Author: Kanayan Tamar

Employee fired for leaking video of Garegin II and Ilia II meeting

16:28 – 23.07.11

The person who had posted video excerpts of the recent meeting of
Armenian and Georgian spiritual leaders on the social networking
website YouTube has been fired.

According to the Russian news agency Regnum, the person, whose name is
not given, was employed by the TV channel of the Georgian Patriarchate
called Edinodushyie.

He was fired for having released the footage without permission.

The video was posted on June 11. In the video, His Holiness Garegin II
says that the Georgian side `steps back from yesterday’s agreement’,
though it was not clear what agreements he meant.

The video, which unveiled previously uncovered details of the meeting,
was the first such footage of that June 11 meeting that was made
public.

Garegin II also told Ilia II that `it looks like you are trading’ and
does not remember how to say the word `trade’ in Russian and asks the
people around.

`… If you present your arguments, we will see what would hinder us
from solving those issues …,’ Garegin II said.
Ilia II second in turn said in the footage that `if we are not
difficult [to deal with], the issues will not be difficult either’.

Tert.am

ARMENIAN CHURCH CRITICIZED ON-LINE CAMPAIGN AGAINST CATHOLICOS

news.am
July 22 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – Campaign against the Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin
II recently unfolded in social networks does not bring honor to its
participants, said the spokeswoman for Karekin II, Father Vahram
Melikyan on Friday.

According to him, Holy Etchmiadzin has never been against discussions.

“We always welcome discussions and suggestions but the recent
discussions in social networks can hardly be called as such. The
language used, as well as insults addressed to the church, do not
bring honor to the participants who call themselves patriots. These
discussions will not do any good to our country, our church and the
Armenian Diaspora.”

Asked about the causes of such discussions and whether the misconduct
of priests could possibly initiate it, Melikyan told that ~Sthe
correlation of certain facts~T might give that impression

~SI cannot state who are behind this and what goals they pursue,
I think – time will reveal it. However, despite the criticism and
a wave of discontent, Holy Etchmiadzin will continue its activities
for the benefit of the people,” he added.

As for the behavior of some priests, according to Melikyan, in all
structures there are people having problems with conduct.

“In this regard, Holy Etchmiadzin is the most open structure, since
it immediately reports of church officials suspended from the church
because of their conduct,~T he stressed.

Recently several groups have been created on Facebook, demanding
the resignation of the Catholicos Karekin II. Soon another group
was created in support of Karekin II. At this point there is an
active on-line struggle between the supporters and opponents of
the Catholicos.

TURKISH-ARMENIAN DIALOGUE A MUST, SAYS ARCHBISHOP

Hurriyet
July 22 2011
Turkey

It is absolutely essential that dialogue be established between Turks
and Armenians to achieve understanding, a top Armenian-American
spiritual leader has said, adding that Turkey’s foreign minister
solicited his views on increasing such discussion.

“Turkish and Armenian people are members of the same family,”
Archbishop Khajag Barsamyan, the primate of the Diocese of the Armenian
Church of America (Eastern), told the Hurriyet Daily News during a
brief visit to Istanbul last week. “We ought to view history with
courage and [learn] to apologize if we have been in the wrong. We
need to be able to draw lessons from history’s negative and positive
aspects in the name of humanity.”

A planned international gathering to celebrate the opening of the Surp
Giragos Armenian church in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır
will present a chance to establish such dialogue, Barsamyan said.

During the World Political Forum in mid-March, Foreign Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu spoke favorably regarding the opening of the Turkish-Armenian
border, Barsamyan said, adding that he was ready for any steps taken
in the direction of establishing dialogue.

Barsamyan said Davutoglu had asked him for suggestions about how to
establish dialogue with the diaspora.

“I highlighted the significance of opening the sealed Turkish-Armenian
border and instituting trade [ties] with Armenian business people from
the diaspora,” he said, adding that he had also spoken to President
Abdullah Gul about the same issues back when Gul was foreign minister.

“Mr. Gul requested advice from me about how to put Turkish-Armenian
relations in order. I told him that Armenians have deep-running
sorrows, and that these sorrows must be listened to without denial,
or going on the defensive,” Barsamyan said.

“Davutoglu said Turkish and Armenian people lived together for
centuries. [He added that] vexing events have occurred in history and
touched upon the significance of putting an end to these and looking
forward. He said the diaspora Armenians are the people of this land,”
Barsamyan said.

“I reminded him that the Armenian President Serge Sarkisyan took great
risks in signing the [2009 Turkish-Armenian normalization] protocols
despite all the reaction both from within [Armenia,] as well as from
the diaspora, and I asked him why the protocols were not realized. Mr.

Davutoglu said there was need for a process, and that steps taken
[in this direction] must produce solutions, not new problems,” the
archbishop said.

The Turkish-Armenian border has remained sealed since 1993 when
Turkey unilaterally closed the border due to the Nagorno-Karabakh
War that broke out between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Even though new
protocols were signed in 2009 to re-establish relations between the
two countries, the process has come to a grinding halt.

Opening of Armenian church a chance for dialogue

Barsamyan is arranging for more than 200 people from various Armenian
associations in the United States to participate in a ceremony marking
the reopening of the Surp Giragos Armenian Church in the southeastern
province of Diyarbakır on Oct. 22.

The reopening is an important step for dialogue, Barsamyan said,
adding that it was important that many people were going to be coming
to Turkey.

‘1915 must be put to scrutiny’

Touching upon the sensitive issue of the World War I-era killings of
Ottoman Armenians, Barsamyan said: “The problems need to be put to
debate and scrutiny. Clerics, historians, politicians and everyone
[else] can claim their own roles; this is a must for the future.

Unfavorable voices will surely arise from both societies. It is
necessary to work in good sense. Open minded people who think straight
are needed for this. I am ready as a cleric to take over the role
that falls to me.”

The 20th century was a bitter one not just for Armenians, but for
all the peoples of the world, the archbishop said, adding that he
had roots in the eastern province of Malatya.

“We lost a big portion of my family during the bitter events. My
grandmother was saved by a Turkish family; there was never any hatred
in my family toward Turks. My grandmother continued seeing the family
that saved her until she passed away. I also got to meet them,”
he said.

Recent efforts to renovate Armenian cultural assets in Turkey
represent a favorable development, according to Barsamyan, who also
drew attention to the historical Surp Hac Armenian Church that was
reopened for the Divine Liturgy on Akdamar Island in the eastern
province of Van last year.

“It is extremely important that the traces of each culture in Anatolia,
and not just those of Armenian culture, be maintained, for they all
represent the common legacy of humankind,” Barsamyan said.

OPPOSITION PARTY SLAMS GOVERNMENT’S FOREIGN POLICY AS ‘UNPRINCIPLED’

Hurriyet
July 22 2011
Turkey

The Turkish government’s foreign policy lacks principles and
isolates the country in the international arena, according to the
main opposition, which also criticized attempts to make Turkey a
global actor at the expense of domestic concerns.

“The government [often] watches how other counties act on specific
international issues and follows their lead while often changing
side at any moment,” Osman Koruturk, deputy leader of the Republican
People’s Party, or CHP, told a group of reporters Friday at a breakfast
at the party headquarters.

The goal of making Turkey a global actor is “wrong and inadequate,”
Koruturk said.

“You cannot go onto the international field with the claim of being
a global actor. We must solve the problems at home first,” he said,
accusing the government of steering according to the direction of
the wind. With such policies, Turkey cannot be an actor but merely
a figurehead, he added.

The CHP official chastised Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
for his frequent telephone conversations with U.S. President Barack
Obama, saying foreign policy was being pursued upon instructions from
the U.S. leader.

EU relations and Cyprus

On Turkish-European Union relations, Koruturk said what was important
was not to establish an EU Ministry but establish the role of that
ministry.

Koruturk also criticized Erdogan’s threat to suspend ties with the
EU if a divided Cyprus assumed the bloc’s presidency next year. “It
is as if the government is using this as a pretext to burn bridges
with the EU.”

But he backed Erdogan’s support for a solution on Cyprus based on
the sides’ equality, saying, “The CHP will be a serious follower
of this issue and will of course support a solution that meets the
expectations of the Turkish Cypriots.”

Regional relations and the US

Koruturk further rebuked the government for its closure of its
embassy in Tripoli due to security concerns and said the Turkish
government had left Turkish interests in Libya unprotected. Referring
to a recent contact group meeting about Libya co-chaired by Turkey,
the CHP official took issue with Turkey’s approval of NATO operations
that are expected to continue during Ramadan.

He also expected clarification from the government as to whether
the great powers had plans to establish a belt of “moderate Islam”
in the Middle East and North Africa with the appearance of the
Muslim Brotherhood as a political movement in countries like Egypt
and elsewhere.

The CHP deputy leader also took aim at the government’s initiative
to normalize relations with neighboring Armenia, claiming that no
progress had been made; moreover, due to mistakes, Azerbaijan had
been left alone on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue even as relations with
Armenia had worsened, he said.

Koruturk said the recent cancellation of the Mavi Marmara’s second
trip to break Israel’s Gaza blockade – following an ill-fated attempt
to do so last year during which Israeli commandos killed nine Turkish
aid activists – indicated that the government could have prevented
the first vessel’s voyage, thus saving lives.

In the past, Turkey was a serious mediator in Israel’s relations
with the Arab countries, he said, but added that that was no longer
the case.

The CHP official claimed that the government’s relationship with the
United States was not a healthy one; first, the partnership should
be cleansed of adjectives like “model” or “strategic.”

The main opposition is not against establishing relations with
the U.S., Koruturk said, but added that the relationship should be
based on three major elements, including equality, mutual respect
and observing one another’s interests.

Koruturk also said the U.S. was not doing enough in Turkey’s fight
against members of the outlawed Kurdistan Worker’s Party, or PKK,
based on northern Iraq’s Kandil Mountain and added that the party had
sought U.S. support during a meeting between the party leader and U.S.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last weekend.

THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS RECEIVED THE MAYOR OF LYON

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

July 19 2011
Armenia

On July 19, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Edward Nalbandian received
the Mayor of Lyon Gerard Collomb.

Welcoming the guest, Edward Nalbandian mentioned that Armenia has
always had a peculiar feeling towards both France and the French
people, which is due to the strong friendly ties historically
established between the two countries and close interstate cooperation
existing today.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs stressed the importance of the
development of the comprehensive Armenian-French cooperation,
particularly underlining the considerable achievements in the spheres
of political, economic, cultural, educational and decentralized
interaction.

The sides touched upon the second conference on the Armenian-French
decentralized cooperation held in Yerevan in 2010, noting that the
regularity of such events gives a new impetus to bilateral relations.

The interlocutors also stressed the importance of the significant
contribution of the Armenian community in France to the development
of interstate relations. In this regard, Gerard Collomb underscored
the investments of the French Armenians in the development of France
and the city which is governed by him.

Expressing satisfaction with the intensive cooperation between
Yerevan and Lyon, Edward Nalbandian and Gerard Collomb touched upon
the preparatory works of the general assembly of Francophone cities
to be held in Yerevan in autumn of this year.

‘ARMENIA READY, TARGET 2015’
by Mehmet Fatih Oztarsu

Today’s Zaman
*.html
July 20 2011
Turkey

Turkish foreign policy recently intensified its attention on the
Arab Spring, carrying out extensive diplomatic efforts to secure an
immediate resolution for the turmoil in the region.

In addition to developments in the region, the country’s relations
with Israel have become part of the daily political agenda due to last
year’s assault on the Mavi Marmara. On top of that, Turkey turned
its attention to the independence of Southern Sudan to make sure it
proceeded in compliance with international law. Lastly, Turkey looked
to its east and the impact of the state of war between Russia and
Georgia, analyzing the possible outcome thereof for Turkey.

Armenia dealt with all these issues from a different angle, but has
kept a close eye on Turkey’s foreign policy. Experts in Armenia have
warned politicians to make sure they draft policies addressing the
most pressing and probable developments; whether Southern Sudan sets
a precedent for the Nagorno-Karabakh region, for instance, or whether
the Israeli Knesset recognizes the 1915 incident as genocide. Also,
and Turkey may not be aware of this, but the Vatican has commenced
a study in which it will document and compile the brutality of the
deportation by forced marches and the massacres of the Armenians in
the early 20th century, a project that should be completed by 2015.

This poses serious challenges for Turkey. It was also announced that
information gathered during this process will be publicized through
exhibitions and media publications.

Armenian politicians who concretized attempts at rapprochement with
the diaspora teamed up with the opposition to create an international
commission responsible for the commemoration of the centennial of the
Armenian genocide. The activities planned by this commission include
political pressure on Turkey to ensure that it clarifies its stance
towards the 1915 incidents by 2015. In the initial session of the
commission, Giro Manoyan, a member of the Dashnak Party’s political
affairs bureau, noted that the matter should be handled from different
perspectives and that concrete policies should be drafted to this end.

Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan, on the other hand, noted that
as people victimized by genocide, they should not ignore the
victimizations and pains of other nations and that Turkey’s policy
of denial should be addressed effectively. Sarksyan went on to state
that international politics should be cleared of such policies.

2015: a common ground for joint action

In addition to the 2015 goals being taken up pretty seriously by the
Armenian administration, we also witnessed politicians with a more
moderate stance towards Turkey. The 2015 goal merely serves as common
ground for joint action. So far, Sarksyan has made frequent calls for
the Armenians in the West to invest in his country, but these calls
were in vain. In the end, Armenia has been alienated from its region
and, as a consequence, it had to seek cooperation and alignment with
Russia. From now on, it is imperative for Armenia to establish close
relations with Turkey, which does not care for the diaspora at all,
and cherish it.

However, the attitudes of nationalist groups that hanged Sèvres maps
all around the streets of Yerevan on the 90th anniversary of the
Treaty of Sèvres preserve a dual approach. Even Manoyan, with whom I
spoke during my visit to his party, now holds moderate views. Noting
that relations with Turkey should be improved without preconditions,
Manoyan said Armenia has never demanded any Turkish territories so
far. He is confident that sincere relations will be established
between the two countries. Manoyan also recalled that his party,
which traditionally focuses on Eastern Armenians, seeks to gather
all Armenians in one single homeland and that his country will make
significant progress once the power of elites in Yerevan diminishes.

In addition, Manoyan believes that improved relations with Turkey will
have a great impact on the growth of national welfare and revenues.

“[The recognition of] genocide is not our priority, but an important
matter,” Manoyan concluded.

In an interview with the speaker of the Republican Party, Eduard
Sharmazanov, I was told that, as a party, they pay great attention
to relations with Turkey, adding that the genocide issue is not
their priority but an important matter. He also added that they
are ready to hold negotiations and discussions without any prior
conditions. Noting that Turkey would do Armenia a great favor if
it stays out of the Karabakh issue, Sharmazanov argues that a link
between the Karabakh issue and relations with Turkey is not proper
and that Karabakh should be liberated and freed.

Noting that there is a lot of work to be done in making progress in
bilateral relations with Turkey and that this is indeed a difficult
task, Sharmazanov finds Russia’s warm relations with both Azerbaijan
and Armenia a reasonable attitude because it is eventually necessary
to set a balance in the region. Sharmazanov further notes that
preconditions would not help anyone, that the Turkish side has frozen
the process [of rapprochement] and that Armenia has picked the easy way
out [of rapprochement] by asking for dialogue without any conditions.

The Armenian administration, which has maintained close ties with
the opposition and the diaspora, will secure support from a number of
influential actors, including the Vatican and Israel, for its goals to
be achieved by 2015. Turkey needs to talk directly to Armenia instead
of the diaspora to create a common ground and take constructive steps
to ensure rapprochement between the sides. In line with Turkey’s
vision for 2023 that will ensure domestic development, relations with
the neighboring countries should be improved and problems minimized.

*Mehmet Fatih Oztarsu is a columnist at the Armenia-based Aravot daily.

ARMENIAN SINGER FROM ISTANBUL EAGER TO SING “TO SEE ANI AND DIE” ON RUINS OF ANI (VIDEO)

news.am
July 20 2011
Armenia

Armenian singer from Istanbul Sibil Bektorosoglu is eager to sing
the Armenian song “To see Ani and die.”

Sibil Bektorosoglu, who released an album in the Armenian language
for the first time in Turkey, noted that the video showing on Turkish
TRT channel was a great happiness. “I will do everything to preserve
the Armenian language, belonging to this land. My dream is to perform
“To see Ani and die” on the ruins of Ani,” she said in an interview
with the Turkish Sabah newspaper.

“When opening of borders was on the agenda, we intended to go to Kars,
but the border did not open,” she noted.

The Armenian singer stressed after the first album in the Armenian
language, much has changed. According to her, earlier Armenian-language
music albums were imported from Armenia and the U.S.

“Now, Armenian albums are exported to those countries. Armenians are
very surprised that I was able to release such an album. Be the first
is a colorful event,” Sibil Bektorosoglu said.

ARMENIA TREE PROJECT
65 Main Street
Watertown, MA 02472 USA
Tel: (617) 926-TREE
Email: [email protected]
Web:

PRESSS RELEASE
July 20, 2011

ATP Creates New Green Spaces in 112 Communities throughout Armenia This
Spring

YEREVAN–Armenia Tree Project (ATP) has partnered with 112 communities
throughout Armenia to plant 30,047 decorative trees, shrubs, and fruit trees
this spring. The work was led by the flagship Community Tree Planting
Program, which has been operating since ATP’s founding in 1994.

“Each season, we try to involve as many new communities as possible, and
this past spring 25 out of the 112 communities were new ATP partners,”
explained Arthur Harutyunyan, head monitor of ATP’s Community Tree Planting
Program.

ATP has planted trees in over 800 sites throughout Armenia, and every year
more communities apply to ATP for trees. “If the site suits our requirements
for irrigation, having a gardener, and a commitment to providing ongoing
tree care, we collaborate with the community by providing seedlings,
training, and professional advice,” added Harutyunyan.

Tree planting was implemented this year in the regions of Aragatsotn,
Ararat, Armavir, Gegharkunik, Kotayk, Lori, Shirak, Syunik, Tavush, and
Vayots Dzor, as well as in Yerevan and Artsakh.

ATP participated in a number of ceremonial plantings this spring, including
a tree planting with United Nations Department of Public Information,
Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Avan administrative district
of Yerevan. The event was dedicated to Earth Day and it was organized in the
framework of the UN’s International Year of Forests. After a brief lesson on
how to plant a tree, government officials, ambassadors, and representatives
of the international community planted 420 trees and established “Park of
Friendship” in the Avan community.

ATP also collaborated with local and international organizations operating
in Armenia. “Our partnership with HSBC Bank Armenia has become a
long-standing tradition to create new urban green spaces,” noted
Harutyunyan. “This spring, HSBC Bank joined ATP in organizing tree planting
events in the center of Yerevan and in the Nor Nork community. HSBC staff
and their families joined local residents to plant nearly 300 new trees.”

Within the framework of ATP’s Building Bridges environmental education
program, students from the Hovnanian School in New Jersey met their peers
from Yerevan School No. 168 to plant trees around the school. Before getting
to work, the students made friends by introducing themselves, playing name
games, and learning more about each other. This was followed by a short
training by Arthur Harutunyan about how to plant a tree. After the planting,
the local students showed the guests around their school and spent some time
together.

Tree plantings were organized at several other schools, churches, and
orphanages around Armenia this spring. Sites that were beautified by ATP
include Yerablur Military Cemetery, boarding schools in Yerevan and Artik, a
scout camp in Yerevan, the Armenian United Cross NGO in Etchmiadzin, a
senior center in Lori, and the SOS orphanage in Ijevan. ATP also provided
fruit trees to families in Berdzor and Tsitsernavank in Artsakh.

Greening Armenian churches has always been a major program area for ATP. In
the past 17 years, ATP has planted trees around hundreds of church yards and
surrounding areas. This spring, ATP planted at the St. Astvatsatsin and St.
Khach churches in Yerevan, St. Harutyun, Etchmiadzin Cathedral, and St.
Astvatsatin churches in Armavir, Srbots Haghtakats church in Teghenik, St.
Astvatsatsin in Arevshat village, and St. Maryanne in Ashtarak.

ATP’s mission is to assist the Armenian people in using trees to improve
their standard of living and protect the environment, guided by the need to
promote self-sufficiency, aid those with the fewest resources first, and
conserve the indigenous ecosystem. ATP’s three major programs are tree
planting, environmental education, and sustainable development initiatives.
For more information about ATP, please visit the web site

AZERBAIJANI ALBANIAN CHURCH TO BE CREATED

news.az

July 20 2011
Azerbaijan

‘The Azerbaijani Albanian Church will be created for restoration of
the Albanian Autocephaly Church eliminated by Tsarist Russia in 1836’.

The statement came from director of the History Institute of the
National Academy of Science of Azerbaijan, MP Yagub Mammadov.

Mahmudov was speaking at the Human Rights Institute during the
conference on religion and pressing issues of public security.

Mahmudov reminded that after the elimination of the Albanian
Autocephaly Church in 1836, the whole property, temples and books were
then transferred to the Armenian church, while the praying people were
forced to accept Armenian Grigorianity and visit Armenian temples. As
a result, the valuable cultural and religious layer of history of
Azerbaijani people, related to the period of Caucasian Albania,
was destroyed.

‘The Azerbaijani Albanian Church will be created in the nearest future
under support of the Azerbaijani leadership and the population of
some northern regions of Azerbaijan, once practicing this ancient
Christian religion, will again get an opportunity to return to the
religion of their ancestors, once taken away under the signature of
the Tsarist Russia.

Albanian temples will be restored and conditions will be created for
the praying service’, head of the History Institute of the National
Academy of Science said.

LE HAK CONTINUE DE RECLAMER DES ELECTIONS ANTICIPEES
Marion

armenews.com
mercredi 20 juillet 2011

Un membre de l’alliance d’opposition a declare, mercredi 13 juillet,
que le Congrès national armenien (HAK) veut que les prochaines
negociations avec les representants du gouvernement debouchent sur
des elections anticipees.

” Les autorites de ce pays sont illegitimes “, a declare Felix
Khachatrian aux journalistes. ” Elles ont ete elues grâce a la fraude,
une fraude barbare, et c’est pourquoi elles n’accomplissent rien. ”

F. Khachatrian est l’un des cinq membres de l’equipe de negociation
nommes par le HAK debut juin. Le president Serge Sarkissian et les
trois partis de la coalition au pouvoir ont nomme leur delegation la
semaine dernière.

S. Sarkissian et les representants de la coalition ont a plusieurs
reprises exclu l’organisation d’elections presidentielles et
legislatives anticipees. Vartan Bostanjian, membre de la delegation
gouvernementale pour le compte du parti Armenie prospère (BHK),
a reaffirme cette position lors d’un debat public avec F. Khachatrian.

Il a declare qu’il voudrait d’abord discuter des problèmes
socio-economiques de l’Armenie.

V. Bostanjian a souligne que les revendications du HAK pourraient
mener le dialogue dans l’impasse.