Taner Akçam to lead UCLA’s Armenian Genocide Research Program

UCLA Newsroom
Feb 18 2022
It will be the first university research program in the U.S. specifically focused on the genocide
UCLA Newsroom | 

The Promise Armenian Institute at UCLA has selected Taner Akçam as the inaugural director of its Armenian Genocide Research Program. The program will provide a home for scholarly activities relevant to the genocide, including opportunities for institute-affiliated postdoctoral scholars, graduate students and visiting researchers.

Akçam is the Kaloosdian and Mugar Professor in Modern Armenian History and Genocide at the Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies of Clark University in Massachusetts. He is widely recognized as one of the first scholars of Turkish descent to write extensively on the Ottoman-Turkish Genocide of Armenians in the early 20th century, according to the institute. Many of Akçam‘s publications constitute an unprecedented examination of secret documents that show the deliberate nature of the Armenian Genocide.

“Taner Akçam has a demonstrated track record of groundbreaking research and mentored some of the most remarkable young scholars in the field of Armenian Genocide studies,” said Ann Karagozian, the inaugural director of the Promise Armenian Institute and a distinguished professor of engineering.

“His dedication and passion for advancing this field make him the ideal person to establish and carry out this new research program at UCLA.”  

Read the news release about Akçam’s appointment.

 

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 02/17/2022

                                        Thursday, 


Prosecutors Seek Pashinian’s Acquittal In 2008 Unrest Case

        • Naira Nalbandian

Armenia - A man walks past burned cars on a street in Yerevan where security 
forces clashed with opposition protesters, 2 March 2008.


Prosecutors have asked Armenia’s Court of Cassation to absolve Prime Minister 
Nikol Pashinian from all responsibility for the 2008 post-election unrest in 
Yerevan that left ten people dead.

Pashinian played a major role in an opposition movement led by former President 
Levon Ter-Petrosian, the main opposition candidate in a hotly disputed 
presidential election.

The then 32-year-old journalist was the main speaker at an opposition rally held 
in Yerevan on March 1-2, 2008 amid vicious clashes between some protesters and 
security forces. Eight protesters and two police officers were killed in what 
was the worst street violence in Armenia’s history.

Outgoing President Robert Kocharian declared a state of emergency and ordered 
Armenian army units into the capital, accusing the Ter-Petrosian-led opposition 
of attempting to seize power.

Pashinian went into hiding but surrendered to law-enforcement authorities in 
July 2009. He was subsequently tried and sentenced to seven years in prison for 
organizing the “mass disturbances,” a charge rejected by him as politically 
motivated.

Like other Ter-Petrosian allies, Pashinian was released from jail in May 2011 
under a general amnesty declared by the former Armenian authorities.


Armenia - Opposition leader Nikol Pashinian addresses protesters that barricaded 
themselves in central Yerevan, 1 March 2008.

A spokesman for Armenia’s Office of the Prosecutor-General confirmed on Thursday 
that it has appealed to the Court of Cassation to overturn the guilty verdict in 
Pashinian’s trial and declare him innocent.

The official, Gor Abrahamian, insisted that the move “has nothing to do with the 
position occupied” by Pashinian at present. He said it is based on a ruling 
handed down by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) last month.

The Strasbourg court ruled that Armenian law-enforcement authorities had 
violated Pashinian’s freedom of speech and assembly.

The authorities radically changed the official version of the events of March 
2008 shortly after Pashinian swept to power in May 2018. They prosecuted 
Kocharian and three other former officials on coup charges strongly denied by 
them.

Kocharian was first arrested in July 2018. He was then twice freed and twice 
rearrested before Armenia’s Court of Appeals released him on bail in June 2020.

A district court in Yerevan acquitted Kocharian and the other defendants in 
April 2021 after the Constitutional Court declared the coup charges 
unconstitutional.

The 67-year-old ex-president has said that his prosecution is part of a 
“political vendetta” waged by Pashinian. The prime minister has denied that.



Yerevan Seeks Railway Accord With Baku

        • Karine Simonian

Armenia - A disused railway leading to Azerbaijan's Nakhichevan region.


Official Yerevan said on Thursday that it needs to sign a legally binding 
agreement with Baku before it can start building a railway that will connect 
Azerbaijan with its Nakhichevan exclave.

The Armenian government set up last month a task force that will coordinate 
construction of the 45-kilometer railway estimated to cost about $200 million. 
The move followed verbal understandings reached by Prime Minister Pashinian and 
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev late last year.

Speaking at a weekly session of his cabinet, Pashinian reiterated on Thursday 
that the Armenian side is already gearing up for the construction.

“Although technical and design works have already started, we hope that the 
understandings reached will soon be registered in the form of a document so that 
a de jure process also unfolds in full swing,” he said.

Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigorian, who represents Armenia in Russian-mediated 
talks on transport links with Azerbaijan, defended this position.

“Before we can launch such a project there needs to be a written agreement to 
that effect because it requires substantial investments,” he told RFE/RL’s 
Armenian Service.

Grigorian discussed the matter with Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexei 
Overchuk and the head of Russian Railways (RZD) state monopoly, Oleg Belozerov, 
when they visited Yerevan two weeks ago. He gave no details of the talks, saying 
only that the Russian and Armenian governments are closely cooperating.

RZD runs Armenia’s railway network, called South Caucasus Railway (SCR), in line 
with a 30-year management contract signed with the former Armenian government in 
2008. Grigorian indicated that the Azerbaijan-Nakhichevan rail link passing 
through Armenia’s Syunik province will also be managed by SCR.



Kocharian Deplores Armenia’s ‘Pro-Turkish Drift’

        • Nane Sahakian

Armenia - Former President Robert Kocharian speaks at a news conference in 
Yerevan, .


Armenia’s political leadership is succumbing to “the Turkish-Azerbaijani threat” 
instead of strengthening the armed forces and deepening military ties with 
Russia, former President Robert Kocharian said on Thursday.

Kocharian, who leads the main opposition Hayastan alliance, accused the 
authorities of being ready to increase “Turkish influence” at the expense of 
“Russian presence” in the country.

“More than one year has passed since the war [in Nagorno-Karabakh] but during 
this time almost nothing has been done to restore our army’s combat readiness 
and weaponry,” he told a news conference.

In these circumstances, he said, Russia has become the only real guarantor of 
Armenia’s national security.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian pledged to deepen military ties with Moscow and 
embark on “large-scale defense reforms” following Armenia’s defeat in the 
six-year war stopped by a Russian-brokered truce in November 2020. Russian 
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu promised continued military aid to Yerevan in 
August.

Kocharian insisted that only Moscow can help Armenia rebuild its army and 
develop a “new military-industrial complex.”

“We need to understand to what extent Russia is prepared for such assistance and 
cooperation with Armenia. I believe that is possible but also doubt that there 
are such signals or requests from our side,” he said.

The ex-president claimed that Pashinian has different geopolitical priorities 
now, pointing to ongoing talks on normalizing Turkish-Armenian relations.

“Turkey will cease to regard us as an obstacle to its [regional] programs only 
if it gains total influence on our political processes and policies,” he said. 
“This means that Turkey must also have dominant positions in our economy and 
strong influence on our political elite.

“When could this happen? When the Russian presence here starts coming to an end 
and being replaced with Turkish influence.”

Kocharian’s bloc and other opposition groups have expressed serious concern over 
the Turkish-Armenian talks, saying that Yerevan is ready to make unilateral 
concessions to Ankara. Pashinian’s government insists that it continues to stand 
for an unconditional normalization of bilateral ties.

Russia as well as the United States and the European Union have publicly 
welcomed the Turkish-Armenian dialogue. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov 
again discussed it with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan in a phone call 
on Tuesday.



Armenia Pressing Ahead With Road Upgrades In Strategic Region

        • Sargis Harutyunyan

Armenia - Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian chairs a cabinet meeting in Yerevan, 
.


The Armenian government on Thursday took the first step towards attracting 
potential contractors for the multimillion-dollar construction of a new highway 
in Armenia’s southeastern Syunik province bordering Iran.

The 60-kilometer highway is to connect the provincial towns of Sisian and 
Kajaran. It will significantly shorten travel time between Armenia and Iran and 
bypass Armenian-Azerbaijani border areas.

Armenia lost control over a 21-kilometer stretch of an existing Syunik road 
leading to the Iranian border after a controversial troop withdrawal ordered by 
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian following the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Yerevan had to hastily finish work on a 70-kilometer bypass road late last year. 
Pashinian has acknowledged that it is not convenient enough for heavy trucks and 
needs further upgrades.

The bypass road will presumably overlap the Sisian-Kajaran highway. According to 
Minister for Territorial Administration and Infrastructures Gnel Sanosian, the 
mountainous highway will include as many as 27 bridges and five tunnels with a 
combined length of 12 kilometers.

“We will do everything to get large international companies seriously interested 
[in the project,]” Sanosian told a weekly cabinet meeting in Yerevan.

Pashinian announced at the meeting that his government has formally initiated a 
“prequalification” of prospective bidders that will be shortlisted for an 
international tender for the project.

“We hope that by the end of the year we will have [selected] a company that will 
carry out that work,” he said.

Pashinian also said that the 60-kilometer highway will cost Armenia “several 
hundred million dollars.” Neither he nor other government members specified the 
sources of funding for the project.

The government is understood to expect Western donors, notably the European 
Union, to foot the bill. The EU expressed readiness last year to provide up to 
600 million euros ($680 million) in grants, loans and loan guarantees for road 
construction in Armenia.

Pashinian suggested on Thursday that the Kajaran-Sisian highway will link up 
with another planned road in Syunik that would connect Azerbaijan with its 
Nakhichevan exclave.

Yerevan and Baku disagree on the status of that road link. Azerbaijani President 
Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly demanded an exterritorial land corridor passing 
through Syunik.

The Armenian side rejects these demands, saying that Azerbaijani freight cannot 
be exempt from Armenian border controls. Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi appeared 
to back Yerevan’s stance during a January 3 phone call with Pashinian.

The Iranian ambassador in Yerevan, Abbas Badakhshan Zohouri, said later in 
January that Syunik must remain a key route for cargo shipments between Armenia 
and Iran even after the anticipated launch of Armenian-Azerbaijani transport 
links. The Iranian side is therefore looking forward to further highway upgrades 
in the strategic Armenian region, he said.


Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2022 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

 

Acting President of Armenia congratulates Serbian counterpart on Statehood Day

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 16:29,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 15, ARMENPRESS. Acting President of Armenia Alen Simonyan sent a congratulatory letter to President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić on the occasion of the Statehood Day, the Presidential Office said.

“Armenia attaches great importance to the consistent development and deepening of the friendly ties with Serbia in bilateral and multilateral platforms. The stable partnering relations between our countries have always been distinguished by mutual trust and sincere wish for deepening them”, Alen Simonyan said in his letter. “I am sure we will continue developing with joint efforts the mutually beneficial partnership for the benefit of our peoples”.

Kalkan: Turkey, PDK target leaders of Kurdish people

Hawar News Agency


Feb. 8, 2022

[A member of the Executive Committee of the Kurdistan Workers' Party
(PKK), Duran Kalkan, confirmed that Turkey, in cooperation with the
Kurdistan Democratic Party, targets the leaders of the Kurdish people,
with the aim of intimidating them, so the leaders should organize the
struggle more deeply.]

A member of the Executive Committee of the Kurdistan Workers Party
(PKK), Duran Kalkan, indicated that whoever stands in the face of the
terrorist organization  ISIS must stand in the face of the fascist
coalition of the Justice and Development Party and the National
Movement (AKP-MHP), which is the other side of the terrorist
organization in terms of their mentality, their approach, and their
lives.

 Participating in the special program on Haber TV, a member of the
Executive Committee of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Duran
Kalkan, spoke about the legendary struggle by the leader Abdullah
Ocalan in the conditions of absolute isolation imposed on him in his
prison in Imrali.

 Duran Kalkan said: "The regime of severe isolation continues against
the leader Abdullah Ocalan, and many institutions have put this issue
on their agenda on the basis of bringing about some change, but
nothing has changed. Everyone ignores this violation of international
laws and rights. The dominant regimes are satisfied with this, and the
isolation imposed in Imrali is evidence of the international
conspiracy, against the leader Ocalan. this is evidence of the
repressive and fascist regime directed against the Kurdish people.

 They think they will force leader Ocalan to say things against his will

He continued: "They have closed the doors of Imrali so that the leader
does not communicate. Turkey speaks on his behalf, opponents and heads
of parties.  In its struggle for the freedom of the leader Ocalan,
this is impossible. Our people have shown a position about it, it
should be further strengthened until the leader is liberated.

 Also, this position shows that the system in Imrali is a political
detention system, they resort to such a system because they are unable
to force the leader Ocalan to say what they want, and this is the best
evidence that the Turkish state does not enjoy rights and laws and all
its laws are false, and it has  political goals, and it also has a
political detention system."

 They confronted the policy of denial, execution and extermination

 During his speech, Duran Kalkan reminded that they are on the 23rd
anniversary of the international conspiracy on February 15, and said:
"We struggle against it. Our people called this day the 'Black Day'.
As for the leader Ocalan, he called it the day of the 'Kurd
Extermination'."  I salute the continuous historical resistance that
the leader Ocalan has been waging for 23 years against the regime of
isolation, and I also remember our heroic martyrs who turned into a
ring of fire under the slogan "You will not be able to block our sun",
with all respect and gratitude.

 It is not possible to define the February 15 plot without addressing
the October 9 plot, as this plot was launched with the aim of
eliminating Leader Ocalan through the conspiracy, and because they
were unable to achieve it, they resorted to the February 15 plot by
the fascist Turkish state;  Our people and our leader have been waging
a legendary struggle against this regime of isolation and torture for
23 years, and this means that the policy of extermination and denial
has been confronted, and this is what constituted the third
resurrection of the leader, and made the whole world recognize his
truth, and turned him into the leader of all the oppressed. This fact
is gradually expanding and It will be the biggest event of the
twenty-first century."

 Those who struggle against ISIS should also fight against its supporters

 A member of the Executive Committee of the Kurdistan Workers' Party,
Duran Kalkan, also evaluated the struggle against ISIS, saying: "I
salute the heroic struggle that our people have been waging against
ISIS for 8 years, and I remember the martyrs of this struggle with all
respect and appreciation in Al-Hasakah, they represent the hope of
humanity, the will and the future of humanity.

 There are some forces that must do something concrete about ISIS.
The United States, for example, says that Abdullah Qardash was killed
after killing Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, meaning that the two leaders of
the terrorist organization ISIS were eliminated, so where did ISIS
come from?  This should be well defined.  They support each other.
Where were Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and Abdullah Qardash hit?  In an area
under the control of the Turkish state, and on its borders;  Well, is
it not the responsibility of the Turkish state and the alliance of the
Justice and Development Party and the National Movement?  Why don't
they say anything, just say they are doing us harm in our struggle
against ISIS, this is not acceptable.

 The attacks that were launched in al-Hasakah did not target the
prison, which contained ISIS terrorists, but rather were attacks to
eliminate the Autonomous Administration and occupy the entire area.
These attacks were not carried out with force and normal preparations,
but behind them was a large force that prepared itself greatly.
Abdullah Qardash death was a response to these attacks in general.

 Those who support these attacks are the alliance of the Justice and
Development Party, the National Movement and the Turkish State.
Everyone must realize this fact, and those who claim to be struggling
against ISIS must struggle against those who support and finance ISIS
and follow its ideology, which is the alliance of the Justice and
Development Party, the National Movement and the Turkish State, and so
on.  Goes in the wind and meaningless.

 They launch attacks in response to the defeat of the terrorist
organization ISIS

 The terrorist organization ISIS attacked the city of Al-Hasakah on
January 20, but was defeated.  Complicated with the victory of the
Justice and Development Party, the nationalist movement, and the
defeat of the terrorist ISIS means their defeat, as the attack
targeted the three areas in which ISIS was defeated in 2014, and this
is the reason for its revenge.  Kurdish genocide.

 They use the KDP as a tool to achieve their ends

 Turkey uses the KDP as a tool in its hand. Did Nechirvan Barzani
understand something of Kurdishism?  Does he not know that the people
will hold him accountable?  Do you think the Turkish state is that
strong?  Are the Kurds worthless to this extent?  Who accepts this?
This is clear and I will not talk about this subject much.

 They raise discussions about civilians and they themselves bomb them

 Another thing I'd like to point out is: Those who stand up the
attacks, they discuss the attack on civilians, of course civilians
shouldn't be hit, well is it legitimate to attack non-civilians?  What
is this logic?  What is their right?  And what is the right of the
Turkish army to attack the protection forces in northern and eastern
Syria, the Makhmour Protection Forces, and the Shingal Protection
Forces?  It must be properly discussed, they are supposed to resist
the attacks but they resist them in this way, and this resistance is
an obsolete position, they also say that it is not civilian but
military, attacks are launched on soldiers in civilian clothes, so
this approach should be criticized and closely condemned,  All the
attacks carried out are fascist genocide attacks, most of the attacks
on organized forces, resistance and freedom are brutal attacks, these
forces are the most valuable values, they must be solidarity and
supported.

 We must strengthen our organization and step up our struggle

 The Kurdish people everywhere showed a strong reaction, and it must
be continued, as the Turkish occupation, through these attacks and
intelligence operations carried out by the Kurdistan Democratic Party,
wants to identify the targeted places and people, and strike them
through modern military techniques to eliminate them and intimidate
the people. This matter has become clear,  Then the leaders must be
careful and defend themselves better, and the people should also
benefit from this and beware of it, and the ranks of the organization
and the resistance must be developed in creative ways.

 Makhmour people will not allow such violations. Such attacks have
been carried out dozens of times against this people, but they do not
realize who this people is. It is the people of Botan. The people of
Şengal and Rojava have lived and recognized the will of freedom. The
Turkish occupation with its attacks cannot break the will of this
resistant people.


 

Armenia Foreign Ministry comments on Baku’s ‘expectations’

  News.am  
Armenia – Feb 7 2022

The Armenian side has not assumed any unilateral obligations to clarify the fate of the missing, Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesman Vahan Hunanyan told Radio Azatutyun.

"Both in the first and the second Artsakh war, the Armenian side has missing persons. We attach importance to finding out the fate of the missing. In this sense, the Armenian side did not assume any unilateral obligations," he said.

After returning eight Armenian prisoners of war, Azerbaijan said that in exchange it expects to receive information about the Azerbaijani soldiers and civilians killed in the first Karabakh war and presumably buried in mass graves, as well as the location of these graves.

Armenia ombudsman: Azerbaijan actually carries out human trafficking by holding captives

  News.am  
Armenia – Feb 4 2022

Azerbaijan holds Armenians captive for no reason; solely for political and military dividends. The Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) of Armenia, Arman Tatoyan, told this to a press conference Friday.

The ombudsman emphasized that the Armenians being held captive in Azerbaijan face a major violation of their rights, under threat of life.

"This is the most actual [human] trafficking from political calculations. This is unacceptable and a gross violation of human rights. The world needs to be shown that we are actually dealing with new war crimes. The trials in Azerbaijan in connection with the [Armenian] captives are nothing more than a veil [by the Azerbaijanis], an attempt to justify themselves," the Armenian ombudsman said, recalling that the only international organization that can visit these captives is the Red Cross. To note, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan had announced earlier Azerbaijan's attempts to restrict the Red Cross’ activities.

"Holding captives is also an indicator of Azerbaijan's 'honesty' in peaceful intentions. Not only do they not return the captives, but they also increase the enmity between the peoples," Tatoyan said, stressing the need to increase pressure to have these Armenian captives returned and carry out a comprehensive preventive work so that the events of November 16, 2020 to not recur.

"We [i.e., the Armenians] must not allow them [i.e., the Azerbaijanis] to mislead the world community. And let's act with facts!" the Armenian ombudsman added.

Office of Austrian Development Agency to open in Yerevan, Armenia

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 16:09, 2 February, 2022

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 2, ARMENPRESS. The Office of the Austrian Development Agency will open in Yerevan on the sidelines of the current visit of Federal Minister for European and International Affairs of Austria Alexander Schallenberg in Armenia, Armenpress correspondent reports.

During a press conference today, Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan said that the visit of his Austrian counterpart to Armenia is taking place on the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

At the press conference, Alexander Schallenberg in turn said that this is already the second visit of the Austrian Foreign Minister to Armenia in the past 12 months, which, he said, shows the importance of the bilateral relations.

“I am happy to note that over these past 30 years numerous joint programs have been implemented, there is a serious experience of political, economic, cultural dialogue and cooperation. Of course, we have not yet utilized that whole potential that exists in the relations of our countries, and I have great hopes that this visit will contribute to moving forward on this direction and passing to the next stage of our relations”, the Armenian FM said.

In terms of boosting the bilateral ties, the Armenian FM highlighted the contacts between the business communities of Armenia and Austria. He praised the fact that together with Mr Schallenberg, a serious Austrian business delegation has also arrived in Armenia to attend the opening of the Armenian-Austrian business forum on February 3.

Armenpress: Chania lighthouse, Alexandroupolis City Hall lit up in Armenian flag colors

Chania lighthouse, Alexandroupolis City Hall lit up in Armenian flag colors

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 09:55, 21 January, 2022

YEREVAN, JANUARY 21, ARMENPRESS. On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Greece, the famous lighthouse in the Greek city of Chania (Crete island) and the City Hall building of Alexandroupolis were lit up in the colors of the Armenian flag, the Armenian Embassy in Greece said on social media.

Armenia and Greece established diplomatic relations on January 20, 1992.

Armenpress: Greek and Armenian peoples are two brothers of related civilizations – Armenian Ambassador

Greek and Armenian peoples are two brothers of related civilizations – Armenian Ambassador

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 15:06,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 22, ARMENPRESS. On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Greece, on January 21, the famous buildings of various Greek cities were illuminated in the colors of the Armenian flag: the Greek and Armenian peoples are two brothers of related civilizations that can survive if they always work together, ARMENPRESS reports Ambassador of Armenia to Greece Tigran Mkrtchyan said in a message on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the two countries.

“Today marks 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Greece. Greece is one of the few countries, and the Greeks are one of the unique nations, with which our relations and friendship have a history of millennia,” the Ambassador said.

He stressed that the Greek and Armenian peoples are united by common values, principles, common threats and expectations, blood ties. And this is more than just some commercial interests.

"Our brotherhood has gone through all the trials of time and history, becoming stronger. The Greek and Armenian peoples – the two brothers of the related civilization, which can stand firm when they work together ", said Mkrtchyan.

The Ambassador stressed that the 30th anniversary of the relations between the two countries is marked with close ties at the highest political level. On the other hand, according to him, the two countries will deepen economic and trade ties by all means, for which there is fertile ground.

"Cultural diplomacy is a powerful tool for both Greeks and Armenians, although we think we know each other well enough, but there is always room to learn more, to interact more. The opportunities to get to know and love each other through culture are endless. High-level military relations are deepening, which is a good and important fact," he said.

On this occasion, on January 21, the famous buildings of various cities of Greece were illuminated in the colors of the Armenian flag. Ambassador Mkrtchyan thanked the councils of all the cities that responded to the request of the embassy.

He also thanked the politicians of Armenia, Greece, the representatives of the Greek-Armenian community, who during the 30 years made their undeniable contribution to the construction and establishment of the Armenian-Greek privileged relations.

Turkish Press: Armenians born, raised in Lebanon still have command of Turkish language

Anadolu Agency, Turkey
Jan 14 2022



BEIRUT, Lebanon

In a geographical quirk of fate, most of the Armenians who have lived in Lebanon for three generations can still speak fluent Turkish, a tongue they learned from their parents starting in the cradle.

Turkish people can run across with Armenians while wandering the streets of Beirut and end up chatting with them in Turkish.

Although a century has passed since they left Turkiye, besides those who continue to speak Turkish, there are also Armenians who have recently learned Turkish by themselves from popular exported Turkish TV shows.

The most interesting thing is that even many Armenians who have never visited Turkiye in their lives can speak Turkish very fluently.

Ermen Cerkezyan, 65, who lives in Beirut's Burc Hammud district, where the majority of Armenians live, is also one of the Lebanese Armenians who can speak fluent Turkish.

Cerkezyan said that he was born in Lebanon and had the opportunity to visit Turkiye at the age of 45. His family is from Adana.

“I loved it a lot. I also liked Turkey. I also liked the people. I also loved their food. I also liked their service. It is such a beautiful country that I was very respected,” he said.

Speaking on the recent normalization of relations efforts between Turkiye and Armenia, Cerkezyan said that “of course it would be nice.”

“Let Armenian children think a little ahead. There is no end to it. Life doesn't go like that. There should always be peace in life. If it were up to me, I would make peace (between Turkiye and Armenia). I want the country to progress. I do this so that my children and grandchildren can go further,” he said.

Vartan Deirsarkisyan, 48, whose father was originally from Adana and his mother was originally from Gaziantep, was born and raised in Lebanon and never had the opportunity to visit Turkiye.

Deirsarkisyan, who you can come across humming Turkish folk songs in the shopping center where he works as a parking lot attendant, said that when he gets home, he usually turns on songs by Ibrahim Tatlises – a popular Turkish singer for decades – and listens to them until he falls asleep.


Deirsarkisyan told Anadolu Agency that he never had the chance to visit Turkiye.

He said that nearly 70% of Armenians in Lebanon can speak Turkish, adding that the new generation also learned Turkish thanks to Turkish soap operas.

“Lebanese people who hear me speak Turkish sometimes ask, 'What language is this?' I also say that it's Turkish, and that my parents are from Gaziantep and Adana,” in southeastern and southern Turkiye, he said.

Arli Hacaduryan, 36, whose mother is originally from Istanbul and father from Diyarbakır, is also one of those who speak Turkish very fluently.

Hacaduryan, who was born in Lebanon and works as a real estate consultant in Beirut, said: "When we were little, my mother always watched Turkish TV channels and Turkish series. Looking at them, my brother and I learned Turkish."

Recalling her first visit to Istanbul with a smile, Hacaduryan said: "It was a bit funny at first. My brother and I felt like we were in a TV series. After that, we opened up a little bit."

“When I go to Turkiye, the first couple of days are a bit difficult. But after that I open up and speak Turkish comfortably. They ask me if I’m Turkish or not. If I have friends who came to Lebanon from Turkiye, of course we speak Turkish. I have a few (Lebanese Armenian) friends, I watch TV series with them and we always speak Turkish when we gather,” she added.