Author: Nahapetian Zhanna

Armenia-NATO Cooperation Highlighted during Official’s Visit

Nahapetian Zhanna
  • Armenia

    •  

  • Latest

    •  

  • News

    •  

  • Top Stories

9 hours ago

NATO’s James Appathurai meets with Armenia’s President Armen Sarkissian

YEREVAN (Azatutyun.am)—James Appathurai, NATO deputy assistant secretary general for political affairs and the secretary general’s special representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia, arrived in Armenia on Monday for an annual NATO Week event held this year from March 11 to 15.

While in Yerevan the NATO representative also held meetings with a number of senior Armenian officials, including President Armen Sarkissian.

At a meeting with Sarkissian in Yerevan, Appathurai described Armenia as a “stable and trustworthy partner.”

Appathurai and Sarkissian also underlined Armenia’s effective participation in a number of NATO-Armenia projects, including in international peacekeeping missions, the Armenian president’s press service said. Matters relating to regional and international developments were also discussed, it added.

While in Yerevan the NATO representative also met with Defense Minister David Tonoyan and Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanian.

During the meeting between Tonoyan and Appathurai a number of issues related to Armenia-NATO cooperation, in particular, the course of events planned for the Armenia-NATO Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) and Planning and Review Process partnership, their summary and assessment, as well as planning for the coming years were discussed.

According to the Armenian Defense Ministry’s official website, the sides stressed the importance of Armenia’s participation in NATO’s peacekeeping missions in Kosovo and Afghanistan as a major contribution to international security.

Issues related to regional security were also discussed at the meeting, the official report added.

Later, Armenian Foreign Minister Mnatsakanyan and Appathurai discussed prospects of continued political dialogue between Armenia and NATO as part of the IPAP, the process of reforms in the defense and security areas, cooperation in emergency situations, science and a number of other areas of mutual interest.

According to the Armenian Foreign Ministry’s official website, Mnatsakanyan and the NATO secretary general’s special representative exchanged views on a number of regional and international issues.

At the request of Appathurai, Minister Mnatsakanyan presented “Armenia’s foreign-policy priorities, the approaches and principle-based position of the Armenian side in the matter of peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.”

At a press conference later on Monday the NATO official said that during his meetings with Armenia’s defense minister and foreign minister they also addressed the recent sending by Armenia of a humanitarian mission to Syria, including sappers and medics.

Appathurai said both ministers clearly presented the political and humanitarian reasons for the Armenian government to take that step.

Cognac, saké: Armenia sees Japan as an ally

Nahapetian Zhanna
Asia Times, Hong Kong
March 6 2019
 
 
Cognac, saké: Armenia sees Japan as an ally
 
For the Caucasus nation, engaging Japan presents an attractive complement to China’s Belt and Road
 
By Richard Giragosian, Yerevan
 
There is a fresh impetus in Yerevan to deepen and develop relations with Tokyo, seen as a key Asian trade market, a partner in forging a knowledge-based economy and a logical hedge to Belt and Road engagement.
 
Armenia has long held a special affinity for Japan. Stemming from the centuries-old presence of Armenian businessmen throughout Asia, including a small but significant commercial elite in Singapore, Thailand and India, Japan was a key outpost for early Armenian diplomacy.
 
As early as 1920, Armenia was represented by Diana Apcar, an ethnic Armenian, but Rangoon-born – now Yangon – intellectual who, as Armenia’s Honorary Consul in Japan, was possibly the first female diplomat in history.
 
Japan’s pivotal position as the center of Armenian diplomacy in Asia continues. Armenian Ambassador Grant Pogosyan stands out by virtue of a rare combination of being both a professional diplomat and a local professor, with more than two decades of experience teaching at a university in Tokyo.
 
As a fluent Japanese speaker, Ambassador Poghosyan has contributed to the substantial deepening and development of bilateral Armenian-Japanese relations, including an expanded breadth that encompasses humanitarian and cultural ties beyond the traditional areas of political and economic cooperation.  
 
Although Japan was one of the first countries to recognize the newly independent Republic of Armenia in September 1992, the Armenian embassy in Tokyo was not established until 2010, while Japan opened its embassy in Yerevan in 2015.
 
Diplomatic, economic and commercial ties have nevertheless consistently expanded, with two Armenian presidential and two foreign ministerial visits to Japan from 1999-2012, as well as several separate visits by the Armenian premier, various ministers and parliamentarians.
 
Bilateral trade is promising, but relatively meager to date, with Armenia exporting to Japan only about 1.17 billion yen (US$9.8 million) and importing roughly in 2.17 billion yen worth of goods and products in 2017. Japan’s role as a donor to Armenia is far more significant, however, with official development aid extended through 2016 totaling approximately 39 billion yen in loans and grants, with an additional 4.5 billion yen in financing for technical cooperation.
 
In recent years, official Japanese trips to Armenia included four visits by the parliamentary vice-ministers for foreign affairs, and one visit by the state minister for foreign affairs, as well as a high-profile visit by current Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono in September 2018.
 
Endowed with a refreshing degree of strategic vision on the Armenian side, there is a more focused approach to forging a strategic relationship with Japan. This improvement stems from two main factors.
 
New markets, IT
 
The first, most fundamental driver of Armenia’s renewed engagement of Japan is rooted in a revised strategic vision that elevates attention to the importance of Asia as a source of new markets and investors for Armenia.
 
This belated recognition of the importance of Asia as a strategic target is bolstered by a steady influx of Asian tourists to Armenia.
 
For Armenia, which is seeking to correct its over-dependence on Russia, the deepening ties with Tokyo are also based on an understanding that Moscow will be much more permissive of such diplomacy in Asia than any deeper embrace of the West.
 
A second factor shaping Armenia’s pursuit of Japan stems from the Armenian government’s recently articulated goal of forging a more innovative knowledge-based economy, leveraging the synergy of its surging IT sector with the desire for Japanese technical expertise, applications and hardware.
 
A key component in this area is the necessity for Armenia to tailor Japanese technical and technological training programs to address what has become a shortfall in Armenian education and a shortage of a new generation of skilled IT workers and specialists.
 
The signing of a new Japan-Armenia Investment Agreement in 2018 has also granted new impetus to the expansion of bilateral relations. The agreement offered most-favored-nation status, and it is also expected to encourage Japanese investment in Armenia’s growing information technology sector. It is this agreement, and its inherent focus on IT, that reveals the deeper strategy underlying Armenia’s view of Japan.  
 
Balancing the Belt
 
But it is geopolitics and Armenia’s quest for greater strategic balance that makes Japan so attractive. More specifically, with a sustained policy of developing relations with China, Armenia sees a need for balance and parity by also deepening relations with Japan.
 
And looking beyond geopolitical balancing between Beijing and Tokyo, the imperative for Yerevan in this context is “strategic diversification,” mandated by the spring 2018 Velvet Revolution that swept Armenia’s new government to power.
 
For Armenia, this localized focus on strategic diversification reflects the divergence of Armenia’s relationship with China and Japan.
 
With China, Armenia relies on the need for alternative military and security ties, beyond simply an over-dependence on Russia, as well as the potential of indirect dividends or economic spillover from China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
 
The latter promise of Chinese capital investment in regional infrastructure is also an important longer-term goal for Armenia.
 
Armenia’s view of the grand Belt Road Initiative project also sees China as a gateway for greater “inter-connectivity” and essential consideration of remote, isolated and landlocked Armenia. But at the same time, Japan is also valued as a source for a different, and more advanced form of such inter-connectivity, offering Armenia a path to greater technological integration and access, a much more pressing factor than basic Chinese capital investment in roads and rail.
 
The Armenian strategy is based on a view of Japan as a pivotal player with the capacity to counterbalance China and to go beyond any over-reliance on still-distant Belt and Road projects.
 
Armenia’s neighbors in the South Caucasus have taken a more China-focused approach, with Georgia relying more heavily on Beijing as a partner for the financing of its infrastructure and Azerbaijan also looking to the Chinese for cooperation in its energy sector. Neither country seeks to engage Japan as an offset to balance against expectations from China’s Belt and Road vision.
 
Against this backdrop of a more refined and better defined strategic vision, Armenia is now moving quickly to forge an enhanced and empowered policy of engaging Japan.
 
Bolstered by the country’s already deepening relationship with China, this balanced “pivot” to Asia offers Armenia an important new opportunity, an imperative given the lack of credible Belt and Road opportunities to date.
 
Richard Giragosian is the director of the Regional Studies Center, an independent think tank in Yerevan, Armenia.

Nikol Pashinyan’s visit to Iran was successful. Khosrov Harutyunyan

Nahapetian Zhanna
  • 01.03.2019

    •  

  • Armenia:

    •  

  • arm

93
 255

Khosrov Harutyunyan, the former Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, former deputy of the RPA faction, believes that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s visit to Iran can be considered successful without the possibility of making a mistake. 


“Although the practical results of the visit will still be thoroughly analyzed in expert circles, today we can already record several remarkable facts from the meeting of the leaders of the two countries, which promise to raise the Armenian-Iranian relations to a new qualitative level. 

For the first time, the president of Iran publicly expressed his desire to participate in the construction of the North-South transport corridor. This is a new, in my opinion, a turning approach not only from the point of view of cooperation between our two countries, but mainly in the sense that Iran (perhaps for the first time in practice) emphasizes the importance it attaches to Armenia’s participation in the formation of regional infrastructure.

Basically, this is a record of the fact that Armenia is no longer just a northern friendly state for Iran, but also a new regional partner of greater importance. Moreover, the agreement reached between the leaders of the countries about connecting the Persian Gulf to the Black Sea through Armenia, increasing the volumes of Iranian gas supplied to Armenia, and moving the Iran-Armenia-Georgia tripartite gas supply, and the quadrilateral electricity exchange programs on practical grounds were determined by the recording of this new role of Armenia for Iran. 

Of course, agreements were also reached regarding mutually beneficial cooperation in other fields, but I think that the most tangible, which will make itself felt already in the medium-term horizon, is the fact that Iran will assign a new, even more important, role to Armenia in the region.

Of course, the reasons for the mentioned shifts in Armenian-Iranian relations need a separate analysis, but one thing is obvious, that this reality is a record of the recognition of the strategic importance of Armenia as a reliable partner, which is certainly a serious geopolitical capital and should be treated with extreme care and circumspection,” wrote Harutyunyan on his Facebook page.

Ayatollah Khamenei: Iran, Armenia must boost ties despite US opposition

Nahapetian Zhanna
Press TV, Iran
Wednesday
Ayatollah Khamenei: Iran, Armenia must boost ties despite US opposition
 
 
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says Iran and Armenia should work to further boost their relations irrespective of opposition from the US that seeks sedition, division and war across the world.
 
Ayatollah Khamenei made the remarks during a meeting with visiting Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian in Tehran on Wednesday.
 
The Leader underlined the need for Iran and Armenia to put the goal of achieving ever-growing friendship and cooperation on their agenda to serve the interests of the two countries.
 
“Indeed, the Americans are totally untrustworthy and are seeking sedition, corruption, division and war everywhere, and they are against Iran-Armenia relations as well as [other] nations’ interests, but we have a duty to boost our cooperation and interactions in response,” the Leader noted.
 
Ayatollah Khamenei described Iran and Armenia as good neighbors that enjoy historical ties and underlined the need for raising the level of their economic cooperation, stressing, “Unlike what the Americans desire, the relations between Iran and Armenia should be solid, constant and friendly.”
 
The Leader mentioned amicable relations between Iran and Armenia throughout the history and said, “Iran and Armenia have never had any problems with each other, and we feel duty-bound under Islamic teachings to practice good neighborliness. Of course, American officials like [National Security Adviser] John Bolton have no understanding of such issues and human relations.”
 
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (L) attends a meeting between Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei (R) and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian in Tehran on . (Photo by leader.ir)
 
Ayatollah Khamenei said the current level of economic cooperation between Iran and Armenia was way below the potential of the two countries, calling for the two sides to seriously follow up on the implementation of the agreements signed during the visit.
 
The Leader also touched on the Karabakh issue and said the dispute could be settled through continued negotiations between Armenian and Azeri officials and expressed Iran’s readiness to contribute to its resolution.
 
The Armenian premier, for his part, described his meetings in Tehran as “constructive and promising” and hoped for the immediate implementation of the agreements signed in his visit.
 
Pashinian said the history of Iran-Armenia good ties could contribute to further promotion of relations.
 
“Armenia has never joined and will not join any measure against Iran and we believe the development of ties with Iran serve our country and people,” he said.
 
Back in October, Bolton visited Armenia, where he vowed during an interview that President Donald Trump’s administration would “squeeze Iran” with maximum economic pressure in response to what he called Tehran’s “malign” behavior in the Middle East and around the world.
 
However, Pashinian told the Armenian Parliament a week later that he had made clear to Bolton during his visit that Armenia would maintain “special relations” with its neighbor Iran.
 
“I reaffirm the position that we should have special relations with Iran and Georgia that would be as far outside geopolitical influences as possible. This position was very clearly formulated also during my meeting with Mr. Bolton, and I think that the position of Armenia was clear, comprehensible, and even acceptable to representatives of the US delegation,” the Armenian leader said.
 
He added that Armenia “has its own national and state interests, which do not always coincide with the interests and ideas of other countries, any other country.”

Armenian church being built in Russia’s Ufa

Nahapetian Zhanna
News.am, Armenia
Feb 21 2019
Armenian church being built in Russia’s Ufa Armenian church being built in Russia’s Ufa

12:02, 21.02.2019
                  

The construction of an Armenian church has started in Zatony Vavylovo village of Ufa, the capital city of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia, according to Govorit Ufa.

Thirty thousand Armenians live in the Republic of Bashkortostan, and this house of Christian worship is being built for the Bashkiria chapter of the Union of Armenians of Russia.

The church consecration ceremony was held.

This place of Christian worship will be built with tuff rocks that are brought from Armenia. 

The construction of this church is planned to be completed in two years.

Chess: First round of Aeroflot Open A Tournament concluded with one representative from Armenia victorious

Nahapetian Zhanna
Panorama, Armenia
Feb 21 2019
Sport 19:42 21/02/2019 Armenia

The first round of the Aeroflot Open chess tournament was held in Moscow with only one representative of Armenia Hayk Sargsyan winning his game in A tournament. As the chess federation reports, Tigran Petrosyan drew, while Manuel Petrosyan, Aram Hakobyan and Shant Sargsyan lost their games.
Meanwhile, in B Tournament Tigran Harutyunyan, Artur Davtyan and Hovik Hayrapetyan won their games, while Rafael Vahanyan, Elina Danielyan and Vahe Baghdasaryan drew.

To remind, 15 Armenian players, including six grand masters are taking part in the tournament.
The festival comprises of three open tournaments (A, B and C) made up according to the rating of the participants and are 9-round Swiss – tournaments. Naturally, the greatest interest is aroused by A tournament, requiring from a participant a rating above 2550 and in which usually take part a number of extra class players. In addition to the Open Tournaments, a Blitz Tournament will be held within the festival. 

Azerbaijani Press: Nagorno-Karabakh settlement rests on dead end due to Armenian position

Nahapetian Zhanna
AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Feb 21 2019
17:12 (UTC+04:00)

By Abdul Kerimkhanov

Armenia again proves disinterest in resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, announcing the need to return to the negotiating table the occupation authorities of Karabakh.

The leadership of Azerbaijan had certain hopes in connection with the arrival of the new authorities in Yerevan. Most likely, they were due to the guarantees of some geopolitical centers that the new government in Armenia will take bold and constructive steps.

Political technologist Vigen Akopyan recalls that a similar term was used by John Bolton during his visit to Yerevan. He considers this optimism was also transmitted to Azerbaijan.

As Akopyan said, Pashinyan wanted to understand for some time, what processes are underway in the negotiations on Karabakh.

‘‘But after meetings with Ilham Aliyev, in particular, in Davos, Armenian Prime Minister finally realized what expectations Azerbaijan had and how this correlated with the interests of Armenia,’’ said political technologist.

Nikol Pashinyan understood that Azerbaijan, in its ideas of mutual concessions, did not retreat a centimeter. He might have held political consultations on this issue, including with some partners.

After that, the position of the Armenian Prime Minister sharply tightened. It immediately caused confusion in Azerbaijan.

Now Yerevan declares that it cannot talk about any concessions until Azerbaijan shows that it is also ready for such steps. Moreover, Armenia makes illogical statement saying that talks with Azerbaijan on the whole package of issues should involve separatist regime of occupied Karabakh.

Besides, Armenia’s current opposition accuses Pashinyan of lack of information, experience and knowledge about the Karabakh conflict.

The conclusion is that the Armenian society is interested in the current status quo and does not intend to take any constructive steps to resolve the conflict.

However, Azerbaijan will not give up its principled position on Karabakh. Baku stands on the position that conflict should be resolved only on the basis of the norms and principles of international law, the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan must be restored and four resolutions of the UN Security Council must be implemented.

Azerbaijan is the most stable state in the region. It is stronger for the economic and military mean. Baku is looking for and is seeking the friendship of Moscow, Washington, Tehran and is the closest strategic ally for Ankara.

Azerbaijan’s military budget is growing, military-technical cooperation is developing, all new countries are involved in it, including CSTO members.

Nikol Pashinyan and his team, having a high level of popular support, should compromise with Azerbaijan and thereby contribute to resolving the long-standing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Only, in this case, democracy has a chance to overcome finally nationalism in Armenia.

Armenian woman robbed of son in hospital, fighting to get him back

Nahapetian Zhanna
JAM News
Feb 11 2019
Sona Martirosyan, Yerevan
Naira Martikian

Human rights advocates say that there is an issue of child trafficking in the country

Forty-year-old Narine Nikoghosyan says her whole life is a never-ending chain of trials, and the last five years have been just hell.

All this time, she has been suing to have her five-year-old son returned to her.

The first time she saw him was in hospital, then later in a video submitted to court when he was two and a half years old. She saw him again later, from afar, when he was four years old.

“Now I sometimes think: this didn’t happen to me. It can’t be true. This is a dream, I’ll wake up and everything will be fine. I was not ready for all this. No one can be prepared to have their child taken away from them,” she says.

Armenian police statistics show that from 2015 to 2018 there were only two allegations concerning the sale of children, and both lodged in 2018. A criminal case was not opened for the first and in the second case, the investigation began but was quickly shut down. However, in the same period, four reports of the sale of children appeared in the press.

• 14 kids in a family – a video story from Armenia

• Yerevan youth leave city to work in village schools

• Armenia’s children with disabilities often abandoned, rarely adopted

Narine was born and raised under rather difficult family circumstances. She was burdened with worries during her school years because she had to care for her parents who were hard of hearing. She cared for them and her sisters too, and ran the household. Teachers at school were outraged that a capable, intelligent girl could not go to school for days at a time.

“I was 19 when I had to leave my parents’ house. Living in such an atmosphere was no longer possible. I really wanted to continue my education, but there was no way I could. I started working in different places: I cleaned, did administrative work — all to ensure a decent life for myself. Loneliness is a terrible thing. It is impossible to talk about, to explain. I was completely alone,” says Narine.

She was 30 when she realized that she wanted a child to whom she could give her love and share her life with. She decided to adopt a child. But for a single woman, adoption is a serious problem. Friends suggested thinking about artificial insemination:

“I started going to different doctors. Some of my friends recommended Hrach Galustyan. It turned out that I have serious health problems. The treatment lasted five years. During this time, I made friends with the doctor and his wife, and there were no problems with trust. But even after my treatment, I was given my sentence: I can never have children.”

She seemed to have come to terms with loneliness. But, she suddenly fell in love. And then life gave her another surprise: weakness and fatigue which tormented her for several months. However, it turned out to be signs not of illness, but of a pregnancy:

“It was a miracle. I knew that I could only count on myself. There was no option of my parents supporting me, and my boyfriend did not believe that it was the time to have children. The only person I could trust was my doctor. I went to the hospital to terminate the pregnancy, but suddenly I started to have severe pain. I felt the child clinging to me, like he wants to live. I escaped from the hospital and decided that he would be born.”

She worked and saved money to buy items necessary for her child. All the while, the same old doctor was watching the pregnancy, encouraging her and telling her everything would be fine. At one point, Narine could no longer work, and no one was waiting for her in her parents’ house. Dr Galustyan again came to the rescue.

“He said that one of his friends in Abovyan, near Yerevan, has an apartment in which no-one lives. He said that I can live there before the birth of the child. I reminded him that I have no money and that I can not pay. He replied that these people just wanted to help. So I moved to that house. On the first day, I met the owner. I immediately felt uncomfortable from all the questions he asked me, but I was not in a position to refuse help,” Narine said.

In 2013, the police department of Lori region of Armenia detained a criminal group that was involved in the sale of children. Three members of the group were prosecuted. Article 168 of the Criminal Code of Armenia (the sale of children) provides for a sentence of four to eight years in prison.

Before the birth of the child, the owner of the house periodically visited Narine and took a particularly active interest. He would stand idle for a long time in front of a photo of his deceased brother in the apartment.

Narine says that she was ready for the birth of her son and had bought everything she needed, although there was still plenty of time before the birth.

One day she went for a regular visit to the doctor – but it ended in childbirth:

“The doctor said that I looked bad and gave me a pill – he told me it was a vitamin. I drank it, and in a few hours the contractions began. And then my doctor said that he could not help me deliver the child, that he was busy, and he sent me to the Eighth Hospital.

“He warned me that since nobody knew me there, they’d think of me as a ‘loose woman’, and so I should tell them that the father of the child was the owner of that apartment, that old man. I suspected something was wrong, but I was so scared that I could not help it. I thought only about the birth of the child.”

Then everything went hazy: childbirth, post-natal depression, persistent medications, pain, a state of unconsciousness.

Narine was given three documents to sign. She read the first. The rest of them, as the elderly man assured her, were only copies. As it turned out, one of the signed papers was a document confirming paternity.

“On the day I was discharged, I left the hospital with a baby in my arms. In the courtyard a car was waiting for me – the owner of the house I was living in. I felt that something would happen, I was frightened, but I could not even imagine what it was. I was so weak I almost could not walk. I do not know what medicine the doctor gave me.

“I went to the car, and a woman offered to hold my child so that I could sit down. As soon as I gave him, the car drove off. I fell, tried to get up, and called for help, but I knew nothing came out of my mouth. It felt like I was screaming, but in fact I did not make a sound. The doctor said that nothing happened, and my child was just taken home. Unfortunately, this was not the case,” Narine said.

In 2011, the experience of the prosecution of crimes against the interests of family and children was studied for the first time in Armenia. According to this study, accomplices of such crimes are often employees of medical institutions, or are in most cases aware of what is happening. Often, the sale of children is “legalized” by means of paternity recognition documents.

As soon as Narine came to her senses after giving birth, she began to search for people connected with the abduction of her child. She turned to the police.

Dr Galustian left the country immediately. The elderly man claims that Narine herself abandoned her son and that he is the biological father of the child. He took the child and gave him the name of his deceased brother.

Human rights advocate Zaruhi Hovhannisyan first spoke out about what happened to Narine. According to her, this case is confirmation that there are cases of child trafficking in Armenia, but they are simply hidden.

“This is one of those cases when it is obvious – they took advantage of a woman in a vulnerable position, her post-natal depression and so on. In addition, the involvement of a doctor is evidenced by the fact that he left Armenia as soon as the case turned into a legal issue. All attempts to contact him have failed,” says Hovhannisyan.

Hovhannisyan says the investigation of the case was complicated by the fact that Narine signed legal documents.

However, the court did not take into account the psychological or physical condition of the woman when she signed them, and whether the nature and content of the documents had been explained to her.

Although the struggle to retrieve her child has continued for years, Narine has not lost hope.

“I know that sooner or later my child will be with me. Previously, the kidnappers managed in one way or another to influence the court decision. And I could not even aquire a DNA analysis that would prove that these people are not related to my son. Now I believe that the court will be objective, and my child will finally be with me.

“I know that thanks to my lawyer, I can obtain justice. It is difficult to cope with all the expenses, but I will not retreat. I work in four places, if I need to find a fifth job, I will, but I will not give up. Sometimes I am afraid that I will not bear it, but I also know that with the birth of my son I received an inexhaustible source of strength. My heart says that everything will turn out okay in the end,” says Narine.

Génocide arménien : qui était Talaat Pacha, le "Hitler turc" ?

Nahapetian Zhanna
GEO.fr– France
5 févr. 2019
Génocide arménien : qui était Talaat Pacha, le “Hitler turc” ?
               
Par Isabelle Spaak – Publié le 05/02/2019 à 12h32

                       

Le grand vizir Talaat Pacha (ici vers 1915) a été exécuté en pleine rue à Berlin, le 15 mars 1921. © Hulton Archive/Getty Images

La scène a eu plusieurs témoins visuels. Le plus proche s’appelle Nicolas Jessen. Lors de sa déposition devant la justice, ce représentant de commerce de 40 ans a expliqué qu’il passait par la Hardenbergstrasse, dans le quartier de Charlottenburg à Berlin, ce matin du 15 mars 1921, vers 11 heures, pour se rendre chez des clients, lorsqu’il a remarqué un homme massif, emmitouflé dans un manteau gris. L’individu marchait tranquillement à une vingtaine de pas devant lui. Une canne à la main, il se dirigeait vers le jardin zoologique. Soudain, un deuxième homme a surgi. Silhouette élancée, un chapeau rabattu sur son profil aquilin, ce dernier a traversé la chaussée en courant. Plongeant la main dans l’une des poches de son manteau, il en a extirpé une arme. Un seul coup de feu a éclaté. Touché à bout portant, l’homme au manteau gris s’est effondré.

Boleslav Detnhicki, un employé de maison de 32 ans, a lui aussi assisté à l’exécution. Voyant le tireur prendre la fuite, il s’est joint à Nicolas Jessen pour se lancer à sa poursuite. Des passants, alertés par la détonation, ont fait barrage au fuyard. Jessen et Detnhicki en ont profité pour le ceinturer avant de le conduire au poste de la police le plus proche, à côté du zoo. C’est là, selon Detnhicki, que le meurtrier aurait déclaré dans un mauvais allemand : «Je suis arménien. Il est turc. Cela ne concerne pas l’Allemagne.»

La victime de ce crime de sang-froid était en possession de papiers au nom d’Ali Salieh Bey, homme d’affaires résidant au numéro 4 de la Hardenbergstrasse. L’enquête qui démarre ne tarde pas à découvrir qu’il s’agit d’une fausse identité. Il se nomme en réalité Talaat Pacha. La nouvelle de son assassinat fait la une des quotidiens internationaux dès le lendemain. Le Figaro n’hésite pas à le qualifier de «tyran de petite envergure mais aux ambitions démesurées» et rappelle son passé. Brutal et omnipotent, Talaat Pacha est l’un des «Trois Pachas», avec Enver Pacha (ministre de la Défense) et Djamal Pacha (ministre de la Marine), un triumvirat qui s’octroie les pleins pouvoirs par la force en 1913. Il est alors nommé ministre de l’Intérieur du gouvernement Jeune-Turc, parti nationaliste révolutionnaire ottoman qui a renversé le sultan Abdülhamid II. Quatre ans plus tard, Talaat deviendra grand vizir (Premier Ministre). Convaincu que pour sauver l’empire il faut annihiler les populations chrétiennes, et notamment arméniennes, il fait de la liquidation de ces derniers une affaire personnelle.

La Première Guerre mondiale, dans laquelle les Trois Pachas engagent l’empire aux côtés de l’Allemagne et de l’Autriche-Hongrie, lui fournit un prétexte pour mettre en œuvre ses projets d’extermination. Talaat va même expliquer ses motivations à l’ambassadeur des Etats-Unis, Henry Morgenthau. Comme ce dernier le rapporte dans ses mémoires, le dirigeant ottoman accuse les Arméniens de s’être enrichis aux dépens des Turcs et de vouloir faire sécession pour fonder un Etat indépendant. Il les accuse aussi de trahison, affirmant que les Arméniens du Caucase combattent aux côtés des troupes russes. Comme le diplomate américain tente de plaider la cause arménienne, Talaat lui répond froidement : «La haine entre nos deux peuples est si intense qu’il nous faut en finir avec eux, sinon nous devrons craindre leur vengeance.» La rafle et l’exécution de 650 intellectuels arméniens à Constantinople dans la nuit du 24 avril 1915 marque le début de la déportation à marche forcée, suivie de l’extermination à grande échelle des hommes, femmes et enfants, sans distinction. Un génocide dont le chiffre le plus couramment retenu par les historiens occidentaux s’élève à 1,2 million de victimes.

Après la défaite et la capitulation de l’Empire ottoman, en octobre 1918, Talaat Pacha sent le vent tourner. Avec six des principaux leaders Jeunes-Turcs, il embarque clandestinement dans la nuit du 2 au 3 novembre 1918 à bord du torpilleur allemand Lorelei pour se réfugier dans des pays amis. Le 5 juillet suivant, les juges de la cour martiale militaire de Constantinople déclarent, à l’unanimité, les fuyards coupables. Quatre sont condamnés à mort par contumace. Parmi lesquels Talaat Pacha. A cette époque, le «Hitler turc», comme on le surnommera bien plus tard, a trouvé refuge à Berlin où il coule des jours paisibles sous une fausse identité. Insupportable pour une partie des survivants arméniens.

A l’issue de son IXe Congrès, qui s’est ouvert le 27 septembre 1919 à Erevan, capitale de la jeune République d’Arménie, la Fédération révolutionnaire arménienne (Dachnak, parti marxiste au pouvoir) décide, à huis clos, de constituer un commando secret. Son but ? Mettre à exécution les peines prononcées par contumace envers les responsables majeurs du génocide. Baptisée «opération Némésis», du nom de la déesse grecque de la vengeance, cette «mission militaire spéciale» est l’une des plus discrètes du XXe siècle. Tout au plus suggérée par «des mots codés ou des lignes en pointillé», explique le journaliste Jacques Derogy, auteur en 1981 de la première enquête sur le sujet (Opération Némésis, éd. Fayard). Placée sous l’autorité d’Armen Garo, l’ambassadeur d’Arménie auprès des Etats-Unis, le plan est minutieusement préparé et financé par des collectes de fonds notamment auprès de la communauté arménienne en exil.

Les locaux du journal Djagadamard, à Constantinople, servent de bureau de recrutement des volontaires. Ils ne manquent pas. Tous ont perdu des membres de leur famille dans le génocide, tous sont des combattants aguerris. Certains issus de la résistance sur le territoire ottoman. A tous, il est demandé de conserver les armes qu’ils possèdent et de se tenir disponible en permanence pour un acte de justice. Tous ont soif de vengeance. Soghomon Tehlirian, 23 ans, est l’un d’eux. Sa famille a péri pendant qu’il se battait contre les Turcs dans le Caucase, dans un bataillon de l’armée russe. A Constantinople, il a déjà exécuté de son propre chef Haroutioub Meguerditchian, l’un des principaux agents arméniens de Talaat Pacha au ministère de l’Intérieur. Convoqué par Armen Garo à Boston, Tehlirian se voit notifier sa mission : tuer Talaat Pacha, cible prioritaire localisée dans la capitale allemande grâce à Hratch Papazian, une taupe infiltrée sous le faux nom de Mehmed Ali dans la communauté des Jeunes-Turcs en exil à Berlin.

Tehlirian gagne l’Allemagne à son tour, se fait passer pour un étudiant et se met en contact avec le commando berlinois. Car l’assassinat de l’objectif numéro un est un travail d’équipe dont Tehlirian n’est que le bras armé. De fausses pistes en heures d’attente devant une adresse erronée, la traque est longue. Enfin, un homme, correspondant à la description de l’ex-grand vizir, est repéré à la gare de Berlin. Telhirian, qui s’est procuré une photographie de l’ex-grand vizir, gratte la moustache et le fez sur le cliché pour mieux l’identifier. Le résultat correspond à l’individu qu’il a suivi jusqu’au 4 Hardenberstrasse. Avec l’accord du commando, il déménage dans un appartement en face pour ne plus quitter des yeux les allées et venues de sa cible. Le 15 mars 1921, Tehlirian passe à l’action et abat Talaat Pacha. Il comparaît devant la justice du Reich moins de trois mois plus tard, les 2 et 3 juin 1921. Au président du tribunal qui l’interroge, Soghomon Tehlirian, passible de la peine de mort s’il est avéré qu’il a prémédité son crime, assure avoir obéi à une voix intérieure pour exécuter sa victime. Conseillé par son avocat missionné par le parti Dachnnak, il invente avoir assisté au massacre de sa mère à Erzindjan et prétexte un message d’outre-tombe qu’elle lui aurait délivré : «Tu as vu, Talaat est ici, et tu restes indifférent ? Tu n’es plus mon fils.»

Pour la première fois dans l’Histoire, la notion de crime d’Etat a été évoquée devant une cour pénale. Des débats et plaidoiries dont le juriste Raphael Lemkin s’inspirera pour définir la notion de génocide qui servira à établir la culpabilité des principaux responsables du IIIe Reich jugés à Nuremberg en 1945 et 1946 pour l’holocauste imaginé par les nazis sur le modèle de la solution finale de Talaat Pacha envers les Arméniens.

Azerbaijani press: ICRC: Over 4,500 people missing due to Karabakh conflict

Nahapetian Zhanna
7 February 2019 13:12 (UTC+04:00)

Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 7

Trend:

More than 4,500 persons in total went missing as a result of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) representatives said during an event held in their Baku office on Thursday, Trend reports.

They noted that 3,800 of them were registered by the ICRC Baku office, the rest by the Yerevan office and the Nagorno-Karabakh mission.

It was also stated that 80 percent of the missing persons were the military personnel.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.