Category: 2020

Armenia seeks Turkish apology on genocide anniversary

Karagyozian Lena
Saudi Gazette, Saudi Arabia

April 24, 2020
                                    

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian

YEREVAN — Armenian prime minister has condemned what he called crimes against “civilization” and demanded an apology from Turkey as the country on the the 105th anniversary of the World War I-era massacre of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire.

In a televised address to the nation broadcast live from Yerevan’s Tsitsernakabert Memorial Complex PM Nikol Pashinian said: “The Armenian genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire was a crime not only against our ethnic identity but also against human civilization.”

Commemorative events were scaled back this year due to the coronavirus restrictions imposed throughout the country, and the Yerevan memorial was closed to the public.

Pashinian, along with President Armen Sarkisian, parliament speaker Ararat Mirzoyan, and Catholicos Garegin II, the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, visited the hilltop memorial separately, observing social-distancing rules aimed at stopping the spread of the virus in the country.

“More than a century has passed but the consequences of the genocide have not been eliminated,” Pashinian said. “Turkey has not yet apologized for what it did.” He added that Yerevan “demands” that Ankara officially recognize the massacres as genocide.

Armenians say up to 1.5 million people were killed as the Ottoman Empire was collapsing during World War I which Armenia and some 30 other countries call it genocide.

Turkey fiercely rejects the genocide.

Yerevan has long demanded Ankara provide financial compensation and restore property rights to the descendants of those killed in the 1915-1918 massacres, which Armenians call Meds Yeghern or the Great Crime. — Agencies


Why the Armenian Genocide remains unrecognized by the US despite Bipartisan efforts

Ani Basmajian
Newsweek Magazine
BY DAVID BRENNAN ON 4/24/20 AT 10:23 AM EDT

Friday marks Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, on which the early 20th-century killing of more than 1.5 million Armenians is remembered worldwide.

The genocide, which occurred in the final years of the Ottoman Empire, is a contentious topic, still denied by Turkey— the Ottoman successor state. Official recognition of the massacre as a genocide doubles as an affront to the Turkish government, meaning many nations—including the U.S.—still refuse to do so.

In December, a diplomatic spat between the U.S. and Turkey gave lawmakers the cover to pass a non-binding resolution recognizing the incident as a genocide. Both the House and the Senate voted in favor, but the White House refused to take up either resolution, in line with long-established U.S. practice.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry issued a statement Friday condemning the “heinous crime, committed with the intent to destroy in whole the Armenian people and deprive them of their homeland.” The ministry said the massacre was “the first genocide of the 20th century.”

The killing of Ottoman Armenians stretched from roughly 1915 to 1923. The number of those killed is disputed—Armenian groups say the toll was as high as 1.5 million, while Turkey puts the number in the hundreds of thousands. Turkey maintains that those who died did so while fighting against Ottoman forces.

Huge numbers of Armenians were forcibly relocated from their homes to inhospitable lands such as the deserts of Syria and elsewhere during this period. Most of the victims died from starvation and exhaustion. Turkey maintains this does not constitute a genocide, but the collapsing Ottoman government executed several top officials for their role in the massacres.

The House and Senate broke with traditional U.S. policy in recognizing the persecution of the Armenians as a genocide in December. The votes came soon after NATO ally Turkey launched an invasion of northeastern Syria to attack Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) troops—led by Kurdish militias that Turkey considers terrorist groups—and attempting to clear them from a stretch of the Turkish border.

The SDF bore the brunt of the Western offensive against Islamic State militants in Syria, fighting to squash the so-called caliphate with U.S. and coalition support, taking some 12,000 casualties in the process.

President Donald Trump ordered U.S. forces to withdraw from northeastern Syria just before Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced his offensive, prompting criticism that Trump effectively gave the operation a green light.

Relations between the U.S. and Turkey were already strained, partially due to Ankara’s purchase of a Russian anti-aircraft system despite protests from Washington. Turkey went ahead with the purchase, and, in response, the U.S. kicked the country out of the F-35 stealth jet program.

Regardless, the White House did not take up the House or Senate resolution recognizing the Armenian massacres as a genocide. At the time, Democratic Senator Bob Menendez—a sponsor of the bill that passed the Senate unanimously—told Newsweek the atrocity was a “horrifying factual reality that should never be denied.”

Menendez said he was “deeply disappointed that both President Trump and Secretary [Mike] Pompeo have yet to find their moral compass on this issue, and that they insist on allowing Turkey to have a veto on our own domestic decision.”

Turkey condemned both the House and Senate resolutions. The Foreign Ministry condemned the House vote as a “shameful” and “meaningless political step” designed to appeal to the “Armenian lobby and anti-Turkey groups.”

When the Senate unanimously approved its bill, Turkish Communication Director Fahrettin Altun said the development threatened “the future of our bilateral relationship.”

In December, State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said the Trump administration’s position on genocide recognition “has not changed.”

She directed journalists towards a statement made by Trump on Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day 2019, in which he honored “the memory of those who suffered in one of the worst mass atrocities of the 20th century.” Trump’s statement did not use the word “genocide.”

A State Department spokesperson told Newsweek that the administration’s position on the matter has not changed. “As President Trump’s official statement earlier today makes clear, the U.S. government acknowledges and mourns the one and a half million Armenians who were deported, massacred, and marched to their deaths at the end of the Ottoman Empire,” the spokesperson explained.

Trump’s statement read, “On this day of remembrance, we pay respect to those who suffered and lost their lives, while also renewing our commitment to fostering a more humane and peaceful world.”

The president added, “We welcome efforts by the Armenians and Turks to acknowledge and reckon with their painful history.  On this day, we believe it is our obligation to remember those who suffered and perished and reaffirm our commitment to protecting vulnerable religious and ethnic minorities around the world.”

This article has been updated to include comment from the State Department.


Armenian Genocide commemorated with videos by Fresno Mayor Brand and Congressman Costa

Elizabeth Jabejian
Your Central Valley, CA

Local News

by: Alliz Clavijo

Posted: Apr 23, 2020 / 09:20 PM PDT / Updated: Apr 23, 2020 / 09:23 PM PDT

Gloucester author releases memoir of Armenian Genocide

Lilit Nahapetian
Manchester Wicked Local, MA
 
 
 
 
By The following was submitted to the Cape Ann Beacon:
Posted at 11:00 AM
   
 
A Gloucester author recently released a memoir of the Armenian Genocide, The Prince of Wentworth Street.”
 
April 24 marks the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in Turkey. This dark period in our world’s history is an event that the Turkish government, to this day, not only doesn’t recognize but silences people who do with arcane criminal laws. Very little is written about this cataclysmic time in history.
 
When journalist John Christie found himself struggling in his own life, he decided to use his investigative skills as a journalist to turn the lens on his own history. What he discovered about his family’s past opened his eyes to a world he could have never imagined, a world lived in the shadow of genocide.
 
In 1909 Christie’s grandmother, Gulenia Hovsepian, was a nine-year-old girl in Turkey. One day she was sent by her family to herd cows on a hill above her village. A boy ran up to her warning there were armed men coming for people like her and by the end of the day her father was murdered and the rest of her family went into hiding.
 
 
 
In Christie’s memoir, “The Prince of Wentworth Street,” he recounts a childhood of learning from his grandmother Gulenia about the obstacles and triumphs she experienced. Christie recounts the stories his grandmother told him about fleeing Turkey in 1919 when she was only nineteen-years-old. She came to America as a mail order bride after World War I. She not only braved the Great Depression but raised six children on her own after her husband’s unexpected passing. She then watched her own children go off to war.
 
Christie’s life in juxtaposition was sheltered. As Gulenia’s first grandchild, he grew up at the end of a dead-end street in a tenement in Dover, New Hampshire, as the golden child. Not facing the struggles his grandmother endured but hearing her vivid tales of triumph in the face of adversity allowed him to find strength in her legacy.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Tel Aviv: MK Lapid: ‘Grant official recognition of Armenian genocide’

Yeghisabet Arthur
Israel National News Arutz Sheva
 
 
MK Lapid: ‘Grant official recognition of Armenian genocide’
 
 
MK Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) has called for the Armenian genocide to be accorded official recognition.
 
Writing on Twitter, he noted, “Today, we mark Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day. As on previous years, we have introduced a draft proposal that the country officially recognize the Armenian genocide. This is our moral obligation as Jewish state.”

The White House: Statement by the President on Armenian Remembrance Day

Boshkezenian Garik
The White House, Washington, DC
 
 
Statement by the President on Armenian Remembrance Day
 
 LAW & JUSTICE
 
  Issued on:
 
Today, we join the global community in memorializing the lives lost during the Meds Yeghern, one of the worst mass atrocities of the 20th century.  Beginning in 1915, 1 and a half million Armenians were deported, massacred, or marched to their deaths in the final years of the Ottoman Empire.  On this day of remembrance, we pay respect to those who suffered and lost their lives, while also renewing our commitment to fostering a more humane and peaceful world.
 
Every year on April 24, we reflect on the strong and enduring ties between the American and Armenian peoples.  We are proud of the founders of the American Committee for Armenian and Syrian Relief, a ground-breaking effort established in 1915 that provided crucial humanitarian support to Armenian refugees, and grateful for the thousands of Americans who contributed or volunteered to help Armenians expelled from their homes.
 
On this day, we bear witness to the strength and resiliency of the Armenian people in the face of tragedy.  We are fortunate that so many Armenians have brought their rich culture to our shores and contributed so much to our country, including decorated soldiers, celebrated entertainers, renowned architects, and successful businesspeople.
 
We welcome efforts by the Armenians and Turks to acknowledge and reckon with their painful history.  On this day, we believe it is our obligation to remember those who suffered and perished and reaffirm our commitment to protecting vulnerable religious and ethnic minorities around the world.

Recognition of Armenian Genocide Is ‘Moral Responsibility’ of Jewish State, Says Top Israeli Politician

Emil Lazarian
Algemeiner, Germany

A depiction of the Armenian genocide. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

One of Israel’s best-known politicians reiterated his call on Friday for the Knesset to pass a law recognizing the genocide of the Armenian people more than a century ago.

Yair Lapid — a former cabinet minister who now leads the opposition Yesh Atid party — said on Twitter that recognizing the slaughter of up to 1.5 million Armenians by Turkey was “our moral responsibility as the Jewish state.”

Lapid’s statement came on Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, which commemorates the start of the massacres on April 24, 1915.

Though reports vary, most sources agree that there were about 2 million Armenians in the Ottoman Empire before the massacres. In 1922, when the genocide was over, there were just 388,000 Armenians remaining in the Ottoman Empire.

Nonetheless, Turkey has continually denied that the genocide took place, presenting the atrocities as an unfortunate consequence of World War I and insisting that all sides committed atrocities.

A growing number of countries have nevertheless resisted Turkish pressure by recognizing the genocide in legislation. In 2019, both houses of the US Congress overwhelmingly passed such a measure.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan railed against the US after the Armenian genocide bill was approved, dismissing the legislation as “worthless” and an “insult to our people.” In 2019, Turkey received over $170 million in government aid from the US.

Syria commemorates victims of Armenian Genocide

Chakhmakhchian Vatche
News.am, Armenia

01:02, 25.04.2020
                  

Masses and prayers were held on Friday in a number of provinces to commemorate the 105th anniversary of the genocide committed against the Armenians at the hands of the Ottomans, which claimed the lives of over 1.5 million people, SANA reported.

The masses and prayers were held without the presence of congregations due to the precautionary measures against Coronavirus.

Bells in Armenian churches in Damascus and all over the world tolled at 11 am to commemorate the anniversary.

Mass and prayers were held at the Armenian Orthodox Diocese in Damascus, presided upon by Bishop Armash Nalbandian. According to him, Syria was the haven and salvation of the ancestors, and the Armenian community will raise future generations to remember the kindness of the Syrian people who embraced their ancestors.

Prayers and masses were also held at the Virgin Mary Church in Aleppo and the Virgin Mary Church in Lattakia.

World Commemorates Armenian Genocide

Jhanna Virabian

04/24/2020 Turkey (International Christian Concern) – Today marks the annual day when the world commemorates the 1915 Armenian genocide committed by Ottoman-era Turks. This day was chosen as the commemoration because it was when 250 Armenian intellectuals and community leaders were arrested, deported, and later massacred. This marked the start of a years’ long genocide which specifically targeted ethnic Christians. Millions of Armenians, Greeks, and Assyrians were murdered.

Normally, commemoration events are held in Turkey although the authorities make every attempt to discourage these kinds of events. The government does not necessarily ban individuals from mentioning the genocide, but through other indirect means, the outcome is often the same. The government refuses to acknowledge the genocide, at times even calling it a justified action. Though the world acknowledges the historical accuracy of the genocide, Turkey calls it a false interpretation. As such, public commemoration events in Turkey are often a subject of great controversy.

However, COVID-19 does impact the ability for normal public commemoration activities. Many have moved to an online version. Given that the government remains hostile and sensitive towards commemoration activities, and that the authorities have increased their attempts to restrict free speech online, it is important to watch their response today and in the following weeks.



Azerbaijani press: Refusal of Armenia from phased solution of Karabakh conflict undermines negotiation process

Emil Lazarian
NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT 18:45 (UTC+04:00)

BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr. 23

Trend:

The recent appeals of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, as well as the “representative” of the illegal regime created by this country in the occupied Azerbaijani territories, again showed the true essence of Armenia, Head of the Azerbaijani community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan Tural Ganjaliyev said, Trend reports.

Armenia again demonstrated to the world an attempt to conceal its aggressive policies under the false appearance of a “peaceful” negotiator, trying to delay the time on resolving the conflict and systematically strengthen the existing status quo based on occupation, Ganjaliyev said.

The refusal of Armenia to focus on phased solution of the conflict, which is supported by the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, undermines the negotiation process, he added.

“The Prime Minister of Armenia stated that there are no Madrid principles for Armenia. This is an open disregard for the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group. The Azerbaijani community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan calls on the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group to express a decisive position in connection with the latest actions of Armenia, which contradict the fundamental principles of the negotiation process,” the head of the community noted.

The head of the community also brought to the attention the following position of the Azerbaijani community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan:

“The parties to the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict are Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Armenian and Azerbaijani communities of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan are equally interested parties of the conflict, as enshrined in 1992 by the Helsinki Act of the OSCE Ministerial Council. This is once again confirmed by the meetings and statements of the OSCE Minsk Group during a visit to the region in 2019,” Ganjaliyev stressed.

Changing the format of negotiations adopted by all parties is impossible, and this attempt is a provocation and undermines the negotiation process, he said.

“Touching upon the security issue touched upon by Armenia, Ganjaliyev noted that the biggest security threat is actually the presence of the Armenian armed forces in the occupied Azerbaijani territories.

“Attempts to justify the occupation of the internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijan by the “right” of self-determination are futile, they’re are simply self-deception. The Armenian armed forces must leave Azerbaijani territories and the Azerbaijani population expelled from there must return to their lands, as required by the international community, international organizations, first of all, UN Security Council resolutions,” the head of the community,” the head of the community said.

“The illegal regime on the occupied lands of Azerbaijan was created by Armenia to cover up the occupation. Attitude to the latest so-called “elections” in occupied Karabakh has shown that the international community does not recognize this illegal regime. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Non-Aligned Movement, EU, NATO, individual countries have openly expressed their positions,” he noted.

“Armenia, using for the sake of its purposes, the situation that arose as a result of aggression and ethnic cleansing, refutes the existence of the Azerbaijani community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan and leaves the community’s calls for peaceful coexistence unanswered. Thus, Armenia destroys the prospect of resolving the conflict through negotiations. It is impossible to talk about security in the face of the impossibility of returning the Azerbaijani community to their homes, which is one third of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh. Therefore, one of the important security conditions is the return of the Azerbaijani community to their native lands,” Ganjaliyev said.

“The blackmail of Azerbaijan by Armenia and the illegal regime is nothing more than a simple illusion. This is proved by the counter-offensive measures carried out by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces to ensure the safety of, first of all, the civilian population living on the contact line in response to similar provocations of Armenia in April 2016,” the head of the community added.

“Continuation of the occupation by Armenia does not strengthen its security and the region, it is quite the opposite. Only Armenia is responsible for all this,” he said.

The Azerbaijani community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan reiterates its readiness for peaceful coexistence with the Armenian community within the internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan, Ganjaliyev concluded.

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

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