Author: Kanayan Tamar

EREVAN ACCUEILLE UNE CONFERENCE INTERNATIONALE CONTRE LA XENOPHOBIE

ARMENIE

L’ensemble de la presse rend compte de la conference intitulee ” Lutte
contre le racisme, la xenophobie et l’intolerance en Europe “, du 21
au 22 octobre, organisee dans le cadre de la presidence armenienne du
Comite des Ministres du Conseil de l’Europe. Le Secretaire general
du Conseil de l’Europe, Thorbjorn Jagland, des hauts representants
des principales structures du CE, des delegations des pays membres,
ainsi que des representants de l’ONU, de l’OSCE, de la Ligue arabe
ont pris part a cette conference, qui constitue l’une des principales
manifestations organisees dans le cadre de la presidence armenienne.

Alors que le Ministre armenien des AE prononcait un discours,
un groupe de militants de la societe civile a fait irruption dans
la salle de conference brandissant des panneaux accusant le parti
Republicain d’Armenie de ” fascisme et de xenophobie “. Ils ont en
particulier brandi les portraits des deputes Edouard Charmazanov (parti
Republicain) et Artsvik Minassian (parti Dachnak), qui avaient approuve
l’attaque contre un club où se reunissaient des ” minorites sexuelles ”
a Erevan, en mai 2012, ainsi que de Khatchik Asrian, vice-Ministre du
Sport et de la Jeunesse (parti Republicain) ayant appele a ” brûler
vive ” une deputee d’opposition, Zarouhie Postandjian, celle-ci
ayant recemment apostrophe le President Sarkissian a l’APCE. Azg
reconnaît que leur action a revetu un caractère pacifique, ce qui a
ete benefique pour l’image de la democratie en Armenie, mais dit ne
pas partager l’avis selon lequel les autorites armeniennes seraient
des ” fascistes “.

Par ailleurs, les quotidiens rendent compte de la rencontre du
President Sarkissian avec le Secretaire general du Conseil de l’Europe,
avec lequel il a discute de la cooperation Armenie-UE, des problèmes
regionaux, du processus de reformes judiciaires en Armenie etc.

Extrait de la revue de presse de l’Ambassade de France en Armenie en
date du 22 octobre 2013

mardi 29 octobre 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

REVUE DE PRESSE N2 – 28/10/13 – COLLECTIF VAN

Publie le : 28-10-2013

Info Collectif VAN – – Le Collectif VAN [Vigilance
Armenienne contre le Negationnisme] vous propose une revue de presse
des informations parues dans la presse francophone, sur les thèmes
concernant la Turquie, le genocide armenien, la Shoah, le genocide
des Tutsi, le Darfour, le negationnisme, l’Union europeenne, Chypre,
etc… Nous vous suggerons egalement de prendre le temps de lire ou
de relire les informations et traductions mises en ligne dans notre
rubrique Par
ailleurs, certains articles en anglais, allemand, turc, etc, ne sont
disponibles que dans la newsletter Word que nous generons chaque jour.

Pour la recevoir, abonnez-vous a la Veille-Media : c’est gratuit !

Vous recevrez le document du lundi au vendredi dans votre boîte email.

Bonne lecture.

Collectif VAN : l’ephemeride du 28 octobre Info Collectif VAN –
– La rubrique “Ephemeride” du Collectif VAN a
ete lancee le 6 decembre 2010. Elle recense la liste d’evenements
survenus a une date donnee, a differentes epoques de l’Histoire, sur
les thematiques que l’association suit au quotidien. L’ephemeride du
Collectif VAN repose sur des informations en ligne sur de nombreux
sites (les sources sont specifiees sous chaque entree). “28 octobre
2007 — Allemagne : Ambiance de pogrom a Berlin. Des nationalistes
turcs menacants ont attaque un centre culturel kurde dans le quartier
de Kreuzberg. Plusieurs milliers de nationalistes et fascistes turcs
se sont rassembles a Hermannplatz et ont hurle des slogans. Des Kurdes
ont ete attaques, et cela a degenere en vraie chasse a l’homme. Le
syndicat de la police berlinoise a explique que ce sont les Turcs
qui se sont mis a traquer les Kurdes après la manifestation : “Nous
avons pu eviter qu’une violence incontrôlee n’envahisse les rues de
Berlin. Ceux qui deferlent en meute dans Kreuzberg, armes de machettes,
doivent sentir toute la force d’un Etat democratique.”

Les chretiens appeles a s’attacher a leur terre…

À l’issue du premier Congrès general pour les chretiens d’Orient,
qui s’est tenu samedi et dimanche a Raboue, les participants ont
affirme dans un communique que

AZERBAIJAN’S IMPORTANCE FOR US WILL DECLINE – ANALYST

October 28, 2013 | 15:34

Azerbaijan will be in a lower stature in terms of American interests
and priorities than it has today, American analyst believes.

E. Wayne Merry, a senior fellow for Europe and Eurasia at the American
Foreign Policy Council, commented on anti-western rhetoric backed by
the Azeri government in an interview with TURAN agency.

“Unfortunately, the political leadership in Baku is showing to be
insulated, detached from the understanding of changing events in the
outside world, very unable to comprehend either European, or American
priorities in issues, like development of rule of law,” E. Wayne Merry,
a senior fellow for Europe and Eurasia at the American Foreign Policy
Council, said in an interview with TURAN’s Washington correspondent.

Asked whether the regional developments, such as American-Iranian
possible rapprochement, might affect US’s priorities to the region,
Merry said, although recent steps between Washington and Tehran are
“encouraging,” however, regardless of that, “the importance priority
not just of Azerbaijan, but of the Central Caucasus region in general
for the US is in decline.”

Part of that has to do with the end of the American engagement in
Afghanistan, while it is also about “other US foreign policy priorities
and commitments in the other parts of the world. ” Five years from now,
he added, Azerbaijan “will be in a lower stature in terms of American
interests and priorities than it has today, and significantly lower
than it has been in the past.”

As the economic context of Azerbaijan is shifting from being focus on
oil to gas, the analyst warns Baku regarding the new challenges ahead.

“The easy years of economic prosperity, based on oil, are now coming
to an end, and a much more challenging period of economic development
lies ahead,” he said.

BRYZA URGES BOOSTING AZERBAIJANI CAUCUS IN US CONGRESS

ANS TV, Azerbaijan
Oct 21 2013

[Presenter] The conflict between the government and Congress in the
USA is affecting foreign diplomacy as well. What is the impact of
this conflict on US-Azerbaijani relations?

[Correspondent] There is one truth related to the USA that we wish
to forgive and forget: the notorious [Freedom Support Act Section]
907 and direct US aid to Karabakh. Although every year its effect is
frozen, 907 remains to this day. Assistance to the Karabakh separatist
regime also persists. On the one hand, the Congress allots funds and on
the other the US government says “we respect Azerbaijan’s territorial
integrity”. The struggle between the two government bodies last year
affected a US diplomat.

The lack of information in the Congress about Azerbaijan left the US
ambassador to Azerbaijan, Matthew Bryza, unemployed. For the first
time the ex-ambassador admits this.

The recall of Matthew Bryza as soon as he was appointed surprised
many. After over one year of not being a member of the administration
Matthew Bryza has much to say.

[Matthew Bryza, captioned as former US ambassador to Azerbaijan
(2011-2012), with Azeri voice-over] My own experience shows how much
slander was said against me. I could file a lawsuit against these
people. However, I did not do this because at the time I was still
a US official. Unfortunately, there was no person either within
the Congress, or outside it to unmask this slander as lies. Now
the participation of Azerbaijan and Turkey in the Congress is
strengthening. I hope that time will come when nobody will believe
in the lies of the Armenian Assembly of America, because they are
only fabricating lies.

[Correspondent] There is truth in what the ambassador says. It is for
this reason that the claims we have had against the administration
for years always hit a brick wall and returned.

Former US Ambassador Richard Kauzlaric advised working with the
Congress, rather than complaining.

[Richard Kauzlaric, captioned as former US ambassador to Azerbaijan
(2011-2012), with Azeri voice-over] I believe that Section 907
is betrayal of the Azerbaijani people. In terms of resolving the
conflict, it suits the interests of neither Azerbaijan, nor Armenia,
nor the USA. When I was the ambassador I sought to encourage interest
of Congress members in Azerbaijan. The more information they have,
the more they will help. I believe that it is exceptionally important
to boost the ranks of the Azerbaijani group in the Congress.

[Correspondent] Currently, the Azerbaijani caucus in the Congress has
50 people, against 200 in the Armenian caucus. However, the Azerbaijani
caucus has grown rapidly over the past year. Year 2015 is coming. The
Armenian community is preparing for the 100th anniversary of the
fabricated Armenian genocide. In order to prevent another notorious
907 the voice of the other side must be heard in the Congress. Because
to borrow the American expression, fool me once, shame on you; fool
me twice, shame on me.

[Translated from Azeri]

VIOLENT SPILLOVER FROM SYRIA KILLS 2 IN NORTHERN LEBANON CITY OF TRIPOLI

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Oct 28 2013

28 October 2013 /REUTERS, AP, TRIPOLI, DAMASCUS

Two people died in the northern city of Tripoli on Monday, security
and medical sources said, in fighting between supporters and opponents
of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the Lebanese army which has
spilled over from the war next door.

Lebanon, which is plagued by sectarian tension, is struggling to
curb violence stemming from the civil war in Syria, where more than
100,000 people have been killed in the past two-and-a-half ways.

The dead were from the Sunni district of Bab al-Tabbaneh, where gunmen
on Monday clashed with the Lebanese army, which is trying to curb the
violence from Syria. Twelve people from the area were also wounded,
the sources said.

A soldier and a resident of Jebel Mohsen, the nearby Alawite enclave
which the army entered on Sunday as part of an increased presence
throughout the city were also wounded, residents said.

The clashes, which broke out last Tuesday and continued over the
weekend, have killed 17 people and wounded more than 100.

Sunni Muslims and Shiites from Assad’s Alawite sect have clashed in
Tripoli on and off for decades, but the Syrian conflict has reopened
old wounds, with each side accusing the other of using the city as
a base for sending fighters and weapons in and out of Syria.

Regime troops retake town Elsewhere, Syrian regime forces retook a
Christian town north of Damascus on Monday after a week of fierce
clashes with al-Qaeda-linked fighters who had recently captured key
parts of it, state media said.

The fighting came as the UN-Arab League envoy arrived in Syria on
his first trip to the country in almost a year.

Lakhdar Brahimi is trying to prepare a peace conference on Syria
supposed to take place in Geneva next month but the gathering has been
increasingly in doubt as Syria’s warring factions refuse to face each
other at the negotiating table.

The United States and Russia have been trying for months to convene
the conference to negotiate a political solution to Syria’s civil war,
which has killed more than 100,000 people and forced some 2 million
to flee the country since the conflict erupted in March 2011.

After his last trip to Syria in December 2012, Brahimi had angered
Syrian authorities when he said that 40 years of the Assad family
rule in Syria was “too long.” Syrian officials then accused him of
being biased.

This time, Brahimi visited several countries in the region, including
Iran, where he said Saturday that the participation of Iran — a key
backer of Assad — at a Syria peace conference was “necessary.” On
Monday, Brahimi travelled from Tehran by private jet to Beirut,
then continued by road to Damascus.

In the Lebanese capital, he would not speak to reporters. “I will
speak when I return,” he said.

Arab League’s chief Nabil Elaraby recently said the Geneva conference
would be held on Nov. 23. Brahimi, however, has stressed that no
date has been set but that the United Nations hopes to organize the
gathering in late November.

The fighting in Syria, meanwhile, has continued unabated. The state-run
SANA news agency said the army “restored security and stability”
to the town of Sadad, 120 kilometers (75 mile) north of Damascus,
early on Monday.

It said “a large number of terrorists” were killed and their weapons
seized, adding that the army dismantled scores of roadside bombs
planted by gunmen around the Christian town.

Sadad had been in opposition hands since last week, when
al-Qaeda-linked groups captured a checkpoint that gave them control
of the western part of the town.

The rebels appear to have targeted Sadad because of its strategic
location near the main highway north of Damascus, rather than because
it is Christian. But hard-liners among the rebels are hostile to
Syria’s Christian minority, which fears the radicals and tends to
favor Assad. Other al-Qaeda-linked fighters have damaged and desecrated
churches in areas they have seized.

SANA said the army was still pursuing opposition fighters who
fled Sadad for surrounding farms It also reported that the rebels
had vandalized the town’s Saint Theodor Church and much of its
infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said
that jihadis in Syria torched an Armenian church in the northern town
of Tel Abyad along the border with Turkey late on Sunday.

AIR ARMENIA LAUNCHES REGULAR FLIGHTS BETWEEN YEREVAN AND MOSCOW

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Oct 28 2013

28 October 2013 – 7:24pm
Air Armenia has launched regular flights between Yerevan and Moscow.

The first flight will depart on October 27 at 9:45. Starting from
November 10 there will be two flights daily operating between the
two capitals.

A group of Moscow tour operators will be the first to take the flight
to Armenia in order to discover the tourist potential of Yerevan and
Armenia as a whole.

Turan Information Agency, Azerbaijan
October 25, 2013 Friday

Azerbaijan slammed the door to EuroNest

Baku/24.10.13/Turan:

The representative of Azerbaijan in EuroNest Elkhan Suleymanov sent
messages to the leadership of the European Parliament, the OSCE, the
PA OSCE, the Council of Europe and the entire MEP.

The text of the statement also sent to the media contained allegations
that the European Parliament since the summer was preparing a
“provocation” and “riots”.

“Back in July, the European Parliament did not include Azerbaijan in
the number of countries where it was planned to send an observer
mission. We thought that EP decided not to send observers, given the
lack of serious problems in the country.

Today, it is clear that even the July decision by the European
Parliament was actually part of a secret plan to create hidden
provocations and disturbances in Azerbaijan,” says the statement.

Next, Suleymanov came to the point that, starting this political
provocation, the European Parliament tried to harm Azerbaijan’s
international image.

” Permanent link by the European Parliament to OSCE ODIHR mission
formed of minor officials was a manifestation of distrust and a
serious blow to the European Parliament , PACE and PA OSCE.”

Next Suleymanov resents the fact that the European Parliament ignores
the positive conclusion of its own mission and takes the view of the
ODIHR OSCE mission for the basis.

Delving deeper into the analysis of his own “intelligence”, Suleymanov
concludes that the purpose of all these provocations was the
transformation of Azerbaijan into Syria or Libya. “However, the
authors of these plans were wrong,” he said.

At the conclusion of the appeal it is said that Azerbaijan rejects the
32nd point of the resolution of the European Parliament on 23 October
and suspends its participation in the Parliamentary Assembly Euronest
until “investigation and appropriate action” are committed.

It is noteworthy that the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry praised the
first part of the same resolution, which refers to the need to resolve
the Karabakh conflict, taking into account the territorial integrity
of Azerbaijan.

* Euronest Parliamentary Assembly is a parliamentary forum to promote
political association and further economic integration between the
European Union and the Eastern European partners.

Euronest is intended to contribute to the strengthening and
development of the Eastern Partnership, as the institution responsible
for parliamentary consultation, supervision and control.

Euronest Parliamentary Assembly consists of the delegation of the
European Parliament and representatives of the Eastern Partnership
countries, except Belarus (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and
Ukraine). -16D-

Turan Information Agency, Azerbaijan
October 25, 2013 Friday

Reply from Azerbaijani Defense Ministry to Armenia Prime Minister

Baku/24.10.13/Turan:

Armenia extensively violated the ceasefire in the westbound direction
on October 22. The Azerbaijani side stopped the provocation by return
fire. Turan was told by the head of the press service of the Defense
Ministry Eldar Sabiroglu, commenting on the threat from the Armenian
Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan.

In particular, he said that the Azerbaijani side fired at Armenian
troops on the road Berd – Idjevan, killing one soldier and injuring
several others. The Armenian Prime Minister threatened retaliation,
saying an adequate answer would be given.

“The armed forces of Azerbaijan are able to repel any attack and the
Prime Minister of Armenia statement does not matter,” said Sabiroglu.
-03B06-

Neue Zuercher Zeitung website [in German], Zurich
14 Oct 13 p 5

A Murderer Does Become Innocent by Handing Over His Gun

Interview with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu by Martin
Woker and Cyrill Stieger

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu complains about the blockade
of the UN Security Council on the Syria crisis. He urgently warns
against a failure of the Syria conference scheduled to take place in
Geneva.

[Neue Zuercher Zeitung] Currently, Turkey accommodates more than half
a million refugees from Syria. How can you cope with this challenge?

[Davutoglu] The humanitarian dimension of the Syria crisis is not
sufficiently taken into account internationally. It is a huge human
tragedy. The regressive policy of [Syrian leader] Al-Asad’s regime has
claimed 120,000 casualties so far; two million people have fled to
neighbouring countries. Since the beginning of the crisis, our country
has pursued an open-door policy to the refuges. This corresponds to
our tradition. So far, we have spent about USD 2 billion to support
the refugees. About 200,000 of them are in camps, some 350,000 live in
different cities in Turkey. This is a great burden on our schools,
hospitals, and the entire infrastructure. We do not have control over
the movements of the refugees.

[Neue Zuercher Zeitung] Many aid organizations are engaged in Turkey.
But the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is not among
them. Why?

[Davutoglu] We are very grateful for every help by international
organizations. Their expenditures amount to USD 135 million. The aid
provided in Syria itself, however, is much more important. The people
there have no food and shelter. The Red Cross and the Red Crescent
Movement should be given unrestricted access to all people in need in
Syria.

[Neue Zuercher Zeitung] In other words, it would be better for the
ICRC not to engage on Turkish territory?

[Davutoglu] I can only say that if refugees need help, we are open to
that. We are cooperative in each and every case. Anyone who wants to
engage in Turkey to help Syrian refugees can do so anytime. Everyone
is welcome.

[Neue Zuercher Zeitung] Will you attend the Syria conference that is
scheduled to take place in Geneva in November?

[Davutoglu] Of course. A conference without our participation would be
meaningless. Turkey wants a quick and fair solution to the Syria
crisis.

[Neue Zuercher Zeitung] Even if Al-Asad were to attend?

[Davutoglu] The most important negotiating partner is the Syrian
people. I do not think that they would accept Al-Asad’s participation.
The Friends of Syria group, in which Turkey is a partner, will decide
about the details of participation. We have adopted a joint position
on the crimes committed by the Al-Asad regime. A total of 114
countries have agreed. This regime has used chemical weapons. Let me
use the following metaphor: a murderer does not become innocent by
handing over his gun. The regime must be called to account for that.
After the Bosnia war, the Bosnian people were willing to agree to a
deal in which war criminals also were a partner. But in the talks in
Geneva last year, it became clear: people of the regime with blood on
their hands are excluded from the talks.

[Neue Zuercher Zeitung] Would the attendance of Foreign Minister
Al-Muallim be acceptable for you?

[Davutoglu] I do not want to mention any names. This is for the Syrian
people to decide, the Syrian National Coalition and the opposition in
general. Whatever they decide, we will support the decision.

[Neue Zuercher Zeitung] The opposition against Al-Asad is fragmented.
How would you describe the Islamist Al-Nusra front? As a radical or a
terrorist group?

[Davutoglu] Let me be quite clear: Turkey does not support terrorist
groups, anywhere in the world. Nor does Turkey support radical forces.
The Al-Asad regime bears the main responsibility for the fact that
radical forces have emerged in Syria, not the other way round. The
international community is also partially responsible, in particular,
the UN Security Council, which has been unable so far to reach
agreement on a resolution. In this vacuum, such groups could emerge.
These radical groups did not exist two years ago. A year ago, there
were a few hundred fighters. This year, there are already several
thousands. If we want to prevent the radicalization, we should
seriously look for a solution. In the National Coalition, all
movements are represented. It is necessary to strengthen this
Coalition. It should fill the dangerous vacuum.

[Neue Zuercher Zeitung] Currently, the opposite is happening. The
jihadists are getting stronger, and the regime has overcome its
weakness.

[Davutoglu] This is because of the international community’s
incapacity to solve the crisis. This worries us. Two hardliner groups
are gaining importance: one in Damascus and the other one in the
battle field. If we are unable to find a fair solution in the upcoming
negotiations in Geneva, the security risk will increase, not only in
the region, but throughout the world. In the year 2011, over 10
months, in close contact with Bashar al-Asad, we tried to convince
him. However, at that time, hardly anyone was interested in the Syria
conflict. We warned of an escalation. But what happened? The UN
Security Council was not in a position to act. All those who have been
inactive so far deserve to be criticized.

[Neue Zuercher Zeitung] Is it not necessary to criticize those who
finance radical forces?

[Davutoglu] Certainly. Because they, directly or indirectly, support
the Syrian regime. We should not forget one thing: the phenomenon of
[the terrorist network] Al-Qa’idah in Syria is something new.
Previously, the Syrian people patiently waited for an appropriate
international response. It is easy today to complain about the
radicalization.

[Neue Zuercher Zeitung] Meanwhile, the jihadists operating in Syria
have become a problem also for Turkey. Why do you not urge the
financial supporters in the Gulf region, in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, to
stop that?

[Davutoglu] One should not get the impression that there is such a
support. This is just propaganda by the Al-Asad regime. People who
support the legitimate, moderate opposition, which only consists of
Syrians, should not be criticized for doing so. We do not know where
the support for the other forces comes from. But we do know that,
today, fighters operate in Syria who have escaped from the Abu Ghraib
prison in Iraq.

[Neue Zuercher Zeitung] Immediately after the overthrow of [Egyptian]
Islamist President Mursi, Gulf monarchies promised much money to the
generals in Egypt. Do you have bitter feelings towards some Gulf
monarchs? After all, as regards the Syria conflict, you are in the
same boat with them.

[Davutoglu] We are not all in the same boat; 114 countries are in the
same boat. This could be seen from the Syria resolutions by the UN
Security Council, which were adopted by the large majority of the
countries. All these countries support the Syrian opposition and the
Syrian people against oppression.

[Neue Zuercher Zeitung] What is your position on the Arab Spring?

[Davutoglu] We have a clear principle: in the “Arab Spring” countries,
we support the legitimate aspirations of the society, anywhere, and
not individual groups. In Egypt, we had good relations with Mursi, the
first president in the history of the country who was elected by the
people in a fair election. There must not be two democratic standards,
one for Europe, and another one for other continents. If a government
makes mistakes, it is for the people, not the street or the military,
to make a decision. Egypt is the most important country in the process
of democratization. The developments there have an influence on the
entire region. A success in Egypt is more important than a success in
our region. The successful establishment of a democratic order in
Egypt will cause a positive domino effect; if the process of
democratization fails in Egypt, there will be a negative domino
effect.

[Neue Zuercher Zeitung] Why did Turkey not try to mediate in Egypt?

[Davutoglu] Before the coup, we made an attempt, together with some
other countries. I conducted many telephone calls in the last 48 hours
before Mursi’s overthrow. And even in the time before that, we did a
lot. However, in order for a mediation to be successful, it takes at
least two sides, and it is necessary to have access to many
protagonists. One cannot simply exclude Mursi from the process of
mediation.

[Neue Zuercher Zeitung] Is Egypt not an example of the failure of
your “zero-problem” policy with the countries in the region?

[Davutoglu] No. The “zero-problem policy” is a fundamental programme.
We do not only have one or two neighbours. In addition, for the
solution of problems we need a partner on the other side. In the past
10 years, we have established good relations, for example, with
Ukraine and Greece. We abolished the visa regime with Russia. The only
region where there is no liberalization is the European Union. We have
visa-free travel with countries that were our enemies in the Cold War,
but not with our then allies. To visit Georgia, it is enough travel on
an ID card. There are problems with Syria, this is true. If we did not
have difficulties with Al-Asad, we would have hundreds of problems
with the Syrian people. As far as Egypt is concerned, we cannot
legitimize a coup d’etat. The problem does not lie with us, but with
the other side. The fact that Turkey’s trade with the neighbouring
countries increased from 8 per cent in the year 2002 to 32 per cent
today alone shows the success of the “zero-problem policy.”

[Neue Zuercher Zeitung] And what about Armenia and Cyprus?

[Davutoglu] Today, relations with Armenia are better than 10 years
ago. We wish they would be better. With the Greek-Cypriot
administration, too, we would like to have better relations. However,
this is not our fault. In the year 2004, we agreed to the plan of then
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to overcome the division of Cyprus.
But the Greek-Cypriots rejected it. With Armenia, too, we signed a
protocol in 2009. But the Armenian Constitutional Court decided to
insist on the occupation of Azerbaijani territories.

[Neue Zuercher Zeitung] There are plans to erect an Armenia memorial
in front of the UN building in Geneva. What is your opinion about
that?

[Davutoglu] At my visit to Switzerland on Thursday [11 October], I
discussed this issue with Federal Councillor [Swiss Foreign Minister]
Didier Burkhalter. He is aware that this is a sensitive issue. The
talks continue, and I do hope that we will reach a mutual agreement. A
unilateral step on this matter would certainly not contribute to an
improvement of Turkish-Armenian relations.

[Translated from German]

Jihad Watch
Oct 26 2013

Obama stops Smithsonian from displaying Armenian Genocide-era artwork
for fear of irking Turks

Turkey’s ongoing denial of the Armenian Genocide is consistent with an
unbroken Islamic supremacist pattern: never, ever admit wrongdoing;
never, ever take responsibility for actions that cause harm; never,
ever acknowledge that jihad actions (such as the Armenian Genocide)
cause immeasurable suffering to human beings; always, always instead
blame the kuffar who have the temerity to point out the wrongdoing.

And Obama, who counts Recep Tayyip Erdogan as a friend, falls right in line.

“Armenian `orphan rug’ is in White House storage, as unseen as
genocide is neglected,” by Philip Kennicott for the Washington Post,
October 21 (thanks to AINA):

The rug was woven by orphans in the 1920s and formally presented to
the White House in 1925. A photograph shows President Calvin Coolidge
standing on the carpet, which is no mere juvenile effort, but a
complicated, richly detailed work that would hold its own even in the
largest and most ceremonial rooms.

If you can read a carpet’s cues, the plants and animals depicted on
the rug may represent the Garden of Eden, which is about as far
removed as possible from the rug’s origins in the horrific events of
1915, when the fracturing and senescent Ottoman Empire began a
murderous campaign against its Armenian population. Between 1 million
and 1.5 million people were killed or died of starvation, and others
were uprooted from their homes in what has been termed the first
modern and systematic genocide. Many were left orphans, including the
more than 100,000 children who were assisted by the U.S.-sponsored
Near East Relief organization, which helped relocate and protect the
girls who wove the `orphan rug.’ It was made in the town of Ghazir,
now in Lebanon, as thanks for the United States’ assistance during the
genocide.

There was hope that the carpet, which has been in storage for almost
20 years, might be displayed Dec. 16 as part of a Smithsonian event
that would include a book launch for Hagop Martin Deranian’s
`President Calvin Coolidge and the Armenian Orphan Rug.’ But on Sept.
12, the Smithsonian scholar who helped organize the event canceled it,
citing the White House’s decision not to loan the carpet. In a letter
to two Armenian American organizations, Paul Michael Taylor, director
of the institution’s Asian cultural history program, had no
explanation for the White House’s refusal to allow the rug to be seen
and said that efforts by the U.S. ambassador to Armenia, John A.
Heffern, to intervene had also been unavailing.

Although Taylor, Heffern and the White House curator, William G.
Allman, had discussed during a January meeting the possibility of an
event that might include the rug, it became clear that the rug wasn’t
going to emerge from deep hiding.

`This week I spoke again with the White House curator asking if there
was any indication of when a loan might be possible again but he has
none,’ wrote Taylor in the letter. Efforts to contact Heffern through
the embassy in the Armenian capital of Yerevan were unsuccessful, and
the State Department referred all questions to the White House.

Last week, the White House issued a statement: `The Ghazir rug is a
reminder of the close relationship between the peoples of Armenia and
the United States. We regret that it is not possible to loan it out at
this time.’

That leaves the rug, and the sponsors of the event, in limbo, a
familiar place for Armenians. Neither Ara Ghazarians of the Armenian
Cultural Foundation nor Levon Der Bedrossian of the Armenian Rugs
Society can be sure if the event they had helped plan was canceled for
the usual political reason: fear of negative reaction from Turkey,
which has resolutely resisted labeling the events at the end of the
Ottoman Empire a genocide. But both suspect it might have been.

`Turkey is a very powerful country,’ says Der Bedrossian, whose
organization was planning to fund a reception for the event.
And it’s a sign of the Obama administration’s dismal reputation in the
Armenian American community that everyone assumes it must be yet
another slap in the face for Armenians seeking to promote
understanding of one of the darkest chapters in 20th-century history.

Aram Suren Hamparian, executive director of the Armenian National
Committee of America, says the president has had `a very negative
reception across the board in the Armenian world, and that includes
both Democrats and Republicans.’ The principal emotion is profound
disappointment. As a candidate, and senator, Obama spoke eloquently
about the Armenian genocide, risking the ire of Turkey and Turkish
organizations. But since taking office, says Hamparian, Obama has
avoided the word, making more general statements about Armenian
suffering. Critics of his silence point to the geopolitical importance
of Turkey in a region made only more complex by the Arab Spring and a
brutal civil war in Syria.
…

Calls and e-mails to the Turkish Embassy in Washington weren’t returned….