Author: Kajoyan Gevork

Donations from the Armenian Diaspora Clear Norashenik of Cluster Bombs

By MassisPost
Updated: May 1, 2014

Generous contributions from Armenian Americans allowed for the
clearance of cluster bombs, and all dangerous explosive items, from
the village of Norashenik in the Kashatagh/Lachin region of Artsakh in
October of 2013. Previously, father Virab Shaboian was afraid to let
his children play in the garden. `I definitely have to say thank you
to all the people who ensure the safety of my children, but also other
children in this region. I am very glad that there are people who give
money to this type of charity’, says Virab.

A video news report produced by Artsakh Television highlights the
success story of Norashenik:

$11,000 was donated to the HALO Trust, the world’s oldest and largest
mine clearance charity, to allow for complete clearance in the village
last October. In total 12 cluster bombs and 28 other items of
unexploded ordnance were found and destroyed in the village to make
safe over 370 acres of land. Virab’s children can now play in safety,
he can cultivate the land and the entire village of 105 is no longer
in danger. The area can be used for grazing cattle, foraging for
berries and mushrooms, hunting and collecting firewood without the
fear of death or serious injury.

Virab’s house in the background

Norashenik Village was hit by a cluster bomb strike during the war.
The 1992-94 conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan left behind
hundreds of minefields and cluster bomb strikes. Though fighting
ceased 20 years ago, the people of Nagorno Karabakh continue to
suffer. In fact, Karabakh has one of the worlds highest per capita
mine casualty rates ` on a par with Afghanistan and surpassing
Cambodia.

Landmine Free Artsakh is a group of concerned Armenians who have
volunteered to help the HALO Trust clear all remaining landmines,
cluster bombs and unexploded ordnance (UXO) from Artsakh. The mission
is to generate awareness about landmine problems in Artsakh and to
help fundraise to completely de-mine all villages. These villages are
in the Lachin, Hadrut and Martuni regions where no international
government grants and funds have been secured. Without private funding
these minefields might never be cleared.

Unfortunately, there have been two recent accidents in February of
2014. On February 13th, Robert Abraamyan’s tractor initiated an
anti-personnel mine while working on the side of the road from Drmbon
to Alashan. On February 21st, Norik Abalyan was killed when his horse
stepped on an anti-tank mine near Marzilu village, Martuni region. He
was 50 years old and father of two children.

The group’s next project is clearing a minefield in Karegah Village,
again in Kashatagh/Lachin Region only five miles from the Armenian
border, where landmines have injured people and animals and prevent
use of the land. Thanks to the generous donors from the United States
and Canada $35,000 required funding has been secured and clearance is
scheduled to begin in May 2014.

website

THE GREEK GENOCIDE: Thrace – Asia Minor – Pontus
Theofanis Malkidis

Translation: Techmine Martoyan
The Armenian Genocide Museum ` Institute

Yerevan – Armenia 2014

The first book on the Greek Genocide in the Armenian language

Attempts to highlight the rich history of the Greek communities which
existed in the former Ottoman Empire, communities which were slowly
destroyed at the beginning of the 20th century, and completely
destroyed by 1922-23, has widespread interest particularly amongst the
younger generation.

Third and fourth generation youth whose relatives were refugees from
these lands, are eager to learn the history of their ancestors. But
they have not restricted themselves to learning just the basics when
it comes to the issue. In other words just about the folklore. To
them, ancestry doesn’t just mean culture, theater, music, architecture
and cuisine. It doesn’t just mean the history of Ancient Hellenism,
Byzantium and the Greek spirit. To them, it also means education and
the bigger picture ` the genocide.

The worldwide emergence of the issue of the genocide has resulted from
efforts to preserve the historical and cultural identity of the Greeks
of the former Ottoman Empire, and from efforts by human rights
activists around the world.

Aside from presenting the historical facts related to the genocide,
this new publication presents the key arguments which prove that
genocide was committed on the Ottoman Greeks.

The book, the first ever published in Armenian, has been produced in
order to strengthen the resources available on the genocide committed
on the Greeks by the perpetrators ` the Neo Turks and the Kemalists.

This is oligarchy government — Heritage Party

May 02, 2014 | 13:21

YEREVAN. ` The new government, which Armenia’s newly appointed PM
Hovik Abrahamyan has formed, is a `government of oligarchy.’

Opposition Heritage Party Board Secretary Stiopa Safaryan noted the
above-said at a press conference on Friday.
`First, the bulk of the ministers belongs to the large businessmen’s circle.

`Ensuring economic growth, restoring public confidence, and conducting
foreign policy are the tasks put before the new government; [but] this
government cannot solve these issues,’ Safaryan specifically noted.

Photo by Arsen Sargsyan/NEWS.am
News from Armenia – NEWS.am

POUVOIR
Le nouveau gouvernement pratiquement formé

Le président Serge Sarkissian a presque terminé la formation du
nouveau gouvernement de l’Arménie, avec la nomination de 17 des 19
ministres qui serviront sous la direction du premier ministre Hovik
Abrahamian.

Huit des ministres nouvellement nommés n’ont pas servi dans le cabinet
précédent qui a démissionné suite de la démission-surprise de son
prédécesseur Abrahamian, Tigran Sarkissian, le 3 avril dernier.

Trois d’entre eux – le ministre des Finances Gagik Khachatrian , le
ministre de l’Economie Karen Chshmaritian , et Davit Harutiunian , le
chef du personnel du gouvernement qui a rang de ministre – ont
remplacé les membres réformistes du cercle intime de l’ancien premier
ministre. Leur engagement dans le type de réformes économiques
préconisées par les institutions internationales de prêt est sujet Ã
controverse.

Certains ministres comme Abrahamian , Chshmaritian , Harutiunian
ainsi que le ministre de l’Énergie Yervand Zakharian et le ministre du
Développement urbain Narek Sarkissian ont occupé des postes
ministériels ou de hautes fonctions dans l’administration de l’ancien
président Robert Kotcharian. Certains observateurs estiment que
Président Sarkissian tente ainsi de conjurer l’hostilité du Parti
Arménie prospère ( BHK ), la deuxième force parlementaire, proche de
Kotcharian.

Tant le BHK que Kotcharian avaient sévèrement critiqué le bilan
économique du gouvernement ces derniers mois.

Le BHK n’a pas encore annoncé si ses 36 députés voteront la confiance
qu cabinet d’Abrahamian. Les 131 membres de l’Assemblée nationale
doivent débattre du programme politique du gouvernement la semaine
prochaine. Le Parti républicain d’Arménie (HHK ) détient au moins 70
sièges au parlement.

Les autres nouveaux venus du gouvernement sont le ministre protection
de l’environnement Aramayis Grigorian , le ministre de la Santé Armen
Muradian et le ministre de la Justice Hovannes Manoukian. Ce dernier
avait dirigé la Cour de cassation de l’Arménie avant d’être nommé
ambassadeur en Géorgie en 2011.

Le ministre des Affaires étrangères Edouard Nalbandian et Seyran
Ohanian ministre de la Défense ont été reconduit dans leur fonction.

vendredi 2 mai 2014,
Ara ©armenews.com

France 3
24 avril 2014

Marseille : commémoration du génocide arménien

Chaque mois d’avril, des commémorations du génocide arménien sont
organisées partout en France. Hier, pour la première fois, les
autorités turques ont présenté leurs “condoléances” aux familles des
victimes. Pour les représentants de la communauté arméniennes, ces
paroles sont encore insuffisantes.

Par Ghislaine Milliet

Les Arméniens n’ont jamais oublié cette partie terrifiante de leur
histoire, lorsque 1 million 200 000 d’entre eux moururent entre avril
1915 et juillet 1916 lors des déportations organisées par les turcs
dirigeants de l’empire ottoman. Chaque année, des cérémonies
commémoratives sont organisées partout en France.

A Marseille a eu lieu ce matin une messe à l’église de Beaumont dans
le 12e arrondissement, à la mémoire des victimes de ce génocide,
considéré comme l’un des tout premiers du XXe siècle.

Pour la première fois, ce mercredi, le premier ministre turc avait
présenté ses “condoléances” aux “petits enfants des victimes des
massacres survenus sous l’empire ottoman entre 1915 et 1917”.

Un premier pas vers une possible réconciliation. Le gouvernement turc
n’ayant jamais retenu le terme de “génocide” à cette période tragique
de l’histoire.
Mais pour la communauté arménienne, ces mots restent encore
“insuffisants”. C’est ce qu’explique Julien Harounian, représentant
des Arméniens du Sud de la France :

France 3
24 avril 2014

Commémoration du génocide arménien

Les Arméniens commémorent, ce jeudi 24 avril, le génocide perpétré il
y a quatre-vingt-dix-neuf ans sous l’Empire ottoman, et cela au
lendemain d’un geste inédit et inattendu de la Turquie, qui a adressé
ses condoléances aux descendants des victimes du drame.

Par Isabelle Gonzalez

De nombreux rassemblements et de prières ont eu lieu partout en France
comme pour commémorer ce triste anniversaire.

Le 24 avril 1915, des centaines de milliers d’arméniens, accusés de
complot avec l’ennemi russe, étaient déportés. Un grand nombre d’entre
eux a été tués : 1,5 millions selon les arméniens, 500 mille selon les
turcs.

La Turquie qui, mercredi 23 avril 2014, a par la voix de son premier
ministre Recep Tayyip Erdogan, présentées ses condoléances aux
descendants des victimes sans pour autant reconnaître le génocide.

Dans ce communiqué, il a évoqué des “événements qui ont eu des
conséquences inhumaines” et écrit: “Nous présentons nos condoléances à
leurs petits-enfants”, évitant de prononcer le mot “génocide” que la
Turquie, qui a remplacé l’Empire ottoman en 1923, nie catégoriquement.
Le terme de “tragédie inhumaine” avait déjà été employé il y a
quelques mois par son chef de la diplomatie, Ahmet Davutoglu, en
visite à Erevan, et c’était déjà une première.

Turkish Government News
April 29, 2014 Tuesday

German president meets Turkish opposition party leader

Ankara

Turkish Government has issued the following press release:

Germany’s President Joachim Gauck met with Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader
of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), on Monday
in the capital, Ankara.

Gauck’s visit to Turkey comes two days after Germany’s far-right
National Democratic Party (NPD) held a neo-Nazi rally on Saturday in
the mostly Turkish-populated Kreuzberg. The rally ended after hundreds
of people stopped the neo-Nazis from marching.

CHP Deputy Chairman Faruk Logoglu addressed the media after the
one-hour meeting, saying CHP’s views on rising racism in Germany were
not discussed during the meeting. However, the main opposition party
wants justice to be served as soon as possible, according to Logoglu.

On April 5th, Burak Bektas, a Turkish man, was killed in the mostly
Turkish populated area of Neukoln in Berlin. The murderers’
whereabouts are still unknown as the killing raises debates of
increasing racism in Germany.

“We are against all kinds of racism whether it is in Germany, Turkey
or in the world,” Logoglu added.

– Alevi situation

Logoglu said the situation of Turkey’s Alevi people, who constitute
the largest religious minority in the country, was another topic
discussed during the meeting. He said the German president was
surprised that ‘Cemevi’s, Alevi place of worship, do not count as
official praying halls.

Cemevis are fundamentally important for the Alevi population but are
not recognized as places of worship in Turkey, according to the
Presidency of Religious Affairs.

– Turkish opposition

Logoglu quoted Gauck as saying there is a perception that Turkey has a
‘weak’ opposition.

“Gauck said CHP’s projects are important as a social democrat party,”
Logoglu said. ”It is important to make the youth arouse interest to
politics and [Gauck] knows that CHP took lessons from the Gezi Park
incidents.”

“The president wished us luck, stating that 28 percent is considered
as a huge vote in Germany,” said Logoglu.

Armenian, Kurdish injustice taboos lifted

Joachim Gauck also said taboos concerning injustice against Armenians
and Kurds in Turkey have been lifted.

Gauck spoke at the Middle East Technical University during his Turkey
visit, noting that the influence of the military in politics have been
pushed back in the country.

”Turkey began the process of dialogue with the Kurds, and reduced the
number of violent conflict,” Gauck said. ”For example the injustice
taboos against the Turkish Armenians or Kurds began to be lifted.”

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s expressed condolences to the
descendants of Armenians who lost their lives in the incidents of 1915
are positive developments in Turkey, according to Gauck.

He also said Turkey’s humanitarian aid service to Syrian refugees is
‘impressive’.

“Turkey assumed many Syrians refugees without any conditions and
established refugee camps, schools, supplied humanitarian aid and
service health assistances,” Gauck said. ”In fact, the government
also provides medical assistance to around 500 thousand people who do
not live in the refugee camps.”

For more information please visit:

RUG MADE BY ARMENIAN ORPHANS TO GO ON DISPLAY AT WHITE HOUSE

Glendale News Press, CA
April 30 2014

April 30, 2014 | 9:07 a.m.

The White House has agreed to exhibit a rug made by Armenian orphans
in the near future, likely this fall, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank)
said on Wednesday.

The rug, which was woven by orphans of the Armenian Genocide in 1920,
was presented to President Calvin Coolidge in 1925 as a symbol of
gratitude for American aid and generosity for U.S. assistance during
the genocide.

Measuring 11 feet, 7 inches by 18 feet, 5 inches, the Armenian Orphan
rug has more than 4,000,000 hand-tied knots and took the Armenian
girls in the Ghazir Orphanage of the Near East Relief Society 10
months to weave.

At the time, President Coolidge noted that, “The rug has a place of
honor in the White House where it will be a daily symbol of goodwill
on earth.”

The rug – which has been in storage at the White House for decades –
was supposed to be released for exhibition in a Smithsonian event
for the launch of Hagop Martin Deranian’s new book “President Calvin
Coolidge and the Armenian Orphan Rug.”

Unfortunately, the rug was not able to be displayed at that time.

“Since first raising this issue with the administration, I have worked
diligently with the White House to find a way for the Ghazir rug to be
sensitively and appropriately displayed,” said Schiff in a statement.

“Today, I’m pleased to be able to say that planning is underway
for the Armenian Orphan Rug to be displayed as early as this fall,”
he added. “I have worked out with the White House that the display
will take place in a venue that is open to the general public, and
I appreciate their willingness to place this significant artifact on
display for all to see.”

Schiff and Rep. David Valadao (R-CA) sent a letter, along with 31
other Congressional members, to President Obama last year urging the
administration to allow exhibition of the rug.

“The Armenian Orphan Rug is a piece of American history and it belongs
to the American people,” the letter stated. “For over a decade,
Armenian-American organizations have sought the public display of
the rug and have requested the White House and the State Department
grant their request on numerous occasions. Unfortunately, Armenian
Americans have yet to have their requests granted.We urge you to
release this American treasure for exhibition.”

— Mark Kellam, [email protected]

,0,395109.story

ARMENIAN ORPHAN RUG, STEEPED IN CONTROVERSY, MAY GO ON DISPLAY

The Los Angeles Times
April 30 2014

Richard Simon

April 30, 2014, 6:00 a.m.

Reporting from Washington–

A rug woven by orphans of the Armenian genocide — and the subject
of modern-day political controversy — may be put on display after
years in White House storage.

Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank) said the White House has committed
to exhibit the rug at a yet-to-be-determined event.

“They finally have made the commitment,” he said in an interview. “And
we’re looking forward to its display.”

But Aram S. Hamparian, executive director of the Armenian National
Committee of America, said he will believe it when he sees the rug.

“The White House has been sending out false signals about a future
showing ever since the controversy surrounding its cancellation of
last December’s Smithsonian exhibit, so we remain, quite naturally,
reserved in welcoming progress until we have actually seen this
artwork allowed on public display,” he said.

A White House decision last year to cancel a Smithsonian display
of the rug caused a furor, with Hamparian at the time accusing the
administration of “catering to the Turkish government’s sensitivities
about the Armenian genocide.” A number of lawmakers, including some
from California with large Armenian American constituencies, also
were upset.

An estimated 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks as
the empire was dissolving during World War I, an episode historians
have concluded was genocide. But Turkey has contended that Turks and
Armenians were casualties of war, famine and disease.

The roughly 12-by-18-foot Armenian Orphan Rug was to be featured in
an exhibit to call attention to a new book about the rug.

But the White House said the rug’s display “in connection with
a private book launch event, as proposed, would have been an
inappropriate use of U.S. government property, would have required
the White House to undertake the risk of transporting the rug for
limited public exposure and was not viewed as commensurate with the
rug’s historical significance.”

Woven by orphans of the mass killings nearly a century ago, the
rug was presented to President Coolidge in 1925 in appreciation for
American aid.

It was brought out of storage in 1995 for viewing by one of its aging
weavers, according to the Armenian National Committee of America,
but it has not been on put on broader public display for decades.

At the White House, National Security Council spokeswoman Laura
Lucas Magnuson said in an email Tuesday: “We’ve been working with
Congressman Schiff on this issue for several months and appreciate
his working with us to showcase this important artifact in a way
that appropriately highlights the spirit in which it was given to
the White House for U.S. involvement in assisting Armenian refugees.”

Schiff said he hopes to see the rug on public display as early as
this fall.

Earlier this year, Schiff sought the rug for an “educational” event
on Capitol Hill, but the congressman’s office said it never received
a response from the White House, and the event ultimately was canceled
because of a snowstorm.

Resolutions have been introduced in Congress over the years to
recognize the mass killings between 1915 and 1918 as genocide. But
the measures have run into resistance amid fears they would damage U.S.

relations with Turkey, an important ally.

,0,1080767.story#axzz30PFwFEP9

NEWS ANALYSIS: TURKEY SEEKS TO PACIFY ARMENIANS AS CENTENNIAL LOOMS

Xinhua General News Service, China
April 26, 2014 Saturday 10:32 AM EST

ANKARA April 26

Turkish government’s condolences to the grandchildren of Armenians
who lost their lives during World War I aimed to thwart the Armenian
Genocide allegations from getting larger audience in 2015, a centennial
of the 1915 events.

This is just a rehearsal for the real test for Turkey next year,
Turkish analyst Bulent Kenes said of the Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan’s statement on Wednesday, in which he said ” we wish
that the Armenians who lost their lives in the context of the early
twentieth century rest in peace, and we convey our condolences to
their grandchildren.”

“The prime minister’s statement may help to alleviate the preliminary
shockwaves of this impending event, but it can hardly be a complete
solution to this indispensable event, which will be here in 365 days,”
Kenes added.

Erdogan’s surprising statement came on Wednesday, ahead of April 24
when Armenians commemorate the events they describe as genocide under
Ottoman rule. The statement was published by the Prime Minister’s
Office in nine languages, an apparent signal that it was aimed for
a larger audience globally.

“It is our hope and belief that the peoples of an ancient and unique
geography, who share similar customs and manners will be able to talk
to each other about the past with maturity and to remember together
their losses in a decent manner,” Erdogan underlined.

The killings in 1915 were regarded by many historians as the
first genocide of the 20th century. Though Turkey rejects the
term “genocide,” Erdogan called the events “our shared pain”
and acknowledged that the deportation of Armenians had “inhumane
consequences.”

Prime Minister’s bold move may not be enough to solve centennial
troubles for Turkey next year however, according to Kerem Altan,
a columnist who writes for the online news portal T24.

“We shouldn’t forget that not only a deportation but the disgraceful
memory of a genocide requires a long-delayed apology,” he said.

“I want to see acts, not words and gestures. The government developed
a habit of ‘saving the day’ and covering up basic problems through
making such gestures,” Altan underlined.

Nevertheless the statement was hailed by officials from the United
States and the European Union, including U.S. Secretary of State John
Kerry and EU Commissioner for Enlargement Stefan Fule, as a positive
step from Turkey.

Turkey’s move was not reciprocated from Armenian government however
as Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, who issued a statement on
the occasion of the anniversary of the 1915 incidents, did not even
mention Turkish Prime Minister’s message.

Sargsyan accused Turkey of being in denial about the “genocide. ”
FOREIGN PRESSURE BACKFIRES

Other analysts explained that Turkey’s move, although a step in the
right direction, did not go far enough because of foreign meddling
into the issue.

The prime minister’s declaration was important, said Beril Dedeoglu,
professor of international relations at Galatasaray University.

“It is a way of saying, ‘We know perfectly well what happened in
1915 and what kind of decisions were taken by our predecessors,
but we reject any foreign pressure on the matter,” she said.

“In fact, Turkey could act more quickly if there were no foreign
pressure,” Dedeoglu noted, adding that the majority of the Turkish
people continue to exhibit old reflexes when speaking about the
Armenian issue.

The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee that passed a resolution
on April 11 commemorating the “Armenian Genocide” was certainly a
kind of pressure Dedeoglu was referring in her comments.

It came as a relief for Turkish government that the U.S. President
Barack Obama refrained from using the word “genocide” to describe
the events of 1915 in his annual statement on April 24. OPPOSITION
ARE SUSPICIOUS

The nationalists are up in arms against Erdogan’s statement with the
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli refusing to
even discuss the issue. He called the statement as tormenting the
Turkish nation.

The main opposition Republican Peoples’ Party (CHP) spokesperson
Haluk Koc said Erdogan’s statement could be seen as an attempt to
earn some good will credit internationally because Erdogan has been
discredited in the last two years.

“If you make this issue as the subject of politics and disconnect it
from historical realities, no doubt that this will be perceived as
an attempt to gain the lost reputation,” he explained.

That is how the announcement of Turkish Prime Minister was seen from
Armenian lobby in the United States.

“Increasingly isolated internationally, Ankara is repacking its
genocide denials,” the director of the U.S.-based Armenian National
Committee of America (ANCA), Aram Hamparian, said in a statement.

Armenians living in Turkey took a different approach and hailed
Erdogan’s statement in contrast to their ethnic relatives living
abroad.

Archbishop Aram Atesyan, deputy patriarch of the Armenian Patriarchate,
based in Istanbul, said Erdogan’s statement was ” exciting and
historic.”

“For the first time, we are hearing such a statement from a top
Turkish official. This statement will make Turkish Armenians and
Armenians around the world happy. This is a start of beautiful days
and the start of a friendship bridge,” Atesyan declared.

“Despite differing interpretations on what the statement actually
means both in Turkey and abroad, most agree that Turkey has done
something unique and generally a positive move to tackle one of the
most painful and delicate issues for Turks and Armenians together.

“After all these years of complete denial, these words are important
from a humanitarian point of view and a clear break with the classic
official Turkish lines when it comes to the 1915 tragedy,” Orhan
Kemal Cengiz, Ankara-based Turkish expert on non- Muslim minorities
commented.

“These words may create a much more lasting effect if they are
accompanied by some policy changes,” he added. Some of the changes
debated in Turkish capital involves granting citizenship to grand
children of Armenians who emigrated from Turkish lands.