Author: nina hovnanian

IRAQI DOCTORS TO VISIT ARMENIAN MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS

10:06, 1 March, 2013

YEREVAN, MARCH 1, ARMENPRESS. The delegation of the Ministry of Health
of Iraq will pay a visit to Armenia on March 2-7. The Ministry of
Healthcare of the Republic of Armenia informed “Armenpress” that the
delegation led by the Deputy Minister of Health of Iraq Sattar Jabar
will visit various medical institutions and pharmaceutical centers.

Within the framework of the visit the delegation led by the Deputy
Minister of Health of Iraq Sattar Jabar will have a meeting with
the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Minister of
Territorial Administration of the Republic of Armenia Armen Gevorgyan
and the Minister of Healthcare of the Republic of Armenia Derenik
Dumanyan to hold discussions regarding all the prospects of future
cooperation.

The cooperation with the Iraqi Ministry of Health launched on September
2012, when the Minister of Health of Iraq Majeed Hamad Amin Jamil and
the Minister of Healthcare of the Republic of Armenia Derenik Dumanyan
signed the memorandum on mutual understanding about “the Cooperation
between the Ministry of Healthcare of the Republic of Armenia and
Ministry of Health of Iraq in the Sphere of Healthcare and Medicine”.

– See more at:

Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway protocol is signed in Turkey

March 02, 2013 | 14:26

The protocol, with respect to accelerating the construction of the
Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, is signed in Istanbul.

The respective document was authorized on Friday, during the
trilateral talks among the transport ministers of Georgia, Turkey, and
Azerbaijan.

Ziya Mammadov, the Azerbaijani Minister of Transportation, stated
that, `the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars project is not only economic, but it is
strategic, as well.’

`We are opening a new transport corridor that will connect Europe with
Asia,’ he added.

In his turn, Turkey’s Transport and Telecommunication Minister, Binali
Yildirim, informed that the main objective of this project is to
launch test passenger-transportation services within the current year.

Once the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway is built, the Kars-Nakhichevan
railway project will get underway, Gruzia Online news agency of
Georgia reports.

– See more at:

Trend, Azerbaijan
March 2 2013

Azerbaijan is concerned by current situation around the settlement of
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

Azerbaijan, Baku, March 2 /Trend, corresp. S.Aghayeva/

Azerbaijan is concerned by current situation around the settlement of
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

This position of the official Baku was expressed by the Foreign
Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mamedjyarov at the meeting with the
cochairmen of the Minsk OSCE group on Saturday in Paris, the press
service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan reported to
Trend.

The Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mamedyarov met with the
cochairmen of the Minsk OSCE group on Saturday in Paris.

The cochairmen of the Minsk OSCE group once again noted the
inadmissibility of the status-kvo in a question of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Elmar Mamedyarov emphasized the importance of conclusion of the
Armenian armed forces from occupied territories of Azerbaijan for
advance of the peace process, peace restoration and stability in all
region, noting that the position of Armenia interferes with conflict
settlement.

The need of continuing efforts in the conflict settlement was noted at
the meeting.

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

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

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

esctoday.com (EuroVision Song Contest)
March 2 2013

Armenia: Lonely planet is the song selected for Gor Sujyan

In Malmö Gor Sujyan will perform the song Lonely planet. This is the
Armenian entry selected in tonight’s show. Gor is the lead singer of
the internationally acclaimed Armenian band The Dorians. The winning
entry in the Armenian show got selected through a 50/50 jury and
tele-voting deliberation. Gor Sujyan is the seventh Armenian
representative. The country is returning in the contest after it
withdrew last year.

In the show four songs were performed by Sujyan who got internally
selected by the Armenian broadcaster last month. Maltese Eurovision
hopeful Gianluca and Georgian representatives Sophie and Nodi
performed their respective Eurovision entries.

The country’s best placing at the Eurovision Song Contest was in 2008
with Sirusho’s Qele qele. Gor Sujyan will fly the Armenian flag in the
second semi-final on 16 May.

Stabroek News
March 2 2013

Indifference to literature?

March 2, 2013

It is hard to believe that books can still provoke demonstrations and
death threats but in mid-February the 75-year-old Azeri novelist Akram
Aylisli became the target of public anger reminiscent of the Rushdie
fatwa. His crime? Writing a book with unwelcome portraits of the 1994
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. In the novella Stone Dreams, Aylisli
recounts Azeri mistreatment of Armenians and fails – at least in the
eyes of his critics – to acknowledge abuses on the other side. Asked
about the controversy, a BBC correspondent in Russia said that both
Armenia and Azerbaijan are “trying to control the narrative,
portraying themselves as victims and the other side as aggressors” and
Aylisli’s refusal to embrace this myth had prompted the hostile
reception to his book.

Every year hundreds of writers are threatened, imprisoned or attacked
for the peaceful expression of inconvenient political opinions. A few
are well-known such as Nobel Laureates Aung San Suu Kyi and Liu
Xiaobo, or the intrepid Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, but
hundreds of other writers remain largely unknown outside the countries
which silence them.

How many people who don’t work in human rights or freedom of
expression organisations know anything about the brutal crackdown on
Eritrea’s independent press in 2001, or the steady imprisonment of
Chinese dissidents, or Turkey’s use of draconian ‘insult to the state’
laws to imprison dozens of writers? Understandably few, given how
little coverage these stories receive in the international press.

Our lack of knowledge about these writers has terrible consequences.
When governments learn that they can prosecute or imprison critics
without facing serious condemnation they rarely waste time before they
silence their writers. In Cuba’s 2003 Black Spring, for instance, 29
of the 75 dissidents tried as ‘foreign agents’ and similarly nefarious
‘enemies of the state’ were working journalists.

It is slightly shameful then to see how little we value books which
were written by writers who were threatened in their lifetime, or
imprisoned for their beliefs. The list of prison writers in English is
extremely distinguished and ranges all the way from John Bunyan and
Daniel Defoe up to Oscar Wilde and William Burroughs. If other
languages are included, scores of other eminent writers would appear
on the list, among them the novelists Miguel de Cervantes, Fyodor
Dostoevsky, Primo Levi, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, and Varlam Shalamov;
the iconic Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci, the German theologian
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and the Hungarian writer Arthur Koestler – whose
novel Darkness at Noon remains one of the classic literary takedowns
of Stalinism. And yet how few of us know, far less read, the work of
the modern day counterparts to these writers.

Leaving censorship aside, it is saddening to see how few West Indians
have read the work of what might be called our essential writers.
Within the Caribbean for example, Black Jacobins, CLR James’
masterpiece on the Haitian Revolution ought to be required reading in
every household – as the Bible and the works of Shakespeare used to be
in England. But often it can be difficult to find a copy in many
island bookstores, nor any of James’ other wonderful books on cricket,
literature and politics. Within Guyana, too few of us have read
canonical writers such as Martin Carter (another imprisoned author)
and Wilson Harris, nor the work of more accessible writers such as
Edgar Mittelholzer and Roy Heath – not to mention the host of younger
writers who have barely been noticed during the last 30 years.

Admittedly this is often not a deliberate choice and has more to do
with the absence of local publishers, proper libraries and school
curricula, but it is a failing that could be rectified fairly easily
in the age of digital publishing, especially if the lack of
appreciation for local writers were taken more seriously, and not just
by politicians but by the general public.

There is a popular adage that is usually attributed to Mark Twain –
mistakenly, according to scholars who use literary databases to check
these things – which warns us that ‘The man who does not read good
books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them.’ It is a
pity that this probably wasn’t said by the man William Faulkner would
later honour as “the father of American literature” but it remains a
timely reminder that local literatures can only ever be as valuable,
and engaged, as contemporary readers wish to make them.

SOUMGAIT : MANIFESTATION DE PROTESTATION DEVANT L’AMBASSADE D’AZERBAIDJAN

Le destin reserve parfois d’improbables surprises. Imaginez… Alors
que contrairement a l’an passe, vraisemblablement sur insistance
de l’ambassade d’Azerbaïdjan, la manifestation de protestation en
memoire des pogroms de Soumgaït (fevrier 1988), organisee par la FRA
Dachnaktsoutioun, a ete deplacee a une centaine de mètres, sur le
meme trottoir que l’ambassade, tandis qu’en 2012 (rassemblement de
protestation contre la liberation de l’assassin Safarov), le public
se trouvait face a l’immeuble symbolisant la dictature Aliev. Rien
de particulièrement etonnant en reference au fâcheux incident du 26
fevrier a l’Assemblee nationale. Sinon que cette fois les militants de
la cause armenienne ce sont trouves en terre amie, Place de l’Uruguay.

L’Uruguay qui, vous en souvenez-vous, fut la première nation du monde
a avoir reconnu le genocide des armeniens en 1965. Tout un symbole.

C’est dans un climat de colère, transis de froid, qu’un peu plus
de 400 descendants des survivants du genocide de 1915, ont crie
leur determination, a poursuivre et accroître leur combat pour la
justice par des slogans tels que : ” Soumgaït, Bakou on oublie pas “,
” Justice, justice pour Soumgaït “, ” Massacres pogroms a Soumgaït ” et
” Aliev assassin “, ou ” Bakou, Ankara meme combat ” ; tandis que les
narguants, l’immeuble de la honte deversait par ses fenetres l’hymne
national azeri, allant jusqu’a faire sa propagande par banderoles
interposees, declarant que ” Le monde doit exprimer son attitude
vis-a-vis des menaces terroristes armeniennes “. Banderoles subitement
enlevees sans que l’on en sache la raison, mais qui subodore une
” recommandation ” exterieure. Une première dans l’histoire de la
diplomatie internationale.

À l’appel de Tania Babazarian (Nor Seround), qui a anime le meeting,
se sont succedes a la Tribune : Hratch Varjabedian (BFCA), Harout
Mardirossian (CDCA), Loris Toufanian (Nor Seround) et Mourad Papazian
(FRA).

De concert, les leaders de ces organisations ont martele avec force
leur intention de mener le combat a terme.

Pour Hratch Varjabedian, s’exprimant en armenien et s’adressant
aux fauteurs de troubles de nationalite azerbaïdjanaise : ” Nous
allons vous vaincre ! Ici c’est un pays de droit. Une democratie
! Le drapeau tricolore francais nous protège “. Puis il poursuit,
evoquant les armeniens qui se sont battus pour la France. ” Et vous,
où etiez-vous !? “, lanca-t-il avec force, citant ensuite le poème
de Victor Hugo ” Les Turcs ont passe la. Tout est ruine et deuil ”
(reference aux massacres des grecs par les turcs en 1822 sur l’Ile de
Chio). “Nous ne sommes pas des mendiants. Tout ce qui nous appartient,
nous le reprendrons !”.

Harout Mardirossian a stigmatise Bakou, ” une dictature qui opprime
son peuple, qui mène une politique raciste envers le peuple armenien.

Une dictature meconnue, celle qui reprime la presse libre, celle qui
paye des centaines d’informaticiens pour pirater le site de la maison
blanche en toute impunite, qui paye 20 000 dollars pour les oreilles
d’un ecrivain qui a evoque les massacres de Soumgaït. L’Azerbaïdjan,
cette dictature meconnue, qui depense des millions de dollars
pour faire croire qu’il y a eu un massacre a Khojalou par des
photos-montage dignes de Timisoara ! ” Mardirossian passe alors au
crible les milliers de violations de cessez-le-feu sur la ligne de
front du Haut-Karabagh qui font des dizaines de victimes armeniennes
par an dont sont responsables les snipers. Snipers que l’Azerbaïdjan
refuse de retirer en depit des demandes du groupe de Minsk. Puis
il rappellera ce qu’est ” le vrai visage de l’Azerbaïdjan ” avec
l’affaire Safarov et la destruction du cimetière medieval armenien de
Djoulfa. En conclusion, il dira ” nous ne voulons pas la guerre, c’est
l’Azerbaïdjan l’agresseur qui importe son agressivite en France. Nous
ne cederons a rien ! ”

Loris Toufanian est lui aussi revenu sur la tragedie de Soumgaït,
expliquant que ” le budget de l’armee azerie est superieur au budget
total de l’Armenie, ” car le but de l’Azerbaïdjan c’est la guerre.

C’est la guerre contre l’Armenie et contre la Republique du Karabagh !

Mais c’est aussi la guerre contre les armeniens dans le monde entier !

” En effet Ilham Aliev avait declare l’annee dernière que l’ennemi
numero 1 pour l’Azerbaïdjan ce sont les armeniens de la diaspora.

Exaspere par la posture raciste et haineuse de l’Azerbaïdjan, le
president du Nor Seround est egalement revenu sur la provocation
a l’Assemblee nationale et contre ” ce pays qui a l’indignite de
venir perturber nos minutes de silence en hommage a nos morts “. ”
La jeunesse n’a pas peur de votre regime brutal. Nous n’avons pas
peur de vos menaces ni des gros bras et de vos barbouzes qui viennent
detruire en pleine nuit le stand de l’Armenie au Salon du tourisme. Le
Nor Seround ne baissera jamais les bras, ni a Marseille, ni a Lyon,
ni a Paris, ni partout ailleurs dans le monde ! ” s’est exclame
Loris Toufanian.

Le meeting s’est termine sur l’intervention de Mourad Papazian,
rappelant que l’Azerbaïdajan avait ” perdu la guerre qu’elle avait
elle-meme declenchee parce que le peuple armenien s’est battu pour sa
terre. Parce que le peuple armenien s’est battu pour sa vie. Parce
que le peuple armenien s’est battu pour sa liberte et pour son
independance. Un peuple qui se bat sur tous les territoires de la
planète pour denoncer ce pouvoir fachiste, ce pouvoir dictatorial, ce
pouvoir liberticide, ce pouvoir negationniste incarne par un pouvoir de
lâches. “, dira-t-il. Puis il est revenu sur l’incident de l’Assemblee
nationale du 26 fevrier, expliquant que les individus qui ont perturbe
l’hommage aux morts de Soumgaït, s’etaient introduis dans l’enceinte
de l’Assemblee sans s’inscrire ni se faire connaître alors que les
invites etaient deja installes dans la salle. Mourad Papazian a demande
que cette intrusion dans l’enceinte de l’Assemblee nationale soit
condamnee par la justice. Il a conclu en affirmant que les francais
d’origine armenienne se battront jusqu’au bout dans le respect de la
democratie pour l’independance de la Republique du Haut-Karabagh.

Jean Eckian + photos

vendredi 1er mars 2013, Jean Eckian ©armenews.com

VLADIMIR PUTIN AS A PRESIDENT OF CAMBODIA

08:15 pm | February 28, 2013 | Social

Students from various universities of Gyumri today have made a march
to the Russian Consulate in Gyumri.

According to “Asparez” the young people congratulated Vladimir Putin
for being elected as the president of Cambodia, however, the man on
duty did not allow them to handle the prepared letter to the Consul.

Later, at 15, the students were gathered in front of the Court
building and have read the decision to award CEC Chairman Tigran
Mukuchyan naming him ” RA honored Painter”. Later, they moved to the
central square.

The Students moved to the Italian Honorary Consulate, but the Consul
was not there. The students have congratulated Italian Consul for
winning in the presidential elections of Jibuti passing the letter
to the man on duty.

The protest was against the results of the presidential elections.

CHARLES AZNAVOUR, L’INSOUMIS

Le Point, France
28 fevr 2013

Le Point.fr – Publie le 28/02/2013 a 10:43 – Modifie le 28/02/2013
a 15:45 Par Christelle Crosnier

À 88 ans, il est plus que jamais le monstre sacre de la chanson
francaise. Loin de se retourner sur son glorieux passe, il fourmille
de projets. Interview.

L’Armenie, la terre, le succès, ses amis, ses amours, ses emmerdes…

L’artiste dont les textes font partie du patrimoine de la chanson
francaises, voire qui ont fait la chanson francaise, s’est confie
au Point.fr.

Le Point.fr. : Vous etes ne a Paris, “100 % armenien et 100 %
francais”, mais c’est vraiment ici, a Mouriès, que vous vous sentez
chez vous ?

Charles Aznavour : Non. Mon pays, c’est la langue francaise. Un jour,
j’avais dit cela et quelqu’un m’a aussitôt ecrit pour m’annoncer
que la langue n’etait pas un pays ! Quelques jours après, j’ai lu un
intellectuel qui pensait comme moi, alors l’imbecile pouvait reprendre
sa veste…

Cela vous enerve, on dirait…

Il y a toujours des gens pour renier mon côte francais ! “Mais vous
etes armenien quand meme !” me dit-on. Ce “quand meme” m’emmerde ! Oui
je suis armenien, mais j’ai moins d’armenien en moi que je n’ai de
francais : je ne lis pas ni n’ecris l’armenien, je ne connais pas
l’hymne national ni les prières…

Vous avez beaucoup d’ouverture et etes sensible aux musiques de tous
les pays…

Toutes les musiques me touchent. Par exemple, j’etais en Chine
recemment et j’etais ravi de faire la connaissance de deux grands
musiciens chinois. J’ai croise egalement quelqu’un que j’aime beaucoup
: Jackie Chan ! J’aime rencontrer de nouvelles personnes qui ont un
autre langage, une autre facon de voir la vie.

Ecrire reste toujours le plus important a vos yeux ?

Oui. J’ecris tous les jours. Je commence par noter une phrase, sans
savoir ce que j’en ferai… Peut-etre rien du tout… Puis dans la
foulee j’en fais le tour. Si cela donne une bonne chanson je la garde,
sinon je jette. Voila. Je jette beaucoup en verite.

Corrigez-vous beaucoup vos chansons avant de les editer ?

Chaque mot est capital, sa profondeur, sa verite… Parfois meme sa
sonorite est plus importante que sa verite. Par exemple si on prend
la tempete, le tonnerre, l’orage, la tornade : je choisis le mot qui
va etre le plus impressionnant meme s’il est un peu moins juste.

Et lorsque vos chansons sont sorties, revenez-vous souvent sur vos
textes ?

J’ecoutais recemment Serge Lama qui disait qu’il corrige aujourd’hui
des chansons où une ligne ou deux le genent. Moi je ne le fais jamais
parce que je me dis que le public les a acceptees ainsi. J’aimerais
bien faire comme lui, il a raison, il laissera derrière lui une oeuvre
totalement corrigee… Moi non, je garde les fautes aussi.

Les thèmes des chansons sont-ils importants ?

Regardez les jeunes qui ecrivent aujourd’hui : ils disent tous a
peu près la meme chose, “je t’aime, tu m’aimes”… Ils n’ont pas
de curiosite. Dans le temps, il y en avait un qui pensait a ecrire
“Les lavandières du Portugal” ! Aujourd’hui personne ne prendrait le
temps : pourquoi ecrire une chanson qui n’a rien a voir avec ce qu’on
appelle un tube ? On ne se donne pas la peine… Eh bien c’est une
erreur monumentale : nous allons finir etrangles par le meme genre
de chansons.

Gardez-vous tous vos disques d’or dans votre maison provencale ?

Non. D’ailleurs ce n’est pas important, tout cela va disparaître,
partir a la vente. Je pars du principe que ce qui me flatte, moi,
parce que j’ai eu une vie difficile a un moment donne, n’a plus
d’importance maintenant pour les autres. Il ne faut pas se gargariser
avec ca. J’avoue que j’ai toujours eu beaucoup de plaisir a recevoir
des recompenses. On m’a donne des medailles de ceci ou cela, le
sculpteur Cesar devait m’en faire une compression, mais il m’avait
dit : “À moins de 25 kilos, je ne peux pas faire grand-chose !” Quand
j’ai atteint les 25 kilos, il nous a quittes. Maintenant j’en ai pour
50 kilos et il n’y a plus personne pour le faire…

Ce sont de beaux souvenirs…

Je ne vais pas en faire un musee, c’est ridicule. En Armenie nous
avons cree la Maison Charles Aznavour avec une salle de spectacle de
150 personnes. Il y a une très belle scène où des jeunes peuvent venir
montrer ce qu’ils savent faire. J’y tenais beaucoup. La première fois,
c’etaient des enfants. Ils ont chante mes chansons en francais…

J’etais ravi parce qu’on a tout fait pour que la langue francaise
soit la troisième langue du pays après le russe.

Vous avez passe votre vie a vouloir etre cultive et maintenant vous
etes cultivateur d’oliviers dans le Sud, c’est ca ?

Culture, c’est culture, les deux cultures ont leurs bienfaits ! Il y
avait une terre rase dans ma tete, il a fallu que je plante des livres
– les dix premiers m’avaient ete conseilles par Cocteau. Ils sont dans
ma bibliothèque, comme ceux vers lesquels m’ont guide egalement le
Chanteur sans nom et Andre le Gall. Dos Passos, Celine, Victor Hugo…

J’adore aussi les livres d’histoire : l’histoire de France, d’Italie,
d’Espagne, d’Angleterre ou de Russie.

Vous continuez a lire beaucoup ?

Tous les soirs avant de me coucher. J’ai une très belle bibliothèque
que je renouvelle souvent. Ce sont les meme livres que j’achète dans
de meilleures editions – non pas des livres de grand prix mais avec de
jolies reliures. Mon dernier achat : toute l’oeuvre d’Anatole France.

On dit qu’Edith Piaf lisait a voix haute avec vous ?

En effet, contrairement a ce qu’on pense, elle lisait beaucoup,
et toujours avec un dictionnaire a côte d’elle. Par exemple elle
commencait La recherche de la verite, puis, après quatre pages, il
y avait un mot qui la genait alors elle lancait : “Attendez, on va
prendre le dictionnaire”, et après elle repartait depuis le debut !

Nous relisions le livre quinze fois, nous en avions marre, mais elle
etait contente. Elle s’etait bien instruite, madame Piaf !

Vous disiez que vous aviez une âme d’artiste, maintenant vous avez
une âme de paysan ?

J’ai toujours eu une âme de paysan. Dans la ferme que j’avais offerte
a mes parents, nous avions 700 cerisiers. Mais ici c’est le retour
a la terre sans y avoir ete ne ! Habituellement on revient a ses
racines… J’ai cree moi-meme une terre de grands-parents puisque je
suis grand-père !

Aujourd’hui l’huile d’olive et demain les comedies musicales…

Oui, j’ai des rendez-vous avec des Americains pour cela. Je prepare
deux pièces pour Broadway et une pour la France…

Reduire le texteGrossir le texte Deuxième numero d'”Hier encore”
le 2 mars sur France 2

Dernier album sorti : “Aznavour Toujours”(EMI)

ARMENIAN, AZERBAIJANI PROTESTS OUTSIDE AZERBAIJANI EMBASSY IN VILNIUS

Baltic News Service / – BNS
February 27, 2013 Wednesday 12:16 PM EET

VILNIUS, Feb 27, BNS – The Armenian community held a protest outside
the building that accommodates the Azerbaijani Embassy on Wednesday.

Azerbaijani protesters lined up in front of the Armenian participants
of the rally in the course of the action.

Police officers in charge of public peace told BNS that the rally
involved about 100 Armenians and a few dozen Azerbaijani supporters.

The Armenians waived their national flag and held slogans, which said:
“We Will Never Forget Armenian Massacres in Sumgaite, Baku, Maragh,”
“Lithuanians Aren’t The Nation Who Can Be Bought for Caviar and Oil,”
“Shame on you Azeri.” They also photos of people killed during mass
killings of Armenians over 20 years ago.

Robert Khachyaturov, a representative of the Armenian community in
Vilnius, told BNS the protest was held to commemorate victims of the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Precisely at this time over 20 years ago
the massacre of Armenians took place in Sumgaite.

“It is taking place in Vilnius because Lithuanians were the first
from the times of the Soviet Unions to launch a democratic movement,
and this action was aimed not only to honor the memory of Armenian
victims but also to remind Lithuania that Lithuania and Armenia were
together 25 years ago and we want to be together now,” he told BNS.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan’s supporters held slogans, saying “Karabakh Is
Our Land” and “I Want to Go Home to Karabakh.”

“On February 26-27, 1992 the Armenian army with the help of the
Russian army targeted Azerbaijan in Karabakh zone and they occupied
this, they did genocide to us. (…) We want all the world to know
this and we want our land back,” Rustam Azimov, a student of the
International School of Law and Business in Vilnius, told BNS.

The protests were held at the crossing of Gedimino Avenue and J.

Tumo-Vaizganto Street close to the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry.

Inhabited by Christian Armenians, Nagorno Karabakh is part of the
Muslim Azerbaijan, according to the international law. However, it
declared independence back in 1991, thus triggering a war between
Armenia and Azerbaijan that ended in fragile truce in 1994.

Although Armenia and the rest of the world haven’t recognized Nagorno
Karabakh’s independence, the republic uses the Armenian currency and
Yerevan has been providing financial support to the republic.

Azerbaijan has repeatedly threatened to get back control over Nagorno
Karabakh by force.

GENOCIDE COMMEMORATION TO BE HELD APRIL 21 IN TIMES SQUARE

February 27, 2013

NEW YORK-A large throng is expected to participate in the 98th
Anniversary Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide in Times Square
(43rd St. and Broadway) on Sun., April 21 from 2-4 p.m. The organizers
invite people of all backgrounds to join together to commemorate the
Armenian Genocide and subsequent genocides during Genocide Awareness
Month, and to speak out against this horrendous crime against humanity.

The theme of the commemoration is “Turkey Is Guilty of Genocide:
Denying the Undeniable Is Criminal,” and will pay tribute to the 1.5
million Armenians who were massacred by the Young Turk government and
to the millions of victims of subsequent genocides worldwide. Speakers
will include civic, religious, humanitarian, educational, cultural
leaders, and performing artists. This event is free and open to
the public.

Dr. Dennis R. Papazian, immediate past National Grand Commander of
Knights of Vartan and founding director of the Armenian Research
Center at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, and Dr. Mary A.

Papazian, president of Southern Connecticut State University, will
preside over the ceremonies.

“Recent momentous events encourage me to believe that the long vigil
of the Armenian people waiting for recognition of their genocide
by the Turkish government may be coming to a positive conclusion,”
says Papazian. “An influential Kurdish leader in Turkey, a member of
parliament, and vice-president of the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society
Congress, Ahmet Turk, admitted that the Kurdish people played a
significant role in the ‘torture and massacre of Armenians, Assyrians
and Yezidis’ during the Armenian Genocide and apologized to the
Armenian people. He said, ‘Our grandfathers and fathers were used in
the injustices perpetrated against Armenians, Assyrians, and Yezidis.

There is blood on their hands. With the blood of these peoples they
bloodied their own hands. Thus, as their children and grandchildren,
we apologize.'”

Papazian continues, “A second momentous event was the publication of
a book in Turkey entitled The Armenian Genocide by Hasan Cemal, the
grandson of Cemal Pasha, one of the three main authors of the Armenian
Genocide. Hasan Cemal, a member of the Turkish establishment and a
newspaper columnist, began his inquiry into the Armenian Genocide
following the killing of Turkish diplomats by a group of young
Armenians who went by the name of ASALA. At first, Cemal supported the
official government point of view, and as he became more knowledgeable,
finally concluded that indeed there was a genocide of the Armenians
perpetrated by the Young Turk Party, which controlled the Ottoman
government in 1915-23. The book has inspired many members of the
Turkish elites to reevaluate their denial of the Armenian Genocide.”

Papazian adds, “Itzak Alaton, the owner of one of the largest
corporations in Turkey, urged the Turkish Socio-Economic Research
Center to pursue the Turkish recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

‘April 24, 1915 is just around the corner,’ stated Alaton, ‘let us
change our denialist policies. I am tired of the fear to face our
past. Let us raise our voices to our deputies in Ankara and those
deputies should raise their voices to their political parties and
leaders in order for us to open our skeleton-fill closets.'”

“These three significant events, which took place without any reprisal
from the Turkish government, imply that a positive change may be in
the air,” Papazian says.

The 98th commemoration is organized by the Mid-Atlantic chapters of the
Knights and Daughters of Vartan, an international Armenian fraternal
organization headquartered in the United States, and co-sponsored by
the Armenian General Benevolent Union, Armenian Assembly of America,
Armenian National Committee of America, Armenian Council of America,
and the Armenian Democratic League-Ramgavars.

Participating organizations include the Diocese of the Armenian
Church of America, Prelacy of the Armenian Church, Armenian Missionary
Association of America, Armenian Catholic Eparchy for U.S. and Canada,
the Mid-Atlantic Armenian Church Youth Organization of America,
Armenian Youth Federation, Armenian youth organizations, and Armenian
university and college clubs.