Author: Kajoyan Gevork

PRESIDENT AL-ASSAD TO FRANCE 2 TV: FRANCE WAS A SPEARHEAD IN SUPPORTING TERRORISM… WE ARE READY FOR ANY DIALOGUE THAT MEETS SYRIANS’ INTERESTS

[ Part 2.2: “Attached Text” ]

21/04/2015

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Damascus, SANA-President Bashar al-Assad gave an interview to France
2 TV.

Following is the full text;

Question 1: Good evening, Mr. President, I’d like to start
straight forward. For most French, you are in a very large part
responsible for the chaos going on in Syria, because of the brutality
of the repression during the last four years. According to you,
what is your part of responsibility?

President Assad: Actually, since the first few weeks of the conflict,
the terrorists infiltrated the situation in Syria with the support of
Western countries and regional countries, and they started attacking
the civilians and destroying public places, public properties and
private properties, and that’s documented on the internet, by
them, not by us. So, our role as government is to defend our society
and our citizens. If you want to say what you said is correct after
four years, how could a government or president that’s been
brutal with his population, killing them, and with the support from
the other side of the greatest countries and political powers in
the world, with the petrodollars in our region… how could he
withstand for four years? Is it possible to have the support of your
public while you are brutal with your public?

Question 2: In the beginning, there were tens of thousands of people
in the street. Were they all jihadists?

President Assad: No, definitely not. But the other question is,
if in the sixth day of the conflict, the first Syrian policeman was
killed… how? By the peaceful demonstration? By the audio waves
of the demonstrators? How? He’s been killed by terrorists.

Somebody who took a gun and shot that policeman, so he’s a
terrorist. It doesn’t matter if he’s a jihadist or not,
because he killed a policeman.

Question 3: There were perhaps jihadists or terrorists, but our
reporters were there at the beginning and they met a lot of people
saying “we want more freedom, more democracy.” They
weren’t terrorists or jihadists.

Every government should support freedom under the constitution

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President Assad: Definitely, everybody has the right to ask for his
freedom, and every government should support freedom, of course, under
the constitution. But does freedom mean to kill the civilians, to kill
policemen, to destroy the schools, the hospitals, the electricity, the
infrastructure? That’s not owned by the government; it’s
owned by the Syrian people. It’s not owned by us, it’s
not owned by me. Is that the freedom that you’re talking about?

ISIS was created in Iraq in 2006 under the supervision of the Americans

Question 4: A lot of analysts and a lot of journalists say that you
have helped ISIS to emerge, because it’s an opportunity for
you to appear like a shield.

President Assad: But ISIS was created in Iraq in 2006 under
the supervision of the Americans. I’m not in Iraq and I
wasn’t in Iraq. I wasn’t controlling Iraq. The Americans
controlled Iraq, and ISIS came from Iraq to Syria, because chaos is
contagious. When you have chaos at your neighborhood, you have to
expect it in your area.

Question 5: But the word ISIS at the beginning…

President Assad: Let me continue. Whenever you have chaos in a certain
country, this is a fertile soil for the terrorists to come.

So, when there is chaos in Syria, ISIS came to Syria. Before ISIS
came al-Nusra Front, which is al-Qaeda, and before that you had the
Muslim Brotherhood. They all represent the same grassroots for ISIS
to come later.

Question 6: So you have no responsibility at all for what happened
since the last years in Syria?

President Assad: Normally, things are not absolute. To have
no responsibility is not precise, because everybody has a
responsibility. We have our own problems in Syria. The government is
responsible, every one of us is responsible, every Syrian citizen is
responsible, but now I’m talking about what brought ISIS here:
the chaos, and your government, the government – or if you want to
call it regime – the French regime, as they call us, is responsible
for supporting those jihadists that they called moderate opposition.

Question 7: France is supporting a coalition, national Syrian
coalition. Are they terrorists?

President Assad: The people who are supported now, who have Western
armaments, they became ISIS, they were supported by your state, and
by other Western states, by armaments, and that was announced by your
Defense Minister. He announced it at the beginning of this year;
he said we sent armaments. So, those people you called moderate,
in 2012 before the rise of ISIS and before the West acknowledged the
existence of al-Qaeda faction which is al-Nusra, they published videos
where they eat the heart of a Syrian soldier, where they dismember
other victims, and where they behead others. They published it, we
didn’t. So, how can you ignore this reality, that they want to
publish it, and tell you this is the fact?

Question 8: Let’s talk about the present. It appears that the
Syrian army continues to utilize indiscriminate weapons like barrel
bombs, which have devastating effects on civilians. Why don’t
you change this strategy?

President Assad: We never heard in our army of indiscriminate killing
weapons, because no army, including our army, will accept to use
weaponry that doesn’t aim, because it will be of no use. You
can’t use it, I mean from a military point of view. This is
first. Second, when you want to talk about indiscriminate killing,
it’s not about the weapon; it’s about the way you use it,
and the proof of that is the drones, the American drones in Pakistan
and Afghanistan, they killed more civilians than terrorists. They are
the highest precision weapon in the world. So, it’s not about
the kind of bomb. We have regular bombs, regular armaments.

Question 9: You don’t use barrel bombs?

President Assad: What is a barrel bomb? Can you tell me what it is?

Question 10: There are several documents, videos, and photographs
like this, where you see a barrel bomb dropped by helicopters. This
is Aleppo, this is Hama a few months ago, one year ago. Only Syrian
army has helicopters, so what can you answer?

President Assad: This is not proof. These are two pictures of two
things. No one can link them to each other.

Question 11: Aleppo, Hama.

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President Assad: No, no. This picture that you mentioned here, what
is it? I have never seen such a thing in our army. I’m not
talking about the helicopters, I’m talking about two pictures.

How can you relate between the two?

Question 12: You say it’s a fake? It’s a false document?

President Assad: No, no, it has to be verified, but in our army we
only use regular bombs that could be aimed. So, we don’t have
any armament that could be shelled indiscriminately. That’s it.

The war in Syria is about winning the hearts of the people, it’s
not about killing people

Question 13: But this helicopter, only the Syrian army has helicopters.

President Assad: Yes, of course, I didn’t say we didn’t
have helicopters, that we don’t use it. I’m talking
about the armaments. They aim to target the terrorists. Why to kill
indiscriminately? Why to kill the civilians? The war in Syria is
about winning the hearts of the people, it’s not about killing
people. If you kill people, you cannot be in your position, as a
government, or as president. It’s impossible.

Question 14: What about chemical weapons? You committed two years ago
not to use chemical weapons. Did you use chlorine gas in the battle
of Idleb last month?

President Assad: No, this is another fake narrative by the Western
governments. Why? Because we have two factories of chlorine. One
of them is closed for a few years now, it’s not used anyway,
and the other one is in the northern part in Syria, which is the
most important factory than the first one. It’s on the Turkish
border, it’s under the control of the terrorists for two years,
and we sent formal documents to the United Nations regarding that
factory. They wanted to come and they sent us a formal response, they
couldn’t reach it. So, the chlorine in Syria is under the control
of the rebels. This is first. Second, this is not a WMD, it’s
not a weapon of mass destruction. The regular armaments that we have
are more influential than chlorine, so we don’t need it anyway.

Question 15: But there are investigations, you must have seen that,
from HRW, about last month in Idleb. Three attacks with chlorine smell,
with symptoms consistent with exposure to toxic gas, that is what
was concluded this investigation. These three attacks took place in
territory controlled by armed opposition groups. HRW, are they liars?

President Assad: We didn’t use it. We don’t need to use
it. We have our regular armaments, and we could achieve our goals
without it. So, we don’t use it. No, there’s no proof.

Question 16: There are witnesses, there are testimonies of doctors.

President Assad: No, no. We ask, in every allegation regarding the
chemical weapons in the past, in the present, we were the party
who asked the international institutions to send delegations for
investigations. We are, not the opposite, actually. And our soldiers
were exposed to sarine gas two years ago, and we invited the United
Nations to make investigations. How could we invite them while we
are using them? That’s neither true nor reasonable.

Question 17: Are you ready to invite them again, on Idleb?

President Assad: We already did. We always invite. We don’t
have a problem with that.

Question 18: Now, an international coalition led by the U.S. is bombing
ISIS from the air. Is it a problem for you, or is it help for you?

President Assad: It’s neither, none of them. Because it’s
not a problem of course if you attack terrorists, but at the same time,
if you’re not serious, you don’t help us.

Question 19: Why not serious?

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President Assad: If you want to make a comparison between the number of
air raids of the coalition of 60 countries, while we are one country,
a small country, what we do is tenfold, sometimes, than what they
do in one day. IS that serious? It took them to liberate what they
call in the media Kobani city, on the Turkish borders, it took them
four months to liberate it, in spite of having Syrian fighters on the
ground. So, they’re not serious so far. And the other proof is
that ISIS has expanded in Syria, in Iraq, in Libya, in the region in
general. So, how can you say that it was effective?

They’re not serious, that’s why they don’t make
any help to anyone in this region.

Question 20: There have been thousands of strikes of coalition in
the beginning, but France only is striking in Iraq. Would you like
France to join the coalition to strike in Syria?

The coalition against terrorism cannot be formed by countries who
support terrorists

President Assad: As I said, they’re not serious anyway. The
coalition against terrorism cannot be formed by countries who support
the terrorists at the same time, so we don’t care whether
they attack it in Syria, or Iraq, or both, as long as they support
the same terrorists at the same time. They send weapons to the same
terrorists under the title of moderate opposition when Obama said
it’s elusive, so the armaments will actually go to whom? To
the terrorists. So, this is contradiction. It doesn’t work.

Question 21: You have the same enemy with France: ISIS. There have been
attacks in France in January. For that moment, did your intelligence
service have contact with French intelligence services?

President Assad: There are some contacts, but there’s no
cooperation.

Question 22: What do you mean by contacts?

President Assad: We met with them, we met with some of your security
officials, but there’s no cooperation.

Question 23: No exchange of information?

President Assad: No, nothing at all.

Question 24: So, why did you meet them?

President Assad: They came to Syria, we didn’t go to France.

They came, maybe for some exchange of information, but when you want
to have this kind of cooperation, it’s a two-directions way,
so it’s about we help them, they help us. Now, according to
the reality that’s related to your politics or to the policy
of the French government, we should help them, while they support
the terrorists and kill our people, so it doesn’t work.

Question 25: Did France ask for contact with your intelligence
services?

President Assad: Yes, we met with them. There was a meeting with them.

Question 26: It was France asking?

President Assad: Yes. We don’t have anything to ask from the
French intelligence. We have all the information about the terrorists.

Question 27: There are hundreds of French fighting with ISIS in
Syria. Did you arrest some of them? Are there some French people from
ISIS now in Syrian jails?

President Assad: No, in the prisons we don’t have any of them,
we only have information, because the majority of those jihadists,
they come here to fight and to die and to go to Heaven, that’s
their ideology. So they’re not ready to go to any prison.

Question 28: So, there are none in jail?

President Assad: No, in jail we don’t have any of them.

Question 29: There are some people nowadays in France, some
politicians, some MPs, you have received some of them these last days,
they say that it’s time to dialogue with you. What initiative
would you be ready to take to convince the others that you can become
a partner for dialogue?

President Assad: With them?

Question 30: With France.

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President Assad: They have to convince me first, that they don’t
support terrorists, that they are not involved in the blood shedding
of the Syrian people first. They made the mistake regarding Syria,
we didn’t kill any French or European people.

We didn’t help terrorists in your country. We didn’t
help the Charlie Hebdo. You helped the terrorists, so your country,
Western officials, should convince us that they don’t
support terrorists. But we are ready for any dialogue, taking into
consideration that it’s going to be for the interest of the
Syrian citizens.

How can we make dialogue with a regime that supports terrorists in
our country?

Question 31: So at this moment, you are not interested in dialogue
with France.

President Assad: No, we are always interested in dialogue with anyone,
but that is based on the policy. How can we make dialogue with a
regime that supports terrorists in our country, and what for?

That’s the question. When they change their policy, we’ll
be ready to make dialogue, but without that policy, there’s
no aim for the dialogue. You don’t make dialogue for the sake
of dialogue; you make it in order to reach certain results, and that
result for me is for this government to stop supporting the terrorists
in my country.

Question 32: So, you would have no message to send to Francois Hollande
in the objective of dialogue?

President Assad: I think the main message that should be sent to him
is by the French people, and the poll in France will tell you what
message Hollande should listen to, which is, as the most unpopular
president in the history of France since the 50s, should take care of
his population and prevent terrorists from coming to France. For me,
as somebody who suffering with his citizens, with the other citizens
in Syria, from terrorists, I think the most important message is what
you’ve been seeing in France is only the tip of the iceberg.

When you talk about terrorism, you have a full mountain under the
sea. Be aware of this mountain that will inflict your society.

Question 33: When John Kerry, the United States, said perhaps we will
have dialogue with Mr. Bashar Assad, with President Assad, after he
came back to another position, but you said ok, these are words, I want
acts, I’m ready for dialogue. So, you are ready for dialogue?

France is the spearhead that supports terrorism in Syria

President Assad: Of course, we are ready. I said we are ready, with
every country in this world, including the great powers in the world,
including France. But I said dialogue should be based on a certain
policy. The spearhead against Syria, the spearhead that supports
terrorism in Syria, was first France, second UK, not the US this
time. Obama acknowledged that the moderate opposition is illusive..

he said that it is fantasy.

Question 34: He said it’s a phantasm to think that we could
arm them and they could win the war, but he didn’t say there
were no moderate opposition.

President Assad: Exactly. What’s the meaning of “we could
arm them and they couldn’t win the war?” What does it
mean? What does fantasy mean? They said they’re going to arm
the moderate opposition. Can you tell me what is it, where it is? We
don’t see it. We live in Syria, you live in France. I live
here, I don’t find it to fight it, if we have to fight it. We
don’t find it.

Question 35: You say there are foreign countries, too much foreign
countries, involved in the Syria conflict, but without Iranian support,
without Hezbollah support, would you be able to fight against terrorism
now? I mean, you denounced that foreign countries are involved in
Syria, but on your part there is Iranian and Hezbollah support for you.

President Assad: There’s a big difference between intervention
and invitation. Every country, every government in the world,
every state, has the right to invite any other country or party or
organization to help in any domain, while no country has the right to
intervene without invitation. So, we invited Hezbollah. We didn’t
invite the Iranians, they’re not here, they didn’t send
any troops.

Question 36: There are no Iranians here fighting with you?

President Assad: No, no, they don’t fight. We have regular
relations with Iran for more than three decades. We have commanders,
officers coming and going between the two countries based on the
cooperation that existed between us for a long time. This is different
from fighting. So, we as a government have the right to have such
kind of cooperation, but France and other countries don’t have
the right to support anyone within our country. This is a breach of
the international law, this is a breach of our sovereignty, this a
breach of the values that they’ve been proudly talking about –
or allegedly some of them talk about – for decades now, maybe for
centuries. One of these values is democracy.

Is it democracy to send armaments to terrorists? To support rebels?

Do I have the right to support the terrorists of Charlie Hebdo or
something similar?

Question 37: You know what the French Prime Minister said recently
about you. He said “he’s a butcher.” What’s
your response?

President Assad: First of all, let me be frank with you. The statements
of the officials in France, no-one is taking them seriously now, for
one reason: because France is a satellite somehow to the American
policy in the region. It’s not independent, it doesn’t
have the weight, it doesn’t have the credibility.

This is first. Second, as an official, you always care about the
opinion of the population and Syrain citizens. I’m not made
in France or any other country. I’m here because of the Syrian
citizens, and that’s what you have to take care of.

Question 38: Do you think, one day, you will win this war, and that
everybody, everything will go on like before, and Syria will go like
before, with nothing changed?

President Assad: No, nothing should be as before, because you make
things as before means you didn’t develop, you didn’t
learn from the conflict. This conflict has many lessons. We have to
learn from the lessons, and we have to make things not like before,
but better, and there’s a big difference.

Question 39: And with Bashar Assad ruling Syria?

President Assad: I don’t care about this. I care about what the
Syrian people want. If they want Bashar al-Assad, he will stay. If
they don’t want him, he has to leave right now. I mean, how
can he govern without the support of his public? Can he? He cannot.

Question 40: How can you know that you have the support of your
population?

President Assad: First of all, when you don’t have support,
they won’t support the army, you will not withstand for four
years. How can you withstand without their support?

Question 41: Perhaps they’re scared.

President Assad: They are 23 millions. How can 23 millions be scared
of one person, or one intelligence, or one government? That’s
not realistic, not rational.

Question 42: You think it’s democracy now in Syria? You think
people can really say what they think?

President Assad: No, we were on the way to democracy, it’s a
process, it’s a long way. There’s no place you reach it,
you say this is democracy. If you want to compare me to the West, to
France, and other countries, no, you are much ahead of us, definitely,
because of your history and because of many other circumstances and
factors. If you want to compare me to your closest friend, Saudi
Arabia, of course we are democratic. So, it depends on how you
compare me.

Question 43: If you were convinced that leaving the power would mean
peace for Syria, would you do it?

President Assad: Without hesitation. If that were the case, without
hesitation, I would leave of course. If I’m the reason of
conflict in my country, I shouldn’t be here. That’s
self-evident.

Question 44: I wanted to show you another photograph. This is Gilles
Jacquier. He was a journalist in our channel, France 2. He was
killed here in Syria 3 years ago. You had promised an investigation
about that to know who killed him. What can you tell us about this
investigation today?

President Assad: Regardless of the allegations at that time that
we killed him, he was in a residential area under the control of
the government, and he was killed by a mortar, not by a bullet, so
the self-evident thing is that the government wouldn’t shell
itself or the residential area of its supporters by mortars. So,
it’s very clear, everybody knows, and many French media at the
time acknowledged that he was killed by a mortar that was shelled
by what you call the opposition, actually they are terrorists. So,
he was definitely killed by them, but if you want to about – are you
asking about the investigation?

Question 45: Yes. There has been an investigation? Would you give
the result of this investigation you have to prove for French justice?

President Assad: No, we don’t have to prove. We have legal
procedures, and whenever we have any crime in Syria, we follow these
procedures, like any other country. You have a judicial system in
Syria, you have regular procedures; so if you want to know about the
details, after this interview you can be referred to the involved or
interested institution.

Question 46: And you would ok to give this information to French
justice?

President Assad: Of course, we don’t have any problem.

Question 47: If French justice would like to send investigators here,
policemen, judge, would you be willing to?

President Assad: That depends on the agreement between the two
governments, if you have agreement or, let’s say, a treaty or
such a thing, regarding the judicial systems in the two countries
and the cooperation between these two systems, we don’t have
a problem, but it’s not a political decision.

Question 48: Thank you, Mr. President.

President Assad: Thank you for coming.

RICHARD HOVANNISIAN’S “REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA” VOLUME PRESENTED IN ARMENIAN

17:48, 21 Apr 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

The Armenian Center for National and International Studies (ACNIS)
and the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia held a special
presentation today, April 21, of the Armenian translation of Volume
II of Professor Richard G. Hovannisian’s seminal four-volume series
entitled “The Republic of Armenia.”

Academician Richard Hovannisian, a pioneer of modern Armenian studies
who devoted 25 of his 55 years of teaching and scholarship to the
preparation and publication of his monumental work on the first
Armenian republic, 1918-1920, was present at the conference hall of
the Academy’s Presidium to address the audience on the occasion of
the translation of his second volume subtitled “From Versailles to
London, 1919-1920.”

Armenian Academy Vice President Vladimir Barkhudaryan, History
Institute Director Ashot Melkonyan, Dr. Rubina Peroomian, Professor
Azat Yeghiazaryan, and Raffi K. Hovannisian were among the many
attendees to take the floor in tribute to Richard Hovannisian and
his tireless track record as scholar, educator, writer, and public
servant. In responding to the congratulatory interventions, Professor
Hovannisian summarized the second volume, described the organizational
challenges to its proper translation, and expressed his gratitude to
its translators and editors, the Academy of Sciences, ACNIS, and the
Tigran Mets publishing house.

WHAT HAVE THEY FOUND IN GYUMRI?

Lragir.am
Politics – 21 April 2015, 15:09

According to the information of the Zhoghovurd newspaper, the Russian
minister of defense Sergey Shoygu has ordered to carry out an audit
in the military base after the appointment of Major General Vladimir
Ustinov as commander of the Russian 102nd military base. Another audit
is being carried out by the Russian Military Counterintelligence and
the Federal Security Service. The formal reason for the audits is
the manslaughter in Gyumri.

It is often noted that there is a real “mess” in the 102nd military
base, as well as in other Russian military units. The crime ascribed
to Permyakov is linked to this. Prior to the murder of the Avetisyan
family the Russian base in Gyumri had distinguished itself for murder
of innocent people and other incidents.

However, the discharged commander of the base Ruzinsky has been
promoted to commander of the Russian Army Corpus. While the base had
several thousands of servicemen, several tens of thousands serve in
the corpus. In other words, Ruzinsky has actually been rewarded. And
this means that his performance in the 102nd military base was
outstanding. Hence, the base successfully fulfilled its objectives
during his service otherwise he would not have been promoted.

Hence, either it is a lie that there is mess or the mess is the mother
of discipline in the Russian army.

In this respect, it is interesting why the counterintelligence of the
army and the Federal Security Service are carrying out an audit. The
point is that after the manslaughter in Gyumri the Russian propaganda
has been generating the idea that this murder could have been organized
by foreign intelligence. There are such circumstances but in this
case it is not even a mess but something even worse.

On the other hand, the Russian side, having removed the Armenian
side from the investigation of the manslaughter case, announces
officially that Permyakov was alone, which dismisses the version of
foreign intelligence and arouses doubts as to why the investigation
is so confidential.

Nevertheless, it is interesting to know why the counterintelligence
and the Federal Security Service are carrying out an audit in the base.

Apparently, the base is undergoing a restructuring, considering the
recent developments in the framework of which the base will take on
new functions and role. Currently the base is being enlarged in terms
of premises and imparted with broader powers. The families of the
serviceman have been relocated from Gyumri. Recently the base has
been involved in intensive military trainings which are not local
and are held at the level of the southern military district of the
Russian Federation.

The Russian side used the manslaughter in Gyumri to achieve its
goals, and the Armenian side failed to make the base comply with
the agreements. Hence, the base is being prepared to transform to a
lodgment of the Russian occupant regime.

KIM KARDASHIAN NAMED ONE OF VARIETY’S ‘POWER WOMEN’ OF NEW YORK DUE TO HER CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS

11:22, 21 Apr 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Kim Kardashian will be recognised by Variety’s Power Of Women: New
York luncheon for her work supporting the Children’s Hospital Los
Angeles, the Daily Mail reports.

The 34-year-old will be among those named as an Inspiration Impact
Honoree at the publication’s April 24 event, which will pay tribute
to some of the industry’s most charitable women, according to Page Six.

The hospital is no doubt near and dear to Kim’s heart, who has paid
visits to the medical centre with her sister Kendall Jenner and
husband Kanye West in the past.

‘Together we will further magnify the beautiful spirit the Power of
Women series exemplifies.’

Kim will share the bill with Glenn Close, Whoopi Goldberg, Lena Dunham,
and Rachel Weisz, who will also be named Inspiration Impact Honorees.

And Kim has already received the backing of fellow honoree Whoopi.

The Children’s Hospital is not the only cause the reality star has
thrown herself into.

She recently returned from an trip to Armenia, where Kim attended
a memorial commemorating the victims of the Armenian genocide 100
years ago.

The family have even met with Armenian Prime Minister Abrahamyan,
who praised the family’s contribution to ‘international recognition
and condemnation of the Armenian genocide’.

LECTURE IN ARABIC TITLED “ARMENIAN GENOCIDE. I REMEMBER AND DEMAND” HELD IN DAMASCUS

12:35, 21 April, 2015

YEREVAN, 21 APRIL, ARMENPRESS. A youth lecture in Arabic titled “The
Armenian Genocide. I remember and demand” was held in the St. Sarkis
Church of Damascus, initiated by the Youth Committee of the 100th
anniversary of Armenian Genocide.

“Armenpress” was informed about this from the Facebook page of the St.

Sarkis Church of Damascus. The lecture was conducted by Sarkis
Brunzusian. Hasmig Yaylayan has introduced the welcoming speech in
the name of the Youth Committee of the 100th anniversary of Armenian
Genocide. More than hundred audience of the sister churches’ youth
associations attended the lecture.

Talar Alahverdyan represented the project of the Armenian Genocide
events, which is prepared by the Youth Committee of the 100th
anniversary of Armenian Genocide. At the end of evening, Nazareth
Nazarian, Ara Kahkejian and Marina Nazarian in Arabi performed the
last meeting of Talaat and Krikor Zohrab.

ARMENIAN BANKS’ TOTAL NET PROFIT SLASHES BY 75 PERCENT IN FIRST QUARTER

20.04.2015 21:10

YEREVAN, April 20. / ARKA /. Armenian banks’ combined net profit in
the first quarter of 2015 has slashed by 75% to about 2.5 billion
drams from over 9 billions in the first quarter of 2014, according
to ARKA news agency’s first quarter Financial and Economic Bulletin
(performance of Armenian banks).

According to the bulletin, seven of 21 commercial banks closed the
first quarter with a total loss of 6.3 billion drams. In the first
quarter of 2014 five banks reported a total loss of 2.2 billion drams.

The banks also reported a 3.4% drop in their total assets from the
beginning of the year to 3.273 trillion drams. Their liabilities fell
by 4.4% to about 2.8 trillion drams, credit investments dropped by
3.5% to a little over 2 trillion drams and obligations to customs
decreased by 4.4% to over 1.6 trillion drams.

The decrease in profit and other key indicators of the banks stem from
the overall worsening economic situation in the country, as well as
from shocks in the financial markets in late 2014 triggered by the
devaluating Armenia’s national currency.

In particular, in order to alleviate the pressure on the currency
market, the Central Bank raised the reserve requirement for the banks
in foreign currency. This resulted in a 41% decrease in banks’ profit
last year to 27.1 billion drams. -0-

TURKEY ‘LOST BATTLE WITH TRUTH’ OVER ARMENIAN GENOCIDE: TURKISH ACADEMIC

15:47, 21 Apr 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

AFP – Turkey has lost the battle with truth over its refusal to
acknowledge the mass killings of Armenians during World War I as
genocide, a Turkish academic who helped break a long-standing taboo
on the issue said.

Cengiz Aktar was one of four Turkish intellectuals who in 2008 launched
a campaign known as “Ozur Diliyoruz” (“I Apologise”) calling for a
collective apology for the “great catastrophe” inflicted on Armenians
from 1915.

Armenians in Armenia and the diaspora will on April 24 mark the 100th
anniversary of what they see as the start of a campaign of genocide
by Ottoman forces in World War I to wipe them out of Anatolia.

But Turkey to this day has vehemently denied any genocide took place
and the Turkish state can in theory under the penal code prosecute
anyone who dares to do so.

“I think that Turkey has lost its battle with truth,” Aktar, a
political scientist at the private Sabanci university in Istanbul
told AFP in an interview.

“No-one believes any more in this primitive negationism. The skeleton
is so big that it just won’t go back in the cupboard.”

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last year presented Armenians with
unprecedented condolences for a shared tragedy but Aktar said it does
not seem that the government is prepared to go any further.

“This was better than nothing but it is still very far from what the
crimes committed in 1915 requires.”

Aktar credits Erdogan, who has dominated Turkey for over a decade,
with ending many of the taboos in Turkey but said that on the Armenian
issue “he stopped on the way”.

“What is lacking in Turkey is a visionary person who is prepared to
tackle this question head on.

“The sole aim of the government in the year 2015 is to limit its
losses,” he said.

Aktar said that one of the main problems was with education, saying
many Turks do not know what happened and some use the word “Armenian”
as an insult.

“And when there is some education it is so misguided and falsified
that it is an insult,” he added.

ANTOINE AGOUDJIAN : SUR LES CHEMINS DE L’IDENTITE ARMENIENNE

Publié le : 21-04-2015

Info Collectif VAN – – Le Collectif VAN vous
invite a lire cet article paru sur le site Repair le 16 avril 2015.

Repair

Le jeudi 16 avril 2015

Sur les chemins de l’identité arménienne

Antoine Agoudjian, Photographe francais

Né en France, en 1961, Antoine Agoudjian est le petit-fils de
rescapés du génocide des Arméniens. Ã~@ la fin des années 80, il
séjourne en Arménie afin de venir en aide aux victimes du séisme de
1988 dont l’épicentre se trouve a Spitak, dans le nord du pays. En
1996, a Istanbul, il éprouve le besoin irrépressible de se lancer
a la recherche des Arméniens sur cette terre historique. Ses voyages
le mèneront dans toutes les communautés arméniennes disséminées
au Moyen-Orient, mais aussi sur les chemins de la déportation et
des massacres, de l’ouest de la Turquie jusqu’aux déserts syriens
de Deir ez-Zor, a la recherche d’une mémoire niée, refoulée,
mais pas totalement effacée. En mars 2015, a paru ” Le cri du
silence. Traces d’une mémoire arménienne ”, un ouvrage réunissant
27 ans de photographies. Un travail qu’il expose actuellement un peu
partout en France, mais aussi et surtout a Diyarbakir a l’occasion
du centenaire du génocide arménien. Un ” évènement historique,
politique et artistique ”.

REPAIR: En tant qu’Arménien de la diaspora vivant en France, comment
définiriez-vous votre identité ?

Antoine Agoudjian : Selon moi, l’identité arménienne est plurielle
de par notre histoire. Il est certes incontournable de dire que
je suis né en France, mais il y a plusieurs singularités dans
mon histoire. La première c’est que je suis issu de la troisième
génération. Ã~@ mon époque, le Mur existait encore et il n’y avait
pas d’accès a la terre puisque, dans les années 80, il était
impossible de se rendre en Turquie. Le simple fait de prononcer
le mot ” arménien ” la-bas, il était déja trop tard. Cette
génération a donc véhiculé toute une identité a travers
un imaginaire. Imaginaire exacerbé par la culture arménienne,
par la danse – j’ai dansé dès l’âge de cinq ans dans les troupes
folkloriques arméniennes. Tout cela dans un ” village ”, Alfortville
(Ndlr dans la banlieue parisienne), où les Arméniens étaient
très présents et avaient leur vie autour du football, de l’UGA,
autour des troupes folkloriques… C’était une vie de village avec
une identité arménienne car on était aussi en contact avec les
rescapés du Génocide dont mes grands-parents faisaient partie.

Qu’est-ce que l’identité arménienne selon vous ?

Pour moi, l’identité arménienne est vraiment liée a la culture,
au fait que les Arméniens n’étaient pas simplement un peuple
qu’on a exterminé, mais une civilisation avec littérature, opéra,
écriture…

Avec une mémoire turque qui a décidé délibérément d’effacer les
Arméniens de son histoire. L’identité arménienne, selon moi, c’est
d’aimer profondément cet héritage que l’on nous a transmis. On a
tendance a penser que certains Arméniens sont de meilleurs Arméniens,
soit parce qu’ils parlent mieux la langue que nous, soit parce qu’ils
ont une activité qui les met en phase directe avec leurs origines.

Mais je crois que l’identité c’est un peu comme un ami : malgré ses
défauts, malgré ces multitudes de choses sur lesquels on pourrait le
critiquer, on est attaché affectivement a cette personne. Pour moi,
quoi qu’il en soit, même si on n’appartient pas a une civilisation,
a une nation qui est parfaite, je l’aime malgré tout et envers et
contre tout. J’ai toujours été attaché a mes origines, a la culture
de mon peuple, a son histoire.

Le tremblement de terre en Arménie vous a beaucoup affecté.

Voir comme ca a la télévision un petit pays a plat ventre
c’était pour moi le prolongement du génocide ; c’était la
disparition. Je l’ai vraiment vécu ainsi. Le seul sanctuaire où
il y avait des Arméniens était détruit et j’ai pensé : ca y
est on va disparaître. Et tout mon travail a commencé a partir de
la finalement.

Vous êtes donc partis en Arménie — en tant qu’interprète notamment
— et vous dites y avoir retrouvé des visages familiers, des ambiances
que vos grands-parents avaient évoqués dans leurs souvenirs. Ce
n’est pourtant pas le cas de tous ceux qui ont effectué le voyage.

Certains ont trop idéalisé ce pays et beaucoup de gens reviennent
d’Arménie décus. Et je crois qu’ils partent déja avec cette volonté
la. Moi je n’ai jamais été. Car, bien que je sois dans une quête
d’idéal, je n’ai pas envie d’accepter les gens autrement que ce qu’ils
sont. On n’a pas a demander a des gens d’être au niveau de ses propres
projections et fantasmes. Il ne faut pas oublier qu’historiquement,
les Arméniens d’Arménie sont les premiers durant la Perestroïka
a avoir eu des revendications exprimées pacifiquement par rapport
aux erreurs de Staline — la réponse de Bakou furent les massacres
de Sumgaït — ; qu’avant les pays Baltes ils ont manifesté pour le
rattachement du Karabakh a l’Arménie. Il ne faut pas oublier non
plus que dans les années 50-60 ils ont été les premiers a crier
les mains en l’air : ” Nos terres, nos terres, nos terres ! ” ;
que les Arméniens d’Arménie avaient durant le Bolchevisme un statut
particulier par rapport a leur religion… Il ne faut pas considérer
ces gens la comme des niais, comme des gens matérialistes. Non. Il
faut savoir que politiquement, ce sont des gens qui ont été très
présents dans la réalité politique de cette sphère géographique
et qu’ils méritent, au moins pour ca, le respect.

D’autre part, on est dans un pays où le voleur est arménien, le
policier est arménien, l’avocat est arménien, la prostituée est
arménienne… donc il faut arrêter d’idéaliser un pays qui est comme
tous les autres, où il y a le meilleur comme le pire. Maintenant,
pour qui a un regard romantique et poétique sur ses origines, il y a
vraiment de quoi s’inspirer ! Ce n’est pas étonnant que Paradjanov
soit arménien. Ce n’est pas étonnant que cette Ã…”uvre unique au
monde ait été faite par un Arménien car il y a vraiment beaucoup de
romantisme, de symbolisme chez eux. Que les gens qui vont en Arménie
voyagent un petit peu. Qu’ils aillent au Zanguezour, a Dilijan au
Nord, au Djavahk (Ndlr région arménienne du sud de la Géorgie),
au Karabagh. Et qu’ils rencontrent les Arméniens simples, les gens
comme nous. Ce sont des gens qui sont érudits. Même le paysan est
érudit en Arménie. On peut parler de tout avec lui. Il faut arrêter
d’idéaliser des gens qui sont comme tout le monde… Moi je reconnais
mes grands-parents dans ces gens-la.

En tant que Francais d’origine arménienne, comment percevez-vous
les Arméniens de Turquie ?

Comme les Arméniens d’Arménie, ils sont en phase avec une réalité
qui est la leur et qui n’est pas la nôtre. Et ils agissent selon les
paramètres avec lesquels ils doivent affronter la vie quotidiennement.

Ils sont dans un système qui n’est pas en faveur de la liberté
d’expression. On peut voir qu’a ce niveau-la, tout s’est durci. Il y a
beaucoup de censure et d’autocensure, notamment au niveau des médias.

Les Arméniens de Turquie font donc avec ce qu’ils peuvent en
confrontation directe avec les conséquences de leurs prises de
positions. Chacun est dans une réalité qui le met en confrontation
avec ses peurs. La peur du jour au lendemain de risquer un procès,
de risquer d’être stigmatisé…

Personnellement je les vois comme des gens énormément en
mouvement. Il y a une émulation incroyable. Avec tous ces Arméniens
convertis, comme a Diyarbakir, qui vivent une réalité arménienne
qui nous dépasse. On ne peut pas imaginer ici de France. Je pense
que tout comme la diaspora arménienne a été dépassée par ce qu’il
s’est produit en Arménie, elle sera dépassée par ce qu’il se passe
en Turquie. Parce qu’il y a la quotidienneté dans la réalité des
Arméniens de Turquie et d’Arménie. Ils vivent leur arménité au
quotidien, ils sont en phase avec leur réalité d’Arméniens. Et
ca change tout par rapport a la France ou les Ã~Itats Unis où
l’arménité est une arménité intellectuelle. Cela n’enlève en rien
a la qualité de l’investissement, mais c’est quelque chose qui est un
plus par rapport a ce qu’ils vivent dans leur quotidien. D’autant que
les Arméniens dans ces pays-la sont très appréciés, ils ne sont
pas stigmatisés comme certaines communautés dans d’autres pays. Moi
quand je vais en Turquie, c’est le seul pays dans le monde où je
porte une étoile jaune. Il faut que je fasse attention avec qui
je parle, ce que je dis, a qui je le dis. Ã~Itant pourtant Francais
cette réalité je ne l’a vis nulle part ailleurs.

Il y a peu de temps encore, dire que l’on était Arménien était
périlleux en Turquie…

J’ai commencé a travailler en Turquie en 96. Aujourd’hui c’est
différent. Beaucoup d’Arméniens expriment leur identité. Mais j’ai
connu une époque où ca se passait a peine dans les regards. J’ai
par exemple rencontré plusieurs personnes dont je n’étais toujours
pas sÔr en les quittant s’ils étaient Arméniens, mais pour
lesquels je me suis dit : cette personne ne m’a pas regardé d’une
facon normale. Elle m’a regardé avec beaucoup d’affection et de
bienveillance et je pense qu’il est Arménien. C’est comme cela que
ca se passait pendant très longtemps.

Quel est le rôle de Hrant Dink dans ce changement selon vous ?

C’est vrai qu’il y a eu un avant et un après Hrant Dink, quelque
chose qui a engendré un séisme terrible dans le psychisme des
gens. En fait, le projet qu’il aurait mis toute une vie a pouvoir
faire comprendre — y compris aux Arméniens — a été accéléré
et exacerbé par son décès.

Tout ce qu’il a mis sur pied a pris la direction qu’il voulait :
c’est-a dire créer un pont. Comme je l’ai dit, on va très vite
être dépassé par ce qui va se passer en Turquie. Ces Arméniens
musulmans qui revendiquent une identité arménienne, ces conversions
d’Arméniens, même s’il n’y en a pas beaucoup, le mouvement politique
a travers le journal Agos et les intellectuels turcs…

Ã~@ propos des intellectuels turcs justement, que pensez-vous de ceux
qui sont du côté des Arméniens ?

Ils font ce qu’ils peuvent. Eux aussi ont le droit d’avoir peur. On
est dans un pays où malheureusement les problèmes ont toujours été
résolus de la même facon. Toujours. Je pense a Sevag Balıkcı,
Hrant Dink et bien d’autres. Il y a des raisons d’avoir peur et quand
il s’agit de ta vie… le courage n’existe pas, il s’agit seulement
de tes convictions qui te font mener un projet et que tu es obligé
de mener a terme. Certains intellectuels sont entrés dans la logique
de faire de ce pays une démocratie et pour le devenir le problème
arménien est incontournable car cette République s’est créée sur
le massacre et l’extermination des Arméniens.

Les identités arménienne et turque sont liées par la force des
choses finalement…

Le drame du génocide a éloigné des gens qui sont très proches
finalement. On a la même histoire, une qui est fausse et une autre qui
est juste. On mange et on aime nos enfants de la même facon… tout
comme avec les Kurdes. Nous sommes très liés a eux. Plus que les
Allemands pouvaient l’être avec les Juifs d’une certaine facon, car
nous sommes vraiment issus de cette terre. Donc évidemment notre
identité est très liée a l’identité turque et vice-versa. Leur
histoire est intimement liée a celle des Arméniens qui, pour eux,
étaient des bienfaiteurs. Et ils les ont trahis pour un projet fou
et démoniaque.

Vous dites que la diaspora est ou va être dépassée par ce qu’il
se passe en Turquie. Cela signifierait-il qu’elle est resté figée
dans quelque chose, dans un traumatisme impossible a dépasser ?

Je pense que c’est bien d’avoir du recul, cette distance qui
permet aussi d’avoir un regard serein sur la situation, d’avoir des
revendications sans complaisance. Cela ne me dérange pas que certains
mouvements politiques aient des revendications exigeantes et il n’y a
que le recul qui permet de faire cela. Simplement, je pense que tous
ceux qui restent uniquement dans l’héritage que leur ont transmis les
rescapés du génocide ont une vision qui n’est pas très juste de
ce qui s’est passé en Turquie. La-bas, beaucoup de gens ont sauvé
des Arméniens… Ce que je veux dire par la c’est qu’uniformiser le
visage des Turcs, refuser d’avoir des liens avec eux en considérant
qu’il faut d’abord une reconnaissance, je pense que c’est une erreur
car la reconnaissance va venir de ce pays et que si celui-ci ne change
pas il n’y en aura tout simplement pas. Et pour qu’il change il faut
accompagner ce bouleversement et donc être sur place. Cela se produit,
a travers des historiens comme Kévorkian, ou des intellectuels et
historiens comme Taner Akcam… Il y a une ouverture claire en Turquie.

En donnant un visage humain a ce pays, on parvient a ne pas
voir le Turc uniquement comme le responsable de ce traumatisme,
de cet héritage lourd qui forcément engendre des traumatismes
psychologiques terribles. Ce qui se passe en Syrie, les égorgements,
les éventrements, les viols, ce que les gens découvrent a travers
Daesh aujourd’hui, moi, tout petit je l’ai entendu et j’ai mis des
images dessus. C’est pour cela d’ailleurs que j’ai cherché a exorciser
cet héritage a travers des images. C’était lourd pour moi. Ceux qui
veulent rester la-dessus vont nourrir ce traumatisme qu’ils ont en eux.

Quid des Arméniens de France ? On les dit divisés, désorganisés.

Certains descendants d’Arméniens de Turquie semblent voir d’un
mauvais Ã…”il les communautés venues du Moyen Orient ou d’Arménie…

Ma génération a connu une époque où l’on pensait vraiment que
l’on allait disparaître, où la police nous chargeaient pendant les
manifestations, où l’on était traités comme des moins que rien Je
pense qu’aujourd’hui cette communauté est en phase d’organisation,
avec des imperfections. Mais aujourd’hui on le voit a travers la
loi en 2001 de reconnaissance du Génocide par la France et les
discussions qu’il peut y avoir, cette communauté existe et est
prise en considération. Et ce, avec très peu de moyens. Je suis
plutôt optimiste. La communauté arménienne est parvenue a obtenir
des victoires factuelles. Maintenant, concernant les différentes
communautés qui viennent a la faveur ou a la défaveur d’évènements
tragiques comme les guerres, la révolution islamique en Iran, la
guerre au Liban ou en Syrie, la chute du Mur… on peut toujours
transformer les différences en oppositions, mais on peut aussi
les transformer en rencontres. Par exemple, les Arméniens du Liban
quand ils sont arrivés en France, me permettaient de m’améliorer
en arménien, j’avais accès grâce a eux a une culture arménienne
élaborée car avant la guerre le Liban était le phare de la culture
arménienne.

Pour les Arméniens de Syrie, c’est pareil. Il y a des Arméniens
qui sont sources d’enrichissement, d’autres de problèmes, comme dans
toutes les communautés.

Depuis quelques années on assiste a un réveil des identités en
Turquie. Kurdes, Alévis, Arméniens, etc., revendiquent une identité
différente…

Bien sÔr, les Turcs ont 42 groupes ethniques a gérer. Eux qui veulent
faire croire qu’ils étaient les premiers et qu’il n’y a qu’une nation,
c’est ridicule. C’est un peu une boîte de Pandore pour eux. D’autant
plus qu’ils ont fait souffrir ces gens-la depuis des décennies et que
forcément la démocratie va faire ressurgir tous les ressentiments.

Avec des revendications évidentes, des réparations, des
procès… C’est normal. Et cela, tout simplement parce qu’ils ont
vécu des années de plomb dans les années 80. Quand je me balade
dans Diyarbakir avec des anciens, ils se retournent toujours en
marchant. Quand je leur demande pourquoi, ils me répondent que
durant ces années-la le simple fait de parler kurde les menait en
prison. Aujourd’hui quand ces gens qui ont eu peur ont le sentiment
qu’ils peuvent s’exprimer, forcément ils ont du ressentiment. Ils ne
veulent pas se reconnaître dans une nation qui est une fiction et qui
leur propose un projet démagogique où ils ne sont pas reconnus. Eux
ne se sentent pas Turcs et sont accueillis comme des citoyens de
seconde zone. Tout est fait pour stigmatiser les gens dans ce pays.

Une mini-bataille sémantique a lieu parfois pour savoir s’il est
préférable d’utiliser le terme d’ ” Arméniens islamisés ”
plutôt que d’ ” Arméniens musulmans ”. Qu’en pensez-vous ?

C’est vrai qu’il y a eu toutes conversions forcées et arbitraires
pendant le génocide, mais j’ai aussi beaucoup de copains qui me
disent se sentir bien en tant que musulmans. Il est hors de question
pour eux de faire un retour en arrière. Ils se disent Arméniens,
mais n’ont pas envie qu’on les ennuie avec leur religion. Aujourd’hui
je pense que c’est un fait, qu’il y a des Arméniens musulmans et
qu’ils vont le rester. Je pense que les Arméniens islamisés ou
musulmans ont un véritable problème, c’est celui de leur véritable
héritage arménien.

J’ai le sentiment qu’ils ont construit quelque chose de nouveau
dans lequel ils se sentent bien, mais que quelque part ils font
abstraction totale de cet héritage qui est arménien. C’est a nous
de nous habituer a cela. C’est pour cela que je dis Arménien musulman
au lieu d’ ” islamisé ”.

Jusqu’a présent on a expliqué aux Arméniens qu’ils ont été
exterminés pour ce qu’ils étaient et aujourd’hui qu’ils veulent
exister de nouveau on leur explique qu’il y en a d’autres, différents,
qui sont de religion musulmane… tout cela est très violent et
pour pouvoir vivre sainement tout ca il faut énormément de recul
et de confiance.

Les Arméniens ont tellement peur d’être dissous, absorbés, d’être
changés… mais il faut quand même se dire ceci : lorsqu’on ne peut
pas éviter quelque chose alors il faut l’embrasser. Cela ne veut
pas dire qu’il faut soustraire les Arméniens musulmans/islamisés
a la question : où est votre culture et l’héritage de votre culture ?

Cent ans après le génocide, les Arméniens luttent encore pour
la reconnaissance de leur identité et de la tragédie qui a été
la leur.

Pourquoi cette persévérance ?

Les Arméniens sont des gens qui luttent. Même au Dersim, on a
dit que ce sont les Arméniens convertis a l’alévisme qui ont
lutté. On dit la même chose en ce qui concerne le PKK. Je crois
que les Arméniens ont bien ancré en eux le germe de la révolte,
c’est quelque chose qui s’est transmis. Et les Arméniens convertis
a l’alévisme dans les années 30 savaient très bien ce que le
gouvernement turc voulait faire. Les Arméniens sont un peuple qui a
toujours été stigmatisé donc il a cette réaction de révolte et
de combat contre l’injustice. Pour moi le mouvement de résistance
arménien ne s’est pas arrêté après 1915, il a continué et a pris
un autre visage. Ils ont été disséminés en tant qu’ethnie et ne
combattaient pas en tant qu’Arméniens, mais ceux qui sont entrés
dans les mouvements marxistes-léninistes ou maoïstes des années
70 en Turquie ont été les héritiers d’Antranik (Fedayin et Héros
National arménien 1866-1927) et de tous ces résistants arméniens.

Le mythe du ” bon Arménien ”, bien intégré, voire assimilé,
et ne faisant pas de vagues est donc a revoir selon vous ?

Je ne pense pas que les Arméniens soient dans le consensus car ils
ont toujours été proches de leurs combats et de leur cause qui est
universelle. Mais surtout, ils sont plutôt dans la construction,
la reconstruction. Je pense que les Arméniens n’ont eu de cesse que
de reconstruire ce que d’autres ont détruit. C’est peut-être un
héritage intellectuel…

Finalement, qu’est-ce qui relie les Arméniens entre eux ? Vous qui
avez côtoyé toutes les différentes communautés, y-a-t-il un trait
commun a tous les Arméniens ?

J’ai beaucoup voyagé au Moyen Orient et ailleurs et je pense
sincèrement et sans démagogie ni chauvinisme que les Arméniens sont
un peuple particulier. C’est un peuple un peu fellinien. Ils ont un
côté un peu barré qui les rend charmants, séduisants. Tu assistes
a des scènes incroyables quand tu vas en Arménie ou en Turquie ! Les
Arméniens sont des gens marrants, poétiques. C’est ce côté-la qui
me plaît chez eux. Aussi, je n’ai pas envie qu’on interprète mal ce
que je vais dire, mais je trouve qu’ils ont un visage particulier. Pas
tous bien entendu ! mais par exemple dans le Dersim, le plus souvent,
j’ai trouvé qu’ils avaient une vraie singularité que d’ailleurs les
villageois les percoivent aussi comme tel. Et puis il y a cet héritage
du génocide… Le propre des familles arméniennes c’est qu’elles ont
toutes la même histoire. Ce qui lie une famille c’est d’appartenir
a un arbre généalogique et ce qui unit tous les Arméniens dans le
monde c’est le fait de participer a une histoire terrible. Après, que
fait-on de tout ca ? Faut-il cultiver le ressentiment ? Au contraire.

Encore une fois, les Arméniens ont toujours reconstruit ce qui a
été détruit. Je pense qu’il faut avoir de la distance par rapport
au combat que l’on mène et qu’il faut être du côté de la vie. Il
faut cultiver la vie.

Lire aussi :

“Le cri du silence – Traces d’une mémoire arménienne” par Antoine
Agoudjian

Source/Lien : Repair

L’ARMENIA DEL GENOCIDIO CENT’ANNI DOPO (3)

Ultimo capitolo del reportage del viadanese Paolo Bergamaschi,
consigliere della Commissione Esteri del Parlamento Europeodi Paolo
Bergamaschi

16 aprile 2015

Foto di Paolo Bergamaschi

MANTOVA. (segue) Quando si discute di genocidio armeno il convitato
di pietra è come sempre la Turchia. Sono in molti in Europa,
in particolare i movimenti di estrema destra, che utilizzano
provocatoriamente, ogniqualvolta possibile, la tragedia del popolo
armeno in funzione anti-turca. Le autorita di Ankara, peraltro, ad
eccezione di qualche sporadica occasione, rispondono in modo isterico
alle richieste di riconoscimento della comunita internazionale negando
l’evidenza dei fatti o cercando di ribaltare in modo grossolano le
vicende storiche. Richard Giragosian, autorevole esponente della
societa civile armena, ritiene che un primo passo sulla strada della
riconciliazione delle parti sarebbe la normalizzazione dei rapporti
fra Ankara e Erevan con la conseguente riapertura delle frontiere
e il ristabilimento delle relazioni diplomatiche. La Turchia, però,
continua a sottrarsi agli impegni sottoscritti con l’Armenia dopo lo
storico incontro fra i presidenti dei due paesi che ebbe luogo nella
capitale della repubblica caucasica nel settembre 2008.

“La ricomposizione della frattura”, osserva Giragosian, “sarebbe
nell’interesse anche di Ankara”, sottolineando come la prolungata
chiusura del confine si ripercuota negativamente sulla situazione
economica delle regioni nord-orientali della Turchia. Ma Giragosian
non si limita nel suo intervento a parlare delle relazioni con il paese
vicino e a proposito di quelle con l’Unione Europea rivolge un appello
accorato affinche vengano salvaguardate e rilanciate con rinnovate
prospettive ed opportunita. “Il prossimo vertice del Partenariato
Orientale di Riga che si tiene a maggio”, fa presente, “deve diventare
per l’Armenia il nuovo punto di partenza delle relazioni con l’Europa”,
lamentandosi della scarsa trasparenza con cui il suo paese ha deciso
di aderire all’Unione Economica Euroasiatica.

“L’Armenia ha bisogno di una democrazia sostenibile e durevole”,
continua, “in una situazione come quella odierna dove la politica
è definita più dalle personalita dei contendenti che dai programmi
occorre rafforzare le istituzioni più che i leader politici”.

E non risparmiando critiche al suo governo Richard osserva come lo
stato di diritto sia stato manipolato nella legge di chi comanda. Da
ultimo Giragosian si sofferma sul muro contro muro in corso fra Russia
ed Unione Europea. “In questo contesto”, descrive con lucida analisi,
“l’Armenia rischia di trovarsi dalla parte sbagliata della storia a
causa delle nuova cortina di ferro”. E nei confronti dei tradizionali
alleati conclude “l’Armenia tende a sottovalutare la sua importanza per
la Russia mentre la Russia sovrastima il suo valore nelle relazioni
con l’Armenia”, augurandosi implicitamente un riaggiustamento di
direzione nella politica estera del suo paese.

Di parere radicalmente opposto è, come ovvio, il presidente Serzh
Sargsyanche rivolgendosi ai presenti da un’immagine completamente
diversa della giovane repubblica. “L’Armenia è un paese dove
i cittadini possono esprimersi liberamente ed i media operano in
piena liberta”, dichiara dal podio sottolineando come la riforma in
corso della costituzione migliorera lo stato di diritto e proteggera
ulteriormente i diritti fondamentali. “Buon governo e lotta alla
corruzione sono capisaldi dell’azione di governo”, continua, “mentre
cerchiamo di trovare un terreno comune con la societa civile per
arrivare ad un approccio congiunto”, aggiunge smentendo le lamentele
insistenti delle organizzazioni non governative. Per quanto riguarda
la situazione geopolitica il capo di stato si limita ad annunciare
nuovi sforzi per trovare uno spazio intermedio di compatibilita fra
Unione Euroasiatica e Unione Europea. L’ultima parte del breve discorso
non può non essere dedicata al genocidio che, a suo avviso, dimostra
come la comunita internazionale non abbia saputo imparare la lezione
della storia, e agli acerrimi nemici azeri accusati di atteggiamenti
distruttivi e massimalisti. “Non voglio rispondere alla provocazioni di
Baku”, conclude ribadendo la ferma convinzione che non c’è alternativa
ad una soluzione pacifica del conflitto in Nagorno Karabakh.

Nonostante i recenti screzi diplomatici fra Ankara e la Santa Sede
sbaglia chi pensa che sia la Turchia il principale oppositore del
riconoscimento del dramma storico del popolo armeno. Erdogan a
Davutoglou, gli attuali presidente e primo ministro turco, l’anno
scorso, rompendo il consolidato silenzio del loro paese su questo
tema, avevano pubblicamente offerto le condoglianze alle vittime
della tragedia armena senza però utilizzare il termine genocidio così
come hanno fatto in svariate occasioni altri politici, personalita ed
intellettuali turchi. I più ostinati negazionisti si trovano oggi a
Baku dove si levano continuamente accuse nei confronti di Erevan di
falsificazione e reinterpretazione della storia a fini politici. Dal
campo di battaglia lo scontro fra Armenia ed Azerbaigian si è
trasferito su quello della propaganda. Per la diplomazia azera il
timore è che Erevan possa sfruttare la solidarieta internazionale
derivante dalla commemorazione del genocidio per rafforzare e
giustificare la conquista del Nagorno Karabakh e l’occupazione delle
province circostanti. Durante quella guerra a cavallo degli anni
novanta vennero commesse da entrambe le parti atrocita di ogni tipo.

Non più tardi di qualche settimana fa davanti al parlamento europeo
una piccola manifestazione di azeri ricordava i tragici fatti di
Khojali quando nel 1992 le forze armene spalleggiate dai russi
trucidarono più di 500 abitanti di quel villaggio. Su iniziativa di
Baku l’Organizzazione della Conferenza Islamica ha riconosciuto quel
massacro come genocidio. L’Azerbaigian può così oggi rivendicare
sostegno e compartecipazione, indispensabili per controbilanciare
l’apertura di credito internazionale ottenuta dai nemici armeni. Come
se il torto subito da Baku possa neutralizzare quello subito da Erevan
e le ferite storiche degli uni possano annullare le ferite storiche
degli altri.

Tutto si può dire degli armeni salvo che non siano ospitali. Come
nella vicina Georgia e nel Caucaso in genere le cene ufficiali con
le grandi tavole imbandite straripanti di cibo si trasformano sempre
in festa all’insegna della convivialita e del buonumore. Un fattore
decisivo in questo senso è rappresentato dal vino ma soprattutto dal
brandy che accompagna d’abitudine i pasti in abbondanza. Gli animi
dei commensali si sciolgono dopo pochi istanti come per magia e non
è solo l’effetto dell’alcol. Il distillato stravecchio prodotto in
Armenia è annoverato fra i più rinomati dagli esperti del settore. La
distilleria più famosa è senz’altro l’Ararat che porta sull’etichetta
l’immagine dei monti al centro di quell’Armenia storica che oggi
non c’è più. Prima di partire per Mosca intravedo, a tratti, le
cime innevate del piccolo e del grande Ararat circondate dalle nubi
attraverso le vetrate dell’aeroporto. Si trovano a pochi chilometri
di distanza ma oltre il confine, in territorio turco. In mezzo c’è
una frontiera chiusa ermeticamente da anni e, al di la di questa,
un pezzo di memoria di un popolo che non può e non deve morire perche
è parte della storia dell’umanita, che piaccia o meno ad Ankara.

HRAPARAK: PUTIN TO ARRIVE IN ARMENIA WITH REPRESENTATIVE DELEGATION

10:37 21/04/2015 >> DAILY PRESS

Russian President Vladimir Putin will arrive in Armenia after his
meeting with the Argentine President late at night on April 23. He will
come to Armenia with a representative delegation including Foreign
Minister Sergey Lavrov, President of the World Armenian Congress Ara
Abrahamyan as well as State Duma members, Hraparak reports, citing
its sources.

“Vladimir Putin will participate in the events dedicated to the
Armenian Genocide centenary, will hold a meeting with French President
Francois Hollande and will depart from Armenia in the evening of
April 24.

“Hollande will also arrive in Armenia on April 23. Besides
participating in the Genocide centenary events and meeting with Serzh
Sargsyan and Vladimir Putin, he will also visit the French University
in Armenia.

“European People’s Party (EPP) President Joseph Daul, who will arrive
on April 23, will stay longer. He will meet with the EPP member
parties and will depart on April 26,” the newspaper says.