UN ETE DANS LA CROIX: LES ARMENIENS DE TURQUIE. (7/7).
J.-C. P.

La Croix , France
30 août 2005

Dossier. Des intellectuels turcs refusent l’Histoire officielle. Les
cartes postales racontent la coexistence perdue. À travers 750
photographies prises il y a un siècle, un livre et une exposition
defendent l’idee d’une societe plurielle. ISTAMBOUL, reportage de
notre envoye special.

par PLOQUIN Jean-Christophe

Sur la carte postale, une ribambelle d’enfants pose devant une rue
dont les maisons arborent de belles facades. Le clocher d’une eglise
s’elève non loin. La legende est sobre: “Jmisdt, Quartier armenien”.
La scène, prise a Izmit, figure sur la couverture du livre intitule
100 Yil once Turkiye’de Ermeniler (“Les Armeniens en Turquie il y a
100 ans”), edite en janvier a Istamboul. Son editeur, Osman Koker,
avait aussi organise ce mois-la une exposition sur la grande avenue
pietonne de la ville, Istiklal caddesi, reprenant le meme concept:
reveler, par la photographie, l’existence des Armeniens en Turquie
il y a un siècle.

Les 750 photographies rassemblees dans le livre representent un
vertigineux voyage dans le temps. Les legendes – la plupart du temps
en francais – sont d’une precision clinique: “Souvenir d’Erzurum. Le
clocher de l’eglise armenienne”, “Turquie d’Asie. Van. Boutiques
armeniennes”, “Souvenir de Trebizonde. Vue du cimetière armenien”…
Une serie de photos fait meme revivre une ville, celle de Kharpout,
disparue après les massacres de 1915. Une carte venant de la montre les
21 professeurs d’un collège tenu par des missionnaires americains. Les
noms sont presque tous armeniens.

Osman Koker a prepare pendant trois ans ce livre, ainsi que
l’exposition qui repose sur le meme materiel et qui devrait faire
etape a Munich dans quelques jours. En janvier, pendant onze jours,
plus de 10 000 visiteurs, dont beaucoup d’Armeniens, sont passes voir
les photos sur Istiklal caddesi. “Certains sont restes trois heures,
puis ils sont revenus avec leurs grands-parents, se souvient-il. Il y
a en un qui a reconnu son père sur une carte postale de Kharpout. Une
femme a ecrit sur le livre d’or: “Je suis heureuse d’avoir pu voir
cette exposition avant de mourir.””

Quant aux Turcs, ils etaient stupefaits. La plupart ont decouvert
par ce biais qu’il y a cent ans, des Armeniens vivaient dans leur
ville d’origine, qu’ils avaient un certain niveau d’education, que la
cohabitation semblait harmonieuse. “La societe aujourd’hui n’est ni
dans l’etat de nier le genocide, ni dans l’etat de le reconnaître,
souligne Hrant Dink, redacteur en chef du journal armeno-turc Agos.
Elle ne sait pas ce qui s’est passe. Mais elle est en train
d’apprendre.”

Apparemment neutres, l’exposition et le livre signifient pourtant
beaucoup. Ceux qui savent regarder comprennent que la Turquie de
l’epoque avait une identite plurielle, qu’une civilisation a ete
brutalement arrachee et que le pays a, depuis, beaucoup perdu. “On
nous dit toujours que les Armeniens ont trahi les Turcs. Mais on
ne dit jamais que ce sont eux qui ont cree les villes en Anatolie,
s’indigne Osman Koker. Notre système d’education ne parle pas des
minorites. L’Histoire commence avec les Turcs et finit avec les
Turcs. Or, la diversite est très importante pour le developpement
d’un pays moderne. Si la population prend conscience de cette realite
perdue, on pourra creer une societe plus pacifique, plus heureuse.”

Originaire de Maras, non loin de la Syrie, Osman Koker se souvient
d’une Americaine “qui parlait le turc avec l’accent du coin”, alors
qu’il n’avait que dix ans. D’origine armenienne, elle etait venue
revoir la maison paternelle et l’avait retrouvee. “J’ai decouvert que
les Armeniens vivaient la auparavant. Et qu’ils etaient chez eux”,
explique-t-il. Il prepare pour l’an prochain une autre exposition sur
le meme principe, cette fois sur les Grecs. Il publiera aussi, ville
par ville, des photos comparatives d’une place, d’un edifice, d’un
lieu, a cent ans d’intervalle, pour montrer parfois la continuite,
parfois la beance provoquee par l’eradication d’une culture. “La
question des minorites touche directement a la democratie”, resume-t-il
en un doux sourire.

–Boundary_(ID_8543ZNLkt1Ua1DrzGC2WwQ)–

US AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT TO GUARANTEE NEW SHORT-TERM DEBENTURE
By Aghavni Harutyunian

AZG Armenian Daily #154, 31/08/2005

Economy

The US Agency for International Development and Kaskad-Kredit
Corp. signed an agreement of credit guarantee, according to which AID
will guarantee 50 percent of short-term debenture of Kaskad-Kredit
Corp. As executive director of Kaskad Capital Holding, Jonathan Stark,
put it, such an agreement is a great event for Armenia.

Emphasizing the importance of the event, US ambassador to Armenia
John Evans stated that preparation for this agreement lasted 2
years. Gerald Gefestchian is its initiator. The ambassador noted
that the US does not simply invest in such countries like Armenia
but works to stimulate export in Armenia. Amb. Evans said also that
the president of Kaskad-Kredit Bank, Garegin Gevorgian, studied in
the United States by Muskie program.

President of the Central bank of Armenia, Tigran Sargsian, pointed out
that Garegin Gevorgian’s main plus is the fact that he had studied
in the USA but that he had work experience at Central Bank. In view
of the new bonds coming into circulation the CB is making relevant
changes to put the agreement in use.

The executive director of Kaskad-Kredit said that they will issue
debenture for one year with a nominal dimension of $6 million. The
first debentures will be issued till the end of the year through the
Armenian stock exchange.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

CIS, OSCE AND UN ON THRESHOLD OF REFORMS
By Tatoul Hakobian

AZG Armenian Daily #154, 31/08/2005

Reforms

Armenia is actively participating in the discussions of the CIS,
OSCE and UN reforms and has its concrete positions. Vartan Oskanian
doesn’t agree that the CIS is about to collapse as a structure. At
the CIS Summit in Kazan, Armenia joined the other states and voted
for Kazakhstan’s candidacy for the position of the country in chair
of the OSCE in 2009. In response to our question why Armenia votes
for a country that still has a pro-Azeri orientation in the Nagorno
Karabakh issue, Mr. Oskanian said that Armenia wasn’t fully siding
with Kazakhstan and when the time comes and the issue is discussed,
our country will announce its concrete position. “Kazakhstan’s position
in the Nagorno Karabakh issue has never been neutral till now,” Mr.

Oskanian said.

Armenia won’t be represented on the level of the president at the
UN General Assembly, this year, too. RA Prime Minister will lead the
Armenian delegation, while Vartan Oskanian will accompany him.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

DISHING OUT WHILE DINING IN

Burbank Leader, CA
Aug 31 2005

Zankou, known for chicken but not decor, hopes to draw in more
customers with a stylish new restaurant in Burbank.
By Darleene Barrientos, The Leader

BURBANK — Zankou Chicken restaurants are famous for the tender,
roasted chicken and tasty garlic spread they serve, but not so much
for the nondescript, cafeteria-like decor.

The Southern California chain, owned by the Iskenderian family of
Glendale, is planning to break with its reputation for good food
but bad ambience by opening a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant with
27,000 square feet in Burbank. The building will include the chain’s
first patio seating, and a dome will grace its southeast corner.

The new restaurant is scheduled to be open by November or December
and will be the beginning of the chain’s move toward more attractive
and welcoming eateries.

“This is going to be the staple,” said Dikran Iskenderian, a manager
and co-owner of Zankou’s six restaurants. “This is going to be,
God willing, what all of Zankou’s future stores will be based [upon].”

Burbank’s Zankou is being built from the ground up as part of a strip
mall under construction along San Fernando Boulevard just west of
Burbank Boulevard. The mall, which is being developed by Dell West
Properties, will include a drive-through Starbucks, a Robeks Juice
store, a Quizno’s sandwich shop, a nail salon and spa, an IndyMac
Bank branch and an Italian gelato shop, which will also be owned by
the Iskenderian family.

Seven tenants will occupy 13,000 square feet of the 50,000-square-foot
lot, said Rafik Khatchaturian, the developer and owner of the
property. The Khatchaturian and Iskenderian families have known each
other for at least 20 years, but have not worked together until now.

“I went to Italy and was inspired by the Italian architecture,”
Khatchaturian said of his plans to build the project. “I wanted
to create a high-end food court. I think we’ve been lucky in the
implementation of the idea.”

Zankou’s Burbank restaurant anchors the strip mall’s north end. The
eatery’s owners will employ a variety of consultants to plan the
restaurant’s paint, lighting, tile and kitchen layout.

“This location — no one can say anything anymore about the decor,”
Iskenderian said. “They can’t say anymore, ‘it’s great food, but take
it to go.'”

About 60% to 70% of Zankou’s customers take their food to go,
he said. With its new Burbank restaurant, Iskenderian said he
expected that number to drop to 50%. Iskenderian’s grandfather,
Vartkes Iskenderian, opened Zankou’s first store in Beirut, Lebanon,
in 1962. Iskenderian’s father, Mardiros Iskenderian, immigrated to the
United States and opened the first U.S. location in Hollywood in 1984.
Subsequent stores opened in Glendale in 1984, in Van Nuys in 1992, in
Anaheim in 1996, in Pasadena in 2000 and in West Los Angeles this year.

If Zankou’s Burbank restaurant opens as scheduled, it will be the
first time the chain has opened two stores in one year, Iskenderian
said. Future locations are being considered on Ventura Boulevard near
Tarzana, in Beverly Hills and in eastern Santa Monica.

The family might consider going public one day, but franchising the
Zankou brand is an unlikely idea, Iskenderian said.

“The food is handmade, and the recipes are from my family,” Iskenderian
said of Zankou, which is named after a river in Armenia. “We don’t
want the quality of the food to go down.”

9/11 TESTIMONY OF ‘INCONVENIENT PATRIOT’ IMPLICATES DENNIS HASTERT, OTHER TOP OFFICIALS IN AL QAEDA-RELATED BRIBERY SCANDAL
By Mike Mejia
Online Journal Contributing Writer

Online Journal, FL
Aug 31 2005

August 31, 2005-Thanks to a Vanity Fair article penned by British
Journalist David Rose, as well as to some excellent follow-up
interviews in the alternative press, the final ‘dots’ in the story
of fired FBI contract linguist and 9/11 whistleblower Sibel Edmonds
are close to being fully connected.

A case that has been shrouded in unprecedented government secrecy
for over three years is finally being forced into sharp focus,
giving the mainstream press no more excuses to ignore a scandal
that makes Tom DeLay’s lobbying shenanigans look like an exercise
in ‘good government’ by comparison. We now have a very good idea
of the countries, organizations and individuals Edmonds heard in
wiretaps connected with the money laundering, arms dealing and drug
trafficking activities that the whistleblower says facilitated the
crimes of September 11, 2001.

Although the Turkish-American Edmonds had always been creative
in drawing an abstract outline of the official corruption she had
discovered as a translator of Central Asian languages at the FBI,
where she was hired a few days after 9/11, she was hindered from
‘naming names’ by a series of Justice Department gag orders. However,
the Vanity Fair article has opened a floodgate of new information,
as author Rose was able to obtain leaks from congressional sources
and FBI officials present during Ms. Edmonds classified testimony
before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The article reveals for the first time that one of the elected
officials that bin Laden-connected Turkish nationals claimed to
have on their payroll was none other than Republican House Speaker
Dennis Hastert, to whom bribes and illicit campaign contributions may
have been funneled in order to get him to pull a House Resolution on
Armenian Genocide from the House Floor in 2000. It also reveals that
these same Turkish nationals claimed to have bribed several State
Department and Defense Department officials to facilitate illicit
conventional and nuclear arms trades, and had infiltrated U.S.
nuclear weapons laboratories in order to sell U.S. technology to the
“highest bidder” (al Qaeda, North Korea, Iran?)

The one flaw in the Vanity Fair article is that it seems to boil
Sibel Edmonds’ testimony down to an Armenian Genocide resolution, when
actually most of what Edmonds has testified about relates directly to
9-11 (It is not clear why a bunch of Turkish mafia types would have
been so interested in a non-binding resolution on the slaughter of the
Armenians by the Ottoman Turks at the beginning of the 20th Century:
were they acting on behalf of the Turkish government, or were they
afraid a freeze in U.S.-Turkish relations would cut off Turkey as a
transshipment point for heroin and nuclear materials?)

As a result, Ms. Edmonds has been made a pariah in Turkey, while
Dennis Hastert is apparently no worse off than before: except
for one article in USA Today, no major newspaper has reported on
these explosive revelations surrounding the speaker of the House of
Representatives. But although the Rose article missed the mark in
certain respects, it provided a useful launching pad for the follow-up
interviews the FBI whistleblower gave with Amy Goodman, Scott Horton
and Chris Deliso, in which she fleshed out many additional details
of the scandal.

Pulling all this new data together, we now have a pretty good idea
of what exactly Attorney General Ashcroft was trying to hide when
he twice invoked the “State Secrets” privilege to suppress Edmonds’
testimony in the U.S. court system.

Foreign Relations: The Edmonds case has always been quashed by the
State and Justice Departments under the guise of protecting “sensitive
foreign relations.” In the Deliso and Horton interviews, Edmonds hints
this is because U.S. “quasi-allies” Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan,
Tajikistan, and at least one Balkan country, are implicated in 9-11,
mainly through partnership with al Qaeda in the global heroin trade.

Government officials: Besides Dennis Hastert, Edmonds testimony
pointed to bribes given to State Department and Pentagon officials.
Edmonds harshest rhetoric is directed at the State Department,
which she hints blocked the investigation into the “drugs for arms”
network, partially because some of its own officials had been bribed.
She also claims that at least some neocons are involved in this
illicit activity.

Organizations: At least three Turkish organizations were apparently
named in Edmonds testimony, including the American Turkish Council
and the Assembly of Turkish American Associations. However, Edmonds,
has spoken of “several” such “semi-legitimate” organizations. Some
of her recent statements may put AIPAC in that category, as well as
other organizations connected to the above mentioned Central Asian
countries (I would personally not be surprised to find the Project
for a New American Century end up on the list someday).

So how does one pull all these new clues together to develop a coherent
narrative of what Edmonds testified to before various Committees and
the 9-11 Commission? One thing that struck this author is the close
parallel between the claims the ‘Inconvenient Patriot’ has been making
and the testimony given by author Peter Dale Scott at the recent 9/11
symposium organized by Representative Cynthia McKinney. Specifically,
Scott pointed out how the U.S. geopolitical strategy in Central
Asia-primarily designed to gain control of the energy resources in
the region-has led to a tolerance of and maybe even complicity in the
heroin trade and to a much more complex relationship with al Qaeda
than was revealed in the 9-11 Commission Report.

Scott writes: “The truth is that for at least two decades the United
States has engaged in energetic covert programs to secure U.S.
control over the Persian Gulf, and also to open up Central Asia for
development by U.S. oil companies . . . To this end, time after time,
U.S. covert operations in the region have used so-called ‘Arab Afghan’
warriors as assets, the jihadis whom we loosely link with the name and
leadership of al Qaeda. In country after country these ‘Arab Afghans’
have been involved in trafficking Afghan heroin.”

Combining the analysis of Mr. Scott with the testimony of Edmonds,
it would appear that investigative reporter John Stanton had it
exactly right when he wrote that the American people ” . . . are easily
sacrificed for a perceived greater good.” From the U.S. support for the
drug-running KLA in Kosovo, to its coddling of totalitarian regimes
in Central Asia, it appears that once again the U.S. is complicit in
the drug trade, even though that same trade also benefits our alleged
enemy, Osama Bin Laden. And the heroin is not just going into Europe:

Edmonds makes clear that the pipeline of Southwest Asian heroin to
the United States that closed after the end of the Soviet-Afghan war
has been reopened. The DEA’s own website may give credence to her
allegations: According to the its Domestic Monitor Program, Southwest
Asian Heroin, which had previously been brought in small quantities by
West African couriers, principally through JFK Airport in New York,
suddenly began appearing in larger quantities in Washington D.C. in
2001. Was this heroin coming in with the full knowledge and even
the support of the U.S. government? Were these narcotics, and not
some obscure collection of Islamic charities, the primary financing
mechanism for the 9-11 attacks?

Anyone who has studied the history of U.S. intelligence agencies
involvement with drug traffickers and terrorists should not be
surprised about these revelations. However, this would be the first
time as far as this author knows, that the drugs being allowed into
the country by U.S. officials may be financing the very attacks that
endanger our citizen’s lives-a fact that would be almost comical if
it were not so tragic. And the next attack, if it comes, could be with
WMD-knowledge obtained not from tinhorn dictators or Iranian mullahs,
but from our own military-industrial complex.

While those of us looking to reopen the 9-11 inquiry have much to be
encouraged about with the recent clues put out by Sibel Edmonds, we
are once again disappointed with the tepid response of the corporate
media, and frankly, the nonresponse of much of the Internet community
(Where are Buzzflash, Josh Marshall, Daily KOS and Juan Cole on
this issue?) Beyond Online Journal, Antiwar.com and Democracy Now,
these stunning allegations have received scant coverage. Yet, if Ms.
Edmonds is correct-and Republican Senator Charles Grassley calling her
‘credible’ is a strong indicator that she is-then at this very moment,
our nuclear secrets are being sold to the very alleged terrorists
our government claims to be chasing down in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Is there any issue more important than the fact that the reckless
hypocrisy of the U.S. government could result in a nuclear attack on
American soil and the subsequent shredding of what little remains of
the U.S. Constitution? If there is, I’m all ears.

UN ETE DANS LA CROIX: LES ARMENIENS DE TURQUIE (6/7).

La Croix , France
29 août 2005

Dossier. “L’Etat doit etre equidistant de toutes les religions”.

Interview. Sa Beatitude Mesrob II. Patriarche d’Istamboul de l’Eglise
armenienne apostolique. Pour le patriarche de l’Eglise armenienne
apostolique, la laïcite en Turquie ne garantit pas toujours l’egalite
des religions devant l’Etat. L’adhesion a l’Union europeenne pourrait,
pense-t-il, ameliorer la situation.

par PLOQUIN Jean-Christophe

Vous etes a la tete de l’Eglise armenienne apostolique en Turquie
depuis 1998. Le contexte est-il aujourd’hui favorable a cette minorite
dans le pays?

S. B. Mesrob II: Selon des statistiques publiees au debut de l’annee
par le Bureau de l’information de l’Etat, il y a aujourd’hui en
Turquie de 68 000 a 70 000 Armeniens (1) ayant la nationalite turque,
plus 30 000 Armeniens d’Armenie, qui sont en quelque sorte des
travailleurs immigres. Pour pouvoir vivre et nous developper en tant
que minorite, nous avons besoin de trois choses: de pretres, d’ecoles
et de fondations pour susciter de l’argent. Dans ces trois domaines,
la situation n’est pas satisfaisante. Nous payons les memes impôts
que les Turcs musulmans. Mais eux disposent de mosquees, d’imams,
d’instituts de theologie payes par le gouvernement et d’une direction
des affaires religieuses qui relève du premier ministre. Nous, nous
devons financer nous-memes le patriarcat, les eglises, les salaires
des pretres, et nous n’avons pas de faculte de theologie armenienne.

Où est donc la vraie laïcite?

– Vous sentez-vous turc?

– Je suis ne a Istamboul. Je suis un fils de cette Republique. Je
veux pouvoir dire: “C’est mon pays.” Les Armeniens de Turquie ne
sont pas une extension de la Republique d’Armenie. Ils ont plus de
points communs avec leurs concitoyens turcs. Tous les enfants de
notre communaute doivent pouvoir jongler avec trois balles, comme
au cirque: la nationalite turque, l’ethnie armenienne, la religion
chretienne. Idem pour les Grecs ou pour les juifs de Turquie. Mais
il faut pour cela une vraie laïcite dans le pays. L’Etat doit etre
equidistant de toutes les religions. Dans les ecoles turques, on
n’enseigne pas le pluralisme, la diversite. On ne met pas en evidence
l’heritage de la Turquie comme creuset de tellement de traditions et
de civilisations. Cela dit, actuellement, une nouvelle loi sur les
fondations est en cours de discussion, qui devrait mettre toutes les
religions sur un pied d’egalite pour le financement de leurs oeuvres
et de leurs biens religieux.

– Les conversions sont-elles possibles en Turquie?

– Chaque annee, nous baptisons entre 80 et 120 adultes revenant a la
religion armenienne. Lorsqu’une personne vient nous en faire la demande
et qu’il y a au moins deux temoins qui affirment par ecrit qu’elle
est d’origine armenienne, nous lui faisons suivre le catechumenat et
elle est baptisee. Selon certains professeurs d’histoire, environ
200 000 Armeniens, surtout des filles, ont ete convertis a l’islam
en 1915. Il y a donc sans doute au moins 1,5 million de Turcs qui
ont une ascendance armenienne.

– L’Etat vous laisse-t-il faire?

– L’Etat est laïque! Ce n’est donc pas son problème! Mais nous sommes
regulièrement soumis a des campagnes de presse qui accusent les
chretiens de se livrer a des activites missionnaires. Dans l’islam,
quand le père est musulman, ses enfants sont musulmans. C’est une
difficulte. Les campagnes de presse font etat de 10 000 ou 20
000 conversions au christianisme, surtout de la part d’Eglises
protestantes. C’est très exagere. On peut parler de quelques
centaines. Et il faut bien dire que l’activite missionnaire musulmane
est beaucoup plus intense: la television diffuse des lectures du
coran et les sermons des imams.

– Les chretiens ne sont sans doute plus que 200 000 en Turquie…

Feraient-ils peur a 65 millions de musulmans?

– Il y a des gens qui essaient de montrer les chretiens comme un danger
pour le pays. C’est une phobie qui remonte aux dernières annees de
l’Empire ottoman. Ils percoivent les minorites comme de possibles
saboteurs de la nation. Pour le Turc moyen, l’Empire s’est effondre
parce que les minorites ont collabore avec l’etranger.

Certains essaient aujourd’hui d’actualiser cette perception pour
apeurer les masses.

– Parvenez-vous a aller au contact des quelques centaines ou milliers
d’Armeniens qui vivent hors d’Istamboul?

– Quand je sors d’Istamboul, nous sommes entoures de huit a dix
policiers, pour notre securite! Dans ces conditions, il est difficile
d’etre pasteur. Fin juin, je suis alle a Kayseri, l’ancienne Cesaree
de Cappadoce, pour celebrer une messe en memoire de saint Gregoire
l’Illuminateur: premier eveque d’Armenie, il a vecu, etudie et
enseigne dans cette ville, et c’est lui qui, en 301, a converti le
roi d’Armenie au christianisme. Cesaree est une cite sainte pour les
Armeniens du monde entier. Il y a encore une eglise du XIe siècle,
mais il ne reste plus que cinq Armeniens. Or, le lendemain, la presse
a ete detestable sur le thème: la Turquie est musulmane, le patriarche
cherche a nous convertir. En fait, on veut nous decourager d’effectuer
des pèlerinages dans les lieux d’origine du christianisme.

Quoi qu’il en soit, je vais trois fois par an en Anatolie, a la
rencontre de nos communautes. Il y a de nombreuses villes où vivent
des Armeniens mais où nous n’avons plus d’eglise, comme a Malatya
ou a Elazig. Ou alors ces eglises existent encore, mais nous ne
les possedons plus et nous n’avons pas le droit d’en construire de
nouvelles. Or, ces petites communautes aussi ont besoin de nourriture
spirituelle et je ne vois pas pourquoi elles devraient se confiner
pour le culte dans un appartement.

– À Istamboul, les Armeniens restent-ils dans le giron de l’Eglise?

– La secularisation est forte! J’aimerais que tout le monde temoigne
de sa foi. Mais je suis trop idealiste. La communaute armenienne
d’Istamboul est connue pour etre très pieuse. Il y a de nombreuses
chorales d’eglises, l’Avent est toujours un temps fort. Mais un
enfant sur trois seulement va a l’ecole armenienne. C’est trop peu
pour pouvoir entretenir la langue et la religion. Un jeune sur deux
se marie avec un non-Armenien. Irremediablement, les chiffres de la
communaute vont donc baisser. Il s’agit pour nous de reevangeliser
la communaute armenienne.

– Pensez-vous qu’un jour le nombre d’Armeniens augmentera de nouveau
en Turquie?

– Peut-etre, si la Turquie entre dans l’Union europeenne. Quand le
pays aura rejoint le niveau de vie moyen de l’Europe, qu’il aura
adopte ses valeurs, quand il y aura plus d’air pour les minorites.

Deja, l’exode est beaucoup moins important que dans les annees 1960
et 1970. À l’epoque, il y avait entre 5 000 et 10 000 departs par an.

Aujourd’hui, on parle de centaines. Un jour peut-etre, les Armeniens
de Turquie n’auront plus aucune raison d’aller voir ailleurs.

(a Istamboul)

DEMAIN:

Des historiens turcs

refusent l’Histoire officielle

RECUEILLI PAR JEAN-CHRISTOPHE PLOQUIN

(1) Dont 3 000 Armeniens catholiques et 400 Armeniens protestants

Neuf Armeniens sur dix sont “apostoliques”

90% des Armeniens dans le monde relèvent de l’Eglise armenienne
apostolique, dite aussi “gregorienne” (en reference a saint
Gregoire l’Illuminateur, qui la suscita). Celle-ci est divisee
en quatre structures autonomes: les catholicossats d’Etchmiadzine
(Armenie) et de Sis (etabli a Antelias, au Liban), les patriarcats
de Constantinople (Istamboul) et de Jerusalem. Leur lien organique
tient dans la primaute du siège d’Etchmiadzine, actuellement occupe
par le patriarche Karekine II.

L’Eglise armenienne-catholique (de rite oriental, unie a Rome)
compterait 300 000 fidèles – quelques milliers en Turquie – dont le
patriarche Jean-Pierre XIX reside a Beyrouth.

Plusieurs dizaines de milliers d’Armeniens protestants sont reunis
dans l’Union des Eglises evangeliques armeniennes.

Le patriarche armenien (gregorien) Mesrob II de Constantinople a sous
sa juridiction 35 eglises en activite dans la metropole du Bosphore.

En Anatolie, il n’y a au mieux que six eglises suffisamment solides
pour pouvoir y celebrer la liturgie. Celle de Vakiflar, près
d’Iskenderoun, est la seule a avoir pu etre renovee. Le clerge doit
avoir la nationalite turque. Pour la Turquie, il comprend aujourd’hui
le patriarche, deux eveques, quatre pretres celibataires et 18 maries,
24 diacres et 36 chantres.

–Boundary_(ID_p2k3JhXFJlJVgzBWp0KTZg)–

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

DO NOT COMPARE US WITH IRAQ

A1+

| 18:14:17 | 30-08-2005 | Politics |

Today during the discussions of the constitutional amendments the
NA hall was almost empty. Though speeches by the opposition deputies
aroused some interest, during the speeches by the coalition members
the hall became quite empty.

The opposition deputies have worked out a serious tactic and each of
them uncovered the faults of the draft from various aspects. According
to Shavarsh Kocharyan, the fact that the U.S. compares Armenia
with Iraq, on which it is now trying to impose the adoption of the
Constitution, is humiliating for Armenia.

He stated that the international structures approve the draft not
because it is good but because they do not have other expectations. In
his words, this does not do us credit, taking into account that we have
the constitution written by Shahamir Shahamiryan in the 19th century.

DECEIT OCCIDENTALLY

Noting that the draft items conflict with one another NA deputy
Arshak Sadoyan states that the “occidental form of deceit” is being
implemented. “Is it hard to fix that despite the constitutional
amendments one person cannot run for president three times.

Independent deputy Hmayak Hovhanissyan is battling against the
expansion of the Prime Minister’s authority. In his words, presently
the President has less authority than the Premier appointed by the
oligarchic majority.

PRESIDENT’S GRATITUDE

National Unity Secretary Alexan Karapetyan emphasized that the
Constitutional Court is empowered with ultimate authority. In his
words, in this way Robert Kocharyan “covers up” the debt to the CC,
which saved him in 1998 and 2003.

CONSTITUTION BETRAYS HOMELAND?

Aram G. Sargsyan touched upon the clause on land sale, due to which
“our homeland can go to the enemy’s hands in the near future”. He
also pointed out to the technical faults, for example the expression
stating that “The Constitution is adopted by the Armenian people via
referendum”. “Considerable number of Armenian people are members of
the Diaspora and cannot take part in the referendum”, he noted.

GEORGIAN WITH ALLEGED LINKS TO AZERI “COUP PLOT” ARRESTED

Civil Georgia, Georgia
Aug 31 2005

News broke on August 30 that Georgian citizen Merab Jibuti was
arrested by Azeri border guards for alleged illegal crossing of the
Georgian-Azerbaijani border on August 26, Georgian and Azeri media
sources reported.

Merab Jibuti is suspected by the Azerbaijani security service of being
linked to Ruslan Bashirli, chief of the Yeni Fikir youth organization,
who was arrested on August 3 and charged with plotting a coup in
Azerbaijan.

The Georgian and Azeri media also reported that chief of the Georgian
intelligence service Batu Kutelia has recently visited Azerbaijan.
The Georgian Intelligence Department has confirmed this report.

But the Georgian Interior Ministry denied that a visit of Interior
Minister Vano Merabishvili took place in Azerbaijan on August 15.
However, the Azerbaijani state-run news agency AzerTag reported that
Merabishvili met with Aliyev.

No details of the visit were reported, but the Georgian media
speculates that the both of these visits – by Merabishvili and
Kutelia – were linked to the investigation of an alleged coup plot
in Azerbaijan.

The Azeri opposition claims that allegations of a coup attempt are
politically-motivated. The arrested Bashirli also denies charges.

According to the Azerbaijani General Prosecutor’s Office, Ruslan
Bashirli met with an Armenian special service agent in Tbilisi, while
he was visiting the Georgian capital in late July. Merab Jibuti also
participated in this meeting, during which Bashirli received USD
2,000 from the Armenian special service agent.

Azeri media sources reported that Merab Jibuti was arrested while
crossing the Georgian-Azerbaijani border without any identification.
Reportedly, Jibuti had contact information of some activists from
the Yeni Fikir youth organization.

It is unclear why Jibuti was going to visit Azerbaijan. The Azeri media
reported that Jibuti planned to meet with Ruslan Bashirli, but as the
detention of Jibuti occurred on August 26, by that time Bashirli had
already been arrested (on August 3) by the Azeri security service.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

OSKANIAN CONTENT WITH RESULTS OF ARMENIAN-AZERI SUMMIT

Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Aug 31 2005

The weekend meeting in Russia between the presidents of Armenia and
Azerbaijan marked another important step towards the resolution of
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian said
on Tuesday.

Oskanian said he and his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov will
now try to build on progress made by Robert Kocharian and Ilham Aliev.

“True, no breakthrough was achieved during that meeting, but we do
consider it positive and believe that the negotiations are following
a positive course,” he told a news conference. “The most important
thing is that the presidents’ meeting in Kazan enables the [foreign]
ministers to continue their work. I think that there will be a meeting
of the ministers in the near future. A visit to the region by the
co-chairs [of the OSCE Minsk Group is also possible.”

“I think that we have some work to do regarding the results of the
presidents’ meeting and that there is now new room for continuing
the process,” Oskanian said, adding that he and Mammadyarov received
relevant “instructions” from the two presidents. He did not say what
those instructions are.

“Each meeting at the level of the presidents is a step forward,
but it’s still early to speak of serious progress,” Mammadyarov told
reporters on Monday.

International mediators and the United States in particular hoped the
Kazan meeting will clear the final hurdle to a Karabakh settlement.
It is not clear if Aliev and Kocharian lived up to their expectations.

It is widely assumed that the two leaders will not sign or
announce any compromise agreements on Karabakh before the November
parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan and constitutional referendum
in Armenia. Unpopular concessions could significantly strengthen
opposition groups in both countries that are plotting fresh attempts
to topple the ruling regimes in Baku and Yerevan.

Oskanian said the upcoming polls will have no bearing on the peace
process. “We have not yet reached a point where we need to inform our
publics about details,” he explained. “We are still not there. That
is why it is not worth thinking about that.”

“We are simply not close to putting anything on paper. So nobody is
thinking yet about the restrictive impact of the elections or the
referendum on the negotiations,” he added.

NO ‘PROGRESS OR BREAKTHROUGH’ IN KAZAN
By Tatoul Hakobian in Kazan

AZG Armenian Daily #154, 31/08/2005

Kazan meeting

Yerevan Considers the Meeting of Presidents Positive Advancement

The foreign minister of Azerbaijan stated, according to ITAR-TASS
agency, that the results of the meeting between presidents Ilham
Aliyev and Robert Kocharian on the sidelines of Kazan summit do
not allow saying that progress or breakthrough was achieved. But,
Elmar Mamediarov underscored, that negotiations of the presidents are
always important as they try to bring things together. “Armenia and
Azerbaijan will need one or two weeks to analyze results and ideas
offered at the meeting as well as to think to what extent are the
sides ready to move forward”, Mamediarov said.

Karabakh regulation talks between Kocharian and Aliyev lasted 2
hours. After the meeting, neither the presidents, nor foreign ministers
and OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen made any statement for the media. The
spokesperson of the Armenian President made the only comment. “The
Armenian side has positive evaluation of the Kazan meeting and thinks
there was positive advance in talks process. The foreign ministers
will keep on working with the same spirits considering results of
this meeting”, Viktor Soghomonian said.

Aboard the plane to Yerevan, journalists tried to inquire
from President Kocharian about results of meeting with Ilham
Aliyev. Kocharian said that the meeting was positive on the whole and
said that the talks will reach a good final if they don’t stray. The
foreign minister was also optimistic.

Oskanian said that positive tendencies have not vanished and though
the date of the next meeting within Prague Process has not been set
the co-chairs will try to strike the iron while it is hot.

Foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan as well as Minsk group
mediators Yuri Merzlyakov, Steven Mann and Bernard Fassie took
part in discussion of some issues at Kocharian-Aliyev meeting. The
Russian President was also supposed to take part in the meeting but
failed to do so. This can mean that the Russian side did not expect
serious progress in Karabakh regulation or Vladimir Putin was busy
with CIS affairs.

‘Armenia Will Be My Final Destination’

National minorities of Tatarstan also took part in the celebration of
the 1000th anniversary of Tatar capital of Kazan during the CIS summit.

Armenians settled in Kazan in 10th century. Head of the local Armenian
community Mikhail Khachaturian says that Armenian merchants used to
take satin, carpets and cochineal from Volga to Bulgaria. Armenians
grew in number in Kazan and neighboring regions as a result of
Seljuk incursion in 11th century. “There are now 7.000 Armenians in
Tatarstan, particularly in Kazan and Naberezhniye Chelny. Most of
them are engaged in building and business but you can find them in
every sphere”, he says.

Kazan used to be even a center of Armenian studies once. In 1842-54,
Stepanos Nazaryants headed the department of Armenian Studies at the
faculty of Oriental Studies of Kazan University before transferring
it to Saint Petersburg. In 1920, one of Kazan’s streets used to bear
the name of Armyanskaya Str (today it’s called Spartakovskaya).

Though Armenia is considered to be Russia’s military ally, a friendly
state, cases of harassment against Armenians are nothing rare. In
Krasnodar, for one, Armenians are attended as Caucasians in the
negative sense. What’s the situation in Tatarstan? “People know
Armenians as a nation with ancient history. Someone ignorant will
certainly take us as “black” but intelligent ones value Armenians. In
one word, there are people with negative and positive attitude”,
Khachaturian says.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress