Author: Hovhannisian John

RUBEN SAFRASTYAN: TURKISH PRIME MINISTER SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF HIMSELF

PanARMENIAN.Net
17.03.2010 16:02 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkish Prime Minister should be ashamed of himself
for making statements about the eviction of 100 000 illegal Armenian
immigrants from Turkey, director of Oriental Studies Institute at RA
NAS, professor Ruben Safrastyan said.

"By making such statements, Turkey, the successor of Ottoman
Empire, the Armenian Genocide perpetrator, confirms that no changes
occurred over the last 100 years. Despite the fact that Genocide
was acknowledged by scientific and historical centers of authority
worldwide, Turkey continues with its policy of Genocide denial,"
the professor told PanARMENIAN.Net.

At the same time he noted that 100 000 illegal Armenian immigrants
in Turkey is not a real figure. "Numerous researches conducted show
the actual number of illegal Armenian immigrants in Turkey does not
exceed 15 000," prof. Safrastyan emphasized.

ARMENIAN-GEORGIAN ECONOMIC FORUM TO BE HELD IN TBILISI

news.am
March 17 2010
Armenia

An Armenian-Georgian economic forum, Joining Efforts to Overcome the
Crisis, is to be held in Tbilisi on April 30-May 3.

The forum has been organized by the Union of Manufacturers and
Businessmen of Armenia (UMBA) and the "Master" Center for promotion
of international integration.

UMBA Chairman Arsen Ghazaryan told reporters that the forum will
facilitate the integration of the two markets.

Ghazaryan said that forums like that will help Armenia and Georgia
to act as "a regional unit" for large foreign investments and
transnational companies.

The Armenian and Georgian sides plan to establish cooperation in
construction and banking.

SO-CALLED GENOCIDE CLAIM CARRIES DISRESPECT FOR HISTORY, GUL

News.az
March 16 2010
Azerbaijan

President Abdullah Gul said that recognizing "genocide claims" in
various parliaments around the world was a mistake.

"We resent the politicization of the issue," he said.

He was referring to the recent acts of the US House Committee on
Foreign Affairs and the Swedish parliament labeling the killings of
Anatolian Armenians during World War I as genocide at the cost of
damaging bilateral relations between Ankara and Washington. Ankara
recalled its ambassadors to Sweden and the United States in a show
of protest.

Gul mentioned what he had heard from some US representatives in
Congress in the past.

"There was a similar debate. I had a speech at this committee. I
talked and talked. A female member of Congress approached me and said,
‘Mr. Gul, why do you exhaust yourself? Accept this and go. When you
go back, you can pass a resolution in your Parliament regarding the
Americans’ extinction of the Indians, and that’s it.’ That’s how they
see it," the president said.

Gul added that members of Congress, indeed, do not know about the
past killings in Turkey. He said that he had asked them and had not
received any adequate responses.

EAFJD COMMENDS SWEDISH PARLIAMENT FOR ADOPTION OF RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

PanARMENIAN.Net
16.03.2010 15:41 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The European Armenian Federation for Justice &
Democracy (EAFJD) has applauded the Swedish parliament for adoption
of the resolution recognizing the Armenian, Assyrian/Syriac/Chaldean
and Pontic Greek genocides.

"We congratulate the Assyro-Chaldean and the Pontic Greek populations,
who along with the Armenians, were victims of genocide perpetrated by
the Turkish government. We commend the Swedish members of Parliament
for their courage against the pressures of the Turkish lobby," stated
Hilda Tchoboian, President of the European Armenian Federation for
Justice and Democracy.

The European Armenian Federation underscored that the decision taken
in spite of the pressure and threats from the Turkish government a
week after the vote in the US House panel, highlights the failure of
Turkey’s policy of denial.

"Turkey manipulated the public opinion by signing the protocols with
Armenia in hopes of burying the Genocide issue but its position became
intolerable in the face of the inescapable pursuit for historical
truth," Mrs. Tchoboian said.

The Federation called on the Swedish government to apply the
parliamentary resolution to the agenda of its bilateral relations
with Turkey.

PRESS RELEASE
Institute of Armenian Studies
University of Southern California
Taper Hall of Humanities, Suite 252
Los Angeles, California 90089-4015
Tel: 213-821-3943
Email: [email protected]

USC INSTITUTE OF ARMENIAN STUDIES
&
ST. GREGORY ARMENIAN APOSTOLIC CHURCH

Cordially Invite you to the Presentation of

Classification of Hymns of the Armenian Apostolic Church
By
Deacon Kevork Panoyan

The Institute is privileged to sponsor the publication of this volume as
the first opus of its book series

Fr. Dr. Zaven Arzoumanian will present the book

Deacon Vahe Charkhetian will present the author

Tuesday, March 23, 2010
7:30 p.m.

St. Gregory Armenian Church
2215 East Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena CA 91107

Trend, Azerbaijan
March 14 2010

Swedish Government will not ratify the resolution on "Armenian
genocide" adopted by the Parliament – PM

14.03.2010 08:10
Azerbaijan, Baku, 14 March / Trend News, A.Akhundov /

Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt expressed to Turkish
counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan his regret at the resolution on the
so-called "Armenian genocide" adopted in the Parliament, CNN Turk TV
channel reports citing the press service of the Turkish PM.

"As the government we will not ratify this resolution", said Reinfeldt
during a telephone conversation with Erdogan on Saturday evening.

According to him, the Swedish government will do everything necessary
to ensure that "this groundless document adopted by a margin of one
vote" will not adversely affect the relations with Turkey.

In turn, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that he expects compensating steps
from Swedish government.

A week after the adoption of the resolution on "Armenian genocide" by
the U.S. Congress’s committee, the Swedish parliament by a margin of
one vote, approved the document that recognizes the so-called
"genocide."

PRESIDENT SARGSYAN MEETS WITH GERARD LARCHER, BERNARD ACCOYER

Aysor
March 11 2010
Armenia

Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan, who is on a two-day official
visit to France, met with France’s Senate President Gerard Larcher,
a spokesperson for the Presidential Administration said.

President Sargsyan stressed the role of parliaments of the two
countries in development of bilateral Armenia-France relations,
praised activities of Armenia-France Group for Friendship, and said
of importance of mutual visits of officials of the two countries.

Gerard Larcher, in his part, said that the French Senate will continue
contributing to strengthening of relations between Armenia and France.

At Gerard Larcher’s request Armenian President told about last
developments in processes of settlement to the Karabakh conflict and
normalization of relations with Turkey.

President Serzh Sargsyan also met with France’s National Assembly
President Bernard Accoyer. Parties talked about Armenia-France
relations and discussed various regional and international issues.

Armenian delegation is reported to return back to Armenia this evening.

ANOTHER SETBACK FOR FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IN AZERBAIJAN: EMIN AND ADNAN COURT RULING

Tert.am
11:25 ~U 11.03.10

Azerbaijani bloggers Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade, who have been
detained since July 2009, lost their appeal against their conviction
today, reads a release on the Human Rights Watch website.

In a hearing that lasted two and a half hours, the Baku Appeal Court
upheld the trial court’s decision in November, convicting Milli
and Hajizade of hooliganism and inflicting minor bodily harm. The
Appeal Court did not examine the two bloggers’ central contention,
that the attack that led to their conviction had been deliberately
staged to frame them, even though multiple witnesses would corroborate
their claim.

"Today’s ruling is yet another setback for freedom of expression in
Azerbaijan," said Giorgi Gogia, South Caucasus researcher for Human
Rights Watch.

"The case is blatantly part of a pattern of prosecutions in which
the authorities have brought trumped-up charges against outspoken
journalists and activists in Azerbaijan."

Milli was sentenced to two years in prison and Hajizade to two and
a half years. Milli is a blogger for an online television site and
a coordinator of exchange student alumni.

Hajizade is a video blogger. Both had satirized the government in
blog postings, including on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, in the
weeks preceding the attack.

The defendants allege that on July 8, 2009, they had been talking
about their youth movement in a Baku restaurant when two strangers
approached them, demanded that they stop discussing such matters, and
attacked and injured them. That evening, Milli and Hajizade went to the
police station, filed reports about the attack, and requested medical
assistance. Instead of providing them with medical assistance, the
police interrogated the youths for five hours without their lawyers
and charged them with hooliganism. The alleged attackers were set
free. Milli and Hajizade were not permitted access to their lawyers
until late on the following day.

The restaurant fight appears to have been staged to provide grounds
for a bogus case against the two bloggers, Human Rights Watch said.

Journalists and media representatives in Azerbaijan have been
harassed, threatened, or attacked for their professional activities,
and defamation and other criminal charges have been used to prosecute
opposition and independent journalists. At least three journalists
are currently behind bars on spurious criminal charges.

"The continued imprisonment of Milli and Hajizade reflects growing
government hostility toward freedom of expression," Gogia said. "The
government has a chance to prove the contrary, by setting them free."

NORMALIZATION OF ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS HELP THE ARMENIA-NATO APPROXIMATION

PanARENIAN.Net
11.03.2010 20:38 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian-Turkish normalization contributes to
Armenia-NATO relations, Zbigniew Ribatski executive officer of NATO
in the South Caucasus said in Yerevan addressing the 73 NATO PA Rose
Roth seminar "Regional processes in the South Caucasus: Challenges,
Opportunities and Prospects". According to him, Turkey is a member of
NATO, and along with the Armenian-Turkish normalization Armenia-NATO
will strengthen.

If a country is cooperating with NATO, this does not mean it must
necessarily seek to become a member of the North Atlantic Alliance,"
Ribatski said, adding that NATO has been always open for cooperation.

Since Armenia conducts a balanced foreign policy, the strategic
partnership between Armenia and Russia does not interfere with the
Alliance’s cooperation with Yerevan, the official said. He added,
that efforts are made to restore relations between Russia and NATO.

FOREIGN POLICY IMPLICATIONS LOOM IN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION
Mark Meirowitz

LoHud.com
20100310/OPINION/3100302/1076/OPINION01/Foreign%20 policy%20implications%20loom%20in%20genocide%20res olution
The Journal News
March 10 2010

On March 4, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs made a major misstep
by approving, by a razor-thin margin of 23-22, a historically erroneous
and politically injudicious "Armenian Genocide" resolution which, among
other things, calls upon the president to "accurately characterize" the
historical events concerning the Ottoman Empire’s actions in Armenia as
"genocide." U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel, D-Bronx, voted for the resolution.

It is no coincidence that the resolution, House Resolution 252, was
referred to the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The jurisdiction of
the committee includes oversight and legislation relating to national
security developments affecting foreign policy, strategic planning
and agreements and public diplomacy. Members of this committee have
included future presidents John Quincy Adams and James Polk, as
well as Benjamin Franklin and John Jay. Throughout American history,
the committee has been involved in many major foreign policy issues.

The committee was mandated to consider the foreign policy implications
of this resolution. Instead, it overlooked its responsibilities,
and passed the resolution. On this issue, the committee ignored what
is best for the U.S., and decided to become the arbiter and judge of
historical events.

The resolution is now on its way to the House floor, where it faces an
uncertain future. But since this resolution, despite numerous defeats
over the years, always returns from the dead, it is helpful to set
forth some of the very significant foreign policy reasons that the
House should not approve the proposed Armenian Genocide resolution
now or ever:

1. The Turkey-Armenia Protocols have been signed and contemplate
a historical commission to sort out the issue of the events which
occurred in Armenia in 1915. These protocols are, to put it mildly,
in a precarious state, and this resolution could completely disrupt
any progress on the protocols.

2. Turkey is a staunch ally of the United States and U.S. strategic
interests could be severely disrupted by the passage of this
resolution.

3. Congress should not be making foreign policy decisions which could
disrupt bilateral relations with a major ally. The passage of the
resolution would interfere significantly with the efforts of President
Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to make foreign policy,
and would severely, perhaps irreparably, damage U.S.-Turkish relations.

4. The passage of this resolution could drive Turkey further from
the Western orbit.

5. The U.S. has a major military base at Incirlik, with profound
strategic importance to the United States.

The fact is that the Turkish government sees this legislation as a
litmus test of American support for Turkish interests (and it would
behoove the supporters of the legislation to fully appreciate this).

Already, as a result of the committee vote, Turkey has recalled its
ambassador, and Turkish-U.S. relations are in turmoil.

Engel, who supported the legislation, should be aware that while he
might believe that he is endorsing a particular approach on historical
events, he is, in effect, by passing the resolution, painting Turkey,
a major ally and friend of the U.S., in a very unfavorable light and
stigmatizing all Turks, including Turkish-Americans, for events which
occurred almost 100 years ago during a time of unrest and war that
preceded the founding of the modern Turkish republic.

Hopefully, this resolution will be put aside permanently. No good can
come from this resolution, only an unnecessary crisis with Turkey. It
is plainly in the strategic interests of the U.S. not to disrupt
the very positive developments in U.S.-Turkish and Turkish-Armenian
relations. Engel should recognize this, and act accordingly.

I am very hopeful that Engel will have an epiphany and change his
thinking on this resolution. This would best for New York and the
United States. The resolution’s passage by the full House would be
nothing short of a disaster for U.S. foreign policy.