Tremors of Turkey to be felt in Cyprus

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TREMORS OF TURKEY'S SCANDAL TO BE FELT IN CYPRUS

By Simon Bahceli - July 13 - The announcement on how Turkish state prosecutors plan to proceed with indictments against a clandestine group that allegedly sought to overthrow Turkey’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) government will have major implications for Cyprus. Not only did the group – known in the media as Ergenekon – allegedly plan to topple the government, it also plotted to intervene in Cyprus to prevent the possible implementation of the UN’s Annan plan for the reunification of the island. Investigations into the ultra-nationalist Ergenekon group have been ongoing since police raided a house in Istanbul in June last year and found a collection of arms and explosives, along with computer documents outlining plans to overthrow the government. Since then, tens of people have been arrested, including retired military generals, journalists, university lecturers, businessmen and economists. Forty-eight of them are currently being held in jail, and face possible charges of plotting bomb attacks, assassinations and clandestine media campaigns aimed at triggering a military coup. Their alleged plans include a plot to kill Nobel Prize winning Turkish author Orhan Pamuk and a bomb attack in Istanbul’s Taksim Square. It has also been suggested that the group might be linked to the murder of Armenian journalist Hrant Dink in 2007. the rest of the article continued on "Cyprus This week" on Gibrahayer dot com

SURPRISING FILE FOUND AT TOLON'S HOME

Sabah, Turkey - A file containing the personal and family information of the Chief of General staff Yaşar Buyukanıt was found at the home of the retired general arrested in connection with the Ergenekon case, Hurshit Tolon. During a search of General Hurşit Tolon's military lodging residence, in connection with the Ergenekon investigation, a file containing personal and family information on the Chief of General Staff Büyükanıt was recovered along with a document entitled 'Fethullah Gulen Denktash,' CDs containing speeches made by Rauf Denktaş' and numerous documents and Cd's which were found along with Tolon's phone book. The documents were retrieved from Tolon's home as part of the investigation with a warrant signed by 17 people, including Ankara's Chief Public Prosecutor and the General Staff Military Prosecutor.

ARMENIAN MP VARTKES MAHDESSIAN ADDRESSES GIBRAHAYER ISSUES IN INTERVIEW WITH CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

Thursday July 10 - (Financial Mirror) - Representative of the Armenian religious group at the House of Representatives Vartkes Mahdessian will not be raising an issue of right to vote in the parliament so as not to complicate matters regarding the Cyprus problem with the changes to the Constitution that this move would demand, but intends nevertheless to discuss his participation in meetings of the House Defence Committee after the decision for obligatory army service of male members of religious groups. In an interview with CNA, Mahdessian describes his seat in the parliament as iconic but notes that much progress has been made and expresses hope that over the remaining three years of his term he would manage to meet the aims set out by the religious group. He adds that a quarterly bulletin is posted to all members of the religious group, containing his activities, and that he operates a well-equipped office with full-time staff, while committees of the religious group have been active in various fields and have produced results. Asked if the representation of the religious groups in the House of Representatives is satisfactory, Mahdessian notes that "sometimes I feel our presence is iconic." "We participate in the House Education Committee and I must admit that its Chairman, in all meetings, gives us the floor, but we cannot submit draft legislation, we cannot vote in the Committee or the Plenary, and these are disadvantages," he points out. Mahdessian wants the criterion for knowledge of the Greek language in order to qualify for a position in the civil service and other sectors to be revised, so that the members of the Armenian religious group are not at a disadvantage compared to the Greek Cypriot applicants. He also requests the reappointment of the Presidential Commissioner for Religious Groups, who will coordinate and monitor the course of various problems faced by the religious groups, namely the Armenians, Maronites and Latins. Mahdessian says the decision of the University of Cyprus to enroll students with international exams opens new horizons, adding that Cyprus should learn to behave as a European country. He furthermore expresses hope that Melkonian, the Armenian school, and the woods around it, with each tree being planted by an orphan whose parents were killed during the Armenian Genocide, will be spared from commercial construction. Mahdessian notes that for the time being the issue is at a standstill, since it is being used to host a state school. Mahdessian says the Armenians of Cyprus did not have a say in the final decision, since the decision-making centre is in New York. However, he managed, in cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior, to register Melkonian as a protected building. Replying to questions, Mahdessian said a total of 165 children are enrolled at the Nareg junior schools in Nicosia, Limassol and Larnaca. Regarding the Armenian monastery in the Turkish occupied areas, Mahdessian notes that it is dilapidated with no immediate prospects of restoration, adding that for the first time since the 1974 Turkish invasion about 250 Armenians were allowed to organise a pilgrimage to the monastery, not without obstacles. Asked about his relationship with Yerevan, capital of Armenia, Mahdessian says efforts were being made to promote contact with the Armenian Ambassador in Athens, who is however accredited to other countries as well. "Armenia is a new state and is facing huge problems but we are trying with all our might to further improve the relationship between Cyprus and Armenia, which is friendly," he points out.

GIBRAHAYER ALBUM

Source: Bedelian Family Album: from left to right: Levon Hakhverdyan, Sebouh Abkarian, Azniv Baladouni, Haroutune Bedelian, Barouyr Sevag, Vahan Bedelian

WE ARE READY TO TALK TO TURKEY

By SERZH SARGSYAN - FROM TODAY'S WALL STREET JOURNAL EUROPE July 9, 2008 - YEREVAN , Armenia The problems of newly independent nations attempting to build a novel, democratic way of life did not end with the break-up of the Soviet Union. Armenia, a small country strategically located between Turkey, Russia, Iran and the energy-rich Caspian region, is a case in point. Post-independence Armenia 's potential for peaceful development has not been realised as best it could. During the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Turkey closed its border with Armenia as an expression of ethnic solidarity with Turkic Azerbaijan . The regrettable result is that for almost 15 years, the geopolitically vital border between Armenia and Turkey has become a barrier to diplomatic and economic cooperation. It is closed not only to Armenians and Turks who might want to visit their neighboring countries, but to trade, transport and energy flows from East to West. Strategic projects such as the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and the projected Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railroad bypass Armenia, while the existing railway between Turkey and Armenia remains shut. And the Armenian people are not the only ones who have suffered from these restrictions and detours. All countries in the region, and the broader community of European nations , pay a high cost for these unnatural barriers to commerce, progress and international cooperation. The time has come for a fresh effort to break this deadlock, a situation that helps no one and hurts many. As president of Armenia, I take this opportunity to propose a fresh start – a new phase of dialogue with the government and people of Turkey , with the goal of normalising relations and opening our common border. After my election in February, my Turkish counterpart, Abdullah Gül, was one of the first heads of state to congratulate me. Turkey 's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggested that the doors are open to new dialogue in this new period. There is no real alternative to the establishment of normal relations between our countries. It is my hope that both of our governments can pass through the threshold of this new open door. Establishing normal political relations would enable us to create a commission to comprehensively discuss all of the complex issues affecting Armenia and Turkey . We cannot expect tangible progress without such structured relations. Only through them can we create an effective dialogue touching upon even the most contentious historical issues. Already, on a more personal scale, many Armenians and Turks have found ways to get around the closed border. They take advantage of regular charter flights from Yerevan to Istanbul and Antalya . There are numerous bus and taxi routes through Georgia , and container trucks even make the long detour, enabling some trade between our two countries. And just as the people of China and the United States shared enthusiasm for ping pong before their governments fully normalised relations, the people of Armenia and Turkey are united in their love for football – which prompts me to extend the following invitation. On Sept. 6 a World Cup qualifier match between the Armenian and Turkish national football teams will take place in Yerevan . I hereby invite President Gül to visit Armenia to enjoy the match together with me in the stadium. Thus we will announce a new symbolic start in our relations. Whatever our differences, there are certain cultural, humanitarian and sports links that our peoples share, even with a closed border. This is why I sincerely believe that the ordinary people of Armenia and Turkey will welcome such a gesture and will cheer the day that our borders open. There may be possible political obstacles on both sides along the way. However, we must have the courage and the foresight to act now. Armenia and Turkey need not and should not be permanent rivals. A more prosperous, mutually beneficial future for Armenia and Turkey, and the opening up of a historic East-West corridor for Europe, the Caspian region and the rest of the world, are goals that we can and must achieve.

ARMENIA EXTENDS GOODWILL GESTURE TO TURKEY ... AGAIN

while Ankara Continues its Blockade of Armenia; Genocide Denial BRUSSELS, BELGIUM – Recently elected Armenian President Serge Sargyan made overtures to his counterpart in the Turkish Government this week, inviting President Abdullah Gül to join him in Armenia’s capital Yerevan to watch the upcoming soccer match between Turkey and Armenia on September 6th, reported that European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD). Sargsyan also renewed the offer, made by previous Armenian presidents, to establish normal diplomatic relations with the Turkish Government, with no preconditions. The announcements were made in an op/ed published in the Wall Street Journal earlier this week, which also called for the creation of an inter-governmental “commission to comprehensively discuss all of the complex issues affecting Armenia and Turkey”. To date, Turkey has not responded to Sargsyan’s proposal. Turkey is continuing its devastating 15-year blockade of Armenia, imposed due to racial hostility stemming from the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923. Turkey continues to make false accusations as to the reasoning for the blockade – blaming everything from the Karabagh conflict to articles in the Armenian Constitution. The European Armenian Federation noted that Armenia’s calls for the unconditional removal of Turkey’s blockade is a matter of international law and would be beneficial to both countries as well as the region and international community overall. As such, the Federation calls upon the European Union to increase its pressure on Turkey, which, as a candidate for European Union accession, is duty-bound to peacefully resolve all disputes with neighbouring countries in compliance with International law, as mandated in the Framework of Negotiations. The Federation goes on to note that Sargsyan’s proposal stands in the face of Turkey’s calls to establish a so-called historical commission comprised of revisionist historians to discuss the veracity of the Armenian Genocide, first suggested by Prime Minister Erdogan in 2005. “The scholarly community has long since spoken on this issue. The International Association of Genocide Scholars has gone so far as to send an open letter to the Turkish Prime Minister to express the pointlessness of such a commission. Turkey itself scuttled a similar committee because that group properly characterised the Armenian Genocide” said Hilda Tchoboian, the president of the European Armenian Federation. The Federation regrets that Turkey continues its behind-the-scenes efforts to tie the establishment of normalised relations with Armenia with international genocide recognition and reparations – a genocide of which Turkey is guilty. “The recognition of genocide and the reparations that follow is a moral, legal and political responsibility that no State can escape,” continued Tchoboian. “At this point, the only question that remains is when Turkey will face that fact, stop living in the past, and rejoin the international community by recognising the Armenian Genocide,” concluded the chairperson of the European Armenian Federation.

MARIOS GAROYIAN PAVING THE WAY FOR DIKO'S APPLICATION TO THE SOCIALIST INTERNATIONAL

Cypriot newsletter Offsite reports that President of DIKO and President of The Cyprus Parliament Marios Garoyian had a cordial telephone communication with PASOK leader George Papandreou, regarding Cypriot centrist party DIKO's application to the Socialist International. "We are hoping in welcoming DIKO and Marios Garoyian to the Socialist International family" Papandreou added.

BOOKMARK WWW GIBRAHAYER COM

by now you already know there is always something new on gibrahayer dot com Classifieds - Greek Theater company looking for choreographer and actors for their US tour Home Page - Homeless girl to represent Armenia in Junior Eurovision Section: Our online Family - Sub-section: Omphalos Tis Gis - Round up of events in Cyprus - Review of Sunday's papers Home Page - Anorthosis - Pyunik 1-0 Home Page on Sunday - On the occasion the Turkish invasion of Cyprus read Alexander-Michael Hadjilyra's article in Gibrahayer.com

ANORTHOSIS - PYUNIK 1-0

Gibrahayer - Nicosia Wednesday July 15, 2008 - Armenia's champions Pyunik survived the Anorthosis tsunami. With a barrage of near misses and a heroic performance by the ALL-Armenian team's goal-keeper Krikor Meliksetyan, Anorthosis were perhaps lucky to score through a late penalty-kick by Nicos Frousos. Anorthosis will look back to Tuesday night's match at GSP and count a dozen misses among which three shots on the crossbar. The Cypriot team will travel to Yerevan next week and hope that the 1-0 margin will be enough to take them to the next round.

ARMENIAN CYPRIOT IN WAGERLOGIC'S TRIPLE WIN

Nicosia, CYPRUS, July 8, 2008 — WagerLogic Limited, a subsidiary of Internet gaming software leader CryptoLogic Limited, has received international acclaim for its customer service excellence. The Cyprus-based company, which licenses Internet gaming software to many of the world’s top entertainment brands, earned the gold medal for Europe, the Middle East and Africa in three major categories: Best Contact Center Under 50 seats, Best Customer Service Agent, and Best Recruitment Campaign. WagerLogic will go on to compete in these categories at the world finals in Las Vegas later this year. “We congratulate WagerLogic on this amazing achievement — against formidable competition — and look forward to seeing their dynamic team at our conference in Las Vegas this fall,” said Raj Wadhwani, President of ContactCenterWorld.com. In picture left to right: Taleen Tashdjian Tchalikian, Human Resources Director, Antony Demetriades, Managing Director, Andreea Gurmai, CR Manager

VIEW SIPAN DANCE ENSEMBLE'S VIDEOS, WWW DOT CYPRUSARMENIANS DOT COM

News in Brief - by Sevag Devledian

Two Armenians are included in Lebanon's new national unity cabinet. They are Alain Tabourian (Minister of Energy and Water) and Jean Ogassapian (one of five Ministers of State). 15 years old Monika Manucharova from Gyumri will represent Armenia at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2008 in Limassol, Cyprus with her self-composed song "Im ergi hnchumy". Armenia finished 2nd at the their debut appearance at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2007 in Rotterdam, being represented by the band Arevik. Armenia's Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian concludes a four-day meeting in Washington DC tomorrow. He met Secretary of State Rice and held meetings in Congress. The European Union has no objections to the construction of the second nuclear power plant (NPP) in Armenia, said Lusine Movsisyan, first secretary of the EU Department of RA Foreign Ministry. The EU formerly spoke against the RA Government's intention to construct a NPP and called on Armenian authorities to build alternative energy sources instead. She did not rule out possible financial assistance of EU to the project. Archbishop Khajag Hagopian, Prelate of the Armenian Prelacy of Canada, joined the Armenian community in Quebec City for the official unveiling of Komitas Vartabed's statue. The statue is a gift from the Armenian National Committee of Quebec to Quebec City. Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg will pay a three-day visit to Yerevan to assess the progress of the enquiry of the post-electoral developments. In comments to the Armenian press Robert Kocharian said last week that he made a mistake by not imprisoning Ter-Petrosian after forcing Armenia's first president to resign in 1998. Assisted suicide advocate Jack Kevorkian has collected enough signatures to be on the November ballot as a congressional candidate in Michigan, USA. Joe Rozell, director of elections for Oakland County, says Kevorkian had about 3,200 valid signatures. He needed to collect 3,000. UNESCO’s World Heritage Commission meeting in Canada’s Quebec has included the Armenian Thaddeus Monastery in Iran into its list of historical, architectural and cultural monuments. According to UNESCO press office, the Armenian monastery located in Iran’s northwest, bears the evidence of extensive exchanges with other cultures of the region-Byzantine, Orthodox and Persian.

Sports - by Sevag Devledian

The Football Federation of Armenia has confirmed that the U-21 2009 European Championship qualifier between Armenia and Turkey scheduled for August 20, in Yerevan will be held in Hrazdan Stadium, the city’s largest football arena. The main teams of Armenia and Turkey, which are due to open their World Cup 2010 qualifying campaigns with a match in Yerevan on Sept. 6, are also likely to play at Hrazdan. As per the decision by the USA Chess Federation American-Armenian WFM Tatev Abrahamyan will be part of the USA Women's National Team at the Chess Olympiad 2008 in Dresden. FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov has made an initiative on holding a friendly match between the national chess teams of Armenia and Azerbaijan. Turkey has been evaluating the proposal of Armenian president to watch a football game between national teams of two countries with his Turkish counterpart, a foreign ministry spokesman said. Tennis star David Nalbandian's hopes of representing Argentina at the Olympic Games are hanging in the balance according to his physiotherapist. Despite the Argentinian Olympic Committee already announcing his inclusion in the team, the 26-year-old is still struggling with muscular injuries.

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Letters to the Editor

HI, I believe this is not the first time but here goes again. this needs to be fixed. I am an Armenian-American that is to say an Armenian Born in America. so on Hrant Dink he is an Armenian born in turkey so he is addressed as Armenian-Turk not Turkish Armenian. A turk born in Armenia is a Turkish Armenian . Armenian is always first then the country of citizenship. so all of us Armenians must be called Armenia- and what ever the other country. our origin is FIRST. PLEASE PLEASE have this corrected. this is a grave error Hrant is an Armenian First and foremost just like I am. This shows ones ignorance when it is incorrectly named. This must be straightened out. tell who ever is writing this article. Please find this a very important issue. Thank you. From an Armenian-American. Arlys Odabachian- Koushakjian Concerning Sevag Devledian's news item....... "Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, is in Turkey for extensive talks with Turkish politicians, seeking to keep up-to-date with both the government and opposition, and to reduce tensions that erupted after the organisation “endorsed Armenian claims,” reports the Turkish Daily News. “We continue to oppose a resolution that would contain the word genocide,” Foxman said. “Armenia and Turkey need to solve this, not in a political forum such as Congress or parliaments,” he said, but added that the “Jewish community does not deny the suffering of Armenians.”..... ....I think that it is imperative that the Jews and the people who represent them understand that we're not speaking simply of the "suffering" of those who died and those who witnessed the Genocide....but we are also talking about the thousands upon thousands of Armenian refugee families whose children, born in other countries, suffered the anxiety and trauma of seeing their parents sadly in tears all the way to their graves. Our parents would fondly reminisce about a land, a village, an orchard, a vineyard, a spring or brook as if they were composing poetry about a sweetheart. This had an incredible impact for generations, upon their children who were unable to equate the "horrors" of the Genocide with the sweet longing and yearning for a place that was now nothing but ashes, ruins or perhaps an earth mound. The Jews and their representatives, who bemoan the "Holocaust" and their suffering, seem to be completely indifferent to the generations that have endured the pain and anger of injustice. Will the Jews and their representatives "forget" their so-called "Holocaust" after 75 or 80 years? Or perhaps they expect to be fully "paid off" by then. It's not too far off! Why then, do they pretend to sympathise with our pain, while they deny the source of our pain? I will never find my decapitated grandfather's grave. I can never wipe my father's tears with which he entered his final resting place. I can never fully capture or feel the rapture of those wonderful days when my forefathers lived on their ageless land, happily, productively and piously...until.... dshkhouhi at comcast dot net Dear All, President Serzh Sargsyan has now officially invited a denialist to Yerevan and ignored all advise not to do so, he has become a disgrace in the eyes of millions of Armenians. I believe the main reason for his foolish and very dangerous step is to strengthen his very weak position in the eyes of USA and EU, so that they keep a close eye to his wrong doings in Armenia over all these years. I firmly believe the time has come for the ARF to say goodbye to such a President, as such a coalition is going nowhere and is doomed for failure. ARF must be very firm and honest about this issue as anything else is tantamount to betrayal of the Armenian nation and what the ARF stood over all these years. Turkey will use this move in her favour by deliberately misleading and confusing the international community which she has done so in the past with the famous TARC group financed by the US state department. This President has sadly lost all credibility. Time to move on. Yours sincerely, Mihran Keheyian - London Dear Simon, I am really disappointed with Armenia's song contests... After Sirusho's "huge" failure with that absurd "Kele, Kele" song, we now see this young girl singing like a "Professional" singer!!!! Where is the innocence of a young girl?! Her voice may be powerful but it's not everything to win a prize! Sincerely - A. Avedissian

14 ARMENIAN CYPRIOTS FLY TO GREECE TO THE ARS YOUTH CAMP OF KHALKIDIKI

Nicosia - Gibrahayer - Wednesday 16 July - 14 Armenian Cypriot youth between the ages of 11 and 18 (picture below taken at 4:30 am today), left this morning to Greece to participate in a summer camp in Khalkidiki that is being organised by The Armenian Blue Cross of Macedonia and Thrace (Armenian Relief Society - HOM Greece). They will return to Cyprus after three weeks of fun, games, an educational program and lots of fond memories to cherish for a lifetime. Around 200 youth from all over Europe and the diaspora are expected to participate.

GIBRAHAYER EMAGAZINE TO LAUNCH TRIVIA GAME IN SEPTEMBER 2008

Gibrahayer - Nicosia July 16 - As part of its plans to expand its online activities, Gibrahayer e-magazine will be launching an online Trivia Game, that parallel to providing prizes to its winners, will provide an educational forum on important historical and political happenings of Armenian reality. A team across Armenia and the diaspora has already started working on the project and the Game will be officially launched this autumn. More than 100 major prizes have been donated and will be given out to our winning subscribers. We urge our subscribers to support our new online activities by financially contributing to the team that will be working on the project, by calling the below number and contributing to the below account.

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Gibrahayer Calendar

Every Wednesday 9:00pm - BINGO Night is back at AYMA. Come and win super prizes in a family environment. If you want to begin the night with the delicious specialities of Hamo, please call him on 22499889 for dinner arrangements. Every Saturday from 7:00 pm - midnight - Marie Louise (vocals) and Armen (guitar and vocals) perform at The Golden Bay Hotel Bar in Larnaca Every Thursday (starting from 17 July) and every Sunday after 10:30 pm - Hovig (vocals) and Argyro (piano) perform at Pralina Bar on Stasikratous Avenue in Nicosia Sunday 27 July - Commemoration of Khanasori Arshavank and Operation Lisbon in Troodos at the Picnic Ground of Loumata Ton Aeton, by ARF Dashnaktsoutiun Cyprus Gomideh and affiliate organisations. Speaker of the Day:to be announced. Cultural program by the AYF. 13-27 July in Yerevan -Hamazkayin Forum for Armenian students will take place in Yerevan. Cyprus participants should contact Raffi Mahdessian on 99441588 18 – 25 July in Aghavnatsor - "Hayasdanaknatsoutiun" - ARF Dashnaktsoutiun's Badanegan Panarmenian Summer Camp at Aghavnatsor Homes (55 km from Yerevan) Price 280 dollars. Eight-Day educational program filled with excursions, discussions, games. Open to youth from 14-18 years old. For additional information contact Levon Sarian on 99409988–sarian at cytanet dot com dot cy