Author: Kajoyan Gevork

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-

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.

LE PATRIARCHE COPTE ORTHODOXE TAWADROS II PARTICIPERA AUX COMMEMORATIONS DU CENTENAIRE DU GENOCIDE ARMENIEN

GENOCIDE ARMENIEN

Le Patriarche copte orthodoxe Tawadros II se rendra a Erevan, capitale
de l’Armenie, pour prendre part aux evenements les plus significatifs
programmes pour commemorer le centenaire du Genocide armenien. La
visite en Armenie de Tawadros II durera environ une semaine. Selon
l’agence Fides, ce serait la première fois qu’un Patriarche copte
orthodoxe assisterait a des commemorations du genocide armenien. Il
y aura le 23 avril la liturgie de canonisation des victimes du
Genocide armenien a Erevan près du Siège patriarcal du Catholicossat
d’Echmiadzin, gouverne par le Patriarche Karenique II. Une quarantaine
d’Eglises, communautes ecclesiales et organismes oecumeniques ont
deja annonce leur participation au rite de canonisation. Ce meme jour,
a partir de 19h15 – heure choisie en ce que rappelant symboliquement
l’annee 1915 – toutes les eglises armeniennes du monde, a l’exception
de celles se trouvant en territoire turc, feront resonner cent coups
de cloches pour rappeler egalement de cette manière les cent ans
du Genocide.

Il y aura bien une commemoration en Turquie. Une Messe, presidee
par le Vicaire patriarcal, Aram Ateshian, sera celebree en l’eglise
du Siège patriarcal a Istanbul pour faire memoire des victimes de
l’extermination qui seront en cette occasion commemorees comme saintes.

mardi 21 avril 2015, Stephane (c)armenews.com

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.

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.

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

1

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

2

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.

3

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?

4

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.

5

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.

HAYKAKAN ZHAMANAK: TURKEY CANCELS ISTANBUL-YEREVAN APRIL 24 FLIGHT

11:07 * 21.04.15

Turkey’s aviation authorities are said to have cancelled a special
April 24 flight from Istanbul to Yerevan in an attempt to prevent
an earlier reported civil society initiative to pay respect to the
Armenian Genocide victims.

The paper says that the organization Dorghe, which is an umbrella for
several NGOs, had earlier announced a plan for carrying out a visit
to Armenia on the Genocide Remembrance Day. According to the paper,
that the decision to cancel the flight might have been made in the
wake of Turkey’s recent hysteria over Pope Francis’s remarks on the
Genocide and the European Parliament’s resolution adopted in the
run-up to the big tragedy’s centennial.

DIASPORA ARMENIANS, TURKISH GROUPS TO MARK GENOCIDE CENTENNIAL IN ISTANBUL

Tuesday, April 21st, 2015

People in Istanbul commemorate the Armenian Genocide

ISTANBUL–On the eve of the centennial of the Armenian Genocide,
Turkish and Armenian-American organizations, assembled with
record-breaking number of Diaspora Armenians from around the world,
called on the Turkish government to recognize the truth of the historic
events, issue an unequivocal apology, and move towards accountability
and reparations, DurDe and Project 2015 said Tuesday at a press
conference in Istanbul. The concerted campaign by Ottoman leaders
a century ago resulted in the deaths and exile of the vast majority
of their Armenian citizens, but successive Turkish governments have
failed to recognize or take responsibility for the deliberate and
systematic mass extermination of the ethnic group.

“We have come together with Armenians from around the globe with
a single, unified message to the Turkish government: recognize the
genocide, so we can move forward on a project of reconciliation,” said
Levent Sensever of DurDe. “Whatever the position of our government,
we want the world to know that many citizens of Turkey recognize
the truth about the terrible crime against Armenians, and to pay our
respects to the victims and the survivors.”

The groups have been working with a number of other organizations
in Turkey and Europe for the past two years to coordinate the
participation of Armenians from around the world in centennial
commemoration events in Istanbul, including some of the following
events.

-Concert at the Istanbul Congress Center on April 22;

-Public assembly near Taksim Square on the evening of April 24,
as well as the decoration of a Wishing Tree in the square;

-Events at Sultanahmet Square and HaydarpaÈ~Ya Station, where Armenians
were rounded up, imprisoned and deported;

-Memorial service at È~XiÅ~_li Armenian Apostolic Cemetery, where Sevag
Ã…~^ahin Balikci is buried; Balikci was an Armenian soldier serving in
the Turkish military who was murdered by a Turkish soldier on April
24, 2011; and

-An academic conference on the Armenian Genocide sponsored by UCLA and
Istanbul’s Tarih Vakfi (History Foundation), convening at BoC§azici
University on April 26.

Project 2015 has assembled a record-breaking delegation of almost 200
Armenians from around the world to participate in the commemoration
events. Project 2015’s participants include nationals from 15
countries, including Armenia, the United States, Canada, France, the
United Kingdom, Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Hungary,
Burundi, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Turkey, Israel, Brazil,
Ethiopia, and Hong Kong (China).

“As Armenians, we have come to Istanbul in record numbers to
memorialize the brutal massacre of our family members, and to remind
the Turkish government that 100 years later, we are still seeking
justice and accountability, and will continue in our quest as long as
it takes,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, board member of Project 2015. “We
are heartened to see so many citizens of Turkey ready to face this
country’s past and look now to the government to come to terms with
an undoubtedly difficult and painful truth.”

The groups urged representatives of the international community to
attend the commemoration events organized in Istanbul on April 24.

“We have invited governments and non-governmental organizations alike
to join us for this historic centennial of what is a global tragedy
and a crime against humanity,” said Whitson. “Governments sending
representatives to the Gallipoli commemoration should in particular
ensure that they also send representatives to the Armenian Genocide
commemoration in Istanbul.”

Genocide is recognized as a crime under international law and defined
as the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of
an ethnic, racial, religious or national group under the 1948 Genocide
Convention. While the destruction of the Armenian population through
massacres and deportations preceded the Convention, the deliberate
and systematic actions of the Ottoman authorities undoubtedly meet
the 1948 definition. Recognition of the internationally wrongful acts
committed against the Ottoman Armenian population would constitute the
first step in addressing the obligations of the Turkish government
towards the survivors of the massacres and their descendants under
international law.

In 2014, then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his
condolences to the grandchildren of “Armenians who lost their lives in
the context of the early 20th century” but failed to acknowledge the
role of the Ottoman government in systematically causing these losses.

The Turkish government has refused to recognize the massacres of the
Armenians as genocide.

“President Erdogan and Prime Minister Davutoglu have a moral duty
to use their unique position of leadership to lead the people of
Turkey to come to terms with the near-total destruction of one of
our region’s oldest indigenous communities,” Sensever said. “We will
stand tall and proud as citizens of Turkey when we can say that our
government has paved a way for truth and accountability that will
let us all move forward, at last.”

“Erdogan should apply the Islamic principles he has claimed guide him
above politics and do the right thing with respect to recognizing and
apologizing for the Armenian Genocide,” said Whitson. “Leadership
in this issue means stepping forward and acknowledging the past
unequivocally, without looking for political trade-offs from
Armenians.”

The groups also urged the Turkish government to take
confidence-building measures that would demonstrate its sincerity in
addressing what it has acknowledged were tragic and terrible events
leading to the near total extermination of the Armenian population.

Among the gestures that the government could take is the establishment
of an independent council commission with a government-funded endowment
to restore 100 Armenian churches and monuments throughout the country
within 10 years. The commission should work in cooperation with
Turkish and Armenian architects who can survey, select and design
the restoration of these important heritage sites.

“100 years since the near-total extermination of its minority Armenian
population and the destruction of its centuries-old institutions,
one thing the Turkish government can do is move to restore Armenian
heritage sites throughout the country,” said Nancy Kricorian,
Project 2015 board member. “Such a gesture would not substitute for
reparations, but would indicate a good faith desire to reestablish
what past governments allowed to be recklessly destroyed.”

Discussion of the Armenian Genocide in Turkey remains a highly
sensitive subject in Turkey and subject to criminal sanctions. The
Turkish government has prosecuted journalists, writers and academics
for making reference to the Armenian Genocide. However, past
commemorations of the Armenian Genocide in Istanbul have taken place
without incident, and with the benefit of municipal police protection.

Yet Bilgi University canceled a conference planned to coincide with the
centennial, apparently on the grounds that the academic discussion of
the Genocide in Turkey remains too controversial. While the conference
organizers will now hold the conference at BoC§azici University,
its cancellation by Bilgi University stands as a poignant reminder
of latter-day Genocide denial and its consequences.

DurDe is one of Turkey’s leading civil and human rights organizations,
working to combat racism, nationalism and hate crimes. It is an
activist network that in recent years has played an important role
in organizing commemorations for the Armenian Genocide in Istanbul.

Project 2015 is a US-based non-profit organization comprised of
Armenians, Turks and Americans to encourage global participation in
the commemoration events in Istanbul.

IL Y A 100 ANS LA DEFENSE DE VAN

GENOCIDE ARMENIEN

La défense de Van (également connu sous le nom de Siège de Van
ou Résistance de Van pour les Arméniens ; en arménien Õ~NÕ¡Õ¶Õ”
հեO~@ոսամաO~@տ Vani herosamart et Rébellion ou Révolte de Van
pour les Turcs ; en turc Van İsyanı/İhtilâli)est une insurrection
qui s’est déroulée en 1915 contre les tentatives de l’Empire
ottoman de massacrer la population arménienne dans le Vilayet de
Van. Plusieurs observateurs contemporains et historiens qui suivirent
ont affirmé que le gouvernement ottoman avait délibérément
incité la résistance armée arménienne en imposant d’épouvantables
conditions aux Arméniens, pour justifier les déportations forcées
des Arméniens a travers tout l’empire. Toutefois, les décisions de
déportation et d’extermination ont été prises avant cet épisode.

Les témoins ont affirmé que la position arménienne a Van était
défensive et un acte de résistance face au massacre. Basée
principalement dans la ville de Van, cette résistance a été l’un
des rares cas pendant le génocide arménien où les Arméniens se
sont battus contre les forces armées de l’Empire.

Le siège de la Ville de Van a débuté le 20 avril 1915.

lundi 20 avril 2015, Stéphane ©armenews.com

INAUGURATION DE L’EXPOSITION DU CENTENAIRE A TOURS

COMMUNIQUÃ~I DE L’UNION DES ARMÃ~INIENS DU CENTRE

â~@¨Le vendredi 17 avril 2015 dans le Péristyle de l’Hôtel de
ville de TOURS, l’Union des Arméniens du Centre était très
honorée de recevoir son excellence Monsieur Vagahn ATABEKIAN,
Ministre Plénipotentiaire représentant l’Ambassade d’Arménie en
France.â~@¨Alain GARABEDIAN, Président de l’Union des Arméniens
du Centre a débuté par une présentation de l’exposition. Elle est
constituée de quatre parties, tout d’abord un rappel historique de
tout le processus qui a conduit a la tragédie du peuple arménien,
une présentation des Arméniens venus s’installer en Touraine entre
1916 et 1938 avec un travail de recherche colossal mené aux Archives
Départementales, une présentation de l’Union des Arméniens du
Centre depuis son origine (1983).

La partie la plus importante de cette exposition qui se trouve dans
le Péristyle bas est le fruit d’un travail énorme mené sous
la Direction de Raymond H. Kévorkian, Levon Nordiguian et Vahé
Tachdjian qui, avec des photographies et des témoignages saisissants
racontent le destin des réfugiés arméniens dans ses différents pays
d’accueil. La photographie constitue un élément documentaire central.

De gauche a droite : A. GARABEDIAN Président de l’UAC – S. BABARY
Maire de TOURS – Son Excellence Monsieur Vahagn ATABEKIAN – Ministre
Plénipotentiaire représentant l’Ambassade d’Arménie en France.

Monsieur le Maire de TOURS, Serge BABARY a ensuite ouvert les discours
en rappelant les faits historiques qui ont conduit un empire décadent,
l’Empire Ottoman a s’appuyer sur les désordres causés par l’entrée
en guerre des grandes puissances mondiales pour mettre en place une
élimination systématique de tout un peuple.

Alain GARABEDIAN, a ensuite rappelé le discours engagé du Pape
Francois qui n’a pas hésité a parler de la tragédie arménienne
comme du premier génocide du XXème siècle dénoncant avec force les
crimes perpétrés aujourd’hui encore contre les chrétiens d’Orient.

â~@¨Paul SABAOUN, représentant du CRIF rappelle la nécessité de
la reconnaissance par tous du Génocide Arménien afin de préserver
la mémoire et de permettre au deuil de se poursuivre a travers
les générations et la solidarité du Conseil Représentatif des
Institutions Juives de France avec le peuple arménien.

Son Excellence Monsieur Vahagn ATABEKIAN a clôturé les discours
en rappelant les nombreuses manifestations engagées dans le monde
entier pour commémorer ce centenaire du Génocide Arménien et en
terminant sur ces mots ” Le génocide arménien, ce n’est pas que
l’affaire des Arméniens mais de toute l’humanité ”.

lundi 20 avril 2015, Ara ©armenews.com