1 – Turkish Scholars Acknowledge
The Armenian Genocide on TV Program
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
2- Pashinyan Warns of Another Coronavirus Lockdown
3 – HyeID: Plans Underway to Launch Diaspora Armenian Parliament
4- Armenia’s Armed Forces Repel Azerbaijani Attempts to Breach Border
5- Anouch Toranian Elected Deputy Mayor of Paris
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1 – Turkish Scholars Acknowledge
The Armenian Genocide on TV Program
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
I just found a video in which two Turkish scholars are advocating the
recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the Republic of Turkey. The
discussion took place in 2015 on the 100th anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide. The conversation between Erdogan Aydin and Aydin Chubukchu
is in Turkish with English subtitles on the video. The name of the one
hour and 37 minute-long program is Tower of Babel. The title of the
program is “Facing the Genocide.”
The unnamed Turkish moderator started the program with the following
questions: “What really happened in 1915; what people lived through?
was it a genocide? was it a deportation?”
Here are excerpts from that discussion:
Erdogan Aydin: “Let’s remember that the deportation in 1915, when one
focuses on the details, means the same thing as the genocide of 1948….
If the deportation is not carried out by the consent of the people who
are exiled for their own security — by the way, deportations are not
carried out for this [reason]. It is done to enlarge sovereignty of
states, punish society, settle others if the land is productive. So,
if it is done against the will of the people, if all of them,
including women, children, and the elderly are sent away, then this is
a Crime Against Humanity.”
Moderator: “Davutoglu (former Prime Minister of Turkey) says so. He
says, he repeats everywhere that deportation is a Crime Against
Humanity. He accepts it as such.”
Aydin Chubukchu: “…But when we examine the articles of the 1948
Genocide Convention, we see that they in fact define this practice….”
Erdogan Aydin: “The documents that historians examine are not so
important. What is important is the way of interpretation of those
documents and how a final report would be penned and to serve which
policy. The historian is not someone like a physician in a laboratory.
History is not definite or closed to interpretation. It cannot be
explained by strict cause and effect relations. All those who have
studied the documents and made claims until today are already
historians. Ultimately, those who will settle the question under the
light of facts that historians present are the politicians. Of course,
it is political. When it comes to politics, what historians say is not
so important. Documents, statistics, laws showing the state practice
on the abandoned properties have already showed that the Armenian
people have reached the zero point as they had consisted of a large
population in this country. Where did this people go? Where did this
pedigree go to? The question is so simple. If they were not massacred
then what happened to them? They did not vaporize, did they? As very
well-known facts show, war and the Russian invasion in the region of
Van, Bitlis, etc., until Erzincan were a pretext to exile Armenians
from those lands. How? By being deported. Yes, villages were emptied.
People, including children on foot, bare and hungry, were forced to
walk to Syria. They were deported from Erzurum, Kars, Erzincan and Van
to Syria under the transportation conditions of the time. They could
not reach [Syria] because, according to the plan, unarmed miserable,
naked, hungry civilians, women with their babies, as we see in the
photos behind us, were also attacked by gangs along the way. They were
robbed on the way, held as captives, massacred. Eventually, only one
fourth of the Armenians who were deported from Turkey reached Syria.
Three fourths died on the way. Ottoman documents also accept these
deaths due to epidemics or assaults, [but] they say they had nothing
to do with it. Historical documents are clear. The critical point is
how the state politically will handle and what it will infer from
them. Historians have already done what they should do. Telegram sent
from someone to someone – thousands of documents like this. Thousands
of documents are exposed. No secret document remains. If there is any
secret document, it is a part of the documents transferred from the
Ottoman Empire to Turkey. The documents that prove the genocide by
saying ‘massacre them on the roads while deporting’ are being hidden
of course. We can never see them. As [Turkish journalist] Veysi
Sansozen said yesterday, we demand the evidence of the murder from the
murderer. Does he give? No, he does not. It will never show up.
Documents that Armenians have are rather based on testimonies and
reports prepared by clergy, foreign diplomats, and journalists. Most
of them obviously reflect the entire tragedy. There are photos and
films shot at that time despite very limited opportunities. The
annihilation of the Armenian people is doubtless. They were
annihilated. This is the point.”
Aydin Chubukchu: “Let me add this. This was not done by historians,
but by politicians. Cleaning it is also their job. Secondly, as my
brother Aydin mentioned, the perpetrators of these kinds of jobs
usually delete the documents, use expressions that are not possible to
decipher. So, when a felon oppresses, he tries to fabricate a cover
for it. In fact, the most important document is the actual and
physical eradication of a people from their historical land.”
Erdogan Aydin: “After 100 years have passed from the event, the 100th
anniversary of the genocide should be a turning point. This is how
world public opinion looks at it. Why couldn’t this question be solved
for 100 years? This is a problem. On the other hand, considering
Turkey’s foreign policy and its relations with the West and the US, we
can talk about cornering Turkey. Undoubtedly, this issue is now a
political card. It also has that aspect. But this does not change the
fact that Armenians were annihilated. When one says that the French,
Germans, the Pope want this [recognition], our domestic public opinion
perceives it as if all Christians of the world, all ‘giavours’
[infidels] have united and attacked us. It is obvious that as long as
this crime sticks on them, all Turkish governments and the state will
have trouble. That part interests the state, but the same thing is
also a shame for us and a shame for the Turkish people. We want to get
rid of this. Whoever wants this. But we want it. We are all today
guilty and responsible for the ignominious murder against the Armenian
people. We should feel this. So we want to get rid of this.
Undoubtedly, there is another aspect. Facing the genocide is an
important chapter of our struggle for democracy. If we defend the
ideals of fraternity of peoples and peaceful cohabitation, we should
perform our duties retrospectively too. Additionally, the Armenian
Question is a topic that continuously nurtures fascism and bigotry.
Animosity against Armenians is an essential part of fascist
propaganda. Therefore, in the struggle for democracy, this question
should be settled; genocide should be recognized to break and bury the
arms of fascism, bigotry and chauvinism.”
(Part II, to be continued in the next issue.)
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2- Pashinyan Warns of Another Coronavirus Lockdown
YEREVAN (Azatutyun.am)— Armenia said on Monday, July 13 that it had
extended the state of emergency until Aug. 12.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan warned on Monday, July 6 that his
government will have to impose another nationwide lockdown if Armenian
hospitals are no longer able to cope with the continuing spread of the
coronavirus in the country.
“As soon as we see that our healthcare system is no longer able … to
cater for [infected] citizens we will have no choice but to revert to
the restrictions regime to overcome this situation while realizing
that this is a severe blow to our economy,” Pashinyan told a daily
news briefing.
“I hope that we will after all realize the gravity of the situation
and a change in our behavior will be the instrument with which we will
overcome this epidemic,” he said.
As of Monday, June 29, Armenia has recorded a total of 32,151 cases. A
total of 19,865 of these patients have since recovered while 11,530
cases remain active. The death toll as a direct result of
complications from COVID-19 stands at 573 people.
Speaking at the briefing, Health Minister Arsen Torosyan sought to put
a brave face on this statistics. He said that the daily number of new
cases, which has averaged between 500 and 700 in recent weeks, have
been “relatively stable.”
“Usually epidemics spread explosively, but we are not in such a
situation,” Torosyan said, adding that Armenians have slowed the
spread of the virus by practicing social distancing and wearing face
masks in larger numbers.
Torosyan noted at the same time that there are now very few vacant
beds at the intensive care units of Armenian hospitals treating
COVID-19 patients.
“The situation is now more or less relatively stable, but nobody can
guarantee that it will not be reversed tomorrow,” Pashinyan said in
this regard. “Every day we wait anxiously for the midnight to see how
many new cases have been registered. Unfortunately, there is no
guarantee that at a certain point we won’t have 800, 900 or 1,000
cases a day.”
Arman Badalyan, an epidemiology lecturer at Yerevan State Medical
University, suggested that the health authorities would have already
registered this many new cases had they conducted more coronavirus
tests. The daily number of tests has averaged more than 2,000 for the
past month. About 30 percent of them have come back negative.
“The percentage of positive tests is quite high,” Badalyan said. “It
means that there are many cases and we don’t hunt down all of them, so
to speak.”
Badalyan also insisted that social distancing and masks alone will not
contain the epidemic. The authorities, he said, should also resort to
mass testing and more effective contact tracing. The Armenian
government already issued stay-at-home orders and shut down most
nonessential businesses in late March. But it began easing those
restrictions in mid-April and lifted the lockdown altogether by May
10. The number of new coronavirus cases soared in the following weeks.
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3 – HyeID: Plans Underway to Launch Diaspora Armenian Parliament
GLENDALE—Several years ago, a group of Armenians worldwide began
planning the establishment of a democratically elected Diaspora
Armenian Parliament (DAP). “The launch of this groundbreaking
initiative shall serve to integrate all Diaspora Armenians in a
unified structure. Once this goal is accomplished, the leadership of
the Diaspora Armenian Parliament, and the Republics of Armenia and
Artsakh, elected by their respective constituencies, can claim for the
first time that they represent all Armenians worldwide and make
collective decisions on behalf of the entire nation,” said the HyeID
board members in a statement. “This has been the elusive dream of all
Armenians for several decades, if not centuries. Yet, given the
dispersed nature of the Diaspora, it has been difficult to bring this
cherished dream to reality.”
The initiating group has planned a two-step process for the
establishment of the Diaspora Armenian Parliament.
The first step is HyeID—a non-profit organization, already formed in
California, will expand to Armenian communities throughout the world,
including Armenians living in the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh.
The HyeID organization has three objectives. First is to offer an
identification HyeID card to all Armenians around the globe, including
Armenia and Artsakh, so they could benefit from discounts provided to
them through their purchases of products and services, such as
airlines, hotels, restaurants, shops and many more. The discount
benefits three parties: the HyeID cardholder, the HyeID non-profit
organization (to finance the Diaspora Armenian Parliament and its Pan
Armenian humanitarian projects), and the cardholder’s affiliated or
preferred organization.
Second is that the information about the cardholders will form a
worldwide Armenian database which shall enable unprecedented
collaboration among those involved in science, technology, business,
culture and national security.
Third is that Diaspora HyeID cardholders are considered registered
voters for the eventual formation of the Diaspora Armenian Parliament.
HyeID cardholders will vote for their local representatives to form a
democratically-elected Diaspora Armenian Parliament which will
represent all Armenians living outside of Armenia and Artsakh.
The second step is the formation of the Diaspora Armenian Parliament
(DAP). The DAP is formed through local elections held in each
geographic region. The regions are created by having an equal number
of Diaspora HyeID cardholders eligible for voting, based on the
democratic principle of one person one vote. All HyeID cardholders, in
the Diaspora, who are 18 or older can elect or be elected to DAP.
The benefits of DAP would be: to awaken the Diaspora’s silent
majority; create a synergy with all existing Armenian organizations;
provide the Diaspora with a representative and collective voice and
the ability to participate in Pan Armenian issues; resolve local
Armenian community needs; form an effective political clout; preserve
and advance Armenian national identity; coordinate and advance the
national objectives of the Diaspora, Armenia and Artsakh; and organize
repatriation to the homeland.
“The Diaspora Armenian Parliament will not compete with any of the
existing Armenian organizations, but will complement their efforts,
giving Armenians a greater strength to resolve their litany of
challenges,” said the HyeID board members.
The HyeID board members are: Harut Sassounian of Glendale, Calif.
(Chairman); Hagop Nazarian of Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. (Vice
Chairman); Levon Thorose of Westchester, Calif. (Vice Chairmen);
Razmig D. Garakhanian of Glendale, Calif. (Secretary); Thomas
Alexanian of Glendale, Calif. (Treasurer); Hovel Chenorhokian of
Paris, France (Board Member); Tigran Harutunyan of Yerevan, Armenia
(Board Member); John E. Shirajian of Glendale, Calif. (Board Member);
Aram Ter-Martirosyan of Glendale, Calif. (Board Member); Mike Baronian
of Tofen, Switzerland (Board Member); and Levon Beklaryan of Moscow,
Russia (Board Member).
The HyeID Board of Directors “call on all Armenians worldwide to
become part of this ground breaking initiative and fulfill the much
awaited realization of a dream of Diaspora Armenians to have a
democratically-elected unified and self-sufficient structure.”
For more information, visit
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4- Armenia’s Armed Forces Repel Azerbaijani Attempts to Breach Border
The situation on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border remained tense on
Monday, July 13 after a day of fighting that was sparked by
Azerbaijani forces attempting to infiltrate and capture a military
border post in Armenia. According to Armenia’s Defense Ministry, the
Armenian Armed Forces repelled the incursion efforts, but shelling of
Armenian civilian targets continued throughout Sunday and into Monday.
At around 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, Azerbaijani troops began shelling a
military outpost in the Tavush Province of Armenia with Azerbaijani
soldiers driving a military combat vehicle toward the border.
According to the Defense Ministry, Armenian soldiers issued warnings,
after which the Azerbaijani soldiers abandoned the vehicle and
retreated. Shortly after, the Azerbaijani troops launched an attack
and attempted to capture the Armenian military position by using
artillery fire. Azerbaijani troops suffered losses and were repelled.
The same Armenian position once again came under artillery and tank
fire from Azerbaijani hours later.
Armenia’s Defense Ministry spokesperson Shushan Stepanyan said there
were no fatalities on the Armenian side. Azerbaijan’s defense ministry
reported that four of its soldiers died during the failed operation.
On Monday, the Azerbaijani military fired mortar rockets on the
Armenian village of Chinari in the Tavush Province hitting a
residence. No casualties were reported.
Armenian Armed Forces on Monday shot down several Azerbaijani drones
that were deployed as fighting escalated on the border in Tavush
Province.
Images of one of the downed drones show the remnants of what appears
to be either a Thunder-B recon drone, or a Skystriker combat
drone—both manufactured in Israel.
Azerbaijan had deployed the Thunder-B drones during the April 2016
War. The Skystriker drones are relatively new, and were unveiled by
Azerbaijan during a military parade in January 2019.
During an emergency cabinet meeting on Monday, Prime Minister Nikol
Pashinyan warned Azerbaijan that its military-political leadership
will bear the entire responsibility for the consequences of efforts to
destabilize the region.
Last week, in an interview broadcast by local television outlets,
President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan challenged the principle of
resolving the Karabakh conflict through peaceful means and asserted
that his country had a right to defend itself, calling the effort of
international mediators who expressly said that there would be no
military solution to the conflict, “meaningless.” Less than a week
after Aliyev’s statements, Azerbaijan forces launched the attack on
Armenia’s borders.
Pashinyan accused official Baku of having no regard for human life,
including those of Azerbaijani soldiers. He cited Azerbaijan’s refusal
to join the United Nations Secretary General’s call for a global
ceasefire during the COVID-19 pandemic. The prime minister also took
aim at Turkey, whose foreign ministry issued a statement decrying what
it called “yet another manifestation of Armenia’s aggressive
nationalism.”
“Turkey will continue, with all its capacity, to stand by Azerbaijan
in its struggle to protect its territorial integrity,” said the
Turkish foreign ministry statement.
“Turkey’s actions on provoking regional instability is also
concerning,” said Pashinyan. “It is best reflected in the official
statement of the Turkish foreign ministry where the latter is
expressing unconditional support to Azerbaijan’s actions with an
obvious and already traditional anti-Armenian logic.”
“This provocative attitude by Turkey and its groundless accusations
against Armenia attest to the fact that this country has been acting
not as a member of the OSCE Minsk Group but as a party involved in the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” read a ministry statement. “This fact
makes it even more impossible for Turkey to play any role in issues
related to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within international and
particularly the OSCE framework.”
“Azerbaijan’s attack-and-blame game is only possible because Aliyev’s
been allowed to block the investigative mechanisms – gunfire locators
and observers – that would hold it accountable for its cross-border
aggression,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “If Baku
wants the world to believe its anti-Armenian finger-pointing, it
should be championing – not obstructing – the Royce-Engel peace
proposal.”
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5- Anouch Toranian Elected Deputy Mayor of Paris
PARIS — French-Armenian Anouch Toranian has been elected Deputy Mayor
of Paris, becoming the first elected representative of Armenian
descent to a post of this level of responsibility in the French
capital. She will be in charge of community life, citizen
participation and public debate.
Born in Paris in 1991, Anouch Toranian holds Master’s degree in Public
Law and International Relations from the Panthéon-Assas University and
a Master’s in Public Administration from the Paris Institute of
Political Studies. She began her professional career in various public
administrations and at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In 2018 she was appointed director of the French branch of the
Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU).
The election comes in the wake of the campaign for the recent
municipal election, where she was head of Anne Hildago’s list in the
15th arrondissement.
Anne Hidalgo won reelection in the French capital on June 28.
Hidalgo, Mayor since 2014, beat conservative candidate Rachida Dati in
France’s municipal elections, winning 50.2 percent of the ballot
compared to Dati’s 32 percent. Agnes Buzyn trailed in with just 16
percent. She was backed by the Europe Ecology – The Greens party
(EELV), which gained strong influence nationwide in Sunday’s voting.
French Armenian Jeanne Barseghian was elected Mayor of Strasbourg.
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