Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

Kanaker-Zeytun police unit chief relieved of his position

Saturday,April 27

By an order of the Armenian Police Chief Vladimir Gasparian, Karen
Hovhannisian has been relieved of his position as head of the police
unit of Yerevan’s Kanaker-Zeytun administrative district.

Aysor.am was was informed by the press service of the police that by
another order of Vladimir Gasparian, Police Colonel Armen Vatian has
been appointed to that position. A. Vartian has so far worked as the
deputy head of the Department for Fight against Drug Trafficking.

TODAY, 17:36
Aysor.am

From: Baghdasarian

Armenian, Turkish and European figures issued petition to urge Turkey
to recognize Armenian Genocide

14:54, 27 April, 2013

YEREVAN, APRIL 27, ARMENPRESS. A petition in English, Turkish and
French launched calling upon Turkey to recognize the Armenian
Genocide. As reports “Armenpress” in an interview to Nouvelles
s`Armenie , the Head of the Council of Armenian Organizations of
France Alexy Gyovchyan mentioned that by participating in the ceremony
of commemoration in the Taksim Square of Istanbul on April 24 he and a
number of other European figures expressed their dedication and
support to that historical initiative.

The Head of the European Antiracist Movement Benjamin Abtan, member
of the Armenian General Benevolent Union Nikola Davidyan, member of
the Committee against Racism and Discrimination of the Human Rights
Foundation of Turkey Ayse Gunaysu and a number of Turkish
intellectuals took part in the event. “We expressed our support to
those citizens of Turkey, whose number gradually increases and who
struggle each day for commemorating the fact of the Armenian Genocide
and exert efforts for their state to recognize the Armenian Genocide.
We are aware how hard it is to do this work in Turkey, for which one
first of all needs great courage,” Gyovchyan said.

From: Baghdasarian

Zakaria Mildanoglu: Turks were turning Armenian churches into cinemas
where they were screening porn films

16:01 27/04/2013 » SOCIETY

Ermenihaber.am news website published an interview of architect,
Istanbul-based Agos daily’s correspondent Zakaria Mildanoglu with
`It’s your word’ TV program, in which he told about the misfortunes
that fell upon his family in 1915 as well as about the reasons why he
moved to Istanbul.

Mildanoglu also told about the fate of Armenian churches in Turkey.

`Cultural massacre was being perpetrated after the 1950s – Armenian
churches and schools were being destroyed. There is factual proof of
it. Turkey is carrying a heavy burden. At the same time, restoration
works are currently being carried out. But I would like to mention one
thing: once Turks were turning Armenian churches into cinemas where
they were mainly screening porn films. There is also factual evidence
of that,’ Mildanoglu said.

The Agos daily’s correspondent told two real stories about the fate of
Armenian churches in Turkey.

`Treasure seekers are still making searches on the cemetery of our
village. A horrifying cultural destruction was carried out there. The
village church no longer exists. My mother remembers how it was
destroyed. Kazim Karabekir, marching to the East, gave an order. He
said, `I must not see this church when I am back.’ And the church was
pulled down.’

The Surb Khach (Holy Cross) Church on Aghtamar Island was saved from
destruction thanks to the efforts of Yasar Kemal, a reporter for
Cumhuriyet newspaper. `If Yasar Kemal had not gone there, that church
would not exist today,’ the architect concluded.

From: Baghdasarian

Armenian PM’s banquets cost dear to taxpayers – newspaper

April 27, 2013 | 07:03

YEREVAN. – Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan’s last dinner party
cost very dear to the pockets of the country’s taxpayers, Zhoghovurd
daily reports.

`[A total of] 1.3 million drams [approx. $ 3,165] were spent from the
state budget on the dinner that was organized on April 15, [and] along
the lines of the meeting with the delegations of the member countries
of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission. This lavish
hospitality was organized on behalf of the PM. Forty people attended
the official dinner ([and] about 35,000 drams [approx. $85] were paid
for each person).

And on March 20, the dinner for the official guests that had arrived
in the Government of Armenia, [and] which was attended by nine people,
cost around 235,000 drams [approx. $572] on us, the Armenian citizens.

To note, the dinner parties of the other [state] administrations cost
much less,’ Zhoghovurd writes.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

From: Baghdasarian

NKR President’s meetings in Paris

13:52 27.04.2013

On April 26 President of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic Bako Sahakyan
met in Paris with a group of members of the `Support to Karabakh’
association headed by Tamara Kocharyan-Petrosyan.

Issues related to the implementation of a number joint of projects
were discussed during the meeting.

President Sahakyan considered important the association’s patriotic
activity, underlining that it contributed both to providing accurate
and objective information about Artsakh in France and other European
countries and strengthening ties between Artsakh and the
French-Armenian community.

Within the framework of the visit to Paris, Bako Sahakyan met with
members of the administrative council of the `Hayastan’ All-Armenian
Fund’s French office, headed by its director Petros Terzyan.

Issues concerning different programs being implemented in Artsakh by
the fund were discussed during the meeting. Special attention was paid
to the development of infrastructures and the regions of the republic.

The Head of the State expressed gratitude to the French office of the
`Hayastan’ All-Armenian Fund for constant assistance shown to Artsakh,
Central Information Department of the Office of the NKR President
reported.

From: Baghdasarian

Azerbaijani author, who recognized the Armenian Genocide, confirmed
his conviction on Azerbaijani ANS TV channel – Video

12:15, 27 April, 2013

YEREVAN, APRIL 27, ARMENPRESS. In a talk with the reporter of
Azerbaijani ANS TV channel Azerbaijani writer Eduard Bagirov, resident
in Russia, confirmed his conviction on recognizing the Armenian
Genocide. On the 98th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide the
Azerbaijani writer expressed his condolences to the Armenian people
for the victims of the Genocide in his internet blog. “On behalf of
reasonable Azerbaijanis living in Moscow, I present my condolences to
the Armenian people on the anniversary of the Genocide committed in
Turkey against them in 1915,” he wrote.

As ”Armenpress” reports responding the question if he wished to
recognize the Armenian Genocide by expressing condolences to the
Armenians, Eduard Bagirov underscored; “To my mind, genocide is
murdering people for their national identity. Hitler committed such
genocide against the Jews. One and a half million Armenians were
killed for being Armenian in 1915. I share the Armenians’ grief of
that genocide.”

From: Baghdasarian

168 Hours: Without money, Prosperous Armenia could receive too few
votes in elections

10:56 27/04/2013 » DAILY PRESS

One of the peculiarities of the upcoming elections is that Prosperous
Armenia Party (PAP) has money, but has no confidence to openly turn
that money into electoral bribe. But since PAP could receive too few
votes in elections without money (just like RPA), it has to look for
alternative ways to achieve its purpose. PAP prefers tried methods,
trying for the second time to form united headquarters to control the
legality of elections, 168 Hours daily says.

Source: Panorama.am

From: Baghdasarian

Syrian Armenian Tries Doing Business And Meets High Taxes

Hovsep Vardanyan from Aleppo tries to engage in trade in Armenia but
going from one state agency to another for more than 15 days, he is
unable to reach any result. The young man, who came to Armenia about
1.5 months ago, first tried to rent a small shop but as he says, when
he was told about the rent fee, he was afraid. Comparing the prices
with those in Aleppo, he says that here they are three times higher.
Finally he managed to find a small place in one of Yerevan markets but
he hasn’t started working yet due to Armenian protractions.

He says that different governmental agencies say different things
about the validity of his Armenian passport. He has been trying to
solve the issue for 15 days. Yesterday, the ministry of Diaspora
promised him to solve the issue within two days.

In Aleppo, he used to work as jeweler and had a shop. He tried to
continue his work here but as he says it is very difficult in Yerevan
because of too high taxes. According to him, here only cell phones
charges and water are cheap, the rest is too expensive. He is sure
that if the situation betters in Aleppo, 90% of the Syrian Armenian
emigrants will return there.

By the way, Hovsep has already imported the clothes to sell in
Armenia, mainly Turkish and Iranian production.

Roza Hovhannisyan
11:06 27/04/2013
Story from Lragir.am News:

From: Baghdasarian

The following is the English translation (by Raffi Bedrosyan) of the
article written by Zeynep Tozduman, a columnist from Izmir. Also please
find enclosed the link and the pictures of today’s 24 April commemorations
in Izmir.

My apology from all the peoples and faiths of Anatolia subjected to genocide

I apologize for every single day that we have remained silent since the
days of genocide.

I apologize for our grandfathers who cooperated with the murderers carrying
out the brutal massacre of 1.5 million people in Anatolia.

I apologize from your young girls for permanently burying their hopes into
their dowry chests.

I apologize from all your people left dead without a proper burial, shroud
or cemeteries.

I apologize for causing you to add the word ‘converted – Donme’ to your
vocabulary.

I apologize from all your girls and women abused and raped, forcefully
converted to Kurd, Turk, Alevi or Islam.

I apologize for forcing you to become the Diaspora and scatter like
pomegranate seeds to all corners of the world.

I apologize for forcing you to long for your homeland with broken hearts
from the faraway deportation points.

I apologize for preventing you from giving your children proper names and
education in your mother tongue, a basic human right.

I apologize for confiscating your houses, properties, lands, farms,
orchards, and shops to create our national economy, based on a disease of
racism in this country.

I apologize for denying even the very existence of the original peoples of
these lands after subjecting them to economic, cultural and political
genocide.

I apologize for confiscating your places of worship (monastery, church,
synagogue, Jem house, etc.), and converting them to mosques, museums,
community centres or stables.

I apologize from the survivors of the genocide for even forbidding them
from dreaming in their own language.

I apologize for forcing racism on you by making you repeat every morning
‘So happy to be a Turk’.

I apologize for presenting your properties as gifts to your own murderers.

I apologize for transforming the Anatolian garden of different peoples to a
cemetery of different peoples.

I apologize for realizing too late that the sorrow expressed in the song
‘Sari Gelin’ was in reality the sorrow of the genocide.

I apologize for wiping out the various original peoples of Anatolia living
on these lands long before the arrival of the Turks, and for trying to
create a single nation state.

I apologize for creating a hell of murders in this country, instead of a
heaven of humanity.

I apologize for burying all the people named Agop, Kiriakos, Samuel, Ani,
Maria or Sarkis in my city Smyrna (Izmir) as well as the rest of the
country, and also burying our humanity in the process.

I apologize for committing crimes against humanity for one thousand and
four hundred years in these lands.

I apologize for not realizing that fascism would eventually arrive and
start killing us as well in these lands.

I apologize for not being able to put a stop to the denial and assimilation
policies for one hundred years.

I apologize especially for our inhumane behaviour during the genocides of
the Armenians, Assyrians, Pontic Greeks, Yezidis and Alevis.

And I apologize once again on this April 24 genocide commemoration day, for
our inability to protect you and preserve our humanity.

Zeynep Tozduman, Izmir, Turkey
April 24, 2013

SOYKIRIM YAÞAYAN ANADOLU HALKLARINDAN VE ÝNANÇLARINDAN ÖZRÜMDÜR -Zeynep
Tozduman

Sizlerden, soykýrýmdan günümüze deðin, sessiz kaldýðýmýz her gün için
özür dilerim.

Anayurtlarýnýzdan, Deir-zor çöllerine tehcir adý altýnda sürdürüldüðünüz
için özür dilerim.

1,5 milyon insan Anadolu coðrafyasýnda hunharca katledilirken,
dedelerimizin katillerle iþbirliði yaptýðý için özür dilerim.

Kýzlarýnýzýn umutlarýnýn, çeyiz sandýðýna gömüldüðü için özür dilerim.

Mezarsýz ve kefensiz ölüleriniz için özür dilerim.

Kelime daraðacýnýza “dönme” sözcüðünü soktuðumuz için özür dilerim

Kýzlarýnýzýn, kadýnlarýnýzýn namuslarý kirletildiði,
zorla
Kürtleþtirilip, Türkleþtirildiði, Alevileþtirildiði ve Müslümanlaþtýrýldýðý
için özür dilerim.

Yaþamak için sizleri nar taneleri gibi Diaspora’ya ve ABD’ye göç
ettirmek
zorunda býraktýðýmýz için özür dilerim.

Sürgünde anavatan hasretiyle, yüreklerinizi daðladýðýmýz
için özür
dilerim.

Çocuklarýnýza, en temel insan hakký olan, kendi anadilinizde isim-soy
isim ve eðitim verdiremediðimiz için özür dilerim.

Evlerinize, bað, bahçelerinize, arazilerinize, ticarethanelerinize el
koyup sermayeyi millileþtirip; bu ülkeye ýrkçýlýk hastalýðýný inþa
ettirdiðimiz için özür dilerim.

Ekonomik, kültürel, siyasal soykýrým yaþayan yerli halklarý yok sayarak,
görmemezlikten geldiðimiz için özür dilerim.

Ýnanç ve kutsal mabetlerinizi (Manastýr, Kilise, Sinagog, Cem evi v.b.
Gibi) zorla kamulaþtýrýp, camiye, ahýra, müzeye, Kültür merkezine v.b.
Gibi, çevirdiðimiz için özür dilerim.

Soykýrýmdan sað kalanlarýnýzýn Ana dilinde rüya görmesini engellediðimiz
için özür dilerim.

Yüzyýldýr bu ülkede her sabah sizlere “Ne Mutlu Türküm” diye
ýrkçýlýk
yaptýðýmýz için özür dilerim.

Varlýðýnýzý, celltlarýmýza zorla armaðan ettirdiðimiz için özür dilerim.

Anadolu halklar bahçesini, halklar mezarlýðýna çevirdiðimiz için özür
dilerim.

Bir “Sarý Gelin” türküsündeki hüznün, soykýrýmýn hüznü olduðunu çok geç
anladýðýmýz için Özür dilerim.

Biz Türklerden çok evvel ”bu topraklarda yaþayan”, ülkenin en yerli
halklarýný ve inançlarýný yok ederek, ülkeyi tek tipçiliðe
kurban ettiðimiz
için özür dilerim.

Bu ülkeyi insanlýk cenneti deðil, katliamlar cennetine çevirdiðimiz için
özür dilerim.

Baþta ülke genelinde ve yaþadýðým þehir Symrna (Ýzmir)’de olmak üzere
Agop’larý, Kuryakos’larý, Samuel’leri, Ani’leri, Maria’larý, Sarkis’leri,
isimleriyle birlikte, insanlýðýmýzý DA tarihe gömdüðümüz için özür dilerim.

Bin dört yüz yýldýr nefret ve insanlýk suçu iþlediðimiz için özür dilerim.

Faþizmin bir gün gelip de, bizi de bu ülkede vurmak isteyeceðini
bilemediðimiz için özür dilerim.

Ret – inkr ve asimilasyon politikalarýna yüzyýldýr dur diyemediðimiz
için özür dilerim.

Özellikle, son yüzyýldýr Ermenilere, Süryanilere, Pontus Rumlara,
Yezidilere, Alevilere yapýlan soykýrýmlarda insan olamadýðýmýz için özür
dilerim.

Soykýrým yapýldýðýnda sizlere ve insanlýðýmýza sahip
çýkamadýðýmýz için,
24 Nisan soykýrým kurbanlarýný anma gününde, bir kez daha saygýyla eðilip
özür dilerim.

ZEYNEP TOZDUMAN

From: Baghdasarian

Pasadena Star, CA
April 25 2013

Armenian Genocide victims remembered in ceremony at Pasadena City
HallCommunity leaders call on U.S. officials to recognize the Genocide

By Brenda Gazzar, Staff Writer

PASADENA — Under gray, mournful skies, local Armenian-Americans
joined city officials Wednesday in honoring the estimated 1.5 million
Armenians slain by Ottoman Turks nearly a century ago and called on
U.S. government officials to formally recognize the Armenian Genocide.

The 98th Anniversary Genocide Commemoration, which was held at City
Hall and hosted by the Armenian National Committee of America Pasadena
Chapter, was one of two solemn remembrance ceremonies held in the city
at the same time.

“As we get close to the 100th anniversary, many of our survivors have
passed away, leaving us with their dreadful stories of 1915,” Shoghig
Yepremian, chair of the ANCA’s Pasadena Chapter, told about 250
attendees. “Our history will never be forgotten and our fight for
justice will never stop. ”

No U.S. president since Ronald Reagan has recognized the mass killings
from 1915 to 1923 as genocide and, despite repeated efforts, the U.S.
Congress has not passed a resolution on the matter since 1985.

Turkey, a close U.S. ally, has long denied there was a systematic
campaign to kill Armenians.

On Wednesday, to the dismay of Armenians around the world, President
Barack Obama referred to the massacres using the Armenian phrase “Meds
Yeghern,” which means “the Great Calamity” and is used by Armenians
referring to the genocide.

“No, Mr. President – it was not a great calamity, it was genocide pure
and simple,” William Paparian, chair of the Pasadena Armenian Genocide
Memorial Committee and former Pasadena mayor, said to applause. “No
other word can be used to describe what happened to the Armenian
people. This is not a semantic quibble because usage of the word
genocide mandates no statute of limitations and demands legal redress,
restitution and punishment for the perpetrators. ”

The City Hall ceremony drew several Pasadena City Council members and
staff, Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca and former Assemblyman
Anthony Portantino.

Councilman Gene Masuda presented a proclamation commemorating the
Armenian Genocide on April 24, which the council issues each year, and
praised efforts by the Pasadena Armenian Genocide Memorial Committee –
one of two proposals in the works from two different groups – to build
a memorial in the city.

“It’s our way of recognizing the Armenian Genocide,” he said of the
proclamation, “which is a very important fact. ”

Ankin Krekorian, 60, of Glendale and her friend Susan Majarian, 66, of
Pasadena were among those seated in the audience.

Krekorian said 35 members of her father’s family, including her
grandparents and her cousins, were massacred on April 24, 1915 in what
is now Turkey. Her father had refused to eat soup, she said, since as
a 7-year-old boy he watched as Ottoman soldiers stormed their home
while his mother was making soup and decapitated her in front of his
eyes.

“This is a memorial day for us, to remember them and honor them and to
demand whatever was left there,” she said.

Majarian said she is still haunted by the graphic stories told by her
grandmother about the tragedy.

Another remembrance ceremony, hosted by the Pasadena-based Armenian
Community Coalition, was held at Memorial Park Wednesday at the same
time.

In what his office called “a historic first,” Rep. Adam Schiff,
D-Glendale, the lead sponsor of the American Genocide Resolution in
Congress, gave a speech in Armenian on the House floor Wednesday.

“I speak to you in their language to thank you for sharing your
history with me,” Schiff said according to a translation of his
speech. “And I speak to you from this place, this House, because
Americans have always shown the courage to look horror in the eye and
speak its name, and I look forward to the day when its leaders will do
the same. ”

From: Baghdasarian