|
|
|
| Alexander-Michael Hadjilyra - Nicosia 21 October - I fear that the currently sizzling topic of the Armenia-Turkey protocols will influence matters regarding the Cyprus problem, namely the continuous occupation of 34,85% of Cyprus’ land by the Turkish military since 1974, while at the same time about 1.500 people are still missing, 142.000 Cypriots are refugees, and over 115.000 Turkish settlers from Anatolia have illegally colonised the northern part of our island.
 The diplomatic conjurers of Turkey may very easily exploit this infamous agreement to trick the world into believing that Cyprus is the real problem; they may project the illusion of peace with Armenia to say that it is the Republic of Cyprus that poses the problem to the illegal pseudo-state. Not only that, but this "magic" has unfortunately taken over segments of our society - firm believers of a federal Cypriot state -, arguing that “Since Armenia and Turkey have patched things up, why can't we too?”.
Suppose we sign a protocol with Turkey or, to please the eyes of the federalists, a solution to the Cyprus problem. A committee of historians will be set up to re-evaluate the tumultuous 20th century history of this island. Are we to deny the Turkish-Cypriot mutiny in December 1963? Are we to deny the brutal and unlawful Turkish invasion, in two phases, of summer 1974 and examine if it was an intervention or even a “peace operation”? What are we going to say to the refugees who lost their homes and villages? What are we going to say to the relatives of the ones who were killed defending their homeland or had been missing/are still missing for 35 years now? "And will the dreadful Turkish flag on Pentadhaktylos be erased?"
Haunting and daunting questions... We have seen what “peace” in Turkey’s terms means for Armenia and the Diaspora, let it not be repeated over Cyprus. I cannot possibly imagine a solution to the Armenian issue that fails to recognise an undeniable and unquestionable fact: the Armenian Genocide. Back to Cyprus, the workable solution I envision is infeasible: Turkey will never accept to take away its 35.000 troops, it will never accept to take back the 115.000 settlers, it will never admit guilt for 1974, it will never accept a COMMON state with a G/C majority and a T/C MINORITY, and never will it give back the lands it took or, at least, a reasonable compensation for them. I cannot accept a solution to the Cyprus problem that does not meet these terms. A final point-question: in 1975, Cyprus became the first European country to officially recognise the Armenian Genocide; suppose the Cyprus problem is solved, will the Turkish-Cypriots ever agree to honour the three (3) resolutions of the House of Representatives on the matter? |
| BONES TO PICK:TURKEY & ARMENIA
A new deal, but the old quarrels persist |
| The Economist, UK - 10/10/2009 - The bones protrude from the earth. An Armenian priest extracts them, praying quietly. Syrian secret police in a green  jeep look on. Residents of Busayrah, a village 35km (22 miles) south-east of Der Zor, claim the bones are of hundreds of thousands of Armenians marched into the Syrian desert and slaughtered by Ottoman forces in 1915. "Donkeys are now defecating on the bones of my forefathers. They were not allowed dignity, not even in death," says Khatchig Mouradian, a journalist.
Armenians say the mass extermination of their forebears was genocide. Members of the Armenian Diaspora believe that justice will not be done until the world, and above all Turkey, accepts this. And that is why many viscerally oppose a landmark deal between Turkey and its landlocked neighbour, Armenia, due to be signed this weekend in Switzerland.
Serzh Sargsyan, Armenia's President, has been blasted by nationalist opponents and greeted with howls of "traitor" by thousands of Armenian protesters in France, America and Lebanon, where he has (unsuccessfully) lobbied the Diaspora's leaders for support. Websites with names like "stoptheprotocols.com" abound.
The draft agreement calls for diplomatic ties and the reopening of Armenia's border with Turkey, sealed by the Turks in 1993 in solidarity with their Azeri cousins after Armenia occupied chunks of Azerbaijan following a nasty war over the mainly Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh. Diaspora Armenians are especially incensed by a plan for a joint commission of historians to investigate the events leading up to 1915. They fume that this calls the genocide into doubt and may make it harder to seek compensation. Most historians agree that there were as many as 1m Armenians living in Turkey before 1915, compared with 60,000 today. Much of their wealth went to Muslim Turks.
William Schabas, a professor of human rights in Galway, Ireland, says the 1915 killings constituted genocide. But he also argues that "there is no solid legal precedent for a right to compensation with respect to events that took place nearly a century ago." In Turkey, too, there are deep misgivings about peace with Armenia. Opposition parties have accused Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Prime Minister, of "carrying out America's orders" and "selling the country". They will fight the agreement if it is put to a vote in parliament.
Mr Erdogan (whose ruling Justice and Development Party has a clear majority in parliament) has made clear that Armenia needs to cede some of the occupied territories around Nagorno-Karabakh before the agreement can be approved. That is because Azerbaijan, which sells large quantities of oil and gas to Turkey, threatens to turn to Russia should Turkey abandon its cause. The Turks pin their hopes on a meeting due soon between Mr Sargsyan and his Azeri counterpart, Ilham Aliev, in Moldova. Mr Aliev claims that a deal is imminent. But Mr Sargsyan has said that he won't be "signing anything".
The concern for Turkey may then be that merely signing a deal with Armenia without ratifying it will not be enough to stave off threats by America's Congress to pass a bill labelling the Armenian tragedy as genocide. The past week's events show that, even if Turkey and Armenia shake hands, the Diaspora will keep to its cause. But the question Turkey should ask itself is how long it can evade the ghosts of its bloody past. |
 Do the Protocols bridge any divides?
by Dr harry Hagopian
... I believe this fragile agreement that was shrouded in mystery till the eleventh hour is more a marriage of convenience imposed upon two South Caucasian neighbours by outside matchmakers than a real desire for reconciliation between them. It is certainly not a case of Armenia and Turkey wishing to establish good - in the classical sense of co-equal - neighbourly relations, but rather one of geopolitical realities being dictated upon them.
Read the complete article by clicking here |
|
| |
| CAN TURKEY AND ARMENIA END
THEIR 100 YEARS OF HATE? |
| Trevor Royle - Sunday Herald, UK - 11/10/2009 - It was always on the cards that the long-expected approchement between Turkey and Armenia would go to the wire in Zurich.
Following weeks of cautious negotiations, last-minute cracks began to appear in the protocols and as this decisive weekend approached, both sides seemed to get cold feet. Hardly surprising, really: there is too much history involved and too many bad memories of the massacres of 1915 which blighted relations between the two countries for the better part of a century.
 That long shadow encouraged the Armenian Diaspora to exert its influence by informing president Serzh Sargsyan in no uncertain terms that they would refuse to co-operate with the joint historical commission which would be established by the agreement. Obviously, the historians could get to work without their help, but it would be a massive symbolic blow if the Armenian exiles refused to co-operate in the attempt to discover the truth of what actually happened all those years ago when 1.5 million innocents lost their lives.
The Armenians say it was genocide and fear that the historians will fudge the issue; the Turks say it was no such thing and have no intention of accepting responsibility for the ghosts of their forebears. Is it still such a live issue almost 100 years later? You bet it is. At a rally in Beirut last week, Sargsyan was confronted by an agitated crowd of 2000 ethnic Armenians waving banners saying: "We will not forget."
Neither should they. Even if the Turks cavil over the use of the word genocide, there is now no doubt that under Ottoman rule a systematic attempt took place to get rid of the mainly Christian Armenian population who were suspected of giving aid to Russia during the first world war. Huge numbers were rounded up and deported to areas such as the Syrian desert, and there was ample contemporary eyewitness evidence of the wholesale execution of Armenian men, women and children. Those who managed to escape the killings died on the march or in camps which were little better than unsanitary hovels. From any historical viewpoint it was a bleak incident in an equally bleak conflict and no-one should be surprised that it has come back to haunt us today.
But there is more to the mutual suspicions than disagreement over the irretrievable past. Armenia is currently at odds with its neighbour Azerbaijan over possession of the mountainous enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, which lies between the two countries and has been the source of rivalry in the years following the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. During the subsequent confrontation, the issue was clouded when Afghan and Chechen fighters sided with Azerbaijan - as did Turkey - and there was a real fear that the fighting would spill over and ignite a wider conflict in central Asia. That concern has not disappeared: despite a Russian-brokered ceasefire in 1994, Nagorno-Karabakh is still a tinderbox awaiting the spark.
Last week, diplomats from the US and the EU turned up in strength in the Moldovan capital of Chisinau intent on knocking some sense into collective heads.
Not only do the Americans and the Europeans want to remove a clear and present danger, but they need to do so to protect their own interests. If the oil and gas pipelines between Europe and central Asia are to be protected, it is essential that the volatile south Caucasus region is secured by getting all the partners onside. That's why it's so important that Turkey and Armenia put aside ancient differences and agree to some modest regional co-operation by reopening their borders. And that's why US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was planning to turn up in Zurich yesterday to make sure that both sides put their names to the agreement.
Just look at the map for confirmation.
Iran lies to the south and in this turbulent region Turkey has always been a solid ally of the US by providing the strategically important NATO air base at Incirlik and a bulwark against Islamic fundamentalism. At a time when the US needs firm friends to help it cope with Iran's nuclear ambitions, Turkey could emerge as a key player. So too could Armenia which desperately wants past injustices to be righted and to find its place in the sun.
And in Ankara they will understand that nothing is for nothing. Turkey's application for EU membership is still on the table and looks increasingly as if it will be blocked by joint German, French and Italian opposition. The Turks too will be looking for a little help from their friends because at times like this the past might be important, but it's not the whole story. |
| LAST WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION: |
| - How many protest demonstrations were held in Turkey against the Protocols? |
| News in Brief by Sevag Devletian |
- The embassy of Turkey in Baku repeated Ankara's assurances that reopening of the country's border with Armenia is not negotiable prior to a pullout of the Armenian armed forces.
- "The parliament will start the discussions and make a decision on the Armenian-Turkish protocols only after they are confirmed by the parliament of Turkey," Galust Saakian, the head of the majority faction of the Armenian Republican Party, said at a news conference on last week. This is because the border was in fact closed by Turkey, he said. If Turkey dodges the accords, or comes up with amendments, the Armenian parliament will not enter the discussion of the protocols on its agenda, he said.
- The head of the Turkish police intelligence department, under investigation over the 2007 killing of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, has been removed from office, media reports said. Ramazan Akyurek was demoted to a lower post in a different department to ensure an objective investigation over his alleged misconduct in handling prior intelligence of the murder, they said. In a report prepared last year on Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's orders, Akyurek was accused of failing to act on tip-offs on plans to kill Dink.
- During their meeting before the Armenia-Turkey football match in Bursa, Armenian and Turkish journalists discussed the possibility of launching a common information site, one of the meeting's organisers Artak Shakaryan stated during a press conference. According to Shakaryan, the idea of launching such a site is still under discussion. Such a resource will give the two sides an opportunity of direct contact in the area of news and information.
- The European Commission has proposed providing 100 million Euros ($149.2 million) of macroeconomic assistance to Armenia. The aid to Armenia, a loan of up to 65 million Euros and a grant of up to 35 million Euros, would support an adjustment programme agreed with the International Monetary Fund to help the country through the global crisis, the Commission said.
|
| CYPRUS CONCERT |
|  |
| |
| |
| Letters to the Editor |
| I was told by an Armenian friend, who just came from Armenia two days ago to the US, that 80% of the Armenians living in Armenia objected to the signing of the protocols and are still furious at the President for his immature and careless action. The other 20% are in the pockets of the President. Mass demonstrations are being organised by different factions but the government is banning them from demonstrating. Obviously they don't want their protests heard. Some organizations are going to demonstrate regardless of the government's dictatorial policy.Why don't you also emphasise the outrage of those Armenians living in Armenia? We already know the outrage of the Armenians in the Diaspora. The government can't control all of the media or can it?
Armen Jeknavorian
THE EDITOR - GIBRAHAYER MAGAZINE DEAR SIR,
IN ORDER TO HELP ACTIVATE AND BOOST OUR NATIONAL STRATEGIES AND TO FURTHER OUR ASSERTIVENESS AND DETERMINATION, IN THE INTEREST OF ALL ARMENIANS I AM FORWARDING THIS PRESENT WRITING AS AN OPEN APPRAISAL SHOULD IT AGREE WITH EDITORIAL ASSENT.
----------------------------------------------
WHILE PROTOCOLS ARE THE ORDER OF THE DAY SO ARE THE COUNTER MEASURES TO BE TAKEN BY ALL ARMENIANS.. (I hate repetitions but have to make a point in repeating leading facts)
OUR NATION IS THE FIRST AND THE ONLY ONE NATION IN MODERN HISTORY TO HAVE SUFFERED THE MOST BRUTAL GENOCIDE AND FORCED DEPORTATION CRIMES AT THE HANDS OF THE OTTOMAN TURKS.
ARMENIAN DEPORTEES WHO WERE DRIVEN OFF THEIR HOMELAND AND WERE FORCED TO LEAVE EVERYTHING THEY OWNED IN THE HANDS OF THE TURKS. AS A RESULT, THEY WERE DISPERSED IN THE FOUR CORNERS OF THE WORLD IN DIRE DESTITUTE SEEKING FOOD AND SHELTER THUS FORMING THE ARMENIAN DIASPORA OVER THE YEARS TO THIS VERY DAY AS THE ONE OF THE MANY UNARGUABLE AND UNDENIABLE LIVE EVIDENCES OF THE COMMITTED GENOCIDE CRIMES.
A SPECIFIC REFERENCE TO OUR DIASPORA IS MOST APPROPRIATE HERE.
SINCE THE ARMENIAN DIASPORA EXCEEDS THE POPULATION COUNT IN ARMENIA PROPER BY ABOUT 500% AND HAS NOW IN GENERAL A MUCH LARGER CAPABILITY OF BETTER QUALIFIED AND BETTER EXPERIENCED ACADEMICS WITH MUCH BROADER VIEWS OF REAL ARMENIAN VALUES AS COMPARED WITH THE BACKGROUND OF THE EXISTING ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, IN THE EVENT OF HAVING TO FACE MAJOR CRITICAL GEO POLITICAL ISSUES, AN AMENDMENT TO THE ARMENIAN CONSTITUTION WOULD BE MOST IMPERATIVE AND APPROPRIATE TO PROVIDE FOR OPEN CONSULTATIONS TO BE ENTERED INTO BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AND THE DIASPORA EXPERTS, PENDING WHICH AN ALL ARMENIAN WORLD WIDE REFERENDUM MAY BE CALLED FOR, SO THAT, THE ARMENIAN CITIZENS LIVING IN ARMENIA AND ARMENIANS LIVING IN THE DIASPORA CAN ALL CAST THEIR COMBINED VOTE DEMOCRATICALLY.(AT LEAST AS A STARTER...)..
IT IS NEEDLESS TO REPEAT THE MULTITUDE OF THE AVAILABLE EXTENSIVE FACTS, EVIDENCES, DOCUMENTS AND THE DIASPORA ITSELF AS BEING THE MAJOR LIVING ATTESTATION FOR THE GENOCIDE CRIMES COMMITTED BY THE OTTOMAN TURKS ARE ALL BUT PART FOR OUR WARRANTED AND FULLY JUSTIFIED LEGITIMATE CLAIMS.
WHAT BETTER EVIDENCE CAN BE EVER SHOWN TO THE WORLD OTHER THAN THE “WILSONIAN ARMENIA” DOCUMENT, A MOST IMPORTANT COMPLETE DOCUMENT IN AUTHORITY, VALIDITY AND CREDIBILITY WHICH HAS BEEN PUSHED UNDER THE DUST FOR SO LONG BY SO MANY ANTI ARMENIAN HANDS.
I HAVE TRANSCRIBED THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE TO ASK THE "PROTOCOLISTS" IF THE 90 ODD YEARS WAS NOT ENOUGH FOR THE WORLD HISTORIANS TO STUDY AND LEARN THE EVENTS OF 1915 TO THIS PRESENT DAY AS THEY PUT IT?
“The signing of the protocol with Armenia is part of Turkey’s policy to establish stability and peace in the Caucasus, Cemil Cicek said. Stressing that Turkey is ready to face own history, Cemil Cicek also mentioned that a special commission of historians will be established to learn the events of 1915 THE TURKISH LOBBY SEIZED EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO PUSH FORWARD ITS ANTI ARMENIAN PROPAGANDA, AND I ASK IF THEY EVER SHOWED ANY GOODWILL TOWARDS US DURING ALL THOSE MANY YEARS TO THIS VERY DAY ?
THEN HOW COULD SUCH A SUDDEN "CHANGE OF HEART" COME ABOUT ?
.AND WHY AFTER ALL THOSE MANY YEARS TURKEY WILL JUST BEGIN TO "STUDY AND LEARN" THE EVENTS OF 1915 AS ANNOUNCED BY CEMIL CICEK ? WE NEED CONCRETE RESULTS FOR OUR CAUSE FIRST BEFORE WASTING INK.
I MOST STRONGLY BELIEVE AND WOULD PUSH FOR THE “WILSONIAN ARMENIA” DOCUMENT TO BE KEPT ALIVE IN EVERY DAY CIRCULATION FOR EACH AND EVERY POSSIBLE OPPORTUNITY WITHOUT FAIL, AS FAR AS POSSIBLE IT MAY BE, FOR IT TO SEND A CLEAR MESSAGE TO THE WORLD TRIBUNALS TO FINALLY SHOW RESPECT FOR ARMENIANS AND TAKE EVERY UNCOMPROMISING ACTION TO SECURE THE GENUINE RIGHTS OF ARMENIAN PEOPLE WHO SUFFERS TO THIS DAY IN BEING THE VICTIM OF GREATEST INJUSTICE, IN BEING DENIED FROM THEIR DEAD AND ANCESTRAL HOMELAND YET FACING CONSTANT SHAMEFUL DENIAL,HUMILIATION, FABRICATED DISTORTION AND RIDICULE TO NO END TO THIS DAY.
TO CONCLUDE, MAY I POSE A SIMPLE QUESTION TO THE "MANY" ANSWERS THAT LINGER AROUND US: WHAT IF ARMENIA DECIDES TO KEEP THE BORDER CLOSED ?
SINCERELY, WITH ARMENIAN PRIDE,
BARKEV SARKISSIAN - ALEXANDRIA -EGYPT
Mr. Hagop Kazandjian- ARF, Mr. Hagop Dikranian- SDHP, Mr. Assadour Devletian- RAG
Dear Friends,
I would like to commend you all for the very nice program you organised yesterday ( October 14, 2009) in protest to Armenia- Turkish relations and protocol. The program was well organised and achieved its aim. Thank you for bringing the whole community together. As Armenian nation, we are living in critical times and more collective efforts are needed to confront the many challenges ahead of us.
Lord's blessings as you continue in your endeavours in developing further the community's various functions in the days to come.
Sincerely, Hrayr Jebejian - Armenian Evangelical Church- Cyprus |
| JOIN the SIPAN Armenian Dance Ensemble of the
Hamazkayin Cultural and Educational Association
Cyprus "Oshagan" chapter
under Choreographer & Director Janna Tahmizian
JOIN by calling Shoushig Bakalian on 99667828 |
| |
| WE WELCOME VISITOR NUMBER 118,118
TO OUR WEBSITE WWW.GIBRAHAYER.COM |
| |
| The new Ambassador of Greece and Cyprus is Gagik Galachyan |
| 
|
| The Bible: The Essence of Tarkmantchatz |
October is designated as Cultural Month in the Armenian calendar to celebrate the invention and impact of the Armenian alphabet by Saint Mesrob Mashdots. The Armenians read his name in the Canon of the Mass and  celebrate his memory on February 19. The invention of the alphabet in 406AD proved a
powerful factor in the building and preserving of the national
spirit, strengthening the Armenian Church and ultimately the
bond among all Armenians.
The first monument of the invention of the alphabet was the
translation of the Bible from the original Greek into Armenian
which was completed about 434. Many of the modern linguists
consider the translation of the Bible into Armenian an almost
perfect match and have coined it the "Queen of Translations".
The first verse that St. Mesrob translated was the opening line
from Solomon’s Book of Proverbs in the Old Testament: “To
know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of
understanding”.
His Holiness Catholicos Aram I of Cilicia declared the year 2009 as the Year of the Youth. In line with the Cultural Month and the 2009 Year of the Youth, Mr. Hrayr and Dr. Arda Jebejian initiated the gift/donation of 100 Children and Youth Bibles to the Armenian Prelacy of Cyprus to be distributed to the Nareg schools in Cyprus and to the Sunday School in Nicosia run by the Prelacy. The two editions of the Bible stories are adapted into a simple language and enriched with drawings to make them
accessible and attractive to children and youth. The Bibles were officially handed to His Eminence, Archbishop Varoujan Hergelian, Catholicosal Vicar in Cyprus.
On Monday, October 12, 2009, Mr. Hrayr Jebejian, accompanied by Father Momik Habeshian, the parish priest of Sourp Asdvadzadzin in Nicosia, presented the Children’s Bible to one of the elementary classes in Nareg, Nicosia. Through a brief, interactive time with the students, Mr. Jebejian highlighted the significance of Tarkmanchats and then explained how the Children’s Bible was written, designed, and printed in such a way that it made God’s Word easily accessible and attractive to the young generation. As the Children’s Bible comprises of 365 stories, Mr. Jebejian encouraged the young children to read a story a day and complete the reading of the whole Book in one year.
The Children and the Youth Bibles are both produced by the Bible Society in Lebanon in collaboration with the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia, Antelias, Lebanon. The Bible Societies are international Christian publishing organizations that have 145 offices worldwide and operate in more than 200 countries. The Bible Societies are inter-confessional organizations that work with all the different churches and denominations, including the Armenian churches.
Hrayr Jebejian is the General Secretary of the Bible Society in the Arabian Gulf (BSG). Currently, the management office of the BSG is based in Nicosia, Cyprus. Dr. Arda Jebejian is a linguist and the author of 19 books. Currently, she lectures at the School of Humanities, Law and Social Sciences in the University of Nicosia. Dr. Jebejian is the author of the Armenian Children’s Bible. |
| You can view the Tarkmanchatz Hantes at
Nareg school Nicosia by clicking here |
| 
|
No comments:
Post a Comment