ANKARA: Turkish Parliament to Discuss Armenian Allegations

Journal of Turkish Weekly
Feb 3 2005

Turkish Parliament to Discuss Armenian Allegations

The Turkish Grand National Parliament’s committee for harmonisation
with the European Union (EU) has announced that it will investigate
allegations by Armenians that the Ottoman Empire committed acts of
‘genocide’ against its Armenian citizens during World War One.

Ali Riza Alaboyun, the deputy chairman of the Parliamentary
Committee, said that some Armenian groups have agreed to the discuss
the issues and settle the Armenian genocide claims that have been
levelled at Turkey by many groups and organisations.

`I do not believe that in our history there is anything to be ashamed
of’ Alaboyun said.

`There is lack of information. We shall take the initiative in hand
and have an unbiased assessment of events occurring away from us’ he
added.

Onur Oymen, a member of the opposition Republican People’s Party who
also sits on the committee, said that Armenians distribute
publications targeting Turkey on the genocide claims and that Turkey
should make sure to send out material refuting the allegations.

There is a vivid debate in Turkey about Turkish-Armenian relations.
Many Armenian books have been translated from Armenian and other
languages, including the pro-Armenian ones. However Turkey does not
accept the Armenian allegations about the 1915 Events. According to
Turkey there was a war in 1915, and the Armenian armed groups
attacked the Ottoman Armies. 500,000 Muslims (Turkish and Kurdish)
were killed by the Armenian armed groups. The ultimate aim of the
Armenian nationalist groups was an independent Armenia in Eastern
Anatolia. Dr. Nilgun Gulcan from ISRO said “Armenian citizens were
not loyal to their own state.”

Gulcan told the JTW:

“Thousands of Armenians changed their nationality and became Russian
citizens. In Eastern provinces they attacked the Ottoman Armies and
Muslim villages. Even they helped the occupier Russian armies. Apart
from the war curcumstances there was a severe clash between the
Kurdish and Armenian villages. Many were killed in these conflicts.
In Van Province, the Armenians rioted against the Ottoman State and
killed thousands of Turkish and Kurdish women, children and old
people. They declared a city-state. When the Russians came to the
city they dreamed of a greater Armenian state. However the Ottoman
forces recaptured the city and put an end to the Armenian dreams. It
is true, many Armenian civilians died. However the reason was not a
genocide. The bad weather conditions and war curcumstances hit the
Armenian civilians, and like the Turks and Kurds many Armenians lost
their lives. No one could blame the Ottoman Government for genocide
or mass killings.”

Nilgun Gulcan said the real problem is lack of cummunication and the
Armenian diaspora: “Diaspora prevents dialogue between Turkey and
Armenia” added Gulcan.

“You can easily discuss the problem in Turkey. Armenians, Americans,
British, etc. can question Turkish history. However no one can
question Armenian history. Armenians first must question their own
history. They must ask themselves how many Turks and Kurds killed
their grand parents? Who killed 500,000 Muslim civilians?” added Dr.
Gulcan.

Dr. Nilgun Gulcan also examined the Western World’s attitude
vis-a-vis Turkey and Armenians:

“Armenian forces occupied another European state’s about 20 per cent
territories. More than 1 million Azerbaijanis have been refugees
without any assistance from the West. The US and the EU states bombed
Serbia for its mistakes in Kosova and Bosnia. Iraq was occupied when
it occupied Kuwait. However no one did anyting angainst the Armenian
occupation. Now 1/5 of Azerbaijani country is under Armenian
occupation. And Armenia does not recognise Turkey’s national borders.
Yerevan encourages Armenian separatist movements in georgia. And the
EU and the US discuss the events happened almost a century ago. In
Khojally Armenians did a genocide. But no one discuss Khojally but
the 1915 events. France says Turkey cannot enter the EU without
questionin its history. It is strange. The EU and France do not
question its current policies, but they can ask Turkey to question
its past.The past has been abused, and the real intenations are
curtailed with history.

Armenians do not want to discuss ‘genocide’ allegations…

They do not accept any debate about the past…

Armenian politicians do not want to withdraw their soldiers from
Azerbaijani territories…

They do not recognise Turkey’s national borders…

They take no step in peace process…

They refuse to question their history…

They just accuse… they blame… they ask… they just want from
Turkey… They accuse Turkey… They accuse Azerbaijan… They accuse
Georgia… They accuse the US… They accuse the EU… They accuse
anyone, but themselves… It is a strange game, no one can
understand, including the Armenians.”

Compiled and prepared by Jan SOYKOK, JTW, 3 February 2005

Philharmonic performance marks Black History Month

Boston Globe, MA
Feb 3 2005

Philharmonic performance marks Black History Month
By Robert Knox, Globe Correspondent | February 3, 2005

In tune with Black History Month, the Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra
will celebrate the diverse strands of American orchestral music
during an 8 p.m. concert Saturday that will feature William Grant
Still’s ”Afro-American Symphony.”

Originally performed in the 1930s by the New York Philharmonic, it
was the first orchestral work by an African-American composer to be
played by a major American orchestra.

The Plymouth Philharmonic’s music director, Steven Karidoyanes, said
Still’s symphony might remind listeners of a Gershwin classic,
”Rhapsody in Blue,” because it draws on ”that whole Tin Pan Alley,
pop song, jazz influence.” A superb orchestrator, Still was able to
use ”a bluesy English horn,” the baritone clarinet and other reeds
to conjure up the sounds of instruments missing from the symphony
orchestra, Karidoyanes said. ”You really hear a dance band, but
there’s no sax,” he said.

In addition to Still’s symphony, the PPO’s ”American Reflections”
concert, scheduled for 8 p.m. in Plymouth’s Memorial Hall, will
include a tone poem by a Hungarian exile, a work that draws on an
American composer’s Armenian roots, and a work by New Englander
Charles Ives that incorporates church bells, camp songs, and
Protestant hymns.

Ernö Dohnányi’s ”American Rhapsody” was written in the 1950s in
Florida, where the Hungarian composer spent the last 10 years of his
life after fleeing Communist Hungary.

”You’ll never feel the same way about ‘On Top of Old Smoky’ again,”
Karidoyanes said of the composer’s use of the classic folk tune.
Dohnányi added versions of a moving American spiritual and sprightly
fiddle tunes in creating his work’s mixture of themes and moods.

A composition by Somerville native Alan Hovhaness, ”Prayer of St.
Gregory,” is a lush five-minute work with an Eastern European sound.
The piece relies on the orchestra’s strings and a solo by the
philharmonic’s principal trumpet player, Philip Hague. The trumpet
gives voice to the saint who is credited with bringing Christianity
to Armenia.

Ives mixed formal innovation and small town ”Currier and Ives”
Americana in his music, Karidoyanes said, and in ”Camp Meeting
Symphony” employed a free association of popular old time melodies to
create a ”very approachable” orchestral work.

Festivals of San Blas

EiTB24.com, Spain
Feb 3 2005

Festivals of San Blas

On February 3, the traditional procession of San Blas is held in the
Basque Country, in honour of the Christian martyr who is attributed
with the miraculous healing of throat ailments.

People in the Basque Country hold every February 3 the procession of
San Blas. This procession is a tribute to San Blas, a Christian
martyr who is attributed with the miraculous healing of throat
ailments.

In the main squares of Basque towns and cities, stalls are set up
where you can buy the traditional doughnuts and coloured cords of San
Blas. The Basques bless the cord before the image of the Saint in
some churches. Afterwards, according to tradition, the faithful wear
the cord around their neck for nine days, after which it must be
burnt. If the process is carried out correctly, San Blas will protect
the throat of the wearer for the whole year.

Blas was an Armenian doctor and bishop who lived in the third century
A.C. He was a victim of the persecutions to the Christians by the
Emperor Diocleciano, so he hid in a cave in the mountain Argeo and
lived like a hermit there. In the year 313, the emperor Constantino
stopped the persecutions so Blas could come back to his diocese. Two
years after, the emperor Linicio resumed the persecutions. February
3rd 316 Blas was beheaded and his body torn to pieces with iron
hooks. Some people say San Blas healed miraculously a child who had a
fish bone put across his throat. This is why it is believed that this
saint protects us from the throat ailments.

Azerbaijan may be expelled from PACE

PanArmenian News
Feb 2 2005

AZERBAIJAN MAY BE EXPELLED FROM PACE

01.02.2005 19:01

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “If before the PACE April session the question of
political prisoners is not solved in Azerbaijan, the country can lose
its mandate in the organization,” PACE Rapporteur on political
prisoners in Azerbaijan Malcolm Bruce told BBC. In his words, he
studies the case of seven opposition leaders and thinks that these
could be referred to as political prisoners. Human rights proponent
Leyla Yunus noted that she had many times warned about the patience
of international organizations being limited. “Only by means of
universal amnesty Azerbaijan can avoid undesirable consequences,” L.
Yunus emphasized. It should be reminded that Azerbaijan is the only
South Caucasian country, where political prisoners are still
available

BAKU: Settlement depends on conflicting sides

AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Feb 3 2005

Settlement depends on conflicting sides

OSCE Minsk Group may only foster dialogue – French co-chair
The OSCE Minsk Group cannot settle the Upper Garabagh conflict
instead of Azerbaijan and Armenia, the new French co-chair of the
OSCE Minsk Group, Bernard Fassier, said. He stated that the co-chairs
may assist the sides only in fostering dialogue.

First of all, trust should be established between the two presidents
and afterwards, between the two peoples, Fassier told a news
conference during his two-day familiarization visit to Baku last
week.
The co-chair said the OSCE MG does not have considerable resources to
assist in resolving the problem. “The Minsk Group is a political
forum and it may put forth political ideas. However, it has no
financial resources to implement them”.

As for Armenia’s withdrawing its armed forces from the occupied Azeri
land, Fassier said that the “the co-chairs are unlikely to say
anything specific in this respect, as a relevant decision should be
made by the conflicting sides”.
President Ilham Aliyev, in a meeting with Fassier on Thursday, stated
that the OSCE-mediated talks on the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over
Upper Garabagh, carried out over the last ten years, had been
fruitless.
Aliyev said, however, that the active work carried out by the OSCE MG
of late and the ongoing talks between the two countries’ foreign
ministers “allow us to hope for certain progress in the settlement
process”.
The President emphasized that Upper Garabagh and the adjacent seven
regions, which are historically Azerbaijani territories, are occupied
by Armenian armed forces and that Azerbaijan entered the United
Nations with these areas included within its boundaries. Azerbaijan’s
position on the conflict resolution, based on the principles of the
country’s territorial integrity, remains unchanged, he said.
Fassier said that the unresolved status of the conflict is impeding
not only peace and stability in the South Caucasus, but also the
implementation of global economic projects in a wider area, including
Central Asia. He also voiced confidence that his meeting with
President Aliyev would provide him with broader information on this
‘sensitive’ conflict.
The new co-chair acted as the French ambassador to Georgia in
1993-1997 and to Belarus in 1997-2002. He succeeded the previous
co-chair Henry Jacolin late in 2004.

BAKU: Deputy FM says settlement of Armenians in Garabagh confirmed

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Feb 3 2005

Deputy FM says settlement of Armenians in Garabagh confirmed

Baku, February 2, AssA-Irada
The Azerbaijani side has no official information on the activity of
the OSCE fact-finding mission in Upper Garabagh. However, some
sources indicate that the evidence forwarded to the mission by
Azerbaijan is being confirmed, the Deputy Foreign Minister Araz
Azimov told journalists on Wednesday.
Azimov underlined that settlement of Armenians in the occupied lands
of Azerbaijan is part of Armenia’s state policy and the Armenian
press give a broad coverage to this issue.
`Armenians settled in the occupied lands are encouraged with certain
privileges, as they are granted land plots free of charge, freed from
tax payments and even their children are granted rights to reject
military service,’ the Deputy Foreign Minister said.
Azimov added that `it is impossible not to see the facts’, adding
that the OSCE mission will prepare a report based on these facts.*

BAKU: `Several occupied regions may be returned this year’ – FM

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Feb 3 2005

`Several occupied regions may be returned this year’ – Foreign Minister

BAKU

`Opportunities exist for returning several Azerbaijani regions
occupied by Armenia this year, Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov
told journalists on Wednesday. For this to happen, first of all, a
favorable attitude must be shown by the other party, he said.
Commenting on the fact that the OSCE fact-finding mission, which is
monitoring the occupied Azeri territories, is accompanied by the
so-called `foreign ministry official’ from the self-proclaimed Upper
Garabagh `republic’, Mammadyarov said that this individual is not an
observer and has no official status.*

BAKU: Russian FM cautiously optimistic of Garabagh settlement

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Feb 3 2005

Russian FM cautiously optimistic of Garabagh conflict settlement

BAKU

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is cautiously optimistic with
regards to the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over
Upper Garabagh.
`We believe that there are grounds to be cautiously optimistic,
considering the ongoing meetings of Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign
ministers. We will assist by all means for the parties to come to
terms’, Lavrov told journalists upon arriving in Baku for a two-day
visit.
`We are considering the fact that the mediators working within the
OSCE Minsk Group (Russia, US and France) are regularly in touch with
the parties – Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Lavrov also said that `Russia is quite active in the settlement of
conflicts in the former Soviet Union’.
Earlier, the US Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian
Affairs, Elizabeth Jones, said the Bush administration is concerned
over the lack of efforts being taken by Moscow at resolving conflicts
in the former Soviet Union countries.*

Armenia FM cuts short visit to Tbilisi

Itar-Tass, Russia
Feb 3 2005

Armenia FM cuts short visit to Tbilisi

YEREVAN, February 3 (Itar-Tass) – Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan
Oskaryan has cut short his trip to Georgia in connection with the
death of Prime Minister Zurab Zhvaniya, Oskaryan’s spokesman told
Itar-Tass by telephone.

The spokesman, Gamlet Gasparyan, said the minister is getting back
halfway to Tbilisi. The Armenian foreign minister was heading to
Tbilisi for talks with the Georgian leadership. On Friday, he was due
to take pat in the international forum South Caucasus in the 21st
Century: Challenges and Opportunities.

ANKARA: US Supports Azerbaijan in Karabakh Issue

Journal of Turkish Weekly
Feb 3 2005

US Supports Azerbaijan in Karabakh Issue

The United States (US) does not recognize Upper Karabakh as an
independent state and supports Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity,
according to a report released by the US Department of State on
Monday.

“The United States does not recognize Upper Karabakh as an
independent state, as its authorities are not recognized either by
the international community or the US. The US supports Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity and believes that the future status of Upper
Garabagh should be determined through talks between the parties.”

The US report, which cites key figures and the history of the
Karabakh conflict, says the United States continues to play an active
mediating role in resolving the problem in peace and supports seeking
settlement options within the OSCE Minsk Group.

The report also says that the armed conflict over Upper Karabakh
continued between 1990 and 1994. After the ceasefire was reached in
1994, Armenian armed forces controlled Upper Karabakh and the
adjacent extensive territories. As a result of military action and
the ousting of Azerbaijanis from their homes, over a million people
became refugees and displaced persons.

Apart from Karabakh, Armenian forces occupied other Azerbaijani
towns. Armenian State moreover does not recognise Turkey’s
territorial integrity. The Armenian Constitution and Declaration of
Independence call Turkey’s Eastern provinces ‘Western Armenia’. In
addition, the Armenian irredentism towards Turkey, Azerbaijan and
Georgia is strong.