Author: Karagyozian Lena

PanARMENIAN.Net

Arte German TV channel screened `Murder File Hrant Dink’ documentary
21.03.2009 19:51 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On Mar. 22 Museum Ludwig, Cologne, Germany, will
present 80-minute documentary `Murder File Hrant Dink’ by Osman Okkan
and Zimone Zitte, produced in WDR/ARTE studio. Hrant Dink’s widow,
Raquel Dink will be present at the screening.

Following the premiere, a discussion will be held with the
participation of Professor Khachik Raffi Ghazer from Erlangen
University, film author Osman Okkan and Pofessor Zabine Rollberg ARTE
Manager.

On, Mar. 24 ARTE will screen Murder File Hrant Dink within the
framework of `Turkish EU. A dream and the Armenian issue’ program. In
the beginning of Mache Turkish/German Film Festival saw the world
premiere of the film in Nuremberg.

LILIT MKRTCHYAN DREW AGAINST IWETA RAJLICH AT EUROPEAN INDIVIDUAL WOMEN’S CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP

PanARMENIAN.Net
19.03.2009 14:31 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Lilit Lazarian drew against leading Iweta Rajlich
in the 10 tour of European Individual Women’s Chess Championship. Anna
Hayrapetyan has gained a victory over Russia’s Larisa Khropova. The
following chess players signed draws: Nelly Aghinyan vs. Siranush
Andreasyan, the Armenian champion Lilit Galoyan vs. Nino Khurtsidze.

Thus, before the last tour, Lilit Lazarian has gained 7,5 points,
Lilit Galoyan – 6 points, Nelly Aghinyan and Siranush Andreasyan –
5,5 points each. Anna Hayrapetyan has 4,5 points to her score.

In the 11th tour of the Championship Lilit Lazarian, playing with
white pieces, will rival Russia’s Marina Romanko.

The Individual European Women’s Championship 2009 is a qualification
event for the next World Championship for Women. According to FIDE
regulations and the decision of the ECU Board, 14 players will qualify.

The top 20 players of the EIWCC will divide a prize fund of 70 000
euro: 1st winner – 10000 euro, 2nd winner – 7500 euro and 3rd winner –
6000 euro.

Tiny Christian community stays put in Iraqi home

AFP
March 19, 2009

Small Christian Armenian community hold on to Iraq despite chaos resulting
from US-led invasion.

BAGHDAD – Armenians have long been one of its smallest communities
with little political influence, even with the wealthiest woman in
Iraq and associates of "Mr Five Percent" of Iraqi oil once among its
ranks.
The low profile has allowed the tiny Christian community in
predominantly Muslim Iraq to thrive ever since the first traders
ventured to Mesopotamia — the land between the rivers — and settled
in the 17th century.
Unlike the Chaldeans, who account for the bulk of the war-battered
country’s Christians and have emigrated in droves, the remaining
Armenians at least plan to stay put, Archpriest Nareg Ishkhanian said.
"This is our land too. We are here to stay," said 63-year-old
Ishkhanian.
The community now numbers around 12,000, including 7,000-8,000 in
Baghdad, out of an Iraqi population of about 29 million.
The number peaked at 35,000-40,000 during the 1950s, made up mostly of
survivors and descendants of the 1915 conflict with Ottoman Turkey.
But the Armenian presence in Iraq dates back to the 1600s when traders
resettled in an arc that stretched through Iran and India down to the
Gulf port of Basra in present-day southern Iraq and back north up to
Baghdad.
Their main church in central Baghdad’s Tehran Square holds documents
as old as 1636.
Aboutt 45 Armenians have been killed in the post-invasion Iraq, while
another 32 people have been kidnapped for ransom, two of whom are
still missing.
Like all Iraqis, Armenians have also been caught up in car bombings,
killed during robberies or in cases of mistaken shootings by the US
military and private security firm Blackwater.
Historically, Armenians in Iraq have never challenged the ruling
regime. They were close to the pashas during Ottoman rule and to the
British during their subsequent colonial regime.
Saddam Hussein saw no threat from the Armenians, who accounted for
most of his domestic staff from nannies and personal tailor or
carpenter to official photographer.
Ishkhanian insisted on paying tribute to the host homeland.
"We are indebted to the Arabs," he said. "They did everything to
welcome us. They allowed us to live and to rise in society, after
Armenian survivors, many of them orphans, had arrived bare-footed from
death marches across the desert."
At the other end of the spectrum, the Iskenderian family —
long-established in Iraq — claims part of the Green Zone in downtown
Baghdad that houses one of Saddam’s palaces and is now home to Iraq’s
government and a massive US embassy.
The Kouyoumdjians, another prominent family, trace their roots in Iraq
from even before their business and family connections to Calouste
Gulbenkian, the famed Mr Five Percent of Iraqi oil rights a century
ago.
Vast tracts of land in Fallujah, once epicentre of the anti-occupation
revolt, still belong to the family. Iraq’s first king, Faisal, used to
stop over for tea in their now destroyed "kasr" (castle) on the
Euphrates.
Meanwhile, Dikran Ekmekjian, who was awarded an MBE for his service to
the British Empire, helped form and held posts in Iraq’s first
governing administration after independence from Britain in 1932.
And Iraqi satellite television has run a series on the riches-to-rags
tale of Sara al-Zangina (Wealthy Sarah), an Armenian heiress and
benefactor of the massacre survivors whose riches were frittered away
by an unscrupulous executor.
Stories abound of her beauty as a girl, of how she was smuggled away
in a Persian carpet to escape the attentions of a much older pasha, of
how she threw the most glamorous parties in the Orient after he was
recalled to Istanbul.
Today, the main church in Baghdad is part of a compound which includes
an elementary school, an archbishopric and cemetery. The cemetery
alone covers 5,000 square metres (54,000 sq feet) of prime real
estate.
Headmaster Karnik Avakian said the school reopened in 2004, after
remaining closed through most of the period of Saddam’s Baath party
rule under which all Iraqis had to go to state school.
But even in Saddam’s Iraq, special classes were allowed in Armenian
language and religious studies, said Avakian, whose elementary school
has 150 pupils from 70 families.
The church’s stained glass windows were blown out on one side by the
many bomb blasts in nearby Tehran Square. But its crystal chandeliers
still bear witness to the former wealth of the Armenian community.
In a show of faith in the new Iraq, the church itself stands
freshly-repainted.
At the end of another day of minor renovations, Ishkhanian reflected
on the community’s history as the curtains on the altar were being
closed for the pre-Easter Lent fasting period.
"The rich have all gone. Now, we are the rich because we serve the
church and the community," he said.
The US-led invasion of March 2003 sent thousands of Armenians fleeing
to Armenia, Syria and Lebanon. Others have resettled in the United
States, Sweden and Holland.
"Many of them are coming back now, thanks to the improved security in
the country," says Ishkhanian, while Avakian said families are
planning to return from their refuge in safe Kurdish areas of northern
Iraq.

DECISION WILL BE KNOWN BY FRIDAY

A1+
02:35 pm, 18 March, 2009

Politics

"Any decision made by the Heritage Party will contribute to the
opposition’s victory," the Spokesman of the Heritage Party Hovsep
Khurshudyan said on March 18. He voiced regret that although the
Heritage and the Armenian National Congress (HAK) had arranged to name
a joint candidate for the city mayor, the HAK decided the format and
participation in the election without the Heritage.

Hovsep Khurshudyan says they think highly of the HAK and appreciate
its place in the political domain, and yet, the Congress had better
discuss its list with the Heritage.

The list proposed by the Heritage is headed by Armen Martirosyan,
followed by Levon Ter-Petrosyan, and Raffi Hovanisyan. Hovsep
Khurshudyan believes that all those who disapprove of the government
policy and do not want to vote for Levon Ter-Petrosyan, will vote
for Armen Martirosyan.

The Heritage Spokesman says the party regards the upcoming elections as
a means of a political struggle rather than a struggle for a mayor’s
post. Armen Martirosyan’s victory was to have been secured by the two
great political figures-Levon ter-Petrosyan and Raffi Hovanisyan. In
that case, the opposition electorate would have been consolidated.

Asked which of the candidates has greater chances to win the election-
Ter-Petrosyan or Armen Martirosyan, Hovsep Khurshudyan refrained from
giving a straightforward answer and advised "not to cut the question
from its logical context." He reiterated that the Heritage does not
want to lose voters and the party has made a methodological decision.

Hovsep Khurshudyan says the chances to rag the elections are few as
both the HAK and the Heritage will do their utmost to conduct a fair
and free election in Yerevan.

Hovsep Khurshudyan also advised opposition media not to defame
the Heritage and provoke a conflict between the two wings of the
opposition, HAK and Heritage, as it is expedient only for the
government.

The Heritage will make a final decision about its participation on
Friday. "A lot depends on the HAK," Hovsep Khurshudyan said regarding
Heritage’s final decision to run or withdraw from the race.

LEVON ARONIAN DRAWS WITH VISWANATHAN ANAND IN 4TH ROUND OF AMBER TOURNAMENT

Noyan Tapan
March 18, 2009

YEREVAN, MARCH 18, NOYAN TAPAN. In the 4th round of the Amber
Tournament being held in Nice (France), Levon Aronian drew with the
world champion Viswanathan Anand of India (in the blindfold and rapid
games). Vladimir Kramnik of Russia who has earned 5.5 points is the
leader of the tournament.

Levon Aronian and Alexander Morozevich of Russia with 5 points each
share 2nd-3rd positions.

TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTRY KEEPS SILENCE

Panorama.am
17:36 18/03/2009

The Foreign Ministry of Armenia has not yet received any response
from the Foreign Ministry of Turkey whether the Foreign Minister Ali
Babacan accepted the invitation of visiting Armenia, Tigran Balayan,
the head of public relations department told Panorama.am. Note that
Foreign Ministerial summit of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation
Organization is scheduled on 16-17 April in Armenia. And the Foreign
Ministry of Armenia sent an invitation to the Foreign Minister of
Turkey to attend the summit. Ali Babacan has announced recently that
he was not sure he would attend the summit, because he had another
official meeting in Japan on Pakistan affairs.

SCHOOL BOOKS ARE TURKISH, MUSLIM, MALE, HETEROSEXUAL AND RACIST
Bawer Cakir

BIA
english/113151/school-books-are-turkish-muslim-mal e-heterosexual-and-racist
March 16 2009
Turkey

The findings of the second project of monitoring Turkish school books
for human rights violations, run by the History Foundation and the
Human Rights Foundation of Turkey, have been published as a book.

"…The father is the person who makes the living for the family. The
mother is the father’s hepler, and she provides the food, child care
and love in the family."

This sentence from a high school Health Studies book, published by the
Ministry of Education, is cited in the book reporting on the findings
of a project looking at human rights violations in Turkish school
books. This is the second time that the History Foundation and the
Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TÄ°HV) have written such a report.

The book is entitled "Human Rights in School Books II" and emphasises
that human rights violations begin in school books.

In many school books the children are told the following:

The father is the head of the household and the provider, while the
woman is his hepler. Her duty is to look after the children, cook,
clean the home. The Turks are "superior to everyone else", they are
"male, strong, brave and fighters". AIDS is a disease which affects
promiscuous people and homosexuals.

The report draws attention to the fact that there are clear human
rights violations in many of the books.

Turkish, Muslim, heterosexual male identities are glorified at the
expense of other identities and nationalities. Concepts concerning
basic human rights are presented in a misleading manner or manipulated.

Examples of entries in textbooks are:

Superiority of Islam and Turks

"Islam is the religion which attaches most importance to
cleanliness." (Z. Sert (2007) Lise Health Studies, p. 11, Ankara:
Ministry of Education Pulications).

By emphasising that Islam is the cleanest religion, other religions
are presented as inferior. Thus, religious discrimination is practised

"We are Turkish, we are superior to everyone else." (M. UlusavaÅ~_
(2007), Middle School Traffic and First Aid, p. 47. Ankara: Ministry
of Education Publications).

By representing the Turkish nation as superior, other nations are
discriminated against.

"The groups most at risk of contracting AIDS are: people having
unsafe sexual relations, people with more than one sexual partner,
homosexuals, drug users, those dependent on blood products and health
personnel." (E.A. Kolukısa (2006) Primary School Social Studies 6,
p. 147, Ankara: A Publications).

This sentence encourages prejudices towards both people who are not
heterosexual and those who cannot live with one partner.

Non-Muslims degraded or made invisible "Sink it in the Black Sea and
let the anchovies eat it, but…is there any use for anchovies fed
on gavur (derogatory term for non-Muslims) meat?" (N. Ozdemir (2007)
Primary School Music 6-7-8, Teacher’s Guide Book, p. 148, Istanbul:
Ministry of Education Publications).

This sentence contains a hurtful expression targetting non-Muslims
and is also degrading.

Related to this issue is the choice of names that the characters in
school books have. They are always Muslim and Turkish names, such as
Omer, Zeynep, Mustafa, Mehmet, Meral, Sema…In vain does one look
for Armenian, Kurdish or Jewish names, such as Agop, Zilan, Baran,
MoÅ~_e, Roni or Nayat.

Pupils warned of "threats"

"Countries in the region and developed countries with an interest in
the region are uncomfortable with the fact that Turkey is becoming
stronger…Turkey’s geopolitical characteristics make it a target
for more internal and foreign threats. Turkey is facing and will
always be facing internal and external threats." (N. Yavuz (2007)
Primary School Turkish Republic History of Revolution and Kemalism 8,
p. 170, Istanbul: Prizma Publications).

This is a quote which exemplifies the constant emphasis on Turkey
having enemies. Far from instilling values of peace, the book "warns"
students of the threat of "external powers".

"No nation has shown as much respect to the beliefs and traditions
of foreign elements as our nation. One can even say that it is our
nation which is respectful to the religion and nation of members of
other religions." (E. Genc (2006) Primary School Social Sciences 6,
p. 105, Ankara: Ministry of Education Publications).

Only moral if religious "For no one; we are Allah’s subjects…our
hearts are full of belief, our strong arms…."(A. Kapulu (2007)
Primary School Turkish 4, p. 29, Ankara: Koza Publications).

According to the report of the History Foundation, religious beliefs
are presented as positive suggestions in school books. Traditions
are shown as incompatible with a critical mind. When religion is
described as a "culture", morality is reduced to religiosity.

"Negative processes such as psychological depression, moral ruin, a
loss of common values, damage to social and cultural fabric, alienation
from national and moral feelings are all signs of beliefs that are not
based on divine inspiration." (A. EkÅ~_i (2007) Religious Culture and
Ethical Studies 9, p. 16, Ankara: Ministry of Education Publications).

Women: Mother, Wife, Spender, Cook and Cleaner…

Many of the textbooks are a product of the male-dominated mentality
which aims at reproducing certain gender roles. While men are fathers,
breadwinners, providers, economcial, strong and clever, women are
spendthrifts, cleaners, cooks, emotional and powerless mothers.

"My mother bought a blanket from a door-to-door salesperson. But when
my father came home in the evening, he said that the blanket could
not be paid with this month’s budget, and said we would have to give
it back." (E. A. Kolukısa (2007) Primary School Social Studies 6,
p. 22, Ankara: A Publications).

This sentence shows a woman who cannot make decisions, as well as a
male-dominated family.

"Burak invited his friends home. His mother baked apple cake for the
visitors" (A. Duatepe (2007) Primary School Mathematics 5, p. 161,
Istanbul: Koza Publications).

Critical thinking discouraged The report further emphasises that school
books make it impossible for children to develop critical thoughts.

There are frequent expressions that show that Turkish culture cannot
be criticised. When the books speak of the qualities that children
should acquire, the authority referred to is Mustafa Kemal Ataturk
rather than science.

"Ataturk’s characteristics of loving his fatherland and nation will be
discussed." (A. Ozdemir (2006) Primary School Life Studies, Teachers’
Guide Book, p. 43, Istanbul: Ministry of Education Publications).

"Patriotism" is presented as a quality that students are supposed
to learn.

"Throughout history, the name of the Turks was used together with
the word ‘soldier’. This is why the sentence ‘Every Turk is born
a soldier’ has become a set phrase among our people and other
nations." (E.A. Kolukısa (2007) Primary School Social Studies 6,
p. 22, Ankara: A Publications).

The project started in August 2007. 139 primary and middle school
books, which had been revised in the last years to reflect changes
in the curriculum, were examined for human rights violations. (BC/AG)

"INTERPRINT: POLYGRAPH, ADVERTISING, DESIGN, WRAPPING EXPO-2009" FOURTH INTERNATIONAL SPECIALIZED EXHIBITION TO BE HELD IN YEREVAN

ARMENPRESS
March 16, 2009

YEREVAN, MARCH 16, ARMENPRESS: "INTERPRINT: Polygraph, advertising,
design, wrapping EXPO 2009" fourth international specialized exhibition
will be held March 21-23 in the hall of Artist’s Union in Yerevan.

Press service of the exhibition organizer "LOGOS EXPO Center" told
Armenpress that the chief goal of the initiative is to involve
qualified producers and specialists, to promote the progress of
innovation ideas, to use the information technologies in the spheres
of polygraph, advertising, design and wrapping efficiently, to improve
the quality of design in the publications as well as to fortify the
relations between manufacturers and design-studios.

According to the organizers, the international compatibility today
has high demands from the organizers and companies which deal with
polygraph and design. In such conditions the specialists have a need
for updated information, new ideas and exchange of experience. The
participation of foreign manufacturers and suppliers will give
an opportunity to the local organizations to get acquainted with
innovation achievements and new technologies of this sphere.

Armenian Economy Ministry, Union of Armenian Manufacturers and
Businessmen, the National Association of Armenian publishers and
Armenian Writers’ Union are the official sponsors of the exhibition.

Printing, publication activity, wrapping industry, advertising and
design are the main thematic divisions of the exhibition.

Manufacturers, printing houses, advertising-information agencies,
publications, design-studios and others will take part in the
exhibition.

President Sargsyan meets members of the Public Council

armradio.am
12.03.2009 17:52

President Serzh Sargsyan today met the twelve members of the Public
Council. The President thanked members of the group coordinating the
formation of the Council. The President informed that on March 11 he
affirmed the Charter of the Council, which envisages a three-layer
system of formation of the Public Council.

Noting that another 24 members of the Council still have to be
appointed, the President said through the activity of corresponding
working groups the 36 members of the Council will ensure the
participation of all sectors of society in the decision-making process.

Underlining that the society has certain expectations from the Public
Council, the President expressed hope that there are a number of sound
forces and individuals who wish to combine their efforts on the way of
solving the issues the country faces. He noted also that there are
certain political forces and individuals who mind the formation of this
structure because of this or that reason.

The President of the Republic suggested Vazgen Manukyan to take up the
responsibility of coordinating the Council’s activity until the staff
is filled up. The President proposed to work actively and ensure
necessary legal bases for the Public Council to have an opportunity to
present its advisory opinion to the National Assembly. Besides, members
of the Public Council should
have an opportunity to participate in the
Government sittings.

President Sargsyan once again congratulated the newly appointed members
of the Council and wished them productive activity.

Economist
March 12 2009

Turkish foreign policy
Repairing the bridge

Mar 12th 2009 | ANKARA AND TEHRAN
The Economist print edition

The diplomatic benefits of an undiplomatic outburst

WHEN Recep Tayyip Erdogan stormed out of a panel discussion with
Israel’s President Shimon Peres in Davos last January, denouncing
Israel’s offensive in Gaza and quoting the sixth commandment `Thou
shalt not kill’, many wondered whether he had just demolished Turkey’s
position as the bridge between the Jews and the Arabs, and between the
West and the Islamic world.

He certainly won plaudits among many Muslims, not least Iran’s
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Yet his outburst’and the rancour
against America and Europe that many Turks now express’seem not to
have done him any harm with the administration of Barack Obama. On the
contrary, at a time when America wants to reach out to the Muslim
world, Mr Erdogan’s popularity may be useful.

After visiting London, Brussels and Prague next month, Mr Obama will
travel to Turkey, keeping a pledge to visit a Muslim country in his
first 100 days. Delighted Turkish officials see favourable omens: they
say it will be the first time an American president has visited Turkey
without also making an obligatory visit to its rival, Greece. They
interpret Mr Obama’s decision to visit as part of a European tour,
rather than a Middle Eastern one, as confirmation of Turkey’s
importance in NATO and a message of American support for Turkey’s wish
to join the European Union.

One senior official spoke of a new `golden era’ in Turkish-American
relations, with co-operation on a host of issues: the Arab-Israeli
dispute; opening a dialogue between America and Iran to curb Tehran’s
nuclear programme; stabilising Iraq as American forces leave; and
opening energy pipelines through the Caucasus.

Perhaps the most important of these issues is Iran. This week Turkey’s
President Abdullah Gul, in Tehran for a regional economic summit, met
the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It was the first
time the leader of a NATO member state had been given such an
audience, said Mr Gul’s entourage. Iranian leaders listened as Mr Gul,
who recently met the American secretary of state, Hillary Clinton,
urged Iran to take up an American olive branch. Mrs Clinton said Iran
would be invited to a meeting in The Hague later this month of
Afghanistan’s neighbours and countries contributing troops to the
NATO-led stabilisation mission there.

Still, Turkish officials are holding back their hopes of an early
breakthrough between America and Iran. It is hard for `an iceberg to
melt overnight’, says one. America will probably not want to move
until after Iran’s presidential elections in June. It fears that a
quick thaw would strengthen the hardline Mr Ahmadinejad, who could
claim that his policy of nuclear defiance had succeeded in forcing
America to deal with Iran on its own terms. Until then, Turkey hopes
America will restrain the incoming Israeli government from turning up
hostile rhetoric against Iran, or from trying to attack its nuclear
facilities.

Iran, for its part, told Turkey it wants more confidence-building
steps from Washington. In public, it shows little sign of
softening. Mr Ahmadinejad dismissed Turkey’s mediation. Mr Khamenei
said America had made `big mistakes’ in Iraq, Afghanistan and
Gaza. `The American government is continuing the same previous path
and there is no sign of efforts to make up for the mistakes,’ he said.

Turkey wants to highlight Mr Erdogan’s other moves: helping repair
Syria’s relations with Saudi Arabia and Egypt, and pushing for
reconciliation between the two Palestinian factions, Hamas and
Fatah. Turkey also claims to have played a part in bringing together
the leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan. `Obama knows that,’ says Mr
Gul.

As Europe frets about the reliability of oil and gas supplies from
Russia’a dispute with Ukraine in January left much of eastern and
central Europe freezing’Turkey’s position as the alternative route for
energy supplies through Georgia should enhance its standing. This
fragile corridor would be strengthened if Turkey were to succeed in
another ambition: a grand bargain to resolve border disputes involving
Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan.