Author: Khondkarian Raffi

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of Canada
615 Stuart Avenue, Outremont-Quebec H2V 3H2
Contact: Deacon Hagop Arslanian,
Tel: 514-276-9479
Fax: 514-276-9960
Email: [email protected]
Web:

Tue, Oct 20 2009

Construction of Laval Holy Cross Armenian Church Resumes
The Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of Canada, His Eminence
Bishop Bagrat Galstanian, today announced the resumption of the
construction project of the Holy Cross Armenian Church in Laval, Quebec.
On Sunday, October 4, 2009 following the Holy Divine Liturgy celebration
at St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian cathedral of Montreal the signing
of the construction contract was held between the Laval parish Council and
Exedera Inc. under the auspices of His Eminence the Primate, the Pastors
of Laval and Montreal Parishes, with the presence of the former and
current members of Holy Cross Armenian Church Laval Parish and faithful in
the Diocesan Headquarters.

This spiritual joy and gratification was also equally shared by current
benefactors of the Church, the Steering group of the Building Committee
members, Architect, and the representatives of the Diocesan Council and
Board of Trustees. During this signing ceremony, His Eminence commended
the intense and dedicated work of all the faithful that resulted with this
positive outcome. Srpazan reaffirmed his commitment for the realization of
the Church building project in Laval and expressed the unwavering support
of the Diocese to this project.

To mark this occasion, Bishop Bagrat said "Today is a significant day for
our Church in Canada, that following intense planning for all anticipated
challenges and despite confronting unforeseen obstacles we remained
resolute and unyielding. Our hope and unwavering faith is now fulfilled.
We are recommencing this God-pleasing mission to build the House of God, a
home for worship, a sanctuary for the longevity of our identity. It bears
the name of the Holy Cross. The name entails suffering and love, and it is
our honor to build it through hard work and love. I have called this
mission "Journey of Blessing" and invite our faithful be part of this
journey and always remain in blessing".

His Eminence gracefully acknowledged in his speech: "We give thanks to a
faithful family of our church family, who has made a significant
contribution towards this project. He added that following the wishes of
the donor family, the contribution of $500.000 for the building of the
Holy Cross Church of Laval Church, will remain anonymous.

On behalf of the Primate, the Diocesan Council and the Clergy of our
Diocese, we thank the generosity of our sponsors for their many years of
unyielding support and devoted fellowship to the life of our Church. We
would remind all our faithful and encourage all to come together and
continue with their efforts and contributions to help make the realization
of this endeavor a true community project.
20 Oct 2009 by Press Office

©2004 Diocese of the Armenian Church of Canada. All rights reserved.

HAY DAT STRUCTURES DETERMINED TO CONTINUE STRUGGLE FOR RECOGNITION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Noyan Tapan
Oct 13, 2009

WASHINGTON, OCTOBER 13, NOYAN TAPAN. "The success of Turkey in
pressuring Armenia into accepting these humiliating, one-sided
protocols proves, sadly, that genocide pays," is said in the statement
that Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Chairman Ken
Hachikian made following the signing of Armenia-Turkey protocols,
panarmenian.net reported.

"President Obama, rather than honoring his pledge to recognize the
Armenian Genocide, went in exactly the opposite direction by applying
the full force of our nation’s diplomacy to twist the arm of a a
landlocked and blocaked Armenia … into accepting a dangerous set of
protocols that call into question this very crime against humanity,"
Ken Hachikian said.

"The ANCA and all Armenian Americans will continue our efforts to
restore morality to our nation’s response to the Armenian Grnocide,
and, more broadly, to the cause of genocide prevention. We will also
work to prevent Turkey from using this agreement to further its
genocide denial campiagn, to undermine the rights of the Armenian
nation, and to threaten the freedom of Nagorno Karabakh," is said in
the statement.

Chairwoman of the European Armenian Federation for Justice Hilda
Choboyan said in her statement: "We support the establishment of
relations between Armenia and Turkey, but we stand against these
protocols as they pose a threat to vitally important interests of
Armenia and the Armenian people".

The Armenian National Committee of Canada (ANCC) expressed concern in
connection with the signing of the Armenia-Turkey protocols, noting the
signing deprives Armenia of the opportunity to make territorial claims
against Turkey. ANCC reminded about the statements made by Turkish
officials to the effect that the clause about territorial integrity
in the protocols is related to the Karabakh problem. ANCC Chairman
Zhirayr Basmajian said that Diaspora and Armenian organizations
believe that those who signed the protocols must bear responsibility –
in case they will later make any statements or take any steps which
will contradict the Armenian president’s statement that there are no
preconditions in the protocols.

In Jerusalem, Georgette Avagian, historian and representative of Hay
Dat, said: "Now April 24 and October 10 have become days of mourning
for us because today we lost our historical lands, and the issue of the
recognition of the Armenian Genocide has turned to dust". According
to her, "we have struggled against Turkey for a hundred years, and
we will continue to do so".

Spokesperson for the Union of Armenian Associations in Sweden Vahagn
Avedian expressed an opinion that the signing brought discord into
Armenia-Diaspora relations. He said the first step that the Diaspora
will undertake after the protocols’ signing will be to stop financing
Armenia.

Editor-in-chief of Gibrahayer monthly Simon Aynejian said: "We are not
against the normalization of relations, but the point is what price
we are going to pay for these relations. I am sure Armenia will pay
a high price".

FILM REVIEWS – FILM OF THE WEEK – ARMY OF CRIME
by Dave Calhoun

Time Out
Oct 1 2009
UK

Just as director Rachid Bouchareb’s Algerian ancestry inspired him to
tell in his 2007 film ‘Days of Glory’ of the Maghrebian contribution to
the effort to recover France from the Nazis in 1944, so, presumably,
French filmmaker Robert Guediguian’s own background inspired this
latest, equally revisionist wartime drama which offers a thrilling
and informative new angle on the war in France.

Guediguian is best known for modern-day, Marseilles-set films such
as ‘Marius and Jeanette’ and ‘My Father is an Engineer’, but he is
half Armenian and was latterly involved with the French communists,
and this second of his historical films, after 2005’s ‘The Last
Mitterrand’, turns out to be just as personal as his more ‘local’
ones, despite the grand period canvas on which it unfolds.

It focuses on the guerilla efforts of the ‘Manouchian group’ – a
unit of Paris-based communists and immigrants who helped the armed
struggle against Nazi occupation. Heading this unit with some initial
reluctance was the Armenian poet Missak Manouchian (Simon Abkarian)
who directed a band of Jews, Hungarians, Poles and others to sabotage
Nazi rule. What this film describes is the radicalisation of Manouchian
and his comrades and the execution of their mission – a fatal mission,
as we know from the 22 names heard over the opening credits to the
refrain of ‘Mort pour la France’.

The title is a double nod – firstly, to the nickname given to
Manouchian and his colleagues after they were executed in 1944 and,
secondly, to Jean-Pierre Melville’s 1969 masterpiece ‘Army of Shadows’,
a film which dramatised with cold brilliance the rituals of the
French resistance. But while Melville suggested that all of France was
resisting or supportive of the resistance, Guediguian adopts a more
nuanced stance. By dramatising the efforts of the Francs-Tireurs,
the leftist resistance, he dispels the myth of a unified, Gaullist
resistance – an assumption that was first and most powerfully exploded
in cinema by Marcel Ophuls in his 1969 doc ‘The Sorrow and the Pity’.

Dramatically, though, Guediguian doesn’t live up to Melville,
who condensed the spirit of the resistance to a tense drama of few
personalities. Guediguian, meanwhile, calls on a rambling ensemble
to serve the many points he has to make about wartime France and
why people did – and did not – join the resistance, from stressing
Manouchian’s memories of war in Armenia and the motivations of
French Jew Marcel (Robinson Stevenin) after his father is deported,
to the idealistic communism of young Hungarian Thomas (Gregoire
Leprince-Ringuet) and the self-serving collaboration with the French
police of young Jew, Monique (Lola Naymark).

The breadth of Guediguian’s story is sometimes at the
expense of dramatic momentum, but nobody could accuse him of
over-simplification. His film is always fascinating and is a crucial,
stirring addition to the cinema about wartime France.

COE EXPERIENCE SUCCESSFULLY IMPLEMENTED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF DEMOCRACY IN ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
16.10.2009 22:23 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The experience of Council of Europe is successfully
implemented in the development of democracy in Armenia, COE Armenia
permanent representative, ambassador Zohrab Mnatsakanyan stated during
the meeting with new COE Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland.

Zohrab Mnatsakanyan gave congratulations of RA President Serzh
Sargsyan and RA Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian to Thorbjørn
Jagland. The parties discussed the necessity of democratic reforms
as well as RA-COE programs implementation, also noting the progress
in RA -Turkish rapprochement process, RA MFA press service reported.

PROTOCOLS MAY BECOME JUST ANOTHER NON-BINDING DOCUMENT
Karine Ter-Sahakyan

PanARMENIAN.Net
13.10.2009 GMT+04:00

If the Turkish General Staff sets a priority for Turkey, it is definite
to be accepted by the government; in this country the army still has
the last word.

Signed in Zurich with greatest difficulty and in absolute silence,
the Protocols of normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations not
only opened a new page in relations of the two countries, but also
changed the attitude of Turkey towards Azerbaijan and Georgia, and
that of Armenia towards Georgia. Moreover, they changed the stereotype
of the average behavior of an Armenian and a Turk, who now, before
talking about possible warming or cooling of relations between the
two countries, think why we actually signed these Protocols which
may become just another non-binding document.

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ It is still difficult to say what Armenia gained as
a result of signing. But now the most interesting question is what
gained Turkey and the mediator countries. It is unlikely that after
signing of documents the process of Turkey’s integration into the EU
should pick up speed. The same is true about the settlement of Karabakh
conflict, the main obstacle to implementation of the Protocols. Even if
the parliaments of the two countries ratify the Protocols, this process
may take 2-3 months, and there is no guarantee that the normalization
of relations will proceed along the already fixed path. The "road map"
that has been spoken about since April of the current year, is not
ready yet and will not be ready until Ankara manages to include in it
the preconditions she was not able to include in the Protocols. And
if the Armenian Genocide is a minor issue to the Turkish side and
can be "successfully" dragged out with the commission of historians,
which will not be formed due to rejection from the Armenian side,
the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict could be the sticking
point for the Turkish opposition, and, under its pressure, for the
ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), this issue being the main
obstacle to establishing diplomatic relations. By the way, that’s
exactly what no one speaks about; everyone is talking only about the
opening of the Armenian-Turkish border, which, by the way, has never
functioned fully. The story began back in Soviet times, when Turkey,
then a NATO member, posed a real threat to the southern borders of
the Soviet Union. In 1980, before the Moscow Olympics they began to
raise a customs office at the border, but it remained unfinished. A
checkpoint at the bridge over the Araks River opened only twice: in
1988 during the Spitak earthquake, when via Turkey Armenia received
humanitarian assistance and in 1990, when the UN mission visited
Armenia. Since then, the border has been closed.

The land border between the USSR and Turkey was 618 kilometers, and its
Armenian section of 330 kilometers was not of a great importance. Much
more attention of Moscow drew the maritime boundary in Batumi,
through which people tried to escape from the USSR. Moreover, in
1931 Turkey conceived then rather weak Iran to accept some parts
of the Turkish-Iranian border in exchange for the 11-mile corridor
that allowed Turkey to gain direct access to Nakhichevan, i.e. to
Azerbaijan. It was then that foundation was laid for the expansion
of Turkey into Azerbaijan, which decades later developed into Heydar
Aliyev’s slogan ":One nation, two states", allowing it to intervene
into the Karabakh conflict. In principle, the position of Ankara in
this issue is obviously destined to failure, no matter how hard the
U.S. and Europe try to convince Turkey of the contrary. For some
reason immediately after signing of the Protocols Russia came to
believe that the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations should
proceed simultaneously with the Karabakh conflict settlement, but
hardly can this be considered the official view of Moscow. Russia’s
policy in the Caucasus is still vague and it leads to nothing but
confusion. It can be said that the statement of Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the impossibility of opening the border
without regulation of the Karabakh problem, put off the process of
normalization of relations for an indefinite time. Such statements,
made to please Baku and, why not, under her pressure, could lead to a
stalemate in the region. It is difficult to convince Karabakh-focused
Baku that the Armenian issue is not most important for Ankara. Now
on the agenda are the Kurdish issue and the Cyprus problem. And only
then, time permitting, Ankara will settle relations with Armenia,
renouncing its ties with Azerbaijan. Otherwise, nothing will happen. It
is unlikely that Turkish politicians, including Deniz Baykal and other
opposition figures, should not realize the point. There is a third,
the most effective and decisive force – the Turkish General Staff. If
it sets a priority for Turkey, it is definite to be accepted by the
government. In this country the army still has the last word.

Tert.am
17:36 15.10.09

‘No Document Will Be Found That Will Strengthen Turkey’s Position of
Denial’: Ruben Safrastyan

"The Genocide issue is accepted. If presently, the majority of Turkish
people don’t accept the fact, it doesn’t mean it’s put to doubt. The
entire world has accepted that, including the US and Europe. I am not
referring here at the governmental level, but among historians and
scientists," Director of Oriental Studies Institute of the National
Academy of Sciences Ruben Safrastyan stated today, referring to the
possible influence of archive documents.

"If an American historian rises up and states in scientific circles or
in a university there was no Armenian Genocide people will either laugh
at him, or will say he is not a specialist or he was bribed by the
Turks," he continued, emphasizing that the world’s scientific circles
today accept the fact of Armenian Genocide and its non-acceptance by
Turkey cannot be a decisive factor.

"The phase has passed when Turkey can dispute the Genocide issue,"
Safrastyan said, responding to statements made by Turkey that
unexpected surprises await Armenia following the opening of the
archives. According to him, there can be no surprises for Armenia
and no document will be found that will strengthen Turkey’s positions
of denial.

DIPLOMATIC COUP AT FOOTBALL MATCH

B92
15 October 2009 | 16:03

BURSA — Armenian President Serge Sarkisian has visited Turkey in
a fresh step towards reconciliation between the two nations after
nearly a century of hostility.

In the first such visit by an Armenian leader for a decade, he
joined Turkish President Abdullah Gul at a World Cup qualifying
football match.

Turkish fans booed Armenia’s anthem at the start of the game – which
Turkey won 2-0 – in the western city of Bursa.

Last week, Turkey and Armenia signed a historic accord normalizing
relations.

Relations between the two countries have been overshadowed by
bitterness since the 1915 mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman forces
during the First World War.

Yerevan wants Ankara to recognize the killings as an act of genocide,
but successive Turkish governments have refused to do so.

Security was tight around the stadium as Sarkisian and Gul attended
the match between Turkey and Armenia, following a dinner hosted by
the Turkish president.

Sarkisian smiled as Turkey scored, while Gul applauded, and the two
were seen chatting.

Despite appeals from loudspeakers for respect, jeering erupted when
Armenia’s national anthem was played at the start of the game.

Earlier, a bus carrying Armenian journalists was pelted with stones
by dozens of shouting fans, but no-one was injured.

Some fans released white doves in a gesture of peace that drew applause
in the stadium.

Despite Turkey’s win the outcome was of no significance as both teams
are already out of the running for the 2010 World Cup finals.

Last year, Gul attended a game between the two nations in Armenia,
kicking off a round of "football diplomacy" that eventually led to
last week’s accord.

Under the agreement, Turkey and Armenia are to establish diplomatic
ties and reopen their shared border.

The accord still needs to be ratified by the parliaments of Armenia
and Turkey.

Last week, thousands of people protested against the deal in Yerevan.

Armenians have campaigned for the killi – and more than 20 countries
have done so.

Turkey admits that many Armenians were killed but says the deaths
were part of the widespread fighting that took place in World War I.

Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 because of its war
with Azerbaijan, during which Armenian troops seized the Azeri region
of Nagorno-Karabakh.

On Sunday, Azerbaijan said Turkey should not have normalised ties
Armenia without a deal over Nagorno-Karabakh.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the opening of
his country’s border with Armenia would be tied to progress on the
disputed region.

"ARMENIAN-TURKISH AGREEMENT IS REASON FOR CELEBRATION"

Panorama.am
14:04 14/10/2009

It was reported on Saturday that Turkey and Armenia "signed a landmark
agreement to establish diplomatic relations and open their sealed
borders after a century of enmity," Gerry Rankin from Glendale
News writes.

The agreement needs to be ratified by both nations’ parliaments before
it would become final.

The reporter writes while some Armenians, safe in America, may want
their former homeland to maintain a belligerent posture with its most
important neighbor, those who live in Armenia are the ones who would
face the consequences of continuing failed relations with Turkey.

"Obviously, they are the vulnerable ones. As a nation, Armenia may be
strong in heart, but it is relatively weak in economic and military
power, and potential adversaries surround it on every side," Gerry
Rankin writes.

BURSA’A ATATURK STADIUM IS HOSTING WC 2010 QUALIFIER MATCH

PanARMENIAN.Net
14.10.2009 22:58 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ At the moment, Bursa’a Ataturk Stadium is hosting
WC 2010 qualifier match between Armenian and Turkish teams. Armenian
national anthem was catcalled, PanARMENIAN.Net correspondent David
Hakobyan reported from Bursa’s Ataturk stadium.

On October 14, RA President Serzh Sargysan, on the invitation of his
Turkish colleague Abdullah Gul, left for Bursa to watch the World Cup
European qualifier game between Turkish and Armenian national soccer
teams in the northwestern Turkish province.

TURKEY: ROCKY ROAD AHEAD FOR RECONCILIATION WITH ARMENIA
10/12/09

Eurasia Insight
ticles/eav101209b.shtml
Yigal Schleifer

The October 10 protocols on reconciliation signed by Turkey and
Armenia may signal a milestone in the history of the South Caucasus,
but Turkish experts warn that serious hurdles still stand in the way
of the two countries actually opening up their borders.

The protocols to be signed call for the renewal of diplomatic ties,
opening of the common border and the establishment of a historical
commission to investigate the mass murder of Armenians by Ottoman
forces during World War I.

The only catch, analysts point out, is that the protocols will only
go into effect once the parliaments in both countries ratify them. In
Turkey, domestic opposition could stand in the way of that happening.

Î"×~P£The road to restoring Turkish-Armenian relations is
rocky,Î"×~PÂ¥ said Amanda Akcakoca, a Turkey expert at The European
Policy Centre, a Brussels-based think tank.

Î"×~P£Signing it is not the same thing as having it ratified in
parliament. ThatÎ"×~Pשs going to be the hard part.Î"×~PÂ¥

For Turkey, the Nagorno-Karabakh issue could stand in the way of the
protocolsÎ"×~Pש ratification. Turkey is AzerbaijanÎ"×~Pשs strongest
ally, and Ankara imposed its economic blockade on Armenia in 1993 to
support BakuÎ"×~Pשs efforts to retain control over Karabakh.

During a May 14 address to the Azerbaijani parliament, Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared "that the border between
Turkey and Armenia will be open only after the full liberation of
the Azerbaijani occupied territories."

Although the recently released protocols make no mention of a
linkage between the normalization of Turkish-Armenian ties and the
Nagorno-Karabakh peace process, parliamentarians from the ruling
Justice and Development Party (AKP) have warned that it would be hard
to pass the protocols without any progress on Nagorno-Karabakh.

Speaking soon after the protocols were signed, Erdogan also seemed
to again link the two processes. Î"×~P£We want all conflicts to be
resolved and we want all borders to be opened at the same time,Î"×~PÂ¥
Erdogan said in a televised speech. Î"×~P£(But) as long as Armenia
does not withdraw from the occupied territories in Azerbaijan, Turkey
cannot take up a positive position.Î"×~PÂ¥

Î& quot;×~P£If problems between Azerbaijan and Armenia are resolved, the
public would more easily accept Turkish-Armenian relations. Approval in
the Turkish National Assembly would be so much easier,Î"×~PÂ¥ he said.

For its part, the Azerbaijani government said on October 11 that
the agreement Î"×~P£clouds the spirit of brotherly relationsÎ"×~PÂ¥
between Azerbaijan and Turkey.

Still, experts point out that despite the opposition to the deal,
moving ahead on restoring ties with Armenia makes strategic and
political sense for Turkey, a European Union candidate country that
has ambitions to play a larger political and diplomatic role in the
surrounding region and to establish itself as an important energy
transit route.

Î"×~P£The invasion of Georgia last summer really concentrated
minds in the region. Energy routes are the biggest game in town,
and you need security and stability and access for that,Î"×~PÂ¥ said
Semih Idiz, an Ankara-based foreign affairs columnist for the daily
Milliyet. Î"×~P£Restoring relations with Armenia can create all
kinds of synergy for regional cooperation and stability.Î"×~PÂ¥

Diplom atic ties with Yerevan can also buff AnakaraÎ"×~Pשs image in
the EU, he added.

Î"×~P£It brings credibility to the vision of zero problems with
neighbors and for cooperating in the region and Turkey gains
credibility in terms of its EU dimension,Î"×~PÂ¥ Idiz said.

Editor’s Note: Yigal Schleifer is a freelance reporter based in
Istanbul.