Author: Kanayan Tamar

WE REMEMBER THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Duke Chronicle
March 2 2015

By Stephen Ghazikhanian on March 2, 2015

“One day the gendarmes [Ottoman military police] came, and chased
us out of our house. They didn’t tell us where we were going, just
to get out of the house,” recounted Yeranouhi Kazanjian Najarian,
an Armenian Genocide survivor, in a recorded testimonial from the
early 1980s. She and her two sisters were the sole survivors from her
entire family–both her grandmothers were buried alive, her father
imprisoned and never seen again. Her mother, brother, and sister were
herded into the mountains with thousands of other Armenians and forced
to walk hundreds of miles south towards concentration camps. During
the deportation, her mother was left in the mountains to die and her
brother beheaded. While it has been over thirty years since Yeranouhi
recorded this testimonial, and only months short of a century since
these events took place, Yeranouhi’s words will always be remembered.

The atrocities Yeranouhi described were part of a systematic
extermination campaign by the Ottoman government against the
Armenians. Up to 1.5 million Armenians perished as a result of
outright killings or death marches through the Syrian Desert to
concentration camps in Deir ez-Zor. The Armenian Genocide marked the
first genocide of the 20th century. Ottoman success in eradicating
the Armenians from their historic homeland and the lack of sufficient
international outrage about these acts against humanity perpetuated
genocide throughout the 20th century and 21st century in WWII Europe,
Rwanda, Cambodia, Bosnia and Darfur. As means of justifying his
horrific actions, Hitler asked “Who, after all, speaks today of the
annihilation of the Armenians?”

It is our duty to tell the story of the Armenians. It is our duty
to remember each victim of genocide and to honor each survivor, for
these acts of commemoration are crucial in preventing future acts of
genocide and mass atrocities. The Coalition for Preserving Memory, an
organization founded by Duke students, is dedicated to memorializing
genocide victims from the 20th and 21st centuries in a way that will
be meaningful and relevant to future generations. CPM unites our
diverse Duke community to remember those who have unjustly perished.

It is our responsibility to make the promise of “Never Again”
a reality.

We invite you to join us in observing the 100th anniversary of the
Armenian Genocide and commemorating its victims with an event entitled
“Stories of Survival”. It will take place on Tuesday, March 3rd, at
6:30pm in Sanford School of Public Policy Room 05. At the event, we
will hear panelists from the Duke and Triangle communities, including
Yeranouhi’s grandson, Jeff Essen T’74, share their family narratives
about the Armenian Genocide. With these harrowing descriptions of
destruction and moving stories of survival, we will honor the memory
of the genocide’s victims and survivors, remembering humanity at its
worst to inspire humanity at its best.

Stephen Ghazikhanian is a Trinity junior.

WHY DON’T ARMENIAN BANKS ISSUE DRAM LOANS?

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
March 2 2015

2 March 2015 – 12:01pm

Susanna Petrosyan, Yerevan. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza

Since the end of last year the Armenian commercial market has been
characterized by passivity due to significant fluctuations in the dram
exchange rate against the dollar. Banks froze some deals, including
issuing personal loans and mortgage loans. Today, despite relevant
financial stability, the situation in the financial sphere of Armenia
is still worrying. Even though the peak of the crisis which was caused
by devaluation of the national currency is over in Armenia; however,
few people believe that the stability is real, and the financial
market won’t be changed. Armenian banks avoid issuing loans in drams.

Notwithstanding the type of a loan – personal, student, business
development, or agricultural loan – banks turn down many applications
for loans in drams. Meanwhile, some economists believe that from the
point of view of revaluation of the national currency, loans should
be issued in drams.

In several banks one can get only dollar loans, even though previously
they freely issued dram loans. Previously, Inekobank offered its
clients a Credit Plus Card with a loan for up to 1 million drams with
24-percent annual interest rate, recently the offer was transformed
into a loan in dollars. Moreover, banks don’t give explanations.

Furthermore, those who agree to a dollar loan find themselves in a
very difficult situation. Firstly, a client of a bank should count
his income in drams into an income in dollars. Secondly, loan payments
may grow due to a growth of the dollar exchange rate.

According to economist Vaagan Khachatryan, the fact that banks
refuse to issue loans even with state aid means that the Central
Bank is creating an artificial deficit of the dram. On the one hand,
it artificially increases the dram rate and doesn’t let it devaluate;
on the other hand, the Central Bank tries to make banks put dollars
on the market and fill the dollar deficit on the financial market.

Obviously, the deficit of the dram and the dollar will lead to
significant price growth. “The CB’s policy and the fact that the
government has no anti-crisis plan mean that the Armenian economy
is sick, while the reason for the disease is the government policy
of supporting corruption and the absence of competitiveness,”
Khachatryan thinks.

Banks reacted to the CB’s measures and launched protective mechanisms,
rejecting an active credit policy. As a result, the process of giving
loans is frozen now. Some banks even doubled their loan interest rates.

Meanwhile, relative financial stability has been registered in Armenia
in the last 1.5-2 months. The dram began to fall in late November; and
today it has stopped devaluation at the level of 476-478 drams per $1
(the initial exchange rate was 410 drams per $1). According to some
experts, the instability of the financial situation makes banks refuse
to issue loans. According to Ayk Gevorkyan, an economic observer of
Armenian Time, if stability was real and inspired confidence in banks
and economic units, nobody would agree to a 24-percent interest rate,
and banks would have to decrease the interest rate. “However, both
banks and economic units realize that it is an illusion of stability,”
Gevorkyan thinks.

Some experts believe that today it is not profitable for banks to
issue dram loans. For example, a person gets a loan for 100 million
drams ($208 thousand), in a year he should pay 124 million drams
($258 thousand). If a loan should be paid in a period of the dram
devaluation by 10%, for example, a bank will get not $258 thousand,
but $236 thousand.

The absence of loans which are thought to be a main source of
development is one of the most serious economic problems of Armenia.

Problems with issuing liand negatively influence the development of
business activity.

PRESS RELEASE
MEDIA CENTER in YEREVAN
30 Saryan str.
Tel: +37460 505 898
+37499 755 898
Email: [email protected]
Web:

Discussion: Establishment of a New Anti-Corruption Council

March 3, 11:00: The Media Center will hold a panel discussion on the
law of the establishment of a new anti-corruption council. The
discussion will feature the efficiency of anti-corruption tools and
necessity of establishment of a new anti-corruption council.

The panelists include:

Varuzhan Hoktanyan, head of the Transparency Anti-Corruption Center

Tevan Poghosyan, MP, Heritage Faction

Marat Atovmyan, head of Yerevan Anti-Corruption Center, member of
Young Lawyers’ Association

The list of panelists may be updated.

Trend Daily News (Azerbaijan)
February 26, 2015 Thursday 1:29 PM GMT +4

Roll Call: US supports Armenia to detriment of its allies – Azerbaijan, Georgia

Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb.26
By Elena Kosolapova – Trend:

Armenia is neither an important nation, nor an ally of the US, Jason
Katz, the principal of Tool Shed Group, a consultancy that advises
foreign governments, NGOs and corporations in the realms of strategic
communications, politics and policy, said in his article published in
the US Roll Call online newspaper.

He is also the former head of Public Affairs and Public Relations for
the American Jewish Committee, based in Los Angeles.

Katz reminded that in fact, Armenia recently turned away from the West
by joining Eurasian Customs Union of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus.

“Armenian borders and airspace are even patrolled by the Russian
military,” the author wrote.

Katz also reminded about the recent official newsletter from Brad
Sherman, representative from California, democrat. In this newsletter,
Sherman talked about his efforts to strengthen ties between the US and
Armenia.

Moreover, Sherman wrote that as a senior member of the House Committee
on Foreign Affairs, he has focused on recognizing the “Armenian
genocide”, increasing aid to Armenia and Armenians of
Samtskhe-Javakheti (Georgia), as well as the separatists of
Nagorno-Karabakh and “holding Azerbaijan accountable for its actions.”

“Why would a member of US Congress go so far to offend not one, but
two of America’s most important regional allies, Azerbaijan and
Georgia?” the author asked, adding that in reality Armenia is not an
important nation to the US, but indispensable to the Iranians and
Russians.

Therefore, it is especially strange that some Congress members
actively promote the interests of Armenia and Armenian people before
the voters.

Katz wrote that the whole world, including the US admit that
Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh region has been illegally occupied by
Armenia.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result
of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent
of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven
surrounding districts.

The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs
of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently
holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

As for Samtskhe-Javakheti, it is a region within Georgia with compact
Armenian minority and subject to territorial claims by some more
radical Armenians, according to the article.

Katz assumes that Sherman has a significant Armenian-American
community in his district, therefore he supports Armenians. “He should
represent their interests – as long as those interests do not go
directly against those of the US nation as a whole.”

Edited by SI

Los Angeles Times, CA
March 1 2015

For Syrian Armenians, exodus evokes flight from genocide a century ago

By Glen Johnson

Snare drums rustle and trumpets blare. Chocolates from a famed
confectioner in Syria are handed out among the crowd. The hall falls
silent. A minute of remembrance is observed for the more than 200,000
killed during almost four years of civil war in Syria.

Hundreds of ethnic Armenians from Syria, among the thousands who’ve
fled here to escape the fighting, gathered recently in downtown
Yerevan. They came together to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the
Armenian Central High School in Aleppo, Syria, a cornerstone of
Armenian identity in a city now devastated by war.

We are the descendants of those who survived the genocide. I fear
history is repeating itself.- Lena Halajian, who heads a
nongovernmental group helping refugees in Yerevan, Armenia

“Armenian schools keep Armenian identity alive,” said a woman who fled
Aleppo as rebels rolled into the city in July 2012, and who, like
others interviewed, did not want to be identified for security
reasons. “My parents went there, I went there, the school is like…”

“A treasure for Armenians,” another young woman chimed in.

The attendees had left their homes and businesses, schools and
farmlands, fleeing to Armenia’s capital as Syria descended into chaos.
Many are descendants of people who had gone to Syria to escape the
Armenian genocide of 1915 to 1918 under the Ottoman Empire, which
became the modern republic of Turkey. The Turkish government disputes
that a genocide took place.

The current exodus is one of the most significant movements of ethnic
Armenians since then.

lRelated Middle EastRelatives await word on Assyrians abducted by
Islamic State in SyriaSee all related
8

“We are the descendants of those who survived the genocide,” said Lena
Halajian, who heads the Center for the Coordination of Syrian
Armenians’ Issues, a nongovernmental group here helping refugees
adapt. “I fear history is repeating itself.”

Participants at the celebration here read Armenian poetry as a video
of the Aleppo school — showing a modest library and students, their
hands stretched upward, fingers twitching as a teacher asked a
question — flashed on a screen. A quartet including well-known Aleppo
violinist Hovhannes Moubayed plays Dance of the Rose Maidens, by Aram
Khachaturian, the late Soviet Armenian composer.

The violinist, 44, fled Aleppo more than two years ago, and, like
others, he said he had embarked on a new life after leaving most of
his belongings behind.

Pope Francis’ visit to Turkey puts spotlight on region’s Christians
Umar Farooq
Dressed in a neatly pressed dark suit, Bedri Diril, 41, stood
patiently Saturday among a crowd of hundreds in front of St. Esprit
Cathedral in Istanbul awaiting the arrival of Pope Francis.
Dressed in a neatly pressed dark suit, Bedri Diril, 41, stood
patiently Saturday among a crowd of hundreds in front of St. Esprit
Cathedral in Istanbul awaiting the arrival of Pope Francis. ( Umar
Farooq )

“Now I try to work as a music teacher,” said Moubayed, who directed a
state music school in Aleppo. “I’ve started [in Armenia] at the very
bottom. But step by step, maybe I can survive.”

Some refugees had been targeted by militants.

“They handcuffed and blindfolded me once they knew I was Armenian,”
said a Syrian Armenian who gave his name as Krikor. “Then they whipped
and burned me.”

Gnarled scars stretch up his forearms now, and he shuffles uneasily.
In summer 2013, Krikor said, fighters with Al Qaeda-linked Al Nusra
Front abducted him from a shuttle bus in northwestern Syria’s Idlib
province. He escaped hours later and made his way to a government
checkpoint, and safety. The experience convinced him it was time to
leave.

cComments

The Ottoman Empire that slaughtered millions of Armenians was the most
recent Islamic Caliphate and ISIS plans to surpass it by building a
GLOBAL Islamic Caliphate, governed by the barbaric system of Islamic
injustice known as Sharia Law, which many global Muslims already
support:…
ZeroDarkThirty
at 8:09 AM March 01, 2015

Add a comment See all comments
1

Other Syrian Armenians have been kidnapped for their perceived wealth.
Still others have been killed in the crossfire or for sectarian
reasons. Syrian Armenians, part of the country’s 10% Christian
minority, have been targeted by militant Sunni Muslims, who have
become the dominant part of the opposition.

Most Syrian Armenians speak Arabic and Armenian, a fact that has
helped speed their assimilation in Yerevan.

Armenian schools play an integral role in preserving cultural roots
among the massive Armenian diaspora. The Armenian General Benevolent
Union, a nonprofit group promoting Armenian identity globally,
provides funds for the Aleppo school. The high school remains open,
but the population has plummeted.

Historic rug woven by Armenian orphans goes on display at White House
Matt Hansen
Lawmakers and members of the Armenian American community gathered in
Washington on Tuesday to mark the weeklong display of a historic rug
linked to the Armenian genocide, calling it significant for a nation
that helped support Armenians during some of their darkest chapters.
Lawmakers and members of the Armenian American community gathered in
Washington on Tuesday to mark the weeklong display of a historic rug
linked to the Armenian genocide, calling it significant for a nation
that helped support Armenians during some of their darkest chapters. (
Matt Hansen )

“The problem is that it can be dangerous for students to travel
there,” said Hagop Mikayelian, 71, a former administrator at the
school who was kidnapped by a rebel group and held for ransom in 2013.

In September, Islamic State militants reportedly bombed an iconic
Armenian church and museum in the eastern Syrian city of Dair Alzour
that memorializes victims of the Turks. Lost were rare documents
detailing the mass killings, say community members, who also note that
bones of some of those who perished were laid in the foundations of
the now-destroyed monument.

“The memorial was living proof of what happened to Armenians,”
Halajian said. “They want to erase our history.”

As Armenians worldwide prepare for centennial memorials in April,
Turkish backing for Syrian insurgents is further fueling Armenian
outrage. The government has supported sundry rebel factions, including
radical Islamists, as it aggressively pursues its goal of ousting
Syrian President Bashar Assad.

And last March, extremist fighters poured into the Syrian Armenian
town of Kassab from across the border in Turkey. Most of the town’s
population fled south to territory still under control of the Syrian
government. Kassab is celebrated among Armenians as a refuge for those
who fled Turkey a century ago.

At the school anniversary gathering, a choir sings Armenian hymns as
ceremonies come to a close.

Generations of graduates flood the stage, embracing while a
photographer clicks away.

Special correspondent Johnson was recently in Yerevan. Times staff
writer Patrick J. McDonnell in Beirut contributed to this report.

Arts & Book Review
February 28, 2015
First Edition

TRAGIC TALES OF THE GALLIPOLI CAMPAIGN

THE FALL OF THE OTTOMANS BY EUGENE ROGAN (Allen Lane, £25) » Order at
£20 inc. p&p from the Independent Bookshop

by GEORGE ARNEY

IT’S HARD TO IMAGINE soldiers having to face more nightmarish
conditions in the Great War than they did on the Western Front. But
that may be true of the ill-fated Gallipoli campaign, which was
intended by British politicians and generals to deliver a swift
knockout blow to the Ottoman Empire, but instead ended in an Ottoman
triumph and lengthened the conflict. Although casualties were fewer,
combatants who served on both fronts said that conditions at Gallipoli
were yet more vile. In France, troops could take leave well behind the
front lines; here there was no respite from the incessant shelling,
sniping and mines. The unburied bodies which lay between entrenched
enemy lines stank in the summer heat and attracted swarms of flies
carrying sickness from the dead to the living.

Amidst these horrors, there were moments of fraternity between the
armies. “Johnny Turk” was not demonised by the Western Allies as the
Germans were. At some points, the trenches were so close that gifts
could be exchanged. A Turkish soldier remembered throwing cigarettes,
raisins and nuts to the Anzacs, who reciprocated with cans of fruit
and jam. Another eyewitness account tells of a private in the
Lancashire Fusiliers who saved the life of an Ottoman soldier during a
battle and subsequently had his own life saved by the same man.

Such personal stories drawn from diaries and memoirs enliven Eugene
Rogan’s satisfyingly straightforward narrative, and nowhere more so
than in his account of the genocide perpetrated by the Young Turk
leadership against the Empire’s Armenian subjects.

The horrors of the enforced “death marches” are especially vivid.
Thousands were murdered by bands of armed men. Stragglers were
finished off by the guards. Others committed suicide by hurling
themselves into rivers, including the mother of one survivor, a
nine-year-old boy who was taken in by Kurdish villagers as the columns
of wretched Armenians passed through to their planned exile in the
Syrian deserts.

The creation of a homeland for Armenians in the Caucasus was one
outcome of the First World War. The dismemberment of the Ottoman
Empire led to many other territorial changes, above all in the Middle
East, where new borders were drawn by the triumphant Western allies to
further their imperialist ambitions. These borders have endured for
nearly a century – until last year, at least, when Isis declared an
Islamic Caliphate and abrogated the border between Iraq and Syria.

The last Caliph was the Ottoman Sultan, who theoretically exercised
religious authority over Muslims worldwide. British and French fears
that his call for jihad would inflame Muslim subjects in their
colonies turned out to be largely exaggerated. Rogan raises the
question of whether 21st-century fears of global jihad are equally
misplaced.

But the post-war settlement imposed by greedy and sometimes perfidious
European powers have left the Middle East riven with conflicts, not
least between Arabs and Israelis, to this day.

Turkish Intellectuals Who Have Recognized The Armenian Genocide: Osman Kavala

By MassisPost
Updated: February 28, 2015

By Hambersom Aghbashian

Osman Kavala (born in Paris in 1957), is a prominent Turkish
businessman. After graduating from Robert College in Istanbul he
continued his higher education and graduated from Manchester
University, Department of Economics. After his father’s death in 1980,
he began working as a manager for many business groups. Osman Kavala
is the Chair of the Board of Anadolu Kulture which is a non-profit
company based in Istanbul, and is a member of various business and
social organizations Board of Directors. He is also the sponsor of
many cultural organizations.(1)

In its article `Armenian culture in Turkey, From the ashes’, `The
Economist’ wrote on Aug 24, 2013, `Around 2 million Armenians are
believed to have lived in Turkey before the genocide. Now there are
about 70,000. Survivors are scattered across the Middle East, Europe,
America and Australia. Many more converted to Islam to carry on, but
their numbers remain unknown. Osman Koker, a Turkish historian,
reckons that more than half of Diyarbakir’s population used to be
non-Muslim, mainly Armenian Orthodox, but also Catholic, Syrian
Orthodox and Jewish. `Now’, says Mr Koker, `there is practically
none.'(2)

In a text released with a you tube by EGAM ` European Grassroots
Antiracist Movement, about Osman Kavala’s Impression of the `Remember
24 April1915³, 2014 initiative, EGAM quoted Kavala, Founder of Anadolu
Kültür Foundation-Turkey saying `We are getting closer to the 100th
year, and this is affecting the feelings, making them heavier, of
everyone involved. Having the European Delegation is important, and
shows a bond of solidarity with them and the local organizations in
Turkey.’ It added that European leaders, who are members of DurDe!,
EGAM, and AGBU Europe, helped to facilitate large public
commemorations of the Armenian Genocide, and helped in bringing
together many people affected by it. Everyone involved was there to
show their support and to help work towards stopping the continual
denial of the genocide by the Turkish government.(3)

Ozgun Caglar, wrote an article on October 2014 in Agos, entitled
`Unresolved Trauma Reason for Violence, Suffering’. He mentioned that
Diyarbakir’s Ismail Besikci Foundation hosted a symposium on Oct. 25
titled `1915 Diyarbekir and the Kurds’. Sociologist Osman Kavala, one
of the participants said that `Turkish civil society has to campaign
for the recognition of the Genocide because there is no big Armenian
community in Turkey any more. There is no genocide anymore. But this
issue is not local anymore. It’s an international issue because the
Genocide created the Armenian Diaspora and this Diaspora is working
for the recognition of the Genocide by the parliaments in the
countries where Armenians live. ‘ He added `We are trying to explain
to people that this is an internal issue to be solved in Turkey. We
are trying to explain that we are not working on this issue to
compensate the injustice committed against the Armenian people but to
make Turkey a more civilized and democratic state.'(4)

`Turks, Armenians, foreign delegation commemorate 1915 events’ was
`Todays Zaman’s April 24, 2013 article where it mentioned that
`Turkish Armenians and Turkish civil society groups joined with a
foreign delegation comprising 20 anti-racist and Armenian
representatives from 15 countries to commemorate the 98th anniversary
of the tragic events of 1915 in Istanbul’s Sultanahmet Square on
Wednesday.’ It added that many of the protesters think that public
opinion should be changed in such a way that when Turkey recognizes
the 1915 events, there will not be strong opposition to the steps that
will be taken by the government to solve the issue. Osman Kavala, who
attended the commemoration, told Today’s Zaman that public opinion
could be changed through giving objective information to schools and
via media. `Opinion may change in a short time period,’ he added.(5)

In his article entitled ‘ Turks Could Gain More Than Armenians By
Acknowledging the Genocide’, Harut Sassounian Publisher, The
California Courier wrote in Armenian Pundits, `It is noteworthy that
prominent and sensible businessman Osman Kavala wrote in his
`armworkshop’ posting: `It is not possible to dismiss the issue of
compensation so readily. One can find it controversial, unrealistic
[and] harmful to strategic priorities, etc., but it is clear that
unlike `land return,’ it [compensation] will remain an issue to be
discussed in the course of the reconciliation process.'(6)

On May 2, 2011, `Hye Media’ wrote: `A current exhibition of Turkish
photographer Erhan Arik in Istanbul telling about genocide survivors
has moved not only local Armenians, but also many Turks visiting it.
The photographer himself says with his exhibition called `Horovel’ he
has opened for his countrymen a new page of history ` a painful one.
But Erhan says `keeping silence about is a bigger and more dangerous
crime’. The Exhibition was organized in the DEPO hall of the Anadolu
Kultur cultural center, which is an establishment that has advocated
Turkish-Armenian relations and has implemented a number of joint
projects to this effect.The hall’s director Osman Kavala, despite
risks, continues to provide space to Armenian artists and for various
events on Armenian subjects. `We are interested in having such
exhibitions, as we need to create space for dialogue, for discussion
on different issues, such as human rights, social, political issues.
Such an exhibition could not have been organized in Turkey only a few
years ago, but now it is already normal. Unless there are certain
steps by nationalists, everything goes quite well,’ Kavala told
ArmeniaNow.'(7)

””””””””

1-
2-
3-
4-
5-
6-
7-

HAUT KARABAGH
Deux soldats Arméniens tués hier après-midi lors d’une attaque au
nord-est du Haut Karabagh
L’armée azérie compte également des morts dans ses rangs

Hier à 14h25 les soldats Azéris ont tenté de violer la frontière
arméno-azérie au nord-est de la République du Haut Karabagh en
s’attaquant dans une opération de sabotage à des positions
arméniennes. Les troupes arméniennes ont détecté cette tentative
d’incursion azérie et réagi très vite en leur occasionnant des pertes
humaines. Les Azéris ont du battre en retraite. Malheureusement
l’armée arménienne compte deux pertes, le soldat Ardak Aghékian (36
ans) et Haïk Baronian (20 ans). Le ministère de la Défense de la
République du Haut Karabagh a présenté ses condoléances aux familles
de ces deux soldats morts au front.

Krikor Amirzayan

dimanche 1er mars 2015,
Krikor Amirzayan (c)armenews.com

Le Parisien, France
Mardi 24 Février 2015

Valls inaugurera le collège arménien

VAL-DE-MARNE; ALFORTVILLE

Le futur groupe scolaire Kevork- Arabian en construction à Alfortville
sera inauguré le 4 juillet. Une cérémonie à laquelle est attendue le
Premier ministre. Cette inauguration dans une commune où réside une
forte communauté arménienne devrait permettre à Manuel Valls Enhanced
Coverage LinkingManuel Valls -Search using:News, Most Recent 60
DaysBiographies Plus NewsFind An Executived’évoquer la question du
génocide arménien, en cette année du centenaire. Le collège, destiné à
300 élèves et qui s’étendra sur 1 600 m2, accueillera dix classes, une
cantine, une bibliothèque, une salle d’informatique et un laboratoire
de sciences. La première classe ouvrira en septembre.

Mehr News Agency, Iran
March 1 2015

Iranian MPs condemn ISIL terrorist acts in Syria

TEHRAN, Mar. 01 (MNA) – Some representatives of Iran’s Parliament took
part in a press conference held in Mehr News Agency on ISIL crimes
over Assyrian Christian men, women and children last Monday.

During the conference, they unanimously condemned the terrorist act by
ISIL group who attacked residents of about 10 lightly guarded Assyrian
villages south of the Khabur River in northeastern Syria, killing the
residents, burning homes and churches and taking hostages.

Nearly 1,000 Assyrian families in northeastern Syria have run for
their lives in the wake of the abduction of at least 150 members of
the community by the ISIL Takfiri terrorists.

Iranian MP Yunaten Bet Kelia, who represents the Assyrian and Chaldean
communities in the Parliament, has written a letter to UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon where he called the UN to prepare
‘appropriate response’ to ISIL’s recent kidnapping of 250 Assyrians in
Syria.

Iranian MP representing the Armenian Christian community in the north
of the country Karen Khanlari, while condemning the recent tragedy
occured by ISIL terrorist group against Assyrians in Syria, expressed
regret over Security Council and United Nation’s silence and inaction
over terrorist crimes against innocent people in Syria.

He called upon the world to make their efforts to eradicate ISIL which
is more like the advent of Nazism in Europe.

Iranian MP Vahid Ahmadi also slammed the heinous crime by ISIL and
said the terrorist group aims at provoking panic and horror against
innocent people.

He criticized some enemies who support ISIL and ensured if they stop
backing terrorism, the world can get rid of those groups who endanger
the lives of people in the region.

Iranian MP representing the Armenian Christian community in the south
of the country Robert Biglari also strongly criticized the
international community for remaining silent against terrorism. He
underlined more serious measures and acts on behalf of UN and Security
Council against ISIL terrorist group, urging them to revise the
obligations they are committed to.

He said ISIL is a multidimensional phenomenon which acts beyond
national dimensions.

“In addition to recruiting forces from all over the world,” Biglari
said, “ISIL terrorist group brainwashes its recruited forces and has a
high influence on their thoughts and beliefs.”

Asked about Iran’s diplomacy over treating ISIL and regional issues,
Mr. Ahmadi said the Islamic Republic of Iran uses strategies like
condemnation, objection, sending messages to international community
and Iranian foreign ministry’s consultations with Assyrian community
to pursue the event.