Author: Kajoyan Gevork

LA CONFERENCE DES PRESIDENTS DE LA REGION EUROPE A EREVAN

ARMENIE

Les Presidents de l’Assemblee parlementaire de la Francophonie pour
la Region europe ont adopte une declaration, condamnant le genocide
armenien et appelant la Turquie a faire face a son histoire.

Soulignant l’inadmissibilite de l’absence de reconnaissance
internationale du genocide armenien et en rappelant que de tels crimes
n’ont pas de delai de prescription, les Presidents de l’Assemblee
parlementaire condamnent le fait du genocide commis contre le peuple
armenien dans l’Empire ottoman.

Ils commemorent les victimes innocentes du genocide de 1915 et
expriment leur solidarite avec le peuple armenien dans sa lutte pour
la reconnaissance internationale du genocide et la restauration des
droits des personnes soumises a un genocide.

Ils invitent la Turquie a faire face a son propre passe et enfin
reconnaître le fait du genocide armenien et espèrent que cette
reconnaissance va marquer le debut de la reconciliation entre les
peuples armenien et turc.

jeudi 2 avril 2015, Stephane (c)armenews.com

TODAY MARKS KARVATCHAR LIBERATION DAY – VETERANS REMEMBER BATTLE

17:26 * 02.04.15

The military operations to liberate Karvatchar (Kelbajar), a
strategically important village lying to Nagorno-Karabakh’s north-west
(Shahumyan region), came to a successful end on April 2, 1993.

The village was seized from Azerbaijani control after the Armenian
forces destroyed military base, crucially defeating the enemy.

Major-General Arkady Ter-Tadevosyan, a legendary hero of the
Nagorno-Karabakh liberation war, remembers the operation as a major
breakthrough that paved the way to Armenia’s victory. He says every
inch of land liberated in the fierce battle mattered a lot for Armenia.

“The operation enabled us to reduce our contingent and send it to more
heated spots. We defused the tension there and liberated [the area],
later making it a region for civilians,” he told our correspondent.

The operation, known best as the Battle of Kelbajar, followed increased
tensions in the north-western front of Nagorno-Karabakh. In an attempt
to divert attention, the Azerbaijani military command instructed
their troops to launch a rear attack against the Armeniaforces
stationed in the north-eastern region of Martakert. That made the
Nagorno-Karabkh Defense Army to concentrate its attention on the
north-western border gates.

A strong defense barricade, set up shortly afterwards, neutralized
further advances by the enemy. After destroying Azerbaijani military
posts and seizing back Armenian villages, the Defense Army eventually
manages to liberate an intersection connecting Karvatchar with Gandzak
(Ganja). Three days later, on April 5, the Armenian forces reach the
mountain pass of Omar.

Armenia’s losses in the defense battle were within what is termed
as the accepted norm, whereas the Azerbaijani forces suffered
crucial damages, according the major-general. “They attempted to
cross the mountains and stricken by panic, suffered huge losses,”
Ter-Tadevosyan said.

Speaking to Tert.am, Felix Gzoghyan, a Karabakh war veteran who
participated in the operation, described the battle as his generation’s
greatest dream. “We were in the mountain pass of Omar; nothing of the
kind had ever happened before. And we discharged our duty with honor,
realizing our dream,” he said.

HRAPARAK: TSARUKYAN’S SON-IN-LAW TO BECOME KOTAYK GOVERNOR?

10:04 02/04/2015 ” DAILY PRESS

Kotayk governor Aram Harutyunyan will be relieved of his post, to be
moved to work in the State Committee on Water Resources, Hraparak
reports, adding that several governors will be dismissed in the
near future.

Abovyan city mayor, Gagik Tsarukyan’s son-in-law Karapet Guloyan,
is being mentioned as a possible candidate for Kotayk governor,
Hraparak notes.

The newspaper also says that Minister of Economy Karen Chshmaritian
will quit his office.

Source: Panorama.am

LA REPUBLICA DE ARMENIA CONDECORO AL EXCANCILLER JORGE TAIANA

31.3.15

La República de Armenia, a traves de su embajada en el país, condecoro
el martes 31 de marzo al excanciller y precandidato del Frente
para la Victoria,Jorge Taiana, por su labor en el reconocimiento
del Genocidio Armenio en la República Argentina. Como Ministro de
Relaciones Exteriores, Taiana tuvo un rol protagonico cuando por
unanimidad el Congreso Nacional sanciono la Ley 26.199 que declara el
24 de abril de todos los años como el “Día de Accion por la Tolerancia
y el Respeto entre los Pueblos”, en conmemoracion del genocidio del
que fue víctima el pueblo armenio perpetrado por el Estado turco
(promulgada el 11 de enero de 2007).

“Me conmueve particularmente recibir esta distincion este año, tan
cerca de la fecha en que se cumple un siglo de los hechos que dieron
inicio al genocidio perpetrado contra el pueblo armenio entre 1915
y 1923, con un saldo de 1.500.000 de hombres, mujeres, niñas y niños
que fueron víctimas solo por su origen armenio, y la destruccion no
solo de las vidas sino tambien del tejido social de las comunidades”,
expreso Taiana en su discurso.

A pesar de que “durante decadas se intento ocultar y negar estas
atrocidades”, el excanciller afirmo que “Argentina se complace en
ser uno de los estados de la comunidad internacional que ha dado
por reconocimiento legislativo al genocidio del que fue víctima el
pueblo armenio”.

“Esta ley, que tuve el placer de acompañar como Ministro de Exteriores,
refleja el compromiso del pueblo argentino de acompañar los reclamos
de la comunidad que integra su identidad y que es promotor a nivel
internacional de la lucha por la verdad, la justicia y la memoria”,
finalizo Taiana.

Hugo Kuyumdjian, presidente de la Asociacion Cultural Armenia, abrio
el acto diciendo: “Quienes, ya sea por historia vivida, por ideología
o por conviccion, defendemos el derecho a la identidad, a la memoria,
a la verdad, a la justicia, a la reparacion, al nunca mas de cualquier
plan genocida, no podemos ignorar el nombre de Jorge Taiana”.

“Es necesario reconocer y honrar, al que fue y es, un militante por
los derechos humanos, que lo llevo incluso a convertirse en preso
político de la dictadura militar”, agrego, para luego recordar sus
gestiones para abrir la embajada argentina en Armenia.

Kuyumdjian cerro su discurso elogiando a Taiana por haber “sabido
soportar y eludir escenarios adversos, frente a las presiones y
esfuerzos de un Estado como Turquía, que intenta permanentemente
penetrar e instalar el negacionismo”.

La condecoracion “Mkhitar Gosh”, que en agosto del año pasado el
presidente de la República de Armenia, Serzh Sargsian, le entrego al
ex ministro de Justicia, Dr. Leon Arslanian, al interventor del INADI,
Pedro Mouratian, al ex consul, Jorge Vartparonian, y al vicepresidente
de la Internacional Socialista, Mario Nalpatian, se otorga a quienes
se destaquen en actividades estatales y sociopolíticas, así como
tambien en el terreno de la diplomacia, el derecho y las ciencias
políticas. Mkhitar Gosh fue un intelectual y sacerdote del siglo XII
que escribio el primer codigo de leyes que se utilizo en los antiguos
reinos de Gran Armenia y Cilicia.

El acto, que se llevo a cabo en la Asociacion Cultural Armenia,
conto con la participacion de referentes de organizaciones de
derechos humanos, dirigentes comunitarios, partidos políticos y
cuerpo diplomatico como la diputada nacionalGraciela Boyadjian y el
diputado Juan Carlos Junio, los legisladores porteños Pablo Ferreyra,
María Rachid y Edgardo Form, la consul de la embajada de Armenia,
Esther Mkrtumyan, el embajador de El Salvador, Oscar Menjivar, y el
embajador de Armenia en Argentina, Alexan Harutiunian, quien hizo
entrega de la medalla en nombre del gobierno armenio.

Ademas, asistieron la vicepresidenta de Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo, Rosa
Roisinblit, los precandidatos a legisladores porteños, Jonathan Thea y
Cristina Bidegain,Cayetano De Lella, presidente de la Fundacion IDEAS,
Andrea Vogel, exdirectora provincial de Igualdad de Oportunidades de la
Secretaría de Derechos Humanos,Patricio Echegaray, secretario general
del Partido Comunista, el jurista Leon Arslanian, el interventor del
INADI, Pedro Mouradian, y Emilce Moler, sobreviviente de la Noche de
los Lapices.

“THE RUSSIANS PROMISED TO RETURN THE LIBERATED REGIONS OR NAGORNO-KARABAKH TO AZERBAIJAN.” POLITICIAN

April 1 2015

In the conversation with Aravot, the expert for French Military
Research Foundation Gaydz Minasyan, in response to the question
of why Serzh Sargsyan touched upon the subject of sale of weapons
to Azerbaijan by Russia, noted, “Russians suggested Azerbaijan to
be a member of the EaEU, instead, perhaps, promising to return the
liberated regions or simply the Karabakh to Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan
refused joining the EaEU. Serzh Sargsyan, then, played another game,
realizing that the relations between Azerbaijan and Russia are not
so good. If Armenia had not joined the EaEU, Russia would interfere
with the stability of Armenia, now, they have no reason for doing so.

Russians do not want hot situations anywhere, there is a Ukrainian
crisis, as well as socio-economic problems inside Russia. In this
situation, Serzh Sargsyan exercised his diplomatic tactics. Using
some problems between Russia and Azerbaijan, he touched upon the
subject of arms sales to Azerbaijan by Russia”.

Emma GABRIELYAN

Read more at:

EN KIOSQUE CE MOI-CI > ET +

1915-2015

La presse francaise s’interesse de près a la 100ème commemoration
du genocide des Armeniens. Ce ne sont pas moins de 11 magazines et
journaux, qui, en deux mois ont decline sur plusieurs pages l’histoire
du genocide. Ce mois-ci c’est l’emblematique mensuel Historia (70 000
ex) qui propose en quatre pages >.

Parution egalement ce mois-ci, Le Monde diplomatique (140 000 ex),
un dossier intitule >.

Historia

Cliquer sur l’image pour agrandir

Parutions anterieures : chiffres OJD

La Croix (quotidien) : 93 000 ex Le Nouvel Obs (hebdo) : 461 000
Marianne (hebdomadaire) : 160 000 Le Figaro Histoire (bimestriel) :
non chiffre Temoignage chretien (mensuel) : non chiffre Ca m’interesse
(mensuel) : 250 000 L’Histoire (mensuel) : 51 000 Valeurs actuelles
(mensuel) : 112 000 Le droit de vivre (trimestriel) : non chiffre

Chiffres correspondants a des ventes effectives. Il est admissible
de penser qu’au moins une personne et demie a lu par exemple Ca
m’interesse = 375 000 lecteurs.

Voir aussi L’Orient le Jour ICI

Et ecouter l’emission d’Europe1 Au coeur de l’Histoire de l’ecrivain,
journaliste Franck Ferrand. Une vulgarisation de l’histoire du
genocide des Armeniens diffusee hier 31 mars. Invite, le geostratège
Gerard Chaliand.

Si le lecteur ne fonctionne pas, cliquer ICI

mercredi 1er avril 2015, Jean Eckian (c)armenews.com

ARMENIA’S TOTAL PUBLIC DEBT DROPS BY 1.9% TO $4,354.5 MILLION IN FEBRUARY 2015

YEREVAN, April 1. /ARKA/. Armenia’s total public debt stood at $4,354.5
million at the end of February 2015, having dropped by 1.9% from the
beginning of the year, the National Statistical Service (NSS) said.

According to official data, Armenia’s external debt fell by 3% to
$3,667 million in February. Of that amount about $3,244.7 million
were owed by the government, a decrease of 3% from the previous month.

Also about $422.3 million of the external debt were owed by the
Central Bank of Armenia. This figure decreased by 4%.

The government’s domestic debt grew by 4.7% to $687.4 million in
late February. Of that amount about $602.2 million were owed by the
government to resident buyers of government bonds.

The debt in foreign currency bonds amounted to $79 million. Also $4
million were owed as loans and $2.1 million as government guarantees.

-0–

ERDOGAN : LES ARMENIENS >

Publie le : 01-04-2015

Info Collectif VAN – – On pensait avoir tout
entendu en matière de negationnisme etatique turc, mais le president
de la Turquie, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, tient a demontrer qu’il peut
etre très inventif en la matière. Interroge sur sa decision cynique
de commemorer les 100 ans de la bataille de Gallipoli le 24 avril
prochain, jour des commemorations qui se tiennent pour le Centenaire
du genocide armenien, Erdogan affirme sans sourciller, au micro de
Marc Perelman sur France24, que ce sont les Armeniens qui >.

Peu lui importe que la date du 24 avril soit la date retenue depuis
près d’un siècle pour commemorer chaque annee, dans le monde entier,
le genocide armenien. Peu lui importe qu’elle corresponde a la rafle
des 250 intellectuels armeniens arretes dans la nuit du 24 au 25 avril
1915 a Constantinople, en prelude a l’extermination du peuple armenien,
perpetree sur ordre du gouvernement Jeune-Turc dans tout l’Empire
ottoman. Peu lui importe que cette date du 24 avril n’ait jamais ete
choisie depuis 99 ans par la Turquie pour celebrer sa victoire des
Dardanelles. Peu lui importe, car qui oserait s’opposer au Sultan
Erdogan ? Notons d’ailleurs que le journaliste Marc Perelman ne
s’avise pas de le contredire et qu’il lui parle >, en lieu et place du >… Le Collectif
VAN vous invite a visionner l’interview exclusive du president turc
Recep Tayyip Erdogan accordee a France24 et a lire sa retranscription
faite par le Collectif VAN.

Legende : Sourire cynique et satisfait du president turc Erdogan
lorsque le journaliste de France24 lui parle >.

France24

Le president turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan repond aux questions de Marc
Perelman

A visionner ICI

Le passage incrimine est a ecouter a partir de 16:56 mn jusqu’a 19:15
(si, si, c’est un complot international contre Erdogan, sa reponse
s’arrete pile a 1915…).

27/03/2015

Retranscription par le Collectif VAN

Question de Marc Perelman (France24) :

Il y a une controverse avec l’Armenie au sujet des commemorations des
evenements de 1915. Lepresident de l’Armenie vous accuse de saboter
les commemorations de ces evenements en accueillant une commemoration
en Turquie a la meme date, le 24 avril. Il dit que, cyniquement,
vous sabotez la memoire armenienne. Quelle est votre reaction ?

Reponse du president turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Jusqu’a aujourd’hui, en rapport avec les problèmes, les ennuis,
entre la Turquie et l’Armenie, c’est toujours nous qui avons eu des
pas positifs. L’Armenie n’a jamais fait de pas positifs en la matière.

Nous avons toujours tendu une main de paix, mais notre main est
toujours restee en l’air.

Il y a un an, le 23 avril, j’avais publie une lettre, je ne sais
pas si vous etes au courant, et cette lettre a recu un grand nombre
de reactions positives, mais nous n’avons pas recu le meme type de
reactions positives de la part de l’Armenie.

Cette annee, nous allons commemorer le 100ème anniversaire des
batailles terrestres des Dardanelles. Nous n’avons pas a demander la
permission a l’Armenie.

C’est une date historique, on connaît la date. C’est le 100ème
anniversaire de ces batailles terrestres des Dardanelles et il n’y
a aucun rapport de près ou de loin avec les ceremonies qui vont etre
organisees en Armenie. Au contraire, je pense qu’ils ont fixe leurs
ceremonies pour coïncider avec notre journee. Nous n’avons aucun
problème en la matière. Nous n’avons pas ce type d’inquietudes pour
faire coïncider cela avec cet evenement du 24 avril.

Le 24 avril, nous allons essayer d’apporter une contribution a la paix
mondiale. Le 18 mars, notre Premier ministre a assiste a un evenement,
et le 24 avril, je serai l’hôte de ces ceremonies. Le 23 avril, il
va y avoir un sommet de la paix et des messages seront diffuses. Les
ceremonies des Dardanelles auront lieu le 24 avril, et de nouveau, nous
allons envoyer des messages. Le 25 avril, nos invites vont participer
aux ceremonies de l’aube pour communiquer les memes messages.

Retranscription par le Collectif VAN le 31/03/2015 d’après :

Et :

Consulter aussi :

Genocide armenien : le president Sarkissian denonce le “negationnisme”
d’Erdogan

Interview exclusive par Marc Perelman sur France24

——————————————

Que fait la France ?

Le President de la Republique francaise va envoyer un representant
de haut niveau pour les 100 ans de Gallipoli en Turquie le 24 avril
(sans doute Laurent Fabius), donnant par la-meme son aval a cette
detestable initiative de la diplomatie turque qui vise a contrer
les commemorations du centenaire du genocide de 1915. Pour sa part,
après avoir participe le 24 avril au centenaire du genocide armenien
a Erevan, Francois Hollande se rendra le 25 avril en Azerbaïdjan où
se sont deroules tant de pogroms anti-Armeniens impunis (les plus
recents ayant eu lieu de 1988 a 1992), où les assassins d’Armeniens
sont traites en heros, et dont le chef de l’Etat, Ilham Aliyev,
a designe officiellement les Armeniens du monde entier comme les
ennemis de son pays. Des ennemis a abattre où qu’ils vivent. Ah,
qu’il est difficile de faire un choix entre la defense des valeurs
universelles et les affaires…

Assemblee nationale : Harlem Desir repond sur le Haut-Karabagh

——————————————

Observatoire du Negationnisme du Collectif VAN

ARMENIAN MP: TERRORIST ACTIVITIES IN MIDDLE EAST CAN TURN INTO GENOCIDE

18:17 01/04/2015 >> POLITICS

It is no secret that many foreign fighters who fight in Syria and Iraq
have come from friendly states. Yet it is essential to take measures
to investigate these sources of income of terrorist organizations and
to take appropriate measures, Armenian MP Koryun Nahapetyan said in
his remarks at NATO’s Rose-Roth seminar.

According to him, terrorist organizations cannot operate so smoothly
without stable sources of income. Nahapetyan stressed that continuous
brutalities are the message to all of us that one day they can turn
into genocide.

“It is important not only to physically resist, but to ideologically
condemn activities that tomorrow can turn into genocide. As a
nation who survived it 100 years ago and is still suffering from
the implications from the horrible events of the Armenian Genocide,
we have always clarified our position about that,” said Nahapetyan.

Nahapetyan highlighted that the events in the Syrian capital, militant
and extremist attacks from neighboring countries on the Armenians in
Kessab and the other regions in Syria and later Iraq made dozens of
them feel refugee again after generations.

“In this regard, I would like to mention that this year with the
centennial of the Armenian Genocide we will commemorate the victims
of genocide and call every nation to join us to prevent the future
generations from this experience,” concluded Nahapetyan.

WE CANNOT IGNORE THE LINE — IGNORANCE IS A THREAT TO OUR FREEDOMS

The Varsity, Univ. of Toronto Student Newspaper, Canada
March 30 2015

A response to “Safe spaces, free speech, and the fight for unwelcome
ideas”

By Harout Kassabian

Will Hall’s article featured in the March 9, 2015 issue of The Varsity
examines the problematic issue of holding freedom of expression as
an absolute right for all in political thought– while choosing to
ignore the hard questions it entails in the real world.

The article in question focuses on a lecture recently organized
on campus by the Federation of Canadian Turkish Associations which
featured known deniers of the Armenian Genocide. Hall expresses no
doubt about the occurrence of the 20th century’s first genocide but
decries Armenian organizations for attempting to have the university
cancel the event in what he sees as an attempt to supress freedom
of expression.

The fact is that freedom of expression is not limitless — just as
with the rest of our freedoms, it is not absolute. We allow it within
reasonable bounds. We draw the line when someone else’s freedoms
are being infringed upon or there is a threat to the livelihood of
others or society at large. This line exists and society has the
responsibility to be conscious of it.

The Armenian Genocide preceded the Holocaust. The Germans were well
aware of the extermination of the Armenians and according to some
scholars carried out their atrocious acts using it as an example.

Unfortunately, deniers of the Holocaust also exist among us today. Do
we allow them to speak in our university campuses on the grounds of
freedom of expression, or do we ask them to take their hate speech
elsewhere?

We must ask ourselves: do they truly believe that the Holocaust didn’t
happen, or is there an underlying and sinister purpose at play? This is
not an expression of honest opinion, a right that we try to maintain
for all even when wrong. This is a deliberate act among anti-Semitic
individuals to express their hate and disregard for Jews.

Holocaust deniers go to infinite lengths to pretend that the
atrocities did not take place — they stare at the nail scratches
on the walls of the Auschwitz gas chambers and dismiss them as part
of the “conspiracy” by President Eisenhower. They are also blind to
the endless testimonies of victims, soldiers, and journalists from
across Europe, all of which corroborate the existence of the Holocaust.

Similarly, there is no limit to Armenian Genocide deniers’ attempts to
revise well-established history. This is not honest ignorance; it is
a systematic strategy promoted by the Turkish government itself. There
is no reputable conflicting narrative or doubt regarding these events,
yet they attempt to construe it as such — a shameless shift to blame
the victims.

With this to consider, where do we draw the line of freedom of
expression in academia? Do we allow the victims to be re-victimized?

Do we allow a forum to defend the perpetrators and deny the
well-documented crime?

If we rightfully draw the line when faced with Holocaust denial,
then the same line should exist for the Armenian Genocide.

During the same week as this lecture, nationalists around Turkey held
banners that red “We celebrate the 100th anniversary of our country
being cleared of Armenians. We are proud of our glorious ancestors.”

Young Nihal Atsizs, a leading ideologue of Turkish racism and a
proponent of Turanism, have directly accepted the Genocide. In
Toronto, the Turkish deniers took a softer narrative by employing
historical revisionism, but the inherent evil of their efforts is no
different. The same underlying racism and nationalism remains.

These individuals and groups are the ones who make a mockery of
our democratic ideals. They hijack the freedoms afforded to them
to marginalize and threaten the freedoms of others. Mr. Hall has
defended them in his article and the university has encouraged them
by allowing this event to take place.

Would the university allow a radical Imam to speak on campus to
radicalize disenfranchised youth and encourage them to kill the
innocent and non-believers? The freedom of security afforded to society
would be at threat and would trump the freedom of this individual.

A line exists for everything, and Hall needs to understand that we do
not live in an ideal world. It is difficult to maintain neutrality
at times, but we can if we pull back the wool from our eyes and ask
the difficult questions.

U of T is well aware of the line, but chooses to acknowledge it for one
case and not the other. The administration concluded it could weather
whatever criticism and negative attention it receives as a result of
this event and allowed it to proceed. By doing so, the university
has assisted genocide denial — a crime in many places — and has
re-victimized the descendants of the Armenian Genocide’s survivors.

The same body that claims to hold itself as a staunch defender of our
freedoms compromised those victims’ rights to freedom from harassment
and discrimination. If the University of Toronto wishes to claim that
it is a defender and promoter of freedom of expression, it must first
show a bit more respect for the power that ideal holds.

Harout Kassabian is a recent graduate of U of T in the faculty of
applied science and engineering. He plans to return to the university
next year to pursue a Master’s degree.

Will Hall’s piece can be read at