Author: Kajoyan Gevork

Cihan News Agency, turkey
April 25 2014

Armenians in Russia find Erdoðan’s condolence insincere, demand compensation

Members of the Armenian diaspora in Russia made a demonstration on the
occasion of 99th anniversary of Armenian genocide in 1915 saying that
they did not find condolence extended by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdoðan sincere and demand Turkish government should recognize
Armenian genocide officially and a compensation law should be
introduced.

Gathering in front of Turkey’s Moscow Embassy, the group raised
placards which said “Not recognizing genocide leads to new killings”
and “Recognizing genocide maintains peace in the region”. The group
demand from Turkish government to recognize Armenian genocide.

Speaking to the press, deputy head of the Russia Armenians Union Levon
Manukyan stated that they welcomed condolence offered by Erdoðan
however they cannot find it sincere unless the government recognizes
genocide, which did not reassure Armenian people.

Cihan News Agency, Turkey
April 25 2014

The meaning of condolences to Armenian grandchildren

TR_ISTA – 25.04.2014 09:06:48

The statement issued by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan offering
condolences to the grandchildren of Ottoman Armenians will serve to
open a new page in Turkish-Armenian relations only one year ahead of
the centennial of the events of 1915.

He has achieved yet another first.

It was a first when he apologized for Dersim [the massacre of Tunceli
residents in the 1930s] under Parliament’s roof.

Similarly, it was a first when he, in a speech in Diyarbakýr,
acknowledged the existence of the Kurdish question, and the resolve he
displayed to find a settlement was also a first.

In the Kurdish question, the policies of denial that the state had
traditionally maintained gave way to policies of acceptance and
recognition.

The settlement process is, essentially, nothing but a policy of ending denial.

Turkey has been incorrectly depicted recently in a way that it does not deserve.

There were even attempts to create the image that the prime minister
and the country should stand trial before the International Court of
Justice in The Hague. Some of the West’s best-known writers have even
accused Turkey of staging massacres and chemical attacks that were
committed by Bashar al-Assad, without producing any solid evidence.

It is in exactly these circumstances that the prime minister,
referring to the historical conditions of 1915, reminds us of the
grief these conditions caused the peoples that lived inside the
Ottoman Empire and offers his condolences to the surviving
grandchildren of the Armenians that had to experience that suffering.

Those who act on their prejudices immediately tried to dismiss this
historic statement and portray it as a statement that the current
situation had made obligatory.

However, it is obvious that the West is not in a position to force
Turkey to make such a statement. The West is no more preoccupied today
with the Armenian question and the agony Armenians experienced at the
start of the last century than it was yesterday.
The Armenian diaspora, in its enclaves from the US to the EU, was
never able to reach the political and intellectual power of the Jewish
diaspora.

Turkey is trying to put the Armenian question onto the right track,
just as it did in the case of the Kurdish question — an issue that it
had to deal with during the republican era and one that exhausted all
its resources — by pursuing a national policy, and its message is
pointing toward a new historic milestone.

The nationalists’ rush to denounce the statement and the wrong
diagnosis of the main opposition Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) —
suggesting that the prime minister’s message was “putting a historical
problem into the field of politics — are not enough to hide the
truth.

The fact is that the prime minister is not using history to do
politics. On the contrary, by ending the policy of denial, he is
upending societal prejudices regarding the issue and emancipating
discussions about the Armenian question from this point forward.

This way, the Erdoðan government has shown that it can take steps on
the Armenian question similar to those it took on the Kurdish
question.

Indeed, if there were Armenians who were Ottoman citizens who lost
their lives in 1915 and the prime minister of the Republic of Turkey
is affirming their historical presence and offering his condolences to
the grandchildren of Armenians who died because of forced deportation,
that means that we will talk about and try to understand the
legitimate and natural expectations, such as citizenship, of these
Armenian grandchildren.

This historic move by a leader who is the most frequently mentioned
name for the presidential nomination — who also, naturally, will rely
on nationalist votes if he runs for president — coming only four
months before the election can only be explained as courage and
sagacity.

Turkey is trying to move past one of the biggest tragedies and traumas
in its history, a heavy burden it has carried on its back for a long
time.

It is impossible to correctly understand and interpret Prime Minister
Erdoðan’s message without realizing this fact.

ORHAN MÝROÐLU (Cihan/Today’s Zaman)

Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
April 26 2014

The fine print of the White House statement

President Obama’s statement on the Armenian Remembrance Day this year
is longer than usual. As a reporter that has read his statements for
the past six years, I can say that most of the wording has remained
the same. But there are a lot new developments this year. And Prime
Minister ErdoÄ?an’s pre-emptive statement of condolence is
unfortunately not one of them.

President Obama has nicely inserted the term `Meds Yeghern’ into the
terminology, ever since his first statement on the issue after he
became president. Even for scholars that defend opposing views on the
genocide issue, this is an important step. For us, Turkish citizens,
the events that took place in 1915 are nothing less than a big
catastrophe that killed hundreds of thousands of our ancestors. They
were, after all, our ancestors too. Obama’s move has made all of us
face the fact sometimes naming something in its native language, and
in a naive way can be more powerful that labeling it with a slogan.

Obama’s statement makes clear once again that his views that Armenians
faced genocide have not changed and acknowledgement of the facts makes
Turkey stronger. The word `acknowledgement’ has also come up in the
Department of State’s spokeswoman Jen Psaki’s statement. The U.S. now
sees Prime Minister ErdoÄ?an’s statement as `accepting the facts and
events of 1915′ which may/may not create trouble in the future.

Under the heavy shadow of the Syrian crisis, a new element has been
injected into the White House statement on Armenia. And this seems to
be the biggest surprise factor. The reference to the American
Committee for Syrian and Armenian Relief, a relief organization now
known as the Near East Foundation, is a new and big element in the
statement. The NEF is not just an Armenian Lobby group, but a very old
(founded in 1915) and respected relief organization that funds
humanitarian efforts in the entire Middle East. The NEF had a budget
of $70 million even in 1920 and the last U.S. Ambassador to the
Ottoman Empire, Henry Morgenthau, sat on its board. It received
support from various American presidents. Ironically, The NEF does not
use the word `genocide’ on its website, which signals an important
distinction among other Armenian Groups.

The NEF website statement gives us an idea about the scale of
suffering: `This money was used to save the lives of at least a
million people amid the wreckage of the Ottoman Empire; treat more
than 6 million patients in NEF-run clinics throughout the region;
establish orphanages and provide education to over a 100,000 Armenian
children orphaned in the upheaval.’

By referring to the NEF, the White House is also signaling Ankara
where to go for appeal. The NEF in the U.S. probably has the largest
database of Armenian and other refugees and their grandchildren that
left the Ottoman territories for America. The White House is also
signaling that Turkey’s hospitality towards old Armenians that had to
flee Kassab in Syria does not go unnoticed, but Turkey’s support for
the extreme Sunni groups, arm shipments in Syria are still troubling.

The White House statement came late in the afternoon in Turkish time.
President Obama and his NSC team were all in Japan for an official
visit. This makes obvious that the statement had been written long
before Prime Minister ErdoÄ?an’s pre-emptive strike, yet Washington
probably debated parts of it. The lack of a referral to ErdoÄ?an’s
words in the White House statement is a signal to Ankara that `actions
should speak louder than mere words.’ So all the headlines that cheer
for the prime minister and Foreign Minister DavutoÄ?lu’s statements
that refer to `sending the ball to the other side’s court’ does not
mean anything outside of Turkey’s borders. As parliamentary speaker
Cemil Çiçek has said, `The aim of 2015 is convincing world Parliaments
about the Genocide’ and a mere condolence would not do the trick.
Ankara has to step up to the challenge and start normalization.

Daily Sabah, Turkey
April 25 2014

A HISTORIC STEP ON THE ARMENIAN ISSUE

Tulu Gümüştekin 26 April 2014, Saturday

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan issued a declaration on the
occasion of April 24, a day generally accepted as a day of mourning
for the Armenian victims of deportations and massacres that took place
during World War I. For the first time in the history of the country’s
official declarations, a very humane, understanding and sympathetic
tone was adopted.

The prime minister conveyed his sincere condolences to the descendants
of those Ottoman Armenians who were killed.

The Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul responded with a heart-warming
message, accepting the condolences with compassion.

It was almost the only fully favorable reaction to the revolutionary
change instigated by the prime minister’s declaration.

All of Turkey’s traditional allies, the U.S. and France to start with,
were taken aback by this momentous announcement by Prime Minister
Erdoğan. In an attempt to heal a centennial wound, he adopted a
strategy of empathy. Instead of using the perennial diplomatic style
that characterized the Turkish stance on the matter and usually starts
with “We regret the losses but…” Erdoğan offered to share in the
sadness of this terrible event with the descendants of the victims.

Nobody thought the prime minister was still capable of performing such
a tour de force because a deep and organized propaganda
campaign has been waged against him for more than a year, depicting
him as a backward autocrat losing more and more popular support.

The recent elections have shown that his popular support is still very
much alive.

That was the first nasty surprise for his detractors.

This second blow totally devastated the image portrayed by his critics
in the international media.

Reconciliation with the Armenian diaspora is another story altogether.
A very long road toward accepting the facts has to be taken on both
sides. This will not be an easy or rewarding endeavor but it has to be
done. It has begun from the correct spot, the correct viewpoint:
empathy, understanding and acceptance instead of denial and
justification of what remains 100 years later.

The first steps should be taken in order to wipe away the fears and
anxiety of the Armenian minority in Turkey that, despite having
constitutional rights since 1923, legitimately feels rejected and
ostracized, especially after the murder of journalist Hrant Dink. The
prime minister’s olive branch has been largely welcomed among Turkish
Armenians, whose minority rights have never been better than under AK
Party rule.

The second step should be the normalization of relations with the
Republic of Armenia, whose economy is in shambles and prospects for
development nil. That would also require a lot of support on the part
of Turkey’s allies, including the U.S., to normalize the situation in
the Caucasus.

Once these steps are taken, a reconciliation deal with the Armenian
diaspora might surface or at least an atmosphere of trust can be
initially established. Long endeavors always start with a first step,
and the prime minister has already taken the first step. The rest is
perseverance and its responsibility falls on everyone’s shoulders.

Turkish Press
April 24 2014

Turkish PM’s 1915 statement surprises foreign press

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Media in Germany and France taken aback by Erdogan’s comments on
events involving Armenians

ANKARA – A statement by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on
events in 1915 involving Armenians has drawn huge interest from the
German press.

In the statement released earlier on Wednesday, Erdogan had underlined
the “shared pain” endured during the First World War and expressed his
condolences to the grandchildren of Armenians who lost their lives “in
the context of the early 20th century”.

The website of the German daily Tagesspiegel said it was the first
time that a Turkish leader had delivered such a statement, but
stressed it was not an official apology.

It also emphasized the PM’s announcement was released in Armenian and
called it an “extraordinary step.”

The website of the Süddeutsche Zeitung daily said the statement was
“surprising”.

– ‘Political earthquake’

It said the PM’s tone was “conciliatory,” but added that it remained
unclear whether the two neighboring states, Turkey and Armenia, could
overcome the differences between them.

The Armenian diaspora and the state of Armenia have labeled the 1915
incidents as “genocide” and asked for compensation, whereas Turkey
says that while Armenians died during the deportation, many Turks also
died due to the attacks by Armenian gangs all across Anatolia.

Another daily, Deutsche Welle, said Turkey has extended its hand to
Armenia and named the statement an “unusual gesture.”

Meanwhile, France 24 channel said such a statement was “very rare and
something that should be underlined”.

The Le Monde French daily said it was the first time that PM Erdogan
had talked explicitly about the 1915 incidents, while the Le Parisien
daily called the step a “political earthquake.”

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
April 24 2014

Ministers for urban planning and healthcare appointed in Armenia

24 April 2014 – 12:24pm

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan has replaced Samvel Tadevosyan with
Narek Sarkisyan as the minister for urban planning in the government
of Prime Minister Ovik Abramyan, News.am reports.

The minister for the Diaspora Granush Akopyan will stay in office.

Sargsyan has also replaced Derenik Dumanyan with Armen Muradyan,
director of the Izmirlyan Medical Center, as the healthcare minister
today.

Toronto Sun, Canada
April 24 2014

Executive committee defers Armenian genocide memorial proposal 25

By Don Peat, City Hall Bureau Chief

TORONTO – A push by Toronto’s Armenian community to have a monument on
public land commemorating the Armenian genocide will likely have to
wait until next year.

The city’s executive committee voted Wednesday to send a request to
commemorate the Armenian genocide with a donated monument on public
land marking the 100th anniversary in 2015 to staff for consultation
with both Armenian and Turkish groups along with the federal and
provincial governments.

A report back isn’t expected until early 2015 – after the municipal election.

That vote came after the executive committee spent most of the
afternoon hearing from members of the city’s Armenian and Turkish
communities about the proposal.

Residents of Armenian descent told the committee they supported the
idea of a monument to mark – as described in Councillor Shelley
Carroll’s motion – “the systematic extermination by the Ottoman Empire
of its minority Armenian subjects.”

Speakers from the city’s Turkish community objected to the monument
and argued it would spread hatred against their community.

Carroll had brought forward the request after being approached by the
Armenian National Committee of Toronto and wasn’t impressed with
Wednesday’s decision.

“It may well shelve it in this term of office,” Carroll said.

“What I would call it is disingenuously deep-sixing something.”

Asked when she thinks the monument would be built, Carroll said “this
monument will be installed on the 12th … of never.”

Carroll said sending the item to municipal staff to work with the
federal and provincial government doesn’t make sense.

“They are done with this issue,” Carroll said, adding that both Ottawa
and Queen’s Park have recognized the Armenian genocide.

“The federal government will simply mail back to municipal staff
pieces of paper.”

Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti argued the request shouldn’t be in front
of the executive committee and should go to staff.

“I’m sorry that I don’t know international law but I’m a councillor
for crying out loud who makes $105,000 a year,” Mammoliti said.

“I apologize for that, I apologize if I upset anybody but I was
elected to cut grass, to fill potholes, make sure curbs are in place
and to make sure my constituents are happy with the municipal level of
government.”

Mammoliti told Carroll he didn’t “appreciate” her bringing federal
issues into the council chamber.

“It divides Torontonians and it divides us in council,” he said.

anna-aero
April 24 2014

Air Armenia growing as Armenia’s new national carrier

The arrival of Air Armenia’s first A320 in Yerevan last November was
welcomed by the airport’s fire service with the traditional water arch
salute. The A320 joined the airline’s other aircraft, a Boeing
737-500. The Airbus is used to serve Moscow Vnukovo twice-daily, while
the 737-500 is used for all other routes.

Following the demise in March 2013 of Armavia there was a gap in the
Armenian civil air transport market. This has now been filled by Air
Armenia, which was founded in 2003 as a cargo airline. Last July, the
airline was authorised to operate passenger services and it began
flights to Moscow Vnukovo last October, using a 737-500.

A second aircraft, an A320, joined the fleet in November 2013, and
this aircraft is used exclusively to serve the Moscow Vnukovo route
twice-daily. The 737-500 is now used to serve all other routes which
have been launched in subsequent months. However, the most recent new
route, a weekly service to Ekaterinburg, appears to be operated by
Ural Airlines as a codeshare service.

San Diego Jewish World
April 24 2014

Levin to Turkey: Admit Armenian genocide

Posted on 24 April 2014.

Carl Levin

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release) — U.S. Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich),
issued the following statement concerning the Armenian Genocide:
“Today, April 24, people around the world will pause to observe
Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day. We will pause to reflect on the
historical facts of the Armenian genocide – the deaths of more than
1.5 million men, women and children as part of a campaign of
deportation, starvation and violence against an ethnic minority by the
rulers of a collapsing Ottoman Empire in 1915.

“I add my voice to those who have called upon the Republic of Turkey
to recognize the truth of this dark moment in history and to engage in
a forthright discussion about the nature of that history and its
continuing effects.

“The world has seen many examples of how acknowledgement of the past,
however painful, is important to the present and future. Germany’s
acknowledgment of the Holocaust was essential to Europe’s post-war
recovery and unity. The reconciliation process in post-apartheid South
Africa was essential to creating a stable, more inclusive nation. And
just recently, in Rwanda, we have seen the fruits of attempts to
reconcile twenty years after nearly 1 million people died in
ethnic-driven violence. None of these reconciliation efforts has been
easy; each has stumbled at times. But each has demonstrated the value,
indeed the necessity, of acknowledging and remembering painful
history.

“Moreover, those who perished should be remembered. Silence in the
face of injustice and hatred – whether it is happening today or
happened a century ago – is a signal to those who would exercise
injustice or hatred in the future. By remembering the Armenian
Genocide, we speak out for its victims and for all victims of ethnic
hatred and violence.”

*
Preceding provided by Senator Carl Levin

MEMORIAL FOREST PLANTED IN ARMENIA

By Rupen Janbazian on April 25, 2014

click for more

Renowned 19th-century Armenian writer Raffi (Hagop Melik Hagopian)
begins his 1880 classicKhentuh (The Fool)with the following simple,
yet significant words: “While the prudent stand and ponder, the fool
has already crossed the river.”

The novel, which calls for a national awakening among Armenians,
is just as relevant in its message today as it was nearly a century
ago when it was written. While Raffi’s fool struggled to escape the
shackles of oppression and looked to form a national homeland for
the Armenian people, today’s fools try to sustain and develop that
very same homeland envisioned in the book.

Sosé Thomassian and Allen Yekikian

Sosé Thomassian and Allen Yekikian were two such fools.

Born and raised in the United States, where the two were devoted
members of the Armenian community, the young couple moved to Armenia
in early 2013. While they had set out together to live their dream
in the land of their ancestors, their lives were tragically cut short
on May 10, 2013, in a fatal car accident on their way to Georgia.

Sosé and Allen’s passing sent shockwaves throughout Armenia and
the Armenian Diaspora, prompting many to question how such a tragedy
could occur to two such exemplary, loving people. But perhaps more
importantly, their story inspired a generation to engage with Armenia,
to actively try to be a part of its development and progress.

Moreover, it motivated and encouraged a small, yet dedicated group
of young men and women to leave their diasporan realities and to make
the move to Armenia to realize their dreams.

Sosé and Allen were part of a new generation of fools who chose
to cross the river and not to stand prudently idle. And today, that
generation keeps Sosé and Allen’s dream alive.

Organized by the Armenia Tree Project in collaboration with Sosé and
Allen’s Legacy Foundation, work began on a living, breathing memorial
forest that will eventually contain some 50,000 trees.

On Sat., April 18, 2014, over a hundred volunteers, young and old, came
together in the small Armenian village of Stepanavan to help preserve
Sosé and Allen’s memory and to continue their dream of a better
Armenia. Organized by the Armenia Tree Project in collaboration with
Sosé and Allen’s Legacy Foundation, work began on a living, breathing
memorial forest that will eventually contain some 50,000 trees.

Over a hundred volunteers, young and old, came together in the small
Armenian village of Stepanavan to help preserve Sosé and Allen’s
legacy.

The tree planting proved how much of an impact the couple had on people
from all walks of life. From the group of young Birthright Armenia
volunteers to locals from Stepanavan, Yerevan, Proshyan, and even as
far away as Artsakh, Saturday’s planting of the memorial forest was
evidence that Sosé and Allen’s dream is shared among all Armenians.

Sosé and Allen’s roots were deeply entrenched in Armenia, just as the
trees planted in their memorial forest will be in the near future. And
it is that very same forest that will help preserve their memory and
inspire a new generation of fools in the years to come.

The tree planting proved how much of an impact the couple had on
people from all walks of life.