Author: Kanayan Tamar

EXPLORING ARMENIA

Daily News & Analysis, India
Dec 25 2013

Tuesday, Dec 24, 2013, 12:48 IST | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA
Harshada Rege

The best thing about exploring a destination that’s not known to many
is that you go there without any expectations. You don’t have anyone
telling you about the ‘must visit’ spots or the ‘must shop’ things.

And then there’s the secret joy in knowing that you are the first among
your well-travelled friends to set foot on unknown soil and get to know
new stories. Armenia sure is a destination that has an interesting
tale for a traveller on every bend. The Republic of Armenia is a
landlocked country, located at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and
Western Asia. It shares its borders with Turkey to the west, Georgia
to the north, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and Azerbaijan to the east,
and Iran and the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan to the south. The
rapidly-modernising country makes for an exciting adventure.

When to go? September to early November, and April to June are popular
tourist seasons.

November onwards this proves to be a great destination for those who
love skiing down snow-capped mountains.

How to get there? Yerevan, which is the capital of Armenia, is where
you should head too.

Recently, Air Arabia has started flights to Armenia with a stopover at
Sharjah. The flights between Mumbai and Yerevan operate on Tuesdays,
Fridays and Sundays. The tickets are likely to cost around `41,000.

Fab facts!

The Peace Barrel: The Ararat Brandy factory in Yerevan is home to the
Peace Barrel. The special brandy stored in this barrel will be served
only when Armenia and Azerbaijan reach a peace agreement over Karabakh.

Devil’s Nail: Obsidian from Armenia is a semi-precious gemstone. It is
a volcanic rock known as a “natural glass,” formed some two million
years ago. Obsidian is used to make sharp objects like weapons or
knives and is referred to as Devil’s Nail by locals.

Cave restaurant: One of the most special experiences will be lunch in
a cave restaurant. This is where you will get to taste some delicious
barbecue food and cheese!

Jazz it up: For those who love to explore the nightlife in new places,
Yerevan is the place to be at.

Apart from the clubs, it’s the jazz culture that is a unique
experience. Malkhas Jazz Club is one of the most well-known spots.

Owner and famous Armenian jazz pianist Levon Malkhasyan himself plays
some great tunes post midnight at the club.

Motley land Armenia, turns out to be a great destination because
its a great amalgamation of many things. Yerevan, which is one of
the oldest continuously-inhabited cities, has been the capital of
Armenia since 1918. It’s home to Matenadaran, which is one of the
world’s oldest repositories of ancient manuscripts. When it comes to
exploring the Yerevan, a walking tour is what you need to soak in the
spirit of the city. On your must see list should be Cascade, which
is a giant stairway in Yerevan. Designed by architect Jim Torosyan,
it was launched in 1971 and completed in 1980.

Cascade has multiple levels with fountains, beautiful sculptures
and even museums. Republic Square, the statue of Mother Armenia, and
Opera House also make for interesting stop overs. The Ararat brandy
factory is a highly-recommended pit stop.

Make a wish The two monasteries that should find their way on your
itinerary are Khor Virap Monastery and Noravank Monastery. Khor Virap
is where St Gregory the Illuminator was held for 13 years before
he converted Armenia into the first Christian nation. According to
legend, he was imprisoned in a room which was full of scorpions and
snakes. While it was expected that he would eventually die in this
cell, a woman from the village would throw him some bread from an
opening in the ceiling.

When the king fell ill, his sister had a vision that it would be St
Gregory who would cure him.

Though everyone expected the saint to be dead, he replied when his
name was called. A narrow staircase leads down to the room where
he was imprisoned. Locals claim that if you whisper your wish it’s
likely to come true.

One of a kind The Monastery of Geghard has been partially carved out
of the adjacent mountain. If you are lucky, you will get to hear the
church choir chant ancient chants (sharakans) in the rock grotto. The
picturesque ancient Sun Temple at Garni is an unique destination
because this is the only pagan temple in Armenia.

Food fundas The place is a delight for barbecue lovers. Be it fish,
chicken or lamb, Armenians love their meat and serve it with much
love. Cheese, tomatoes and aubergines are often a part the vegetarian
diet. Their favourite bread is Lavash, which is a lot like our roomali
roti. Those with a sweet tooth should try the Baklava, which is a rich,
sweet pastry made of layers of filo pastry filled with chopped nuts
and sweetened with syrup or honey.

Cool off Tsaghkadzor, which when translated in Armenian means valley
of flowers, is located 50 kilometers north of Yerevan. This is a
popular holiday destination where you can witness snowfall.

This picturesque locale is home to many luxurious hotels and resorts.

RUSSIAN DEPUTY PM SAYS ARMENIA MAY JOIN CUSTOMS UNION IN 6 MONTHS

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Dec 24 2013

24 December 2013 – 8:57pm

Armenia needs six months to prepare to join the Customs Union of
Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus, Russia’s First Deputy Prime Minister
Igor Shuvalov said on Tuesday.

“The presidents have already sign a road map and agreed about the
time. Armenia has noted, however, that this time may shortened,”
he is quoted as saying by News-Armenia.

ARMENIA SIGNS CUSTOMS UNION ROADMAP, KYRGYZSTAN NEEDS MORE TALKS

Russia Today
Dec 24 2013

Armenia is on course to join the Customs Union with Russia, Belarus,
and Kyrgyzstan by January 2015, after signing a “roadmap” in Moscow.

Despite declaring its interest only three months ago, it may join
earlier than Kyrgyzstan, which applied in 2011.

The news was announced after an official meeting between the heads
of state of the three original members and two potential ones. The
meeting also included Ukraine, which has observer status. Ukrainian
Prime Minister Nikolay Azarov was present at the gathering.

“We welcome the interest in closer co-operation from the non-member
states. We have approved the roadmap that will allow Armenia to join
the union and the common economic area, and a similar document for
Kyrgyzstan is virtually ready,” Russian President Vladimir Putin
told reporters.

The Customs Union, which seeks to gather all ex-Soviet nations to form
a free trade zone to rival the EU, is the Russian leader’s project.

Armenia’s bilateral trade with Russia, its biggest foreign partner,
reached US$1.2 billion in 2012 – a negligible amount for Moscow.

Double digit growth has taken place, however, as the Caucasian country
of three million people continues to recover from the effects of a
severe economic crisis.

Armenia had long negotiated a potential Association Agreement with
the EU, similar to the one that has been causing upheaval in Ukraine,
but reversed course towards Russia in September.

Among the potential obstacles to effective membership for Yerevan
are the lack of shared borders with other member states and the
unresolved status of the Nagorno Karabakh region, which is contested
with Azerbaijan. A special provision has been included in the roadmap,
which will define the status of the region and whether it constitutes
part of the Customs Union.

Kyrgyzstan’s signing of a similar roadmap will be postponed at least
until the next session of the union in March, following critical
public comments made by the country’s president last week.

Almazbek Atambaev told media in Bishkek that the roadmap had been
“drafted without Kyrgyzstan’s involvement” and risked subjecting the
country to “social problems and instability.”

Belarus and Kazakhstan are also not entirely agreed on the nature of
the partnership between the member states, with Belarusian leader
Aleksandr Lukashenko calling for wider diplomatic and political
integration between the countries during Tuesday’s meeting, and
Kazakh leader Narsultan Nazarbaev retorting that the Customs Union
“must not become politicized.”

President Putin nonetheless assured that the union is still on course
to come into power on the long-declared date of January 1, 2015,
with details finalized by May 2014.

“Next we must document the economic obligations of the member states
to ensure that they are doing everything to ensure the free economic
movement of goods,” said the Russian leader.

“Eventually we are hoping that the amount of exceptions that restrict
free trade will be reduced to zero,” he added.

LET’S BUILD A LIBRARY IN SHUSHI –

December 23, 2013

This holiday season, join us in building a new library at Naregatsi Art
Institute in Shushi. It will be a multi-media resource center designed
to enrich education, inspire curiosity and promote innovation. We are
looking to raise $8,000 by January 13th, the New Year of the ancient
Armenian calendar.

For the past seven years, we have brought hope and inspiration to
over 300 children annually. In addition to teaching them traditional
arts such as embroidery, miniature painting and wood engraving, we
also offer classes in poetry, photography, music, dance, theatre,
and foreign languages.

Expanding our culture and heritage across the world starts with
educating and inspiring our youth today. In Shushi, it’s especially
urgent that each child has the chance to grow and flourish – not
only as a proud Armenian but also as a citizen of the world. Your
generosity conveys your belief in a better future. Help us give the
gift that lasts a lifetime: the gift of Knowledge!

Naregatsi Art Institute is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. All
donations are tax deductible.

See the video here

at this link

Website:

TOGETHER AGAINST GENOCIDE DENIAL

Dear Readers,

The protest communiqué is in French, but easily understandable. Could
you please click “like” and “share” it, post a comment if you wish and
ask your own networks to do the same and to disseminate it on their
turn so as to generate traffic on the site? Signed by major anti-racist
organizations, it has been published by the “Huffington Post”.

The legalization of denial of all genocides, except the Holocaust,
will have terrible implications in education, since it is now legal
to teach all sorts of lies and even to require students to write
denialist assignments concerning other mass crimes, including the
German Occupation as long as the Shoah is not denied, slavery,
Stalin’s crimes, the fate of Australian Aborigines, Korean women,
Bosnian civilians, Tutsis, etc.

It has become a fundamental human right to call all of these
“international lies” and to consider that denial contributes to a
“useful debate”. Consider that in primary or secondary school, where a
student who needs good grades, he or she will write what the teacher
expects…. And however gross the denial, no parent will be able to
sue denialist teachers.

Thank you.

*****

Séta Papazian, Huffington Post.fr, 20 décembre 2013
[]
Présidente du Collectif VAN [Vigilance Arménienne contre le
Négationnisme] []

Les personnalités et associations signataires expriment leur plus vive
inquiétude et leur indignation suite a l’Arrêt de la Cour européenne
des droits de l’homme publié le 17 décembre 2013 dans l’affaire Dogu
Perincek contre la Suisse (1). Cet Arrêt stipule non seulement que
nier le génocide arménien n’est pas un délit, mais il va au-dela,
en mettant en doute un “consensus général sur des événements tels
que ceux qui sont ici en cause”, a savoir le génocide arménien.

Par cette décision, la Cour européenne des droits de l’homme
estime que nier le génocide arménien est l’un des droits humains
fondamentaux. Pire, elle se fait le vecteur de la négation du
génocide arménien perpétré en 1915 dans l’Empire ottoman, en
bafouant la mémoire des victimes et les droits de leurs descendants.

La décision de la Cour (2), qui s’inscrit en droite ligne de la
politique négationniste de l’Etat turc, est un signe d’encouragement
adressé aux négationnistes du génocide arménien, qu’elle conforte
dans leurs discours de haine et leur racisme anti-arménien.

A l’heure où une partie de la société civile turque s’éveille a
un nécessaire travail de mémoire, la Cour européenne des droits
de l’homme apporte son soutien a un individu ultranationaliste,
incarcéré en Turquie dans le cadre du réseau criminel Ergenekon
(3) et ancienne cheville ouvrière du sinistre Comité Talaat Pacha,
le “Hitler” turc, qui défile dans les rues des capitales européennes.

Dogu Perincek, qui – par un jugement du 9 mars 2007 du Tribunal de
Lausanne (Suisse) (4) Рavait ̩t̩ reconnu coupable de discrimination
raciale pour avoir qualifié de “mensonge international” le génocide
arménien, avait saisi la CEDH le 10 juin 2008 pour obtenir le droit
de nier le génocide arménien. Il a donc obtenu gain de cause. Ce
personnage, condamné a la prison a vie en Turquie, a recu le soutien
du gouvernement turc qui a “adressé des observations a la Cour a
titre de tiers intervenant”.

Dans un rapport de 82 pages, la Cour estime que la condamnation de
Perincek en Suisse était une violation de l’article 10 (liberté
d’expression) de la Convention européenne des droits de l’homme. Mais,
comme le démontre son Communiqué (5), elle va bien au-dela de cette
simple affirmation.

Tout en prétendant ne pas se prononcer “sur la qualification juridique
du génocide arménien”, la Cour – faisant mine d’ignorer le travail
de centaines d’historiens internationaux – observe que “l’un des buts
principaux de la liberté d’expression est de protéger les points
de vue minoritaires […] sur des questions d’intérêt général
qui ne sont pas entièrement établies.” Elle se targue de distinguer
“clairement cette affaire de celles qui portent sur la négation des
crimes de l’Holocauste.”

Par “point de vue minoritaire”, la Cour européenne des droits de
l’homme désigne en fait un négationnisme d’Etat qui est l’alpha
et l’oméga d’une Turquie puissante, autoritaire, régulièrement
condamnée pour ses violations permanentes de la liberté
d’expression. Héritier du Crime, l’Etat turc poursuit – près
de 100 ans après le génocide – son Å”uvre destructrice par un
lobbying acharné. Il tente encore et toujours d’insinuer le doute,
de distiller ses théories falsificatrices concernant un génocide
impuni et s’évertue a instaurer aussi une insupportable concurrence
des mémoires.

Est-ce a la CEDH Рqui se cache derri̬re les imperfections de la loi
suisse pour justifier sa position – d’être la caisse de résonance
de ce négationnisme d’une violence inouïe pour les descendants
des victimes?

Le négationnisme n’est pas une opinion. A l’instar du racisme, c’est
un délit. Voire un crime: nier un génocide, c’est, selon Elie Wiesel,
“assassiner une seconde fois” les victimes.

La Suisse se doit de faire appel avec conviction (6) de la décision
du 17 décembre 2013. Alors que se profile le Centenaire du génocide
arménien qui sera commémoré dans le monde entier le 24 avril 2015,
il est impératif que “la reconnaissance internationale du génocide
des Arméniens et l’incrimination de la négation de ce génocide”
soient affirmées avec force par la Grande Chambre de la Cour
européenne des droits de l’homme.

Bientôt 100 ans de déni: cela suffit!

РS̩ta Papazian, Pr̩sidente du Collectif VAN (Vigilance Arm̩nienne
contre le N̩gationnisme) РCindy Leoni, Pr̩sidente de SOS Racisme
РAlbert Herszkowicz, Pr̩sident de Memorial 98 РJonathan Hayoun,
Président de l’UEJF (Union des Etudiants Juifs de France) – Jacky
Mamou, Pr̩sident du CUD (Collectif Urgence Darfour) РAlain Gauthier,
Président du CPCR (Collectif des Parties Civiles pour le Rwanda) –
Alain Jakubowicz, Président de la LICRA (Ligue Internationale Contre
le Racisme et l’Antisémitisme) – Bernadette Hétier, co-présidente du
MRAP (Mouvement contre le racisme et pour l’amitié entre les peuples)
– Paul-Max Morin, Directeur exécutif de l’EGAM (European Grassroots
Antiracist Movement).

РMarcel Kabanda, Pr̩sident de Ibuka France

[1] Requête no 27510/08.

[2] Seuls deux juges, NebojÅ¡a VuÄ~MiniÄ~G (Montenegro) et Paulo Pinto
de Albuquerque (Portugal) ont tenu a se dissocier de la décision
choquante de la CEDH. Ils exposent en 29 points leurs objections
très documentées et rappellent la Décision-Cadre de l’Union
européenne, que tous les Etats membres ont a transposer dans leur
droit national afin de pénaliser “l’apologie, la négation ou la
banalisation grossière publiques des crimes de génocide, crimes
contre l’humanité et crimes de guerre”.

[3] Dogu Perincek a été arrêté en Turquie le 24 mars 2008 dans
le cadre de l’enquête sur le réseau ultra-nationaliste Ergenekon,
gang fasciste que l’on soupconne d’avoir fomenté l’assassinat
du journaliste arménien de Turquie, Hrant Dink, le 19 janvier
2007. Dogu Perincek, Président du Parti des Travailleurs en Turquie
(extrême-gauche ultranationaliste), a été condamné, le 5 aoÔt
2013, a la réclusion a perpétuité.

[4] Dogu Perincek a été condamné en Suisse pour ses déclarations
lors de diverses conférences qu’il avait tenues en mai, juillet et
septembre 2005, dans les cantons de Vaud, de Zurich et de Berne. Il y
avait nié publiquement l’existence de tout génocide perpétré par
l’Empire ottoman contre le peuple arménien en 1915 et avait notamment
qualifié de “mensonge international” le génocide arménien. Le
15 juillet 2005, l’Association Suisse-Arménie avait porté plainte
contre le requérant.

[5] “La nécessité de condamner la négation de la qualification de
génocide des atrocités survenues en Arménie pendant les années
1915 et suivantes n’a pas été démontrée” – Communiqué de la CEDH
– 17/12/2013.

[6] N’est-il pas surprenant que la juge suisse Helen Keller ait
voté contre son propre pays ? Faut-il mettre en perspective le peu
d’empressement de la Suisse a se défendre dans cette affaire, avec
la visite dans la Confédération helvétique, le 10 octobre 2013[5],
du ministre turc des Affaires étrangères, Ahmet Davutoglu, aux fins
de “développer les relations turco-suisses”?

Mr. Putin, Please Visit Gyumri Again!

Armenian Observer Weekly
December 18, 2013

By Prof. Osheen Keshishian
LOS ANGELES, CA

Russian President Vladimir Putin’srecent visit to Gyumri was
very productive not necessarily politicallyspeaking, rather socially,
economically and otherwise. Because of the RussianPresident’s visit,
about $1.3 million was spent to rebuild and renovate Gyumristreets,
the ones from where Mr. Putin’s motorcade would pass. And, of
coursethe ones in very close viewing range, basically to impress the
RussianPresident.

A large amount of asphalt was poured tocover the streets, and
according to official reports, 127 light posts wereerected on the
streets and two of them at the airport.

Wow! What a nice gesture. And, I am notsure if Putin was
impressed or even noticed the paved new streets. Directly
orindirectly, the Gyumri population now has a few good streets and
they are lit.

In Gyumri, there is a large Russianmilitary base which guards
the border with Turkey and Armenia, as well asRussia. Close to 50,000
Russian soldiers are stationed there, according toreliable sources.

If Putin had not visited that city,these renovations, most
probably, were not going to be implemented. The endresult is that the
population of Gyumri will benefit from these reconstructions,thanks to
Putin’s visit. I hope that the Russian President will visit Gyumri
again in a few months (!),so that the rest of the streets will be
repaired and paved. However, he should tell his hosts that hewould
like to visit the `domiks’ (the metal shacks, large containers, used
as `homes’), and may be they will be replaced also…

According to official statistics, the Shirakregion,( which
includes Gyumri, Spitak and some villages), has the highestpoverty
rate in Armenia – 46%. The figure for the entire country is
35%. Statisticsalso indicate that half of Gyumri’s population is poor,
very poor. Two in three are poor. And … the living conditions have
not improved enough since thedevastating earthquake of December 7,
1988, which claimed the lives of more than35,000 people and destroyed
close to 60 villages. That was 25 years ago. It is truethat many
countries came to help Armenia. But it was not enough. The
governmentpromised several times that Gyumri will be rebuilt.

Some 25,000 houses were built. However, 4,000families still
live in shabby, temporary shacks. And if each family has twochildren,
then there are at least 16,000 people living under unhealthy,
inhumane, and unbelievable conditions, and many will diebecause of the
very cold sub-zero temperatures.

During a recent visit it wasobvious – private beautiful
mansions andhotels were built across from dilapidated `homes’. Some
city officials ownedrestaurants, even parks and large luxury
hotels.. What a shame! The population is constantly decreasing andthe
future looks very dim.

Recently, government officials placedwreaths on monuments
dedicated to the victims of the 1988 earthquake and paidtheir respects
to the dead. Just a show! How about the ones who are somehow
stillalive in the city and villages? Don’t they need help, and help
from the government?

Instead the government should seriouslyconcentrate on
rebuilding this once beautiful cultural center so that peoplewill not
emigrate, so that people will want to live there and enjoy life asmuch
as possible.

25 years have passed…

Azerbaijan army to have new Israeli UAVs

December 21, 2013 | 12:26

The arsenal of the Azerbaijani army will be complemented with
Israeli-made new unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), announced Yavar
Jamalov, Minister of Defense Industry of Azerbaijan.

In his words, ten `Orbiter-2M’ UAVs were manufactured this year in
Israel, the Israeli media report.

After having passed the required tests, these UAVs will complement the
arsenal of the Azerbaijani army.

They also report that Azerbaijan has not had this type of UAVs before.

It is known that, from 2012 to 2013, the total amount of the contracts
signed between Azerbaijan and Israel makes up over $1.6 billion.

ECHR cites human rights to justify shameful ruling on Genocide

December 21, 2013 – 14:20 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The ruling of the European Court of Human Rights
(ECHR) suggesting the Armenian Genocidedenial is not a crime is
nothing but shameful. At the time when in some states the Genocide
denial is punishable by law, the ECHR is pretending to care about
human rights.

Turkish Workers’ Party (Ä°P) Chairman Dogu Perincek, whose complaint
has been satisfied, already remarked that the Armenian Cause is
basically resolved in Turkey. However it’s unclear why the whole
Turkey should be associated with a single politician, accused of
complicity with Ergenekon, on top of things.

Perincek seems to be reveling in the ECHR ruling. `When we planned to
refer the issue to ECHR, Turkish authorities and main oppositionists
were trying to persuade us against the step, lest it creates
additional problems. But we promised our people to solve the Armenian
Cause and it’s been done – thanks to the power of the Turkish nation
and skillful policy-making,’ Aydinlik quoted Perincek as saying.

However, what came as the biggest surprise here was Yerevan’s
position, expressed by Justice Minister Hrayr Tovmasyan:

`ECHR’s ruling doesn’t cover acknowledgement or denial of the Armenian
Genocide, but rather previous instances of Turkey-related decisions.
The fact that 2 out of 7 judges voted against the ruling suggests the
decision was unequivocal, drawing parallels between the Genocide and
Holocaust,’ the official said promising to instruct his deputy to
further study the details of the ruling.

The Minister’s statement needs no comments, yet it’s quite possible
for a number of Perinceks to apply to international human rights
organizations before 2015. The key point here is not the fact that
Perincek was justified by the court, but rather, that a precedent was
created. “Freedom of speech” comes in handy in showing off the
impartiality of a ruling. Armenia needs to brace up for such
“processes” and show a timely and adequate response instead of
“instructing deputies.”

Much as it may wish, ECHR can’t replace the 1921 Berlin trial or
Raphael Lemkin’s testimony in 1944. So let’s hope that Perincek’s joy
about the victory over Armenians was premature.

Karine Ter-Sahakian/ PanARMENIAN.Net

YENIDUZEN WRITES ABOUT MUSIC MAESTRO VAHAN BEDELIAN

Starting form Saturday 15/12/2013, Yeniduzen Turkish-Cypriot daily
newspaper is publishing a story on music and violin master Vahan
Bedelian, which will appear in parts, every day until the end of the
year.

Turkish-Cypriot reporter Sevgul Uludag has interviewed several people
on both sides of Nicosia, including Bedelian’s grandson Vahan
Aynedjian. When asked about the reason for choosing this subject,
Sevgul Uludag mentioned that there are several Turkish-Cypriots in
Cyprus, Turkey and the UK, that are Bedelian’s students, who have very
vivid memories from their student days at the Turkish Lycee in Nicosia
where Bedelian taught for 10 years (1927-1937). Sevgul also has
thoughts of organizing an event, where Turkish, Greek and
Armenian-Cypriot students of Vahan Bedelian would play in a concert in
honour of the maestro.

You can follow the story by clicking on the link and
going to the section on reporter Sevgul Uludag. You can also read the
whole story by clicking on the Archive section. The article is in
Turkish and can be read in English, when you press on the button which
says Translate, after the inscription on the tool bar which says: This
page is in Turkish. Would you like to translate it?

TURQUIE
Turquie : Erdogan fragilisé par l’opération anticorruption

La spectaculaire opération anticorruption lancée mardi contre des
proches du Premier ministre islamo-conservateur Recep Tayyip Erdogan
continue à faire des vagues politiques en Turquie et fragilise sa
position à la veille d’une année électorale importante.

Mis en cause par l’opposition qui a réclamé sa démission, M. Erdogan a
riposté mercredi en dénonçant une `sale opération` contre son
gouvernement. Mais sa situation reste délicate face à aux critiques,
surtout celles venues de ses ex-alliés de la puissante confrérie du
prédicateur musulman Fetullah Gülen.

Neuf personnes interpellées mardi à Istanbul et Ankara ont été remises
en liberté mercredi soir, ont rapporté les médias turcs.

Mais 41 autres restaient toujours interrogées, à commencer par les
fils des ministres de l’Economie, de l’Intérieur et de
l’Environnement, le patron de la banque publique Halk Bankasi,
Suleyman Aslan, et le maire du district stambouliote de Fatih, Mustafa
Demir, membre du parti au pouvoir.

La révélation quotidienne des turpitudes de ces personnalités proches
du pouvoir a créé une onde de choc en Turquie, où les réseaux sociaux
tournent en dérision la `folie du billet vert` qui s’est emparée
d’elles.

Le scandale ne pouvait plus mal tomber pour le Premier ministre, qui a
lancé ces derniers jours la campagne de son Parti de la justice et du
développement (AKP), ou `AK parti`, pour les municipales de mars lors
de meetings géants.

A chacune de ses interventions, M. Erdogan, à qui l’on prête aussi
l’intention de se présenter à la présidentielle d’août 2014, s’est
vanté d’être le chef d’un parti portant le nom de `AK`, qui signifie
aussi blanc ou propre en turc.

Depuis mardi, ses adversaires et de nombreux éditorialistes s’en
donnent à coeur joie pour rappeler que l’affairisme immobilier du
gouvernement figurait au premier rang des critiques des manifestants
qui ont exigé sa démission en juin dernier.

`Quand il s’agit de corruption, le gouvernement ne suscite pas la
confiance car il a tendance à dissuader toute enquête qui le vise`,
estime Sedat Ergin, du quotidien Hürriyet.

Pertes électorales

Depuis mardi, plus d’une trentaine de responsables policiers
d’Istanbul et Ankara ont ainsi été démis de leurs fonctions pour
avoir, selon leur hiérarchie et le gouvernement, `abusé de leurs
pouvoirs`, selon les médias.

Le prix électoral de cette affaire, qui démontre chaque jour l’ampleur
du conflit qui oppose le gouvernement et la confrérie de Fetullah
Gülen, pourrait s’avérer élevé pour M. Erdogan, anticipent déjà de
nombreux observateurs.

Cette `affaire a terni l’image du gouvernement aux yeux des
électeurs`, a écrit Emre Uslu, l’éditorialiste du quotidien Zaman, le
porte-voix du prédicateur musulman. `A partir de maintenant, aucun
conservateur ne pourra plus défendre ce parti en soutenant qu’il a mis
fin à la corruption`, a-t-il ajouté, `on peut donc imaginer que le
gouvernement AKP va perdre des voix lors des scrutins à venir`.

Depuis la décision du gouvernement de supprimer les écoles de soutien
scolaire privées, une de ses principales sources de financement,
l’organisation Gülen, très influente dans les affaires, la police et
la magistrature, critique ouvertement le Premier ministre.

Depuis 2002, l’alliance de M. Erdogan et des fidèles du mouvement
`güleniste`, qui partagent les mêmes soutiens conservateurs et
religieux, a permis de réduire l’influence des partisans de `l’ancien
régime` laïc, notamment l’armée.

Par la voix d’un de ses avocats, Orhan Erdemli, Fetullah Gülen, qui
vit aux Etats-Unis, a assuré mercredi soir n’avoir `rien à voir ni
aucune information sur les investigations en cours ou les personnes
qui en sont chargées`.

Mais pour beaucoup d’observateurs, l’opération anticorruption
participe bel et bien de cette guerre fratricide au sein de la
majorité. `Le mouvement (Gülen) a fait savoir qu’il était là et décidé
à protéger ses intérêts`, estime l’analyste Rusen Cakir.

Face à cette menace, M. Erdogan pourrait bien profiter du remaniement
ministériel annoncé pour remplacer les ministres candidats aux
municipales pour se débarrasser des autres membres de son gouvernement
mis en cause, selon des sources proches du pouvoir.

Ce mouvement doit intervenir avant la fin du mois.

dimanche 22 décembre 2013,
Stéphane ©armenews.com