Armenian News... A Topalian... An editorial from The Times...must read

Have you got the following 100th anniversary of the 

Armenian Genocide commemorative events in your dairy? 

15 October -  Tigran Hamasyan and Yerevan State Choir
Union Chapel, Islington, London

(see last article in this email)

28 October -  Ecemenical Service at Westminster Abbey
entrance by ticket only, apply to Primate's Office

5 December -  Dedication of Khatchkar within the grounds of the 

Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin

the Mother Anglican Church of Ireland
details from the Dublin Mission Parish


19 December -  Dedication of stone tablet in the grounds of 

  St David's Cathedral, Pembrokeshire,

  the Mother Church of the Anglican Church in Wales 

details from the Cardiff Mission Parish


18-19 Decemberr - Performances of Davit Bek

       Royal College of Music,London 
       details from London Armenian Opera


All the above events have already been circulated, and reminders will be sent nearer the time. 

Leet me know of there are any others to add to the list.



The Times, UK
September 24 , 2015 

Destruction of a race

On this day: Sept 25, 1915 

If there were no war shaking the world to its foundations and thus
causing very important events to be passed over almost in silence, it
is certain that meetings would be taking place in every country of the
civilized world to protest against the inhumanity of the Young Turks'
Armenian policy today . This can be summed up in the statement that
they are gradually, but effectually, exterminating the entire Armenian
people and getting rid of a subject race. The modus operandi is to
send off from each Armenian village day by day as many as the trains
can carry.

When they arrive at Koniah or some adjacent station they are turned
out and an escort is supplied over the Taurus Mountains. Once on the
other side these wretched people, with food for perhaps a few days,
are told to continue their journey to the neighbourhood of Mosul, as
they will now be in perfect safety. In point of fact the land is
nothing but a desert and marauding bands of Kurds or Bedouin rob and
pillage these helpless men, women, and children, so that even those
who are not actually slain die of hunger and thirst. Not one ever
reaches the intended destination. Should anyone try to escape in
another direction Turkish shepherds have orders to shoot Armenians at
sight. The consequence is that many distracted women throw their
children into the Euphrates rather than see them suffer; some even
sell them for what they will fetch before starting on their journey. A
well-known American missionary who arrived in Constantinople in the
first week of September saw as many as 15,000 Armenians collected
round one of the stations waiting to be sent on this journey from
which none of them would ever return alive.

It is stated on the best authority that Talaat Bey, the Minister of
the Interior, when remonstrated with by the American Ambassador said
that he would not change his policy and that the Armenian question
rather amused him. A friend of the Armenians in Constantinople spoke
to the German Ambassador on the subject and received a reply to the
effect that what the Turks were doing to the Armenians should have
been done long ago. The policy is simply one of vindictiveness on the
part of the Turks, for every man, woman, and child they doom to death
is innocent. 

The Times, UK

September 29, 2015 

Wiping out the Armenians

On this day: Sept 30, 1915

We publish today from our Cairo correspondent further details of the

wholesale massacres of Armenians in Asia Minor, now being conducted

under the direction of the Young Turkish leaders who have seized

authority at Constantinople. The Young Turks apparently propose to

settle "the Armenian question" for ever by exterminating the entire

Armenian population in Turkish dominions. The massacres of 1894, 1896,

and 1909 were small by comparison with the destruction of Armenians

now being pursued.

The heads of the Committee of Union and Progress succeeded for a time

in persuading Western Europe that they were not responsible for the

brutal murder of thousands of Armenians at Adana, Tarsus, and

elsewhere in 1909. It is now being realized that the allegations then

made by prominent Armenians were true, and that the members of the

Committee, who were then posing before the Powers as the apostles of a

new era in which Turkish subjects of all creeds should enjoy equality,

had in fact both countenanced and incited the 1909 massacres.

The two men directly responsible for the present methodical

extermination of the Armenians are Enver Pasha and Talaat Bey. Enver

is reputed to be furious with the Armenians because they are alleged

to have helped the Russians in the Caucasus campaign. Talaat, the most

powerful member of the Committee, has apparently followed Enver's lead

with alacrity; and has ordered the Armenians to be ruthlessly wiped

out. It is strange to reflect that, less than six years ago, the

principal author of this monstrous regime was being feted in London as

one of the introducers of "Parliamentary government" into Turkey.

Enver's murderous career has been promoted solely at the point of the

revolver. He has marked every step by brutal assassinations; but

Talaat is a far more capable man, has always remained a civilian, and

was not until recently thought capable of atrocities which make the

worst deeds of the ex-Sultan Abdul Hamid seem almost mild and humane

by comparison. All the Allies can do at the moment is to warn Talaat

and his evil associates that the war is undergoing marked changes, and

that the time will come when they will be hunted down as common

murderers by the avenging Powers.

arka.am 

TWENTY-FOUR COUNTIES RECOGNIZE OFFICIALLY THE

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
YEREVAN, 25 September.  The number of countries which have
officially recognized the Armenian Genocide has reached 24, deputy
foreign minister Shavarsh Kocharyan said today to a gathering of
experts that was convened to sum up the results of a long string of
events dedicated to the centenary of the Armenian Genocide.

According to Kocharyan, five counties have recognized the first
genocide of the last century in 2014-2015. Kocharyan said also another
important point is that the number of countries that have criminalized
the denial of the Armenian Genocide has reached four from two.

"Extremely important are the reaction of various international
organizations, the resolutions they adopted, including the European
Council, which not only condemn the Armenian Genocide, but also call
on Turkey to come to terms with its history,' said Kocharyan.

Kocharyan emphasized also the recognition of the Greek and Assyrian
genocides in the Ottoman Empire by Armenia as an important step.

According to Armenian and many other historians, up to 1.5 million
Armenians were killed starting in 1915 in a systematic campaign by
the government of Turkey. Turkey has been denying it for decades. The
Armenian Genocide was recognized by tens of countries. The first was
Uruguay that did so in 1965.

Other nations are Russia, France, Italy, Germany, Holland, Belgium,
Poland, Lithuania, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Greece, Cyprus,
Lebanon, Canada, Venezuela, Argentina, other countries, as well as
43 U.S. states. It was recognized also by the Vatican, the European
Parliament, the World Council of Churches and other international
organizations.


mediamax.am
ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MUSEUM-INSTITUTE PUBLISHES 

NEW BOOKS
September 23, 2015 

Yerevan /Mediamax/. 4 newly published books have been presented at
the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute (AGMI) today.

In particular, "The Armenian Genocide in Contemporary American
Encyclopedias", "The Armenian Genocide in Literature: Responses of
the Second Generation", "The Number of Western Armenian Population
in 1987-1914" monographs and "The Armenian Genocide and Scandinavian
Response" temporary exhibition catalogue have been presented.

"The Armenian Genocide in Contemporary American Encyclopedias" -
a 16-chapter scientific work - is authored by Armenian Ambassador
to Austria, Doctor of Historical Sciences Arman Kirakosyan. The book
has been printed in English.

The author studied and analyzed around 40 specialized and thematic
encyclopedias, diaries and manuals published in the U.S. over the
past 15 years.

"I don't consider it a scientific work but it's a very important work
for scientists. It's pivotal in terms of propaganda. We should try
to disseminate the book in all the libraries of the world", said
Arman Kirakosyan.

Researcher at the AGMI, Candidate of Historical Sciences Robert
Tatoyan is the author of "The Number of Western Armenian Population
in 1987-1914" monograph which according to him "dwells upon a very
painful issue".

"The statistical data on the number of Western Armenians as of
1878-1914 provided by the Ottoman government and Armenian Patriarchate
of Constantinople were studied. The Turkish government has 2-fold
decreased the number of Armenians recorded in the statistical sources
of the time", said Robert Tatoyan.

Director of AGMI Hayk Demoyan said that the other published monograph
has been written by Doctor of Philological Sciences Rubina Pirumyan.

In "The Armenian Genocide in Literature: Responses of the Second
Generation" book, the author analyzed the process of rendering the
memories of the second generation survivors, the impact of the pain
conveyed through memories and its reflection on their literary works.

"The Armenian Genocide and Scandinavian Response" temporary 

exhibition catalogue features 22 titles which depict Scandinavian 

missionary and humanitarian organizations' as well as individuals' 

activities during 1894-1896 massacres by Hamid, 1909 massacres in 

Cilicia, during and after the Armenian Genocide. 

Leaflet distributed to the Labour Party Conference this week 

Our “ally” Turkey is supporting ISIL Terrorism
The current problems of the Middle East derive from the British 

denial of the 1915 Genocide and subsequent Foreign Policy of 

siding with the strong against the weak. 

Isn't it time to change Labour policy on Turkey?  

NATO member Turkey is supporting ISIL terrorism. Again Labour seems 

indifferent to the plight of minorities in the region.

We ask you Labour supporters: 

Is it surprising that Turkey is supporting Islamic State (ISIL) terrorism 

in Syria? Is it surprising that the Turkish security forces murder civilians 

as has happened this month in the Kurdish town of Cizre? After all the 

Turkish state has been allowed to get away with murder for years without 

a whimper of protest from its NATO allies.

Successive UK governments from
the Thatcher, Major and Blair years constantly reaffirmed their denial 

of the 1915 Genocide and turned a blind eye to Human Rights abuses

in Turkey.Indeed the  borders of modern Turkey are firmly built on 

the Genocide of its Armenian, Assyrian and Greek population of 

the years 1915-23. The Lausanne treaty of 1923, signed by Britain, 

rewarded Turkey for its successful annihilation of its Armenian, 

Assyrian and Greek population. Ever since British foreign policy 

has aimed to side with the strong against the weak in the region 

(eg. opposing Kurdish and Assyrian demands for statehood) 

In relation to this, Robin Cook's claim of an "Ethical Foreign policy” 

was never allowed to materialize by the La bour party. The election of 

the new leader gives us faint hope that this may finally evolve.

We ask for swift action to endLabour’s denial of the Armenian, Assyrian 

and Greek Genocides, to question the legitimacy of Turkey's borders, 

and for Turkey to be judged for its continuous abuses of Human and 

Minority rights. The doctrine of present day Turkey that all its inhabitants 

are ethnic Turks is reminiscent of Nazism.

What has happened to Yazidi women who were captured by Daash 

(ISIL) is reminiscent of the terrible events of the Armenian Genocide 

and we condemn Labour’s lack of any policy to offer military
assistance to the Yazidis and other minorities. These minorities are left
behind in Syria and Iraq while we welcome thousands of others, who  

do not belong to any ethnic or religious minority, into Europe as refugees.

At least ask your MP to support the EDM 281 by Ann Clwyd on the 

treatment of Yazidi women. Only 15 Labour MP’s have bothered to sign.

You can sign the petition on change.org on “Yazidi women and girls
kidnapped by ISIL.”

End your denial of the 1st Genocide of the 20 th Century. 

Do not let history repeat itself, address the Yazidi Genocide!

Eilian Williams
Solidarity With The Victims of All Genocides


Music of Armenia is proud to invite you to a very special 100 Year 

Commemorative event at Union Chapel Islington LONDON
Thursday, October 15 , 2015 


Tigran Hamasyan, the "wunderkind" Armenian pianist brings his 

Luys I Luso project to London and Leeds with an Armenian Choir. 

The project has toured around the world this year and there are 

more dates coming this Autumn with a 7 Voice Choir including 

LONDON on October 15 at Union Chapel Islington.

... A project for piano and voices by Tigran Hamasyan featuring 

Yerevan State Chamber Choir .

Tigran’s new musical undertaking is the fresh and attractively youthful 

representation of the Armenian sacred music of the 5th to 20th centuries 

from his perspective and will be released by the internationally acclaimed 

record label ECM in September 2015 . The repertoire ranges from 

enthralling hymns and sharakans (genre of Armenian chants) to 

breathtaking cantos by Grigor Narekatsi, Nerses Shnorhali, Mesrop 

Mashtots, Mkhitar Ayrivanetsi, Grigor Pahlavuni, Komitas, Makar 

Yekmalyan, etc., arranged for piano and voices by the pianist himself. 

All the compositions apart from “Patriarchal Ode” (Հայրապետական մաղթերգ) 

are written in grabar, also known as Classical Armenian – the oldest

 attested form of the Armenian Language.

...

Luys i Luso project tour started on March 24 , 2015 with a premiere 

in Yerevan, and then continues with up to 100 performances in 

churches in Georgia, Turkey, Lebanon, France, Belgium, Switzerland, 

Czech Republic, England, Germany, Luxembourg, Russia and USA.

...

The main purpose of the project is to continue what the giants of 

Armenian sacred and folk music – Komitas Vardapet and Makar 

Yekmalyan started at the beginning of the century and express 

gratitude to the fathers of Armenian sacred hymns and chants by 

taking their music to the ancient churches and monasteries where 

it was born. For example, during the extensive tour throughout Turkey 

Tigran will perform in the historic province of Vaspurakan, where 

Grigor Narekatsi lived, but not at the actual monastery of Narekavank, 

as it no longer exists. The monastic complex was one of the most 

prominent in medieval Armenia and had a major school. It was 

abandoned in 1915 during the massacres, and demolished in 1951. 

Today , a mosque stands on its location. Within the frames of the

 project Tigran will perform the canto “Resurrection Song” 

(Տաղ Յարութեան) by Narekatsi.

...

Two other famous songs included in Luys i Luso are “Ov Zarmanali” 

(Ով զարմանալի) and “Patriarchal Ode” (Հայրապետական մաղթերգ) 

by Grigor Pahlavuni and Komitas respectively. The hymn “Ov Zarmanali” 

is performed during Blessing of Water(Ջրօրհնեք), after the Divine Liturgy.

 It has reached us together with its melody and reflects the intricacies 

of ancient Cilician chants.

...

It is believed that the author of “Patriarchal Ode” by Komitas is the 

national poet of Armenia Hovhannes Tumanyan. The composition is 

dedicated to the Patriarch of Constantinople Mkrtich Khrimian. In the 

second half of the 19th century Khrimian ‘Hayrik’ served as a priest at 

Aghtamar monastery located in the same province where Grigor Narekatsi 

comes from – Vaspurakan. After getting unanimously elected as Catholicos 

of All Armenians, he moved to the Mother See of Holy Echmiadzin. Because 

of his fatherly love and dedication to his people and nation, Mkrtich Khrimian 

was affectionately called Khrimian "Hayrik", meaning "father" in the 

Armenian language. He was an important religious and political leader of 

his time and a father figure for Komitas. The mission of Mkrtich Khrimian 

was to save the Armenian people and lands, while Komitas tried to save 

the Armenian culture from extinction.

...

Mesrop Mashtots is another key figure in the history of Armenia, whose 

sacred hymns “Ankanim Arachi Qo” (Անկանիմ առաջի Քո) is also to be

found in the project. This well known theologian, composer, hymnologist

and linguist invented the new Armenian script circa 405 AD, thus 

establishing the Golden Age of Armenian Christian Literature. A collection

of biblical commentaries, liturgical prayers and sharakans constructed on 

a system of eight musical mode is credited to him, corroborating his 

reputation for having laid the foundation of the Armenian liturgy. One of 

the most famous collection of hymns attributed to him is Hymn of 

Repentance, and “Ankanim Arachi Qo” is part of that collection, also 

known as Sharakans of Repentance.