Author: Kanayan Tamar

LEBANESE COMPANY WANTS TO PRESENT 20,000 FUR TREES TO ASHTARAK TOWN

12:41 March 05, 2015

EcoLur

One of the Lebanese companies expressed its wish to present around
20,000 fur trees to Ashtarak town, as Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Ambassador of the Lebanese Republic to Armenia Jean Makaron said at
his meeting with Agriculture Minister Sergo Karapetyan held on 4 March.

Under Public Relations Department of Agriculture Ministry, an area
has already been allotted for planting fur trees.

TURKISH PRESIDENT FINED FOR ‘INSULTING’ ARMENIA PEACE STATUE

Associated Press International
March 3, 2015 Tuesday 3:10 PM GMT

ANKARA, Turkey

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) – Turkey’s state-run news agency says a court has
ordered President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to pay 10,000 Turkish Lira (US$
4,000) in compensation to an artist for calling his sculpture – meant
to promote reconciliation between Turkey and Armenia – a “monstrosity.”

Erdogan expressed his dislike in 2011 of Mehmet Aksoy’s giant “Monument
to Humanity,” which was being erected in the eastern city of Kars,
prompting local authorities there to dismantle it. Aksoy then sued
Erdogan for “insult.”

Anadolu Agency said the court ordered Erdogan to compensate Aksoy
for the mental anguish caused.

Turkey and Armenia have no diplomatic ties and are at odds over the
mass killings of Armenians under Ottoman rule.

Next month, Armenians mark the 100th anniversary of the start of what
experts deem to be genocide.

AMERICAN JOURNALIST HIGHLIGHTS 8 REASONS TO VISIT ARMENIA AND GEORGIA

12:45, 5 March, 2015

YEREVAN, MARCH 5, ARMENPRESS. The journalists of the American Houstonia
website Bill Wiatrak has published an article on the 8 main reasons,
one should visit Armenia and Georgia. As reports “Armenpress”, the
article runs as follows:

“I’m sitting in a beautiful hotel room at a ski resort as I write
this. It is the best hotel in town and has a cigar bar, billiards
room, Turkish bath, amazing views, and a location right next to the
ski lift. The breakfast buffet is delicious, infinite, and included
with cost of the room. It’s the most expensive hotel around at $100 per
night. I’d pay five times that if I were in Aspen. I’m in Tsaghkadzor,
Armenia.

I’ve been traveling in Armenia and Georgia for the last week and have
been amazed by the hospitality of the people and the great sites that
can be reached fairly easy if you have a little adventure in you. Here
are my top eight reasons to visit these two amazing countries:

1. No visa required: Just show up at the airport or a border crossing,
and if you’re an American, welcome!

2. World class sites: Both countries have amazing monasteries and
UNESCO World Heritage Sites. I have seen more churches than I can
count in my travels around the world, but the monasteries here are
showstoppers. When you walk into one, you’ll feel like you’re in an
Indiana Jones movie. Best of all, most of them are free. The ones
that aren’t, are usually less than $2.

3. Driving: Gasoline actually costs about the same as in the
US. Most of Europe can be double or triple the price that you’re
used to paying. Cars are easy to rent, and a few companies allow
you to drive freely across the borders if you don’t want to rely on
public transport.

4. Skiing: Tsaghkador, Armenia is the ski resort where the Soviet team
used to train for the Olympics. The powder is great, the facilities
are decent, and lift tickets for the day are only $12. If you just
want to do one run, you can buy a single lift ticket for $3. You can
ski for an entire week for what you would pay at Vail for a day or two.

5. Food: Georgian cuisine is unlike any other food in the world.

Georgian restaurants are as ubiquitous in Russia as Mexican food in
the US. For some reason, the food has never really made it across the
Atlantic. If you like cheese, the Georgians will give you cheese on
top of your cheese. Khachapuris are fabulous, the cognacs are amazing,
and no matter what you order, it will cost you half of what you would
pay anywhere else–if you could find it.

6. Friendly people: Last night I accidentally walked into a private
party. I was grabbed by the host, seated at the table, and given
drinks and food. Everyone took turns wearing my cowboy hat. When I
finally escaped and walked into another restaurant down the street,
the same exact thing happened at someone else’s private party. Where
else would you find such hospitality? The Georgians make you feel
like a celebrity.

7. Wine: Georgia is famous for it. You could do an entire vacation just
visiting the wineries in the area. Every Georgian worth his weight
in laris has grapevines in his backyard. The wine is cheap and very
good quality. Georgia is the only country I’ve ever been to where I’ve
been given a bottle of wine when the custom agent stamped my passport.

8. Cheap flights: You can get to Tbilisi with a free stopover in
Istanbul via Turkish Airlines. TA is about half the price of any
other airline when it comes to getting to Europe, and the quality of
the airline is very nice. Georgia is a short flight from Istanbul,
and with the free stopover, you have two vacations instead of one.

PREPARATIONS FOR GALLIPOLI CENTENNIAL COMMEMORATIONS NOT YET BEGUN

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
March 4 2015

March 04, 2015, Wednesday/ 18:21:56/ MEHMET GULER / ISTANBUL

Citizens are barred from the memorial site as no preparations have
been made for the centennial commemorations of the Battle of Gallipoli
that are scheduled to take place on March 18, April 24 and April 25.

Because the naval battles were the turning point of an Ottoman Turkish
victory, yearly “Remembrance of Soldiers” and “Gallipoli Naval Victory”
ceremonies are held on March 18.

In addition, April 24 and 25 have also been set aside for ceremonies,
sparking controversy as April 24 is also the date of the Armenian
Genocide Remembrance Day. There has been much speculation over the
proceedings because, though the president’s office has sent many
invitations to international leaders, few have been accepted. The
ceremonies were announced five years ago.

The dates approach, and despite the establishment of a Canakkale
Governor’s Office 2015 Coordination Center three years ago and several
meetings held by the offices of the Canakkale Governor’s Office and the
prime minister, no decisions have been made concerning the ceremonies.

Canakkale (Gallipoli) Municipal Mayor Ulgur Gokhan has admitted that
progress has been thwarted, saying; “Work concerning the centennial
is not going well. We have neither a budget nor staff. We are trying
to make it work with own means but they are not enough.”

PROSPEROUS ARMENIA MORE CLEARLY PERCEIVED AS OPPOSITION PARTY – HOVHANNES SAHAKYAN

20:19 * 05.03.15

Hovhannes Sahakyan, Chairman of the Standing Committee on State and
Legal Affairs, Parliament of Armenia welcomes the Prosperous Armenia
party’s statement on joining the opposition camp.

“Therefore, at least in terms of classical politics, we are going to
have a situation that would be in conformity with present perceptions –
the Opposition is Opposition, while the authorities are authorities,”
Mr Sahakyan said.

He points out an interesting fact of a woman politician elected as
party chairperson.

Prosperous Armenia leader Gagik Tsarukyan has announced his retirement
from politics, and the Prosperous Armenia party has declared itself an
opposition political force. As to whether it follows political logic,
Mr Sahakyan said:

“We accept Gagik Tsarukyan’s decision to retire from politics. As
to how well it follows political logic, it is up to him and his
fellow-members to decide on whether it is acceptable to them. We,
for our part, respect Mr Tsarukyan’s decision and I think that each
individual has a right to decide on his or her future and activities.”

The Prosperous Armenia party has declared itself an opposition
political force. Asked if it is a more acceptable option than an
“alternative,” considering statements by political figures and analysts
that political forces are normally pro-government or opposition ones,
Mr Sahakyan said:

“As a person that has certain responsibility in Armenia’s Parliament,
I much better understand a situation when the Opposition is Opposition
and authorities are authorities. You cannot claim you are not an
opposition force if you are even more radical and tough than other
opposition forces. Therefore, at least in terms of classical politics,
we are going to have a situation that would be in conformity with
present perceptions – the Opposition is Opposition, while the
authorities are authorities.”

The main message at the meeting of the Political Council of the ruling
Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) on February 12 was that Armenia’s
politics needs to be cleared of “counterproductive elements.”

As a result, only political figures are now among the Prosperous
Armenia party members, while businessmen have left. However, they
continue as MPs.

“We have first-past-the-post and proportional representation voting
systems. I would like to note that constitutional reforms envisage
larger-scale reforms for our people to make their own assessment of
political teams’ programs. In this context, I think that people that
can be of help could continue as MPs. But we hold the opinion that it
is only political figures that can engage in politics. I think that
time will come when there will not be any need for certain steps, such
as explanatory work. Conditions will enable businessmen to do their
business, doctors to do their job and lawyers to do their job. And
when we look back on the period when Armenia gained independence,
we see that time must come when we have a professional parliament.”

It is for the first time in Armenia’s history that a woman has been
elected chairperson of Armenia’s second largest political party.

“We are a democratic state which is moving toward being a rule-of-law
state. I would like to remind you that we have women-leaders of
political parties, a woman-spokesperson of Armenia’s Parliament and
a woman-minister. And the second largest political force with led by
a woman is of interest to me as well. As regards Naira Zohrabyan as a
politician, she is a rather active and promptly responding person. But
a political force’s influence does not depend on its leader.

Therefore, it is too early to make assessments. Let us wish her
success in her activities in conformity with democratic and legal
standards of a rule-of-law state.”

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL HEARS FROM 30 DIGNITARIES AS IT CONTINUES ITS HIGH-LEVEL SEGMENT

Premium Official News
March 4, 2015 Wednesday

Geneva

United Nations Human Rights has issued the following news release:

The Human Rights Council this afternoon continued its High-Level
Segment, hearing statements from 30 dignitaries who spoke about their
concerns regarding the situation in a number of countries and regions
around the world and outlined some of their national policies for
the promotion and protection of human rights.

Speaking were Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Minister for Foreign Affairs
of Germany; Ramtane Lamamra, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Algeria;
Sebastian Kurz, Federal Minister for Europe, Integration and Foreign
Affairs of Austria; Pierre Moukoko Mbonjo, Minister for Foreign
Affairs of Cameroon; Mohammed Bello Adoke, Attorney General of the
Federation and Minister of Justice of Nigeria; Lubomír Zaorálek,
Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic; Aichetou Mint
M’Haiham, Commissioner for Human Rights and Humanitarian Action
of Mauritania; Edward Nalbandian, Minister for Foreign Affairs of
Armenia; Carlos Alfredo Castaneda Magaña, Deputy Minister for Foreign
Affairs of El Salvador; Henryka MoÃ…~[cicka-Dendys, Undersecretary of
State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland; Mbarka Bouaida,
Minister Delegate to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Morocco;
Peter Stenlund, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of Finland;
Roksanda NinÄ~MiÄ~G, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
of Serbia; Nguyen Quoc Cuong, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs
Viet Nam; Aleksandar Andrija PejoviÄ~G, State Secretary for European
Integration of Montenegro; Iyad Ameen Madani, Secretary General of
the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation; Delcy Eloína Rodríguez
Gómez, Minister of People’s Power for Foreign Affairs of Venezuela;
Utoni Nujoma, Minister of Justice of Namibia; Ri Su Yong, Minister for
Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea; Gebran
Bassil, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Emigrants of Lebanon; Maite
Nkoana-Mashabane, Minister for International Relations and Cooperation
of South Africa; Mahendra Bahadur Pandey, Minister for Foreign Affairs
of Nepal; Federica Mogherini, High Representative for Foreign Affairs
and Security Policy of the European Union and Vice-President of the
European Commission; Martin Lidegaard, Minister for Foreign Affairs
of Denmark; Henry Okello Oryem, Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs
of Uganda; Ignacio Ybáñez, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
of Spain; Cho Tae-yul, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the
Republic of Korea; Abdulla Abdullatif Abdulla, Undersecretary for
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bahrain; Juan Carlos Alurralde,
Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bolivia; and Kamalesh Sharma,
Secretary-General of The Commonwealth.

Speakers highlighted the scourge of terrorism and the need to address
it, stressing in particular the gross violations of international
humanitarian law, human rights and dignity by extremist groups
such as Boko Haram and ISIL, but also the Lord’s Resistance Army,
the Democratic Forces for the Liberation in Rwanda, Al Shabab in
Somalia, and Al-Qaeda affiliated terrorist groups in Libya and the
Maghreb region. These acts were unacceptable and necessitated urgent
and decisive action from the international community. It was also
considered important to address systematic violations and abuses,
and to hold to account those who were responsible. Speakers underlined
the importance of the fight against impunity, the inadmissibility of
the death penalty, the indivisibility and interdependency of human
rights and the need for a more holistic, non-selective approach to
human rights that included economic, social and cultural rights and
the right to development.

Many speakers emphasized the importance of freedom of expression, and
in particular of freedom of the press. In this respect, they condemned
the attacks on journalists, and called against religious intolerance,
warning against Islamophonia and anti-Semitism. Women’s and children’s
rights, especially in the context of conflict situations, were
also highlighted, and the use of child soldiers as well as sexual
abuse of women in conflict were condemned. The rights of minorities,
refugees and migrants were likewise emphasized. Focus was made on the
post-2015 development agenda and the issues that needed to be addressed
with more attention, including poverty eradication, climate change,
sustainable development and peace-building. Speakers commended the work
of the Human Rights Council and vowed to improve the protection and
implementation of human rights nationally, as well as internationally.

At the end of the meeting Turkey, Russian Federation, Japan,
Azerbaijan, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Qatar, Bahrain,
Republic of Korea and Myanmar spoke in right of reply.

The next meeting of the Council will be held at 9 a.m. on Wednesday,
4 March, when it will resume the High-Level Segment. At 3 p.m.,
the Council will hold a high-level panel on the question of the
death penalty.

High-Level Segment

[parts omitted]

EDWARD NALBANDIAN, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Armenia, stated
that it was of particular significance to address this session of
the Human Rights Council, as this year marked the Centennial of
the Armenian Genocide. In recent years, the Council had expanded
the thematic scope of its work to respond to gross violations of
human rights in various parts of the world, drawing attention to the
issues of protection of the most vulnerable groups. The protection
of religious and ethnic minorities required the urgent attention and
actions of the international community due to massive human rights
violations perpetrated by terrorist groups. He highlighted the crime
against civilization that was perpetrated by ISIS militants who smashed
the 2,700 year old statues in the Mosul museum; this was an appalling
reminder of earlier similar barbaric acts of destruction such as those
of the Bamian Budda’s statues, the Mausoleums of Timbuktu, and the
thousands of Medieval Armenian cross-stones in Nakhijevan. Intolerance
towards the values of civilization belonging to others had to
be resolutely denounced by the international community. Armenia
unequivocally condemned the atrocities and violence committed by ISIS,
Al Nusra and other terrorist groups and called upon the international
community to take firm action against this new scourge. In this regard
Armenia strongly supported the full implementation of the appropriate
United Nations Security Council resolutions. The destruction by
terrorists of the Saint Martyrs Armenian Church in the Syrian town
of Deir el-Zor was a symbolic link between past and present crimes
against humanity. Armenia commended the role of the Human Rights
Council in mainstreaming the obligations of States emanating from the
Genocide Convention into a systematic protection of human rights. In
this respect, Armenia had this year again initiated a resolution
on the prevention of genocide. There was a growing consensus of the
international community that genocide prevention required constant
attention and the best efforts.

[parts omitted]

Right of Reply

Turkey, speaking in a right of reply in response to a reference made
by the Armenian delegation about events of 1915, rejected allegations
of genocide, which was a very specific and serious crime, precisely
defined in international law. The term genocide should not be used
lightly, especially since there was no consensus regarding the events
of 1915. Turkey sincerely desired to reach peaceful relations with
Armenia.

[parts omitted]

Azerbaijan, speaking in a right of reply in response to Armenia’s
representative, blamed Armenia for misrepresenting historical
realities. Speaking of the persecution of Azeris by Armenian
authorities known as the Khojaly tragedy during the Nagorno-Karabakh
war in 1992, Azerbaijan stated that Armenia had no legal ground to
speak of genocide, as it was responsible for the Khojaly genocide. The
European Court of Human Rights had qualified these as acts of
particular gravity, which could amount to war crimes. An Armenian
official had admitted Armenia’s implication in the perpetration of
these acts. Armenia also had no right to speak on the destruction of
cultural monuments, which it had also perpetrated against Azerbaijan.

[parts omitted]

UNIBANK’S ATAYAN OUTLINES BANKING SYSTEM

CISTran Finance
March 5 2015

March 5, 2015 7:30 AM
By CISTran Finance Reports

In an interview with 168 Hours on Tuesday, Chairman of the Board of
Armenian UniBank, Vartan Atayan, discussed the banking system and
other system-related topics.

He stated that in 2014 the system saw tension from sources abroad,
primarily in Russia. With interventions that were made by the Central
Bank, he states that the system was able to restabilize.

A concern that the interviewer voiced was the potential closing of
banks that could not meet increased capital requirements. He stated
that this can be avoided if shareholders step in or if mergers take
place. From his perspective and that of UniBank, these measures aim
to strengthen the national banking system and the nation’s currency.

Atayan noted that stringency on the market will cause Armenian banks
to meet international quality standards.

He clarified that the business loan interests rates, which were
increased, would be a temporary measure; he also pointed out that
increases in capital will mitigate the need for increased rates.

STARBUCKS BECOMES FLASHPOINT BETWEEN TURKS, ARMENIANS

Al-Monitor
March 4 2015

by Pinar Tremblay
Posted March 3, 2015

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) posted on Feb. 18 a
picture of women with traditional Armenian gear, holding a Starbucks
coffee cup, under the Turkish crescent and star flags on their Facebook
account. Under the photo, which was displayed at the Mulholland and
Calabasas stores in the Woodland Hills area of Los Angeles, ANCA
posed the question: “Why is Starbucks selling coffee using an image
of women, dressed in traditional Armenian costumes, celebrating a
Turkish state that systematically victimized Armenian women during
the Armenian genocide, and that still denies this crime against all
humanity?” Starbucks, known as a rather liberal establishment, promptly
issued an apology and removed the posters, which were displayed in
a couple of locations in Southern California.

The photographer responsible for the design of the poster, Timothy
Rose, also issued an apology on his Web page explaining that he had
not known the women were Armenian.

When asked for the sentiments of Armenian-Americans about the
Starbucks posters, Aram Hamparian, the executive director of ANCA,
told Al-Monitor, “We felt that the Starbucks ad inappropriately used
images of women dressed in traditional Armenian costumes to glorify
a Turkish state that brutally persecuted Armenian women during the
Armenian genocide and that still, to this day, denies this crime
against all humanity.” Indeed, the reaction was so strong, Hamparian
informed Al-Monitor, that the entire campaign to remove the posters
lasted about five hours. He said, “Armenian-Americans are generally
a highly networked community that follows Armenian issues closely
and that is quick to react to misrepresentations in politics, media
or advertising. Social media, of course, helps Armenians to more
quickly connect to one another and to more effectively communicate
our collective concerns. We saw this on the morning of the Starbucks
poster. In the course of just a few hours, we were alerted to the ads,
developed quick graphics, generated protests, engaged Starbucks and
resolved the issue to everyone’s satisfaction.”

Several pundits agree it was just a marketing effort gone wrong.

Although the swift resolution of the matter must have pleased
Armenian-Americans and Americans in general, there was another group
that was not pleased: some misinformed Turks.

The news was reported quite differently in Turkey. One report alleged
Starbucks branches in Los Angeles had female hostesses dressed in
Turkish traditional dress and flags serving coffee, and this is what
had angered Armenian-Americans. On Feb. 22, Adana Mayor Huseyin Sozlu
had the municipal police hang Turkish flags in Starbucks branches
as customers clapped. Sozlu told the press, “As April 24 approaches,
the Armenian diaspora will be increasing its attacks on Turkey and the
Turkish nation. On the 100th year of the alleged Armenian genocide,
they launched an operation to remove the Turkish flag. And here in
Adana, we hung up our honorable flag in front of Starbucks branches
to retaliate.”

Turks were divided on social media about the appropriate reaction to
the episode. One tweeted: “After this point, I suspect the loyalty
to Turkey of anyone who steps into a Starbucks.” Others were more
cynical. One tweeted: “The mindset is tragic and comical. Those who
fail to protect their flag within their own borders are now putting
up flags with the police force at Starbucks storefronts.”

Yet, due to the incorrect translation of the news, the majority of
the Turkish public, who do not know English, were under the impression
that the Armenian-Americans were upset about a Turkish flag.

Some protests turned out to be rather counterproductive. For example,
on Feb. 22, several events were held in Turkey and cities around
the world to commemorate the Khojaly Massacre of February 1992,
when about 160 ethnic Azerbaijani civilians were killed during the
Nagorno-Karabakh war. Agos Daily, a Turkish Armenian newspaper,
reported on “racist posters in different corners of Turkey.” While
the goal was to remember the victims of the horrible events, a
group called “Genc Atsizlar,” self-described as “accepting Turkish
nationalism in their hearts,” took the idea of commemoration in a
different direction. Their hate-filled slogans tacitly accept the
Armenian genocide. For example, one of them reads “We celebrate
the 100th anniversary of cleansing our country from Armenians. We
are proud of our honorable ancestors.” This racist banner was hung
in several cities in a perplexing admission of ethnic cleansing
and genocide. These protests, unlike others in Turkey, prompted no
police reaction, raising questions about the kind of relationship
these ultranationalistic groups have with the Turkish state. We
cannot help but question: How many people agree with such racist,
hateful commentary about the Armenians in Turkey?

Meanwhile, back in Los Angeles, Harut Sassounian, a prominent
researcher and publisher of the California Courier, broke the
story Feb. 23, reporting, “ANCA-[Western Region] announced that
Los Angeles World Airports [LAWA], a wholly-owned entity of the
City of Los Angeles, has decided to terminate its contract worth
over $845,000 with the Gephardt Group.” This story did not find its
way into the Turkish news. Only one online publication, on Feb. 8,
announced that the Armenian lobby in the United States is targeting
companies that have business links with Turkey. Even in this brief
report, credit was given to the meticulous and transparent work of
dedicated Armenian-American activists for their cause. The plans of
the Turkish government to recover from this important setback for
Turkish lobbyists in the United States are unknown.

Sassounian told Al-Monitor that the Gephardt Group is one of the
major lobbying firms for Turkey and highlighted the fact that
former House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt has been a supporter of
Armenian-Americans’ efforts for the United States to recognize the
Armenian genocide. Yet once Gephardt retired, this support wavered.

Sassounian said, “The latest contract on file with the US Justice
Department reveals that the Gephardt Group is paid $1.4 million a year
to lobby for Turkey in Washington.” Sassounian and his team have been
raising red flags about the Gephardt Group since August 2014.

Sassounian told Al-Monitor that the Gephardt Group has not responded
to his article. So far, the group has not responded to the inquiries
from Al-Monitor, either.

Whether we agree with the motivations of the Armenian diaspora or not,
the victory by Armenian-Americans over the Gephardt Group should be
acknowledged as a significant accomplishment. In the short month of
February, we have witnessed the Starbucks public relations fiasco,
which led to an angry outburst in Turkey, a commemoration ceremony
for the Khojaly Massacre, which evolved into a racist platform with
counterproductive slogans, followed by a successful campaign to deter
businesses lobbying for Turkey.

When we read all these events together, we see that Armenian-Americans
form a unified, determined group of activists with clear goals. They
are well organized. Their success is the result of years of tenacious
efforts. There are significant lessons to be learned from their
civilian activism experience — not only for Turks, but for many
different groups.

LE PARLEMENT SYRIEN COMMEMORE LE GENOCIDE ARMENIEN

La Nouvelle Gazette Francaise
5 mars 2015

L’Assemblee du peuple syrien a dedie une seance commemorative au
Centenaire du Genocide armenien le 4 mars, comme le rapporte l’agence
Fides. L’initiative, promue en particulier par une parlementaire
chretienne, Maria Saadeh que nous avions interroge lors de son passage
en France en novembre dernier, a vu la participation des membres
des Commissions parlementaires pour les relations exterieures. Avant
la seance parlementaire, le President du Parlement, Mohammad Jihad
al-Laham, a recu l’Ambassadeur de la Republique d’Armenie en Syrie,
S.E. Arshak Poladyan, en compagnie de l’Eveque armenien apostolique
Armash Nalbandian, des membres de la communaute armenienne catholique
et de representants charges de la coordination des evenements qui
seront dedies en Syrie au centenaire des massacres d’armeniens
perpetres dans la peninsule anatolienne en 1915.

La rencontre – indiquent les sources officielles armeniennes et
syriennes – a fourni l’occasion de programmer des initiatives de
cooperation interparlementaire entre l’Armenie et la Republique arabe
de Syrie. Dans son intervention lors de la seance commemorative –
ainsi que nous l’apprend l’Agence Fides – l’Ambassadeur armenien
a rappele que les armeniens fuyant les massacres planifies par le
gouvernement des Jeunes Turcs, voici cent ans, avaient justement
trouve refuge en Syrie.

Open Letter to Ms. Perri Green,
Special Coordinator for Awards and Outreach,
American Foreign Service Association,
2101 E Street NW, Washington DC

Dear Ms. Green,

I noticed in a recent announcement that AFSA is having trouble coming
up with nominations for its annual dissent awards this year. Maybe I
can help you out.

In 2005 the American Foreign Service Association nominating committee
decided to award me the Christian Herter Award for Constructive
Dissent by a Senior Officer. I was at that time serving as US
Ambassador to the Republic of Armenia. The reason for the nomination
was that, in the course of a speaking trip to NY, Boston and
California, I had departed from accepted US diplomatic practice and
used the term “genocide” to describe the slaughter of one and a half
million Armenians in the years 1915-18. The scholarship was clear,
and I was reflecting it. I did not use the “g-word” as a cheap
throwaway line; I explained to my audiences the reasons the USG so
valued its alliance relations with Turkey that it refrained from using
the term out of deference to that country’s continuing policy of
denial. I did not claim, falsely, that U.S. policy had changed. I
knew full well that I would be punished. It was not a lapsus linguae,
nor did I make any attempt to conceal what I had said publicly from
the State Department. At the same time, I did not discuss the matter
while en poste in Armenia, only in the United States, for this is an
American issue.

What happened next was that I was called back from Yerevan and asked
if I had accepted the AFSA award. I replied that I had “not refused
it,” which was exactly the case. I was told that I had better figure
out a way not to be given the award. So I called AFSA and explained
the situation. AFSA came up with the technicality that I had not
first resorted to the Dissent Channel, a Vietnam-era safety valve.

Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, a sitting senator, a member of the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee, wrote as follows to Secretary Rice:

“I believe that the controversy over Ambassador Evans’ use of the term
‘genocide’ underscores the fact that the current U.S. position is
untenable. That the invocation of a historical fact by a State
Department employee could constitute an act of insubordination is
deeply troubling. When State Department instructions are such that an
ambassador must engage in strained reasoning — or even an outright
falsehood — that defies a common sense interpretation of events in
order to follow orders, then it is time to revisit the State
Department’s policy guidance on that issue. The occurrence of the
Armenian Genocide in 1915 is not an ‘allegation,’ a ‘personal
opinion,’ or a point of view.’ Supported by an overwhelming amount of
historical evidence, it is a widely documented fact.”

The senator was Barack Obama. Yes, that Barack Obama.

In 1951, before Turkey joined NATO, the United States, in a written
filing to the ICJ in The Hague, stated that “The practice of genocide
has occurred throughout human history. The Roman persecution of the
Christians, the Turkish massacres of the Armenians, the extermination
of millions of Jews and Poles by the Nazis are outstanding examples of
the crime of genocide.”

So now I am retired. There is no longer any reason for AFSA to
withhold the Herter Award, which, may I remind, was done at my request
(thank you). All the more so given that April 24, 2015 will mark the
100th anniversary of the start of the Armenian Genocide on the night
in 1915 when over two hundred intellectuals, priests and other
Armenian leaders were arrested in Constantinople. If you have any
doubts about the facts of the matter, may I suggest consulting with UN
Ambassador Samantha Power, author of “A Problem from Hell: America and
the Age of Genocide.” The first chapter of her prize-winning book
deals with the Armenian Genocide.

I withdraw my objection to receiving the award. So what do you say,
AFSA?

I am also open to receiving the Herter Award posthumously, as did
Hiram Bingham IV, who disobeyed his instructions in order to grant
visas to Jews in Vichy France. Just not too soon, please, in my case!

With best regards,

John Marshall Evans
U.S. Ambassador to Armenia 2004-2006
Retired Career Foreign Service