Author: Kanayan Tamar

Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
Sept 6 2014

Turkish-German director Akın says his new movie `doesn’t apologize’ over Armenian issue

Zeynep Miraç

`The Cut,’ Turkish-German director Fatih Akın’s new movie based on the
1915 events, made its long-anticipated world premiere at the 71st
Venice Film Festival earlier this week. The film has received a mixed
response from critics so far, but Akın says it has `fulfilled its
purpose.’

The Armenians say the World War I-era mass killings under the rule of
the Ottoman Empire amounted to `genocide.’ The Turkish state has
always denied this, saying that any deaths were the result of civil
strife that erupted when Armenians took up arms for independence in
eastern Anatolia.

While `The Cut’ takes the traumatic 1915 events as its starting point,
what follows is a transcontinental journey story following the central
character, Nazareth, trying to reunite with his family after the
trauma of the massacres. Fatih Akın spoke to Hürriyet about the film,
his motivations behind making it, and the initial critical reaction.

Q: One of the actors in the movie, Simon Abkarian, has said `The Cut
is the movie that Armenians were waiting for.’ So did you make this
movie for Armenians?
A: Actually I made the movie mostly for Turks. I’m Turkish and I made
this movie for my people. Cinema belongs to the whole world, anyone
can take whatever they want from this movie. Simon sees it that way;
he liked this movie and believed in his part in it. Maybe Armenians
were not expecting a film like this from a Turk. Maybe that’s what we
were trying to imply.

Q: Why did you make this movie?
A: Who else could it have been? Don’t get me wrong, I don’t see myself
at center stage. [Turkish journalist] Hasan Cemal has a book on the
genocide, and I have artist friends doing work on it. There’s a group
of Turks who accept this, and the group is getting bigger every day.
In terms of making a movie about it, maybe I am the first. But it
feels like day by day it’s getting easier to talk about this topic.
The taboos and strictness of just 10 years ago seem weaker now.

Q: What was the reason for this softening process in your opinion?
A: Hrant’s death. It feels like it led to a purification on the topic.
Thoughts of empathy became more visible in Turkey.

Q: You said Hasan Cemal’s `1915: Armenian Genocide’ book encouraged
you. In what sense?
A: It gave me courage to use the `genocide’ word. Before that I had
developed strategies to avoid using that word when I was talking about
the happenings. Hasan Cemal broke this self-developed fear. I must
also say this: As you know, DoÄ?a Perinçek appealed to the European
Court of Human Rights arguing that rejection of the genocide should
not be considered a crime, and this objection was accepted. Actually,
this was also Hrant Dink’s idea. He said `Denying the genocide
shouldn’t be prohibited.’ He opposed France’s attitude and I also
agree with him.

Q: Everyone says that you’re very brave. When you started the journey
of filming this movie, did you have to tell yourself to be brave?
A: I don’t want to make anyone sad. Especially the people around me. I
have a family and what they think matters. My mother, my father, my
wife¦ I sat them in front of me and asked: `I want to do this, what do
you think?’ We exchanged our ideas. If I was completely alone, if I
didn’t have my family, I wouldn’t have thought about anything.

Q: After an interview you gave to Turkish-Armenian newspaper Agos, you
received a threat from a far-right Turkish magazine. There may also
have been other threats. Has this made you fear for your life?
A: There’s only been one threat and no, I’m not worried. I’ve worked
on this movie for seven years and I have prepared myself for these
threats. Social media should be used properly. Someone writes
something, the European media makes a big deal out of it. But the
Turkish media didn’t make a big deal out of it. Outside of Turkey,
they wrote `Turkey is against the movie’ just because of one guy’s
comment. Turkey should take this situation seriously, because I don’t
believe it is against this movie – neither the administration, nor the
government, nor the society.

Q: Another question in people’s minds is: Why you didn’t put the movie
out in 2015, the 100th anniversary of the events?
A: I wanted it to be released as soon as possible. That’s why I
increased the tempo and finished it before 2015. Some countries, like
France, will screen it in 2015, but that’s not a decision that is left
up to me.

Q: Did you shoot this movie out of feelings of responsibility, of
guilt? Is this your apology movie?
A: I do feel responsibility, yes. I wasn’t born then and neither was
my father. But I belong to this society and that’s what I feel
responsibility for. As for the apology, a film doesn’t apologize. You
go there and you apologize. That’s different¦

Q: The first reviews of the movie have been quite mixed. The Guardian
and Variety were lukewarm in their praise. What do you think about
these reviews?
A: This is a first for me. I have encountered harsh reviews for the
first time. It turns out I’ve been a little spoiled by critics in the
past. I had to wait until I was 41 to experience this. It’s difficult
because they’re criticizing my child. I have to analyse this
situation. The initial purpose of the movie was for my mother, my
father, and my friends in Turkey to like it. At the same time for
Armenian society, Armenia and the Armenian diaspora to like it. This
is actually a pretty impossible aim. I started the journey by asking,
`Could this movie act as bridge?’ Could it unite those in Turkey who
accept the genocide and those who don’t? That was my question.

Q: Looking at the initial responses, do you think the movie fulfilled this task?
A: I asked myself, `Will the Armenians find the movie too light?’ as
it’s not about what happened. My Turkish friends liked the movie too.
If you want to bring together two sides standing against each other,
you have to pay a price; maybe that price is these reviews.

Q: When you were shooting `The Cut,’ was this task more important than
the cinematic language?
A: You can fulfil that task with cinema. I didn’t have a concern like
`I have to prove my style.’ I didn’t get caught up in such an complex.
I wanted to grab the public, two groups with opposing opinions. I
think the critics were expecting something different from me, whatever
that expectation was¦

Q: Would you be offended if `The Cut’ became one of those movies that
the critics severely criticize but the public is very interested in?
A: No. Maybe it really is a movie for society. I hope it is, it would
be fitting for the movie.

Q: When will it be screened in Turkey?
A: Our intention is to screen it in the autumn.

Q: Are you facing any difficulties about getting it screened?
A: The cinemas are scared about whether some people will protest? If
they sprayed tear gas during the Gezi protests because the public
peace was disrupted, then police can come and `protect’ the cinemas
too.

September/06/2014

Aports Mole, UK
Sept 8 2014

Result: Denmark come from behind to beat Armenia in Group I opener

Goals from Pierre Hojbjerg and Thomas Kahlenberg give Denmark victory
over Armenia in their opening Group I Euro 2016 qualifier.

By Pascal Lemesre, Championship Correspondent

Filed: Sunday, September 7, 2014 at 19:24 UK
Last Updated: Monday, September 8, 2014 at 17:11 UK

All three goals came in the second half as Denmark fought back from
1-0 down to beat Armenia and begin their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign
with a win in Group I.

After a first half of few chances it was visitors Armenia who took the
lead in Copenhagen when Borussia Dortmund’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan found
the bottom corner with a low left-foot drive from 20 yards.

Fifteen minutes later Denmark were level when Bayern Munich youngster
Pierre Hojbjerg fired home from outside the area for his first senior
international goal.

It also made him the youngest scorer for Denmark in Euro qualifiers,
breaking the previous record of Tottenham Hotspur’s Christian Eriksen.

Both sides had chances to net the third and it was Denmark who scored
the vital goal with 10 minutes on the clock.

Nicklas Bendtner crossed for Thomas Kahlenberg, who had only been on
the pitch for six minutes when he headed home from six yards.

NEWS.GNOM.ES
Sept 8 2014

Epic Novel Memorialises Armenian Genocide

BANGKOK, Thailand, Sept. 8, 2014 /NEWS.GNOM.ES-iReach/ — ‘Origins:
Discovery’ is a unique epic story set during the greatest conflict in
human history; an alternative history intended to make the reader
laugh, cry and contemplate our most important human values. It is a
novel of love, culture and discovery, in spite of the tragic
background.

Read about the book at

CISTran Finance
Sept 8 2014

Armenian PM approves proposals to stimulate economy

September 8, 2014 8:30 AM
By Lisa Barron

Armenian Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan held a consultative meeting
recently to discuss government proposals for improving the country’s
business environment and stimulating the economy.

Participants discussed possible measures to provide fiscal support for
rural enterprises, revise the threshold for VAT holidays on imports
and consider a gradual overhaul of the VAT system, subsidize interest
payments on mortgages and implement an electronic payment system for
taxes.

Abrahamyan approved the measures and instructed government officials
to hold discussions with stakeholders and submit the results.

Aktiv Bank declared insolvent by Ukraine’s central

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Sept 6 2014

Does Armenia support territorial integrity of Azerbaijan?

6 September 2014 – 5:30pm

The NATO summit in Newport (Wales) has forced Armenia to manifest its
support for Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity by signing the 30th
paragraph of the Declaration, which declares the integrity of the
territories of the former Soviet republics.

The alliance has also pledged to continue work on peaceful settlements
of the Nagorno-Karabakh, Georgian-Abkhazian, Georgian-Ossetian and
Transnistrian conflicts on the basis of international law. NATO has
expressed its concern at the time it is taking to resolve these
conflicts.

Even though the 30th paragraph has no legally binding force, it is the
first time in history that the Armenian government has officially
supported the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan.

Armenian Studies Program, CSU Fresno
Barlow Der Mugrdechian, Coordinator
5245 N. Backer Ave. PB4
Fresno CA 93740-8001
ASP Office: 559-278-2669
FAX: 559-278-2129

Visit the ASP Website:

Book Presentation-`Vahan Tekeyan: Selected Poems’ (English and Armenian)
`Vahan Tekeyan-Hadendir’ (Armenian)
with guests Edmond Azadian, Dr. Arpi Sarafian, and Tamar Hovhannisyan

The Armenian Studies Program is presenting two new books about famed
Armenian poet Vahan Tekeyan (1878-1945) at a special event to be held
at 7:30PM on Friday, September 19, in the University Business Center,
Alice Peters Auditorium, Room 191, on the Fresno State campus.

The lecture is the second in the Fall Lecture Series of the Armenian
Studies Program and is co-sponsored by the Tekeyan Cultural
Association of Fresno. The Lecture Series is supported by the Leon
S. Peters Foundation.

Author and literary critic Edmond Azadian, editor of the newly
released =80=9CVahan Tekeyan: Selected Poems,’ will speak about the
significance of the volume. `Vahan Tekeyan’ was published as volume 5
in the Armenian Series, under the general editorship of Prof. Barlow
Der Mugrdechian. The Armenian Series part of the The Press at
California State University, Fresno.

At the presentation, Tamar Hovhannisyan of Carmel will discuss a
second book, `Vahan Tekeyan-Hadendir’ (in Armenian), also edited by
Edmond Azadian.

Guest speaker Dr. Arpi Sarafian (California State University, Los
Angeles) will speak about Vahan Tekeyan’s poetry.

Edmond Azadian has had a long career in journalism, as editor of Arev
newspaper in Cairo, and has worked with Baikar Armenian Daily and the
Armenian Mirror-Spectator . From 1972-2010 he served as the Director
of the Armenian Affairs Department at the Alex and Marie Manoogian
Foundation in Detroit, Michigan. He is the author of numerous books
including History on the Move and Portraits and Profiles .

The lecture is free and open to the public. Free public parking is
available after 7:00PM at Fresno State Lots P5 and P6, near the
University Business Center.

For more information about the lecture please contact the Armenian
Studies Program at 278-2669, or visit our website at

EU to provide ?¬170 million to Armenia for developing private sector
and implementing reforms

YEREVAN, September 8. /ARKA/. The European Union will provide ?¬140 to
170 million to Armenia over a period between 2014 and 2017 for
development of the private sector and implementation of public
administration and justice reforms, panorama.am reports.

On Monday, the European Commission announced a decision to provide EU
funding to the partners in the EU Neighbourhood in the coming years.

This package includes programs for Algeria, Armenia, AzerbaØ£¯jan,
Belarus, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia. The total amount
of these programs is over ?¬5.5 billion.

The priorities of the financing have been decided in a close
cooperation with authorities, civil society representatives and
concerned parties in each of the partner countries. –0—-

Baku’s Position on Karabakh Will Weaken by 2019-20

3/9/2014 – 17:00

Petrostrategies, a French consultancy and think tank, published an
article on the recent Armenian-Azerbaijani escalation in its magazine,
“World Energy Weekly.” The authors of the article highlight the
fragility of oil and gas pipelines stretching from Azerbaijan to
Europe. They also stress that Baku will be forced to resolve the
Nagorno-Karabakh problem one way or another by 2019-20 given the fact
that its net hydrocarbon revenues are going to continue to fall and
its capacity to purchase arms will also dwindle.

At the beginning of August, a 6-day micro-war took place between
Azerbaijan and Armenia, just a stone’s throw from the Southern
Corridor that is used to export 37 million tons/annum of Azeri oil and
6 bcm/annum of Azeri gas. The event went unnoticed by the mainstream
press. The latter was more preoccupied by the (much bigger) wars that
are raging in Ukraine, Iraq, Libya and Syria. Yet it does highlight
the fragility of this Corridor, which is supposed to contribute to
Europe’s energy security, and the implementation of which occupied the
efforts of western governments for almost a quarter of a century. This
is the second time in six years that hostilities have broken out in
the vicinity of these pipelines. The first of these was the war
between Russian and Georgia, in August 2008. This summer’s micro-war
was not as long and bloody as the Russia-Georgia conflict. But it does
contain the seeds of a possible future larger-scale clash breaking out
in the medium term between Armenia and Azerbaijan if the necessary
steps to prevent it are not taken. And if war does break out, it is
almost certain that the pipelines of the Southern Corridor will not be
spared this time around.

The origin of the Armenian-Azeri conflict goes back to 1921. At the
time, within the framework of Stalin’s policy of mixing nationalities
in the Caucasus, the Armenian region of Nagorno-Karabakh was
incorporated into Soviet Azerbaijan. In 1998, taking full advantage of
Gorbachev’s Perestroika, Nagorno-Karabakh sought to exercise its right
to self-determination. Baku refused. The full-on war that was sparked
after the collapse of the USSR in 1991 led to the defeat of
Azerbaijan. The ceasefire agreement that was concluded in May 1994 has
not always been respected, but it had never been so badly violated as
it was this summer. At the end of July and beginning of August 2014
several thousand infractions were recorded. From August 1 to 6,
between 20 and 50 deaths (according to sources) were registered. On
August 7, the announcement of a mediation by Vladimir Putin eased the
intensity of the military clash. But on the same day, the Azeri
President, Ilham Aliyev posted nearly 60 messages on Twitter in which
he notably stated: “The war is not over. Only the first stage of it
is. But the second stage may start soon”. The day before, he had told
his soldiers: “The fascist leadership, the military junta” is leading
“an Armenian state [that] was created on the historical Azerbaijani
lands” and “we, Azerbaijanis must and will return to these lands”,
including the capital city, Yerevan, which he described as the ancient
Azeri (kingdom of) “Irevan khanate”.

The meetings held between the Armenian and Azeri Presidents, in Sochi,
between August 8 and 10, under the auspices of Putin, should in
principle lead to a resumption of negotiations aimed at finding a
political solution to the conflict. But nothing guarantees a happy
outcome of these talks. Azerbaijan is demanding the re-establishment
of its “territorial integrity”. The Armenians answer back that
historically, Nagorno-Karabakh has never been part of an independent
Azerbaijan. Strengthened by the huge purchases of arms it has carried
out in recent years, notably from Russia, Azerbaijan claims its can
destroy any given target in Armenia and it states that “the very
existence of the Armenian state can be open to question”. For its
part, Armenia says it owns missiles that can hit targets 300 km into
Azeri territory.

In a rare occurrence in international relations, on August 4, the US
Ambassador to Yerevan and the Armenian Minister of Defense published a
joint press release in which they expressed “their deep concern for
the recent increase in tensions” and state that they “have explored
ways to de-escalate the situation”. The US diplomat went as far as to
express “his condolences to the families of soldiers who lost their
lives during recent events”. No initiative of this kind has been
undertaken by the US ambassador to Baku. It was thus made clear that
Washington held Azerbaijan responsible for the military escalade. The
US and Europe hailed the Russian mediation that led to a
de-escalation. But, unless a political solution can be found to the
conflict, Azerbaijan (which refuses the current status quo) risks
resuming hostilities over the medium term.

Time is running out for Baku which, over the next 5-6 years, is going
to lose its importance as an oil supply source. The production from
its three main fields (Azeri, Chirag and Deep Guneshli – ACG) did not
reach its target of 50 million tons/annum in 2011. Since then, it has
hit a ceiling of around 42 million tons/annum. In October 2012, Aliyev
publicly accused BP (the operator of ACG) of having lied to it. It
issued an order to the company to stabilize production. At best, the
latter could be maintained for another few years, but with a rise in
production costs, and therefore a drop in the State’s revenues. A
total of 2.5 billion barrels have been produced on ACG to date. At the
current rate of 315 million barrels/annum, 70% of the ACG’s original
proven reserves of 6 billion barrels will have been produced within
the next five years.

It is over the next five years that Azerbaijan is also going to
develop phase 2 of the Shah Deniz field, in order to supply 6
bcm/annum of gas to Turkey and 10 bcm/annum to Europe, as of 2019. At
least $56 billion will be invested in this project. This gas is going
to be transported via the same route as the current pipelines of the
Southern Corridor. In certain places, these run only 25 km away from
the front line with Armenia. They are therefore highly vulnerable.
Furthermore, Azerbaijan’s relations with its main ally in the region,
Turkey, could change. When the Shah Deniz gas lines are built, Baku
will be completely dependent on Ankara for its oil and gas exports,
with the exception of small volumes sold via Georgia and Russia. On
the other hand, Ankara will be able to diversify its oil and gas
transits, thanks to additional volumes from Iran and Iraq. The new
‘rapport de forces’ that will then emerge between Azerbaijan and
Turkey could enable the latter to take its distance from Baku’s
political stance (which it has unreservedly supported up to now) if it
deems this necessary for its national interests.

In other words, Baku had better solve the problem of Nagorno-Karabagh
one way or another by 2019-20. The closer it gets to this date, the
more its position will be weakened. Furthermore, its net hydrocarbon
revenues are going to continue to fall and its capacity to purchase
arms will also dwindle. Gas sales cannot compensate for the drop in
its oil revenues, as the investments required by Shah Deniz are very
high and gas prices usually suffer from a discount compared with oil.
Furthermore, the price of Shah Deniz 2 gas is indexed on the European
spot market, which up to now has been lower than the price of the
Russian or Algerian gas indexed on oil.

The recent micro-war has brought to light a complex political
equation. On the one hand, the Americans and Europeans designed the
Southern Corridor in order to enable the export routes for Azeri oil
and gas to bypass Russia. But on the other hand, the micro-war of
August 2014 illustrated that the Western powers need the Russians to
ensure the security of these pipelines, which are supposed to
contribute to the security of Europe’s energy supply. The conflicting
parties also need the Russians. And this will remain to be the case
for as long as conflict zones subsist in the region… Thus, in a
nutshell, the current status quo suits Russia and, insofar as the
situation will depend on Moscow, the latter will only support a change
if it thinks it can benefit from the new status quo even more than it
does now.

Armenia-Turkey: Yerevan awaiting Erdogan’s reply to invitation to
attend 2015 Genocide commemorations

Genocide | 08.09.14 | 10:33

By Naira Hayrumyan
ArmeniaNow correspondent

Armenian FM: Turkey should reconcile with its own past

Turkey is in dispute with itself: it should reconcile with its own
past to be able to build its future. This was the main message of the
article by Armenia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Edward Nalbandian
published in the French newspaper Le Figaro late last week.

On August 28, Nalbandian attended the inauguration of newly elected
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and handed him President Serzh
Sargsyan’s invitation to visit the commemorative events which will
take place on the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in
Yerevan on April 24, 2014. The “commemoration year” has already begun,
and it promises to be a challenge for Turkey.

Greece’s parliament is going to consider a bill criminalizing the
denial of genocides, including the Genocide of Armenians. Member of
the National Assembly of France Valerie Boyer has also prepared a new
bill on Armenian Genocide criminalization, and it, according to
experts, has a chance of being passed this year.

French President Francois Hollande has already announced that he will
arrive in Yerevan on April 24. Pope Francis will also be with Armenia
on this day. Other world leaders have not yet responded to Sargsyan’s
invitation. Apparently, they are waiting for Erdogan’s reply, because
if the Turkish president declines the invitation, it would mean that
Turkey continues its policy of denial. And the visit to Yerevan by
each of the world leaders will be evidence of an open confrontation
with Turkey.

“The president of Armenia has invited the Turkish president to visit
Armenia on April 24, 2015, on the occasion of the commemoration of the
100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. We hope it will not be a
missed opportunity and Turkey’s president will be in Yerevan on that
day,” Nalbandian wrote in his article. He also reminded that by
speaking about “common pain” and “just memory”, the new prime minister
of Turkey Ahmet Davutoglu emphasizes that “the main goal of Erdogan’s
statement is prevention of worldwide efforts of the Genocide
recognition.”

On April 23, Erdogan issued a first-of-its-kind message on the
“Armenian Issue” with words of condolences addressed not to Armenians
alone, but to all victims of the events during World War I.

The Armenian issue is part of the policy of Western countries to curb
Turkey. Political analyst Igor Muradyan believes that the United
States and European countries, along with Iran and a number of Arab
countries, actively stop attempts of Turkey to expand to Central Asia,
the Middle East and the Caucasus. And the Armenian issue is used as
one of the main weapons
in this police of containment.

There is also another issue – the events in the Middle East could lead
to the division of Iraq, Syria, and the creation of a Kurdish state.
If events develop this way, one would be able to talk about the
termination of the Treaty of Lausanne that determined the new borders
across the region after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in the First
World War. It was because of the collapse of the Ottoman Empire that
Armenian lands were divided between Turkey and Russia.

The revocation of the Treaty of Lausanne may open up enormous chances
for Armenia to restore historical justice. However, the assessment of
Armenian diplomacy in this matter is not entirely positive – analysts
believe that Armenian diplomats should more firmly defend the
country’s interests. For example, some took note that Nalbandian’s
article has no mention of compensation and claims of Armenians.
Although in one of his recent interviews Nalbandian for the first time
declared about the inevitability of reparations.

In Turkey they are trying by all means to resist these processes, but
at the same time they understand the inevitability of recognition of
the property rights of Armenians. It is hardly a coincidence that
there are reports in the Turkish press that Erdogan is building a new
presidential palace and intends to leave Cankaya Palace. For nearly
100 years Turkish presidents have used Chankaya Palace as their
official residence. The building was originally the Kasabian Estate
and belonged to an Armenian named Ohannes Kasabian, an escapee of the
Armenian Genocide.

In his article Nalbandian offers ratification of the 2009 Zurich
protocols, normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations and opening of
the borders as steps towards reconciliation. However, Turkey continues
to push for a solution to the Karabakh conflict in favor of its
regional cousin Azerbaijan as a precondition for normalization of
relations with Armenia. While in Baku last week, Erdogan stated that
the Turkish-Armenian relations would not be settled until the Karabakh
conflict was resolved.

Tigranakert fortress may open doors soon – archaeologist

15:18 * 08.09.14

The head of the archaeological team conducting excavations in
Tigranakert (the ancient Armenian capital on the territory of
Nagorno-Karabakh) says they expect to open the historical city’s
fortress in the near future.

“We are hopeful to open the fortress’ main entrance, which promises
not only a magnificent architectural sample but also, I think, records
about the city. In the central district’s Christian Square. we have
unveiled the second church where we had unearthed a crypt under the
Koran,” Hamlet Petrosyan told reporters on Friday, commenting on the
results of the excavation.

He said they invited three foreign experts to collaborate with the
team last year in an effort to raise worldwide awareness of the
historical Armenian site. “Tigranakert needs to gain recognition
today, so by inviting foreign specialists, we will raise awareness of
the city in those countries as well. Apart from their academic
significance, archaeological excavations are also important in terms
of raising the society’s attention. All Armenians have been involved
in the process. The excavations in Tigranakert are very important, as
we need attention not only by the scientific circles but also ordinary
people,” he explained.

Petrosyan said 30,000-40,000 people annually visit Tigranakert to see
the ancient site.

“And in spite of all that, there is absolutely no attention by either
the authorities or the political parties. The same indifference we see
on the part of the National Academy of Sciences. Yes, they do not
hamper our activities or reject us, but there is no enthusiasm about
that invention which bears witness to the Armenians’ presence in those
territories in the early Christian period,” the archeologist noted.