Author: Chakrian Hovsep

NGOS OPEN BOOK, PHOTOGRAPH BOOTH IN HAMBURG TO COUNTER ARMENIAN ALLEGATIONS

Turkish Press, MI
April 30 2007

HAMBURG – A group of non-governmental organizations in Hamburg set
up a booth for books and a photograph exhibition on one of the city`s
busiest streets to counter so-called Armenian genocide allegations.

Germany Ataturk Culture Center, Azerbaijan Culture Association, Iraqi
Turkmen Association and Hamburg Association for the Handicapped issued
a joint statement, saying that the world needed to be aware of the
Armenian lies on so-called genocide allegations.

The books and photographs at the booth on Spitalerstrasse give
instances of the Armenian terror and genocide in Khodjali and massacres
in Upper Karabakh, Kars, Van and Erzurum.

CHRISTIANITY ON TRIAL IN TURKEY
By Father John Flynn

Zenit News Agency, Italy
April 30 2007

Killings and Persecution Continue

ROME, APRIL 30, 2007 (Zenit.org).- The blood of martyrs continues to
be shed in Turkey. The April 18 killing of two Turks and a German at
a Christian publishing house in Malatya, in eastern Turkey, renewed
concerns over the fate of Christians in the country. The three victims
were found with their hands and legs bound and their throats slit.

The three men worked at the Zirve publishing house, which had
previously been the object of protests for allegedly distributing
Bibles and proselytizing, reported the London-based Times newspaper
April 19.

The same day the BBC reported that 10 people were arrested in
connection with the murders. The BBC added that many commentators
noted the similarity of the latest killings to the murder of a Catholic
priest by a teenage gunman last year and the shooting of the Armenian
journalist, also a Christian, in January. In each case the killers
were young, apparently Islamist ultra-nationalists.

Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said the killings were "an
attack against Turkey’s stability, peace and tradition of tolerance,"
according to the BBC.

In February, the Pope’s vicar for the Diocese of Rome, Cardinal Camillo
Ruini, visited Turkey to commemorate the anniversary of the murder of
Father Andrea Santoro. The Italian missionary was shot dead Feb. 5,
2006, in St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Trabzon, northeast Turkey.

Cardinal Ruini said during his homily Feb. 5 in the church where the
priest had been murdered: "We have come to help promote peace among
peoples and religions, respect for the beliefs of each person and
love for the brother or sister present in every human person created
in the image and likeness of God," reported the Fides news agency
the same day.

"We have come to promote religious freedom everywhere in the world,
and to ask God to illuminate all minds and hearts to understand that
only in freedom and love of neighbor can God be truly adored," the
cardinal added.

Islamic extremists

Malatya, like Trabzon, is an Islamic stronghold, observed Mechthild
Brockamp in an April 19 commentary published by the German agency
Deutsche Welle. He noted that journalist Hrant Dink was also killed in
Malatya earlier this year, and underlined the Islamic element in the
shooting of Father Santoro, which took place during fevered protests
against the caricatures of Mohammed.

Each time one of these attacks occurs authorities call it an
exceptional case, said Brockamp. But the number of such cases means
that it is more a pattern than an exception, he observed. Brockamp
called upon the government to resolve the underlying issue of religious
freedom and to ensure that the Christian minority is able to practice
its faith without putting their lives at risk.

These are sentiments shared by the German magazine Der Spiegel, in
an article published online April 23. The latest murders reveal a
deep-seated problem, the magazine argued. The article quoted Ertugrul
Ozkok, editor-in-chief of the leading secular Turkish daily Hurriyet,
who noted that in Germany, Turks residing there have opened up more
than 3,000 mosques. He asked in an editorial: "If in our country we
cannot abide even by a few churches, or a handful of missionaries,
where is our civilization?"

An article published April 25 by the Christian Science Monitor cited
Christian missionaries in Turkey as saying that they now have more
freedom to carry out their work due to reforms enacted as part of the
country’s attempt to enter into the European Union. At the same time
violent attacks against Christian targets are becoming more frequent.

Last year, the article noted, several evangelical churches were
firebombed, and a Protestant church leader in the city of Adana was
severely beaten by a group of assailants.

The report also opined that while there is a religious dimension to
the recent murders of Christians, some experts also attribute them
to the influence of extreme nationalism and anti-Western xenophobia
that are on the rise in Turkey.

Nevertheless, other news reports testify to the considerable
difficulties Christians face when they try to practice their faith.

Both Christians and intellectuals are frequent targets of legal action
taken under article 301 of the penal code. The article allows people
to be charged for denigrating "Turkish identity," explained a report
by Compass Direct News last Nov. 27.

Compass Direct is a Christian news service based in California,
reporting on religious persecution. The report presented the case of
Hakan Tastan and Turan Topal, who appeared Nov. 23 before the Silivri
Criminal Court, located in northwestern Turkey.

As Muslims converted to Christianity, they were accused not only
of denigrating Turkish identity, but also of reviling Islam. "We
don’t use force to tell anyone about Christianity," Tastan said to
the media outside the courtroom according to Compass Direct. "But we
are Christians, and if the Lord permits, we will continue to proclaim
this," he added.

Christians likened to terrorists

Compass Direct also reported that attorney Kemal Kerincsiz, who
intervened for the prosecution, is notorious for his actions against
intellectuals using article 301. "Christian missionaries working
almost like terrorist groups are able to enter into high schools and
among primary school students," Kerincsiz told reporters. The court
case against the two Christians is still underway.

Further difficulties were reported in an article published by the
Boston Globe last Dec. 9. The newspaper referred to the difficulties
faced by Metropolitan Apostolos, a Greek Orthodox bishop.

In 1971, the government shut down the Halki theological seminary on
Heybeliada, an island in the Sea of Marmara. The school had trained
generations of Orthodox leaders, but authorities closed it, along with
other private religious schools. In the meantime the Greek Orthodox
community in Turkey has dwindled to 3,000, from 180,000 in 1923.

In general, noted the Boston Globe, Turkey’s religious minorities
including about 68,000 Armenian Orthodox, 20,000 Catholics, 23,000
Jews, and 3,000 Greek Orthodox face numerous legal restrictions.

Catholics, for example, encounter considerable difficulties when
it comes to obtaining legal rights over property and work permits
for clergy and nuns, explained Otmar Oehring, in an article written
for the Forum 18 news service Jan. 18. The Norwegian-based Forum 18
reports on issues related to religious freedom.

Places of worship of minority communities which are allowed to maintain
legally-recognized community foundations — such as the Greek Orthodox,
the Armenians, the Syrian Orthodox and the Jews — are owned by these
foundations, commented Oehring.

But Catholics and Protestants are not allowed to set up such
foundations. Consequently, title deeds indicate that the congregations
or church communities themselves own the buildings. Yet the state
often refuses to recognize this. Additional legal obstacles include
problems in setting up bank accounts and in publishing religious
books and magazine.

At the time of Benedict XVI’s visit to Turkey at the end of last
year, Vatican representatives and government officials discussed the
possibility of establishing a mixed working group to resolve the
Catholic Church’s problems in Turkey, according to Oehring. There
has been little or no progress on the matter, however.

During his visit, the Pope held a meeting with the president of
the government’s religious affairs directorate. In his address,
given Nov. 28, the Pontiff called for an "authentic dialogue between
Christians and Muslims, based on truth and inspired by a sincere wish
to know one another better, respecting differences and recognizing
what we have in common."

The Pope also called for freedom of religion, "institutionally
guaranteed and effectively respected in practice." A call that takes
on greater urgency after the recent attacks.

Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918
Fax. (202) 775-5648
Email [email protected]
Internet

PRESS RELEASE
April 24, 2007
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

SENATOR MENENDEZ REAFFIRMS HOLD ON HOAGLAND NOMINATION

— Ambassador Evans Calls for Passage
of Armenian Genocide Resolution

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) reaffirmed his "hold"
on the controversial nomination of Richard Hoagland to serve as
U.S. Ambassador to Armenia in his remarks today at an Armenian
Genocide observance organized by the Congressional Armenian Caucus
in Capitol Hill’s historic Cannon Caucus Room, reported the
Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

The Bush Administration has twice nominated Richard Hoagland to
replace John Marshall Evans, a decorated career diplomat who was
fired last year by the Secretary of State for speaking truthfully
about the Armenian Genocide. From the outset, the Hoagland
nomination has been the focus of intense controversy, first because
of the State Department’s willingness to explain its firing of
Evans, and later due to his denial of the Armenian Genocide in his
responses to questions raised during his confirmation hearing.
These remarks, which extended far beyond the euphemistic word games
traditionally employed by the State Department, sparked outrage
among Armenian Americans and widespread Congressional opposition to
his posting in Yerevan.

Looking to Ambassador Evans, who was seated in the first row of the
standing room only hall, Senator Menendez said, "I wish the
Ambassador was back in Armenia, but if we cannot get him there, I
refuse to release my hold on Ambassador Hoagland because of his
testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee." The
Senator added, to a sustained ovation, that, "the President
[should] appoint a new nominee who will represent the interests of
the United States and Armenia much better."

In his remarks, Ambassador Evans, the program’s keynote speaker,
called upon Congress to pass the Armenian Genocide Resolution. In
a speech repeatedly interrupted by applause, he said, "If we dare
not call the 1915 events genocide, we make it more likely that
current genocides, such as that in Darfur, will continue and future
genocides will occur… This is why, ladies and gentlemen, after 92
years, the time has come to call a spade a spade. House Resolution
106 on the affirmation of the United States record on the Armenian
Genocide should be adopted by the Congress." The former envoy
continued, stressing: "History does matter. Truth does matter.
Justice does matter."

The Armenian Genocide Resolution, H.Res.106 in the House and
S.Res.106 in the Senate, calls on the President to properly
recognize the Armenian Genocide and encourages the Administration
to ensure that the lessons of this crime are used to help prevent
future genocides. The resolution has over 190 cosponsors in the
House and 30 cosponsors in the Senate.

The April 24th observance was presided over by the Co-Chairmen of
the Armenian Caucus, Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Joe Knollenberg (R-
MI), and featured moving speeches by the lead authors of H.Res.106,
Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and George Radanovich (R-CA); original
cosponsors Brad Sherman (D-CA) and Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI), both
of whom serve on the Foreign Affairs Committee; Senator Menendez;
and Representatives Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Ed Royce (R-CA), Donald
Payne (D-NJ), Jim Costa (D-CA), Mark Kirk (R-IL), and Diane Watson
(D-CA). Congressmen Jim McGovern (D-MA), David Dreier (R-CA) and
Tim Walz (D-MN) also participated in the remembrance.

Congressman Schiff, in his remarks, questioned the claims by
opponents of H.Res.106 that Turkey is making progress toward
recognizing the Armenian Genocide. "Was the murder of Hrant Dink
progress? No it was not. Was the bringing of charges against a
Nobel Prize-winning author progress? No it is not. Was the
inception of Article 301, which makes it a crime to insult
Turkishness progress? No it is not. The irony of our government’s
position is that instead of pressing Turkey to repeal Article 301,
our own State Department is trying to enforce 301 here in America,
here in our Congress – and that cannot be."

Representative Radanovich, expanding on this theme, said that, "I
am sorry that the State Department and the Administration are slow
to recognize the Armenian Genocide in the United States. And they
argue that we need to deal with Turkey with kid gloves, and they
need to come to this admission on their own. The fact is they are
not going to come to this admission on their own – and they need
prodding from the United States – and our recognition of the
Genocide will get us to the point where every civilized country in
the world should be."

Holding up a copy of a New York Times April 23, 2007, full-page
advertisement placed by Turkey denying the Armenian Genocide, Rep.
Anna Eshoo, the only member of Congress of Armenian descent,
stated, "My friends, we have work to do. They [the Turkish
government] have money, they have sway in Washington DC, as you
well know. I think the truth will help liberate the country of
Turkey and the people of Turkey, when we pass this resolution."
The ad, placed by the Embassy of Turkey, is valued at $130,000.
Similar ads were placed in the Washington Times and L.A. Times.

#####

Note the Editor: Photos provided under separate cover.

ARMENIA: NUCLEAR ENERGY, IRAN’S RIGHT

PRESS TV, Iran
April 27 2007

Armenian President, Robert Kocharian says Iran like other countries
in the world has the right to benefit from nuclear technology.

Kocharian told a gathering of university students in the Armenian
capital Yerevan on Friday that boosting relations with Iran had great
significance to Armenia.

"Iran is Armenia’s link to the outside world and energy."

Elsewhere in his speech, Kocharian expressed dissatisfaction with the
outcome of meetings between Armenian and Azeri prime ministers. He
added that he would be holding direct talks with Azerbaijan’s president
on the sidelines of the Karabakh peace talks scheduled to take place
on June 10, 2007.

Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian met with his Azeri
counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov in Belgrade last week to discuss the
draft resolution proposed to settle the conflict.

The withdrawal of Armenian forces from occupied Azeri territories,
the refugee situation of the displaced from the Karabakh war, and
the referendum due to decide the faith of the region are parts of
the Karabakh draft resolution aimed at settling the situation in
the region.

IOSIF KOBZON SAYS ZHIRINOVSKI’S REMARKS ON NAGORNO KARABAKH SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
April 27 2007

Russia’s peoples’ artist Iosif Kobzon visiting Azerbaijan held a press
conference in Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater,
APA reports.

The musician said he takes pride in celebration of his 70th anniversary
in Azerbaijan. Noting that he has been for 50 years on the stage
Kobzon said he will celebrate these two great events on the stage.

"My jubilee will be celebrated in a number of countries. I will go
on tour to Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania,
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and other countries after Azerbaijan," he said.

Kobzon said he visited Martyrs’ Alley and felt sorry for them.

"The graves I saw in the Martyrs’ Alley distressed me. They were too
young. But all this remained the past," he said.

Kobzon said he will sing new and old songs in his jubilee and touched
upon political processes as well. Commenting on the statement by
Vladimir Zhirinovski, chief of Russia Liberal-Democrat Party which
said the Nagorno Karabakh belongs to Armenians, Kobzon said he does
not take this seriously.

"I do not take these thoughts seriously as Zhirinovski said it. If
somebody else said it I could comment on it. I do not consider it right
to comment on it. Zhirinovski’s political line is known to all Post
Soviet countries and he used to make such statements several times,"
he said.

Iosif Kobzon expressed his sorrow about famous musician Mstislav
Rostropovich’s death.

SWING VOTERS MAKE 15 PERCENT IN YEREVAN AND 36 OUTSIDE IT

ARMENPRESS
Apr 27 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 27, ARMENPRESS: Findings of a latest public opinion
poll, designed to reveal voting intentions among Armenians ahead of
the May 12 parliamentary elections, say some 56 percent of eligible
voters plan a short trip to polling stations on that day to elect
members of their next National Assembly.

According to the survey’s results, conducted by Sociometer pollster
center, 13 percent of Armenians are ready to support the governing
Republican Party, almost three times less than it expects to garner
in next month’s parliamentary elections.

"Our meetings with voters across the country show that the majority of
our citizens are ready to vote for the Republican Party of Armenia,’
a spokesman for this party, Eduard Sharmazanov, told journalists
yesterday, adding that the party plans to get at least one third of
the vote.

The Prospers Armenia party of a millionaire businessmen Gagik
Tsarukian, who is reputed as the wealthiest Armenian, may rely on 11
percent voter support.

These figures, however, represent a striking difference with the
findings of an earlier opinion poll by the British Populus Opinion
Polling Center which surveyed 2,000 Armenians across the country
between April 3-7. Asked who they would vote for if the elections
were held next Sunday, 31 percent said they would cast their ballots
for the Republican Party and 27 percent would cast their ballots for
the Prosperous Armenia.

Unveiling the figures of his latest survey, the head of the Sociometer,
Aharon Adibekian, said what shocked the pollsters was the number of
swing voters in the capital city Yerevan, some 16 percent, who are
still undecided whether they should vote for the Prosperous Armenia
or not.

Adibekian, frequently criticized by opposition leaders for ‘executing
paid orders’, said the number of voters ready to cast ballots for the
Orinats Yerkir party of ex-parliament chairman Arthur Baghdasarian
has grown and those of the opposition National Unity has dwindled.

"Since the number of voters ready to support the Republican and
Prosperous Armenia parties does not, as matter of fact, change,
we can suppose that the Orinats Yerkir, the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation, the National Unity and the Zharangutyun (Heritage) will
be fighting to win over the undecided segment of voters," he concluded.

Adibekian said the majority of public servants and their family
members will vote for the Republican Party, the Prosperous Armenia
may expect the support of the unemployed, pensioners and owners of
small and medium sized businesses. He said 58 percent of people with
higher education in Yerevan will vote for the ARF, 42 percent for
the Heritage.

Also some 42 percent of respondents believe that the May 12 polls will
be marred with as much election fraud as the previous ones in 2003;
20 percent think they will be more transparent and fairer and only
8 believe they will actually meet international standards.

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES PASSES IRAQ WITHDRAWAL TIMETABLE

PanARMENIAN.Net
26.04.2007 15:07 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On Wednesday the lower chamber of the U.S. Congress
adopted a bill on removing American troops from Iraq, AP reports. 218
House members voted for and 208 against the bill. It is expected that
at the beginning of May 2007 the bill adopted by the lower chamber,
where Democrats make majority will be sent to President George Bush
to undersign.

It is expected that the Senate, where Democrats make a narrow majority
will approve the bill too. The both chambers of the Congress have
reached a preliminary agreement on this document.

The legislation on getting out American combat troops from Iraq
includes a budget bill on additional expenses for the wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan, totally $124.2 bilion. The document says that budget
appropriations will be made if the process of removing combat troops
from Iraq will launch not later than October 1, 2007 and finally
completed by April 1, 2008.

President Bush has repeatedly vowed to veto any appropriations measure
that contains a timetable for withdrawing troops from Iraq. The
U.S. President, who represents the Republican party and members of
his administration insist on keeping American troops in Iraq until
the situation in this country normalizes, Lenta.ru reports.

ARMENIAN FORCES VIOLATE CEASEFIRE

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
April 25 2007

Armenian Armed Forces fired on the positions of Azerbaijan Armed
Forces from their positions in Shikhlar village of Agdam from 00.15
till 00.35 and Javahirli village with machine and submachine guns
from 04.20 till 04.45 on April 25, Defense Ministry’s press service
told the APA.

The same situation occurred in Mazamli village of Kazakh region. The
enemy was silenced by counter-fire. No casualties were reported.

PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY MR. TIGRAN TOROSYAN ADDRESSES ON THE OCCASION OF THE REMEMBRANCE DAY OF THE GENOCIDE VICTIMS

National Assembly of RA, Armenia
April 23 2007

Dear compatriots,

Today, our whole people once again pays tribute to the memory of the
victims of the Armenian Genocide planned and committed at the beginning
of the 20th century by the Ottoman Empire. Year by year the number of
the countries, which, recognizing and condemning that heinous crime,
not only express their support to our people, but also affirm their
responsibility for the destiny of the civilization and mankind,
and ensure that the moral values are beyond diverse political group
interests and small-minded calculations for them.

Bowing our heads before the memory of the Armenian Genocide victims,
we should not only pursue with resolute consistency the unconditional
recognition of one of the gravest events in the mankind’s history,
but we should also strengthen our two Armenian countries with our
unity and work as the best monument of the victims’ memory and one
of the most important guarantees of the secure and dignified life of
our compatriots living in the Motherland and Diaspora.

ARMENIANS MARK 92ND ANNIVERSARY OF MASS KILLINGS IN OTTOMAN EMPIRE

AP Worldstream
Published: Apr 24, 2007

Tens of thousands of Armenians marked the 92nd anniversary of mass
killings in the Ottoman Empire Tuesday, again calling on Turkey and
the world to recognize the slayings as genocide.

Grim-faced mourners waving flags marched through Yerevan to lay
flowers at a large hilltop granite memorial.

"We came here to pay tribute to the victims, so that our neighbors
wouldn’t for a minute think that we could forget about this, so that
this wouldn’t happen in the future," said acting Defense Minister
Michael Arutyunian.

The April 24 anniversary marks the day in 1915 when Turkish authorities
executed a large group of Armenian intellectuals and political leaders,
accusing them of helping the invading Russian army during World War I.

Historians estimate up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by
Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I, an event widely viewed
by scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century. Turkey denies
the deaths constituted genocide, saying that the toll has been inflated
and that those killed were victims of civil war and unrest.

Many countries, including Russia and France, have officially recognized
the event as genocide. A resolution pending before the U.S. Congress
that would accuse Ottoman Turks of committing genocide has prompted
warnings from Ankara that its passage would harm relations with
Washington.