Author: Kajoyan Gevork

ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT RECOGNIZES TURKISH GENOCIDE OF ASSYRIANS AND GREEKS

Assyrian International News Agency AINA
March 24 2015

Posted 2015-03-24 09:20 GMT

The Armenian National Assembly recognized the Assyrian and Greek
genocide perpetrated by Turks in World War One.Yerevan (AINA) —
The Armenian National Assembly voted today to recognize the genocide
of Assyrians and Greeks that was committed by Ottoman Turks during
World War One, between 1915 and 1923. The genocide claimed the lives
of 750,000 Assyrians (75%), 500,000 Greeks and 1.5 million Armenians.

The genocide recognition bill, sponsored by the Republican Party,
received 117 yay votes and 14 abstentions. There were no nay votes.

The formal title of the bill is “On the Genocide of the Greeks and
Assyrians Perpetrated by Ottoman Turkey between 1915 and 1923.” The
bill was authored by Eduard Sharmazanov, Armen Rustamyan, Hovhannes
Sahakyan, Edmon Marukyan, Arpine Hovhannisyan, Tevan Poghosyan,
Gurgen Arsenyan, Heghine Bisharyan, Alexander Arzumanyan, Vahram
Baghdasaryan, Hermine Naghdalyan, Margarit Yesayan, Lyudmila Sargsyan.

Eduard Sharmazanov, the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, said:

We have chosen to adopt a declaration because the National Assembly
of Armenia adopts declarations in very important cases. In this case,
we proposed, discussed and came to the conclusion that the adoption of
a declaration would be more appropriate because it’s not every day that
the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia adopts a declaration.

In this sense, by submitting the draft as a declaration on
condemnation, we want to show society and our Greek and Assyrian
brothers and sisters and the international community that the
National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia and all the political
forces attach importance to condemnation of the genocide perpetrated
against the Greeks and Assyrians.

In 2007 the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS)
recognized the Assyrian and Greek genocides (AINA 2007-12-15). In
2010 Sweden recognized the Assyrian, Greek and Armenian Genocide
(AINA 2010-03-12).

Sabri Atman, director of the Assyrian Genocide Research Center, said:

The systematic genocide the Ottoman State and its Kurdish allies
committed against Assyrians, Armenians and Greeks during World War
1 is no longer a gain for Turkey and we will never allow it to be as
such. We salute the Republic of Armenia for its decision to recognize
the Assyrian and Greek Genocide. This encourages us and gives us
strength to be recognized internationally.

Turkey cannot take its place among the civilized nations of the world
if it does not take full responsibility for the horrific crime of
the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek Genocide.

Turkey should stop its denial mentality and should stop its support
to criminal and barbaric organization, such as ISIS, that are now
continuing to commit genocide against our people in Iraq and Syria.

Turkey should know that the descendants of the survivors of the
“forgotten Genocide” will never stop demanding recognition.

While the Armenian genocide is widely known and recognized, the
Assyrian and Greek genocides are lesser known. But these genocides
cannot be separated from the Armenian genocide, as they were
perpetrated at the same time and by the same policy. The genocide
of the Assyrians, Greeks and Armenians is one and the same. It was
a genocide against Christians.

Assyrians have worked with Greeks and Armenians to pressure Turkey
to recognize the genocide of World War One.

To date, Assyrians have erected genocide monuments in 9 cities around
the world (story).

CHICAGO ARTIST MARKS CENTENNIAL OF ARMENIAN KILLINGS WITH GUERNICA-SIZE WORK

Reuters
March 23 2015

Mon Mar 23, 2015 9:17pm EDT

By Tracy Rucinski

CHICAGO (Reuters) – One hundred years after the mass killing of
Armenians, a Chicago artist has created a monumental painting to
honor the victims and celebrate a culture that nearly vanished.

The 1915 massacre of Armenians by Ottoman troops became a defining
element of Armenian national identity.

Seeking to promote awareness of the tragedy and Armenian culture,
Chicago-based artist Jackie Kazarian embarked on a painting of enormous
scale in an endeavor called Project 1915.

The painting, which Kazarian has titled Armenia (Hayastan), will be
displayed for the first time in Chicago’s Mana Contemporary gallery
from April 17 to May 29.

The work is a semi-abstract landscape splashed with bold images and
text from ancient Armenian maps and church architecture, united by
a pattern of needle lace by Kazarian’s Armenian-born grandmother and
with colors and symbols from illuminated manuscripts.

Kazarian, who has Armenian roots, drew on Pablo Picasso’s epic painting
Guernica, which depicts the horror of a northern Spanish village’s
bombing during Spain’s civil war, for her painting.

It is the same size as Guernica at 11.5 feet by 26 feet.

“No one would have known what happened in Guernica if it wasn’t for
that painting,” Kazarian said.

The nature and scale of the killings of Armenians by Ottoman forces
during World War One remain highly contentious.

While a number of countries define the massacres as genocide and
while Turkey accepts that many Armenians died in partisan fighting,
the Turkish government denies that up to 1.5 million were killed and
that it was an act of genocide.

Last year, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan made unprecedented
condolences to the grandchildren of Armenians killed at the time, but
the legacy remains an obstacle to reviving frozen relations between
Turkey and neighboring Armenia, a small former Soviet territory.

In Kazarian’s painting, two open hands span the bottom corners, as if
holding up the work and an entire culture. It is a gesture Kazarian
said she remembered her grandmother often using.

“This is a very visceral, emotional project. But like any art that
references a painful past, it is about remembering, healing and
educating ourselves to make a better world,” Kazarian said.

After its Chicago exhibition, the painting will be displayed at
universities and galleries across the United States and the world.

(Editing by Fiona Ortiz, Richard Chang and Peter Cooney)

ARMENIAN WRESTLER WINS CHAMPIONSHIP, BEATING OUT TURKISH, AZERI OPPONENTS

Wednesday, March 25th, 2015 | Posted by Contributor

Armenian wrestler Valodya Frangoulian in a bout during the European
Championship in Poland

WALBRZYCH, Poland–Armenian wrestler Valodya Frangoulian was crowned
champion on Wednesday at the European Under-23 Wrestling Championship,
which was hosted in Walbrzych, Poland. The wrestler beat out opponents
from Belarus, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Ukraine in the 61 kg weight
category.

Frangoulian beat Azerbaijan’s Ahmed’nabi Gvarzadilov with a sweeping
score of 6:0. Frangoulian then beat Turkey’s Rejep Topali in the
semifinals by a score of 9:7. He beat Ukraine’s Andrey Svirid in the
final match with a score of 8:3.

In the competition’s 70 kg category, Armenia’s Ishkhan Poghosian lost
to Russia’s Rassul Arsanliev in the semi-final match and will fight
Belarus’s Aleksandr Karpach for bronze.

In the 86 kg category, Armenia’s Vahe Tamrazian lost his quarter-final
match to Russia’s Shamil Goudiamagomedov.

TURKEY WILL ADMIT ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IF TURKISH YOUTH CHANGE WAY OF THINKING – KAREN SIRUNYAN

17:32 * 25.03.15

Admission of the Armenian Genocide is a task not only for university
professors or government agencies.

Every Armenian must be engaged in propaganda, expert in Turkic studies
Karen Sirunyan told reporters on Wednesday.

He pointed out the importance of multi-language mass media, including
Turkish-language mass media, and of information campaign among Turkish
and Azerbaijani young people.

“Turkey will admit the Armenian Genocide if Turkish young people
change their way of thinking,” Mr Sirunyan said.

He points out some progress in organization of debates on the Armenian
Genocide in Turkey.

Emphasis should be placed on 1880 when the Armenian pogrom actually
began rather than on the 1.5 million victims.

As regards the pan-Armenian declaration, Mr Sirunyan said it was the
first step. He points out the need for thinking of further practical
steps.

Slowly but surely, the West and US have begun revising their policy
to the Middle East.

“Discussions to form a counterbalance to Turkey in the Middle East
are already in progress,” Mr Sirunyan said.

According to him, it could be of benefit to Armenia.

PRESSE ARMENIENNE : REVUE DU 23 MARS 2015

Publie le : 25-03-2015

Info Collectif VAN – – Le Collectif VAN vous
presente cette Revue de Presse parue sur le site de l’Ambassade de
France en Armenie le 23 mars 2015.

Ambassade de France en Armenie

Revue de la presse armenienne du 23 mars 2015

I. Centenaire du Genocide

1. L’entretien exclusif du President Sarkissian a France 24/ Les
agences de presse reproduisent ce 23 mars, des extraits de l’interview
exclusive du President Sarkissian a France 24, dans laquelle il
regrette le choix des autorites turques de commemorer l’anniversaire
de la bataille de Gallipoli le 24 avril, jour de la commemoration du
100ème anniversaire du Genocide armenien. Il a qualifie cette decision
de >. Il a regrette que cette annee, le negationnisme
turc ait trouve une expression particulièrement >. >, a-t-il dit.

Le chef de l’Etat a egalement evoque le conflit du HK, tout en
affirmant que l’Armenie etait prete a tout scenario, y compris a celui
de la reprise des operations militaires a grande echelle et se battrait
si necessaire. L’entretien est disponible sur le site de France 24.

2. Le porte-parole du parti Republicain a reagi aux propos du
President turc/ Edouard Charmazanov a commente les propos du President
Erdogan, celui-ci ayant appele l’Armenie et la diaspora armenienne
a venir etudier les archives turques, qui sont ouvertes. Selon le
porte-parole, le fait du Genocide armenien est aussi evident que
l’existence du soleil et de la lune dans le ciel : >.

Hayastani Hanrapetoutioun rapporte les propos du directeur de
l’Institut de l’Orient de l’Academie des sciences, Rouben Safrastian,
selon lequel bien que les archives turques soient formellement
ouvertes, Erevan dispose des informations sur leur >
de la part des services secrets turcs pendant des annees. Selon M.

Safrastian, meme en depit de la purification des archives turques,
celles-ci comportent encore des documents qui peuvent servir contre
les arguments officiels d’Ankara. 168 Jam reproduit, pour sa part,
l’avis du directeur du think tank Modus Vivendi, Ara Papian, selon
lequel les propos de M. Erdogan sont vexants non seulement pour
l’Armenie, mais aussi pour tous les pays qui ont reconnu le Genocide.

Aux yeux de M. Papian, les propos du President turc ont pour principal
objectif d’impliquer l’Armenie dans un debat inutile sur les faits
historiques, alors qu’elle n’a pas a se meler d’une discussion qui
met en question la realite du Genocide. L’unique sujet sur lequel
l’Armenie peut negocier avec la Turquie est celui de l’eradication
des consequences du Genocide.

Haykakan Jamanak donne la parole a un turcologue, Rouben Melkonian,
qui denonce dans les propos de M. Erdogan un >.

Selon lui, une partie seulement des archives turques sont ouvertes,
tandis que les archives militaires où sont conserves les documents
relatifs au Genocide sont fermees meme pour les chercheurs turcs. Il
affirme egalement que les archives turques ont ete >
a plusieurs reprises et avant tout par les jeunes turcs.

II. Conflit du HK

1. Le Ministre de la Defense au HK/ Le ministre armenien de la Defense,
Seyran Ohanian, s’est rendu au Haut Karabagh le week-end dernier
afin de prendre connaissance des details de l’attaque d’un commando
azerbaïdjanais, le 19 mars, a la suite de laquelle 3 soldats armeniens
ont ete tues et 4 blesses (cf. revue du 20.03). Le Ministre armenien
a rendu visite aux quatre soldats blesses, dont 2 demeurent dans un
etat grave. Le Ministre de la Defense s’est egalement entretenu avec
les responsables militaires du HK et pris connaissance des moyens de
defense mis en place sur la ligne de contact pour mieux prevenir les
attaques de l’adversaire.

2. Un soldat armenien a franchi volontairement la ligne de contact
au HK pour se constituer prisonnier de guerre/ Les agences de presse
annoncent ce 23 mars qu’un soldat armenien, Andranik Grigorian, s’est
volontairement constitue prisonnier de guerre, dimanche 22 mars,
en abandonnant son poste de service et ses armes et en franchissant
la ligne de contact au HK pour se trouver sur le territoire de
l’Azerbaïdjan. Selon RFE/RL, le CICR serait en train de negocier avec
les autorites azerbaïdjanaises pour lui rendre visite. Une enquete
est en cours au HK pour elucider les motifs de cet agissement.

3. La Russie doit revoir sa politique de vente d’armes a l’Azerbaïdjan/
Dans un entretien avec Hayots Achkhar, David Babayan, porte-parole du
>, invite la Russie a revoir sa politique de vente
d’armes a l’Azerbaïdjan. Selon lui, la Russie, qui copreside le Groupe
de Minsk de l’OSCE, n’est sûrement pas interessee par la reprise des
hostilites dans cette region et, de ce fait, doit clairement dire a
l’Azerbaïdjan que l’arme qui lui est vendue ne doit pas etre dirigee
contre les >.

Dans un entretien avec 168 Jam, Modest Kolerov, directeur de l’agence
de presse russe Regnum et Conseiller d’Etat de la Federation de Russie,
estime que la Russie commet une erreur en livrant des armements lourds
a l’Azerbaïdjan, d’autant que ces livraisons ne contribuent pas a
l’amelioration de l’image de la Russie auprès des milieux politiques,
de la societe et des medias azerbaïdjanais. Selon lui, un dialogue
pourrait prochainement avoir lieu entre l’Armenie et la Russie au
sujet de la vente d’armements russes a l’Azerbaïdjan.

4. Propos dignes d’Adolf Hitler et de Saddam Hussein/ Edouard
Charmazanov, porte-parole du parti Republicain, a reagi aux recents
propos d’Ilham Aliev declarant que > (cf. revue du 20.03) : >.

III. Politique interieure

1. Le parti Dachnak formera-t-il une coalition gouvernementale
avec le parti Republicain ?/ Haykakan Jamanak et Hraparak se
disent informes qu’a la suite du 24 avril, les partis Republicain
et FRA/Dachnaksoutioun devraient annoncer la formation d’une
coalition gouvernementale. Trois portefeuilles ministeriels, ceux de
l’agriculture, du travail et des affaires sociales, de la justice,
pourraient etre confies au parti Dachnak. Celui-ci pourrait egalement
obtenir un poste de vice-ministre des AE.

2. Les reserves exterieures de la RA continuent de diminuer/ Selon
Haykakan Jamanak, citant la Banque centrale de la RA, en fevrier
2015, les reserves exterieures de la RA ont ete de 1, 260 milliards
de dollars, ce qui constitue une diminution de 91 M USD par rapport
a janvier 2015. Au cours des deux premiers mois de cette annee, les
reserves exterieures de l’Armenie ont diminue de 229 M USD (15%). Par
rapport a la meme periode de l’annee dernière, les reserves ont
diminue de 853 M USD (plus de 40%).

3. Au cours des mois de janvier-fevrier 2015, l’economie armenienne a
augmente de 2,5%/ Ce chiffre a ete communique par le Service national
des Statistiques (SNS). 168 Jam reproduit d’autres statistiques
macro-economiques publiees par le SNS, en vertu desquelles, durant la
periode indiquee, les echanges commerciaux de l’Armenie ont diminue
de 27,7%. Par rapport a la meme periode de l’annee dernière, les
exportations ont diminue de 25,2% et les importations de 28,6M. 168
Jam estime que ces chiffres sont pires que ceux de l’annee 2009
lorsque l’Armenie etait frappee par une crise financière.

IV. UEE

1. . La correspondante d’Aravot, Melania Barseguian, critique
culinaire, qui etait parmi les invites, enumère les plats, photos a
l’appui, et estime que les invites etaient emerveilles par le menu et
les goûts. Elle felicite egalement le chef cuisinier de l’Ambassade
pour son travail >.

Redaction : Meri Hakobian

TELECHARGER : Revue de la presse armenienne du 23 mars 2015

Source/Lien : Ambassade de France en Armenie

BRITISH PARLIAMENTARIAN DEMANDS GOVERNMENT TO RECOGNIZE GENOCIDE OF ARMENIANS

by Ashot Safaryan

ARMINFO
Wednesday, March 25, 10:32

On March 23, the UK House of Commons held an adjournment debate on
the Armenian Genocide centennial. The discussion was led by Labour
Member of Parliament Stephen Pound, according to Asbarez.

“The subject of this Adjournment debate is the commemoration of one
of the most appalling, heinous acts that has ever been committed on
this earth: the Armenian genocide of 23 and 24 April 1915,” Stephen
Pound said during the debate. The full text of his speech is below.

According to the MP, it is otiose even to ask the question, ‘Was there
genocide?’ Yet the question has been asked many times. People have
said there was no genocide in 1915, but to a certain extent that was
not the only genocide. The Armenians-a people of incredible, intense
culture and great sophistication-were assaulted between 1894 and 1896,
when 200,000 people were killed. There was the Adana massacre of
1909, in which 20,000 to 30,000 people were killed. In particular,
leading up to 1915, after the 1912 Balkan wars, refugees from the
Caucasus and Rumelia-they were known as muhacirs-moved from the
south Balkans and the Caucasus into Anatolia. That movement into the
traditional Armenian land, coupled with the aftermath of the battle
of Sarikamish-which took place on 24 December 1914, when the Russians
defeated the Ottoman army-led to a completely different situation
whereby the peaceful Armenian people suddenly found themselves between
different warring factions: on the one hand the Ottoman empire, and
on the other people moving into their land, so they were dispossessed.

The then War Minister, Enver Pasha, demobilised all Armenians from the
army-many of them fought in the Ottoman army-into labour battalions,
and the infamous tehcir law, which is known as the deportation law,
was passed by Talaat Pasha, the Interior Minister.”

“At that particular time, the Young Turks had arrived-the Committee of
Union and Progress as they were known-and the massacre commenced in
Istanbul on the night of 23 April. It is impossible to imagine what
it must have been like. Anatolia–western Armenia–was a peaceful
country in which the Armenians had succeeded greatly. They had filled
many posts, not just in the army, but in medicine and law. They were
a peaceful and prosperous people. Just as the upper echelon of Poles
at Katyn were massacred, similarly the upper echelon of Armenians
were taken to slaughter,” Pound said in his speech.

According to Soy Armenio newspaper, the Government does not make any
statement on the issue, as UK is an ally of Turkey and Azerbaijan
and implements many projects in the oil sector in those countries.

PLUS DE 600 ELÈVES AU MEMORIAL DU GENOCIDE DES ARMENIENS A MONTEBELLO (CALIFORNIE)

GENOCIDE DES ARMENIENS-100 ANS

Plus de 600 elèves des ecoles armeniennes de Californie se sont
retrouves au memorial du genocide des Armeniens a Montebello afin de
commemorer le 100ème anniversaire du genocide des Armeniens par la
Turquie ecrit le journal armenien des Etats-Unis, >. Des
elèves, mais egalement des enseignants, des parents ainsi que des
representants de la ville de Montebello etaient presents au memorial.

Le maire d’origine armenienne de Montebello, Jack Hadjinian, ainsi
que Vivian Romero (membre du conseil municipal) et le gouverneur de
la ville Francesco Taker Shayler ont pris la parole pour denoncer
le crime du genocide et appeler les Etats a le reconnaitre. Notons
que la majeure partie des Etats americains a reconnu le genocide des
Armeniens. Mais Washington menageant son allie turc, ne l’a toujours
pas reconnu.

Krikor Amirzayan

mercredi 25 mars 2015, Krikor Amirzayan (c)armenews.com

LE PRESIDENT CHYPRIOTE ASSISTERA AUX COMMEMORATIONS DU CENTENAIRE DU GENOCIDE ARMENIEN

CHYPRE

Le President de la Republique de Chypre Nicos Anastasiades se rendra en
Armenie du 23 au 25 avril afin de participer aux evenements commemorant
le centenaire du genocide armenien a annonce le bureau de presse de
Vartkes Mahdessian, membre de la Chambre des representants de Chypre.

Selon la source, “Nicos Anastasiades a accepte l’invitation officielle
du President de la Republique d’Armenie Serge Sarkissian de se rendre
en Armenie du 23 au 25 Avril afin d’assister aux evenements de la
commemoration du centenaire du genocide armenien qui se tiendront a
Erevan et confirmer le soutien du Gouvernement de Chypre au peuple
armenien “.

Pendant ce temps, les partis politiques de la Republique de Chypre ont
redige un projet de loi penalisant la negation publique du genocide
armenien.

Comme le rapporte le journal turc Hurriyet, le projet de loi soumis
conjointement par tous les partis politiques representes au Parlement
de Chypre prevoit des sanctions pour ceux qui ne reconnaissent pas
les genocides, les crimes de guerre et les crimes contre l’humanite.

Il est mentionne que le projet de loi est propose d’etre adopte
a l’occasion du centenaire du genocide armenien. La Republique de
Chypre a reconnu le genocide armenien. On suppose que le Parlement
de Chypre devrait voter le projet de loi cette semaine.

mercredi 25 mars 2015, Stephane (c)armenews.com

PRESIDENT ERDOGAN’S TRADEMARK PARANOIA

17:36, 25 Mar 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Two large Turkish dailies, ‘Hurriyet’ and ‘Today’s Zaman’, on March
19, 2015 reported unprecedented attacks on the Armenian diaspora by
the Turkish President Racep Tayyip Erdogan.

According to ‘Today’s Zaman’, the Turkish President stated: “Oh
Armenian diaspora, Oh Armenian administration, …Bring your documents,
and we will task the historians, our historians, political scientists,
even archeologists and lawyers [with studying them]… let’s seek
the truth here.”

It looks like Mr. Erdogan is suffering from amnesia or has disjointed
from reality or doesn’t know what has transpired in the last 100
years vis-a-vis his society, academia, and the international community
regarding the Armenian Genocide.

It seems everyone other than Mr. Erdogan knows the truth. Over 400
historians, Holocaust scholars, and genocide experts have given the
authoritative answer to this issue and concluded that what happened
to the Armenians was genocide.

The International Association of Genocide Scholars, the leading group
tasked with researching and studying genocides, in a June 12, 2006
letter to Mr. Erdogan, then the Prime Minister of Turkey, stated:
“Scholars who advise your government and who are affiliated in other
ways with your state-controlled institutions are not impartial. Such
so-called ‘scholars’ work to serve the agenda of historical and moral
obfuscation when they advise you and the Turkish Parliament on how
to deny the Armenian Genocide.”

Mr. Erdogan’s suggestion to create “historians commission” to study
the Armenian Genocide is redundant. It’s akin to Holocaust deniers’
demand to create “historians commission” to prove whether the Holocaust
took place.

The Turkish President stated: “The truth should be sought in the
archives.” Many witnesses during the Istanbul Military Tribunal (1919
– 1921) of the perpetrators of the Armenian Genocide, testified that
the documents of CUP, the government in power at the time, had been
removed and Interior Ministry archives had been burned by Talaat Pasha,
Minister of Interior, prior to fleeing the country.

Whatever is left of these archives are granted limited viewing to a
small group of selected historians who a priori have demonstrated their
support of Turkish government’s genocide denialist narrative. So the
Turkish archives openness argument is a clever way to mislead and to
divert attention from the real issue, the crime of genocide.

How about third country archives such as that of Britain, France, the
United States, Canada, Vatican, and even then-Turkish allies Germany
and Austria, among others? How about the hundreds of photographs
by war correspondents, massive eyewitness accounts and coverage by
Western journalists, missionaries and NGOs?

‘Hurriyet’ reported that Mr. Erdogan said: “The greatest massacres
targeting Muslims in the Balkans and in Caucasia happened in the same
period. In Anatolia,…as many as Armenians were harmed.” For him
to equate Armenian and Muslim loses is deceitful. The two losses are
not interrelated. The Armenian loses were due to Ottoman government
premeditated and centrally-planned race extermination. The Muslim
losses were due to Turkey taking side in a global war. It is an
Orwellian charade for Mr. Erdogan to compare the two losses.

Finally, the sultan of the new Ottomans stated: “The Armenian diaspora
is trying to instill hatred against Turkey everywhere in the world
through campaigns on genocide claims.” It is not only the Armenians
who are calling on the Turkish government to recognize the Armenian
Genocide. In addition to the international community, thousands of
righteous Turks are calling on Mr. Erdogan and the Turkish government
to end the 100-year-old callous policy of denial.

Mr. Vatche Demirdjian, the President of the Armenian Canadian
Conservative Association (ACCA),commented on Mr. Erdogan’s paranoid
statements and conspiracy theories by stating: “Mr. Erdogan’s comments
are sign of desperation and bankrupt policy.” He added: “Armenians
hold no grudge against Turks. On the contrary, we acknowledge that
many righteous Turks during the Genocide risked their lives to save
their Armenians. We also value the 40,000 Turkish intellectuals,
historians, journalists, and civil society members who have signed
an online “I apologize” proclamation asking the Turkish government to
atone for its predecessors’ crimes against the Armenians and humanity.”

TURKMENISTAN’S CULTURE TO BE CELEBRATED IN ARMENIA IN A SERIES OF EVENTS

YEREVAN, March 25. /ARKA/. Well-known cultural figures from
Turkmenistan have arrived in Armenia for Days of Turkmenistan’s
Culture in the country.

The series of cultural events will be opened today by a gala concert
in the National Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet in Yerevan,
Turkmenistan’s deputy minister of culture Bahargul Abdiev told
reporters on Wednesday.

An exhibition of decorative art and museum valuables will open
at Sharambeyan People’s Art Center on Thursday, she said. “Lyale”
vocal group, “Shirin Ovaglar” band and “Serpay” ethno group will give
concerts in Yerevan, Giumry and Vanadzor.

Abdieva stressed Armenia-Turkmenistan bilateral ties have been built
since 1992 based on mutual understanding and respect for each other.

Armenia’s minister of culture Hasmik Poghosyan presented a project of
restoration of Turkmen Sahadov family tomb located in Argavand village
near Yerevan, Novosti-Armenia reports. Turkmenistan’s delegation
praised the project and proposed to conserve the tomb as a first step.

Poghosyan said Armenia and Turkmenistan have been actively cooperating
in culture in the last years.

She also said Armenian experts are invited by Turkmenistan to
participate in the conference titled “Dialogue of Cultures on the
Great Silk Road”.

Concert, exhibitions and other events will be held as part of the
Days of Turkmenistan in Armenia.

The events are held by Turkmenistan’s embassy in Armenia, together with
Igityan National Center of Aesthetics, with assistance of Armenia’s
ministry of culture. -0–