Author: Kalashian Nyrie

COLUMBIA STUDENTS HOST DISTINGUISHED GENOCIDE PANEL
By Serouj Aprahamian

=41610_4/18/2009_1
Friday, April 17, 2009

In an effort to pay tribute to the memory of the 1.5 million victims of
the Armenian Genocide and inspire vigilance against such atrocities,
both past and present, the Armenian Student Association of Columbia
University hosted a distinguished panel lecture this past Thursday,
April 9.

Over 200 students, faculty and local community members were in
attendance for the event, which featured moderator Andrea Kannapell
of the New York Times, renowned genocide scholar Taner Akcam, and
famed Armenian-American attorney Mark Geragos. The official headline
for the evening was "The Armenian Genocide and Its Relevance Today."

"We were delighted to see the panel bring together the Columbia
community to discuss the Armenian Genocide," said Nora Khanarian,
a student at Columbia and a member of the organizing committee for
the event. "We are optimistic that constructive dialogue about the
important ramifications of our history is possible in the future."

Khanarian’s fellow organizer, William Bairamian, added, "It was
imperative to have an Armenian Genocide remembrance and educational
event at Columbia University, as it should be on every respected
university campus in the world. Every Armenian-American student
should feel that it is their duty to educate those who do not know
about the Genocide."

The evening began with the reading of a statement from the noted
psychiatrist and genocide prevention scholar David Hamburg. Hamburg was
scheduled to take part in the panel but was unable to make it due to
last-minute health reasons. Nevertheless, he sent a condensed version
of his talk which was read aloud for the audience by Ms. Kannapell.

This was followed by Professor Akcam’s presentation which focused
on Armenian-Turkish relations over the past 30 years and what will
be needed to move ahead in the future. He addressed such matters
as developments within Turkish society, the talks between Turkey
and Armenia, and the issue of the US position on the Armenian
Genocide. At several points during his talk, Akcam insisted that,
"Obama should use the word . . .genocide," and that, "by using this
term, %u218genocide,’ the United States can liberate Turks, Armenians,
and everybody in this conflict."

The next speaker to take the podium was Mark Geragos, who addressed
the legal implications of the Genocide and focused explicitly on
the need for reparations and restitution. After talking about his
experiences as a lead attorney for the Genocide-era claims against
insurance companies New York Life and AXA, Geragos expounded upon
why he believes reparations are so important for the securing of
justice. "You can never, as a victim, never be made whole until you
have restitution," stated Geragos. "There is never going to be a
resolution to the so-called Armenian question until we get back our
land, until we get back the monies that were taken from us, and until
we get back some kind of reparations."

After such forthright and succinct presentations, there naturally
was a great deal of issues ripe for discussion during the question
and answer period. Audience members included many Turkish students
who were not only hostile toward the facts of the Armenian Genocide,
but were also taken aback by the insistence that reparations would
be needed to right this wrong committed by their government.

Some of the Turkish attendees expressed their disagreement through
prolonged statements, at times refusing to sit down after being asked
politely by the moderator to recite their question. Many others
were more cordial and presented their questions to the panelists
and received forthright answers in return. This lively back and
forth continued as other audience members raised questions about how
Armenians could get their family lands back, the past operations of
ASALA and the Justice Commandos, and the legality of Turkey’s present
blockade of Armenia.

Following the Q&A, Bairamian took to the floor to offer some closing
remarks on behalf of the organizers. "We are here not only to remember
those that needlessly perished in the Armenian Highlands and in the
deserts of Der-Zor," he began, "but to make clear to any perpetrator
of genocide that their crimes will never be forgotten–not so long as
there is a sense of humanity and justice among the men and women of
this otherwise beautiful world." Posing the question of whether we
are doing enough to end the scourge of genocide, Bairamian posited,
"We will know the answer to that question when our children learn of
genocide not as a current event but as an aberration of the history
of a time long passed."

The event concluded with a nearby reception which continued in the
spirit of the conference, as attendees congregated and discussed many
of the issues raised by the thought-provoking panel. Professor Akcam,
in particular, could be seen engaging with many of the Turkish students
who proceeded to congregate around him.

Reflecting upon the success of the evening, Arpine Kocharian,
another of the main student organizers of the event, explained how her
grandfather was a survivor of the Armenian Genocide from Mush. Orphaned
at the age of 7, he went on to serve as a veteran of WWII and live
an accomplished life. Nevertheless, he was never able to recover from
the trauma of what happened to his family and an entire village back
in Mush, says Kocharian.

"I think my grandfather, would have been proud of me and my colleagues
today because our panel was able to voice the relevance of the darkest
page in our history."

PEROOMIAN DISCUSSES SEXUAL VIOLENCE, STATE CENSORSHIP
By Andy Turpin

April 16, 2009
discusses-sexual-violence-state-censorship/

BELMO NT, Mass. (A.W.)-On April 2, the National Association for
Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR) presented a talk by Rubina
Peroomian on the topic of her recently published book, And Those
Who Continued Living in Turkey After 1915: The Metamorphosis of
Post-Genocide Armenian Identity As Reflected in Artistic Literature
(Armenian Genocide Museum Institute, 2008).

Peroomian’s earlier English-language book Literary Responses to
Catastrophe: A Comparison of the Armenian and the Jewish Experience
(1993) analyzed Armenian and Jewish literary works written in response
to the horrors of genocide. Peroomian holds a Ph.D. in Near Eastern
languages and cultures from UCLA and has been a lecturer in Armenian
language and literature as well as Armenian history at UCLA, the
University of Laverne, and Glendale College. She serves as a member
of the NAASR Board of Directors for southern California.

"I’m a very diligent scholar but it was the hardest thing trying to
find a publisher for my book," Peroomian began. "The book was very
popular in Yerevan but it had its disadvantages self-publishing so
I thank NAASR for their support."

Peroomian continued, "This is the second in a trilogy, the follow-up
to my first book in 1993… The first book dealt with those in the
Armenian Diaspora of the second and third generation and how they
dealt with trauma. I’m trying to finish the trilogy with a forthcoming
study of the effects of the genocide on those in Soviet Armenia and
how this trauma was transmitted."

"Since the book was published in Armenia, I felt a need to satisfy
Armenian readers with a 25-page schematic survey of the book in
Armenian," she said.

"The methodology encapsulates my readings of these various genocide
literatures that exist and the dynamics of them." Muslim Armenians in
Turkey, such as the Hamshen, she said, "are for some people a paradox."

"To answer the question, ‘Why this book?’ I’ve been interested in the
field of genocide literature in the diaspora for 25 years. But that was
the diaspora. But I always wondered, ‘What about those in Turkey that
couldn’t get out?’ Until 15 years ago we knew nothing of these people,
only that some tourists talked to some very old Armenians [in Turkey]."

Peroomian stated, "In Istanbul literature, you had to read between
the lines, and in fact more research is needed on Istanbul Armenian
literature."

Peroomian gave examples of the cryptic prose used to describe the
genocide and get past the state censors in works of fiction. "It is
very typical for the narrator to say in Istanbul Armenian literature
of the 1950’s and 60’s that ‘My mother and father had brothers and
sisters, but they all died before I was born.’"

"In that atmosphere of constant harassment and persecution, especially
for those Armenians living in the interior of Turkey, to them, all they
had to do was survive until they could go abroad or to Istanbul. And
this in fact was the intension of the Turkish government; to evacuate
these regions of Armenians."

Everywhere in Turkey after the genocide, she explained, it was banned
to talk about Armenians in the media. Only about a dozen novels in
the republic period talked about Armenians and most of them followed
the government line of ethnic identity."

But, she added, "Because of the Diaspora Armenians’ activities and
because of some of the Armenian armed struggle activities-like the
assassinations of Turkish diplomats-in the 1970’s, Turkish people
started asking themselves, ‘Who are these Armenians and what are
their claims?’"

"At this point, Turkish youth began to be raised to hate Armenians
as traitors that went against the Ottoman Empire. There are many
intellectuals and modernists who talk about these topics now in Turkey,
tasking the government to confront the past and do it justice in the
name of a multiculturalism that will only help to democratize Turkey."

However, she countered, "Author Orhan Pamuk says there are two souls
of Turkey [on the genocide issue] that are constantly combating each
other to change the other. Elif Shafak has said, ‘God save me from
my own people.’"

"Of course, these intellectuals are constantly under persecution and
harassment but they are active," Peroomian said. "And the more active
they are, the more active the ultra-nationalists are. Hrant Dink’s
assassination was proof of this."

Peroomian recounted the controversy caused in part by Dink when he
helped prove that Ataturk’s adopted daughter, a renowned pioneer
aviatrix and the first female combat pilot Sabiha Gokcen, was in
fact an Armenian orphan whose family had been decimated during the
genocide. She stated, "She was very popular in Turkey and for him to
expose the truth like that, [to them] he had to pay for it."

Of the questions that provoked her own research, Peroomian said,
"’Did women taken into harems and forced to convert to Islam truly
convert to Islam? How did they feel in their womb with [the child]
of the perpetrator inside them?’ These are the things I was looking
for in the research I’ve done."

Peroomian continued, "Henry Morganthau wrote in his memoirs about
the acts of rape against boys during the genocide as much as the
conventions for society in 1915 would allow. I’ve seen a few good
articles on sexual violence against male and female victims coming
forth."

She noted that such domination acts sought to de-masculinize and
de-humanize the victim. "There was physical violence as well against
Armenian women and boys after the genocide, in the orphanages and
in adopted families. And as we saw in the former Yugoslavia, sexual
violence is a form of genocidal war."

Peroomian cited the 1998 "Sexual Violence Report" by the UN’s special
rapporteur on human rights and noted, "There is so much research on
these topics, but at one point I had to stop and actually publish."

"I know I haven’t said the last word at all," she said. "I want this
to be my attempt to loosen the tongue of a forbidden past, that is
the Turks’ past as well."

And Those Who Continued Living in Turkey After 1915: The
Metamorphosis of Post-Genocide Armenian Identity As Reflected in
Artistic Literature is available for purchase at the NAASR bookstore,
online at naasr.org/store/home.php.

THERE HAS BEEN OBSERVED THE SECOND WIND IN TURKEY’S INTEGRATION TO THE EUROPEAN UNION

ArmInfo
2009-04-17 10:48:00

There has been observed the second wind in Turkey’s integration to
the European Union, Chairman of EU-Turkey Delegation in European
Parliament Joost Lagendijk said.

"A new feeling of optimism has been observed in EU," Lagendijk told
Trend News over phone from Brussels. A slowdown in the reforms in
2005 -2008 was changed with Turkey’s positive steps. This increased
the EU optimism. Lagendijk voiced five main steps, which allowed to
look fresh at Turkey’s integration. One of the steps is the visit of
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and head of the leading
opposition party – Republican People’s Party Deniz Baikal to Brussels
in early of the year. During the visit Erdogan and Baikal explained
that the EU is still top priority for Turkey rkey, Lagendijk said.

Another important issue was called appointment of Egemen Bakish as
chief negotiator in the negotiations between Turkey and EU ON Turkey’s
accession to EU, the nomination that is seen very positively inside
the EU. Thirdly, the TRT6 Kurdish language national television, which
is seen as an important step forward to solve the Kurdish issue,
was opened. A radio and TRT 6 Kurdish language national television
were opened in Turkey in 2008 and January 2009 respectively. The
channel is broadcasting not only in Turkey, but also in Iraq, Iran
and Syria. Fourthly, the talks between Turkey and Armenia are seen
from a very positive in restoring diplomatic relations and opening
of borders, which will help not only to Turkey’s accession to EU,
but also resolution to Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Armenian-Turkish ties have been severed since 1993 due to Armenia’s
claims of an alleged genocide, and the country’s occupation of
20 percent of Azerbaijani lands. Turkish President Abdullah Gul
visited Yerevan on Sept. 6, 2008 upon the invitation of his Armenian
counterpart Serzh Sarkisyan to watch an Armenia-Turkey football
match. Efforts have been made to normalize ties between the two
countries ever since. The fifth point is the fact that there
are ongoing talks between the Turkish government and the Alawi
leadership. Alawi is the largest religious minority in Turkey,
constituting about 20 percent of the population. The Turkish
authorities still prefer to ignore their existence: Alawi community
has no official status. The issue of ending discrimination against
Alawis and the protection of their rights and freedoms included in
the criteria for the accession of Turkey to the EU.

The talks on Turkey’s accession to the EU were launched in
2005. According to experts, Turkey will become the EU full member
within 1-15 years. The main obstacle on Turkey’s way is territorial
disputes with the Greek Cyprus, which occurred as a result of division
of the island into two parts in 1974. If Turkey to be accessed to the
EU, it will expand the EU market and grant qualified working force
to European companies, which suffer of ageing aboriginal population.

OSCE/ODIHR NOT TO OBSERVE THE ELECTIONS IN YEREVAN
Lena Badeyan

"Radiolur"
15.04.2009 17:05

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights will not
observe the forthcoming elections to the Yerevan City Council because
of the simple reason that it has not received any invitation either
from the Central Electoral Commission or the Government.

"The OSCE/ODIHR usually observes the general elections, and this
practice is applied not only in Armenia, but also all over the
world. As a rule, the local self-government elections are observed
by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of
Europe," CEC Press Secretary Tatev Ohanyan said.

Head of Public Relations of the Armenian National Congress Vladimir
Karapetyan disagrees with the statement, saying that the OSCE is
interested in observing the elections. "Taking into consideration that
the opposition will run in the elections with a united candidate the
OSCE/ODIHR has expressed the wish to carry out observation. Besides,
the OSCE/ODIHR has the practice of observing local elections. They
did it in Moldova and Albania in 2007. Therefore, those explanations
are false," he said.

According to Vladimir Karapetyan, the authorities had to be interested
in inviting as many observers as possible, including representatives
of the OSCE/ODIHR

As of today, two local organizations have registered at the Central
Electora l Commission to carry out observation at the forthcoming
elections. As for international observers, the Government has
sent out an invitation to the CoE Congress of Local and Regional
Authorities. The Central Electoral Commission has invited the
Ambassadors of the OSCE participating states, the foreign Ambassadors
accredited in the Republic of Armenia, the Head of the OSCE Office
in Yerevan, the Special Representative of the CoE Secretary General
to Armenia, as well as the Chairman of the NKR Central Electoral
Commission to observe the elections to the Yerevan City Council.

Crain’s Chicago Business
April 10 2009

Hastert to lobby for Turkey

By: Paul Merrion April 10, 2009

(Crain’s) ‘ Former Speaker of the House J. Dennis Hastert, R-Plano, is
now lobbying for the Republic of Turkey, according to papers filed
last week with the Justice Department’s Foreign Agents Registration
Act unit.

His role is `educating members of the Congress and the administration
on issues of importance to Turkey,’ his registration statement
said. Those issues include `trade, energy security, counter-terrorism
efforts and efforts to build regional stability in the broader Middle
East.’

Turkey is a key U.S. ally in the region, as evidenced by President
Barack Obama’s stop there earlier this week after his European tour.

But one thorny issue is a perennial attempt by Congress to pass a
resolution condemning the Turks’ killing of 1.5 million Armenians
during the 1915-1916 `genocide.’ The Turkish government has warned
that such a resolution would seriously damage relations. When
Mr. Hastert was speaker, he blocked such a measure after a last-minute
request from then-President Bill Clinton.

Dickstein Shapiro LLP, the Washington, D.C., law firm Mr. Hastert
joined in June 2008 as a senior advisor, has counted Turkey among its
clients since last year. It was not known when he joined the firm
whether Mr. Hastert would lobby for Turkey.

Mr. Hastert and others at Dickstein Shapiro share a $35,000-per-month
subcontract with the Gephardt Group, led by former House Majority
Leader Richard Gephardt, D-Mo., Turkey’s principal lobbyist since last
year, according to The Hill, a Washington, D.C.-based publication that
first reported Mr. Hastert’s involvement.

Mr. Hastert did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

ews.pl?id=33649&seenIt=1

ARMENIA, IRAN TO LAUNCH RAILWAY PROJECT SOON

ARKA
Apr 10, 2009

YEREVAN, April 10. /ARKA/. Armenia and Iran will launch a railway
construction project this or next year, RA President Serzh Sargsyan
told a news conference on the 1st anniversary of his inauguration.

"If not this, then next year we will start the construction of an
Iran-Armenia railway," Sargsyan said. The Armenian President expressed
the confidence that the program will be implemented and facilitate
the resolution of social problems.

On April 3, in Yerevan, RA Minister of Transport and Communications
Gurgen Sargsyan and Minister of Road and Transportation Hamid
Behbahani signed a memorandum of understanding on the construction
of an Iran-Armenia railway.

The document was signed during the 2nd sitting of the Armenian-Iranian
Commission for Transport Cooperation.

VIDEO MOCKS TURKISH LEADERS, NOT OBAMA

W.T.O.P.
;s id=1645966
April 9 2009

WASHINGTON – A Turkish TV video is raising eyebrows because it shows a
man in black face appearing on the split screen with President Barack
Obama. While the video at first glance could appear to be racist,
the head of the American-Turkish Council says it isn’t.

James Holmes, president and chief executive officer of the bilateral
non-profit, says the Flash TV spot that received a lot of attention
after it was posted on The Drudge Report plays off a Turkish proverb.

Loosely translated, Holmes says the proverb says, "He who asks a favor
may be embarrassed, that is have a dark face. But he who refuses,
when he could have agreed, should be doubly embarrassed, that is be
twice as dark."

Holmes says Flash TV broadcasts sensational journalism similar to
Jerry Springer. The correspondent in the video, Gokhan Taskin, is a
sometimes sensational news reader.

Holmes says he initially was appalled by the video that seemingly mocks
Obama, but he asked his Turkish staff to clarify why he shouldn’t
be offended. His staff explained then explained the proverb Taskin
references when he appears on camera.

"Clearly this was a bid for the viewers’ attention by being outrageous,
but he was mocking the Turkish leaders, not President Obama,"
Holmes says.

Holmes says Taskin blackened his face to make an embarrassing request,
one Taskin says Turkey’s leaders should have made but were too polite
to do so when Obama visited Turkey.

Taskin makes three requests of Obama. He asks Obama for support
against the PKK, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, to reject the charges
of Armenian genocide and to nail down support for the International
Monetary Fund. Taskin did not ask Obama for money for Turkey,
just support

Taskin concludes with an appeal to Obama to respond positively so the
proverb isn’t changed to read, "then the person who fails to respond
to the embarrassing request is an Obama."

"People understood it was outrageous," says Holmes, who served as
ambassador at the American Embassy in Ankara, Turkey from 1992 to
1995. "They certainly understood the connection. I don’t know of
any negative backlash, but I don’t know of any positive response to
it either.

"We should not demand an apology. We should not be outraged. Best
for us to understand that this is a cultural difference. Recognize,
in Turkey, just like the United States, you have broadcasts that
are outrageous."

(Copyright 2009 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

WASHINGTON – A Turkish TV video is raising eyebrows because it shows a
man in black face appearing on the split screen with President Barack
Obama. While the video at first glance could appear to be racist,
the head of the American-Turkish Council says it isn’t.

James Holmes, president and chief executive officer of the bilateral
non-profit, says the Flash TV spot that received a lot of attention
after it was posted on The Drudge Report plays off a Turkish proverb.

Loosely translated, Holmes says the proverb says, "He who asks a favor
may be embarrassed, that is have a dark face. But he who refuses,
when he could have agreed, should be doubly embarrassed, that is be
twice as dark."

Holmes says Flash TV broadcasts sensational journalism similar to
Jerry Springer. The correspondent in the video, Gokhan Taskin, is a
sometimes sensational news reader.

Holmes says he initially was appalled by the video that seemingly mocks
Obama, but he asked his Turkish staff to clarify why he shouldn’t
be offended. His staff explained then explained the proverb Taskin
references when he appears on camera.

"Clearly this was a bid for the viewers’ attention by being outrageous,
but he was mocking the Turkish leaders, not President Obama,"
Holmes says.

Holmes says Taskin blackened his face to make an embarrassing request,
one Taskin says Turkey’s leaders should have made but were too polite
to do so when Obama visited Turkey.

Taskin makes three requests of Obama. He asks Obama for support
against the PKK, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, to reject the charges
of Armenian genocide and to nail down support for the International
Monetary Fund. Taskin did not ask Obama for money for Turkey,
just support

Taskin concludes with an appeal to Obama to respond positively so the
proverb isn’t changed to read, "then the person who fails to respond
to the embarrassing request is an Obama."

"People understood it was outrageous," says Holmes, who served as
ambassador at the American Embassy in Ankara, Turkey from 1992 to
1995. "They certainly understood the connection. I don’t know of
any negative backlash, but I don’t know of any positive response to
it either.

"We should not demand an apology. We should not be outraged. Best
for us to understand that this is a cultural difference. Recognize,
in Turkey, just like the United States, you have broadcasts that
are outrageous."

OGASSAPIAN: MARCH 14 ALLIANCE TO ANNOUNCE ITS UNIFIED ELECTORAL LISTS VERY SOON

NowLebanon
April 9 2009
Lebanon

Minister of State Jean Ogassapian said in a statement issued on
Thursday that the March 14 alliance had publicly taken the decision
to run united in the upcoming parliamentary elections with unified
electoral lists throughout Lebanon, adding that the lists would be
announced very soon.

Ogassapian said that negotiations between the Future Movement and the
Tashnaq party failed, because both parties were unable to reach an
agreement. He said the lack of understanding "reflected negatively
on the elections and on the possibility of forming an Armenian bloc
with clear policies."

However, Ogassapian said that "political disagreement with the Tashnaq
does not eliminate common" Armenian principles, and he highlighted the
importance of the Armenian Church’s national and religious authority.

He said he hoped the next cabinet would be "harmonious and productive"
to be capable of making quick decisions. He called on the minority to
clarify its stance on the obstructing third vote in the next cabinet.

Ogassapian also said that President Michel Sleiman assured during
Wednesday’s cabinet session that the government had to make the pending
administrative appointments in two weeks at the latest, "or let those
who obstruct" the appointments would deal with the consequences.

MEDVEDEV INFORMED SERGE SARGSYAN

LRAGIR.AM
17:51:00 – 06/04/2009

Today, Serge Sargsyan had a phone conversation with the Russian
president Dmitri Medvedev. During the conversation, Dmitri Medvedev
informed Serge Sargsyan about the questions discussed at the G-20
summit and about the reached agreements. The presidents dwelt on
questions concerning the Armenian and Russian bilateral political
relations and the economic cooperation. In the course of the phone
conversation, an agreement was reached on a forthcoming meeting of
the two presidents, the press office of the president reports.

NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: I DID NOT PROMISE TO CLOSE DOWN ROJ TV

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.04.2009 17:00 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ We have to establish dialogue with the Islamic
world and prevent any manifestations of racial and religious
discrimination, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO new secretary-general
stated at NATO 60th-anniversary summit. "I’m opposed to religious,
ethnic and cultural discrimination of people."

Dwelling on Mohammed Cartoons published by Danish newspaper, he said
that they were misinterpreted as a sign of disrespect to Islamic
World. "We need intercultural dialogue and understanding," TRT-2
cited Rasmussen as saying.

Rasmussen, who was elected new secretary-general of NATO after Turkey
lifted its veto, stressed that he did not promise to close down Roj TV.

Earlier, Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters
that his government’s requests had included the closure of a Kurdish
satellite television broadcaster based in Denmark; the establishment
of contacts between NATO and Islamic countries; appointment of a Turk
as an aide to Fogh Rasmussen and senior NATO command positions for
Turkish generals.

Erdogan said President Barack Obama had been heavily involved in
the negotiations.

"Our president gave his approval after receiving information that our
reservations have been addressed under the guarantorship of Obama,"
Erdogan said.