ARTSAKH YOUTH ABOUT THE GENOCIDE

Azat Artsakh – Nagorno Karabakh Republic [NKR]
25 April 05

In the years of World War I, in 1914 – 1918 the Turkish rulers, with
the support of Kaiser Germany and the connivance of the Western powers
perpetrated massacres of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire. The first
victims of the horrible manslaughter perpetrated by the Young Turks
were the intelligentsia of West Armenia. Soon the policy of genocide
of the Turkish tyranny involved all the places in the Ottoman Empire
inhabited by Armenians. Massacres were perpetrated in the settlements,
on the way and in places of exile, particularly in the deserts of Deir
El Zor and Ras El Ain. The progressive countries of the world have
always condemned by the Armenian Genocide. A number of countries,
namely Uruguay (1965), Argentina (1985), Cyprus (1990), Russia, Greece
(1995), Australia (1997), Belgium (1998), Sweden, Italy, Lebanon,
Vatican (2000), France (2001), Switzerland (2003), Canada, Slovakia
(2004), Poland (2005) recognized and condemned the Armenian
Genocide. No doubt after ninety years the Armenian diplomacy will
become more actively involved in the process of the international
recognition of the Armenian Genocide and will do its best to achieve
the recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide by
Turkey. It is interesting to know the opinion of the young people of
Artsakh on this. YERVAND HAJIYAN,`Haiki Serund’ Youth Public
Organization, in charge of public relations:`The ninetieth anniversary
of the Armenian Genocide is a stimulus for the process of recognition
of the monstrous crime by the international community, and making it
an up-to-date topic of discussions in different governmental and
public sectors. It is reassuring that the parliament of Poland
condemned the ruthless massacres of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey, and
the parliaments of Germany and Hungary are going to discuss the
question of recognition of the Genocide. Sixteen foreign countries
have recognized the undeniable fact of the Genocide. On the 90th
anniversary of the Genocide large-scale propaganda is carried out in
Armenia and the Diaspora, as well as in Artsakh. Besides the official
events the youth public organizations of Nagorno Karabakh are also
determined to contribute to the difficult process of achieving
recognition of the worst crime of the twentieth century.’ ARMINE
HAYRAPETIAN, chair of ARF `Aram Manoukian’ Students’ Union: `Ninety
years after the Genocide an unprecedented reaction to the Armenian
Genocide both in Armenia and foreign countries was reported, whichis
both good and bad. It would be better if similar reaction was not only
on the occasion of the ninetieth anniversary of the Armenian Genocide
but the entire Armenian nation was a persistent claimant in the
process of recognition of the Armenian Genocide. This especially
refers to the Armenian youth. Decades ago the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation was, in fact, the only force which consistently pursued the
recognition of the Armenian Genocide. There were moments when the
Federation had to sacrifice the lives of its young fighters (five
young men in Lisbon) to keep the idea of fair claims burning. Today
the role of the youth in the recognition of the Armenian Genocide is
becoming leading, and on the way of pursuing the Armenian Cause
besides recognition the Armenian youth must pay much attention to the
issue of restitution. I think the wound will never heal if justice is
not restored.’

NVARD OHANJANIAN.
25-04-2005

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE 90

Azat Artsakh – Nagorno Karabakh Republic [NKR]
25 April 05

There are dates in the history of every nation which have the power of
uniting, and may decide a nation’s fate decades and centuries
ahead. Wherever the Armenians live, in Armenia, Artsakh, Russia, the
United States, France, Lebanon, and any other part of the world, they
have a common tragic date. It is the day of commemoration of the
victims of the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire. Every year on
this day the Armenian families spread all over the world light a
candle in the memory of the innocent victims. Those who are
well-acquainted with the Armenian history will never ask the question
why so many Armenians live outside their historical homeland. History
replied to this question over 90 years ago. However, the country which
perpetrated the first monstrous genocide in the 20th century and which
is at present trumpeting its commitment to the European and universal
values, unfortunately, has not repented of its crime yet. Moreover,
the same country is brazenly making attempts at persuading the
international community to withdraw the issue of international
recognition of the Armenian Genocide. All the countries which
recognized the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire had to face the
counteraction of official Ankara. Thereby, those countries have had
the opportunity to get convinced what values dominate in the Turkish
society. These values maintain that all the countries which did their
duty before the mankind are the enemies of the Turkish nation.
Hysteria, blackmail, threats to break all kinds of relationships: here
is the non-complete set of tools for imposing political pressure on
those who have recognized or are going to recognize the Armenian
Genocide. Unfortunately, the efforts of Ankara are often
successful. There are politicians, including those from the West, who
would rather announce that the UN Convention on the Prevention and
Punishment of the Crime of Genocide adopted in 1948 has no
retrospective power and, therefore, cannot be applied to the tragic
events in West Armenia 90 years ago than break relationships with
modern Turkey. The standpoint of such politicians can be considered to
be impudence. Such a standpoint is not only a typical example of
political hypocrisy but also provides ground for other similar crimes,
and may be by the same country which has already perpetrated genocide
once. What is the blockade of transport communication with Armenia by
Turkey if not the consequence of leaving the Armenian Genocide
unpunished? However, it is more surprising that the same country
which has been objecting to the call of the civilized world to lift
the blockade of Armenia and set up diplomatic relationships with
Armenia pretends to the role of mediator in the Karabakh conflict not
hesitating in defending the standpoint of Azerbaijan. This peculiar
perception of the mediating mission by Turkey starts from its attitude
towards the issue of recognition of the Genocide. And isn’t the
craving of the Azerbaijani authorities to give a special role to
Turkey in the resolution of the Karabakh issue determined by the same
circumstance? No other definition but permanent policy of genocide can
characterize the attitude of the Azerbaijani authorities towards the
Armenian population of this republic since its foundation. The vivid
proof to this is the history of the former Autonomous Region of
Nagorno Karabakh. In the years of existence of NKAR the Baku
authorities attempted to affect the demographic picture in the region
in favour of the Azerbaijani population, intending to dissolve the
Armenian sovereignty. To fulfill the task the Azerbaijani government
used such methods as discrimination against the Armenians in the
social, economic and cultural spheres, distortion of the Armenian
history, prohibition of any economic and cultural relationships
between Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia, destruction of Armeniancultural
monuments and churches, formation of the image of the Armenian as the
historical and archenemy of the Azerbaijani and other Turkic
peoples. The Azerbaijani rulers implemented an identical policy
against once the Armenian majority of the sovereign republic of
Nakhijevan as a result of which no single Armenian had been left there
by the mid-twentieth century. I think we must duly present the fate of
the Armenians of Nakhijevan to the international community as a vivid
example of what would await Nagorno Karabakh if it remained within
Azerbaijan. All the aforementioned methods of the policy of
discrimination implemented by the authorities of Baku provided ground
for perpetration of another genocide of the Armenians, this time in
Azerbaijan; the political forces of Azerbaijan do not even hide that
they regard the `Armenian’ policy of Ottoman and present day Turkey as
exemplary. The Baku authorities were the worthy students of their
teachers. The extermination and deportation of the Armenian population
from the cities of Sumgait, Baku and Kirovabad, Shamkhor, Khanlar,
Shamakhi and other regions of Azerbaijan because of their nationality,
the unexpected siege of NKR, the everyday bombing of Stepanakert
intended to exterminate the peaceful population, the slaughter of
women, children and elderly people in the village of Maragha, as well
as the lasting blockade of Nagorno Karabakh andother crimes committed
against the Armenians by the authorities of Baku perfectlysuit the
definition of genocide. In regard with crimes against humanity dubious
standards, juggling of terms, distortion of problems and manipulation
with historical facts are unacceptable. Crimes against humanity should
be condemned by the international community, and the instigators and
perpetrators should be punished. The international community cannot
have an alternative to this attitude towards genocide. Otherwise, the
fact of genocide is used for fulfilling their geopolitical,
geo-economic, regional, home political and other interests. And since
countries pursue various, often quite contradicting interests, it
often happens so that in a certain period of time a certain government
prefers to forget the fact of genocide and even indirectly justify
it. At present the Azerbaijani government behaves exactly this way,
for it imagines the â=80=9Cfair’ resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict to be the banishment of the entire native Armenian population
from Artsakh. For this purpose Baku conducts a policy of provoking the
world and regional powers to impose political and economic and even
military pressure on Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. At the same time,
the propaganda machine of Azerbaijan has launched an unprecedented
campaignof distortion of historical facts to the point of presenting
Armenians to the international community as a nation which perpetrated
genocide of Azerbaijanis. Unfortunately, the international community
does not criticize this policy of Baku, whereas it contains the danger
of instilling perpetual hatred in the present and future generations
of the Azerbaijani community against the entire Armenian nation. The
consequences of similar policies are destructive for the establishment
of an atmosphere of confidence between the Azerbaijani and Armenian
people destined to be neighbours. The consequence of this aggressive
policywas the cruel murder of the Armenian officer by his Azerbaijani
colleague in Budapest, which was a shock for the civilized world. The
reaction of the Azerbaijani society to this crime, a society which
accepted the murderer asa national hero, revealed the reprehensible
consequences of the anti-Armenian policy of Baku authorities to the
world. Therefore, as long as there are people in the Azerbaijani
authorities who are directly involved in instigating massacres of
ethnic Armenians both in Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh and who
continue to instill hatred in the Azerbaijani society towards the
Armenian nation, it will be very difficult for us to believe in the
mutually acceptable and civilized resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict, peaceful coexistence and mutually favourable cooperation of
our peoples and countries in the future. Where isthe way out? What
lesson did we draw from the tragic events that took place 90 years ago
and quite recently? How can we confront the aggressive intentionsof
our neighbours and prevent the past from repeating? Unfortunately, the
modern practice of international relationships has not yet worked out
effective methods of prevention or at least stopping of extermination
of people because of their ethnic, racial and religious
characteristics. The national liberation movement in Artsakh clearly
indicated that in the modern world the most effective way of
confronting threats of genocide is not the endless addresses to
international organizations and expectation for their intervention,
but self-organization of the society ready for armed defence to live
in their land and defend their rights given by God. The statehood in
Karabakh was the superior form of self-organization of the people of
Artsakh which managed to solve the fatal problem of elimination of
external military pressure threatening the security of the people of
Nagorno Karabakh with the support of all the Armenians. Independent,
democratic and strong Armenia, independent, democratic and strong
Republic of Nagorno Karabakh: here are the chief guarantees for the
security of our nation. The Turkish state which denies its offence
must draw a lesson from its actions. It is first of all useful for
Turkey and its people. Turkey which strives for becoming member of the
European Union is facing the deciding choice of the further way of
development of the country and society. In this context the attitude
of Turkey towards the Armenian Genocide is a test on Turkish
democracy, a sort of litmus test indicating the degree to which the
countryis fit to have a place in the union of the European
countries. It is not a simple choice. It is inevitable too. This
choice will decide the further role of Turkey in the region, including
South Caucasus, in the formation of the geopolitical and geo-economic
architecture. One thing is clear: in the South Caucasian region, and
in the sphere of resolution of conflicts, particularly the Karabakh
conflict, the performance of the geopolitical function to which Turkey
pretends, requires from Turkey a high level of political maturity, as
well as the ability of reconsidering conceptually its own attitude
towards the factors which determine the attitude of the nations of the
region towards the region and the Turkish state. Today the
international community and first of all Turkey, has to answer the
following question: what is more legitimate and acceptable from the
standpoint of civilization, international law, international stability
and security, the policy of denying the Armenian Genocide which allows
perpetuating international crime or the search for opportunities for
repentance and relief of the consequences of the genocide displaying
historical and political courage? No Turkish government that succeeds
another can evade responsibility lying more and more heavily on the
shoulders of the Turkish state. Ladies and gentlemen, In two days
Armenians all over the world, civilized humanity will pay homage to
the victims of the genocide of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey. No matter
how many years will pass, we will always live with pain in our
hearts. The pain will go on with our nations throughout history. Much
time may pass until our pain becomes the pain of humanity. Sooner or
later this time will come. It is our duty, the duty of progressive
mankind to make this time come sooner. April 24 will forever remind
the generations that will come that there can be no statute of
limitations for crimes against humanity.

AA.
25-04-2005

PRESS RELEASE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of Australia & New Zealand
10 Macquarie Street
Chatswood NSW 2067
AUSTRALIA
Contact: Laura Artinian
Tel: (02) 9419-8056
Fax: (02) 9904-8446
Email: [email protected]

26 April 2005

LEST WE FORGET
        
Sydney, Australia – As Armenian communities around the world observed solemn
commemorations on this 90th anniversary year of the Armenian Genocide,
Armenian-Australians have united also to mark not only the memorial of its
Armenian martyrs but also the ANZAC.

The Primate of the Diocese of Australia and New Zealand, His Eminence
Archbishop Aghan Baliozian presided over and attended a number of
commemorative events over the course of the weekend.

On Saturday, 23 April, the Primate accompanied by parish priests and deacons
held a prayer service at the Cenotaph (war memorial) at Martin Place, Sydney
during a wreath-laying ceremony for the undying memories of the victims of
the Armenian Genocide and the ANZAC soldiers who fought in WWI. A large
contingent of faithful Armenian community members flocked the memorial to
pay their personal respects.

On Sunday, 24 April, a Divine Liturgy and Requiem Service was offered by
Reverend Father Norayr Patanian at the Altar of the Armenian Genocide
Monument at Macquarie Park Cemetery in the northern suburbs. On the same
morning, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated by Reverend Father Bartev
Karakashian at St Benedict’s Catholic Church for the Armenian congregation
of western suburbs. The Primate delivered the day’s sermon at the northern
suburbs’ service and soon after attended a dedication ceremony to install a
commemorative plaque in Memorial Park, Meadowbank in the city of Ryde
following the Council’s unanimous passing of a motion officially recognising
the Armenian Genocide on 12 April, 2005 – the first local government of
Australia to do so. Archbishop Aghan Baliozian was invited by Ryde City
Council to open the dedication ceremony with his prayer and blessing.

Mid-afternoon the Primate accompanied by parish priests and deacons attended
a Requiem Service at the Armenian Genocide Memorial at Rookwood Cemetery
where the faithful of the area gathered to partake in the solemn service
offering prayers for the repose of the souls of the Armenian martyrs.

In the evening, the 90th Anniversary Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide
under the primateship of His Eminence Archbishop Aghan Baliozian was held at
Willoughby Town Hall, Sydney. Guest speaker for the evening was Mrs Hilda
Tchoboian, Chairperson of the Armenian European Federation. The
commemoration evening gathered a capacity crowd of over 800. The Primate
delivered the closing address recalling on an account given by Ambassador
Henry Morgenthau, American Ambassador at Constantinople from 1913 to 1916,
likening the resilient Armenian spirit to the following episode with Talaat
Pasha. At a dinner party when the Ambassador appealed to Talaat on the
mistreatment of the Armenians, Talaat angrily grabbed a bunch of grapes from
the table, squeezed the grapes to a pulp extracting every ounce of juice,
throwing it to the ground and asserted this was how he was going to quash
the Armenians. To which the American Ambassador replied yes, he had indeed
succeeded in extracting the juice from the grapes and pulverising the fruit
but was unable to crush its seeds.

Early Monday dawn on 25 April, the Primate accompanied by Diocesan Council
Chairman, Mr Armen Baghdasarayan, attended the Chatswood-Willoughby ANZAC
Dawn Service, a service of remembrance and homage. ANZAC Day is a national
day of remembrance and marks the anniversary of the first major military
action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World
War. When forces landed at Gallipoli in Turkey on 25 April, 1915 they met
fierce resistance from Turkish defenders and over 8,000 Australian soldiers
were killed with a multitude of heavy casualties. 25 April has become the
day on which Australians remember the sacrifice of those who died in war.

Early morning on 25 April, His Eminence Archbishop Aghan Baliozian travelled
to Auckland, New Zealand and met with the small Armenian community to
commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide that same evening.
The Archbishop celebrated the Divine Liturgy and Requiem Service at St
Peter’s Anglican Church, Takapuna that was followed by a commemoration
evening where the Primate gave the keynote address.

ON THE EVE OF CELEBRATIONS

Azat Artsakh – Nagorno Karabakh Republic [NKR]
22 April 05

In summer Artsakh is going to celebrate the 1600th anniversary of
invention of the Armenian alphabet and foundation of the school in
Amaras. The celebrations will take place on June 3 – 5. By the January
26 decision of the NKR government a republic committee in charge of
organization of celebrations was set up, and the program of
celebrations was adopted. We talked to the chairman of the committee,
NKR vice prime minister Ararat Danielian for information about the
preparations for the celebration. He said that the all-Armenian
significance of the event obliges them to get ready for it seriously.

Therefore, several working groups were set up under the committee for
better coordination of work. Once a month the committee meets to
discuss the work done and consider proposals. The celebrations are
organized in accordance with the adopted schedule. The first point on
the list is the publication of the book `Artsakhfrom Ancient Times to
Our Days’. The book will come out on these days. The next event is
publication and staging of a production of `Mashtots in Amarasâ=80=9D
at Stepanakert Dramatic Theatre after V. Papazian. The scenery and
costumes are ready. The committee visited the monastery of Amaras,
where the premiere of `Mashtots in Amaras’ will take place in the open
air. A theatrical event with 200 participants will take place
there. The representatives of almost all the cultural centers of
Karabakh will take part in it. The performance will be special in the
sense of combination of natural and artificial scenery part of which
will be personages wearing national costumes (a blacksmith, women
grinding grain, spinning thread, making national dishes, etc.)
imparting the festivity withethnic colouring. The memorial plaque
devoted to the 1600th anniversary of the invention of the Armenian
alphabet and the foundation of the school in Amaras will be
opened. One of the most important events devoted to the jubilee is the
international scientific conference, and much work is done to organize
it duly. As the celebration is of all-Armenian character, a similar
committee was set up in the Republic of Armenia too. Certainly, they
cooperate and coordinate their work. The members of our committee
regularly visit Yerevan to extend to them the proposals set forward in
Artsakh. Colour booklets and posters will be published in Armenia, the
emblem of the celebrations and the conference, the design of the
memory medal are ready. The committee in charge of the program of the
conference is preparing the proceedings of the conference for
publication. Already a great number of articles have been submitted
to the committee on the subject. A large number of guests are expected
to arrive in Karabakh from abroad. Among them there will be both
Armenians and foreigners. Already several applications have been
sent. Although the main events are scheduled on June3 – 5, the
celebrations have already begun and will last till the end of the
year.A composition contest is held at schools. A scientific conference
was held at Mesrop Mashtots University. Artsakh State University
delivered lectures in the regions of Martuni, Hadrut, Martakert. As
the majority of the celebrations will take place in Amaras, building
and repairs are carried out around the monastery. Roadworks will begin
in mid-May when weather improves. Accordingto the chairman of the
committee Ararat Danielian, the invention of the alphabet has never
been celebrated so widely. Besides the spiritual and cultural role,
the celebration will also have a political role, for it will be a good
opportunity to prove to the world the unity of the Armenian
nation. The world must know Armenians not only as a nation which
survived the genocide but also a nation which has scientific and
cultural traditions and potential. A. Danielian mentioned that soon
the website devoted to the 1600th anniversary of invention of the
Armenian alphabet and the foundation of the school in Amaras will be
available.

SVETLANA KHACHATRIAN.
22-04-2005

CLAIMS NEED TO BE GROUNDED SCIENTIFICALLY

Azat Artsakh – Nagorno Karabakh Republic [NKR]
25 April 05

On these days together with Armenians all over the world Artsakh
commemorates the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Although
these days are days of sorrow for the Armenian nation, we have stepped
into a new stage when itis possible to present our claims at a
scientific level. The scientific conference at Artsakh State
University on April 22 with participants from Armenia, besides the
chronology of the Armenian Genocide, put forward forceful arguments
for its international recognition. In his address the NKR minister of
education, science and culture A. Ghulian said during 70 years of
Soviet rule the issue of the Armenian Genocide was neglected at a
governmental level although the pain continued to live in the memory
of the nation. A new genocide was prevented on the eve of the 21st
century owing to the existence of an Armenian statehood, which means
that the two independent and free states have assumed the role of
assuring nation preservation. The director of the RA National Archive
A. Virabian, Ph.D., presented the materials of the RA National
Archive on the Armenian Genocide containing true documents about the
massacres of Armenians perpetrated by the Turks against the Armenian
nation. Everybody can have access to the archive materials,
including. The vice rector of Yerevan State University, Professor
Doctor A. Simonian reported on the steps taken in the past ninety
years at condemning the genocide, and the actions to be taken to reach
its final recognition. The subject of the report presented by the
scientific secretary of the Institute of History of the National
Academy of Sciences K. Khachatrian was the continuity of the Turkish
policy of Armenian Genocide in 1894 â=80` 1922. The reports of the
historians of Artsakh State University referred to the different
stages of the Armenian genocide, including the crimes committed by
Azerbaijan against the people of Karabakh and the approaches of the
international community towards the issue. The report of the
researcher H. Harutyunian from Artsakh entitled `Armenian Massacres
According to Epitaphs on Tombstones in Shushi’ aroused great interest
among the scholars from Armenia. Themood dominating in the reports was
that we must seek for the recognition, condemnation and prevention of
the genocide and, of course, restitution. Along with this we must
pursue the international recognition of NKR as well. The conference
will make its contribution to the idea of unacceptability of genocide
and join the unalterable call for making the 21st century a century of
development and prosperity of nations.

AA.
25-04-2005

k/441757.html?2005-04-23

Berliner Zeitung 23.04.2005

Das Tabu bricht nur langsam auf

Warum die Türken die Armenier-Frage verdrängen

Günter Seufert

ANKARA, im April. Das Städtchen Sütüler liegt vergessen hinter den
Bergen der Ferienprovinz Antalya. Doch am 15. Februar 2005 geht es
hier um die Ehre des Vaterlands. In den Schulen durchstöbern Lehrer
die Büchereien nach Werken von Orhan Pamuk, und auch die
Stadtbibliothek wird auf den Kopf gestellt. Pamuks Bücher sind zu
vernichten, hat der Landrat einen Tag vorher angeordnet und damit der
Bevölkerung des Landkreises aus der Seele gesprochen. Pamuk, der heute
international bekannteste türkische Schriftsteller, hatte einer
Schweizer Zeitung gesagt, man habe im Ersten Weltkrieg eine Million
Armenier ermordet.

Als “Minderheiten-Rassist” bezeichnete der Landrat den Schriftsteller,
“gegen dessen Verleumdungen die türkische Nation jedes Recht zur
Selbstverteidigung hat”. Solche Töne gingen selbst dem türkischen
Bildungsminister zu weit, der erst vor zwei Jahren per Runderlass alle
Lehrer verpflichtete, die Schüler in Aufsätzen beweisen zu lassen,
dass von einem Völkermord der türkischen Osmanen an den Armeniern
keine Rede sein könnte.

Die Irenenkirche liegt neben der Hagia Sophia. Hier werden
Spitzenkonzerte gegeben, Musik als nationales Ereignis. Am 22. August
2005 wird das Kammerorchester Istanbul Werke türkischer und
armenischer Komponisten vortragen. Sie seien “Blumen aus ein und
demselben Garten”, erklärt das Kulturministerium, dasden Abend
fördert.

Noch vor zwei Jahren wäre keines der beiden Ereignisse möglich
gewesen.In Sachen Armenier verstießen damals nur wenige im Ausland
lebende Türken gegen die offizielle Sprachregelung. In der türkischen
Kulturpolitik kamen Armenier nicht vor. Heute beginnt das Tabu
aufzubrechen, entsprechend extrem fallen die Reaktionen aus. Die
Türken tun sich aus vielen Gründen mit der Geschichte schwer.

Da ist das Entsetzen darüber, durch den Begriff “Genozid” mit
Nazideutschland auf eine Stufe gestellt zu werden, und den Todesmarsch
der Armenier als “ersten Völkermord der Moderne” akzeptieren zu
sollen, gewissermaßen als Vorläufer und Wegbereiter zum Holocaust
. Einen vergleichbaren Vernichtungswillen, argumentiert man, habe es
bei den Osmanen nicht gegeben, ebenso wenig eine rassistische
Ideologie. Die Befürchtung, Ungleiches könne gleichgesetztwerden, wird
von Israel und der jüdischen Lobby in den USA geteilt, beide
unterstützen die Türkei seit Jahrzehnten in dieser Frage.

Auch extreme Forderungen armenischer Nationalisten erleichtern die
Sache nicht. Sie verlangen nicht nur Anerkennung und Entschädigung,
sondern auch die “Rückgabe armenischen Territoriums”.

Tatsächlich wären die Folgen eines türkischen Schuldeingeständnisses
dagegen wohl eher gering. Die UN-Völkermordkonvention von 1948 ist
Reaktion auf die Schrecken des Holocaust und als internationales
Rechtsdokument nicht auf Ereignisse vor ihrer Unterzeichnung
anwendbar. Den Mann auf der Straße beruhigt das freilich wenig. Er
nimmt das ausländische Drängen als Aggression und Feindseligkeit
wahr. Wer sich für Offenheit ausspricht, wie Orhan Pamuk, sieht sich
schnell isoliert. Die Forderung nach Schuldanerkennung trifft die
Menschen unvorbereitet – nach achtzig langen Jahren staatlicher
Propaganda, in der die türkische Nation nur als tapferste, ehrlichste
und aufrechteste auftauchte

DIE WELT 23.April 2005

“Eine Bürde, an der wir noch lange schwer tragen werden”

Aus den Archiven des Auswärtigen Amtes in BerlinBerlin – Im folgenden
dokumentiert die WELT Zitate aus Berichten deutscher Diplomaten,
Amtsträger und Offiziere, die im Archiv des Auswärtigen Amtes lagern:

Am 18. November 1915 berichtet Bagdadbahn-Vizechef Günther über den
vom deutschen Offizier Böttrich unterzeichneten Deportationsbefehl für
die armenischen Angestellten der Bagdadbahn:

“Unsere Gegner werden einmal viel Geld bezahlen, um dieses
Schriftstück zu besitzen, denn mit der Unterschrift eines Mitglieds
der (deutschen) Militärmission werden sie beweisen, daß die Deutschen
nicht allein nichts getan haben, um die Armenierverfolgung zu
verhüten, sondern daß gewisse Befehle zu diesem Ziel sogar von ihnen
ausgegangen, d.h. unterschrieben worden sind. Mit faustischem Lächeln
hat der (türkische) Militärkommissar den Finger auf die Unterschrift
des Herrn Böttrich gelegt, denn auch für die Türken ist die Tatsache
kostbar, daß dieses Dokument, von dem noch viel die Rede sein wird,
eine deutsche und nicht eine türkische Unterschrift trägt.”

Kanzler Bethmann Hollweg am 7. Dezember 1915: “Unser einziges Ziel
ist, die Türkei bis zum Ende des Krieges an unserer Seite zu halten,
gleichgültig ob darüber Armenier zu Grunde gehen oder nicht.”
Botschafter Paul Graf Wolff-Metternich in einem Dokument vom 3. April
1916: “Die türkische Regierung vertritt den Standpunkt, daß die
Umsiedelungsmaßnahme nicht nur – wie wir zugegeben haben – in den
Ostprovinzen, sondern im ganzen Reichsgebiet durch militärische Gründe
gerechtfertigt war. Hieran wird sowohl die jetzige Regierung wie jede
folgende, falls kein völliger Systemwechsel eintritt, mit größter
Zähigkeit festhalten.” Der deutsche Botschafter Hans Freiherr von
Wangenheim zum Zielder Jungtürken: “Die Art, wie die Umsiedelung
durchgeführt wird, zeigt, daß die Regierung tatsächlich den Zweck
verfolgt, die armenische Rasse im türkischen Reiche zu vernichten.” Am
20. Mai 1915 berichtet der Verweser in Erzerum, Max Erwinvon
Scheubner-Richter, an Botschafter Wangenheim in Konstantinopel: “Die
Massen der ausgesiedelten Armenier ziehen, von wenigen Gendarmen
begleitet, in breitem Strom über die mit Mühe frisch bestellten Felder
oder lagern auf denselben. Das Vieh weidet die Saaten ab. … Das
Elend – Verzweiflung und Erbitterung sind groß. Die Frauen und ihre
Kinder warfen sich vor mein Pferd und baten um Hilfe. Armenische
Bevölkerung erblickt in mir als einzigem Vertreter christlicher Macht
ihren natürlichen Beschützer. Lage schwierig und peinlich. Bitte Ew.
Exzellenz, mich möglichst durch entsprechende Schritte bei der Pforte
(türkische Regierung) unterstützen zu wollen.” Telegrafische Antwort
von Botschafter Wangenheim am 3. Juni 1915) “Ich muß zu meinem
Bedauern von einer erneuten Verwendung für die Armenier bei der Pforte
zunächst absehen. Auch wollen Ew. pp. in dieser Sache keine weiteren
Schritte bei den dortigen Militärbehörden unternehmen.” Drei Tage
zuvor hatte Wangenheim an das Auswärtige Amt in Berlin folgende
Einschätzung gemeldet: “(Kriegsminister und oberster Militärführer)
Enver Pascha beabsichtigt zur Eindämmung armenischer Spionage und um
neuen armenischen Massenerhebungen vorzubeugen, unter Benutzung des
Kriegs- (Ausnahme-) Zustands eine große Anzahl armenischer Schulen zu
schließen, armenischeZeitungen zu unterdrücken, armenische
Postkorrespondenz zu untersagen und aus den jetzt insurgierten
armenischen Zentren alle nicht ganz einwandfreien Familien in
Mesopotamien anzusiedeln. Er bittet dringend, daß wir ihm hierbei
nicht in den Arm fallen.” Im Sommer 1918 hat Botschaftsprediger
Pfarrer Graf von Lüttichauseine Erkenntnisse durch ausführliche
Reisen, Gespräche und Recherchen schriftlich festgehalten: “In den
östlichen Provinzen … sind von der (armenischen) Gesamtbevölkerung
80 bis 90 Prozent, von der männlichen Bevölkerung 98 Prozent nicht
mehr am Leben. … Die Vernichtung der Vertriebenen, die nur allzu gut
und gründlich gelungen ist, war eine politische Maßnahme der
Regierung. …Die Türkei handelte mit vollem Bewußtsein,
selbstherrlich. … Überall auf meiner Reise habe ich die Erkenntnis
gewonnen, daß es sich um ein ganz systematisches Verfahren
handelte. … Nicht nur die Feinde, auch die breite Masse des
(armenischen) Volkes belastet uns mit der Schuld, eine Bürde, an der
wir noch lange schwer tragen werden.” DW

Armenians in Israel remember the other ‘holocaust’

By Donald Macintyre in Jerusalem

The Independent/UK
26 April 2005

Karekin Tchekmeyan was five years old in 1921, before his family was
deported for the second time. But the sprightly old Armenian can
remember all too vividly the day in the south-eastern Turkish city of
Marash, when, clothed by his mother in a zubun, a long dress chosen to
make him look Turkish, he saw a crowd of people beating drums and
playing flutes.

“I slipped into the crowd,” Mr Tchekmeyan, 89, said yesterday. “And I
asked them what was happening. Someone said: “They are going to hang
some Armenians. I saw the wooden gallows and the rope. I could see
three boys, 19 or 20, with black hoods over their faces.”

A fourth boy, around 14 years old, was allowed to go because even a
Turkish neighbour protested. The other three were hanged. “I didn’t
stay to see it.I was frightened and I ran home and my mother beat for
me going into the crowd.”

To this day he can remember the name of the Turkish gendarme who raped
a girl of around nine or 10, because the victim’s distraught mother
shrieked an unforgettable curse within earshot of the five-year-old
Karekin: “May God blind you, Karahbekir.”

The mother had blackened the girl’s face in the hope of preventing
just such a violation. “But this man took her off somewhere and did
dirty things to her. When she came back she couldn’t walk properly.”

An old man’s indelible memory of two scenes – by no means, of course,
the worst – in the ethnic cleansing and slaughter from 1915 to 1923 in
which 1.5 million Armenians, not to mention Assyrians and Greeks, were
eliminated. Incredibly, many modern countries – Britain included –
still find impossible formally to recognise it as genocide.

Yesterday, to commemorate the 90th anniversary of when the massacres
began, Mr Tchekmeyan joined a procession of clerics and lay Armenians
in Jerusalem which wound through the Old City from the Armenian
Orthodox convent of St James to the cemetery. Because they represent
the 3,000 Armenians in Israel and the West Bank, and because they
continue to hope for Jews to have a special affinity with their cause,
the Jerusalem Armenians have pressed Israel to recognise the genocide
– so far in vain.

Indeed a leaflet distributed in the Old City yesterday quoted recent
Turkish media reports that the Israeli Foreign Minister, Sylvan
Shalom, has appealed to Jewish US organisations to help fight against
a US Congressional resolution which would deplore the genocide. Mr
Shalom warns that it would damage the special relationship between the
US, Israel and Turkey.

Not all Israelis agree with the official position. Among those at the
commemoration was Yair Aroun, an Israel Open University professor,
whose book The Banality of Denial has just been translated into
Hebrew.

Professor Aroun says it is “incredible” that the Armenians still have
to press for recognition – including from Israel – and adds of
Turkey’s position:”It’s as if Germany still denied the Holocaust took
place.”

And Yossi Sarid, who worked for recognition as Israeli education
minister in the 1990s, has accused Israel of being “among the
Holocaust deniers” because of its refusal, under Turkish pressure, to
recognise the Armenian genocide. Most Armenians in the Old City
yesterday agreed with Mr Sarid’s view that Israel’s view stems both
from its desire to preserve relations with Turkey – and its fear of
losing the “uniqueness” of the Holocaust by recognising another
genocide. Dr Georgette Avakian of the Armenian Case Committee said she
would be writing to Mr Shalom, just as in the past she had written to
the Deputy Prime Minister, Shimon Peres, when he was PM. “I asked him
how he would feel if an Armenian denied the Jewish Holocaust,” she
said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ISTANBUL OFFICE OF ASSOCIATION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS PROTECTION PROTESTS
AGAINST TURKEY’S OFFICIAL POLICY ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

YEREVAN, APRIL 25. ARMINFO. The ethnic cleansing carried out 90 years
ago in Ottoman Turkey resulted in the annihilation of the Christian
nations living in the territory of Anatolia with most of them being
Armenians. A whole country, a whole social layer with churches,
schools, arts, crafts, theaters, cemeteries was erased from geographic
maps, the web-site of Hay Tert reports the Istanbul Office of the
Association for Human Rights Protection as saying.

In early XX each 5th resident of Istanbul was non-Muslim while today
the figure 2/1,000. Even though as many as 90 years have passed since
the Armenian Genocide Turkey still keeps silence on the matter and
pressures and threatens whoever tries to express his relevant
opinion. Turkey’s propaganda is openly anti-Armenian and encourages
hatred, hostility and vengeance against Armenians. And so Turkish
citizens of Armenian origin live under constant strain and fear.

The Istanbul Office of the Association protests against Turkey’s state
policy on Apr 24, supports free public discussion and expression
concerning the historical past and expects supports in the matter from
all individuals and organizations supporting democracy and human
rights respect.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ETYEN MAHCUPYAN URGES TURKEY NOT TO BE AFRAID OF HISTORY

YEREVAN, APRIL 25, ARMINFO. In order to find itself Turkey should not
fear its past and its history, Hurriyet reports Turkish writer and
journalist of Armenian origin Etyen Mahcupyan as saying during the
Sunday event by the Justice and Prosperity party (Turkey).

If you want to know real history besides official history you should
learn the views of unbiased people. The period of Turkey’s history
between 1900 and 1923 is most interesting but least known. Why so?
The Turks should ask this question, says Mahcupyan.