Author: Vorskanian Yeghisabet

TALAAT’S BLACK BOOK DOCUMENTS HIS CAMPAIGN OF RACE
Ara Sarafian

Azg
April 23 2009
Armenia

Extermination in 1915-17

"Talaat stated that they had already disposed of three quarters
of them [Armenians], that there were none left in Bitlis, Van,
Erzeroum, and that the hatred was so intense now that they have to
finish it. . . . He said they would take care of the Armenians at
Zor and elsewhere but they did not want them in Anatolia. I told
him three times that they were making a serious mistake and would
regret it. He said, "We know we have made mistakes, but we never
regret."" August 1915 diary entry of conversations between Talaat Pasha
and U.S. Ambassador Henry Morgenthau, United States Diplomacy on the
Bosphorus: The Diaries of Ambassador Morgenthau, 1913-1916, comp., ed.,
and intro. Ara Sarafian (Princeton and London: Gomidas Institute, 2004)

A handwritten black book that belonged to Mehmet Talaat Pasha, the
Ottoman minister of interior in 1915, was published in facsimile form
in the end of 2008. It is probably the single most important document
ever uncovered describing the destruction of Armenians in the Ottoman
Empire in 1915-17. The Black Book draws on Ottoman sources no longer
available to answer many questions about what those sources showed.

Looking through the Sifre Kalemi or cipher telegram collection at
the Prime Ministry Archives in Istanbul some years ago, I was struck
by the number of telegrams in 1915 from Talaat Pasha ordering the
deportation of individual communities, inquiring about the state
of convoys, and giving instructions for further deportations. What
emerged was a picture of a ruler obsessed with the progress of his
signature program. Much of the responses to Talaat’s inquiries were
not available. What the Black Book does is to summarize the data
he collected.

Ottoman archives

Turkish state intellectuals in recent years have insisted that the
1915 deportations of Ottoman Armenians were not part of a genocidal
exercise, but an orderly population transfer and resettlement. They
have insisted that Ottoman archives in Turkey today support their
contention. Yet, between them, they have only managed to cite an
amalgam of official deportation and resettlement regulations, certain
reports related to deportations, and no substantial account of what
actually happened to deportees.

Indeed, no historian working in Turkish archives has managed to present
a coherent picture of the deportation and resettlement of Armenians
from any region in the Ottoman Empire based on Ottoman records. This
is because Ottoman records do not support the official Turkish thesis
on the Armenian Genocide.

While there is broad agreement between Turkish archives and other
sources that thousands of Armenians were removed from their homes in
1915, there is no solid account of what happened to these deportees
in Ottoman records. However, foreign archives, such as the consular
records of the United States, give a better qualitative assessment
of actual developments than the available Ottoman documentation.

This absence of Ottoman records could seem perplexing, because
according to Ottoman regulations, Ottoman officials had to keep
detailed records of the deportation of Armenians, as well as an
inventory of their properties, as well as details of the final
settlement of the people concerned. The total absence of such registers
in Turkish archives today is therefore remarkable.

A handwritten book

The recent facsimile publication of Talaat Pashas Black Book may well
answer many of questions with the authority of Ottoman records. At 77
pages, the book includes a substantial section on the deportation of
Armenians in 1915-17. The book and its content were never disclosed
in Talaat’s lifetime, including in his posthumous memoirs published in
1921. After his assassination in 1921, the book was kept by his widow
and given to the Turkish historian Murat Bardakci in 1982. Mr. Bardakc
made parts of the booklet public in Hurriyet newspaper in 2005. The
full account was not published until the end of 2008.

The significance of the Black Book lies in the authority of the owner,
the fact that its content was drawn from Ottoman administrative
records no longer available to historians in Turkey, and the actual
data that it gives about the deportation of Armenians. Neither the
book nor the data it yields bear clear dates, though Mr. Bardakc
thinks that the figures refer to 1915-1916 though I think that could
be the end of 1916 or even the beginning of 1917.

The state perspective

The data presented in this book can be considered to be a view of
the Armenian Genocide from the perspective of the state. This state
perspective still needs to be evaluated critically, which I am doing in
a separate study. The purpose of this article is to introduce the core
data that informed Talaat Pasha about the actual state of Armenians.

The statistics regarding the destruction of Armenians in the Black
Book are enumerated in four categories covering for 29 regions
(vilayets and sanjaks) of the Ottoman Empire.

These statistics are supposed to reflect: The Armenian population
in each region in 1914 Armenians who were not deported (presumably
1915-16) Armenians who were deported and living elsewhere (1917)
Armenians who were originally from outside the province they were
living in (1917)

>From these statistics, we can also have an idea of the number of
Armenians who were deported but not accounted for in 1917. Some of
these missing Armenians undoubtedly fled the Ottoman Empire, such
as those in the province of Van (where there was fierce resistance)
or parts of Erzurum (which fell under Russian occupation after the
Ottoman offensive collapsed in the east). However, very few Armenians
were able to flee in such a manner, and for our discussion today,
we will assume that the vast majority of the missing Armenians in
1917 were killed or died during deportations.

Questions answered

The figures from Talaat Pasha’s Black Book are invaluable because they
answer some fundamental questions about the Armenian Genocide. Two
such questions concern the nature of the actual deportations of 1915,
and the specific fate of those deportees as they were pushed into the
deserts of Der Zor, one of the main areas identified for resettlement.

Talaat Pasha’s information contradicts the official Turkish thesis
that deportations were an orderly affair governed by Ottoman laws and
regulations, or that deportees were actually successfully settled in
Der Zor. Interestingly, Talaat’s Black Book also shows the number of
Armenians in the Ottoman Empire to have been were much higher than
supposed by official figures.

Talaat Pasha’s figures confirm that most Ottoman Armenians outside
Constantinople were indeed deported, and most of these deportees had
disappeared by 1917. On average, 90 percent of provincial Armenians
were deported, and 90 percent of those deported were killed. The number
of people who went missing was over 95 percent for such provinces as
Trabzon, Erzurum, Urfa, Diyarbekir, Mamuret-ul-Aziz, and Sivas. These
figures clearly show that deportations were tantamount to a death
sentence, and they give credence to United States consular reports that
said as much, especially for those deported from the eastern provinces.

The Der Zor massacres of 1916

The data at hand also tells us about the scale of the Der Zor massacres
of 1916. There is general agreement that hundreds of thousands
of deportees were sent into this desert region in 191516, the main
resettlement zone according to Ottoman decrees. Ottoman sources yield
little information on what happened to these deportees. Survivor
accounts and sources outside Turkey (such as those in United States
archives) attest to the fact that deportees in the Der Zor region
mostly wasted away.

By 1917, even those Armenians who had been able to settle in this
area, mainly because of the efforts of the provincial governor Ali
Suad Bey, were taken away and massacred after a new governor, one of
Talaat Pasha’s henchmen, was sent. Deniers of the Armenian Genocide
who do not have adequate records from Turkish archives cite United
States records to argue that up to 300,000 people were sent into
this area omitting the fact that practically none of them survived
to 1917. Talaat Pasha’s records show 6,778 Armenians in this province
in 1917.

Population totals

The Black Book also gives interesting insights into the number of
Armenians in the Ottoman Empire circa 1914. While these figures are
still smaller than some statistics cited outside Turkey, Talaat
Pasha’s dataset contradict the figures cited by deniers of the
Armenian Genocide, who minimize the number of Ottoman Armenians as
part of their strategy.

The Black Book cites official figures from the 1914 Ottoman population
survey, with a note explaining that this figure, like the figures for
Armenians registered in 1917, should be increased by a factor of 30
percent to account for undercounting.

The note thus increases the main Apostolic (or Gregorian) Armenian
community from 1,187,818 to 1,500,000 people before deportations. The
note also mentions the figure for Catholic Armenians in the Ottoman
Empire as 63,967 (which could also be revised upward to 83,157). There
is no figure given for Protestant Armenians. These figures bring the
number of Ottoman Armenians, based on official figures, close to
1,700,000 people. According to these figures, the total number of
Armenians who were missing in 1917 was around 1,000,000 people. If
one discounts those who might have fled to Russia, the number of
missing Armenians was still in the region of 800,000 to 900,000 people.

Talaat Pasha’s Black Book gives us invaluable insights into the type of
bureaucratic control Ottoman officials wielded over Armenians and the
type of information they gathered as a matter of course. The existence
of such information in Talaat Pasha’s Black Book again raises the
question of what happened to the archival trail that underpinned
his data. The Black Book also provides actual details about the
apparent destruction of Armenians in 191516, and it dismisses the
official Turkish assertion that deportations were an orderly affair
in moving and resettling people between 1915 and 1916. Indeed, the
image painted by the Black Book validates the more impressionistic or
passing accounts of atrocities against Armenians reported throughout
the Ottoman Empire by foreign observers and survivors between 1915
and 1916.

Ara Sarafian is an archival historian specializing in late Ottoman and
modern Armenian history. He is the director of the Gomidas Institute,
London. This article is a summary of a broader project on "Talaat
Pasha’s Black Book and the Armenian Genocide".

PANEL DISCUSSION ON TURKISH-ARMENIAN RELATIONS HELD AT NY CITY HALL

Asbarez
/2009_1
Thursday, April 23, 2009

NEW YORK, N.Y. (A.W.)–On April 17, a panel discussion on
Turkish-Armenian relations was held at New York City Hall. Hosted by
the Armenian National Committee (ANC) of New York, the panel discussion
featured Armenian Weekly editor Khatchig Mouradian, California Courier
publisher Harut Sassounian, scholars Bilgin Ayata and Dr. Taner Akcam,
and ANCA executive director Aram Hamparian. Over 250 member of the
New York and New Jersey Armenian community attended the event, which
was co-sponsored by Councilwoman Melinda Katz (D-29th District),
who has been a staunch advocate for the Armenians in her district.

Opera singer Haig Mardirossian opened the event, with the "Star
Spangled Banner" and "Mer Hairenik." ANC-NY chairperson Raffi
Mahserjian then invited Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, the Prelate
of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America (Eastern Prelacy) to
offer prayers.

In his remarks, Mouradian talked about the recent attempts at dialogue
between Turkey and Armenia. "The exchange of ping-pong players in
the early 1970’s between China and the U.S. that paved the way for
President Richard Nixon’s visit to Beijing in 1972 became known as
%218Ping Pong Diplomacy.’ When the Armenian president in 2008 extended
an invitation to his counterpart to visit Yerevan and attend the soccer
match, the media started referring to the Turkey-Armenia dialogue as
%218Soccer Diplomacy,’" he explained.

"While such a term could be fitting to the rapprochement between two
powerful countries like the U.S. and China, a similar description
for Turkey and Armenia is misleading because it assumes that Turkey
and Armenia are %218competing’ on a level playing field. In the
latter case, not only is there a glaring power asymmetry, but that
power asymmetry is largely a result of a genocide perpetrated by
one of the sides against the other." Mouradian also said that the
"Turkish-Armenian dialogue" is a misnomer, because what is going on
between the two states is simply Turkey-Armenia dialogue and, as such,
does not encompass all the elements that are crucial for a just and
lasting solution.

Mouradian then introduced Sassounian, who said, "Turkey has so far
brilliantly executed all of its sinister objectives." After providing a
background to the negotiations between Turkey and Armenia, he added,
"As it became clear in late 2008 that Barack Obama would win the
presidency and possibly keep his promise to recognize the Armenian
Genocide, the Turkish government launched a major campaign to convince
the international community that Armenia and Turkey were engaged in
delicate negotiations which would be undermined if third countries
acknowledged the genocide."

Clearly, Sassounian noted, the Turks were not sincere in their declared
intentions. "Had they been serious, they could have opened the border
in a matter of days, not months or years!"

To counter the Turkish and Azeri ploys, Sassounian said that Armenia’s
leaders should: start playing hardball with Turkey and Azerbaijan;
stick to Armenia’s long-avowed position of no preconditions for
opening the border and establishing diplomatic relations with Turkey;
resist pressures from Russia, the U.S., and Europe; and consider
setting Oct. 7 as a deadline for opening the border. He also said
that the Armenian Parliament should safeguard Armenia ‘s national
security–long in advance of any border accord–by prohibiting all
foreigners from purchasing land in sensitive border areas and making
investments in strategic resources and industries.

Ayata spoke next. "It is very instructive to look closely at the
developments in the Kurdish conflict when one is concerned with
the Armenian Genocide, and vice versa," she said. "This delivers
important insights on how at present the Turkish state manages to
slowly move away from the politics of denial without arriving at a
politics of acknowledgment."

Talking about the recent apology campaign launched by some Turkish
intellectuals, Ayata said, "While on the one hand, the intent
for apology is very honorable and certainly a step into the right
direction, the ambivalent wording of the statement, its limited
scope as well as the use of the term %218Great Catastrophe’ instead
of %218genocide’ casts doubts on the very intent of apology. The
choice of the term %u218Great Catastrophe’ reveals a great ignorance
towards those to whom the apology is extended to. To me, the campaign
looks like an act of appeasement instead of an apology that has taken
the sensitivities of the Turkish state more into account than the
sensitivities of genocide survivors."

She gave the example of a Kurdish intellectual who stands in stark
contrast to the apology campaign. "Berzan Boti is a Kurdish political
activist and author from Siirt who contributes regularly to Kurdish
debates that take place on the web. He spent 11 years in the infamous
Diyarbekir prison. A few years ago, he found out that the land owned
by his family had actually belonged to Assyrians that used to live
in his village. During the 1915 genocide, the Assyrian families were
killed and deported, and his forefathers confiscated the land of an
Assyrian family that was killed. In 2007, Berzan Boti approached
the Seyfo Center in Sweden that struggles for the recognition of
the genocide and told them that he wanted to return the land to its
rightful owners. Since they were no longer alive, he gave it to the
Seyfo Center."

Dr. Taner Akcam spoke about issues of national security and the
recognition of the Armenian Genocide. He said, "Pitting national
interests against morality as mutually exclusive is wrong. Any security
policy in the Middle East that excludes morality cannot ultimately
work. Eventually it comes to undermine national security.

Indeed, if one knows Turkey and the Middle East, one would easily
recognize that history and historical injustices are not just dead
issues from the past; the past is the present in the Middle East. There
is a strong interconnection between security, democracy, and facing
history in the Middle East."

Akcam noted that if the United States declares what it believes
to be the truth and stands behind it, "not only will it gain some
self-respect on the subject, but it will liberate both Turks and
Armenians and itself in the process."

He concluded, "I believe that we will enter a new era where morality
and realpolitik will not be considered mutually exclusive–if President
Barack Obama should put an end to this lingering problem and liberate
everybody in the process by an official acknowledgment of genocide."

Aram Hamparian said it was a privilege to be part of the panel
discussion with "Taner Akcam, a truly historic figure, with Bilgin
Ayata, who represents a bridge of understanding between Kurds and
Armenians, and, of course, Harut Sassounian, who, for decades has
been a moral compass and a teacher to a generation of Armenian
American activists."

"America’s stand against genocide should not be treated as a political
commodity to be bartered or retreated from under pressure," he said,
"but rather as a core American moral value, one to be advanced
regardless of the political cost. This is the type of nation we should
be, one that understands that our willingness to confront genocide
cannot be traded for basing rights, overflights, and energy pipelines."

"No, we are better than that," he added. "Stronger, more principled,
and committed–as a matter of true national security–to standing tall
among the nations of our world, earning the respect of all countries
through the defense of our values."

He concluded by saying, "Our movement is not simply an Armenian one,
but rather an American one destined to change America, to lift–through
great sacrifice and literally decades of effort–the United States’
response to genocide to the level of our values. This represents
a great service by our community to America and the world, one
that will help reassert American moral leadership and help prevent
future genocide." The event concluded with a lengthy and lively
question-and-answer session.

ARF TO LEAVE COALITION?

A1+
06:12 pm | April 23, 2009 | Politics

The Armenian Revolutionary Federation released the following statement:

"Normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations has been a key issue on
Armenia’s state-political agenda for the past months. The Armenian
Revolutionary Federation has stated several times that the two
countries may establish friendly ties after Turkey’s recognition of
the Armenian Genocide and the restoration of the Armenian people’s
rights. The eradication of the blockade and establishment of diplomatic
relations without preconditions may be the first steps to be taken. The
normalization of relations with Turkey at the price of our independent
statehood and the state and national rights of our future generations
is absolutely unacceptable for us.

Staying true to these principles, we condemn the signing of the joint
statement made by Turkey and the Armenian Foreign Affairs Ministry
on April 22 and consider it unacceptable.

We believe that the signing of the document, which comes a day
before the tragic events of April 24, causes a blow to Armenia
and the interests of the Armenian people and comes amid the
recent anti-Armenian statements made by Turkish against leaders,
the statements regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the
preconditions set forth by Turkey.

Recording the fact that this process assumes a negative shift in
the course of Armenia’s foreign policy, the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation will soon discuss the issue of whether it is appropriate
for the party to remain in the coalition or not," as stated in the
statement.

Feds downplay rift with Turkey
Published Wednesday April 22nd, 2009
Stephen Thorne, THE CANADIAN PRESS

OTTAWA – The federal government says Turkey’s decision to recall its
ambassador does not represent a diplomatic breakdown between the
countries.

Turkey pulled Ambassador Rafet Akgunay from Ottawa after it learned
that a cabinet minister attended an event this week commemorating the
genocide of Armenians by Turks during the First World War.

But a spokeswoman for Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon
insisted Canada’s position on the issue is "not an indictment of
modern Turkey." "Turkey is a democracy, we have good relations with
Turkey – they are allies," said Catherine Loubier. "We welcome the
reconciliation efforts between Turkey and Armenia."

Akgunay was called home for "thorough evaluations and consultations,"
Turkish foreign ministry spokesman Burak Ozugergin said in Ankara.
However, another Turkish official, speaking on condition of anonymity,
said the ambassador was being withdrawn temporarily to protest the
Canadian government’s presence at the event on Parliament Hill.

Aris Babikian, executive director of the Armenian National Committee
of Canada, said Immigration Minister Jason Kenney and Liberal Leader
Michael Ignatieff attended the group’s event Tuesday.

The ceremony marked the fifth anniversary of Canada’s recognition of
the genocide.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper did not attend, but he sent a letter of
support saying Canada hopes "tolerance and openness … will guide
Armenia and Turkey in developing their relations."

"We remember the terrible loss of life during the demise of the
Ottoman Empire in 1915, and in particular the horrific suffering
endured by the Armenian people," Harper wrote in an annual message
officials said was virtually unchanged from his original comment in
2006.

Ignatieff said the memory of the "Great Calamity" is "a reminder of
the destructive power of animosity between nations."

"The memory of the victims of genocide must never be an incitement to
hatred," he added.

"On this day, we commemorate that condemnation of the Armenian
genocide of 1915 as a crime against humanity. In our own time, we
commit ourselves to the intolerance of hatred and the defence of our
shared humanity." Babikian contends the recall is not so much aimed
at Canada as it is at the United States, where legislators have
introduced a resolution recognizing the genocide.

U.S. President Barack Obama was expected to make a statement this week
marking the event’s 94th anniversary.

"I think the Turkish government is sending a message to Obama through
Canada that ‘if you recognize it, look what we will do,"’ Babikian
said.

"This whole stunt, this blackmail by the Turkish government, has a
much wider target than Canada itself."

More than 70 parliamentarians from all parties have confirmed their
attendance at a similar Armenian National Committee event on
Parliament Hill next Tuesday, Babikian added.

The group’s president, Jirair Basmadjian called the Turkish
government’s behaviour "an insult to Canada and to Canadians."

It’s the second time Turkey has recalled its ambassador to Canada over
the genocide dispute.

In 2006, Turkey criticized Harper and briefly withdrew its ambassador
over remarks the prime minister made in support of recognizing the
mass killings as genocide. It also withdrew from a military exercise
in Canada in protest.

Historians estimate that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by
Ottoman Turks – an event widely viewed by scholars as the first
genocide of the 20th century.

Turkey denies the deaths constituted genocide and contends the toll
has been inflated and the casualties were victims of civil war and
unrest.

Loubier noted that all federal parties supported the 2004 motion
acknowledging by a vote of 153-68 "the Armenian genocide of 1915" and
condemning it as a crime against humanity.

If passed, the U.S. resolution could undermine efforts by Obama’s
administration to win the help of Turkey, a NATO ally, on key
foreign-policy goals.

U.S. legislators almost passed a similar resolution two years ago, but
congressional leaders did not bring it up for a vote after intense
pressure from the Bush administration.

Obama avoided the term "genocide" when he addressed Turkish
legislators during his visit a month ago. But he said, in response to
a question, that he had not changed his views. As a presidential
candidate, Obama said the killings amounted to genocide.

STATE DUMA INDIGNANT AT PARTICIPATION OF AZERBAIJAN, MOLDOVA AND ARMENIA IN ‘ANTI-RUSSIAN’ EXERCISES OF NATO IN GEORGIA

ArmInfo
2009-04-22 13:22:00

The Russian State Duma is indignant at participation of Azerbaijan,
Moldova and Armenia in the "anti-Russian" exercises of the NATO to
be held in Georgia. Russian media reported that on the Wednesday
meeting of the State Duma Semyon Baghdasarov, a member of the State
Duma Committee for International Affairs (Spravedlivaya Rossiya (Fair
Russia) Party) said that NATO exercises scheduled for May are of
anti-Russian nature by the geography and participants. ‘In addition,
these exercises are against our allies in South Ossetia and Abhkazia’,
he said. S. Baghdasarov is surprised that among the participants in
these exercises are CIS member-states: Azerbaijan and Moldova. ‘We
have recently protected the leadership of Moldova from the intrigues of
the West. Despite this, that country participates in NATO exercises’,
he said.

He called it nonsense that Armenia, a member of CSTO, participates
in the NATO exercises. ‘The country that has been our evident ally
quite recently, participates in anti-Russian exercises’, Baghdasarov
said. The parliamentarian charged the State Duma Committee for CIS
and Relations with Compatriots to request the opinion of the Russian
Foreign Ministry and Defense Ministry.

NATO exercises in Georgia to be held on May 6-June 1 will involve
nearly 1.3 thousand servicemen from 18 NATO member- and partner-
states.

AGBU Press Office
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PRESS RELEASE

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

AGBU Central Board of Directors Meets in Paris

Paris – The AGBU Central Board’s quarterly meeting was held in Paris on
March 27-28, 2009. On the occasion of the global gathering, AGBU Europe
organized a special meeting on March 27 for visiting board members at
the local AGBU Alex Manoogian Cultural Center in order to better
familiarize them with the recent activities and accomplishments of AGBU
France and Europe.

In addition to members of the Central Board of Directors, guests
attending the AGBU Paris meeting included board members of AGBU Europe,
AGBU France and its regional chapters (Paris, Lyon, Valence, Marseille,
Nice), and committee members of various local activities, including the
AGBU Paris Saturday School, the youth group and YP Paris.

AGBU Paris Chairwoman Viviane Etjemesian spoke about Paris’ objective to
attract new members and non-Armenian visitors to the AGBU Alex Manoogian
Cultural Center so that they can discover and enjoy Armenian culture and
traditions. In this regard, AGBU Paris has been more active than ever,
and their success has been augmented by the increased activity of new
and established local committees.

After welcoming the Central Board members, AGBU Europe Chairman Alexis
Govciyan described the objectives of AGBU Europe as coordinating and
developing the Pan-European activities of AGBU and establishing a strong
presence in the various European institutions, where AGBU will advocate
for Armenian-related issues. "We have been surprised by the great
success we are enjoying as the wave of interest in all things Armenian
throughout Europe is unparalleled. One of these successes was the
conference on Armenian heritage and its protection in European
Parliament," Govciyan said.

AGBU President Berge Setrakian, who arrived after an official visit to
Armenia, outlined the greater purpose for establishing AGBU Europe:
"AGBU Europe helps to reorganize the Armenian communities scattered
throughout Europe to come together in order to preserve Armenian
identity." He concluded his speech, adding, "AGBU is not only a
charitable organization. We have a vocation of national policy without
being a political party, therefore we must have a national policy."

Central Board member Yervant Zorian, who has spearheaded the Armenian
Virtual College initiative from the beginning, introduced the online
AGBU project which will be launched in late spring. The program’s
objective, he said, is to teach through the latest Internet technology
the Armenian language, history and culture in six languages for those
not served by today’s Armenian schools as a result of geography or other
factors.

During the evening, Alexis Govciyan submitted, on behalf of the French
Minister of Culture, Christine Albanel, the medal of "Chevalier de
l’ordre des Arts et Lettres," to Raymond Kevorkian, historian and
curator of the AGBU Nubarian Library, for his significant contribution
to the enrichment of the arts and literature in France and worldwide.

Former AGBU Central Board Member and AGBU France Chairman Levon
Kebabdjian was awarded the title of AGBU Honorary Member by Berge
Setrakian.

The following day, the Central Board of Directors convened at the AGBU
Nubarian Library for their quarterly meeting, which was followed by a
private meeting with members of AGBU Europe.

A closing dinner was organized at the Hotel Intercontinental in the
presence of Mr. & Mrs. Patrick Devedjian, France’s Minister of Economic
Recovery Plan. A longtime supporter of AGBU’s mission to promote the
Armenian heritage around the world, Minister Devedjian remarked: "I’ve
always valued my identity, which is reflected in my political career. In
fact, we must always be aware of one’s roots and act accordingly."

Established in 1906, the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) is the
world’s largest non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New
York City, AGBU () preserves and promotes the Armenian
identity and heritage through educational, cultural and humanitarian
programs, annually serving some 400,000 Armenians in 35 countries.

GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN SEEKS TO EASE AZERBAIJANI CONCERNS OVER TALKS WITH ARMENIA

Anadolu Agency
April 20 2009
Turkey

A Turkish government spokesman has sought to give assurances to
Azerbaijan over Turkish-Armenian talks which have prompted an
expectation for re-establishing diplomatic ties between Ankara and
Yerevan.

"It is not possible for us to take any step which could hurt
Azerbaijan’s interests in our talks with Armenia or with any other
country," Cemil Cicek told reporters on Monday after a cabinet meeting.

High-level talks between Ankara and Yerevan began last year and
expectations have been rising of a deal that could include the opening
of the border gate.

Armenia said last Thursday it was close to establishing diplomatic
relations with Turkey as Azerbaijan has expressed opposition over
such a prospect.

"Turkey has never been in a behind-closed-doors move that would
disregard Azerbaijani interests, which should be acknowledged by
everyone," Cicek said.

Turkey cut all diplomatic ties with Yerevan and closed a border gate
with its northeastern neighbor in 1993 after Armenia occupied Upper
Karabakh.

Interfax, Russia
April 17 2009

Soldiers accused of contacts with Armenia’s special services go on
trial in Azerbaijan

BAKU April 17

Azerbaijan’s military tribunal has begun trying a group of Armed
Forces servicemen suspected of cooperation with Armenian special
services, a tribunal spokesman told Interfax on Friday.

"Today, the military tribunal for cases opened into grave crimes held
a preliminary session related to the case of four servicemen of
Azerbaijan’s Armed Forces who are accused of cooperation with
Armenia’s special services," the spokesman said.

Presiding Judge Rashida Guseinova ordered the court proceedings to
start on April 27.

The Azeri authorities accuse servicemen Orkhan Ismailov, Mushvig
Bagirov, Elchin Mamedov and Shamo Dashdemirov of high treason and
violations of military service rules.

Hürriyet, ANKARA
April 18 2009

No clue on what ‘model partnership’ means

ANKARA – Turkey is uncertain what the U.S. president referred to when
describing the relationship as a ‘model partnership.’ The Foreign
Ministry penned a wide-ranging memo on the outcomes of Obama’s visit
that stated ‘no information on the substance of a model partnership’

Turkey is still uncertain to what U.S. President Barack Obama
referred to when he described relations between Turkey and the United
States as a "model partnership."

The Foreign Ministry has just completed a broad memo on the outcomes
of Obama’s visit to Turkey on April 6 and 7, after analyzing the full
records of his meetings with President Abdullah Gül and Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an. One interesting point is that
Obama did not actually use "model partnership" during the talks but
mentioned it in the joint press conference with Gül. American
diplomats both in Ankara and Washington prefer to use the concept of
"strategic partnership," according to the memo. It also noted "there
was no information on the substance of a model partnership."

On the possibility of recognizing the 1915 Armenian killings as
"genocide" in the presidential statement expected to be issue on April
24, the ministry believes Obama will not risk losing Turkey and thus
will not categorize the killings as genocide. Obama’s emphasis on the
mutual efforts of Turkey and Armenia to normalize ties is evident to
this end, the ministry believes.

The ministry said it was not thinking that Obama’s much-criticized
description of the Kurdish minority was on purpose. On Iran, Obama
said the U.S. intention to talk to Tehran does not mean that
Washington would ignore current problems stemming from Iran’s
potential nuclear work.

Meanwhile, the U.S. top general Micheal Mullen is planned to visit
Turkey next month to discuss the fight against terrorism. The visit
would be coupled with that of Robert Gates, Secretary of Defense, who
would raise Washington’s request to use Turkish territory during the
withdrawal of troops from Iraq. Obama assured Turkey that "the
intelligence sharing mechanism" will go along and that utmost
cooperation will be provided to Turkish military.

GEORGIAN FOREIGN MINISTER DENIES THE STATEMENT ‘ARMENIAN-TURKISH BORDER WILL NOT BE OPENED’ ASCRIBED TO HIM

ArmInfo
2009-04-17 17:46:00

The Georgian Foreign Ministry has denied the statement
"Armenian-Turkish border will not be opened" ascribed to Georgian
Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze.

As the Armenian Foreign Ministry told ArmInfo, during a recent phone
conversation with Armenian Ambassador to Georgia Hrach Silvanyan,
Deputy Foreign Minister of Georgia Alexander Nalbandov said on
behalf and by instruction of Minister Grigol Vashadze: "The statement
disseminated by some mass media that Grigol Vashadze allegedly said
the Armenian-Turkish border wouldn’t be opened is false. He only said
that the border is still closed".

The Georgian Foreign Ministry qualifies these statements as provocative
information.