Author: Jalatian Sonya

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PRESS RELEASE

Friday, January 25, 2008

Hrant Dink Remembered by New York-Area Armenian Americans

On Sunday, January, 20, 2008, more than 400 people attended a full day
of events commemorating the one-year anniversary of slain
Turkish-Armenian editor Hrant Dink. Taking place at the Diocesan Center
in Manhattan’s Murray Hill neighborhood, the day’s events began with the
Divine Liturgy, celebrated by Archbishop Yeghishe Gizirian, a service
for the Repose of the Souls and a blessing of madagh (memorial meal) at
St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral.

Following services, the program, sponsored by a coalition of
Armenian-American organizations at the Kavookjian Auditorium, continued
with speakers, which included such luminaries as writer and activist
Herand Markarian and filmmaker Carla Garapedian, whose critically
acclaimed documentary film "Screamers" featured extensive footage of
Hrant Dink before his death.

Dink, 52, was gunned down on January 19, 2007, on a sidewalk in
Istanbul, outside the offices of Agos, the newspaper he founded in 1996.
A total of 19 people, including one teenager who allegedly shot Dink,
have been charged in connection with the murder and are now on trial.

The murder sparked an international outcry, galvanized Diasporan
Armenian calls for Turkey’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide, and
shined a spotlight on Turkey’s continuing violation of freedom of speech
and human rights laws. During his life, Dink encouraged Turks to learn
the truth about their past and who they really are, pointed out the
inequalities minorities in Turkey faced and hoped that the new
generation would embrace their Armenian linguistic heritage.

Dink knew that raising questions about the Armenian Genocide would bring
him trouble, Garapedian said, but "he calculated the odds and decided he
could survive."

"The fact is Hrant could have backed off. He chose not to," Garapedian
said. "He was constantly testing the boundaries of this repressive
culture."

Most recently, Dink was best known as the editor-in-chief of Agos, a
weekly newspaper published in Turkish and Armenian. "Agos" means
"furrow," Markarian said, stressing that Dink’s goal was not only to
revisit history, but also to plant a seed for the future.

In never-before-seen footage of Garapedian’s interview with Dink in his
Agos offices, the editor talked about Turks as a people who have yet to
come to terms with their terrible past.

"There are Turks who don’t admit their ancestors committed genocide.
They seem like nice people. So why don’t they admit it?" Dink said in
the video that was screened during the Commemoration event. "Because
they’re against genocide and wouldn’t commit it themselves, they can’t
believe their ancestors would have done such things either."

Dink’s struggle to improve Turkish-Armenians relations, even as he was
accused of insulting Turkishness under the internationally condemned
Article 301 of Turkey’s Penal Code, and his tragic death, speak to
Armenians everywhere, Markarian said.

Markarian also spoke about Dink’s early life, his management of the
Tuzla Armenian Children’s Camp, which the Turkish government shut down
in the 1980s, and his work as a journalist.

"Oftentimes, Hrant Dink acted as a translator," said Rachel Goshgarian,
director of the Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center. "He was a
translator between Turks and Armenians in Turkey, he was a translator
between Turks and Armenians in Armenia, he was a translator between
Armenians in the Diaspora and Turks."

"It is perhaps only in the past year that we have realized the important
work of a translator, of our translator, of Hrant," Goshgarian added.
"If we truly believe in Hrant’s dream, then we have no choice other than
to try and become more like Hrant."

Dink’s death, Garapedian said, prompts Armenians to seek the "truth of
denial" by continuing his fight for Armenian Genocide recognition and
expanded freedoms for Armenians and other minorities in Turkey.

"We want to recognize history, not rewrite it," Garapedian said. "We
have power. And we have the right to exercise it."

Closing remarks and a prayer were offered by Archbishop Gizirian.

Sunday’s event was organized by the Diocese of the Armenian Church of
America (Eastern), with the participation of AGBU, the Armenian American
Support Educational Center – Hye Doon, the Constantinople Armenian
Relief Society, the Diocesan Gomidas Choir, the Esayan-Getronagan
Alumni, Inc., the Forest Hills Armenian Cultural Center, the New York
Chapter of the Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Society, the
Knights of Vartan, the Tekeyan Cultural Association, and Tibrevank
Alumni, Inc.

SPELLING SEPARATISM WITH A "W": TURKEY STILL STRUGGLING WITH FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
By Gareth Jenkins

Eurasia Daily Monitor
Jan 24 2008
DC

On the evening of January 23, a court in Ankara decided to reverse
a previous ruling and allow the population of Turkey to visit YouTube.

For the previous four days all access to the popular video-sharing site
had been blocked by a previous court ruling on the grounds that one of
the videos insulted the memory of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (1881-1938),
who founded the modern Turkish Republic in 1923.

In March 2007, a similar decision by the courts to block access to
YouTube on the grounds that one of the videos insulted Ataturk caused a
domestic outcry from advocates of freedom of expression in Turkey and
considerable international bewilderment. On that occasion, the video
was a rather childish collage put together by a Greek nationalist
youth claiming that Ataturk had been homosexual. Under almost any
circumstances the video would have been simply ignored.

However, the court ruling ensured that the "insult" to Ataturk’s
memory received tens of thousands of extra hits as Internet users
from everywhere except Turkey logged on to see what all the fuss was
about. As a result, the ruling became not only counterproductive but
exposed Turkey in general, and its judicial system in particular,
to widespread ridicule.

At first sight, it is difficult to find a logical explanation for
the decision last week by the court in Ankara to repeat the mistake.

However, in many ways, it is a symptom of a continuing broader failure
in Turkey to internalize the concept of freedom of expression. There
is no question that the situation is considerably better than 15 or
even 10 years ago. But the process is far from complete. Perhaps more
worryingly, progress has stalled and there have recently even been
signs of a regression.

Despite pressure from the EU, the ruling Justice and Development
Party (AKP) has yet to abolish Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code,
which makes it a criminal offence to denigrate "Turkishness." Justice
Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin recently announced that proposals to amend
the article would go before parliament before the end of January (NTV,
CNNTurk, January 24). However, the proposed changes are cosmetic and
will satisfy neither the EU nor advocates of freedom of expression
inside Turkey (see EDM, January 8).

Despite the public rhetoric about their commitment to freedom
of expression, the leaders of the AKP have hardly been leading
by example. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has taken more
journalists and cartoonists to court than any of his predecessors,
most famously insisting on prosecuting a cartoonist for comparing his
uncertainty about how to go about lifting the headscarf ban (see EDM,
January 16) with a kitten becoming entangled in a ball of yarn. Most
recently Erdogan’s erstwhile AKP colleague President Abdullah Gul has
taken two cartoonists to court for questioning gifts Gul received
from the Saudi royal family and a business venture set up by Gul’s
16 year-old son (Radikal, January 24).

Although it has only been the high profile cases – such as the
prosecution of Nobel Laureate Orhan Pamuk – that have attracted
international attention, a report by the Independent Communications
Network (BIA) notes that 55 people were prosecuted under Article
301 in 2007. Another 199 journalists and writers were taken to court
under other provisions of the Turkish Penal Code. Most alarmingly,
2007 also witnessed an increase in attacks on members of the media.

BIA reported that 34 journalists and 12 media organs were attacked in
Turkey in 2007, mostly by Turkish ultranationalists. Most notoriously,
on January 19, 2007, the Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink was
murdered by an ultranationalist youth with connections to members of
the Turkish security forces ().

The tightest restrictions on freedom of expression continue to be
applied to Turkey’s Kurdish minority. Although Kurds are theoretically
now allowed to speak and publish in their own languages, in practice
many restrictions remain and the Turkish authorities continue to regard
even the most innocuous of statements as evidence of an attempt to call
for the creation of an independent state; even peacefully advocating
one remains a criminal offense in Turkey. Yet finding a legal pretext
to suppress publications often results in the authorities descending
beyond the merely repressive into the absurd.

The Public Prosecutor in the city of Gaziantep in the predominantly
Kurdish southeast of Turkey recently ordered the confiscation of
the January 17 edition of a local newspaper called Coban Atesi. The
newspaper’s offence was to publish a short biography and a few poems
by a Kurdish writer and to write his name, in the modified Latin
alphabet used by Kurds, as Abdula Pesew. Twenty-one people associated
with the newspaper were then charged under Article 222 of the Turkish
Penal Code, which makes its an offense to violate Law No. 671 of
1925 in which Ataturk ordered that henceforth the Turkish language
would be written in a modified Latin alphabet rather than the Arabic
script that had been used previously. However, unlike the one used for
Kurdish, Ataturk’s modified Latin alphabet did not include the letter
"w." If found guilty, the defendants face the prospect of a jail term
(Bianet, January 22).

Prosecutions of Kurds for using the letter "w" are nothing new. There
are already several ongoing cases against other Kurdish writers that
were initiated in 2007. However, the Turkish authorities have been
curiously selective in their application of Article 222. After all,
every official website in Turkey, including the one of the Justice
Ministry that oversees all courts, has the letter "w" in its web
address.

T. DJRBASHYAN: "WE DO NOT HAVE RIGHT TO DISCUSS WORLD ECONOMIC DECREASE"

Panorama.am
20:49 24/01/2008

"Economic decrease was talked eight months ago. All economic
developments have a notion of cycle," said Tigran Djrbashyan, the
director of AEPLAC.

"After the New Year and Chritmas holidays the crisis was strengthened
in the hypothec market, and it caused the economic decrease of the
USA," he said. According to him the hypothec market has great impact
on society that is why the economists were depressed also.

"In January 22 the directors’ board of the USA federal reserve decided
to decrease the rates of refinancing: from 4.25% to 3.5%," described
Djrbashyan. According to him the step was delayed and it had little
impact on the reality.

To the question how the economic decrease can influence on Armenian
economy, he answered that if it continues then the whole world will
suffer from the economic decrease. Particularly Armenia will have
problems with the amount of transfers and the price of metal will be
lowered, which is very dangerous for Armenian economy.

NKR SHOULD PROCLAIM LIBERATED TERRITORIES ITS PROPERTY THAT CAN’T BE HANDED TO ANYONE
Interview by Armen Manvelian

AZG Armenian Daily
22/01/2008

Beginning from today, AZG will host the presidential candidates. The
next guest of our guestroom will be Artashes Geghamian and Vahan
Hovhannesian and the rest of the candidates.

A.M. Mr. Melikian 8 of the 9 candidates for the presidential elections
are more or less familiar to the large circles of the society. You
are a new person and this is your entry to the Armenian political
field. Why did you begin by the presidential elections and what kind
of new changes are you going to make in the political field of Armenia?

M. The coming presidential elections are merely no regular ones. These
elections will be a turning point from the aspect of Armenia’s fate
and the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. In fact the future
of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict will greatly depend on the political
course that the newly-elected president will adopt from this aspect, I
am not at all satisfied with the current approaches of our candidates.

The next issue is the home situation in Armenia, particularly the
corrupted government system in Armenia. All of the candidates talk of
the corruption, condemn that, but none of them has a realistically
elaborated system of approaches. The personalized approaches are
groundless, while the legal ones do not work, as the law-enforcement
bodies are corrupted themselves, when corruption turn into a system
of state government. The only way out is that the newly elected
president makes a strategic decision and puts a line between the past
and the future. The first issue is to annihilate all the conditions
that cause corruption, and only when we manage this, we can think
of taking legal measures against the corruption. At present, if
we begin taking punishment measures, a serious resistance will be
shaped in Armenia. Today’s authorities themselves are the hostages
of the corruption system, because, fearing of revenge, they do not
want to accept the possibility of the power shift by means of the
elections. That’s why the representatives of the governing circles
keep stating that there is only one real candidate in the coming
presidential elections, i.e Serzh Sargsyan, whose victory in the
first stage is our of question, etc.

These are the fears of the pro-governmental forces, and these fears
are not groundless. Today, we all are the hostages of the corruption
system.

A.M. They began speaking of combating corruption long ago, the
president even has advisers in this issue.

Only in our country not a single high ranked official was prosecuted
for corruption at the court. Is it possible that we will witness cases
of court investigation on corruption, if you are elected the president?

M. Already in the course of settling down the anti-corruption
issues everybody will be informed about their being punished, and I
don’t think that they will take corrupted steps. The anti-corruption
combat yielded no results is conditioned by the fact that there is no
strategic decision and there is no political will to carry out that
decision. If the decision is taken by the very corrupted system, it is
never going to fight against itself. This is a matter of world outlook,
the majority of our government members, being still influenced by the
Soviet heritage, can’t imagine their activities in the state system
otherwise. The state positions became a source of making illegal
profits, and everyone knows about this.

A.M. You made a statement, by which, to my opinion, you essentially
differ from the rest of the presidential candidates. I mean the issue
of preserving the liberated territories. What do you think about the
current stage of the negotiation processes within the framework of
the OSCE Minsk group, from this aspect? And if you become a president,
will you combine these two non-combinable issues?

M. I believe that both the current format and the agenda of the
negotiations can’t be acceptable and satisfactory for the Armenian side
first of all because the factor of the Armenian refugees isn’t taken
into account. When a state is ready to forget about the right of even
the least part of its people, its international rating falls. It can
undergo any kind of pressure. But the most important thing is that this
amnesia led us to the fact that the suggestions in the negotiations’
agenda are more in the interests of Azerbaijan. I mean, that even by
handing them some regions we will improve our relations neither with
Azerbaijan nor with Turkey. While, by means of keeping these regions,
we still remain in the region of great strategic and geopolitical
importance, we protect our rights, the rights of our compatriots,
the rights that are violated today, as half a million of people had
to leave their homes in Azerbaijan and till now this issue wasn’t put
forward by the Armenian side. While Azerbaijan has inhabited all of
the former Armenian dwelling regions, the whole Northern Artsakh. Our
policy is weak both from the viewpoint of the liberated territories,
and from that of their re-inhabiting.

A.M. So, you mean that the issue of re-inhabiting the liberated
territories will be one of the key points of your program?

M. Yes, but not in the way it used to be before. Till now, only people
inspired with patriotic ideas or very poor ones who had no source to
earn their living would go dwell there. This means that that is no
developing region, as there are no development projects implemented
there. The suggestion I make also includes certain development
prospective. These territories should be given to the Armenians from
Azerbaijan with the right of ownership. By this, the owner of the
land will be ratified. The owner, becoming NKR citizen, will link
the land with the statehood of Nagorno Karabakh and undertakes its
protection, after that he can rent that land or sell it, or cultivate
it. I believe that we can invite big agricultural firms there to
organize large-scale agricultural production, taking into account
high fruitfulness of these lands.

So, economic preconditions will be created there to ensure the
successful future for the residents of those lands. The most
important point is that Nagorno Karabakh Republic should proclaim
these territories as its property that can’t be handed to anyone. This
will be enough for the investors to be sure in the effectiveness of
their investments. By the way, Mathew Bryza keeps stating that all
of the candidates are for the agenda of these negotiations, knowing
well that I am against that and I had been against since I was NKR
Foreign Minister.

A.M. It’s no secret that quite big amounts of money are being invested
in the electoral processes. How do you evaluate your own capacity? And,
in general, who are those individuals or organizations that support
you?

M. This is a very important issue, as I am absolutely against the fact
that various NGOs make series of statements in support of this or that
candidate. If a NGO makes such kind of statements, it means it enters
the political field that means it should be at least a party. This
phenomenon is in the style of the Soviet times, or the collective
letters in the times of Stalin. I totally refuse this approach, and I
say that I deal with the citizens of Armenia. Not an organization, but
a citizen should go to vote and take a decision. All these statements
are mere attempts to influence the consciousness of the citizens,
but a citizen will go to a polling station and remain all alone with
his own decision. And if I find no way to the thought of that citizen,
to his heart and spirit, any kind of statement will be of useless.

LIES, WITH A LIFE OF THEIR OWN
By George Gregoriou

Greek News
me=News&file=article&sid=7961
Jan 21 2008
New York

The White House is at a loss without militarism and a culture of
fear. It is the only way to keep the people at bay (powerless),
do with less, and obey the rules, rigged against them. The old Cold
War served this purpose. But, the war on terrorism in Afghanistan
and Iraq is like poking a stick into a hornetʼs nest, stirring
an angry feeling and a serious sting. It is fear al-right, but it is
too much. It backfired. The new encirclement of Russia by Washington
is not working either. Russia, China, the EU, and South America, are
opposed to American unilateralism. Most Americans are fed up with the
Iraq war. But, the White House is determined to stir the pot. It is
determined to install anti-missile systems in the Czech Republic and
Poland, to defend Europe (and Russia?) from possible missile attacks
from Iran! The Iranians do not have them now, but they could have them
15 years from now. Washington cannot wait that long. A dose of fear
is needed, but an overdose will stir the pot at home. It will have to
create the excuses for a confrontation now. Putin is not buying it. He
is ready to point the Russian missiles at Europe. The new regime in
Poland is already having second thoughts on the missiles. Anyway, this
is Cold War II talk. Imperial America needs enemies, real or imagined.

The White House is already talking about WWIII, with Iran. Iran has
an economy the size of Connecticut. In a WWIII climate, other powers,
big and small, have to get involved, to make World War III talk more
realistic. The White House also claims the death of American soldiers
in Iraq is due to Iranians providing training and weapons to the
Shiite terrorists in Iraq. The "surge" is working, though there were
more US soldiers killed in 2007 than in 2006. How dare these Iranians
do such a thing? The message is simple. The US mission is to destroy
and rebuild Iraq. This is done in every conflict. We are good at it.

That is legitimate, but Iranian assistance to its co-religious
neighbors in Iraq (or the Syrians to the Sunnis) is illegitimate.

Iran is a threat to peace in the Middle East. The US invasion
and occupation of Iraq, its support for the Israeli occupation of
Palestinian land, the Turkish persecution of 15 million Kurds, and
the occupation of northern Cyprus by Turkey is for peace. George
Orwell still makes sense in 2008: "Peace is War and War is Peace".

The White House has a global perspective. It warned Cuba that the
transition of power from Fidel to Raul Castro is not acceptable.

Washington did control the fate of Cuba since the Spanish-American
War of 1898, until the Cuban Revolution of 1960. How dare they go
their own way? They have no respect for the big brother in the north,
nor the need for Cuban votes in Florida and New Jersey, for the
Republican Party? The White House and its cheerleaders are always
up to something. Fox News, announced that those fires in California
(caused by arsonists or campers?), the rumor has it, that Al Queda was
behind them! These terrorists must be brilliant or they may be working
for developers? This claim proved me wrong. When I read the Koran I
came across "Allah Is Great" 13 times in just two pages. I said to
myself "OK, Allah, I got the message the first time. Anyone who has
to hear it thirteen times to get it must be an idiot." Greeks thrive
on rumors, in coffee shops, and cabs. After WWII they were saturated
with rumors. Everything, from crop failures to natural poverty, was
blamed on the communists in the north and their fellow travelers in
Greece. Vasilis Vasilikos and Costas Gavras tell that story in Z. The
White House learned something from the Anglo-American intervention
in Greece or taught the Greeks to be vigilant against the threat of
communism, not Turkey our friend and ally, thanks to US-NATO dollars
and guns. But, we came a long way. At least, in the recent fires in
Greece, Greeks blamed on tourists and developers, not KKE.

The Greek national issues were always sacrificed to the sake of
the alliance. For the greater part of the 20th century, the Greek
people were literally on their knees~Kthe Asia Minor catastrophe,
the royalist-Venizelist feuding, the Great Depression, the "fascism"
of Metaxas, the Nazi occupation, the Civil War, the US-NATO hegemony
during the Cold War, and the never-ending Cyprus problem, the military
junta, and the Turkish occupation and ethnic cleansing in northern
Cyprus. Speaking for myself, I do not forget nor forgive those who
had a hand in these tragic events, symptoms of a malaise, a powerless
Greece and powerful bullies in the neighborhood.

We, Greek-Americans, live in the belly of the super-bully. I am told
that as a US citizen and a veteran, I have rights. The only right I
seem to exercise is to make the insults more insulting by discussing
them. Why do Greeks pay a high price for US geopolitical interests?

Why are Greek political leaders spineless? If the expenditures on
health in the US are over 2 trillion dollars, why are health services
not improving or affordable? Bills seem to pile up, and the collection
agencies call in the morning or at dinner time. Why the millions of
home foreclosures? Who is benefiting from the oil prices going sky
high? We are told it is happening because of the oil cartel profits,
the Kurdish-Turkish border crisis, and the threats by the White House
to bomb Iran. I was just reminded by an economist that as Barack
Obama goes up in the polls, the stock market goes down. Obama is not
trusted. Bush is. I asked my friend to do the Hillary Clinton thing,
shedding tears and denouncing Obama at the same time!

The most heated discussions we will have during the election will be
the undocumented immigrants, gay marriages, abortion, guns, and the
flag, and the need to make sacrifices, be tough in fighting terrorism,
not the causes which create terrorism. It is that simple, and it does
not cost money to get votes. Undocumented immigrants are not welcome,
gays cannot have full rights, and the need to make sacrifices is
understood to be trillions of $ tax cuts for the super-rich, the
"free market" will decide who will return from Iraq in a body bag
or maimed for life, sent by a White House full of draft dodgers. The
Republicans want a small government when it comes to health, education,
the environment, welfare, and social security (the nanny state). They
want a big government when it comes to militarism, defense contracts,
and curtailment of our civil liberties (police state).

It is what it is. At universities and in the entire culture we are
taught that all human beings are self-oriented. It is their human
nature. So is the nature of the state, self-oriented. This is a
universal principle, basic to market fundamentalism and the utilitarian
philosophy, and all right-wing ideologies, including 17 & 18 century
liberalism, known today as modern conservativism. Let us say, this
makes sense, it is after all the official ideology, subscribed to by
political and corporate leaders (though the handouts they get from
the government are based on connections, not the market). As far as
the lower classes, why are they not selfish? If they are selfish,
it is for small things, jobs, including petty theft. And, they seem
to do very little to promote their "natural" selfishness, through
the electoral process or taking to the streets.

They even make sacrifices to feed themselves and their families,
and they are the first to go to battle because of the lack of jobs or
phony patriotism. Quite a few leaders in government are super-patriotic
when sending others to war, though in their days, I suggested above,
they were draft dodgers.

In the pursuit of the US national interest (identified with corporate,
not peoples interests) Washington uses its military power (including
nuclear weapons) or threatens to use it to impose its policy on other
countries. It has done so on 242 occasions from 1793 to 1993. At times,
the official reasons were: ³they insulted the American flag. So,
the US bombed them, "or the US was conducting negotiations and the
President sent the navy near the shores of the other country to
guarantee success in the negotiations!"

Of the 242 times, 136 of the military threats or the use of military
force took place before the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. Hence, the
threat of communism as an excuse did not exist. And in all 242 times,
the blame for US militarism was cast on the "other" side. Not once,
the officials in Washington admitted they had anything to do with
instigating the conflict, resorting to bombings, occupation, or war.

Somehow, Washington could not uphold its own principle that everyone
and every state is selfish. It was always the other side which provoked
the conflict!

Unfortunate are the people in Iraq or Iran. They are provoking
the White House, and are demonized for causing so many problems in
the M.E. The mess with Iran, does it have anything to do with the
US-engineered overthrow of Mossadegh in 1953, or the $5 billion
Washington and its allies gave Saddam Hussein to destroy Iran,
with a million Iranians and Iraqis dead, in the 1980s? Does it have
anything to do with the refusal of Saddam Hussein refusal to allow a
pipeline through Iraq from the Caspian Sea to the Persian Gulf? Does
it have anything to do with the oil in this neighborhood? It is like
stepping on the cats tail and it jumps up and bites you, and you say
it is the fault of the cat! Does this oil belong to us, we are the
almost Chosen People and we deserve it to maintain our way of life and
the profits for the corporations? Does it have anything to do with
the US support for the bullies and repressive regimes in the Middle
East, or as I suggested before the occupation of the Palestinians,
the occupation of northern Cyprus by Turkey, and the persecution of
15 million Kurds by Turkey who are allowed 1/2 hour TV programming
per week, titled "Our Common Heritage" (how to be good Turks)? Why
would anyone tolerate these policies? Those who benefit from these
policies and those who groan or throw their hands in the air saying
"there is nothing I can do."

There is no limit to this insanity. I stated in Part I that I find it
exhausting to follow these trouble spots and listen to the same lies.

The food or design channels are still options, though I have to weigh
the benefits: being silent or boiling inside me and getting things off
my chest. The advice I got from a psychiatrist in the audience when
I gave a lecture at a United Nations NGO on international political
events and their relationship to families and individuals was this:
"I have to let go, reconcile myself to the realities (embrace and
kiss-and-make-up?), that is, normalize my life." What I am angry at,
is all history. I thought it was good advice, from a psychiatrist
who practices, I assume, the "touchy feeling" therapy.

My response was: "I am sure life will be less stressful for me, and my
blood pressure will go down. But, in the end, there would be no closure
to what is troubling me inside. Nor would there be a resolution to the
conflicts I referred to in my talk (the genocide of Greeks, Armenians,
and Assyrians, the Turkish occupation and ethnic cleansing in Cyprus
in place for 33 years, the occupation of the Palestinians, and the US
occupation of Iraq). I asked the psychiatrist if this was the right
advice to give the descendants of the genocide or the refugees still
carrying the scars of Turkish barbarism, from generation to generation,
to let go? The whole world knows this genocide took place, including
Turkish scholars, the US government officials (the eyewitness reports
of Robert Morgenthau and George Horton), the German officials, and
the British government. Why allow the Turkish officials, because
of Turkeyʼs geopolitical importance to the United States, to
get away with this butchering of millions? Why submit to these lies,
coming from Ankara and the White House? As for myself, I suggested to
the audience, I can let go, get over the trauma, my health may improve,
but I can only do it with a heavy dose of drugs." Most of the people
in the audience, which included about a dozen professionals in the
psychiatric field, looked on, with a smile. I smiled back.

–Boundary_(ID_Tat4weQ0vqOTB4PiNJHaJA)–

SITTING OF THE ARMENIAN-RUSSIAN COMMISSION ON ECONOMIC COOPERATION HELD IN YEREVAN

armradio.am
21.01.2008 15:25

Today RA Prime Minister, Co-Chair of the Armenian-Russian
Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation Serge Sargsyan
had a meeting with the Co-Chair of the Commission, Russian Minister
of Transport Igor Levitin.

During the conversation the parties discussed a broad circle
of questions related to the further development of economic
cooperation. At the end of the meeting Serge Sargsyan and Igor
Levitin signed a Protocol on the meeting of the Co-Chairs of the
Armenian-Russian Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation.

Later Serge Sargsyan and Igor Levitin participated in the sitting of
the Armenian-Russian Commission on Economic Cooperation.

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

PRESS RELEASE
January 20, 2008
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

BARACK OBAMA CALLS FOR PASSAGE OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION

"America deserves a leader who speaks truthfully
about the Armenian Genocide and responds forcefully
to all genocides. I intend to be that President." — Sen. Barack Obama

— Others Candidates Also Expected to Issue Statements

WASHINGTON, DC – Presidential candidate Barack Obama shared with
the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) a strongly worded
statement today calling for Congressional passage of the Armenian
Genocide Resolution (H.Res.106 & S.Res.106), and pledging that, as
president, he will recognize the Armenian Genocide.

In his statement, the Presidential hopeful reaffirmed his support
for a strong "U.S.-Armenian relationship that advances our common
security and strengthens Armenian democracy." He also pledged to
"promote Armenian security by seeking an end to the Turkish and
Azerbaijani blockades, and by working for a lasting and durable
settlement of the Nagorno Karabagh conflict that is agreeable to
all parties, and based upon America’s founding commitment to the
principles of democracy and self determination."

"Armenian American voters welcome Senator Obama’s powerful call for
real change in how our government addresses the core moral and
foreign policy issues that hold such great meaning for our
community," said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "After
decades of White House complicity in Turkey’s efforts to block
American recognition of the Armenian Genocide, most recently in the
form of President Bush’s personal efforts this past October to
delay the Armenian Genocide Resolution, the time has clearly come
for a President who will personally lead – not obstruct – the
commemoration of this crime against all humanity."

As a Senator, Barack Obama has spoken in support of U.S.
affirmation of the Armenian Genocide and cosigned a letter urging
President Bush to properly recognize the Armenian Genocide. He has
forcefully called for the adoption of the Armenian Genocide
Resolution, but has yet to formally cosponsor this legislation.
While visiting Azerbaijan in August 2005, Senator Obama was asked
by reporters why he cosigned the letter to President Bush. Obama
defended his decision by stating the genocide was a historical
fact. The Illinois Senator publicly criticized the firing of
former U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Evans, who was dismissed for
speaking truthfully about the Armenian Genocide.

In recent weeks, the ANCA has invited each of the candidates to
share their views on Armenian Americans issues, and to comment on
both the growing relationship between the U.S. and Armenian
governments and the enduring bonds between the American and
Armenian peoples. Questionnaires sent to the candidates have
invited them to respond to a set of 19 questions, including those
addressing: affirmation of the Armenian Genocide, U.S.-Armenia
economic, political, and military relations, self-determination for
Nagorno Karabagh, the Turkish and Azerbaijani blockades, and the
genocide in Darfur.

Armenian Americans, in key primary states and throughout the
country, represent a motivated and highly networked constituency of
more than one and a half million citizens. The ANCA mobilizes
Armenian American voters through a network of over 50 chapters and
a diverse array of affiliates, civic advocates, and supporters
nationwide. ANCA mailings reach over a quarter of a million homes,
and, through the internet, updates and action alerts reach well
over 100,000 households. The ANCA website, which features election
coverage from an Armenian American point of view, attracts over
100,000 unique visits a month. The ANCA also has broad reach to
Armenian American voters via a sophisticated media operation of
newspapers, regional cable shows, satellite TV, blogs, and internet
news sites.

To learn more about the Obama campaign, contact:

Obama for America
P.O. Box 8102
Chicago, IL 60680
Tel: (866) 675-2008
Website:

Sen. Obama’s statement on U.S.-Armenia relations is posted is
available on the official campaign website at:
bama_on_the_importance.php

As always, the ANCA welcomes feedback on its service to the
Armenian American community. Please forward your thoughts and
suggestions about the 2008 Presidential election by email to
[email protected].

#####

Barack Obama on the Importance of US-Armenia Relations

| JANUARY 19, 2008 |

I am proud of my strong record on issues of concern to the one and
a half million Americans of Armenian heritage in the United States.
I warmly welcome the support of this vibrant and politically active
community as we change how our government works here at home, and
restore American leadership abroad.

I am a strong supporter of a U.S.-Armenian relationship that
advances our common security and strengthens Armenian democracy. As
President, I will maintain our assistance to Armenia, which has
been a reliable partner in the fight against terrorism and
extremism. I will promote Armenian security by seeking an end to
the Turkish and Azerbaijani blockades, and by working for a lasting
and durable settlement of the Nagorno Karabagh conflict that is
agreeable to all parties, and based upon America’s founding
commitment to the principles of democracy and self determination.
And my Administration will help foster Armenia’s growth and
development through expanded trade and targeted aid, and by
strengthening the commercial, political, military, developmental,
and cultural relationships between the U.S. and Armenian
governments.

I also share with Armenian Americans – so many of whom are
descended from genocide survivors – a principled commitment to
commemorating and ending genocide. That starts with acknowledging
the tragic instances of genocide in world history. As a U.S.
Senator, I have stood with the Armenian American community in
calling for Turkey’s acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide. Two
years ago, I criticized the Secretary of State for the firing of
U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, John Evans, after he properly used the
term "genocide" to describe Turkey’s slaughter of thousands of
Armenians starting in 1915. I shared with Secretary Rice my firmly
held conviction that the Armenian Genocide is not an allegation, a
personal opinion, or a point of view, but rather a widely
documented fact supported by an overwhelming body of historical
evidence. The facts are undeniable. An official policy that calls
on diplomats to distort the historical facts is an untenable
policy. As a senator, I strongly support passage of the Armenian
Genocide Resolution (H.Res.106 and S.Res.106), and as President I
will recognize the Armenian Genocide.

Genocide, sadly, persists to this day, and threatens our common
security and common humanity. Tragically, we are witnessing in
Sudan many of the same brutal tactics – displacement, starvation,
and mass slaughter – that were used by the Ottoman authorities
against defenseless Armenians back in 1915. I have visited
Darfurian refugee camps, pushed for the deployment of a robust
multinational force for Darfur, and urged divestment from companies
doing business in Sudan. America deserves a leader who speaks
truthfully about the Armenian Genocide and responds forcefully to
all genocides. I intend to be that President.

I look forward, as President, to continuing my active engagement
with Armenian American leaders on the full range of issues of
concern to the Armenian American community. Together, we will
build, in new and exciting ways, upon the enduring ties and shared
values that have bound together the American and Armenian peoples
for more than a century.

Source:
a_on_the_importance.php

#####

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Jan 18 2008

Bulgarian lawmakers vote against bill backing Armenian `genocide’
claims

Members of the Bulgarian parliament have rejected once again a bill
for officially recognizing the controversial World War I era killings
of Anatolian Armenians as genocide.

The bill, drawn up by members of the extreme-right Attack Party, was
rejected yesterday with 63 to 50 votes, while 60 lawmakers abstained
from voting. This is the third time the bill has been rejected.
Armenians claim that up to 1.5 million of their kin were slaughtered
in orchestrated killings during the last years of the Ottoman Empire.
Turkey categorically rejects the claims, saying that 300,000
Armenians along with at least as many Turks died in civil strife
emerging when the Armenians took up arms for independence in eastern
Anatolia and sided with the Russian troops who were invading Ottoman
lands.

Bringing such a bill onto the agenda of the Bulgarian parliament is
disrespectful to both the historical facts and the parliament, Remzi
Osman, of the ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms, told
the Anatolia news agency. "It is not the duty of parliaments to
evaluate and judge history. We should leave history to the
historians," Osman said.

Alexandar Radoslavov of the Bulgarian Socialist Party, which rejected
the bill, told the parliament that a "feeling of hatred" was the
motive behind this bill. "Hatred should not be used in a parliament
as a political argument. This doesn’t contribute to either humanity
or peace," Radoslavov was quoted as saying by Anatolia.

The Attack Party, meanwhile, announced it would continue bringing the
bill before the parliament until it is adopted.

18.01.2008

Today’s Zaman with wires Ankara

ARARATBANK to receive US$5 million loan from EBRD to finance small and
medium-sized business in Armenia

2008-01-18 21:05:00

ArmInfo. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
will extend a credit worth US$5 million to ARARATBANK. The loan is
repayable over 5 years. The loan agreement was signed between Chairman
of ARARATBANK’s Board Ashot Osipyan and Head of EBRD office in Armenia
Michael Weinstein, Friday.

According to Weinstein, the EBRD thoroughly selects banks for
cooperation and this agreement, which is the result of fruitful work
with the Armenian bank, is high assessment for ARARATBANK.

As Ashot Osipyan said, the loan will be provided for on-lending to
micro, small and medium-sized enterprises at an annual interest rate of
14-16% and is repayable over 5 years. He expressed confidence that the
loan will by all means contribute to development of Armenia’s real
sector.

To note, the participants in the EBRD program on crediting small and
medium-sized business in Armenia are Armeconombank, ACBA-Credit
Agricole Bank, Inecobank, and Anelik Bank. Araratbank became the
fifth participant in this program. In addition, ARARATBANK is a
participant in Izmirlian Fund’s program on crediting small and
medium-sized business, as well as the KfW program on development of a
sustainable market for housing finance in Armenia.

According to ARARATBANK’s data, as of January 1, 2008, the total
capital of the bank made up 4.6 bln AMD, assets – 27.8 bln AMD, general
obligations – 23.1 bln AMD. The share of provision of crediting in the
assets was 33,1% or 9.2 bln AMD, most part of which being credits
targeted at economy. As of this date, the mortgage portfolio of the
bank totalled 1.1 bln AMD, the net profit – 315.8 mln AMD.

NIZAMI BAHMANOV: "NOBODY CAN CHANGE THE FORMAT OF NEGOTIATIONS IN THE SETTLEMENT OF NAGORNO GARABAGH CONFLICT"

Today
itics/42458.html
Jan 18 2008
Azerbaijan

"Nobody can change the format of negotiations in the settlement of
Nagorno Garabagh conflict. This format was admitted in 1992. Conflict
parties are Armenia and Azerbaijan in this format.

Armenian and Azerbaijani communities of Nagorno Garabagh are regarded
as interested sides in the format," Nizami Bahmanov, chief of the
Public Union of Nagorno Garabagh’s Azerbaijani Community, said.

He mentioned that there were attempts to involve Armenian community
of Nagorno Karabakh in negotiations as a side of equal rights.

"They try to convince Azerbaijan that Nagorno Garabagh Armenians
should get involved in the negotiations. It is impossible in current
conditions," he said. Bahmanov also spoke about the duties of the
co-chairs.

"The duty of the co-chairs is to study the four resolutions of the UN
Security Council, decisions admitted by the OSCE and international
law and eliminate the fact of occupation by Armenians. Armenian
Armed Forces must withdraw from the occupied Azerbaijani lands. The
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan must be ensured and IDPs must
return to their lands. The status of Nagorno Garabagh should be
discussed with participation of Armenian and Azerbaijani communities
of Nagorno Garabagh after that," he said.