Author: Kalashian Nyrie

Los esfuerzos de Turquia
El Pais, España
Miércoles 4 Mayo 2005
Viene de la pagina anterior dias de merecido descanso, disfrutar de
unos dias de puente. Hasta el proximo.- Sebastian Fernandez
Izquierdo. Petrer, Alicante.
He leido con asombro y tristeza el articulo de Carmen Lopez Alonso,
publicado en su prestigioso diario EL PAIS de 20 de abril de 2005, en
el que acepta el “genocidio armenio” como un hecho historico de
veracidad absoluta. Estos acontecimientos, altamente complejos y
multidimensionales, necesitan sin duda ser desentranados con toda
claridad. Solamente de esta forma se puede iluminar el futuro.
Presentar el “genocidio” como un dato firme sin hacer una
investigacion exhaustiva y objetiva no solamente genera una
tergiversacion de los hechos historicos, sino que tambien dificulta
que las naciones turca y armenia, que han convivido estrechamente
durante toda su historia, puedan crear un futuro comun.
Turquia esta en paz con su historia y, como pais de derecho,
respetuoso con los derechos humanos, esta poniendo todo su empeno
para que resplandezca toda la verdad. Animado por este afan, el
Parlamento de la Republica de Turquia emitio una declaracion, con
fecha 13 de abril de 2005, que busca la reconciliacion entre las
naciones turca y armenia que han estado conviviendo durante siglos en
paz y armonia en las mismas tierras, y liberarlos de los profundos
prejuicios que los atenazan como resultado de los anos de guerra,
proponiendo la creacion de una comision conjunta compuesta por
historiadores de Turquia y Armenia. Asimismo, el primer ministro de
la Republica de Turquia ha remitido una carta al presidente de
Armenia formalizando esta propuesta de crear una comision conjunta
para el estudio de estos acontecimientos tan dolorosos para todos y
expresando la disposicion de Turquia a presentar a dicha comision
todos los documentos e informacion que obran en su poder. Esta es una
demostracion de nuestra voluntad sincera de hacer frente al problema
armenio.
La autora del articulo me ha desilusionado como persona que desea que
las verdades se sepan con toda claridad al repetir en su articulo,
una vez mas, una alegacion cada vez mas politizada como si fuera un
hecho historico, sin referirse para nada a estos esfuerzos sinceros
de Turquia.- Volkan Vural. Embajador de Turquia.
–Boundary_(ID_z3wv2czkV2HEABEmry74Kw)–

Reuters AlertNet, UK
May 4 2005
Revocation procedures alarm Iraqi refugees in Germany
04 May 2005 15:07:15 GMT
Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees
BERLIN, May 4 (UNHCR) – The official letter came as complete shock:
Haraj Y. could not believe what he was seeing. The Armenian Christian
from Basra in southern Iraq had been living as a recognized refugee
in Germany for more than three years. During that time he had made
intensive efforts to get permission for his wife and children to
rejoin him in Germany. His dependants are at present staying in Amman,
where they were given mandate refugee status by the local UNHCR office.
However, instead of receiving the eagerly awaited approval for his
family’s reunion from the German authorities, the letter told him that
his own refugee status was about to be revoked. The reason: since the
fall of Saddam Hussein, the original grounds for his flight from Iraq
did not apply anymore. Under this logic, it isn’t just Haraj who is
affected: most Iraqi citizens apparently no longer need protection.
More than 18,000 refugees in Germany, most of them Iraqis, are now
subject to so-called revocation procedures. The basis for these
proceedings is a regulation in the German Asylum Procedure Law which
says that positive decisions have to be revoked without delay if
the preconditions for granting asylum have ceased to exist. This
regulation plays an even more important role under the new German
immigration law, which came into force at the beginning of this year.
As a result, the German authorities must now reconsider whether or
not an individual is still in need of protection three years after
he or she has been granted refugee status through the asylum process.
The mass issue of revocation notices is causing considerable alarm
among Iraqi exiles in Germany, who number about 84,000 in total,
including over 35,000 formally recognized refugees – more than in
any other European country.
“The thought of having to return fills me with terrible fear. I was
just four years old when my family left Iraq. My Arabic is very poor,
and so is my Kurdish,” says Jastin A., a Feili Kurd whose family
spent a long time in Iran before fleeing to Germany.
Jastin turned to the UNHCR office in Berlin for help, as has Hikmat
K., an Iraqi who was granted asylum, together with his family, eight
years ago. “I have learnt here to speak my mind openly, even about
religion. In Iraq, I fear that would cost me my life.”
For the affected people and families, there is a lot at stake,
even if – as the German authorities frequently emphasize – they do
not have to fear automatic deportation to their country of origin if
they lose their refugee status. At present no deportations are being
carried out from Germany to Iraq.
Even so, a revocation has far-reaching consequences: the affected
refugee will only be tolerated in Germany on a short-term basis and
will be obliged, in principle, to leave the country. It can mean the
loss of a job or training/education placement. Furthermore, his or
her freedom of movement will suddenly be highly restricted.
“We are very concerned about this development,” says Stefan Berglund,
UNHCR’s Representative in Germany, pointing out that because of the
prevailing situation in Iraq, UNHCR’s position remains that no pressure
of any form should be put on Iraqis to return to their native country.
Iraq is still very unstable. The security situation is extremely
poor and unpredictable in parts of the country, and economic and
humanitarian conditions remain very difficult. Since the end of the
war two years ago, several hundred thousand Iraqis, according to
unofficial estimates, have left the country for Syria and Jordan.
Because of the security situation, UNHCR and other agencies are not
in a position either to monitor the safety of returnees, or even to
say with any certainty who is at risk in the new Iraq.
“It is for these reasons that we say people should only go back
voluntarily, and not be pressurized to make that decision. It is simply
too early to deprive Iraqis of their refugee status. After all, this
also means they lose basic human and social rights,” says Berglund.
The actual situation in Iraq, as well as some fundamental reservations
concerning the revocation practice in Germany, has stimulated UNHCR
to place this issue at the heart of its frequent discussions with the
German authorities. The crucial point is how to interpret the 1951 UN
Refugee Convention, which stipulates that refugee status should cease
when the conditions in the country of origin have changed fundamentally
for the long term and the returnees can expect effective protection
by the authorities of the country of origin. The return itself must
proceed in safety and dignity.
“The revocation proceedings in Germany do not adequately take account
of these conditions. However, they must be met, according to the 1951
Convention, before the refugee status of an individual can be revoked,”
explains Berglund.
So far, about 9,000 Iraqis have had their refugee status revoked.
Many of them have turned to the courts for protection. Consequently,
UNHCR has sent letters to all Higher Administrative Courts, explaining
in detail the discrepancies between the German revocation practice
and the procedure laid down in the 1951 Convention.
The complex legal arguments in these letters pursue a quite simple
objective: to do justice to those refugees whose need for protection
has not expired in tandem with Saddam’s regime. As Hikmat K. puts it,
he just wants to ensure that the “human dimension” of his and his
family’s case is recognized.
By Stefan Teloeken UNHCR Germany
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

GENOCIDE DENIAL ON THE WEB
AZG Armenian Daily #080, 04/05/2005
Armenian Genocide
More than a month ago was hacked by the Turkish
deniers of the Armenian Genocide; the language was garbled into
Turkish and the section of the Armenian Genocide was renamed “So-called
Armenian Genocide.”
Recently the Web site has been liberated from the hackers and is
functioning now. Please participate in the discussion by registering
at

NOTHING EXTRAORDINARY HAPPENS IN ARMENIA REGARDING CONSTITUTIONAL REFORMS
Pan Armenian News
03.05.2005 07:38
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The referendum on constitutional changes in Armenia
will be held in August 2005 the earliest. In the words of Armenian
Parliament Vice-Speaker, head of the Armenian delegation to the PACE
Tigran Torosian, it is technically impossible to hold the referendum
before that time. The head of the Armenian delegation to the PACE also
commented on some details of the PACE spring session, specifically,
referring to the PACE Bureau decision not to include the situation
on the constitutional reform in Armenia as a pressing issue in the
session agenda. In Tigran Torosian’s words, the PACE presidency has
turned down the proposal, as is well-informed on the processes in
the republic. “Nothing extraordinary happens in Armenia regarding
constitutional reforms, all our moves are known and coordinated

Süddeutsche Zeitung
3. Mai 2005
Armenien stabilisieren statt isolieren;
Von Jörg Himmelreich;
Außenansicht
Armenier in aller Welt gedachten jüngst des Völkermordes an ihren
Landsleuten vor 90 Jahren. Die Bundesregierung sollte dieses Gedenken
zum Anlass nehmen, ihre Außenpolitik und die der Europäischen Union
gegenüber Armenien zu überprüfen. Die Stabilisierung Armeniens und
seiner südkaukasischen Nachbarn Georgien und Aserbaidschan ist für
die EU, die USA und Russland im Hinblick auf die Brückenfunktion des
Südkaukasus in den Mittleren Osten und nach Zentralasien von
strategischer, geopolitischer Bedeutung. In diesem europäischen
Hinterhof droht sich ein nationalistisches und islamistisches
Konfliktpotenzial zusammenzubrauen, dessen Explosivkraft sträflichst
unterschätzt wird.
Im Sommer 2005 wird die neue Ölpipeline von Baku über Tiflis zu dem
türkischen Mittelmeerterminal Ceyhan fertiggestellt. Öl und, vom
nächstem Jahr an, Gas aus den Energiereservoirs Aserbaidschans im
Kaspischen Meer werden so auf die europäischen Energiemärkte
geliefert werden. Diese so genannte BTC-Pipeline dient auch als ein
Bindeglied zu einer möglichen Energietransportverbindung durch das
Kaspische Meer zu den Gasvorkommen Zentralasiens, insbesondere
Turkmenistans. Bisher haben Öl und Gas aus dieser Region vornehmlich
über Russland den europäischen Markt mit bis zu 300-prozentigem
Preisaufschlag durch den russischen, staatlichen Zwischenlieferanten
erreicht. Die hohe Abhängigkeit Europas von Gasimporten aus Russland
würde durch einen solchen, das russische Territorium umgehenden
Energietransport beträchtlich verringert werden.
Die staatliche Fragilität der südkaukasischen Staaten stellt einen
Nährboden für die organisierte Kriminalität, für Menschen-, Waffen-
und Drogenhandel sowie ein Rückzugs- und Aufbaugebiet islamistischer
Terrorgruppen dar. Sie gefährdet die Stabilität und den Frieden
Europas unmittelbar und wirkt sich destabilisierend auf den
russischen Nordkaukasus und auf den Norden der Türkei aus. Die
Instabilität Armeniens trägt maßgeblich zu diesem
Gefährdungspotenzial für Europa bei.
Das große außenpolitische Problem Armeniens ist die Lösung des
Nagorny-Karabach-Konflikts, einer von armenischen Streitkräften seit
dem Krieg mit Aserbaidschan 1994 besetzten Provinz auf dem
Territorium Aserbaidschans. Die so genannte Minsk-Gruppe der
OSZE unter gemeinsamer Leitung Frankreichs, Russlands und der USA
bemüht sich seit 1993 vergebens um eine greifbare Lösung, sofern die
Einhaltung des Waffenstillstands nicht schon als solche ausreichen
soll. Die Außenminister und Präsidenten Armeniens und Aserbaidschans
vermitteln nicht den Eindruck, an Kompromissen tatsächlich
interessiert zu sein. Auch scheinen sie innenpolitisch nicht in der
Lage zu sein, diese durchzusetzen. Jede Seite geht fälschlicherweise
davon aus, die Zeit spiele zu ihren Gunsten; gleichzeitig profitiert
jede Seite wirtschaftlich vom Status quo.
Die zweite, nicht weniger komplexe außenpolitische Frage ist die des
Umgangs von Armenien, der Türkei und der internationalen Gemeinschaft
mit den Ereignissen, deren die Armenier in aller Welt am 24. April
gedachten. Das Deutsche Reich hat 1915 fest zu seinem türkischen
Bündnispartner im Ersten Weltkrieg gestanden. Bezeichnend ist der
Aktenvermerk des damaligen Reichskanzlers Theobald von
Bethmann-Hollweg: “Unser einziges Ziel ist, die Türkei bis zum Ende
des Krieges an unserer Seite zu halten, ob darüber Armenier zugrunde
gehen oder nicht.” Die türkische Regierung bestreitet bis heute den
Tatbestand des Völkermords nach den Kriterien der Genfer Konvention.
Ihre Grenzen nach Armenien sind geschlossen.
Aus diesem historischen Erbe und aus ihren traditionell guten
Beziehungen zur Türkei kommt der Bundesrepublik heute eine besondere
Verantwortung zu, sich in der EU für eine Vermittlung zwischen
Armenien und der Türkei einzusetzen. Vorrangiges Ziel muss es sein,
die Frage der Anerkennung des Tatbestandes des Völkermordes durch die
Türkei von der der Öffnung der Grenze zu trennen. In der türkischen
Regierung nimmt die Bereitschaft zu einer solchen pragmatischen
Verständigung mit Armenien zu. Gewisse Rücksichtnahmen auf das
historisch eng verbundene muslimische Aserbaidschan (“Eine Nation,
zwei Länder”) scheinen dem noch entgegen zu stehen. Der zügigen
Öffnung der türkisch-armenischen Grenze käme in den Verhandlungen der
EU mit der Türkei über ihren Beitritt und mit Armenien und
Aserbaidschan im Rahmen des Europäischen Nachbarschaftsprogramms
höchste Priorität zu.
Verglichen mit Georgien und Aserbaidschan befindet sich Armenien
politisch im Schatten der westlichen Aufmerksamkeit und droht
wirtschaftlich isoliert zu werden. Zwangsläufig sieht es sich
genötigt, seine ohnehin schon bestehenden engen politischen und
wirtschaftlichen Beziehungen mit Russland, aber auch mit dem Iran
weiter auszubauen.
Innenpolitisch hat Präsident Kotscharjan am 25. Mai 2003 seine
Präsidentschaft durch Wahlen verlängert, die keineswegs
internationalen Standards für demokratische Wahlen entsprachen. Aus
Protest boykottieren die Oppositionsparteien seitdem das Parlament.
Demonstrationen werden mit Gewalt unterdrückt. Neue Demonstrationen
der Oppositionsparteien werden vorbereitet. Die Entwicklungen in
Georgien, in der Ukraine und in Kirgisien strahlen aus, während
Präsident Kotscharjan eine Verfassungsänderung zu seiner weiteren
Wiederwahl nach zentralasiatischem Vorbild vorbereitet.
Die Lösung des Nagorny-Karabach-Konflikts ist die entscheidende
Voraussetzung für eine Stabilisierung Armeniens und der gesamten
südkaukasischen Region. Daher ist ein Neuanstoß auf höchster
Regierungsebene der USA und Russlands dringend notwendig, diesen
Verhandlungen der beiden Konfliktparteien nachhaltig zu einem
Durchbruch zu verhelfen. Eine solche Initiative von Russland und den
USA anzuregen, ist die Bundesregierung mit ihren guten Beziehungen zu
beiden prädestiniert. Beide Konfliktparteien müssen angehalten
werden, die Klärung des langfristigen Status von Nagorny-Karabach auf
einen späteren Zeitpunkt zu vertagen, die außerhalb dieser Provinz
von armenischen Truppen besetzten Gebieten zu räumen, eine
Landverbindung Armeniens mit Nagorny-Karabach zu gestatten und
diplomatische Beziehungen wieder aufzunehmen. Das wäre seitens der
Bundesregierung eine konstruktive Russlandpolitik und zugleich ein
Baustein im Wiederaufbau der transatlantischen Beziehungen.
Die Stabilisierung Armeniens liegt im ureigensten Interesse der EU,
USA und Russlands. Dieses Anliegen sollte in den Nebengesprächen am
9. Mai in Moskau aufgegriffen werden, wenn dort des Endes des Zweiten
Weltkriegs und des Nationalsozialismus gedacht wird. Dies wäre dann
ein hervorragendes Beispiel dafür, sich nicht nur einer gemeinsamen
Verantwortung in der Vergangenheit bewusst zu sein, sondern diese
auch in die Zukunft fortzutragen.
GRAFIK: Jörg Himmelreich ist derzeit TransatlanticFellow des German
Marshall Fund in Washington. Foto: privat
–Boundary_(ID_YzPSoEPqcLthZppKaEqNAA)–

Gamsakhurdia supporters stage protest at US embassy in Georgia
By Eka Mekhuzla
ITAR-TASS News Agency
May 3, 2005 Tuesday 2:04 PM Eastern Time
TBILISI, May 3 — The widow of ex-Georgian president Zviad
Gamsakhurdia, Manana Archvadze-Gamsakhurdia, 55, and about one hundred
of her supporters held a rally outside the United States embassy
in Tbilisi on Tuesday, proclaiming: “Mr Bush, you don’t know what
happens in Georgia.”
Gamsakhurdia’s supporters stressed that George Bush who arrives on
a visit in Tbilisi “must learn the truth” about what happens and
happened in Georgia, specifically, that “the lawful president was
overthrown in the country in the early 1992.”
In the protesters’ opinion, George Bush, during his visit in Georgia
on May 9-10, should meet not only the present leaders of the republic
but also members of the opposition, among them Gamsakhurdia’s widow.
Gamsakhurdia left Georgia on January 6, 1992 after a fortnight of
armed clashes between his opponents and supporters. He was for ten
days in Armenia and then flew to Chechnya where he was staying till
September 1993 under the patronage of Dzhokhar Dudayev. Gamsakhurdia
returned to Georgia on September 24, 1993 and tried to regain power
in October-November 1993 with the assistance of armed units loyal to
him. Aster suffering a defeat, Gamsakhurdia was hiding in highland
villages in West Georgia and died on December 31, 1993.

Armenian government named “enemy of press”
Mediamax news agency
3 May 05
Yerevan, 3 May: The National Press Club [NPC] today conferred the
title of enemy of the press to the Armenian government.
NPC members said that throughout last year “the Armenian authorities
continued to carry out a systematic fight against freedom of speech”.
Members of the NPC board also said that “the Armenian government, on
the one hand, declares to the whole world its commitment to democracy,
on the other hand, it hinders the development and establishment of
free press”.
“Since there is undeclared war against the media, the National Press
Club considers it senseless to confer the title of enemy of the press
to an individual,” the NPC members said.
The National Press Club decided to confer the title of friend of the
press to no-one.
[Armenian President Robert Kocharyan was named the enemy of the press
for three years running.]

Genocide 90 Years ago – and Denial
By Garbis Krajian
Addis Tribune
April 29, 2005
o.htm
As a form of introduction, I was born in Ethiopia from Armenian
parents. My family’s history in Ethiopia goes back over 150 years. From
my father’s side, I am fortunate to trace my genealogy back five
generations. From my mother’s side, I am only able to go back as far
as my grandfather. Nonetheless!
I grew up in the Arat Kilo region and still remember many of my
childhood friends. I became fluent in Amharic and loved doing
everything a child would do in our neighborhood. Ethiopia became
my home country and home to almost all Armenians who live in
Ethiopia. Right after the fall of the Emperor I left Ethiopia for
Canada.
After living abroad for thirty years, I have returned to Ethiopia
as an educator. Upon my arrival I learned that the once vibrant and
prosperous Armenian community that numbered around 1,500 has dwindled
to less than one hundred. The remaining twenty families still run
the community school, a club and a church.
On April 24th, like it has been done for the last 90 years, I also
went to my church to pray for the soul of my ancestors.
It is estimated that over ten million Armenians and friends in one
hundred fifty-two countries gathered in churches, community centers,
and national assembly halls to commemorate the 90th anniversary of
the Armenian Genocide. I was one of sixty Armenians who congregated
at St. George Armenian Church to pay tribute to my ancestors who were
victims of the atrocities committed by the Turkish Ottoman Empire
during the First World War. Needless to say, I could not think of
being anywhere else in the world at this particular moment than this
sacred place in Addis which is still situated in the same setting
where I regularly prayed as a child until I was 19 years of age. This
was the same site, where every year, on April 24th, a thousand or so
Armenian-Ethiopians gathered to remember their ancestors, the children,
and the elderly who were slaughtered by the Ottoman Army. In fact,
what makes my conviction so much stronger is that I am the grandchild
of one of the Forty Orphans, the “Arba Lijoch,” who survived the
genocide and escaped to Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, these forty orphans
were given shelter at the Armenian Monastery later to be adopted by
Emperor Haile-Selassie. The Emperor brought them to Ethiopia, where
they made this lovely country their home. These forty young men,
who were a band had impressed the Emperor with their musical skills.
Upon their arrival to Ethiopia, they were commissioned, under the
directorship of Noubar Nalbandian, uncle of Nerses Nalbandian, to
compose the National Anthem of Ethiopia. It remained as the anthem,
“Teferi Marsh” or “Ethiopia Hoy,” until the arrival of the Dergue.
Before I move to the topic of my immediate concern, I pay much
gratitude to all Ethiopians, present and past, for giving the Armenians
a home for the last 100 years.
Now let me take you to the main issue, the Armenian Genocide. The
main intent of the Genocide was the extermination of the Armenian
population from Turkey. This massive atrocity was committed on the
Armenian population living on their ancestral homeland sometime around
the beginning of the last century. In those ten years, 1905-1915,
over 1.5 million Armenians mostly children women and the elderly
were systematically eliminated and expelled into the deserts by the
Ottoman Government.
Summary of the Genocide
Arguably, according to Turkish historians, Armenians and Turks lived
for centuries in relative harmony during the Ottoman Empire. However,
this historic perception portrayed to the world is far from the
truth. In fact, the systematic extermination of Armenians had started
long before the First World War. In the 1890s hundreds of thousands
of Armenians were killed by Sultan Abdul Hamid II.
Around the turn of the last century, the situation began to change for
the worse. Nationalism, a new force in the world, spread its tentacles
from Europe to the Ottoman Empire. As other Christian minorities within
the Ottoman Empire gained their independence, the Armenians became more
isolated as the only Christian minority. Some Armenians began to call
for independence. Turks envisioned a new Pan-Turkic empire spreading
all the way to Turkic speaking Central Asia. Armenians were the only
ethnic group in between these two major pockets of Turkish-speaking
people. A plan was in the works to cleanse the region and settle
the Armenian issue, once and for all. A new force was emerging to
undertake this task.
A coup led by ‘progressive’ Young Turks in 1908 replaced Sultan
Hamid II. Turkish nationalists who called themselves the “Young Turk
Revolutioneries” took control over the government. Among the most
notorious of the new governing junta were Enver, Jemal and Talat
Pasha. These young Turkish leaders masterminded a plan to completely
eradicate the Armenian race as they found them to be a stone in
their shoes that would hinder their plan for a larger Turkic Empire
stretching from Istanbul all the way to Turkmenistan.
Once the decision was made by the Young Turks to exterminate the
Armenians, events unfolded fast. A decision was made to relocate
Armenian villages, towns and cities on the pretence of public
safety. All-able bodied men were drafted to join in the wartime
effort. These men were either immediately killed or were sent to
join the army. The relocation plan commenced with vengeance and
the remaining residents were then escorted by Turkish Gendarmes on
death marches.
The deportation of the Armenians resembled the movement of large
herds of cattle, in search of pasture and water. Unfortunately in
this case, the exodus was planned for extermination. On the journey
to death, the Armenians were raped, starved, dehydrated, murdered,
kidnapped and were deliberately drowned in the Euphrates river. Only
a few fortunate ones such as my grandfather managed to escape. It is
so ironic, learning from my grandfather, that it was a young Turkish
shepherd who saved his life by hiding him in the sheep barn. Both
were 12 years old at the time A few weeks later the parents of the
shepherd discovered the young boy hiding in the barn.
The Turkish family immediately took him to their house, fed him,
gave him clothing and provided him with a comfortable bed. As it was
considered to be a criminal act to harbor an Armenian, the little boy
was given to a trusted merchant who masked him as his son, sat him on
a camel, and took him all the way to Palestine. Like my grandfather,
those that survived and escaped received assistance from those who
have come to be known as “Good Turks.” In fact, many Turks risked
their lives by saving some Armenian victims and it would be a serious
error to treat all the Turkish people as perpetrators of the crime.
Ninety Years Later
Survivors of the Armenian Genocide, children, grand-children and
great-grand children, are scattered in over 150 countries. Few
Armenians ever fail to commemorate the Genocide on April 24th. However,
important this might be for them, it has also received international
prominence as this event marks one of the first genocide of the
last century.
Some well regarded scholars argue that there have been as many as
fifty such genocides committed in the last century. Others say that
only four really meet the criteria set out in the 1948 UN Genocide
Convention, the Extermination of the Herero in Namibia, the Armenians
in the Ottoman Empire, the Jews in Europe and the Tutsis in Rwanda.
Does this categorization of genocide types and forms matter when
still many countries in the world, including the present and all past
Turkish governments since the genocide, have denied the TRUTH? Would
recognition of the genocide, perhaps, appear as an evil notion? NO,
not at all. It would only make Turkey come to terms with its past
and address the dark side of history~@¦. in a human manner as others
have done in civilized nations like Germany.
It is believed that Hitler was encouraged by the atrocities committed
on Armenians by the Ottoman Empire and the indifference shown by
the civilized world. This is what Hitler said before exterminating
six million Jews in Europe: “Who, after all, speaks today of the
annihilation of the Armenians?”
What about the Rwandan Genocide? What about the Congo, the Sudan? What
about Srebrenica? Where will all these atrocities take us if past
genocides are denied? What about the Future? How many more genocides
would be committed? Just think about it seriously! Therefore, I urge
Prime Minister Erdogan of Turkey and his friends to deal with the issue
of the Armenian Genocide once and for all. Many Turkish historians and
the public have urged the Turkish Government to recognize the Armenian
Genocide instead of continuing to deny that it ever happened. Many
countries like France, Italy, Germany, and many others have formally
recognized the Armenian Genocide. Few others like Britain and the
United States are being pressured by their citizens to formally accept
this atrocity as lending support to Turkey in this matter can only
be interpreted as complacency.
By recognizing the Armenian Genocide, Turkey has much to gain and
possibly nothing to lose. First of all, it is the right thing to
do as justice always prevails. Second, in order for reconciliation
happens between these two people, acceptance of guilt, asking for
forgiveness and receiving forgiveness has to take place. Third, the two
neighboring nations will live in peace and prosper together. Fourth,
it will bring Turkey amongst the ranks of civilized nations like
Germany which accepted responsibility of the atrocities of the Nazi
and formally apologized to the victims and the State of Israel. Fifth,
it will give Turkey a better chance of joining the European Union
as some countries like France have made recognizing the genocide
a prerequisite before Turkey joins the EU. Sixth, as an Armenian,
I would like to put all these issues to rest and offer forgiveness
to a Nation whose citizens are still told by their government that
the real perpetrators were the Armenians. Last but not least, allow
me to recall Reverend Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech,
borrow a short paragraph that I love and adopt few changes and make
it relevant to the issue which has preoccupied both Armenians and
Turks for the last century.
It reads as follows:
I have a dream that one day little Armenian boys and girls will be
able to join hands with little Turkish boys and girls as sisters
and brothers without having to bring up the past. I hope one day,
my daughters Sara and Ani will be able to play with the children of
my very good Turkish friend Serdar, without even going there~@¦there
~@¦there, to the past, a very sad past that is inevitable to surface
when an Armenian and Turk meet.
G. Korajian is a Graduate of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government
He teaches Ethics Courses. His current assignment is in Ethiopia
and Zambia.
He can be reached a:
[email protected]
[email protected]
–Boundary_(ID_+28QwdSFZlHiskwUU3o7+g)–

Firebrand Kevorkian ‘a tough act to follow’
The Nation (Thailand)
May 2, 2005, Monday
In the construction business, Bob Kevorkian towered above many of
his contemporaries in building large-scale projects.
His style was to deliver on time. He was dependable and fast. These
qualities endeared him to the many professional developers whose key
motivation was to get their projects off the ground and completed as
quickly as possible to reap the full rewards of their labour.
A half-finished project is worth very little.
Kevorkian, managing director of K-Tech Construction & Engineering Plc,
passed away last Tuesday from a heart attack. His death will prove
a great loss to the real-estate sector.
British-Sikh tycoon Gulu Lalvani, one of the many developers whom
Kevorkian worked for, was so impressed by the quality and speed of
his work on his Bt6-billion Royal Phuket Marina that he immediately
started to think about expanding his realty business.
“Bob has done a tremendous job,” said Lalvani earlier this year when
he awarding a new contract to Kevorkian. “The marina has been built
ahead of schedule.”
Such praises were commonly heaped on Kevorkian but not as usually
distributed among other players.
What marked Kevorkian’s reputation was his ability to keep his word
and delivered what he promised.
When bidding for a project, he placed himself in the seat of the
developer and understood fully what the repercussions were if a
project was delayed and how much that would cost the investors.
Bangkok’s property boom benefited from Kevorkian’s presence, for he
helped to teach often short-term players about the need to honour
commitments over shady practices such as delaying tactics to extort
more money from companies.
Overall, he understood that if the developer suffered, his suppliers
and building contractors would not be exempt, all facing not getting
paid.
As a man who came from the school of hard knocks, the Cairo-born
British national of Armenian descent held no illusions as to what
happens when his employers go bust.
Litigation over collecting payments from bankrupt firms is not
something practical minds can afford to entertain in the real world
of business.
Nigel Cornick, the chief executive of Raimon Land, said Kevorkian
was ahead of the pack and dependable because he “kept his commitments”.
“He will be a hard act to follow,” said Cornick. Because of Kevorkian’s
strength in organising his firm, K-Tech, which does well over Bt100
million in receipts a year, should carry on without too many hiccups.
Cornick’s ties to Kevorkian spans 10 years. Ironically, Kevorkian
recently completed The Lakes for Cornick, a project that he was first
employed to construct as an office building called Raimon Tower.
With the 1997 financial meltdown, the project was cancelled and only
revived two years ago by Cornick as The Lakes.
True to his word, the building is now up and running. Cornick said
the firebrand that led the firm would be difficult to replace.
Kevorkian, who was also Honorary Consul for Armenia in Bangkok, was
born in 1942 in Egypt, which his parents were forced to flee during
the 1956 Suez crisis.
He worked for top construction companies in England before coming
to Thailand in the late 1980s to head Thai Bauer, a firm he started
from scratch.
Pritpal Singh Gill, who heads big projects at Golden Land Plc,
said Kevorkian was a well-read man with a passion for history and
politics. While he was a charismatic entrepreneur, Kevorkian was also
a devoted family man.
He leaves behind his wife Linda, two sons, two daughters and an
adopted Thai son.
His charity work includes a foundation bearing his name, an HIV/Aids
home in Thailand and another in Armenia.
Gill, whose friendship with Kevorkian dates back 16 years, said they
had first worked at a project on Pattanakarn Road called President
Park.
They became close, as Kevorkian moved on to start up Philip
Holzman before forming K-tech. He was an integral player in the Thai
construction market during the past two decades, which saw Thai real
estate expand furiously before collapsing in the 1997-1998 crash.
Today, the firm is involved with several major projects including the
Northshore condominium project in Pattaya and a number of detached
housing sites for Golden Land such as Golden Lanna and Golden Sathorn.
One of his largest undertaking was the Royal Phuket Marina project
on the eastern coast of Phuket island. The site includes residential
condominiums, luxury villas and a shopping mall.
A church service for Kevorkian was held last Friday. Gill said it was
his wish to be buried in Armenia. It is expected that his eldest son,
Dominic, will fill Kevorkian’s shoes.
Itthi C TanThe Nation

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE COMMEMORATIVE COMMITTEE
259 Penshurst Street
Willoughby NSW 2068
Email: [email protected]
Contact: Dr Tro Kortian 0412197364
90th ANNIVERSARY ARMENIAN GENOCIDE COMMEMORATION – Sydney, Australia

Sydney, AUSTRALIA: On Sunday 24 April 2005 – on the eve of the 90th
Anniversary of the ANZAC landings at Gallipoli – members of Sydney’s
Armenian-Australian Community joined millions of Armenians dispersed
around the world, in a solemn commemoration marking the 90th
Anniversary of the Genocide of the Armenians perpetrated by the
Ottoman Turkish government during World War I.
The 90th Anniversary Armenian Genocide Commemoration in Sydney was
organised by the Armenian Genocide Commemorative Committee of
Australia, under the auspices of the Armenian Council of Australia,
and under the primateship of His Eminence Archbishop Aghan Baliozian,
Primate of the Diocese of Australia and New Zealand.
A crowd in excess of 1100 packed the Willoughby Town Hall in Sydney
for the Commemoration. Also in attendance were several federal, state
and local politicians, other public figures, representatives of
various ethnic communities and five genocide survivors with their
family members. All being present both to honour the memory of the 1.5
million Armenian men, women and children who fell victim to the
Genocide that commenced on 24 April 1915, as well as to reaffirm their
vigilance against such crimes against humanity and any attempts to
deny, obfuscate or demean the historical truth surrounding such crimes
International Guest Speaker for the evening was Mrs Hilda Tchoboian,
President of the Armenian European Federation for Justice and
Democracy (EAFJD) ` the influential Brussels-based advocacy body of
the Armenian-European Community.
In her moving key-note address to the audience, delivered in both
English and Armenian, Mrs Tchoboian paid homage not only to the
victims of the Genocide but also `to the men, women and children who
were destined to be dehumanised by the criminal designs of the Turkish
government, but who survived ` your parents, our parents ` and who
succeeded in achieving a miracle of humanity: that of building, after
so much horror and suffering, a society of responsible men and women
who knew to preserve and transfer to future generations love, moral
fibre and human values.’
Commenting on the current state of affairs, Mrs Tchoboian observed `
¦ Ninety years later, modern Turkey is in a panic realising that
the International Community will not forget this Crime which it has
tried so hard to eliminate from the memory of the human race.’
She went on to note `With the denial of Genocide, Turkey is itself
complicit in the guilt of the organisers of the Genocide. It has a
moral responsibility, for which the International Community must hold
Turkey accountable’ as well as a political responsibility `¦since
the Turkish nation-state was constructed on the cadavers of the
Armenian people; Turkey built itself with confiscated assets and the
nationalised inheritance of the murdered Armenians, which were
integrated into the Turkish national treasury.’
In her concluding comments, Mrs Tchoboian added: `Today’s Turkey is
responsible for the Genocide of the Armenians. Today’s Turkey must
recognise the crime and must bear the full legal consequences
emanating from such recognition. There can be no compromise on this
fundamental obligation.’
During the Commemoration, statements and messages of support was
conveyed to the audience by several federal and state politicians.
These included: The Hon Joe Hockey MP, Minister for Human Services,
representing the Prime Minister of Australia, The Hon John Howard; Mr
Tony Burke MP. Representing The Hon. Kim Beazley, Leader of the
Federal Opposition; The Hon John Watkins MP, Minister for Transport,
representing the Premier of New South Wales, The Hon Bob Carr, and The
Hon John Brogden MP, Leader of Opposition in New South Wales. A
video-taped message from the Premier of New South Wales, the Hon. Bob
Carr marking the occasion of the 90th Anniversary of the Genocide was
also broadcast to the Commemoration.
The Commemoration concluded with a closing address and prayer by His
Eminence Archbishop Aghan Baliozian.
* * * * *
90th ANNIVERSARY ARMENIAN GENOCIDE COMMEMORATION:
Statements and Messages of Support
Sydney, AUSTRALIA: At the 90th Anniversary Armenian Genocide
Commemoration in Sydney held on Sunday 24 April 2005, several federal
and state politicians conveyed statements and messages of support to
the audience.
Below is the text of some of these messages of support:
Message from the Premier of New South Wales, The Hon. Bob Carr MP
MESSAGE FROM PREMIER BOB CARR 90TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

The twentieth century was the century of genocide.
And the slaughter of the Armenians was its horrific beginning. Because
the world chose to forget and in many places still chooses to
forget. It taught a chilling lesson:
– that you can get away with genocide;
– an attempt to obliterate a whole people off the face of the earth
may not be stopped by any earthly power.
Hitler himself is witness to this startling proposition.
`Who after all remembers the annihilation of the Armenians?’ he said,
and calmly proceeded to murder six million Jews.
Pol Pot followed. And Bosnia. And Rwanda. And now, even after all
these lessons, Darfur.
But the Armenian genocide is the original, horrible attempted
extermination of a whole people under the guise of war, in a gruesome
coincidence with the Anzac landings happening a few hundred kilometres
away.
To those who would deny the Armenian genocide, it is worth remembering
Australian prisoners-of-war are among the witnesses.
One soldier wrote about how he saw:
`a hundred human wolves plunge in among about ten times as many
defenceless human beings, tearing them to pieces with bayonets. The
Armenians were unable to run away. They were tied together four by
four and utterly exhausted. The assassins simply nailed them to the
ground.’
In such ways were 1.5 million men, women and children put to death,
killed simply for being Armenian, and ninety years later their voices
still call down the decades for justice and for remembrance.
As the late Pope John Paul II said at the memorial in Yerevan:
Listen, oh Lord, to the lament that rises from this place, to the cry
of innocent blood that pleads like the blood of Abel, like Rachel
weeping for her children because they are no more.
We have heard their cries. We will remember them always.
********

The Hon. Kim Beazley MP, Leader of the Federal Opposition
MESSAGE FOR THE 90TH ARMENIAN GENOCIDE COMMEMORATION
On behalf of the Federal Australian Labor Party I would like to extend
my very best wishes to the Armenian Community of Sydney and to
acknowledge with respect all members of the Armenian community
attending today’s ceremony commemorating the untimely deaths of so
many of their country men, women and children during World War 1.
The 20th Century was witness to the Armenian Genocide, which will be
remembered in history as one of the most horrific events the world has
seen, and today is dedicated to the memory of the Armenian people who
suffered so terribly during those dark days and years. As Armenians
all over the world gather together to honour the memory of the
innocent lives that were lost, this commemoration ceremony reminds us
all that we all share a duty to protect the religious, racial and
political rights of all humanity.
Armenia is a small but an ancient civilization with a rich culture and
heritage. Australia has welcomed Armenian settlers since the days of
the gold rush in the 1850s. Today the 30,000 strong Australian
Armenian community includes people born in 43 countries who make an
important contribution to our culture and diversity and who are an
integral part of our splendid cohesive and proud multicultural
society. The annual commemoration of the Armenian Genocide in World
War I is an opportunity for all Australians to reflect on the values
of peace and coexistence and the need be ever vigilant against the
abuse of human and civil rights..
Today’s ceremony symbolises the great courage and spirit of the
Armenian people and I know it will be a fitting commemoration for
those who died in the genocide
*******
The Hon John Brogden MP, Leader of Opposition in New South Wales
`A farmer God created man,
The soil to dress and till; Cursed be the hand whose wicked art
Has taught him blood to spill!’

As many of you will recognise, those are the ringing words of the
great Armenian poet Catholicos Khrimian `Hayrig’:
This month of April is overloaded with melancholic anniversaries:
· tonight we mark the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide
· the sun will shortly rise on the pilgrims assembled on the beaches
and the killing fields of Gallipoli also ninety years on from the day
that sacred place entered the Australian soul
· sixty years ago this month the death camps of Nazi Germany were
liberated
· thirty years ago the monstrous Khmer Rouge swept across Cambodia and
sent its own people to their terrible killing fields.
The lives of men and women, of people and nations, are linked in one
great almost impenetrable web ` the web of our common humanity. Ninety
years ago two great tragedies occurred on Turkish soil: the events
known to all history as the Armenian Genocide and the landings on
Gallipoli.
The one event, an assault upon the very existence of an ancient
nation; the other the coming of age of a new one.The Twentieth Century
itself could well be described as the Century of Genocides:

· first the Armenians at the hands of the Ottomans
· then the Jews and gypsies at the hands of the Nazis
· next the Cambodians at the hands of their own mad despots
· followed by the Serbs and Muslims at the hands of their once
neighbours
· more recently the Tutsis of Rwanda at the hands of another ethnic
tribe
· and even today the people of Dhafur in the Sudan at the hands of
their racial and religious overlords.
To our everlasting shame we have all too often remained silent, even
in the light of the clearest evidence of genocide.
The continuing denial of the Armenian Genocide has provided a license
for other Genocidist states to continue to perpetrate these crimes
against humanity.
It is indeed correct that the sins of silence created their own evil.
Winston Churchill lamented after peace was made between Turkey and the
great powers that:
`history will search in vain for the word Armenia’.
Churchill was wrong.
Mount Ararat still stands.
The people of Armenia have withstood the Turks, war, earthquakes and
strife.
They are a living embodiment of these words of scripture – “From this
faith none can shake us, neither angels, nor men, neither sword, fire
or water, nor any bitter torturers.”
The people of Armenia endure.
In remembering the suffering and the slaughter of the Armenian people,
we must keep foremost in our minds ` now and forever the simple
promise ` `never again!’.

Genocides, wherever they occur ` in time or in place ` share two
prerequisites:
· they are fuelled by hate, prejudice and ignorance, and
· their aim is nothing less than an extermination of a people, their
language and their culture.
They arise in the black pits of a warped human psyche and they seek to
consign their victims to a black pit of contemporary and historic
oblivion.
Genocides are defeated both by force of arms in the hands of the
righteous and by the light which shines from the recognition of our
common humanity.
You ` the inheritors and guardians of the culture, the history, the
language, the faith and the memory of the Armenian people and the
Armenian nation have a responsibility, as grave as any cast upon
people today:
· to remember ` to serve the honoured memory of your ancestral people
and your nation, to guard its very essence and transmit it to future
generations.
Alongside this grave responsibility I know that those with Armenian
ancestry in the four corners of the globe make an enormous
contribution in the nations that have become their new homes.
The facts of the Armenian Genocide are too clear, too unambiguous, too
well attested and too recent to be ignored or denied.
There can only be forgiveness and reconciliation if there is
recognition and regret
In the same spirit that the German Chancellor has acknowledged the
truth of the Holocaust and made a national apology, so there remains
an imperative that the perpetrators of the Armenian Genocide
recognise, regret and repent.
Mikayel Nalbandian in his epic poem `Liberty’ warns that for those of
us who are committed to freedom, justice, peace and truth
`The path is thorny all the way
And many trials wait for thee¦’
Together, here, tonight, and in common with all members of the
Armenian diaspora wherever they gather to mark today and to remember,
we know that we can travel that thorny path and overcome those many
trials.
As we move closer to a century of denial we must maintain our resolve
that those who committed the heinous crimes against the Armenian
people during those dark, dark days in April 1915 and ensuing months
are made to accept responsibility for their heinous crimes.
I would like to leave you with the words of the famous Pullitzer prize
winning American author William Saroyan which I think captures the
essence of the Armenian spirit and makes it easy to understand why we
must honour the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide:
Saroyan wrote:
`I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this
small tribe of unimportant people whose wars have all been fought and
lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is
unheard and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia.
See it if you can do it. Send them to the desert without bread or
water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not
laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the
world, see if they will not create a new Armenia.