Author: Kanayan Tamar

AN EFFECTIVE APPROACH TO HELP THE ARMENIAN COMMUNITY IN SYRIA

Asbarez
Tuesday, August 28th, 2012

The crisis in Syria and as a consequence, the perilous daily lives of
the Syrian Armenians have alarmed and deeply concerned the Armenian
community.

The historical record reminds us the past and present destiny
of nations; making assumptions on past history may lead us to
uncertainty and anxiety; and that is why we should move with practical
considerations, determination and a spirit of service.

The spiritual heads, and the leaders of the political and humanitarian
organizations in the Western U.S.A., as an alert guardians of the
community, came together to collectively bring together the “Syrian
Armenian Relief Fund Executive Committee” with the task of planning
activities and coordinating fundraising, and distributing funds as
needed to save lives, and to provide moral and emotional support for
our sisters and brothers living in difficult conditions across Syria,
and sustenance for their Armenian institutions.

The Syrian Armenian Relief Fund Executive Committee includes the
following organizations, their representatives and the roles that
they have accepted within the committee:

Armenian Evangelical Union of North America (AEUNA), Zaven Khanjian,
Chairperson; Armenian Relief Society of Western U.S.A. (ARS), Sona
Madarian, Secretary; Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU), Harry
Balian, Vice Chairperson; Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic
Church of America, Meher Der Ohanessian, Treasurer; Catholicosate of
Cilicia, Central Executive Board, Khajag Dikijian; Western Diocese
of the Armenian Church, Barkev Hamalian; Armenian Catholic Church,
Ara Aroyan; Armenian Democratic Liberal (Ramgavar) Party, Khachig
Janoyan; Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Western U.S.A. (ARF),
Vartkes Nalbandian; and Social Democrat Hunchakian Party-Western
U.S.A., Harout Fakjian.

The abovementioned Executive Committee members are committed to
do their outmost to reach out to community at large, to make the
impossible possible and to extend a helping hand for the sake of the
survival of the Syrian-Armenians.

The Executive Committee has also received the blessings of the Armenian
Apostolic Churches, His Eminence Archbishop Mousheg Mardirossian,
Prelate, and Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate, as well as the
leaders of the Armenian Catholic and Evangelical churches, and has
already taken effective first steps.

We appeal to the Armenian people, to follow our announcements in the
print and TV media, the web site ,
and Facebook page, and to make the most generous contribution that
you could possibly make.

Please send your check payable to the Syrian Armenian Relief Fund,
P.O. Box 1948, Glendale, CA 91209-1948, or make an online contribution
at

GENOCIDE? WHAT GENOCIDE? TURKISH MINISTER SAYS ‘TURKEY DOESN’T KNOW WHAT GENOCIDE IS’

Asbarez
Tuesday, August 28th, 2012

Turkey EU-Affairs Minister Egemen Bagis is a notorious Genocide denier

ANKARA–Notorious Genocide-denying Turkish Minister of EU Affairs
said Tuesday that Turkey doesn’t know what Genocide is, claiming,
once again, that there was never a Genocide in Turkey’s history.

Egemen Bagis comments came during the opening ceremony of an
educational facility, where he also expressed his opposition to a
decision in France to include the Armenian Genocide as part of French
public school curriculum.

“If only all countries’ past had been simple and transparent just like
Turkey’s past. No genocides have occurred in Turkey’s history. What’s
genocide? Turkey doesn’t know what genocide is,” Bagis told the
Milliyet daily.

Bagis claimed that Turks are proud of their history and forebears.

France announced that it has included a chapter about the Armenian
Genocide in secondary school textbooks, which will be used across
the country.

Bagis was quick to voice Turkey’s “strong protest” over this decision
urging Paris to not test bilateral relations “once again,” reported
the Hurriyet newspaper.

“I call on the French authorities to intensify efforts to resolve
the Nagorno Karabakh conflict in the framework of OSCE Minsk Group
rather than distort the historical facts,” Bagis said.

Turkish Education Ministry officials said they will first need to
examine the book and see if it “includes phrases that incriminate
Turkey and they will respond in line with international law through
diplomatic channels.”

Today’s Zaman reported that the chairman of the Turkish Parliament’s
powerful education committee accused the French government of planting
the seeds of hate with its move to include the Armenian Genocide in
history and geography books.

Nabi Avcı, chairman of the National Education, Culture, Youth and
Sports Commission, told Today’s Zaman in a phone interview on Monday
that “the erosion of French culture and moving to the radical right in
French politics that started with [former president Nicolas] Sarkozy
continues to have a negative impact on the French education system.”

“I just hope that sensible French intellectuals will raise their
voices against this kind of provocative move that will plant seeds
of hate into minds of young people in France,” he added.

THREE ARMENIANS KILLED IN SYRIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
August 29, 2012 – 00:00 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – According to the Armenian Diocese in Damascus,
Syria, three Armenian nationals were killed in one of the city’s
districts Tuesday, Aug 28.

As spokesman for the Armenian Foreign Ministry Tigran Balayan told
PanARMENIAN.Net the killed Armenians were identified as Petros
Matosian, born in 1963, Gevork Matosian, born in 1966 and Levon
Matosian, born in 1990.

Currently, the Diocese representatives are trying to get bodies out
of the battle zone.

WORLD CHESS OLYMPIAD-2012: ARMENIA’S WOMEN TEAM DEFEATS JORDAN

NEWS.am
August 28, 2012

Performances of the Armenian women’s chess team in the first round
are over at the World Chess Olympiad, which is held in Istanbul,
Turkey. Armenian women’s chess team defeated its opponent team in the
Olympiad. The Armenian chess players defeated the Jordan team by 3:1.

Lilit Lazarian, Maria Kursova and a newcomer Anna Hayrapetyan
defeated their opponents. Only Armenia’s Lilit Galoyan lost to her
Jordan opponent. To note, the Armenian men’s chess team defeated
Bolivia’s team by 3:1. Only Armenia’s Sergey Movsisyan was defeated
by his opponent.

NE TOUCHEZ PAS AUX ARMENIENS DE SYRIE

La Regle du Jeu
Lundi 27 aout 2012
France

Ara Toranian, Directeur de Nouvelles d’Armenie Magazine

Dans un Moyen-Orient où la presence armenienne, a l’image de celle
des autres chretiens, se reduit comme peau de chagrin, toute flambee
de violence est vecue avec apprehension par cette communaute. Plus
ou moins bien tolerees, en particulier en ces temps qui voient helas
les tensions politiques se polariser autour du facteur religieux,
les ultra-minorites non musulmanes sont les premières fragilisees
par les situations de conflit. La plupart des bouleversements qui
ont secoue la region depuis la fin de la Deuxième Guerre mondiale
ont systematiquement fini par se retourner contre elles. Le coup
d’Etat nasserien s’est traduit par une dissolution de la communaute
armenienne d’Egypte ; les putschs successifs en Syrie au debut des
annees 60 l’ont terriblement affaiblie ; la guerre civile au Liban
a fait perdre a ce bastion de l’identite politique et culturelle
armenienne une grande partie de sa superbe ; la revolution en Iran et
les conflits qui s’en sont suivi ont entraîne une forte emigration
des Armeniens de ce pays ; l’intervention americaine en Irak s’est
soldee par la quasi-disparition de leur presence.

Pourtant, il est difficile de ne pas s’interroger sur l’avenir des
Armeniens en Syrie, dont plusieurs milliers ont deja fui. Cette
inquietude est d’autant plus de mise, qu’ils ont ete victimes
d’attaques durant le mois d’août a Kessab et a Alep, et que leur
sort a fait l’objet de diverses manipulations d’origine douteuse
(communique menacant attribue a l’Armee Syrienne Libre le 24 août et
aussitôt dementi par son commandement comme une provocation du pouvoir
en place). De plus, l’ombre d’une Turquie hostile qui plane derrière
ces evenements n’a rien de rasserenant pour cette communaute formee
en très grande majorite par les rescapes du genocide de 1915. Se
pose donc la question legitime de son devenir, sachant qu’au-dela
de l’enjeu qu’elles constituent pour les Armeniens eux-memes, les
assurances a leur egard representent une pierre de touche eloquente
pour mesurer le degre d’ouverture des parties en presence.

Le regime dictatorial, mais laïque, du parti Baas se pretend en effet
garant de leur protection comme de celle des autres chretiens. Et
force est de constater que les 80 000 Armeniens de cette nation
y jouissaient de tous les attributs d’une vie civilisationnelle
epanouie. Avec toutefois les reserves d’usage en pays totalitaire :
toute revendication leur etait interdite et le pouvoir ne laissait
rien passer qui puisse contrarier Ankara, l’allie d’alors. Ainsi
les Armeniens ne pouvaient pas commemorer publiquement le genocide de
1915. Mais l’environnement autoritaire qui pèse sur les particularismes
identitaires dans la region, y compris parfois musulmans (cf le
sort des Kurdes de Turquie), ne permettait pas a ce groupe, tolere
culturellement, mais bâillonne politiquement, de jouer les difficiles.

De son côte, l’Armee syrienne libre, traversee par de multiples
courants, dont les plus extremistes, se montre peu diserte sur
cette question. Et cette discretion n’est pas a porter a son
credit. Car les espoirs democratiques qu’elle se targue d’incarner
passent naturellement par son acceptation de l’alterite voire meme
la defense des minorites. Le flou a cet egard, en cette etape de la
lutte plus propice que toute autre a l’expression des utopies les plus
genereuses, entretient une incertitude du plus mauvais effet quant a
ses intentions. En temoigne, les interpellations sur le sujet de nos
plus brillants intellectuels francais (dont notre ami Bernard-Henri
Levy) qui se sont portes aux avant-postes de la solidarite a leur côte.

La periode dramatique que traverse la Syrie confirme en tout cas que
les minorites de cette region en perpetuelle ebullition n’ont pas
vocation a y jouer les avant-gardes. Pour elles, dans cette situation,
l’essence precède malheureusement l’existence. La precarite averee
de leur condition de base ne les rend pas loisibles d’autre choix
que celui de la neutralite. Est-ce trop esperer des belligerants que
de leur demander de la respecter, en ces temps de guerre totale qui
viole toutes les conventions internationales sur les civils?

Cette necessite se devrait en tout cas de figurer au cahier des
charges des Etats qui ambitionnent de peser sur ces evenements,
dans chaque camp. On attend en particulier beaucoup en l’espèce de la
gauche francaise au pouvoir, en depit du tropisme antichretien propre
au complexe colonial de l’homme blanc, particulièrement present en
ses rangs.

On comprend bien l’interet pour certaines forces proches de la
Turquie de pousser les Armeniens a s’eloigner encore un peu plus
de leur foyer national originel pour se dissoudre dans un occident
aux mains tendues ; mais la n’est pas la voie de la justice. Les
Armeniens ont suffisamment donne et perdu. Et a tous nous disons :
ne touchez plus a notre peuple, que ce soit a travers vos mauvais
pretextes ou au nom de vos bonnes causes.

IRAN, ARMENIA KEEP BARTERING GAS WITH ELECTRICITY

Trend
Aug 27 2012
Azerbaijan

F.Milad, Trend News Agency, Baku, Azerbaijan

Aug. 27–Iran’s imports and exports of natural gas with neighboring
countries are underway, managing director of the National Iranian
Gas Transmission Company Reza Almasi stated.

Reza Almasi told the IRNA News Agency that the swap of gas with
Azerbaijan, the barter of gas and electricity with Armenia, the
exports of gas to Turkey, and the imports of gas from Turkmenistan
are continuing.

Iran and Armenia signed an agreement in February 2011 on supplies of
electricity in exchange for gas. Armenia is expected to supply 2.4
billion kWh in exchange for 801 million cubic meters of Iranian gas.

Iran and Azerbaijan signed an agreement in January 2011 that allows
the former Soviet state to pump at least one billion cubic meters of
natural gas into Iran.

Iran exports an average daily amount of more than 30 million cubic
meters of natural gas to Turkey, indicating a daily growth of 11
million cubic meters compared to 2010.

Iran started importing natural gas from Turkmenistan in 1995 after
the two sides signed a 25-year contract. The contract has bound
Turkmenistan to gradually increase gas exports to Iran to 8 billion
cubic meters per year at a fixed price.

TURKISH MINISTER URGES FRANCE TO DO MORE TO RESOLVE NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT

Trend
Aug 27 2012
Azerbaijan

As opposed to engaging in a distortion of historical facts, France
should have done more to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in
the framework of co-chairing the OSCE Minsk Group, Turkish EU Affairs
Minister Egemen Bagis said, the Aksam newspaper reported on Monday.

Commenting on the news, which appeared on Monday in the Turkish media
about the fact that French secondary school textbooks will include a
section of the fictional “Armenian genocide” by the Ottoman Empire,
Bagis noted that Turkey hopes France will not allow such a mistake.

“France should have looked at its own history and make greater efforts
to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, rather than distort the
facts,” he said.

Armenia and the Armenian lobby claim that the predecessor of the
Turkey – Ottoman Empire had committed the 1915 genocide against
the Armenians living in Anatolia, and achieved recognition of the
“Armenian Genocide” by the parliaments of several countries.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France and the U.S. –
are currently holding peace negotiations.

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

TURKEY LASHES OUT AT FRENCH TEXTBOOK CHAPTERS FEATURING ‘ARMENIAN GENOCIDE’

Today’s Zaman

Aug 27 2012
Turkey

Turkey’s ambassador in Paris has criticized French move to include
chapters in history and geography textbooks that will allow students
to study mass killings of Armenians at the hands of Ottomans in
1915, claiming that the project is a remnant of the previous French
president.

Tahsin Burcuoglu told private Cihan news agency that Turkey is
disturbed by the fact that the French Education Ministry is including
chapters on the so-called Armenian genocide in textbooks for fourth
graders in secondary schools.

Turkish daily Sabah reported on Sunday that French President Francois
Hollande’s administration included a chapter about the 1915 events in
textbooks — a move that could once again upset relations with Turkey,
which was hopeful about rebuilding strained ties with Paris following
the election of the new president.

The report said French students studying world history since 1910
will also read a chapter called “The Armenian Genocide.”

Hollande said last month that he will stand by a campaign pledge
to make it illegal to deny that the killing of Armenians by Ottoman
Turks in 1915 was genocide.

Relations between Paris and Ankara had begun to thaw after a decision
in February by France’s constitutional court to strike down the
genocide denial law as contrary to free speech.

Turkey had canceled all economic, political and military meetings
with France in December after the French parliament voted in favor
of the draft law.

Burcuoglu said France’s initiative to include ‘Armenian genocide’
chapters in textbooks has “angered” Turkey, underlining that it is
not the three-month project but a remnant of former French President
Nicolas Sarkozy administration.

Noting that it is not the first time that the issue is included in
French textbooks but this time he said textbooks are featuring full
two-page explanation of the 1915 events along with photos. He added
that the embassy is carefully investigating that developments and
have already notified Ankara over the matter.

At a joint news conference early in July, French Foreign Minister
Laurent Fabius said the genocide-denial law was unlikely to be
resurrected and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu hailed the
opening of a warmer phase in relations with France.

Armenia, backed by many historians, says about 1.5 million Armenians
were killed in what is now eastern Turkey during World War I in a
deliberate policy of genocide ordered by the Ottoman government.

Turkey says there was heavy loss of life on both sides during the
fighting, in which Armenian partisans supported invading Russian
forces. The Ottoman Empire collapsed after the war. Successive Turkish
governments and the vast majority of Turks feel the charge of genocide
is an insult to their nation.

Turkey hoped Hollande’s election might mean France is more open to its
joining the European Union than under his conservative predecessor
Sarkozy, but has so far received no public support for its EU bid
from Paris.

Burcuoglu said Turkey will determine its position on this issue after
further examination and urged Turks living in France not to remain
indifferent to the issue.

Saying that the number of ethnic Turks in France is more than French
Armenians, the ambassador cited problems Turkish students faced in
schools earlier over this matter.

LE CHEF DE L’UNION DES ARMENIENS DE SASUN VEUT POURSUIVRE DEVANT LA JUSTICE LES DESTRUCTEURS D’UNE EGLISE ARMENIENNE
Stephane

armenews.com
mardi 28 aout 2012

Le Chef de l’Union des Armeniens de Sasun Aziz Dagci a annonce qu’il
va poursuivre les destructeurs de l’Eglise armenienne Saint Mariam
Astvatsatsin devant le ministère public de Sasun.

Selon le site Haberler.com Aziz Dagci a exprime son degoût quant a la
destruction du toit de l’eglise. Les representants de la communaute
armenienne etaient venus d’Istanbul et de divers autres lieux pour
la celebration d’un sacrifice le 29 juillet. L’eglise etait intact
a cette periode.

Selon Aziz Dagci entre temps le toit de l’eglise a ete entièrement
detruit.

” Je ne sais pas qui a fait cela. Les personnes qui ont commis
cela visaient les ceremonies religieuses genantes de la Communaute
armenienne ” a dit Aziz Dagci.

Le chef de l’Union des Armeniens a aussi dit qu’il avait a sa
disposition des vieilles et des nouvelles photos de l’eglise. ” Nous
exigeons du Bureau du Procureur de Sasun de passer en revue le toit
et toutes les parties detruites de l’eglise ” a declare Aziz Dagci
qui a ajoute que la destruction de l’eglise a eu lieu entre la 29
juillet et le 21 août.

L’Eglise armenienne se trouve sur le lieu le plus eleve de Sasun le
mont Marouta (Maratoug) (2973 m).

La Montagne, France
Mercredi 22 Août 2012
Vichy Edition

Harutyun Yekmalyan à l’espace Rufus

ENCART: Exposition, à la Maison du patrimoine, à Chtel-Montagne.
C’est un réel plaisir pour l’équipe de la vitrine de Chtel-Montagne,
d’accueillir jusqu’au 11 septembre, l’un de ses habitants, Harutyun
Yekmalyan, artiste sculpteur et peintre, à l’espace Rufus de la Maison
du patrimoine.

Il vit et travaille en France depuis 1999, et s’est installé avec sa
famille depuis huit ans dans le village qui lui rappelle son Arménie
natale. Pays de montagne où il retrouve, entre autres, le granit, la
pierre volcanique de l’Allier, et des souches de séquoia qu’il aime
sculpter. C’est la première exposition à la Maison du patrimoine pour
cet artiste professionnel.

Sa vocation lui est venue dans l’atelier de son père, sculpteur. Il
lui a fallu vingt ans de formation, d’études et de travail de
perfectionnement. Une formation à l’École nationale supérieure de
l’État de thétre et des Beaux-arts à Erevan (Arménie), de 1983 à
1989, et un diplôme national des Beaux-Arts (Arménie) en 1989. Membre
de l’association de la Maison des artistes à Paris et de l’Union des
artistes d’Arménie, cet artiste plasticien participe à de nombreux
symposium au Brésil, Portugal, Canada, Espagne, Italie et en France.

Il a obtenu de nombreuses distinctions et récompenses : 3e prix de
peinture du salon d’Ile-de-France (septembre 2001), 3e prix de
symposium international de sculpture sur granite (Italie) en juillet
2001, prix de la ville d’Avon en mai 2000, prix artistique de la
gendarmerie de Paris Hôtel des Invalides en juin 2000, prix du conseil
général de Seine-et-Marne en mars 2000, etc.

« Des tableaux comme des fenêtres » : des fenêtres percées dans les
murs de nos maisons, de nos appartements, de nos chambres. Mais aussi
dans les murs d’incompréhension Des vitraux comme des rideaux. Des
rideaux transparents pour voir le monde, mais aussi translucides pour
protéger notre monde à nous. Des peintures pleines de couleurs
chaudes, sur Chtel-Montagne, Venise, Paris, etc. Et sur la femme.

Jusqu’en septembre, le public peut admirer aussi les sculptures
d’Harunt, à Autun, sur le thème « Sculptures dans la ville ».

è Contact. Maison du patrimoine, Tél. 04.70.59.37.89.

Exposition, à la Maison du patrimoine, à Chtel-Montagne.