1 - Finally, After 105 Years,
Syria Recognizes the Armenian Genocide
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
2- King Abdullah II of Jordan Visits Armenia
3 - U.S. court rules activists can sue Turkey over 2017 scuffle
4- Hovannisian to Receive Legacy Award at Genocide Education Luncheon
5- CINF, Ararat Foundation to Host Presentations
by Siobhan Nash-Marshall about Artsakh
6- AUA, US Embassy Launch STEM Education for Armenian Youth Program
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1 - Finally, After 105 Years,
Syria Recognizes the Armenian Genocide
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
The Syrian people were the first to be aware of the Armenian Genocide
as tens of thousands of Armenians were deported by Ottoman Turkey to
the killing fields of the Syrian Desert at the beginning of the 20th
Century. A large number of Armenian orphans were adopted by local
Arabs who raised them as their children. The surviving Armenians in
Aleppo, Raqqa, Deir Zor, Damascus and elsewhere were welcome by the
local population. Armenians settled in their new homeland, rebuilt
their lives, reestablished their cultural structures, including
churches, schools, and societies and gradually prospered.
I was born in Aleppo, Syria, as some of my grandparents’ family had
survived the Genocide. I had a happy childhood and had not experienced
any prejudice or discrimination, despite the religious differences.
Syria had its own dispute with the Republic of Turkey, such as the
annexation of Iskenderun (Alexandretta) to Turkey in 1939, after an
illegitimate referendum. Nevertheless, the Syrian government, in an
Islamic solidarity with Turkey and unwilling to antagonize its more
powerful Northern neighbor, had declined to raise the issue of the
Armenian Genocide.
I recall that during the deliberations of the United Nations’
Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of
Minorities in 1985, the Syrian human rights member told me that even
though he was aware of the Armenian Genocide, he could not vote to
adopt the report that recognized it, as he would be dismissed from his
job. Under the circumstances, I asked him to be absent from the hall
during the voting. He did, and the UN report was adopted by an
overwhelming majority.
In the years prior to the 2011 civil war in Syria, the relationship
between Syria and Turkey had improved to the point that the the
presidents of the two countries met often and went on vacation
together. The Syrian government even banned the sale of books on the
Armenian Genocide in Syrian bookstores. During those honeymoon years,
I was informed that during the visit of Catholicos Aram I to Damascus,
Pres. Bashar al-Assad had told him that Armenians should forget about
the Armenian Genocide, open the border and establish friendly
relations with Turkey.
When I visited Damascus in 2009, an Armenian friend with access to the
Presidential Palace, tried to arrange a meeting for me with Pres.
Assad. I wanted to warn Pres. Assad that his honeymoon with the
Turkish President could come to an abrupt end and Erdogan, as an
untrustworthy ally, could betray him. Of course, I had no idea that
two years after my visit to Syria, there would be a massive invasion
of Syria by radical Islamic terrorists armed and supported by Turkey.
Unfortunately, I did not have the chance to meet Pres. Assad. His
Chief of Staff refused to arrange the meeting, telling my Armenian
friend that he could not allow such a meeting given my many critical
writings of Turkey. He said that Turkey would cut off its friendly
relations with Syria if Erdogan found out that Pres. Assad had met
with me!
Edmon Marukyan, head of the Bright Armenia opposition party in the
Armenian Parliament, told reporters last week that when he met Pres.
Assad in Damascus during his trip to Syria in 2014, Assad said: “I was
being told in Armenia that I shouldn’t trust Erdogan so much, I didn’t
listen to you.” Pres. Assad made an official trip to Armenia in June
2009. However, violating Armenian protocol, he refused to visit the
Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan to pay homage to the Genocide
victims out of concern for Turkish criticism.
Pres. Assad told Agence France Presse (AFP) in January 2014 that the
brutal attacks on Syria reminded him of “the massacres perpetrated by
the Ottomans against the Armenians, when they killed a million and a
half Armenians, and half a million Orthodox Syriacs in Syria and in
Turkish territory.”
The unanimous decision by the Syrian Parliament on February 13, 2020
is the first official recognition of the Armenian Genocide by Syria.
The text of the parliament’s resolution also referred to the genocide
of Assyrians and Syriacs. Some have expressed their unhappiness that
the Syrian government finally recognized the Armenian Genocide only
when it suited its own political interests. While that is true,
Armenians have to be realistic. No country is going to adopt a
decision that is contrary to its national interests. It is true that
the Syrian Parliament’s decision is mostly due to the recent Turkish
invasion of Northern Syria. However, the decision is not wrong. It is
the right thing to do. It is never the wrong time to do the right
thing. The wrong was not recognizing the Armenian Genocide for all
those years. Thus Syria became the second Arab country after Lebanon
to have recognized the Armenian Genocide. We hope other Arab
countries, such as Egypt, Iraq and Jordan, will follow suit.
Two immediate benefits of the Syrian Parliament’s recognition of the
Armenian Genocide are:
1) The mass media once again reminded the world’s public opinion
about the dastardly act of the Armenian Genocide committed by Ottoman
Turkey, putting one more nail on the coffin of Turkish denial.
2) The Turkish government issued a statement denying the Armenian
Genocide and condemning the Syrian government which further publicized
the Turkish genocide of the Armenians.
Armenians around the world welcomed Syria’s recognition of the
Armenian Genocide, further squeezing the noose around Turkish
denialism. As the saying goes, “Better late than Never!”
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2- King Abdullah II of Jordan Visits Armenia
King Abdullah II of Jordan arrived in Yerevan on Monday, February 10
evening to kick off a two-day official visit to Armenia that on
Tuesday included meetings with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan,
President Armen Sarkissian and His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of
All Armenians.
At Zvartnots International Airport, the Jordanian monarch was greeted
by deputy prime minister Mher Grigorya. King Abdullah II is in Armenia
at the invitation of President Sarkissian who visited Jordan last
year.
The official ceremony welcoming King Abdullah II was held Wednesday
morning at the Presidential Palace. The Jordanian leader was greeted
by President Sarkissian and other officials.
The two then held a meeting during which bi-lateral cooperation
between Jordan and Armenia were discussed, as were issues related to a
potential visa-free travel regime between the two countries.
President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian and King Abdullah II of Jordan
discussed issues relating to the cooperation potential of the two
countries in different areas during their meeting in Yerevan.
“We had wonderful discussions with His Majesty today and yesterday. We
discussed the cooperation potential of our countries in the fields of
tourism, education, science, technologies, security and agriculture,”
said President Sarkissian who called King Abdullah II’s visit to
Armenia “historic.”
“I think this is a historic visit not only because that His Majesty is
visiting Armenia for the first time, but also because the friendship
of the two countries, peoples has a history that spans hundreds of
years, or perhaps, millennia,” said Sarkissian.
“This is a good opportunity for me to express my gratitude as an
Armenian to your people and family because we all remember when 100
years ago your great grandfather has sent a message to the Arab world
asking to provide shelter to those Armenians who survived the
Genocide. I want to bow my head before your family and your ancestors
and also want to thank you on behalf of our people,” added Sarkissian.
“Our two nations are ancient. Your nation represents the essence and
axis of Islam; You, Your Majesty, as well as Your family, are
descendants of Prophet Muhammad. Armenia as country which was the
first to adopt Christianity, not only has good relations with Jordan
but we two have a lot to tell each other,” explained Sarkissian,
expressing confidence the great potential for partnership and
cooperation.
“We have great reverence toward the oldest Christian Church which is
represented not only in Jerusalem but in our country too. It
represents part of our past and is a beautiful element not only of our
present but also of our future,” said King Abdullah II.
Sarkissian and the Jordanian monarch discussed the abolition of double
taxation, as well as lifting visa requirement for travelers to and
from Jordan. Cooperation in the fields of science, technology,
education and healthcare were also discussed, with both leaders
stressing the need to expand the already existing student exchange
program.
Jordan, like Armenia, has made the human capital the main driving
force leading to development. The two countries have a lot to gain
from the bilateral cooperation, King Abdullah II told reporters after
his meeting with Sarkissian.
“Yerevan, one of the oldest cities, reminds me of my beloved Jordan.
Our countries and peoples have their unique place in the contemporary
world, remaining adhered to their identity, culture and faith. Jordan,
like Armenia, has made its human capital the main driving force
leading to development. Our countries have a lot to gain from their
cooperation in order to capitalize this very promising potential,” he
said.
Also on Tuesday, King Abdullah II also met with Prime Minister
Pashinyan who praised Jordan’s role in advancing Armenia’s strategic
relations in the Middle East. The development of economic and
humanitarian ties were discussed, as were advancing cooperation in the
fields of information technology, tourism and agriculture.
Within the context of regional issues, Pashinyan briefed the Jordanian
monarch on the recent developments of Karabakh conflict settlement
process.
King Abdullah II invited Pashinyan to visit Jordan.
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3 - U.S. court rules activists can sue Turkey over 2017 scuffle
By Ed Adamczyk
(Combined Sources)—A federal court declined to throw out a civil
lawsuit Friday, February 7 by Kurdish demonstrators who were involved
in a skirmish three years ago during a visit to Washington, D.C., by
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The U.S. District Court in Washington struck down arguments that
Turkey is protected by the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, a 1977
law which establishes the limitations to the extent a foreign
government can be sued in a U.S. court.
The case involves the 2017 incident during which activists at the
Turkish ambassador’s residence in Sheridan Square were violently
attacked by Turkish security forces. Ankara argued the demonstration
posed a threat to Erdogan, who was at the residence at the time of the
scuffle. Video footage later showed Erdogan supporters joined security
forces in assaulting the demonstrators. Women and elderly men were
among the activists.
Federal criminal charges against several security officers were
dropped in 2018 and coincided with the release of an American prisoner
in Turkey.
In another suit, the court rejected Turkey’s argument that its
security officers were working in the country’s interests and immune
from prosecution. The ruling makes Turkey subject to the U. S. court
system and allows the activists’ suit to go forward.
“The protesters were merely standing on the Sheridan Circle sidewalk,”
Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly wrote. “Turkey points to no indication
that an attack by the protesters was imminent. Instead, the Turkish
security forces chased and violently physically attacked the
protesters, many of whom had fallen to the ground and no longer posed
a threat.”
The protesters, mostly of Kurdish and Yazidi descent, did not pose an
imminent threat to President Erdogan, contrary to what Turkey’s
defense argued, U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly wrote in
her judgment.
“Turkish security forces chased and violently physically attacked the
protesters, many of whom had fallen to the ground and no longer posed
a threat,” the judge wrote.
The Turkish authorities and pro-Erdogan group were captured on video
as they surrounded and physically assaulted protesters, including
women and elderly men, punching, kicking and throwing them to the
ground outside the Turkish ambassador’s residence.
The plaintiffs’ lawyer Doug Bregman, partner at law firm Bregman,
Berbert, Schwartz & Gilday, welcomed the ruling to continue the case
against the Turkish government.
“We are sending a message to dictators that they cannot do to
demonstrators in this country what they do to dissenters in theirs,”
Bregman was quoted by the Hill as saying.
“President Erdogan and his minions are accustomed to indiscriminately
attacking people across the world, and of depriving millions of
Turkish citizens of their liberties,” Andreas Akaras, counsel from
Bregman, Berbert, Schwartz & Gilday told Ahval.
“Judge Kollar-Kotelly took a close look at the facts and easily
concluded that Turkey’s claims to sovereign immunity are meritless.
Our clients were brutally attacked for exercising their first
amendment rights, but their injuries are now cause for shining a
bright light on the cruel and depraved authoritarian actions of
Erdogan and his regime,” Akaras said.
Federal criminal charges had been filed against at least a dozen
Turkish officers shortly after the incident, but the charges were
largely dropped in March 2018, the Hill said.
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4- Hovannisian to Receive Legacy Award at Genocide Education Luncheon
LOS ANGELES—The Armenian National Committee of America – Western
Region’s Education Committee announced that Dr. Richard G. Hovannisian
will receive the Armenian Genocide Education Legacy award at the 4th
Annual Armenian Genocide Education Awards Luncheon. The luncheon will
be held on Saturday, March 7.
“The ANCA-WR Education Committee is proud to have Dr. Richard G.
Hovannisian receive the Armenian Genocide Education Legacy Award this
year,” remarked Sedda Antekelian, Luncheon Committee Chair. “Dr.
Hovannisian is a leader, role model, and legend in the Armenian
community in Los Angeles and worldwide. His exemplary lifetime
commitment and profound contributions to educators and students have
given access to a multitude of resources that support understanding of
Armenian culture, history, and especially Armenian Genocide studies.
His long-lasting efforts deserve our highest recognition.”
Richard G. Hovannisian is past holder of the Armenian Educational
Chair in Modern Armenian History at the University of California, Los
Angeles and Presidential Fellow at Chapman University in Orange
County.
Born in Tulare, California in the Central San Joaquin Valley,
Hovannisian received his B.A. and M.A. in history from the University
of California, Berkeley and subsequently his Ph.D. in history from the
University of California, Los Angeles, joining the faculty in 1962.
During his time at UCLA, Hovannisian introduced a number of Armenian
courses, which was followed by undergraduate and graduate programs in
Armenian history and maintained an active role in the community,
serving as the President of the Armenian Monument Council in
Montebello, among others.
He introduced a course at UCLA titled “Introduction to Armenian Oral
History” back in 1972, which ultimately led to over 40 years of his
students recording testimony of more than 1,000 Armenian Genocide
survivors and their descendants. In 2018, it was announced that
collection would be integrated into the University of Southern
California Shoah Foundation’s Visual History Archive.
Moreover, for many years Hovannisian served as an educational
consultant to many organizations which have been engaged in assembling
resources about the Armenian Genocide for students at the primary and
secondary levels. In particular, he has played a significant role in
drafting educators “Crimes Against Humanity and Civilization: The
Genocide of the Armenians” by Facing History and Ourselves and the
State of California’s Model Curriculum on the Teaching of Genocide.
Hovannisian was also honored by His Holiness Karekin I and Karekin II
and was awarded the Movses Khorenatsi medal by the Republic of
Armenia, the Medal of St. Mesrop Mashtots by the Republic of Artsakh,
and most recently was made “Prince of Cilicia” by His Holiness Aram I
for his advancement of Armenian Studies. In 1990, Richard Hovannisian
was elected to the Armenian Academy of Sciences, becoming the first
social scientist living abroad to be so honored. He has received
honorary doctorates from Yerevan State University (1994) and Artsakh
State University (1997).
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5- CINF, Ararat Foundation to Host Presentations
by Siobhan Nash-Marshall about Artsakh
On Friday, February 21 and Sunday, February 23, the Christians In Need
Foundation (CINF) and Ararat Foundation will hold two lecture
presentations by Siobhan Nash-Marshall organized with the help of the
Armenian Cilicia Evangelical Church-Pasadena, ARPA Institute,
American-Armenian Family Association, INC., & Mashdots College.
“Faith & Love—Mission to Artsakh” on Feb. 21 at 7:30 pm at the
Armenian Cilicia Evangelical Church (339 S. Santa Anita Ave.,
Pasadena, CA 91107) and “Faith In Artsakh—Protecting the Borders of
the West” on Feb. 23 at 2 p.m. at the Merdinian School’s Aram & Anahis
D. Boulghourjian Hall (13330 Riverside Dr., Sherman Oaks, CA 91403).
Siobhan Nash-Marshall is the Vice-President of the Christians In Need
Foundation (CINF), a non-profit organization that has been serving
Christian communities throughout the Middle and Near East since its
founding in 2014. In 2017, at the request of the Artsakh government,
CINF sent its first American educators to Artsakh to lead courses in
English, Logic, and Ethics. An experienced educator, Siobhan
Nash-Marshall holds the Mary T. Clark Chair of Christian Philosophy at
Manhattanvile College where she personally trained 2017 American
teachers. Since then, CINF’s Artsakh initiative has grown from a
handful of students to almost 300 in 2019. In 2020, CINF’s courses
will again grow, this time to include vocational courses taught by
Italian master craftsmen. 2020 courses will begin this coming March.
CINF’s programs in Artsakh have been incredibly successful. The
Artsakhtsi general public, educators, and government officials have
all praised CINF’s courses and other initiatives. In the words of the
Rector of Mesrob Mashtots University in Stepanakert, “It is beyond
doubt that the activity that CINF caries out in Artsakh brings only
positive results to the life and development of Artsakh people.” CINF
is officially partnered with the major universities in Stepanakert as
well as several Artsakh Ministries, committed to working with the
Artsakhtsi.
In these two presentations, Nash-Marshall will discuss these
activities and more. Most importantly, the presentation will focus
upon the importance of Artsakh and why we must make every effort to
defend it.
Admission to the events is free of charge. For more information, call
818-303-5566.
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6- AUA, US Embassy Launch STEM Education for Armenian Youth Program
YEREVAN—The American University of Armenia (AUA) announced the launch
of a three-year program in STEM Education for Armenian Youth,
initiated by the AUA Engineering Research Center with support from the
U.S. Mission in Armenia, Public Affairs Section. The program aims to
mainstream best teaching practices and innovative pedagogies for STEM
education in middle and high schools, thus increasing the number of
students pursuing higher education and careers in STEM with Armenian
and U.S. companies.
The first three-day workshop of the program kicked off on January 24,
2020, on the International Day of Education proclaimed by the United
Nations General Assembly. Attending the opening session were Deputy
Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Arevik Anapiosyan (M
PSIA ’08), representatives of the U.S. Embassy in Armenia, and expert
teachers from AYB School. Participants in the workshop were 20
teachers from five regions of Armenia: Tavush (Dilijan), Shirak
(Gyumri), Lori (Vanadzor), Vayots Dzor, and Syunik (Goris).
Armenia has been enjoying a boom in the sector of information
technologies and has identified high tech as a priority sector and
significant contributor to accelerated economic development. But, a
limiting factor for realizing development in this sector has been the
insufficient talent supply, as articulated by many tech companies in
the country. This is explained by the low number of high school
graduates aspiring to study in STEM programs when pursuing university
studies. “AUA is proud to host this program supported by the U.S.
Embassy and the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport. Our
current attention to STEM education will help students to understand
how science, technology, engineering, and mathematics integrate into
the real world. This will inspire them to learn more about these
disciplines and to also combine STEM with art and social sciences into
the development of systemic knowledge. The challenge is to teach these
disciplines so that they stimulate curiosity, creativity,
collaboration, critical thinking, and communication, which is the aim
of this program,” noted AUA President Dr. Karin Markides.
“Focusing on STEM education also aligns with the U.S. Embassy’s belief
of investing in people, because when you invest in people, you can
help the future of a country. These educated students who go into STEM
fields will have higher-paying jobs and be more active citizens in
society. There will be more opportunities available to them,” said
Erica King, cultural affairs officer at the U.S. Embassy in Armenia,
thanking the participants of the program and wishing them good luck in
this endeavor.
The STEM Education for Armenian Youth program endeavors to address
this challenge through raising awareness among school children and
parents about career opportunities in STEM fields; enhancing
opportunities for hands-on experience and motivating practical
applications of science and technology in schools; boosting the
quality of science and math teaching in middle schools; as well as
expanding opportunities to prepare high school students for TOEFL and
SAT tests, particularly for those in the regions so as to facilitate
admission to AUA and other universities.
The program has two major components: teacher training sessions and
STEM summer camp for students. The former have the potential to change
routine classroom instruction by integrating modern teaching methods
and approaches, as well as engaging students in group and individual
activities in STEM subjects.
The biggest benefit for the teachers will be learning advanced
teaching approaches in STEM subjects through practical hands-on
activities. Part of the teacher workshops will be dedicated to
project-based learning that will equip teachers with tools and skills
that would help them to explore and address pedagogical challenges.
One of the unique features of the workshops will be inviting artists,
writers, designers, and actors to assist STEM teachers in turning
fact-based and theoretical concepts that are hard to imagine or
understand into engaging stories and popular narratives with graphical
images. “We aim to implement this for the first time in Armenia and it
is a kind of experimenting with how the arts can be integrated into
STEM, to make it more interactive and enjoyable,” said Artur
Khalatyan, chair of AUA’s Master of Engineering in Industrial
Engineering and Systems Management program and director of the
program. “We are currently carrying out reforms in Armenia’s public
educational system. We are updating the five pillars of the system:
the school management, teaching staff, educational program, teaching
and learning materials, and assessment tools. The program you are
launching is very important in the light of these reforms,” said
Anapiosyan. She continued to address the participants, “I hope that
you will be able to infect your fellow teachers with enthusiasm to
take part in such programs. I wish that next year we are able to
participate in international educational expos to present our know-how
in the field. Maybe we could have our input in those expos where
everybody wants to find solutions to better preparing our students for
the unknown future.”
The project team will engage all workshop participants in STEM summer
camps, where the trainees will use the knowledge gained in real-life
classroom practice and will have the opportunity to receive immediate
feedback and guidance from teacher trainers.
The students will develop research, critical thinking, teamwork, and
problem-solving skills, and will participate in career orientation
sessions, as well as hackathons, competitions, and project
presentations. “We will create real teaching experiences with real
students, so teachers will be able to reflect back on what went well
and what needs further improvement,” added Khalatyan.
The program will accept participants from a broad cross-section of
students with different profiles to attend the STEM summer camp, which
aims to increase interest in STEM subjects and careers in an engaging
and inspiring manner, regardless of the students’ background knowledge
and varying interests. The STEM summer camp will mainly target 9th-
and 10th-grade students, with limited space for 8th and 11th graders.
As a result, students will become confident learners with broader
imagination and appreciation for everything STEM practitioners are
able to realize for society’s advancement and prosperity. By finding
the connections between STEM knowledge and skills in real-world
challenges and advancements, students will be poised to pursue success
as STEM professionals.
“AUA is well positioned to lead this inspiring initiative which will
undoubtedly support the next phase of Armenia’s continued development.
More attention to the improvement of our educational endeavors, in
this case for STEM topics, is welcome as we aspire to best prepare the
next generation to face the challenges confronting our society,” said
Aram Hajian, dean of the Akian College of Science and Engineering.
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