayrikyan was hosted on the prime time talk show
on Public TV H1 with Nver Mnatsakanyan. During the entire program he
claimed that ‘Russian chauvinist circles’ were behind the
assassination attempt against him as they feared by being elected
president he could become “Armenia’s Nelson Mandela”. He also
protested the speculation that the attack was carried out only to
scare him off as alleged by one of the defendants, insisting that it
was by mere chance that he escaped what had been meant as a certain
death for him. And Sedrakyan, he claimed, was “just a link in this
criminal chain.”

“I would be glad if it proved that Vardan Sedrakyan had nothing to do
with it, but he is only a link. In November a sum of $100,000 was sent
to Sedrakyan from Russia. Sedrakyan did not explain why people who
knew him for only two years agreed to send him such a huge sum of
money,” charged Hayrikyan, claiming to possess documents about the
‘chauvinist circles’ and promising to publish details later on.

Hayrikyan further described the actions of the Sedrakyan defense
counsel as a show and did not exclude that defendants Poghosyan and
Harutyunyan had changed their preliminary testimonies under certain
pressure.

After the new testimony from the two defendants, Sedrakyan again asked
the court to change the measure of restraint against him. Sedrakyan’s
lawyer Alexander Sirunyan told ArmeniaNow that he is likely to make a
formal request for his client to be released on bail already at the
next court hearing when his clients is due to give testimony.

From: Baghdasarian

AUSTRALIAN MP URGES TURKEY TO RECOGNIZE THE CRIMES OF GENOCIDE

13:40 21.06.2013
Armenian Genocide, Australia, Turkey

Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council, Rev. Fred Nile
delivered a solemn tribute to Australian ANZAC soldiers who witnessed
and provided relief efforts during the genocides of the Armenian,
Greek and Assyrian population of the Ottoman Empire, the Armenian
National Committee of America reports.

Nile’s message comes in light of recent accusations by Turkey’s
Ambassador to Australia that these recorded accounts by ANZAC soldiers
were somehow false, and it also comes at a time when Turkey’s Foreign
Ministry has threatened to ban those Australian politicians, who
supported recent motions to recognise these genocides, from attending
Gallipoli commemorations of ANZAC Day in 2015.

Nile said: “As we head into the centenary year of the landings at
Anzac Cove, it is not an act of friendship to declare that Australian
parliamentarians who support motions recognising aspects of Australian
history are not welcome at the commemorations at Gallipoli in 2015.”

Shortly after the Gallipoli campaign, Australian soldiers came into
contact with the genocides of the Armenian, Greeks and Assyrians. Over
300 ANZACs were held as prisoners of war (POWs) by the Ottoman forces.

These ANZACs recorded their experiences in detailed diaries and
memoirs with vivid accounts of the genocide. Many of these accounts
are now stored in the archives of the Australian War Memorial.

In his speech on the floor of the Legislative Council, Nile called
upon Turkey to have respect for Australian history and to recognise
the crime of genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire.

Nile said: “Modern Turkey and modern Australia must have a friendship
that is based on mutual respect and understanding of historical
differences. Turkey and Australia have overcome the legacy of the
battles on Gallipoli, so we must overcome whatever difference of
opinion we have about recent motions recognising the Assyrian and
Hellenic genocides and reaffirming the Armenian genocide.”

ANC Australia Executive Director, Vache Kahramanian welcomed Nile’s
statement paying tribute to the ANZACs and confirming the authenticity
of their records.

Kahramanian said: “The history of the Armenian genocide is intertwined
in the fabric of Australian history. Many brave Australian soldiers
risked their lives to provide aid and assistance to survivors of the
Armenian, Greek and Assyrian Genocides.”

“This history is clearly recorded in the archives of the Australian
War Memorial and is a proud testament to Australia’s humanitarian
assistance abroad. Denying the historical reality of the Armenian
genocide also denies our proud Australian history, which should never
occur,” Kahramanian added.

The NSW Parliament passed two unanimous motions in May of this year
recognising the Assyrian and Greek genocides while reaffirming its 1997
motion recognising the Armenian genocide. The motion paid tribute to
Australian ANZACs as well as Australia’s proud humanitarian assistance
to victims and survivors of this genocide.

In response, the Turkish Foreign Ministry released a statement stating
that those who were responsible for this motion will “doubtlessly
be deprived of the hospitality and friendship” normally extended
to Australians.

More specifically, the official statement says: “These persons who
try to damage the spirit of Canakkale/Gallipoli will also not have
their place in the Canakkale ceremonies where we commemorate together
our sons lying side by side in our soil.”

The full text of Rev. Nile’s speech can be read below:

“I speak about the Hellenic Pontian Genocide Commemoration, which
was commemorated tonight in New South Wales Parliament House, and
relate that commemoration to other aspects of the Anzac service. I was
pleased to be a guest at this annual event tonight, along with other
members of the New South Wales Parliament. I was particularly pleased
to receive a plaque and historical portrait for my efforts in moving
the motion in this House some weeks ago. Plaques and a portrait were
also presented to the Premier, the Hon. Barry O’Farrell, for his action
in moving a similar motion in the other place. Those items were handed
to the Hon. David Clarke, who was representing the Premier. The event
held tonight was organised in collaboration with all the different
Pontian organisations-the United Pontian Association of NSW, the
Pontian Association of Wollongong “Diogenes”, with representatives
from Victoria, and from Melbourne in particular.

Along with colleagues from all parties and both Chambers of this
Parliament, we commemorated the tragic loss of almost three million
Hellenes, people of Greek background, Armenians and Assyrians at
the hands of the Ottoman government, across the Middle East. The
connection of the Anzacs to the genocides of the indigenous Armenian,
Assyrian and Hellenic populations of Anatolia has recently returned
to the mainstream of Australian history.

This has been triggered by the pending anniversaries of the outbreak
of World War I, the commencement of the genocides of the Armenians,
Assyrians and Hellenes, and the landings on the Gallipoli peninsula.

These three anniversaries fall within a few months of each other
and mark events that left an indelible imprint on the Anzacs and on
Australian society as a whole.

The Anzacs were formed at the eruption of the war. A few months later
they were serving on the front lines, where they came into contact
with the genocides of the Armenians, Assyrians and Hellenes.

Approximately 300 Anzacs were captured by the Turkish armies on the
various fronts of Gallipoli, Sinai, Palestine and Mesopotamia. Almost
one-third of them died in captivity. Many Anzac prisoners of war
recorded their experiences in secret diaries or post-war reports. The
original documents are now housed at the Australian War Memorial in
Canberra. Gallipoli prisoner Private Daniel Bartholomew Creedon of
the 9th Battalion recorded in his diary on 2 February 1916 that the
people in Ankara, where he was being held, said that the Turks killed
1¼ million Armenians. HMAS AE2 crew member John Harrison Wheat wrote
in his diary on 18 August 1915:

All the Armenians are driven from [Afyonkarahissar]. The principal
cause of this is the Armenians are Christians and all the business
of the town is carried on by them. There is a very strong feeling
against the Christians in this Country. At this time, thousands of
Armenians were turned out of these big towns to starve and thousands
were massacred.

The circumstances of the war also made Anzacs the rescuers of genocide
survivors. Imperial Camel Corps Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur Mills wrote
in his diary how in 1917 his men collected Armenian survivors in their
drive up the Jordan River Valley. Mills carried a one-year-old girl
asleep in his arms on his camel. The largest operation occurred in the
northern summer of 1918. Nine Australian and New Zealand servicemen,
led by Captain Stanley Savige, decided to protect a ragged column of
80,000 Assyrian genocide survivors. These Anzacs were all that stood
between the survivors and annihilation during their 1,000 kilometre
trek from Iran’s Urmia region to the plains near Baghdad, Iraq.

However, only 40,000 reached safety in spite of the protection by that
small band of nine Anzac soldiers. They carried with them a collection
of diaries, photographs and films recorded by the Dunsterforce men.

Anzacs who experienced the genocides later joined the international
rescue mission led by the Near East Relief Organisation. Men such as
AFC Captain Thomas Walter White donated time and money to rescue those
who had lost everything. When the fighting was over, they served Cleo,
the muse of history, by documenting their experiences. In the midst of
such inhumanity, the Anzacs did not forget their duty as human beings
and are now regaining their rightful place in Anzac history. As we
head into the centenary year of the landings at Anzac Cove, it is not
an act of friendship to declare that Australian parliamentarians who
support motions recognising aspects of Australian history are not
welcome at the commemorations at Gallipoli in 2015.

Modern Turkey and modern Australia must have a friendship that is
based on mutual respect and understanding of historical differences.

Turkey and Australia have overcome the legacy of the battles on
Gallipoli, so we must overcome whatever difference of opinion we have
about recent motions recognising the Assyrian and Hellenic genocides
and reaffirming the Armenian genocide. We all need to learn from
genocides and other episodes of persecution in order to prevent from
them happening again. In Syria, Iraq, Egypt and many other lands,
Christians continue to suffer. Lest we forget.

From: Baghdasarian