Author: Kalantarian Kevo

Prensa Armenia
Armenia 1366, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
Tel: (5411) 4775-7595
Email: [email protected]
Web:

Agencia Prensa Armenia ( Link ->

) ).- A public recognition was held on Tuesday April 29 in the
Argentinean National Congress to National Law 26.199, the law that
establishes every April 24 as the “Action Day for Tolerance and
Respect between People” in commemoration of the Armenian Genocide.

The event, organized by the

Armenian National Committee (CNA) of South America ( Link ->
) , was attended by Deputy Cristina Ziebart, Deputy
Carlos Raimundi, Senator Ruben Giustiniani and Deputy Secretary for
Educational Equity and Quality of the Education Ministry, Gabriel
Brener, along with Director of the National Institute Against
Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism Pedro Mouratian, editor and
human rights activist Ragip Zarakolu and Armenian Ambassador in
Argentina Vahagn Melikian.

Dr. Hugo Kuyumdjian, representing the CNA, opened the event saying
that Law 26.199 “is the result of successive parliamentary statements
and resolutions at national and provincial level, along with the
public recognition in 1987 of President Raul Alfonsin.”

However, he warned that “all these advances that we assume that are
consolidated, encounter daily attempts of Turkish lobby, and more
recently the presence of Azerbaijani lobby, two countries that are
operating together”, to “keep alive the idea of ethnic cleansing
towards the Armenians, considering not only the struggle for
recognition of the Armenian genocide, but the existence of Armenia an
obstacle to their interests”, something that “translates into everyday
attempts to influence in academics, educational, political and media
spheres, presenting a false version of history.”

Then, he referred to the statement of the Prime Minister of Turkey,
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the day before the commemoration of the 99th
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, explaining that “although some
media that raised the news described it as historic, the Turkish
government has always denied that the massacres occurred and often
blamed the Armenians themselves to be responsible for their own
genocide.”

“The proposal to establish a joint committee composed of Turkish and
Armenian historians to study what happened, is an idea used for years
by Turkey to deny genocide, attempting to present two opposing views
on the subject, something that we know from Argentina as the ‘theory
of the two demons’, where there are two opposing sides and not a
victim and a victimizer”, added Kuyumdjian, referring to the last
military dictatorship of Argentina.

Deputy of Nuevo Encuentro Party Carlos Raimundi said that in
international relations you “must look out for different interests”,
but “there are some key points that can not be subjected to pressure
or any kind of consideration.” Referring to Law 26.199, he highlighted
the example and the plurality of the parties that approved it and
said: “when a historical event that affected the human condition is at
stake, there is no possible negotiation”, in relation to Turkish
pressures.

Senator for the Province of Santa Fe Ruben Giustiniani recalled and
repudiated the 1915-1923 events, mentioning that “each genocide
anniversary should be an occasion to think about how much progress has
been made and what still remains to memory and justice.”

“The memory of the people and their historical consciousness are the
roots for a future of peace”, he added.

Deputy Secretary Gabriel Brener stressed the importance of education
as “construction of otherness” and that “we live in times marked by
the figure of the other as a threat, and that is also the prelude to
the negation of the other”. Similarly, he noted that the processes of
silence and denial are another form of violence.

Finally , Deputy of Frente para la Victoria Party Cristina Ziebart
spoke about the “commitment to remember what happened in the past”, to
“learn from the experiences and not repeat past mistakes.”

“This is not only to commemorate the genocide, we must also make a
commitment to continuously review the indicators of all forms of
intolerance”, she said.

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)

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Focus on the Caucasus

EDITORIAL | APRIL 27, 2014 10:56 PM

By Edmond Y. Azadian

The April 19 issue of London’s Economist weekly features on its cover
Russia’s map in the shape of a bear reaching out to Ukraine to swallow
it, having already digested Crimea. The cartoon is titled,
`Insatiable.’

The crisis in Ukraine has global and regional implications. The West
had pledged not to expand NATO by absorbing former satellite nations
of Eastern Europe but it has been moving inexorably to encircle
Russia, fueling a new Cold War.

On the other hand, Russia, under Vladimir Putin, is in a revanchist
mood to restore Moscow’s old glory. Mr. Putin has stated that the
collapse of the Soviet Union was the most catastrophic event of the
20th century. The political atmosphere is somewhat similar to Germany
after World War I, when a humiliated country was clamoring to revive
and take its revenge. For that reason, the population was ready to go
to any lengths to restore what it saw as its national dignity.

Crimea’s takeover and Moscow’s aggressive posture on Ukraine’s border
have boosted Putin’s popularity domestically to 80 percent, despite
the country’s economic woes.

This is the picture on the global plane. But Russia’s newly-acquired
assertive policies impact heavily the neighboring regions, where
Armenia happens to be located.

By necessity, Armenia chose to join the Customs Union led by Moscow,
to be followed by the Eurasia Union, which aspires to become the
eastern counterpart of the European Union.

By switching its allegiance towards Russia, Armenia has alienated the
West and the fallout from that decision may show up in time gradually.

But Russia has already taken Armenia for granted and has been treating
Yerevan in a cavalier fashion ‘ not the behavior of a strategic
partner.

With all the external changes in the region, Armenia has undertaken
restructuring its government. Tigran Sargisian, a respected economist,
resigned his post as prime minister recently, to be replaced by Hovik
Abrahamyan, the former speaker of the parliament, a reliable partner
for Armenia’s oligarchs.

After the final reshuffling of the entire cabinet, some facts may
emerge to demonstrate how much of the changes were owed to Moscow’s
manipulations.

For the first time, there was consolidation within the ranks of the
opposition parties in Armenia, giving rise to the expectations that
the ruling Republican party may be loosening its grip on power.

One thing that is becoming obvious is that Armenia will be receiving
the short shrift in the emerging developments of the Caucasus. By
betting its future on the Russia, it is destined to fare on some rough
seas.

We read in the same issue of the Economist, `He [Putin] has claimed a
duty to intervene to protect Russian speakers wherever they are. ¦
That might be in Transdniestria, a slice of Moldova that has hosted
Russian troops since the early 1990s. Or Kazakhstan, which has a large
Russian population in the north. Or even the Baltic states, two of
which have large Russian-speaking minorities and all of them depend on
Russian gas.’

The West has been watching with alarm Russia’s ambitions and will be
resorting to countermeasures to contain the awakening Russian bear. In
the process, many countries’ destinies will be at risk in the ebb and
flow of this new Cold War.

Armenia is safely in Russia’s court, for better or worse. Thus far,
Russia has remained insensitive to its strategic partner’s priorities,
rendering that alliance into a one-way street.

Instead of showcasing its allies as prosperous countries benefitting
from their dependence on Moscow, Russia has been treating them
recklessly. Georgia took advantage of its dependence on the West by
improving its economy, curbing corruption, albeit at a scandalous
cost, thereby discouraging emigration and recently had a peaceful
transfer of power. Had former president Mikhail Saakashvili acted more
prudently, the country would also have avoided a territorial
amputation.

During a recent TV interview, Mr. Putin angrily chastised
Transdniestria’s neighbors, Moldova and Ukraine, which have been
blockading that slice of territory of great interest to Moscow.

Conversely, Moscow has yet to utter a word against Turkey and
Azerbaijan, which have been blockading Armenia for the last two
decades, with devastating effects. On the contrary, Moscow has been
arming Azerbaijan at an alarming rate, allowing President Ilham Aliyev
to claim not only Karabagh, but all of Armenia itself as historic
Azeri land.

The Stockholm International Peace Institute reported recently that
between 2004 and 2014, Azerbaijan’s military spending increased 493
percent. Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry has announced that Russia has
already sold to Azerbaijan more weapons than any other country,
including Turkey. This confirms President Aliyev’s statement last
August that Russian-Azerbaijani defense contracts are `measured at $4
billion and tend to grow.’

Why is Azerbaijan being armed at this rate and at whom are those
weapons pointed?

On the one hand, Baku is buying Israel’s drones and cooperating with
the West to contain Iran and on the other hand, Russia is spoiling
Baku’s leadership to control that country’s energy resources and to
keep it on a short leash politically.

Within this scenario, the Russian military base in Armenia receives
academic significance as much as its defense is concerned. And there
has never been an ironclad public pronouncement about its use to
defend Armenia and Karabagh. It becomes more and more apparent that
the base is more of a tool to sustain Moscow’s regional policies
rather than protect Armenia.

We have yet to analyze and digest a statement by the Russian
Ambassador to Armenia Ivan Volynkin at the seventh Forum of Russian
Compatriots in Armenia on April 12: `Russia will prevent any
aggressive intervention in the internal affairs of friendly countries
made under the pretext of planting ideas alien to our minds and
hearts.’

Russia’s bear hug of Armenia is becoming more and more stifling. A
reporter at the news site ArmeniaNow, Naira Hayrumyan, writes in her
column on April 20, `The Russian leadership does not hide any longer
its intentions to completely absorb Armenia. One of the instruments of
this absorption may become the new Russian law simplifying the
granting of Russian passports to Russian-speaking citizens of other
states. As a condition for receiving a passport within three months,
the naturalized Russians have to renounce their original citizenship.
In Armenia there is already concern that migrant workers in Russia
will start giving up Armenian citizenship and acquire Russian
citizenship en masse. There is the same concern in relation to the
Armenian-populated Georgian region of Javakhk, where Russia is also
handing out passports.’

Incidentally, Javakhk has been attracting some political attention
recently. Britain’s ambassadors to Armenia and Georgia have travelled
together to the territory to gauge the mood of local Armenians. Such
attention has been necessitated by the rumors that Russia is planning
to establish a land bridge connecting to Armenia and Iran over
Javakhk.

Moscow intends to resolve the Ukraine crisis by neutralizing it
politically and federalizing it in internally. Now the same intentions
are apparently aimed at Georgia. Moscow already controls South Ossetia
and Abkhazia. Should a separatist movement take root in Javakhk,
Russia can extend its savior’s hands to Georgia, forcing it to adopt a
federal constitution to reabsorb the regions lost to Russia.

It is a farfetched scenario, which could have been achieved when Aslan
Abashidze in Ajaria challenged Saakashvili’s central authority in
Tbilisi and Moscow defused the standoff by flying Abashidze to Moscow
to gain favors with Saakashvili, to no avail. At that time, the
Russians liquidated their military base in Javakhk, denying physical
and economic security for Armenians in that region.

As we can see, the Caucasus is a political puzzle whose pieces are not
yet all in place. US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Richard Morningstar’s
recent announcement to resolve the Karabagh crisis by asking Armenia
to return seven adjacent regions to Azerbaijan is another indication
of the new dynamism introduced in the region by outside forces.

It remains for the leadership of Armenia to navigate prudently through
all these choppy waters to assure a stable future for the country.

– See more at:

Erdogan’s statement is repackaged version of Turkey’s Armenian
Genocide denialism ` Heritage Party

April 30, 2014 | 13:52

YEREVAN. ` The main event that took place in Turkey on April 24 was
the event that was held at Istanbul’s Taksim Square, where several
thousands of people commemorated our victims.

Armenia’s opposition Heritage Party Chairman, ex-presidential
candidate, former FM Raffi Hovannisian’who was in Istanbul to
participate in the Armenian Genocide’s 99th anniversary events that
were held in the city’told the aforesaid at a press conference on
Wednesday.

He informed that while in Istanbul he met with the city’s Armenian
youth and also gave numerous interviews.

`The `nail’ of the events certainly was the statement by Turkish PM
[Recep Tayyip] Erdogan who, even though evaded the term `genocide,’
expressed sympathy for the victims of the Armenians. This was
positively assessed by Istanbul’s [Armenian] youth, who hope that this
opens a new window for them.

`I believe this is a repackaged version of Turkey’s denialism, which
[i.e., the statement] sounds good to western ears. This was a step to
lessen the damages so as to show that there is a change in Turkey. If
this change is genuine, we will see other steps until the centennial
[of the Genocide],’ Hovannisian noted.

Photo by Arsen Sargsyan/NEWS.am
News from Armenia – NEWS.am

Turkish journalist who has recognized Armenian Genocide is announced
“information hero”

14:53, 30 April, 2014

YEREVAN, APRIL 30, ARMENPRESS. In the 2014 list of `information 100
heroes’ of the organization `Reporters without Borders’ two Turkish
journalists are included – T24 independent internet newspaper analyst
Hasan Cemal and “Radikal” newspaper reporter Ismail Saymaz. They are
included in the list for `the brave publications in the Turkish
press’.

Among the journalists included in the list of 65 countries executing
severe pressure on mass media, like Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Eritrea,
Bahrain, Vietnam, Hasan Cemal is considered to be one of the
intellectuals, who have recognized the Armenian Genocide and have had
a great role in the elimination of the taboos on the Armenian issue in
the Turkish society.

As reports `Armenpress’, referring to the Turkish news website
gazeteciler.com, on the way of including Hasan Cemal in the list of
`information heroes’, a tangible role is attributed to his bold
interviews with Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) armed wing leaders, as
well as to his book “1915: The Armenian Genocide”, which has greatly
contributed to the change of the hardened public opinion on the
Armenian Genocide.

Hasan Cemal is the grandson of one of the ringleader organizers of the
Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire, Minister of the Nav Djemal
Pasha. Djemal Pasha was assassinated in July 1922, in Tbilisi by the
Armenian avengers Stepan Tsaghikyan, Artashes Gevorgyan and Petros
Ter-Poghosyan.

Digitizing Knowledge: Jose Tahta’s Vision and Armenia’s National Library

By MassisPost
Updated: April 29, 2014

YEREVAN ‘ A building might amaze an observer, but a book can inspire
the world. When nothing but a column remains from that building, the
ideas from a book continue to teach and shape the future. If they’re
preserved, that is.

>From the monasteries of the Mekhitarists to the printers of Calcutta,
to the writers of Shushi, Constantinople, Tiflis, and Yerevan, the
corpus of Armenian literature is vast ` and old. Although there are
libraries in many of these places and beyond, the main repository for
Armenian texts is in Armenia.

The National Library of Armenia is a mammoth institution. It contains
millions of volumes that are a record of every part of Armenian
history, as well as the history of other peoples.

Among this collection, there are books dating back over 500 years, to
1512. The National Library over the years has gone to great lengths to
preserve the integrity of these books so that future generations may
enjoy them and learn from them. As time passes, however, allowing
these books to be exposed to light, air, and people complicates the
already difficult preservation process.

Fortunately, with the technology available today, it’s possible to
preserve books digitally so that a wider audience can enjoy them
without using a physical copy. And because duplicating the digital
version of a book is much easier, books can be copied and secured for
preservation and storage in perpetuity, without worry that they might
be lost.

Old-fashioned library catalog card system for books published between
1512-1920 at the National Library of Armenia

All the National Library of Armenia had to do was digitize the books.
No big deal, right? Wrong.

The machine to digitize books, servers to store the information, as
well as the additional furniture and tools needed to complete the
project, do not come cheap. In all, about $130,000 would be needed for
a setup that could do the job, and do it well. That was a sum the
National Library didn’t have so it approached Armenia Fund for ideas.

Although best known for its infrastructure projects like roads,
schools, hospitals, and agricultural improvements, Armenia Fund also
works on other important initiatives of national interest. And knowing
this was an issue that they could help with, Armenia Fund conveyed the
idea to Jose Tahta.

Mr. Tahta, an Armenian from Argentina, was not new to pressing
undertakings that had a big impact: the humanitarian benefactor whose
assistance built the first school in Vaghuhas village in Artsakh’s
Martakert region after the old one had been levelled during the
Artsakh War.

Having entrusted large sums to Armenia Fund in the past for
infrastructure projects and having seen them come to fruition, Mr.
Tahta decided that it would be a good investment and agreed to donate
the funds necessary to complete the library digitization.

The process, including a large format book scanner, is able to record
old and new books, as well as maps and posters. The digitized material
is then stored on the Library’s new, state-of-the-art secure servers
and the scanned books and other material are stored in their archives.
Once the process is complete, the digital material is made available
for use electronically.

Marrying the will of the National Library of Armenia, the generosity
of Jose Tahta, and the organization of Armenia Fund, centuries-old
Armenian literature that was previously only available to researchers
who could physically be in Armenia is now available to anyone in the
world with an Internet connection.

Most of the time, Armenia Fund is bringing the gifts of benevolent
people from throughout the world to Armenia. With the digitization of
the National Library of Armenia’s book, it’s bringing the gift of
knowledge from Armenia to the world.

You can enjoy the digitized books online at this address:

2,400 students of state-run universities in Armenia to be entitled to
free education this year

YEREVAN, April 30. /ARKA/. Some 2,400 students of state-run
universities in Armenia will be entitled to free education this year,
while another 19,999 students will have to pay, education and science
minister Armen Ashotyan told a cabinet session today.

This year, as previously, 2,123 of them will enjoy military service
deferment if want, 135 students’ tuition fees will be paid by
sponsors. They will too have the military service deferment right
while other 258 will have no such a right.

The minister said 1,715 students would engage in their master
curricula at the expense of the government this academic year. Of
them, 1,312 will not have their military services deferred. Some 100
discharged servicemen will have an opportunity to be enrolled in the
universities this year and 403 students will have a right for military
service deferment.

Ashotyan said 140 Ph.D. students whose tuition fees are paid by the
government will have military service deferment right. There will be
also 239 distant-learning Ph.D. students in the 2014-2015 academic
year.

There are 16 state-owned, 35 private universities in Armenia now.
There are also several international universities, such as
Russian-Armenian (Slavonic) University, the American University of
Armenia and the French University in Armenia. -0—

– See more at:

Coopération
Pourquoi Sarkissian a-t-il été absent de la réunion de l’Union douanière ?

Erevan n’a donné aucune raison claire pour justifier la
non-participation inattendue du président Serge Sarkissian au sommet
de l’Union douanière qui s’est tenu hier.

Le secrétaire de presse de la présidence, Arman Saghatelian, a
confirmé que Sarkissian ne s’est pas envolé pour la capitale
biélorusse Minsk pour la réunion avec ses homologues russe, biélorusse
et kazakh qui s’est tenue plus tard dans la journée. Saghatelian a dit
que Sarkissian continue ses ` emploi du temps habituel. `

Interrogé sur la raison de cette absence, le porte-parole du ministère
des Affaires étrangères Tigran Balayan a seulement indiqué que les
dirigeants des trois Etats membres de l’Union douanière seront
informés par le chef de l’organe exécutif du bloc commercial sur la
mise en Å`uvre de la `feuille de route` pour l’adhésion de l’Arménie.
Balayan n’a pas été plus loin dans ses explications.

Artak Zakarian, le président pro-gouvernement de la commission
parlementaire arménienne sur les relations étrangères, a minimisé
l’absence de Sarkissian, insistant sur le fait qu’il n’y a pas «
problèmes » concernant les pourparlers d’adhésion d’Erevan. `
Certaines questions sont encore en cours de négociation `, a t-il dit.
` Le processus reste sur la bonne voie `.

Des membres de l’opposition ont suggéré, cependant, que l’adhésion de
l’Arménie à l’Union a rencontré un obstacle.

` Manifestement, quelque chose ne va pas comme prévu `, a dit Levon
Zurabian du Congrès national arménien. Zurabian a dénoncé le ` secret
` du processus d’adhésion.

Tevan Poghosian, autre député de l’opposition, a salué le retard
apparent de l’entrée de l’Arménie dans l’Union fortement contestée par
son parti pro-occidental Zharangutyun. ` Je me sens plutôt heureux que
l’Arménie prenne encore le temps de peser les choses afin de prendre
une meilleure décision `, a t-il dit.

mercredi 30 avril 2014,
Claire ©armenews.com

RAGIP ZARAKOLU: “IN TURKEY, DENIALISM IS A STATE SECURITY ISSUE”

Ragip Zarakolu was born in 1948 in Buyukada, Turkey. The
dictatorships of the ’70s imprisoned and persecuted him for his
publications. Zarakolu founded the Belge publishing house, the Demokrat
newspaper and the Human Rights Association of Turkey, in Ankara,
and devoted much of his life to fill the empty spaces on the shelves
of libraries. Recently, specifically, as he says, since the murder
of Hrant Dink, he became one of the most influential authors in the
revisionist movement in Turkey that challenges the official story and
touch taboo issues, especially the Armenian Genocide. In this interview
he gave to Prensa Armenia during his visit to Buenos Aires, Zarakolu
shows his views about current affairs regarding Armenian issues.

What’s your opinion on Erdogan’s statement?

It’s an important declaration, but it’s not enough. We must express
that too. But when we look at the general attitude of the Turkish
state and government, it’s a partial development. But it’s not
enough. Also, this declaration is a result of your struggle and
our struggle for the acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide. For
example, we are working for the Armenian Genocide issue in the last
twenty years. In our society, especially after the assassination of
Hrant Dink, there are a lot of people beginning to reason that what
we said about Armenian Genocide is true.

Do you think that this statement was forced by civil society that is
changing their minds?

Sure. We are a minority in Turkey now, but we began to change the minds
of the elite, of the intellectual part of Turkish society. This is
important as a beginning. We had to struggle during last ten years to
huge sponsored state denialism. Turkish state gave huge founding for
denialist education, denialist publications, denialist conferences,
denialist courses. Also there is a high commission of coordination
committee struggle with genocide claims. In Turkey, this is a state
security issue.

Denialism is institutionalized.

Yes. It’s worse that in the nineties and two thousand, with the
nationalist government of Ecevit and Bahceli: they organized this kind
of struggle directly connected with the state security. Devlet Bahceli,
from the MHP ultranationalist party of Turkey, was the first chair of
that coordination committee. Later, the chief of this committee was
Abdullah Gul, who was Foreign Minister. And now, it’s Davutoglu. It’s
a contradiction, Davutoglu signs the Protocols with the Armenian
government in Switzerland, and on the other hand this commission is
going on. Sure, it’s not as active as during the Bahceli government,
but is a potential, an apparatus inside the Turkish state. So today
they may be more passive, but that doesn’t mean that next year they
couldn’t be more active. Turkey’s government first step should be to
dissolve that committee.

Then Turkey proposed to build up a common historians committee
so they decide what it is. But that’s absurd. It’s not an issue
of historians; the genocide is a human rights issue. It can’t be
an issue of historians, because they can select and montage the
facts. So it’s a political, not an historical issue. Sure, it’s a
very important part of Turkey and Armenian history, but historians
can’t solve this problem. Only politicians can solve this problem. The
Armenian and Turkish politicians can solve this problem, like Israel
and German solved the Holocaust problem. And this cannot be only an
Armenian and Turkish states problem. There is also a very important
Diaspora section. In the decision, Diaspora must have the right to
say something. The descendants must have the right to say and demand
something. So, there is a triangle: Armenia, Diaspora and Turkey. They
can decide for the future.

For example, why can’t Turkey give Mount Ararat to Armenia, as a
gesture? It is a mountain; there is no population change problem. Why
can’t Turkey give Ani? It’s a historical area, there is nobody
living. Turkish government can make a first gesture to show the good
intentions with something.

Do you think returning Mount Ararat could be the first step, and not
the last?

Yes. For me, it can be a first step. They can discuss it later. It’s
an interstate problem, a border problem. Before, the borders were
unchangeable; but after Kosovo, Iraqi Kurdistan and now the Ukraine
questionâ?¦

If we are talking about self-determination, why nobody officially
accepts the existence of Karabakh Republic? What’s the difference
between Kosovo and Karabakh?

It’s a double standardâ?¦

It’s a typical double standard. Turkey, like United States, is one
of the most double standard countries. “I can do what I want, but
you can’t do it. Because I’m a bigger country and I have a bigger
army”. This is a “bandit” policy.

What’s your opinion about Obama’s last statement, where he didn’t
use the word genocide?

I have worked for years for freedom of expression. It shows how
important freedom of expression is, because the President of United
States made the censorship on his own real ideas. What is the place
of ethics? What is the place of self-respect? The same with Madame
Pelosi, Chair of the Democrats in the Parliament. She also accepted
the Armenian Genocide, but when she got a position in the stateâ?¦ If
you are a part of state you aren’t part of an elite, you are part of
the citizens, of American citizens. This shows that there is a double
standard in United States.

United States may criticize Turkey for banning Twitter, but the
same United States censor its own ideas, without using the word
“genocide”. If he didn’t use it before, I could understand it, but
it’s not ethical to take de votes of the Armenian electors saying
“genocide” and later, to make interests with Turkey state, you don’t
use the word “genocide”. Which is your real idea? Do you think it is
a genocide or not? I’m now suspicious about Mr. Obama’s expression
about accepting genocide also. Meds Yeghern is an important concept,
but together with genocide.

There has been some discussions in the Perincek v. Switzerland ruling
about freedom of expressionâ?¦

I have a very clear mind on this question. I’m a human rights
activist. Genocide is a crime against the humanity. To defend genocide
is also a crime against humanity. It’s not about freedom of expression,
this is out of freedom of expression. The hate speech can be a part
of freedom of expression? I can defame you, I can be a racist? No,
that’s not a kind of freedom of expression.

Do you have any information about the Turkish government role in
Kessab attacks?

I wrote an article about this. In the last Kessab attacks there
was also responsibility of Turkish government, because the Turkish
government is tolerant with the passing of radical Islamists Falangist
groups in the border. There are rules of war, the Geneva Conventions,
and they don’t even respect the rules of war. It is a crime against
humanity to kill people because of their beliefs or their race or
ethnic origins. We cannot be tolerant to help that kind of groups. It’s
a very inacceptable situation for states diplomacy and also for the
rules of NATO.

How was your trip to United States and the Capitol Hill? Did you meet
the Armenian community?

Yes, the American community is very anxious for the future of
Christians Armenians in Middle East. They are very anxious because the
old history is coming back again. The same problems with deportations,
mass killings, emigration; many Armenians had to leave Syria to
Armenia. These are sometimes forced emigrations.

They also leave to Karabakhâ?¦

Yes. It’s a double standard policy. On one side, Turkish
government demands rights for Turkish minorities but they didn’t
respect the rights of Armenians in Middle East, or the rights
of Karabakh Armenians. Why did the Karabakh Armenians decide the
self-determination? Because there was a danger of a second genocide
by Azeris.

Matías Romero

JOURNAL LA PROVENCE
Commémorations du génocide : Ankara prié de se repentir

L’Arménie, qui a commémoré, hier, le génocide perpétré il y a 99 ans
sous l’empire ottoman, a rejeté les condoléances présentées par la
Turquie dans un geste inédit, et réclamé d’Ankara reconnaissance et
`repentir`. Sans interpeller directement son allié turc au sein de
l’Otan, et sans utiliser le mot `génocide`, le président américain
Barack Obama a appelé de son côté Ã une `reconnaissance pleine,
franche et juste des faits`. Le département d’État a cependant
qualifié les condoléances turques d’`historiques`, estimant qu’elles
pourraient ouvrir la voie à une normalisation entre l’Arménie et la
Turquie. Mais pour le président arménien, le génocide `continue tant
que le successeur de la Turquie ottomane poursuit sa politique de déni
total`. `Seule la reconnaissance et la condamnation (du génocide)
peuvent empêcher la répétition d’un tel crime à l’avenir`, a ajouté
Serge Sarkissian. La veille, le Premier ministre turc, Recep Tayyip
Erdogan, a fait un geste inattendu en présentant les condoléances de
la Turquie `aux petits-enfants des Arméniens tués en 1915` lors des
massacres visant cette communauté sous l’empire ottoman. C’est la
première fois que le chef du gouvernement turc s’est exprimé aussi
ouvertement sur ce drame survenu entre 1915 et 1917, aux dernières
années de l’empire ottoman et qui est reconnu comme un génocide par de
nombreux pays, ce que la Turquie refuse de soncôté farouchement. Le
président arménien a appelé la Turquie à aller beaucoup plus loin.
`Nous approchons du 100e anniversaire du génocide arménien. Cela peut
donner à laTurquie une bonne chance de se repentir et de se libérer de
cette lourde charge.` Il a cependant souligné qu’au-delà des mots,
l’Arménie attendait `des avancées réelles : l’ouverture des frontières
et l’établissement de relations normales`. En France, François
Hollande a annoncé qu’il serait présent à Erevan (Arménie) le 24 avril
2015 pour assister aux cérémonies du centenaire du génocide arménien.
ll a affirmé en outre que les condoléances du Premier ministre turc
constituaient `une évolution` mais ne pouvaient `pas suffire`.

Les réserves de Charles Aznavour

Le chanteur franco-arménien Charles Aznavour estime que le terme de
`condoléances` utilisé par le Premier ministre turc, dans son message
`aux petits-enfants des Arméniens tués en 1915`, doit être lu `non
comme une reconnaissance et encore moins comme une présentation
d’excuses`. `L’humanisme qui doit présider aux relations entre les
peuples et plus largement entre les gens voudrait que cette
déclaration soit un premier pas vers un dialogue qui nous était refusé
depuis centans (…) Il y a des causes qui ne méritent pas la demi-
mesure et encore moins la moindre ombre d’hypocrisie`, affirme Charles
Aznavour. Néanmoins, faisant allusion à sa`nature optimiste d’éternel
artiste`, il dit vouloir croire `en l’installation d’un dialogue entre
les deux parties permettant de faire face aux réalités du fait
historique`.

dimanche 27 avril 2014,
Stéphane ©armenews.com

Syrie
Dépôt de gerbe de l’Armenie occidentale à Lattaquié

Selon le site arménien Lragir, une délégation de l’organisme Arménie
occidentale, dirigé par Armenag Aprahamian, a déposé une gerbe de
fleurs au Mémorial du génocide Arménien à Sainte-Mère l’Eglise de
Lattaquié le 24 Avril.

Le Président d’Arménie occidentale a déclaré que les événements de
Kessab au début du 21e siècle, sont la continuation du génocide
arménien du début du 20ème siècle. Il a condamné le gouvernement turc
pour sa complicité dans le déplacement des Arméniens de Kessab.

Aprahamian s’est par ailleurs dit préoccupé de la réaction négative du
président Sarkissian apprenant la constitution d’une Légion arménienne
internationale dont l’objectif est de libérer Kessab et faire revenir
les Arméniens expulsés le 21 mars 2014 par des djihadistes.

Photo : Armenag Aprahamian (au micro), était intervenu, en octobre
2013, Ã la Mairie du 16e arrondissement de Paris lors d’une rencontre
débat inter-confessionnelle à propos de la défense des chrétiens
d’Orient.

dimanche 27 avril 2014,
Jean Eckian ©armenews.com