Author: Kajoyan Gevork

TURQUIE
1915 les documents officiels cachés sous le tapis selon le journaliste
turc Murat Bardakçı

Selon le journal AGOS le journaliste turc Murat Bardakçı, qui a publié
les livres intitulés `Talat PaÃ…?a’nın Evrak-ı Metrukesi` (les documents
abandonnés de Talat Pacha) documents contenant la correspondance
privée sur la question arménienne trouvée dans les archives privées de
Talat Pacha, et `Ä°ttihatçı’nın Sandigi` (Le Coffre en bois des
unionistes) contenant la correspondance des hauts dirigeants
unionistes, a fait des déclarations frappantes concernant les archives
ottomanes dont les fonctionnaires de l’Etat prétendent à chaque fois
qu’elles sont ouvertes.

Murat Bardakçı a ainsi indiqué qu’un fonctionnaire de l’Institut
d’Histoire Turque [TTK] a retiré `les registres des expéditions`
conservés après que la loi sur les expulsions ait été émise en 1915
dans archives ottomanes, et les cacha dans les archives d’une autre
institution. Selon Murat Bardakçı, cela a été fait non via une
procédure officielle, mais a été le résultat de l’interférence d’un
individu. Même la nouvelle administration de l’Institut d’Histoire
Turque ne sait pas où ces documents se trouvent à l’heure actuelle.
Murat Bardakçı a ajouté qu’il devine que les « dossiers sur les
propriétés abandonnées [emval-i Metruke] » étaient dans le même
emplacement que les registres des expéditions susmentionnés, et qu’une
enquête appropriée pourrait dénicher tous ces documents.

Les registres des expéditions mentionnés par Murat Bardakçı sont des
listes qui comprennent le nombre et les noms des Arméniens soumis à la
déportation forcée en 1915, et à partir de quelle région ils ont été
déportés.

La déportation a été effectuée conformément aux ordres reçus du
gouvernement central, par la tenue de registres par les
administrateurs locaux qui ont exécuté la procédure d’expulsion des
Arméniens qui ont été chassés de leurs maisons et le contrôle et la
mise à jour de ces registres aux endroits où ils ont été envoyés. Les
« dossiers sur les propriétés abandonnées », d’autre part, contiennent
des informations détaillées au sujet des actifs ou les propriétés des
Arméniens déportés qui ont été saisis, l’adresse et le numéro ou le
type de propriété, et d’autre part des informations sur les réfugiés
musulmans situés dans des endroits dont les Arméniens ont été évacués
et les biens et les avoirs qu’ils ont reçu.

Murat Bardakçı souligne que, même si elles ne couvrent pas toutes les
zones de peuplement, un nombre important de registres des expéditions
et des registres de propriété abandonnés sont actuellement dans les
archives.

Ce qui fait penser à Murat Bardakçı que les registres des propriétés
abandonnées et les registres des expéditions sont maintenus ensemble
est que la Direction de la réinstallation des populations et des
réfugiés [‘Asaïr Ä°skan-i ve Muhacirin Müdüriyeti’] Ã laquelle la tche
d’envoi a été affecté, a également été chargé de la classification et
l’organisation des propriétés abandonnées.

Taner Akçam : « Ces registres peuvent nous conduire à des informations
très importantes`

Les commentaires de l’historien Taner Akçam sur les allégations de
Murat Bardakci :

`Si les registres mentionnés « des expéditions »sont les livres dans
lequel les Arméniens déportés de chaque ville et par province ont été
conservés, alors leur importance ne peut pas être exagérée. Parce que
ces registres pourraient nous aider à accéder à de nombreuses
informations, notamment et avant tout sur le nombre de personnes
exterminées. C’est-Ã-dire que nous comprenons à la fois des procès des
membres du comité Union et Progrès qui ont commencé Ã Istanbul en
1919, et à partir de certains documents dans l’archive ottoman, que
les expéditions « normales », ou la déportation, devaient être faites
en fonction de ces documents. La Cour Martial d’Istanbul a cherché Ã
accéder à ces documents lors des audiences, et a demandé leur
emplacement. Pour autant que nous le savons, aucun document n’a été
remis à la Cour au cours de ces années. Maintenant imaginons que nous
ayons les noms et numéros des 50 familles exilés de Zeitun et qui ont
atteint Alep, alors nous saurons aussi combien de familles ont été
forcées de partir de Zeitun. Les lacunes dans les chiffres pourraient
nous fournir des informations détaillées sur les actes
d’extermination. Ce que je peux enfin dire, c’est que l’institut
d’histoire turque a agi conformément à sa réputation. Bien sûr, il
faut aussi se demander : Pourquoi les registres des propriétés
abandonnés, ainsi que les registres des expéditions, recueillies Ã
partir des archives ont été dissimulés à un endroit différent ?`.

vendredi 9 janvier 2015,
Stéphane ©armenews.com

Letters: Centenary of Armenian genocide

Mon, Jan 5, 2015, 01:06

Sir, – 2015 is the centenary of the Armenian genocide that cost the
lives of up to a million Armenian men, women and children.

What makes the Armenian genocide so important is that because it was
so “successful” from an Ottoman Turk point of view it became a sort of
blueprint for further acts of genocide in the 20th century.
Infamously, Adolf Hitler is reported to have said: “Who, after all,
speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?”

The relative success of the Armenian genocide encouraged others,
including Hitler, Idi Amin, Pol Pot, and the Rwandan government to
carry out further acts of genocide.

Acknowledgement and recognition by the international community that
the atrocities committed against the Armenian people between 1915 and
1922 amounted to genocide is vital in order to ensure justice and
accountability for the Armenian people, and to strengthen global
jurisprudence toward preventing further acts of genocide.

France, Russia, the US congress and the European Parliament have
already recognised the Armenian genocide but many other countries,
including Ireland and the UK, have yet to do so.

The present Turkish government must be pressurised by the
international community into accepting that its predecessors
perpetrated genocide against the Armenian people. Turkey has
aspirations to membership of the European Union, and Europe needs
Turkey as a positive bridge toward the Middle East and toward Islamic
communities.

The European Union should make it clear that recognition of the
Armenian genocide must be a prerequisite for EU membership, and
perhaps lead to EU membership for both Turkey and Armenia. – Yours,
etc,

Dr EDWARD HORGAN,

Castletroy,
Limerick.

Marianne, France
2 janvier 2015

2015 ET LA MÉMOIRE ARMÉNIENNE

Par Alexis Lacroix

Les écrivains ont évoqué et interrogé l’ge des extrêmes, avec une
curiosité particulière pour l’acte de naissance des entreprises
d’anéantissement modernes : le génocide arménien, qui s’est déroulé en
1915 et 1916 et a coûté la vie à 1,2 million de personnes. Un siècle
après ce cataclysme, la persévérance de ces artistes, leur obstination
à mettre en déroute l’amnésie planifiée force le respect. C’est peu
dire que le drame arménien a trouvé en eux ses mémorialistes. En 1931,
Ossip Mandelstam a évoqué cette tragédie dans Voyage en Arménie. La
même année, le romancier arménien Hagop Oshagan s’ attelait à son
chef-d’oeuvre, Mnatsortats, pour raconter «ce qui reste de [son]
peuple». Quant à Vassili Grossman, au début des années 60, il s’est
rendu en Arménie et a composé La paix soit avec vous, ode au «peuple
martyr». A son tour , Elie Wiesel prolongera le geste de Grossman et
associera à son combat courageux contre la négation de la Shoah la
mémoire de la destruction des Arméniens.

Leur précurseur à tous, cependant, est né à Prague en 1890, et c’est
un écrivain austro-hongrois du nom de Franz Werfel. Mari d’Alma
Mahler, il fut une des gloires littéraires de la Vienne de
l’entre-deux-guerres. En 1928, il entame les Quarante Jours du Musa
Dagh. Roman d’aventures autant qu’oeuvre de la mémoire, ce livre
raconte l’épopée – véridique – d’une communauté rurale assiégée par
les massacreurs turcs. Réfugiés sur une montagne, le Musa Dagh, les
villageois, conduits par leur chef, Gabriel Bagradian, guerroient
quarante jours durant, jusqu’ à leur délivrance par une escadre
française.

Werfel, bien sûr, est un conteur, et il élève à la dignité de l’épopée
cette résistance isolée. Bien sûr, il enjolive, rehausse, idéalise. Le
triptyque métaphorique qu’il propose à ses lecteurs n’est donc pas
d’une impeccable «factualité» : le sauveur, Bagradian, évoque, par
maints aspects, Moïse ; et la montagne s’ apparente au mont Nébo du
récit biblique. N’empêche. Si les Quarante Jours du Musa Dagh
demeurent impérissables, c’est parce que leur auteur dissèque
l’engrenage de mort par lequel «l’un des peuples les plus anciens et
les plus courageux de la Terre a été presque entièrement anéanti,
assassiné, exterminé». En nommant la volonté exterminatrice, Werfel a
saisi l’essence d’un siècle de fer.

A lire aussi : Arméniens. Le Temps de la délivrance, de Gaïdz
Minassian (CNRS Editions), et Mémorial du génocide des Arméniens, de
Raymond H. Kévorkian et Yves Ternon (Seuil).

LES ÉCRIVAINS SONT DES MÉMORIALISTES DE LA DESTRUCTION DES ARMÉNIENS.

Cihan News Agency, Turkey
Jan 9 2015

Turkish FM: Perinçek should attend Strasbourg trial on ‘genocide’ denial

ISTANBUL – 09.01.2015 18:38:09

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuþoðlu said on Friday that he
supports the attendance of a Turkish ultranationalist politician at a
European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) hearing about his denial that
100 years ago an Armenian genocide took place, despite a travel ban
that was imposed on him as part of a domestic coup case.

Doðu Perinçek, leader of the ultranationalist Workers’ Party (ÝP), won
an appeal at the ECtHR against a Swiss court’s decision to convict him
for saying that the Armenian genocide is an “international lie” during
a series of speeches in Switzerland in 2007, which is seen as a crime
in Switzerland. The court said in its Dec. 17, 2013, decision, which
was hailed by Turkey, that the politician had exercised his right to
free speech.

Switzerland, on the other hand, asked the ECtHR to review its
decision. The Grand Chamber of the Strasbourg-based court is now due
to review its earlier verdict on Jan. 28.

Speaking on Friday at the last day of annual Ambassadors’ Conference,
Çavuþoðlu said he had talked to Perinçek on the phone and that he
hopes that the politician will be able to attend the hearing in
Strasbourg.

Perinçek was convicted at home for membership to Ergenekon, a network
described by a court as an armed terrorist organization bent on
overthrowing the government through a coup. He was released from
prison in March 2014, but his travel ban is still in force.

The foreign minister said Perinçek’s case is still being reviewed by
the Supreme Court of Appeals. “This is a matter that should be decided
by the Supreme Court. We, as Turkey, are a party to this case. For me,
Perinçek should attend the hearing. But the decision will be made by
the court,” he said.

Turkey categorically denies claims that there was a genocide, saying
there were deaths on both sides when Armenians revolted against the
Ottoman Empire during the years of World War I to create their own
state in collaboration with Russian forces, which were then invading
eastern Anatolia.

The ECtHR said in its December 2013 decision that the “free exercise
of the right to openly discuss questions of a sensitive and
controversial nature was one of the fundamental aspects of freedom of
expression and distinguished a tolerant and pluralistic democratic
society from a totalitarian or dictatorial regime.”

Turkey welcomed the ruling and said it expects the court to uphold its
judgment when its Grand Chamber reviews it.

Çavuþoðlu also said that Wednesday’s terrorist attack in Paris has
proved that no one is really safe in the world when it comes to
terrorism and Turkey is also under risk of such attacks. “The
terrorist attack in Paris has once again proved that terror can hit
unexpectedly. We need to take necessary measures against terrorist
threats internally and internationally.” he said, adding that Turkey
is taking necessary security and intelligence measures against such
threats.

Çavuþoðlu said Turkey has been warning the international community
about the need for a comprehensive strategy to combat terrorism for a
long time.

“If you want to battle terrorism, then you need a comprehensive
strategy. It’s impossible to stop terrorism with air strikes alone. We
are discussing with the US, our allies, what we can do against
terrorism, which steps we can take. We have had political discussions
in the past. Now high-level military and security talks are taking
place,” Çavuþoðlu said.

Speaking about the situation in Libya, Çavuþoðlu said it’s not that
important to get into a debate about which administration in Libya is
more legitimate. Turkey urged its citizens to leave Libya this week
due to a worsening security situation in the country. Turkish Airlines
(THY), the last remaining foreign airline in Libya, suspended its
flights to the north African country following a threat on a Facebook
page threatening to shoot down Turkish aircraft. Turkish Foreign
Ministry said that it was not possible to confirm whether or not the
threat posted on Facebook was from the Libyan Air Force, as it claimed
to be.

“There is a fire in Libya and we need to extinguish this fire. There
is no need to discuss which government is legitimate and which one is
not. We need to reach a cease-fire there. The conflicting sides should
be brought together. If you leave one party out of an agreement, then
you will not have a stable administration in the country. Libya does
not need outside intervention, military air strikes or arms
transfers,” said Çavuþoðlu.

He stressed that Turkey doesn’t take sides in Libya and supports the
establishment of a united government in the country in the future. “We
can save Libya from being a country like Syria. Everyone should act
responsibly,” he added.

Conservative HQ
Jan 9 2015

Charlie Hebdo: Will National Cathedral Hold Memorial Service For
Paris Muslim Terror Victims?

Back in October the leaders of the National Cathedral in Washington,
DC, invited a group of Muslim organizations, most affiliated with the
Muslim Brotherhood terrorist organization, to host a Muslim prayer
service at the Cathedral on the 100th anniversary of the beginning of
the Armenian Genocide – the great early 20th century Muslim jihad
against non-believers.

The call for violent jihad against non-believers directly resulted in
a genocide against Christian Armenian, Assyrian and Greek residents of
Turkey. (click here for a translation of the Fatwa declaring jihad
that was considered so inflammatory it was once classified by the U.S.
government)

When asked if the Cathedral would be willing to host a memorial
service for the victims of the last sitting Caliph of the Ottoman
Empire’s call for jihad against non-believers the Dean of the
Cathedral, The Very Rev. Gary Hall, answered with a truly bizarre
argument for the moral equivalence between the Armenian Genocide and
the deaths of Muslims during the Christian Crusades of the Early
Middle Ages, over 900 years ago.

Practically the very next day it was announced that American aid
worker and former Army Ranger Peter Kassig had been brutally beheaded
by the Muslim terrorists of the Islamic State – yet Dean Gary Hall and
the Cathedral’s second ranking cleric, The Rev. Canon Jan Naylor Cope,
were silent on Kassig’s murder by their recent guests’ political
fellow travelers, ignoring suggestions by CHQ and others that they
host a memorial service for Kassig.

Now a new Muslim terror attack has taken place in Paris, France where
the headquarters of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo was attacked
and at least twelve innocent people at the building were killed by a
Muslim terrorist.

Even the Saudi Royal families, who have been long involved with
radical Islam, have issued a statement condemning the attack on
Charlie Hebdo.

So has Pope Francis, who celebrated a Mass mourning the victims of the
Muslim terrorists, praying for the victims of the attack and saying
“we also ask for those who are cruel so that the Lord may change their
heart.”

The response from National Cathedral Dean Gary Hall and Canon Jan
Naylor Cope? As of this writing it has been silence – complete and
utter abandonment of any participation in the rejection of Muslim
terror.

Once again, we call upon the leaders of the National Cathedral to join
Christians, Jews and Muslims in taking a moral stand against Muslim
terror. This would also be a good time for them to disavow their
previous position that there is moral equivalence between Christian
practice and the Muslim doctrine of violent jihad that leads to the
killing of journalists and aid workers.

We ask CHQ readers to contact the National Cathedral – the office
number is (202) 537-6200 – and urge the Dean of the Cathedral, The
Very Rev. Gary Hall and the Vicar of the Cathedral, The Rev. Canon Jan
Naylor Cope, to hold a memorial service for the victims of Muslim
terror at Charlie Hebdo.

Email The Very Rev. Gary Hall at [email protected]

Email The Rev. Canon Jan Naylor Cope at [email protected]

Email National Cathedral Chief Development Officer Rita Walters at
[email protected]

Belarus News (BelTA)
Jan 9 2015

Ambassador welcomes progress in Belarus-Armenia economic, political relations

09 January 2015 14:45 | Economy

Ambassador welcomes progress in Belarus-Armenia economic, political relations

MINSK, 9 January (BelTA) – The economic and political cooperation
between Belarus and Armenia has been gaining momentum, Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to Armenia Stepan
Sukhorenko said in an interview with the news agency Armenian
News-NEWS.am, BelTA has learned.

“The economic and political relations between our countries have been
developing steadily over the past years. There are no issues at all in
the political field, because we both make part of the CIS, the CSTO
and the single customs space, the Eurasian Economic Union. We have the
same or very similar position regarding the international agenda.
Therefore, we can say that our political relations are on the highest
level possible. The same can be said about trade and economic
cooperation. This cooperation has experienced some setback recently,
as the world is still crisis-ridden and it is unclear when this crisis
will be over. Armenia and Belarus have open economies. Therefore, the
crisis had a very negative impact on the purchasing power of
households,” Stepan Sukhorenko said.

The diplomat added that over the past decade the bilateral trade
skyrocketed 16 times. In 2012 it approached $50 million. “The figure
is smaller now for the reasons I have already mentioned. We believe
that this is temporary and that the negative trends will reverse in
the near future,” he noted.

The ambassador noted that Belarus exports a broad range of products to
Armenia. They include heavy-duty trucks, BelAZ vehicles, farm
machines, buses, tractors, light industry products. The supplies of
foodstuffs, like meat and dairy products and vodka, are also
increasing. Belarus eagerly buys Armenian cognac and juices. Armenia
has started selling fig, cornelian cherry, apricot and peach jam in
Belarus recently. “I am glad to say that there are no serious barriers
to promoting closer cooperation. The accession to the Eurasian
Economic Union is an additional impetus to economic growth.
Competitors will face certain barriers, while the members of the
single market will get additional incentives. We expect a dramatic
growth in the bilateral trade,” the diplomat emphasized.

Silk Road Reporters
Jan 9 2015

Armenian Earthquake Victims Still Await Housing, 26 Years Later

Published by John C. K. DalyJanuary 9, 2015

When a major earthquake strikes, it can garner a lot of attention in
the days and weeks that follow before the world refocuses on a newer
tragedy.

At 11:41 a.m. on Dec. 7, 1988, a 6.8 Richter scale earthquake struck
the northern part of the then Soviet Republic of Armenia. Within 30
seconds the Spitak earthquake, also called the Leninakan and Gyumri
earthquake destroyed the small city of Spitak, while the nearby cities
of Leninakan, capital of Shirak province (later renamed Gyumri) and
Kirovakan (later renamed Vanadzor) sustained a lot of damage as well.
Major infrastructure including electricity, natural gas lines, roads,
railways, water systems, schools and hospitals were either completely
destroyed or severely damaged. Four minutes later, a 5.8-magnitude
aftershock tremor struck nearby, collapsing buildings that had
survived the first quake, tearing an eight-mile rupture in the ground,
several feet wide in places. In Leninakan, with nearly 300,000
residents, about 80 percent of the buildings were either heavily
damaged or completely destroyed.

According to official figures, 19,000 people were injured and at least
25,000 were killed – according to other sources, there were up to
150,000 injuries and deaths in all and 514,000 people were left
homeless. The earthquake also destroyed about 40 percent of the
Armenian SSR’s industrial infrastructure. Gyumri was an important
Soviet industrial town, especially for textile production. In summing
up the regional impact of the earthquake Armenian State Building
Committee official Iuri S. Mkhitarian stated that 342 villages were
damaged and another 58 were destroyed, while 130 factories were
wrecked and 170,000 people were out of work.

Archeologists had concluded that the Gyumri region was the oldest in
Armenia, with excavations in the old part of the city uncovering a
settlement dating back to 3000 B.C. The tremor was history repeating
itself, as in 1926 Gyumri, renamed Leninakan two years earlier in
honor of the founder of the Soviet state who had died two years
before, suffered an earthquake which destroyed many of its significant
buildings, including the Greek church of Saint George.

Deputy Chief of Staff of the Civil Defense, Major-General Nikolai
Dmitrievich Tarakanov, who two years earlier had directed relief
efforts at Chernobyl and was now sent to Armenia to oversee recovery
efforts declared, “Spitak proved to be much more terrible than
Chernobyl.”

Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who was in New York on his first day
of meetings with Reagan and Bush at the time the earthquake struck,
quickly returned to the Soviet Union once the scale of the disaster
became apparent, and shortly thereafter formally asked for American
and international help, the first Soviet request for U.S. assistance
since World War II. Eventually 113 countries sent substantial amounts
of humanitarian aid to the Soviet Union in the form of rescue
equipment, search teams and medical supplies, and private donations
and assistance from non-governmental organizations also played a
substantial role in the international effort.

Gorbachev subsequently set aside 5 billion rubles (about $8 billion)
in funds for recovery efforts that analysts believed would exceed the
cleanup bill for the 1986 Chernobyl catastrophe. In 1989 the Soviet
Union issued a 3 ruble coin commemorating the anniversary of the
tragedy.

But regional politics also played a role in impacting relief efforts.
Gorbachev visited the earthquake zone and left the disaster area angry
that locals were repeatedly asking him about freedom for
Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians instead of focusing solely on relief
efforts. Relief efforts were slowed by the fact that because of
conflict the Azeris had closed their border with Armenia, which
remains shuttered to this day.

In Gyumri today, according to the Armenian “Depop2Repop” Repopulation
Project, there are 4,300 homeless families living in the same shelters
and makeshift houses they were forced into after the earthquake 26
years ago, with government authorities recognizing only 430 families
as eligible for apartments while, according to official information,
almost half of the population in Gyumri lives in poverty. Since
disaster struck more than two decades ago, Gyumri has lost 150,000
inhabitants, most of them as immigrants to Russia.

Depop2Repop founder and chairman Vahan Kololian declared, “Let’s turn
our energies to rebuilding Gyumri and the entire Shirak region,” while
Depop2Repop coordinating director Kamo Mailyan noted, “It is our
intention to invite a group of action-oriented Armenian civil leaders
and organizations from the diaspora to compose a Steering Committee to
establish a multi-disciplined approach to rebuilding Gyumri: urban
renewal; attracting industry, with a focus on fabrics, wool, and
textiles; rejuvenating cultural sites; and increasing tourism.”

It is a poignant commentary on the priorities of the current Armenian
government that Gyumri’s homeless inhabitants a quarter century after
a natural disaster must turn to their more prosperous compatriots in
the global Armenia diaspora to alleviate their plight.

CBC Canada
Jan 9 2015

Choosing peace of mind

By Shari Okeke, CBC News

Noushig Avakian Mouradian and her family celebrated Armenian Christmas
this week — their first in Montreal.

Mouradian left Syria in 2012 to seek medical treatment in Turkey for
one of her two sons. At the time, she and her husband had intended to
return to Syria.

But as the situation in their home country deteriorated, that plan changed.

“Everyone wants to feel safe and everyone wants to live in peace…I
thought there is no peace, no safety in Syria. So I decided to
[leave].”

Every day this week, CBC’s Daybreak introduced a new Montrealer who
packed up and moved across borders.

Choosing Montreal made sense for Mouradian because she had relatives
and friends already living in Quebec.

They told her about Hay Doun, a non-profit organization that offered a
collective sponsorship program.

The Mouradian family arrived in Montreal last September as privately
sponsored refugees, supported by the Armenian community.

The family’s first priority was to get the children — Daron, 12, and
Gorun, 10 –settled into school.

They’re now living in an apartment in Saint-Laurent, a location they
chose so they would be close to AGBU Alex Manoogian, a private
Armenian school.

The Armenian General Benevolent Union is raising funds to cover the
cost of tuition for Armenian Syrian refugees.

Mouradian said she’s grateful for the school’s support and the
personal attention the teachers give each student.

Her sons, who already speak four languages, are now learning French.

AGBU Alex Manoogian school is trying to make the integration process
as smooth as possible for more than a dozen Syrian families new to
Montreal. It hosted a holiday party to mark the New Year and Armenian
Christmas.

The school’s principal said he reassures students arriving as refugees
by telling them his own story.

Chahe Tanachian was nine years old when his family fled the war in
Lebanon and came to Montreal.

“I was in the same situation, in the same building, in the same school
when I came in 1990 and life is great here — there are so many
opportunities,” he said.

Tanachian tells his students to, “be hopeful because there’s one way
to go forward and [the] days to come are going to be better for sure.”

Mouradian’s sons are working hard in school and discovering what they
love most about their new hometown.

“I kind of love the hockey. It’s really really fun,” said Daron.

Mouradian, a medical doctor with 20 years experience, now hopes she
and her husband will find full-time work. She said they don’t want to
depend on social assistance and they are eager to pay taxes.

They are both studying French five days a week and Mouradian intends
to be speaking French within six months.

“I’m a dreamer, you know, but I want to have realistic dreams. Yes, we
can work hard and have a good life in Canada, in Quebec.”

Turan Information Agency, Azerbaijan
January 7, 2015 Wednesday

Foreign Minister: Relations with the United States can develop
according to the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs

Baku/07.01.15/Turan: Official Baku will continue to reject the
criticism of Washington on violations of human rights, and considers
it necessary to develop bilateral relations on the basis of the
principle of non-interference in internal affairs. It is a keynote of
the interview of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Hikmet
Hajiyev with the radio “Voice of America”.

The US-Azerbaijani relations are characterized by cooperation in the
field of global energy security, counter-terrorism and other
transnational threats, logistical, and financial support for transit
operations in Afghanistan.

Over the first nine months of 2014 the trade turnover between the two
countries reached $800 million dollars. Since September AZAL aircraft
began to make direct flights from Baku to New York that promotes
activation of ties in all fields.

The first Azerbaijani telecommunication satellite was also made in the
USA. All this contributed to the discovery in the United States of
thousands of jobs, which is a contribution to the US economy.

Baku hopes that the United States as one of the co-chairs of the OSCE
Minsk Group will take more decisive steps to resolve the conflict on
the basis of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, said a spokesman
for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.

He further recommended the United States to pay attention to
internally displaced persons and refugees, deprived of the vital
rights of Armenian aggression.

Commenting on accusations of Baku on human rights violations, Hajiyev
said that in 2014, there were “certain undesirable moments” in
bilateral relations.

Under the influence and pressure of the Armenian lobby and other
anti-Azerbaijani elements, some local and international NGOs spread
biased information about Azerbaijan. Based on these information,
Washington, in some cases without any serious grounds acted with
unilateral declarations, he said.

“Activities of such circles, first of all, is a blow to US national
interests,” said a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry.

Democracy and human rights – human value and there is no single model
of democracy. “No country has the right to talk about its excellence
in this area, and teach others,” said Hajiyev.

Azerbaijan is determined to continue to develop its successful model
of political, economic and social development, he said.

Hajiyev declined to answer the question, what will make Baku in the
event of sanctions by the United States.

“I do not want to express attitude to the frivolous and unfounded
illusions by some individuals acting under the dictation of specific
terms, including the Armenian Diaspora,” he said.

According to him, in the international relations a sanctions regime is
regulated by the UN Charter and applicable only in case of violation
of international law, and in particular, the provisions of the Charter
of the UNPO. So, sanctions should be applied against Armenia as an
occupier of Azerbaijani territory, he said.

Concerning the prospects of bilateral relations, Hajiyev said that
Azerbaijan pursues an independent foreign policy and building
relationships based on the principles of equality and non interference
in internal affairs.

On the basis of these principles, there are opportunities for the
development of relations in the field of tourism, humanitarian,
scientific, educational, trade, information and communications, civil
aviation, said a representative of the Foreign Ministry. -03B06

The Malta Independent
January 6, 2015

Seyran Gasparyan – an exhibition of oil paintings at SO Galerie

Tamar Hayduke

Once upon a time, then more than twice within perception and then
again once upon the canvas, the artworks of Seyran Gasparyan embrace
testimonies of his life experience, the life he distinguishes or used
to. They stage scenes from folk tales, legends and myths, or from a
peasant’s, farmer’s or builder’s position in everyday life.

What is fixed on the surface in Seyran’s works is “the atmosphere”.
Colours and shapes evoke figures suspended in their own right time and
their own worlds; you are able to perceive them wandering in their
orbit; however, they will not look at you directly in the eyes.

Seyran is an artist, who has a specific point of view, a worldview
that is generated from the values he was grown up with, and shaped
within the framework of a culture, which have a clear definition of
what is good and what is bad – the Armenian culture.

In his artworks, we do not see a peasant, we see THE peasant. We do
not see a mother carrying her son, but rather we see THE mother
carrying her son as if he intends to depict the concept of motherhood;
his inherited image and concept of motherhood in this case.

The technique and the style he uses to express his story varies – it
is not persistent. By observing his works we notice traces of a
cubist’s, of a fauvist’s or (in his landscapes) of an impressionist’s
manners and modes. He does not defend one style over the other;
instead, he keeps on going through them, and he employs them all with
remarkable ability.

I would consider his approach similar to that of a constructor. By
constructing his time (making art) he constructs spaces inside his
art, brick by brick, line by line, stroke by stroke. You will not see
an inaccurate part in his pictures, neither unfinished nor bare
sections in those well-equilibrated compositions, in colour and in
form. Once upon a time, then more than twice within perception and
then “constructed” upon the canvas.

Seyran Gasparyan was born on 23 January 1956 in the region of Shirak.
His family moved to Yerevan when he was four. After finishing
secondary school, he served with the Soviet Army for several years in
Czechoslovakia. He later graduated from Terlemezyan Art College –
Department of Pictorial Art – in 1979 and from Yerevan Institute of
Fine Arts and Theatre – Department of Decorative and Applied Arts – in
1985. In 1998, he became a member of the Artists’ Union of Armenia.

Visit at SO Galerie, Triq Dun Karm, Iklin until 31 January. Opening
hours are Monday to Thursday from 10am till 1pm and 4 till 6pm, Friday
till Sunday by appointment.