Author: Emil Lazarian

Armenia’s painful past
From Brian Todd
CNN
Friday, April 29, 2005 Posted: 2106 GMT (0506 HKT)
WASHINGTON (CNN) — We shudder at images from Darfur, Sudan, wince at
memories of Rwanda and look at grainy pictures of the Holocaust and say
“never again.”
Nearly forgotten is a brutal campaign from nearly a century ago, that
historians say may not have been a model for those genocides, but certainly
provided a rationale.
“The fact that a state could in fact carry this out under the eyes of the
international community and get away with it, became in fact a hallmark of
what the 20th century, the tragic 20th century, was really all about,” says
Charles King, author of “The Black Sea: A History.”
Adolf Hitler himself was reported to have made a reference to it in 1939, as
he prepared to invade Poland. He was quoted as saying, “Who, after all,
speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?”
In April, 1915, the Ottoman Empire, which covered the general area of what
is now Turkey, was battling on two fronts in World War I, and was
disintegrating in the process.
Armenians, long part of that empire, were restless for independence — and
were getting encouragement from Russia.
The Ottoman Turks, fearful of a Russian invasion on their eastern front, saw
the Russian-Armenian alliance as a huge threat and targeted the Armenian
population inside their borders.
“They embarked on an extermination plan by deporting the entire population,
close to — a little under 2 million Armenians — in the empire into deserts
and by killing and starvation and disease,” says Harut Sassounian, editor of
“The Armenian Genocide.”
Between 1915 and 1923, Armenian leaders were rounded up in cities and
executed; villagers were uprooted en masse and driven south toward the
deserts of what are now Syria and Iraq. Many were shot or butchered outright
by Turkish forces, but most died in forced marches.
The numbers — to this day — are still in dispute. Armenians say 1.5
million were killed. The Turkish government says not more than 300,000
perished and that Armenians weren’t the only victims.
“These few years both sides suffered [and lost an] incredible number of
people to war, to famine, to harsh climate,” says Turkish Ambassador to the
United States Faruk Logoglu.
Objective historians say the Armenian death toll is likely between 600,000
and 1 million.
The fight is not only over numbers, but also a word.
Neither the Turkish government, nor any U.S. president, except Ronald
Reagan, has ever called this event “genocide.”
Sassounian is the grandson of survivors.
“I describe it as a deep wound in the psyche of every Armenian that is not
healing, is not going away, because it’s like an open wound as long as that
denial is there,” Sassounian says.
The U.S. government says between 60,000 and 146,000 people have died in
Darfur, Sudan, over the past two years, and former Secretary of State Colin
Powell called that a genocide.
Historian King believes what happened to the Armenians was genocide by any
definition, but “labeling it genocide among politicians has very severe
political ramifications, particularly in terms of the U.S. relationship with
Turkey — an important strategic partner in southeast Europe and the wider
Middle East,” says King.
As Armenians mark the 90th anniversary of their darkest days, many say all
they want is acknowledgement.
The Turks say they’re willing to set up a commission to examine the
historical record.
Two countries with a closed border and no formal relations — still haunted
by a distant tragedy.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Turkish Press
April 28 2005
Prof. Dr. Ozdemir: We Want To Discuss Events Of 1915 With Our

ANKARA – Turkish Institute of History (TTK) Armenian Studies Chairman
Prof. Dr. Hikmet Ozdemir said on Thursday that they wanted to discuss
the events of 1915 with their interlocutors.
Speaking at a conference on ”the Past, Today and Future of
Turkish-Armenian Conflict” at the Anadolu Agency (A.A), Ozdemir
said, ”the Relocation Law and ensuing developments are not enough to
explain the conflict between Turks and Armenians. The atmosphere in
which the law was approved, international developments and conditions
of the Ottoman Empire should be well-known to this end. Some
documents revealed that a map prepared by Britain, France and Russia
in 1914 had envisaged separation of the Empire before the World War
I.”
”Britons had made many propaganda together with media and scientists
to gain support of the United States during the World War I. Some
special news reports had been made up to incite the Christian world.
We should clean such propaganda of Britain in order to enlighten the
events of 1915. We want to discuss those events with our
interlocutors. We have already accepted the risk of results of such a
study,” he said.
Ozdemir stressed that it was impossible to understand parliaments of
some countries which accepted resolutions without conducting a
detailed research.
”The Relocation Law was nothing but a measure taken by the Ottoman
Empire to prevent an uprising. As a result of Armenian uprisings,
hundreds of thousands of Armenians and security forces had been
killed. Those Armenians had been militants of Tashnak and Hinchakian
committees. Due to ongoing wars, the Ottoman Empire had to protect
the roads of military supply. The military officials in the eastern
region had requested the government to transfer the armed Armenians
to another place for the security of those routes,” he said.
”According to the first scenario, transfer of Armenians to Caucasus
had been envisaged. However, the Ottoman government had decided to
send them to Syria (which was then Ottoman territory). If they had
been sent to Caucasus, it would have been an exile. The decision had
conformed to the Constitution and the law. If the Ottoman Empire had
targeted to make the population in Anatolia Turk, it would have sent
Armenians to Caucasus. On the other hand, Turks had also suffered
during the World War I. Turks in Caucasus had been exiled from
Caucasus to Anatolia. It had been nothing, but crisis management,”
he said.
Noting that the Ottoman Empire had put into force a series of
instructions to meet requirements of migrants, Ozdemir said,
”however, no one can say that those instructions had been fully
applied under war conditions. During those days, hundreds of
thousands of people died because of epidemics in Anatolia. Turks have
never been cherished revenge against anyone.”
Stressing that Armenians who had been forced to migrate in 1915,
returned later under a decision of the government, Ozdemir said,
”however, they returned as officers in the French Army, and
massacred their neighbors in Adana, Antep and Maras.”
Referring to arguments over Armenian population, Ozdemir said, ”the
notebook which was claimed to have belonged to Talat Pasha does not
tell the truth. According to the notebook claiming that 924 thousand
Armenians had been relocated, Armenians in Aleppo had also been
forced to migrate. In fact, Armenians had been sent to Aleppo. The
Turkish General Staff archives put the number of the relocated
Armenians as nearly 500 thousand. Experts should sit and discuss
everything in detail.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

A1plus
| 18:12:09 | 29-04-2005 | Official |
OSKANYAN MEETS THE FRENCH OFFICIALS
Today RA foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan received Senator Jean-Noel
Guérini, head of the French Buch-du-Ronne region Chief Council, delegates of
the French National Assembly Christophe Maesse and Richard Mallié, as well
as member of the EU Mrs. Marie-Arlette Carlotti.
Minister Oskanyan thanked the French Parliamentarians for constantly
supporting Armenia. In particular, he found important several
educational-health programs of the Buch-du-Ronne region which are
successfully put into practice in the Armenian regions.
Afterwards the sides exchanged ideas about the present developments of South
Caucasus, the possibilities provided by the European new neighbors policy in
this connection, the relations Armenia-Turkey and the Armenian perspectives.
During the visit the French delegation will have meetings with the RA
Ministers of Health and Social affairs and will visit yumri and Echmiadzin.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Schroeder: Opposition push for Armenian massacre recognition won’t become EU
condition
AP Worldstream
Apr 29, 2005

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder on Friday sought to assure Turkey
that a German opposition push for Turkey to examine its role in the
massacre of Armenians at the time of World War I will not become a
condition to the start EU membership talks this October.
Schroeder, who is to visit Turkey next week, is a strong supporter of
this mainly Muslim country’s EU bid. There have been concerns that a
recent slowdown in the pace of Turkish reforms might derail the talks.
At a December European Union summit, the bloc agreed to open
membership talks with Turkey if it takes steps toward recognizing the
government of EU-member Cyprus _ a step it has long refused to take.
In an interview Friday with the private Turkish television channel
NTV, Schroeder said Turkey must adopt a customs agreement that would
mean de facto recognition of the government of Cyprus. He also urged
Turkey to put a new penal code into effect that was passed last year,
but that was temporarily suspended earlier this month.
“Both sides have to put what they said into practice,” Schroeder said.
Cyprus has been split into Greek and Turkish Cypriot sectors since a
1974 invasion by Turkey sparked by a failed coup aimed at unifying the
island with Greece.
Schroeder also sought to calm Turkish concerns that its refusal to
recognize the mass killings of Armenians as genocide could upset its
bid.
Germany’s conservative opposition, which is cool toward Turkey’s EU
bid, earlier this year submitted a parliamentary motion calling for
Turkey to examine its role in the Armenian deaths.
But Schroeder said: “We said that this will in no way be a new
condition. … This is the job of historians.”
Armenians accuses Turkey of genocide in the killings of up to 1.5
million Armenians as part of a 1915-23 campaign to force them out of
eastern Turkey. But Turkey denies that the killings were genocide and
says the death count is inflated.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESIDENT OF CENTRAL BANK VISITED ASU
Azat Artsakh – Nagorno Karabakh Republic [NKR]
29 April 05
On April 27 the president of the Central Bank of the Republic of
Armenia Tigran Sarghissian visited Artsakh State University. The NKR
minister of finance and economy Spartak Tevossian was also present in
the meeting with the teaching staff and students of the department of
economy. Tigran Sarghissian delivered a lecture on modern central
banks and monetary policy. `Our purposeis to present the peculiarities
of modern banking and monetary policies. I am sure that after the
lecture we will make arrangements with the staff of the university.
Naturally, the important thing for us is the improvement of the level
of knowledge of students. This supposes a closer cooperation between
the educational institutions and banks,’ said the president of the
Central Bank of Armenia in reference to the purpose of the visit. The
lecture consisted of two parts. The first part was devoted to the
principles of choosing a monetary policy by the Central Bank of the
Republic of Armenia, and the second part was on the policy of the
Central Bank in the past two years, particularly the choice of the
priority among the goals of monetary and loan policies in an inflow of
capital. The lecture aroused great interest among the students.
AA.
29-04-2005
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

A1plus
| 16:48:26 | 28-04-2005 | Social |
WOMEN FOR PRESERVATION OF LIBERATED TERRITORIES
«I saw war with my own eyes. It is terrible. But if we are forced we will
fight», a widow of one of the fighters of Karabakh war, member of Women’s
Association Shushanik Abrahamyan said at the press conference today.
The Association members state that international negotiations on the
Karabakh conflict can cause violations of the cease-fire. They do not admit
any possibility of territory ceding. «We gathered here to state that will
not cede a single inch of the liberated lands. It is absurd to threat us
with war.’, Eranuhi Yusisyan said.
Artemis Lebejyan, member of Saint Sandught women’s union noted, `There are
issues that should be settled by diplomats. Artsakh should take part in the
negotiations and determine its fate’.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Pan Armenian News
ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ISSUE – POSSIBLE LEVER FOR PRESSURE UPON TURKEY
28.04.2005 05:49
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Director of Russian Center for Strategic Research Andrey
Piontkovski believes that under the joint Armenia and EU pressure the
Turkish authorities will try to find a way to censure the Armenian Genocide.
Piontkovski noted that many EU countries are skeptical toward Turkey’s
accession to the Union, considering a non-Christian country joining the
European structure will change its way of thinking. «They will use the fact
of Ankara relation to the Armenian Genocide issue with pleasure and it can
hamper Turkey’s accession to the EU,» noted Andrey Piontkovski. «However, on
the other hand, I am surprised at Turkey’s readiness to refuse many
prejudices for accession to the EU.» In his turn, expert of the Center for
Political Technologies Sergey Mikheev noted that the EU demand to
acknowledge the Armenian Genocide can turn out to be merely a veil. «One
should understand that interests are a priority,» he noted. In his words,
all the rest is a technological «game» at the most. It the accession of
Turkey is favorable to the EU, irrespective of whether it acknowledges the
Genocide or not, it will be admitted to the EU. If continued pressure is in
the interest of the EU, the Genocide issue will be used as a lever to put
pressure upon Turkey for a period of time, the expert added.

Armenpress
CST-2005 TOURISM EXHIBITION OPENS IN YEREVAN
YEREVAN, APRIL 28, ARMENPRESS: Opening an international CST-2005 tourism
exhibition in Yerevan today deputy trade and economic development minister
Ara Petrosian said Armenian tourism industry development is due to private
companies’ efforts, but added that the government is also doing everything
possible to help boost this sector.
Petrosian said tourism development program envisage making Armenia an
attractive tourism destination not only for summer travelers, but also for
those who choose to vacation in winter.
Petrosian said the annual growth rate of tourism industry is between
20-25 percent. According to official figures, some 260,000 tourists visited
Armenia last year. This year some 300,000 tourists are expected to visit
Armenia. Annual government subsides for tourism development are about
$45,000, while one tourist spends in Armenia an average of $800-$1000.
Lebanese ambassador to Armenia Jibrail Butros Jaara said Armenia attracts
foreign tourists as a safe country with a peculiar culture and historic
monuments.
Thirty-three companies from Armenia, Iran, Italy, US and Belarus are
participating in it. Last December the government of Armenia approved a
tourism development program for 2005.
The majority of tourists visiting Armenia are Diaspora Armenians. The
share of tourism in the overall GDP makes 5-6 percent.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Pan Armenian News
NO PROBLEMS IN GEORGIAN-ARMENIAN RELATIONS
28.04.2005 08:52
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ MPs of Georgia and Armenia discussed prospects of
parliamentary bilateral and regional cooperation. The Georgian and Armenian
Parliamentary Delegations headed by Speakers Nino Burjanadze and Artur
Baghdasarian met in the Parliament of Georgia today, Novosti-Gruzia (News
Georgia) news agency reported. In the course of the meeting Burjanadze noted
there are no problems in the Georgian-Armenian relations. `There are
questions that are usually discussed in different formats,’ the Georgian
Speaker stated, saying she was sure that A. Baghdasarian’s visit to Tbilisi
will promote intensification of the Georgian-Armenian relations. On his part
A. Baghdasarian spoke in favor of resumption of the work of the
Georgian-Armenian Interparliamentary Commission, ceased some two years ago.
Burjanadze seconded the initiative, reporting that a group of friendship
with Armenia is available in the Georgian Parliament. It is headed by Beso
Jugeli and pledged to consider the forming the Georgian part of the
Interparliamentary Commission. Burjanadze considered the coincidence of the
stands of the Georgian and Armenian parties at various international forums
positive. `I suppose we should further strengthen the statehood, border
institutions, maximally harmonize the legislation to form a normal legal
basis for development of cooperation. It is a direction to which
parliamentary cooperation will seriously contribute,’ Burjanadze stated. In
his turn the Armenian National Assembly head raised the question of forming
an Interparliamentary Assembly of the South Caucasian States. `Armenia has
initiated the creation of the Interparliamentary Assembly of the South
Caucasus and we would like Georgia to support it. Maybe it will be possible
to realize the initiative in a few years,’ Baghdasarian stated. At that he
said in his opinion it was `possible for the Azeri party to try to hamper
the realization of the initiative, however I hope the international
community and organizations will support it.’ Burjanadze noted that all
Georgian MPs present support the idea of creation of the Assembly from the
moment it was voiced for the first time. `Taking into account the positive
experience of the Baltic states, which managed to find common language and
to form an interparliamentary assembly in spite of the differences, we
support the initiative. I am more than sure that if we succeed in creating
such a common Assembly it will be a forum for discussing complex problems
and it will be for the welfare of our countries. It think we should work in
this direction seriously,’ Burjanadze stated.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Hovnanian School
817 River Road
New Milford, NJ 07646
Contact: Vartan Matiossian (201-967-5940)

“Ninety Years after 1915”:
A Lecture by Professor Richard Hovannisian
At the Hovnanian School

On the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, we have much to
remember and much to reflect on. As we look to the past, we should learn
valuable lessons for today and tomorrow.
To this end, the Hovnanian School is organizing a lecture by
Professor Richard Hovannisian, the well-known scholar on modern Armenian
history, which will be held on Thursday, May 12, at 8:00 pm at the school.
Entitled “Looking Backward, Moving Forward: Ninety Years after 1915”, this
lecture will afford a timely opportunity for us to review where we are and
to explore ways to see where we are going.
Richard Hovannisian is professor of History and associate director
of the Grunebaum Center for Near Eastern Studies at the University of
California, Los Angeles. A member of the UCLA faculty since 1962, he holds
the Armenian Educational Foundation Chair in Modern Armenian History. He is
the author of the seminal four-volume “The Republic of Armenia”, which was
preceded by “Armenia on the Road to Independence,” his Ph.D. thesis. He has
edited around twenty volumes of proceedings of conferences, including four
volumes about the Armenian Genocide and the first five volumes of the
ongoing series of UCLA conferences on Armenian Historical Cities and
Provinces, of which already fifteen conferences have been held. He has also
edited the two-volume “The Armenian People from Ancient to Modern Times”,
recently released in paperback format. He is a member of many scholarly
institutions, and also a corresponding member of the National Academy of
Sciences of Armenia.
The Hovnanian School is located at 817 River Road, New Milford, NJ
07646. For further information, call the school office at 201-967-5940 or
email [email protected]. Admission is free, but registration is
suggested ahead of time.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress