YEREVAN, Armenia—Walking atop Tsitsernakaberd Hill overlooking the Armenian capital of Yerevan, one can see the striking similarities to Jerusalem. The view resembles that from Yad Vashem, the main Israeli memorial site that honors and commemorates the 6 million Jews who perished in the Holocaust.
At Yad Vashem, also located on a hill, there is the “Avenue of the Righteous Among the Nations,” where trees have been planted to commemorate gentiles who saved Jews. In Yerevan, foreign leaders and other dignitaries are also asked to pay respect to the memory of those who died by planting trees.
Tsitsernakaberd (which means “swallows’ fortress”) hosts the central memorial monument to the 1.5 million Armenians who died as a result of the Ottoman Empire’s premeditated decision during World War I to harass, arrest, and eventually deport them to the Syrian Desert to let them die.
The 144-foot-tall monument is meant to symbolize rebirth. Twelve slabs form a circle that represents the parts of Armenians’ historical homeland in present-day Turkey, and an eternal flame dedicated to those killed during the Armenian genocide lies in the center of the circle.
After the war, during the short-lived first Armenian Republic, assassins volunteered for Operation Nemesis. Its aim was to avenge the deaths of their people by killing Turkish ministers and generals who were responsible for the genocide. Among those assassinated were the “Three Pashas”: the war minister, Ismail Enver; the interior minister, Mehmed Talaat; and the navy minister and governor of Syria, Ahmed Djemal.
More than 20 years later, after World War II, Jewish fighters known as “The Avengers” also decided to take revenge and devised a plan to kill German SS officers responsible for murdering Jews during the Holocaust. They planned to poison German drinking water and bakeries. (Dozens of Germans were killed, but the poisoning plans failed.)
Despite the shared experience of genocide, Israel and Armenia are worlds apart today.
Israel has consistently refused to acknowledge that what happened to the Armenian people was a genocide. This decision doesn’t derive so much from a desire to monopolize victimhood and portray the Holocaust as a unique and unparalleled historical event. It is primarily a cynical political ploy.
For many years, Israel feared Turkey’s wrath if it recognized the genocide. Since the late 1950s, Turkey had been a strong strategic ally of the Jewish state—one of its only friends in the Muslim world. There were close ties between the two nations’ intelligence and security establishments, and Turkey was an important and lucrative market for Israeli weapons. Whenever Israeli parliamentarians, human rights activists, and historians called for recognition of the Armenian genocide, the initiative was blocked by the government. Regardless of their ideology and political orientation, consecutive Israeli governments, knowing that any change of heart and policy would anger Turkey and jeopardize arms sales, placed economic interests before universal values. They agreed to define the genocide only as a “tragedy.”
But in the past decade, relations between Turkey, under the leadership of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Israel have deteriorated. Arms sales were halted, and the clandestine intelligence cooperation aimed against the mutual enemy—Syria—was terminated. Nowadays, with Turkish-Israeli political and military relations at a new low, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his son Yair regularly exchange nasty verbal blows over Twitter with Erdogan, calling each other “tyrant,” “murderer,” and more.
My Grandmother Escaped The Armenian Genocide, But She Never Forgot
France marks first national commemoration of Armenian genocide
For decades, Armenia and Turkey have been at odds over whether the World War I killings and deportations – which Armenia says left 1.5 million dead – should be described as genocide.
Turkey accepts that many Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire were killed but denies that the killings were systematically orchestrated and constitute a genocide.
Macron’s announcement in February drew an angry response from Ankara, with a spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declaring: “No one can sully our history.”
Earlier this month, Turkey also chastised the Italian parliament for approving a motion to officially recognise the killings as genocide.
Armenians commemorate the massacres on April 24 – the day in 1915 when thousands of Armenian intellectuals suspected of harbouring nationalist sentiment and being hostile to Ottoman rule were rounded up.
Turkish Press: Turkey remembers Ottoman Armenians who died in WWI
ANKARA
Turkey on Wednesday commemorated the Ottoman Armenians who died during the course of World War I.
“With respect I commemorate the Ottoman Armenians who died in hard conditions during World War I,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a letter on Wednesday to Archbishop Aram Atesyan, general vicar of the Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey.
Erdogan said that peace, security, and happiness of Turkey’s Armenian community are greatly important for Turkey.
Offering his condolences to the descendants of Ottoman Armenians who died in the war, Erdogan stated that the Armenian community has raised many valuable young people to contribute to Turkey’s well-being.
He said that as free and equal citizens in Turkey, Armenian people have important roles in the country’s social, political, and business life.
Erdogan said that Turkey aims to cement ties between ethnic Turks and Armenians, who have shared mutual pains and joy in history.
He stated that Turkey will continue to stand by Armenians to relieve their pains and solve their problems.
“I believe the way to build a joint future can only be done by standing united and together,” Erdogan said.
He warned Armenians against circles who want to poison this shared past by sowing hatred and hostility.
Turkey’s position on the events of 1915 is that the deaths of Armenians in eastern Anatolia took place when some sided with invading Russians and revolted against Ottoman forces. A subsequent relocation of Armenians resulted in numerous casualties.
Turkey objects to the presentation of these incidents as a “genocide,” describing them as a tragedy in which both sides suffered casualties.
Ankara has repeatedly proposed the creation of a joint commission of historians from Turkey and Armenia as well as international experts to tackle the issue.
Sports: Olympic champion Khadzhimurat Gatsalov to represent Armenian team
Olympic champion of 2004, five-time world champion and three-time European champion, a former member of the Russian freestyle wrestling team Khadzhimurat Gatsalov, expressed a desire to act under the Armenian flag, the official website of UWW reported.
“Within the last few weeks, Gatsalov began the transfer process and has aspirations of competing in an Armenian singlet at the 2019 World Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, which take place in mid-September,” the source added.
Gatsalov performs in the weight category of 97 kg, in which Russia is represented by the Olympic champion of 2016, three-time world and European champion, 22-year-old Abdulrashid Sadulayev.
President of Artsakh attends opening ceremony of Zaven Sargsyan’s individual photo exhibition
President of Artsakh attends opening ceremony of Zaven Sargsyan’s individual photo exhibition
16:49,
YEREVAN, APRIL 23, ARMENPRESS. Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan attended the opening ceremony of an individual photo exhibition by Zaven Sargsyan, director of The Yerevan Sergey Parajanov Museum, held in Stepanakert Gallery on April 23, the Artsakh Presidential Office told Armenpress.
The President noted with satisfaction that exhibitions of Zaven Sargsyan in Artsakh were of a periodic nature expressing hope that this tradition would be maintained in the future too.
Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
President Bako Sahakyan visits editorial office of
President Bako Sahakyan visits editorial office of “Azat Artsakh” newspaper
16:51,
YEREVAN, APRIL 23, ARMENPRESS. Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan visited on April 23 the editorial office of “Azat Artsakh” [Free Artsakh] republican newspaper to meet with the staff, the Presidential Office told Armenpress.
Issues related to the activity and future plans of the newspaper were on the discussion agenda.
Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
Armenia requests Russia to extradite arrested ex-official
Armenia requests Russia to extradite arrested ex-official
17:08,
YEREVAN, APRIL 23, ARMENPRESS. Armenia has submitted the package of required documents to Russia requesting the extradition of Mihran Poghosyan (pictured above), a former lawmaker and former government official wanted on charges of abuse of power and embezzlement, the General Prosecution told ARMENPRESS.
Poghosyan was detained by Russian authorities in the Republic of Karelia in pursuance of an Armenian arrest warrant.
He was charged and declared wanted on April 15th.
Poghosyan is suspected in the crimes during his tenure as Head of the Service of Mandatory Execution of Judicial Acts, a governmental agency under the Ministry of Justice in charge of enforcing judicial rulings. He resigned from the position in 2016 when his name appeared in the Panama Papers scandal, although he denied wrongdoing.
Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
Central Bank of Armenia: exchange rates and prices of precious metals – 23-04-19
Central Bank of Armenia: exchange rates and prices of precious metals – 23-04-19
17:15,
YEREVAN, 23 APRIL, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 23 April, USD exchange rate down by 0.42 drams to 481.56 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 0.18 drams to 542.00 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate stood at 7.56 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 0.47 drams to 626.56 drams.
The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.
Gold price down by 17.23 drams to 19751.04 drams. Silver price down by 0.20 drams to 231.54 drams. Platinum price down by 21.46 drams to 13779.44 drams.
Three police officers from Sevan PD indicted for torturing, humiliating handcuffed suspect in 2018
Three police officers from Sevan PD indicted for torturing, humiliating handcuffed suspect in 2018
17:17,
YEREVAN, APRIL 23, ARMENPRESS. Three police officers of the Sevan Police Department are charged with abuse of power and torture as the Special Investigative Service concluded an investigation into an October 7, 2018 case.
On that day, a misdemeanor suspect was detained by the Sevan Police Department officers and taken into custody at the local police station.
According to the investigators, two officers physically abused the handcuffed suspect at the station. He was then taken to another room, where another officer, a high-ranking one, joined the two and resumed torturing the suspect by beating him. The officers also humiliated the suspect by expectorating on him.
The suspect sustained numerous physical injuries.
One of the officers is arrested pending trial, while the other two are on bail and banned from leaving the country.
The Special Investigative Service has concluded the investigation and the indictment has been sent to the prosecutor for further proceedings.
Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan