Author: Madatian Greg

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Jan 27 2007

Pamuk returns home, optimistic about future

Nobel Prize-winning Turkish author Orhan Pamuk said "I don’t think of
these things any more" in response to reporters’ questions over
threats as he arrived at the airport in İstanbul.
Pamuk was coming from Cairo where he joined the 39th Cairo Book Fair
as an honorary guest. Reporters asked him about the threat made by
Yusuf Hayal, one of the names behind the murder of Armenian editor
Hrant Dink, Pamuk dismissed claims by saying he was not giving them a
second thought.
Regarding the death of former Foreign Minister Ismail Cem, Pamuk
said, "He was a very valuable author. I grew up reading his works. I
am deeply sorry."
Pamuk underlined the significance of the Cairo Book Fair in
bridging the Turkish and Arabic cultures, as well as the importance
of translating books between the two languages. He said, "Maybe this
Nobel Prize will contribute to that, God willing. Six or seven of my
books have been translated into Arabic and they are going to be
re-released. With support of the Egyptian Ministry of Culture, my
other novels will be translated soon. There is huge interest in all
aspects of Turkish literature and culture. I hope the reciprocal
works continue."
Customs officers at the border offered chocolate to Pamuk on the
occasion of International Customs Day.

27.01.2007

Seyfettin Koçak İstanbul

Ultra-nationalists threaten to blast ‘Agos’ editorial office

PanARMENIAN.Net
25.01.2007 15:18 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Yesterday in the evening, approximately when the
Turkish Prime Minister visited slain Armenian-Turkish bilingual
weekly editor-in-chief Hrant Dink’s family, the ‘Agos’ editorial
office received a letter from an earlier unknown ultra-nationalistic
organization "Squadron of Avengers", RFE RL reports. Particularly, the
letter says, "After killing of a priest in Trabzon one more enemy of
Turkey died and next time the whole ‘Agos’ editorial office will blast
in order all the enemies would die." The unknown author of the letter
underlines that these warnings concern those who will dare express
their dreams aloud. "If you call the events of 1915 a ‘genocide’, it
means that you have not seen real genocide. Genocide starts now," says
the letter. After receiving the letter ‘Agos’ staff immediately turned
to the police. Currently the editorial office is surrounded by law
enforcement bodies. The building has undergone a thorough search, but
no explosive device was found. But security services continue to keep
the district, where ‘Agos’ office is situated, under strong control.

Trabzon circle of suspects widens; Ogun Samast says "I am sorry I killed him"

Hurriyet, Turkey
Jan 24 2007

17 year old Trabzon resident Ogun Samast, who has admitted to shooting
and killing journalist Hrant Dink in the Istanbul district of Sisli,
ended his 8 pages of testimony to prosecutors yesterday with the words
"I am very sorry that I killed Hrant Dink." Samast, who was first
observed by psychologists, went before the prosecutors to give his
version of the events surrounding the Friday afternoon murder.

Samast is not the only person in custody for the murder of Hrant Dink
at this point; Trabzon resident Yasin Hayal, who is thought to have
given Samast the gun and the orders to kill the Armenian journalist,
is also in police custody currently, as is Black Sea Technical
University student Erhan Tuncel, who is thought to be one of the
possible masterminds behind the plans. There are also several other
young men being questioned by the police, several of whom appear to
be linked with Tuncel, Hayal, and Samast.

While investigating the murder of Hrant Dink, the police have also
apparently stumbled upon important clues to last year’s murder of
the Italian priest, Andrea Santoro, which took place in Trabzon. Some
of the suspects in Dink’s murder have admitted to links to Santoro’s
killer.

HRANT IS KILLED, LET ALL LIARS SHUT-UP
Ayse Gunalsu

CollectifVAN.org, France
Jan 22 2007

Everyone who says that this was an attack on Turkey, everyone who talks
about the sinister games played on Turkey, everyone who talks about
the timing of this attack coinciding with foreign parliaments’ making
decisions on the "alleged" genocide, and thus trying to disguise the
fact that Hrant Dink was being tried because he said "genocide" and was
receiving threats because of this, and everyone who is protecting the
real murderer, that is the ones who are allowing Union and Progress’
covert operator, lyncher, rabid spirit to still live on, has a share
of responsibility.

The Justice Minister Hikmet Sami Turk, who yelled from the podiums of
the congress that the ones who were organizing the Armenian conference
were stabbing the Turkish people in the back, President Ahmet Necdet
Sezer who vetoed the law proposal dealing with minority foundations
on the grounds that it would strengthen minorities, the district
attorneys who turn a blind eye on thousands of cases of torture,
convictions without trial, unknown culprits taken into custody
and lost, but processed and tried the alleged "notices of guilt"
that are devoid of the most elementary notions of universal law, the
newspaper Hurriyet that in the days Hrant Dink declared he was going
to look for justice in the European Human Rights Courts, made front
page news with the head of the Greek foundations who said he wouldn’t
go to European Human Rights Courts as he trusted the Turkish Justice
system, called him a true citizen, and therefore whomever tried to
look for justice in the European H.R. Courts was shown as a target,
branded as "so-called/pseudo" citizen, and, before Hrant’s blood was
even dry, the Turkish Television stations that for hours debated a
litany of provocation by relating it to the law proposal pending in
the United States Congress, are all a part of this murder, they have
a responsibility.

Everybody who says that this was an attack on Turkey is lying.
Because this attack was made possible by Turkey herself therefore,
Turkey is responsible. This attack was made possible by the government
that has implemented article 301, as protection against only the
denigration of Turkishness, not of all identities, thus providing
a legal basis for aggression, and it was made possible by an entire
population of Turkey who didn’t reject this article.

Everybody who, instead of feeling shame faced with the murder of Hrant
Dink, instead of saying "we are all guilty", worried about Turkey’s
dignity, from the officials to the opinion leaders, they are all lying,
they are trying to disguise their guilt. Let all the liars shut up.

And you shut up too please, democratic journalists like Altan Oymen.
If you are not refusing to answer questions that link the murder
of Hrant to the genocide recognition proposal in the US Congress,
and do not see a problem replying to them, if you are not refusing
to be disrespectful to the pain of the Armenian people by making such
connections, if you are not rejecting to thus support the ones who are
trying to fool people with conspiracy theories by foreign influences
aimed at the Turkish people, just to exonerate our own murderers,
shut up, all of you shut up.

LET ALL LIARS SHUT UP. HRANT’S WOUNDS ARE STILL BLEEDING. Original
source in Turkish

AYSE GUNALSU

Info Collectif VAN – – Ayse Gunalsu,
intellectuelle turque defenseur des Droits de l’Homme et qui a pris
des positions très courageuses sur le genocide armenien, s’elève
avec force contre toutes les recuperations scandaleuses de la classe
politique turque, et contre tous les media qui vehiculent depuis
des decennies la propagande haineuse de l’Etat turc et versent de
soudaines et hypocrites larmes de crocodile.

–Boundary_(ID_W0tpqZgO4u3RALG1FeWv0w) —

VLADIMIR KARAPETIAN: OFFICIAL YEREVAN NOT TO TAKE PART IN HRANT
DINK’S BURIAL

YEREVAN, JANUARY 22, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. RA Foreign Ministry
Acting Spokesperson Vladimir Karapetian refuted the information
published in the Hurriyet Turkish daily that official Yerevan has
received an invitation to take part in Hrant Dink’s burial from
Ankara. "Armenia will not take part in Hrant Dink’s burial at
the official level," Karapetian said in response to Noyan Tapan
correspondent’s question.

To recap, Hurriyet’s January 22 issue published information, according
to which for the purpose of taking part in Hrant Dink’s funeral,
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul instructed Turkish FM’s Special
Advisor-Ambassador on issues of Armenia, Altay Cengizer to send an
invitation to official Yerevan and to religious representatives of
Armenian Diaspora. "Though Yerevan informed official Ankara that it
will take part in the burial at the level of Ministry’s high-ranking
delegation, nevertheless displeasure is expressed that Khazhak
Archbishop Parsamian from New York will take part in the funeral,"
the newspaper read.

UNESCO condemns murder of journalist in Turkey

Anatolia News Agency, Turkey
Jan 22 2007

UNITED NATIONS (A.A) -22.01.2007 -UNESCO condemned the killing of
Hrant Dink, editor-in-chief of bilingual Turkish-Armenian weekly
Agos, and praised the swiftly-operated investigation carried out by
Turkish authorities.

Director General of UNESCO Koichiro Matsuura made a statement on
Monday about the assassination of Dink.

Matsuura said that freedom of speech is a fundamental human right,
and freedom of press is a fundamental component of democracy and the
principle of rule of law. He expressed pleasure over the way Turkish
authorities swiftly operated the investigation. He added that this
fast response shows that Turkish authorities will not let this crime
remain unpunished. [Passage omitted]

Italian PM Condemns Killing of Ethnic Armenian Journalist

Assyrian International News Agency
Jan 22 2007

ANKARA — Italian Premier Romano Prodi on Monday urged Turkey to
maintain its reform process for membership in the European Union
and be open to compromise on Cyprus for a lasting solution on the
divided island.

Prodi told a joint news conference with his Turkish counterpart
Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Turkey should continue to work to reach
the eventual goal of EU membership.

Ahead of his visit to Turkey, the Italian prime minister condemned
the killing in Istanbul on Friday of an ethnic Armenian journalist.

"It is a very serious episode on which I hope full light will be shed,"
Prodi said in an interview with Turkish newspaper Sabah published
Monday. An Italian transcript of the interview was circulated by the
premier’s office in Rome.

The slaying of Hrant Dink outside his newspaper’s office shocked the
nation and highlighted the precarious state of freedom of expression
in a country that is vying for European Union membership. Prosecutors
said Sunday that a Turkish teenager had confessed to the killing.

Erdogan said the killing amounted to the "shooting of the Turkish
people," and appealed to European countries not to blame Turkey for
the attack on Dink, a prominent member of Turkey’s minority Armenian
community.

"Such attacks, carried out by senseless people, unfortunately occur
in every country," Erdogan said.

During the visit, Italy and Turkey signed a memorandum aimed at
improving ties between the two countries, while Erdogan asked for
Italy’s continued support in its troubled EU membership talks, which
were partially frozen last month.

Prodi was scheduled to meet with Turkish businessmen in Istanbul on
Tuesday. Turkey and Italy have growing trade relations, including
projects to ship Russian natural gas to EU countries via Greece
and Italy.

The Italian premier told Sabah that the "door to Europe remains open
for Turkey," but that Ankara must follow through with promised reforms
and comply with EU requests.

"For the process to continue rapidly it is necessary to complete the
reforms process and implement it," Prodi said. "It is important that
commitments taken with the EU be implemented without delay."

EU leaders decided last month to halt negotiations in eight out of 35
policy areas due to Ankara’s refusal to open its ports and airports
to EU member Cyprus, whose government Turkey does not recognize.

"All sides should take one step back, so that one step forward can
be taken," Prodi said through an interpreter.

Turkey insists it will only open its ports and airports after steps
are taken to end the international isolation of a breakaway Turkish
Cypriot republic in the island’s north.

Turkey has vowed, nevertheless, to press ahead with other reforms.

Prodi said in the interview that Turkey should continue to aim for
EU accession, dismissing suggestions that Ankara be granted a special
partnership deal instead of membership.

"I believe this objective is too important, it deserves this effort,"
he said. "In this historical phase no one must think of alternative
choices."

"DINK’S MURDER IS ADDRESSED AGAINST TURKISH INTELLECTUALS AS WELL WHO TOUCH
UPON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ISSUE TO FINALLY SILENCE IT"

YEREVAN, JANUARY 22, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. A number of political
parties of Armenia responded with statements the murder of Hrant Dink, the
editor-in-chief of the "Akos" Turkish language newspaper being published in
Turkey. The ARF, particularly, expressed a confidence that "this nasty crime
is a new threat addressed to rights and existence of Armenians of Turkey for
what the Turkish state and authorities bear complete responsibility." In the
party’s estimation, Dink was killed for his political views: he in his own
manner imagined the civil rights of Armenians as well as of other minorities
in present Turkey, the Armenia-Turkey relations and the issue of the
Armenian Genocide recognition by Turkey, always taking into account and
defending interests of "the civilized" Turkey. But he was persecuted by the
Turkish state for those views. "Dink’s murder once more proves the fact that
the dissidence is not tolerated in Turkey," is said in the ARF Bureau
statement. The "Orinats Yerkir" (Country of Law) party, particularly,
mentions that "Hrant Dink was faithful to his title of a journalist and
sincerity of his pen. He was incarnation of solidarity, tolerance and
minorities’ national dignity in the Turkish society. At the same time
according to the estimation of the party, "the committed regour endangers
the right of free expression and may give birth to great anxieties among the
national minorities living in Turkey." The Social Democrat Hunchakian party
considers that "this shameful crime in which the Turkish society has its
part of responsibility, which, with the anti-Armenian, racial discrimination
carried out by it and policy limiting the freedom of expression, encourages
the nationalist elements of the country for the latters function freely and
without fear." According to the party’s estimation, this crime is addressed
against all those Turkish intellectuals who touch upon the Armenian Genocide
issue to finally silence the latters. "We’ll demand on this occassion from
international structures for they closely observe and are seriously engaged
in revealing all the folds of this political murder. We’ll always demand
from the EU for the Armenian Genocide recognition becomes a precondition for
Turkey’s membership to that structure," is said in the statement.

PRESS RELEASE
January 19, 2006

U.S.-Armenia Public Affairs Committee (USAPAC)
1518 K Street, NW, Suite M
Washington, DC20005
Contact: Ross Vartian
Telephone: 202-783-0530

U.S. – Armenia Public Affairs Committee Statement Regarding the
Assassination of Hrant Dink

Washington, DC – USAPAC mourns the loss of Hrant Dink, a courageous
man of peace, democracy, free speech and truth about the Armenian
Genocide – a fearless advocate of mutual understanding between the
Armenian and Turkish peoples.We extend our heartfelt condolences to
his family and friends, and cannot imagine their sense of shock and
loss.

USAPAC joins those in vigil and solidarity outside at the site of
Hrant’s assassination who proclaimed, `We are all Hrant, we are all
Armenians.’

The U.S.-Armenia Public Affairs Committee is a 501(c)(4) tax-exempt
and not-for-profit organization established to advance
Armenian-American interests.

PRESS RELEASE
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
138 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212-689-7810
Fax: 212-689-7168
e-mail: [email protected]
Website:
Contact: Iris Papazian

January 18, 2007

PRELATE WILL BE AT ST. ILLUMINATOR’S CATHEDRAL
This Sunday, January 21, the Prelate will preside over the Divine
Liturgy at the St. Illuminator’s Cathedral in New York City.

THREE NORTH AMERICAN PRELACIES WILL MEET
FOR JOINT GHEVONTIANTZ COMMEMORATION
The annual Sts. Ghevontiantz commemoration that precedes the Feast of
Vartanantz, is a time for reflection and renewal for the Armenian clergy.
Each year they gather at a host parish to learn and to pray in an atmosphere
of brotherhood and fellowship.
This year the clergy of the Eastern, Western, and Canadian Prelacies
will gather in California on February 12, 13 and 14. On Monday evening, the
clergy will participate in the celebration of the Divine Liturgy at Forty
Martyrs Church in Orange County. Tuesday evening, which is the eve of
Diarantaratch, they will celebrate the holiday with traditions handed down
through the centuries at St. Mary Church in Glendale.
During the three-day gathering lectures will be presented on this year’s
theme, "The zeal of clergymen toward their mission." Joint projects in the
preparation and publication of Christian education texts and Sunday school
curricula are also prime considerations.

WAUKEGAN PARISH PRESENTS NATIVITY
Students of St. Paul Armenian Church in Waukegan, Illinois, presented
the story of the Nativity during Christmas to the delight of the
parishioners. In the photo, left to right, front row, Dziadzan Mekaelian,
Matthew Mekaelian; second row, Margaret Jemian, Katherine Jemian; back row,
Martha Mekaelian, Arda Haroian-Bowles, Zadeeg Haroian, Virginia Antonian,
Mikhail Mekaelian, V. Rev. Fr. Daniel Garabedian, Khoogas Mekaelian, Michael
Bell, Sammy Haroian.

CATHOLICOS ARAM I MEETS WITH LEADERS
During the past week His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House
of Cilicia, had several meetings with international leaders.
A delegation representing the Conference of European Churches (CEC)
which included, among others, the President of the CEC, Rev. Jean Arnold de
Clermont, and the General Secretary, the Venerable Colin Williams. The
delegation met with His Holiness with the aim of developing cooperation
between the CEC and the Middle East Council of Churches, whose General
Secretary Gerges Saleh also attended. His Holiness presented his views on
recent regional and international political developments, based on the
situation in the Middle East and Lebanon. He emphasized the need to broaden
the Christian-Muslim dialogue.
On January 11, His Holiness received the United States Ambassador to
Lebanon, Jeffrey Feldman. They discussed recent political developments in
Lebanon and the Middle East.
Also last week, His Holiness received a high-ranking delegation from the
Presbyterian Church USA. Speaking about the need for the transformation of
ecumenism, Catholicos Aram said: "The transformation of the ecumenical
movement must start with people, firmly dedicated to the ecumenical cause.
We need young people, men and women, who, with their new perspectives and
fresh thoughts, can bring freshness to aging ecumenism. Transformation of
ecumenism also entails new priorities, new approaches and new ecumenical
culture."

JERUSALEM CHURCH LEADERS ISSUE MESSAGE FOR PEACE
Last week the leaders of the Christian churches in Jerusalem issued a
message appealing for calm and unity among all Palestinians and encouraging
Palestinians and Israelis to return to the negotiating table. The message
was signed by thirteen Christian leaders including His Beatitude Torkom
Manoogian, Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem and Fr. Raphael Minassian, on
behalf of the Armenian Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate.

"SCREAMERS" TO BE SCREENED IN CONGRESS TODAY
According to a press release issued today, Screamers, the gripping
documentary about the efforts of the Grammy-award winning band, "System of a
Down" to end the cycle of genocide, will be screened before a Congressional
audience on Capitol Hill. "Screamers is about exposing the denial of all
genocide, Armenia, the Holocaust, Cambodia, Bosnia, Kosovo, Rwanda, Iraqi
Kurds and the current horror in Darfur," said the director of the
documentary, Carla Garapedian. "It is about making sure the same critical
message George Clooney and Don Cheadle are ‘screaming’ about is heard, that
these atrocities never happen again."
The title has a double meaning. It refers to the band’s musical style
and as used by Samantha Power in describing people who force the world to
acknowledge atrocities that it would rather ignore. Power, a Harvard
professor, is the author of the extraordinary book, A Problem from Hell:
America and the Age of Genocide.
Screamers won the prestigious Audience Award at the AFI Film Festival.
The film will have its nationwide release beginning January 26.

IN CELEBRATION OF THE YEAR OF THE ARMENIAN LANGUAGE.
"For almost a decade after the invention of the alphabet, Armenian
literature consisted primarily of translations of Greek, Syriac, and Roman
sources. The translators also played an undeniable role in preparing the
Golden Age, for, through their translations of the Bible, the liturgy of the
Church, and the classics of antiquity, they molded a basic Armenian literary
taste. Then, as if from a puff of smoke, the masters of original Armenian
literature appeared, all within a few years of each other: Koriun,
Agathangelos, Yeghishe, Movses Khorenatsi, Ghazar Parpetsi, Pavstos Buzand,
Yeznik Koghpatsi, Hovhan Mantakuni, David the Invincible, and others. Their
historical, theological, philosophical, and literary output, written in
grabar (Classical Armenian), formed the nucleus of an original and important
national literature which is now gradually finding its way into the
international community through the media of translation and scholarship."
The Heritage of Armenian Literature, Volume 1

DAILY BIBLE READINGS
Readings for today, Thursday, January 18, are Proverbs 21:16-24;
Jeremiah 19:19-21; Hebrews 11:32-40; Matthew 10:37-42.
"He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he
who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and he who does
not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. He who finds his
life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it. He
who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent
me. He who receives a prophet because he is a prophet shall receive a
prophet’s reward, and he who receives a righteous man because he is a
righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever gives to
one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple,
truly, I say to you, he shall not lose his reward." Matthew 10:37-42.
For listing of the entire week’s Bible readings click
.

"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."
Martin Luther King, Jr.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

January 28-Annual Membership Meeting, Soorp Khatch Church, Bethesda,
Maryland, at 1 pm.

February 4-St. Sarkis name day, celebrating the patron saint of the church
and requiem service for Archpriest Rev. Fr. Asoghik Kelejian, St. Sarkis
Church, Douglaston, New York.

February 11-General Membership meeting and elections, St. Sarkis Church,
Douglaston, New York.

February 12, 13, 14-Joint clergy gathering on the occasion of the
Ghevontiantz commemoration. Clergy of the Eastern, Western and Canadian
Prelacies will meet in California. Monday evening, Divine Liturgy and Sermon
at Forty Martyrs Church in Orange County; Tuesday evening, celebration of
the eve of Diarantaratch at St. Mary Church in Glendale. Major themes of
clergy gathering are the zeal of clergymen toward their mission, and joint
projects for Christian education texts and Sunday school curricula.

February 17-St. Gregory Church, North Andover, Massachusetts, Annual
Membership Meeting.

February 18-Poon Paregentan, Eve of Great Lent, International Cuisine Night,
St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New York.

February 25-Annual membership meeting, St. Gregory Church, North Andover,
Massachusetts.

March 18-Annual Membership Meeting, St. Stephen Church, New Britain,
Connecticut.

March 25-Musical Armenia 2007, Weill Recital Hall, Carnegie Hall, 2 pm.
Featured artists: Aleksandr Nazaryan (viola) and Serge Barseghian (basso).

May 12-Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, 50th anniversary concert
featuring Onnik Dinkjian and John Berberian.

July 1-8-St. Gregory of Datev Institute, 21st annual summer Christian
studies program for junior and senior high school students, at St. Mary of
Providence Center in Elverson, Pennsylvania.

August 7-Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts, annual golf
tournament at Blackstone Country Club.

August 19-Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts, annual
church picnic.

September 29-Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts, 50th
anniversary banquet at Pleasant Valley.

December 1-Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts, annual
church bazaar.

December 1-St. Stephen’s Church, Watertown, Massachusetts, 50th anniversary
celebration. For information, (617) 924-7562.

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