Author: Kalantarian Kevo

PRESS RELEASE
Ararat-Eskijian Museum
15105 Mission Hills Rd
Mission Hills CA, 91345
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 818-838-4862

ARARAT-ESKIJIAN TO HOST LECTURE ON SEIZURE OF ARMENIAN ASSETS IN AINTAB

Ümit Kurt, Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of History at Clark
University IN Worcester, MA, will present a lecture entitled “The
Emergence of the New Wealthy Class Between 1915-1922: The Seizure of
Armenian Property by Local Elites in Aintab,” and the documentary “My
Father’s Aintab”.

On Sunday, September 15, 2013, at 4:00 p.m. at the Ararat-Eskijian
Museum, Hasmik Mgrdichian Gallery, 15105 Mission Hills Road, Mission
Hills, CA. The lecture is sponsored by the Ararat-Eskijian Museum and
the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR). A
reception will follow the lecture.

The processes of genocide and deportation directed at
Aintab Armenians were in fact put into practice by local notables and
provincial elites themselves, and these local actors actually
prospered and became a new wealthy social class through the
acquisition of Armenians’ property and wealth. In this respect, Ümit
Kurt argues that the Committee of Union and Progress’ (CUP) genocide
and deportation decree had a certain social background, effective
power, and control and support mechanism(s) at the local levels.
Therefore, what took place at the local areas or periphery deserves to
be examined.

By zooming in on Aintab, Kurt sheds light on the
origins of the property and wealth of local and provincial
elites/notables in Aintab and how massacred and deported Armenians’
properties in Aintab changed hands. To date no comprehensive research
has been done that examines in detail the expropriation of Ottoman
Armenians in general and in Aintab in particular as a component of the
genocide.

Ümit Kurt, a native of Aintab, holds a Bachelor of
Science degree from Middle East Technical University in Political
Science and Public Administration and a Master’s from Sabancý
University in the department of European Studies. He is currently a
Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of History at Clark University and
an instructor at Sabancý University. He is the author of numerous
articles and several books, including most recently Kanunlarýn Ruhu:
Emval-i Metruke Kanunlarýnda Soykýrýmýn Ýzlerini Aramak (The Spirit of
Laws: Seeking for the Traces of Armenian Genocide in the Laws of
Abandoned Property, 2012), with Taner Akçam. His main area of
interest is confiscation of the Armenian properties and the role of
local elites/notables in Aintab during the Armenian genocide.

For more information contact the Ararat-Eskijian Museum at
818-838-4862 or

[email protected] or NAASR at 617-489-1610 or
[email protected].

Aravot: Hayrikyan is the strongest politician, Zurabyan says

10:52 24/08/2013 » DAILY PRESS

Paruyr Hayrikyan is the strongest politician, and only he is able to
carry out a revolution, while Raffi Hovannisian will not be able to do
it, ANC deputy chairman Levon Zurabyan told Aravot daily in commenting
on whether Heritage leader Raffi Hovannisian will carry out the
announced national revolution this autumn.

Source: Panorama.am

Armenia banned import of small cattle from Greece

19:42, 24 August, 2013

YEREVAN, AUGUST 24, ARMENPRESS: According to N 472-A decree from
August 23 of Food security state service of ministry of Agriculture of
the Republic of Armenia is temporary banned import of small cattle
(sheep, goat), all kinds of food received from them (leather, fur,
wool) from Trakia and Macedonia regions of Greece Republic until
revocation of quarantine.

`Armenpress’ was informed from Food security state service that the
decree was signed guided by 10th paragraph of 12th article of `Law on
veterinary, statute of Food security state service of ministry of
Agriculture of the Republic of Armenia and for preventing penetration
of smallpox decease in the Republic of Armenia from Trakia and
Macedonia regions in Greece. Import to the Republic of Armenia has
been banned until revocation of quarantine.

Construction of elite residential building in Komitas Street resumed
despite protests

by Alexander Avanesov
– Saturday, August 24, 13:36

Construction of the elite residential building in Komitas Street has been
resumed despite protests, Tigran Khzmalyan, representative of
Pre-Parliament Opposition Movement said.

In the meanwhile, the residents of the neighbor buildings say that the city
authorities promised that the construction would be suspended for 5 days to
dispute the issue in the court. The police has surrounded the construction
site.

The residents of the building No.5 in Komitas Street had been protesting
against construction activities that have occupied their backyard for a
long time already. The residents and the law-enforcers clashed a few days
ago. In the wake of those clashes, Khzmalyan was detained but set free in
few hours.

“We are the owners of this city” movement urges all the citizens of Yerevan
to join the fight against illegal construction in Komitas Street and
misappropriation of green areas in Arabkir district by officials. In the
meanwhile, environmentalists have been slamming the authorities for
extremely large-scale construction activities in Yerevan for already
several years. Karine Danielyan, “For Sustainable Development” Association,
alarms that Yerevan has lost 70% of its green area over the last twenty
years due to construction. In addition, she said, the construction project
do no take into account the seismic activity of the territory of Yerevan.

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Assembly of America
122 C Street, NW, Suite 350
Washington, DC 20001
Contact: John De Trana
Tel: (202) 393-3434
Fax: (202) 638-4904
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

U.S. Slams Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan For Another Anti-Israel Remark

By Taniel Koushakjian

August 22, 2013

In the latest development of the Turkish government’s increasingly
anti-Israel posture, this week Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayip Erdogan
made the audacious claim that Israel was behind the Egyptian military’s
ouster of Muslim Brotherhood President Mohamed Morsi. Speaking to a group
of provincial governors of his AKP party, Erdogan reportedly stated: =80=9CWhat
do they say in Egypt? Democracy is not at the ballot box. Who is behind it?
Israel. We have in our hands documentation.’

This statement was quickly rebuffed by Israeli and U.S. government
officials. In response to a reporter’s question specifically citing
Erdogan’s comments, White House Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest said
`We strongly condemn the statements that were made by Prime Minister
Erdogan today.’ `Suggesting that Israel is somehow responsible for recent
events in Egypt is offensive, unsubstantiated and wrong,’ Earnest stated.

According to the Jerusalem Post, `Erdogan’s rant was not worthy of a
response, Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said Tuesday. `This is a
statement well worth not commenting on.”

Erdogan’s anti-Semitic statements have become a new normal for him
and his
Islamic AKP Party. A few weeks ago, Erdogan blamed the Turkish uprisings
surrounding the Gezi Park protests as being motivated by the `interest rate
lobby,’ a reference widely interpreted to mean Israel.

These statements have an unfortunate effect on Turkish society.
Anti-Americanism in Turkey is among the highest in world and has been for
many years. The growing anti-Semitism and increasing Islamism in the
Turkish government appear related.

However, Erdogan’s comments are not just confined to Israel and the Jewish
people. A headline last month in Commentary Magazine read `Erdogan’s
disdain extends from Jews to Blacks.’ Author Michael Rubin states that
`Criticizing Kemal KılıçdaroÄ=9Flu, the leader of the center-left and secular
Republican Peoples Party (CHP), ErdoÄ=9Fan declared, `KılıçdaroÄ=9Flu is striving
every bit he can to raise himself from the level of a black person to the
level of a white man.’

Jewish-American and African-American members of the Congressional Turkish
Caucus feel should be made aware of these statements and reconsider their
support of a government and society that is increasingly at odds with U.S.
interests and those of our allies Israel and Armenia.

Taniel Koushakjian is the Communications Director of the Armenian Assembly
of America. Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the
largest, Washington-based, nationwide organization promoting public
understanding and awareness of Armenian issues.

Available online at:

CONFERENCE ON IMMINENT FAILURE OF MASSIVE SARSANG RESERVOIR TO BE HELD IN SEPTEMBER

Sacramento Bee, CA
Aug 21 2013

By Azerbaijan Monitor
Azerbaijan Monitor

BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 21, 2013 — /PRNewswire/ —

Academics, political leaders and journalists from across the globe
will gather in Tartar, Azerbaijan, in early September to discuss
the condition of the Sarsang reservoir in the Nagorno-Karabakh
region, according to Elkhan Suleymanov, an Azerbaijani Member of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).

Armenia’s use of the dam has exacerbated the situation in
Nagorno-Karabakh and other Azerbaijani territories, occupied by
Armenia since the cessation of the war between the two countries nearly
two decades ago. The dam itself has been under Armenian control for
22 years.

In an interview with the Azerbaijan Press Agency, Suleymanov pointed
out that Armenia’s management of the reservoir has already created an
ongoing crisis, eroding roads in nearby provinces when it is opened
in the winter, and drying out surrounding farmland when it is closed
in the summer. Yet because of Armenia’s occupation of the region,
the danger of this unfolding humanitarian tragedy has only recently
come to light.

The 125-meter dam was built by Soviet engineers in 1976, and according
to independent experts, is in urgent need of repair following two
decades of neglect by Armenia. Those same experts predict that should
the reservoir fail, the 65-meter wall of water that would follow poses
a “catastrophic” threat to the 400,000 people who live downstream,
whom Suleymanov described as the real “hostages” of the situation.

“The Sarsang reservoir has become a serious threat to Azerbaijan;
this threat is becoming very real,” Suleymanov said.

The conference will feature independent experts who will discuss
the dam’s danger of imminent failure, the repairs needed, and the
consequences of failing to act.

Suleymanov noted that the purpose of the conference in September
is to raise international awareness of the status of the reservoir,
as well as the humanitarian and ecological dimensions to this latest
tragedy resulting from the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The ultimate
goal, he added, is to prompt international action to this potential
crisis before it manifests, and if that fails, to prepare relief for
the catastrophe when it happens.

Despite resolutions in the United Nations, the Parliamentary Assembly
of the Council of Europe, the Organization of Security and Cooperation
in Europe, and the European Parliament, Armenia still occupies 20
percent of Azerbaijani territory, a conflict that has displaced over
one million Azerbaijanis.

SOURCE Azerbaijan Monitor

BAKU DRAWS OUT ARMENIAN CAPTIVE ROW

Wednesday, August 21st, 2013

Armenian Deputy Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan

BAKU-An Azerbaijani state commission dealing with prisoners of war and
missing persons says it might be willing to return Armenian soldier
Hakop Injighulian, who was captured while accidentally wandering past
the Azeri border, the secretary of the commission Shahin Sailov told
local media on Wednesday, August 21.

According to Sailov, the reasons for the soldier’s crossing the
contact line are “being clarified.” He said that the soldier can be
handed over to Armenia or to a third country only after they have
investigated the case.

Meanwhile, Yerevan has complained about Azerbaijan’s ill treatment
of the POW, such as in parading him on television, citing violations
of international conventions regarding POWs.

In a statement issued last Wednesday, an Armenian government commission
dealing with POWs and missing persons argued that the conventions
forbid any public exposure of captured enemy soldiers. It also
decried the fact that Injighulian was made to wear an Azerbaijani
military uniform.

Sailov told the media, “Everything depends on the captive’s wish,
and if he wants to return to Armenia he will be repatriated, and the
State Commission does not see a problem in this regard.”

On Tuesday, ICRC representatives met with Injighulian and passed
along a message from his family. According to the ICRC, the soldier
was informed about his family and, in turn, his family will receive
information about him.

On the night of August 7, Hakob Injighulyan, an Armenian citizen and
an army conscript, crossed the Azeri border and was subsequently
captured by Azeri soldiers. According to preliminary information,
Injighulyan had lost his bearings on the terrain and inadvertently
crossed the line of contact.

Armenia offered to free an Azerbaijani prisoner of war last week as
it continued trying to secure the release of the Armenian soldier.

Deputy Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan said that Firuz Farajev,
an Azerbaijani soldier who crossed into Armenia a year ago, has
“changed his mind and expressed a desire to return to Azerbaijan.”

There has been no official response to the offer from Azerbaijan yet.

One-year-old killed in car accident in Armenia’s Gegharkunik

21:25 21.08.13

A car accident killed a one-year-old child in the Gegharkunik region
of Armenia, Shamshyan.com reports.

55-year-old Artur Aloyan’s Volkswagen Golf and 26-year-old Tigran
Vardanyan’s Moskvich, and 22-year-old Volodya Stepanyan’s GAZ 2401
cars collided on the 1st kilometer of the Sevan-Zovaberd highway.

One-year-old Mane Vardanyan, 23-year-old Mary Vardanyan and 15-year-old
Mari Gevorgyan were rushed to Sevan hospital, where the one-year-old
died.

Armenian News – Tert.am

SUMMER SCHOOL AT BYURAKAN OBSERVATORY

August 21, 2013 | 13:39

YEREVAN. – The fourth summer school kicked off at Byurakan
Astrophysical Observatory in Armenia.

This year the summer school operates in a larger format, bringing
together 42 students, 12 of them are students of Yerevan State
University Department of Physics, the rest of the participants are
students of the Faculty of International Relations, Oriental Studies,
Journalism and the Roman-Germanic department as well as Armenian
Institute of Tourism and Linguistic University.

Participants will attend the lectures of Observatory director Hayk
Harutyunyan, Deputy Director Tigran Maghakyan, co-chair of the Armenian
Astronomical Society, the head of the Armenian Virtual Observatory
Areg Mikaeyian and others.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

ARMENIAN AMBASSADOR TO UN CONDEMNED ATTACKS AGAINST POPULATION IN SYRIA

19:28, 21 August, 2013

YEREVAN, AUGUST 21, ARMENPRESS: On August 19 in UN Security Council
took place a discussion dedicated to the issue of civil population
protection during armed conflicts. “Armenpress” was informed from
press service of Armenian foreign affairs ministry that major part
of those who performed with speech reverberated to developments in
Syria. Permanent representative of the Republic of Armenia in UN
ambassador Karen Nazaryan in his speech particularly mentioned that
the situation in Syria for Armenia is not just the headline news and
worsening humanitarian situation is greatly disturbing.

Ambassador Nazaryan condemned all kind of attacks against population,
kidnappings and terroristic acts highlighting the circumstance
how are destroyed and damaged Armenian churches and how a lot of
Armenians together with their Syrian townsmen in Aleppo and Damascus
try to survive.

The ambassador also added that Armenia continues hosting refugees
although many Armenians continue to live in Syria under increasing
violence and growing humanitarian crisis. “For settlement of such
situations we are sure that selective approaches in violation of
international humanitarian law must be rejected. International society
should act effectively in keeping norms of humanitarian law and offer
the sides to implement necessary steps to secure the entrance and
activity of humanitarian aid actors,” mentioned ambassador Nazaryan.

In another part of his speech speaking about responsibility in
case of mass killings and crimes Nazaryan highly estimated the
role of Security Council in elimination of impunity. In this context
Armenian representative also spoke about compensation, reverberated to
resolution “Prevention of genocide initiated by Armenia and adopted by
UN Human Rights Council stressing the importance the of encouragement
of truth, justice and compensation.