LOUSSAPATZ - The Dawn - 997 2013--8-31‏

ԹԻՒ 997 ՇԱԲԱԹ, 31 ՕԳՈՍՏՈՍ 2013

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Taniel Varoujan April 20, 1884 - August 26, 1915 He was one of the greatest Armenian poets of this century. At the age of 31, when he was blossoming to become a poet of international

stature, he was brutally murdered by the government of "The Young Turks.

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ՍՈՒՐԻԱՆ Կ’ԱՅՐԻ ԵՒ Կ’ԱՅՐԵՑՆԷ Մեթր Պարգեւ Դաւիթեան

Կար ժամանակ, երբ գաղափարական պայքարի հակադիր ուժեր կողմ կը բռնէին եւ քա- ղաքական ուղղութիւն ցոյց կու տային` առանց նկատի առնելու ցեղային կամ ազգային, կրօ- նական կամ դաւանական պատկանելիութիւնը միւս կողմին։

Այդ ժամանակ Արեւմուտքը, իր դրամատիրութեամբ, իր փէշերուն տակ հաւաքած էր «Եր- րորդ Աշխարհ»էն մաս մը, որ «ազատ շուկայ»ի գաղափարով բարեկեցիկ կեանք մը ապրելու երազին ետեւէն կը վազէր, Արեւելքն ալ, իր գաղափարախօսութեամբ, իր երկաթէ վարագոյ- րին ետեւ հաւաքած էր «Երրորդ Աշխարհ»ի միւս մասը, որ ինքզինք Արեւմուտքի կողմէ եղած դաւադրութեանց կամ շահագործումին զոհ կը նկատէր։

Սուրիան մէկն էր «Երրորդ Աշխարհ»ի այն երկիրներէն որ անկախութենէն (1946) սկսեալ, պետական հարուածներու (coup d’etats) երկար շարք մը ունենալէ ետք, վերջապէս հանգչեցաւ Արեւելքի գրկին մէջ, որպէս զոհը այն դաւադրութեան որ ստեղծեց, օգնեց եւ զօրացուց Արեւ- մուտքի գիրկը նստող Իսրայէլը։

Այսօր, «մայրամուտ» մտած եւ «փշրուած» Արեւելքի բեկորը՝ գաղափարազուրկ Ռուսիան, օգնութեան ձեռք երկարելով իր անցեալի դաշնակիցին՝ Սուրիոյ, հակադրուած է որեւէ ժամա- նակէ աւելի զօրացած դրամատէր Արեւմուտքին դէմ, եւ այսպիսի հակադրութեամբ Սուրիոյ տագնապը կը մնայ անլոյծ, աւերակի վերածելով Սուրիան եւ գաղթական դարձնելով անոր ժողովուրդը։

Ներկայ պայքարը հակադիր ուժերու միջեւ զուրկ է ամէն տեսակի գաղափարախօսութե- նէ։ Կողմերը շարուած են կրօնական դաւանանքներու ետին (Սուրիոյ Ալաուի իշխանատէրե- րուն ետեւ կանգնած են Շի’իթ Իրանը, Իրաքը եւ Հըզպալլա Լիբանանը, իսկ Սուրիոյ Սիւննի ընդդիմադիրներու ետին կանգնած են Սիւննի Սէուտիէն, Պահրէյնը, Քուէյթն ու Թուրքիան)։ Եւ հակադիր կողմերու ալ ետին կանգնած են շահախնդիր հսկաները աշխարհի։

Երկա՜ր եւ անվերջ եղած են կրօնական բնոյթ ունեցող տագնապներն ու կռիւները։

Աշխարհի տնտեսական ներկայ հիւանդ վիճակն ալ կրնայ գործօն ազդակ դառնալ պատե- րազմներով լուծելու տնտեսապէս մտահոգ ռազմասէրները...։ Դժբախտաբար հրշէջներ չկան Սուրիոյ կրակը մարող, այլ կան կրակը խառնող եւ բորբոքող դերակատարներ։

Սուրիոյ քրիստոնեայ փոքրամասնութիւնները, ի մէջ այլոց՝ հայերը, եւ անոնց ճակատագ- րի ապահովութեամբ մտահոգ սփիւռքի իրենց հարազատներն ու կրօնակիցները, դժբախտու- թիւնը կ’ապրին այսօր մօտէն կամ հեռուէն դիտելու իսլամ սուրիացիներու տարբեր դաւա- նանքներուն միջեւ տարուող արիւնալի պայքարը, որ վերջ կարծես չունի, եւ որուն խիստ ա- տելութեան բոցին մէջ կ’այրի Սուրիան, եւ որ իր հետ վճռած է այրել ամբողջ Միջին Արեւելքը։ Սուրիոյ հայերն ու քրիստոնեայ միւս փոքրամասնութիւնները դարձած են բռնատիրութեան եւ ահաբեկչութեան գործած աւերին ու սարսափին անմեղ զոհերը։ Անոնք կը ցաւին որ դաւա- նանքապաշտ անկայուն Սուրիա մը վերջ պիտի դնէ իրենց դարաւոր ներկայութեան այդ պատմական երկրին մէջ, զիրենք մղելով բռնելու արտագաղթի ճամբան։

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COVER PAGE Daniel Varujan or "Taniel Varoujan" (Armenian: Դանիէլ Վարուժան, Դանիէլ Չպուքքարեան April 20,

1884-August 26, 1915) is one of the significant Armenian poets of the 20th century. He was one of the greatest Armenian poets of this century. At the age of 31, when he was blossoming to be-

come a poet of international stature, he was brutally murdered by the government of "The Young Turks", like Siamanto, Krikor Zohrab and many others, as part of the officially planned and executed Armenian Genocide.

Life and education

Varujan was born in the Prknig village of Sivas, Turkey. After attending the local school, he was sent in 1896, the year of the Hamidian massacres, to Istanbul, where he attended the Mkhitarian school. He then continued his education at Mourad-Rafaelian school of Venice, and in 1905 entered the Ghent University in Belgium, where he followed courses in literature, sociology and economics. In 1909 he returned to his village where he taught for three years. After his marriage with Araksi Varujan in 1912, he became the principal of St. Gregory The Illuminator School in Istanbul.

Mehian literary group

In 1914, he established the "Mehian literary group and magazine with Gostan Zarian, Hagop Oshagan, Aharon Parseghian and Kegham Parseghian. The purpose of this movement was to start an Armenian Renaissance, to wake the nation up from centuries of slavery and darkness, to reconnect it to its great Pre-Christian past ("Mehian" means "Temple"), and to encourage it to stand up on its own feet and not tolerate any tyranny, whether from its own cor- rupt leadership or the Turkish government. The fundamental ideology of Mehian was expressed as:

"We announce the worship and the expression of the Armenian spirit, because the Armenian spirit is alive, but appears occasionally. We say: Without the Armenian spirit there is no Armenian literature and Armenian artist. Every true artist expresses only his own race's spirit...We say: External factors, acquired customs, foreign influ- ences, diverted and deformed emotions have dominated the Armenian spirit, but were unable to assimilate it."

Death

An eyewitness has narrated the torture and martyrdom of Varoujan, Roupen Sevag (another great Armenian writer,doctor), and three others. After being arrested and jailed, they were told that they were being taken to a vil- lage. On the way, a Turkish official and his assistant, accompanied by five "policemen" who were armed to the teeth, stopped the convoy. After robbing the five prisoners, the first two who were in charge left and ordered the other five to take them away. After taking them to the woods, they attacked the prisoners, took off their clothes un- til all of them were completely naked. Then they tied them one by one to the trees and started cutting them slowly with their knives. Their screams could be heard from a long distance where this eyewitness was hiding.

One of his great works The Song of the Bread (Hatsin Yerge) a fifty page collection of poems, was confiscated during the genocide. It was later published posthumously in 1921. The poems celebrate the simple majesty of vil- lage agricultural life, celebrating the Armenian peasant of Anatolia.

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More than anyone else of their time, Siamanto and Varoujan verbalized the hopes of the Armenians around the start of the 20th century. Using legends, old epics, and pagan history at the springboard and allegory for their aspi- rations, they waited for deliverance from oppression and the rebirth in Armenian arts.

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US AMBASSADOR ON OBAMA’S APRIL 24 STATEMENT

NEWS.am -- The annual April 24 statement of President Obama on Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day does not deny any of the facts, US Ambassador said.

Ambassador John Heffern was introduced by The Politic, the Yale journal of politics, and commented on Obama’s campaign promise to pro- nounce the G-word.

“It [statement] does not deny any of the facts. It clearly states that 1.5 million Armenians were massacred or were marshaled to death in the final days of the Ottoman Empire. It refers to these actions as one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century. It acknowledges the facts, and in our view, there is no dispute over the facts,” he said.

Ambassador Heffern noted that the fact how the government characterizes this period is a policy decision, and the U.S.policy is to promote reconciliation between Armenia and Turkey. “Certainly, Armenia needs that Turkish border open, needs diplomatic relations with its neighbor. It is in a semi- isolated state [that] is very detrimental to the state and to the economy. So U.S. policy is reconciliation between Armenia and Turkey. The President and Secretary of State — Secretaries Clinton and now Kerry — select and use words that they believe will promote that reconciliation, and that is why they have chosen the words they used.”

ALEPPO CHRISTIANS FEAR IRAQ-STYLE ETHNIC CLEANSING By: Edward Dark for Al-Monitor Posted on August 26

ALEPPO, Syria — Aleppo is basically “Little Syria,” a melting pot, representative of the diverse ethnic and religious groups that make up the nation. Christians in Aleppo have tended to live together in close-knit communi- ties in neighborhoods usually clustered around churches.

It would be very accurate to describe some areas of Aleppo as “Christian,” although this by no means implies any sort of self- or outside-imposed segregation or discrimination. Residents of other faiths are found, and get along just fine in those areas. It is just that they are predominantly Christian.

Unfortunately, by a stroke of peculiarly bad luck, all the Christian neighborhoods are on or near the frontlines in the parts of Aleppo divided between regime and rebel control. They have seen more than their fair share of fighting, “collateral damage” and a long line of civilian casualties.

The area of Midan in particular, home to many of Aleppo’s Armenian Christian minority, was a frontline area that saw heavy fighting for many months. It is still the scene of sporadic fighting and shelling today, although a large proportion of its inhabitants have already fled. Some went to Lebanon, others went back to Armenia where they applied for Armenian citizenship and passports, then moved on to settle in Europe or the Arab Gulf — where Syrian passport holders are denied work or residence permits, hence their change of passports.

It is particularly sad and ironic to witness today the Armenians, who fled persecution and sought sanctuary in Aleppo more than a century ago, again being forced to do the same, this time from Aleppo. I doubt very much whether they would have considered doing so under any other circumstances. They have always enjoyed excellent communal relations with the rest of Aleppan society, and were even allowed to set up their own private schools which taught in Armenian — something not allowed for other ethnic groups, most notably the Kurds. The Armeni- ans were guaranteed a place in the Syrian parliament via their own elected representatives.

As for Arab Christians — in other frontline places such as Sliemaniyeh, Siryan and Azizieh — the wealthy among them have fled, mostly to Europe or Lebanon, as have most of Aleppo’s wealthy elites. Those who stayed

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behind have now irrevocably tied their fate with that of the Syrian regime. Not out of love or loyalty or ideology, but out of fear and necessity. As a Christian friend told me the other day about the rebels, “If they don’t take my life, then they will take my way of life,” and it is easy to see what he means if you take a stroll through his area. Christians in Aleppo, while being for the most part conservative, are nonetheless a lot more open and liberal in their social customs, dress code and general attitude than other inhabitants in the city.

They have enjoyed a large degree of social and religious freedom under the current regime, and it is a freedom they fear they will soon lose. It is this unique identity and way of life that will most likely be the first victim of a rebel victory. With some rebel groups being largely made up of extremist Islamists and al-Qaeda affiliates, it is not such a stretch to deduce that Christians in Syria may suffer the same fate as they did in Iraq. That perception was reinforced recently with the kidnapping of prominent activist Jesuit Priest Father Paolo Dall’Oglio in al-Raqqa by al-Qaeda groups, as well as the disappearance of two Orthodox Christian bishops from Aleppo — Yohanna Ibrahim and Boulos Yazigi — more than four months ago, presumed to be held by foreign jihadists.

Those reasons are exactly why, out of all the areas in Aleppo, one is most likely to find young Christian men taking up arms and manning checkpoints to defend themselves. This is very evident to anyone traveling through Sliemaniyeh’s checkpoints. The young men there are all locals, some even clad with long hair and tattoos. Some- times, you see them hanging out with their wives or friends in casual conversation, it is clear that they are regarded heroes by their community.

Walking there a couple of weeks ago, my eye caught a sun-weathered khaki-clad young man, AK-47 rifle slung across his back. My mind registered a faint flicker of recognition. “George,” I exclaimed, “is that you? You’ve changed, you're a lot thinner and much more tanned!” He recognized me almost immediately, “You haven’t changed a bit! Although you have a lot less hair on your head!” After exchanging pleasantries, I learnt that George — someone I knew in college — had volunteered for a three-month stint with the “political intelligence” regime apparatus, whose massive building ominously overshadows the whole area.

“We get a crash training course, and they provide us with weapons and ammunition. And best of all, we’re de- ployed in or near our neighborhoods. The salary is not so great though,” he mused.

“Are you happy doing what you do? Will you extend your contract?” I asked. “No,” he said quite firmly. “I have relatives in Venezuela, I’m getting out of here as soon as I’m done.” His was a typical story, amid all the un- certainty, pressure and fear that he and his community feel, it maybe the wisest option to just cut and run — after all, many tens of thousands have already done so.

But it is not just their home turf that they are protecting, many have also volunteered in the Syrian army or the various pro-regime militias, fighting on many frontlines in the city. One such case is the sad story of a young Chris- tian boy named Salim Nahhas, whose siblings I knew quite well. He was only 19 when he died fighting with the regime against the rebels in the Rashdeen area of Aleppo in July 2013.

His family set up a tribute group on Facebook, where heartbreaking messages and photos are posted. But the most remarkable aspect of Nahhas’ story is that most of his family was initially with the uprising and against the regime, some even taking part in protests and later aid work for the displaced. That was before Aleppo was invaded by the rebels in the summer of 2012 and before rebel mortar shells hit Nahhas’ neighborhood, killing some of his friends and neighbors. Since then, many things have changed in Aleppo.

DOES OBAMA KNOW HE’S FIGHTING ON AL-QA’IDA’S SIDE? Robert Fisk

‘All for one and one for all’ should be the battle cry if the West goes to war against Assad’s Syrian regime

If Barack Obama decides to attack the Syrian regime, he has ensured – for the very first time in history – that the United States will be on the same side as al-Qa’ida.

Quite an alliance! Was it not the Three Musketeers who shouted “All for one and one for all” each time they sought combat? This really should be the new battle cry if – or when – the statesmen of the Western world go to war against Bashar al-Assad.

The men who destroyed so many thousands on 9/11 will then be fighting alongside the very nation whose innocents they so cruelly murdered almost exactly 12 years ago. Quite an achievement for Obama, Cameron, Hollande and the rest of the miniature war- lords.

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This, of course, will not be trumpeted by the Pentagon or the White House – nor, I suppose, by al-Qa’ida – though they are both trying to destroy Bashar. So are the Nusra front, one of al-Qa’ida’s affiliates. But it does raise some interesting possibilities.

Maybe the Americans should ask al-Qa’ida for intelligence help – after all, this is the group with “boots on the ground”, something the Americans have no interest in doing. And maybe al-Qa’ida could offer some target infor- mation facilities to the country which usually claims that the supporters of al-Qa’ida, rather than the Syrians, are the most wanted men in the world.

There will be some ironies, of course. While the Americans drone al-Qa’ida to death in Yemen and Pakistan – along, of course, with the usual flock of civilians – they will be giving them, with the help of Messrs Cameron, Hollande and the other Little General-politicians, material assistance in Syria by hitting al-Qa’ida’s enemies. In- deed, you can bet your bottom dollar that the one target the Americans will not strike in Syria will be al-Qa’ida or the Nusra front.

And our own Prime Minister will applaud whatever the Americans do, thus allying himself with al-Qa’ida, whose London bombings may have slipped his mind. Perhaps – since there is no institutional memory left among modern governments – Cameron has forgotten how similar are the sentiments being uttered by Obama and himself to those uttered by Bush and Blair a decade ago, the same bland assurances, uttered with such self-confidence but without quite enough evidence to make it stick.

In Iraq, we went to war on the basis of lies originally uttered by fakers and conmen. Now it’s war by YouTube. This doesn’t mean that the terrible images of the gassed and dying Syrian civilians are false. It does mean that any evidence to the contrary is going to have to be suppressed. For example, no-one is going to be interested in persis- tent reports in Beirut that three Hezbollah members – fighting alongside government troops in Damascus – were apparently struck down by the same gas on the same day, supposedly in tunnels. They are now said to be undergo- ing treatment in a Beirut hospital. So if Syrian government forces used gas, how come Hezbollah men might have been stricken too? Blowback?

And while we’re talking about institutional memory, hands up which of our jolly statesmen know what hap- pened last time the Americans took on the Syrian government army? I bet they can’t remember. Well it happened in Lebanon when the US Air Force decided to bomb Syrian missiles in the Bekaa Valley on 4 December 1983. I recall this very well because I was here in Lebanon. An American A-6 fighter bomber was hit by a Syrian Strela missile – Russian made, naturally – and crash-landed in the Bekaa; its pilot, Mark Lange, was killed, its co-pilot, Robert Goodman, taken prisoner and freighted off to jail in Damascus. Jesse Jackson had to travel to Syria to get him back after almost a month amid many clichés about “ending the cycle of violence”. Another American plane – this time an A-7 – was also hit by Syrian fire but the pilot managed to eject over the Mediterranean where he was plucked from the water by a Lebanese fishing boat. His plane was also destroyed.

Sure, we are told that it will be a short strike on Syria, in and out, a couple of days. That’s what Obama likes to think. But think Iran. Think Hezbollah. I rather suspect – if Obama does go ahead – that this one will run and run.

CANADIANS HURRYING TO SYRIA IN RECORD NUMBERS TO JOIN REBELS

At least 100 young Canadians have left for Syria in the past year, joining a steady march of jihadists, security sources say.

By: Michelle Shephard, National Security Reporter, Published on Fri Aug 23 2013

Young Canadians are hurrying to Syria in record numbers to join rebels in their fight against the Assad regime, raising fears among security services at home about Al Qaeda’s access to Western recruits.

It is estimated that at least 100 Canadians — mainly in their 20s and coming from Ontario and Alberta — have left for Syria in the past year, joining a steady march of foreigners drawn to the conflict, security sources say.

“Our government is acutely aware of this issue,” said Frederik Boisvert, spokesman for Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney, noting Ottawa passed the Combating Terrorism Act in April, which makes it a crime to leave the country— or even attempt to— to engage in terrorist activities.

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The Canadian government is not alone in tracking its citizens travelling to Syria. Although estimates vary on the number of foreigners fighting in the country, Matthew Olsen, director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, recently called Syria the “predominant jihadist battlefield in the world.”

Fighters are leaving Canada for various motives. Horrific imagery of the slaughter by forces loyal to President Bashar Assad is spurring some to join the rebel cause. Others had already adopted Al Qaeda’s global agenda while still in Canada. For them, Syria provides a perfect

battleground and has surpassed Afghanistan, Iraq, North or East Africa as the destination of choice.

But the distinction may not matter soon, as Al Qaeda groups extend their territory within Syria, blurring the lines between rebel fighters and those loyal to the terrorist network.

“If they don’t get killed, the concern is what happens when they come home,” said one Canadian official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Foreigners inside Syria are also increasingly being kidnapped or killed by Al Qaeda-linked groups, making

Syria one of world’s most dangerous places for journal- ists.

U.S. photographer Matthew Schrier, who was seized Dec. 31, went public Friday with details of his torture and seven-month captivity. He told New York Times journal- ist C.J. Chivers how he was held in bases and prisons run by two Islamist rebel groups. He described his captors as both savvy and cruel: they accusing him of being an American spy, beat him and assumed his identity online to send emails to his mother and friends.

He said he believed some of his captors were Canadian. Schrier could not be reached Friday for comment. But if they were Canadian, they join a growing list of fellow countrymen who have been at the forefront of

deadly terrorist actions abroad, including the April 15 attack and suicide bombing of Mogadishu’s courthouse and the January raid and hostage-taking at an Algerian gas plant.

In Syria, where the complicated battlefield milieu spills beyond its country’s border and where Al Qaeda- linked groups are fast emerging, foreigners can easily make contact with hardened fighters.

Militant members of Jabat al Nusra — designated a terrorist group in the U.S. but still not on Canada’s list of banned organizations — hold sway, known for their military prowess, propping up the outgunned rebels.

And there’s the newly formed Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, which has recently drawn recruits from abroad, including veterans of conflicts in Chechnya and the volatile border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

“The draw of Syria for global jihadists is irresistible. Syria is a major Arab country bordering the jihadis’ most hated enemy, Israel, and ruled by their second most hated enemy, the Shia,” said Will McCants, director of the Brookings Institution’s Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World.

“To top it off, some Muslim traditions identify Syria as the scene of the final apocalyptic battle with the infi- dels,” said McCants, a former senior adviser at the U.S. State Department. “It’s a heady mix for pious young men. The immense human suffering only makes it more so.”

When the protests to oust Assad began in 2011, counterterrorism officials warned that the longer the conflict went on, the greater the risks of Al Qaeda carving out its territory amid the chaos.

Last November, the interim director of Canada’s Security Intelligence Service told a parliamentary committee that Syria provided Al Qaeda an ideal recruiting ground.

“The situation in Syria will remain chaotic for the foreseeable future, and this will continue to offer a permis- sive environment for terrorist activities,” Michel Coulombe stated.

“The spectre of these young people returning to Canada — with combat experience and thoroughly radicalized views — is a serious national security concern.”

Rebel fighters take aim at the location of Kurdish fight- ers in the outskirts of the northern Syrian city of Raqqa. As the civil war drags on, jihadist fighters and Al Qaeda-linked groups have joined the rebels, and there are fears Canadians have been fighting with both.

ALICE MARTINS/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

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TURKISH ARMENIANS ARE BEGINNING

TO CELEBRATE—AND COMMEMORATE—THEIR PAST Economist.com

A dainty silver slipper, a hand-en- graved copper bowl. Silva Ozyerli, an eth- nic Armenian, runs a loving finger over these and other family treasures strewn across her dinner table in Istanbul. They are due to go on display at a new museum of Armenian culture in Ms Ozyerli’s native city of Diyarbakir at the end of 2013.

The Armenian museum, the first of its kind in Anatolia, will be part of the newly restored Surp Giragos church complex (pic- tured). Its aim is to chronicle Armenian life in Diyarbakir, in Turkey’s mainly Kurdish south-east, before 1915. That was the year

when Ottoman troops and their Kurdish accomplices began slaughtering over 1m Armenians and other Christians across the country during what many historians say was the first genocide of the 20th century.

Turkey denies that mass killings took place, insisting that the Armenians had perished from hunger and disease during their forced march to the deserts of Syria. (The Ottoman government deported the Armenians, notionally for their safety, as the empire collapsed. Yet thousands were massacred as they marched, and countless others were killed before they set off.) Local school textbooks perpetuate this myth.

Granting permission to restore Surp Giragos is seen as part of a larger government campaign to placate diaspo- ra Armenians, who have been lobbying governments around the world to recognise the genocide. When Surp Gira- gos reopened in 2011, after lying in ruins for more than 20 years, it became Turkey’s first church to be revived as a permanent place of worship.

“The museum is a way of showing that thousands of Armenians contributed to the city’s wealth and culture,” explains Ergun Ayik of the Surp Giragos Foundation, which runs the church. “People will look at the photographs, the objects, and wonder where did all these people go?”

Around 2m Armenians are believed to have lived in Turkey before the genocide. Now there are about 70,000. Survivors are scattered across the Middle East, Europe, America and Australia. Many more converted to Islam to carry on, but their numbers remain unknown. Osman Koker, a Turkish historian, reckons that more than half of Di- yarbakir’s population used to be non-Muslim, mainly Armenian Orthodox, but also Catholic, Syrian Orthodox and Jewish. “Now”, says Mr Koker, “there is practically none.”

Yet a growing number of Turkish Armenians are reclaiming their heritage. In 2010 hundreds flocked to the is- land of Akdamar in the eastern province of Van to attend an inaugural mass at the newly restored Church of the Holy Cross. (The church is now a museum, but holds mass on religious holidays.) Turkey’s culture ministry has obliged with a list of other ancient churches that it plans to restore, says Osman Kavala, a Turkish philanthropist who is helping to promote Turkish-Armenian reconciliation. And Armenian-language lessons, available since last year in Diyarbakir’s historic Sur district, are increasingly popular among Turkey’s so-called “invisible Armenians” who had abandoned their culture in order to survive. Abdullah Demirbas, the district’s mayor, argues that the Kurds must also make amends for their complicity in the genocide.

Armenians applaud these efforts, even as they note a persistent strain of Turkish nationalism that perceives non-Muslim minorities as suspect. The government’s conversion of several Greek Orthodox churches into mosques, together with its recent espousal of unabashedly Islamist rhetoric, heightens some concerns that efforts to appease Armenians are cynical and short-sighted.

But such worries were pleasantly absent during a recent afternoon in Surp Giragos, as tourists gazed at the church’s repaired altars and onion-domed belfry (which had been destroyed by the Ottomans in 1916 because it dwarfed surrounding minarets). The church is drawing hundreds of people every day. “Many of them are Islamised Armenians like me,” laughs Gafur Turkay of the Surp Giragos Foundation. “The truth about 1915 cannot be con- cealed,” says Mr Ayik’s daughter Pelin. “But as a young Armenian I don’t want to be pitied as a victim. I am the proud torchbearer of a rich civilisation that not only has survived but continues to thrive.”

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ARMENIAN AND TURKISH BUSINESSMEN MEET IN V AN

NEWS.am -- The Armenian-Turkish business forum organized at the initiative of the Union of Manufacturers and Business- men (Employers) of Armenia (UMB(E)A) continued on August 16-17in the city of Van.

Within the framework of the forum the young Armenian representatives of business sector proceeded active intercourse with their Turkish counterparts. Business-to-business negotiations took place, during which the Armenian businessmen/entrepreneurs made visits to business facilities, companies and factories, located in Van, in order to get acquainted with the local pro- duction and business opportunities.

The Armenian side attended Van-based dairy and confectionery manufacturing enterprises, as well as visited the granite, marble, asphalt, concrete factories, trying to understand the possibilities of local young producers.

“Through such business visits the local market of Van will be studied more closely, as well as the unified ef- forts will be implemented while seeking ways for creating conditions of trade circulation between Armenian and Turkish markets, which will afterwards make a fertile ground for the development of trade and economic relations between two nations,” said Armen Melkonyan, the UMB(E)A Project Coordinator.

He noted that such kind of visits are extremely significant in terms of shaping a public opinion, as well as de- veloping partnership relations, that’s why it’s important to be consistent and to advance in persistent steps.

During the meetings businessmen of two neighboring countries came to a preliminary agreement upon the bi- lateral co-operation.

At the end of the day, as it was provided, a memorandum of understanding was signed by the “Union of Young Employers of Yerevan and Adjacent Regions” (chairman - Mushegh Avetisyan) and the “Van Young Busi- nessmen Union” (chairman - Eren Gökçenay). This document is to set up a new platform for cooperation between young businessmen of both sides.

The three-day business forum was held within the framework of “Young Businessmen to Promote Cross- border Economic Cooperation” project aiming to assist development of the economic relations between Armenia and Turkey, as well as to initiate and promote the cooperation between young businessmen of two nations.

EGYPTIAN TWITTER POST PUSHES TURKEY'S BUTTONS By: Yasemin Çongar

I learned what "khachkar" meant some years ago in Egypt.

I had always known the word, of course. All Turkish school kids do. It is the mountain range in the northeast that we used to paint in a dark shade of brown on our hand-drawn maps of Anatolia. We would even leave a speck- le of white in the middle to suggest a summit of never-melting snow and write there on the top: Kaçkar.

It was an undefined word, but in my young dreamy mind, I associated it with glimmering ski slopes — an im- age doubtlessly fortified by the literal meaning of the word’s two syllables, kaç (escape) and kar (snow).

That image melted away three decades later as I stood before a green marble wall inside the St. Gregory The Illuminator Church on Avenue Ramses in Cairo. There, fixed on the wall at eye level was a frame with two bird icons facing each other and a stone carving of a cross above them.

“The khachkar is beautiful” said Garen Mouradian, an Armenian-Egyptian colleague who had accompanied me to the church.

“Khachkar?” I asked, still looking at the frame. “Come on, you must know the word,” Garen said. “Like the mountains.” Afterward, he explained to me what khachkar meant: a cross-stone that was a typical form of sculpture in Me-

dieval Christian art. I realized then that my snow-capped mountains, like so many of the landforms and old settle- ments in Anatolia, bore an Armenian name.

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We Turks — at least those of us with curious minds — all have our stories of initial awakening to our coun- try’s Armenian past and the consequent self-education trying to tear away the layers of ignorance instilled in each of us by a school system that turned a blind eye to the crimes of our ancestors.

My visit to the St. Gregory Church in Cairo was a step in that effort. Having already read my way through several memoirs of the Meds Yeghern or “the great tragedy” inflicted upon the Ottoman Armenians, I was doing a series of interviews with members of the Armenian diaspora in the region.

I went to the church specifically to see the monument that was installed to commemorate the 1.5 million Ar- menians killed in 1915. Garen translated for me the inscription which gave the date and the number of the victims, but did not include the word “genocide.”

He believed — as do I — that the acts against Armenians amounted to what was defined as genocide by the United Nations in 1948, but he did not envision Hosni Mubarak’s Egypt ever recognizing that. “Turkey is way too important to upset,” he said.

So, when the possibility of such a decision by Cairo — albeit by another undemocratic government — was raised recently, I wondered what had changed.

In a way, the context is obvious. On Aug. 15, Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan reacted with fervor to the brutal killings in Egypt. Criticizing the military coup in the harshest terms, he called what transpired on the streets of Cairo “a clear massacre.”

A translation of Erdogan’s words which appeared on several news sites the next day misquoted him as having described the killings as a “genocide.” Then, on Aug. 17, a statement reportedly by Egypt’s Interim President Adly Mansour surfaced and was widely interpreted as a quid pro quo.

It was a message posted by what was assumed to be Mansour’s personal account on Twitter. “Our representa- tives at the United Nations will sign the international document that acknowledges the Armenian genocide, which was committed by the Turkish military, leading to the deaths of 1 million,” the message stated in Arabic.

Soon, Turks, Armenians and Arabs of every stripe were frantically tweeting on the news. Egyptian and Turk- ish newspapers also reported the message — the latter mostly employing Ankara’s ludicrous official cliché, “the so- called genocide.”

For their part, the Armenian news sites seemed to welcome the development.

To me, the most striking denouncement of Mansour’s message came from Rober Koptas, editor-in-chief of the Armenian weekly Agos.

“Those who intend to recognize Armenian genocide because they are angry with Turkey are essentially show- ing a lack of respect for the victims of genocide,” Koptas wrote in consecutive Twitter messages. “This means the genocide was not recognized until today because relations with Turkey were good. Could anything be more immor- al than that?”

Ruben Melkonyan, the deputy dean at the Oriental Studies Department of Yerevan State University, also took issue with Cairo’s reported intention. He told the Armenian news site Tert.am that a decision by Egypt to recognize the genocide earlier would have been more praiseworthy and honest.

“For us, it is naturally important for an Arab country like Egypt to acknowledge and condemn the Armenian genocide, given especially that the Armenians have played an essential role in the history of Egypt. But, ... the se- lection of timing gives ground for concern a little bit.”

Later, it all turned out to be a storm in 140 characters.

Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesman Levent Gumrukcu was the first to dismiss the news: “The Egyptian side reported to us that the Interim President Mansour doesn’t even have a Twitter account.” Egypt followed suit the next day with a statement from its permanent mission at the United Nations.

Was all that arguing much ado about nothing then?

Hardly. What now seems a trial balloon by Egypt, if not an outright attempt at intimidating Erdogan, clearly touched a sore spot in Ankara and revealed a certain amount of panic.

Less than 48 hours after Turkey had recalled its ambassador to Egypt, Turkish diplomats found themselves fu- riously working through channels in Cairo and New York to prevent a possible move by the Egyptian interim gov- ernment at the United Nations. When the message was eventually disowned by Mansour, the sigh of relief in Anka- ra was audible around the world.

Turkey’s justifiably harsh criticism toward Egyptian authorities was already viewed in the region as reflecting a double standard in light of Erdogan’s endorsement of recent police brutality in Istanbul. The impact of the Turk- ish position vis-a-vis Egypt further weakened as the international community was reminded of Ankara’s inability to deal with a major crime in its own history.

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Rober Koptas is right. Not much can be as immoral as treating the genocide issue as a political football.

Nonetheless, at a time when the countdown for worldwide commemorations of the genocide centennial with the motto “Remember, remind and reclaim” is about to begin, a “fake” tweet might have tempted international players to do just that.

Before the tweet was refuted, I had emailed Garen — who now lives outside Egypt — to ask if he heard of it. “Never mind the tweet,” he wrote back, “Lately, Egyptian newspapers have been busy rediscovering the genocide. The army wants to keep the Armenian minority on board, I suppose.”

Then he added: “Do you still remember what khachkar means?”

Yasemin Çongar is the author of four books in Turkish, among them Artık Sır Değil (No More A Secret), a de- tailed analysis of the US diplomatic cables on Turkey first made public by WikiLeaks. A former Washington bureau chief for Milliyet (1995–2007) and a founding deputy editor-in-chief of Taraf (2007–2012), Çongar is currently based in Istanbul and is a columnist for the Internet newspaper T24.

LEAVE OUR DEAD ALONE! Suleyman Guven, Verbatim reprint from Yeni Hayat, 23 August 2013

Who would have thought that one day the unclaimed dead buried for a century in Mount Hope Cemetery in Brantford, Ontario would capture Turkey’s attention. Everything started with the research of Bill Darfler.

Isıl Acehan, who was working on her thesis in the United States, was doing research on people from Turkey who had ar- rived in Northern America in the past century. After Ms. Acehan finished her thesis, she returned to Turkey. Some Turk- ish newspapers published the work of Ms. Acehan who is now assistant professor at the University of Ipek. For instance, the “Bugun” newspaper carried the headline “Turks took to the in- ternment camp” with reference to Isıl Acehan’s work. The story also drew the attention of the “Sabah” newspaper on 13 August of this year, under the title “Heart wrenching tragedy of the slaved Turks”. “Slave” here does not have its old meaning, but refers to wrongful and forceful imprisonment. According to the newspaper Cem Fakir made a documentary titled “Diary of Captivity”.

[Another] newspaper reported the story under the title “They just discovered the slaved Turks”. The news cov- erage in Turkey’s media lamented the fate of the internees. The Turkish Consul General in Toronto was closely involved with the issue. It was rumored that Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag of Turkey would come to Canada for the unveiling ceremony of the statue or plaque, following Ramadan of this year.

The first reaction came from the Armenian community media. They revealed that the Brantford internees sent to the Kapuskasing camp were not Turks. The Armenian Keghart website launched a petition campaign and published articles exposing the Turkish phony version of this issue. I sent a letter to the Mayor of Brantford on

behalf of our newspaper. The “Brantford Expositor” reported that there is a pause in the plans to unveil the plaque or statue. The issue is not limited to Brantford anymore and the city officials did not want to make any de- cision before consulting the federal officials. Since we wanted to learn the story of the Kurdish Alevis, who were buried in the plot, either called Turkish or Muslim of Mount Hope Cemetery, we decided to go to Brant- ford.

Three friends and I, two activists from Alevi association, travelled, on August 10, to Brantford which is 100 km west of Toronto. It was a sunny and warm weather. As a first step to our journey, we went to the house of Bill Darfler located at William Street. Although the house was built in 1905, it looked much older. Darfler said that he had purchased it 20 years ago. We then went to the Mount

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Hope Cemetery and stopped at the northeast corner of the cemetery. I paced the plot (33 ft. x33 ft.) where the 16 graves lie. Because the people buried there came from Turkey the plot is called Turkish or Muslim Cemetery. It was not difficult to figure out from the names that the people buried were Kurdish Alevis. Just outside the Alevi area, there are several tomb stones with Armenian lettering: The unbreakable bonds of Armenians and Kurdish Alevis, who were neighbours and friends to each other in Turkey, continue in the cemetery.

Researcher Bill Darfler indicated that those who were buried in the plot called “Turkish Cemetery” are Kurd- ish Alevis. Mr. Darfler further indicated that the last burial had taken place in 1963. Because the burial had ob- served Muslim rites, the plot was called Muslim Cemetery. Darfler told us that those who were buried in the plot – called Turkish or Muslim Cemetery – were frıends and neighbours of Brantford Armenians. Mr. Darfler stressed that there was no possibility that Sunni Kurds were among the group who arrived from Turkey.

Like every country, Turkey has a right to claim its citizens. I have doubts about the sincerity of the representa- tives of AKP government in Canada while the Turkish government supports the radical gangs of Al-Nusra Front who have massacred Kurds in Rojava and Alevis in Latakia, Syria. I would like to tell those who try to implement their political agenda on the Kurdish Alevi dead: Please leave the dead Kurdish Alevis alone.... the buried whom your ancestors accused of being “rebels, heretics, perverted” and subjected them to regular massacres.

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY REPRESENTATIVE: US AND ARMENIA MAY COOPERATE ON NUCLEAR SAFETY

NEWS.am -- Armenia and U.S. may work on theoretical insights on nu- clear safety, representative of U.S. Department of Energy Vince McClelland said.

“This is my first experience with Armenian colleagues. I believe that such events are very important. Exchange of experience, discussion of new safety methods is always urgent. I think we can make researches together with Arme- nia in this area,” Vince McClelland, who heads National Nuclear Security Administration’s office for international emergency management and coopera- tion, told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Research, he added, may apply not only to protect the population around nuclear power plants the topic which is especially important for Armenia, but also a full range of protection from

any source of radiation. “We will conduct field investigations and, where we will test effectiveness of radioactive detectors,” McClel-

land said. Representatives of the U.S. Department of Energy are in Yerevan to participate in a joint workshop on nuclear

safety.

JAPAN MAY OPEN EMBASSY IN ARMENIA

NEWS.am -- Japan may open new embassies in six more countries, in- cluding in Armenia, in fiscal 2014. They are the Kingdom of Bhutan, the Republic of the Marshal Islands, the Republic of Namibia, Turkmenistan, the Republic of Armenia and Barbados, the Japan Times reported quoting Kyodo.

It is mentioned that the embassies will open amid China’s growing in- fluence abroad. In particular, Bhutan and the Marshall Islands lack diplo- matic ties with China. “Tokyo is considering a mission in Armenia to gain access to its rich natural re-

sources,” the source says.

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NAIRIT PLANT CASE OFFICIALLY CLOSED: SO WHERE'S THE $180 MILLION?

Hetq.am -- Over the course of 2013, Hetq has published a series of articles revealing how $180 mil- lion in loans granted to Nairit Plant has literally van- ished through a maze of off-shore companies.

In June, the ARF faction in parliament today in- troduced a motion calling for the creation of ad-hoc committee that would look into the operations, loan obligations and privatization of the Nairit Rubber Plant in Yerevan.

Based on our articles the Prosecutor General launched an examination of the matter, the results of which were then forwarded to the Police Depart- ment’s Anti-Organized Crime Division. After two months of dragging its feet, the Unit transferred the case material to the Prosecutor General’s Office.

In response to our written inquiry as to where the Nairit case stood, we received the following from

the Police. “We wish to inform you that the Police Department’s Anti-Crime Division has rejected the Nayirit case ac-

cording to Article 35, Part 1, Point 2 of the RA Criminal Procedural Code.” Article 35 deals with “Circumstances Excluding Criminal Prosecution.” The cited clause states: A criminal case cannot be instituted and criminal prosecution may not be started and the instituted criminal

case is subject to suspension, if the alleged act contains no corpus delicti.

It turns out that the Police Department, in the person of Police Chief Vladimir Gasparyan, has opted to bury the matter, despite the existence of sound evidence that large amounts were laundered and illegally appropriated.

Armenia’s Energy and Natural Resources Minister Armen Movsisyan, who was directly responsible for the loans and who was directly involved in the Nairit transactions, nevertheless remains in office.

Now, he is busy implementing two mining projects in Artsakh.

Also continuing in office is Vahan Melkonyan, the former director of Nayirit and the Interstate Bank repre- sentative in Armenia. Given these developments, Hetq has one question to ask of RA Police Chief Vladimir Gasparyan and RA Prosecu- tor General Aghvan Hovsepyan – what happened to the $180 million in loans?

NEW AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL REPORT PAINTS BLEAK PICTURE FOR ARMENIA’S INDEPENDENT MEDIA, HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS AND LGBTI COMMUNITY

Hetq.am -- A shocking new report from Amnesty International re- veals an alarming culture of persecution in Armenia against both critics of the ruling regime and the country’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex (LGBTI) community.

The 20-page report, "Armenia: No Space for Difference" exposes the harassment and intimidation suffered by civil society activists and journal- ists who question the mainstream view of the country’s conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh.

The report also reveals discrimination and attacks on LGBTI activists and people, and the unwillingness of the authorities to protect them.

In 2011, a survey by the Armenian human rights group, Public Information and Need for Knowledge, found

Photo (l to r) – Minister Movsisyan, Prosecutor General Hovsepyan and Police Chief Gasparyan

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71.5% believed the state should take measures to fight against homosexuals. Since then posters have appeared across the city of Yerevan calling for citizens to “fight against homosexuality” and claiming “homosexuals are leading our country to destruction”. The views have been echoed by Armenia’s ruling Republican Party and Par- liament’s Deputy Speaker Eduard Sharmazanov.

Through national and international obligations the Armenian authorities have committed to ensure that activ- ists can carry out their work without interference, obstacles, discrimination or fear of retaliation.

Amnesty International’s researcher on Armenia, Natalia Nozadze, said:

“This contrasts starkly with the reality in Armenia – public officials condone violence against those with dis- senting opinions. The targets of such attacks are often left without adequate protection and offences against them go unpunished, which has a chilling effect on others.

AZERBAIJAN PLANS $3 BILLION ARMS PURCHASE

Azerbaijan’s defense minister threatens war again

BAKU (APA) — Azerbaijan intends to purchase a slew of weaponry from South Korea, according to a source in the South Korean parliament, Hankook Ilbo publications reports.

According to the source, the intention to purchase modern military weaponry was expressed during the visit of a South Korean parliamentary delegation to Azerbaijan. The Azeri leadership has expressed its wish to purchase submarine boats, mine vessels, transport ships, T-50 training planes, K-9 self-propelled artillery vehicles, and drones worth $3 billion from South Korea.

These proposals have been submitted to the government of South Korea, but the Korean side has not yet given consent to the deal.

According to Hankook Ilbo, Seoul is wary that the sale of weapons might affect the balance of power in the region. Taking into account that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict remains unsolved, the South Korea Foreign Minis- try has called on the Defense Ministry to be cautious and exercise restraint while passing a decision.

Meanwhile, at a meeting with a delegation headed by Japanese Vice-Minister of Defense, Masahi Sato, Azer- baijani Defense Minister Safar Abiyev announced that his government will have to use military force against Ar- menia if negotiations don’t progress.

“Though priority is given to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group, there have been no specific results,” Abiyev said.

“If the existence of Section 907 of the U.S. Congress is also taken into account, we will see what tension reigns in the region. If this situation continues, we will face the necessity to use the capabilities of our military,” Abiyev said.

Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, which was passed by Congress in 1992, bans direct aid to the Azeri government. In 2001, the Senate granted the U.S. President the powers to waive Section 907. That waiver has been exercised every year since 2002.

During the meeting between Azeri and Japanese officials it was also agreed that Azerbaijan and Japan are to prepare an agreement on bilateral military cooperation, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry told Trend news agency.

The parties also noted the development of cultural and economic relations between Japan and Azerbaijan.

The Azeri defense minister said bilateral cooperation will contribute to the deepening of relations between the two countries.

The meeting was attended by Azeri Ambassador to Japan Gursel Ismailzade and Japanese Ambassador to Azerbaijan Shusuke Watanabe.

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AZERBAIJAN ANGERED BY RUSSIAN JOURNALISTS’ TRIP TO KARABAKH

NEWS.am -- Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry is angered by Russian journalists’ trip to Nagorno-Karabakh. The foreign office has already called the visit “illegal”, 1news.az reported.

Official Baku’s position concerning illegal visits to “occupied Azerbaijani terri- tories” remains unchanged, Foreign Ministry’s representative said.

The delegation of Russian public figures and journalists, including ex-spy Anna Chapman, arrived on a visit to Nagorno-Karabakh at the initiative of “Armenian- Russian cooperation” organization.

Russian journalists are likely to be included in the “black list” by Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.

WHY THE REELECTION OF ALIYEV

IS IN ARMENIA’S BEST INTEREST

By Harut Sassounian

Publisher, The California Courier

While visiting a youth camp on August 18, Pres. Serzh Sargsyan was asked several questions on domestic and

foreign issues. One particular question attracted the most attention due to the President’s unexpected answer.

When asked which candidate’s election in Azerbaijan’s upcoming presidential race is in Armenia’s best inter-

est, Pres. Sargsyan surprised everyone by endorsing the reelection of incumbent President Ilham Aliyev.

Normally, when politicians are asked for their preferred candidate in a foreign election, they refrain from ex-

pressing an opinion or simply state that it’s the choice of that country’s voters. In this case, Pres. Sargsyan did not

shy away from expressing his clear preference and provided the following explanation as to why Pres. Aliyev’s

reelection in October for a third term is in Armenia’s interest:

“For Armenia, and not only for Armenia, neighbors that are on the democratic path of development are more

beneficial. Hence, the conclusion that as a neighbor, and particularly as a negotiating partner, a democratic Azerbai-

jan is definitely more beneficial to us. But, if we set aside this consideration, the answer to the question is: The vic-

tory of incumbent President Ilham Aliyev would be most beneficial for us. We have gone through a long, albeit

difficult, negotiating process and the path for a resolution is practically outlined, at least through public acceptance

of the principles proposed by the Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group. We have been actively negotiating for the last four

years. Certainly, I wouldn’t say that the negotiating process is very active right now; nevertheless, we have made

some progress, and if, after the election, Ilham Aliyev could muster the will and rise above his impetuous

Armenophobia, I think this is the most acceptable and beneficial option for us.”

Pres. Sargsyan’s statement was promptly criticized both at home and, not surprisingly, in Azerbaijan. Opposi-

tion leaders in Yerevan were appalled that Armenia’s president would favor the reelection of Pres. Aliyev who has

repeatedly threatened to attack Karabagh (Artsakh). They wondered how the authoritarian and warmongering pres-

ident of Azerbaijan could be beneficial to Armenia. Azeri leaders were also unhappy with Pres. Sargsyan’s en-

dorsement. Novruz Mammadov, Senior Advisor to Pres. Aliyev on Foreign Affairs, harshly condemned Armenia’s

president for claiming that Aliyev’s reelection would be in Armenia’s best interest. In addition, Mammadov criti-

cized Azerbaijan’s opposition parties for exploiting Sargsyan’s endorsement in their “dirty campaign” against

Aliyev. Mammadov concluded by boasting that Azerbaijan’s president does not need Sargsyan’s support, because

Aliyev enjoys the backing of such prominent world leaders as US President Barack Obama and Russian President

Vladimir Putin.

While Sargsyan conditioned his support for Aliyev on the merits of continued progress in the Artsakh negotia-

tions, one can think of additional reasons why Aliyev’s reelection is in Armenia’s best interest:

-- Pres. Aliyev is a vulnerable leader who is universally condemned for being autocratic, corrupt and a major

violator of human rights.

-- Aliyev has wasted huge amounts of his country’s oil wealth in enriching himself, his family, and cronies.

-- He has spent billions of dollars buying weapons that have not helped him recover a single inch of Artsakh

territory.

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-- The reelection of an inept Aliyev is a liability for Azerbaijan and an asset for Armenia. If he loses the presi-

dency, his replacement could be a more effective leader who can pose a clear danger to the security of Armenia and

Artsakh.

-- Sargsyan’s endorsement of Aliyev diminishes his credibility in the eyes of the Azeri people who would

wonder why the leader of Armenia, demonized as the enemy of Azerbaijan, is supporting their president. Indeed,

conspiracy theorists must be having a field day in Azerbaijan! Since Aliyev’s reelection to a third term is a fore-

gone conclusion due to the country’s traditionally fraudulent electoral system, Pres. Sargsyan’s preference for

Aliyev may not lead to his defeat, but would certainly cast a cloud of suspicion on his already tarnished reputation.

Finally, in international relations, it is important to have a predictable counterpart, whether friend or foe. Pres.

Aliyev’s behavior toward Armenia and Artsakh has been thus far quite predictable. Giorgi Lomsadze, writing in

EurasiaNet.org, has accurately depicted Pres. Sargsyan’s endorsement of Aliyev as: “Better the devil you know

than the devil you don’t.”

AID PROVIDED TO SYRIAN-ARMENIAN REFUGEES IS INTERNATIONAL NORM - KARABAKH OFFICIAL

STEPANAKERT. – Syrian Armenians came to Nagorno-Karabakh on their own will, no one forced them to resettle here, spokesperson for Karabakh President said.

His comment came in response to Azerbaijani side’s intention to raise the issue during the autumn session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.

Davit Babayan said Syrian Armenians are among those who became refugees as a result of civil war in Syria.

“Providing aid to refugees is an international norm, a part of international law. States have to provide such as- sistance to people who found themselves in this situation. Therefore, we must help them, because they are our com- patriots,” he told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Davit Babayan noted that such hysterical behavior of Azerbaijan is one of the pillars of state-building in this country, but this does not mean that by using such methods,Azerbaijan will succeed and will be able to suspend the process.

THREE WOUNDED IN A SHOOTING NEAR ARMENIAN CHURCH IN RUSSIA

NEWS.am -- An unknown opened fire near Surb Stepanos Armenian Apostolic Church in Kaliningrad, Russia, on Tuesday.

Three men were wounded in a shooting. The shooter, owner of Toyota Land Cruiser, fled the scene leaving the vehicle, REGNUM agency reported.

The causes of the accident are not clear yet. The task force found for more than 10 cartridges at the scene.

MAURO GUEVGEOZIÁN: NO REGRETS OVER FAILURE TO JOIN ARMENIA

Uruguayan Armenian Mauro Guevgeozián has changed his club and is now playing for Alianza Lima from Peru.

“Alianza Lima is one of the best clubs in Peru, having over 10 million fans. I chose Alianza because this club has international recognition,” he said in an exclusive interview with NEWS.am Sport.

The striker said he got little chance to use his potential in Libertad, a club playing in Paraguayan Primera División.

At the same time the Mauro noted he did not regret his decision not to join the Armenian national squad.

“No, I do not regret, because I did not ask for much. The only thing I

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asked the federation [Armenian Football Federation] was a convenient ticket, because I had to spend 20 hours in the air. But, I got a refusal,” Mauro said, adding that he was not following the Armenian media reports.

“I would be happy to join Armenia. Greetings to all Armenians in my Armenia.”

UEFA IMPOSES LIFE BAN ON ARMENIAN REFEREES

NEWS.am -- Referee Andranik Arsenyan and assistant Hovhannes Avagyan, who oversaw a UEFA Europa League match last month, have been given life bans by the UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body, UEFA said in a statement.

The CDB took note of the decision of the Executive Committee of the Football Federation of Armenia (FFA) with regard to the referee and assistant referee who officiated at the first qualifying round match between Inter Turku and Víkingur on 11 July 2013.

In a hearing at the FFA, referee Arsenyan and assistant referee Avagyan admit- ted having tried to manipulate the outcome of the second-leg fixture, which ended

1-0 in favour of Víkingur. UEFA is pleased with the excellent cooperation of the FFA, the local authorities and the betting operators dur-

ing the investigation process.

RUSSIAN DIPLOMAT DECRIES ARMENIA’S EU INTEGRATION The Moscow Kremlin

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)—A Russian diplomat has openly criticized ongoing talks on the Association Agree- ment between Armenia and the European Union, in a further sign that Moscow is unhappy with Yerevan’s reluc- tance to join a new Russian-led union of ex-Soviet states.

Aleksandr Vasilyev, the first secretary of the Russian Embassy in Yerevan, compared the negotiating process late on Tuesday with Western powers’ and the Soviet Union’s infamous treaties with Nazi Germany that cost sev- eral Eastern European states their independence.

“The separate, confidential negotiations between the European Union and Armenia, whose details are being concealed from the public and everybody else, are putting us on our guard,” Vasilyev told a roundtable discussion in Yerevan organized by an Armenian group promoting “Eurasian integration.”

“You remember how such negotiations ended in 1930s. At first there was the [1938] Munich conspiracy and then the [1939] Molotov-Ribbentrop pact. Those agreements did not bring Europe anything good,” he warned, ac- cording to the Armenian newspaper “168 Zham.”

Vasilyev said that Armenia will soon have to make a fateful choice between European and Eurasian integra- tions. He predicted that political life in the country will therefore heat up in the coming weeks.

Vyacheslav Kovalenko, who was Russia’s ambassador to Armenia until March, issued a similar warning less than two months ago. He said Yerevan will receive few tangible benefits and risk alienating Moscow if it presses ahead with the Association Agreement.

“By embracing European values, Armenia, it appears, could step onto a slippery path. As they said in ancient times, ‘The road to hell is paved with good intentions,’” Kovalenko said.

The Armenian leadership appears to have been under Russian pressure to pledge to join a Eurasian Union of ex-Soviet states which President Vladimir Putin hopes will be built around Russia’s existing customs union with Belarus and Kazakhstan. President Serzh Sarkisian’s administration has given no such promises, pushing instead for the signing of the far-reaching deal with the EU. It is due to be initialed at an EU summit in November.

The EU is also planning similar agreements with Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova. The Russian government has warned Ukraine against signing such a deal, including through de facto trade sanctions that were briefly imposed earlier this month. It has exerted no such pressure on Armenia so far.

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Officials in Yerevan have expressed confidence that Armenia will avoid an open confrontation with the Krem- lin because unlike the three ex-Soviet states it is not seeking to eventually join the EU through the Association Agreement. They also argue that Armenia remains strongly committed to its military alliance with Russia.

Vasilyev’s remarks prompted strong criticism from pro-Western Armenian pundits on Wednesday. Davit Shahnazarian, an opposition politician and analyst who held top security posts in the government in the 1990s, said: “Russian diplomats and other officials must be a bit more cautious in their evaluations and realize that Armenia is a sovereign state, that it does appreciate its strategic security cooperation with Russia. But that must be mutually ben- eficial and they should in no case meddle in our internal affairs.”

Stepan Grigorian, another prominent analyst who headed Armenian missions in Moscow in the mid-1990s, claimed that the Russians have failed to come up with attractive alternatives to European integration and are now resorting to “primitive pressure.”

ZORYAN HOSTS 22 UNIVERSITY STUDENTS TO STUDY GENOCIDE FROM PLANNING TO PREVENTION

Toronto – The running of the twelfth annual Genocide & Human Rights Uni- versity Program (“GHRUP”) couldn’t have been timelier considering the atroci- ties and human rights violations currently taking place in Syria, Egypt, and several countries in the Middle East and Africa.

This year, 22 students came to To- ronto from 10 countries to meet and study with ten distinguished genocide scholars. Many of the students came from back- grounds where gross violations of human rights and genocide are part of their na- tional or personal experience, such as Kurds, Nigerians, Pakistanis, Armenians, Jews, Muslims, and Christians. There were several students who work to pro- vide aid to affected communities, such as those of Guatemala and Sudan. Perhaps even more remarkable was the number of

students who do not have a direct connection, yet are deeply motivated to understand human rights violations and genocide and how to raise awareness to prevent them around the world.

The Course Director, Prof. Joyce Apsel of New York University, noted, “Several students who are teachers commented on how much they learned from watching the pedagogy of different instructors, as well as from the course content. Other students consulted me and other instructors about which directions and schools to pursue for graduate education. They proved to be an outstanding group of students, and it was a privilege to have two weeks in and out of the classroom to exchange ideas and interests.”

Indeed, the students brought many diverse experiences to the classroom. One student who is a journalist by trade, described to the class, based on a personal visit to North Korea, the importance of maintaining a critical per-

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spective on decades-old yet still ongoing human rights abuses there. Another student presented the current and his- torical human rights abuses of disabled peoples affected by policies of eugenics in the USA, a group she works with in her field of Social Work and Disability Studies. Yet another brought the class to tears by discussing her own fami- ly’s history of having suffered chemical attacks in the Halabja massacre of March 16, 1988. The GHRUP allows stu- dents the opportunity to voice these backgrounds, to analyze comparatively how genocides unfold, their immediate and transgenerational effects on people, and to explore how we can stop them.

It was remarkable to see descendants of perpetrator and victim groups in the Armenian Genocide—students of Armenian, Kurdish and Turkish background—find common interests with each other, and within the academic envi- ronment of the program and based on historical facts, explore issues of

stereotypes, memory, denial and reconciliation together and see each other through the prism of humanity.

One student from Pakistan, cur- rently a member of the UNAMID effort in Darfur, Sudan, brought to the course the perspective and the dedication of those who work to prevent genocide in the field.

This year, a business student audited the course. At the end of the course this student made a spontane- ous and moving speech in which she said that the course restored her faith in humanity. The GHRUP evokes a powerful sense of enthusiasm and commitment from students and faculty alike, and makes them reflect on their own lives and the lives of all others in the world. This student’s feeling of connect- edness to the students and the course was really a beacon of hope.

The sentiments of all the students who attended the course are perhaps best captured in their own words. Ex- plaining their perception of the program’s greatest strength, one student commented, “I think the GHRUP does an amazing job of providing an incredibly comprehensive course in such a short period of time. The quality of the scholars and students, and the incredible range of experiences and backgrounds are unparalleled.” Another student wrote that “This program is life- and career-changing. It focuses on the history of genocide, the patterns of genocide, the denial and prevention of genocide.”

The Zoryan Institute and its subsidiary, the International Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies, is the first non-profit, international center devoted to the research and documentation of contemporary issues with a focus on Genocide, Diaspora and Armenia.

For more information please contact the Zoryan Institute by email zoryan@zoryaninstitute.org or telephone 416-250-9807.

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