Author: Kalantarian Kevo

CHRISTIANS FLEE SYRIA’S KESSAB, ARMENIA ACCUSES TURKEY

ALALAM, Iran
April 1, 2014 Tuesday

The Syrian army is trying to retake the Christian majority town of
Kessab reportedly seized by al-Qaeda-linked forces. The attack made
hundreds of ethnic Armenians flee and caused international outcry
with Armenia blaming Turkey for supporting extremists. Kessab –
located in Syria’s Latakia province, near the border with Turkey –
fell to militants sparking a fierce battle in the media as conflicting
reports are coming in about the events in the town which is home to
over 2,000 ethnic Armenians.

Reportedly, on March 21, foreign backed extremist groups affiliated
with al-Qaeda crossed into Syria from Turkey and seized the town after
clashes with Syrian government troops and local self-defense squads.

According to the Armenian side, the militants were supported by
Turkish forces. Ankara denied the allegations as “totally unfounded
and untrue”. The relations between Armenia and Turkey have long been
strained over Ankara’s refusal to recognize Armenian genocide after
WWI. With the help of local self-defense forces and the Syrian army the
majority of ethnic Armenians managed to flee Kessab and are currently
resided on the territory of an Armenian church in the coastal city
of Latakia, Arman Saakyan, Armenian MP from the Republican Party
said. The residents of the town managed to escape in the very last
moment before “their homes were attacked,” Bugus Kazaryan, the chair
of the Armenian Community Council in Latakia told RT. He said around
850 families from Kessab – “not only Armenians, but also residents of
other nationalities” – have currently taken shelter in Latakia. They
fled the town in order to let the Syrian Army “destroy the terrorists
who only came to Syria to kill, they’ve got no other goals,” Kazaryan
said. “The bombardment started early morning.

We struggled to save our son. We were laying on the ground because
of the heavy bombing. We could take nothing from our home,” Kessab
resident Hrach Chegelian told RT. During the past several days a
number of reports have been circulating in media and online, claiming
violent atrocities by militants, manslaughter of Armenians in the
area. However, so far, there is no confirmed information that any of
Kessab’s civilians died due to fighting. NJF/NJF

‘ERDOGAN’S GOVERNMENT FACILITATED TERRORISTS’ ENTRY TO LATTAKIA’

Mar 31, 2014

Damascus, (SANA) Minister of Information Omran al-Zoubi said the
government of Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan has regularly facilitated
the entry of the armed terrorist groups into Kassab area in Lattakia
countryside.

In an interview with the Syrian TV late Sunday, Minister al-Zoubi
considered Erdogan’s acts as a violation of international resolutions
calling for convicting all forms of terrorist acts.

He said Erdogan’s acts prove that Syrian leadership was right when it
said that Erdogan and his government are involved in international
terrorism, adding “the persons who entered Lattakia northern
countryside are neither opposition members nor Syrian citizens, they
are groups of armed and trained foreigners with certain purposes
and agendas.”

Minister al-Zoubi said the Syrian Army and Armed Forces have foiled
the attack of terrorists who are all of non-Syrian nationalities.

He stressed that no one can say that Syria has foiled the Geneva2
conference, highlighting that Syria has been calling, since the
beginning of the crisis, for a political course that leads to
solutions.

Al-Zoubi said the stance of Syrian state was rejected by the so-called
“coalition” and its backers because they were not seeking a political
solution but fragmenting the state and moving it to a direction that
serves the US and Israeli interests in the region.

Al-Zoubi added that some Arab and regional regimes such as Saudi
Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and other states backing terrorism have gone
so far in their offense to Arabism, Islam and Syria, committing grave
mistakes in terms of evaluating the outcomes of their policies.

He continued to say that Saudi Arabia has become a factory for
producing universal terrorism and it cannot prevent terrorists from
turning back to its territories through taking numerous decisions.

Answering a question on Jordanian public political discourse on curbing
terrorist groups attempt to infiltrate into Jordan, al-Zoubi said
this discourse is mere press statements; the Jordanian government
should realize the danger of the terrorists training on its land on
the security of the Jordanian people.

He called upon the Jordanian government to coordinate with Syrian
leadership for curbing the borders.

On the Arab Summit in Kuwait, al-Zoubi said this meeting is below the
level of Arab summits because the Arab public opinion does not think
it could bring any outcomes that serve their interests, adding that
the Palestinian issue will remain the Arabs’ central issue.

On the General Elections Law, the Information Minister stressed
this Law has been established according to the highest national and
international standards legally, as it consists with Constitution
and will regulate the presidential elections in the upcoming stage.

“The presidential elections will be held on timeâ?¦the security
situation will not prevent itâ?¦we expect the participation in the
elections to be great,” al-Zoubi added.

English Bulletin

HUNDRED PROTEST TURKEY’S ROLE IN KESSAB ATTACKS

Monday, March 31st, 2014

Protesters in front of the Turkish Consulate in Los Angeles. March
28, 2014.

LOS ANGELES–On Friday, March 28, hundreds of activists gathered in
front of the Turkish Consulate in Los Angeles to protest Turkey’s role
in recent attacks against civilians in Kessab, Syria. The protest was
organized by the Armenian Youth Federation and the Kessab Educational
Association.

Civilians in Kessab were forced to flee their homes following attacks
by al-Qaeda-linked groups on March 21.Turkey reportedly allowed
hundreds of radical foreign fighters to cross its border and attack
the civilian population, which includes over 2,000 Christian Armenians
whose ancestors survived the Armenian Genocide. Armenian homes and
churches were systematically desecrated and looted by the invaders.

Some reports stated that injured extremists were returning to Turkey
for medical treatment.

Protesters urged President Obama to condemn Turkey’s actions and demand
that Turkey stop aiding the invaders immediately. The protest was
paired with a social media campaign to bring attention and awareness
to the atrocities taking place in Kessab facilitated by the Turkish
government.

Social media users addressed the Kessab crisis using the hashtag
#SaveKessab. The campaign began at 12 p.m. on Friday and continued
throughout the weekend. AYF regions across the world contributed via
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The social media campaign found success on Facebook, as the hashtag
continues to trend today. On Twitter, there are nearly 100,000 tweets
containing the hashtag, with an estimated reach of about 40 million
people. Some high-profile tweets by Kim and Khloe Kardashian, The
Game, Travis Barker, and Chris Martin also helped bring light to
the campaign.

Councilmen Paul Krikorian (Los Angeles) and Jack Hadjinian (Montebello)
addressed the crowd at the protest and called for Turkey to stop
helping the al-Qaeda-linked forces. Garo Ghazourian, Alique Cherchian
and Alik Ourfalian delivered the AYF’s message.

The Armenian Youth Federation asks that all individuals posting about
Kessab with #SaveKessab ensure that they use correct and factual
information as to not discredit the campaign. Please make sure to
conduct research on the photos, videos and statements being used to
make sure that they are from the recent occurrences. Facts are what
has made this campaign persevere. Let us educate ourselves in order
to educate others.

Founded in 1933, the Armenian Youth Federation is the largest and most
influential Armenian-American youth organization in the United States,
working to advance the social, political, educational and cultural
awareness of Armenian-American youth.

WILL TURKEY FORCE NATO’S HAND IN SYRIA?

World Magazine
March 31 2014

Syria | Turkey’s role in attacks in northern Syria could force NATO intervention

By Mindy Belz
Posted March 31, 2014, 09:44 a.m.

BEIRUT–Rebels, with help from Turkish tanks and anti-aircraft fire,
are prevailing in a sustained attack in northwestern Syria that began
a week ago, Syrians in the area are reporting.

Armed jihadists, mostly foreigners fighting the government of
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, began “leaking” over the border
and invaded villages in Latakia province, according to eyewitnesses
and survivors of the attacks. The coastal province is home to Assad,
and many villages in the area are inhabited by Alawites, the Muslim
sect of the Assad family. Many villages in the area also are home to
Armenian Christians.

The assault began March 21 when fighters attacked Kasab, a
predominantly Armenian border town. That fighting left at least 80
dead and forced about 3,000 Christians to flee, seeking refuge in
nearby hills or the coastal city of Latakia. “In taking over control,
churches were desecrated, houses pillaged, and government buildings
destroyed,” one pastor told World Watch Monitor.

In Latakia, about 600 families are taking shelter in Armenian
churches. Local charity groups are providing food, mattresses,
blankets, and clothing–“since almost all of them have left without
their personal daily wear,” according to a Syrian Armenian doctor
(who is not named for security reasons).

During the attacks, Turkish tanks were stationed at the border in
support of opposition fighters, according to eyewitnesses. The Assad
regime responded to the assault with troops and airstrikes. On March
23, Turkish anti-aircraft fire hit a Syrian fighter jet, a MiG-21,
sent to protect military installations in the area and to thwart
rebel convoys. The jet went down but the pilot ejected.

“Turkey is hosting jihadis,” said a Syrian humanitarian worker who
lives in Damascus and received reports from the area. A Muslim who
supports the regime in the civil war, he asked not to be identified
for security reasons. “We feel this fight is not something related
to Syria, not something for our good,” he said.

The Syrian physician told me that displaced Armenians from Kasab
reported the jihadi fighters included Chechens, Tunisians, Turks,
and Arabs.

Turkey is a member of NATO and the United States has an air base
that’s home to the 39th Air Base Wing at Incirlik, just 130 miles away
from the area of border fighting. Armed military conflict between
Turkey and Syria could severely escalate the Syrian war, forcing a
NATO intervention.

Turkey, along with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United States, and others
have staked positions against the Assad government and are supporting
varied rebel factions in the war. The attacks on Armenians mark
the first targeted assault on the long-established group of ethnic
Christians, many of whom took refuge in Syria during the Armenian
genocide in Turkey a century ago. With Turkey no safe haven, many
forced from Latakia Province are hoping to seek refuge in Armenia
itself. But they will need to cross into Turkey in order to get there.

Mindy Belz is reporting this week from the Middle East.

ARMENIAN-MONTREALERS CALL ON CANADA TO INTERVENE IN KESSAB

CBC News, Canada
March 31 2014

Armenian-inhabited village of Kessab in Syria attacked by rebel forces

When news came that the historic Armenian-inhabited village of Kessab
in Syria had been attacked by rebel forces and its people were forced
to flee, a shudder went through the global Armenian community.

Kessab, normally a 2,000-person village on the border between Syria
and Turkey, was primarily settled by Armenians in the 14th and 15th
centuries.

Just over a week ago, insurgents with reported ties to al-Qaeda
pushed into the area with Turkey’s blessing, forcing Armenians from
their homes.

Online, the hashtag #SaveKessab is being used on social media platforms
to draw attention to the devastation the village and its people have
faced in the Syrian civil war.

In Montreal, Lalai Manjikian, an Armenian-Montrealer with family
in Kessab, said she fears for the town, which she described as a
“gorgeous, mountainous village” just a few kilometres from the
Mediterranean Sea.

“Like many Armenians throughout the world, I feel personally a deep
historic and ancestral connection to Kessab,” Manjikian told CBC
Daybreak host Mike Finnerty on Monday.

“The situation is dire. Our family members have fled Kessab and
they’ve taken refuge mainly in Latakia (a major port city in Syria),”
Manjikian said. “They now find themselves in complete limbo.”

Hagop Der Katchadourian, the chairman of the Armenian National
Committee International Council, said forces opposed to Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad have moved in and taken control of Kessab.

MOBILE USERS: Listen to CBC Daybreak interview here

He said major damage has been done to homes, many of which are
centuries-old, in Kessab and that churches in the small village had
been “desecrated” by anti-Assad rebel forces.

“It is definitely taken at this stage because those forces are still
roaming the streets,” Der Katchadourian said.

He said, however, that it is important to distinguish between
legitimate rebel forces fighting the Assad regime, and extremist
groups ransacking the area.

Both Der Katchadourian and Manjikian called on the Canadian government
to continue protecting minority groups in Syria, as well as to provide
humanitarian assistance to displaced Armenians.

Der Katchadourian also said the Canadian government and Prime Minister
Stephen Harper should tell Turkey that allowing cross-border attacks
is not acceptable.

“Turkey is a major regional power and as such it has full control of
its frontiers,” he said.

EMPLOYEES OF OPERA AND BALLET THEATRE COLLECT SIGNATURES TO DEMAND CHOREOGRAPHER’S RESIGNATION (VIDEO)

18:34 | March 31,2014 | Social

The chief choreographer of the Alexander Spendiaryan State Academic
Opera and Ballet Theatre has not gone to work for a week. Rudolf
Kharatyan says the reason is the tense atmosphere at the Theatre.

“There are some problems with the creative team, but I think that
everything will clear up soon,” said Hrach Grigoryan, Acting Head of
the Theatre.

While Rudolf Kharatyan is considering his return to the Theatre,
the management is discussing the reasons for the heated situation.

Kharatyan says he was eager to stage a classical and contemporary
ballet for the Armenian audience but our ballet dancers did not like
the idea.

“We cannot create art with our street posture. They think I want to
cut them off their roots. I just want to explain our youth that we
stay behind other countries,” said the choreographer. The dancers
do not like the methods of the demanding master either. “They do not
attend training for many days, naturally they cannot dance well without
training their bodies and muscles,” the specialist said adding that
the staff has started collecting signatures to demand his resignation.

Both Rudolf Kharatyan and Hrach Grigoryan believe that the situation
will change after the appointment of a new director. The election is
slated for April 4.

ARMENIAN DEMONSTRATOR KILLED IN KYIV IS REMEMBERED

March 31, 2014 | 16:03

Thousands of people gathered at Maidan of Ukrainian capital city Kyiv
on Sunday evening.

They had assembled to mark the 40th day of the “Heavenly Hundred,”
that is, the people who were killed during the EuroMaidan events that
occurred during the fall and winter of 2013-2014.

Representatives of the Armenian community of Ukraine and the Kyiv
residents also lit candles in memory of Serhiy Nigoyan.

Armenia’s Ambassador to Ukraine Andranik Manukyan, who attended the
remembrance event, noted that “The Armenian community is ready to
stand with the people of Ukraine until the end, [and] for Ukraine’s
freedom,” Aspekty.net reported.

On January 22, Ukrainian-Armenian demonstrator Serhiy Nigoyan had
died of gunshot wounds in Downtown Kyiv. One month later, another
Armenian, Georgiy Harutyunyan, likewise had died during the riots in
the Ukrainian capital city.

ARMENIAN HAND-MADE CARPET FACTORY INITIATES INCLUSION OF FAME TOURS IN TOUR PACKAGES

YEREVAN, March 31. /ARKA/. Hand-made carpet factory “Megheryan
Carpet” presented a project to include Armenian carpet weaving in
tour packages Friday.

The factory will be organizing familiarization tours to present the
history and the traditions of one of the oldest arts in Armenia –
carpet weaving – to tourists who will have also a chance to taste
Armenian cuisine during the tour, head of production and commerce of
the factory Leonid Andreasyan told reporters. The tours will be free
and the factory is ready to cooperate with any tour agency, he said.

Head of tourism at Armenia’s ministry of economy Mekhak Apresyan said
local tour operators will be interested in the offer. Tourists will
also have an opportunity to buy carpets, he said.

Apresyan said Armenian tour operators are offering similar fam tours
in their packages, but these tours should become more wide-spread.

Head of Union of Armenian Tour Operators Karine Davoyan said the
project is very attractive for tourists and is part of tour packages
of the Union-member companies. -0–

– See more at:

AMERICAN ARMENIAN CELEBRITIES TWEET JOIN #SAVEKESSAB ACTION

19:43 31.03.2014

American Armenian singer Cher (Cherilyn Sarkisian) asks her more
than 2 million Twitter followers to check out what’s happening in
Kessab, Syria.

“Please check out what’s going on in Kessab, Syria. Innocent Christians
and Armenians are being killed by Turks,” Cher twitted.

“Please let’s not let history repeat itself! Let’s get this trending!”

Kim Kardashian, an American television personality and model of
Armenian descent, urged her followers.

“If you don’t know what’s going on in Kessab, please google it, its
heart breaking! As an Armenian, I grew up hearing so many painful
stories!” she wrote.

#SAVEKESSAB PROTEST TO BE HELD AT SYDNEY TURKISH CONSULATE

19:24 31.03.2014

A peaceful protest will be held in front of the Turkish Consulate
in Sydney on April 2 to express the Armenian-Australian community’s
solidarity with the Armenian community of Kessab, Syria, and to condemn
Turkey’s actions, the Armenian National Committee of Australia reports.

On March 21st, armed rebel groups attacked the heavily
Armenian-populated region of Kessab, Syria, by crossing the Turkish
border into Syria. Under the threat of slaughter, the entire Armenian
population of the region was forced to flee their homes to neighboring
towns, including Latakia and Bassit. Some were not so lucky and
have reportedly been taken hostage, while churches and homes have
been destroyed.

A demonstration is to be held in Sydney to join with Armenian
communities from all around the world in condemning Turkey’s action,
which is a continuation of its genocidal policy towards Armenians
dating back to 1915.

Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of Australia,
Vache Kahramanian, remarked: “This is an important opportunity to the
Armenian-Australian community to publicly show their solidarity with
the Armenian community of Kessab.”

“In 1915 the Ottoman Turkish rulers orchestrated the Armenian genocide
and today, in the 21st century, the current Turkish Government
is continuing the same policy against the Armenians in Syria,”
Kahramanian added.

Spokesperson for the organizing Armenian Youth Federation of Australia,
Aram Tufenkjian, stated: “Today we call on all Armenians, young and
old, to join in this important action to hold Turkey accountable.”