Author: Kalantarian Kevo

PRESSE INTERNATIONALE
Le jour où Abdullah Gül reconnaîtra…

Un jour, un dirigeant turc, sera assez homme d’État pour voir que la
dignité nationale deviendra meilleure en reconnaissant les pêchés
commis sur le sol Anatolien

Peu-être que le Président Abdullah Gül de Turquie SERA CE DIRIGEANT.

Ce texte accompagné de la photo du Président turc Abdullah Gül a été
placardé dans plusieurs journaux anglo-saxons le 24 Avril, notamment
dans l’International Herald Tribune et le New York Times. L’affiche et
les encarts ont été financés par le mécène britannique Raffy
Manoukian.

cliquer sur l’image pour agrandir

samedi 28 avril 2012,
Jean Eckian ©armenews.com

El País, España
24 abril 2012

Aniversario del genocidio armenio

Zulema Zazu Toledo Madrid

El genocidio armenio ofende la conciencia humana y es contrario a la
moral. El negacionismo del Gobierno turco no invalida el millón y
medio de armenios asesinados y los setecientos mil expulsados de su
territorio.

Pasaran los años y no habrá olvido, los que nos solidarizamos con la
causa armenia, defensores de los derechos humanos, pedimos justicia. –
Zulema Zazu Toledo.

Diario Siglo XXI, España
24 abril 2012

Armenia, la herida abierta de un exterminio silenciado

Nicolás de Miguel

“A falta de la industrial máquina de muerte nazi, el extermino sufrido
por los armenios, – y no podemos olvidar a sus desgraciados compañeros
de calvario como asirios, caldeos, helenos pónticos y sirios -, tuvo
esa impronta de piedra, fuego y hierro a través del abrasador desierto
sirio, donde muerte, violación e inanición conformaron una tríada
dantesca”.

Un 24 de Abril de 1915, en Estambul, la vieja Constantinopla
grecobizantina, daba comienzo la gran carnicería, un intento de
aniquilación total, el primer genocidio planificado, sistemático, del
siglo XX. Se inició con absoluta precisión, comenzando por la élite
sociocultural y religiosa y, una vez descabezada, se encarnizó con la
totalidad del pueblo de la Armenia occidental. La comunidad armenia en
el Imperio Otomano ya había sufrido otras persecuciones previas y
preparatorias para su Holocausto. Una comunidad cuya cultura milenaria
hunde sus raíces en un espacio geográfico reducido en la actualidad a
su mínima expresión. Porque al genocidio físico debemos sumar el
genocidio cultural como consecuencia de que un noventa por ciento, la
Armenia histórica, además de la Cilicia, se ubicaba dentro los límites
de la Sublime Puerta y actualmente en la heredera de aquélla, Turquía.

El genocidio iniciado en la primavera de hace 97 años fue también,
como no podía ser de otra manera, un crimen contra el Patrimonio
cultural de la Humanidad amén de la expropiación, del robo de
haciendas a gran escala. La Cuestión Armenia sigue siendo pues, una
cuestión actual, una herida abierta por la que brota la sangre de un
pueblo y que no cicatrizará hasta su reconocimiento final. Una
cicatrización que no debe ni puede significar olvido. Todos sabemos
que ocurre a los pueblos, a las naciones y a los ciudadanos cuando
intentan sentar bases sólidas sobre el fango del silencio, del
negacionismo, de la distorsión interesada de la realidad. La antorcha
de la causa armenia es la llama de todos aquellos que defienden, por
fea que sea, la verdad. Y sobre esta, la justicia, cimientos sobre los
que fundamentar una sociedad de ciudadanos libres.

Este genocidio nacional-cultural segó las vidas de más de millón y
medio de armenios en las condiciones más espeluznantes que imaginarse
pueda. A falta de la industrial máquina de muerte nazi, el exterminio
sufrido por los armenios,- y no podemos olvidar a sus desgraciados
compañeros de calvario como asirios, caldeos, helenos pónticos y
sirios-, tuvo esa impronta de piedra, fuego y sable a través de los
desiertos sirios donde muerte, violación y hambre conformaron la
tríada dantesca que caracterizó la masacre de cientos de miles de
inocentes a manos de los otomanos. No es la primera, ni penosamente
será la última vez que escribo sobre este demencial suceso histórico.

Y no me extenderé más sobre los relatos al alcance de cualquiera que
quiera conocer esta verdad, esta injusticia nauseabunda cuya sola
mención todavía está penada en Turquía. La columna de hoy quiere
sumarse al recordatorio que en todos los rincones del mundo civilizado
se realizan en un día de luto para Armenia. Un recuerdo vívido en el
que para su difusión, lucha y reconocimiento la Diáspora jugó, juega
un papel de primer orden. No en vano, es una Comunidad mucho más
numerosa que la que mora en el pequeño Estado de la Transcaucasia. Y
todos con el Ararat en la retina.

Conmemoramos pues un día de luto para la Humanidad. Un día negro que
los armenios, tanto del país transcaucásico como de la Diáspora, que
rememoran con dolor y oraciones. Unas oraciones que practican hasta
quiénes no son cristianos, ni siquiera creyentes, en honor a unos
antepasados que no descansan en paz. Porque nunca o pocas veces, una
religión fue a la vez bendición y cruz de un pueblo, un pueblo que es
el epítome oriental de lo que antaño se conocía como Cristiandad. Una
nación cuya situación en el mapa de la geoestrategia sigue
condicionando su fortuna. Desde la declaración conjunta de Francia,
Rusia y Gran Bretaña el 24 de Mayo de 1915 ,hasta la polémica,
esperemos no malograda en un futuro, ley francesa de 2012 que pretende
penalizar el negacionismo del genocidio armenio, un rosario de cuentas
insuficientes jalonan el calendario de reconocimientos. Un
reconocimiento entre los que no figura la firma española.

Hurriyet, Turkey
April 27 2012

Armenian, Turkish locals in court over land rights

Vercihan ZiflioÄ?lu
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News

An Armenian community mounts a legal battle to retrieve their land in
the eastern province of Batman, saying the land was illegaly given to
others. However, the new locals of the land claim they bought the land

The disputed 3,000 acres of territory covers four villages. Acar,
Heybetli, BalbaÅ?ı and Ã?aÄ?ıl villages are all located in Sason district
of the eastern province of Batman. DHA photo

An Armenian community that was forced to vacate their villages in the
southeastern province of Batman 25 years ago due to politically
motivated violence in the region has mounted a legal battle to
retrieve disputed land.

`They could not retrieve their homes and land when they decided to
return back. The Directorate of Land and Cadastre has forged illegal
documents on behalf of those who occupied [the properties],’ lawyer
Å?eyhmus Kabaday, who represents the villagers in court, told the
Hürriyet Daily News.

Acar village headman M. Å?irin Ekmen claimed otherwise, however, when
speaking on the occupant villagers’ behalf.

`We, too, are in possession of documents, and we will also present
them to the court. The [inhabitants of] Acar bought 1,300 acres of
territory from Ä°sa Demirci, a prominent Armenian villager, in 1986. We
have the documents,’ Ekmen said.

Some 3,000 acres of territory are at stake in the lawsuit filed by the
villagers, who left their land and homes behind to emigrate to
Istanbul in 1987 due to the regional violence spurred by clashes
between government forces and militants of the outlawed Kurdistan
Workers’ Party (PKK), unsolved murders and the Kurdish issue.

`They say they have deeds, [but] the signatures are fake, and there
are no originals. They are all photocopies. My clients, on the other
hand, are still in possession of their title deeds, and we have
presented them to court,’ lawyer Kabaday said.

The next hearing is scheduled for May 4 at the cadastre court in
Batman’s Sason district for the lands located in the villages of Acar,
Heybetli, BalbaÅ?ı and Ã?aÄ?ıl.

`Rights to be retrieved’

Speaking to the Daily News, a high-ranking state offcer said
beneficiaries would retrieve their rights if they filed a suit.

`[The Directorate of] Land and Cadastre entered places where it held
no authority. We have been pursuing the matter for the past three
years,’ he said.

`If such repression existed as claimed, then these people would not
have continued living here. People emigrated due to concerns about
terrorism. Now we are collecting input for the archives,’ he said.
Some of the Armenians who left their land currently live under Muslim
identities, the official added.

The damages incurred on people who abandoned their villages due to
fear of terrorism will be
compensated in accordance with Article 5233, which was legislated in
2004, if their claims can be verified, he said, adding that villagers
from Acar had already appealed to them. `We are the aggrieved party.
We [the inhabitants of] 38 households hit the road due to fear for our
lives, and we could never return back. We want to return back to our
village, but we are concerned about our security,’ Osman (Hovsep)
Demirci, one of the litigants, told the Daily News.

April/27/2012

Anadolu Agency, Turkey
April 25 2012

Turkey says US president’s remarks over Armenian allegations regrettable

Ankara, 24 April: Turkey said remarks by US President Barack Obama
made earlier on Tuesday to mark the alleged anniversary of the
incidents of 1915 in the Ottoman Empire were regrettable.

“US President Barack Obama’s April 24 remarks are regrettable and they
are a distortion of historical facts,” a statement from the Turkish
Foreign Minister said.

The statement said Obama’s remarks put forward a baseless stance that
reflected the Armenian views over a painful moment of the joint
history of Turks and Armenians.

The statement said Obama’s remarks were driven by domestic political
concerns and they made it difficult to normalize relations between
Turkey and Armenia.

The statement said as an important ally the US should have make
constructive contributions towards a solution and encourage the
Armenian side to be more realistic and compromising instead of
assuming an approach that damaged Turkish-US relations.

PARLIAMENT OF SPAIN PLANS TO HOLD HEARINGS ON NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT

APA
April 27 2012
Azerbaijan

Baku. Rashad Suleymanov – APA. The parliament of Spain plans to
hold hearings on Nagorno Karabakh conflict in June, Azerbaijani
parliamentarian, head of the Azerbaijani delegation to Euronest
Parliamentary Assembly Elkhan Suleymanov told APA.

Elkhan Suleymanov said the Italian parliament also plans to hold
similar event in September.

“The parliament of Belgium has already held such a hearing. The text
of the resolution on Nagorno Karabakh conflict and Khojaly genocide
has already been submitted to the parliament of Belgium. We consider
that this document will be adopted by the parliament of Belgium in
autumn,” he said.

According to the parliamentarian, the book titled “Armenia’s armed
aggression against Azerbaijan” has been prepared, it will be translated
into different languages and sent to the parliaments and libraries of
foreign countries. The book contains studies based on the materials
collected from the executive authorities of the occupied regions and
relevant government agencies. According to the studies, the occupation
caused $431 billion damage to Azerbaijan. The book is being translated
into English, after it is printed it will be presented to the members
of the US Congress and large libraries.

THE OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS RELEASE THE STATEMENT ON VIOLATIONS OF CEASEFIRE

APA
April 27 2012
Azerbaijan

Baku-APA. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Ambassadors Robert
Bradtke of the United States, Igor Popov of the Russian Federation,
and Jacques Faure of France, released the following statement today:

“The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Ambassadors Robert Bradtke of
the United States, Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, and Jacques
Faure of France) are deeply concerned by recent reports of a series of
ceasefire violations along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border and the Line
of Contact that resulted in a number of deaths and casualties. Such
senseless acts violate the commitment of the parties to refrain
from the use of force and to seek a peaceful settlement of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and contradict the spirit of the January
23, 2012, joint statement of Presidents Aliyev, Sargsian, and Medvedev.

“The Co-Chairs strongly condemn any loss of life, and reiterate that
there is no alternative to a peacefully negotiated settlement of the
conflict. The Co-Chairs urge all sides to respect the 1994 ceasefire
and to abstain from retaliatory measures that would lead to further
escalation.”

ARMENIAN COMMUNITY OF TBILISI RAISES ISSUE OF MEDIATION OF ILIA II IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT

Trend
April 27 2012
Azerbaijan

After the incident, which took place in the Parliament of Georgia in
connection with the recognition of the so-called “Armenian genocide”,
an interesting proposal emerged, the director of the Center of
Political Innovations and Technologies, a political scientist Mubariz
Ahmedoglu told Trend on Friday.

“Head of the Armenian community of Tbilisi Tatevosov to express
dissatisfaction in connection with the incident appealed to the
Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II. There is an extremely
important point in this issue. “Georgia is now experiencing the most
important period in its history: being an example of a worthy neighbor,
it also continuously develops in complex geopolitical conditions;
it is Georgia that should be mediator in resolving conflicts imposed
by others, both on its territory and the territories of its historic
neighbors,” with this idea the Armenian community in Tbilisi put on
the agenda the issue of Georgia’s mediation in the conflict between
Azerbaijan and Armenia. According to the Armenians of Tbilisi,
religious leader Ilia II could become such a mediator,” the political
analyst said.

He said Tbilisi by mediation in the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict
over Nagorno-Karabakh would significantly benefit. Leadership of
independent Georgia has never done this.

“Given the instability in Georgia in the early years of independence,
it is possible to believe in the argument that because of this
instability, the Georgian leadership does not put forward the
mediation initiative. Despite the fact that during the presidency
of Mikheil Saakashvili Georgia has observed stability, Saakashvili
chose policy of taking advantage of the conflict between Azerbaijan
and Armenia. He, putting forward an initiative of mediation, would
be able to get additional dividends for himself and for his country
in the international arena,” the political analyst said.

Despite the fact that the public and politicians of Azerbaijan
periodically supported the need of the mediation mission of Georgia in
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, official Tbilisi did not pay attention
to it, the political analyst said.

“To use this idea in the first place it’s necessary to carry out
serious preparation. Together with the Armenian and Azerbaijani
communities of Georgia, this step can be completed at an accelerated
pace. It is possible to get involved the Armenian and Azerbaijani
communities of Nagorno-Karabakh in the meetings between the Armenian
and Azerbaijani communities of Georgia, organized at the initiative
of the Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II. If there is any obstacle
to participation in the process of the Armenian and Azerbaijani
communities of Nagorno-Karabakh, the Georgian public will be able to
put pressure on it,” the political analyst said.

He said the interest of the Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II in the
religious situation in the region could lead his mediation between
Armenians and Azerbaijanis.

“If such a wise man as Ilia II is engaged in mediation, it can give a
significant impetus to the improvement of relations not only between
Azerbaijan and Armenia, but also to strengthen the stability and
development throughout the region,” the political analyst said.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France and the U.S. –
are currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

REMEMBERING ARMENIAN SORROWS AND ARTICULATING ARMENIAN HOPES
By Harry Hagopian

Ekklesia

April 27 2012
UK

During my recent travels, I followed with interest the controversy in
Germany over a recent poem, What Must Be Said, written by the German
Nobel literature laureate Gunter Grass. His nine-stanza, 69-line poem,
published in the Munich-based daily Suddeutsche Zeitung, referred to
the nuclear standoff with Iran and labelled Israel as a threat to
an ‘already fragile world peace’. Following the publication of his
poem, the 84-year-old author of The Tin Drum was excoriated in some
circles for being critical of Israel whilst only obliquely referring
to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s repeated threats against
Israel by writing solely that the Iranian people are being “subjugated
by a loudmouth”.

Grass, not a stranger to controversy, admitted later that he might have
been a tad hasty with his pen, but his thoughts and words nonetheless
contained the kernels of some truth in them. And not unexpectedly,
they stirred up a hornet’s nest across the whole of the country and
forced Germans to exercise some soul-searching in their relations
with Israel. After all, one key characteristic of German-Israeli
close relations is that Germany remains reluctant – unable even – to
criticise Israel because of the sheer force of the moral guilt it still
feels from the execrable killings of Jews by the Nazis during WWII.

Turkey, on the other hand, feels no such moral compunction or guilt at
all despite the holocaust (as Robert Fisk calls it) that it committed
against Armenians. Instead, and unlike Germany than has bent backwards
in its admission of responsibility for the Jewish Holocaust, Turkey
challenges any statement that dares question its actions during WWI.

So I would like to take a leaf from this German poet’s book today
in order to share with readers some of my own broader thoughts about
the issue of the Armenian genocide, 97 years old this week, and its
zealous let alone frenetic denial by Turkey.

I would like to re-affirm today that there is no doubt in my mind
about the historical veracity of this genocide – a macabre event that
one priest recently described as ‘the granddaddy of all genocides’.

And I utter this statement not as an ethnic Armenian with presumed
genetic biases, but as someone quite familiar with the solid literature
coming out from international historians, organisations, scholars and
lawyers – not least the International Association of Genocide Scholars
– confirming time and again that forced deportations and massacres
took place against Armenians of Turkish nationality [alongside Greeks,
Assyrians and Nestorians] living in their homelands in Western Armenia
during the ominous years of WWI.

Mind you, any search engine would come up with a wealth of serious
and incontrovertible documentation about this genocide. As Professor
Colin Tatz, former director of the Centre for Comparative Genocide
Studies, stated, “The Turkish denial [of the Armenian genocide] is
probably the foremost example of historical perversion. With a mix
of academic sophistication and diplomatic thuggery – of which we at
Macquarie University [in Sydney, Australia] have been targets – the
Turks have put both memory and history into reverse gear”. In fact,
was it not Tala’at Pasha, in a conversation with Dr Mordtmann of the
German embassy in June 1915, who said that Turkey was taking advantage
of the war in order to thoroughly liquidate {grundlich aufraumen}
its internal foes?

Yet, many Turks remain largely unaware of this Ottoman chapter in
their history. How could they really? A blend of Turkish stubborn
nationalism, coupled with a blackout of any literary or academic
sources (until quite recently) have meant that a gap has existed
in the education of Turks. One rule of thumb has always been that
ignorance often fosters strident tones of nationalism – which is
what also happens at times in modern-day Turkey. Nonetheless, there
is a creeping awareness by Turks of this genocide: after all, some
universities, academics, authors and researchers are openly – at times
bravely – defying this manner of self-imposed and deliberate denial.

In this sense, one very powerful manifestation of this evolving trend
was the public Call for Commemoration: The 24th of April statement that
came out this week from the Human Rights Association, Istanbul Branch
Committee against Racism and Discrimination. Its members held a silent
procession on 24th April in keeping with the tradition of mourning in
front of the Museum for Turkish and Islamic Arts (a prison during the
Ottoman era). They also sent letters to the two catholicoi (highest
authorities of the Armenian Church in Etchmiadzin and Antelias)
in which they decried “the deracination of the Armenian population
throughout Anatolia where they had lived for thousands of years,
and their annihilation as a result of starvation, destitution and
massacres”. In fact, the significance of this decision by the Human
Rights Association far outreaches its small numbers. It is a bold
decision that is driven by respect for human rights per se and as
such is a crucial transit point for the future since what matters
most is not the recognition of this genocide by third parties –
even important ones such as the USA or the UK – but rather by Turkey
itself. Simply put, the buck started with Turkey, and the buck can
only really stop with Turkey.

Moreover, and as Marc Nichanian writes somewhat controversially in
his Historiographic Perversion (CUP, 2009) when discussing history
and law, the Armenian genocide deals with amputation as well as
imputation. Indeed, the certainty alone that the genocide occurred
– no matter how deliberately cruel – is in itself an inadequate
response. The same could be argued for the self-sufficiency of
worldwide campaigns for recognition embracing our political, religious
or community leaders. Even though their words are fiery and rousing,
their follow-up actions remain politic and therefore casuistic. Nor,
for that matter, is recognition achieved merely through an overinflated
reliance on draft laws submitted to parliaments (such as in the
French Houses of Parliament by President Nicolas Sarkozy who uses
Armenian-French votes as a political football) or the prevarications
of US Administrations and Israeli governments who spin their decisions
politically and label the genocide as medz yeghern (great catastrophe)
or market the recognition of the genocide episodically for the sake
of rankling if not pressuring Turkey. This panting dependency by
Armenians on recognition by world leaders or parliaments is not
the real solution. What is required is a much deeper reflection on
longer-term strategies rather than shorter-term tactics alone.

In my opinion, as a Christian believer let alone political advisor,
such expressions of frustration and indignation – understandable
though they might well be – must also be measured and well
thought out. We must certainly lift up our indefatigable values,
sacrifices and traditions as Armenians but we should also ensure
that we do not go down the slippery road of revenge. Recognition is
not tantamount to revenge or a settling of scores. So I do wonder
about the wisdom of constant Turkey-bashing with words and eggs
(as happened this week in front of the Turkish embassy in Beirut),
or when our recognition-campaigns turn exceedingly jingoistic and
attempt to legislate our freedoms of thought and expression – those
very freedoms our forefathers were deprived of during the genocide?

This year, in 2012, the Republic of Armenia has invited Diasporan
communities to establish committees that would prepare for the
centenary of the Armenian genocide. So what should be the task of
those august committees world-wide? Should it be one of narrow-minded
self-centredness, with each committee behaving parochially or else
slavering to the expectations of vested interests – Armenian or
otherwise – as they consider the programmes that could feature in
our commemorative events in 2015? Or should they come together as
avant-garde thinkers who go outside the box and confidently seek to
define a robust and united roadmap that is grounded in an inclusive
vision? Are they ready to challenge some of our long-held taboos?

Where do we Armenians wish to go in terms of a genocide that cleansed
two-thirds of the Armenian populations in Ottoman Turkey during
1915-1918? Should we not look at the arsenal of tools that constitute
the real wealth of the whole Armenian nation today?

Such tools could be political, legal, literary, religious and
media-friendly – to name just five. Are we not aware of the number
of journalists or activists being detained in Turkish gaols today
or are we not familiar of the vagaries of the Turkish Penal Code
and its restrictive articles that muzzle Turks and handcuff their
words, let alone deeds? Should we not challenge the vociferous denial
of modern-day Turkey in legal fora, academic and media outlets as
well as on political levels that require less grandstanding perhaps
than the White House or Elysee Palace but are at least as effective
in mobilising grassroots support for an Armenian case that helped
Lemkin craft the UN Genocide Convention of 1948? Here in the UK,
a small number of committed activists in Wales have over the years
achieved much more than in many other parts of the UK. The same could
easily be said of Edinburgh where a handful of Armenians also managed
twice to pass Resolutions by the Edinburgh City Council recognising
the Armenian genocide despite massive Turkish opposition and the
reluctance of Scottish Conservatives to support the Motion.

Finally, and while keeping recognition by Turkey as the clear target
of all collective efforts, the Armenian genocide must also tap into its
available resources in association with survivors of other genocides –
from the Holocaust and Cambodia to Rwanda and Darfur.

After all, and as George Shirinian of the Canada-based Zoryan
Institute stated recently, education is a mnemonic, the one
indispensable skeleton key toward the achievement of the Armenian
objective. Education is harder than loose words, but it could also
re-incarnate the memories of all those Armenians killed, wounded,
raped, deported, converted or forgotten during this cheerless period
in the history of humankind.

Like most Diasporan Armenians today, I too trace my roots to the
horrors committed against my family by the triumvirate rulers of Turkey
almost one century ago. But I do not seek revenge, nor do I want to
spill more blood in order to cleanse the stain that blots Turkish
history. Rather, I seek my painful way of honouring the memories
of all my relatives who perished during the genocide so that I too
can move forward – alongside other Armenians and Turks. After all,
whilst all Turks are certainly not righteous Hrant Dinks, some of
them certainly are and therefore they too become part of my future.

So let us not forget: 2012-1915 = 97.

Harry Hagopian is an international lawyer, ecumenist and EU
political consultant. He also acts as a Middle East and inter-faith
advisor to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England & Wales
and as Middle East consultant to ACEP (Christians in Politics)
in Paris. He is an Ekklesia associate and regular contributor
(). Formerly an Executive
Secretary of the Jerusalem Inter-Church Committee and Executive
Director of the Middle East Council of Churches, he is now an
international fellow, Sorbonne III University, Paris, consultant to
the Campaign for Recognition of the Armenian Genocide (UK), Ecumenical
consultant to the Primate of Armenian Church in UK & Ireland, and
author of The Armenian Church in the Holy Land. Dr Hagopian’s own
website is

‘HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN 200,000 ORPHANS?’; REMEMBERING GENOCIDE

The Daily News of Los Angeles
April 24, 2012 Tuesday

They held their children in their arms and carried whatever else they
could into the desert.

Bibles that had been in families for centuries. Handmade lace
handkerchiefs made for weddings and baptisms. Documents that listed
their names and where they were born.

Nearly 100 years after the Armenian Genocide began in the Ottoman
Empire, some of those very same items can be found carefully preserved
in glass cases and in frames in the San Fernando Valley, a testament
of survival.

“People have sudden emotional reactions when they walk in,” said Nora
Nalbantian, treasurer and interior designer for the Ararat Eskijian
Museum in Mission Hills. “It’s historical, but not so far back that
people can’t relate to it.”

Founded and designed by Luther Eskijian, himself a child survivor of
the Armenian Genocide, the museum was opened in 1996 near the Ararat
Home of Los Angeles, a senior care facility that opened in 1949. The
museum houses historical maps, coins, crafts, medals, sketches, musical
instruments and a library. While the Armenian Genocide is its focus,
the museum also pays tribute to Armenian-Americans who are or have
served in the U.S. Armed Forces, and to contemporary writers, such
as William Saroyan.

Many children come for field trips to the museum, as well as scholars,
said Maggie Mangassarian-Goschin, who is the curator. But she called
the museum a gem that the public at large may not know about.

Although usually only open on Saturday and Sundays, the museum
also will be open today – the international day of remembrance of
the genocide.

Several events – including lectures and demonstrations – will be held
throughout Los Angeles today as Armenians commemorate the genocide.

Glendale, as well as parts of the San Fernando are home to the largest
diaspora of Armenians outside of Armenian.

An estimated 1.5 million Armenians died from 1915-23 in what has been
called the first genocide of the 20th century.

The Turkish government maintains the deaths were a consequence of
betrayal and civil unrest in what was then the Ottoman Empire. Even the
genocide has become politicized with both the United States and Turkish
governments refusing to call it such. Armenian-American activists have
said the U.S. government won’t officially recognize the killings as
genocide because it would hurt relations with Turkey, a NATO ally.

“Turks believe it was a civil war within a world war, engineered,
provoked, and waged by the Armenians with active support from Russia,
England, and France, and passive support from the U.S. diplomats,
missionaries, media and others with anti-Turkish agendas, all
eyeing the vast territories of the collapsing Ottoman Empire,” said
Ergun Kirklikovali, president of the Assembly of Turkish American
Associations, based in Washington.

Armenians, however, say the killings involved the systematic cleansing
of Christians, which included Assyrians and Pontic Greeks. Priests
and intellectuals were beheaded. Women and children were terrorized
as they were marched out of their homeland and into the Middle East.

“How do explain 200,000 orphans?” asked Nancy Eskijian, whose father
built the museum. “Where were their parents?”

Her grandfather, the Rev. Hovhannes Eskijian, a protestant pastor,
dedicated himself to helping those orphans who were left behind after
their parents were killed. His prayer robes, which survived after
more than a century, also can be seen at the museum.

Rose Garjian, who will turn 104 on May 1 and who lives at the Ararat
Home, lived in Killis, Turkey. She remembers when her father told
her and her sisters and brother they had to leave home. He did not
tell them why, only that they should hurry.

“We left our home and went to the desert,” she said. “I was 10 years
old. My father took us to hide. He tried to take us away from the
Turks.”

Tucked in a corner of the museum is a glass case filled with shattered
bones, remnants of those who died in the Dez Zor desert of Syria.

Nalbantian and others said the museum stands as proof of what happened
to Armenians. And though the survivors such as Garjian are now few,
those who came after must not be afraid to speak out.

“Once fear sets in, then there is silence, and when there is silence,
that means the enemy has won,” Nalbantian said.