ANDRANIK MARGARIAN: ARMENIA CONSIDERS DEMONSTRATION OF INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL WILL AIMED AT GENOCIDE PREVENTION AS PRIORITY TODAY
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 24 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 24, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The Armenian Prime
Minister Andranik Margarian sent a message in connection with the
Day of Commemoration of the Victims of the Armenian Genocide. The
message, which was provided to NT by the RA Government Information
and PR Department, reads: “Dear compatriots, Every year on April 24
the Armenians in their Homeland and the Diaspora bend their heads
to the memory of the numerous martyrs who became victims of the
genocide. This crime committed at the state level by Ottoman Turkey in
1915 and in its essence aimed against the cililized humanity not only
was not prevented in time but also was not recognized and condemned,
thus becoming a foundation for new genocides to be committed in
future. Today – in the world that has entered the third millennium,
Armenia considers the demonstration of political will aimed at genocide
prevention as a priority and welcomes the aspiration of many states
to overcome jointly such challenges facing humanity.
It is praseworthy that the number of the states to have recognized
and condemned the Armenian Genocide is increasing each year, since
the civilized world realizes that only by condemning this crime and
giving a true assesment to the historical facts it will be possible
to prevent such crimes in the future.
The efforts of today’s Turkey to deny the genocide, bury the reality in
oblivion and to silence some Turkish intellectuals trying to condemn
the shameful pages of the country’s history are not conducive to the
establishment of stable peace and friendly relations in the region
and make it possible to perpetrate new crimes in an atmosphere of
impunity. Last year all the Armenians commemorated the 90th anniversary
of the Armenian Genocide, underlining once again that they are united
and unanimous to condemn the greatest tragedy of our past and to
join progressive efforts to promote the dialog of civilizations and
strengthen the international security system. And this year when
we celebrate the 15th anniversary of our independence, it is more
than obvious to us that only efforts of the international community
are not sufficient to prevent a crime against a whole nation, it is
also necessary to unite all potential of the nation to strengthen
the Armenian state and create a society professing prosperous and
democratic values. Over the past 15 years, our efforts have been
aimed to achieve this goal, and our achievements in this respect are
becoming apparent year after year.”

ALEXANDER BOZHKO: LESSONS SHOULD BE LEARNT FROM HISTORY’S BLACK PAGES FOR THE TRAGEDY NOT TO RECUR TO OTHER PEOPLES
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 24 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 24, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. “In spite of the
fact that almost one century has passed, not only Armenians but also
many peoples of the world do not forget this terrible tragedy,”
Ambassador of Ukraine to Armenia Alexander Bozhko, who was paying
the tribute of his respect to the victims of the Armenian Genocide,
declared. According to him, today lessons should be learnt from
the black pages of the history for such a tragedy not to recur to
other peoples, too. “The Armenian Genocide was also followed by
Hitler massacres, hunger, in consequence of which 5 mln people died
and Armenian, Ukrainian, Russian intellectuals and those of other
nationalities also died during the Stalin massacres. Therefore,
we should never forget April 24,” the Ambassador emphasized.
From: Baghdasarian

ARTUR AGHABEKIAN: SOONER OR LATER TURKEY WILL RECOGNIZE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 24 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 24, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. It is more Turkey
that should understand that sooner or later the whole world, every
state will recognize the Armenian Genocide. RA Deputy Defence Minister
Artur Aghabekian gave assurance in his interview to journalists on
April 24, at the memorial complex of the Armenian Genocide victims. He
mentioned that today steps aimed at the recognition of the Genocide
are taken even by the states that are to some extent guilty with their
indifference, their participation for the Genocide in Turkey. “I think
Armenia’s right diplomacy, right conduct will also awaken the states
that have been indifferent in the years of the Genocide and remain
indifferent today,” RA Deputy Defence Minister said. In response
to the question, whether Turkey will recognize the Genocide, Artur
Aghabekian said: “Turkey will have to recognize the Genocide. If it
does not recognize today, it will do this tomorrow, how can it deny
the historical justice?”

RECOGNITION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IS NOT AN END IN ITSELF, HISTORIAN EMPHASIZES
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 24 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 24, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Parallelly with the
international recognition of the Armenian Genocide committed at the
beginning of the previous century by the Ottoman Turkey we should also
raise the issue of Armenian demands. Political scientist-specialist
on international affairs, doctor, professor Stepan Stepanian, Head
of the Department on the History of the Armenian Cause and Armenian
Genocide of the Institute of History of RA National Academy of
Sciences, expressed such an opinion at the April 21 meeting at the
Pakagits club. The political scientist mentioned that 18 countries
have already recognized the Armenian Genocide, among which there are
such big states as Russia, France, Germany, Italy, Canada. Stepanian
gave assurance that this process will continue. However, according
to him, the recognition of the Genocide is not an end in itself and
the time has already come when the Armenians should raise the issue
of compensation on the international arena.
According to the historian, the recognition should be used for
overcoming the consequences of the Genocide. Stepanian mentioned the
largest loss, the murder of 2 mln Armenians, is irreversible but the
other consequence is the lost territories that should be returned to
the Armenian people spread throughout the world up to this day. “The
demands of Armenians are legal and we should not conceal them and
make the recognition of the Armenian Genocide an end in itself, he
declared. S.Stepanian gave assurance that Turkey will never recognize
the Genocide. “This country, in essence, with its barbarian policy,
its attitude towards non-Turkish nations has not changed at all,
moreover, it has become more brutalized. If I was asked about the
biggest lie in the world I would say that this is the denial of the
Armenian Genocide by the Turks. I do not think that any one can make
Turkey give up this policy,” he declared. Answering questions about
Russia’s role in the issue of the Genocide, Stepanian mentioned
that, of course, this country had interests of its own but Russia
has never contributed to the Genocide. Meanwhile he mentioned that
the retreat of the Russian army contributed to the big slaughter
of Armenians. According to Stepanian, many of Armenian historians
think that the voluntary movement was unnecessary for Armenians as
this enraged the Turks for even more. However, in the Armenians’
affirmation, the voluntary movement saved many people both in the
Eastern and Western Armenia. As for the Turks, they, according to
Stepanian, had worked out a program of exterminating Armenians long
ago. This is a program of establishing a “Big Turan” that exists up
to this day and Armenia hampers its realization at present. He called
“disgraceful” the Treaty of Moscow concluded on March 16 1921 between
Russia and Turkey, according to which part of the Eastern Armenia
was given to Turkey and Karabakh to Azerbaijan.
Meanwhile the speaker said that at that time Armenia was ruled by
the Dashnaktsutiun party “which carried out a coup in February 1921,
seized the power and held it until the treaty was signed”. Touching
upon the Treaty of Sevres, Stepanian said that according to the treaty,
only one part of the territory of Western Armenia was included in the
independent Armenian state. According to him, the Treaty of Sevres was
concluded by representatives of Dashnaktsutiun government in August
1920 and in December 1920 the Dashnaktsutiun government signed the
Treaty of Alexandropol with Turkey, Article 9 of which invalidated
the Treaty of Sevres.

HAMLET GASPARIAN: THEY IN AZERBAIJAN AGAIN CHERISH ILLUSIONS
Noyan Tapan
Apr 22 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 22, NOYAN TAPAN. Instead of seeing reality and
perceiving what they have heard, they in Azerbaijan again cherish
illusions. The RA MFA spokesman Hamlet Gasparian stated this when
commenting, at the request of the mass media, on the response of the
Azerbaijani MFA spokesman Tair Taghizade to the statement of the RA
Foreign Minister Vartan Osaknian that “if Azerbaijan recognizes the
right of the people of Nagorno Karabakh to determine independently its
future status, Armenia is prepared to discuss seriously the issues
of eliminating the war consequences.” The Azerbaijani MFA spokesman
positively assessed V. Oskanian’s statement, noting at the same time
that they understand “self-determination” of Nagorno Karabakh as the
“highest autonomy” within Azerbaijan. In the words of Gasparian,
recently the Armenian foreign minister has had several occasions to
clearly express Armenia’s position, according to which reaching a
mutual agreement presupposes the recognition of the Nagorno Karabakh
people’s right of self-determination by Azerbaijan, which will be
followed by discussion of the issues related to the war consequences
elimination. “We would have been content with the precedence if the
Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs had positively responded to
the statement of the Armenian foreign minister by considering it as
constructive. It would really promote positive developments regarding
this issue. However, it became clear from the comments that the cart
has not moved from its place at all. As soon as someone speaks about
the right of self-determination of the Nagorno Karabakh people, they
in Azerbaijan start to wallow in the Soviet nostalgia, cherishing
the dream of “highest autonomy,” Hamlet Gasparian underlined.

GREGOIRE’S WARNINGS ON CHINA, EDUCATION NEED TO BE HEEDED
Centralia Chronicle, WA
April 24 2006
In her address last week at a meeting of the Chehalis Rotary Club,
Gov. Chris Gregoire had some words of warning about education we
should heed.
Gregoire is big on improving education in this state, from preschool
to post-graduate.
In discussing early childhood education, for which she is an ardent
advocate, Gregoire told a story. When she was a child, she said,
her mother used to tell her to clean up her plate because children
in China were starving (for some of us, it was starving Armenians or
others). The lesson was that we shouldn’t be wasting when others were
starving and by us not wasting there would be more for them.
But now the focus has changed, Gregoire said. “The story today is,
‘If you don’t do your homework, that child in China will get your job,’
” Gregoire may well be right.
China, which remains the most populous country in the world, is
coming on strong as an economic competitor, its economy growing by
leaps and bounds.
Leveling the trading playing field with China will help create new
markets for our goods there, as Gregoire was striving to achieve
for this state in a recent trade mission to that country. Further
opening of the Chinese market will in turn create more jobs in the
United States.
But with education levels and skilled work forces increasing in China
and Asia, more jobs and potential jobs in this country will flow there
if we don’t bolster education in this country so that we can compete.
That’s why efforts to raise education standards, including this
state’s Assessment of Student Learning testing that Gregoire also
strongly supports, is so important.
On another subject, the governor indicated she is well aware of the
magnitude of the methamphetamine drug problem in our area and the
state. She noted meth is particularly insidious and dangerous because
“unlike any other drug, we do not have the ability to get people
off” it.
In connection with that, she mentioned a disturbing trend in meth
that many may not be aware of – an increased tendency of women to use
the drug as a dietary aid. That is insanity. Once they are hooked on
this highly addictive drug, the number of people who can get off it
permanently is abysmally low.
SATSOP PLAN: Also when she was here last week, Gregoire embraced a
plan to convert the abandoned Satsop nuclear power plant project near
Elma to a job training facility that could be operated by Centralia
College. Gregoire toured the college’s Center of Excellence for
Energy Technology.
In a presentation to the governor, Barbara Hins-Turner, executive
director of the center, said the energy industry will need thousands
of replacement workers as baby boomers start to retire in the next
five to eight years. Hins-Turner has been working with both industry
leaders and labor representatives in the region on a plan to convert
the 1,800-acre Satsop site into a training facility for future
employees in the power generation field. That would be fitting.
Gregoire said the plan “sounds like it has a lot of promise. … The
whole region will benefit” from Satsop as a job training site.
The energy industry has been aware of the declining work force
for years and “The cold, hard truth is that we’re going to suffer
a tremendous brain drain,” said Steve Milistefr, a representative
of the Bonneville Power Administration who was at the college with
Gregoire. He also lauded the college for its efforts to provide more
trained workers to fill the gap.
“Centralia College is starting to put some action behind this, and
things are starting to happen.”
Jim Walton, president of the college, said he hopes to have a Satsop
job training facility operational in two years, including on-site
dormitories.
He commended Gregoire for her interest, noting that support at her
level of government adds impetus to the Satsop plans.
In the end, then, it appears something positive will come out of the
costly boondoggle of trying to build nuclear power plants at Satsop.
Who knows, some day employees might be trained there for jobs at
nuclear power plants, which this country will likely need more of at
some point to become more energy independent.

RUSSIAN AND AZERI HISTORIANS CONSIDER SO-CALLED ARMENIAN GENOCIDE AS “MYTH”
Today, Azerbaijan
April 24 2006
Armenians claim in address of Turkey on recognition of so-called
Armenian genocide in Osman Empire are unreasonable.
As Trend reports, TRT channel programs show that the last period of
existence of Osman Empire was reflected not only in Turkish documents,
but also in works of Azeri and Russian historians.
In fact, British Empire and tsar Russia incited Armenia to “restore
their state in Western Anatolia” and the latter started slaughtering
Turk population, said Professor Israfil Mamedov, former member of
National Academy of Sciences of Armenia (up to 1990).
“I calculated that up to one million soldiers, including Armenians,
were fighting Turkey those years,” – Mamedov said.
Russian historian Igor Pechenev, who long time worked in Soviet
archives, confirmed his statements. In his book entitled “History
of Armenian people” Pechenev writes: “During the World War I, two
million Turks were killed due to genocide committed by Armenians.
Russian military forces included 200 thousand Armenians famous for
their particular cruelty.”
URL:

LEBANON: ARMENIANS MARK ANNIVERSARY OF MASSACRES IN TURKEY
Ya Libnan, Lebanon
April 24 2006
Beirut- Lebanese Armenians marched on the main coastal highway in
Beirut, Lebanon today to mark the 91th anniversary of massacres in
Turkey that began in April 1915 and in which hundreds of thousands
of Armenians died.
Armenian communities around the world are marking the killing of of
Armenians, on April 24 each year with marches, vigils and rallies
to demand recognition from the world community, and reparations
from Turkey.
According to pan Armenian Network , “during the period of 1915-1923,
1.5 million of Armenians were killed. The Armenian Genocide was
recognized by Russia, France, Canada, Lebanon, Uruguay, Cyprus,
Argentina, Greece, Belgium, Sweden, Slovakia, Netherlands, Vatican,
Italy, Germany, Lithuania and Poland as well as over 30 states of
the U.S.”
Turkey claims the number of deaths is inflated and says the victims
were killed in civil unrest.
In Lebanon there is a sizable Armenian community of about 400, 000,
almost 10 % of the population . Most of the Armenians immigrated to
Lebanon from neighboring countries .
Here are some pictures of the Armenian march of April 24th in Beirut
courtesy of AP:
Photo: Lebanese Armenians wave a banner and hold Armenian flags as
they march on the main coastal highway north of Beirut
Photo: A Lebanese Armenian woman holds a banner during a march in
Antelias , north of Beirut to mark the 91st anniversary of massacres
in Turkey that began in April 1915 and in which hundreds of thousands
of Armenians died.
Photo: Lebanese Armenians hold a banner as they march on the main
coastal highway of Antelias, on the northern entrance to Beirut.
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SCHOLAR DETAILS ARMENIAN GENOCIDE HORROR
By Mark Melady Telegram & Gazette Staff
[email protected]
Worcester Telegram , MA
April 24 2006
There were official protests but nothing was done to help.
Simon Payaslian, CHAIR OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE STUDIES AT CLARK UNIVERSITY
WORCESTER- The first genocide of the 20th century wiped out half of
the world’s Armenians and drew a response from the West that would
become the sorry standard for the horrors to come in the death camps
of Europe, the killing fields of Cambodia and throughout Rwanda.
“The major powers responded to the human catastrophe of the Armenians
by trying to ignore it as much as possible,” Simon Payaslian, chair
of Armenian Genocide Studies at Clark University, said on the eve
of today’s 91st anniversary of the Armenian genocide. “There were
official protests but nothing was done to help.”
On April 24, 1915, several hundred Armenian intellectuals, political
leaders and businessmen were rounded up in Constantinople (Istanbul),
arrested and eventually killed. The date marks the beginning of a
genocide that eventually killed 1.5 million Armenians, but Mr.
Payaslian traces the roots of the genocide to Muslim massacres of
Christian Armenians in the 1890s that took as many as 200,000 lives.
“At Friday prayers in the mosque, Muslims were encouraged to attack
Armenians,” Mr. Payaslian said. “After prayers let out, a bugle would
sound from the minarets for the attack to begin, and then a bugle
would sound for the attack to end.”
Soon after the onset of World War I in the fall of 1914, Armenians by
the thousands were ordered out of their homes and force-marched to the
Russian border to help provide for the Turkish military. “They were
told once the war is over you will come back,” Mr. Payaslian said,
“but once forced out of your house, there is no returning.”
For the next two years, hundreds of thousands of Armenians would be
uprooted from their homes and sent into the Syrian desert. It was a
centrally planned and tightly orchestrated ethnic cleansing, Mr.
Payaslian said.
“First, all the Armenian community leaders would be arrested,”
he said. “In the name of military conscription, men from age 16 to
40-45 would be taken away. Then came an announcement that in 15 days
all Armenians would be removed. They could sell whatever they could
sell and take whatever they could carry. With only women, children
and the elderly left, it was very easy for officials to begin the
forced deportations.”
Along the way, the refugees were robbed, beaten and murdered. Some
went insane. Many died of starvation or exhaustion. About 200,000
survived the march, Mr. Payaslian said, and set up refugee camps
near cities such as Beirut, Damascus and Aleppo in Northern Syria,
where Mr. Payaslian’s grandparents landed.
In 1915, the U.S. ambassador to Turkey, Henry Morgenthau Sr., said,
“The great massacres and persecutions of the past seem almost
insignificant when compared to the sufferings of the Armenian race
in 1915.” American consuls in Turkey repeatedly used terms such as
“extinction” and “destruction of the race” in their cables back home,
Mr. Payaslian said, to no avail.
The U.S. government still does not officially recognize the genocide
and Mr. Payaslian doubts it ever will, out of deference to Turkey’s
strategic importance to American interests in the Middle East.
Turkey has steadfastly denied genocide ever took place, blaming
Armenian deaths on the Russians and the war, despite pressure from
European countries that will determine Turkey’s admission to the
European Union.
Mr. Payaslian believes Europe and America could have stopped the
Armenian genocide with military force. “Ultimately, it was not in
the geo-political interests of the U.S. or Europe to do so.” By the
end of World War I, the importance of oil was well established. Mr.
Payaslian said a rear admiral assigned to the region reported back
to Washington that America should not jeopardize its access to Middle
East oil sources for abstract humanitarian principles.
“Especially in the case of the Armenians,” Mr. Payaslian said. “Most
of them were already dead.”

ARMENIANS GIVE PATRICK THUMBS UP DESPITE TIES TO GENOCIDE DENIERS
Hub Politics, MA
April 24 2006
Despite the loose ties to a group that has lobbied on behalf of the
Republic of Turkey and their denial of the Armenian genocide, Deval
Patrick is still considered an ally of the Armenian community.
Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Deval Patrick attended a State House
event yesterday marking the 91st anniversary of the Armenian genocide –
just days after the Herald exposed his ties to a lobbyist working to
block U.S. recognition of the Turkish government’s slaughter of 1.5
million Armenians.
The Herald reported Wednesday that a Washington, D.C., fund-raiser for
Patrick was hosted by Bernie Robinson, a consultant to the Livingston
Group, a lobbying firm that took in millions of dollars from the
Turks to fight a congressional plan to recognize the genocide.
Yesterday Patrick spent roughly an hour at the commemoration ceremony
hosted by Rep. Peter Koutoujian (D-Waltham). Patrick didn’t speak,
but Sharistan Melkonian of the Armenian National Committee said his
presence reinforced the belief of the Armenian community that Patrick
is an ally, not an adversary.
“He has a history of very strong support around the issue that most
Armenians care about, like human rights and civil rights and justice,”
Melkonian said.
In a letter to the Herald, Patrick said “reports of my association
with those who deny the Armenian genocide are completely false.”
Patrick also took umbrage with gubernatorial rival Attorney General Tom
Reilly, who told the Herald that he “wouldn’t want to have anything
to do with” anyone associated with such a firm. Patrick said he was
“disappointed to see my political opponents trying to exploit this
tragedy.”
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