Author: Garnik Tadevosian

Armenian healthcare minister in Turkey for WHO European Region meeting

Garnik Tadevosian

Armenian healthcare minister in Turkey for WHO European Region meeting

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14:45, 14 February, 2019

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 14, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Minister of Healthcare Arsen Torosyan is in Turkey for the World Health Organization (WHO) ministerial and high-level meeting of the European Region that is taking place in Istanbul, the ministry said.

The Armenian minister delivered remarks, emphasizing that healthcare and disease prevention is a priority all around the world.

“Regional actions are certainly important in these conditions, because infectious disease agents and their carriers do not know borders, they don’t know countries or nationalities, ecological and natural disasters can spread and threaten entire continents, the entire world. The 2005 International Healthcare regulations were aimed at the prevention of the international spread of such events. Armenia, with the purpose of introducing these regulations, is continuously demonstrating political will and is providing necessary resources. In terms of requirements of the regulations, maintaining public health from all dangers, readiness and response for emergency situations, as well as coordinated actions are noteworthy. The latter concerns domestically, as well as regionally and globally,” he said, speaking about the fundamental changes of natural and social conditions in present days.

During the visit the Armenian healthcare minister also held meetings with counterparts from Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, as well as the deputy minister of healthcare of Georgia.

Turkmen healthcare minister Nurmuhammed Amanepesov invited Torosyan to visit Turkmenistan in April. Torosyan’s Uzbek counterpart Alisher Shadmanov made a similar offer.

Torosyan has other meetings scheduled during the visit, including with the Armenian community.

A 3-day ministerial consultation and high-level technical meeting will take place in Istanbul, Turkey, on 12–14 February 2019, to galvanize the commitment of Member States to full implementation of the first Action Plan to Improve Public Health Preparedness and Response in the WHO European Region.

Following a resolution of the 68th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe which welcomed the Action Plan with appreciation, this meeting will set out the path for a shared vision of coordinated governance and accountability, establish a monitoring and evaluation framework, and identify key areas of action to successfully carry out the Action Plan at the country level.

 

Participants from 53 countries of the European Region are invited to attend plenary and working group sessions facilitated by WHO experts to:

  • align efforts to improve public health preparedness and response across the European Region around a common vision of governance and shared accountability;
  • discuss the establishment of an oversight structure and monitoring and evaluation framework for the implementation of the Action Plan;
  • share experiences and promote dialogue on synergies, good practices and common challenges between Member States, WHO and partners for the implementation of the Action Plan.
  • identify priority areas where support is required from WHO and partners, as well as innovative approaches for the improvement of public health preparedness and response.

Ultimately, the meeting will aim at ensuring the sustained commitment and leadership of all governments to achieve full implementation of the Action Plan in the European Region.

Adequate protection against all health hazards requires high-level political and financial commitment to address the full cycle of emergency management – including prevention, preparedness, response and recovery – supported by whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches.

This was the rationale behind the development of the Action Plan.

The Action Plan aims to strengthen and maintain national capacities to effectively prevent, prepare for, detect and respond to public health threats, and to provide assistance to affected countries, when necessary, through three strategic pillars:

  1. Build, strengthen and maintain States Parties’ core capacities required under the International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005);
  2. Strengthen event management and compliance with the requirements under the IHR (2005);
  3. Measure progress and promote accountability.

The IHR (2005) provide an international legal framework for countries worldwide to protect people from epidemics and other health emergencies. Since their entry into force, WHO has been actively supporting countries in the European Region to implement and maintain IHR core capacities to prevent, prepare, detect and respond to public health threats. Within the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, the IHR are a crucial tool for the management of health emergencies, including disease outbreaks, disasters and environmental crises.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan




Submission – Turkey’s Islamized Armenians – Do They Matter to You? An Interview with Raffi Bedrosyan

Garnik Tadevosian
https://massispost.com/2019/02/turkeys-islamized-armenians-do-they-matter-to-you-an-interview-with-raffi-bedrosyan/
Turkey’s Islamized Armenians – Do They Matter to You? An Interview with Raffi Bedrosyan
By Anoush Melkonian, London (14 Feb. 2019)
Do Turkey’s Hidden or Islamized Armenians matter to you? They do to Raffi Bedrosyan, an intrepid Canadian-Armenian, who spent over a decade championing the rights of these little known, and much misunderstood, Armenians. His foray was chronicled in several dozen articles which are now included in a full length book, disclosing details of his tumultuous journey. Congratulations Mr. Bedrosyan on your new book, Trauma and Resilience: Armenians in Turkey – Hidden, Not Hidden and No Longer Hidden.
Q. How did you embark on your journey to discover Turkey’s Islamised Armenians?
A. It was Hrant Dink who triggered my interest in the hidden Armenians. He was obsessed with them, kept on saying: ‘We always talk about the dead and the gone after 1915, it is time to start talking about the living and the remaining’. In conversations with him, when I asked: ‘How do you know they are hidden Armenians?’, his response really got to me as he said: ‘I know them from their eyes, and they know that I know’. Then, when I got involved with the reconstruction of the Diyarbakir Sourp Giragos Church, I saw hundreds of hidden Armenians with my own eyes, and I did connect with them. I decided that the existence of large numbers of hidden Armenians is a reality which must be shared with other Armenians in Armenia and the Diaspora.
Q. Did you have any ethical guidelines as when you started probing the issue of Islamised Armenians?
A. In my opinion, if someone has an ethnic origin as Armenian, regardless of religion as Christian, Moslem, agnostic, or atheist, that person is Armenian. People may choose or change their religion, but they have no choice to choose their own ethnic origins, and if they have decided to return to their original roots, language and culture, no one has the right to prevent it, or pass judgment against it. I would, therefore, welcome those Islamised Armenians who wished to return to their Armenian roots and identity, regardless of their religion. We must remember that these people are making a conscious decision to come out as Armenians, despite all the dangers and risks of losing their livelihood, facing discrimination and threats from their friends, neighbours and even their own family members.
Q. You have written around 50 articles on Turkey’s Islamised Armenians. What kind of feedback did you get from your Armenian readers?
A. Many readers are surprised when they find out about this new reality of hidden Armenians. Their feedback is mostly positive, and they are moved reading the incredible survival stories or the desire to return to Armenian roots, but there is also suspicion that the hidden Armenians are not real Armenians, or should not be accepted as real Armenians until and unless they renounce Islam and convert to Christianity.
Q. What has been the reaction of Turks to your work?
A. Apart from the normally negative reaction of the majority of Turks who are conditioned by the denialist version of state history, there were surprisingly large numbers of Turkish readers who were thankful to hear about new facts about Armenians, or hidden Armenians, especially well known Turkish artists, authors, architects or politicians who turned out to be Armenians. I also received many many confidential letters from Turks who opened up to me to reveal their hidden Armenian identities.
Q. How have you changed in the course of your journey? Did you re-examine some of your own thoughts?
A. My first contact with the hidden Armenians was limited to the Diyarbakir area, triggered by the Sourp Giragos Church reconstruction. But soon after the opening of the church, my first concert there and a few articles that I wrote related to these events, hundreds of hidden Armenians started contacting me from various other regions of Turkey. It was such a revelation to realize that the hidden Armenians are spread across east, southeast and northeast Turkey in large numbers, as well as in major cities in the west. I decided it was not enough just to write about the hidden Armenians, but we must plan to help the ones who wish to return to their roots. I started by helping organize Armenian language classes in Diyarbakir, Dersim and Istanbul. Then came the planning of trips to Armenia, in cooperation with the Armenian Ministry of Diaspora. As these activities and my articles describing these activities became well known, more and more hidden Armenians from different regions started ‘coming out’, establishing contacts with me, but more importantly with one another across Turkey. I decided to formalize our activities by naming the initiative ‘Project Rebirth’, which established a vast network of hidden Armenians, providing interaction, communication and support among the hidden Armenians.
Q. You have not been back to Diyarbakir since the fighting in the region in 2015. Do you have any plans to go back soon?
A. Unfortunately, the clashes between the Turkish state and Kurdish militants drastically affected the entire population in the east and southeast Turkey, including the hidden Armenians. Thousands of buildings and entire neighbourhoods were destroyed, several buildings were seized and expropriated by the Turkish state, including the Diyarbakir Sourp Giragos Church and all the properties belonging to the Church Foundation. The beautifully reconstructed church was converted to military headquarters for the state security forces, resulting in much damage and plunder of the church. Thankfully, the Church Foundation officials were able to overturn the expropriation legislation, and we are hopeful that in the very near future, the government will restart the repair of the church at its expense. I am not planning to go back to Turkey until peace and democracy is restored.
Q. What is the status of the city now and its hidden and not-so-hidden Armenians?
A. Diyarbakir is still a city under siege. Certain neighbourhoods are no-entry zones, including the area around Sourp Giragos Church. The hidden and not so hidden Armenians have suffered along with the rest of the local population. Some have lost their homes, others have lost their jobs. It is impossible under these circumstances to think of any Armenian social activities, language classes or trips to Armenia, as people are back into survival mode. Instead of organizing such activities, Project Rebirth now provides a support mechanism arranging for relocations, contacts or legal help.
Q. What do you hope to do next?
A. Although conditions are not favourable at present, my hope is to be able to restart our work with the hidden Armenians, to help those who wish to return to their Armenian roots, language, culture, or in some cases, to Christianity. I know many hidden Armenians also have the same hopes, as they still keep on learning the Armenian language online in their homes, keep in touch with one another across many regions of Turkey, marry one another, give Armenian names to their newborn, and travel overseas to get baptized. I fully expect the Sourp Giragos Church to be repaired in the near future, where the hidden Armenians again will gather for monthly breakfast meetings, concerts, language classes, social events, baptisms and weddings. I also expect to resume our trips for the hidden Armenians from various regions of Turkey to Armenia, bringing back hope for dialogue between Turks and Armenians, based on historic facts towards a peaceful future.
Raffi Bedrosyan, Trauma and Resilience: Armenians in Turkey – Hidden, Not Hidden and No Longer Hidden, with introductions by Fethiye Çetin and Taner Akçam, London: Gomidas Institute, 2019, xx + 226 pages, maps, photos. ISBN 978-1-909382-46-6, paperback, Price: UK£20.00 / US$25.00 / CAN$35.00. For more information, see . To order, just send your request with your mailing address to [email protected].

Azerbaijani Press: Lebanese newspaper editor-in-chief: Karabakh is Azerbaijan’s historical land

Garnik Tadevosian
AzerTag, Azerbaijan
Feb 13 2019
 
Lebanese newspaper editor-in-chief: Karabakh is Azerbaijan’s historical land
 
AzerTAg.az
 
13.02.2019 [21:48]
Gusar, February 13, AZERTAC
 
“Karabakh is Azerbaijan’s territory, which is evidenced by history. Azerbaijan is the right side in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” Michel El-Zbaidi, editor-in-chief of Lebanese newspaper Cedar News, has told AZERTAC as he visited Gusar as part of a delegation of Qatari and Lebanese media representatives. “We will highlight the Nagorno-Karabakh problem in the press upon our return,” he said.
 
El-Zbaidi hailed Azerbaijan’s tourism potential. “Azerbaijan has numerous must-see places that we haven’t encountered anywhere else. Tourists may find here rich culture and history that they’ve been looking for. Our job is to inform readers about such locations,” he noted.
 

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 02/11/2019

Garnik Tadevosian 
                                        Monday, 
Armenian Mayors Warned Against Engaging In Business
Armenia - Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian arrives for a conference on local 
government in Yerevan, .
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on Monday warned heads of local government 
bodies in Armenia to stop abusing their position to enrich themselves and their 
cronies or face prosecution.
Speaking at a conference attended by hundreds of local government officials, 
Pashinian complained that the mayors of many Armenian towns and villages have 
long owned or benefited from lucrative businesses located in their communities.
“I want to make clear that public service cannot and must not be perceived as a 
business activity by not only the prime minister, ministers and National 
Assembly deputies but also the community heads and local council members,” he 
said in a speech at the conference organized by the government.
“The primary and sole aim of a state official must be to multiply public, 
rather than personal or parochial, enrichment,” he said. “And I want us to 
again conclude that in the new Armenia there can be no such practices or their 
continuation.”
Pashinian said that his government is giving such officials a chance to “change 
ways in the changing reality.” “Those who don’t make use of that chance will be 
dealt with by law-enforcement bodies,” he warned.
Pashinian and his political team pledged to root out widespread government 
corruption in Armenia when they swept to power in May on a wave of mass 
protests commonly known as the “velvet revolution.” There has been a sharp 
increase in corruption investigations launched by law-enforcement authorities 
since then.
Town and village mayors have been one of the main targets of these inquiries. 
Investigators have alleged serious misuse and embezzlement of public funds in 
dozens of communities across the country.
Pashinian said that corrupt local officials now hope that his administration’s 
anti-corruption drive will lose momentum and that they will again be able to 
line their pockets. “Please do not have such hopes,” he told them. “There will 
be no return to the old ways. I mean it in the political, economic and all 
other senses.”
“The only thing that will happen in Armenia is the elimination of corruption 
and corrupt officials,” he added.
Conversely, Pashinian pledged support for those local government chiefs who 
will steer clear of any corrupt practices. “We will do everything to assist and 
stand by them and make their work more effective,” he said.
Official Sanguine About West's Reaction To Armenian Deployment In Syria
        • Ruzanna Stepanian
SYRIA -- A picture taken on March 17, 2018, shows portraits of Russian 
President Vladimir Putin and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad at a jewellery 
shop in Aleppo.
A senior Armenian lawmaker expressed confidence on Monday that Western powers 
will not rebuke Armenia for deploying military personnel to Syria with Russia’s 
support.
The Armenian Defense Ministry sent 83 medics, demining experts and other 
military personnel to the Syrian city of Aleppo on Friday. It said they will 
help civilians and clear landmines left behind from the continuing bloody 
conflict in the Arab state.
The ministry attributed the deployment to “the severe humanitarian situation” 
in Aleppo, “written requests from the Syrian side,” and the existence of an 
Armenian community in Syria.
Andranik Kocharian, the pro-government chairman of the Armenian parliament 
committee on defense and security, said that the thousands of ethnic Armenians 
in the war-ravaged city will now “feel safer.”
“Our Western partners will definitely understand this [deployment] because we 
are talking first and foremost about our [ethnic Armenian] compatriots living 
in Syria,” Kocharian told RFE/RL’s Armenian service.
Armenia’s plans to send military personnel to Syria were first announced by 
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian in September following his talks with Russian 
President Vladimir Putin held in Moscow.
John Bolton, the U.S. national security adviser, discussed the issue with 
Pashinian and Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan when he visited Yerevan in 
October. Bolton warned them against sending combat troops to aid Syrian 
government forces or their allies.
The United States and the European Union have been very critical of the Russian 
military intervention in Syria which helped President Bashar Al-Assad’s regime 
gain the upper hand in the brutal civil war.
The Armenian deployment came as Tonoyan held talks in Moscow with Russia’s 
Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu.The latter thanked Yerevan for its “humanitarian 
assistance” to Syria.
Armenia - Andranik Kocharian, the chairman of the parliament committee on 
defense and security, January 30, 2019.
Kocharian claimed that the Armenian government itself initiated the dispatch of 
the sappers, medics and other servicemen tasked with protecting them. Russia is 
“naturally very happy” with their deployment, he said.
Meanwhile, a senior opposition lawmaker denounced the government for sending 
the contingent to Syria without consulting with the Armenian parliament.
“The authorities constantly talk about a transparent work style and increasing 
[the government’s] accountability. This action runs counter to that,” said 
Gevorg Gorgisian of the Bright Armenia Party (LHK).
“Maybe [the deployment] was necessary,” said Gorgisian. “But they should have 
talked about that. The National Assembly should have known why they are doing 
that.”
Gorgisian also warned of the move’s possible negative “consequences” for 
Armenia’s relations with the U.S. and the EU.
Ex-Minister Suspends Membership In Armenia’s Former Ruling Party
        • Naira Nalbandian
Armenia - Justice Minister Arpine Hovannisian speaks to journalists during a 
congress of the ruling Republican Party, November 26, 2016.
Former Justice Minister Arpine Hovannisian said on Monday that she has 
suspended her membership in the former ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) 
in order to start a law practice and run a new think-tank.
She indicated that she will join the ranks of those attorneys who do not 
hesitate to defend presently unpopular individuals.
Hovannisian, 35, served as justice minister from 2015-2017 before becoming a 
deputy speaker of the former Armenian parliament elected in April 2017. She has 
been one of the most vocal HHK critics of the country’s current leadership 
which ousted HHK leader Serzh Sarkisian from power last spring.
The once powerful party narrowly failed to clear the 5 percent vote threshold 
to enter the new parliament elected in December. It is still headed by 
Sarkisian.
In a Facebook post, Hovannisian announced that she is joining, as a partner, a 
law and consulting firm that was recently founded by Davit Harutiunian, another 
senior HHK figure and former justice minister.
An HHK representative told RFE/RL’s Armenian service that Harutiunian remains 
formally affiliated with the party. At least two other former members of 
Sarkisian’s government also work for the firm called Davit and Partners.
Hovannisian, who is a lawyer by education, also revealed that she has set up a 
non-governmental organization that will analyze political developments and 
propose solutions to challenges facing Armenia.
“I will continue my active involvement in political and social processes, carry 
out in-depth analyses of decisions made [by the authorities] and will not shy 
away from voicing strong criticism if need be,” she wrote.
“It is essential that my views voiced at this stage are not viewed in the light 
of a political trajectory or party affiliation. This is especially important in 
the context of my decision to set up a non-governmental organization,” the 
former minister added, explaining the suspension of her HHK membership.
Turkey Returns Tractor Stolen From Armenian Farmer
        • Satenik Kaghzvantsian
Armenia -- Gor Karapetian, a farmer from Haykavan village, shows his tractor 
that was stolen on the Turkish border in September, .
Authorities in Turkey have found and transported back to neighboring Armenia a 
tractor that was stolen from an Armenian farmer in September.
Gor Karapetian, who lives in a village in the northwestern Shirak province, was 
cutting hay near an Armenian-Turkish border post when his tractor broke down 
late in the evening. The vehicle vanished before he came back to the grass 
field the next morning in hopes of repairing it.
An Armenian law-enforcement body launched a criminal investigation after 
Karapetian alerted Russian border guards deployed along the closed frontier. 
The investigation was suspended three months later, with no suspects identified.
The tractor was subsequently found in Turkish territory. Turkish authorities 
shipped it back to Armenia on February 6.
“We towed it back to the village,” Karapetian told RFE/RL’s Armenian service. 
“They say that the tractor was found buried under hay.”
The farmer said that the 30-year-old tractor was looted and vandalized by the 
thieves. They also stole a hay rake that was attached to the tractor, he said, 
adding that he did not get it back.
“[The hay rake] is worth 2.5 million drams ($5,200) and the tractor 7.2 million 
drams,” claimed Karapetian. He said he does not know who could compensate him 
for the damage.
Turkey has kept its border with Armenia completely closed since 1993 because of 
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Despite tight security on the Armenian side of 
the frontier, residents of nearby Armenian villages have occasionally reported 
cross-border theft of their livestock.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2019 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
www.rferl.org

Turkish Press: Turkey’s main opposition condemns France move on 1915 events

Garnik Tadevosian
Anadolu Agency (AA), Turkey
February 6, 2019 Wednesday
Turkey’s main opposition condemns France move on 1915 events
 
Erdogan Cagatay Zontur
 
Macron’s plans to mark so-called Armenian genocide on national day ‘groundless’, ‘unnecessary’, says CHP leader Kilicdaroglu
ANKARA
 
The leader of Turkey’s main opposition party on Wednesday strongly condemned French move to declare April 24 as a national day marking the so-called Armenian genocide.
 
“Tertiary countries cannot erase the traces of this tragedy and heal the wounds with groundless and unnecessary decisions,” Kemal Kilicdaroglu, chair of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), said in a written statement.
 
Kilicdaroglu’s remarks came as a blast at French President Emmanuel Macron over his plan to commemorate so-called Armenian genocide on April 24.
 
The main opposition leader said 1915 events are “traumatic” for Turkish and Armenian people, leaving “deep wounds” in collective memories of the two communities.
 
Speaking of painful events of the past does not help reconstructing a bridge between the Turkey and Armenia, Kilicdaroglu said.
 
“Action should be taken to rule out disintegration between Turkey and Armenia, new generations should see the future in a peaceful way, not in conflicts,” Kilicdaroglu noted.
 
Macron announced in early hours of Wednesday on Twitter that “In the coming weeks, France will make April 24 a day for commemoration of the [so-called] Armenian genocide.”
 
Turkey’s position is that the deaths of Armenians in eastern Anatolia in 1915 took place when some sided with invading Russians and revolted against Ottoman forces. A subsequent relocation of Armenians resulted in numerous casualties.
 
Ankara does not accept the alleged genocide, but acknowledges that there were casualties on both sides during the events of World War I.
 
Turkey objects to the presentation of the incidents as “genocide” but describes the 1915 events as a tragedy for both sides.
 
Ankara has repeatedly proposed the creation of a joint commission of historians from Turkey and Armenia plus international experts to tackle the issue.
 
Turkey has also decried Western hypocrisy in alleging a genocide while ignoring their own dark history, including France’s colonialist record in Algeria.

Azerbaijani citizen applies to Karabakh Foreign Ministry for granting him citizenship

Garnik Tadevosian
News.am, Armenia
Feb 6 2019
Azerbaijani citizen applies to Karabakh Foreign Ministry for granting him citizenship Azerbaijani citizen applies to Karabakh Foreign Ministry for granting him citizenship

22:46, 06.02.2019
                  

A citizen of Azerbaijan, Rashad Alizade, has applied to the Foreign Ministry of Artsakh for granting him citizenship of Artsakh, Artsakhpress reported quoting a source close to Artsakh MFA informed, adding that no other information is available.   

Alternative energy a prospective field for Armenia: President Sarkissian continues meetings with French business circles

Garnik Tadevosian

Alternative energy a prospective field for Armenia: President Sarkissian continues meetings with French business circles  

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10:00, 7 February, 2019

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 7, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian, who is in Paris on a working visit, met with famous French businessman Henri Proglio, the former Chairman of the Board and CEO of Electricité de France and former CEO of Veolia Environnement, the Armenian Presidential Office told Armenpress.

The Armenian President and the French businessman discussed the cooperation opportunities and prospects in the field of nature protection, energy, water resource effective management.

President Sarkissian specifically highlighted the great potential in the field of alternative energy and the opportunity to implement joint programs. He stated that Armenia is rich of renewable energy resources, and the alternative energy is a prospective business field for our country.

The sides agreed that the businessman, who has a great experience in the aforementioned fields, will visit Armenia in coming months to get acquainted with the opportunities, continue the discussions and give more subjective process to the partnership.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan




Asbarez: AYF-Organized Walk Unites Community In Response to Hate Crimes at Schools

Garnik Tadevosian
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ENCINO, Calif.—Nearly 200 Armenian students, parents, teachers, professionals, and activists marched in a community-wide walk in the San Fernando Valley on February 1 in a sign of solidarity to two Armenian schools, where hate crimes were committed. The walk was initiated and led by the Armenian Youth Federation-Western United States San Fernando Valley “Sardarabad” Chapter.

The walk was organized as a show of community unity and resilience in response to the vandalism that occurred at both Holy Martyrs Ferrahian High School and AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School—an incident that the Los Angeles Police Department is currently investigating as a hate crime. In the early morning hours of Tuesday January 29, multiple Turkish flags were placed at both schools, which received condemnations from multiple Armenian community organizations, LA City Councilmembers, and the LA City Attorney’s office, among others.

The walk began at 4 p.m. at Holy Martyrs Ferrahian High School, where participants were briefed on safety precautions, equipped with signs, provided the Armenian and American flags, and reminded of the purpose of the walk. LAPD was present to maintain order during the walk, while AYF members and high school students served as monitors, ensuring that participants stayed together while on the sidewalk. The walk consisted of an approximate 2-mile trek to the intersection of Ventura Boulevard and Louise Avenue, followed by a return to the school. Signs, flags, and music served to add to the public display of unity by members of both the affected schools’ communities.

“Although participation was not mandated, students, faculty, and staff along with parents showed their support to the schools and community by voluntarily participating in big numbers”, commented Sossi Shanlian, principal of Holy Martyrs Ferrahian High School.

Examples of signs carried by participants read “Ferrahian Stands Strong,” “AGBU Against Hate Crimes,” and “Love, Not Hate.”

Arpi Avanesian, principal of AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School, commented: “Incidents like the one that happened will continue, unfortunately, despite all the condemnations and support. It is up to us to remain united against such tests of our resolve in abolishing hate from our lives forever and pursuing justice and recognition of the Genocide that the Armenian nation endured.”

“It’s very important for the community to express their solidarity with the Armenian students of Holy Martyrs Ferrahian High School and AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School following the hate crimes that took place last Tuesday,” said Karine Khodanian, a member of the AYF San Fernando Valley “Sardarabad” Chapter’s executive body. “I felt so proud as a Ferrahian alumna to witness the resilience of the younger generation to step up and show that these type of acts in our community are intolerable and unacceptable.”

Following the walk, the boys’ freshman and sophomore and girls’ junior varsity basketball teams of both Holy Martyrs Ferrahian High School and AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School played their scheduled games against one another.

Founded in 1933 with organizational structures in over 17 regions around the world and a legacy of over eighty years of community involvement, the Armenian Youth Federation is the largest and most influential Armenian-American youth organization in the world, working to advance the social, political, educational, and cultural awareness of Armenian youth.

Sports: Armenia’s Bachkov achieves win for Team Europe

Garnik Tadevosian
News.am, Armenia
Feb 3 2019

2017 European champion and world championship bronze medalist Hovhannes Bachkov (Armenia) competed in the bouts between the European and Asian boxing champions, in the Czech capital city of Prague, the Boxing Federation of Armenia press service informed.

Bachkov (64 kg), who fought for Team Europe, defeated 2017 Asian championship silver medalist Baatarsükhiin Chinzorig (Mongolia) with a huge advantage, and Team Europe won by a score of 4-3.

The California Courier Online, January 17, 2019

Garnik Tadevosian
The California Courier Online, January 18, 2019

1 –        Commentary

            Turkey Ranks Among Top 10 Countries

            With Probability of Committing Genocide

            By Harut Sassounian

            Publisher, The California Courier

            www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

2-         US Senate Confirms Envoys Litzenberger, Tracy to Armenia
and Azerbaijan

3-         Jermuk Community Council Votes to Ban Metal Mining

4 –        Fresno Business Groups Cancel Meeting With Turkish
Agricultural Delegation

5-         Erdogan could face arrest in Sweden over ‘genocide’ lawsuit

6-         Rolling Stones fan accuses band of discriminating against
disabled people

7-         Haratch Newspaper Archives Available in Digital Format Thanks to ARAM

******************************************

******************************************

1 –        Commentary

            Turkey Ranks Among Top 10 Countries

            With Probability of Committing Genocide

            By Harut Sassounian

            Publisher, The California Courier

            www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

According to the Early Warning Project of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial
Museum, Turkey is ranked 8th among countries with the highest risk of
committing mass killings. Azerbaijan is wrongly ranked much lower at
87th and Armenia is correctly ranked even lower at 102nd. Turkey is
assessed as having 11.2 percent, or 1 in 9 chance of new mass killings
during 2019.

The Early Warning Project stated that “genocides are never
spontaneous. They are always preceded by a range of early warning
signs. If these signs are detected, their causes can be addressed,
preventing the potential for catastrophic progression.”

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s founding charter,
written by Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, states that “only a
conscious, concerted attempt to learn from past errors can prevent
recurrence to any racial, religious, ethnic or national group. A
memorial unresponsive to the future would also violate the memory of
the past.”

Turkey’s high risk of committing genocide once again is based on its
past and present actions. The Turkish government has not only
committed genocide against Armenians, Assyrians and Greeks a century
ago, but continues to commit mass killings against its minority
Kurdish population. Even more concerning is the fact that Turkish
leaders deny their history of mass murders and shamefully remain
unapologetic, which leads to the commission of new crimes against
humanity.

Turkey’s genocidal risk assessment is understated as the study only
includes mass killings within a country, excluding the victims of
interstate conflict. As Turkey has been involved in large-scale
military attacks against Kurds in Syria and Iraq, and threatens to
expand its military actions in Northern Syria, the risk of its
commitment of mass crimes is much higher than the study indicates.

The Early Warning Project explains that the failed coup attempt in
2016 increased the chances of mass killings in Turkey. Over 100,000
military and civilian personnel were dismissed and tens of thousands
were imprisoned, many without a trial. “Other [Turkish genocide] risk
factors include a lack of freedom of movement, the country’s anocratic
regime type [a mix of autocratic and democratic characteristics], a
large population, a history of mass killings, and the ongoing armed
conflict between the government and Kurdish rebels.”

Turkish Journalist Jailed for Telling the Truth

An Istanbul court sentenced Turkish journalist Pelin Unker to
imprisonment for 13 months and 15 days after being accused of defaming
her nation’s former Prime Minister and two of his sons. She was also
fined $1,615 on January 8, 2018.

Unker had written an article in the Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet,
exposing that former Prime Minister Binali Yildirim and his two sons
owned five shipping companies in Malta. After serving as Prime
Minister for two years, Yildirim became Speaker of Turkey’s
Parliament. He is currently a candidate for Mayor of Istanbul on
behalf of Pres. Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Yildirim family’s ownership of companies in Malta was exposed by the
“Paradise Papers” and published in newspapers around the world. As I
had reported in my June 2017 article, the Yildirim family owned the
following shipping and other foreign assets worth $140 million:

— 18 ships (Dutch conglomerates, fully or partly owned)

— 1 ship (Netherlands Antilles company)

— 4 Malta companies

— 7 properties in the Netherlands

— 8 ships in the Netherlands

— 3 ships in Malta

Strangely, Pelin Unker was the only journalist punished for exposing
the Yildirim assets. Unker said she will appeal the unfair sentence as
Yildirim acknowledged in court that he owned the companies in an
offshore tax haven. The former Prime Minister and his sons filed a
lawsuit in November 2017, accusing Unker of “insulting and slandering
a public official.”

Gerard Ryle, Director of the International Consortium of Independent
Journalists, condemned Unker’s punishment “as yet another disgraceful
attack on free speech in Turkey.” Ryle added: “the sentence ignored
the truth of the Paradise Papers’ investigation and it would have a
chilling effect on what little remained of press freedom in Turkey.
This unjust ruling is about silencing fair and accurate reporting.
Nothing more. ICIJ commends Pelin Unker’s brave and truthful
investigative reporting and it condemns this latest assault on
journalistic freedom under Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s
autocratic rule.”

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) ranked Turkey 157th of 180 countries
on the 2018 World Free Press Index. RSF described Turkey as “the
world’s biggest prison for professional journalists!”

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2-         US Senate Confirms Envoys Litzenberger, Tracy to Armenia
and Azerbaijan

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Armenia and Azerbaijan will be starting 2019 with two
new U.S. ambassadors following the Senate’s January 2nd confirmation
of Lynne Tracy and Earle Litzenberger to the postings—a vote taken
following sustained Senate Foreign Relations Committee scrutiny of
U.S. policy on the Armenian Genocide, Azerbaijan’s regional aggression
and domestic crackdowns, and other key priorities. The Senate
confirmation vote comes after bi-cameral praise for Armenia’s
Parliamentary elections held December 9, and a call by the
Congressional Armenian Caucus leadership to Secretary of State Pompeo
for the elevation of U.S.-Armenia strategic bilateral ties through the
U.S.-Armenia Joint Economic Task Force.

“Following a year of peaceful political transition and democratic
progress in Armenia, the Armenian National Committee of America looks
forward to working with Ambassador Tracey in the New Year to upgrade
U.S.-Armenia strategic relations,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram
Hamparian. “We look to our new ambassador in Baku to forcefully
challenge Aliyev’s anti-Armenian violence and openly confront his
regime’s worsening crackdown on domestic dissent.”

The December 18th Armenian Caucus letter stressed that “support for a
comprehensive democratic transition will secure needed progress in the
economic realm, where we encourage you to prioritize a long overdue
Tax Treaty, Social Security Agreement, expanding duty-free products,
Debt-for-Forestation swaps, non-stop LAX to EVN flights, trade
missions, and other related initiatives.”

Tracy’s approval comes in the wake of intense questioning by Senators
Bob Menendez and Ed Markey regarding the U.S. policy of complicity in
Turkey’s obstruction of justice for the Armenian Genocide. Tracy,
while stating that “The Trump Administration and I personally
acknowledge the historical facts of what took place at the end of the
Ottoman Empire—of the mass killings, the forced deportations and
marches that ended 1.5 million lives and a lot of suffering,” stopped
short of properly characterizing the crime as genocide.

During the October 4th confirmation hearing, Menendez grilled
Litzenberger about President Aliyev’s “bellicose rhetoric and sporadic
outbursts of violence,” securing from the nominee a commitment that he
would urge the Azerbaijani government to step back from any
threatening behavior that disrupts the line of contact.

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3 –        Jermuk Community Council Votes to Ban Metal Mining

Direct democracy won another victory in Armenia. On December 18, 2018
Jermuk Community Council adopted a decision to approve the collective
petition of its community members on “Declaring Jermuk an ecological
economic area and banning metal mining in the community.”

The decision was adopted with 7 votes for; 0 votes against; 0
abstained, and was guided by the following legal provisions: the Law
of the Republic of Armenia on Local Self-Governance, article 18, point
1, sub-point 42; the Law of Republic of Armenia on Petitions, article
4, part 1, point 3, as well as guided by the principles of the local
self-governance prescribed by the Constitution of the Republic of
Armenia, article 184, part 3 and the Law on Local Self-Governance,
article 8.

In November and December 2018, the overwhelming majority of the de
facto population of Jermuk exercised their rights for direct democracy
and presented a collective petition supported by about 3000 signatures
to the Government of Armenia, the Community Council of Jermuk, and the
Head of the Community where they presented their own economic vision
of the development of their region and demanded that all metal mining
be banned in Jermuk and green, ecologically friendly economy boosted.
The signatories of the petition also mentioned: “By approving gold
mining at Amulsar the former governments have violated our right for
participation in the decision-making. Up until 2016 Jermuk – the
largest town in our community – was not recognized as an impacted
community by the Amulsar project. After 2016, when Jermuk was finally
recognized as an impacted community, no public hearings, as prescribed
in the law, were held in Jermuk. Lydian company and the former
governments of Armenia have ignored us, they have tried to mislead or
intimidate us. We demand that the new government respects the will of
the people, and it is with this hope that we present this petition.”

The Government of Armenia has not yet responded to the demands of the
petition. Community members of Jermuk have been blockading roads to
the mining site for more than 6 months already, exercising their right
to peaceful assembly, and demanding to stop all mining related
activities at Amulsar.

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4 –        Fresno Business Groups Cancel Meeting With Turkish
Agricultural Delegation

(Fresno Business Journal)—After complaints from Fresno’s Armenian
community, a scheduled meeting between a Turkish agricultural
delegation and local business leaders is off the calendar.

“Out of respect to our community, the upcoming event scheduled for
January 15 with an agriculturally-based Turkish delegation to Fresno
has been canceled,” the Fresno EDC, Fresno Chamber of Commerce, Fresno
County Farm Bureau, and the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Armenia
in Fresno said in a joint statement. Sen. Andreas Borgeas (R-Fresno)
also signed the statement.

The Fresno Business Journal first reported about the meeting between
the Fresno groups and the West Mediterranean Exporters Association,
known by the acronym BAIB.

According to its website, BAIB is a union of ag product exporters
representing Turkey. They often send delegations to America to various
trade shows. The Business Journal reported that the group’s mission
was to help create trade opportunities.

The trade mission is being organized by Trelodex, a Los Angeles-based
consultant. The itinerary includes stops at the San Francisco Fancy
Food Show, visits to production and packing facilities in Fresno,
along with the now-canceled meeting with the Fresno groups. A visit to
Los Angeles is also part of the trip.

“California is the most important agriculture exporter in the USA and
Antalya region in Turkey is likewise for Turkey. Many business
opportunities may be created if the relations develop,” Trelodex said
on its website. After the Business Journal first reported the story on
Wednesday Jan. 9, honorary consul Berj Apkarian said his phone was
besieged by upset members of the community.

Comments on the Facebook page of Sevag Tateosian, a former aide to
Supervisor Debbie Poochigian and current talk show host on CMAC,
expressed dismay that the delegation was coming to down.

“Block it,” wrote one social media user.

Lee Ann Eager, president/CEO of Fresno EDC, along with Nathan Ahle,
president/CEO of the chamber, told GV Wire that they experienced many
calls about the trade group’s visit.
*****************************************************************************************************

5-         Erdogan could face arrest in Sweden over ‘genocide’ lawsuit

            By Lucy Pasha-Robinson

(The Independent)—Swedish lawmakers have filed a complaint against
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, accusing him of genocide,
crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Five MPs filed the lawsuit with Sweden’s public prosecutor for
Erdogan’s role in the bloody conflict between Turkish forces and
Kurdish militants since 2015.

The complaint is the first in Sweden to be lodged against a head of
state, and also names several other Turkish ministers including the
country’s Prime Minister Binali Yildirim. If it is pursued, it could
see an arrest warrant issued against Erdogan.

“We are five lawmakers handing in a complaint… (requesting)
punishment for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes,” Left
party MP Annika Lillemets told a news conference in Stockholm.

It comes after a 2014 law was passed to allow the country’s courts to
preside over any case involving crimes against humanity, regardless of
where the crime was committed.

“Anyone, who in order to completely or partially destroy a national or
ethnic group of people….is guilty of genocide,” the legislation
reads.

Sweden’s prosecutor will decide whether to launch an investigation
from the complaint. If it decides to pursue the claims, Erdogan could
face an arrest warrant in Sweden.

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6-         Rolling Stones fan accuses band of discriminating against
disabled people

            By Michael Gartland

(New York Daily News)—A Rolling Stones fan has filed a complaint
against the band for discriminating against disabled people, adding
that the band is not looking after its Baby Boomer fans.

Michael Boyajian, 60, claims that the British rock band are charging
disabled concert goers up to five times more for tickets than
able-bodied people have to pay.

He has now filed a complaint with the New York Division of Human
Rights in which he claimed he would have to pay $1,075 for a suitable
seat to the band’s June 2019 concert at the MetLife Stadium in New
York.

By contrast, he claimed, an able-bodied person can pay $200 for a
seat. Boyajian, a retired administrative law judge, argued that the
Rolling Stones should be more mindful of the discrepancy, given all
the band members are in their 70s. Mick Jagger is 75, as is Keith
Richards, while Ronnie Wood is 71 and Charlie Watts is 77. “It blew my
mind,” he said. “The baby boomers are their biggest rock ‘n’ roll
fans, and we’re ageing out now.”

Boyajian, who has never seen the band before, needs a handicapped seat
because injuries to both his legs have left him reliant on a walking
frame to get around.

“I just want them to make more accessible seating available. I have to
use a walker. I have trouble getting up and down steps.”

The Rolling Stones fan filed his claim against the band’s promoter
Concerts West/AEG, stating that when he tried to buy tickets to the
concerts for their new tour in New York and New Jersey he found that
wheelchair accessible seats were either sold out immediately or did
not exist.

The only handicapped seats he could get were for people with hearing
and sight impairments and they were too expensive and, he claimed,
discriminatory against him.

He has claimed that the scarcity of tickets for disabled people, and
the high prices, are a breach of his human rights. In his filing he
has requested that the band provide more accessible seats at all of
its concerts going forward, as well as tickets for himself and his
wife to Stones shows in the area.

Neither The Rolling Stone nor AEG have yet responded to a request for
comment. However one ticketing website, Ticketmaster, notes that
venues are solely responsible for establishing their own accessible
seating ticket policies.

This article appeared in New York Daily News on December 28, 2018.

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7-         Haratch Newspaper Archives Available in Digital Format Thanks to ARAM

The Association for the Research and the Archiving of Armenian Memory
(ARAM) has undertaken the digitization of all the issues of daily
newspaper Haratch. This work started in 2011 and progressed step by
step.

The association owns the complete collection of the newspaper and was
authorized by Arpik Missakian to carry out the digitization process
and its dissemination on webaram.com

A partnership has been established with BULAC (curator of Haratch
original bookbinded issues) to enable digitization in the best
conditions.

Haratch (meaning “go forward” in Armenian) was the first Armenian
newspaper published in Europe after the genocide. It has experienced
exceptional longevity. Vector of identity, link between the survivors,
link between the lost world and the host country, it quickly became
the pillar of the Armenian press. Founded by committed journalist
Schavarch Missakian (1884-1957), the newspaper was a witness to the
great and small events of the Armenian community and a major
contributor to the Armenian literary society in Europe. Spanning two
generations, only interrupted during the years of the Occupation, the
founder and his daughter Arpik—who took over the newspaper’s
management just days after her father’s passing—have succeeded in
enabling the newspaper to play a great role in the construction of an
Armenian identity in exile, at the core of a European network of
brilliant intellectuals.

Haratch published its final issue on May 30, 2009. The cast metal type
fonts and the last two cast iron marbles including the composing
sticks and formes of that issue were donated to ARAM and are on
display at the association’s headquarters.

The digitization and free internet access of ARAM’s documentary
collection is part of the association’s commitment to preserving the
Armenian memory and identity. The digital library devoted to the press
provides unlimited access to the comprehensive collection of Armenian
daily newspaper Haratch, as well as other Armenian papers from the end
of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. In
addition to this are iconic antique magazines dealing with the
Armenian cause, and the arts and sciences.

For more information, visit

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