Author: Kalantarian Kevo

LE DEPUTE PHILIPPE MEUNIER INTERPELLE LAURENT FABIUS- PROPOS DE KESSAB

Syrie

Le 30 avril, lors de la dernière séance des questions au
gouvernement, le député du Rhône Philippe Meunier (UMP), en
association avec Valérie Boyer, a interpellé le ministre des
Affaires étrangères Laurent Fabius sur la situation des minorités
chrétiennes persécutés par des islamistes venus de Turquie.

jeudi 1er mai 2014, Jean Eckian ©armenews.com

CROWDS GATHER IN US ON 99TH YEAR OF 1915 INCIDENTS

Anadolu Agency, Turkey
April 25 2014

25 April 2014 14:02 (Last updated 25 April 2014 15:27) Armenian and
Turkish crowds gather in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, California
on the 99th anniversary of the incidents of 1915.

WASHINGTON/CHICAGO/LOS ANGELES

Both Armenians and Turks held demonstrations on the 99th anniversary
of 1915 events during the First World War, in front of the Turkish
embassy in the U.S. capital Washington, D.C. on Thursday.

Turks displayed the Turkish flag and held banners, saying “Stop
Armenian terrorism”, “Reconciliation, not accusation” and “History
cannot be rewritten with lies.”, while Armenians also gathered and
held opposition banners saying “We want justice”.

Thousands of Armenians also gathered in Los Angeles and California.

However, many Ahiska Turks came to Chicago from four different states
in the U.S. and gathered in front of the Turkish Consulate General in
Chicago to voice that Ahiska Turks were also killed during 1915 events.

The new Turkish Ambassador in Washington, D.C., Serdar Kilic, also
commended the Turkish people who displayed sensitivity against the
Armenians in their commemoration.

-The Anatolian Armenians in the U.S. “satisfied” with Erdogan’s
condolences

On 23 April, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered
condolences to the grandchildren of Armenians, an unprecedented
message which has attracted a worldwide reaction and has been seen
as historic by many.

Besides the Armenians’ protests, Anatolian Armenians who live in the
United States are satisfied with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s
condolences released on Wednesday.

Vago Mesrobian, who moved to the U.S. when he was 10, expressed his
opinion on the condolence message saying, “We do not want to stay
forever offended and resentful. Even though it was late, this message
is an important step and I am sure around 2 million Armenians think
like me over this conflict.”

73-year-old Armenian Setrak Kirec, who has lived in the U.S. for
over 30 years, said “We must accept (Armenian community) Erdogan’s
condolence. It is the first time the Turkish government has given
this kind of message, and that it is very important. I personally
would like to congratulate the Prime Minister in order to open a new
positive door to improve relations between the two communities.”

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry expressed his own thoughts on the
matter Thursday. “Thoughts and prayers are with Armenians today. PM
Erdogan’s striking statement affirms global principles. #NeverForget,”
read a Tweet on his Twitter account.

The 1915 events took place during the First World War, when a portion
of the Armenian population living in the Ottoman Empire sided with
invading Russians and rose up against the Ottoman authority.

The uprisings were followed by a decision by the Ottoman Empire to
relocate the Armenians living in eastern Anatolia.

TURKEY PREPARED TO DEAL WITH ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ISSUE

Arutz Sheva, Israel
April 30 2014

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday that his
country is prepared to cope with the 100-year-old Armenian genocide
issue, but is still avoiding calling the past events a ‘genocide.’

Erdogan repeated his call to the Armenian nation to investigate the
matter together with the Turkish government. Last week, a Turkish
leader first expressed his condolences for the descendants of Armenians
killed by the Ottoman army during the First World War.

Suffolk Law School students protest choice of Genocide denier as speaker

May 2, 2014 – 14:54 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Suffolk Law School’s administration invited Abraham
Foxman, the long-time director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) to
be the commencement speaker, igniting resentment of the School’s
student body.

`Few would expect a survivor of the Holocaust to be the face of
genocide denial. Abraham Foxman, the long-time director of the
Anti-Defamation League (ADL), an organization dedicated to eradicating
anti-Semitism and bigotry and protecting civil rights, seems a figure
beyond reproach. Yet Foxman has invited controversy to Suffolk
University for his unwillingness to recognize the 1915 Armenian
Genocide ‘ an event which saw an estimated 1.5 million Armenians
massacred by the Turks ‘ and his campaign to defeat Congressional
acknowledgement of said genocide. Criticism of Foxman has centered on
this disconnect, that a man who lived through the attempted
extermination of an entire race now denies that truth of another. Many
at Suffolk are unwilling to participate in that hypocrisy,’ Asbarez
reported.

Shortly after Foxman was announced as their 2014 speaker, Suffolk Law
students rejected the decision. Amy Willis, President of the
university’s National Lawyers Guild chapter, told the Boston Globe
that `Suffolk claims to embody diversity and be a place for all
people, but this clearly is a speaker who does not embody those
values.’

This stance was reflected in a petition to remove Foxman as the
keynote speaker, as well as to deny him the honorary juris doctorate
he is slated to receive. The petition states that Foxman’s presence
`not only insults students and their families, but also insults the
very foundation of Suffolk Law as a safe place of diversity and
acceptance.’ As arguments for his removal, the petition enumerates
Foxman’s refusal to explicitly label the Armenian Genocide as a
genocide as well as his support for racial profiling of
Muslim-Americans in the interest of `national security.’

`Because Turkey was the first nation in the Middle East to establish
diplomatic relations with Israel and remains an instrumental ally of
the West, the United States is unwilling to rock that political boat.
Even when a resolution was proposed by the 110th Congress to recognize
the Armenian Genocide, then President George W. Bush publicly opposed
the measure. He was not the first, and current President Barack
Obama’s silence on the issue suggests he will not be the last.

And this has been Abraham Foxman’s dilemma. His public opposition to
Armenian recognition has been out of loyalty to Israel. `Our focus is
Israel,’ he has said. `If helping Turkey helps Israel, then that’s
what we’re in the business of doing.’ Unfortunately for Suffolk Law
School, and all those who expect the ADL to uphold its own morality,
Abraham Foxman represents a willful blindness ` to look the other way
on a hundred-year-old crime ` for the sake of political expediency.

It is the opinion of Suffolk University President James McCarthy that
Foxman, despite students’ protests, `is well deserving of
recognition.’ Moreover, it is the University’s hope that Foxman’s
`life of public service will inspire our graduates as they embark on
their professional careers.’

This does beg the question of what recognition the Syrian desert’s
uncounted dead deserve, or what their lives may have inspired, but the
answers are unlikely to be found in Foxman’s commencement speech,’
Asbarez said.

Three Armenians wounded in Aleppo

May 02, 2014 | 13:12

ALEPPO. ` Three Armenians were wounded on Thursday as a result of
rocket attacks in the Armenian-populated districts of Aleppo, Syria.

Two men and 13-year-old teen were taken to hospital, press service of
the Diocese of Aleppo of the Armenian Apostolic Church reported.

As reported earlier, on Tuesday Raffi Hekimian was killed due to a
gunshot wound, and on Wednesday, Syrian army soldier William Magarian,
25, died as a result of military operations.

In addition, two other Armenians were injured as a result of shelling.
Schoolboy Khajag Zhamgochian sustained shrapnel wounds, but doctors
say he is in stable condition.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

20 minutes, France
26 avril 2014

Génocide arménien: «L’évolution» de la Turquie «ne suffit pas», selon Hollande

Mis à jour le 25.04.14 à 10h50

François Hollande a affirmé jeudi que les condoléances du Premier
ministre turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan, 99 ans après le génocide arménien,
constituaient «une évolution» mais n’étaient pas suffisantes.

«C’est un mot qu’il faut entendre mais qui ne peut pas encore
suffire», a déclaré M. Hollande à Paris lors des commémorations du
génocide.

«Ce qui doit être dit, c’est ce qui s’est produit, même s’il y a là
une évolution» de la part de la Turquie, a-t-il ajouté devant quelques
journalistes après un discours devant plusieurs milliers de membres de
la communauté arménienne de France réunis à Paris pour la
commémoration du génocide perpétré il y 99 ans sous l’empire ottoman.

A l’issue de la cérémonie, certains, en majorité des jeunes
brandissant des drapeaux arméniens, ont manifesté en criant «Turquie
assassins, Turquie réparation» et lancé des fumigènes.

Lors de son allocution, M. Hollande n’avait pas évoqué les
déclarations du Premier turc mais affirmé sa volonté «d’une
reconnaissance par le monde entier du génocide arménien».

«Cette tragédie porte un nom, un seul nom c’est le génocide, il n’y en
a pas d’autres, c’est la raison pour laquelle la République française
l’a officiellemnt reconnu par une loi» en janvier 2001, a-t-il
rappelé.

Il a aussi annoncé qu’il se rendrait à Erevan pour la célébration du
centenaire du génocide, le 24 avril 2015.

«La commémoration d’aujourd’hui est une répétition parce que nous
préparons ensemble la célébration du centenaire de 2015, la France
sera à vos côtés pour cette célébration et le 24 avril je ne serai pas
là parmi vous, je serai à Erevan pour le centenaire», a lancé le
président de la République sous les applaudissements.

«Pourquoi cette présence? Non pas pour faire la leçon, non pas pour
être le seul et le premier, je serai à cette cérémonie parce que nous
devons continuer jusqu’au bout le devoir de mémoire et donc la
reconnaissance par le monde entier du génocide arménien», a-t-il
ajouté.

Le Premier ministre turc a fait un geste inattendu en présentant les
condoléances de la Turquie «aux petits-enfants des Arméniens tués en
1915». Mais l’Arménie a rejeté ces condoléances, réclamant
reconnaissance du génocide et «repentir».

Le Dauphiné Libéré, France
vendredi 25 avril 2014

L’Arménie commémore le genocide

Le pays a commémoré hier le génocide perpétré il y a 99 ans sous
l’empire ottoman…

A fleur de peau, l’Arménie a commémoré hier le génocide perpétré il y
a 99 ans sous l’empire ottoman. Elle a rejeté les condoléances
présentées la veille, dans un geste inédit, par le Premier ministre
turc, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Le génocide >, a déclaré Serge Sarkissian, le président arménien, inflexible.

>

Et d’ajouter : >. Il a cependant
souligné qu’au-delà des mots, l’Arménie attendait . Le 24 avril 1915 le
gouvernement jeunes-turcs ordonnait la déportation vers la province
ottomane de Syrie de centaines de milliers d’Arméniens accusés de
collaborer avec l’ennemi russe.

Selon les Arméniens, 1,5 million des leurs furent tués. La Turquie
reconnaît des massacres tout en refusant le caractère génocidaire des
événements reconnu par de nombreux pays, dont la France, où des
cérémonies ont été organisées dans plusieurs villes. François Hollande
a assisté à l’une d’entre elles, hier à Paris, en début de soirée. Le
Président a annoncé qu’il sera présent au centenaire du génocide à
Erevan l’an prochain.

France 3, Alpes
24 avril 2014

Les Arméniens de Grenoble commémorent le génocide sous le signe des
condoléances de la Turquie

Les Arméniens de Grenoble commémorent, ce jeudi 24 avril, le génocide
perpétré il y a 99 ans sous l’empire ottoman, au lendemain d’un geste
inédit et inattendu de la Turquie, qui a adressé ses condoléances aux
descendants des victimes de ce drame qu’elle ne reconnaît pas comme un
génocide.

Par Franck Grassaud

Le Premier ministre turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan s’est adressé de façon
inattendue aux descendants des Arméniens tués au cours de la Première
Guerre mondiale par les forces ottomanes. Dans un communiqué, il a
évoqué des “événements qui ont eu des conséquences inhumaines” et dit:
“Nous présentons nos condoléances à leurs petits-enfants”, évitant de
prononcer le mot “génocide” que la Turquie, qui a remplacé l’empire
ottoman en 1923, nie catégoriquement.

Le 24 avril 1915, le gouvernement jeunes-turcs ordonnait la
déportation vers la province ottomane de Syrie de centaines de
milliers d’Arméniens accusés de collaborer avec l’ennemi russe. Selon
les Arméniens, 1,5 million des leurs furent tués lors des persécutions
et déportations. La Turquie reconnaît des massacres qui ont coûté la
vie à 300.000 personnes, tout en refusant le caractère génocidaire des
événements reconnu par de nombreux pays, dont la France.

Cette journée du 24 avril est commémorée dans le monde entier par la
diaspora arménienne. A Grenoble, une cérémonie a eu devant la stèle
qui rappelle les événements dans le Parc Paul Mistral.

Des Arméniens partagés après la déclaration du Premier ministre turc.
Certains y voient une volonté d’atténuer les critiques qui fuseront
sur la Turquie à l’occasion du centenaire des faits, en 2015.

La communauté arménienne de Grenoble

Sur le bassin grenoblois, la communauté arménienne est forte de 5000
membres. Les Arméniens sont arrivés à Grenoble vers 1924. Issus du
monde paysan de Smyrne, ces migrants sont d’abord devenus ouvriers
dans la capitale des Alpes. Ils ont été nombreux à travailler aux
Biscuiteries Brun, dans les entreprises textiles d’Echirolles, aux
Chocolateries Cémoi et Dauphin et dans les tanneries. 3e communauté
étrangère de l’Isère dans les années 30, les Arméniens ont ensuite
basculé dans le monde du commerce, en raison de la crise économique.

En Rhône-Alpes, on compte aujourd’hui 25.000 habitants d’origine arménienne.

89.3 KPCC , CA
May 1 2014

Armenian prayer rug to be displayed at White House

Kitty Felde

After months of negotiation and Congressional pressure, the White
House has agreed to display a nearly century-old rug made by Armenian
orphan girls.

The rug was a thank you gift to the United States in 1925 for American
assistance when Armenians were targeted by Ottoman Turks. More than a
million Armenians were killed in what is widely considered a genocide.

In accepting the rug, President Calvin Coolidge said it “has a place
of honor in the White House where it will be a daily symbol of
goodwill on earth.” The carpet was displayed at the White House in
1984 and 1995, but ended up in storage.

Now, Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff, whose district includes the
heavily-Armenian areas of Glendale and East Hollywood, says the White
House has agreed to display the rug this fall. Schiff says it’s “one
of the more tangible artifacts of the genocide,” but also an example
of “our proud tradition of helping others around the world in need.”

Schiff says in the early 20th century the Near East Relief
Organization raised today’s equivalent of $1 billion to help genocide
victims and became the model for USAID and other international relief
programs.

The White House turned down a request last year to display the rug in
conjunction with an event at the Smithsonian to celebrate a book about
the tapestry. Last fall, nearly three dozen members of Congress wrote
to the President, asking him to “release this American treasure for
exhibition.” Schiff says, “It’s hard for me to believe that Turkish
sensibilities were not also not part of the equation.”

Turkey is an important U.S. military ally. The Turkish government has
in the past dismissed the term “genocide,” saying the number of deaths
is inflated and the victims were caught in the middle of a civil war.

But just this month, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
publicly said his nation was “ready to confront” its history, offering
condolences to Armenia over what he called “our shared pain,” and
saying Armenians and Turks should research together to document what
happened. In response, Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian accused
Turkey of “utter denial.”

It’s likely that more debate will happen between now and when the rug
is scheduled to go on display this fall. But Schiff says he doesn’t
think “there will be any going back in terms of the White House’s
commitment.”

The head of the Armenian Assembly of America, Bryan Ardouny says, “The
display of this tangible expression of gratitude for America’s
humanitarian intervention to save the survivors of the Armenian
Genocide is a positive development.”

Washington Post
April 30 2014

In surprise U-turn, the White House may display rug woven by orphans
of 1915 Armenian killings

By Adam Taylor

On Friday, Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.) announced that the White
House would soon display the “Armenian Orphan Rug,” bringing a
historically important artwork out of storage for the first time since
1995.

The news appears to mark a U-turn for the administration. In late
2013, the White House decided against loaning the artwork to the
Smithsonian for an event that would include a book launch for Hagop
Martin Deranian’s book on the rug, “President Calvin Coolidge and the
Armenian Orphan Rug.” At the time, The Washington Post’s Philip
Kennicott reported that Armenian American organizations suspected that
the refusal was due to the fear of a response from Turkey. “It is
without a doubt a political decision,” Aram S. Hamparian, executive
director of the Armenian National Committee of America, told the Los
Angeles Times in November.

The potential fear of a Turkish response is rooted in the rug’s
origins. The Armenian girls who created it were living in an orphanage
in the town of Ghazir, now in Lebanon, while they worked on the rug.
The children had been made homeless by the mass killings of Armenians
in 1915 in what is now modern Turkey during the final years of Ottoman
Empire, and the rug was gifted to the President Calvin Coolidge in
1925 as a thank you for American help during that time. It is said to
have taken the orphans 10 months to create the roughly 12-by-18-foot
rug, which features more than 4,000,000 hand-tied knots.

The killings of 1915 are better known to many as the “Armenian
Genocide,” and many historians consider it the first genocide of the
20th century. Turkey has vocally rejected the label for decades — just
weeks ago, the country’s Foreign Ministry criticized a U.S. Senate
committee resolution that described the killings as a genocide,
arguing that it “distorts history and law.” President Obama, who used
the word “genocide” to describe the killings before taking office, has
avoided the terminology in the past few years.

There have been some minor signs of rapprochement between Turkey and
Armenia recently. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently
made an unprecedented acknowledgement of the “inhumane” killings, but
he stopped short of calling them a genocide. It is unclear whether
this played a factor in the White House’s decision.

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

Regardless of the political connotations, the rug is said to be an
extraordinary work of art. As Kennicott, The Post’s art and
architecture critic, described it, it is a “complicated, richly
detailed work that would hold its own even in the largest and most
ceremonial rooms.”