LOUSSAPATZ - THE DAWN - 32-ՐԴ ՏԱՐԻ, ԹԻՒ 1013 ՇԱԲԱԹ, 21 ԴԵԿՏԵՄԲԵՐ 2013
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EUROPEAN COURT: ARMENIAN GENOCIDE DENIAL NO CRIME CONSTITUTES FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
STRASBOURG -- The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled Dec. 17 that denial of the 1915 mass killings of Armenians as geno- cide falls under freedom of expression, following an appeal from a Turkish politician to his convic- tion in Switzerland.
The court, which upholds the 47-nation Eu- ropean Convention on Human Rights, said a Swiss law against genocide denial violated the principle of freedom of expression.
The ruling has implications for other Euro- pean states such as France which have tried to criminalize the refusal to apply the term "geno- cide" to the massacres of Armenians during the breakup of the Ottoman Empire.
A Swiss court had fined the leader of the leftist Turkish Workers' Party, Dogu Perincek, for having branded talk of an Armenian genocide "an international lie" during a 2007 lecture tour in Switzerland.
The ECHR ruling stated that “the free exercise of the right to openly discuss questions of a sensitive and con- troversial nature is one of the fundamental aspects of freedom of expression and distinguishes a tolerant and plural- istic democratic society from a totalitarian or dictatorial regime.”
The original case emerged from Perinçek’s participation in a number of conferences in Switzerland in 2005, during which he publicly denied that the Ottoman Empire had perpetrated the crime of genocide against the Arme- nian people in 1915.
The Lausanne Police Court found Perinçek guilty of racial discrimination on March 9, 2007, based on the Swiss Criminal Code. After a complaint filed by the Switzerland-Armenia Association on July 15, 2005, the court found that Perinçek’s motives were of a “racist tendency” and did not contribute to the historical debate.
Elaborating on the jurisprudence of the case, the ECHR said the existence of genocide, which is a precisely de- fined legal concept, was not easy to prove.
It also expressed its doubt that there could be a general consensus on the issue, given that historical research was by definition open to discussion and a matter of debate, without necessarily giving rise to final conclusions or to the assertion of objective and absolute truths.
Furthermore, the ECHR ruled that states that have not enacted laws imposing criminal sanctions on individuals questioning the official view on the issue are “mindful that one of the main goals of freedom of expression is to protect minority views.”
Perinçek was handed an aggravated life sentence in the Ergenekon coup plot trial, as part of the Ergenekon network, which was ultimately acknowledged by the court as a terrorist organization that had attempted to over- throw the government.
The latest judgment is not final, as any party may request that the case be referred to the ECHR’s Grand Chamber for a three-month period after the verdict.
LE MONDE - GENOCIDE DENIAL
ArmInfo.am -- Government of France is expected to put into circulations another bill criminalizing the Arme- nian Genocide denial in compliance with the French President Francois Hollande's commitments, which he as- sumed during the presidential campaign, Le Monde writes.
According to the paper, this will not be announced officially before the French president's visit to Turkey scheduled for Jan. 2014 for diplomatic reasons. Le Monde writes that relevant announcement may be made only in May 2014 when Francois Hollande visits Armenia. The paper reports that the given information was confirmed following the 16 December meeting with representatives of the Coordination Council of Armenian Organizations in France at the Elysée Palace.
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This will allow passing the bill on the threshold of the centennial of the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire, particularly, in April 2015.
To recall, French National Assembly passed the bill criminalizing Armenian Genocide denial in the territory of France in December 2011. The new bill stipulated one year in prison and a fine in the amount of 45,000 Euros for anyone who denies the fact of the Armenian Genocide in the territory of France, which officially recognized the Armenian genocide on Jan 29 2001.
TURKISH FM: 1915 ARMENIAN “DEPORTATION” INHUMANE
ISTANBUL -- The “deportation” of Armenians in 1915 was inhumane, and Turkey has never supported the move, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said yesterday as he made a landmark visit to Armenia for the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) group meeting. The Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Turkey had a meeting on thee sidelines of the summit.
“We are very pleased with the meeting with Edward Nalbandian; it was candid. The primary aim is to build an environment of dialogue on a strong basis,” Davutoglu said after the meeting, while dismissing claims that he sug- gested to Armenia that it withdraw from two regions in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Davutoglu expressed his hope that a collective consciousness between the two countries could be created with a “just memory.”
“We say ‘just memory.’ What I mean with that is we should know the facts. Then we see that Turkish- Armenian relations do not date back like German-Jewish ties. In every street, there is a common sign.
After you discover this, then you see the deportation, which I see as a totally wrong practice done by [the Ot- toman-era rulers under the Committee of Union and Progress]. It was inhumane,” Davutoglu told a group of report- ers en route to Yerevan, the Huriyet Daily News reports.
“Our primary aim is not only to open the Turkish-Armenian border but also to form a foundation that will pave the way for a comprehensive peace,” Davutoglu said. “It has three pillars. The first one is relations between Turkey and Armenia. The second one is Azerbaijani-Armenian relations. This also includes Georgian-Abkhaz ties. The third one is relations between Turks and Armenians,” he said.
“If one of the pillars is crippled, it will create distress. Let’s say we opened the Armenian border gate. If a war breaks out between Armenia and Azerbaijan, then we would be forced to close it again. The hardest thing is to de- frost the iceberg of the status quo. You could start a war when you trying to defrost it,” he said.
TURKISH MP SAYS AKP PARTY TO RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Tert.am -- A Turkish parliament member has criticized the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) for an intention to recognize the Armenian Ge- nocide.
The Ilhas News Agency has quoted Oktay Vural as saying that the party led by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is going to allot lands to 200,000 Armenians.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who visited Armenia last week, appeared under heavy criticism.
“Instead of protecting Turkey’s interests, the minister betrayed the Turkish nation’s history. The Justice and Development Party is going to recognize the Armenian Genocide. I think the party intends to bring 200,000 Armenians to give them lands,” said the Turkish
parliament member. It comes after the Turkish FM said in the course of his visit to Armenia that the 1915 deportation of the Arme-
nians from the Ottoman Turkey was inhumane.
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ARMENIANS IN FRANCE DEMAND EU REJECTS TURKEY
Ara Toranyan, Head of the Coordinating Council of Armenian Organizations of France, told French President Francois Hollande that Armenian organizations demanded France keep Turkey out of the EU, News.am reports.
The meeting with Hollande was organized within the framework of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Officials of the Coordinating Council Murad Papazyan and Alexis Govjiyan took part in the meeting.
France passed the bill on criminalization of the Armenian Genocide in 2006. Ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy helped the bill pass the National Assembly and the Senate, only to be disapproved by the Constitutional Council.
ARMENIAN MILITARY VOWS ‘PREVENTIVE AND TOUGH’ ACTIONS AFTER FRESH DEADLY CEASEFIRE VIOLATION
ArmeniaNow.com -- In connection with the death of an Armenian soldier as a result of a ceasefire violation by Azerbai- jan at the northeastern border, the Defense Ministry of Armenia has said that the Armed Forces will carry out “preventive and tough actions”.
On December 14 evening, at one of the defensive positions near the village of Movses in the Berd area of the Tavush prov- ince, 26 -year-old contract serviceman Hrant Poghosyan was killed with a shot fired from the Azerbaijani positions. Poghosyan was a resident of the town of Berd, he was married and had one child.
In a statement released the Defense Ministry reported that in response to the call of the Minsk Group co-chairs for show- ing restraint in terms of military actions made at the November 5 meeting, Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan issued an order according to which during this whole period the Arme- nian side did not fire a single shot. The December 14 incident, the Ministry continued, “once again shows that the Azerbaijani side, disregarding the calls of the OSCE Minsk Group, contin- ues to ignore the ceasefire regime, particularly during the period of the co-chairmen’s stay in Baku.”
Although deaths of soldiers at the volatile Armenian- Azerbaijani border and along the line of contact near Karabakh are not rare, the latest deadly incident is the first since the meet-
ing of the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia that took place in the Austrian capital of Vienna on November 19 as well as the December 5 meeting of the two countries’ foreign ministers in Kiev, Ukraine.
Political analyst Tigran Abrahamyan says that the reactions coming from Azerbaijan had led one to assume that Azeri officials, at least in their public statements, tried to show that there was an acknowledgment of the fact that continuing negotiations was a necessity, and a major factor of their productive process is, at least, the creation of an atmosphere of confidence between the parties.
According to the analyst, against the background of the activity observed in the negotiations recently there are different reasons for such a manner of action by Azerbaijan.
“In Azerbaijan they think that the strengthening of the ceasefire regime and negotiations taking place within a constructive realm are against their interests and they are trying to bring in additional tension in this process. Sec- ondly, there is an uncontrollable situation in the [Azerbaijani] army, which, regardless of the will of political lead- ers in Azerbaijan, results in unpredictable incidents,” says Abrahamyan, adding that regardless of the causes of this incident, one should state that it has proved a blow to the process, which will lead to additional tension.
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ARMENIA CONDEMNS AZERBAIJANI CEASE-FIRE VIOLATIONS
YEREVAN -- Yerevan has accused Baku of serious cease-fire violations along the contact line between Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh re- public, including one on December 14 in which a 26-year-old Armenian officer was killed in a shoot-out. The soldier, Hrant Poghosian, was shot and killed by Azerbaijani forces at a western sec- tion of the frontier on Saturday.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Arme- nia Defense Ministry said its troops have been ordered to take “preventive and tough” actions against Azerbaijani army units.
Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nal- bandian told visiting Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group
co-chairs in Yerevan on December 16 that the incidents hindered the process of settling the Nagorno-Karabakh dis- pute.
Ambassadors Igor Popov of Russia, Jacques Faure of France, James Warlick of the United States, and the per- sonal representative of the OSCE chairperson in office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, are in Yerevan to discuss the next steps in resolving the so-called "frozen conflict." They held talks with Armneian President Serzh Sarkisian later in the day.
On December 15, they discussed the issue with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Baku. No details were released.
The co-chairs did not immediately make statements on their talks. James Warlick, the chief U.S. negotiator, called the talks with Aliyev “productive.” Writing on Twitter on Sunday, he said both Aliyev and Sarkisian are “seeking a path to peace.”
Sarkisian’s office said the Armenian president and the mediators discussed plans for another Armenian- Azerbaijani summit early next year. It gave no further details.
Sarkisian and Aliyev revived hopes for a Karabakh settlement when they met in Vienna on November 19 for the first time in nearly two years. Their foreign ministers held follow-up talks in Kiev on December 4. Mammadyarov said afterwards that he and Nalbandian discussed the substance of a possible peaceful settlement for the first time since 2011.
IRAN NEVER TO ALLOW KARABAKH TO BECOME PART OF
AZERBAIJAN
Return of Iran to international market and restoration of its power is very important for Armenia,an Irani- an-Armenian reporter Rubik Minasyan told the reporters on Monday.
He noted with regret that Armenia even has not clarified gas price with Iran. “With its gas resources Iran is the third in the world. This country has such resources that we can use it against Russia and Gazprom,” the speaker said.
Minasyan said no one speaks about quality of gas. “Iran’s gas is of best quality in the world,” he said, adding that he does not understand why Armenia does not respond to the statement about exporting Iranian gas to Europe through Armenia and Georgia.
“Under the Russian pressure the diameter of the gas pipeline has been changed, it was divided and such a pipe- line was chosen that would allow supplying small volume of gas to Armenia,” he said.
“The Iranian ambassador said they are ready to provide gas to Armenia at lower price than to other countries. After this statement as well no response followed from Armenia with only Energy and Natural Resources Minister
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Armen Movsisyan stating that Iran tries to hinder Armenia’s membership to Customs Union,” he said. Minasyan said he is well aware of Iran’s and regional policy and knows that Russia and Iran are tied with big economic and political interests and Russia does not approve the improving relations between Iran and the West.
“Currently we are interesting in the region not only for Russia or EU but Iran as well. But no matter what di- rection Armenia chooses I think the Iranian-Armenian relations will stay warm,” he said.
The speaker said the other important project is Armenia-Iran railway with Iran always stating that they have no technical issues and in case of wish it is possible to bring it to life in a year, but Armenia again makes uncertain statements about finding finances.
This railway is of strategic significance not only for Armenia but Iran too, as it will tie it with Russia and Georgia. Thanks to it, Armenia’s economic and political role will grow in the region.
At the end he said that having warm relations with Iran is beneficial for Armenia in political regard as well be- cause Iran will never allow Karabakh to become part of Azerbaijan.
ADAM SCHIFF: AZERBAIJAN AND ITS MILITARY MUST BE HELD TO ACCOUNT
NEWS.am -- Representative Adam Schiff released the following statement on Tuesday after the Armenian government disclosed that Azerbaijani troops had killed an Armenian soldier, Hrant Poghosyan, along the border of Nagorno- Karabakh.
“Today, we have learned of the murder of yet another Armenian soldier along the line of contact in an unprovoked attack by Azerbaijani troops against Armenian forces. Azerbaijan and its military must be held to account and there can be no denying that this savagery is being orchestrated at the highest levels of the Azeri security establishment.
“One need only look at the sick display of adulation that greeted Ramil Safarov — the Azerbaijani military officer who beheaded an Armenian col- league during a NATO Partnership for Peace exercise — to see how the Azeri government has glorified this violence. Rather than prison, Safarov was paraded through the streets and given a new house and a promotion. Baku’s newest mur-
derer will not be brought to justice until the international community insists on an end to these atrocities.” Hrant Poghosyan died, on Sunday at around 5pm, at the defensive positions of Movses village nearby the City
of Berd in Armenia. Poghosyan was a resident of Berd, he was 26 years old, married, and he had one child.
VAZGEN MANUKIAN: U-TURN ‘AVERTED KARABAKH WAR’ ARMENIA
Armenialiberty.org -- Armenia would have dramatically increased the risk of another war with Azerbaijan had it not decided to join a Russian-led Customs Union at the expense of closer ties with the European Union, accord- ing to a prominent political ally of President Serzh Sarkisian.
Vazgen Manukian, a veteran politician who heads the Public Council advising Sarkisian on domestic and for- eign policies, suggested that the signing of an Association Agreement with the EU would have led Russia to end its military alliance with Armenia. That, he said, would have provoked economic and military “tensions” in the region.
“In that case, we would have to stop linking our security issues with Russia. And Russia is not the kind of state that digests such things easily,” Manukian told RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am) in an interview with.
Manukian, who served as defense minister from 1992-1993, during the first war in Nagorno-Karabakh, cited in that context the disclosure last June of large-scale Russian arms sales to Azerbaijan. It was “not accidental,” he said.
The Russian arms supplies were revealed by a Moscow daily as the Armenian government completed its asso- ciation talks with the EU. Russian President Vladimir Putin paid a high-profile visit to Azerbaijan in August. Three
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weeks later, Sarkisian announced his unexpected decision to seek Armenia’s accession to the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.
Armenian government officials have since insisted in public that Yerevan was not forced by Moscow to opt for the union.
Manukian effectively blamed the EU for Sarkisian’s foreign policy U-turn. He pointed to European officials’ statements that Armenian membership of the Russian-led bloc would be incompatible with key terms of the planned Association Agreement.
“We thought that we could continue our strategic partnership with Russia and sign an Association Agreement with the EU,” said Manukian. “That would have been a very smart step. But at some point Europe said we can’t have both, we can’t carry on with both relationships. That immediately irritated and emboldened Russia’s leader- ship. And so we found ourselves caught between two egos, so to speak.”
MOSCOW TO HAVE DIRECT BORDER WITH ARMENIA
YEREVAN, December 18. / ARKA /. A Russian political expert told an international conference in Yerevan today that Russia and Armenia would have soon a ‘direct’ border.
According to Mikhail Chernov, deputy director of the Center of Strategic Situations, when Armenia an- nounced its decision to join the Customs Union, many people questioned its ability to function as a full member of the trade bloc because of absence of common border with any of its members.
However, according to Chernov, this should not worry Armenians because the current situation would change soon.
“There will be direct border between Russia and Armenia and it is a matter of the near future. Russia will be linked directly to Armenia by means of transport and infrastructure facilities,’ he said, elaborating that this would be achieved through development of Trans-Caucasus transport corridors, which were started back by the Russian Empire and improved by the Soviet Union.
"The main highway that will link the North Caucasus and West Kazakhstan with the South Caucasus is the Trans-Caucasian Highway. Now there is a motor road connecting Russian Vladikavkaz with South Ossetia’s Tskhinvali and stretching further to Armenia. This road should be upgraded for all types of cargo, including heavy combat military machines,” he said, according to Novosti Armenia news agency.
He went on to say that a just solution to the South Ossetian issue would enable Russia a direct access to the South Caucasus, including Armenia. Chernov added that although South Ossetia is recognized by Russia as an in- dependent state, there are big questions regarding its borders.
He said the rights of 30,000 South Ossetians driven out from Trialeti, a region bordering the predominantly Armenian-populated Javakheti province in South Georgia, should be restored. According to him, this applies also to Kazbegi region of Georgia, through which the Georgian Military Road runs. The changing of Ossetia’s border is related to development of transport infrastructure, he added.
Thus, he said, Russia would have a direct access to South Caucasus countries, including Armenia. Chernov underlined that neither of Russian transport projects involve military scenarios.
EU ALLOCATES € 4.8 MILLION TO ARMENIA AS BUDGET SUPPORT
NEWS.am -- Within the 2010 Budget Support Operation, on the basis of a total variable commitment of €6 million for 2013, the European Union makes a € 4.8 million disbursement in reward to the Government of Arme- nia’s implementation of reforms enshrined in the European Neighbourhood Policy Action Plan in the areas of pub- lic financial management, improvement of public sector transparency, and regulatory approximation with EU and international trade-related standards.
On 14 December 2013, within the Multi Sector Budget Support Operation, the European Union provided an instalment € 4.8 million in support to the implementation of the European Neighbourhood Policy Action Plan in the areas of public financial management, improvement of public sector transparency, and regulatory approximation with EU and international trade-related standards.
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The tranche is part of a Budget Support Operation that was agreed between the European Union and the Gov- ernment of Armenia in 2010. Budget Support funds are channelled directly into the Treasury of the Government of Armenia. The overall programme amounts to € 21 million of which 20 million consists of budget support.
The current disbursement of € 4.8 million follows a previous disbursement in December 2011 of € 8 million for a total amount of €12.8 million. € 1 million is set aside to provide Technical Assistance to the Government’s institutions and Non State Actors that are active in the areas as well to assess the progress of the operation. The progress of the operations is assessed jointly by the European Union and its services, the Republic of Armenia insti- tutions, international development partners and local Non State Actors. Specifically to the current disbursement, in the public finance management area, the programme has encouraged the creation of a register in the e-gov.am web- site to enhance the transparency of the external audit process; furthermore, in the Ministry of Finance it has set up a Central Harmonisation Unit in charge of guiding reforms in public procurement and public financial internal con- trols.
The Programme has supported the set up of the public procurement Appeals Board that is responsible to deal with public procurement complaints. In the trade-related area, the programme supported the government’s adoption of the Strategy on the reforms of quality infrastructure, and to adopt and to publish a register for intellectual proper- ty-related legislation and sub-legislation acts, court rulings and international treaties.
The final disbursement was inferior to the total available under this tranche, i.e. € 6 million, owing to two un- met targets regarding the operational capacity of the newly set-up public procurement appeals board; and the dis- closure regarding the follow-up of the implementation of the recommendations in the field of external audit.
ARMENIA AGAIN EXCLUDED FROM U.S. MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE
WASHINGTON, DC (RFE/RL) -- The United States has again refused to resume multimillion-dollar econom- ic assistance to Armenia under its Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) program designed to foster reforms in developing nations.
Armenia is not on the newly updated list of eight countries, most of them in Africa, currently eligible for such aid. The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), a U.S. government agency administering the scheme, released it following a meeting of its executive board in Washington this week.
An MCC statement on the board meeting announced and explained the exclusion of two other African states from the list. But it said nothing about the rejection of an aid application made by the Armenian government.
Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian instructed the government to formally request renewed MCA funding on No- vember 14. Sarkisian cited the MCC’s latest “scorecard” for Armenia listing 20 indicators of political and economic freedom grouped into 3 broad categories of government policy.
The authorities in Yerevan met the minimum eligibility requirements in all of those categories. In particular, the MCC found an improvement in their efforts to tackle endemic corruption. The U.S. agency was until then dis- satisfied with the effectiveness of those efforts.
The issue was most probably on the agenda of a November 22 meeting in Washington of the U.S-Armenia Joint Economic Task Force (USATF), an intergovernmental body mainly dealing with broader American assistance to Armenia. Statements on that meeting made by the U.S. State Department and Armenian officials did not mention the MCA.
Finance Minister Davit Sargsian, who headed the Armenian delegation at the USATF meeting, confirmed on Thursday that Yerevan was not deemed eligible for the additional U.S. aid. Speaking to RFE/RL’s Armenian ser- vice (Azatutyun.am), Sargsian said the U.S. rebuff “has nothing to do” with the MCC’s reform criteria. “There are countries in the world that are probably in greater need of assistance than Armenia,” he said.
The MCC said earlier in November that its board will “rely heavily on the scorecards” in choosing eligible na- tions.
Armenia qualified for the scheme shortly after Washington launched it in 2006, receiving $177 million for the rehabilitation of rural irrigation networks. The MCC planned at the time to allocate another $60 million for the re- construction of the country’s rural roads. But it scrapped that allocation shortly after a disputed February 2008 pres- idential election that was followed by a harsh government crackdown on the Armenian opposition.
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ARMENIA’S POPULATION DECREASES, AZERBAIJAN’S INCREASES – NEWSPAPER
YEREVAN/NEWS.am – The Armenian National Statistical Service has issued rather remarkable facts on the population of Armenia, Zhoghovurd daily reports.
“According to official information, the population in Armenia comprised 3.2 million in 2010, whereas it be- came 3 million in 2012.
“It is, however, hard to say for sure how much [it is] in reality. But the present-day population dynamics in neighboring Azerbaijan is noteworthy.
“According to the same national statistical service data, the population in Azerbaijan made up 9 million in 2010, whereas 9.3 million in 2012.
“The population of Kazakhstan, Russia, Uzbekistan and other CIS countries has also increased over these years.
“But the demographic situation in Armenia is gradually declining, and it is unclear what will happen after the accession [of Armenia] to the [Russian-led] Customs Union,” Zhoghovurd writes.
RUSSIA WILL GRANT ARMENIA QUOTAS FOR DUTY-FREE GAS AND OIL PRODUCTS
YEREVAN/NEWS.am – Armenia will get from Russia quotas for du- ty-free gas and oil products as well as raw diamonds, Minister of Energy Armen Movsisyan said.
Movisyan on Tuesday presented in the parliament an interstate coop- eration agreement on gas, oil products and diamonds between Armenia and Russia. Every year Armenia must present indicative balance on annual use of gas and oil products, he said.
“Based on this, Russia will set a quota, according to which the goods will be supplied without customs duties. In the case of rough diamonds, the quota will be replaced by volumes contracted by Armenian lapidary com- panies,” Movsisyan said.
In both cases, Armenian will face sanctions if the goods exempt from duties are re-exported to third countries.
In Jan.-Sept. 2013 Armenia imported from Russia oil products amounting to $73.5 million. Eighty-six percent of gas (($363.7 million) and 7 percent of diamonds ($6.1 million)were imported from Russia, too.
EVERY TENTH FAMILY IN ARMENIA GOES TO BED HUNGRY – SOCIOLOGIST
YEREVAN/NEWS.am – There are about 2.5 billion poor in the world, whose one billion are destitute.
Armenian sociologist Aharon Adibekyan stated the aforesaid at a press conference on Thursday, as he reflected on the International Day for Helping the Destitute.
As for Armenia’s respective statistics, Adibekyan noted that, according to official data, about 37 percent of the families in Armenia are poor, whose 7 percent are commonly destitute.
“According to our data, the number of the absolute poor reaches 47 per- cent, but [only] 20 percent consider themselves poor. Every tenth family in
Armenia goes to bed hungry,” the sociologist noted. In addition, as per Adibekyan, half of Armenia’s population has bank deposits, which total an average of $1.5
billion. “One-hundred-thousand families receive poverty benefits, which total 29,000 drams [approx. $72] per
month.
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“The fight against poverty needs to be done not solely through state leverage, but also by way of the local au- thorities. And, unfortunately, the [Armenian] Church is silent on this issue.
“[But] the worst thing is that our rich people can spend huge amounts of money to build a church, but they do not help the poor families that much; that is, we should not give fish to the people, but rather teach [them] how to catch fish,” Aharon Adibekyan stressed.
ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT PLANS NATIONWIDE HEALTH INSURANCE
Armenialiberty.org -- The government plans to put in place a nationwide system of mandatory medical insur- ance that should make healthcare far more accessible to Armenians, a senior official in Yerevan announced on Monday.
Saro Tsaturian, head of the State Healthcare Agency, told RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am) that the government has assigned the agency to develop a “concept” for the reform in the next few months. He said the new system could come into force as early as in January 2015.
Ever since the Soviet break-up Armenians have had to pay for most of the services provided by various medi- cal institutions. Many people in the country have been unable to afford the relatively high cost of medical treat- ment. Widespread corruption in the healthcare sector only aggravates the problem.
Only public sector employees as well as a small minority of people working for private firms currently have health insurance.
According to Tsaturian, whose agency is subordinate to the Ministry of Health, the government now wants to extend insurance coverage to Armenia’s entire population. “At the heart of medical insurance is the principle of social solidarity,” he said. “That is why it has to be mandatory.”
“Medical insurance is basically about young people subsidizing older ones and rich people subsidizing poorer ones because the former pay more for health insurance than the latter,” added the official.
Tsaturian confirmed that this means more sums will be deducted from workers’ wages. He suggested that the average monthly payment for a “package of basic hospital services” could vary from 2,000 to 3,000 drams ($5- $7.5).
Tsaturian could not say whether the planned insurance system will cover expensive and complicated surgeries that are not necessarily performed in Armenia. “This question requires calculations,” he said.
MONTSERRAT CABALLÉ RELEASES ALBUM DEVOTED TO ARMENIA AND ARTSAKH
PARIS -- On December 12, Nagorno- Karabakh Republic (NKR) President Bako Sahakian in Paris, France, attended the presentation of renowned Spanish opera sing- er Montserrat Caballé’s album called “Arme- nia and Artsakh - An Isle of Christianity”.
In his speech the President noted the his- torical significance of this event for Artsakh, adding that Montserrat Caballé continued the mission of historical Christian preachers and through high art not only introduced Artsakh to the world but also sent a peculiar message to humanity to preserve the Christian values.
The Karabakh leader expressed his grati- tude to the world-famous singer and all those who participated in the implementation of the project, stressing that it was the best manifes- tation of sincere friendship.
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Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II, Primate of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church Archbishop Barkev Martirosian, ambassadors extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia to Switzerland and France Charles Aznavour and Vigen Chitechian, member of the British Parliament’s House of Lords Baroness Caroline Cox, a group of French MPs, state officials from NKR and Armenia, world-famous stars, Armenian philanthropists, representatives of the Diaspora partook in the event.
Caballé visited Karabakh in June angering Azerbaijan that “blacklisted” the opera diva as a persona non grata. Later this year Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry released a list of more than 330 individuals declared personae non grata for visits to Baku, including a number of prominent political and cultural figures, scientists, entrepreneurs from different countries of the world.
ETIHAD AIRWAYS TO OPERATE ABU DHABI-YEREVAN FLIGHTS FROM 2014
NEWS.am -- Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, on Monday announced the launch of a four times per week service from Abu Dhabi to Yerevan from 2 July 2014.
The UAE flag carrier will operate a two-class Airbus A320 aircraft with 16 Pearl Business Class and 120 Coral Economy Class seats, offering a total of 1,088 seats per week.
The new flights will cater for the significant and growing demand for air travel between the UAE and Armenia. They will also provide better access to and from Armenia for millions of Armenian nationals living around the world, particularly in the
US, which is home to a vast Armenian Diaspora, the company said in a statement. James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ President and Chief Executive Officer, said: “The launch of Etihad Airways’
flights to Yerevan is consistent with our strategy of targeting areas of strong growth in emerging markets. “Etihad Airways will be the only full-service commercial airline from the Gulf region to serve Yerevan. Busi- ness and leisure travellers out of Armenia will have great opportunities to seamlessly connect over our Abu Dhabi
hub to the entire Gulf network and key North American destinations.” “The new Yerevan service will contribute to the development of tourism in Armenia and strengthen the al-
ready strong trade and tourism ties between the UAE and Armenia.”
TEMPLE, BATHROOMS AND A CAFÉ: A NEW IMAGE OF GARNI
Armenia Now.com -- In order to boost the tourism and attract more visitors, a café will be opened in the territory of Garni’s historical and cultural museum reserve, said Vladimir Poghosyan, the director of the service for the protection of historical environment and cultural museum reservations.
The café that will occupy a territory of 37 square meters will be opened some 90 meters away from the first-century pagan temple, near the bathhouses, on the site which is not considered a cultural layer. Ac- cording to Poghosyan, no construction works will be realized, as it is planned to set up only tables and chairs.
“The café will offer only products manufactured by Garni (village) residents, such as gata, (sweet bread) fruits and vegetables. Nothing will be brought from Yerevan,” he said.
Poghosyan mentioned that cafes may be found near many world cultural monuments and did not rule out that such projects will be implemented near other historical monuments in Armenia.
The issue has stirred a debate, especially on online social networks, with many concerned about plans to install cafes and similar facilities near historical monuments.
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“NEW ALEPPO” DISTRICT WILL BE READY WITHIN TWO YEARS IN CASE OF FINANCING
YEREVAN, ARMENPRESS -- The completed layout of “New Aleppo” district to be built for the Syrian-Armenians is already ready. The apartment complex will solve the problem of housing conditions for 488 Syrian-Armenian families. “Armenpress” reports that co-chair of “Pan-Armenian Association of Architects”, author of the layout of the district Vahe Tutunjyan introduced the architectural solutions of “New Aleppo” district to the Syrian-Armenians at the course of the meeting at the Ministry of Diaspora of the Republic of Armenia. ““New Aleppo” district will be in Ashtarak town at the highway leading from Ashtarak to Echmiadzin. The district will con- sist of two residential and club buildings. The club should serve for
providing cultural and health care life. The apartment complex will have a swimming pool, a gym, tennis and bas- ketball stadiums, a kindergarten and a school if needed,” Vahe Tutunjyan stated adding that the district will serve 2 thousand Syrian-Armenians.
According to the Minister of Diaspora of the Republic of Armenia Hranush Hakobyan “New Aleppo” district can become a reality if each Armenian makes a donation of two dollars.
TURKEY DOES EVERYTHING SO THAT NO ARMENIAN REMAINS IN SYRIA – SDHP
YEREVAN/NEWS.am – Turkey is doing everything so that no Christians—and especially Armenians—remain in Syria, so that the Armenian community disappears from the country.
Social-Democratic Hnchakyan Party (SDHP) Armenia Board Chairman Narek Galstyan noted the aforesaid Thursday, during his talk with Essam Nayyal, Syria’s Chargé d’Affaires to Armenia.
In turn, Nayyal thanked Armenia and the Armenian people for their balanced approach toward the Syrian issue. He also stressed the role of the Armenians living in Syria in the peace- building in the country.
For his part, the SDHP Armenia Board chairman highlight- ed the importance of maintaining the territorial integrity of Syria and the establishment of peace in the country.
Galstyan noted, however, that especially Turkey is against the establishment of peace in Syria.
“There are rumors that some Turkish organizations have designated a payment for every Armenian killed [in Syria],” he stated.
In turn, Syria’s chargé d’affaires to Armenia expressed the hope that peace would be restored in Syria soon, and the political, economic and cultural ties would be restored between Armenia and Syria.
REPORT OF CPJ: TURKEY AND AZERBAIJAN ARE AGAIN AMONG THE WORST MEDIA JAILERS IN WORLD
Panorama.am -- According to the results of the research of the CPJ, the second consecutive year, Turkey re- mains the world’s leading jailer of journalists, leaving behind Iran and China, an article on the organization’s web- site reports.
Turkey, Iran, and China accounted for more than half of all journalists imprisoned around the world in 2013, the Committee to Protect Journalists has found. In its annual census, CPJ identified 211 journalists jailed for their work, the second worst year on record after 2012, when 232 journalists were behind bars.
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According to CPJ there are still 40 journalists in Turkish jails. The list of top 10 worst jailers of journalists was rounded out by Azerbaijan, Eritrea, Vietnam, Syria, Ethiopia, Egypt, and Uzbekistan.
The organization believes that journalists should not be imprisoned for doing their jobs. The organization has sent letters expressing its serious concerns to each country that has imprisoned a journalist. In the past year, CPJ advocacy led to the early release of at least 39 imprisoned journalists worldwide.
Last year Turkey and Azerbaijan were in list of top 10 worst jailers of journalists.
According to the data of the CPJ the Azerbaijani authorities claim that there are nine media workers held in prisons on trumped-up charges, including disorderly conduct, possession of drugs and extortion, which, according to the organization, is the vengeance of the authorities for the professional activities conducted by the journalists.
DOCUMENTS SHOW TURKEY SENT OVER 47 TONS OF WEAPONRY TO SYRIAN REBELS
PanARMENIAN.Net -- Turkey has sent over 47 tons of wea- ponry to the Syrian rebels since June, according to documents filed under the United Nations trade records, despite repeated denials from government ranks, Hürriyet Daily News reported.
The UN records show that Turkey has sent varying amounts of guns to the Syrian rebels over the past few months, with the highest amount reaching nearly 29 tons of weaponry in September alone. The numbers are found in the UN Comtrade, a database of inter- national trade statistics detailed according to commodities and part- ner countries.
Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Levent Gümrükçü ini- tially denied the numbers, but later on confirmed to daily Hürriyet that the UN numbers were based on previous records from the Turkish Statistics Institute (TÜİK), which filed the weaponry sent to Syria as “guns without military uses.”
This category, which includes shotguns and hunting rifles, but excludes more advanced weaponry such as Kal- ashnikovs, allows for states to bypass the weapons embargo currently imposed on Syria.
Turkey has repeatedly denied providing military assistance to the Syrian rebels, despite several reports claim- ing otherwise.
Back in August, opposition sources claimed that 400 tons of arms had been sent into Syria from Turkey to boost insurgent capabilities against Syrian government forces, after a suspected chemical weapons strike on rebel- lious suburbs of Damascus. The claims were strictly denied by Turkish diplomats at the time.
In November, authorities seized nearly 1,000 rocket heads after searching a truck in the southern province of Adana. The local governor said 10 people had been detained in the raid, during which 935 rocket heads and 10 launching pads were seized. At the time, Adana Governor Hüseyin Avni Coş claimed that the operation proved Turkey was not supporting radical groups in Syria.
AZERBAIJAN ARRESTS HEAD OF INDEPENDENT VOTE MONITOR
Tert.am -- Azerbaijani authorities have arrested the head of an independent election monitoring group after it criticized presidential polls that secured a new term for strongman Ilham Aliyev, one of his colleagues said Dec. 17.
A Baku court on Dec. 16 ordered Anar Mammadli, chairman of the Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Center (EMDS), to spend three months in pre-trial detention in connection with an in- vestigation into alleged tax evasion. “We were summoned to the prosecutor’s office as part of the investigation that was started in October,” EMDS executive director Bashir Suleymanli told Agence France-Presse. “I was let go two hours later and then the state- appointed lawyer called to say that Anar Mammadli had been arrest- ed,” he said.
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British Foreign Secretary William Hague, in Baku for the signing ceremony of major deal that will see Azer- baijan export natural gas to Europe, said he had raised the issue of Mammadli’s arrest with Aliyev. “I expressed my concern,” Hague told reporters.
U.S. Ambassador Richard Morningstar said Washington was “deeply troubled” by the arrest and called for Mammadli’s immediate release.
“The details of the charges are still unclear, but we must question whether Mr. Mammadli’s detention is relat- ed to his organisation’s election monitoring and reporting activities,” Morningstar said in a statement. Baku-based EMDS, partially funded by Washington and the European Union, reported numerous violations including ballot- stuffing at the October 9 presidential vote.
SEVAN NISANYAN SENTENCED TO TWO YEAR PRISON BY TURKISH COURT
ISTANBUL — Turkish-Armenian writer and linguist Sevan Nisanyan received a two-year jail sentence over charges related to an illegal construc- tion in Izmir’s Sirince village, where he lives.
A Turkish court also found Nisanyan guilty of publicly insulting the religious values of part of the population”. In a 2012 post he wrote about “Innocence of Muslims,” which sparked protests across the Arab world. He was sentenced to one year and 45 days in prison, higher than the usual nine months, because the offense was committed through the press.
Nisanyan accused the court of issuing a politically-motivated verdict. In a country littered with illegal constructions, Nisanyan said the court rul- ing on Dec. 12 was punishment for his outspoken views about restrictions on freedom of expression in Turkey.
“It is politically motivated because in this community, those who try to be individuals and stand firm on their ideas have always been punished,” he told Agence France-Presse.
The 56-year old is one of the leading linguists of Turkey, and he helped turn the village of Sirince into a boom- ing holiday spot after he bought several ruined Greek houses and turned them into hotels.
Nisanyan’s conviction over his September 2012 blog post defending the anti-Islam film that ridiculed the Prophet Muhammad had sparked outrage among right groups.
“Mocking an Arab leader who centuries ago claimed to have contacted God and made political, financial and sexual benefits out of this is not a crime of hatred. It is an almost kindergarten-level test of what is called freedom of expression,” Nisanyan had written.
Prosecutors accused him of “overstepping the boundaries of freedom of speech and criticism” and said his ar- ticle served to “disturb public order.”
“When I attacked the Islamist establishment they felt I overstepped my boundaries,” Nisanyan told CNN. “Here I am an Armenian doing something no Armenian has done in a Muslim country. This is really the height of boldness, of impudence. This is something you are not supposed to do.”
Turkey has long been criticized for a lack of press freedom and dozens of journalists are in detention, accused of plotting against the Islamist-rooted government or having links with outlawed movements such as the Kurdish rebels.
REP. ADAM SCHIFF REQUESTS ARMENIAN ORPHAN RUG FOR CAPITOL HILL EVENT FROM THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) sent a letter to President Barack Obama requesting that the White House lend the Ghazir rug, more commonly known as the Armenian Orphan Rug, be lent out for an event on Capitol Hill hosted by Schiff with survivors, historians, members of the Armenian-American community, and Members of Congress and their staff to highlight the efforts made by the American government to aid the Ar- menian community after the first genocide in the 20th century. Schiff previously had previously encouraged the White House to allow the rug to be displayed at the Smithsonian.
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In the letter, Schiff writes: “Most Americans, including a great many of my colleagues in Congress, are not aware of the scope and scale of the American response to the genocide. Our efforts, public and private, helped to relocate refugees and to provide relief to survivors and their families throughout the years of the genocide (1915-23) and after. But America’s generosity was not lost on those we helped. In 1925, a group of Armenian orphans who had been relocated to Ghazir, now in Lebanon, wove a rug, now known as the "orphan rug," and gave it as a gift to US President Calvin Coolidge. To highlight these efforts, I will be hosting an educational event here in the Capitol and plan to in- vite survivors, historians, members of the Armenian-American commu- nity, and Members of Congress and their staff. As part of this event, I believe that it would be fitting to display that Ghazir rug, which embodies the tragedy of the genocide and the rebirth of the Armenian people and I respectfully request that it be made available for the event.”
The full letter is below:
Dear Mr. President:
As the centennial commemoration of the Armenian Genocide draws ever closer, I will be hosting an event in the coming weeks to highlight the American response to the slaughter, including the efforts by American diplomats, journalists, and Near East Relief.
Most Americans, including a great many of my colleagues in Congress, are not aware of the scope and scale of the American response to the genocide. Our efforts, public and private, helped to relocate refugees and to pro- vide relief to survivors and their families throughout the years of the genocide (1915-23) and after. But America’s generosity was not lost on those we helped. In 1925, a group of Armenian orphans who had been relocated to Ghazir, now in Lebanon, wove a rug, now known as the "orphan rug," and gave it as a gift to US President Calvin Coolidge. To highlight these efforts, I will be hosting an educational event here in the Capitol and plan to invite survivors, historians, members of the Armenian-American community, and Members of Congress and their staff.
As part of this event, I believe that it would be fitting to display that Ghazir rug, which embodies the tragedy of the genocide and the rebirth of the Armenian people and I respectfully request that it be made available for the event.
Earlier this year, the White House declined a request to loan the rug for display at an event held at the Smith- sonian, stating that a book signing was not considered an appropriate venue. At the time, the White House indicat- ed that it would consider a display of the rug in another setting, and I believe that this would be an appropriate venue and occasion for a viewing.
I hope that you will grant my request expeditiously and that the White House curator’s office will work with my staff and me to arrange a mutually acceptable date in January or February of 2014.
Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Adam B. Schiff
TAJIK INTELLECTUALS DEMAND UNESCO REGISTER POLO AS TAJIK AND ARMENIAN GAME AS WELL
Panorama.am -- “Tajikistan has appealed to UNESCO for registering Polo as an Azerbaijani sport game,” Iranian IRNA news agency reports.
According to the information some Tajik cultural activists have sent a letter of complaint to UNESCO in concern with the registration of the game Polo as an Azerbaijani sport game.
Tajik intellectuals have noted that polo is an Iranian traditional game which has been spread in some countries of the world during the years. They have suggested UNESCO to register it as a common cultural heritage of Iran, Tajikistan, Armenia, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan.
While studying the Iranian sources we notice that Azerbaijan has used a special trick while applying to UNESCO and has tried to involve in its frauds against the Iranian culture also the Republic of Artsakh.
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Farhad Nazari the executive director of the office of registration of IRI cultural heritages, has confirmed that polo which is an old Iranian sport game has been spread not only in Armenia and India, “Azerbaijan in its application to UNESCO has requested to register the game polo as its own with the following formulation “Polo is the game of Nagorno Karabakh.” That is to say Azerbaijan in its appeal has noted that the game polo has been a local game of Nagorno Karabakh and it has spread to other regions from here.”
The Iranian FARS news agency reveals the frauds of Azerbaijan, “According to some sources Azerbaijan has presented several documentary materials attached to its appeal to UNESCO for registering the game polo as its own. In these materials the Eastern and Western states of Iran are called “South Azerbaijan.” By this trick they make an impression as if the “South Azerbaijan” is one part of Azerbaijan itself and the documentary facts refer to the Azerbaijani Republic.”
ARMENIAN POWER GANG MEMBER SENTENCED TO 8 YEARS IN JAIL
NEWS.am -- The federal court of California sentenced Armenian Power gang Karo Yerkanyan to 8 years in prison, RIA Novosti reported.
According to court documents, the Armenian Power street gang formed in the East Hollywood district of Los Angeles in the 1980s. The gang’s membership consisted primarily of individuals of Armenian descent, as well as of other countries within the former Soviet bloc, Department of Justice stated.
The Armenian Power has been designated under California state law as a criminal street gang and is believed to have over 250 documented members, as well as hundreds of associates.
In September four members and associates of the Armenian Power gang and four other individuals pleaded guilty to charges relating to the activities of the Armenian Power criminal enterprise, including racketeering con- spiracy, bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, drug-trafficking and illegal possession of firearms.
Yerkanyan, 32, pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana and felon-in-possession of a firearm.
DAVUTOGLU’S CHARM OFFENSIVE DURING VISIT TO ARMENIA
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
The wily Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu used every diplomatic trick to take maximum advantage
of his presence in Yerevan during the Black Sea Economic Cooperation conference (BSEC) last week.
Davutoglu and his diplomatic team had initially launched a disinformation campaign by announcing that he
might not participate in the conference because of other commitments, thus giving the impression of not being ea-
ger to travel to Armenia. Later on, he conditioned his attendance on the positive outcome of the meetings between
the Presidents and Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan. To reassure Pres. Aliyev of Azerbaijan that Tur-
key was minding the interests of its junior brother, the Turkish Foreign Ministry falsely tipped off the press that
Armenia had agreed to withdraw from two regions around Karabagh (Artsakh).
Foreign Minister Davutoglu’s real intent in unleashing a charm offensive during his Yerevan trip was to
preempt the anticipated worldwide campaign against Turkey during the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide in
2015. He wanted to impress the international community of his country’s willingness to reconcile with Armenia,
while helping to advance Turkey’s application for European Union membership.
In response, Armenian officials did everything possible to lessen the success of the Turkish charm offensive.
Armenia’s strategy was to keep Davutoglu’s Yerevan trip within the confines of the BSEC conference rather than
engage in bilateral Armenian-Turkish relations, and exclude any discussion of the Armenian-Turkish Protocols and
the Artsakh conflict.
It is therefore not surprising that there was no meeting in Yerevan between Armenia’s President and Turkey’s
Foreign Minister. The only official encounter was with Armenia’s Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian, who also
met with several BSEC participants as host of the conference.
To be sure, Davutoglu faced some obstacles during his stay in the Armenian capital. He had to enter the Mar-
riott Hotel, the venue of the conference, through the back door to avoid young political activists protesting his visit.
Meanwhile, Nalbandian issued a series of terse statements before, during, and after the BSEC conference, warning
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Turkey that Armenia would not accept any preconditions, such as a partial withdrawal from the Artsakh area, in
return for establishing diplomatic relations and opening the border between Armenia and Turkey.
Nalbandian’s resolute stand forced Davutoglu to back down, fearing that his trip to Armenia would be charac-
terized as a failure. At the risk of alienating Azerbaijan, the Turkish Minister acknowledged that he had not come to
present concrete proposals on Armenian-Turkish relations, and had not asked Armenia to withdraw from two re-
gions around Artsakh. After the conference, Davutoglu changed his tune, insisting that his only purpose for coming
to Yerevan was to overcome the “psychological barrier” between Armenia and Turkey and initiate renewed dia-
logue and trust.
In his stated quest for improved relations, Davutoglu held a meeting with former Defense and Prime Minister
Vazgen Manukian, during which he belittled the Genocide as “certain past events” and urged everyone “to move
forward.” When Manukian recounted the deaths of his four uncles during the Genocide, Davutoglu promised to say
a prayer during his next visit to their birthplace -- Moks, South of Lake Van. Yet audaciously he advised Armenians
not to forget Turkish victims of World War I. He also suggested that Diaspora Armenians return to their former
homeland, present-day Turkey. The most intriguing aspect of the meeting with Manukian was Davutoglu’s revela-
tion that one of the buildings in the Foreign Ministry headquarters in Ankara had belonged to an Armenian -- thus
raising the possibility of a lawsuit by the former owner’s heirs.
Foreign Minister Davutoglu made one last attempt at undermining the preparations for the Armenian Genocide
Centennial, by telling Turkish reporters on board his flight that the “deportation” of Armenians in 1915 was “inhu-
mane.” By claiming that Turkey had never supported this move, he condemned the “deportation” as a “totally
wrong practice done by [the Ottoman-era rulers under the Committee of the Union and Progress].”
Davutoglu also revealed that he has been meeting with Diaspora Armenians during his trips abroad, but had
not publicized these encounters concerned that “extremist Armenians would cause problems.”
The Turkish charm offensive left a good impression on those who are hell-bent on Armenian-Turkish reconcil-
iation and have no qualms in equating the executioner with the victim. The United States and Canada were the only
two countries that officially welcomed the Turkish Foreign Minister’s visit to Armenia, urging further dialogue be-
tween the two sides.
BRITAIN’S POLICY ON SYRIA HAS JUST BEEN SUNK, AND NOBODY NOTICED
By Patrick Cockburn – The Independent
World View: The West’s favoured faction is on the run, while the Riyadh-backed rebels steadily gain ground
The final bankruptcy of American and British policy in Syria came 10 days ago as Islamic Front, a Saudi-backed Sunni jihadi group, overran the headquarters of the Supreme Military Council of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) at Bab al-Hawa on the Syrian side of the border with Turkey. The FSA, along with the Syrian National Coalition, groups that the United States and Britain have been pretending for years are at the heart of Syrian military and political opposition, has been discred- ited. The remaining FSA fighters are in flight, have changed sides, or are devoting all their ef- forts to surviving the onslaught from jihadi or al- Qa’ida-linked brigades.
The US and Britain stopped the delivery of non-lethal aid to the supply depot at Bab al-Hawa as the implications of the disaster sank in. The West’s favourite rebel commander, General Salim Idris, was on the run between Turkey and his former chief supporter and paymaster, Qatar. Turkey closed the border, the other side
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of which is now controlled by the Islamic Front. The so-called moderate wing of the Syrian insurgency has very limited influence, but its representatives are still being urged by Washington and London to attend the peace con- ference in Geneva on 22 January to negotiate Bashar al-Assad’s departure from power.
Confusion over what is happening is so great that Western leaders may not pay as much of a political price at home as they should for the failure of their Syrian policy. But it is worth recalling that the Syrian National Coalition and the FSA are the same people for whom the US and UK almost went to war in August, and saw as candidates to replace Assad in power in Damascus. The recent debacle shows how right public opinion in both countries was to reject military intervention.
Who are the winners in the new situation? One is Assad because the opposition to him – which started as a popular uprising against a cruel, corrupt and oppressive dictatorship in 2011 – has become a fragmented movement dominated by al-Qa’ida umbrella organisation the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil); the other al-Qa’ida franchisee, the al-Nusra Front; and the Islamic Front, consisting of six or seven large rebel military formations numbering an estimated 50,000 fighters, whose uniting factor is Saudi money and an extreme Sunni ideology simi- lar to Saudi Arabia’s version of Islam.
The Saudis see this alliance as capable of fighting pro-Assad forces as well as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, but Riyadh’s objections to the latter appears to be based on its independence of Saudi control rather than revulsion at its record of slaughtering Shia, Alawi, Christians, Armenians, Kurds, Turkomans or any dissenting Sunni.
The allegation of Saudi control is becoming easier to substantiate. Until a year ago, the Saudis stayed some- what in the background when it came to funding the Syrian rebels, in which the leading role was played by Qatar in association with Turkey. But the failure of the rebels to win and US anger that the Qataris and Turks had allowed much of the aid to go to jihadis led to an important change this summer, when Saudi Arabia took over from Qatar as chief supporter of the rebels.
An interesting example of just how hands-on this Saudi direction has become is illustrated by a fascinating in- terview given by a top defector from the FSA to Isil, Saddam al-Jamal. Commander of the Liwa Allah Akbar battal- ion, he was until recently the top FSA commander in eastern Syria, much of which is under rebel control. Ques- tioned by his new ally, according to a translation by the Brown Moses Blog, he recalls that “we used to meet with the apostates of Qatar and Saudi Arabia and with the infidels of Western nations such as America and France in order to receive arms and ammo or cash”. He says Western intelligence operatives had of late been worried about the growing influence of al-Qa’ida affiliates and repeatedly asked him why he was growing a beard.
Jamal gives an account of a recent three-day meeting between the FSA commanders from northern and eastern Syria with Western, Saudi, Qatari, Emirati and Jordanian intelligence operatives. This appears to have been soon after the Saudis took over the Syria file from the Qataris. He says the FSA commanders, including General Idris, had a meeting with Prince Salman bin Sultan, the Saudi deputy defence minister who was the leading figure at the meeting. Jamal says that Prince Salman “asked those who had plans to attack Assad positions to present their needs for arms, ammo and money”.
The picture that Mr Jamal paints is of an FSA that was a complete pawn to foreign intelligence agencies, which is one reason why he defected. The Saudis subsequently decided that the FSA would not serve their purpos- es, and were frustrated by America backing away from war in Syria and confrontation with Iran. They set about using their limitless funds to attract into alliances rebel brigades such as the Islamic Front which would be Sunni fundamentalist, committed to the overthrow of Assad, against political negotiations, but distinct from al-Qa’ida. In reality, it looks highly unlikely that Saudi money will be enough to bring down or even significantly weaken Assad though it may be enough to keep a war going for years.
The old, supposedly moderate, opposition has been marginalised. Its plan since 2011 has been to force a full- scale Western military intervention as in Libya in 2011 and, when this did not happen, they lacked an alternative strategy.
The US, Britain and France do not have many options left except to try to control the jihadi Frankenstein’s monster that they helped create in Syria and which is already helping destabilise Iraq and Lebanon. Turkey may soon regret having given free passage to so many jihadi on their way to Syria. Ankara could close its 500-mile bor- der with Syria or filter those who cross it. But Turkish policy in Syria and Iraq has been so dysfunctional in the past three years that it may be too late to correct the consequences of wrongly convincing itself that Assad would fall.
The Geneva II peace conference on Syria looks as if it will be born dead. In so far as the FSA and its civilian
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counterparts ever represented anyone in Syria they do so no longer. The armed opposition is dominated by Saudi- sponsored Islamist brigades on the one hand and by al-Qa’ida affiliates on the other. All US, British and French miscalculations have produced in Syria is a re-run of Afghanistan in the 1980s, creating a situation the ruinous con- sequences of which have yet to appear. As jihadis in Syria realise they are not going to win, they may well look for targets closer to home.
THE MYTH OF TURKISH SECULARISM By David Boyajian*
Turkey is a secular state. So claim its government and nearly all main- stream Western media. They are mis- taken.
In civilized, democratic countries, secularism means not only a respectful separation between church and state but also freedom of religion. As we shall demonstrate, Turkish policies have long been the antithesis of secularism.
The Turkish government massive- ly supports and funds Islam – specifi- cally Sunni Islam - inside the country. Turkey simultaneously represses reli- gions such as Alevism, and bullies and persecutes indigenous Christians, most of whom it liquidated in 20th century genocides. Moreover, it uses Islam to project Turkish political power into Europe, Asia, and elsewhere. Turkey’s system is more properly termed State Islam.
This article is not a criticism of Islam or its faithful. We respect both. Turkey’s secularism myth, neverthe- less, cries out to be laid bare.
State Islam
The Directorate of Religious Affairs – known as the Diyanet – is the government body that represents and di- rects all of Sunni Islam in Turkey. Created in 1924, a year after the Republic of Turkey was formed, the Diyanet is enshrined in Article 136 of the Turkish Constitution. The Diyanet is huge and powerful. Operating under the Prime Minister, it employs about 100,000. All Sunni clergy are salaried civil servants of the Diyanet.
The Diyanet’s $2 billion annual outlay exceeds the combined budgets of Turkey’s Foreign, Energy, and Envi- ronmental Ministries. By law a political party can be dissolved if it dares to advocate the Diyanet’s abolition.
Until recently, the Diyanet wrote all the sermons for its clergy, but reportedly now sometimes allows them to write their own, though their contents are controlled.
Would the U.S. – or any democratic Western country – be termed “secular” if it funded a huge Christian gov- ernment agency that employed all Christian clergy and controlled their sermons? Obviously not.
Who owns Turkey’s 80,000 mosques? It’s not always clear. Even many Turks wonder. For sure, however, the Diyanet controls all mosques. (Shiite Muslims represent only about 3% of Turkey’s 80 million people and are largely independent of the Diyanet.)
Two large mosques to be built on Istanbul’s Camlica Hill and Taksim Square are personal projects of Prime Minister Erdogan. The government is apparently paying most of the costs, not something a secular state would do.
The Diyanet operates not only in Turkey but worldwide. Turkish foreign policy and the Diyanet are inter- twined. The latter promotes the country’s political influence abroad.
Worldwide Reach
The Diyanet has a Foreign Affairs department that sends religious consultants not only into Muslim countries, such as those in Central Asia and Africa, but also into the United States, France, Germany, Great Britain, Sweden, and other European countries.
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Indeed, some Turkish embassies and consulates have a religious affairs department and attachés that work with local Diyanet representatives. Turkey is very active, for instance, in the Netherlands where it reportedly pays the salaries of the Diyanet-affiliated Dutch Islamic Foundation’s staff.
In partnership with Turkey’s Religious Foundation, the Diyanet has in the last two decades constructed or ren- ovated mosques in Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia, northern Cyprus, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and elsewhere.
A $100 million, 15-acre Turkish American Culture and Civilization Center (TACCC), which includes a large mosque, is being built in Lanham, Maryland, 14 miles from Washington, D.C. It is “a project of the government of Turkey” and the Turkish American Community Center. The latter’s older mosque is “related to the Republic of Turkey and the Department of Religious Affairs [Diyanet].” Several months ago, PM Erdogan placed a ceremonial stone at the TACCC construction site.
No truly secular state would do these things. Nor would it persecute persons of other religions.
Religious Repression
Last year the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), established by Congress, placed Turkey in its worst category, a “Country of Particular Concern,” alongside Burma, China, Pakistan, and a dozen others.
Turkey, noted the USCIRF, “significantly restricts religious freedom, especially for non-Muslim religious mi- nority communities – including the Greek, Armenian, and Syriac Orthodox Churches, the Roman Catholic and Protestant Churches, and the Jewish community.”
Restrictions that “deny non-Muslim communities the rights to train clergy, offer religious education, and own and maintain places of worship, have led to their decline, and in some cases their virtual disappearance.”
Such mistreatment of Christians, numbering only about 100,000, is particularly reprehensible given that Tur- key carried out genocide from 1915 to 1923 against millions of indigenous Christian Armenians, Greeks, and Syriacs, including many Catholics and Protestants.
The persecution of non-Muslims continued even after the Turkish Republic came about in 1923. The infa- mous Capital Tax (Varlik Vergisi) program during WW II, as but one example, deliberately taxed Christians and Jews at extortionate rates that often exceeded their income. Men were sent to labor camps in the interior when una- bletopay. Familieswerebankrupted. Onlyaninternationaloutcrystoppedtheprogram.
Thousands of Christian churches, schools, hospitals, orphanages, cemeteries, and other community properties have been continually seized by Turkey in the past several decades.
Though Turkey has recently returned some of these properties under international pressure, the vast majority has not been, and probably will not be, returned.
Countless ancient Armenian churches and monasteries, such as Saint Mark’s (Nshan) in Sivas, have been de- liberately destroyed, sometimes with explosives. Others serve as stables. Earlier this year in the cities of Iznik and Trabzon, old Greek churches were converted to mosques.
Alevism is a religion that has some 10 to 20 million adherents in Turkey. Complex and somewhat mysterious, it contains elements of Shia Islam, Sufism, paganism, and other spiritual and religious traditions. Alevis worship in houses called cemevis, not mosques. Alevis and cemevis are not recognized by the Turkish government. Alevis complain bitterly, to little avail.
Alevis have long been the victims of discrimination and even violent attacks, such as in Sivas in 1993 when 35 leading Alevis were murdered by mobs, and most recently this year in Ankara, when police fired tear-gas at protest- ing Alevis.
“Turkey may look like a secular state on paper,” says Izzettin Dogan, a leading Alevi, “but in terms of interna- tional law it is actually a Sunni Islamic state.” He is correct, but most of the outside world is oblivious to voices such as his.
True Secularism
Some Turks feel that their country is secular because the Diyanet’s hegemony moderates Islam against extrem- isttendencies. Theremaybesometruthtothat.
But as secularism must include a respectful distance between religion and state, Turkey would still not qualify. Along with Turkey’s domestic religious repression, and employing the Diyanet in foreign policy, the claim of secu- larism is simply fallacious.
The Turkish government is in full-blown denial about secularism and religious freedom, as evidenced by PM Erdogan’s preposterous claim two years ago that “Turkey is a secular state where all religions are equal.”
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If Turkey is ever to be secular, it must allow the free exercise of all religions – including Islam – and guarantee the rights of the faithful to be free from harassment and compulsion. The Turkish government’s acknowledgement of its past and present wrongs, especially to the non-Turkish and non-Muslim communities, and making genuine amends, must be part of this process.
Until then – particularly in the West – mainstream media, governments, religious leaders, academicians, and political analysts should cease swallowing Turkey’s fraudulent claim of secularism.
*David Boyajian is an Armenian American freelance journalist.
ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY PRESENTS A PANEL DISCUSSION ON ‘ISLAMIZED ARMENIANS’
PASADENA – - Last week, the Armenian Assembly of America’s (Assembly) Western Region Office held a special panel discussion entitled ‘Islamized Armenians’. Moderated by Armenian Observer Editor, Professor Osheen Keshishian, panelists Doris Melkonian, Arda Melkonian and Anoush Suni addressed a standing room only crowd at the University Club of Pasadena.
“It was a pleasure and honor hearing these three scholars recount their experiences and present their papers to our community and members,” stated Assembly Western Region Manager Aline Maksoudian. “The overwhelming amount of interest in this presentation shows the importance and value of their work and we look forward to learn- ing more about the progress of their research in the future,” Maksoudian said.
All three panelists recently returned from Istanbul, Turkey, where they presented papers at a conference under the same title last month. The Assembly program began with opening remarks by Assembly Board member Lisa Kalustian, who thanked everyone for their interest and participation that evening. Kalustian then introduced an ear- ly participant during the Assembly’s founding, Osheen Keshishian, who gave introductory remarks about the As- sembly panel participants.
First to take the podium was Doris Melkonian, an alumnus of the Armenian Assembly’s summer internship program in Washington, D.C. (class of 1994). She shared her paper on “Taken into Muslim Households – Experi- ences of Armenian Children during the Genocide” as presented at the Istanbul conference and spoke about the other Istanbul conference panelists, their backgrounds and presentations.
Next was Arda Melkonian, also an alumnus of the Armenian Assembly’s summer internship program in Washington, D.C. (class of 1990). She shared with the California audience her paper on “Gender and Survival Op- tions during the Armenian Genocide” as presented at the Istanbul conference, retelling the tales of the Armenian Genocide survivors whose memory is preserved in the Armenian Genocide oral history survivor memoirs at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).
Finally, Anoush Suni summarized her paper on “The Production of Difference: the Case of Islamized Armeni- ans.” She also remarked on her experience in Turkey, and what others shared with her, delving deep into her emo- tional state at the time, and spoke at length about her experience living with a Kurdish family in Turkey, as well as her time in neighboring Armenia.
The Melkonian sisters also showed a slide presentation complete with pictures from the Istanbul conference, sponsored by the Hrant Dink Foundation and the MalatyaHye Foundation. Together, this gave the audience a sense of what it was like to be in Turkey, as a descendant of Armenian Genocide survivors, talking openly about the Ar- menian Genocide. A robust question and answer session with the audience concluded the evening’s program.
The growing discussion of the Armenian Genocide in Turkey is part of a pattern of breaking taboos, especially over the last eight years, as the first academic conference on the 1915 Armenian Genocide in Turkey took place in 2005. Since then, more and more scholarship on the Armenian Genocide has emerged within Turkey, which has brought with it another dimension: the discovery of hidden or ‘Islamized Armenians.’
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